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jgmartin · 10 months

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The Mask of Ashes [short horror]

My grandpa's an interesting man. He served in the Korean war before he could grow a moustache and walked away with a rack of medals heavier than a brick. Since then, he's had a series of careers including used car salesman, librarian, and most famously, archaeologist. I use the term famously a bit loosely, I'll admit. He didn't make any world-changing discoveries like uncovering King Tut's tomb or finding Excalibur. He did, however, ignite my family's imagination with his lavish descriptions of history.

It was a favourite pastime of my family, listening to grandpa speak. We'd crowd around him every gathering, be it Thanksgiving or Christmas or Easter or just a Sunday supper. He'd regale us with tales of wonder and mystery. He spoke of the Ark of the Covenant, Blackbeard's lost treasure, and the Amber Room.

He also spoke of an old mask, one crafted a thousand years ago by a man possessed by the devil. It was called the Mask of Ashes, and if you put it on you’d be given a vision of the future.

The only time he mentioned this mask though was after a night of heavy drinking on Christmas Eve, 1987. When I asked about it the next evening at supper, he dismissed it. “I had a lot to drink last night,” he said. “I probably got on a roll and started embellishing a bit. You’ll have to forgive me, Andrew.”

I believed him. After all, who hasn’t exaggerated a point or two after a bottle of whisky? “No worries, grandpa,” I remember saying to him. “You just spoke about it in such detail I thought it must be real.”

“Details are easy to fake when you're making it all up anyway."

My grandpa’s health began deteriorating not long after that. At first it was small things. His memory began to fade. Names escaped him. Then, it was his balance. Walking became a challenge. Soon, he was confined to a wheelchair and only able to do the most basic of activities with his hands. His skin turned sallow and pale, and the bright blue of his eyes faded to a shade above grey.

Once an avid gardener, his flowers withered and died without his attention. Soon too did his lawn. It wasn’t long until his lovely red house looked more like a condemned property, covered in dirt and worn out from the weather and years. As a family we tried to keep up with the maintenance as best we could, but still the floorboards would rot and the wallpaper would peel. It got to the point where even being in the house felt draining.

To ensure grandpa got the best care when he needed it, we hired a live-in nurse to look after him. Unfortunately, the nurse passed away shortly after from a heart attack. We hired another. She quit, citing respiratory issues. Then we tried once more, this time ensuring we hired a young man with no prior health concerns. He wasn't even thirty years old yet. Not long after though, he quit too, complaining about a deep pain in his legs. It became clear that without the upkeep the house needed, something toxic had taken root.

After consulting an inspector (who couldn’t locate the source of the toxicity), we decided to have grandpa moved into a nursing home and have the house torn down. We agreed to pack grandpa's belongings as a family. After all, it seemed risky hiring a moving firm when there were so many valuables laying about from his archeology digs.

We picked a date and showed up armed with respirator masks, rubber gloves, and more cardboard boxes than an Amazon warehouse. We decided the easiest way to get everything packed was to split the house into rooms and have a different person pack one each. After a brief discussion and some heated coin-flips (and games of rock-paper-scissors), I drew the short straw and was left with the toughest room of them all: the attic.

Truthfully, I didn't mind so much. Like I said, my grandpa was an interesting man and I was certain he'd have some curious knickknacks squirrelled away up there. So I headed upstairs and pulled down on the dangling ceiling cord. The attic's wooden steps drifted down with a haunting groan. A moment later and the smell of old books, parchment and rat droppings greeted me. Given my grandpa’s condition, I couldn’t be certain the last time anybody besides the inspector had been up there. If I had to take a guess though, I’d say it’d been well over a decade.

I ascended the steps into the attic and squinted as my eyes adjusted to the dim light. It wasn’t anything special. Very typical as far as attics went, complete with a low, sloped ceiling and plain wooden floors. Boxes had been piled anywhere they could fit, with a tight path winding between them that led to the far side of the room, where a dusty desk sat in the faint sunbeam of a dirty, cobwebbed window.

I made my way toward it, figuring working my way from back-to-front might be the best strategy. That way, as I became more tired the boxes would be closer to the stairs. I silently thanked my grandpa for already having just about everything already tucked neatly away and resolved to get to work.

As I came upon the desk at the far end, I noticed a book open on top of it, beside which was a plain mahogany box. Curious, I investigated. No doubt this was the last project my grandpa had attempted to undertake before his health failed him.

The book looked old. Older than any book I’d ever seen. Its pages were yellow and curled, and looked to have been penned by hand. It was bound with sinew between two thick, leather covers. “Creepy,” I said, softly brushing my hand over the surface to clear the thick layer of dust. It revealed a page littered with symbols. Whatever language it was written in used sharp, jagged characters to denote its alphabet. I’d never seen anything like it.

“Well, into the box with you,” I said, heaving a sigh. I closed the book with a poof of dust, and placed it into the packing box next to me. Then I turned my attention to the mahogany container on the desk. Its craftsmanship was excellent. The wood was smooth, a deep brown-red and even up in the attic, where the smell of rat droppings reigned supreme, the box had a rich and clean scent to it. It was plain though, save for a small metal clasp on its front that originally looked to have been for a lock.

I opened it.

Inside was a mask, one of plain design. It had two eye-holes cut out, as well as several sharp, uneven slits made for the mouth to speak and breathe through. I picked it up and took a closer look. The material the mask was made from looked a bit like dried skin. I pulled off a glove and ran my fingers over it. It certainly felt like dried skin. "Probably animal hide," I muttered aloud, not wanting to consider the alternative. After studying it for several more seconds, I decided there was nothing particularly special about it and put it down. It was just an old mask.

I consulted the inside of the box, ensuring that I hadn’t missed something. It was empty. For my grandpa’s last project, this felt oddly anticlimactic. I suppose after a life of so many fantastic stories I just expected something more significant. I picked the mask back up and tossed it into the mahogany container, then closed the lid with a gentle click of the latch.

A memory prodded at the edge of my mind. I bit my lip, staring at the plain box, recalling a legend grandpa told me many years ago. It had been Christmas Eve then. He'd spoken about something called the Mask of Ashes, an object he later insisted he’d made up. I drummed my fingers on the box and my imagination spun to life, recalling the wondrous tale he’d told of a mask that showed the wearer the future. This wasn’t that. It couldn’t be. He’d already admitted the entire story was a drunken farce, and yet…

I opened the box. I’m not certain why, but maybe it was a sense of nostalgia mingled with an inability to accept that my grandpa had really gone his whole life without any major discoveries. He’d always been such a clever man. I pulled my respirator off of my face and stared at the mask with mounting excitement. Reaching down, I flared open its bottom and brought it up over my head, and then slowly placed it over my face.

I blinked. In front of me I saw the dusty desk, my packing box with the book inside, and the mahogany container. Everything looked exactly as it had earlier. “Well,” I said, with a disappointed laugh. “I'm not sure what I was expecting."

I reached my hands up to my neck to remove the mask, but then the world began to bleed. I stopped, my heart thundering in my chest. The desk began to warp, and soon both it and the cobwebbed window bled away, pouring into a red soup on the floor. Around me, the high-stacked boxes did the same. Soon, I stood in a pool of blood up to my knees, warm and thick and rich with the smell of iron.

“Incredible,” I breathed, unable to contain my fascination. I took a step forward, and the pool of blood shifted, creating small waves and ripples upon the surface. For several moments I gazed around in stunned silence, hardly able to believe what I was seeing -- what I was feeling. After all this time, grandpa truly had made a massive discovery. His final project was also his greatest.

I had to tell my family. I had to tell the world. This was more than discovering some rusty sword or old treasure. This was something that would change the way we understood the world, history, and religion entirely. This was something unlike anybody had ever seen. I pulled the mask off of my face and, beaming, turned to leave the attic.

The blood shifted. It sent a wave cascading forward, and I realized the attic was gone entirely. The space around me was a pool of crimson as far as I could see. My smile faltered. I looked down at the animal-hide mask in my hands, and noticed it was gone.

I thrashed forward through the blood, moving toward where I knew the attic door ought to be. I held my breath and dived down, running my hands over the ground and trying to find the latch that would release the stairs and free me from this nightmare. The ground was entirely smooth. No latch. No stairs.

I emerged from the pool with a gasp of air, then shouted and screamed. I called for my father, my sister, my aunt. I called for anybody at all.

“Do you mind?” a voice croaked.

I wheeled around in a splash of blood. A great creature, twelve feet tall loomed before me. Its legs were curved with thick hair in the fashion of a goat, and its four eyes were made of fire.

“You're making a bit of a scene," it said. "We can hear you two circles down."

I swallowed, my panic both mounting at the sight of this monstrosity and waning at the indifferent casualness of its voice. “Err, who are you?”

It rose four eyebrows and reached out, clasping me on the shoulder with a long-fingered hand. It pulled me into a tight squeeze at its side. “That’s more like it. Name’s Lucifer, but you can call me Lu. You’re a little late, but we should be able to fit you in.”

He snapped his fingers and a piece of floating parchment appeared before him. He swiped at it with a finger and I noticed my name was crossed off in a rather dramatic line of fire. “That’s all four. We’re ready to go,” he said.

“Ready to go?” I squirmed away from him. This was turning into full blown acid trip territory. Nothing made sense. The attic, I decided, must have been the source of the house's toxicity problems, and now I was having some kind hallucination from direct exposure. “Sorry," I said. "All four of what?”

“Horsemen," Lucifer said with a serrated smile. “We’re already running behind though, so if it’s alright with you, I’d like to skip orientation and get this apocalypse started.”

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quinloki · 1 year

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Not really a question because we all know the answer but, finical domination was MADE for Nami. That said how would Sanji/Doffy/Boa feel about it? (Either giving or receiving)💚

Financial domination... huh.

I should've known something like this was a thing ^_^

Hmm... I apologize this might be a bit short, but let's see how it goes. The most coin-sideration I give money is a loose budget to make sure my income out paces my rent, and... that's about it. ^^;

Note: Reading up on this, I will say that as a practice in reality land it can be pretty dangerous. Financial independence is, objectively speaking, one of the best ways to protect yourself. But! I think with the proper safeties in place it would be okay/plausible to pull off. Just be sure you're actually in a trusting relationship and not effectively getting fleeced.

Alright, safety and sanity aside, let's get into this -

Boa Hancock:

Luffy/you - FUCK yes // Anyone else - No. I mean, let's be fair, if it made you or Luffy happy, Boa would jump in with both feet without thinking it through. Fortunately for her, Luffy is a genuinely good dude. Nami might be trying to convince him to siphon some of those funds into the coffers of the crew, but if Luffy's gonna plunder treasure, he's going to do it like a pirate. Hopefully in your case, the same can be said =D

Note these ratings don't change whether Boa's giving or receiving - she's not putting in the effort for anyone else and not trusting anyone else in that way. For better or worse. The biggest thing to realize with this is that there's no real kink involved for Boa. She's just driven to please the person she's fallen in love with, regardless of her own feelings. Moving that tendency aside, I think she'd be more of a Sure on this. She's the leader of her people, not their accountant, so might not even really know much about it aside from reviewing paperwork from someone else.

Doflamingo:

Sure - you want to let Doffy control your finances? Fufufu, who is he to deny his favorite little puppet? Especially if they want to hand over control like that?

Let's be fair though, chances are your finances are partial pennies compared to Doffy's wealth. He was going to be in control of you financially the moment you agreed to be in a relationship with him whether you were open to the idea or not. There is no flip side to this either - you control his finances? Oh my dear, I think not. He's not going to be the one getting strung along.

Sanji:

Being dominated - FUCK Yes Dominating - FUCK Yes - Let's be fair, Sanji's here to please you in anyway that he can, and he's actually Really Good at bookkeeping. He probably has a better formal education than most of the rest of the crew, and I bet he actually did a lot of bookkeeping for Baratie's even as a kid.

Sanji's not too terribly concerned about money aside from having the capacity to buy enough food to keep the crew fed. Also Nami takes care of finances for the crew, so he doesn't give it much thought - and is Perfectly Happy To Ask Nami for funds when he needs them. All his enthusiasm comes from that service mind of his, and wanting to provide you with the experience you want.

Kinky One Piece Head Canon

#kinky one piece head canon #boa hancock #donquixote doflamingo #black foot sanji #x reader #reader x hancock #reader x doflamingo #reader x sanji

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sammy431 · 2 years

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Restitution

This is technically a sequel to a short fic that can be found here, but can easily be a standalone.

After an angry Orym and Imogen plead on behalf of Laudna’s life, the Hells prepare to a resurrection ritual. Success or fail, things will remain ever changing.

Read on AO3

Keyleth moved forward and set her hand gently on Laudna’s head as Vex left the room to gather the necessary diamond. “Three of you must offer something - words or a physical item - to help convince Laudna’s soul to return to this plane of existence. Which of you will do so?”

Orym was only dimly aware of Imogen and Ashton moving forward to stand with him, the sound of his own heartbeat was pounding in his ears, muffling everything. The grief, the guilt, the anger - everything blended together and some distant part of his brain wondered if he had finally snapped. He had never felt like this.

He wondered if he had come back broken, like the universe had demanded balance for his life over Laudna’s and kept a piece of him behind. He felt so much that it was numbing. Orym avoided Keyleth’s gaze, knowing the Tempest could read him well after so many years. Her concern was typical, but nothing mattered but Laudna.

Lady Vex’ahlia re-entered the room, a very large diamond already outstretched towards Keyleth. Her eyes darted towards Laudna and away again, some complicated emotion twisting her face into a grimace. “Are you ready?”

Keyleth nodded. “Yes. Who will speak first?” Her hands cupped the diamond over Laudna’s body, a soft green magic filling it and sending rainbows around the room.

Imogen stepped forward immediately, grabbing Laudna’s hand with an almost feral desperation. “Laudna, please come back. I need you here - everything is too loud, too much. There’s an empty spot in my mind where you usually are, like a lullaby against the harsh world. Please... I love you. I can’t imagine life without your light in it. Come back to me.”

After a moment, she looked up at Keyleth, unsure if it had been enough. At her gentle nod, Imogen stepped back and Ashton stepped forward.

They stood awkwardly beside the table for a moment, then braced himself to lean over Launda’s body, staring intently at her closed eyes. “You and I had an understanding. We wanted the same thing for those we loved. You can’t leave me to take care of them alone. You get your ass back here and if that bitch is keeping you from us - remember what I said and break her fucking fingers.”

Ashton stepped back, ignoring the curious looks he was getting from everyone, and pushed Orym forward. Orym didn’t move, unconsciously resisting with far more strength than he usually had. Ashton leaned over and looked into his eyes for a moment, seeming to search for something. Whether or not he found it, Orym wasn’t sure, but Ashton simply nodded. “That feeling? Use it.”

Unsure of exactly how to do that, Orym nonetheless walked forward. The table was taller than him, but he simply walked up beside Laudna’s head and leaned up on his toes to whisper in her ear. He wasn’t sure he wanted anyone else to hear his words anyway.

