#so im basing that on the two chase scenes we saw
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fuck-off-im-ace · 2 years ago
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The last of us came up with the perfect answer to the "ideal zombie speed" debate by making their zombies so fucking fast that they just cant turn a corner. Thrilling, captivating, want more of these speedy guys.
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crystalninjaphoenix · 4 months ago
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It's ask time Yippeeeeeeeeee.
I caught up on FM and boy am I happy I did read them. Im so hyped for the new chapter ^w^ Now onto the questions!
Chapter 38: what's with chase his stomach? What did The king do? Will be he alright? I have a feeling the wound will stay And appear the next time he as a new dream
Chapter 39: I actually first thought the singing were sirens. The ones were Henrik got lured
Chapter 40: what made Jair be sleepy? Will we see more of those creatures? Also you made me emotional 🥹 I started crying when. You wrote the part so perfectly where Jair saw his family, I definitely would have just walked with them. /pos
And! The Enfields can I hug them 🥺 They seem fluffy
I think that's all I wanna say.
Eat and drink something 💙
This boyo here can't wait for the new Chapter AAAAA
Hey Hunter! Always good to see you! :D
For the first question, I assume you meant about what happened in the dream world? My idea was that Chase got stabbed and that caused him to wake up. He doesn't have a wound in real life, but he did feel the pain last a bit longer even after he woke up. I wasn't planning on letting the wound last into the next time he had the dream, but that's a good idea! :)c
As for the singing from the mystery party that lured Henrik and Chase, I don't blame you for thinking of sirens XD Pop culture has sort of led everyone to think of them first when magical hypnotizing creatures are mentioned. I actually took inspiration for that scene from another scene in The Hobbit--the book, not the movies XD. There's a scene where the characters are wandering through the woods and they see a party of elves, but once they get close the party moves. The party in Fantasy Masks wasn't real, but hey, there's a fun fact about my inspiration for you!
Thank you, I tried to make the ghost procession emotional! I wasn't sure how successful I was tho fhsjak But it turns out I did a good job. As for the creature that made Jair sleepy, I imagined it as some little trickster creature of some sort. Maybe like a tiny gnome or goblin. I didn't come up with much besides that. We probably won't see any of the creatures from the Wyldwood again, as I want to keep them in there to make the Wyldwood seem very strange compared to the rest of the kingdom. Honestly these past two chapters have just been me being like "yeah that's weird and magical, throw it in here" JHFDKLASH
Fun fact! Enfields are creatures that first showed up on heraldry! You know, family crests and stuff. Huffle introduced me to them and I immediately fell in love XD They're great fantasy creatures, but I imagine they're not too safe because they're based on wild foxes. Friendly, but can be dangerous if provoked.
I'll eat and drink something right now, thank you! You take care of yourself too <3
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miyagihawk · 3 years ago
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“into it; chase atlantic (this song reminds me so much of hawk it’s ridiculous, it gives me spicy fanfic vibes and idk how spicy you write but if you were comfortable with spice then this would be perfect for that)”
ty for requesting!!!
into it | eli moskowitz/ hawk x fem reader 
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warnings: explicit!!! 18+ content!!! pure filth and smut lol and swearing too, drug use
summary: based on “into it” by chase atlantic
this takes place in college :) also im quite innocent so if anything is wrong just know that ive never experienced anything in this lmao
The weather's only sunny when I'm under it
And I haven't really changed, yeah I'm just confident
You watched from the across the room as he inhaled the line of white powder, a hand plugging one side of his nose and another holding a rolled up dollar bill.
If someone told you three months ago that the nerdy Eli Moskowitz from your Chemistry class would be snorting a line at a party, adorning a dyed mohawk, you could’ve never even imagined it.
But here he was, and honestly you were really fucking into it.
These girls they come and go between my bedsheets
And I've been doing blue and causing big scenes, yeah
Hawk had a reputation of having a new girl every night; the gossip had been that he’s never called one back for round two. Some may call him a womanizer, but maybe that was what he wanted. Girls fell at his feet anyway, wanting to be part of his long list of one night stands.
The truth is, you’ve already spent a night with him.
It started with some shameless flirting and you already knew the direction it was headed. He asked you back to his place, and out of half curiosity half lust, you agreed.
And after that night, Hawk was all you could think about.
It could be because he was good. Really good. But maybe you also loved a challenge. Knowing it was a one time thing left you wanting more, so that was why you were here tonight.
You were going to be the first girl to be taken home by Hawk twice.
Pull up and I'm higher than the big trees, yeah
She don't really like it but she needs me, yeah
She saying she don't really miss me
But fuck it, now I'm faded after all things, yeah
You walked over to where he sat with his head leaned back, basking in the snow high. His intense eyes seemed to stare you down as you approached, and you thought you saw a twinge of curiosity in them.
“Hawk,” you greeted, downing the rest of your liquor for some bravery.
“Y/N,” your name rolled off his tongue sweetly, and you internally cussed at yourself for feeling tingly already.
“I’ll sit here,” you said. You snuggled up close to him, and with one arm behind his head resting on the couch.
His eyebrow quirked at your closeness. “And what are you doing?”
You played with the hair at the nape of his neck, tracing a finger around his shoulder. He pretended not to notice and looked at you in amusement.
“I’m trying to get you to take me home with you,” you said bluntly. You blame the alcohol.
He chuckled at your straightforwardness. “Haven’t we had our time together?”
You imagined him running through a mental checklist of names, looking for yours, then seeing a line through it.
“I was hoping you forgot so we could do it again.”
Say she wanna fuck me later
Girl, I'm into it, I'm into it, I'm into it
Hawk tapped at his lip, fighting a smile. “Now how could I forget you.”
“So I’m memorable?” you said. You continued tracing his shoulder, before venturing up to his jawline. His eyes fluttered, and the reaction made you feel pleased.
“Of course, what if I told you that you were the best?” he professed, bringing heat to your cheeks.
“I’d think you were trying to flatter me.”
His blue dilated eyes scanned you for a second. “Is it working?”
You let out a laugh, “I’d say so.”
He smiled, genuinely, and you found yourself wanting to take a picture to keep forever.
“Well I’m not lying. You were the best. But that was just for me,” Hawk mused. For some reason, he seemed a bit nervous waiting for your reaction.
You found it hard to believe, but you let yourself be elated by what felt like the most meaningful compliment that could come from him.
“It was good,” you shrugged nonchalantly, “but we could do better. How about tonight?”
After a moment of silence between you both, the red haired boy broke into a fit of laughs. You watched in enjoyment at the way his whole body was in it, and how it was your doing.
He recovered, looking at you with a lingering hint of a smile. “You are just too smooth Y/L/N. Too smooth.”
“That sounded like a yes,” you leaned in closer.
To your delight, Hawk stood up with a hand reached out to you.
-
You two wasted no time, hungrily grasping at each other to remove articles of clothing.
He stopped the heavy make-out to look you up and down. Taking you in, he whistled playfully, before pushing you onto his bed with a hand wrapped around your throat.
You felt his tongue at your neck along with teeth, sure to make a mark for you to deal with the next day. You pulled him back up to your lips, slipping in your tongue to meet with his.
A moan escaped you as his hand massaged your breast and he squeezed your nipple, sending shivers through your entire body.
“Want me down there?” Hawk said into your mouth, and he took your shy smile as a green light.
His pretty lips trailed kisses down your chest, swirling his tongue around your nipple, then running his hands up and down your stomach.
He teased you with soft bites around your thighs, purposefully avoiding your sensitive heat. It made you antsier by the second.
When you couldn’t take it anymore, you reached down to touch yourself. But he grabbed your wrist before you could ease the unbearable desire.“Patience, sweetheart.”
“Just do it already,” you groaned, reaching to push his head down towards the spot you wanted.
He chuckled at your urgency, but finally gave in to your plead.
Hawk placed his tongue flat on your clit, sending electric pulses throughout your body. You moaned his name, making him harder than he already was.
“So wet. Did I do this?” he smirked up at you, before returning to your heat.
He lapped at your walls, pressing down on your clit with his thumb. You writhed in pleasure, making him have to steady your hipbone with his other hand.
He added a finger into your pussy, and it eased in with your wetness. Meanwhile, his tongue played with your sensitive bud and he added in another finger. You felt your high coming in as he curled up his fingers to meet your G spot.
“I’m- I’m almost-“ you breathed, suddenly feeling the overwhelming build up as Hawk’s fingers thrusted into you harder and his mouth moved faster.
He wrapped his arms around your legs to keep you still as you reached your high, and his tongue showed no mercy while you twitched in pleasure. As you rode it out, he placed soft kisses on your thighs, before moving up to put his lips on yours. “Good girl.”
“I think you need some help there,” you looked down at his swollen cock, pressing against his stomach pitifully.
“It hurts,” Hawk pouted, making you giggle.
You pushed him on his back and kneeled on your legs. You admired how defined his jawline looked from your view and you ran your hands up and down his sculpted abs.
He watched you with lustful eyes as you pressed a light kiss to his length. “Hey, no teasing.”
“Consider this karma,” you batted your eyelashes up at him.
With the tip of your tongue, you lightly trailed up his dick, leaving a little swirl at the top. He twitched, and a bead of pre cum dripped out of his tip.
You continued your teasing, feeling a warm ache in your belly at the way he grew frustrated.
When it seemed like he was at point of yelling at you, you took him into your mouth. He cursed in pleasure at the sight of your pink lips around him, bobbing up and down so slowly. You felt his fingers tangle up in your hair, tugging gently.
Suddenly you picked up your speed, and you watched his eyes struggle to remain open to watch your every move. “Fuck, Y/N,” Hawk groaned, pulling at your roots harder.
You hummed and the vibrations of your mouth ended him. Swallowing his cum, you felt wet at the sight of him undone in front of you. The tightening in your core longed for more. You gave his length one last kiss before licking up his body to meet his lips.
“God, you’re trying to kill me”, he said into your ear. You straddled his waist while laying on his chest and you felt him starting to get hard again underneath you. His hands went to your ass as you sucked at his neck; you hoped to give him a mark that matched yours.
You gasped when he suddenly moved your ass to make your core grind against his dick. The ridge of his tip brushing your clit caused your breath to hitch with excitement.
The rush impulsed you to take control and move his hands to your breasts. A hint of a smile took over his face when you rocked yourself on his shaft, up and down. He was fully erect again and you covered him in your slick wetness. Squeezing your breasts, you sighed in delight.
Then you took a pause, giving him a look that said, “Are you ready?”
“Go ahead princess,” Hawk said breathlessly, as he watched you position his dick at your entrance.
He loved to see you in control, the way your hands leaned on his stomach. The way your eyes rolled back as you took him in, so so deep. It was the hottest thing he’d ever seen.
Once he was all the way in, you stopped to let yourself adjust to his size and to bask in the feeling of his fullness.
Your breath picked up as you started to get into a rhythm of moving your hips. Hawk watched you carefully, using his thumb to massage your clit. When you clenched your walls around him, he let out a satisfying moan, which only made you pick up the pace.
He watched with low eyelids as you bounced on him and the view of your tits only pushed him further to the edge.
It felt so full and hot and so good. You knew your release was coming when the corners of your vision were turning black, and you knew he was also close from the twitching of his length inside you.
For the last few seconds, you went down hard, making the both of you curse in pleasure. You squeezed your walls around his cock at the end, sending you both into your second orgasms.
The warm feeling of his cum filled you and added to the haze of your release. You felt Hawk pull you to his chest where you felt the rise and fall of his shallow breaths.
You laid on him, his arms around your waist and his dick still deep in you. He kissed your hair sweetly, eliciting a satisfied smile from you.
“What did I tell you? The best,” his low voice spoke into your skin while he ran his finger through your strands.
You looked up at his face, and to his embarrassment he was starting to get hard again, just from the view of you innocently gazing at him through your eyelashes. An uncharacteristic blush spread across his freckled cheeks as you slyly smiled; you felt it.
“It was good… but we could do better,” you teased, mirroring your words from earlier.
Hawk traced your lip with his thumb, then tilted your chin up to slide his tongue into your mouth. “How about tomorrow night?”
-
a/n:
so… how are we doing… ahh i feel so dirty now but what did you guys think?!?! this is only my third time writing smut, i hope the pacing and descriptions are okay
also i literally wrote another hawk fic but i deleted it because im so stupid!!! it took me like 4 hours too :(
anyways im not sure if im back to writing, i was kind of just bored, but yall can send me requests! i can’t guarantee ill write it but if it’s something i feel like i can do a lot with then i will :)
tysm for reading!!! i love u, be kind, be happy
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technowoah · 3 years ago
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Wait imagine a fic where Jack and the reader are long distance or something and when Tubbo and Tommy are doing the man hunt irl the reader surprises Jack.
That would be cute I think 🤔
Just One Livestream
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You surprise Jack with a spontaneous visit to the UK, little did you know that they were livestreaming.
- Jack Manifold x gen neutral!reader
- Anon Requested!
⚠︎ swearing, fluff!, not proofread
an// I hope yall enjoy! Much love! And sorry it came out so late I have no inspiration rn but imma get it done! Also I used the difference of American hours to London hours so sorry of
Navigation!
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"Love, why are you up early?" Jack asked through the phone.
You two were facetiming eachother as he propped his phone up on his dashboard while he started to drive. It was around 1 am for you and 6 am for Jack. Sadly you two were in a long distance relationship. You had met Jack when you were on a college trip to London to study abroad for 3 weeks. You were sad that you had to leave your home country, but this was a opportunity you couldn't oppose.
During this trip you had found a cafe that you would go to often. The first time you sat at the cafe alone you always noticed it was only you and this other man in the cafe. He was always on his computer and sat by a window, he always came early too, even earlier than you. As the days went on you continued to see him around more and he seemed to notice you as well. You made a note to yourself to always try and show up a tad bit earlier to the cafe to stay around the same time as he did.
You two got to know eachother throughout the three weeks you had to stay in London. The small nods became hellos, and the hellos turned into full on conversation by the window. He had told you his name was Jack Manifold and was kind of surprised when you didn't immediately know who he was. To him it was refreshing not to be immediately noticed based on his appearance. You both had exchanged numbers one day and after each morning you two would text non stop even during your classes. Luckily trying to get to know Jack changed your sleep schedule and because of that you always made it to class on time.
Jack was such an amazing guy to you, but during the first week you had developed a small crush on the man, and he had developed a crush on you too. The second week you two had ventured out onto different territory than the cafe. Jack started to call those small outings after class, dates and you weren't opposed to the dates at all you loved them. The second and third week were mostly dates and the night before you left he asked to be your boyfriend and of course you accepted not knowing the pain of a long distance relationship.
You had to answer his question on why you were up so early. "Yeah- Um, Im up because of you." You chuckled. "You changed my sleep schedule ever since I met you."
"Well you're welcome, because before me I heard you were missing classes." Jack payed attention to the road but still talked to you.
"Because I told you! And I am grateful, but there is nothing to do at one am here." You sighed while you started to walk around your room as you lied to him.
Jack was talking to you while you did a clean sweep around your house to check if you had everything for your trip.
Two weeks ago you had decided to pack your bags and take a trip back to London. Right now your flight will be leaving early in the morning and that's why you are up so early.
You wanted to surprise Jack instead of straight up telling him that you will be in the country. You missed him dearly, and this will be a great way to spend time together instead of seeing eachother across a screen. One of you had to make that sacrafice and that would be you.
While Jack continued to talk you checked everywhere to make sure you arent leaving anything behind.
"What are you doing, darling?" Jack asked and that snapped you out of your trance. "Are you even listening to me? Im hurt." Jack faked being hurt.
You smiled at him and shook your head. "Im sorry I wasn't listening. What were you saying?"
"I was saying, when you were ignoring me, that I'm going to the cafe right now and that we should plan a trip soon. I miss you." Jack confessed and you awed.
"I miss you too Jack! I hopw we can see each other soon." You tried to contain your smile as you hid your surprise.
"Me too."
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Your plane finally landed as you let out a sigh of relief. You had collected all of your shit fast so you could finally get off of that horrible plane. Every stereotypical airplane scene happened to you in the hours you were on that plane. You had a child crying behind you with a mother who couldn't keep that child calm, you were sat next to a man who snored the whole ride here and you just felt cramped.
Sadly you couldn't return any of Jack's messages or calls that you saw when you were in the airplane terminal. You tried calling him twice but they both went to voicemail while you rolled your bag through the huge building. Finding yourself outside you ordered an Uber and once you did that your phone began to ring showing Jack's name and picture of you two together on the screen.
You quickly answered the phone. "Hey!"
"Hi!" Jack chuckled. "I called like, 17 times!"
"I know! Im sorry. I was busy." You weren't lying getting a plane and basically leaving early in the morning and arriving in the afternoon in London. "So, what are you doing today?"
"I am hanging out with Tommy and Tubbo at the park! Im picking them up now!" Jack responded and you heard him close his car door.
"Which park?" You asked quickly as you saw your Uber arrive.
Jack started to laugh. "Uh I'll text you the park I guess. Why would you want to know?"
"No reason! I just want to make sure you are safe. Dont make me call 999." You tried to joke around and take the attention off of your question.
"I cant believe you still remember 999." Jack laughed.
"I still do!" You said as you got inside your Uber and gave the driver the directions to your hotel forgetting that Jack was on the other line.
"Wait hotel?" Jack questioned through the phone.
"Hotel? What are you talking about?" You acted oblivious.
"I- I thought you were talking about a hotel." Jack hesitated.
"No!" You tried to cover up your mistake.
"Well Im going to pick up Tommy soon. I'll talk to you later okay? Answer my calls this time!" Jack chuckled.
"I definitely will!"
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You had recived the name of the park you were surprising Jack at. You began to walk around the parking lot after you got dropped off and noticed his car sitting there. There were tons of people at the park today and you didn't know where he would be. As you walked on the dirt trails of the park your thoughts took over, what if you made a mistake and should've told Jack that you were here in London and wanted to meet up at the cafe?
You looked at people as they passed by you ok the trail wishing that you had that energy that you had before, thinking that you would find Jack easily when in reality you were in a busy part of the park and he could be anywhere.
When you thought all hope was lost you heard some loud voices on the trail to your right. You were already walking aimlessly through the park and your first instinct was to go left and walk away from the loud voices, but then you heard something.
"Tommy this was a bad idea!"
"I dont think it was!"
You stood in the "intersection" of the dirt trails thinking that you heard those voices right. You rounded the corner and followed right to see Tommy and Jack doubled over, out of breath while Tubbo was still standing up breathing heavily. There were far away from you, but not far away that you couldn't see them clearly.
You began to call out to them. "Tommy! Jack! Tub-"
They quickly turned around and took off running. Confused on why they were doing that you took off running after them trying to tell them to stop. They were yelling and you were yelling and getting weird glances from stangers, and you dont blame them. You're chasing after your boyfriend and his two friends in a quiet public park. You continued to hear their groans of tiredness and their speed started to slow down.
"Jack! Tommy! Wait up!" You yelled out of breath as you slowed down as well.
"We give up! We give up!" Tubbo yelled and came to a complete stop while trying to catch his breath. He turned around to finally face you. "Y/N?!"
"Wait what?!"
"You're here?!" Jack ran up to you and gave you a bone crushing hug, rocking you two back and forth.
"I am! And Im our of breath thanks to you three." You said while still hugging Jack.
"M'sorry I thought you were a fan and I took off and they followed suit I guess." Tommy rubbed his forehead.
"A fan?" You questioned and Tommy and Tubbo lifted their phones up gesturing that they were recording.
"We're doing manhunt in real life, darling." Jack kissed your temple and wrapped his arn around your waist, holding you tight.
"Next time look before you run okay." You smiled still out of breath while kissing Jack's cheek.
"Enough with the PDA!" Tubbo yelled still recording you two.
"We havent even started!" Jack yelled back giving you a huge hug. Jack closed the distance between you two and gave you a passionate kiss on the lips while the two boys groaned in disgust.
"I think that's enough streaming for today boys." Tommy sighed.
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"Sorry again, love. That won't happen again."
You and Jack walked hand in hand down the streets of London. People had to walk around you two because you were basically taking up the whole sidewalk and you weren't letting go of his hand anytime soon.
"It better not! I dont want to run after you again." You smiled as you bumped shoulders.
"And you wont have to!" He smiled back at you as you two continued to walk and people dodged the two of you.
"Have you ever thought of moving here?" Jack asked out of nowhere.
"I have actually! On the plane ride here I thought of leaving and moving to London." You thought about it constantly. It was nice being close to Jack and it was a major risk.
"Well wherever you're ready, I'll be here for you." Jack kissed your cheek. "And I wont run away when you come here!"
You two finally made it to your destination which was the cafe you two met at. It was busy at this time because it was the middle of the day and not the beginning. You two entered and took your seats by the window where you two usually sat.
"I love you. I missed this." Jack said.
"I love you too! And of course I missed this. Maybe you can show me more places around London and convince me to stay longer." You gave him a proposal.
"Longer than what?" Jack asked.
"Four weeks." You grinned.
Jack grabbed both of your hands and kissed the back of them. "Hell yeah. I get you for more than four weeks?!"
"That's if you show me places to stay longer." You teased.
"Okay babe. You like ferris wheels?"
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simp4fictionalguys · 4 years ago
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Loving the new hype that the JJK anime is bringing!! Can I ask for Yuji x strong fem reader? How would he react to her getting hurt and how would he want to be comforted?? I adore your writing. Keep up the good work ✨
Hey! A Itadori request 🤧 best boy for sure haha. I loved today’s episode! Thank you so much for the compliment! I’m glad that you like my writing, I was a little nervous to start this without knowing if my writing was good enough and not mediocre but comments like this makes my day better and excited to keep writing!
Fushiguro and Y/n were the ones assigned to search for the Sukuna finger. That’s the moment when they met Itadori.
It was a weird meeting if you think about it. However, after that, Y/n and Itadori had been attached to the hip.
The two of them got along almost immediately. They relationship based in playful fighting and teasing. Y/n trying to make Itadori blush without avail (the boy was too oblivious for his own good).
The two of them usually trained together. When they first started their training, Itadori was nervous to do it. What if he hits her too hard? Or if she ends up with a nasty injure?
However, while overthinking, Y/n had already take him down.
Their training sessions consisted in Y/n betting Itadori up. He hasn’t been able to win against her, not even once.
Without realizing it, the two of them had caught feelings. In a pretty Itadori way, he had purred his feelings in one of their training sessions without knowing it. It made Y/n blush and unable to focus at the start, however, Itadori didn’t realize his opportunity and just walked over to her and kissed her lips.
Their friends had laugh and tease them at how Itadori had confessed. Y/n didn’t mind really. She was happy with Itadori now.
From then on, the two of them haven’t had to worry about the other. The two of them being sent to missions together with the other two first years.
Today was the same. The four of them had been sent on a mission together.
“Here’s where the Sukuna finger is suppose to be?” Fushiguro turned to look at Itadori who had his arm in Y/n shoulder while walking. He deadpanned.
“You’re our radar. You should know already.”
Y/n stifle a giggle from her friend remark. Her boyfriend turned to look at her with a fake glare.
They keep walking in the area. They were walking around an hospital, the area was surrounded by trees though. Something weird for an hospital to be.
It didn’t take long for the curses to began acknowledging their presence. The four first years decided to separate in pairs. Itadori and Y/n, while Fushiguro went with Kugisaki.
“Yuuji.” Y/n called at her boyfriend while following the curse running away from them.
Itadori glazed at her showing he was listening to her.
“Don’t let Sukuna out...”
Before the mission, Gojo had pulled Y/n out and talked to her privately.
“I need to ask for a favor Y/n-Chan!”
Y/n crossed her arms at her teacher childish tone. He just smiled at her.
It surprised her how serious he got a second after smiling.
“Don’t let Sukuna take control over Itadori’s body.”
“Huh? Why? I mean, haven’t he taken over before?”
“Yeah, but we don’t have to get used to his strength.”
Itadori hummed at her. His attention was in the curse in front of them. Her words weren’t something he retained in his head.
After her intermission, she put all her attention on the curse. The two of them had to be able to exorcise it without problem but the thing was too fast.
The chasing kept going for a long time. Neither of the two paying attention to their surroundings at the moment. The curse had been able to attract them just the way it wanted.
It took her a while to understand what was this weak curse doing. It had lead them to the boss. The curse that had the Sukuna finger.
It was too late though. The bigger and stronger curse got out of her hiding spot. It had a humanoid body but one could tell that the thing wasn’t human.
The first thing Y/n noticed was how the former curse they were chasing joined the bigger curse’s body
‘So it was part of it... Gross.’
Itadori had run from the left while Y/n went from the right. They strategy was simple. Land fast hits while dodging their attacks.
It worked at the start. However, the longer they hit it, the bigger it got.
“Why aren’t we dealing damage?!”
“Maybe because we’re attacking with cursed energy...”
Itadori turned to look at his girlfriend with a bewildered look.
“How else are we suppose to attack?!”
Y/n straighten her posture. She closed her fist in front of her. In a fats movement she had hit the curse with her pure raw strength. The curse hit back but she was able to dodge and go back to Itadori’s side.
“Why did you do that!” Itadori got close to her checking to see if she was injured or some fatal wound. Y/n smiled at him taking his hands off of her telling him that she was fine.
“Sorry, but look.” She pointed to the curse. Itadori turned around to see that Y/n’s punch had made some damage to it.
“I hit it without curse energy...” She got in position again. The enemy had began charging towards them.
Itadori got in fighting stance too.
‘So no curse energy...’ His fist had no longer curse energy. ‘I’ll have to hit it with just my strength!’
Just like their former strategy, they began landing several hits to the curse, this time without cursed energy.
It worked. The pair had manage to weaken the curse. However, in a moment of distraction, the curse had been able to land a hit.
Y/n saw the curse directing its hit in Itadori’s way. Her mind erase anything not related to her boyfriend, her body moving on its own.
Itadori saw everything in slow motion. One moment he was seeing his enemy fist directing to his face and a second later he saw Y/n take the hit for him.
Y/n feel her body making it’s way to the ground. Itadori’s reflexes saved her from the fall. Now in his arms he retreated a few steps from the curse in a frantic state to check on Y/n.
“Y/n! Hey!” He shook her body a little. “Y/n! Answer me!”
The girl opened her eyes a little. Her head turning to Itadori.
“Yuuji... Im fine...” Y/n tried to stand up but her body gave up against her will.
Yuuji bit his lip at his girlfriend state. He was mad at himself. He should have seen the attack coming his way! If he had he could have dodge and the two of them could have exorcised the curse already!
The descontrol in his emotions had given Sukuna a chance to take over his body without Itadori realizing it.
“Yuuji...! No!” It frustrate her how her voice sound so small. Sadly, she couldn’t do much since her body had run out of energy, her consciousness slowly fading away.
“You care too much about her, brat! Your emotions leaded to my freedom!”
Sukuna had easily defeated the curse. It caught his attention how Itadori hadn’t made an attempt to go back to his body.
Sukuna’s loud and wicked laugher filled the area.
Kugisaki and Fushiguro arrived at the scene. It took them a minute to let the imagen sick in their brain. Fushiguro sprinted to Y/n’s body while Kugisaki followed suit.
Fushiguro had taken Y/n’s body, Kugisaki was in position if Sukuna tried to do something.
“Itadori! Y/n is fine!” Fushiguro yelled for Itadori to come back. Y/n didn’t need Sukuna right now. She needed Itadori Yuuji, her boyfriend !
“Don’t let Sukuna take all the control!” Kugisaki joined Fushiguro trying to get Itadori to come back.
“She ne-“
“Yuuji...! Please!” With her last strength, Y/n was able to call for him.
Sukuna tsked. Itadori had taken control again. The first thing his brain had commanded was to run to Y/n and take her to Jujutsu High to take treatment as soon as possible.
Y/n had woke up in her bed. After the treatment, they had let her rest in her room. She groaned at the pain all over her body. She tried to moved to get out of bed but there was an additional weight in her. Taking a better look at herself she saw her boyfriend cuddling in her side.
Y/n smiled at how cute Itadori looked cuddle beside her like a cat. She run her fingers in his hair gently. Itadori began to stir from his sleep. His movements still affected by his sleepy mode, his eyes landed in his girlfriend’s smiling face.
Y/n was amused at his reaction. His sleepiness had faded faster that lighting, now being replace by an excited Itadori.
“You woke up!” He had throw himself in her without realizing it. Y/n groaned again at the force.
Itadori let go in a hurry, it was funny how fast his body moved trying to check for any more injuries or wounds in her body.
“Yuuji...” She tried to stop him but Itadori didn’t listen to her. “Yuuji! I’m fine!”
Y/n stopped his frantic moves taking his face in her hands. She tried to make eye contact but Itadori kept avoiding her eyes.
“Yuuji... Look at me please...”
Slowly and with trembling eyes, Itadori had focus her eyes on hers.
“I’m sorry... I was so scared when I saw you laying in my arms...!”
Y/n offered a gentle smile trying to ease his stress but Itadori kept getting worked up.
“And I could do anything! And Sukuna ha-“
Itadori was unable to kept talking with his girlfriend lips on his. He corresponded almost instantly. Trying to drown his worries, making sure that she was alive, beside him.
When the need for oxygen had presented, they separate from each other. Y/n got ride of the little tears escaping from his eyes gently with her thumb, he hadn’t realized they were there.
“Why don’t we cuddle?” Itadori nodded at her words, laying gently beside her.
“It wasn’t your fault Yuuji. I chose to protect you. And I’ll happily do it again.”
Itadori hugged her tighter at her words.
“Thank you...”
She stroked his hair gently. Itadori relaxed at the sweet action.
“You know...”
Itadori turned to look at her from his spot. Y/n avoided his eyes with a red face.
“You look kinda hot when Sukuna takes over your body...”
Itadori looked at her with a deadpanned expression.
“Gross Y/n.”
