#so i don't see why there couldn't be an out of universe explanation for the other stuff
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eito-rewind · 1 day ago
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Eito couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the... biting confession, until the explanation. But, something definitely seemed off to him about Takumi's reaction.
There was more to this than simply viewing his alternate self's memories. Something he'd have to watch for, then.
"I... see," he muttered, lips pressed into a thin line, "I... must say. Assuming your Eito's experiences are the same as mine... Well. As far as he knows. Given the, ah. Truth of the situation. I don't quite know how I feel about you... knowing that."
Fuck, he knew they were false memories. He fucking knew.
He felt his eyes burning a bit, and he felt some bile begin to rise in his throat. The fact that they were... Implanted, or a glitch. In the end, made him feel even more used...!
Why did something that never really happened still have to hurt so much?!
The headache, the anger, the fear that he shouldn't be fucking feeling, the nausea...
Oh, shit.
Without warning Eito practically lept out of the bed, shoving Takumi out of the way with possibly way more force than necessary. He had to get to the bathroom now. He threw the door open and practically dove for the toilet before the contents of his stomach threatened to spill out all over the floor and his person.
He was mostly successful.
As he relieved himself of the bile forcing itself from his throat, the universe saw fit to mock him further; the damned seat he'd preemptively raised in case of a visitor fell and hit him square in his bottom lip, smashing it into his teeth and giving him a nice, bloody split for his trouble.
Shame now joined the previous emotions, as he vomited again, blood and pain mixed in
Why why why why why why
Takumi knocks on Eito's door before calling out from outside, "Eito, are you feeling okay? I know you said went through back to back defense battles yesterday... I just wanted to check in on you."
@teamleader-takumi
Eito had been dozing on and off for several hours. Despite his usual punctuality and status as an early riser amongst the rest of the fighters at Last Defense Academy, he had slept through the morning announcement and (save for his morning shower and sheet changing - he WOULD NOT sleep in dirty sheets) been content to do as Takumi would do and remain in bed, doing absolutely nothing productive for that entire morning. And afternoon.
Well, maybe not "content", as truthfully, he felt absolutely awful.
Aside from the sheer exhaustion brought on by the breakneck pace and downright bizarre set of events he'd experienced since restarting his 100 days at Last Defense Academy around two-and-a-half weeks ago - including 2 back-to-back defensive battles with a Commander that shouldn't have even showed up yet, ever since interacting with and coming back from that weird "crack" that he and Takumi - his actual, original Takumi - had found, he'd found himself feeling incredibly ill. It started as soon as he'd returned from the other-Takumi's world; he'd experienced a sensation like a cold brand searing into all of his nerves and the immediate need to expel the contents of his stomach right then and there. Then there was the fever, the migraines, oh heavens the migraines...
And of course, the vomiting and dry-heaving that insisted on continuing long after the event in question.
So, yes. He had an excuse to keep to himself. And mercifully, his teammates for the most part have respected those wishes. Even if they didn't have the real context for as to why he was suddenly so ill. Though they had insisted on him leaving the door unlocked, 'in case he needed anything'.
They were all horrible and wonderful.
He was about to doze off again, when he'd heard the knock at the door and Takumi's voice - the other Takumi - come through the other side.
He tried to sit up, and the wave of nausea that hit him upon attempt informed him that's be a horrible idea.
"It's open," he instead opted to call back out, his voice cracking a bit. Probably from the sheer amount of bile that had passed through it. "Make sure it shuts. I haven't completely fixed the jamb."
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redheadedbrunette · 2 years ago
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Cool so I reread the series and I noticed a lot more than I did the first two times I read it which is fun. The relationship between Ben and Erica is more explored than I remembered which is good and I can definitely see her character arc a lot clearer.
X is still my least favorite book and there’s absolutely a corner that Gibbs wrote himself into on that one unless he’s entirely giving up on the idea of having Ben and co. be secret agents.
Ben’s a lot more of a competent spy than I remember too, which is refreshing.
I also completely forgot that all 10 of these books happen in the span of like a year and a half which is hilarious.
Oh and the age gap seems like something that would be a lot more of an issue if there weren’t only like 300 people in the world they could have contact with. Even Erica and Josh had a bit of a gap since she had to have been 14/15 or so while he was 17/18. A gap of 2.5 years would be problematic for normal kids but I think different rules would apply.
I'm so glad it was clearer on a second go around! Honestly, I didn't even really see it all that clearly until I reread the series a couple years ago (SSAS came out my first week of college) and had a lot more experience with how stories work on a fundamental idea. Erica's development is very much in the background, but when you're looking for it (excluding SSPX, but that's a different rant) it's so clear and interesting and I love it.
SSPX bothers me for SO MANY REASONS the biggest of which is that Mr. Gibbs puts the message before the overarching plot of everything, and then! It's not even a relevant message! Like, what twelve year old is hardcore believing QAnon (it's pretty obviously meant to be that or something similar). I feel like something could have been achieved and a message about privacy, like Murray makes getting a video of Ben part of some TikTok knockoff challenge, because that seems like a much more likely thing kids would do, but gotta make fun of people who remember what the news said two years ago and comparing it to what they say now! Can't have people with good memories! But yeah, it does shoot the series in the foot kind of, and I understand the reasoning behind why things were done the way they were! I just don't agree with it most of the time.
It's even funnier when you realize that it's not a year and a half evenly spread out, it's one mission his first year with five months before summer, one that summer, and seven his second year. Eight if you want to count SSGS and SSBI as different missions (I go back and forth as to whether or not I do). It's so funny. Please give poor Ben a break.
And yes! Ben is actually so much more competent than people seem to give him credit for sometimes. It's just that his skill set tends to be less flashy and useful in battle scenes, but he's very much the chess master of the group. He's the one planning and strategizing, and all the karate moves in the world aren't going to do you any good if you can't actually foil the plans.
My reasoning for why I'm okay with the age gap is because the narrative treats them as equals who are more or less in the same place in life. Like, yes she's two classes ahead of him, but for all intents and purposes, they're teamed up together constantly with others in Ben's class and I think Erica is the only one we really know about in her class (can't remember Chip's age, but he might be? idk, doesn't really matter). It's never dwelt on, and it bothers me when people try to make a deal about it! Like, they're not going to be in the same place in their lives forever. It's high school. Almost no one marries the person they dated in high school. I've long held that they'd break up sometimes after Erica graduates and starts her adult life while Ben is still in school (or something similar depending on how Mr. Gibbs decides to do things moving forward).
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irisintheafterglow · 7 months ago
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itoshi sae has no idea how you do it.
classwork, homework, midterms, exams, two jobs, and a lively group of friends? it all sounds so unnecessary to him, these things that would be distractions from his dream. but for you, it sustains you and encourages you to keep going. how differently our minds work, he thinks to himself when he has a rare day to spend on your couch and you're typing away at some assignment on your laptop.
"why do you do that?" you don't respond the first time he asks and he gently calls your name, even though you're barely three feet away. you turn to him with a tired look and something pangs inside his chest. "why bother doing that?"
"bother doing what?"
"whatever it is you're doing right now." he nods at your glaring laptop screen filled with words he can't even begin to understand, some final before your university goes on winter break.
"because it's part of my degree?" there's no malice in your words, just genuine confusion, just like there's no accusations in his words, just concern. "if i fail this class, i don't graduate."
"why do you need to graduate, or have a degree in the first place?"
"because i need a job, my love," you explain patiently. "we've had this conversation before. going to school means i can get a well-paying job to sustain myself."
"why do you need to sustain yourself when you have me?" you blink at him and his blank face. the only sign of emotion is the slight pinch between his eyebrows; he was truly puzzled why he couldn't just set you up for life. dating itoshi sae is like being an unwilling sugar baby.
"i'm not going to leech off your earnings," you chuckle in disbelief. "i'm not going to use you to make sure i have a comfortable life. i love you, and my kind of love stays whether we have money or not." he shifts awkwardly in his seat and his mouth pouts the tiniest amount. he obviously didn't like your reply.
"whatever i'm doing, it isn't enough for you," he states quietly.
without another word, you exhale through your nose and shut your laptop. you place it on the coffee table before crawling over and maneuvering your way into his arms. he gladly accepts you, sliding down the couch's armrest so that you're nearly lying on top of him. it's quiet for a few moments, not in an uncertain way but in a way that said both of you were figuring out how to articulate your thoughts.
"i just think that--"
"you don't need to--" you both begin your explanations at the same time and the huff of his laugh vibrates against your cheek. "you go first," you tell him.
"i was saying that, if you wanted me to," he inhales and tries to tiptoe around what he wants to say before deciding to just crush it with his foot, "i can take care of you without you needing a degree." a certain selfish part of him wanted you there for every single victory and ladder rung he ascended, not because he thought you owed him, but because he owed you. you, who weathered his darkest of moods and harshest of snaps. he owed you for dealing with his bullshit, so he figured, why should you need to lift a finger when you've already done so much for him? "i owe you that much for everything that you've seen me through."
"you don't owe me anything, itoshi sae. loving you is not transactional, nor have i ever wanted it to be."
"everything is transactional, mi amor," he argues and the pet name makes your heartrate increase. "give and take, it's how the world flows. shouldn't your university classes be teaching you that?" your eyes have fluttered shut on his chest, but you still hear the smirk in his joke.
"believe it or not, mister 'fame is the only thing that matters to me,' there are transactions beyond material goods."
"i know that," he says indignantly. "i also know that you're wrong."
"am i?"
"yes," he affirms. "i don't only care about fame. i care about you too, obviously."
"see, sae? give and take. i give you all i am--"
"and you take all i am."
"body and soul?"
"and everything in between," he finishes, pressing a kiss to the top of your head before settling into the pillows. "rest, mi amor. you've paid more attention to school than to me lately, and that's an unequal transaction."
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scourgeofmyownbrain · 9 months ago
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Good fucking day, Robot enjoyers! Gaze upon the updated semi-accurate height comparison of Bumblebee across the multiverse.
This is an updated version of a chart I made a few months ago. I had gotten some feedback and then TFOne came out and I kinda had to update it. I also added a Gen 1 Optimus Prime for scale, for fun... no other reason... (edit: slight adjustment made, just corrected a slight mistake in the order)
I am also working on at least two more character charts and one universe chart, so hopefully I can finish those soon (for some fucking genius reason I decided to do the characters that show up EVERY FUCKING UNIVERSE so I'm s u f f e r i n g)
*PST! Optimus, Megatron, Shockwave, Soundwave, Ratchet, and Ironhide ones are done now*
Master Post
Listed Heights, Explanations, and Justifications below the cut, bc you couldn't shut me up if you tried and I had shit to say.
Gen 1 - ~10 feet (TFwiki says greater than 3 meters so I rounded up to the first whole number because round)
Netflix Cybertron Trilogy - ~10 feet (He looks identical to Gen 1 so... the reason his photo looks weird is because I couldn't find a good full body photo with him standing straight up facing the camera so I put two images together to make the worst looking photoshop job you have ever seen)
Earth Spark - ~10 feet (There is no confirmed height yet, but using this screen shot (see below) of him standing in front of a barn door, I was able to make a reasonable guess, bc I'm so smart.)
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One V1 - ~13 feet (I am well aware of what the TFWiki says: 26.429 feet. And I fully reject that number. A: These numbers are sourced from the Walmart Promotional AR Experience that came out before the movie. B: There are three decimal points, and that number does not convert into a whole number in meters (which is originally what I thought was weird about it). C: The director has said that this movie is both canon to the LA movies and its own separate canon, and Bumblebee in both sets of LA movies does not exceed 20 feet tall. Ever. So, for sanity's sake, I have used the KCV numbers as my baseline. Bee grows when he gets his t-cog so shrink this one down a few feet. Look, I'm working on the Optimus chart rn, and one of the numbers from Beast Wars on the wiki was very observably wrong, and if I can dispute numbers older than me, I can dispute numbers 2 decades younger than me from fucking Walmart. Also, yes, his picture is 3 images sandwiched together)
Animated - 13 feet 3 Inches (There is no actual given heights, but in the comments of the previous version, @phoenix-inanis told me that they had done their own analysis of TFA heights and, gonna be real with you, I am blown away by all of their work and how detailed it is. Go marvel at how much work they put in -> https://phoenix-inanis.notion.site/TFA-Height-Chart-f6ad2960ca8c4c5b859ee4958723aaa4?pvs=4 )
One V2 - ~15 Feet (Please see reasoning above. Since this is as tall as we see Bee get, he's the same height as KCV Bee. Sweet fuck, I have put way too much effort into this shit)
Knight/Capel-Verse - 15 feet (No actual numbers, but Mirage is stated to be 15 feet tall (TFWiki), and he and Bee are like the same height, so... Capel directed the ROTB movie if you're wondering why his name is there)
Bayverse V1 - 16 feet (TFWiki. This is like the first 3 movies minimum, I don't remember when he hits his growth spurt. Also mr bay is king, we have numbers for nearly every character in BV)
Cyberverse - 18 feet (I'm gonna be honest, the only info we have is from a really shitty screen shot of a magazine. SO if any one has a copy of this book from the video below, a high quality scan would be greatly appreciated and I will kiss the ground you walk upon. Yes I found the video where the screen shot comes from leave me alone)
Bayverse V2 - 18 feet (TFWiki. Movie 4-5 I can't remember which one, I'm not re-looking this up. I fucking love the bayverse tho, this is the only universe with concrete and consistent this-character-is-this-height info)
Aligned Cont. WF/FOC - 20 feet (TFWiki/Fandom. Video game info screens you godsend, kiss me sweetly)
Aligned Cont. TFP/RID15 - 21 feet (These two designs are canonically identical, like in ALC canon, Bee has not changed visually at all...Ok, yes I got this number from fandom and they give literally no source for where they got these numbers. But, I can fully believe these are accurate. Just by looking at these characters on the show I can verify these numbers in my mind. Here, let's Compare.
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This is Sam compared to Bee from one of the BV movies, I'm too lazy to check which one. Sam is average size for a human and we know Bee is 16 feet tall in the first three movies. Checks out. Let's now look at a TFP Character who is also 16 feet tall.
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Jack is average size for a human, and the size difference is about the same. Can you see why I can't question the Aligned heights, even if they don't have a source??!?! They specifically made this universe to be full of freakishly tall robots for some fucking reason.)
Not Pictured: Aligned Cont. Rescue Bots and Rescue Bots Academy Bumblebee - 21 Feet tall. Look, did you want to see all 5 versions of ALC Bee? No, you don't. They're all the same height anyway; the back row would have just been a wall of redundant yellow. 5 different fucking art styles in one universe, why is that one my favourite.
Here's the front row and the back row separated into their own jpgs. I know it's kind of hard to tell which Bumblebee is which when they're all together.
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neptuneiris · 11 months ago
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could you pretend to be in love? (09/10)
The Consequences
pairing: modern!aemond × fem!reader (fake dating)
summary: things get complicated, you and Aemond's relationship ends and despite finding solutions, nothing can repair the damage to your ruined future.
word count: 8.3k
previous part • series masterlist
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fortunately it didn't take me as long as last time and finally here it is hehe🙏😚
I really hope you like it a lot and remember that we're not far from the end, so I'm looking forward to your comments with your opinions. thank you very much for reading beautiful people!❤
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You want to believe it's all a misunderstanding.