“You need to come back Laudna. You were already brought back once to be some demon’s puppet, and you’ve been isolated for so long. You need to have a chance to live - a real chance, not one left up to a fucking coin flip. A chance that you control, that you choose. But you can choose now - I said once that you were the happiest of us all and this group isn’t the same without you. You’re the weird little glue that held us together and I’m not sure that we’ll ever work properly unless you come back... I know I won’t.” Orym paused, a hand reaching up to touch the cold metal of her ear cuffs. “Choose life for yourself this time.”

He stepped back and reached up to grab Imogen’s hand, idly noticing that despite the white knuckled grip she grabbed back with, he couldn’t feel the crushing strength he knew existed.

The group stood in tense silence as Keyleth concentrated and the room began to pulse with green light shining through the different facets of the diamond. The light grew to an almost unbearable brightness before splintering into thousands of small shining pieces of diamond shard and settling over Laudna’s form like a blanket before sinking into her pale body.

For one terrifying moment, it looked as if the ritual had failed despite their efforts. Then, in the space between one second and the next, Laudna’s body came back to life. She contorted as if electrified, a harsh gasp forcing itself out of her throat, hands reaching up to grab at the place she had been stabbed.

Imogen burst into tears and rushed forward, grabbing a confused Laudna into a tight hug. The rest of the Hells followed, jostling Orym as they passed by. Orym remained rooted to the spot, struggling to process anything beyond the mess of emotions swirling in his stomach, intense but somehow comforting. As he raised his eyes past the group, found that Keyleth was watching him still, eyebrows furrowed and emotions unknown swirling in her green eyes.

~~~

Laudna stretched her limbs out carefully, feeling stiffer than usual. She had been shown to a small guest room where she could wash and regain her bearings. Imogen insisted on remaining with her, and while she would never mind Imogen’s company, she was especially grateful for it now.

Her eyes carefully avoided the windows as she pulled on clean clothes and rearranged her hair ribbons. If she didn’t look at it, perhaps the city they were in wouldn’t matter.

She understood why they had gone to Whitestone - was grateful for it - but it was... strange. Even just being within the main castle building she felt haunted, as if she was being followed by the footsteps of the bright and thoroughly alive young woman that had walked in here 30 years ago.

“Do you know where my other ear cuff is? Did it fall off during the battle?” Laudna wasn’t very self conscious, but the sight of her crudely pointed ears was one she would never get used to. The jagged edges and uneven cuts felt ugly in a way nothing else did. The cuffs were beautifully crafted and had cost her quite a bit of coin.

Imogen unconsciously glanced at the uncovered ear and tried to suppress a flinch. “It might still be back in that room. Orym took it off at some point.”

Laudna frowned. “Orym? Why would he do that?”

“He threw it at Lady de Rolo while she was trying to delay the resurrection ritual. Told her that she owed you.”

Laudna wasn’t really sure what to say in response to that. She didn’t really think the new Lady of Whitestone owed her anything - she hadn’t killed her after all - but she decided to move forward. “Well no harm. I’m alive now. Or well, more alive than I was. Still sort of dead.” She smiled at Imogen.

Imogen wasn’t feeling forgiving though. “It was ridiculous,” she scoffed, “the cost of the spell and the diamond is basically nothing to them, but they were still just pussy-footing about. I’m glad Orym did something before I did. Lots of pretty stained glass in this place, it would be a shame to break it.”

Uncomfortable with how angry Imogen looked, Laudna reached out and grabbed one of her clenched fists in both of her hands. “Imogen, it's fine. I’m back and we’ll be back on the road tomorrow. I’m okay now.”

“But you weren’t, Laudna. You were dead.”

“Imogen-”

“No!” Imogen ripped her arm from Laudna, the feelings of the past couple of days spilling over. “You were dead Laudna, you died because of me! That bitch stabbed you and then when I... when I lost control, you were buried under a fucking building! All this power and what’s the use of it if I can’t even use it to help you? Hell, I might’ve been the one that killed you!”

Sparks started flying from Imogen, bright red points of light and electricity that faded before they struck anything. Her purple hair started to lift in the air. Laudna backed up unconsciously, unsure what to do. Now that she could see a little clearer, the red streaks on Imogen’s arms had extended, crawling up to her throat and down to her hands and they pulsed an angry red, almost like an alarm blaring an emergency signal.

“Imogen? Imogen, I’m okay. I’m right here.”

“But you weren’t! You weren’t here Laudna!” A nearby mirror cracked and splintered and the room shuddered with power. “You weren’t here and the world was too loud, it was too loud and your mind wasn’t here!” A vase shattered and the sound finally seemed to snap Imogen out of her spiral.

Her gaze swung from the vase, to the mirror, to Laudna who was nervously wringing her hands. Imogen’s shoulders drooped. “I-I’m sorry. I scared you.”

Laudna’s voice was brittle and bright. “No, it’s alright! I just didn’t know what to do.”

“Laudna.” Her eyes met Imogen’s, red lightning fading from the purple irises. “I scared you.”

Laudna shrugged uncomfortably. She wasn’t afraid of Imogen, she would never be afraid of her, could never do that. But that power, it terrified Laudna sometimes. It seemed to take control of her best friend and feed off of her anger. Laudna was scared that one day, her Imogen wouldn’t come back.

But she only said, “No no. I just. I wasn’t expecting how much more powerful you’d gotten. Feels like I’ve been gone longer than a few days.” A weak smile forced its way out, nearly pleading with Imogen to drop it. She didn’t want to fight.

Imogen walked over to Laudna and gently pulled her to the bed, sitting down beside her. “When I saw you go down... I lost it. I don’t even really remember what happened, everything just went white. When I came back, all of the buildings were destroyed. Just turned into rubble. Fearne and Orym were dead, Chetney was hurt, and I couldn’t see you. I couldn’t hear you. And then I saw your hand,” Imogen squeezed the hand she was holding and Laudna felt a tear drip down onto her arm, “your hand was just sticking out from a pile of rocks.”

“I’m here now Imogen. I’m alright.”

She looked up, eyes bright with tears. “Are you? Cause you were dead Laudna. You were gone and I... I tried calling on Deliliah to help but she was too weak to do anything. Was she with you? Were you stuck with her?”

Laudna shook her head, her hair brushing against her bare ear and sending shivers up her own spine, unconsciously squeezing Imogen’s hand for comfort. “No, she wasn’t. No one was with me, I wasn’t really anywhere I don’t think? I don’t remember anything but a quiet darkness until I heard your voice.”

“Was it - I mean, it was peaceful?”

“Very peaceful. Sort of like a nice dream.”

Imogen was very still beside Laudna, and Laudna could almost see the wheels turning in her mind. “Would you have preferred that? I mean, you didn’t get that the first time and you didn’t have Deliliah. I didn’t even think of that, I just-” A cold finger pressed against Imogen’s lips, startling her, and she looked up at Laudna.

“I very much prefer being alive. I have so many things I still want to see, we have so much to do!” She couldn’t leave Imogen before helping her have the life she should have, the brilliance she deserved.

Relaxing, Imogen once again grabbed Laudna’s hand and brought it to her lap, squeezing it between hers. “Good. I don’t like who I am without you around. It was scary.”

“Fun scary?”

A weak chuckle left Imogen as the adrenaline finally began to fade. “No Laudna, I’m no good at that. It was just scary scary.”

“We’ll figure it out, Imogen. I promise.”

There was more to talk about, but for now the two women simply enjoyed the feeling of sitting side by side. Imogen leaned into the cooler body of Laudna and let it wash through her, soothing the fiery electricity running through her body. Laudna pressed against Imogen’s left side and closed her eyes, pretending the warmth and heartbeat were her own for one more moment.

~~~

While the group waited for Laudna and Imogen to return, Vex invited them to explore the grounds, pointing out the training grounds, the temples, and the kitchen where a late lunch was waiting for them.

Waving off Ashton’s offer to go burn off energy in the training area, Orym wandered away from the group. He felt strangely tired, as if he had just finished an intense workout but the earlier emotional storm had finally faded. It was almost as if it had never happened and he wondered if it truly had or if it was simply how his grief had affected his mind so soon after his own revivify.

Stuck in his mind, he failed to see the woman waiting for him as he circled around back to the Sun Tree. “Orym.” He jumped, turning to see Keyleth smiling down at him.

He bowed low. “Tempest. Thank you for your help today, we could not have done this without you.”

She sat down on one of the Sun Tree’s large roots and patted the space beside her, waiting for Orym to join her. “Oh I don’t know. That group of yours seems rather resourceful and very determined. I’m just happy to have helped. And Orym, I’m not your boss anymore - you can call me Keyleth.” She paused, fingers trailing down the rough bark of the tree and leaving a small trail of wildflowers in their wake. “Are you alright?”

“Of course. We’ve had a stressful couple of days, I’m sure I wasn’t acting my best. I’m sorry if I offended Lady de Rolo.” He had a faint memory of throwing one of Laudna’s ear cuffs at her and internally winced.

But Keyleth waved his words away, “No worries. You did what you felt was needed and you said nothing that was untrue. But I’ve never seen you so... cold. You were vibrating with energy but you looked almost empty.” Eyes that had seen their fair share of loss pinned him in place. “Even when we lost Derrig and Will, you were never like that. I know I’m no longer your boss, but I am still the Voice of the Tempest. I’m concerned about you, Orym.”

Orym fought the urge to squirm like a child - something about the Tempest gaze always made feel like a fumbling teenager. But she had seen so much, perhaps she would have advice. “I don’t know if I can even describe it. But when you were debating about bringing Laudna back, all of the emotions just became so muddled it’s as if they transformed into pure energy. I wasn’t thinking, I was just acting.” His voice dropped into a whisper. “I felt out of control. I never want to feel like that again.”

There was a long pause and Orym realized how used to the Bell’s Hells he’d gotten - there was rarely a moment of silence among them and he was no longer comfortable simply sitting in it. But Keyleth was clearly thinking and even if he was no longer technically her guard, his training would not let him rush her.

Finally, she sighed, her staff drooping in her hand. “I do apologize if I was unclear. I would never have not at least tried for Laudna, I simply wanted you all to know that there was no guarantee. Having that kind of let down... it’s painful. But I can imagine my words were unwelcome no matter how delicately I tried to choose them and I apologize. I’ll apologize to young Imogen as well.”

He tried to murmur some brush off, but she ignored him. “As for what you were feeling... I cannot say that it will never happen again. You feel deeply Orym, and you’ve felt a lot of pain for someone so young. But I will tell you what someone once told me when I was struggling with a similar feeling. It all comes down to one word - family. You need enough control so that you can use it to protect you and yours. Harness those feelings, that rage, and it can be a powerful tool in battle.”

“But Derrig always stressed control in movement and thought. How can I be controlled and yet act before thinking?”

“I know it goes against what you know and how you learned, but sometimes life gives you skills you never asked for. If you don’t learn to use it, it’ll use you.” She paused again, thinking carefully. “I believe the genasi in your group, Ashton, would know something about that kind of concentrated energy. Perhaps you should ask them?”

Orym had a vague memory of Ashton saying something to him during the resurrection ritual, but couldn’t seem to grasp what was said. He nodded, “I’ll ask him. Thank you Tempest.” She gave him a mildly reproachful look and he smiled cheekily up at her. “Keyleth.”

She laughed and shoved herself up to her feet. “Good. I’ll always be around if you need advice, but you’ve got a good group. I think you’ll be just fine. Shall we go find some food?”