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beomglocks · 4 years ago
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unlikely allies ; txt x reader
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part: one ,, next chapter / previous chapter
plot: when a zombie apocalypse breaks out in your town, you're forced to team up with a group of boys from very different social standards in your school.
genre: fluff, angst, horror i guess?, not really that scary but alright, some funny moments
w/c: 3.6K
warnings: blood, gruesome scenes (kind of really detailed), cursing, everyone hates each other, definitely some major injuries, zombies duh, everyone kinda pining for mc
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he sighs looking at the both of you. "if we wanna make it out of here alive...we're gonna have to fight."
silence. the room was engulfed in silence, save for the growling and moaning of the monsters outside the door. you and yeonjun stared wide-eyed at taehyun who was mirroring your expressions.
"excuse me what?" yeonjun blurted. "we don't even know what those things are and you wanna go out there and risk getting torn to shreds like the nurse? are you crazy?" all you could do was shake your head in fear. you were still shaken up from watching someone get eaten alive.
"s-she...i saw her get eaten and then she just s-stood up? she came back to life somehow?" you questioned out loud. the boys looked at you with fear in their eyes. yeonjun stared at your shaken state and frowned turning to taehyun. "see? if go out there we're gonna die!"
"well do you have any other suggestions? if we stay here we starve to death or something like that, it's better to go out looking for help and finding others before more of them corner us here!" taehyun was making a lot of points right now but going out there? where you just saw a woman die and come back to life? that would happen to you guys if you weren't prepared.
you tried to calm yourself by taking a deep breath, "ok i agree with taehyun...but we need to be really prepared. we may not be capable of murder at this moment but we can take them on enough to get away right?"
taehyun nods but yeonjun just paces around the room anxiously. "you guys are insane. i can't believe i'm gonna die here of all places." you and taehyun watch yeonjun tug at his blonde hair. he suddenly pauses. "i have an idea. what if we don't actually try to take them on." he looked at you both expectedly.
"what do you mean?" you asked. he rolled his eyes, "we could try to just trap them in here and make our escape." taehyun nods at yeonjun's vague plan, "i get what you mean. before we start though we should take some stuff with us. we got lucky that we're in the nurse's office, we can take stuff in case we get injured."
all three of you split up around the office to pick up anything that might be helpful. "its a good thing i brought my bookbag with me," taehyun chuckles dryly. you pack up all the stuff you grabbed and help him zip up the bag. "ok so here's how we'll go forward with the plan."
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yeonjun sighs shakily as he crouches behind the door. "this was my plan so why do i have to be the one to open the door?!" he angrily whispers to you. you're hiding behind the nurse's desk which is right beside the door, glaring at him, "just shut up and wait for taehyun's cue. if they hear you, we're screwed."
"will you two stop arguing. if anything i'm the one with the risker job," taehyun glares at you both. he's standing in the middle of the office, just a little bit away from the desk. "let's go over the plan just one more time so nothing unexpected happens," he's nervous and you can hear it in his voice. he's trying to act brave like earlier. yeonjun starts, "simple, i open the door letting the monsters in. they won't notice me since i'm crouched below the window." you sigh, continuing, "once the monsters come running in, i pull the stethoscope attached that chair other there as hard as i can. they'll trip over it sending them tumbling."
taehyun takes a deep breath, "and i'll be standing here as bait. once i see that they're both down, that should give me enough time to run out and shut the door on them." yeonjun bites his lip, "i hope this works...my heart is racing seriously."
since taehyun is now visible from the one lamp shining down on him, the monsters outside now have new adrenaline in them, viciously gnawing at the door's window. you don't realize it but you all take a deep breath.
"3″
"2″
"1!"
as soon as taehyun yells, yeonjun swings the door open. the zombies pretty much bum rush through it to get to taehyun as soon as a slither of it was cracked open, effectively managing to swing the door all the way to the wall. you watch it hit yeonjun's arm roughly and flinch. he tries to hold back a gasp and squeezes his eyes shut.
you turn your attention to your task and pull on the stethoscope. thankfully it's stretchy enough to cause the zombies to trip over it. they tumble over each other and skid across the floor. you get up to run out the door and pull yeonjun with you who's clutching his arm.
however, when you look back taehyun is not behind you, instead, he's scrambling to the nurse's closet. apparently you overestimated the recovery time of a simple stumble to the floor. they managed to get up quickly enough to chase after taehyun who thankfully was also quick enough to notice a flawed plan. "shit!" you yell out before you could think. the zombies turn their attention to you and yeonjun who are standing by the door.
they come running at you but you slam the door shut in their faces. great, now taehyun was in there and you both were out here. not to mention, he's the one with all the supplies.
"damn it!" yeonjun kicks the door in frustration. the zombies are tweaking out watching you both from inside the office. thankfully they don't notice the closet door slowly creep open.
taehyun sneaks out of the closet in a painfully slow manner, as to not get detected. he ducks behind the desk, holding his breath. he waits a moment before rising from his hiding spot and hurling a pack of unopened pens at where the cots are located. you watch the zombies whip their heads toward the sound and clamber in that direction. taehyun crawls out from behind the desk and runs toward the door. the lunch lady, who is behind the nurse, notices taehyun and runs toward him and at full blown speed.
your heart is pounding so fast, it genuinely feels like time is going in slow motion. the monster is only like a foot behind the red-haired boy. you throw the door open for taehyun and he launches himself like the outside hallway is home base. you and yeonjun once again slam the door closed on the zombie who face plants into it with a groan.
you let out a breath you didn't even know you were holding. sliding down to sit on the floor, you glance at taehyun. he's recovering from literally upper body diving out of the room but you figure he's fine since he's used to it from playing baseball so long. yeonjun seems fine too since he's not holding onto his arm anymore.
after a moment, you speak up, "are you ok?" it's not exactly a question directed at either of the two boys. you kind of are just asking yourself that but yeonjun answers anyways, "i think i'm ok, my arm is aching though. the door slammed on me pretty hard but im ok."
taehyun backs himself against the lockers opposite from you too. "i'm fine too." you examine him though you can't see him from the distance and the dimming hallway lights. his face is riddled in sweat and you can kind of see tears running down his face but he notices you staring and harshly wipes them away. he sighs letting his head rest on the lockers.
"i thought that would be easier...i thought i was gonna die back there. thanks for not leaving me," you feel like he means that so you make a noise of acknowledgment. yeonjun also nods at him but doesn't say anything.
it's dead silent in the hallway and you hope it's because the rest of the school is hiding not because they're dead. if you don't think of the circumstances you'd think it's somewhat peaceful.
taehyun breaks the silence, "what if there are other people in here in that same situation." he's not looking at you, he's looking into the abyss of darkness that is your school's hallway. once buzzing with students who you wished would shut the fuck up and move to their next class is now a ghost town. it's eerie and it leaves you with an unsettling feeling just thinking about what hides beyond the darkness.
"fuck no," yeonjun says. he's calm and you hope he doesn't lash out at what taehyun's suggesting. "taehyun..." you mumble. you don't want to say it out loud because you hate how it will sound. well, yeonjun says it for you, "did you hit your head on the way out. you almost died, dude! i know you're having some kind of epiphany about helping others and what not but think about this: those two zombie things aren't the only ones in this school. we could really die in here so we need to get o-"
"shut the fuck up!" taehyun spits. you can tell he's trying not to yell just in case there really are other zombies out here. "do you seriously only care about yourself? what if there really are other people waiting to be helped? we can't just leave them to die in this stupid ass school!" he gets up with some struggle, clutching his wrists again.
"look im not saying you have to help them but it would be really cool if you did...the more people that are alive the more likely we are to survive," with that he starts walking down into the darkness of the hallway. yeonjun scoffs and looks at you. you bite your lip. "i know it's risky...risking our lives for other people but i would feel like shit if i just let people die here while i run off like a coward."
yeonjun watches you run after taehyun. he's now left alone standing outside of the nurse's office. the zombies haven't quieted down and he wonders how much energy they have. he sighs dramatically, running after you both, "hey wait up!"
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"so where are we headed?" your school isn't that big but it isn't that small either. there are three floors in total but most of the important rooms are on the first floor where you guys are located. taehyun clears his throat, "i was thinking we should get some weapons just in case. the gym's locker room/storage closet is where the team's baseball bats are located, we should be fine against those things if we manage to snag the metal ones."
once he answers you the silence surrounds you three again. you had been walking quite slowly since you didn't know if you'd encounter another zombie soon. it would be better if you could see but the power in the lights seemed to have died out. the school really did feel scarier when the lights were off.
"isn't it still day time outside?" yeonjun randomly asks. now that you think about it, he's right. if you were thinking about the time you took yeonjun to the nurse's office it was around 2 pm. "wait you're right," taehyun stops and turns around. "it was last period when you guys got to the nurse's office."
"damn it, i left my phone in my bookbag," you mumble. you thought it would be a quick trip to the nurse's office so you left it back in the class. yeonjun pats himself down and grumbles, "mine must've fallen out of my pocket during the fight. man, i fucking hate soobin! if i ever see him again he's dead."
you ignore yeonjun and look at taehyun expectantly, "sorry mines dead. i was playing with it while i was waiting for the nurse to come back," he answers sheepishly. you sigh, "we could've called for help since it's not late we could've called our parents or better yet, the police."
"don't worry, i'm sure they'll worry that we aren't coming back from school yet," yeonjun reassures. "i had practice today and my mom doesn't know i broke my wrist so she won't be expecting me home until after practice so i don't think she'll be worried until then."
yeonjun suddenly grabs taehyun's arm. you look at him in alarm because that was really random. this boy has just been full of spontaneous actions lately. "if you had practice today doesn't that mean the team would've been gathered in the gym by now?" a look of realization hits taehyun but he masks it quickly. "they're capable... they wouldn't have been turned into zombies, i'm sure there are some survivors," he sounds like he's trying to convince himself more than you guys.
as you're growing closer to the gym though, taehyun doesn't tell you that he's the best player on the team. he doesn't tell you that none of his other teammates can properly wield a bat. yes, any idiot can hold a bat but to properly swing it for the hit to have an impact takes real practice, practice that his teammates just haven't mastered. he doesn't tell you that he really doesn't think anyone in that gym has survived.
"you hear that?" yeonjun whispers stepping closer to the gym doors. there it goes again, the unmistakable moaning and groaning of the zombies. the sounds are harsher and louder being that there seem to be a lot of people in the gym at once. "damn that must be the team," you mutter. "there's no way anyone in there survived."
"we-we have to try and find out," taehyun tries. you eye him. you really don't think you'll get out of this one alive but you don't tell him that.
"we can cause some kind of distraction like last time," yeonjun suggests. "yeahhh no, im not doing that ever again," taehyun deadpans. "i think he means like what you did with the pens. that seemed to work...i think they react a lot to loud sounds."
there's a moment of silence where you all are just thinking. "your phone!" you turn to taehyun. he raises an eyebrow at you, "it's dead y/n." you shake your head, "look since it's dead and you really won't be needing it, we can just throw it somewhere in the gym. the impact of the phone hitting the wall will alert the zombies and they'll move. then we can maneuver ourselves through the darkness of the gym into the storage room to see if anyone's in there!"
both boys are staring at you with a weird look in their eyes but none of them say what they're really thinking. "that's... actually not a bad idea. the gym is big so there's no way we'll run into one. and since it looks like the lights are off they won't see us if we keep close to the walls," taehyun reiterates.
"ok so let's just get this over with," yeonjun mutters. you look at yeonjun who's staring into the gym, "you didn't have to come with us." you don't wanna sound rude but if he's just gonna complain the whole time then you'd rather be with just taehyun. "yeah right as if i'd venture off on my own in a school full of flesh-eating monsters," he rolls his eyes. "plus i'm the one who comes up with all the good plans, you guys need me."
"whatever," taehyun answers dryly. he's already starting to open the door to the gym, telling you guys that that's your cue to shut up. walking behind yeonjun, who's behind taehyun, you all crouch in a stealthy manner. you wouldn't call yourself the most athletic person but damn, why are your thighs starting to hurt? yeonjun cranes his neck to look back at you and when he sees you struggling to keep up, he slows down.
"what the fuck are you doing?" he whisper-yells. you don't know if the zombies can hear him but that sounded quite loud to you. you glare at him when the groans in the gym increase slightly in volume. "my thighs hurt, just- just leave me alone and tell taehyun to throw the damn phone." you see yeonjun purse his lips but turn to taehyun, telling him to get on with the plan. taehyun looks over to you with confusion and ?concern? written all over his face and all you do is nod at him.
he gets up slightly from his crouched position on the ground, still kind of in a half squat. he lets out a breath, preparing himself to pitch his phone. you watch in awe as you see taehyun get in the zone. you know this is a serious moment and everything but he looks good when he's focused.his eyes are trained on where he's made a mental target to throw to. even in this weird setting of a gym full of zombies of his own teammates, you can see that his breathing is steady.  you wonder why you'd never been to any of the school's home baseball games when you realize that taehyun had somewhat of a cult following. right, just like yeonjun everyone liked him and you just figured it was for nothing or that he was overhyped but you can see why now.
drawing you out of your thoughts was the sound of taehyun's phone crashing against the gym's wall. at the moment in which you were daydreaming about him, he must've thrown it. "ok cmon we gotta hurry, that might not keep them that occupied," taehyun whispers. you turn to look at the zombies which, thankfully, fell for your trick. they were all gathered in the direction where taehyun had thrown his phone. you all rose from your crouched positions and ran the rest of the way to the gym's locker room.
once inside you all let out a breath. "i can't believe that worked," you sigh. "i'm glad it did," yeonjun also sighs. "ok let's go get those bats, once we have them then we might be safe," taehyun leads you both to where he knows they are. walking down the locker room's hallway is even creepier than walking down the normal hallway. there are no windows plus the lights are out so it's even darker in here. once again you're the behind yeonjun who's behind taehyun. you feel uncomfortable and almost feeling like there's an eerie presence behind you. you never liked to be last; the shiver you get through your spine from the mere thought of something following you was weird.
just then you whip your body around but you feel it before you see it. a zombie that must've been in the locker room before you got here hovering over you. you're not sure what happened but it must've flown at you hard enough to knock your body to the ground. it was snapping and snarling in your face trying to get a bite. your eyes were closed but all your other sensed were heightened and you could definitely hear yourself shrieking wildly. you weren't sure what taehyun and yeonjun were doing but you guessed they were standing and staring in shock and horror. you are surely gonna die here.
just then, the back of the zombie's skull was knocked in with so much force that it came out through the front, effectively landing on the upper half of your body and face. just like that, it was no longer trying to devour you, instead, slumping down onto you like a lifeless doll.
you wanted to throw up but you bit it back. you figured the image of you on the floor with blood and a bashed brain spilling out of a once alive human on you was enough. 
the body was thrown off you in an instant and there stood choi beomgyu looking over you with so much concern that you were scared you turned into a zombie and were about to suffer the same fate as the corpse next to you. "oh my god y/n," his eyebrows are furrowed and his mouth is agape. he kneels down to wipe the brain remnants off you but he does it hastily and not that gentle really. you flinch and he pauses, "s-sorry its just that...well i don't know. i didn't think anyone else was alive and then i see you but you're about to get eaten so i mean-." you cut him off with a shaky hand lifted when you realize he's rambling.
he wants to go in to hug you and shout for joy that thankfully his crush- i mean... thankfully you are alive but yeonjun steps in, "dude oh my god y/n, are you okay?" you don't turn around to look at him or taehyun because frankly, you're too shaken up to even stand.
"thank you beomgyu," you whisper the expression and you kind of hope it sounds spiteful towards the other two boys for not really doing anything to help. taehyun looks down and bites his lip and yeonjun just looks at you. beomgyu smiles lightly and helps you stand and when you turn around you see the other two boys flinch at what you look like.
you know you must look horrifying with blood all over you and you want to cry. not because you look absolutely disgusting in front of the two of the most popular boys at your school but because you almost died in front of them. you let out a sob and taehyun steps forward but beomgyu is already ahead of him. "oh y/n... it's ok. look," he wipes your face with his shirt and you feel even worse. "we're alive, you're alive, it's gonna be ok."
✼ •• ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈ •• ✼
taglist: @fxd-skz​ (send ask to be added!)
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patchdotexe · 3 years ago
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doip. / 9.13.21
I WAS LOOKING AT THE MAP AND PEPPER STARTED EATING MY SKETCHBOOK
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today we are in "o- WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO THIS SCREENSHOT
WE'RE IN ORRE BUT THE TEXTURES ARE FUCKED UP, BUT THEN PASTING THIS INTO WORDPAD FUCKED IT UP EVEN MORE??????????????
jorb did the math and the candy i'm eating is literally 50% sugar
maybe i shouldn't do my notes in wordpad actually considering it's weird all the time
good news: this time i think my headset is set up so i'll be able to hear the dbz music
oh there's nyx! he feel asleep. jorb: i was nearly gonna say "i'm gonna inject you with caffeine", but i almost said "i'm gonna inject you with cocaine". i think I'M gonna feel asleep.
PREVIOUSLY ON DRAGONS ON ICESPIRE PEAK: oh man the dbz music is so crunchy we cleared out a temple from dangerous oozes so that the dwarves at the excavation could hide out there from the dragon! also some other stuff happened. i think i maybe shouldve reread my notes
jorb: so you're gonna head to the inn? [water noise] michael: yes. jorb: WHO PEED?
michael is talking abt his friend's cat <3 luigi................ he is very afraid of everything and michael is trying to feed him, which is a problem bc he keeps hiding "like a little bitch"
OKAY we're gonna be escorting Don-Jon Raskin somewhere! he's been decided to be australian. jorb: oh god i don't know how to do an australian accent leo: YOU'RE AUSTRALIAN,, jorb: i'm a non-practicing australian.
jorb: --and two things of oil, which you should not eat. alidaar: but what if i did jorb: i think that'd be bad for your health. nameless: but what if i want to jorb: ..the crates--
michael: how much does an ox cost jorb: don't tell me you're gonna fence the ox! michael: no i'm gonna see how much an ox costs in case the dragon shows up and [the ox] doesn't make it
escorting a man, escorting an ox! are any of us good at animal handlOH OF COURSE THE DRUID IS michael: nyx is currently a binturong. jorb: you could stop being a binturong! nyx: no <3 this can only go well.
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the ox is now tobias's new best friend OH, RIGHT, TOBIAS CAN TALK TO ANIMALS. he probably just talked to vincent (the ox). tobias: hi vincent! my name is tobias [silence] jorb: .........i don't know what an ox would say,
michael: new plan, i'm the decoy for the dragon
oh hey a pile of dead orcs. that's definitely not ominous or anything they died from extreme cold! dragon was here 3 days ago. uh oh. also i think it's fun that ali would recognize Death By Cold = Dragon considering their own breath weapon is cold fhglkxdfhk oh hey silver battleax!
oops i missed some exposition bc i was adding my shiny new battleaxe i stole to my sheet
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heading into the mine! BIG RAT GUARDS? we don't know what these are bc ali and lil guy don't have great arcana and tobias, the guy who DOES, rolled a nat1 don-jon is now the overseer of a mine of rats (don-jon was sent by the owner of the mine to take over, but now it's been taken over by Someone New who has, uh, weird rat guards? this may be an issue.) This Is An Issue the mine has been commandeered by the whiskered gang! (ali: that's a stupid name.) they got chased out of their old territory by orcs so they've decided to turn the mine into their new base of operations. however, IF we take out the orcs, then the gang will leave!
oh apparently jorb had to add in the silvered axe i picked up bc uh. these guys are were-rats! so they're immune to everything that isn't silvered or magical! OOP
jorb: [doing scene description] ..why is the barrel crab typing?
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hm. okay so we found an abandoned place with horses. specifically this whole place has gotten burned down. Not Good. time to keep moving on!
i spaced out and heard the phrase "bubblebutt ranch" and i will never be free again
nyx: I CAN BE A CATERPILLAR jorb: i highly don't recommend it
WAIT WHY DOES INVISIBILITY LAST FOR 1 HOURS little guy is now invisible! and scouting the shrine of savras. oh turns out binturongs can Open Doors. like, irl. sorry jorb :V
jorb: okay, you're touching the altar? nyx: i touch the altar. oh nyx is having an out of body experience! little guy is seeing a fortress on icespire peak, which appears to be where our bastard dragon is living!
jorb: luckily none of the orcs have moved from the spot you last saw them in, as if they're glued to their spots until they're engaged with in some sort of combat
oh we're doing combat now ALL OF THE ORCS TAKE THEIR TURNS AT THE SAME TIME?
HELP GIRL WE'RE IN COMBAT AND I JUST GOT PINGED IN THE TACO STAND TO EXPLAIN WHY HORSES AREN'T ALLOWED IN EMBLEM WARHORSE
leo: im using this orc's head as a golf ball. jorb: okay! you use this orc's head as a golf ball! it's.. it goes.
jorb: you can high-five the bear as a free action.
I Am Losing All Of My HP In One Turn
finally getting to use my runes! fuck yea. also i'm very tired and kinda distracted bc of Taco Stand Horse Discourse but mostly i'm just tired
tobias: i put myself facedown in defense mode and end my turn.
alidaar finished combat by climbing up a PILE OF BODIES and LUNGING AT THE OGRE to SLICE ITS HEAD OFF WITH HIS BRAND NEW BATTLEAXE and then used his morningstar to fucking golfclub that head out of sight. hell yes
alidaar: poggers. "you say that from 3 rooms away?"
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WE STOLE A BELL THATS WORTH LIKE 2.5K GOLD?????? jorb: you gotta sell it though, it's not gonna just turn into money alidaar: what if we stare at it for a really long time
man. this is really different from arvus in structure. like this is a premade thing and its very much like . phandalin is the quest hub. go to a place! fight mobs! find treausre! go back to phandalin! which is kinda boring but also I Get It bc its premade. HOLD ON WHY IS MICHAEL TALKING ABOUT ORCS FUCKING LUIGI MARIO
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literaphobe · 5 years ago
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season one of she-ra rated by catradora content
the sword part 1: right off the bat we find out just what adora’s all about. she’s a so called goody two shoes but she’ll lie to authority to protect catra.... ok lesbian lmao. but then we meet catra and she’s like “hey adora ;) how’s it hanging?” and we get it. we completely get it. oh my god. everything from the way catra talks to the way she laughs. adora never stood a chance :( we get a classic locker room flirting scene where catra teases adora and adora pretends she’s above all that only to be like hey cat gf is that a MOUSE which is very rude :( don’t scare ur cat gf or she will become evil :( oh wait. anyway.... their flirting gets cut short because homophobia walks in and separates them :/ before that tho she praises adora. adora who loves her gf so much ignores shadow weaver’s praise and says “catra did so good tho <3” and puts her arm around catra which pisses off the only homophobe in etheria. adora doesn’t really want to follow shadow weaver because she just wants to be with catra, and she even argues with shadow weaver about bringing catra onto the field with her. but she loses the argument because shadow weaver fucking sucks and has no idea how to be chill :/ catra finds adora after that and greets adora the way all gals greet their pals. by... pouncing on her waist. ok lol. catra is so proud of her gf getting promoted and says baby i love you <3 baby when are we leaving <3 except adora says catra’s not allowed to come :( so cat gf gets sad and runs to the roof. in response, adora gets a literal Grappling Hook to chase after her. adora doesn’t want her gf to be sad so she steals a skiff and they go on a date <3 but they’re so obsessed with control and play fighting with each other that adora falls off the skiff and finds out she’s like. god with a sword. i mean she-ra. uh, so adora fake wakes up in a dream and is like catra? :( because catra is the only thing she ever looks for when she wakes up (yes i am clowning. of course i know catra was the only person she was with but shhhh), and then she wakes up for real and catra is straddling her waist, which... ok. catra worries about her gf maybe being brain damaged so they cut their date short and go back to the fright zone. they go to sleep, and have their nightly sleepover, which means they sleep in the same bed :) even tho catra’s own bed is already on top of adora’s :) superb :) anyway adora dreams about her lesbian sword and wakes up scared. she smiles when she sees catra sleeping soundly in her bed however because uwu cat gf go zzzzz. adora gets out of bed which catra IMMEDIATELY senses because she opens her eyes right after and follows adora. because uh.... their friendship is just that lit and strong. catra is worried and wants to follow her gf to find this cool lesbian sword she keeps talking about, but adora makes perhaps one of the worst calls ever and tells catra to stay behind because she doesn’t want to get catra in trouble :( which is like, she has good intentions and all, but you should always bring your gymnast cat gf along when u look for sick ass gay swords. adora would know that if she wasn’t raised by the literal embodiment of gay oppression. oh well. guess they’re gonna have to fight each other for five seasons to figure it out. 9.5/10 because we got so much content all literally in the first ep. it’s like hey look they’re in love and they’re girlfriends who touch each other way too much. and we’re like noelle that’s really cool! will we get more gf content? and noelle said yes but also you’ve got a big storm coming! and it’s going to kill you!
the sword part 2: against adora’s wishes, catra gets in trouble for adora’s departure, and this makes catra sad bc where did her gf go? :( shadow weaver accuses catra of knowing where adora is because despite her raging homophobia she still knows that adora wouldn’t go anywhere without telling catra. and she’s right but just because she’s right doesn’t mean i have to like her. anyway... catra gets sent to bring adora back to the fright zone, and even tho shadow weaver threatens her in scary horrid ways catra is only happy to see adora again and once again pins her to the ground with her knees on adora’s.... yea........ and she’s happy bc she has a tank :) good for u catra we all love and cherish you <3333 anyway catra makes fun of adora because she thought adora got captured which... technically true but also not but also! catra sees a flower in adora’s hair which she takes to mean that adora cheated on her :( wtf :( and adora says no baby :( no i didn’t cheat on u :( and catra is like. ok fine. let’s go back to the horde. and adora says baby we can’t go back to the horde :( did u know that they were evil? im woke now. come be woke with me. and catra is like. wait. u just realized the horde sucks? did you not see shadow weaver electrocute me. did you think she did that for gay rights? and adora is like catra baby i didn’t mean it like that :( but it’s too late. it’s all very upsetting and i don’t wanna get into it. essentially catra thinks she can escape shadow weaver’s abuse by fighting the horde from within but adora thinks she can escape shadow weaver’s abuse and the horde’s evil by literally escaping the horde. u can see where both of them are coming from and that’s why it’s so sad :( it’s so fucking sad y’all :( they do their whole. come with me vs stay with me thing,,, and it doesn’t work out. duh it’s like ep 2 why would it work out. catra finds out that adora can use her lesbian sword to turn into a taller lesbian and instead of giving into her gayness and marrying adora right away her internalized homophobia makes her run away :( she thought adora doesn’t care about her anymore because she has new friends and can turn into a giant sword lady :( and it’s all very sad :( 8.5/10
razz: adora’s having trouble turning into she-ra. no one asked, but based on this whole show, it’s because she just broke up with catra and that hit hard :( it’s pretty hard to turn into ur superhero alter ego when you’re yearning. back at the horde, catra is also yearning. she is bitter because everyone is raving about how lit she-ra is and catra is like yeah she-ra is sexy but can we have a discussion about how she-ra breaks your heart. how she-ra makes you cry. how she-ra abandons you for new friends and doesn’t want to be your gf anymore? have we considered that? and everyone is confused because why does catra seem like she knows she-ra so well. didn’t you just meet her catra? and even tho catra is a bitter ex who’s angry and wants revenge she’s still like. in love with adora and wants to protect her. so she acts cool and doesn’t tell anyone that adora is she-ra. even tho lonnie tells catra not to be so feral because “adora’s not here to protect you anymore” catra still wants to protect adora. okay. yes the thought of that does make me wanna cry. what about it. catra goes and lies on their shared adora’s bed. and she sees the teeny drawing of catra and adora on the bed frame. it reminds catra of the break up and she scratches adora’s picture. she regrets it like instantly and starts destroying the bed. and she cries. she like cries real tears what the FUCK. and then SHADOW WEAVER WALKS IN?? rude much?? can’t a girl get some privacy as she mourns a break up with a girl she’s been in love with her whole life but technically never dated for real? 9/10
flowers for she-ra: adora realizes that it’s a pretty bad idea to break up with your girlfriend when you spent your whole life sleeping in the same room/same bed as her and she comes to the Very Shocking realization that she gasp! cannot sleep without catra! wow who would have thought! so she immediately goes on a search for a sleeping partner rebound... who is glimmer (sorry glimmer it’s her first time not having her gf) and she even sleeps at glimmer’s feet the way we saw catra sleep at adora’s feet. really makes you wonder if catra and adora take turns doing that? sleeping at each other’s feet because their internalized homophobia (thanks a lot shadow bitch) prevented them from going a step further and sleeping in each other’s arms... oh well. meanwhile, catra is gloating about being force captain, but she’s also Still protecting adora’s identity as she-ra. and apparently, drawing pictures of she-ra? that she hid from shadow weaver? is that what happened? i can’t tell if she drew that picture or not but the way it looks from the scene she Definitely drew that picture! hello????? anyway, catra’s still crying to anyone that has ears about how her gf dumped her, when really it was kind of a mutual break up that was entirely shadow weaver’s fault even tho she wasn’t there. sigh. i’m bringing this up to a 7/10 because of “it’s just a phase! she’s confused, i’ll bring her back, i swear :(“
the sea gate: “i’ve got something more important to do” and here we see the start of catra literally abandoning all other duties because she would rather go flirt with her enemy gf... she literally hopped onto she-ra’s sword.... she insult her gf....... she brag to her gf about achievement.... but she also want her gf back :( adora refuses to go back to the land of oppression tho so they get into a. really suggestive fight. and catra always makes adora leaving the horde out to be adora leaving her.... she’s like babe i am literally so sexy. why would you dump me :( i’m hot :( and she’s right but i hate them. can y’all just like. not be so gay? :/ it’s starting to make me a lil bit homophobic tbh! and catra whispers into adora’s ear but it’s kind of like an insult so she gets water slapped and is forced to stop flirting :( boooo 8.5/10
system failure: hm. catra wasn’t in this ep? damn :( it’s a great ep but it’s pretty hard to find any catradora if adora is delirious the whole time and catra isn’t there. but! drunk/high adora existing gives us an idea of what she would be like around catra. 1/10 for the potential
in the shadows of mystacor: catra’s face when she sees adora in shadow weaver’s spy cam thing... interesting. she also acts like she’s So Sick of the adora missions which is true but also she is lying. kind of annoying that shadow weaver would be like. homophobic. but when she’s messing with adora’s head in mystacor she uses catra’s voice and laugh to achieve maximum effect :/ which like. thanks? but catra wasn’t actually there so shadow weaver really full on gaybaited adora huh :/ adora eventually defeats shadow weaver and we finally see catra again uwu she ends up plotting to kidnap bow and glimmer but the line “if you want to take down adora, you have to go for the heart” is so interesting because we eventually find out just how much of adora’s heart is filled with catra... 4/10 on its own 6/10 if you let the heart comment ruin your life!
