#though my fam would’ve made me put it back if i’d even managed to get it out back then lol. ‘that purple thing again?!’ they’d prolly say…

[lucys-key]

Unexpected Encounters (Eren Yeager x Reader)

Part 1: Long Time, No See

An unexpected encounter one night reunites you with someone you haven't seen in a long time, but have also never quite forgotten about. (College/Modern AU).

Rating: Mature for now, but will probably change to explicit. (18+ only)

Warnings: Some cursing in this part, but otherwise no warnings. Let me know if you find anything else I should tag, though!

A/N: This is kinda something I’ve been writing for fun, haha, so I hope you enjoy!

...

It was the summer before your first year of college.

A summer that was a whirlwind of planning, buying everything you could think of that you might need, and saying goodbye to old friends.

You were equal parts nervous and excited. You were looking forward to getting away from the people at your high school, four years having been quite enough time with all of them, but you were also sad to be leaving the friends you had made. Anxiety about leaving home for the first time was also beginning to creep up as you got closer to move-in day. Needless to say, it was a stressful time.

You took a deep breath as you looked around your room. There was still so much that needed to be done, but it was such a nice day outside. You couldn’t bring yourself to focus on getting your shit together for school when you were missing out on your last summer before your first stage of adulthood.

Instead of packing, you walked over to the desk in your room where your phone was sitting and called your best friend Sasha. It was unfortunate, but you and Sasha had completely different interests when it came to academics, so when it was time to choose a college, you both ended up choosing rather different schools. Coming to terms with the fact that Sasha was not going to be there for you in-person everyday was perhaps one of the most difficult things about preparing to go off to college.

The line rang three times before Sasha picked up, her muffled greeting indicating that she was snacking on something, as per usual.

“What’s up?” she asked after swallowing her food. “Finished packing?”

You sighed and looked around your room which was a mess of boxes and clothes strewn around the floor that you were trying to decide whether or not to take with you.

“Nope. I’m procrastinating,” you said almost proudly. “This summer has gone by way too fast. I really thought I’d have more time to do everything.”

“Ugh, same,” Sasha groaned as she took another bite of whatever it was she was snacking on. “I take back what I said about wanting to further my education.”

You laughed and said, “I think it’s too late for that. Besides, don’t all freshmen get the unlimited meal plan at your school?”

Sasha squealed and you could feel her joy through the phone.

“YES!” she exclaimed. “And there are four dining halls to choose from. FOUR!”

“I’m happy for you and your culinary college journey,” you replied, feeling like you were really going to miss having your best friend around.

You heard a noise in the background that sounded like Sasha’s father, and sure enough, a second later Sasha said, “I’m happy for me, too, but hey, I gotta go. Fam requires my assistance.”

You nodded even though she couldn’t see you through the phone. “Go assist. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Alrighty, love you,” Sasha said and then hung up.

As you put your phone back down on the desk, you couldn’t help but feel a little sad. You only had a week before it was time to drive for four hours to your new home, and you didn’t know what to do with yourself. You still didn’t want to pack, and Sasha was busy so hanging out with her was also not an option.

Eventually, you sighed and stood up to face the inevitable: you had to pack, or at least organize your things. Before getting started, you walked over to the window next to your bed and looked outside. The sun was beginning to set, and it was still such a nice day. You pulled the window open to let in the warm summer breeze, and you heard the pleasant rustling of the leaves on the tree outside of your room.

After a few hours of packing, dinner, and watching Netflix, the sun had set completely, and you felt exhausted. You went to your dresser to put on an old, oversized t-shirt before going to the bathroom to complete your nighttime routine.

Once you were finished, you got into bed, pulled the covers over you, and soon enough you were fast asleep.

___

A loud noise.

You stirred in your sleep, not quite waking.

But then you heard another noise, and you sat up and opened your eyes, blinking them a few times to try and process your surroundings better. You looked around your room and didn’t see anything.

You felt a breeze and then realized that you had forgotten to close the window before going to bed. Deciding that the noise had been something from outside, you pushed your bed covers off of yourself to get up and close the window.

Only, as soon as your feet hit the ground and you took a step forward, you tripped over something on the floor and landed right on top of it. You groaned in pain, but before you could look to see what it was you had tripped on, an unfamiliar voice resonated throughout your bedroom.

“Ow, Jean. What the fuck?!”

You immediately froze. That was a person who just spoke. There was a person in your bedroom. A person you didn’t know, at least not by their voice.

After a few seconds, you got yourself together and quickly scrambled away from whoever it was lying on your bedroom floor. You stood up so you were looking down at them.

“Who are you?” you demanded, trying to keep the terrified edge out of your voice. Your eyes still hadn’t adjusted to the dark room so you couldn’t get a good look at their face.

The person moved, presumably to sit up, and then there was a pause.

“What do you mean ‘who am I?’ Who are you?” the stranger demanded back.

You scoffed. “This is my room dumbass. Get out. Now.”

Whoever it was in your room made a noise of confusion, and you walked around your bed to turn on the lamp. It filled your room with a soft light.

When you walked back around to the other side of your bed, the stranger had stood up, but their back was turned to you. All you could see was brown hair tied into a loose, messy bun.

“This isn’t Jean’s room,” they remarked and then whipped around to face you.

“Hey, where the fuck am I?”

You stood still as you finally got a look at the stranger’s face. Although it had been a long time, you’d recognize those bright green eyes anywhere.

“Eren?” you asked in astonishment.

Eren’s eyes widened slightly, and you were more than a little surprised when he said your name in return. You were sure after six years he would’ve forgotten it— forgotten you. You had been nothing more than classmates, after all.

Eren stood for a few seconds, but then his face broke out into a grin.

“Damn. It’s been a long time,” he said your name again, and as he continued to look at you, you were suddenly reminded of how you must have looked. You had only worn an oversized shirt to bed. Thankfully, it covered the upper half of your thighs, but you still felt yourself wishing you had more clothes on, as Eren was completely dressed in black sweats, a grey t-shirt, and sneakers.

As you looked at his face, you couldn’t help but recognize how much he had changed over the last few years. You met him when you were just twelve years old and in junior high. His child-like features had disappeared completely, and he was nothing like the boy you remembered.

For starters, Eren had grown— a lot. His voice was deeper, which was why you weren’t able to recognize it earlier. His facial features were also much more defined, his cheekbones and jawline now standing out. And perhaps the most remarkable thing about Eren’s appearance was the fact that he had chosen to grow his hair out. Your memories of Eren were of a boy with short brown hair and green eyes, though those were still the same, running around as he played with his friends at school.

You only let yourself look at him for a few more seconds before addressing the issue that had woken you in the first place.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, still so very confused about how he managed to make it into your bedroom of all places.

Eren rubbed a hand on the back of his neck looking slightly embarrassed.

“Oh, right,” Eren said and laughed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you or anything. I think I must’ve gotten the address confused.”

You almost wanted to roll your eyes in exasperation. What did that even mean? And what was he doing climbing into people’s rooms?

Eren must’ve seen your confusion so he continued his explanation.

“You know Jean, right?” he asked.

Oh yeah, you remembered. He had mentioned his name earlier. It just so happened that after Eren moved away during your second year of junior high—something to do with his dad’s job as a doctor, if you remembered correctly—Jean’s family also moved just across town to your street. You weren’t great friends with him, but you two had gone to the same high school. You also remembered that Eren and Jean used to be close friends before Eren moved away.

“This is my first time back here in a while,” Eren said. “Jean texted me his new address, but I’ve only been here like a day, and clearly haven’t figured everything out.”

Things were starting to make more sense to you, and Eren must have seen you relax slightly because he smiled.

“I don’t normally climb into people’s rooms, by the way,” Eren said, and took his phone out of his pocket to look again at the last text Jean had sent him. “Jean said I’d wake his parents if I went in the front door, so I should use the window since his room is close to the ground.”

Eren frowned and looked behind him at your own window which was still open. “Probably should’ve realized something was wrong when I had to climb a whole ass tree. That was exhausting.”

Despite everything, you found yourself laughing. You couldn’t believe that Eren had climbed all the way up a tree only to end up in your room. You bet he was just as confused as you were when he heard your voice instead of Jean’s.

You walked over to your dresser to take out a pair of shorts to cover yourself, and Eren turned away as you carefully put them on under your shirt.

“Why are you going to Jean’s at…” you started to ask, walking over to your desk to pick up your phone to check the time, “1:30 in the morning?”  

Eren, still standing in the middle of your room, raised his eyebrows and grinned.

“Curious, are we?” he joked, and you felt heat rush to your face.

“Not really,” you managed to say, moving away from your desk to sit on your bed. “Just thought I should know why I was woken up by you at such an hour.”

“Fair enough,” Eren replied.

Since you were sitting on your bed, he moved to lean against your desk which was across from you.

“I’m staying with Armin,” Eren continued, “but Jean and I were planning to see some people tonight before everyone leaves for school in the next few days.”

After junior high, Armin transferred to a private high school, but he still lived in the area. You guessed he and Eren had managed to stay best friends even after Eren moved.

“I see. That sounds fun,” you said, but then added, “Although, I’m not sure why your friends like to hang out so late.”

Eren laughed, showing his perfect teeth. “I take it you’re not a night person, then?”

You looked down, feeling suddenly embarrassed.

“Just not tonight,” you replied.

Eren nodded in understanding. He looked at you for a few moments, and you suddenly felt awkward. He was still standing, and you thought you should invite him to sit or something. Was that weird?

You quickly decided that it wasn’t really weird, and you gestured to the desk chair and said, “You can sit if you want.”

Eren looked at the chair, seeming like he hadn’t even realized it was there.

“Oh, sure,” he said, but seemed conflicted. “Only if you want, though,” he continued. “I know I kind of barged in here, and I don’t want to invade your space or keep you up or anything.”

His politeness made you smile, and you found that you didn’t mind his presence in the least.

“No, it’s fine,” you replied.

Eren smiled too and moved to sit on the chair, his front pressed against the back of it so you could still see his face. Eren rested his arms on the top of the back of the chair and leaned forward.

“So how have you been?” he asked, your name leaving his mouth at the end of the question.

Six years was a long time to recap, so you just said, “Pretty good, although I have been stressed lately, as you can see.” You gestured to the many boxes sitting around the floor of your room.

Eren laughed and nodded.

“Yeah, my room looks similar. I needed to get away, and this seemed like a good escape, but I still have so much shit to do when I get back home,” he sighed.

“How long are you here for?” you asked, trying to keep your tone disinterested.

“Just until tomorrow,” he replied.

You were about to say something, but then Eren’s phone began to ring. He muttered “Sorry,” as he took the phone out of his pocket.

Eren turned his head to face the ground as he answered the phone, trying his best to keep his voice down.

“What do you want, horseface?” you heard him say as a greeting. You almost snorted as you realized horseface had to be Jean.

While Eren was talking, you took out your own phone and began to scroll through it mindlessly, not wanting to seem like you were eavesdropping on his conversation. You almost texted Sasha about what was happening, but then decided to wait.

After about a minute or so, Eren hung up the phone. You turned off your phone and looked up to see an apologetic expression on his face.

“Sorry, but I think I have to go,” Eren said, and he almost looked disappointed.

You also felt slightly disappointed but didn’t want to keep Eren from seeing his friends.

“Okay,” you said, and then looked over to your window. Was he planning to climb back out of it?

Eren followed your gaze and seemed to read your thoughts.

“Uh, would it be alright if I used your front door this time?” he asked, laughing shyly.

“Yeah, of course,” you said, feeling stupid. Of course he didn’t want to climb down a tree.

“Thanks,” Eren replied, obviously grateful, and he stood up from the chair.

You got off of your bed and walked towards your bedroom door. Before you opened it, you turned to Eren and said, “We have to be quiet, though. I don’t want to wake anyone.”

He smiled and nodded in understanding.

“Got it,” he whispered.

You turned the handle of your door slowly and pushed it open. With Eren close behind, you led him through the dark hallway to the stairs.

Unfortunately, your stairs were old and fairly steep, so navigating them in the dark would prove to be fairly difficult. You both made it about half-way down without a sound, but then you put your foot in front of you and accidentally missed the next step.

You felt yourself slipping, but then an arm from behind you wrapped around your waist before you could fall.

“Careful,” Eren warned.

“Thanks,” you said, and found yourself laughing at your clumsiness. In response, Eren laughed too. He still had his arm around you, and he was so close that you could hear the sound right next to your ear.

You breathed in deep as you were also able to take in his scent. He smelled like the outside, like smoke and the tree he had climbed, but there was also something sweet, like vanilla.

You heard Eren whisper your name from behind you and snapped out of your trance.

“Sorry,” you said, and then Eren moved his arm back to his side as you continued to walk down the stairs, paying extra attention to where you placed your feet.

After you successfully made it down without another incident, you walked to your front door and pulled it open. You felt the warm summer air rush over your body as you walked outside with Eren. You shut the door behind you so you could say goodbye without anyone in your house hearing.

You and Eren stood awkwardly for a moment, neither of you knowing how to say goodbye. What were you supposed to say? Everything you came up with in your head sounded embarrassing.

But then Eren smiled and laughed nervously, and you felt the tension disappear as it became clear that you and Eren both felt awkward.

You smiled back at him and asked, “Do you know where you’re going?”

Eren put his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants and nodded. “Yep. Looks like I had gotten the last number of the address wrong.”

You made a sound of understanding and were about to say something like goodbye, but then Eren’s voice cut you off before you could say anything.

“Hey,” he said, “it was really nice to see you.”

You couldn’t really believe the situation you were in. You had thought for sure that you would never see Eren again after he moved, yet here he was, standing outside of your house.

“Yeah, you too,” you said, and watched as the wind moved loose pieces of Eren’s hair around his face.

He smiled at you one last time before turning to walk down the pathway leading from your house to the sidewalk.

Before he got too far, he turned around and yelled, “Lock your window from now on!”

You couldn’t help the laugh that escaped you.

“I will!” you yelled back and waved at him.

Eren waved too, and then you watched him walk down the street for a few moments before going back inside your house.

After shutting your front dooor as quietly as you could, you walked back up to your room and took a deep breath. What were you supposed to do now?

You couldn’t get Eren out of your mind, still in disbelief that he had just been in your room. You had way too much energy to get back into bed. You looked around at the clothes on your floor and decided that it would be the perfect time to organize your things.

There was a sweater by your door with the name of your college on it. You picked it up and pulled it over your head before getting started.

Little did you know that in a few weeks, your life was going to become more intertwined with Eren’s than you could have ever imagined.

Read part 2 here

#eren yeager #attack on titan #eren x reader #aot anime #jean kirschtien #armin arlert #fanfic #annie leonhardt #historia reiss #ymir #reiner #snk anime #anime #unexpected encounters

[madsdefencesquad]

another kevison fanfic none of you asked for (also on ao3):

[Thread] Who's the nicest celeb you've met in real life?

-

Kevin Pearson. Was an extra for one of his movies and couldn’t be any nicer. Chatted with us even though technically you weren’t supposed to. He joked around a lot and showed us pics of his family. Real top bloke.

-

I met this guy once on vacation in Italy. We were at a table next to him and my newborn was screaming bloody murder, mom was in the bathroom. Couldn’t quite calm my son and I was getting real embarrassed with the loud noise. Some of the waiters came over to their table to ask if they wanted to move but Kevin shut them down immediately. Actually got a bit cross that they even suggested it. His wife suggested to rock my baby on the side to make him stop and he did! She knows a few tricks having twins and stuff. Also shared that joy/misery thing of being first time parents. Anyway, they left first (they got there earlier) and we learned after that they paid for our meals too. Couldn’t believe it.

replied: Wow. That’s the so fucking nice of them.

replied: Yeah made my wife cry haha

-

I’ve heard only good things about him too! My mom lives in Philly and his brother was running for city council a few years back and he was there and took photos with all the Korean mamas including my own and my grandma! apparently he smells really expensive :P

-

Didn’t know that I was fully chatting up his wife at Starbucks until I saw a pic of them at the premiere for one of his movies. I’d be embarrassed by my god she was fantastic! 10/10 would’ve gone for it if I wasnt such a potato

replied: And wasn’t married.

replied: That too

-

My daughter was an extra on one of his movies and says he’s the nicest guy and “such a dad” lol! And her dad’s a real “dad” dad so for her to say that about a famous actor is funny

-

I used to teach his kids in my kindergarten class. Daughter’s wicked smart. I can tell you all the mothers would have a fit every time he’d come by to pick them up and if it’s not his wife or them together, it’s him. Very hands on. I’d say that counts for nice.

-

Rocked out to a Lady Gaga show with him and his wife in Vegas. His wife and I are practically best friends now! We’re on first name basis ;)

replied: Sounds fun! What were they there for if you don’t mind me asking? Coz isn’t he like sober now?

replied to a reply: I think it was for a niece’s birthday or something? Couldn’t remember, was pretty wild night :P And I didn’t see any drinks.Even his wife wasn’t drinking I think? They were literally there to enjoy Gaga like the rest of us

-

I love hearing stories about him like this because it always looks like he’s such a pretentious pretty boy jerk especially back in the day

replied: Getting your life sorted can change a man

replied to a reply: Yeah he’s pretty mellowed out since getting sober. He’s had that DUI and rehab stint but now he’s a real family man and seems to love his wife very much. Good for him.

-

Doesn’t he remind you of George Clooney? Got married late and had boy girl twins and is loving life!

replied: True!!

-

Not sure if everybody knows but his wife Madison is pretty big in the interior design space especially coz she like pretty much runs their fam construction business. I follow her on Insta and I know everyone has a crush on Kevin but I’d pick her over him any day!

replied: OMG YES SAME! She puts together these amazing DIY palettes and I’m obsessed! I’d also pick her over him any day even just to pick her brain

replied to a reply: She also recommends the best books!!!

-

My mom’s in the planning side of construction and met his wife in West Chester. She did a presentation and afterwards her and my mom shared parenting tips like they’re in some mom club. Apparently she was the sweetest and her babies are adorable and also Kevin calls a lot lol

-

Met him at the airport, wife’s a huge fan of the manny so sucked my gut to ask for a pic. When he found out it’s for the missus, he recorded a special vid saying his iconic line. Missus was over the moon. Real good fella

replied: MANNY SAY WHAAATTTTT

replied: That’s so nice

replied: He did for my mom as well! All the moms love him!

-

Kevin Pearson helped re-build my grandparents’ burned down convenience store. Couldn’t thank him enough even if I tried

replied: Wow, that’s real generous. How are the grandparents?

replied to a reply: Thanks! They’re over the moon. They have a house near the area but gran said he’d come by with his kids from time to time. Even if gran didn’t want to, they always insisted to pay for whatever the kids wanted.

-

Delivered the cake for his uncle (grandpa’s?) wedding and he gave a seriously generous tip. Oh and his wife packed me pigs in the blanket.

replied: Pigs in the blanket?! What in the middle school

replied: Apparently it was the uncle/grandad’s favorite or something and they double ordered. But who cares free food!

replied to a reply: Did it come with ketchup?

replied to a reply: Hot, wrapped in foil and handful of ketchup packets. I felt like one of the kids

-

Not him but his brother who’s like a big shot in politics right now. Real top guy and had the best laugh

-

This doesn’t sound real but I’ve bumped into him literally five times over the past year he’ll probably think I’m some stalker. Rarely saw him without his family and once his kid threw a ball at me. He apologised but c’mon you either throw a ball or bounce it no big deal. Besides, that kid has David Beckham’s kids manners. Real like English folk polite it’s insane

replied: That’s always nice to hear that celebrity kids aren’t spoiled brats. We know a few good of them are

replied to a reply: Celebrity kids are different from kid celebrities though

replied to a reply: Didn’t say they were the same? Just saying that for a kid of someone so rich and famous you’d think they’d be a bit more spoiled but they weren’t at all and was beyond respectful and that’s a testament to the parents.

replied to a reply: Agree. I’ve met this particular celebrity’s kids and mind you they’re teens now but god they were just awful and pretentious. Even more than their famous parent which is saying something

-

Not him but I did meet that actress that was so embarrassingly flirty around him during the press conference of hat film he did a few years back. She’s a real bitch and so fake and I’m so glad she’s been dropped from the sequel

replied: Oh god yeah I remember her. She was so obnoxious laughing at everything he said like stfu it’s not that funny!!!! The secondhand embarrassment watching her and him being all polite about it *chills*

replied: She’s the worst. No talent

replied to a reply: I was an extra for some scenes in that movie and she was WAY worse and such a diva for someone unknown. Kevin’s a real nice guy though and just let her be. He talks about his wife and kids a lot but she would not take a hint!

replied to a reply: That is just embarrassing

-

Alright story time. Was working as a barista at a cafe and it was one of those really shitty days. He came in, ordered and waited and was all nice and took some pics with fans. Anyway, like I said shitty day so I mixed up his coffee order and got him two lattes instead of cappuccinos. Mind you, it was a busy asf day as well and I was the only one making coffees. He comes over and tells me and I apologise but by this time my manager’s already all up on my ass for serving Kevin Pearson incorrectly. He kept apologising to him and berating me till Kevin himself stepped in and told the manager off. But like calmly and stuff like it’s no big deal and people make mistakes whatever and I kid you fucking not he apologised to me too and said I was doing a good job. He probably won’t know how much that meant to me after an already shitty as day but it did. I made sure to make him the best fucking cappuccinos

replied: I’ve met him in irl too and he is this!

