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harry-on-broadway · 2 years

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The Last Line: Part Three

Part Three

Word Count: 10K || Series Masterlist || Rating: M

A/N: I actually managed to keep my promise and post when I said I would 😅 But seriously, thank you to everyone who has hung around waiting for the update. I hope you like it and would LOVE to hear what you think!

***

Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.

“Are you going to get that?” Chloe asked pointedly, eyeing Penny’s phone as it vibrated on her desk.

“I’m sorry, is it bothering you?” Penny replied cheekily.

“Yes, but only because I want to know who has been texting you.”

Penny picked up her phone and looked at the screen. Four text messages from Harry. “Just a source,” she said. “I think I might have a lead on a new feature, so I’ve been trying to build a relationship with them.” That was kind of the truth wasn’t it?

“Uh huh,” Chloe said, twirling a pen between her fingers. “And does this source’s name rhyme with Barry Tiles?”

“Shhhh!”

“I knew it!”

The two women stared at each other over the partition that separated their desks, as Penny steeled herself for the barrage of questions Chloe was sure to hurl at her. “You want to take a walk? Get a coffee?” Chloe asked, clearly opting for discretion now that she had gotten what she was looking for from Penny.

“Yes, but you’re buying.”

“Deal.”

When their lattes were in their hands, Penny and Chloe began their slow and strategic walk around the office park, following a carefully planned route that they knew put them out of earshot of nosy coworkers.

“So when did this happen?” Chloe asked.

“Umm…” Penny searched for an answer. “Like a couple of weeks ago, I think? We got drinks after that concert we went to.”

“Yeah, you mentioned that but not the fact that he’s suddenly your new best friend.”

“You know he’s not my best friend. I could never take that title away from you.”

“I appreciate that but that doesn’t explain why you didn’t tell me about him.”

“I didn’t say anything because this just kind of…happened,” Penny said.

And it had. She thought about the way she had texted him when she’d gotten home from their post-show drinks. And how he’d replied. And how when she’d woken up the next morning he’d sent her another message, this one containing a link to a country song that she hadn’t heard before. She thought about how she listened to the song on repeat while she made her coffee and got ready for work, crafting the perfect response in her head as she tapped her fingers to the beat. She thought about how Harry had texted her daily since that night. And, each time she added to her notes on whatever it was Harry was working on, she tried to suppress the feelings of guilt that brewed deep inside.

“Like hell it ‘just happened.’” Chloe tried to make air quotes around the coffee cup in her hands. “It wasn’t that long ago that I thought I’d have to be a character witness at trial for you.”

“Ha ha, but I swear! We just had a drink and talked and things progressed from there.”

“Where’d you take him?”

“Seventy7.”

“Your date spot?”

“My source meeting spot.” Penny took a sip of her coffee.

“So, he’s a source? What are you cooking up?”

Penny looked around, making sure they were far away from anyone who might be eavesdropping on their conversation. “He has a new album coming out sometime this year. Tom told me and so did Harry. And I was thinking, maybe if I got a scoop on it, it would impress Darren and would give me a better shot at landing some stories.”

“I’m sorry,” Chloe said. “But in what world is this a good idea? Did you miss the ethics class freshman year? You know the one about unbiased reporting? Keeping friends and family out of stories? Do you recall any of that? Or were you too hypnotized by his ravishing good looks during your date that all rational thought left your head?”

“He’s neither friend nor family and it wasn’t a date. It was networking. A source meeting. You have those all the time.”

“Yeah, at premieres where I’m talking to 50 year-old men I most certainly don’t want to fuck.”

“I don’t want to fuck Harry.”

“OK, that was great,” Chloe said. “Let’s take that once more though, and this time make me believe you actually believe what you’re saying.”

“I don’t want to fuck him,” Penny said definitively.

Chloe held her gaze waiting for her friend to break. “Well all right then we’ve settled it.” Penny’s phone buzzed again. “What’s your ‘source’ want now?”

Penny unlocked her phone, angling the screen so Chloe could see the four texts Harry had sent.

Hey. How’re you?

I’m in the studio today so I’m on your side of town. Might be stopping by the office to talk to Jeff about something too.

Been listening to this today. Have you heard of it?

Um, any chance you want to grab a drink? Maybe dinner?

“Do you usually get dinner with sources?” Chloe asked with a grin.

“First time for everything,” Penny said, replying to Harry’s message.

Yeah, maybe tomorrow?

His reply came back fast. How’s tonight?

“Someone’s eager,” Chloe laughed.

“What’s wrong with that? Maybe I’ll get what I need.” After confirming the time and location, Penny slid her phone into her bag. “Now where were we?”

“You were profusely denying your attraction to Harry. Unbelievably, I might add.”

“Chlo, I don’t know how many times I can say this…I’m simply tolerating him to get something from him.”

“This is the part in the rom com where the sassy best friend tells the plucky protagonist that she’s making a mistake because she’s going to develop real feelings.”

“And this is the part in the rom com where I go back to my desk and actually get some work done.”

Penny spun on her heel and started back towards the office, leaving Chloe to catch up behind her. Penny spent the rest of the afternoon bouncing between edits to a listicle about “10 Songs You Didn’t Realize Were Turning 10 in 2019” and making a list of things she wanted to ask Harry that night. How far along was the album? Was he close to announcing a release date? A single? Were the songs he’d been sending her any indication of what his new tracks would sound like? A few minutes before five, she slammed her laptop shut, tossing it into the canvas tote that doubled as her purse and work bag these days.

“See you tomorrow,” she called to Chloe and Devon, one of their graphic designers. Devon waved, quickly turning his attention back to his monitor, while Chloe spun in her chair.

“Make good choices tonight,” she called with a sly wink. “Don’t get into too much trouble.”

“You’ll be my one call if I do,” Penny called cheerfully over her shoulder, as Chloe’s laugh echoed through the mostly empty newsroom.

Penny pulled out of the parking garage, cruising through the streets to the restaurant Harry had texted her. It was a bit further out than she usually traveled during the week, but when she looked on the map, it looked like it was midway between her neighborhood and his. Neutral territory. She drummed along to the song on the radio – something by Justin Timberlake – as she waited for the light to turn, catching a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror. Several strands of hair had escaped from her ponytail and she had a smudge of eyeliner under her left eye.

Ugh. This was not how she wanted to show up to dinner. Eyeing the light and the number of cars in front of her, she shook out her hair, retying it into something slightly neater before rubbing at the smudge under her eye. That looked better, right? She continued to stare at her reflection. What was missing? Lipstick? She thought she had one that wasn’t too old in her bag. After one more glance at the light, she rooted through her tote until she found a neutral coral color that wouldn’t look too out of place on her face. She was just about to apply it to her lips when the car behind her laid on their horn.

“OK, sorry. I’m going!” she cried out to no one in particular. Lipstick would have to wait. But as she made the final turns of her journey and pulled into the parking lot, she couldn’t help but wonder why she felt the need to get dressed up for Harry. This was essentially a business meeting. She gave one final glance at the lipstick that was now on her passenger seat and decided to forgo it. Source meeting, business dinner, not a date. She locked her car and made her way inside. Harry had texted her that he was already there at a table in the back, a message she relayed to the host at the lobby of the restaurant.

“Party name?” he asked.

“Ugh…” She stumbled over her words. “Harry Styles,” she whispered, unsure if she was breaking some unspoken rule by saying his full name aloud.

The host smiled knowingly. “Right through here. You’ll see him seated towards the back. Have a nice evening.”

“Thanks, you too!” Penny said, walking through the curtain that separated the dining room from the lobby.

Her eyes swept over the room, adjusting to the dim lighting as she looked for Harry, finding him on a second glance. He lifted his hand and waved gently, a soft smile on his face. She strode briskly to the table, and he stood as she approached.

“Hey,” he said when she was within earshot. “You look nice.”

Penny looked down at her worn jeans, t-shirt, and blazer. “Thanks?”

“Shit, that was weird,” Harry said with a laugh.

“No. Hey, I’ll take it. You look…nice…too.” It wasn’t a lie. Harry would look fantastic wearing anything in any situation, but there was something about him that was different from the last time she’d seen him. He looked tired. Stressed. “How have you been?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

“Good, good. Staying busy, lots going on,” Harry said, returning to his seat once Penny had sat down. “Been spending some long days in the studio which is…great, but also tiring.”

“I can imagine.”

“You?”

“Oh, pretty similar actually. Not that I’m in a studio, but just a lot of work stuff. They haven’t hired a new news writer yet so I’m kind of doing the work of two people right now, and then there’s a lot of late nights with concerts and stuff and oh my God I should stop talking.” She laughed nervously.

“No, you’re good,” Harry said with a chuckle. “See anyone cool lately.”

“I saw John Legend last week, and I’m seeing a jazz ensemble tomorrow.”

“Sick.”

“Yeah.”

An awkward pause fell over the table as Harry sipped his water and Penny fidgeted with the silverware in front of her. Mercifully, a waiter appeared to take their drink orders.

“I’ll do the Moscato,” Harry said after perusing the wine menu.

“Oh, that sounds good. I’ll have some as well,” Penny said, returning her own menu.

“Should I bring a bottle for the table?” the waiter asked.

“Uh, sure,” Harry said. “Is that OK?” He looked at Penny who just nodded. “The bottle would be great, thanks.”

The waiter disappeared and returned shortly, pouring their wine and taking their dinner orders, before leaving them alone. Silence once again filled the space between them.

“So what did you want to talk about?” Penny asked at the same time Harry asked if she had listened to the song he’d sent her. They both laughed.

“I just thought we could catch up. Make good on that promise of ‘next time,’” he said, swirling the wine in his glass.

“Oh yeah,” Penny took a sip of her own wine. “You said you’d been getting lots of studio time in. I assume the new project is coming along nicely.”

“It’s certainly coming along. I’m not sure about nicely.”

“Why not?”

Harry let out a long breath. “Things aren’t going as easily as I hoped. I feel like everything I’ve written in the past couple of weeks has been shit.”

“Well, I’m sure that’s a lie.”

“I don’t know. If you heard what I finished before I came here you might think differently.”

“You write with others, right?” Penny asked.

Harry nodded. “Yeah, Tom, Tyler, Mitch. That’s the usual crew.”

“Good group. I’m not super familiar with Mitch’s work, but I’m sure he’s top tier if you’re working with him.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment for me or Mitch, but I’ll accept it regardless.”

Penny thought about shooting back a “Why would I compliment you?” but seeing how drained Harry looked, she refrained. “Is there something in particular that’s holding you up?”

“Well, I did some writing while I was touring, and then did a lot of writing earlier this year when I was in Japan. But I still don’t feel like the album’s done. It’s like the secret ingredient is missing or something. But sometimes I feel like I’m the only person that feels that way and that everyone else just wants to wrap it up to get it out there.”

“You have to listen to your gut then,” Penny said without hesitation.

“Easier said than done.”

“No, seriously if you think something is missing, I think you have to hone in on that feeling. Really listen to what your heart and your gut are telling you. Only you know what your album needs to be. Collaboration is great and it clearly works when you have the right group of people together, but when you start letting everyone’s voice in the room, that’s when things start to feel inauthentic. And there’s nothing worse than listening to an album where you know it’s not what the artist fully believes.”

“You can tell?” Harry said, somewhat surprised.

“Well, it’s not like I know everyone personally,” Penny began. “But it’s just a feeling you get when you’ve listened to a lot of stuff. Artists have their signature, and it’s always there even when they start experimenting. Like let’s use Rihanna as an example. If she suddenly started writing about the good life on the farm and drinking beer on the porch with her dog, it would just feel weird, like a label pushing her to replicate the hot new country song. But good artists don’t need to follow the trends, they set them.”

Harry nodded, which Penny took as a sign to continue. “Like for example, your first album.” She took a breath knowing she was potentially treading on thin ice. “It really set the standard for your sound as a solo artist. It’s an album that is clearly very modern, but very heavily influenced by 60s and 70s rock. So, people know to expect that from you. You’re the guy that makes vintage modern and cool. But, perhaps that album was a little too cookie cutter, which I think you know. So this time around, maybe you needed to take a couple of risks, make an album that shows the world who Harry really is. Each album is an opportunity to change the trajectory of your career and I think you should act on it.” Harry stared at her, speechless. “Sorry, if I overstepped,” she said.

“No no, you didn’t,” he said. “Fuck that was exactly what I needed to hear.” He ran his hands over his face. “It’s just that even when I try to insulate myself from the noise, it leaks through. Comments about sales and singles and streaming and charting and all of this stuff that will really determine if I get to keep doing this. And it just makes me get so caught up in my head…” he trailed off.

“I do the same thing sometimes,” Penny replied. “I just get so focused on if this article will get more clicks than the last one, or if it will get good traction on social and help me ‘build my brand.’ I just forget why I do this job.”

Harry nodded. “It can be easy to lose that reason why.”

Their waiter used the break in the conversation to deliver their food, and Penny tucked into her chicken parm, savoring the dish that was a massive step up from her usual combo of a pre-packaged salad and Easy Mac.

“About those songs, you sent me,” Penny began.

“Oh! Did you like them?”

“Surprisingly, yes.”

“Surprisingly?”

“Yeah, I'm admittedly not the biggest country fan,” Penny said. “And to be honest, I’m pretty surprised you're into that kind of music.”

“Oh, I love it,” Harry said, leaning closer and speaking faster. “Country artists are hands down the best at telling a story in a song. I’d like to be able to do that one day. You know, write about an experience that isn’t mine? Or at least tell a story of my own.”

“You’re well on your way to doing that.”

Harry flushed but ignored the remark. “I, uh, liked the playlist you sent me. I’ve been listening to it in the mornings.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Like I’ve heard almost all of the songs before, but not in that way. They tell a different story when you listen to them back-to-back like that.”

“Oh, well thanks. I’ve always prided myself on making good playlists.”

“If you have another, send it my way,” Harry said, taking a bite of his pasta. “I’d love to hear more of what you’ve put together.”

“Well, I’ll have to send you my ‘Bad Bitch’ playlist that I listen to ahead of meetings with my editor.”

“Please.”

She had meant it as a joke, but Harry clearly didn’t take it that way. “Oh yeah, I’ll send it now.” She picked up her phone and sent him the link. “Enjoy. I hope you’re able to find your inner bad bitch.”

“I’ll keep you updated on my progress.”

When the waiter dropped the check on the table, Harry swiftly collected it, placing his card in the leather holder, ignoring Penny’s protests.

“I’m the one who invited you,” he said. “It’s only fair that I pay.”

Penny chewed on her lip. It was basic ethics that journalists didn’t accept gifts from sources. You always paid and kept your fingers crossed that your publication would reimburse you. “I can’t let you.”

“Why not?”

“Because…” What was she supposed to say? I accepted your invite because I wanted to hear about your album? I want to use you for my own personal gains? “Because it’s 2019 and women can pay for themselves.”

“Tell you what, you pay for me next time?”

“You and these next times,” Penny said with a laugh. “Always asking for more.”

“I just thought you were having fun and I was –”

“Harry, I’m kidding. It would be great to see you again. You’re actually pleasant to be around when you’re not acting like an asshole.”

“Two compliments in one night? I should buy you dinner more often!”

“I think that will be the next next time.”

Harry laughed and Penny noticed how when he found something funny, really truly funny, the skin around his eyes crinkled as his dimples deepened. She felt a rush of pride knowing she brought that out in him.

Harry’s phone chirped and the dimples and crinkles disappeared as he looked down at the incoming message. “I guess I should be going. Duty calls.”

“Heading back to the studio?”

“Yeah…” The lightness had disappeared from him.

“I know it’s easy for me, the person that will be critiquing your album, to say, but just write what you feel, Harry. You can’t go wrong with that.”

“I’ll try my best,” he said. “Thanks for coming tonight.”

Penny rose from the table and Harry followed her to the exit. “Have a great rest of your night,” she said, unlocking her car.

“Yeah, you too,” Harry said, swaying on his feet. “I’ll uh, see you later?”

“Definitely! I think I’m free on Wednesday. I’ll text you.”

Harry smiled, and Penny felt warm inside, and marveled at how he could make her feel so good with just one gesture. “I’m looking forward to that,” he said. “Drive safe.”

As she drove home, Penny listened to the songs Harry had sent her over the week, really paying attention to the lyrics and the stories Harry had been talking about. He was right. They were some of the best she’d heard.

It wasn’t until Penny pulled into her parking spot in front of her building that she realized she didn’t get answers to any of her questions.

***

Harry took the quickest route to the studio from the restaurant, opening the voice notes app on his phone when he was stopped at a red light. He spoke quickly, tripping over his words, wanting to make sure he captured everything he was feeling in the moment. When he reached the studio, he rushed in, nearly bumping into Tyler as he turned the corner.

“Wasn’t expecting you to come back tonight, H,” Tyler said.

“I wasn’t either but inspiration struck and…”

“No, I get it,” Tyler said. “Want to get to work?”

“Let’s do it.”

***

The next morning, Penny awoke to a message from Harry.

I think I’ve finally found my inner bad bitch. Thanks for all the help.

***

Over the next couple of weeks, Penny and Harry fell into a rhythm. He’d text her, usually at night when she was getting home from a gig, and they’d message back and forth until one of them fell asleep. They met up for impromptu drinks a few times and got coffee a couple of others. Their outings were usually initiated by Harry, and Penny was more than happy to go along with his suggestions. She kept reminding herself that this was just for work, but she couldn’t deny how much she was enjoying their time together.

Penny had just left Darren’s office one Wednesday afternoon, clenching her hands so hard, she was sure her nails had drawn blood. He’d killed another one of her features, even after suggesting she write it, and everything felt pointless. She was back at her desk deciding what her next move would be – get coffee or cry in the bathroom – when her phone rang. Seeing Harry’s name on the caller ID, she answered almost immediately.

“Hey,” Harry said, his voice tinged with surprise.

“Hey.” Penny could hear the waver in her own voice.

“Is now a bad time?” Harry asked.

“No.”

“You sound…upset,” Harry said cautiously.

“Just a typical day here.”

“Would you have time to take a break? Maybe get a coffee? I’m at Full Stop today.”

Penny looked at her watch. She had time to spare and the way things had been going lately, Harry might be the perfect way to improve her mood. “Sure. I can meet you at Blue Bottle in like 10 minutes.”

“See you there.”

Penny ended the call and grabbed her wallet. “I’ll be back later,” she said to Chloe. Blue Bottle was just a quick walk from her office and she stood outside the coffee shop, rocking back and forth on her heels until she saw Harry approach.

“Hey,” he said, his eyes searching her for obvious signs of distress. “I’m glad you were able to sneak away.”

“Yeah, I needed the break.” Penny gestured to the register inside. “Want to order now?”

Harry nodded and followed Penny inside, ordering an iced Americano after she’d asked for a vanilla latte.

“This was supposed to be my treat,” Harry said as Penny inserted her card into the machine to pay. “I invited you.”

“Next time’s on you,” Penny said with a tight grin, moving off to the side to wait for their drinks, handing Harry a straw.

“So…” Harry said, picking the paper straw wrapper. “Are we going to talk about whatever’s happening here?”

“What? Nothing’s going on.”

“It’s just, you sounded upset on the phone,” Harry said. “And now you just look kind of sad. Stressed.”

“Gee thanks.”

“I didn’t mean that as a bad thing. I was just worried that something was going on.”

Penny looked up to meet Harry’s eyes. It was truly touching how concerned he was, but it also felt monumental. Like whatever she said in response would change the course of whatever was happening between them. “Thanks,” she said after a moment. “It’s just been a rough day at work after a string of rough days.”

“Want to talk about them?”

Penny sighed. “It’s my editor.”

Harry nodded. “I remember you talking about him. He’s the one that keeps shitting on your ideas.”

Penny whipped around to look at him again. “You remember?”

“Yeah, because I thought he sounded like a dick from what you told me.”

