#something something one often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it

[transturbo]

So, like, what are the chances that a 2nd Turbotime arcade cabinet gets plugged in at some point? Same graphics & characters & everything. With the kids being appreciative of "retro" games(and, c'mon, Felix mentioned Turbotime being the most popular in the arcade when it was around, likely because of the steering wheel controller tech. at least this'd be the case before Roadblasters came around).

"but why would Mr. Litwak go through the trouble of affording a new one? When the last one got two of his games put out of commission?" man idk I just think he'd like to capitalize a little bit off of the kids' love of retro. if it breaks it breaks yknow. plus the incident was LONG ago I doubt that he'd even take it into account

I put all of this before just so you can imagine: Imagine a newly plugged in Turbo, ecstatic to make his debut as the greatest racer in the arcade! No malicious intentions(yet). And when he tries to socialize outside of his game, he's met with a whole array of strange looks. Ones of fear, disgust, wariness, and pity? He hadn't a clue what this was all for, talk about a tough crowd right?

At first he chalked it all up to some wide-range hazing ritual, something about showing the new guys what's up. This was all he thought before he started to see some peculiar graffiti staining parts of the GCS. Looked like some sort of fearmongering propaganda to him. He thought of it as some kinda funny prank, not to mention how kinda badass he looked.

Though, the joke was kinda starting to get old by the time he was barred from Tappers from the get-go. What gives! Can't a guy take the edge off at least once?? No breaks for ol' Turbo The Greatest Racer Ever??

Some wiseguys even thought it'd be funny to pick him up and use him as a basketball one time. He's not even the right colors to be a basketball! Jerks.

Turbo tries to confide in his fellow gamemates, trying to get some sort of answer to what's been going on with the treatment, but no dice, they don't know either because they've sworn off heading outside the game due to receiving the same treatment. Which angers Turbo even moreso. These guys may be his ingame rivals, but he can't stand for this blasphemy against his very name.

He'll get to the bottom of this. He'll show them.

[colorsofinquiry]

I went to watch Kung Fu Panda 4, and here are some thoughts that have occurred in my mind.

"Spoilers for KFP4"

Master Oogway's quote of "One often meets his destiny on the road he wishes to avoid" came true for Po. This quote by Master Oogway, made to Shifu now came true for Po. In the first movie, Shifu sent Zheng to the prison where Tai Lung was imprisoned, which resulted in Tai Lung's escape. This time, Po in an effort to avoid taking Oogway's position as the spiritual leader, ends up meeting his destiny. First, he gets a vision of what Chameleon will do if she gets her hands on the Staff of Wisdom, then he is able to save Zhen and himself in the prison without using his words and finally he lets Zhen defeat Chameleon, and makes her the new Dragon Warrior.

Chameleon's backstory is a little mixed for me. On one hand, it is sad that she could get to learn kung fu because of her abilities and was turned by various masters. This makes it somewhat similar to Shifu refusing to teach Po, till Master Oogway passed and he figured out that he can use food to motivate Po, suggesting that the other masters were incapable of adapting their training to her abilities. But, this also makes no sense when you have Mantis and Viper, who show they are capable of Kung Fu. We don't know whether the other masters were that rigid or were there other reasons.

Po's fathers helped him once again. Both helped him understand that change is not all bad, and even though he screwed up, he can set things right again, helping him understand his new role as well.

The universe in a funny way answered Po, when he asked regarding his successor. In the scene where the petals start blowing, it seems like a comic setup as Po ends up eating and spitting the petals, immediately post that Zhen enters in an attempt to steal something, implying that this was an answer to Po's question.

It was nice to see Tai Lung again, and he sort of seems to have made peace with Po. But he should have gotten a scene with Shifu as well. It would have been interesting to see them interact and have one last conversation.

I found this one out because of behind the scene issues regarding the Furious Five, but they should have been present as well. It would have been nice to see them help Po come to terms with his role and help him. Also, it would have been interesting to see their reactions on Zhen and Po's decision.

[umbran6]

What if... Leo got a Cult?

For those of you who have seen some of my previous posts, this one is based on the What if… Leo Became a God? For those of you who know liked, reblogged, or both, thank you very much. For those of you who may not know, please click on the underline. But for those who just want a quick TLDR about that: Leo burns away his mortality while fighting Gaea, which led to him becoming a god. 

Now, I know I’m jumping into possibly ridiculous territory. Leo just became a god. How the hell does he get a cult so quickly? However, I argue that this is one of the most vital components when considering any headcanon that involves one character becoming a god. Gods need domains, belief, memories to maintain their form in the real world. We see an active example of what happens when gods don’t have this through Pan — his domain had been defiled and belief in him had dwindled to the point he ceased to exist. You can't just have demigods like Percy reach godhood without explaining what's going to keep them around afterwards, so this is my attempt to explain as such.

Hera teaches this to Leo when she informs him of his newfound godhood. To truly become a god beyond the few years after his ascension, he needs to give people reason to believe in him. Hercules had his Twelve Labors which are still told to this day. Dionysus had his cult which actively praised him as the God of Wine, and his memory is associated with the twelve Olympians. More minor gods such as Triptolemus lean on a divine patron for their domains, becoming their lieutenants to help make up for a lack of belief. 

Leo needs something to latch him into the real world, because once his friends die and people start forgetting about him if he doesn’t do anything about it, he will cease to exist unless he decides to piggyback off Hephaestus or Hera. Yeah, that course of action is not going to fly - Leo still has a grudge against Hephaestus for ‘going out to get milk’ for nearly all his life, and while Hera is starting to make up for the Nanny-From-Hell Incidents, he still doesn’t trust her. 

Leo understands that but does not know how to achieve it. Nor does he know if he wants to achieve it. Aside from his own feat of destroying Gaea, he doesn’t see why someone would want to worship him. He hasn’t given anyone reason to. So, he decides to avoid doing so - if he was to be glorified, it would only be through ways he thought were right. Little did he forget a good portion of genre-savviness - A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.

Instead, he focuses on the benefits of becoming a minor god. Not the supreme power, but more on the practical benefits. Practical, as in, Leo has everything he needs to live. He easily erases records of his past from the public eye, allowing him to be among mortals without any issue, though he does slightly gaslight his mortal family by popping up in front of them when they least expect it, slowly driving them to insanity. He doesn’t have to worry about money because he can easily conjure it. Our boy got himself the upgrade and glow-up in ways that he could never imagine and doesn’t have to experience the hardship he went through in the streets anymore.

To put it bluntly, Leo knows the negatives of immortality, that everyone he loves will die eventually. But now he can, ironically enough, live. Being able to pop into a country with a snap of his fingers, be free of searching for food every day, having the time to study whatever he pleases and indulge when he never could. All of those are miracles he never takes for granted. Leo loves being a god because there are just so many benefits and so little loss to him on a personal level in the short term.

So, he travels the world, enjoying what he could never appreciate in his voyage in the Argo II, bringing his mom with him for the ride while Calypso adjusts to the modern world. They backpack or rest in luxury, but Leo is not blind as he travels the world — regardless of his newfound godhood, he still sees the poor, the hungry, the sick. The people they used to be before he was aware of his status as a demigod, and before he gave his mom a second chance at life. 

So, Leo helps. Out of empathy, he conjures food and builds shelters for those in need. He teaches what he can and offers resources that help people learn when he can’t teach while he quickly studies the subjects necessary to make their lives better. When violence breaks out, he is the first one to intervene, bringing order to bloody chaos. and crushing threats with the snap of his fingers. Normally the Mist hides the divine, but the world has become more open-minded as fantasy and the supernatural become more entrenched in popular culture. Mortals don’t recognize what he is, but they can understand that there was something more powerful hiding behind the face of a young boy. Children who are more open to the concept of the supernatural know his true nature.

The mortal world formally recognizes him when the media sees Leo put down a war between gangs with steel, fire, and blood, sparing the civilians caught in the crossfire and clutching the leaders by their neck in front of the press. Articles spring up and the rumors and videos lurking in the internet are given legitimacy by the public. They don’t know how to name Leo at first - and they initially draw on pop culture as a reference. Some call him The Boy on Fire, others more familiar with his philanthropy dub him The Architect. In the end, they settle for one title: The Ashborn, for his arrival was heralded by the ashes of those burnt by his flames.  Debates regarding what exactly Leo is are furious - some claim he’s a spirit, others claim he is the reincarnation of whichever spiritual figure they pray to. Some think he’s a devil, but even they can’t deny the good he does. The people he saved praise the god hidden among humans, and the Cult of Ash is formed, though Leo keeps a strict eye so that it does not cause harm, physical or mental, to anyone.

Inspired by his travels when he comes back home while keeping a laser focus on his growing cult, Leo builds. A lot. He makes the first demigod cellphones and starts distributing them around the world to demigods in need, allowing them to communicate with both their mortal and supernatural loved ones, though he partners with Iris so that it has more support among the gods. When he comes across the Waystation, he is inspired to create similar locations around the world so demigods can have temporary shelter. He builds smaller versions of the Argo II so that demigods can travel between camps with ease. He becomes practically a one-man industrial revolution for the demigods, and that resonates through most of the world. 

The demigods don’t know how to react to this. They’ve never had a god actively be interested in improving their lives before, much less so directly. To them, the gods have always been distant - important, of course, but not omnipresent and certainly never aiding them unless it was quid pro quo. But Leo is there. He’s talking to them, handing his inventions without charge. He’s helping, and they don’t know what to do because some of them feel they can do more than just say thank you. 

The demigods, in their confusion, go back to the ancient ways of their predecessors when treating the gods to show respect and praise. Sometimes it’s a simple ‘Thanks Leo’ when a demigod uses their phone to call their mortal friends and family. Sometimes it is food burnt in his honor. Some decide to take a more modern approach and make things in his image. Yes, that means the demigods make Leo merch, including a Mythomagic card and figurine that makes Nico choke on air.

But what stands out are the prayers. Demigods start praying to him for safety, for his intelligence and strength when facing the challenges they face in life. When an attempt to transport three demigods to Camp Half-Blood goes horribly wrong, the satyr prays to Leo for protection. Leo appears and slays the horde in a single motion while he guides the demigods to Camp. The demigods he saves sing his praises while getting a more positive outlook of the gods, for now they know there is someone among the divine that advocates for them. 

Much like the mortals, the demigods give him his own epithets, but they recognize the truth about his ascension. Those who focus on his work in improving the lives of the demigods call him Léon o Efevrétis - Leo the Inventor. For those who focus on the true power he wields, they call him as thus: Apocalypsis Leo. Leo of the Apocalypse, for he was the one that struck down the world when it dared to rise against the gods. 

