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jackoshadows · 3 years ago

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“You,” Ned said, kissing her lightly on the brow, “will marry a king and rule his castle, and your sons will be Knights and princes and lords and, yes, perhaps even a High Septon.” - Eddard, A Game of Thrones

My featherbed is deep and soft, and there I’ll lay you down, I’ll dress you all in yellow silk, and on your head a crown - Arya, A Storm of Swords

“Aegon has been shaped for rule since before he could walk. He has been trained in arms, as befits a knight to be, but that was not the end of his education. He reads and writes, he speaks several tongues, he has studied history and law and poetry. A septa has instructed him in the mysteries of the Faith since he was old enough to understand them. He has lived with fisherfolk, worked with his hands, swum in rivers and mended nets and learned to wash his own clothes at need. He can fish and cook and bind up a wound, he knows what it is like to be hungry, to be hunted, to be afraid. Tommen has been taught that kingship is his right. Aegon knows that kingship is his duty, that a king must put his people first, and live and rule for them.” - Kevan, A Dance with Dragons

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So this is an essay of sorts on my speculation/theory that Arya is going to end up as a leader of the North by the end of the series. I will split this into several parts:

Arya and leadership

Arya and Northern leadership

Arya and Nymeria

Skillsets

Importance of being a Warg/Skinchanger

Succession

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Arya Stark and leadership

“Know the men who follow you,” she heard him tell Robb once, “and let them know you. Don’t ask your men to die for a stranger.“ - Arya, AGoT

Arya has always been a leader rather than a follower. Just like Jon at the wall, she initially chafes at having to follow orders instead of doing what she thinks is the right thing to do. Despite Gendry and Hot Pie being older than her, she’s the one giving the orders and making the plans. She manipulates or forces characters into doing what she wants – getting Gendry to leave Harrenhal and forcing Jaqen to help her free the Northmen.

Arya took the lead, kicking her stolen horse to a brisk heedless trot until the trees close in around her. Hot Pie and Gendry followed as best they could. From time to time Arya glanced over her shoulder, to make sure the two boys had not fallen too far behind, and to see if they were being pursued - Arya, ASoS

Like most of our protagonists, Arya is ambitious and interested in being an active participant at the top. She wanted to become a King’s councilor and build castles. That entire little speech that Varys gives about the ideal candidate for ruling fits Arya to a T.

Arya has gone hungry, scrubbed and cleaned, cooked and kept house, sewed and mended clothes, bound up wounds, been hunted, been scared for her life – and done all this with limited protection. Just survived on her wits. Arya can wield a sword, is fluent in several languages and has studied with a Septa.

We also see war torn Westeros and the suffering of the smallfolk through Arya’s eyes in ACoK and ASoS. It doesn’t matter if it’s Stark or Lannister, the smallfolk suffer the same – Septon Meribald’s ‘Broken Men’ speech in AFfC embodies what Arya observes. After Arya frees the Northmen using weasel soup and Vargo Hoat betrays the Lannisters, there are reprisal killings, torture and rape enacted by Stark bannermen and the sellswords. The smith, Maester and the head maid are executed for merely serving Tywin – something on which they had no choice. Gendry points this out to Arya and she feels guilty for her part in all this.

“I hate this lot worse. Ser Amory was fighting for his lord, but the Mummers are sellswords and turncloaks. Half of them can’t even speak the Common Tongue. Septon Utt likes little boys, Qyburn does black magic, and your friend Biter eats people.”

The worst thing was, she couldn’t even say he was wrong. The Brave Companions did most of the foraging for Harrenhal, and Roose Bolton had given them the task of rooting out Lannisters. Vargo Hoat had divided them into four bands, to visit as many villages as possible. He led the largest group himself, and gave the others to his most trusted captains. She had heard Rorge laughing over Lord Vargo’s way of finding traitors. All he did was return to places he had visited before under Lord Tywin’s banner and seize those who had helped him. – Arya, ACoK

"It’s not a village, it’s only black stones and old bones. “Did the Lannisters kill the people who lived here?” Arya asked as she helped Anguy dry the horses.

“No.” He pointed. “Look at how thick the moss grows on the stones. No one’s moved them for a long time. And there’s a tree growing out of the wall there, see? This place was put to the torch a long time ago.”

“Who did it, then?” asked Gendry.

“Hoster Tully.” Notch was a stooped thin grey-haired man, born in these parts. “This was Lord Goodbrook’s village. When Riverrun declared for Robert, Goodbrook stayed loyal to the king, so Lord Tully came down on him with fire and sword. After the Trident, Goodbrook’s son made his peace with Robert and Lord Hoster, but that didn’t help the dead none.”

A silence fell." - Arya, ASoS

"Wolves, she thought again. Like me. Was this her pack? How could they be Robb’s men? She wanted to hit them. She wanted to hurt them. She wanted to cry.” - Arya, ASoS

The smallfolk in the Riverlands are caught between the Starks, Tullys and Lannisters with no good choices. And on the ground level, Arya sees this, understands this and acknowledges this. Her actions benefited house Stark and no one else. She understands the cost of war.

Arya is also very keen on justice. In that she not only thinks that characters deserve justice, but she wants to actively participate and deliver justice. She considers the execution of Dareon from the NW as a just one.

Dareon had been a deserter from the Night's Watch; he had deserved to die. - Arya, AFfC

“Guilty!” Arya shouted with the rest. “Guilty, guilty, kill him, guilty!” …

Arya could only think of Mycah and all the stupid prayers she’d prayed for the Hound to die. If there were gods, why didn’t Lord Beric win? She knew the Hound was guilty… - Arya, ASoS

Her father beat her so often and so brutally that she was never truly free of pain or fear until she came to us.”

“Did you kill him?”

“She asked the gift for herself, not for her father.”

You should have killed him.“ - Arya, ADWD

Arya drew back from him. "He killed the slave?" That did not sound right. "He should have killed the masters!" – Arya, aDwD

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Arya and Northern leadership

I would sooner my men die fighting for the Ned’s little girl than alone and hungry in the snow, weeping tears that freeze upon their cheeks. - Hugo Wull

The North has famously never had a female leader in House Stark. So is it possible for valiant Ned’s precious little girl to become the first Lady Stark to lead the North?

In terms of personality, Arya resembles some of the other female leaders/members of Northern houses. She is bold and forward like Lyanna Mormont and Wylla Manderly. She has trained with the sword and learned how to use a bow and arrow. She proactively engineers her own escape like Alys Karstark. Characters like Ygritte and Alys remind Jon Snow of Arya.

Arya venerates Ned Stark. She follows his advice as much as Robb, Bran and Jon do. Even more so. She executes a NW brother for desertion. And that is important for the Starks.

I should kill them myself. Whenever her father had condemned a man to death, he did the deed himself with Ice, his greatsword. - Arya, ACoK

The blood of the First Men still flows in the veins of the Starks, and we hold to the belief that the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. - Bran, AGoT

“The Starks do not use headsmen. Ned always said that the man who passes the sentence should swing the blade, though he never took any joy in the duty.” - Catelyn, ACoK

“Rickard Karstark, Lord of Karhold.” Robb lifted the heavy axe with both hands. “Here in sight of gods and men, I judge you guilty of murder and high treason. In mine own name I condemn you. With mine own hand I take your life. Would you speak a final word?” - Catelyn, ASoS

The pale morning sunlight ran up and down his blade as Jon clasped the hilt of the bastard sword with both hands and raised it high. “If you have any last words, now is the time to speak them,” he said, expecting one last curse. - Jon, ADwD

Arya is one of the Starkiest Starks of the whole lot. She is also the only Stark to actually have the Stark look. She is stubborn and determined to do things the Stark way. She often uses her father’s advice to guide her way.

Her father used to say that a lord needed to eat with his men, if he hoped to keep them. “Know the men who follow you,” she heard him tell Robb once, “and let them know you. Don’t ask your men to die for a stranger.“ - Arya, aGoT

Arya had loved nothing better than to sit at her father’s table and listen to them talk. She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms.- Arya, AGoT

Whenever her father had condemned a man to death, he did the deed himself with Ice, his greatsword. “If you would take a man’s life, you owe it to him go look him in the face and hear his last words,” she’d heard him tell Robb and Jon once. - Arya, ACoK

Now there are theories that it is future Bran who was communicating with Arya through the weirwood at Harrenhal, but she does gain strength from her father’s words when she prays to the Old Gods.

Gooseprickles rose on Arya’s skin, and for an instant she felt dizzy. Then, so faintly, it seemed as if she heard her father’s voice. “When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives,” he said. “But there is no pack,” she whispered to the weirwood. Bran and Rickon were dead, the Lannisters had Sansa, Jon had gone to the Wall. “I’m not even me now, I’m Nan.” “You are Arya of Winterfell, daughter of the north. You told me you could be strong. You have the wolf blood in you.” - Arya, ACoK

And while Arya is travelling incognito, GRRM keeps her connected to the North, house Stark and the Northern plot. She starts her journey from KL with a NW brother Yoren. She’s disguised as a boy like Danny Flint, Manderly requests a song about brave Danny Flint at Ramsay’s wedding with ‘Arya’. In the Riverlands, Arya’s plot intersects with her father’s bannermen, she participates in the capture of Harrenhal for house Stark and is there for Roose Bolton’s war council. She meets both Roose Bolton and Aenys Frey – our antagonists in Winterfell facing off against Stannis in ADwD. She meets Robett Glover – who is currently in White Harbor - when she lets him out of the dungeons. She gets Jaqen to help her father’s men.

“Vargo Hoat’s come back with prisoners. I saw their badges. There’s a Glover, from Deepwood Motte, he’s my father’s man. The rest too, mostly.” All of a sudden, Arya knew why her feet had brought her here. “You have to help me get them out.” – Arya, ACoK

Arya looked. She knew all of her father’s men. The three in the grey cloaks were strangers. Arya, AGoT

Twin towers. Sunburst. Bloody man. Battle-axe. The battle-axe is for Cerwyn, and the white sun on black is Karstark. They’re northmen. My father’s men, and Robb’s. - Arya, ACoK

Harwin?” Arya whispered. It was! Under the beard and the tangled hair was the face of Hullen’s son, who used to lead her pony around the yard, ride at quintain with Jon and Robb, and drink too much on feast days. He was thinner, harder somehow, and at Winterfell he had never worn a beard, but it was him—her father’s man. Arya, ASoS

“I bet there are Winterfell men too.” Her father’s men, the Young Wolf’s men, the direwolves of Stark. - Arya, ASoS

Arya is also involved in betrothals/marriage – first to Elmar Frey and then married off to Ramsay Bolton to hold the North. As a side note, her connection to all these bastards is indeed interesting - Elmar Frey, Ramsay Bolton, Gendry and Jon Snow. Is GRRM trying to say something here?

We now have the Northerners and Freys that Arya sees in Harrenhal transposed to Winterfell and ‘her father’s men’ rising up for Arya Stark.

Now, we can speculate and assume that these Northerners would have done the same for the other Starks, but that’s not the point here. In the books, GRRM has written this story to revolve around Arya. The mountain clans are marching for ARYA. The Northern houses are fighting alongside Stannis for ARYA. When lady Barbrey Dustin points out the anger of the Northmen at the treatment of ‘Valiant Ned's precious little girl’ she is talking about ARYA.

GRRM has Stannis wanting to rescue Arya for Jon. He has Mance trying to rescue Arya for Jon. He has Jon breaking his vows and dying trying to rescue Arya. A large part of what drives this plot forward is that it’s Arya, and her special relationship with Jon Snow influences a lot of what is happening south of the wall. The story only happens this way with Arya in the North. And that’s why it’s Arya’s story and not that of any other Stark. Superimposing this or that Stark in place of Arya to make a case for why they would be leader of the North makes no sense. GRRM writing in the marriage of Arya Stark to hold the North makes the case for why Arya is important to the North.

So, Arya has actively helped free Northmen in the Riverlands, engaged with important Northerners and Freys at Harrenhal and drives the plot to take down the Boltons in the North. With her leadership skills, her ability to wield a weapon and fight, looking like Ned, following in Ned’s footsteps and advice, her fierce personality, her loyalty to bannermen, her desire for justice and to help the weak and powerless, her huge direwolf - she would be like the Kings in the North of yore. I think the Northerners will be fine with Arya Stark being the Stark in charge.

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Arya and Nymeria

“What if the wolves come?” “Yield,” Arya suggested - Arya, ACoK

The direwolves are an important part of the books, and an important aspect of the Starks.They are as much a part of the Starks as Dany’s dragons are a part of her. They cannot be ignored as unimportant pets who will end up serving no purpose.

“He is part of you, Robb. To fear him is to fear you.” - Catelyn, ASoS

Ghost did not count. Ghost was closer than a friend. Ghost was part of him - Jon, ADWD

“Part of you is Summer, and part of Summer is you. You know that, Bran.” - Bran, ACoK

“Wolves and women wed for life,” Haggon often said. “You take one, that’s a marriage. The wolf is part of you from that day on, and you’re part of him. Both of you will change.” - Varamyr, ADWD

You have five trueborn children,” Jon said. “Three sons, two daughters. The direwolf is the sigil of your House. Your children were meant to have these pups, my lord…The direwolf graces the banners of House Stark,” Jon pointed out. - Bran, AGoT

“Roose Bolton has Lord Eddard’s daughter. To thwart him White Harbor must have Ned’s son … and the direwolf. The wolf will prove the boy is who we say he is, should the Dreadfort attempt to deny him.“ - Davos, ADWD

GRRM has mentioned several times that they are important.

The Lannisters are always likening themselves to lions, for example, and their motto “Hear me roar” speaks of a certain way of looking at life. But I think for the Starks it goes a little bit beyond that, especially in this generation, with these direwolves. It’s more than just a handy metaphor with them - GRRM, interview

"Wolves have been part of European folklore, of which America's descended, going back thousands of years. In Rome, Romulus and Remus -- there's always been this relationship between wolves and men." That relationship is seen time and again in Martin's series, and it's one that will Martin says will continue as the last two books are eventually released. Arya's wolf, Nymeria, in particular, will play an important role. "You know, I don't like to give things away." says Martin, a grin spreading across his face. "But you don't hang a giant wolf pack on the wall unless you intend to use it." - GRRM interview

The direwolves are important especially for Arya whose theme is ‘The lone wolf dies but the pack survives’ and there are constant mentions of the pack in her POV chapters. Nymeria is an alpha, a leader of her pack like Arya is a leader of hers.

“She says there’s this great pack, hundreds of them, mankillers. The one that leads them is a she-wolf, a bitch from the seventh hell.” - Arya, ACoK

Throughout ACoK and ASoS, Arya mentions the wolves in the Riverlands. They appear to be just ahead of her or behind her. In her chapters there are mentions of wolves eating people, of Roose going wolf hunting. It’s almost like the wolves are traveling with her. They even help her escape – the wolf howl giving the signal – from harrenhal. And it’s possible the pack was picking off Roose Bolton’s riders chasing Arya because they were following right behind.

She could hear the sound of her own breath, and the wolves as well, a great pack of them now. They are closer than the one I heard in the godswood, she thought. They are calling to me. - Arya, ACoK

Once, from the crest of a ridge, she spied dark shapes crossing a stream in the valley behind them, and for half a heartbeat she feared that Roose Bolton’s riders were on them, but when she looked again she realized they were only a pack of wolves. She cupped her hands around her mouth and howled down at them, “Ahooooooooo, ahooooooooo.” When the largest of the wolves lifted its head and howled back, the sound made Arya shiver. - Arya ASoS

Nymeria keeps amassing this huge wolf pack and Arya being a strong warg can sense this

She was no little girl in the dream; she was a wolf, huge and powerful, and when she emerged from beneath the trees in front of them and bared her teeth in a low rumbling growl, she could smell the rank stench of fear from horse and man alike. - Arya, ASoS

She dreamed of wolves most every night. A great pack of wolves, with her at the head. She was bigger than any of them, stronger, swifter, faster. And her brothers and sisters were with her, many and more of them, fierce and terrible and hers. - Arya, ASoS

In her wolf dreams she was swift and strong, running down her prey with her pack at her heels. - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

The wolf dreams also helps Arya connect to Bran, Jon and Rickon. We see Ghost able to sense the other direwolves and Bran trying to communicate with Jon.

Nymeria is a grey wolf and the stark sigil is a grey wolf on a white background.

“The rain had washed the guard’s blood off her fingers, she wore a sword across her back, wolves were prowling through the dark like lean grey shadows, and Arya Stark was unafraid.” - Arya, ACoK

“Arya had her father’s eyes, the grey eyes of the Starks.” - Reek, ADwD

What’s in a name? I have already mentioned in another post, the symbolism of the names for the direwolves and them being an indication of the future for the Starks. Arya’s direwolf is named Nymeria – a Rhoynish warrior queen who led her people to safety. Something that Arya may well do in the future when the North is under attack from the Others.

More importantly, Nymeria in Dorne changed the customs and rules of house Martell to follow those of Rhoynar and allowed for female rulers. Nymeria herself was the first female leader and was followed by her daughter. Nymeria changed the norm for Dorne and we could see the same happening with Arya Stark in the North.

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Skills and Education

Look with your eyes, Syrio had said, listen with your ears.- Arya, ACoK

Education at Winterfell:

Arya was mainly taught by Septa Mordane and received the same education as Sansa. She would have been taught history and about the Faith by the Septa, she can read and write, and is good with sums. She’s better than Sansa at managing a household. She can ride a horse like a Northman and is an excellent swimmer. She knows some high Valyrian. Besides the Septa, Arya also hangs around Ned Stark when he is teaching the boys. Many of his words of wisdom that she remembers is from when he is teaching the boys. She mingles with her father’s men, the cooks, the stable boys etc.

Kings Landing:

Water Dancing style of swordfighting from Syrio Forel.

Harrenhal:

Being incognito allows Arya to move around like a mouse or the ghost of Harrenhal and observe and learn things. She is privy to Roose Bolton’s war council and listens to them discuss the Northern campaign against the Lannisters. We get the first inkling of the Red Wedding in these chapters between Roose and the Freys.

Arya observes the different people, analyzes their movements and figures out how to approach them.

The night she was caught, the Lannister men had been nameless strangers with faces as alike as their nasal helms, but she’d come to know them all. You had to know who was lazy and who was cruel, who was smart and who was stupid. You had to learn that even though the one they called Shitmouth had the foulest tongue she’d ever heard, he’d give you an extra piece of bread if you asked, while jolly old Chiswyck and soft-spoken Raff would just give you the back of their hand. - Arya, ACoK

And as lords and ladies never notice the little grey mice under their feet, Arya heard all sorts of secrets just by keeping her ears open as she went about her duties. Pretty Pia from the buttery was a slut who was working her way through every knight in the castle. The wife of the gaoler was with child, but the real father was either Ser Alyn Stackspear or a singer Lord Lefford made mock of ghosts at table, but always kept a candle burning by his bed. Ser Dunaver’s squire Jodge could not hold his water when he slept. The cooks despised Ser Harys Swyft and spit in all his food. Once she even overheard Maester Tothmure’s serving girl confiding to her brother about some message that said Joffrey was a bastard and not the rightful king at all. “Lord Tywin told him to burn the letter and never speak such filth again,” the girl whispered. - Arya, ACoK

She aids in the escape of the near hundred Northmen imprisoned in the dungeons and even Roose is impressed enough to make her his cupbearer. And the next time, she conceives of, plans and executes their entire escape all by herself. She plans for the logistics – weapons, transportation, people, travel route, what to wear. She makes sure she is warmly dressed, takes the map from Roose’s chamber, uses her position of cupbearer to manipulate several men, manipulates Gendry into escaping with her, takes down the guard and leads them away. It’s an endeavor that showcases her intelligence, cunning, determination, ability to strategize and lead.

Arya also shows a lot of restraint and keeps her secrets. She doesn’t trust the Glovers or any of the Northmen in Harrenhal - and considering the Red Wedding, it’s a good decision.

Their captors permitted no chatter. A broken lip taught Arya to hold her tongue. Others never learned at all. - Arya, ACoK

Arya watched them die and did nothing. What good did it do you to be brave? One of the women picked for questioning had tried to be brave, but she had died screaming like all the rest. There were no brave people on that march, only scared and hungry ones. - Arya, ACoK

On the road Arya had felt like a sheep, but Harrenhal turned her into a mouse. She was grey as a mouse in her scratchy wool shift, and like a mouse she kept to the crannies and crevices and dark holes of the castle, scurrying out of the way of the mighty.- Arya, ACoK

Braavos:

Arya’s education here is not limited to killing for the Faceless Men. She is also educated in poisons and languages. She improves on her high Valyrian and is now fluent in Braavosi and other Essosi languages. She learns acting/mummery. Not showing emotions on one’s face, detecting emotions in another person.

“A man does not need to be a wizard to know truth from falsehood, not if he has eyes. You need only learn to read a face. Look at the eyes. The mouth. The muscles here, at the corners of the jaw, and here, where the neck joins the shoulders.” He touched her lightly with two fingers. “Some liars blink. Some stare. Some look away. Some lick their lips. Many cover their mouths just before they tell a lie, as if to hide their deceit. Other signs may be more subtle, but they are always there. A false smile and a true one may look alike, but they are as different as dusk from dawn. Can you tell dusk from dawn?”

Arya nodded, though she was not certain that she could. “Then you can learn to see a lie… and once you do, no secret will be safe from you.” - Arya, AFFC

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People skills

“I will remember, Your Grace," said Sansa, though she had always heard that love was a surer route to the people's loyalty than fear. If I am ever a queen, I'll make them love me.” - Sansa, ACoK

Arya’s ability to make friends wherever she goes highlights her people skills. And Arya is able to communicate and connect with people from all walks of life.

Sansa knew all about the sorts of people Arya liked to talk to: squires and grooms and serving girls, old men and naked children, rough-spoken freeriders of uncertain birth. Arya would make friends with anybody. - Sansa, AGoT

She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms. She used to throw snowballs at them and help them steal pies from the kitchen. Their wives gave her scones and she invented names for their babies and played monsters-and-maidens and hide-the-treasure and come-into-my-castle with their children., Arya, AGoT

Cat had made friends along the wharves; porters and mummers, ropemakers and sailmenders, taverners, Brewers and bakers and beggars and whores - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

Her girls were nice as well; Blushing Bethany and the Sailor’s Wife, one-eyed Yna who could tell your fortune from a drop of blood, pretty little Lanna, even Assadora, the Ibbenese woman with the mustache. They might not be beautiful, but they were kind to her - Cat of the Canals, AFfC

She’s also loyal to her pack. She doesn’t betray Jon even to her father. She helps free her father’s men. Despite Gendry talking of leaving Lommy or Weasel behind, she refuses. And despite the odds, she tries to help Gendry.

It didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that they had Gendry. Even if he was stubborn and stupid, she had to get him out. She wondered if they knew that the queen wanted him. - Arya, ACoK

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Importance of being a Warg/Skinchanger

She was the night wolf, no scraps of skin could frighten her. - Arya, ADwD

Since this is a fantasy series, magic is a big part of the story with a magical existential apocalyptic threat on the horizon. The North is the first bastion facing this threat. Jon and Dany both have magical pets and prophetic dreams. Bran is the 3ER. They are leaders or will become leaders by the end. Arya is a strong warg/skinchanger. Apart from Jon and Bran, she’s the only other Stark to use these abilities so far. As GRRM as indicated, having a direwolf is going to be useful in battle – we are going to be seeing direwolves involved in the battle for Winterfell for example. Arya is able to warg Nymeria from all the way over in Braavos. She skinchanges cats and sees through their eyes, when she is blind. She is deft with a sword, knife and decent with a bow and arrow (she could be better now using her FM senses). She would be an effective fighter to have against the Others and her warging skills could prove useful in battle.

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Succession

I’m not a lady, Arya wanted to tell her, I’m a wolf. - Arya, ASoS

And finally we come to succession. This is the hardest part and entirely speculation and we need the next book to get an inkling of where GRRM is heading towards. I am also basing all of this on Hibberd more or less confirming that King Bran on the Iron Throne is GRRM’s ending.

So of the true born Starks, Arya is pretty much last in line. With the inclusion of Robb’s will, we have 5 Starks left. Bran is the rightful heir to the North. Taking him out of the running, leaves Jon, Rickon, Sansa and Arya. Assuming Jon ends up North of the wall – in his dreams the Old Kings in the North in the crypts reject him, maybe foreshadowing that he doesn’t belong in Winterfell - that leaves Rickon, Sansa and Arya.

As for Sansa, again there is a plot significant reason for why GRRM has put an obstacle in her path, allowing for Arya to jump the queue. Sansa is currently married to Tyrion Lannister, a marriage that cannot be easily annulled (With an enemy regime in KL) or ignored like the show did. Robb Stark has most likely disinherited/removed her from the line of succession and named a legitimized Jon Stark his heir and Lord of Winterfell. If he has the support of the Northern houses who want an experienced, older Stark to lead them, Jon Stark could well be the next KITN over Rickon Stark. I don’t think a 7 year old Rickon would object to Jon in charge. So that makes it Jon Stark, Rickon Stark and Arya Stark.

Does Rickon have to die for Arya to become Wardeness of the North? It’s possible Rickon dies, but it’s also possible he doesn’t. It could be that Rickon does not want to lead the North – by the end of the book, he would be 8 or 9. Of course there’s the argument of a regent doing the job for Rickon until he’s ready. Or, he could just give way to his sister because he wants to. Something similar to Aemon refusing the throne and it passing to his younger brother Aegon.

Or we could have the traditional situation where Rickon becomes lord of Winterfell as next in line, while it’s Arya who is involved in running the day to day affairs. However, that would very much be status quo - with Rickon at WF and Bran down south in KL, it would be men ending up in positions of power everywhere once again, except maybe Dorne. If this happens, then Arya would be a leader of the North, but the Stark line would continue with the male line.

It’s possible Jon Stark as King could change things for the North. Jon treats the spearwives the same as the brothers of the NW, he respects Val’s abilities, he trusts in Alys Karstark. If Rickon refuses the mantle, it could very well be that Jon Stark relinquishes his position to his favorite person ever, Arya Stark, to be the next Wardeness of the North. Thus paving the way for Arya Stark to be the first female leader of the North like her hero Nymeria in Dorne.

It would be fitting for the character who introduced Jon Snow to equal rights for women.

“The Lannisters are proud,” Jon observed. “You’d think the royal sigil would be sufficient, but no. He makes his mother’s House equal in honor to the king’s.”

“The woman is important too!” Arya protested. - Arya, AGoT

Could King Jon reverse Sansa’s disinheritance after her marriage is annulled when KL is in friendly hands? Sure. But we don’t know how the Sansa/LF/Vale group will react to Jon as KITN and whether they will mount a challenge in Sansa’s name. And if Jon has to choose between Sansa and Arya as to whom he wants in charge of Winterfell, we know who it is he will think is more capable and will always choose.

I do think Winterfell succession will not be as clearcut as many Stark fans are hoping. Too many factions supporting the different Starks. GRRM loves to write about dysfunctional families and the Starks are not anything special in that regard. TWoW will tell us of whether there will be any kind of Stark civil war.

Is Arya too young for all this? I predict that by the time we get to the end of the books, about 5 years would have gone by. At 14, Arya would still need a regent – one of the many lords of the houses in the North. But I think considering her experiences, skillsets, a huge direwolf, Ned Stark’s wisdom and strong connections to the North, she will be an able leader. As GRRM said,

“[Arya is] older than some of the 40-year-olds in the book.” - GRRM

Either way, whether she gets Winterfell or not, Arya will end up as a leader in the North. Either she rules for Rickon and takes care of the day to day responsibilities or she does so in her own right as Lady of Winterfell/Wardeness of the North. She’s not going anywhere or sailing off on a boat. The show’s ending makes absolutely no sense for a character yearning for home in 5 books after going on the nightmare ‘adventure’ from hell. She will be in the North, in Winterfell, being a leader and continuing Ned Stark’s legacy. She will counsel her brothers and build and her people will love her just like they loved her father.

So in conclusion, I think there is enough story, character build up, characterization and set up for Arya to go North and take over as a leader of house Stark to face the threat of the Others along with Bran, Jon, Dany and Tyrion.

#Arya Stark #asoiaf #TWoW speculation

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suguruverse · 4 years ago

Note

hi mimi! i, really, really, REALLY love your "being best friend with..." series and i was hoping that you could do for tsukishima and yamaguchi? 🥺 thank you in advance, love! <3

— BEING BEST FRIENDS WITH TSUKISHIMA AND YAMAGUCHI

includes - tsukishima kei and yamaguchi tadashi

a/n - hehe i hope you liked this one <33

published date - 29/03/21

- this friendship is definitely not for the weak

- shit talking 24/7

- don’t be decieved, yamaguchi isn’t all that innocent

- yall he’s literally been best friends with tsukishima all his life plus he’s a scorpio sooo nuff said

- he definitely has tea on EVERYONE

- yamaguchi is also the type of friend who lets you copy all of his work

- on the other hand, tsukishima thinks you’re insufferable

- you always insist on coming to their games and practices

- tsukishima just says that he doesn’t want you there in general (spoiler alert!! he actually does)

- but yamaguchi only says that because he thinks that he’s not going to be on court that much and that he’s probably gonna do bad anyways so he doesn’t wanna waste your time by making you watch him fail

- but when you go to their games, tsukishima does a peace sign at you after he scores a point, like he does with his brother

- when they’re feeling particularly unmotivated, you do aggressive pep talks for them

- it makes them scared but also a lil happy

- but the rest of the team is definitely scared because they just see this random girl yelling at two of their teammates but they’re enjoying being yelled at??

- masochist vibes

- omfg i literally cant deal w myself holy shit okay

- you guys have sleepovers every weekend. no questions asked.

- most because you and yams come over to tsukishima’s house all the time and unannounced and he ‘can’t be bothered kicking you guys out’ so he lets yall stay

- it’s always late nights whenever you guys get to have deep conversations

- these conversations are super important in the friendship!!

- they both struggle with insecurities and issues of their own, and since the normally don’t voice out their feelings, you try to be as supportive as possible

- but they never make you feel as if you should carry all of their burdens

- they (mostly yamaguchi) always encourages you to be more open but never forces you to

- i feel like trust and communication is vital for this friendship to last

- tsukishima is way too attentive for his own good

- if you’re having a bad day, tsukishima never really does anything but he lets yamaguchi go crazy on food, snacks and your favourite things in general

- tsukishima know that you like hugs so on special occasions, he’ll let you hold onto him longer than usual

- THEY BOTH LOVE BACK HUGS it makes them feel safe and secure

- pls you initiate most of the physical affection and they love it so much

- tsukishima acts like he hates it, but if you don’t greet him with a good morning hug or kiss on the forehead/cheek, he’s gonna be grumpy for the entire day

- i feel like for this friendship to have happened, yall would have had to grown up together

- also yamaguchi worries over you almost too much

- his brain is 50% worrying about you, 25% volleyball and 25% school

- yall eat lunches together everyday

- sometimes yamaguchi will make you and tsukishima lunches or just little snacks like cookies

- on birthdays, they go full out

- they bring party hats, ALL of your favourite foods with serving sizes that could feed their team and a cake (strawberry shortcake of course because tsukishima was being stingy and chose the cake that he wanted)

- they insist on walking you home every single night

- and when you’re up at 2am wanting to get snacks, tsukishima acts as if you’re crazy and should be sleeping but he still walks with you to the store because ‘only a dumbass would go out alone this late and he didn’t want to hear yamaguchi cry everyday if you got kidnapped’

- yamaguchi leaves motivational notes on your desk and locker

- tsukishima has made you cry while trying to tutor you multiple times

- and yamaguchi yells at him every time he makes you cry

- also yamaguchi can be hella intimidating when he tries

- so don’t worry if anyone is bothering you bc they’re your biggest protectors

- the LITTLEST things you do for them will get them flustered and happy

gc name: y/n’s sluts 🤑🤑

you: KEI

you: KEI ANSWER

you: CODE RED EMERGENCY

tsukishima: jesus i’m here what happened

you: TADASHI

tsukishima: what’s wrong with him

you: I THINK HES BEING ASKED OUT

you: HE LOOKS UNCOMFORTABLE

tsukishima: omw where r u

you: SECOND FLOOR RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR CLASSROOM

yamaguchi: hi guys

you: TADASHIIIII :((

yamaguchi: hehe i’m alright :)

yamaguchi: they were actually trying to confess to tsukki, they thought he would be with me

you: aww babes are you okay ??

yamaguchi: mhm!! just a little embarrassed, that’s all

you: i’ll come over to u

you: plus why are they confessing to kei, he’s an asshole 😒 tadashi is way more boyfriend material

tsukishima: i’m right here you brat

you: 🤪🤪

tsukishima: anyways, let’s go already, we need to get snacks for movie night at yamaguchi s

yamaguchi: mine?? i thought we normally go to urs

tsukishima: shut up, deal with it

you: don’t be rude to my lovely tadashi!!

you: we’re doing movie night at urs bc keis doesn’t want akiteru to interrupt the movie

yamaguchi: oh okay!! i’m picking the movie this time

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ohheyitsokay · 4 years ago

Text

spectators

part 8 of the ‘hey batter batter’ series

paring: Francisco Morales (Frankie, Catfish) x reader

wordcount: 2.6k

warnings: strong language, kissing, enough fluff for a rich person chair

summary: it’s a Triple Frontier baseball AU! Trust me, you don’t need to know anything about baseball.

In this chapter, the Frankie and you appease the people who have been invested in their relationship this whole time.

Pope threw the ball straight up, and caught it.

Then he did it again – he was thinking.

Right hand, then left. Right, left. The ball was in the air less and less time, but the speed didn’t increase. Eventually he was just tossing it straight into his own palm, slowly, thoughtfully, his gaze fixed somewhere far away.

Frankie watched, not even nervous. Of all the reactions he could’ve predicted this was more or less what he expected.

“I’m proud of you,” this throw was for Catfish.

“Thanks.” He caught it.

“You’re fucking lucky,” Pope grinned.

“I know.” Frankie threw it back.

“When is the next date?” Benny plucked it out of the air, a strange look in his eyes. The rest of the team was already back in the locker rooms, but they had held Frankie back, curious. He had spent the morning practice practically glowing, playing well, but suspiciously distracted. Initially, there was an onslaught of teasing and questions and exaggerated berating, but now they had quieted, actually processing this, as friends. Will look satisfied, happy even, but Frankie kicked himself, remembering too late that Ben’s most recent romance hadn’t worked out.

“Tonight – she thinks the parties are bad news,” he said it carefully - Ironhead had been the one to start sharing their pasts with you, but it was really out there now, for you to take or leave. He moved past them towards the showers and he heard Tom snort, making an exaggerated whipping sound. The older man had listened to his abbreviated story with a stoic face, just raised eyebrows and his arms crossed. Frankie’s jaw clenched, wondering if he should retort, but he didn’t get the chance.

It was quiet, but Will added, “She’s not wrong,” in that even, reasonable tone of his. The tension fell, and then rose, sharply, a testament to the respect they all held for the first-baseman's opinion. Trudging through the hallway suddenly felt too fast, too dangerous, like the conversation should’ve stayed outside. A long moment filled only by footsteps as they all considered, before Ben spoke.

“Can I come?” Frankie stopped walking, turning incredulously and Santi smacked the rookie on the back of his head. Benny glared, but without any real bite. “Ow, fuck you - I’d rather hang out than go to another one of those stupid parties, wouldn’t you?” He looked defiant, meeting each of their eyes and gesturing with both of his arms, goading them to answer him, to disagree.

No one did, not even Tom, who glowered, the leather of his glove folded into deep wrinkles. Will’s blue eyes met the brown of Santi’s, and his mouth hooked into a smile. Deep laughter went a long way to thawing tension when it was genuine, and it was.

“Ben, you can’t crash Fish's date, we can do something else,” Will took his own turn smacking his brother but it was a bit of a bold statement. There were days when it felt like they really couldn’t so anything else, like there wasn’t other options that felt real – but they should be able to.

Frankie dragged a hand over his face before groaning a muffled, “Wait,” and sighing. He cursed, not even aware of what language it was in, occupied by the thought of what you would say if you were here. It was ridiculous but it felt right, and it was an opportunity for him to slow down again. “Honestly she would probably love if you guys hung out.”

There was a beat, where they stared at him, before the debate began. It didn’t last long, hushing as they reached the locker room, but by the time they were clean and dried and settled, it was decided. There really wasn’t a downside to it and really, they were all figuring you out, too. The lure of your smiles and home cooked food far outweighed the temptation of loud music and sticky floors and girls too tipsy to talk with, at least this time.

In the lull between the practice and the game, Frankie tried not to jump whenever his phone made a noise. One date in, and he was already daydreaming about just driving to your house and just kissing you until one of you had somewhere better to be. But you had a job, and things to finish so you had time for his game that evening, and he was acutely aware that while you had let that incredible evening – yesterday? – happen, he would need to slow down. He had already told you, he wanted to do this right.

He confirmed the plans for the evening, smiling as you agreed to host all his friends, and then tossed his phone into his bag. Then put a jacket on top of the bag, folded twice so it balanced precariously. When it buzzed he made himself take a lap around the building, and wanted to bang his head against the wall when it was a random email.

And all evening the thought of you. The game rolled in, and he squatted bitterly, annoyed his position left his back to the crowd. It meant he couldn’t look for you, and James. Logically he knew, even if you had told him your exact seats, he wouldn’t be able to make you out unless you were close, but that didn’t stop him from wishful thinking.

Catch, catch, walk, sit, swing, hit, run, walk, sit. Repeat.

The game built, and tensions were high as the scores stayed close and the crowd whispered about playoffs. It was the worst time for him to be batting, the pressure too high to be on the shoulders of a catcher, but it couldn’t be helped.

He walked out, listening to the blast of an old song too familiar to recognize, and the rumble of the announcer.

Frankie looked towards the crowd, knowing you were out there and fruitlessly wishing he could see you. He stopped at the plate, shifting on the balls of his feet, feeling the dirt under his cleats and trying to imagine your eyes on him. His hands tightened, loosened, tightened again, the wrap on the handle of the bat protested the movement, and he tried to hear you whispering his name.

You were cheering for him, right?

The ball hit his bat with a satisfying crack, and he didn’t watch where it went before he ran.

James was stalling.

You were supposed to drive him home, as always, but after spending most of the game filling him in about you and Francisco, there was no convincing him to move faster.

He wanted to see the man who had kissed his granddaughter – more than once! – and look him over again. The sweet, elderly man could be quite determined, especially when it involved two of his favorite people in the whole world. It meant waiting until the crowds fled and dodging staff who would no doubt shoo you away, but the eagerness on his little, wrinkled face made him impossible to deny.

“Jimbo, you’ve already met him,” you tried again, listening to the shrieks of a fangirl. After the surprising home run, the catcher was in high demand, and it made your stomach twist.

You had woken up this morning still shy and baffled at what you were to him, what was happening. So much had happened in such a short amount of time, and you talked a lot, but not about... you, together. But James was certain, this was it, and he wanted to look Francisco in the eyes before he gave you his blessing.

His hand was in your elbow and you tugged, again, before withering under his look. He began lecturing you, about this being his job and you offered a compromise. This time, you weren’t invited, but you guided him towards the lobby where friends and family met the players, and when they let you in, you let out a breath you didn’t know you had been holding.

Santiago found you first, and both of you got big hugs from him and the Miller boys, as they told you animatedly about how much hell they gave Frankie for bringing you home the first date. You barely got a word in, but you grinned as James joined their indignation.

In truth, your eyes were looking for Frankie, and you chided yourself at how much you ached for him, as always.

After a few minutes, Will pushed you towards the locker room, and you shot him a grateful smile. All the other players were clear, he told you, Frankie was being a baby about facing the fans. Your phone buzzed in your pocket, confirming that he was at loathe to run into anyone but you. They kept your grandfather occupied, and you knew they were in good hands as he was insisting he was hosting game night, that night.

Ducking into the hall, you followed the tile and the gaudy decorations, and found him.

Frankie, your Francisco was freshly showered, tshirt and jeans marked with drips from his curls, fiddling with his phone like he was waiting for you to text back. When he saw you, he dropped it into his bag, and your arms and eyes were suddenly full of him.

It was a crushing hug, he was eager and almost bursting with pride. You made a noise, you know you did, when only your toes were touching the ground, but he didn’t spin you around before he set you down.

He tried to pull away, he really did, but he couldn’t help but stay close, and you could’ve sworn his cheeks were flushed as you congratulated him, telling him admiringly about how exciting his home run was.

Feeling him against you again was surreal. Mere weeks ago you had been watching him from a distance, and then burying ridiculous daydreams under the rug in your mind. And yet here he was, looking at you with the same softness as he had the night before, without regret, and like reality was better than a dream.

When he asked why and how you were here – not that he was complaining, you told him and explained about James. He only smiled, shifting closer to you again, telling you after all you put up with yesterday, he could certainly do this for you.

There was a pause, the air both clear and thick at the same time, and his head tilted, hands shifting on your hips. Thoughts of your family and friends and food slipped from your mind as his face drew closer, the tip of his nose tapping yours.

Brown eyes, searching your face, you almost felt like you could count his eye lashes. Frankie had little freckles, faint, spattered across the tan skin of his neck and face, and there were sweet little sparse patches in his beard.

“You know, we wont get any time alone, tonight.”

His tone was thoughtful, but he said it like he almost didn’t hear himself, and you could feel the edges of the words against your lips.

The hand on your hip slid up. Up and up, until it settled on the back of your head and he was pressing into you. Frankie’s kisses were deep and slow, like he couldn’t believe last night was not a figment of his imagination, and you wound your arms around him before you got lost in them. There were words in them, distant proclamations and promises and you pulled him into you, yearning to hear them clearly.

It could’ve been a minute or half an hour, between that moment and when he pulled away. With shock, you realized you had been pushed against the locker with his name on it, and his palm was cushioning your head.

There was a clatter of aluminum against the floor, and you jumped like caught teenagers. Then you were firmly planted on the ground again, and Frankie was turned around, shielding you like it was already instinct. Neither of you saw anyone, and his laughter was bashful and sweet. When he said you should probably go, and took your hand, you heard a genuine roughness in his voice.

Behind another row of lockers, Molly whispered into Tom’s neck, “Do you need to go, too? There’s that party tonight.” And he shrugged.

The environment at James' home was completely different than last time they were there. Things were less clean, there was less food, and everyone was twice as comfortable.

It was strange, what really knowing them did - they teased you more, and breathed easier, as if they had never met someone who hadn’t minded it all.

“Juice packets?” Will asked, confused at the drink selection, and you smiled when Santi winked at you. Tom hadn’t come but you thought it would be best to play it safe. It was important to you, that if they were choosing this over a party that it was lighthearted, sincere and simple.

“I just thought it would be fun,” you gave as your only explanation and he didn’t question it further. He did drink them three at a time, though, and when you laughed, you swore you saw his smile lines.

Benny was on your team, yelling and by far the most competitive, Santi and Will’s luck encouraging it every step of the way. They bickered like kids, bellowing laughter and rambunctious celebrations included. You made an extra rule – anyone who hit you with a pillow or playing piece had to buy you ice cream, next time the opportunity came up.

If should’ve been distracting, how James had pulled Frankie to the side to talk, but it warmed your heart. You didn’t need to swoop in and rescue him – they were talking like old friends, like Frankie was genuinely interested and invested in your beloved grandfather.

Every once in awhile, he would look up and meet your eyes, watching you with his friends with one corner of his mouth pulling higher. Once, you blew him a kiss and he scrunched his nose, like it hit him between the eyes.

Later, you scooted over to them, trying to steal him back, James leaned over and ruffled your hair before sternly, adorably telling you to let him have his turn with Frankie. When Frankie joined him, jokingly telling you to back off, you thought if it didn’t work out with him, Jimbo would adopt him.

The night stretched beautifully late, before your grandfather lectured them on the importance of sleep and Benny spun you around in victory. There were stars in the sky, and you listened to their chatter fade as they piled into their cars, surprised at how affectionate you felt for all of them, after so little time and such unlikely circumstances.

Frankie had stayed back, accepting goodbye hugs, and leaning against your car as you waved the other’s off. Of course, you asked, but he didn’t tell you what they talked about and he didn’t linger as long as you had hoped he would.

His kiss was sweet and chaste, like he knew he had all the time in the world.

taglist:

@fangirl-316 @scribbledghost @writeforfandoms @beautyagegoodnesssize @princess76179 @mrsbentallmadge

hey batter batter taglist:

@icanbeyourjedi @studyofawearymind @hnt-escape @athalien @the-witty-pen-name @daffodin @sarahjkl82-blog @pintsizemama @anaaaispunk @pjkimrn @dobbyjen @stuckontheceiling

#francisco morales #francisco morales x reader #francisco morales x you #frankie x you #frankie x reader #catfish x you #triple frontier baseball au #hey batter batter #maybe i don't know people

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maiji · 3 years ago

Photo

Watchfulness and Resourcefulness, 2021

Something that’s easy to forget, especially when reading the Tale of Genji from a modern perspective, is that the characters are rarely “alone”. Though the text may not explicitly indicate this, the main characters we follow are usually accompanied by retainers, servants, and so on. The cast is huge, as befitting a courtly world full of complex family and social relationships. Many “background” characters do a ton of grunt work in propelling the story's events, bringing news (or gossip); transporting, hiding or impeding people; and so on.

