#so basically i’m on a trip to a family reunion with a few members of my father’s family

[genderqueer-karma]

i’m not overly clean by any means but oh my god. it is so dirty in here

[springday-aus]

Superpower!AU with Hyungwon

—

Group: Monsta X

Member: Chae Hyungwon

Genre: fluff, romance, small [very minimal] angst

TW: car accident - don’t worry, no one died 

Type: Bulletpoint AU 

Word Count: approx. 2.8k

→ Inspired by the AU Prompt: “I know you can read minds and I really like you so I’m constantly filtering my thoughts—stop making fun of how I think of fighting giraffes, it’s my go-to when I think about you shirtless” 

so Hyungwon has the power of telepathy

how he got it was rather odd

he wasn’t necessarily born with it—it kind of came to him

despite what people might think, it wasn’t radioactivity

it was actually due to an accident

when he was young, there was a minor encounter

basically, there was a car and semi-truck incident

next thing he knew, his parents were in critical condition and he was being rolled into the ER for surgery

when he woke up, he was in his hospital bed and the ventilator was hooked up to him

he heard the voices of the nurses and the doctors, but their mouths weren’t moving

originally he brushed it off since he hasn’t fully recovered and his vision kept going in and out

but once he did recover… he could still hear them

luckily, his parents were okay

and that was how he was able to confirm his new-found power

he was able to hear theirs first and it was…. insane

he was freaked out, his parents were freaked out 

once they calmed down, they tried to figure out what to do—they eventually came to the conclusion to just let it happen

they can’t control that so they might as well figure it out together 

at first, it was uncontrollable, so he heard these voices whether or not he wanted to hear them

it was always loud and his own thoughts were never heard in his own head

oh, the amount of migraines he’d gotten from a young age…

but, don’t worry, he learned to maintain it as he grew up

now, he’s able to listen whenever he looks at someone and concentrate a bit more

he’s got a better control of it, but it also means he has to be careful as to where he looks bc he doesn’t wanna listen in on someone’s private thoughts

he’s always been getting in trouble when he was trying not to get in trouble when it comes to his telepathy

that tends to happen a lot in general though

because you’re hearing a lot of thoughts that you’re not trying to hear

which is why music became a good route of distraction

at first, the monsta x boys made fun of him for not getting airpods, but, after telling them about his telepathy, they understood why he got those big ass headphones

but, we’ll get to them later

anyways

bruh, high school was extra rough on this man

can you imagine hearing all of those thoughts? especially of hormonal teenage boys?

nasty

anyways

I like to think that this is why he sleeps so much

when he first got it, it was very emotionally draining for him and he slept like twelve hours at a time

unfortunately, he got into this habit and now he can doze off if he zones out enough

he slept a lot in high school, considering that he was trying not to hear his teacher’s thoughts and the other students and focus on the lesson and would end up falling asleep on his desk and then getting in trouble with the teachers

again, it’s that whole getting in trouble without meaning to get into trouble

so anyways

his family are the main people who know and god

the amount of family tea he’s gotten from his parents’ thoughts

while he does hate being able to hear all these thoughts without a choice, his favorite is the family gatherings and reunions

homeboy could make a tv novella with all the information he’s got on his family

because his immediate family are the ones who know, whereas his cousin that’s like twice removed doesn’t, but that’s justifiable

also, his parents have to be careful when they’re talking about him or his younger brother tho

(Hyungwon: “dad, am I not your favorite?”

his dad: “I don’t have have favorites”

Hyungwon: “the lies”)

other than his family, his long time friends also know, i.e. the monsta x boys

I’m talking long term because he’s so comfortable with them and Hyungwon was stupid and let it slip

Jooheon: I know we agreed on Chinese but I kind of wanted pizza

Hyungwon: “we can get both if you want”

Jooheon: “get what?”

Hyungwon: wait a second

oh, whenever they play games, Hyungwon uses this telepathy to help him cheat

and Changkyun was suspicious of how Hyungwon, the guy who falls asleep 20 minutes into a movie, had such good gaming tactics

his suspicions were confirmed when Hyungwon told them but they all also lowkey were confused and didn’t believe him, altho it did fill in a few of the gaps

like how Hyungwon gives perfect gifts for people that they can actually use

and how he can easily solve issues before they can even become bigger issues

there were just bits and pieces that came together and he did get to prove it

Kihyun: “what am I thinking about?”

Hyungwon: “I don’t think you would want me to say it in front of our Minhyuk here”

Kihyun: …… “okay, you pass”

but revealing this also means a lot of questions

especially from Minhyuk, who’s bouncing around and is curious as to how it works

and isn’t like always being verbally asked

like, the questions will just pop into their heads and Hyungwon hears it

actually what he hears is

Minhyuk: can he hear animal thoughts?

Minhyuk: do they speak English? or do they speak in that animal sound?

Minhyuk: should I ask him? or am I going to be bothering him?

Minhyuk: okay, try to be casual and slip it in and-

Hyungwon: “I can only hear people’s thoughts, now can we please get on with the meal?”

Minhyuk: oh right he can hear mine

Hyungwon: “YES I CAN HEAR IT PLEASE BE QUIET”

Wonho: …. “what’s going on????”

this is why he favors you compared to the others

you’re curious, but not like super curious like Minhyuk

but it’s also because your thoughts are the most hilarious ones

it’s primarily because you censor a lot of your thoughts with other thoughts and they are….. eccentric

there’s a reason tho

long story short: you like him

you two are basically childhood friends

you met in middle school and woke him up before he could get in trouble and it was all history from there

it wasn’t until around the college years that the feeling hit you like a ton of bricks

and when it did hit, you were lucky Hyungwon wasn’t around to read your thoughts

because……... oof

he went from that kid with acne that you used to spray water at to keep awake

to a handsome young man that makes your heart pound so loudly in your chest

he had told you about these powers of his about a year into college, when he realized you weren’t going to disappear from his life so easily

but also because you were thinking about how the fbi is definitely listening in on your conversations because you got an ad on instagram about those sleeping bags that make it look like you were being eaten by a shark and he HAD to make a comment

Hyungwon: “dude what the fuck”

You: “what?”

Hyungwon: “how bad is your anxiety that you’re worried about the fbi agent in your phone?”

You: …… **narrows eyes** “I didn’t say anything about an fbi agent”

Hyungwon: ah shit, here we go again

anyways

that’s just a small glimpse of what Hyungwon has to hear

your thoughts were hilarious to tune into, to the point where Hyungwon listens in when you’re daydreaming and it’s like his news for the day

and it only got worse (at least for you) because you were constantly censoring your thoughts after your self-discovery of your feelings for him

you two were studying in the library one time for finals and he got real close to get a good look at the textbook to see where you were

and you couldn’t stop thinking about how close he was

but when he looked at you

you immediately switched your thoughts to think about that time Wonho choked on his ramen noodles

Hyungwon: “why are you thinking about Wonho choking?”

You: “because it’s funny?”

Hyungwon: …… “fair point”

and so now, you have something to turn to each time an incident happens

whenever he says something that makes your heart flutter, you think about Ted Bundy’s yellow buggy

whenever he makes you unconsciously jealous, you think about fat cats sitting on glass tables

you have something for everything

and Hyungwon has no idea because you’ve gotten so fucking good at hiding it

until one day, you were out with the boys, trying out this new restaurant that opened beside the river

Jooheon talks about how nice it would be nice to go to the beach sometime

Shownu tries to start plans and says y’all could plan a barbeque and make a whole trip out of it

but then Kihyun whines, saying he’s not ready because he hasn’t gone to the gym in a month

Wonho: “you haven’t gone to the gym period”

Kihyun: “better than me living there like you do”

Wonho: “and who’s the one with the abs?”

Kihyun: “son of a bitch”

that got you thinking

Hyungwon? on the beach? that means he’s just gonna chill on the side

but that also means….. a shirtless Hyungwon

Shownu: “what do you think (y/n)?”

You: “nothing, absolutely nothing”

Hyungwon looks over at you with a knowing look in his eyes

You: “what?”

Hyungwon: ………….. “why are you thinking about fighting giraffes?”

Minhyuk: “.... is that really what (y/n)’s thinking?”

Changkyun: “dude”

You: “sorry for thinking about the zoo?”

Hyungwon: “we were talking about the beach, why were you thinking about the zoo?”

You: god, I wanna die

Hyungwon: “well, are you going to die before or after the beach trip?”

Shownu: “we need to keep track of the body count, (y/n), this is important” 

sometimes you also wonder why you like him when these moments occur

but then he gives you that smile and you think to yourself

it do be like that 

and because you all are trying to plan out the beach trip, you couldn’t stop thinking about…. shirtless Hyungwon

therefore 

starts up more thoughts about fighting giraffes ensue

and more teasing on behalf of Hyungwon to you

Hyungwon: “do you wanna go to the zoo instead???? is that why you keep thinking about these giraffes????”

You: I. want. to. die.

Hyungwon: “you’ll die if you join the fighting giraffes—oW OWW OKAY I’LL SHUT UP”

the nonstop teasing for weekkkkkksss

until he finally asks you, the day before the trip

Hyungwon: “seriously, are you upset that we went out to the beach instead of the zoo?”

You: ugh, this whole ass man keeps making fun of me for thinking about fighting giraffes, this is your fault for being so fucking attract-

You: WONH O CHOKI NG ON RAMEN

Hyungwon: “WHOA NO FINISH YOUR THOUGHT”

You: NO

You: WONHO. CHOKING. LALALALLALA-

you avoided him for the rest of the day and filled your head with more censored thoughts

so he couldn’t hear anything else

and he didn’t

homeboy was left so confused because

he really likes having you as a friend but

having you as a partner would be so much better

he’s liked you since high school

hearing your thought process and little quirks

he grew fond of them

he knows it’s really invasive, but, in his defense, he was still learning to control them

and he found himself staring at you more and more, accidentally hearing your thoughts

one thing he really hated about his power is that even when he’s just taking in your presence………… he can still hear it even if he doesn’t try to

but anyways

he was sure of his feelings, but didn’t wanna push anything until he was absolutely sure

and now just might be that chance

so, after ducking him the entire day, which is hard to do when he’s trying to find you the entire day

(it’s not that hard considering all he hears from you is “FBI AGENTS GET OUT”)

(at least, that’s what you were trying to think so he doesn’t hear anything else about how you were going to explain yourself)

and he manages to catch you when the boys set up a bonfire and there’s no other spots…… except the one next to Hyungwon

which he totally, 100% did not plan

;)

anyways, you try to distract yourself by focusing your attention the marshmallow you have roasting over the fire

whereas he’s trying to read your mind, but it goes to waste as your attention is solely focused on the marshmallow

hence the tune of IU’s Marshmallow being played in your head

some of the other guys leave the bonfire, either to take a nightly beach stroll or to sleep 

and that left you, Hyungwon, and a melting marshmallow that you were trying to keep from completely burning

before you could flee though, Hyungwon speaks up

Hyungwon: “what? no fighting giraffes?”

You: “I will hit you with a flaming marshmallow”

you thought about it for a second tho, why did you think about fighting giraffes?

the boys were talking about the beach and then they talked about the trip

and the beach made you think about a shirtless Hyungwon

…………. shirtless Hyungwon

FIGHTING GIRAFFES

Hyungwon: “wait what”

You: fuck

You: “fuck”

and then your worst nightmare happens

he starts laughing

You: “sssttttoooppppppp”

You: “it’s my go-to when I think about you shirtless, okay? are you satisfied?”

he keeps laughing

Hyungwon: “do you like the image that much that you have diverted your thoughts from it?”

You: bitch

Hyungwon: “I heard that”

You: “I KNOW YOU DID” 

there’s a bit of a lull and you try to focus on your marshmallow again, but the heat on your face isn’t from the fire alone

Hyungwon: “don’t be embarrassed”

You: “I’m embarrassed because it’s you, idiot”

Hyungwon: “why?”

You: because I like you

Hyungwon: “how dumb of you to think I didn’t feel the same way”

you turn to him

You: really?”

Hyungwon: “yeah really”

Hyungwon: “your marshmallow is burning”

that’s not the only thing burning 

you both assumed that was the night that you both agreed to date

the next day, were the boys shocked that the two of you are dating?

not exactly

bc they knew Hyungwon liked you for quite some time and also the fact that whenever one of them did think you were cute….

let’s just say Hyungwon’s mouth said idc but his eyes said he could murder them and get away with it

also he trusted you enough to tell you about this secret of his, so there was definitely a high chance he was going to develop romantic feelings for you anyways

*cue a sad Minhyuk in the corner somewhere*

KIDDING

or am I

anyways

there isn’t much change to your relationship

other than additional cuddling and pecks here and now

altho there are a couple of changes

your thought processes are more clear because now you have nothing to hide but

they are also unclear because it’s like

Hyungwon. Hyungwon. Hyungwon. Hyungwon. Hyungwon. Hyungwon. Hyungwon. Hyungwon. Hyungwon. Hyungwon. Hyungwon. Hyungwon. Hyungwon. Hyungwon. Hyungwon. Hyungwon. Hy—

he also tries more and more not to hear your thoughts, but sometimes it’s hard not to hear them, especially as he openly stares at you more and more

but then again, because of that, he’s gaining better and better control of his powers

he lowkey does use it when you get into arguments because it gives him a better understanding of your perspective and that allows him to provide his and it opens up more communication between you two, even if you don’t have telepathy

also he tried to make up for it by saying everything he’s thinking

that was a very bad idea from the start bc you got annoyed really quickly

but you also kind of sympathized with him

You: “I’m sorry you have to hear my thoughts all the time”

Hyungwon: “that’s not your fault”

You: “but that’s not yours either”

he loves being able to talk to you about these things bc it really feels like someone’s in his corner

you try to understand him better and make things easier

whether it’s getting him better headphones

or distracting him with your own obscure thoughts

I’m very sure that anyone who dates Hyungwon in general is going to nap with him so…

many many naps with him with lots and lots of cuddles

you both take care of one another, physically and mentally

especially since you know he isn’t the type that opens himself up to many people

and hearing all of these thoughts, yours and others, must be exhausting for him 

anyways in this household we love and protect Chae Hyungwon bc homeboy is just tired and needs a break 

[unnamed-atlas]

Pspspsp info dump 👀

Ok so in season 1 of Mianite there's this place called Ianarea which is basically a kingdom dedicated to the goddess Ianite. There's a part of the kingdom that's in the end and seems to be actually ruled by Ianite and then there's a small area in the overworld and the lore for all of it is really vague from what I remember so I decided to rework all of it. So in the AU there's still the part in the end ruled by ianite, but then there’s an overworld kingdom by the same name that is not ruled by Ianite but in dedication to her, so most of the people living there are followers of Ianite. She spends a lot of her time in the overworld in this kingdom.

Phil, Tubbo, Tommy, Wilbur, Techno, Niki, and Eret all live in this kingdom. Phil, Tubbo, Tommy, Wil, and Techno all live together, Phil being the head of the household having taken the other four under his care at varying ages.

Phil is an inventor who’s most well known for his invention of the elytra, makeshift wings that can be used by humans for limited flight. He owns a shop where he sells his inventions and he’s well regarded in the community as the type of person you can come to for help with any problem. When he’s not working in the shop he’s either hanging out at the library with Tubbo to do research for his new inventions or bailing Wilbur, Techno, and Tommy out of trouble. 

Tubbo works as an archivist at the kingdom’s library. He works closely with Ianite and the royal family to record and preserve the history of the kingdom and of the gods, as well as to take care of the library and its other contents. 

Techno is a young anarchist who used to travel the world by himself before being forcibly adopted as Wilbur’s friend when he was passing through Ianarea. He’s well known around the kingdom for his habit of sneaking both himself and occasionally Tommy and/or Wilbur into the kingdom’s political meetings to cause problems on purpose. He also has a tendency to screw around with the royal guard members who patrol the streets of the kingdom during the day, often distracting them by departing them about political philosophy while Wilbur and Tommy cause problems on purpose. After traveling for so long he’s gotten really good at fighting and teaches Tommy and occasionally Tubbo combat and self defense. When he’s not causing problems on purpose he’s usually helping Phil around the shop.

Wilbur has a similar rebellious streak to Techno, though he does it more for the aesthetic and fun of it than for any actual political philosophy. He has a habit of stealing things just to see what he can get away with and he’s become a fairly good pickpocket, though Phil’s been trying to get him to stop. He has a love for the ocean, having grown up in the area of the kingdom near the harbor, and had even wanted to be a pirate when he was younger, much to Phils chagrin, but he never learned to swim and so became put off by the idea. He instead works as a musician now, playing at local taverns and restaurants. 

Tommy picked up Techno and Wilbur’s want for rebellion, but Tubbo’s strong moral compass has also rubbed off on him over the years, so after learning how to steal stuff from Wilbur he became a bit of a robinhood type figure around the kingdom, stealing for the good of the people. Of course he does also tend to participate in Wilbur and Techno’s mischief just for the fun of it as well. He’s gotten into countless fights with business owners and the royal guard and more often than not ends up having to be bailed out by Techno and Wilbur. When he’s not causing problems on purpose he’s known to spend his time keeping Tubbo company at the library.

Niki is one of Wil's childhood friends. She owns a bakery and volunteers at the library alongside Tubbo in her free time. She’s honestly most of Wilbur’s impulse control besides Phil. The boys all spend a lot of time hanging out in her bakery, and more than a few times she’s had to hide them from the royal guard.

Eret is another one of Wil and Niki's childhood friends who grew up to join the royal guards. Wilbur and Tommy aren't exactly thrilled at this development and tend to avoid him after he joins. Techno still thinks he's chill though and always makes a point when he's messing with the guards to stop by and visit with Eret at his post. He sometimes gets posted at the library and so he and Tubbo chat pretty often and are on friendly terms. He and Niki are close so he visits her in the bakery fairly often, and he tends to go to Phil for advice when he needs it since he grew up around Phil being Wilbur's friend. Honestly him vouching for Techno, Wilbur, and Tommy is probably most of the reason the three of them have gotten away with as much as they have.

One of the big inciting incidents of Mianite s1 is that Ianite is captured by her brother Dianite. The actual timing of it all is really vague in the series itself but I generally assume that this took place before the beginning of the series. So. AU plot pre Mianite s1: Ianite invites Tubbo to travel with her to Mianite where she’s meant to meet with Mianite to discuss some things regarding recent events and changes they’re thinking of making to their realms and such so that Tubbo can record the events of the meeting to be filed in the library of Ianarea. They shouldn’t be gone for a month or two since Mianite isn’t too far away, so Phil allows Tubbo to go on the trip. He travels with Ianite to Mianite, meets Mianite, Declan and Champwan, and the Wizards, and records the events of the trip and of the two gods meeting, and it’s going great. Then the whole thing with Ianite being captured by Dianite happens and basically Tubbo ends up captured alongside her.

And so the plot of Mianite s1 starts. Everyone starts arriving in Mianite. Tom, Tucker, Sonja, Jordan, The Modesteps, Nadeshot, the gangs all here! And they start picking their sides as followers of Dianite or Mianite, and Jordan does his whole “haha i’m on my own team i’m team Ianite” without realizing Ianite is actually a real goddess, and the next morning he wakes up and there’s this fucking ghost in his house. Except it’s not actually a ghost, it’s Tubbo! Because they're still aware of what’s happening in Mianite while having been captured by Dianite, Ianite basically saw Jordan declare himself her champion and went, “well, okay, he’s our best bet here.” and used what powers she could still access to tether Tubbo’s soul to Jordan and sends him to go look after Jordan and do his best to keep him safe and kind of lead him in the right direction towards saving the two of them.

So Tubbo and Jordan are stuck together. Tubbo doesn’t really tell Jordan much at first, he does even give him his name, just kinda hangs out, gives him advice, leads him towards the right decisions and such. And it goes on like this for a while, because no one else can see Tubbo, except, it turns out, Mianite and Dianite. Mianite basically just doesn’t acknowledge it. But Dianite’s definitely a bit pissed off when he sees Tubbo with Jordan for the first time. 

Eventually though, Techno, Wilbur, Phil, and Tommy show up on the shores of Mianite! They came all this way looking for Tubbo since he had never come back home like he was supposed to. They meet up with Jordan, Sonja, and Tucker, who are fairly weary of the travels considering the last unexpected visitors to arrive in Mianite unexpectedly had been the pirates. So the boys explain why they’re there, tell them about Tubbo, and Jordan hears these guy’s description of their friend, looks to Tubbo beside him, who had seemed uncomfortable since Phil, Tommy, Techno and Wil had arrived, and has this whole moment of just “oh shit” as he realizes the kid they're looking for is the specter that’s been following him around for months.

Tubbo all but demands that Jordan does not tell them about him. And this is the point in the story, when Jordan returns to his base after talking to SBI, the Tubbo and Jordan finally have a heart to heart and they actually start being productive.

    This is most of what I have figured out for the AU, at this point, but I do have a few one-off ideas for later on in the story. At one point in Mianite Ianarea is destroyed by Dianite and the Mianite gang discovers this upon traveling there. At this point Eret and Niki will end up going back to Mianite with the Mianite gang + SBI. I know, at one point, that I want to have the wizards do something that makes it so that everyone can see Tubbo again, maybe for a limited period of time, maybe for the rest of the story, but yeah, sappy reunion time there. I’m thinking about maybe adding a few other people to the Ianarea gang, like Fundy, Quackity, maybe Scott, but we’ll have to see about that cause I won’t do that if I can’t do it in a way that works naturally for the AU.

What I do know for sure is that there will be a happy ending, Tubbo will be saved alongside Ianite and be reunited with his friends and no I will not tolerate any alternatives.

Anyways yeah this is literally three pages long. Anon you asked for an info dump and you got one :) I’d love to hear what y’all think or any ideas you might have since this au is definitely a big wip

[xxsanshinexx]

So Oblivious

Paring: Seonghwa x reader

Genre: Fake fiance au

Words: 6654

~

“Seonghwa I need you to pretend to be my fiancé for the weekend.” Was the words that left your mouth as you burst through the door of your best friends apartment. 

Seonghwa paused his walking to the couch, turning to you with a bewildered expression, “You need me to do what.”

“I need you-” you sighed, beginning to pace back and forth in front of the door, “to pretend to be my fiance for the weekend.”

“I… sure I guess-”

“In front of my parents and most of my extended family-”

“Y/n, what the fuck!” Seonghwa’s eyes widened to the size of the plate he was holding at your words, “What the hell did you get yourself into!?”

