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#I feel like I’m more on the fence w how I present myself where it depends on the day
stuckinapril · 20 days
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I love girls who’re comfortable being feminine in male dominated stem fields. Such is the case for chemistry but it will not stop me from going to lab in a pink fit if that’s what I want
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imrllytootiredforthis · 7 months
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So I have a question, and I hope you don't take offence or possibly miss my genuine curiosity in this? You write about dom!reader x members (which is fucking hot and the only reason I follow you cause its that good) but I have to ask, how do you picture fucking them? Like, is it with a strap on? Or maybe a transgender reader? I just wanna know so that I understand how to see myself when I'm getting lost in your fics.
Thank you <3
Hi anon, no offense at all from my end!!
I actually really liked this question because it made me look at myself as a writer, and also just as a person and the things that i'm into,
Before I say anything though, you yourself can read it however you want. I think that’s part of the beauty of sharing your writing, letting people have their own interpretations and views on what you write.
I want my writing to be inclusive to everyone, which is why most (not all but most of my newer-ish) fics that aren’t requested are attempted to be written with that in mind.
But if you really do wanna know what I imagine, it’s a bit harder to explain because it’s shifted so much over the time that I’ve had this blog and from a day-to-day basis as well.
When I first posted on this blog, nearly a year ago last October (crazy how long it’s been) I would’ve definitely said I imagined it as a reader with a strap but at the time i was using she/her pronouns 99% of the time and was only kind of questioning my gender identity. Now, however I use any on here because I don’t feel like any fit me for the majority of the time, it’s shifting and changing with the day and feeling.
Even now I can’t pin down one to tell you for certain because there isn’t one way I only think when I’m writing. Sometimes I imagine the reader with a strap and fem presenting or with a strap and gender neutral completely, I imagine a trans reader-amab or afab with a strap or without. I imagine a male reader too sometimes, or female reader with a dick because it’s fiction and why the hell not.
A dick is a dick and if I wanna write a fan fiction where I have a pretty boy drooling over mine then I’m gonna write it no matter if I don’t have a real one (sadly, but we’re not gonna get into that right now)
I write pegging/fucking w a reader w a dick more often because i am a little bit uncomfortable writing where the reader is being penetrated and find it hot as hell (to say it frankly) for the reader to be doing the penetrating instead.
I project any and (mostly) all of my fantasies onto this blog and those have few bounds so honestly I couldn’t tell you
So, sorry anon, for making you read this all to give you a bullshit, on the fence answer but that’s what I got right now!😅
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justkpopjokes · 1 year
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Espressivo’s Café || Lee Jihoon
Ft. Woozi + gender-neutral!reader
AU: coffee shop, except Jihoon can do magic with his music
Word Count: 868 words of bullet points
@kpopboops​: “scenario with coffee shop date aesthetic w/Woozi and then he plays his guitar or something ahdkglkslafmsm I’m soft 🥺”
A/N: Hi Lucy, you requested this LITERAL YEARS AGO and I’ve had this in my drafts since then 😭😭 I know you requested something soft but it’s me so I made it fantasy!! This was going to be a whole thing since there’s a lot of world building, but I canNot bring myself to finish it so here’s a short version ^^ maybe if anyone wants I can write a sequel with Woozi or another member in this world (requests open btw)
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“Mom, I’m heading to Espressivo’s!”
“Oh, not that place again…honey, you know that area is crawling with those Pop heathens.”
“I know, Mom. I’ll be careful.”
Despite your family’s warnings, you never wanted to stop going to Espressivo’s Café
The café sat right at the edge of the wall which separated your home precinct with the next
But despite all that, it was the only place where Jihoon would be able to play for you!!
So you scurried on over to the coffee shop, excited for the serenade which awaited you there…
Long before you were even born, your homeland had been split into several precincts; each precinct had their own culture, formed around music
after the “Musicorum Division,” fences were built to separate the precincts
Now, you may be wondering, why were these precincts split up in the first place?
Music is your people’s way of life, you see, because it could influence the world around you
A simple melody could cause plants to grow or bread to rise
Naturally, people’s moods were affected as well
But like with any music, not all tunes were everyone’s cup of tea;
While the classical music you were used to was as calming as the sound of rain, the same notes could drench another person in sorrow and tears
So, people were separated into precincts based on whichever genre of music made them happiest
However, while you were from the Classical Precinct, your heart (and ears) longed for something more
And that’s what drew you to Jihoon, a musician from the Pop Precinct
The Pop Precinct was right beside yours, separated by a tall brick wall
Although anyone could travel between the walls at certain entrance points, they walls were built to prevent sound from passing through
That way, no pop music would be heard on your side of the wall (and vice-versa) to hurt anyone
However, one day, months ago, you were grabbing a drink at Espressivo’s Café
When you began to walk home, you heard a faint, jarring sound wafting through the air
It was a guitar strumming an upbeat tune—something you didn’t hear all too often
Following the sound brought you behind the café to a gap in the brick wall
A couple bricks had crumbled and fallen out here and there, letting the sound waves through
You noticed a boy sat there, but on the Pop Precinct side; he gazed through the gaps in the wall, playing for a flower that was growing on the other side
The music stopped the moment you said “hello” to the stranger musician
You: “Sorry! I didn’t meant to—“
???: “It’s okay.”
After a moment of silence, the musician began to play again
You didn’t say a word, instead taking a seat yourself and enjoying the drink you had bought at the café
After about 10 minutes of playing, you ask the stranger’s name
And that’s how you met Jihoon, an aspiring composer!!
In the present, months later, you’ve met up with Jihoon at the wall at least once every week
He’s not really the talkative type, instead preferring to express himself through his music
And you’re okay with that!
Unlike other people in your precinct, the music Jihoon plays lifts your spirits
So you sit with him, content with listening for at least half an hour every time
Jihoon feels flattered that you like his music, appreciating whenever you tell him how his music makes you feel
Your opinion gives him a different perspective which he uses to improve, so it really matters to him!
Once, you even suggest a melody idea, singing it just loud enough for Jihoon to hear (as to not let anyone else from your side of the wall catch you)
He’s able to recreate it perfectly and some more flowers grow beside you
Jihoon gets excited, asking you for more input to see if your ideas combined could help the flowers bloom
Soon, there’s a miniature flower garden sprouting beside you!
Jihoon: “You see, this is exactly why I like playing here.”
You: “What, the flowers?”
JH: “Yeah. The ground in our precinct is mostly pavement… I like the grass on your side. That’s what I want my music to do: bring life.”
You: “Hm… Why don’t you come over on this side of the wall?”
JH: “If I go over to your precinct, I can’t play my music. Not the same music, anyway. That would defeat the purpose.”
You: “Well, yeah. But you could look at the flowers up close and get coffee instead!”
JH: “…True.”
So the next day, you agree to meet Jihoon at the café!!
It’s nice to finally meet him properly—to be honest, it’s a bit nerve wracking for the the both of you, but he’s truly as sweet as he sounds
Jihoon orders a drink as you sit and chat, finally getting to try the order you keep talking about
Then you show him to your little spot at the wall, but this time on your side
Jihoon gets a little excited seeing the plants up close
(Him rn: 🥹)
And so that’s your little secret, what you do together every week: make the flowers bloom as Jihoon plays little tunes for you <3
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mother’s care
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summary: spencer leaves his mother in y/n’s care, but with her violent outbursts she severely injures y/n
word count: 3,331                                                                                     reading time aprox: 13 mins
masterlist
It had been a few days since Spencer had left his mother in my care, and it had been more than a few days since my conscience was clear of worry. The pressing dichotomy between Spencer’s family and work life had been putting a strain on the quality of his life, in which I took it upon myself, with the highest sense of internal deliberation, to offer my services. The thought of lessening the weight on Spencer’s shoulders was the only thing keeping my motivation alive; other than the innate responsibility I had to care for my future mother-in-law. Witnessing the gravity of Spencer’s tired eyes shift into a brighter gleam as he was relieved of being tethered at home, made the strenuous work I endured worthwhile. But the thought could only do so much considering Diana’s behavior became exponentially volatile. 
Spencer had just left for work only hours ago when Diana’s delusions became rampant, her paranoia increasing along with it. “Y/N! Y/N! We have to go now, they’re coming for us!” She yelled frantically while flailing her arms sporadically. “W-we have to hide- we- I- we can’t trust anyone Y/N! Call Spencer!” She rushed towards the peephole of the front door, slamming her palms against the wooden frame. “Where’s my son?!” She screamed profusely. 
In urgency, I grabbed a hold of her wrists to restrict her from hurting herself as she did a few days ago. “Diana- hey, stop that- Diana it’s me Y/N” I struggled to fight against her resistance as she persisted to bludgeon the door with all her might. “Diana! Please! Loo- Look it’s me, I promise!” I urged, finally ceasing her attacks and calming her down to a manageable temper. 
Then just a moment later, all of her anger dissipated as if nothing had occurred previously. “Oh! Hello there Y/N, when did Spencer let you in?” She inquired, ridding herself of my grasp and laying herself down on the couch. I sighed, propping myself up on the back of the door as I composed myself. “Oh my gosh, my scrapbook” She stated in bewilderment, glancing at the book of memories on the coffee table that Spencer had placed to induce her recollection of events. 
“Yes it is” I smiled, pushing the previous outburst aside with an understanding temperance. “Would you like to look through it?” I suggested, making slow strides towards the book that was, now, well adjusted on her lap. 
“That would be nice” She replied sweetly with a giddy smile. She took my suggestion as a notion to begin exploring the scrapbook, flipping through the beginning pages of the memoir. “Would you look at this Y/N!” She excitingly pointed at a picture of a young boy while I settled next to her on the plain colored couch. With an extensive observation of the picture she was referencing, I had come to find out that the little boy was no other than Spencer himself. 
She shook her head in remembrance as I observed her deep in reminiscence, admiring how, for just a moment, clarity had filled her heart and mind. “This was Spencer’s first chess tournament when he was only five years old” She regaled, speaking of her pride and joy in his youth. “At five years old, the boy won against men that were ten times his age- can you believe that!” She expressed, an incredulous smile etching on her lips as she flipped to the next page. 
“Spencer had told me that he had won his first tournament at age four” I added jokingly as the atmosphere began to regain a more pleasant air. I reached for a throw pillow that resided on the end of the couch, tucking it between my knees and chest for comfort. 
“That silly boy” She teasingly scoffed in disbelief as she racked through her distinct memories; shaking her head at the utterance of my words. “He had lost his first chess match when he was four, but he was too proud to ever accept defeat” She explained, flipping through several pages as she spoke. I chucked in response, understanding the familiar- or might I say all too familiar- discourse of Spencer’s intelligent pride. 
“Oh Y/N, dear, look at this with me” She beckoned me to take notice of a picture of a man on a tightrope, only the man’s face was replaced by an old cut-out of Spencer’s young visage. “Did you know that he wanted to be a tightrope walker?” She revealed, laying a gentle hand on the paper memory. 
“I thought he wanted to be a magician?” I inquired.
“Oh, that was afterwards-” She proceeded to pat my thigh in a motherly manner as if I was her own child. “-after he fell off of our fence in the backyard” She chuckled, meeting my amused gaze with her own. I let her sink into her own world, satisfied with her sedated state of mind as I made my way towards my phone to check the time. 
3:28 p.m.
Unfortunately, that meant I had to pull Diana from her comfortable space to give her the medication prescribed from the clinic and the experimental drug that Spencer had placed her on. “Hey Diana” I softly whispered, gaining her attention. “It's time to take your medication” I informed her with an apologetic look. 
“Nah, I don’t like the medicine that Spencer’s been giving me” She waved off casually with a grimace on her face. “They taste awful” She didn’t look up from the book once, disregarding the task that needed to be done. 
“Please Diana” I pleaded, heading to the kitchen cupboards to acquire her prescriptions; going to Spencer’s dresser to fetch the experimental drugs that were included in her regime. “Spencer had strict orders for me and you know how he gets” I playfully insinuated in the hopes of lighting up the tense ambiance. I continued to sift through Spencer’s cabinets- which was an absolute abhorrence to look at, let alone scavenge through- in the means of finding Diana’s prescriptions. 
“Shit” I quietly cursed as some household items fell onto the floor, emitting a loud crash. 
“WHAT WAS THAT!” Diana shrieked in terror, disturbed by the sudden disruption that sounded throughout the entire apartment. The sound of a heavy thud from a book in the next room followed Diana’s deafening shrills of panic, indicating that the crash had triggered another break from reality. “Y/N! Y/N! WHAT’S GOING ON- WHERE AM I?!” She cried in her unnerved state, stampeding into the kitchen as if her life depended on it. 
“He-hey it’s okay Diana-” I dropped the prescriptions on the kitchen counter in a hurry, ignoring the mess, to prioritize Diana’s abrupt outburst. “You’re here in Spencer’s apartment- your son’s apartment- with m-me. Look Di- Diana! Look you’re here with me” I reassured her once again. Although that didn’t put a stop to her labored breathing, trembling hands, and distraught eyes. 
“WHO ARE YOU?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY SON’S APARTMENT!” She vehemently spat in the midst of her frenzy. 
I grabbed the medication off of the counter in a haste, preparing to have them in hand for a window of opportunity in administering them. “Diana- please- Diana, it’s me Y/N- you have to take your medication” I negotiated with her, keeping my tone as amiable as I can. 
“GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!” She threatened, picking up one of Spencer’s textbooks and flinging it at the wall behind me. “GET AWAY FROM ME!” Items continued to soar through the air until Diana began to hysterically strike herself on the forehead. “GET OUT! GET OUT!” She squeezed her eyes shut, pulling at the sides of her hair. 
Without a second thought, I leaped to restrain her from further self-inflicting damage. “Hey Diana- Sto-stop that!” I pried her hands away from herself, balancing the prescription bottles in my hand whilst wrestling against her sporadic movements. “DIANA!” I yelled, feeling my chest heave in exasperation; her provocation of my patience wearing my understanding countenance thin. 
The booming sound of my voice infiltrated Diana’s sensitive ears, similar to one of a gunshot, making her cover her ears instinctively. “SHUT UP! GET AWAY FROM ME!” She wailed, her tone wavering as she enunciated her words. She forced her eyes shut once again, shaking her head while whispering a mantra to herself. 
“Diana...Please” I pleaded, softening my voice in guilt. I uncapped the prescriptions, taking out a few pills to showcase the medication essential to her condition. “If you just take your medicine, you’ll feel better- I promise- please!” I affirmed, taking close observation to her present behavior. She began unraveling from her mental cloud, taking frequent peeks at the pills that lay on my hand. With a tentative reach, she reached out for the drugs and retracted her arm as soon as she had taken possession of them.  
“Yes, Diana, they’ll make you feel better-” I sighed in relief, watching her examine the pills in her hand. “Do you want me to get you water? I- NO DIANA! STOP!” I halted mid sentence, the action of Diana pelting the wall with her pills impeding my ability to coerce her further. By instinct I picked up the pills in a frenzy of indignation, a slew of reprimands impulsively falling out of my lips, like a mother would to her petulant child.  
“What are you doi- DIANA! Why would you do that? I’m just trying to- STOP! I’M JUST TRYING TO HE-” 
A whiff of cold air glided through Diana’s fingers that followed her right hand. For a moment I felt time still, yet it took me an eternity to process the event that had unfolded in front of me- or which I would say to me. My cheek began to blare an ugly rouse, the painful sensation of throbbing encompassing the entirety of the left side of my face. I clutched my cheek in shock and confusion, unable to process her potent and unforeseen capabilities. “I- i, uh-” I stumbled over my tongue, my mind impuissant in regards to its verbal-cognitive skills. 
“JUST GET AWAY FROM ME!” 
In the last attempt of Diana’s impulse driven self-defense, she forcefully shoved me back into the dining table resulting in the wooden edge piercing my spine. I groaned in pain, clutching onto the end of the table as another slew of curses fell from my mouth. In the midst of the adrenaline coursing through my veins, I didn’t notice the stream of blood profusely flowing out of a large gash on my wrist where my veins were located. 
“Shit! Shit! Shit!” I panicked, inspecting a metal screw that protruded from beneath the table; the spiral tip now covered in blood and leftover skin. I rushed for my phone and a towel to ease the bleeding, although it was evident that I needed medical attention. Instinctively I dialed Spencer’s number on my phone with the hopes that he would pick up, although due to my misfortune, the call went into voicemail indicating his unavailability. 
By this time, Diana had left the room and locked herself in the bathroom; despite my constant worry of her being, all of my attention had been on contacting medical aid. With a brisk call, paramedics were being sent to the apartment and police officers to document the scene. I whined in pain while the hands on an analog clock, that hung in the kitchen, moved at a snail’s pace, my vision slowly dissipating as my blood enveloped the oak floor. 
I began whispering a comforting mantra to myself- or maybe it was all in my head- that Penelope had taught me. “Sa, Ta, N-na, Mm…” I shook my head to retain my consciousness, the black curtain between my blinks growing in duration. It felt as if my pupils had dilated and pulsed continuously, feeling every nerve in my body weaken along with my frail muscles. 
I hadn’t even noticed the paramedics bursting into the living room, let alone the doorbell ringing to indicate their presence. In a few slips of consciousness, two men in uniforms were placed in front of me to my aid. 
“Ma’am? Ma’am can you hear me?” One of them spoke, although with the combination of stampeding feet and muffled voices I wasn’t able to distinguish a coherent phrase. 
Suddenly with an unexpected shock of adrenaline, I was able to slightly ground myself in reality. “C-call Re-reid, Spencer Reid- FBI” I sputtered out, squinting my eyes at the medical kit that they placed on the floor. “Ple-please, Spen- AH” I whimpered, the paramedics applying alcohol to disinfect the wound. 
I directed my focus away, only for my eyes to land on Diana being taken away by a few police officers and a social worker. She was kicking in screaming, evidently in the middle of her psychotic break from before. She thrashed against the police officers restraints, scared out of her mind as she yelled her son’s name. 
“St-stop” I whispered, catching the gaze of one of the paramedics. “Sh-she’s- fuck- she needs help, she has Schizophrenia and Alzheimer” I informed them, watching their eyes go wide in surprise; one of them rushing off to spread the message to the officers. 
They carefully let her out of their hold, letting her scurry into a confined corner of the room before contacting her emergency contact: Spencer. The sole paramedic continued mandatory procedure with me, placing pressure on the gash while eavesdropping on the scene that unfolded behind him. 
“Spencer? That’s who you want to call right?” The man inquired. 
I nodded in response, grasping his arm. “Please hurry” I managed to say, letting my eyes lull into the back of my head in the attempt to relax. 
Finally in the midst of the chaos, a lanky figure flurried into the doorway in alacrity. His eyes first landed on his mother who was being approached by apprehensive officers, in which he informed them, again, of his mother’s condition; with this the police force let the man run over to his mother to sedate her. 
Then, his eyes fixated on my wavering gaze as he took a moment to take in the scene that laid in front of him. 
“Oh my god, oh my GOD Y/N” He lamented, rushing over to where me and the paramedic were situated. “Y/N- I- Oh my god, I’m so sorry- I shouldn’t hav-” Spencer rambled on, his somber eyes flickering from my face to my wrist. 
“Spencer, please don’t worry...I’ll be fine, go check on your mother. She needs you right now” I muttered. Although it seemed that he didn’t hear anything of what I had said as he continued to ramble through his anxious spiel. 
“I-i got your call, but I sent it to voicemail- I didn’t think- I- I didn’t know it was important- then I got the emergency call from my mot- I- I should’ve answer- Oh my god, I wasn’t there” He punished himself, squeezing his eyes in regret. 
“Spenc-” I attempted to interrupt, although was cut off when the paramedic had informed him that  needed to be transported to the hospital. 
-
After my check ups were done, the team swarmed into the hospital room in a flurry, but with no Spencer in sight. 
“Oh my god! Y/N I’m so glad you’re okay- I’m sure one of my hugs will make you feel extra better” Penelope rushed over to the side of my bed giving me an awkward, yet comforting, hug. 
JJ took this as an opportunity to inform me of my condition, explaining how the wound would take some time to heal, but everything else was fine. I nodded in gratitude, basking in the family that stood in front of me.
“You had us all worried Y/L/N” Hotch added, giving me a cordial nod. 
“Especially pretty boy” Morgan continued. “I’ve never seen him run out of the room so fast. But, I’m glad you’re okay” He comforted me, taking a stance next to Garcia. On cue, Spencer crept in the room with a melancholy, yet relieved expression on his face.
“Speaking of…” Emily trailed off, taking notice of Spencer’s immediate presence. “Let’s give them space” She filed the team out of the room to give me and Spencer privacy. 
The second they were out of sight he engulfed me in a crushing hug, whispering sweet apologies to me. He grasped my face in his hands, placing long kisses on my forehead as a form of consolation. “I’m so sorry Y/N” He sighed, keeping my face and his at an approximate distance. “I should’ve never left you” He antagonized himself, shutting his eyes in search of penance within himself. 
“Hey” I whispered, making him open up his eyes gracefully. “Spencer, you shouldn’t be sorry, it's your mom for god sake- she’s my family too- I would’ve done it again even if you didn’t ask me to” I reassured, drawing small patterns on the dip of his palm. 
“But she- I should’ve warned y-”
“Spencer, you have no control over what she does or how she is. Stop blaming yourself for not being there” I stated, pulling at his arm in a motherly manner. “Come here” I instructed him, tugging at the sleeves of his dress shirt. 
I pulled him into a gentle kiss in the hopes of making his self-reproaching thoughts dissipate. He was tentative in kissing me, letting himself hover over my lips as if I were to crack like porcelain if he were to give him. I gave him a gentle peck on the corner of his mouth as silent reassurance, pressing my forehead against his. 
He understood the message and pressed a long awaited kiss on my lips that made the entire room collapse into nothingness. The warmth that radiated off of Spencer making the interaction more visceral. He lingered in the moment for a few seconds before we parted, staring at me with a woeful look. Although through his somber visage, his love shone through the dark clouds that were present in his eyes. 
“I love you so much Y/N and I-” He paused, sighing in recollection of the events that had unfolded. “I just love you so much- you and my mother- and I’m so sorry I wasn’t there” He apologized, running his thumb over my knuckles as he stared at my bandaged arm. 
“But you’re here now Spencer” I interjected, reminding him to look forward and not back. “Where’s your mom?” I inquired, giving him a soft smile. 
“She’s with her nurse right now” He cringed, his mind not leaving the dark thoughts that enveloped his brain. A slight frown made its way onto my lips as I subconsciously reminded him of the state of his mother. 