I found that even though a lot of characters appear so briefly, I had a strong sense of them as people, with their own stories. That I was just seeing tiny slices of them. Maybe it’s because of the tale’s framing, that someone's telling you about all these events with side commentary. Maybe it’s because, more than once, one of these seemingly fleeting mentions reappears later, with a lot more presence. So I came to feel that anybody could easily burst to the forefront of the narrative; it was just a matter of perspective. As I noted before, whenever I browse the Tale of Genji again, I frequently run into people with fits of recognition from the future, because I didn’t pay attention to them the first (or second, or third) time around: “Hey! That guy who appears later, this is him as a kid, singing! I didn’t realize he shows up way before his more narratively-famous brother!!” (Kobai, little brother of the notorious Kashiwagi.) “Oh I didn’t realize this lady appeared so early before I actually noticed her!” (Hanachirusato, who by the time I started paying attention was already living in Genji’s house.)

Obviously I do not have the time nor willpower to depict everyone, though quite a few of the less prominent folks did make it into some of my other illustrations because I love obscure characters. For everyone I didn’t catch, these two images represent all of those wonderful consequential and incidental figures who create the rich fabric that is the Tale of Genji. A world long ago, yet remarkably familiar.

Below the cut are a random smattering of people I thought about as I was working on these pieces. There are, of course, so many more!

These are the third- and second-last illustrations in the Genjimonogatari series - #52 and #53 in a 54-illustration set I've been working on intermittently since 2018. Wow, I can’t believe it! Only one more illustration left! The last one will feature a very, very special character.

humangray.com / Print available on INPRNT / Genjimonogatari series

Taifu no Myobu. I kind of think of her as the female Koremitsu, because her mom is also one of Genji’s nursemaids. She seems pretty close to Genji, though she only appears in one chapter. Their relationship is more casual, “hang out ‘cause we want to”, and at one point Genji even worries about how she must be judging him based on his treatment of another woman he’s pursuing. The two of them come off more like brother and sister to me, especially in Yamato Waki’s depiction. They hassle each other about their relationship habits, and he keeps bothering her to introduce him to more women. She tells him about Suetsumuhana basically to get him off her back.

Jijiu. She serves Suetsumuhana and appears in two chapters, is a smart cookie and not afraid to take initiative. She verbally answers Genji on behalf of Suetsumuhana when the latter is too shy and nervous to respond, surprising him by how boldly she speaks as her mistress. The chapter when she’s forced to leave Suetsumuhana is very touching. The historical AU fanfic Inaka Genji actually blends Jijiu and Suetsumuhana together, flipping their characters around as one of AU detective Genji's counterplots. I personally find Murasaki Shikibu’s original approach more nuanced and real, but Inaka Genji was meant to be a fun ride, and I thought it was interesting to see that take.

Ukon. One of many Ukons in the story, as lots of serving ladies have similar nicknames. She serves Yugao and then Murasaki after Yugao’s death. Her miraculous reunion with Yugao’s daughter Tamakazura many years later in a chance encounter is very memorable, and was listed by some historical fans as a top scene when answering ancient memes about favourite Tale of Genji moments.

Michisada, Nakanobu, and Tokikata. These guys are very special because those are their actual names! They’re not high-born nobles and aristocrats so the narrator calls them by name. Michisada and Tokikata are Niou’s retainers, while Nakanobu is Kaoru’s retainer. Funnily enough Nakanobu is also Michisada’s father-in-law. Must’ve been extra awkward when Niou and Kaoru were trying to keep Ukifune away from each other… I read a paper or a book that basically described these guys as Niou and Kaoru’s thugs, which cracked me up. I feel like it was Tyler or Seidensticker who said this, but I can’t remember.

Hyotoda the Bungo Deputy. His father, Dazai no Shoni (the Dazaifu Assistant) was the husband of Yugao’s nurse, who took care of Tamakazura after her mother Yugao disappeared. Before dying, the Dazaifu Assistant asks his three sons to help get Tamakazura back to the city where she might find her father To no Chujo. Hyotoda is the only one who dedicates himself to this, working with his mom and sisters to protect Tamakazura from getting married off to Taifu no Gen and escorting her safely away. Yamato Waki depicts him as a very kindly-looking and caring man, weeping and thinking of the family he had to leave behind in order to fulfil his duty.

#tale of genji #genji monogatari #genjimonogatari series #art by Maiji/Mary Huang

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shima-draws · 5 years ago

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Aww yeahhh time for Kiyo to make his entrance!

I wrote an entire essay about him (again whoops) so it’s very long and under the cut for your viewing pleasure ;)

Kiyo

Age: 29

Hair color: Green

Eye color: Brown

Element: Stars

Kiyo, the Guildmaster of the Asterstone Guild! He only took up the position recently and has had the Guildmaster title for about a year and a half. He was the previous record holder for youngest Guildmaster until that title was stolen by Taku. (Kiyo holds a grudge about it but it’s playful.)

Kiyo, just like lots of other characters in ATS, was taken in by the Asterstone Guild at a young age. He’s similar to Shima in that he has no previous memories before showing up outside the guild one day, battered and bruised. (That marks three characters in this series with amnesia now! Wrow) He grew up under the watchful eye and tutelage of the previous Guildmaster, and because of how attached to him she’d gotten, it wasn’t long before he began to express desires to take over the guild once she retired. After a lot of thought and contemplation she eventually handed over the position to him. This initially resulted in a lot of outrage from the guild members because they did not think Kiyo was suited to be the Guildmaster, but he eventually proved them wrong once he stepped up to the plate and showed them he could act like a true leader!

They did have good reason to be nervous about that, though, as Kiyo is normally a very laid-back and carefree person and is strictly non-violent. This has lead into lots of situations where he’s opted out of fighting, leading his guildmates into lots of trouble when they needed a hand, and they labeled him as both a coward for avoiding necessary battles on missions (which is practically a requirement for a guild member going out on dangerous quests, you sort of have to have a battle prowess to take on any foes) and lazy for not participating when he should. Initially this bothered Kiyo a great deal, but the previous guildmaster assured him that not everybody is suited for battling others, and that he can still pave his own way to success in a non-violent manner. While Kiyo may not have a liking for fighting, he has an extremely smooth tongue and is very capable of talking himself out of sticky situations (mostly by bribing. He is VERY good at that lmao). He has a talent for manipulating others into doing what he wants them to, though he rarely uses this on people he considers friends. When Kiyo’s able to complete a mission and win the day without resorting to using their elemental powers in a fight, his guild members have to stop and think for a second like. Hold on. He just did that so easily, he made it look so simple, we really need to stop underestimating him and calling him totally useless (Kiyo: Hey. HEY).

Kiyo’s pretty close to all of his guildmates despite their constant ribbing—the one person he’s close to that adores him completely is Lacie, because he was the person to bring her into the guild (she was around 10, he was 17), and being the first person to genuinely show her kindness that wasn’t for ulterior motives, Lacie became very attached to him. Kiyo acts like an older brother to her, and Lacie supports him in whatever he does. She was thrilled when he took on the Guildmaster position, and he has a very soft spot for her :’) She always sings his praises to anybody outside who will listen, and gets angry at Emrys the one time he called Kiyo incompetent.

After becoming the guildmaster, Kiyo actually does a good job at taking charge despite the general opinions that he wouldn’t. He’s still very casual about it though and is a bit more flexible with how the guild is run, preferring to let the guild members do things their own way and be less strict about the overall rules. He’s basically got the “Do whatever you want!” and “Just wing it!” outlook, and while a lot of the members don’t like this attitude, a lot of them do. At the end of the day they all do respect him, though! While he isn’t a fighter he’s very good at giving orders and keeping things in check around Asterstone lol

Despite Kiyo’s insistence on staying out of battles, he’s actually an extremely skilled fighter, and is probably the strongest and most dangerous person in the entire guild. The issue with this, though, is that whenever he gets into a fight, he tends to get too “serious” and starts going off the walls, treating the battle as a game and something fun and entertaining. This leads into him not knowing when to stop, and nobody else being able to stop him, so he’s seriously injured other people without meaning to—revealing that he’s actually terrified of violence because he loses himself in it, and why he prefers to stay on the sidelines. It’s only when Kiyo gets really serious in battles that a darker side comes out, and where the star mark in his eye appears. It’s only been seen a few rare times throughout his life at the guild, so nobody really thinks much of it or notices it. It’s only after the star mark appears that Kiyo passes out afterwards, having exerted a lot of power and extremely skilled battle prowess nobody has ever seen before. However, after a grand guild tournament where Kiyo faces off against Taku and gets too into it, revealing his star mark and almost slicing Taku’s head clean off, one of Kiyo’s advisors at the guild starts to look into it out of concern for both Kiyo’s safety and that of others.

In the middle of all this mess, Kiyo meets Toru, and after nearly forcing him to join Asterstone, the two start growing closer 👀 Toru joins the squad of not putting up with Kiyo’s bullshit, but that’s only after he gets over his starstruck fanboy phase. Because Toru is newer to the guild and because he’s a non-elemental not suited for fighting, Kiyo instantly becomes attached to him, finding similarities in their preferences and backgrounds. While Toru does think Kiyo’s an idiot sometimes he treats him very kindly, and is usually the first to defend him when the other members playfully tease him, so Kiyo’s just like you are an angel sent from heaven just for me and I adore you. Still though with Toru being a non-elemental Kiyo stresses about his safety CONSTANTLY, even after Toru gets official training in self defense. If Toru’s in danger Kiyo will blow off literally everything else to go rescue him first, which the other members have to get used to as it happens more often than they’d like akdasbmlads

Later down the line the guild is caught up in something terrible, and find themselves being targeted by a descendant of a great inventor and sorcerer (not Elymas this time tho lol). She’s apparently seeking what’s known as the Velle Nova, and has reason to believe Asterstone is in possession of it. After Kiyo’s forced to fight and unleashes the power behind his star mark, the descendant reveals that Kiyo has the Velle Nova, and then the truth finally comes out…

Kiyo remembers everything about his past. Years ago, his town had been caught up in a great disaster, and he was the only survivor. He was forcibly taken in by several scientists, one of them being the ancestor of the girl descendant. They were attempting to recreate the Velle Nova, one of the great sorcerer Elymas’ inventions, which is said to grant any sort of wish imaginable. They wanted to claim that power for themselves and possess the powers of the universe itself. However every attempt had failed, and without the real Velle Nova they couldn’t achieve what they were after. So they decided to pour all of their research into Kiyo instead, and try to create the weapon inside of a human being. This ended up making a twisted, broken version of what should have been the Velle Nova. But Kiyo couldn’t contain its power—it was going to unravel the universe itself and either destroy everything or alter it tragically into something unimaginable. One of the scientists working with the group realized how awful their experiment was and, being a Time elemental, decided to erase Kiyo’s memories (with some help) and send him centuries into the future so that the rest of the group couldn’t get their hands on him. Hence Kiyo winding up outside of Asterstone with no memories, and the truth behind his star mark. It had been granting Kiyo his wish the whole time—the longing to protect the things he cares about by being able to defeat any threat in his way. Of course with the unstable power that he can’t control, it usually leads into disaster;;

Kiyo, now having recovered his memories, realizes that the same thing is going to happen again, and decides to seal himself off to protect Asterstone and the world before the universe unravels. Cue an epic PMD-esque goodbye scene where he bids farewell to Toru, gives him his trademark scarf, and vanishes, escaping into a dimension between time and space where his power can be contained. *Starts playing I Don’t Want To Say Goodbye*

Toru, absolutely devastated by Kiyo’s farewell, decides he’s going to break time and space to save his man, except there’s one small issue...nobody else remembers that Kiyo even existed, and Toru only managed to by some miracle (and also maybe bc Kiyo handed him his scarf idk some magic soul connection thing). But after a while...a long while, maybe like a year or more...they finally unlock the key to finding Kiyo!!

Toru and Kiyo share a tearful reunion, and Kiyo cries a lot because it had been so lonely sitting in that black hole all by himself for so long. Toru begs Kiyo to come back, and suggests that Kiyo separate himself from the Vella Nova in order to live a normal life, but Kiyo informs him that he and the Vella Nova...are the same. They’re the same combined entity! Kiyo says that if he tries to unfuse, he’ll just end up destroying himself, because there’s nothing to separate, being one singular existence. So Toru points out uh hey since you’re the same thing, don’t you get a say on how your power is used? “It’s your power, Kiyo” yes we’re referencing Tododeku here we go

Kiyo’s like hmm uh yeah I guess you have a point;; so we went through all that for nothing huh. And Toru tells him you’re a fucking moron and Kiyo’s like ahh yes but you loved this moron enough to come rescue him from the void ;) And they kinda sorta confess but not really? Kiyo’s too nervous and Toru’s too distracted trying to figure out how to get them out of there but no worries they sort it out later. Kiyo tells him that hey I’m still dangerous and I could lose control at any given moment and Toru’s just like well I guess we’ll just have to stop you and bring you back to yourself. So with the knowledge that he’s got a whole guild of awesome people backing him up and a boy who broke the laws of the universe to save his ass, Kiyo and Toru escape the rift and finally return home together 💕 And that’s pretty much how their arc ends!

Extra personality traits

-He has a really short attention span so this makes things painfully hard on mission briefings, which leads to Kiyo usually screwing up the mission one way or another

-He often charges ahead without thinking and is the first one to become a target in a bad situation. Nobody really feels bad for him though because most of the time it’s his fault for walking right into it LMAO

-He can be very childish sometimes and most of the time he does it on purpose. His guildmates complain that their leader is a whiny, immature brat

-He is an expert on how to annoy people do not test him oh my god

-He can be incredibly selfish;; He’s gotten better with it during recent years, but he got scorned for it a lot when he was younger. He’s also very emotional, and you can read what he’s thinking like an open book! When his friends can’t read him that’s when they start getting worried.

-He has no experience in romance whatsoever and it’s the one (1) thing that can get him flustered. Nobody at the guild has ever seen Kiyo get mildly embarrassed or caught off guard, so they begin to think it’s impossible to make him blush. Then Toru shows up and ruins everything lmao

-He has a great sense of humor and can always make others laugh! He’s also very mischievous and sometimes plays pranks on other members of his guild.

-He’s very stubborn when he wants something and not in a good way. He also pouts a lot when he gets like this

-He loves his guild and his guild members man :'( If any of them are ever in any real danger he's quick to offer himself up first as a target. He's protective of his friends and will do anything to keep them safe!

-A very very affectionate person. He mostly shows this through physical acts like hugging and generally touching other people. In return he also craves affection and gets very soft when it’s given back to him. I’d probably say he’s a little touch starved despite being in close contact with others all the time lol

#Me: Time for a new OC! *Writes a novel-length essay about their background*#Kiyo #Among the Stars #ATS #Shima's OCs #This took me way too long to write fnaskbldads god #Original character #Character art #Character design #Digital art #Art #Character sheet #Character reference #Shima arts #Long post #shima-draws

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atalana · 3 years ago

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[copied over from my cr blog, also this is gonna get long, i’d apologise but im not sorry]

okay, so

this is a rant probably about 7 years in the making, bc when i first watched lok i had not done any music study, i had not done any composing of my own, my knowledge of music theory was at a primary school level and i still thought tv soundtracks were just made by one person composing a whole cache of music and then the audio editors pick and choose what track to place where

(spoiler alert that’s not how film and tv scoring works, i have now done a music composition course where we had to score a short film, among other things, and i have so much more respect for tv composers jesus christ)

but this one stuck out to me even way back then, bc me barely knowing what a leitmotif was was like “hey this one little refrain keeps popping up whenever bolin does lavabending, and i like it, i’m gonna see if it’s on the soundtrack”

it was not, and that’s sort of where i left it back in 2014, but i actually did a rewatch of lok pretty recently out of nostalgia, and then noticed it even more

and to explain why (and this is also a little bit why five’s stuck out to me in tua, i’ll get to that in another ask), let’s cover, leitmotifs, and tv scoring in general

so a leitmotif is basically just a short musical idea that represents something in a piece of music. when i studied motivic development we were encouraged to make that motif four notes or less, and then develop it into something longer (aka a theme), because if you can constantly come back to a really short idea while keeping the piece moving, that’s what makes a piece of music memorable

(you can ignore those rules on purpose but that’s a different essay)

so the most common way that a leitmotif shows up in soundtracks is to represent a character or a location - you play the motif when that character shows up or when you’re in that location and boom, the audience associates that motif with that person place or thing, and you can then use this to tell the audience things without actually telling them. for example, star wars playing the imperial march whenever someone does something darth vader related - darth vader isn’t on screen, but you can feel his presence, because his music is playing

and if we were a film score, where we have two hours to show one particular character’s development, great! we give them a simple motif, and then as they grow as a person we change their motif to reflect what is happening to them, until we end up with something that communicates on a subconscious level how much they’ve grown. we toss in as much symbolism as we can, and we have a really great soundtrack that’s instantly memorable

tv scoring, is harder. partially because of time constraints (have you ever composed half an hour of original music a week, and had to make sure it fits perfectly with every beat of what’s happening on screen? these guys have), partially because there’s a much larger focus on ensemble casts

so what atla and lok do, for the most part, is not score individual character motifs for everyone. this is fairly common in tv soundtracks, instead we score ideas, concepts, and feelings - these’ll come up a lot more and give you more information than just “oh hey this character’s on screen”

the avatar state, for example, has the strongest and most recognisable theme across both shows. i’m linking an atla track in here because it has the best example but you’ll know this shows up with korra too - and with particularly important moments for wan, for kyoshi, etc. they also appear in the opening of both shows, four strong notes that start and end on the same note (in the case of what i’m linking, it’s an F#)

youtube

the first part of this track is the more uncertain, pensive theme that comes up when both avatars are feeling doubt/worry/sadness, but then it transitions into the more recognisable four. worth noting though, those are both basically the same motif. if i write them out back to back, you’ll notice they both have four notes and start and end on F#. if i had to guess, four notes four elements, and it comes back to the start because the avatar is a cycle.

korra has a theme for when she’s fighting, but not an individual character theme. the airbenders as a concept have a theme, republic city has thematic instruments, as do some big name characters, like iroh and his tsungi horn (this is also a cross-series thing, he’s always playing it in atla, it shows up when zuko has to make big moral decisions, and when we first meet iroh in the spirit world in lok, it shows up there too, to let the audience know who this is before we properly see him)

so, if korra doesn’t get a single theme and instead has several for different aspects of her life, and mako and asami follow along with the mood of the story like all the other characters, the fact that bolin has a personal leitmotif at all, let alone a solid, developing one, is pretty remarkable!

now, granted, it mostly starts with book 3, before then he was like every other character, but it has clear symbolism through those last two books! and, initially i thought it was related only to his lavabending, since that’s most of when it shows up, but since my rewatch, i’ve started calling it his hero theme

see, when people wanna criticise mako and bolin, usually the comments they get are that bolin’s too immature and mako’s too serious/uptight. but like, that’s how they work, you can’t analyse either of them without the context of the other. since they were little kids on the streets, bolin chases his heart and mako makes sure they don’t die from it, that is their entire childhood. and neither would have got here on their own because mako wouldn’t take the necessary risks and bolin wouldn’t take the necessary precautions. (like. remove either one from the equation and they’d still be working for the triple threats bc s1 and their flashback miniseries make pretty clear that bolin got them out and mako kept them out)

and then book 2 proves it! because it splits team avatar up, and what happens? bolin is totally taken advantage of by varrick and used as a pawn in his evil plan and mako ends up in jail

so what’s book 3, to them? it’s, being able to find themselves without having that codependency. mako no longer has someone to protect, which is what he’s based his whole life around so far - bolin’s doing fine and he’s no longer dating either korra or asami. and bolin’s trying his hand at some of that responsibility (look at how he immediately adopts kai who is explicitly them but younger because he wants to be the older brother for once). most importantly, they find the rest of their family, and stop being defined by being orphans. they don’t have to be that singular piece of a puzzle, they can just be themselves. and that’s where bolin’s character really starts to shine, because that’s when they bring in the bending plot, and bending, perhaps more than any other character, really gets to the heart of who bolin is

if you want more of my thoughts on that i have an essay here, but tl;dr: bolin’s an extremely powerful earthbender, but he’s not a metalbender because metalbending requires you to double down on the earth characteristics and think like an earthbender, and bolin doesn’t, he’s too fluid for that, which is one of his major strengths, so of course he can lavabend

and finally - to his motif itself! (as a note, i’ve put all of these in the same key to show where it repeats, but there’s a variety of keys used in the show)

as far as i can find, it first shows up in s3e8, when bolin stuns p’li with this well placed shot

[Edit: it first showed up in the s2 finale, but again in a simplified version and again with him doing something heroic with earthbending, so we can still start the analysis here]

mako volunteers bolin for that job, because he knew bolin was capable of it. why? because bolin landed an identical shot earlier in the episode, after trying to metalbend, getting frustrated he can’t, and cheating with some extremely well aimed earthbending. it’s just a short refrain and you barely notice it, but it’s the first connection of this motif with the theme of bolin’s bending

it looks like this, and it’s always played on a trumpet, which is part of why i call it the hero theme, because, if you’re looking at music from a western perspective, trumpets were used to herald kings, and then used to represent military glory, and then when superhero themes started happening, they used trumpets too - it’s basically western music shorthand for hero these days

(it’s also symmetrical so that helps with the good vibes)

and he’s saving everyone here, so it’s linked to his bending, but it’s also linked to his heroism

it ties the two together, and they are tied together.

when’s the next time it shows up? episode 10, when the brothers are in prison in ba sing se, and bolin tries to metalbend them out. again, he’s doing this to save people, and this motif gets a few notes added on to the end in a raising pattern - they’re inspiring, but they don’t go anywhere. which is exactly what happens in the scene, because he’s trying to go about this in the wrong way. mako believes in him, but it won’t (and doesn’t) work

it appears in episode 12 when bolin saves everyone from ghazan destroying the temple, in a more fancy orchestral remake of the first version - it’s impressive, but it hasn’t actually developed yet, it’s just his discovery of it

the book 3 finale already has its own fucking amazing soundtrack, i love that entire episode’s score, but it gets its own moment there too, and the first real development!

because what we hear is not what we’ve heard before. we know it’s the same theme, because it’s using those signature trumpets, but it’s the second part of this phrase, the answer to the question supplied by the first one. why? because bolin’s figured out who he is and he’s starting to use it. it still hasn’t settled yet though, it’s early days and he’s still just turning ghazan’s lava back on him, so again, it raises, leaving it on a question mark

it doesn’t appear in s4e7 when he lavabends as a warning against the escaped prisoners, because he’s using it as a threat, not to help people. but it does later in the episode when he uses lavabending to save them from kuvira. and that’s when we get the first full phrase, question and answer

it keeps the first motif identical, takes out the first note of the second, and ties them together - except now it’s not open ended, now it knows where it’s going - it’s been three years, at this point bolin is confident in both himself and his bending

and then that phrase appears all over the place in the finale, because all bolin does is save people - everyone from the exploding building, he slows the giant mecha with lavabending, he saves opal, he slows the giant mecha again by collapsing a building on it, and most importantly, he’s the one rescuing his brother this time, instead of the other way around (though that one doesn’t get a motif appearance bc admittedly a fuck ton of other things are happening in the soundtrack at the time)

so to that question asked in book three - who is bolin when not next to someone else? well, funnily enough, we saw it in book two as well, just in a warped way, playing nuktuk. it just wasn’t truly him because it was created by varrick, and he needed to get away from varrick too. the question put forward by the narrative is who is bolin, and the answer given by the music is, he is a hero. and i don’t know why bolin is the only one to get a theme like this, but i think it may have something to do with the fact that, while everyone in team avatar has been a hero and saved people, he is the only one who has, from the start, solely been motivated by wanting to help people. he follows his heart, and his heart cares, about everyone. it’s been the driving force behind almost everything he’s ever done. and i love him so much

#so yeah those are my thoughts on bolin go forth and cry with me about five notes on a trumpet #legend of korra #lok #bolin #music

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feeling-weirdy · 4 years ago

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**my scarletvision master list**

A giant list of all the drabbles I have written in chronological order for anyone who would like to read from start to finish. If people are interested in becoming notified whenever I post something, please follow my AO3.