“Okay so look,” You started running your hands down your face as Seonghwa took a seat on the arm of the couch, watching as you continued to pace. “My parents and my grandmother and all of them were pissing me off and continuously telling me how I was gonna be alone forever and how I can never get a significant other and how i’m just gonna be by myself all the time; and I got really pissed off- this is every time I see them by the way- and I slipped that stupid fucking ring i had on my index onto my ring finger and said I had a fiance! And I followed it up by saying they would meet them this weekend! At the family reunion! God dammit Seonghwa I’m so fucking stupid and I need your help to not embarass myself!”

Seonghwa took it all in with a blank look and a bite of chip, allowing the room to fall into a thick silence. “Well, to start, you’re an idiot Y/n.”

“Thank you for that lovely statement Seonghwa.”

“And to end, I wouldn’t be a cheap ass fiance. We have to get you a better ring.” He took another bite of chip with a smirk, “Can’t go around with something fake.”

“That’s seriously all you have to say about this!”

“What? I said yes, isn’t that enough?” He snorted and stood up, setting the plate on a counter and coming up to press his hands down on your shoulders. “I think I’m going to have a lot of fun showing off my gorgeous looks to your grandparents. How many of your cousins do you think I’ll make jealous-”

“I hate you.” You chuckled, relieved that he wasn’t angry about this whole ordeal and instead was taking it in a positive way. You were thankful he was ready to help you with a situation you never wanted to be in. 

“What? That’s not something you say to your fiance.” He grinned and you nearly regretted asking him to play your fake fiance. Hongjoong or Yunho would have been all for it as well, but it wouldn’t feel as natural. He squeezed your shoulders lightly and chuckled, “Now come on, we have to go get rings. I’m thinking you should get a sapphire? Something colorful. Maybe even a nice ruby- no diamonds though too basic.”

That is how you ended up standing outside the large cabin your family had rented out for a weekend, a bag slung over your shoulder, nerves wracking your body, your best friend standing besides you with a smile on his and a sapphire ring on his finger that matched your own. You were praying to anything that would listen that this weekend would work out fine. 

“So, how large is your family?” Seonghwa asked as he eyed the large estate and the children running around the front lawn. 

“I honestly don’t know, my mom has five sisters and all of them have kids… and some of their kids have kids. I think my grandmother has three sisters and two brothers… so just know, a lot of people.” You answered trying to mentally count your family members as you began to trek across the lawn, ignoring the stares from the children playing volleyball.

Seonghwa was the opposite, he smiled at them, winked and laughed at the children who could only stare, “So do you not like your family?”

“No it’s not that,” You mumbled as you took a step onto the porch, eyes glued to the wooden door. “I like them in short periods of time. Not a whole weekend… and I definitely don’t like being around them when I’ve got something to hide.”

Seonghwa chuckled, and wrapped an arm around your shoulder leaning his head close to yours, “It’ll be fine don’t worry, and besides; I’m a great actor you don’t have to worry.”

“That’s exactly what I’m terrified fo-”

“Ah Y/n!” The door swung open to reveal the initial interaction you feared the most, your mother. “I’m so glad you could make it-” her words faltered as she took notice of Seonghwa, his prince like smile already plastered on his face. He truly was a good actor and the impressed look your mother shot you only added to that fact, “And you must be Y/n’s fiance?”

“I am,” Seonghwa nodded and held out his hand for your mother to shake, “My name is Seonghwa, it’s nice to meet you ma’am.”

“It’s a pleasure, Seonghwa.” Your mother nodded her head and opened the door wider, “Now the two of you come in; your cousins have been asking about your fiance Y/n.”

“How lovely.” You tightly smiled and didn’t miss Seonghwa’s snort as the two of you stepped into the house; taking note of the rambunctious talking and the rooms filled with various relatives. Seonghwa barely looked startled by it all; and only looked mildly amused as you walked into the living room garnering the attention of your relatives in the room.

“Y/n is here!” Your mother announced as the pair of you walked into the room and a large smile spread across her face. “And she’s brought Seonghwa.”

“Seonghwa?” Your cousin, Soyeon, asked with a raised eyebrow. She was easily one of the few you actually enjoyed. 

“My fiance.” You answered curtly and it was if the whole room exploded. Everyone’s eyes got wide and an uproar was sparked, people yelling numerous questions and you and Seonghwa smiling awkwardly in answer. 

“Didn’t think he would be so hot,” Seungkwan, another cousin of yours, scoffed as he ate curled up in his spot in the recliner. 

Soyeon promptly responded by throwing a couch cushion at him, “Yah! Be nice!”

“I am being nice! I said he was hot!”

“That’s a backhanded compliment you dipshit!”

You could only shake your head as they began their fighting, a common occurrence during family reunions. If there was yelling, it was usually those two. Seonghwa seemed to be enjoying it though, “Is it always like this?”

“Yeah,” You muttered watching as Seungkwan dropped his plate due to another pillow, “Usually it’s worse.”

“At least he called me hot.” You shoved his face away from yours at that statement. 

“Mom?” You tugged gently on her sleeve to get her attention amongst the yelling, “We want to go put our stuff away before we go do anything. Where are we staying?”

“Oh up the stairs and the first door on the right! Can’t miss it your aunt labeled everyone's doors. Just be back down in time for dinner! It’ll be ready in twenty minutes!” You nodded and pulled Seonghwa away, for he was too engrossed in the insults being thrown violently between the two cousins to notice. 

You trudged up the stairs in silence, taking note of the rickety wood and the picture frames holding photos of the countryside. Your heart was still racing from the whole ordeal and you couldn’t seem to keep your nerves under control. Hopefully your family wouldn’t notice your odd behavior. 

“She wasn’t lying about the labeling,” Seonghwa scoffed, picking at the small card that read Y/n and fiance in big lettering. “Your family is really something.”

“Tell me about it,” you sighed, pushing open the door to be met with a large room with little decor. One desk, two nightstands, a drawer, and a single bed against brown walls. You groaned internally knowing what the night would entail. “Soyeon and Seungkwan are the best of the cousins…. They’re just annoying. My moms just eccentric and so are all my aunts-” You threw your duffle bag on the bed with a huff, “And I don’t think you’ll want to meet my father yet.”

“And why is that?” He asked, setting his bag down next to yours and beginning to take out the contents. 

“He’s stoic… hard to talk to and I honestly don’t think he likes anyone.” You rambled, folding and unfolding the clothes in your bag. “He’s the one I’m nervous for you to meet- i feel like something is going to go wrong -nothing that’ll be your fault really- and then things will just get crazy-”

Seonghwa sighed and wrapped you up in his arms before your could protest. His arms wrapped around your shoulders in the most comforting way, and you felt yourself relax as you listened to his soft breathing against your ear. Hesitantly, your wrapped your arms around his middle and began to find it impossible to let go, even more so as he began to speak lightly. “You need to take a deep breath, Y/n. I know you're terrified, god your rambling tells me everything- but you really don’t need to worry. I came here because I wanted to, I wanted to help you out and I wanted to meet your family. You don’t need to treat me like your fiance; I can tell it's making you panic- just treat me like how you always do.”

“Like you’re an asshole who’s sweet to me sometimes?” You muttered, closing your eyes and taking in the comfort of being trapped in his arms. Despite all this panic, he always had some sort of calming effect on you. 

He laughed and you could feel his breath against your ear, “Yeah sure, I was thinking along the lines as your handsome and sweet best friend… but i guess asshole works too.”

You nodded against him, a small smile beginning to blossom on your features, “I… I can do that.”

“No need to panic over this, love.” He said softly, pressing a chaste kiss to your head. An action he had done too many times to count, something that always made you feel comforted, now felt off; as if a new meaning had been added to it. You just hugged him a little tighter, hating the way this whole trip was already hurting your head. 

“Let’s just unpack,” You said, loosening your grip ever so slightly, “That way we can go get dinner faster. Maybe my head just hurts cause I’m hungry.”

Seonghwa scoffed and let go of you, just enough so that he could tap the middle of your forehead with his finger, “That’s probably it you fatass.”

And the sweet moment was ruined just like that; but being around Seonghwa felt more real after. 

While dinner was something you were dreading the thought of food was too alluring for you to miss. The estate was far away from the city you and Seonghwa called home, and after hours of driving, all you wanted was some warm food and a nice glass of anything. Hopefully your grandmother had made some of the food, you began to feel the effects of the reunion; the longing for something that reminded you of your childhood. 

“I see your not panicking this time?” Seonghwa asked as he slid a sweatshirt over his head, not enjoying the cold that the house brought. 

“I’m too hungry to care.” 

His laughter rang out as you opened the room’s door, stepping into the vacant hallway. You thought more of your relatives would be bustling about. Seonghwa just shook his head at your antics and with an uncommon gentleness, threaded your fingers together. “You and your food.”

You frowned at his gesture, especially as you felt yourself grow exceptionally weak at something so simple. “What this?”

“Oh this?” He smirked, holding up your interlocked fingers as you set off for the stairs, “I figured that since I’m your fiance I get to do things like this.”

You rolled your eyes but didn’t have the heart to break your hand away from his, “Fine… but not too much.”

“Are you sure? I’m nearly one-hundred percent Soyeon and Seungkwan would love to see me-” You pushed your free hand against his face, promptly stopping his words and instead making him laugh. 

“Seonghwa shut up.” You scowled but it didn’t last for long. Instead your scowl was replaced by a bashful expression as Seonghwa pressed the back of your hand to his lips, chuckling gently against your skin. 

“Whatever you say love.”

The dining room was deemed too small by your family for dinner. Instead they had taken it amongst themselves to set up numerous tables and lights outside so you all could eat together. Thankfully they were merciful enough not to make a seating chart. Seonghwa and you quietly took a table that was empty on the edge of the area, watching as children still ran around and the older adults set up. It also allowed you to look over Seonghwa who, for the first time since this whole endeavor began, looked nervous. You could always tell by the way he bobbed his knee up and down and how he chewed anxiously on his lips; he always had that look any night before an exam. 

“Are you nervous Mr. “I’m never nervous what are you talking about”?” You asked with a smile, finding yourself rubbing your thumb across the back of his hand. 

“I’m never nervous.”

“Your heart is literally racing, I can feel it.”

Seonghwa let out a small defeated sigh, “Okay fine, maybe I’m a little nervous. Your words about your father kinda are stuck in my head.”

“You don’t need to make friends with him-”

“Y/n, I want to.” Seonghwa said, leaning back in his seat and turning to face you, "I want to leave a good impression on him.”

The honest words took your breath away and you were more than thankful for Soyeon’s and Seungkwan’s interruption. You didn’t know what kind of rambling  would have happened otherwise. 

“And he’s still hot in a sweatshirt!” Seungkwan announced as he slid into the seat in front of the two of you, two plates of food in his hands. “You’ve gotten lucky, dear Y/n.”

“Oh shut up Seungkwan,” Soyeon huffed from behind you, setting down a plate before both you and Seonghwa. “You’re probably making the poor boy awkward.”

“Hey,” Seonghwa chuckled, running a hand through his dark hair, “I’ll take the compliments when I can get them.” 

“Which I assume is all the time-” Soyeon smacked Seungkwan in his back before his words could become too much. The boy just rolled his eyes and began to feast on the plate before him, sliding his second one to Soyeon.

“Please, don’t mind him. He’s an idiot, you see-”

“I am not!”

“Anyways,” Soyeon started, playing with a piece of meat on her plate as you reached to grab your utensils. “What we’re trying to get at is, it’s nice seeing you with someone. I mean this honestly, and not in the way my mom or our aunts do; its nice seeing you with someone who makes you happy.”

“Thank you…” You said and couldn’t help the little smile that rose to your face at her words, “I didn’t expect something so sweet from you.”

“Yeah, yeah, just don’t get used to it,” She popped a piece of kimchi in her mouth, “Now I want all the details. You nearly killed grandma with the news last week.”

“I did not,” You huffed which caused Seonghwa to chuckle. “I was going to tell everyone this weekend… just then everyone had to go and start making jokes about my love life again.”

“We only did it cause we honestly thought you weren’t in a relationship.” Seungkwan added, pointing his fork at the two of you. “So what’s the story? How you two met? The proposal? What the hell you do my man?”

Seonghwa could only chuckle out a reply, one that you couldn’t have thought up as you brain seemed to go into meltdown mode, “College. My dorm mate was dating Y/n’s and we met because he was constantly kicking me out. I, uh, went over a complained to Y/n’s dorm mate and woke Y/n up… that’s how we met.” That was actually how you and Seonghwa met and it made you smile slightly, knowing he was just retelling the truth for a lie. If it wasn’t for Yunho and his wild freshman year love life, you and Seonghwa probably would never had met. 

“Spicy,” Seungkwan nodded along, “That's a good meeting story. Better than our parent’s “Our friend introduced us!”.” 

“Don’t mock my love life Seungkwan when you don’t have one,” Your mother’s voice put a pause in the conversation as everyone but Seungkwan erupted into laughter. 

“Oh my gosh, don’t expose me like that!”

“You were being mean,” Your mom shrugged before putting her hands on Seonghwa’s shoulders. “I’m so sorry to ask this of you Seonghwa, but Y/n said you were a good cook and we need an extra hand in the kitchen if you don’t mind. It’ll only be for a few minutes.”

You could tell Seonghwa was internally panicking by the way his hand clamped tightly around your own, but the only thing that showed on his face was a small smile. “Of course.”

He let go of your hand and rose from his seat, turning to follow your mother but not before placing a kiss to the crown of your head, “Wish me luck.”

“You’re gonna need it,” You whispered back encouragingly, knowing exactly why your mother was pulling him away. It didn't matter what kind of excuse she came up with to separate the two of you, it was bound to happen whether you wanted it to or not. 

“Well there goes another one,” Soyeon huffed, crossing her arms and leaning back in her seat. “You know our whole family is going to be in there interrogating him.”

“Yeah… I told him to watch out for my father, I didn’t say anything about grandpa or our aunts. I didn’t want to entirely petrify him.” You said, watching as Seonghwa light-heartedly conversed with your mother before they walked into the house and you began a silent prayer for him. As much as you told him he didn’t need to leave a good impression; a part of you really wanted your family to like him. 

“Smart. My mom is probably gonna ask for his whole life story while he helps her with the kimchi.” Seungkwan snorted as stood up, picking up his cleaned plate. “I’m gonna go spy on them, I’m a nosy bitch and so far there hasn’t been enough gossip here. I’ll let you know what I find out.”

“Honestly though?” Soyeon said as Seungkwan walked away, her eyes still stuck to the door, “I think Seonghwa will be fine.”

“You think?” You said as you began to nibble at the food on your plate, sorry for Seonghwa who had to leave his.

“Yeah. Your mom absolutely loves him from like the three words he spoke to her, and grandma saw him when you went up to your room and gasped. I’ve never seen grandma gasp at one of our other cousin’s fiance’s so that’s a good sign I guess.” Soyeon shrugged and chuckled to herself, “I think he’s really a keeper for you, Y/n, and I think the whole family knows that even if they’ve never met him.”

The words sparked something inside you, making you feel like you were on fire and freezing all at once. “Why would you say that?”

“God you’re always so oblivious,” She shook her head but smiled, “He… He looks at you like you’re his whole world, Y/n. It’s cute.”

You felt your heart pound a little harder against your ribcage at the words, and for some reason, you couldn’t stop the smile on your face. In the back of your mind you were telling yourself that this was all Seonghwa and his “acting” but something in your heart didn’t want to listen. “I never noticed.”

“Like I said, oblivious.” She huffed away a strand of hair that had fallen in her vision, “But if it makes you feel any better; I don’t think he notices the way your eyes are literally hearts when you look at him.”

“They are not!” You pouted with a shocked expression, causing her to only laugh more. There was no way you looked at Seonghwa like that. Sure, he was one of your favorite people in the world, your best friend; but you didn’t look at him like he was your world… you didn’t think you did.

“Doesn’t matter what you think, because it’s true.” Soyeon said, eyes glued back to the door waiting for either Seungkwan or Seonghwa to come through it. “You can tell you really love each other.”

It was that moment that you wanted to tell Soyeon everything; about how it was all fake, the fiance, the love talk, you and Seonghwa being together; but again something stopped you. Maybe it was some want in you that you didn’t know. Whatever it was, it made your stomach sink as you began to think of your best friend in the way Soyeon saw the two of you. In the way your whole family saw you. Maybe the thought sparked something inside you once again, making you wonder if you really asked Seonghwa to play the part because he was your best friend or because maybe you wanted something more. 

“Oh look, lover boy is back- oh! And he has a smile on his face!” Soyeon grinned and you looked up from your food to see that she was right; Seonghwa was coming back with a proud smile on his face and a skip in his step. None of the other fiance’s who had been interrogated came back looking like that. 

“What’s got you so chipper?” You laughed slightly as he took his spot besides you, hungrily picking up his knife and fork. 

“I-” he paused to take a bite of meat, “Think I just wowed the fuck out of your family.”

“Oh do tell,” You said, taking note of the way his eyes lit up, Soyeon’s words ringing in the back of your head.

“Well your grandmother? Easily won over with my dashingly good looks and amazing cooking skills-” He winked and you gagged, but Soyeon seemed to be enjoying it. “Your mom? Lovely woman, didn’t need to do anything special and I really enjoyed her- same goes for most of your aunts. Your grandpa was a bit uh.... Harsh but warmed up to me after he saw me talking to his wife.”

“She’s his weak point,” Soyeon added, “You get her to like you, he’ll love you by default.”

Seonghwa nodded with a chuckle, “I helped her reach something on the top shelf and his coldness just disappeared.”

You nodded along but still there was one person’s reaction that was worrying you, “What...what about my dad?”

Seonghwa’s smile brightened after this, “He likes me. At least, that’s what your mom told me. She said, quote, “He looks angry but you made him laugh, so he likes you”.”

“You made him laugh!?” Both you and Soyeon exclaimed at the same time, eyes wide and both of you rightfully were suspicious. 

“Is that not something that happens?”

“The last time he laughed was when Seungkwan fell down the stairs… did you like stab yourself with a knife or something?” Soyeon asked with a raised eyebrow and you nodded, perplexed how Seonghwa could make the most stoic man on the planet laugh.

“I just..” He shrugged and chuckled, “i just made jokes… some puns and just like talking to your family members. He only questioned me a couple times but it was like the stereotypical dad questions.”

“I can confirm,” Seungkwan said coming back to stand at the head of the table. “It was weird. Your dad like.. Dude he smiled and everything!”

You felt a small sense of pride well up in your chest, “Well, it’s nice to know he likes someone.”

“Consider yourself lucky, Seonghwa,” Seungkwan huffed, crossing his arms, “I’ve been trying for more than twenty years to try and get that man to like me.”

Seonghwa laughed and with his free hand, quietly interlocked your fingers under the table and gave your hand a squeeze. “I’ll consider myself blessed than.”

You smiled again despite your brain and chuckled, taking a second to squeeze his hand back. There was a part of you that felt happy, much too happy for something small, but you couldn’t care. You were just glad that your family loved your best friend, like you did.

The thought made you pause, blocking out Soyeon’s, Seonghwa’s, and Seungkwan’s laughter and boisterous talking. You did love Seonghwa, he was someone who you had grown to depend on and someone who genuinely made you laugh; but did you love him or did you just love him. The panic from earlier seemed to seize your emotions but then again, like earlier, there was a part of you that just wanted to hold him a little tighter. 

Instead of doing anything, you just let your emotions rise up and down like the laughter that night. 

The night was full of you and your relatives talking and being joyous. One by one they all came by and talked to you and Seonghwa, congratulating you on your engagement and trying to learn all they could about the man. Seonghwa was a good sport about it all, he smiled and joked and made very lasting impressions on the children who curiously crawled into his lap. You were elated to find how easily he was absorbed into your family, how easily some of the people who were cold to you for years warmed up to him so easily. 

“I really like your family, Y/n.” He said as the only aunt he hadn’t met yet left the two of you be. It was quiet between the two of you now, as you stood on the outskirts of the dinning area, watching your family drink and be merry. 

You chuckled a little, remembering the way your relatives swooned around him, “They seem to like you too.”

Seonghwa just shook his head and put his arm around you, resting his head against your own. “It’s cause I’m charming.”

“Is that the story you created for why I fell for you?”

His breathy laugh was warm against your head in the cold night, “I think I threw it in one of the stories tonight. I’ve made up so much shit tonight I can’t remember.”

“My favorite story was the one of you crying when you asked me out.”

“You made that one up!” Seonghwa rolled his eyes as the two of you began to walk towards the house, watching as others began to disappear inside for the night. “You just wanted to ruin my reputation I was building with Byeonkwan.”

“You can’t have a better reputation than me!” You complained, tugging on the end of his sleeve in protest, “This is my family not yours!”

“Well it seems like I’m more liked-”

“Aye lovebirds!” Soyeon’s voice, a little wavered, called from her spot in the circle of adults, “Where are you going?”

You looked up to Seonghwa and he gave you a little nod, his eyes tired from the day. “We’re going to bed. It’s been a long day!”

“Don’t do anything that’ll keep the kids up!” Seungkwan called back, receiving a prompt smack on the back of the head from both your father and Soyeon. 

You could feel the blush rise to your cheeks but all you did was shake your head in annoyance. You could always count on Seungkwan for an untimely awful joke. Seonghwa didn’t have much of a reaction beside an awkward laugh as he steered you back towards the door. A small scoff came from your lips as you hit your head lightly against Seonghwa’s chest, feeling much more comfortable with any form of contact after tonight. “I hate my cousins.”

“Those two are my favorite,” He pulled open the door for you to walk through and you two continued towards the stairs “I can see why you love them so much.”

“I was actually going to bring Seungkwan by one day when he was in town to meet you but I decided against it.” You stated as you opened the door to your room, walking through and realizing a problem.

“You should’ve, I think he’s fun…” Seonghwa trailed off as he came around to notice your pouted lips and thoughtful yet panicked expression. “Hey, what's wrong?”

“Uh it’s… there’s only one bed.” You muttered and he cocked his head to the side in confusion.

“What?”

“There’s only one bed,” You said a little louder with a sigh as you walked over to get out the pajamas you had laid out before dinner. 

“That’s what you’re worried about?” Seonghwa scoffed as he grabbed his own clothes, going to sit on the bed as you walked towards the bathroom. 