Orym slid off the thick root and landed light on his feet, walking by her side back up to the castle. He needed to talk to Laudna, make sure they were alright, but that could wait until they left the city. For now, food and company sounded like the perfect way to end the day.

~~~

The sun had steadily moved across the sky as Laudna and Imogen sat in comfortable silence, content to enjoy the other’s presence. As the sun began to dip down behind the massive mountains that surrounded the city, a knock at the door jolted the pair out of their peace.

“Come in!” Imogen called, assuming it was one of the Hells coming to collect them. But as the door swung open, her hand tightened on Laudna’s as she stiffened.

Lady Vex’ahlia stepped in the room, holding something in her hand. “I apologize if I’m intruding. But everyone is beginning to gather for dinner and I wanted to return something to Laudna beforehand.” Her hand opened and the missing ear cuff sat neatly within it.

Imogen glanced at Laudna, but as she appeared to be struck silent by the sight of the new Lady de Rolo, Imogen took control without thinking. “I’ll take it. We’ll be down in a few minutes, thank you.” She wanted the older woman out of the room - wanted to be out of this city - but knew the group needed a break and the Tempest needed to rest before returning them back to Jrusar.

Lady Vex’ahlia closed her fist again, eyes on Laudna. “I would like to speak with you, Laudna. If that would be alright.”

“Absolutely not.” The words were out of Imogen’s mouth before she had thought them. As the older woman’s eyes flicked to her, she hurried to smooth things over. “Anything you want to say to Laudna you can say in front of me.”

But Lady Vex’ahlia simply looked back at Laudna once more. “Laudna, may I speak to you? I would prefer it to be alone, but I want you to be comfortable.

Imogen felt a warm wash of anger wash over her at the woman’s audacity, but before she could open her mouth again, she felt a cool hand on her arm. She turned towards the dark eyes that she had silently thought of as home for so long and knew what Laudna was going to say before she said it, and felt her shoulders drop. “It’s alright Imogen. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

Imogen nodded and glared at the Lady de Rolo in warning as she made her way out of the room, the uncomfortable feeling of being left out prickling over her skin and causing the door to slam shut harder than she’d intended.

Before the silence had a chance to become uncomfortable, Lady de Rolo took control of the situation, walking forward and holding Laudna’s ear cuff out. “Before anything else, I believe this belongs to you.”

Laudna slowly took it, careful not to touch her hand - she knew most people found her cool skin uncomfortable. “Thank you, ah, Lady de Rolo.”

“Call me Vex, please.”

“Vex, okay.” Laudna glanced at the ear cuff in her hand and then nervously back up at Vex. She wanted to put it on right away, but her ear was currently covered by her hair and she really did not want Vex to see it again.

Before she could even begin to think about asking, Vex seemed to understand and turned around, walking towards the broken vase. “This was a rather ugly vase, so I can’t say I’m sad to see it gone. May I ask what happened?”

Laudna quickly moved to slide her ear cuff back on, feeling far less vulnerable as soon as the sensitive nerve endings were protected. “Just an accident Lady- Vex. I’m rather clumsy on a good day.” She didn’t think that Vex was like the other Lady of Whitestone, but she’d been wrong before. She wouldn’t let Imogen be blamed.

“Not a problem. Like I said, quite the eyesore. An old family heirloom that my husband felt he had to use somewhere and I refused to have it in our living quarters.” Vex glanced over her shoulder, and upon seeing that Laudna was finished, turned the full force of her smile directly towards her.

Laudna wasn’t sure what to do. What exactly was the protocol for meeting the new Lady of Whitestone when the former one had killed you as a message to the woman standing in front of you? Laudna didn’t think that any of the etiquette books she’d perused over the years would have anything to help her right now.

While she was busy wondering what the hell one should do in this situation, Vex had picked herself up from where she was brushing the pieces of the vase together and walked back over to Laudna, stopping a few feet from her. Blue eyes ran over Laudna’s features, perhaps trying to see what had caught the attention of the Briarwoods. Laudna could feel the pressure from the rope tightening on her neck and resisted the urge to cover it with her hand.

“Your friend, Orym, he said that I owed you. That you were killed for me, if not by me.”

“No no, you didn’t do anything, you couldn’t have-”

Vex raised a hand softly, cutting off Laudna’s rush of words. “It’s alright. He was correct. You lost your life because the former occupants of this castle were homicidal and cruel and wished to warn us away. Perhaps I wasn’t at fault, but that doesn’t mean I cannot feel a certain indebtedness to you, for what you lost.”

“I don’t want your pity.” Voice thick with some emotion - perhaps even tears - Laudna flinched away from the thought. It was bad enough to be standing in front of the effortlessly elegant Lady Vex’ahlia while acutely aware of the cold metal covering her ears, she didn’t want the woman to think of her as a charity case.

But Vex shook her head. “There is a difference between pity and sympathy. Perhaps even some empathy. Your life was taken from you, your family taken from you, your freedom taken from you. When I was young, my brother and I were taken from our mothers house and raised in a city that hated us. When we returned home, our mother and home had been burned, killed by a dragon. While I cannot truly imagine your pain, I can feel something for you that is not pity.”

“Well,” Laudna shuffled her feet, still not comfortable with the attention, “you’ve repaid any debt you may feel. Thank you for helping my friends - and me, of course.”

“I’m not sure that I’ll ever truly feel like that’s a debt that can be paid, but I’ll leave that under your control. Should you need help in the future, myself or my husband will aid you.” Vex paused, glancing out the window where the Sun Tree stood silhouetted against the setting sun. “We buried the other bodies when we could, treated them with dignity in death the way they weren’t afforded in life.”

Her eyes returned to Laudna’s, intense and reflecting the sun in a strangely fire-like way. “You are alive and I promise that as long as breath remains in my body or in yours, you will have an ally in Whitestone if you want it.” She smiled, breaking the intensity that had settled around them. “Though I love the city as my home, I understand why you are probably ready to leave. Shall we go join the others for dinner so that you may all find your beds sooner?”

Nodding with relief, Laudna followed the woman out of the room, feeling some strange reassurance. Though they may look somewhat similar, they were nothing alike in personality. Laudna hadn’t realized she had been afraid of the possibility, but she felt steadier on her feet knowing that she wasn’t just some copy of Vex’ahlia.

She was Laudna, formerly of Whitestone, and she was going to take her second second chance and travel far with it.

#critical role #cr spoilers #laudna #imodna #imogen temult #orym of the air ashari #bells hells #keyleth #vex'ahlia #cr fic

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erajoie07 · 7 months

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I promise to make you happy. Halbrand (ROP) x fem

૮₍ ´• ˕ •` ₎ა Summary: Brea has suffered enough in life, but will it deter her? Even if she soaked to the bone from the tain, she manages to gaze into a man's eyes and plagued her mind. Years later, that man named Halbrand is making her happy.

˙˚ଘo(∗ ❛ั ᵕ ❛ั )੭່˙ Writer's note: Whenever I write, there is always a story behind it. Nature of the writing process 😂. Anyway, I went to Tumblr to check for some fluff prompts. A few scrolls and I came across @thetopichot 's blog and found this very meaningful prompt--- “drying your lover from the rain.” Then I thought of Brea, my OC, who I believe is the most struggling character based on a character of a short story I wrote when I was younger. Poverty-driven and couldn't afford the conveniences experienced by others. The rain here in our country intensifies now that there is really a change in climate. Whenever I'm in school and it intensely rains, I always feel so stress about it, especially if I'm carrying something. So from that experience of mine and the characterizations I previously made into that original character, I incorporated my experience into Brea. I also incorporated the idea that happiness is not a destination, but something you make out of it. I hope you sympathize with the fem character here and enjoy reading. Thank you!!

꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ ♡‧₊˚ ♡

Getting caught under the horrid and torrential rain outside, one could just wish it never rained that day. Brea sticks her files close to her chest like a glue. Staying under the waiting shed still permitted raindrops to fall on her back through the cracks where the shade did not attach to the wall. The long metal seat is soaked and so is her back. However, the rain and the horrible rain will not deter her as long as her files are clean and dry.

Upon catching an open tricycle, she strategically rushed inside, her arm keeping the files dry, and her other arm flipped the plastic that covers the seating on the side front from the rain the wind moves. Like a baby, and she a mother; she longed for a car that she may feel dry and safe from the smell of the rain that engulfs the tricycle through the small cracks that seep through.

Brea gets her umbrella. Only if the passenger who sat next to her could lift the plastic for her. She tried to open her umbrella from the outside, her files resting on her lap. Her arm is soaking through her blazer. But just as she exits, she wasn't able to move the umbrella over head, pushing her head through the cover, resulting for her and the files to get rained down upon. She gasped and she cursed, Brea balances the umbrella between her neck and shoulder to get her money from her bag. But luck did not progress and her umbrella falls just as she was reaching for coins. Brea, out of spite, instantly drops the files to soak under the torrential rain. The driver was shocked, moving away from his seat and graps on them, while she flicks through her bag.

It may have shocked everyone around her or even silently laugh at her misfortune, she grabs her umbrella and her files, thanking the driver after. She steadily walks in front of a shopping mall. The jeepneys are continuously being filled with passengers on the other side where she came. Brea is soaked to the bone and she couldn't bring her umbrella down for fear of the impending stares and murmurs behind her. Brea silently waters her eyes---one blink and a huff of her shoulders and they would know she's crying. The direness of her situation makes her desire to bury her self from the pain that pricks her like needles, sharply and so painful.

The cars that rush in front of her makes her envious. In her situation, she could only afford to travel to school by tricycle or jeepney.

Brea catches a man in a polo, their eyes lingered for a moment before he turns away as he continued his walk pursuit away. In that moment, Brea opens a smile, her heart flutters when she saw him. Her mind begins to be plagued by that man and wish now that she could see him again. Maybe some day.

Halbrand has a towel in hand when she gets home, because he knows that a psrt of her is soaking from the rain. Brea looks up at Halbrand removing her bag and documents now enclosed in tight file cases, setting them on the floor. He grabs the towel from his shoulder and rubs it over her hair to dry it, making ber short hair more unruly than before.

“Your bath is ready, darling, go get changed so you can eat your meal. I'll put this away.” Halbrand instructs, lifting the bag and the files from the floor.

She gets inside the fine bath he prepared. The aroma of the vanilla washed over fills her nostrils. Brea closes her eyes to drown the feel of rain but instantly opens it when she feels Halbrand's palm on her cheek. Halbrand rests on the side of the tub.

“How was work, darling?”

Brea takes a moment, not attempting to take his caringness for granted. “The late afternoon was more than I could handle ” She finally replies--- referring to the rain that instantly poured. Halbrand places a gentle and apologetic kiss on her lips. “I'll try to fix my work schedule so I can pick you up from work.”

Brea begins to be consumed with guilt over his reply. Turning her eyes to the ripples she creates.

“Don't be guilty, Brea. It was hard for you and I'm trying to make it up to you.”

Brea looks at him, “You don't have to pick me up all the time, just when the weather is gloomy. I also want to help.”

Halbrand caresses her hair and stamps a kiss to her temple. “I just want to make you happy. I promised you that.”

“You make me happy, Halbrand. Brea holds his hand and takes it to her lips, giving a kiss to his knuckles.

The man she's eating with at the dinner table is the same amn she locked eyes with during that torrential rain in the city a few years back. Halbrand's mind's back then lingered with returning to where he saw her. The eyes that used to cry in sadness and pain, now gleam and sparkle.

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strayclown101 · 1 year

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2022 kpop recap

in light of the new year I've decided to talk all by favourite releases/groups that either came out this year ( I've also included songs i discovered this year), i won’t be including any releases I've already reviewed. in no particular order.

catch & release-H1 KEY: i found this song like a couple months ago and i love it so much, the only way i can describe is if ITZY released flip a coin by BILLIE, it’s so good.

shakalaka - dal shabat: this song is sooo good i love the instrumental it sounds glittery. i wish there were performance videos because i really wanna see the choreography.

forever 1 - SNSD: this song is so amazing, i already have a soft spot for group reunions but this song slaps, i feel like if you enjoyed queendom by red velvet or scientist and TTT by twice this song is right up your alley. also whoever was responsible for the final chorus deserves a raise for the pure amount of emotion in her voice.

designer nct 127: i love this song so much it’s so nice, i love R&B so much anyway but SM’s producers really understand the genre.

copycat - APINK CHOBOM: the vibes this song have are immaculate, there's something so nostalgic about it.

AOA: I've listened to AOA casually but i recently decided to check out their Bsides and they have so many good ones, my recommendations are: cherry pop, super duper, 10 seconds and short hair(which isn’t a b side but still bangs)

F(X): similar to aoa I've always enjoyed their music but i’ve never really dived into their discography besides title tracks my recommendations are: love, chu ♡ , mr boogie, when i’m alone and every bside off the pink tape album.

lovelyz: my recommendations are: obliviate, my little lover, babydoll and dream in a dream.

chesire - itzy: this song slapped so hard in fact the entire album was fire.

baby i miss you - 2NE1:this song is so pretty, for some reason it reminds me of new jeans like if this song was released now it would go to new jeans.

tell me- wonder girls: she bangs idk what to tell you, i’ve started listening to this song every time i do my makeup and honestly it’s changed my world view.

onlyoneof:yeah so i just realised i haven’t mentioned how much i love onlyoneof on this blog yet which is crazy because out of all the 4th gen boy groups i keep up with onlyoneof have one of my favourite discographies, they remind of NCT and stray kids because people kinda shit on them because they have experimental title tracks which is so sad because they have some of the most back arching,toe curling, eye rolling Bsides known to mankind. anyway my recommendations are: coy, fragile, Dora maar, PicassO, instinct, tear of gOd, night flight, seamless mind, gaslighting, skinz, suit dance, sage, onlyoneof you, blossom, libido and savanna.

onf:nothing but bangers, i need all of tou to stop sleeping on them immediatley, my recommendations are: dry ice, beautiful beautiful, my genesis, belle epoque, we must love, summer poem, summer rain, the dreamer and the realist (the trabsition from the dreamer to the realist legit made my draw drop)

sf9: are you are hardcore fan of taemin ? have you been missing his music since his deptare to the milatery? are you a fan of wonho? do you love spider by hoshi, limbo by jun and pose by kino? then i have just the boy group for you, my recommendations are: fire, savour, trauma, good guy, scenario, now or never, summer breeze, tear drop(it sounds like a boy group version of panorama) and their cover of taemins move.

ciipher:are you a stay? are your favourite stray kid songs awkward silence,gone days and get cool? THEN STAN CIIPHER my recommendations are: i like you, solo, fire, blind, moon night, fame, you and stay.

mirae: DO IT FOR DONGPYO but for real my recommendations are: drip drop,juice, killa, snow prince and marvelous.

bae173:please their so good, song recommendations : crush on you, loved you, jaws, DaSH, GET HIM ugh.

TAN:if you like exo or seventeen then stan tan immediately my recimindations are: du du du: beautiful lie, walking on the moon, sing with you and midnight.

tfn: atp i feel like nugupromoter but for boygroups if you like cravity or treasure my recommendations are: asuabalbalta, edelwiess, run up and when the sun goes down.

Anyway I’m gonna end it here, wow this really got away from me, I might start doing this monthly or something anyway I hope you enjoyed this, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! :) bye

#h1 key #dal shabet #snsd #girl generation #nct 127 #apink #apink chobom #aoa #f(x)#lovelyz #itzy #2ne1 #onlyoneof #onf #wonder girls #sf9 #ciipher #mirae #bae173 #tan #tfn

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happysadyoyo · 2 years

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Oh my gosh you do tarot?? Icarus has anyone told you you’re awesome lol

Anyway, I seem to be getting a definite answer for this one but I want to double check it cause anxiety: Is my goal achievable?

Oh, uh goal anon cause I want to clairify:

Is my goal achievable, and is something holding me back?

Thanks!

weeps softly in no tarot mat and shitty lighting

Okay so for your reading I used this spread:

So from here let's go

Goal: 10 of Eyes (Upright) -- This card is about seeing, unblinking, roasting in the sun. With trouble, it's especially easy to find, and you can't turn off the critical thoughts going through your mind. You can't control or know everything that's ever going to happen. That's just asking for you to get hurt.

Issue: The Smoking Death (Reverse) -- Uh quick note of the photo, I didn't know which side was the front and thought it was the 2 of Swords. It's not. But anyway, The Smoking Death is a card about cycles of change that we put into action. How we do something impacts its ending. The reverse of this card is self destruction. That nothing we do matters because we die in the end anyway, but consequences usually catch up to us before that happens.

Issue: The Moon (Reverse) -- This card is a card of illusion and deception, where truth is often hidden within lies. The reverse of this is a heavy burden. Things seem uncertain, and everyone has the answers but aren't sharing. You're already lost.

Primary Strength: The Page of Wands (Reverse) -- This is a card of fire and energy, eagerness to start. In reverse, there's the possibility of running into situations you aren't quite ready for

Primary Weakness: The Hawkmoth (Upright) -- A cycle is coming to an end, and you're uncertain of where you're going. It's a card of change, but you have to trust what you're going through is leading you to where you're meant to be.

Outcome: The Black/White Candle (Black): A card of rituals. It's double sided so I flip a coin to determine which color to lay face up. In this case it was heads, so black. The black candle is a more significant candle, focused on heavy shit. Foundational rituals of your life sort of shit.

So, my interpretation of this spread is you're currently overanalyzing the situation, paralyzing yourself in fear. If this is a goal that's on a time table, you're losing it rapidly -- hence the self destruction. And like with any plans of the future, it's fucking scary to get started. Especially if you don't have someone helping you along.

I get that. It's what I did going through to get an art degree.

The good thing is you got a lot of energy and passion to get started, but if you rush too quickly into things you'll burn yourself out and get disappointed. It doesn't look like the goal you're seeking is something that can be done quickly, and there's plenty of risk, so it's advised to take your time and not treat a setback like the end of the world.