-

I saw him sitting at a cafe with his daughter. Super nice. Asked him if I could get an autograph for my mom who’s a huge fan. He asked me some questions about her and wrote a really nice autograph, for her. His daughter stuck one of her stickers on there too and my mom loved that even more. I told him where she works (at a grocers) and he went out of his way to shop there the next day and made a point to look for her and chat. Great, great dude

replied: That is so fucking cool man. And your mom must’ve been so happy!

replied to a reply: She was over the moon! She loves his wife too! Apparently she was even chattier than Kevin haha

-

Met him at the airport. I was an employee and he had some TSA questions. Genuinely nice and friendly, chatted for about 15min. After he was set, we shook hands, he had his kids say thank you individually with a high five. Adorable. His wife was super nice and friendly too. Very good social interaction, would participate again

#i got boooooooored again #so here's something none of you asked forrrrr #this was fun though haha #kevison #kevin and madison #kadison #kevison fanfics #kevison fanfic #tiu #Kevin's all the happily married celeb dads out there gushing about their wife and kids #and he's just so happy and content and full #like good for u gurl #this is probably not the last one lezbereal #I can already imagine them during award shows and what the people working have observed lol #anywhooo #for kevison nation #my fave nation #had to get this out there before I lose it! #I'll answer the asks after I promise illyyyy

[artificialqueens]

Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, 8 (Branjie) (and background everyone) - Ortega

a/n: ayo fam!!!! thank u so so sososo much for reading and sending love, it makes my heart HAPPY! i apologise in advance for this chapter…….a Lot goes on. wouldn’t be much of a rollercoaster if it was flat would it!! hope u will all still like me afterwards xoxo

fic summary: Strictly Come Dancing enters its 18th series and its producers, after being goaded by a rival dance show on its inclusivity, commission it to be an all-female cast. Unlike Akeria who’s just here to bone her potential dance partner, dancer Vanessa is ready to act like a professional.

And then TV presenter Brooke Lynn walks into the rehearsal room.

***

31st October 2020

“Ready, baby?”

“Always.”

Vanessa smiles at Brooke from her position on the platform she’s standing on. Brooke has an identical one beside her, a huge purple structure with a phone box drilled into it that’s strong and has definitely been checked by the health and safety experts at least six times. Looking down, the ballroom floor looks ever so slightly too far away, but Vanessa knows that’s just her eyes playing tricks on her. She knows that when the music starts and the time comes, she’ll jump off it without any problems. As the band continue to set up she picks at her skirt, all messy netting and tulle. Vanessa supposes she’s never seen a fashionable zombie.

Halloween week has crept up on her- she’s honestly been too wrapped up in her own thoughts to notice the passage of time. Instead of seconds, minutes and hours her days are now measured in dance steps, quick glugs of her water bottle in rehearsals, how many times Brooke flirts with her that day. Ever since last week they haven’t seemed to be able to stop flirting. They always seem to be laughing or smiling at each other, casually hugging or holding hands mid-rehearsal like it’s natural. It’s not, though, and Vanessa knows it’s only a matter of time before her feelings become unravelled. She can’t figure Brooke out yet, and she knows that there’s a chance she’s acting this way because she’s more comfortable with Vanessa, maybe that’s how she acts around all her friends. But still…she doesn’t know. She knows she’s not going to risk ruining anything, though, and she’s definitely not going to risk anything going wrong with their partnership after they scored 32 on Saturday for their Salsa, favourable comments pouring out of the judges’ mouths like water out of a jug. Laganja had stood up from her seat at the table and actually screamed when Michelle asked her what she’d thought, babbling about how hot and sizzling and perfect it all was.

“At one point I thought you two were gonna kiss!” she’d screeched, and the audience had all laughed. Vanessa had wanted to tell her that she hadn’t been that far from the truth.  

Their Salsa actually got higher marks than Jan and Jackie’s, which had put a spring in Vanessa’s step. The goal had been to showcase her and Brooke’s chemistry, and Vanessa feels like they definitely did that. It gets harder not to compare themselves to other couples though, especially when there’s only nine of them left now. Aja and Farrah are out of the competition after a dance-off with Willam and Phi Phi last week, so now that the strong have well and truly been separated from the weak things are coming very much down to the wire. Even Heidi and Vixen and Shea and Peppermint’s scores haven’t been all that favourable lately. Vanessa shifts on top of the platform. Dress rehearsal is usually fun but she’s overthinking things now and making herself nervous. She gives herself a little shake, looks at Brooke for a reassuring smile she knows will come. She can’t let Brooke know she’s feeling anxious. Their dance is, overall, quite an easy one- it’s their couples choice week, so naturally Vanessa has chosen Commercial as their genre, never one to shy away from the chance to behave like she’s in a music video. She knows it still needs to be sharp and synchronised, neither of them missing a beat. They’ve done similar in their Jive, so all they really need to do is transfer the same skills into this dance.

“Ready to go in three!” a producer shouts. Vanessa takes a deep breath and steadies herself, taking her position inside the phone box. From across the ballroom floor she can see Brooke doing the same.

A hush falls over the girls that are watching in the audience, the drumsticks click, and the song begins.

“Calling all the monsters, calling all the monsters…”

Vanessa pops her hip as she acts out a conversation with Brooke, putting the phone down and stepping out of the booth as soon as the beat kicks in. She puts her hands to her heart and pulses them, getting ready to launch herself off the platform the moment she hears her cue.

“Heart thumps and you jump…”

Vanessa jumps, flying through the air-

And the moment she hits the ground she knows something’s not right. She feels her leg give out, a pop, and searing pain shooting through her calf. She’s fallen to the floor and every fibre of her body is screaming at her to get up; she’s the professional, and what kind of professional is she if she can’t carry on after a small mistake? The music is still going so she drags herself onto her knees, attempts to stand up. The whole dance is thrown off now. Fuck. When she puts her foot on the floor and tries to stand it’s too painful- she can’t do it. She can see some of the girls in the audience standing up, yelling, gesturing to producers and runners.

Brooke runs over to her and the music stops. Vanessa’s on her back and she’s drawn her leg up to her chest. She can hear Brooke asking if she’s okay and the concern in her voice, can feel her stroking her hair and holding her hand, and usually this would’ve warmed her heart and made her feel all soft inside but the pain is overwhelming and it’s all she can focus on. She’s embarrassed and aware of how weak she must look in front of the other girls- she’ll have just landed on her ankle funny, there won’t be any more to it than that.  

“I’m fine…it’s fine…” Vanessa protests, embarrassed at the amount of people now surrounding her. She’s got Brooke, a runner, a producer, and now someone from first aid. She tries to stand up again and is annoyed when everyone reacts much the same as if she’s pointed a gun at them, telling her to lie back down and fussing over her. All Vanessa can do is stare up at the ceiling and look at the rigging while the woman from first aid pokes and prods and massages her calf, the filters and lights all bright and overwhelming above her. Her gaze snaps away from the ceiling to rest on Brooke’s face. She’s wearing a troubled expression, little lines deep set into her forehead and her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. Vanessa hates seeing her look this worried and she’s horrified that it’s she herself that’s made her feel this way.

“Brookie, don’t worry,” Vanessa musters up a smile for her. Brooke blinks, and when she looks at her again Vanessa can see tears in her eyes. Vanessa carries on, squeezes her hand. “They’ll stick a bit of ice on this an’ then I’ll be ready to dance with you tonight, you’ll see.”

She watches Brooke take a deep breath, nod at her supportively. Vanessa isn’t lying- she truly believes in what she’s saying. She’ll be fine. It’ll just be a rolled ankle, nothing too serious. She panics, though, when she sees two runners with the studio’s stretcher, moving through the audience seating.

“That ain’t for me. Surely not.”

The producer is telling her it’s just a precaution, but it’s a precaution that’s made Vanessa’s worry spike. They roll her onto it, and Brooke doesn’t let go of her hand. The first aid woman is telling her she can’t go with them. Vanessa scowls, feels the anger build in her gut.

“But I want her there. She’s my partner,” she snaps. She’s never mean to anyone she works with, always goes out of her way to be kind, reassuring and understanding, but all she wants is to have Brooke by her side because everything is starting to sink in now and she’s scared. First aid insists there’s no way, and Vanessa lets out a frustrated sigh that’s too close to a growl.

“What should I do?” Brooke asks her, worry etched on her face. Vanessa gives her hand one last squeeze before the stretcher is hoisted off the ground.

“Practise. Just practise. Make sure you’re ready for me,” Vanessa winks at Brooke in a vague attempt at reassurance then suddenly she’s being carried away from her, away from the ballroom and the glitter and colour and into an off-white room with strobe lights and a brown examination bed. She’s transferred onto the bed and left there for a small while, the silence in the room almost crushing her.

What the fuck has she managed to do?

It’s crazy, but her only thought is Brooke. What will happen to her? Will she get given a bye, will she be taken out of the competition? Will she get a new partner? The thought creeps into Vanessa’s brain and lodges itself there like a tick. Vanessa wants to shake it out but it won’t budge. If her first year competing with a celebrity is ruined by her stupid fucking leg…

She squeezes her eyes tight shut. Maybe this is all a dream. It wouldn’t be the first time. When she opens her eyes she is still in the same room as before. Fuck. She looks down at her calf and mutters the same word as she sees how much it has swollen up underneath the grey tights she’s got on.

Soon enough, a producer enters the room with someone Vanessa doesn’t recognise. It turns out they’ve called in a doctor. Her dance shoes and tights are peeled off and after much poking and prodding, the doctor steps away and fixes Vanessa with a sympathetic smile.

“Okay, my love, I’d usually take you in for an ultrasound but from what I can see I’m confident that what this looks like is a grade two level torn calf muscle.”

Vanessa wants to be sick.

“What that means is that you’re going to need lots of rest, lots of ice and compression. Try to elevate it wherever possible. The producers are going to make sure you get a follow-up appointment to get it looked at so you know when you’ll be able to get back to dancing.”

Vanessa frowns. She refuses to believe it. They’ve not come out and said she can’t dance. Maybe if she does the dance just once tonight she can rest it next week. “But I’m dancing tonight, I…Brooke needs me-”

The doctor is smiling at her like she’s a child and it does nothing for Vanessa’s blood pressure. “I’m really sorry, love, there’s no way you can dance on this. For at least a week, but that’s in the best case. Sometimes torn muscles can take six weeks to-”

“No. No, no, no, no,” Vanessa blurts out. She can feel the tears in her eyes; they’ve sprung up out of nowhere but all she can hear ringing in her ears is six weeks. The final is six weeks away. She needs to be better. It can’t take that long. “I need to be here, I can’t withdraw, I need to…Brooke Lynn…”

She is reduced to crying on an examination table with a doctor and one of the producers simply watching her. The doctor hands her a tissue, clearly feeling guilty. “Look, it really just depends on how well you look after it. It would probably take six weeks if you were trying to dance on it immediately again! As long as you’re sensible and take care, your recovery time will be much less.”

This does nothing to reassure her. Vanessa fixes her eyes on the producer. “What’s gonna happen?”

He scratches his neck and shrugs. “Well, we’ll offer Brooke a bye for this week. We’ll need to give her a new partner though. Just temporarily, until you’re better.”

Vanessa pouts, feels herself whine like a baby. “This is so unfair.”

“I know. I’m sorry. S’pose this comes with the territory, though, doesn’t it? Injuries…dancing,” he rambles on. Vanessa wants him to leave. Vanessa wants them both to leave. She wants to be on her own. She just wants a big, therapeutic cry with nobody there to watch her. Vanessa communicates this to the two of them and they both nod understandingly before leaving. A runner comes in with some ice for Vanessa’s leg and some pillows to elevate it, and they disappear equally rapidly.

Vanessa tries to think rationally, but no rational thought comes. All she can keep thinking is six weeks, six weeks, six weeks. It feels like her Strictly journey is over already. She knows she’s being selfish, knows that it’s Brooke’s journey. She should be happy for her- she’ll still get a partner, she’ll still get to continue and succeed.

But it should have been her.

The tears are still streaming down Vanessa’s face when there’s a shy knock at the door. It’s Brooke Lynn, and she’s still in costume but she’s had her hair and makeup done as well. There’s prosthetic chunks of blood and gore all over her and her skin is painted all grey and decaying, but Brooke still looks beautiful to her.

“Hey, boo,” Vanessa gives her a soft smile, frantically wipes the tears away from her face. She feels silly. “Get it? ‘Cuz it’s Halloween.”

Brooke laughs a little, entering the room and coming straight over to the bed to give Vanessa a hug. Vanessa can’t describe how much better she feels in Brooke’s arms, how much easier everything suddenly is.

“How are you, baby?” Brooke asks her mid-hug, and Vanessa can feel her murmur against her neck. It’s nice.

“I tore my calf…they told me I gotta rest up, it might take six weeks to heal…fuck, Brooke, I’m so sorry…”

Vanessa feels herself start to cry again as she clings onto Brooke like a koala, and Brooke hugs her even tighter in response. “Don’t be ridiculous! It won’t take that long at all. Torn muscles are so common, think about how many people must tear things in dancing! You’ll be fine. Hey. No more crying.”

Vanessa obediently wipes the tears away from under her eyes as she pulls away and gives Brooke a smile. Brooke meets and mirrors it, then leans in and kisses Vanessa gently on the forehead. When she pulls away again she seems shy as she laces their hands together. Vanessa is gazing gently at her. She’s never been closer to telling Brooke…

And then it sinks in all over again that Brooke is in full costume. And she’s had her makeup and hair done. Why would that have happened if she had taken the bye this week?

Vanessa frowns a little, confused. “So, uh. They give you a bye?”

Brooke nods. “They offered me one. Or they said I could dance it but with one of the other pros, so I said I’d just do that.”

“Oh,” Vanessa says before she can stop herself. Brooke’s words manage to hurt her even more than her leg already is.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, nothing. Of course you wanna dance it. You need to, you worked so hard on it,” Vanessa says quickly. Of course Brooke wants to do the dance. She’s on a competitive TV dancing show, what the hell else was she going to do? Did Vanessa really think she was going to turn around and say no? She tries to squash the feeling of being slowly eaten up inside. “So, uh. You’re dancing it. Who with?”

Vanessa’s heart sinks. Please don’t be-

“Plastique. She’s in makeup now. She was literally the first pro the producers grabbed; she walked past as we were having the conversation and they just asked her if she would do it. Had to teach her the whole thing in like, 45 minutes. You would’ve been proud of me.”

Of fucking course she’s dancing with her. Of course. Vanessa can still remember the way Plastique had looked at Brooke across the room on induction day, all interested and intrigued. Vanessa doesn’t want to be dramatic but this has to be up there with one of the worst days of her life. She can see Brooke looking at her and waiting for a response, so Vanessa just smiles tightly. She doesn’t trust herself to speak; she’ll either say something she’ll regret or she’ll simply cry.

“I know you probably just want to get home, but you could stay and watch in the green room? Blair and Scarlet have come to visit to watch Toni and Yvie. You could sit with them!” Brooke encourages her. Vanessa wants to say no- there is nothing she wants less than to watch Brooke dancing with someone else, especially if that someone else is Plastique, but Brooke’s expression is so hopeful and pleading that Vanessa just quietly nods.

“Amazing! I promise I won’t let you down,” she beams at her. There’s a producer shouting for her in the corridor so with that, Brooke gives Vanessa another hug and Vanessa wishes her good luck.

She’s gone, and so is a part of Vanessa.

But she’s said she’ll stay and watch her so Vanessa takes her ice and pillows and hobbles through to the green room, finds Blair and Scarlet sitting on the big sofa in front of the TV screen. They’re equal parts excited and sad to see Vanessa, fussing over her and her leg and distracting her with stories about life post-Strictly. Blair has been contacted by some up-and-coming makeup company looking to make her the face of their brand, and Scarlet’s been filming in between meeting up with Yvie for dates. It turns out the both of them had made connections with some of the girls, as Blair’s here for Vixen who she’s been texting non-stop since she left the show. Vanessa finds it odd the amount of things that have managed to go on right under her nose only for her not to notice, but she supposes she isn’t surprised given how up in the clouds her head’s been over Brooke.

The show begins. They prerecorded the pro dance this week, and it’s weird for Vanessa to watch herself dance across the screen. The whole thing is weird, really. She shouldn’t be watching the show at all. She should be on it, she should be there, live, dancing. The pro dance ends and Michelle comes out to introduce the judges and the couples. Before they all come down the stairs, she explains why Vanessa won’t be on the show that night. Hearing her say that she won’t be dancing makes her tear up all over again. Blair pats her shoulder and Scarlet squeezes her hand in support. Vanessa thinks she might cut off Scarlet’s blood circulation the moment she sees Brooke descend the stairs with Plastique, the two of them holding hands, waving to the audience and smiling at each other gently.

Vanessa’s got ages to wait until she can see Brooke dance and she spends every second stressing and fretting and worrying. She wants to be at home, to just go to sleep and wake up when her leg’s better and she can go back to dancing with her beautiful celebrity partner. Instead she’s here in a green room with a melting bag of ice under her leg watching Willam struggle through a Paso Doble, with a girl on either side of her wittering on about the object of their affections. So when it cuts to a VT that the editors have obviously hastily scraped together of Plastique gushing about how much she’s looking forward to dancing with Brooke and Brooke talking about how she’s nervous to dance with somebody new, Vanessa sits up straight on the sofa.

“Dancing the Creepy Commercial for their couples’ choice…Brooke Lynn Bites, and Plast-eek Tiara!”

Normally she’d crack at least a small smile at the ridiculous puns that get used for Halloween week, but Vanessa can’t draw her eyes away from the screen. There’s the both of them, and Plastique on her plinth, bevelling in her phone booth, about to dance with her partner.

The dance begins and Vanessa is on tenterhooks. The pair of them spring off their plinths, land perfectly and continue with the dance. Brooke is hitting every beat so well and it makes Vanessa proud, but there’s a point where Plastique freaks out beside her, doing something that entirely wasn’t choreographed. She’s obviously forgotten the dance. Vanessa bites her nails as she watches Brooke gently guide her into the next section and they pick it up from there. When the dance finishes, the audience lets out rapturous applause. Three of the judges are on their feet.

Vanessa feels like crying all over again.

The only saving grace is that Brooke hasn’t given Plastique the same kiss she normally reserves for Vanessa. She can hear Plastique apologising to her as they hug, and Vanessa grows irritated. This doesn’t ease up when they receive their comments and the judges give the pair of them glowing praise. And then they get their scores.

“Seven!”

“Nine!”

“Nine!”

“Nine!”

They’re the highest scores Brooke’s ever received, and she got them while dancing with Plastique.

Vanessa feels like storming off home but she can’t, not with her damn leg being the way it is, so she goes to chill in makeup for a while. The team there are nice- they’ll chat to her, take her mind off things, and they certainly won’t be as loved-up as Scarlet and Blair seem to be. She needs to not be around loved-up people right now. So it’s fitting, so fitting for the day she’s having, that the moment she walks into makeup there’s Jan sitting getting her foundation re-applied after her Jive with Jackie, who’s sitting on one of the couches having already finished her touch-ups. The pair of them are singing along to the song playing softly over the speakers, and neither of them notice her at first until she gives a hiss of pain, her knee not liking all the movement.