“Yeah… I just… It’s you know-” You stumbled trying your best to find the words that you wanted to.

Seonghwa just chuckled and smiled, “I’ll sleep on the floor, it’s okay Y/n.”

“No you’re not going to sleep on the floor just-” You ran your hand over your face and leaned against the bathroom door’s frame. “Just you’re not sleeping on the floor.”

With that you closed the door and started to get ready for bed, trying to think things through with a racing heart. You don’t know why the thought of sharing a bed with Seonghwa evoked emotions within you. Why a slight panic filled your system at just the thought. He was just your best friend who was faking being you fiance who made you feel funny; nothing you should be terrified of. You sighed at yourself in the mirror, dressed in your pajamas and a tiredness in your eyes. You couldn’t just let Seonghwa sleep on the ground. 

“Seonghwa?” you called quietly as you slipped out of the bathroom into the completely dark room. There was a mound of blankets on the ground and you swear you saw it move slightly. It made you frown seeing how Seonghwa would go through any lengths just to make you feel comfortable. 

“Yeah, Y/n.” His voice was tired and hoarse, like the day was finally taking a toll on him. 

You climbed on top of the bed, pulling the covers over you as you let the silence hang for a few moments, “Come up and sleep on the bed… you don’t need to sleep on the ground.”

“Y/n… I told you this is okay. I know you feel weird about it-”

“Yeah and you’ve given up a lot to come and help me out of my own fuckfest…. So just.. Come to bed Seonghwa.” Your words hung in the air, and you curled into the pillow you were using as you awaited a reply. Seonghwa didn’t say anything after that but after a few minutes, you could hear the rustling of blanket and soon enough you felt the bed dip. 

“I’m only sleeping here cause the ground is cold as shit,” He mumbled, and you could feel the warmth of his body even if he was on the opposite side. It was comforting. 

“Go to sleep, Seonghwa.” You said and pulled the covers over you a little tighter, trying to calm the sudden raging of your heart. “And thank you… for today.”

“Goodnight Y/n.” You could hear the smile in his voice and that just made the situation at hand become even more present than it already was. You were sharing a bed with your best friend, your heart was palpitating more than it should and it seemed that everything didn’t want to fall into place for you. You had a hard time sleeping that night, even if you had Seonghwa’s soft snores as your lullaby. 

You never remembered falling asleep, finally being able to block out your thoughts and raging hearts. You never remembered tossing in your sleep or even so much as rolling around. You certainly didn’t expect that when you came back to consciousness, Seonghwa’s arm would be wrapped around your waist and his face inches from yours. And the thing that you couldn’t have even anticipated, was how much you loved waking up to it all. 

He looked peaceful, the exhaustion from the night before entirely eradicated from his features as he slept. His hair dangled across his eyes and his lips parted every so often to allow air to pass through. You hadn’t seen Seonghwa so close and personal, had never seen him so beautifully intimate in the way that you just wanted to brush the hair from his eyes.

The panic you had from the night prior was still there but now it had become subdued, as something a little more warm began to take its place. While last night or any other time before this morning you might have screamed if you had woken up this close to him, today all you wanted was to fall back asleep and enjoy the comfort. The way his arm and his body was warm and soothing. How his breath tickled your nose. How he just looked so perfect in this moment and couldn’t figured out why you didn’t realize how much you adored him and his stupid perfect smile. 

But there was no reason to reach out and hold his hand that was right there, tucked under his chin. No reason to brush his hair from his eyes as he slept. No reason for you to curl up to his chest and fall back to sleep amidst the early morning light. That realization seemed to settle in your somewhere deeper than the panic could ever; especially as you watched his eyelids flutter open, eyes dazed until they met yours and seemed to focus. 

“You’re already up?” He whispered, the morning raspiness of his voice making your realize just how close you were to him. How was it that he could hold you all day in front of your parents and you barely felt anything, but here all you could do was be hit by different emotions. 

“I’m surprised too,” You matched his tone but you weren’t sleepy anymore, you were too aware of everything around you. Too aware of the way his thumb rubbed small circles into your skin.

“You’re never up this early,” He mumbled, and turned his head to fully face you, “What’s bothering you.”

“Nothing.”

“Liar.”

The words put a frown on your face and you had to turn your head, unable to face Seonghwa in this quiet atmosphere. “I don’t know what’s bothering me.”

“I have some wishful thoughts about what’s bothering you.” He said causing your eyebrows to crease at the words, “But i want you to tell me before I even say a word.”

The truthfulness of the statement had you with words on your tongue before you could even process them, “I feel different. Something’s changed.... And I don’t know what is was. I just hope that it’s not just my own wishful thinking that… that…”

You couldn’t finish but Seonghwa was always a step ahead of you, “Something’s changed with us.”

“I don’t know how I feel about it.” You muttered, closing your eyes and trying not to think too much about the hand that now lightly trailed up and down your spine. “I just hope that it wasn’t because of my mind or… or this fiance deal we had going on. I never wanted to realize anything like this because of a stupid fake romance deal.”

“Okay and?” His voice was sturdy enough for you to turn your head towards his, taking sight of his determined dark eyes that felt like home. “What if one day I wanted to be your real fiance.”

The words took the breath from your lungs and you could only gape at him, “You… Hwa… what?”

“Y/n, I love you.” He said, earnestly and truthfully, like he was finally sure about something in his life. “I have for a really long time,” His hand that lingered on your back trailed up until it came to caress your cheek, “When you came into my apartment drunk and sobbing at three a.m. about how you ate your late pack of ramen, I knew I loved you. The time you hugged me so tight and laughed in pure happiness because you finally passed your college exams, I knew I always wanted you around me. I realized... that if you would let me in some years time…. I’d want to be the one you pick all because of this weekend.”

Tears had begun to form in your eyes at the words and you could only giggle at his confession. You had never expected anything like that from Seonghwa, and you had never expected a confession that would tug so harshly on your heartstrings. If you weren’t in love with him by now, his beautiful and honest words made you fall. “Hwa…. you really want all that with me?”

“If you’ll let me, Y/n.” He brushed away a tear that had fallen and you could only smile, especially as that pit in your stomach warmed and spread like a comforting fire. You realized that’s what love felt like. 

You nodded your head weakly, an elated smile spreading across your face. “Yes… I… I think it’d really love for all of that eventually.”

You had never seen Seonghwa grin so wide or laugh so bashfully. You had never felt him caress your cheek in the way he did now or noticed how much adoration filled his gaze when the two of you locked eyes. “Y/n,” Seonghwa muttered in a whisper, eyes dancing from your lips and back to your eyes; him having trouble on what to focus on. “Can I… Can-”

“Please kiss me already.” You said, leaning your head forward so you could meet him in the middle. You never expected to kiss your best friend; never expected his lips to be so soft and pillowy. You never thought he was the type to smile into kisses or cradle your face in his hands like it was more fragile than glass. If you pulled away for air Seonghwa wouldn’t leave your lips alone for very long, the two of you seeming to not be able to let go of one another for long. It wasn’t until the air from both of your lungs was entirely gone that you had to separate, panting slightly from the session of loving kisses that you both had waited to long for. 

“That,” Seonghwa said, his voice breathless as he brushed away some hair that had fallen into your eyes, “feels way better than being your fiance for the weekend.”

You scoffed and curled up close to him, still laughing as you wrapped your arms around his torso enjoying the warmth he exuded. Quietly, against the skin of his neck, you whispered, “You still have two days to be my fiance.”

“And we still have a few hours to lay around in bed,” He murmured against the top of your head, wrapping his arms around your back and threading a hand through your hair. “A pretty perfect weekend if you ask me.”

[wwhbtsjin]

Meeting Your Family

Pairing: Jin x Reader

Word Count: 3.1k

Genre: Fluff with a lowkey smut

a/n:I used to write a long time ago but you know, I wanted to keep writing. So I revived my account LOL.

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It’s been three years since you moved to Seoul for college and instead of having regrets about moving to a whole new country, you loved it. The culture was amazing, South Korea was absolutely beautiful, and the food was great!

Life wasn’t lonely either. Sure the first few weeks took some getting used to, but you found your people right away. You couldn’t forget the first friend you made in school, Jung Hoseok, who was one of the biggest rays of sunshine you’ve ever met. He was your lab partner for your introductory chemistry course and from that day on you two were two peas in a pod! Time passed and next thing you know, you were part of his friend group which included six other guys with him, Jeon Jungkook, Kim Taehyung, Park Jimin, Kim Namjoon, Min Yoongi, and Kim Seokjin.

Ah yes, Kim Seokjin a.k.a Jin. When you first met him, you thought he was just another pretty face who had his life all written out for him. In fact, he got on your nerves a little bit when it came to him always admiring his face and bragging about it. But that didn’t stop him from trying to get to know you more. In fact, the more you ran away, the more he tried to get close to you. But you never stopped him. And because you never stopped him, you got to see how genuine of a person he was. How caring, goofy and fun he was. And in the end, you two fell for each other quickly and hard.

~

It’s three years into your relationship now and you and Jin are as strong as ever. You both had just finished your third year of Undergrad and as Summer vacation was approaching, you two had decided to take a vacation before the stress of your last year of college started to roll in. Coincidentally, it was your grandma’s 80th birthday and a family reunion was being planned. You thought it was the perfect opportunity to bring Seokjin home to see where you grew up and to meet your family. 

“Oppa! Are you excited to meet my family?” You asked as the two of you settled into your seats on the plane. It was going to be a long flight considering you guys were on your way to the States, so you both dressed fairly comfy.

“I...am...nervous! What if they don’t like me? What if they don’t think I’m good enough for you? What if I screw up on this trip? What if the gifts I bought them weren’t good enough?” He kept on rambling on and you thought it was the cutest thing. When he rambles, he tends to get very...bouncy.

You placed your hand on his and giggled, “Oppa you didn’t have to buy EVERYONE gifts you know that right? Even though my parents only have my older brother and I, my aunts are gonna want gifts, my uncles will, my cousins will, my parents friends will...the list goes on! What matters is that we packed the gift for my grandma...which you did right?”

Aggressively Jin pounded on his chest, “Of course! It kinda saddens me Jagi that you’re suspecting that I forgot it…” He pouted with his luscious lips and you couldn’t help but kiss them.

“I just wanted to make sure!” you snuggled into his side, “I’m just really excited and anxious and nervous, and hungry…” 

Jin chuckled and kissed your forehead, “I know, I am too. But this will be a great trip, I’m sure of it”.

~

Please return your seats to the upright position and fasten your seatbelts as we prepare for landing.

You opened up the window to the plane and sure enough, the familiar aerial view of your hometown took over, “Oppa look! There’s downtown! Oh look there’s the harbor! There’s my old school! I’m home!” The excitement started to take over you and you held Jin’s hand, “I’m really home!” 

“Wow this definitely isn’t Seoul, but it’s still pretty amazing.” He’s been to the states before but this is his first time visiting where you’re from.

Soon enough, you two got your luggage and your rental car and were on the way to your hotel. Since it was a big celebration for your grandma, families from all over were in town, so your parents house was full. Plus Jin and you figured that since you two were still on vacation, a little privacy wouldn’t hurt you two.

“Let’s see, there’s my Aunt and Uncle who drove from Los Angeles. Their kids live here and they have kids now! My brother and his girlfriend are coming! My cousins from Chicago are coming! My grandma’s best friend who’s basically my grandma!...” You started listening off everyone to Jin as he drove you guys to the hotel.

“Woah woah woah Jagi! That’s a lot! I’m not going to remember this! You have to show me their faces and explain to me right then and there!” Jin said as he pulled into the hotel which wasn’t too far from the airport.

“Sorry Oppa! Try your best tomorrow! You got this!” You smiled and kissed his cheek.

“I’M DRIVING!! PLEASE DON’T DISTRACT ME BECAUSE I WANNA KISS YOU NOW! UGH!” 

Giggling you reassured him, “Oppa we have the rest of the day to ourselves. So the first order of business, the hotel room!” You winked and teased him.

“Good, cause 13 hours on that plane is too long.”

~

Your alarm started going off at 9 A.M., the party was at 11, in time for lunch.

“Oppa~” you cooed sleepily as you snuggled into a shirtless Jin, “Oppaaaaaa we have to get uppppppp. I need to take a showerrrrrr.”

Jin hugged you tightly and snuggled his face into your hair, “Ughhh five more minutes Jagi pleaseeeee. I want to keep holding you and relax a little more before I go through the stress of learning all of your family members' names.” His grip around your waist got tighter as he pulled you even closer into him and at the same time...you felt something down there poke you.

“Yah!” You playfully slapped him and sat up, “I’m going in the shower! You take care of that while I’m gone!”

“Fine!” Jin pouted as you playfully walked into the bathroom. 

The shower has always been a thinking spot for you and you couldn’t help but think of the possibilities that could happen today. Everything could go great and your family could adore Jin. Everything could go terribly bad and you and Jin would be returning to Seoul as soon as possible. What if your dad didn’t like him? What if he didn’t get along well with your older brother? What if one of your cousins tried to flirt with him? He is gorgeous after all.

“Jagi! Hurry up! I need to shower!” You heard Jin open the door to come and brush his teeth. You two have been together for 3 years now and have definitely seen each other 100% if you know what that means, so leaving the bathroom door for you two to walk in on each other was nothing new. 

“Sorry Oppa!!” You stepped out of the shower with the towel wrapped around you, “Can y-” but before you could finish Jin wrapped his hands around your waist and pulled you close so your faces were only centimeters apart.

“Mmm my Jagi is so irresistible in this state” he started trailing kisses down your neck, “You taste just like strawberries”. His favorite fruit, and coincidentally, the scent of your body wash. He backed you up against the counter of the bathroom and his hands started toying with the fold of your towel, “I could easily take this off and take you right here” You felt a warmth growing in your stomach and your cheeks were heating up.

But you didn’t have much time. If you were gonna make love to Jin, you wanted to have lots of time to be passionate with each other. 

So you smirked and whispered in his ear, “Tell you what Oppa, if you’re good today, I’ll definitely reward you when we get back here later” and with that, you playfully skipped out of the bathroom, “Now finish getting ready”. 

Jin just stood there with his mouth wide open, “Yah! You can’t just tease me like that!”

~

Your mom told you and Jin to wear something colorful and bright to the party. So you decided to go with your favorite sky blue sundress and Jin was the one who wanted to match, so he decided to go simple with black slacks, a sky blue dress shirt and a blazer. 

The two of you pulled up to the party venue and Jin sighed, “Oh boy...here we go!” he said as he parked the rental car, “I still can’t believe you teased me like that earlier…” 

“Like I said, be good Oppa and you get what you want!” Jin opened the door for you and helped you out of the car, but before you could make your way to the venue you heard your older cousin call out for you.

“(Y/N)! Is that really you? You made it?!” This cousin was like a big sister to you, one that you never had, “How was the flight? When did you fly in? Why didn’t you tell me?”

You giggled and held her hands, “I thought my parents told you? It was sent in the family group chat after all?”

“Oh yeah...wait a second...is this the Jin that you post photos with? Your boyfriend of three years whom we never met? Is that why I had to make a name tag for him?!” she ran over to Jin, “Wow you’re handsome! Nice to meet you” 

“H-hello” Jin smiled warmly, “I’m sorry my English isn’t strong yet”.

“You’re doing just fine! Thank you for coming! I’m sure the rest of the family can’t wait to meet you!” she smiled and turned back to you, “ I have to help my husband bring in the desserts so I’ll see you later. Nice to meet you Jin!” 

“That was only one cousin...and she has a husband who I haven’t met.” Jin looked around, “And there’s SOOOOO many cars which means there’s SOOOOO many people here. Oh...my gosh….I don’t have think.” 

You intertwined your fingers with his, “You got this Oppa, now let’s go inside and greet everyone else.” 

The two of you turned and walked away into the venue. Flowers served as the centerpieces for the tables, blue and gold was the color scheme since they were your Grandma’s favorite colors. You turned to sign the guest book before anything else.

(Y/N) and Kim Seokjin. Grandma I made it home for your birthday!

After, you dragged Jin to where the two of you would be sitting. You were still fairly early so not many people were there yet, but when you approached your table, one of Jin’s biggest fears was there. It was your older brother and he sure did not want to screw this one up.

“(Y/N)!” Your older brother smiled and both him and his girlfriend got up, “I’m so happy to see my little sister!” You and your brother were carbon copies of each other. The only difference was your age and gender.

“Hi. I’m home” You smiled cheekily.

Your brother walked right past you and straight to Jin. They saw eye to eye. Those freaking giants…

“You must be Seokjin?”

Jin took a deep breath and nodded, “Yes I am. Nice to meet you.” He held out his hand for your brother to shake. 

Your brother raised an eyebrow and nodded approvingly, “Nice to meet you too. I hope you’re taking care of my sister. If not I’ll fly to Seoul and beat you to a pulp.”

After your brother said that you playfully smacked him and took Jin away, “You did great meeting my brother Oppa! But are you ready for your next challenge? Cause it’s time to meet my parents!” You squeezed his hand reassuringly and continued to drag him towards more people.

You found your mom and dad finishing the dessert arrangements, “Mommy! Daddy! I’m hoooommmeee!” You squealed as you ran up to them. 

“Welcome home! Are you staying home??” Your parents were of course happy for you in Seoul but they missed you terribly, “Oh and is this Seokjin?”

“I’m not staying home, I have to finish school! And yes, this is my boyfriend!” You smiled up at Jin.

He gulped and smiled, “H-hello. My name is Seokjin. Nice to meet you.” He shook your dad’s hand and as he was about to shake your mom’s she pulled him in for a hug.

“Sorry I’m a hugger. And since I’m hugging you, that means I approve of you dating my daughter.” She smiled.

But Jin looked a little lost. You realized you had to translate a bit of that for him. But he was smiling nonetheless.

“Last test I promise Oppa. It’s the matriarch herself. My grandma.” Now your grandma may have been turning 80, but she still acts like she’s 40. Your grandma stood at the head table, dressed in an extravagant gown. She was with your oldest cousin and his kids.

“(Y/N)!” He exclaimed as you dragged Jin over, “You made it! How was the flight?”

“It was good! Long...but good!” You gave him a hug, “This is my boyfriend Seokjin!”

Your cousin gave Jin a visibly firm handshake, “It’s nice to meet you.” It looked like the handshake was really firm cause you saw Jin flinch a little, but nothing too noticeable.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” Jin smiled and didn’t let the surprise get to him.

“Oookaaay. I think you’re hurting my boyfriend.” You separated their hands and looked at your cousin, “He has to meet grandma anyways!”

The two of you turned and you engulfed your grandma in a hug, “Awh man grandma I missed you! You look stunning!”  

“Thank you my dear,” Your grandma smiled and looked behind you, “Who’s this handsome man that you brought with you?”

In Jin’s mind he thought, All right, handsome. It’s a good start. She recognized my outstanding face.

“This is Seokjin. My boyfriend that I met at school.” You pulled him closer and immediately your grandma engulfed him in a hug.

“I’m a hugger too!” She patted Jin’s back and let him go, “It’s nice to meet you. I hope you’re taking good care of my granddaughter.” 

Jin smiled and nodded, “It is nice to meet you too. Happy Birthday.”

After talking for a bit with your grandma and some other family members, you and Jin began to walk back to your table, “I think you’re doing just fine. So far it seems like everyone here adores you. Well don’t question any of my cousins or my brother, they like you, trust me.”

“You really think so?”

“I know so,” you grabbed his hand reassuringly, “They’ve never been this approving before. But you’re amazing so I wouldn’t see why not. It’s hard to find a reason not to like you.”

“Jagi you flatter me,” Jin squeezed your hand back, “I’m glad I’m doing good. But now I need to just survive through this party then I get my reward!”

You felt heat flush through your cheeks, “Shh! Not around my family! Plus I want to go somewhere after the party.”

“Okay okayyyy, but Jagi?” Jin looked down at you warmly, “I love you.”

You smiled back, “I love you too Oppa.”

~

The entire party went really smoothly. Some of your nieces and nephews fell in love with Jin because of his height and even started using his arms as swings and monkey bars. Jin and your brother got along fairly well because they were both able to bond over gaming. He got along well with your parents because they loved the fact that he was a goal driven man. Your cousins all adored him for how loving he was to you.

But soon enough the party ended and you and Jin were free for the day. Before you guys decided to head back to your hotel though, you wanted to take Jin to a favorite spot of yours that you used to go to back when you still lived in the states.

It was a viewpoint that overlooked the ocean and the way that the sun reflected on it, it was just magical.

“Whenever I just needed some alone time, I would come here, sit in my car and just listen to music.” You smiled as you and Jin sat in the trunk of your rental car just looking at the view. There were beautiful points all over South Korea but this one hits differently because it was your spot. “I would forget all my worries. All the stress. I always would feel relaxed here.”

You cuddled into Jin’s side as he had his arm around your shoulder. Your heads were leaning against each other and the steady sound of you guys breathing went perfectly in sync with the peaceful serenity around you guys.

“It’s beautiful here Jagi. I would come here if I was able to also,” he kissed the top of your head, “But now that you have me, I don’t want you to have those feelings anymore. When you’re with me, I want to help you forget about your worries. I want to help take your stress away. I want you to feel relaxed with me.”

“And I do Oppa. Honestly, moving to Seoul and meeting Hobi, the boys and you really was the best thing to happen to me. I’m a much better person now than I was in the past. I’m so much happier with you now,” you looked up at him and smiled, “I really mean it Oppa. You’re the best.”

Jin leaned down and kissed you warmly, “And you’re the greatest treasure in my life. I love you so much. I really do.”

It’s true. You’ve never felt this happy up until Jin came into your life. He always knew how to make you smile and laugh. You knew he loved you genuinely. And you were the same to him. He treasured everything you gave him, because everything from you was truly genuine.

You wrapped your arms around him and gave him a hug, “I know Oppa. I love you”.

After sitting for a good 20 minutes Jin took a deep breath and whispered in your ear, “Can I claim my reward now?”

[zertzertzhang]

Stand and Deliver: My Life Turned Upside Down

A/N: This is my first time writing on Tumblr, so please bear with me! I am usually active on FFNet and AO3, but since this fandom is basically nonexistent except for here, I thought maybe I could post my works for this movie here. The story is a fanfic based on the 1988 movie ‘Stand and Deliver’ starring Edward James Olmos, and taking a deeper look into the lives of the impoverished students in East LA.