princess prom: ARE Y’ALL READY TO PARTY oh my god,,, this is it you guys. this is THE ep. so funny of adora to be like. i have so many plans for every single thing that might happen. i am GOING to spend the party getting princess frosta to join the rebellion. and then catra shows up and adora is like nvm. what if i followed catra wherever she went instead. which is very interesting! adora, sweet baby, why do you always assign yourself to fight/follow/chase catra? when according to her in future eps is actually a bad decision which we can infer from her saying stuff like catra knows my every move she will be able to take me down,, ok then stop hogging her all the time?? anyway. let’s get into things chronologically. “how dare those princesses pretend they’re better than you? just because you’re different? how dare they abandon people just because they don’t fit in with their perfect little lives? how DARE they take best friends and turn them into giant sword ladies who run off with people clearly inferior to you?!” catra.... u got sth to say there buddy? :/ u got something u wanna get off your chest? :/ u had us in the beginning but then you started to get really specific :/ what’s that about sweetie :/ catra’s coping mechanism for this is to put on a really hot suit and going to princess prom to seduce the shit outta adora? fucking genius. yes she also kidnapped two people but let’s focus on the ingenuity of catra’s plan to make adora hot and heavy and also somehow jealous the entire time. incredible. so, catra shows up at the prom with scorpia and adora immediately starts bickering with her about rules. she fails to get catra kicked out so she resolves to stalk her instead! and catra... oh catra... she puts on a whole show..... performing everything from popping a tiny cake into her mouth to circling around a pillar seductively and dropping a note into a bin that says hi adora >:3 with a drawing of catra’s face that she worked hard on!! and adora looks like a crazy stalker ex gf and everyone is like damn.... u ok? :/ but adora doesn’t have time to care too much aside from a little “haha i swear i’m not a weirdo!” look because her mind is just screaming CATRA CATRA CATRA and she finds catra creeping up to entrapta. but ofc catra’s not trying to push entrapta off the ledge! no! she’s using entrapta to make adora jealous :3 catra pulls entrapta close and says “she stole my food and then asked me to spy on people with her. is this what love feels like?” and it WORKS and adora has to pull entrapta aside and be all hey i know we’re not super close yet but the bro code kinda states that u don’t date ur friend’s ex :/ so could you please back off? and entrapta is like say what now? ur gf just ditched btw so adora goes running after catra again and surprise surprise! it’s time to dance! and there are romantic lights and music! and uh oh! everyone else has a partner except for catra! guess this means adora’s gotta dance with her ohhhhh noooooooo :/ “i don’t know about you.... but i am having a blast” i really don’t think catra was lying!! i am on the verge of passing out!! adora moving away from catra after saying “whatever it is you’re planning, it won’t work!” and catra, many dance partners later, slamming back into adora’s body to continue their conversation with “maybe my plan won’t work, but then again...” THE DIP!!!!!!! “maybe it already has...” oh my god you guys. what the fuck. like they get into an angry shove fight after this but the tension! the tension! and then adora LIFTS catra up in the air? real close? they get ice blocked by frosta after this, more specifically she traps adora because she shoved catra first djfjdjdjdjd,,, after telling glimmer to find bow catra grazes adora’s chin with her tail to remind her that she’s still here!! don’t neglect!! and catra says the iconic “it was fun distracting you though ;)” line that adora was clearly affected by because she memorizes it and says it back to catra..... years later. i CANNOT make any of this shit up. what the fuck y’all. the fact that these evaluations are so long bother me but i HAVE to call these hoes out!! moving on, adora runs after catra in a very dramatic chase/fight scene, and adora is very amped up on uh, hormones. she catches catra at a “dead end” and goes “hah! trapped >:)” which is such a stupid thing to say to ur cat gf who can jump very high, so catra says “you wish ;)” and it is just. everything they are saying sounds very suggestive okay why are they LIKE THIS anyway catra jumps up some floating ice and adora follows her up the floating ice because she’s gay and she will jump however much is required of her to chase her gf down ok!! and so adora and catra are now on some ice cliff where adora keeps lunging and they’re also kind of like dancing? and catra is being very ~smooth~ dodging all of adora’s strikes and hitting her in one move. that’s kind of cool but also don’t bully your gf :( come on catra :( not cool :( but adora doesn’t give up and they continue fighting, until one missed move from catra nearly sends her off the cliff. but adora thinks she’s hot and she’s in love with her so she’s like nooo catra don’t fall off this cliff ur so sexy aha and catches her by. the waist. not the hand! but by the waist. any normal person would’ve gone for the hand. factually speaking, catra’s hand is easier to reach than her waist. but adora’s a hoe. so, she grabs catra by the waist and pulls her in closer by grabbing! oh you guessed it! her chest! like she grabs her shirt but it’s the part of the shirt that was at the chest. what the fuck. they both get this look in their eye that makes it seem like they want to kiss each other???? hello????????? and like. very upsettingly we now know that they’ve always wanted to kiss each other so. that knowledge makes watching this scene even worse. they shouldn’t have become enemies if they were going to be this horny. they’re so distracted by each other’s lips that they forget they’re standing at the edge of a cliff and guess what! they fall off the cliff! what a twist! but adora is like i’m NOT going to die because i was distracted by catra’s lips, so she grabs her hair stick thing and stabs it into the ice cliff. she grabs catra by the hand to save her, not the waist this time, because holding catra’s hand is also gay so she might as well do it. too bad catra lets go of her hand and ditches her tho :( i would minus points for that except it wouldn’t make much of a difference. catra says “see you later, princess ;)” because she’s already expecting to see adora again.... good lord 4828473737373/10 thanks noelle! i died
no princess left behind: but i’m a buddhist so i’m back. we open with catra laughing so prettily looking at her gf’s lesbian sword. very cute. later on, when shadow weaver betrays catra and tells her to go pack her things because she’s not needed anymore... adora gives her this look? :( she looks like she feels bad because catra’s clearly still suffering under shadow weaver’s thumb. but let’s zero in on the most important part! catra dragging the sword and pointing it at adora, before turning it around and giving it to her. “this is NOT because i like you” ok catra i didn’t think that before but now i Absolutely believe that you did this because you like adora. and u can tell adora kind of is like. ready to start her whole “you can come with me! we can be together! :(“ thing but things are complicated and catra told her to Just Go so... it is a lot and we know things are deeper than just catra liking adora but we will get emo over that later. 9/10 that was a good fucking scene
the beacon: “she left me behind too, like i was nothing :(“ some people say this is catra manipulating entrapta, and they are correct, but also she’s like.. “oh adora left you too? mad kin :(“ she was deadass about to start a support group with entrapta and technically she kind of did! good for them <3 catra goes to look for first ones tech and adora goes to look for the beacon to learn how to heal and guess what happens! they’re looking for the same place! catra’s “on second thought... hey adora >;)” at the end pushes this up to an 8/10, but that’s just like the last five seconds of the ep so objectively the rest of the ep was like. 4/10 idk lmaoooo
promise: finally some good fucking food. catra follows adora into the beacon and has a little fun spying on her and enjoying her epic fails at getting information on she-ra. she also finds the first one tech she needs, because she’s a multitasker and she can spy on her gf while doing important missions <3 but also she gets caught and adora nearly kills her fksjdjd “hey watch it! >:(“ is so funny because catra??? u are trespassing???? but also uwu baby yeah don’t accidentally kill ur gf adora :( adora’s reaction is also very funny “catra? what are you doing here? :O” as if catra hasn’t shown up at 70% of the places adora has been, but the way she asks it’s like. adora is happy to see catra? pleasantly surprised? man she is whipped. anyway, adora tries to pull the Tough Girlfriend move and like, mildly scold catra for trespassing into a building where only one person (she-ra) is allowed to be in. but she still grabs catra’s hand and guides her to an escape path :’) she lifts up a giant door thing and waits until catra runs in to let go and run after her <3 chivalry isn’t dead after all <3 they get into a lover’s tiff as they run for their lives and essentially it’s like “babe wtf WHY are giant mutant spiders trying to kill us isn’t this ur house” “they’re trying to kill YOU this is why you ring the doorbell instead of running in secretly after i open the door!” “oh and how was i supposed to know that! why can’t you just tell your teenage mutant ninja spiders to chill out??” “they’re not house-trained babe :( i moved in two minutes ago they came with the apartment” anyway the angry spider monsters catch up to them so catra goes “adora? :(“ and that’s enough for adora to take Direct Action so she slashes the walls and ceiling of the room they’re in before grabbing catra to shield them both. she is NOT getting her deposit back but uwu anything to keep gf safe <3 adora transforms back to her usual body and she once again reminds catra that she’s Not Supposed To Be Here and she’s like “god now i have to like Protect You and it’s gonna put my life in danger :/ haha what are you gonna do for me in return tho ;)” and catra is like. “well good thing i didn’t ASK you to protect me” so adora is like :( —> >:( wait u know what??? ok u know what????? why are u here >:( how’d u find me?? >:( and do u mean any of this in a gay way?? >:( say it’s in a gay way right now >:( and catra is like. ur gay castle sent a gay beam of light into the sky. i saw it immediately bc im gay but i do NOT mean this in a gay way. and adora is like oh :( ok :’( and then asks about shadow weaver bc she saw what went down in the horde and she like. i think she can tell shadow weaver still exerts some form of control that catra hasn’t broken free from? :( and then catra is like haha shadow weaver is a LOSER and adora starts giving her Gay Looks and it makes catra scared because her gf now thinks she has a crush on her!!!!!!! how Embarrassing!! “ugh, i knew you’d be weird about me letting you escape” ok so why did you say that thing about not liking her? “i told you it’s not because i like you!” there it is! that’s EXACTLY what i thought you’d say you lesbian! and the way she says it??? she definitely likes adora???? she is so bad at lying?????? and adora is so smug about it like her Face plus her crossed arms and the whole “i mean, i didn’t ;) i didn’t say anything ;)” her eyes.... your honor she’s gay...... she’s like what if we were in my secret castle..... standing amongst the rubble because i destroyed the infrastructure to protect you..... and we were both girls....... adora was Ready to turn her sword into a Bed right then and there ok!!! it’s not me it’s Her Eyes,,, anyway catra starts being salty again and brings up bow and glimmer and is like hey where’s those idiots u dumped me for :/ thought you looooooved hanging out with them and doing everything with them :/ like we used to :/ are they not as fun to hang out with adora is that why you’re standing in this spider infested building with me instead :/ and adora suddenly remembers that she can’t just be horny and that she has to hold catra accountable for her actions so she’s like oh my friends? the ones who u kidnapped and held for ransom???? >:( and catra is like ya what other friends would i be talking about :/ like god i know she’s evil but she’s so funny take her back adora :( jk ik ur gonna start begging her to Come With You in like minutes u absolute simp. but before that happened catra was like fuck u lets Split Up >:( we already broke up why would we run away from spiders together huh? unless u still like me? but clearly there’s only one way for them to walk so they can’t split up just yet and adora gives catra this >:( look so catra is like FINE one last date and they walk away together. they go into this... dark room and catra wants to leave the dark room because she’s scared of ghosts :( jk but the door disappears and something scans catra and adora and light hope is like cool! time to show them memories that are specifically picked to make catra resent adora! which :( not cool light hope :( i get that ur a bot who’s programmed to serve the homophobic agenda but damn u were gay once too :( anyway they’re sent to a memory in the fright zone and adora gets Angry bc she thinks catra tricked her and catra is like i wouldn’t play u like that :( and she finds out it’s all fake so she’s like adora :D u don’t have to be scared or mad at me anymore! :D she goes to look for adora but adora’s watching a memory of them when they were six and being really cute. back when adora had the moral backbone of a chocolate eclair and only really cared about making catra happy and having her back. catra blinded octavia and insulted her and adora was still like: ur not bleeding ur bones aren’t broken and u picked a pointless fight with someone who did not provoke you in any way. where is she i will insult her some more. i love u. like damn adora really do be a ride or die girl huh!! she’s still like this but they both have too many issues to realize it :( anyway catra and adora slip into the catra and adora of their memories and begin running off together holding hands............ and then they Realize they’re running off together Holding Hands....... and catra pulls away because of her internalized homophobia :( devastating. they get into a tiny little fight over magic and kidnapping again and then adora’s face softens and she’s like catra :( why Did you let me escape :( i know i made fun of u for it before but i legit do not know if u meant it in a gay way. pls confirm? :( u could have gotten caught catra :( why did u risk it :( is it because you secretly want to run away with me and join the rebellion? :( and be my gf? :( she’s so caught up in her questions that she nearly falls off a cliff AGAIN and catra catches her by the hand because these girls are obsessed with almost falling off cliffs to their deaths and saving each other. don’t judge them their Intricate Rituals are THAT deep. and catra is like. did you really think. i would let shadow weaver erase your memory like that? and risk you forgetting our relationship? even towards the end when we were broken up and fighting each other it was kinda lit and i want u to remember it. and adora is an idiot so she’s like idk lmao probably aren’t u like evil now and catra is like well you have a point but also fuck u for thinking i don’t care about u,,, u never did have too much faith in me :( and adora is like can u blame me :( and catra is like ur hot so.... no. i will let my tail linger on your hand as a hint that i still love you. and then catra is like.... adora i know u said fuck horde rights but does that include our relationship :( u had good memories right :( of me? :( and adora is like um duh??? i miss you so goddamn much too oh my god and catra is like hey how dare you imply that i missed you even tho it’s true!!! get over urself! and adora is like not until you admit you like me ;) and they play fight again because the rituals are so intricate..... and catra lies and says she doesn’t like adora ok lmao... they enter the next memory and it’s catra and adora sparring and they’re competitive but it’s also flirty? catra pretends to be hurt to get adora to let her guard down but lonnie interferes and this causes adora to beat catra. which. yeah :( and after adora wins she does the good gf thing where she asks catra if she’s okay and catra’s not ok but she lies and hides away to cry :( and we get it babe we do!! it’s hard being in love with someone who you’re also resentful of because you’re raised in a competitive environment and always treated like you’re worthless in comparison :( but the simulation stops and catra is caught by one of the spiders and adora doesn’t manage to save her in time, grabbing her hand only to fail and have catra slip through her fingers :( they scream for each other but catra manages to get the upper hand on the spider monster, except adora charges in at the last second and delivers the final blow, further driving home the false point that light hope is trying to make :( adora just wants to protect catra but because of their upbringing catra sees it as adora always wanting to be the best and adora thinking she’s better than catra hence her telling catra what to do “all the time” which isn’t totally true but it’s what catra has been led to believe :( and also adora’s upbringing plays into it too because she thinks she has to save everyone and take responsibility for everything and it’s all just really sad bros :( what the fuck :( adora apologizes for leaving again and tries to convince catra she never meant to leave her and that she wants catra to come with her because she knows catra isn’t a bad person :( and you can see!! catra considering it!! but then precisely BECAUSE catra is considering it the memory simulation thing kicks in again and... hoo boy. we see catra and adora sneak into the black garnet chamber, after being cute and competitive and running around the horde swinging from wire to wire.... they get caught by shadow weaver and she specifically punishes only catra. and it’s so fucked because it puts adora in this position of guilt where she always feels like she has to protect adora whilst slowly brainwashing her over the years into believing that catra does do disobedient things and that adora can only escape that if she’s always perfect and taking charge of everything. and for catra.... it takes the mutually loving relationship they have and poisons it because shadow weaver makes it very clear that to her, catra’s only redeeming quality is that adora favors her? and if not for that she would be disposed of? and so it’s very hard for catra to find individuality and a healthy connection to adora which created unresolved resentment and issues and just... :( and the whole confrontation they have after the simulation ends... adora could never protect catra in the way she needed to be protected because adora was also a child, and receiving a different form of abuse, and it’s just. harder for catra to leave? especially because she didn’t receive a sudden destiny the way adora did and her issues with the horde were never limited to morality. and so catra is just. she has way too much to work through and she can’t see past her resentment for adora because the machine is making her remember all of it. and so she tells a half truth and half lie to adora about giving her the sword because she didn’t want adora to come back :( catra runs away from adora and is attacked by flashes of memory. and then she faces one last memory alone. and it’s the promise adora made to catra when they were kids, about always looking out for each other, and catra looks at kid!catra and thinks adora has broken that promise, still stinging from the hurt of adora leaving her behind after finding the sword and becoming she-ra. it was never meant to be like this but catra is hurting so she focuses only on her side of things and how she saw these events play out and she :( decides to kind of betray adora? it hurts So Much because adora looks so hopeful when she sees catra while hanging on for dear life, and she thinks catra will save her again but catra talks about how the sword won’t work for her because she’s never been the Special One like adora was always heralded to be in the horde. and having adora literally be she-ra just drives that point home for catra and she hates adora for it because this means all the other stuff she believes is true too. adora made her feel weak on purpose, adora made catra think she needed her on purpose. “every hero needs a sidekick, right?” and adora’s “catra, no, that’s not how it was!” hits even harder now because we know that adora just. loved catra. she was in love with her but adora was also like catra in that she’s a product of her circumstances and upbringing. she was the way she is as a means of survival. but the one thing there that was pure and true was that they loved each other.... upsettingly neither of them can see that. catra goes down even further into the path of evil and thinks that. being free of adora. is the thing that will liberate her and bring her happiness. which. she is wrong about. but she can’t exactly see all that clearly right now :( and adora begging catra not to “do this” which... means she’s begging her not to leave? “bye adora! i really am going to miss you” and adora’s desperation skyrockets but it’s too late :( catra doesn’t come back for her and adora cries.... and it’s just so insane that literally everyone who wants to control adora focuses on poisoning her bond with catra because that’s the relationship that... matters most to her in the world. when you’ve loved someone your whole life it hurts when they betray you and it hurts to betray them too, as we can see from catra when she arrives back at the horde. she essentially looks Wrecked and freezes up when scorpia calls her “the best friend ever!” but i want to make one quick note of her “personal space” talk with scorpia? like fjdjdjdjd you have never had personal space with adora not once in your life ok that’s reserved for the gf only i see. 10/10 i am so wrecked emotionally this is way too much but also because it makes me so emo i will give it a perfect score but nothing else. no bonus points because i do not want to reward putting me in pain!
light hope: light hope showing adora the memories that make her feel guilty and it’s the first scene where catra sees her as she-ra and walks away.... adora’s been feeling guilty over catra since the moment she failed at getting catra to leave the horde :( 3/10
the battle of bright moon: “catra will be leading the horde when they attack. i have to face her.” it’s so interesting how there’s so many pressing things at hand? the weather is screwy, the alliance is broken, no one’s coming to save them, the rebellion could be crushed, but the thing that is really bothering adora, the thing that she brings up first, is catra. “i saw catra in there. i thought i could get through to her, but all i did was push her farther to the side of evil” she sounds... so heartbroken about it all :( catra and adora meet on the battlefield and the first thing catra says is,,, u guessed it,,,, “hey adora.” and adora’s like “catra. surprised to see me?” and like damn they’re really so good at being enemies. the talent. the tension. impeccable. and then catra says nah i didn’t think u died and im glad u made it out alive. and adora, bless her soul, is like oh.... u mean in a gay way..... u didn’t want me to die..... for homosexual reasons?? and catra is like no! haha! i uh, i just wanted to kill u in a cooler much sexier way. and adora is like oh :( oh >:( oh >:’( and they get into a very heated sexy fight like catra wanted. and they taunt each other like. “i thOUgHt yOU weRe suPposED tO bE stRoNG” “aND i tHouGHt yOu wERe sUpPOsEd tO bE fAst” you know. very cool well crafted taunts. and like. they fight a lot which is kind of sad but also kind of sexy because their styles are like? similar and different? which is the dumbest way to compare any two things ever but like :( y’all get what i mean right :( we get one more Hanging Off A Cliff scene and this time adora grabs catra by the chest and shoves her against the wall, and catra is like cool! but u did this,, for what? and then adora realizes catra was just distracting her Again and bright moon is very badly under attack :( catra bids her adieu so adora can run back and fight. but she like. gets caught :( and catra walks up to her and gently caresses her cheek before adora passes out and it’s evil but it’s also tender? but it’s also evil i know i know :( all of the princesses come to help adora so she sends a beam of magic gay light and heals everything and then all the princesses send a gay tsunami washing over catra. the horde loses, and catra retreats in a skiff, but adora and catra exchange one more Look as she leaves... hm. 9/10
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ephemerlskies · 5 years ago
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the lighthouse | jjk
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⇢ pairing: reader x jungkook
⇢ genre: one shot, fluff (what's new), strangers to "lovers", mutual pining, so much sap you're gonna have to shower after reading this, ANGST, jungkook is a literary scholar (?) of sorts
⇢ word count: 12k
⇢ warnings: as stated before, it's Cheesy with a capital C, lots of introspection, brief mentions of death, explicit language, mommy issues, (((major plot twist)))
⇢ summary: you and jungkook had one thing in common: you were both lost souls stagnant in the search of some fulfillment. the one of many differences was that your story had been written on your sleeves, while jungkook’s was a story needed to be unriddled. was this going to be another disappointing chapter in the book of unattainable desires or could your encounter with the mysterious man who lived in the lighthouse lead to something much more?
a/n: i'm super proud of how this turned out even though it ripped my heart out of my chest... this was probably my favorite fic to write and ahh im so happy to release it!!!! i hope you lovely little angels enjoy!! :) <3
What makes us human? This question posed by your philosophy teacher had been stalking your thoughts hours after class had ended. As the rain padded against your umbrella, you piled in a few answers to this question. 
What makes us human? A question that would seemingly have a clear cut answer, but when you got down to it, there was no distinct characteristic that differentiates humans from other animals. It was easy to say something such as how we have complex linguistics or industrialized civilization, but that is to discredit how the packs of wolves howl to each other, the birds sing from tree to tree, the beavers diligently construct their dams, or the dirt cities in which ants build their own societies not much different than humans. 
You pondered the idea that we love so deeply, even when it is often unreturned, but there is no denying the way a mother bear strikes down any and all enemies to protect her baby cub is anything other than true love.
So, what makes us human? You sat on a bench placed on the sidelines where you could witness small scenes of the lives of passing strangers. This sonder might be what makes us human. The knowledge that each person lives and loves and cries and fears and speaks and dies in ways with which you will never begin to familiarize. Life continues on around you despite how unimportant it may seem to the rest. 
Does a lion waste any moment of his time wondering how the deer had found its way to the shallow pond, whilst preparing to strike? Of course not. 
You watched a couple clinging onto each other and wondered where they met. You then were captured in the peace of an old woman prodding around in the grass with her golden retriever; perhaps it was her last companion. Then, your eyes drifted towards the two boys pushing each other over but with the gentleness one could only assume that was out of friendship or perhaps brotherhood.
And then you saw him. 
Gentle fingers tracing the stacks of magazines lined in a perfect column; an arm that disappeared into the sleeve of his dark, wool coat. A tweed newsboy hat sheltering his eyes, and deep chestnut Oxford shoes stepping lightly, nearing a tiptoe, between the cracks of each cement plate, weathered by the infinite other shoes that tread on those very grounds. A body so magnetizing and moving as if it were a secret, and you couldn’t imagine why no one else had been ingested by the enigma that is this man. You longed for him to reveal these secrets that hid underneath his hat and coat, though if he wouldn’t, which he most likely wouldn’t, you had no problem with seeking them out yourself.
In a city filled with young souls draped in modern streetwear, jeans, bright colors, and converse or Dr. Martens or perhaps high heels, catching this needle in the haystack plugged into every synapse of wonderment. The muted tones of his clothing gleamed the brightest out of the sea of strangers.
This is what made you human. Your desire to know everything that lies barely beyond your wingspan. Everything you could hold was close to nothing in meaning, and everything your arms could not reach was always all you could ever want. The rise of your legs, the way you replicated his every movement, running your fingers along the stack of magazines, fastidious prancing in the spaces between the cracks, and your subtle pursuit of the man just out of reach was what made you human. 
Bodies bustling through your path failed to untether you from this chase. It felt far beyond your power to stop yourself from the rising excitement and allure in your chest that pulled you towards him. The man was quick and swift to dodge oncoming bystanders, however your eyes became a missile fixed on a target. 
The unexpected turn he took had you floundering for you had been trapped behind an older lady and a couple walking side by side. Sadly, your memorization of the streets and landmarks had been admisal, so you found yourself in uncharted territory. Each road sign and corner store had been displayed like a foreign language, and you mentally cursed yourself for letting your silly lust for learning what shouldn’t be learned lead you into this difficult position.  
You stood defeated, the man had evaded your fragile trail behind him with ease. You lost him, or maybe he got away.
It was still midday, prompting you to make an end of this means. Your eyes discovered the coast set along the edge of the town, and though this was the furthest you had ever gone, you dared to go further. This mishap of yours granted you the opportunity to introduce yourself to the shore, and the waves have always delighted your interest. So, you found it just to walk down to the sand. The sound of the water pressing into the wet sand was calming; it was something you could find yourself getting used to. Luck presented itself kindly, giving you a moment unencumbered by the rain that had ceased not long after you stepped foot on the beach. 
You took this time to be with yourself and sort out all the problems that have been worrying your mind these past few weeks. Your best friend, Chaeyoung, had an upcoming birthday that had snuck up on you before you had the chance to even think about getting her a card, let alone a gift or celebration. And you would be disappointed with yourself if you failed to outdo last year’s efforts. There was also the test in your Chemistry class scheduled only a day after her birthday, curtailing your plans of staying out late because there was no way you would allow for anything less than your very most on this exam. Then, there was the essay on what makes us human that you denied any chance of regaining priority to your list of worries, knowing it would gnaw at your mind until you forcibly shut it out.
And the man that willed you to seek him out, and that wore the title of his stories as if he intentionally wished to spark your wonder to learn them.
That should have been the last of your worries. It should have been. 
The day began to fade into a warm, orange dusk. Skies once gloomy and grey now covered in blankets of clouds reflecting the sun’s gentle rays and you found yourself reunited with the calming feeling similar to when you first stepped on the beach. 
Not long after registering how far you had traveled along the shore, you noticed a quaint lighthouse with a house-like structure at the base. The off-white stones cemented up until a red paneled roof covered it, tempting you to know what lies behind those walls.
It looked like it was about to rain again.
Are lighthouses closed off from the public? 
There’s a house, there must be someone inside that could help me find my way home. 
All these comments to yourself made to premise the conclusion of entrance into this lighthouse. As you approached the door, framed in oak lining and painted red, the clouds appeared heavy once again. A few drops of condensation was enough persuasion that what was about to be done was for the good of your well being. You pushed it open and a creak echoed around the room inside. 
The walls were covered with stone bricks and there was one table in the center of the room. Other than that, this house was barren and if it weren’t for the second door that you guessed led to the lighthouse you would have called a car to take you home. 
Your walk was pensive and mouse-like; there was some quality about this structure that made you feel like you weren’t alone and sudden movements would disrupt an established peace. Your hand turned the cold, gold-plated handle and pulled open the door, soon being met with a warm gust of air that engulfed you into the lighthouse. 
This part of the building was exponentially more decorated than the room that preceded it. A staircase cemented into the sides of the lighthouse plastered with shelves upon shelves of books spiraled along the cylindrical walls, paired with dull lanterns that illuminated each level of railing had you drawn into its magnificence.
You stared up to what looked like a platform that held a place in which one would rest and look out into the ocean. There was no one in sight, and you assumed permission to climb up the staircase. Your eyes scanned each spine, creased and slightly warped from the moisture of the air, like they had been read over and over again. Your breath became heavy and your stare was focused on the books to ignore the dizziness settling in.
Reaching the top of the staircase came as a blessing, your lungs were close to catching fire. There were two armchairs, side by side, one fashioned a knitted blanket and the other was used as a table for five to seven or so novels, and the walls behind buried in high stacks of more books. There had to be at least seventy in the first half of piles you accounted for, and before you had the chance to snoop around the rest of the room you heard a voice coated with alarm behind you.
“What are you doing in here?” Your breath halted as you turned around, about to explain why you had let yourself into this building, however no amount of words could fully justify this invasive act. 
You recognized the wool coat and the tweed hat now resting in his hand instead of on his head. His eyes were shrouded in a youthful innocence despite his attire that implied he was a sophisticate of some sort. 
“Are you going to answer me or do I have to call the police?” The boom of his voice was chilling, sending shivers along your neck and chest. 
“Sorry, I’m-” How could you possibly defend your intrusion without sounding juvenile or absolutely insane? “I was… It was raining and I just was walking on the beach so-”
“So, you decided breaking and entering was better than getting a little wet?” His barbed responses hurdled how you plaintively stuttered around excuses. Despite his efforts to seem menacing, you couldn't let go of his boyish facial features. It was absolutely astonishing to you that someone who looked young enough to attend your own college and handsome enough to garner quite a bit of attention had anything to do with this dingy, aged lighthouse.
“No, I was going to come in here to ask for directions. I’m lost.” The pitiful temperament of this comment was not intentional, but the man who now stood in front of you felt itched by it. He couldn't ignore how your legs trembled, partly from the cold but also because of his raised voice directed at you, and how that admittedly aroused some guilt.