Leo can sense these prayers. He doesn’t know how to react to them because he’s never had people… believe in him. He’s used to hiding his powers, hiding who he is. Now people are idolizing him (literally - someone’s already made an idol figurine of him, and it makes him look too hot than he really should be) for who he really is. It feels good, but he doesn’t know how to react towards them. He doesn’t know if he is doing the right thing by allowing them to worship him, or that he should encourage them to focus elsewhere. 

So, with a bit of advice from Hera, Leo turns towards the closest god to experience what he went through, Mr. D. Only he would be the one to understand the dilemma that Leo is going through, at least in passing for he himself was also idolized. Leo, with a bit of time, confides in him - mainly because he knows he can’t exactly go about spilling everything to the Olympian. But with time, he does bring up the problem - by allowing people to venerate him, was he doing the right thing? 

Mr. D. can’t answer that. Because Leo’s cult is still growing in numbers, and the results of their actions were yet to be seen. But he does give a nugget of wisdom. That how he treats his followers defines him as a god, but if he cares about the independence of his followers, or how they act, then he should lead by example. Do not encourage them to glorify him but guide them. Whether he was worth being treated as a deity, and if that was the right thing, was a decision the mortals would make among themselves. Thus, outside of Hera and Apollo, Leo makes his first friend among the gods. With this, Dionysus also begins his path as the Camp’s official psychiatric counselor. 

The Olympians' (and the other Pantheons) reactions are mixed. Zeus of course thinks that it should be put down, seeing it as possible threat against the gods. Those more reluctant to accept Leo think that if his cult keeps growing, Leo may gun for a throne among the council. His friends among the divine (his demigod friends are a mixed bag, but I'll get back to that later) see it as Leo getting the reverence he deserves as a god, the same reverence they went through during the times of Ancient Greece, Macedon, and Rome. Some just think the cult will devolve over time. The other Pantheons keep a close eye on both him and his cult, seeing him as a new and powerful player on the international stage of the gods.

However, Leo’s mortal friends are a mixed bag of responses. Reasonable, of course - they’re witnesses, and in some cases, unwitting conspirators to Leo’s ascension. They see their friend unknowingly shaping the world around him through his travels, the news articles and shrines being created in his name, and the legend that grows. And of course, each one has a different take on the cult that grows.

Annabeth is not worried about it. She is somewhat wary of the pace Leo is bringing innovation, for demigods never had to deal with modernization in the ways most mortals dream of. Oh, she loves all the new phones and the fact that she doesn’t have to constantly rely on more impractical methods for communicating with her friends. But she wants Leo to allow other inventors to grow, and for the cult not to persecute those who want to create and stand on their own two feet. 

 Percy sees Leo as his ‘what if’ — what could’ve happened if he chose godhood. He sees all the inventions that Leo makes and how he is making life so much easier for everyone, and he can’t help but compare himself to him, wondering if he could do more. Whenever some of Leo’s worshipers see their subject of worship, they radiate gratitude. He doesn’t know what to make of the cult, but he feels a bit envious when he sees the smiles on everyone’s faces whenever Leo shows up. 

Frank, Hazel, and Reyna, while trying to be friends with him, don’t know how to handle the cult. The cult is gaining influence in New Rome, and its slowly starting to show as more statuettes of Leo appear and more prayers are sung. It speaks volumes of the cult’s growth when New Rome's Senate officially pardons Leo about the Eidolon incident without any prompting. The best they can do is that Leo keeps his cult in check, which he is more than happy to do so. 

Unfortunately, and ironically enough, its Jason and Piper that cannot accept, or at least overcome the cult, but for two separate reasons. Regardless, it has a very devastating effect on their relationship because these two reasons are heavily linked to them as characters. 

For Jason, Leo has unknowingly made his job as Pontifex Maximus extremely more difficult. Leo has indirectly set a higher standard for the minor gods - minor gods aren’t just allowed to exist anymore. They should have influence on their lives, or they should somehow benefit the demigods. Gods such as Tyche/Fortuna and Nemesis still have their own domains that are seen day-to-day, but the more minor gods are heavily criticized for their inaction, with Jason bearing the brunt of said criticism. It’s a slap on the face for Jason when he has spent weeks trying to get a single minor god’s temple approved by the Senate and now must beg and grovel for funding, while the only reason Leo’s worshippers haven’t built him a temple is because they want the guy’s approval of it. 

Leo, although doing his best to maintain neutrality, knows the truth behind Jason’s oath — that he had done it to save his and Percy’s skin when they were at Kymopoleia’s mercy. When the minor gods try to blame Leo for the lack of the oath’s success, he argues in his own defense - the people chose to worship him out of their own free will and Jason was still doing his best to uphold the bargain. But when they ask Kymopoleia about the deal, they get a lot more context and see Jason as unwilling and selfish, seeing his lack of success as more him trying to find a loophole in the oath he swore. 

Jason doesn’t see the bigger picture. All he sees is that everyone is more than happy to sing Leo’s praises for being the hottest god on the block, while everyone is hating him for making sure that the minor gods get their moment in the sun. This slowly starts to build more resentment as the monopoly-board with all the minor gods' shrines seems to be just a dream. In an ironic twist, Jason is now resentful about Leo being the golden boy in the eyes of everyone while he’s the one being overlooked, which was the exact opposite situation when Leo was a demigod. 

Piper, in the meantime, is more resentful of Leo as a whole. Mainly because she sees Leo growing more famous, and more people are asking her about trying to speak with Leo rather than her. She’s reminded of a similar situation with her and her father - that she was seen more as a link to him rather than as a person overall. 

Furthermore, much like Jason, she is also feeling overshadowed. When people speak of their quests, they don't give her the respect that she deserves. They don't discuss Piper giving Festus sentience to fight Khione, because nobody else on the Argo II can’t really accept it —Piper’s charmspeak never showed such a degree of power before. Her role in defeating Gaea? She claims that she ‘put Gaea to sleep’ with her charmspeak, but the thing about an auditory power is that… you can’t exactly hear it from several stories high up, and Jason’s supporting claim is looked upon with suspicion because he is her boyfriend, of course he’ll speak on her behalf. Only Leo can testify otherwise, but outside of that she is given the ‘Princess Peach treatment’ (and no, not like the new Mario Movie), with most of her role being downplayed. 

It doesn’t help that her cognition of Leo is very much against the view his followers have of him. She and Jason always viewed Leo as… more of a jester than the inventor he always was. Good for jokes and getting along with, not exactly one she could see as engineering a plot to kill a goddess. She treats the cult’s viewpoint of Leo as a joke. In the meantime, the cult views him as the leader of innovation, the one who killed Gaea and brought an age of information to the demigods. This ends up in her getting involved in several arguments which leads to a nearly borderline fight with Leo’s followers. Either way, she’s convinced the cult needs to be shut down and Leo is ridiculous for allowing it to flourish. 

 It’s tragic, because they were the ones that cared the most about Leo, and they cannot accept the ways everything close to him changed. They, who should’ve accepted him unconditionally, are the least tolerant of him changing. They cannot accept the new status quo and want a return to normality that can never come back. 

When they confront Leo, it's not pretty. They never really argued, for Leo always held his tongue whenever he was frustrated, always willing to talk less and smile more when he wanted to lash out. It always was like that, him shutting up when he wanted to make a comment that would sting. Not anymore. 

Leo doesn’t have a good reason to shut down the cult, and neither does he want to. They haven't hurt anybody in his name, nor has he encouraged them to do so (and he’s been keeping a tight grip on that). He would advocate for Jason and Piper, but shutting down his entire group of worshipers just because his friends didn’t like them? Especially from Jason, who was supposed to honor all the gods, Leo himself now in that category? No.  

What occurs is an between friends that have completely different views of the future. Leo recognizes that there’s no returning back to ‘the good old days’ — in his point of view, there weren’t any. Jason and Piper believe they’ve lost their friend to his newfound godhood… but they never had him in the first place. They had the façade, the mask of jokes he put in front of the world, so they didn’t have to see his true reaction. Now that people seem to be appreciating him for his abilities, for what he has done and how he treats everybody, he finally decides to take it off and verbally starts swinging. It’s the first and last time they fight before we get into the Trials of Apollo. 

This cult doesn’t initially have any impact… until Trials of Apollo. And Leo’s presence, though subtle, is practically everywhere throughout most of the book. Rather than Apollo landing in a dumpster, Leo tweaks things slightly so that he ends up landing at a close mattress. When Apollo gets to the Jackson residence, there’s a small shrine Sally put up - not out of worship for Leo, but out of respect for what work he has done to protect demigods. Apollo stumbles upon a newspaper rambling about the Ash Cult.

Here’s the thing where things get ridiculously funny for those in the know. Apollo doesn’t remember that past six months, and therefore thinks Leo is dead. He unknowingly mutters a prayer to Leo, thinking Sally’s shrine is to honor his memory and not the god. When he gets to Camp Half-Blood, he’s shocked to see demigods using phones and thanking Leo. He sees the smaller versions of the Argo II, which just transported a bunch of demigods from Camp Jupiter.  He sees a temple with a statue of Leo which Apollo mistakes for a monument. The Triumvirate’s attempt to silence demigod communications through Harpocrates is shattered because Leo is several times stronger than the fading god with his vibrant worship in a world where the gods’ power remains in the memories they laid upon the human consciousness. 

Most interactions whenever Leo is name-dropped can be summarized as such: 

Apollo: I’m sorry for your loss. He was the greatest hero I’ve ever known.

The Campers: Eh, its ok. We’re sure he’s going to show up soon. 

It comes to a head when we get to the part of where Apollo is being forced to open the gates to the Grove of Dodona. During his attempts at stopping himself, he does his best to resist the command. He starts praying for somebody to stop him, because there was no way in Tartarus he would willingly cooperate with Nero. He prays to his sister, to his father no matter how much Apollo may hate him. He hopes that anybody will appear - Will and Nico, preferably with backup of a hundred demigods and Percy Jackson. He latches into a small hope the prayers the campers utter. He hopes that Leo shows up soon. 

It seems nothing happens. The gates still open. In the distance, Apollo sees the Colossus Neronis lumber towards Camp, showing up several minutes ahead of schedule. Nero still tosses that lighter and ignites the Greek fire, which spreads towards the hostages at the stake. And for the sake of drama, I’m going to switch it to Apollo’s first-person point of view.

