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#I’ll answer em as long as it’s not a big spoiler
latibvles · 2 months
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@bobparkhurst also submitted "memory of the cliffs" as a prompt. henceforth, I cannot be held accountable for this in the slightest! because picking the cliff prompt when I used a cliff metaphor for Genevieve in her blind date was clearly an attack against my psyche /lh. spoilers for episode 5 of MOTA.
##MEMORY OF THE CLIFFS — GENEVIEVE LAURENT
Genevieve knows what it means to stand on an edge of a cliff. She knows what it means to feel the ground crumbling, and for a long time, she knew what it meant to have someone pull her from the edge of it. It was always Claire, using reason and warning to keep Genevieve from giving into every impulsive thought she had. Or it was Claire patching her scraped knees. Or Claire fixing whatever Genevieve managed to break.
There is no Claire on this side of England. She doesn’t think Claire could’ve stopped any of this anyway.
She felt the ground giving way beneath her feet the moment John Egan gave her his name, and she didn’t move. Was this not the consequence — this anxiety, this waiting?
How many times had she fallen over the edge only for her sister to snag her by her coat sleeve before she fell onto rocks and into unforgiving cold water? Genevieve wishes she were here now, to reel in her irrational thoughts, dismiss them with all of her logic and pragmatism. Something sage and smart that would ruffle Genevieve’s feathers, because that’s how it always went. They’d bicker about her being condescending and the cliff would be long forgotten. Sometimes she wonders if Claire meant to make herself the target of Genevieve’s irritation as a means to distract her, or if Genevieve was just a bad, impatient sister the whole time.
She tries, in a feeble attempt, to muster up something Claire would say if Genevieve had been completely honest in her letters. He’s kept his word before, Genny, no sense in him breaking it now.
The problem with impersonating her sister, is that she’s already trying to conjure up an argument to her own logic.
She’d picked up the extra shifts upon her early return from London. A good way to distract herself from staring up at the sky waiting for planes, but her mind’s still wandering even as locals come in for happy hour. Maybe this is why he’d wanted her to just get the use out of the nice room and the big bed and all the dance halls of London, even if he wouldn’t be there beside her. She doesn’t know what she’s supposed to do with herself, if she’s supposed to do anything. She had half a mind to go down to the airfield just to spare herself the waiting.
Genevieve has never been afraid of an answer that she wouldn’t like before. This time she is.
“You hear about those boys?” One of the men, an older regular, is sitting at his typical table with a handful of other familiar faces. And Genevieve, too curious for her own good, starts wiping down tables at a slower pace than she usually would.
“What, the Americans?”
“Mmh,” a pause, a gulp, and then the sound of glass settling against the wood. “Fourteen of ‘em went up, I think? Only one came down. Damn shame too, don’t know who’s gonna tell Tommy.”
If she had a glass in her hand, she thinks she would’ve broken it. But she doesn’t — she just has a rag that slumps against polished wood. She just has her rapidly pounding heart, and this lump in her throat, and the urge to leave out the back. But she doesn’t, because then she’ll have to explain herself. I’ll be back, Genie, promise it. What kind of man makes a promise like that when he’s falling apart? Bucky does. Because of course he does, because John Egan is so many things and one of those is a man who doesn’t make a promise he doesn’t actually plan to see through.
The floor gives way beneath her, and in the middle of that pub, Genevieve is falling, falling, falling right off the edge of her crumbling cliff.
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itsgoghtime · 11 months
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okay so not that anybody asked for this, but here is:
Gogh watches the Rocky movies - in real time (so there are spoilers but also my live reactions which are pretty amusing so enter at your own risk)
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Rocky (1976)
bruh - I’d kiss the glass where the puppies are too if it didn’t weird so many people out - they’re dang cute
Oh my gosh - the group singing on the corner is a jive
he’s walking by himself down this dingy street - what’s with his screen door lol
okay so he has an apartment - he’s not a bum in the traditional meaning of the word like they’re calling him at the beginning
opens and closes the fridge lol me too
I TALKED TO MY FISH TOOOOOO YESSSS
^soft jazz playing on record player^
Oh my gosh and “Moby Dick” is their friendddd I love that they “visit”
Talking to himself - what a vibe
OHMYGOSH HES FRIENDS WITH THE SHOP OWNERS
okay so friend was a relative term
Shell shock - what a comedian
I would walk around with a stick like that too bro - let’s be friends
Hmmmm Rocky my friend, what are you doing?
nice car, sketchy bridge - like the mafia
BRUH IS THIS AN UNDERGROUND OPERATION WHAT
Rocky NO YOU CANT BE IN THIS LIL MAFIA OP
Gazzo - I thought it was Gonzo haha
“So long, meat bag” lol
“Are you deaf?” “No I’m short” ME TOO RANDOM CITIZEN
Lol breaks the lock - I love it
IT AINT HIS LOCKER WHAT it can’t be…
“You’re a tomato. I don’t run a soup kitchen” AHAHAAAAA
this is cute - she’s shy and he’s trying so hard
how does this guy know everyone like… what the heck
“I’m 30 myself” “and you’ll end up dying alone”
“I’ll take a shot” lol bro an alcohol shot is not what he meant
What a homie - that girl is just… she’s dumb don’t listen my dude
I don’t quite know how to feel about Apollo Creed lol
Gazzo may be the mafia boss but he’s nice and creepy and okay don’t like him still
ROCKYYYYYY YUSSSS - still not sure about Apollo lol
His friend just wants a job haha
“She’s very excited” - won’t make eye contact
this whole scene talking to the door lol
awww she’s all ready to go out my HEART
haha me too Rocky - haven’t ever skated
The guy calling out the time hahaaaaa
“You like the way I skate?” GAH
“Get a job, you bum!” And you need to get out of the mafia, Rocky
“Why’d I bring it up? Cause I’m dumb, that’s why.” Literally me talking to anyone lol
okay but this man’s HAIR - geez
big bugs - that’s a nope from me
“Who you wanna call?” Ghostbusters would be my answer
Yelling out the window AHAAAAA
she’s so cute my heavens and he’s being so gentle
this kissing scene man - it’s something else
“It’s a waste of life” - I have so many thoughts on this
EEK they’re so cute together :)
HE SAYS HI TO HER ON TVVVVVV GAH
I just love them okay 🥹
I have many thoughts on the line that goes something like “you know how I said those things on tv didn’t bother me none? It did.”
Gazzo *discreetly gives this man $500* like what in the world man
BRUH BE NICE ABOUT CUFF AND LINK - although if that was a reference to “Beautiful Soup” in the Alice and Wonderland book sung by the turtle then that was kinda funny
You know what I find interesting - “yeah, I got heart but I don’t have no locker” and then this guy keeps on talking
GET HIM ROCKY, GET EM “I needed your help 10 years ago”
ewwww not the egg drinkkk geh
I understand why at 4 AM but geez that makes me tired
Paulie… he ain’t very nice but at the same time he’s a homie…?
Adrian is so patient with this man I don’t even know where to begin - she’s just wanting to do what he said he’s never had before and that’s so cute
okay as much as I didn’t like Mick, he’s growing on me a little bit - a tiny smidgen original grinch heart size bit
THE DOGGGGG
Rocky lesss gooooo - this Apollo dude really isn’t worried and he probably should be
this lil dysfunctional family - ouch
I HAVE BEEN WAITING ALL MOVIE FOR THIS SONG YESSSSSS
there’s the intrusive thought that “he’s gonna fall down those stairs” as he’s at the top during the song
okay but him worrying about his banner being wrong and the guy being like “it doesn’t really matter does it? I’m sure you’ll give us a great show” - that one hurt
they really aren’t expecting him to win
he’s so discouraged :(
YES ROCKY YESSSS
okay so maybe I forgot to write during the final fight scene - I was very upset when Creed won cause he’s too cocky for that sort of fight to be his - but Rocky and Adrian are so cute so I was less upset…?
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Rocky II:
okay the score for this movie is a bop
Creed you need to calm the heck down
EEK THEYRE GETTING MARRIED MY TWO FAVORITE PEOPLE AHHHHHH
“you’re the best thing to ever come into my crazy life” GAH
“I hope you never get tired of me.”
“Oh no, you ain’t never getting rid of me.” My goOd gRaCiOuS
also - dang there’s a lot of good kissing scenes in these movies
Rocky buying everything in sight my heavens dude
“hey, can you stand over there, I need to secretly talk with my wife” lol
my freaking heart okay I just love these two with my whole soul
*okay so I lost a good chunk of my notes for this movie because they didn’t save like I thought they did, which is quite unfortunate considering they were really good, so here’s kinda what I remember:
Lots and lots of respect for Mick - love this guy now
Apollo is a stuck up jerk and needs to freaking chill
I love that once Adrian tells him to win, he’s laser focused
that last fight was painful - Rocky really can’t see well out of that right eye but I love the moment he wins he’s like “Yo Adrian, I did it!”*
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Rocky III:
okay I was super into The A-Team when I was like… 15 so seeing Mr. T in this movie is an absolute joy
Hulk Hogan - what a homie BUT HES FREAKING HUGE
that fight was intense, man. geez, ya know?
they built Rocky a statueeeee - cute
Rocky, dude, stop training in a stupid public playhouse
Mick riding on the bike that Rocky is pulling reminds me of Yoda in Star Wars on Luke’s back heheheeeee
join the circus lol
Apollo Creed has calmed down quite a bit and I don’t hate him as much
MICK NO YOU CANT BE DOING THAT GAH
I can’t… I can’t even… Rocky loses and Mick dies I just cannot… it breaks my heart
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Never thought I’d have the respect I have for Apollo but now I do
I love the reprise of Eye of the Tiger - good choice
yes on the training montage - not gonna lie, I’m afraid for this match though
my first thought when he finally passes Apollo on their sprint and jumps in the ocean was “ew, wet socks”
it’s funny when someone’s so focused on themselves and beating Rocky (Apollo in the first two, whatever his name is in this one) that they just… don’t win
made it past round 2 so that’s usually a good sign
that was the coolest comeback ever
ahaaaa - I find Apollo and Rocky’s lil fight at the end absolutely hysterical
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Rocky IV:
lost a lot of my notes for this one but here’s what I have
Here comes Apollo’s ego again heaven forbid
HE CANT DIE WHAT THE HECK
we can’t just keep killing all of Rocky’s mentors and friends geez
Rocky Jr. is absolutely adorable
THE RUSSIAN DOESNT USE STEROIDS MY A** - I absolutely hate that they lied about that and that’s why that man is unnaturally large
Again - I love the training montage - we get the arms on top of a mountain lets gooooooo
this fight is… it hurts me
OHMYGOSH YES ROCKY GET EMMMMMM
so proud of this guy
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Rocky V:
I have really appreciated that we go over the fight at the end of the previous movie in all the different films since Rocky II - it’s a nice lil recap and I like how it flows immediately into the next one without being choppy or anything
Losing all their money - geez
Mick left the boxing joint to Rocky Jr?? My heart
THIS WHOLE SCENE WITH MICKEY BREAKS MY HEART OH MY GOOD GRACIOUS HEAVENS
“You was the Angel” GAH
I love that the Italian Priest is still there “I love it when he does that” haha
Haha Paulie and the baseball batttttt
stupid stupid Tommy Gunn leaving Rocky behind
Rocky Jr - the whole angst with him feeling forgotten by Rocky breaks my heart
HOME TEAM HOME TEAM
“I loved you man, do you know that?” eek my heart
EEK THE VISION OF MICKEY - I’m not crying, you are
“Get up you son of a bitch - cause Mickey loves ya” AHHHHHH
This man has so much grit - I love the theme song good gracious
his poor family is watching oh my heart
ROCKY ROCKY ROCKY
oh my gosh the sucker punch to Duke is almost *almost* better than him beating Tommy “Sue me for what?”
