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pippytmi · 4 years ago

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1, 4, 14?

The one hope Kara has for her roommate is that Lena Luthor will not be a smoker.

Alex had told her not to have high expectations; after all, this roommate arrangement was all organized through Winn, and Alex has always stated that she doesn’t trust this man’s self-preservation tactics. (“Once, during an earthquake drill, he started to climb up the building. Kara, what kind of a moron does that?”)

But Kara isn’t as cynical as her sister…or quite as mean. So she trusts that Winn’s people skills are better than his survival skills, and resolves not to write off Lena by virtue of association alone. It’s expensive enough to live in National City; when Winn had promised a roommate that “probably won’t be tempted to murder anyone anytime soon,” that had honestly been a good enough draw. (That had, of course, been sandwiched in a perfectly normal explanation about Lena being the best student in their shared pre-med classes—Winn maintains that anyone pursuing med school that rigorously will be too tired to consider recreational murder on the side.)

So Kara takes her tentatively-moderate-expectations—along with a box of donuts as a gift—and makes her way to apartment 9b. This is technically her first time ever being a real roommate; her only other experience was sharing a wall with Alex during their teenage years, and occasionally during their college years when they weren’t driving each other crazy. So maybe, because she’s never had to deal with boundaries or tact with her sister, she kind of…abandons all formalities and just uses her brand new key to open the front door.

(In hindsight, she really should have knocked first.)

“Golly!” Almost immediately, Kara is jumping right back out into the hallway, and the box of donuts is falling to a tragic death on the carpet. Oh no. Oh gosh. This is more embarrassing than trying to climb up the library during an earthquake drill—

She is still sitting on the floor, dumbstruck, with maple glaze smearing on her jeans when the door opens again. Lena Luthor pokes her head out, and she is simultaneously everything Kara expected and everything she didn’t. Per Winn’s description, Lena is indeed “classically beautiful,” and she has one of those faces: slightly closed off, hesitant to emote much. And when she has clothes on, she truly does have the fashion sense of an aspiring college professor, albeit with a touch more lipstick than Kara would expect.

“Okay, maybe I’m crazy,” Lena says slowly, “but did I hear you say that out loud?”

Kara immediately lifts her head up to squint at the direction of the strange voice. Lena has very pretty green eyes, but they are exceptionally confused at the moment. “What?” she says, echoing that same perplexment in her own voice.

“I could’ve sworn you said ‘golly,’ like some kind of peasant in a Christmas Carol or something,” Lena says, as if that’s a totally normal route of conversation to take after being caught naked. She leans halfway out the door, looking down at Kara with that attractive, baffled expression on her face, and all Kara has taken from this encounter so far is that her new roommate is hot.

“I...did say that,” Kara says after a beat. “But in my defense, I was completely surprised.” As one might be walking in on anybody naked, she thinks, but doesn’t actually say out loud.

“Right.” And then Lena frowns, slightly, in a manner that makes her lipsticked mouth twist down a corner. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were coming by today. I could have sworn your text mentioned your move in day being the third.”

Kara stretches her leg out and pretends the sole of her shoe isn’t caked in chocolate icing. “Today is the third,” she points out, and then hastily adds, “And um—I’m sorry. I should have knocked. I just didn’t know you were…”

“Showering,” Lena finishes, at the same time Kara says,

“...a nudist.”

Lena stares. And then she blinks, and then she stares some more. “What?” This time, that careful kind of confusion entirely drops, and now she’s looking at Kara like she has grown two heads. “How do you automatically jump to that?”

“Because you’re naked in the middle of the day?!” It’s pretty self-explanatory in her opinion, but Kara still gets up off the floor in order to better face her new roommate (and because it feels strangely like she is the one being judged right now). “Everyone knows that showering is a night or a morning time thing—walking around naked any other time is weird.”

“Wow,” Lena says, and she actually crosses her arms, further cementing the whole Kara-is-the-one-being-judged thing. “I can’t believe you think nudists are weird. That’s pretty ironic coming from Tiny Tim.”

“Hey, I never said I thought nudists were weird. Just, their hobbies are. Is being naked a hobby?” Kara considers delving into that discussion, but Lena is squinting at her (and Lena has a very piercing squint), so she drops the subject. “Anyway, it’s fine if you’re a nudist. I can just…start wearing sunglasses inside, or something.”

“Because my naked body is that blinding?” Lena scowls. “I don’t go out in the sun much, alright, so sue me for being pale—”

“That’s not what I meant!” Kara blurts, helpless, and she knows in that instant she’s gone entirely red in the face. “I, uh. I didn’t mean to sound judge-y. Really, I don’t care what you do in your spare time. Unless…can I ask if you smoke?”

And it is with that sheepish question that Lena’s affrontive attitude slowly begins to fade. “No,” she says, in a manner that is faintly amused. “But I’m glad that’s your priority. Seriously? Are you really just going to say you’d be fine if I spent every single waking moment in our apartment naked?”

Kara shrugs, still flushed up to the tips of her ears, and makes a valiant effort not to think about that when Lena almost-smiles she can see the indent of a possible dimple on her cheek. “Well, if that’s what you want,” Kara says. “I won’t…stare or anything, I promise.”

“That’s comforting, but I’m not a nudist.” Lena smiles, and yep—dimple—Kara is pretty much done for.

“Okay.”

“No, I mean it.” And then that smile drops as Lena suddenly reconsiders something. “Also, why do you assume it’s weird to be naked in the afternoon?”

Kara gestures vaguely with her hands to where her watch would be. “Because,” she says, “it’s weird to shower in the afternoon.”

“But what if I had been naked for another reason besides showering?” Lena apparently has the ability to raise her whole eyebrow, and it’s unfair how mesmerizing that is.

“Like…non-nudist reasons?” Kara asks, and Lena’s smile comes back in a mischievous form.

“Yes, exactly.”

“Uh,” Kara says ineloquently, and suddenly her mind is coming up with far too many scenarios that she really shouldn’t. “That would be fine. Too. I mean, I can wear earplugs with the sunglasses. Or I can just wait out here too, until you’re…done. The carpet here is pretty comfortable. Is it the same in the apartment? ‘Cause if so, I mean, the landlord really outdid himself. I’ve had carpets that aren’t half as fluffy in hotel rooms that charged way more than—”

Lena cracks the door wider, and then her gaze drifts over towards where Kara’s housewarming donut gift has landed. “Have I broken you?” she asks. “Or are you always this awkward around naked women?”

“I’m—what?” Kara sputters. “I’m completely normal around naked women. Sometimes I am also a naked women.”

“Right,” Lena says, “when you shower in the morning. Or night.”

Kara frowns. “Yes,” she says, “and that's completely normal. And not weird.”

“Noted.” Lena pulls open the door the rest of the way, then throws a dangerous sort of smirk over her shoulder. “You are Kara Danvers, right? I’d hate to have to re-do the apartment tour, so if you’ve just come to break in, I have to warn you: I’m saving for med school, so I pretty much own nothing of value.”

“Yeah, no, I’m...Kara,” Kara says, slightly bewildered, but she gathers her bag and her donut box trash and follows Lena inside; she’ll have to deal with the mess outside later. “Sorry I didn’t introduce myself. I just forgot, with the whole…”

“It’s alright.” Lena scrunches her nose up apologetically, suddenly quite sheepish; if Kara had to pick a word, she’d call the tic adorable. “I didn’t exactly introduce myself either. Well, at least in the traditional sense.” She leads Kara into the kitchen, where there is a bottle of wine sitting on the table. “Can I make it up to you with a drink?”

And Kara doesn’t know how, exactly, she’s going to live like this—going to live with the knowledge that her new roommate apparently showers in the afternoon, and drinks a whole bottle of wine alone, and makes sexual references to people she’s known for all of twenty minutes. In other words:

“Yeah,” Kara says, nudging her glasses up her nose and delighting in the curve of Lena’s ensuing smile. “I could go for a drink.”

#this one was for: roommates + meet messy +#''okay maybe im crazy but did i just hear you say that out loud?''#supercorp #supergirl #i need a fic tag #anon idk if u will ever see this bc again: took these prompts before quarantine started lol #im going to finish them all ok just give me some time #a lot of them r hogwarts au requests and guys i dont know a single thing about harry potter #😬😬😬

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hualianff · 4 years ago

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ASMR/Streamer AU

Thinking about an AU with video-game streamer HC and ASMRist XL. Both have huge followings on Youtube and other social media; both never show their faces.

On his channel, MantouASMR, XL uses audio from everyday things like cutting fruit or typing at his computer. Other times, he plans out a general script to help his viewers sleep or motivate them for the day. XL writes and reads his own poetry, as well as sings on his channel too.

XL strives to be the most attentive and considerate content creator. He is constantly reading his viewers’ comments and taking up their suggestions for future videos. Anything to help his viewers get through their day or lift their mood.

(One time, XL read a comment from the parent of a child who was MantouASMR’s superfan. XL’s voice apparently helped their son sleep when he’s scared of the monster under his bed. In his next “Time to Sleep” video, XL iterated a short thank you message for the son and his parent for listening and watching his videos, and he hoped he could continue helping in the future.)

(Another time, XL read a comment from a student who said his voice helped her concentrate on her maths homework—though she mentioned she still doesn’t understand integrals and derivatives. The following day, XL uploaded an ASMR math lesson.)

XL’s voice is known to be very soothing, his whispers as airy and delicate as a spring breeze. His lower register is smooth like honey, and anyone who happens to hear his melodious laughs on a live stream instantly falls in love with his character.

On the other hand, HC’s voice is enticingly deep but has a deadly edge to it. He has no shortage of vulgar language, especially when it comes to playing with other streamers. When HC posts an occasional video that’s not video-game-related such as a rare Q&A, he’s somewhat more pleasant.

Of course, HC is incredibly grateful for his followers’ support. He just finds himself involved in too much internet bullshit even when he respectfully minds his own business. HC supposes that it comes with being China’s number one video game streamer—Crimson Rain Ghost King—watched by millions all around the globe. However, this doesn’t stop HC from being vocal about his opinions and expressing himself without giving a fuck what others thought.

Naturally, HC and XL are in completely separate circles on the Youtube platform. As far as their fans are concerned, a mellow ASMRist and a brash gamer don’t interact with each other...

Here’s the catch: Hualian are secretly married.

XL and HC have been together for over ten years now—married for just under three years. They felt no need to disclose their full relationship when HC began gaining popularity as a streamer, nor when XL’s channel tripled in size a few years later.

In his lives, XL often mentions his mysterious husband a lot. For the third anniversary of his channel, XL retells his wedding day. The picture for the video is of HC’s and his intertwined hands with a red string attaching their middle fingers.

HC was the first one to subscribe to XL’s channel (from a side account). He never fails to remind XL that “Gege has many gifts to share with the world.”

Out of nowhere, a trashy review journal bashes XL’s videos, calling them unoriginal and lowkey creepy because XL is “...a full-grown man whispering random shit that people love for some reason.” HC tries to keep XL from reading the article, but he’s too late. What’s worse is that other media sites speculate XL’s identity after, trying to expose him.

XL has experienced media backlash in the past. This event has him revisiting trauma where he nearly lost everyone in his life. He also went through severe depression and has developed major anxiety since then. One of the main reasons XL started his Youtube channel was because he wanted to be the person of comfort he wished he had had during those dark times.

Witnessing how affected XL is by the article and online hate, HC’s already-thin patience is close to snapping. That specific journal does nothing but writes drama-seeking shit about creators with a notable platform–HC included. Not that he gives a fuck about it.

Except they made XL their next target, and that is unacceptable. HC promptly makes a video grilling the hell out of the journal and the writer who published the article, making it very clear that, “Whoever reads and supports this bullshit are the scum of the Earth.”

HC uploads the video, then proceeds to make a XL-care-burrito. He feeds his husband, keeps him warm, and cuddles him all day. After dinner, XL feels renewed with energy, thoroughly enjoying his Saturday with his biggest, most devoted fan. XL decisively unwraps himself from the burrito and goes to make that sewing tutorial ASMR video he planned for the weekend.

HC’s viewers are once again curious as to if he has connections to XL. They begin digging up evidence but after the short investigation, it seems not to be the case.

Of the two instances XL couldn’t edit out him saying his husband’s name on live, no one seemed to agree on what the two muffled syllables were. XL never shows above his chest (he wears a facemask in case of a slip-up) or goes into too much detail with his stories. Both XL and HC’s other social media accounts are squeaky clean. Plus, you can count on one hand how many times HC has mentioned anything about his personal life.

Their fans stop their analysis, for the most part; XL’s viewers adamant about protecting his privacy and HC’s viewers not wanting to piss their idol off.

With Youtube being an important and time-consuming side of their life, XL and HC make sure to balance their personal, professional, and romantic lives as best as they can, or re-evaluate priorities when things begin to go downhill.

In addition to streaming, HC works as an animator for a respectable company. He has flexible work conditions and schedules.

HC during his stream debuting a new popular game: “I helped make this game, of course I know what I’m doing.” XL watches from the side wearing an adoring and proud smile.

XL is an open and free-spirited soul, so he switches side jobs often such as a barista, salesman, model, etc.

HC’s other hobbies include photography, music, traditional art, and bowling. (He has impeccable aim for obvious reasons.) XL enjoys seeing his friends (SQX, MUA; MQ, lawyer; FX, lawyer), cooking, reading, and skateboarding.

Extras:

-HC often streams with XL in his lap.

-Hualian create NSFW ASMR for themselves.

-(HC in their bed, listening to one of XL’s ASMR videos...

XL, smiling like a minx and slipping into bed shirtless: “Why watch my video when you have the real thing right here?”)

-Someone edits a comedic video with XL and HC’s voices, comparing their styles and approaches to speech. It garners lots of attention for their respective channels, the hashtag #mantouxcrimson ??? trending for a few days.

Video title: You’re friends with both Mantou Gege and Crimson Rain

(In the video)

Situation 1: You haven’t started your homework and it’s already midnight.

XL’s voice: “Whatever you do, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You can’t do things well if your mind is unwell. Try to finish the things that need to be done, but be kind to yourself~~”

HC’s voice: “You little fucker, what have you been doing this whole time!? If you don’t do your job in the next five seconds, I’ll make sure to bury your worthless dead body where no one can find you-“

(Brainchild with @no-one-says-hi)

#tgcf #heaven official's blessing #hualian #hualian au #xie lian #hua cheng #tian guan ci fu #cerdrabbles #I love them #hualian invented love

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thrillridesz · 5 years ago

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love hotline ▫ younghoon

➳ pairing: younghoon x reader ➳ genre: fluff, slight angst ➳ word count: 4.2k ➳ requested?: no

a/n: this is written as a birthday special for tbz’s one and only bread boy >< i’ve made this a little different from how I usually write my fics so I guess I’m experimenting? do let me know what you guys think of this writing style ^^

also this is so late omfg and his bday is almost over but here goes!

edit: successfully edited!

Love Hotline! This is y/n, how can I help you?

Hello?

Hi, is there anything I can help you with?

Um, yes. Is this the number to call to sign up?

Yes, it is! Are you looking to sign up for a membership?

Yes.

Great! Could I get your name and age?

There was a hesitant pause on the other end before the guy spoke up again.

My name is Kim Younghoon, 23 this year.

Ah ok, awesome. I’ll just need your number now so I can send you a link to our online form to fill up or do you want us to use this number you’re currently using? We’ll try to get in touch with you with your match within 3 days!

3 days? That quick?

Yes! We try to be as efficient as possible to ensure client satisfaction.

Ah… I see. You can just use this number that I’m calling with.

Alright! Give me a moment.

Ok.

I’ve just sent the link, did you receive it?

...Yes. Yes, I have.

Great, do you have any other questions?

No. Not at the moment, no.

Alright so I’ll end the call here? If you have any other questions, you can feel free to call again.

Ok. Bye.

Goodbye!

Hello?

Hello! This is y/n again from Love Hotline, I’m here to inquire about the online form you’ve yet to submit? Do you wish to withdraw your application?

Oh… Um… No, I’m just thinking about it.

Hmm, why’s that?

…. I’ve never dabbled in the online dating scene before. I’m just a little nervous and apprehensive about the whole thing I guess.

Ah! That’s completely understandable. All I can say is, it’s always worth a shot. No pressure at all in applying. If you’re ultimately not comfortable with it, you can always drop us another call and we’ll cancel it for you.

Really? You’d do that?

Of course.

I…. Ok, thank you. I’ll try to come to a decision by tonight.

That’s completely fine. Thank you so much! Have a lovely day ahead.

H-Hello?

Hello, this is y/n from Love Hotline. Is this a bad time?

*muffled sounds*

Um no, it isn’t. Sorry, I just woke up.

Oh! I’m really sorry, did I disturb you?

N...No, you didn’t. Don’t worry about it.

Um, ok.

A short moment of silence.

Is there a reason why you’re calling?

Oh, yes! There is, I’m sorry I was just a tad distracted.

You don’t have to apologise but go on anyways.

Right… Based on the information and preferences you have indicated on your form, I think we’ve found a few good matches for you!

Is that so? Tell me about them.

Ok, our first match’s name is Yeh Shuhua and she is 20 this year. She is also a first year criminal law student! Some of her hobbies include acting and singing.