For a second, everything’s falling apart. Nero starts to lug his guard like an oversized potato sack. The fire is starting to roar in its toxic green, burning through everything that it can touch with its bare hands. There’s no stopping it - unless magic’s used, Greek Fire will burn through everything it can consume. If I already felt enraged when Nero tossed the cigarette lighter to the ground, my heart is now sinking as I look into the distance, feeling the ground tremble at my feet. 

The Colossus Neronis. How did forget about it? The statue’s already marching forward, the hundred-foot-tall masterpiece hitting the magic barriers of Camp Half-Blood with a blade the size of a ship rudder. Though my legs are getting me to Austin, I don't know how the heck we were going to beat this thing and put out the fire in time. 

Then… I see something. For a second I think I'm going mad due to the smoke, but then my eyes focus, getting a picture that was crystal clear for just a few precious seconds. A figure soars across the sky, glowing gold that is tinged with red as it carves through the blue sky. It collides with the Colossus, and the statue staggers back at the sheer amount of force for a few seconds. 

I heard of Deus Ex Machina. I appreciated it, derided it, criticized it, and loved the trope when it occurred on mortal media. I loved being one when I really wanted a chance to shine. But I was never on the other side, witnessing it in action until now. I can’t help but freeze in awe as the figure stopped the enemy with a single motion. 

The Colossus stares at the figure for a few seconds, but that was all the figure needed. They unsheathe a sword which glows with the same aura that enshrouds its wielder and slices towards the machine. The blast it unleashed was thin, yet shined with the intensity of a laser, and the figure sheathes the blade.

Then the Colossus is split straight down the middle as soon as I blink, one half superheated to the point it was a mirror of the horizon before both sides fell towards the distant hill. A threat that would’ve stomped Camp Half-Blood is defeated in just a few seconds. Numbly I could hear someone shouting in frustration, but who it was, I didn’t pay attention. 

The figure turns, and it takes me a second to realize - somehow, they were facing me. Then in a second they fly where I’m at with the speed of a fighter jet, landing next to the flames. The figure’s still covered by that blinding light, but the shadow of their palm is visible, and it sucked in the Greek fire like a vacuum until there was nothing left. 

Loud clapping resonated across the grove, and it takes me a moment to register who its coming from - Nero. Nero’s clapping at the figure with a rare expression on his face - one of respect. 

“So, the rumors are true. A new Ascendant has reached the ranks of Olympus.” 

“And I heard rumors that the supposed dead are walking. Guess it’s time to confirm that they’re going to stay rumors.”

I don’t have a chance to react at the implications, and neither does Nero. The figure grasps the emperor by the collar and tosses him to the air in one smooth swing of their arm, too fast for Nero to defend himself. The figure unsheathes their sword once again and this time the motion is too fast for me to keep track of. When its done, only the blessing of immortality prevents a pink and red puree of organs and blood from spilling out out when the figure kicks Nero in the chest as a final coup de grace. Instead, Nero is shattered into a pile of golden blood and dust.

Meg screams. The hostages start to wake at the sound, shaking off their varying degrees of unconsciousness at the peal of the alarm. Austin’s the first to register his surroundings, and there’s a smile on my son’s face. “I knew you’d come. You’re always looking out for us.” 

Part of me wants to take the win. But I know Austin’s eyes aren’t focused on me. No, they’re focused on the figure, whose aura is slowly dimming with each passing second. Reverence. Respect. Worship. Emotions seen so rarely in demigods these days are plain to see in my son’s gaze. 

“Thank your father. His prayer wouldn’t have allowed me to pinpoint your location.” The figure’s aura vanishes completely, and suddenly everything makes sense in the most horribly right way. 

Austin did something that was akin to a chuckle. "But you are. Your temple wouldn't have been raised at Camp if you weren't."

My mind was still looking at him. Curly hair that was black like ashes. Light brown skin that sometimes reminded me of copper. A smile that radiated mischief in a way that would rival Hermes. All of those are staring right back at me, and now part of me wants to slap myself for being an utter idiot.

My mind flashes to Sally Jackson’s shrine, the picture and statuette surrounded by food. Then it moves towards the monument at Camp Half-Blood. The gratitude people showed whenever they made a call with the cellphone they used. Nico giving a weird look at the deck of Mythomagic cards that featured Leo. Harley’s confidence when I expressed my condolences at losing his half sibling. “It’s okay. He’ll be here soon.”

Leo never died. Or at least, he didn't die in the traditional sense of the word. Because the person in front of me isn't the same nervous boy who traded an impromptu masterpiece of an instrument for the Curse of Delos. He also very much isn't the demigod who slayed Gaea.

Leo Valdez is a god. The third Ascendant of Olympus. The thought passes through my brain like one of my father’s lightning bolts. My legs turn to jelly, and I barely see Leo catching me with a look of worry on his face before everything turns black. 

[heretherebedork]

Fate and Destiny and Soulmates are less important than choices but easier

I was wrong about the keychain.

BUT.

It's because the message is different than I expected.

This one isn't as much as about the choices but about the romance genre was a whole, the idea of that one accidental meeting that leads to love and romance and everything else we see so often in other romances.

Yes, Patts and Tai originally met through the same kind of idea but who does it matter now? They made their promises and then broke them all the same and that bond that was the soulmate bond is no longer anything at all.

Taii and Lomfon had the exact kind of meetcute the so many shows do. They bumped into each other, one person saved the other person and then rushed off before they could exchange names. They left only a token that symbolized love to the other person who never got to thank them for saving their lives.

So romantic!

Only... it's not.

Because Lomfon didn't know who Tai was and while he may have felt like he loved the person who saved him... Tai never thought of him again. All Tai did was push him from the road while he was panicking about his own father and then run off after him, never finding his keychain again.

Life-changing for Lomfon... but nothing for Tai.

And now here they are adults, meeting up, soulmates for about a week, maybe? and nothing more...

Fate and destiny are ideas. They are concepts and you can cling to them so tightly that they can destroy the rest of your love and the chance you need to take to make a choice.

The keychain, just like the soulmates in the rain, shows fate and destiny and clinging to what you think they mean gets in the way of actually loving people, of finding the people you love and having the chance to love them as well.

And we have all aspects of this hurt and the way this belief stops people.

Tai is the most obvious. He avoided his soulmate because of his parent's divorce but he also avoided all other relationships because he knew he had a soulmate. Fate and destiny put him into a corner where nothing was acceptable and so he did nothing in return.

Patts had a girlfriend but was rejected by her, in the end, because she believed in soulmates in a way he didn't. And now that he's faced with Tai having a possible second soulmate, he remembers her jealousy and her fear and wants to be reassured that he is chosen... something that Tai's inherent belief in soulmates doesn't allow for in their relationship.

Lomfon has always believed in fate and destiny for all he claimed not to believe in soulmates. He clung to they keychain and the idea of his first love and when he became soulmates with Tai and heard the story, it was confirmation of everything he believed and even the start of his feelings for Tien nothing could compete.

Tien believes in soulmates but he would be the one most likely to bend, most likely to see other ways to love... but he never had a soulmate. No fate, no destiny, just him and his choices and his feelings and his love and he got no choices at all because all the people around him are tied down by fate and destiny, leaving him isolated and alone.

Everyone wants fate and destiny to shape their life but when they actually do... they make it all harder and more complicated and filed with pain.

[themadsquirrel09]

Chosen one

Fandom ☆ South Park 

Ship ☆ Creek (Craig TuckerxTweek Tweak)

Characters ☆ Craig Tucker, Tweek Tweak, Guinea Pirate

Rating ☆ K+

Warnings ☆ None.

Summary ☆ Craig has to save the word (again), when he would have rather just walked away.

About it ☆ I wanted to write something special for this ship, exploring their dynamic in a way I usually don’t see portrayed. It is basically care, drama and fluff. They are 27 here.

☆ Words 1030 ☆

With love: (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ Stan

“A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.” 

— Jean de La Fontaine 

My name is Craig and I am 27 years old. When I was 10, I found out I was the chosen one to save the world from the giant guinea pig invasion: I did, even if not on purpose. The leader, the Guinea Pirate, escaped and, after all this time, he is back for revenge. 

Am I really the only one who can stop him? 

I never wanted this. 

All I wanted was to go on vacation with Tweek and have a good time together. So how is it that I find myself in the middle of the Peruvian jungle, again? I try to walk away, just to end up inside that cave, facing the hieroglyphics that somehow have changed. 

“Craig, that’s you!” Tweek exclaims, as he pulls his clothes nervously.

“Yes, honey. That’s me.”

“So this happened to you when you were 10? This is insane!” He pulls his hair now.

“Yes, I know. I think it is useless, but how about we bail from all this?” He considers it.

“Well, we were supposed to be celebrating our anniversary. Let 's do it.” He smiles at me reassuringly and I grab his hand. 

“Ok. I think we went this way all those years ago. Let’s take the opposite road.”

We do and, by being there, I get memories of how it felt when I was a kid; I just wanted out. It is nicer now. Maybe the years made me care less, but I think it is mostly because Tweek is here with me. 

This was supposed to be our anniversary vacation. We weren't coming to Peru, we were going to Bali, to get away from it all just for a couple of weeks. When we ended up on the wrong flight, I got the feeling that something I didn’t like was happening. 

We decided to enjoy this place because we don’t have that much free time, went on a nature walk and somehow got separated from the group. I know by now I can’t control it: neither this prophecy, nor the power hidden in me. I squeeze Tweek’s hand.

After a couple of hours, we stop, Tweek takes out the portable coffee maker and gets it to work; then he walks towards me and puts his hands on my shoulders.

“What?” 

“You have to relax.” He chuckles a bit. “Sorry, it is weird that I am the one saying it, but this isn’t easy for you, is it?” I swallow hard.

“How do you do it? Relaxing.” 

“I just try to breathe deep and picture myself in a happy place. Maybe surrounded by a bunch of Stripes?” I try it and as I do, I drowse. “Does this feel good?” He massages my shoulders a bit. 

“Yes. Thank you, honey.”

After that, we keep going for a couple of hours. Suddenly, something doesn't feel right, I stop, pulling Tweek. We look at each other in some sort of instinctive panic, a low roar is heard and the ground bursts open. We try to hold onto each other, but the Guinea Pirate emerges, taking Tweek in his teeth.

“Tweek!”

“Craig.” Announces the creature. “You can’t stop me this time.”

“I won’t. I don’t want to.” I raise my hands in a defensive motion. “I promise I will just go away if you let Tweek go now.”

“You are trying to trick me, Craig, but it won’t work like the last time.” I find myself out of words, but Tweek screams and hits the monster in the nose. He is released and falls to the ground, making a pained noise. 