“Oh! Vanessa!” Jackie exclaims, sympathy in her kind eyes. “How’re you doing, babe?”

Vanessa doesn’t miss the way Jan’s eyes snap open involuntarily at the pet name, the makeup artists cursing and the eyeshadow brush creating a white glitter spot against Jan’s orbital bone. The cogs turn quickly in her brain- if Plastique and Brooke have just finished their dance, it’s likely they’ll be heading to makeup soon too. Vanessa’s not petty, but she’s only human; Brooke has made her jealous, and it wouldn’t be fair if she didn’t return the favour.

“Not great,” Vanessa pouts, sitting on the sofa beside her. “It’s really fuckin’ sore. Great job out there, though. You both killed it.”    

“We did our best,” Jackie shrugs bashfully. Their Jive was a little undermarked this week- they’re all at the stage where anything under 30 is disappointing- so Vanessa knows a good tactic to get Jackie onside is to stroke her ego.

“Well, your best was amazing. Don’t beat yourself up,” she smiles at her, resting her hand on top of hers and patting it. She thinks Jackie might be blushing, but she’s honestly not sure (the green paint she’s got on in her witch costume makes it impossible to tell). Vanessa hams it up, hisses excessively in pain and grabs her calf. Jackie’s face twists into a concerned frown.

“Hey, have you ever had Reiki done before?” she asks. Vanessa shakes her head. Jackie perks up, clearly excited about whatever the fuck Reiki is. “I’m trained in it! I used to get it done so often and I loved it, so then I took a course and it’s what I did before I got into journalism. My parents said it wasn’t a real job, but…whatever, basically it’s energy healing transferred through palms. It can help with mental health or physical health. I could do some for you now, if you want! It might help things.”

Vanessa raises her eyebrows, nods a little. “Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll try anything at this point, they’re sayin’ this bitch could take up to six weeks to heal.”

Jackie tuts and motions for Vanesssa to put her leg up onto her lap. “Six weeks? No way. We’ve got to get you better for Brooke Lynn! Where’s it sore?”

Vanessa rubs the offending area on her calf and Jackie nods understandingly. She rubs her palms together to warm them up, places them both lightly against Vanessa’s bare calf. She leaves them there for a few moments before turning to Vanessa questioningly. “Any better?”

“A little, yeah!” Vanessa lies. Jan’s almost finished up in the makeup chair now and she can see her looking at the pair of them suspiciously.

“Jacks!” she calls over to her. Jackie looks up, smiles expectantly. She doesn’t take her hands off Vanessa’s leg. “Did costume not want to see you about that hem?”    

“Oh shit, of course! Thanks, baby,” Jackie beams at her, then smiles apologetically at Vanessa. “Sorry, ‘Ness. I hope that helped, anyway! If you ever want more done, just hit me up anytime!”

“I will. Thanks, Jackie,” she smiles back. She’s a little annoyed that Brooke didn’t even come into makeup when her impromptu jealousy plan was put into place. Vanessa doesn’t have too much time to think about that, though, as Jan’s approaching her from the other side of the room, a fake smile on her face.

“Hey, Jan.”

“Hey, V!” she begins, the cheer injected into her tone but not quite meeting her eyes. “Uh…what was that all about?”

“What was what? Oh, that?” Vanessa frowns, looking at the doorway Jackie’s just disappeared out of. “Yeah, Jackie does Reiki apparently. Fuck knows what it is, but she wanted to try it out on me, so…”

“Um, cool!” Jan smiles, fiddling with the hem of her fluffy white dress a little awkwardly. “Hey would you mind, um…I mean…it was just kind of weird. That’s all. I don’t really appreciate you doing all that in front of me, you know?”  

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Vanessa snorts a laugh. Then the penny well and truly drops- obviously the rumours about Jan and Jackie aren’t rumours at all. They’re facts. Jan rolls her eyes at her, laughs sardonically.

“Oh my God, have you been living under a rock? I thought me and Jackie were like, the worst kept secret of the season,” she gestures, as if everything had been so obvious. Vanessa supposes it was obvious, but she kind of has been living under a rock. Jan’s face drops in response to her blank expression. “Oh. You really didn’t know.”

“No.”

“Right.”

“Well, uh…” Vanessa begins. She shrugs. “Sorry, I guess.”

“No, it’s fine!” Jan backtracks kindly, visibly relieved. “I was just worried, you know, and obviously with you and Brooke Lynn…”

Vanessa screws her face up, confused. “Wait, what?”

Jan mirrors her facial expression. “Are you two not…?”

Vanessa puts two and two together and gets one million. She blushes furiously, can already feel her face hot. “Oh, uh…no. No we’re not…there’s nothing happening there.”

“Fuck, I am so sorry,” Jan grimaces, embarrassed. “I just assumed- you’re so close, and you’re always flirting, and near each other, and…”

Vanessa watches as Jan trails off. They’ve both managed to completely embarrass themselves, and Vanessa is about to open her mouth and mercifully end the conversation for the pair of them but Jan gets there first. “Guess I should go make sure Jackie isn’t Reiki-ing half of the damn costume department, huh?”

She gives a weak laugh which Vanessa politely joins in with. Before she leaves, she flashes her a smile.

“For the record, though-” Jan leans down to squeeze her hand, winks at her. “- you two would make an awesome couple.”

Jan’s turned her back and is leaving before Vanessa can even respond. She doesn’t even know what she’d say, truth be told. Her head is too packed, and she’s full of too many emotions. Vanessa decides she’s had enough of Elstree for one night, and she hobbles out of makeup and orders an Uber to take her home.

She’s half-asleep and tossing and turning in bed with her leg propped up on too many cushions when Brooke texts at roughly one in the morning.

B: Hey omg so sorry I didn’t text til now, tonight was just crazy! So sorry I never got to see you before you left but totally understandable, hope you’re feeling better? Idk if you got to see our dance or not but we got 34!!! Highest ever!!! Wish I could’ve been doing it with you but hope I made you proud. Sending loads of love xxx

The text should make Vanessa happy, make her feel reassured and warm and cared for, but all she can take from it is that Brooke had been too busy with Plastique to text her earlier, she hadn’t come to seek Vanessa out after her dance, and those high scores just twist the knife. Vanessa knows Brooke won’t have meant it like that but she’s still down about it, and she turns her phone over without replying and tries to get some sleep.

A new week comes after a day spent with her leg in a bucket of icy water, and Vanessa spends it sitting on the studio floor with her leg elevated and wondering why she’s there. Saturday night brought a shock of a dance-off- Yvie and Jaida against Shea and Peppermint- and in the end it had been the latter of the two couples that had to bow out when everyone was least expecting it. As a result, everyone is working even harder to make their dances perfect and stay in the competition. Vanessa watches Brooke rehearse with Plastique, watches them laugh together and hold each other and smile at each other. It’s been agreed that Plastique would choreograph their dance this week and Vanessa would attend rehearsals in case she was better and ready to dance it by Saturday. But she’s not taking any of it in, none of the steps, none of the twirls, because of course it’s their Viennese Waltz week and of course Plastique has picked the most emotional, heart-wrenching song to do it do, and as the pair of them glide across the floor with their bodies pressed together in hold Vanessa closes her eyes and listens to the lyrics and feels the tears bubble up under her eyelids with very little reason behind them.

“So it goes…one foot after the other, til black and white begins to colour in…”

But there is a reason. The reason is that Vanessa has connected with Brooke Lynn more than she’s connected with anyone else since Kameron, she knows her body without them even having so much as kissed, her heart lights up whenever Brooke smiles at her or flirts with her or even so much as texts her and she likes her, really fucking likes her, but now that’s all been thrown into a tailspin and as Brooke and Plastique gaze at each other while they dance, and as the music continues to play Vanessa feels as if her heart’s being ripped in two. She’s been distant with Brooke this week, damage limitation. Instead of laughing uproariously at her jokes she gives a small smile, instead of launching enthusiastically into conversation with her if she asks her a question she keeps her answers to a sentence and doesn’t follow up. There haven’t been any moments where it’s been just the two of them this week and she feels worse off for it. At times she can see Brooke looking at her with concern in her eyes, wondering if there’s something wrong, wondering if she’s done something to hurt or offend her.

She hasn’t, and that’s the worst part.

It gets to Saturday night again and Vanessa stays home to watch the show. She could’ve gone into the studios and sat in the audience, should’ve done so, but she couldn’t bring herself to see everything being danced out live in front of her and not be able to join in. She’s also seen Plastique and Brooke dance through their Viennese so often together that she doesn’t think she can face it live, in their dresses and full makeup and hair with the lighting and the band. She doesn’t know what she was expecting but watching them dance it on screen hurts equally as much, the camera focusing on the soft gazes they give each other and the way Brooke holds Plastique tight.

“I’ll bow out of place, to save you some space…for somebody new…”    

Vanessa would’ve laughed at the irony of it all if she wasn’t so upset. She’s only got herself to blame. The fact she’s developed feelings for Brooke is ridiculous; she’s a walking cliché, developing a crush on your partner is like the Strictly equivalent of crushing on your roommate- it’s such a massive don’t, one that’ll only end in tears. When Vanessa thinks of all the couples that’ve come from the show, though- Shea and Sasha, one of the old dancers, Roberta, and that newsreader Alexis- it makes her feel a little bit bitter that she and Brooke didn’t work out. She supposes she’s giving up before she starts. She doesn’t really know her chance with Brooke is over, she shouldn’t give up, but as the judges’ comments drift into her stream of consciousness and she hears Kennedy complimenting Brooke and Plastique on “what amazing chemistry you both have together, so obvious and heartwarming!” she nearly throws the remote through the TV. She sends a text to the group chat she shares with Akeria and Monique, even though she knows they won’t receive it til after the show. Vanessa is sure they’re both fed up of hearing her mope about Brooke Lynn (they’ve had to put up with sad texts all week), but they’re cheaper than a therapist, so Vanessa hits send anyway.

V: this is so UNFAIR why do i need to watch Kennedy telling B and Plastique that they’re basically meant to be together???? :(((((((

A reply comes back from Akeria instantly. Vanessa supposes she’s just danced, having gone before the pair of them, and has got her phone while she gets her makeup retouched.

A: stop wallowing and just tell her how you feel already xo

But there’s no way Vanessa’s going to do that, not after the week she’s had and certainly not as she watches the TV and realises that Brooke and Plastique’s Viennese Waltz has earned them a score of 35. Brooke’s scores keep improving with Plastique as her partner. Maybe she’s just a better teacher than she is. She’s about to switch the TV off and have a self-indulgent cry (even though she should really keep the TV on so she can watch Monique’s dance and be a good friend) when her name makes her shoot her eyes up from her phone to the TV screen. Brooke’s looking into the camera.

“Vanessa, babe- I know she’s watching at home- that one was for you! Get better soon so we can dance together again, okay?”

Vanessa’s heart instantly jackknifes into the air. Brooke was dancing that for her, she wants to dance with her again, she called her babe on national television and oh my God the papers will have a field day with that but Vanessa doesn’t even care. She needed that validation and reassurance so badly. Looking down at her phone again, she opens up her messages with Brooke and is typing before she knows it.

V: dedicating that dance to me was real sweet of you. you did so well, i’m so proud of you, you’re killing it. seeing doctor tomorrow so will let you know how I get on. sorry i’ve been a lil distant this week xxx

When Vanessa wakes up the next day the reply is simply a series of love heart emojis, which both lifts her spirits and disappoints her. She can’t overthink for too long, though, as she’s got two messages from Monique that’re sitting unread as well.

M: fyi- Willam and Heidi danceoff, Heidi left xx

Vanessa frowns, disappointed. She got on really well with Heidi in her time on the show, and she kept everyone in stitches in dress rehearsals by whistling through her teeth (which drove the producers mad). Vanessa will miss her. She turns her attention to the next message, which has a blue link pasted into it.

M: also ur bae’s caused quite the stir with that cute lil pet name she used last night 👀

Vanessa frowns, feels herself blush as she clicks the link. It opens up on a Daily Mail article with the title, “Strictly 2020 star Brooke Lynn Hytes causes Strictly curse speculation” and Vanessa feels her stomach give a dip. The article talks about the shoutout Brooke gave her last night, the selfies and videos they both have posted on Instagram of their rehearsals. It also recaps the entire Kameron situation, at which point Vanessa clicks off the article. She texts Monique back and tells her to shut up, but the article has done nothing to lower the hopes she’s already got raised so high.

Vanessa tries to put all that out of her mind as she makes her way to her doctor’s appointment in the late November afternoon. The weather is cold and drizzly, and it’s dark outside even though it’s only four o’clock. She’s nervous and she’s desperately hoping they’ll tell her she can dance again. Vanessa has hardly moved all week, her calf resembles a vacuum-packed piece of meat with the compression bandages she’s used, and she’s sure that her leg is still so numb from the constant ice that she could get a six-inch needle shoved into her leg and wouldn’t feel a single thing. Her heart is in her mouth as the doctor rubs gel on her leg and runs the ultrasound scanner over it. The smile she gets in return sends her pulse racing in anticipation and hope.

“Well, it’s good news! You’re healing really well. This is the quickest I’ve seen a tear like this heal in a while, you must’ve done everything by the book!”

Vanessa wants to laugh. Her doctor doesn’t know the half of it. “So am I good to dance again?”

The doctor gives her another smile. “Since these pictures are looking so promising, I’m going to say yes.”

Vanessa wants to scream and cry all at the same time. It’s the happiest she’s been all week.

“But don’t overdo it! You don’t want to go flying back to square one. Take it easy for as long as you can. Don’t go high-kicking into any splits or whatever you dancers do.”

Vanessa frantically promises her doctor that she’ll take it as easy as is physically possible, promises herself internally that she’ll just mark everything for the majority of the week because she’ll take what she can get.

Six weeks? Kiss my ass.

She would’ve skipped out of the doctor’s surgery but that would’ve broken every promise she’s just made, so instead she walks calmly as she makes her way to the pro rehearsal and texts Brooke frantically.

V: i got the all clear to dance again!!!!!! see ya Monday!!!! Xxx

A reply comes back almost instantly that makes Vanessa way too happy.

B: !!!!!!!!!!!! The BEST news!!!!! So excited to see you xxx

It’s embarrassing but Vanessa almost wants to hold her phone to her chest like a lovestruck idiot. She is a lovestruck idiot. Her good mood is made even better by the cheer she gets when she arrives at rehearsal, the dancers all running to hug her and welcome her back. As Vanessa gently warms up and joins in with learning the group dance (marking it all and resolving to only perform it properly on Saturday), she can almost feel her heart singing. The only thing she’s missed more than Brooke is the dancing, and she’s so glad she gets to do what she loves best in the world again.

She doesn’t think her day can get any better, that is until rehearsal ends.

Jan and Jaida are the first girls to leave and they open the door, greet somebody, then turn immediately back into the room, their faces scheming.

“Vanessa?” Jaida shouts over to her, a little twinkle in her eye. “You gotta visitor.”

Vanessa’s confused and she’s pulling her jumper over her head so she can’t really see. It’s only when the other girls file out of the room and it’s completely empty that the visitor in question comes in, and Vanessa’s heart stops at what she sees.

It’s Brooke, and she’s holding a huge bouquet of flowers. Vanessa doesn’t quite know how to react- she knows she’s gone shy and red, and she doesn’t even want to assume the flowers are for her because that would really Mean Something if they were and God, the way Brooke is smiling at her, all nervous and reserved, is giving her way too many butterflies.

“Hey,” Brooke greets her, her voice all quiet. Vanessa laughs out of sheer relief of just being able to have her all to herself again, and she rushes forward to hug her. Brooke accepts gladly, and the two of them stand with their arms around each other and Vanessa holds her tightly as if to convey how much she’s missed her. They break the hug but they don’t let go, and they stay in each others’ arms as they talk.

“How come you’re here?” Vanessa asks her, her smile entirely too big and too happy but she can’t in any way help it. Brooke tucks some hair behind her ear then returns her hand to her waist.

“I wanted to see you,” Brooke shrugs. Vanessa’s heart inflates so much it almost pops, an overfilled helium balloon that’s soaring up to the ceiling. Brooke removes her arms from Vanessa’s sides and holds out the flowers to her. “For a few reasons, really. The first one was to give you these- congratulations on getting better!”

Vanessa laughs, thanks her as she accepts the flowers. They’re beautiful- clusters of tiny purple flowers arranged amongst tall stems with yellow-orange petals wrapped in florist’s paper and a lilac ribbon. Brooke’s still talking to her as she’s examining them.

“And second of all-” Brooke holds up her phone. “I was wondering if you wanted to dance with me.”

Vanessa gives Brooke a funny look, still unable to stifle her smile. “I mean, sure, but you know we got rehearsal tomorrow?”

Brooke grins, crosses over to where Vanessa’s speakers are still plugged in and connects her phone. “Yeah, but…I never got to dance the Viennese with you, and I want to.”

Vanessa can feel tiny fireworks going off in her nerve endings. Or perhaps that’s just her pulse thudding through her veins with alarming intensity. Either way it’s intoxicating.

“Alright,” Vanessa shrugs, pretending it’s the most normal thing in the world. “I guess I could dance with you. Since, y’know, you came all this way.”

She sticks her tongue out and Brooke laughs, although even though she’s acting carefree Vanessa’s stomach is fluttering with nervousness as Brooke hits play on the song and the piano introduction rings out into the echoey silence of the room. She doesn’t know why she’s nervous, it’s just dancing- scratch that, she knows exactly why she’s nervous, and when Brooke stands ready to hold her Vanessa gives her a shy smile

“Just follow my lead.”

Vanessa snorts quietly. “Hark at Miss Celebrity.”

“Shush.”

Brooke leads her effortlessly and it only makes Vanessa’s sense of complete, all-consuming longing worse. She twirls under Brooke’s arm, marvelling in the way the girl makes her feel like a princess in a pair of sweatpants and a baggy gym top. She’s so infatuated and it’s dangerous, but Vanessa doesn’t care.

“You can have Manhattan, the one we used to share…the one where we were laughing, and drunk on just being there…”

The choreography falls away and they slip into just swaying, Vanessa resting her head against Brooke’s chest. The chords of the song reverberate off the walls of the rehearsal room and Vanessa doesn’t know why, but tears start forming in her eyes. Maybe it’s the relief of everything being back to normal again, maybe it’s the sadness of the song, maybe it’s the happiness of Brooke doing all these sweet things for her. The tears roll down her face silently as she clings to Brooke, and Brooke doesn’t notice she’s even upset until presumably she feels her tears begin to seep through the black t-shirt she’s wearing. She steps out of hold and Vanessa looks to the floor, can’t bear to face her with tears in her eyes.

“Hey, hey, hey. What’s wrong?”

Brooke gently tilts Vanessa’s chin up with her fingers so that their eyes are level. Her gaze is gentle and kind and all at once the safest place Vanessa has known. Quickly and suddenly Vanessa leans in and bridges the gap between them, and before she can overthink things she’s meeting Brooke’s lips with her own just like she’s wanted to all these weeks. She’s got a hand on either side of Brooke’s face, her touch urgent just like her kiss, and as good as her lips feel it hits Vanessa with a sobering clarity that Brooke isn’t kissing back oh God why isn’t she kissing back-

And it’s just as this thought hits her that Brooke gently tugs herself away, frowns at Vanessa with concern and sweeps away a tear from under her eyelid. “Vanessa…”

Vanessa feels sick. So many thoughts are running around her mind, but in her vast panic she immediately latches onto three of them.

1: Brooke didn’t kiss her back.

2: Brooke broke away from the kiss.

3: She needs to get out of this room before she humiliates herself any further.

Brooke hasn’t stopped holding her which she supposes is a good sign but she can’t focus on that now. She wriggles out of Brooke’s arms, ignoring her protestations and blindly snatching up the flowers Brooke gave her (she’ll later realise she forgot both her speakers and her jumper). Trying to stop the tears of embarrassment that are now streaming down her face, she dashes quickly to the door.