Criminal law student?

There was a hint of surprise and awe in Younghoon’s voice.

Yup! Pretty cool, no?

I suppose so…

Don’t make up your mind just yet! I’ve got two other matches! Next up, we have Park Sooyoung who also goes by Joy. She’s a 23 year old florist who works for her family’s flower shop business. She has also mentioned that one of her dreams would be to travel all over the world.

Oh, that’s interesting… Does that mean flowers won’t work on Valentine’s anymore?

There was soft laughter from the other end of the line at his comment.

Maybe? Is that going to be a setback?

... I don’t know. Probably.

You’re funny, Mr Kim.

Please just call me Younghoon. Mr Kim makes me feel old.

Ah, alright then! You can just call me y/n then.

Sure.

Are you ready for your third match?

Yeah, go off.

Ok, so last but not least… Your third match is Jang Yeeun. 22 and a current freelance graphic designer. She claims to be vegetarian but doesn’t mind if her partner isn’t one.

Vegetarian? That’s a commitment I don’t think I could ever make.

Same here, honestly but hey! More props to her.

Right.

There is soft laughter in the background from Younghoon’s end of the line but it is barely audible.

So? Has any of these 3 ladies caught your eye, or should I say ear so far?

I… I’m not sure. Is that all the information?

Hm, I could send you a little excerpt of their profiles if you’d like?

That would be great, thanks.

Alright, hang on a minute.

Rustling sounds as the phone is placed aside. A short moment passes before Younghoon hears a crash followed by a yell.

… Hello?

Silence.

Is everything ok?

The silence continues and Younghoon contemplates hanging up and just calling another day. He is about to do so until he hears your voice.

Hi, hi! Sorry if you’ve been waiting long!

Is everything alright? I thought I heard a crash.

Ah, yeah. That was nothing! I had to go retrieve a few files, just to double check some stuff before I send it over! I guess I wasn’t looking when I rounded the corner because I ran smack into someone. It was carelessness on my part, really. I really should look where I’m going.

Oh, are you ok?

Yeah! I’m ok, thank you for asking.

No problem. Was just wondering. It seemed like a pretty nasty crash.

Oh um… Kind of, yeah.

Kind of?

Well… That person was holding a cup of hot coffee and it spilled all over so...

Hot coffee? Did you get scalded?

Um… Yeah, I did.

That must have hurt a lot! You should really apply some ointment on the burn.

I will! Thank you so much for your concern, Younghoon. I’ll send the profiles to you and get to that immediately after?

You can send me the profiles later. I can wait but your hand can’t.

There was a pause before you replied.

Ok.

Anyone could have heard the smile in your voice.

Hello?

Hello, this is y/n from Love-

I know who you are. You don't have to keep reintroducing yourself.

Ah, ok alright. Figures. Sorry, it’s just a habit at this point.

It’s no problem.

Right, I’m just here to check in anyways! Have you decided on which match to call?

Not really.

Why not?!

... Was there a deadline that I’m not aware of?

Oh no, there isn’t. I’m just surprised. It’s been about 3 days since we last talked over the phone about your matches. I just thought you’d have picked someone by now.

It’s not exactly a priority of mine.

There was a pause before he continued.

How’s your hand?

It’s much better! Thank you for asking, I’ve just been applying medical cream to it regularly so right now, it swells a little less.

That’s great to hear then.

Yup.

A short moment of awkward silence ensued.

I hope you don’t mind if I ask you this but... Why did you sign up for the Love Hotline?

Hm? Why do you ask?

Well... You said finding and making a match isn’t a priority of yours so that got me wondering. Most people would have made their decision relatively quickly and taking 3 days to reply is almost unheard of in the office.

... I don’t know. Now that you’ve put it that way, I’ve got no idea why I’ve signed up either.

Not even the slightest clue?

Not really.

A pause.

I think I was just bored.

You gave a snort which you quickly masked with a cough.

I heard that.

Younghoon’s voice was accusatory, almost even a little playful but not aggressive.

I mean, joining because you’re bored? Not going to lie, that’s a first.

Oh nice. For once in my life, I’m first at something. Thanks, y/n.

A melodious laughter rang out from the other end of the line.

How are you still single with humour like that?

I’ll take that as a compliment. Truth be told, I have no clue. If I knew, I wouldn’t be single.

That's true. Oh yeah, you still haven’t told me who you have chosen to call!

Do I have to make a decision now?

Preferably? The faster you do, the faster we can get this match under way.

... I’ll just let you make the decision for me then.

What? Why me?

The incredulity in your voice was clear as day at his words.

Since I can’t make a decision and you need me to choose a match, why don’t you do it for me?

I can’t for the simple fact that my boss will have my neck if it ever got out that I chose for a client.

Well, your boss doesn’t have to know that. It’s going to be between us anyways. If you don’t tell and I don’t tell, who’s going to know?

Well... It’s just weird. I’ve never been asked to do this.

Hm, there’s a first for everything. I trust your decision.

Really?

Yeah, why not?

There was another pause.

Just don’t betray that trust.

You chuckle.

I won’t because I’m not going to choose for you. How hard can it be to just make a decision? These are all great matches!

Precisely because they’re great matches, I can’t choose.

You're impossible.

Thanks.

Younghoon, I’m just doing my job here.

Isn’t your job to accede to your client’s requests?

That was a tone of mischief in his voice.

Oh my god. I don’t even know how you look like but I’m sure you’d look like a proper asshole.

Wow, language. Is that the way you speak to your clients? Can I speak to your manager please?

You laugh and Younghoon smiles.

You are incorrigible.

You’re too cute.

There is a short pause as the two of you registered what he just said. Flustered, he scrambles to say something.

I-I... T-That didn't mean a-anything. I was j-just saying-

That didn't mean anything? I’m hurt.

You giggle and he stops mid-sentence.

What?

I’m just messing with you, I know that didn’t mean anything. I call people cute all the time too, especially my neighbour’s dog.

Right...

So anyways! Pick a match!

No.

Please?

Just pick one for me. Client’s orders.

Fine, I’ll pick a horrible match for you.

I’d call your manager then.

I hate you.

I know.

Ugh, ok fine but this is the first and last time I’m doing this.

I’ll take it.

Great, I’ll talk to you soon then! Keep being annoying, bye.

Sure, I will. See you.

The call ends on a light note and Younghoon stares at his phone. What is this fluttery feeling in his heart?

Hey, y/n.

Oh, you recognise this number now?

Yeah, I have a decent memory for stuff like that.

Nice.

So to what do I deserve this honour of you calling?

Don’t be dramatic. I was just calling to ask about your call date. How was it?

Younghoon grins at your lighthearted reply.

I’m surprised you chose Joy.

Really? If I remembered correctly, you were the one who told me to choose a match for you.

I did but I don’t know why. I’m still surprised.

Maybe you should pick a match yourself next time so you can be a little less surprised? But that’s beside the point! How did the call date go?

It was not bad, actually. She seems pretty cool.

Right? See, I’ve got an ear for perfect matches. I know my matches when I hear them. I’m amazing.

Yeah, yeah. I guess we can expect a call from the Prime Minister any time now.

Stop being sarcastic and just admit that your matchmaker is capable and excellent at her job.

No, shan’t.

You are horrible. I get you a match and I don’t even get my thanks.

Well, fine. Thank you.

That’s better. Good boy.

Don’t call me that, I’m not your dog.

So you’d prefer good man?

At your reply, Younghoon nearly spat out the water he was drinking.

That's so weird!

Exactly.

Call me neither!

Fine, fine. I was just kidding anyways.

There was a distant call from the other end of the line and from the other end, Younghoon could vaguely hear your name being called. He felt his heart sink a little despite himself.

Oops, duty calls. I’d love to talk more but I’ve got a meeting. I’ll catch up more with you some other day?

Sure. Bye.

Bye!

Hey, Younghoon. Wow, this is new. You’re calling me first this time.

Yeah, hey. I just wanted to call to inform you that the match with Joy fell through. I’m going to need a new one.

What?! Why?

You screeched and he had to hold the phone away from his ear.

Geez, don’t screech into the phone.

Sorry, I’m just shocked. Why’s that? Didn’t you say she wasn’t bad?

Yeah, she isn’t bad. Just not my type.

What’s your type then?

The next word was out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

You.

There was a long pause and somehow Younghoon couldn’t bring himself to say the words that bit at the back of his mind. ‘Just kidding’, because subconsciously was he really kidding though?

Quit horsing around.

You laugh awkwardly and he frowns. This wasn’t what he expected.

Y/n...

Stop clowning. I know your antics, you-

Before you could say anything else, someone else called for you in the office.

Oh, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you next time? Also stop being a clown, it doesn’t suit you. See you!

Y/n, I-

Call ended.

“...Meant that,” Younghoon mumbled to himself.

Hello, this is y/n from Love Hotline. How can I help you?

Stop it.

Isn’t that what you always say?

Well, excuse me for following company policy.

I was just teasing you. Why have you called anyways?

What do you think?

My common sense says you’ve called to inquire about my call date with Shuhua.

Your common sense is right. So, how did it go?

It went fine, I guess?

Fine, you guess? What kind of an answer is that?

A perfectly reasonable one. You wanted an answer, I gave you an answer.

This guy...

You groan in frustration and Younghoon had to stifle his urge to laugh. Teasing you was becoming a hobby for him.

C’mon, cut me some slack here.

It went fine. We didn’t really talk about much.

Ok, so what exactly is ‘didn’t really talk about much’? You gotta work with me here, bud.

Well, we got along fine for the most part but as far as chemistry goes, there wasn't really any?

Tell me about it.

We basically talked about our day and ourselves and I think that was about it.

Are you serious?

I don’t get paid for lying to you, y/n. Of course, I’m serious.

That doesn’t sound like much.

That’s what a conversation lacking in chemistry sounds like.

How do you know there’s no chemistry as you say?

Your tone was indignant and internally, Younghoon felt a twinge of disappointment in his heart. Were you so bent on making it work between him and Joy first and now Shuhua?

Why are you so determined to get me and Shuhua to work as a match?

I’m sorry?

There was surprise in your voice.

Well, I mean... It’s my job. I’m a matchmaker, of course I have to make sure my matches match. The faster, the better.

Right.

Yeah, so how do you know there’s no chemistry or no chance between the two of you?

I guess we just didn't have much to say beyond the basics? At one point, it was beginning to feel forced.

Really?

Yeah, no point continuing something that’s forced.

Are you sure it wasn’t just awkward first ‘date’ jitters?

Younghoon couldn’t keep away the frustration in his voice as he replied, feeling weirdly angered for some reasons.

No. It wasn't.

A pause.

Are you alright?

Yeah, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?

You sound like you’re mad at something.

Do I?

Yeah. You do.

Ok, then I guess I am.

You want to tell me what’s going-

I like you.

Another pause.

What?

I said I like you.

You’re kidding.

You start to laugh but it died down as soon as he replied.

I’m not.

But... Why?

It’s just you. I don’t know why but talking to you has always been comfortable. Remember when we talked chemistry? We have that chemistry. It just came out of nowhere.

A-Are you drunk?

Younghoon felt anger course through his veins at your words.

Does it sound like I’m kidding?

...W-We can’t do this.

Why not?

... We just can’t. It’s company policy.

They don’t have to know!

I... I...

Realisation suddenly dawns upon him.

You feel the same, don’t you?

I...

If you feel the same, why do you keep pushing me on call dates?

I couldn’t...

There was desperation in his voice as he cried.

You can, they don’t-

I can’t.

He felt his blood run cold.

Why?

I need this job, Younghoon. I can’t lose this job. If they find out that I’m dating a client, I’m done for. I’ll be fired.

You could-

I can’t look for another job.

I’ll help you look for one.

It doesn’t work that way.

There was tone of sadness in your voice.

This is the only job I’ve found that manages to pay my bills. I can’t lose it. I need this job. This job is something I got because of my mom’s connections and if I lose it, I’ll be disappointing not just my company but also my mom. My mom worked hard to allow me to work here. We were never well off and my mom worked her guts off as a salon assistant assisting the rich. It was through years of work and making connection did she become friends with the owner of Love Hotline who also happens to be my boss now. I can’t embarrass her like this.

Y/n...

What are you doing?

A sharp voice that wasn’t y/n’s interrupted and even though he wasn’t where you were, he knew in his heart that something had gone wrong but before he could say anything, the line went dead.

Call ended.

A week and a half passes without any calls. Younghoon grows more worried by the day. Did something bad happen? Ever since that last call, there wasn’t a single word from you at all until one night. It was approximately 2am at night when the phone rang. Grunting in annoyance at whoever is calling at this time of night, he reached out and answered the call.

Hello, who’s this?

Hey, Younghoon.

At the sound of your voice, he perked up and he was immediately alert even though it was about 2am in the morning.

How’s it going? You haven't called in awhile. And whose number is this?

It’s my personal number.

There was light sniffling and immediately, Younghoon’s happy mood disappeared.

Hey, what’s wrong?

N-Nothing...

I can hear you crying. Tell me what happened.

I... I... Nevermind. It’s stupid. I should never have called you. This is so extremely unprofessional of me, let’s just forget I called you. Bye.

Wait, y/n! Don’t!

Call ended.

The number you’ve dialled is not available at the moment. Please try again later.

Younghoon:

hey y/n, are you ok? i tried calling so many times but you wouldn’t pick up

if you see this, pls reply. i’m worried for you

if you need someone to talk to, call me anytime

pls

don’t just ignore this, i want to help

Y/N:

I’m fine. I just need some time to myself

Younghoon:

ok. i understand. pls don’t hesitate to msg me. know that im here for you.

Y/N:

ok thanks

The number you’ve dialled is not available at the moment. Please try again later.

The day was bright and sunny as the sun bore down relentlessly on the earth. There was a slight summer breeze in the air which Younghoon would have normally loved but this time, it did nothing to uplift his mood. All he could do was stare listlessly at his phone, awaiting a call from a certain someone.

It’s crazy how the last time the both of you spoke was almost 2 weeks ago. To him, 2 weeks was an awfully long time and internally, he missed listening to your voice. There was always something so cheery and enchanting about your voice from the very first call the both of you shared even though he’d never admit it. The worry in him hadn’t dulled in those 2 weeks as he mulled over your whereabouts and wellbeing. The last time you two talked, you had been crying and in a depressive mood. Not being able to do anything killed him on the inside and as he entered a nearby café he frequented, the smell of bread which was usually his favourite scent in the world that would always bring him a sense of comfort did nothing to sooth his nerves.

As Younghoon stood before the cashier, he said absent-mindedly as he reached for his wallet, “I’ll have the cheese toast.”

“Ok, that will be eight fifty.”

Younghoon stiffened. That voice...

“Y/n?”

At your name, your head snapped up and your eyes widened as you made eye contact with the man in front of you. He had chestnut brown hair that fell in soft bangs over his eyes but not in an unkempt way. His dark eyes were large and soulful, seemingly containing whole galaxies in them and his demeanour was gentle yet firm. He was tall as well so you had to slightly crane your neck just to look at him. Although you had never met this man, there was something so deeply familiar about him.

Younghoon could hardly believe his eyes. Here you were, right in front of him and you were every bit as beautiful as he imagined. He felt his heart pounded rapidly against his chest as he stood transfixed. It was awhile before he managed to get a grip and slowly, he said, “We need to talk.”

As the two of you sat down over coffee after your shift, he peered at you with a look of concern on his face.

“What happened?” His voice was soft as you had remembered and immediately, you felt at ease.

“Well, long story short. I got fired.”

His eyes widened.

“From Love Hotline.”

‘B-But... How?”

You took a small sip of your latte. “Remember when I had to hang up abruptly in the office?”

He nodded his head, dread creeping in. Surely...

“That was the day I got fired.”

Younghoon felt his heart fall with a messy splat. This was all his fault.

“I... I can’t tell you how sorry I am, y/n. I-”

You placed a finger on his lips and you had to try your best to ignore the burning feeling on your finger at the feel of his soft lips.

“Don’t. Don’t apologise because it’s not your fault.”

“But I-”

“I think deep down everyone knew that I was falling.”

Younghoon stared at you with a blank look on his face, his eyes shining with an indescribable emotion.

“Falling?”

You smiled to yourself.

“You probably don’t know this but remember when you told me you liked me?”

He looked at you curiously and you continued, “Do you have any idea how happy yet conflicted that made me? I knew I’d lose my job but I knew that I liked you as well. I wanted so desperately to accept your feelings but I couldn't. I feel like my colleagues had already known about my affections towards you given the way I’d talk to you in the office. Someone must have told on me, I guess I was too obvious about it. That night when I called you at 2am, it was possibly the worst night of my life. I had felt so lost and hopeless that I didn’t know what to do. But then, I thought of you and this is so cheesy but... I felt like you were the only one I could turn to although I chickened out before I could say anything... I didn't want to burden you.”

You chuckled sadly and Younghoon reached out to grasp your hands in his. The feeling of his large hands on you was so heartwarming that you felt like you could cry.

Drawing in a deep breath, you said, “I get it if you don’t want me anymore because of how long I had ig-”

“Don’t say another word.” Younghoon breathed.