You couldn't sleep all night. Anxiety and worry consumed you like never before, waiting and checking your mail every moment hoping to see if anything would arrive, but nothing.
Your whole night was summed up in thinking about possible catastrophic scenarios, although they were not possible after all, since that is what is really going to happen because at this point there is nothing you can do because the college applications have already passed.
That's why you checked your email every moment, almost on the verge of tears, thinking about what the fuck you're going to do, how you're going to go to college and why Aemond didn't keep his end of the deal.
There was the urge to text him and even call him in all your desperation and confusion, ask him what happened, but you decided to wait until the next morning to ask him in person to get clear answers.
And that's what you're going to do now.
You don't even know if you are right but there is no other explanation when things are too clear. And you can't help but feel the pain of betrayal burning in your chest, with the anxiety consuming you and the need.
You finally arrive at the school, where without thinking of absolutely nothing, you start searching for Aemond through all the hallways, with determination and rage mixed inside you.
Your eyes frantically search through all the students as you walk quickly and make your way through them all, ignoring their stares at you as you don't care at the moment, you have a goal in mind.
And along with that goal and what you have to do now, still your mind is a whirlwind of thoughts, each one more painful and confusing than the last.
After all the moments you both spent together, both real and pretend, every laugh, every gesture, every kiss, it all seemed so real and so genuine.
But now… it all felt like a cruel illusion.
And to have to accompany it all with this, it's just unbelievable.
You finally see him in the distance, it's not hard to make out his distinctive silver hair, with his figure walking towards the doors leading to the huge backyard of the school, talking to some friends.
Anger and sadness intensify as you see him looking so calm, as if nothing is going on, made worse by the fact that he won't try to contact you either to let you know anything about the university, or even give you the news himself, anything.
You clench your fists and muster up all your courage before reaching for him, feeling completely hopeless.
“Aemond,” you call out to him, your voice tense and cutting.
He turns to you at the call of your voice, his expression changing from surprise to slight concern in an instant. His friends continue walking and he remains standing, as you walk towards him.
And you don't even give him time to speak, as you immediately raise your phone, showing him the college's Facebook ad on the screen.
“What is this?” you ask him, demanding explanations, confusion and pain reflecting in your eyes.
You feel your voice tremble, but you stand your ground, holding his gaze with a determination that belies your vulnerability.
He watches the screen and you see the worry spread further across his face, followed by a nervousness that runs through him from head to toe. He opens his mouth to speak, but the words seem caught in his throat.
“I'm sorry,” he says in a barely audible whisper, leaning toward you and with sorrow in his gaze, ”I-I didn't want you to find out like this.”
The knot in your stomach tightens even tighter as the worry and anxiety intensifies, watching him without understanding.
“And what does that mean?”
He looks to all sides, noticing the number of students surrounding you who begin to watch you both curiously, whispering amongst themselves.
“Come,” he says softly as he places a firm but careful hand on your shoulder and guides you into one of the empty classrooms, away from the stares.
You don't argue with him because you don't want to draw attention to yourself either, but as soon as he closes the door behind you, you feel the pressure in your chest intensify and you immediately turn to him, the need for answers burning inside you.
“You didn't talk to your grandsire or your sister?” you ask, your voice trembling between anger and the anxiety you're trying to contain.
He looks down for a moment, swallowing hard. His silence hangs heavy in the air before he looks up at you, his eyes showing a mixture of weariness and regret.
“Yes, with my grandsire,” he states to you, "But I'm still working on it," he confesses with his tone infused with a sincerity that hurts you more than you expected.
You feel your breath catch and you watch him in shock, with your lips parted and hopelessness all over your gaze, trying to process what he just said. The hopelessness is reflected in your gaze, and your eyes fill with tears of frustration that you struggle to hold back.
“What?” you manage to say, your voice cracking in disbelief.
He takes a step toward you, his eye fixed on yours as he tries to remain calm, though you can see the tension in the way his hands move, as if he's searching the air for the right words.
“Listen,” he begins, your tone softer and almost pleading, ”It's not entirely true that the whole admissions process is over. There are still… possibilities,” he says nervous, ”And I promise you that I've already sent all your documents to my grandsire. I just need a little more time to be able to convince him, and I will, I swear.”
He tries to convince you, observing you completely honest and sincere in what he is saying, but you no longer believe in him.
His words are like a desperate attempt to calm you down, to reassure you that everything will be okay. But distrust grows inside you with a sharp pain that spreads throughout your chest.
You watch him, looking for some sign to give you hope, some spark of certainty you can cling to. But all you see is uncertainty and nervousness, insecurity, because even he doesn't know if he will get you in.
You think about the announcement, how the university has already sent out all the emails, both acceptance and rejection. Then reality hits you like a slap in the face, and suddenly you understand.
“You… you got in?” you ask in a breathy whisper, though deep down you already know the answer.
He doesn't answer you right away, as instead of words, all you get is his look, a mixture of pity and embarrassment that only confirms it.
“Yes but you'll get in Y/N too,” he quickly insists, his voice desperate to convince you, ” You don't need to worry about anything.”
How easy it is to talk when he is the one who certainly should not worry about his future.
And finally the tears find their way, unable to control them any longer. You press your lips together tightly, trying to keep your composure, but the pain and frustration are too intense.
Aemond stirs restlessly, hating to see you cry. His hands tense, wanting to reach out and be able to hug you, but he restrains himself and watches you with concern.
“Y/N—
“ You don't even know if you'll be able to get me in too,” you interrupt him in a cold and distant voice, laden with bitterness with the feeling of betrayal and disappointment in your chest, “I trusted you, that's why I didn't apply to other colleges,” you look at him hurt and annoyed, “Now what am I supposed to do? The time for applications has already passed. I can't apply anywhere else because this, your promise, should have been settled long ago.”
Your words echo in the air, and the reality of the situation settles between the two of you like a barrier. He is affected by your words and falls silent, not knowing how to respond.
Worst of all, you know that he really wanted to help you, that his intentions were sincere, that's what you really want to think in the midst of all this.
But did he really want to help you in the first place?
If that was really his intention, then you wouldn't be in this position right now, in this situation that should never have been allowed. And you also remember Floris.
The tension is palpable and you feel the lump in your throat tighten even more and you look at him with pain.
“You used me,” you say with your voice cracking and barely above a whisper.
He shakes his head, his gaze full of despair.
“No, it wasn't like that,” he tries to correct with his pleading tone as he takes a step closer to you, “That was never my intention Y/N, you know that.”
You pull away from him, increasing the distance between the two of you, tears gathering more in your eyes and this time you make no effort to hold them back.
“I know because of what happened with Floris,” you say bitterly, ”And the worst thing is that I did like you.”
Your words leave him speechless for a moment, his expression marked by a mixture of regret and pain. He reaches out a hand toward you, as if to touch you, to comfort you, but you abruptly pull away.
“Y/N, please let me explain—
“There's nothing to explain,” you cut him off, unable to bear to listen to him any longer.
You feel something inside you crack and he seems to notice your change, to which he doesn't know what to do.
He tells you something else but you no longer listen. The broken promises, the destroyed trust, it all piles up on your shoulders, making you feel smaller and lonelier than you ever felt before.
The pain on his face is evident and when you finally decide to walk away, Aemond tries to stop you, tries to remedy the situation, but you don't even hear him anymore, you don't even see him, it's as if he is suddenly invisible and you leave him behind with pain and bitterness branded on your chest.
All because you realize that he, his promises, his words, were never worth it. And now you're paying the consequences of your future ruined by an absurd contract you should never have accepted in the first place.
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You feel as if the world has fallen on top of you.
All the way home, you feel a mixture of intense emotions overflowing and the only way you can get them off your chest is to cry.
You are thankful that your father is still at work or else you would have had no idea how to explain your visibly pitiful state to him. Besides you don't even have the courage to really tell him what's going on.
But all is probably not lost.
Anxiety, despair and frustration wash over you as you sit in front of your laptop. But it also invades you and you cling to hope. You want, desire and yearn to find a solution, one last chance to not lose an academic year, so you open the browser.
Your fingers move quickly over the keyboard, as you search the admissions pages of other universities.
You visit one after another, hoping to find one that is still accepting applications, one that might have a deadline extension. But as you read and watch, that hope fades.
The words ‘admission perido has ended’ are repeated over and over again on every page you visit.
You try a small college in another city, then the only two available in your own city, but in all the answers are the same. Time has run out. The deadline has passed and there is no way to reverse it.
Frustrated, you hold your hands to your head, feeling the despair and anxiety growing inside you. And unable to help it, tears well up in your eyes and finally the situation crushes you.
With a loud sob escaping your lips, you collapse in your chair, feeling completely helpless, hopeless and like a fool.
You don't understand how you couldn't take precautions, have a backup plan B in case Aemond's plan failed, apply to even the city's public university, but none of that crossed your mind at all.
How are you going to explain this to your father? That you didn't apply to other colleges because you trusted a guy's word to get into Citadel in exchange for making his ex-girlfriend jealous?
Even the situation, thinking about what you were doing all that time instead of applying to other colleges makes you frustrated and angry at yourself for being such a fool.
And yet, you still hold on.
The next morning, your spirits still low, you head to the office of the school's coordinator, Mrs. Turner, with this last spark of hope. Maybe, just maybe, you can find some way to resolve this with her help.
Mrs. Turner greets you with a friendly smile, though her face reflects some concern when she sees the expression on your face clearly tired from lack of sleep and swollen from all the crying you've done.
“Miss Y/N, what's wrong? Is everything all right?” he asks you, inviting you to sit down.
You waste no time and explain the situation to her. You decide to omit certain details, especially everything to do with Aemond and his promise. Instead, you opt to say that, due to a family problem, you missed the date for applying to colleges.
“Well, I understand that some universities do a second round of application, but you're mostly private universities in the city.”
“Only private here in the city?” you ask nervously and with a slight illusion.
“Yes,” he nods at you, “Maybe you could make an application for a scholarship.”
You bite your lip, feeling the frustration begin to take hold of you again and the illusion disappears.
You know that, while a scholarship might help you cover some of the costs, it won't be enough. You will only be offered a partial scholarship, and even then, the costs of a private university would be unaffordable for you and your father.
With the scholarship you had applied for at Citadel, you would have had most of your expenses covered, as long as you maintained a good grade point average. But you were rejected.
“No, I-I… I can't afford private college,” you admit as you look at her in desperation, ”Are you sure there's nothing you can do at the public university? Maybe send in a special request or something?”
She looks at you with some pity and disappointment.
“I'm sorry Y/N, but I'm afraid that's not the way things work,” she tells you in a soft voice, “Unfortunately, at most universities, once the admissions deadlines have closed, there's nothing we can do.”
You're not even surprised because you were definitely expecting something like this. Nor do you feel anything, just…emptiness and bitterness.
Mrs. Turner maintains her compassionate look as she continues to speak, trying to soften the impact of the situation on you.
“Y/N, I know this may seem discouraging, but I want you to know that all is not lost. Losing a year before entering college is not the end of the world,” she says in a reassuring tone, ”You can use this time to get a job, gain experience, and prepare an even stronger application for the next cycle. There's no rush, and many people find that taking a year off allows them to better focus on what they really want.”
But you know what you really want.
You want to study law, have a professional career, graduate and work at something you really like where you earn enough money to help your dad, give him a better life. That's what you want.
But you ruined it all by agreeing to a dumb contract, by believing his words and by not backing yourself.
You know her words are meant to calm you down, to offer you a positive outlook in the midst of the storm of emotions flooding through you. But, at this moment, these words offer you no comfort.
All you can think about is how your plan, your future, has crumbled in front of you.
You nod slowly, not wanting to seem rude or ungrateful for his attempt to help you. But inside, you feel misunderstood. You know Mrs. Turner only wants to help you, but the despair and fear of the future you now face keep you from seeing the bright side.
“Thank you, Mrs. Turner,” you say with an effort to keep your voice steady, ”I appreciate your advice.”
She gives you a warm, though still concerned, smile as you rise from your chair.
“If you need to talk more, or if there's anything I can help you with, feel free to come see me, okay?”
You nod once more, thanking her for her kindness and time before leaving the office.
Once outside, the hustle and bustle of students filling the halls of the school envelop you and you quickly make your way to your locker.
You open the door with automatic movements, barely aware of what you are doing as your thoughts invade you. With trembling hands, you put away the books and notebooks you won't need for the next few classes.
As you go through the motions, the pain and frustration begin to build. And when you least expect it, tears begin to slide down your cheeks silently.
You try to control yourself, pursing your lips and wiping your cheeks, but your emotions are too intense to be repressed. When suddenly, laughter reaches your ears.
You watch out of the corner of your eye and see Alys and her friends walking almost in front of you with mocking voices and laughter, full of undisguised contempt.
You have an idea what specifically amuses them about you, you know they must have sent you that picture of Aemond and Floris, but you also feel their laughter as a cruel mockery of your already desperate situation.
Still you can't help but feel embarrassed and angrily wipe away your tears with a sharp gesture.
Rage runs through your whole body, for everything. And your tears, though stopped for the moment, still threaten to return. You hurry to put everything away and slam the door shut to finally walk away.
You walk quickly down the hallway, wanting to get away from all the people, when as you turn down a corridor, you come face to face with Aemond, Aegon and his friends.
The impact is almost physical, but both you and they stop abruptly to avoid the blow. And as soon as you realize who you have in front of you, you freeze for an instant.
Just when your day couldn't get any worse.
Aemond, with his silver hair and imposing figure, is the first to notice you. His expression instantly changes from surprise to concern as he sees the traces of tears on your face.
And although he doesn't say anything right away, his gaze is intense, full of worry and guilt.
The tension in the air becomes palpable, because both you and he have no idea what to do, what to say or how to react. But you, feeling the pressure of the stares, feel trapped and instantly have the urge to walk away.
But first, Aemond takes a step towards you, trying to close the distance between the two of you and your eyes meet his, charged with a mixture of desperation and hope.
“Y/N,” he calls your name.
And before he can say anything else, you don't let him and quickly move away.
Desperation drives you to dodge him, also the fact that you can't stand to be in his presence, which you do but Aemond reacts immediately and follows you.
He calls your name with an urgency that makes his voice echo down the hallway, leaving his brother and his friends behind.
“Y/N, please stop, he needed to talk to you,” he urges you.
His hand reaches out to yours in an attempt to stop you but you continue walking quickly.
Maybe it's the look you both have or it's the unusual attitude you're both having around each other that starts to get people's attention. But you don't care since all you want at that precise moment is to get away from him.
“Please, Y/N.”
And then his hand takes yours, stopping you and you turn to him, your face flushed with tears and anger inside you.
“Let go of me,” you tell him in warning in a cold, cutting voice, ”I won't tell you again.”
The scene definitely draws more attention and some students begin to murmur and watch you both very intently, but the whole whirlwind of emotions makes you lose sight of the awkwardness of the situation.
You really don't want to deal with Aemond right now. In fact you don't even want to have anything to do with him anymore.
And Aemond seeing that, your attitude and coldness, the fact that you can't even stand to see him and the fact that you are being terribly honest, hurts him, really hurts him with a sharp pain in his chest, but he insists.
“Please, just for a few minutes. I need to explain—
Completely losing patience, showing the intensity of your pain and frustration, you release yourself from his grip in a sudden movement that draws more attention from the students and the situation becomes an unwanted show.