“It’s fine. Just-” He sighed deeply, placing his hat on the side table adjacent to the left armchair, “You can just wait here until the rain stops. Though, I have to say it looks unrelenting at the moment.” The man’s attention was captured by how the heavy rain seemed to wage war against the raging tides. You caught a glimpse of a smile. The slightest upturn of the corner of his lips almost compelling you to reveal you had spotted him in the town earlier today, and that you found yourself enamoured with his every movement, and he was ironically the reason you were stuck here.
“Are you sure? I can go, I shouldn't have been here in the first place.” The words escaped from your mouth quickly as if they were trying to race each other to be spoken.
“No, I said it’s fine.” The suddenness of this offer hushed you. He then removed his wool coat, unveiling the clothes he wore beneath it. The burgundy crew neck sweater layered tastefully over a collared shirt was just as old fashioned as every other article of clothing he sported. How intriguing.
“I'm sorry.” Your muscles grew sore from suppressing how aggressively you would have been shaking from the cold. “Thank you.” Him granting you shelter gave you motive to keep the umbrella that would suffice to protect you from the rain under wraps. The option he presented was far more favorable.
“Sit down. Please, use this blanket.” He gestured towards the throw draped over the right armchair. His eyes avoided you as much as he could manage though you had this glow emulating from your wanting eyes and soft looking skin that crept to the corner of his vision too brightly to ignore. Consequently, this comment soothed both your body and mind for he unguarded a kindness that was hidden when he first spoke to you. 
“My name is ___.” He was facing the window that displayed the sea, now thrashing and falling into itself, and without moving his head, his eyes drifted towards you.
“I know who you are.”
“Wh- How?” Maybe accepting an invite in a secluded lighthouse on the beach wasn’t the safest thing you could be doing on a Friday afternoon. Anxiety pioneered a place in your breathing, turning it rushed and choked.
Before your mind could theorize all the ways in which you could make an escape from this room or how quickly you could use your hidden umbrella as a weapon he said, “I noticed you following me in the town’s square earlier today.” You sighed, releasing the terror that pricked your lungs. If anything, it was he who should be afraid of you.
“I’m not a stalker!” That weak defense was all you could push from your throat before any well constructed explanations could be put forth. 
His laugh, along with his cryptic gaze towards the waves, made you feel even worse about your actions.
“You were just so stunning and I wanted to know what kind of person still wears a newsboy hat without trying to make a statement.” Your lower lip tucked between your teeth stopped the nervous laugh about to spill and expressed worry that the more you tried to explain yourself, the more this man believed you should be charged for stalking not to mention trespassing.
“Stunning?”
“I mean, like, someone I’d want to meet.”
“What were you planning on doing once I stopped somewhere, or noticed you?” He questioned you only because he relished how you were scrambling to a proper defense. He knew you weren’t any threat to him, not many people were, however he enjoyed your chatter more than the silence that would have taken its place.
“I don't know, maybe just… introduce myself?” This sheepish, yet honest, reply had you drowning in humiliation, while the man before you seemed as if he were floating effortlessly along the surface. 
“I’m Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook.” Relief replaced the worry that he would turn you away, leaving you to the hands of the storm outside. The fact that any other person would have done so led you to believe Jungkook held a lot more compassion than he let on. You held your hand to greet him, finding it only polite to execute this formality. His, however, remained folded behind his back, notably denting your ego as you retracted your hand quicker than you extended it.
“Okay.” You muttered to yourself in slight embarrassment from this trivial rejection. “So, do you live here or something?” Your question was first replied to with a breath of annoyance. Jungkook was kind enough to allow you a sanctuary from the rain, exemption from the intrusion and stalking, and now he found himself having to entertain you.
“Yeah, something like that.” All this disinterested answer did was persist your attempts to break his catatonic gaze. However, his reserve had been solidified steadily over the years, so this venture was going to be tough.
“I didn’t know you could live in a lighthouse?” Your inquiry was spoken with the hopes this would ignite a lasting conversation. 
“It’s not a lighthouse, technically.” Jungkook’s affirmative tone flew right over your head, conjuring even more annoyance that oddly enticed him to continue responding to your dense questions.
“Well, it looks like a lighthouse. It’s shaped like a lighthouse. It’s on the beach, just like a lighthouse.” A chuckle joined the sigh of his breath and his head that shook at your shallow observations. Jungkook eventually turned around and made his way towards the stacks of books, trying to preoccupy himself from whatever this exchange was. “All signs point to this being a lighthouse.”
“Well, it’s not. Lighthouses are meant to send signals to the ships out at sea. This doesn't,” His curt response tickled your amusement, only encouraging you to further aggravate him. “Therefore, not a lighthouse.”
“Okay,” You sounded agreeable, but this was soon followed by a doubtful comment whispered just loud enough for Jungkook’s ear to catch it, “It’s a lighthouse.” He found his stoicism melting away due to your spiteful attitude and conniving giggle in the face of his frustration. You wanted to get a rise out of him, and he knew this, and you were doing a fine job at it.
“It’s not-” His voice elevated with excitement, but he soon tamed the defensiveness threatening to spill from his lips, “Do you want to go back out into the rain?” 
“Okay, okay. Sorry.” Though, you sounded all but remorseful. The sly smirk resting on your face matched Jungkook’s satisfied expression, despite these smiles surfacing for different reasons. You couldn’t deny how humorous it was to distemper this man. How all the worries you laid out like the pebbles and seashells on this beach were washed away by the tides. Meanwhile, his grin provided little contribution in masking his enjoyment of your company and relentless curiosity.
You now sat in the right armchair, bundled in the blanket. It was not necessarily a thick blanket, but the chills once disturbing you had dwindled almost immediately. You were still entranced by Jungkook's movements. His hands were now occupied with a book from one of the stacks he’d been eyeing; the way he cradled the book like it was a newborn baby further revealed he had a somewhat protective attitude towards them. 
“What are you reading?” His eyes remained between the pages and lines of the book, but his focus was yet again thieved by your incessant curiosity. Jungkook thought it irritating similarly to how one would find a cat disrupting their owner from work, annoying yet ever so endearing, and adorably distracting.
“I’m not reading, I’m being bothered by you.” His snark was meant to damage your brazen pestering, but unknown to him it merely fueled it.
“Boohoo.” No matter how elementary that retort was, you still managed to fever him and hold hostage his attention.
“I’m reading The Odyssey.” Jungkook surrendered to you, placing the book on his lap that was now sitting in the armchair next to yours. “Why do you ask so many questions?” His eyes laid on you the same way they laid on the sea, filled to the brim with fascination. 
“I just wanted to know what you were reading.” Even when he expressed a clear indication that he was past your nonsense, it went unnoticed like the particles of dust flitting around the darkened room. This oblivion of yours prompted your next question. “Could you read it to me?”
His eyebrows furrowed at this request. Jungkook had already found himself exhausted by your persistence, and predicted ‘no’ would not be accepted as a viable answer. He just sighed and began to read aloud.
His soft voice somehow drowned out the sea’s commotion. The words flowed off his tongue as if he wrote the book himself; such poise for a young man lured you to immerse yourself in his narration and time grew more and more abstract. 
After a bit, Jungkook paused to examine how you'd received his reading and he was pleased to find your chin resting in your palm and your eyes and ears fixed onto him as if he were reading the gospel. This made it difficult, impossible, to deny entry for the subtle blush working its way on his cheeks.
“Are you satisfied?” He closed the book, peering out of the window to check if the weather had eased since you arrived. Though the intensity of the storm hadn’t lightened in the slightest, there was a new tranquility adopted by the drizzling sky waters that sank and fed into the waves.
“Never.” You replied with a hungered conviction twisted into your words, “What happens next?”
Jungkook laughed in shock of how eager you were to hear more of this story. It was unlike someone who wasn’t well versed in literature to genuinely enjoy listening to this archaic novel. 
“Why are you laughing? Read more!” Your whine came off a bit childlike, but succeeded in its goal. 
“It’s getting late.” He commented with a gentle sternness, though he proceeded to reopen the book. Your peculiar attention naturally drew him to oblige your desires. Even in the midst of a storm, even as the hours slipped by and the evening had been born, he continued to read.
You settled back into your chair in rejoice that you’d get to spend a bit more time with Jungkook. He was practically a stranger, and still there was a climate of comfort and intimacy that took the place of the crisp, winter air when he read from his book. He felt it too, and that was reason enough to allow you this company.
Throughout the chapter he had been working to finish, he snuck glances to find your eyes growing heavy with sleep as each page turned. Jungkook halted from reading and was trapped in the flush of your cheeks and lips and how your mouth hung slightly ajar as you inhaled the cold, wet air of the lighthouse. The puffs of breath that billowed from your lips had him yearning to know a warmth so full with life and curiosity.
“Are-” Jungkook tensed at the idea of disturbing your sleep, as if you hadn’t barged into his life without a hint of permission. “Are you asleep?”
Your head lifted slowly, then held stiff to maintain consciousness, “I was just resting my eyes. I’m not tired, I want you to read more.” You said this in spite of knowing you would drift asleep if he did.
“I think we are done reading for now.” The book closed for the last time, his hands pressing against the cover to seal his assurance. “You should head home.”
“But, I don’t know how the book ends.” This weak argument came from a place of jaded desperation. Regardless, he almost fell victim to your subdued urgency but any sensibility he could garner warned him not to allow this. You were quite obviously tired and he prefered you be safe in your own bed before the night advanced.
“Well, that’s because I only just started this book and it is very, very long.” Jungkook hoped this would usher you out even if that meant the return of loneliness would seep between the pillows of the right armchair after you left him with his solitude. 
“Well, I won’t be able to get these questions out of my mind unless I finish the book.” Another weak argument drained from your inventory of excuses. Maybe a change of subject would present an opportunity to linger in his company. “Also, why do you live here all alone?”
“I just do. I feel like I don’t have to explain this to you.” Jungkook was bewildered at his admission to give you, an unannounced and uninvited visitor, any explanations and still he was close to doing exactly that. “You’re quite invested in my personal life.” As much as that was true, his withdrawal from your curiosity wasn't all that effortful. Living in secrecy and desolation had the feeling of companionship nearly vanishing from his memory and you reunited him with  that warmth. And, he had not realized how it had nearly been forgotten or how much he missed it until he finally felt it again. 
“You seem like someone who has better things to attend to.” The lament that stained his words bore such heartache that was soon displaced in your chest. 
“No, no. My life is boring, and I don’t know. What person wouldn’t be interested in the personal life of a hermit who lives in a lighthouse?” You stood and paced around the platform towering over the swirling bookshelves below, towering over what felt like the entire world with Jungkook. The end of the blanket trailed your footstep as your drooping eyes skimmed the multicolored novels which were remarkably arranged alphabetically by author. How he had the time or patience to organize the hundreds of books he owned was beyond your comprehension. Every detail you acquired from Jungkook was stored in a compartment of your heart, almost as if it were assigned by fate. They were told in riddles and secrets and everything else meant to be deciphered.
“Not a hermit, and not a lighthouse. I couldn’t imagine someone like you being bored with your life.” His voice had become welcoming, with a hint of genuine interest, and this transition felt imminent ever since you first introduced yourself. The tilt of your head signified your agreement with his last statement and implied there was something that bothered you about this truth.
“Someone like me?”
“Someone like you. Curious, young with your whole life ahead of you. It's hard to believe you should be bored with that.”
“You say that as if you aren't the same age as me.” Jungkook shrugged lazily and scuffed his shoes against the rug as he now stood against the window sill, observing your interest of his books.
“I shouldn’t be a lot of things, and yet I am all those things. Bored, curious, and I’m here talking to a complete stranger that totally has the capability to murder me like in those movies instead of going back home.” Your comment that snuck out had wrested a soft chuckle from Jungkook. They were absentmindedly thrown into the air that filled the space between you and him, nurturing his reciprocated fascination with you. Your diligent grazing of each book had distracted how the weight of your eyelids heavied by the minute.
“It’s not like I don’t have great people in my life or a quality education that takes up most of my time, I just,” Your brief pause was to turn your attention over to Jungkook, who did not hide how he was listening intently to these confessions, alleviating from a place in need of emptying. His eyebrow was arched in a manner that jolted you back to your senses. You’d revealed one too many privacies to someone who you had been acquainted with only hours ago. Mortification would have bathed your body if not for the way Jungkook seemed to strongly engage with your openness.
“You just?” He staged his interest overtly to correct the imbalance of how your genuinity left you hanging lower than him on the emotional scale. Jungkook believed that was the least he could do to mitigate the embarrassment about to silence you. 
“Uh, I just never seem to be satisfied with what I have. And that makes me seem like a greedy, spoiled child which makes me even more frustrated with myself.” You admitted, pulling the blanket over your shoulders tighter as if that would shield you from the compromising guilt slithering out of your body. “And that’s how I see myself. Ungrateful and spoiled.” This certainly scraped the barrel of your deep rooted disgust with yourself.
“Not spoiled, just lost.” His response felt like a soft and thoughtful embrace, granted that this was meant to ease the tinge of reproach in your heart. The words he spoke caressed your cheeks and told you that every horrid thing you thought of yourself was flawed.
“I’ve certainly been in your position.” He euphemized what he really wanted to say to you, that he saw himself in you. Even though you spoke very little on this, he felt himself living every experience you alluded to as if he had been right beside you your whole life. Or rather that you had witnessed his life and suffered identical desires and grievances and adversities and were simply retelling his story down to the most intricate detail; and somehow you made it sound brand new and a thousand times more aching. He was stranded in a state of amazement, ambushed by your pain and how even in moments of emotional destitution, you were unquestionably beautiful.  
Likewise, this stranger, who was no longer estranged, and his kind words nearly compensated for the billions of people you could never meet, all the dreams you wanted but could never alter into incarnation, and all the disappointments that plagued your heart.
And you felt held by his words, his voice, him.
“You’ve been in my position?” You requested confirmation.
“I was. Certainly.” And he confirmed.
“Where are you now?” In turn, you wanted this to suggest, ‘where can I find you?’
This question carried profound sentiment on both the giving and receiving end of it. To you, this yearned for advice. Any piece of wisdom would gladly, gratefully be accepted to ease this rampage of constant dissatisfaction. To him, it resurfaced a series of speculations long undisturbed until you had asked this question; a place intentionally void of all attention because it was sometimes too grim to remember. A haze of difficulty crowded a definite answer, though he knew there was one. He couldn’t place his finger on a fitting response and found himself next to you in search of the answer.
Where are you now?
This haunted his mind for a bit, leaving him speechless and albeit impressed, for once, by your curiosity. 
“It’s hard to say. Somewhere in between, I suppose.” Whatever meaning this carried did not resonate as sound to you. The mere idea of being on the end of perpetual longing, waiting for a clear path to the end that promised fulfillment, made it implausible to settle on being somewhere in between the two. Again, you were left unsatisfied and feeling a burden placing itself on your shoulders and wallowing a fit of disappointment in the pit of your stomach. Jungkook noticed how your eyes fell from his, down to the maroon accents of the rug, and felt out of place. Out of place, in his own lighthouse, all because your gaze and attention he’d grown used to in this short time wasn’t directed at him.
“That’s the kind of ambiguity that leaves me so hungry.” He nodded in agreeance with the twisted cruelty of his response you had pointed out. Jungkook didn’t know how or why he’d come to turn every corner and check each crevasse to find what could settle your appetite. This whole time, though, he sailed through this painstaking search without a trace of uncertainty. His illusion of disinterest and annoyance soon dissolved into the floor that your eyes hadn’t strayed from. 
“Maybe if I lived in a quaint, not-lighthouse I would be satisfied with that answer, but I don’t. I live a normal, normal, normal life.” The repetition of your words stressed your fatigue of this dullness, your desire for everything just inches away from your fingertips.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a normal life. I think it’s wrong that we have put the idea of drama and excitement on a pedestal.” This outlook, unlike the last, did gain traction in stripping the thick ambiguity around Jungkook’s mind. To your surprise, you could be satisfied with the small pieces of this man’s mystery being chipped bit by bit. 
He was well aware of his deep rooted appreciation that accompanied your eyes as it moved towards him once again. There was some sense of purposefulness in this glance that demoted his callousness to tender captivation.
“Can I ask one more question?”
“I have a hard time believing you only have one more question.” His doubtfulness didn’t seem to discourage you, or him.
“For real! Only one more, it’s important.” The only way to prove whether or not this question was truly important was for you to ask it. His head nodded his approval.
“What do you think makes us human?” Before he could answer, a swell of perplexity had overtaken his thoughts on this. You could tell, out of everyone, Jungkook would have a profound answer that could save you hours of contemplation over your philosophy essay’s prompt. 
“That’s an interesting question.”
“An interesting question in need of an answer.” You prodded him for his response, though this was pointless if there was no response that could possibly be constructed. Not a response of reason that you seemed to require, but of feeling. Like an instinct, and that in itself made it inapplicable to this question.
“Ask me again some other time. I don’t know if the answer is that simple.”
But, of course, it was. The answer, in his eyes, was blindingly clear.
“I’ll hold you to that!” He gladly took accountability for that commitment. An unfamiliar contentment with the unknown had lodged in your chest when the promise of spending time together emerged through the once conditional circumstances. The promise that transformed those conditional circumstances to voluntary acts.
This humbling discovery left a wide grin on your face, beaming directly towards Jungkook. 
Jungkook peered over to the antique clock placed on a shelf next to the window. The aversion of his eyes was to save face from how your soft smile that projected praise and attachment had effectively unnerved him; he stuffed his hands in his pockets to hide his fingers that twitched out of pure elation. 
The hour hand stationed on the twelve carved in roman numerals verified how his company had erased any discern for the hours that passed. They had floated away so silently, slowly that you could have sworn time froze altogether. 
“Oh shit, it’s midnight? Fuck me.” The decibels of your voice boomed against the walls, it could have shaken the stacks of books down to a pile of mess. “I’m sorry, shit. I didn’t even realize it was so late.” You unraveled yourself from the blanket and collected your belongings in a bit of a frenzy. 
“It’s alright. I, um, I had a nice time.” He distanced himself from you swiftly as you dashed across the room to the edge of the stairs. Even in a hurried state, you still looked back to him and offered a smile, unsure if that was enough to suffice for a proper gesture of gratitude. 
“Me too.” The words were close to inaudible, but you knew he heard them loud and clear, along with the string of implications that were laced in them. 
“Oh and by the way, make good use of that umbrella. It looks like it could start raining again.” Your ears felt engorged with flames when he’d revealed his knowledge of your little secret. It was foolish of you to believe you could outsmart Jungkook because what you thought obscure was well within his range of astuteness and the umbrella, still damp from the rain, was apparent from the beginning.
You didn’t catch how he’d been smiling when you turned away bashfully, strutting down the stairs in an attempt to portray false confidence. But if you did, you would have picked up on his mutual indulgence in your visit, the absolute bliss laden in his eyes. You grasped tightly to the joy evoked from the thought of seeing him again, however your nerves held a tighter grasp that did not allow you to express this to him. Perhaps your giggles of excitement, surely heard by Jungkook, spilling from your throat as you rushed out the empty room or the way you clutched your umbrella to your chest in admittance you had purposefully kept that fact from him would give Jungkook a clue of how thankful you were to meet him. And even more so to be able to see him again.
As you parted from the lighthouse that was not a lighthouse, something in between, you felt that the comfort you once had taper off with the growing distance from the not-lighthouse. You were fraught with a gentle yearning to turn back, run up the spiraling stairs, settle yourself back into the right armchair, and ask humbly to stay a while longer.
Little did you know, Jungkook’s hopes coincided with yours like two concentric circles. 
(One week later)
If it wasn’t the question left unanswered that motivated you, it was the fact that you missed the view of the beach from the window. Or maybe it was the countless supply of book titles that you didn’t get to finish inspecting. Perhaps it was that you missed how the soft blanket complimented the feathery cushion of the right armchair. 
Any of these excuses could be suited to explain how you rushed through the town, determined, goal-oriented and passing down streets now ingrained in your memory, with a destination clear in mind.
But it definitely couldn't be how dearly you missed the sound of his voice when he read to you or his smile or the way he studied the waves with gentle affection. No, it couldn't be that.
Either way, you arrived at the base of the lighthouse. It had been a week since your first visit and you hoped that the invitation still stood for your return. Making your way through the empty room felt quick since you hadn't wasted time to notice how the table now had a vase of flowers in the center. Nor did you notice the new mat placed in front of the interior doorway to the lighthouse.
Your heart dropped from your chest when you reached over to the door knob only to find it was locked. You turned the handle back and forth as if that would miraculously function as a key to unlock the door. After a bit of knob fiddling had proven itself useless, you turned away with a huff of air releasing your frustration. 
The click and turn of the handle had you twirling around optimistically and seeing him made all that disappointment dissolve. 
“You’re back again.” He was smiling at you, then cocked his head to say come in. The moment you stepped into the lighthouse, its lackluster disappeared as if by magic. But Jungkook knew it wasn’t magic at all; it was the person that hid their umbrella, and asked him to read and promised to return as much as he promised to let you return.
“I believe you promised to keep reading to me.” 
“Did I?” The reasons for your return weren’t all that important to discuss, both you and him were just glad to make your way up the stairs to the two armchairs once more, hearts both racing not because of the physical exertion from the stairs but from the excitement rasping through yours and his bodies.
“Yes, but this time I won’t fall asleep.” 
“We’ll see about that.” There was no question that your intense focus wasn’t because you cared about the book he had been reading. In all honesty, you would not be able to summarize any bit of the plot if someone asked. You probably would have a hard time even naming the author of the book because what sank you into the words on the pages wasn’t the story itself, but the voice that read them. Jungkook made those languid paragraphs sound like the first words ever to be spoken; he reinvented the English language through his unique dialect, inflections and phrasing that had the words of Homer dancing off the pages. So, of course there was no question that you wouldn’t be able to name any of the characters or recognize the writing style of Homer because those details faded away, leaving only the memory of his voice with you.
This time, Jungkook didn’t have to offer you a seat. He made it clear that this spot had been reserved and waiting for you by the way the blanket had been folded and worn by the arm of the chair and the new pillow resting at the base of the chair’s backrest. You planted yourself on the cushion that felt more plump than the last time you sat in it and faced towards the large window that showcased the ocean’s energetic swaying.
“I would never get tired of this view.” You commented while Jungkook pulled back the curtains further to widen the seascape. He too was drawn to the deep blue waters making their way to and from the shore. 
“I usually don’t leave the windows this open, but my love for the scenery of the ocean has rekindled.” When he said this, your eyes hadn’t budged from the window unlike Jungkook’s that peered over to you. You pretended not to notice that or the way your heartbeat had taken a quickness that had your skin growing warmer. 
“How could it leave in the first place?”
“It is well known, especially by you, that having an abundance of something lessens your appreciation for it.” A corner of your lips lifted at this, knowing exactly what he had been referring to. Each wave passed by and in a comatose-like state, you wondered where on the shore it would land.
“No need to call me out already, Jungkook.” He had left the window and retrieved The Odyssey that hadn’t left the side table since the night he read it to you. This broke your trance, and you shifted to face the left armchair.
“You made it too easy, ___.”
“Okay, Hermit.” Your smile did wonders to ease the irritation in Jungkook’s chest to tenderness. Though he refused to admit it, this otherwise taunting nickname sounded affectionate coming from you.
“Technically a hermit is-”
“Technically, I don’t care about your technicalities. No amount of facts will persuade me that you aren’t a Hermit.” Jungkook dug his tongue into the side of his cheek to resist from joining in with your laughter. He’d been fidgeting with the book that was waiting to be read, but neither of you seemed to mind putting that off.
“Ho- How was your day?” You shouldn’t have felt as proud as you did for making a man who could read aloud for hours stutter over his own words, and nonetheless you were extremely flattered by this.
“It was good.” Good never really meant good, and Jungkook knew this.
“And what’s the truth?” Your playing field had once again been unleveled, the advantage returned into the palm of Jungkook’s hand in the blink of an eye. His perceptiveness had been bordering on annoying but still remained on the side of impressive.
“Well,” You bunched the blanket in your fists as an expression of worry, “My mom called today.” Anyone who could hear would be able to tell you sounded unhappy about that.
“Why do you say that like it’s a bad thing?” Jungkook articulated his question to get the answer he’d been looking for, finding the hostility in your voice far more interesting than the actual conversation between you and your mom.
“You don’t know my mom, but she projects her over achieving personality onto almost everyone she meets, but most of it goes onto me.” Your back had straightened when mentioning your mom, almost as if it were a reflex, like Pavlov’s dog, that you were conditioned to be on guard at the thought of her. “I don’t know why I get so mad at her when she does that because I know it comes from a place of love.”
Jungkook hummed softly, granting you space to continue talking. 
“Yeah, it probably comes from a place of love but part of me doesn’t believe that. Part of me thinks every time she calls to check on me it’s really just a ploy for her to nag me on what I could be doing better.” You scoffed as the conversation from earlier in the morning played out in your head again. Envisioning the back and forth between you and your mother only fueled your frustration but you couldn’t help yourself. There was no stifling the seething anger imploding before Jungkook’s eyes. “She always says stuff like, ‘Maybe if you applied yourself more you would be doing better than this.’ or ‘I told you that you should have done this or that and now it’s too late’ or the infamous ‘Do you not care about your future?’ lecture that just gets under my skin. She’s so good at saying the wrong things at the wrong time. I don’t know how she does it but she always manages to rub dirt in the wound.” 
“So, she’s never satisfied with you?” Jungkook observed.
“No, never! And you’d think a mother would be supportive or happy with all the things her child had already accomplished but somehow it’s never enough. And she knows what she’s doing. That makes it worse. She knows how she weaponizes my guilt against me.” You held your tongue from the much longer rant about to digress, feeling a sudden discomfort in the way you’d been complaining to Jungkook. You couldn’t understand why it was all too easy to talk of these kinds of things to him, why he looked so interested in what you were saying even when anyone else would have grown tired of you by now, why you found in him a warm confidant much more comforting than you’d expected, yet there was no way to dismiss this reality.
Jungkook did not offer advice, or tell you that you should be thankful or that maybe you were handling these situations poorly. He did none of that. His silence was more thoughtful than any number of things he could have said. He simply listened. 
You rose from the chair to get a closer view of the sea. Past your reflection in the glass, the consecutive tides seemed to grapple over the next and the next; the previous wave always just short of reach to tackle the immediate wave. He had followed you without a word, living up to your desire to have him at your side. There was no need for mindless comments or condolences to fill the silence, only mindful amity, at your side, because watching the ocean with you was enough.
“So, that was my day.” It was the first thing spoken after a period of quiet, perfectly timed and delivered for it to bear a dry humor in its intention. Jungkook and you laughed, finding this the long needed release of tension in your head. 
“Is this going to become a habitual thing?”
“What’s that?” 
“Me complaining to you about my personal struggles that would have gone in my journal or somewhere far more private than this.” All said while your and Jungkook’s gazes didn’t wander from the view of the window. “Me inviting myself into your lighthouse, or not-lighthouse, whatever.”
“I wouldn’t mind that.” Two heads turned towards each other almost as if it were on que.
The way your pupils dilated and softened conveyed every bit of thanks you held in your heart but couldn’t muster the courage to voice. Jungkook’s doe-eyed smile thanked you likewise and confessed the gratitude for how you had rescued him from yet another lonesome afternoon with a curtained window, an unused blanket, an empty chair, and a melancholic silence as he read his one of thousands of books. Not including The Odyssey, that was for your ears only.
“You wouldn’t?”
“Maybe a little.” His tease succeeded to provoke that smile of yours. And even though that was a favor on his end, he was the one that felt graced by it. Realistically, a smile costs nothing yet there grew an enormous debt in his heart; and even though he couldn’t afford it, all he could do was bask in every detail your smile, of the crease of your eyes, and of the way your cheeks took the form of a sweet Spring Peach, and the scrunch of your nose and brows. Before he sank himself deeper in debt, Jungkook beckoned for the two of you to return to your seats and read all your worries away.
---
Who would have guessed that The Odyssey, of all things, would be the thing that would occupy most of your Fridays through the rest of the winter? Sometimes you visited a Sunday, and other times you’d find yourself needing to hear The Odyssey on a Wednesday evening or a Monday morning. The days on which you swung by the now familiar lighthouse would vary, but they remained a weekly occurrence. 
Jungkook had grown comfortable with this routine, reading to you while you watched him and the waves, but mostly him. Occasionally, his reading would cease to an interruption of his own doing to ask how your day was in a very specific way that only Jungkook seemed to exhibit. He’d ask you say anything but ‘good’ or ‘boring’ and he’d clarify that he wanted you to not leave out any details. 
“Why?” You would ask. And he’d look at you as if you set yourself on fire.
“It’s important to me.” He’d reply as if it were that simple, or the answer you were looking for. Still, if it was important to him you didn’t need any more persuading.
Like when you told him you stopped by a coffee shop, he’d tell you to specify which drink you ordered and how it tasted. 
“Cinnamon.”
“Is that your favorite?”
“No, I prefer peppermint but sometimes I combine those flavors and that becomes my other favorite.”
“That sounds sweet.”
“It absolutely is.”
“Does that make you happy?”
“It makes my insides feel like Christmas.”
“Is Christmas a feeling?”
“It is to me!” He smiled at your childlike enthusiasm because it made life seem a lot more appealing than he’d ever believed. Before you, the world was a little greyer. After you, suddenly full of vibrance, saturated to the grandest extents.
Or the time you brought a candle to fill the air with something a bit more pleasant than the smell of the old, wet stones of the lighthouse.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a candle, vanilla and patchouli.”
“Where did you get it?”
“I don’t remember. I just found it in my house and thought this place needed something sweet.”
“But you’re here.” Your teeth bit down on your tongue when he said this. You almost fallen trapped in figuring out what motivated him to say this, but the flattery of his comment was all too pleasing to ignore.
“But I don’t smell like vanilla and patchouli.” You said, only to save face from the fact that you suddenly felt like a deer in headlights when he looked at you, bracing for when he would crash into you and hoping to god you can absorb the exhilaration of souls colliding; and hoping to god he would crash into you.
“Could you light it, then?”
“Of course.”
And the room filled with a sweetness that complimented your company finely. Now, whenever he would smell the scents of vanilla and patchouli he would think of you, and you of him.