He reached his hand over to cup your face and caressed you as the both of you stared deep into each other’s eyes. To think that such a deep bond can be forged between the two of you over a series of phone calls felt almost surreal. If you had told him even 6 months ago that he’d meet you, the love of his life over something as tacky as Love Hotline, he wouldn’t have believed you but as he brought your face closer to his, he knew that there was nothing he’d trade in the world for you when his lips came into contact with yours.

“You’ll never be a burden to me,” he whispered. “You are everything that I always wanted and everything I never knew I needed.”

417 notes · View notes

echoeternally · 4 years ago

Text

Star-Crossed

My gosh, I feel like I’ve been waiting forever to use such a cliché title.

Anyway, hello! Back on my Pokémon nonsense once again!

For our next story, we’re visiting some characters that weren’t quite as focused on in the Melting Gelid Roses story, but I decided to have some fun building their background to make them hurt develop more!

This one tells the story about Flygon and...Garchomp! Yes, I’m actually writing a more popular pairing. Shocking, I know. But the temptation was there.

Oh, and fun note, for my fanfic readers: this will feature that fourth kingdom that I have yet to properly develop! A completely solid idea. And their interests are on topics that I know little to nothing about, so...more fun, of course!

Also, I’m hoping to post this to the Scattered Petals collection as well. Just let me have these plugs.

That’s enough rambling from me. Please click the “read more” for the story below the cut. And enjoy!

...

Traveling through a cloud of sand, a green dragon drifted across a desert trail. He swirled around as he studied outside of the sandy cloud, studying the shadows of the surroundings. Coming up to a dark pillar, a smile came to his face as he flew upright.

“Ha, finally! Found it.”

Whipping his wings out, the dusty cloud dissipated as the dragon blankly stared ahead at a broken down tower. He groaned and covered his eyes, dropping to the ground and kicking at the sand.

“Not these stupid ruins again!” The green dragon dragged on the red covers against his eyes. “This is the third time I’ve come here!” He slouched and smacked a pebble with his tail. “How did I lose the outpost’s path? I didn’t go that far out!”

Twisting around, the dragon scanned the surrounding area, but found little past dunes of sand and scattered slabs of ruins and rocks. He groaned as he lifted his head skyward.

“Yikes. Someone sounds pretty frustrated.”

Whirling around to face the trail, the green dragon gawked at a shark-like blue dragon that stood before him. They blinked at one another, as the blue dragon’s tail swayed around, while he shifted a package and bag between his arms.

“Uh…hi?” The green dragon tilted his head, as his wings lifted up. “Who are you?”

“My name’s Garchomp.” He smirked and lowered his eyes. “Though, you kind of swiped my question away.” Garchomp straightened back up. “What’s your name, and where are you going?”

“Oh, sorry. I’m Flygon, and, uh…” Flygon lowered his wings as his tail curled around his waist. “Um…I’m lost.”

“Ah, that explains the frustration.” Garchomp glanced around them, checking at the path’s diverging forks. “There’s…a lot of ways to get lost.” He shrugged and returned his attention to Flygon. “You think they’d add signs or something, but I guess that’s not a priority out this way.”

“It’s all kinds of embarrassing,” murmured Flygon. “My kind are referred to as ‘desert spirits,’ and yet here I am, getting lost in one.” He sighed as his head drooped. “And it’s even worse because I live nearby, but I just…I can’t seem to navigate myself out here.”

“Ah, that’s no big deal.” Garchomp smiled. “The only reason that I know where I’m going is because I have to travel these route weekly. Otherwise, it’s a maze of it’s own.”

“Weekly?” Flygon tilted his head. “Where do you go? Are you some kind of royal guard or something?”

“What? No way.” Garchomp chuckled. “Then again, I guess I still seem kind of intimidating, so it makes sense to see someone imposing as one.”

“Sorry, that’s not how I meant it.” Flygon gripped his arm, staring at Garchomp’s claws. “Uh…though, now that you mention it, you do have a point…”

“Well, I’m not one.”

“No, I know. Or, now I do.”

“Since I told you.”

“Obviously!” Flygon sank down. “Bah. I’m just…what do you do then?”

“Shopping!” Garchomp held up his package. “I go out for supplies to work with, and I can’t find them in my city, so, I travel out to other places for them.”

“That makes more sense than what I suggested,” murmured Flygon.

“Obviously,” echoed Garchomp.

“Hey, come on!” Flygon sulked. “I don’t know many traveling jobs. Explorers, guards and knights, uh…archeologists…”

“Merchants, performers, bandits, all kinds of mages looking for knowledge, any noble or royal that has far reaching business, and probably mercenaries,” listed Garchomp. He grinned as Flygon lowered his eyes. “Those were just off the top of my head, by the way.”

“You know what? I think I’ll go get lost for another few hours,” decided Flygon as he turned away. “Maybe the next traveler I encounter will be less of a jerk.”

“If you really want to risk it, be my guest!” Garchomp started onward, but then came to a halt. He glanced over his shoulder at Flygon. “…You were just going to follow me back, weren’t you?”

“Huh?” Flygon smacked the side of his head. “Crap, that was actually a better idea.”

“Ha, you’re oh-for-two with me,” teased Garchomp.

“Forget it,” snapped Flygon. “If I just stay out here and waste away, that gets to rest on your conscience, not mine.”

“That’s…a very poor way to look at it,” determined Garchomp. “You still lose in the end.”

“But you’ll feel bad, so that’s good enough!”

“Aw, come on, I was only teasing, and that’s not…” Garchomp hesitated and clamped his mouth shut for a moment to think. “…Well…I mean…”

“Do you or don’t you have a conscience?”

“Everyone does!” Garchomp growled but deflated with a sigh. “Fine, fine, I’m sorry.” His tail flopped down on the ground. “I battled a lot when I was young…well, younger, but I’d hate to have anyone die by my claws, directly or not.”

“Battler huh?”

“Was,” corrected Garchomp. “I’m not much of one anymore.” He paused as he tapped a claw to his chin. “Well…I do some training to stay sharp, but nothing like I used to.”

“Sounds kind of like how I used to be,” observed Flygon. “Nowadays I spend more time getting lost in the desert.” He smirked as Garchomp laughed. “I don’t think I’d have the guts to be a knight or bandit or anything like that.”

“Yeah, that’s the same for me.” Garchomp gently swung his supplies about. “That’s why I do this instead! I like sculpting.”

“Oh wow, that’s pretty neat!” Flygon tugged on his pack. “Do you have anything that I could buy? I might, if you’ve got good products.”

“Wait, what?” Garchomp blinked and pulled his head back. “Aren’t you lost? You’d rather just spend money on some sculpture from someone you barely know?”

“It was a two-fold strategy,” grumbled Flygon. “Buy something nice, and get you chummy to help me back home.”

“But I’m already agreeing to that because I don’t want you to die out here alone,” reminded Garchomp.

“…Oh yeah.”

Dropping his head and wings, Flygon heavily sighed as Garchomp stifled his laughter. He lowered his supplies and tapped Flygon’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it! Even if that is a bit more embarrassing than getting lost,” joked Garchomp. “I do appreciate the support though.”

“Sure…”

“Come on, come on, let me help you get back home,” insisted Garchomp, setting along the path. “Going up this way should lead to another fork that will take you either back around this way, or to the next city.” He smiled as Flygon started up behind him. “That’s where I live, Longtao City.”

“Where you what?”

“Live?” Garchomp blinked and raised an eyebrow at Flygon. “I…do have a home.”

“No, it’s just…that’s where I live.”

“Huh?” Garchomp tilted his head. “You live in the city too?”

“Yeah! I live along the southern side by the deserts that way, though,” detailed Flygon. “That’s why I get lost out here quicker, because I don’t go out east much.”

“Ah, that makes a lot more sense!” Garchomp nodded. “Different parts of the city end up not intersecting much. They do mention that it’s big and crowded enough that you’d never meet everyone there.”

“Right! That’s why I try to leave every now and again, to get some space,” revealed Flygon. “It’s just nicer out under the sky.”

“That I can’t argue with.” Garchomp smiled as they continued along. “I’m from the northwestern end, near the caves.”

“So that’s why I’ve never seen you,” realized Flygon. “I almost never go up north either.”

“And I can’t recall going south specifically, since more markets are out eastward.” Garchomp chuckled. “That’s pretty funny. We would’ve never met if you hadn’t gotten lost out here.”

“Hey, I thought you weren’t going to make fun of me over that,” complained Flygon.

“I’m not! It’s just amusing that it took us leaving the city to meet,” pointed out Garchomp. He led Flygon along the right path for the fork, and waved him along.

“Guess that is pretty funny…”

“It is! Anyway, we should probably hurry back before it gets too dark out,” advised Garchomp, quickening his pace a bit. “Not that we’ll come across anything we can’t handle, but I heard it was supposed to be chillier than usual tonight, perhaps for the rest of this week’s nights.”

“Really? That stinks,” mumbled Flygon. “I wanted to come back out later.”

“To get lost again?”

“No!” Flygon huffed and folded his arms. “I wanted to go stargazing! That was my whole point for coming out here, to find a good spot.”

“Is that what you were looking to do?” Garchomp blinked. “Wait, is that what you do for work too?”

“Oh, no, just a hobby.” Glancing behind him, Flygon sighed. “I’ve just worked various odd jobs to make money. Haven’t stuck with anything.”

“Hmm.”

“But, it’s fine,” insisted Flygon, following Garchomp again. “As long as I’m managing and making enough to have time out some nights, that’s good enough.”

“Do you want to study stars or something?”

“Astronomy?”

“Excuse me?”

“That’s what it’s called.”

“Ah. Well, sure.” Garchomp tapped his chin with his free claw. “Would there be a way to work toward that?”

“Maybe, but I’d have to find the right avenues, and this isn’t the most ideal location for stars,” reasoned Flygon. “Sure, we can see a lot, but it’s freezing most nights, so I can’t stay out for long. Plus, it’s not great to stay within the city’s borders either…”

“I see, I see…”

“At least it’s still something that I can enjoy,” decided Flygon.

“That’s true, definitely good to find something that keeps you going.” He pointed down the next path. “Should be a little further along that way.”

“Wow, that seemed a lot easier than I realized.” Flygon slouched and rubbed his arm. “Um. Thank you for helping me.”

“Of course!” Garchomp winked to him. “You just had to twist my arm the right way!”

“Nah, I don’t think so,” determined Flygon. “You would have anyway, wouldn’t you?”

“Hmm…maybe…”

“All the same, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Ambling along the remainder of the trail, the pair eventually reached a hill overlooking a city with a heavy cluster of dark buildings. The spiral shape gave off a serpentine appearance from above. Several spots divided the city along its outskirts, with caves located above, ruins further out west, while deserts were located elsewhere. The sand further south varied between amber and reddish colors.

“There we go.” Garchomp pointed ahead, further down the city. “You live in that area, right?”

“Yep, closer to the south.”

“Huh, ok then…” Garchomp nodded as they made their way down toward it. “Well, it was nice meeting you!”

“Likewise, and thank you again.” Flygon blinked and reached for his bag. “Oh, wait, I think I’ve got some money…”

“What? No, you don’t need to,” insisted Garchomp. “I was happy enough just helping you, honest.”

“But—”

“Nope, that’s the end of it.”

“How do I buy a sculpture from you then?”

“Wait, you’re still on that?”

“Sure!”

“Well, I do have—wait, you’re just trying to pay me anyway.”

“This will end in you getting money, whether it’s for your guidance or for your products,” persisted Flygon. “Your choice.”

“Neither.”

“Come on!”

“Look, I don’t have anything on hand, so, you’ve got nothing to purchase from me anyway.” Garchomp smirked. “Just take the kindness of a stranger and be happy that it worked out nicely for you.”

“Ok, fine. I’m following you to your home until you take some kind of payment.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes!”

“There have to be dozens of ways that I can lose you out there,” warned Garchomp.

“Then you won’t have helped me get home after all,” taunted Flygon. “Your kindness will have been wasted.”

“My pride can handle it.”

“But can your heart?”

“Huh?”

“It’s a conscience thing again.”

“Will you quit that?!”

“Never!”

“Ugh.” Garchomp sighed and deflated. “There has to be a way to get you to give up.”

“In your dreams.”

“Wouldn’t you like to be there?”

“Pfft.”

“Hmm.” Garchomp scratched his head as they approached the city’s eastern gates. “Ok, well, how about, uh…tomorrow—”

“Today or I follow you back.”

“Damn.”

“Ha!”

“But I’ve got to get my materials back…” Garchomp shook his head. “Look, give me your address, and I’ll give you mine. I’m insisting on tomorrow, and then…I don’t know, buy me lunch or dinner?”

“Are you just going to give me a fake address?” Flygon stuck his tongue out. “I’m not falling for that.”

“If I do that, you’ll just go harass someone else,” teased Garchomp. He dug a book from his back and swiped out two pages. “Here, I’ve got a pen…somewhere…”

“Give them here, I’ve got one out already.”

“Oh, all right.”

“This…is how you get to my place!” Flygon quickly scribbled his down and slid it into Garchomp’s bag. “Now, what’s yours?”

“Ok, if you go up north, you have to take left at the temple—”

“For the sand dragon or the behemoth?”

“Sand dragon.”

“Would that be the earth temple or the sand steeple one?” Flygon snapped his fingers. “Oh, or is that one with the freaky giant gargoyle that looks like—?”

“Hey, hey, listen for a minute!”

“Sorry.”

Laughing a bit, Garchomp detailed the directions for his home, as Flygon jotted them down. They chattered a bit more, as Flygon wandered toward his home and Garchomp followed him there. Blinking as they arrived to a small house, Garchomp glanced back to road behind him.

“Um…now I have to see which way I go back from here,” he murmured.

“Aw, are you lost?”

“Nah, I’ll manage.”

“Hmph.”

“Ha, I’ll come back to you,” promised Garchomp. “In fact, now that I’m here, it’ll probably be easier.”

“You better!”

“Yeah, yeah, I will.” Garchomp stepped back, still looking to Flygon as he waved off. “Ok, so, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“All right.” Flygon waved back. “Thank you again!”

“Sure!”

Pivoting back around, Garchomp wandered back along the streets they took, and Flygon watched him until he disappeared around the corner.

The next day, Flygon waited outside of his home, scanning the streets while trying to sort through the faces that bustled by. He rolled a rock around with his feet while he sat on a stone bench. A round red orangutan pushed a cart along, but slowed as he reached Flygon.

“Can I interest you in buying anything, Gon?”

“Huh?” Flygon blinked and shook his head. “Oh, sorry Mister Darmanitan. I’m trying to save up for something else today.”

“Something else?” Darmanitan’s eyebrows sizzled. “What’s got your eye better than my merchandise?”

“Food, actually.”

“You don’t need to eat, you’re plump enough,” weighed Darmanitan.

“What?!”

“Relax, so am I!”

“That doesn’t make it better!” Flygon growled but heaved out to settle. “It’s going to be for myself and someone else.”

“Ooh, got a date, did ya?” Darmanitan chuckled through his sharp teeth. “Anyone cute?”

“Are you crazy, you old ape?!” Flygon shook his head. “It’s not a date, it’s just to repay someone that was nice to me.”

“Right, right, ok,” murmured the unconvinced merchant. He rubbed his chin and studied Flygon. “So…when are they getting here?”

“Um…hopefully soon.” Flygon batted the rock with his tail. “It was either for lunch or dinner, and now would be a good time for lunch, so…”

“Didn’t you two agree to a time?”

“Not exactly…”

“Ah, so you’re getting stood up.”

“It’s not a date!” Flygon groaned as he threw his head up. “Don’t you have somewhere to roll that cart to?”

“Bah. Might as well be on my way, rather than sell to the rudest dragon of the city!”

“You wish I was the rudest,” mumbled Flygon.

“Actually, yeah, I do.” Darmanitan sighed as he scratched his back. “At least you listen to this old ape’s gripes and babbling.”

“Well, you listen to me too,” reasoned Flygon, eyes fixating on passing clouds. “So, anyway, I guess I should apolo—”

“Oh, oh, hey there Gar!” Darmanitan waved. “You’re a bit far from the north today!”

Jerking his head down and ahead, Flygon looked ahead as Garchomp approached. He smiled and waved, as he came up to the two.

“Hello Mister Darmanitan, I am far down here.”

“Anything you want to buy?” The orangutan dug at his cart. “I’m sure that I’ve got a few gems that could fit a statue or something you’re crafting!”

“Actually, I’m supposed to be going out to eat.”

Pulling himself back up from his cart, Darmanitan blinked, shifting his attention between Flygon and Garchomp. His eyes lowered as his grin widened, while Flygon’s face burned.

“Don’t—”

“Definitely a cute choice,” quietly teased Darmanitan.

Swinging his fist and bopping the ape over the head, Flygon strode to Garchomp as Darmanitan fumbled back. Nervously chuckling, Garchomp tapped his claws together.

“Uh…what was that about?”

“Nothing.”

“Didn’t seem like that.”

“Just shut up and come on.” Flygon marched off. “Good luck with your sales, you crazy old ape!”

“Rotten dragon!” Darmanitan shook his fist. “You’re lucky I like you, Gon!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Gar, you fix him up good, will ya?”