THE ITALIAN PRIEST YES
Good gracious he gives the kid the cufflink from Mickeyyyyyy
“You’re gonna love Picasso.”
“Ah yeah, well I love almost everybody.”
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
hope somebody enjoyed this nonsensical rant - in conclusion, I absolutely loved these movies with my whole soul - all of it was just amazing
I will be adding some songs from the soundtrack to my playlist haha
Mickey is my favorite character (besides literally everyone else of course haha)
Favorite movie out of the five… I can’t choose one dang it - but I’ve watched the first one a few times already so I could say that one…?
they’re just… they’re so good and are turning into comfort films for me (which is good cause I needed a new set of comfort films haha)
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Hi Em! I’m the anon who asked about Locke regarding his decision about Jude as well as the one who asked if I can tell you my thoughts on TFoTA as I read the series. For now just call me Justice to make things easier. So I read the 1st book in May 2020 and I started my reread of the book. I’m now on the part where Jude made the deal with Prince Dain. I find it interesting that Madoc doesn’t want Jude to try for knighthood. He claims she has the skill and that experience is not what she lacks. It’s obvious that it goes back to her being mortal, but then why teach her how to use a sword if she can’t put her skills to use? I remember Madoc wanting to take the throne so I guess he thought that Jude and Taryn would be protected as an extension so there would be no need for Jude to become a knight? Maybe he doesn’t want Jude to get hurt because he’s come to see her as something close to a daughter. Or perhaps this is just a form of control. It makes me wonder if his answer would have still been the same if Vivi wanted to become a knight. I hope this gets explained more later.
I don’t like Valerian at all. It’s odd that he absolutely hates Jude for being mortal, but he was caught leering at Taryn and her body. For starters, that’s a disturbing situation to be in. But also, it’s just weird. I guess it’s ok to want humans in a sexual manner as long as they’re submissive, even though he outright insulted Jude and Taryn to Jude on numerous occasions.
I did find it slightly odd that a mortal was trying to flirt with Jude and her first instinct was to attack, but Locke comes out of nowhere and cleans her bruises after the tournament and she just lets him. I guess it makes sense since for the first time, a faerie is noticing her which means way more than a regular mortal? Maybe it does make sense because she’s suspicious and as a result, she’s too stunned to do anything. I would be suspicious too if I’m being honest.
I have mixed feelings about Prince Dain. He called Cardan spoiled and speaks of him in such a negative manner, but like he did Cardan dirty by getting him kicked out of the palace (I don’t remember if it was mentioned in TCP or if I came across a spoiler from another book). It’s incredibly hypocritical that he said Cardan shouldn’t pick on Jude or anyone else just for the sake of enjoyment, but that’s literally what he did to Cardan. Idk I need more info on him. I still remember some things about Dain, but I’ll touch more on them when I get to those parts.
I do have thoughts on Taryn, Vivi, Orianna, and Locke, but I’ll talk more about them later as well. This post is getting really long lol.
Thank you again for allowing me to share my readthrough here, Em!
~Justice
hiya Justice! thanks for the update 😊🖤
Madoc's not letting Jude become a knight is sort of explained later, though in a very indirect "read between the lines" sort of way that Holly is so good at writing. i'm wondering if you'll pick up on it.
as for Valerian, i'm not sure i remember the bit you're talking about (where he ogles Taryn). i'll have to go back and check. but as far as i'm aware, he's pretty much deemed the series' Local Deranged Man, so i think you'll find agreement across the board.
the reason Jude attacks the mortal who flirts with her is 1) to show how much she does not fit in in the mortal world, and 2) to show how vicious she's become. plus, if memory serves me, the mortal made some sort of rude comment/touched her (not sure which, will have to check) which made Jude lash out. it's understandable that she would, because the fae, while scary, are big on courtship. i wouldn't expect hitting on strangers to be much in their culture.
and finally, i believe you may have come across a spoiler from the prologue of QON. Cardan tells us Dain is not the upstanding prince the Court of Shadows believe him to be in TCP, but i believe the story of him getting kicked out of the palace isn't told until QON. imo it's understandable that Dain would basically call Cardan a prick, because he pretty much was one until he starts hanging out more with Jude. however, you're right in being wary of him. just because Dain says something about her enemy that Jude can identify, doesn't mean she should trust him.
i hope you enjoy the rest of the book!
–Em 🖤🗡
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malarki · 3 years
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Detective Tom Riddle for the win
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dadsbongos · 3 years
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trashy dad
Movie/Game/Show: My Hero Academia Dynamic: Shota Aizawa/Reader (Platonic) Warnings: references (2) to un*s ann*s, one (1) use of (y/n), fem pronouns Summary: Shota trying to support his YouTuber daughter :) cuz social media aus own me Word Count: 2.1K ~~~
"Hey, gamers," you grin at the camera before tossing an arm over your father's shoulders, "My dad's in town and as you can see," you hesitated slightly before turning to face your father, "Dad's not super into taking care of himself. So, I figured what's better than doing a Q&A together while I do his makeup?"
"Hitoshi just did a 'what I eat in a day', didn't he?" Shota quirked a brow, already reaching back to tie up his messy, tangled hair.
"Spoilers!" you quietly whine as you open your phone, "He still has to edit it, silly man. We're gonna have to brush out your hair later, by the way."
Shota's eyes widened, "We? I thought this was your idea and video, (Y/n)."
"No," you huff, scrolling through a few of the questions from fans, "I mean it was but your hair is so… Okay, first question is from - oh my God the names - shrekslongtoe, what was my first word?"
"Are you gonna start putting makeup on me or just sit there?" Shota scratched at his nose before snickering, "That wasn't your first word. Your first word was 'Dada' and it drove Hizashi insane."
"Hizashi is my other dad, by the way," you lean over to grab your makeup bag, "'Toshi and I call him papa. Oooh, oh no," you looked up to Shota, "I don't have your shade, you're gonna look weird."
"I don't really care," the man shrugged, watching as you took out a pink beauty blender, "That looks like a buttplug."
"Don't say that!" your eyes were wide at his words while you got out your foundation, "Youtube doesn't like that."
"Whoops," he deadpanned, "Next question."
"Shit, right."
"Language."
"Japanese," you murmur, going to the next reply, "yoonbumskneecap asks, 'Did you believe in me-’ they said my name but you know, ‘and Hitoshi when they decided to become Youtubers?' And 'in 'Toshi's case - drop out of college to become a professional clout man.'"
"To be honest," Shota closed his eyes, only in slight fear, as you began pressing the foundation into his skin, "I was really worried about Hitoshi, I didn't know if he'd stay as big as he was because he's a lot like me, in the sense that people tend to not like us for our bluntness. So I was worried he'd be a meme for like a month and then people would drop him, but thankfully I was proved wrong," he opened his eyes when he felt you pull away and begin rooting through your bag once again, "With you, I was less worried because you're more like 'Zashi, i.e extremely likable, and you were kind of getting a boost from appearances on Hitoshi's channel. I still worry because the internet is a fickle mistress but I'm not staying up at night about it."
Pulling out a dark eyebrow pencil, you grin at your father, "Aww, that was kinda sweet. Not really but kind of."
"What I'm here for," Shota's eyes followed your hand as you uncapped the pencil and reached up, beginning to mark at his eyebrows, "I'm gonna read the next question while you kill my eyebrows."
"I'm not killing them!" you giggled, "But unlike Papa, you already have pretty thick, full eyebrows so I won't be here long."
"Good," he muttered before furrowing his brows in confusion, ignoring your frustrated groan, "who is daddysero and why is he asking if you pissed today?"
"What?!" you pull your dad's hand back to see what he was looking at, instantly calming down when you saw he was still on Twitter, "Oh, that's just Sero, he asks me that every time I tweet. I thought you went to my Instagram DMs," at Shota's questioning stare you grinned, "Mama's got simps in her DMs."
"Don't ever call yourself 'Mama' in my presence ever again," Shota shook his head, once again ignoring your annoyance, "papichulo46290 wants to know my favorite memory of you."
"If you mix me up with 'Toshi, I'll be so pissed," you return the eyebrow pencil to your bag as Shota speaks.
"I won't... probably," he shrugs while you root through your bag, "So, Hizashi had taken Hitoshi out for ice cream because of - has he mentioned his middle school trauma?" at your nod, he continues, "Hitoshi was having a bad day from middle school, shocking, so you and I were left home alone together. You were probably seven and you really wanted to paint my nails and I let you. You..." he shook his head, snickering, "you fucked them up. So bad. But you were so happy to just be spending time with me- "
"Keep talking, but I'm gonna do your eyeshadow," you lean back in, swishing your brush over a navy blue, almost black shade, "Just so you guys know, Dad wanted to look like shit, don't unsubscribe cuz this is gonna come out bad."
"It won't be too bad, you're talented," Shota did his best to remain still, "But overall, you were just so adorable and it didn't even matter that the smudged nails got me teased in the teacher's lounge the next day. It all came off after like a week because it was shitty polish but you get the idea."
"Aww, I didn't know you kept it on, that's so sweet," you fall back briefly to inspect your work, "It's not awful but I'm only posting this because you're my dad."
"Of course, I did," Shota continued scrolling through the questions, "A lot of people are asking if you mean Dad or Daddy, and a lot more people are asking for pictures of your feet, you should block them all."
"Yeah, I got sickos in my replies too, just gotta scroll past em'."
"Disgusting..." Shota grumbled as you moved to his other eye, "Is 'electrodick' Kaminari, perchance?"
"Unfortunately."
"Gross, he asks if you had an 'I'm not like other girls' phase," Shota hummed quietly in thought, "Maybe when you were eight for like a month, but that's probably because except for Nemuri you didn't have any women in your life. Thankfully you moved on from that pretty quickly."
"Oh yeah, that was a gross, weird time. You and Papa also weren’t shitty people so I didn’t have a lot of misogynist influence."
"I like to think we did a good job," Shota sighed, finally moving back into his slouching position when you pulled away completely, "Is 'explosionmurder' Bakugou?"
"You know it."
"Okay well, he's asking if you plan on fucking up your bronzing again?" he thinks for a moment, “Was that from when you looked kinda copper-ish in a video?
"Oh my God, that was one time, Bakugou!" you shout and shake your brush at the camera, "One time!"
"I don't even know what blending is so you're doing better than I am."
"God, how are we related?"
Without hesitation, Shota replied, "Surrogate. Which answers summerlongsock's question."
"Nice," you chuckle, setting the brush back in your bag, "You probably won't need too much bronze or countour since you're going for bad," you immediately turn to the camera, "And Bakugou isn't gonna say a fucking word about it!"