The candle means this is something that's probably deeply important to you. Foundational even. Something you may be able to build the rest of your life around if you succeed.

So my reading of the cards is yes, your goal is achievable. It's going to be scary to get started, but you're going to hurt yourself or lose your chance if you keep waiting. It's also a good idea to make sure you have plans for when you hit setbacks. Moderate your emotions and realize that you won't be able to do it all at once. Let that passion burn low and steady instead of flaring up and disappearing at the first rough patch.

I hope this helps. :)

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kidmachinate · 6 months

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Two Sides

Light and dark, good and evil. That's things people like to hear about. Certainly people don't want to hear about the literal two sides of a coin. Some of the most recent two sides of the coin one could say would be quiet quitting and quiet firing. While I understand the use of these terms, like most new made up terms, these things were happening already. We just have buzzwords for them now.

Quiet Quitting can be unfair to a company, assuming the company is good. The employee chooses out of nowhere to simply do the bare minimum. To a company this looks bad. How dare they do what they are supposed to do for the amount of time they are supposed to do it and then leave on time. They literally decide to do their job...and that's it. No more, no less. There's technically nothing wrong with this but just don't expect to get promoted when doing so. The only part that truly makes it unfair is where the quitting part comes in. Alongside doing what is required, it is done in silence. They will provide next to no input things, keep to themselves, look for the next role, and then just up and go. This is also pretty much the default state for many my age as stability is hard to find at times. We like this. We get toTake the Power Back"as they say. This is harder to do in a role where metrics come into play. Everyone has them to some extent, but sales roles or money driven companies all about their KPIs are probably gonna flip the switch.

The other side of this coin blindsides the employee. You get denied a promotion, a role switch, or assigned a role you didn't ask for. A complete turnaround you aren't expecting. Before you know it, a lot is changing...but it is to force you out. Quiet Firing. Why do we need buzzwords for this stuff? It was already happening. Anyway...all changes and even if you were trying to go because you see the writing on the wall, they want to be the ones to put you out...except if YOU quit, no unemployment or severance for you. Even if they eventually cave and fire you, even after putting you in crap work conditions, keep in mind there are sneaky aspects to this as well. Severance is basically hush money and who can blame anyone for taking it...but the company gets to avoid guilt and/or not be out in a bad light by a disgruntled employee. People like to toss around the word gaslighting a lot when it comes to abusive relationships but work counts too. Your boss or other authority figures can very much make you feel crazy for your valid concerns.

Both situations are a bit uncomfortable and I'm not on the side of a company really, unless they are truly one of the good ones, or the only way to know 100% is if you're the one in charge of the company and hopefully you don't do the same thing to others. The point really, as many things or people can have two sides to them, you only focus on your two sides. Do you let yet another setback, caused by you or not, turn you into a caring and or determined person, or does it turn you bitter and resentful. I recall a particular role in which I was given the chance to shine before a shift in management. One where I was able to manage for a bit. I liked having a team and helping them along their path because a year before then, I was on the same one. I didn't forget where I came from. Didn't just bark orders and expect my team to cover up my for shortcomings, or take credit for what they did. Didn't want to show two sides. Just the humble one that got me into a good place to begin with. Money itself isn't evil it's the people that use the tool, which then choose whether to be a good or bad person with it. Even life or death is two sides.

The whole premise behind this page is to keep choosing the former against all odds and not have each and every post made be the last, unless we choose it to be. Then we make new stories, even if not told here.

#two sides of a coin #life #jobs #career #gaslighting #work abuse #quiet quitting #quiet firing

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survivorraccooncity2 · 2 years

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Episode 10: "I am still letting MJ and Clefford run the game. I don't mind it." ~Ariel

LINKS:

Challenge: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/survivorraccooncity2/687889417999892480?source=share

Results: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/survivorraccooncity2/687972914456412160?source=share

Tribal Council: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/survivorraccooncity2/688070624382517248?source=share

CONFESSIONALS:

Ariel

wait, already at round 10? did I miss a confessional? Aghhhh anyway. I now have a time to do a proper confessional so here we go. Last round, I would have wanted Els to go, cause I still stand that having Ava, Adeline and Els still in the game is quite dangerous. Like, if my suspicions are right, the 3 of them is such a powerful alliance. Like, no cap, they would be like the Black Widow Brigade alliance of stings. Aside from that, I like DJ too, and I know I could have work with him down the line. I really feel bad letting him go. It's too bad he ends up on the wrong side. I can't fight to keep him that hard too cause again I am playing just a goat and I don't want them paying attention to me. Anyway, I still have Clefford and I think I got Dominique too, at this point, this is my ideal final 3. I think I have a fair chance against them. But it's too early to talk about that, so how about we talk about the challenge? TOUCHY SUBJECTS. Ooouccch, it bring backs memories. Lol, I am missing my flipper bestie Melissa, extra this round. I swear if this people still thinks I am flipper, I will be changing my profile name to Flipper. That sounds cooler than Ariel anyway. Lol. Anyway, so we now have Julia and Els the remaining outsider. I feel like they are just playing us that they don't get a long but I have a strong vibe that they can actually flip this game with Ava and Adeline, and then they would just need another one maybe with Dominique or MJ and Zukiswa. I'm not sure, but it would not surprise me, cause again, I know they are such a strong players, and strong players pull out amazing gameplays. Honestly, I would be amaze if that happens, like that is such a good gameplay for them. Also I will be mad at Clefford if that happens cause Clefford keeps insisting they will never work together. Right now I am just trusting Clefford with that. I am still letting MJ and Clefford run the game. I don't mind it. Anyway I still need to play dumb. And just be cool. I am actually scared cause I am talking strategy with Dominique right now about voting out MJ or Zukiswa, and I don't trust Dominique a 100%. Lol. Dominique has like hundreds of alliances. Like 90% of my alliance group chat has Dominique in it. Who knows how many alliances she actually have. By the way, I forgot to put some catchy phrases on my confessionals. How am I gonna have an episode title now??? huhuhuhuhu I think that is it for now. I hope I have given you enough tea. Bye. Amping.

Clefford

We're breaking up the “alliance” of Adeline, Ava, and Els. We think that they're working together. We told the majority 7 that we're voting for Julia, but MJ, Zuki, and I decided that we should blindside Els. Ariel and Dom also agreed.

right now I’m not settled to give a confessional, there’s a lot going on in my head because I don’t have a decided plan yet. I should cool off in the next two hours and know what I’m gonna do. So I’ll probably be back to give a detailed confession from my point of view. There’s definitely a lot happening! And I haven’t been so sensitive and alert in this game as I feel now.

Adeline

Had a long talk with Julia while deciding on summit coins. who is unfortunately at the bottom at the moment. MJ asked if i sent her the 4 coins, i said Julia and i both decided on it. And she asked me to work with her going forward

Dom

Things are getting interesting in the game and alliances are going to start being broken day by day. The question remains who do I work with? Who can I trust? As of right now I can only somewhat trust ariel, clefford mj and zukiswa... but that doesn't mean it won't be me.

Ava

https://youtu.be/6HrXMendofI

Welcome back lol! I don’t know why everywhere and everyone is completely quiet today 😅 the last time I got this feeling of quietness was when I was on the chopping board lol! 😅 there’s no moment that I’m not alert and I’ve definitely thought about what if everyone decides to blindside me today, what will I do? Lmao. I think so far I have a safe landing with most members of the tribe and my name shouldn’t be out at least for this round. Now let’s re-wind!!!!! DJ was voted out 😅😅😅😅😅 that was such a calming moment lol. I told him he’s going so it wasn’t an issue of blindside, we just laughed and gisted over it. Plus, I loved the fact that he was out. He wasn’t 100% true to our budding alliance and I’m happy the game took him out seamlessly without any extra effort to perform lol. That tribal was so straight forward lol. Gosh!! Now to the present!!!! Who will win if gotten to the F3? MJ Who is actually running the game ? MJ who’s the vallian? MJ SUMMARINGLY, who is the biggest threat? MJ 😅 My next move isn’t to keep quiet or to play low. From now till the final tribal, I’ll play the game as though my name is always on the chopping board. My biggest move yet would have been taking Ava out tonight but the co-majority wasn’t just seeing it that way. I could have pushed further but I’ve also learnt to respect their decisions before I appear controlling which is the least vibe I wanna pass. I have a little connection with Ava & Adeline and I only hope after Els is gone tonight (that’s if she goes), they won’t turn to me. That was why I think taking Ava out will be a major blindside leaving Els and Adeline with little choice. Now, I’m good with voting out Els. I’m just here crossing my fingers and hoping that I don’t loose any of my major alliance tonight. (Clefford or Zuki). ❤️ & 💡

Zukiswa

This round was a mess. I just have renewed commitment to my alliance. I've not even had time to properly analyze the challange and what people say about me and each other.

Julia

After this challenge, I felt somewhat deflated. So the correct answers came from the personal reflections and the ‘what you thought others thought’ were most likely gleaned from conversations people had with each other. First, there were some surprises – like being assumed a hero and a villain. I don’t see myself as either. The ‘hero’ – maybe because I try to help people even to the point of putting them ahead of me. But the ‘villain.’ What!!! Why??? But its also kinda nice to be both to others. True, I don’t keep secrets. Especially my own. I really don’t have them. I enjoy being transparent. But some things I shared as part of game play when it came to others which everyone definitely did! So why did some say I can’t keep a secret? A few of the more interesting results was the response to who is on the bottom of the tribe…. My name was mentioned five times! But I was 1 of 4 people… I was surprised to see Els there…go figure. Yet, people, Zukiswa, in particular, was gaslighting me so hard it was hilarious. It began with how “gorgeous” my skin was in the video, it was “glowing,” to how I’m really “playiiiiing’ the game – neither of which was true. So, I was pretty sure she was using deception and manipulation to control me and know what I was thinking. So I just chatted with her – and I chat too much – I realize that – but do it anyway. Maybe its why people didn’t want to ally with me. Maybe people saw something sinister and shady in that quality. Its either I must be hiding something or I’m an open book and because I’m not ‘playing the game’ I ‘don’t deserve to be here and I’m ‘most likely to flip on my allies.’ Only on my once allies who turn on me. My sister once said that I “write books” in my texts. Once upon a time, she found them annoying. Now, she finds them precious, funny and interesting. I guess I’m an acquired taste – or not. Zukiswa didn’t realize I suspected her of trying to manipulate her, but I knew she was faking, especially when she said, that after winning 2 challenges, people were going to want to work with me; that they were scared of me, but she wasn’t. And no one sidled up to me really in a sincere way. So some people think, that some people think that I don’t deserve to be here. I think that some people worry that I might accidently save myself and then they’ve nothing left but to turn on each other. That would be juicy. Hmmm… ‘most likely to be a bitter juror…’ Wow… I wouldn’t be here today if bitterness was my M.O. Plus, that requires more energy than most people are worth. I should’ve told Zukiswa, my skin is so soft and luminous because I’m least likely to be a bitter juror and I’m not a gaslighting, backstabbing liar! And lastly – who would die first in a zombie apocalypse… how ironic that both Adeline and myself who were most likely to die first, are actually still here and were last nights winner (Adeline) and Summit Leaders. I thought that very interesting too. Perhaps they thought I would stop and have a long conversation with the zombies, or share my contact info and tell them my innermost thoughts…. or give them a helping hand in catching their next dinner and support them in voting someone off, or … oh hey – that sounds like Survivor Raccoon City – the Zombie Apocalypse is Here! Too bad you didn’t ask, ‘Who do you think no longer wants to be here.’ Even I would’ve answered: ‘Julia’…. But, like much else people have said in Touchy Subjects, even thats not entirely true

Els

Unfortunately the time has come for me to vote Julia :(

NOTES:

The alliance of MJ, Clifford, and Zukiswa have their sights on Julia next

Clefford is now thinking of voting for Ava or Els because he thinks they are working together and see MJ and him as a threat

Ariel proposes to do Julia in the majority alliance chat

Clefford talks in his alliance with Zukiswa and MJ about how they should “blindside” Els this round. Presumably, he will leave out Adeline and Ava on this plan and only bring in Ariel and Dom. He is now working towards getting his core 5 idea planned out and started.

MJ still tries to push for Julia to go, but is willing to just defer to Clefford

Dom and Ariel are on board to vote out Els

The plan is to blindside Ava and Adeline

EDGIC:

POWER RANKINGS:

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kyufilms · 2 years

Text

ㅤㅤ⌗ kanemoto yoshinori ―︎ over & over

synopsis ―︎ in which you’ll always be able to count on the fact that you can find comfort in your best friend, over and over again.

wc + genre + pairing + warnings ―︎ 4.5k words worth of angst and fluff for a bittersweet, one-sided love. best friend!yoshi x gn!reader. not proofread. lowercase intended. i think i was a little too mean o.o (i won’t say the exact trope, but if you want to, you could check the tags for some clarification at the end!! idk how well i actually executed the intended concept, so i thought i’d throw the explanation in just incase).

request ―︎ jules 🥺 i love your work 💙 could i please request an angst imagine for yoshi from treasure? maybe with the concept of best friend!yoshi too?

director’s notes ―︎ AHHHHH!!! i’ve had this idea in my mind for months & even talked about the concept with loki a little while back, so i was really excited to be writing this even though it makes me sad </3 it turned into more of a fic than an imagine lmao. the whole idea is heavily inspired by the song ‘let’s fall in love for the night’ by finneas, but i specifically got inspired after listening to this cover by junny :] there may or may not be a few elements of the fic inspired by ‘best friend’ by rex orange county as well, since i had that & junny’s lfilftn cover looped back to back as i wrote. also! yoshi was almost in reader’s situation, but i actually couldn’t decide whether i wanted yoshi to be person a or person b in terms of the plot, so i flipped a coin to choose how it would go for me :3 anyways, i’m not sure how happy i am with this, but i hope you like it anyways anon <3 im so sorry

ㅤ

kanemoto yoshinori couldn’t remember how much time had passed since the first time he told you that he loved you.

maybe it’d been a few weeks. maybe a few months had passed. for all he knew, it could’ve been a little over a year now. maybe two. if he was being honest, he could no longer keep count of the days going by. everything always felt like a blur to him.

if you asked him how long he’d loved you, he’d say he wasn’t sure. falling in love with you was never his plan, but it happened before he even realized it, and when he finally did, he didn’t want to stop. it’s not like he could’ve, anyways. even if he wanted to.

maybe knowing how much time had passed was no longer all that important.

after all, you were his best friend. all that really mattered to him was nothing would change between you two. having you by his side was all the comfort yoshi could ever ask for.

ㅤ ⇌︎

it was 08:31 on a sunday night when notifications illuminated up the once-dark screen of your best friend’s phone, indicating new messages from you. it was almost as if he knew it was you before he even checked the text. it hadn’t even taken thirty seconds for yoshi to come running in from another room when he heard the soft ping of his phone.

08:31 pm | y/n 🌱

they broke up with me.

we got into another fight because they kept telling me to stop hanging around you

and then they told me that they were done with my bullshit because they were tired of me putting you before them

they said that they finally found somebody else

and then they broke up with me.

the second he read the messages, it was as if he was on autopilot, bumbling around the living room in search of his wallet & keys. he found himself forcing on his shoes and grabbing one of his hoodies from the coat closet. he didn’t even bother pulling it on, opting to clutch it in his hand instead. he was rushing to you, nearly forgetting to lock the door on his way out of his apartment.

you saw the three little dots pop up within two minutes of hitting send on your last message to him, his responses hard to read as the tears in your eyes blurred your vision.

08:32 | yoshinori ☁️

don’t go anywhere

i’ll be there in 25

ㅤ ⇌︎

though yoshi said it’d take twenty-five minutes to get to you, it actually only took fifteen. he may or may not have been going a little bit over the speed limit here and there, and he really shouldn’t have been, but in his eyes, a little bit of trouble was worth it.

you were worth it. always.

you couldn’t remember opening the door to let him in. all you knew was you were sobbing one moment, and the next, he was stepping through the threshold of your front door, pulling you into his arms so you could cry your eyes out as much as you wanted to.

“it’s gonna okay,” he mumbled, rubbing your back as your tears began to form a spot on his shirt. “they’re an idiot. a jealous idiot. fuck what they say; they don’t deserve you, y/n.”

there was a little pang in your chest that hit you as your best friend spoke; you couldn’t even respond. instead, you found yourself hugging yoshi tighter as you tried to bury your head further into his chest, too upset to pull yourself together.

“it’s alright, i’ve got you.”

you’re not quite sure how long you stood there, sobbing in his arms as though you were in hysterics. it could’ve been anywhere from a few more seconds to an entire hour later, but he didn’t mind it at all.

yoshi always knew how to comfort you. he’d never judge you for being frustrated or upset; instead, he’d rather hold your hand and listen to you get everything out of your system. if you didn’t want to talk, that was alright too. he didn’t mind the silence; he just wanted to be there.

he just wanted to make sure you knew you weren’t alone.

“you can let it out, i’m right here. i’m not going anywhere.”

ㅤ ⇌︎

when you had calmed down enough to pull yourself away from your best friend’s grasp, he guided you over to your couch, making sure you were comfortable before he excused himself for a moment.

curiously, you watched as the red-haired boy busied himself, running back and forth down the hall once or twice, even popping into the kitchen. he was back within all of two minutes, a blanket, your favourite stuffed animal, and two spoons to go along with the emergency tub of your favourite ice cream in his arms.