“I’m sorry-”
“No, it’s okay Y/N” He reassured. 
Silence ensued before he cupped his hand over my hands, basking in the image of me laying in a hospital bed in front of him. 
“You and-” He paused, collecting his words. 
I encouraged him to continue, squeezing his hand. 
“Y/N. You and my mother are the most important things in the world- no- beyond lifetimes to me” He professed. 
“Spence-” 
“No Y/N- I want to tell you because I don’t know what happens tomorrow. But, all I know is that I love you wholeheartedly and no statistics can explain my exponentially growing love for you” He joked. 
I joined him in his amusement, listening to his words with intent as the atmosphere of the room returned to a more sincere air.
“I love you so much Y/N- and I know that I don’t get to tell you often because I’m always away- but Y/N Y/L/N, you have my whole heart in your hands-” He leaned in, tucking a stray hair away from my rosy cheeks. “-I know you tell me to not worry, but there’s nothing else I can do but worry when it comes to you” He continued. 
“Y/N...you’re my absolute everything and you’ll be damned if you think otherwise” 
-
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A/N: 
i hope you enjoy it! i haven’t been writing frequently because i’m preparing for school, but i hope you enjoy it. 
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Pining John Pt. 2
Please if you have any pining!John fics (like Sherlock accidentally hurts him like he did molly with the Christmas gift) I would absolutely love that!! Thank you so much😊(submitted by @thediamondwoman)
Anonymous said to inevitably-johnlocked: hi! New Johnlocker here, this is a fic rec ask, but do you have any fics where John is pining/suppressing/ignoring his feelings for Sherlock? Preferably after TRF, and without Mary in the way, and a slow burn one (sorry for all the preferences just one with pining John would be fine) and thank you for being a blog currently reading all your metas and they are amazing <3333
@i-love-books-and-so-do-you asked: hullo!! *waves* i’m in the mood for some pining john, so i was wondering if you have any good ones? preferably with a happy ending
and may i just say your blog is GORGEOUS like all your fic recs *chef’s kiss* thank you for the literal best johnlock content <33
——-
Hi Lovelies!!!
First of all, thank you for your love for my lists! LOL! These asks just keep coming in, so it looks like I’m overdue for another pining John list!!
That said I do actually have pining John fics, and enough to start a second list! As I re-read fics, I’m able to keep adding all the old ones I didn’t tag ages ago to lists, so that’s fun, hahah. Hope you guys don’t mind me just combining all the pining into one list, hahaah. I get more fics that way LOL!
Enjoy, and feel free to add your own, friends!
See also:
Pining John
Pining Sherlock || [MOBILE FRIENDLY VERSION]
Mutual Pining
Mutual Pining Pt 2
John’s Away (and Sherlock’s Not Okay)
Caffeine and Adaptive Programming by DemonicSymphony (E, 5,540 w., 1 Ch. || Androids AU / Bond Fusion || Android Sherlock, Coffee Shop AU, Pining John Hinted Bond / Q, Toplock) – Sherlock is a coffee shop android slowly falling for a regular customer. But he's not supposed to be able to feel emotions.
London Gods by a_different_equation (E, 11,092 w., 5 Ch. || American Gods Fusion || Magical Realism, Sex Magic, True Love, PTSD John, First Kiss/Time, Marathon Sex, Sensuality, Genie Sherlock, Human John, Internalized Homophobia, Star-Crossed Lovers, Soul Mates) – Sherlock Holmes is a jinn who does not grant wishes. However, when Dr. John H. Watson, recently returned from the war in Afghanistan, gets into his cab by "accident", it might not even need magic to grant both men their deepest wish: love.
There's So Much Labour Just in Breathing Lately by Susan (E, 12,708 w., 1 Ch. || Post-TRF / Mentions of S3 Events, Romance, Angst, Grief/Mourning, Grieving John, Mutual Pining, Meddling Mycroft, Therapy, Ambiguous Hopeful Ending, Infidelity) – The dreams he hated most – the ones that left him a sweating, shaking mess when he woke – were the ones in which Sherlock was just Sherlock. Laughing or drinking tea. Sitting across the table from him at Angelo’s eating pasta. Trailing his open hand behind him on the way to the bedroom. “C’mon, John. I’m about to have my way with you.”
On The Fence by BeautifulFiction (T, 13,770 w., 1 Ch. || Fencing, Case Fic, First Kiss, Insecure John, Pining John, Hug, Greg Finds Out) – The murder of the King's College fencing champion leads to revelations about Sherlock's past. Will it be the point that tips them from friends to lovers, or will they remain on the fence?
The Invocation of Saint Margaret by Ewebie (E, 15,831 w., 1 Ch. || POV John,  Crossing Timelines, Light Angst, Fluff, Series 3 John / Series 1 Sherlock, The Matchbox, Mushy Romance, First Time, Bisexual John, Pining John, Bottomlock, Love Confessions, Sensuality, Emotional Love Making, Snippets of Time) – When Sherlock Holmes opens the matchbox from The Sign of Three and John finds himself years in the past, back to that first dinner at Angelo's with a much younger Sherlock Holmes. Is he dreaming?
Division by MrsNoggin (E, 19,542 w., 11 Ch. || Coffee Shop AU || First Kiss/Time, Fluff, Barista Sherlock, Clingy Sherlock, POV John, John’s Limp, Bed Sharing, Fluff, Sleepy Cuddles, Sensuality, Touching, Virgin Sherlock, Insecure John) – John likes mysteries. And every morning he dips into the local independent coffee bar with his newspaper and ponders another... one Sherlock Holmes.
Insanity in the Middle by DotyTakeThisDown (E, 28,010 w., 8 Ch. || Equestrian Sports AU || Alternate First Meeting, POV John, Pining John, Bottomlock, Clueless Sherlock, First Kiss/Time, Passionate Kisses, Hand Holding, Caught Making Out, Bed Sharing, Spooning, Blow Job) – John is a world-class eventing rider with a gold medal and several four-star wins to his credit, but he's never won at Rolex. Sherlock is an up-and-coming rider taking the sport by storm.
Deck the Halls by itsalwaysyou_jw (T, 31,018 w., 24 Ch. || Advent Fic / Multiple One-Shots, Assorted Tags) – One Johnlock ficlet for every day leading up to Christmas. Who is ready for pining, first kisses, established Johnlock, and everything in between? This collection of stand-alone ficlets will have it all.
The Case of the Vanishing Pants by SwissMiss (E, 44,025 w., 6 Ch. || Five and Ones, Post-TRF, Case Fic, UST, Homophobia, Friends to Lovers, Pining John, Showering Together, Couple for a Case, Sherlock’s Bum, Fantasies, Jealous Sherlock) – Five times John and Sherlock lost their pants in the course of a case.
Only To Be With You by SinceWhenDoYouCallMe_John (M, 40,768 w., 4 Ch. || Black Mirror / Future AU || Character Death, Future Technology, Sickness/Cancer/Illness, Heavy Angst with Happy Ending, First Person POV John, Pining John, Heart-Wrenching Angst) – I tell myself that next time I’ll come near this same place again. Wait around for the mysterious stranger in his coat to dash past me, hot on the heels of a new criminal in black. I think this all the way back to my Exit, planning where I’ll wait and what I’ll say when I see him. Scheming on how to get his name. It’s only once I reach the Exit Point door that I realize two hours and forty-five minutes have passed, and I realize that this won’t be the last time I Visit. It won’t be the last time at all.
Inscrutable to the Last by DiscordantWords (M, 48,842 w., 6 Ch. || Post-TRF, Alternate S3, John’s Blog/S3 is a Story By John, Divorce, Marital Difficulties, John is a Mess, Emotional Reunion, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Grief / Mourning, Pining John, First Kiss, Adorably Clueless Sherlock, Nostalgia, Love Confessions, Eventual Happy Ending) – He wasn't Sherlock, he couldn't work miracles. All he'd ever been able to do was write about them.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by SilentAuror (E, 50,635 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4/S4 Divergence, Case Fic, For a Case / Reverse Fake-Relationship, Conferences, Marriage Equality, Travelling / New York, Pride, Homophobia, Bottomlock, Marriage Proposal, John POV, Sexuality, Love Confessions, Emotional Love Making, Public Hand Jobs, Blow Jobs, Passionate Kissing, Needy/Clingy Sherlock, Virgin Sherlock, Touching / Hand Holding, Bed Sharing, Little Spoon Sherlock, Intense Orgasms) – John and Sherlock go to New York to attend a conference run by the National Defence of Traditional Marriage Coalition in order to investigate the potential bombing of the annual Manhattan Pride parade. As the conference unfolds, John finds himself repulsed by the toxic ideology being presented, which becomes relevent to his own unacknowledged issues and his friendship with Sherlock...
Isosceles by SilentAuror (E, 56,609 w., 7 Ch. || Post-S4, POV John, Original Male Character / Sherlock Dates Another Man, Love Triangle, Jealous John, Virgin Sherlock, Sexual Coaching, Angst, Romance, Domesticity, Unrequited Feelings, Miscommunication, First Kiss/Time, For a Case, Friends With Benefits, Bottomlock, Love Confessions, Spooning) – After solving a case for a major celebrity, Sherlock gets himself asked out. When John asks, he discovers that Sherlock has no intention of going, at least not until John agrees to coach him through whatever he might need to know for his date...
White Knight by DiscordantWords (M, 69,840 w., 13 Ch. || S4 Compliant/Post S4, Marriage For a Case, Jealous John, Pining John, Janine / Sherlock Fake Relationship, Serial Killers, Case Fic, Undercover as a Couple, Weddings, John is a Mess, Misunderstandings, Wedding Planning, Jealousy, Drunkenness, Love Confessions, Angst with Happy Ending) – Green. The word green was used to convey a great many things. Illness. Envy. Inexperience. Standing there amidst Janine's chattering bridesmaids, watching Sherlock furrow his brow and study fabric swatches, watching him smile and simper and flirt, John thought it a remarkably apt colour choice. Because he felt quite sick to his stomach, he feared the source of said sickness might very well be jealousy, and he had absolutely no idea at all what to do about it. Or: Sherlock needs to fake a relationship for a case. He doesn't ask John.
Thermocline by J_Baillier (M, 83,557 w., 14 Ch. || Scuba Diving AU || Adventure, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Marine Archaeology, Asexual Sherlock, Horny John, Relationship Drama, Technical/Scuba/Wreck Diving, Slow Burn, Underwater /  Medical Peril, Doctor John, Hurt Sherlock, Anxious Sherlock, John POV, Protective John, Body Appreciation) – John "Five Oceans" Watson — technical dive instructor, dive accident analyst and weapon of mass seduction — meets recluse professor of maritime archaeology Holmes. As they head out to a remote archipelago off the coast of Guatemala to study and film its shipwrecks for a documentary, will sparks fly or fizzle out?
The Bang and the Clatter by earlgreytea68 (M, 137,049 w., 37 Ch. || PODFIC AVAILABLE || Baseball AU || Slow Burn / Dev. Rel., Possessive/Obsessive Sherlock, Jealous Sherlock, Mutual Pining, Body Appreciation, Depression, Closeted Sexuality, Family, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Ogling Each Other, Anxious Sherlock, Panic Attack, Drunkenness, Talk of Forever, Big Feelings™) – Sherlock Holmes is a pitcher and John Watson is a catcher. No, no, no, it's a baseball AU. Part 1 of Baseball
Proving A Point by elldotsee & J_Baillier (E, 186,270 w., 28 Ch. || Me Before You Fusion || Medical Realism, Insecure John, Depression, Romance, Angst, POV John, Sherlock Whump, Serious Illness, Doctor John, Injury Recovery, Assisted Suicide, Sherlock’s Violin, Awkward Sexual Situations, Alcoholism, Drugs, Idiots in Love, Slow Burn, Body Image, Friends to Lovers, Hurt / Comfort, Pain, Big Brother Mycroft, Intimacy, Anxiety, PTSD, Family Issues, Psychological Trauma, John Whump, Case Fics, Loneliness, Pain) – Invalided home from Afghanistan, running out of funds and convinced that his surgical career is over, John Watson accepts a mysterious job offer to provide care and companionship for a disabled person. Little does he know how much hangs in the balance of his performance as he settles into his new life at Musgrave Court.
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inventors-fair · 3 years
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Archetypography
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Now as some of you know, and as some of you loathe, I’m a pretty cruel B/W player at times. I got my Kambal EDH deck with all the wipes and draw and the double-infinite combo nonsense. And when I look up the B/W archetypes, things seems to fall into that vein pretty reasonably. Let’s be real: if it were aether instead of gold/treasure, Kambal as a character would be right at home among the Orzhov. Even the card wouldn’t feel out of place. There’s this recurring flavor of these aloof, authoritarian, self-satisfactory religious characters on so many B/W cards across sets. The vampires from Ixalan had an amazing feel but were still religious zealots. Innistradian vampires retain arrogant nobility.
So then we get to Silverquill. And honestly, I’m on the fence about this one, y’know? I’m a poet myself, and when playing a strong Silverquill deck, I’m still feeling more of the smug spirit wrangler than any kind of writer. I mean, Humiliate is a prime example. +1/+1 counters and pseudo-heroic is fun and fine. I’m just not sure it’s different enough.
But here’s the thing: it was new flavorful territory. It was still fun to play! And on the flip-side of my hesitation, Closing Statement was my favorite card to draft from that set for sure. It meshed the mechanics and the flavor of a closing remark plus the power of a reduced destruction spell. Awesome! So the question is: what will you write about? 
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🛠 This week’s challenge: design a card that captures a unique flavorful feel for a color combination, an archetype that has not been seen in those colors before either flavorfully or mechanically.
✏️ NB: A winning submission will take their colors, find that unique new archetype, and demonstrate how mechanics/flavor can be presented.
✏️ You are designing for a standard-legal set, with the knowledge that your card will inform a draft archetype as well. You can choose to make this a supporting card, a bomb, a signpost, etc.
✏️ While you don’t have to completely dump your lore for a new plane, an as-of-yet-unseen world will probably be implied. Let your card speak to it as much as possible.
Printed examples:
Throne of Eldraine’s UR archetype was about drawing your second card each turn. Cards like Loch Dragon supported the primary signpost cards like Improbably Alliance. While Improbable Alliance plays well with Radical Idea and the love of U/R looting, the second-drawn-card archetype stands separate from traditional U/R spellcasting niches that define the Izzet and found their way onto planes like Ikoria (Lutri, the Spellchaser) and Amonkhet (Enigma Drake). Improbable Alliance is a good mechanical example with decent flavor.
Captured by Lagacs takes place, presumably, on Zendikar (considering), although Modern Horizons 2 doesn’t take place in a singular location. Regardless, Pacifism effects aren’t usually G/W but have edged there before, and with white it’s totally mechanically fine. The counters are a nice touch. My favorite part, though, the most memorable part? The flavor. Your creature, on this world, is getting whisked away by my lizards, my power. It’s a unique demonstration of that effect where it’s usually chains or magical restraints or someone arresting you. Animals as bonds and power! Captured by Lagacs isn’t the most mechanically unique, but it’s a great new flavor.
Your challenge then becomes: how do I marry the two?
What world have I created?
What can my colors do together and/or apart?
What’s fun to play?
What limits do I have to set?
How am I conveying flavor through mechanics without it being a gimmick?
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This is another hard one, but I mean, there are 15 20, oh my god, I can’t count, combinations between two-and-three color combos. I’ll be curious to see if there’s overlap between people who aren’t in the Workshop.
Anyway. Have fun in your own way~ - @abelzumi​
>> The below link will take you to our Discord server. >> The above link will take you to the submission page.
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withoneheadlight · 4 years
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NSFW Anon here and I’ve come back w the most NSFW thing ever right, so like imagine this,,,, Steve and Billy being happy and content,,,, wow
Hey nsfw! anon💗💗💗. here I finally am!
First of all: this is the most amazing, most beautiful of asks🌟. Thinking about then happy and content, thinking about them having a FUTURE together is, the most non-safe thing ever, definitely not safe for the heart, in that way love is always a risk, a leap of faith, it's not safe at all. But I honestly think these two can fall on their feet at the end of the jump. I don’t think is gonna be easy, ofc. It’s not easy people we’re talking about. The jump is gonna last long. Sometimes is gonna feel like a freefall. That rage Billy has inside is going to be hard to deal with. For Steve, for himself. Things like that leave a mark, and being raised like that, learn that you have to bite to survive, that becomes an instinct, so it’s going to hurt, learn to live with that inside. And Steve-- having so ingrained that love is something you have to buy, a rent you have to pay without fail so people stay by your side, well, that ain’t easy either. And there are so, so many other things they’ll have to deal with. To learn. To understand (about themselves. about the other. about all the other people in their lives) so they can keep moving forward. 
But if I’m not gonna be a romantic in here where else could I be? xD So I believe love wins, haha, at the end. Lame as it might sound. I believe that because the more I think about these two the more alike I found them. The more I think they’re like two sides of the same coin, spinning, spinning, and sometimes, unexpectedly, the coin stops on its rim, it doesn’t fall: they realize the other gets them. They realize they’re looking in the eyes of that somebody that is gonna know. when they need it. Its gonna look at their eyes and just know. And that’s not gonna make it easier but-- its the thing that changes it all. 
It’s the thing that rescues them both.
And that’s the idea that fuels all my stories because my stories are, like, always the same? xD, something draws them apart. Something draws them back. And the thing is, I had always imagined them, like, moving together to a tiny, shitty apartment after that, after everything happens, after they’re finally together, and for good, that last time. But then, after the two month+ quarantine I spent at my own tiny apartment, I was lucky enough to move to my parent’s house in the country,  and I had spent almost all that time writing them in a  frenzy, so the moment I got there, with all that green and the trees and the fresh air I thought okok, the apartment is good but they’re gonna buy a house, at some point, they have to buy a house. So I started to write this messy hc that is like, mmm, an epilogue, for a lot of those stories, like a mash-up? future fic-ish-y thing, mixing parts of them all. Like: no matter what happens. Or how it happens. All roads lead to this future. To them coming back to the other like gravity. To them buying an old house with a backyard, and an ugly couch, and a strange-shaped kitchen, with them finding their place inside themselves and together and in the world. And if not their place at least some kind of peace (because, well, it's never that easy either, as we are as ever-changing as life itself is)
But, you know, a good future. Together.
So, here is a small piece of that, a bit messy and a bit tooth-rotting but, I’m writing this is basically to make myself happy so, no regrets xD. Also i hope it makes you a bit happy too, anon, as you have made me with this lovely lovely ask.
…...
The kitchen is Steve's favorite part of the house.
It has this odd shape. Trapezoid. “Fuck, Stevie, so goddamn weird”. Doesn’t make sense in a, on the other hand, perfectly rectangular house (or, well, it does, but they’ll only find out about that later). The cabinets are ceiling-high. The tiles of the wall white and cracked under the repeating pattern of light mint-green-stemmed, yellow-petaled lilies. The whole backdoor is painted on that same shade Billy calls Ripe banana dreams, both so terribly old fashioned and fiercely cute none of them say a word about repainting it. There’s a wooden piece, built into the farthest end of the counter. It looks disgustingly juicy and mercilessly stabbed when they move in, but Billy insists on keeping it, and sanding, and treating, and varnishing it. Manages to get it back up on shape because “Better than anyone, darling you should know what a little touch of class can make”. And for more than two weeks straight the only goal of his life is to learn to cut vegetables at high speed because "I have to live up to this level of professionalism. Impress our most un-impressionable guests"
(And, to Steve’s surprise –and probably hers– when she finally dings to pay them a visit his mom is, in fact, pretty much impressed)
He learns how to make good casserole. Tries his luck with Mexican and Italian. Fails miserably with Japanese. Will never-ever admit it, but he loves it when flour ends up staining every single surface, making the biggest mess around himself when he bakes. Steve knows why it is. It's a shared feeling. Floats up till it reaches the ceiling and bounces back down to them, heavy with the warm smell of cooking pie and cinnamon. Tastes docile and tamed like “Maybe not so much vanilla next time. Whaddaya think, babe?.” Tastes savage and daring, like the overwhelming tang of freshly squeezed lemon lingering on Billy’s tongue when he crowds Steve against the fridge and kisses him, bites a shuddering laugh out of him “How the fuck are you able to even think about putting your mouth near that thing, Hargrove?. That was––ugh. That was disgusting” “Well you know me, whatever it takes to make you squirm” leaving Steve with absolutely no option but lick the sugary dough stain over his cheek to “Cover up that foul flavor” and maybe because he likes to make Billy shudder too. It’s an ever-present feeling. Like the vivid smells of green tomatoes and parsley and mustard sauce. Like the sensation of Billy’s lips against his. The way he loses his breath when Steve kisses the sugary flavour into his mouth.
This place smells like home, tastes like home. Like finally, finally. Home.
It’s Billy’s favorite place, too. But Steve doesn’t think it's just because of that. But also because maybe,
maybe.
He has also noticed that--
There’s this particular, particular moment. It happens around seven on autumns, right when the day starts to fade. It happens between six and six past twenty-eight on winters, and holds the sleepy cheeks of the newborn tulips on Steve’s garden till they fall asleep on springs, sun already sinking behind the horizon by the time both hands of the clock meet over the spiraling infinity of the eight. And it grows bigger and bigger and bigger from there: the golden sunlight seeping through the wide, double-paned window facing the backyard at an oblique angle, making the yellow flowers of the tiles look like they’re re-blooming in gold. 
It's the moment the day turns into a fire. 
It’s their favorite moment in time. And in this particular, particular day of summer, it happens at ten past nine.
Billy is making Spaghetti carbonara. The kitchen is damp with the rich smells coming out of the boiling water. Mushrooms and oregano, black pepper and lime. A song is cooing at them from the radio, the beat of the drums a boneless memory of that one echoing around the quarry that last night at the end of July. Water rippling under the quiet sigh of the breeze. Trees cutting the liquid rays of light in asymmetric halves. 
Billy takes off the apron, lowers down the fire.
Reaches out to Steve, fingers wavering come, come, come.
To me. Come to me. “C’mon, Harrington. Are you afraid of me or what?"
He has this way of looking at Steve that makes the space between them narrow, narrow: the whole unknown world. And aseptic, non-lived-in flat in downtown Florida. This tiny, tiny town. A mysteriously-shaped kitchen–
“¿Can I have this dance?” 
Steve walks to him, takes his hand. 
––Their bodies, pressed flush. 
Inside his chest, Steve’s heart is running. 
“Can I at least have this dance, before we say goodbye?”