Please feel free to send in prompts for anything you would like to see added to this list.

Age of Ultron to Civil War

A Thing Isn’t Beautiful Because... - prompt; “right before or after Vision saves Wanda”; Overwhelmed with emotions, Wanda is filled with grief by the loss of her brother. Vision tries to help her figure out a way to deal with the loss.

Uncertain, yet Intentional - prompt; The moment before his ‘I did intend to come in here’ line in episode 8 of WV

Silent Tears - prompt; Wanda really lets herself cry for the first time since Pietro’s death and Vision does his best to comfort her.

Unpleasant Dreams - prompt; Wanda has a nightmare and Vision goes in to check on her to see if she’s alright.

Do Better - prompt; Vision is unable to save everyone in a disaster which helps him learn a very hard lesson.

Never Again - prompt; Wanda POV; Vision and Wanda watch sitcoms and Wanda gets distracted

Bugging Out - prompt; “Holy fucking guacamole!”; A routine update goes awry.

Vis, We Talked About This - prompt; “Viz, we talked about this”; Vision tries to distract Wanda without seeming too pushy.

Your Electrifying Touch - Wanda POV; Unable to keep her thoughts contained, Wanda slips up but has to find a way to keep herself back on track.

An Unexpected Surprise - prompt; Vision comes home from a tough mission to find Wanda curled up in his bed.

Practice Makes Perfect - prompt; Vision and Wanda practice in an attempt to help get Wanda’s powers under control.

Dancing Out of Tune - prompt; Vision walks in on Wanda listening to Pietro’s favorite genre and throws him off guard.

Striking Thirteen - prompt; a moment where feelings develop; Wanda can’t seem to fall asleep and looks to Vision for help.

Happy Birthday...? - prompt; Vision gets a present from Wanda for his first "birthday"

Neverending Flow - prompt; Wanda gets a nosebleed

While No One is Watching - prompt; The gang starts dancing, but disappears once uncomfortableness starts to set in once the android and witch start to get close to one another.

Heart Over Duty - prompt; What else makes Vision cry?

Overrated - prompt; “I always thought Mr Darcy was overrated”; Vision’s feelings can no longer be kept to himself. A novel Wanda suggests causes him to blurt out his confession.

Freezing Circuits - prompt; “Vision tries ice cream”

An Accidental Moment - prompt; pre CW; While watching television together, Wanda initiates the next step in their relationship.

Civil War to Infinity War

Safe and Sound - prompt; songfic for Safe and Sound; After the destruction in Lagos, Wanda breaks down, leaving Vision to console her the best that he can.

Distraction - prompt; Wanda POV; Wanda is overwhelmed by the Accords and is desperate for something else to focus on. Vision is happy to oblige.

A Step Too Far - prompt; Vision offers pizza and an explanation for his actions in trying to keep Wanda safe inside the compound.

After the Storm - prompt; Vision arrives to see Wanda for the first time after the aftermath.

The Little Green Monster - prompt; Vision becomes jealous of someone flirting with Wanda.

A Spark of Light - prompt; “we could be like sparks of light”; Vision attempts to talk Wanda into extending their little walks to something more substantial.

Can I Change Your Mind? - Vision is unable to tell Wanda goodbye and tries to get her to stay with him.

Three’s a Crowd - prompt; “love triangle between Vis, Wanda and Clint”

Chicken Soup for the Soul - prompt; Wanda gets sick and Vision helps take care of her

And Life Will Always Be... - Wanda POV; Excited to meet up with Vision again, Wanda enters the hotel room hoping to get a head start but finds her plans are pushed to an instant halt.

Between the Lines - prompt; “that was an innuendo, wasn’t it?”; Vision struggles to understand why Wanda is acting so strangely.

Look My Way - Wanda POV; Tired of spending the afternoon alone, Wanda takes things into her own hands.

Cappuccino or Latte - prompt; “what’s the actual difference between a cappuccino and a latte?”; Vision attempts to make coffee despite his disadvantages.

Short and Sweet - Vision can no longer keep himself back from kissing Wanda.

All to Myself - prompt; Vision jealous of Wanda and Cap America’s friendship; The distance they have created has finally brought Vision to a breaking point.

Getting Caught - prompt; Wanda and Vision get caught coming home late

Not Ostentatious, but True - prompt; “my love isn’t ostentatious, but it doesn’t make it any less true”; Vision becomes jealous of how others profess their love and he does his best to explain himself.

Purrfectly Happy - prompt; The first time Vision ever sees a cat

By the River - prompt; UK shenanigans; Vision uses an anniversary as an excuse to create a new memory with something they had never tried before.

That One Thing - prompt; Vision and Wanda discuss their future.

To Grow Old In, V - Vision worries about whether or not his next move is too grand, but is determined to move to the next step regardless.

One Last Moment - prompt; “one last moment”; Vision and Wanda talk about their options should Wakanda fail to disconnect the Mind Stone.

Wandavision sitcom AU

Love Me Tender - Vision tries to make a special night for Wanda, hoping to make up for the Mr. Hart fiasco.

Support - prompt; Vision offers his assistance as Wanda struggles with her pregnancy.

Cravings - prompt; Wanda’s weird pregnancy cravings; Vision struggles in the kitchen while trying to keep up with her cravings.

Perfectly Molded - Wanda POV; prompt; Vision wearing gray sweatpants. That’s pretty much it.

Back to Bed - A pregnant Wanda is sick and Vision struggles to take care of her.

Prenatal Upset - prompt; A pregnant Wanda doesn’t feel sexy and Vision is more than happy to prove otherwise.

Melting in the Rain - prompt; Wanda goes into labor and is cool as a cucumber leaving Vision to panic alone.

Nerves of Steel - prompt; Vision gets so caught up in himself that he phases through a piece of furniture and doesn’t even notice

Painting for Mom - prompt; sweet dad!Vision moment; The boys craft gifts for Mother’s Day.

Yellow Brick Road - prompt; Vision and Wanda help the boys go Trick-or-Treating

The End of the Road - prompt; part 2 to Yellow Brick Road

Movie Night: Titanic - prompt; the family watching Titanic

Peace and Quiet Shattered - prompt; The twins attempt to make a little robot and are having trouble until Vision steps in and fixes it with ease.

Halloween Spooks - prompt; Vision getting scared by Halloween animatronics

Unable to Compute - prompt; Tommy and Billy do something stupid and Vision has a hard time understanding why

post Wandavision

A World Without Color - A series of prompts following White!Vision as he learns more about who he was so that he can move forward.

post Infinity War AU

Make it Real - A series of one-shots, and possible story, following the traumatic events of Infinity War in an alternate universe where Wanda and Vision are alive and traumatized.

Random AUs

Bidding for Attention - Tony has a bachelor auction and Hope Van Dyne bids on Vision to upset her dad for fun and then Hope and Vision hit it off and keep hanging out which makes Wanda realize her feelings for him have changed.

Pt 1

#scarletvision #wandavision #the vision #wanda maximoff #scarlet witch #rini master list #my organizational side won

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mikaze-discord · 3 years ago

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Class S: Love letters

This is the Class S+ Cecil love letters!!

Please enjoy under the cut

TOKIYA ICHINOSE

From Riri:

Maybe it was his midnight-blue hair, or perhaps it was his ocean eyes, but the very moment I laid my eyes upon him my mind immediately thought, “Wow, he’s very good looking… charming... I really like his vibe.” That was the first reason why he piqued my interest, rather, the initial reason why I fancied him. My eyes were drawn to him and the fact that Kay bombarded me with a truckload of his pictures didn’t help at all, I just fell deeper into the hole. But as if that wasn’t enough, she started spamming me with utapri songs and I fell in love immediately. They are all such good singers but there’s one of them who sticks out to me the most, as expected, it’s Tokiya. His voice has this intricate and refined softness that seemed to caress my ears and touch my soul. He has such a sweet (and might I add a handsome) voice, kudos to Miyano Mamoru for that.

So I started watching the anime and through that, I got to know him better. At first, he seems cold with an air of loneliness and uneasiness dawning on him. But as the series progresses, I discovered that he’s a good-natured, warm, and dedicated person who loves singing and music with all his heart and all. He’s hardworking, dedicating everything to his craft. He has pride in it, so when he was told that his singing has no ‘heart’ it affected him a lot. That caused a lot of distress in his system, and the fact that his company is pushing him to pursue other things than being a singer added to that. His passion for his craft is burning, a fire that no one could put out. That’s one of the things that I love about him. He’s dedicated to everything he does. He’s a perfectionist but he’s also a caring person who cares a lot about the starish members. He’s genuinely a good person but that doesn’t mean he’s perfect. He strives for improvement and development all the time. He helps the members whenever they need. Most importantly, his attitude towards his passion is respectable and admirable.

I might’ve said a lot of things but I guess that only means I love a lot of things about him. He’s such a beautiful soul that inspires me to be more dedicated to my passion, to make my dreams come true no matter what it takes. His path towards his dream was rough, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows but that’s life, isn’t it? Despite that, he kept walking towards his dream. He’s admirable, respectable, and irresistibly loveable. That being said, I love all the things that made his character; that made Tokiya Ichinose be the kind of character that he is right now.

PS. Miyano Mamoru played a big part too. His insane talent gave life to Tokiya’s character.

From @poorlydrawnutapri:

When I first watched the Utapri anime like 6 years ago, having a best boy didn't cross my mind. At first, I was just most interested in Tokiya out of all the boys because I just thought he looked cool. I liked how mysterious he seemed and also, his hair, probably just because it was blue tbh. Either way, good design.

However, what really got me attached to him wasn't his looks. I then liked Tokiya's serious personality. I like how he starts off cold and stoic but how throughout the games and anime, he slowly softens up. I didn't just like his personality, I could also relate to his perfectionism and hard-working side, even when he exhausts himself, which is something I admit I also have. I continue to relate to him now after all this time, and that's why he's such a good character to me.

Besides that, his songs are nice to listen to and he has just a very pleasant voice. It's nice just to go listen to his voice after a long day. In a way, liking Tokiya also got me into the whole Utapri franchise: made some friends, made a couple of good memes, all that kinda stuff.

Also, I feel like it's a crime not to mention this so: he thicc. Like, dang, no wonder the guy only eats salads because all the fats he eats goes straight to that ass of his. (I am sorry that you had to read that.)

Overall, I just think he's neat. To me, he's relatable and has a nice character development. Tokiya is and will continue to be my best boy. :)

REN JINGUJI

From @incorrect-jinguji-ren:

Ren Jinguji, the 5th member of Starish is without any shame my favorite character of the Uta no prince sama series. Though often disregarded Ren is and always will be my most favorite and I firmly believe that he has one of the most, if not the most depth in his character. I love Ren a lot however because of his surface charismatic attitude he is usually labeled as a “playboy” or a “lothario”. This is not correct and it should never define him, as he actually is one of the most gentle and compassionate characters of the series. Ren has a very deep surface characterization and personality that is never usually recognized unless you truly take the time to understand WHY Ren acts the way he does, and WHY he makes the choices that he makes. My favorite part about loving characters is being able to accept them for their demons and embrace what others would see as the “imperfections” in them. That Is the best way to truly love them. I love Ren because of his motives, choices, and most of all his passionate loving heart. Although the pain he hides and the personality of who he really is, is hidden under a mask of charisma, he never loses himself deep within.

He’s misunderstood, but he’s beautiful. He’s so deep, from the everlasting devotion to loving his passed on mother, to always cherishing memories and the past bond he had with his childhood best friend Masato, to going against what his brother wants of him because he wants to fight to have a choice and to be passionate about something that he wants to love, because HE wants to love it. Ren didn’t have the love that a lot of people had at such a young age, he made a path for himself and along the way succumbed to the human faults that we all falter from within the hardest times in our life or even dicult events. He almost gave up, just as I know many of us had almost done before, as I know and can relate to, and still do now.

But he dusted himself o and picked up where he left o, making himself happy from once the feeling of being a hollow shell with no reason why he even existed to realizing that the most important thing in the world to him was cherishing the people who made him see the world in colors and seeking the choices that had been stripped from him at such a young age. He broke free from the chains of his family, his past, and his regrets to spread a beautiful pair of rose wings, his own wings to fly. And I hope he always flies. I will always love him, and wish nothing but the best for him whatever that be.

From @chips-and-vodka:

Ren Jinguji- the sexy, charming and flirty member of the STARISH boys. The youngest of the Jinguji family, a troubled child who grew up without a mother. A person who possesses many charms and is blessed with the gift of beauty. A red rose he was, beautiful yet his thorns are to be avoided. Beneath his passionate and seductive mannerisms there is a boy that craves genuine affection, from the one he truly adores and cherishes.

Ren Jinguji to me initially was one with a beautiful, attractive deep baritone, who is voiced by none other than the legend- Suwabe Junichi himself. The voice is an accurate fit of how this stereotype of a charming bishie should be, youthful and sensitive, and at times warm and seductive. His portrayal brings out the appeal of the character, the emotions and thoughts a troubled young adult such as the ‘useless third son’ lived through. Many would see him as a romantic one, one who showers those around him with attention and passion. Within however lives a rebellious soul who distrusts many, but still somehow desires that ray of sunshine that brightens his lonely soul.

Ren Jinguji is one that deserves real love, someone who appreciates him for who he is.

SYO KURUSU

From Jules:

Why do I like Syo, huh? Well, there are a lot of reasons! Some of them are more personal ones. First of all, Syo has always been my best boy, since UtaPri (the anime) exists. So ten long years now.

His fashion style is the first thing I noticed and it immediately intrigued me. I remember that my first thought, after seeing him in season one, was “Woah, he looks really cool!” even though Syo was just in his school uniform! I think what also made me interested in him was his energetic persona. The way he looked up to Ryuya Hyuga and wanted to follow in his footsteps was really sweet to me as well. Syo’s enthusiasm and positive attitude actually encouraged me to become stronger in a way too, if I’m being honest. I, personally, have always found his songs motivating and they made me feel better. I really came to love Syo in his episode in season one. When he talked about his childhood and how weak he was, I really felt with him. From that moment on I cheered him on and Syo definitely became my favorite character. My interest never wavered over the next seasons either.

I also have personal reasons why I love him so much. I just feel very connected and relate to him a lot, y’know? We have quite a few things in common. Syo and I have the same eye color, we have both played the violin since we were little, and were born weak and with pretty much the same health and heart issues. I like to say that Syo “saved” me, which is true. There is also the fact that the blonde and I are both on the shorter side (and regularly get teased for it), too! Though, I’m even a little shorter than him.

But to be more positive again, there is just so much more to him than meets the eye at first! Syo is more than just the stereotypical short sporty character. He really cares for his friends and wants the best for them. Syo’s friendship with every STARISH member is different but still close. He’s also protective of the ones around him. Syo really cares about his little twin brother too, which can be seen in the games and the few times he talked about him in the anime. Syo’s big heart easily balances out his, sometimes, tsundere behavior and I love him for that. This blonde idol is just a great guy and deserves all the love he’s getting and more.

Seriously, stan Syo Kurusu, guys!

From Vic:

Syo Kurusu is my favourite idol within the utapri games and any other form of media pertaining to the franchise. He is my favourite idol because of several factors, one of which being that his voice actor is Hiro Shimono, who voices Zenitsu from Demon slayer and Lucifer from “Devil is a part timer”. Syo is a very outgoing character and is talented in many aspects athletically. Born with a heart disease, he continues to persevere throughout the myriads of life’s problems in front of him.

He’s extremely outgoing and is proficient in the martial art of Karate and desires to strengthen his body more than what it is currently. He is best friends with Natsuki and can communicate with each other proficiently. Syo is my favourite character within the franchise because of his resolve, perseverance and great chemistry with Natsuki and his teammates. Hiro Shimono did the character justice by making his voice one of young, adventurous and energetic. With that said, Syo is a character I truly enjoy within the franchise and wish to see more of him.

CECIL AIJIMA

From Anon:

Greetings, princes and princesses, and welcome to a world of princes, questionably talking cats, and magic! I’m of course talking about Cecil Aijima, our foreign prince of UtaPri! So, why do I like Cecil Aijima? It’s borderline ridiculous, but it’s because of Cecil’s birthday. More specifically, Cecil’s Birthday Cruise card. But, I should start at the beginning.

Back when I first watched the anime, I thought Cecil was a little bit of a brat towards literally everyone, and one of my least favorites at the time. After watching through the rest of the anime though, I started to like him a lot more than I did before. To me, he had matured a lot after season 2, and never turned back to that bratty self. And so, when playing SL, he might not have been my favorite, but I didn’t hate him. Then, that one fateful day, I decided to pull in his birthday gacha. To my surprise, I had gotten the card in my first pull! Then the story dragged me into the Cecil Appreciation Group. I thought the story was incredibly cute. Then I got more Cecil cards so I could read more stories. Then the cycle repeated itself again. And now, well, if I’m writing this, I think you know what happened to me afterwards. I’ll be here, doing my best for him.

From Eden:

The boy with childish like demeanor but continues to have a heart of gold for his friends and wonderful composer.

I remember first watching Utapri in middle school and questioning. "Well shit- this is my life now..." and I didn't really have a favorite character at the time. I was always bouncing between characters like Syo, Otoya, even the teachers. However it was season 2 that made me realize who my true favorite was. Despite his at first cocky nature when he was first introduced, Cecil to me was amazing! His singing was magical, his origins even more fascinating. You wouldn't think Utapri would turn that down the magic route but it somehow did.

As the seasons went on, and as I got more into the series, he just became more of a love to me. His kindness and child-like nature and curiosity, he felt different than the other characters.

I love the other characters, yes but him?

Something about him just felt right! He not only seems to be a protector for those he cares about but also feels like he would be the best person to be around. Always wanting to do anything new and exciting just to peak his curiosity and to learn more. Ever since then, he has always been my favorite. The one and only Annapolis Prince, Aijima Cecil.

#utapri #utanoprincesama #uta no prince sama #Tokiya ichinose #ichinose tokiya #ren jinguji #jinguji ren #syo kurusu #kurusu syo #Cecil aijima #aijima cecil

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xpeachesncream · 4 years ago

Text

acquainted | eight

> series masterlist | series playlist <

summary: the biggest goal of a grad student is to get through school in one piece - no petty drama involved, no sweating over the little things. however, that plan almost always never follows through. sometimes, you can’t help but fall into the most unthinkable, unexpected traps and learn the hard way. like, exhibit a: being unable to resist your engaged, substitute teacher, kim seokjin.

pairing: jungkook x reader x engaged!teacher!seokjin

genre: grad school au, student life au | fluff, angst, smut

words: 3.6k

warnings: cussing, mature language/implied sexual content, jealousy and slight possessiveness, making out

tags: @laurynne5 @yiyi4657 @miinoongi @teamtardis-notdead @bluesharksandfish @photographic-girl @yonkoghan @moonchild1 @thebeebi (pls msg me if you would like to be added to the taglist!)

"Should we go to that charity event the school is holding on Friday? It sounds kind of fun." Ryujin sipped on her drink, while you went through your closet, showing her different outfits over the facetime call.

"What's it for again?"

"I don't remember, but the Golden State Warriors dj is going to be dj'ing. He's pretty good."

"Yeah he is. I mean, I'm down, especially if it's for a good cause."

"Okay, I'll grab us tickets when I head to campus."

"You're not even gonna ask Jimin or Tae?" You chuckle.

"Why would I? They do everything we do, they don't know anything outside of us." You shake your head.

"Cut them a little slack."

"Boohoo, they'll say yes regardless. Bring Jungkook!"

"I mean, I'll ask, but I'm not gonna force him."

"Oh quit, I'm sure he'd be happy to spend time with you." She looked at you through the camera. "K, let me see that outfit."

"He said casual." You showed her your outfit in the full length mirror.

"Absolutely, yes! You're fucking hot." She squeals, automatically solidifying your outfit for tonight. It, thankfully, wasn't too cold in the Bay today, so you throw on a grey distressed denim mini skirt, a low-cut light grey longsleeve, a belt and some heeled combat boots. You ruffled and fixed your hair a bit until you were satisfied with your look, picking up the phone once more to turn your attention back to Ryujin.

"Thank you."

"No problem, babe. I hope you have fun! Did he say where you two were going?"

"Nope, it's apparently a surprise."

"Ugh, I love him already." She gushes, causing you to shake your head. You dabbed a bit of lip gloss and pressed your lips together to spread it out before spraying a perfume cloud for you to walk through. Sooner or later, knocks came at the door.

"Okay, I think that's him. I'll talk to you later?"

"Call me as soon as you get home. I want to know how big his dick actually is."

"You're sick. You sound exactly like Tae, you know that?"

"We're not talking about him."

"Love you, bye!" You abruptly hang up on her, unsure of why the hell you deal with her and Taehyung's crude comments. You grab your bag and open the door to see Jungkook standing there with a small bouquet of flowers. He peeks his head over the bouquet with the cutest smile you have ever seen.

"Hi." He slightly scrunches his nose and pulls you into a hug. Goddamn, does he smell good. "These are for you." He hands you the bouquet.

"Jungkook, they're beautiful. Thank you." You take it into your kitchen and place it into a vase really quickly before stepping out. You eye him from head to toe, and boy is looking like a whole ass meal in the denim outfit he has on. Like, who in the world could pull off this outfit like that?