you didn’t remember telling him where everything was, but you figured he must’ve known you too well & it just slipped your mind.

he didn’t say anything as he began putting things onto the coffee table to free up his hands. instead, he simply laid the blanket over you and placed the stuffed animal by your side. the hoodie that he’d brought along with him reappeared as well, resting in your lap a moment after he passed it over.

only then did yoshi reach for the spoons and the ice cream tub, making himself comfortable as he sat opposite of you in order to see your face. he found that you were still watching him curiously, so he finally spoke up.

“did you wanna talk about it? or would you rather we just binge through one of your favourite shows and eat this entire tub?” he asked, holding it up with a small, comforting smile.

only kanemoto yoshinori could make you laugh despite being in tears mere minutes before, even if it was only a soft giggle.

so with that, you tugged on the hoodie that had previously laid in your lap, beckoning the boy across from you to scoot closer so he could share the blanket.

ㅤ ⇌︎

“don’t you have to leave soon?” you asked softly, your head resting upon your best friend’s shoulder.

“no. not if you don’t want me to,” he replied, lightly squeezing you into a side hug as he rubbed your arm comfortingly. “are you feeling any better?”

“if i said yes, would you believe me?” you joked, reaching for his hand. you still felt shitty, but something about yoshi’s presence comforted you. the idea of him simply being there already made you feel a little bit lighter than before.

sometimes, it felt like the red-haired boy next to you was the only person in the world who understood you, but that wasn’t a bad thing. whenever the thought crossed your mind, it made sense to you; he was there for you through thick & thin.

everything was just so easy when it came to him; there was no reason to argue. you had your opinions, he had his, and even despite some of your differences, at the end of the day, you not only felt respected, but you felt seen.

“let’s take a drive,” he changed the topic. “we don’t have to go anywhere in particular. we could just get something to eat and drive around until you feel okay, yeah?”

“i’d like that,” you smiled softly, picking your head up from his shoulder and taking his hand as he pulled you up from the comfort of the couch.

ㅤ ⇌︎

a few hours would pass before you made it back home from the drive, but it’s not like the two of you had much to do anyway.

“thank you for cheering me up,” you spoke up gently, your tone barely audible as you focused your eyes on the last stoplight before the two of you would reach your house.

“it’s nothing,” he shrugged, stealing an unnoticed glance at you as the two of you waited for the light to flicker from red to green.

you were ethereal in his eyes. sure, you weren’t wearing anything fancy, and maybe your eyes were a little red & puffy from crying earlier, but it wouldn’t change his opinion of you. he’d grown to love every little thing about you, even outside of your looks.

he loved that you were the type to stop while you were out & rush over to pet every dog that you could if you were given a chance.

he loved that you were the type to text him the dumbest jokes at three in the morning, just because it made you laugh like a fool and you wanted to share something you thought was funny.

he loved that you would never lie to him, even if you wanted to. you were always honest with him, and though you could sound blunt or sarcastic at times, he appreciated it. frankly, it made him feel like you were comfortable with him.

for every little quirk you had, yoshi had found a reason to love you.

“i just don’t like seeing you sad,” he added onto his previous words, pulling his gaze off you after a moment. he still worried for you, knowing how bad you were probably hurting after everything that happened.

yet, even when you were sad, he couldn’t help but adore you.

ㅤ ⇌︎

“it’s really late. are you sure you don’t wanna just stay over?”

it was 03:52 in the morning, but you couldn’t really understand why he was so insistent on leaving at first. you couldn’t explain why, but you were somewhat sad that he was leaving; it was like a part of you knew something was off, but it didn’t make sense to you.

you’d see him tomorrow, right?

“it’s alright,” he smiled reassuringly as he stood in the doorway, “i have a few things i still need to sort through at home anyways. if you need anything though, you know you can always call me.”

the door to your house was half-closing when you found yourself reaching for the handle and stopping it before it could shut completely. the next thing you knew, you were outside, standing right behind the boy who had frozen in his place.

“hey, is everything alright?” you called after him gently, “i know i probably should’ve asked you sooner, but i just wanted to check. i was a little distracted when you were busy cheering me up earlier, but now that i think about it, you seem a little down.”

if there was one thing in the world you hated, it was liars.

you mentioned it several times before. you would rather be hurt upfront by the people you care about most instead of having them spare you the pain with a teeny little lie. at least then, even if they hurt you, you could convince yourself that you’d learn to cope.

when your best friend turned around to face you, something was off, but you didn’t know what, and unluckily for you, the boy that stood across from you was one hell of an actor at times.

“i’m alright, y/n,” he relaxed a little, giving you another one of his signature reassuring smiles. “really, i was just worried about you.”

if you could curse him and that smile of his, you probably would. you’d never admit it, and you might not even know it yourself, but you had a weak spot when it came to him.

yoshi always knew how to reassure you; it was like a double-edged sword, both a gift and a flaw.

“okay,” you let your hands find their way into the pocket of his hoodie that you had yet to take off. “you’d tell me if something else was bothering you, right? this friendship thing works two ways, you know.”

the sound of his laughter at the words you said had been enough to make you smile subconsciously. maybe you were overthinking things. you had a long day, after all.

“of course i would. you’re my best friend, after all.”

“you promise?” it was as if you were under a spell. you don’t know what prompted you to ask him that question; you didn’t even realize what you’d said until he answered.

“i promise.”

the pressure that built up in your chest had completely vanished by then, and before you knew it, you were smiling like a fool and wrapping your arm around his torso. “alright, i know it’s late and you’re gonna tease me for being sappy, so i won’t keep you here any longer,” you joked, squeezing him lightly before pulling away. “text me when you get home, just so i know, okay?”

“i will.”

“goodnight, i love you,” you grinned, laughing softly as you turned around to walk back to your door.

the random ‘i love you’ that you had thrown in at the end of your sentence was meant to be harmless.

while your best friend wasn’t really one to say it, you, on the other hand, expressed it freely. over the years you’d known him, you figured he was just careful about saying it back, so you didn’t ask questions. it never seemed to do any damage before, and the fact that yoshi never really said it back hadn’t affected you much either.

something about that night was different.

if you had just stayed looking in his direction a few more seconds, maybe you would’ve seen it; the way he froze all over again as if he didn’t see it coming.

unfortunately for you, your timing seemed to be off, and as you turned around once you stepped foot in the doorway, he snapped himself out of whatever trance he was in.

there was a smile on his face, but if you’d seen it, you couldn’t be sure if it was to reassure you or himself. he could mask his mixed emotions all he wanted, but the usual softness of his gaze wouldn’t quite reach his eyes the same way it usually would.

he knew something you didn’t.

“goodnight, y/n. i love you.”

ㅤ ⇌︎

when yoshi woke up in his apartment hours later, a single thought crossed his mind.

maybe this time would be different.

a mix of hopefulness and uneasiness bubbling up inside him left him too nervous to check his phone. he didn’t dare look for the hoodie he left behind with you, nor did he turn on the news or check the calendar to be sure of the day’s date.

he was scared.

while he hoped that things would be different, he was downright terrified of what would happen if his hopes came true.

perhaps he should’ve thrown all caution to the wind.

maybe if he didn’t overthink everything, he’d stop hoping he’d see you sooner & actually do something about it. as luck would have it though, yoshi was careful. perhaps a little too careful.

he’d force himself to wait and see if he was right.

ㅤ ⇌︎

the hours seemed to go by at the slowest rate.

when the red-haired boy finally allowed himself to leave his bedroom, the sun was no longer in the sky. instead, a dark blue hue painted the endless sights above his head, the color continuing to fade away over time.

08:21 pm.

the silence that filled the air only thickened as the minutes seemed to count down, but the thoughts running through yoshi’s mind were too loud to ignore.

what would happen to the two of you afterwards?

would things stay the same?

if something changed, would it be for better or for worse?

the loudest thought of all, however, was the one that had worried him the most.

would he lose you for good if you found out?

08:29 pm.

he didn’t want to risk losing you. he couldn’t.

you were all he’d known and all he ever wanted.

how was he supposed to let you go if things didn’t go right?

08:31 pm.

the familiar chime that indicated notifications brought the boy out of his thoughts before he could think any further, and when he realized what had happened, he froze for a second.

walking out to the living room with a hint of speed in his steps, he slowed as he approached the coffee table where his phone lay. the screen lit up as the notifications rolled in, and at the top of the bubbles, he saw the familiar letters that formed your name.

the feeling or realization that had hit him in the moment was confusing. yoshi wasn’t really sure what he should have felt when everything clicked.

he’d gotten his hopes up only to scare himself into overthinking, but with the way things had turned out, it seemed he shouldn’t have done either.

he was relieved, but he was also disappointed.

regardless, his feet moved on autopilot once more as he picked up his phone to respond to you. he’d found his wallet sandwiched between the couch cushions in it’s usual place, and his keys were on the edge of the kitchen counter.

he wasn’t sure how many times this moment had actually passed, but it was enough to be etched into his memory. he already knew where everything was; he didn’t even have to look up to gather his things.

still, a small part of him wished that the universe was playing tricks, thinking that maybe, just maybe, when he opened the door to the coat closet, there’d be some kind of indication that things had worked out in the way he had hoped.

maybe the world is against me, he decided, feeling that small part of him crumble down into nothing in mere seconds. he knew that he should have expected this to happen by now, but still, he let himself get his hopes up.

pulling out the same hoodie he’d left with you the night before, he clutched onto the fabric in one hand as he opened the text conversation & typed out the same reply.

08:32 | yoshinori ☁️

don’t go anywhere

i’ll be there in 25

ㅤ ⇌︎

“i thought you didn’t even know this artist,” you piped up, “how do you know every line to this song?”

the smallest hint of a smile found itself creeping onto your face as you relaxed into the passenger’s seat of yoshi’s car. it was just past eleven in the evening when he suggested that you take a drive to get your mind off of things.

you, for one, had no clue where you were, not even sure what direction you’d been going in anymore. then again, it made sense; you’d been distracted.

the car ride felt too quiet, but you didn’t really want to talk about things anymore. most of the stuff you needed out of your system had already been covered when you talked earlier. so, instead of making conversation, you reached for your phone, scrolling through your music app as the bluetooth connected you to the speakers.

“i guess i must’ve heard it somewhere,” the boy across from you spoke softly, a small smile on his face as he hummed along to the fading outro of the song.

you shook your head in disbelief, even letting out a small laugh as you let your gaze shift back to the window. “you’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

“maybe you’re just a little late when it comes to noticing things,” he teased lightheartedly, ignoring the bittersweet twinge he felt in his chest.

he was glad to see you feeling better, but the fact that he was the reason behind it only amplified the fluttery feeling in his chest.

ㅤ ⇌︎

you let out a sigh as you fell back onto your couch when the two of you had returned from the late-night drive. “do you think i should just call in sick for work?”

you both knew exactly why you asked that question. it made sense, considering the fact that your now-ex worked in the same place as you. you’d much rather lock yourself in your room and never come out, not even wanting to think about what your ex might say about it.

unluckily for you, work was work, and you couldn’t just hide away forever, even if yoshi couldn’t help but tell you what you wanted to hear. he always caved when it came to you.

“if you want to,” he shrugged, “it’s late, and you have an early shift, but if you ask me, you deserve the break.”

“i like the way you think,” you teased, a smile tugging at your lips as you gave him a look. “what time is it?”

“time for you to get some rest,” he responded, laughing a little bit when you scrunched your face up at his light sarcasm. “it’s a little over half-past three in the morning. almost four.”

“we were out that long?” your eyes widened, not realizing how long the two of you had been out on your drive. “it barely felt like an hour to me.”

a nod from your best friend confirmed your surprise as you sat up a little bit, still confused as to how it felt like you had lost so much time. it felt too short.

yoshi would probably agree with you on that.

despite how many times he’d lived through the same scenarios, he couldn’t deny that he wished he could spend more time with you. whenever he was by your side, time seemed to pass even faster than it usually did.

perhaps that’s why he wasn’t sure how much time had passed since then; he could no longer keep track of how many times he’d been stuck reliving that same night over and over.

the night when he told you he loved you for the first time.

ㅤ ⇌︎

“it’s really late. are you sure you don’t wanna just stay over?”

the same words you usually said each time had etched themselves into yoshi’s head, along with a number of other things. he could essentially recite the entire day & night’s events.

it wasn’t always exact. sometimes, little bits and pieces changed. sometimes you didn’t say certain things or make certain decisions, but most of your words and actions stayed the same.

not that you would know that, of course.

yoshi, on the other hand, had relived the day enough to know it was practically pointless doing anything else. there was a time when he would go through the same events, only changing a detail or two to see if it would change anything.

he couldn’t count how many times he’d switched his approach to things anymore. the minor details turned into major details, and if he was asked, he’d probably swear that he was stuck at that point in time forever.

no matter what happened, when 08:31 pm rolled around, your text messages would appear on the screen of his phone and he’d be rushing out of his apartment to get to you.

no matter what happened, he’d still be wishing you goodnight as he stood at your doorstep at 03:52 in the morning, telling you that he loved you for what would appear to be the first time.

no matter what happened, you’d still assume he meant that he loved you platonically. he’d still drive himself home, not bothering to correct you in fear of losing you.

the end result always seemed to have the exact same outcome.

“it’s alright, i have a few things i still need to sort through at home anyways. if you need anything though, you know you can always call me.”

you’d heard the exact same words god knows how many times now, but you’d never know it.

“wait,” you called out, stepping past the threshold of your front door for the umpteenth time.

he already expected you to stop him, but he couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter as your arms wrapped around his torso in a tight grip. he was weak when it came to you.

“thank you for being here when i needed you most,” you mumbled, the familiar feeling of tears pricking your eyes causing you hide your face away in his chest out of embarrassment. “if i’m honest, i don’t know what i’d do without you.”

“i’ll always be here for you,” he mumbled back, pressing a kiss to your forehead as he held you in his arms for a moment. he needed to say it, even if you’d forget his words in the next few hours. he needed you to know. “always. you know that.”

when you pulled back from the hug, you giggled a little bit. maybe you were tired, maybe you were laughing at yourself, but regardless, you felt shy. “i must look like an idiot right now, huh?”

“of course not,” he replied, moving one of his hands up so he could gently wipe the tears off of your face.

“i don’t like liars,” you teased, though you still avoided his eyes as you tried to collect yourself. “i should let you go now, hm?”

when you looked up at him, he couldn’t find it in himself to respond; all he could do was give you one of his signature smiles of reassurance.

you caught him off guard when you pulled him back into your grasp. your grip was a little tighter this time, as if you were holding on like you were scared he’d disappear. you only seemed to surprise him even more when you spoke up with slightly muffled words.

“goodnight, i love you.”

two nights in a row, you said it first. that was new.

he knew that the chances of things going back to normal were low. the universe had given him a clear message; he wouldn’t be able to move forward from then on, no matter what he did. he was stuck in the same series of events without any idea as to how he could end the cycle.

“goodnight, y/n. i love you.”

those last three words felt like a kick to the stomach every time he said them. it felt was like someone was playing a cruel joke on him.

a part of him wanted to explain; to make it completely clear that he loved you the way he did. he couldn’t even put it into words sometimes, but another part of him was glad he could never the courage to explain his true feelings to you.

he couldn’t find it in himself to risk losing you, so he didn’t dare to try, even if it meant that you would know how he really felt. he’d never forgive himself if he allowed you to slip right through his fingers and walk out of his life, so he’d bite his tongue and keep his mouth shut.

you were all he’d known and all he ever wanted.

it had taken him years to muster up the courage to tell you that, only for you to think he meant it as nothing more than a friend.

that’s what he was, after all ―︎ your best friend.

perhaps you’d forgive him for lying to you in another life.

perhaps kanemoto yoshinori was a fool for getting his hopes up.

treasure taglist | @rutowonz @acaiasahi @yogurteume @koishua @enhacolor (fill out the ‘membership club’ form in my pinned post to join!)

© kyufilms | please refrain from copying, translating, or reposting any of my works, regardless of whether or not it’s within or outside of this website. the content that i write is strictly fictional & made for entertainment purposes only.

#🎞 ᯓ treasure productions | theatre iii ―︎ kanemoto yoshinori #treasure imagines #treasure scenarios #yoshi #yoshinori #kanemoto yoshinori #yoshi imagines #yoshinori imagines #yoshi scenarios #yoshinori scenarios #yoshi x reader #yoshi angst #treasure #treasure angst #treasure yoshi #📨 ᯓ requested #it’s a time loop au btw! i usually don’t leave the exact trope out of the description (i think) but i did it for the element of surprise lol #i tried to make it a little more obvious as it went on but it was hard to project my words in the way i wanted #sorry for any confusion!

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fuckallthegood0nesweretaken · 3 years

Text

Sandor x Reader - Sellsword

Title: Sellsword

Words: 3208

Warnings: Strong language, allusions to sex, arguing, reader almost sleeps with a (female) prostitute

A/N: I tried writing this as a smut piece, but I couldn’t do it. Maybe in the future if people want it, I’ll make a small part two with smut.

Sandor Masterlist

Game of Thrones Masterlist

Masterlist