“Honey!” I get close and when I do, I accidentally step on one of those sacred platforms. “Oh no. It is happening again.” The power that hides in me is released as sparks shooting out of my eyes, hitting the Guinea Pirate until it is defeated.

A SWAT team shows up with tanks and helicopters.

“Take him down before he escapes!” I look around and hear Tweek exclaim: 

“Don’t worry, I’m ok!” I sigh out of relief and tiresome. I wait until it all ends and I can step off the platform. I don’t feel so good. 

“You didn’t hurt yourself, right?” He shakes his head. “Good.” I help him up.

“How about you? Are you ok?”

“I’m…” I don’t have an answer. 

“Craig?” He asks, but a member of the SWAT team intervenes and I let Tweek handle that. Meanwhile, I go to a nearby grass and lay down, then close my eyes. After a while, I hear near steps.

“Hey, it seems like we are close to a hotel,” Says Tweek. "We should—” He gasps, cutting his own phrase to exclaim. “Oh my god, you are crying! I thought you didn’t get hurt!”

“I didn't. I just,” I can’t really talk much. “I’m ok,” I get to see how he looks at me, like he doesn’t believe me. “I will be fine.” But the tears keep rolling down my expressionless face, so I just shut my eyes and let it happen. 

Tweek gets close, his movements slower than usual. I feel him sit by my side. Then he lays down too and reaches for my hand, I take it. We stay like that for a while, until I start feeling better. 

“I’m sorry.”

“It is not your fault, honey.”

“I know. But I’m sorry this happened. Again.” I look around, it seems like the SWAT team is gone with their prisoner and Tweek said there’s a hotel close by.

This is actually nice: just the two of us, in the middle of nowhere. 

“I guess it is not that bad. I’m doing what I wanted right now.” Maybe I’ll keep coming back to this place and situation, whether I want it or not, but at least now I get to do it by Tweek’s side. 

“Really, are you happy with this?” I look at his worried face and sit up just to lean and kiss him.

“Now I am. I’m soo happy.” And for that reason, I kiss him again.

────── ⊹₊⋆☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆☁︎⋆₊ ⊹ ──────

The end. 

────── ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆ ──────

Final notes 🍯

This one really makes me emotional 😅 I hope you enjoyed the read! Special thanks to the ones who voted on the poll 🌠

Fun facts:

🥠 The quote for the epigraph is also included in Kung Fu Panda.

🪐 I headcanon that Super Craig’s suit is so lazy because he knows he is a hero with no mask. 

All kinds of support are really appreciated! ♡ 

I just opened writing commissions! Click to find the details.

Here you have the info for drawing commission 🎨

[darlingpwease]

♡♡ Cale (anon), if you were a character in a novel, I would ship you with...

'I always getting myself stuck in drama I mean I like drama but I don't want to be in it' sounds like a challenge to make drama /hj

cw slightly nsfw

nie huaisang

fandom's main sweethearts — a guy who behaves like a crybaby but is the smartest bitch and a guy who teases but at the same time would rather die than step over the threshold of the house. there are so many metas about who is the main abuser in your couple and why your couple is not an abuse and there are even several posts "why does everyone call it problematic when there is nothing problematic? antis now believe that couples is obliged to tell each other only sweet things?? teasing is now an abuse???" "it's not teasing it's BULLYING it's ABUSE"

your dynamic is the most favorite for creating any content. two little blorbos in modern au who are engaged in pinning since no one takes the first step; NIE HUAISANG who needs grounding after his brother's death and he manipulates and pulls strings here and there so that you are always with him, since you are the only thing that now gives him a sense of peace and security; you is probably too fond of NIE HUAISANG and constantly teases him mixed with demands to stay at home with you, but NIE HUAISANG is fine because 'Nie Huaisang Is A Good Friend (he's not a friend)'; mermaid!NIE HUAISANG who is under your supervision and gradually falling in love; princess!NIE HUAISANG, who is very much ok with living with the dragon and no longer wants to get married and rule some state since he can stay with you. the most popular thing is that redesign of the meme 'Ariana Grande Licking a Lollipop' where NIE HUAISANG looks at you while nie mingjue looks out from around the corner. is it cursed? absolutely. just like that ship.

In any case, you would be a wonderful match! NIE HUAISANG is very loyal and adoring for his darling, but prone to long silent pinning, even if this is not what he wants, but not that losing you clumsily confessing his feelings was his desire. You won't find any problems there with your introversion or the quality of a stay-at-home -no, of course, he could try to do something, but why? Your unwillingness to meet someone else only means that the chance of you having someone undesirable is lower, which is only more profitable for NIE HUAISANG — he will indulge your introversion and avoidance of people; he himself has an extremely amazing talent to read people and understand how to interact better to achieve the desired result, and his current the ideal result is your dependence on him as the only one with whom you are socially comfortable.

Do you have any other friends? Not very well, but, fortunately, you won't immediately notice that something is wrong when they become less likely to make contact, and eventually leave you — but you have NIE HUAISANG! And he brought things that give you comfort! And he is always there, soft and warm, tolerating you and giving you peace! And he's so timid, but affectionate and tenacious, but you don't get the feeling that he's suffocating you. His penchant for drama is combined with your sense of humor; he remembered charmingly blushes when you tease him and can portray (staged) tears if he sees that you want to see it. When it comes to emotions, NIE HUAISANG is extremely labile and easily mimicking, looking at your reaction to certain actions (not planned by him at all) and checks how far it can go.

Besides, well, objectively speaking, will you meet an even bigger simp than him? Even if NIE HUAISANG looks like a timid squirrel, innocent and skittish crybaby, he is the type who can kill or be what he needs to be to get what he wants. He has problems coping on his own, often needing outside support, but when NIE HUAISANG chooses a goal, he goes to it, no matter if it's roads or someone's heads, and the fact that you are introverted saves a lot of destinies.

Fortunately, you will quickly get used to your situation — NIE HUAISANG seems like a cute sunshine that always stays with you while others leave, and even if he is clingy and sticky, reacting with delight like a puppy from any of your caresses, he always remains flexible. Especially for your reactions. NIE HUAISANG lives off emotions — yours; as soon as he sees that something causes you more momentum, he goes with it.

You may not be quite sure if you understand the situation correctly when your gentle and soft NIE HUAISANG bites you while fucking on the kitchen table with you because he wants to know something about you about your "friend" or has suspicions that you are thinking about someone else, but that's okay! Really — even when your back is scratched, and there are a few bruises on his body here and there, but not that he has anything to be ashamed of in the house with his husband; or when he squeaks while you're hammering into him after he's behaved like a brat again, provoking you, because never never never your attention is not enough, and if he can, he will force you to look at him and only at him.

mo ran

problematic. so problematic. everyone looks and says that these are two gremlins biting each other, and that's true — but, apart from that, almost all the works with you contain smut, while those that do not contain just haven't received a chapter with a similar age restriction yet. however, at the same time, this is the thorn where everyone understands that it easily becomes "sharper and darker" in the same way as "lighter and lighter" and tacitly agree that yes, they are fucked up, but how!

you are so different: MO RAN is an aggressive wild extrovert, while you are just as aggressive introvert; he is chatty and bright, while you are silent and muted; after all, he is a dog, while you are a cat, — but damn him if he walks past you without catching on and not realizing that he would do anything to have a chance. MO RAN is the embodiment of 'ride or die', and if he feels an impulse, he goes, no matter how hard you push him away or try to wriggle out, because if the impulse happened, then a chemical reaction happened, and even if he is as dumb as a dog with what is happening on a carnal level, MO RAN is more than familiar.

sexual attraction is established immediately and, even if you are, well, not at all the type who is interested in sex with everyone, MO RAN is a dog who always clearly makes it clear what he wants, and, well, dogs don't treat rejection very well — and it's not about forcing (it's not that bad), but you know that if you don't get the upper hand over the dog, then the dog will get the upper hand over you, and the first stage of your relationship is exactly the period where he is looking for what command you want to give or do nothing, andadjusts in the future depending on this.

although he is an extrovert, MO RAN does not try to force you to go out, quite satisfactorily hiding you in his chest while rest in your house, next to which no one lives — not that he would mind taking his baobei to some restaurant, protecting you like a guardian, but if you do not want, then who is he like that to force you? he may be sexually aggressive, but in decisions he is always more submissive, reacting with aggression only if someone flirts with you — and, even if you are an introvert, you really better not aggravate his mental health, giving all sadistic and cruel tendencies to be outside when he eventually breaks down and knocks out (will kill you if you are not around) someone who will be too persistent.

however, MO RAN is more than good at communication! he is very good at words and can support your jokes or style, and although it will be difficult for you to embarrass him with teasing, he is sensitive to the manifestation of love and willingly wags his tail at it. dark sense of humor cannot confuse him, as well as your straightforwardness or bluntness — MO RAN himself is no better, even if at first he will say that this is obviously not the case, as if he did not specially cook spicy dishes for you for several hours just to show how good he is and say that he did not cook quite for you but since you are here, then you can taste and give him your assessment (and you yourself are no longer sure whether he is flirting or proudly showing off.)

(wow, some sweet pieces! well, he will make you a little, just in case you cry after a spicy meal or something like that, he did not think about you at all during cooking and does not want your cooking, aha...)

[lightningblade1994-blog]

Sonic the Hedgehog/Kung Fu Panda Mash-Up 5 {For © KatarinaTheCat} [Collab by © Lightninblade1994]

Andrew: Grandmaster Ekkletos, You've summoned me? [He looks up, still bowing.] Is something wrong?

[He looks up at a tortoise shell perfectly balanced on a thin wooden staff. Grandmaster Ekkletos, a wise and elderly asian elephant, emerges slowly from his meditative position and climbs down effortlessly.]

Ekkletos: Why must something be wrong for me to want to see my old friend?

Andrew: So... nothing's wrong?

Ekkletos: Well, I didn't say that.

[Andrew looks up, concerned. Ekkletos lifts up his trunk... and blows out a candle. And another candle. And another. And another. Ekkletos opens his mouth to say something, then blows out another candle. Finally, an impatient Andrew uses most of his guardian training to blow them all out.]

Andrew: You were saying?

Ekkletos: I have had a vision... Lord Lancelot will return.

[Andrew looks stricken. Quick, impressionistic images of a large, shadowy figure (Lancelot) flash in his mind. Andrew is rattled.]

Andrew: That is impossible! He's still banished!

Ekkletos: Nothing is impossible.

Andrew: [He stares in horror for a second before reacting.] Bill!

[Bill comes marching in, and Andrew gets in his face.]