Eventual Angel/OC, and warnings of racial slurs with some physical violence.

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Chapter One: Hellhole

The divorce shattered the Yang family to pieces. Vianne was no stranger to her mother’s scorn for her father, even at a young age. There were countless nights of screaming from Mrs. Yang, coupled with the frustrated curses her father threw in return. At one point, she was sure she heard plates crashing against the walls, but by the time she pumped up the courage to go check the next day, everything had been neatly restored. It was like the fight never took place.

Vianne was not stupid; the traces of her parent’s clashing were found in their silence. It was the harsh clatter of silverware against the bowls during dinner which reminded her that despite the calm nature of the family evenings, rage was just seconds from spilling onto the streets. Their house had just enough bearings to keep authorities from pounding the door on a weekly basis.

There wasn’t much left to solidify the hate between the spouses of the Yang household. By the time Vianne’s father suggested giving her a sibling to help bring her mother back, even she knew that it was a futile attempt to play house a little longer.

But to Vianne’s dismay, her mother agreed. Within months, blue paint littered around the spare bedroom in a massive heap, threatening to swallow the couple whole. Vianne didn’t react much when she realized a brother was coming her way, the increased shouting from Mrs. Yang frightened her as the due date neared. Her father would grumble incessantly about his wife’s mood swings and how that was what men got for marrying.  

All of that was lost to Vianne; she was too young to comprehend full sentences, much less understand the hidden meaning behind her father’s statement. Maybe her brother would make her mother happy for once. She could envision her father playing with her in the fields as her mother and her brother sat on picnic mats to the side. They would be laughing just like how it used to be. Vianne wouldn’t have to stay awake, pressing her ears against the doors as more kitchenwares were broken. There would finally be peace...

Her mother’s eyes held the warmth of motherhood for no longer than a few seconds before the cold hollow overtook them again.

Peace never came. What happened in its stead was her brother screeching from his crib, all the while as her parents shrieked at one another over changing diapers. It made Vianne’s head split with thunderous agony. She never wanted to yell this badly, to make them just hug each other for once and stop talking. But such thoughts happened in her mind only. And before she knew it, they were back to throwing pots against the wall.

That lasted however long she remembered. Then came the papers, and she soon found herself holding baby Jack in her arms as her aunt ushered her into a stranger’s car. They said they would be taking care of them for a while. It dawned on Vianne that this was her first time meeting her mother’s family. There was no such thing as a happy reunion in this household.

She didn’t get to see her father after that, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to anyway. Not when the last thing she saw him doing was spitting onto her mother’s face as he tried to stop her from stepping out the door. No one knew that Vianne hid under the covers to cry herself to sleep once she settled in her new home.

And thus, Mrs. Yang became Ms. Lin once more. But for legal reasons, Vianne and Jack’s surname stayed. The minor details flew over her head; Vianne didn’t put much care on the subject. In the long run, the privilege to listen to the crickets chirp at night was enough to keep her satisfied.

That’s how things went for a while, with the emotional charge from her mother coming down for once in a long time. It wasn’t a surprise when Ms. Lin began going out all dolled up and pretty. The scent of her Saint Laurent eau de parfum clung to her skin as she whisked past the older Vianne. The girl felt a twist in her gut; she didn’t want to smell the hints of cologne her mother brought back after every weekend. However, she kept her mouth shut.

Ms. Lin didn’t hold back on her monetary needs. Thank god her salary as a lawyer cushioned their lifestyle. Despite being a single parent, her income had left a spacious room for extra spending. A shopping trip once a month was guaranteed, and that was when Vianne saw her mother at her very best. Talkative and cheery, Ms. Lin wasted no time in purchasing the latest trench-coats from Burberry as she gushed over how cute it looked on Vianne.

Something about her giggling mother put her at ease. The punching of the credit card’s number sent a rush of high in her blood, which only increased with Ms. Lin’s blabbering praise of how beautiful she looked in the mirror. She was well-fed and well-clothed; Vianne figured that there had to be a trade off somewhere. Not everything could be given, so she happily accepted the allowance. It was the closest she’d ever get to having her mother smother her in a crushing hug.

School was another topic. No doubt she was expected to do well in it; Vianne was sure her college expenses would be covered as well once she got to it. So she put the worry on that to the side as well. Her social life at school was decent, with her own clique of Asian Americans making up most of her friend group. It was genuinely a decent life for her, and for a moment, she thought this was going to be her forever.

Until it was news to her that her current school was going to be a thing of the past. Ms. Lin had become engaged to one of her former clients. Vianne was near her senior year of high school when her mother broke the news to her.

“Scott has a family of his own,” Ms. Lin explained. “His children are having a difficult time accepting us.”

Vianne lost her appetite and tossed her dinner down the dump. Her brain refused to tell her how to react, so her first response was denial. She wasn’t interested in a second dad or a second family, this was her happy medium. Besides, she still had Jack, so there wasn’t any long-term loneliness. Why was her mother complicating things?! What the hell?

“I don’t see how it’s our problem.” She tried to keep her voice cool, but the hint of frustration leaked nonetheless.

Her mother looked almost ashamed. Almost. “I’ll be moving in with Scott next week, Vianne. It’s to help his children get used to the new family members.”

The pause after the statement didn’t help the rising anxiety within Vianne. Her fingers clenched around the fork, digging the metal utensil into her soft skin so much that it stung. There was a catch to that announcement, she could feel it.

“What about me?” she asked. “What about Jack?”

Ms. Lin sucked in a breath, drumming her fingers on the mahogany table in a frenzy. And from experience, that only meant bad news. “Scott lives in the Bay Area. It’s too far away from Napa for me to come visit constantly if you stay. So I’ve decided to have you move back with your father.”

The world came undone from below and swallowed Vianne whole. Her mind was a blank sheet of paper, with no idea how to respond. It had been a decade of little to no contact with Mr. Yang, and the sudden contact with him was not going to lead to a happy talk over a cup of coffee. This was fucking ridiculous.

“You said you’d never let him see us again.” Her retort sounded irrelevant at worst, and petty at best. Not that this was going to change her mother’s engagement.

And sure enough, it wasn’t. Ms. Lin gave an exasperated sigh and pinched her nose. The shake of her head reminded Vianne of the way she would scold her when she was a child.

“Your father is doing better now. He’s…different,” her mother tried. “He’s simply not living in the best places out there. But that’s ok! You won’t stay there after graduation, and after you go to college, you’ll be coming back to Scott and me over breaks.”

Vianne could hear the blood in her ears bubbling like an overboiled teapot. “I don’t even know Scott that well, mom! How am I supposed to be his new family after you settle in?!”

The matriarch rolled her eyes at the scene, clearly not taking her daughter’s response well. “It’s a work in progress. I’ll make sure to bring them to you every once in a while to let them get comfortable. That’s why I’m moving in first.”

Her reasoning failed to get past Vianne’s anger, spurring her on. “So you’re just gonna dump us in LA with dad so you can live your comfy life?!”

That comment seemed to be the final nail onto the coffin, as Ms. Lin’s frown turned to a scowl in seconds. “I’m not dumping you anywhere, Vianne. It’s only going to be a year, and your allowance is staying the same! So stop being dramatic.”

Her mother’s cold gaze bore into her mind, freezing her in her tracks. It would serve both of them better if she conceded right there. Once her mother came to a decision, she was like an ox in the middle of a fight. There was no arguing out of this situation. The friends she had and the memories she made in Napa were now pipedreams wrapped up in a dusky alley. Her failure to even voice her opinions squeezed her lungs tight with perturbation.

The familiar pounding headache cursed her forehead, making her wince. Vianne had the sudden urge to smash plates just like her mother had done before. But she didn’t need a grounding on top of everything else, so she settled with pulling her lips back into a painful grin.

“What's the name of the school?” She expected her mother to answer that at least. Donning an air of nonchalance, Vianne tried to appear as unbothered as she could. The trembling of her hands were the only markers of betrayal. If Ms. Lin noticed her plight, then she took no interest in it. Her mother reached for a brown packet and tore it open.

A stack of papers slid out of the package, with the name ‘J.A. Garfield High School’ printed in bold fonts in the front page. It was her transfer letter.

Ms. Lin took a sip of her red wine before she continued her trail of thought. “I’ve given them your transcripts and coursework history already. You’ll be admitted in the second semester.”

“You’re really sending me to the ghetto.” Vianne felt the veins in her head pop. Quickly scouring through the papers, she came across her schedule. There was no AP Biology on the list, and there was definitely no AP BC Calculus on it either. In their places was a section marked as ‘Teaching Assistant’. And that was enough to send her ticking with rage.

“What’s the meaning of this?!” This time, she didn’t bother to hide her fury. “Why did they drop my classes?!”

Slamming the files down so hard that the china rattled, the young woman seethed as she stared her mother down. Ms. Lin wasn’t having any of it either, her fingers gripping the wine glass had turned pale with the increased pressure.

“The school doesn’t have AP courses, Vianne. They’re offering full credits for your two AP classes as compensation.”

The words that came out of her mother’s mouth stunned Vianne into silence. Graduation credits were worth nothing to her in college, this had to be some sick joke.

“What about my AP tests next year?” she hammered. “How am I supposed to take the tests without taking the classes?!” Her complaints were like flies buzzing around an agitated human. Ms. Lin simply waved them off without a second glance, as if her worries were nothing but unnecessary trivialities in life.

“You’re smart, sweetheart. You can study for them by yourself.” Her mother threw out the response like it was the obvious solution to her problem. “There’ll be more than enough spare time in your hands to bury yourself in books.”

Vianne quirked a brow. “Why?”

Ms. Lin actually smiled. But behind it were the vestiges of an arrogant smirk threatening to show itself to the surface. “Their coursework is basically non-existent. The catalogs are dated, and the materials are easy enough to be mistaken for a middle schooler’s level. You’ll have no trouble boosting your GPA up and acing your tests.”

If pride was a thing in her family, then it was going out the window. Vianne couldn’t believe her ears, nor could she stomach the sight of the letters. At this level, she might as well turn herself to a thirteen-year-old and go back to primary school. All her hard work was about to go up in flames because of that ghetto school. Hot tears rimmed along her eyes, sending her into a vortex of despair once more.

There wasn’t enough time to say goodbye to her friends; Kimberly’s birthday was in two weeks, and the whole group had a surprise beach trip planned out. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Mountains of projects she had been dedicated to simply poofed into air. Her hands clenched at the sides, doing their best to contain the urge to hit something.

The shifting of bodies alerted her of her mother’s departure from the living room; Ms. Lin was already up the stairs by the time Vianne shook herself back to reality. She looked over to the stove and was struck by the time it displayed on the counter. It was way too late into the early mornings.

“Your flights depart in two days.” The voice of her mother was drifting away into the distance. Their hollow vibrations from the hall sent her stomach dropping to the floor. “You should start packing soon, Vianne.”

That was the end of the conversation. It was made clear with the slam of Ms. Lin’s bedroom door, rattling its hinges. Neither of them were in the state to argue, and she knew it. Standing alone by the dining table, Vianne sniffled. Her nose was unbearably stuffy in addition to the increasing sting in her eyes.

She didn’t catch a wink of sleep that night.

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

LAX was the definition of a madhouse. People shouted in all kinds of languages, deafening her ears and making Jack whimper on her side. Vianne held her brother close as she shoved their way through the gates of their section. The crowded mass on top of her migraine was slowly inching her towards a mental breakdown. After hauling off the last of her luggages from baggage claim, she ushered Jack to the main exit of the airport.

She knew she hadn't seen her father’s face in years, and the dreadful thought of not recognizing their only ticket out settled within her gut. Panic palpated in her heart as they came out of the building, with the sea of people not helping in the slightest.

Mr. Yang was next to unrecognizable when Vianne saw the massive sign with her name blaring in red. He looked different, much different than before. But then again, her seven-year-old perspective wasn’t all that trustworthy either. The face of her father hit her like a cold splash of water, and she found herself failing to greet him with the simplest ‘hello’. She merely stared at the balding man,  unable to tear her eyes away from the beerbelly and narrowed eyes. Her father was a stranger to her, and it was then she realized that Jack had never even met their father.

Her brother scooted away from Mr. Yang when the man approached them, looking up to her with his teary gaze. Jack looked like he wanted to burst into a wailing fit. It was going to be a long ride back.

Heavy silence filled the car throughout the ride to her new home. Mr. Yang asked about her health and her school life, repeating the same questions he wrote to her weeks ago. Vianne kept the answers simple and precise, nodding and smiling to make it seem like she was engaged.

Jack, on the other hand, fidgeted endlessly in his seat in the back, looking anywhere but the front of the driver’s seat. The introduction between father and son was awkward to say the least. Vianne was just happy that they were now on their way to get the year over with. She clutched the phonebook in her pockets, memorizing all her friends’ numbers. It took her mind off things, if that was a positive note.

There could never be enough distractions for her, especially now that the three of them were stuck in the worst possible position. As if whatever deity in the heavens wanted to lay more unto the cruel joke, Vianne shook from her revere and noticed the selection of houses they were approaching.

Rundown and abandoned were the least of her worries. The neighborhood was like the cardboard cutout from a horror magazine. Desecrated with graffitis and empty beer cans, the streets were littered with grime and dust. It was obvious the town duster wasn’t a frequent worker there. And was that a person sitting on the roof of a car?!

Vianne’s eyes bulged as she squinted at the flailing man on top of a red Chevrolet. Men donned in tall hats paraded the city roads like they owned the place, causing a line of angry drivers honking at the ruckus. The pounding headache intensified at the sight, and she grumbled a string of curses to herself.

“Monterey Park is a lot better,” Mr. Yang spoke out of nowhere. “We’re gonna be away from these dirty shitbags.”

She flinched at the harsh edge of his voice, but didn’t say anything. By the crinkled lines between his brows and the frown on his lips, her father wasn’t in the mood for a good-natured chat. It was better that way, Vianne herself could feel her spirits waning with each mile.

The trio reached a small neighborhood in no time, and to her relief, it looked miles better than the houses she previously saw. The structures still retained the brittle fragility in appearance, but the paintings were even this time. And the lawns appeared to be taken cared of as well. Vianne felt the corners of her lip tug up in a hopeful smile.

But like any other good news, it was crushed to dust as soon as it presented itself. Her father didn’t use his keys to unlock the door. Instead, it swung open on its own accord, revealing the face of a middle-aged woman with frizzy hair and leopard-printed blouse. Vianne’s mind jumped to the worst possible scenario, jumping back a good distance. The young woman stared at the fresh face for what felt like a long time, before the coughing from Mr. Yang pulled her from the staring contest.

“Clara, they’re my children; Vianne and Jack.” Her father’s gruff voice held her to the ground. Gesturing to the women next, he continued to speak. “Vianne, Jack, this is Clara. She’s my girlfriend.”

Despite him being this close to the two women, Mr. Yang was oblivious to the scowl that now stretched across his daughter’s face. Vianne put two and two together and realized why her mother refused to share too much of her father’s living situation. There was no way in hell she would have agreed to come had she knew of this beforehand. Her living arrangements were fucked up to no end, and for a moment, she contemplated ringing her mother on the spot.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Clara didn’t move from her position. She gave the two newcomers a pitying look, but her lips turned up to a smirk. “I’ve heard a lot about y’all.”

Jack stared at Vianne, lips pouting in morbid curiosity. The older sibling sighed and rolled her eyes; she was getting worked up over nothing. They only had to stay here for another year till graduation, so she reckoned she would find a way to grin and bear it.

“There are rules to this household.” Her father wasted no time in listing the regulations under his roof. “You won’t be able to run amok like ya did with your mother here. First, Clara is to be respected at all times.”

Mr. Yang was blind to the seething glare Vianne threw him as she unpacked her bags across the room. It was one thing to be forced to live under these conditions, but it was a totally different thing to be mandated around by a stranger who she detested. A biting remark made its way to her tongue, but was cut short by his rambling speech.

“Curfew is 6 pm sharp. No loitering around the streets after the sun goes down,” he continued. “No boys are allowed, and there will be no parties here.”

No one, and she meant no one, told her when she got to come home. The last time her mother set her a curfew was in middle school. And it was definitely not at that time either. She wasn’t interested in dating anyone from this neighborhood, much less bringing a boy back home. Parties were out of the question, Vianne had already made up her mind that she was going to burrow herself for a year before she dipped.

“I’ll stay out as much as I want.” It was a crisp retort, and she turned up her nose. “My car will be here in a few days. I’ll be fine.”

Mr. Yang’s nose flared at the comment. His eyes darkened, reminding her of the way he used to look at her mother. She didn’t voice it, but the familiar shivers ran down her spine. Avoiding his gazem Vianne took a sudden interest in the rings on her fingers.

“This ain’t Napa County, Vianne.” Her father’s hand shook. “You’ll be down in the dirt in no time if you don’t adapt to the people here.”

She ignored his statement and pulled out her luggage of clothes. Everyone knew of the nature of the ghetto people there. That was the reason she brought her car. Whatever it was, Vianne wasn’t going to touch them with a ten-foot pole.

 “Whatever,” she mumbled. Sensing her displeasure in the conversation, Mr. Yang grumbled something about women, before throwing a stack of notebooks onto her bed. Vianne glanced at them, but made no attempt to retrieve the papers.

“These are the course intros for tomorrow.” Her father was opening a can of beer as he eyed her. “You and Jack are waking up at 7. No negotiations.”

“Sure, sure.” There was no reason to get into a fight, and she thought it was wise to choose her battles. A curt nod was all she gave him, before she slipped past her father to go find Jack. There was still time to brood over her state of affairs.

Time always flew when you were either panicking or on cloud nine. That would be the second night of the week where she didn’t get to sleep. Her eyes trailed to the calendar; today was her first day of school.

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A/N: Sorry for the slow start! Juicy drama picks up in the next chapter! Reviews, criticism, and comments are welcome :3

And here's a shoutout to @classic80sand90smovieloves2 for inspiring and helping me write this out!

[twilighteve-writes]

Where the Sky Meets the Sea

Summary: The first dream they shared was of isolation and loneliness, of empty black sky and too-bright ground, of rustling wind and the desperate whirr of machines, of bitter, silent sea that refused to hear their plight.

Donald and Della, and how their magic meets and mixes.

(Also available in AO3)

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The first dream they shared was of isolation and loneliness, of empty black sky and too-bright ground, of rustling wind and the desperate whirr of machines, of bitter, silent sea that refused to hear their plight. Of flying so high and still not high enough, of being surrounded by power that refused to heed. Of screaming in frustration and despair, of pleading uselessly to the power that be and not having their wishes fulfilled, even though they were ready to pay the price.

They woke up in their old room in the manor with a start. The moon loomed in the distance, its silver light illuminating them through the window. They fell back asleep, the events of the day too tiring for them to stay awake – the invasion of the Moonlanders, reuniting at long last, finding out about their magic… They both bore scars from their separation and all the events that led to their reunion. Perhaps it was a fluke, something odd that would never happen again that they laughed at in years to come.

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They fell asleep side by side, the excitement of the newest adventure draining them, after tucking the boys in. The sofa was never the most comfortable sleeping place, but they had each other’s shoulders and the warmth of their backs pressing against the cushion.

They dreamed of planes crashing, of the deafening roar of metal screeching against rock. They dreamed of a weight cutting off her leg and gold band muzzling his beak and cuffing his wrists. They dreamed of the crushing weight of gravity as they fell back into Earth’s orbit.

Again, they woke with a start. They blinked the sleep out of their eyes, studying each other’s irises.

“Is this going to be a thing?” Donald asked.

“God, I hope not,” Della groaned.

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If there was an omniscient deity out there they did not grant the twins’ prayers.

It was a thing.

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The dreams were expected at this point. They kept getting shared dreams whenever they slept near each other, so they made sure to put a distance between them whenever night fell. There were still some shared dreams, but at least it wasn’t every day.

The feelings, though. That was unexpected.

He got it first, during a quiet breakfast with their family in an otherwise quiet morning. Dewey demanded pancake, a request that was soon echoed by his brothers, and then Webby agreed and stared at him with those wide, hopeful eyes, and Donald knew the battle was lost. He sighed and took the necessary ingredients to make the batter, directing Huey to handle the bacons and battling Della for command over the stove.

“No, go make a pot of coffee instead!” he yelled.

“What, I can totally fry some eggs,” Della protested.

“You haven’t actually touched a stove since you got back from the Moon and I have heard of the cake incident. You burned the stove; that doesn’t count. Sit down!”

Della blew raspberries. “Spoilsport,” she grumbled as she passed him, poking him in the rib. Their magic mingled, intertwining as they passed, and Donald felt fondness that wasn’t his; it felt foreign and reminded him of light feathers falling from the sky, breeze brushing his face, clouds drifting lazily as the afternoon went by. He froze in surprise, pulling his magic back in reflex.

Della met his eyes, and he knew she felt that.

“Mom, Uncle Donald?” Huey called, shaking them off the reverie. “Do you want the bacon crispy or not?”

“Uh, either way is fine, honey,” Della answered, and Donald nodded mutely as he resumed his motions to mix the pancake batter. They both knew this was only the first in what would be millions to come.

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They went back from a strangely eventful trip to the grocery store – of course this family could make a trip to a grocery store eventful; who else would be able to find the egg of an apparently extinct bird species in a grocery store of all places if not Huey – and they put their groceries to the kitchen, heaving a sigh that told everyone of how tired they were.

“Can we just have one day where we don’t have to deal with this?” Donald complained.

“I hear you, but let’s be real here. Do you honestly believe we can catch a break? I mean, this is the family where one member got stuck in the moon. We all have magic and the Greek gods are basically our friends at this point.” Della stared at him in challenge, lifting a brow.

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I just want things to be normal for once.”

“This is our normal, what can you do.”

Donald sighed, “Yeah,” and bumped his shoulder to hers, and their magic mixed together like pigments in oil. Something distinctly Donald snaked its way to her head, a resignation mixed with some possessive grip, a sense of it’s not perfect but I would never trade this for anything in this world, something that was undeniably salty and wet and rushing that screamed seawater and the deep.

Again, they froze, but this time they remained touching. The magic mixed further, and Della caught more things; confusion, surprise, disbelief, a question of some sort that she couldn’t understand.

Donald broke the contact first, though the magic touched still. “Oh,” was all he managed to say.

Della nodded in agreement. “Yeah,” she breathed. “Oh.”