~~~~~~~

When Sandor first saw you, he had to contain his shock. He hadn’t seen a female sellsword in years and you showed up at the Red Keep escorting Tyrion Lannister, a horde of Hill tribesmen behind you. You looked confident, a slight smirk on your face and your hand on the hilt of your sword. Sandor fought not to look at you for too long, but you had no qualms about looking at him.

You knew exactly who he was without hearing his name. When you saw him look at you from the corner of your eye, you winked at him. His eyes widened slightly and you bit back a laugh as he looked away from you.

“I wish I could stay and celebrate with you, but I have work to do,” Tyrion said. You took that as your cue to follow Tyrion and you deliberately brushed up against the Hound as you left. He let out a sharp breath and you sent him another wink as you walked away.

Tyrion led you, Bronn, and the Hill tribes deeper into the Red Keep. He dropped off the tribesmen off in what would be their living quarters for the time being before stopping at the door to the small council.

“You two stay out here. If it goes the way I’m thinking it will, I’ll be out of that room in a few minutes.”

“We’ll be here, my lord,” you said. You leaned against the wall and took out your knife, starting to clean under your nails. Tyrion gave you a look and walked into the room.

“Could you be any more obvious?” Bronn said to you.

“Whatever could you mean?”

Bronn snorted out a laugh and your face split into a grin.

“He doesn’t seem your type,” Bronn said.

“Tall, dark, and silent? No. Definitely not.”

The two of you laughed as silently as you could and you sighed.

“I could use a good fuck, though,” you said.

“I think the king would be more than welcome to the idea of you warming his bed.”

“No thanks,” you said with a shudder. “He’s a boy and I’ve heard he’s a bit of a cunt too.”

“A cunt that’s a king. And a king gets what a king wants.”

---

The next few days were full of some changes. Bronn was appointed as the new Commander of the City Watch, Shae was Sansa Stark’s new handmaiden, and you were Sansa’s own personal guard. One that wasn’t under Cersei’s thumb. You still served Tyrion as he was supplying your paycheck, but it was a welcome change of pace.

Tyrion had decided that you would be Sansa’s protector when you had walked into the throne room and Joffrey was ordering Ser Meryn to beat the girl. It made your blood boil and it took every ounce of your strength to not beat the so called knight’s head in.

That night, Sansa found you outside her bedroom door.

“What are you doing here?” She asked you.

“Lord Tyrion has appointed me as your guard. Go on and go to sleep, my lady.”

You could tell that Sansa was apprehensive about your presence so you gave her a smile.

“I promise no harm will come to you if I can help it, love. Now go to bed,” you said. Sansa nodded and went inside.

---

A few months had passed and it felt like a blur to you. You had learned your way around the Red Keep and King’s Landing pretty quickly, gotten the approval of Sansa, and found yourself getting closer to the Hound. The two of you often sat together to eat and you soon managed to convince him to go out with you for a drink.

After one of those nights was when you slept together for the first time. It happened more and more, but one day, Sandor stopped talking to you altogether.

It was a couple weeks before the Battle of the Blackwater when Sandor disappeared while you were sleeping. When you woke up, you thought nothing of it and assumed that his duties had pulled him away from you. But then he didn’t appear for lunch and when you tried to talk to him, Sandor brushed you off and continued on like you weren’t even there. You couldn’t lie, it hurt to have him treat you like that, but you took it in stride. Two could play at that game.

---

“Good afternoon, your grace,” Sansa said to Joffrey.

“My lady. Walk with me.” Joffrey looked at you, a sneer on his face. “You walk with my Hound.”

“As you wish, your grace.” You gave him a short bow and the four of you started walking.

You and Sandor were walking a few paces behind the two of them and you could feel the tenseness radiating off of Sandor. Your hands were behind your back and you ignored him as he tried to form words.

“[Y/n]—“

“Save it,” you said. “Whatever bullshit is about to come out of your mouth, I don’t want to hear it.”

“What?” You could hear the anger start to creep into Sandor’s voice but you just turned around.

“[Y/n], let us go,” Sansa said.

“Of course, my lady.” Sansa walked past you and you bowed to Joffrey again. “My king.”

Joffrey didn’t say anything back but you could feel his eyes on you as you walked away. When you were far enough away from them, you turned to look at Sansa.

“Is everything alright, my lady?” You asked her.

“Everything’s fine.”

The two of you walked into the Red Keep where you stayed by Sansa’s side, keeping a watchful eye on her. It was only when night fell did you leave her in Shae’s care. You went down to the brothels with Bronn and some Lannister soldiers. After about an hour, you had a whore on your lap and ale in your hand. Bronn and the soldiers were singing a Lannister song while you lazily touched the woman before you.

You ignored what Bronn was saying, focusing only on your lover for the night. You only looked up when you heard everyone go silent. Your eyes met Sandor’s and you looked at him as he stared at you. You could see some anger in his eyes but it didn’t faze you. You just kissed the woman and patted her thigh so she’d get up.

“First round’s on me,” Bronn said.

“Don’t spend all of your gold tonight,” you said to him.

“It’s just the one round, love.” Bronn winked at you and tilted his head. “Get a room.”

“Alright, alright.”

The whore tugged your arm and giggled as you pulled her close. The two of you walked into the brothel, the whore leading you to her room.

“I don’t think I ever got your name, sweetheart,” you said to her.

“My name’s Alya, my lady.”

“I’m no lady, love. Just a sellsword.”

“A woman sellsword? How did you manage that?” Alya asked you, eyes wide.

“Well, when you grow up in the slums of Myr, there’s three things you can be. A slave, a Master, or a street rat. I was never a slave and I’ve never been rich,” you said. “So I think you can guess which one I was.”

While you were talking, you were disrobing Alya. The dress she was wearing had just fallen to the floor when the bells started tolling. Groaning, you tilted her head up and landed a kiss on her lips.

“After the battle is over, we will finish what we started here,” you said.

You put some coins down on her dresser and winked at her before walking out of the room. You were making sure your sword was fastened to your hip properly as you walked into the courtyard and you saw Bronn and Sandor facing each other. Both their hands were on their weapons and you rolled your eyes at them.

“Let’s go, girls. We have a battle to win,” you said. Grabbing a tankard full of ale, you downed it in one go and started to leave.

“Get fucked, [y/n],” Bronn said, mirth in his voice.

“If Stannis fucking Baratheon had decided to wait I would’ve been getting fucked right now!” You yelled. Bronn laughed and you flipped him off as you walked away.

“She’s full of fire, isn’t she?” Bronn said to Sandor. Sandor’s eyes hardened and Bronn motioned to some cups full of ale. “One more drink before the war?”

---

The battle was over sooner than you thought it would be. Tywin Lannister had shown up at the last moment and annihilated Stannis’ army. A lot happened in a short period of time after that.

Bronn was demoted from his position on the City Watch, Tyrion was no longer the acting Hand of the King, and you were almost booted from your position as Sansa’s guard. That didn’t happen though. Tywin knew you could fight well and he didn’t really care for Sansa anyways. But the thing that hurt you the most was finding out Sandor had left.

You had gone to your room after the Battle to clean up and fall asleep when you found a note from Sandor. It explained why he had left and to your shock, it said that he thought he loves you. That was why he pulled himself away. Shaking your head, you went to sleep.

---

Even more happened later.

Joffrey died by poisoning, Sansa disappeared, and Tyrion was arrested for killing the king. Some suspicion was put on you for the King’s death, but they were soon washed away because of Tyrion. Then Tyrion’s trial by combat happened.

Oberyn Martell bravely and proudly fought the Mountain in that trial to no avail. He died and Tyrion was proven guilty of killing Joffrey. Lord Varys came to you soon after with a plan to free Tyrion and you quickly agreed to help, but only help. You would not be going with him to Pentos. Varys knew he wouldn’t be able to change your mind so he agreed and the two of you set up a safe place for Tyrion to stay in Essos.

A few days before the ship was set to sail, you left the capital. You were planning on going up North to see if Sansa would take you back as a guard, but that never happened. You had run into a small group of people who were trying to make better lives for themselves and you decided to help protect them.

You had been with them for about a week when some of the men came running up. You heard one of them yelling for the healer and your concern grew. Walking up to the cart your horse was pulling, you stumbled back.

“[Y/n]?” Ray said. “Is everything alright?”

“I know this man,” You said, never taking your eyes off of him.

“Who is it?”

“The Hound.”

---

A few months had passed and Sandor was fully healed. He was very wary around you, never talking to you more than he had to and never being with you alone. It made you a little angry to see him acting like this but you knew from the past that nothing would change.

So once Sandor was able to protect the village, you left. You only told Brother Ray your plans and he understood why even if he didn’t want you to leave. In the middle of the night, you got ready to leave.

“Where are you going?” Sandor said. You stiffened before turning to face him.

“North,” was your reply.

“Why?”

“Because you can protect this village by yourself and I don’t need to be here anymore.” You continued stuffing clothes into your pack before saddling your horse.

“[Y/n]—“

“My mind’s made up,” you said, cutting Sandor off. “I’m leaving, you’re staying. I won’t be in your way anymore.”

Getting up onto your horse, you gave her a pat before glancing at Sandor.

“Goodbye.”

---

It took you a while to get up north and when you did, you were lucky to see Sansa after only a couple of days. She was with Brienne and Podrick and you were happy to see her safe.

“[Y/n]?” She said, voice full of disbelief. You gave her a smile and she tackled you in a hug.

“It’s good to see you, love,” you said, kissing her cheek.

“Why are you here?”

“I wanted to get here sooner, but things got in the way. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”

“I survived,” Sansa said with a shake of her head.

“We’re going to the Wall. To get Sansa to her brother Jon,” Brienne said.

“Do you want to come with us?” Sansa sounded hopeful and you nodded.

“Of course I’ll go with you.”

---

A lot happened after that. You went to the Wall and reunited Sansa with her brother. After that, you all came back down to Winterfell and took it back from Ramsay Bolton in the Battle of the Bastards. That battle was a sight to be seen and you were glad that you survived. You had stayed with Sansa while Jon went to meet with Daenerys Targaryen, not wanting to risk leaving Sansa again. You also stayed with Sansa when she sent Brienne down to King’s Landing for the meeting.

Jon Snow came back with the Dragon Queen and others after the meeting was over with Cersei down south. You could see them marching in and when the dragons flew over you ducked out of instinct. They were incredible and you shared a glance with Sansa.

“I know that you’re apprehensive about meeting Daenerys, but the dragons are amazing,” you said.

“So there is something you’ve never seen before,” Sansa teased. You snorted and shook your head.

“There are many things I’ve never seen, Lady Stark. Now, come on. We should get to the courtyard.”

---

When everyone came marching into Winterfell, you were standing slightly behind Sansa and Bran. Jon came up first and you watched as he was reunited with Bran and Sansa. He gave you a nod of respect and you returned it. Jon then introduced Daenerys and you could cut the tension with a knife. It took everything in you to not laugh, your back straightening.

After all of that happened, you joined everyone in the main hall. This was where you learned that Cersei was sending her armies to help fight the dead. You didn’t believe it for a second, knowing that she had to have something up her sleeve. There was a lot of arguing at this meeting between the Lords and you tuned it out. None of that was important to you. All you needed to know was when to fight and when to stop.

When the meeting was over, Sansa relieved you of your duties for the day. You thanked her before going to your room, wanting a hot bath. Ever since you had gotten to the north, you had learned that you were not a fan of the cold. Sansa had teased you for it but always made sure that you were warm enough. You were thankful and knew that there was going to be a bath waiting for you in your room.

What you weren’t expecting, however, was Sandor to come up to you as you were stepping into your room.

“[Y/n],” he said, walking towards you.

“Sandor? What are you doing here?” You asked, confused to see him. He stopped a couple feet away from you, an unrecognizable look on his face.

“I was with the Brotherhood. We went with Jon north of the Wall and down to King’s Landing for the meeting with Cersei.”

“The Brotherhood? What happened with Ray? I thought that you were going to live a life of peace.” Sandor shook his head.

“Something happened a couple months after you left. Some people came by and slaughtered everyone. I was too far away to save them.” You could hear the sadness in his voice mixed with some anger.