“Fuck…V, wait-” Brooke urges, but Vanessa doesn’t. Brooke doesn’t follow her and she’s glad of it as she bursts out of the studio and down the corridor towards the exit.

The closing chords of the song that’s still playing ring in her ears in harmony with Brooke’s pleas, and it’s the worst kind of music Vanessa has ever heard.

#rpdr fanfiction #ortega #bet you look good on the dancefloor #strictly au #lesbian au #branjie #vanessa vanjie mateo #brooke lynn hytes #plastique tiara #jan sport #jackie cox #monique heart #akeria davenport #jaida essence hall #background jankie

[ficsandcatsandficsandcats]

Can you please write something for the Punk!AU where Jaskier is touring with the band, and the reader FaceTimes him, because she missed seeing his gorgeous face, and Sam has said her first word, which happens to be Dadda/Daddy, in which Jaskier cries into emotional tears, about how he misses his wife and daughter, and how proud he is of Sam saying her first word.

Fandom: The WitcherPairing: Punk!Jaskier x ReaderWord Count: 1,571Rating: GTaglist: @heroics-and-heartbreak @whatevermonkey @mynamesoundslikesherlock @magic-multicolored-miracle @writingstudent @mlleecrivaine @coffee-and-stories @ultracolorfulnerdcollection @astouract @your-not-invisible-to-me @kemmastan @mycat-is-mylove @amirahiddleston a/n: Got me fucked up in my feelings tonight, fam. I only hope I can return the favor with this humble fic

Your fingers drummed along the countertop as you checked the time in New York for the fifth time that hour. Vicious Mockery should be wrapping up their setlist soon and when they got to the hotel Jaskier said he’d facetime you. You’d nearly texted him the news but you wanted him to hear it from you if he couldn’t be there himself. Sam had begun to sleep through the night and you glanced at the little monitor screen to make sure she was still out. You couldn’t believe that it had already been a year and a half since she was born but somedays it felt like there was never a time before her. She’d changed your lives and even covered in mushed pears you wouldn’t have it any other way. You briefly realized you should change before Jaskier called and had just pulled off the soiled t-shirt when your phone lit up. You swiped in answer without another thought and then there was Jaskier’s face, still a little sweaty, some of his eyeliner blurring. You jokingly called this is “sexy racoon” look.

“Oh hello,” he said, eyes widening in surprise. That was when you remembered that you were only wearing your bra.

“Is that Y/N?” you heard Aev call and then the screen was pressed against his chest protectively and you heard him mutter something about wanting to talk with her alone.

“LOVE YOU Y/N!” you heard Aevryn yell. The next time the screen was pulled back you could recognize the tour bus, specifically his little nook where you’d spend many wonderful hours. Your heart ached with missing him.

“How is everything?” he asked, “How are you? How’s Mitka?”

“It’s going alright. We miss you,” you said. You struggled with whether or not to mention that he was missed, trying not to guilt him but needing him to know how much he meant to you. He rested his fingertips against the phone screen and you followed suit.

“I miss you both more than I could ever say,” he said. “Tell me every little thing that happened today. Is Sam still protesting everything green and vegetable?”

“I managed to get her to eat some peas…” you began, “That fancy stuff Valdo bought she just devours.” Jaskier harrumphed but begrudgingly admitted he was happy to hear she was getting nutrients. You chatted a bit more about general things and then you took a deep breath.

“Something kind of big did happen today,” you said. Jaskier’s face immediately crumpled in worry.

“What? What is it?” he asked anxiously. He struggled with the fear that something would happen to you and Sam while he was away, much more than he let on, you suspected.

“She said her first word!” you exclaimed. Jaskier’s face softened, the pale blue eyes growing glossy.

“Really?” he breathed, proud and pained at the same time.

“Yes,” you said nodding.

“What was it? Oh gods… don’t tell me it was Uncle Valdo,” he said, face growing serious. You laughed and brushed back a tear.

“No, silly. It was Dada,” you answered. His face lit up and then utterly fell apart, a sob choking out as his shoulders began to shake.

“Oh, babe, no,” you stroked the phone screen helplessly, wishing more than anything that you could hold him. But if you could, he would’ve been there to hear it himself and these would be happy tears.

“I’m sorry,” he cried, “Fuck, I’m so sorry.”

“Jaskier, hey, listen,” you implored, “Babe shhh it’s ok.”

“No it’s not,” he argued, eyes a total smudged, dark blur, “I should’ve been there. I shouldn’t have done the tour.”

“We can’t put our lives on hold. You did the right thing.”

“It doesn’t feel like it. I mean, what else am I going to miss?” he asked. It was a conversation you’d had in the months leading up to her birth and for a bit after she was born you’d been lost in the safe little cocoon of your family as Jaskier took his paternity leave. Technically he could’ve waited as long as he wanted to go back but if they wanted to keep getting people buying tickets they had to have a presence.

“But sweetheart, just think about it. I know you’re scared about not being here for those moments but her first word was Dada. Because you’re such a big part of her life and she already loves you so much that she talks about you even when you aren’t here. You’re a good dad, Jaskier. She is so lucky to have you,” you said, touching on another anxiety that plagued him, one he spoke about a bit more openly. He nodded but you could tell he didn’t quite believe it.

“I play her clips of your shows before bed. And the videos you recorded, of course, but she likes the shows the best. She gets so excited,” you said. He smiled, wiping his face.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you replied.

“Can I see her?”

You silently moved upstairs and crept into her room. She had one of Jaskier’s shirts clutched in her little hands like a security blanket and you brought the camera in close so he could make out the long, thick eyelashes and chestnut curls and chubby little cheeks and fists. She was growing fast but she was still your baby, just for a bit more. You sat in the rocker next to her bed and kept the camera switched to her.

“She’s so beautiful,” he whispered.

“She really is,” you agreed, still in awe that you’d made something so incredible.

“Like her mother,” he said warmly. You chuckled quietly.

“She’s the spitting image of her father,” you teased.

“There’s so much of you in her, Y/N,” he insisted, “She’s lucky to have you, too.”

“Stop you’re going to make me cry again,” you joked, though you wiped away a stray tear. You tried to stifle the yawn but Jaskier noted it.

“You should get some sleep,” he said.

“I guess,” you replied reluctantly.

“Take me into bed with you and I’ll sing you to sleep,” he offered.

“You have things to do too,” you said, though you hoped he’d insist.

“They’ll survive just fine without me,” he said. You gave him one last glimpse of her and then you got ready as he told you about their day and how the show had gone. When you crawled into bed you pulled his pillow into your arms and snuggled down under the covers.

“You comfortable?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Thank you for telling me, Y/N,” he said.

“Of course,” you answered, “Now, if you are taking requests, I’d like Peppermint Tea.”

He smiled and began to sing a quiet, acapella version of the song he’d used to propose. It took about one minute before you were snoring softly. He kept watching you for a bit until he felt creepy about watching you sleep and hung up. As soon as he did there was a knock at the dividing door.

“Yeah?”

Geralt stepped through the divider hesitantly.

“Can I come in?” he asked.

“Geralt Rivia asking to come into his own tour bus, will wonders never cease?” Jaskier joked. He was trying hard to put on a brave face but he knew Geralt could see through it. The man sat across from him quietly and nodded at the phone still in Jaskier’s hand.

“Everything ok?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Jaskier said, and then, “Sam said her first word.”

“No shit?”

“Yeah.”

“What was it? Uncle Geralt?”

“Dada.”

Geralt smiled and nodded approvingly.

“That seems right. The second one can be Uncle Geralt.”

“Geralt do you think I’m a bad father?”

The question poured out before he could stop himself and to his credit, Geralt didn’t miss a beat before answering.

“No.”

“But I wasn’t there,” Jaskier insisted.

“Jaskier, you’re a good dad.”

“My dad wasn’t there for mine. Hell, I doubt he even knows what it was,” he continued.

“Jaskier, Sam adores you. She’s a bright kid and she’s well-loved and cared for and that’s in big part to you and Y/N. You can’t be there very minute but you are there. And you know her. And you want to be there and that’s more than a bad dad could say,” Geralt argued.

Jaskier nodded, trying to take his friend’s words to heart. One of the perks of having Geralt as a friend was he would always tell it to you straight.

“Honestly if I get to be a dad someday I hope I’m half as good at it as you are,” Geralt admitted.

“Oh c’mon, Geralt, you’re going to be the best dad,” Jaskier argued.

“Well the difference is we’ve seen you do it and have the proof. No clue what it’s gonna be like for me. Kids are scared of me sometimes,” Geralt said.

“Sam isn’t.”

“Well she’s your kid,” he said shrugging.

“Yeah, and your kid will be your kid. And Yennefer’s, which means they’ll probably be fearless and leading a small country before their fourth birthday,” Jaskier joked. Geralt smirked, amused by the thought and not entirely against it. The two men looked at each other with warm, tired smiles.

“It’s still weird you’re a dad,” Geralt said.

“For me too.”

“It suits you, though. And you’re good at it.”

Geralt said it in a tone that would not be argued with and this time when Jaskier smiled he meant it.

#Anonymous #Punk!Jaskier x Reader #Punk!AU #Vicious Mockery #Vicious Mockery AU #reader request

[littlemisssquiggles]

Hey, what if Willow Schnee (a.k.a. Ice Queen Mom) actually becomes the Winter Maiden? I mean, it's unlikely, she isn't the youngest... But still. It is worth a thought. Or hey... Wait. Even better: what if Neo disguises as Winter and gets a hold of the Winter Maiden powers like that somehow? Aaaaaaah, may I ask you to comment on these thoughts?

Hiya Mizu. Apologies for the late response. Hmm, while I like your theory, I’m not so sure about Willow Schnee ever becoming the Winter Maiden though. For me, I always figured that Willow’s key role for the Atlas Arc was assisting Weiss in reconnecting with her grandfather: Nicholas Schnee—the original founder of the Schnee Dust Company.

However, some RWBY theorists have mentioned that the RWBY Theme: Path to Isolation hinted that Nicholas Schnee passed away prior to the main story. This bummed me out a bit since I was hoping for us to at least get a glimpse of ole St. Nick. Perhaps even have Weiss learn of her grandfather’s true location and go in search of him with her mother’s help in hopes of convincing him to reclaim the Schnee Dust Company from her father.

But with Nick believed to be deceased, this leaves his daughter—-Mama Schnee a.k.a Willow as the closest thing to a true heir that Nick had. If anything, my hopes now is that Jacques is dethroned as Head of Schnee Dust Company with Willow pulling herself together to take his place as she rightfully should have long ago.

While I’m unsure of Willow’s personality, I’d like to think that Willow must’ve been Nick’s eldest or only child and it wouldn’t have surprised me if Willow was the one person who knew her father better than anyone else in her family. She probably even had a much better idea of how Nick would’ve ran the company and probably would’ve made a more fitting successor to her father than her so-called “husband”.

Back in V4, Weiss told Yang that on her tenth birthday, her father callously revealed that the only reason he married Willow was because of her family name. So it wouldn’t surprise me if the only reason that Jacques managed to convince Nicholas to sign the Schnee Dust Company over to him was with Willow’s support. Here’s what I’m thinking.

My theory is Willow Schnee was originally meant to become Nicholas’ successor with St. Nick planning to leave both his company and his legacy in the hands of his beloved daughter. However, once Jacques got his slimy hand rubbing Willow’s back, he was able to persuade Willow into convincing her father to make Jacques the new CEO in her place. Tie that all in with Jacques proposing to Willow just to further win her approval. I’d like to believe that Willow has always been the core reason that Jacques became Head of Schnee Dust Company in the first place. If she hadn’t fervently vouched on Jacques’ behalf then her father would’ve never agreed to the idea.

Perhaps toss in the notion of Willow never truly desiring to inherit her father’s company out of her own fears of never being able to measure up to her father’s legacy and expectations of her. Unlike Jacques’ relationship with his children, I’d like to believe that Willow shared a very close relationship with her father so his inevitable passing probably hit her more than anyone. All the more reason why I think it would be a fitting conclusion for Willow if she ends up taking over as CEO of Schnee Dust Company in Jacques place—finally standing up to Jacques and taking back what he stole from her and her family.

The allusion seems to be that Jacques broke Willow. So what I’m banking on is Willow piecing herself back together through the love and support of her children and taking back what probably should’ve been hers from the get-go. Starting with her father’s company. 

Despite Nick signing the company over to Jacques, I’d like or at least I’d hope that there is a chance for his leadership to be relinquished back to Willow as she was always meant to be the rightful successor to the Schnee Dust Company as the daughter of its founder. That’s my main headcanon for Willow. 

She will replace Jacques as CEO of Schnee Dust Company and work together with Whitley to undo the mess Jacques’ reign has done to tarnish the family business.

I say Willow and Whitley together since I’m hoping that there is at least somewhat of a bond between Willow and her children; inclusive of Whitley. 

Since Whitley is the Schnee child who is often at home, it’d be interesting if Whitley does spend part of his time being the one to mostly look after his mother or at least look out for her. Since the idea is that Jacques doesn’t seem to care that much about his wife, I’m looking to Whit to be the person to cater for hismother’s well-being.

I didn’t get any impressions of animosity towards Mama Schnee from Whit back in V4. He more so kept tabs on her whereabouts and activities at home. So I’m hoping that should Willow somehow be absent or excuse herself from the Schnee Dinner Party for this new episode, Whit would be the one to inform Weiss of how she’s been coping since she was last home. 

Or something to that liking. But yeah, that’s what I believe will be Willow’s destiny. Not to become the next Winter Maiden (since she has zero connection to Fria and not even Winter herself seems to think about her mother much since she disowned herself from the Schnee family name) but to become the rightful Head of the Schnee Dust Company in place of Jacques after he falls further from grace and Willow is finally able to put the Jacques-ass in his place.

As for your next point regarding Neo becoming Winter Maiden via impersonating Winter—now that’s a theory that I think you’re might be onto something with, fam.

Since the conclusion of the Battle of Haven highlighted our heroes successfully claiming their first Relic, my assumption is that the Fall of Atlas will give our heroes their second biggest loss since the Fall of Beacon while simultaneously marking the first time they lost a Relic to the enemy. 

Since Ironwood revealed to Oscar that the only thing keeping Atlas airborne is the Relic of Creation then that line alone was mega foreshadowing for the kingdom falling straight out of the sky as a result of someone taking the Relic. 

Last time, with Yang, it was a hero to retrieve the Relic of Knowledge from the Vault of the Spring Maiden. 

So naturally, I’m expecting the reverse this time with a villain claiming the Relic of Creation from the Vault of the Winter Maiden, resulting in Atlas plummeting to decimate  Mantle below. It’ll be the double homicide of both of Solitas’ signature kingdoms. 

Ironically enough, perhaps… this will be what leads to the People of Mantle and Atlas finally coming together when they have to rebuild a new home for themselves from scratch. But perhaps I’m getting too ahead of myself here. 

As you brought up Neo impersonating Winter, I wonder if this will be part of the “cruel thing” that Neo has been alluded to commit since V6. 

What if…by some means, Neo and Cinder learn of the identity and whereabouts of the Fria as well as her connection to Winter.

So as you said, Neo will impersonate Winter and the cruel thing Neo will do is murder Fria—probably by either smothering her to death with a pillow or via strangulation all the while using the face Fria trusted the most—Winter’s—up until the very end when she reveals her true self to Fria so that the last thing she sees before the poor old woman breathes her last breath is Neo’s face silently smirking down at her as Fria’s powers are absorbed into Neo’s body.

I mean Neo has done some shady things in the past courtesy of her time spent working alongside Roman Torchwick. However, I’d like to think not even Torchwick would’ve encouraged his young accomplice to steal magic from an innocent old lady. I mean that facetiously. Who knows what Roman would’ve condoned Neo to do if he was still alive.

Strangely enough to say, I kind of like the concept of Neo becoming the Winter Maiden because I see it as symbolic. Not just for the obvious pun of our veteran ice-cream-inspired character gaining magical powers over the element of ice. 

But if Neo kills Fria then she would no longer be like Torchwick anymore. The thing with Neo was that she was supposed to represent the female equivalent of Roman as his right hand protégée, right?

But if Neo kills Fria then she would be just like Cinder. Cinder only retrieved her Fall Maiden magic by stealing it from her predecessor through murder by her own hands. If Neo ends up doing the exact same thing as Cinder then to me I will see that action as synonymous with her shedding the part that she shared with Torchwick and becoming more like Cinder Fall; her new master. At least, that’s impression she gives; even to Cinder. 

I mean I don’t like the thought of yet another Maiden’s powers being stolen through them being murdered by their ‘successor’;however…somehow I can see this becoming canonical. There is no doubt in my mind that a villain is going to claim the Relic of Creation and spark the Fall of Atlas.

What I’m mostly curious about is…how soon will Cinder turn on Neo?

If Neo successfully becomes the Winter Maiden, there is no way Cinder is going to allow her to hold onto that kind of power for long. If Cinder attempted to steal the Spring Maiden magic back in V5 then Cinder will definitely do the same thing for the Winter Maiden magic.

In her megalomaniac mind, Cinder believes all the Maiden magic belongs to her. Neo, despite being her perfect little pawn for now, is no exception. 

So my hunch is that Cinder will use Neo for as long as she needs her to. Use her to steal the Winter Maiden magic from Fria (since she’s best person for the job). Use her to kill Ruby and if that fails, she’ll use her to claim the Relic of Creation just for the sake of killing Ruby via Fallen Kingdom at the expense of all of Atlas and Mantle.

And once Neo has done Cinder’s bidding, she’ll kill her off. Or…at least she’d try to and possibly fail. 

Do you know what would be the penultimate perfect poetic irony?

If Cinder tries to double cross Neo but Neo manages to outsmart Cinder first.

And not only does Neo manage to survive the Fall of Atlas with the Winter Maiden magic still in her possession but what if...she also makes away with Relic of Creation. Upon learning the abilities of the staff, Neo attempts to use it for the single purpose of fulfilling her greatest wish—bringing Torchwick back from the dead.

Imagine if…Neo uses the power of the staff and Torchwick is brought back but…not exactly. Like all the staff is able to do is recreate or rather replicate Torchwick’s likeness making a perfect replica of his original form but…minus the part of Torchwick that made him the man Neo knew and loved—his soul.

So what Neo basically ends up with is a soulless husk that looks like Torchwick but isn’t him since he doesn’t recognize Neo. However Neo doesn’t care. All that mattered to her was that Torchwick was back with her again. Even if he was just an animated yet empty husk of himself who needed Neo to mostly look after him all the time, Neo didn’t mind. She would’ve happily looked after this version of Torchwick for the rest of her life just as he did for her so long ago.

Basically picture part of Neo’s story mimicking Salem’s from the Lost Fable. The tragic tale of a young woman whose life was changed for the better through the companionship and love of a man who freed her from her isolation and loneliness. Only for her to lose that man.

Let’s say…even though Neo thought revenge was all she needed to rid her of the pain she felt from losing Torchwick, I definitely like the idea of Neo switching motives after somehow learning of the true power of the Relic of Creation and what it could do for her. 

So gaining it’s power, no matter the cost, becomes Neo’s motive outside of working with Cinder. So it’s no longer Cinder using Neo to gain what she desires but Neo simultaneously using Cinder to get what she wants as well—only unlike Cinder, Neo is more discreet than the Fall Maiden. 

And what could be interesting if that aspect of Cinder—doing whatever you can to look out for own desires—is what rubs off on Neo and what she ironically ends up using against Cinder in the end. 

So basically, in the end, after using the Relic of Creation to bring him back, Neo takes Replica Torchwick and together the two go into hiding— taking refuge in the desert sands of Vacuo in the hopes that they would be able to build a new life for themselves while avoiding certain people who Neo believed might come searching for her. 

Since Ironwood mentioned that the Staff of Creation can only be used for one purpose at a time, let’s say—the only way Neo could keep Replica Torchwick alive is with the Staff itself. And once she used the staff to create Replica Torchwick, she couldn’t use it for anything else again. So pretty much, as my concept says, the only thing keeping Replica Torchwick alive was the Staff.

Who knows? Maybe in order to recreate Replica Torchwick, the staff was absorbed into his cloned body resulting in the Staff of Creation somewhat becoming Replica Torchwick. Or at least its seemingly unlimited power became Replica Torchwick while the staff part of it was rendered useless.