"Is eyeliner next? And if so, I would enjoy a nice wing," Shota muttered, looking through the remaining questions, "Hitoshi asks why I haven't done a video with him yet."
You nod along while uncapping the liner, "I'm curious about that too. I thought my first video with a parent would be with Papa. I was gonna say family but..." you shrug, "Hitoshi was my first video and then Eri came on."
"He never asked," Shota closed both of his eyes, allowing you to move his head around as you pleased, "You just texted me the video idea and we set it up while I was in town. If Hitoshi wants a video so bad he should come up with an idea."
"Jeez, don't bully the poor boy," you laughed quietly, carefully applying more eyeliner to your father's left lid, "We should all do a video together. I think it'd be fun."
"Come up with an idea," he replied flatly before opening his eyes, "davinky wants to know when you got into makeup. Probably after thirteen, sometime."
"Yeah, I got my first real eyeshadow at like fourteen and then you guys just enabled my love of makeup after that."
"Well, the thing with that was, Hizashi and I didn't want you growing up thinking you had to wear makeup for any reason," Shota opened his eyes once he felt you back away, blinking a few times, "So we waited till you were more mature because giving makeup to a six-year-old is weird."
Capping your eyeliner, you traded it out for mascara, "Yeah, even little play kits are a bit ehhh. Don't close your eyes, but look down."
Following instruction, Shota took the opportunity to read off another question, "I can't see the name but someone's asking what we did together for fun. While you were a kid."
Humming quietly in thought, you move from one eye to the other, "We used to go to diners a lot. Those late-night diner trips, remember?"
"Oh yeah, you were such a little demon about bedtime. I had to take you to this little place for scrambled eggs or some shit and you'd fall asleep on the way back home."
Putting away your mascara, you reach out for your hairbrush before beginning to pull out the hair tie in Shota's hair, "Mina wanted me to ask what videos you show people when they ask what your kids do for a living."
"For Hitoshi, the one where he and Kaminari made Bakugou breakfast with sex toys. For you, the one where you turn yourself into Mina's little character - with the pink skin," Shota winced slightly at the tug of your hairbrush, "And Eri's a teacher so that information comes first since it's the least strange."
As you fussed with his tangled nest of hair, you read another question over Shota's shoulder, "When did you know you loved me? Like after adopting me."
"Not too long after the adoption was finalized actually," Shota grumbled as the brush made its final courses through his hair, "You've always been a really great kid. I don't know when I 'realized' but it was definitely around the time you were born, maybe like the day after."
"That's pretty good considering I was a stranger," you giggled, brushing out the final knots in his dark hair, "A baby stranger."
"Hmm," Shota hummed in response, "You almost done?"
Refraining from rolling your eyes, you fluffed Shota's now smooth and detangled hair around his shoulders with a small smile, "I'm done. Your hair is so pretty when it's brushed out."
"I know," the man muttered, handing your phone back, "Wanna do one more question and then sign off?"
"Yeah," you scroll through some of the questions, "I want it to be the best question that's ever been asked."
"Ask your own, you're great at that."
You shook your head with furrowed brows at his comment, "Is that a compliment?"
"It was meant to be."
"Thanks, but no need, I've found one. Midoriya wants to know if raising two attention whores was hard. He didn't say ‘attention whores’ because he doesn't swear but that's the vibe."
"What's Midoriya's at?" Shota asked.
"SmallMight."
"Of course," the man grumbled, closing his eyes to think, "You two were honestly pretty easy to raise. Not a whole lot of fits compared to what I've heard other parents talk about. You both liked to talk a lot to each other, and, of course, to Hizashi and me. Not terribly difficult at all."
"Aww, I'm glad we didn't make you pull your hair out," you grin.
"Oh, you still did. Absolutely."
"Nice," you giggle before turning off your phone and facing the camera, "Okay guys, well, I hope you don't clown on me as much as usual because if you do, my dad will... I don't know… kick your ass."
"Exactly," Shota nodded, a horrific smile on his face, "I'll beam right into your living room."
"Hopefully you guys come back next week where I'll..." floundering for an answer, you turn to your dad as if he’d give you ideas, "Create wings to do it better than Icarus ever could."
Giving a singular stiff nod, Shota looked dead at the camera, "I'd watch it."
"You heard it from the main man himself, peeps," you waved to the camera, Shota copying the motion, “Bye!”
"If there's one comment about my eyebags, I'm never coming on your channel again," Shota lied as you leaned over to stop recording.
"They're gonna love you, I'm sure," you assure your father, "Wanna see how I edit?"
"God no, Hitoshi showed me how long it takes to edit his videos, it looks like hell."
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yelena-bellova · 3 years
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Safe Haven: tfatws!Bucky Barnes x fem!reader - Chapter One
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Chapter One: The Other Wilson Sister - chapter two
Series Masterlist
Plot: Y/n grew up with Sam and Sarah Wilson in the bayou of Delacroix. During the Blip she stayed with Sarah to help run the family business. With Sam back and trying to save the day, Y/n’s perfect opportunity to confess her long-kept secret to her best friend presents itself.
Warnings: tfatws ep.1 spoilers, language, suicide mention, undertones of racism, lots of Wilson sibling arguments, tragic backstory
Word Count: 5.9k
A/N: As I wrote this first chapter out I realized it’s most definitely also a Sam Wilson x platonic fic. Bucky doesn’t come in till next chapter but rest assured, it’s gonna be a wild ride...Also I didn’t know till now how difficult it is to plan out a series in its entirety when the show isn’t completed lol. Hope you enjoy! (I may or may not change the title depending on how I feel about it later today lol)
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Delacroix, LA 2024
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One of the only things I was certain of in life was that blood didn’t make a family.
I had no official tie to Wilson family, I wasn’t a daughter or some distant cousin sent to live with them. We shared no DNA and they had no reason to love me as much as they did. But throughout my life I had known no kinder people than them and I doubted that would change. As I stood on the family boat helping to unload the catch of the day, I thought of how our corner of the Louisiana bayou felt more like home than any place I’d ever been.
“Hey,” Sarah said from the dock, “Head out of the clouds and down here helping me.” “Sorry,” I shook myself out of my thoughts and hopped off the boat, “Not a bad catch if you ask me.”
Sarah sighed as she bent over a large bucket of fish, “It could’ve been better.” I came to stand in front of her and held my hands out for a bucket, “Take the wins where you can get ‘em, Sar. Lord knows we don’t get enough of them.” Sarah Wilson was the only superhero I’d ever aspire to be like. She was a widow who had raised two kids and run a business all by herself with no family for support. The past five years had been challenging with so many people gone and while I had moved in with her to help however I could, I could take no credit. She was one of the strongest women I’d ever known.
“You had that look on your face again,” she said as we worked.
“What look?”
“That look that lets me know you were thinking real hard about something,” Sarah imitated the expression in question by thinning her eyes slightly and furrowing her brows, “Like this.” I laughed heartily at her impression, “So what was it?” I gazed out at the bayou waters before turning to the boat and finally Sarah, “Family.”
She nudged me with her hip, something we’d done when we were young and an affectionate gesture we’d carried into adulthood. A half hour went by with us and the boys unloading and sorting the fish we’d caught. I was too wrapped up in the task to notice the sound of a vehicle approaching until AJ and Cass announced the arrival. 
“Blue for the snapper, orange for the whitefish.”
“Uncle Sam!”
My head shot up upon hearing his name, as did Sarah’s. I used my hand as a visor against to sun to spot the familiar rusted truck parked a few hundred feet away, with my best friend standing outside it hugging his nephews.
“That’s right, Uncle Sam,” Sarah called, “You’re back early.”
I grinned as I shucked my gloves off and made a beeline for him, slamming my body into his for a tight embrace. It had been a few weeks since I’d seen him, having spent the only weekend he was off away, and I’d naturally been worried sick about him. My best friend and un-biological brother may have been an Avenger for years, but after losing him in the Blip I didn’t think I’d ever stop worrying about him.
“Every time I come home, you act like I’ve been gone for five years,” he joked over my shoulder, resulting in me pulling away and slapping his bicep.
“Not even a little funny,” I pointed a finger in his smug face, he slung an arm around my neck as we walked over to Sarah.
“What’s goin’ on? You got Mom’s sneaky look on your face.” “How you gonna try to read me when you know I’m the one that reads you?” Sam smiled, passing by and greeting a long time customer of ours. “That look is permanently glued to his face, Sar,” I chuckled, “I learned that in grade school.” Sam shook his head at me and laughed before making his way up the dock to the Wilson family boat. “You gotta marvel at it, baby’s being held together by duct tape and prayers.” I leaned into Sarah, “Are you telling him or am I?” She took the initiative, “It just needs to float long enough for me to sell it.” “I thought we were gonna discuss if we were selling it,” Sam replied as he helped unload another bucket of fish. “We did, and then you were off fighting Doctor Space Cape or whatever while we,” Sarah gestured between us, “Were holdin’ it together for five long years. Now that the world is going back to normal, this thing’s gotta go.”
Sam looked to me with a look of displeasure, “Were you in on this?” “Don’t drag me into this,” I waved my hands as if wiping my involvement away, “This is a Wilson sibling discussion.” “Uh-uh,” Sam called me out, wagging his finger, “Don’t do that. Dad said every chance he got that you were one of his own, you’ve got a say in this too. What is it?” I scrunched my face up, dreading the argument that was knocking on our door, “It’s dead weight, Sam. The money we could get for it would be enough to keep us comfortable for a little longer without having to worry.” “We grew up on this thing. It’s not just Mom and Dad’s name on it. This thing is a part of our family.”
I sighed as Sarah stepped forward, “You know the situation we’re in. This is why I prefer not to dwell on it in front of everybody.” “Well what if we don’t need to sell it?” Sam said. “Can we talk about this in private?” I suggested, tiring of having to convince Sam that we were in the right when he hadn’t been around to witness our struggles. A long time friend of ours called out to Sam and he willingly took the distraction, opting out of having the inevitable difficult conversation. Sarah and I trudged back, totes of fish in hand and tried to get through the rest of the work day without worrying if we were approaching our last.
————
During golden hour, when the clock had struck five and we’d started packing it up for the day was the only time to get Sam to actually listen. I knew how much the boat meant to him, it meant something to us all, but he wasn’t living in the reality that Sarah and I were.
“Sam, the boat’s gotta go,” Sarah finally said, breaking the silence we were working in on the vessel. “Wait-“ “No, let me finish,” she said, “Y/n and I are doin’ everything I can to keep this business afloat and every day we’re making $5 and spending $10.” Sam looked between the two of us, “So why won’t you let me help?” 
“Sam, don’t…” I winced, knowing Sarah’s reaction would be strong.
“No, don’t start with that. We made a deal before Daddy died,” Sarah carried a few buckets to the center of the deck, “You’re out there, I do things my way here. Y/n agreed to it too when she went off to school.” “Right, but you tangled the house into this when you took those loans,” Sam finished tying off one of the ropes, turning around and giving Sarah the perfect opportunity to punch his chest, “Forgot how hard you hit.” I sighed as I passed him by to follow Sarah, “Low blow, you deserved it.” 