"You look amazing." You blush. "If you ever get cold, just let me know, alright? I can spare my jacket."

"You're so sweet."

"Just want to make sure you're comfortable." He shrugs. "You ready?"

"Depends on what you have up your sleeve."

"Nothing extreme, if that's what you're thinking." He laughed. "I hope you enjoy it, though."

"Thanks for planning all of this, by the way."

"No biggie. I'm just glad to finally spend some time with you." He does a little run to open the passenger car door for you before hopping into the driver's seat. Immediately, he gets the car started and turns up the heat to make sure you're comfortable. The radio is softly playing Zayn's sHe, with Jungkook softly singing along.

"Wait a minute," You chuckle. "Do you sing?" He smirked.

"Maybe."

"Hey, that's not fair. Sing louder."

"No, now I'm shy." He chuckled.

"Why? It's just me."

"Yeah and I just wanna impress you and not make a fool out of myself."

"You won't! Please." You pouted, making him shake his head.

"Ugh, Y/N. That's going to easily become a weakness for me if you keep pulling that pout." You keep pouting. Eventually, he gets over himself and starts to sing a little louder than earlier, causing your heart to flutter at how angelic he sounds. He ends up laughing towards the end and shrugging it off, his cheeks tinted with a rosy tint as you shower him in compliments. Swoon. You were so into the moment that you didn't even realize Jungkook was taking you across the bridge to San Francisco. You and your friends don't come to the city much, strictly because there's too many goddamn hills, parking is expensive as fuck, there's too many one way streets and people just get crazy as hell [like crossing the street when it's not time to walk?!]. It was a little calmer back home and that's all you guys needed. You watch as he parks the car effortlessly on a steep hill before coming over to your side to open the door for you.

"Whew, that's gonna be a workout later." You look back at the steep hill that you're gonna have to climb after eating dinner, you assume.

"Don't worry, I got you." He laughs. There's actually a lot of people out for a Tuesday evening that you end up hanging onto his arm to get navigate the random sea of people. He walks into Brenda's French Soul Food - nothing too fancy, but nothing too casual. The waitress brings you both towards the back end of the restaurant and out into the patio, where there are christmas lights hung around the fence and outdoor heaters posted. He pulls out your chair before sitting himself down, the waitress putting down your menus and cups of water.

"Ohhhhh, my god." You say with heart eyes looking at the menu. You had heard about this place from so many people, and you were impressed that Jungkook was able to score reservations being that it's always so busy due to its popularity. "I'm so excited! I've been wanting to try this place."

"Goodjob, Jungkook." He says, patting himself on the back. "If you're happy, that's all I could ask for." The waitress comes back to offer recommendations, which you both include in your orders in one way or another. Although packed, the restaurant was able to pump out orders quickly and efficiently so you and Jungkook weren't sitting around for too long without food.

"So, how's Jin in class?" You almost choke on your food even though this is something you should have expected. You really wanted to avoid speaking about him tonight, but you knew it was inevitable being that you were out with his brother.

"Um, he's alright."

"Just alright?" He rose his eyebrow and chuckled.

"No, sorry. I mean, he's a really good teacher. Definitely better than our last professor. Everyone in class loves him."

"That's cool. Yeah, he's really smart and wise. I've always looked up to him."

"How long has it been?" You weren't sure how to ask the question, but Jungkook understood what you were asking.

"I was a sophomore in high school when my mom met his dad." You're silent for a moment, allowing him to continue on if needed. "I had a really hard time at first, you know? The whole stepfather thing. My anger was moreso directed towards my mom and my stepdad for awhile. But Jin helped me out a lot. He helped me come to terms with my feelings about everything and he stuck by my side, always had my back whenever I got into arguments or bickered with one of our parents." You nodded, suddenly feeling guilty even though you and Jungkook weren't a couple.

"So, you two are really close." He nodded.

"Yeah, we are. I really don't know what I'd do without him. He's taught me a lot and helped me grow. Plus, Namjoon, Hoseok and Yoongi have been around too. They treat me like their own little brother.”

"That's sweet. It's nice to have that kind of relationship with your sibling and their friends." You chuckle.

"It is." He nods. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Ryujin, Taehyung and Jimin." He laughs.

"From the club, right? I met your friends, they're fun people."

"They're too much, honestly. I'm the only child, but we've all been stuck to the hip since freshman year in college."

"That's cool that you guys have been together since then." You give him a toothless smile. "I think it's pretty awesome that you guys are tackling grad school together too."

"Initially, we all had different plans, but Jimin had some big goals for himself including grad school, and it played a huge role in my decision to do grad school, too. Then Ryujin followed, then Taehyung."

"Cute."

"Speaking of friends, there's this charity event at school on Friday." You look up at him, a small smirk growing on his face.

"Uh huh?"

"And I was wondering if you wanted to come along with us. They really want you there."

"That's sweet. But, what matters the most is that you want me there."

"I wouldn't be inviting you if I didn't, right?" You bit your bottom lip.

"Touché. Of course I'll go with you, beautiful." He does a small nod before sipping his water. "Should we show up in matching outfits?" He joked, causing you to snort.

"Honestly, that seems pretty entertaining. Cute, and entertaining."

"I'm down if you are." You stuck your tongue out playfully.

"I'm game too."

"Let me know what you're wearing then."

"I will, whenever I figure that out."

"Take your time. Just know you'll look good in anything." You blushed. You both continue to talk over the remaining bits of your food before Jungkook calls for the check. You watch as he scribbles his signature onto the receipt before standing and sticking his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans. While exiting the small and crowded restaurant, you hold onto his hand, feeling him grip it tighter as you both successfully make it out. The night isn't too cold, and you sure as hell knew it wouldn't be after you conquered the hill that Jungkook parked on.

"Fuck." You say as you stand on the street, eyeing the steep hill in front of you.

"Come on." He says, slightly bending down for you to hop onto his back.

"Ouu, I don't know if that's a good idea--"

"Y/N, I promise it's okay. Come on." He laughed. Hey, if he was willing to do this, then why not? You hop onto his back, his arms wrapping your legs tightly around his waist, while you clung onto his neck. "See, not so bad, right?" He says, sprinting up the hill, making you laugh and hold onto him tighter.

"Shit, I am so sorry. That was probably a workout. Right after we ate, too."

"Nah. It wasn't anything." He scrunched his nose. On the way back over the bridge, Jungkook is heading towards Lake Merritt. You both are singing along to songs and joking around about topics that pop up here and there. When he parks his car, you notice a whole crowd of people gathered by the lake, which was a little unusual for this time of night. He grabs your hand and gently caresses the top with his thumb as he walks you over towards the crowd. To your surprise, you realize people are gathered here for a water lantern festival. Your eyes light up, making Jungkook smile at how excited you look.

"Jungkook, what the hell! How did you know about this and I didn't?" He shrugs.

"I have my ways." He says, his voice low and deep. You playfully shove him before you make your way over to grab lanterns to decorate. You and Jungkook sit off in a more quiet, calmer part of the lake, silently decorating your lanterns and writing your wishes along with it. What exactly did you want to wish for?

Happy friends, happy family. Happy you.

Whatever happiness meant to you.

To have Chance look over you.

Jungkook is done pretty quickly, but he waits for you to finish, not questioning what you've written since he figures it's a private matter. He shows you his lantern and his cute little stick figure drawing of his family and friends. You giggle, watching him gently lay his lantern in the water, giving you leverage to do the same with yours. You stand closely to him, his body providing you some warmth as you watch your lanterns float off into the lake and illuminate the night along with the others.

"Ready? We have one more thing to catch." He snakes his arm around your waist and gives your side a gentle squeeze. You simply nod, following him back to his car. He takes you about 30 minutes away, exiting and pulling right into a lot two street lights down from the exit. He pulls up to the ticket booth, buying 2 tickets for Tenet at the drive-in movie. You squeal and clap in your seat excitedly, also not knowing this was still around.

"Did you really do your research to plan this date?"

"Yes and no? I've been here before, and I thought it would be fun to take you. The restaurant and the lantern festival though, yes." He parks his car as instructed, turning the radio to the correct channel in order to hear the audio. "Wanna hop in the back so we have more room?" You nod, getting out of your seat just to hop into the back. He leans over into his trunk, grabbing water bottles and assorted gummy candies for you to snack on in case you wanted some. "I hope you're having fun so far."

"I am." You respond softly.

"Okay, beautiful. If you say so." He chuckles. He moves the driver and passenger seats forward so that you both have room to spread your legs a bit. At first, Jungkook made sure to give you enough space so he wouldn't make you uncomfortable, but over time, you felt yourself sinking closer and closer to his body until he had his arm draped around your shoulder, while part of your body rested on his. His hand gently caressed your arm, occasionally sending goosebumps through your body at how soft his touch his. You glanced over, admiring at how focused he was on the movie. He must have felt you looking at him because he quickly looks over and blushes as he nibbles on a gummy worm. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just cute how focused you are."

"Damn, are you not into it?"

"I am, but it's kind of hard to follow sometimes."

"Yeah, it's definitely one of those movies." This time, his gaze on you is a little longer than before. You don't know what takes over you, but you plant a kiss on him, making him smile into the kiss. He doesn't say anything, but proceeds to rest his free hand on your neck, pulling you close and into another deep kiss. Your hand grips onto the side of his shirt, your tongues slowly fighting for dominance. The sounds of wet kisses fills the car and tunes out the movie audio. You can feel the moment intensifying, both you and Jungkook letting out breathy moans in between kisses. Suddenly, the thought of Seokjin quickly flashes in your mind, the past nights you've spent with him and the nasty shit you both have done to each other.

You lightly gasp as you pull away, but it wasn't obvious to Jungkook that something had disturbed your peace.

"Sorry, I—" He tries to save face just in case he was in the wrong about something.

"No, I just— I wasn't expecting it to get that intense." You lied. You knew damn well.

"It's okay." He chuckled. "I would never rush you into anything, Y/N. Okay? We can take this slow." He gives you a genuine, warm, reassuring smile that causes you to swoon. Why the fuck was he so good? Just why? How was this even fair right now?

All you do is simply smile and lean back onto him. He's back to caressing your arm and shoulder, giving you small pecks on the top of your head every now and then to reassure you. Part of you wondered if this is what Seokjin had taught him over the years - how to properly love a woman and be a gentleman. But then, that quickly fades when you remember the situation you're in with him.

Well no, you're not in anything with him. You needed to stop doing this to yourself.

When the movie ends, you both climb back into the front seats to make your way back home. You feel the exhaustion hit you, all the fun and adrenaline you felt today slowly come crashing down. Jungkook parks in the passenger loading zone, throwing on his hazard lights before walking you up to your apartment.

"Jungkook, thank you for tonight. I really enjoyed it and had a ton of fun with you."

"I'm glad." He cups your face and gently places a kiss on your forehead. You weren't satisfied with it though, so you tippy toe as you hold onto his hand and kiss him on the lips. He leans into the kiss, deepening it for a quick second before pulling away. "Let me know the details about Friday, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'll call you tomorrow. Sleep tight, beautiful." He smiles and licks his lips as he watches you walk in, feeling utterly content with how the day went. You feel the same way, smiling to yourself as you throw your bag onto the floor and prance into the bathroom to get ready for bed. You felt the butterflies in your stomach every time you thought about Jungkook and his smile, or his soft lips against yours.

Butterflies that kept your mind off of—

[jin] 10:04pm: Are you still with Jungkook?

You roll your eyes at the text. You hadn't pulled out your phone all night, so you're also seeing the numerous messages from your friends in the group chat, too.

[jimin] 7:45pm: have fun tonight, Y/N!

[taehyung] 7:50pm: ^ ditto. use protection, young lady

[taehyung] 7:50pm: think about mr. kim's feelings

[ryujin] 7:56pm: taehyung kim, shut the hell up. do you have anything better to do?

[jimin] 8:01pm: i really hope she doesn't pull out her phone during the date -__-

[taehyung] 8:05pm: lmfao you guys, chill out

[taehyung] 8:06pm: i'm sorry y/n, im just kidding. have fun tonight and be safe, love you

[ryujin] 8:10pm: CALL ME WHEN YOU GET HOME Y/N! i wanna know deets, remember! and ask him if he wants to join us on friday!

Unbelievable. Your friends were unbelievable, and that was an understatement. You don't respond to the group because you figured you'd call Ryujin in a bit and update the boys over the week. But to Jin's text - fuck.

You were literally just tucking him away in the far, far, far dark, deep depths of your mind.

[y/n] 11:38pm: I was, but now I'm home.

[jin] 11:39pm: Yeah, he just texted me back. Sorry.

[y/n] 11:40pm: It's okay.

[jin] 11:43pm: Okay. Have a good night.

He hates this. Why the hell would you do this to him? Grace is upstairs sleeping while Jin is trying to clean the kitchen up like he promised. Suddenly, his phone goes off, signaling a call coming in.

Jungkook.

"Hello?"

"Oh shit, yes! You're awake!" Jin chuckles a bit.

"How was the date?" Not only was he asking out of curiosity, but wanted to know how you were doing during the night. Completely none of his business but he couldn't help himself.

"God, she's fucking amazing. A-and-and beautiful." He yells into the phone excitedly. "She's so exciting. I can't wait to take her out again. I just wanna keep spending time with her." Jin is pretty unamused on the other line. Thank God he isn't on Facetime so he didn't have to fake this facial expressions hearing about Jungkook's feelings for you. "S-she- I mean, we kissed."

"Oh?" Jin asks, tongue pressed against his cheek. What the fuck.

"Yeah, we were making out during the movie. It got pretty intense, but it didn't get any further than that. I didn't wanna rush her into anything."

"You think it could have escalated?"

"Yeah honestly, but I wanna do right by her, you know?" Jin can tell how serious Jungkook was starting to become about pursuing you, and he had never felt more competitive until this day. He just wanted you to himself, and he wanted to be the one to kiss you and make you feel things you've only dreamed about.

Not his brother.

He, too, wanted you just as bad. If anything, more.

"It sounds like it was a pretty successful first date." Jungkook is beaming through the phone, he didn't have to see his face to know that.

"It was. It was such a good night." Jungkook chuckles. "By the way, I'm going to that charity event on campus on Friday. Are you and Grace going?"

"Probably not."

"Well, if you both are free, you should swing by. It'll be nice to see Grace."

"Yeah, I'll ask and see what's up." Jin sighs. "I should probably get to bed, I'm pretty tired. I'm happy to hear the date went well, kid."

"Thanks, dude. I'll talk to you later, get some rest."

"You too." Jin hangs up the call, silently hitting his fist against the kitchen counter as he lets out a deep sigh. More than ever, he wanted to keep you wrapped around his finger. He wanted to keep you there, no matter how selfish that sounded. There was no way he was going to let you unravel.

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chucklegigglechortlesnort · 4 years ago

Text

Domestic Headcanons for the Obey Me! Demon Bros

bc these thoughts plague me and i need to get them out somehow-

Mammon sings in the shower

He thinks no one can hear him

however, everyone, in fact, is able to hear him

No one says anything though because his voice is actually amazing???

like duh they were all once angels, of course they’re all amazing singers

You definitely hear every one of them singing or humming a little tune every now and then

Beel has a super deep singing voice

that shit rumbles and it’s honestly hard not to be lulled by his voice

he sings belphie to sleep

they low key (but not really) fight over who gets to sit next to you for movie nights

mammon is always quick to use his “I’m her first man” excuse, but that get’s old really quick

Lucifer and Satan are hella condescending about it and absolutely roast him

“Mammon, I didn’t know MC mattered to you so much”

“N-NO! Why would I care about some dumb human?”

“Well, if you don’t care about MC then you wouldn’t mind if they sit by me tonight?”

“HEY WAIT-”

It’s too late, he’s talked himself into a corner

“Why does it have to be one of you? Let MC pick who they sit next to” - Levi, in a huffy tone

“Levi~ are you sure you not saying that because you want MC to yourself? Can’t say that I blame you, they’re just so nice to hold don’t you think?” - Asmo

Chaos ensues

Eventually Beel just calmly walks over to you, hoists you up from wherever you’re sitting and plops you on top of his lap, Belphie snoozing not too far away

He wakes up only to snuggle into your chest and then he’s out like a light

Beel loves to cook with you, but Satan makes a better cooking partner

Sorry Beel

He just ends up eating too much of the food

Satan is surprisingly lax in the kitchen, as long as you don’t get in his way too much

He’s definitely picky about how certain foods are prepared.

If you’re not chopping something to the right size, he’s quick to reach around you and guide your movements

does this subconsciously and doesn’t seem to understand the romantic implications of it

(he totally does, he just has an excellent poker face from thousands of years of practice)

rolls up the sleeves of his sweater to make sure they don’t get in the way of food prep

the sight itself is something to drool over, let alone the lovely aroma coming from the stove

Lucifer works really late into the night and sometimes forgets to sleep at all

I mean we all know this but more often than not he tries to get at least four hours of sleep a night but sometimes he just... forgets

so the mighty Avatar of Pride isn’t perfect after all hA

ok but bring him tea

He usually prefers to make it himself, but if you bring it to him in the middle of the night his heart melts, just a little

tells you to go tf to sleep but is actually really grateful

but as soon as you shut the door he has the s o f t e s t expression

It’s not often that he’s the one on the receiving end of care so it’s nice, even if your tea is a bit on the watery side

self care nights with Asmo

SELF. CARE. NIGHTS. WITH. ASMO.

Has literally every skincare product known to all three realms

but only the best of the best when it comes to the both of you

there’s a plethora of delicious but health conscious snacks to choose from, and some cheesy drama playing in the back ground that neither of you are paying attention to

Asmo loves giving you makeovers to get a rise out of his brothers

but he also loves the way you can’t stop looking at yourself in the mirror when he’s finished

Wants you to love yourself as much as he loves himself you

Levi swims in his fish tank when he’s upset

and just whenever he wants to in general really, but there’s something about being in water that makes him feel calm

...

Wants you to join him but he’s hella nervous about it

When he finally works up the nerve his face is beet red and he nearly runs away before you can answer

>is super confident when he’s in his element

He moves through the water so gracefully it’s hard not to fall into a trance watching him swim

notices you staring and it’s such a boost to his ego omf

definitely makes like he’s about to get out and when you reach out to help him he yanks your dumb ass in with him

your DDD is ruined and Lucifer is mad but in Levi’s mind it was all worth it, even if he got in trouble and is mildly embarrassed about it

Mammon is super receptive to affection when he’s tired

he fell asleep on you once when the both of you were hanging out in your room and woke up to the feeling of you running your hands through his hair

he’s so groggy he can’t find it in himself to muster up the tsundere act

he just nuzzles deeper into your hand

if Belphie finds you napping he is 10/10 times going to join you

You’re not “safe” napping alone anywhere that isn’t your room

he doesn’t want his brother’s disturbing you and he himself doesn’t want to disturb you

so he just cuddles up next to you

at first this was especially shocking, not only to you but to the brothers as well but it soon became such an often occurrence that everyone stopped questioning it

partly because Belphie would never answer any questions, opting to just nonchalantly shuffle away

honestly it happens so often and you’ve grown so used to it that it’s more of a shock when you wake up and he isn’t there

is oddly protective of you

has a sixth sense whenever you’re in danger and will straight up materialize to scare away the threat by looming over them with his intimidating aura

asmo does everyone’s nails

you think lucifer has the time to do his own nails??

or that beel would be able to concentrate long enough to finish his second hand with out wanting a snack??

or that belphie would waste hours he could spend napping waiting for nail polish to dry??

asmo takes it upon himself to do their nails for them

the only other person who does it themselves is Levi, who paints his nails while binging long running shonen anime that only requires a part of his attention

they use gel nail polish so it dries quicker and doesn’t chip as easily

you’ve never had a better nail salon experience than at Asmodeous’s at Home Beauty Parlor

He does the hand massage and everything, but only for you

He’s had millennia to practice his craft so if course you’ll be getting the best of the best with asmo

Satan is a closet weeb

now LISTEN- l i s t e n

he probably stumbled across one of levi‘s TSL collection and decided to investigate and was immediately enthralled by the plot and the amazing artwork they held

now he regularly checks out manga from the library and pre pre-orders new upcoming series that catch his eye

his favorited genre is romance, but he also gravitates to magical girl series

make no mistake tho, if you find out somehow, he will have to kill you

please give them affection, none of them are used to it and once you start being casually affectionate with them they’re hooked almost immediately

Obv some are less receptive at first than others - satan, belphie, luci - but that’s okay just give them time

Asmo and Beel are the most comfy with affection and are willing to initiate majority of the time

Asmo always has an arm linked with yours whenever he’s next to you, at the least. He likes to hug you from behind and rest his chin on your shoulder so he can nuzzle into your neck to tickle you

Beel will casually pick you up for hugs, and hold you in his arms to make you safe. he also likes to hold your hand just ‘cause

Levi and Mammon want in on the action once they see beel an asmo being so touchy with you, but are definitely in denial about it for like, a week before they give in and stop being so wussy about it

mammon likes to throw an arm around your shoulders just so others stay away, bc you’re HIS human ofc. also likes it when you play with his hair as previously stated.

Levi is a little more shy about it, but loves it when you link pinkies or choose to sit next to him at the dining table and link ankles with him. He’s also hella smug when you lean on him but is also a blushing mess.

Satan, Luci, and Belphie (for obvious reasons) take the longest to warm up to affection. Satan is the first of the three to warm up to it - he loves reading with you cuddled up beside him. not necessarily on him, but with your sides pressed together as you each read your own book or whatever it is you’re doing while he reads

belphie is next, before lucifer surprisingly. this is kinda when he starts joining you for naps and you’re kinda too scared to question it. also seeks you out to use your thighs as a pillow bc they’re the softest

Luci’s heart kinda melts when he sees you being so close with his brothers. His affection is typically head pats that are more him gently and barely combing his fingers through your hair and tucking it behind your ear

In short i love them all more than words

#obey me!#obey me! one master to rule them all #obey me satan #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me levi #obey me beel #obey me belphie #obey me asmodeus #obey me x reader #sfw #obey me imagines

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nsheetee · 5 years ago

Text

sweet iced tea | haechan

pairing: music major!haechan x barista!reader genre: coffee shop au | fluff, humor summary: when you meet haechan, you think he might be the most annoying customer you’ve ever had, but you deal with his games for the sake of your bosses. when the cafe’s fundraiser rolls around, you get the chance to hear haechan’s amazing singing voice, and decide that maybe he’s not too bad.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

this is a part of the moonlight cafe series — please read the preface before continuing reading

he swaggers in, tongue pushed against his teeth and hands in his pockets

the bell that chimes above the door is like his personal background music- it follows him all the way up to the counter

you have to say, you’re thoroughly intrigued by the time he gets up to the cash register

he looks you up and down as he leans his elbow against the pastry display case

“hey sweets, where’s tae?” he asks you in a playful voice

“-yong or -il?” you ask, raising an eyebrow and leaning your hip against the counter

he chuckles at your question, lifts his baseball cap off his head to fix his hair, and pulls it back down

you wonder if he’s trying to show off to you- you can tell he’s flexing his jaw and his arm as he fixes his hat

“I'm looking for the moon. he usually works friday nights?”