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It felt like intruding on something private, when they received glimpses of what the other was feeling. It felt like violation, when they felt joy that wasn’t theirs brush against their cheek, lighting up the room in a way only the other could. It didn’t matter that they’d grown together, spending so much time memorizing each dip and line of the other’s face and learning what they meant. It didn’t matter that a split second of a glance could tell them what the other was feeling. Feeling what they felt was different from knowing, and it was crossing such a bold line it felt like jumping into a chasm.

They kept wincing and dancing around each other that the kids started getting anxious, so Donald sat next to her on her bed and sighed. “We can’t keep going like this.”

“Nope. We can’t,” Della agreed. She turned to face him. “So, what are we gonna do about it?”

Donald inhaled. “We build a wall to keep each other out,” he said.

“I don’t know, I do like that we were able to communicate like this,” Della said with a frown. “Like earlier, when you practically rolled your eyes at me when Uncle Scrooge started monologuing? I like that.”

“So, not a wall?”

“No, maybe a wall. But with a window.” Della smiled, eyes shining.

“Or a door,” Donald added. “Anything to let us in when we’re knocking.”

“Wall with a door,” Della repeated. “That sounds good to me.”

“Question is, how do you build the wall?” Donald leaned to Della, a glint in his eyes. Della leaned in in response. Their magic brushed and mingled and they shared an old memory, of leaning in to each other, stifling giggles as they set a whoopie cushion on Uncle Scrooge’s seat in his study. They both froze at the memory, and their gaze hardened. They needed that wall, and they needed it fast.

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They built it brick by the proverbial brick, shaping the wall with their magic and willing each strand not to mingle together. They built a wall, somewhere they could access each other and whisper secrets with their magic, just beyond the others’ hearing. They learned to send feelings, impressions, washed out memories to form messages only they could decipher, and rejoiced when they realized, once they put their mind to it, they could send visuals to each other.

Not words. Never words, no matter how much they tried.

Donald noticed Louie glancing at them whenever they allowed their magic to connect, and he had to take a step back. When he was finally alone with Della, he asked, “Can the others read what we send each other?”

Della blinked. “I… don’t know? Why?”

“Louie kept glancing at us,” he answered. “I don’t think he understood what we were sending each other. I mean, we’re still figuring out what we’re telling each other too, but…”

“Yeah, I don’t want him to know how we managed to get Uncle Scrooge run around in the manor naked, either. Uncle Scrooge would skin us alive,” Della grimaced. “Not to mention it’s inappropriate…”

“Let’s keep things PG-13?”

“And let’s keep things like childhood pranks out. I don’t want to give them ideas.”

Donald hissed. “Ugh, yeah.” He shook his head. “The things they get into… was this how Uncle Scrooge feel like raising us? We were both little shits.”

“Must be,” Della sighed, but fondness swirled through her magic and nudged Donald’s anyway, prompting a similar reaction from his magic. “But, come on. They can’t be that bad, can they?”

“Dewey hotwired my boat and all three of them planned to go to Cape Suzette on their own, Della. They specifically waited until I needed to go for a job interview.”

Della gave a low whistle. “Oh, man. Yeah, that is a headache.”

Donald moved around her to get back to his houseboat. “They got that from you, you know.”

“Excuse you, sir, you were as much of a little shit as I was,” Della said, smiling.

“Well you gave birth to them, clearly they got it from you.”

“Well you raised them and they’re all little shits, just like you were. So who did they got it from, hm? Check and mate.”

Donald sent her a flare of annoyance and amusement mixed into one. “Look, buddy, you had your fill for the few weeks I was gone and they’re worse than ever. You’re a bad influence.”

“Whaaat? I’m just continuing the path you chose!” Della sent him the emotional equivalent of sticking her tongue out at him, and he couldn’t help – he laughed.

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The dreams continued, despite the dams they built, the distance they put, the magic they used to speak to one another, as much as feelings and impressions could speak. They kept coming, smaller in number but stronger in intensity.

The first few weeks, they laughed at it. Those dreams, disturbing as they were sometimes, were so… small compared to what they faced on the daily basis. Being late to class and forgetting your pants, wearing silly clothes and dancing in the town square… what were they, compared to fighting aliens? What were they compared to surviving on the Moon by yourself, raising three babies and holding so many – too many – jobs to keep yourself afloat? What were they compared to being a member of the Duck family?

And then, as they got better at sending feelings and impression through their link – but not at blocking, their walls still too weak, too easily broken through, the torrent of what they didn’t want to share too strong to keep in – the underlying fears leeched in. Dreams of Uncle Scrooge, buried in rubble, the triplets with red marring their feathers, too still to be asleep, of Webby screaming her throat hoarse as the world around her fell to pieces, tears spilling and running down her cheeks like rivers.

The desperation to keep the nightmare under control rose until it couldn’t be contained anymore.

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It was odd, what you learn about others from their dreams. What they fear, what they love, what they desire, all laid bare as their consciousness seeped into yours.

It was unsettling, what you learn about others as they woke from their nightmares.

Della woke up with a choked scream. It was rarely a full scream, usually stifled before it could reach any occupant of the room save for Donald. It made his breath catch as her panic seeped into his mind, their addled brains that already had fear steeping in with the nightmare jolted by the confusion thrown into the mix.

Donald woke with barely a sound. Simply eyes opening in a sudden motion, a quiet gasp in the otherwise silent night, drowned in Della’s muffled sobs. It disturbed Della, how quiet he was in sleep and in the in-between, when he had no qualms about being loud and demanding and angry when he was wide awake.

They talked about it, hovering above mugs and pots of long-cold coffee and freshly baked brownies they made from cheap brownie mixes Uncle Scrooge always scoffed at – from-scratch stuff were always better, but mixes saved time, and they didn’t want to take too much time making a ruckus in the kitchen when they only wanted something sweet.

“How come you’re so quiet when you wake up?” Della asked, spooning brownies into her mouth and glaring when her poor coordination led to the brownie falling to the kitchen counter.

“I raised three kids and I don’t want to wake them up,” Donald explained. “After the first few times, you learn how to be quiet.”

“They’re heavy sleepers though,” Della protested.

“Not really. It’s like they take turns being the light sleeper for each night,” Donald said, bringing his mug to his beak. “Huey’s usually the one that sleeps the lightest, but sometimes it’s Dewey instead. Louie usually sleeps well unless he’s got something in his mind. But once one of them wakes up, they all wake up, and they won’t sleep again until morning.” He sipped loudly and put the mug down. “So, yeah. You learn to be quiet.”

Della looked away. “Sure was tough, huh?”

“I guess.”

“I’m sorry it fell to you,” she said, staring blankly at her cold coffee. “I should have been there, and instead I was just… stuck in the Moon.” She frowned. “And now I’m playing catch up but I’ve lost ten years and I’m not going to get it back and – “ she took a deep breath and shoveled brownies into her mouth until it was impossible to speak.

“You tried to get back,” Donald noted, thinking back of their shared dreams, of Della digging through the rubble to get materials so she could rebuild the Spear, screaming in frustration when all she found was pieces and scraps. “It won’t bring back time, but… it’s something.”

“It’s something,” Della echoed. “Doesn’t feel like it, but sure, I guess.”

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The dreams started to decrease as they found a way to handle the way their magic pulled at each other as if desperate to dig into the other’s head. The wall stood tall and strong, the door opened only with a knock, and physical distance strengthened the wall that grew weaker in their sleep. It was a balance. Not ideal, sure, but a balance nonetheless, and a balance that kept getting better. If they followed the tracks they knew the nightmares would eventually stop.

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Uncle Scrooge knew about their late night coffee-and-brownies party, because of course he did. And their magic got all sorts of screwed through magical shenanigans, because of course it was. It was all par for the course of being a Duck.

They never thought magic could bear scars, but theirs did. The Void Ring left its marks on their magic, unseen by all but undeniably there. Della’s magic hung heavier on her shoulders, like a cape instead of a cloud. It grew lighter with each passing day, but it would never be the same. Donald’s magic used to envelope him in a light, encasing him from head to toe, but now it pooled under his feet if left to glow for too long, dripping, though the time it took to drip and pool grew longer every day. They both knew it was a small price to pay for survival.

And then the slew of memories came in, in the form of dreams they once had managed to keep at bay and flashes when they reached for teacups and sudden bangs when they least expect. Small things at first; changing the boys’ diapers, paragliding and skydiving, changing perspectives in shared moments that had them gripping each other dizzily.

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Della came to the houseboat in the middle of the night after a shared dream, tumbling in like a hurricane and staring at him, agape, disbelief in her eyes. She made a beeline to his closet and started rummaging through it, and took a few steps back when she found what she was looking for.

Donald reached out to her tentatively, both physically and magically. “Dell?”

Della whipped around to face him. “You’re Paperinik?!”

“Aw, phooey.”

“You didn’t think you should tell me this?”

“Dell, keep it down!”

Della’s voice dropped to a hiss. “You didn’t tell anyone about it?!”

“Well, I mean, I started going out as Paperinik because I was a little shit who did things for shits and giggles and Uncle Scrooge would blow up at the things I did, so…” Donald inhaled. “Yep. Nope. It’s a closed chapter in my life now.”

“What in the world. What even, Don.”

“…coffee and brownies?”

“Oh, definitely. Let’s go to the kitchen.”

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More memories came in, gripping them in the shoulders and screaming to their faces without showing signs of letting go.

They walled them up as well as they could, repairing the dam though it kept cracking and breaking, and talked well into the night with mugs of coffee and tins of brownies.

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The next time, it was Donald’s turn to come into Della’s room, struggling to keep silent so as to not wake the kids. He barged in without bothering to knock, knowing Della was awake and waiting for him.

He sat on her bed, refusing to look at her. “You didn’t tell me your husband was a giant ass,” he said at last, when he was sure he wouldn’t scream his words.

“Well I don’t want my brother to be committing murder in the streets,” Della said with a shrug. “I handled it. Besides, it’s… what did you say it was? A closed chapter in my life, I think?”

Donald huffed. “I still don’t like it.”

Della shifted and put her hand on his arm, flaring her magic in invitation, sending the cooling warmth of a mug of coffee and the sweetness of chocolate through their magic, ending it with a question.

Donald sighed and nodded. “Coffee and brownies. Yeah.”

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Uncle Scrooge found them blearily waking up in the kitchen the next morning, just as the sun started to peek out of its hiding place.

“There are better places to sleep than in the kitchen,” he said as the twins blinked at him. He glanced at the mugs of coffee and the empty tins that once held brownies. “Why do you drink coffee at night? This is what happens if you drink it at night instead of in the morning.”

“It’s not like we were going to sleep again after getting a shared dream,” Della said, rubbing her eyes. “Might as well drink coffee.”

Uncle Scrooge sighed, long and hard. “I told you to come to me if this persists,” he said.

“We’re handling it,” Donald said as he massaged the crick in his neck.

“This isn’t handling it,” Uncle Scrooge said, gripping his cane so hard it seemed the wood would creak. “Drinking coffee at 2 A.M and eating tins of brownies, however small the tins… that’s not handling it.” He sat on the table, by Della’s side. “You could have tried something. We have valerian tea to help you sleep. Warm milk and honey. Hot chocolate!”

“We were handling it,” Donald insisted. “Things were on a good track until that ring.”

“The ring?”

“It… disturbed the balance.” Della sipped her coffee, made a face, and spat it back out into the mug. Donald sent her a wave of disgust and she glared at him as she poured the mug’s content into the sink. “We started sharing memories when we sleep and it’s kind of annoying. But it’s similar to when we started sharing dreams, I think we can handle this.”

“Should I get you the Orb of Remedies, then?”

Della sent Donald a look, poking him with a question that he mirrored. They both shrugged. “It’s okay, we’re handling it,” Donald assured.

“Just… talk to me. If it gets worse, talk to me. I want to help,” Uncle Scrooge said, and the twins felt a clench of guilt in their guts. They weren’t sure who it was from.

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It got worse before it got better.

Donald ran to the docks at night in Paperinik’s suit, weaving through the alleys and punching creeps in the face in hope that the fatigue would keep him asleep and keep the nightmares and memories back.

His fatigue leeched through the bond and seeped into Della instead, and she received every single detail of the fight in their dream that night.

He didn’t stop going out as Paperinik, but he stopped going until he felt he couldn’t stand.

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They went on another adventure with Uncle Scrooge and the kids, and they knew they were barely keeping it together when their gazes flickered and they switched places. They barely kept their screams in, surprised at the sudden change to a body that wasn’t theirs but they knew all too well. They flickered back immediately to their own place, feeling their own magic churning with something odd and unfamiliar.

The ring left its mark on them. They just didn’t know how bad until they were yanked out of their bodies and shoved back in unceremoniously.

Later, Donald sent Della impressions and feelings, after this is done.

Della’s rebuttal was quick. Disagreement and pressing urgency; No, better be as quick as possible.

Donald repeated what he sent Della, and Della finally sighed, conceding. There wasn’t much they could do, with them being on a plane going to the ruins Scrooge had located the next treasure he wanted to nab.

Uncle Scrooge had shown more and more interest in magical treasures lately. Before, he went out just for the fun of it, for bragging rights, for the adrenaline. Ever since the kids’ magic became apparent and the twins’ intermingled more, he began actively searching for magical artifacts. He brought the Orb of Remedies basically everywhere, and the twins were grateful for it. it had proven useful in their many misadventures. It did have the unfortunate downside of making Dewey even more reckless than usual, but Donald was more than capable of curbing that.

This particular object, the Mirror of Breaking, apparently had the power to break curses on anything that was reflected on its glass-covered bronze face, framed by circular bronze that was decorated with golden leaves. The frame was tarnished, but it could be cleaned easily enough. Neither of the twins knew why Uncle Scrooge was so interested in it and why he was so adamant about getting it; most of the things he accumulated in the years of adventuring were cursed and his idea of dealing with the curses was to stick them into his garage and forget about them.

They didn’t participate much in the conversations. They hadn’t in a while, too wrapped up in their messed up magic and the taint the ring had left in them. The sky and the sea met halfway in the horizon and worked to slough off the corruption, but it was a slow process, and they weren’t sure if they had enough time to work on it. They’d gotten good with reading the impressions and feelings, and sending visuals was as easy as snapping fingers at this point, and that mastery over their bond helped with keeping the corruption at bay, but not by much.

Donald sent a flurry of visuals and impressions, framing the question, Do you think the memory sharing and the switching is because of the corrosion?

Della answered immediately, I hope so, because that means once the corrosion is gone we’ll be good as new.

Donald sighed. Hopefully.

Apparently, the mirror sat prettily in a ruins of a castle, where the only way to reach it would be through a tiny sliver of road in between cliffs, with gaping maw of rocks below. They managed to get to the castle without any incident, miraculously enough, and stepped foot in the safer grounds where rose bushes had overgrown so much the door to the castle was blocked by thorns.

“The wall over there is all crumbled,” Louie pointed out to the side. “Maybe we can go through there instead.”

“Oh, good eye!” Uncle Scrooge praised, and they went through the crumbled walls.

The castle was no more than partial walls overgrown by vines and bushes by this point, with moss covering the stones and roots peeking from the floors. Uncle Scrooge led them through the now-open corridors into what would have been the main hall of the castle, where a single podium stood in the middle of the room with the blue sky towering over it. The mirror at atop the podium, silent and waiting, and Dewey ran ahead to take it.

“Wait, hold on – “ Donald called out, but Dewey had already reached the podium and held up the mirror. Nothing happened.

Dewey looked around. “Well, that’s… anticlimactic,” he settled at last.

“Yeah, this isn’t following the usual pattern and I don’t like it,” Louie said, looking around warily.

“Adventuring isn’t about patterns, Louie. Not everything follows a pattern,” Uncle Scrooge said, walking over to study the mirror, still in Dewey’s hands. “Besides, there were texts that consider the mirror useless. Something about the magic not activating properly or needing blood sacrifice.”

“Excuse me but did you say blood sacrifice? Whose blood are we talking about here?” Huey piped up.

“The mirror’s holder, naturally,” Uncle Scrooge answered all too nonchalantly, turning to Dewey when he squawked in surprise. “Don’t worry, the texts says you should drip your blood to its back. We can see some dark stains there but it’s not like you’re bleeding.”

“I guess it’s fine, then?” Huey muttered uncertainly, taking the mirror from Dewey’s hold and turning it around in his hands. “Is this real gold?” he asked, brushing his fingers against the golden leaves, careful to avoid the dark stains at the mirror’s back.

Louie hummed, hovering near and holding his hand out over the mirror. “I think it is,” he said, tilting his head and reaching out to touch it. “It’s tarnished and it feels like it’s not… pure? But I think it’s real – ow!” he jumped back, hand trembling, as Huey yelped in surprise when the mirror slipped from his hold. He tried to catch it again, but it escaped his hold anyway, rushing to the ground.

Webby managed to catch it before it hit the mossy stone floor. She stared at Louie. “What? What’s wrong?”

Louie grunted, holding his trembling hand in his free one, and reached to the khopesh he strapped to his back. Della drew a sharp breath, suddenly alarmed at how Louie’s shaking had the khopesh rattling, worried that he was seized by some sort of leftover curse on the mirror, but instead the contact to the weapon seemed to calm Louie and still his hand. He breathed and looked at the mirror. “You don’t feel that? It was like I got zapped by Dewey’s magic, but worse.”

“No? I don’t feel anything,” Webby said, pulling herself to her feet. She turned to Huey and Dewey. “Guys?”

“No,” Dewey answered, while Huey shook his head.

Uncle Scrooge hummed in thought as Della and Donald made their way to Louie, Donald strapping the khopesh back to Louie’s back as Della studied his still-trembling fingers. “Maybe it’s related to the mirror’s lore. The blood sacrifice. Louie, do you have a cut on your hand anywhere?”

“Not that I know of,” Louie answered, the same time as Della gave a decisive no.

“Okay, so not blood,” Uncle Scrooge mused. “Magic?”

“We didn’t get that sort of reaction,” Huey pointed out. “So it can’t be magic.”

“Louie? Are you okay?” Della asked, gently folding Louie’s fingers into hers. Her magic, mingled as it was with Donald’s, pressed into his and sent phantom chill of Louie’s hands into his, and he frowned in worry.

“My hand fell asleep and I can’t really feel anything there,” Louie admitted. “I think it’s the mirror, I felt something spike when I touch it.”

“Magically?” Donald pressed. Louie looked at him and nodded.

Their concern simmered together and intensified. Della whipped back to Uncle Scrooge. “Let’s go back, Uncle Scrooge,” she requested. “We’ve got the mirror.”

“We still have a whole castle to explore – “

“Uncle Scrooge, Louie touched that mirror for maybe a millisecond and his hand fell asleep. The mirror obviously affected him,” Della said, chasing Uncle Scrooge’s gaze with her own. “You already know magic damage can be fatal. Let’s get back to the plane and have him hold the orb. I know you have it with you.”

There were times when all those frankly astonishing number of years Uncle Scrooge had walked the earth turned into mere five when he was excited about adventure, and this was clearly one of them. He had been focused on getting the mirror before, but once they got it, he looked like a child ready to explore the unknown, and both Della and Donald stared at him in their shared, simmering alarm wanting him to agree to get back immediately.

He seemed to understand their concern, though, as he agreed. They made their way back to the plane, where Launchpad was waiting, once again making their way through the tiny road and trying to ignore the rocks below. Uncle Scrooge handed the orb to Louie, apparently having it in his pocket, telling him to be careful not to drop it.

They miraculously managed to get through the trip unscathed when they headed into the castle. Not so with the trip back.

Maybe it was the fatigue after going for so long, or maybe he stepped on a rock, or maybe it was just plain bad luck, but Huey slipped and careened to the side dangerously. Just as the others stretched out their hands to catch him, his feet left the ground and he plummeted down.

Instincts and reflexes alone drove Donald to jump after him, mind blank but for the pleads to keep him safe and the ring of his scream. He had half the mind to send Della an impression of jumping, help me that he haphazardly threw together just before he jumped, chased by the kids’ surprised and panicked yells and Della’s high pitched screech. He managed to grab Huey in midair and folded his small body into his, hugging him into his chest as he positioned himself underneath Huey to absorb the impact of the fall if he ended up crashing.

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

They say that moments before you die your whole life flashes in your mind, and time stretched just so you could see all that flash of memory.

Donald didn’t see that. Not a flash of his whole life rehashed in its sick reminder of what he had and hadn’t done, but he could feel Della’s feelings, anger at his recklessness and concern and desperate to grab them both.

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

Donald sent her a visual of him jumping, into a gaping black maw underneath him. It was accompanied by urgency and a soft plea. She had barely any time to process what he meant, and when she understood it was all she could do not to cuss him out then and there, because he was already jumping off and she could barely catch his tail feathers from the air. Instead she screamed, disbelieving and angry and so terribly afraid.

Della managed to grab Donald and Huey just moments before they crashed to the unforgiving rocks and landed them harmlessly on the bottom of the cliff.

And then the force of her anger and the sheer bludgeoning power of her relief slammed into their bond, and they reeled, gaze flickering and switching, switching, switching.

Della didn’t care. Through the switch-switch-switch, she glared at her twin – his face, her face, his face again, back at hers – and yelled, “Are you out of your mind?!”

Her voice mixed with Donald’s as they kept switching, from her high pitched scream to his scratchy screech and back again. Huey stared with wide uncomprehending eyes, leaning back as he held his arms up as if trying to shield himself. If she saw, it didn’t register.

“What were you – what were you thinking?!” she continued the tirade, still switching, and there was a wave of nausea underneath all the anger and the rotten magic. “Just jumping like that, without even telling me? I can fly! I can do the jumping!”

“I told you I was jumping!”

“You barely gave me time to even process – what the duck, Donald!”

“Oh, like you barely gave us time to process the fact that you went to space in an untested space ship?” Donald threw back, and it was so jarring, to hear those biting words in his and her voices at once, to be pinned by that poisonous gaze worn by a face she knew best and a face she saw in the mirrors.

She reeled, but she threw back anyway, “Going in a space ship isn’t the same as jumping off a cliff without any gear!”

“I don’t care if I died as long as my family is safe.”

“Oh, shut up! You don’t care if you died?! What about the others, do you think the kids wouldn’t care if you died?!”

“Better me than them – “

“Stop!” Huey’s voice rang out loudly, and they shut up, looking at him and his tumultuous magic. “What’s going on? Why do you keep… switching?”