Mazzy Star was playing. The corner of Billy’s eye felt wet where his skin brushed against the corner of Steve’s mouth. They danced till the daylight faded, till there were teardrops falling from the night sky (“Billy, I don’t have to–-” “Don’t. Don’t, pretty boy. Don’t say it. I’ll make you stay if you do. And I can’t do that”), they made lovelovelove on the back of Billy’s car.
In this light they fell in love, they fell apart. Ran away. Ran back. 
Steve nudges at Billy’s chest, makes him move backwards till he’s far enough to tug, draw him in between their arms, hands intertwined. Steve curls himself around Billy’s back, nudges at the warm trapped between his curls. He smells like BillyandSteve, like this home, like past, like future. Like us.
Steve whispers in his ear. Three words. Billy’s neck curves towards him. An instinct. Tickled by their warmth. Steve kisses the curve of his ear. Tugs the collar of his shirt aside, bites where shoulder meets neck and up, up.
“Easy, Prom King” Billy teases, grins at him tender and wild. Knows when to use the one that gets Steve every time “Or you’re gonna make me think we’ll become picture perfect from this magical night onwards. A bunch of kids. White fences. You know, the whole shebang” 
Billy crashed the Camaro into a tree in the winter of two thousand and fourteen. Had left the house in a frenzy. Something had happened Max wouldn’t talk about. But she was scared, so she had called. When Steve found him, he was in the middle of the Brookville road, feet following the twin yellow lines, so weary, so impossibly small like this, head hanging, feet stumbling, surrounded by the tall shadows of the pines. Steve stopped the car at his side, engine oozing steam, shaking in the cold mid-May air “Billy” he said. Low. Careful. Careful. Billy’s eyes looked wet in the moon-silver night, pupils blown, deceivingly calm, “What are you doing? You know this is dangerous” And Billy had leaned in, forearms over the rim, had leveled with Steve. Looking wasted, looking tired, but still, he flashed a grin at him, teeth-shark white, not going down if he wasn’t going down swinging. And Steve hadn’t known at the moment, but the blood staining his cheek, the screaming-purple mark around his eye, those weren’t from the crush. “I was sleepwalking, Harrington" he said, voice dry, laugh harsh "Waiting for a stroke of luck"
“What does it make you think that’s not what I’m aiming for?”
When he took Billy to his house Max was already there, had sneaked out, white knuckles peaked with red around the handler of her bike “Neil will kill you if he finds out” Billy didn’t say it, but she read it on his eyes. And Max had called Steve. Called for help. So Steve took care of Billy’s face. Made him stay. Spend the night. Almost the whole next day, didn’t wake up till the hands meet over the spiraling infinity of the eight. Steve left him there. Retraced Billy’s steps down the Brookville road, following the yellow lines. The Camaro wasn’t done yet. Howled like a wounded beast under Steve's hands, but stayed together all the way to Donny’s garage. Steve paid for the repairs. Covered it all up. Two weeks later, Billy showed up at his door. Offered to teach him how to fight “I cannot give you back your money, but I know you don’t need that”
They spent almost the whole summer together. Some days. Most nights.
Wasting time. Fighting. Joking.  Driving. Fooling around.
No ‘what ifs’. No promises. Just,
“Leave the light on if you can’t sleep. If I manage to sneak out of the Old fuck, I’ll pick you up. I won’t stop kissing you until dawn”
Because Steve was gonna leave. Wasn’t going to throw a single glance behind his back. That was the plan.
And he did. He did. But––
He spins Billy out. Tugs him back. When their chests bump, his laugh explodes, bubbles up. Weightless. Happy. Because all that matters to him, to them, it’s between these four irregular walls now.
And God this, this, is Steve’s favorite part. 
–ended up coming back running, following the yellow lines. Hoping Billy was the one letting his light on this time.
Because the sun is gonna keep on shining. They can keep on dancing in here, in their weird, yellow, trapezoidal kitchen, for as long as they want. Hearts touching. Lips brushing. Bodies swaying, spinning, cutting through the golden light. 
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blackcloverdatabase · 4 years
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English Translation of Novel 3: Chapter 2 – The Man Known as Julius (Part 2 of 2)
Here’s the second half of the last untranslated chapter from Book of Yuno! More Julius, Yuno, Jack, and Charlotte goodness, plus Mereoleona and Marx!
With this, Book of Yuno is now fully translated!
--- The Man Known as Julius (Part 2) ---
And so, in days that followed, they ran into no troubles at all. The days passed by rather smoothly…… Well, that may depend on your definition of “smooth”. As Yuno predicted, Jack and Charlotte frequently dropped by the lake, Graham still didn’t get along with Julius, and each time that happened, Bell would say something insensitive, so Yuno’s training kept getting interrupted. Though their troubles didn’t grow, his worries did.
Nevertheless, Graham’s wounds healed well, and the amount of time he spent near his parents’ tombstone steadily decreased. It would be a little lonely once they do, but, at this rate, they will be able to return Graham to the wild in a few days.
‘I have to find a safe place for him away from humans as soon as possible……’ Yuno thought as he and Bell were shopping in the village of Tonan. It was still early afternoon.
“Oh, aren’t you Yuno-kun?”
Yuno heard a voice call back from behind him as he was walking. When he turned around, he saw a man with his blue hair cut like a mushroom, standing there with a smile.
“Yes. Umm, if I recall, you use communication magic…...”
“Ah, sorry. I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Marx Francois. I’m the Wizard King’s aide.”
He said with a gentle smile on his face as he approached Yuno, seemingly wanting to chat with him.
“I sure do meet a lot of Magic Knights when I’m in an area where patrols are emphasized. Why, just yesterday, I met Captain Jack. A ha ha, it’s surprising to see him buying vegetables like any other normal human being!”
‘I’m still surprised he bought them for Graham……,’ of course, Yuno didn’t say this out loud, instead opting to match Marx’s tone of surprise.
“I’m surprised. I guess that means he must cook, too.”
A more suitable reply. He then tilted his head and said,
“So, what are you doing here, Marx-san?”
“Surveying the field and intelligence gathering. I wanted to see the state of affairs of all areas that have been targeted by those bandits, and I was going to convey my findings to the Wizard King, but…… ah, no, sorry. The chain of command a transmission is supposed to go through got messed up.”
Marx paused for a bit as if to reorient himself.
“For various reasons, the notification that was supposed to go out to each squad was delayed, but half a day ago, we successfully quashed the bandits.”
“……Huh?”
Yuno couldn’t help but stutter. It’s true that a few days have passed since the Magic Knights were deployed to suppress the bandits, so it was only a matter of time before they would completely quash them, but……
“That’s rather sudden. Incredibly so.”
“Yeah. Since it was possible that the Original Sin was involved in this case, we were searching more cautiously than usual, but…...”
Marx’s face stiffened.
“……Captain Mereoleona said “How many days does it take you to capture a few petty thieves!” and kicked the knights who were investigating into high-gear. I was also participating in the search, and it wasn’t long before those bandits were completely annihilated. A few bandits may have escaped, but it’s just about over now.”
‘I feel sorry for those bandits……,’ Yuno thought to himself as he quietly put his hands together in prayer for them.
“However, when we confiscated their belongings, we didn’t find any copies of the Original Sin. Maybe those rumors about them having one was fake, but it’s possible that one of the bandits who escaped ran away with it…… there are still many things we are uncertain about, so I came here in the hopes of finding some clues, but I’ve found nothing so far.”
“……I see. Thank you for all your hard work.”
Yuno thanked Marx while he internally let out a sigh of relief. Now that those bandits have been caught, this area should be safer now. Since a few bandits escaped, the patrols will probably continue for a little while longer, but the frequency of those patrols should decrease. That means it will be easier to take care of Graham. Yuno continued to feel more and more relaxed, even faintly considering taking a stroll through town, but then Marx called his attention as he put his hand in his breast pocket.
“Ah, wait a second! I’m sorry to ask you this so suddenly, but do you know anything about this magic tool?”
“………!!”
Yuno’s and Bell’s eyes widened. They couldn’t believe what Marx was showing them. What he held in his hand was a red jewel, the very one which wards evil away.
“……Marx-san, where….did you……?”
Marx felt a little uneasy about how strongly the two reacted, but he answered their question.
“Huh……? Captain Jack gave this to me yesterday. He said he felt ill when this tool was active. He thought it might be dangerous, so he wanted me to investigate it.”
“…….Did he say where he found it?”
“Ummm……. I didn’t ask for the details, but if I recall, it was in some cabin up in the mountains.”
Yuno had a bad feeling about this.
“I’m going to take this to the Magic Tool Research Institute, but you go on a lot of special missions, so I thought you might know something about this…… w-wait!? Where are you going!?”
Yuno ignored Marx’s pleas as he used his wind magic to fly to the lake. Jack found the jewel yesterday. The bandits were captured half a day ago. Yesterday, he was only with Graham in the morning, and Julius said he was only with Graham briefly in the early afternoon. It was probably after that when Jack found the jewel. After that, it was possible that runaways from the bandits’ hideout may have passed by the lake…… If they did, Graham had nothing to protect him. They might have eaten him. They might have taken him so that they could sell him. There were all sorts of things they could have done to him.
Maybe it was too early to start worrying, but that was the place where Graham and his parents were attacked before. It was possible that those bandits have used that cabin as a rest stop before. If the remaining stragglers go there to rest……
Yuno felt his agitation increase as he sped to Graham’s location without care for anything else.
“……Graham!!”
Yuno shouted once he arrived at the lake. Usually, Graham would have emerged from the cabin, squealing cheerfully, but……
“……No way …….There’s no way this is happening! You can’t be serious!!”  
Bell screamed as she trembled in anger. A portion of the fence they built was broken, and the cabin was partly destroyed. Worse yet, the corpses of Graham’s parents were dug up, with about half of their hides skinned off their bodies. In this cruel picture, Graham was nowhere to be found.
……Their worst fears had come to fruition.
“W-what should we do, Yuno!? What happened to Graham!? What do we do!?”
Bell begged Yuno for an answer with tears in her eyes. However, like her, the sight left Yuno in a state of confusion. This was almost certainly the work of the remaining bandits, so the most practical option would be to team up with the Magic Knights that were hunting them. However, it would be difficult to find the others in a forest as wide as this, and there probably weren’t many knights pursuing them in the first place. Finding them would take too much time. There simply wasn’t enough people or time. He couldn’t contact Julius, either. He wasn’t sure what to do……
“………”
After thinking things through, Yuno closed his eyes and took a deep breath. After calming himself down, he reminded himself of why he was here. After a few more seconds, he opened his eyes and said as he calmly observed his surroundings,
“I don’t see any blood, so I think it’s safe to say that Graham hasn’t been killed. Not here, at least. They must have kidnapped him, probably with the goal of eating him later. While it’s true that they might have killed him en route or seriously wounded him to render him immobile, we can’t let negative thoughts like that get to us.”
If you find yourself unable to move because of all your negative thoughts, it’s sometimes necessary to just try doing what you want before thinking about what you should do…….
This was, without a doubt, one of those times……
“First of all, let’s join up with the knights in pursuit of the remaining bandits and find out where they are in their search. After that, we’ll borrow one of their communication devices and contact the Wizard King.”
They were going to do all they can, believing in the possibility that Graham was still alive.
“Let’s go, Bell……. Full power.”
“Y….. yeah…… sniff!”
Upon Yuno’s words, Bell wiped the tears from her face as she looked him in the eyes. Yuno nodded in response with a small smile on his face. He was about to fly off using his wind magic, but……
“Phew, I finally caught up to you…… Why did you do that of a sudden!?”
For the second time that day, he heard a voice call out to him from behind. When he turned around, he saw Marx approaching him with a broom in his hand and sweat on his forehead.
“Marx-san…… You followed me?”
“Well, if you see somebody’s expression change as drastically as yours and then dash off, of course you have to follow…… wait, what is all this!? What happened!?”
He looked around the lakeshore in a panic. Julius had said that Marx was the last person he’d want to find out what he’s been doing, but this situation was different. Even if this was only by chance, Yuno was glad he was here. With Marx here, he’ll be able to contact Julius right away.
“I’ll explain later. For now, I need you to contact the Wizard King for……”
……He realized it mid-sentence. At present, there wasn’t enough people nor enough time. Even if, for argument’s sake, Julius took advantage of his position of authority to send a large number of knights after the bandits, it would take some time to get that many knights together. There was a faster way to get a lot of knights here, and it would leave him with many more knights, too.
“Huh!? That mischievous magic maniac is…… I mean, the Wizard King is involved in this, too!?”
He was a little intrigued when he heard Marx say something rather disrespectful toward Julius, but, anyway, he quickly conveyed his strategy to Marx, who put it into practice.
 ----- Several minutes later, in a forest on the southwest side of Tonan -----
About ten rough-looking men flew through the forest on their brooms.  
“Hurry it up, you idiots! They’re gonna catch up to us at this rate!”
A bald man named Garo lead the group, spitting harsh words toward his minions behind him, which slowed him down even further. They were the remaining bandits. They slipped past the Magic Knights, and they were currently on their way to their second base, which was in the Forsaken Realm. Moreover, he had a hemp bag tied to the end of his broom. Wriggling violently inside that bag was……
“SQUEA- SQUEAL! SQUEAL!!”
A baby boar they caught by the lakeshore.
“Shut up, ya damned pig! We’re gonna eat ya the second we get to the base, so sit quiet until then!”
As if to let off some steam, Garo yelled his threats at Graham. Then, one of his followers asked him,
“Come to think of it, boss. Why’d ya take that little flame boar? Even if we sold its hide, we wouldn’t get a lotta money. If we just took its collar, then…… Eek!”
His follower shrunk back in fear.
“……Because…... the base…... was DESTROYED!”
Garo said with a roar as he turned his bloodshot eyes toward his follower.
“All our money and food were taken from us! You realize that, right!? Even if it doesn’t give us a lot of money, I’m gonna steal what I can steal! We’re in this mess in the first place because you’re all slackers!”
“I-I’m sorry! I’m so sor-GAH!”
As the others watched from behind as their boss seized their teammate by the collar and shook him, they looked at each other anxiously.
“……H-hey. He’s been…… kind of…… off lately, hasn’t he?”
“Y-yeah…… it’s like he’s gotten more brutal, or maybe more greedy……”
“Hey! You all sayin’ something!?”
Garo looked back and threatened them as he tried to find the people who spoke so insolently……. And then, by chance, he realized it. There was one too many shadows projected on the ground. When he noticed, he looked up toward the sky. At that moment,
“Slash Magic: Death Scythe!”
Large blades of magic swung down from the sky.
“UWOAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”
The blades of green obstructed the bandits from going forward as they flew before Garo’s eyes with a thunderous roar. The trees around them rumbled loudly as the ground beneath them was cut so deeply that one couldn’t see the bottom. What would’ve become of those bandits if such a thing hit them head-on…..?
“……Kah Kah. Jeez, I told you to live and grow up to be strong, didn’t I?”
Above their heads, the bandits heard a voice filled with a malice and intent to kill that made them shiver. Standing above them on his broom was a tall, thin man with ridiculously large blades extending from his forearms.
“You certainly got yourself kidnapped by a group that doesn’t look all that fun to cut up, eh, brat?”
His mouth upturned into a grotesque smile as he licked his lips and stretched his arms before him.
“Well, whatever. I’ll cut down 80 percent of them, so watch and learn.”
“D…….Disperse! Everyone disperse!!”
To escape the onslaught of attacks that were fired at them, the bandit group broke away from each other like baby spiders escaping their nest. Garo veered to the left with two of his underlings in tow.
“B-boss! That guy, he’s…… the Captain of the Green Mantis! Why is a big wig like him coming after stragglers like us!?”
“Hell if I know!! Just shut up and focus on getting outta……. Huh?”
Before he could finish talking, he noticed another ominous sight. Before his eyes was a woman of peerless beauty clad in armor, standing around as if she was waiting for them. Under normal circumstances, this fact would have made him ecstatic. However, Garo’s face grew grim. Just like with Jack, Garo didn’t know her first-hand, but he has heard terrible rumors. That face, and the way she held herself…… there was little doubt in his mind that this woman was the Captain of the Blue Roses, Charlotte.
“Briar Magic: Corpse-Hunting Briar Tree”
As if to substantiate Garo’s suspicions, thorny briars grew from the ground with unnatural speed to the left and right of him, piling into cone-like structures until they projected into the air like a tower.
“UGAAAAAAAAAH!”
Unable to avoid them, Garo’s two underlings fell victim to her thorns. However, Garo slipped through and escaped. No, he had the feeling that the thorns never aimed for him from the beginning……
“…… Relax. I will not strike you. Graham…… no, a wild boar is in that bag, correct?”
He felt a strange feeling from this beautiful woman who spoke with such a clear, concise voice. Even after only seeing her gorgeous face from a distance, he could tell – this woman was furious.
“Hand that boar over right now. If you do, I’ll have mercy on you and tear your corpse to pieces!!”
“EEEEEEEK!”
His soul practically leapt from his body as he shrieked, trying to get away from her. However, in the direction of his escape stood…...
“Wind Magic: Crescent Kamaitachi”
“Woah!”
Four crescent-shaped blades flew through the air with a howl as they cleanly sliced through the trees around Garo. Past the sounds of one tree after another falling to the ground, he heard voices, both male and female, talking above his head.
“With this, nothing is blocking our view…… we can see this scoundrel’s face more clearly.”
“Not that I wanted to! He’s ugly, dirty, and he has a small-fry kind of vibe! That’s three strikes!”
The two voices he heard came from a handsome black-haired boy and a girl about the size of a doll, who was flying around him.
‘What kind of magic tool is that?’ Garo thought.
Moreover, this became evident once his surroundings were cleared, but…...
“……Hey…… What the hell? …….Why the hell are there so many of you!?”
There was a dozen…… no, there were several dozens of Magic Knights, and they had Garo’s group completely surrounded as they stood by on their broomsticks.
“W-we’re just the remnants of a ruined group of bandits…… why, why are you…..!?”
“……Good question. I wonder about that.”
As Garo groaned, the boy swooped down in front of him with a blank expression and said quietly,
“Maybe you took someone’s kid, or their little brother, or their henchman…… perhaps?”
 Truthfully, even Yuno didn’t expect this many people to come. After all, Yuno only said one thing. He had Marx use his magic to report the situation to Julius, and after that, he had Marx contact the headquarters of the Green Mantis and the Blue Roses. Upon getting in contact with them, the only thing he told them was,
“The remaining bandits have kidnapped a baby boar I was keeping at the lake shore and are now on the run.”
That’s all he said before joining up with the rest of the knights in pursuit of the bandits. While they were searching, an astonishing number of Green Mantis knights and Blue Roses knights had gathered. When he asked why they were all here, they said their Captains ordered them to join the hunt. Even the Captains themselves joined the hunt, and they both looked like they were searching for blood.
Thus, their little hunting team became a large and fierce group, and with no hesitation, they utilized their mobility and self-discipline to find and hunt down the remaining bandits in a flash.
“Kah Kah. You damned brat. You used us. You have guts, I’ll give you that.”
As Yuno approached Garo, Jack poked at Yuno’s shoulder with the tip of his blade.
“I didn’t use you guys, I just couldn’t think of another- Ow. That hurts. It’s bleeding.”
“……W-well, it doesn’t matter to me what happens to some wild boar. There have been reports that the remaining bandits carried the Original Sin, so I came here because I thought we should arrest them as soon as possible.”
Charlotte said with a slightly red face as she approached the two of them.
“I just fed that wild boar on a whim……. Huh?”
Charlotte shuddered as if she just realized something very serious. She then grasped the hilt of her sword tightly, summoning briars from her sword that wrapped around Yuno’s neck.
“…….You bastard, don’t tell me…… y-you saw me…… bringing food to that boar?”
“What are you talking about? I saw you two leaving from the lake shore, so I just thought you might’ve met Graha-Ow. That hurts. Um, this really doesn’t suit my character, so……”
“Shit……. Shit! Just a little further…… and yet I get stopped by this group of idiots…… Shit!!”
As he watched those three talk back and forth, Garo cursed in a low voice.
“Ah, I forgot. You’re here, too.”
Bell said, before continuing in her usual loud voice,
“You’re the idiot here! Now, hurry up and return Graham to us!”
“……Wait, Bell. He’s acting stange.”
Yuno stopped Bell, who looked like she could bite Garo at any moment, and studied Garo. His breathing was rough, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was clenching his teeth so hard that a thin trail of blood oozed from his mouth.
‘This is just like that time with Zable……!’
“Shit……. Shit! SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIIIIT!!”
Garo screamed as if he had gone insane. Then, a pure white grimoire emerged from his chest, and from his back spread countless invisible tentacles, which bent and wriggled about. The Original Sin had started going berserk.
“SQUE-SQUEAL! SQUEAL!!”
At that moment, Graham’s voice could be heard from the bag at Garo’s feet. Just being exposed to this much magic must be painful for him. It must be scary.
“Graham!”
Without a moment’s delay, Yuno and Bell activated their mana skin and ran toward Graham.
“H-hey! Don’t be reckless!”
Charlotte called out in an attempt to stop him, but Jack yelled over her.
“No, he has the right idea…… Hey, you all! Stop that bandit’s attacks and support that kid with all you’ve got! Don’t let that bandit lay a single finger on that kid, or the bag at his feet!!”
Under Jack’s command, a massive simultaneous attack from all nearby knights began.
“Shit……Shit, Shit, SHIT!”
Garo’s tentacles repelled every attack that was fired at him as he wreaked havoc on his surroundings. However, each tentacle that tried to reach Yuno and Bell was slashed apart, torn apart by briars, or stopped by some other magic spell. One after another, they vanished before reaching Yuno. Yuno himself used his wind magic to repel any tentacle that made its way toward Graham, but there were too many.
“Graham!!”
Just as he was only a few steps away from Graham, a single tentacle weaved its way through his attacks and swung down toward Graham. At that moment……
“Time Restraining Magic: Chrono Stasis!”
“…… Huh?”
……. Time stopped.
Garo stopped. The tentacles stopped. Yuno and Bell stopped. All the magic knights around them stopped. They were all wrapped in an absurdly large sphere of magic, where all movement ceased. Before Yuno could begin to process what happened, the sphere of magic slowly converged until it surrounded only Garo. The tentacles had stopped moving, but, before long, they lost their power and vanished into the air.  Yuno was released from Julius’s time prison, causing him to fall on his backside, where he continued to stay as he watched.
“……I see. The tentacles disappear if its owner is rendered powerless…… For caution’s sake, I stopped time over a large area, but it looks like that wasn’t necessary.”