Now I know Neo stealing both the Winter Maiden magic and the Relic of Creation to run away to Vacuo to play house with a replica of the man she loved recreated by the Relic itself sounds mighty stretchy for a headcanon. 

But nonetheless, y’know what? I really, really like it. I don’t usually share Neopolitan Headcanons so this one’s going to be another rare keeper for me like my Red Queen Cinder Fall Headcanon. 

After the CRWBY brought Neo back into the story, this squiggle meister had no bloody clue what they were going to do with her after she was done being used as Cinder’s pawn. 

I mean I’m not that big of a Neo stan myself. As a matter of fact, the one thing I loved about Neo’s character was her relationship with Torchwick courtesy of RWBY Chibi warming me up to the Froyo pairing.

All the more reason for me to love my headcanon of Neo making away with Relic of Creation after the Fall of Atlas and using its power to bring back Torchwick in a way to that she can live the life with him she always dreamed of having. 

Her own happily ever after that she forged for the two of them—no matter the costs. 

I know its not likely to happen in the canon. However I think it would’ve been an interesting way to give Neo a story that was influenced by the people she worked closely with in her life but still her own, y’know what I mean?

A story that she took charge and molded for herself and wasn’t mostly just her being an accomplice to another villain...again. 

I mean if I were a CRWBY Writer and was tasked with crafting a story for Neo following her return in V6, this is probably where I would’ve gone with it as my own interpretation. 

Plus from this, I really dig the thought of Ruby meeting Replica Torchwick and harbouring a bit ofanimosity towards him because, of course, the only memories that the little redrose has of Torchwick were the ones of him being a cold-hearted criminal whoaided Salem in the destruction of her former huntsmen academy and tried to kill her and her friends on so many occasions.

However ReplicaTorchwick, being only a copy of the original Torchwick in face, has no memories of either Ruby orthe crimes he committed in his ‘first life’.

Asa matter of fact, thanks to Neo’s nurturing, Replica Torchwick is a much kinder,compassionate man than the person Ruby knew him once to be. 

So it’s a scenario whereReplica Torchwick meets Ruby and tries to chum up to her but because she onlyknew him as a criminal, it makes it difficult for Ruby to feel nothing but anger towards the man.

And I like this ideasince it plays off of reliability with Oscar. I mean he of all charactersknows what it’s like to shoulder the responsibilities and of course, the blame forthe repercussions of actions committed by his own past selves. 

So in this scenarioI can picture Oscar being more sympathetic with Replica Torchwick and helping Rubyto understand where the doppelganger is coming from. Not to mention that I can see Oscar being the one to convince Neo that Replica Torchwick isn’t the man she once knew. 

After all, for my story, once the heroes find Neo and Replica Torchwick in Vacuo, Neo will be forced to give up the happily ever after she had tried desperately to build for the mere sake of stopping the end of the world from the Wrath of the Gods, the Plight of a Second Great War of Remnant and perhaps even the Rise of Cinder Fall after she becomes the Red Queen—the new leader of the Grimm in place of Salem who was defeated and purified of her darkness by the Rosegardening Rosebuds—at least that’s how it is in my version of her fate.

And who knows? If I was in charge of writing Neo’s story, I’d do this and still find a way to give a silver lining to her unhappy ending that fits into the pre-established rules of the canon.

Like let’s say—even though Neo had to give the Winter Maiden magic back to Oscar (still sticking to my headcanon of him revoking all of Ozma’s magic back from the Maidens starting with Cinder)and ‘kill’ Replica Torchwick to return the power of the Relic of Creation—in the end, she still gets to continue the life the two made together in the most unexpected way.

While Replica Torchwick might not have been a good example of creation—the life he made together with Neo inclusive of the unborn child they conceived together was creation. One built on love. 

But y’know…these are all mostly just my ideas and I’m not a CRWBY Writer---probably thankfully so. Still it would’ve been cool to see some of these ideas done. Probably not all. But some. I really like the idea of Neo becoming the Winter Maiden and taking the Relic of Creation for herself. I think that would’ve been a cool twist especially on Neo’s part. 

Anyways, sorry for going off on a headcanon tangent Mizu. Overall, in a nutshell, I think your theory of Neo becoming the Winter Maiden is pretty interesting Mizu and I can see it being a possibility. Those are my thoughts on that, for now.  

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019) 

#mizuike #squiggles answers: rwby #willow schnee #rwby neopolitan #oscar pine #neopolitan #rwby theories #rwby volume 7 theories #rwby volume 7 spoilers

[svtmatokis]

Matchmaker P3

Hello fam~ I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far!!! A snake is about to be revealed...but I’m sure you guys know who that is already~

Plot: You’re a small name model who is close friends with Joshua and Taehyung and just moved to Korea after signing with an agency. You’ve been a fan of BTS for as long as you could remember and biased Yoongi. Little did you know, despite not being well known, you had caught Yoongi’s eye a long time ago and now you guys get to meet. Even though the two of you become friends, Yoongi’s apparently too shy and you’re just apparently oblivious to his feelings. Will it take a push from Taehyung and the rest of his members for you two to finally get together or will Yoongi be able to do it on his own?

Words: 4285

Pairing: Reader x Idol! Yoongi

Parts: 1 - 2

Genre: Fluff/ abit of Angst

Warnings: May contain swearing, slightly intimate touches and Im not sure….

Genre: flufff/ slight angst

“Soo...how are you and Yoongi doing?” Joshua asked you one day as you were out having lunch.

You had officially started work with your agency and your schedule had picked up quite a bit but was still fairly manageable with the help of your sister who on top of being your manager was also teaching dance classes at a local studio.

You kept in contact with the members of BTS almost everyday and talked to Yoongi over the phone at least once a night when you guys had your alone time. It was easy for you since you lived alone but not so much for him since the other members would be around and most of the time trying to see what the phone conversations were about. 

The two of you decided to go with the flow of things and keep your friends out of the loop. Though Taehyung and Joshua had a tendency to push for things, it was easy to dodge their questions and playing dumb was one of your many talents.

So far, the two of you had hung out together alone without anybody once. As promised, the two of you had gone for coffee during one of your breaks and it was safe to say that things were going in a positive direction. You weren’t sure if it was anything serious as of yet and none of you had exactly told the other that you liked them but the vibe was there. He made you laugh with his stupid jokes and you made him smile with your out going energy. BTS was currently preparing for a comeback and you had gone to a few of the practices but since your schedule started getting packed, you found less and less time.

You looked at Joshua as you stirred your drink and shrugged your shoulders.

“We’re friends I guess? Why?” you asked before taking a sip.

“Just friends? Taehyung said he saw the two of you having coffee a few weeks back at the cafe near Big Hit.” Joshua explained.

“Can friends not go out for coffee? We’ve literally only known each other for a few weeks Hong. Things like this take time.” you giggled at his frustrated look.

“Y/N, you have biased Yoongi for the last three years. You finally got to meet him and amazingly, the two of you get along. I’ve literally had to HEAR you fan girl at almost every concert I’ve taken you to” Joshua started throwing his hands in the air, “And surprise! He’s also your fan from your small agency modeling days when you were barely known! Don’t you think its fate?”

“Since when were you one to talk about fate?” you asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Since I Minyoung and I remet at the cafe all those years back and then we got reconnected. I think fate had a huge role in that” he answered leaning back and crossing his arms, “Like who would’ve thought that you would sign with a Korean agency after your former contract expired?” 

“You” you said pointing at him, “My sister told you my contract expired and you put in a word with the recruiters did you not?” 

“I did but it was your looks alone that they signed you. Trust me. All I did was ask Minyoung for your old portfolio and handed it to management. They literally took care of the rest and didn’t even tell me that they sent you an offer. It wasn’t until I saw you walking out of the building that I put the puzzle pieces together.” Joshua explained, “But Minyoung told me that you had a few other offers before you took Pledis’”

“I had a few...but nothing was as good a Pledis’, the benefit was that Minyoung was already a guest choreographer here and of course you.” you then decided to change the topic, “What do you know about Hara?” 

Joshua looked up, “Hara? As in the trainee at Bit Hit?” 

You nodded your and Joshua started thinking.

“Not much...she was in their last music video and I think she’s set to debut with a few other girls...she’s about Vernon’s age I think...why?”  he asked and noticed your furrowed brows. “Did she do anything?”

“She said something to me the last time I went to see the guys a few weeks back. I was just leaving after bringing them snacks and she stopped me in the hallway…” you started and bit your lip while crossing your arms. Joshua noted that this was what you normally did when you were stressed out.

“What did she say?” he pushed and you tilted your head to the side.

“I’m not too sure...but she may have threatened me but I can’t tell exactly.” you said thinking back to the brief conversation you had. “She said that I should stay away from the BTS members and that I was distracting them from their comeback prep.” 

“You aren’t. If you were, the guys or their managers would’ve said something I know for a fact that they like having you there cheering them on” Joshua said automatically, “But I don’t see the threat in that.” 

“It’s what she said after...she said rumors don’t take much to start and she knows why I didn’t renew my contract with my old agency back in the States…You know the shit that happened there, Minyoung knows the shit that happened there but it’s not public knowledge.” you explained, “It’s not like it could ruin me or anything but I admit that it’s one of the reasons why I chose to go with Pledis over the other agencies...it’s really hard to trust those around me right now.” 

“You wouldn’t be effected if word got out anyways and the whole situations still being reviewed.” Joshua reached over to take your hand, “You were the victim and even if word got out, Pledis would support you one hundred percent. Don’t worry about that. Have you told Tae at all?” 

“I didn’t think I’d have a reason to.” you said, “I was hoping to leave those skeletons behind but after what Hara said…” You looked down at your hands. ‘It's hard you know...to be betrayed like that, especially by your best friend and manager.” 

“Obviously they weren’t good people in your life.” Joshua said, “But you’ve moved on and you’re here now...let me deal with the Hara situation. You have a photoshoot coming up in a few days right?” 

You nodded your head, “Then you and I have that shoot in two weeks for that fall line.” you said  and Joshua nodded. “Apparently it’s a ‘Best Friend’ concept.”

“Hey, it means that we fit the bill.” He said with a smile, “Focus on your schedule, it’s only going to get busier. I can help deal with everything else, you know how sick you get when you’re stressed.” 

You gave Joshua a small smile, you were glad that you had a friend like him to stick by you. Sure, Minyoung was always around to talk too but there was something that Joshua understood about you that she just didn’t and for that, you were grateful.

Eventually, you had to go for a fitting for your next photoshoot and Joshua headed back to the agency to take care business and that meant sending a message to Taehyung.

[5:25pm] Josh - So I just had lunch with Y/N...I told you something was bothering her this week

[5:30pm] Tae - Is it Yoongi? He’s been secretive about their phone conversations as of late

[5:31pm] Josh - According to her, they’re friends but she won’t say anything more...It’s actually about Hara…

[5:31pm] Tae - ?? Hara? I just finished practice, lets meet up.

After explaining what you had told him earlier, Joshua was surprised to see disbelief written on Taehyungs face. 

“She actually said that to Y/N?” Taehyun asked and Joshua nodded.

“You know Y/N wouldn’t lie and you can see the stress on her face...I could tell that she had been keeping it to herself for a while now…” Joshua said and Taehyung could see the concern on his friends face. “She doesn’t do well when she’s stressed out but also keeps a lot of things to herself. She’s strong that way but it can also be her weakness. Her sister’s the same way.” 

“Now it makes sense as to why she didn’t want to come back to the agency after we hung out the other day..” Taehyung said, “I’ll keep an ear out and let you know if anything happens…”

“Keep this between us though...I told Y/N i would take care of it but didn’t specify how.” Joshua said and Taehyung nodded, 

“Got it.”

A few weeks later, Taehyung invited you to the agency once again. They were having one of their final practices for their comeback and because you and Joshua would be away for the photoshoot during their comeback stage, they wanted you to come see the perfected dance before hand.

Unfortunately, because of the last photo shoot you had where you spent a lot of time in freezing cold water and that resulted you in getting the sniffles.

“You look like shit.” Taehyung said as you walked through the building towards BTS’s practice room. “Are you sure you aren’t too hot in all those layers?” 

“Thanks” you said sniffling, “And no I’m just find.” 

Taehyung rolled his eyes, “Once we’re done, you are going home got it?”

“You’re the one who made me come today!” you exclaimed as Taehyung opened the door and was greeted by Jin and Yoongi. 

“Hey guys.” you said waving at them, “Don’t get too close...I’m not feeling that great.” 

“Then why are you here?” Jimin asked and you pointed at Taehyung.

“She won’t be here for our comeback broadcast and you all said to bring her back if we ever hung out to see the final dance.” he stated, “But I don’t want her staying long so lets start and then she’s gonna go home.”

“Wait you aren’t going to be here for the comeback broadcast?” Yoongi asked once you had seen their performance. Which was perfect as you expected. 

“Josh and I are headed to one of the islands for a shoot the same day you guys have your broadcast.” you explained, “Don’t get too close. I told you, not feeling that great.” 

“Are you sure you’re going to be able to make that shoot Y/N?” Namjoon asked coming over to feel your forehead, “You should really rest instead.” 

“No way! I’ve been waiting forever to do a shoot with Joshua.” you said with a frown, “I just need to take some vitamins and I’ll be good as new” 

“Whatever you say Y/N...then go home. You need to rest.” Jin said pushing you out the door, “We probably won’t be able to see each other till you get back but have fun okay?” 

“Good luck guys. I’ll be rooting for you” you grinned tiredly and took the mask that Jungkook offered you. 

“I’ll check in on you later okay?” Yoongi said as he was the one who walked you to the buildings exit.  

“You don’t have to... “ you said with a shake of your head, “Focus on your comeback. That’s more important right now.” 

“Y/N…” Yoongi started but you held up your hand.

“Focus on your comeback. I’ll be fine.” you said and saw Hara coming down the hallway, “I’ll see you when I get back.” you said quickly and literally ran out the door. You had no intentions on having a confrontation with her when you were feeling like crap since it was bound to make you feel worse.

Yoongi stood at the entrance and watched you run down the street. “I would’ve walked her if she asked…” he muttered and looked to his left to see Hara standing behind him with a weird expression on her face. 

Ignoring her, he proceeded to make his way back to the practice room but not before catching the tail end of Hara’s thought that she said out loud.

“ Huh, I guess she really does have issues listening..” 

When he got back into the practice room, Taehyung cornered him.

“Nothing happened.” Yoongi said automatically.

“It’s not that.” Taehyung said as the rest of the boys came to join them, “I just think there’s something you need to know…” 

Later that evening, you woke up to the ring of your cellphone. You had gotten home earlier and literally went to crash in bed after taking the medication Minyoung had brought you knowing that you were getting sick just by the way you talked over the phone. 

“Hello?” you said into the receiver without checking the caller ID.” 

“Hey” Yoongi’s deep voice came over the line, “How are you feeling?”

“I think I feel worse than I did when I got home.” you admitted, “Are you done practice already?” 

“We ended about forty-five minutes ago.. I went back to the dorm while everyone else went out to eat.” he said, “So you’re leaving in two days huh.” 

“Yea, tomorrow Josh and I have a fitting and then we leave bright and early the next day.” you said, “Sorry we can’t make the broadcast...I know you guys will be great.” 

“Can I...say that I’ll miss you?” Yoongi asked and you could feel a blush creep up your cheeks.

“I’ll miss you too..” you said softly before letting out a large cough. “Take care of yourself okay?” 

“I should be the one telling you that. Make sure you stay hydrated and take meds and listen to your body.”  he said, “I should let you go so you can rest...I’ll touch base with you tomorrow…”  As much as he wanted to ask you about the Hara situation now, it really wasn’t the time and he more so wanted you to rest and not worry. He still didn’t know how you’d react if he found out so decided to keep it mum for now.

“Yes dad” you said and Yoongi could practically hear the roll of your eyes, “I’ll talk to you  tomorrow…Good night.” 

“Good night.” he said and the two of you hung up the phone. 

Yoongi laid down on his bed with his hands behind his head and let out a sigh, he had really wanted you there at his comeback performance but knew that work came first. He just hoped that you’d be well enough to actually complete the shoot. He couldn’t imagine how he would feel if anything happened to you. 

A few days passed and you were on your way to the shooting location with Joshua and your sister along with one of Seventeen’s managers. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Joshua asked with concern and you nodded.

“I’m fine” you said, “Just a small cough.” 

“Didn’t sound like that earlier” Minyoung said handing you some medicine. “Here take this, hopefully it pulls you through for the shoot and then we’ll head home tomorrow so you can rest.” 

“Got it.” you said with a nod before taking the medicine before letting out a big cough.

During the shoot, Joshua could tell that something was off with you. You had lost your footing a few times and had to hold him for support though every location was flat ground. 

One of the last shots was on top of a rocky area. By then you were feeling the effects of your sickness more so than not and was about to say something to Joshua but suddenly your world went black and all you heard were screams around you.

Meanwhile, BTS was at the broadcast station preparing for the live show which was in a few minutes when Taehyungs phone went off.

“I’ll be really quick.” he said to Namjoon once he saw Joshua’s phone on caller ID.

“Hey Josh whats up? How’s the shoot?” he asked but froze in his place when Joshua started talking.

“It’s fine. We’re done thankfully, I’m just at the hospital with Y/N right now.” he said casually and Taehyungs eyes almost bugged out of his head.

“Excuse me?” he asked, “Hospital? Is she okay?”  He was so happy he had stepped out of the room in order to avoid an audience. This would have definitely stirred the pot.

“She’s fine. She collapsed on set today. Don’t panic, me and her sister are here with her. I just wanted to let you know that we might not be able to make the broadcast tomorrow. Depending on what the tests come back as. They suspect that the cold turned into something worse but can’t be sure. She’s awake but has a mask for oxygen on since she can’t breath properly and I know that she has nightly calls with Yoongi” Joshua explained quickly, “Y/N just wanted me to tell you to tell Yoongi AFTER the broadcast. She knows how important this is to him and she doesn’t want anyone worrying right now.”

“Well I’m worried. Doesn’t that count?” Taehyung asked and he could hear Joshua chuckle, 

“She said that paybacks a bitch for the last time you made her worry when you wiped out.” Joshua said, “Shit, I gotta go, she’s coughing up a storm again. Good luck telling Yoongi!” 

At the click of the line, Taehyung stared at his phone, hospital, and a broken wrist. What the heck? 

“Yo, Taehyung let’s go” Namjoon called and noticed that his member was slightly pale. “Is everything okay?” 

Taehyung shook himself out of this thoughts and looked around to see if Yoongi was present and thanked the heavens that he was not.

“This stays between us for now until we’re done the show okay? We can’t have anyone worrying right now...and by anyone, I mean Yoongi” he said looking at the leader and Namjoon paled but nodded his head so he continued.

“Y/N’s in the hospital right now. She collapsed on set earlier today. Josh and Minyoung are with her along with some Pledis staff but they’re waiting for test results to come back right now. Depending on the results, they might not be able to make the broadcast tomorrow.” 

Namjoon gulped, he agreed that this was something that Yoongi should not know about before the broadcast was over. He knew that the rapper would lose his shit once he found out and thought of a brilliant idea.

“We’ll let Jin tell him later. Lets go.” he said patting Taehyungs back and lead him towards the group that was waiting.

“Took you guys long enough.” Yoongi commented and Taehyung along with Namjoon shared a look. “Let’s go. We’re already running late.”

As the group walked off the stage, Namjoon pulled Jin back in order to tell him what Taehyung had told him before.

“Seriously? How!?” Jin asked shocked and Namjoon shrugged his shoulders, he only knew so much.

“Can you tell Yoongi? If you tell him, he should be able to keep his cool…” Namjoon requested and Jin nodded his head.

“If I must…” he said with a sigh and soon the news had spread quickly about your condition and the only member not to know was Yoongi.

As everyone was getting ready to leave, Jin noticed Yoongi looking down at his phone with a frown. It wasn’t a secret that the two of you had nightly conversations after practice and he guessed that Yoongi was expecting something about the broadcast.

Putting his hand on Yoongi’s shoulder, the rapper turned around to look at the oldest member of the group.

“What’s up?” he asked as Jin sighed.