The question stopped the wave of anger and replaced it with still dread, then they exchanged a quick glance as their magic flared and mixed, switch-switch-switch still, throwing questions back and forth and probing and feeling and realizing.

“It’s gotten worse,” he whispered.

“You think?” she bit back, but there was no heat behind it. She reached to his hand and he reached back, clasping, and letting their magic mingle some more until it settled and they stopped flickering back and forth.

“How long has this been going on?” Huey asked.

“A while,” Della admitted. “We thought we had it handled, but it’s worse than we thought.”

Donald swallowed bile in his throat, holding his beak shut in one hand to keep it from coming up. When it settled, he sighed. “Let’s get back up. We need to use that orb. The corrosion is worse than I thought.”

“Wait a minute – a while? How long is a while? How come we don’t know about this?” Huey demanded.

“Uncle Scrooge knows,” Della said, standing up. “We convinced him we had it handled. Come on, I can carry you both.”

With Donald on his back and Huey at her chest, she called to her magic and buried her ire at how it felt brittle and heavy. She managed to fly them back to safety all the same, the trail of while behind them looking like heavy rain cloud instead of a sliver of white mist that bloomed into plumes.

They landed just by the plane, and not too long after Uncle Scrooge arrived with the rest of the kids. Launchpad hovered around them, seemingly able to sense they weren’t in the mood to chat.

As soon as Uncle Scrooge was in sight, Huey perked up, yelling, “Uncle Scrooge! Come quick, Mom and Uncle Donald aren’t in good shape!”

“Oh, phooey. He’s gonna be mad,” Della groaned. Donald’s agreement wafted in through their mingled magic.

“Their magic is weird and they kept switching places earlier!” Huey babbled as soon as Uncle Scrooge was close enough. “Their magic kind of mixes and it’s just – weird, like it’s much heavier than it’s supposed to be, and – “

“Huey, it’s fine,” Donald assured. He met Uncle Scrooge’s gaze for a split second and looked away. “It’s just… the aftermath of the ring.”

“But you keep switching, and – “

Della looked up just in time to see Uncle Scrooge’s expression shuttered close, like it always did when he went livid. She gulped as he asked, low and slow, “I thought I told you to tell me if things gets worse.”

“We didn’t think it would be this bad,” Della muttered.

Somehow, the long exhale Uncle Scrooge let out was so much more devastating than if he had screamed at them. He turned at Louie and said, “Louie, is your hand okay?”

Louie blinked at him. “Uh, um… it’s okay now, I can feel things and it’s not trembling anymore.”

“That’s good. Give the orb to Della and Donald, okay? We’ll go soon.”

Louie obeyed instantly, purposefully making a wide berth from Webby, who held the mirror in her hands. He handed the orb to Donald, wincing when their magic brushed, and stepped back with an uneasy look in his face.

“Louie?” Donald called uncertainly.

“Please fix your magic. It’s… not good,” the youngest whispered.

“How does it feel like?”

Louie shook his head, frowning. “Like… like rot.”

Donald inhaled and nodded, waving Louie to go into the plane. The orb sat on his palm, and he offered it to Della with a single glance. Della clasped her hand over it, and they held hands with the orb right between them as they walked up the ramp into the plane, following the rest of their family.

It was funny, how neither of them realized how nauseous their own magic had been making them until the mending properties of the orb took that away.

Apparently, it showed in their outward appearance, too, because Uncle Scrooge took one look at them, snorted, and gestured as he turned to the kids, saying, “And this, children, is why you communicate and ask for help when you have a problem you can’t resolve by yourself.”

Della gasped dramatically. “Uncle Scrooge! How could you, in front of my kids?”

“It’s a good life lesson for them, Della.”

“I mean, yeah, but you didn’t have to say it that way.”

Louie peered over. “Wait, where’s the orb?”

“In here,” Donald answered, holding up his and Della’s clasped hand. A memory resurfaced in his mind, and he smiled, sending the feelings and impressions to Della through their bond. The corrosion had knocked their walls down that the communication was almost too easy, and now that the orb was mending their magic they knew building a new boundary would be much easier and stronger without needing a harsher separation.

Della received his message and laughed. At the kids’ questioning look, she explained, “We used to do this all the time when we were kids. Taking things and hiding it in our hands like this, I mean. And we used to hold hands a lot, so people don’t think much on it.”

Uncle Scrooge sighed in exasperation. “They’re half the reason I’m very protective of my dime.”

Webby gasped. “You stole the dime?!”

“And many others!” Della bragged. “And we got the dime multiple times.”

“We were troublemakers when we were kids,” Donald said with a smirk, then he directed his gaze to the triplets. “Which is why I know to stop you before you do anything. I can tell.”

“Wait, give me a list on what pranks you pulled and tell me in detail how you got to do what you did,” Dewey asked immediately. Huey pulled out his Junior Woodchuck Guidebook and clicked a pen open next to him.

Uncle Scrooge, likely foreseeing a disaster in the future if the twins’ successful heists were to be revealed to the triplets, shut that down immediately. “Alright now, you can discuss that later. Let’s get back to Duckburg now.”

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

They realized, as the orb kept mending and restoring and purifying their tainted magic, that the first time they did it the process was cut short when they let go of the orb in favor of turning to the sky and the sea to replenish their magic. The sky and the sea did indeed replenish their magic, but they were not capable of purification the way the orb was capable of.

This time, they made sure to keep the orb on their person until the last hint of corrosion was purged out of their system.

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

That night, for the first time in a while, they burst with so much energy and excitement that Della went for a midnight flight, dancing with the clouds, while Donald donned his suit once more to go toe to toe with the new onslaught of villains that started to sprout in Duckburg’s streets.

For the first time, their shared dreams was filled with laughter and warmth instead of screeching metal and fear.

[abdifarah]

Bloody

There was never a time when Spike Lee wasn’t Spike Lee to me. I seem to remember being born with images from his movies pre-installed on my mental harddrive. School Daze, one of the first few VHS’s in our house, was a favorite of my mom, and seemed to always be on in the background. Watching it recently, I had a this is water realization: “This is a musical?!” The movie’s mechanics and construction were so overly familiar as to be invisible. 

I love Spike Lee the way Americans love Jesus. More than any particular film (He Got Game, Do the Right Thing, and Malcolm X are three favs), I love everything Lee represents, has represented, and what I’m sure he will continue to represent. I knew even before instagram was invented that he would be great at it. And I am sure whatever mechanism comes next that facilitates a creator’s connection to their audience, Spike will embrace and master it like a surfer to the waves. Spike is always Spike, which probably facilitates his uncanny ability to appear comfortable in many worlds, from high art auteur filmmaking, to pop culture fare, to sports documentaries to political commentary. He is unapologetically ambitious, unapologetically confident, unapologetically black; a trio that America works hard to keep separate. He believes in the imperative of his movies and will do anything–hawking merch, launching a Kickstarter, starring in Capital One commercials–to get them made. 

Spike’s work is not just black, but majestically black, sophisticatedly black, dangerously black. This man made Bamboozled, a movie about a television exec that makes a modern day minstrel show! There are obviously a small handful of other successful and busy black filmmakers, namely Tyler Perry and Lee Daniels. Their movies do the necessary, but not-that-interesting work of simply putting blackness front and center. But the vision of blackness of Daniels or Perry has always felt like it was for someone other than me; someone either less black or less smart. Spike’s films, while often informative, never preach or pander. They assume a black outlook as a given and not an oddity. His films are challenging and do not often resolve with easy lessons. They incorporate the broad history of film and culture and do very little to catch the audience up. It is his way of showing respect to us as viewers.

Even when I do not like a Spike Lee Joint, I always admire the chutzpah, which for me is higher praise than simply liking or enjoying a work of art. Spike will go down as one of the most prolific filmmakers. He prides himself on his goal of producing a major work annually, as opposed to many of his contemporaries like Paul Thomas Anderson or Quentin Tarantino who move at a more leisurely clip. I wonder if Spike’s breakneck pace emanates from a conscious or subconscious fear of being forgotten, and having the door closed on him; ending up like so many other promising directors of color or women directors that after successful early work find it harder and harder to secure funds and get new projects greenlit. Spike has spoken candidly of the trouble he has getting movies produced, even as a celebrity director. While historically impressed by the amount of output, I now wish Spike Lee felt the freedom and permission to slow down.

Da 5 Bloods has so much in it that I love, and multiple scenes that I found genuinely moving, but this is a mess of a movie. For a film about finding buried treasure, Lee seems to be unaware of how much gold he’s sitting on. The movie undertakes the meaty premise of having four older black Vietnam veterans return to the site that indelibly changed them, mostly for the worse, to find the remains of their inspiring troop leader, Stormin’ Normin’, and a chest of gold bullion boosted from a crashed plane and hidden in the deep jungle. They returned to America after the war broken by what they saw and unable to partake of the freedoms they supposedly fought for, but like all black folks attempted to make the most of this reality. Their meeting in Vietnam is a college reunion of sorts, if you went to college to major war atrocities, and ptsd. Like any good reunion plot, each man has their post-war war stories; divorces, estranged kids, bad breaks, bankruptcies. 

They are different, almost unrecognizable to each other. Delroy Lindo’s, Paul, once a black militant, is a Maga hat wearing Trump supporter, but they are all family still. I could have watched these dialogues amongst black men who lived through civil rights, survived Vietnam, but are still fighting their own private wars all night. I wanted to stay in this movie. But about halfway through the tone of the movie shifts and whatever this movie was supposed to be about tragically steps on a landmine. The movie changes from a subtle portrait of these GI’s, their relationships to each other, and their quest to lay to rest the ghosts of the past, and becomes a gory shoot-em-up and basic-bitch heist movie, albeit with some still compelling scenes dripped in, mostly involving Paul. 

In New Orleans you can often see a big storm rolling in from miles away. The writhing clouds, tinged with the primordial reds and purples of sundown and coursing with whip snaps of lightning, mesmerize to the point where you forget you’re about to get drenched. Delroy Lindo’s performance similarly entrances as he descends like King Lear into paranoia and madness, enroute to self-sabotaging the mission and his relationship with his fellow soldiers and his doting son, who has stowed away on the excursion. Spike Lee’s casting has always indicted the rest of Hollywood, by highlighting the black actors and other actors with looks were deemed too “ethic” or too “this” or too “that”, but who have more chop in one of their nostrils than many on the A-list could muster sitting on each other’s shoulders. Why is Lindo not considered one of our great actors? 

While some of the creative and plot choices can be forgiven as artistic liberty, the depiction of the actual Vietnamese people in the movie is hard to justify. Other than a compelling cinematic portrait of the historical figure Hanoi Hannah whose radio broadcasts entertained and taunted American soldiers during the war, the other Vietnamese characters in the movie are pretty flat at best and ugly stereotypes at the other extreme. One of Lee’s perpetual explorations across all of his movies has been the destructive violence of racial stereotypes. Do the Right Thing ends when Police indiscriminately kill Radio Raheem, perceiving the imposing black man as only a threat and not a beloved community member and human worthy of dignity and protection. Blackkklansman presents us with a black man who is also a cop and all of the complexity that entails. Strangely, Lee regurgitates the worst stereotypes of the Viet-Cong in the group of Vietnamese mercenaries serving at the behest of bloated Jean Reno’s french gangster (and Donald Trump surrogate?) who ambush Da Bloods for their gold, leading to the films Tarantino-esque bloodbath ending. The climactic scene which sees Da Bloods, like retired athletes, reliving their glory days as soldiers by extension glorifies the Vietnam conflict and the killing of the Vietnamese, which is disappointing and sad. For a director that for decades avoided tidy popcorn conclusions, this film and his previous outing, Blackkklansman, basically end in good guy vs. bad guy gunfights. 

Da 5 Bloods should have been Girls Trip but with Vietnam vets; former friends with divergent lives butting heads and ultimately reconnecting; learning from while burying the past. There’s a strange moment in Da 5 Bloods before the movie breaks bad when the gang finds a pistol hidden by Clarke Peter’s character, Otis, the ostensible leader of the adventure. For battle worn vets they seem weirdly squeamish at the thought that one of them is packing. These astute Spike Lee characters, knowledgeable of movie and theater orthodoxy, understand that if a gun appears, at some point it's going to go off. Perhaps they, like me, were lamenting the inevitable end of the more dynamic and challenging first half of the movie. Maybe through them Spike Lee is voicing his own reservations about the pending violence of the film. Either way, Spike, like Otis, shouldn't have brought the gun.

[razorblade180]

Lasting Embers pt18: Brewing Storm

[Blake’s Study]

*giant bookshelves on each side and a skylight up top. A desk with a stack off papers on it with Sun hard at work*

Sun:*wearing reading glasses*.......

“You look good in glasses; so official”

Blake:*wearing nothing but one of his shirts half buttoned up and no pants* You’re up early; I woke up and was surprised you weren’t there.

Sun:Had work that needed to be processed. Almost had it done before our unexpected reunion last night. I wish I was in bed.

Blake:*drapes herself over him* Not surprising, you barely got a wink of sleep last night. *kisses his neck and face*

Sun:*chuckles* Gee I wonder why? *reaches his left hand up to rub her ear.

Blake:*purring* Can you blame me? I spent ten years missing you. I like your new clothes by the way; orange is nice on you.

Sun:Thanks, I was going for a sunset vibe. After all my “moon” wasn’t around to make the tougher decisions. So I had to channel some of my inner Blake hehehe.

Blake:Active High Leader Sun Wukong. Looks like the people don’t even need me. Maybe you should keep the job for good.

Sun:Please don’t joke like that. I don’t know how I’ve kept this thing going for a decade but you can have it all back. I miss being second in command.

Blake:Well it’s a good thing I’m more than happy to be back. *picks up some papers* Is this the report from Illia?

Sun:Yeah, prevented another assassination attempt on Whitley. Not to mention the our unwanted guest that were promptly dealt with thanks to the little terror of the desert. Jael really is something else.

Blake:I met up with them before I came here. She looks healthy which is good; also she’s grown like a weed. Wouldn’t be surprised if she’ll outgrow my clothes in awhile.

Sun:She definitely has her father’s intensity that’s for sure. I’m worried about these attacks; there’s never been such a drastic attempt like this. Especially back to back. How did the last part of your mission go?

Blake:A lot of explosions in a mine. *pulls out a map with dozens of red x’s on it* we hit every single one we found. Even went around the world twice for a year just to be sure. Maybe this is a last stitch effort?

Sun:.....I hope so. *stands up* you might wanna get dressed. Adam should be back in a few hours, there’s a festival tonight for your return, I’m sure Illia wants to spend time with you, not to mention your parents.....

Blake:Sigh, no rest for the wary. Guess I’ll go shower, but.....*grabbing Suns arm* you’re helping me wash. High Leader’s orders.

Sun:*smiling* Well if they’re orders!

[Jaune’s Porch]

*Ruby sitting down and taking off her shoe*

Yang:*opening the door*I was wondering where you were. Go for an early jog or something?

Ruby:Visited dad. Felt nostalgic about seeing our home again. Almost nothing as changed; except the boarded up doggy door....

Yang:Oh....how long?

Ruby:Three years; Zwei just ran out of bark he said. Wish I got to hold him one more time.

Yang:Yeah that’s rough. *sits next to her* So, how long you’re bunking with us? Not that anybody wants you gone but I assume you want your own place?

Ruby:My home burnt down before our adventure started. Sure I could easily get another one but.....I’m in no rush to be alone.

...........

Ruby:This is gonna sound terrible but a piece of me wishes I didn’t have to deal with readjusting to life. Maybe our last mission should’ve been my-

Yang:Don’t say it...*holds her hand tightly* there’s no way I could’ve lived with myself coming home without you.

Ruby:....I’m sorry. I should no better than to say things like that by now.

Yang:You’ll get through this, with me. Just like always. I’m always in your corner sis. *smiles*

Ruby;....*hugs her tightly* Yang, I don’t know what I’d do without you. Thank you for everything; for being my sister. *whimpering*

Yang:*looking up at the sky*

*Dark clouds forming in the distance*

Yang:*rubbing Ruby’s head* (A storm is coming. Why.....am I worried?)

[Vale]

*alarm clock ringing*

Tenzen:*in his bed*Zzzzzzz

Ren:*shaking him* Tenzen wake up! You’ve over slept again.

Tenzen:Zzzzzz

Ren:Pancakes are made.

Tenzen:Zzzzzzz

Ren:Yujin made them...

Tenzen:*jumps up* Lies! She makes french to- what time is it?

Ren:Past sunrise; your mother is probably waiting for you to show up and running drills again.

Tenzen:Shoot! She’ll probably ramp up the difficulty now. *starts zipping around his bedroom causing the lights to flicker*

Ren:You might blow a fuse at this rate *catches him as he passes by* remember to eat before moving like that or you might just ended up worn out and sleepy again.

Tenzen:Valid point, I’ll probably end up grabbing some snacks to eat before I see her.

Ren:*holds up a protein bar* here, I doubt you have time to make breakfast.

Tenzen:You’re the best. I’m surprised you haven’t made breakfast yet.

Ren:*points to luggage outside* I’ve been preoccupied this morning.

Tenzen:*eyes widened* Already going on the medical trip? Didn’t think you’d pack so soon.

Ren:Nora is finishing up your training, thanks to you everything is paid for, and hopefully by next month you’ll ace the entrance exam to Beacon. Looks like you don’t need me around anymore.

Tenzen:Don’t phase it like that. *hugs him* I’m always gonna need you dad. Have a safe trip and speedy recovery! Looking forward to dancing with you whenever you return.

Ren:As long as there’s no camera; I’ll leave internet fame to you.

Tenzen:Deal! *suited up in his previous attire* well I’m off to another brawl in the emerald forest.

Ren:Some advice, go after your mom first.b

Tenzen:Got it! *dashes away*

Ren:*still holding the protein bar* Hehe Nora he is like you through and through sometimes.

•

*Blake fully clothed in a version of her father’s chief outfit. Complete with the the purple and gold family colors*

Blake:*drying her hair* You know it’s impolite to spy on people right? *looks up at the rafters*

Adam:I see you haven’t lost a step. *jumps down* also you sort of hired me to spy remember? *kneels*

Blake:*opens her arms* Stop with the formalities and greet me like an old friend. Or did you forget how to do that?

Adam:Sassy as always I see. *hugs her* Good to see you safe; I’ll admit I had my doubts.

Blake:You think you’d know better than to bet against your first pupil. *moves his hair* how’s seeing the world with two eyes?

Adam:Bright hehehe, but really nice. You’ve been back long?

Blake:Just since last night. Stopped by and visited your family. Jael has become quite the looker.

Adam:It terrifies me every day.

Blake:*snorts* got to talk to her a little bit. She seems lonely. Also missing you a lot.

Adam:Things haven’t exactly been....easy for her. It’s a lot to talk about.

Blake:Well there’s gonna be special spot here for higher ups only during the festival. You could bring your family without worrying about people seeing you; maybe we could all catch up them?

Adam:*rubbing the back of his neck* That might do her some good honestly. I sort of think I’m screwing up the one good thing I’ve brought into this world.

Blake:*smiles*......

Adam:What?

Blake:It feels really good to just talk to you again. We’ve been through some shit you and I. I missed this.

Adam:*smiles* You’re such a sap....

Blake:Wow! Okay you jerk. *folds her arms and smiles* the real sap is you; family life suits you well.

Adam;It’ll probably do wonders for you too. You’re only thirty something. It’s not too late.

Blake:*blushing* Mind your business! I just got back and that’s what you want to say!?

Adam:I’m just saying you might want to think about it. Sun won’t admit it but he was always his happiest spending time with Jael or any kid that ran up to him. *walking away*

Blake:......

Sun:*walks in* Oh hey loser. *holds out fist*

Adam:Sup loser *fist bumps him* see you tonight with my family.

Sun:Aye tell Jael her uncle I’ll make her favorite dessert! *grinning*

Adam:She’s supposed to be eating healthy! *leaves*

Sun:This is why she likes me more! So how was seeing your old everything basically.

Blake:*red*.........fruitful.

•

*Tenzen sprinting down a dirt path connecting to the forest. Clouds looming over him*

Tenzen:(I hope mom isn’t too mad I’m late. If she is this storm probably won’t my situation. Maybe I should’ve-) *immediately tries to stop. Skidding several feet anyways* What the!?

*trees snapped in half and bullet holes everywhere. Prints of human and multiple grimm types around the area with some blood as he looks around*

Tenzen:......(This isn’t right. So many grimm prints but not much blood. Who could get away from these numbers? Why would different grimm attack in these numbers?) Something doesn’t feel-

“tu...rn arou...nd.....”

Tenzen:*flips around and draws his weapons* Who’s there!? Fair warning I- *gasp* Emerald!?

*a flickering illusion of Emerald dawning a black and green trim version of her outfit points to a bush before fading *

Tenzen:*Walking through the bushes and looking*Emerald.......?

Emerald:Hey kid *cough* up here.....

Tenzen:*drops his weapons on sight; his face going pale* Guys?

*Mercury unconscious and bleeding on Emeralds back. Her chain dangerously close to being around their neck as they hang from a tree*

Emerald:*beaten up* H...help....

Tenzen:*snaps the tree limb off and catches both of them* What happened to you two!? Why are you-*yanked by the color*

Emerald:They....know where *cough* Nora.......

Tenzen:..........

[Launching cliff]

Nora:*sitting down* Late again I see; what am I going to do with that boy? We did spar pretty rough so maybe I can give him a break this one time.

*pit pat pit pat pit......*

Nora:Hmm? *turning around* finally decide to show up Ten- *gasp!!*

*several cult members stand facing her. Dozens of ursas, beowulves, and death stalkers behind them*

M:I’m sorry, were you expecting someone else? *eyes glowing read*

*the rain started to fall.....*

[laallomri]

[fic for keithtober, from these prompts]

[day 7: dual wielding. an au of the end of s6, ft. klance going after kuron together and lance getting to use his “boy from cuba” line in a much diff scenario] 

Keith is tired.

He went on a mission—two fucking years ago—to check up with a blade member, a mission that somehow turned into a family reunion. Then he went right into another mission, then into what felt like an eternity’s worth of camping on a whale, then into the discovery that a supposedly lost race of people is very much not lost, then into a frantic trip back to save his friends from a power-hungry genocidal prince, then into the discovery that something is really wrong with his brother, the person who matters more to him than pretty much anyone else in the entire universe, and now said brother has escaped with said power-hungry genocidal prince into a fucking wormhole.