“Sarah, Y/n, c’mon,” he chased after us, “Look, and don’t hit me again…What if you had money to fix it up? Make it nice so you can charter it when you’re not out working the waters?” “Sam, do you think this was an easy decision for us?” I faced him, leaning against the doorway next to him, “I tried every tactic I learned in business school and got nowhere. Anything I thought up, we needed more money to do. This is our only option.” As he always did with the things he cared about, he fought. “We can take a loan and consolidate everything, it’ll take down your monthly,” he looked confused as he watched Sarah laugh, “What?” “You think I didn’t try the banks? They’re in with all that big business now.” I followed them like the little sister I’d always been as they moved their fight towards the cockpit of the boat. Sam blocked another doorway, “Yeah, but now you have me.”
“Don’t, Sam,” Sarah shook her head, “I just got good with this.”
“All right…”
“Maybe it is time for us to move on,” Sarah sighed. “Either way, just let me help,” Sam offered, “I’ll set the appointment. Look, I won’t let you guys down. We can turn this shit around. Trust me.” I peered over at Sarah, wishing I could see the calculations going on in her brain. It seemed pointless, but any shot at changing our luck was an avenue worth pursuing.
“It can’t hurt to try,” I shrugged.
Sarah finally relented, “To the rescue, huh?”
“Always,” Sam smiled, “Now, let’s get some dinner. I’m hungry.” ————
Sarah was taking AJ and Cass back home while Sam and I took his truck to go pick up food.
“So how was Tunisia?” I asked, sticking my hand out the window and letting it rise and fall with the wind.
“Hot, but the mission went well,” he answered, looking out of the corner of his eyes at me, “And that’s all you need to know.”
I snickered, “C’mon, it’s our thing. I ask you detailed questions about your confidential missions, you tell me you can’t reveal anything, I keep asking…You’ve gotta honor tradition.” “I flew, I fought, I rescued. Boom, mission explained.” “Ugh, you’re impossible, Wilson,” I waved him off, “How was the museum dedication?” The atmosphere changed as the subject of conversation changed from easy to complicated. “It was nice to see Steve’s accomplishments celebrated. Got to see Rhodes which was nice…” “You’re avoiding a red white and blue topic,” I said, trying to coax his true feelings out of their shells, “Seriously, are you really okay with this? Giving up the shield?” Sam inhaled deeply and exhaled, gathering his thoughts. “I don’t think it was ever meant to end up in my hands. I did the right thing, it belongs with Steve and the museum is the closest to Steve I can get.” I respected my friend’s choice but I knew there was so much more to his decision and I wished he would just say it. He had an enormous amount of respect for Steve Rogers and what the shield represented, but Steve Rogers never had to face the issues that Sam Wilson did. Steve Rogers could follow a government and be respected in return with no problems whatsoever. Sam Wilson couldn’t, not always. There was an elephant in the room and if neither of us wanted to talk about it, I wouldn’t push it.
“You’d have looked good in that uniform though,” I smiled as we turned into the take out place’s parking lot.
“Damn right,” Sam waggled his eyebrows and unbuckled his seatbelt. Laughter rang out in the truck sending me on waves of nostalgia. The memories that me and him had in this truck still were infamous between us. As proud as I was of the Falcon’s heroics, I was prouder to call Sam Wilson my best friend.
————
Just as he’d promised, Sam made the appointment with the banker. He and Sarah were already on their way as I made the hour long drive in the opposite direction to New Orleans. I’d told them I’d be back in the evening to discuss how it went, but I had my own appointment to keep.
Sam and I had met back when we were just a couple of first graders. I’d always struggled with making friends as a kid, but Sam never had an issue when it came to connecting with others. It was one of his strongest qualities. And so he used his gift on his desk neighbor, the loneliest kid in class, and pulled her out of herself. We were inseparable until college and adulthood forced us apart, but we’d never lost our bond. Even when he was a pararescue, he wrote to me as often as his work allowed him.
All the Wilsons had taken a liking to me after Sam brought me home one day after school to watch cartoons. Darlene had told me I was welcome to come over any time I wanted, an offer Sam and I accepted till I became a permanent fixture in their house. Paul and his wife had frequently tried to get the rest of my family over for a crawfish boil or a barbecue. They’d send me every few weeks with a verbal invitation to my parents and the next day I’d always come back with a polite decline and excuse as to why we couldn’t make it. Mom was busy with spring cleaning, Melanie had a recital, Dad was feeling under the weather…
The only one that had ever been true was about my dad not feeling well. He was never well. But as a child, how do you explain that your father is a ghost around his own home who drinks himself to sleep and wakes up each night screaming from nightmares? There was no polite way to phrase circumstances that dark. Sometimes I felt like my dad had never returned from the military and though there hadn’t been a war at the time of his service, he still came back with his share of trauma. Mom did everything she could to try and help him. She found support groups for veterans, she took him to the best psychiatrists, she created a safe space for him within our home to retreat to. There was no amount of help that could kill my father’s demons and that was proven the night he’d said we were out of milk and he was going to the store. A few hours later, with my sister and I fast asleep upstairs, my worried mother answered the door and was informed by the police that my father had crashed his car and was dead. After speaking to Mom about what his mood had been like before he’d left and if he suffered from any mental illnesses, it was ruled as an undoubtable suicide.
My mother didn’t get much time to mourn after the funeral, she had two children to provide for. She took three jobs just to earn enough to move us from our house in New Orleans to a dingy apartment in Delacroix by the bayou. When the Wilsons heard that Mom needed to scrape enough money in the budget to hire a baby-sitter for me and Melanie, they put a stop to her efforts immediately. The insisted that Mel and I would be happier spending the time my mom was working with them and their kids rather than a stranger. That was how the Wilsons and the Y/l/ns had ended up so tightly knit. While Sarah and Melanie had bonded as the older sisters and were often off doing their own thing, Sam and I caused havoc of our own in classic younger sibling fashion. By the time we were in high school, both parents called the other’s children their own.
When Paul and Darlene passed away, it was incredibly hard on all of us and it was equal when Mom had a fall and the doctors suggested she move into a facility. Sam, Sarah and I had worked hard to get her into one of the best nursing homes in the city and she hadn’t stopped raving about how much she loved it. Pulling into the parking lot was like muscle memory now, I never missed a weekend visit with her. This one was special because Melanie, her husband and brood of children had come too. I grabbed my visitor’s sticker at the front desk and made my way down the familiar hallways. The sound of laughter and cooing echoed out of my mom’s room, bringing a smile to my face.
I knocked on the door and heads turned, my nieces and nephews being the quickest. “Aunt Y/n!” I embraced Sophia and Max tightly, “The twin tornados! I missed you guys,” separating from them was difficult as they clung to me but I made it to Stephan, giving him a kiss on the cheek and doing the same to Mel, “You look hot, mama.” “I certainly don’t feel it,” she remarked as she cradled their newest addition, baby Alexandra, close to her chest, “I spend more hours of the day covered in glitter glue and spit up than you could imagine.” “You wear it all well,” I patted her shoulder before coming to my mother’s bedside and hugging her, “Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, sweetheart,” she kissed both of my cheeks and looked to the door, “Sarah and Sam couldn’t come?” “No, but they send their love. They had an appointment at the bank,” I set down my purse and pulled up a chair, “We’re trying to get approved for a small business loan.”
Glen took Alexandra from Mel so she could tend to the twins, “I wish we could help out, Y/n. I’ve looked at the budget over and-“ It warmed my heart that my brother-in-law cared so much about a problem that wasn’t his to bear. “Glen,” I held up a hand, “You guys are stretched thin enough. This isn’t me asking for charity, it’s our problem and Sam’s confidant we’ll find a fix.” “How does he have enough time to be a member of the Air Force, an Avenger and save the family business?” Mel asked.
“Well, the Avengers are kind of off doing their own thing right now from what I understand and he’s home for a little while from the Air Force,” I explained, “So his main job at the moment is to get us our funding and annoy the snot out of me while doing it.” After earning some giggles from Sophia and Max at the expression, Glen announced that they were going to go and grab lunch for everybody. My mom took my hand once it was just the two of us and I settled into my seat, “How are you, sweetheart?”
“Hanging in there,” I sighed, running a hand through my hair, “Tired, stressed, I smell like fish most of the time…We need this loan or else we’re going to have to sell the boat. You should’ve seen Sam’s face when Sarah told him…”
“I’m sorry, I know how much that boat means to you kids. I could’ve offered you the moon and stars and it still wouldn’t have been enough to get you off it.” I smiled at the memories of summer nights spent laying on the deck stargazing, dance parties on the stern and early mornings spent with Mr. Wilson teaching us how to fish. A childhood with so much sadness had also contained so many joys. To part with a tangible one killed me more than I’d let on to Sam.
Sensing that the topic was making me emotional, my mother was kind enough to change it. “How are things otherwise? Have you been getting out there?” I dropped my head back dramatically and groaned, “Mom…” “I’m just saying,” she dropped my hand and held up hers in surrender, “You should get out there, meet someone. There’s no shame in trying those online dating services. What’s the one…the…Tinder?” “Oh my gosh, Mom,” I buried my face in my hands and moved my fingers so she could only see my eyes, “Please stop talking.” “You know who I ran into the other day? Jack’s mom, from high school. She lives just down the next hallway, she says that he’s still single. You could get in touch with him.” “Y’know, for a woman who advocated for her daughters to lead such independent lives, you’re sure quick to try and marry us off,” I chuckled, “The second Mel started dating Glen you were practically booking the church.” “And I’m very proud of both my girls for being such strong young women,” she smiled proudly, “But finding love doesn’t mean losing your independence so long as you’re with the right man. I love that you’ve been helping out Sarah these last few years but honey…I see how lonely you are. In those big y/e/c eyes you think I still can’t read after all these years.” The y/e/c eyes in question started to fill with sadness at hearing my pain verbalized. It was true, I was lonely. More so than I would ever let on to anybody. I was a shy enough kid who only withdrew further after Dad passed away, that kind of introversion wasn’t one that you outgrew. But I’d given up the idea of finding someone to spend my life with a long time ago for a bevy of reasons.
“Sometimes it’s better to be alone, Mama,” I nodded as if to force myself to agree with my statement, “No chances of getting hurt…or hurting somebody.” “You couldn’t hurt somebody even if you tried,” my mom argued sweetly, “You couldn’t even kill spiders when you were a kid.” “And now there’s a Spiderman out there so I’m glad I didn’t,” I shot back with a laugh.
“I’m serious, honey,” she took my hand once again, “Don’t let your heart’s wounds keep you from finding someone who could help soothe them.” 
I was convinced my mother was both a poet and a therapist at some point in her life, she gave advice in the most beautifully phrased way. And while I’d loved to have taken her words to heart, tell Mel to fix me up with one of Glen’s friends and put an end to my loneliness, I feared that I was just too broken to give love to someone.