“not anymore. I work weekend nights now.” your new customer tilts his head, his facade dropping for only a second to show confusion on his face

“does that mean I'll get to see your pretty face here every friday night? beats staring at my stale-bread-looking older brother.”

your eyes widen at his words

this kid is taeil’s brother?

but he’s so..... bizarre and taeil’s so................ normal

“step brothers, right?” the guys smirk drops off his face as he digests your minor burn

he doesn’t have the chance to say anything back because the door chimes once again and more people step into line to order

“is there something I can get for you?” you ask, as if the past 5 minutes didn’t even happen

“a sweet iced tea” he mumbles, pulling out his wallet

you quickly make his drink and decide to add a cookie to his order- just because you would have to throw them out soon anyway and didn’t want to waste them

as you come back to the counter, he raises an eyebrow as he holds out some money

“I didn’t order a cookie?”

you grab his money and place all of it in the tip jar, sliding his food to him

“it’s on the house. I can help who’s next?” you reply skillfully, making him drop any trace of a smile on his face, surprised that you can ward him off so easily

it’s not the last time he comes into the cafe

absolutely not the last time

he never told you his name, and you eventually decide to ask taeil if he’s actually related to the weird guy that comes in to bother you every friday night

“oh, haechan? yeah, that’s my little brother,” taeil laughed wholly when you talked to him, “just give him whatever he orders and keep the receipt, I'll take care of it.”

despite getting his drink for basically without charge, he always orders the least expensive thing on the menu: a sweet iced tea

but that doesn’t stop him from leaning over the counter to very loudly ask you to add in a few extra pumps of sweetener

he sits in the middle of the cafe, in the center of all the buzz and craziness when the friday evening rush hits

he keeps his straw permanently in his mouth, leaning back on two legs in his chair, and scrolling through his phone

of course, whenever you leave your area behind the counter and venture out to the tables to hand out orders, he always has to add in his little, extra comments:

“woah, six iced americanos? it’s not dead week yet. you better tip the amazing barista that had to put up with you!” he practically screamed across the cafe and pointed a blaming finger at the group of girls who ordered the iced coffees

when it seemed like every person was ordering a million food items, he took the initiative to come help you “okay, what do you need me to do?” “haechan, you’ll get in trouble, you can’t be back here.” “actually, I can’t get in trouble ‘cause I don’t work here.” “that’s exactly why you’ll get in trouble.”

“excuse me, ma’am, this is not what I ordered. I'm gonna need a reimbursement.” he taps his cheek, “in the form of a kiss.” “haechan, please be quiet before I have to quit my job out of embarrassment.”

pretty soon, his “helpfulness” turns into the aspects of your friday night shift that make your eye twitch and probably the reason you found a gray hair this morning

you hope with the presence of your bosses this friday night, haechan will tone it down- or even better, not show up at all

but alas, he walks into the cafe right on time

“woah, what’s going on here?” haechan approaches the cash register where you’re counting money, but looks towards the brick wall of the cafe where taeyong and taeil are setting up a small stage, a backdrop, some strobe lights, and a sign that reads “Moonlight Cafe Karaoke Fundraiser!”

“can’t you read? knowing you, probably not.” you don’t look up from your counting and haechan pouts at you

“aww, c’mon, don’t be like that.” he leans his head between your face and your hands, blocking your view of the money

“I lost count, thanks.” you sigh, restarting your counting

“it’s okay!” haechan sings, “I'll help you.” he reaches his whole hand into the penny compartment and dumps out the coins on the counter, counting them one by one

“haechan!” taeil greets his younger brother with a clap on the back, “you have to join our fundraiser next friday night.”

“sorry, I only join fundraiser where I take my shirt off or eat.” haechan sighs and shrugs while you fake gag at his words

“oh, this is right up your alley. for every whole song someone sings for the crowd, we’ll give $25 towards the remodeling of the auditorium.” taeyong replies this time, and haechan perks his ears up

“that’s all I have to do? bro, I'm gonna make you bankrupt.” haechan lays his hand sympatheticly on taeil’s arm

“I think there should be a requirement to have a good voice to even consider singing a song.” you speak up, finally finishing counting the money in the cash register and fully joining the conversation

“oh, haechan has a good voice.” taeyong speaks up, “he’s a music major.” you're eyes turn into the size of dinner plates as you look between your bosses and haechan

“really?” you never thought about what haechan’s major is, but you never in a million years would think it’s music

maybe it’s because his shrill yelling every friday night has absolutely ruined your like for even his normal speaking voice, you can’t fathom what his singing voice sounds like

“oh, now I'm definitely singing next friday night, if anything then to prove y/n that I'm a god when it comes to music.” haechan leans closer to you, bopping your nose to gain your attention and stun you at the same time, “I'll serenade you, sweets.”

you grimace at the feeling in your chest his pet name brings you, and even more at how he smirks at you

it’s not the first time your heart feels like it’s about to fly away when you look at him, and you’re at the point where you’re hitting yourself for falling deeper into your feelings

you can’t help it, something about him is irresistible to you

no matter how much you want to rip your hair out whenever you’re around him

“maybe I'll quit before friday.”

but you don’t

and before you know it, the next friday night rolls around

the cafe is more packed tonight than any other night you’ve worked, and for the first time, taeyong and taeil are behind the counter working with you to provide food and drinks for everyone that comes in to enjoy the music

just like any other friday night, haechan walks in through the doors

the jingling of the bells seem to sound different when it’s him pushing the door open

your heart dumbly flips when you make eye contact with him; he’s more dressed up tonight, the top few buttons of his button up undone, wearing an expensive looking watch

you can tell he styled his hair and really tried with his look tonight

and man, it’s definitely affecting you

“your drink, haechan.” you slid over a straw and his sweet iced tea

“aw, it’s so cute that you memorized my order.” he coos and rips open the straw, sticking it into the lid

“it helps that you order it every time you’re here.” you mumble

he begins to walk away as he sips, but abruptly stops and turns around

“is there... extra sweetener in here?” he asks, looking up at you with the most perplexed face you’ve ever seen on him

haechan didn't even have to beg for you to add any extra pumps this time

“yeah,” you mumble with your head down, pretending to focus on wiping the counter, “for good luck.”

“you’re getting too soft with me, sweets” haechan walks back to the counter, taping the spot you keep focusing on to make you look up at him, “don’t stop. it’s cute.”

and with that he walks away, leaving you to attempt to hide the affects of how much his words moved you

soon, the fundraiser starts and several people go up on stage to sing a song

you meet doyoung and johnny, who are both close friends of taeil and taeyong and who also graduated from this same university

when they got up on stage to each sing a song, you were absolutely blown away by their talent and their voices

even taeil went up to sing, and you were amazed by his powerful and skilled voice

it only made you more curious about haechan

it has been almost an hour, and he still hasn’t gone up to the mic for his song

you wonder if he chickened out, but when taeil finishes, haechan stands up from his seat and walks to take the mic out of taeil’s hand

you move from behind the counter to lean against the other side of it next to taeyong, getting a good look at the stage where haechan is plugging his phone into the speaker

“hello everyone. I'm haechan, taeil’s brother, here to make my him and taeyong go bankrupt,” the audience laughs at his small joke and haechan eats it up, making you scoff

“this song is for the pretty barista who I've been flirting with for the past few weeks. I don’t think she noticed, so I hope this makes my intentions clear.”

he looks straight at you as he speaks, making your eyes widen at his unexpected words

you look over at taeyong for an explanation, but he only shrugs and laughs

the music starts, a slow and swing-y melody rings out of the speakers and stuns you

haechan is actually going to serenade you

with the cafe lights dimmed and the only focus on haechan, he looks like a different man than from what you’ve gotten to know these past few weeks

he looks a bit more serious; he makes eye contact with you from across the cafe, yet still somehow draws the entire audience in with his lush singing

for a second, you forget where you are

haechan’s voice is that powerful

his voice, which was formerly imprinted in your mind as the eagle-like screeching he likes to use when at the store, is now reminding you of the smooth milk you steam for lattes, and the cotton of newly washed bed sheets, and of everything that makes you melt from utter softness

it feels like he’s singing directly to your soul, and the lyrics make you blush:

“I found a dream that I could speak to, a dream that I can call my own.” he walks off the stage, down the steps and through the maze of tables and chairs

people move to let him through, some chatter rises as he walks towards you

“I found a dream to press my cheek to. A thrill that I have never known.” he approaches you, and taeyong holds you in place as you try to squirm away from the spot light

“Oh, yeah, you smile and then the spell was cast, and here I am in heaven. For you are mine, at last.” as the song ends, people clap for haechan and the cafe lights turn on

he doesn’t look away from you, keeping the microphone comfortably pressed to his lips

“hopefully, I can call you mine?” he asks you in a whisper, but his voice is still amplified by the microphone

the audience anticipates your answer, an eery quietness blanketing the room, all eyes on you

you stay silent, the amount of attention on you making you scared to speak up

“just say yes!’” taeil calls out from his seat, “please, he’ll be so annoying at home if you don’t. I'll give you a raise!” the crowd laughs and haechan sends his brother a glare before turning back to you

“yes, okay.” you finally respond and the cafe erupts into applause

haechan hands the mic to taeyong who walks it to the next person at the stage

soon, everyone forgets about you and haechan as the lights dim once again and the next person begins their song

haechan takes taeyong’s spot next to you against the counter

“you couldn’t ask me out like a normal person?” you whisper, turning to him

“that wouldn’t be any fun. plus, your face was so red. I'll never forget this.” he cackles silently

for a minute, you both stand in comfortable silence while watching the next person perform an upbeat song that has the audience singing and clapping along

the colorful strobe lights above the stage are turned on and they swing around the cafe, making you feel like you’re in a kaleidoscope

“you’re serious, right? about going out with me?” haechan’s tentative tone makes you turn to look at him

he’s leaning into you, his eyes curious and slightly nervous

he’s worried you might’ve been pressured into saying yes with almost a hundred people watching you

you take note how he looks more nervous asking you this question than performing in front of a whole room of people

the colorful lights hit his tan skin every once in a while and a few beads of sweat roll down his forehead from performing

he may be a bit annoying at times, but you decide that you wouldn’t have it any other way

“of course, I'm serious.” you reassure him

he smiles brightly at you, and you reach out to pinch his cheek lovingly

he laughs some more, leaning in abruptly to peck the side of your head and letting out an obnoxious “mwah” afterwards

“is it too late to take it back?”

“nope, sorry. you’re stuck with me, and I expect you to put extra sweetener in my tea every time from now on.”

“yeah, in your dreams.”

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twstinginthewind · 3 years ago

Note

Can I get a uuuuuuuhhhhhhh 🌹 ♥️ ♠️ ♣️ ♦️ for Joker? How does she feel about her dormies?

Yes. You. Can.

🌹: Joker does, genuinely, deep within her heart, care about Riddle. She knows he's been through a lot, she knows he has the best interests of his dorm at heart, she likes that he wants everyone around him to succeed beyond what they think they can initially do. It's great! It really is! Why does he have to be such a nit-picky pain in the neck about it?? She goes to great lengths to find out what she can get away with while still staying within the rules so that she can ruffle his feathers without getting collared for it. She calls him by a series of "respectful" nicknames, points out loopholes in certain dormitory rules, and ends up having a little too much fun at the expense of his patience. That having been said, once they actually realize they're not each other's nemesis, they have the capacity to become a great team. She might even consider taking over the vice position once Trey vacates the seat, and Riddle would second the nomination. So long as she promises never to call him "High Lord Rosefarts" ever, ever again.

♥️: The first time Joker saw Ace, she had to do a double-take. If not for the red hair, he could be the spitting image of her brother, Punch - about two years ago! Immediately, she went into big sister mode. She and Ace (and Deuce!) are usually the cause of any mischief in the dorm, and can often be heard cracking each other up in the lounge. She gets a real kick out of Ace's quick wit, and loves to watch him perform card tricks. He even got her to come along to his basketball games and help lead the cheering section for the team! They have a lot of fun together, and trust one another implicitly. He's among her best friends at NRC.

♠️: As mentioned above, Joker and Deuce get along very, very well, often goofing around together and more often than not finding themselves being lectured by Riddle because of some mess that they found themselves in. She's really charmed by Deuce's "delinquent gone straight and narrow" life story, and is more than happy to offer a hand when he needs it for study help, in exchange for blastcycle rides. At first, he thought that he would impress her with it, but she and her brother were raised within the blastcycle community, and riding with Deuce, she felt a comforting taste of home. He is another of her closest friends. They may or may not be harboring a low-key crush on each other, depending on how other things develop, and as a pair, they can accomplish quite a lot together.

♦️: Cay-Cay is one of the people that Joker trusts enough to go to for life advice, even if he is a bit of a mess. She feels like she can confide in him with some of her more ridiculous drama; crushes and friendship questions and so on. Cater is a little puzzled as to why she latched onto him, but he doesn't mind helping out one of his adorable little freshies. Besides, she offered to add some music to his Magicam stories, and she always shares the treats that her parents send from home, and it's nice to have someone who feels that they can rely on you. They have a good friendship, and she has a lot of trust in him.

♣️: I saved Trey for last, because oof does Joker have a whole lot of Feelings about this guy. From the first time she laid eyes on him at orientation, Joker has been harboring a not-so-secret crush on her vice housewarden. She tries to play it cool, but she often finds herself all a-flutter whenever she's in range of his smile, especially when he flashes the rare devilish smirk. Trey isn't sure what to make of her at first, but one night he finds her making tea in the dorm kitchen at midnight, and rather than turning her over to be collared, he decides to sit with her a while and find out why she's up so late. It turns out that she's stressed over an upcoming exam, and he offers his help to study, over a slice of leftover tart. They end up chatting until sunrise, and having both enjoyed their time so much, make plans to meet to study together at least once a week. They get closer over this time, and establish a friendship. And at some point, Trey realizes that he likes Joker back. However, one of the Queen's rules states that a vice housewarden cannot be involved in a relationship with a member of the dormitory....

I love Heartslabyul so much.... thank you for letting me blather on about Joker and these sweet boys. Questions are from this post, and I'll take asks as long as y'all send em.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland oc #twst oc #joker carder #riddle rosehearts #ace trappola #deuce spade #cater diamond #trey clover

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peeterparkr · 5 years ago

Text

perfidy;tom holland|17

chapter 17: the actors

enemies to lovers au/enemies with benefits

chapter summary: tom and y/n want to rule the world alone

pairing: tom holland x y/n

warnings: angsty, fluff, Tom gets drunk, didn’t proof read

word count: 8.6k whoooops

here’s a playlist

and here’s another one

and here’s another one inspired by 1D

social media before you read (IMPORTANT FOR THE CHAPTER) :

tweets, texts and instagram: with Tom and y/n on their date and giving no updates to their friends

previous chapter next chapter series masterlist wanna be tagged?

Hi, it came early again! This is angsty because well it was coming but because Taylor released Folklore, go stream it!!! and i’m sad because of 1D so :)

A rain was falling down in a clear sky.

Timothée. A perfect name. Perfect eyes, perfect nose, perfect lips. Perfect guy. Everybody said it. Everybody saw it. A melodic laugh that would be heard all across the room, bright eyes that were only meant to look at y/n. The curls falling down on his forehead and the bright beam everytime she looked at him. The gentle whispers, secret kisses. The way they finished each other’s sentences and the way they sometimes had coordinated outfits without them even trying. The way he was in her kind of scene, and the way he always managed to picture her in her brightest glory, the way he pictured her being her. Because she was herself whenever she was around him. Never faking, always laughing. The way she’d be calm, and not doubting, not fearing. The way he fit her description of her perfect guy. As if they’d made him out of her dreams, sculpting it. A Greek sculpture, but hey, they guy only spoke in Greek tragedies.

Tom was very well aware that the damned guy was everything y/n could’ve asked for. From the first moment he’d met him, Tom knew that y/n would completely fall in love with him. Y/N would end up with him. And he’d seen her fall in love with him, as Tim would watch her as she danced around the room, spinning that strawberry--or were they cherries?-- dress she loved to wear. He’d seen her sing around him, because she trusted him. Tom saw Y/N find her happy place. Fucking Timothée.

And he hated it was with Tim. Because he knew that Tim had been the one to be there when he broke her heart. When it should’ve been Harry. Even all of this crafted shit, Tom had fucked it up, because Harry had also distanced himself from y/n.

And all because he had fucked up. If that night he had had the guts to accept it.

He wondered whether Harry would’ve been heartbroken or not. Correction, he wondered how heartbroken his brother would have been. And he remembered how for the first time, after that, Harry had ignored him. So angry at him.

But nobody knew what Tom had gone through. How many times had he stopped himself from going to her and try to say he hadn’t meant it, to try and kiss her, mend her heart. When his own heart broken. And he had been lonely too, and he also hadn’t gone out. He didn’t have the energy, he only stared at the ceiling, asked questions that had no answers.

And they hadn’t spoken after that, not even after y/n was slowly coming back into his life. He had gone filming, and sometimes he’d shed a tear but no one would know it.

And then one day, y/n was talking to Harry again, and he heard her voice over the phone, and his heart had stopped. And he wanted to say he was sorry, and he wondered if she knew that he was also destroyed.

And then, a party, James’ birthday, maybe. He couldn’t remember. And he had seen her, and she had avoided his gaze and he only wanted to scream everything he’d ever felt. But he had kept it to himself.

And then, he saw him, Tim. A new friend of y/n’s Harry said. And Tom saw the way Tim looked at her, and the way he had made her smile. A smile Tom hadn’t seen in months. All because he had fucked up, Tim had taken away his chance.

Did y/n see Tom? Did y/n see that Tom was also anxious and breaking? Did y/n ever listen to what he wanted to say?

Y/N had approached James, and then was speaking with whoever had crossed her path. And Tom knew it was wrong, and he wondered if she had thought about calling him, too. If they had stared at the phone at the same time. If she ever wanted him to go to her door.

Timothee had approached Harry and him. Tom stared at him, up and down.

“So, I don’t know you,” Tom chuckled. “Hi, I’m Tom.”

“Oh, I finally meet you, Tom, I’m Timothée.”

And it sounded like one of the silly names y/n would come up for in her stories. A bloody main character.

“Are you… y/n’s….?” Tom asked.

Harry chuckled. “They’re just friends.”

Timmy had smiled. “Yeah, for now.”

Tom had hidden his frown and faked a laugh. “Oh, so you do want to date her?”

Harry had pursed his lips and then watched Tim.

Timothée had cleared his throat. “Yeah, she’s... “ And he had looked back at her, y/n had given Tim a faintly embarrassed smile, she had blushed. “she’s just like a song, or a movie, she’s splendid. She is a main character, isn't she?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean,” Tom had said.

“Look at her, she just stands out in a crowd, and I swear I can hear her voice across the room and it’s music to my ears,” Tim explained. “There’s so much mystery to her, I—.”

Tom had to agree, and she was wearing that golden dress that made her perfectly different from everyone in the room. Bright as she could be, red lips and hair flowing.Y/N then looked back at them, and then she finally crossed eyes with Tom, her smile had faded away, and she had quickly looked away.

“You’ll finally ask her out, then?” Harry chuckled. “It’s been taking you long enough.”

Tim grinned. “Yeah, I just want her to be ready,” he explained. “She… Did she recently go through a breakup or-?”

Tom had felt a stab across his chest, no, not a breakup, a heartbreak possibly.

“No,” Harry shook his head. “But y/n is very complicated.”

“Very,” Tom added. “Too complicated, you don’t want to get there. She’s too crazy.”

Tim chuckled. “And she mentioned you were her biggest enemy.”

Harry laughed. “Yeah, he is so don’t listen to him.”

Of course, from what he had initially seen, he thought Timmy didn’t have a chance. Sure the guy was perfect but y/n probably wouldn’t give him a chance.

And it had started.

“Y/N’s new boyfriend is perfect isn’t he?” His mother had once said. “He’s such a sweetheart.”

And he had heard it once, and twice and everyone was saying it, at an early Christmas dinner y/n’s family had thrown.

“He’s the guy she’ll end up marrying,” y/n’s mother, Elaine, had said. “It’s just amazing how good they are for each other.”

“Yeah, I must admit it, that Tim really has won her over, and not only her, all of us,” James had said.

“She’ll be spending Christmas with his family, in France we will see how it goes, he’s a good guy,” Richard, y/n’s dad had mentioned. “She’ll probably come back with a ring in her hand. I’ve never seen her happier.”

“This Timmy guy, really, I’m glad she found him. She finally needed to date someone who treated her like the queen she is,” Sam had mentioned.

And Tom knew it had been lost when even Harry had said it.

“They’re perfect for each other. I am so happy she’s happy.”

And if Harry was happy, when he had been in love with her. Then Tom should be, too, right?

Then why wasn’t he?

But all of them had been wrong, right? All of them had been completely and utterly wrong because y/n had not accepted the marriage proposal. Y/N couldn’t have been as happy as everyone had claimed she had been. Tim had been right where Tom should’ve been.

Problem was, Tom knew she had been. And even if she had said that she had loved Tom, there was a part of Tom that knew that y/n had been lying about that statement. Because y/n had actually fallen in love so deeply with Timothee, and because Tom was well aware that he was only just for a little bit, to cease her thoughts. Tom knew y/n would end up realizing that Tom wasn’t what she wanted him to be. Because Tom was not Timmy.

And Tom had that very present. That’s probably why he had searched for a thousand things to do with her, the film museum, then the picnic at the park, then maybe a philharmonic. Everywhere that Tim would’ve taken her. Because Tom feared that y/n would realize how different they were.

And Tom feared that she had her heartbreaks very present. And that Timmy had been the one to pull her out of them.

When he had found the ring, it made it even more present, y/n had kept it. Sure she had said no, but her no had meant “not yet”. The ring had meant that she, yes, wanted to know what it felt like to date Tom, but she’d eventually run back to Tim, because he was her endgame.

But she had gone to give it back. And maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. If she hadn’t given it back on her own, she probably was still holding on to him.

The fantasy had tumbled down in less than 5 minutes. And it seemed so crazy, less than 24 hours. They’d gone from her having dinner with Tim, with him admitting his feelings, with her saying she was in love too, to the perfect date and now. Back to reality. Knowing that their promises and apologies had barely meant anything at all. It would eventually fall out.

Because Tom also feared that all of this was some sort of revenge y/n was planning and that she’d go back to Tim and be happy.