Andrew: Head towards the East Gate and inform all to double the guards, double their weapons. Double everything! Lancelot does not enter this city!

Bill: Yes, Brother Andrew!

[Bill runs off, but then hits a column. Then he is off. Back on Ekkletos, as he walks away from Andrew.]

Ekkletos: [to himself] One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.

Andrew: [He rushes back to Ekkletos.] W-we have to do something. We can't just let him march on back to Echidna Town and take his revenge! He'll, he'll—

Ekkletos: [He looks onto the alter of the Ebonywood Temple] Your mind is like these clouds, my friend. When it is agitated, it becomes difficult to see. But if you allow it to settle, the answer becomes clear.

[Andrew and Ekkletos stare onto the alter. Ekkletos gentlyopens up a window with his staff, letting the sunlight shown on an intricately-polished purple crystal-lie sphere hanging from what appears to be a large scepter.]

Andrew: ...The Ebon Crystal?

Ekkletos: [Looking up with Andrew.] It is time.

Andrew: [Looks at Ekkletos.] But who? Who is worthy to be trusted with the secret to limitless power? To become... the new High Priest of Ebon?

[A short pause.] 

Ekkletos: I don't know. 

[He smiles. Andrew stares at him.]

[exoticalmonde]

Evealia x Mink (Dramatical Murder VN)

I don't know how cringe self-inserting yourself into games is at the moment but I am a reader AND a writer, so here is my DMMD self-insert (lacking art because my PC has been exploded for 3 months now and fate just doesn't want me to do my work).

With a small part of my self-ship fic that I have been unable to finish on time for my birthday. As a treat.

 I'm making mine under the pretext that Aoba has decided to be with Ren as the true ending. That actually leaves me with other people I could have experienced Over Tower with (or had an entirely different situation) and that other people is just Mink.

I'll refer to this OC in 3rd person with the name Eve, because it feels weird to say 'my' although it is 'my' in the sense of

At this point her AllMate is recycled Maine Coon, the size of a big dog (around 70cm of body height) but de-clawed. The previous models were meant as guard animals in a very popular fashion shop/show thing but many of them became susceptible to viruses and those viruses ultimately destroyed the feline population of these AllMates made them aggressive. Declawing was the first attempt to keep them despite the faults but since they would also have to alter their teeth/jaw, it was just easier (as they were a limited number) to get rid of them and get new ones. 

The way Eve managed to fix her AllMate was exchange parts from a scrapped dog AllMate, which is why he often shows puppy characteristics. Like randomly barking between meows.

Oh, where did she get the parts? She works at a repair shop as a clerk and knows this or that. She originally came from a different country, so getting instantly into robotics was her way to 'fit in' when in reality she sticks out aesthetically like a sore thumb in that world.

AllMate’s name is Noon because its serial code is N00N265 and they are not really fit for Rhyme battles, so that’s how she manages to avoid all the battles. They are ginger, of course, so the cat itself is a little bit insane, and despite the name being more feminine the cat has a deep masculine voice box.

Haha, Noon and Eve, get i- *Gets shot*

She lived in one of those apartments on the 14th floor on the main road and her room used to never have any light in it no matter the time of day. It made her really unhappy because she loves plants that bloom, but those don't last long in the shadows. After getting with Mink she's crazy for making the back of the house into a garden and once in a while he ends up minding something like... a pot of mint in his room because she needs it to be somewhere cozy until the leaves take root.

When she meets Mink the first reaction is to run, the second one is to be pathetic on the floor and because she’s a woman he hesitates for 0.00003 seconds, just long enough for her to kick him in the shin and run literally 4 meters before he catches up and the entire scenario of what happened there happens, we all know Mink's route.

Actually when it comes to other characters she’s not at all battle-ready and would rather run than fight, be it because she has never had to learn how to fight or because that primitive part of her brain clicks faster than 'I should defend myself'. So she'd probably be a good punching bag if she wasn't so pathetic and big doe-eyed teary-eyed.

Mink will pick up the name Eva eventually if it reminds him of his own gods (Eva is a goddess mother that brings life and destiny/death along with it, or a goddess of water and the earth) so he thinks that it’s okay if she carries that name as long as she honors the goddess. And Eve of course does so Mink doesn’t slap the spirit out of her in return.

Noon and Lulacan constantly fight.

Anyways, when he disappears for a while she is MAD, probably because she pops off at some point and says that he doesn’t deserve to die and should keep living so the memory of his people would remain and somehow through gaslighting and mental gymnastics and he recognizes the goddess’ name he decides to survive.

After they get together she is totally the type to think she’d get abandoned again and sleeps on the couch until she almost freezes over and dies from abandoned puppy syndrome although Noon is always with her and he’s a purring heat blanket draped over her at all times.

In their relationship while Mink is the brooding and 'actions speak louder than words' kind of quiet guy she is the FMA radio in the background, always talking to the cat, to Mink or to herself without really caring if he is listening and without trying to be interesting, just spilling all the information ever and if he doesn’t like it he can always move away into another room and she would never be mad.

He doesn't, but sometimes he has his ways to shut her up if he needs peace.

When Eve does want attention though she would sit in his feet like a dog, leaning against his knee and would do her thing until he gives up and asks what she wants. It’s usually to go on walkies or to be taught stuff or for him to talk nonsense to her instead.

She doesn't pick up on his job but she's a magpie and begins making the beads he uses instead. He doesn't allow her to sell any since the production is slow, but if he likes anything in particular he picks it up. He got her the tools to begin.

Also totally the person to think Mink would leave again and sit outside in the cold all by her stupid self, the only reason she survived abandoned puppy syndrome is because Noon laid on top of her and kept her warm on the couch.

Otherwise she's not jealous, even worryingly unmoved if other people say something in mild interest about her husband. Truth is, she gaslights herself into believing that it's stupid to think Mink would go back on his words. Does it in front of the bathroom mirror every evening.

She also brings flowers and trinkets she got throughout their first 5 years of being together for the memorial/gravesite and left them there without telling mink whenever something reminded her about a specific person Mink opened up about at some point.

Silly details people usually insert in their OCs information:

Date of Birth: August 5th

Age: 23 years old

Zodiac sign: Sun - Leo; Moon - Scorpio; Rising - Leo

Fav Food: Anything that has chicken and cream in it

Detested Food: Zucchini, Eggplant, Pumpkin, Melon, Animal innards (except liver)

Fav Animal: Jaguar/ Bird of Paradise

Fav Gem: Fire Opal

Fav Colours: Royal Red/Purple/Green

Character Base Colour: Blood Orange

Morning/Night person: Morning person

Also tea person, cat person, spirit animal is either fox or deer and I can't think of anything else, I am sqeezed dry.

[osssvl]

i like cartoons with good plot and a lot of wise statements 🖤

There is some of them:

✨ One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.

✨ Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift (present).

✨ There are no accidents.

✨ There is just news. There is no good or bad.

✨ You just need to believe.

✨ To make something special, you just have to believe it's special.

💫 Людина часто зустрічає свою долю на шляху, яким йде, щоб її уникнути.

💫 Вчора - це історія, завтра - це таємниця, але сьогодні - це подарунок.

💫 Випадковостей не буває.

💫 Це лише новини. Ти сам надаєш їм забарвлення.

💫 Тобі потрібно тільки вірити.

💫 Щоб зробити щось особливим, потрібно повірити, що це щось є особливим.

p.s. переклад довільний, але я знаю, що він правильний 🥰

[kuzcosources]

Kung Fu Panda (2008) Sentence Starters!

I see you like to chew. Maybe you should chew on my fist!

Enough talk. Let’s fight!

There is no charge for awesomeness. Or attractiveness.

We should hang out.

_____, get up. You’ll be late for work!

‘Sorry’ doesn’t make the noodles.

Didn’t you ever want to do something else? Something besides noodles?

_____, you summoned me? Is something wrong?

Why must something be wrong for me to see my old friend?

I’ve had a vision. _____ will return.

One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.

There are no accidents.

I bring a message from _____.

I’ve only seen paintings of that painting!

Don’t stand that close, I can smell your breath.

This’ll be easier than I thought.

Ooohh, my tenders.

You don’t belong here. 

You are too concerned with what was and what will be.

Yesterday was history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.

We’re dead. So very, very, dead. 

The only souvenirs we collect here are bloody knuckles and broken bones. 

The true path to victory is to find your opponent’s weakness and make him suffer for it. 

According to legend, there was once a time where _____ actually used to smile.

Inner peace.

Will whoever is making that flapping sound quiet down!

My time has come. 

You must continue your journey without me.

What? I eat when I’m upset, okay??

Don’t tell _____.

Our battle will be legendary!

_____ taught you well, but he didn’t teach you everything. 

The secret ingredient is... nothing.

To make something special, you just have to believe it’s special.

I rotted in jail for twenty years because of your weakness!

What I ever did, I did to make you proud!

Tell me how proud you are, _____! TELL ME!

I have always been proud.

I loved you too much to see what you were becoming, what I was turning you into. I’m-I’m sorry.

What are you gonna do, big guy? Sit on me?

Don’t tempt me.

Stop it! I’m gonna pee! 

You’re bluffing! You’re bluffing!  _____ didn’t teach you that.

Nope. I figured it out.

Skadoosh!

I’m not dying you idiot!

I am simply at peace.

Wanna get something to eat?

[aforestbutworse]

i only just got around to watching ivory's finale video (lore) and by jove does it deliver

there's always something about self-fulfilling prophecies and master oogway's quote (yes i'll quote kung fu panda, banger series) of "one often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it" like this is inherently a tragedy. the choices the characters made led them to their downfall, inevitable or not, and that's devastating but also beautiful in its narrative. they have unknowingly dug their own grave and are lying in it, decaying and forgotten

in other words, go ivory, you tragic little character you

edit: ivorycello (previously mythrodak but will be changed now after rebranding) has come out as trans and goes by she/her!! love her for that!!! in light of this, i'm gonna edit this post to reflect that (:

[absurdthirst]

Long time fan, first time caller!! I was wondering if you could please spill the tea how The Boys™️ might react to a soulmate reveal? Would they be the type more to run from destiny or take charge and launch into full on ✨you’re with me now✨ style protection mode? I’m talking the whole charcuterie board for our favorite charcuties—from standard first word, last word fare to names, timers, dream sharing, colors at first sight... maybe even the elusive bumps and bruises share, totally up to you😄

Soulmate Reveals: 

Javier: His tattoo is small, on his wrist and he wears his watch over it. He ignores the name as often as he can. He doesn’t think the soulmate thing is for him. Hell, he tried to marry Lorriane to convince himself otherwise, but ended up not being able to do it. So when you introduce yourself, even though he doesn’t want to, he can’t help but zone in on the name matching the one on his wrist. Fuck all if he isn’t going to try to run from it. Visits Gabby and Freckles twice as often and avoids you for awhile. This job is dangerous as fuck and he doesn’t want to pretend like he deserves to have a chance with you. You will have to chase him down and convince him that you can get through this together. 