“Well, I can confirm that he is. And what he’s been doing recently is instead of letting me pitch stories, he’s assigning me his own pitches, and then even after I follow every single one of his stupid-ass rules, he still kills the story. Now, some of my sources are starting to get cagey since they don’t love sitting down for a call for an article that never materializes and I just feel like a terrible writer and it’s just hard. I feel like I’m stuck and that I’ll never get out.” She looked at Harry “Well, that’s what’s new with me. How about you?” She laughed nervously, aware she’d just spilled her guts to the man who was her mortal enemy mere weeks ago.

“I’m really sorry you’re having to deal with this,” Harry said.

“I know it’s something everyone in a creative field goes through since art is so subjective but it’s just really tough when it feels like you’re the only one experiencing it.”

“Could I read it?”

“What?”

“Your story. The one Darren just killed,” Harry prompted.

“I don’t think you’d be interested. It’s really boring about music licensing and copyright law.”

“I don’t know. I’m a musician. I have songs. Feels pretty applicable.”

Penny sighed. “I’m just -”

“Trying to come up with another excuse?”

“Fine.” Penny unlocked her phone and opened the Google Docs app, navigating to the doc with the story she’d filed earlier that day. “Here,” she said, handing Harry her phone and walking away.

“Woah, where are you going?”

“I’m not going to stand here and watch you read my article. That’s just a form of cruel and unusual punishment. I’m going to wait over there.”

“No you’re not.” Harry grabbed Penny’s hand and pulled her back to his side, not letting go of her hand, even when she was standing next to him.

Penny froze. Harry didn’t appear to register what he was doing as he bowed his head and started to read the screen on the phone he held in his other hand. She stood there, next to him, watching as he read her work. The crinkle that emerged between his eyebrows as he focused, the way his mouth moved as he scanned the page, the way he nodded when he came across certain phrases.

“Latte and Americano for Penny,” the barista called.

Penny cleared her throat. “I should get those,” she said softly.

Harry looked down at the hands. “Oh, right, sorry. Didn’t mean to hold on like that.”

Penny fetched their drinks and when she returned, Harry had migrated to a small table in the corner where he finished reading the article. She didn’t want to fish for compliments, but was curious about what he thought. “Sooo,” she said, handing him the cup.

“I don’t know who your editor is but he’s an idiot for not publishing this. I heard a couple of people at Columbia discussing this last week. People would want to read this.”

“Maybe I should bring you back to the office to see if Darren will listen to you.”

“I am free for a couple more hours.”

Penny grinned. “Thanks. For…everything.”

“No, thanks needed, You’re a fantastic writer, Penny.”

“I wish Darren believed that. Hell, I wish I believed that.”

“Artists are always the most critical of themselves,” Harry said thoughtfully.

“Do you know that from personal experience?”

Harry let out a long sigh and nodded. “It has been a week.”

“Making any progress?” Penny asked, trying to sound casual.

“Kind of. But the label is asking for something that’s more radio friendly and I just don’t want to give it to them. Probably because I don’t know how to give it to them,” he added under his breath.

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You’ve got a good team. You’re…smart.”

Harry laughed. “You don’t sound so sure about that.”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” Penny said. “You just have like good music sense. It’s something that can’t be taught.” Harry stared at her blankly. “What? Did I say something wrong?” she asked.

“No.” He shook his head. “I’m just trying to remember when you started being so nice to me.”

“Shut up! You’re so stupid,” Penny said, flicking her straw wrapper at him.

“Shut up!” Harry shot back, mocking her tone as flicked the paper back towards her.

The two giggled, shooting the paper back and forth until Harry put a little too much muscle into it, causing the paper to land on the back of the woman behind Penny.

“So athletics aren’t your strong suit?” she teased.

“I don’t know about that.”

“Penny?”

Penny turned around and came face to face with Darren. Was no place safe? “H-h-hi,” she spluttered. “I was just taking a break. I’ll be back at the office soon.”

“Oh no worries,” Darren said smoothly. “I can tell you’re busy.” He eyed Harry. “Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, pleasure,” Harry said, extending his hand for a handshake that Darren reciprocated. “I’m Harry.”

Darren nodded, not bothering to reciprocate the introduction. “Well, I’ll see you at the office, Penny.”

“Mhmm, talk soon.” Penny waited until she was sure Darren had left the coffee shop before turning back to Harry. “Fuck, I didn’t think he’d come here. He usually hates anything that brings people joy.”

“Was that weird? That was weird,” Harry said.

“It was.” Penny hadn’t been able to interpret what Darren had been thinking when he walked over there, but she didn’t think she’d be able to pretend like it hadn’t happened when she eventually made her way back to the newsroom.

“I think you could take him though,” Harry said.

“Excuse me?”

“I think you could beat him in a fight. Especially if it was a war of words.”

“Well, we’ve had a couple of those and they typically end with me hiding somewhere to cry.” Harry didn’t say anything and just stared at Penny with an indiscernible expression on his face. “But you didn’t need to know that…” she trailed off.

“You’re good at your job, Penny. Don’t let anyone try to convince you you’re not.”

“Thanks? Not sure if I believe that coming from the guy who bullied me over my writing a couple of weeks ago, but I’ll keep that in my back pocket.” Harry shook his head. “What?” Penny pressed.

“I’m always going to feel terrible about the way I treated you,” Harry said. “It had nothing to do with you, though. It was all about me.”

“Oh?”

“What bothered me was that everything you said was true. In that review you were just pointing out things that were painfully obvious. I just had my head so far up my own ass I couldn’t see. And when I read your words, I just felt so vulnerable. Like if you noticed how guarded and cheap that album was, how many other people did too? I put everything into that it. What if that’s the best I have to offer? What if I never do anything better than that? Do you know what it feels like to question your worth and purpose like that every fucking day?”

“Of course I do. My job is to share my opinions online only to get yelled at by trolls on Twitter who think my being a woman means I don’t have a brain. Or feelings. Each day when I walk into work I have to brace myself for whatever shit Darren is going to throw at me. I have to watch men who know fuck all get chances that I deserve and anytime I try to do anything about it, I’m the one who gets punished. It’s exhausting and stresses me out more than it should, but if I woke up tomorrow and couldn’t do that, I’d be lost. It’s sadistic, but I think you know exactly what I mean.”

Harry blinked slowly. “I do,” he said after a moment. “I don’t think anyone has ever described it like that before, but that’s exactly it.”

They finished their drinks while checking their phones and it wasn’t lost on Penny how even sitting in silence with Harry felt comfortable, like they were old friends. She could have sat with him like that forever, but eventually Harry sighed, signaling the end of their time together.

“I probably need to be getting back,” he said. His face looked drawn and Penny couldn’t tell what had changed.

“Yeah, I should get back too.”

“I’ll walk you over.”

Penny got up and pushed in her chair as Harry disposed of their cups and wrappers. He met her at the door and held it open, walking alongside her when they were out on the sidewalk.

“Are you going back to the studio?” Penny asked. “Or is this a business day?”

“The studio. Hopefully things will fall together soon.”

“Well, break a leg? Good luck? I’m not sure what recording studio protocol is.”

“Any of those will work.” Harry glanced over at her. “Um, I’m assuming you’re back to work.”

“Yeah, not really sure what I’m going to work on for the rest of the day, but I’ll find something.”

“Try not to think about Darren. I mean it.”

“Well you can’t think about the studio execs when you write.”

“Deal.” Harry stopped outside Penny’s office as she pulled her ID from her pocket. “I’ll see you later.” He put his hand on her shoulder and then paused, as if it was a step too far. “Text me or something?”

Penny reached up and covered his hand with hers. “Definitely. Maybe we could do dinner sometime this week if you’re in the area.”

“Yeah, I’ll be around.”

“Great.” Harry’s hand was still on her shoulder as she awkwardly shifted towards the door. “Have a great rest of your day,” Penny said softly.

“You too,” Harry mumbled, breathless as he watched her walk inside.

***

Penny hadn’t been at her desk for more than a minute when Darren strode out of his office straight for her desk. “Fuck,” she mumbled under her breath. She looked around, hoping that someone would be around to diffuse the conversation, but the newsroom was surprisingly empty.

“Penny,” Darren began, voice echoing in the empty room.

“Yes?”

“I didn’t realize you knew Harry Styles?”

“Um, that’s a recent connection. We have a mutual friend.”

“Very cool.” Darren sat on the edge of Chloe’s desk, clicking the pen in his hand. “Learn anything from him?” he asked, attempting to sound casual.

“Not really. Like I said, I only met him recently.”

“That’s a shame. Any scoop from him could be big. Keep an ear out.”

“Um, sure,” Penny said.

“Keep me in the loop on any developments.”

Penny would rather chew glass than keep Darren “in the loop” but she just nodded pleasantly, hoping her agreement would make him go away. “Will do,” she said.

“Great!” Darren hopped off of the desk and headed back to his office, nearly bumping into Chloe as she walked in, coffee and pastry in hand.

“What was that about?” Chloe asked. She wiped off the edge of her desk when she was sure Darren’s door was closed.

“So, Darren ran into me and Harry while we were getting coffee.”

“Ooh, tell me more.”

“He started pumping me for info on Harry–”

“No!” Chloe whined. “Not about Darren, about Harry. I didn’t know you all were meeting up.”

“It was an impromptu thing. He was in the area and I needed a breather.”

“And Darren saw you?”

“Yes, and I think he wants me to leverage my…knowledge…of Harry to get a scoop on something.” Penny chewed on her lip. “I feel conflicted.”

“Babe, that’s exactly what you’ve been planning this whole time! I told you it was a bad idea then and I still think it’s a bad idea. You really think any idea Darren has is a good one?” She said his name in a tone usually reserved for dog shit.

“I know, I know,” Penny moaned. “But I’m just kind of torn because getting anything on him would be great for me but it would ruin our -”

“Burgeoning love affair?” Chloe cut her off.

“No, our friendship or whatever the hell it is.”

“Pen, I think you know what the right move is here. So I’m not going to tell you. You’re better than this and you are smarter than this. Don’t be a Darren!”

Penny clicked the cap on and off of the pen as she thought about Chloe’s words. “There has to be a way I can do the best of both worlds. I mean, critics and journalists hang out with the subjects of their writing all of the time. I can make this work.”

“I will make sure not to tell you ‘told you so’ when this blows up in your face.”

“That’s why you’re my best friend.” They sat at their respective desks and worked until it was closing time. Penny said goodbye and headed to her car. As she stepped outside of the building, she impulsively turned left, taking the circuitous route that would take her in front of Full Stop’s office. As she approached the building, she squinted looking in the windows. She didn’t know what she was hoping to find but she felt an extreme sense of disappointment when she didn’t see Harry.

She finished her walk to the garage, climbing in her car and turning the radio on first thing. As she drove home, her mind wandered – to Darren, to her brother’s upcoming birthday (she still needed to find a card), to Chloe’s annual film festival – but her thoughts were mainly occupied by Harry. What was he doing at this moment? Was he still at the studio? Was he out with friends?

Her phone chimed as she pulled into her parking space. It was a text from Harry. A link to a song. She smiled as she put her headphones on to listen.

***

Are you busy?

Three little words and her heart started racing.

It had been a few days since her impromptu coffee with Harry, they’d talked even more than usual. Penny woke up to texts from Harry – songs, random musings, once, a funny YouTube video – and his messages were also what lulled her to sleep. She wasn’t sure what to call this new stage, but felt that friendship was a good start.

Penny counted to twenty before responding. Not really. What do you need?

She could see him typing in the message thread.

I’m working today and am a little stuck on something. I wanted to get your advice. A voice note followed the message. Take a listen and let me know what you think.

Penny’s phone burned hot in her hand with the knowledge of what that message contained. She rose from her desk, searched for her earbuds and rushed off to find a quiet spot in the office to listen to the note. In the dim hallway that led the kitchen, she pushed her earbuds in and turned up the volume before pressing play.

It was an unfinished demo, but despite the rough nature of the recording, she could tell this song was something special. It started off with a strong drum section before Harry’s vocals came in. His higher register, smoother than ever. She closed her eyes, Even with shitty discount earbuds she could feel the beat pulsing, throbbing, echoing within her. It was magic. When it finished playing, she hit play again, focusing on the lyrics this time through. Phrases about shining, stepping into the light, recurred throughout, and while it was beyond her to speculate the meaning of the lyrics, they felt deeply personal. The kind of personal that everyone could relate to. The hallmark of a good song.

She listened a third time for good measure before typing out her response. Initial reaction, I love it. On more listens, it feels like the bass and drums might be a little too much. There’s an intimacy to this song and you don’t want to lose that. Find a way to balance the two and you’ve got a hit.

Harry’s reply came quickly. You’re exactly right! Thanks!

Any time.

“Penny?”

She looked up from her phone to see Darren in front of her, mug in hand, clearly on his way to get some of the paltry excuse for coffee kept in the kitchen.

“Yeah?”

“What are you doing?”

She searched her brain for a reason she’d be standing in a dark hallway with her headphones. “I was taking a call,” she finally said. “It was a little noisy in the main room and I just needed some quiet.”

“OK, well that’s what we have the call booths for. Keep that in mind.” Darren stared at her and Penny prayed he wouldn’t be able to sniff out the real reason she was there.

“I should go,” she said, dashing towards her desk.

“All good?” Chloe asked, taking in the panic on Penny’s phase.

“You-know-who almost caught me with a demo the other you-know-who sent me,” Penny said, voice low.

“Shit.”

“Yeah, it was a little too close for comfort.”

“Why?”

Penny turned around in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s think this through,” Chloe said. “Why are you so concerned about Darren finding out what you know?”

“Because it’s an ethics issue.”

“Why is it an ethics issue?”

“Because I know Harry. We’ve gotten drinks together.”

“OK, yes,” Chloe prompted. “But how is that any different from you getting drinks with Paul at a networking event and then quoting him in a piece? Or when you went to dinner with those investors that were funding that new streaming startup and then wrote a story?”

“It’s just different. My brother’s best friend didn’t introduce me to them.”

“But he did introduce you to Janice and you quoted her.”

“I-that’s not the same and you know it.”

“You want to know what I think?” Chloe asked.

“Not particularly.”

“I think that three weeks ago you thought this scheme was a great idea but then you actually spent time with Harry and now you care about him and you don’t want him to know you were using him and you also don’t want to risk your reputation.”

Penny scoffed. “You are so off base.”

“Am I? You haven’t looked me in the eye since you sat down and your hands are shaking. You’re lying and we both know it.”

“It’s not what you think,” Penny said. “I didn’t want Darren to know because if he gets ahold of the story he’ll probably kill it and I don’t want that to happen. I’m saving it for one of our editorial meetings so I can have Skylar there as backup.” She hoped the lie sounded more convincing than it felt.

“Sure,” Chloe said. “Do you want to get drinks after work tonight?” she asked, smartly changing the subject.

Penny nodded in agreement, but inside she was wondering why she was so scared to tell her best friend the truth.

***

Penny paced in her kitchen keeping an eye on her phone on the counter, willing it to light up with a new notification. It had been three days since Harry had shared his demo, forcing her to confront the emotions that had been brewing inside of her for the past few months.

She’d reached out a couple of times. First to ask how the rest of his studio session went, and then to share some more songs and music videos she liked. And when those went unanswered, she reached out again, asking if everything was OK only to be met with radio silence. She was fairly certain that nothing was wrong, but concern lurked in the back of her mind, and after a few more minutes of pacing, she grabbed her phone and keys and headed for her car.

She scrolled through her messages until she found Harry’s address which she programmed into her GPS. When she pulled up to the gate, she pressed the buzzer. Then hit it again. And again. And again. Finally, she heard Harry’s voice through the crackly speaker.

“Hello?” His voice sounded different than usual and she couldn’t be sure if it was because of the speaker or something else.

“Uh, it’s Penny. I hadn’t heard from you and was a little nervous since we were supposed to go to that show tonight?”

“Oh, fuck. Come on in.”

She heard a loud buzz and then the gates parted, allowing her to drive in. She glanced at the landscaping as she drove up the path. It was nice and well-maintained, definitely not by him, and she appreciated the views the property offered. She put the car in park in front of the garage. Harry was standing on the front stoop waiting for her.

“I’m so sorry,” he croaked, voice gravely even without the interference of the intercom. “I came down with this spring flu or something. I’ve been out of commission for a few days.”

“Don’t apologize. I was just worried.” Shit. That wasn’t what she meant to say. “Like just since we had these tickets. I wasn’t sure if you still wanted them or…”

“Yeah, of course. I honestly don’t think I’m up for a show tonight. I’m better, but still not 100%.”

“No, I get it.” Penny rocked back and forth on her feet. “Do you want some company?”

Harry paused. “What about the show?”

“One of my friends had been asking about the tickets. I can give them to her.” It felt wrong to go if Harry wasn’t there, not that she’d ever admit that to him.

“Uh, sure,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. “Come on in. It’s a little messy.”

Penny followed him inside, toeing off her shoes in the front hall. She padded behind Harry as he led her into a den. The large sectional was covered in pillows and blankets and he cleared a spot off on one side of the couch, making room for Penny.

“Make yourself at home,” Harry said, a sniffle punctuating his statement.

“Can I get you anything?” Penny asked.

“You're my guest. Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“But you’re sick.”

Harry shrugged. “There’s water, juice, beer, and wine in the kitchen. There might be some ginger ale left as well.”

“Ooh my favorite.”

“Help yourself. I’ll have one too.”

Penny grabbed a couple of cans from the fridge, trying not to gawk at the gourmet kitchen around her. “Ice?” she called over her shoulder.

“No thanks.”

She handed Harry one of the cans and they popped the tabs in synchronicity, grinning at their timing.

“Should we be drinking to your health?” Penny asked, before sipping from the can.

Harry grinned. “I can use any and all well wishes. This just knocked me out. I can’t remember the last time I was that sick.” He shuddered as if reliving a traumatic memory.

“It must have been pretty rough. I was worried about not hearing from you.” That was a normal thing to say, right? Penny was suddenly second guessing her words. “I mean just because we had the plans for the show,” she quickly explained.

“No, I apologize. I wasn’t really with it for a couple of days and was pretty useless. Thankfully I had some people looking out for me.”

At that moment, there was nothing Penny wanted to know more than who these people were. “That’s nice. I’m assuming Jeff stopped by?”

Harry nodded. “And Glenne. They brought me some soup and bread. Glenne is Jeff’s girlfriend,” he clarified.

“Oh.”

“And now you are stopping by. I’ve clearly got a village looking after me.”

“Um, yeah.” Penny didn’t know what was wrong with her. On the drive over, she’d been filled with thoughts of what she’d say when she saw Harry, but now that she was with him her mind was blank. “How does it work when you're sick? Like do you have to take a sick day?” What the fuck kind of question was that, she thought to herself. She took a sip of ginger ale.

“Uh, like not really. Sometimes I try to work through it but since we aren’t on a hard deadline I just tried to take it easy. Figured taking a few days off might also help me get in a better place creatively.” He stroked his chin. “Not sure that worked but I guess we’ll find out soon.”

Penny stared at Harry until she realized it was her turn to speak. “I do a similar thing when I have writer’s block.”

Harry looked at her questioningly. “Get sick?”

“No, like, try to take a break.” She took another sip of her drink. “This is weird. I didn’t mean to intrude. I’m just going to head out.” She rose from the couch.

“Why is it weird?” Harry asked, voice still strained from his illness. “We were going to the show tonight, why can’t we just hang out here instead? Watch a movie or something? Play a board game?”

Penny laughed. “A board game?”

“I happen to be a next level Scrabble player.”

“Is that so?”

Harry nodded. “And I can prove it to you if you’ll stay and play with me.”

Penny rubbed her thumb along her can, catching a drop of condensation. What did this mean – the two of them hanging out together without a concert or shop talk as a buffer. The two of them alone in Harry’s house altered the stakes in a significant way. The lines between source and friend and whatever else was lurking in the background were significantly blurred and she felt like she was playing with fire. “Sure,” she said. “Just let me send these tickets to Chloe so someone can make use of them.”

“Great! I’ll find the game.”