“Just know that I was nominated to tell you this and if you freak out, I will shove my dirty socks in your mouth got it?” he asked and Yoongi only looked at Jin with confusion.

“Y/N’s collapsed on set today...from what we know, she managed to hold out till the end of the shoot but blacked out not too long after.” 

“What the F-“ Yoongi started as his eyes widened. “Why am I only hearing about this now?! Is she okay?!”

“She’s fine...just the flu.” Taehyung said looking at the latest text message from Josh. Your test results came back normal and had barely eaten that day which added to your weak immune system. 

“Do you think you would’ve been able to focus today if you knew her condition?” Jin asked and Yoongi stayed silent knowing the oldest member was right. Had he found out earlier on about your condition, he would’ve wanted to come see you right away regardless of where you were. 

“She’s the one who asked us not to tell you. She wanted you to focus on the comeback stage.” Taehyung explained, “It’s how Y/N is. Are you sure you two aren’t more than friends” he asked with a raised eyebrow. He had never seen Yoongi so worried over someone like this before outside of family. 

“She’s just a friend like she is to you guys.” Yoongi said, “How could I be with someone I barely know?” 

“You talk every single day though. What more do you need to know about her?” Taehyung asked and Yoongi gave him a fed up look. “Plus, you’ve been crushing on her way longer than the two of you have known each other and I know she feels the same way about you.” 

“What are you even trying to do Tae?” Yoongi asked and Taehyung shrugged his shoulders with a small smile.

“I’m trying to give my two good friends a push in the right direction and hoping they see in each other what I see in them.” he responded as he got into the van and looked at Yoongi. “Are you coming?” 

Yoongi shook his head, “I’m going to head back to the studio and do some work.” he was pretty sure that it’d be almost impossible to fall asleep when he was worried about you.

“Okay then, we’ll see you later.” Taehyung said closing the door.

It was just after midnight and Yoongi was working on a piece when his phone rang and he answered it without looking at the caller ID. What he didn’t expect was to hear your voice on the other side.

“Are you okay?” he asked as you gave him the affirmative. “Why aren’t you asleep?” 

“The medication wore off and I can’t go back to sleep. Hospitals and I don’t really get along.” you answered and paused when you heard music in the background. “Are you working on something right now? I could let you go…” 

“Don’t think about hanging up Y/N. I’m in the studio right now doing some work.” he said cutting you off. “I just didn’t expect to hear from you tonight after hearing what happened.” 

“You should be back at the dorms resting though. You just had your first comeback performance.” you said and Yoongi chuckled, “I didn’t know who to call..” you said in a small voice.

Yoongi froze at the tone of your voice and his face softened. “I’m happy you called me and I’m glad that you’re okay.” he said getting up and going to lie on his couch, the work forgotten on his computer. “So Taehyung asked if we were more than friends today.” 

“Why am I not surprised? I doubt our nightly phone calls have gone unnoticed” you stated with a slight giggle though your voice came off scratchy, “You do make it pretty obvious.” 

“You try living with six other people.” he shot, “I don’t know how many times Jin’s walked into my room without knocking for no reason other than to say hi just to see what I’m up to.”

“He does it cause he can.” you said giggling as you heard Yoongi groan.

“I know.” his voice was muffled and you figured he had his hand on his face. 

“How are comeback promotions coming along?” you asked curiously.

“We’re lined up for shows all week and then we’re taking a small break after promotions.” he answered,”I was thinking...Do you maybe want to hang out after promotions are done?” 

“Is...this your way of asking me out on a date?” you asked with slightly wide eyes, was this seriously happening? 

“Would you say yes if it was?” Yoongi asked hesitantly and then smiled when he heard your small squeal that you had tried to conceal. 

“I’d love to go on a date with you.” you whispered and Yoongi let  out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. 

“That’s awesome...I’ll set everything up and let you know when and where.” he said before looking at the clock, “You should get some rest, you’re sick and you still have to come home tomorrow.” 

“Will you go to sleep?” you quietly asked knowing that he would probably end up spending the night at the studio. “Or take a small nap? You still have to perform tomorrow and we don’t need another person in the hospital.” 

“We’ll see, I was working on something earlier that I want to finish up.” he said and he heard you let out a sigh.

“Just try to get some rest...please?” you asked.

“I’ll try…” Yoongi said, ‘only for you though’

“Good” you said let out a yawn, “Good night Yoongi, I’m looking forward to our date.”

“Good night Y/N. Feel better kay?” 

“Kay” you said just as the line went dead and Yoongi put his phone down and looked up at the ceiling, “I could use a nap…” he thought to himself as his eyes drifted close.

Next update: Friday 3pm

#bts fiction #yoongi fiction #suga fiction #bts imagine #bts #bangtan boys #suga #yoongi #min yoongi #kpop fiction #kpop #kpop imagine

[jennifersylvesters]

ring ring ( prologue )

Pairing: flower shop owner!Chris Evans x coffee shop manager!reader Word Count: ~2.9k A/N: i just really wanted soft!chris evans / potentially soft!sebastian stan - so i made it lmao. secret admirers and soft men? that’s what i’m going for fam. i’ll admit that it’s a bit slow, but i promise it’ll get to a better pace in the next part. also i’ll probably make a proper header for the upcoming parts. feedback is always appreciated/loved aka i’d probably cry if you gave it to me

While many trudge through the vicious cycle of mornings, struggling to fully stay awake on their commute to school or work, they forget about those who wake up earlier than them to provide their much needed coffee. Forgotten are the unsung heroes who wake up before dawn to help satisfy the caffeine craving. Yet it was a position you proudly took on as manager of The Cozy Cup Café, a small yet charming coffee shop. 

You never would’ve imagined staying on for as long as you had. “This is only temporary” you told yourself heading into the interview. But something about the cozy environment and your fellow baristas made you stay on and eventually become manager. 

At this point in your life, The Cozy Cup Café felt like home to you. Everyone knew you and vice versa. You enjoyed chatting with your regulars, checking up on their family members and how their life was going. You liked helping new customers with choosing drinks, recommending your favorites and taking delight when they enjoyed it as well. In your down time you joked with the rest of the crew, finding a perfect balance between work and relax. 

Of course like any job there were certain downsides that came along. Often times the rude customers made difficult mornings into dreadful ones. There were those who tested your patience, making you sometimes wish you could snap back at them. One woman in particular always made you grind your gears from the first moment you met her. 

It had been a brisk February morning with a steady line forming at the till. People murmured out their orders to you, proceeding with the typical polite casualness. You didn’t expect much from most people, understanding the struggle of waking up. Then there was her. Right as you were about to chirp out a polite greeting and ask how she was doing, she immediately cut you off. 

“Venti, quad, soy, light foam latte with one packet of Splenda. For Scarlett” the woman announced, eyes refusing to look up from her phone as she rapidly typed on the screen. It was off-putting to have someone throw their order so bluntly at you, but you quickly scribbled down her order before setting it down for the barista to work on. 

A couple minutes later as you hopped on to help make drinks, you saw out of the corner of your eye the blonde woman staring you down as she drummed her fingers on the counter. A part of you wanted to ignore it, just pretend you didn’t see her so she would eventually leave. But the stare bore into you, forcing you to finally acknowledge her. 

“You spelled my name wrong.” She held out her cup for you to inspect, visibly irritated. Even after politely apologizing, she continued to glare at you. “How hard is it for you to spell Scarlett? It’s literally not that difficult. How did you mess that up?” Getting yelled at about misspelling was new territory for you. You apologized repeatedly but to no avail; she sent you one final dirty look before huffing away. It only seemed natural to assume she had no plans of returning to the establishment. 

Oh, how wrong you would be. Instead Scarlett chose to become a regular. You dreaded the minute it turned seven forty-five knowing she’d come in most days, always irritatedly tapping her Louboutins behind the slower customers. No matter how hard you tried, she never showed any attempt of consideration towards you or the other workers. Nothing seemed to please her. 

“There’s too much foam” she would snap, placing the coffee on the counter ledge before shoving in your direction. 

“Ugh, this is too sweet” she would spit out, making a face. 

“Did you drop the shot?” she would chastise you. “You must’ve dropped the shot or else why would this be so disgusting and bitter?” Perhaps to match her soul. 

Of course you’d hold your tongue, politely apologizing and redoing her order. It almost was a given at this point that you would need to remake her drink any time she came in. 

Certain regulars like her made you wonder why they visited The Cozy Cup if they constantly seemed displeased. Sure the coffee was good, but was it really that addictive that they needed to bring their negative energy to your shop? Apparently so. 

You couldn’t help but question why a fellow named Sebastian frequented the cafe as well. You initially swooned when he stepped foot into the shop. Every so often you saw him around town, knowing he owned the bar down the street. But just as quickly as your attraction came, it promptly dissipated with his curt attitude. Of course it never deterred you from trying to remain friendly. You would ask about his bar or how his day was going, hoping for just a bit of rapport. It seemed nearly impossible to have any connection with him seeing as questions were always received with one word responses and his eyes usually avoided yours.

Despite his quiet and gruff demeanor, you could sense his kindness. The smallest gestures proved it: from how he always tipped generously before heading out to cleaning up the sugar and milk counter even though it wasn’t necessary. 

Whenever his friends would join him on the coffee excursions, he seemed to tense up more than usual. Yet you knew he was a selective man and that he wouldn’t have brought them around unless he truly enjoyed their company. You liked his friend Anthony who always cracked jokes and made you laugh. His friend Tom was always polite with you, often asking about your day and how you were doing. When he casually mentioned how lovely you looked, you couldn’t help but blush. He complimented you frequently whenever he stopped by, which always prompted Sebastian to lightly shove him and tell him to knock it off. 

It was in those moments when you would finally make eye contact with Sebastian. There was always a look of concern, making sure his friend wasn’t overstepping boundaries. All it took was a simple nod for him to understand the flirtation hadn’t upset you. With that he would yank his friends out of The Cozy Cup, making you curious about the terse bartender.

For all its ups and downs, you loved your job. There was one part you looked forward to most, knowing it was quite unique. While most of your fellow baristas looked forward to their days off, you couldn’t wait for Wednesday afternoon to roll around. 

Every week like clockwork, the doors chimed and a bouquet of flowers arrived for you. A note would be attached along with the flowers, often singing affectionate praises and adoration. This sweet and constant gift sent your heart fluttering, making you wish you knew who your secret admirer was. 

The first time it occurred, it completely caught you off guard. “These are for you” the delivery man announced proudly, handing a bouquet of lavender roses. You blinked as you slowly took the flowers into your arms. There were more than two dozen, delicate ribbon tied on the ends. A small, pink note was tucked in the center with your name written in calligraphy. Pulling the note out, your face flushed when you realized it was a love letter. The note wasn’t long, but it was enough to overwhelm you. 

You quickly thanked the delivery man before sitting down to fully process what happened. Someone customized a special delivery just to tell you how special you were? The gesture was thoughtful and romantic, something you never expected to happen. As happy as you were, you assumed it was a fluke and that it wouldn’t occur again.

When a bouquet of pink and white gerbera daisies were delivered the next week, your face reddened like mad in front of the customers. So this wasn’t just a one time deal. You took them from the delivery man, spinning on your heels and heading to the back. Once out of sight, you buried your head in the flowers overwhelmed at how beautiful they were. As the weeks progressed, you begun looking forward to Wednesday afternoons and the sweet promises of flowers and loving words.

One of the best parts of these flower arrangements was who delivered the bouquets. Of course he wasn’t just the delivery man but the owner of the flower shop. The first time he stepped inside the cafe and introduced himself as Chris, nerves took over and all you could do was politely nod. Now you spoke to him with ease, but your excitement whenever he came in never faded. 

Even before the deliveries you often saw Chris around. Whenever business was slow, all you had to do was look up and across the street to see him occupied with his orders and arrangements. You would watch him burst into laughter at something one of his workers said, throwing a hand on his chest, as if he could barely contain his happiness. It made you wonder what his laugh sounded like, what it would be like to hear him laugh at jokes you made. You never met the beautiful man who owned the flower shop until he came in personally to deliver the bouquets to you. 

Lizzie, one of the baristas and one of your best friends, always playfully teased you once Chris left. “Which thing are you more excited for: the flowers or the man bringing them?” she’d ask. You’d roll your eyes at the question knowing full well that you enjoyed both. Why would you ever need to choose one over the other? But sometimes you couldn’t help but tiptoe over the line of wanting Chris’s company over the flowers. 

It became a weekly occurrence that he would stick around after the delivery, simply chatting with you while sipping on a cup of coffee. He spoke about his family and how much he adored their visits. He loved talking about his dog, which he often showed you multiple photos of the sweet creature. “You’d love him” he swore. If he was just as sweet as his owner, you were sure you’d get along well. Sometimes you wished that the conversations would last longer, but you knew he needed to return back to his business and you needed to help other customers.   

As Wednesday rolled around, you anxiously waited for the arrival of Chris. He usually swung by around one thirty when the cafe was at its slowest. After the lunch rush you checked your phone every so often in hopes that the seconds would go by faster. No such luck. With no one in the shop, you decided to Lizzie on her break as you tidied up. It wasn’t until the door chimes rung softly that you glanced up to see Chris pushing open the door.

“Hey there” he greeted you, one hand full of a bouquet of flowers while he waved to you with his free hand. 

“Oh. Lizzie not here today?” he asked, glancing around the cafe. 

You shook your head. “She’s on break right now.”

“Ah” he nodded in response. He grinned as he looked around the empty shop. “So it’s just you and me now, huh?”

“Yup. Just you and me” you echoed, a pink tinge appearing on your face. 

“I like the sound of that” he laughed. You couldn’t get enough of his laugh. There was something so infectious about it that you couldn’t help but smile hearing it. 

He approached the counter, gently handing over the bouquet. This week’s flower arrangement featured gardenias and blue violets. Plucking the note from the side, you read it to yourself. “I wonder if you notice me the same way I notice you. I can’t help but wonder if everyone else can sense how much I enjoy being in your presence. Is it obvious for the world to see? Do I stutter too much or is my face too heated? Only you have me flustered like no other. Would others laugh if they knew or encourage this pursuit? But then I realize that I only care about one person’s opinion. And that if it was only you who noticed and you felt the same way I did, it would be enough for me. - Your Secret Admirer” 

“I love it” you breathed out softly, fingers tracing the petals. 

“Glad to hear it. I’ll let your admirer know that you’re just in love with this one as you were the last.” You couldn’t help but giggle at his comment. Every week you were always in awe that the only thing you could say was how much you loved it. 

“Do you choose the flowers in the arrangement or does, um, the other person?” There was hesitancy in your voice for saying the word ‘admirer’. You knew that was what you had, but it felt almost cocky if you were to let the word slide out of your mouth so easily. 

Chris shrugged. “It’s fifty fifty. Sometimes he chooses them. Sometimes he just wants to send you something beautiful that he leaves the arrangement up to me.”

“And today? Who chose it?”

He paused upon seeing your eagerness. “I think I’ll leave it a surprise” he decided, causing you to frown. “Hey, c’mon now. When the time is right, you’ll find out who your admirer is.” 

With that, you decided to drop the subject. Setting the flowers and note aside, you began making his usual order as he conversed with you. He spoke about the movie he watched last night and how he though you’d quite enjoy it even if the ending was terribly cheesy. You nodded along to his words but found yourself thinking about your admirer.

So many thoughts raced inside your head. Did you know him? Or did he just know you? Was he a regular or had you met him in some other place? Was it adoration at first sight or had it taken a while for you to grow on that person? These questions plagued your mind, making you wish you knew the answers. Of course the question you wanted to know most of all but knew never to ask sat at the very tip of your tongue: was Chris your admirer? 

You never would’ve thought of it if Lizzie and Letitia, your other best friend, hadn’t planted the concept. “It makes perfect sense. What better way to get to talk to you by faking an admirer” Leti suggested one night at your apartment. The three of you were spending a night in trying to relax when the topic of your secret admirer came up. 

“She has a good point” Lizzie agreed, nudging your shoulder. You waved off the idea but the two of them persisted. 

“He’s a total catch, but in this day and age people don’t do the whole straightforward deal. That’s why Lizzie’s on Tinder and I’m doing those online dating sites.” Lizzie scowled, tossing a pillow at Letitia.

“Let’s be real here. This just gives him more time to hang out with you. And you’re a total catch, Y/N. He now knows what makes you swoon and he’s probably just trying to find the right time to admit he’s sending the flowers and notes” Leti insisted. 

Even though you laughed it off, you couldn’t shake the idea that Chris might actually be your admirer. And honestly, you loved that idea. Everything about him seemed so perfect that you wanted it be true. But there were no obvious hints for you to definitively say it was him. And the only way for you to find out more information was to talk to the only person who knew the truth. 

“So no hints at all to the flower giver?” you eventually asked, letting your curiosity get the best of you. Though your earlier conversation had been about football, your random interjection didn’t bother Chris in the slightest.

“What would the fun be in that?” he teased, leaning in closer to you. 

“It would make it a lot easier for me to use a person’s name rather than calling them ‘flower giver’ or ‘person’” you pointed out. “Of course, I love all of this. I really do. But, well, it’s been a couple months. I figured they might’ve given me at least a hint by now.” 

He hummed as he pondered this notion. “Well, let’s just say your admirer is a lot closer than you think.” Was this him admitting that he was your admirer? It felt like a sign. Your heart raced as both of your eyes locked with one another. How could you even tear yourself away from those dreamy blue eyes? 

“Chris” a familiar voice snipped. Both of you looked at the entrance where your least favorite customer stood. Her arms crossed, she tapped her heel irritatedly waiting for him. Oh? So they knew one another. This news caught you by surprise seeing how she came across as bitter as espresso beans while he resembled the sweetness of hot cocoa. But perhaps people like Chris were meant to spread kindness to everyone, even those as harsh as her. 

“Well I’ll see ya later!” he called out, giving you one last smile before joining Scarlett. She brushed her hand through his hair, lips firmly pressed together. Taking one last glance at you, she caressed his cheek before roughly kissing his mouth. The kiss seemed to take both you and Chris by surprise, both of your eyes widening at the aggressive display of affection. 

“Let’s go” she stated to the visibly flustered Chris. The way her hand immediately grasped his once she finished made it clear: he was hers and you’d be foolish to go against her. 

Oof. That’s rough, buddy.

tag list: @sleepybesson | i’m not sure if you meant permanent tag list as in all i write so you got tagged in this - but let me know if i messed up and i’ll take you off: @tomhaz

#chris evans fanfiction #chris evans fic #chris evans #chris evans x reader #chris evans x you #chris evans x y/n #chris evans imagine #sebastians stan fanfic #sebastian stan fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #marvel fic #my writing #fic: ring ring

[madisgriffin]

home is what the heart protects

Summary: “John Murphy had lived a hundred lifetimes in his year on the ground and yet still, somehow, after a year of living in space again, nineteen year old John Murphy hears the word “dad” and his first thought is I’m too young.”

I set out to write memori fic and instead ended up with 2k words of feelings about John Murphy. You’re welcome.

Requested by @bellxmyblakes and yelled at to write it for the last 2 weeks by her, @bobmorlee, and @bellammy. I love my Supportive Fam.

Read on Ao3

John Murphy was seventeen the first time he was accused of murder. A little girl drove his knife into the throat of the chancellor’s son, and he was hung for a crime he didn’t commit and driven out of the only semblance of home he could possibly know on this screwed up planet.

He was seventeen the first time he did murder someone. Tortured and driven by his desire for revenge, he’d held the fabric over their heads until they stopped breathing. They were kids, he was a kid, and the Earth had already made murderers out of them.

He was seventeen the first time he met the love of his life, and in some ways he knew he was lucky for that, even if she stole from him and held a knife to his throat.

He figured he was probably eighteen—they all lost track of the days at some point—the first time he considered taking his own life in the bunker that became a prison.

By eighteen, John Murphy was standing back up in space, watching the world burn.

John Murphy had lived a hundred lifetimes in his year on the ground and yet still, somehow, after a year of living in space again, nineteen year old John Murphy hears the word “dad” and his first thought is I’m too young.

A million voices shouted at him that he wasn’t good enough, that he didn’t deserve this, that there was no way he could raise a child to be any better than he was, but when he looked into the terrified eyes of the girl he loved, he knew that right now, he had to be the strong one, the confident one.