He would continue asking these simple questions, and so on.
Why he thought it was essential for you to relay these almost invaluable intricacies was beyond you, but it did make you feel heard; it made you feel held as it always did. It made the value of your life gone without the need to be earned or proven, the value of the smaller moments that fell between bigger moments. 
It made it all okay that you felt like you stripped the clothes from your whole life off for him to revere and that he’d rarely ever display such emotional nudity for you; you were okay with lying bare before his eyes, vulnerable and pliant to his every whim. Even when you wanted to know all of these things about Jungkook and he’d hold them captive or he’d only offer half sufficient answers, you collected as many bits of the puzzle as possible to try and piece together his story.
“How are your parents, Jungkook?”
“Long gone.”
“Oh, Jungkook… I’m sorry for your loss.”
“I watched them grow old and content and that softened the blow.” 
“Are you lonely?”
Yes, it’s excruciating when you are not here. I am tormented in your absence and all too plagued with despondency and I wish you knew that.
“I’ve grown used to it.”
“So you have.”
“So I have.”
You did not want him to be lonely; you didn’t want him to ever be sad but you wanted him to be able to say that he was to you. You wanted him to be able to tell you he was lonely; you wanted him to want you to know his heart. You wanted him to feel as naked as you felt. Vagueness was all you could ever manage to arrest from his gated mind. 
And for once, the little he had given was more than you could ever ask for.
Sunday mornings with Jungkook were your favorite. The ocean was tame during this time on Sundays specifically and sailed you into its calmness; you were half asleep, resting on the sill running along the base of the window panes. Spring had been approaching which meant there were radiant glimmers of the early sun that reflected and glided along the ripples of the waves. Jungkook once said that every time he looked at these little pieces of diamond rays, he believed the sun and the sea performed in devotion for you and him alone. 
“I love that.” And indeed you did. The idea that no one else witnessed this ocean, not this one, not the way you and Jungkook had, was a greedy disposition but felt so true.
“Would you like me to read?” He said in place of, Is my voice properly fitting for something as lovely as this moment?
“I want you to talk, but not of books.” You blinked slowly at Jungkook, “Could you tell me about yourself? Just one thing, anything you choose.” He saw those specks of diamonds glimmering in your irises. He felt so close to you, sitting on the other end of the window, and close enough to finally surrender a bit of his gated mind.
“When I was a child, I knew my days were numbered. The details of why aren’t important, but I digress.” You stuffed a scoff down your throat at the assertion that the details weren’t important. Him, of all people, claiming the details were unimportant had you whirling in a paradox. “With this in mind, I did my best to fulfill everything any child would have wanted. And I don’t think I’ve ever stopped because that list of desires was never ending.” 
Was this what he meant when he said he was in my position once? You wondered.
“I spent all my time looking for the next best thing I could achieve, because the best things that I had was, as you know, never enough. One week, the best thing would be finding a four leaf clover to give to my mother. The next, it was being the first in line for the new, long awaited comic book. Or, it was the time my father took me fishing on the lake, and then seconds after it was the first fish I caught and threw back into the water, and that best thing was soon replaced by my father’s proud smile.”
Your throat tightened as you visualized a young Jungkook sitting on the dock with his father, full of youth and excitement, and how nostalgia had ripened into your heart even though you had no place in this memory of his. This dream-like sequence had compelled a few tears to fill your eyes, fogging your vision of the older Jungkook that sat before you. 
“When I grew older, in my adolescent and teenage years, the next best thing was fulfilling a newfound passion. It prompted me to buy out almost the entire library and major in World Literature. I spent the rest of my days from then on immersed in reading, as you can see. It was the only place I felt like I was achieving the next best thing, and it was cruel when I came to realize there was no way in hell I could finish all the books I’d collected in time.”
“In time for what?”
“In time... for the next best thing to come along, I guess.” This answer appeared fabricated, but was subtle enough to pass through your mind without a second thought. 
“And did it? Did it come along?”
It would have made no difference if your question had been asked to a brick wall because Jungkook brushed it off as he did every other question that would have given you another piece of his puzzle. He took precautions to avoid a defeat to your pouting by walking over to the left armchair and burying his face in the book’s fortitude. Before you had the chance to reiterate your question, Jungkook began to read, making it all too clear he was evading.
“Jungkook?” You whined to which he paid no mind by continuing to read.
“Is he being serious right now?” Again, you might as well have been talking to an inanimate object. There was nothing to be done when he lodged his restraint other than joining him in your armchair, quietly, permissively.
Every day, like this one, spent with him had you convinced it couldn’t be surpassed in enjoyment. And every day, your expectations had been exceeded. That was something you’d never think could happen. Soon, the cares and worries of this Winter melted as the avenue of Spring had unfolded before you. A long path, surrounded with flower blossoms and diamond coated seas, or in other words, the unfathomable had fallen into your hands.
The remainder of this pleasant Sunday had been consumed by The Odyssey and Jungkook’s voice singing its words as smoothly as the waves surrounding the lighthouse and small conversations during the pauses of his reading. One struck you into reminiscence of the first night you met.
“You never answered my question.” He paused, flipping through the many unanswered questions he’d left with you. Jungkook raised his brow to order specification of which one you referred to.
“What makes us human?” The due date of your essay passed over two months ago, however this didn’t diminish your curiosity to know his answer.
“In all honesty,” He paused and looked to assure you would believe his answer would be honest, or honest enough to cater your satisfaction. “I think it’s our desire to achieve the last best thing.”
Every fiber in you compiled its own list of questions in regards to his yet again ambiguous answer, though you had grown to accept that as a part of Jungkook. And you sure as hell accepted Jungkook, ambiguity and all.
“Hm.” It didn’t take a mind reader to know you had theorized any and all connotations branching off from his answer and he didn’t mind that you could be lost in search of whatever the actual meaning of it was. 
The moon was in its fullest bloom tonight, and tomorrow, it would begin to wane into a crescent then into nothing but an empty space full of new and perhaps fortunate opportunities. Jungkook found the romance of this lunar phase well equipped for the dusty instrument he discovered in the base of the lighthouse. 
“I found something that I think you’d like.” Your ears perked like a dog when it’d been presented with treats. “But you have to go get it. It’s in the other room.”
Whatever this surprise was, it had excited you enough to ignore how you’d have to descend and re-ascend the many stairs that would surely tire you. Your eager legs would have jumped right from the platform to the bottom of the lighthouse if the reality didn’t result in broken bones. As you rushed to the door to the other room, you pushed through and discovered a telescope standing in the corner of the otherwise empty space. A few moments later you were hustling back up the stairs, the telescope making the re-ascension of the stairs ten times as strenuous. All the while, Jungkook just stared in amusement at the way you struggled your way to the platform.
“No, I don’t want any help, thank you!” You said sarcastically through grunts of exertion before positioning the instrument in front of the window.
“Well, I didn’t offer you any, so, you’re very welcome.” He stood on the other side of the telescope, admiring the way you fell so easily in love with it, hands scaling the length of the scope.
“Do I just?” You pointed to the eyepiece at the end of the rod and he nodded. You brought your eye to the magnifying glass which was flooded with the enchanting glow of the stars. You’d never seen them this close, but this little gift of Jungkook’s had catapulted you into the illuminated abyss of the night sky. A measly woah was all that squeaked from your voice, because all the other words were stolen by the stars.
“Can you find any constellations?” He’d seen all the stars in the galaxy; that he was sure of. But none had shone brighter than the person he couldn’t tear his eyes from. Three o’clock had crept onto the antique clock, this late hour had worn down Jungkook’s walls completely as the soft glow of adornment laminated his eyes. 
“I think I see ORion's belt. That’s the only one I know other than the Big Dipper.” You laughed at your own lack of knowledge of the stars. Knowledge didn’t seem to matter though, the beauty of the stardusted sky had taken care of that deficiency. You lifted yourself away from the telescope, allowing Jungkook a turn to stargaze.
“Have you heard of the Astral Plane?” Jungkook asking you something other than, ‘how was your day’, was a rare occurrence which most likely meant this was of some importance.
“I’ve heard of it, but I think I’ll need you to refresh my memory.” You really did need clarification on what exactly the Astral Plane entailed, though you mainly just wanted to hear him explain it. 
“Some say it lies in the fourth dimension. It isn’t tangible or something that can be touched. It lies between everything, every atom, every cell, every city and forest and mountain and even between the crevasses of one’s own mind and soul. A place like this is full of divinity and complete attainment and the way it is reached has been theorized by many.” Jungkook’s meticulous readjustments of the telescope had you wondering which constellations he was searching for, or maybe he’d been looking for Venus or Mars or the Moon. “Some say you arrive there in your dreams, or when you reach enlightenment, or when death draws its curtain on you…  I-I don't know why but I’ve always thought that it was stitched into the sky. Far beyond our galaxy, maybe the Astral Plane has situated itself in between each star, just like it does our souls, and exists as the vastness of outer space.” It turned out he wasn't looking for any of those things, he was looking for the Astral Plane.
Could the heat rising throughout your body be merely adoration, or was it something along the lines of a forlorn longing? When he spoke, you felt this sensation growing dense in your bones; you felt a gravitation towards him.
“Seems about right to me.” Fondness had stained your tone which filled some void in Jungkook’s hungry heart, and he’d failed to predict you were the one that would be able to settle it. “Maybe we’ll never reach the Astral Plane, but at least I’m here with you.”
When you said this, the hairs on his arms pointed towards the ceiling. For once in a very, very long time, Jungkook felt a euphoric resurgence striking through the catacombs of his soul and hot tears dripping down the expanse of his cheeks, to the tip of his chin, and onto the glass scope that was shielding this sudden emotional combustion. He blinked away the tears to the best of his abilities and turned away from you and the telescope and the sky. Jungkook felt the push of air from your movement towards him, but he shifted further away. 
“Are yo-”
“I found a cluster of stardust, go look.” He averted you from him and you always fell victim to every trick in his book. 
“Wow, that’s amazing!” The grip you had on the telescope was firm, like you were trying to hold onto the stars themselves.
“Amazing.” He said. This reiteration wasn’t for the stars, however. He wondered if you knew that. He wondered if you could feel how consumed he was by your magnificence under the full moon that reigned with gentleness over the waves. The once wild tides, now moving with the same serenity and romance embedded into Jungkook and this lighthouse. He wondered if you could see he had been emotionally disrobed and bearing all his affection for you. And he wondered how he was so okay with that.
Six o’clock didn’t feel like six o’clock. Your eyes that struggled to keep open told you otherwise, so again you and him were parting ways as the sun had begun dawning over the horizon and there were no more stars to fill the hours slipping away. Jungkook did all he could to compose himself. He’d offered to walk you out; you reached the door that led to the dewy, Spring air awaiting your departure from the lighthouse.
“Wait, ___!” This exclamation echoed louder than the beating of his crimson heart. After stepping through the threshold, you turned to meet his gaze, teary-eyed from what you guessed was from lack of sleep. Teary-eyed from what he knew was because of another egregious goodbye. “Thank you.”
This moment seemed fitting to test the theory that actions speak louder than words. This moment called for the lapse of courage in need to act, not speak. This moment was the moment when you finally expressed the thankfulness that, to you, seemed to outweigh his by pressing a tender kiss to his cheek. It was much colder than your lips and the docile warmth of the morning, but once you pulled away the warmth had stained his cheek. 
Jungkook felt like every cell in his body was evaporating into the space around him. Like the way a fire would extend its heat into the air or the way Spring melted away the frost ridden Winter, your act had covered him in a blanket of love and refuge from the loneliness once vaulting his heart. And it certainly spoke louder than words; all the words in every book Jungkook had ever read and the words left unsaid and the words passing between everyone in the universe.
“I’m the one who should be thanking you, Hermit! You helped me see Orion’s Belt up close and personal!” You called as your strides began a slow fleet from a laughing Jungkook. You waved, now standing a generous distance from him, and he found this gave him the space needed to finally let his tears fall. 
“I love you.” He whispered, hoping the wind would carry it to your ears and heart.
A revelation had overcome him, and no matter how many times he tried to wipe the tears away, they’d be instantly replenished like a stream of water rushing from a conquered dam, spilling over endlessly, with all control suspended in the air around him.
Was it finally here? The last, best thing?
---
A week after the stargazing, your mind had mapped out the stars as you too searched for that Astral Plane. To you, Jungkook’s proposition of it being strewn in the night sky was the only theoretical that made sense. You wanted to flaunt your newfound passion for this concept he’d introduced, and admittedly - and more importantly - you wanted to kiss him again, leading to yet another blissful walk down the seashore to the lighthouse. The air was warm but not humid, carrying a breeze that evened out the sun’s heat nicely. A few pillows of clouds were cascading through the sky, never staying in one spot for too long; you’d come to appreciate each one’s temporary presence and when they passed, you grew to appreciate that as well. The gaze once fixed on the sand had now traveled to the waves of much gentler motion than ever before. 
This walk, unlike the dozens of others, felt different. The streets looked lovely and the air felt clean in your chest, giving you a pleasant journey far more intimate than the last. Then you realized, it felt like you were walking back home.
When you grew closer to the lighthouse, you noticed the curtains had been drawn which was strikingly unusual for a sunny day such as this one. This was a passing observation as you made your way to the base of the lighthouse. 
Through the door to the room before the lighthouse, you were taken aback to find your armchair sitting in front of the table. you walked up to discover a single, folded parchment sealed with a red wax stamp labeled with your name along the top of the paper.
This felt eerie, for some reason, and you called out his name only to be met with silence, before sitting yourself down and unsealing the note.
It read in his voice:
My Dearest, ___
I wrote this to relay a lot of things left unsaid. The first being goodbye. I’m sorry to have to leave you like this, though no amount of remorse could possibly appease my actions.
Your heartbeat had grown rampant, until your eyes read those words. It was then when it stopped altogether. Still, you continued to read.
I kept things from you like the fact that our encounter in the town’s square was all but coincidental. The truth is scary, and my truth would have turned you away from the beginning. It was selfish, I admit, but I do not think I could have endured such a loss. Forgive me for keeping you in the dark all this time, but I am beyond gratified for what you granted me in spite of that.
Maybe it might seem cruel. You are not alone in feeling that — never alone. But, we were never meant to spend every Sunday morning, or Friday evening, or Wednesday afternoon together to watch the waves float along with the hours lost reading to you; I knew this was not the end of your story, just mine. 
The books I have read over and over have imprisoned me in search of the “next best thing”. To my dismay, I thought I had run out of time to find it. But then you came along. You helped set me free by allowing me to live out a few more “best things” through the way you shared your life with me, unselfishly, warmly, kindly— You helped me move on.
I know you too will move on from this. I hope I could at least leave you with the tools and courage to find each “next best thing” in store. If not that, then this lighthouse, open to you and only you, and a myriad of good memories to ease our parting. I know in my heart you deserve nothing less.
I hope you find contentment somewhere in the sea or on the sand or in the stars, or perhaps somewhere in between.
Once you do, we will meet again within the Astral Plane, my love. I swear it. And if you miss me, just look through the telescope and find me woven in the spaces amidst Orion’s Belt.
Thank you. Again and again I thank you and it is still not enough. Thank you for you, for your warmth, for your salvation, for your smile, for your endless questions, for re-introducing me to the aroma of vanilla and patchouli but it was not as sweet as your companionship, for putting good use of the right armchair and the view from our window, for making the odyssey a little less lonely to read, and thank you for stepping into my lighthouse and my life.
Don't you see, it was you. You were my last, best thing.
with love and sorrow,
Jeon Jungkook
Before you got to the end of the letter, you were racing up the spiraling stairs, ignoring the burn in your tightened chest, how the air in the lighthouse had suffocated your lungs. The dizziness that blurred your eyes had not slowed your climb up the stairs, and the wetness of your tears now seeping into his letter.
You reached the top, The Odyssey greeting you on the chair Jungkook would have been seated in. Your breaths were staggered and warm, filling the mournful emptiness of the lighthouse. 
“Jungkook.” You whispered. You begged for a reply. The curtains were drawn over the window, like never before, and exposed a bronze plaque peeking out from the end of the fabric. You pushed the drapes aside to read what was engraved into the metal plate and the first page of The Odyssey that hung below it.
In loving memory of our beloved son, Jeon Jungkook. May he rest in peace. 1918-1942.
The note below read: 
The Odyssey
Jeon and ___ Lighthouse.
You pieced the puzzle together, finally. And with that, came the final picture, so beautiful and mesmerizing and everything you could have ever hoped for, and more.
“Jungkook.” You repeated as a bid of farewell, with a heart full of satisfaction and content, and Jungkook. You pressed the letter to your chest in hopes his words would mend your aching heart. 
And it was true, he was not your last best thing, only one of them. 
But he was undoubtedly your most cherished and beloved best thing.
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nightowlfandom · 4 years ago
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Anime! Fictional! BTS x Real World! Reader- Welcome To My World~ Episode 1
HEY HEY! IM SO EXCITE! Btw who here plays BTS World? This is very loosely based off that.
I need to download it again tbh.
CHECKOUT MY MASTERLIST HERE!
Leggo!
...
What does it mean to escape? To get away. If it means leaving behind all you know, all you’ve been raised to know, all you’ve been led to believe, with just yourself and the clothes on your back. Scary, but thrilling. Terrifying, but inviting. Unbelievable, but definitely possible....
...
On a early Tuesday morning where the sun was barely grazing the orange sky, you sat by your windowsill. You were dreamily staring out into the halo that was a mixture of red and orange. The halo of greyish clouds matched your mood to a complete tee. The aesthetic beauty of nature wasn’t enough to make you smile or even blink twice, however. It was always like this though. Yet something about this scene made you go sour.
Releasing a sigh, you stepped away from the window, shutting the curtains. Another day, the same thing. All you could do was attempt to power through.
As you lazily pulled your shirt over your head, you had managed to dodge that annoying dog. The little brat wasn’t even yours, but your oh-so loving step-sister’s. He always had a affinity for making your room a hot mess.  Only yours in particular. 
“Get out of here you little-.” you chased the dog out of your room, slamming your door as it scurried off. “What did you screw up this time?” you curiously scanned the room. Everytime that little fluffy beast rammed his little head into your personal space, something would end up broken, ripped, shattered, or completely destroyed beyond repair. 
You almost screamed when you saw a familiar book cover on the floor. You instantly dropped to your knees, praying to yourself that it wasn’t true. The cover had a pretty violent looking rip along with the first few pages. 
Your absolute reason for waking up in the morning was tarnished. A signed cover of BTS Universe Issue #1. Probably your one and only favorite series on planet Earth. You gingerly picked up the book, trying to inspect it with hopes that the damage was minimal. As little as this was, you almost felt like crying. However there was no time, you needed to tape up the pages and fast! Who cares if you missed breakfast.
...
“Morning Y/N!” Your step-dad greeted you in the kitchen. “You were upstairs an awful long time, I was about to send your mother to see if you were still up playing that game of yours!” he smiled warmly.
“Thanks Mr. Chai.” you replied politely. “I’m sorry I’m so late.”
“You know...Y/N...you could call me Dad.” he set a plate down on the table. “I know I’m not your father, but I want to be the best father-figure for you because I know...you haven’t really had that.”
You had to stop yourself from saying anything else. You haven’t had the best parental relationship, and your new step-dad really was trying. Maybe it was just his daughter that drove you nuts.
“Thank you.” you replied, smiling. “...Dad.” you winked, making finger guns. “Geez! You made a lot of food for just the four of us”
“ Well you ain’t see muffin, yet!” he winked. “You and Nari have a busy day today. She auditioning and you, my friend....well I don’t know exactly what you have planned for the day.”
“I’ll tell you if we can skip the food related puns.” you sat down at the table. It was a rule that everyone waited for everyone else. Even though you had taken the extra time to repair your copy of BTS Universe, you had seemed to be the first person down the stairs. In all honesty, you were just going to hang out at the comic store until Nari called to tell you she was done.
“Hey now, Donut kill my vibe!” he continued, laughing. “I have a million more of these, come on. Don’t go bacon my heart, Y/N.”
“Good job Y/N, you’ve gotten him started.” You mom came down the stairs in her little blazer and pencil skirt. “Whatever will we do now.”
“He did it himself, the guy’s an animal! You married a wild child, mom.” you joked. “He might just be a serial killer.”
“Don’t you mean...cereal killer?” he held up a box of Raisin Bran to make his point. You could only shake your head as your mother and step-father laughed together. Food related humor so early in the morning had to mean today wasn’t going to be a horrible as it started, at least for you.
“WHERE ARE MY THIGH HIGH BOOTS!” you heard a screech from upstairs. “THEY BETTER NOT BE IN YOUR ROOM, Y/N!”
“...WHY WOULD I WANT TO WEAR YOUR SHOES!” you yelled back after taking in a deep breath. “NARI, IF I WANTED TO BREAK MY ANKLES, I’D HAUL MYSELF DOWN THE STAIRS.”
“When will you two get along?” your mom shook her head. “It’s been three years.” 
“We don’t not get along.” You shook your head. “Not my fault she’s difficult.”
“I can think of a few times you’ve been difficult yourself, young lady.” you mother pointed a stern finger at you. “Like when you locked yourself in the room to read that silly cartoon of yours.”
“It’s not silly.” you defended yourself.
“Oh come on!” Nari’s voice voice could be heard alongside some loud footsteps. “I think it’s cute to be honest. Y/N here actually has a hobby besides stalking celebrities online.”
“Shut up, Nari.” you grumbled. “And keep your dog out of my room! He ruined my signed copy of BTS Universe!”
“Dorie got out again?” she seethed, looking annoyed. “I really have to put a bell on that dog.”
“Yeah.” you sighed, you bummed mood returning. Everyone knew just how much you loved that edition. You kept in in a super special display case, you cleaned the case every week, you kept your other issues on their own bookshelf along with your figurine and digital visual novel editions of the series. You were even on the buyer’s list for the special early anime release. You LOVED this series. Not even Nari dared to disrespect something as important as that, and she loved getting under your skin.
“I’m sure you’ll be able to find another one.” your mother set down a bowl of cereal in front of you along with a muffin. “Now eat, you have a big day today.”
“Yes mam.” you replied, helping yourself to some cereal.
“If you want, you can take a muffin or bagel with you.” your step dad said. 
“Dad! I can’t, I have to be super focused remember? Breakfast will just slow me down!” Nari scoffed.
“Not having breakfast will make it even worse, dummy. Dude, you’re gonna pass out on stage.” you threw a tiny cereal piece at her. “Eat something.”
“I’ll eat later, I just have my eye on the prize and nothing is going to stop me.” Nari stood up determined. 
“Will you at least eat some toast, crazy girl.” your mother said. “Y/N’s right, you need to at least have eaten something to calm your nerves. Y/N make sure Nari eats something before you two go your separate ways.”
“I’ll try, no promise.” you shrugged. “Nari, if you’re done, then get your stuff and let’s go.” You promptly finished your cereal and went to go back upstairs. “You got ten minutes.” 
“What’s her deal?” you could hear Nari ask, followed by an sudden whispering of your mom stating exactly what she thought was wrong with you. Your bet was on ‘everything’.
You walked back into your room, grabbing your purse from your desk. You eyed your taped up issue of BTS Universe #1. There was no way you were going to find another issue like that, and that damned dog just treated it like a loved toy. You grabbed your phone and shoved it into your purse. You went over to where the issue was and placed it on your desk. 
“NARI LET’S GO!” you shut the bedroom door behind you as you walked out the room. 
...
You sped to a stop outside the building. Nari was shaking in her shoes. She seemed hesitant to even open the door. 
“Call me when you’re finished so I can pick you up.” you said, getting ready to unlock the doors.
“You’re leaving me!?” Nari looked like she was about to explode.
“Hello?! It’s idol trainees only?” you raised an eyebrow. “I can’t go in there with you. Nari what’s the problem?”
“...Um...I’m nervous alright! I’m giving up almost everything and if I don’t get chosen...I’ll just prove my dad right. I need this.” she stared down at her hands. “I’m not used to being a reject. I don’t know how you-”
“You wanna leave here with two working legs, I suggest you don’t finished that sentence.” you cut her off. “I’m not a reject.”
“That’s not what I was gonna say. I’m saying I don’t know how you deal with nerves like this.” she looked like she was gonna pass out. 
“...You just do.” you nudged her shoulder. “You just go for it and hope. Go for it.”
“...Okay, I’ll try.” she opened the door. “...Thank you.” she stood up. “I’ll call you when I’m all set.” she shut the door. 
“I’ll literally be at the store around the corner.” you replied before driving off. You watched in the rear view as she took her sweet time going into the building. 
...(Later on)
You trudged behind Nari as she ran through the door. She seemed happy, so that must have meant the audition went well.
“I’m gonna take a nap.” you called to your mom and step-dad. “See you guys at dinner!”
You didn’t wait for them to reply before you closed the door. As you walked over to your bed, you noticed a disc laying on your bed. Just a random DVD. The closer you got, the font on the front got clearer.
“BTS World?” It didn’t look familiar in the slightest. “It’s called BTS Universe, Nice try Nari.” you wrote it off as a stupid prank by your oh-so-loving Step-Sister. It was only then you realized Nari was with you all day. 
You took another look at it, gently taking it in your hands. It looked like it was glowing. 
Call it curiosity, but you needed to know.
Your laptop was sitting at the edge of the bed, so you put the disc in. 
“State your name.” a voice came out of nowhere. 
“What?” you looked around in shock. The voice sounded like it came from right behind you.
“Please state your name.” the female robotic voice repeated. 
“Y/N.” 
“Are you sure that you want Y/N as your name?”
“Um Yes?” you raised an eyebrow. You still didn’t know what the fuck was going on.
“Would you like to start a new game? You don’t appear to have any saved filed under the name Y/N.”
Maybe you were sleepier than you thought, but you ran with it. “Yes.”
“Starting new game....now”
Your screen began glowing a bright blue, a vivid, saturated blue. It was like your screen had turned into a flashlight. 
“What the fu-” you suddenly stared at your hands, the very tips of your fingers turned pixelated. “MOM!!!” You tried to scream, only to have it come out in the form on an echo. You felt your feet leave the ground as tiny little pixels moved towards your computer. You could see the color draining from your walls, leaving everything white. It was like an earthquake ran through your room...only through your room.
Then...everything went dark.
...
(Why hello there...LET US PREPARE. I’m gonna go through with it this time, I swear on my bacon! The guys are coming next chappie!)
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wheelsupinhotch · 4 years ago
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cardigan -- Aaron Hotchner x Reader (Folklore inspired series)
Summary - Once moving out of yours and Aarons family home, you find an all too familiar item of clothing with dozens of memories locked away inside.
Request - None! Part of folklore inspired series x Aaron hotchner. I tried to base this around the Betty,James and Inez love triangle. The ending was kind of rushed so sorry if its bad! :)
Warnings - Slight angst, fluff, swearing, reader goes by they/them (Jack does refer to the reader as ‘mom’ at the end of the story) she/her he/him etc.. pronouns! ( note - I haven’t had chance to proof read this yet so if I slipped up anywhere please don't hesitate to let me know!).
Word count - 3848
Pairing - Aaron Hotchner x Reader
Click here for Masterlist
Requests are currently open but expect a slight delay in writing them as I am working on this series currently! :)
NOTE - I haven’t spell checked this so sorry for any errors! This is a long one!
‘Vintage tee, brand new phone. High Heels on cobblestones, When you are young they assume you know nothing’.
The day was finally here. After five years of you and Aaron building your house. You home together, it was time to move on to a new chapter in your life. So here you are opening those dull brown boxes putting every piece of you remaining in the house inside. Clearing through your bedroom, under yours and Aarons shared bed you come across a box you hadn’t seen in a long time. Scrawled on top in black marker ink, it read ‘CLASS OF 87’. Smiling to yourself you open the box of memories that had once been closed away for a long time in your mind. Behind you could here Aaron scattering around the with the removal team as you turned back and lifted the chronicle of teenage dreams. Flicking through each dust coated page, cuckling as there yours and Aarons yearbook pictures stared back at you. Continuing to sort through this box of memories, finding graduation scrawls and polaroids of long lost childhood friends. Piles of vintage tees and worn out heels.  At the bottom of the box there sat an all too familiar white cotton article. Delicately pulling the antique of teenage romance, lifting the cardigan you religiously wore every day in your junior year. Almost in awe of yourself as you held the cardigan, every lost memory began to open like a fairytale book. Remembering every laughter, every cry and every experience in the cardigan. It was in that moment that every fond memory you had in that cardigan came to life once again, etching the scenes into your mind like a movie screen.
‘Sequin smile, black lipstick. Sensual politics. When you are young they assume you know nothing’.
The heavy bass of the music echoed throughout the house of the current halloween party you found yourself at. Settling into a high school was never easy, especially at seventeen years old. So here you are with your newly found friend Inez dragging you through the heavy crowds of the heavily overrated gathering you were at.  Feeling heavily uncomfortable in the situation you found yourself in, you merged towards the kitchen standing against the counter slowing sipping away at whatever was in the bowl of punch. ‘Y/N come on” Inez whined as she saw my displeased taste in the party. ‘Inez, you go and mingle, I just don't feel comfortable and you just-’. Cutting me off almost in an instant she replies ‘Y/N, you’re new here this is a perfect opportunity to get to know everyone’ she emphasises. Sighing protestingly, ‘Okay fine, just give me a moment’. Slightly squealing, she walks away smiling at you as she gets lost amongst the crowds.