Just as Penny pressed the transfer button, Harry reappeared, a worn and well-loved Scrabble box in his hand. “Get comfortable, I’m serious,” he said, easing down onto the floor and setting the Scrabble board up on the coffee table.

Penny shrugged off her cardigan, laying it on the couch behind her before joining Harry on the floor. “How does this work?”

“You’ve never played?” he asked incredulously as Penny shook her head. “How is that even possible?”

“I don’t know,” Penny laughed. “I just never played. I’m honestly not a huge board game person.”

“I can’t believe I let you into my house,” Harry deadpanned. “Not a board game person! Madness!”

Penny rolled her eyes. “Just shut up and teach me how to play.”

Harry started explaining the rules as finished setting up the pieces and Penny tried not to giggle at his excitement and the way he tripped over his words as he laid everything out for her. It wasn’t a complicated game and Penny quickly caught on, relishing the few times she was able to land a double or triple word score, much to Harry’s chagrin.

“I thought you said you hadn’t played before!” he exclaimed.

“I haven’t!”

“How are you so good?”

“Harry, I write for a living and it’s a word game, not fucking brain surgery.”

“Beginner’s luck!”

“Or maybe I’m just better than you!”

They were in the middle of their second game before Penny realized that they hadn’t said a thing about their jobs. No mention of new albums or concerts or studio executives or editors. And the conversation managed to feel easy. It felt like she was with someone she’d known forever, and she loved how comforting that felt.

As they were finishing up the game, Penny could see that Harry’s energy was waning. His laughter didn’t quite reach his eyes anymore and he seemed a little dazed after a couple of coughing fits. “Would you want to switch to a movie or something?” she suggested gently.

“That would be nice,” he relented after a moment’s hesitation. “I’m going to make some tea before, though. Would you like some?”

“Sure, I can help.”

Harry looked like he was about to protest but after glancing at Penny, he abandoned whatever he was about to say, gesturing for her to lead the way. They stood side by side in the kitchen as the water boiled, and Penny tried not to shiver when Harry’s hand grazed hers as he handed her a teabag. Beverages in hand, they made their way back to the couch. Harry stretched out, fishing for the remote among the cushions and Penny plopped down across from him. Harry flicked through the various films available turning to Penny every so often to gauge her opinion before finally settling on a comedy they’d both seen before.

For the first half of the film, they made each other laugh, reciting the memorable lines along with the actors on screen, but after an hour or so, Penny heard an odd noise coming from where Harry was sprawled. His head was resting on the arm of the couch and he had his arms folded over his chest, as if he was trying to curl into himself. His chest rose and fell evenly as soft snores came from his lips. The moment felt too intimate and Penny felt as though she should avert her eyes. But try as she might, she couldn’t.

This was the Harry she’d gotten to know over the past few weeks, the one who was vulnerable and second guessed himself and who cared about things so deeply he let them consume him. The one who looked out for those around him and was surprised when people did the same for him. The Harry who wanted to be her friend.

In that moment, everything clicked for Penny and she felt like she was seeing clearly for the first time in weeks. She couldn’t betray Harry. She’d figure out another way to deal with Darren and find the career changing scoop, but she couldn’t risk losing Harry. If she was this concerned about not hearing from him for three days, what would happen if he was out of her life forever?

Penny wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do with her newfound clarity, but being in Harry’s presence in the wake of the revelation felt suffocating. She needed to get out of his house. Gingerly, she reached over to turn the television off before placing a blanket over his sleeping form. She grabbed her cardigan and shoved her feet in her shoes only to open the door and come face to face with Jeff.

“Heeeyyy,” he said cautiously. “What are you doing here?”

“Hi!” Penny said quickly, stepping out onto the porch and gently closing the door behind her. “How are you?”

“Fine. I-I don’t mean to be rude but I’m just confused as to what you’re doing here.” Jeff laughed lightly.

“So Harry and I were supposed to go to a concert tonight but I hadn’t heard from him in a couple of days and when I texted him about meeting up he didn’t respond and I was a little worried so I came over to check on him.” The words all came out in a weird, breathy, rushed whisper.

“Right,” Jeff said slowly. “Why are you whispering?”

“Because Harry’s asleep.” Penny’s eyes widened hearing her own words. “He fell asleep. After we played Scrabble. And watched a movie. I think he’s still on the mend.”

“You hung out with him?”

Penny nodded. “Yeah, I didn’t plan on staying but he invited me in and it seemed like he wanted company sooo…”

“Yeah, no that’s great,” Jeff said. “I’ve just been checking in on him on my way home each night and I know some others have too but I was just surprised to see you here.” He grinned. “Quite different from how things were a month ago.”

“Mhmm,” was all Penny could get out. “I should probably go.” She darted around Jeff and half walked half jogged down the path, fishing for her keys in her bag while she did so. When she managed to unlock the door, she gave Jeff a casual wave before driving off.

“They just need to fuck,” Jeff said to himself, shaking his head before heading inside.

Harry was jolted awake by the sound of the front door closing, and looked around the room confused as to where his companion had gone. “Penny?” he rasped.

“Nope, just me,” Jeff said, poking his head around the corner. “Don’t mean to disappoint you.”

“You’re the farthest thing from a disappointment, Jeffrey. Penny was just here earlier and I just assumed...”

“I know, I ran into her on the way out.”

Harry frowned as he ran his hand through his messy curls. “She left without saying goodbye.”

Jeff shrugged. “I guess. She said you were asleep and looked like she was in a rush. Maybe she had better things to do than watch the guy who refuses to admit he’s in love with her sleep for two hours.”

“I -”

“Don’t fight it, H. We all see it.”

“There’s nothing to see, Jeffrey.”

Jeff sat down on the edge of the coffee table looking Harry directly in the eye. “H, I’ve known you a long time and because of that, I’d like to think I know you better than most. Something’s been going on with you this year. You’ve been…off. You said Japan was going to reset you but it didn’t seem like it worked. I mean the way you treated Penny those first couple of times.” He exhaled. “That wasn’t you. But the past few weeks, it’s like a switch has been flipped. You’re writing again, you seem happy, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this happened after you’ve gotten to know Penny.”

Harry refused to meet Jeff’s eyes, keeping his gaze on the wall behind him. “I feel like Penny understands me in a way no one else does. It’s like I don’t even have to explain things to her. She just gets it, gets me. But that’s it.”

“Oh, is that all?”

“Yeah, we’re friends.”

Jeff pursed his lips. “So if she wanted to go to dinner and then…I don’t know…have sex after you’d say no? Since you all are ‘just friends.’” He made air quotes with his fingers as he said the last two words. “If she said you should call it a date instead of dinner, you wouldn’t want that?”

“Yeah.”

“Look me in the eyes and tell me that, H.”

Harry turned his head and looked Jeff dead in the eye. “Penny and I are just friends and I don’t want to sleep with her. Or date her.”

Jeff held his gaze. “You’ve always been a shit liar, H.”

***

Penny couldn’t sleep that night, her mind replaying her day with Harry again and again. She knew what she needed to do now, but that didn’t make things any easier.

She couldn’t move forward with the article…that was a given. But Harry…she didn’t know what to do about him. There was no way he could feel the same about her. He just couldn’t. And to put herself out there? Be that vulnerable with him? Now that was a recipe for disaster.

She closed her eyes and willed herself to fall asleep. But as she counted sheep, all she could think of was how much she wished Harry were lying next to her.

***

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jokerislandgirl32 · 1 month

Note

Someone probably asked this before but how did Violet and Zach met?

Hello! Thank you so much for this ask! I am sorry it took me a bit to get back to it (I’m passing out early every night from work/sickness)! But, I am more than happy to answer this!

Violet ran into Zach, literally, at Science Camp! In my Wild Violet AU, Zach returns to Science Camp, alongside Aviva, to serve as a camp counselor when he is 17. Violet, who was 12 at the time, received a scholarship to attend the camp, therefore she was one of the campers. Violet’s camp counselor was Aviva, but Violet developed an incredibly strong bond with Zach, they became the best of friends, and they were virtually inseparable during their time at camp.

Picrew Link (what I like to think they looked like at science camp 😊).

I included this meeting in the original version of Wild Violets, and while I plan to tweak it a bit, this is essentially how their first meeting went down! See below cut for the fanfic excerpt!

The camp was surrounded by trees and a large lake, which I was drawn to. Growing up on an island chain, surrounded by water, makes one who is used to seeing it comforted by the sight of other bodies of water.

I turned around and walked backwards while I gazed at the glimmering lake. A few moments later I bumped into someone, and we both tumbled to the ground. A shrill, whiny male voice soon filled my ears, “WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING!”

My eyes found the source of the voice in a thin, pale, black haired young man lying on the ground, with me on top of him. I looked at his face, which was a bit blurry because my glasses had fallen off in our tumble, but I could see well enough to know he was furious. I snatched my glasses off the ground and placed them back on my face. I quickly scrambled off him and began apologizing, “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention, are you okay? I hope you’re okay. I am so, so sorry!”

The young man’s emerald green eyes glared at me, flashing malice and hatred in my direction. I noticed his face was flushed with anger; he made a noise that sounded like a tea kettle squealing on top of a stove. A few tears escaped my eyes: I hated making people angry.

My aunt Amy, cousin Paige, and a few onlookers heard the commotion. I heard whispers around me, “she’s made him her enemy.” “Do you see how mad he is?” “I feel bad for that kid.”

I gulped and jumped up to stand beside Amy as “my enemy” continued glaring at me. Amy hugged me against her side and opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by a feminine voice asking, “Zach, is there a problem here?”

The owner of the voice was a young woman with tan skin, thick, brown hair tied back in a ponytail, and green-gray eyes. She raised her eyebrows and looked from me to Zach.

Zach turned to the young woman and pointed back at me, “SHE ran into ME because she was too busy ‘not paying attention.’” He held his fingers up and used air quotes when he said not paying attention, and, for added damage, he used an even whinier voice when saying those words to mimic me.

I felt Amy tense beside me, and I knew she was about to give him some of her signature southern sass, but the young woman spoke up, “I heard her say she was sorry, Zach. It’s obvious it was an accident. You’re both okay, so there’s no harm done.”

Zach cast me one final glare and turned on his heal uttering, “Humph.” As he stomped away, the young woman sighed and stuck her hand out to my aunt, cousin, and me.

“My name is Aviva Corcovado, and I am one of the counselors here at the Greatest Minds of Our Youth Science Camp,” she explained as she shook all our hands. “I’m sorry for the way Zach treated you, he can be a bit difficult to get along with.”

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faceimploded · 5 months

Text

A certain song that describes (a hypothetical) Ceroba

Edit:

@engisanic pointed out there's literally a line in the pacifist route, right before Ceroba engages in battle:

"I almost wish you never showed up in the Wild East. Maybe then I could've continued to bury my sorrows in the Saloon."

Thanks for the correction! Original post below:

-------

I've been hooked on reading fanmade Undertale Yellow written works (i.e. fanfiction), and I notice there's a sort of headcanon(?) that mostly involve Ceroba getting drunk most of the time as a way to cope with grief.

Incidentally, while reading up on more fics, a certain song started playing, and I realized it does describe this aspect pretty well, so I'll be breaking the song's lyrics down and include some personal interpretations (though if anyone has some insights or info to add, that'd be great!)

------

「思い出酒」

omoide zake

Memories (brought forth from sake)

by Sachiko Kobayashi (小林幸子)

Feel free to listen to the song linked above in the title first—there's even a translation provided by the channel jpoptranslationsbyalulu, thought there are some nuances from other sources that I don't quite agree with (hence the personal interpretations).

Presuming that Ceroba does drink a lot, this song would make a lot more sense in that context—even more so that it's (modern) enka, a type of sentimental ballad where the song's theme often involves romance and bleak life themes, perhaps like heartbreak or loneliness. A love song of sorts in some ways.

If the underground had a karaoke box, I can imagine Ceroba singing to this.

With that, I'll be breaking down the song into stanzas and analyze each of them as follows:

---

Japanese

Romaji

English (literal translation)

Let's start with the first stanza:

無理して飲んじゃい��ないと

muri shite nonja ikenai to

"Do not force [yourself] to drink"

肩をやさしく抱きよせた

kata wo yasashiku dakiyoseta

Gently embraced the shoulder

Putting these two lines together, the nuance is that someone walked up to the singer (or speaker) and is warning her not to drink too much before pulling her into a gentle embrace.

It's interesting though that the second line is left ambiguous since there's nothing to specify who's doing the action (in this case, embracing their shoulder). As a result, some may interpret this as the speaker finding comfort and relief in the drink itself rather than a person.

Then again, the first line already indicates a sort of quote (と), so I think this was more in the literal sense of a stranger talking to the speaker.

You probably see where I'm going with this, but somebody (likely a certain sheriff) caught Ceroba over-drinking, and he's telling her to take it easy as he comforts her.

---

The song heads straight to the chorus (where the first and third lines are repeated, so I'll focus on the second lines in future choruses):

あの人どうしているかしら

ano hito doushiteiru kashira

How is that person faring?

噂をきけばあいたくて

uwasa o kikeba aitakute

[I] want to meet them upon hearing those rumors

おもいで酒に酔うばかり

omoide zake ni you bakari

Only drunk in sake and memories

Being close friends, it's no surprise that your friend's wellbeing will be a constant in your thoughts, but the second line seems to indicate a pretty strong desire, a longing to see them just thinking about them, just hearing a single mention of their name.

If only we knew what Ceroba was really thinking... Hm.

---

The second stanza:

ボトルに別れた日を書いて

botoru ni wakareta hi wo kaite

[I] write about the day I parted from the bottle

そっと涙の小指かむ

sotto namida no yubi kamu

and lightly bite my pinky wet with tears

It took a while for me to understand the 'bottle' part, but the speaker, who had such a strong tendency to lean towards drinking, is now putting a hold on drinking (parting from the bottle). Well, putting the sake bottle away anyway. Because the speaker is now drunk on something else: a certain feeling, a certain longing. A desire strong enough to put them off drinking (for even a day?) and long for this person it pains her.

---

The second chorus is the same except for the middle second line:

あの人どうしているかしら

ano hito doushiteiru kashira

How is that person faring?

出船の汽笛ききながら

defune no kiteki kikinagara

I hear the steam whistle of the ship

おもいで酒に酔うばかり

omoide zake ni you bakari

as [I] get drunk on sake and memories

Perhaps the speaker is still drinking, but at least this one time, she seems to be pouring her heart into a letter.

Really, most of the lines here are self explanatory, but that changed line makes it feel more like a farewell, as if the person the speaker longs for is about to leave her, or go some place far from her reach.

Almost as if the beloved person just... you know.

---

Third and final stanza before the last chorus:

いつかは忘れる人なのに

itsuka wa wasureru hito nanoni

Even if they're someone [I'll] forget one day

飲めば未練がまたつのる

nomeba miren ga mata tsunoru

When I drink, memories [of that person] will surface once again

It seems like the speaker has somehow managed to get over their problem... until they drink again. She's back to drinking. A relapse. Except this time, now there's an extra layer of heartbreak and longing.

Personally speaking, I don't really think about someone unless they're someone I wish I never met, or if it's a loved one who's... fallen. I think people don't really think about others until something bad happens. Either way, that relationship from earlier seems to have crumbled and is now only a memento for life (which the speaker may or may not choose to remember).

---

The final chorus with this line changed to:

あの人どうしているかしら

ano hito doushiteiru kashira

How is that person faring?

くらしも荒れたこのごろは

kurashi mo areta kono goro moNeglecting [my] life these days,

おもいで酒に酔うばかり

omoide zake ni you bakari

[I am] drunk in nothing but sake and memories

Back to square one, but it's reached a point where she just doesn't really care about her life or current state anymore, and the only seeming comfort is her initial solution: to drink and lose herself in long gone days and sake.

--------

Well, all of this is just a what-if analysis so it may not even apply to canon.

Also, I just noticed the beginning of the song just sounds very North Star. Starlo-ish. Hehe.

Time to write a fic involving this song.

Edit 2:

Just realized this song applies to Chujin as well

#undertale yellow #ceroba ketsukane #thoughts #song analysis #// I still think they're friends but that's what fics are for #// don't let that stop anyone from shipping tho

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dearweirdme · 1 year

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Sorry to add my two cents, but this is to go along with your response to some of these anons about stop looking at the details and look at big picture first.

Get to know the individuals before you decide they’re a couple. There’s a lot of content and it’s impossible to really consume it all, and I know a lot of times when people ship, they watch content *for their ship*. My advice is to take the shipping glasses off for a bit. Watch group content: behinds, memories, lives mostly, where they’re a little more free with their actions. Pick a member and just *watch that member*. See how they interact with people, how they express themselves. Don’t just watch ship compilations because sometimes they make big things out of their usual behaviors.

Both Tae and ji kookers love to point out when JK touches the others ass. You watch content, and JK is a known “slapping all my hyungs in the ass” love language expert. Jimin flirts, so much, with most of them. His love language is touch and he shows this often by flinging himself bodily on whoever is closest when he laughs. He respects people’s space but will be draped over those that accept it, usually Tae and JK. And his main form of comforting those two (and some of the others) is that neck touch. (I couldn’t find one of my favorite vmin moments but the live anon linked reminded me of it, where Tae tries to say something but the others are all talking and he eventually goes quiet. Jimin turns to him and touches him gently and says something like “go on, I’m listening.” Jimin is that sort of friend and it warmed my soul because he’s so so caring and considerate.) (Actually, if you watch vmin and jikook there are a lot of similarities.) Tae and Yoongi both have a tendency to quietly see a need and fulfill it without saying anything (passing a water bottle, staying by Joon’s side that one muster, etc).

This is getting long but the point is you can’t really point out what’s special about a relationship if you don’t have some sense of how they relate in the first place. The members all have such beautiful friendships and relationships and you’re really missing out if you only are looking at it through the perspective of a ship and mining for evidence devoid of both the context of the moment and the person as a whole.

Sorry to rant. I have a lot of feelings, clearly. I just find if you’re really getting so concerned about another ship 1) evaluate why it means this much to you and why you’re stressed about it, maybe take a step back and 2) watch more content with more members and appreciate the bonds. There was a time I let aggressive jkkers get to me to a point it was difficult to appreciate their actual bond because I knew what jkkers would see it as, but I took a step back, realized their opinions don’t actually matter and it’s not that important to let it get to me, and watched more source jikook content. They have such a lovely friendship if you can appreciate it without looking at it as a “rival” relationship and separate it from their shippers. No one’s really threatened by vmin because they’re able to do this. Approach jikook the same way.

Lost the plot a little at the end, thank you for reading! Remember guys, if you’re not enjoying yourself and it’s stressing you out, take a step back and take a break. Remember why things made you happy in the first place.

Hi anon!

I love this ask, because that is exactly how it is. It’s exactly why I can be sure of no existing romantic relationship between Jk and Jimin and it’s also why I feel Tae and Jk are real. One of my biggest pet peeves is that some see Jk and Jimin and Tae in such a different light than I do, and I have often felt that some shippers base the characters of all three on their supposed relationship, rather than the other way around. Like.. Jkkrs often see Jk as this dominant, petty, rulebreaking person, while I see so much softness in him. They see Jimin as this submissive, fearful, person who needs Jk to protect him, when Jimin is so strong himself. They see Tae as an attention seeking, not-caring person, when Tae always cares about everyone. No wonder that people get confused about members relationships (platonic or romantic), they don’t even understand the individuals.

#taekook #members #great ask #ship analysis

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giovanni-solos · 9 months

Text

My solution to absolutely everything that troubles me late at night is to yell to the rooftops about whatever has my interest, be it yapping off in my brain or reaching out to my bros. But tonight I decided “here we go I’m giving up my wack ass AU to Tumblr” as my coping skill.

It’s an age swap au mostly centered around DazAtsu (this is your cue to leave if your not here for that) and the 18 Dazai navigating through grief and life in the agency, along side his strange growing feelings towards Atsushi that he just can’t seem to name. the way I see it is that since him and Atsushi have swapped ages, it’s either his past would have taken place much earlier or he would have just skipped the years in hiding and gone straight to the other side like Oda had wished of him.