————
I arrived back home late, shedding my boots and bag at the doors. I’d expected to hear a triumphant chorus of Sam shouting ‘WHO DA MAN?’ as he typically would when heroically proving me and Sarah wrong, but there was only silence. When I walked into the kitchen and saw their glum faces, it wasn’t hard to guess the outcome of the meeting. “You’re kidding me…” “Said that things had tightened up,” Sam said, leaning against one side of the island and taking a swig of his beer, “Had the balls to ask me for a picture afterwards.” I groaned and grabbed the beer bottle Sarah had extended to me, “Okay, we’re out of options. It’s time to move forward-“ “Don’t say it…” Sam tiredly warned.
“Someone has to, Sam. We can’t keep searching for solutions when the right one is sitting out on our dock,” I gestured to the window that looked out on the road we took each day to work.
Sarah set her beer down and held her hands up in surrender, “I’m not having this argument again tonight, I’m going to bed. If you’re gonna kill each other, do it quietly.” She left as me and Sam silently stared each other down, waiting for the other to speak. I was too frustrated to play the game, “What’s this really about?” “It’s about the damn boat and that you and Sarah are throwing in the towel too-“ “What,” I elongated the single syllable word, “Is this really about?” Sam set his drink down and rubbed his hands over his head before looking back up at me helplessly, “You guys were on your own for five years and you’ve done an amazing job. But now nothing’s working and I just…I just want to help because I couldn’t for so long.” It all clicked as to why Sam was being so insistent on trying to eliminate the whole matter. He was used to saving the day and finally meeting one that he couldn’t save was a wall he thought he could still find a way to run through. He’d been like that ever since we were kids, always trying to help the people he loved even when it was impossible. He had the biggest heart of anyone I’d ever met.
“I love you,” I set down my bottle and crossed the island to come next to him and wrap my arms around his shoulders, “But this may be one problem that the Falcon can’t swoop in and fix. The Avengers work hard, but a business graduate helping to run a struggling seafood business works harder,” I succeeded in getting him to crack a smile, “Believe me, I’ve run all the numbers and consulted with anyone who would listen. The boat’s gotta go.”
“Yeah, well, humor me and give me a little while longer.”
“Fine, a couple more days,” I grabbed my beer once again and clinked it against his, “But it’s not my fault if Sarah smacks you again.” Sam laughed, slung an arm around my neck and kissed my temple. “You coming up soon?”
“Yeah, I’ll be up in a few minutes,” I answered, watching as he finished his drink before leaving the kitchen and heading upstairs. Once I’d heard his bedroom door open and close, I exited out to the back porch. I took in the late night sounds of the bayou, the crickets chirping and the wind rustling trees had always soothed me. I wished they could touch what I was feeling right now, but the noise didn’t do a thing to drown out my worry. For the business I feared we may lose, for Sam as he ran himself ragged trying to help and for myself and what him and Sarah would think of me once I confessed the secret I’d kept from them for so long.
I held out my hand and watched as the blue energy flowed from my fingertips. Would Sam ever forgive me for not telling him I had powers? They had manifested when I was young, my parents said. I couldn’t remember a day where my body hadn’t produced a magical energy that when harnessed incorrectly could be destructive. It had been a sad day for my mother’s garden when I’d discovered that bit…According to her, she’d wanted to take me to a school for people like me run by a man named Charles Xavier but my father had said no immediately. He’d been so insistent on keeping my powers a secret that my mother said she’d only seen that type of fear in his eyes when he had a war flashback. So I was instructed to never show my powers to anyone under any circumstances and I’d done just that. I’d thought about revealing them in 2012 after the Battle of New York, but my dad’s fear rang in my ears. Three years later when Sam became an Avenger was when I began to feel guilty that I was keeping a secret from him. I’d wanted to join him and find somewhere where I didn’t feel so out of place, but I’d decided against it again. Now with their team so broken and Sam off with the Air Force, I’d finally gathered the courage to confide in him and Sarah. I should have done it six months ago, but I’d chickened out too many times. Tomorrow, I decided. Tomorrow was the day. But would they still see me the same way once I showed them? ————
The next morning, after dressing and running over what I wanted to say three times, I hesitantly headed downstairs to face the music. With there being nobody in the kitchen, I followed the sounds of the television to find Sarah and Sam staring at the screen intently. I stood to the side of the room and watched a suited man give a speech out front of a government building. “We need someone to inspire us again, someone who can be a symbol for all of us. So, on behalf of the Department of Defense and our Commander-in-Chief, it is with great honor that we announce here today that the United States of America has a new hero. Join me in welcoming your new Captain America.”
My jaw slackened as a man marched out in front of the gathered press, dressed in a variation of Steve Rogers’ patriotic uniform and carrying the iconic shield. The shield that had only weeks ago sat upstairs in Sam’s bedroom in a case. I dragged my gaze away from the screen to look at my best friend, hunched over in his seat with his eyes shut in sorrow. Sarah looked just as distraught, her eyes trained on her brother as well. We waited in silence until the breaking news broadcast switch back to regularly scheduled programming before Sarah switched the box off.
“I thought you said it was going to stay in the museum,” I finally spoke, my voice choked with emotion.
“It was supposed to,” Sam ground out, his grip on his own hands tightening. Without any warning, he rose from his seat and left the room. My instinct was to follow him and try to comfort him, but there was nothing I could say to ease the deep pain he was feeling. I wasn’t even sure I could form words that weren’t doused in raw shock. The two things I was sure of were that a) the government had fucked up royally and b) now was definitely not the time to tell Sam about my powers.
————
It was a few days later and Sam still hadn’t spoken much to Sarah and I about the situation. It was unnatural for Sam to suffer in silence especially around us, but we both gave him the space he needed. 
I was taking laundry to AJ and Cass’ room and had to pass by Sam’s, surprised to see him packing a bag. “Thought you were sticking around.” “Something big came up,” he replied as he set a stack of t-shirts in his duffle bag, “I need to go check it out.” I leaned against his doorway, “Air Force big or Avengers big?” “The second one.” “And you’re going by yourself?” I asked with raised eyebrows.
Sam looked over his shoulder at me finally, “Don’t have anybody to else to call. Besides, I can handle myself.” I hummed in response before setting down the stack of laundry, an idea forming in my head that could solve both of our problems. I folded my hands together and dug my feet into the carpet, “What if you didn’t have to go by yourself?” He looked confused, “What are you talking about?” My folded hands began to make circles in the air as I struggled for the right words, “What if I came with you?” “What, like take your family to work day something?” Sam scoffed, “That’d be fun.” “I’m serious.” “Are you crazy? Of course you can’t come.” “Hear me out,” I looked to his bag and the pair of jeans he had next to fold, “Actually watch.” He folded his arms and waited for my demonstration. I took a deep breath and extended my hand, forcing my energy outwards to levitate the jeans. “Whoa!” Sam exclaimed as he watched me maneuver the clothing inside his duffle, “W-w-what…What was that?” I shrugged and pulled my hand back to my side, “The reason why you should take me.”
“How long have you been able to do that?” “Since I was a kid,” I moved out of the doorway and closed the door, the last thing I needed was AJ and Cass knowing their aunt could move things with her mind, “My parents told me never to tell anybody. I’ve thought about telling you for years since you’re used to this kind of thing but I was scared…Then you were gone and when you came back, life was moving non-stop and I lost my courage. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.” Sam stood with his jaw hung for a few seconds before shaking his head back into reality, “Why are you apologizing? You never had to tell me, but I’m glad you did,” he pointed a finger towards me, “But you’re still not going.” “What are you talking about? I’d be an asset to whatever it is you’re fighting! And I love you but c’mon bird boy, you may be able to fly but I can do it without any tech.” “Oh, so that’s how you wanna play?” Sam gestured between the two of us, “You think insulting me is the way to get me to let you come?” “Come on,” I moved to sit on his bed, “Tell me what the problem is and I’ll prove that I can help.” “Alright, alright,” Sam took a stance in front of me, “You wanted to hear the tea on my missions, I’ll spill it. There’s an online group called the Flag Smashers, their MO is to get the world back to the way it was during the last five years. My military contact, Torres, went undercover in Switzerland when they robbed a bank. Knocked him unconscious when he tried to fight back.” I balanced my elbows on my knees and tapped a finger against my lip, “So kind of a Robin Hood deal, right? Stealing things from the rich and giving it to the poor. In this case, the poor being those who never disappeared.” “Exactly, except the guy that knocked Torres out was strong. Too strong. I’m thinking they could be a part of-“ “The big three.” Sam’s neck snapped back, “How do you know about the big three?” I shrugged nonchalantly, “The little you do tell me about your avenging always ties back to either androids, aliens or wizards. Though I think you’re being a little dramatic with the term ‘wizard.’”
“Are you seriously gonna correct the guy who’s actually there doing the fighting?” “Are you seriously gonna deny yourself valuable help against either an alien or an android?”
Sam sighed, I was successfully backing him into a corner. “Can you even fight?”
Extending one hand, I levitated Sam and gently slammed his back into the ceiling before reversing course and lowering him onto the carpet. He moaned as he rolled over to face me, “Could’ve given me a concussion.” “Maybe that would knock some sense into your head,” I stood and gave him my hand to pull him up, “Sam, I know that I don’t have any experience but I am more than capable of defending myself. I want to actually do something with these powers instead of sitting on my ass. I’d rather do it with you than on my own. Please?” I watched the cogs in his mind turn through his eyes, I knew he was only fighting this hard because he wanted to keep me safe. But he was in way over his head if he thought it wasn’t worth taking me with. He accepted my hand and stood to his full height, “Pack a bag, we’re leaving for the air base in an hour.” I smiled and threw my arms around him, “Thank you, you won’t regret this.” “I’d better not,” he warned, his arms stayed straightened in displeasure of my enthusiasm, “If you take some stupid risk and put yourself in jeopardy, I’m putting your ass on a plane home.” Quick footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway until the door opened to reveal Sarah, “What was all that noise? It sounded like you were throwing each other into walls.” “Busy,” I quickly dismissed her, using my energy to shut the door in Sarah’s face from a distance.
“Um,” her muffled voice rang through, “What the hell was that?!”
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nanatsumu · 3 years
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TEENAGE FEVER
pairing: iwaizumi hajime x f!reader, oikawa tooru x f!reader
synopsis: iwaizumi has strung you on long enough and you’re finally at the end of your rope.
genre: heavy angst... like make your heart wrench in pain heavy, one sided pining
warnings: manga spoilers, bad grammar (didn’t know it was that bad until i used grammarly), MATURE themes, drinking, smoking, alcohol, iwaizumi being an asshole (he’s also a frat boy because surprise! frat boys should never be trusted), subtle hints at sex, bittersweet ending
word count: 6.7K
series masterlist
part one | part two | part three | part four
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“y/n we know you’re in there, someone told me they saw you run in here.”
great!
you slowly sit up from the toilet, dragging your feet across the bathroom tiles until you make it to the door and begin unlocking the lock at a snail’s pace. but before you can even get a chance to twist the doorknob, somebody is already doing so on the other side of the door and the next thing you know, reina’s screaming ‘HURRY UP’ and you’re assaulted by the bathroom door.
“REINA!” you scream as the result of the door flying into your face has you clutching your head.
“SHIT! SORRY Y/N!”
“geez, why are you so fucking slow,” oikawa complains as he sucks his teeth, pushing the door in a little wider so that you can see standing him behind reina as well. “did iwa-chan’s kiss mess you up that bad?”