“Leave me alone,” you warn him through your teeth before turning and walking away with quick steps.
And thankfully he doesn't try to stop you again.
Everyone is looking at you and everyone is looking at Aemond as well, but you quickly find refuge away from all the stares, taking no notice.
However, you should have expected that little show to go around like plague throughout the school accompanied with the new rumor that Aemond Targaryen and his previously invisible girlfriend have broken up.
And honestly… you didn't even care.
To this point, technically he and you have ended whatever the two of you had, so you don't care to either affirm or deny it, you just don't make a big deal out of it and let people believe what they want.
Besides, how could you care when there are certainly more important things like thinking about your now ruined future?
News you have the confidence to share with Alysanne after all the drama involving you and Aemond, since you two are all anyone talks about in the entire school.
“That fucking idiot,” Alysanne mutters in disbelief, "Just when I thought what he did with Floris was so low but this… I mean, are you kidding me?" she stares at Cregan, incredulous, ”This is so much worse.”
You let out a long breath and bring a hand to your forehead as you close your eyes and simply let your body try to relax. It's uncomfortable because of the hard metal beneath you as you lie on the bleachers but you still try.
“But he said he would try to fix it, didn't he?” asks Cregan in a cautious tone.
“And you believe him?” reproaches Alysanne incredulously, "I wouldn't and Y/N shouldn't either," she observes you, ”He had all this time to do something about it, even to be honest with you and tell you ahead of time that he wasn't going to succeed in helping you. Then you would have had a chance to apply to other colleges but no, he preferred to stay silent and enjoy the acting and all that it provoked in his stupid ex-girlfriends.”
And put like that… everything that happened sounds so much worse.
But you know she's right.
While the whole school is whispering about your ‘breakup’ with him, you can't help but feel that there are much more important things at stake, things that Aemond never understood or tried to understand.
And Alysanne seeing your expression and you basically not reacting because you're thinking about the future and how incredibly fucked up you must feel, lets out a long breath and moves a little closer towards you.
“I know it's a stupid question but are you okay?” she asks you in a warm and concerned tone.
You let out a sigh and take a moment before answering, not watching them and not taking your hand off your forehead.
“I don't know what to do,” you say in a low, emotionless tone.
Alysanne grimaces and looks at Cregan who also returns the same expression; they don't know what to do to make you feel better and relieve that huge weight you're carrying.
College is a big deal, both of them would also feel the same way if they were in your place, that's a fact. But by the same token they are not in your situation, they don't know what to do to cheer you up because, what could they possibly do to even help you? Nothing.
“I'm just thinking about how I'm going to tell my dad.”
You confess finally, withdrawing your hand from your forehead and fixing your eyes on the gray sky above you.
“I'll have to lie to him, tell him I applied but all the colleges rejected me,” you say regretfully, “Now I'm just left to look for a job and do that until I can apply next year.”
Alysanne and Cregan exchange a look.
“It's not a bad plan,” she tells you, trying to cheer you up, “In fact, a lot of people of our age don't go to college after graduation and do exactly that, get a job and apply until the next year or until they're sure of what they want to study.”
“Yeah,” Cregan agrees, "Besides, my family has several businesses in town, I could help you get a job at one of them.”
You can't help but place a small smile on your lips, seeing the willingness of both of them in wanting to support you, however, they can see the sadness all over your face and the discouragement you feel.
“Thanks guys, I really appreciate it,” you say genuinely, "And I know it's not a bad plan but…" you sigh, feeling the frustration and sadness swirl in your chest, ”I know my dad, and I know that, when I tell him that I wasn't accepted, he'll be supportive… but I also know that he'll be very disappointed.”
That's what weighs on you the most, far more than anything else, going over the whole Aemond thing and also over you, your dad.
He has sacrificed so much for you, working long hours at a job that doesn't give him what he truly deserves. He earns enough to support you and the house, he has always made sure you both have what you need; food on the table, clothes and basic comforts.
But he never buys anything for himself and his own dreams have always taken a back seat. All so he can give you a chance to do something else, have a better life and now…you feel like you've failed him.
Cregan and Alysanne watch you silently, their faces reflecting the gravity of your words. They know there is nothing they can say that will truly ease your pain, but you know they are both here, offering you their support.
“Well, I don't know your dad but still, he's your dad and he loves you,” Alysanne tells you in a warm tone, ”He knows you better than anyone and I'm sure all he'll want is for you to be okay.”
“And I'm sure he's seen how you've tried your best and you can't take the blame for something that was out of your hands.”
You understand what they both mean and you also ponder your dad's attitude in your mind briefly, but still, you can't help but place a small bitter smile.
“Actually it was my fault because it was my decision to trust Aemond, instead of making sure I had other options to prevent exactly this,” you say without emotion, “And I also feel that… not only it hurts me to have to tell my dad, but also to feel this disappointment,” you explain, “I really believed that I would go to Citadel and that my life was going to follow that path I had planned for a long time. But now… I feel like that dream has been taken away from me again.”
Alysanne looks at you sadly, understanding the weight of your words and she along with Cregan, no longer have any idea what to say to you. And you notice this, so you watch both of them trying to keep a genuine smile on your lips.
“You know? I really appreciate you both being here for me… I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have you guys to talk to,” you tell them sincerely, ”But I think it needed some time alone.”
Alysanne looks at you uncertainly.
“Are you sure? You know I don't mind, I can skip the next class to stay with you.”
“No, no, don't worry,” you hasten to say.
“I can stay too,” Cregan adds, shrugging.
“No guys, I don't want you to miss class for me, really,” you look at them sincerely, "I'll be fine, I just…" you let out a sigh, ”I need time alone.”
They both exchange a look and Cregan is the one who stands up first, stretching his arms out before looking at you with a mixture of understanding and concern.
“Fine but if you need anything, tell us,” he tells you with a soft voice and a warm gaze.
You nod in his direction.
“Yes, thank you,” you reply as you return a small smile that doesn't quite reach your eyes.
Alysanne lingers a little longer, watching you with the same intensity as always, as if she wants to make sure you really will be okay before she leaves.
“I'll keep an eye out on you, okay?”
“Okay,” you tell her, feeling that simple gesture of support fill you with a strange mixture of relief and sadness.
She nods, smiling a little before walking away along with Cregan, leaving you alone on the bleachers.
And you stand there, thinking about everything and yet nothing, where you allow yourself to let out a long, heavy sigh. You look up at the sky, allowing thoughts to flow unrestricted.
The faint sounds around you envelop you, such as the soccer team boys training on the field and the entire cheerleading squad, as well as the faint, comforting sound of the leaves moving from the big trees along with the birds singing.
And even though you don't want to feel bad, the pain, the disappointment and the uncertainty about what will come next, it all hits you again in an unavoidable way.
And it all blends together in an emotional whirlwind that leaves you exhausted.
Time seems to stand still as you stand there, lost in thought. And you barely notice when someone approaches, as the sound of approaching footsteps barely registers in your consciousness.
And because you are absorbed in your thoughts, you only come out of your trance the moment a soft voice right next to you breaks the silence in your space.
“Hi Y/N.”
You raise your head almost immediately, definitely not expecting that and suddenly you see Floris standing next to you, watching you with a mixture of insecurity and regret.
You frown and look at her confused, not bothering to hide it, truly not understanding what she's doing here, talking to you.
And receiving no response from you, she looks down uncomfortably for a moment, fiddling with her hands as if searching for the right words before speaking.
And this is the first time you see her like this. You don't spend your time watching and analyzing her either but normally she always comes across as confident and sure of her whole persona, but now… you've never seen her so nervous.
“I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to right now…” she admits with her voice barely a whisper, sitting down next to you on the bleacher, though she keeps an appropriate distance, ”But I really want to talk to you.”
'Talk?'
You repeat in your mind, still watching her without understanding and unable to help but feel a pang of bitterness at the memory of all that has happened.
The truth is you don't want to talk, you already feel frustrated and tired enough without now having to deal with this and especially with her.
But for some strange reason, you don't say anything, you just watch her, waiting, keeping calm, waiting for her to continue. She seems to hesitate for a moment, but then takes a deep breath, focusing her gaze on the horizon.
“I-I… after what happened in Dragonstone…” she begins to speak cautiously, ”Aemond decided to cut off all communication with me.”
That nonconformity and that little ache in your chest comes up as you hear her name and you too look straight ahead, avoiding her gaze.
“He told me that what happened between us was a mistake and that you never deserved that,” she continues in a soft tone, ”I don't know if that gives you any kind of comfort, but I thought you should know.”
'Comfort?'
You don't know whether to laugh or cry but it's clear that none of this brings you comfort.
And she seems to be struggling with her own emotions, as you see out of the corner of your eye how her hands clench in her lap as if she's trying to control the trembling in them.
“And I'm not telling you this to justify myself, I know what happened at that party was a mistake,” she says emphatically, ”I shouldn't have gotten involved, let alone knowing that you were his girlfriend. That was…” she pauses and lets out a frustrated sigh, ”That was a big mistake on my part. I should have walked away from him the moment I met you, given you your place and respected you, but… I didn't.”
Her words fall heavy in the air and although part of you wants to lash out at her, another part of you feels so drained that you can't even find the energy to argue. Besides it's not just her… it's also Aemond.
“I was the one who was all the time looking for his attention at that party, you know? I was the one who had the intention of kissing him all that time, “she confesses, visibly embarrassed, ”I-I… I don't know, I felt so jealous when I came back and saw him with you. I-I guess I… still had feelings for him.”
You let out a long breath and finally speak bitterly.
“If he was the one who sent you to tell me all this to justify what he did and expect me to forgive him, it's not going to work Floris,” you warn her.
She shakes her head instantly, her eyes full of urgency.
“No, no,” she tells you immediately, ”He didn't send me to tell you anything, he doesn't even talk to me and barely notices me when we're in the same place. There's nothing really between us anymore Y/N,” she insists, ”It all ended when I left.”
You bite the inside of your cheek, not knowing what to say or what to really think, also not having the slightest idea what to do.
Even if all of this were true, everything she's telling you, you don't care anymore. All of this just comes with the part where Aemond didn't deliver what he promised you. All of this is just more accompanying pain, but what does it really matter?
“I'm really sorry about what happened,” she murmurs in your direction after you say nothing, “I know my words won't change anything and I'm not expecting you to forgive me… but I wanted you to know that I'm truly sorry.”
You remain silent, jaw clenched and gaze lowered, with the silence still heavy, dense.
Her words echo in your mind, mingling with everything else you've been carrying. But what are you supposed to feel? Relief? More pain? Or both? You don't know.
And resigned to the fact that she won't find some kind of reaction from you nor will you say anything to her, she lets out a last sigh, accepting your indifference without a problem.
“And I also wanted to tell you that…I know that Alys and her friends were the ones who sent you that picture,” she confesses to you and you feel that sharp pain in your chest again, ”And you don't have to worry about them spreading it all over school. I made sure that doesn't happen.”
The lump in your throat tightens. Though his words seek to offer you some sort of comfort, they do not soothe the wound that has already been inflicted. It doesn't change what happened, nor does it erase the humiliation you felt.
But even so, there is something in her tone, in the sincerity with which she speaks to you, that disarms you a little, if only for an instant.
Finally she stands up, feeling that there is nothing more to say. She throws you one last look, full of regret, before turning and starting to walk away.
And you don't stop her, as you have nothing to say, when suddenly, she stops after only a few steps and this catches your attention, so you look at her in confusion.
Floris, still with her back to you, seems to hesitate for a moment, as if considering whether or not to say what has been on her mind. When finally, he turns to you again, his eyes searching yours with an intensity you didn't expect.
“He really loves you, you know? Aemond.”
For the first time in the entire conversation you hold her gaze.
The sincerity in her eyes strikes you, but it's hard to believe those words after everything that's happened.
“When I came back from the exchange, something changed in him towards me. I don't know, he didn't see me the same way anymore,” she explains, "At first I didn't understand why, but when I met you, I knew," she confesses.
She pauses and seems to hesitate, as if choosing her next words carefully.
“The kiss…that kiss meant nothing to him, I know,” she finally confesses. “I saw him at Dragonstone, I saw how he looked at you… completely in love with you.”
You press your lips together and stare at a specific point, remembering those moments.
“And I also saw you completely in love with him too,” she admits in a soft voice, “I saw how you looked at him, with the same intensity with which he looked at you. And honestly… the two of you looked very happy together.”
This makes you feel exposed in a way you didn't expect, stirring a little in your seat, not knowing how to react.
The images of you and Aemond at Dragonstone, the times you spent together on the yacht, the hot tub, on the beach, in the castle and at the aquarium, when everything was fine and neither of you were faking it and it looked like everything was going to be just fine, all flashes through your mind.
“I saw all that, Y/N,” Floris continues, looking down in shame. “And that's why I accepted his decision to walk away from me. Because even though I didn't want to accept it at the time, I knew that what he felt for you was real. And what you felt for him was too.”
For a moment, you stare at her, not knowing how to respond or what to do, since you didn't expect to hear this either.
And you honestly can't deny the honesty in her words and in that it's probably true what she's saying, but you also can't ignore the pain that still burns inside you.
And so you simply nod slightly, as if you are accepting her confession even though you don't know what to do with it.
Floris looks at you one last time before turning completely around and continuing on her way, leaving you alone with your thoughts and the emotions you've been trying to contain.
You feel a surge of sadness mixed with a strange calm, as if there is nothing left to give. Everything that has happened between you, Aemond and Floris is still a complicated knot to untangle.
Now the silence that follows is heavy, but somehow, it also seems liberating.
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Aemond POV.
With a folder in hand containing all the documents he needs and a determination all over his mind and posture, he barely observes all the people around him as he walks quickly through the hallways of the building, heading towards a specific office.
When he reaches the corresponding hallway, he slows his pace, cautiously observing his surroundings, making sure his grandsire is not nearby.
After so long keeping him waiting in the hope that he would do him the favor despite having already told him it would not be possible, he must have known that he will never really help him after all the favors he has done for him.
And that is precisely why Aemond has resorted to such measures.
But if his grandsire sees him here, he will immediately know what he wants to do and will not hesitate to kick him out of the building. That's why he has to be quick as the guards have seen him come in and so have all the people who work here.
And it's hard to go unnoticed when you have silver hair, which implies either that you work here or that you are the son, brother or nephew of the people who run the company.
So he quickly makes his way to the office, where he doesn't even knock on the door before entering, just walks in quickly to avoid being seen.
“Aemond?”
He looks at his sister and lets out a long breath watching her wearily, to walk over and take a seat in front of her.
“I'm sorry, my grandsire can't know I'm here or he'll kick me out,” he explains.
“Why? What happened?” she asks genuinely concerned, stopping what she was doing on her computer.
“Nothing, it's just…” he pauses as she brings a hand to his hair, ruffling it in frustration, ”I need you to do me a favor, Nyra. A big one.”
This gets her full attention and she nods slowly in his direction.
“What do you need?” she says to him with all disposition, watching him intently.
Your face, your words, all the moments that happened, whether good or bad, but most of all your hurt and broken face, the disappointment and how terribly sad you must have felt.
All of that is Aemond's drive to finally make things right and the things he should have done in the first place.
But it is not only that, it is also the fact that you no longer want to have anything to do with him, that you no longer want to be in the same place with him, that you can't stand his presence and that you don't answer any of his messages or calls, wanting to stop having any kind of contact with him.