I’ve actually had two fanfictions written for it so far that have almost NOTHING to do with adjusting to his life because of inconsistency but I will still post the first one as well as the second one hoping I didn’t just copy paste the same exact link twice. Funny story I actually came up with this thanks to taking part in the 2023 DazAtsu week over on twitter before I deleted the app and account, it came with a art piece I’ve featured previously on here, those are (kind of) their designs but those aren’t the updated ones. God now that I’m thinking about it I’ve been cooking this up for MONTHS and haven’t said or done much of anything on it publicly.

Actually while I’m on my tangent here is the doodles, showcasing them mostly

The next one is an unfinished piece I made for them

I leave a lot of things unfinished in terms of both art and writing. But, without further adeiu here’s some little facts I managed to keep bouncing in my pinball machine of a brain:

• Dazai had been in contact with Ranpo after Oda’s death and received an offer to become a detective. While waiting by the iconic river for who he thought was Ranpo intrusive thoughts struck him and he jumped into the water. Atsushi fished him out and gave him his coat.

• he’s been stealing that damn huge coat any chance he gets ever since

• Dazai had one of Oda’s shirts, it became a source of comfort after his friend’s death to the point he just hardly took it off.

• Atsushi’s attire, though hardly professional is actually acceptable considering what his ability does to clothes.

• Yosano, Dazai, and Kyouka all share a close somewhat familial bond over their dealings with the port mafia and Mori. Yosano also has a spare key to Dazai’s dorm incase he relapses.

• Dazai still cannot cook for shit no matter how people try to teach him, not even his mentor crush Atsushi is successful in doing so.

• Dazai always feels intimidated by Fukuzawa, and tries his hardest to avoid eye contact with him afraid he’ll disrespect him.

• the dynamics of skk and sskk are mostly unchanged other than sskk being both wiser between themselves, and skk being two feral little shits that need to be put in cages.

not sure if I mentioned Chuuya and Akutagawa being swapped like Dazai and Atsushi. Oops.

Look at that you got to the end, feels good? Bad? Well you got here anyways. I quite enjoyed rambling to the walls of my enclosure hoping to be given a piece of cheese, I actually forgot about my stresses for a moment whilst i ran to go grab my sketches. ‘Twas nice, happy holidays you crazy people who decided to read this post.

#bungou stray dogs #dazatsu #bsd #dazai osamu #atsushi nakajima #bungo stray dogs #bsd atsushi #bsd dazai #age swap au #dontknowwhattocallitbutilikeit au #this is a mess #I like it messy #this was fun #I should ramble more often like this lmao

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novumtimes · 4 months

Text

My name is so embarrassing even teachers laughed about it now Im desperate to get it legally changed

A WOMAN has revealed that her name is so unusual, that even teachers and friends would laugh at it when she was growing up. As a result, the woman has shared that she’s even considering changing her moniker completely. 2 A woman has revealed she’s considering legally changing her name after people laughed at her over itCredit: Getty 2 She said even teachers laughed at her monikerCredit: Getty If there’s one thing you can’t choose in life, it’s your name – and for those unfortunate few, it’s not ideal when you don’t suit your name or simply don’t like it. It’s not uncommon for people to change their names when they reach adulthood – and one Reddit user has revealed that’s exactly what she’s considering doing after being made fun of her entire life. Her parents named her Ethereal, which, according to the Oxford dictionary, means something “extremely light and beautiful; seemingly to belong to another, more spiritual world”. Sharing her woes, she took to the social media website to explain: “My name is Ethereal. Yes, Ethereal. Growing up teachers would always giggle when they heard it and it made me feel self conscious so I went by Ethy for the most part.” Ethy then recounted a memory from middle school, where her name was one of their “vocab words” and all her fellow classmates laughed, too. “I asked my parents why they named me an adjective and my mom said she loves the meaning and pronunciation,” she continued. While in her personal and professional life, people still call her by her nickname Ethy, she’s been “considering changing it to that legally”. She added: “Ethereal is just too much. “I’m too introverted for that name.” Reddit users were keen to share their thoughts in the comments, as many sympathised with what she’s been through. ‘At first I thought this was weird, but now I like it’ people say as mum reveals unique way she’s naming her daughter One person wrote: “That’s an interesting name, although I’m sorry for your experience. “Thanks for sharing, it’s a good reminder for me to rein it in a little when looking at unique names for future kids. “I do really like Ethy as a nickname, though”. Another shared that her story was enlightened as they “wanted to name” their future child when she was just 16 years old. That’s an interesting name, although I’m sorry for your experience Reddit user They added: “That and Blueberry. I’m so sorry for you.” A third shared how they know someone with a similar experience, as they said: “This reminds me a lot of my friends daughter’s name, Gethsemane. She goes by Grace. Most Popular Baby Names of 2024 BabyCenter puts together a real-time list of the most popular baby names every year. Here’s 2024 results so far… GIRLS Emma Olivia Isabella Ava Sophia BOYS Noah Ethan Jacob Liam Logan “Ethereal and Gethsemane are both very beautiful names but definitely elicit a giggly response.” And a fourth took her story as a warning, as they explained: “Poor you! “I guess it’s similar to calling a boy Aether, a name which I really like but having second thoughts about it after reading this post!” Source link via The Novum Times

#The Novum Times

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aishwaryaaraiii · 7 years

Note

why is salman problematic?

DISCLAIMER: This ask contains trigger warnings and content dealing with domestic assault/abusive relationships and signs of abuse so please proceed with caution.

If I answer this, I would only get more pissed. Now, my dear friend @rangeelas sent me a link, and I will be using them for reference. First things first, if you are familiar with Aishwarya’s and Salman’s famous relationship, let me show you this photo and I will tell you the backstory behind it. This is just one of the many problematic aspects of Salman and his misgnostic and sexist ways

Now this photo? It’s definitely terrifying. In fact, this photo is from Filmfare 2002 Awards. And here’s a little backstory [you can read the full story of their relationship and how abusive Salman really was, and why her father hated Salman from the beginning and rightfully so]

Salman Khan is one of the three famous Khans (Shahrukh/Aamir) and unlike his colleagues he cannot act. He’s been in the industry for the past 25 years and has been unable to break out of a role other than innocent, well-doer, action hero. The industry continues to defend his actions.He has joked that “If he cannot play a good man in real life, he can at least play it onscreen.” (Actual quote!)How he has managed to survive?By creating a charity (Being Human) and his amazing PR manager Reshma Shetty who turned him into a saint. The industry continues to turn a blind eye to his antics and his cult continue to worship him (yes literally!) and threatens anyone who says anything negative about him.

A sample of his shitty behavior, there’s a lot more but here’s what I’ve gathered:AISHWARYA RAI

Salman Khan has been known to abuse almost all his girlfriends. Katrina’s relationship with Salman is very complicated (one that would take another novel to write but it really stems from her deeply rooted issues with a lack of a father figure as she never really had a stable father figure during major parts of her childhood).

Anyways…….back to the story here.

Aishwarya Rai and Salman Khan started dating during the filming of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. They would go on to date for two years from 1999 to 2001. However things went downhill, Salman would go on to create a ruckus by banging on her door demanding to be let in or he’d commit suicide, he kept this up till 3am until she let him in. Aishwarya’s father decided to file a police report on her behalf.Salman later said in an interview that she wasn’t returning his love, and that he was forced to turn violent.“If you won’t fight, that means there is no love between you, I will not fight with an outsider; when we fight, it is all because of our love,” he maintained stoically. He showed up drunk on the sets of her films Kuch Naa Kaho & Chalte Chalte and threatened Shahrukh Khan (who he suspected was having an affair with Ash) Shahrukh would go on to kick Ash out of the film and the rest of the films the duo had signed together.“In fact anyone who protested on Aishwarya’s behalf was labelled a traitor and given the Khan-damn treatment. The brutality and violence reached aflash -point for Aishwarya when she told him she couldn’t take him—and them (the violence and brutality) –any longer.

“No to Salman?? Nahinchalega, boss! (Not gonna happen, boss) Thereafter he began to hound the lady like a man possessed (which he has confessed to being). He monitored every move she made, and parked his vehicle outside her building daring her to step out. For an awards function, Aishwarya had to drive out crouching in the backseat of her car so that her jealous admirer wouldn’t espy her as she broke the ‘house arrest’ treaty. Salman landed up at the awards function to humiliate the lady in every way possible. Not a single soul intervened at the function. They watched mutely or pretended not to see as Salman threatened, heckled and jeered the lady.”

Aishwarya Rai dared to do write an open letter to the press of her abuse:

“After we broke up, he would call me and talk rubbish. He also suspected me of having affairs with my co-stars. I was linked up with everyone, from Abhishekh Bachchan to Shah Rukh Khan. There were times when Salman got physical with me, luckily without leaving any marks. And I would go to work as if nothing had happened.”

KATRINA KAIF

In 2012 a report came out that and Salman Khan beat (his ex) Katrina Kaif whilst they were filming for Ek Tha Tiger. The reason being she was wearing “figure-hugging/cleavage-revealing dress that showed too much skin”Katrina’s “friend” would go on to deny this report.However, when Salman Khan was asked about the incident about how he “got into a screaming match and allegedly tried to attack actor and then girlfriend Katrina Kaif with a stick on a movie set because he didn’t like her costume, Salman said: “It (the blouse) didn’t fit properly, and would have taken away from the beauty of the scene. Eat what you like, and wear what others like. It is as simple as that.”Salman Khan has also been accused of slapping Katrina Kaif at least on three separate occasions.Recently, there was an incident with the interviewer who witnessed Salman’s problematic behavior, and this is what he/she had to say {This was NOT the first time this happened]

You can read the rest of how and why Salman is just as bad as Johnny Depp but much much worse. Source:

#answered #bollywood2 #salman khan #katrina kaif #asks #this took me a while but thanks to my friend for linking me those sources #Anonymous

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teamconductors · 2 years

Text

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Lost Tracks of Time, Chapter 15

Summary: Team Conductors get rescued by an independent rescue team called Team Galaxy. Emmet takes his time exploring their base while waiting for Ingo to wake.

Author’s Note: For those who aren’t aware, there’s a new Derailed short story! It’s called “Derailed: Unchained”, and it’s technically an AU of Chapters 15 and 16 but you only need to read up to Chapter 14 to understand it. And if you haven’t already, check out the first chapter of Derailed called “Abduction”. It may not be canon, but please check it out! Here’s a link

This is a casual reminder that the characters of this AU with a clear canon counterpart do not perfectly match up to said counterpart.

Also, there might be something in here that qualifies as body horror? Nightmare sequences are fun.

Thank you @furiouskettle! Are you tired of me tagging you in every new chapter post? I am sincerely asking.

(Shippers DNI)

Emmet woke up in an alien location. His bed was a proper bed with linens, a blanket, and a pillow. It was soft and a great contrast with his hay bed at the Pearl Guild. In an identical bed next to him was Ingo. His coat was folded next to Emmet’s, and their hats rested on top of their respective coats, all on a bedside cabinet. A folded towel covered Ingo’s forehead. Across from both of them was Chandelure, who sat in a reclining chair. They were sleeping, but their flames were of healthy size.

Emmet realized he worked up a sweat during his sleep. He vaguely recalled the nightmare – it was the same one he always had, after all. He doesn’t know how many times he had seen it, but he could never remember much beyond screaming, falling, and wind. But one element lingered in his mind that wasn’t there before: sickness. An aura of nausea and weakness penetrated the entire dream, and he wanted to throw up or rip apart his stomach. At least that feeling didn’t follow him to the waking world.

Laventon walked into the room. “Oh! You’re awake! Hello, I am Laventon. I’m Team Galaxy’s doctor. We found you lot in the fieldlands nearby our base. Eelektross said he flew you all here. Are you doing well, Emmet?”

“I am well. What happened to Ingo? Where is Sneasler and Eelektross?” Emmet asked.

“Oh, okay. Well, Eelektross is in another room because he’s a large specimen and needs more space! As for Sneasler, that’s your Noble friend, right?” Laventon paused and saw Emmet nod. “Yes. I don’t know where she is, so I can’t help you there, but she doesn’t know where we are, I think.”

“What is our location?”

“Jubilife City! Or what’s left of it, that is. Cyllene and I found this building and made it our base! It’s no Pearl Guild, but there’s plenty of room for my studies, Rei’s tinkering, Cyllene’s training, and medical rooms for pokemon in need!”

“What happened to Ingo?” Emmet pointed at his brother. Chandelure napped in peace, and he felt well-rested. Ingo, meanwhile, twitched in his sleep like he was still feeling pain. “Why is Ingo still sleeping? He doesn’t like naps.”

“Well, it’s a peculiar thing. You, Chandelure, and Eelektross were all poisoned, but Cyllene and I were concerned about Ingo looking the same despite being a poison-type pokemon. Well, we took a closer look and… It should be okay for me to remove this temporarily.” Laventon hopped up onto Ingo’s bed. He was so light that the bed didn’t squeak under his weight. His little hand popped out and slowly removed the towel off Ingo’s forehead.

A crack stretched across the yellow gem on Ingo’s forehead.

Emmet struggled to keep his smile on. “Is he broken?”

“Well, yes, but not really?” Laventon replaced the towel to cover his gem again. “How shall I explain this? …Usually, pokemon with gems embedded in them have the gems as a power source or amplifier of power. The Lake Guardians is a good example of that! But for your species, I don’t think that’s the case. Ingo’s other injuries have been healed since we first found you all, which makes me think this crack is connected to his current state.”

“You can’t do anything else to heal him?” Emmet asked.

“That’s what the towel is for! It’s soaked in a salve that is slowly healing the crack. This only works because the gem isn’t connected to psychic powers or anything, but I do wonder… Head trauma alone isn’t enough to cause a crack like that. He had to be under a lot of pressure first before the final strike. Emmet, was he under a lot of stress? Or have anxiety issues or depression or anything similar?”

Emmet fidgeted with his blanket. “…Ingo puts a lot of pressure on himself. I tried to get him to rest. He couldn’t.”

“I see… In that case, we’ll just let him rest for now,” Laventon said. “And you can rest as well. We don’t need two Sneasels to get cracked gems. If you need anything, please shout for one of us!”

Laventon left the room. After a few moments of waiting, Emmet, unable to handle the silence, put on his coat and hat and jumped off his bed.

***

Rei had finished checking on Eelektross. On his way to check on the Sneasel twins and Chandelure, he encountered Emmet. He was pacing up and down the hallway with his arms and legs completely straight while swinging about. A trail formed on the rug he paced on.

“S-Sir? Are you okay?” Rei asked, taken aback from the sight.

“Thinking,” Emmet said. He continued taking laps in the hall, even waving at Rei once he realized he was present.

“What?”

“I am thinking.”

“…Thinking about what?”

“A lot of things.”

There was a pause in the conversation. Rei wasn’t sure how to approach Emmet. “Are you… worried about your brother? I heard from the others you’re siblings, right?”

“Yes. I am Emmet. Ingo is my twin brother. I am worried about him.”

“Well, you don’t need to. The Professor is really smart with medicine, and Ingo will be back to fighting shape soon.” Rei played with the ends of his scarf. “Are you… worried about Lady Sneasler?”

“Hmm, yes, I am.”

“Well, that makes sense… You know what? I’ll let you get back to… whatever it is you’re doing. Sorry for bothering you.” Rei walked past Emmet, who had not stopped pacing at any point during their conversation, to check on Chandelure and Ingo.

Emmet had gone back to pacing so that he could think – think about Ingo, think about Sneasler, think about his strategy to defeat and free Sneasler, think about what moves he would need for their battle, think about how he freed Ingo but couldn’t free anyone else from the Red Chain, think about how many of his rules he broke, think about what to tell Ingo as soon as he woke up.

Rei, however, brought him out of his thoughts. “Oh, Emmet! Can I ask you something about Ingo?” he asked from inside his brother’s infirmary room. Emmet ran inside and saw Rei using the bedside cabinet as a stool to see Ingo at eye-level. “What is on his wrist? I don’t recognize that sort of technology.”

“It’s a watch,” Emmet said.

“Really? Never seen one like it.” Rei turned his head around the watch, trying to look at it from different angles without touching Ingo. “Though it looks like it could use a new screen… Do you think Ingo would let me tinker with it if I asked?”

“Not sure. Ask him when he wakes up.” If it was up to Emmet, he’d let Rei check out the watch, but Ingo was possessive over certain items beyond his reasoning. He figured the Arc Watch fell into that category.

“Yeah, I’ll just wait until then. Thank you anyway, Emmet.” Rei watched Emmet return to the hallway and walk around without so much as a goodbye. He was just busy and forgot, Rei thought.

***

Emmet was no longer satisfied in pacing outside of the hallway of Ingo’s room and decided to explore more of Team Galaxy’s base. Despite the building being hundreds of years old, it held firm and had minimal signs of age. Even the paint and wallpaper appeared to have been applied within the past few years. Though that may not sound important to others, Emmet knew appearances mattered. One of his rules is to smile, after all.

Emmet noticed a closed door and opened it. Inside, Eelektross tried and failed to sleep on a bed like a normal-sized pokemon. Instead, his long body was piled around like a discarded scarf. He used the bed as a headrest.

“Eelektross, you look cramped,” Emmet said. He recalled Laventon’s words about needing to give Eelektross more space.

“I’m fine, I just tried to stretch… It didn’t work out…” Eelektross said. He wiped his eyes. “Emmet, I’m so glad you’re okay…! Sneasler’s poison was nasty...”

“I am Emmet. I will not let poison stop me in my tracks,” Emmet said.

“Of course you wouldn’t… Uh, you really are the real Emmet, aren’t you?”

Emmet furrowed his eyes in confusion. “Yes, I am Emmet. I am a Sneasel, but I am Emmet.”

“Right… I’m sorry for doubting you. I just thought… it’s been a long time… maybe you were just some reincarnation of Emmet… but you really look like him. You sound like him. I think you are him. Is that… pathetic?”

“No, I am Emmet.”

“…Okay.” Eelektross wasn’t sure what other response he expected.

“While I am thinking of it, I must thank you, my Eelektross.”

“What for?”

“You brought our team to safety when Ingo and I couldn’t. Thank you.”

“Oh, of course. I’m glad these pokemon are nice… Is… Is Ingo awake yet?”

“Nope.”

“What is happening…? I don’t remember Ingo getting sick this much...”

“Laventon said it’s stress.”

“Okay, that makes some sense… You two don’t remember much, but you also say that a lot still live in your hearts. I wonder if his heart is remembering something causing it?”

Emmet’s default smile softened. The battle was a blur, but Sneasler’s distorted cries echoed within his head. ‘Warden Ingo’, she called him. The combination of words meant little to Emmet’s ears, but he watched Ingo’s defenses fall from the same words. Sneasler’s strike made Ingo crash into the ground headfirst. “…Okay, I’ll ask him.”

“What, now?”

“No, when he’s back at this station. Later, Eelektross.”

“Bye…?” Eelektross waved as Emmet tipped his hat and left his room. As sudden as it was, it didn’t surprise him too much. There were plenty of times Emmet forgot his usual manners because he was focused on something else. Eelektross shrugged and resumed his attempts to untangle himself.

***

When Emmet went back to exploring, he noticed a room different than the others. Several bookshelves were precariously stacked on each other, all filled with aged books. There was a couch and desk with a chair for reading. It reminded Emmet of a smaller version of the Pearl Guild’s library. Laventon sat in one of the chairs. His book about the Hisuian Nobles hid his body, and he had to lower it to look at the pokemon that entered his library.

“Hello again, Emmet!” Laventon said. “Are you a fan of reading?”

“Reading is good. Reading is important. I have done a lot of reading recently.” He and Ingo combed through Calaba’s library so much that they found books she didn’t realize she owned. He was almost tired of having to do so much research. Still, curiosity guided him, and his eyes scanned Laventon’s collection.