“your friend is a prick, oikawa!” reina jabs him in the side, eliciting a grunt from the poor man. “it was supposed to be a quick smooch but that guy had to be extra and start using tongue!”
“what kind of guy kisses a girl who he’s only met once like that?!” your female friend cries.
“only someone as ballsy as him would even try and do that,” oikawa stops scratching his head, his eyes widening like saucers as if he’s just realized something. “and don’t put all the blame on iwaizumi! y/n, you literally moaned! and i even saw you kissing back!”
“don’t make me feel shittier than i already do oikawa!” you jeer.
“he...” you sigh and you can feel the tears start to prickle your eyes. “i feel so humiliated, and embarrassed.”
“and i-i felt so... so exposed.”
oikawa’s playful expression falters as he hears the hurt in your voice and manages to squeeze his way past a protesting reina before kneeling down so that he could meet your glossy eyes.
“listen, i’ll apologize on his behalf for now and i’ll take him about it later, alright?” he awkwardly pats your shoulder, not sure what to do as he’s never been in a situation where he’s had to comfort a girl bawling her eyes out.
“y-you... don’t have— t-to do that,” you whimper. “i’m just being a big crybaby, it’s just a silly kiss.”
“no it’s not!” reina blurts out a little louder than she intended to. “that prick completely disrespected you and embarrassed you in front of everyone! it wasn’t even a matter of him kissing you, it was a part of a game, but that dude took it too far and crossed the line!”
“listen, this is why i told you to stay away from him in the first place,” your roommate shuffles closer to you and pulls you in for a hug. “let’s go home alright?”
“let me walk you guys home, it’s getting late outside and even though you two are together, you never know what’ll happen.” oikawa offers, and while you are quick to accept, reina wavers momentarily.
“how do you know you’re not gonna take advantage of us, hm?”
“please, if i wanted to i already would’ve given the circumstances but i haven’t because i. do. not. want. to!” he smiles patronizingly which irks reina.
“whatever, but if you even think about trying anything then i’ll cut your dick off and feed it to my lizard.” she threatens but oikawa doesn’t take it to heart.
you finally get the last of your sniffles out as you stand up to your feet and exit the bathroom with oikawa and reina trailing along right behind you, similar to an assembly line of ducks— a very... tall duck, a crying duck, and an angry duck.
the walk home was rowdier than you had expected it to be. while you were quieter than usual and still in a bad mood from earlier events, that didn’t stop oikawa and reina though from causing a ruckus on the way back to the dorms.
“you’re telling me, that THAT’S hajime? like hajime iwaizumi? the notorious playboy of irvine?” reina gapes as she stares at the photo of iwaizumi back in high school that oikawa had saved in his phone.
even you were surprised to see what iwaizumi looked back then when reina practically shoved oikawa’s phone in your face, the brightness radiating from his phone screen only further irritating your bloodshot eyes.
while he still had a bit of muscle on him back then, he looked a lot lankier in comparison to his university counterpart who had grown twice in size. his once pale skin had become almost a sun-kissed tan color that complimented his features. but what shocked you the most was that the iwaizumi shown to you in the photos was free from any blemishes on his arms and his ears weren’t dressed in dangly silvers or studs.
“that’s iwaizumi?” your jaw dropped and oikawa was quick to make a teasing remark about how your mouth was wide open enough for flies to fly in.
“what happened to him?!” reina cries.
“sometimes i wonder why he hasn’t visited japan in the past 4 years but when i look back at this photo and then compare it to present him, i would piss my pants too if i were him and had to go back home to my mom.”
“does his mom not like tattoos or piercings?” reina questions as you and oikawa give each other a look before turning back to the girl.
“i don’t know about iwaizumi, but my mom is pretty strict about tattoos and piercings,” you start to explain. “she’s the ‘girls shouldn’t get tattoos!’ and ‘guys shouldn’t get piercings!’ type of mom, so she’s not completely against it, but if i came home with a huge ass tattoo like iwaizumi then she’d sure as hell chop my arm off.”
“japan’s pretty strict about piercings and tattoos, especially when it comes to students because tattoos are kind of a sign of the yakuza in japan,” oikawa adds in addition. “piercings aren’t as frowned upon as tattoos but it’s usually the younger kids who have ‘em.”
“yakuza?”
“like a gang basically? or a mafia i guess.” you answer reina to the best of your abilities.
you start kicking a pebble around and breathe in the crisp california air, watching as a puff of smoke escapes your lips with every exhale.
“you alright?” oikawa asks as he begins growing worried since you haven’t said anything in the past few minutes.
“yeah, just thinking,” you stuff your hands into your pockets and continue kicking the pebble beneath your feet. “california is a lot hotter than japan.”
“you think california is hot? just wait ‘till you spend a day in the summer heat in argentina.” he counters.
“maybe one day,” you say in consideration. “maybe when i graduate university i’ll consider traveling somewhere before my life completely revolves around paying taxes and bills.”
“if you do come to argentina one day then just give me a call and i’ll be more than happy to give you a tour around.” he beams.
“my cousin is playing volleyball in brazil, i think?” you say, remembering your mother telling you that hinata had gone to play beach volleyball in brazil. “he’s blood-related but he lived in miyagi while i lived in aomori so we never really got to see each other that much.”
“miyagi? i used to live in miyagi too!”
“huh? really? do you know a hinata shoyo then?” you ask, intrigued at the newfound information. “i heard from my mom that he started playing volleyball in high school so he’s probably played you once in a game if you played volleyball in high school too.”
“i did actually, his team beat mine during the qualifiers for spring nationals my last year of high school and man, i think i probably broke the record for most bowls of ramen eaten in one sitting that day.” he chuckles but it comes out sounding more half-heartedly in your ears, almost like he’s recalling an unpleasant memory from the past.
“so what made you go to argentina?” you ask and oikawa answers like he’s been asked this countless of times (which he has.)
“when i was a kid, there was this volleyball player i really looked up to,” oikawa starts. “his name was jose blanco and there was a tournament happening in sendai that i went to where he played against japan, and at the time there was a young ace on the team who was a fledgling star,”
“he made a big impression during the first half of the tournament but he started getting worse as things progressed. he was kind of off for the rest of the game and i thought that he was gonna be subbed out but it wasn’t until they switched setters that i noticed the ace was getting back into his groove. jose was a veteran setter, 38 years old i think? and if you were to be asked who the star of the game was then you’d probably say the ace since he was the one who scored most of the points right? but if you ask me, i think the setter was the star of the game!”
“he was so cool too! like he was so calm the entire time and he inconspicuously helped the ace get back on to his feet and just simply left the court,” oikawa continues to ramble. “i even got an autograph but that dumbass iwaizumi took the paper that i bought and got the autograph of some dude on the japan team so i had to give jose the jersey i bought earlier that day instead. although it did end up getting washed though....”
“hah! desperate much?” you laugh as you bump shoulders with him.
“desperate time for desperate measures! no way was i gonna leave without getting the jose blanco’s autograph!” he emphasizes.
unbeknownst to you and oikawa, a cheeky smile creeps upon reina’s face as she watches you and oikawa converse with each other like you two were long-time friends catching up for the first time in forever.
you, on the other hand, were starstruck by the man that is oikawa tooru.
the story he told you left you feeling heart-warmed because you noticed how his eyes sparkled and his lips curved into a genuine smile as he talked about his idol and the sport he is so passionate about. oikawa was many things: a flirt, a smooth talker, a sly fox, and he could get a little handsy sometimes— but you could tell the love he had for volleyball was like no other and you respected how committed he was to the sport, even going as far as to going to argentina in order to follow his long-time idol.
“i think it’s really cool that you’re so passionate about volleyball,” you smile as you peer up at the night sky. “in my opinion, i think being committed to one thing your entire life is a bit hard depending on who you are, but at least there are guys like you who are one-in-a-million.”
your words strike a chord in oikawa and reina is quick to notice the way his lips part as he holds his gaze on you.
“oh would you two quit flirting!” reina lets out an inhumane noise that startles you and oikawa.
“you scared me!” you take a deep breath and frantically clutch your heart.
“just say you forgot that i was here because you were too busy getting chummy with oikawa!” she groans while pulling her face.
“you’re just jealous i’m stealing your roommate away,” oikawa sticks his tongue out at your roommate before stopping in his tracks and pulling you into a hug. “but don’t worry! i’ll take extremely good care of her.”
“no way buddy,” reina takes a hold of your arm and uses all of her strength in order to pull you away from oikawa. “she was my roommate before she was your friend!”
“wow i feel so popular,” you say sarcastically, accompanied with a roll of your eyes. “it’s 1 now and i think i would very much rather be at home right now in my jammies instead of listening to you two bicker back and forth.”
“you don’t mean me do you, y/n?!” reina wails as she clings onto you.
“oh look! it’s a bear!” you point out to the other side of the street and reina snaps her head in the direction you’re pointing in.
“where?!”
with her attention off of you, you take this chance to slip away from her and run towards your dorm building along with oikawa who’s right on your tail.
“you’re... really... fast!” oikawa pants as he speaks in-between breaths. “like a lo— WOAH!”
he trips over a slab of concrete that was out of place and out of reflex, he latches onto the nearest object— and unfortunately, you were the closest thing he could grab onto.
“H-HEY!” you screech when you feel yourself being pulled down onto the ground.
with the split second that he had of clarity, oikawa took advantage of the opportunity and moved his hand under your head so that it wouldn’t make contact with the concrete and his hand, would instead, cushion your fall.
you hit the concrete with an ‘oof!’ and while you were awaiting the sharp pain in the back of your head to come, it never came. instead, you open your eyes only to see oikawa’s brown ones staring right back at you with an astounded expression that mirrored yours.
“so, how are you doing this fine night?” he grins.
“pretty good, up until your dumbass tripped and pulled me down with you,” you snort.
reina gasps dramatically when she catches up to you guys and sees the position you two are in.
“you deny your chumminess with him and then you run off to get all handsy with him!”
“this idiot tripped and then thought it would be a good idea to pull me down with him,” you stand up after oikawa offers to pull you up. “what kind of thought process do you even have to think that i could catch your fall?”
reina squeezes his bicep, triggering him to let out a yelp.
“oh it’s hard alright.” reina smirks as oikawa yanks his arm away.
“do you work out a lot?” you sneak up behind oikawa and put your hands on his broad shoulders.
“yup!” he flexes his arm and gives you both a cheeky smile. “i gained 10 kilograms of muscle mass!”
“1-10?! isn’t that like 20 pounds?!” reina gawks at the volleyball player.
“yeah and guess what, i only grew one centimeter so it was all me baby!” he laughs almost mockingly.
the rest of the walk home was full of laughter and heartwarming bantering between the three of you and you were happy that you were able to meet reina, an amazing roommate, and oikawa, who was a cocky shit but still managed to squeeze a laugh out of you.
it was going to be a long 4 years away from home, but just as long as you were surrounded by the right people, you were sure that these 4 years would fly by in a jiffy.
when you guys finally arrived at your dorm building, you notified reina that you would stay outside and chat with oikawa for a bit and so she gave you the okay and headed up to your room first so that she could get ready for bed since she was about ready to knock out right then and there.