“Um…sure.” Garchomp waved to the merchant. “See you around!”

“Cheers.”

Garchomp hurried after Flygon, who wings flapped as he stomped onward. Dust whipped up, as another green dragon coughed and hacked while they passed one another. Chasing after him, Garchomp tugged at Flygon’s arm.

“Maybe don’t engulf the city in more sand than we already get?”

Whipping back around, Flygon blinked, as the other dragon coughed and brushed his fangs, wandering down another road while glaring at the two.

“Hum…good point,” he relented.

“Also, good afternoon!”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, hi again.” Flygon settled down and smirked. “I was worried you weren’t going to come.”

“Told you that I would!” Garchomp smiled. “Were you waiting long for me?”

“Long enough to have that old grump repeatedly pester me,” grumbled Flygon.

“Darmanitan can get a bit annoying, but he’s at least nice enough to listen when you need him to.” Garchomp scraped his claws together as his shoulders rose. “But you seem to have a bit different of a relationship with him?”

“Yeah, a bit.”

“Ah-huh…”

“Just pick somewhere you’d like to eat.”

“Oh, I’ve got a good spot!” Garchomp perked up, but then his shoulders slumped. “Actually, I was wondering about something.”

“Hm?”

“Well…do you, um, have any other plans for today?” Garchomp rubbed behind his neck. “Because, uh…I don’t. And, if you’re free, maybe we could do lunch and dinner? And, um, something else besides eating too?”

“Wait, what?”

“Only if you’re free!” Garchomp twisted away. “You know, if you’re not, that’s fine, I just, uh…” He glanced back as Flygon blinked at him. “Well…I haven’t really had anyone to spend the day with in a while.” He pointed back down the road. “Mister Darmanitan is about as close as I can get to a friend lately.”

“Oh gods, you poor thing.”

“Hush up!”

“No, that is serious,” insisted Flygon. “He can’t be the best you can do.”

“How about you?” Garchomp waited as Flygon’s eyes widened and he held his breath. “…He’s the best you’ve got right now too, huh?”

“What?! No!”

“Ok, then who?”

“…Look, I’ve just been busy.”

“Getting lost in deserts?”

“Yes.” Flygon huffed. “Besides, I get carried away with work sometimes.”

“Sure, right.”

“Hey, that’s actually a valid excuse.” Flygon folded his arms. “What’s yours?”

“Uh…” Garchomp blushed as his tail flopped to the ground. “So! Are you free?”

“As it just so happens…yes.”

“Great!” Garchomp gestured further south. “Why don’t you show me the desert down that way after we eat?”

“Really?”

“Yeah! And then maybe we can go watch fire breathers?” Garchomp blinked and shook his head. “No, that sounds dull, and almost anyone can if they can use fire.”

“We’ll think of something.” Flygon shrugged. “We could go flying or something.”

“Oh, yeah!” Garchomp waved his arms. “I haven’t gone in ages!”

“How do you not fly all the time?”

“It’s just not something that comes to mind,” admitted Garchomp. “Walking just comes a bit more naturally for me. Or digging underground, but that’s different.”

“Gods, you need company desperately.”

“Hey! I didn’t make fun of you that much yesterday!”

“No?” Flygon scratched at his cheek. “Sure felt like it…”

“You’re just a little evil, you know that?”

“Maybe I can be,” joked Flygon. “Anyway, come on; now I’m getting really hungry.”

“Right, let’s go!”

After finding a spot to eat, Flygon and Garchomp ended up watching fire breathers first before going out to fly through the southern deserts. While flying around, they crashed into one another four times and rolled around the sands, laughing as they fooled around. Their day flew by as they shared a late dinner.

The next day, Flygon ventured up to the northern end of the city, and after getting lost down several streets, finally found his way to Garchomp’s house. A bit bigger than his own, Flygon marveled at the home for a bit, and then watched Garchomp prepare small sculptures of kings and knights. He showed Flygon the variety that he worked on, including statues, pottery, chests, and mugs. Picking out a small statue of sand dragon god, Flygon argued with Garchomp until he accepted the purchase.

As the week carried on, Flygon dragged Garchomp to various shops as he collected maps and books on stars, trying to explain the stories that their ancestors would tell through depictions of the stars overhead. Though most of it went over Garchomp’s head, he listened along as Flygon rambled on to detail constellations about bears and serpents. At one store, Garchomp picked up a pamphlet on stargazing locations in kingdoms outside of the Deserts Domain. Later that night, they went out for Flygon to point out the few constellations that he could find in the sky, just outside of the city border.

Two weeks later, the pair wandered along the market streets, chomping at apples they purchased. Though Flygon had convinced Garchomp to try some sweet flavors, both preferred the sour apples they collected. They slowed as they approached Darmanitan’s market stall, and he struggled to entertain other citizens, who ended up wandering off on him. Groaning, the ape turned as the two dragons ambled over.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Gar and Gon again.” Darmanitan leaned against his cart while propping his face up with his hands. “It seems like you two go everywhere all the time now. I can’t even figure out where you’ll pop up next around here!”

“We don’t go everywhere together,” countered Flygon, as he glanced to Garchomp, who puffed out his cheek and looked away. “…Have we been all over already?”

“Just about!”

“Wasn’t asking you, old ape.”

“Bah!”

“Um…we have been around a bit,” admitted Garchomp. “Actually, have I been taking up too much time for you?”

“What? No way!”

“Tell us about your latest job then,” mocked Darmanitan. He grinned as Flygon glanced down and kicked at the ground. “Well…?”

“Flygon, have I been distracting you?” Garchomp rubbed at his arm.

“No! It’s fine, really,” insisted Flygon. “Just…uh…” He twisted around to Darmanitan. “Ok, you lousy monkey—”

“Orangutan!”

“Whatever.” Flygon folded his arms. “How much would you pay if I helped you out a few days a week?”

“Are ya joking? I can barely afford for myself!”

“Crap.”

“Unless you help me pull in thrice as many customers, then maybe we can work something out!”

“Three times zero is still zero.”

“You rotten chubby dragon!”

“Who are you calling chubby, tubby?!”

“Guys, guys, come on,” pleaded Garchomp. “Fighting doesn’t solve anything.” Garchomp blinked and studied Darmanitan’s cart. “…Actually…would you be willing to sell some sculptures here?”

“It took ya this long to think of that?”

“Apparently.”

“Don’t bully him! His work will make you rich!”

“Ha, we’ll see.” Darmanitan lowered his eyes. “Cute how you stick up for him though.”

Flygon slammed his fist over Darmanitan’s head, and Garchomp sighed as the two broke out into a fight that attracted a bigger crowd than Darmanitan gathered all day.

Five months later, after making a new batch of sculptures for Darmanitan’s well-established market stand, Garchomp knocked on Flygon’s door. The mystic dragon quickly threw it open, as Garchomp fumbled back.

“Gar!” Flygon grinned, but then frowned as Garchomp stumbled around. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, Gon.” He steadied himself and rubbed at the fin on his arm. “How are you doing today?”

“Not too bad, better seeing you now.”

“Ha, ah…thanks.”

“Hey, anytime.” Flygon wandered inside, tugging Garchomp in after him. “Selling your sculptures at Mister Darmanitan’s stand was a great idea! …Even if he is still a pain in the neck…”

“True, but uh, he makes for a pretty easygoing boss, all things considered.” Garchomp paused as Flygon lowered his eyes. “Look, even if he’s a little, ah, on my back over the supply for the demand, he isn’t that hard on me, or uh, as he probably could be.”

“…Maybe not…”

“So, uh, I was hoping we could avoid a little bit of work talk today,” confessed Garchomp. “Since, um…we do that a lot.”

“Right! It’s our first day off together in ages,” realized Flygon. “…Huh. That’s depressing to think about.” He slouched as his wings lowered. “You’d think that we’d get a lot more time together.” As Garchomp reached forward, Flygon perked up and clasped his hands together. “Oh! I forgot that I made some tea. Want me to get us some cups? I still have that really cute set you made.”

“Sure, that would be great!”

After Flygon fetched the tea, the two dragons sat at his dining table; it was smaller than average ones, but quite comfortable for a familiar pair. Both waited as their tea sat, still a bit hot from the pot. Garchomp watched as Flygon gently twisted the cup around, admiring the swirling patterns of the dragon duo design.

“They almost look like they’re dancing,” observed Flygon as he rotated the cup.

“Yep, that was what I was going for, sky dancing,” elucidated Garchomp. He tapped at the table, lightly tracing a circle in the air just above it. “So…what did you get to see last night?”

“Oh.” Flygon sank down. “I, uh, didn’t.”

“Huh?”

“Well, folks at the restaurant around the southeast end got a real fire going,” explained Flygon. “Several houses decided last night was good for staying out late by their fires in the southwest side. And near here, well, the taller buildings near the gates kind of get in the way of the view.” Flygon sighed. “I didn’t really have enough time to go to the other parts of the city, but it didn’t make a difference by the east gate last week, or the west before that, so I figured it wasn’t a big loss in the end.”

“That…sucks, actually.”

“Being in the city is really annoying sometimes,” brought up Flygon. “It feels like there’s never a clear night to watch the sky…”

“About that, actually.” Garchomp tapped on his chin. “I was wondering, if you’re really that passionate about your stargazing—”

“Astronomy,” corrected Flygon.

“Right, right, whatever you call it,” teased Garchomp. “Anyway, there are probably better locations if you go up north more, towards the Mountains Monarchy.” He waited as Flygon listened, and then carried on. “There are still a bunch of cities and probably more activity in a lot of places up there, but I…may have heard about a few spacious places to live. Dimmer lighting, lots of sky to view, stuff that’s up your alley.”

“Really? You found out about that for me?” Flygon beamed as Garchomp nodded. “That’s great!” Flygon hopped up for a moment, but sank back down. “But…I can’t.”

“Huh?” Garchomp blinked. “Why not?”

“Can you even imagine me alone in the mountains?” Flygon shook his head. “I get lost easily enough in the deserts as it is! If I go out there, I’ll never find my way around.” He curled his tail around himself. “Besides, living alone just…sounds really hard.”

“Well, that’s…kind of why I was thinking about going with you,” suggested Garchomp.

“Wait, what?”

“There are a lot of rocks and other materials to work with sculpting in the mountains,” divulged Garchomp. “Sand and the stones down here can only offer so much. They’ve probably got gemstones up by them, along with other kinds of marble and clay, more metals, wood, and even ice if I’m crazy enough.” Flygon shuddered and Garchomp chuckled. “Yeah, maybe not that one too much. But, it’s an idea. You can go up to map stars, and I get more material to work with. And…we could, um, live togther.” He softly smiled. “So…does that sound like a good plan?”

“Actually, yeah! It does!” Flygon zipped over and gave Garchomp a tight hug. He smirked as he pulled back a bit. “It does kind of sound like you’re making an excuse so that I don’t go alone or because you want company to move away with.”

“Not entirely…wrong,” caved Garchomp, pushing up from his seat.

“Uh-huh.” Flygon giggled and embraced Garchomp again. “But still, it is a great idea, and I’d be happy to go with you. So, thank you.”

Blushing as he slowly hugged Flygon back, Garchomp nervously chuckled and gently patted Flygon, muttering a low, “You’re welcome…”

“Oh, and obviously, let’s do it!” Flygon tugged back as Garchomp blankly stared at him, his mouth parting open a bit. “…Moving, that is. Let’s…do it, move.” Flygon shrugged and pulled away, twisting away to hide his flushed face. “Um. I’m going to go see what I should pack!”

For a moment, Garchomp mindlessly nodded with a smile stuck on his face. He blinked hard and shook his head. “Shouldn’t we see what we can afford first?”

“…Oh yeah, that would be important.”

After a year, the two dragons finally saved enough to move off to the Mountains Monarchy. Neither had many reservations about leaving home, but when it came to breaking the news to Darmanitan…

“What do you mean you’re both leaving?!”

“It’s so that Flygon will be able to get a better view,” reasoned Garchomp. “That’ll allow him to better follow his passion in astronomy.”

“Astro-what?”

“Studying stars and relations,” simplified Flygon.

“And why would you want to do that?!”

“Because it’s just something that I’ve enjoyed researching for years,” defended Flygon. “There are so many stories that we tell using the stars, and there’s so much that we don’t know about them, or comets, or the cosmic events and anomalies—”

“What in the hell are you even talking about?!”

“The one thing that really livens me up in life’s offerings.” Flygon folded his arms. “That keeps me going when I ask myself about the more that I want to do in life. You had other dreams that you wanted to follow, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but I settled with this!” Darmanitan gestured to his cart, but when he turned and glared at it, he sank down. “And…this wasn’t even close to what I wanted…”

“…So…?”

“Not like I can actually stop either of you from leaving,” admitted Darmanitan. “It’s just going to horrid going back to square one.”

“Come on, you’ve got more products and business with help from the outreach we helped you provide,” countered Flygon. “You got to go around more to grab customer attention while I watched your stall, and nowadays you don’t need me to do that for you anymore.”

“Plus, I’m leaving you with some solid sculptures to sell,” piped up Garchomp.

“But you’re taking the skill away with you!” Darmanitan sank down. “What do I do when I run out?”

“You’ll have to order more from Garchomp and be patient until they’re sent to you,” suggested Flygon. “So you can still do business with us, but it’ll just have waiting time included.”

“That’s a horrible trade-off.”

“Hate it and us all you want for it, but that’s how it goes,” concluded Flygon.

“…As much as I could hate you, I suppose I don’t.” Darmanitan laughed. “Even if we got on each other’s nerves all the time, I think I actually got used to you more than I did before.” He smiled at the two dragons. “You two take care of each other, and come back to visit some day before I’m too old.”

“Of course we will,” promised Garchomp. “…It might be a while, but we will eventually.”

“Don’t miss us until then,” mocked Flygon.

“I think I do already.”

“Hey, don’t tell us that,” complained Flygon, tears lining his eyes. “You’re only going to make it harder!”

“Ha, sorry.” Darmanitan folded his arms. “Go on, we’re done for today, so, be off, both of you.” He smiled. “And take care.”

Glancing at one another, Garchomp and Flygon nodded, and swept down to hug Darmanitan before they left.

Two months later, on a mountain ridge overlooking a lake, Flygon tugged Garchomp from their home to go look at the night sky. He beamed as they found an opening between trees, pulling the blue dragon closer to him. Flygon took his arm and helped him trace the stars above.

“See, right there, that’s what they use for the third month symbol, which traces out to shape like Alomomola,” pointed out Flygon. “But, now that we’re out here, we can find the harder to spot shapes, so the ones nearest to that would be—”

“The two Luvdisc?”

“Yes!” Flygon whirled around as he wrapped Garchomp’s arm into his. “Oh, you remembered!”

“Ha, uh, that story was kind of cute…their legend, anyway.” Garchomp blushed as his tail swatted a pebble. “Not that it’s a big deal or anything, just some lover story romance thing. And…” He trailed off as he looked to Flygon, who smirked at him. “Uh…I’m still talking.”

“I noticed.”

“Please stop me.”

“No.”

“Ugh.”

“Ok, fine,” relented Flygon. “If you look over this way, you’ll see two swirling shapes from the stars, and for the longest time, people argued over which legendary dragon duo they represented.” He blinked and rubbed his cheek. “Actually, I think they still do.”

“Folks arguing over their gods and which is the best among them,” murmured Garchomp. “Always fun…”

“For all we know, it could be any pair of dragons,” assessed Flygon. “It could be a storied duo, or it could be a simple pairing between even—”

“You and me?”

“…Sure, actually.”

“Hmm…” Garchomp tapped at his chin, and nodded. “I think that’ll help me remember that one a little more for next time.” He grinned and winked to Flygon, who hesitated as he smiled to him. Blinking, Garchomp tilted his head. “Look, it helps me a bit better, ok?”

“That’s fine, I just…” Flygon tapped his fingers together. “I need to tell you something. Or, uh, better express something to you.”

“What is it?”

They both quieted as they turned to face one another, as the night air gently rustled a few bushes, but nothing more. Flygon’s hand quaked as he stroked back against his face, rubbing his neck a bit. Garchomp’s tail swayed a bit, his attention trained on his partner.

“Thank you again for helping us get here.”

“Hey, you helped too!”

“But it was your idea,” reminded Flygon. “And, I…I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy, or not in ages. So, again, thank you.”

Leaning forward, Flygon pressed his lips against Garchomp. He jolted but quickly moved into the kiss. It lasted a moment longer, but Flygon pulled back and covered his mouth.

“Sorry! Sorry, that was…” Flygon nervously chuckled and sank away from Garchomp. “I have no idea why I did that, and I didn’t even ask, that was so wrong—”

“Actually, it was completely fine,” insisted Garchomp. His eyes lowered as he smirked. “More than fine for me.”

“Uh, yeah, but I…um…” Flygon shifted his eyes around back and forth to the mountainside, and he quickly spun away. “Well, this air’s been refreshing, but it’s late, so now’s probably a good time to head back! Ha, uh, let’s go before it gets too cold!”

As Flygon marched off, Garchomp paused for a moment and gazed at the ground. He lifted his head and studied the stars in the sky above.

“Should we…not share the bed tonight?”