“If you’re feeling anxious, I could make some tea to help calm nerves,” Laventon said.

“No, I do not need tea right now.” Emmet pointed up to a book on the higher shelves. “That one looks interesting.”

“You want to get up there? Sure, give me one-“ Before Laventon could offer a ladder, he witnessed Emmet climb the shelves. “Please be careful!”

By the time Laventon pushed a ladder to Emmet’s location, Emmet pulled out the book he wanted and jumped back down, falling from a distance three times his height. “Here it is.” He showed Laventon the book. It was titled On the Rails: A History of Trains. He began flipping through the pages.

“Oh, do you like human modes of transportation, Emmet?” Laventon asked. “I’m studying humans! I like learning about their history, culture, lifestyle… I read a lot about what it was like for humans and pokemon to live together, but I wish I could have seen it myself. But I also am studying pokemon behavior in mystery dungeons! It’s so strange, how normal pokemon can behave so differently after long-term exposure to a mystery dungeon environment! And then there’s pokemon who can resist it, like your friend Eelektross. There are so many mysteries in the world, Emmet! I formed Team Galaxy with Cyllene to help me uncover mysteries and help my studies, so I’m so glad to see someone who shares a similar passion!”

“Indeed,” Emmet said. He flipped through the book, but despite appearances, he listened to Laventon’s every word. “Ingo and I have memory troubles. I think we were passionate about trains specifically, but we couldn’t remember what they were. It was strange.” He paused his page flipping and stared at the book for a moment. “…Can I keep this?”

“Sure! I think you want that one more than me, so feel free to have it!”

“Thank you. I will now depart.” Emmet ran out of Laventon’s study room, book still in hand.

***

“Ingo!” Emmet ran back to the room Ingo was resting in. “I know what trains are!” He pulled up a chair and sat down next to Ingo’s bed. “I can’t wait to show you when you wake up.”

Chandelure woke up and floated next to Ingo at the opposite side from where Emmet sat.

“You are back to operating condition?” Emmet asked.

Chandelure smiled and nodded.

“That is good.” Emmet turned the book around in his hands, then he set it down next to Ingo. His smile softened. “I have been thinking. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. …I like taking challenges as they come. I don’t worry about the future as long as I have fun. I have fun winning battles, and I have fun when I’m fighting serious battles. …But battles have become too serious. The Nobles talk like the world is headed towards a final stop.

“…I want to talk about battle strategies with you, Ingo. We will need teamwork to free Sneasler. It shouldn’t be hard for us once you heal.” Laventon’s words about Ingo’s injury bounced around in Emmet’s mind. “…I found you, but it feels like I’m losing you again. Please wake up, Ingo. I don’t know how we ended up on this track, but I can’t travel it alone. I don’t want to. I already failed as a conductor by not helping Sneasler in time. I don’t want to fix my mistake alone.”

Ingo didn’t respond. Feeling that he couldn’t enunciate his feelings into words anymore, Emmet rested his head on the bed and waited. He watched Chandelure’s flames burn. Though the fires made him sweat, they weren’t too uncomfortable for him. Chandelure’s power hadn’t worked on him before due to his typing, but before he knew it, Emmet fell sleep.

At first, the familiar vague nightmare took its hold on Emmet’s mind, but then it burned and made way for a new, stranger dream. Emmet was human. Two pokemon stood in front of him. One was a smaller, younger-looking Eelektross, and the other was Chandelure. Next to Emmet was another human. He sounded like Ingo. There were two other humans and two pokemon across from them, but he couldn’t identify who they were. The walls were of metal; Emmet realized their location was a “subway train”. The pokemon battled, and Emmet and the human who had to be Ingo conducted their pokemon together. The train was warm and lit in a vague violet-blue light. All was well.

All was well until Emmet looked up and noticed the metal walls and ceiling melting. Molten steel dripped around everyone to the point that Eelektross and Chandelure both were dodging drops of metal like any other pokemon attack. Emmet himself noticed he was shorter than before. He looked down. His legs were melting and pooled onto the floor. He tried to step back, but because half of his legs liquified into a substance like white paint, he fell onto his back with a splat. Ingo called out to Emmet and offered a hand. Emmet reached out, but his hand and arm burst apart. The rest of Emmet’s body followed suit.

Emmet woke up with a gasp. Sweat matted his fur. He noticed Ingo was still sleeping, his condition unchanged. Across from Emmet, Chandelure stared at him with a concerned, scared expression.

“You. You tried to stop my nightmare?” he asked.

Chandelure nodded.

“Don’t. Don’t do that again. That was not fun.” Emmet gave Chandelure a smile to let them know he wasn’t angry.

***

Emmet took to pacing around the room. Chandelure was uneasy watching him, even if he did it back when he was human, too. The walking just made it easier to think.

Ingo stirred. “…Emmet?”

“Ingo! You’re way behind schedule,” Emmet said. He jumped back to his seat next to his brother.

“What is this station? Where are we? And where’s Sneasler?”

“We are at Jubilife City. We are at Team Galaxy’s base. As for Sneasler, her location is… unknown.”

“Sneasler is in danger… We need to depart!” Ingo sat up, throwing the towel off his forehead. He then grabbed his head and slowly laid back down. His forehead gem was still cracked, though not nearly as deep or large as it was earlier.

Emmet retrieved the towel. “Sorry, Ingo. There will be no departing until you are back to standard operating condition.”

“I see… I may not like it, but very well. I am still worried for Sneasler. From what I remember of getting connected to the Red Chain, she must be in critical pain and distress.”

“I agree. I want her to be back to normal, too. I have been trying to come up with a new strategy. Our last one wasn’t good enough.”

“Did we have a strategy?” Ingo asked sincerely.

Emmet placed his hands on his hips. “I attacked Sneasler with all I could. You didn’t attack at all.”

Ingo rubbed the fabric of his blanket between his claws. “I was hoping to appeal to her emotionally to stop her. We wouldn’t be able to beat her in a battle.”

“We can. I am Emmet, and you are Ingo. We are pokemon. We are a two-car train. We have to battle.” Emmet let himself show a little irritation, though he kept his smile on. “Please don’t be ridiculous. Battles worked before. Why change a successful strategy?”

Ingo frowned more. “…I did hesitate from battling against Sneasler, which I now regret. I try to make sure all of our passengers are treated the same, but it appears that I have a weakness for Sneasler. But I would likely hesitate again if you were the one Chained, Emmet.”

Emmet’s signature smile softened. “…Oh.” Emmet cared for Sneasler, but Ingo’s words made him reflect on his perspective. Ingo was always the one who was better at talking. “In that case, if you somehow still got Chained, I would battle you. But I would only do it if it was the correct course of action. I will not hesitate to help Sneasler, and I would not delay in helping you, Ingo.”

Ingo’s eyes widened. He had a realization, too. “Ah, I see. I apologize.”

“I do, too.” Emmet relaxed a little with Ingo’s response. He didn’t like getting angry at his brother. He literally couldn’t remember the last time they disagreed so deeply, but at least it was resolved quickly.

“I thought I heard a new voice!” Laventon said as he entered. He was on a different floor of the base, but the new voice clearly travelled around the building. “Ingo, good to see you’re awake, my boy! Though you’re still not fully healed, I see.”

“Good day, Professor. My name is Ingo. You are part of Team Galaxy, correct? Thank you for assisting us!”

“Of course, of course, Ingo! We’re glad to help another rescue team in need,” Laventon said. Only Rei called him ‘Professor’, so he wasn’t sure how Ingo knew about that nickname. “As soon as you’re all healed, we’ll let you go out and do what you need to do!”

“Thanks,” Emmet said.

“Yes, thank you! We will need to meet with the Nobles for assistance to…” Ingo’s eyes widened. “Oh no!”

“Ingo, what is wrong?” Emmet asked.

“Sneasler’s Toxic Plate!” Ingo sat up as the horror set in. His mind spun around, but the shock from the realization was too great for him to mind it. “Lady Sneasler was the only Noble who still held her plate! But now she’s Chained, so she must have delivered her plate to the conductor of this nefarious plot!”

“Oh, the Toxic Plate? I am ahead of you.” Emmet reached inside his coat and pulled out a familiar purple slate.

“The Toxic Plate! How did you obtain this?!” Ingo asked.

“When I was battling Sneasler, I used Thief,” Emmet said. “Thief is a good move to surprise an opponent. I am glad I learned it.”

“Excellent! Bravo, Emmet!” Ingo was so relieved that his hands shook. “Now we can prepare for the route ahead and aim solely for freeing Sneasler.”

“I see everyone in Team Conductors is conscious.” Cyllene floated into the room and stood firmly on the ground. “This should make our coming battle less taxing on my team.”

“Come again, Cyllene?” Laventon tried to remain calm, but he didn’t like Cyllene’s grim tone.

“Professor, it’s bad news!” Rei said as he charged to rejoin everyone. “Lady Sneasler is approaching our base!”

#pmd lost tracks of time #pokemon mystery dungeon #pokemon legends arceus #pokemon legends arceus spoilers #pokemon ingo #pokemon emmet #submas #pmd au #pla au #for the people who HAVE read the first Derailed... you may recognize a scene...

118 notes · View notes

oonajaeadira · 2 years

Note

I am not stealing anything. I have removed/ changed everything I've been asked to remove. I voiced my opinion. This post by @stealyourblorbos is unwarranted, nasty, and untrue. If y'all would give me a chance, then maybe this can be worked out without hard feelings and people being blocked.

Come sit next to me, kitkat. Let me love on you. Gonna say some things that you might not like all the way, but I see that you're angry and hopefully I can help you see where I'm at.

Listen. Jules is a good friend of mine and I trust her. With my life. Every interaction I've had with her has been genuine and while I don't know everything about her life, I know enough that having her work stolen can be not only demoralizing, but damaging to her profits. She is a working artist. And while, yes, she does post stuff very generously online for free, those posts can bring her commissions and work. So to have someone pass them off as their own can be severely heartbreaking and damaging.

I didn't see the posts in question, so I have to imagine what the situation was. I truly believe that you didn't mean to pass the work off as your own. You may have just seen something beautiful and posted it because you're curating your blog. But if you don't credit the artist or reblog from the original source, that is basically you claiming yourself as the OG poster, and that is a kind of theft. It's better if you post a link to the artist. But it's best if you reblog from the original post itself. That's how the artist intended the work to be shown and it also directs people back to their blog so they can gain interest and therefore work.

You already know all of this and I'm sorry if this comes off as condescending. I don't want to condescend. At all. I asked you to sit by me for a reason.

If you noticed, I did NOT block you. In fact, the post led me to follow you. Because as much as I trust Jules, I also love her a hell of a lot and I know myself enough to know that emotions can do things to judgment. I wanted to make sure I wasn't just blocking you blindly out of my love for her. I always want to give people the benefit of the doubt and see their side of things before I bring out the pitchfork.

So I took a look at your page. Did I see anything that was stolen and passed off as your own? No. Did I see a few pieces of reposted artwork that wasn't credited? I did. Hmm. So there's some improvement that could happen there. But. I appreciate that you have done your best to remedy the situation. I'm glad you ultimately respected the wishes of the artist to remove a piece when it was asked you do so. Thank you.

Now then, let's get to my actions. Did I reblog Jules' post? You bet I did. She was hurt, she's my friend, and she's a fellow creator. As a creator myself I would feel horrible if someone reposted my work without crediting me. I felt that hurt in my soul. And whether you apologized or took down the posts, that hurt remains and distrust will linger. Righting a wrong does not instantly warrant forgiveness. That must be earned.

If you did something to hurt and you're sorry for it, then you'll do what you can to show that you truly appreciate the art that you put on your blog. In this case, you could do your best to credit and support the artists whose art you love. Follow a few of them and get to know them. Tell your followers who they are and why you love their art. Become a friend to artists.

However, if you believe you weren't in the wrong, that others are overreacting, then I stand by my reblog of Jules' post. You'll notice my tags were something along the line of "don't do this." And I mean that. This is a cautionary tale for others. "Please, fandom friends, don't treat creators this way. It hurts, and we'll get angry about it."

So know that while I listen to my friend--someone who has been nothing but good to me and deserves my support--I'm also listening to you. I hear you. I am 100% giving you a chance. I don't want to block you, because in this fandom we've all been through enough mistaken conduct and finger-pointing and really, all we all wanna do is love a really nice man and the work he does. I know that's what Jules wants, it's what I want, and taking the time to peek at your blog, now I think that's probably what you want too.

But just to be sure, I'll give you a follow and get to understand you better. While I must support my friend's feelings, I hope in time I can come to trust that your intentions are well-meaning.

(gif by dieter-bravo)

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eclectickss · 3 years

Text

Make Me Feel Special (1/2)

Pairing: Milf!Agatha Harkness x fem!reader

Warnings: Mommy issues/kink, sexual implications, major age gap (reader is of age)

Summary: You are angry at your best friend for turning down the opportunity for something that you would give your life for: a mother.

Word Count: 3K?

Link to Part 2

A/N: Not grammar checked at all! A blurb gone big!(still at writers block on PGATW) But requests are open! I’ve never done one before but i’m willing to try. <3

You entered the apartment and placed your keys in the dish and jacket on it’s hook, making your way into the kitchen to place your to-go food in the fridge. Jane sat at the island on the computer you shared, and you smiled.

“Hey, I picked up sandwiches for dinner. Hope that’s cool.”

“Yeah, sounds good.”

Your best friend didn’t look up, but it didn’t really bother you. Well, she was your only friend, but still.

You and Jane had been sharing the apartment for years now, The two of you working a good job to afford it and making a livable income. You had been close since high-school, due to your similar social status, but beyond the two of you, nobody was too good at making friends.

From what she had told you, Jane’s mom wasn’t around much when she was growing up. Jane was a teen pregnancy, and ever since she was born, her mom made no time for her daughter. Agatha, was her name.

Agatha came from a wealthy family, though. Her parents (Jane’s grandparents) wouldn’t allow her to use the family money for her child, much less anything else. She struggled with Jane, and therefore the two of them were ever close.

Agatha’s parents died when Jane was in high-school, so her mom inherited their wealth, but their relationship was past salvageable. At least in Jane’s eyes, it was.

Jane was always telling you about how bad of a mom Agatha was and about how you were lucky that you didn’t have to deal with someone like her. Jane didn’t understand though. You would had given anything to have someone like Agatha. Even if she wasn’t around to much, it was still better than nobody at all.

You were now setting the table for two as you pulled the sandwiches out of the fridge, also finding some strawberries to place at the table. You now were looking through the pantry for chips when you heard a knock at the door and Jane moving around to answer it.

“Mom?!” You heard at the door while you still had your head buried in the pantry. Your eyes widened at the name, never expecting to hear it in your life (in that context, at least). You thought Agatha was out of the picture. “What are you doing here?” You stayed silent as you listened from around the corner.

“Well, I think it’s long overdue that we had a talk, Jane, honey.” She sounded a little more raspy than you were expecting, but that doesn’t say much about someone who used to be an addict.

“We don’t do that, Mom. Anyways, now isn’t a good time.” You heard your friend sigh. The woman was your literal mother... you could at least give her five minutes, you thought.

“I want to start, honey. Please just let me in?”

“You have got to be kidding me.”

“C’mon, kiddo.” She begged, and you felt a little bad for how Jane was acting. You know her mom wasn’t a great person, but she was still her mom.

You never got to have one of those.

“If this is just you on another one of your sobriety stunts...”

“I’m really trying this time, Jane! I know I fucked up, baby, but please.”

“Fine.” Your friend grumbled. You heard increasing footsteps and your heart raced as you were about to meet the source of Jane’s complaints and drama.

You hurried to sit at the kitchen counter before the two women caught you snooping, but your gaze snaps up just in time to see Agatha Harkness walk into the room.

Jane might have always mentioned that her mother was any and all variations of a bitch, but she failed to mention how attractive the woman was. Her messy brown hair sat on top of an old purple cardigan and worn out jeans, followed by a pair of well-used slip-on shoes. The look together was not extremely flattering, but Agatha somehow pulled it together in a way that made your stomach turn. Your eyes raked her down, but you think she caught you when you met her gaze again. She smirked softly.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you had guests!” She says as her own eyes follow your figure, and you wonder if she’s just doing it to mock you or flatter you. She looks back up with a glimmer in her eye, and you decide on the latter option. Your face goes red, but you try and brush her actions off, not wanting to mistake it for anything else.

“Didn’t I say that this was a bad time?” Jane grumbled.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Harkness. My name is YN.” You smiled as you held out your hand.

“Call me Agatha, darling.” She stared into your eyes. “It’s so nice to finally meet one of Jane’s friends.” You panic under her gaze.

“We were just about to sit down for dinner, if you want to join us. We don’t have any food for you, but-“

“Oh, thank you... I was hoping I could talk to Jane in private, though.” She walked over to the table and took a seat.

“Whatever you have to say to me, you can say it to YN, too.” The two of you joined Agatha at the table.

A long moment of awkward silence passsed between the three of you before your guest finally spoke up.

“I want you in my life, Jane. For real this time.”

Nobody says anything, and dishes stop clattering.

“I know I shoulda done this earlier... hell, I shoulda done this when I got claim to my parent’s money, but I want to look after you. I never got the chance to do that when you were young... cause of all the drinking and working... but I can do that now. I’m ready.”

Jane sat with her mouth open and a half eaten sandwich forgotten on her plate.

“No, Mom, you shoulda done this from the moment I was conceived. You don’t get a second chance with me. I’m not giving you a second chance, or a third or a fourth or whatever number you wanna give yourself. You wanna know why? It’s because I already did that. And you let me down every single time.”

Agatha looked a little speechless.

“Fine, then.” She sighed. “I won’t bother you again.” But it hurt you to watch a daughter turn away her mother, when that was an opportunity that you wanted so badly. “Is it alright if I stay the night, though? It’s a long drive back to my place.”

Jane rolled her eyes, knowing that her mother was being dramatic, but didn’t want to put up with any more of her antics. “I better not see you in the morning. YN can get blankets for the couch.”

“Hey, Jane,” You sighed as you entered her room.

“Hey, YN. I’m sorry you had to deal with the shit show that is my mother. I can’t believe she just walked in here and expected me to accept her pathetic invitation.”

“No, it’s ok. She’s not that bad with me.”

“Well she just met you. I just don’t understand why she thought showing up unannounced would magically make me want a mother again. It’s fucked up.” Jane said, but you couldn’t sit there and watch her tear down something that you wish you had.

“Yeah,” you mumbled and rushed out of her room before she could say anything else.

You walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass, then headed over to the sink for some tap water. The cool liquid rushed down your throat as you held down your tears, thankful that nobody was around.

“Hey, Honey,”

Shit. You forgot that Agatha was on the couch.

You turn around to see her meeting your gaze, although her eyes quickly found the way to the rest of your body.

“You doing alright, babygirl?” The nickname made you heat up. She spoke with concern and care; something that Jane chose to ignore, which made you feel bad for Agatha. You wish that Jane wouldn’t take for granted what her mother was trying to offer her.

“Uh... yeah... I guess.” You sigh, hopping up to sit on the counter as you watch the other woman fill her own glass at the sink. “Jane is just... being a little hard right now.” You chose your words carefully, not wanting to lose the trust of your friend but also wanting to gain the trust of another.

“What do you mean?” You realize the situation you have put yourself in.

“It’s just... I didn’t have a mom at all growing up. Or a dad. I had my shitty uncle... until he tossed me into the foster system. I had it real rough... and it still kinda is... but Jane has been helping. That’s why we’re friends at least. She might view me as a charity project, but i’m desperate, I guess.”

“What does all of this have to do with Jane being hard, hon?” She leaned onto the counter across from you.

“She didn’t really have a mom, either... growing up. No offense.”

Agatha shrugged. “I know.”

“But now that she’s given an opportunity to have one, she turns it down... and it makes me jealous. Mad. Angry.” You pause. “I know I’ll never get the chance at a mom, but she has one. And fuck, I would give so much to have that.”