“thanks for walking me home, oikawa,” you pull him in for friendly hug that he didn’t expect, but nevertheless, he hugs back anyway because who is he to decline a hug from you? “i feel bad for having you walk me home even though you probably want to hang out with iwaizumi.
oikawa feels his stomach churn at the mention of his best friend and guilt creeps upon him like bile rising in the back of your throat.
oikawa had turned a blind eye to iwaizumi’s bad habit of playing around with girls and leaving them after he’s had his fair share of fun because iwaizumi was his best friend and despite the drastic transformation he had gone through within the 4 years that they’ve been away from each other, oikawa knew deep down that he was still the iwaizumi he knew and loved— the iwaizumi who had stuck with him through thick and thin during his adolescent years.
however, now that he’s taken the time to familiarize himself with you personally and grow to learn what type of person you were— someone with a good heart but isn’t afraid to voice their own opinions and stand their ground when people try to walk all over them— he can’t help but be greedy and want you all for himself.
“say, y/n,” you give him a soft hum in response which prompts him to continue taking. “you wanna grab some milk bread with me tomorrow at the cafe you were talking about?”
“are you asking me out on a date right now?” you wheeze. “you’re pretty bold for asking out someone you’ve only met twice your entire life.”
“it’s not a date unless you want it to be.” he wiggles his eyebrows.
“a platonic date sounds good to me, don’t you think?”
“there’s no such thing as a platonic date, y/n.”
“maybe not to you since you’re probably used to girls flocking around you all the time,” you say and he’s visibly upset at the fact that you think he’s a casanova or something when in reality he still hasn’t had his first girlfriend yet. “so you in? i’ll even call it a date if you’d like.”
“yeah i’m in,” he puts his fist out for a fist bump, which you are content with returning, and he beams at you with the biggest smile you’ve seen him give you. “does the afternoon work for you?”
you pull your phone out of your jacket pocket and open up the contacts app before handing it to the male.
“just give me your number and we can go over the specifics over text tonight.”
he punches in his number, saving the contact as “tooru👽” before handing the device back to you.
“an alien emoji?” you laugh as you read his contact name displayed on your phone. “you’re a dork.”
“like you’re any less of a dork than me.” he playfully rolls his eyes as he pulls his phone out and gives it for you to return the favor.
you clumsily put your number into his phone, accidentally pressing some random digit one too many times, and save your name as “y/n :3” before handing his phone back to him.
“a bunny face?” he threw his head back and let out a humorous laugh.
“shut up!” you give his shoulder a gentle push. “as if an alien emoji is any better, at least my emoticon is cute!”
“yeah yeah, whatever you say.” he slips his phone back into his pocket before giving you one last final hug that feels a bit warmer than the ones he’s given you before.
“get home safe, oikawa.”
his eyes linger on your face for a bit longer than he would’ve liked.
your eyes were crinkled and your smile lines were more prominent up close, but it didn’t stop oikawa’s heart from skipping a beat.
“sweet dreams y/n.”
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you awaken the next morning to the sound of your phone ringing and reina’s abnormally loud snoring (you’re surprised that the girls in the next room over haven’t come knocking at your door telling your roommate to snore a little quieter.)
with the sleep still present in your eyes, the brightness of your phone screen causes you to squint before your vision clears up and you’re able to make out the numbers ‘7:30 A.M’ displayed across your screen.
when the haziness finally leaves your system, you take a look outside your window and realize that the only speck of sunlight present at all is the sunlight that’s provided by the rising sun, peeking out from across the horizon.
you mentally curse oikawa out in your head as your fingers dance across your keyboard to type out a brief response to oikawa’s suspiciously ominous text message.
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you reluctantly get up from your bed and slip on your fuzzy bunny slippers before treading over to your door, unlocking it, and then swinging it open, revealing your tall, brown-haired friend standing right where he said he would be.
“nice jammies,” he lets loose an unrestrained, boisterous laugh as he reaches out to fix the strap of your tank top which slipped off your shoulder. “i dig the bunny slippers by the way.”
you haphazardly shuffle your feet, gaining a smile from oikawa as he chuckles softly.
“can i come in?” he peers into the room by leaning over a bit where he sees reina sprawled out in a weird position on her bed, snoring loudly.
“uh, reina’s actually asleep,” you sheepishly scratch the back of your head. “the dorms don’t have separate bedrooms, everyone just sleeps in the same room with their respective roommates.”
“so movie night’s no longer in question?”
“i guess if you don’t mind reina being a plus one,” you shrug as you gesture for him to come in, letting him enter the room first so that you can close the door on your way in. “she’s a heavy sleeper so don’t worry about waking her up.”
oikawa throws himself onto your bed, even going as far as to slipping under your covers and making himself right at home, which, you don’t hesitate to scold him for doing so.
“what’s the point of coming all the way over here just to go back to sleep?” you cross your arms as you walk over to your bed, your knees hitting the edge of the mattress.
“the bakery opens at 8:30 so i wanted to pick you up since the walk there is 25 minutes from here,” oikawa pulls his phone out and checks the time. “it’s 7:37 now so hurry and get ready!”
you shuffle over to the worn-out dresser that has been with you since the day you moved into the dorms and pull out the drawers that contain a majority of your most worn pieces. taking into account the outfit that oikawa was currently sporting— an oversized hoodie, a loose pair of sweatpants, and some sneakers that looked to be on the pricier side— you decided that wearing something similar to that would suffice.
“can you turn around?” you ask as you grab a pair of black sweatpants, not bothering to check the design since they looked all the same anyways, and an oversized hoodie that you forgot you even had in your possession.
“hm? why?”
“i’m gonna change?” you shrug. “unless you don’t mind staying here by yourself? or you can just step outside for a minute if you want to.”
“oh yeah, sure.”
you watch as he heeds your request and begins to turn around to face the wall before proceeding to take off your pajamas, making sure to keep a close eye on him just in case he decides to be a peeping tom.
“you know, you’re pretty credulous trusting a guy you’ve only met last week.” he says as he rocks side to side, head still turned facing the wall.
“well i don’t have to worry about you peeping because i’m already done changing,” you pull down the rest of the bunched up fabric of your hoodie that’s around your waist before slipping on a random baseball cap you saw laying around. “even if you did turn around, i have a 5-pound textbook and i’m not afraid to use it.”
oikawa’s about to make a snarky remark in return to your futile threat when suddenly a loud snore escapes reina’s mouth, encouraging the two of you to give each other a flabbergasted look that leads to you both erupting into a fit of hushed laughter.
“let’s go before reina wakes up and gets a heart attack after seeing you in here.”
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“no way!”
after exiting the dorm building and beginning your journey with oikawa to the designated cafe, you two arguing about whether or not milk or cereal should go first after oikawa mentioned to you that he was a firm believer of “milk first, cereal last.”
“if you put milk in first then you’re just gonna get less cereal and who the fuck eats cereal just to drink the cereal milk?” you shoot him a grimace.
“when you pour in the cereal after the milk, then it’s just gonna float there and who takes satisfaction in seeing that shit?” you add. “that’s why cereal first is way better because you get a bowl full of cereal and it’s just... perfect!”
“but your cereal is gonna be soggy by the time you put the milk back in the refrigerator!” oikawa retorts.
“then just wait until after you’re done to put it away? how long do you even take to put the milk back in the refrigerator that when you come back your cereal gets all soggy?!”
“and aren’t you supposed to be an athlete? i’m seriously concerned if it takes you at least over 15 seconds just to put back a carton of milk.” you take a jab at him.
“i will not allow this oikawa slander from you!” he stops in his tracks before abruptly picking you up and throwing you over his shoulder.
“h-hey! put me down! i’m heavy, oikawa!” you squirm around in protest, but oikawa shows no sign of letting you go anytime soon as he starts to pick up his pace.
“i didn’t gain all of that muscle for nothin’ baby!” he laughs maniacally as he’s practically full-on sprinting down the street now.
luckily enough, the cafe was just around the corner of the street that oikawa started running down from which meant there was finally a reason for the male to let you down, despite the fact that you had been punching his back for the last minute or so but you couldn’t seem to crack him, his arms, nor those broad shoulders of his.
you let out a huff of feigned annoyance once you’re down on your feet while oikawa is still laughing his ass off as you two walk into the establishment.
“not funny! i almost dropped my hat when you pulled that stunt!” you complain as you’re frantically trying to fix your hair: when oikawa abruptly picked you up and threw you over his shoulder, the baseball cap on your head was about to fall off but thankfully with your reflexes, you were able to catch it in the nick of time— however, at the price of your own hair.
“here, i got you,” oikawa extends his hand out to your head and starts to brush away at your mess of a hair. “if it makes you feel better, it’s on the house.”
“i was gonna make you pay anyways.” you stick your tongue out at him playfully, feigning annoyance.
“pft, and you brought your wallet anyways?” he grabs your wrist and pulls it up so that you could see the object in your hands.
“it has my id in it you doofus,” you roll your eyes but there’s a hint of blush on your face as you realize he’s practically holding your hand. “and what if you forgot your wallet, hm?”
he lets go of your wrist before slipping his hand into his sweatpants pocket and pulling out a black wallet.
“i never forget my wallet sweetheart,” he winks and you laugh. “especially if i know i’m gonna be going out with a pretty lady— don’t wanna leave a bad impression y’know”
“i think you’ve already left quite the impression on me from your stunt earlier.” you bump shoulders with him.
“so see anything you like on the menu?” he puts his hand on the small of your back and guides you over to where the menu is so that you could get a closer look at all of the options the cafe had to offer its customers.
“we’ll... we did come here originally for milk bread,” oikawa notices how deep in thought you are over something as trivial as baked goods and he can’t help but smile a bit when he notices the little pout on your face or the crease that forms on your forehead when you scrunch your face a little bit. “but i wanna try their matcha bread! and their boba looks good, or is it a little bit too early to be drinking boba?”
oikawa’s so lost in thought (*correction: staring at you) that he doesn’t even realize that you’ve been trying to grab his attention by calling his name 5 times— and it’s only when you physically have to shake him a bit that he snaps out of his little daydream.
“oh, sorry!” he gives you an apologetic smile. “what’s up?”
“i was asking if you wanted to share one of their drinks with me but you were too busy staring at me to hear.” you sneer. “do you have a crush on me or something? heh.”
“pshhh, no way!” he has a sheepish look on his face that you can’t stop yourself from laughing at.
“you better not go falling for me anytime soon, you playboy.” you jest while nudging him with your elbow.
“i’m pretty sure i should be the one telling you that,” he rolls his eyes playfully. “i’m surprised you haven’t confessed your undying love for me yet.”
“i don’t fall in love that easily, pretty boy, and i certainly do not fall in love with someone i’ve only recently met.” you snort at his comment.
“hi there! are you two ready to order?” a voice startles you and oikawa as you both turn your heads towards a woman standing behind the counter.
“oh i’m so sorry about that! i’m sure you didn’t come to work just to see the two of us play around.” you giggle as the woman mirrors your action.
“it’s nothing new to me, it seems like this place is a hotspot for couples to come and hang out so it’s kind of the norm for me now.” she reassures you.