All of that lets him know exactly how you felt about Floris and also about the fact that he didn't keep his promise.
And now he is willing to do anything, absolutely anything to be able to keep what he promised you. It doesn't matter if you still don't want to have anything to do with him, all he wants is for you to go to the college of your dreams.
But Rhaenyra's face after explaining and asking him for the favor, is exactly what he expected but he will still keep trying.
“You know I can't do something like that, Aemond.”
“You just don't have to say anything to him Rhae, please.”
She shakes her head.
“That's only worse. You know how hard it was for me to get him to agree to let me work here since dad died and I still have to put up with his bad treatment—
“Oh please, we all know it's only a matter of time before you and Daemon also get to run this company in addition to Driftmark and Harrenhal,” he interrupts her seriously, “You'll take my grandsire's job and send him to run only the Oldtown company.”
Rhaenyra remains serious for a moment, pursing her lips.
“It's the right thing to do and you know it. My father left this to me, to us,” she clarifies truthfully, ”And your grandfather took advantage to take it all and leave almost nothing to me.”
He lets out a long breath, bringing a hand to his chin.
“When you've finished your degree, you'll run Oldtown and if you want, we can spread out more locations,” she tells him in a soft tone, “Helaena can also run Highgarden and Aegon and Daeron can also help us if that's what they really want. That's what father wanted and I never once intended to take that away from you, your legacy, as your grandsire told you I would.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he tells her in a soft, sincere tone, understanding what she means.
The fight over the inheritance was always in the family ever since their father became ill. He never showed them love or even that he cared even a little for them, but at least he intended to leave them a large part of his legacy.
Neither he nor his siblings fought with Rhaenyra and Daemon for it, it was only their grandsire, who from the time they were all children put hatred towards them to her.
But eventually, both he and his siblings realized that Rhaenyra had other intentions and everything grandsire said was a lie. Rhaenyra didn't want to steal their legacy, she never did.
And now… they have all developed a strange but pleasant relationship with her. He more than anything has developed a respect, even an affection, for his older sister, because she wasn't the villain they had always been led to believe.
“Our arrangement with Citadel University was made precisely from the company in Oldtown, a company he will run until you have graduated,” she continues, “And if he already refused once to help you with that and finds out that I did, this strange peace I have managed to keep will be over.”
And the worst part is that she's right.
He closes his eyes for a moment, feeling the weight of those words.
If his grandsire finds out that she helped him behind his back, all the progress they've made to maintain family stability will shatter, destroying any chance of avoiding another conflict. And all because of a girl only he knows.
If it were a nephew, cousin or someone closer to the family nucleus, everything would be different. Nepotism is a common currency among wealthy and powerful families, like his, but in your case, you are a complete stranger.
That is precisely the reason why his grandsire refused to offer help him.
And now, Aemond is caught between the desire to repair the damage he caused in you and the fear that his insistence will cause an even greater rift in the family.
“Then I'll do it,” he says with conviction, sure of his words and Rhae looks at him surprised and confused, “Just tell me how I can get her into college. You don't have to get involved, I'll take it all on myself. I'll say I asked you for help and you refused. If anything goes wrong, it will be my responsibility.”
Rhaenyra lets out a long, deep sigh.
“Aemond—
She begins softly, but he interrupts her before she can say more.
“She deserves this,” he says, his voice lower but laden with sincerity. “It wasn't her fault. She did a favor for me on the condition that I would do this one for her. Besides, I've done a lot of things for my grandfather and the company, especially this company, so please Rhae, I really want to do this.”
Rhaenyra watches him for a long moment, her eyes searching for something in his.
The intensity in Aemond's gaze does not waver, for he is willing to take the consequences, to stand up to even his grandsire, if it means giving you a chance to repair the damage he himself caused.
“Even if I have to give up my own place to give it to her, I don't care, I'll do it.”
Rhaenyra blinks slowly, her mind struggling between logic and the desire to help him. Aemond rarely shows regret, and seeing him so willing to sacrifice himself for someone surprises her and reaches her deeply.
And finally, after what seems like an eternity, she sighs.
“What you're asking is a huge risk,” she admits, looking at him with a mixture of seriousness and empathy.
He holds his breath, his body rigid, as she seems to debate internally and he waits for a decision. And then, she turns to her computer, beginning to type, letting out a long breath.
“But don't be silly, I want you to study at Citadel too.”
The relief Aemond feels is almost palpable. A mixture of gratitude and hope takes hold of him, and his shoulders seem to relax for the first time since he entered the office.
“Thank you,” he murmurs, “Truly.”
“Just let me make a phone call and I also need her docu—
She doesn't finish saying the word as he, with a quickness that reflects his urgency, drops the folder with all the necessary papers in front of her on her desk.
Rhaenyra raises an eyebrow, looking at the folder with a mixture of surprise and amusement.
“Sure,” she murmurs and opens the folder, letting out a small laugh, beginning to flip through the documents, making sure everything is in order "Well, this folder is quite complete and the grades are excellent,” she says in acknowledgement, "That's good because it will help us speed up the process."
Aemond allows himself to let out a sigh of relief, watching as Rhaenyra steps in to help him with this favor. And as she begins to make calls and coordinate the necessary details, he remains attentive throughout, beginning to feel more relieved than ever.
He knows this won't exactly make you forgive him, but at the very least, he's fixing the damage he's done to you so he can give you the opportunity you deserve.
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general taglist:
@melsunshine @at-a-rax-ia @jxdegodfrey @ttkttt @yentroucnagol @kate-to-the-ki @iamavailablesstuff @bluerskiees @urmomsgirlfriend1 @toodlesxcuddles @rosie-posie08 @iloveallmyboys @bellaisasleep @deliaseastar @cupcakesminicakescupcakes @dixie-elocin @lilostif16 @wickedfrsgrl @a-beaverhausen @a-beaverhausen @saturnssrings @ladythornofrivia @iloveallmyboys @vhwyrm @strangersunghoon @urmomsgirlfriend1 @saturnssrings @queen-of-elves
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somniseeker · 7 months ago
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“ding!” [ undertale x reader ]
series masterlist : [here] | chapter one
summary: you can’t sleep, and at 3:49 AM, a notification pulls you into a mysterious group chat called UnderChat. the members—quirky and chaotic sans au’s like ink, fresh, and error—welcome you as their newest recruit, insisting you’re from an alternate universe. confused but curious, you hesitate to believe them, wondering if you’ve stumbled into the strangest roleplay or something more.
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3:49 AM
That was the time, obviously. You were not catching a wink of sleep tonight, even though those eyes of yours were pratically burning at this point. Blinking at the bright light which popped up when you clicked a notifaction. "DING!" echoed the phone on full volume: You were just about to scroll through tumblr aud—
Oh.
Oh. . 
You've been added to a groupchat.
Immediately sitting up you rubbed your eyes, curiousity gleaming in them.
UnderChat 
You don't remember downloading that app. . Perhaps you accidentally clicked on one of those explicit advertisements on accident while reading on pirated websites, that seems like a plausible explanation. Still doesn't explain why you're recieving notifactions saying your in a groupchat. A groan escaped your lips as you clicked the notifaction, although accepting the fact this was some sort of call-out cancel groupchat, an accidental add, or it's fake and it's a virus. Probably the latter.
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
[ SLEEPRLUVR has joined the group ]
FunkN'Fresh: wellllp ill be diddly darn darned we gots a new funky fresh membah?
GlitchBitch: Stop typing like that.
FunkN'Fresh: noo can do funny magic maannnnnnnnn
[ GLITCHBITCH has muted the groupchat ]
FunkN'Fresh: you maaaaaaad.
Ink: Oh! New member yay, Okay so I can explain this as your probably confused sans!
Ink: Eheh, "how do you know my name" you might ask! wellllp, yknooow the multiverse and all that stuffs? We made a groupchat!
SLEEPRLUVR: what? 
Ink: Okay so a basic run down of how the app works, the three icon's at the side shows you every AU that has joined so far and what their username is - You need to create a profile with yours!
SLEEPRLUVR: what
Ink: Oh— You must still be confused, I'll just do it for you! What AU are you from?
SLEEPRLUVR: what.
Ink: ...
Fell2cool4school: prolly from "what"!tale lmfao
SLEEPRLUVR: no, just wasn't expecting roleplayers in my schedule today. i can do this - what aus are open?
.
.
.
The chat suddenly went dead silent, leaving you staring groggily at your phone, squinting at the screen. You couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Does it really take this long to grab a character masterdoc? It's been a while since you last roleplayed, but this felt off. When the next message finally popped up, you couldn't help but roll your eyes. 
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
Ink: Oh, uh... this isn't exactly roleplay, but I get why you'd think that! Anyway, we’ve got a lot of AUs here, so take your pick! Let’s see… there’s Underswap, Underfell, Dancetale, and even some wacky ones like Dusttale and Underlust, but let’s not go there unless you’re into, well, *that* kind of stuff. 
SLEEPRLUVR: ...i’m just going to ignore that last part.
Fell2cool4school: aww c’mon, why skip out on the fun? 😈
SLEEPRLUVR: This is ridiculous. Okay, so let's say I believe this whole “multiverse” thing. Why am I here?
Ink: Well, every AU needs a representative! Think of it like... a council! Each universe gets one member to join the chat, share ideas, keep peace, y’know? And... well, you’re the lucky one picked from your AU!
SLEEPRLUVR: but i don’t even know what AU i’m from. how am i supposed to “represent” it?
FunkN’Fresh: uhhh doesn’t seem too funkay to me, guess they jus got dropped here like a beeboppin’ newbie!
GlitchBitch: Figures. Another clueless one. Just what we needed.
Ink: Don’t mind them! We’ll figure out your AU together! It’s kinda exciting, right?
SLEEPRLUVR: mmm, more like nerve-wracking. can i leave?
Ink: Nope! Once you’re in, you’re in. But don’t worry, we’re all friends here! ...Sort of.
Fell2cool4school: speak for yourself, inkhead. i ain't here to make friends. only enemies. and sometimes frenemies. but mostly enemies.
SLEEPRLUVR: yyyeah, i’m definitely going to regret this. okay, so if I’m stuck here… how do I create this profile thing?
Ink: Just tell me a bit about yourself, and I’ll set it up for you! Favorite color? Likes? Dislikes? Any cool abilities? C’mon, spill!
SLEEPRLUVR: umm… favorite color? any, I guess. Likes? Sleeping. Dislikes? Waking up. Abilities? being normal???
GlitchBitch: Abilities: None. Fitting.
Ink: rainbow, sleeping, normal. Got it! I’ll just make your profile super quick…
FunkN’Fresh: "likez sleeping" heh. typical standard sans bruh.
[INK is typing…]
Ink: Done! Welcome to the UnderChat, SLEEPRLUVR!
SLEEPRLUVR: …i’m going to need a lot of coffee for this, aren’t I?
FunkN’Fresh: forget coffee, maaaaan. get some soda in yer veins, get the funky fresh groove goin’!
GlitchBitch: Or you could just log off and get back to your irrelevant existence. Just saying.
SLEEPRLUVR: …i’m starting to think leaving this group would be the sanest option.
Fell2cool4school: too late for that, buddy. you're one of us now. welcome to the madness.
     You sat on your bed, legs crossed beneath you, staring at the screen with a mixture of bewilderment and curiosity. That was... ermmm, certainly an experience. These people seemed like some serious kinnies or something. You hadn't seen roleplayers this deep in character since the wild days of Danganronpa Kokichi Tumblr drama. You gnawed at the inside of your cheek, debating your next move. You had things to do in the morning, so maybe it would be smart to just get some sleep. But then again—shouldn’t you figure out which AU to be? They didn’t even give you a proper list of what was available!
     You could at least deduce a few things. Obviously, GlitchBitch was the Error Sans of the group, with his snarky, broken-text vibes. Ink was, well, Ink, and FunkN’Fresh was soo stereotypically hippie, it was a dead giveaway who he was supposed to be. But who else was in this group—this "UnderChat" as Ink called it? And how were you supposed to see these profiles they mentioned? The whole thing was making your head spin, trying to figure it out.
     Still, as you finally set your phone down and pulled your covers over you, you couldn't help but feel a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips. Yeah, it was weird—being added to some mysterious group chat by what seemed like over-enthusiastic roleplayers—but there was something almost... nostalgic about it. It had been a while since you just sat back and played pretend, no matter how weird the scenario... or old the fandom was.
     Maybe tomorrow you’d hit up the Undertale Wiki and find a cool AU to rp as. After all, if you were going to be stuck here, you might as well have some fun with it.
* A/N: uhm, this was written for ao3 and crossposted on quotev and now we're here. it looks best, imo, on quotev because it comes with extra media!! but im here because ppl can send asks n stuff for extra content of the skellies. please reblog or comment , it helps my motivation
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siriuslyobsessedwithfiction · 2 months ago
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Zoya Nazyalensky: how to ruin a character
Zoya Nazyalensky was a mean-spirited, vain and ambitious character in Shadow and Bone trilogy. And while I didn't necessarily commend her bullying attitude, she seemed to hold some care for her people, so I was excited for her to get her own duology. To see her grow from a popular girl in school to an actual position of power and overcome hardships that come with it. Except we didn't get to see any of that. Why couldn't Zoya just be her own character instead of making her "the right version" of the Darkling?
Tell, not show
We never get to see actual growth or an actual struggle. We're constantly told she is a good leader, but we don't see it. What we see is Nina developing anxiety because instead of mentoring, Zoya constantly criticized her even at the things she was good at. We see Zoya lose her temper in delicate political situations. We see Adrik and Nina discussing how everyone in the second army was scared of her but also had a crush on her. That's your good leadership? Imagine if the Darkling did that, the fandom would bury him even further. What we see is Zoya abandoning the plan in RoW and going off on her own to fight. That's the general of the army right there. But of course, everything magically works out for her, which brings me to my next point.
Men and the narrative handing her everything on a platter
The crown? Handed to her by her simpering boytoy boyfriend.
The title of a saint? The Darkling shouts "Sankta", which makes people follow up.
Handling the Apparat? The Darkling is the one who shuts him up by making shadows come out of his mouth. It is only after that when Zoya does an unnecessary thunderclap (which used to be the Darkling's thing - "a sound like thunderclap" before the place would plunge into darkness) and orders to seize the Apparat.
Her powers? Given to her by a man after two days of training because he wanted to escape the limbo he was trapped in and she was the only Grisha there. Some chosen one she is. And for some reason, the famously ill-tempered Zoya has no problem with adjusting to immortality, her DNA being rewritten, and two ancient beings constantly living in her head.
Zoya saying "Will you have a Suli Queen?" only to be met with dead silence. There's the moment for her to speak up and put people in their places! And what happens? Some count jumps in to protect her because he has a crush on her. Why? Why is Count Karigan speaking for her?