“No, no, we can definitely do that still,” insisted Flygon. “Especially because we only have the one, and, uh…I like cuddling into you.” His wings lifted out and Flygon smacked his head, while Garchomp returned his attention to his blushing companion. “I have no idea why I even mentioned that. Come on!”

Grinning as his face flushed over, Garchomp followed after Flygon, closing the distance between them as quickly as he could.

The next morning, Garchomp picked at an amethyst, cutting it into smaller and rounder shapes. He sighed as he carefully placed two into a miniature dragon sculpture, giving the statue shimmering eyes. He glanced at the teacups that sat between him and Flygon, who drummed at a star map he had recently sketched.

Turning the statue around, Garchomp waved his claw before it. Flygon kept his attention on his map, until Garchomp cleared his throat. Picking his head up, Flygon blinked as Garchomp smiled and gestured again to his new creation.

“Pretty cute,” noted Flygon. “Did you make the other one of the queen yet?”

“Already did that one,” confirmed Garchomp. “Hopefully I’ll get orders for her regal likeness, and then buyers will line up for commissions and products!” He paused and blinked before lowering his brow as he glowered back down to his statue. “Is it too cute? I was aiming for something cooler this time…”

“Even still, we’re going to run out of money unless we’re both chipping in,” brought up Flygon. “I’m going to get a new job in a few days.” He gazed down at his sketch. “Hopefully doing something that I really love, if they’ll have me…”

“They’d be crazy not to,” determined Garchomp, and he beamed to Flygon. “No one matches your energy for astronomy. Not in the deserts, and not on the mountains.”

“I don’t know about that,” doubted Flygon. “Pretty sure I’ve got some competition up here, especially since folks here actually have the space to see the sky.”

“You’ll be fine, and I’ll help you find something when you’re ready to head out,” he promised. “But, for now, I’m going to go get some more supplies.” Garchomp got up and grabbed his bag. He paused and turned back to Flygon. “Then maybe later, um, we can talk more about us?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I, uh, wanted to figure out what we are.”

“Roommates?”

“Besides that, because I…” Garchomp hesitated and shook his head. “Nah, we’ll talk about it later tonight.”

“Was I too weird last night?” Flygon gripped at the table. “I know that under the stars I was bad, and then after when we were in bed—”

“No, no, that’s not it at all,” insisted Garchomp. “Actually, yesterday was fantastic.” He blushed and slung his bag around his shoulder. “But, um…I’m hoping we can talk it out more.” He smiled to Flygon. “It’ll be a good talk, I’m pretty sure. But, that’s for later, and it’ll be fine.” He glanced back to the door behind him, and then returned his gaze to Flygon. “Um…unless you want to get started now?”

“Hmm…no, you’re going to want to get out there, before they’re done digging and selling for the day,” realized Flygon. “I can’t keep you forever.”

“Sure you can.”

“Gar, go on.” Flygon stuck out his tongue. “I’ve got nowhere to go today, so I’ll be waiting until you’re back. No need to worry about me getting lost out there.”

“Fine, ok, I’ll pretend I’m not excited or anything,” relented Garchomp. His toothy grin took over again. “Even if that’s impossible.” He nervously chuckled as he backed up and bumped into the door. “Uh! Right, that’s…there. Anyway!” He pushed it open and paused, turning back to Flygon once more. “…I’ll see you tonight, Gon.”

“See you later.”

They waved to one another as Garchomp slowly stepped outside of their home, and lingered as he closed the door, looking as Flygon waved and watched him until the door was shut and he was gone.

Neither realized how long later would be.

...

Aw, wasn’t that so sweet?

For readers that are new, you’re blessed and know nothing of the pain behind that last line. For those who are up-to-date on the fanfic, ohoho...you must have read between the lines a couple of times, eh?

But anyway, yeah! That’s a cute one-shot that works for quasi-canon building on Flygon’s relationship with Garchomp, which is almost a relationship, but they just never quite got around to bringing it forward. Reminds you of another couple, perhaps? I’m sure you know the one.

Also, I don’t think I was using a Darmanitan for the fanfics before, so, now I have one that I got to use. Didn’t really bother thinking out the Zen Mode part, but, I think he was a cute option. Annnd he’s how they got their nicknames for each other. Everyone go “aww” for a second.

Well, they’re not the main characters of the fanfic, but if you’re curious to see their roles and impacts on the rest, their main story is Melting Gelid Roses, a medieval Pokémon fanfic. (It actually stars Chesnaught and Greninja!)

If you already are reading it but haven’t read supplementary material, please feel free to read the other one-shots, which you can find on Tumblr, but it’s easier with the Scattered Petals collection instead.

That’s all for now. Working on some events concerning the finale for MGR and the future of the story going forward, so, stay tuned for that too!

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. Take care!

#garchomp #flygon #pokemon #saharashipping #pokemon fanfic #roommates #romance #gay #character development #deserts domain #darmanitan #one-shot #based on #melting gelid roses #scattered petals

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mikami · 5 years ago

Note

Following on from your thoughts about Matt, how would you build on his character using the traits you feel fanon has largely ignored?

I started a write-up of that before, a year or so ago, and then got really bored and gave up, so thank you for forcing me into doing it after all, haha.

Mail “Matt” Jeevas, third ranked of Wammy’s House. I need to get the implications of ‘third ranked’ out of the way immediately: I don’t think Matt is a Genius™. I think he’s smart, but not smart enough to stick out from a crowd of other fairly smart people. I wrote about my impression of Wammy’s House before, but the tl;dr is that I don’t think the average Wammy kid’s intelligence really surpasses average ‘good student’ intelligence elsewhere in the world. They just get a very good and costy education because Watari is rich.

Does the skill level thing impact his growing up? Not much, initially, I don’t think. We know thanks to Chapter 109 that the actual successor candidates were only picked sometime in 2003, thus when Matt was around 13. Until then there had presumably been rank lists, but nothing was really set in stone and rank 3 is like… pretty good. Nothing to feel bad about here.

And when there’s the L Q&A, Matt seems reasonably interested in L alongside the other kids. That doesn’t mean he was sincerely interested in becoming L, but let’s assume for the sake of argument, that he was.

After this, Mello and Near get picked as successor candidates. What used to be a far-future idea of a job that they could build up to over years is now something that he’s more or less locked out of. Even though he’s got good grades, they’re below Mello and Near by far, so hopes of breaking into the candidate spots are slim. The adult Matt we see in canon seems pretty aimless, so you could argue that this is the point where he loses any ambition. Just goes ‘eh, what’s it all for’ and starts focusing more on video games and hobbies than his studies.

And that’s where the backstory speculation ends and we can start digging into what little traits he has in canon.

Matt’s stats say he likes videogames and hates going outdoors, so you’re forced to conclude that he’s just kind of a nerd shut-in stereotype, which is an impression aided by the way he’s untidy about his trash:

And I think that all plays into the trait I always see as Matt’s most defining one: aimlessness.

That’s probably a controversial take, but I don’t think him working with Mello on his plan is really a product of loyalty at all. Mello and Matt were friends but there is no particular evidence that they were very close. For all we know, they probably haven’t really spoken at all since Mello left Wammy’s House.

So then why does Matt go along with Mello’s plans? Aimlessness.

We don’t see him having picked up any career or anything meaningful unlike, say, Linda, who’s already a very successful painter as a young adult. Matt just… kind of exists, and this state of ‘just kind of existing’ makes him more open to doing anything that seems like it might be interesting. (Between his chainsmoking habit and the fact that we know he’s a good and/or reckless driver, thrill-seeking behaviour doesn’t seem unthinkable for him generally.)

Given how chill he is during the chase scene generally, I don’t think this is his first car chase rodeo. I could see him doing illegal car races for a time just to try it out, haha. But that’s very up for interpretation.

Morally, he doesn’t really seem to care about the Kira case at all. The priorities he voices during his few appearances are all boredom-related, really.

Which again ties into aimless/thrill-seeking. Matt wants something to do but mostly just something that is quickly entertaining - it doesn’t have to be meaningful. He’s as satisfied with checking out girls as he is with video games or car chases - as long as it is just something that’s going on.

Though Matt doesn’t like it when they get the better of him in his observation, you never really get the picture that he cares particularly about the reason he’s observing them (the order to follow them to Japan surprises him). Rather, he just doesn’t like having the wool pulled over his eyes, and to be fair, who does?

This also is the one time that really breaks his fairly deadpan perma-bored expression and body language. Frustration about loss, though he’s usually aimless. If I wanted to go out on a leg, I could count that as evidence for my earlier theory that his one-time loss at becoming a successor candidate just kind of frustrated and demotivated him for life.

Also as a side note, he’s 19 and describes a woman he’s attracted to as child-like and potentially as young as 14, which is :/ Not sure what other characterization to derive from this though other than ‘he’s into girls and mildly skeevy’. Guess that just adds to the image of ‘stereotypical gamer bro’ in the end... (Also he’s off by 10 to 4 years, Misa’s 24.)

In the end, Matt dies as he lived: casual and kind of bored-looking. Up until his last moments he’s treating things as a random pastime more than a life or death situation. He’s clearly not expecting to actually die here.

And that’s as far as I get with canon Matt. I’ve almost convinced myself he’s actually a logical character, I can’t believe this.

#domofthedoctor #death note #mail jeevas #matt #answers #luna thinks #thoughts

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weltonreject · 4 years ago

Note

hello it's egr again ! sorry i Disappeared i got Quite Busy and haven't been on here much but! i think recently i have gotten out of my years long reading slump which is exciting ! i've finished 2 books and am currently devouring a third since i last sent u something (the first two i didn't love bc like i said before i'm Picky about writing style so while the concept was fun the style put me off and i read them more to find out what happened than pure enjoyment but !! i am loving the third one so far it's called The Unspoken Name i'm not sure if it's ur kind of thing but it's very Captivating so far very different and fun and i like the style of this one a lot so ! based on the first 4 chapters i would recommend so far). i also made a quilt for my friends birthday which was exciting and have been making sourdough bread almost constantly which is fun, it all makes me feel like i'm elderly but in a good way haha. anyway i hope u are doing well, i see u are trying to implement new habits and routines so i'm wishing u lots of luck for that !! that can be a tricky thing to do but i believe in u to push through the rough days and recover from any that don't go exactly as planned and hopefully reach ur goal :D i hope u are having a wonderful evening/day and something nice big or small happens to u !! love egr (also i always read egr as "egger" which reminds me of like some weird historic nickname or literal eggs lol)

Egger! Egg! My Love!

I’m glad to hear you got out of your reading slump. That’s fantastic! I’ll have to add The Unspoken Name to my list-- I’m gathering pretty much any and all titles that can be vouched for being Readable. I’m trying to balance out my Classics with some contemporary fiction just to see what’s going on in the publishing scene. You know. To be Relevant and such.

A QUILT??!! Oh I LOVE THAT. I love the feeling of a quilt over every other blanket. And my m*ther has been making a lot of sourdough bread lately, which is fun to help make but I don’t particularly like the taste so now every meal is half overrun with a Not Great Bread-- helping me cut out carbs though I guess?? But, anyway, I do love the feeling of Being Old from Hobbies. I cross stitch a lot and that always makes me feel like I’m sitting by the fire waiting for my husband to comeback and tell me the newest correspondence from the King to the Colonies or something like that...

I’m doing alright! Trying to get my shit together in an environment where having one’s shit together is not exactly a priority or respected, so I’m really trying. This week is a Declutter Week, so I started with my whole space yesterday and then today is my desk and all my papers. I have an entire filing cabinet filled with old writing ideas and snippets that I need to tidy up. There is so much stuff. Like, easily twelve books (or at least base plots for them) are buried in this little plastic file hellscape. Let’s hope it’s an easy task today.

Sending you my love and my best. Hope today treats you kindly.

-M

#EGR #oh goooood morning dear #asks #Return of the (penpal) king #henlo #Anonymous

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polar-stars · 5 years ago

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Some Notes on what the grown-ups are up to...(Part 1 | SnKimiko Related)

So hey, I am not quite tired yet but too tired to draw so welp, I guess we’re doing this instead.

Honestly, recently I’ve realized that I haven’t really explored the careers the canon characters pursue within in my Next Gen Fanfic. Which is mainly because I honestly haven’t thought that much about it but rather only ever held some rough ideas. There’s reasoning to that but that mainly has to do with myself but I don’t have to get into that in detail now. It’s a lot about the fact that I’m still a pretty young person with not the best understanding of how the world works yet...but I’m working on it!

So meep, I thought I could write down some actual notes for some info regarding what the canon characters are up to when “Shokugeki no Kimiko” takes place. I’m still a little unsure about them (so don’t be surprised if I eventually change things up later), so I’d gladly appreciate feedback honestly!

Anyway, that lengthy intro aside...let’s get into it, I guess ; 7 ;

Megumi

Megumi Aldini-Tadokoro, formerly just Tadokoro, lives in her hometown in Tohoku and took over the position as it’s head-chef after her mother retired. The news that a Totsuki graduate, and not just any graduate but a former Elite 10 member, took over the Ryokan certainly drove a lot of people to the place.

Megumi’s wisdom regarding hospitality and her outstanding talents in the culinary field ultimately improved the tourism of the region immensely. The Ryokan is praised for the traditional Japanese atmosphere, exquisite food and, of course, the welcoming atmosphere and the warmth with which the guests are welcomed with.

Given that her priorities are certainly the customers and building a relationship with them even if it is for only one day, Megumi always resigned off from opening another restaurant. She can’t be at all at the same time after all and in her mind it would make everything less personal. However it’s at a time where Megumi already earned a name for herself and instead of mocking her decision as “too limited” or “not enough vision”, she’s respected by the culinary world.

Despite the fact though that the Ryokan is her prime focus, she does help out her husband Isami with new recipe ideas or other advice for the Trattoria-Aldini-Branch whenever he asks her. She does help out in the restaurants themselves as well, once or twice a year. Which is always made out to be a great deal.

She often gets invited to various hotels throughout a year and occassionally, she’ll take the offer and arranges a special banquet for one night for the hotel’s guests to enjoy. It’s certainly always an event to behold and something that every hotel, she’s served so far, wears with pride.

She’s mother to three children, two sons and one daughter. The oldest son, Hiroshi Aldini-Tadokoro, is a current higschool first year in Totsuki and a member of the 115th Generation. Her two twin-children Nino and Maja Aldini-Tadokoro still visit a primary school in the local area. They will be part of the future 119th Generation of Totsuki.

Takumi

Takumi Aldini lives in Tuscany and is the head-chef of the original “Trattoria Aldini” where he grew up in. But it’s not just that...

With the help of his business-knowledgeable wife Ikumi and of course his loyal brother Isami, Takumi build a successful brand out of the Trattoria which expands all over the world, having restaurants in almost every noteworthy city. It’s, additionally, kept affordable. It’s not something that the normal middle-class man can eat in each and everyday but it certainly is something he can go to once in a while.

Takumi is managing the restaurants within the West, so mainly Europe and America. (Isami is taking care of the restaurants in the East)

At the same time, the original Trattoria keeps him busy as well given that as the first and original Trattoria it has a bit of a cult-status and is on every tourist’s To-Do list that comes into the area. Whenever Isami and his family come over to Tscany, things become even more lively as many foodies would kill for the opportunity to see the infamous Aldine-Family and especially the Mezzaluna-Siblings in action.

Takumi has one daughter with Ikumi: Mika Aldini, a student of Totsuki’s 115th Generation.

Alice

After her cousin Erina vanished alongside Soma, the Totsuki-Empire was eventually laid into the hands of the so-often-overlooked Alice Nakiri, making her the new headmistress of Totsuki once Senzaemon retired.

There were a few doubtful voices regarding Alice’s Election as new head of this enormous branch, as so many had always pictured Erina in that position. But over time, these voice where shut down as Alice managed to fulfill her job pretty well. Some of her strategies or ideas might sound eccentric or unconditional at first, but there’s always logic and a certain wisdom to them. Also, Alice always had a great understanding of what she wants and how to get it which does make her a solid, cunning and to-beware negotiator.

She also does a lot for the intellectual part of Totsuki by expanding it’s library, funding research projects in fields other than strictly cooking, diversify the range of languages taught on Totsuki...etc.

As her profession as Totsuki’s headmistress consumes her quite a bit, Alice was only able to open two restaurants: one in Tokyo, called “Snestorm” and one in Copenhagen, called “Yukidoke”. Both are reservation-only places where she serves her experimental and unique culinary ideas. Snestorm is more focused on Western ideas, so to speak, while Yukidoke is more Eastern-orientated.

She has two twin-daughters with her husband Ryo: Lola Nakiri and Mona Nakiri, both members of the 115th Generation of Totsuki. She and her family definitely remain the apex of Japan’s culinary landscape. They host a yearly Summer-Ball which is one of the grandest, biggest and most anticipated events for any person worth their salt within the culinary industry.

Akira

With the reputation of having survived Totsuki and ending up amongst the 10 best students backing him up, Akira opens four highly-successful restaurants over the years between his graduation from Totsuki and the current timeline of “Shokugeki no Kimiko”. Currently, he’s outlining plans for a restaurant in the US.