Ezra: Yours and Ezra’s soulmate identifiers are something that you suffered for. You take the pain of your soulmate. So when his arm was being cut off on The Green, you were in agony, screaming on the floor of the med bay on the freighter. You had plenty of past issues but this one was the worst. You didn’t know how you made it through that, and then when he was stabbed, you were begging for relief. Ezra figured out it was you when Cee brought him to the medical facility after they got back. The doctors talking about you agonizing few days and how they didn’t know how you had withstood it. When he tested the theory, stubbornly insisting that the doctors poke and prod some part of you, he gasped when he felt the pain. When you wake up, you will have a very apologetic Ezra making your aquantice. 

Mando: You would never know about the fact that the imposing beskar covered warrior is your soul mate. You never see a strip of his skin so how could you know that you had a soulmate tattoo that matched his own on your back. You had never understood why your soulmate tattoo was a star map of a planet you had never been to. Aq Vetina, you had learned that the planet had been taken over by battle droids during the clone wars, and most had been killed or fled. You never said anything to Mando, he only discovered it when you had been injured and he tended your wound. It will be awhile before he actually tells you, needing to work through his own thoughts about it. 

Catfish: The countdown to when you meet your soulmate is nerve wracking. It’s something that you hadn’t really believed in, especially when you seem to have the worst luck. What soulmate would want you? Catfish ran for years from the idea of soulmate. Especially when his timer just seemed to take forever. He’s learned from his mistakes now but still feels like it’s not going to happen. Your meet up is something that you will laugh about years later. Only the two of you would meet on a deserted road in the middle of nowhere when your car blows a tire. Guess who just happened to be the only person on that road going for a late night ride when your timers hit zero when he stopped to ask if you needed a hand?

Tovar: Colors had never been something that Tovar cared about. Why did he want to see blood? The grey dreariness of the world suited the mercenary just find. He was hundreds of leagues from his home, if he could call where he was born home. He really had no home. Until he came across your village. You were an unexpected surprise. Just meant to be a place to stay for the night before he moved on. When you looked up at him from where you were picking the vegetables out of your garden it was like the world exploded into color in front of him. Even then, he’s going to leave, thinking that there is no future for someone like him with you. He’s gone a week before he’s back to hang up his sword for good.

Agent Whiskey: This man runs from your first words like his ass is on fire. You can’t be his soulmate. His soulmate is already gone, buried years ago. Stubbornly denies it for all that he is worth. How was he to know that he had two soulmates that would speak the same words to him the first time they meet him? 

Max Phillips: Fights this shit for all he is worth. Soulmates. He doesn’t have a soul anymore, how could he possibly have a soulmate?

Marcus Pike: What are you talking about? This man is ready for this. He’s just waiting for that timer to count down to when he is supposed to meet the soulmate for him. Already planning ask if you want to move in. You are his soulmate, what better way to get to know you?

Oberyn: His soulmate you might be, but you cannot trap the Prince of Dorne. His heart is yours, it’s true. It’s visible for all to see by the names that are tattooed into your bodies since birth. He acknowledges it, welcomes it even. But you need to be able to accept that he is not one to be caged, nor will he cage you. 

Max Lord: Dream sharing is a very scary thing with him. He fights it, even when in your dreams. You are from very different backgrounds and there are a lot of disturbing dreams that you experience with Max. He’s ultimately embarrassed by his dreams, but slowly your own soothe him. He finds himself looking forward to sleep so that he can see you again, so that you can show him the way that you want to be, how you want to treat him. 

Marcus Moreno: He doesn’t fight it, but he’s wary. He never expected to have another soulmate. When his wife died, the color in his world went with her. He had gotten used to it, the whites and greys of the world becoming normal for him. So when running into you, literally running into you in the hallway of the Heroics headquarters makes his entire world go colorful again, he’s shocked. One awkward conversation later, and he’s basically taking the rest of the day off of work and pulling Missy out of school to talk to his daughter about this. Later on, he will approach you again and apologize for running off, explaining why he was so awkward and offering to take you to dinner to get to know you. 

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[jeanvanjer]

My theory is that the scene of Anthony Edwina Kate Lady D and the Queen is interrupted by a footman telling the queen that the new LW has arrived.

And the queen is like show me it later I’m busy at the moment and the footman is like nah fam you gotta see this. And exposes Kate and Anthony to the ton before Anthony and Edwina could even get engaged in the first place.

No matter how we get there I sadly think LW is gonna expose them I’m hoping it earlier rather than later.

Unfortunately LW is going to do something. I liked the bee scene. I hope that is what drives them to get engaged and not them being all “okay well let’s ignore that” and then LW swoops in. Also it’s bit too close for a possible engagement and that would make Edwinas arc a bit tricky to handle successfully.

Yeah the bee scene is ridiculous af for a lot of people but I love it. It’s all fate and divine intervention for me. And the fact that it’s connected so heavily to his father and the panic he feels? His body reacting before he can think logically? Like Kate means that much to him and he didn’t even understand that then. In the words of the ever wise Master Oogway, “One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it”

[snaileer]

Fight or Find Balance - Part 3

Danny knows that tears would be blurring his vision if they could right now. Fortunately he was moving too fast for it to matter. That and the fact the tears crystallized into ice the moment they formed.

They dropped into the ocean below him. He couldn’t care less.

The infini-map knew where to take him. It had to-

Was that the Eiffel Tower?

The map started pulled slower before taking a very sharp turn.

He was heading towards a mansion? Why was-?

The map jerked backwards, flipping Danny head over tail and going another direction.

A bakery? The most powerful relics of man where in a bakery?

The map flipped again, tugging him through the streets before suddenly yanking him through a storefront

Danny turned intangible just in time to phase through the wall and come out on the other side of a… massage parlor?

The map sagged in his hand. This was it. The miraculous were here somewhere.

Dim moonlight shown through the window, leaving most of the room dark.

It wasn’t a problem for a ghost, Phantom’s eyes scouring the room for anything that could hold the miraculous. Come on, come on, where are they, just have to find them then everything will be okay again.

“You know,” a voice interrupted as the lights flicked on, “It is usually considered rude to enter without an appointment.”

Danny flashed into invisibility, looking down at the small Chinese man in front of him.

“That is quite a trick young man!” He smiled, looking around the room to try and pinpoint Danny, “But be assured I mean you no harm.”

Danny considered it… if this was the person who owned the parlor, then he probably had the miraculous too, all Danny had to do was ask him for them and he could fix everything!

He slowly faded into visibility, “I’m Phantom, I’m sorry to intrude, I’m just in a bit of a rush and-“

“I am Fu, it is nice to meet you, Phantom, it is not often I meet a guest in the middle of the night, but when I do, it is almost always because they are lost.”

“I’m not lost.” He wasn’t. He knew what he was doing. What he needed to do. He wasn’t lost, he was right where he needed to be. “I’m looking for something.”

“Oh, then perhaps I can help. If you are not lost that is.”

“I’m not. I need the miraculous. Do you know what they are, where they are?”

Something in the old man stiffened, “those are powerful relics, are you sure you want to be messing around with them?”

Phantom growled, he was sick of people thinking they knew better than him, “yes. Now do you know where they are or not? I /need/ them.”

The man sighed and his shoulders sagged, “You cannot wield them. Not so long as you are blinded by your emotions.”

“Don’t tell me what I can’t do!” Phantom shouted and shot to his feet, “Where are they!? I need them!”

“You will never get them, not from me.”

No, no, no NO! It was clockwork all over again! No! He was not about to let another old geezer take away his chance to get his family back!

“Fine! If you won’t give them to me, I’ll find out where they are myself!” Phantom rose and dove into the man’s body. Trying to find the miraculous. And image showed of a whole bunch of jewelry, the miraculous!- now where-

He was thrown back, crashing through a Japanese curtain.

“My mind is not so easily penetrated, young spirit. I am a shell not easily broken.”

“Where are they!?” Phantom yelled, eyes flashing.

“You will not find them here. I suggest you leave now, Phantom.”

If they’re not here, then fine, but the infini-map…. “This isn’t over, I know you have them, and I’m getting those miraculous.” Phantom snarled and then turned to leave out the window, he was stopped by the man’s voice.

“Just remember Phantom, one will often meet his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.”

Phantom scoffed, “Not me, not this time. This time, I’m coming out on top. I’ll make sure of it. Everything will be fine.” He flew through the window, leaving the old man behind and never realizing his eyes had flashed red instead of green.

[billionairesitgirl]

Do you have any tips to help someone who keeps failing? I have been trying for several years now to get started and feeling more and more hopeless every year. I have attended $$$ events, lost weight, moved closer to major cities. Then of course COVID struck and made things worse. Is there something I can do that can help me gain an "in" or are certain things just not meant for some girls.

KEEP TRYING !!!

Yes i screamed it...  but that’s because thats the most important thing in succeeding.

Secondly Congrats on taking the steps and trying..... 

(THIS MIGHT MAKE MAKE YOU NEUROTIC.... If you already are then DO NOT DO THIS)

The following is also important 

1.) Have you asked your self why you keep failing?

Take a pen and paper and spend an entire day by yourself. Think, play things over in your head and Analyze.... This is probably the only time i truly suggested, over analyzing the crap out of your life, decisions, faliures and successes. 

(a) What mistakes, do you keep making? or What mistakes do you think you keep making. 

(b) what makes them mistakes 

(c) Would those actions have worked out better in something else or displayed to someone else 

(d) who and/or what would this action work on

2.) List your obstacles ... Every single one you could think of... 

Make 3 categories

 .....Obstacles you have gone through - What caused it? who caused it? (Regardless of who caused it... You owe some responsibility... so still own up to it... But remember BE KIND to yourself...) 

There is a fine line between being kind to yourself  and completely absolving yourself of any responsibility when owning up to the responsibility of things gone wrong

......Obstacles repeated - How do you NOT repeat this Again?

.......Obstacles Imagined and Obstacles that could still happen (based on different things, character flaws, finances, men’s personalities, race, looks, nature) Get as detailed as needed.  

Man plans and God unplans ... 