“Hey,” he said, gently taking Emori’s face in his hands. She was shaking, and he forced his hands to remain still. “How much have we been through together? You and me against the world, right? We’re survivors; we can face anything together.”

She shook her head, dark eyes watery. “It won’t just be about us, John. How can we raise a baby? I’ve never had a family or a home; my parents threw me out like trash. Will I even know how to love my own child?”

Anger flared up in Murphy at the people in Emori’s life who should’ve loved her, and instead made her feel she was unworthy and incapable of love.

He shut his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing, not wanting Emori to misunderstand his anger as being directed at her.

“My mother was raised the same as everyone else on the Ark,” he started, forcing himself to keep his eyes fixed on hers rather than avoiding eye contact. These weren’t things he told people. “She had friends, parents who cared about her, the whole shebang, and she was a fine parent when I was kid. But when my dad died, instead of pulling it together for her son who had just been saved from the brink of death, she spent the rest of her life drinking and wasting her life away, all while blaming me for his death.” He shook his head. “What I’m saying is, how you were raised doesn’t make you good or bad. Just because you had a decent life doesn’t mean you can be a decent parent. You’ve had one of the worst lots in life possible, but you came out of it stronger, and you’ll make a fantastic mother.”

“How do you know?” She asked, her fear still written all over her face.

“You’ve always been a fighter, Emori. You fought to survive, and you fight for the people you love. This kid will know you love them because they’ll know you’d do anything for them, I’m sure of that. I’m sure of you. You’re my family, you and little John junior.”

She giggled a little, and he smiled in triumph.

“What about your dad?”

He looked away, considering asking what she meant just to avoid the question a little longer.

Instead, “My dad saved my life, and he was killed for it.”

He felt her hand on his cheek, turning his face back to look at her. “It wasn’t your fault, John, you know that.”

He shrugged, “It was and it wasn’t. It doesn’t really matter. He knew the choice he was making when he stole the medicine for me. He knew he’d die for me; it was what he wanted. I’d do it for you,” he took her right hand in his, lacing his fingers through hers, “and I’d do it for our child too. And I haven’t even met the little misfit yet.”

“Misfit?” She smirked.

“He’s our kid, Emori. Are we expecting anything else?”

She laughed. “Or she.”

He grinned.

“We can do this,” She said, her voice no longer full of fear.

“We can do this.”

***

He really doesn’t know if he can do this.

He can’t say it to Emori, not with her relying on him to be strong, but he was scared out of his ever-loving mind.

She’d fallen asleep shortly after their conversation, and he’d managed to slip out of the room without being noticed. Without even really meaning to, he’d found himself in the rations room. And from there, it hadn’t been a far jump to end up slumped against the wall, one of the few bottles of alcohol scavenged from the remains of the Ark slipping out of his hand.

Bellamy walked in on him like that, taking in the scene and shaking his head with an exasperated sigh.

“Murphy, what is going on here? We agreed to save the alcohol.”

Bellamy was giving him that quintessential stern dad look and Murphy almost laughed. Or maybe he did laugh. His brain wasn’t processing things well at the moment.

“But it’s a special occasion, Bell.” He slurred, grinning lopsidedly at him. “I’m gonna be a dad.” He threw his hands in the air clumsily, dropping the plastic bottle in the process. He stared at the spilled liquid longingly for a moment before shrugging and turning his attention back to Bellamy.

Bellamy’s jaw had gone slack and he was staring at him like he’d grown a second head.

“Aren’t you gonna congratulate me?” Murphy asked after a long silence.

“I—are you sure?” Bellamy stuttered.

Murphy shrugged again. “Guess there’s no way to be totally sure. Emori thinks so.”

Bellamy nodded, finally breaking out of whatever trance the sudden announcement had put him in. “Wow,” he said, coming to sit against the wall next to him.

Bellamy reached out and picked up the discarded bottle. “Cheers,” he said, drinking the little that hadn’t spilled onto the floor. They’d have to clean that up later, he thought foggily. Can’t be leaving messes like that around when he has a kid.

They sat there in companionable silence for a while, and Murphy wondered if he’d ever be able to do this like Bellamy, to know when someone needed to talk, or to be yelled at, or to just to have someone sitting next to them. Those were dad things, weren’t they?

“I haven’t actually had that much to drink,” he admitted, breaking the silence. “That bottle wasn’t even full.”

“I know,” Bellamy said. “I did inventory today. I would’ve yelled at you if you’d taken more.”

“You wouldn’t have, not with me drunk and miserable.”

“I would’ve, tomorrow.”

Murphy smiled a little, then shook his head and focused his gaze on his lap. “What am I gonna do?”

“You’re gonna have a kid,” Bellamy said, and Murphy shot him a well-meaning “duh” look. Bellamy rolled his eyes, “Let me finish,” he said.

“You’re gonna have a kid, and you’re gonna realize that whatever intense protectiveness you’ve known up until this point—saving Emori from the City of Light or Praimfaya, everything that you risked and had to do to accomplish that, it’ll pale in comparison to what you’d do for that kid.

“You’ll never be able to make a selfish decision again, because every move you make will have an effect on them, and you’ll be aware of that every second of the day. If, Heaven forbid, the day ever comes that you have to make a decision that puts the woman you love and the child you raised on different sides, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll pick the kid. Even though it still hurts like hell.”

Bellamy had a faraway look in his eyes and Murphy smirked despite himself.

“What?” Bellamy asked.

“Clarke and Octavia,” he said; there was no use beating around the bush.

Bellamy’s jaw clenched and he looked away. Clarke’s voice had crackled through the comm radio a week before. It had cut out every few seconds and the rough connection had made it so they could only understand a few words (days, nightblood, alive), but it was enough to know it was undoubtedly her. Bellamy had spent the rest of the day staring out the window at the Earth, no longer burning but still alight with radiation. No one had mentioned it. It just was.

“Yeah well, that’s a little different,” Bellamy said finally, “but you get the idea.”

“Yeah,” Murphy said, “you’re right. You’ve always been so good at this, you know?”

Bellamy raised his eyebrows, as much in confusion as surprise, “What do you mean?”

“Being a dad. Taking care of people. You basically raised Octavia, and the 100 never would’ve survived without you. I don’t know how to do that.” He paused, and Bellamy was quiet, waiting for him to continue. “I don’t deserve this, Bell. I’ve done too much screwed up sh-”

“Stuff,” Bellamy interrupted. “Watch your language, you’re gonna have a kid.”

Murphy rolled his eyes and chuckled despite himself. “I’m not good enough to be a dad.”

Bellamy stared at him for a long moment before turning to face forward again. “Maybe you’re not. And you probably don’t deserve it. But who here does? We all did screwed up stuff back on Earth.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

Bellamy shot him a glare before continuing, “What I’m saying is that maybe you don’t know a thing about being a dad. That’ll come. And none of us deserve this, but it happened, and it happened to you. You’re gonna have a kid and it’s gonna be surrounded by the most unexpected people to be their family, and you’re going to get through this, because you won’t be alone. Got it?”

“Yeah. I got it.”

He did. And to some degree, maybe he always had. He’d meant what he said to Emori back in their room. They could do this, and he knew that he, John Murphy, ever the survivor, would take a bullet in a heartbeat if it meant his kid lived.

Who would’ve thought.

***

They sort of accidentally told everyone else a few days later. Being that there was very little to do up in space, the seven of them spent a lot of time sprawled out on the floor telling every story under the sun. It always started out lighthearted, the delinquents would tell stories about their first few weeks on the ground, stories about all of their vastly different upbringings. But, as could be expected, it usually got heavy before they were through. Names were brought up of people whose deaths would always be fresh in their minds; experiences from one story would lead directly to another that almost got them killed. Their lives just didn’t have much lighthearted left.

A lot of the time on those days, conversation would fade out until Bellamy started talking, telling them stories from long before any of them were born, myths and history lessons that, in another life, they never would’ve sat still for. But in this one, well, in this life everything was a welcome distraction.

It was at one of those times, before Bellamy had the chance to distract them, that the news broke. Monty had just been laughing about a prank he and Jasper had pulled on the Ark, but the laughter had dissolved into a tense silence as the actual heaviness of the situation once again set in for all of them. It was in that first minute of silence that, before he could think better of it, Murphy blurted it out.

“Emori’s pregnant.”

In a flash, all eyes in the room were on him. Emori looked at him, stunned, and he shot her an apologetic smile. They hadn’t really discussed telling everyone, but he figured they’d have to eventually.

To everyone’s surprise, Echo spoke first. “Congratulations to you both,” she said, and her smile was sincere.

With the initial shocked silence broken, everyone else chimed in with their own congratulations. Monty, who was sitting on the floor a few feet from Murphy, sat up to reach over and clap him on the shoulder. “You’re gonna be a dad, man, that’s awesome.”

Murphy grinned, and it was one of his most genuine smiles since Emori had told him. Harper asked how Emori was feeling and Raven said she was gonna make the kid her engineering assistant, and the surrealness of what was happening started to sink in.

John Murphy had done a lot of things in his life to survive, many he regretted and some he didn’t. He’d hurt people, including everyone currently in the room. While he couldn’t yet entertain the thought that he was redeemed, looking around the room at the way everyone was smiling and talking about his unborn son or daughter like a member of the family, he realized he was forgiven, and that was more than he could’ve ever asked for.

#the 100 #memori #memori fanfiction #john murphy #emori #the 100 fanfiction #my writing

[sukunussy]

i've been thinking a lot about actually using this for some personal writings because i feel like writing it all down might be helpful. i don't know if i believe in journalling or blogging or whatever but i'm sick of just venting to my friends about the same shit over and over and over again so i guess i might as well give it a shot. 

my sleep schedule has been wrecked for weeks. i thought i'd fixed it a few nights ago, but then i stayed up and... yeah, just a mess. so i for some reason only slept 5:30am-8:30am yesterday and then stayed up because i didn't feel tired and kinda didn't wanna sleep through the day; i thought i could power through. so, i stay up, rot in my room for a while because i couldn't make myself go to the kitchen to make myself anything to eat. i just. my stomach was growling, i was hungry, i hadn't had coffee in two days so i was feeling it — but somehow i still just stayed at my desk or in bed til my mom took pity on me and brought me a sandwich. (for context, i'd been telling my fam this whole summer that i needed help eating regular meals because my school crisis mode just fucks with my appetite and i always sleep through breakfast. they haven't really been great about it.)

i got tired at like 6pm yesterday and was lying in bed for a long while just idly scrolling trying to actually sleep. i don't remember when i actually fell asleep, but i woke up at some point to put my computer away and then woke up for good at like 1am, i think? i wanted to go back to sleep initially but then woke up too much to do it so i've been up. decided to start watching good omens, finally, which is the best thing i've taken out of the past two days.

so, i haven't really slept, and i'm awake at like 8:30am when my mom comes into my room. my mom uses my bathroom exclusively even though my room is like a 3 minute walk from her room (which is literally right next to a bathroom) because she's grossed out by the other bathroom for no good reason. there's literally no reason. anyway, she gives me a lot of shit for trying to ask her to knock or wait for me to say "come in" when she comes back to my room, but it's a matter of space and boundaries. she's been overinvolved in my life and invaded my personal space a lot because i was an only child in an abusive household where my dad made it hard for my mom to have friends and alienated her from her family.

anyway, my mom just strolls in looking like she absolutely just woke up and goes into my bathroom. mutters a "good morning" because she's surprised she saw me up and 'attem so early. i was watching good omens, y'know, chill as hell. and i've had this talk with my mom about using the bathroom before — she can use it but don't like sneakily come back to use the bathroom and then expect that i want to sit and chat for an hour. it's my room, it's my time, we don't get along very well and i honestly come back her to just... vegetate. i don't wanna be dealing with her constantly.

naturally, my mom gets out of the bathroom and comes over to me. this entire time i've had the episode paused because i get so on edge when she's in my room like i literally can't focus on anything else until she's gone. she comes over, and i'm like on my side in bed, and starts petting me even though i'm trying not to make eye contact because i want her to leave. i just want her gone, i wanna watch the show and not deal with it. she didn't even knock to come in, knowing that i've been getting up weirdly early the past few days. and she starts trying to ask me what's wrong, but i really don't want to talk about it and i tell her as much.

finally, i tell her i'm mad about her just coming in here and then proceeding to linger exactly how i told her i didn't want her to. and coming over to do the whole physical affection thing when everything in my face and body language was clear about me not wanting any of it. it's been a really long time since i've felt comforted by my mom's physical affection. there are moments when i want a hug but as a rule it makes me feel more uncomfortable than anything. that's a more complicated issue tat i could go on about but back to the narrative. she settles on just saying "there's something wrong with you," and then leaves.

but we're not done!

she comes back this time to try to pry out why i'm mad and it just devolves into our typical fights. i'm mad this summer because i got a grant to plan a research trip abroad and my whole family basically fought me every step of the way because i wanted to go to cuba. i'm cuban, i wanted to go to see if i could do a cuban opera for my senior thesis; of course, cuba is a communist country with an unstable regime/economy, so i'm aware that my going would come with some risks. i knew this!! it wasn't going to be some silly vacation for the 'gram!!! but my family being so like aggressively against the trip plus depression plus summer slump meant the trip didn't happen. i missed my flight, ghosted my airbnb, lost $400, didn't make any plans. this happened at the beginning of june. of course i'm still upset by this. i still don't even really wanna talk about it.

i know i could've still gone if i really set my mind to it. i could've planned. i was just wiped out from the semester and i needed the support from somewhere, anywhere, and i didn't have it. it would've been my first time abroad; it's the first thing i've applied for and gotten while i've been in college, the grant i got. i built it up in my head and for there not even to be the slightest acknowledgement that this is a cool thing that you're doing to fend for yourself and hone your craft and reconnect to a heritage that you're simultaneously entrenched and removed in — no, nothing. just my mom saying "when you leave, i'll say goodbye to you like it's the last time i'll ever see you," and my grandma ganging up on me because a friend of a friend was on her whatsapp telling her that cuba has low supplies of toilet paper.

so i'm feeling really fucked up about this. at least i'm still writing this summer. writing is an outlet i always turn to but never know how to manage in a healthy or productive way. (like how i'm writing this having been up all night instead of getting breakfast.)

we have this stupid fight where my mom just doesn't listen to me — i mention a smaller, addressable issue and she zooms out to her failed marriage, her health problems — oh, wait. i forgot the best part. when she walked in to ask me why i was mad, she actually guilt tripped me at first. "your grandmother is getting ready to go to the doctor's office. have you heard about her test results? [medical stuff] she could die any day now of heart failure. you should go say hi before she leaves." like deadass!!!! really!!! this is how she swings in while i am pointedly not speaking to her.

that was what set me off. i called her out for the guilt tripping because, if she's going to stand there and force a conversation, that's what i had to say. so, i cry, she cries and blubbers — at this point i'm so numb to her reactions that it really just frustrates me when she gets like that, sue me. my patience is just... gone with her. all the patience i have goes toward trying not to raise my voice because then at least i know i have the high ground when she starts raising her voice at me. which. i hate! i really don't do well with yelling! who does?

this fight happens. she leaves sobbing that she's a fuck up, because every fight ends up being about her even when it starts about me. even when i was just trying to get her to understand that her forcing herself into my life and into my space isn't something i'll ever respond well to.

leaves me alone for about... 20 minutes. i start writing this post. since i've started, i shit you not, she's come in three times. first, to plead at my door to let her use my bathroom (she left her hairdryer in there and wants to wash up). after ignoring her for a minute as she gets louder, i just decide to let her in because i don't want her to unlock my door with her key or to stand there crying as if i can't hear her. then she tries to talk to me multiple times while she's in my bathroom doing... whatever she was doing. mind you, i was literally just typing away and not paying attention.

she's called me twice and informed me that she also sent a text message saying she'll help me (now) plan a trip to cuba because she doesn't want me to blame her for this forever. she also just came by to tell me, again, about a random doctor's appointment.

at this point, home just feels unsafe to me. i don't have a quiet place for myself. i've lived alone at school for two years and it's like i'm living in a glass box here where my mom could walk in and watch me at any second. i don't want to talk to her. i don't want to talk to my grandparents, who are dealing with health issues and other family issues and consider me locking myself up in my room as some kind of phase i guess? or a tantrum? no matter the different ways in which i cry for help. i don't want to talk to my dad, because he plays nice for five minutes and then reminds me that he's a fucking raging conservative bigot and that he'll never actually accept me for who i am. i don't even know what home is anymore. it's definitely not school, but it's not here, either.

i just needed to get this out. i'm gonna try to eat and get out of bed and go to a cafe in a bit. gotta shower before i leave the house, it's been a few days. maybe i'll update later.

#personal #andy speaks

[littlemisssquiggles]

Hey what did you think of this week's episode it was really good and i fell like everything came full circle. What do you think of ironwood actions. I also see ozpin returning to help oscar soon since I imagine that neo is probably just bring oscar to cinder as soon as she realizes it is ozpin but I do not know if she knows about Ozpin and salem's war tho...

Hey there Dagger. I thought this week’s episode was pretty great, actually =D Easily one of thebest episodes of the season so far for this squigglemeister. In regards to Ironwood, would it be weird if I said that I’m halfand half on his actions from last episode?  

It’s one of those rare moments whereyou expected something to happen given how things were being staged but stillfind yourself being shocked when it does go down, y’know what I mean?

Like I was actually expectingIronwood to go off on Team RWBY from as early as CH9 but when it didn’t happenand our heroes once again got away with their deceitful actions towardsIronwood, I was left feeling like the Writers were once again playing off yetanother scenario where the heroes did something wrong while portraying theauthority figure challenging them on their actions as the bad guy when inactuality, they were more in the right than the heroes. I figured it was goingto be just like Argus again. But no, the Writers subverted my expectations withIronwood giving into his Baobab and turning on our heroes, calling them out fortheir deceit. And to that, I clappedbecause I’m sorry, they deserved it.

I know Team RWBY are supposed to beour heroes and therefore as ourheroes, I’m always supposed to view their actions as some brave act ofrighteousness done for the greater good---but I’m sorry fam. I couldn’t get behind anything our heroes have done since…welllast season.

For the folks who’ve been followingmy posts since the start of V7, you know that my stance has always been that the heroes were heavily in the wrong fortheir deceit towards the General. I did not agree with that one bit nor didI buy into their reasoning for it either.

So seeing them finally receive theircomeuppance as a result of this is the poeticjustice I’ve been waiting on since V6. In a way, you can almost say thatour heroes unintentionally were partially responsible for the creation themonster that is Heartless Ironwoodsince their deceit provide fuel to the Baobab that’s been manifesting withinhim since the Fall of Beacon.

Don’t get me wrong---Obviously I amnot in favour of Ironwood’s new plan to shoot Atlas into orbit while abandoningthe People of Mantle especiallyafter he promised on camera while standing in the presence of Robyn Hill---theproverbial voice of Mantle---that he wouldn’t leave them behind ever again. Formost of V7, we’ve observed the results of Ironwood’s neglect of the Mantle andits citizen. This was what made the moment in CH11 so virtuous and benevolent.It was great to see Ironwood finally take a stand with the People of Mantle andspeak towards looking out for their well-being. All the more reason why seeinghim go back on his promise to Mantle feels so disheartening. This was themoment where Oscar’s words about keeping one’s humanity even in their pursuitof their accomplishments came back into play. I’m not trying to say thatIronwood losing his humanity wasn’t properly foreshadowed. I’m more saying thatit still doesn’t make it any more disappointing as a fan of his character tosee him fall so low and to witness yet again that Mantle is the unfortunatevictim caught in the wave of Ironwood’s descent. So yeah; I’m not happy with whatIronwood is doing to the people of Mantle.  

However, at the same time I’m not mad for the General reacting theway he did towards the heroes. In my opinion, the heroes deserved this punishmentsince their past actions put them in this position. The one thing Ironwoodasked of them from the get-go was to reciprocate the trust he was willing---emphasis on willing---to offer them. Instead theheroes actively chose to lie to theirAtlesian allies from the start and continued to do so up until the point theywere called out for it. The only reason the truth managed to come out in someshape or form was due in part to Oscar’s encouragement. Yes I understand thatRuby also agreed to tell Ironwood the truth too and it’s actually a decisionthat she and Oscar were on the same page about. However, the difference betweenRuby and Oscar is that Oscar was shown to disapprove of the team withholdinginformation from their Atlesian allies. He even challenged Ruby on the matter.