The person who created this situation, Julius, said this smoothly as he descended slowly in front of Yuno.
“Sorry I’m late, Yuno-kun, Bell-kun. You did a great job…...”
He said in an incredibly casual tone of voice. With his tranquil smile, Yuno was…… no, surely everyone was overwhelmed by his presence.
As soon as he got here, he cast such powerful magic over such a wide area and, with surgeon-like precision, imprisoned only Garo. Most of all, he did all this in an instant, with no prep work required. Everyone here knew that he was absurdly powerful. However, they didn’t realize what that meant until they saw his power in action before their eyes. He was the Clover Kingdom’s most powerful Magic Knight – The Wizard King. As Yuno thought, the wall he and Asta had to surmount was absurdly high.
……. However,
“Are you hurt?”
Julius turned toward Yuno and held out his hand. By reflex, Yuno almost took his hand, but,
“……….”
He reconsidered, lowering his hand and suppressing the light trembling in his legs as he forced his weight upon them,
“……I’m fine. Thank you for your help.”
And stoop up firmly with his own power on his own two feet.
‘Someday, I’ll climb over that wall.’
He held such thoughts in his heart as he stood with his own strength.
“Ha ha. I guess…… you didn’t need my help, huh…….?”
‘I could have sworn I’ve had a conversation just like this with someone else before…...’
Realizing that this wasn’t the time nor place to think about that, he dropped the idea and started thinking to himself warmly,
‘The next generation after me……. Yami, William, and the others are already actively performing great service as Captains. The generation after them have a strong will, and they are growing steadily but surely.’
Through them – through the power of those who have inherited his will – the Order of Magic Knights, and this country, is gradually being reborn into the form Julius has always wished for. Rather than a few decades, after ten years…… no, less than that. In a few years, the future that Julius has wished for could very well come true.
Faced with such youthful power, these thoughts were renewed within Julius.
“……Well, I don’t plan on giving this seat to anyone just yet~”
“……Huh, what was that?”
“Nothing at all…... This isn’t the time for us to get lost in sentimentality. We have to help Graham.”
Julius said as if to end the subject, grabbing the hemp bag and opening it swiftly. Upon doing so, Graham leaped out in an instant, jumping into Julius’s chest with a happy squeal.
“Graham, are you okay!? Are you hurt!?”
“It looks like…… you’re okay. Thank goodness……”
Once Bell and Yuno came closer, Graham squealed cheerfully once more. It was good that Graham wasn’t hurt physically, but they were also happy that the ordeal didn’t appear to wound him emotionally, too.
……Instead, considering all the aftermath they’ll have to deal with, the reports that will need to be written, and the incoming lecture from Marx, perhaps they’re the ones who are going to come out of this ordeal traumatized……. Well, those are minor problems.
“Graham…… I’m sorry. You must have been so scared. You did a great job getting through this.”
Julius pet Graham’s head with a few tears in his eyes.
“You’re safe now, so let’s go home with Papa and-
“Squeal, squeal!”
CRUNCH
With full force, Graham chomped down on Julius’s fingers.
 “……Jeez, I’ve just about had it with you! So you were raising an unusual pet, huh……? That the kind of thing an extravagant bachelor with too much time and money on his hands would do! Stop playing around and get back to work!”
“……Yes…… Yes……. Yes……. I’m sorry…….”
The others dealt with the aftermath smoothly while Marx continued to lecture Julius. That said, there wasn’t much for Yuno to do. Transporting the bandits they captured, listening to magic tool researchers, he finished all that a while ago, so right now he was chatting with Jack and Charlotte right next to Julius as he was getting lectured.
Specifically…….
“……We plan to release Graham into the wild soon.”
He felt that he should tell them what they were planning to do. As he looked at Yuno holding Graham when he said this, Jack scratched his head and replied,
“I don’t really care, but…… Well, that makes sense. From the start, he’s a wild animal, so he shouldn’t be closed up with humans. Plus, he could get rolled up in some bad news like what just happened today. Once he’s healed up, you should let him go.”
“B-but…….. is there a place where a young boar can live safely without their parents protecting them?”
Charlotte looked a little upset as she said this. Incidentally, a few moments ago, she took Graham away while Yuno wasn’t looking and told him,
“I’m sorry for all the mean things I said earlier. I didn’t mean it when I said I didn’t care about you. I love you!”
Bell happened to see this and reported it to Yuno, but……. Back to the main subject. At that moment, Marx finally took a breath in the middle of his lecture, allowing Julius a chance to join the conversation.
“……We both searched extensively, but we couldn’t find a good place for him. Do either of you know of anywhere good?”
Jack and Charlotte glanced at each other before replying simultaneously,
“Well, if that’s what you’re going to ask, there’s someone more suited to answering your question than we are.”
“Moreover, it’s highly likely that she’ll be joining us any moment now……”
“……Huh?”
Just as Julius tilted his head in confusion, he heard a preposterously loud voice resound through the air.
“Wizard King! I thank you for catching the bandits that escaped!”
The one who descended from the sky with such a loud voice was none other than Mereoleona Vermillion. She was a gallant woman who was serving as a substitute Captain of the Crimson Lions for Fuegoleon. However, before she assumed the role of Captain, she……
“……I see! If I recall, she spends over 300 days a year living her life in the forests and fields of the wild. She probably knows a lot about what we’re looking for.”
“Yes. Then, I wonder if you should give Graham to her.”
As Julius and Charlotte spoke to each other, Mereoleona walked toward them as she laughed heartily,
“And you even managed to capture a copy of the Original Sin without destroying it! As I would expect from our Wizard King! With this, we’ll be able to analyze it easily, and…… hm?”
As she was speaking, her eyes sharpened with a piercing gaze when she spotted Graham. She then licked her lips and said,
“Ho hoh, you captured quite the tasty-looking boar. Once we get back, let’s cook him right away!”
…...For now, at least, they all decided that there was no way they were leaving Graham with her.
 After that, Graham was deathly afraid of Mereoleona, so Yuno and Bell picked Graham up and carried him a little further away to put distance between them while Julius explained their circumstances to her.
“I see! If that’s how it is, then there’s plenty of great places I can show you!”  
Mereoleona struck her chest with her fist as she said this.
On a side note, earlier, Jack and Charlotte guided Marx and the other knights home. Before Jack left, he stared at Graham with a profound gaze. At that moment, Bell dubbed over his thoughts with a whisper,
“Well then, boy. Make sure you don’t lose to those humans.”
Back to the present, Mereoleona continued talking as loudly as ever.
“In the natural realm, there are places that are considered “child-rearing spots”! They are considered as such because they have plenty of food and little territorial conflict. I know of several such places!”
At that moment she suddenly went up to Julius’s face, and lowered her voice as she asked,
“By the way, Wizard King. What kind of trick were you trying to pull this time?”
Julius smiled the same as ever as he replied,
“……..Now, what ever could you be talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb with me…… with the amount of personal connections you have, you could have easily asked plenty of other people to take care of that boar. And yet, you chose that boy.”
Mereoleona glanced at Yuno before giving Julius a smile filled with hidden meaning,
“You created a situation where you would raise that boar with that kid, the genius chosen by one of the great spirits, so that you could see with your own eyes how he trains and what kind of growth he has achieved……. Am I wrong?”
“……You’re half-right, but you’re also half-wrong. It really was a coincidence that I was found by Yuno-kun.”
Julius had a small smile on his face as he gave up on the idea of keeping it a secret. She, too, is probably just asking because of her own personal interest, and he didn’t want to be that secretive, so he figured it was fine to tell her.
“However, to design counter-measures against the Eye of the Midnight Sun……. I wanted to thoroughly understand how he fights with Sylph, Sylph’s own personality, and how friendly she is toward other humans. Since we would be raising Graham together, I just figured I’d use the opportunity to observe him.”
In truth, he would be able to see how Yuno fights at the Royal Knights Selection Exam, and he can create as many opportunities as he likes to talk with Bell. However, that would just be for “work”. Frankly speaking, the quickest way to learn about someone is to do a task together that requires one to rely on the other. It was a little unscrupulous of him to do this, but he took advantage of that accident so that they could work together. Moreover, keeping the fact he was raising a flame boar a secret was never all that important to him in the first place.  His goal was to get closer to Yuno by sharing a secret together. As a result, he was able to watch Yuno train on several different occasions, and he has a better understanding of Bell’s magic and temperament.
Most of all, he thinks that they are on friendlier terms now. Even though this all happened by chance, he gained so much from it.
“So, no tricks from me. I just nudged things in the right direction, just a little bit. I truly did want somebody to help me take care of Graham.
“……I see. Then, what about Jack and Charlotte?”
Mereoleona happily continued hounding Julius for more. It’s not that she wanted to find his weakness or anything, she just wanted to satisfy her intellectual curiosity. After all, she was a woman who put all her energy into everything she did, no matter what it was.
“You said that they just happened to find out, but…… someone of your caliber wouldn’t make a blunder as foolish as letting your magical power get sensed by someone else. Well, even though Jack having an evil soul and taking away your magic tool was a miscalculation on your part, you got them involved on purpose so that you would have personnel who could take action in the event of an emergency like today’s right?”
“……..I wonder about that?”
“Fu fu……….WAH HAHA HAH! You truly are one crafty fellow!”
She slapped Julius’s back and laughed heartily once more…… At that moment.
“Squeal!! Squeal!”
Graham rushed forward with all his strength and tackled Mereoleona’s feet. Over and over. Though he was terrified by her just a short while ago, he continued to crash his tiny body against her.
“W-what’s wrong, Graham? You’re so riled up……”
Julius picked Graham up, but Graham continued trying to threaten Mereoleona.
“I know she’s often called a boorish woman, and I often wonder why I have to be so on guard around one of my own subordinates, but she’s not an enemy.”
“I’m not sure what you’re trying to say about me, but…… most likely, when he saw me hitting your back, he thought I was bullying you.”
“What……?”
He said as he looked at Graham, who pressed his face into his chest.
“Squea-squeal……”
“………..”
It was the sound flame boars make when they want their parent’s attention. The fact he was crying out to Julius in this way meant……
“Ha, ha ha…… that can’t be right. Graham, even now, you keep biting me so hard, and yet……”
He turned his face away from Mereoleona, as well as from Yuno and Bell, who were rushing toward them, as he said this. Mereoleona looked a little surprised before saying,
“Oh? If he was biting you, then that means he really loved you…… Biting is one of the attachment behaviors of young flame boars. The fact he was biting you is proof that he thought of you as his parent.”
Everyone was shocked silent when they heard this. Bell represented everyone when she said,
“Huh? Then…… Graham though of the Wizard King as his father from the start?”
“Graham……”
As if in response to Julius calling out his name, Graham made the same cries as before, as if he wanted his parent to dote on him more.
He recalled all the days he has spent with Graham. He recalled watching Graham enjoy his baths, Graham’s sweet face as he slept, Graham devouring his food with delight, Graham energetically rushing up to his feet. Fond memories came rushing forth, one after another…….
‘I want to be with this child forever,’ Julius thought.
……But, even so……
“……We can’t. If a wild animal stays with humans for too long, they’ll remember their time with humans far too well, and they won’t be able to return to the wild……We shouldn’t stay together any longer than we already have.”
Hearing those words, Yuno couldn’t help but clench his fists, and Bell looked down with tears in her eyes. They only started raising Graham halfway through, yet it hurt this much to say goodbye to him. Surely, the pain Julius is feeling right now must be even worse……
“……But, you know, Graham.”
Even so, Julius only wiped his eyes a single time before smiling at Graham the way he always did.
“I’ll never forget the time I spent with you. And, I truly did think of you like my own child…… Even if we are apart, that will never change.”
He hugged Graham tightly but gently, and told him quietly,
“I love you, Graham. Thank you……. For thinking of me as your father.”
“Squea-squeal…...”
“Now then, shall we go!?”
As if to destroy the moving atmosphere between them, Mereoleona declared this as she smashed her fists together. Seeing her behave so warlike, Yuno had a bad feeling about what she was going to say when he asked,
“Go……? Go where? It’s not like we’re planning to release Graham into the wild this very second.”
“You fool! There are several different child-rearing spots! We’re all going to preview each spot together to find out which environment suits him the best!”
She said as she looked at him with cold eyes. Then, her mouth upturned into a ferocious grin,
“All these child-rearing spots lie past strong magic zones and dungeons. Doesn’t that sound fun!? Wah hah hah! Isn’t this splendid!? You can utilize the results of your training while we visit each power spot!”
“Sorry. I just remembered some urgent business I need to attend to, so I need to go home.”
Yuno and Bell ran away with subsonic speed, but it was futile. Mereoleona instantly created fire magic in the shape of two lion’s paws from her head and caught them.
“S-someone save us! We’re being kidnapped! A spirit and human are getting kidnapped by a wild animal!”
“Please say something, your highness! There’s no way this is legal!”
Bell cried out in tears while Yuno, in an act that was very out of character for him, begged Julius to do something. He was the only one in this situation with the power to stop her, but…….
“………Umm, sorry, you two…….”
Julius said with an incredibly awkward expression on his face as he held Graham lovingly.
“I-I think that being suddenly thrust into a strange area would make him anxious, so…… could you come with us?”
“……..Huuuuuuuuuh?”
The Wizard King – Julius Novachrono.
He's the hero of Clover Kingdom, a source of inspiration for all Magic Knights and all the Kingdom’s citizens……
“Hey Graham~ You want everyone to be with you, too, right?”
“Squea-Squeal~”  
…….He’s a huge softie, overindulgent, and he can be a bit of a bother. He had an ordinary side to him that you could find in any ordinary middle-aged man, but……
That's just the sort of person Julius is.
--- The Man Known as Julius: The End ---
W-what am I supposed to say at the end of this chapter? I’m just too sad that they have to say goodbye to Graham ;A;
I’m also sad that this was the last untranslated Book of Yuno chapter. I’m glad to have finished it, because it’s such a good book, but I…… I want more.
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gayrezi · 4 years
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(if ur uncomfortable w answering feel free to ignore srry!) how did u realize u were non binary,, bc I think I am but idk if i have dysphoria :shrug:
putting this under a read more bc i like talking about gender, so this got a little long. tl;dr: you don't need dysphoria to be trans/nonbinary, though it can certainly be an indicator. for me, i was initially very unsure of myself and didn't recognize my dysphoria until after i allowed myself to start exploring and experimenting with my gender, and what helped me most was giving myself the freedom to be questioning and try new labels or interact with new communities online.
content warning for mentions of dysphoria under the cut.
i first started questioning my gender in july of 2019. i don't remember the context, but i was searching up labels like "demigirl" and "nonbinary lesbian" on tumblr because i'd seen a couple posts mentioning i and i was curious. and the more i looked, the more i related to the ideas i saw people talking about -- it wasn't a perfect match, but certainly fit better than calling myself a cis girl.
back then, i viewed being a cis girl as the "default option" for myself because i was born afab -- like "yeah, i guess i'm a girl, but only because i've never been called otherwise in my life and i also know i’m not a trans boy. i just happen to have a lot of shared experiences with girls my age because i am viewed as one of them". at the time i didn’t think i had dysphoria, but i didn't enthusiastically identify with womanhood on any level except for knowing that i held a lot of feminist beliefs and that i liked women in a gay way (but with the existence of nonbinary lesbians now introduced to me, even that was shaken up because i identified more with being a lesbian than i ever did with being a woman in that context). my history with feminism, lesbianism, and collectively being grouped with girls my age made it really difficult for me to untangle my gender.
at this point, i spent a really long time on the fence about my identity - i looked at a lot of quora threads in desperation, which honestly i don't recommend (it really only lead me to the conclusion that "i’m gonna have to decide for myself what my gender is, huh"). what DID help me was allowing myself to try new labels, presentations, pronouns, or just ways of viewing myself. i didn't need to commit, just to allow myself the freedom to view myself as "not necessarily cisgender." i started using they/them pronouns online, dressed in ways that made me feel more androgynous and comfortable, and interacted with more trans people here on tumblr. joining a trans discord server really helped me a ton, since i got to see people talking about gender and living authentically in a way i never saw from my cis peers in real life, and i could take part in a community that would support my own exploration of my gender.
once i gave myself these opportunities to get to know myself, *then* i started finding out all the details of my personal experience of gender. once i was open to the possibility of being enby, sometime around september 2019, only then did i start to recognize my previous feelings of discomfort about my body and interactions with others as dysphoria. i realized the label of demigirl didn't really fit, and actually it felt wrong to be misgendered as a girl at all, and shifted to call myself just "nonbinary" ("agender" is TECHNICALLY also accurate, since i don't really have a connection to gender at all, it just doesn’t feel like something relevant to me, but i like the openness and fluidity and blatant rejection of the gender binary that comes with "nonbinary." this is 100% my personal feelings though, may not apply to you or anyone else). this is still pretty much where i stand now, and i've really been able to embrace this identity after coming out to my immediate family at the end of march 2020 and being in a weird semi-out state at university currently.
the most important advice i'd give to anyone questioning their gender is this: you don't need to know what you are Right Now, and instead should focus on pursuing things that make you feel good and comfortable with yourself - the label will be easier to identify with time if you allow yourself latitude for exploration! there’s no wrong way to be nonbinary, and what matters most is that you find a means of self expression that makes you happy.
i don’t want to get into my most personal thoughts on my gender publicly on this blog, but if you want to dm me about this (whether you're the anon who sent this or not) feel free to, i would be happy to talk more there! you can message me on this blog and we can chat on tumblr or discord. good luck with everything and have a wonderful day :)
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sad-sweet-cowboah · 4 years
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Can you do prompt 81 with Arthur? And if it’s not too much to ask, maybe related to the archeologist!reader commission you did for me? (If not feeling it, anything else is totally fine.)
Number 81:
This is a cute idea! Sorry this took a little longer than usual. I’ve been hopping back and forth between works and I was trying to figure out what to make of this one in particular. Enjoy!
You hadn’t expected to find yourself back out West so soon.
Only a mere month had passed since you’d come back home to New York, initially having missed the urban jungle you called home. With the news of the Viking burial ground delivered, you were praised more than you expected to be. The men who once asked for you to fetch drinks were congratulating you on such a great find. You were listened to more often, and was even given a bigger workspace.
It was exciting to finally move up in the world, elated to finally have your words taken seriously for once. You hoped your endeavors would only continue to drive up hill from now on.
Though despite your happiness, something felt…missing.
You often dreamed of that place out West, the muddy little livestock town surrounded by what you could describe as something God himself had reached down and painted across the landscapes. It was a beauty that could not be appreciated from the tall buildings and cobblestone streets. You missed it more than you’d ever imagined, along with the man whom helped your wish into a reality.
The delicate ivory comb sat on your dresser. Even though you didn’t use it for its purpose, afraid it might bend or break due to its age. However you kept it in pristine condition, wiping the dust that accumulated on a daily basis. For days after your return, your hart would flutter when you set your eyes upon it.
Every day you’d check the mail, hoping for a letter from him. Disappointment would cloud your mind to find there was none, only to silently remind yourself you’d told him to write if he ever found anything else that would capture your interest. Still, you wished you had spent more time with him before coming home. Perhaps one day you’d venture out there again, whether or not it pertained to your career.
Though as your hopes had vanished, you’d received a letter from someone you’d never heard of: Tacitus Kilgore. Your first thought was to toss it until you’d gotten a look at the address, recognizing the origin as Lemoyne. You knew no one in that state, yet something persuaded you to open it.
And you were glad you did.
Turns out Arthur had written the letter. The writing seemed more complex than his simplistic manner of speaking. He explained a new site that he’d found on his travels. He described the location; a small cave deep in the wilderness. He included a rough sketch, including various statues of unknown origin.
You were on the train the very next day.
Sure, Valentine was nothing exceptional, yet it had its charm. You were overwhelmed by the scent of the sheep that carried through the air, followed by the crisp breeze that flowed down from the mountains. The mud squashed underneath your feet as you walked to the familiar hotel.
It didn’t take long for you to settle in, spending little time in your hotel room to get everything sorted. Afterward, you’d headed toward the stables in intent to lease a horse. After picking one and exiting the barn, a voice caught your attention.
“Didn’t think I’d see ya ‘round here again.”
Heart skipping a beat, you turned to see none other than Arthur Morgan himself, leaning against a fence post with a small smile on his face.
You had to staunch your excitement of seeing him, silently calming yourself to offer a smile back, correcting your posture with a lady-like flourish. “Well, you did write me.”
“Jus’ like you asked,” he replied with a slight chuckle. “Glad I ain’t a total fool thinkin’ you wouldn’t respond.”
“Well, you know how I am with new discoveries,” you giggled, strutting closer to him as your horse stepped closely behind you. “Glad you did write. It was nice hearing from you, I certainly missed your company.”
Immediately you regretted uttering that last sentence. Flames erupted in your face as you broke from his gaze. You weren’t sure why it was so embarrassing, you’d only interacted with him twice before. He was merely an acquaintance in society’s standards, though a gentleman for escorting you to the Viking tomb during your first visit. He didn’t have to, hell, Arthur seemed like the type that would pass by without a second glance. 
He didn’t seem to notice your fluster. “I ain’t nothin’ but ordinary, Y/N,” he chortled. “I appreciate it though.”
On the contrary he was opposite of the ordinary. You often thought of what would have happened if he hadn’t crossed paths with you. Maybe you would have stumbled upon the site out of pure luck, or perhaps you would have been kidnapped by those hooligans he’d warned you about. Either way, you were glad to have his assistance.
“So, you off to find the place I told ya ‘bout?” he asked.
His reminder brought you back to the present. “Yes, absolutely!” you answered. “Er, how far is it from here, exactly?”
“Come with me,” Arthur gestured with cocking his head to the side. “I’ll show ya myself.”
Your heart began to race from his offer. “W-why?” you stammered, pausing to control your voice. “Wouldn’t I be keeping you from something?”
“You won’t be,” he assured, stepping closer to you. “‘Sides, it’s a bit of a hike, and in a hidden area. Ya may end up lost if I don’t help ya.”
His persistence amazed and excited you. “Alright, lead the way Arthur.”
The cold air whipped around your face as you galloped behind Arthur across New Hanover. The land here was breathtakingly gorgeous, green fields, rolling hills and dense forests that appeared right out of a fairytale. Quaint cabins and homesteads dotted the land, surrounded by crops and farm animals. It must be such a simple way of life without the noises and thick air of the big city.
“How often are you out here, Arthur?” you’d asked after a while of silence. Upon the start of your journey, you’d had a quick conversation about what you’d been up to since coming back to New York. He was impressed by your news, happy that you were able to step up the ladder in your career. You’d asked him what he’d been up to, only receiving vague answers. The chatter died after that.