His first is called “Sona” and is located in Tokyo and also known as Akira’s “main restaurant” so to speak. Over the years it has grown into a small palace and its one of pricey but also praised restaurants within the city. Quite a few rich ladies would die to have their wedding taking place there, as one certainly feels like some sort-off Mid-East royal stepping into the place.

The second is called “Signum” and is located in Singapore. What’s special about this restaurant is that the menu changes drastically every year. The concept is basically that each year, Signum serves a different kind of cuisine. One year it’s Thai, the other it’s Indian, then it’s Turkish, then Malaysian and so on. Akira announces this year’s menu on each New Years Party hosted by the Hayamas in Sona.

The third is called “Solaris” and is located in Kairo. Akira got inspired to open it, because of his son’s enthusiasm regarding travels to Egypt. It serves mainly all different sorts of curry but also various specialities of Mid-Eastern cuisines.

The fourth is called “Lilac Garden” and it’s the first one to not start with an “S” and this one is more dedicated to his daughter. It’s located in Herakleion on Kreta. It’s honestly a bit more of a café and has a truly beautiful pavilion that offers an enchanting look on the sea. What’s noteworthy is that the entire place is decorated with all sorts of flowers.

Aside from being busy with restaurants, Akira does actually time to time support Alice’s more academic advances in Totsuki by teaching seminars. It’s a rare occurrence but whenever he does, a broad number of students come rushing.

He also found himself a little hobby in a little side-business as perfumer. Originally, he only wanted to construct a perfume for his wife Hisako as a little surprise for an anniversary and ended up thinking: “Why not make some money out of this?” While the perfume for Hisako of course is a Hisako-Only-Creation that will never make it into the public hands, he did bring 3 other perfumes to the market that sell pretty well.

Akira has two children with Hisako, a son and a daughter. The son, Akio Hayama, is part of the 114th Generation and a member of Totsuki’s current Elite 10. The daughter, Kaori Hayama, is part of the 115th Generation as well as it’s valedictorian.

#meep I tried ovo;;#I also wanted to do Hisako and Ryo...but now I did end up tired #but it would mean the world to me if any of you gave it a read ; 7 ;#I really hope I did okay #Shokugeki no Soma #Shokugeki no Kimiko Stuffz #Megumi Tadokoro #IsaMegu #Takumi Aldini #TakuIku #Alice Nakiri #RyoAli #Akira Hayama #AkiSako

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queen-of-the-avengers · 5 years ago

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Like The Good Ol’ Days

Characters: Rockstar!Bucky Barnes x Reader, minor characters

Word Count: 961

Warnings: just fluff, minor angst

Rating: PG

Summary: Bucky has always been in love with drums, and you hoped he would make it one day as a rockstar. When that day comes, you finally realize what it means to lose someone.

Squared Filled: Rockstar AU // Seeing red (B4)

Author’s Note: This is for @star-spangled-bingo and @buckybarnesbingo respectively. If you have any requests, please send them in! This is unbeta’d and any and all mistakes are all on me.

Feedback the glue that holds my writing together

Tags at the bottom

Pre-school: his tiny hands would bang on any surface that he could reach, making as much noise as possible. Much to the daycare teacher’s displeasure, he would be in his own little world, slapping his hands on all kinds of surfaces because he loved the different kind of noises it made.

Third grade: to pass the time in class, he would take two number 2 pencils and drum them against the desk, causing a distraction for the whole class. The teacher would get mad at him, but you’d watch in amazement that he could make music just by two orange pencils. The kids around him seemed to be more interested in him than the teacher which is why she threatened to send him to the front office if he didn’t put them away.

Seventh grade: by this time, his parents had given up and bought him a small drum kit, one that wasn’t very good, but was still able to keep him occupied. He’d be at the drum set every day after school, and you would be there next to him, doing your homework as you listened to the music he’d create from scratch. It was amazing how long he’d kept up this hobby, and he’d talked to you about making this his career one day. With just enough practice, he might get there.

Eleventh grade: he had joined high school band to play the drums for the first year, but it didn’t seem to click in his mind. He wanted to play more rock than what they were going for, which is why he was interested in music class. They offered all kinds of instruments, and he was the first to grab the drums once he laid eyes on a real drum set. Playing acoustic guitar was something you picked up on over the years, and that instrument was yours. To be honest, you just took the class to watch him play.

Junior year of college: right from the start of college, he had found some friends to form a band that would play around the school, maybe participated in a few low-key gigs that paid pretty well for an up and coming starter band. You had been his supporter all throughout his life, and you weren’t going to stop now. At this rate, he would become a rock and roll drummer, famous all around the world. Seeing him progress through his career is something that gave you joy because he was your best friend, and you would do anything you could to see him succeed.

Present day: Bucky had been offered by many recording companies if he and his band would produce music, which, of course, he said yes. It was hard to pick only one, but you might have had something to do with that. While he wanted to be a musician, you have always wanted to be a producer, and you pulled some strings to get him the producer he wanted: you.

It was a dream come true to see him live it out on stage, playing for thousands of people only to rack it up to millions. From the start of preschool, he had wanted nothing more than to be a drummer, and now he’s gotten it, you weren’t going to do anything to tear that away from him. He’s played on stages from all around the world, and at each event, you were backstage to watch him play.

The only downfall to this was the more popular he became, the less time you got to be alone with him. It was always play here, sign this, appear there. His happiness was your number one priority, but sometimes you wished you were back in his mom’s basement, watching him play on the shitty drum kit his mom gave him.

His latest gig, the one he scored in Vegas, he wanted you to be there for the opening night. There was no way you could say no to him, so you made sure to take the first flight you could to be there on time before they even got started setting up to see if you could score some alone time with him.

When you got there, that dream was crushed to a million pieces once you saw him surrounded by fans. He looked so happy to be signing their papers and taking pictures, and he looked so breathtakingly gorgeous, you decided to stay out of it until he was done. When he finally finished, it was time to get set up on stage.

The concert had been a hit, and afterward, there would be a small party at one of the casinos to celebrate the success of it all. He made sure you were coming to that, and it wasn’t like you were going to miss it. Maybe you might get in some alone time to tell him how you truly felt. It broke your heart that your best friend was being taken from you by the rest of the world, and you needed to tell him how you felt now before it was too late.

While at the casino, the whole band got together to have a few drinks before they all went on their separate ways to do their own thing. You found Bucky huddled with a group of girl fans as they giggled away to try and impress him. Sighing, you took a seat at one of the games, frowning as you put in a twenty. You couldn’t help it, but all you saw was the color red. You were so angry at everyone for getting in the way of you and Bucky that you had to remove yourself before you started crying like a child in front of everyone.

“Ladies, you can all get your pictures. Don’t worry,” Bucky smiled as they giggled. They were pretty and nice and all that, but he really wanted to be spending time with only one person: his best friend.

“You did so well on that stage,” one woman fawned.

“Yeah, you really know what you’re doing there,” another smirked. Something told him to look away from the girls, to pay attention to what was in front of him. He looked up to see you trying your luck at one of the slots, with a sad frown on your face and tears leaking from your eyes.

“Ladies, would you excuse me one minute?” he said as he gently pushed them to the side. He walked to you and took a seat at the other slots next to yours. “Hey, you okay?”

“No, Bucky, I’m not okay,” you gathered the money you won and got up, leaving his side to be on your own. It broke your heart to treat him this way, but you really missed your best friend. He watched as you walked off to the VIP section and took a seat, taking out your phone to absentmindedly play on it.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked once he reached you.

“Don’t you have fans to take pictures with? Sign some things?” you asked, not looking at him.

“Y/N talk to me,” he sighed. The VIP section was empty which boosted your confidence a little bit.

“I fucking miss you, Bucky. Do you know how long it has been since the two of us hung out?”

“We did before the show.”

“I meant alone, Buck. Don’t you miss the days where it was you and me, your drum set, and nothing else? Don’t get me wrong, I am so fucking proud of you for making it this far. I just… I miss you,” you sighed sadly.

“I guess I got caught up with everything, that I lost sight of who was truly by my side through it all. I’m so sorry.”

“And I better say this now because I don’t know when I might get another chance, but I love you. Like, romantically. I didn’t want to live my life without telling you that just in case you might feel the same way as I do.”

“Alright, here goes. For the past few weeks, I have been thinking about you romantically. You have always been there for as long as I can remember, never once giving up hope on my dreams. People said that what I wanted was a foolish dream, that I should think about something practical, but you never gave up on me. I hate that it took me this long to realize it, but I do love you,” he smiled, “romantically.”

“We should make a pact,” you stated, grabbing his hand. “We will spend one day a week where it’s just me and you, no distractions. If we’re going to make this work, we need to be there for one another. I don’t want to mess this up before it’s even starting.”

“I like that pact,” he grinned, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and pulling you in. At that moment, the other people in the room didn’t matter. You had Bucky and he had you. Just like it has always been.

If you want to be tagged, add yourself to this document! If your tag doesn’t work, find out why!

@ivvitm1109 @octo-cow52 @kendall-michele @awkwardfangirl2014 @niall2017 @schwankyblock @feelmyroarrrr @mackevanstanfan80 @fandomgirl17 @bluedazefangirl @tardis-is-mine @moonstar86 @tdntu0 @ferls212 @kpoplover1306-depressedgirl315 @notyourtypicalrose @majesticavenger @the-real-mary-jane-blog @miraclesoflove @tc5322 @tomhardy41 @emilyshurley @thejourneyneverendsx @ironmandeficiency @moonstar86 @mogaruke @scarletlingeries @tc5322 @awkwardfangirl2014 @alex12948 @bucky-odinson

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echoedfates-archive · 5 years ago

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Oh and also. I mentioned I had something to talk about yesterday. This is more for my own nerves rather than actually changing anything about how I’m writing.

Lately, I’ve seen post bringing up Hilda’s attitude towards Almyra and I was wondering if that would ever come up since the fandom is so quick to bring up Ingrid’s racism. That was always something I found weird because whilst they’re problematic in different ways, both characters have prejudices yet only one is hated. Hilda is actually incredibly popular among fans.

So when I first saw posts about Hilda I was like ok, that’s fair. But then I saw some that got a bit harsher, something along the lines of “Oh, don’t think we’ve forgotten about you, Hilda.” or maybe it was third person. Either way, it sounded like someone calling out a certain author or other real person, rather than a fictional character. I’m not saying that we ignore characters’ bad traits, but fans get so heated. Not just on this topic: the hate towards Edelgard or Dimitri (depending which side you’re on) goes too far too often and carries over to hating their fans. I don’t know what’s brought it on; I’ve been here since Awakening and never saw such vile attitudes. I almost miss people just moaning about Camilla getting another alt.

That wording with Hilda is a minor issue, but just the idea of referring to her as if she’s a real person that needs to be called out is... Icky. Because it feels more like fans of her are being called out through her. Hilda is interesting! Ingrid is interesting! IntSys are bad writers when it comes to racism! We can acknowledge that and still like them, and in our fics and comics and threads have them be better! Either remove that part entirely bc if IntSys can’t be bothered to write the topic respectively, then maybe it shouldn’t be there to begin with. OR. We can write about them learning to be better!

But on that latter topic... I don’t want to say that Hilda isn’t prejudice. But I also don’t want to write a post now. I’m word vomiting here bc that takes less thought that deciding how to make Hilda grow. And... I currently feel like I’m forced to write such a post. It’s not the fault of mutuals so if you’re reading this, you’re probably fine. But there was something on the dash the other day that got me upset because it felt like gatekeeping. Like I wasn’t good enough because I hadn’t made such a post my priority. It wasn’t about me specifically, but it still hurt.

“But Katya, you’ve had Hilda for more than half a year!” Well, guess what? I sometimes add muses before I read all their supports and whilst I knew about House Goneril involvement with Fodlan’s Throat, that feels very mutual to me. From Claude, it seems that the hatred between Almyra and Fodlan may be mutual and he’s stuck there as a child of both... Which as a dual national (well, culturally. HOPEFULLY I can finally get my other passport this year) myself, I do appreciate him being there and wish we got more of his explicit feelings and thoughts on the matter.

But anyway, my point is that I didn’t notice anything odd. I saw a mutual conflict and general tensions bc they’re constantly fighting. So what about Cyril’s supports?

...I don’t like Cyril. He bored me compared to the rest of the cast. I’m sorry to his fans, maybe I’d change my mind if I actually saw his supports, but my point is that I didn’t see his supports with Hilda. Even now, I’ve only seen their C support.

So I added her without knowing. And yeah, now I know there’s racism there. Not the direct “I hate Almyrans and think they should die” kind, more the stereotypical biases kind. Like, nobody will ever tell me that I’m a 2nd class citizen, but I do hear people and the British media, particularly 5-6 years ago when a certain racist politician got popular talk about how “Bulgarians are thieves and crooks” and I’ve had people tell me to my FACE how they hate them, after learning I’m half Bulgarian. Kinda sounds like Hilda claiming Almyrans are brutes, so trust me. I’m not excusing her.

BUT. Coherent thought written out in an intelligent manner takes a lot more effort than this word vomit where I’m just typing whatever I’m thinking at the moment. And now that I’ve seen these aggressive attitudes and gatekeeping, I don’t even want to make that post. Headcanon posts should come from a place of inspiration of a desire to develop my muse. Especially a topic like this, where I should be talking about Hilda becoming a better person, because that’s what I want from her!

Not because I feel like I can’t come to the dash without justifying having Hilda on my muse list first. Let alone use her.

I know where Hilda got her shitty views from. I know how her thoughts are working. I know how she unlearns those biases. But. A sour taste has been left in my mouth, so I’m going to write that post of my own accord when I’m no longer feeling pressured, because this is a hobby and the moment it becomes a chore is when any of of us should stop.

I’m not ignoring her behaviour. I’ll only write it plotted though because it’s such a sensitive topic, even if the plotting is just me dropping a quick message asking “are you comfortable with this” if we’re not already friends, because trust is important. Pre-skip and post-skip Hilda will have different attitudes, but the explanation will come at another date, or maybe it won’t. Right now, I don’t want to write it.

If that is a problem and a deal breaker for you, then just unfollow me. It’s fine. My comfort is more important than, what, having the moral high ground to write about a fictional character I don’t even own? Given the hatred I’ve seen towards fans of certain characters however, I feel like I need to make a disclaimer.

This isn’t a debate. This also isn’t an excuse to take my words out of context and make it look like I’m defending racism. I’ve been a victim of Hilda’s particular brand, so don’t even try it. I might say I’m tired bc I’ve not been on my iron supplement long, but if I catch anything written about me, or any aggression in the replies to this, self care will go out of the window and I am not the type to be the “better person”. I basically trust my mutuals, so this is just a pre-cautionary warning as opposed to an explanation.

“But Katya, this post is longer than a headcanon post would be!” Yeah well brain juice says no no to the latter. If anyone wants to talk about Hilda and this topic, I’ll do so privately in relevant topics e.g. She learns Claude is half-Almyran and says something she shouldn’t.

...

Bloody hell. This was an essay. I’m sorry. I should stop typing my literal thoughts.

#psa #Free Spirit (Hilda)#drama mention #this isn't actual drama #just me kinda venting and mentioning drama I've seen #anyway my name's katya I'm planning to specialise in narrative design and intsys should let me into their team so I can kick their asses #when they don't handle topics well

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rigelmejo · 5 years ago

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language learning forums sometimes seem like they’re swings between extremes yo...

some will be like “oh learn this in 3 months!” Which... while you can learn SOME things in a couple months, is usually overselling tremendously.

For example, there’s a lot of proclaimed polyglots that say they can become ‘fluent’ in a few months... Generally, they can read a nice conversational ability where they can talk about specific topics they prepared for in a few months. And usually that’s also what their courses are geared towards, if they’re well made courses. They’re geared toward A1 or A2 conversational ability, usually all you need for small talk and travel and shopping and a little bit about your hobbies. They usually do not go in depth into grammar or into speaking with perfectly correct grammar forms. They usually do not emphasize reading. And if they do learn reading, then it’s likely also a skill mostly only usable in the same areas they can speak. So is that fluency? Well obviously not lol. It is basic conversational ability, survival ability in a travel situation - and those are good skills. Those are skills people who buy phrasebooks desire to accomplish! Those are skills people who only ever take 1-2 language classes in school usually desire! So like... the accomplishment is certainly closer to ‘fluent’ then a typical learner with the goal in mind of being able to do those things may think is possible in a few months. Usually these kinds of polyglots and teachers who teach this way, tend to teach A1-A2 level of the language, and just do it in a more effective way then classrooms tend to do, as far as focusing on what the learner DESIRES to learn and dedicating all time to that goal. Which sometimes means sacrificing grammar for conversational ability, or sacrificing writing practice, or only studying the topics you desire to discuss (and having zero ability in the topics you skip - even if that topic is paying bills, talking about the weather, real basic stuff). Now, this is an accomplishment. I do think its impressive that someone is dedicated to their studies, and aims for a tangible goal, and studies for it. I think it’s impressive that they’re effective, and the goals they’re aiming for usually can be accomplished in a few months to a year if studying effectively. It’s just... not ‘fluency’ as in overall ability to use the language in everyday life, read/watch/listen to all kinds of discussions and respond to them by speaking/writing, etc.