“To have someone like me? A recovering drunk who treated their teen pregnancy like a joke?”Agatha sighed into her hands, but her words meant so much more to you than she may ever know.

“Yeah. To have someone like you. Someone who cares.” At that, she looked up with a new light in her eyes, but you don’t meet her gaze. You don’t want her to see the blush or desire written on your face, so instead, you pull a cigarette out from your jacket pocket.

She watches you as you hop down from the counter to get the lighter out of the junk drawer, paying attention to the way your body moves. You notice how her eyes follow you, but you don’t call her out on it, knowing you would do the same if the roles were reversed.

“You want a hit?” You lift your eyebrow as you raise the smoke to meet her gaze. A glint of humor is caught on her face, and you smirk.

“Sure... why not.” She says as you join her in leaning up against the counter. You bring the cigarette up to your mouth and click the lighter.

“So,” Agatha starts again, both of you a few puffs in. “How did you end up here with Jane?”

“Uhh... we met senior year of high-school. I was fucked up. Shit grades. Wasn’t going to graduate. Drug money to pay off... no job. Jane used your money to pay off my debt. She found me a job. Tutored me. Like I said, I felt like a charity project. But at least I graduated. We both work now and pay for this place together. Maybe it’s not great but we’re both better off than we were a few years ago.”

“Why didn’t she accept anything I tried to give her? Did she tell you?” Agatha was prying, but you didn’t mind.

“You mean after high-school? She didn’t want any help from you. In her words exactly... ‘She wasn’t there for me for the first 18 years of my life, so why should she help out now...’”

“And what do you think about that?”

“I didn’t grow up poor, Agatha. I grew up with nothing. I would have taken any of your offers in a heartbeat, no matter how guilty they made me feel.”

“Good girl.” She nearly whispers, and you turned to face her, but you couldn’t make anything out of the expression written on her face. Your own skin was hot and something was burning in your core, and you didn’t know what to think.

“I’m sorry... what did you just say?” You watched as she put the cigarette out, now giving you her undivided attention.

“So tell me, honey, do you have a boyfriend? I’m assuming a pretty thing like you would have one. Tell me about him.” Part of you wondered where this conversation was going, but the other part assumed that she already knew which direction you leaned in.

“Uhh... not my type.” You stared at her with curiosity.

“So you got a girlfriend, then?” Her new confidence shocked you a little bit.

“Uhh... no.” You tilted your head, and she seemed to pick up on your confusion.

“Good girl.” Your mouth was dry. “You see, mommy doesn’t want you having a girlfriend... no, she wants you all to herself.”

Your eyes widen in shock, but your core aches and cheeks burn. You stare at the woman next to you as a hand slides onto your thigh.

“Oh come on, darling. You said you wanted a mommy, baby. I wanna take care of you. I see the way you look at me. Don’t deny you want me too.” She spins around and pins you to the counter, and you audibly gulp.

“But- Jane.” You whine, already being driven crazy by the proximity of Agatha’s body.

“Jane is kicking me out, baby girl. And you can come live with me. Mommy has a pretty house, honey. I can feed you, clothe you... make you feel good. I can make you feel special.” And God, your soul was ready to leave your body. You wanted this. You could hardly think as her soft lips grazed over the skin on your neck, and a soft moan escaped your throat. Her tongue and teeth pulled at the skin just below your ear, trying to pull a response out of you.

“Mom!” The both of you jumped at the third voice in the room. The two of you turn to Jane in shock. “What the FUCK are you doing!” She rushed over to the two of you, pulling Agatha off of your body. “You can’t just come into my life and try to fuck my friends after someone rejects you!” She pushes her mom back and turns to you.

“Oh my god, YN, are you ok? I cannot believe that she tried to touch you. God, that makes me sick.” She hugged you, but you still couldn’t say anything.

“Jane, honey, you don’t know-“

“Shut up! I can’t even look at you! Get out of my house, mom. I never want to see you again.” Jane’s face turned red with anger.

“Honey-“ Agatha met eyes with you, but you didn’t know what to do.

“Leave! Now.” She seethed and stomped back to the bedroom, expecting Agatha to be gone when she got back.

The woman in front of you moved silently while you still processed what just happened. When she returned with her belongings, she gave you a note, but headed out without saying a word.

After a few minutes, you finally looked at the piece of paper in hand.

If you ever make up your mind...

1286 Lincoln St NW

(673) 867-5309

-Agatha

“YN, are you sure you’re alright? I really never would have expected my mom to touch you or even make you feel uncomfortable. I’m so sorry.” Jane sighed as she sat on the bed.

“I’m fine, J. You don’t have to apologize on her behalf.” You replied, sitting on the chair opposite her.

“I mean what even happened. Why did she do that?”

“Umm... I don’t know. We were just talking and then she started that.”

“What we’re you talking about?”

“Oh, I was just explaining how we met.” You tentatively answered.

“YN you didn’t have to tell her that. I know it’s personal for you, I can’t believe she forced you to talk about it.

“I uhh- actually didn’t mind. I wasn’t forced.”

“Then why would you trust her with something like that? You know how she is.”

“Because...” You thought about your next words carefully. “She cares.” Jane scoffs.

“That must be a different woman we’re talking about, YN. My mom is a selfish bitch who only cares for herself.”

That tipped the iceberg for you.

“You know, Jane? I understand that you and her might never be besties like she wants you to be, but that doesn’t mean you get to fuck her over now that she’s trying.” Your friend looks up at you in shock.

“Well she fucked me over my entire life, so I don’t see why I can’t do the same.”

“Because! Jane! She’s changed! It’s only right that you give her one more shot in your life!”

She took a pause.

“I’m sorry, YN, are you defending my MOM? After everything she’s done to me, and everything i’ve done for you?!”

“Yes. It is sick watching you throw something away that I can only dream of.” You spat angrily.

“Geez, YN. Just- get out of my fucking house. Keep your rent money for the month. Pack your shit and get the hell out of here.” She nearly ran out of the room.

But you weren’t surprised. In fact, you expected this the moment you chose your side.

The knocks resonate through the large door attached to the even larger house. Agatha has money.

You thought Jane was over exaggerating a little bit, but now you understood that she wasn’t. You sighed as your cab sped away, and now all you could do was wait.

Agatha opened the door, slightly shocked to see you, but nevertheless happy.

��Hey baby, what is it?”

You took a deep breath, taking in the sight of the woman who stood in front of you.

“I want you to make me feel special, mommy.”

link to part 2

#agatha harkness #agatha harkness x reader #agatha harkness x female reader #agatha all along

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dongofthewolf · 3 years

Note

Hiii! Can I request no.9 from the cliché prompts and fake dating au?

Making Amends

Abby Anderson x Reader

Prompts: 9. “There’s only one bed and we sleep as far away as possible from each other but wake up cuddling” 18. Fake dating au

Warnings: swearing, fluff, hint of angst, Owen and Mel slander (sry I had to)

No pronouns are mentioned for the reader

Link to the prompt list here

A/N: Both tropes are literally my favourite things ever and it was so fun to write so ty for requesting it. It ended up way longer than I intended so uhhh yeah hope you enjoy LOL (esp if you requested it)!!

“What the hell Abby?! Have you been telling people that we’re dating?” You had cornered Abby into a secluded hallway, trapping her against the wall with your finger on her chest accusingly.

There was a flicker of fear in Abby’s eyes as she chewed on her lip nervously. Abby was considerably stronger than you and you probably looked like a mouse trying to intimidate a lion, but you didn’t care.

Abby couldn’t meet your burning gaze, all she replied with was a prolonged “Uhhhhhh”.

“Abigail Anderson, answer me right now or I swear to God-” It was rare for you to whip out her full name. And maybe it was kind of a cheap move, but it was a cheap move that almost always worked.

“Fine!” Abby interrupted, letting out a short sigh and preparing herself for the worst. “I kind of told Owen we were dating and I'm pretty sure he’s been telling other people.”

She said the words as quickly as possible, closing her eyes like a bomb was about to go off. Your reaction wasn't far off to say the least.

“You what? Why the fuck would you tell him we’re dating?” There was venom in your words and Abby flinched just slightly.

You were angry, incredibly so. You and Abby have always been close friends, or more so you had been until she started dating Owen. At first it was small things; cancelling plans or leaving early because she was busy and you completely understood. It’s not like you didn’t want her to hang out with him, and obviously you wanted her to be happy, but eventually it got to a point where she hardly ever spoke to you. Aside from the occasional greetings in the busy stadium, it was like you guys had never even been friends.

Now, after completely ignoring you for the past months, she decided it was a good idea to tell people that you guys were dating? It only seemed right for you to be pissed off.

“I just... Everyone kept looking at me like some sad puppy dog because I broke up with Owen, which normally I can handle. But every single day I kept getting the same sad fucking looks and I couldn’t take it anymore, so I told them I was seeing someone. I never mentioned your name but they kept prying, and prying and you were the first person that popped into my mind. I’m really sorry Y/N.”

You didn’t say anything at first, instead you looked at Abby without a hint of emotion on your face, and even less in your tone when you did finally speak. “Why didn’t you tell me you guys broke up?”

Abby paused, she didn’t know what response she was expecting but it definitely wasn’t that. “I um, I figured you knew. Pretty much everyone in the stadium knows.”

“Yeah well… I didn’t.” You were quiet. A part of you was angry and annoyed, but another part of you pitied Abby. She had never been one to lie, especially about something as petty as this.

Before you could think of something to say, Abby broke the silence. “Listen, I know you probably hate me right now, but I need to ask you a small favour.”

“Seriously?” You nudged Abby’s chest, pushing her into the wall again. The pity quickly dissipated to nothing, leaving you once again with a seething rage.

“Look, I know things between us haven’t been ideal but-“

“Haven’t been ideal?!” You interrupted, the absolute ignorance in her words tipping you off the edge. “Abby, you threw me away like I was trash! We were friends and you left me to hang out with Owen. I didn’t even know you guys broke up because you don’t tell me shit anymore!”

“I’ll do anything Y/N, okay? I’ll do your laundry, clean your room, I’ll even take your shifts for patrols.” Abby’s hands were on your forearms as she spoke. “Please just do this one thing for me and I’ll spend the rest of my life paying you back.” There was sincerity in Abby’s face, a hint of desperation too.

You paused. What could Abby possibly want so badly that she’d be willing to do all this for you? Even though you were angry at her, you’d be lying if you said you weren’t just a little bit intrigued.

“I’ll do anything Y/N, please. There must be something that you want.” Abby pleaded, absolute seriousness in her eyes.

“What I want is to never see you again.” Your finger was pointed at her chest again, poking her lightly.

Immediately you could see the hurt on Abby’s face. Okay, maybe that was a little bit harsh (and kind of petty) but you weren’t just gonna let Abby off that easily. Not after everything she’s done.

“Fine…” Abby paused to contemplate her next words, wiping the sadness from her face. “Fine, after tonight if you do this thing for me, we’ll never have to see each other again, I promise. I just need you to come to this party with me. We don’t have to talk or hold hands or anything and you can spend the whole night hating me, but I just need you there.”

“I-“ You couldn't do that. You couldn’t just pretend and lie to all of Abby’s friends for a whole night… Could you?

“Please Y/N. It’s embarrassing, okay? When we broke up, Mel immediately jumped in to fill my space. Everyone knew it and I had to pretend like I didn’t care so people would stop treating me like a wounded animal. If they find out I lied about you? I don’t think they’ll ever stop seeing me that way.”

You looked at Abby and felt a tinge of sympathy, she looked so sad and desperate, and for a second you even considered it. One night couldn’t hurt, right? Wait, no.

You mentally slapped yourself, trying to snap yourself out of it. You were not going to give in that easily. Nope. This was Abby, the same girl who threw away your friendship like it was nothing, and you were not going to let her use you like this. Not even while she’s looking at you with those sad, blue eyes. Nope, you’re mad, you’re angry, you’re-

“Fine.” Fuck.

“Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Abby’s eyes lit up as she wrapped her arms around you, lifting you into the air while she let out a breath of relief.

What did you just get yourself into?

—

“I can sleep on the floor, it's really no problem.” Abby offered, there was a slight nervousness in her tone as she stood in front of you shifting her weight on the balls of her feet.

“Abby, that’s stupid. It’s not like I’m infected or something.” You huffed, reaching for the box of matches to light the candle next to you.

Sometime after the party there had been a power outage and the entire WLF base went lights out. Meaning there was no heat and most annoyingly, no lights.

After a night of uncomfortable looks and even more uncomfortable conversations in which you spent most of the party trying to avoid Abby’s friends, she was walking you back to your room when everything suddenly went dark.

The both of you practically crawled to your room before you could locate a light source of some kind. It had been an hour since the power went out and you insisted that Abby sleep in your room, for… safety purposes.

You shook the match till it was out, suddenly you were thankful for impulse buying those candles last week.

“It’s fine, I’ll just crawl halfway across the stadium until I find my room. No biggie.” You couldn’t tell if she was joking, but something in you felt like she would actually do it if you didn’t insist she stay here.

You sighed. “Just sleep here Abs, it’s easier and I’m offering. Plus, I don’t need you army crawling across the entire WLF base. It’s hard on the arms, even for someone as strong as you.”

“You think I’m strong?” Abby smiled teasingly and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes, looking away as you tried to hide the small grin on your face. God, it was hard to stay mad at Abby.

“Shut up and take the bed.” You could tell Abby was reluctant but she still plopped herself onto your bed. She sat awkwardly on the edge, unsure of how this was going to work.

You tried to ignore Abby’s weird energy as you buried yourself beneath the covers. It took a minute for her to actually lay down in the bed but when she did, she was careful to keep her distance. It was pretty funny (and pretty cute) how unsure she was.

After a few minutes of silence you heard Abby whisper your name softly, almost like she wasn’t sure if you could hear her.

Nuzzling your nose into your pillow you whispered back a small “Yeah?”.

“Thank you.” You could hear the genuity in Abby’s voice, how grateful she was for such a simple act and suddenly it hit you, you didn’t want her to leave you alone. You missed this—missed Abby.

Instead of responding you nudged her foot lightly with yours. It was something you guys had done as kids, like a silent way of saying “I’m here.”. Under the dinner table with the Fireflies or during training when you first joined the WLF; it was an unspoken thing between the both of you. An action that spoke much louder than words possibly could.

The both of you laid on opposite ends of the bed, your backs turned to each other. You shifted under the sheets before finally finding a comfortable position, you fell asleep that night to the steady sound of Abby’s breathing.

—

You were first to wake up, confusion washing over you when you felt your head rising and falling. Why the hell was your pillow moving? Then it hit you; it wasn’t the bed moving, it was Abby. Your head lay resting on Abby’s chest, her arm over your back while your limbs were wrapped around her like a giant stuffed animal. The sound of her beating heart was soft in your ears and you could feel her breath coming out in steady increments, blowing lightly against your head.

You weren’t sure what to do about your compromising position. It was already too late for you to leap out of her arms and a large part of you didn’t want to move anyways. So you decided to pretend to sleep until she woke up. That way you wouldn’t have to decide what to do, she would.

Abby woke up shortly after you, you could tell she was awake by the way her breath hitched in her throat upon noticing how you guys were situated. However, instead of jumping out of the bed in a panic, Abby didn’t move either, and it took everything in you to not open your eyes.

After a few moments of stillness, you almost thought she had fallen back asleep. It wasn’t until you felt a light touch on your temple that you realized she was awake. The touch so light you nearly missed it when Abby brushed a small strand of hair away from your face.

Then slowly, Abby pried you off of her and you nearly let a small groan slip from your lips when you felt the absence of her warmth. She gently rolled you over, covering you with the blanket before walking into the bathroom.

That’s when it happened: the ache. A sharp, jarring ache in your heart that you only felt with her— that you haven’t felt since the two of you were best friends. It had left you when you and Abby stopped talking, but it returned just the same when you witnessed the tenderness of her actions. You never thought to put a name to this feeling (and maybe a part of you didn’t want to), but it was near impossible to ignore it.

You couldn’t possibly be harbouring secret feelings for Abby, right? You tried to distract yourself from these thoughts, it was way too early to be worrying about these things.

Feigning tiredness you rolled off the bed and headed towards the bathroom. You knocked on the door and when Abby opened it you noticed she was in the process of redoing her braid.

You leaned against the doorway as you watched her skilled fingers work. “Abs?”

“Hm?” She replied as she tied off the end of her braid.

“I didn’t really mean what I said to you last night… about never wanting to see you again. I’m sorry.” You picked at your thumb anxiously, eyes wandering around the room, looking anywhere but at Abby.

Abby turned to face you, letting the braid fall to her side. “You don’t have to apologize Y/N, I deserve it. I didn’t even hesitate to leave you when Owen and I started dating, and I was-“

“Stupid?” You finished for her, looking up from the floor to meet Abby’s gaze.

“Stupid. And for what it's worth, I’ve really missed hanging out with you Y/N, even if it is under these circumstances.”

“You know… I think I know a way you can make it up to me, if you’re still up for it?” Abby looked at you with a raised eyebrow and you noticed the corner of her mouth curling into a small smile.

“Oh yeah? What would that be?”

“You see, there’s this guy that’s been trying to ask me out for weeks even though I keep rejecting him.” You gave Abby a tiny grin as you continued. “Well, maybe if he found out I was dating a certain soldier who could pound his ass into the ground, then he’d leave me alone.”

Abby nodded her head nonchalantly as she took a small step towards you, crossing her arms across her chest. “You know what’s crazy? I think I have just the person for you.”

#abby anderson x reader #abby anderson imagine #the last of us imagine #the last of us 2 #tlou2 #abby anderson #abby tlou #requests #fluff #a little bit angsty #I’m big gay

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gb-patch · 3 years

Text

Ask Answers: August 8th

Well, doing big posts all together worked for a while but lately I’ve been putting it off because it takes a long time to get them done. I think I’m gonna try switching back to answering asks whenever I can fit it in and posting them one at a time instead of waiting until I’ve filled out one of these major collections.

But for now, here’s more ask answers! Thank you for the questions and for all the kind words along with them ^^.

Hello!! I'm here to ask if its possible to get the game and its dlcs on steam and play it on android?

I’m afraid not. Steam doesn’t have Android builds on their own site and Steam is not cool with keys for other sites being given out for Steam purchases, so you don’t get the Itch version from buying on Steam.

Hello! Sorry to bother you but, I had a question, if we buy the Game on itchio do we get steam keys or would we need to purchase it twice?

You would have to buy it twice if you want it in both places, I’m sorry. To repeat myself a little, Steam doesn’t like the key trading thing. Itch may support giving keys for another site, but the reverse isn’t doable with Steam and Steam doesn’t even really want you to get a Steam key for buying somewhere else either. So we just don’t mess around with that.

hey, sorry if this is frequently asked, but is step 4 free dlc or paid for? some of your sources are contradicting each other.

It’s free! There’s a paid wedding DLC, but Step 4 itself is entirely unpaid.

Hello! I just had a quick question, for the Baxter and Derek DLC's will we be able to confess our feelings to them or let them confess to MC? or will it only be one way? (they confess to MC)

Both type of options will be available!

Hey there! I wanted to ask whether or not the Derek DLC is still on track to be released in August since on the steam discussion board it says it will be released mid 2021. I totally understand if it isn't, I'm just really looking forward to it! If you answer then ty! And keep up the amazing work :D

It’s not, aha. Unfortunately, 2021 wasn’t easier than 2020 as we hoped so things are still slower than planned. It’ll come out late 2021 or early 2022.

Hi! Firstly I just want to say that I LOVE Our Life. I have played a bit of similar games but this one instantly wins for the best one! Everything about it is amazing! I just wanted to ask if Derek would ever lose feelings for MC, like if they make the deal and then MC gets with Cove would he move on? and even if you don't, after "losing contact" would his feeling fade or would he still like MC?

If you don’t really keep in touch with him and clearly move on with your life, Derek will too and he’ll be over it. But if you are still close as best as you can be, he’ll still think the MC is special. Though, he’ll always support your relationship with someone else if that’s what’ll make you happy.