“From time to time.” he answered, slowing down a little to speak clearly to you.
“And you live in Lemoyne?” you continued.
He shrugged. “For the time bein’. I tend to…hop ‘round from place to place.”
That would explain why he seemed so well-traveled. You wanted to ask more questions about his life, until another had pushed its way to the forefront of your mind. “Who is Tacitus Kilgore?”
“Ah, it’s some feller I know. I’ve been stayin’ with him.” Arthur said.
You’d noticed a second of hesitation in his answer. Curiosity piqued as you wondered more about this man. Your thoughts vanished suddenly as Arthur took a sharp turn, urging his horse up the mountain. You followed suit.
“It’s a bit up a-ways,” Arthur called back to you. “Be careful, don’t let your horse slip.”
Arthur expertly navigated the side of the mountain, guiding you along steady paths along rock faces. The air grew crisp and colder with the higher altitude. You huddled over, a shiver passing deep through your body.
More time had passed, seemingly slower as the temperature dropped. Eventually Arthur slowed down, stopping just before a large rock formation. You peered at it with curiosity.
“There’s supposed to be a cave here?” You questioned. “Where’s the entrance?”
He dismounted, gesturing for you to do the same. Once your feet hit the ground, he led you around the mounds of stone, a small pathway appearing between them. He stopped and pointed, “There.”
You followed his finger, eyes scanning the surface until a fissure caught your attention. It was fairly narrow, enough that at first glance it would have seemed like a depression in the rock itself.
“Hope ya don’t mind tight spaces.” He continued. He waited until you did the same before trekking toward the mouth of the cave.
You at first assumed it was much more narrow than it appeared. However, both you and Arthur were able to pass in with ease. It was still a little too enclosed for your liking, however. You stuck close behind him. Having never been inside a cave before, excitement and nervousness flowed through you in anticipation of discovery.
The short tunnel opened up to a small cavern, which was partly illuminated from an opened in the ceiling.
Your eyes widened in surprise. Nude statues on pedestals, all facing inward to what appeared to be a bird in the center. You walked closer, observing the finer features. They were eroded with age, missing their faces or random appendages.
You turned to view the centerpiece, staring in surprise when you realized it wasn’t a bird. It seemed to be a hybrid with a mammalian body and bird wings, yet had the head of a woman.
“What do ya think that is?” Arthur asked, watching you from outside the circle.
In your studies and excavations, you never once came across anything so unique. You weren’t sure what to make of it. Ancient civilizations usually had statues and other builds to honor their deities. Gods and Goddesses of which were said to have many forms, whether human or animal.
“Well Arthur, quite frankly I have no idea.” you answered with a slight chuckle. “Seems to be a deity of some sort from how everything is situated. It doesn’t appear to be from any civilization that I’m aware of.”
He mumbled something about strange deities, along with something about a turtle. Stepping closer to you, he peered up at the standing statues. “Gotta wonder what kinda cult made these.”
“What makes you think it was a cult?” you asked with curiosity.
He gave a small shrug. “Cults make some folk do strange things. Worship strange…creatures.” he briefly gestured to the hybrid statue.
You considered his words for a moment. There was sense in them, you hadn’t personally had any sort of contact with one, though heard about them in your travels. Perhaps it truly was a creation of one. Regardless, you found it interesting.
“How did you find this place anyway?” you asked. “Surely you didn’t just stumble across the entrance, as obscure as it is.”
“You’re right, I didn’t,” he answered, and dug into his satchel for a moment before producing a leather bound book. “I found somethin’ else though, helped me find this place.”
You automatically stepped closer, peering at the pages as he quickly flipped through them, until landing on a page. Heavily sketched, it seemed to be a diagram mirroring the sight before you.
You’d also realized how good of an artist Arthur was.
“Ain’t too sure what it means, and why some feller wanted to draw it on a rock wall…” Arthur said.
You glanced back and forth between the sketch and the statues. Something pricked at your mind, telling you there was something…more to this.
You observed the statues again, your gaze traveling from top to bottom. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first, until you spotted something on the pedestal. You approached it, bending down to get a better view. It appeared to be some sort of button.
Glancing around, you took notice that every statue that made the circle had one.
Hm.
“Seems like there’s something more here.” you announced, pressing the button in front of you.
Nothing happened.
Arthur stepped up next to you. “Whatchu mean?”
“Every statue has a button. I wonder why…”
He glanced down at his book again, and gazed around at the other statues. “Think it’s important?”
“Might be,” you said thoughtfully. “Let me see that drawing again…”
He held the page toward you, which you began to study with scrutiny. You noted there were symbols next to every statue. There seemed to be some significance to them. Each symbol had a different amount of what appeared to be feathers attached. All but one, which one statue was missing an entire arm
Taking the journal carefully into your hands, you walked to each one that had been marked on paper. Taking a few minutes to observe every small feature, you came to notice they all had a different amount of fingers.
“They’re all missin’ a different bunch o’ fingers.” Arthur seemed to voice your thoughts.
You nodded, trying to assume a significance here. The mental gears in your head were turning. None of them had the same amount missing. Glancing down at the drawing a final time, you realized the amount of fingers on each statue correlated with the symbols.
You reached out and pressed a button in front of one, watching it depress into the pedestal. Nothing else happened.
Walking around to the other marked statues, you pressed the other buttons. Still, nothing happened. You frowned and stepped back, scratching your head in confusion.
Arthur watched you silently, his own expression puzzled. He scratched his scruffy chin in thought. “Somethin’ ‘sposed to happen?”
“Seems like it,” you rubbed your hair as you tried to think. “Hm…”
You hadn’t noticed Arthur move around more as you pondered the significance. Each statue with fingers missing, each different than the last. The buttons meant there was something to unlock, but what? A clue to what this odd little site was?
“Hey, maybe press ‘em in order?”
You blinked, your train of thought derailed. “What?”
“The buttons,” Arthur pointed to the statue that was missing multiple fingers. “None o’ them are missin’ the same amount, right? Maybe we gotta press ‘em in order of how many.”
You raised your eyebrows. You weren’t expecting that answer, yet it somehow made sense to you. “Alright, let’s give it a shot.”
It took much longer than you thought.
You and Arthur spent an immeasurable amount of time pressing buttons in numerical order, only to have fruitless results. By process of elimination you were able to narrow your tries down to a last few.
The entire time you’d expected Arthur to get frustrated and quit. He however was persistent, never once showing an ounce of irritation. He was just as determined as you to figure out this odd puzzle, even if it meant no personal gain for him.
Though by now you yourself were tired, feet aching and stomach growling. Cold began to settle in as the day grew later. You were thankful you’d packed some food prior to coming out here, although sleeping on the floor of a cave was less than ideal.
Taking a deep breath and praying this would be the one, you pressed a button.
Within in instant, an audible click echoed within the small cave. Your eyes widened as you whipped around for the source of the noise, seeming to originate from the center statue.
Glancing at Arthur, you both scurried over to it. As you looked from top to bottom, Arthur made a noise.
“Look!” he exclaimed, holding up an object that glinted even in the last of the sun’s rays. You did so, surprise overtaking you. Three gold bars rested in his hands. “Looks like they were hidin’ valuables.”
Your first assumption was they were offerings for…whatever deity this was. Yet why was there a puzzle? Was it just a clever way to stash them? Gold bars would fetch a hefty price to the right seller, especially for three of them. This only launched more questions surrounding the origins of this place, and why. Maybe there were more clues, or none at all. “Glad we solved that,” you said with a sigh of relief. “I wasn’t expecting gold bars.”
“I ain’t sure what I was expectin’,” Arthur chuckled. “Worth it though…” he held them out to you.
You blinked at his offer. “Why are you giving them to me?” you asked.
“Maybe they’re…I dunno, from some ancient civilization or somethin’.” he said with a shrug, but somehow you could tell it was a lie; even a simpleton could tell these were from modern times.Your eyes traveling from his face to his hands, you took the bars. The cold metal felt smooth against your skin. They were quite heavy, sporting a dull shine even in the dim.
Money wasn’t an important matter to you, never was. You could always sell these and move into a bigger apartment in New York, or find some other uses. Donate one to the museum for additional funding or for display.
You looked back to Arthur, who was gazing at you with a soft expression. You wouldn’t even have these if it weren’t for his diligence in the first place. You held one back out, pressing it into his palm. “You deserve one, too.”
He blinked, giving you a look of confusion. “You sure?”
Nodding enthusiastically, you said, “Of course Arthur! I wouldn’t have even found this place if you hadn’t volunteered to take me up here. Plus, you stuck around to help with the puzzle. I think it’s reasonable.”
A slow smile spread across his face at you words. “Heh, well…thank you.” he said as he tucked the bar away in his satchel.
“No, thank you…” you murmured. A moment of bravery overcame you as you stepped forward to place a kiss on his cheek. “For everything you’ve done so far.”
His smile turned shy, his head tilting down as a surprisingly child-like chuckle expressed from his lips. “No problem.”
---
Send me a prompt!
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187days · 4 years
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Day Ninety-Five
Look at the conversation happening on my whiteboard:
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Isn’t that adorable?
I saw the student write the original message yesterday; I didn’t realize someone had replied until this afternoon. It really made me smile, and it was one of many positive things about today.
The biggest positive thing happened when one of my ninth graders came to see me during flex time. He owed me the Africa Research Project, and I knew he did not want to have to present it, even just to me; he’d been conspicuously absent every time he was supposed to do it, and I think he was hoping I’d just forget about it today because he owed some other stuff, too. When I sat down next to him and asked him to show me his work, his hands started shaking and he said he couldn’t do it, so I asked if I could take the laptop he’d loaded his project on and look at it myself. He agreed to let me do that, so I gave his information a glance, then asked if I could ask him some questions about it. He nodded, and I proceeded to ask him to tell me the main idea on each of his slides (I sneakily tilted the laptop back towards him at that point). Little by little, he told me everything I needed to hear in a presentation. He just did it in conversation with me instead, but if that’s where we have to start, that’s where we start. Afterwards, I gave him a high-five and thanked him for trusting me to help him get through it. 
Another big, positive thing happened because I covered a Civics class for one of my colleagues during my prep block. It’s a semester class, so today was the final, and she didn’t want to leave that with a sub... Now, longtime readers may remember that I have one colleague who’s never really liked me; this was her class I was covering. Afterwards, she came to my classroom with a thank you card and a chocolate bar, which was super nice because I didn’t really have to do all that much. And maybe this is us finally mending fences, you know? 
What else? APUSGOV was low-key because most of my students were absent for various reasons. The ones who were present worked on court madness, or did revisions/retakes of older work, or whatever else they needed to do. I knew absences were going to be high- enough students told me in advance- so hadn’t planned a major lesson or anything. My lesson in World was on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict; students read an article full of background information, we discussed it, it went wicked well. Students asked some great questions, and there’s noticeable interest in learning more about the current situation, so I’m feeling like this sets everyone- myself included- up well for the next few classes. 
Track practice was quiet and focused. My sprinters did a bit of a workout just to keep the legs fast, followed by block practice and baton practice. There’s something about doing that stuff that always appealed to me as an athlete, and still does as a coach. An outsider might think it’s monotonous, but it’s polishing a skill, training the body for precision... There’s something about that. It went well, too. The starter on the girls’ 4x200 kicked the blocks out from under my feet, that’s how strong her start has gotten, and the boys’ starter has been able to do that for the past three years. I think it’s awesome. 
I had just enough time after practice to grab some dinner, change into warmer clothes, and join Mrs. T, Mr. W, Mrs. W, the Principal, and others at a ski jumping meet. Yes, ski jumping. That’s a high school sport in NH, and it’s so epic. 
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There’s music, there’s a crowd, there’s a bonfire, there’s a truckload of pizza... It’s a beautiful night tonight, too, so it was really fun.
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ichigo777666 · 4 years
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FE3H Characters Ranked
My opinions of all the main characters in FE3H ranked from worst to best in my opinion. These are MY opinions! Spoilers ahead, obviously.
*NOTES*
This does not include any of the DLC characters. This also does not include the following characters since they have limited dialog / appearances within the game: Gwendal, Pallardo, Duke Aegir, Anna, Lambert, Ionious, Metodey, Kostas, Holst, Macuil, and Indech. Any other characters who are only mentioned by name are also not included. And Byleth is also not on this list due to being the player’s character.
Everyone else included in this list has a few interactions or mentions in multiple ending paths so they’re fair game. Not having a lot of interactions is not going to affect placement that much so don’t be surprised if some major characters wind up low on the list…
*The PIT*
Aka the worst of the worst. The characters I would throw into the void.
#54 – Leonie
I absolutely hate this character so much. Her personality is so flat and grating that she drives me up a wall. Her character can be summed up in two words “loves Jeralt” – that’s it. Just about everything about Leonie revolves around impressing Jeralt or being like Jeralt or doing this because of Jeralt ect. I don’t care if she’s useful as a playable character – every time she opens her mouth I cringe. Her support which is only available after Jeralt dies in which she berates you for “not appreciating him enough” is just the epitomny of selfishness. Then PTS she basically turns herself into a second Jeralt, replicting his outfit as best she can and giving herself his title “the blade breaker” and adds a 2. Excuse you, but is ANYONE can call themseleves that it’s Byleth, aka Jeralt’s child, not YOU. But she doesn’t care and does it anyway...
#53 – Rodrigue
Oh boy this is going to be a very unpopular opinion but in terms of a character, Rodrigue is kind shit. Rodrigue earns this spot for being the shittiest living parent in the game. His eldest son Glenn dies and his comment on that is how “he died like a true knight”. His first emotional response is pride not remorse. He never mentions how much he loved him or how he misses him: just how proud he was of him… And this pisses off poor Felix. Felix whom gets left ALONE after this happens because Rodrigue decides he’s got to be Dimitri’s mentor / guardian. So he basically straight up abandons his grieving 13 year old son to be the new father figure of the prince. Dimitri was more important to him that his own child. We can all see what the impact of this was on Felix through the game. And then, in Azure Sky, when Rodrigue joins you as a “mentor” character, he lacks all balls. Dimitri is going crazy and acting like a psychopath and Rodrigue doesn’t even really try to do anything about that – he just stands aside and comments on how he’s “changed”. I mean FRICK MAN – your were his guardian, his mentor. TALK TO HIM! But NOOOOOOO! So yeah, Rodrigue sucks!
#52 – Lord Lonato
Speaking of shit parents, here’s another for you! Yes, Lonato was kind enough to allow Ashe and his siblings to live with him, which is the oddest decision ever considering this came about after Lonato caught Ashe sneaking into his castle to steal from him. “I’ll just adopt this thief child”. Despite that act of kindness, he also chose to not tell Ashe the truth about what happened to his son Christophe; that Christophe was not involve with the Duscar incident but rather had been a part of a plot to try and kill Rhea. Lonato could not bring himself to believe that his son was wrong or had done anything wrong. Despite the fact that his son had decided, for whatever reason, to try and kill someone, Lonato thought that this was okay. He then sacrificed himself for the sake of trying to avenge his true son instead of continuing to care for the children he’d taken in. He basically took Ashe & his siblings in, giving them security for the first time in years, then chooses to follow his only wrong beliefs and thus put Ashe & his siblings back into the world again. He gave them 7 years of security and this just went “oh well, you’re on your own again”.
#51 – Gilbert /  Gustave
And rounding out the “shit parents” section of the list, we have the father that literally abandons his daughter and wife due to own depression. He’s totally alive and out there but just can’t bring himself to give a crap about either or write them any letters. Nope, he’s caught up in his head that he wasn’t there during the tragedy of Duscar, of how he “should have arrived sooner”. I mean, really? It is in now way his fault just because he’s a knight. He wasn’t supposed to be there and he’s got guilt that he wasn’t there? Seriously man?! And then when he finally does reunite with Annette all he does is push her away. Instead of letting Annette decide whatever she wants to be around him again, he chooses for her and denies her attempts to reconnect with him. Yeah, shit father…
*The Bottom of the Barrel*
These characters are bad. They’re not absolute utter garbage like the PIT characters, but they still are awful.
#50 – Dimitri
Yeah, I don’t like Dimitri. What is there to like about this guy? He was traumatized as a teenage when his dad was killed in-front of him and that changed him into a survival-guilt ridden bloodthirsty killer? Jeez, it honestly feels like someone tried to ft a whole bunch of tropes into one cohesive character and failed massively. The whole “brooding” phase in Azure Sky where he’s basically a tantrum throwing 5 year old only makes him worse. Also, I still don’t understand WHY he immediately jumped to the whole “Edelgard is the one who killed my parents” conclusion. The entire Duscar incident had nothing to do with Edelgard, unless Dimitri thinks a teenager with no power could do that. And, if he’s blaming the Empire, why does that extend to Edelgard who was just a princess at the time? I could see if something like the FE was present and that’s why he went crazy after Edelgard but I’m pretty sure the FE didn’t exist back then… so WTF? This is like “my parents were killed by a drunk driver. Hey you, unrelated person who just learned to drive this year, you are drunk therefore I HATE YOU – you killed my parents!” Really, no. NO.
#49 – Acheron
He has a minor role only but you fight him twice and you can get some background from Lorenz. He’s annoying and I guess he’s designed to be so. I don’t like him much. But he’s not as annoying as Dimitri.
#48 – Cyril
Oh Cyril. He’s such an annoying character. He’s a more toned down version of Leonie with his obsession with Rhea. He’s a bit of a jerk during his support conversations and he’s dismissive of his homeland. I think his supports with Seteth best show what Cyril’s all about: he’s devoting himself to repaying Rhea without thought for anything else, even his own future. He has no ambitions and no desires….how can a character be so bland?
#47 – Hannerman
And the obsessive one. ‘Obsession with Crests’ is just the only phrase you need to describe Hannerman. While I can understand why Hannerman as a character wants to research crests, the way he goes about it is just wrong. He hounds Lysithia w/o realizing why she’s avoiding his questions until she basically has to spell out WHY she’s uncomfortable with talking about it. He’s been hounding Seteth for 21 years about his crest and Flayn’s too. 21 fricking years of bothering someone and he can’t understand the answer “no”.
#46 – Arundel
Yeah, he’s a piece of shit but at least he’s interesting. He’s Edelgard’s uncle and yet he basically allowed her to be experimented on. Why? Who knows? He’s associated with TWSITD but why? Power? Conquest? He’s mysterious. His personality “suddenly changed” leaving the option open that he was replaced and the Arundel that exists now is a fake. He’s intriguing but he’s still a piece of crap.
#45 – Dedue
Oh Dedue. I feel like Dedue is stuck playing the “victim” card but without looking for sympathy. He’s from Duscar so everyone looks down on him...and Dedue just takes it. He doesn’t try to defend himself or say that just because he’s from Duscar doesn’t mean he’s evil. He does nothing to try and change anyone’s opinions – he’s content to just sit and take it. But then he talks about wanting to have the world move past the tragedy….so which is it Dedue? In order to have it change, you need to actually DO SOMETHING!!!!
#44 – Thales
The weakest character of the main three. The game tells you almost nothing about Thales...and then you go and read the wiki and find out he’s Arundel….yeah mind telling us that game?! So he’s higher than Arundel.
#43 – Nemesis
Another evil character with no personality or real background. Why did he start his rampage? Was he manipulated or just evil? Who knows….
#42 – Judith
Judith has such a small role unless you’re playing VW. And in VW she’s a bit of a bitch who treats Claude as a misbehaving child even after he proves himself again and again.
#41 – Nader
AKA the Alymrian general you meet briefly in VW and in CF. He’s in for less than a few minutes and he appears to be jolly/happy and has the rep of being an undefeated general. I guess he’s alright. But with no real role I can’t bring myself to feel anything for him
#40 – Annette
When I first played I was on the fence with Annette. I sorta liked her determination and her drive to reunite her family. But then her singing started...and oh boy do I hate her singing. So many of her supports center around that annoying singing! Just STOP already, please! Also WTF is that blue “tab” in her PTS redesign that’s right on her butt? It’s the only one...
#39 – Ferdinand
Ferdinand’s personality is just...annoying. From his meme’d battle line to his constant talk of “being a noble” he just grates my nerves. And why does he act like this? Because his father is not and he’s trying to not be like his father and be a “good person”….
*The Low-End*
These characters are “eh” characters. They’re aren’t too good or too bad...but they lean more towards bad than good.
#38 – Kronya / Monica
This was an interesting idea. I just wish she had been more involved or usable. Like if you’re playing BE house, she becomes a playable member. Something to endear her a bit more other than “this other random character you rescued who acts suspiciously”. Let’s face it, we all knew something was up with her. And then she’s killed off so easily and quickly...
#37 – Cornelia
Okay, she’s a bit interesting and a manipulator. They weren’t afraid to give her an “ugly face”. She’s a schemer and not afraid to flaunt her assets to give her an advantage.
#36 – Alois
Eh. Alois. Loves jokes, very loyal. I guess he’s alright but he’s not spectacular and some of the jokes and just so so so so so so bad.
#35 – Ashe
Ashe is another character that I think lacked development. I mean he just gained a slight bit of confidence and purpose but he’s not one for much change. His personality over all is a bit bland: he likes stories about knights and is worried about his siblings. Oh and he used to be a thief.
#34 – Jeritza
Bland because he’s meant to be bland. His other personality is typical “killer knight”. What saves Jeritza is his support conversations where you get background and you realize why he’s the way he is.
*The Middle Ground*
These characters are right in the middle. Not great but not awful.
#33 – Ladislava
In every ending except CF, you only get to see her once but in CF you can chat with her and learn more about her. She’s the head of Edelgard’s person guard and its heavily implied she had next to nothing before this appointment. She’s fully loyal to Edelgard, even willing to die for her cause.
#32 – Flame Emperor
I listed this character separate since FE is an enigma. I actually liked the design of the FE and the whole mystery surrounding them.
#31 – Manuela
I’m...ambivalent about Manuela. She’s a drunken whiner at time and other time she turns into something sweet and reliable. She’s so worried about her age but she’s NOT that old. It’s a bit trope-y though...to have an older character all concerned about her age.
#30 – Jeralt
Jeralt’s a good dad character albeit a flawed one too. It’s a shame they didn’t give him any support conversations to flesh him out more. As it is most of what we learn about Jeralt comes from others.
#29 – Sothis
I don’t hate Sothis like most. She’s a bit bratty, yes but look at from her way – she’s got no memories, no recollections, and has found herself somehow stuck with this person. She tries to help out Byleth best she can, even if it sometimes leads to near disaster.