Actually, Keith is not tired. He’s exhausted, and he’s angry, he’s fucking furious, because he didn’t sign up for this, he didn’t sign up for this at all, he signed up for a basic mission—two fucking years ago—and all he wanted was to come back to this group of people, these people he cares about more than anything, his family, and give them too many hugs and listen to them talk too much and feel stupidly happy.

But he can’t, and that infuriates him, and his fury is so great that he barely feels the spin of the wormhole as he tumbles through it, so great that he feels intensely present as he exits the lion onto a platform, like the colors and sounds around him are heightened, made hyper-specific, like the rushing in his veins and his chest and his head are outlining exactly what he has to do so he can get this over with and finally get his stupidly happy reunion with his friends.

(if he is being honest, he is not—fully angry—about his anger—he is not angry that he is angry, but actually a bit—relieved—because his time at the blade has sapped too many of his feelings, has made him sad at best and empty at worst, and it is refreshing to feel again, even if it isn’t positive)

(it occurs to him in the next second how fucked up that is, how horrible it is that he’s relieved to feel angry. he already has half a mind to leave the blade, but this makes it certain; he can’t go back now, not when he finally remembers what it’s like to feel again, not when he’s finally realized how far gone he was, that anger is a relief rather than a burden)

He looks up and sees Shiro—or not-Shiro, as he’s starting to realize—on the platform, still carrying Lotor. He starts up the platform towards him when he hears a loud roar. He stops, frowning, and turns to see that the wormhole is closing, though not before the red lion zooms through and lands beside Black.

“What?” he mutters, his frown deepening.

Red’s mouth opens. Lance jumps out.

“Hi,” he says, as if they’re meeting at breakfast back at the castle ship. “I’ve come to help.”

Keith blinks at him. It takes him a second to recognize the feelings within him as worry and gratitude. 

“This is dangerous,” he says.

“Yeah,” Lance replies, as if it’s obvious. “That’s why I’ve come to help.” He tilts his head. “Did you hit your head going through the wormhole? That can happen if your helmet’s not on right.”

(worry, and gratitude, and fond irritation, and warmth, warmth at having him here to help, to back him up, to catch him if he falls, and he was relieved to be angry after so many months of feeling empty at the blade, but this is so, so much better, because it’s comfortable, spreads out from the pit of his stomach, makes the cold knot of fury in his chest feel more human)

“If you’re worried about the others, they’ll be fine,” Lance assures him. “They have Allura to lead them. But Shiro—or whoever that is, or whatever’s controlling him—he’s a lot stronger than you, and he has Lotor, and we don’t know who’s behind this. So you need backup.”

How the fuck does he have time to think about this kind of stuff? He didn’t have any more time coming through the wormhole than Keith did, but somehow he’s thought this through a lot better than Keith has.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Keith says finally. He sees Lance’s expression brighten. “Let’s go, he went that way.”

They run along the platform, far enough that they’re out of sight of the lions. For a moment Keith thinks this might actually be straightforward, that they can catch up to not-Shiro and Lotor without difficulty, but then—

“Disappointed but not surprised,” Lance mutters as the first druid appears.

Keith gives him a look. More druids appear, one by one in a circle, closing in like birds of prey. Keith summons his bayard and takes his Galra knife out from his pocket; both melt into their sword forms at the same time. “Is now really the time for memes?”

“There’s always time for memes, mullet!” Lance says. He turns to face the druids behind them, taking a few steps backward so his back hits Keith’s. “Would it really kill these people to just let us win easy for once?”

“Probably,” Keith says. “You ready?”

“Of course,” Lance says, and Keith knows that if he had time he’d probably go on about how he’s always ready, because he’s ready for anything, because he’s Leandro fucking McClain, but right then the last of the druids arrive, and there’s six of them, and there isn’t much time for talking.

(even with how many druids there are, long robes flowing and masks glowing and fingers crackling with deadly magic, Keith isn’t afraid. he is angry, and focused, and determined, but he is not afraid. how can he be, with Lance at his back?)

Keith goes on autopilot for the fight; he’s done this a hundred times in training, a hundred times on blade missions, and his arms move in a rhythm, swinging his bayard one way and his Galra blade in another. The only real break in his focus is when he whirls to avoid a spell a druid shoots at him; when he turns he sees another druid coming at Lance from behind, and he’s about to shout a warning when Lance turns and slices it in half.

Keith blinks, startled—because when the fuck did Lance get a sword, what—but he collects himself quickly and ducks just in time to avoid another spell.

It seems that some of the druids aren’t as experienced as the others; four of them fall relatively quickly, their magic too slow to avoid Keith and Lance’s blows. The remaining two are much harder to beat, disappearing and reappearing so fast that Keith gets almost dizzy trying to keep his eyes on them. 

At one point, both of them disappear in unison. Keith and Lance look round, shoulders tense, on high alert. Several seconds pass, and Keith wonders if they’ve left, if they should keep going after not-Shiro, when suddenly there’s a voice, disembodied and echoing and layered, like both of the druids are speaking at once.

We only require the red paladin, the voice says. The sound of it makes Keith think of a tin cup clanging onto a tile floor. Surrender and we will leave the other one alone.

Keith opens his mouth to answer, but Lance beats him to it.

“NO!” he shouts. “We’re a two for one deal! You fuck with one paladin and the other fucks you up for free!”

Keith’s stomach lurches. Having Lance here when they were equally in danger is one thing; having him here when he has an opportunity to escape unharmed is quite another. 

“You should—” he starts to say, but Lance cuts him off.

“Don’t,” he says, his face twisted. “Don’t even think it. I’m not leaving you.”

“But—”

“I’m not leaving you,” Lance repeats fiercely. “In fact”—he redoubles his grip on his bayard and it shimmers in response—“I’ll hold these two off myself, and you should go get Shiro. It’s been too long; we can’t risk not knowing what’s going on with him and whoever’s controlling him.”

He has a point, and Keith can practically feel the clock ticking, but he can’t leave Lance here, but to stay here any longer would mean more time for not-Shiro and whoever’s controlling him to do something horrible, but—

“Go!” Lance says, and he’s scowling, and there’s a bruise on his cheek, and fire in his eyes, and Keith—

Keith deactivates his bayard, then grabs Lance’s free hand with his own.

(he’s angry again, angry that he has to make this decision, angry that this decision makes sense)

(but he trusts Lance, trusts him to make it out of this safely, trusts that he will come back to him, and make him feel everything but anger, make him feel happiness and contentment and fond irritation)

He squeezes Lance’s hand tight.

“Be careful,” he says quietly. 

“You too,” Lance says, and for the briefest moment there is—something—something in his eyes, in his expression—but then he lets go of Keith’s hand, and the two druids reappear, and he turns away to face them.

Keith watches him for a second, his heart thudding, then turns around and runs down the platform. As he hurries away he hears the druids hiss, hears them say the red paladin, after him!, hears Lance say “I think the fuck not,” hears the clang of his sword as he intercepts the druid’s magic.

Why are you even here? the druid asks, annoyed and alarmed. We were not expecting you. Who even are you?

“Oh, no one special,” Lance says, and Keith can hear the grin in his voice, and despite himself he feels a grin of his own unfurl across his face, and god he’d really rather have no one else at his side for this, because Lance can strategize and tear a druid to pieces and say lines straight out of a fucking action movie with no trouble at all. “I’m just a boy from Cuba.”

(he destroys them, of course, and Keith comes back with not-Shiro to find Lance kneeling on the platform, badly bruised and breathing hard but otherwise safe)

(they have to go back quickly, to help the others defeat Lotor, but as soon as the fight is over, as soon as not-Shiro becomes real Shiro, Keith runs up to Lance, and throws his arms around him, and hugs him as tight as their armor will allow)

(and then Lance lets go, and dramatically tosses off the top part of his armor, and Keith laughs, and does the same, and then they hug again, properly this time, and it’s warm and close and Keith’s heart is full, full, full)

(full, full, full, and he’s not angry anymore, but happy, and content, and, thanks to the raspberry Lance blows in his neck, fondly irritated, and he thinks, for the first time in a long time, that everything will be okay)

[natsubeatsrock]

The Rewrite of Fairy Tail: Part 11 (Natsu)

What's so special about Natsu? 

How else did you think we were going to start talking about characters? Now that the basics of the series are over with, I can finally talk about the main cast of the series. And who better to start with than the face of the Strongest Team and this blog’s namesake.

One of the most common complaints I see about Natsu is that he's generic. Sure, he beats major enemies and spouts off about his friends. So does every other shonen action protagonist. (Yes, I refer to him as a protagonist for the sake of this post.) What makes him so special?  

Incidentally, Mashima was asked this question on his last trip to the States during NYCC 2017. HIs response was beyond disappointing. He said that Natsu is unique because he has pink hair and motion sickness. I wish I was joking. While I think that this is actually probably true (at least of what I know about), I'm going to need a bit more than that. If the series is partially possible because of him, there has to be something about him. 

I talked about this when I talked about Team Natsu, but one of the most important things about Natsu is his search for Igneel, I think that it's hard to talk about him and not address this. (At least, I'd like to think that.) Natsu wanting to find his dragon is more important to him, even among dragon slayers. Gajeel seems to have mostly given up on the search. Both his and Wendy's arcs deal with other issues. Sting and Rogue thought they killed their dragons up to Tartaros.

On its own, that's fairly interesting. Usually, the protagonist's journey in a story similar to Fairy Tail is about trying to become something. Naruto Uzumaki wants to be the Hokage. Ichigo Kurosaki wants to become strong enough to protect the people he cares about. (WHICH IS THE ENTIRE POINT OF BLEACH, YOU-) Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero. Asta wants to be the Wizard King. 

In contrast, Natsu's goal is about trying to find something, or technically someone. Of course, this isn't all that unique on its own. After all, something, something One Piece, blah, blah Luffy, whatever, whatever treasure. And, of course, Gon in Hunter x Hunter goes through his quest in order to search for his dad. 

This comparison will be relevant later on, but the interesting thing about this from Natsu's perspective is how it deals with its end goal. Natsu's search actually does end with him finding Igneel. But his discovery is tainted by two big things. 

First, the fact that he was searching for not reason as Igneel was always inside him. Even just saying that should show how Natsu's search became almost immediately invalidated. No matter where he went or how hard he searched, he wouldn't find him. That's almost as if Luffy were actually to find out the One Piece was the friends he made along the way. (I understand this not to be the actual case, so that's a thing.)

Second, and most obvious, Igneel was killed by Acnologia. Of course, it's not like their reunion was bound to last long given the circumstances. However, is it that hard to see the difference the other dragon slayers seeing their dragons fading into the distance and Natsu seeing Acnologia tear into Igneel. 

From this perspective, I think that what makes Natsu special is that he is searching for something, but he isn't allowed to get it. At the same time, in searching for Igneel (what he considered to be his family) he found Fairy Tail (what would be a new type of family). If you remember back in Part 1, this lines up perfectly with my own interpretation of the never-ending adventure. 

That's pretty cool, right? 

Well, there are some issues with this. 

When it comes to Hiatus x Hiatus, every single arc relates to the search for Gon's dad in one way or another. The positions Gon finds himself in connect to his search for his dad in some way, as I argued in the first part. 

This is not to say that this aspect can't or doesn't already matter to Natsu. After all, he does want to become S-Class because he thinks it will help him find Igneel. He goes to ask Acnologia almost instantly if he knows where the other dragons are. His being in Fairy Tail, as a whole, could be attributed to making it easier for him to search for Igneel. However, I don't think the idea that Natsu wants to see Igneel gets explored enough. 

This was part of the reason behind a few different changes made so far. With the separation of The Strongest Team, Natsu has some more freedom to go out and look for Igneel than he would be in a formal team. With the time skip being shortened, Natsu has more time to dedicate solely on searching for Igneel.

With these changes in mind, why not just restructure Fairy Tail so Natsu can go on long extended searches for Igneel on his own, not unlike Gildarts? As tempting as that is, there are two big reasons I can't do this. 

The first is that as per the rules I've set up for making this rewrite, doing so would fundamentally change Fairy Tail into something too different. Despite no formal team, Natsu still has to be around for most arcs to happen anywhere near as close to how they happen. Imagine most other arcs, manga or anime, (note that I don't say "every single arc") without Natsu's presence. It can be reasonably fixed in a few spots where his presence may not be as important other characters, but not having Natsu in most arcs would be jarring.

And even if I could fix that, the second issue comes from OVA 3. Gray mentions that Natsu was searching for Igneel years before the series started but stopped after not being able to find him. Is that enough of a reason to stop him from searching at all? Not unless Natsu is so myopic to think that he'd only find him around his immediate area. What that could mean is that he'd keep his ear to the ground and see if Igneel does show up around him. He might be waiting somewhere he hasn't heard of yet. Heck, the entire reason he goes to Hargeon at the start of the series in the first place is that he was told that Igneel might be close by and it turned out to be a bum lead. 

Ultimately, the issue becomes creating enough space for Natsu to search for Igneel more as well as justifying his not searching for him at any specific moment in the series. Considering enough time has been spent on discussing the first part of this issue, some time should be spent on the latter: explaining why Natsu isn't currently searching for Igneel. If the issue with this isn't clear enough, I have to justify Natsu not trying to achieve his character goal at a specific moment. Thankfully, this isn't impossible. 

An easy way to justify Natsu not searching for Igneel is physically not being able to search for him. One of the more interesting changes I've been playing with involves keeping Natsu out of the Galuna Island arc. After the Natsu vs Erza fight, they both end up in jail. Considering his action was arguably worse than what Erza was in for, not to mention past actions, he gets held for a few days longer than Erza does. That might not sound like much, but that effectively means he misses the arc. It also means that he can't search for Igneel during this arc. 

Another way to do it is a matter of threat. Here, we have some good canon explanations for not searching for Igneel during specific arcs. He has to go through with the Sun Village mission because it's coming from a founding member of Fairy Tail. Makarov chooses to send him and the Strongest Team to take out Oracion Seis. And I can imagine attendance during an event like Fantasia being beaten into Natsu. 

Canon also presents somethings as more immediately important. Again, there is the S-Class trial being seen as a necessary break in order to potentially help him find Igneel faster. However, this can help explain why he doesn't break away from the guild to search for Igneel whenever someone like Phantom Lord attacks the guild or Tartarus starts targeting Magic Council members. 

However, I feel like one of, if not, the most important reason for Natsu to not search for Igneel is becoming or being emotionally bound to the guild. This sounds like a weird thing to say, but consider the implications of changing the nature of the time skip. With the guild landing in trouble, there would be little reason to stay with Fairy Tail, to begin with. The reasoning that being in the guild could help him with his search holds less weight if the guild is in financial trouble. 

The line of reasoning itself, which could even be explained as protecting a child from hurting himself, would probably ring as less true as a young adult. What's to stop Natsu, as he searches for Igneel, from dissociating himself from Fairy Tail, either in joining another guild or eschewing guilds entirely?

What I think should happen is that Natsu makes an important connection to the members of the guild that makes him want to stay. Ultimately, he should recognize that the guild has become his family and, similar to Igneel, he cares about their best interests. If you can't tell, the idea of family is already something that is important to Natsu in canon. In canon proper, however, it is implied that this connection is made before the series starts. This is evident as early as the end of the first arc.

One of the big changes I want to make in regards to Natsu's character is having this process during the span of the series. That means Natsu will start out not caring too much for too many of the guild members but end up thinking about all of them like family. I don't want to make the journey too long and drawn out. By the end of Phantom Lord, it should be clear that Natsu thinks of members of the guild, at least Lucy in particular, differently than he did during Macao or Daybreak. After Tartarus, he should consider the guild to be his family.

I know this may seem like a controversial change. I was a bit iffy on how far I was bending the rules to make this change. However, in doing this, I want to give Natsu something he had admittedly little of in canon proper: character progression. As much as I clearly enjoy canon proper Natsu, I think this change will give him more room to grow as a character.  

Introduction | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Seraph of the End, Day 2, Episodes 10-12

It’s the Act 1 Finale! In which a bunch of crazy shit goes down, the animation takes a frustrating dive, but I remain hopeful for the future.

Inconsistency

Alright, before we get to the big stuff, I want to buckle down and get a fairly serious piece of criticism out of the way. In these last few episodes, the show’s animation quality takes a frustrating nosedive. Battles are communicated through still images with speed lines, and background combatants stay awkwardly still while the fighters the camera’s focused on duke it out. This is the big moment, the end of season 1, the first big all-out clash between the forces of humans and vampires, and you couldn’t allocate just a little more of the budget to make it look nice? Seraph’s had some really great animation in the past, so I don’t understand why they had to half-ass the big finish so much. It deserved better.

Cool? Cool. Now let’s get to the good stuff, because hot damn, a lot went down here.

The Big Reunion

Of all the ways I expected Mika and Yu’s reunion to play out, a sword through the gut was not one of them. But I definitely appreciate it; it helps set the tone for what ends up being an incredibly conflicted clash of desires between the two former family members. It turns out that while Mika definitely isn’t on the vampires’ side, he’s not on the humans’ either. He’s learned about the mysterious human experiments they’ve been carrying out, and more specifically, that Yu’s a primary focus of theirs. And he wants to save Yu from humanity’s clutches before they mess with him any more.

Once again, I’m impressed by how much this show is able to accomplish just by not tripping over its own feet. It’s able to set up pretty basic, but still powerful crises between its characters. Mika is Yu’s old family, trying to tear him away from his new family. And Yu’s caught in between the past and the future, terrified of losing either. It’s damn effective, and the shot of his teammates getting their blood sucked while Shinoa begs for him to run really sells it. You feel his desperation. And you completely understand why, at that moment, the darkness inside him finally erupts.

The Seraph Awakens

Characters with massive deus-ex-machina powers are hard. You run the risk of destroying all possible tension your story could have; after all, if the protagonist can just turn on god mode with the flip of a switch, what danger could there possibly be? Thankfully, this show is aware of that, and it smartly handles its Big Dumb Prophecy epic powers through the simple tactic of making using them scary as fuuuuck. Seriously, when the titular Seraph of the End bursts forth from inside Yu with a flurry of trumpets and a warning from his sword’s demon, it becomes clear just why Mika is so desperate to pry Yu away from the humans before they can advance this power. It’s terrifying, and it helps that the animation finally returns to form here, leading to some devastatingly powerful city-destroying shots. Thus, the potentially world-breaking superpower is grounded in a reasonable level of Danger of Use(tm). Color me impressed, show. You managed to handle this hot potato of a trope well.

We still don’t know quite what the Seraph yet, but it seems the humanity is looking for some greater power to help them survive in such a dangerous world. And again, it’s a simple but effective conundrum: yes, we need to be safe, but how far can we- or should we- go in pursuit of that safety? The way the vampires talk about it, this Seraph may have the potential to end the world if used brazenly. Either this goes the Code Geass Ragnorak Connection levels of stupid, or it goes the Attack on Titan Shifters levels of well-integrated. Either way, Yu’s got one hell of a challenge ahead of him.

Yu, You’re Alright

And for once, I’m excited to follow Yu’s journey to master this power. Because at long last, his character has clicked with me. His arc of learning to accept and care for this new family of his has ended up being a surprisingly understated affair, but that’s what finally makes it work here at the end. We’ve seen him been challenged enough and put through enough emotional hurdles that him finally starting to open up to the Shinoa squad feels natural at this point. And he does, in a handful of moments that honestly have no right to be as touching as they ended up being. Shiho telling Yu to trust that they’ll be alright, only for Yu to say that he’ll still come to help them, made me realize that I really did care about him finding peace of mind. Add to that the fantastic hospital scene, where Yu thanks his friends for being alright and they all tease him about his unexpected emotional honesty, and it all just really works. I’m on board. I want to see where the second season takes him. I want to see where the second season takes everyone. Here’s hoping it keeps this streak up.

Odds and Ends

-Guren, I hope you’ve got a back brace somewhere, because I don’t see how you could walk after that thrashing Mika gave you otherwise.

-So Shinoa lost a sister to military power plays, huh?

-As expected, Shinoa and Yu is a ship I can fully get behind. Seeing their personalities come through in their awkward flirting moments is proof that this show can make them work as a couple.

-...you know, I didn’t expect the vampires to have Alie-esque curse detox chambers, what with their penchant for gothic architecture. Kinda killing your whole aesthetic there, guys.

-”Is this the crybaby’s room?” god dammit Shinoa stop being the best

-”You said you were sleepy and slept through everything.” “What? You’re kidding!” “Yeah, I am.” GOD DAMMIT SHINOA STOP BEING THE BEST

-Vampire neck bite accidental flirting? Here for it.

-Oh, that was a cool-ass shot, with Mika and Yu pressing their heads against the same glass from a distance. Visual storytelling ftw!

And with that, season 1 is over. Expect a summary of my thoughts a bit later before we move on to season 2!

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

We’re starting a soup kitchen! 

This week, we’re taking a trip down to Glassenwick. Ally-Nicole and the sorority are helping out with the grand opening of Charity’s soup kitchen Ladles of Love.

Now that I think about it, this is probably the closest to a full on sorority reunion since it disbanded four years ago. I can’t remember exactly how many how big the sorority was at its peak but about twelve or so of us came to help Charity with her project.

It’s great to see all of us together again after all this time! It feels like forever since I’ve seen most of the old gang so it’s great catching up with them!

But to say that it felt like the sorority days wouldn’t be exactly truthful - and not in a bad way. While I had a lot of good memories with the sorority, it eventually got to the point where the drama began to weigh it down, which is why Ally-Nicole disbanded it when things got too out of control.

The best thing about this reunion is that we’ve all moved on. There’s no sorority drama dragging us down, none of those same problems affecting us back in college. Basically we’ve grown a lot in these past four years so it’s sort of like we’re different people now. 

I haven’t seen some of them in so long that at first it felt like we were strangers. For some it felt like no time has passed at all and for others, we’re in different worlds and yet that connection’s still there.

First there’s Charity, the one behind Ladles of Love. She didn’t have the best upbringing growing up and her relationship with her adoptive parents is nonexistent - to put it nicely. After graduating college, she broke away from them to make a name for herself, taking part in projects like building homes, bringing medical supplies and food to impoverished places, and volunteering at hospitals and clinics. 

I have to say, she’s grown a lot during her sorority days. I’m proud of her and her accomplishments! Helping her with the grand opening was a lot of fun and I know it’ll be successful!