Standing there now alone, you swirl around the contents of your drink pondering on what to do. It wasn’t until that monet in the corner of your eye, there stood a guy. Dark black hair and an almost intimidating posture about him. A small smirk carved his way up his face as he glanced over at you. Quickly pushing the encounter to once side, you hear heavy footsteps and there stood next to you was the mysterious guy you found yourself staring at before. Smiling up at him you break into the conversation and say ‘Hi’ with an almost nervous undertone to your speech. ‘Hi, im Aaron- Aaron Hotchner.’ he introduces himself with a small smile, returning the same expression I say ‘Y/N L/N, lovely to meet you’. Slitchy etching forwards to you he says ‘Well Y/N thats a beautiful name for a beautiful girl. A small blush creeps over your face as you playfully roll your eyes ‘Wow Aaron, the classic cheesy compliment, a great way to greet a girl’ you joke. Small chuckles erupt between the two of you as he says ‘Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. So Y/n are you new around here, I haven’t seen you around before’. Almost instantly you respond ‘Yeah, my parents relocated because of their job and my friend Inez dragged me here but as you’ve probably already figured out, parties aren’t really my think’. A grin formed across his face as he said ‘Well as much as you may hate parties, what do you say you come and dance with me’. Instantly shooting him a look of no, he intrudes and says ‘Come on Y/N just one dance’ begging for you to come along with him, you reluctantly agree ‘Fine but only one Aaron’. Smiling at his ability to break through into you ‘Sure whatever you say Y/N L/N’
‘But I knew you, Dancing in your levi’s, Drunk under a streetlight’
Soon one dance at the party with Aaron, turned into multiple dances. Multiple dances turned into multiple drinks, and after preivously giving Inez the ‘Okay’ nod to go home, here you found yourself drunkenly walking home, intoxicated with your arms wrapped around his waist. Giggling between yourselves as you tried to navigate your way home, you felt Aarons embrace quickly detach yours as he made his way in front of you, loudly echoing the lyrics of the last song you danced too. Briefly and abruptly stopping he exclaims ‘Come on Y/N, dance with me’. Not having the energy to protest any longer, you comply and found yourself dancing around in the middle of the night, never wanting this moment in time to end.
‘I knew you. Hand under my sweatshirt, baby kiss it better /And when I felt like I was an old cardigan, under someone's bed you put me on and said I was your favorite’
After a long time of navigating your way home, you found yourself and Aaron at your doorstep with the dimly lit front porch lights reflecting on your faces. ‘Well this is me’ you announce, slightly smiling at Aaron as you edged your way forward towards him once more. ‘This is you’ he replied just below a whisper, so much so that his sentence was barley coherent. About to break the silence, you felt Aarons lips connected to yours, unexpectedly you felt yourself falling into the kiss like a scene from a movie. The Kiss deepening as you stood there in his embrace as his hand etched his way up your back. Soon after you break away from the ‘perfect’ kiss and stood in front of each other smiling. ‘I'll see you Monday Y/N’ he said as he backed away from your porch, ‘Yeah’ you reply not being able to form a sentence from the event that just occured. After Aaron had left, you scrambled around in your coat pockets finding your house keys when your hand stumbled upon an unfamiliar crumpled piece of paper. There was a number etched in poor handwriting with the name ‘Aaron :)’ on top it. Smiling to yourself you made your way back into your home, unable to fill your mind with anything else but the events from that night.
‘A friend to all is a friend to none, chase two girls lose the one. When you are young they assume you know nothing.’
Not long after the events of the Halloween party and yours and Aaron's building romance. You began to hang out with each other almost every chance you got. He would pick you up for school every morning, searching for you in break and lunch, taking you out on spontaneous dates to the movies. The two of you became inseparable. The reputation of yours and Aaron’s relationship became known across the school quickly, seen as the Bonnie and Clyde of the school halls. Never seen without each other most times. Your friend group began to grow soon after  you guys became official. Although you adored being settled into the highschool with the ‘perfect’ boyfriend and friend group, you couldn't help but feel isolated, lost with it all.
So here you are on your bed studying with Aaron sat across from you. His head heavily engrossed by what was on the pages. You on the other hand, couldn't concentrate. Consumed by these thoughts of isolation, you sighed heavily pushing the book away from you as you sat on your bed and pondered away. Aaron urgently noticing the change in your body language, he broke the comfortable silence by saying ‘What’s wrong babe, do you not get it?’. He questioned quizzically, presuming your reaction was from your school work. ‘No, no it's nothing babe honestly’ you replied immediately after. ‘Y/N, come on tell me, we never keep things from each other’ he said pushing away his own books to the side and bringing himself towards you. Your eyes meeting his heavy gaze, you sighed as you prepared yourself to pour of your feeling for the first time with Aaron. ‘It's just, this, Us I-’ you began, making Aaron panic as he thought you were about to breakup with him, virtues that feeling towards you through its eyes’ ‘NO! It's not that it's just- Everything between us happened all so quickly and here we are with this huge friendship group and heavily known relationship does it not- Does it not just get overwhelming sometimes’ you ramble on. Aaron quickly cutting you off says’ I understand Y/N I do, but nothing about this is ever going to change the way I see you. You’re everything I could have ever wanted so please do not be consumed with this thoughts babe. I love you’
I love you. The three words that head yet to be spoken between the two of you. Aaron proceeding to apologise for saying those words so fast, you cut him off with an abrupt kiss and break apart almost immediately announcing ‘I love you too’. A comfortable almost welcoming silence echoes around the two of you as you sit there with big smiles on your faces wrapped in each other's embrace. You thought nothing could get more perfect that this moment, but oh how you were so wrong.  
It began with harmless doubts that flooded you mind from time to time. Him arriving late to pick you up for a date or forgetting to call you some nights. You merely dismissed them mainly wanting to keep yourself in a false sense of security by not admitting what deep down you knew was true. Or how Inez would bring up the gossip-girl rumours mentioned in the changing room that Aaron had been seen with another girl. But you were foolish, far too young and naive to realise what was truly going on. Except deep down you knew just apart of you was not willing to accept it and it wasn’t until that dreaded day. You knew. You realised.
Leaving gym class mid way through to go and use the bathroom and there they both were. Aaron and Haley. Haley. A godsent from above, the prettiest girl in school. The girl everyone admired and envied. There they both were, arms wrapped around each other, fitting like the last wto pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. You were numb. You had never felt so exposed and so stupid at the same time. Your brain struggling to register what was happening didn’t give you much time to react. Oh but when you did react, you crumbled. Scatters and shards of your heart spilt everywhere and you let out an all too painwrecking sob, that bounced off the empty corridors of the haunting school halls. The broken deafening silence. It was at this moment in time, Aaron looked over and saw you. A face filled with instant regret. You found yourself running away from him as fast as you could, your mind so cloudy that you managed to block out the cries of your name from Aaron behind you. That gut wrenching feeling was a piece of pain that stuck with you forever. ‘How could I have been so foolish?’ you think to yourself as you reminisce on the once picture perfect relationship you and Aaron had.
‘But I knew you, playing hide and seek and giving me your weekends’
That pivotal moment in yours and Aarons once treasured relationship became the epitome of pain in your life for the weeks and months that followed. You had inexplicably came to the conclusion you and Aaron were no more. You had not spoken since that day, but the rumours spread like wildfire as always. You were no longer perceived as ‘Aaron Hotchner's girlfriend’. Lover. Now you were just the girl everyone pitied and empathised with as you search for healing to your pain. However, it was hard to move on when Aaron was doing everything in his power to make it up to you. It was game of cat and mouse. He would show up to your house with flowers and beg for forgiveness, or ‘accidentally’ bump into you at your favourite cafe in town. Aaron spent most of his spare time, searching for you because after all this time he realized that you were all he needed all along.
Although you forever longed for Aaron back into your life, you were still deeply hurt. Almost like forgiveness was gold dust to find within yourself. So here you found yourself alone once again, preparing for the most dreaded night of the year. Prom.
You always longed for the idea of a fairytale fantasy experience but everything had been crushed since Aaron left, with Inez practically begging you to go with her instead. You were terrified. You were overwhelmed with thoughts of ‘what if?’ the build up to the entire day and you would be lying if you didn’t admit you hoped Aaron would show up on your doorstep begging for you to be his date. But he didn’t. Apart of you blame yourself for what happened. Maybe you were too clingy or too distant. These overwhelming anxious feelings clouded your mind more often than ever. However, you began to search for a part within yourself that was going to make it through the night strongly. You just had not found that part of yourself yet.
‘I knew you, your heartbeat on the highline once in twenty lifetimes. And when I felt like i was an old cardigan under someone's bed, you put me on and said I was your favourite’.
Hours had passed by and here you found yourself sitting alone on the outskirts of the heavily decorated gym, consumed with loud bass in your ears and the swirling of whatever drink you found on the table. You felt isolated, you wanted to go home. But still, you knew you couldn't leave Inez and opted for the ‘lonely’ role of the evening. Across, the gym you felt his eyes on you. Those all too familiar coffee warm eyes that once felt like home. You almost felt as if you were on a podium in front of him, his stares right at you showcasing a message of ‘I miss you’ and ‘I'm sorry’ in one of the most discreet ways possible. You knew all you wanted was to have him back in your arms but then you looked over and realised he was still in the arms of another. Haley. You’d never once spoken to her officially, just mere whispers of ‘excuse me’ every now and again. You felt like his toy. Chasing after both of you at the same time, you knew he didn’t know himself what he wanted but all you wanted was to be in the arms of the one you truly loved. Your soulmate.
It wasn’t until the familiar melody of your favourite song became echoed across the gym that Aaron immediately searched for your gaze. You saw as he almost had to restrain himself from walking over and taking your hand in his for the dance but insead watched how he sighed and felt defeated. At this moment you knew memories were flooding back to you both. How you would play the record on repeat in your bedroom while Aaron was amazed at how much admiration he had for you. You were his muse. Or how you spend nights driving around town and dancing in the night making memories you wanted to keep for a lifetime. So when one of Inez’s friends came over and asked you for a dance to the song. You felt a sense of betrayal against Aaron hin yourself. But you were so hurt you gave in, and danced away the pain once more longing for the day that things would feel right again. Complete. However, the corner of your eye was distracted and pulled towards Aarons figure as he watched you dance. Watching the anger and rage build up inside of him as he quickly left the crowd with himself. You sighed and plastered that all too familiar fake smile, wishing the hurt would go away just once more.
‘To kiss in cars and downtown bars was all we needed. You drew stars around my scars but now I’m bleeding’
You stumbled on home dragging the ragged prom dress through the damp, dimly lit streets of your town. A night you hoped would have been magical with the one you left but instead you stood on your porch without Aaron by your side. You looked at the frayed wood on the posts of your porch reminiscing on every moment you had with Aaron. The way he would drive you home after one of your pointless date nights. How he would kiss you with such passion and love, if was almost as if the world stopped whenever the two of you were around. Or how he would make you dance in the middle of the night under the streetlights on the way home. Letting out an exhausted sigh, you traced your fingers against the damp wood longing for him to show up. To just be with Aaron once more.
‘Cause I knew you stepping on the last train, marked me like a bloodstain’
It had been almost a year since you and Aaron split and you were getting ready to graduate. You having the responsibility to host this years graduation party was all you could think about. Until you saw him. Aaron. You hadn’t expected to see him around anymore since he left town for a placement opportunity in New York. You told yourself you’d gotten over him, figured he would have moved on after all this time. But still when his eyes met your gaze sparks flew in the air reconnecting the long lost love for so much time past.
‘I knew you, tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy. I knew you leaving like a father running like water I, When you are young they assume you know nothing
Thinking Aaron wouldn’t approach you after all this time, you moved on past. Acting as if he were never there. Thinking you could forget about the counter, you turned around when you heard calls of your name. ‘Y/N is that you?’ Aaron exclaimed. Hestistanly you respond ‘Aaron? How have you been’ trying to be open when deep down every memory of the two of you together. ‘G-good yeah good’. Feeling the all too familiar anxiety build in the pit of your stomach. ‘Yeah w-well, you know I should get going, I’ve got thing to do and-’. Aaron cut you off with a ‘Yeah, no go ahead, I’ll uhh see you around’. Not wanting to be apart of the awkwardness much longer your flashed a small smile and turned on your heel. All the memories once forgotten of yours and Aarons past, came flooding back into your mind, staining every image of you and him together in your mind.
‘But I knew you’d linger like a tattooed kiss, I knew you’d haunt all of my what ifs, The smell of smoke would hang around this long because I knew everything when I was young’
The whole afternoon that followed after your encounter with Aaron, your mind was clouded. So here you sat on your porch once again waiting for your party to start. ‘I wonder if he will show up’ you question yourself as you looked out the sunset. You had always convinced yourself that you had move on from Aaron, but now once again he was all you could think about.
‘I knew I’d curse you for the longest time, chasing shadows in the grocery line. I knew you’d miss me once the thrill expired and you’d be standing in my front porch light. And I knew you’d come back to me, you’d come back.’
The graduation party was going well. Your house crowded with alcohol, dancing and the loud bass of music. As you sat on your porch with your friends celebrating your final year in high school. There he was. A man you once thought would be your forever. A man you thought could never forgive. But in the flesh was the man you’d been longing to come and find you for the longest time. STanding on your porch, his eyes locked yours in instant. It was almost as if those two missing pieces of the jigsaw puzzle found each other and everything felt finally. Complete.
‘Hey’ you announce almost above a whisper. Watching a grin grow on his face as he saw you approach him ‘Hey look I-’. You cut off what you presumed would be his long heartfelt apology with a passionate loving kiss. The same kiss you shared in the exact same spot all those years ago with the same thrill and butterflies that built in your stomach.  
‘And when I felt like I was an old cardigan under someone's bed. You’d put me on and said I was your favourite.’
‘Hey, the vans almost loaded. Are you ready to go?’ Aaron asked breaking you out of your daydream. You looked over at your husband in the bedroom door frame as you smiled and said ‘Yeah, just packing up these last few things’. He let out a light chuckle as he looked down at the box in your hands, recognising what it was before he could speak anymore. ‘That cardigan huh, you wore that everywhere we went’. Smiling up at him reaching out for his hand to pull you up offering a smile in response to his statement. As you once again packed your beloved cardigan into the box alongside the souvenirs of your teenage years, in the corner of your eye you saw Aaron staring at you. ‘What are you staring at?’ you questioned lightly, smiling in confusion. Stepping close to you he pulled you in for a kiss, which quickly followed with an ‘I love you’. Looking up at your husband, the man who you were completely besotted with ‘I love you too’ you smile. Your loving moment was broken when you heard moans of ‘Daddy, Mommy. Come onnn’. Sharing giggles between yourself, Aaron interlaced your fingers with his and said ‘You ready?’. ‘Yeah’ you responded lightly walking towards your son ready to start a new chapter in your life. Keeping all of yours and Aarons past memories locked away once more.
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blackcloverdatabase · 5 years ago
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English Translation of Novel 3: Chapter 4 – The Hero Who Disappeared (Part 1 of 2)
I’m saving the illustration that came with this chapter for the second half since it illustrates a scene near the end, but what you see above is a picture of a Yuno card that was tucked into the pages of this chapter. The other novels didn’t come with a card, so I was surprised when I saw it.
This chapter features Yuno and William going on patrol at a festival William organizes a few days before the raid on the Eye of the Midnight Sun’s hideout. While on patrol, they run into Mereoleona, Asta, Noelle, Klaus, and Mimosa, and later they run into Yami and Charlotte. Chaos ensues.
--- The Hero Who Disappeared: Part 1 ---
“Welcome! For a limited time only, all magic tools are 50% off!”
“Hey, young lady! Would you like to drop by our store? I’ll make it nice and cheap for you~”
Under a clear, sunny sky, cheerful voices called out from the many stalls that were lined up as the townspeople walked among them with smiling faces. It was the square of the royal capital, the same place which served as the center of the Star Festival. Though not as large as the Star Festival, the square was filled with stalls and makeshift stages, offering the same amenities one would expect from a small festival. However, it wasn’t merchants who were manning these stalls.
“This is a magic tool endorsed by the captain of the Aqua Deer himself!! It’s a great security device!”
“This is a meat dish made by the captain of the Green Mantis! It’s delicious and nutritious!”
These stalls were manned by Magic Knights.
“This is quite the crowd~ There’s a lot of guests, but there’s a lot of Magic Knights, too.”
“Well, the Royal Knights Selection Exam is over, and……”
Bell and Yuno conversed as they walked among the crowd. They came here today because they were ordered to patrol the event. The Magic Knights were given various tasks to run the festival, ranging from selling things at the stalls, performing short skits and games on stage, as well as handling background tasks such as patrolling and clerical work. This may seem like a strange spectacle, but there was a reason why this was happening.
“Most importantly, this was a direct announcement from Captain Vangeance. Of course a lot of people are going to gather.”
That’s right. Vangeance proposed this event to assuage the unease the citizens had thanks to repeated attacks from the Eye of the Midnight Sun and the circulation of the “Original Sin”. Yuno heard that he simply “requested cooperation” from those who belonged to the other squads, but with his personal magnetism, this many people gathered in a heartbeat.
Bell sucked on a strawberry candy Yuno bought for her and happily quipped,
“Hm~ Well, I don’t really get it, but thanks to this, I get to go on a festival date with you!”
“This event isn’t for you to have fun. It’s for the citizens.”
“……No, one of the reasons I established this festival was to give the Magic Knights a break and allow them a chance to interact with the people. It would make me very happy if you and Bell enjoyed the festival, too.”
Startled by the sudden voice from behind, Yuno and Bell looked behind them to see William Vangeance standing with an air of composure. Vangeance was the captain of the Golden Dawn, and he was the man said to be the closest to becoming the Wizard King. That the hero of the Clover Kingdom was greeting him so casually in a place like this was surprising by itself, but……
“Hey, hey, Captain Vangeance! Let me borrow your mask~!”
“I asked first! I’m gonna pluck those feathers and put them on my bear!”
“………”
Yuno and Bell were also surprised to see two children, approximately 7 to 8 years old, clinging to that hero’s feet.
“……Captain Vangeance, those kids are……?”
“Yup, just as you see. It seems that they were interested in my mask, so they approached me, and…...”
From behind his mask, he answered Yuno’s question with his usual elegant smile……. No, rather than his usual smile, he answered with a considerably strained smile.
“……Anyway, can you please help me?”
“Jeez~ Why do we have to save our captain from getting bullied by a bunch of kids the very second we get here~”
“Stop that, Bell.”
“……Ha ha, sorry about that. I like kids, but I’m not very good at handling them.”
After Yuno and Bell managed to pull those children off of their captain, they continued their patrol together with Vangeance.  As if to regain his composure, Vangeance cleared his throat before speaking.
“Also, thank you for indulging my selfish request.”
“Selfish?”
When Yuno asked him this in return, Vangeance had a complicated expression on his face as he nodded.
“Though the Selection Exam may be over, the day you will be launching a surprise attack on the Eye of the Midnight Sun’s base is imminent. I’m thanking you because you came to my event during such an important time.”
“……I don’t think you’re being selfish at all.”
As he spoke, Yuno looked at all the people around him.
“I’m sure those children felt the same way. The townspeople all look like they’re having fun interacting with the Magic Knights like this. There has just been one horrible incident after another, so isn’t it fine to do something fun like this every once and a while?”
From the citizens’ point of view, this was a rare chance to interact so closely with the Magic Knights, the heroes that all citizens strive to become. That by itself makes this event enjoyable for them. Even the anxieties caused by the Eye of the Midnight Sun and Original Sin will be lessened to some degree.
“……I see. I’m happy to hear that from you.”
Vangeance replied, looking a little bit happy when he smiled. Yuno nodded before continuing,
“Also, just as you were saying earlier, the Magic Knights also look like they’re having fun.”
The faces of the Knights manning the stalls looked even more lively than usual. Being a Magic Knight is usually a tough job, so this was probably incredibly relaxing for them. Today looks to be a fun day for Magic Knights and citizens alike. That’s what Yuno thought, but……
“Yeah. It would be nice if today ended as nothing more than a fun day…...”
Vangeance said with a mysterious look on his face before lowering his voice so that only Yuno and Bell could hear him.
“There’s something I must tell you…… it has been reported that a person in possession of the Original Sin may have infiltrated today’s event.”
“!!”
They stiffened upon having such a serious matter suddenly disclosed to them.
“…Wait, w-what! We should evacuate everyone immed-!”
Bell raised her voice in a panic, but Yuno covered her mouth before Vangeance continued,
“I would very much like to do that, but if we do that so suddenly, everyone will panic, which may fuel the Original Sin. Also, this is only a possibility. We should gather more intel before making any large-scale moves.”
‘Even so, it’s dangerous to leave such a thing alone,’ Yuno thought, but he couldn’t come up with an alternative. To begin with, that information was too vague, so there was no way to know what move they should make. If there’s one thing they should do, it’s……
“In other words, we have no choice but to continue patrolling while searching for the Original Sin…… right?”
“That’s correct. I should also add that very few Magic Knights know about this. If too many people knew, our movements might begin to look unnatural, which could expose us to the owner of the Original Sin…… You two have more experiencing fighting the Original Sin than anyone else, so I decided I should tell you.”
Yuno still wasn’t satisfied, but he knew that there was no helping that.
“I understand. Is there anything else we know about the enemy?”
“Yes. You really do catch on quickly. I’ll tell you the details as we walk.”
After saying this, Vangeance’s voice once again sounded apologetic.
“I know I keep saying this, but I’m truly sorry about getting you involved in all this. I wanted you to be able to enjoy today’s event, too, so for this to happen is…...”
“There’s no helping that. It’s not like it’s your fault……”
If anything, he might be the most hurt by this. Any time he wasn’t busy with his duties as Captain was spent preparing for today’s event, only for all that to be spoiled by the Original Sin. Yuno meant for his words to be sympathetic, but, for some reason, Vangeance paused for an unnatural amount of time before finally responding,
“……Yeah, you’re right.”
He almost sounded as if he was at a loss for words when he said this, making Yuno feel uneasy. Then, suddenly,
“S-someone, anyone!! Please save me!!”
Boosted by amplification magic, a woman’s screams resounded throughout the venue.
It sounded like the scream came from the direction of the stage where the results of the Star Festival were announced. The scream’s timing was so uncanny that Yuno and the others raced to the stage as they prepared for battle. And, when they reached the front row of the stage……
“I’m a village girl named Mimosa!! I’m being chased by evil mages!!”
What they saw was Mimosa running around on stage, reading her lines with an unbelievably monotone voice. Then, several other Magic Knights went on stage, some acting as evil mages chasing Mimosa and others moving the background scenery around. It seemed that they stumbled upon a children’s play. After sighing with a bitter smile, Vangeance joked,  
“Ha ha, their timing was amazing…... Wait, it could be that these “evil mages” are being manipulated by the owner of the Original Sin.”
“If that were the case, it sure would make things easier for us.”
Yuno replied to his joke lightheartedly, but he, too, was smiling bitterly internally. The play’s timing was certainly bad, but it released the tension that was between them earlier, so he was honestly glad that it happened. Also, watching swarms of young children tottle around the stage as the play began brought a smile to his face. To protect those children’s smiles, they should arrest the Original Sin as soon as possible. Holding these feelings close to his heart, Yuno turned away from the stage to leave. At that moment, Mimosa pointed to the wing of the stage and said,
“Ah, it looks like someone came to save me! It must be the Magic Knight of Justice!”
The children started cheering with excitement at the words “Magic Knight of Justice”. Amidst those cheers, the person who entered on stage as that “Magic Knight of Justice” was……
“……Wait, look, Asta! That’s your cue! Get over there right now!”
“………Huh? My cue? What should I do?”
“………”
The Magic Knight of Justice was Asta, who made his long-awaited debut on stage…… or rather, he was dragged onto stage by Noelle with an even dumber look on his face than usual, so dumb that it was practically audible. It was like watching an old man, causing Bell to, without thinking, talk to Noelle from beneath the stage.
“Hey, Noelle…… what…… that is, why is he acting like an old man?”
“U-uh……I don’t really know, either……”
Noelle said with a sigh, sorrow hanging around her like a wife exhausted from taking care of her aging husband.
“The shock of being unable to fight Yuno in the finals of the Selection Exam turned him into this, and……”
“And so… he turned into that……?”
That explanation didn’t make sense to Bell and Yuno, and it didn’t make sense to Noelle, the person doing the explaining, either. It was a mystery to everyone. When Asta noticed Yuno, he spoke to him as if he were going senile.
“Aah, Yuno…… perfect timing. Can you replace me as the Magic Knight of Justice? Since you got first place at the Selection Exam, you’d be a better fit for the role…… Ah, sorry, should I use ‘Mr.’ when I speak to you?”
“Stop that. That kind of subservience doesn’t suit you. Hurry up and snap out of it.”
“After you defeat the villain, you have to shout your usual catchphrase. So, after you beat the enemy, you should yell “I’m Yuno, you know!?”.”
“Even your memory is all messed up. I’ve never said such a lame catchphrase in my life.”
While Yuno and Asta where bickering, the audience started getting antsy. It was only natural. They were told that the Magic Knight of Justice was coming, and they got some guy acting like an old man. Wanting to fix the now awkward atmosphere, Mimosa said in a panic,
“E-everyone! You’ll see this in the next act, but since Asta has gotten himself into a pinch, a new Magic Knight of Justice will rush to the scene! The person playing this role is a very famous captain of the Magic Knights! Also, we’ve made arrangements for all you little ones to be able to get on stage and fight the evil mages alongside them, so please don’t leave yet!”
“You’re being too desperate! Also, stop saying things like “role” and “arrangements”!”
Bell criticized Mimosa, but, despite her criticism, the kids were showing excitement once again.
“Cooool! We get to meet a Captain!”
“Hey, papa! Take me closer to the front! I wanna fight, too!”
Tiny voices piped up here and there as more and more children gathered at the bottom of the stage. It seemed that the title “Captain” wasn’t just for show after all. Not letting this chance pass them by, Klaus instructed Mimosa from behind the stage to have the children call for the captain.  Mimosa nodded, then turned toward the audience and exclaimed,
“Now, everyone! Let’s call for the captain with our loudest voices!! Ready, set…”
Mimosa counted down, then all the children in the assembly hall shouted together. The one who was summoned by those sweet voices was……
“WAH-HAH-HAAH! DO NOT WORRY, LITTLE VILLAGE GIRL! I, MEREOLEONA-SAMA, THE MAGIC KNIGHT OF JUSTICE, WILL DEVOUR ALL THOSE EVIL MAGES FOR YOU WITHOUT LEAVING A SINGLE TRACE!!”
“………”
A lioness. She walked on stage with a swagger and spoke in an intimidating tone as she laughed aloud. She was far from what a “Magic Knight of Justice” should look like. The children’s smiles froze, and they began to shiver with fear. Not seeming to notice this, she surveyed the audience with stone cold eyes and then, with a ferocious smirk, said,
“Ho hoh….. We have a lot of good kids here! Which of you friends are ready to fight beside me!? Is it you!? Is it YOU!?”
“Please wait for a moment, Mereoleona. I think you might be misunderstanding something here……”
Vangeance couldn’t help but interject fairly loudly from the bottom of the stage. He was aware that interjecting like this was incredibly out of character for him, but, at this rate, the reputation of the Magic Knights will be significantly damaged. Mereoleona had no way of knowing his thoughts, so she flared up into a fiery rage at him.
“You bastard…… are you insane, Vangeance!?  Talking to a performer who’s in the middle of their act on stage like that! Have you no manners!?”
“Well, from those children’s point of view, something much worse was happening right in front of them. Could you make your performance a little more kid friendly?”
“You fool! Are you saying I should hold back just because they’re kids!? A Magic Knight should always use all their power, no matter what!”
“Yes, I know. I know, so use all your power to imagine this for just one moment. Imagine that you’ve been told the “Magic Knight of Justice” is coming, but instead you get a “maniac with stone cold eyes”. Now, how would you feel about that?”
While the two were engaged in their progress-less exchange, Klaus approached them from the back of the stage and, with his fingers at his temple, informed them,
“……I’m sorry, you two. The play has been canceled. Let’s start working on cleaning everything up.”
“Cancelled…… hey, wait a second! What about all the kids who were looking forward to the play!”
While Bell was protesting, Klaus pointed his finger behind everyone and said,
“……And, where are those children you speak of?”
“Ah……”
Before they knew it, the audience had disappeared from their seats. They must have seen their chance to escape when Vangeance spoke up to Mereoleona. The parents in the audience took their kids and fled, almost as if they were escaping the clutches of a lioness. When Mereoleona noticed that her audience had disappeared, she punched the ground in vexation.
“Tch…… I’m sorry, everyone!! Though Vangeance was wrong for spouting off idiotic nonsense, the fact remains that I’m the one that allowed him to dampen the audience’s enthusiasm and cause them to leave! This is all my fault!”
“Um, Mereoleona, this is hard for me to say, but you’re absolutely right about it being your fault. Except, I’m not in the wrong. I’m not even saying this out of some sense of self-protection. I’m simply not in the wrong here.”
Mereoleona stood up with renewed determination, completely ignoring Vangeance’s protests.
“However, another audience will gather soon, so don’t worry! I’ll make up for my blunder with my own two hands!”
She proclaimed loudly. Then, she declared so stupidly loud that Yuno wouldn’t be surprised if the entire venue could hear her,
“Listen up, people! From now on, I will teach you all how to defend yourselves by burning your opponents! I’m about to demonstrate by using the other Magic Knights here as my opponents during the show, so you all should gather around the stage!!”
And so, everyone there had to use all their might to stop her.
  “……That was quite dangerous.”
“……Yes. Well, let’s just be glad the Original Sin never got involved in the fight.”
“……I’m still not glad about it.”
Said Vangeance, Yuno, then Bell as they continued their patrol. Their first interaction with her was tiring enough, but stopping Mereoleona’s rampage used up all their physical strength. After telling her the Original Sin might be at the venue, they somehow managed to calm her down, but that was only after everyone exhausted several days’ worth of energy stopping her. Yuno wanted nothing more than to go home, lie down, and rest, but he couldn’t say that out loud, so he forcibly distracted himself by asking Vangeance,
“So, do you know anything else about the Original Sin?”
“……Ah, sorry. That’s right. We were just talking about that.”
Their discussion, which had been nearly forgotten because of the impact the lioness left on them, resumed.
“First of all, we know the Original Sin is here because several Knights who have had run-ins with the Original Sin before have sensed its mana at this venue. However, its presence is so weak that we can’t pinpoint its location unless we can get several magic detection specialists in a concentrated area.”