Not once has Ruby has been shown toregret her actions towards the General. On the contrary, she seemed rather indifferent about it even whenchallenged by Yang about the subject. The one time we’ve seen her express doubtin her decision to deceive Ironwood was in CH4 during her conversation withQrow, which I’d like to believe was influenced by her talk with Oscar at thestart of CH3. Though initially apathetic on the matter, I could at least tellthat Oscar’s words weighed deeply on Ruby’s subconscious after their talk. Allthe more reason why I was disappointed in Qrow for actually encouraging Ruby intheir deceit of their Atlesian allies. Especially coming off the outcome ofwhat happened back in Anima with Oz and the Lamp.

Apologies if I sound like I’ve beenharping on Ruby a lot for this volume but I’m afraid I have to because hercharacterization for V7 hasn’t been favorablefor me. However if there is one takeaway from the Writers’ approach to Ruby’sstory for V7 that I liked a little is showing more of those “faults” about her that Oz mentioned toOscar about back in V5.

“…In some ways, yes but in many others…no. She has quirks. Her faults, just like everyone else. But she also possessessomething unquantifiable. A spark that can inspire others even in the darkestof times…”

“This must be really hard on hertoo.”

“It most assuredly is.”

For many seasons, Ruby has beenplaced on this pedestal as this voice of guidance and inspiration within thehero team. In spite of her young age and her initial shortcomings in the past,we were able to watch Ruby grow into the role. While the leadership was thebadge she was graced with based on Oz’s decision, over the story, we watchedRuby slowly and surely grow to prove that it was a title she was meant to have.She earned it of her own diligence.

But like every leader, at somepoint, you waver and make poor decisions that end up bringing the worst outcomefor you and your team. What bothered me about the way Ruby was written so farfor this season is that it never felt as if she genuinely thought that heractions towards Ironwood and their Atlesian allies were wrong. The show always portrayed her with this sort of bright smilethat, to me as the viewer, gave the impression that she’s almost blissfully naïve to the cause and effectof her own choices.

Basically the point I’m trying tomake here is that in her own Ruby way, she became arrogant. Without even realizing it for herself, in an ironic way,Ruby didn’t just mimic Ozpin’s behavior. She also became just like Ironwood,mimicking the same behavior that became the basis for her choice to deceivehim.

Doingwhat you think is best for everyone while completely ignoring the ramificationsof what your choices might do to others and/or how it might cause others toview you in the end once the action is committed?  

Wasn'tthat not the reason Ruby and by extension, the other heroes used to explainwithholding the truth from Ironwood? Don't tell the General the truth becausehe was doing what he thought was best for the People of Mantle while ignoringhis reputation in the eyes of the People of Mantle and how his actions wereaffecting them? Didn’t our heroes not commit the exact same feat but with theirAtlesian allies?

Basicallythe main point I’m making here is that, in trying to do what they believed wasthe right call, everyone made the wrongone. It’s not as one-sided assome folks might think. It’s not so much that Ironwood is wrong and the heroesare right or even Ironwood is right and the heroes are wrong. From myinterpretation, everyone is in the wronghere. Both sides have done bad inthe name of good. And both sides need to understand this very importantfactor.

However,at the moment, both sides are too ignorant to really listen to each other andthe rising tensions caused by the evacuation/abandonment of Mantle and theimpending arrival of Salem isn’t helping the situation. Despite being two sidesof the same coin---our brave faction of heroes and so-called protectors ofhumanity, they are divided.

Whatthe group needs more than anything now is a middleman.An impartial voice. Someone who hasspent time with both sides and has earned their respect or at least, the trust of their leading figures (i.e.Ruby and Ironwood). Someone who has listened to the rationales of both sidesand understands what either was tryingto accomplish with their actions. Someone who never took a side but rather identifyand spoke out on the flaws in either side’s actions.

Onnormal circumstances, Ruby would’ve been that impartial voice given herinfluence on her team. However right now, I highlight doubt that Ironwood (orany of their Atlesian allies for that matter) would be willing to listen toanything Ruby has to say after what has happened.

Itis for this reason why I’m looking to Oscar to set things straight. In previousmusings and theory posts, I’ve advocated for Oscar to be the smaller, more honest soul to mend thetethered bonds of trust within his team. I figured he would’ve played a role inOzpin’s reconciliation with his former team. But now we have the tension withIronwood.

Thisis what I believe the season has slowly been building up to with Oscar. I believe Oscar will be the one to finallytalk some sense back into Ironwood. You’ve heard me quote this once ortwice before but last season, Watts remarked that Ozpin was the only person whocould talk sense back into James.

Originallymy assumption was that Oz would’ve return to the PLOT to help with that.However, while I do want to see Oz return, I feel like Oz being the one to talkto James might somehow undermine Oscar’s development for this season. V7 has steadilybuilt Oscar up to be someone whose advice Ironwood might look towards when he’sat a loss. Not to mention that this season has also been slowly building upIronwood respecting Oscar as himself and NOT“another life for Oz or Ozma to live”.

Sowith that thought in mind, I want to see the payoff of this development for Oscar. I want it to be a case whereIronwood comes to accept Oscar as a worthy successor to Ozpin while still respectinghim as his own person.

Iwant Oscar to be the one to talk sense into Ironwood and talk him off the cloudof conceit he’s risen into. Even if it means having to actively fight him first to get him to listen tohim. It’s a shame Oscar can’t simply just project Ozpin’s soul as some kind ofastral projection before Ironwood to see. And no I’m saying that should be hissemblance. I’m just saying it as an idea.

Oh!As a matter of fact, what I would actually dig is a parallel to V5. Remember that scene with Lionheart where Oscarfirst drew the Long Memory, surprisingly Leonardo and prompting him to say“…Ozpin?” only for Oscar to smirk and cheekily respond “Not quite.”

Ithink I need a mirror of that moment with Ironwood now. I need Oscar toapproach Ironwood with this kind of commanding aura about him that demands hisattention and respect---a presence that James had only once seen reflected inthe eyes of one man named Professor Ozpin.

Imagine a moment where Jamessees Ozpin mirrored in Oscar and in a similar manner to Lionheart, it promptshim to ask “…Ozpin?”

Onlyfor Oscar to respond, in a gentler tone. “…Notquite”

Becauseit wasn’t Ozpin. It was Oscar. But now he was channelling some of Ozpin’sinfluence (as per his guidance) as ameans of getting James to finally listen to him, which he does.

Ithink that kind of moment would be great for little barn prince. Maybe it couldeven be complemented by Oscar glancing back at an apparition of Ozpin standing over him with a proud smile on hisface at his growth since his absence.

Imagine if…this moment evenencourages Oz to take more of a backseat within Oscar’s mind; relegatinghimself to more of a watchful guardian role, silently continuing to watch overOscar from the back of his mind while only offering advice when Oscar asks ofit.

Iknow some Ozpinheads want Ozpin toreturn to the story. However, let stress this by saying that Oscar is meant tobe Ozpin’s successor. The one to take his place in time. While I don’t mind Ozsticking around to look out for Oscar, I can’t picture things going back to theway they were before with Ozpin constantly taking control of Oscar’s body.

Itwas for this reason why I was glad that the show took him out of the story fora little bit since it allowed for Oscar to learn how to stand on his ownbearings while forging his own identity within the team. It was a way tofinally have Oscar step out of Ozpin’s shadow and earn his own respect amongstthe peers that he gained through Oz. While I didn’t always agree with the waythe show executed this development on Oscar’s part, my views on the outcomestill remain.

IfOz is to return, I expect him to be more of a bystander while Oscar continues to pull the reigns moving forward.Picture it as being equivalent to watching a father raising his son; helping inhis development from boy to man. At some point, the son grows up and the fatherhas to take a step back in order allow him to continue to grow on theirown---only returning when his guidance is asked of him unless it’s desperatematter of ensuring Oscar’s protection.  

Itis at this point I expect Oscar and Oz to be more in harmony with one anotherthan they’ve ever been with Oz watching Oscar continue to grow into hissuccessor until the time comes for him to become a part of him. At least,that’s how I see it.

Ifanything I’d much prefer it if Oz only returned to lend Oscar some of his poweron the battlefield. While I share in your theory of Oz returning, I’m not sure if Oz will be the one to help Oscar with Neo.

Based on the way CH11 ended off, itappears that JNR might be the ones to help look for Oscar. I’m not even sure ifOscar was even kidnapped. Some FNDM theorists seem to believe he was takenhostage by Neo while others believe he might be off on his own in pursuit ofNeo. I, for one, am indecisive on which theory I think it will be.

I’m starting to lean more towardsthe notion of Oscar pursuing Neo on his own since I like the idea of Oscarbumping into JNR along the way and the four of them devise a clever scheme tolure Neo into the Tetris Training Room so that they can corner her and take herout in a similar manner to Neon of FNKI.

But in the event that Oscar has beenkidnapped, I do like your idea of Oz returning to help him out of that trickyscenario. I’d like to think that Neo is aware that Oscar is Oz since Cinderknows and she probably would’ve told her back in Mistral. Speaking of Oz, perhaps, with his guidance again, Oscarmanages to free himself from Neo’s captivity, blindsiding her and retrievingthe Relic back from her before making his escape.

As a matter of fact, instead ofbeing kidnapped, how about the idea of Oscarbeing probably off somewhere in a game of cat and mouse, trying to protect theRelic from Neo who is hot on his tail.

Perhaps…after Neo took out the droids, Oscar blindsided her and made a quick dashbefore Neo could get the Relic off of him. So for all we know, Oscar could besprinting through the halls of Atlas trying to avoid Neo. Atlas is a bigpremise since its home to the huntsmen academy and the military in addition tothe Vault and the medical facility that’s secretly housing the Winter Maiden.

So Oscar could be anywhere on the premises trying to desperately get awayfrom Neo. What’s worse is there is potential for that to actually provemore difficult for Oscar than one might realize. Since Neo’s semblance isIllusions and since she’s able to mask objects with her semblance, imagine…poor Oscar being trapped in anillusion where he’s running around in circles unsure of which direction to gosince let’s say…Neo masked off all the real exits----making any exit Oscar stumbled up berevealed to a dead end while the deadends were the real exits. Or something like that. Picture Neo toying with Oscar is that kind of way. Even worse ifshe disguises her as one of his female allies who he might desperately wishwere there to help him (like Ruby or Nora).

And with Ironwood locking offcommunication between our heroes, Oscar is probably a poor sitting duck unlesshe takes Neo head on by himself. I mean, it’s ain’t bad as a Pineheadheadcanon.

That being said, I hope the showgives us a nice little flashback of what happened with Oscar in the lastepisode. I hope they actually deliver on that explanation this time but whoknows. Overall, I hope this answers you, Dagger.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2020)

#squiggles answers: rwby #oscar pine #general ironwood #rwby neopolitan #rwby theories #rwby volume 7 theories #rwby volume 7 spoilers. pinehead headcanons #squiggles pinehead headcanons #daggerpawstudios #squiggles answers

[littlemisssquiggles]

Whit-ty Headcanons: Whitley’s Geist.

@parrot-with-a-mohawk reblogged your post and added:

I really like this musing, especially the Diamond in the Rough theory and also the one where he secretly manipulates Jacques himself. From what I’ve heard, Whitley was based of a book character named Artemis Fowl (don’t remember the book’s name though), who was very cunning, and he was using this trait in order to manipulate fairies, for a good purpose(don’t remember what it was though). He also had an ill mother or something, who didn’t remember who he was, and Artemis was very detached from her, but, towards the end, he became closer to her, as her illness healed(?)(don’t clearly remember this part). So, as you said, I would really love to see Whitley join the Rosebuds, and, might I add, form a trio of guts(Ruby), voice of reason(Oscar) and brains(Whitley).

I also have to correct you on a little something. The Summons are creatures that the Schnees who possess the Glyphs semblance have defeated in battle. This is why Weiss cand summon the giant suit of armour, that, according to the manga, was just a normal giant suit of armou which was possessed by a Geist, and also that Boarbatusk, that she defeated in Volume 1, that one time, during Port’s class. And I don’t think that Whitley has ever fought someone phisicaly, nevermind a Grimm. Imigine him though, once part of the trio, tring to fight one of those “ocasional small Grimm” that Oscar mentioned. That would be kind of funny.

Also, that is just my opinion, but I think that Whitley’s charm stands in his smarts and cunningness. It would be cool to see him support the main team from behind a desk, rather than together with them on the front lines, or, maybe, with a metaphorical utility belt, Batman style or by making plans and strategies for them to use. But this is just my opinion and I’m sorry if I seemed rude in some way.

 Squiggles Answers:

@parrot-with-a-mohawk Eh? Rude? Whaddaya talking about? No rudeness detected RWBY fam. I see where you’re coming from so it’s cool m’dude.

I’m glad you enjoyed my Whitley musing so thank you for the compliments =) You’re not the only person to tell me that Whitley was based off of Artemis Fowl. Ironically enough, I’d heard of the character from before and I even own the first book in the series. Granted, I never finished the book but at least I know the character.

Did you see my RWBY remark about Team ROWZ? If Whitley were to form a team with Ruby and Oscar and the trio are then joined by Zwei, that’s what their team name would be...or at least, that’s how I see it XD

By the way, I actually do know that the Summons are the creatures that the Schnees with the Glyph semblance had defeated in combat. In my original draft of this musing, I’d included a point painting a scenario where perhaps Whitley was attacked by a Geist Grimm during his sisters’ absence and him defeating the beast was as a result of him unexpectedly unlocking his semblance in the heat of battle in order to protect himself.

I didn’t include this hunch in the final draft but that’s how I saw the tie in with my theory about Whitley’s summon being a Geist.

 Imagine...one night, Whitley is left alone inside the Schnee Manor. His parents had gone out for the night on their own endeavours and Whitley is left to himself with only Klein around in case he needed anything. Perhaps this is a night where Whitley decides to entertain himself by practicing his pianist skills.

In V4, it was hinted that Whitley might know how to play the piano. We never actually witnessed him doing so, which was a wasted opportunity however his picture is hung up inside the music room inside the mansion.

So the implication is there. It’s sad. I wish they had taken advantage of Whitley’s own musical talents. If Whitley does know how to play then I wish we’d gotten a scene of him helping Weiss with her recital.

It would’ve been an amazing brother and sister bonding moment if Weiss is there singing her sweet swan song as Whitley’s fingers danced across the keyboard in coordination with his sister; casting their collaborated melodic spell over the audience. If only; am I right?

Anyways, just as Whitley is getting into the song, he hears a sudden strange noise from outside in music room. At first the young boy ignores the noise but when it became too prominent, he was forced to vacate in order to investigate it. Whitley’s search for the source of the disturbance brought him outside the house in the garden. He calls for Klein, thinking it may be the chubby man just tending to the bushes. No answer and it is at this point, Whitley was growing annoyed.

Long story short, Whitley finds Klein passed out in the gardens after being attacked by a Geist Grimm. In all the stories he’s heard of the Grimm, this is Whitley’s first encounter with one. With all his boosting about the benefits of the Atlesian Army, he never dreamt that he’d ever need to protect himself against a Grimm on his own, much less meet one in the flesh.

For the first time in his life, Whitley’s mind blanked. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t even breath. He had no means of protecting himself and with Klein passed out before him and everyone else in the manor gone, he was alone. No one was going to come to his aid.

He thought...of his sisters. Let’s say, when the Schnee siblings were younger---back in the days when there were good moments that displayed all three siblings actually caring about each other, Weiss and Winter were both protective of Whitley. Particularly Weiss.

Whenever he fell down, got a boo-boo or even just had a bad dream, his big sister Weiss was always there for him to be his comforter. Yeah, yeah, I know this sounds very uncharacteristic for Weiss and her relationship with her brother but let me have this one, alright?

I just need a reason---a deep, significant reason for Whitley to think of both of his sisters, or maybe just Weiss while being attacked by a Grimm---the thought resonating with such force that it’s enough for Whitley to unconsciously call out for Weiss to protect him...all the while awakening something else within him he didn’t know was there.

When Klein finally came to, he awakens to discover Whitley huddled in a corner of the garden, his breathing frantic as his body did its best to contain his fear. As Klein swiftly ran to the boy’s age, he arrived just in time to witness the Geist from earlier wither away. The infernal red eye of its cryptic mask imprinting a lasting effect in Whitley’s mind as it disappeared from his sight. Klein did not know what to make of this scene. He tried asking Whitley to explain what had happened after he’d passed out---how he managed to defeat the Geist on his own.

Instead of giving him an answer, Whitley silenced his erratic breathing and turned the question on Klein, asking him if he was alright. Once Klein confirmed that he wasn’t injured in any way, Whitley withdrew an unsteady sigh of relief before getting to his feet.

Shakily, Whitley left the garden and returned to the quiet solitude of the music room without another word to Klein. Even when the man returned shortly later with some refreshments for the young heir, the young Schnee said nothing more to him even as he stared him down in concern. Finally, then and there, Whitley gave Klein an answer but, not the one he was hoping for. Whitley told Klein to not speak of this moment to his father. He made some other point about discussing increasing security in the household to his father but beyond that, it became clear to Klein that Whitley was adamant on not discussing his feelings on the ‘grimm incident’ any further or at all for the future for that matter.

So with nod of understanding, Klein bowed himself out of the room; leaving Whitley to himself once more.

Taking a long swig from the warm beverage Klein had brought to him; Whitley returned his attention to the piano. With his fingers to the keys, he gave a strong intro to his chosen musical piece only to miss a note and stop abruptly again.

Whitley clutched his head, grimacing as the face of the beast---the Geist flashed across his mind. Why? He was used to putting things far out of his mind. Jacques Schnee had properly schooled him on the importance of that. Yet...why did that creature still...haunt him? What was that strange...power he display earlier? Where did it come from? Why did he have it? And more importantly, what did that mean for Whitley then?

In spite of the pressing questions swarming his mind, Whitley couldn’t think of any logical reasons as to why this was happening him. Nor...did he care to entertain the thought much further.

So for the third time, Whitley returned to the keyboard and started playing. And for the remainder of the night, he kept on playing, allowing the music to drown away any fear left following the encounter...even as the Beast’s watchful eye continued to scrutinize him from within the chained chambers of his mind. 

That’s how I’d like to see it. Just a theory but an interesting one to think about, right?

I understand your point about Whitley’s charm being in his wit and to some extent, I agree with you in that regard. I just wanted to toy with the idea of...what if...he does have powers like his sisters? I can’t picture Whitley becoming a huntsman anytime soon but I do love the idea of him joining the team on the field from to time. Not often but whenever his skills are required. Even rocking a weapon of his own.

I like the idea of Whitley inheriting Nicholas Schnee’s weapon of choice from when he was a huntsman.

Like perhaps...Nicholas left his old weapon to his one and only grandson and that’s the weapon Whitley prefers to use in combat, if anything. I like the idea of Whitley sharing a bond with his grandfather.

Wouldn’t it be really cute if Whitley shares commonality with his grandson? It wouldn’t surprise me if Nicholas Schnee was the kind of guy who was only able to bare girls as his heirs. And while he loved his daughters dearly as his pride and joy, he also secretly wished for a son which would explain why he was so quick to pass the company to Jacques Schnee instead of his own daughter. So I figured Nicholas might harbour a bit of biasness towards Whitley as he’s his only grandson. Sure he loves Weiss and Winter too but it’s different with Whitley because perhaps Nicholas may share a deeper connection with his grandson. Perhaps Whitley looks a lot like his grandfather at that age---scrawny limbs and Big Bird legs and all.

And just like Whitley, Nicholas was very smart and cunning too which is why he was able to achieve his accomplishments as the original Founder of Schnee Dust Company.

I really like the idea of Whitley being like grandfather and perhaps, with a bit more guidance from the right people, he can be as good a person his grandfather was. Again, just another idea to toss out to the FNDM.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2018)  

#squiggle answers #rwby theories #whitley schnee #whitley and weiss #rwby remarks #squiggles answers: rwby #whitty headcanons