Yes, it's YA, but the author is not acting or writing like it's not supposed to be taken seriously. And once you've established a universe with certain laws, you can't throw it all to the wind, give the readers a half-baked explanation and say it makes perfect sense. The SoB trilogy showed us how Grisha were not accepted even when they fought the Kings' wars for centuries and a Grisha saint destroyed the Fold. The SoC duology told us that the civil war destroyed the second army and Ravka was bankrupt and collapsing. Since the draft wasn't mandatory, no one wanted to go fight and die for a country that has given them nothing. But suddenly, the nation of Fjerda, who has hated and hunted the Grisha for centuries, is swayed by cheap tricks to worship them as saints and Ravka will be fine because because Zoya becoming a dragon magically solves every problem centuries of diplomacy, servitude and assimilation couldn't solve? Or what, Zoya can flap her wings and burn whoever opposes her? Yeah, 'cause that went so well for the Targaryen dynasty. Speaking of which, LB ripped off Daenerys Targaryen's story: both were child brides, Stormborn - Stormwitch, "If I look back I'm lost" - "Don't look back", the dragon Queen with flocking suitors, etc.
Weird sexualization
Why is being hot an excuse for everything when it comes to her? She constantly tears down everyone, is not a good commander, doesn't inspire or properly guide her subordinates, and yet everyone literally worships her because they had a crush on her. What the actual Sarah J. Maas hell is this? Not one character is constantly described as "perfect" and "elegant", except Zoya. Even when she's just standing, we are told about her "perfect profile in the moonlight". The otkazatsya nobles, who are supposed to see the Grisha as the lesser, who Zoya assures us would never accept "a raven-haired witch", constantly praise her. It's like all the problems, that would actually be problems, only exist in her head, because when it comes down to it, it's solved in half a minute. Not sure what happened, did LB realize she dug herself into too deep of a hole in KoS and quickly solved everything in RoW?
Her being "manipulated" by the Darkling
It's the typical "I thought my crush liked me back but since he doesn't, I now hate him". The Darkling didn't owe her anything. He was a general who travelled all year all across Ravka to protect the borders. Zoya was the one who thought she was the best and wanted to prove herself to him. Nothing wrong with ambition, but how was he supposed to know some young squaller considered him her father figure because of her daddy issues? All he did was not punish her when she screwed up: she took away an opportunity to claim an amplifier from a Grisha who actually deserved it, and marked the cubs she "freed" for death because she got her scent on them and they'd be killed by another tiger. And years later, she still refuses to accept the basic zoology fact and Nikolai supports her delusion. Childish naivety to just point fingers to blame we often see from her.
"When the children misbehaved, he slaughtered them". Majority of the second army was on Darkling's side. He killed like ten Grisha that were on Alina's side. And what otkazat’sya did he kill? Do you mean the soldiers Nikolai used to fight the darkling because for some reason he decided he was the best fit for the throne even though legally he had no right to it? Well neither did the darkling, why couldn't he be the King? Y'know, someone who actually had done things to make Ravka better? Or do you mean the brainwashed actual twelve year olds in Alina's cult she decided to use to fight the Darkling? They declared war on him and he still told her to stop and avoid bloodshed.
"When my aunt was killed by the Darkling" - her aunt wasn't killed by the Darkling, as she often claims. Zoya's aunt was a moron who saw the Fold, a giant wall of shadow moving in her direction, ran towards it and started pushing random people out of the way instead of grabbing her daughter and running in the opposite direction like everyone else was doing. When there's a catastrophe, people evacuate in an as orderly manner as possible. Since when is running into a tsunami considered bravery when you're not even a trained individual? This isn't a matter of bravery or cowardice, it's suicide. And the Darkling moving the Fold to destroy only the area near the docks wasn't a mad power-obsessed move, it was a military action to warn off the enemy countries from attacking Ravka, which they were planning to do and basically already doing with creeping occupation and clashes at the border.
Do the fans even realize that Zoya literally said "He could've told me what he had planned, if I could've warned them..." - I don't know Zoya, your aunt might've still ran towards the Fold. And why would he warn you? Even if you had been his favorite, which you weren't, you literally cracked the most precious Grisha's ribs out of petty jealousy, proving you weren't dependable. If the Darkling had told Zoya about his plan to destroy the docks near Novokribirsk, Zoya would've gladly stayed on his side and would've bragged about how she was his favorite (she wasn't. The Darkling was only close to his otkazatsya guards Oprichniki, and a few heartrenders. He had more important things to do than go around manipulating random young women).
“Where is the shrine to my aunt? To Saint Harshaw? To Sergei or Marie or Fedyor? Who will worship them and light candles in their names?” - All she cares about the Grisha she knew personally. Where are shrines for countless soldiers who died in King's wars? Where are shrines for Grisha who were executed in sham trials after Alina ran from Ravka? Where are shrines for Grisha who had to run from Ravka after the second army collapsed and got snatched up by enemies, like Retvenko, Anya and the Grisha working in the White Rose? Where are shrines for Grisha who were forcefully taken from Ravka because she couldn't do her job as the general? Zoya insulted Sergei, a double traitor, even after his death, but she brings him up when she needs to add names to her hate-list against the Darkling. She treats everyone like dirt when they're alive, but she will plant flowers in her garden after their deaths! Absolutely useless for them, but it makes Zoya look like this deeply compassionate, benevolent commander who grieves every soldier they lose on a personal level. That kind of pointless grand posturing is exactly what a self-absorbed narcissist like Zoya would do. They don't feel empathy, they perform it. (quote from @taragreenfield).
Giving Zoya's flaws to the Darkling and his virtues to her + never acknowledging Zoya's very much remaining flaws
I was flabbergasted when the Darkling being vain suddenly became a thing in KoS duology. Where did that even come from? But no, in SoB trilogy, Zoya was called vain by Alina (because she was), so obviously somehow it had to become his flaw.
The Darkling's good looks were mentioned by Alina and Genya, yes, but we are shown it had no part in making people respect him, and it was established that when he was a boy, he often had to change his appearance in a rough manner to look different in order to survive the witch hunters and amplifier hunters. Poorly dyed hair, shaved head, etc. But in KoS duology, Sankta Elizaveta tells Zoya that he always picked a handsome face when tailored because he was vain. Utter shite. Tailors were extremely rare and he couldn't have been tailored often. He couldn't even been tailored well because Grisha back then couldn't carry around a kit with materials like cells inside. The goal would've been to just become unrecognizable, like Nikolai/Sturmhond. And when he was, how is picking a handsome face when his real face was also handsome a bad thing? What, he had to be ugly and make himself an even more of an outcast during the time when he had nothing?
On the other hand, it was established that Zoya looked down on everyone and used her good looks in her advantage, turned her nose up and called people commoners, peasants and insulted their lack of fine taste, no matter if they were actually peasants or not. Examples: Mal, Adrik, Genya, Alina, Kaz, Jesper, etc. Typical bully rich girl behavior in order to contradict "I'm not like other girls" mindset Alina had because that was trendy when Shadow and Bone came out. However, when LB needed a sad backstory for Zoya, she made her a peasant who couldn't even afford food. So, she was just faking and shaming her own social class for years.
And Zoya never stops being vain. She didn't just destroy the Darkling's rooms, she swung the first hammer, then stopped because she didn't want to break a nail or get callouses. Does that seem like actual self-righteous rage to you? But she did pull away a bunch of Fabrikators from their work in a disbanded army to destroy the rooms entirely and remake it in her taste. In a bankrupt country when they couldn't even afford to buy metal to build weapons to defend themselves against two very well-armed enemy countries! In a bankrupt country where Grisha were being kidnapped off the streets and the people starved, the first thing to do is renovate perfectly intact rooms! What an empowering move! I cannot fucking believe this is canon.
LB hastily making her Suli for diversity points, not for Zoya herself
Zoya was considered white before KoS. Her features: blue eyes, black hair and I quote - "a perfect nose" (did you mean a small straight nose, Leigh? I sure hope not) were mentioned a lot while her skin tone was not. But, every time a character was Suli in the Grisha trilogy, no matter how minor, the text would explicitly state that. Before KoS came out, people were complaining that all three main characters in KoS would be white and upper-class, then LB commissioned Zoya's official fanart to look Suli, and everyone was happy that Zoya was a brown girl. THEN, we find out in Rule of Wolves that Zoya actually looks white and never bothered to say she's Suli, or to learn Suli language or one of its dialects taught in the Little Palace. It's framed as though the Little Palace, where Zoya grew up, was discriminatory towards Suli, when in reality, we only see Alina who was racist and was making fun of Suli accent. It was actually encouraged to learn Suli for missions and we see Marie and Nadia do it. The Little Palace had Grisha from all over the world, including the Suli, so if it was anywhere to feel safe and accepted, it was there. I guess Zoya's mother and some Ravkans being racist really stuck with Zoya and she chose to hide her Suli heritage in order to seem "perfect". But then that's on Zoya too, she had internal prejudices and it should be acknowledged.
Zoya admitting to be Suli could've been done in so many ways. I was so invested when it was revealed she was passing as not Suli. What would her feelings and relationship be to her heritage? Zoya was a proud woman, why didn't she reveal she was half-Suli when she came into the position of power as the general of the second army? Remember when Inej felt uncomfortable with the triumvirate in CK and didn't want to meet them because Ravka hadn't been good to Suli in recent years? Why wasn't that explored? It might be possible that during Nikolai's father's rule, while the Suli were on the Ravkan soil, they were tested for powers and taken to the second army since the draft was mandatory and that's why Inej didn't like them. Because there weren't a lot of Suli left anyway, especially ones who still led the nomad lifestyle. When the mandatory law for Grisha testing and drafting was abolished, what happened to Suli Grisha children? Suli also travel to Shu-Han, where they kidnap Grisha and experiment on them, so they wouldn't have been safe there. Why isn't that acknowledged? Instead, all we get is a promise that Zoya will include the Suli in her version of new Ravka (they were already included), the typical promise every politician makes? It feels like shallow performative progressiveness because it is.
And don't say "it's just YA, we can't expect more complexity", yes we can. If the author brings up an issue and uses it as a plot device, especially an issue that exists in the real world and has affected people, the readers are owed more than that. Naomi Novik's YA fantasy book The Spinning Silver executes the prejudices and marginalization a Jewish main character faces in a country based on Slavic countries masterfully. Even LB did better than herself in SoC duology with Inej. So we know she can do it, she just didn't bother.
And the grand reveal of Zoya admitting she's Suli was so awful. That scene where Zoya apologizes in Suli to the Suli in Kerch? Everyone acts so surprised when she struggles through a few words. Nikolai's jaw drops "How do you know these words?" as if he himself isn't currently learning Zemeni and doesn't know that every language was taught very well in the Little Palace to the point where you can speak like a native. But Zoya saying a sentence is sensational how, exactly? And why would the Suli believe Zoya? A man literally tells her she speaks Suli like a tax collector. These are the people who had to travel and stay extra careful because Kerch exploits Suli. They should know that even if someone speaks perfect Suli, they could be a Ravkan spy or someone indentured by Kerch. It could be a trap, a scam, a human trafficking attempt, etc. But no, they accept her with open arms because Kaz somehow knew they would because Kaz is all-knowing. It's an incredibly cheap execution. Yes, Suli don't forget one of their own but they also forsake one of their own if they plan to have a part in harming them. We learnt that from Inej. There are a thousand ways the reveal could've been done better.
But guess what was erased? The Darkling's Suli and Shu heritage. He is canonically Shu-passing and can speak the language fluently. His half-sister Ulla looks Suli in her human form (her skin is greenish grey in mermaid form). The mermaids/the sildroher in Grishaverse all have white skin and the ones Ulla is surrounded by, including her sildroher father, have white skin in human form too. Ulla's mother, Baghra, is described to have dark hair and dark eyes. Since the Darkling has pale skin and grey eyes, it must've come from his father while the dark hair came from his mother - Baghra. And since Ulla looks Suli with dark hair, dark eyes and "burnished bronze" skin, it must've come from her mother. So, the Darkling's mother Baghra clearly has Suli heritage, and we know that she often travelled with them in the past.
In conclusion, Zoya's character is one big wasted potential, and a lesson to discard responsibility and taking accountability in life, which sends the wrong message.
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hello-gloomy · 9 months ago
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Metal Bambi
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Megatron x Gen!Reader
Description: Seeing something crash into the woods by your house you go and check it out on a whim.
Warnings: Slight OOC. Death threat, alien bleeding. Alcohol mentioned at the end. You/Your pronouns no definitive description of reader.
A/N: Bro I didn't even put his name in till the end, also I like to think this takes place during a truce ( in the TFP universe ofc). Anyway enjoy my projection of my daydreams and let me know if u want a part two.
1,300 Words
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Despite better judgment, you followed the large, silver, crashing object into the woods. Just for fun, you think to yourself for comfort. You take all your mechanic tools in the case as if it were a giant object in the sky. You were leaving your vehicle as you couldn't take it through the heavy terrain. Running across the forest floor and jumping through bushes, you follow the reoccurring crashing noises and shuffling. The nearer you were, the better you could make out a deep rumbling; it sounded like uttering. A very angry utter, rounding the final tree in your path, you found a robot as giant as the trees in the forest sitting down against one of the said trees. It looked injured, leaking a blue liquid covered in what looked like ash. Its silver plating seemed covered in scratches, and some looked dented. Glancing farther up, straining your neck, you glimpse at what you guess to be its Face. Its eyes are closed, and what you think are its arms are holding its chest. Getting closer to it, you climb over its legs and get closer to its chest. Examining the shrapnel sticking out its chest, you put on some thick gloves and position yourself to yank in harshly out. Before you make some motion, a voice stops you dead in your tracks; you quickly whip your head up to the noise.
" What do you think you're doing." It says in a low grumble. You blink at him and then remember that you need to respond lest it end your life before you can help.
"Taking this out.." You state as evenly as you can. He looks at you, processing your words while glaring at you the best he can, as he's in such a state of disarray. You wait a beat, hoping he doesn't swat you away and kill you from the sheer size of his hand. He lets out a deep hum and moves his arm to let you pull it out. Getting into position again, you steady your feet, mustering all the strength you can, and you pull with all your might. With one final tug, it flings out onto the ground with a resounding clang of metal. He lets out a deep sigh above you. Steadying yourself on one of his legs, you stand on the tips of your shoes and glance at the hole left by the metal spike. Some cords are broken and leaking that blue fluid that you saw earlier. Hopping down from his thigh, you lay your bag on the ground and take out some black electrical tape. Then climb back up his legs and reach into the hole to start patching up the loose cords the best you can, without even really knowing what he is, aside from the fact he is a giant bleeding, at least you think bleeding, robot.
" I don't think a bandaid is going to fix the giant hole in your chest, but...I uh stopped the bleeding..." Trying to lighten the mood, you trail off at the last bit awkwardly as he doesn't say anything nor laugh, so you peek up and see him staring at you, calmly breathing as he studies your Face.
"So, how'd you get beat up?" Your odds of obtaining an explanation from him appear slim.
"Predacons."
"Wow." That was a stupid response, though you didn't know how else to respond. He lets out another low hum at your reaction to his answer.
" Why are you helping me?" You don't have the answer to this intriguing question, so give him the next best thing.
"Because you're injured, " you declare with little confidence but straight-faced. He lets a huff out at your reaction. He moves his arm toward you, and his hand cups half of your body. He leans down slightly to convey his point in his following words.
" I could crush you in the palm of my servo." His eyes baring into your soul made your heart seize at his words.
" If you wanted to, you would have done it already." Spoken with Faux confidence and a slight tremble in your voice as you held his fierce gaze. You resume your work and finish patching him up the best you, as he started guiding you after his original threat.
"It'll heal on its own, " he says suddenly. You tilt your head, confused at his sudden words.
" The hole." He explains it to you in a few words, referencing your previous joke. You let out a quiet 'Oh' to him in understanding.