“I see…… but, if that’s the case, can’t we narrow down its location by following the source of its mana?”
“Of course, we have tried that, but it seems that its mana is incredibly unstable, so it repeatedly appears and disappears. That’s why it’s difficult to pinpoint with mana perception alone. If we could narrow down the number of suspects to only a few people, then……”
“Is that so……?”
Yuno contemplated Vangeance’s words. The other times he has faced the Original Sin, being able to sense mana was a powerful advantage, but it’s a useless skill if that mana cannot be followed. As before, the only way to guarantee victory will be to make direct contact with the owner of the Original Sin and destroy it.
‘With so many people here, will that even be possible……?’ Yuno thought with a troubled face. While he was thinking, Vangeance pointed to a corner of the assembly hall and said,
“Speak of the devil…… He’s one of those who sensed the presence of the Original Sin.”
Where he pointed, several tables were lined up and spaced at equal intervals. There was a number of children using them to draw pictures. It appeared that one of the events at the festival was a drawing class. There was a man reclining in the corner who seemed to be in charge.
It was the Captain of the Black Bulls, Yami Sukehiro. When he noticed Vangeance, he raised his head from the art book he was reading and looked up toward them.
“……Oh, it’s golden weird mask guy. Hey, golden weird mask guy. Actually, golden weird mask guy is a pain in the ass to say. Can I stop?”
‘You’re the one who came up with that nickname, you know,’ Vangeance thought to himself with a bitter smile. He said as he watched the children,
“I was surprised when I heard you were doing an event geared toward children, but it looks like it’s going well.”
“Yeah. I was thinkin’ all I’d have to do is put out some paint and paper, and then I wouldn’t have to do anythin’ else, but a lot more kids gathered than I thought there’d be. I guess a cute guy like me summons more cuteness.”
Just as Yami said (?), there were many kids gathered around his corner, drawing and having fun as they talked with Magna Swing and Luck Voltia. There really was nothing but art supplies and paper on the table, and they could use it all free of charge. Perhaps it was that simplicity and ease of access that made his corner so popular. Its popularity probably had nothing to do with Yami’s “cuteness”. As Yuno was thinking such trivial thoughts, a boy and girl who were drawing toddled toward them.
“Ah! It’s Captain Vangeance!”
“Aah. Those two are the same kids as earlier…”
Bell nodded lightly.
‘Those two are the same kids who were bullying…… no, admiring Vangeance earlier. If I recall, their names were….’
“Hey, Al, Silka. Were you two drawing, too?”
Before Yuno could remember their names, Vangeance kneeled down and greeted them with a smile.
That’s right. The boy’s name was Al, and the girl’s name was Silka. The two were brother and sister. They lived in a village situated at the edge of the Common Realm, but today they asked their parents to come to this event so that they could meet the Magic Knights.
Al nodded happily and held his drawing out to Vangeance.
“Yeah! I drew us playing at my village! I drew it really good, so I’m giving it to you!”
“Are you sure? You two worked really hard to draw this, right?”
“Yeah! This is payment for letting us play with you earlier!”
Vangeance thanked Al and accepted his drawing, his expression more joyful than usual.
‘He really wasn’t lying when he said he liked kids,’ Yuno thought.
……However, Yuno also felt a touch of unease as he watched him. For some reason, there was a tinge of sadness in his smile. As Yuno began to feel such doubts, Silka came to his feet and offered him her drawing.
“Then, I’ll give mine to Yuno-niichan!”
“……Ah, thank you. I’ll treasure it.”
Just as Al said, the drawing depicted the two of them playing.  They included small details in their drawings, like their chestnut-colored hair, Al’s book pouch, Silka’s hair ornament, and more. Yuno accepted the drawing with a smile, making Silka’s face to turn red as she returned to Al’s side. They took each other’s hands and ran away cheerfully.
“See ya, Captain Vangeance! Have a good day at work!”
“Thanks! You two be careful not to trip and fall!”
Vangeance waved goodbye at them, already returning to his usual gentle self.
‘Was it just my imagination?’ Yuno wondered. As Yuno was lightly questioning himself, Yami started talking to Vangeance with his usual lax attitude.
“Hey, are you kiddin’ me, Vangeance? You never told me you had a love child, let alone two. They aren’t wearin’ weird golden masks, are they? You should make weird golden masks for them, too.”
“So, Yami? Have you been able to sense the Original Sin since then?”
Vangeance ignored Yami’s joke, carefully putting the drawing away in his book pouch as he asked his question. Yami shrugged his shoulders in response.
“Same as usual. I can sense it every now and then, but just as I catch a hint of it, it disappears. Well, rather than mana, I’m readin’ ki, but I think you’d get the same results either way. Luck was sayin’ the exact same thing, earlier.”
“So, all we know is that it’s still here. Understood. Even so, for the time being, continue to try sensing for it at regular intervals. Yuno and I will do the same.”
“Sure…… wait, huh?
His reply was flat, but then he leaned his head toward Vangeance, studying his face.
“What’s the matter?”
“Well, just now, I was sensin’ the ki in this area real lightly, and…”
He continued. With cigarette in hand, he pointed his finger at Vangeance.
“I feel a lingering sensation of the Original Sin’s ki from you. You happen to know why?”
“……Huh?”
As Yami spoke, Yuno half-reflexively focused his mana perception. Though it was very slight, he could certainly feel the mana of the Original Sin from Vangeance. It was so weak, that Yuno would never have noticed if it weren’t for Yami pointing it out…… it was like a lingering scent. If he possessed the Original Sin Grimoire, then the mana he felt from him would have been much stronger, so he couldn’t be the owner of that grimoire……. No, still, if he was using some technique to suppress his own mana, then it’s possible that…..
“Ah, before the Selection Exam, Julius secured an Original Sin grimoire intact. This morning, I touched it as I was examining it. It might be mana from that.”
Vangeance explained without even breaking a sweat, interrupting Yuno’s thoughts.
‘Am I stupid? Of course he doesn’t have it.’
Yuno calmed back down. That’s right. There’s no way he could be the owner of the Original Sin Grimoire. Even if it was only for a moment, Yuno felt ashamed for letting his mind run away with such strange ideas. Yami nodded his head and said,
“I see. Sometimes, when you touch something, its mana and ki can stick to you…. Ah, I just realized. That’s gonna make it even more of a pain in the ass to find this thing. Why’d you have to come here, you bastard!? I’m gonna smash your mask into pieces and use them to decorate the walls of a hipster cafe!”
“The way you express anger is sometimes rather mystifying, but I’d prefer it if you stop…... Anyway, please continue surveying the area.”
Vangeance said with a wry smile before turning back toward Yuno and Bell. Upon doing so, he was surprised to see a certain someone approaching him and Yami.
“Va…… Vangeance…… you, why are you here……!?”
It was the Captain of the Blue Roses, Charlotte Roselei. For some reason, when she made eye contact with Vangeance, she froze in place with a startle. Upon closer examination, she was holding a basket full of cookies.
‘What’s going on here……?’ he thought. Despite his uncertainty, Vangeance decided to try greeting her, but then Charlotte’s face turned bright red as she stuttered with an extraordinarily high-pitched voice,
“I-I, uh, funny story! My squad held a cooking class, and we ended up making too many cookies! I thought it would be a waste to throw them all away, s-so I thought that I could give them to Yami! It’s not like I have an ulterior motive or anything! I’m just trying to get rid of them!”
“I didn’t ask you anything, though……”
‘This situation feels very familiar…...’ secretly, Bell was experiencing Deja-vu. Yami folded his arms and looked at Charlotte.
“The cookies are for me? From you? Why have you been actin’ so girly lately?”
“What!? You…...!”
Charlotte was about to reach for the handle of her sword, but she reconsidered, stopping her hand and shaking her head. She walked up to Yami and said,
“Just take it already. I’m busy. I’d rather not waste my time on things like this.”
And, with a straight face, presented the basket of cookies to him. Unlike before, there was no agitation in her voice or mannerisms. She was her usual dignified self. Although, that was only true on the outside.
‘…...Y-yes! I gave it to him! I wasn’t sure what to do when I saw Vangeance here, but I managed to give it him! Ha ha, I’m amazing!’
Internally, she was frolicking about like a schoolgirl. However, she we careful not to show that on her face. Charlotte had been reflecting on her recent actions. She has always allowed herself to get agitated in front of Yami, so she decided to work hard at not letting those feelings show. However, perhaps it was because she has had many opportunities to make contact with him as of late, but she hasn’t been able to hide her unrest, and her behavior has become strange. The times she has nearly attacked him in attempt to hide this have only increased.
‘This isn’t good,’ Charlotte thought. She admonished herself once more and vowed that she would maintain her self-control in front of Yami.
‘No matter what might happen, I won’t allow myself to get upset in front of him ever again!’ She told herself this over and over again, but then,
“Oh, thanks.”
Yami said this as he shoveled several cookies into his mouth.
“Huh? They’re good, like normal cookies. What the hell? Did you seriously make these?”
“……Yes.”
Charlotte responded with a straight face, but,
‘I-I’m so happy! To think hearing the man I love praise my cooking would make me so happy!’
Internally, she was soaring. She was trying desperately not to let that show, however,
“I seriously thought your cookin’ was gonna suck, but I guess you’re a proper lady after all. Hey, Vangeance, Yuno, you guys should try some, too. They’re surprisingly good. Surprisingly.”
“……Hmph. You’re as rude as usual. I cannot tell if you’re trying to praise me or insult me.”
Once again, Charlotte responded with a straight face, but,
‘He thinks it’s so good that he’s telling other people to try them!? He thinks they’re that delicious!? I’m a little annoyed that any men other than Yami are eating them, but still, I’m so happy!’
Internally, she was flying even higher than before, and thus she was trying even more desperately not to let her feelings be known. However, then Yami said,
“I’ve gotta say……. I could eat these cookies every day. Seriously.”
“………”
‘Ah……. I’m done for.’
Her excitement seemed to overflow from her whole body until, finally, she fell backwards.
BAM!
The back of her head hit the stone pavement, knocking her unconscious.
“Eeeeeeeeh!? Wait, what just happened!? Are you okay!? Hey!?”
Yami picked up her body, holding her in her arms while unusually upset. However…… there, an even more terrible incident unfolded.
“B-Big Sis! Are you okay!? What happened!?”
Several members of the Blue Rose, with Sol at the forefront, rushed toward Charlotte. They surrounded her and glared sharply at Yami. Sol took one step forward toward Yami, her body swaying as if she were half-conscious. Representing the entire group, Sol quietly informed him,
“When Big Sis suddenly disappeared, we began a search for her……. What is the meaning of this, Captain of the Black Bulls……? Why has Big Sis collapsed before you?”
“That’s what I’d like to know! She just suddenly collapsed all on her own, and-
“HUUUUUH!? So, you did do something to her, didn’t you!?”
“As I’ve said, you’ve got it all wrong! It was all on her own, and…. Wait, don’t attack me!”
After that, a brawl broke out between the Black Bulls and the Blue Roses. However, Charlotte woke up soon after and cleared Yami’s name. Still, thanks to the uproar they caused, not a single person remained in Yami’s drawing class.
“………That was quite dangerous.”
“………Yes.”
“………I’m sick of this.”
Said Vangeance, Yuno, then Bell as they continued their patrol. They had a hard time stopping those girls’ rampage.  Though it only took a few dozen seconds before Charlotte woke up and said, “……Sorry. I was just feeling a little lightheaded. It’s nothing important,” their brawl was fierce and merciless, so it was exceedingly difficult to stop them without destroying the town themselves. Moreover, their brawl, coupled with the uproar that Mereoleona caused, was starting to make the citizens who came here afraid of the Magic Knights. One of the goals of this event was to dispel any doubts the citizens had about the Magic Knights, but their doubts were only increasing. On top of that, they haven’t found a single clue toward dealing with the main problem at hand, the Original Sin Grimoire. With such negative thoughts floating in his head, exhausted by the day’s events, Yuno muttered to himself,
“Is the Order of the Magic Knights…... really okay…...?”
“Ha ha. Certainly, a lot of events have happened in rapid succession that would make one a little uneasy. No, maybe “very uneasy” would be more accurate?”
“Ah, no, sorry. That was a little careless of me to say. I mean…...”
Realizing that Vangeance overheard him, he hurriedly tried to explain himself. Since he somehow managed to work his way to be the person in the Golden Dawn who collected the most stars last term, he thought that he shouldn’t complain in front of the captain. With a gentle smile, Vangeance waved his hand as if to expel Yuno’s worries.
“I don’t mind…… No, well…… this is a good opportunity, so I guess I’ll go ahead and ask you.”
Vangeance, too, spoke so softly that one would think he was talking to himself.  
“Let me ask you, Yuno. What do you think about the Magic Knights and this country?”
“Huh……?”
Yuno and Bell reflexively looked at each other. His superior was asking him what he thought about his workplace and the thing he is supposed to protect. That’s not all that strange by itself, but it seemed a little abrupt. Realizing what Yuno was thinking, Vangeance shrugged his shoulders and said,
“It wasn’t meant to be a deep question. It’s just that many members of the Magic Knights, myself included, have high hopes for you. I was simply curious about your thoughts.”
Yuno lowered his head as he thought. It’s an abstract question, but if all he’s curious about is what he thinks, then……
“I think there are many problems in both of them that must be solved, but, even so, I love the Magic Knights and this country. Everyone in the Magic Knights is…… well, at first, they were extremely critical of me, but, lately, they all seem to recognize me as a friend. It feels very comfortable. Ever since the Star Festival, it feels as if the citizens have accepted me, too.”
Yuno remembered the smiles and cheers of the people at the Star Festival, filling Yuno with warmth as he spoke.
“I want to fight to protect the people who accepted me. That’s what I think.”
At first, Yuno only thought about fulfilling his dreams. However, these feelings gradually grew as he continued to fulfill his duties. Every time a person thanked him, every time a person smiled, he felt that he wanted to protect them. Those were his truest feelings from the bottom of his heart, but was that answer good enough……? Yuno thoughts were such as he watched Vangeance, who replied with a satisfied expression,
“I feel the same way. I love the Magic Knights, and I love this country, too. In the Magic Knights, I have comrades and subordinates I can rely on, and I have a superior I want to be like…… Julius-sama. Moreover, this is the country where my comrades and I were born and raised. These feelings are not so grandiose that I would call them patriotism, but I feel a dept of gratitude. In order to repay that dept, I want to protect this country and its people forever…… I truly do.”
For some reason, his expression became sorrowful for the second time that day.
‘……As I thought, Vangeance is definitely acting strange today.’
He was clad in his usual elegantly dignified aura, but there were moments when Yuno could feel a terrible fragility in him, as if he could simply fade away. However, these moments passed by so quickly that it was hard for Yuno to bring up. In the end, all he could do was worry.  
“Anyway, just as you said, Yuno, I believe there are many problems in both that must be solved.”
While Yuno was thinking, Vangeance returned to normal and replied with his usual tone. Yuno understood that thinking about it wasn’t going to get him anywhere, so he stopped mulling over it and listened to Vangeance speak.
“Discrimination against commoners and peasants, the secret maneuvers of those who act only for their own self-interest…… there’s many things we must do to make the country and the Magic Knights better, to make them something you can love even more.”
“……I agree.”
Yuno unintentionally responded with a severe tone of voice. This was because he and Asta have had many painful experiences because of the discrimination that peasants face. Understanding the reason behind Yuno’s heavy reply, he put his hand on Yuno’s shoulder as he continued,
“I’m looking forward to what you will do to solve these problems. If you demonstrate that even a peasant can shine if you hone your strength, you will not only eliminate the discrimination peasants face, you will also become the hope of the populace. I apologize for using you like an advertisement, but I intend to keep you busy.”
“Leave it to us~! After all, not only does Yuno have a four-leaf grimoire, he’s also a genius who’s loved by me! We’ll crush the walls of social status into tiny little pieces as many times as it takes!”
Interjected a certain wind spirit who didn’t read the mood of the conversation.
“Bell, house.”
Yuno tried to make her be quiet, but her outburst made Vangeance chuckle.
“I’m sure you will.”
He agreed with her as he laughed.
“Despite that, no, maybe because of that…... I’m a little worried.”
Once again, though only slightly, something seemed to cloud his usual gentle expression.
“……Right. This may be a little off-topic, but your goal is to become the Wizard King, right, Yuno?”
“Yes.”
Yuno answered immediately. He had decided that there was nothing to be embarrassed about, so he would always answer without hesitation, no matter who asked him. Vangeance nodded his head before continuing,
“What are you willing to lay on the line for your goal?”
“Anything.”
“Including your own life?”
“As long as I get to be the Wizard King for a bit before I die.”
“I see. Then, what about the life of another?”
“Huh……?”
“Let’s say you could save people’s lives in exchange for your own. What would you do?”
Yuno found himself unable to respond to such an unexpected question. With a wry smile, yet somehow incredibly sincerely, he informed Yuno,
“……I’m sorry for asking such a cruel question. However, because of your strength, there will be many situations in the future where you will need to make all kinds of choices, especially if you are aiming to become the Wizard King. In some of those cases, deciding on what is the right choice will be difficult…… In fact, there will surely come a time where, like my earlier question, you’ll have to make a choice when there is no right answer.”
It was as if Vangeance was speaking from experience, no, as if he were in such a situation at this very moment.
‘In his position, he has probably had to make dozens of decisions where there wasn’t a right choice,’ Yuno thought. And, just as he says, the time when Yuno will have to make such a choice will surely come as well.
‘When the time comes, what will I choose…….?’
“You don’t have to think so hard about it. It’s just that, since its possible you might end up in a situation like that someday, I wanted to know what you thought…… Whenever that happens, I hope you will always be able make a decision you can stick behind.”
Vangeance briefly paused before continuing. In that moment, Yuno turned his head to the side in doubt, still unsure of what his decision would be.
“If you don’t know what the right choice is…… in times like those, make a decision that you can be satisfied with. If you do that, you’ll be able to take responsibility for the consequences of your decision, even if those consequences are bad. Maybe this is already obvious to you, but for people as powerful as you, every decision you make has a big influence on your surroundings…… it will make me happy if you keep that in mind.”
“……Yes.”
Yuno answered with uncertainty. With that, Vangeance stretched lightly before saying,
“……Now then, that was quite a long talk, so I’m thirsty. Let’s buy something to drink.”
“Okay, then I’ll-
“No, I’ve already forced you to listen to me talk, so I’ll go buy them.”
Vangeance interrupted gently before quickly making his way to the juice stand. Yuno reluctantly sat down on a nearby bench and, for the second time that day, sighed briefly.
“……Hey, Yuno! Don’t worry about it! That question was just way too mean!”
“Well, you’re right, but…...”
As Bell continued to speak, Yuno became lost in his thoughts. Since the day he decided to become the Wizard King, he has worked single-mindedly to make his goal come true. No matter what hardships or unfairness stood in his way, he would find a way to push them aside, or, at least, that was his intention. However, he couldn’t answer Vangeance’s question. Even now, he still didn’t know the answer. He wasn’t prepared. The fact he still didn’t know the answer filled him with frustration. He felt as if he was just told he wasn’t working hard enough, or that he was too naïve.
“Oh, come on!”
As if she could sense Yuno’s state of mind, Bell opened his book pouch without permission, opened his grimoire, and pushed it against his face.
“Huh!? What the heck are you do-
“Look! After getting your grimoire, you filled so many pages in just half a year! No ordinary person would be able to do that! This is proof of your weird fixation on trying too hard!”
“I’m not sure if you’re trying to compliment me or insult me.”
“To make matters worse, your legs are long, your eyes are like almonds, and your cuticles are flawless! Everything about you is amazing, you hottie!”
“As I said, are those compliments or insults? You’re throwing compliments at me with all the tension of a tirade, so it’s confusing.”
Though Bell was annoying, for once her rampage helped him. The thoughts that were plaguing him earlier were the type that do not stop once you let yourself start thinking about them. He was grateful that she forced him to stop thinking about it. The captain’s question was one that should be taken very seriously, but it was not something he needed to think about right now. Yuno wasn’t sure if this was what Bell was trying to say, but, at the very least, that was the conclusion she led him to.
“……I understand, Bell……. Thanks.”
“You’re very welcome! I don’t really get why you’re thanking me, though!”
As they continued their usual exchange, Bell pulled Yuno’s grimoire away from his face. When she did, Yuno noticed that the drawing Silka gave him earlier fell out. He had put the drawing in his book pouch, so when Bell pulled his grimoire out from it, it fell by accident. When he picked it up, he patted the soil of off it and moved to put the drawing back in his book pouch, but then,
“……Hm?”
When he looked at the drawing, there was something about it that made him a bit uneasy.
“………..!”
And then, he realized it.
Even so, there were many holes in his hypothesis. If he was right, then his opponent made a rather careless mistake. However, if his opponent really was that careless, then it’s possible that……
“I’m sorry for taking so long. Julius-sama ended up roping me into a conversation.”
Vangeance returned with three juices in hand. Yuno didn’t respond to his voice, only staring at him in silence. It would be too hasty of him to mark him as a suspect. However, if his hypothesis was correct, then that would explain what Yami was saying earlier. To find more evidence, first, he should……
“……Captain Vangeance.”
With tension rising, Yuno turned toward Vangeance and uttered these words,
“Captain, may I see what’s in your book pouch?”
“……….”
In response to Yuno’s question, Vangeance smiled back at Yuno with his usual elegant smile from beneath his mask.
……No. This wasn’t his usual smile. There was a hidden meaning behind it.
 — To be continued in Part 2 —
As usual, expect the second half next week! Did any of you catch what Yuno noticed when he looked at the drawing?
I know I keep gushing on about how great each chapter is, but the chapters in this book are just too good! This chapter was just too cute! William being a total sucker around kids was cute! Yuno thinking about how much he wants to protect those kids was cute! Yami’s class being a hit with kids was cute! And Mereoleona… well, I don’t know if I would describe her scene with those kids as “cute”, but I loved it nonetheless!
I think this might be the most progress Charlotte has ever had toward her relationship with Yami. She actually managed to give him something she made, and he liked it!
I’m also glad Yuno is hesitating in his answer toward William’s question. He may be a Magic Knight, so it may be his duty to sacrifice his life for the citizens, but he’s only about 16 years old at this point in the story. It would be strange for a 16-year-old to be okay with sacrificing his life.
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evendeadlmthehero · 5 years ago
Text
The Five Year Promise: Gone South (2/10)
Summary: Y/N Stark, 20 year old superhero, makes a promise with a 16 year old Peter Parker after being cheated on, that if she hasn’t found love in the next 5 years, they’d finally go on a date. Then the snap happens. Y/N is gone and Peter isn’t.
Warnings: swearing, angst
Authors note: thank you everyone who gave me positive feedback. The response has been amazing and I’m so grateful! PS- we are now two chapters away (I think) for the snap, so prepare for more angst
Also, if there is any spelling mistakes, please let me know. I finished writing this at 1am :((
Twitter//BuckysLemons (I only have 1 follower lol)
The Five Year Promise Masterlist
Part 3
Based on after Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
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“Big day tomorrow,” your Dad said as he walked into the lab he had set up for you. Peter was trailing behind him, smiling at you as a greeting as you smiled back. “Are you sure you’re up for it because I could go instead-“
“Dad I am up for it,” you cut him off, trying to ugrade your suit. You wanted to incorporate your father’s nanotechnology with your quantum knowledge to create a suit that infused the energy. That way you didn’t need bands around your wrist and can shoot energy blasts from your suit instead.
It was like sowing your suit with quantum energy.
“Just making sure,” your father spoke, as he ate from a bag of chips. He looked at Peter, who was staring at you like you were the biggest star in the universe, and smirked to himself.
Of course your father, unbeknownst to you, had always wanted you and Peter to be a couple. Peter was every father’s dream for their daughter; a sweet and pure little boy that can never do no harm.
He had even spoke to you about him once.
“So,” Tony spoke, as he saw you smiling at Peter’s retreating figure after declining Tony’s offer of wearing the iron suit and becoming an avenger. “What do you think of Peter?”
You looked at him confusedly, as you knew Peter for almost two years and your father never even asked that question until today. “He’s great, why?”
“Well I was thinking Pete’s a great kid, very smart,” Tony begun, listing Peter’s qualities. “Very great kid. Massive upgrade from that Loshorn kid.”
“It’s Osborn, dad,” you rolled your eyes at him, before your eyes looked at Peter walking away from the building with Happy following him. “And besides, Peter is 4 years younger. I’m pretty sure that’s Paedophilia.”
“Not if it’s just dating,” You dad pointed out, walking over to you and rubbing your shoulders. “He’s a great kid. Really mature for his age, I mean the kid turned down the chance to be an Avenger! If you don’t give him a chance, you’ll regret it. Plus, I’m pretty sure that kid has an undying love for you. He basically stares at you like your some goddess. You get that effect from me by the way.”
You rolled your eyes at your dad before your mind went to Peter again. You sighed, shaking your head.
If only he was older.
“I’m going to step out. You and Peter can talk about the mission and how apparently, I’m not needed,” your Dad spoke, giving you a little wink. You shook your head at your dad, continuing to play with your suit.
Peter’s eyes glazed with panick as he realised that meant alone time with you. “I-I it’s okay Mr Stark, you don’t have to leave.”
“No, no, no my daughter clearly doesn’t want me,” Tony spoke, grabbing his chest like he was in pain as he slowly walked towards the door.
“Says the one that wanted me aborted 20 years ago!” You called out, a smirk on your face as you worked on your suit. You picked up the half-eaten Apple on your right and took a bite.
“Are you serious right now?” Tony groaned, rubbing his eyes with the hand that wasn’t holding the bag of chips. “Because now I found out that you’re actually decent company. That’s all that matters. My dad wished he aborted me AFTER your grandmother gave birth.”
“Yeah because unlike you, I’m way cooler- ah!” You screamed, as your suit let a spark, scaring the hell out of you. The spark hit your apple and then the most weirdest thing happened.
You stared at your apple in bewilderment and so did Tony and Peter.
“I- I-“ you spoke out. Your apple was now full, not half eaten like it was before. You looked up to Tony and Peter, shaking your head. “I think- I think that suit regenerated the apple. Like- like healed it or-“
You stopped yourself, having no idea what happened.
Not knowing that soon, what you discovered, would change the world in a couple of years.
-
You sat on one of the seats at the back quinjet as it flew on autopilot. Usually before missions, you take a deep breath and close your eyes. You think about your Dad, Harry, Natasha and Pepper.
But this time, your mind drifted off to the boy who currently occupied the bathroom and was suiting up for the mission that Fury had gave you guys; Peter Parker.
Just two months ago, Peter was involved in an incident. Your father, and especially you, had told him to leave out of it, it was a job for the FBI. Peter of course didn’t listen to either one of you and still fought the guy who had been selling advance weapons to the community.
“Peter! Peter!” You yelled, as you ran into the building that you witness just collapse. Rubble was everywhere and the interior of the building was no more. You saw a man fly away, but you didn’t chase after him. Your mind was on Peter. “Peter where are you!”
You knew Peter would do something like this. So the moment your father had yelled at Peter with you on his side, you made sure that your little spy fly followed him around (obviously not when it was private stuff like the bathroom) just to make sure he was alright and wouldn’t do something reckless.
So when your little tech detected Peter running away from his Homecoming night in a suit, you of course followed him.
You hear a little groan and ran to the source. Your hands flew to your mouth as you saw Peter on the floor, stacks of buildings on his back.
“Oh no, Peter,” you mumbled, your eyes welling up. You ran to his side, trying to push the building and rubble away from his body, but you weren’t strong enough. “Fuck fuck fuck.”
“Y/N,” Peter groaned out, tears filling his eyes. “You have to leave me and catch him. He’s after the quinjet-“
“No! I’m not leaving you to slowly die! Got it Parker?” You told him. You sighed, looking around before your eyes fell back on him. “Okay, you have super strength right? Just push it up. Right there.”
You pointed at a specific spot. “If you can move that spot, everything else will move with it and you’ll be free.”
Peter tried but couldn’t. It was too heavy. Tears kept flowing down his face, fearing death. “Please Y/N, just go. There’s no use.”
“No,” you shook your head at him, going to the floor and grabbing his chin so he’d look at you, but his eyes just wouldn’t reach yours.
“Look at me,” you spoke softly. He put a let out a little sob, shaking his head. “Look at me Peter!”
He finally looked at you, and you smiled at him. A smile that told him everything will be alright, even if he was in a shitty position.
“If the world brings you down. If you are contantly pushed and pummeled to the floor. If you ever want to give up Peter. Just look me in the eyes and know I’m always there.”
Peter’s face was filled determination as he looked you in the eyes. Y/N Stark, the girl he fell in love with. Y/N Stark the only girl he would ever learn to love.
So then he pushed.
“Yes!” You encouraged him, laughing in joy as the building on top of Peter continued to move up. But Peter’s face didn’t change. He kept staring into your eyes.
“Look me in the eyes and know I’m always there,” he thought as he continued looking at you.
The door of the bathroom opened, signalling that Peter was done getting changed. You shook the thought of what could’ve happened out of your head and put on a smile.
“You ready Spidey?” You asked at him, giving him a little wink. You walked away before you could see his shocked and red face. “We have to jump out of the plane in T minus one minute.”
You go near the door of the quinjet, opening it. The wind blows your hair as you look at the miles and miles of grass.
“Go in. Save some refugees from terrorists. Get out,” you reminded Peter, rubbing your wrist from the absent feeling of the quantum bands. “Easy right?”
“Yeah,” Peter spoke, moving towards you to look down. His fear of heights were getting the better of him as he felt like backing out. “Easy.”
You sensed his nervousness and from the look he gave at the distant between the quinjet and the ground, you knew why.
You smiled at him, grabbing his hand. This made Peter feel at ease, giving you a small smile too. “Hey, remember what I said. If you ever feel like giving up, just look at me and know I’m there.”
Peter squeezed your hand, looking at you with adoration. The intensity of his eyes made you look away.
“I know.”