“What?” You stood straighter. “They’re all dead? But they did nothing to deserve that!”

“The men were killed, but I wasn’t allowed to butcher them. Beric wouldn’t fucking let me.”

“Good. I’m glad they’re dead.” You were seething, anger coursing through your veins.

“[Y/n], did you get my letter?” Sandor asked you. His voice was uncharacteristically quiet and you practically did a double take.

“Wait, this is what you’re focused on?” You laughed before looking at him and seeing he wasn’t kidding. “You’re serious.”

“I am.”

“If you must know, I did. But I don’t see why this is relevant right now.” You averted your eyes and shuffled back a bit, a little afraid of here this conversation was ending.

“Fuck’s sake, woman! It’s relevant because I still fucking love you. Seven Hells!”

“Sandor, you left me. More than once, too!” Sandor telling you that he still loved you made you angry. Pointing you finger in his face, you took a step forward. “You don’t do that to the people you love!”

“You left too, or did you forget?” Sandor also took a step forward and you glared up at him.

“I left because having both of us in the village at the same time would only bring bad things.”

“No, I think you left because you couldn’t handle it,” Sandor sneered.

“Handle it? You think I left because I couldn’t fucking handle it? You’re one to fucking talk! You left me alone in our bed because you couldn’t handle it. You left me in King’s Landing with only a note telling me that you fucking loved me, instead of telling it to my face! You’re the one who couldn’t handle it!” You jabbed him in the chest and Sandor swatted your hand away.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” Sandor growled. You laughed and did it again.

“What’re you going to do, huh? Run away again?”

You did it one last time and Sandor grabbed your hand, pulling you close. He kissed you fiercely, not giving you time to breathe. You wanted to pull away, you really did, but it felt good being this close to him after all this time. Soon, the kiss softened slightly and the two of you broke apart. Neither of you said anything for a minute, both of you basking in the closeness you felt to the other.

“I do still love you,” Sandor muttered. “And I’m sorry for leaving. It was a cowardly thing for me to do.”

“It was,” you said, looking up at him. You put your hand on his chin and made him look at you. “Do it again and I’ll cut your dick off, yeah?”

“Does that mean I’m forgiven?” Sandor said after he chuckled. You raised an eyebrow and pulled him closer, cupping the tent in his pants.

“I think there’s still one way you can make it up to me,” you said, a smirk on your face.

“I can work with that.”

Sandor picked you up easily, and walked straight into your room, kicking the door shut behind him. You were in for a long night, but you didn’t mind at all.

#Sandor Clegane #sandor clegane x reader #reader insert #game of thrones #sandor clegane fanfiction #sandor x reader #game of thrones fanfiction #game of thrones x reader #got #The Hound #x reader

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dialovers-translations · 2 years

Text

Diabolik Lovers LUNATIC PARADE ;; Kanato Route ー Sub Scenario w/Ayato

–> In between the main route chapters, the player is taken to the area map of the Parade where you can freely roam around. There are four different places to visit, each with different mini games and sub scenarios to enjoy.

AREA: GLIMMER MAIN STREET

CHARACTER: AYATO

ー The scene starts on Glimmer Main Street

Ayato: Then you do this...I see, so that’s how it works...

Yui: ( Ah, is that...Ayato-kun? )

Ayato: Oh! You guys came just on cue! Lemme show you somethin’ nice!

Yui: Something nice...?

Ayato: Hehe, I can change this card to a different one in the blink of an eye!

Kanato: When you said ‘something nice’, were you talking about a magic trick, perhaps? Ridiculous...

Ayato: Oh come on, don’t say that. I’m sure this’ll blow your socks off!

Kanato: You sound rather confident. In that case, I’ll look at what you’ve got. You better make it worth my time.

Yui: ( I had no idea Ayato-kun had some magic tricks up his sleeve. )

Ayato: Anyway, Chichinashi, start by pickin’ one card.

*Flip*

Yui: Sure...Ah, it’s an Ace of Hearts.

Ayato: Gotcha. Now if I put the card face down and snap my fingers...

*Snap*

Ayato: There. Flip it over.

Yui: O-Okay.

*Flip*

Yui: ( Huh? ...I don’t think it changed? )

Ayato: How’s that? Surprised?

Yui: U-Um...

Kanato: It hasn’t changed at all.

Ayato: Eh? Ah...How? I succeeded earlier...!

Kanato: You seemed so confident as well. What kind of joke is this?

Ayato: No...I swear I did it earlier!!

Kanato: Making up excuses now? You should be ashamed, Ayato.

Ayato: Fuck...Why!?

Kanato: Haah...Ayato, hand me those for a second.

Ayato: What? I bet you can’t do it either!

Kanato: Come on...Just keep quiet and watch.

Well then...I will change this Ace of Hearts you picked on the count of three, two, one... ーー

*Snap*

Yui: Wow, amazing! It turned into a King of Spades!

Kanato: Heh. This is child’s play. I can do this too.

*Snap snap snap*

Yui: ( Kanato-kun’s on a roll..! He’s not just changing one card, but several of them consecutively! )

Ayato: Kuh...I failed at the cards, but this coin...!

You better watch closely! If I do this...

*Cling*

Ayato: Fuck...!

Yui: ( Ah...The coin fell on the ground... )

Kanato: I can’t watch this any longer...Ayato, hand me the entire magic kit.

*Rustle*

Ayato: Ah, oi! Don’t just take it without permission!

Kanato: Please look over here. You can see the coin in my right hand, correct? By covering it with my left hand...

*Snap*

Kanato: Please look in your right hand.

Yui: Eh? H...Huh!?

( Wow...! The coin somehow ended up in my hand... )

Kanato: I suppose I could do this one next.

Yui: ( Waah! He’s successfully pulling off one magic trick after the other! )

Ayato: Wha...!? Kanato, you’re pretty amazin’...

Kanato: Oh dear? A crowd seems to have suddenly gathered around us.

Yui: Everyone’s in awe of your tricks...! They really are amazing!!

Kanato: Fufu, I suppose it’s about time for the last trick then. If I tap this hat with this stick...There!

*Flap flap flap*

Yui: Wah! Doves!?

*Flap flap flap*

Yui: ( Ah, one of them landed on my shoulder...! Amazing. )

Kanato: Fufu...What do you say? Did you enjoy my magic tricks?

Yui: Yeah! I had a blast!

Ayato: Fuck! Don’t let this get to your head!

I’ll be able to pull that shit off with ease with a lil’ practice! Just wait and see!!

ー Ayato runs away

Kanato: Good grief...Sore losers are painful to watch, don’t you think?

It’s a good thing I’m so forgiving, so I don’t mind at all.

Yui: ( I didn’t know Kanato-kun was so skilled at magic tricks so it really surprised me, but I had a ton of fun! )

ーー THE END ーー

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #kanato sakamaki #ayato sakamaki #lunatic parade #diabolik lovers translation #lpkanatosubayato

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leonstamatis · 2 years

Note

13 + flowers pals? i dunno much about them but i would like to See

spins my little roulette wheel of guys alright let's go

13. teasing each other good-naturedly

“This is a legitimate establishment, you know,” Margo calls out across the bar. “We can’t go closing up shop every time you all decide you want a night out.”

Dunn doesn’t stop on her march to the door, though. “Just this once!” she calls back over her shoulder.

Everyone watches as she flips the sign on the door to “Closed” with a little too much flair and ceremony. Dunn even goes so far as to wave at a few pedestrians passing by, and it’s not really a question that she has her tongue sticking out. But even then, no one moves to stop her; even Margo just sighs and shakes xir head, biting back a smile.

“I can go flip it back, you know,” xe says.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Moses shoots back, swiping the beer from xir hands. “Then we’d have to leave, and you would miss us too much.”

Margo takes a moment to look around the bar. Dunn is all but prancing back to where Hiroto and Owen are sitting, with Uno cards in hand. Gloria is – painstakingly, fruitlessly – trying to walk Castillo through what Margo thinks might be the macarena, despite Castillo’s inability to actually move his arms. Zeb is slowly laying out drops of sugar water on the bar top for Inez, and the bees flit down one at a time to take a drink. Scores is busy with her notebooks, papers spread out over an entire table reserved just for her.

“I’d never miss a single one of you,” Margo insists, though everyone there knows it’s a lie. “Don’t you have better places to be, Mason?”

Moses winks. “Sure I do. You should appreciate my time, here, Captain.”

“And you should appreciate the fact I haven’t sent your ass back to Los Angeli.”

It makes Moses laugh, which is kind of the goal. They haven’t been laughing as much lately. None of them have, though Margo tries xir best to keep spirits up how xe can. The elections had taken enough from them already; Layna’s out in Seattle now, and King is in Yellowstone. If everyone else asked, right this second, to move into the office in the back and make the bar a commune, Margo might even say yes.

“Better knock on wood for that one,” Moses says.

“Already knocking.” And xe does, a quick tap with xir knuckles against the grain of the bar.

Moses, apparently satisfied, makes cir way back to the booth ce’s sharing with Jacob. The two of them are quieter without Layna there, and Margo knows they’ll be calling her to say hello sometime after the third drink. They usually do.

“Everything alright?”

Nic’s voice at xir side nearly sends xem out of xir skin. Margo jumps what feels like a full six feet in the air, nearly dropping the glass in xir hands.

“Jesus, Winkler,” xe yelps. “Warn a guy, would you?”

Nic is very clearly trying not to laugh at xem, pointedly keeping his eyes trained on the cash register in front of him. He smacks a roll of quarters against the counter to break the paper binding and counts the silver coins as they spill out his fingers. It’s unnecessary; he does it anyway.

“We closing up shop for the night?” he asks, instead of offering a response – or an apology, although Margo thinks one is deserved. “I thought tonight was supposed to be a public day.”

“That it was.” Margo lets out the words on a sigh. “You can thank old Cindy Keyes for that one.”

“Thanks for changing the sign, Dunn!” Nic calls out, because he’s an enabler who cannot be stopped. “What are you drinking?”

Dunn grins. “Something expensive! You’ll cover me, right?”

“Sure, we can manage that.”

Margo rolls xir eyes and leans against Nic, just enough to get him to stop what he’s doing and wrap an arm around xir shoulders. “They’re never going to let us have a normal night if we keep letting them do this, you know.”

“Do you mind?” Nic mutters.

Beneath the words there’s a thread of concern. Margo knows if xe asked right now, Nic would shoe everyone out and get the bar back in working order. But Margo doesn’t want that, not really; now that the door’s closed and the crowd’s cleared out, xe can’t think of anything xe wants less than to push the rest of the team out into the empty evening. Better to keep them all close, where xe can keep an eye out.

“No,” Margo says. “No, I don’t think I do.”

#WASTING AWAAAAY AGAIN AT MARGARITOVIIIIILLE #tam.ask #blaseball ficlets #thank you robbie i adore this team sm #set in s13 sometime after the election that wrecked our shit (the first of many tbh)#bobby-hockey

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demonslayedher · 3 years

Text

Kanao: Did Tanjiro Give Her A Weakness?

Kanao already reached the Tsuchinoto rank (5th of 10) within about 1.5 months* of passing the Final Selection but then only progressed to Hinoto (7th of 10) over the following 10 months or so.* Why the slow-down? I've got a handful of possible ideas but no indication of if any of them would be true. *(According to my timeline estimates.)

In the extra chapter in Volume 7 about all the suffering in Kanao's past, Kanao snaps. All of a sudden, she stops feeling anything. She doesn't think for herself at all, only doing things as she's told.

According to the Taisho Secret at the end of Chapter 163, Kanao learned Flower Breathing by observation, though neither Kanae or Shinobu approved of this. She entered the Final Selection without permission. Although, as Tanjiro puts it, the voice of Kanao's heart is very small, Kanao had a growing sense that she couldn't forgive demons for how they orphaned her housemates and took Shinobu's parents, sister, and Tsuguko from her. Straight from Word of God-touge, fighting demons is Kanao's will. However, Shinobu at first worries that it's not really something Kanao felt that deeply about, and admonishes her simply to not falter or overthink things, and just cut off demon's heads. I suspect she declared Kanao her Tsuguko immediately as a means of keeping an eye on her, and that she had to enforce a professional distance that she otherwise never would had wanted to impose on Kanao. I suspect that Kanao did not only observe Kanae; Shinobu may very well have had other Flower Breath users among her Tsuguko. We don't know how involved the Tsuguko were in the Butterfly Mansion household; I suspect there was a bit of professional emotional distance, seeing as how Kanao goes from referring to Shinobu as her sister to referring to her as her master. None of the other Butterfly Mansion girls ever use such close terms of endearment to Shinobu. Although Kanao did enter the Corp of her own accord (feeling nothing, except perhaps "demons are bad, I should get rid of them"), she still is in a pretty broken, unfeeling state. When she's not on missions or training, she's content to sit somewhere and stare off into the sun (Kanao, your eyes, take care of your precious eyes!!). And since she doesn't need to think about anything besides cutting off demon heads, and she doesn't mind any fear or suffering, she probably goes about her missions in a manner similar to how Muichiro did in that whirlwind two-month journey to becoming a Pillar. The "I don't care (but actually I just hate you)" method of demon slaying, apparently pretty effective. While we don't know how the rate of climbing the ranks is calculated, I suspect that Flower Breathing stresses evasion (see here and here), so Kanao likely doesn’t spend at much time down with injury, and therefore she took a lot more missions. And, being in a Pillar’s household, she might have had a Nichirin blade she could use right away to start taking missions while hers was being made, giving her at least a 10-day leg up on the others in her Final Selection batch. Likewise, being in the company of a Pillar, she’s probably gone straight into fighting higher level demons. And who knows? Maybe being declared a Tsuguko also adds to rank? But then Tanjiro turns her world upside-down at the flip of a coin, like how Shinobu throwing coins around a bridge changed her life years before. And, little by little, the voice of Kanao's heart starts growing stronger. While before Kanao was happy to simply stare off at the sun, Fanbook #1 tells us she's started looking at the world around her afresh. Bubbles!! Blowing bubbles is her new hobby. And she might not be good at treating injuries, but she goes on errands now for the Butterfly Mansion and likes bringing back candy and other small gifts for everyone. Look, it's even fun to poke the paw pads on cats! Beans! (Seeing as Shinobu doesn't like furry creatures (yet somehow puts up with Inosuke), Kanao probably only interacts with cats on her errands, and I'll bet Shinobu and Aoi both stay on pins and needles wondering what's taking her so long out there on her own). Kanao's even started to try helping with cooking! In one of the light novels, we see her go to Aoi for help, asking her to teach her new recipes. And, a few months into this bright new outlook on the world where she actually takes and interest in things and forms her own opinions, the Uzui Incident happens, and Kanao, at least by Kanao's standards, flamboyantly stands up to him. It was a terrifyingly bigger and more complicated decision than she's ever faced in battle. So here's a question:

Can a Corp member be

punished for anything by being downgraded a rank? Was there any repercussion to interfering with a Pillar's demon slaying mission? That might explain some of the sudden slow-down in Kanao's dramatic rate of promotion. What might also be possible is that a different Pillar, Shinobu, was concerned about the speed with which she advanced, especially seeing how emotionally stunted Muichiro was despite his skills, and how he wound up in more and more dangerous situations because of his rank. Even if Shinobu recognizes (perhaps with some surprise) that Kanao is innately talented, she's no genius, and she can't simply survive by cutting off heads as she climbs the ranks. Shinobu perhaps puts her foot down against Kanao's advancement to make sure there is time to focus on other aspects Kanao needs to mature in, and Oyakata-sama would probably be pretty understanding of that. This sort of request may be allowed purely because of the nature of the Hashira-Tsuguko relationship, regardless of the reason, who knows. But what it also might be is that as Kanao starts feeling things, she starts feeling all the things. Whereas before she might never had cared enough to be affected by fear or pain or sadness or weariness, just as she's seeing the simple tiny pleasures of life with fresh eyes, perhaps she's lost the natural armor she had against these other feelings. And, given the reasons why she snapped in the first place, it may be an especially confusing process for her to have to deal with these negative feelings in a healthier way. That's got to have a negative impact on her effectiveness in battle, and if it ever breaks her focus (though I don't see any evidence of this ever happening), it could be something that leads to injuries, which would decrease her number of missions (but, given her mastery of Breath technique and Functional Recovery Training, she's probably quick to recover). Even if Kanao doesn't get to the point of having breakdowns, people like Shinobu and Oyakata-sama would be keen enough of her development as a person that they might slow down how often she's assigned missions, as she requires that time to work at her new interests and becoming a more whole person. They've probably been watching over her without her even being aware of it, and as Shinobu perhaps devotes more and more time to her research, Kanao supposes that's the reason for her own slow-down in missions. If Master is busy, then the Tsuguko should merely help out and keep training. And it's not as if Kanao enjoys slaying demons; she's probably happily distracted with all these new things she finds she enjoys. She's probably never cared about promotion anyway. But, would Kanao have blown through the ranks if Tanjiro hadn't unwittingly derailed her so dramatically?