#28 – Gatekeeper
A nice wholesome character who always wants to help out and be useful. He’s a nice guy but suffers from lack of characterization.
#27 – Mercedes
First off, I dislike the “breathy” quality of her voice. She’s a very nice girl and very kind...but that’s about all there is to Mercedes...
#26 – Raphael
Ah, the big guy who loves to eat. He’s overprotective but not too overprotective of his little sister. He’s strong, interested in his muscles, and in getting stronger but it’s because he’s shouldering the responsible of taking care of his sister. Still he’s a bit trope-y.
#25 – Lindhardt
Lindhardt make up your dang mind! He talks about wanting to study crests but when he’s offered by two separate people to do just that he complains about how he’s being “tied down”. Really? His laziness and sleepiness also gets tired after a while.
#24 – Ignatz
Ignatz is a character who shows a lot of growth and goes from having no confidence in what he wants to do to finding his path. However Ignatz remains a pushover who gives in to whatever anyone advises even when he knows its wrong. It takes a long, long, long time for Ignatz to learn to have any say in himself...which is why he’s down here.
#23 – Solon
The most developed of the three main TWSITD characters. I feel his reveal as Tomas was ruined by the poorly executed Monica / Kronya earlier. However he was unexpected. Who expects the librarian? It would have been better if they didn’t have him as “suspect” in the whole Flayn is missing part through.
#22 – Randolph
You only really get to know Randolph in CF although he’s got a minor part in AS where we see that he truly cares for his sister and how he feels he must do this, even if he risks dying. In CF, we get to learn more about Randolph. He’s actually a step-uncle to Caspar through his mother marrying into the family. He has no power or clout so everything he earns is done by action. It’s a shame they killed him off so early.
#21 – Caspar
Caspar is a good character in several ways. He’s not depressed about not being the heir to his house and is motivated to find his own way. He knows he’s flawed and in his supports he tries to change only to learn that he’s better off following his own path. It’s his boisterous yelling and charging headfirst into danger is what I don’t like about him.
*The High Side*
These are characters I like. They’re not the best but I like them and can understand them.
#20 – Hilda
Ah Hilda. Hilda’s one of those characters that surprise you. Hilda starts off being this lazy character who doesn’t want to battle and doesn’t want to do chores. Not because she can’t do them, but just because she’s lazy. You see her trying to get out of things in her supports only to either feel guilty or wind up helping someone learn something. But I think where Hilda shines is in VW where she acts as Claude’s “advisor” and some of Claude’s best plans come from suggestions from Hilda. By then she’s come into her own. I also enjoy Hilda’s C support with Seteth greatly where he just lists all the excuses she’s given flat out as Hilda gets more and more nervous.
#19 – Claude
Claude made it up here due to his unprediacbility. Some of his plots/schemes are downright hillarious. Claude is unashamed of who he is and where he comes from – he knows who he is and who he wants to become. And, in a game riddled with characters who struggle with that very issues, Claude’s a bit of a breath of fresh air.
#18 – Fleche
Ah Fleche. She’s a very minor character but she’s got such an impact on the story in AM – this is what path we’re going to discuss. We first meet Fleche when she’s talking with Randolph, her brother, right before Randolph heads out on a mission that will ultimately end with his death. Instead of doing the typical thing for a young girl which is to cry, Fleche goes ‘nah’ and decides to take revenge. She disguises herself as a “maiden” and goes to try and join the Kingdom Army; she’s allowed to by Dimitri. Fleche bides her time and waits until after a big battle and then straight up goes and tries to murder Dimitri. She actually stabs him once and barely fails in her task of killing him. Against Dimitri, one of the strongest characters... a little girl.. Yeah, Fleche is kinda badass.
#17 – Miklan
Okay, so here’s another good sympathetic villain character. Miklan was born with no crest so he was looked down upon by his family. He was the first child however so his family kept him...at least until his brother Sylvain was born with a crest. Then Milan became “garbage” and useless in the eyes of his family and thus was disinherited. He lashed out against his brother multiple times. With no one on his side, Milkan became the leader of a group a bandits and began taking things he wanted, things he felt he should have had, by any means necessary. He later stole the heirloom lance from his family, intent of keeping it and its power for himself. While it’s true Miklan is not a nice person at all, more like a sadist, the reason he became that way was due the treatment of his family.
#16 – Dorothea
I am in the camp of the very few who like Dorothea’s second outfit better than her first – that dress is boss. Some of her supports are downright sweet and her interactions with Ingrid in their paralogue are just adorable. I love how we get to see so many different sides of Dorothea and how she treats each of her aquantinces with the side of herself that’s most appropiate.
#15 – Shamir
The silent Shamir. Unlike so many characters who talk and talk and talk, Shamir only speaks when necessary until she gets close to someone. Her skills are top-knotch, which is showcased in her supports. Her personality is a reflection of her work and the kind of jobs she does as well as her way of protecting herself. She’s mysterious and deadly.
#14 – Rhea
Oh Rhea. I’m often torn in the way I feel about her, going from understanding to becoming frustrated with her within the span of a single conversation. Her desire to see her mother is what drives everything she does – every single thing. She is 100% committed to trying to reach her goal, no matter the cost, and she’s been at it for almost an eon. Outside of that goal, what she’s doing she truly believes is the right thing. She’s trying to guide people towards the right path and away from conflict. She lets no one truly into her innermost thoughts, not even Seteth, and her emotions are all sequested away, so much so that when they do come out it becomes obvious. I mean, for anyone who thinks she’s nuts, let’s take a look at some of the trauma she’s gone through. Her beloved mother, whom she obviously cared for more than anything, was murdered and her body was used to make a weapon. Said weapon was then used to slaughter the vast majority of her brethern who were then in turn alos turned into weapons to be used to kill. She had to then fight the man who had killed her mother to reclaim what’s left of her body and to stop any more pointless killing. Yeah, Rhea’s had it rough.
#13 – Marianne
Ah, sweet Marianne. It was great to watch her change and grow based on her supports with the other characters. Her caring nature towards the animals, espcially the horses, was lovely – she even knows the names of a few of them (the only one to refer to the horses by name). I like how her PTS outfit reflects the changes she’s overcome – even the subtly of making her hair neater.
#12 – Catherine
Badass female knight with a legendary sword. She’s brash, not lady-like, and not afraid of anything really. The way she rushes into combat w/o a though for danger, the fact that she doesn’t try and hide her past from the person whom it affects the most, and her way of testing people. Catherine’s great.
#11 – Hubert
Juts missing the top 10 is loyal Hubert. I’ll admit I didn’t like Hubert at first but he grew on me bit by bit. Hubert’s S-Support with Byleth is like the cutest thing ever – I was not expecting it at all. This is loyalty done in a good way.
*The Summit*
The best characters in the game, IMO. These are the characters I love!
#10 – Petra
I got to admit, I like her not-perfect talking. That’s so much of Petra’s charm. Adding to that is how Petra’s always trying her best and trying to advance herself. She has modest goals she wishes to reach and doesn’t try and sell herself as better than she is. She’s always willing to learn and to help others. When there’s someone with a different opinion, Petra tries to understand why they feel the weay they feel and to try and find common ground.
#9 – Lysithia
Oh poor girl. Lysithia struggles with others seeing her as a child or too childish due to the fact that she’s younger than most of the students. She’s incredibly intellegent and throws herself into her studies. Both of these things lead to others teasing her, either playfully or actually. Instead of taking it stride, this ‘teasing’ causes her temper to show and erupt. She can’t tell them WHY she’s trying so hard, why she’s so desperate to achieve cause that would reveal her secret. She’s burrying all this hurt and anger deep inside that she can’t talk about because can understand what she went through (except perhaps Edelgard). And even though she knows she’s going to likely die soon, she’s not focused on her own life: she’s doing all she’s doing to try and help her family...
#8 – Sylvain
Sylvain quickly became one of my favorite blue lion boys. At first glance he looks like this degenerate womanizer...and then you learn abut him and why Sylvain is why he is. His father views him as a studhorse and that his crest is the only good thing about him; his father literally cannot see Sylvain as an actual person, just a way to further the family. Having a father like this and a brother who hates him for having been born with a crest has greatly shaped Sylvain. In order to have some semblence of himself, Sylvain began to act out, to do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING he could to not be what he was supposed to be. His father wanted a noble son; Sylvain did everything he could to not be that. This got him into trouble again and again but Sylvain didn’t care. Sylvain is willing to do things that make others look down upon him if it helps him try and escape from his life...
#7 – Bernadetta
Aw, Bernie. Bernie’s such a good girl. Based on what she went through, it’s amazing she’s even sane. Her father’s idea of parenting was tying her to a chair and forcing her to remain quiet and submissive for hours, to “teach her to be a good wife” which is the reason she turned into such a nervous wreck of shut-in. He resorted to beating to near death a boy she made friends with because he was a commoner, which terrified Bernie into not wanting to make friends at all. Bernie’s mom seemed to have a little sense and smuggled her out but this is only AFTER she allows this stuff to go on for years – YEARS. Bernie’s had years of psycological trama inflicted on her and then she gets thrust into a school surrounded by people whom she has to interact with. The poor thing. It’s a testament to her professors and friends to see how far Bernie has come; to watch her change and grow as she slowly comes around to adjusting to normality.
#6 – Ingrid
There is something incredibly entertaining about a lady knight who loves to gorge herself on food. Loving eating food is generally a character trait you see on guys (typically big guys like Raphael) so to see it on a chick is a good change of pace. Her whole no-nonsense strict attitude is a great contrast to that. She’s not girly or into very lady-like things such as dresses or makeup or tea parties. Ingrid is a guy’s soul in a girl’s body….and she’s amazing.
#5 – Felix
If you haven’t read the entry for Rodrigue (he’s #53 on this list) go read that first. After all that shit that Felix’s gone through, it’s amazing he’s even still standing and capable. He’s stewing with anger and grief that he’s never been able to work through and it manifests as anger and his stand-off attitude. Poor freaking Felix.
#4 – Flayn
Fishy Queen. I do not get the hate for Flayn. She’s been horribly oversheleted by Seteth in his attempts to protect her so it’s left Flayn a bit naive. Flayn’s usually very cheery and happy which is a bright light in the depressing war times. She’s also a quite capable mage, mainly with healing magic but she can also learn a good bit of reason magic too. Flayn is always trying her best while trying to fit in with the others – she’s over 1000 years old, mind you! It can’t be easy trying to fit in when you don’t understand and when a vast majorirty of those years were spent asleep. She was involved in an ancient battle where she was badly injured (Seteth blames it on her being too young) and requires sleep inorder to heal. Meanwhile everyone else she knew and lived with aside from Seteth was killed. She wakes up an everything she knew and just about everyone she knew is just...gone. Not only her beloved mother but any friends she had too are just gone. It’s no wonder she fears falling asleep when this is what happened. Her obession with fish? It’s Flayn’s coping mechanism for dealing with the loss of her mother. Flayn explains on numerous occassions that she spent lots of time sitting with her mother while she fished and that fish is her favorite food due “to no small part” of this pastime. Fishing and eating fish is Flayn’s way of remembering her mother and dealing with the fact that she’s no longer with her. Flayn’s supports are just great; they all develop her personality more. With Dimitri and Dedue, Flayn’s cooking is explored. Flayn can’t cook although she tries her best. With Dedue, Flayn tries to learn to cook better. With Dimitri, Flayn expresses her disdain that no one enjoys her cookings and how this wastes food, even when she tries her best. Obviously Flayn never cooked before – her mother did most of it. Now there’s no one in her family to cook so Flayn’s trying to learn to try and follow in her mom’s footsteps. With Ignatz and Manuela, Flayn’s exploring things she never has seen or done before: the opera for Manuela and paintings with Ignatz. In Claude’s and Lindhardt’s supports, Flayn sidesteps questions about her heritage and her crests. With Sylvain, we see how Flayn grows and learns to not trust the rumors others say. In Felix’s, she’s trying to help Felix find a purpose after the war ends that still allows him to use his sword. With Raphael’s it’s Flayn who’s being helped by Raphael as she tries to “grow stronger”; she even mentions how she’s frail and how this worries Seteth. And then there’s Ferdinand’s supports where it’s clear Flayn’s been starved of physical affections aside from Seteth. And their supports, between Seteth and Flayn, are a great progression between the two...Overall, I love little Flayn.
#3 – Lorenz
I like noble boy. I will admit, I hated his schooldays haircut with a burning passion...and then man on man did he become HOT pts. Winner of the best boy glow-up. A lot of Lorenz’s character flaws are the fault of his father. His father taught him that all that is important is being nobility and Lorenz ate it up, not knowing any better. His father instilled into him how he neeed to find a wife to further the family’s influence and thus how she must be a noble. This worked so well on Lorenz to the point that he willing to even give up someone he loves if they happen to be a commoner. Lorenz spends a lot of time trying to ‘interview’ girls to find his perfect noble bride, coming off as a bit on an ass – even when he’s confronted by Byleth he refuses to believe he’s done anything wrong since this is what his father taught him to do. It takes a long time until Lorenz starts seeing that he is wrong that what his father taught him is wrong. He starts using his own head and his own eyes to determine what is instead of using the opinion blasted into him by his father. He’s always trying to help other, feeling it’s his obligation as a noble to help those around him, which is a quality that he alone seems to take seriously (despite the school being filled with nobles). He originally dislikes Claude cause he believes that Claude isn’t taking his responsibility as the next Alliance head seriously since Claude is so laid back. He eventually comes to see that, despite appearances, Claude is working on the issues and is capable. His S support with Byleth where he mentions how he has "worked tirelessly to improve" "to become a man truly worthy of (Byleth)" and then is uttely shocked if Byleth tells him he already was worthy shows how dedicated he can be. With Ignatz, he instills confidence in him, seeing talent in Ignatz for art and talking about how there is more to knighthood than combat. His poetry writing comes out with Manuela’s supports and he convinces Hilda through actions to actually throw herself into battle. But I think his best supports are with Marianne. The vast majority of her supports are the others telling her to “be more confident” or “smile more” or other such things where they give her advice on how to improve...but Lorenz is the only one who comes to see that nothing needs to change. He starts by complementing her and then commenting on how she “needs polish” only to realize he was wrong and state she is “becautiful just the way she is”, accepting her fully for who she is without looking to change a thing. He is, essentially, telling her she is perfect the way she is and she doesn’t need to change at all for him to love her...which I find just so utterly sweet.
#2 – Edelgard
Edel gets a lot of hate but I honestly love her character so much. Edelgard is a doer not someone who sits by and does nothing. Due to things outside of her (and her father’s) control, she would up the victim in an experiment, a experiment that killed all of her siblings. Edelgard alone survived although at a cost. That experience forever changed her. Gone was the child and in her place rose Lady Edelgard. Unlike Lysithia who is dealing with her similar situation by trying to provide for her family before her time runs out, Edelgard isn’t. Her goal is the destruction of the circumstances that caused the experiment as well as those who caused the experiment to happen upon her so that this cannot happen again to anyone else. Since the experiment were done to give crests and since Edelgard has obviously seen how some children are treated whent hey have / do not have one, she aims to destroy all of that. Edelgard is literally stomping her foot down and saying ‘no, this isn’t a good or fair system and I’m not going to stand around and let it continue’. She’s willing to sacrifice everything to attain this goal, even if it turns her into a monster or ends in her death. Instead of waiting for the world to change, Edelgard decides to BE the change. She knows she’s going to be responsible for the deaths of a lot of people and she clearly struggles with the idea of this but in the end she decides that if she does nothing than that number will be greater so she persists. She burries her desire for friends and for love because she can’t bring herself to trust or rely on others – her father loved her but couldn’t protect her; the nobles in her father’s court are resonsible for hurting her too. They had her trust and they betrayed it. Her heart has been broken already; I don’t think she wants to risk it breaking again by trusting someone who will betray her, by making friends who can abandon her, by falling in love with someone who doesn’t understand what she’s doing. In CF when you side with Edelgard, you get to see more of that emotion slowly come out. Think on the PTS reunions: Dimitri was in disbelief and then apathetic that Byleth was alive; Claude was slightly surprised but then glad; Edelgard though broke down. Edelgard was the only one to get so emotional over Byleth’s return – someone she had trusted whom had returned that trust wasn’t dead after all; there wasn’t another corpse to add to the pile of people she cared for. And in that final animatic where Byleth falls – she’s clearly so upset. She’s crying, clearly devistated. Devistation which turns into laughter when Byleth revives because she can’t believe it. I stand by my opinion that Crimson Flower is the canon ending for FE3H. It’s the only ending where the endings song is different; all 3 other paths have the same song “Edge of Dawn” but not CF – you get something different. Add to that that EoD is sung by Edelgard. And let’s not forget the symbolism. The game is Fire Emblem. What’s a fire emblem? Crest of Flames. Who posess this crets out of the main cast: Byleth & Edelgard. And in CF you unite. Also notice the same letters. Crimson Flower (CF) & Crest of Flames (CF). That’s not a coincidence.
#1 – Seteth
I honestly could fill pages on why I love Seteth as a character but for here I’ll try and keep it shortish. I’ll start with his supports. Seteth’s supports are all about his advice to the others and him trying to guide them. For Cyril, he’s talking about how it’s great to repay debts but it is also important to consider one’s future as well; he doesn’t want to see Cyril just waste his whole life in servitude to Rhea but rather to grow into his own. With Catherine, it’s concern over her safety, over how she throws herself into battle without care for the consequences. For Manuela, it starts with a lecture over her drinking habits but turns into something far more personal when his wife and daughter get mentioned. Outside of the paralogue, this is the only time an outside person gets to learn that Seteth even had/has a wife and daughter and it’s Manuela who gets told it, implying a deeper friendship. Hannerman’s involves his investiagtion of Seteth’s crest and how Seteth is constantly refuting him, obviously trying to protect himself and Flayn from others finding out the truth. With Leonie, he teaches her how to relax while fishing while she improves his own skills in the area. For Hilda, he’s trying to improve her work ethic first by confronting her about her excuses, and then by writing a story about her laziness...which does work somewhat as it gets her to work on illustrations. For Ingrid, he’s a voice of reason about the demands of her father and he’s the one who suggests that Ingrid simply talk to him about her issues, something which she didn’t consider. For Felix, he’s trying to help Felix realize his beliefs are holding him back and that he needs to make friends. With Bernie, he helps her build some confidence in her own skills and talents. And of course we can’t forget his interactions with Flayn where he goes from overly protective, to realizing he’s a bit too overbearing, to actual apologizing for that. Seteth acts as a conduit or a spark that helps inspire change in those around him, to wake up potential, or to see things differently. He’s strict and often seems somewhat unreasonable about rules and regulations but its obvious this is his way of trying to protect people. He’s shouldering massive guilt over the events that happened in the last war. He personally blames himself for Flayn being hurt and for his wife dying. This event spurred him on to becoming overprotective of his daughter, of the only thing he had left. Seteth is doing what he’s doing to PROTECT his child (unwilling to see her to come to harm), even if he’s going about it in the incorrect way. He has literally devoted his whole life to protecting Flayn to the point that when she gets kidnapped, he falls apart at the seams and is unable to do anything at all except despair and distress. Flayn has become his whole world and just about everything Seteth does is to protect her or help her. That kind of devotion from a father is incredible, especially in a series where most of the parents kinda suck. I also adore how he breaks the typical “paper-skinned mage” trope. Let’s face it, most of us probably thought the stern chuch advisor was likely going to be a mage – and then we get a wyvern rider with a lance. I could go on and on, but I’ll leave it here. Seteth is just the best character.
...this was 18 pages of writing.....
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zerot0all · 5 years
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Forbidden Fruit | M
[Oneus -6- ]
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-BITTERSWEET-
[LEEDO POV]
.
I groaned as I cuddled closer to her frame , her warm body making the chill breeze coming into the room bareable. She felt nice against my bare chest , my arms wrapped around her like as if I was keeping her safe. Our bodies seemed to mesh together , we compliment eachother so well it’s like as if we were meant for one another .
Another groan comes to my ears , Hwanwoong shifts on the other side of Anais. He also can’t seem to sleep without feeling her skin. It’s become this sick twisted obsession with her , and at the same time Hwanwoong and I don’t seem to be on the same page sometimes. I know she worries .. but , it was his idea. I don’t know .. I try not to think about it too much and ignore his passive aggressive way of handling things but ...
“Breakfast is ready!” Leah hollers all through the apartment , making Anais finally wake up. She places a quick kiss on Hwanwoong’s cheek then turns to me.
“How long have you been awake?” She questions , brows furrowed as her eyes try to get used to the light coming in from the window. I smile leaning into her , placing a kiss on her bare shoulder.
“For a bit,” my reply was swiftly passed on as Hwanwoong goes to stand. Stretching and smiling down at us.
“Well I’m starving ,” he says on a yawn as he throws on his sweats and a shirt to head out. I go to stand also, following his steps but as soon as he leaves I close the door behind him and lock it. Anais’ eyes grow wide as I move back into bed with her.
“W-What,” She begins as I move under the blankets and between her precious thighs. She gasps under her breath , not wanting to make too much noise as my hands brush her pubic bone.
“I’m starving too baby.. but for something else,” I grin at her. Dipping my head towards her heat , I take a deep breath. I fucking love the way she reacts to me , and I haven’t even done anything yet.
“Leedo... they might hear us,” she moans softly , as I go to move her panties to the side and take one long lick. Already hungry for her intoxicating taste , I lap up her juices.
“Then don’t be too loud,” I reply, kindly chuckling into her core as I feel her hand come to my hair. Pulling lightly making me dip my tongue deeper into her core. Her heavy breathing was setting me up for the morning , needing her badly.
Bad for me. Bad for him. And bad for her.
But we couldn’t walk away .. we’re far too deep for us to back away now.
“Leedo,” she whines some more , rolling her hips against me. Her pussy dripping with her essence , I slurp and suck on her continuously till I begin to feel her thighs clamp down on me.
“Not yet baby,” I groan into her , my arms coming up to grip her thighs open. Dying between her legs would be one hell of a way to go , and I wouldn’t deny taking that fateful ending but right now all I want to do is devour her.
“Leedo, babe... oh god, I’m gona cum. Oh god,” she pants , her back arched off the bed. Her whimpers of pleasure seeming to grow the longer my tongue strums her nub and probes her hole. Curling it inside of her , making her finally cry in pleasure as she explodes on my tongue.
I drink her. Lapping up every drop of her juices to fulfil my fantasy of having her early in the morning.