Then there’s the other end of the spectrum. That generally will be like “you can’t actually speak/read/watch/whatever with the language at a decent level, until you’ve studied a HUGE plethora of things” which generally, they will say “takes years and years.” Now, technically, yes, they’re right. The problem with what they’re saying lies mostly in that it... tends to discourage learners.

Learners will hear it, and think “well, I’ve only studied 5 months/2 years, and I still can’t read/speak/write/listen/etc. So I’m still YEARS away from ever being able to use the language! Maybe I ought to give up.”

And yes, realistically it will most likely take years and years to get comfortable enough with a language you are learning to use it in all the ways comfortably that a naive speaker would. But also... one should try practicing DOING what they eventually want to be able to DO in the language. That act of trying, of actually doing, will give the learner a reason to use what they’ve studied. It will give them payoff for having achieved at least some part of their goals. It will help them pinpoint exactly what they need to study next to improve the tangible goal they wish to accomplish next. It will help them focus on the specific areas in language they WANT to improve in first. Not everyone necessarily will need or want to know how to write articles in their target language for years. Maybe they just want to be able to communicate well, and listen well to all the topics in X interests they have. Or, some learners will need to study a target language so they can go study/work in that language. Those learners may benefit from studying how to read technical writing, listen to lectures, and speak/write academically. But they might have zero need to learn to read literature in the language right away, they may have no use for historical or fictional terms that some history/literature nerd might use way more.

Basically - there is value in making achievable goals based on what you want to be able to do first, second, third etc in terms of priorities. Before the huge ultimate goal of “fluency” there are many stepping stones. One should not get discouraged that ultimate fluency is a long ways away. There are many goals in between now and ‘ultimate fluency’ that will be achievable in months instead of years, that will be help the learner better able to do things they desire to do WITH the language. And I think that is a middle ground, that’s practical.

I think there’s sometimes loud voices in either extreme though, that tend to drown out that middle ground. The voices that say “total fluency” should be accomplishable in months (which is unrealistic, and will disappoint learners if they find it too challenging to progress that fast or if they realize their ‘fluency’ achieved doesn’t give them all the actual goals they specifically want to accomplish doing with the language). Then there’s the voices that say “ultimate fluency” will not only take years, it will also be necessary if a learner wants to do anything in said language. Which again... that second part is not realistic. There are tangible goals, and sub-goals you can break your eventual goals into, that are definitely accomplishable in month and year intervals. A learner doesn’t have to wait years upon years before they can start trying to do them, improving in them, and accomplishing some of them.

I was on reddit today and someone was writing that if you learn all HSK 6 words, around 5,000, then you should only be able to read about 50% of a novel or newspaper’s content (even with a dictionary). Their point has some merit. HSK are specially made lists. The common words in newspapers might be 50% different. The common words in X genre fiction literature might be 50% yet another unique set of words.

But do you have to wait until you’ve learned all the way up to HSK 6, just to START reading target language material? No. No of course not. Pick the genres/materials you have the goal to read. Start practicing. Start picking up those 50% unique words now. Use your dictionary, slog along to look up the new words, and learn them. Learn them by doing. If you get to HSK 6 isn’t that what you’ll do anyway? Your alternative is to find yet another frequency list of 5k or 10k more words at that point, and drill that before you attempt to read a newspaper/novel etc. But each genre is probably going to have yet more unique words you’ll need to learn to start comprehending it. So like... you might as well get your words your learning, from the stuff you’re actually TRYING to read because you WANT to read it.

I would be so utterly miserable if I waited until I reached HSK 6 (which I’m guessing will take me 1.5 more years to 4 more years, depending on how hard I study) to start reading and watching what I wanted!

I suppose to everyone their own though. The way I did it, aiming for smaller goals over time as I work toward the bigger ones... its frustrating in its own ways. Especially in the beginning, trying to read target language content was brutal and draining. It stayed that way for months. It literally took from August 2019 to June 2020 for me to even get to a point where I can read something with a dictionary, and not get drained because I only have to look up words sometimes, and because the grammar’s gotten easier after months and months of studying it. It took me from December 2019 to June 2020 to get from trying to watch a show and my brain feeling completely fried in 12 minutes, to me being able to watch an episode of a show and follow the gist without feeling overwhelmed. And I’ve still got heaps and heaps of improvement to go. This is like me being a 10 year old trying to read all my dad’s grown up historical fiction and sci fi novels with all their technical terms. And me managing to get through some pages, with the basic ideas but a ton of confusion on the finer details that would take me many more years to learn to pick up on and understand and appreciate.

#rant #i just.... i dislike how both extremes can b #be overly discouraging

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tribridkissed · 5 years ago

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Everything Afflicting Lil’ Ol’ Me…

Sleep Paralysis:

Starting off with the basics here because this has been what sort of started it all. When I was little, I was super into the whole idea of spirits. I honestly still am for different reasons, but it started when I was young and having sleep problems. The doctors still don’t know why it started, but I’ve always thought I sensed ‘presences’ so I told ghost stories…because I saw ‘ghosts’ in my sleep, some of which were terrifying and would sit on my chest and I’d still feel that feeling when I woke up, so duh it was real.

When I was a teenager, I started getting these hallucinations far more vividly and the doctors started to take it a lot more seriously, especially when I was getting depressed and suicidal on top of it all. Turned out I had ‘Old Hag’s Syndrome’, or ‘Sleep Paralysis’, and there was now a logical explanation for it. Basically my brain wakes up sometimes before my body does, and I’m paralyzed but I can still see the hallucinations. Feeling pinned down and violated is honestly the worst, and it fucks me up for the rest of the day mentally when it happens. It is why I’m against lucid dreaming, and why I vehemently believe in demons and evil spirits even if doctor’s wanna just call it a hallucination induced by stress. Either way, I have insomnia sometimes too and my sleep is all over the place and that never helps one’s body.

Hormone Imbalances

My hormones have probably been all over the place my whole puberty experience? Like, my periods started out being heavy, irregular and painful. I know that’s mostly normal--we women handle cramps like a boss, okay?--but I would have to stay home from school once or twice in a row every time I got my period, because I was curled up in a ball hurling: much like I do now. Going on birth control helped for a while and then started to make it worse, so we took me off of the birth control and my period started to even out and I stopped getting so sick, unless I ovulated from both sides and not just one, which they found out was also happening. Yay for the possibility of twins naturally, but yikes to the extra hormone surges.

Paraxysmol AFib:

I went through a whole stint of my early 20′s having palpitations in my chest. I just attributed it to my anxiety, and to stress because I had just finished a whole High School career of only honor’s classes, and I had switched from Pre-Med to Early Childhood Development, and so even when the doctors from an arrhythmia, I just sort of dismissed it. I didn't have the time, I was working twelve hours days as a nanny, I was doing college, and I didn't have time...and then I had an AFib attack after exercising and ended up having chest pain.

That pain lasted a month and a half without going away or getting any better, I had a bunch of doctors tell me I was being a hypochondriac, and then I got put on a heart monitor. The heart monitor caught not one but two episodes in the span of three weeks, and it was only then that they took me seriously. So even though I was ‘too young’ and ‘healthy’, I ended up becoming a heart patient at the ripe old age of 25, and it has been part of my life ever since. I take medicine daily to keep my heart rate down, because it beats too fast on its own, and I had to cut down on coffee, which...I was a caffeine addict so that was rough, lol. I’ve had to change dosages, which stresses my body out for a week each time that happens, and it has just been who I am now. I have heart patient jewelry and everything, just in case of emergencies.

Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome

So this all brings me to the next big thing: cyclic vomiting syndrome. I have been sick for 6 months now, nauseous basically every day, vomiting stints every once in a while that land me in urgent care to get IV fluids and meds because nothing will stay in my stomach, it all comes up. This started back in August, now known actual cause, and it has been my main affliction these days. I am on antacid medications, my heart medicine still, and anti nausea I have to take every single day. My body is exhausted, and that’s not even the half of it.

The doctors aren’t even fully sure this is what is going on with me, this is just how they are treating me because they can’t find anything. I have had an MRI, CT scans, ultrasounds, blood tests of all sorts (food allergies, diabetes, etc.), and everything says I am healthy. I have had a tumor removed from my esophagus when they did the endoscopy in the beginning, and I had a history of cysts (I’ve had one in my head, in my arm pits, and now one in my right nasal cavity), and I have a second and third tumor growing in my right arm. They aren’t convinced any of this is related, they just know that my period problem from high school is happening again, so they’re convinced it is hormone induced cyclic vomiting syndrome...which has no for sure cause or cure, so, that has been nice, and has triggered my depression, but I’ve been dealing with my depression my entire life.

Depression/Abuse

Since I was a kid, I’ve had a messed up home life. My uncle did some truly horrible things before he ended up eventually in jail for four life sentences, and short story on that because I simply don’t talk about it, is he used to tape my sister and I shut in boxes, and threaten us with his pet snake. He even through a knife at my cousin once, and would put my sister and up on the top shelf of the closet and leave us there.

On top of that, my Dad was never around much, and he left for good when I was 7, the same year that my grandmother died from the chemo for her ovarian cancer. He is a whole other story in itself, but he only added to my abandonment issues when I was 21 and he showed back up ONLY to talk my sister and I out of making him pay off the back child support he owed (it was a whole thing), and having the audacity to say he stayed away because he loved us...but raised our half siblings, so...just. I don’t like talking about him either.

Then I had a mother who was constantly verbally abusing my sister and I--she still does--and calling us fat even when we were skinny. Telling us we wasted our potential, telling us we’re useless, etc., and only recently getting herself the help she needs for her own emotional issues because she too was abused. Our family is filled with abusers, and she’s much better now that we’ve all addressed we have some problems, but dealing with that on top of all the other things that I deal with now, has been rough.

I feel broken. My mother tells me not to say that, but all of my health issues, and my failed past relationships with boys that have thus kept me single the last three years, make me feel that way. I’m a demisexual person who had two boyfriends cheat because they couldn’t wait for me to be ready for sex, and one basically admit after a little while that he just wanted sex and was “putting up with my feelings until then”, and I dunno, I delved farther into writing and honestly, it has been my only constant.

I’ve been writing stories since I was 6, and this is a hobby, yes, but it is also an escape when I’m not working on my stuff to get published (I’ve actually been a published author since 2011). I’m editing my second book right now and it gets priority sometimes when I’m in a funk, but I have been so sick lately because of my stomach, and just so tired and stressed with work really only keeping me on because they can’t fire me when I have medical reasons and doctor’s notes, and I just thought you guys should know.

I try to be on because writing helps me not think about all of my issues, but sometimes I’m so tired, or so sick, that I just can’t do replies. Plus, my arm with the tumors has been hurting more and more lately, and I may have to get them removed, which will mean another two weeks of a sling and pain meds, and crying myself to sleep because recovery from arm surgery hurts.

So if I’m ever slow, something is up. I love being around to write--it’s my safe space--but I’ve been dealing with a lot lately. I really do love and appreciate all of you, and I’m so grateful that you guys are so patient with me. <3

#out of mystic falls // ooc #damn writing it all out makes me feel a tad sad lmao #tw: sleep paralysis #tw: heart problems #tw: depression #tw: swearing #tw: vomiting mention #tw: period talk #tw: long post #that isn't even all of it because i didn't go into a whole bunch of detail #but that is the just of it guys

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queen-of-deans-booty · 6 years ago

Text

No Distractions

Characters: Rock Star!Dean Winchester x Reader, minor characters

Word Count: 1,459

Warnings: none

Summary: With Dean being so busy with his career, he loses sight of what’s really important--and who.

Squared Filled: Vegas // Rock Star!Dean

Author’s Note: I know some of you have requested fics, and I promise I will get to them. I just need to finish these bingos before the deadline in June/July of this year. I am also trying to post daily again so bear with me. This is for @spngenrebingo and @spnaubingo and this is unbeta’d and any and all mistakes are all on me.

Feedback the glue that holds my writing together

Tags at the bottom

Eleventh grade: he had joined high school band to play the drums for the first year, but it didn’t seem to click in his mind. He wanted to play more rock than what they were going for which is why he was interested in music class. They offered all kinds of instruments, and he was the first to grab the drums once he laid eyes on a real drum set. Playing acoustic guitar was something you picked up on over the years, and that instrument was yours. To be honest, you just took the class to watch him play.

Junior year of college: right from the start of college, he had found some friends to form a band that would play around the school, maybe participated in a few low-key gigs that paid pretty well for an up and coming starter band. You had been his supporter all throughout his life, and you weren't going to stop now. At this rate, he would become a rock and roll drummer, famous all around the world. Seeing him progress through his career is something that gave you joy because he was your best friend, and you would do anything you could to see him succeed.

Present day: Dean had been offered by many recording companies if he and his band would produce music, which, of course, he said yes. It was hard to pick only one, but you might have had something to do with that. While he wanted to be a musician, you have always wanted to be a producer, and you pulled some strings to get him the producer he wanted: you.

It was a dream come true to see him live it out on stage, playing for thousands of people only to rack it up to millions. From the start of preschool, he had wanted nothing more than to be a drummer, and now he’s gotten it, you weren't going to do anything to tear that away from him. He’s played on stages from all around the world, and at each event, you were backstage to watch him play.

While at the casino, the whole band got together to have a few drinks before they all went on their separate ways to do their own thing. You found Dean huddled with a group of girl fans as they giggled away to try and impress him. Sighing, you took a seat at one of the games, frowning as you put in a twenty.

“Ladies, you can all get your pictures. Don’t worry,” Dean smiled as they giggled. They were pretty and nice and all that, but he really wanted to be spending time with only one person: his best friend.

“You did so well on that stage,” one woman fawned.

“Ladies, would you excuse me one minute?” he said as he gently pushed them to the side. He walked to you and took a seat at the other slots next to yours. “Hey, you okay?”

“No, Dean, I’m not okay,” you gathered the money you won and got up, leaving his side to be on your own. It broke your heart to treat him this way, but you really missed your best friend. He watched as you walked off to the VIP section and took a seat, taking out your phone to absentmindedly play on it.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked once he reached you.

“Don’t you have fans to take pictures with? Sign some things?” you asked, not looking at him.

“Y/N talk to me,” he sighed. The VIP section was empty which boosted your confidence a little bit.

“I fucking miss you, Dean. Do you know how long it has been since the two of us hung out?”

“We did before the show.”

“I meant alone, Dean. Don’t you miss the days where it was you and me, your drum set, and nothing else? Don’t get me wrong, I am so fucking proud of you for making it this far. I just… I miss you,” you sighed sadly.

“I guess I got caught up with everything, that I lost sight of who was truly by my side through it all. I’m so sorry.”

“I like that pact,” he grinned, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and pulling you in. At that moment, the other people in the room didn’t matter. You had Dean and he had you. Just like it has always been.

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squeakthemonkey · 5 years ago

Text

Cherry Blossoms --Part two

Thank you so much for taking the time to read the first part and this. I have a third part in the works, just gotta put some elbow grease into it, and do have a plan in place to carry it on if it is wanted

as always please go and play the game, CHANGELING, this is based on and the future games in the works by @steamberrystudio it is awesome and the demo is out for the new game Guilded Shadows, which is perfect if you only want a peak into the writing style and game play.

Here’s Part 1 for anyone that wants to read it.

__________________Part 2_______________

Beth’s fingers absently tapped the table as she thought. The wizards at the agency were a lot more… stuffy. At least the ones that she met and she hadn’t met a lot of them, after all who wanted anything to do with someone like her, she knew that much even from home.

“So, what are we going to start with?” She watched as the handsome man slipped into the chair opposite her. He seemed far more relaxed than she expected, and though he was trying to hide it she could see the curiosity rolling over him. His eyes skirting around her a little before he focused on her.

“We can start with names. I’m Beth.” She raised the drink he had placed in front of her in cheers and slipped on it lightly.

“Merle.” He introduced himself to her his sly grin returning as he tried to hide his laugh, but he couldn’t help it. Her eyes had rolled back and she hummed as she drank the latte. “That good huh?”

“Mmm,” She hummed again. “So good, Merle,” She could tell she was trying way too hard, yet every interaction between them egged her on. That and she could feel the half truth in his words. He wasn’t using his real name here? Of course there were safety measures in his line so she played of her reaction as her drink. His curiosity spread over her like a wave, as well as the laugh at her reaction. “with all seriousness, most days these drinks give me the will to live.” She lent forward crossing her arms over the table. “Tell me, you put some thing on them didn’t you?” She wiggled her free fingers in a spell like motion and narrowed her eyes.

“No,” he chuckled again. “Just practice.” She took another sip of the drink and looked at him unconvinced.

“So Beth,” He matched her movements again the the magic sparking against her skin. The Orai danced again, a rainbow reflection around the room. “What do you do for a living? Must be bad if only drinks give you the will to live,”

“The agency,” She rolled her eyes and shook her head as if it explained everything. “I’m a… well I guess the closest thing would be a negotiator. The go between.” Merle nodded along. “Trying to keep everyone happy is a tough job, since nobody is ever happy. But got to play nice once in a while, right?” Beth cocked her eye brow. She had ask of The Murder at work, just office gossip and such, after all the agency played nice with them when the agency wanted something. She had thought of it like some strange wizard mafia set up yet was pleasantly surprised instead to find the coffee shop instead. While he was close he noticed the sweet cherry blossom again, however it didn’t seem to be as strong immediately around her. Perhaps it was an affect of the Orai and not some strange perfume?