Because they were both right, and they knew that they didn’t trust each other. And he was selfish. He didn’t want y/n to ever be around Timothée. But he knew that he could never control y/n, not that he wanted to. But he had the right.

He remembered it, when they dated. How he’d be in the worst state each time Timmy placed his hand on her hips, or his lips on her skin. He hated it. He despised it. How he wished to be in his place.

And even know that he knew that y/n probably was breaking Tim’s heart he couldn’t help but think about it, how with one kiss Tim could probably make her leave Tom. That’s all it took him, his fingers to delicately brush against her arm. That’s the power Tim had over y/n.

And now he was calling her, he wanted her to be back already. Even if Tom was in shambles.

He took out the alcohol bottles from the minibar, downing a shot of whiskey, he felt the warm liquor burn his throat. What if Tim caressed her cheek? What if with one look y/n realized the big mistake Tom was?

He called her.

Straight to voicemail. Tom tapped his foot anxiously. He needed another shot. He couldn’t wait for her right there.

So he went down to the hotel bar. And he didn’t know if he was worried more about the fact she was with Timmy or that she was alone in a city like New York. He kept calling her, it rang a few times but then to voicemail.

Tom ordered a gin and tonic, first, then a beer, and then a scotch and he ignored everybody in the room. He only kept trying to call her, and he texted only asking if she was okay.

And she answered a simple yes.

Which drove Tom crazier. He downed another drink. His body warming up, not sure if it was with rage, jealousy, or the alcohol. He clenched his jaw, she drove him completely insane. It would leave nowhere.

He ignored his phone, everything, he only listened to the band that played gentle slow rock that was playing at the bar. And he kept waiting. Picturing the worst.

But suddenly he had seen her walking into the bar, too, after a while, after yet more beers and another scotch. And he stopped to see if it was truly her. Undeniably, it was her. Slightly smudged mascara under her eyes, and a trace of her crying, but her lipswere bright red. She hadn’t seen him, she had sat near the band, ordered a gin and tonic, first, too. He only saw how her lipstick stained the glass. She seemed… angry, sad, confused. Tom could read those emotions just fine, the usual face she’d sketch whenever he was around.

At least she wasn’t with Tim, thought Tom. He texted her again, she only lifted her phone and then took a deep breath. She didn’t text back. But he saw tears streaming down her face.

It was particularly weird. Being in the same room. He waited for the song to finish until he decided to send her a drink. Another gin and tonic.

He watched her, and she seemed surprised when the waiter had told her a gentleman had sent her a drink, she denied the drink until the waiter pointed at Tom. And she suddenly stopped, her eyes landed on him, as if she was deciding whether or not to walk over. But Tom was already wasted, so he made the decision himself. He paid for his and her drinks and then stumbled up to stand, he didn’t want to be in the same room as her right now. He was too dizzy, the floor was moving just as he walked out of the hotel bar and made his way to the elevator.

But before the door closed, y/n ran into the elevator. Tom gave her a drunken smile, watching her yet again get far from him.

“Heeeeey,” a drunk and slurred voice came out.

Y/N turned coldly. “Are you drunk?”

“No,” he lied but then opened his arms, laying against the elevator wall. “Mmhm c’mere.”

She didn’t look at him now.

“Y/N,” he called her, loudly. “Are you—are we breaking up even if—hic—even if we only dated for like 10 minutes? Are you going back to Timmy Tim?” His words sounded slow and long.

“Tom, stop, no, okay, you’re too drunk and I’m not in the mood to talk about this, okay? We’re not breaking up,”she confirmed and walked over to his side. He could now see she really had been crying, her eyes were still trying to hold back more tears, and she kept avoiding his gaze. Her cheeks were probably humid.

He reached out for her hand lazily, and brought it to his lips. She looked away. He tried to kiss her cheek, but she turned around again.

“God, you stink of alcohol, Tom,” she rolled her eyes as he mumbled an apology.

He frowned, and tried to lean over, he ended up nuzzling into her neck. She sighed, but caressed his hair anyway.

“Do you hate me?” He asked her.

“Yes,” she answered.

He pouted. “Y/N,” he hiccuped again. “Mm… didn’t ya love me?” His words were even more slurred now.

“Yes.”

He tried to stand back up but he was so dizzy, that he decided to keep leaning against her.

“You’re being really annoying right now, I understand you got angry but right now I’m too emotional to deal with drunk you —” She pointed out as the doors opened, Tom didn’t move. “Thomas,” she sighed. “C’mon, let’s…Tom, I’m really not in the mood to do this.”

It seemed like the floor was spinning, but he helped him out, as he was striding to their room, y/n helping him as he had a shoulder around her, using her as support.

Before she opened the door, Tom took her hand again and brought it up to his gaze.

“what are you—what are you doing?” She asked.

“Checking if you’re not wearing the ring, babe” Tom mumbled.

Y/N sighed. “I gave it back.”

Tom looked at the blurry image standing in front of him and formed a smile. “Good.”

She opened the door, and Tom stumbled right behind her, he was still angry, but that soothed him. Y/N guided him to the bed, sitting him down.

“You’ve… you have,” he closed his eyes and burped. “You’ve been crying,” Tom pointed out as he watched her walking around the room.

She then was right beside him, Tom didn’t even notice how, but she handed him a bottle of water. “Drink.”

Tom watched her. “Have you been crying?”

She took a deep breath, “yes,” she answered. “Just drunk the water, Tom.”

“Why?” He questioned as she glared at him, “why are you crying?”

“Tom—drink the water.”

He took a sip, “You love him.”

“Tom—right now I really—I know this is too simple for you, I know that this seems simple for you, if anything you’ll just go on and live with your life okay? But—I need you not to make this hard for me,” she snapped as she walked away.

Tom watched her. “I know, you just officially let go of the love of your life I know, I know.”

She crossed her arms turning back to him. “You’re really being an ass.”

“I am just hurt y/n,” he admitted. “I am sooo in love with you and you just see me as...I don’t know”

She took a deep breath, “I didn’t mean to hurt you okay?” Her voice was shaking. “I was going to give it back I just—hadn’t found the right time but—I gave it to him, happy?”

Tom blinked, giving it a thought. “No.”

“I...really don’t want you to be hurt okay?” She walked over, taking his hands.. “You were not supposed to know.”

Tom gave her a cynic smile. “But I found it,” he shrugged.

“Yes, but—Tom,” she sighed. “really just we will talk when you’re sober and when I’m not on the verge of tears—“

He wasn’t really listening, he couldn’t focus. “Did he kiss you?”

She closed her eyes. “No.”

“Did he… try to kiss ya?”he pushed.

“No, Tom,” she let him go, and then more tears were coming down her cheeks. “I broke his heart, and do you know how fucking difficult it was?” She gulped. “That’s why I—I hadn’t done it yet because I didn’t want to spend my last days in New York with you crying over someone else—“

Tom laid down on the bed. “Y/N you still have feelings for him.”

“Tom oh my god, do you really want to go there?”

He chuckled. “Just did, besides it’s clear you still love him because you’re crying.”

“Tom, it’s not if I have feelings or not,” she pointed out. “I am sad because I just closed a very important part of my life for something—“

“For something not certain,” he finished her line.

“You don’t even understand this, you’re too drunk for me to explain this.” She was angry, so angry.

“Try then,” he sat up. He had a sad, cynic smile across his face, and he could barely keep his eyes open.

“I don’t even know if I want to,”she admitted, arms over her chest as she leaned against the wall. “we’ve already yelled and fought at each other twice in less than two days,” she sassed. “and I’m just here thinking hey, this won’t work!” She looked away. “because we don’t trust each other.”

He felt like somehow that had sobered him up. “Good to know you don’t trust me,” he laughed with sarcasm, as he rubbed his face.

“Well, do you? Do you trust me? If you did, we wouldn’t be helping this conversation.”

He didn’t answer.

She shrugged, chuckling. “There’s your answer, we are both so damaged, Tom. This won’t be easy and you just have to accept it,” she explained.

He looked away. “Why did you keep the ring?”

“Tom.”

He took a deep breath. “I just need to know y/n because I—I know how much you loved him and feelings simply don’t disappear—“

She only walked to the window. “Everybody said it, okay?” She sniffed. “And I’m someone who plans ahead and I’m someone who—Who ends up doing the right thing, and I kept—“he could see her breaking her heart. “I kept the ring because he told me to,”her voice was now completely broken. “, and because I thought everyone says it—and I—“

“That you were perfect,” Tom finished,

“And I’ve always been known for making all the wrong choices—“

“And Timmy is the right one isn’t he?” He cackled. “Great.”

“Bloody hell, Thomas you’re not making it easy,” she snapped.

He stood up. “Y/N literally what the hell do I have to do for you to fucking look at me?” He asked as he walked to her, placing his hands on her shoulders so she’d finally face him, and to not lose balance, as well. “All my life I’ve literally been doing the impossible and yet you always turn around—“

“Oh my god,” she closed her eyes as she pushed his arms away. “”I can’t believe you, I’m in love with you!” She yelled. “Don’t you fucking see it? I’m in love with you,” she cried as she walked away. “after crying for a fucking year for that night in the club, I can’t bloody look at yellow flowers without tearing up but guess what,” she chuckled angrily. “I still fucking choose you every time, Tom, you literally don’t have to do anything for me to always fucking choose you and that’s why I don’t get it!” She turned back to see him. “I don’t get why, and yet you still doubt it, and even if you we’re screwing me over and over I still chose you and even if there was either Tim or Harry or—“

“Harry?” Tom didn’t even let her finish as she finally paused. “Harry?”

“I—no, let’s not go there,” she shook her head and hugged herself.

Tom was sober now. “No, I want to fucking know now.”

“Tom no, you’re drunk let’s—“she closed her eyes, as she looked around, trying to escape.

“What about Harry?”

“Nothing.”

“Did you know—“

“Yes, Tom I knew—“She snapped.

The weather had turned cold, he thought he heard rain falling down but the night sky was clear.

“How did you know?” Tom asked, quietly.

She huffed, “Because unlike you, he’s shown me his whole life that he loves me.”

Tom felt it again, an anger or guilt he had suffered from throughout his life. “Then why the fuck do you love me if you—Harry was perfect!”

She blinked with confusion. “What?”

“You should end up with Harry.”

“See? Now you get it,” she sat on the bed. “Everyone says it, Harry or Tim how nice and perfect, and yet—I choose you, Tom I don’t even know why you’re angry at me,” she complained “they all said it, but you know what and they also always said I would end up dating you, people are strange huh? They say a lot of things.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

She gulped down a sob, but then calmed down. “I’ve heard it all Tom,” she explained. “I know. That’s what I’m trying to tell you, the heart wants what it wants.”

“But—everyone says it.”

“Yes I know, that Tim is my endgame and that Harry was the guy I should’ve fallen in love with, but guess what! They also said that we needed to sleep together to finally get along and look at us now, people are wrong, aren’t they?”

He closed his eyes, hurt, as he sat beside her. “No—I—“

“I need to sleep,” she stood up. They didn’t follow the routine that night, not together.

“I don’t want to go to bed like this,” he said as y/n picked up a pillow and a blanket and walked over to the sofa. “Y/N no—come here. If anything I’ll sleep there.”

She sat down, hugging the pillow, so he made his way over.

“Y/N, no come on, please—Let’s, I’m sorry okay?” He sighed sitting beside her. She stayed quiet, but scooted closer to him. “Y/N?”

“I don’t want it to rain in New York, Tom,” she whispered. “And I’m trying, okay? I just hope you’re trying, too.”

She then went quiet, but then snuggled close to him, with her eyes closed. Tom blinked, but wrapped his arms around her confused. He still had a lot of thoughts in his head. Very confusing, hurtful thoughts. Especially around what she said about Harry.

But then again, she was right, why the hell did she doubt her if she’d chosen him over and over?

But then guilt, the guilt of not wanting to break his brother’s heart. He decided it right there in that precise moment, that he wanted to tell him. Harry was with Emma. It was now or never.

And he understood what she meant, maybe she’d felt it too, the thunder striking outside, but… If he looked out the window, the night was clear, the stars were bright.

The next day they didn’t even talk about it, y/n had woken up earlier than him, Tom had woken up sore from sleeping on a couch, but he knew that she’d held him all night long, he had heard her cry in the middle of the night, he had seen her pace around the room but then, eventually she came back and snuggled him. But he woke up alone, and it felt weird, but she had gone out and brought him a juice that she swore would cure his hangover. Neither him or y/n addressed anything they had talked the night before.

He understood what she meant. This was Rome. New York was the new Rome, the part where they both could be happy, live the fairytale and then it would come to London, rainy London. Even if the sky in New York had turned gray.

And though Tom was facing a constant headache they both quietly decided that they’d enjoy the clear sky in New York. They went to that museum in Queens, they walked through Central Park and enjoyed a Picnic, they even bought a kite and flew it. And they didn’t fight. Not once, or not in the way they had fought the night before. As if both of them were actively avoiding it, pretending they were fine. Laughs. On the edge, as if the other would bring up one heartbreak eventually. They were fine. Even if they weren’t.

But maybe, just maybe, they were. Even if the fantasy they were living was crafted, a film he’d seen before, not with him. Maybe that’s why it felt different, because Tom was trying too much. And so was y/n, because that day they weren’t each other. Like they played a part of something they didn’t belong in. Because they were being seen, in a way.

But Tom looked at y/n, and even if her eyes looked tired, and even if her smile was slightly sad, her eyes brightened up when they looked at each other. That’s probably what had him crazy, because she was choosing him, even if just last night they were fighting. Why did y/n choose someone who broke her? Why couldn’t he stop breaking her?

He felt like he’d run out of chances, and he knew this was the last time. Not sure why it felt like that, but maybe that’s why they were trying so hard to make each other smile and forget the night before.

Were they forcing this too much? Had they loved each other so much and they had been so impatient that they had forced this? Like a film. Playing a part.

He knew what he had to do.

New York became a memory that they didn’t want to let go. The last days of filming had gone very quickly, especially because Tim wasn’t around anymore, and there were no more peonies coming. Tim looked destroyed, Tom had caught him smoking cigarettes and hiding a tear. Tom knew how it felt, he’d been there before, feeling like someone else had taken his place, a place that belonged to him. He couldn’t blame him.

And maybe Tom had just a slight bit of sympathy and guilt and maybe that’s why he hadn’t kissed y/n as much when Tim was around. The guy wasn’t to blame, honestly. Even if he despised him, Tim had nothing to blame right now. If anything, Tom respected him because y/n had broken his heart.

And the last night, while they were in the bathtub, surrounded by bubbles and foam, his arm around her, her back against his chest, glasses of red wine in their hands, the lights out, they were quiet. They had been quiet those days. Words were their strongest weapons and this time they didn’t want to wound each other.

“y/n?” he had talked.

And he felt how she had shifted, turning cold, as if she didn’t want to have any conversation. “Yes?”

“I… I uh, called my parents before,” he said.

She nodded. “Yeah, I heard, that’s why I didn’t interrupt.”

“Yeah,” he gulped before placing a sweet kiss on her shoulder. “I…” He gulped, “Apparently they’re… having another lunch party of sorts with your parents when we come back, and we have to be there.”

“Ah, yeah, James told me about it, what’s with them always throwing parties together?” she chuckled as she blew some bubbles at him. “As if they didn’t see each other once a week.”

Tom grinned, as he then decided to splash out some water at her. “And as if we didn’t hang out on our own.”

She laughed, leaning against him, she took his hand and played with it.

Tom locked his fingers with hers, and took a sip of his wine.

“Oh, if they knew,” she chuckled. “We haven’t behaved, haven’t we?” she asked before turning around to beard him up with the bubbles.

Tom almost choked on his wine, but chuckled. “Y/N!”

“What?” she giggled. “I don’t think this is exactly what they wanted when they told us to behave whenever we fought.”

He grinned, agreeing. He really didn’t want this to die, not this time. Because this wasn’t supposed to be forbidden, this wasn’t them being silly children fighting, or kissing. This wasn’t illicit, the deal couldn’t be expired.

“I told them I was seeing someone,” Tom mentioned after a while.

She turned warm again and then turned to face him. “Yea?”

He smiled. “Yes, hope you don’t mind”

She chuckled. “I… did they ask who?”

“Yes,” Tom gulped. “I didn’t tell them, told them I wanted them to meet her.”

She laughed. “I love pretending not to know your parents,” she looked down at him and placed a soft kiss on the edge of his lips.

“So, I told them that I’d bring her to lunch,” he whispered, hoping this wasn’t something that would bring their little act down.

She paused, taking a deep breath.

Tom then feared his words had been a knife and he had just stabbed her. But then, after what Tom felt was the longest minute of his life she turned to him.

“Well, I hope they like her and that she’s there on time” And she’d kissed him.

“And… I’ve been thinking,” he said. “I… also have a song for us.”

“Ah, you do?”

“Yeah, that’s what’s been keeping me awake these two nights,” he said, ignoring what had happened the night before. “It took me a lot to think about it.”

“Really?”

“Yes because it couldn’t be a normal song, you know? I can’t just simply choose a random one.”

“Why not?” She chuckled.

“Because it’s you, it either has to be an 80’s song or a One Direction song, I know you,” he laughed.

She giggled. “But… If a song fits, it fits, you know?” She tilted her head.

“Okay, I’m just going to pretend you just didn’t say that,” he blinked. “Because I really wanted it to be perfect, and…I really had to think about it to fit your whole aesthetic, and crazy mind of yours, and I came up with this one. And now, I’ll…” He reached for his phone. “I just want you to close your eyes, and…”

“Does it have a meaning?”

“I just feel like… It fits, you know?” he chuckled. “It’s actually a song about war.”

She blinked. “War?”

“Yeah, war.”

“Funny, I also relate a war concept to you,” she whispered.

“Huh?”

“Nothing, what’s the song?” She smiled.

“Close your eyes….”

And she did, and he played the song. Everybody Wants To Rule The World. Tears for Fears. And maybe that song did it for them, because they believed it.

The flight back home had been quiet, and y/n said she never wanted to forget New York, the city that never sleeps, and the city where they barely had slept, tangled up in the sheets and yearning for an eternal moonlight, memorizing each other. The city where they had only found each other in a crowd, where no matter how chaotic, they’d found peace. A sun making its way back out after a storm. Tom didn’t want to leave the clear blue sky, the cozy nights, the hope, he didn’t want to go back to the rain. Because it felt like it was coming.

But London received them with a bright sunny day, not a gray sky. It was sunny, and warm. And maybe it was telling them that it’d be alright.

Tom had only gone back home, picked out a few clothes, avoided Harrison and then decided to go to y/n’s place. He avoided everyone’s calls. So had y/n. They needed to be alone before everything could explode.

Because just the very next day, they’d go to the lunch thing. And he knew that he wasn’t nervous about his parents, or her parents. Both of them were nervous about Harry. Even if they hadn’t said anything, he knew both of them were very very very anxious about it. Especially now that Tom knew that y/n had known about his brother’s infatuation towards her. And he still hadn’t yet decided how to feel about it. Guilty, at least. Very, very guilty. And maybe angry at y/n. But was he, really? He loved her, and she loved him back. He couldn’t be stupid enough to think about how y/n didn’t love someone else.

This was y/n’s fault, or was it Tom’s? Why the hell couldn’t he make up his mind about this. And he thought how it would go, how if she’d chosen Harry instead. How he’d have to stay quiet, be happy for his brother. But Harry? Would Harry be happy?

Because Tom knew that that territory was dangerous, mostly because y/n had been right. Tom had never shown her that he loved her, and Harry probably would get defensive, and he’d probably be angry because everyone said it, and he knew what was coming: Tom will break y/n’s heart because that’s all Tom does. Break y/n apart.

But Harry would bring Emma, right? It’d be okay. Harry had moved on, and the only thing Tom would have to deal with was the fact that TOm had hidden his love towards y/n.

He knew the conversation was long overdue, with y/n, with Harry. Of course, that by admitting it with everyone else there, he’d avoid some kind of drama. But if they didn’t, Tom decided to enjoy his tranquility alone with y/n. Kissing, and cuddling and laughing and then with their clothes again on the floor, tangled in between the sheets, and longing for the night to never end because the next day, it could probably rain.

They had a sort of plan, test the waters first.

And she’d chosen that strawberry dress, yes, it was strawberries, on a pink dress that Tom loved. And Tom felt dizzy, as he’d given her one last quick kiss before walking in, to see Nikki and Elaine with a glass of champagne in their hands as they were talking to each other.

They paused, watching Tom as he knew they tried to look behind him, trying to find the girl he had so talked marvels about.

They both kissed their mother’s cheeks, and hugged the others’.

“Well, hello, you two,” Elaine said. “I’m surprised you’re both complete after spending two months together,” she commented.

“We get along,” y/n laughed. “For now, besides, he was paying me so.”

“How was New York? It was always a dream of yours, did you like it?” Elaine asked.

“Loved it, it’s the best time I’ve ever had in my life,” she admitted with a grin.

Tom blushed, but then cleared his throat to look at his mother. “Uh, we--” He cleared his throat. “I brought wine, so...I’m gonna…”

Nikki grinned. “Tom, where’s your...girlfriend?” She sounded suspicious.

He chuckled as he headed to the kitchen. “Ah, she’ll be here, she’s running late,” he lied.

“Hm, not a great first impression as the new girlfriend huh?” Elaine commented.

Tom hid a grin, as he heard y/n chuckle. He took out two beers from the fridge and opened them

“So, y/n, thoughts on his new girlfriend? I assume you know her,” Nikki commented.

Tom walked back over, handed y/n a beer and laughed. “You’re really asking my worst enemy her thoughts on my new girlfriend?”

Elaine smirked. “She’s the one who will tell us the truth.”

Y/N snickered. “Uh- well,” she looked at Tom. “Mm, honestly she’s a little slutty, feel like he paid her to date her.”

Tom choked on his beer.

Elaine and Nikki widened their eyes with surprise.

“What?” the three of them said in unison.

“Y/N!” Her mother called her.

“I’m kidding,” she laughed. “Uh seriously I’m joking, , honestly I… I’m sorry, I don’t think I have an opinion of her, I only know she’s got terrible taste if she wants to date him.”

Tom smirked and faked a phony laugh. “Can’t deny that,” he grinned. “But, no, she’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life, she’s stunning, so smart and talented.”

“But, let’s just say they can rule the world.”

Tom smiled.

Y/N smiled to herself. “So, where are the guys?”

“Sam, Rich and Dom went to buy some stuff, Pad is upstairs-”Nikki explained.

“And Ha--”Tom couldn't finish.

“I’m here, you guys arrived early,” James had walked in just in time for Tom and y/n to scoot away from each other. “Didn’t see your car, n/n,” he raised his brows with a smirk. He then turned with his coldest stare at Tom. “Thomas.”