Hello! Sorry if you've answered this before but: 'How's Lee related to us? Though which momma? And does she share our player-chosen last names? Also, do you know if Noelani took Pam's last name or did it happen the other way round?

She’s related to Pamela and Pamela’s last name is the one they use, so the MC has the same last name as Lee.

Will we be able to choose which (they or he) we tend to call Qiu by more often, or will it randomly change depending on the moment?

Qiu knows which pronoun they’re comfortable with at a time and you’ll call them what they’re happy with. And it doesn’t change between lines, it takes multiple scenes or even full Steps for it to switch. So for extended periods Qiu will be totally a guy or fully agender.

Will Step 4 of OL2 have moments?

It’ll be an epilogue like it is in OL1, so it won’t have a bunch of different Moments.

Hello! Just a quick question, is Sunset bird from OL1 based on a real location? If so what's it called? I wanna visit it +_+

ps i love your games so much <3

It isn’t based on one specific town you can go to, but there are a lot of little coastal towns in Cali that have a similar vibe!

Heyaaa ( I hope you're all well ), umm… it might seem kinda stupid to ask but did Patreon members can have a key for the dlc's ( all the steps-released dlc ) even if they became a member this month or later ? (me? saying this cuz it's my case? maybe ;-;), and once again thanks for absolutely all the amazing works on all the games ! u-u

You wouldn’t get the DLCs for backing there. The Patreon is for extra bonus content/early access, rather than being a storefront to purchase the normal DLCs. Rarely we give them out as a side gift, but it hardly happens and if what you want is the DLCs it’s best to ignore the Patreon and buy keys for those directly from Itch or Steam. I’m sorry for the confusion.

Hey y'all, love what youre doing w/Terry. Trans rep outside of player customization is so rare and important to see more of so thank you so much. I do have a question and its that does he have a canon sexuality? I know Miranda was said to be straight ace but I dont believe anything was stated for Terry probably because he wasnt revealed to be a guy which changes things. Im also curious if well get answers on how long hes liked Miranda since he may have liked her in step 3 before she liked him

Terry likes women and Randy likes men! And he did like Miranda back in Step 3.

Will the Wedding Dlc release at the same time as Step 4?

They’ll come out separately with Step 4 releasing first.

I really love Our Life so much! I've spent over 20hours playing it even though I only got it a week ago! I was wondering if I could make a fangame for Our Life with a different love interest but same plot. Next-door neighbors romance, multiple steps, etc? I'll probably make it on Google Slides though-

Sure! I hope you have fun with it and I’m glad you love the game.

How does Cove feel about poly relationships?

He’s got nothing against them for the people they work for, but he’s 100% monogamous and would only be comfortable with a partner who was willing to be monogamous with him.

Idk if this has been answered before but will Step 4 include the option to advance your feelings towards Cove?

Yep, you’ll be able to determine your feelings and what your relationship is.

In step 4 will there be a chosen to say we live with Cove even as just friends?

Yeah, you can choose to live with Cove and that can be done when you’re friends.

I just played the game with the MC and Cove being best friends and omg it’s still so damn cute like the wholesomeness of it all is too much for my heart I swear ^.^ Now with that all said I was wondering can we still marry Cove? if we only love him as a friend like let’s say we’ve made deal with him similar to the one we can make with Derek because let’s real no one could compete with what the MC and Cove have even if they aren’t in love.

It’s great to hear you enjoyed the friendship story! You can live with Cove, but you can’t marry him platonically. Cove has familial affection for the MC if they’re best-est friends. He wouldn’t think to marry someone he loves like family and even grew up with as though they truly were siblings.

Are you still going to be making a DLC for XOBD? :]

Yes! We’re slowing adding voiced lines and fixing errors.

It makes me laugh that Shiloh's last name is Fields because that's what I put as my last name! So in Our Life when he talked about "Ms. Fields" picking him up I was extremely confused, lol. That dude mimics personalities so much that he stole my surname!

Oh, wow, that’s a very funny coincidence, haha.

hi !! i cant seem to be able to get the scene where mc is able to propose to cove despite being at the 'love' stage and telling him i'd want to get married, are there any other details that im missing out on? the options just dont appear at the end...

Maybe you missed telling Cove you were in love with him even if you mentioned wanting to get married or you might’ve accidentally said earlier in the game that you don’t want to progress your relationship further with Cove. We haven’t removed them, so you can get the scene again. It’s just kind of easy to miss since there’s multiple requirements. You can read a little guide in the FAQ.

wait what di you need to do to be able to propose to cove? I've been trying but haven't had much luck

You can check out the FAQ linked above!

does cove only develop a crush on the mc if the mc is also at crush/in love with him?

Technically, yes. We treat the non-romantic relationship options as truly non-romantic since we don’t want to bait and switch people. But there’s nothing wrong with headcanoning that Cove does have feelings developing for the MC even before the MC has.

Is there a way to make/allow Lee and Baxter to date?

No, they just don’t have enough time together.

We also got a group of asks related to Tamarack in OL2, but I’m afraid the way they talked about people with larger bodies made me not want to post their words, even if the person didn’t say they’re trying to be hurtful. I will separate out the core question and answer it though, so people can know that info.

Does Tamarack lose weight in later Steps?

No, she doesn’t. As for the other questions included, to be honest, I don’t have to explain/defend having romance options of different sizes. I’m sorry if you’re dealing with unhappiness that’s connected to body image, if that’s where the negative emotions are coming from, but even so I can’t meet you on that level and pretend it’s a problem that needs an answer. A girl who simply isn’t thin being a main love interest is just not an unreasonable concept. Also, Tamarack isn’t a lesbian. Yes, she can date a female MC, but that doesn’t undo her actual sexuality, so I’m not sure where that one part at the end was coming from.

I wonder... can we "fight" with Qiu over leader status? 👀

Not really, haha. No matter how cool your MC is, they’re never gonna replace Qiu for the other kids around. So you can either partner up with him, follow him too, or not be a part of all that group politics stuff.

So when I play the game, sometimes I mentally call Cove “Covie/Covey” and that made me wonder, how does Cove feel about being nicknamed? Not like Romeo/Space Cadet/etc. but like pet names relating to his actual name

It’d depend on his age, personality, and your relationship with him! When he’s younger he’d probably be embarrassed, when he was grown he’d probably be more casual or happy about it.

will you be able to date baxter in step 3 while at crush with cove (but not dating him ofc) sorry if this has been asked already. i really love baxters step 4 design btw!!

Yeah, you can be crushing on Cove and date Baxter if you weren’t already dating Cove. You just can’t be truly in love with Cove and then switch to Baxter.

I just got my friend into our life, and they adore shiloh and derek sooo will there be more of them in the second game?

I’m afraid not. But you can see plenty more of Shiloh in XOXO Droplets/XOXO Blood Droplets, haha.

I see you haven't gotten any xoxo droplets asks recently but I'm still obsessed with these boys!! I was just wondering if Nate would curse under any circumstance?

Yeah, Nate does use certain swear words (damn, hell, bastard) on very rare occasions.

Hi there! I have a question about the wedding dlc. Will we be able to plan a honeymoon during the planning stages of it or would it be something that Cove and the mc would rather plan later on? Thank you! Absolutly love the game by the way, definitely one of my favorite games!

The focus will be on the wedding day itself. The topic of the honeymoon might come up a bit, but there won’t be any choosing of the exact location and such.

Hi! I have two questions and it's completely understandable if you only answer one/neither and I'm sorry if you've already answered either before! First, is there a set year in which OL:B&A takes place (ex: Step 1 being set in 2010 & Step 2 being set in 2016, etc.) or is it simply up to interpretation? Second, have you guys thought about doing a coming-of-age game where the MC has a tough home life or upbringing? (like one of their parents is an addict, a parent being transphobic whilst the player has the option to be trans, or having friends that are influencing them to do drugs, etc.) That's all! Thanks for making beautiful games. <3

There is a set timeline!

Step 1: 2006 Step 2: 2011 Step 3: 2016 Step 4: 2021

And we don’t currently plan on making a game like that. The Our Life series exists to be a safer environment for people to play around in and if we did do a brand new series that was harsher edged it’d be something more fantastical and/or plot-driven instead of a different type of modern day slice-of-life growing up story. I’m sorry.

i don’t know if you’ve already answered this, but do you have a guess on when phase 4 will come out? as well as ol2? i’m so excited for both of them, the inclusivity in this game is amazing, you guys should be really proud of it!

Step 4 will be coming out very soon! OL2 is gonna take until 2023 to be anywhere near completion. But we might episodically release the Steps one at a time as they get done instead of waiting for three to be finished before launch like we did with the first game.

Hello, I was curious if there was an official or unofficial discord server for the game?

We do have a discord! You can join by clicking this link HERE.

how long do you plan to keep ol's patreon running?

Hopefully for at least a few more years.

Are you considering ever making merch?

Yeah, but I don’t know when it’ll happen or what exactly we’ll make, aha. It’s something we want do, just nothing is set.

hi! i just found out about your game a couple of days ago on tiktok (so sorry if you’ve already answered this question) and i was wondering if y’all are ever planning to release it on iOS?

I have no idea. It’s hard for a small group to get Apple approval and I honestly can’t say if it’ll ever happen or not. Maybe someday, though!

Hi, I love the art style of Our life and I would like to know if the artist has a Twitter? Also, could it be possible to fund more CGs for the game from him/her? So many times, I wish there was one like when the cutscene of the sunshower.

That’s nice of you to offer. He doesn’t have a Twitter, at least not one that’s public enough to be shared with me. And I’m afraid not. The issue is that the CGs take huge amounts of time rather than there not being a budget for it. He’s gotta make CGs for Step 4, the DLCs, and new character sprites, too. There isn’t space in the schedule for even more. Sorry for that.

Hi, how are you?!

Are you planning on accepting new writers or is it always the same people who write your stories??

Thanks!!

Our Life: Beginnings & Always won’t be getting new writers, but we will be hiring a new team of writers for Our Life: Now & Forever eventually!

perhaps this counts as nsfw and I'm sure it has been answered before but what does Cove prefer, chests/boobs or butts? or perhaps both :3c thank you for this wonderful game (and the patreon bonus moment, it was worth all the waiting and more ♥)

He’s a “chests of all shapes and sizes” kind of guy, haha.

i was wondering- did any of the writers actually grow up by the beach? as someone who's lived in a beach town all their life it really did feel nostalgic to play through our life 1

I was born and raised in Cali! Though, not right by the beach. We still had to make trips out, but the setting is based on my own childhood memories of small beach towns we went through.

In Derek’s upcoming DLC, will we be able to reference the pact we made as teens? (love olba and xod/xobd so much btw you’re literally amazing)

Yep, you will be able to talk about that!

Oh, sorry about the Cole being secretly L ask, then!

If you wanted context: Death Note is about this one guy who finds a notebook that kills anyone who you write the name of in there. The guy eventually develops a God Complex and starts mass killing criminals and stuff. L is the one trying to find out who is killing all these people.

Me and my sister first joked about it because I couldn't remember how to translate a word about the way Cove was sitting, so I just did the pose, and it looked a lot like how L himself sits! Then we just snowballed from there, with more and more nonsense connections.

That’s okay! Thanks for explaining. I’m sorry I didn’t know what you meant.

#our life #ask #gb patch #gb patch games

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legends-of-apex · 3 years

Text

‘Duty and Decpetion’

Tomisaburo ‘Tommy’ Arashikage x Reader (fluff, angst)

Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Rating: T (brief mentions of injury, angst)

Word Count: 3, 250

Summary: The night before Snake Eyes takes the third trial, you and Tommy finally get some time to talk properly for the first time since the kiss. You talk about what your feelings for one-another and how that might fit into life at the Arashikage clan. Part 4/6 of the ‘Ninja Prince’s bodyguard’ series.

A/N: Thank you all so much for your lovely comments on the series so far! Really hope you enjoy ☺️

For a few precious, treasured days things almost felt right.

But an air of dread danced across the entire clan. With Kenta still out there and no way to know what he was planning, it was now a waiting game. One the Arashikage clan had been playing since his betrayal.

Tommy was still royally upset that he failed to kill him for a third time. Every minute he lived was because he chose to spare him all those years ago, not baring to take the life of his own cousin for his crimes. But everyday that Kenta lived was now one that the clan had to be on edge. Anxiously awaiting his next move against them.

You hadn’t spoken to him much since the kiss, neither of you entirely too sure what to say.

You weren’t avoiding him either, it just so happened that Sen requested you at her side more so than at his. With an increased likelihood of an attack against the clan, Sen had to be your number one priority. And she was of course, but you missed spending time with Tomisaburo as you only truly got to see him at mealtimes. He was busy with Snake Eyes anyways, trying to make sure he at least had some hope of passing the third trial.

It was the night before Snake’s third and final trial, Sen once again clutched your arm as you walked in between her and her grandson. Darkness blanketed the grounds, the only real light source to be found was the moon beaming down upon you from her place in the sky. Two guards walked behind the three of you, an extra precaution since Kenta’s resurfacing.

Tommy was on edge tonight, his mind somewhere else entirely and of course his grandmother noticed. So she gave him an excuse to do what often helped calm his mind: spend some time with you.

“I’m going to retire for the night. Why don’t you both do the same? It’s a big day for your friend and the clan tomorrow, you’ll be needing your rest.”

She squeezed your arm one final time before releasing her hold on you and giving you both a sweet smile as she tottered off to bed. You and Tommy bid her goodnight and stood static for a minute, awaiting until the sound of her footsteps ceased to flutter over your ears before making a move.

“I’ve got it from here,” you told the two guards and they bowed before walking off in the direction of the barracks.

Finally, the two of you were alone.

Tommy’s quarters were but a stone’s throw away from where you stood but he still offered you his arm regardless. And you took it, linking your forearms so you were the closest you’d been since the kiss a few nights ago. It felt good to be close to him again, it felt right.

When you reached the door to his room he turned to face you, spinning on his heel, as he still held your arm.

“Would you mind staying with me for a while? I just don't want to be alone with my thoughts tonight.”

He looked almost sheepish to ask for your company, but his eyes never left yours as he asked. His gaze pointed. It was always so easy to tell what he wanted from the look in his eyes.

You knew it wasnt that he felt unsafe, that wasn’t why he wanted you to stay with him. He simply wanted your company and you wanted his.

“I would love to,” you replied and his eyes lit up immediately, a smile spreading across his handsome face. He looked so grateful that you’d agreed to spend time with him, as if you hadn’t been itching to for the past few days.

Tommy’s quarters never failed to take your breath away. Everything was always so neat yet grand. The walls were lined with various different artifacts from the clan’s history, your favourite of which was his great grandfather’s kitana, likely where he garnered his own affection for such blades. You ran your finger over the blade's flat edge, admiring the smoothness beneath your fingertips despite its age. You never had met his grandfather, he died when Tommy was only a boy.

“I think he’d have liked you,” his voice gently pulled you out of your thoughts, “He would have admired your strength,” He held out a warm cup of tea towards you and you accepted it, “And your kindness.”

Everything about his quarters was warm. From the soft carpet beneath your feet to the rooms themselves. Everything was so inviting.

“I think I’d have liked him too. If his grandson is anything to go by,” You took a sip of the tea and took note of his smile at your words as you wandered around a little more, seeing if he’d gathered anything interesting whilst he was in L.A., “So to what do I owe the pleasure of your company tonight? Was it to settle our unfinished business or had you something else in mind?”

You didn’t turn to face him, knowing that I’d you did you would have likely betrayed the fact that you desperately wanted to kiss him again so you instead busied yourself with looking over his bookshelf.

“Well that depends on what you mean by ‘unfinished business’. I am always grateful for your presence no matter the occasion.”

He took a seat on the low-backed couch by the fire that flickered. The flames were too small to reflect in anything other than his endless eyes, glinting off the parts of them that usually shone lightly in the sun.

“But?” You pressed.

“I have missed your company these past few days and Akiko tells me you too have missed mine.”

The little shit. Of course she told him you were missing him.

“So about the other night,” you began and he hummed, eagerly waiting for you to continue, “I truly meant what I said.”

You were of course referring to the fact that you had feelings for him, that you’d nursed these feelings for much longer than you would ever admit to even yourself.

“As did I,” he replied and you took a seat at his side but leaving a comfortable distance between the two of you lest he truly just wished to talk.

“But you can’t let anything come between you and your duty to the clan. Nor can I,” he reached gently for your hand and you took it, letting his palm rest on your knee. At his touch you felt your resolve begin to weaken. His touch could truly convince a river to change its course if he really wanted to, his caress so comforting, so chaste.

He took in a slow breath and exhaled it with a sigh. He chose his next words carefully, considering your words fully as he usually did.

“Hardmaster always maintained that emotional attachments are a weakness,” he looked towards the fire, dragging the thumb of his free hand over his chin in thought, “But having felt your lips on mine after spending so long wondering how they might taste...I don’t think I can ever go back to how things were.”

He looked back at you then, eyes heavy with something you couldn’t place. But he smiled. He smiled a tight lipped smile, almost like he was relieved to have said what he did but yet he held back so much still.

“Me too,” you admitted, shuffling closer to him, “We could meet in secret?”

“You deserve more than that.”

“Tomisaburo…” your use of his full name had him hanging off your every word, “If that is how we must do this then so be it. I want to be with you but I won’t jeopardise you or my duty in the process. Not after how far we’ve come, how hard we’ve both worked.”

He looked almost disappointed. Not in you, just in the circumstances. But with a gentle squeeze of his hand, he was looking back at you. You hoped he didn’t think that your words were a rejection, they were the opposite in fact. You just knew deep within your heart that the two of you could never truly be, not at least until he was the one at the head of the clan.

“You will one day lead this clan, it’s all you’ve been trained for your entire life. Are you really willing to risk that because we couldn’t show restraint? I would never ask it of you.”

“And you’ll never have to.”

You understood then just how deeply his feelings for you ran. He was willing to risk it all to be with you. It was stupid, selfish of him even. But as you looked into his eyes, you saw nothing but sincerity, pure as the water fresh from a mountain’s spring. You held his cheek, let your thumb graze over the scar beneath his eye as his eyelids fluttered close.

He let his hand cover yours, tilting your palm off his cheek so he could press it gently to his lips.

That was so intimate, so soft. Your heart leapt at the gesture but you couldn’t bring yourself to take things any further then, no matter how much you wanted to. It would only see things more difficult for the two of you. So instead you took his hand in your own and cradled it against your chest as you settled further into his side, your head on his shoulder.

And you kissed his knuckles as if he was yours, truly yours to cherish. And he wrapped his arm around you as if you too, in turn, were his.

The next day Snake Eyes was gone. His heart was deemed to be impure by the beasts that slithered in their home beneath the grounds.

Part of you was upset more for Tommy and Akiko’s sake than anything else. Tommy grew to think of him as the brother he’d never had and Akiko? As much as she didnt want to admit it, she liked having him around.

Sen was angry with all three of you but especially Tommy for trusting him and Akiko for saving him from the anacondas. He knew the risks and in her eyes he didn't deserve to be saved.

You were more worried about the repercussions of letting him leave the clan with all the knowledge of it he had. Granted, everyone was careful not to let him learn much more than the basic layout of the grounds and their customs, but he was clever and if there was anything he wanted to find out you were certain he would have already done so.

Tommy however was distraught. He felt a deep sense of shame having brought Snake Eyes here in the first place. He was angry with himself for not sensing whatever it was that made his heart impure. His misjudgment could have not only cost Snake Eyes his life but also could have endangered everyone in the clan, something which he swore never to do.

You found him seated in the gardens, staring at the stones beneath his feet. One of his katanas was braced between his open legs, the sheathed end of the blade dug into the gravel below. Although the birds around him were singing, he didn’t seem to hear their joyous song.

You knelt in front of him and searched his face for any sign of what he was thinking. His bottom lip quivered slightly, and tears had clearly threatened to fall sometime before you got there.

“This clan is my life,” he whispered ,”It’s all I’ve ever known and I insisted we let him in despite knowing the consequences if my instincts about him were misplaced.”