" If you want, you can follow me home; I can clean you up better there. And wash off most of that dirt, too." You offer to him while packing up most of the tools you had originally packed with you. He's staring at you again, and then he balances his arm against the tree he is lying on and moves to stand up. He looks down at you expectantly, and you take that as your queue to lead the way back out. The walk back is primarily quiet, aside from the crunching of leaves under your feet and the resounding thump of the robot's footsteps following you. Reaching the road again, you look at your car and then back to him. You move to say something, but he beats you by transforming into a tank.
" What the actual fuck." He scoffs and flashes his lights as a sign to start driving the way home. You get into your car, slightly exasperated at the situation that you found yourself in. Pulling up into the driveway, you park on the grass instead of in the large shed to move easier back and forth.
" Wait here real quick." You holler behind you at the mech while rushing inside for a tarp for him to sit, as your garage and shed are a bit undersized, and you'd rather not risk making him uncomfortable while injured. Running back out to him, tarp in hand, he turned back to his more humanoid form, standing with his arms crossed while looking at your home. You quickly lay it out on the ground for him with a slight 'Tah-Dah' for added effect and a wave of your hands. His Face remains the same, and he waits for a beat before shifting to sit on it.
" I would offer you some water, but I don't think you drink that, considering what was leaking out of you." You sway awkwardly, trying to converse with the giant before you.
"Energon." He states with no explanation. You give him a 'Uh-Huh' with a little nod, pretending to understand. You turn on the hose and blast him with warm water, getting all the built-up dirt and dried energon on him. Finally clean and shiny again, you notice hints of purple and red on his plating that you couldn't see before.
"You're pretty for an alien robot, you know." You say offhandedly while checking out the odd symbol on his chassis. He lets out a full laugh at your slight advance to him; it made you jump due to its unexpectedness.
"You're brave for your size."
"Thanks.." You return with a grimace.
"What's your name, organic?" He asks seriously
"Y/n. And you?"
"Megatron." He holds out a single digit to you, and you wrap your little hand around it in response, giving a little shake for good measure.
"I won't forget your bravery today." He gets up off his knee and stands at his full height. Turning his back to you, he walks a little ways away from you, giving you one final glance before turning into a ship and flying off.
"I need a drink." You kick the hose and head inside.
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babygirlwritessmut · 9 months ago
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♡︎ part7. picnic
・❥・pairing: vi (arcane) x fem!reader
・❥・ summary: you`ve planned a surprise for Vi, wanting to ask her a serious question.
・❥・ genre: smut + grumpy x sunshine
・❥・ word count: 1.7k
✎ warnings: only fluff tbh
RIDE ON ME masterlist
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the last week had been simply amazing. you and Vi enjoyed every moment together. you were constantly surprised that beneath her strong, independent exterior, there was a tender side—a girl who dreamed of love. her outward appearance was like a shield, protecting her from the outside world. yes, she could be cold, closed off, and sarcastic, but with you, she was trying to open up. you understood how much effort that took for Vi, so you valued it immensely.
at the university, your friends were shocked by the recent turn of events. “girl, I didn't even manage to finish my homework, and you not only found yourself a girlfriend, had fun with her, but also aced today's project. do you teach a time management course?” - your friend laughed.
but not everyone took the news so lightheartedly. a few days ago, Vi explained to Kate that they wouldn't be able to see each other anymore. from Kate's angry expression that you'd seen in the campus halls, you figured that she understood the reason. several times, you wanted to talk to her but couldn't find the words. it would have been better to speak to her alone, though, because with her entourage around, that conversation would be even harder. when you told Vi that you wanted to talk to Kate, she just stroked your cheek and said, - “you don't owe her an explanation, cupcake. we weren’t together, you didn’t break up any relationship.”
however, you thought differently. yes, they had never officially been a couple, but there was something between them, and you knew it mattered to Kate. besides, you hadn’t apologized for the scene in the café on the first day, so a conversation was overdue.
today was another Friday, and you were excited for the weekend because you planned a surprise for Vi. you wanted to show her how much these relationships meant to you. after a lot of thought, you decided to invite her on a picnic. it might not be exactly her style, but it would be more fun than sitting in a restaurant. you didn’t want to spend the last warm days of the year indoors, so you prepared everything like in a movie: a basket, a blanket, a few pillows, and some tasty snacks. your eyes sparkled with excitement, and you couldn’t wait for the evening.
your phone buzzed. "I miss you. when do your classes end?". the text made your smile so wide that you had to cover it with your hand.
"at three. by the way, don’t plan anything for the evening. I have a surprise for you," you replied, waiting for her response.
"please tell me it's your delicious signature carbonara," Vi's text made you laugh, remembering your first evening together. "how much things have changed," - you thought to yourself.
"no, but thanks for the compliment. wait until tonight, and you'll find out," you answered and put your phone back in your bag.
the last class felt like it was dragging on forever, you couldn't wait to finally run home and hug Vi. when the lecture ended, you threw all your things into your bag and rushed towards the exit. as you walked down the hallway, you noticed that everyone was turning to look at you with a curious expression. "did Kate spread some rumor about me?" - was the first thought that crossed your mind, "but I don't have time for that."
finally, the fresh air hit your face - it was pleasant and warm, the sun was shining, and you felt reassured that the picnic was definitely a great idea. at the entrance of the campus, your friends stood with strange smiles on their faces.
“what?” - you asked in surprise. – “is there something on my face? why is everyone staring?”
“well, technically... she could end up there,” - your friends burst out laughing at the joke, while you looked at them in confusion.
“are you going to explain, or should I wait until you're done laughing?" - you said, a bit irritated, demanding an answer.
“someone's here to pick you up,” - one of them winked at you.
“who?”
one of your friends nodded toward the bench across from the campus. your mouth literally fell open in surprise. Vi. "what is she doing here?". without wasting a second, you quickly said goodbye to your friends and headed in her direction.
“don't forget to use protection, kids!” - one of your classmates called out behind you, provoking another wave of laughter from your friends.
finally, you reached Vi, and she was smiling at you. her hair blew slightly in the wind, the sun highlighting its beautiful color. she was dressed in black jeans, her white top, and a red leather jacket. "wow."
“hi, you look amazing,” - you said sincerely, touching her cheek.
“you look stunning too,” - she said, taking your hand and pulling you close.
“I hope you don't mind me coming unannounced. I missed you and decided to pick you up,” - she said, gently stroking your fingers.
a smile spread across your face as you locked eyes with Vi. “not at all," - you replied, leaning in to give her a soft kiss on the lips. she was incredible.
“when do I get to see my surprise?” - she asked. "oh, the picnic, right! we need to hurry to catch the sunset."
“I need to stop by home, change, and grab everything we need, and then we'll head to the park,” - you explained, trying not to give away too many details.
“I can't wait,” - she said, kissing you gently on the cheek, which made you smile even more.
on the way home, you held hands as she told you about her training. Vi had found a job teaching kids boxing. your heart was warmed by how easily she connected with the little ones.
“I know you still haven’t found a job. if you want, we could work together. there's an open manager position at the boxing club. I know it's not related to your field, but the pay is decent,” - she said, squeezing your hand a little tighter.
“that sounds great, but...” - you paused for a moment before continuing, “I’m worried that you might get tired of me. you’d already see me every day at home.”
she stopped and took your face in her hands. “cupcake, you could never bore me, don't even think about that,” - she said, stroking your cheek with her thumb. “besides, I can always take a break from you when you're at university,” - she added with a wink and a smile.
“I hate you,” - you laughed, looking into her eyes.
“I think it's the opposite,” - she whispered softly before kissing you. the kiss was passionate, yet so warm.
when you got home, you gathered your things and changed into more comfortable clothes - a simple tracksuit, sneakers, and your hair pulled back into a bun. when you came out into the hallway, Vi was sitting on the couch, her elbow resting on the back of it. she looked at you slowly, smiling as she tilted her head slightly to the side, and said - “you’re the most beautiful girl in the whole world.”
“Vi, are you kidding? I’m literally just in a tracksuit with no hairstyle,” - you said, smiling in disbelief.
to Vi, it didn't matter whether you were lying in her bed naked, your hair all messed up, or dressed in a "simple tracksuit" - to her, you were perfect. she gave you one more look, filled with unmistakable admiration, and then you both took each other's hands and headed towards the park.
after laying everything out as it should be, you pulled Vi onto the blanket with you. the weather was incredible, a gentle breeze tickled your face, the sun warmed your body, and the rustling leaves added a sense of calm. you offered her the snacks you had prepared beforehand, and the two of you started talking. the conversation was simple and easy, never once did you have to plan your dialogue in advance, the words just flowed naturally, and she listened attentively. it felt like you had been talking for ages when Vi looked up at the sky, her face glowing beautifully under the starlight. you hadn’t even noticed it had gotten dark. this must be what it's like to talk to the right person - no need to structure the conversation or tailor your words for a response.
“thank you,” - you said suddenly, the words slipping from your lips.
“for what, cupcake?” - she asked, turning her gaze from the stars back to you. “it seems like I should be thanking you for such a wonderful evening surprise that you planned for us.”
“thank you for being you,” - you said with a warm smile. "I think it's time to tell her the real reason I planned this evening."
“I know we haven’t really talked seriously about what’s going on between us,” - you said, taking her hand – “but I want to tell you that in the short time we’ve spent together, you’ve become one of the most important person in my life.” a smile spread across her face, and she squeezed your hand tighter.
“I don't want this to be just a fling. I want it to be something serious. do you...” - you felt nervous as you approached the question you wanted to ask. “do you want to be my girlfriend?”
she seemed a little surprised, but she held your hand close to her, studying your face. there was a brief pause, and you felt a bit uneasy. "maybe I misread the signals, maybe...?"
“yes,” - she said, her smile practically glowing. “I would be the happiest person in the world if you were my girlfriend.”
Vi pulled you close to her. she kissed you, not letting go of your hand.
“this is the best evening of my life”
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mad-whovian · 20 days ago
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Wish World/Reality War: I will start with things I liked, Rogue's cameo, "Tables don't do that," was ridiculous but funny. Ruby and Shirley planning to kill God. Anita saving the Doctor, girl came through. The moment 15 took off his coat and we saw him in his original outfit also the scene at unit his "I'm the Doctor." Like yes. How the Doctor and everyone were so happy to see that Poppy didn't disappear after the wish ended. The Doctor so ready to baby-proof the TARDIS for Poppy. Belinda and the Doctor folding Poppy's coat as they make plans for future travels, and the coat disappearing into nothingness, heartbreaking. Thirteenth's cameo, her and 15's hug, and the "I should say that to Yaz," !!!
But on the other hand, I wish Anita had more to do other than just being a glorified door man. Poppy was cute and all but everyone was way too intense about that child, the Doctor to the point of committing suicide (at a point where he didn't even remember who she was) and Belinda with the "I don't care what UNIT thinks, or Time Lords or gods or anyone. I remember her being my daughter and if I remember it, then it's true" like girl what? Not even half an hour ago you running through the woods and screaming because you couldn't even remember giving birth to that child when asked how long you were in labor with her for, so what memories do you have exactly?
And then Belinda spends majority of the episode in a box with the kid, missing all the action, the cut to the zero room and the utter silence just kills me, (as Varada Sethu looks into that child's eyes and wonders why she ever took this role, if all they were going to do is waste her potential).
Ruby had permission to punch Conrad, and didn't take it, instead we got "Conrad's World... it could have been so much worse. A fantasy world, I'd expect guns and whisky and girls. But yours is nice. It's actually nice." I thought she was bluffing to get him to lower the gun, but worse she meant it and then Conrad's "I did what we he said. The Doctor. He told me, people just want to be safe and fed and warm. So that's what I did." Oh but FYI those people don't include the disabled or the trans (because he can't even imagine trans people could exist). Fuck off. I hate that Conrad got a happy ending.
The whole Omega and two Ranis plot resolution was so underwhelming, and yeah there wasn't much to it, so I don't really know what else to say about it.
Why does Ruby remember Poppy when everyone else forgets, actually why does Ruby remember all the other timelines? I know it's something to do with the events of 73 Yards, but 73 yards itself is such a convoluted mystery that it can't be a good explanation for this.
Did the Doctor just rewrite Belinda's entire life to cater to a child that didn't even need to exist? Is that what happened? That's crazy. What's even crazier is that it's presented as a good thing. So when Conrad does it, it's bad, but when the Doctor does it, it's fine. Laughable. The whole reason the Doctor wanted Poppy is that he's sterile and can't have kids (I won't even get into that, it's so convoluted) but in the end Poppy's only human so what was the point of it all?
So I did get spoiled that he turns into Billie Piper, because I wasn't filtering out the Rose Tyler tag (didn't think there was a need to in the year of our lord 2025) and ironically it was a post discussing if she's even the Doctor because she wasn't credited as such, and I say this as a Piper fan since childhood I don't want this either way, bringing back Tennant as 14 already ruined 10's run for me. Like I always used to feel sad when 10 had to erase Donna’s memories on rewatches now I'm just like "eh give it 15 years, it'll all be undone and pointless" so if Billie is back as Rose, I don't want them to undo her ending like they did Donna’s, and if she's really the Doctor in-universe, it's just... weird.
Also bringing back Tennant gave 13-antis the opportunity to say "Doctor Who is great again" (read that in Trump's voice) type shit and now they're doing the same thing with 15. Your first female Doctor was replaced by an old face of everyone's favorite straight white guy, your first black doctor was replaced by an old face of everyone's favorite white blonde girl, like don't you see the problem here?
I'm a fan of both Tennant and Piper, don't get it twisted, but it's also true that they are a step backward from what Whittaker and Gatwa brought to the table, and I don’t like to hate on showrunners, because they're just people who are trying to write stories, and they can't appease everyone, and they have to answer to higher-ups and all that, but RTD move on, TenRose aren't the entirety of the show and for the love of- learn how to write women you misogynistic, racist, piece of- okay no, all I'm saying is that the show is in desperate need of new direction, and it won't come under RTD.
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c-m-stuff · 2 years ago
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Wedding Ring
Spencer Reid x Female!Reader
-Description: You and Spencer are married. When you forgot to put your wedding ring back on, Spencer panicked.
-Warnings: Fluffiness, angst
-Word count: 656
-Note: It's finally summer vacation! I hope you are all enjoying the sun and this little story. Have fun! You deserve it! Also, thank you so much for 100 followers! It means a lot to me and to celebrate it, I made a summer party! Join here. :)
-Credits: @radiant-reid
-Tag list: @reid-ingandweeping
Masterlist
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Spencer's POV:
Fear was the first thing I felt when I came home to my wife, noticing she wasn't wearing our wedding ring. She always wears it, so why not now? Immediately my head was spinning with thousands of thoughts. Why isn't she wearing our wedding ring? Does she want to divorce? Did I do something wrong? Fell she out of love? How long is she feeling this way? Is there-
'Spence? Are you alright?' she pulled me out of my thoughts, or rather the chaos in my head, as I looked dumbfounded at her.
'Y-yeah.' I was quick in discarding my coat and satchel, walking towards the love of my life and giving her a quick pack on the lips, before disappearing into our shared bedroom.
I wasn't ready yet to confront her, wanting to clear everything out by myself first. Maybe I did do something that upset her? Or maybe she really fell out of love? This thought made me start to panic. I don't want to lose her. I can't lose her. A single tear, escaping my eye, as I heard a soft knock on the door.