I was surprised when Meghan showed up. She left the sorority months before it disbanded and we lost touch with her and her sister Emmi, who left around the same time. Meghan achieved her dream of becoming a famous ballerina, touring all around the world. When she heard about Charity and Ladles of Love, she rearranged her schedule so she could come down to Glassenwick to help out as she wasn’t too far from there. And since she was performing at Tuckerhill, which is about ten minutes away, she got us tickets to see the show, which was great!

Honestly I never thought I’d see Meghan again, especially after Emmi left the university. Emmi was very sweet and shy, a stark contrast to Meghan in terms of personality and appearance. I didn’t get to know her as well as she didn’t stay for very long but like Meghan she aspired to be a ballerina. She left school because she felt that college wasn’t for her and wanted to try out other things. Meghan keeps in touch with her infrequently as Emmi is constantly moving around but last she heard, Emmi’s doing fine, so that’s good.

Next up are Samantha and Ivy, the newlyweds! Well, actually it’s been almost a year since they married. Still, it’s great to see them again and they’re just as cute as ever! I remember helping Ivy with her first date on the pier. And from there began the ongoing story of Samantha and Ivy. They married last year on a beautiful July afternoon, surrounded by cherry blossoms, which was the theme of their wedding.

Star Kesselman is a notable member. We actually live a few blocks away in Wizpire so we see each other a lot. Star used to be a teen pop sensation when she made her debut on Pop Talent. She was huge back in the day, releasing hits all over the world, touring and performing day and night - all that glamorous Hollywood stuff. Fortunately she stayed true to herself and refused to be blinded by fame - though I think a lot of it has to do with her upbringing, specifically the circumstances following her family’s disappearance. (That’s a story for another day).

Anyway, she chose to take a break after finishing high school. For a while she was on the fence about returning to music after college. Then she fell in love with archaeology so that’s what she does now. In fact, most of the fossil exhibition in the Wizpire Museum was contributed by her! I love seeing her get excited about fossils and other buried treasures. Star is definitely someone you want to tag along when you’re looking for fossils because she pretty much knows everything there is to know about this kind of stuff.

Bethany was another pleasant surprise. She almost couldn’t make it because she was out at a convention in Seaton Lake. There were some last minute changes so Bethany’s presentation was pushed to an earlier date, so she could leave earlier. And because she has an extra day and she’ll be passing by Glassenwick, Bethany decided to stop by after the grand opening. She couldn’t stay long unfortunately as she had other commitments the next several days so it was nice that she stopped by. I’d recognize that sunhat anywhere!

Harper was another one who I didn’t expect to drop by as she’s all the way in Peace Coast Island. She’s the owner of Summer Sweets, a popular bakery on the boardwalk. There’s always a long line where the wait’s at least ninety minutes but trust me, it’s definitely worth it! I’ve only visited her like twice on the island since Summer Sweets opened because the boardwalk’s always so busy. To celebrate the grand opening of Ladles of Love, Harper brought boxes of pastries, all made from scratch! She’s an amazing baker so it’s no surprise that she’s living out her dream life! If you want to stop by Summer Sweets, I definitely recommend the macarons and cannolis!

To add to the celebration, Mia filmed the whole thing. Mia runs a popular travel vlog called Mia’s Suitcase and she has been spending a lot of time at Glassenwick helping Charity out so she’s got a lot of footage for the vlog. She’s doing it in sort of a documentary style, which is an exciting challenge for her as she never did anything like this before. I’m not the type who’s comfortable being in front of the camera all the time but I’m more than happy to be a part of a vlog! It was a lot of fun seeing Mia film everything, giving it a family home movie kind of feeling.

It’s so great having most of the old gang back together for this special event! Some of the campers also tagged along and soon it felt like they were part of the group too! Definitely making another trip to Glassenwick in the future!

[ask-svt-hearteu]

soulmate! Vernon

requested by anon

Summary: in which your eye color matches your soulmate's hair color and vice versa

part two

so you live in a neighborhood that’s basically every suburban neighborhood in America ever

your mom has frequent business trips to SK because of her job and her side of the family is there also

so when summer rolls around you’re bored of suburbia

and decide to take an internship at your mom’s workplace in SK

so you pack up all your crap into a suitcase

and in 20+ hours it’s family reunion time

your aunt and uncle and cousins are happy to see you, practically jumping up and down to pick you up from the airport 

they prepare an apartment in Seoul nearby your mom’s office

and you’re like what the heck, I like the city

it’s always too lonely at home when your mom’s away on trips but here you have a bunch of family

so you decide to study abroad for the school year and enroll in a university in SK

and it’s good for your mass communications degree, as is the internship

you settle in your comfy apartment in Seoul, your mom visiting when she has business trips

your cousins and aunt and uncle invite you over often for home cooked meals

after a few days, the US is just a distant memory

you feel like you fit right into the city, the bustling life, the lights shining brightly, the sound of people going about their days

it feels like what you think is home, you were meant to live here

with the sudden move for the summer internship and the school year, you kind of forgot about the whole soulmate thing

that is until you look in the mirror in the bathroom one morning

and your eyes

they’re. freaking. pale. af. 

like the color of blonde hair with darker tan and beige undertones and highlights 

they were pitch black the day before 

you’re taken back but it happens occasionally when you know that soulmate of yours out there somewhere dyes their hair

at least they’ve been pretty consistent and didn’t dye their hair something outrageous, like pink

you get ready for the day already used to the new look

you kind of like it

you decide to take a walk along the Han River

you like going there to read on the grass or write random poems (although your years of studying language still hasn’t allowed you to find a word that rhymes well with beautiful) and listen to music

a mixture of hiphop, edm, and ballads

it’s pretty early in the morning and you walk and jot stuff down in your mini notebook as you go, breathing in the early morning air

but apparently paying attention to where you’re going is a good idea because both you and this person didn’t seem to realize that

until the both of you collide with into each other and you both end up on the ground

“I’m sorry!” he stands up and reaches out for your hand to help you up

you’re kind of just staring at him in shock though

because his hair… 

and your hair...his eyes

and it doesn’t take him long to stare at you wondering what’s up

and he sees your eyes

“Oh shi-” he stumbles backwards and falls back on the ground, again, across from you and you’re both just trying to process what just happened

so naturally you say something incredibly intelligent to make a good first impression on your soulmate

“did you just curse in English?” and suddenly you’re both laughing amazed at the situation

turns out he was too busy jamming to a song to watch where he was going

and you were too busy scribbling something you can’t even remember

it’s awkward at first, how do you react properly to meeting your soulmate?

but he’s endearing and drags you into a convenience store for ramen and coffee

“I actually prefer cheeseburgers”

“No way, me too.”

it’s like you met your long lost best friend

“you’re a rapper? no way!”

“you write? dude can I see some of your stuff”

“these would make lit lyrics”

“aw really? thanks!”

“wait you wrote the rap lines for this song? omg they’re so good!”

you’re both just sitting in that convenience store one ear bud in your left ear and the other one in his right ear

talking music and all the technical stuff that makes it an incredible medium for language when used correctly

it’s almost like you’ve known each other forever

you both start walking towards his dance studio cuz you got nowhere better to go for a bit

with the ear buds still connecting the two of you, and laughing and conversing in English

walk into the practice room and damn everyone goes silent and stares at you two

who are still talking in english

they are all so lost like who is this girl, vernon doesn’t bring random girls to the studio

except for Joshua

who understands everything y'all are saying

and has this huge smile on his face 

“annyeonghasaeyo” you say blushing, “ I’m-”

“my soulmate!“ Hansol says not containing his excitement whatsoever

everyone is ready to explode

“Jun’s was literally just a few weeks ago?wtf?”

it kind of already feels like a family and Jeonghan steals your phone, already putting in everyone’s numbers

“If Hansol is being difficult, call me, my number’s under ‘y/n’s angel’”

Seungkwan puts his contact name in as 'YOUR BIGGEST COMPETITION’ and jokingly makes an “I’m watching you” hand gesture

Hansol doesn’t get a choice, svt puts his contact name in your phone as ‘y/n’s soulmate’

“you better protect him"

"he gets lost in thought a lot”

“he could be drowning and probably think about what he wants for lunch and forget to swim”

you laugh, it’s hilarious

but now it’s really time to go because it’s late

he walks you out to the secret backdoor because paparazzi 

“your other member just found his soulmate huh?”

“fate is funny, we are seventeen, jun hyung and me met our soulmate 2017″

“it must if seventeen’s soulmate year”

you both kind of just stare at each other stupidly, both not wanting to leave

until you grin and laugh 

this sets him off into laughter

you tilt your head to the side like you were debating something

and as if it was in slow motion, you lean up and press a soft kiss to his cheek

immediately, his hands come up to cup his cheek shyly

you grin at his cuteness

“I’ll text you when I’m home!”

he watches your back view and you turning around one last time and wave at him when you see him watching

when your out of eye sight, he lets go of his cheek and looks at his reflection in the glass panel

a hint of pink lip gloss stains it

part 2

The Seventeen Soulmate AU series:

|| Seungcheol / Pt. 2 || Jeonghan / Pt. 2 || Joshua / Pt.2 || Jun / Pt.2 || Hoshi / Pt.2 || Wonwoo || Woozi / Pt.2 || Seokmin / Pt.2 || Mingyu / Pt.2 || Minghao || Seungkwan || Vernon / Pt.2 || Dino ||

MASTERLIST

[sevensity]

RFA * V* Saeran overhearing their female s/o on the phone telling another boy she loves them but it's actually just one of the s/o's family members ?

hey it’s been like five years but I finally wrote it and I’m sorryI had no idea what to do for Baehee >.

I love how they get progressively long as you go have fun reading

YOOᔕᑌᑎG:

·        You’re playing LOLOL together when suddenly you get a phone call,and pause the game while you answer

·        Yoosung’s doing some quick character customization while yourconversation goes on, but he’s getting the feeling that you’re talking toanother man

·        And someone close to your age, at that

·        He’s been working hard at controlling his jealousy, but it’s sodifficult, especially now that you’re speaking such gentle words, your pretty eyessoft and twinkling

·        Who is it you’re talking to that would warrant such anexpression? Such words that spoke of warmth and tender love?

·        Yeah so it was impossible for Yoosung to keep his switch off

·        Can you stabsomeone through the phone? How can I perform simple voodoo? became hisnewest google searches

·        “Take care of yourself, I’ll come see you soon, I love you!” you hang up with a wistful sigh.

·        “The old geezer went and fell down the stairs…again…honestly heneeds to be more careful.”

·        “Old…geezer?” Yoosung asks tentatively, slowly putting his phonedown

·        “Yeah, my grandfather went and broke up hip by tripping on astep. Luckily he didn’t fall a whole flight, but still, at his age….”

·        Yoosung discreetly closes his ‘Voodoo for Beginners’ tab andcoughs lightly

·        “Right well, let’s continue our match, shall we? I’ll crush you!Ha-ha, I’m kidding?”

·        The battle begins once more, you having already forgotten aboutthe phone call, but somewhere in Yoosung’s mind, he’s thinking about the webpage he’d closed

·        Maybe it wouldbe useful to look through

·        For futurereferences…

ᘔEᑎ:

·        Y’all are rehearsing some lines

·        or taking selfies

·        or working out

·        or trying to summon Satan idk but your phone rings and youexcuse yourself from your current activity  to answer it

·        lmao though imagine you actually summon Satan and he’s trying totake your soul or smthing but then you’re like ok hold up my dude I got a phonecall the delivery guy might have gotten lost and Satan is just left standingthere like ??? do I get food too or

·        anyways hi hello it’s your /actual/ father calling about thefamily reunion on Saturday

·        Zen’s sneaking glances your way because what’s with this sweettone of yours

·        is i T A mE m Be R of Th eOpPOSi t E SE x????????

·        basically he’s trying to listen to the voice on the other end ofthe line but being sneaky about it

·        we all know that ‘subtlety’ is not part of Hyun Ryu’svocabulary, let alone life skills

·        so he’s basally draped himself over you  like some sort offallen tree trunk

·        im good at analogies alright

·        you’re trying to focus on the call but at the same time Zen whatthe flippity fuck are you doing you’re making me have to pee

·        he’s already suspicious but when you hang up with acheery “love ya daddy!” Zen malfunctions and doesn’t know whether to cryor yell

·        “Who was that why do you love that person was it a guy wh-”

·        “Zen, chill that was my dad.”

·        :0

·        :000000

·        you can see him dying a bit inside because  oh no I got jealous over her F A THER??????

·        but then Zen is Suddenly Inspired 

·        “Hey,” he whispers in a sultry voice, his lips pressed againstyour ear, “how about you call me daddy too?”

ᒍᑌᗰIᑎ:

·        contrary to popular belief, Jumin is actually cool with youtalking to other dudes

·        as long as it’s strictly professional, that is

·        he’s never heard you talk to your family before, so heisn’t aware just how close you allare

·        the both of you are attending a meeting, and during the coffeebreak you receive a call

·        ‘Jongin’ is the caller’s name, which Jumin manages to catch aglimpse of flashing across your phone’s screen before you deftly answer thecall

·        “Yeah? Hello!” you say,  before excusing yourself from theroom

·        Jumin is left wondering whether he should follow you or justignore it

·        but there’s just something about the delicate shift in your tone that puts him ill at ease

·        because you should only be speaking to him that way

·        side note I reallllllly want to see some yandere Jumin but notlike weird prison guard Jumin but actual Yoosung level yandere

·        alas, the meeting starts again, yet you don’t return to the room

·        he hears you giggle occasionally from the hallway, but tries notto focus on it too much because the meeting is about the future of C&R’scat projects and therefore of uttermost importance

·        needless to say, his mind is quite preoccupied

·        one of the chairmen asks him “What do you believe would bethe total production cost for this particular plan?” 

·        Jumin answers with a distracted “Oh, no I rather do like red wine with my pasta.”

·         basically he’s really not himself what’s gotten into himhe’s usually an unstoppable force in meetings but now???

-         the meeting is adjourned, and he rushes out the door

·        as soon as he spots you in he hallway, he’s marching straighttowards you, reaching for your arm right when you say “Okay bye! I’llsee you tomorrow, love you!”

·        “What’s this about loving who now?” Jumin hisses, his hand closing lightly, but firmly, around your wrist

·        “It’s me telling a family member that I care about them?” yousay, confused as to why he’s reacting in such a way

·        “You - what? family member?”

·        Yeah, that was my uncle. We usually go shopping together everyfew weeks, and we’re due to go again tomorrow.”

·        Jumin’s emotions quiet down in an instant, however his heart isstill running rampant like a wild beast in his chest

·        he slides his fingers down to envelop your hand, and gentlyrests his forehead atop yours

·        “Please, my love, don’t scare my like that again, you are myone, my everything…”

·        you’re getting ready to whisper your own cheesy loving sentence, but hecontinues

·        “Also you should bring your uncle shopping in this building. Wehave over 200 different stores, and maybe he would be willing to lead our catcampaign-”

·        you poke his stomach

·        “You are not bringing myuncle into this cat thing…but if you want, you can tag along and comeshopping with us.”

·        he agrees, which is a bad idea

·        cuz you and your uncle tag team him

·        and he ends up wearing some sort of cat/maid outfit that showsskin in just the right places

·        yeah but it’s a good buy

·        Jumin actually wears it around the penthouse

·        Driver Kim once saw him in it 

·        “The young master has rather particular interests….”

·        lowkey approves and wants one himself

ᔕᗩEYOᑌᑎG:

·        mmmmmmkay well honestly he’s heard you say “I love you” toseveral people already, but he doesn’t get jealous because you’re always showering him with your affection

·        but he’s had one of his bad days, old emotions and thoughts andinsecurities are already chasing each other in his mind

·        so it isn’t helping him much when he can just tell you’re talking to another boy

·        terrible thoughts swarm his head, and he cannot stop fretting about all the bad things that could possibly be happening

·        What if he hadn’t been looking enough into things?  What ifhe’s being played? Are you going around behind his back? Betraying him?

·        but for every one of these thoughts, he  lashes out athimself, thinking things along the lines of don’t I trust her? Do I reallythink she’s that bad a person? She’s given me all this love, would she reallyjust abandom me like that?

·        Or maybe now I’m reading too much into things?

·        “Alright, bye Kyungsoo, I love you!”

·        He winces, not wanting to face you, afraid that the bile in histhroat will lead him to say harsh things

·        “What’s wrong, Saeyoung?”

·        “Who…” he croaks, a faint pain etched across his face, “Whowere you talking to?”

·        “Oh that? It was my brother!”

·        “You…your…ah.”

·        “Is something the matter?”

·        “No, I’m just a huge idiotis all.”

·        “Now tell me something I don’t know,” you say with a sly smile,wrapping your arms around his waist, “you might be the world’s biggest idiot,but at the very least, you’re myidiot.”

·        Saeyoung instinctively returns the embrace, holding you tightagainst his chest. “Likewise.”

ᐯ:

·        oh my hea RT lmao what heart haha I just roasted myself

·        y’all are just chillin’, looking through his pictures when youget a phone call

·        V is fine with you talking on the phone right beside him, so youanswer right there

·        Heck, you could even be riding the shit out of him and he’d stillbe chill with you calling your friend

·        MC orders pizza while getting laid lolololol

·        He gets momentarily nervous, though, when he hears a deepervoice on the other end of the line

·        But V, he tells himself, don’t discriminate maybeit’s a girl with a deeper voice you never know

·        “Who is that?” V mouths, just to be safe

·        “Oh, he’s just –” you start to say before you getcut off by the person you’re talking to

·        a b OY?!

·        “Okay! I love you!” you say before hanging up

·        V’s all ༼ ºل͟º ༼ ºل͟º ༼ ºل͟º ༽ ºل͟º ༽ ºل͟º ༽

·        it takes him a moment to calm down, at which point he’sconvinced himself that you’re moving on, which is fine, because he’s not goodenough for you he wasn’t good enough for Rika you’ll be happier without himyou–

·        “V you’re turning blue I don’t think you’re breathing.”

·        He inhales sharply and looks at you with tears in his eyes

·        it makes sense, he concludes, trying to hold backthe waterworks

·        “You should have told me sooner,” he says softly

·        “Told you what?”

·        “That you’ve…found someone else.”

·        seriously V I thought I jumped to conclusions toofast but you really take the cake

·        you just stare at him, then look at the phone in your hand, thenback at V

·        whoops

·        “Sweetheart no that was my cousin!”

·        V just blanches

·        I am horrible how dare I get jealous so easily and I thought shewas in love with another family member what am I –

·        “V if you stop breathing like that you’ll actually die.”

·        without a word, V reaches over to you and pulls you into hischest

·        there’s a strange elation sensation inside his body, and herealizes that he had unconsciously been so stressed, a knot of worry had formedin the pit of his stomach

·        his worry is replaced by a realization

·        the realization that

·        he’s not okay with you leaving him after all

ᔕᗩEᖇᗩᑎ:

·        He ain’t taking none of that shit

·        the moment he hears you say “Hi!” in such a sweetvoice because MC you’re only supposed to talk like that with me h o w dare you, he practically launches himself at your phone and does awicked somersault landing

·        Where did he go?

·        Surely not inside the kitchen cabinets

·        oh

·        but there he is

·        crouching between cereal boxes and jars of tomato sauce,just emanating dark waves of furious doom

·        They’re so tangible for a second you worry they might stain thewalls

·        “She’s mine,” he hisses into the receiver, “and I’m notgonna let you lay a single hand on her.”

·        “Well…” the voice answers, “that’s fine and all but I’m herbrother so we do occasionally hug sometimes.”

·        Saeran had already prepared a nasty comeback, but he wasn’texpecting the call to be from your family

·        “Ah uh, okay bye,” he grunts instead  in an awkward manner,before promptly hanging up

·        “Um…Saeran…I kinda really needed to talk to him though…”

·        He whips his gaze towards you

·        “The….” he chokes, his eyes wide 

·        “Huh???”

·        “The what???? Hug?????” hefinally whispers, seeming if not a bit panicked by the thought such a thing existing

·        you stare at each other blankly for a brief minute before youdouble up in laughter because

·        a) he looks like a startled, edgy cat b) he’s in your fucking kitchen cabinets and c) the what??? hug??? wassomething you never thought would come out of his mouth

·        but he gets so sour about you laughing at him that he refuses toleave his perch for the next two hours

·        #spends the whole time thinking about you hugging him

·        *cue the blushies*

·        wants to try this ‘hugging’ ordeal

[rhiannonwrites]

Finals week went well! I’m glad I decided to do six week courses because there’s still summer left! And, Theresa and I are officially rising seniors now. I’m more excited for my last year than I thought I would be. There is the fact that I’m just ready to be done with Pitt, but I’m also kind of excited for all the last times. After I had that meeting with my advisor a few weeks ago and we discussed what I should do after I graduate it became more real. I was scared for a few weeks (I mean, I still am) about how after this year I’m supposed to be an active independent member of society, or at least that’s my goal. Now that my classes are over and I’m purely focused on my final year, it just hit me harder.

I went to Ohio last weekend for Cleveland pride and it was awesome. I also went to my friend Anthony’s Fam Fest, which is a type of family reunion. It was fun, and I was happy that I didn’t have to worry about doing homework when I came back for the week. I went up on Saturday and I was supposed to return on Sunday, but my bus got cancelled. So, I ended up having an extra day to spend with another one of my friends who lives in Ohio. It was annoying that my bus was cancelled, but I think the universe was working in my favor. Theresa left Saturday night for the whole week because she’s doing a program in Erie. I basically got an extra day with friends, and one less day of being alone. 

Last time Theresa left for a few days it was impromptu and I wasn't ready to be alone in our apartment for the first time. I knew about this particular trip beforehand so I took it a lot better. Instead of being sad and nonproductive, I’ve just been nonproductive. I’ve been binge watching Orange is the New Black (I had never watched it before now) and it’s awesome. I’ve been cooking, trying new recipes, to keep myself busy. And I have spent some time with our friend Anna since she lives close by. Next week I start volunteering. I’m looking forward to having structure in my schedule again. 

Yesterday, Anna and I got together and went for a walk down by the marina. Then we went to one of my favorite cafes and I finally finished writing the first chapter of my novel for my summer research project. After that we spontaneously decided to go to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was my first time going and we ended up having a really great time. 

So far, life post-finals has been going well!