However, as humans we have ability to at least create contingencies... try to come up with possible contingency plan and POSSIBLE action on how to still not stand still when one of those obstacles appear... Basically figure out another way to scale through, wiggle through, swim through... whatever way (As long as there is life, health and will... there is a way.... After all people have clawed out of dungeous using only a stick or even their finger nails)

3.)  What have you tried that didnt work? or keeps failing... List it

4.) What ever #3 is that didnt work... What is the alternative that you haven’t tried. 

5.) Clearly you see this as an investment if you have lost weight, moved etc... What is missing in the picture? (I don’t know you, nor have I spent time with you or know your thinking process or views... So this is something even if you dont know what is missing... You have to sit and think... Sleep on it, give it time but remain introspective but be mindful to know when clarity presents itself. 

Being brutally Honest with yourself is the only way to know what is missing and where you are missing. 

Example: I met a gorgeous black girl A few months ago. From the get go, I knew she was hypergamous... The men also knew. But there was something missing and i couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Until we were all talking with the men present. 

She carried herself as a pretty girl, sweet and bubbly... But she made the mistake of trying to emulate the white woman’s countenance... So she could be doted on same as a white woman... I can’t explain this in detail.

But while it is good to emulate things noteworthy in other people... She lost her self and her own personal spark.  As a black woman... She avoided the pitfalls of a stereotypical black woman (quote on quote)... in the process, she mistakenly lost her goddess quality and blended in with the rest.  The men moved on from her. 

My Point is: WHAT IS MISSING... Are your run of the Mill? What is your core

6.) Standard - 

Do you have set standards? expectations of yourself and of the Men and of your surroundings?

Do you keep it? Do you up hold it or do you switch or lower it under pressure? 

Not to give too much information... I refused to live in the poor neighborhood when i moved off college campus. I lived in a condo and lived Smack in the center of the wealthy part of the city. I was not in this lifestyle then... But it was simply my standards... And even though it meant staying on campus longer till i got it... I did that.

Example 2: I have friends who do not care what hole they enter to get entertained (granted you can meet people anywhere)... But I am not the type that goes out very often... So why will i waste my few outings in some frat boys bar or club. So I go to high end places.

Example 3: I met a man who recently sold his company with upwards of $80 Million... I wasn’t told... I was aware of the process and listened to him through the proceess complain about delay in the closing and trying to avoid tax etc

He was deperate to meet me in person. As a matter of fact the day he closed. He flew me to his city (I went cause i was bored).  Long story Short... He is the type of man that got lucky... There isn’t much in terms of comparison... Thinks he knows everything, thinks himself black people’s savior and makes comments such as “If there were black women like you”...  Has some racists views he doesn’t think is racists... I met his friends... I liked one (But he just recently got remarried and was the smartest of the bunch). They had pissing games who had thr most rolex collection etc... He was crazy about me... Still is even without so much as a kiss and i spent a weekend there. (Had my own hotel room)

But, I knew while the money was there, he was generous and was crazy about me... It would drive me nuts being with him and interacting with his friends... My standard here is that I won’t deal with any man who so much as stresses me mentally especially as I am a black woman... I won’t take nonsense.

My Point is : What do you compromise on that you do? It is a long road being steadfast to your standard... But it has been worth it for me.

Do not use anyone’s standard... Create your own and work on keeping it... Men will despise you for it... But respect you all the same.... It is a weird placed to be.

7.) What type of events do you attend. When you attend events, go out etc... What do you do? How do you approach these events? Do you wing it? Do you plan it?  Are you fearless and confident or shy or just pleasant enough to exchange pleasantries alone? What vibe do you give off? 

How do you dress? Different styles can come across different ways... Some ooze Sexy, some ooze elegance with a hint of sexy, some basic, some regular, some say just another event person

8.) Closer to Major cities : what part of that do you live? Even if you are not in the center of things... Where do you go when you go out? How often to do go to wealthy areas, who do you interact with there? 

There is a plethora of questions who have to ask yourself.

With Covid I have met people (but then, I work for myself and have more freedom to move around and also take mini vacation in other cities) And I already have a network... So, I have a  leg up -  

But, I know girls here and people are also still meeting people.

What is stopping you? What avenues and methods have you tried? Have you thought outside the box? 

Hopeless? No... Wrong direction... As you fail you learn things that dont work so that should make you hopeful. 

Also, I am a big beliver in manifestation and law of attraction. Feeling hopless will only make things more hopless...It will attract more faliure...

Find ways to think more positively, ways to turn negative things into potentially positive things... In this case you do not have to be rational... Imagine everything negative happening has a positive... 

e.g  : A man cancelled on you = It wasn’t meant to be... It might have turned into a terrible situation for you... Thank God or the universe for saving you from whatever it is you arent aware of. 

eg : Covid happening : Time to make more money, invest. Brush yourself up, level up some more, learn new ways to meet this men and become more resilient so you come out fire when, the world isnt tupsy turvy

e.g : Getting older: Perfect, the more sure and certain you become in yourself, the more you actually find out what makes you stand apart, the more you find out who you are and realize that whatever amount a man was going to give you last year, you’ve outgrown it with age, maturity, acheivements etc.

You get the gist.... NEVER FEEL HOPELESS

You can feel sad... But not hopeless... Dust yourself up and try again...

Maybe one day i will take time out to share some of my own short comings and faliures... Cause i think we share the successes much more;  that people think there aren’t mistakes and faliures and short comings... I have had them, and I continue to work and fix them. 

The only thing is after my introspection... and brow beating myself and figuring it out...i don’t like to dwell on the faliures... I put my self to work updating myself. Besides I think sharing more good news brings more good news and vibes... But, there isn’t anyone that can claim to not have had obstacles and faliures.

Finally: My sister beleives everyone has a destiny... But everyone is also capable of changing theirs... 

With regards to your question...  About certain type of girls ...

The Answer is NO...

Some people might find it harder, or lack the resources and know how

But trying, pushing ones self, acquiring knowlegde and doing whatever it takes (of course within reason and comfines of morality ) Is what makes the difference.

As i write... I know women who took their entire savings to go to ST Barts for New Year...  (Would I? NO) But some would... My point is. 

You will go as far as you are capable of seeing yourself go.

So if you want a change in your pattern... You have to break the wheel... Try something new you haven’t tried yet... And a new approach. 

Question for you: “Gain an in?” Into what circle do you want an in? What type of man

#hypergamy, #datingtips #sugardatingtips #sugardatingadvice #levelup #levelupadvice #sugardatingtip #sugardating

[farfromsugafanfic]

Sutures - Chapter Nine: Lost In Japan

Genre: Soulmates AU, Idiots to Lovers, slight Enemies to Lovers

Pairing: Yoongi/Named Reader

Warnings (chapter specific): chest pain, health problems, getting lost

Synopsis: “A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.” –Jean de la Fontaine

There was only one thing you and Min Yoongi had in common that night. You were both brokenhearted. You only intended to be together for one night, but when you both end up in the hospital the next day you discover that you are soulmates. It could kill you to be apart. As you and Yoongi attempt to sever the bond between you, will another be formed?

Previous | Series Masterlist | Next

When you landed in Japan, your phone was already blowing up with notifications. 

"Jang Sumi Seen With Min Yoongi's Bodyguard"

"Jang Sumi Joining BTS In Japan For Promotions"

The cameras already waited when you stepped into the airport. You were in the middle of the members, and instead of stopping for pictures like normal, bodyguards flanked in between the eight of you and the cameras. 

You felt as Yoongi reached down and softly took your hand. You looked back at him with a confused look and he just shrugged. 

"They all have their assumptions anyway," he said. "Just keep going. They'll try to get in our way, but just keep going. They won't bother you if you're with me."

You moved through the crowd with Yoongi's hand as your anchor. You heard the various fans gasping and screaming and the paparazzi asking questions and trying to provoke you and the members into a response, but before you knew it, you were in the back of a van and fastening your seatbelt. The satisfying click making you smile. You made it.

Yoongi was beside you. He still held your hand and you wondered if he noticed. His thumb rubbed lightly over your knuckles in a quick, sweeping motion. You didn't necessarily mind him holding your hand, it was just that there was no use for it now.

The van door shut as Jimin got in and plopped down beside you. A few seconds later, the van was moving.

"My phone blew up when we landed," you said. "Apparently, the bodyguard who helped me through the airport was your bodyguard?"

"Oh, yeah," he said, shrugging his shoulders. 

"What did you do then?" 

"Eh, we had plenty of bodyguards," he said. "Since we were in a group, it was unnecessary to have mine." 

"But, Yoongi, I know things have happened to you in airports before. You're an idol. You're a bigger risk." 

"Sumi, I lent him to you and something still happened," Yoongi said, his thumb brushing over your knuckles again, but slower this time.

"You really don't have to worry about us, Sumi," Jimin said. His eyes were closed and you'd honestly thought he was asleep. "We have enough bodyguards and we have Jungkook." Jimin kicked the back of the youngest's seat, who sat in front of him. 

You laughed and dropped the subject and instead gazed out the window at Tokyo. You'd only truly been to the city once when you were a kid, although you'd had many layovers in the Tokyo airport on your flight to and from the US. 

---  

"There's a problem with the hotel," Se-jin said, coming back out to the van. Most of the members were barely awake due to their busy schedules and how they'd gotten used to sleeping on most forms of transportation. "A fire sprinkler in Sumi's room burst and it flooded the whole room. The flooding is contained in her room due to the staff. Are you okay sharing a room, Sumi?"

You nodded. "Yeah," you said. "That's fine." 

"All right, does anyone--"

"I will!" All of the members shouted at once. You were amazed that despite their perceived states of sleep, they all appeared to be awake and fully listening. You laughed.

"She'll stay with me," Yoongi said. 

You turned to look at him surprised. "But, what about the rumors?"

"They know we're soulmates at this point. And, if you got caught staying with one of the other members, what do you think they would think?" 

Your brow furrowed. They already thought you had cheated on Minki with Yoongi, but if the media began circulating that you were cheating on Yoongi, you could only imagine the backlash you would receive. 

"Yeah, okay," you said. "I'll stay with Yoongi." Se-jin nodded and closed the van door as he went back into the hotel to finish checking in. 

"We've rented out the whole floor, so there should be no way anyone will find out," Yoongi said, giving you a small smile. 

"Then, why couldn't I stay with one of the other boys?" you asked, your lips curving into a smirk. 

Yoongi's ears turned red and he looked between you and the other members who watched in loving amusement.

"Just in case."

---

By the time you all got checked in and everything unloaded, the sun was beginning to set. You saw no point in unpacking your suitcase completely when you were only staying for four days. However, you unpacked your toiletries and headed to the bathroom. 