'Spence? Can I come in?' It didn't take a profiler to hear the worry in her voice.
But yet, I couldn't answer. I was too busy keeping up with my own thoughts, it was like I couldn't do something else.
'I'm coming in.' and just like she said, she opened the door.
In the meanwhile, the panic and fear had set in so fiercely, that tears were now fully streaming down my cheeks. The moment (Y/N) saw me, she ran into my arms, hugging me tightly, while drawing circles on my back, in attempt to comfort me.
'Shhh, it's okay. Everything is okay now. You're safe, I'm here.'
I kept her in my arms for a few more minutes, before my tears finally lessened. I slowly pulled away, facing her worried figure. She took my hands in hers, rubbing them softly.
'What's wrong, love?'
I no longer was able to hold myself in. I needed to know. Knowing deeply that her answer could break down my whole world.
'Do you- do you want to divorce?' she looked at me with widen eyes, filled with disbelief and shock.
'Wh-what? No, no of course not! Why in the world would you think that?' relief flooded over my body, while releasing a sigh I didn't know I was holding.
'You're not wearing your wedding ring. You always wear your wedding ring.'
'No, no, honey. You completely misunderstood. When you went to see Ethan, I decided to do something I hadn't done in a while. Painting. I took the ring off because, knowing me, I can't paint without having my hands full of it. I just didn't want it to get dirty, and forgot putting it back on.' I began to relax more, hearing now the logical explanation, while feeling a little shame for getting to such a conclusion.
'It's right-' she disappeared out of the room for a moment, returning quickly back.
'here.' she continued, holding the ring and putting it back on.
'I'm sorry, I thought that. I just panicked because you never not wear it. I'm sorry.'
'It's alright, love. Don't worry about it. You just need to remember that I love you very much and that I am still happily married.' I felt her soft lips on mine, kissing me passionately. I kissed her back, both chuckling in the process.
'I love you. You are my whole world, you know that?'
'I do.' she smiled.
'As long as you know that you are my whole universe.'
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dailyhmsw · 5 months ago
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what are The Gang's thoughts on darrell? the Chicken.
mind and the chicken he Didn't Want...... why... does darrell almost remind him of heart? Feathers and Wings and all? how does he feel that They have a chicken of all things?
when did darrell even come into play? wwas the Chicken Always there? has Resident Heart ever seen darrell? what does heart think of a fellow Bird Thing.....
was darrell just found One Day and soul just Picked him up and decided he wanted that damn chicken? Is there a Story to Darrell?
how often do they Dress Darrell Up in stupid outfits this ones important
i have So Much to ask about your thoughts on these Creatures but don't want to bombard you :)
YAYAYAYAYAYYA DARRELL ASK I GETTO SHARE HEADCABNONS I WOULDNT SHARE OTHERWISE OKOKOK
SO outside of universe i know darrell's origins.. i actually read a fic once back when i was still new to the fandom about the Losers finding and getting used to darrell, wherein soul just. conjures him. which is really funny to think about and i adore that fic so much if i can remember the title i'll edit this post to add it
but something within me just REALLY wants an explanation that aligns with the rest of the story. there needs to be MEANING BEHIND THE CHICKEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and so i present you with this:
he is technically of soul's creation, coming from a want for comfort and unity. but soul didn't create him on purpose, he just came out of his room one day in the middle of the night to find a feathered ball waddling around the living room. darrell is very soft to the touch and unbothered by most things, and he's more than happy to be cuddled and touched for long periods of time. soul doesn't remember when he first saw darrell but it's been so long it's like he's always been here.
as i've shared before, my design for him is based on a barbu d'uccle.. he's a fat little brown chicken with little mottled spots and feathers covering his little feet...,, he's also a hen. he has laid. eggs. but hms don't really seem to care about that too much
the thing is that everyone loves darrell..,, he often gets referred to as "soul's chicken" but heart and mind love him just as much. he's almost a part of them in his own right; a little beacon of hope, as stupid as that might sound. his presence is designed to be comforting and warm, like he's meant to evoke a feeling of wholeness.....,, soul especially sees him and his brown, almost orange-y feathers and feels an odd connection.
BUTANNNYWAYS to answer the other questions!!!:
mind relates all things animal to heart so he was a little apprehensive of the chicken at first, and the reasoning soul gave for his existence (being a comfort animal of sorts) didn't make much sense to him.,, he came around because having a pet to take care of and nurture felt very good for him, and in exchange he gets to hang out with a creature that Isn't Bothersome [even though it's a chicken, a farm animal - why couldn't it have been a dog or something?]
heart LOVES darrell and he has since the start. he's a very tactile person so, if the chicken is near, he is PETTING thoise FEATHERS. and he does find a little comfort in the beloved pet sharing so many physical similarities with him. unfortunately heart has never seen him, but soul has described darrell to him many many times. he pictures him as a big fluffy brown chicken with dumb little curious eyes and huge wings like his own and he loves darrell so much.
amd OBVIOUSLY they dress him up in dumb outfits OOBBBVIOUSLY it is a pet owner's DUTY to do so at least once!!!! often for holidays and stuff they give him little hats yknow . it is Vital for their Harmonization.
tldr god they LOVE HIMMMM he's sweet he's comforting and he provides them with the motivation to take care of both him and themselves C: and his existence comes from a desire for harmony.. he's the only thing that they will always love together
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crustyfloor · 2 months ago
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From what I've seen most of the criticism of HyunA's character post-wiege (and the dynamic of HyuLuka as a whole, mostly consisting of comments over how her development and death turned her into a shallow character) comes from a misinterpretation of her character, although I know most concerns are valid and some I agree, I also feel like there is an equal amount of criticisms that are just plainly lacking nuance. Some people genuinely believe HyuLuka's relationship falls into the typical "Victim falls in love with their abuser" cliche and that's why it's bad, and if you understand what that entails, it's such a strange simplification of a complex dynamic, you don't have to like them romantically (I don't either, at least not in canon) or at all actually but the way people outright deny them as a pair denies HyunA and Luka their complexity, their stories are intertwined and aid in each-other's development as characters. Personally I see a lot of people that don't like HyunA's death because it feels as though it made her into a shallow character that just died so Luka could live and she was essentially used as a cheap plot device, but in my interpretation that couldn't be farther from the truth because that's what moving the story along meaningfully means and what I think throws people off is that she did it for Luka, all conflict and other factors aside, she died for Luka and that's the main problem here.
Some people say it's out of character and forced, but people also undermine HyunA's actual personality and character behind the face she shows us, and the rebellion, even though both sides of the same coin are reflected in All-in and Wiege. They want a revenge story from her and they want her to hate Luka completely but that's just not the person she is, it never was and I believe that reflects in her introspective pieces (Ex. Love&peace) but I understand why people resent or are disgusted by Luka, I'm interested in him as a character, but is he one I particularly like? Not really, but then they project that onto HyunA., The problem is that HyunA and Luka are still labeled as victim and abuser by the fandom, even if there was objectively a perpetrator and a victim, given what we're shown. The situation is still far more complex than even that. Luka should not be labeled as an abuser. It's simply a word with too much background in terms of the way we see it and implications that don't accurately apply to him. The way I see it, it's just ignorant to throw that term around, especially in this case
I think it would help a lot of people if they would acknowledge that the world of Alien stage is more fleshed out than it may appear, a lot of aspects and detail is put into account, and most importantly, it is not an excuse when in discussion people say that their environment shapes these characters, it is a fact and it is an explanation so that we can break it down and see the complexity, this nuance is reflected in their world, and in their dynamics with one another. Putting this bluntly, these characters are slaves in an oppressive hyper-capitalistic alien and dystopian universe, deprived of all bodily autonomy, family, moral code, humanity, name it. Everything and their existence pertains to their role as a product; it is not an exaggeration to say, the characters are different from us. They are just a step above feral children, and that's that. How in the world are we being so crass in handling these characters when it's like this .
CSA is complex, and a lot of people say this and seem to understand so it disappoints me when people go beyond criticizing Luka and straight up call him an abuser or vilify him when 1) he and HyunA were children, 2) Luka's complex and it was difficult for him to understand better given what I've said before, there are lore-centered reasons to explain this too, but that's how I think of it outside of that because it's mostly a morality issue when discussing HyuLuka, again it's to each their own this is just what I think. It's unthoughtful and stupid to go into discussions as delicate as this without an open mind and compassion, or going in expecting these characters to be upstanding members of society, and if they aren't, then they're evil and crooked. Even if you don't particularly care for that certain character, that's what interpreting media is all about. Seeing things from their perspective and as objectively as you can. The characters are the ones who have the right to their biases and whatnot, but viewers are supposed to look beyond that, yeah?
Some people were disappointed when HyunA didn't go through on what they thought she would do, when she wasn't the character they thought she was. Yes, she could've hated Luka, likely should've hated him, she would've been in the right by all means, I'm sure it's what I would've done had I been in her situation but I'm not, every person is different and not every person will process and go about things the same way, and a lot of people tend to think personally and project onto HyunA, people don't want to think outside the box and regard her as badly written when it comes to this very delicate part of their story because she doesn't apply to a certain criteria of what makes a victim in their minds, even though she is very a complex character.
I'm sure it's a puzzling way to see a character develop, to see a person regard someone who hurt them so much and caused so many scars with anything but vitriol, but I think HyunA offers a unique perspective by both hating Luka but understanding and loving Luka regardless, not just because of what he means to her but because she'd do that for anyone she cares about, she doesn't excuse him but she also doesn't villainize him, too many people undermine HyunA's strong and loving, caring nature and her unconditional love for humanity, even with its flaws, and not.
HyunA doesn't love Luka despite everything because she feels obligated or because it was forced for some ulterior motive. This feels most natural for her character, in fact. Because she's always been this type of woman, putting others before herself, being kind and compassionate, and endlessly loving, and that's always been a core aspect of her character, regardless of what she's been through, she doesn't forgive or forget what Luka did of course and she feels a lot for how difficult and strange this dynamic is, resentment and some parts disgust and that's a strong and good part of her character, but she can't help how she feels, she doesn't want to live in the past and live in hate, this is just her honest self
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her feelings and her love, and her perspective explain why she dies, and I believe it was meaningful to her character and to Luka's, all things considered. Yet people want to force her to just feel hatred, she should've let Luka get shot and die with no second thought, or it's a no-brainer that she's just badly written, Vivinos is endorsing abuse, etc. Even though I believe all that is very blatantly false, and there was a lot of thought put into this, more than I even considered tbh.
So you see, I just wanted to brainvomit a bit... I believe these dynamics should be discussed in more media. And it was a perfect opportunity to explore a relationship like HyunA and Luka's in an environment like Alien Stage's universe on Vivino's part, even in its subtlety. They fit seamlessly and sensibly there. More people must be able to think about these relationships thoroughly because what I see on twit is so unthoughtful and narrow-minded, and ignorant, and it's not like HyunA and Luka are the only characters like this that get pulled into some arguments because of it.
This discussion also applies to Ivan and Till's kiss scene. There is no denying it was SA, hard stop. (and I see too many people debating otherwise, like with the Karaoke scene too, like how do you confront people in real life with this mindset. I believe it's because Till, as a character and a victim, isn't treated as seriously or seen as such by some of the fandom, even though these scenes are very blunt. People don't tend to discuss it in good faith or ever at all, ) but there is a similar nuance to their situation, too. And neither character deserves to be rid of that because of what we may feel. Ivan isn't a villain; Ivan also isn't beyond criticism, but he has a background and complexity to provide nuance behind what he did, too. Luka isn't above criticism for also being a victim because he did twisted and bad things, yet he is also complex. None of the characters are above criticism, but there is nuance to everything, you get the gist... This is just what I think after some time to think about it. I don't like to see the representation and commentary on these topics that Alien stage has to offer being mishandled, so I try to think about it the best way I can
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darkacademicvibes · 3 months ago
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Glad You Came
Jason Todd x Female!Reader
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You're bored, so fucking bored that every time your best friend smiled at you from the dance floor, you fake a smile in return before going back to ignoring your date, talking about some important business deal you couldn't give less of a rats ass about if you tried. At least Ally was having a good time. You could've been at home writing your evaluation and explanation on why Byron's poetry was the most unromantic thing you've ever read (and you've read a thesis on WW2 soldiers), but the mayors daughter - your best friend - has such light green eyes that make the saddest puppy dog stare in the universe. So here you are, bored, and wishing for nothing more than that your date - you think his name it Nathaniel.. Nathan? Neil? - whatever his name may be, to suddenly turn sick and leave you to be miserable without a headache.
He coughs, and you startle, god - when did he stop talking? If he'd asked you something you were screwed- "so? what's your opinion?" he urges, and you pause. Did anyone say jinx? Someone should say jinx. That you're such a bore, I'm half tempted to find a spoon of peanut butter and lick it because i'd rather suffer an allergic reaction than continue talking to you. That's what I think. "I don't know" you admit, what was it your brother used to say? Tell your lie with half of the truth for better results? "It sounds like a bad deal for your company" you try, and he nods proudly. Thank fucking god - you do not want to deal with some nepo baby throwing a tantrum right now, you'd probably try jumping out a window.
"Exactly! Though my boss seems insistant that-"
"Shit, y/l/n? What are you doing here?" The familiar voice is a surprisingly - since every other time it has been grating and wrong about the following comment - welcome interuption.
You turn, "Jason Todd, who would've guessed?" you smile fakely, and your date frowns, glancing between you and the intimidating 6'1 man beside you, towering over your own 5'7 frame. In heels, you stand at 5'10.
Ha. Take that, mister 'Byron was a great, and so his poetry was good'.
"It's great to see you, here-" his hand slips around your waist, settling on your back to guide you away from Boring Mcboreface, "-let me get you a drink." He insists, and you follow, your date staying still in half surprise, half disapointment. "Todd-" he calls, Jason doesn't bat an eye.
"Since when are you mister charming?" You grumble, and he exhales a small huff of laughter.
"Since you looked like you were trying to fall asleep with your eyes open and solve the riddle 'what does a raven and a writing desk have in common?' at the same time" he drawls quietly, and the sound has your stomach tumbling. No, bad hormones. He's annoying.
"Because it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat, and it is never put with the wrong end in front" you mumble distractedly, your eyes sweeping over the dance floor; your shoulders relax when you see Ally still dancing with her boyfriend.
Jason snickers, "of course you know the answer" he retorts. Something hot rushes down your spine. Hurt. Anger, maybe? Embarassment?
"What's that supposed to mean?" you huff, and he raises a brow. "it means you're smart, dove, a know-it-all, relax" he muses, his hand dropping from your back. The absence of his warm palm makes you shiver, and his calloused fingers gently grasp your elbows, thwarting the blooming goosebumps. "Did you bring a coat?"
You did, but you left it in Allys car.
And he called you smart, damn it.
"No." You decide not to add insult to injury by adding the second half of that sentence, his usual 'of-course-not,-because-that-would-be-smart' eyeroll already offending enough. Jerk.
He frowns, it looks more like an insulted scowl. The scar that flecks just under his right eye, maybe the length of your pinky nail - unnoticable unless you bother to pay attention, not that you are at all, obviously - only adds to the fustration in his pretty juniper green eyes.