She breaths deeply once I come back up, watching her with a smirk on my face. Her eyes are shut closed while a small smile plays on her plump lips. Her chest rising trying to catche her breath, just the way she looks so strung out has made me hard. But , I shouldn’t right now. I’m sure they all heard us and are probably waiting for us to eat.
Then suddenly her eyes shoot open. Glaring at me as she swats my arm.
“Shit... Xion and Keonhee stayed the night !!!” She hisses, going to cover her mouth as it dawns on us.
Fuck. Their not used to any of this and here I am making my girl cum while their in the kitchen. I face palm myself, disappointed in my actions. Then a knock sounds.
Anais and I put some clothes on, make ourselves presentable and open the door to the stern face of Ravn.
“You couldn’t wait till we took them back to the dorms?” He hisses at me, eyeballing me but at the end he breathed out. I didn’t know what to say, I know their still new , but so am I.
We all are. This shit is fucking weird and at times it fucks with my head.
“Look, I’m not judging ... just ... we have to be cautious in front of them.” Ravn adds, letting us know he wasn’t angry but displeased.
After a beat, we all ended in the kitchen. Leah had made an abundance of food , covering most of the table making everyone’s mouth water. Almost immediately Anais sits next to Hwanwoong, who then shoots me a glaring stare.
See what I mean.. he’s not pleased with any of this. It’s fucking confusing.
Xion and keonhee seemed to have seen a ghost , their face pale as ever. The color almost drained as they go to eat and completely ignore Anais and I. Well, to be honest, they ignore us for most of the breakfast till finally Xion speaks up.
“So.. do you guys touch swords?” He asks nonchalantly, making all of us nearly spit our food. We choke on our breakfast and become silent, shocked in the question.
“N-No... god no. That’s ... that’s not what this is.” Seoho answers quickly , almost a bit disgusted in the question. We all look at eachother , waiting for someone else to speak up but we’re all tongue tied.
“We don’t ... uh, how should I explain this...” Seoho tried to explain but got caught up. Instead, I nudge Ravn ... since he’s the oldest.
“Uh, we’re not like that. We don’t share her at the same time. We just ... um, know of eachother being with her. If that makes any sense ,” Ravn stops , shaking his head in a manner of being displeased with his own words. But what could we possibly say ? We weren’t ready for these questions.. we all kind of assumed the best and well, that’s not the most logical solution. Obviously.
“It doesn’t ,” Keonhee adds, ignoring our eyes and going to sip his orange juice. We all sort of just sat there , wondering just how could we ever explain this to the world if we can’t even explain it to Xion and Keonhee , and their like family.
“So you guys never ... you know ,” Xion continues , making us all feel like some premature adolescents at this point. Sex? Ew!
I couldn’t help but shutter in disbelief, this was really the conversation that was going on early in the morning?
“Well, there was that one time ...” Seoho spoke up, his face completely lost in thought as he remembers an event. We all shift in our seat as Leah hits the back of his head.
“Ha.. uh, that was different Seoho.” Ravn adds, making both Hwanwoong and I glance at them. Wait .. did they? All together ? At the same time? Oh fuck...
“You know what .. I really don’t want to know. Who’s taking us back to the dorms. I have to shower before we head to the studio.” Keonhee finishes , abruptly standing. His face was stern but something behind his eyes gave me the impression that he was still hurt. The whole lying to the company and them was a ploy to keep our ... whatever we are , a secret from everyone.
We didn’t know it was going to separate our family...
“I’ll drive you two back ,” Ravn volunteers , going over to Leah and placing a quick kiss on her lips. The girls seemed saddened also, Xion is the baby and the girls always saw him as their little brother ... but now , he hasn’t even looked at them once. The girls watch Xion and Keonhee go towards the door, when they suddenly turn around to us.
“Are you all gonna be at the studio later too?” Keonhee asks, trying his best not to make eye contact with Leah or Anais. I want to say something but Anais gives me a daring look my way. Which usually means to ‘calm down’.
“Yeah, well, except Seoho.” Hwanwoong adds, tilting his head over at Ravn and Seoho , who stood next to Leah. Xion cocks his brow , glancing at the girls finally.
“I have to take Seoho to the train station, he’s visiting his family for a week.” Leah answers , something in her tone setting off a odd vibe in the room. It’s silent for a bit. Hwanwoong leans into Anais, a childish act he does for attention and he usually does it while watching me. Meanwhile , Leah holds on to Seoho’s hand, Ravn heading toward the door to finally take the guys to the dorm.
Soon after , Leah and Seoho head out to the train station. Leaving Anais, Hwanwoong and myself to get ready before heading out to the studio.
It happened while Anais was showering when Hwanwoong approached me in the kitchen, as I dried off some plates.
“I don’t hate you,” His voice woke me from my daydream. Turning around , I see him lean against the counter. His face was strong as he spoke without even looking at me. I set the plate down and turned over to him, also leaning against the counter.
I say nothing. I let him continue.
“I just never knew you would be the ONE,” he spoke softly , his eyes dropping down to his shoes.
“The one? If I’m not mistaken she chose the both of us?” I add, reminding him of this set idea. He took a deep breath and finally lifted his head.
“I mean , yeah but ... the company knows you as her significant other. You made that decision without consulting me ... am I not in this arrangement too? And besides , this all ... was kinda ... my idea. So why did I get the short end of the stick?” The betrayal in his tone was heart wrenching, he’s been hurting this whole time ?
“Nah, you’re wrong. Publicly... her and I are together . But truthfully, she chose you first. But you’re right .. if it wasn’t for you then this probably wouldn’t have happened. That took balls ...” I kindly joked. It was weird being on the fence with him. He was like my little bother and now, we both had the same girlfriend because we’ve both fallen so fucking hard for her. Shit like this doesn’t happen ... well, not often I would assume. And yet , we have moments where I would love nothing more than for this to be more ... normal.
“I ... I just can’t see myself without her Leedo. She’s become .. my every waking moment.” He confesses , dropping his head once more. Seeing him in this state , one full of confusion and desperation, was one I could easily understand.
“I really do wish I could say things like , this will only get better or whatever , but neither of us have experienced this. I mean, who would have guessed you and I would be in a relationship with the same girl, huh?” Even as I said the words , the sudden heaviness that constantly hung over my shoulders became heavier.
A small dread took place in my chest and began to grow slowly.
Why was I feeling this way?
“Ha yeah ... I mean, can you imagine her only choosing one of us?” Hwanwoong adds , making my skin crawl.
“She wouldn’t do that ... right ?” I question. Hoping the feeling taking resort in my chest wasn’t about her choosing once more. Hwanwoong thought about it again, tilting his head in a pensive manner before glancing back at me.
“Hey, you said it .. she chose me first.” He smiled widely and walked out , leaving me in the kitchen with my heart racing.
She wouldn’t leave me .. right ? She wouldn’t leave me for him... right?
——————————
[RAVN POV]
To be continued...
——————————
[MS]
Go back to Part One for the rest of the links to this series.
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Would it be awesome to see you do all 100 asks? Yes. Will you do them? We shall see.
Wanna bet 
1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk? - More cereal than milk! 
2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?- No, actually. I hate the cold ^^' And if there's cold air on my cheeks then it's on my nose and that's no good 
3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books? - Usually a post it note! Not very random, but it's normally what I have on hand. 
4: how do you take your coffee/tea? - Depends on my mood! Sometimes I'll take my coffee black, other times ill add a fricc ton of creamer, whipped cream, and sugar. Also sometimes I mix coffee with hot chocolate and it's amazing. 
5: are you self-conscious of your smile? - Very. 
6: do you keep plants? - Always. I still have the carnations from Valentines Day (which surprisingly haven't died yet) 
7: do you name your plants? - Nope. 
8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings? - just a mechanical pencil or a graphite pencil. They usually end up being sketches. But if I like how it looks I'll go over them in pen. 
9: do you like singing/humming to yourself? - Yes and no? I'd do it more often but I don't want anyone to hear me. Especially my mom. 
10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach? - Side, always facing the wall. 
11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends? - The only one I can think of off the top of my head is *slap slap slap* *jumps out window*. No I will not explain. 
12: what’s your favorite planet? - Pluto! Or Make Make. Make Make used to be my favorite because me and my brother would pronounce it wrong on purpose. But Pluto is ver pretty. 
13: what’s something that made you smile today? - seeing my brother's reaction to his birthday present from me! I made a little felt monkey with bushy eyebrows (I needle felted it) 
14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like? - Probably very messy. But also it would constantly smell like food! 
15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is! - Mars is shrinking. It is Smol. 
16: what’s your favorite pasta dish? - Fettuccine Alfredo with Shrimp! It's what I usually ordered at Olive Garden until I found out that it was expensive and was probably stressing out my parents. 
17: what color do you really want to dye your hair? - Don't laugh okay but pink! I want to dye the bottom half of my hair bright freaking pink. Like hot pink. 
18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up. - That time I slapped a guy twice for picking me up. That guy was my best friend. He picked me up from behind and I sorta whipped around and slapped him. The first time he didn't put me down, he just laughed. So I slapped him again. He got the hint. 
19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?- I don't. I tried a while back, but I figured it would be easier just to talk to people about my issues instead of writing them down. 
20: what’s your favorite eye color? - Green. Or dark brown. 
21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces. - Not sure what this means, sorry. I've got this pencil pouch that has a tree print on it that I've used for a few years now even though it has a hole it it. Does that count? 
22: are you a morning person? - No. I wake up at 5:30 am on weekdays and usually don't get out of bed until I have ten minutes to get ready and leave. 
23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations? - Stay in my room and draw! Although I don't have lazy days. Every time my mom comes upstairs I immediately start cleaning because if I don't she'll yell at me for being lazy. 
24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets? - Yes. Take a look at who sent this ask. Also my other two online friends! One of them I spam with worms on a string and the other I just know I can trust and I don't know why. 
25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into? - the only place I've broken into is my own house. I had to climb the backyard fence to go through the back door because me and my brother forgot our keys. 
26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit? - My plain black tennis shoes. I need to get new ones because these ones are old and barely fit but every time I mention it, it's like I never said a word. 
27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor? - Candy Cane! 
28: sunrise or sunset? - Sunset! I get to see the sun setting behind the Rocky Mountains and it's really pretty. 
29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing? - exist 
30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared? - Yes. I'd rather not talk about it. 
31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks. - socks can burn in hell for all I care. I hate socks. I only wear them if I have to (like while wearing shoes) 
32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends. - I remember being at a sleepover a few days before I moved (this was in South Korea) and I woke up at 3:34 am (yes I remember the time don't ask why) because one of my friends was playing Megalovania on the keyboard. Then she turned around and asked who the hell took her pretzels. They were under her pillow. 
33: what’s your fave pastry? - c w a s o a n t (with jelly inside!) 
34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it? - I still have this stuffed animal now (I have all of my stuffed animals. I haven't brought myself to get rid of them). It's a little pink blanket with a bunny head named Squeek. Not Squeak. I didn't know how to spell that. 
35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often? - No. I don't have any. 
36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now? - https://youtu.be/7TqLXIBG-6g   not a band but still
37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean? - Messy! It may sound strange, but I can't find anything when it's clean. It also feels empty unless I've got stuff all over the floor. 
38: tell us about your pet peeves! - When I tell remind someone of the rules and they say "okay" and continue breaking them. Like we aren't supposed to put pans in the dishwasher because it ruins the pans. Yet my brother always puts them in there. I remind him and take it out, and he says "okay" and puts it back. I also hate it when I ask someone to stop doing something (usually when it's making me nervous or upset) and they ask "WhY?" in a really annoying tone and keep doing it. I ALSO hate it when I'm in charge and yet no one listens to me. 
I also don't like it when no one says thank you. It makes it seem like they don't appreciate me. 
39: what color do you wear the most? - Grey. I want to wear colorful clothes but the last time we went clothes shopping and I asked for pastel colors, I walked out of the store with grey, light grey, brown, and dark blue clothes. 
40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you? - I have a locket that I made for my seventh birthday. It has little charms in it (a rose, my first initial, a heart key, and a birthday cake) and it's gold. I love it and I don't know why. 
41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving? - There's a book series that I don't remember the name of but it's about a girl who is forcibly turned into a siren by three other sirens. She has to eat human hearts to live. It's kinda gorey, kinda romantic, lots of action. I love it. 
42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it! - Unfortunately no, I usually get coffee at a gas station ^^' 
43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with? - My dog Freyja! Whenever I take out trash, she comes with, and when the sky is clear I like to point out the starts with her before we go back inside. She's very sweet. But I can't stargaze for more than a minute. 
44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything? - Last year I went on a trip to Florida to stay with my grandparents for a week. I remember waking up one morning with a beautiful view of the ocean and the sound of waves crashing onto the shore. My grandparents have an apartment of sorts that faces the Atlantic and you can literally go down the stairs and go swim in the ocean if you want to, it's like a two minute walk, not even. I love the ocean and the sound of waves and seagulls is always calming to me. But my house is very loud and there's no peace here. 
45: do you trust your instincts a lot? - Yes. When I have a bad feeling about something, I address it. It's not always true, but I don't want to risk anything. 
46: tell us the worst pun you can think of. - Sorry, I don't know many puns. I guess I'm just not a pun-ny person. 
47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe? - fucking macaroni with bread crumsb that shit is nasty af 
48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today? - Storms, especially tornados. Now my biggest fear is death. Whether I'm the one dying or its someone I care about. 
49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought? - Not really, I don't have money to buy anything ^^' Even when I do have money, I spend it on art stuff. That reminds me that I need to fix my radio. 
50: what’s an odd thing you collect? - Fabric. I have so much and I don't even use it. But when I see a nice fabric, I get it (if I have money). 
51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them? - 'Old Timer Rock and Roll' (probably not the name of it) always reminds me of my dad. One day we were driving in his Jeep, just us two, and I mentioned that I wasn't a fan of the music on the radio. We ended up compromising and that song was the first one on the radio station that we switched to. 
52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far? - I am unfortunately not up to date with the memes. Although the ones where it's like "you've mc-ed your last Donald" or "you've ratted your last tatouille" always make me exhale aggressively. 
53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them? - None of the above! I've been wanting to watch Heather's though. I just never get around to doing it. 
54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face? - My brother. Not the same one from before. 
55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point? - nothing, sorry. I'm not very dramatic. 
56: what are some things you find endearing in people? - when they pour their heart out about a certain subject that they love. I know a lot of people tend to bottle up their opinions but when someone trusts me aniugh to tell me all about it, it's just sorta nice. 
57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics? - I just sorta spaced out for the first have then did a little dance for the rest of it. I love the line "I see a little silhouetto of a man" and it's more upbeat and the music just makes me dance a little 
58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why? - bold of you to assume I have a group of friends 
59: what’s your favorite myth? - There's this one I heard as a kid that involves a faceless girl on the side of a highway who tries to steal faces. 
60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves? - I can't think of any off the top of my head, but poetry is nice! 
61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received? - I don't really remember. I try to only give gifts that are meaningful. 
62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind? - nope! I usually drink milk! 
63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be? - I usually leave my music to its own devices, but all the books are organized by series and genre. 
64: what color is the sky where you are right now? - Blue! Just any other afternoon sky. 
65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with? - My older brother. We don't get to talk much. 
66: what would your ideal flower crown look like? - Colorful, with a few white flowers! 
67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel? - Those are usually the days that I don't feel anything. 
68: what’s winter like where you live? - The weather is all over the place. A little snow, then the next day, it's like 60°F. Not even joking. It snowed Friday and Saturday was warm. 
69: what are your favorite board games? - Monopoly and Battleship! 
70: have you ever used a ouija board? - No, but I really want to. But my dad won't let me. 
71: what’s your favorite kind of tea? - I don't really drink tea, sorry! 
72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it? - Nope. I'll forget it anyway. I usually set alarms for certain things but then I don't do it. 
73: what are some of your worst habits? - Biting the inside of my cheek and scratching/pinching my arm when I'm nervous. 
74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns. - kind, a good listener, talented, and understanding 
75: tell us about your pets! - We have four dogs. There's Emrys (the dog I've posted pictures of before), Cirilla (a husky German Shepard mix, very sweet), Cayde-6 (a Rottweiler mix I think, super energetic, loud, and steals food off the counter even when someone is watching), and Freyja (a German Shepard mix, puppy, also very sweet! She knows the phrase 'give hugs' and she always comes with me to take out the trash for whatever reason). I also have a Guinea Pig (who I want to get a friend for because she's lonely, but my parents keep saying no) names Neo. 
76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t? - Working on my Someconsious series, cleaning, and probably checking in with some friends. 
77: pink or yellow lemonade? - Pink 
78: are you in the minion hateclub or Fan club? - Hate club. I don't like them. They're just annoying and bright and their language is stupid to me. 
79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you? - One of my exes surprised me with a cars and roses out of nowhere. It wasn't Valentines Day, it wasn't my birthday, he just went out of his way to do something nice for me when I was having a rough week. 
80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why? - They're a sort of off white. I want to paint them light lavender or pale blue but my parents have only painted the living room and refuse to paint anywhere else for whatever reason. I know we can afford paint, I know we have time. They just stopped caring. 
81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of. - Not sure what it means by abstract, but I'll try. Her eyes are similar to the bottom of a small river. The brown in the middle with green rings on the edges remind me of a river I used to go fishing in back in Oklahoma. 
82: are/were you good in school? - I'm okay. I have all A's and B's, but I have easy subjects that aren't very hard. 
83: what’s some of your favorite album art? - I don't really listen to albums, my music taste is mostly individual songs. Even then I don't really pay attention to the art. 
84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones? - I want to get a quote of sort on my ankle. Something in another language so I can tell them it means something mysterious and deep when in reality it's the description of a toaster oven that hasn't been cleaned since 1995.
85: do you read comics? what are your faves? - I read a few webcomics if that counts! I like Castle Swimmer a lot! Gay fish bapeys are best fish bapeys. 
86: do you like concept albums? which ones? - I don't know what those are, sorry 
87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives? - The Princess Bride and the Last Unicorn. But I'm biased because they're both a part of my childhood. 
88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy? - not in particular! 
89: are you close to your parents? - I'm only close with my dad. My stepmom can go fuck herself. She just told us that's she'll be making a schedule for the next two weeks because there won't be school. One of the weeks was spring break anyway! We aren't missing much! 
90: talk about your one of you favorite cities. - I like Palm Beach in Florida! It's fairly quiet, right next to the ocean, and filled with retired people who are all really nice. 
91: where do you plan on traveling this year? - Nowhere, we don't travel much. I really want to go to Florida again though. 
92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch? - I don't add cheese at all! It sort of ruins the texture for me. Especially the grated sprinkle cheese stuff l. I hate now it feels. 
93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most? - I just keep my hair down. I don't like it in any other way. 
94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday? - My brother. His birthday is today! 
95: what are your plans for this weekend? - cry a lot cry some more lose feelings for a few hours draw watch YouTube art videos then try not to yell at my mom like I did last week
96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot? - I just get it over with so I can do whatever needs to be done. Or I schedule it for when I'm not going to be using it. 
97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house? - INFP-T/Mediator, Scorpio, and Hufflepuff 
98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?- A few weeks ago. And no, I did not enjoy it considering I was supposed to be working on an important project that day. 
99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them. - Where We Started, If You're Going Through Hell, and We Like to Numb (a mix of We Like to Party and Numb) 
100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why? - Future. In five years I plan on being in college and I want to see what I should be prepared for and if my interests have changed. 
This took me at least an hour and a half. Thank you though! I 
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365daysofsasuhina · 5 years
Text
[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Three: Bouncing ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Mikoto ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life] [ AO3 Link ]
“Boys!”
Glancing up as their mother’s voice sounds from the door, Sasuke and Itachi see Mikoto grinning at them.
Something is up.
“...Mom?” Itachi asks, expression wilting a bit in confusion. “Is something wrong?”
“Oh, no no! Here, come downstairs: your father brought you something home today! I think you’re going to like it!” she singsongs, gesturing for them to follow.
The brothers exchange a glance before Itachi abandons his desk, Sasuke wriggling down off his bed to see what has Mikoto so excited. Through the house she leads them, until they come to the back yard.
“Taadaa!”
In the middle of the grass, Fugaku stands next to...a trampoline…?
Both boys’ eyes go round.
“So? What do you think?”
“...is it safe?” is, of course, Itachi’s first question.
“Well, you have to be very careful!” Mikoto replies. “Always bounce in the middle, and not very high! Stay away from the edges, all right?”
Sasuke, however, isn’t phased. Laughing, he bolts across the yard, trying to climb up and needing a small boost from his father. Carefully treading to the middle, feeling it dip under his weight, he starts with a few careful movements. His feet don’t even leave the surface, barely moving up and down with the trampoline itself.
Giggling, the six year old gets a little bolder, and a little bolder, giving a hop and bouncing back up.
“And no using it unless your father or myself are here to supervise!” Mikoto calls out to instruct her younger son. “If I ever catch you on it alone, you’re grounded for a month!”
“Okay Mom!” Sasuke calls, only half listening. For now, he’s completely absorbed in being able to defy gravity so much! He’ll have to have Naruto come over and try it!
After some encouraging, Itachi makes his way up, arms held out as Sasuke rocks the boat.
“Come on, Itachi! Come bounce with me!”
Never able to say no to his dear brother, Itachi gives some tentative hops. In truth he’s...still not sure what all the fuss is about, but he supposes it’s at least a bit amusing. Maybe if he gets high enough...he could do a flip?
Sasuke, one step ahead of him, does a somersault, giggling as the ‘ground’ gives beneath him. “It’s so bouncy, huh?”
“Mhm.”
Back on his feet and leaping around, Sasuke pauses as his heightened view gives him a peek over the fence to the neighbors’. He’s never been over there before...and now he can see! Craning his neck and bouncing, he tries to spy something interesting.
But all he sees is empty grass.
Pouting a bit - he knows there’s kids that live there! - he lets himself fold to fall on his backside, laughing as he tumbles around.
“We thought this might be fun to have at your birthday tomorrow, Sasuke!” Mikoto then admits, earning a surprised look. “Then all the other kids can bounce with you!”
“Really…?”
“Mhm!”
“Yaaay!”
Eventually, the new toy loses its novelty, and Mikoto decides it’s time to head in for dinner. But all Sasuke can think about is the fun he’s going to have tomorrow with all his friends and their new trampoline! He’s so excited, he even has a bit of trouble falling asleep...but soon enough, the day arrives!
And with it, guests!
Many kids from his class find their way to the Uchiha household, bearing gifts from the birthday boy. Before long, the yard and house are full of running, yelling children. Among them, Itachi does his best to help keep them corralled...to little avail.