“Hi, bro,” Tom awkwardly fist bumped him.

He said hello to Nikki and his mother.

“So, what’s the occasion this time?” James asked as he snatched the beer from his sister’s hand, she pouted but then Tom discreetly offered his, y/n denied it.

“As if we needed an occasion to have lunch together,” y/n pointed out.

“Tom’s got a girlfriend,” Elaine answered. “We’re meeting her today.”

James’ eyes widened as he stared between the young couple. “Does he, now?” Tom only sipped his beer. “Ah, I’ve never seen you guys make such a deal out of a new girlfriend,” James snaked, chuckling. “Well, what about you, y/n?” James grinned. “Have you a boyfriend now?”

Y/N now snatched the beer from Tom’s hands, taking a sip. “Hm?”

James raised his brows, chuckling. “Fine.”

“So…” Nikki cleared her throat. “Y/n, dear, I need you to help me out with something, you’re going to be Emma’s maid of honor right?”

“Yes!” Y/N gulped.

Nikki grinned, “amazing, can you come here a little and help me out?”

Tom held his breath as he watched his mother and y/n leave.

“So, Tom, how really is she?” Elaine asked. “No need to impress y/n now,” she chuckled.

“How is who?” James asked.

“We were talking about his girlfriend, y/n called her slutty,” Elaine commented.

“But she’s not!” Tom was quick to answer.

“No, I know,” Elaine laughed.

James crossed his arms and chuckled. “Mum, I don’t think you should be asking him that.”

“Well, she's running late, already making a bad impression, Tom, meeting the parents is always a deal breaker.”

James let out a long laugh. “I am sure they will love her.”

“Do you know her, already?” Asked Elaine. “Is she—how do you guys say it? A hottie?”

“Mum I really don’t think—“James chuckled. “Don’t.”

“She’s beautiful,” Tom said, snickering.

Elaine nodded. “So, Tom, I… I am going to ask you because well, you were there,” she sighed. “How did y/n do? With Tim being there?”

Tom turned cold. Of course Elaine would ask about Timothée. James’ eyes widened and he coughed.

“Mum, don’t… Go there,” James warned.

“Well, I’ve gotta ask,” she nodded. “I’m just worried, I… She was really bummed when they broke up. Tim really was the love of her life.”

Tom blinked and cleared his throat, he shook his head. “I… You know what? I.. I don’t think he is,” he said. “But yea, she did fine… And I’m getting another beer.”

Tom decided to not go back to that conversation and join his youngest brother instead, too busy playing on his Nintendo Switch, Tessa ran over to his lap. Eventually, he heard the door open again and men’s laughs filled the house, Richard, y/n’s father, Dom and Sam had walked in. No trace of Harry.

Tom had walked backstairs again to see Sam and Y/N catching up, laughing at something she was showing him on his phone. Still, no trace of Harry.

“Mum, where’s Harry?” Tom asked Nikki.

“Ah, he had something to do with Emma, you know, they’re planning an engagement party and--”

“They are? He didn’t tell me,” Harry frowned. “He’s not coming, then?”

“No,” Nikki shook her head. “He told me that he was happy you had a girlfriend though,” she mentioned.

Tom felt a stab in his chest. Did Harry know? Maybe he did, and if he did, was he happy? Maybe he had to tell this to his brother alone, not like this. This was the universe telling Tom that he had to speak to his brother, even if he’d been avoiding him for a while now.

The afternoon continued, and Tom and y/n were trying so hard not to give hints yet, and it was hard, Tom was holding back from taking her hand, from kissing her cheek. They’d gotten so used to being alone that this wasn’t them.

Tom and y/n had agreed not to say anything until the very end. But honestly, Tom didn’t know what this was even for anymore, their parents weren’t the ones who mattered and Sam and James probably had guessed it by now. For who was this surprise for? Paddy? This was the moment Tom had planned to tell Harry. Not… Well, if they were honest this was their way out to not be scared. To be alone even if they were surrounded by all of them.

“Tom’s girlfriend hasn’t showed up, huh?” Richard laughed. “We’ve all been there buddy, maybe it was too soon to meet the parents, huh?”

Tom laughed. “I… Don’t think it is.”

“So, is she actually a real girlfriend or another girl you’re parading with?” Richard pushed.

James took a long sip of his beer. “Yeah, Tom, is she a real girlfriend?”

Tom laughed nervously. “I… she’s a real girlfriend, I’m really hoping it’ll last.”

“Well, if she’s not here already, I wouldn’t be so sure,” Dom pointed out.

Sam burst out in laughter and nudged Tom. “Uh-huh.”

Tom managed a way to sneak out of the conversation as he had seen y/n walk in alone to the kitchen, he ran over to her and made sure nobody was watching before placing a kiss on her cheek from behind.

“Oh, hi,” she grinned.

“So how’s it going?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind.

“So, my mum and your mum already hate me because I’m late and now they are wondering if I’m ugly because you’ve never said anything about it, and they really think I’m a little slutty,” she giggled.

“I mean, last night...” Tom smirked.

“Shut up!” She slapped his shoulder.

“I’m joking,” he laughed as he nuzzled into her neck, giggling.

“Well how is it going for you?” she frowned.

“Pretty much the same, they don’t suspect a thing,” Tom admitted, kissing her neck again.. “Mmh, should we tell them now?”

“I don’t know, maybe… We could wait, tell them she won’t be able to come and… I feel like… I dunno.” She turned around. “Now, this is obvious enough so,” she pushed him away before walking outside where they’d be eating.

They were getting ready, their sitting arrangements just as usual, Tom and y/n far away from each other. A seat, usual Harry’s seat, empty.

“And this is for your nameless girlfriend,” Nikki said as she placed an empty plate right beside Tom. “Whom I don’t think will show up now but…”

“Actually, mum, I’m gonna be sitting over there,” Tom said, taking his plate and walking over to y/n.

All the table went quiet, Sam and James only watched him curiously and about to burst into laughter. Seemed like the two of them had realized they both knew and they were having quite a lot of fun with this situation.

“You guys are gonna behave?” Elaine laughed.

“Yeah, think I can behave just fine with my girlfriend,” Tom smirked as he finally sat down beside y/n, finally holding her hand. It felt like the walls had tumbled down finally. There was only a wall far away, waiting to be tumbled, but Tom would take care of that himself later.

The table went cold and quiet, shock coming from both their parents faces as y/n was also a bit in shock. But she smiled.

“What?” Paddy was the only one to make a noise. “Didn’t you hate each other? What the hell?” He scrunched his nose with confusion.

They remained quiet, their eyebrows were raised and their mouths shaped in big ‘o’s.

The silence was broken with Elaine, gracefully turning to her best friend and smirking. “Give me my money back, and pay up.”

“What?” Tom and y/n asked in unison.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Nikki blinked as Elaine grinned. “Are you guys serious? Are you actually?”

“Yeah,” y/n chuckled. “I’m the slutty ugly girl who arrived late.”

Tom laughed. “No-”

“Pay up, Nik,” Elaine grinned.

“What?” Tom asked again.

“Your mothers decided to bet, Elaine said you’d end up dating with this and your mum said you wouldn’t,” Dom explained. “They’ve been doing this their whole lives and now it’s actually a--”

“You guys are betting over our love life?” Y/N frowned, laughing.

“You guys are dating?” Richard was the one to ask now. “What is going on?”

Of course, Tom and y/n couldn’t tell them how they had actually started dating, they had come up with them starting to hang out more and realizing their feelings with each other, and technically that wasn’t a lie, but of course Sam and James weren’t buying it, but they kept quiet, so it was good,at least so after calming down their shock. Obviously then seeing their parents' reactions and regrets over past comments about making fun of Tom and his non-existent girlfriend or about how she probably was ugly. It went… great, it was calm and they finally could slowly hold hands and they finally let themselves go. They were free, out of a cage, out of a staged lie, and they were on their best behavior, for the first time they didn’t hear it ‘children, behave’, and he finally could place an arm around her, and they didn’t have to hide the fact that they were lovingly staring into each other's eyes. They didn’t have to be alone now, and honestly, they could rule the world by then. Everything was perfect.

The news was great for both families, and although the one Tom wanted to know the most hadn’t heard it yet, he wasn’t scared, not for the first time. Because he felt free, for the first time he really wanted to do things right. Even if he’d heard it, and even if they hadn’t talked about it, they’d have time because they didn’t have to hide, not anymore.

He went back to her place again that night.

“So, that went amazing,” y/n commented as soon as they’d walk into her apartment, Tom couldn’t keep her hands off of her.

“I thought… I thought they wouldn’t like it,” he laughed.

“Can you believe they’ve been betting their whole lives?” She laughed. “God, I mean, I understand they’re best friends and that they-- But?”

He scoffed. “Maybe we should start betting on them too, you know? Stuff like, who’s going to go bald first or dunno.”

“Whatever, I think we should celebrate,” she smirked.

“Oh?”

She giggled but then pulled him in for a long, long kiss, as her tongue explored his. She quickly pulled away. “Huh, wait, what time is it? I haven’t--I haven’t sent out that thing for my script, shit, shit shit,” she continued cursing as she let him go, she ran over to her room and took out her laptop. Tom blinked but followed after her.

She was quick to type, and then she seemed so stressed as she kept swearing until she finally sent it in, whatever she was sending. Tom only sat on the edge of the bed watching her.

“Where were we?” She asked, before crawling over to him. She hadn’t closed her laptop.

“About to celebrate, I believe,” he smirked, as he wrapped his arms around her to kiss her again. She sat on his lap, and played with his hair.

Her phone started to ring, she ignored it, as she was taking off Tom’s shirt and he was ready to take off her cherry dress. But it kept ringing.

“Would you mind if---?” She asked as she took out her phone. Tom chuckled but kept his lips on her jawline, tracing it down with soft kisses. She cleared her throat. “Shit, it’s my boss.”

He kept kissing her neck, though.

“Uh, hi, Alessandra--”

“I’m sorry I’m calling you this late,” Tom heard her boss say over the phone. “I hope you’re not busy.”

Y/N bit her lip as Tom chuckled, kissing down his way to her collarbone.

“I’m… No, I’m not busy, it’s alright.”

“Well, uh, we need to talk about the script I uh--”

“Actually, um, Alessandra just give me a sec,” she cleared her throat as she quickly pushed Tom away and jumped off his grip. He pouted but then she placed a quick kiss on his lips before rushing out of her room.

Tom chuckled, and then stared at her laptop. He pulled it close and saw the opened document, from what he could see it was her script. The same script she’d been so secretive about. Of course he was going to read it, he wanted to praise her work and talent, so he started reading it.

But maybe he shouldn’t have, because just as he started, a storm started pouring down in London.

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love-little-lotte · 4 years ago

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Ranking the Bridgerton Books

I know I should write this in my book blog, but frankly, I have no idea how to make another section for it, and I'm too lazy to research. So, I'm writing here. Please bear with me.

Recently, I read the Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn. You might be familiar with the first book since it was adapted into a popular Netflix series by Shonda Rhimes. I binge-watched it back in December, and I have to say... not a fan. I guess I just find it too cheesy and annoying. Plus, the actors who portrayed Daphne and Simon had no romantic chemistry whatsoever.

But I'm not here to talk about the TV show. I'm here to talk about the novels! This is actually not my first time reading the books. Well, not exactly. I've read six out of the eight novels when I was in high school, I believe. I found the books when I was in high school as it was in the library (please don't ask me why my high school library has smutty novels in it, I have no idea who's in charge - they had Fifty Shades of Grey for a week but they eventually removed it from the catalog when they learned what's it about, but I digress). As a fifteen-year-old girl, the series hooked me.

If you're not familiar with the books or the Netflix series, here's a short synopsis: Set in the Regency era, the Bridgertons are one of the most influential families of the ton. The books follow the love stories of the eight Bridgerton siblings, alphabetically named Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth.

I didn't read it in chronological order back then, though. I just borrowed any available Bridgerton book in the library if there's one. You might think I was too young to read a romantic novel like that, but I guess I was mature enough to understand it.

Rereading it now that I'm twenty-two (cue Taylor Swift!), my heart's not in the same place. I was more skeptical with the writing, the story, and, most especially, the characters. But, really, I'm not that heartless, so I will cut the author some slack. Quinn wrote this at a different time for a different audience. It's not that long ago, but you'd be surprised how fast things change.

However, even though I have major criticisms, I cannot stop reading them. There's something about the novels that put me in a chokehold. Despite everything, I was able to enjoy it overall. This series is the definition of "guilty pleasure."

Anyway, here's my ranking of the Bridgerton books! I only read the eight main ones, which means I didn't include novellas of any kind. Also, as a fair warning, I might discuss spoilers and whatnot, so please beware. And do keep in mind that I'm writing my opinion, so if you don't agree, well... tough. I'd like to hear your comments, though, if you have any.

#8 - An Offer From A Gentleman (Book 3)

Honestly, this was probably one of my favorite Bridgerton books when I was younger. A Cinderella retelling? Come on! As someone who loves fairytales and forbidden romances, this was supposed to be heaven. However... it was not.

Benedict may be my least favorite Bridgerton brother. No, scratch that - he is my least favorite Bridgerton out of all of them. He's whiny and creepy and I was plainly annoyed with how he keeps asking Sophie to be his mistress in the novel. This was not the gentleman I imagined when I was younger. I might have liked him more in the first few parts, but as the story progressed, he became too childish and obsessive. Sophie, on the other hand, was all right. She's definitely one of my favorite Bridgerton heroines. She was tough but kind in her own way. I wish she had a better partner than Benedict, but I guess they suit each other in the end.

I just detest the climax and the ending of this book. It was too comical - and not in a hilarious way. I guess the same could be said for the entire novel. This was so, so different from the rest, to be honest.

Overall Rating: 3/10

#7 - On The Way To The Wedding (Book 8)

Fun fact: this is the first Bridgerton novel I read. And even then, I wasn't a huge fan of it. Just like An Offer From A Gentleman, the climax was a bit silly but more in a soap opera level than comical.

The biggest factor why I didn't like this was the characters. They were all so bland. Especially our hero and heroine. Gregory is the least featured Bridgerton in the novel, so I don't really know what to make of him at the beginning of the novel. In his book, I learned that he was a good guy - and that's all. Maybe he's too young and naive when it comes to romance (which is endearing, I have to admit), but he has no interesting personality whatsoever. Lucy, the heroine in this novel, was the same. She was described as pragmatic and sensible, which perfectly sums her up. Also, she's a great friend to Hermione (whose last name is Watson, by the way, and you can't tell me otherwise that this isn't a Harry Potter reference - Hermione Granger and Emma Watson? If that's not a reference, well, that's a very crazy coincidence, but I digress again). Gregory and Lucy's story was average - not bad, not good, just so incredibly dull.

The fun parts started way too early. It was difficult to find intrigue in the middle and end bits. The second main conflict, which happened near the end of the book, was truthfully not that good and was just obviously a ploy to keep things longer. You'd think that the Bridgerton novels would end the series with a bang. Alas, it did not.

Overall Rating: 4/10

#6 - To Sir Phillip, With Love (Book 5)

Eloise finally gets her turn in her own love story. She used to be one of my favorite Bridgertons, but when she got her own story, she was reduced into a plain girl. Gone was the feisty and outspoken Eloise we knew from the previous books.

Maybe it's because she's paired up with one of the most insufferable Bridgerton heroes, Sir Phillip. Just an inch away from Benedict, Sir Phillip maybe my next least favorite character. And it annoys me so much that Eloise gets to fall in love with someone like him.

It actually started pretty well. Before the events in the book started, Eloise and Phillip had already been corresponding for a year through letters. Phillip was on the lookout for - not a wife - but a mother for his two unruly children, and he thought Eloise was perfect for the role. He's a terrible father, but the book tries to convince us that it's not his fault because he had a bad upbringing by his own father (a recurring theme in the Bridgerton books - four heroes are plagued with different daddy issues). Eloise tried her best to turn things around, and of course, she eventually did, but I just really hate Phillip's initial intentions for seeking out a wife. He gets better in the end, sure, but I still really don't like him. At least the book wasn't short of excitement, else it would've been rated a bit lower.

Obviously, my favorite part in this book was when the Bridgerton brothers stormed into Phillip's house. He got what he deserved, truly.

Overall Rating: 4/10

#5 - The Duke and I (Book 1)

Now, this is the most well-known story in the Bridgerton literary universe, thanks to the Netflix series. I know I've said that I wasn't a fan of the series, but really, the Netflix writers and producers deserve all the gold in the world because they managed to transform this novel into something exciting.

Daphne and Simon had their moments, that's for sure, but as a couple, they were just so... meh. I liked their relationship at the start when they were still pretending to be courting. But as soon as they got married, everything interesting about the two of them sizzled out. And please don't get me started with how Daphne "took advantage" of drunk Simon. Thank God the show fixed that.

Despite my mixed feelings, this was a decent start to the Bridgerton books. There's really nothing majorly wrong about this novel (except for the aforementioned "taking advantage.") It laid out the future characters well. Lady Whistledown was also great. Thinking about her made me miss her because she wasn't featured in the later novels (you'll soon find out why).

Overall Rating: 5/10

#4 - It's In His Kiss (Book 7)

Since Eloise was stripped away from her feistiness when she got her own love story, I was obviously worried for Hyacinth. Thankfully, she didn't change! She was still the same tactless girl in the previous books. And for that, she gets to be my champion as my favorite Bridgerton.

This is the first time I've read this book, and oh, I'm surprised with how exciting it was. Hyacinth's hero, Gareth, perfectly suited her. Gareth was able to tame her impulsiveness, while also proving to be a good romantic partner for her. I loved that he could match her intellectually, too. It was never a bore whenever they have one of their silly banters. Lady Danbury was also featured more in this novel. She's one of my favorite side characters. As Gareth's grandmother, she was determined to bring him and Hyacinth together.

Maybe the only criticism I have in this novel is Gareth's issues with his father. I find it really weird that most of the heroes' problems are with their fathers. It just seemed lazy writing, in my opinion. But oh well, Gareth was interesting in his own way and that's perfectly fine.

Overall Rating: 6/10

#3 - Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Book 4)

I have a feeling that this is Quinn's favorite Bridgerton book. In this book, it's Colin's turn to find love. Colin is featured in several of his siblings' stories - in fact, in almost all of the books, he had an important role to play.

I love Colin and Penelope's story. Long before this book, they already knew each other. Penelope was Eloise's best friend, and she's almost always in the Bridgerton household. Colin has been forced by his mother for God knows how long to dance with Penelope every time there's a party. But it was only now that they became closer. Unbeknownst to Colin, Penelope had been in love with him for half her life, even though he didn't particularly care for her. Penelope speaks for all of us who know about unrequited love all too well.

Furthermore, this is the novel where they finally reveal who was behind the Lady Whistledown column. Yes, viewers of the Netflix series who are not familiar with the books. This is the part - and not in the first book! I'm so mad that they revealed Penelope as Lady Whistledown in the first season of the series, when in fact it's much later than that.

However, that's also one of the lowest points of this novel for me. Lady Whistledown's identity reveal was a bit anti-climactic. A little bit laughable, even. Also, also, also: I hated Colin's reaction to Penelope's secret. He didn't have to be angry and jealous of her, but ah well, whatever makes for conflict. Nevertheless, I love both Colin and Penelope because they had so much character and depth. Quinn was certainly biased when she wrote this.

Overall Rating: 8/10

#2 - The Viscount Who Loved Me (Book 2)

Remember earlier when I said that I cannot stop reading the books because even though I knew it wasn't that good, it was still highly enjoyable? Well, I'm really talking more about this book, to be specific. I think I've read it in less than 24 hours because of how much I love it. And yes, Anthony and Kate had their obvious flaws, but oh God, they were so perfect together. I can't help but imagine Jonathan Bailey from the Netflix series as Anthony when I was reading it. I swoon, all the time.

This used to be my favorite Bridgerton novel, but that's only because I haven't read my new favorite until recently. Anthony and Kate's story was just oh-so good and intimate and romantic. Kate's also my favorite heroine in the entire Bridgerton literary universe. She was headstrong and loving. She's unafraid to put the happiness of her family first.

In so many ways, Anthony was the same. He assumed the role of Viscount Bridgerton when he was only eighteen when his father unexpectedly died. Since then, he overlooks the family's estates and well-being. Yes, this is one of those "daddy issues" stories I mentioned earlier, but this one was kind of done tastefully. He didn't wish to fall in love but everything changed when he encountered Kate. He didn't mean to be attracted to her, but here we are.

Anthony and Kate had so much understanding between them. I agree Anthony was a bit of a dick when Kate asked if they could have one week to get to know each other before consummating the marriage (worse things have been said by Benedict and Phillip, though), but in the end, I can't deny that I truly love them together.

Overall Rating: 8/10

#1 - When He Was Wicked (Book 6)

*blushing furiously* So what if I put the smuttiest and steamiest novel as my top choice?! What about it? Oh, but really, though, I can't stop reading this. Francesca is one of the least known Bridgertons in the books, just like Gregory. I didn't know anything about her, except that she's quieter than most of her siblings. It was also first mentioned in Romancing Mister Bridgerton that she had already married but was sadly widowed after two years.

Michael was Francesca's late husband's cousin and best friend, which makes him her best friend, too. He has been secretly in love with Francesca since the first moment he laid eyes on her but was unable to pursue her because she's with his cousin John. In addition, I'd like to say that Michael is my favorite hero in the Bridgerton books. He's very charming and wicked, and really, my knees buckle at the thought of him.

Long after John passed away, Francesca and Michael reunited. Francesca was looking for a new husband because she desperately wants a family, while Michael... well, Michael was still in love with her. There was undeniable passion and intimacy between them, and it was hard to stay away from each other. I seriously have a thing for men secretly pining over women they love. That's got to be one of my favorite tropes.

However, the book itself was a bit longer than necessary. While I understand Francesca's hesitations in marrying Michael, it could've been shortened because it felt draggy by the end. Her constant changing of minds was a bit annoying, and yeah, it was probably a ploy to lengthen the novel.

Additionally, I was a bit skeptical at first of how they're going to treat their relationship, especially since Francesca was truly in love with her first husband. But it was done so nicely. Francesca and Michael never forget about John, even in the end. I loved what John's mother said to Michael in a letter at the end, "Thank you, Michael, for letting my son love her first."

I guess I love their story more than the other couples because both were already mature and experienced. Just like everyone else in this romantic series, Francesca and Michael belonged together. The entirety of Chapter 19 is proof of that.

Overall Rating: 9/10

***

Overall, the Bridgerton books are quite entertaining, despite being a cheesy and sappy series. I admit that I feel quite lonely and bored now that I've finished all eight of them. Ah well, there's always the possibility of rereading them!

#books #bridgerton #bridgerton books #julia quinn #novels #reading #book ranking #romance #romantic books #historical fiction

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