Warmth drapes around your shoulders, and heat floods you face as you realize that he'd shrugged off his own tux coat, and was now rolling up the sleeves of his black button up like he didn't know it would make every girl drool.
You gently tug the tux coat a little tighter around your shoulders.
"You do realize-"
"Shut up, c'mere. You owe me one for saving you from that nimrod, Nicholas.."
You knew it started with N!
"And I'm cashing in, so please- please.. don't prove this shitweasel right" he groans softly, his arm draping over your shoulders as a tall boy with black hair and a rather devious grin makes his way over.
"Jay-bird-"
"Don't call me that."
"I didn't think you'd actually bring a date-"
"Thanks for the vote in confidence."
"Let alone one as pretty as her-"
"Hands off, Dick."
"Testy, did you have another one of those monster drinks again? You know how they make you-"
"I had to write a thesis, and it was one time, let it go!"
"Can't, won't, shan't, anyway-"
"God, I hate you."
"You love ne really. Now would you have some manners- some common decency, and introduce me to the gorgeous lady beneath your arm?"
Jason glares harder. "Hm. No."
God, you felt like you had whiplash around these two and it's been less than a minute. Though, at least now you can rest assured that Jason Todd's dry, sarcastic fuck-you-and-all-your-opinions tone isn't reserved especially for you, but supposedly this man too! For a moment, you wonder if you could convince the man to help you craft a discreet potato launcher to use against Todd from the very fancy buffet table.
"Wow, jay-bird, I can't believe you'd be so cruel-"
"I said don't call me that"
Jason's fingers toy absently with the ends of your hair, sitting around your shoulders more relaxed than he sounded. The man's eyes catch the action and he pauses, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Okay, fine, I'd say I'm sorry but we both know I'm not. Seriously though, Jay, who's she?" He muses lightly, and Jason sighs, sending you a discreet pleading glance.
"This is my date, Y/n, she's.. we have a-"
The man seems delighted, offering her his hand.
"Shit, the y/n? That.. I wasn't expecting. He was right though, you really are pretty. How did you find that thesis last week? I know Jason has some trouble starting it- I can't believe you're actually in his historical literature class, you look like a business major to me." He seems to ramble a little, but you don't mind, after all, Jason struggled with the thesis last week, and that fact alone filled you with a filthy amount of joy.
You know your professor says take pity on the struggles of others, but Jason's struggles made your life so much sweeter.
Besides, now you at least know what the hell he'd been talking about. Cashing in a favour your ass, he just tosses you into the deepest end of the deepest pool in the world.
"Mhm, it was okay, but I edited it.. four? Times" you hum.
"Edit is how you improve" a casual voice grumbles, appearing beside the blue-eyed man. "Hey. I'm Tim" he nods his head, a casual bro-nod that you'd never really understood what had happened for such a motion to come about, but honestly you didn't care.
"Y/n, his date" apparently.
You dig your fingers into Jason's side as you say it - keeping the second part to yourself - and he winces, shooting you a glare. "Oi."
The first man grins, "Dick Grayson, pleasure to meet you" and his name startled you so much as you remember Jason's earlier comment.
"Oh, Dick is your name? I just thought he was a fucking asshole-" fingers pinch your hip meanly as you inhale sharply, "but he kind of always is, I mean, not to me at least. Thank god."
The lie slips out far to easily for how big it actually is.
Dick chuckles, nodding.
Jason send you a sharp glance as Dick and Tim casually chat, and you shrug, sending him a puzzled glare. It goes on for a while until you end up making stupid faces at each other, and a teenager clears his throat, appearing even more judgy than Jason is, and - feeling particularly scolded for a reason you aren't entirely sure of - you quickly look down at your heels, embarrassed.
Jason chuckles quietly.
You swiftly nudge your elbow into his ribs.
"I see Todd has found an adequate romantic match for himself" the boys voice grumbles. "Damian Wayne." He states, as way of introduction.
"I'm sorry, Jason? Romantic match? Who are we talking about?" Bruce Wayne wanders over and Jason looks up at the high ceiling, cursing softly.
"Okay- no, don't.. don't scare her off, you assholes, go away" he snaps, his fingers catching your waist as he tugs you against his side gently.
"D'you need a drink, love?" He grumbles, tense, and something gooey and sympathetic tugs at your spine.
"Sure" you mumble softly, following his lead with a sheepish smile to his family.
"Since when do you have brothers?"
And he pauses, tilting his head.
"Since I was nine, but Dick was already at university, so he's kind of just the annoying guy that hangs around. Damians my little brother, I knew him when he was a baby, and then I came home and after a few years his mother dropped him off with Bruce- some.. uh... custody thing, I think" he breathes, ordering a sinple beer and champagne, handing you the flute as he uncaps his beer with his thumb.
You hum, sipping the champagne tentatively before screwing up your nose and deciding that if you ever had to drink the bubbly liquid or eat one of jokers bombs, you'd text your lawyer and tell her to give your cat to the most animal-kind person she could find, lest she wanted to deal with you haunting her and the person your cat had been given to.
Jason laughs at you, his palm settling on your back to pull you closer, standing nearly chest-to-chest with him as he places the fancy flute of champagne back on the bar, offering you his beer silently. You comply and take a sip before he takes the bottle back, and a part of you aches for the cheap boxed wine you have in the bottom of your mini fridge in your dorm.
"Better?" He teases, and if you didn't know better, you'd think the way his thumb began to stroke along your lower back was supposed to make your stomach flutter.
You hum, pulling away, "I have to find Ally" she murmurs, and he nods stiffly.
"Heading home?" He murmurs, his voice low and warm against your ear, you nod, eyes skating over the room to try to find your best friend.
"She left before Bruce made his way over, probably screwing in the bathroom, but I can give you a ride" he mutters.
Something uncomfortable sits in your stomach, Ally wouldn't... right?
Except that she absolutely would, not without sending you a text but- oh.
Sorry hon, find another ride home? I'll come over tomorrow night and bring your favs, I'm sorry. Love you. BTW! Saw you with Todd, keeping secrets? HOTTT🔥
You sigh, and Jason chuckles, reading the text. You tuck your phone away, shooting him a glare.
"Could you please... give me a ride?" The notion of asking such an asshole for help almost makes you feel sick, but that small, cheeky smile is so... cute.
You didn't think he could ever be cute.
A pleasant surprise, nothing more.
In fact, hardly pleasant.
The warmth in your chest be damned.
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slasherx · 1 year ago
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Gurl you write so fast like a Machine 😂, I wish I could write like that, and also good luck with your finals!
Can I do a request for A Micheal Myers with a childhood crush (female) like as a kid Michael had a crush on the reader but like after he killed they were separated for years but them micheal broke out and came across the reader all grown up if you can!
Also can you do Rz Michael, he's my favorite
Lol thats cause I have the motivation to write about slashers rn. And thank you! I got a 94% on one of them, but I won't get my final grade on the other one for a bit. I hope I pass.
Content: Michael Myers x fem!Reader
Warnings: Canon-typical violence, obsessive love
Notes: Even though the gif is peepaw Myers, this takes place in the RZ universe
• ───────────────── •
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Michael was put away in the asylum when he was ten. Before he made a vow to never speak again, he kept asking his mother and Dr. Loomis where you were, and if you could come visit him. His mother promised to talk to your parents about it, but that she couldn't guarantee you could come see him.
And so she did. She tried talking to your parents, but your parents wanted you nowhere near that monster of a child. They outright refused her on numerous occasions, even when Michael's mother pleaded with them on her knees at their front door.
When she broke the news to Michael that you wouldn't be seeing him, Michael lost it. He could feel something in his head snap, the same way it snapped when bullies would hurt you or him. Or the same way he felt himself snap that Halloween night.
He managed to keep it cool until Dr. Loomis and his mother left, but when they sent in that nurse to watch him until they could escort him to his room, he couldn't hold it in any longer. He took his plastic fork and jammed it into her throat, cutting her scream short. He was angry. Why wouldn't you come see him? Why? Why, why, why? He didn't understand...he thought you were best friends.
• ───────────────── •
Eight years after that day, he had a visitor that wasn't Dr. Loomis. He had known his mother killed herself, his sister was dead, and Boo was probably far away in the foster care system, so he had hoped it was you.
When they sat him in the room, he had felt anxious for the first time in years. Had you changed like he had? Did you grow out your hair like him? Grown taller like him? He kept a mask on, one he made in rememberance of you. It was just your favorite color all over it.
Finally, you walked in and sat down across from Michael. A couple guards stood at the door, in case Michael tried to leap at you regardless of his cuffs chaining him to the table. He was breathing heavily - you had changed.
You had grown taller, but you remained shorter than him. Now at eighteen, you seemed very mature for your age, and Michael wanted to leap across the table at you, but not to kill you.
"Hi Michael. My parents don't know I'm here. I just...came to provide an explanation, since I feel you deserve one." You spoke, hands in your lap. "Your mother begged my parents to let me see you on many occasions, and each time they told her no. I remember one time she cried and got on her knees to beg my mother, but she just shut the door in her face."
Michael listened, quiet as ever. He was just happy to see you in front of him again. He was also surprised that Dr. Loomis wasn't here to supervise this meeting.
"And I want you to know that Dr. Loomis has contacted me since I turned eighteen, and we've spoken about you a couple of times. He told me you don't speak anymore, and that you killed a nurse while being in here." You decided it was now or never to try and break his vow of silence. "Is...is that true, Michael?"
Michael wanted to break his silence, but he knew Loomis would be on his ass if he did. So all he did was nod his head yes.
You seemed to shift uncomfortably. Your breathing increased, and he could tell you were scared. This saddened him - he didn't want you to be scared of him, he wanted you to love him. You two were attached to each other as children, why would a few murders make this any different?
"I...think I better go before my parents realize I'm not at my friends house." You started to get up, when Michael launched at you and grabbed your wrist, straining the cuffs on him.
He held you hard, and you could see the desperation in his eyes. He was all alone here. But he still killed those people, and if you weren't careful, you'd be next. The guards moved forward and forced Michael back, and a few more people rushed into the room. One rushed to you and put his hands on your shoulders.
"Ma'am, ma'am, are you alright?" The man asked.
You nodded. "Yeah, thank you." It was too fast for you to process it, but Michael was staring at you. "Please, take me out of here."
• ───────────────── •
Now outside, you saw Dr. Loomis by your car. He was pacing, clearly nervous about your meeting with Michael. Then when he saw you approach, he waved to you.
"How did it go?"
"Please don't talk to me. I shouldn't have come here." You responded shakily.
"What happened in there? Did he break his silence?"
"No, but he fucking grabbed me! Who knows what else he would have done if the guards hadn't been there?! I was crazy to even come here." You opened your car door and got inside.
"Please, wait, (Y/n). You don't know how much you mean to Michael, I-"
"Save it, Dr. Loomis. I'm going home. Stop calling me." You started up your car and peeled out of the parking lot. Memories of you and Michael as kids began to race through your head and you began to cry. How did it come to this...?
• ───────────────── •
Seven more years went by. Seven more years where Michael didn't see you. Seven more angry years. But now, it was different. Michael was standing in front of your house.
He was different now. He was more built, even taller, and his hair was even longer. You used to comment on his long hair as a kid, it was one of the reasons he kept it so long in the first place.
He could see you through the window. You lived alone now, just down the street from your childhood home. He was content watching you through the window. You were preparing dinner, when you suddenly got a call. He decided now was the time to enter your home.
Moving around to the back door, he began to pick the lock.
"Hello?" You picked up your phone.
With a click, he was in.
"(Y/n)! You need to listen to me-" Dr. Loomis practically shouted on the other line.
Michael slowly opened the door.
"Save it, Dr. Loomis. I told you to stop calling me." You were about to hang up.
Michael made his way to your living room, right next to your kitchen.
"He's escaped! Michael has escaped!"
"What?" You spoke, shock and fear tearing through your system. You put a hand over your mouth, and looked up through your window, but you saw a figure behind you.
"You're not safe! Flee Haddonfield!" Dr. Loomis begged.
You spun around to see a large man with a knife glistening in his hand. He had a white mask on, blonde hair poking out underneath it. You didn't need him to take off the mask to see who it was. Your fear skyrocketed as you thought he was going to kill you.
"Michael...?" You spoke, slowly lowering the phone and ignoring Dr. Loomis' pleas.
Michael moved towards you. He finally had you now, and he would never let you go again. He was yours, and you will be his.
• ───────────────── •
Here's my masterlist, in case you like what you see and want to request more!
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hoonvrs · 1 year ago
Text
REWIND — p. sunghoon
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PAIRING sunghoon x gnr
DESC. break ups were never easy, especially with your first love. after some time, moving on became easier.
GENRE angst, is this considered hurt no comfort??
WARNING break up, moving on
W. COUNT 0.6k
S. NOTES i love angst so much
FOR. 1/2 jangkku ( @okwonyo ) celestial ballet event!
— rewind by twice
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i don't want to know how you're doing.
it's so strange how someone i used to care so much about became a stranger to me so suddenly. the days i spent worrying if you had eaten, if you had gotten enough rest, if you were taking care of yourself in between your training.
now, i'm not curious about you.
as irresistible as it was back then to search your name, and catch up to what you're up to, now i don't care enough to even think about you anymore.
i couldn't help but hate you back then. you took away me who was so beautiful, the one who used to love with her whole heart. the one whose heart couldn’t tell the difference between love and you.
loving you felt so easy that even the thought of losing you back then would feel as if my heart was ripped out of my chest and thrown against the wall like it meant nothing.
so why was our breakup so easy for you?
after everything i did for you, why did it seem so simple to leave me behind like that? the one who went to all of your skating events and even your training? the one who supported your decision to become an idol long before anyone did. did my sleepless nights reassuring you amount to something that meant nothing to you?
did the times id leave anything and anyone behind just for you amount to nothing in the end?
our relationship wasn't as beautiful as the movies, but it was perfect to me. it might've been the ordinary love that every couple experienced but it was different because it was ours.
did i not even deserve the truth that you were joining some survival show to debut, after telling me every little secret about yourself was achieving your dream so precious you couldn't even think to share it with me? 
back then i'd tell myself that it was your agency that caused our separation, but then i remember how empty your eyes looked when you told me it was over. no explanation, only to see your face plastered on a tv screen a week later.
i hoped you were maybe going through what i was going through. barely eating as the taste of my tears on my tongue seemed to fill my appetite, the salty taste becoming so familiar i almost forgot what it tasted like without it. 
but you seemed so happy. laughing with all the others, singing and dancing without a care in the world as if i never existed. like you beginning was in the building and not with me.
funnily enough, i do thank you in some way. your indifference snapped me out of my love haze and turned my sadness into anger.
why did you get to be happy? what about my dreams?
so i found friends that loved me, i even started seeing someone briefly.
got into my dream university, studying what i love.
and i partially thank you for it.
i'll continue to create new memories and experience things i deprived myself of in the name of loving you until you completely fade away. 
keep you in the past and make sure you never touch my present.
prove to the younger me who was so full of love that my world didn't revolve around you, that my life continued and will continue without you. that i know a love that isn’t tainted with your name. that one day if the information that you were struggling found me, i'd be able to sleep comfortably knowing you are not mine to worry about anymore.
park sunghoon. even if i could rewind time and try to make you love me longer, the much more beautiful me now has no interest in you anymore.
you may have had my love once before, but you will never get it again.
you will never take away my beauty ever again.
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