As an aside, the aforementioned Taisho Secret also states that Kanao joined the Corp because unlike Aoi, she wasn't good at treating injuries. Yet in the extended epilogue comic in Fanbook #2 Tanjiro says she's a fantastic doctor??? Hmm???? When?? How????? Can she see well enough to administer medicine safely?? Umm? Aoi? Please supervise her???? No offense, Kanao, but--where---did--this--come--from???????

#tsuyuri kanao #kny fandom theories and meta #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer

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syubub · 3 years

Text

May 13th Reading

Definitely long awaited and way bigger than I intended it to be so buckle up.

Funky disclaimer: this is for entertainment purposes only and not to be taken as fact! This is my interpretation of the cards!

Oh boy. The continuation of yoongis soulmate saga.

(Note frome future me: it's not proofread but I'm hungry. Sorry for mistakes!)

So so so so

Let's start.

I started with all the normal jazz. Connecting with his energy and shit. Same as usual same old same old. Platform= same same. I was like, "hey, let's talk about your soulmate and the whole may 13th shit" and we connected via energy stringy thing to the forehead and such. I was intresting bc my end of the string was kinda my energy color! Neato. Looks like some rest has really done me good!

Okay, here's where I start actually asking shit. I made notes at this point before the reading as I usually do. I'm just gonna insert the screen shot here.

The 14 thing really fucked me up. You'll see later. Also, when I got the whole Pisces Jupiter thing I had to do me some googling bc we established that Jupiter went into Pisces ON May 13th so I was like?? Am I missing something?

I was. I forgot that it goes retrograde and then co.es back to Pisces on December 28th. And I do indeed think it to be significant.

The shit about temperance makes a lot of sense. In yoongis first soulmate read I flipped my shit bc he was like, "You're gonna get temperance reverse" in regards to a card for his soulmate and I was like "pft whatever. Don't play me like that"

And then I got temperance reverse. It's been a significant card from the jump.

I asked him if he had any advice for his soulmate and that's what "Don't wait for big things, you'll miss the small ones that lead you to bigger things" and "Look for facts before assuming" and "Don't try pushing it, forcing it won't make sense" and "A spade is a spade/ ace is an ace" and "Don't make ill informed guesses" all were

Now this part:

"Union has happened , yet to on the physical"

Gave me some hints thankfully because he straight up said no more hints.

This ties back into the whole Jupiter thing too. The seeds are/ have been planted and now they have to grow before they can be harvested.

Well Mr. Yoongi, I'm impatient and I don't want to wait. I want to see you in love pronto.

Anyways

He showed me a little dream box/ trinket box looking thing and a super vague Keychain with no further explanation... so... there's that I guess.

I can't quite decide if "Don't make ill informed guesses" was a tongue-in-cheek pike at me or if it was genuine advice to his soulmate? He just loves to not explain things.

Now let's begin the monster read.

So. The first row of cards

I asked the question, "what the fuck was May 13th and what was it's purpose in regards to your connection"

Important is what it was lol. I interpret this as them finding their footing and this being the starting point of the genuine foundation being layer. Like they've been manifesting eachother for a while but May 13th marked the start of them making the real life changes in their actual lives that will be the set up for them meeting.

The seven of coins is about thoughtful planning and creating security/ stable plan. The tower is essentially ripping away anything and everything that was built on unstable foundation and challenging/ testing your character (an extremely rude awakeing if you will). Judgement is releasing the past so you can rise above it and confronting yourself as you are (Also legit awakening) the queen of coins is financial security and self confidence in your abilities. Ten of coins is prosperity and abundance and most of all, stability. Eight of wands is explosion of potential and rapid movement. Temperance is awareness and balance between physical and spiritual. It's also that quiet peace where you find balance.

So. Seeing all those cards it really does seem like maybe his soulmate took on something new that could lead straight to union? Same for yoongi. I'd like to analyze and recent or new-ish habits or hobbies he's picked up?

Moving right along though. I asked what the 13th did for each of them in their personal life and personal journey. Kinda like what came as a result of that energy? Let's start with yoongles

This was really intresting to me. I think he definitely gained some form of clarity about the situation with that sun card. The 5 of cups tells me that either he was kinda forced to confront some of his flaws in a way that he was trying to avoid or he had to consciously let go of something dear to him? Could be something he had to leave behind because it crumbled with the tower moment but he didn't see it coming or didn't know that it was time to part with it? With that queen of wands though fits beautifully with the sun! Its like he's found warmth after a long winter. Definitely found a spark of compassion and generosity from a place of happiness and love rather than anger, fear, obligation or pitty.

I asked for clarity cards/ anything else that may 13th signified bringing in and we got the 2 of cups and 10 of swords. I have two thoughts. Either he let go of a relationship that he was already in because he didn't feel as though they were particularly compatible anymore (Also ties into the above section) OR the 13th had made him very much consciously aware of his soulmates incoming status and he is now preparing and working on himself for when this person comes. The 10 of swords would be him releasing the past and the pain and any ill fitting behavior that don't vibe with him any longer. Yellow really seems to be working for him by the way.

Soulmate time

Lol. All signs point to his soulmate genuinely starting a new venture. New creative pursuit that will bring them good money. 10 of pentacles is abundance, prosperity and stability. The ace of wands is a new creative spark and passion and it's the first big steps into something new. The 2 of wands is "the world is in the palm of your hands" vibes. Choices need to be made swiftly and with the ace of wands I think they will be. With the heirophant too, it will be a well informed decision because they've been manifesting this and has been searching for all the possible information.

As for clarity, we have the moon. Damn. Soulmates been doing that shadow work. Dredging up all their bullshit and getting rid of it while still taking the time to sit with it and release it so nothing is unresolved. Also probably extra creative due to all the emotional baggage being thrown out. (Definitely helping with the ace of wands vibes tbh)

Now for the bad boys in the middle

The question I asked is what those individual changes (detailed in the last two sections) will bring for the bond and I just can with them. These fuckers. I am so invested in their love story bc it's so... them? And just so fucking ROMANTIC. UGH I CAN'T.

Back to the point. High priestess, 4 of wands and the lovers. The high priestess is deep knowing and insane intuition, the 4 of wands is the purest joy and marriage and the lovers is well, the lovers.a magical union.

FUCK DUDE I NEED THIS TO BE A ROMCOM.

For the row of bottom cards

I asked if they had anything at all to add so I'm gonna explain each card individually bc I think they could be individual tid bits of shit.

Knight of coins is good news about finances/ money looking promising and organized work (also dependability!!). Death is all about transformation, the beginning of a new chapter and accepting in order to move foward. Ace of coins is spiritual and material abundance and also a reminder to keep grounded. Page of swords is confidence, important news coming and really good insight! Roots out secrets or hidden things like a truffle pig. The star is promising potential, healing and guidance from an enexpected place. The two of cups is a soul connection, love, intuition especially in regards to another person and a good bind. The emperor is self awareness, foresight, fearlessness to achieve a goal and confidence. Eight of coins rev is poor discipline and skating by on low effort.

Now to the sides!

Yoongi is the left, soulmate is the right.

So, let's begin with yoongi. The first two cards are anything he wants to say to his soulmate. Wheel of fortune and three of swords reverse. I take this as "its all in divine time/ it's destiny" (wheel of fortune) and "trust your intuition. It's okay to get hurt, you just need to remember you can always pick yourself up" (3of swords rev.)

We have now cards that I asked what he was learning through this process/ in this time. Be positive and first step.

The last two cards are affirmations he wants to give his soulmate.

"When I introduce joy to a situation, I change the vibrational frequency of what's happening around me" and "directing my focus onto what's thriving creates more of what I want"

Now for soulmates cards (same structure)

Strength and eight of swords. "You're stronger than you think. Take every part of yourself and acknowledge it. You're a force to be reckoned with" (strength) and (soulmate snapped at him on this) "the only thing holding you captive is you."

Now we have peer pressure (I think soulmate is learning to say "fuck you" and "fuck off" to people who have a set idea of how everyone should be living their lives), emotional healing and open your arms to receiving.

Then we have "its good to feel good" (lol I feel like yoongi definitely needs this one) and "when I connect to the spiritual realm, I open the door to recieve divine guidance, clear direction, and great wisdom"

The last stretch my friends.

So. Completion, leave behind the things that no longer serve you. Exist in the present and don't keep mulling over the past or any future happenings. Magic, pay attention to the magic around you. Listen for the signs of the universe and take them as they come (essentially listen to divine guidance) . Be open minded but logical as well. Luminous warrior, try focusing on the good in yourself instead of berating yourself for every small flaw. Spiritual path, self explanatory. The blade, your power can be a weapon when used willy nilly (most often wounding the wielder) or it can heal. Don't fear it but also consider how you choose to utilize it. The give away, be greaful for the sake of being greatful for it, not because you want something in return. The rain maker, manifestation station. Create with the tools you have because you have everything you need in order to manifest. "Don't take life personally"

Now we have heaven sent.

""Let yourself be helped" assistance is coming your way so act on it and say yes"

" This Oracle also comes with the message that you are to trust in the things that you feel and say to others without knowing why. It moves them. You might not understand, but through trust you are allowing yourself not to overthink and censor yourself. As such you are able to become a vessel through which the spiritual gift can be passed on to others. Don't block yourself. Let life happen through you. Only benefit can come from this."

And free from judgment, free to love

" If you have been asking life for a solution to a specific difficulty you have been having, this Oracle comes with the message that a solution is in gestation right now. This situation is already being sorted out and the resolution will come to fruition very soon. Hold tight and wait for the eminent birth of that resolution."

" This Oracle also brings you a message about love. You may find that you are loving, or soon will love, in a different way. You may worry about this love, given that it defies what you have known or been taught about love. Perhaps you are becoming able to love another tremendously, even though you don't have much of a personal relationship with them. You might question if this love is real. It is real Kama it is just happening at a different level to the love and attachment you experience when you are involved in a personal relationship with someone. It is not more or less, it is just a different facet of love. It may be that you are opening up to love the planet and her creatures, including the animals, the ocean dwelling life, your own body, the trees and so on, more than before period you may feel passionately purposeful about giving your time and energy to causes that protect and nurture the Earth and her creatures. You are affirmed in this love too. The universal mother is operating through you to nurture life. She will support you in your work, so that you can continue To come from love and not become drained, depleted or lost in despair or fear of futility. Instead, you will be energised and expanded by your dedicated service to life."

" Finally, this Oracle has a message for those who may be feeling alone or lonely in a need of greater nurturing from others. You are asked to stop, relax, centre and settle into your body to feel your connection with life itself. The air in your lungs is the same as the air that moves through the trees. The water in your blood is the same water that fills the oceans and is moved by the phases of the moon. The flesh of your body is the same substance as the body of the Earth itself. The heat in your digestive system is the same fire and heat as that from the Sun. Feel this connection, then do something nice for another without agenda. Make a donation, even if just a small one, smile, say a prayer, sent out a good thought or make a wish for another. That's it. You have connected to life again and in doing so, life can connect with you. And so it shall.

And that's all for the cards but but but.

Someone (either my guide or yoongi) was like, "do a song. Do a song. Do a song." And I was like, "oki doki, sounds good.

So I asked what numbers I should try refreshing and then it hit me. The number 14 came up before the reading and it seemed a bit misplaced? So I did 14 shuffles and look what popped up

You gotta be fucking with me.

Istg these fools will actually be the death of me dude. Euphoria is so romantic and I lowkey feels like it describes a bit of what their bond must be like.

YOONGGGIIII

Anyway,

I came back to the platform to be like, "thanks homie" and it was weird bc he was practically pure energy? Like usually I visualize his energy as what his physical body looks like because it's easier to comprehend? But nope, he was just a big shimmery glob of energy.

As I was going to disconnect, a few things happened. I felt tingly and the platform was vibrating almost? So I was like, "hold on, what the fuck is this?"

And then

It hit me

"MIN YOONGI IS YOUR SOULMATE HERE??"

I could tell this fuckin asshole was smug even in his blue glob form.

The color was... blue like yoongi but also a light lavender/ pink kinda vibe. Pretty damn distinct.

I was so stoked and I thought we'd all get to chat and I could yell at his soulmate for being an elusive asshat

But Mr smug butt had different plans.

My dude dropped a little marble thing in my hand and I was like ??? And he was like, "you'll know when you need it" and I was like ?????

My guide took pity on me and said, "it's just a representation on information that you've been given but it isn't the proper time to unpack it yet"

Cool cool so like and energetic zip file that will release itself whenever it damn well pleases? Cool cool cool.

(Asshole)

Anyway, I genuinely think that my excitement of this whole situation must somehow also influence how yoongis energy handles my prodding? Like what the fuck is this marble bullshit?

To top it all off, he gives me a friendly shove off of his platform.

Thanks, buddy.

Now we are here. And as always, I'm left with more questions.

My main take away is that amay 13th through July 28th will be all the foundation and ground work and December 28th 2021 through May 10th (11th? 9th?) 2022 will be a more likely time for physical union and actual relationship stuffs.

Anyone who knows more about astrology please feel free to chime in on this whole Jupiter in Pisces bit! My understanding is super surface level!!

~~~~

That was a big boi and now my thumbs hurt real bad. Hope you were entertained by the chaos.

#bts #bts tarot #bts reactions #yoongi #bts imagines #bts readings #yoongi imagine #bts suga #min suga #suga #min yoongi

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