Crimson coated the hilt of his kitana, contrasting starkly against the white. You took his hand as he spoke, worried Snake Eyes had hurt him, desperate to find the source of the blood.

“I’ve failed everyone… all because I wanted a brother.”

As you turned his palm over you found the wound, one slice that cut right across the centre of his palm.

Blood brothers, you realised.

“You see the good in people. You always have done. That’s not something you should have to repent for.”

Truth be told he was lucky that Sen wasn’t harsher on him but she knew he'd be harder on himself than ever she would be.

“But what if he’d done something? Hurt someone? I let emotion cloud my judgment, come between me and my duty.”

He was beginning to see then that that’s exactly what would happen if you were together. He always let emotion cloud his judgement despite his best efforts. Whether it was pain or anger, affection or love. They always got the better of him. It was why he couldn’t kill Kenta when Sen gave him the chance, why he trusted Snake Eyes. And you’d be damned if you let his attachment to you be his downfall.

He was right, this time it could have very nearly cost the clan the dearest price. And you hated it. You hated that he couldn’t be himself and feel what he was meant to feel for fear of weakening the clan.

“But he didn't, Tommy. I-”

The sound of the temple’s alarm system stopped you dead in your tracks. Tommy’s eyes widened for a moment before he was on his feet and running in the direction of the Jewel’s temple. You were right behind him.

Akiko beat the both of you there and she was searching for any sign of an attack but found none. Tommy went straight for the Jewel, pricking his thumb and letting his blood seep into the DNA reader. The compartment opened and the Jewel’s red glow flooded the room.

He exhaled a long, relief-filled breath and closed the compartment again.

“You alright?” you asked him, placing your hand in the centre of his chest in comfort. He nodded, letting his hand cover yours for a few moments as he centred himself.

It had been a long while since that alarm system had been triggered. In fact the last time you could remember was when Kenta tried to kill Tommy all those years ago. It was such an awful sound, one which you’d hoped to never hear again.

You walked with him back down the silence, the night air warm but still. But before you could even make it back to report to Sen, Akiko came running down the path hill and almost crashed right into you.

“It’s Snake Eyes! He has the stone!”

The clan’s worst fears had just come true and Tommy blamed himself for it, as did his grandmother.

“You have once again let your emotions cloud your judgment at the expense of this clan! Of the very thing we swore to protect, Tomisaburo!”

Her tone was sharp, her voice seething with rage as she spoke down to him where he knelt at her feet. Usually that would render him empty, make him upset to the point of tears but he was so far beyond that now.

He looked up at Sen not as her grandson but as her heir, as her soldier.

“I will retrieve the jewel and bring you the head of Snake Eyes.”

The coldness and determination in his eyes was a light year away from the warmth they usually held. Seeing that and hearing those words from his mouth almost made your blood run cold.

And he rose to his feet, Akiko at his side, as he strode straight towards the armoury.

You couldn’t go with him, not since Akiko insisted on going herself. She too felt responsible for Snake Eyes’s betrayal. She too let emotion cloud her judgment.

It was the price they paid for being human.

You followed them to the armoury and found them strapping on their battle gear. Aliko zipped her black and white striped jacket across her torso and slung her kitana over her shoulder. And Tommy tightened the straps of his tactical suit, the white glaring.

“Be safe,” you told Akiko, squeezing her hands in both your own as you did. You knew she would be but there was no telling what Snake Eyes could do with the jewel should he wish to. You’d never seen it in action and you hoped the day you had to would never come.

“Stay vigilant. Who knows what else he was planning. Don’t let Sen out of your sight,” she looked at Tommy, “And I won’t let him out of mine.”

You knew that she meant it. This was as much a find and destroy Snake Eyes mission as it was an escort mission for her.

Next you stood before Tommy and his entire face softened when you stepped into his line of sight. But he looked distraught, like this entire endeavour was proof that you and Hardmaster were right about everything, that he couldn’t have both you and the clan. Any emotional attachment was a weakness and a liability, he fully understood that now and he hated himself for not realising it at Kenta’s betrayal, for letting himself grow as fond of you as he was.

He was finally learning to trust again after what Kenta did to him, and Snake Eyes tore the rug out from under him, along with any hope there was that the two of you could have something together. Sen would never allow it after this.

“Can I kiss you goodbye?” You asked, voice quiet in case it faltered.

It wasn’t just a goodbye for the mission but a goodbye to what you could have been. And he took your face in both his gloved hands before bringing his lips down to meet yours, not at all caring that Akiko stood idly by as he did. He let every ounce of want and mourning for could have been flow through that kiss, not caring who saw him or what they might think.

The way he touched you, how he held you. It was like it was the last time he ever could even if he’d barely ever gotten the chance to in the first place.

And you feverishly hung on every inch of him, every movement of his lips. Every time one of you moved backwards as if to part, the other chased for fear of the kiss ending. Because you knew that once your lips parted, that was it. That would have to be the end of whatever you had together. It ended before it ever truly began.

When you did eventually pull away, your foreheads touching as you caught your breath, you could see how his eyes watered. Whether it was from rage or sorrow you weren’t sure but they watered all the same.

No matter what way you spun it, you were a distraction for one another. A danger. A snair. So long as the Arashikage clan was your home and your duty was to protect both it and the man that held your affections then this could never be.But that was a problem and a conversation for another time. For now, you watched as he and Akiko boarded their motorbikes and set off in search of Snake Eyes and the Jewel.

You returned to Sen’s side, solemn, but ready to face whatever dangers lay ahead.

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Tagging (if you’d like to be added to the Storm Shadow tag list then please let me know!): @icy-spicy @noobsaibots @theonetruejuli

#tommy arashikage #tommy arashikage x reader #tomisaburo arashikage #storm shadow #gi joe snake eyes #tomisaburo arashikage x reader #the ninja prince’s bodyguard series #series #my writing #fic #fluff #angst

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shihalyfie · 3 years

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A guide to watching Digimon in Japanese

I get a few questions once in a while about help finding Digimon in Japanese, and it’s a tricky situation because as much as I’d like to plop an official streaming link down and call it a day at every opportunity, we’re still not quite at the point where Digimon in Japanese has official subtitles or is available in every country, even though I would love for this to be the case someday. That said, we are fortunate in that every Digimon series has been diligently translated by someone out there!

For those who are interested in watching Digimon in Japanese (with subtitles or otherwise), it can be pretty tricky to navigate, especially for the older series, so I've decided to write a bit of a helper with my recommended versions, with links to watch them officially whenever they’re available. (Unfortunately, some of these official outlets aren't options for those in certain countries, so I'll try to provide options in those cases.) I will not be providing direct links to (ahem) unofficial sources, but this should at least be a pointer in the right direction for those, and I’ll also be including links and pointers for where to buy the actual raw Japanese version, in case you don’t need subtitles or you simply want to support the series and have a nice box of your favorite.

For the sake of brevity, this will only include the TV series and their tie-in theatrical movies, but if you’re looking for other franchise side media, a lot of the below translators have those as well. I’ll try to keep this post updated as things change (although I can’t make any guarantees).

Note: Thank you to some friends in other countries who assisted me in gathering info regarding some of the official releases I wasn’t able to access myself.

Overview

The following have regularly put out Digimon content:

Crunchyroll is the main official outlet for subtitled Digimon, so you should always look there first to see what they have. Anything that’s not currently airing is generally available for free as long as it’s not simulcast. However, its library and terms vary greatly depending on country, so be sure to check. If something isn’t available in your country, it’s also possible to bypass it via VPN, so if you can get it to work for you, I do recommend it since while it’s still a bit more under-the-table, it does help support the franchise officially.

Hulu is another official outlet with a fairly volatile lineup; most of its Digimon content is English dubbed, but it does occasionally have subtitled stuff, so it’s worth looking into if you can’t find it on Crunchyroll but can access this (admittedly, though, it’s a bit unlikely due to Hulu being generally more restrictive).

Ryuu-Rogue (abbreviated “RyRo”), The Wild Bunch (abbreviated “WildBunch”), L Subs: Basically variants/offshoots of the same group, which has covered an incredibly large amount of Digimon content.

PositronCannon (Positron’s Subs): A prolific subber who covered much of the content RyRo/WildBunch/L didn’t already, especially the theatrical tie-in movies. (Usually abbreviated “Positron”, but sometimes has other abbreviations depending on whom they collaborated with.) Note that they also released their translation scripts separately, so if you’re a bit savvy with the right programs, you can actually read the translation without necessarily needing to take any video files with it.

I should point out that it’s actually kind of a rarity for us to be in a situation like this, especially since with “the English dub is mostly equivalent anyway” as a dominating sentiment at the time, it’s a pretty big deal that people took it upon themselves to make sure every series had a decent translation. Many kids’ anime of this age are not nearly as lucky, resulting in a lot of misinformation about its Japanese version often circulating around thanks to lack of translation, poorly done translations, or translations that haven’t aged well. (And Digimon was very close to this back in the day, too; did you know that before 02 got its first set of subtitles, there were cases of people making really wild claims like “a cut kiss scene” happening in the Japanese version?) While some of the older fan translations have traces of on-screen translator notes and other artifacts from an older era, they’re all solid in terms of being very well-done translations, and have aged really well in that sense.

Other things to keep in mind:

This guide is primarily made from the perspective of "which translations are recommended and reliable", especially in the sense of identifying which translation(s) are recommendable if something was translated multiple times.

If you do have to find it (cough) unofficially, I heavily recommend you get the sub group’s release directly, usually via torrent (recommended client if you need one), instead of watching it off an underground streaming site that’s actively profiting off of the views there. It’s also safer for your computer, since said underground streaming sites have a notorious rate of putting malware on your computer; plus, it’s just more comfortable and higher quality, and you can watch it nicely and get nice screenshots with the Standard version of the K-Lite Codec Pack (Windows) or VLC (Mac). If the subbing group gives you an option of video file formats, you probably want the .mkv version, which most modern players can handle (especially the aforementioned players).

With the exception of the Hudie sub of Hurricane Touchdown (see below), all of the pre-Xros Wars releases are based off DVD versions, not any of the Blu-ray upscales that were released later. There are versions where others have transplanted the below subbers' translation onto Blu-ray footage, but the results are rather hit-or-miss, and since the Blu-rays are artificially upscaled footage anyway, I personally would rather recommend just getting the original release from the sub group themselves if possible.

Due to the fact that actual good-quality official translations started happening at that point, rendering fan translations no longer necessary (the fan translators would prefer you support the official release if you can, too!), no series after Xros Wars has a complete fan translation. In cases where both a full fan translation and a full official translation exists, it’s usually because the fan translation was done before an adequate official one was released; in such cases, please only use the fan translation if the official one isn’t accessible! Back in the day, there used to be official translations of Digimon series where the translation was so appallingly bad that it was borderline bootleg tier, but we’re fortunately not in that situation anymore right now, so please watch them without restraint if you can (the official 02 and Kizuna ones do have some shaky spots to the point I advise taking it with a grain of salt, but that’s only in the sense “of “taking it with a grain of salt” since both tend to be really nuance-dependent).

Terminology and romanizations differ from translation to translation (even within the same sub group or between official releases), so watch out for that. Of course, if you’ve gotten this far for this long in the Digimon fanbase, I imagine you must be used to that already...

For links to official ways to buy the Japanese footage, I’ll be providing both Amazon Japan and CDJapan links; the former is generally cheaper but requires a proxy service (I recommend From Japan), so if you’re not comfortable or used to using those, CDJapan offers them at retail price but also has a variety of international shipping options. If you’re willing to poke further, you can find them with other retailers as well. All series are also currently available for streaming on Amazon Japan and other services (which is, ironically, the only Japanese way to access Savers and Xros Wars at the moment due to how impossible they are to find on home video), although I imagine if you’re capable of figuring out how to access it there you’re probably not at the point of needing this guide anyway.

Yes, Japanese home video releases are ridiculously expensive. I’m sorry.

Adventure

TV series: Available via Blu-ray release from Amazon and other retailers, Officially available in a small handful of countries on Crunchyroll (released 2021). If it’s not available for you, the Ryuu-Rogue release from 2009 also works.

Original movie and Our War Game!: The Positron translations from 2010 and 2011 (respectively) are recommended here. Make sure the one for Our War Game! is the v2 version.

Kizuna: An official release with subtitles is available. It’s available in a large number of Western countries on storefronts that sell movies digitally (iTunes, Microsoft Store, etc.); for the US and Canada, it’s also available on physical disc format from Shout! Factory, among other retailers. (For those outside said countries, there may be a retailer that services your region with it, so I definitely suggest looking into outlets that do anime releases.) If you can’t access it from your country or have a region lock, I heavily recommend the L Subs version or the fan translation released under the “Kizuna” name (both are good) from 2020.

Buying it in Japanese:

TV series: The most recommended way is the combination Blu-ray box with 02 and their four movies (Amazon, CDJapan). There is actually an individual Blu-ray release (Amazon, CDJapan), but it’s ironically the same price or even more expensive, so you’re better off getting the combined box at this point. If you want a DVD version, there’s that too; the price for a new copy is obscene, but the used price is fairly reasonable in comparison.

Original movie and Our War Game!: If you only want the original movie and/or Our War Game!, you want the first volume of the movie Blu-ray collection, which contains both (Amazon, CDJapan). There’s also a nifty Blu-ray collection for all of the theatrical movies up until the Savers movie (Amazon, CDJapan). Both are also bundled together in DVD format (Amazon, CDJapan).

Kizuna: Again, the Shout! Factory release is your best bet if you’re in the US or Canada, and, depending on where you live and what options are available to you, importing it may be cheaper than getting the Japanese version (especially given the much lower base price). If you want the Japanese version, the Blu-ray comes in standard (Amazon, CDJapan) and deluxe (Amazon, CDJapan) flavors, whereas the DVD only has a standard version (Amazon, CDJapan).

TV series: Officially available in a small handful of countries on Crunchyroll (released 2021). Note that this version is based off Blu-ray footage. If it’s not available for you, I heavily recommend the PositronCannon release from 2010.

Hurricane Touchdown: The Hudie release (2020) is the one you should go with. Note that this uses Blu-ray footage.

Diablomon Strikes Back: The PositronCannon translation from 2012 (respectively) is recommended here; make sure it’s the v2 version.

Buying it in Japanese:

TV series: Same as Adventure; you probably want the combination Blu-ray box with Adventure and their four movies (Amazon, CDJapan). It also has an individual Blu-ray release (Amazon, CDJapan), but it actually costs around the same price. It’s technically still possible to get copies of the “Jogress Edition” Blu-ray that it first released with as a special limited edition, but I only recommend this if you really, really want the special booklets that come with it, or really like the nice boxes that much (note that it doesn’t come with the Adventure one; you’re expected to fill that one in yourself!). There’s a DVD version as well; as with Adventure, the new price is ridiculous, but the used price is much lower.

Hurricane Touchdown and Diablomon Strikes Back: Both are bundled together in the second volume of the movie Blu-ray collection (Amazon, CDJapan), and included in the full set of 1999-2006 theatrical movies (Amazon, CDJapan). If you prefer DVDs, you can get Hurricane Touchdown and Diablomon Strikes Back via Amazon.

Tamers

TV series: This one’s a tricky one; there’s no official release for this right now (there used to be a bootleg-tier quality one on Hulu, but even that’s gone now). The one you probably want is a combination of episodes 1-15 from The Wild Bunch (written as “WildBunch”) and 16-51 from Positron (written as "PLSP" or "PLSP-card"). The reason for this is that Positron themself was dissatisfied with the first pass of their own subs and did a v2 of them, but eventually didn’t get around to doing a second pass on 1-15 because they felt that The Wild Bunch's existing subs of it were satisfactory. This arrangement/combination from 2017 is well-known, so it shouldn't be hard to find them packaged together.

Battle of Adventurers: The Wild Bunch’s release from 2010 should be good for this one.

Runaway Digimon Express: You’ll want to look for the DmonHiro release from 2012 for this.

Buying it in Japanese:

TV series: Available in both Blu-ray (Amazon, CDJapan) and DVD (Amazon) flavors.

Battle of Adventurers and Runaway Digimon Express: Both are bundled together in the third volume of the movie Blu-ray collection (Amazon, CDJapan), and included in the full set of 1999-2006 theatrical movies (Amazon, CDJapan). If you prefer DVDs, you can get Battle of Adventurers and Runaway Digimon Express via Amazon.

Frontier

TV series: No official release for this right now. You’ll probably want to look for PositronCannon’s release (written as “Positron-LS”) from 2012.

Revival of the Ancient Digimon: You want the Positron (abbreviated “PLSP”) release for this from 2012.

Buying it in Japanese:

TV series: Available in both Blu-ray (Amazon, CDJapan) and DVD (Amazon) flavors.

Revival of the Ancient Digimon: Bundled with the Savers movie in the fourth volume of the movie Blu-ray collection (Amazon, CDJapan), and included in the full set of 1999-2006 theatrical movies (Amazon, CDJapan). If you prefer DVDs, you can get it via Amazon.

Savers

TV series and Activate Burst Mode! movie: No official release for either of these right now; the Ryuu-Rogue release from 2007 packages them together.

Buying it in Japanese:

TV series: Unfortunately, the actual TV series is pretty much near impossible to get in full now due to the fact it never got a compiled DVD release, and some of the short collection/rental DVDs it originally released in are impossible to find.

Activate Burst Mode!: Ironically, the movie’s in an easier position; it’s bundled with the Savers movie in the fourth volume of the movie Blu-ray collection (Amazon, CDJapan), and included in the full set of 1999-2006 theatrical movies (Amazon, CDJapan). If you prefer DVDs, you can get it via Amazon.

Xros Wars

TV series: Officially available in a handful of countries on Crunchyroll (released 2011-2012). Note that it’s listed under the Hunters name, but has all three parts. If it’s not available for you, the combination batch from Ryuu-Rogue (for the first two parts) and The Wild Bunch (for the third) works here. (Note that this uses TV footage.) Since the two are functionally the same group, The Wild Bunch was the one who conducted the final release in 2012 (abbreviated under “RyRo-WildBunch”).

Buying it in Japanese: Sadly, same situation as Savers; it never got a compiled DVD release, and some of the short collection/rental DVDs it originally released in are impossible to find.

Appmon

TV series: Officially available in a handful of countries on Crunchyroll (released 2019). Crunchyroll’s version of the translation is the only one that’s both accurate and complete; all other ones are either incomplete or appallingly mistranslated.

Buying it in Japanese: Unfortunately, there are no Blu-rays, but it did release in four DVD collections. (Warning that as of this writing, the Amazon ones are starting to run out of stock.)

Box 1 (episodes 1-13): Amazon, CDJapan

Box 2 (episodes 14-25): Amazon, CDJapan

Box 3 (episodes 26-37): Amazon, CDJapan

Box 4 (episodes 38-52): Amazon, CDJapan

Adventure: (2020)

TV series: Officially available in a lot of countries on Crunchyroll (simulcast).

Buying it in Japanese: Available in five collections, in both Blu-ray and DVD flavors:

Box 1 (episodes 1-12): Blu-ray (Amazon, CDJapan) and DVD (Amazon, CDJapan)

Box 2 (episodes 13-24): Blu-ray (Amazon, CDJapan) and DVD (Amazon, CDJapan)

Box 3 (episodes 25-36): Blu-ray (Amazon, CDJapan) and DVD (Amazon, CDJapan)

Box 4 (episodes 37-48): Blu-ray (Amazon, CDJapan) and DVD (Amazon, CDJapan)

Box 5 (episodes 49-67): Blu-ray (Amazon, CDJapan) and DVD (Amazon, CDJapan)

Ghost Game

TV series: Officially available in a lot of countries on Crunchyroll (simulcast). As of this writing, the series is currently airing, so I am begging you to please put extra emphasis on supporting this one on the official channel if you can.

Buying it in Japanese: Well, it just started. Hopefully we get news soon!

#digimon #digimon multi series talk

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