‘Y/N you’re 20, he’s 16,’ you mentally yelled at yourself. ‘He’s you’re little brother and your his older sister you idiot.’
“Y/N?” Peter asked as he saw a distant look in your eyes. “Are you okay?”
You quickly let go of his hand, and bit your lip as you looked at the ground. “Couldn’t be better.”
Peter nodded, already missing the feeling of your hand around his. As cliche as it sounded, it really did cure his fear of heights for that brief moment.
But now that the warmth of your hand was missing, his fear came back and bile threatened to come out.
“Are you ready?” you asked, as you neared the edge of the quinjet. Peter looked into your eyes, and nodded.
‘Know that I’m always there’
“Im ready.”
-
This wasn’t how this mission was meant to be. There wasn’t meant to be altered soldiers on this mission. There wasn’t meant to be mutants on the scene.
But here you were, fighting a mutant as strong as Captain America himself.
“Peter are you okay?” You asked through the comms, worried about Peter even though you just finished putting a mutant into a coma.
“Yeah I’m fine,” Peter breathed heavily, sounding like he had a fair share of mutants. “We- we need to get the refugees out.”
“No! Not you!” You yelled through the comms, as you marched towards the village. “I have the tech. You go back to the quinjet and prepare for the refugees!”
“Are you serious right now Y/N?” You heard Peter yell at you. He was swinging passed terrorist, shooting webs at them before they could shoot him. “There is no way in hell I’m leaving you with-“
All the sudden Peter went quiet. It was a short secound, when all the hairs on his body stood up. His skin was tingling and he felt his throat clog up.
He felt sick. Sick to his stomach. He felt his lips quiver and his hands begun to tremble as he spoke on the comms.
“Y/N, duck.”
You didn’t understand why he told you to duck. He wasn’t even near you, let alone see you. You don’t know why he would utter those random words.
But then you realised; his spider senses.
You looked to your right and saw a man smiling sadistically at you as he had a gun pointing at you. It all occurred in slow motion, in a span of three secounds.
And in that three secounds, Peter was rapidly moving towards you the moment a hair on his arm stood up. He had to make it to you, he had to. He kept swinging, fighting terrorists at the same time.
He was moving as fast as he could, his mind only on getting you to safety.
But it was too late. You were shot. Right in the heart. And Peter was forced to listen to the shot in the comms.
“No, no, no, no,” Peter mumbled, tears welling up in his eyes as he finally made it to your location. He saw someone with his gun smoking and quickly electrocuted him with his web.
He then looked at you and that’s when he lost it.
Your chest was bleeding and life was slowly leaving your body. You looked at him, blood dripping down your mouth. “P-Peter?”
“Hey Y/N,” he spoke, running towards your side as he picked you up bridal style. He lips started quivering as he wiped the blood off your mouth with his suit. “Hey Y/N, Hey. Keep your eyes open for me, please.”
You looked at him, a smile on your face. “Pete. I-It’s okay.”
Peter shook his head, tears streaming down his face profusely as he struggled to keep his body from not shaking. “No, no, no you can’t say that remember, you said that if you ever want to give up-“
“Peter-“
“To just look into your eyes and know,” he sniffed as a sob raked his body. “Know that your always there. Well, I’m always there. And you can’t give up on me. You can’t.”
“Peter,” you whispered, grabbing his cheek, making him look at you. “Take care of my Dad. D-don’t let him- don’t- you can’t- you can’t let him- let him slowly kill himse- you can’t-“
You stopped talking, as your soul left your body. Your hand fell from Peter’s face as both your mouth and eyes were wide open. Blood stopped leaking from your mouth and chest, and your face was pale.
“Y/N?” Peter spoke, his voice trembling as his hand shakily moved a piece of hair from your face. “Y/N! Y/N no please! Please, please, please. Don’t- don’t go. Let’s- let’s go home. I wanna go home.”
Peter held you tight for three hours.
He had told Karen to get Tony’s little robots to guide refugees into the Quinjet and get them to safety. When he thought it was time to leave you, he couldn’t. Peter could never leave you.
Tony even called Peter but Peter denied it. Of course, this had Tony anxious, but then Rhoudey tried to reassure him that maybe everything was okay and that they can’t call during a mission.
Peter was in hysteria. He didn’t even get the chance to tell you he loved you. Didn’t even get the chance to take you out on a date.
He thought he was going to regret this for the rest of his life.
But then, the hairs on his arms stood up once again. His breath hitched and his heart starting beating erratically.
Because he heard your heart beat.
And now his heart beat had synchronised with yours.
You had opened your eyes, looking at him all dazed.
Then Peter had realised you had stopped bleading for a while now.
And it was all because of your new suit
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huntsman-ash · 4 years ago
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RWBY V8E4 LiveThoughts
And were back at it again, this week with turkey and Italian preserved sausage as a snack! Lets see what RT has for us this week.
Oh, 20 minutes. Are they normally this long?
Oh, wait, the openings almost 2 minutes long. Thats more like it.
And now to Robyn and Qrow. Seems Robyns actually liking Qrow a little bit now. 
Guess the cells aren’t secured if a fly got into Schnee’s. This a “Fly on Mike Pence’s face” reference?
Qrow sounds more growly again. Did he get smacked back two seasons by Clover dying?
If by “darkness” you mean “Tyrian” then, yes. Also dude, its Clover. He was shit anyway. All the Aces are shit. Dont feel too bad about him.
And he’s got a point too. If Clover had thought with his head instead of his dick (yes, Im sure they were gonna fuck, Fair Games totally a thing), he probably wouldnt be dead now, and Tyrian would be the one with the sword through his chest.
But of course this is RWBY and V7/8 so things cant go their ways.
Ouch. Deep thoughts of Qrow. And some interesting stuff from Robyn too. I still think I’d prefer hopeandharmonizing’s Briar, though.
Marrows glare gives me life. Hare’s just a moron right now though, but thats no real surprise. She’s immature emotionally.  Honestly, shes...kind of like a less bad version of our current President. Always has to be the best at everything, fastest, leader, whatever.
Thats probably why this is grating on her so much. Even though shes TECHNICALLY the Ace’s leader now (I think? Seemed like she was Clovers lieutenant, so by rate of succession she’s in command now)
A glance at the little floating control pad... “Clerance access only”. Okay, that...seems weird. Shouldnt it say something like authorized personell only? Maybe it means access by clerance only or something.
Then Robyn’s name, and then process ID 4591-27. No idea what thats useful for but its there.
Also Marrow seems to be the only competent member of the Aces rn. 
Ah now we get to see some of the hills around Atlas. For those of you who have seen my headcanons on the Hunter-Killers and their base of operations, Fortress Academy, its out in these hills somewhere.
The music sounds like a boss fight.
The screen on Ren’s hoverbike reads “HVB Rhino” and “HD5800″ I can only assume HVB stands for “hoverbike” and Rhino must be its name, like how the dropships are Mantas. No clue what the number is. 
Also apparently the cold in Solitas is so bad it corrupts machinery?
Ahh, good, some action. Lets see what we get now. Ohh, teamwork. And again, signs that aura allows you to move faster and farther than a normal human
Heh, it really is like a boss fight, like the chase scene at the end of the first Viking level in For Honor.
Oh, and it can call for reenforcements literally out of nowhere? Or is the whole tundra of Solitas just CRAWLING with Grimm?
Yes, yes it did just call for backup, Yang. Maybe these are all forward scouts and ambush units from the Grimmstorm. They did say its the biggest...
Another banger from Casey Lee Williams...
What the hell happened in Solitas to cause this geography? Seriously, its a line of bridges over a gap in two cliffs...that cant be natrual, not that equal in distance.
Man, those bikes didnt even last half an episode...I guess thats fair, they are facing obsurd odds. Or maybe they just want Yang to be the only one with a bike.
And there goes the dropwall. Woops.
Also you can just kinda see it but they bounce off the rock and thats why they slow down. Useful.
Also this part with them falling off the edge reminds me of the ending cutscene of Halo 4s Forerunner level, where Chief flies out of a portal and almost goes sailing off a cliff in a Ghost.  Except here, the bike stays on the land and THEY go off the cliff.
I paused at just the right time cause YANGS FACE XD
Holy shit what are Ren’s weapons cables MADE OF? The one atop him is holding him AND the weight of his two teammates. And the one below has both Jaune and Yang. No sign of slippage or breackage at all. 
Ahhh there’s the whaleship (Monstra? Fuck it Im gonna keep calling it the whaleship). So yeah my headcanon now is the mountain its right next too is Menachite, where Fortress is. 
Oh hey back to the Schnee manor of all things! Does...this mean military invasion of the Schnee grounds. Hey Whitley. Lesbians are here. 
Someone make a video cut of Weiss banging on the door to the “Knock knock open up the door its real!” part of that one song.
Hehehehhe. Nice Weiss.
Also convenient about the house staff. Good thing RT doesnt need to animate them or Willow now...
I hope the staff took some of the silverware and some paintings on the way out.
Why is MAY the one carrying Nora.
Ah so now they’re stuck out there with no cell service. Hehe.
Ah okay so the cold in Solitas DOES eat aura. Good, my headcanon still kind of stands. 
I wonder, does wearing proper cold weather clothing (like bundled up stuff) help? Or does it cut right through...
Why is JAUNE the one hauling the bike? Isnt Yang the strongest? Or maybe they take turns.
Ahhh inter-team talking. Also, outpost. Hmm. Atlas one? Overrun if I had to guess. Unless he saw Fortress. Which I doubt.
I do love the circling shot here, with the light on Yang’s hair and the shadows on Ren. Its...really artistic and emotional. GREAT WORK RT. 
Rens got points. And hes saying stuff I myself have been saying for ages, which is good. I wonder why this is how Ren is now...working with the Ace Ops? Being afraid of loosing Nora? No one tell him what happened last episode.
Also, Jaune’s hair seems to have gotten less crazy in recent episodes. It looks less like a banana and more like a close tactical cut.
Yangs got a point.
Ahhh and now we get to see the inside of the whale. 
SALEM FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP SHOWING THE FUCK OFF. SERIOUSLY. WE GET IT. 
...this is gonna be a really criingy torture section, isnt it.
Someones gonna take that “hound didnt break you” line in the WRONG direction 
It is amusing the only thing holding Oscar down is the Hound actually. 
Ah so they’re still searching the remains of Beacon.
Also I like how Salem calls them “her forces” as if its anything but a random bunch of expendable monsters. Like, bruh, you cant search anything with THAT.
Ignoring the boring chat between these two, notice how the Hound’s shoulder literally flexes and shifts when Salem touched it. I dont think this thing is solid at all aside from the head and the bone claws...the whole thing is just amorphous Grimm material that can adapt to whatever situation it requires. A specialist unit. A...Hunter hunter.
Yo what the fuck was that. Magic? Huh. Did we actually SEE magic for once in the show? Only took us 8 FUCKING SEASONS...
Doesnt seem to be anything but an energy blast/pain never firing though. I assume his auras still gone, cause its completely singed his shirt, but it didnt do much else.
...Im not impressed.
She really needs to stop touching his face, its creeping me out.
HAHA SHE CANT DO IT HERSELF SHE HAS TO RELY ON HAZEL BEATING THE SHIT OUT OF HIM. I think we know where she stands now, doesnt she...say what you will about her letting Hazel have his vengeance (which is very valid, even he admits hit), but me? I think she A) cant actually beat up on Ozma herself because she still cares and B) shes almost out of magic too. Its weakened as the Gods have been gone and shes been forced to rely on the Grimm and on pawns. Basically, once she and Oz are both gone? That’s it for magic. Remnant will belong to the Grimm...and to technology. 
At which point without Oz around to hold them back Atlas is going to go fucking BONKERS and basically ensure the Grimm get pushed back into a corner and then finally permenantly STAMPED OUT.
More Whale insides. Seems like most of its empty grandious spaces. Or possibly muscle? Hard to tell. Either way theres a lot of open air in there...with tight corridors. If you fired a thermobaric warehead into one of the chambers the resulting blastc could possibly blow the doors off and send a raging fireball through the entire thing...Hmm. Filing that away for later.
NEO IS SO SHORT ITS FUNNY TO ME. I know its just positioning BUT SHE LOOKS EVEN SHORTER IN THIS SHOT THAN USUAL.
More note on the Hound; the “flesh” around its right shoulder spike actually sinks down when it stops moving. Its neck shifts and moves too, like the material isnt solid, but recirculating.
I also dont see any eyes. And it looks like it has some kind of...forehead mouth? Def looks like teeth down the ridge of its spine.
Oh boy yeah that...whole thing is basically melting in on itself.
I wont lie; hearing Cinder get berated by CORTANA (and yes, I still hear Cortana in Salem, espeically now that the two characters are kind of one and the same, both megalomaniacal leaders of giant armies, bar the fact that one of them is about a TRILLION times more dangerous than the other because one of them has access to Guardian Custodies and the other one is...well kind of lame and has to have beefy dudes beat up on small children etc) is pleasing to me. 
Get fucked, Cinder.
And THERE is Cortana again too.
Neo Marry Popins’s Ya’lling is fucking CUTE. And I love her little smirk.
Wait the whale’s that close?
..oh my...hold on.
...thats it. THATS ATLAS’S AIR FLEET!?!
12 AIRSHIPS? 12? EXCUSE ME!?
ARE YOU LEGITAMETLY TELLING ME THE BIGGEST MILITARY ON REMNANT HAS FEWER AIRSHIPS THAN THE SMALLEST NAVY ON EARTH HAS FRIGATES? YOUR FUCKING KIDDING ME RIGHT? THERE HAS TO BE MORE SOMEWHERE. THIS IS A JOKE, A STRAIGHT UP FUCKING JOKE.
...
No, thats...thats it. Thats Atlas’s airfleet. 12 tiny vessels. I swear it was bigger last season...
...HA! HAHA! HA! Oh, Ironwood, and Atlas as a whole...you deserve everything your about to get. I hope you die SCREAMING, and that when your bodies fall bleeding and shattered to Mantle, the people down there will realize that, no. You cant just assume Hunters will do all the work for you
THIS IS REMNANT. ITS KILL OR BE KILLED. YOU EITHER MAKE A FORCE POWERFUL ENOUGH THAT THE GRIMM RUN FROM YOU  OR YOU DIE INSTEAD. ATLAS FAILED. NOW THEY SUFFER.
Emerald stop simpin.
Also that is...the SHITTEST outpost...I have ever seen in my life. My overall thought process of Atlas is...sinking even LOWER than before. 
Though it seems more like a waystation. Bed, Dust, some dudes coat on it. Dead heater. Its probably a rest spot for Specialists out in the tundra.
Ren does the emo sit. Lol. Yang even says it. Brood himself to death.
Alright whats this now...something forcing itself out of the tundra?
And thats it for today! Cool ass concept art at the end there too. 
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redacted-metallum · 4 years ago
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Classic Slashers I've seen aligned with TMA Fears even though I haven't listened to the podcast in months bc it was fucking w my head and i woke up half an hour ago and im writing this on my phone lets go:
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974):
Definitely Flesh, like HARDCORE Flesh like probably Jonny Sims the Creator of the Podcast was Inspired by this movie for the Flesh hardcore Fleshcore.
I honestly get Stranger vibes too both because like. The early 20 somethings were like who the fuck is THIS guy when Bubba showed up and Bubba was like who the fuck are THESE people why are they in my house (and then he killed them)
A sprinkling of Corruption bc the whole movie looks like it smells bad. I will not elaborate you either understand what that means or you don't.
Just a dash of the Hunt as well bc people do get chased but it feels less like "oh god oh fuck im being chased" and more "if that man gets me im gonna die bc he has a fucking chainsaw" which is more Flesh than Hunt
Also the Slaughter that's like. Inherent. It's a given. Probably going to exclude it from further things just bc. It's The Slaughter and these are Slashers
HALLOWEEN (1978)
If the Hunt and the Stranger had a baby you would get this movie. Im also including Halloween II (1981) bc that's one of my favorite versions of Michael Myers even though ive only seen the two movies. Thats how good of a Michael he is.
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984)
Ngl??? The Spiral. The whole blurring of dreams and reality thing is 100% the Spiral.
Probably also a bit of the Hunt?
Idk man it's been a while since I've seen this one I just know if I go up against a Freddy in DBD im gonna die quickly and be mad as hell the whole time. Also if I saw Freddy in my dream I'd simply wake up bc I had to pee. Rip to those teenagers but I'm different.
I also didn't like this movie but that's more because I want to tear Freddy apart. Fucking hate that guy. I heard the 2nd one was better but I havent seen it yet.
SCREAM (1996)
God I need to watch Scream again it's so good.
I'm gonna mention Slaughter specifically for this one even though it's implied by nature of the type of movie I'm talking about here. Something abt just. The fact that in the OG Scream nothing supernatural is going on and it's just. Two shithead teens doing murder distills it to Slaughter in an almost pure form.
I havent seen any of the other ones yet but ive heard theyre also good.
I do think there's an aspect of the Stranger to it as well in that like. You don't know WHO Ghostface is for most of the movie but it's to a lesser degree than like, Halloween.
FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980)
Im still disappointed there was no Jason in this one. I just wanted to see a large man with a machete.
This movie honestly almost had no vibes if you ask me it was like. I had fun watching it but it was mostly bc i was on a vc with a friend who was also watching it and we were making fun of it.
I guess Stranger?? Idk
Mrs Voorhees effectively utilized girl power when she killed those late teens early 20s.
SAW I, II, and III (2004, 2005, 2006)
Flesh. Flesh Flesh Flesh. Did I mention Flesh?
I'm honestly also gonna say Eye because I really feel like an Aspect of the Saw movies is that you are being Watched through it all that's like. Different to the being watched in Halloween.
Also Slaughter mostly just bc in my head Grifter's Bone sounds like NIN and iirc NIN did the soundtrack to at least one of those movies.
I watched them all in like one sitting and then I had to Stop.
HELLRAISER I, II, III (1987, 1988, 1992)
Is this even a slasher?? I'm including it.
It's got like. Flesh and Spiral vibes. The Spiral vibes might just be because it's weird.
There's no fear thats specifically horny so I can't properly assign one based off of the vibes bc these movies are so goddamn horny.
I watched these 3 in under 24 hours while also graduating high school
THE SHINING (1980)
If Hellraiser is a slasher so is the Shining.
If the Slaughter and the Spiral had a baby it would be this movie. I cannot articulate more clearly how strong the vibes are. When i imagine the Spiral's hallway it has the Overlook Hotel's carpet.
I've been to the hotel where they filmed the outside parts. We went there and I was like, mad abt being on a mountain until i saw the hotel and I was like holy SHIT and then i had beef stew
AMERICAN PSYCHO (2000)
Another movie of pure Slaughter/Spiral vibes. The Spiral vibes are only there because watching it feels almost Exactly like dissociation.
Like I watch this movie and then im like where am i who am i
I think about the business card scene every goddamn day
This took like. An hour. You're welcome.
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farmcorelynch · 5 years ago
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i accidentally wrote a draft for a pynch on a motorcycle across nevada fic but im too lazy to edit it and post on ao3
A/N: based on a really long convo i had with @egosumsomnium , nothing explicit happens but like,, adam has no chill so,,, (might fuck around and make it a proper fic, who knows? i am unknowable yeehaw)
The desert rain is worse than the rain back home, a miracle of impossibility falling from the humid sky and kissing an equally impossible boy. Adam Parrish leaned his damp back against the highway pillar, head tilted limply on his shoulder as he heaved his breath back into his lungs mixed with the pollution of Nevada.
A curtain of the night’s sorrow blankets him, his curls plastered wet on his forehead as he squinted at the barren wasteland of drenched sand and open lightning bolts. There was no one alive tonight but soon he would be one of the two souls in all of americana breathing fresh air, finally awoken from a hazy slumber that was his routined existence.
He fidgeted nervously, restless to satisfy a shameful famine slowly cultivating inside of him the moment Ronan asked him to ride to Nevada with him. Everything about the wait ate him inside out, especially since his desire was so close to being a tangible thing, real and solid for him to hold. He’s been starving for so long.
The world was asleep, the city was awake, and Adam was ready to throw out his sensibility down the cliff’s edge.
The loud rev of a motorcycle engine rips through the sound of heavy traffic above him and Adam rolls his eyes as the black smudge against the night horizon gets closer. A man in a leather jacket and a helmet circling him like a snake going in for the pray, the loud sound of his accelerator piercing Adam’s single functioning ear, making him dizzy and choking him with the smoke clouds that formed from the rubber tires.
“Hey stranger”
“Cycling in the rain is a safety hazard, Lynch”
Ronan rolled his eyes before giving him a smirk as Adam climbed onto the seat behind him, arms quickly tightening around Ronan’s waist and cheek making it’s home on Ronan’s wet back. He passed Adam his designated helmet, the one they both bought together a few weeks ago, before starting up the bike again.
Adam melts into him.
Adam sighed, resting his head in the crevice between Ronan’s shoulder blades, upset that the helmet, the leather jacket and the pouring rain made it harder for him to hear Ronan’s heartbeat as they sped past the welcoming sign to Nevada.
They were both countryside boys, the city a foreign land that neither was particularly fond of. It didn’t matter if Adam hated the pollution that attacked his lungs here or if the sounds of human vices were almost overbearing. Passing the bright city lights, Adam fell in love with neon streets and the empty promises of unthinkable wealth flushed against the stormy night sky.
It didn’t matter if heaven was punishing them for their futile devices of emptying their pocket linings in the form of a northern downpour, not when Adam could absorb the heat radiating off of Ronan like a campfire so shamelessly.
The moment they crossed the border together and completely intertwined, they were no longer simple country boys. Although there was still the dirt of Henrietta underneath his fingernails, there was nothing but the image of Virginia in Adam’s soul, the freckles splattered across his nose bridge the only evidence he spawned from hell itself in the shape of a double-wide.
In the city of sin and other mortal temptations, they were nothing but faceless strangers and a pair of burning bodies. Adam could almost imagine they were in love.
He was stranded in sin city with the devil, taunting him and his patience with that devious smile laced with poison and ivory. Shark-like, Adam had never seen Ronan like this, dripping with vices and malice. He’s heard the rumours, of course, the first thing Gansey tells him when the other boy introduced the two of them one particularly awful winter evening was that Ronan was dangerous. The red neon lights flash wherever Ronan Lynch went in warning, Adam still chose to prick his hands with thorns and barb wires.
He was a boy made of yellow caution tape and when he smiled at Adam, only one corner of his sharp lips quirking up, Adam could almost imagine the sound of blue and red sirens flashing through his wreckage.
Adam was an apocalyptic wasteland and it was all Ronan Lynch’s fault.
He’s never seen it for himself though, the way Ronan easily parted the crowd like an edifice, a god demanding attention and fear. Adam swallowed dryly as his tattoo seemed to expand with every confident step he took to the bar counter, scrambling quickly to his side.
By the time Adam slides into the empty vinyl seat next to Ronan, Ronan was already drinking a clear glass of liquid gold, gulping poison like it didn’t sting. Adam knew from experience the drink burnt, the frat parties Gansey dragged him to a rollercoaster he chose not to remember, but Ronan swallowed it down like mountain dew. A part of him was irritated his driver was getting tipsy, a much less sensible part of him couldn’t tear his gaze from the imprint Ronan’s lips left on the crystal glass.
“What are we doing here?” Adam sighed, pressing his cheek against the cool surface of the bar counter, ignoring the stickiness on his skin and digging his fingertips into Ronan’s jean-clad thigh.
Ronan gave him a look that made Adam preen, a ghost of impatience chipping at its prison of Adam’s ribcage, ready to break free with every minute Ronan tortured him without his touch.
They were heading straight to paradise lost, a private heaven that they artificially created with their own two hands. There’s an invisible rosary made from rose quarts slowly counting down the seconds they had left together, trapping them by the hips and pulling them closer. The beads clashed against each other and echoed as Adam slid his cold hands under the hem of Ronan’s shirt as they conquered miles of asphalt to the nearest closed doors.
Ronan jumped off the bike with a fluid ease that made Adam preen with mindless jealousy, the grind of his hips down on the leather seat leaving him brainless. Ronan watched him intently from the door of their motel room, snake lips wrapped around the bitter tip of a cigarette and sharp cheekbones highlighted by flickering neon lights as old as their combined ages. He looked like Judas then, taunting and ready to destroy Adam to a pulp, with his entire frame bathed in scarlet light. Adam walked towards him without lowering his gaze, accepting retribution wordlessly.
The motel room was expectantly disgusting, unsanitary with the strange musky smell designated to old closets unopened for generations. It looked like a scene to a murder noir with it’s stained blue carpeted floors from the early 80s, the bathtub stained dark with an identifiable liquid and stark wide against the dirty white tiles. It was the perfect place for sacrifice, Adam’s desecration ritual to take place in the centre of the hellhole on a bare queen-sized bed, decorated garishly with cheap dollar store rose petals.
His nose scrunched up in distaste but didn’t mutter a single complaint, too distracted by worse things.
“Charming,” Ronan grunted with disdain from behind him around his burning cigarette, arms crossed across his solid chest. He flicked a rose petal off the bed, eyes burning holes into Adam. Adam scooped a palmful off roses into his hand before pressing his palm against Ronan’s cheek, watching as the red plastic rained from the gaps of their skin. He looked like Aphrodite’s and Ares’ child then, a spawn of love and war, helplessly cruel with the way he loved Adam. The sweet rose petals made him look beautiful in the most violent way brushing over his soldier’s buzzcut. Adam was ruined for anyone else.
Ronan blows smoke into his orbit and Adam catches his bitter lips in between his teeth.
Adam takes Ronan’s wrists between his fingers as they walked towards the bed, mouths still gaping against each other languidly. Ronan shuffled his feet backwards, free hand putting out his cigarette in the ashtray on the bedside table. The inferno underneath Adam’s skin was hot enough without it, a lighter that chased Ronan’s gasoline mindlessly.
There’s a hand cupping his jaw, Ronan’s fingertips brushing against Adam’s curls too tenderly for what they were doing. Adam opened his mouth willingly, snaking a hand down between their burning bodies just to feel more. He was wide awake.
The desert nights were cold, colder than any night in Henrietta, despite the scorching heat in the evening time. In tonight’s twilight, Adam won’t be shivering alone.
Ronan spreads his fingers wide and grips onto Adam’s hips, a vice as their hot breath mingled between them. Heaving chests pressed together, Adam sighed as he pulled Ronan closer by the belt loops.
He was a desert flower, his eyes snake-like and belonging with the hot sand, blue and piercing. Summer was in the air and heaven Ronan’s arms, securing and hazardous. Adam had found religion in the crevices of his mouth, tongues sliding and moving against a riptide.
Adam was sinking his fingers into soft cemetery moss, his teeth nipping at pale skin and blooming violets and lilacs all the way down the hollow column of Ronan’s stretched throat. Adam sunk into Ronan’s artery, feeling the life that sustained him on his tongue and swallowing his heartbeat, poisoning Ronan’s ichor with his own breed of venom. His chin brushes against a cold chain around Ronan’s neck, Adam pushes away the delicate gold cross to sanctify Ronan in his own way, a silent plead for worship.
And Adam saw Ronan bathing on the roof, pale moonlight drowning his already translucent skin. A fall of kings, Adam had repeated history and succumbed into temptation. Inviting shadows to possess him. Ronan danced on his grave.
And Ronan was dragging his face up, tilting his chin so that their breaths mixed again in the same atmosphere, a molotov cocktail that left them both drunk. Their lips brush, softer than Adam expected, softer than Adam thought Ronan was capable of. And from his bruised lips Ronan drew the hallelujah.
He wished his adoration of the other man was capable of fluorescing, bright and obnoxious like the yellow highlighters he used to outline everything he couldn’t understand. He wanted light, light like overly white hospital rooms and light like summertime sweetness. He wanted Apollo to rain his poetry on their withering bodies.
But they were in a lightless motel room, the pale moonlight their only source of illumination, hiding and scared in the shadows of their mutual secret, a secret that required two to keep.
Adam tried to ignore the image of Gansey’s disappointment shoe-horned into his imagination as Ronan let his thighs fall open and bracketed around Adam’s waist, an open early solstice sacrifice.
And when Adam lurched to devour Ronan’s oxygen again as his hungry hands roamed freely along the sharp mountain ranges of the god he loved, an eclipsed occurred where the sun met the moon.
Ronan compared him to the sun sometimes, when they hid from Gansey between classes and Adam taught Ronan how to read tarots he was too impatient to master. He would point to the sun card and the magician card, saying they were the same thing.
Adam didn’t agree.
Ronan was his sunlight, his solar rays blinding and painful to look at. If Adam stared too close, his eyes would water and his skin would dry out. Ronan offered more skin, Adam drank up his light greedily until he was sure all the darkness in him had corroded away.
Maybe they were both the sun and the moon at once, stark different and impossible to tell apart at times. Adam would be the sun if Ronan needed him to, he would be the moon if Ronan asked it from him.
Adam bit into the soft flesh of Ronan’s pale inner thighs, tasting pomegranate and bittersweet torture, Ronan twisting his fingers into Adam’s head of copper curls and twisting them like wildflower stems.
Helpless pressure wrapped around his head and smothered Adam in heat as Ronan cried out awful prayers that belonged exactly here, miles away from any church in the near radius. In that motel room, the two of them had created their own place of worship from nothingness.
Adam had always been an Icarus of a boy, since he was young and fighting tooth and nail to escape the skin and the name he was forced to wear. Now he was sweltering and melting under sharp affection, wings ripping off his back and feathers kissing his skin in the form of Ronan Lynch’s bitten lips.
He left evidence all over the crime scene. Bruises and bitemarks, red railroads and leylines across Ronan’s chest and down his tattoo from his fingernails. He wanted to ruin Ronan in the same way Ronan had ruined him, completely without anything left to salvage, dandelions and baby tears sprouting in the cracks of his dirt-flesh.
In the dark, no one could see the raindrops falling from his eyelashes and streaming down his cheeks like the dead sea. He cried blood when his body was flushed against Ronan’s. He was the worst believer and too good of a martyr.
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