"Do you need to shower--?" you ask, but the words are left in the air as you notice Yoongi dropping the extra pillows and blankets from the closet onto the couch. "What are you doing?"

"Setting up my bed." He smoothed out the blankets and placed the pillow on one end of the couch. 

"You don't have to sleep on the couch. I trust you. It's not like we haven't shared a bed before."

"It's not that," Yoongi said. "I don't trust the urges. We've only had one, but I'm afraid if we lay together in bed. It would just trigger something." 

You nodded. "You're right. But, I'll sleep on the couch. This is your room." 

Yoongi shrugged and shook his head before falling back onto the couch and crossing his hands over his stomach. "Go take your shower." 

You sighed and went into the bathroom and took the shower you'd been long awaiting. Despite the coffee having been spilled on you hours before and changing into Yoongi's shirt, you could still feel the sticky cream-filled coffee on your skin. You undressed and folded Yoongi's shirt and placed it on the counter so that it wouldn't get wet and continued to undress. Only when you had finished did you realize that you'd forgotten to bring your pajamas with you. 

---

"Yoongi?" you asked, peeking your head out the bathroom. "Are you awake?"

Yoongi chose not to respond as you emerged from the bathroom in one of the hotel's white bathrobes. He didn't respond because he wanted you to strip in front of him, but rather, he was hoping to be asleep within a few minutes anyway.

As he heard you shuffle back towards the bed, he heard a small scuffle and you curse under your breath. He opened his eyes to see you standing by the bed as nothing happened. You unfastened the robe and allowed it to fall. 

Yoongi only caught a glance of your bare back before he shut his eyes again, although he felt a stirring in his stomach. He could only curse in his head as he attempted to focus on anything else. He didn't catch a glimpse of anything super sexual, but it didn't matter. Yoongi hoped this wouldn't lead to another urge. While he wanted nothing more than to pull you into him and kiss you up and down your body, he knew he couldn't for the sake of severing the soulmate bond. 

There were a few seconds of silence. He figured you'd finished getting dressed, but the light was still on and he hadn't heard you climb into the bed. He opened his eyes only to be met with a pillow to the face. 

"I knew you weren't asleep!" you said, holding the pillow above your head to bring back down upon him. Yoongi acted quickly and sat up and grabbed the pillow and tossed it to the side. 

You were dumbfounded for a second until you heard Yoongi laugh. "What was your plan exactly?"

You shrugged. "I don't know. I just wanted to prove you were being a creep." You wiggled your eyebrows as a smirk came over your face. 

"Hey! I didn't see anything. I kept my eyes closed."

"Mmm," you said. "I don't believe you." 

Before Yoongi could respond, a silence came over the two of you as you both simultaneously realized that you were straddling his lap and you could feel him pressing into you. 

"Sorry," he whispered as you climbed off of him. 

You shook your head. "No, it's okay. You didn't mean to. Let's, uh, let's go to bed."

"Wait, Sumi, what are your plans for tomorrow?"

"I just plan on going out and exploring a bit. I've never got to explore the city. Probably do some shopping, visit temples." Your eyes narrowed in curiosity. "Why?"

"I'll be working," he said. "Just make sure to get back here before me so we don't risk anything. I'm supposed to be done with the fan sign at five." 

You nodded. "You don't think being away from each other in general will cause anything?" 

It was only then that Yoongi realized that you hadn't been away from each other for nearly two weeks. While you might not be physically together, you were always within the same building or space. "I think it's been enough time." 

You nodded as you climbed under the covers of the bed and reached over to turn off the bedside lamp. Even in the dark, Yoongi could make out as you pulled the covers up to your chin and turned on your side. It made him smile. 

"Goodnight, Yoongi."

"Goodnight."

---

Your knees ached by midday, but your day alone in the city had been one of the best you'd had in years. You hadn't been truly alone for what felt like months. Sure, you slept alone and you could easily duck in the bathroom for five minutes of peace, but this was freedom you didn't think you'd have after the whole soulmate thing happened.

Yoongi was gone when you'd woke up that morning, the blanket tossed to one side of the couch. Not neat, but not exactly messy. It was odd, not feeling the aching in his chest when he was gone. You knew there were exceptions for when you were obligated to be apart, but since Yoongi worked so much, maybe it wouldn't be so horrible.

Your mind had still wandered to Yoongi throughout the day. Occasionally, you'd see a BTS ad campaign or someone wearing merch, but what really caught your attention was a small Kumamon figure. It was clearly meant to act as a paperweight or just to decorate a desk. You'd noticed that Yoongi seemed to like the character and after a quick Google search, it was confirmed. You bought the figure and tossed it into your purse.

With shopping bags in your hands and your camera in your hand, you managed to use your one free hand to pull out enough money to buy a taiyaki. You thanked the woman who handed it to you in your best rudimental Japanese. 

You were a few blocks away and halfway through your taiyaki when you thought to check the time. You nearly dropped the sweet bun when you realized it was 4:50 pm. Yoongi was due to be done in ten minutes and you were at least a half hour walk from the hotel--if not more. 

You rush out to the side of the road and attempt to hail a taxi. The first few passed you, but eventually one stopped and you frantically told the driver the name of the hotel. 

Within five minutes, the driver only managed to get a few blocks because of rush hour traffic. With nowhere to go, you were stranded. You'd gone the whole day without making a scene or being recognized (although maybe because you wore a baseball cap and mask), despite your face on the cover of magazine articles everywhere. And, you were afraid that you were going to have to end up on more of them to get out of this. 

You waited another five minutes before handing the driver a wad of cash that was definitely too much and apologizing as you got out of the cab. Carrying your bags and purse on your arm, you ran across the stopped lanes of traffic and tried to ignore the car horns and confused shouts. You checked the time. 5:01 pm. You ran and pulled up the GPS on your phone and entered the hotel address. 

Your vision blurred and you felt a small pull in your chest. It was warning you.

---

Something felt off as the van pulled up to the back door of the hotel. His palms begin to sweat and his heart beat against his chest as if he were sprinting. The door to the van opened and Yoongi didn't even remember it stopping or the rest of the members climbing out. 

"Yoongi?" one of the members called. 

Yoongi managed to his feet and out of the van but nearly collapsed against Jin, who grabbed him by the shoulder to stabilize him. He doesn't get far before he collapses against the wall of the hotel, his neck lulling back. 

"Yoongi, what's wrong?"

"Sumi...she must not be back yet..." 

Yoongi hears some talking and shuffling, but barely understands anything as two of the boys lift him up and inside the hotel. 

"They're going to look for her, Yoongi. It will be okay."

---

You'd made it a few more blocks, although you could barely tell. You were running, even though your vision was so blurred you could barely see. You used the buildings on the side as your guide and hoped you wouldn't bump into anyone. 

Your heart was beating out of your chest and you honestly couldn't tell if it was because of the running or that Yoongi was back at the hotel. You felt lightheaded and even with your headphones in you could barely hear the directions your GPS was telling you.

The edges of your vision begin going black and you feel your knees hit the pavement. This was it. You hoped a passerby would stop and at least call an ambulance. 

"Sumi!" someone a short distance away shouted.

You couldn't make out their faces, but you could see figures running through the crowd towards you. As you slumped against the nearest wall, you felt yourself being scooped up. 

"Sumi, Sumi, it's okay. We're not too far away. Come on, stay awake." 

You recognized Jungkook's face and allowed your face to fall against his T-shirt. It felt warm, but as you neared the hotel, your senses clearing a tiny bit, you realized it was a little too warm. You remembered back to the day before when you'd accidentally burned Tae's hand. 

"I-I'm sorry," you said. "It doesn't hurt does it?"

"It was just the T-shirt. Don't worry about it, Sumi."

His voice is soft and you can barely hear him over the commotion you're approaching. You can already hear the slew of photographers who are inside the lobby of the hotel and outside on the sidewalk. They haven't seemed to notice you yet, as their camera flashes and yells are aimed elsewhere.

"Jungkook! Jimin!" Se-jin called from the alleyway where he held open a service door normally only used for employees. While your vision had cleared, you still felt out of breath and your heart still convulsed in your chest. 

Jungkook ran towards the door and immediately into a service elevator. He didn't drop you back on your feet like you had expected him to. His arms were slung under your knees and around your shoulders. You wondered why you weren't burning his arms. Maybe because he wasn't touching your skin? Maybe the soulmate curse somehow recognized that he was helping you get closer to Yoongi? Whatever it was, you were thankful that beyond burning a small black hole in his T-shirt, you hadn't hurt him. 

The elevator dinged and Jungkook rushed you into your hotel room. Yoongi was already on the bed, a cloth on his forehead. He was sweaty, his shirt pulled up, exposing his stomach and his hair pushed back. 

Jungkook plopped you down on the bed beside Yoongi. Your breath evened out and your muscles relaxed, but the dull ache in your chest remained.

"Do you guys need anything?"

"Just some water." 

Jungkook went to the sink and filled a glass with water and set it on the bedside table beside you. "Just text or call one of us if you need anything." 

You nodded and Jungkook left the room. As soon as the door shut, Yoongi's arms around you and your face in his chest. His lips came to your forehead and you released a breath you hadn't realized you'd been holding.

"I lost track of time," you said. "I tried to take a taxi, but it was rush hour." 

"It's okay. It's not your fault. It was harder than we thought it would be." 

"Do you think we'll ever break it?" you asked. "If this was so difficult, if we can't even be apart due to a simple mistake, even if we were in love, how would we fix this?"

"I don't know. But, you should get some sleep."

"You too." 

You rested your head on Yoongi's shoulder, his arm slung around you comfortably, fitting perfectly against your waist and in the swell of your hips. It was the only place your body would allow you to be, but even if it was just the soulmate curse, even if you didn't love Yoongi, you knew there was no other place you wanted to be than his arms.

---

You fell asleep long before Yoongi did. Your small breaths tickling the skin on his neck and you were so still in his arms, only the way your chest moved slowly up and down indicated that you were still alive.

He'd never tell you, but he loved the way you looked when you slept. You scrunched your face up like a fussy baby and sometimes you'd make small moans in reactions to whatever happened in your dreams. 

It was nearly 1 am and Yoongi couldn't sleep. There were still pangs in his chest, but he wasn't sure if it was due to the earlier ordeal, or something else. He looked down at your sleeping form and carefully tucked stray hairs behind your ear. The ends of your hair were still a little damp with sweat, but he didn't care. 

You smiled at his touch and burrowed deeper into him. So deep, in fact, Yoongi wasn't sure you'd ever come out.