And of course, the main attraction is the new trampoline. Adults hover around it, one eye on the bouncing kids while sipping iced tea and awaiting the party proper to start: cake, ice cream, and presents.
“This is AWESOME!” Naruto crows as they pingpong across the elastic surface.
“I wanna learn how to do a flip! Big brother said he would teach me!”
“Hey, I wanna learn to flip, too!”
“I get to first!”
“But -?”
“Sasuke!”
The pair slow to a stop, turning to see Mikoto standing nearby. At her front, hands atop their shoulders, is a kid Sasuke has never seen before.
“Do you mind giving Hinata a turn…?”
Hinata…? Wait...isn’t that the name of the neighbor kid? The one he never gets to see?
Naruto seems to balk a bit. “...hey, she’s homeschooled, right?”
“Huh?”
“Her dad teachers her at home! She doesn’t go to school!”
Oh...well, that explains why he doesn’t recognize her.
Everything about her body language screams discomfort...it’s more than obvious she’s painfully shy. Pale eyes flicker back and forth across their surroundings. Hands wring, and something tells Sasuke that if his mother didn’t have a gentle grip on her, she’d likely bolt back home where she came from.
“Did you invite her?” Naruto whispers.
“No…”
“Then why is she -?”
“Naruto, let her have a turn.”
“Huh?!”
Sasuke looks to his friendly plainly. “...let her have a turn!”
The blond blinks...then fades into a pout. “Okay, okay…” Clambering down, he runs off toward the other kids playing mini games across the yard.
Mikoto, guiding Hinata forward, helps her carefully climb up. With her son alone, she whispers, “She was watching through the fence...I think she’s lonely. I asked her father if she could come play, and he said for a little while. Is that okay…?”
Sasuke just gives a nod, watching his mother give them space before turning to Hinata.
The poor thing looks terrified.
“Hi…”
Eyes flicker before fully meeting his own. “H...hello…”
“Do you wanna try bouncing?”
She hesitates. “Is...is it scary…?”
“Nah, we can go slow.” Sitting on his backside, Sasuke gestures for her to do the same. Then, just a bit, he wriggles to make them move.
Hinata goes stock still, eyes wide as they gently bounce ever so slightly.
“See?”
After a moment, she looks around them...and then slowly, she starts to relax.
Sasuke gives a hint of a grin. “Wanna try?”
“Um...o-okay.” Mimicking his movement, Hinata builds their momentum just a little. They’re still far from getting any air, but the rise and dip increases bit by bit. And with it, her enjoyment. A small smile blooms across her face.
Sasuke then shifts position, moving to his knees and bouncing just a little harder. After a pause to try to keep her balance, Hinata does the same. Arms lift to act like a tightrope walker’s, but a stumble almost has her crash forward, hands moving to catch herself
But instead, Sasuke meets her hands with his own, instinctively weaving their fingers for a better grip.
They pause for a moment, blinking at each other...before realizing it actually helps their balance quite a bit. Shyly, they start back up again, wriggling in tandem until they smile, then grin, then start to laugh.
“Come on!” Sasuke moves to stand, trying to ease Hinata up with him. For a moment she stumbles, but his grip helps her upright. And then, finally, they end up in the air.
“W-whoa!”
“It’s okay! You won’t fall!”
They keep up the pace for a bit before Hinata gives a giddy giggle. “O-okay...I, um - I think I’m d-done.”
Nodding, Sasuke lets them slow to a stop, and the pair waddle their way to the edge.
Mikoto beams knowingly. “Was that fun?”
“Mhm!”
“T...thank you for letting me come play…”
“Do you want to stay for cake and ice cream, dear? We’ll be starting soon!”
Perking up, she hesitates. “Is that...okay?”
“Of course. There’s plenty for everyone.”
A moment to think, and then, “...okay…!”
As Mikoto moves to gather everyone up for the treats, Sasuke takes Hinata’s hand to lead her. “Come on!”
A bit pink, she has little choice but to follow.
                                                           .oOo.
     Well, this is really random, kinda short, and...very rushed, but it's done ^^; Had a long day / evening sooo not as much time for this as I wanted, lol      Just some modern kiddo fluff. I looove writing these two as smols. It's just so precious. Sweet lil Sauce and shy bean Nata. As much as I love them together when older, I'm the biggest sucker for childhood friends fluff ;w;      Buuut it's three am and I've got a long day ahead of me tomorrow, sooo...time to call it a night. Thanks for reading~
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mikauzoran · 5 years
Text
Adrienette Drabble Eighteen: Meeting
“Phalanges…metatarsals…the one that’s the same as the ancient writing system….” Elise O’Leary bit her lip but then stopped when she realized it was messing up her lipstick.
Makeup would be furious if she got sent back to them…again.
It hit her: “Cuneiforms. Then…cube something…. Cuboid…calcaneus…talus…and one more.”
“—ise. Elise?”
Elise whipped around to see Marinette looking absolutely frazzled. “Sorry. I was trying to remember something. What did you say?”
“I said that Victoire is having a little trouble with her shoot. It will be at least twenty minutes before we’re ready for you, if you want to go sit down. I’ll come get you when it’s time,” Marinette informed, checking her notepad and beginning to chew on the inside of her cheek.
“Okay. Thanks for letting me know.”
Marinette nodded and started on her way out of the dressing tent.
“Hey,” Elise called after her.
Marinette nearly tripped as she stopped and looked up. “Hm?”
“Are you okay, Sweetie?” Elise tentatively inquired. “You don’t look so great.”
Marinette put on a weary smile, trying to fake it. “I think Monsieur Agreste is trying to assassinate me,” she chuckled. “He expects a lot out of his interns…and I haven’t been getting a lot of sleep lately. I had a fight with a friend that’s really weighing on me, so…” She shrugged, pretending it was no big deal.
Elise nodded. “Not…what was her name? …Alya?”
Marinette shook her head. “Another friend…. I hurt them pretty bad, so…”
“…I’m sorry,” Elise mumbled, not knowing what else to say.
Marinette attempted another brave smile. “I have to go, but thanks for asking, Elise.” She waved as she turned and strode out of the tent with purpose.
Elise sighed and pulled off her shoe to look down at her foot where she had labeled the bones to help her study for her test on Tuesday. “Navicular,” she read. “Navicular. That was it. That was the one I missed.”
She looked to the side at her reflection in the mirror and blew out a frustrated puff of air. Did she really need to be able to name all of the bones in the foot to be a good pediatrician? Probably not, but she did need to be able to pass her test to maintain her grades and keep her scholarship.
With another sigh and a toss of her long, auburn hair, Elise made her way outside with the intention of watching Victoire’s portion of the shoot.
Plans changed, however, when she spotted a familiar blonde boy some ways away on the periphery of the park, leaning against the trunk of one of the trees in the corner by the playground, surreptitiously watching the photoshoot from afar.
Elise bit her lip, momentarily weighing the pros and cons before deciding on “screw it”.
Adrien didn’t even seem to notice her approach, he was so absorbed in the action. An obvious look of longing was plastered on his face. Coupled with his intermittent sighs, it was easy for Elise to diagnose lovesickness…and that was interesting.
Before they had started dating, Adrien told her that he was already in love with someone else whom he was trying to get over, and when he’d broken up with Elise, he’d admitted that he was still so far gone on the other girl that he wasn’t able to be in a relationship with her. Now, either Adrien had gotten over the one girl and fallen hard for another in the month since he and Elise had broken up, or the girl Adrien was stuck on was present at the photoshoot.
That was very interesting.
Elise looked back at the shoot, taking in Victoire trying to look fresh and full of vitality when she was so obviously hung over. Victoire was twenty-six and probably not the object of Adrien’s affections.
Eponine, a cute blonde of nineteen, was leaning against the fence encircling the park with twenty-year-old Coralie who was twirling a long strand of her brunette wig round and round her finger. Both girls were nice enough. Coralie was a bit of an airhead that Elise couldn’t really see Adrien interested in, and Eponine mostly concerned herself with yoga, manicures, and jocks. While by no means dumb, Eponine was a little too shallow for Adrien.
That left Simone with her dirty blonde hair and her big brown eyes. She was witty and well-read. A little quiet but nice once you got her talking. She could possibly be Adrien’s type.
Elise looked back and forth between Adrien and Simone.
Yes. It definitely seemed that Adrien was gazing wistfully in the direction of where Simone was having her outfit straightened and fussed over by a very harried looking Marinette.
…Marinette.
Marinette whom Adrien talked about constantly. Marinette whom Adrien always spent his time with. Marinette, Adrien’s very best friend.
“Oh,” Elise gasped as many things that had occurred during the month and a half she had dated Adrien took on new significance. All the times he already had plans “with a friend”…who suddenly wasn’t Nino. All of the times she’d caught him smiling at his phone over an incoming text…
It stung a bit, but knowing that it had been Marinette that Elise had lost out to made it more bearable. Marinette had gone out of her way to befriend Elise after she and Adrien started dating, and Marinette had always been there to talk and explain whenever Adrien did something frustrating or weird. Marinette had been a sort of “users’ manual”. Marinette had been unfailingly kind and supportive.
Marinette hadn’t known about Adrien’s feelings for her.
Maybe Marinette still didn’t know.
“Adrien?” Elise called.
Adrien jumped, head whipping around. His facial features did somersaults from surprise to terror to absolute panic as he registered her identity.
“E-Elise?!” he squeaked and then quickly cleared his throat to correct his pitch. “What are you doing here?”
The fear and mortification on his face were without price. Absolutely adorable.
“Working,” Elise chortled. “Some of us have to pay our own way through medical school, Candy Floss,” she teased, laughing harder as his face went crimson.
“S-Sorry,” Adrien choked.
“No worries,” she assured, coming to stand next to him.
He tensed.
She laughed. “Take it easy. I’m not going to bite you.”
Adrien did not lower his guard. “Sorry. It’s just…the last time I saw you…”
He had been breaking up with her.
“I just kind of expected you to hold a grudge or something. Not that I think you’re the type of person to hold a grudge,” he quickly backpedaled, waving his arms frantically, panic in his eyes. “I mean, I know what an awesome person you are, but—”
“—Adrien,” Elise did him the kindness of cutting him off. “Relax. We’re good.”
Still he squirmed. “…Yeah?”
“Yeah,” she stressed. “It’s been a month. I’ve moved on.”
“…Oh.” Adrien re-crossed his arms, looking back out at the photoshoot. “Good. That’s good. I…It kind of slipped my mind that other people do that. Move on…. I just thought you’d hate me because I was so horrible to you.”
Elise shrugged, flipping her waist-length red hair over her shoulder. “You weren’t that bad.”
Adrien shot her an incredulous look. “I was emotionally cheating on you for the entire duration of our relationship.”
Elise shrugged again. “And yet, you are not the worst boyfriend I’ve ever had. I’ve had guys physically cheat on me, and they didn’t feel bad about it. I’ve dated emotionally abusive guys before. I’ve dated guys who were only with me because they wanted to sleep with me. In the grand scheme of things, you being a total flake and always cancelling or forgetting about plans was annoying and at times hurtful, but… You told me you were in love with someone else that you were trying to get over. I thought you’d gradually fall for me and things would work out, but…”
Adrien looked away. “Sorry.”
Elise shook her head slowly. “I liked when you brought me flowers. I liked that you actually listened when I talked to you and seemed like you cared about what I had to say. I liked that you felt bad about lying to me. I liked that you brought me candy when you felt bad about lying to me. Adrien, I kind of knew that things weren’t working after three weeks of dating you. It was stupid of me to hold out hoping you’d change.”
“I’m still sorry I dragged you into my quarter-life crisis,” Adrien sighed.
“Don’t be,” she chuckled, cheerily informing, “Dating you increased my public visibility and made marketing myself easier. I’ve gotten a lot more job offers since I started dating you.”
Adrien gave an ironic snort at that, a tentative smile starting to peek through his apprehension. “Well, at least things worked out for one of us.”
The mirth slowly drained out of Elise as she frowned in concern. “Things not going well for you, Candy Floss?”
Adrien shook his head. “I’m kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel.” He glanced back to where Marinette was straightening Coralie’s wig.
Elise looked too, pursing her lips. “Things aren’t going well with Marinette?”
Adrien jumped, terror coming back onto his face. “W-What?”
“She’s the girl you’re in love with, isn’t she?” Elise smiled hesitantly.
Adrien stared abashedly, his mouth hanging open. “How…?”
“Deductive reasoning,” Elise confessed. “I saw you watching the shoot and looking like a lovesick puppy, so I figured you had either magically managed to fall in love with someone else or that the girl you were in love with was one of the models or staff. It made sense that it was Marinette.”
“Yeah,” Adrien sighed miserably. “It makes so much sense that it’s Marinette.”
“You should tell her how you feel,” Elise urged, giving Adrien’s arm a playful nudge. “You two are such close friends, I bet it would be an easy transition to dating.”
Adrien paled. “Elise—”
“—No, seriously,” she insisted. “Marinette adores you. We used to talk about you all the time when you and I were dating, and she always stood up for you and really seemed to understand you. She already loves you; I bet she could fall in love with you if given a little push. Come on. I’ll totally be your wingman.”
“Elise,” Adrien groaned softly. “Thank you. I appreciate it, but things are really, really complicated with Marinette right now.”
Elise rolled her eyes. “Fine. If you want to languish in love with her when you two could be happy, that’s none of my business, Candy Floss. Go ahead and wait until you’re ready, but, in the meantime…” She grabbed his wrist and started pulling him closer to the shoot. “at least come say hi.”
“W-What?” Adrien tripped forward after Elise. “N-No! No, no, no. Elise!”
She’d gotten him several meters before he regained his balance enough to dig his heels in.
“You don’t understand. I can’t—”
“—Hey, M&M!” Elise shouted, waving.
Marinette looked up and froze, alarm and guilt seizing her as she caught sight of Adrien.
Plagg pinched Adrien in an attempt to remind his chosen to breathe, and the only thing that kept Adrien on his feet was the intense need to look dignified in front of Marinette.
Elise missed the cues completely and called out again. “Marinette, come over here a second. Look who came to say hi!”
Marinette briefly debated telling Elise she was too busy to talk, but the anxious look on Adrien’s face gave her pause. If Marinette made excuses, it might seem dismissive and make Adrien feel rejected. As much as Marinette really couldn’t handle Adrien right at that moment, she also couldn’t hurt him by walking away. She didn’t want to hurt him again. She’d already done enough.
Tucking a stray bang back behind her ear, Marinette resolutely made her way over to Adrien and Elise. “H-Hello,” she greeted shyly.
“H-Hi,” Adrien managed in a very small, fragile voice. He cleared his throat. “Hi, Marinette.”
Elise frowned.
Marinette bit her lip and glanced off to the side. “So…what brings you here, Adrien?” She had meant it to sound friendly and polite, as if she were interested in learning what he was up to, but it came out a little tense because of her nerves, and it ended up sounding accusatory.
“I am so sorry,” Adrien whispered contritely, rushing to get the words out. “I didn’t mean—I was never going to talk to you. You weren’t supposed to know I was here. I didn’t mean to interrupt your work, and I’m really sorry about this. I know you told me not to text or call or talk to you, and I swear I wasn’t going to. I didn’t mean for this to happen. I just—”
“—Marinette, Adrien, I am so sorry,” Elise interrupted, and both parties turned to gawk at her in confusion.
“Marinette, I’m the one who invited Adrien,” Elise explained, trying to undo the damage she had unknowingly caused.
A nonplussed frown slowly formed on Marinette’s face. “You did?”
“Yes,” Elise insisted. “We were going to get coffee together, so I asked him to meet me here so we could go after the shoot.”
Marinette balked at this. “What?! Are…Are you two…getting back together or something?”
Elise laughed heartily. “No. Absolutely not. We just ran into each other and decided we wanted to try to reconnect as friends. So…coffee.” Elise shrugged by way of explanation. “But I told him the wrong time on purpose so that he’d show up during the shoot and see me all dolled up. You know. Just a little harmless revenge. Show him what he’s missing out on.”
Marinette nodded, slowly processing Elise’s words. “Oh. Okay. That makes sense.”
“I’m so sorry, M&M.” Elise reached out and clasped the hand in which Marinette was not currently gripping her notepad. “I had no idea that this was going to be a problem. I never would have done something like this if I had known.”
“No, Elise,” Marinette assured, giving the older girl’s hand a squeeze. “It’s okay. It’s no one’s fault.” Marinette tentatively turned to Adrien who sucked in a sharp breath. “Adrien, I’m really glad that you’re making plans with friends.” She hesitated, wondering if it would help or hurt before she added, “I’ve been really worried.”
Adrien blushed, nervously fingering the bruise hidden under his scarf. “Thanks. Um…speaking of making plans with friends…” He knew the answer was no even before he asked, but… “It’s Saturday. I know we skipped last week for obvious reasons, but…would you want to get Chinese and watch anime tonight, or…?”
Marinette winced, and Adrien regretted saying anything. She looked down at her shoes as she kicked at the dirt. She shook her head sadly.
“Th-That’s okay,” he rushed to assure, spiting out the lie as fast as he could. “I mean, I figured, but…maybe…maybe next week?” he inquired hopefully.
Two weeks was enough “space”, right?
Marinette grimaced. “Adrien…probably not next week.”
“O-Oh.” Adrien’s throat felt dry. “That’s…Okay. Yeah. That’s…”
Adrien had expected this to blow over much, much sooner.
“…fine. I mean, let me know if you change your mind. I’m…” His tongue was sticking to the roof of his mouth. “I’m always an option,” he whispered with a paste-on smile.
Marinette closed her eyes and took a measured breath. It looked as if his words had physically pierced one of her lungs.
“But if you don’t change your mind, I’ll still be free the Saturday after that, so…” he tried.
Marinette slowly shook her head, prying her damp eyes open to meet his. “Adrien? I’m sorry, but I can’t do this. Right now, I can’t tell you how long it’s going to take for things to go back to the way they were before. When I know, you’ll be the first person I tell, but…until then, I really need some space, okay?”
“You think this is going to take longer than three weeks?” Adrien squeaked in dismay.
Marinette shook her head more vehemently. “Adrien, I don’t know. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to sort out my thoughts and feelings. I’m sorry.”
Adrien wilted, whispering, “So am I.”
He never should have told her the truth. He should have kept his identity to himself.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Marinette whimpered.
It was the same thing Ladybug told Chat Noir every time before she said something she knew was going to hurt him.
“Noted,” Adrien mumbled. “So…I guess I’ll…not call you…and keep not texting you and not talking to you.”
“Please,” Marinette entreated. “…And keep making plans with your other friends instead.”
Adrien made a half-hearted noise of agreement directed down at their feet.
Marinette cleared her throat. “I have to go.”
Adrien’s gaze snapped up. The words “please stay” were on the tip of his tongue because even though she was telling him things he didn’t want to hear, at least she was talking to him…and she wouldn’t be talking to him again for upwards of two more weeks once she walked away.
She put on a brave, tired smile.
Now that he really looked at her, he realized that Marinette looked exhausted, that deep, bone-weariness that Adrien had been feeling lately.
They were in the same boat. She found this draining too. She didn’t really want to do this either.
He returned her smile with a melancholy yet hopeful one of his own. “Okay. Thanks for taking the time out to say hi.”
“Sure.” She shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. It was good to see you. It’s just your father is a bit of a slave driver, so I can’t chat for too long.”
“He’s really impressed by you,” Adrien hurriedly informed, stealing just a few more seconds with her. “He admires your work, and he wants to keep seeing you grow and succeed.”
Marinette stared at him speechlessly, and it was several beats before she found her voice. “Did he say that?”
Adrien shrugged. “More or less.”
A genuine smile finally broke through Marinette’s guilt and weariness. “Wow. Thank you.”
“You earned it,” he assured fondly, wishing they had more time. He’d sit with her and tell her about all the ways in which she was talented and worthy of praise and attention.
Adrien threw in one of his patented winks and did an internal victory dance as he watched her blush.
She still had feelings for him. Maybe he hadn’t ruined everything.
Marinette smiled bashfully, holding his gaze for a few electrically charged seconds before turning to Elise. “Seven minutes, okay?”
Elise nodded awkwardly.
“Have fun getting coffee.” Marinette gave a little finger wave as she turned to go.
Adrien waved back even though Marinette couldn’t see.
“Sorry for all the drama,” Adrien sighed to Elise as he watched Marinette walk away, unable to take his eyes off of her.
“Adrien, I am so sorry that happened,” Elise returned, feeling awful for what she’d unwittingly dragged him through.
Adrien shrugged. “It’s my fault for being somewhere I’m not supposed to be…. Thanks for covering for me being a creepy stalker, by the way. I swear I just…I wanted to see her. I haven’t seen her in forever. She’s avoiding me at school, and I’m not allowed to call or text or email or anything, so…I just wanted to see her and make sure she’s doing okay.”
He looked up tentatively. “Does it seem like she’s doing okay?”
Elise bit her lip but then caught herself and stopped before she could mess up her lipstick. “No. I just asked her today, since she’s looked a little run down this past week, and it sounds like she’s pretty torn up over…whatever happened with you.”
Adrien frowned. Part of him was glad he wasn’t the only one suffering, but a bigger part deeply regretted that he had brought this upon his Lady. He knew how wrecked he was feeling, and he didn’t want to drag her down with him.
“I told her I loved her. Like, three weeks ago. I kissed her and then I ran off and I avoided her for a week and a half because I didn’t have the spine to face her. Last week she cornered me, and we finally talked about it…and things blew up,” Adrien explained. “She has feelings for me too, but…apparently, I’m not emotionally stable enough to date, and there was this other guy she was interested in, but I kind of ruined her chances with him, so I think she’s disappointed in me, and…like I said, it’s really, really complicated.”
“Oh, Candy Floss,” Elise whispered. “I’m sorry.”
Adrien shook his head. “Thanks, but I’ve done it all to myself. I haven’t really been thinking the past four months, and that’s gotten me into all this trouble…. I appreciate the sympathy, though.”
“…Adrien, would you actually want to go get coffee after this?” Elise tentatively proposed. “Marinette has to see us leave together so that the story appears to check out, but what’s to stop us from actually getting coffee? Unless you’re busy.”
“I…” Adrien considered the offer for a moment. “I don’t actually have anything to do. My father has cut my workload to practically nothing, and my friend group is a little compromised because of the Marinette situation, so…I could actually really use a friend, if you’re willing to hang out with a walking dumpster fire.”
“I’d be happy to spend time with you, Adrien,” Elise chuckled, giving Adrien a playful nudge.
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