“I know what you mean,” He answered lightly, careful about his wording, he knew all to well. “It’s heavy price.”

“But a good job,” She agreed. “Helps people, so perhaps a little worth it. Besides it lead me here,” She motioned the drink towards him and took another sip, delighting in the flavour again. Damn, they make good coffee. She took the break to look over the man, from the pinch of colour in his hair to the piercings. She could read the energy around him, he was clearly powerful, as was the rest of the cafe around him.

“but that’s not what we’re here for, after all, I have yet to give my side of the bargain.” Taking one last sip of the drink she placed the cup out of the way and opened her arms across the table.

Merle flashed his teeth in a grin yet he found a strange reluctance in giving her his hands. He was already giving in more than he should have done. Yet, he found himself doing so anyway.

Beth held back the electricity in her hands as the warmth of his came closer. She bit her lip slightly debating on telling him she could feel the call of his magic. It was warm and calming, smoothing almost like a vine curling up her arm. He was searching for his own answers. Instead of telling him, she let him search, focusing on her own as she flipped his hand between hers.

They were tucked away into a little crevice where nobody seemed to be paying attention to them, so she took the opportunity to up her game, very lightly drawing along the lines of his hand as she read them, she bit her lip lightly again as his hand shivered lightly in hers. He didn’t even notice he did it.

“So you read palms?” he asked. “Where did you learn that?”

“It’s just practice,” She said in a light voice, glancing up at him. “I taught myself, I used to have a lot of spare time of time on my hands. So I decided to read everyone else’s hands instead.”

“A hobby?” She nodded.

“hmmm,” Beth let the low sound out as she lightly caressed his palm. “It says here you come from a large family who you are extremely protective of.” She kept her eyes down, but remained cutely aware his eyes hadn’t left her. “You’re kind, despite adversity, but you tend to put duty above all but your first priority. Even if that means above yourself too.” She used her fingers to slide across his stretching them out and lifting his hand again closer to her face for a better look. She caught the grin in the corner of her eye as her breath fell against him. His palm started to get get hotter the closer she got.

“You know you’re craft well and oh… You’re powerful, and playful. Not only with your magic.” Beth raised an eyebrow, delighting in the chuckle she earned from him. “You’re a creator or would like to be, or at least very fond of... some art... hmm, music maybe? You like to laugh too, especially when others are in on the joke.” But as her eyes fell again a line caught her attention and she frowned, her thumb traced the line; her heart thumping sympathetically. He was lonely it read. Really lonely. She knew the feeling.

His spine tingled as he watched the change in her demeanor, the Orai around her blurred around the room, the buzzing slowed to a dull pace. They were connected to her feelings. He wondered what she had seen as the words seemed to refrain from leaving her. She softened her features instead her flirting behind the thoughts that flew past her head.

“You like being around people, but duty pushes them away, you push them away. Despite wanting to help them, you wont let them help you.” She almost wanted to hold his hand properly, to twist his fingers in hers as if she could provide him some comfort. She had to admit to herself that it was an endearing trait, even if he didn’t know it himself since he seemed to be a little surprised. His other hand was laid casually along the table. Beth looked to him for permission but took his other hand when he didn’t pull away. She placed them both in front of her, her eyes dancing along the lines of his story, feelings emotions he would rather keep hidden. Feeling the anxiety start to creep in between them she held back the truth despite the fact it made a pain throb in the back of her head.

“This is how you tell the future,” She switched her voice back to playful instead. She looked up for his permission again, his cocked head and narrowed eyes glad for the diversion she had gone to instead.

“Well, color me intrigued.” he nodded for her to continue, yet as she looked over his hands again she didn’t find much better. The lines connected and weaved to tell his story, However the lines also broke and splintered, span and circled. He was too entwined with magic to have something truly definitive save for one thing.

Heartbreak. Devastating heartbreak.

Beth’s heart skipped a little. Perhaps she could help, which lines was it on again? she thought, running her thumb across it. Oh. The love line. So he was alone, and if he did put himself out there…

As if to give him some unseen comfort she covered the lines with her fingers, opening up fully to his probing magic searching for answers. She let him see her truth as if to hide his. He was so warm. So, so warm. It was strange. Normally she hated when others had to use magic on her, to feel them on her soul and in her heart. Even when she needed healing she opted to do so when it was only too much. But his she didn’t mind. His magic was as warm as his hand.

A few Orai bumped around her feet, Merle noted to himself, especially when she tried to hide whatever she had found. It was clearly something, though it bugged him a little that she clearly wasn’t going to tell him. But whatever it was had a profound affect on the Orai, they slowed their home making around the cafe, careful to their makers emotions acting more like guards than creatures of broken spirit. As she allowed him in to see what he searched for to, he was almost distracted from the Orai by the blinding light of her soul. It confused him even more the vibrancy and life energy of an Esper but… clearly not. Her soul as bright and open as it was to him hid it’s meaning. He almost wanted to back away from her, to go away and think about it all.

“So what do you see?” he asked after a moment , realizing the words had left him before he could stop them, he had meant a distraction but they fell out instead. “By the look on your face, i suspect Aiah is gonna kill me for what ever it is,” Beth shot her eyes up, she hadn’t meant to hesitate for so long. His face was still warm and inviting, calm as if he didn’t know what she had seen so she pushed it into the back of her mind. Perhaps if she kept an eye out she could help divert his path. She relaxed back, letting his hands go and grabbing her drink again.

“I see...” She bit her lip hoping the concern on her face played off as a feint. She broke out her smile again brightening the room and buzzing the Orai once more. “I see you giving me your number,”

The minute strain that had danced between them broke like a dam. He too fell back more relaxed as she soothed the awkwardness and drew his hands back towards himself, though as much as he wanted to go back into his space, found himself not entirely willingly to leave hers. Beth let the truth sink in. She would tell him one day, not this day however. A new resolve crept up her spine. Just like she had seen the worst magic could do to people and resolved to help them, she would try and help him to. He was kind, she knew that and didn’t deserve such a fate.

“I don’t know,” he said sucking through his teeth. “I don’t give my number out, the price to trade is just to high. You’ve also told me things I already know .”

“You don’t know my number,” His laugh broke the final bit of tension, as if it had never happened.

“Very determined aren’t you?” He cocked his head again but not put off by her tone, that she could easily slip back to flirting actually impressed him a little. Beth laughed, pulling her card and some cash out and onto the table from her wallet before pushing it back into her jacket. Her eye catching the way the sun caught the color in his hair.

“I prefer to get what I want.” Her voice was matter of fact. “Especially when they’re…” She drunk the sight of him again letting out a breath. “Definitely worth it.” His laugh was genuine, and he wasn’t one to be outplayed.

“And you? Are you worth it?” Matching his grizzle Beth lent forward once again, her movements just enough that his eye twitched a little to where she was guiding him. She took the drink in her hand, but waited a moment before holding it in front of her blocking whatever view had caught his attention and took a sip of her cooled drink.

“You have no idea.” Shameless! She thought desperately wishing her face wasn’t bright red as she said it. At least she found reward in the way just the tips of his ears turned the barest shade of pink, enough for her to notice. She watched as he took up the challenge leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. He looked over her, instead of flirting outwardly, his revenge was too look over her again, agonizingly slow in all the right places. She would have normally felt embarrassed, flaunting so openly and letting him watch over her like this but instead it made her belly warm, daring her to out do him once again. Damn, he was good. Her eyes caught a flicker of blonde and green giddily peek around the corner. She wouldn’t have much more time alone.

“how about we make a new deal - well, actually more of a bet?” She suggested. “I’ve come here a lot but seemed to have missed you somehow.” even she was incredulous how she had done it. “So three times. We meet again three times, and if it goes well and you agree to it of course, I get your number,”

Merle remained a little apprehensive, but nodded to her terms before he could stop himself, after all this didn’t happen all the time. She gave him a sweet grin, picking up her things and shooting him a wink before he could speak and change his mind. Beth let out a breath as she passed him. What did she just do? It made her almost light headed with excitement. It could be nothing, She could not meet him again or he could say no, she knew actually she would smile and it wouldn’t bother her, she did come on a little strong, but she had to admit she was a little excited about it all. She’d never picked up guys at a bar let alone a cafe.

But maybe, just maybe, it could be the best thing she had done in a long time

_______________________________________

So yeah, please let me know if you want this to continue or you want something else? Also this i have absolutely no idea to flirt so for tumblrs sake i will state this is complete fiction. Either way, thank you for taking the time to read this little ditty. and again. go the play the game. please. it so good.

#changeling #@steamberrystudios #merle x OC #Merle Beltran #Beltran #fiction #fanfiction #romance #original character #visual novel #wizard #magic #will carry on if wanted #please be nice #fanfic #Beth #thank you for your time #i really have no idea how to flirt #flirtfest

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shiningstraykitten · 7 years ago

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park jihoon scenario: passion

Requested?: Can i request a scenario for Wanna One Jihoon please? The plot is what if he was a boxer who lose his will to fight because of the injury that make him all cold and gloomy, while she was a reporter who just sneaking around looking somwthing spicy till she uselessly fallen in love with how sad his face staring at the boxing glove, she try to cheer him up but he kept pushing her away after that is up to you hehehe thank you, hope my plot doesnt confuse you

Member(s): Park Jihoon (Wanna One)

Format?: Bulletpoint scenario (+female reader)

note: because it was specified in the ask, (y/n) is a girl

third person pronouns will be used here

the story begins with a boy named park jihoon

for a long time, he never knew what he would grow up to do

people around him would have ideas and at least a little certainty about their futures, which made his teachers and people around him almost worried about him

it wasn't until his first year in university that he started to take up boxing, at least as a hobby

one day, jihoon’s childhood best friend daniel asked him to try boxing classes at a nearby gym with him

at first, jihoon was hesitant, but after a bit of convincing from daniel and a promise that if he didn't like it, he didn't have to go again

jihoon, being a softie for daniel, agreed

and it was then, learning how to fight and pull himself towards victory, that he truly found his calling

and after more lessons, he took up boxing on his own time, with daniel as a sparring partner

boxing became his passion, what he never had when he was younger

so jihoon went pro later in his university years

and he loved the high after every victory, and strived to do better and accepted defeat with open arms

jihoon couldn't be happier

until one match against a known champion

by then, jihoon was starting to make a name for himself

so he was considered a formidable opponent to many

the match started off fine enough, with jihoon getting control of the fight for quite a while

but he could never foresee getting a hard hit on his arm, severely injuring it to the point that he could not continue the match, and it landed him in the hospital

according to his manager and his doctor, he wouldn't be able to box for the foreseeable future until his arm heals up

it may never be the same again

anyone who ever knew jihoon could tell that the familiar fire in his eyes has been extinguished; he looks cold, empty

his passion, his drive to continue, has been stolen from him before his very eyes

this is when we learn of an intern at a news publisher: (y/n) (l/n)

from when she first learned how to write, she wanted to go into journalism

she desired to be able to give the news that she finds important, to be able to let people know what's going on in the world

her dream finally began at an internship at seoul weekly, a major magazine

she couldn't wait to bring her ideas to the table, to write her own sections

but for a while, she was basically an unpaid assistant, getting things for the higher ups

it almost unmotivated her; she believed that her dream of her story on the screen was too far beyond her

until one day, she had a meeting with one of the editors

he had read her notes she made from previous meetings and he believed that she could write a story

well, one he found as ‘relevant’ and 'entertaining’

so basically, a juicy story

(y/n) knew that that was a big responsibility; she would be representing the whole magazine

she accepted, understanding that this could be the key to unlocking her dream

so (y/n) observed people around her, looking far and wide for a story

it was harder than she thought; she submitted about three ideas already and all of them got turned down

until she passed by a familiar gym

a very close friend of hers frequented this place, and meeting him there made her very much acquainted with it

so she was looking in, looking for her friend, when she locked eyes with a very familiar face

she saw him practicing fighting at the gym, and back then, she saw the fire he had, the passion for his sport

she regretted not being able to meet him back then, his passion helped rekindle hers

but when she revisited, something was definitely off

not only was he sporting a large cast, evidently a large injury

but the way he looked at his gloves, at the ring

it was a profound longing, like he was searching for a lost puzzle piece, or trying to bring back a lost part of him

(y/n) was captivated then and there

she wanted to know exactly who the boxer at the gym was, what his story was

(y/n) was on a mission: learn more about that boy

at first, she spent an excessive amount of time searching up recent pro boxers online

she guessed he went pro, because the last time she saw him, he was ridiculously good

she learned his name was park jihoon, and that he was rising from a rookie to a known champ, but recently had a major injury

at first, (y/n) thought that all of that was enough

but after pitching it, she was told that she needed to dig in deeper to have a true story

(y/n) really didn't know what else to do

so she asked some of the senior writers on the team about it, and was told to get closer to him to get more key info

(y/n)’s conscience screamed that it was a bad idea, but the seniors wouldn't let up

they told her that if she couldn't investigate a serious matter, how could she bring anything to the table?

so she decided to only pry a little; to not let it get the best of her, and to get jihoon”s consent to make an article about him

(y/n) first met jihoon through a newer friend of hers, ong seungwoo

he had been recently visiting the gym because his stepbrother, kang daniel (who he recently reunited with) worked there

so when she decided to come with seungwoo one day, jihoon was there sitting next to the ring, watching someone else training

after talking with seungwoo and meeting daniel, they noticed (y/n) looking over at the boy under the ring

she was told it was jihoon, and she learned that he’s daniel’s longtime best friend

and that he really needed cheering up, because of the injury

so (y/n) made it her goal to get closer to him and put a smile on his face

but it was easier said than done

at first, she thought that he was just very grumpy, because he was not willing to let her take one step towards him

but that made her more determined to break his shell

she would get him stuff, try her best to have conversation

it was to the point that she realized she was really falling for jihoon, and not his story

and it was then that she started to see a new side of him

he would start to smile ever so often, to have full conversation with her

she discovered he was a boy with a new grasp of a passion, someone who tried his best to make it happen

he was a boy with dreams that were crushed right in front of him

and (y/n) didn't know what to do

so she tried her best to light up his life, so he could find hope

(it was then that she asked daniel, the closest to jihoon, “how do you bring light to someone who lost all hope?”)

(little did she know, this statement was why daniel came to trust her)

later, (y/n) came across her preliminary notes, and it dawned on her that she originally intended on a story

but now? she couldn't write one if she tried

so she deleted every trace of her original work, and went to the writers

of course, they gawked at her

she just threw away a major chance to write for a popular platform

but she wouldn't relent, jihoon was way too important to her, she didn't want him to believe that she didn't care about him

she cared so so much

but the writers were determined to get something out of her, to remind her that this was what she had to do to advance

so they fabricated new drafts, and slipped them into her bag while she was doing some errands

(y/n), unaware of this, picked up her bag and made her way to the café she was supposed to meet jihoon at

jihoon had been looking like he'd been feeling better lately, so she was very much looking forward to seeing him again

and unbeknownst to her, jihoon had been longing to be with (y/n) for more time, as she became one of the most important parts of his life

so jihoon invited her out to go get a coffee and then go to a movie

(y/n) came a little earlier than jihoon, so she, either out of habit or of a feeling of uneasiness, looked through her bag to make sure she had her things and her money

but she came across a folder

she left all her other notes from meetings at home or submitted them to her editor

she opened it to find notes about a boxer, and it dawned on her that it was about park jihoon

and it made her furious

she did mention to another intern that she was meeting jihoon that day

she threw that story away so that she wouldn't hurt jihoon, but her seniors planted new evidence

did they expect her to not notice? so that jihoon would find out the wrong way?

when she was about to throw them out, jihoon arrived, looking around for a table

because even when (y/n)'s unhappy, jihoon is a priority, she still waved him to the table, greeting him

but he could tell something was off, she seemed stressed

so he asked about it when the two got their drinks

and (y/n), being tired of hiding things from people she loved, spilled everything

her initial interest, her feelings for him, the article, the writers, the drafts in front of him

at the beginning of her spiel, she could see jihoon was worried that (y/n) was admitting to not caring about him

but by the end, the relief, the knowledge that (y/n) put him before her potential career at seoul weekly was almost palpable

and (y/n) firmly believed that jihoon looking happy was absolutely and utterly ethereal

and she was also in for a surprise when jihoon told her that he was realising that she helped him get out of his miserable state when he got hurt, and that he would never regret getting closer to her

so the two of them left the café with a clear conscience and full hearts

jihoon’s friend thanked (y/n) for what she done for jihoon later, and jihoon and (y/n) decided that they'd really suit being together in a relationship

and jihoon helped (y/n) find a new platform that would appreciate her writing, and production 101 became (y/n)'s second home

her first home is jihoon, no matter how much he gets flustered hearing that

and currently, they are waiting on the doctor's opinion for when jihoon can return to boxing

all in all, the two found their passions and found each other as well

thanks for requesting, I really enjoyed writing this!!!

#wanna one #wanna one scenarios #kpop #kpop scenarios #jihoon #park jihoon #jihoon wanna one #female reader

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