“are you a college student?” you ask the cashier, taking note on how she looked to be around your age.
“i actually graduated from culinary school about 2 years ago,” she starts off. “my parents supported me throughout my 4 years of culinary school, but when it came down to actually opening this cafe, my boyfriend— well, fiancé now— helped me look for a good place to rent out and it was history from there!”
“it was a bit hard at first since i was still fresh out of culinary school and i could barely start this business with the funds i had saved up, but thankfully my boyfriend was able to pitch in and help make my dreams come true,” she continues and you feel your heart grow fuzzy at how whenever she mentioned her boyfriend, her face would soften and a small smile would make its way onto her face. “i honestly cannot imagine a life without him, he’s been with me since high school so he’s always known about my longtime dream of owning my own cafe. he’s always been my rock during my hardest times and— oh my! i started rambling didn’t i?”
she starts to apologize for burdening you with her life story, but you dismiss her worries by waving your hands in front of you, oikawa laughing and copying your motions.
“i think he’d be really happy to hear that you think so lovingly of him.” your lips curve into a gentle smile, which the woman reciprocates.
“what’s your name?” she asks.
“i’m y/n! and this big guy is tooru.” oikawa waves at the woman, her following suit.
“ah i see! well y/n and tooru, my name is maia and it’s so nice to meet you two!” she brings her hand out for a handshake, which you and oikawa return. “are you two college students?”
“yeah! i’m actually a student at the university of irvine!” you answer enthusiastically. “tooru is just visiting from argentina at the moment so i wanted to take him around the area before he left.”
“argentina, really?” her mouth forms an ‘o’ shape. “it must be hard doing long distance, huh? i couldn’t even imagine if my fiancé and i had to live that far away from each other.”
you and oikawa turn to look at each other in confusion before an invisible lightbulb goes off in both of your heads and you bring your attention back onto maia, who’s now equally as confused as you two are.
“we’re actually not dating!” the pink hue from earlier creeps back onto your cheeks and from the corner of your eye you can see oikawa fiddling with the sleeves of his hoodie. “i met him at one of the frat parties i went to last week and we kind of just clicked.”
“i’m so sorry for assuming!” she has a distraught look on her face and you’re quick to tell her that it was just a misunderstanding. “you two just look really cute together, plus i’m also really used to a lot of couples coming here that i was quick to assume that you two were dating!”
“i mean, we’d be a cute couple right, y/n-chan?” gone was the nervous oikawa you saw just a second ago, and back was the cocky oikawa you all know and love.
“you wish!” you scoff, not bothering to shrug off the arm he slung around your shoulder.
“anyways, is it alright if we can get two of your milk breads as well as a matcha bread and a oolong milk tea with boba?” you order and maia quickly input the order into the tablet in front of her.
“will that be all for you today?”
“anything else you want, oikawa?” you ask him but he shakes his head in response. “i think that’ll be all for us today then, maia.”
you’re about to insert your card into the chip holder when suddenly oikawa grabs your arm and plucks the card out of your hand.
“h-hey! what are you doing? give me my card back!”
“didn’t i tell you that it was on the house earlier?” he looks at you with a teasing smirk on his face and before you could protest again, a pleasant sound comes out of the machine, signaling that the transaction was successful.
“such a gentleman! you should snatch him up before someone else does, y/n!” maia coos.
“i think it’d be best for someone else to snatch him up, i don’t think i could handle all of... this.” you motion to his entire body.
“are you flirting with me?” oikawa had a shit-eating grin on his face that you were so tempted to wipe off, but his actions from less than a minute ago still caught you off guard and you had to admit, you were glad he wasn’t a cheapskate and offered to pay in your stead— well, more forced you out of paying.
“thanks, oikawa,” you didn’t know what you had the other day to make you act so bold, but you stood on your tiptoes and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek out of gratitude. “for being the only gentleman on campus, even though you’re technically not a student here.”
out of instinct, oikawa’s hand immediately flys up to the spot where your lips touched his skin and starts to graze it.
“heh, i like your spunk, y/n.” he shows you a cheeky smile.
“don’t let it get to your head, it was just a complimentary kiss.” you laugh and it sounds more melodious than usual to oikawa’s ears for some reason.
“so...” he starts and you let out a small ‘hm?’ which prompts him to continue. “do you have any plans for the rest of the day?”
“i don’t think so? i have the dorm all to myself from when reina goes to her blind date and up until she comes back, so if you wanna do something then i don’t mind squeezing you into my schedule!” you reply, but a thought suddenly resurfaces in your mind. “no frat parties though, i heard one of iwaizumi’s friends are hosting one tonight but i don’t think i can think about another frat party without having to gouge my eyeballs out.”
“got it, no frat parties,” oikawa chuckles. “if it makes you feel any better, i never liked those frat parties anyways and i only went because iwaizumi is the only person i know here which meant i was obligated to follow him around everywhere but now that i know you, it changes the whole game!”
“i’m just as new to california as you are oikawa, don’t get your hopes up too high.”
“but that’s the fun part about it, right? we get to explore california together! it really feels like we’re a couple don’t you think?” he blurts out in the heat of the moment but quickly comes to realize the weight of his words. “oh shit— sorry... i hope you’re not uncomfortable hearing me say that out loud.”
“not at all!” you look down at your shoes for a fleeting moment before looking back up at oikawa. “it’s quite... endearing? i’ve never really had a lot of ‘guy friends’ and mostly hung around with girls so this is the first time i’ve ever really had a guy show any interest in me— platonically of course!”
“and you’ve never ever had a boyfriend before?” oikawa lifts an eyebrow.
“nope, never even had my first kiss,” you say but you think back to the events that took place last night. “well, up until yesterday...”
you tried to hide the grimace on your face as the memory of you and iwaizumi kissing kept playing on repeat in your mind, but oikawa was able to see right through your mask and clenched his fists as he recalled the distressed look on your face when he and reina found you crying in the bathroom.
oikawa believed that you should have deserved to have your first kiss taken by someone who truly loved you, but instead, it was taken away by his scum of a best friend, who, he was currently disappointed in for treating you the way he did last night.
oikawa is about to open his mouth up to say something, but he’s interrupted before he even gets a chance to say anything when maia announces that your order is ready.
“it smells so good, maia!” you say after you skip over to the other side of the counter and take a whiff of the freshly baked pastries.
“oh you’re making me blush, y/n!” maia cups her cheeks bashfully while you laugh at her antics.
you shake up the cup of boba so that the pearls were evenly distributed throughout the drink before taking a straw and puncturing a hole through the film on top of the cup, taking a small sip after you mix the drink around one last time with the straw.
“mhm! so good!” you lean back, not realizing that oikawa had moved to stand right behind you, resulting in you crashing into his chest.
“shit, you scared me oikawa!” you laugh as you slap his chest. “want some?”
you hold the straw up to his lips, and you notice the way his eyes widen by a fraction.
“you wanna share?”
“well yeah? unless you’re scared of getting cooties or something, what are you? 12?” you tease. “or are you worried that it’s an indirect kiss? i can always get another—”
your rambling is cut off when his lips wrap around the straw and he takes a long sip of the drink in your hand.
“there, we just indirectly kissed!” he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand before shooting you a goofy grin.
“pft, how childish do you have to be to be freaked out over an indirect kiss.” you mumble, but it doesn’t cover up the blood that rushes up to your face, painting your cheeks in a pinkish hue which oikawa finds endearing.
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part one | part two | part three | part four
TAGLIST:
@katsukibabe • @thecaptainyuri • @satorisflatass • @daphnxy • @aonenthusiast • @felixsamour • @literaleftist
+ SEND AN ASK OR SEND A MSG TO BE INCLUDED IN THE TAGLIST!
225 notes · View notes
madame-screams · 3 years
Note
Hey there Ash, Still haven’t left this place yet huh? I’ll make this quick so I don’t take up too much of your time, I would love to order some Bottomless Orange Bars, full of Fluff with a side of a Love Confession, sound good? And you can use whatever MC plating you want, whatever comes easiest for you. :3
🍊°.♡┈┈∘*┈୨୧┈*∘┈┈♡.° 🍊
♡🄺🄸🅃🄲🄷🄴🄽 🄲🄾🄽🄵🄴🅂🅂🄸🄾🄽♡
🍊°.♡┈┈∘*┈୨୧┈*∘┈┈♡.°🍊
♡ "Order up! Yeah it's been forever since I last left this place. I can't even remember the last full day break I got! To be honest I don't even memories about anything expect for working here..... Weird........ Ah but I probably just don't remember cause I'm tired. Maybe I'll try to catch a quick nap on my next 15 minute break...... Ah anyway here's your order of bottomless orange bars! Hopefully you enjoy them dear, it's always a pleasure to serve you here at Madame Screams~" ♡
A huge thanks to my friend Phobia for proofreading this!
Gn!reader, warnings: spoilers for Beel’s cooking on a rainy day card, swearing and mention of puke
🍊°.♡┈┈∘*┈୨୧┈*∘┈┈♡.°🍊
It was a tradition for you and Beel to cook something together every Saturday. This became a weekly event for you after the two of you made raindrop cake together for the first time. You both alternate picking the recipes, and sure, they didn’t turn out perfect all the time, but you two always had a great time.
Beel looked forward to these cooking sessions every week, and they always somehow made themselves his favorite part of the week without fail. His heart would start beating faster every time he thinks about being with you. Your smile and laughter invaded his thoughts constantly. He couldn’t get you out of his head. Sometimes he’d daydream about you for so long he’ll forget to eat. He didn’t even notice he was hungry.
This Saturday, you two were making lava cake, Beel’s choice. You had already gotten out the ingredients by the time he arrived,
“Ah, Beel! There you are!” You greet him with a smile.
“Oh, you already got everything out? You could have waited for me. I would have helped.” Oh, how he loved your smile. Seeing it always managed to cheer him up. Your smile was perfect, just like the rest of you.
“Alright, let’s get started!” You say excitedly as the both of you began.
Gosh, he couldn’t focus. He already messed up his batter three times and isn’t even eating the mess-ups like he usually would. The only thing his mind would let him focus on was you.
“Beel, are you ok? Do you need help making your cake batter?”
He quickly snaps out of his daze.
“O-oh, um-” He can’t even get a sentence out of his mouth. He feels a blush spread from the tip of his ears to his face. He put his hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it shyly as he tries to finish his sentence, “Su-sure, that’d b-be great.”
You give him a strange look, cocking your head to the side and raising an eyebrow. 
“Seriously, dude, are you okay? You're all red and sweaty. Are you gonna puke?” 
“No, I'm fine, seriously. I could just use a bit of help.”
“Alright then!” You say. You try to go behind him to guide him, but he’s a bit too tall. You peep over his shoulder, eyebrows furrowed as you try to come up with a solution to this very simple dilemma.
“Why don’t you go in front of me? It’ll be easy for me to see what you're doing.” He says, his tone slightly rushed.
“Oh, that’s a good idea!” You slip under his arm and look up at him. “I sometimes forget how big you are compared to me,” you say with a slight chuckle while bringing your hands up to his face and placing them on his cheeks, squishing them lightly.
You’re so close to him. He feels his palms begin to sweat, his blush creeps down the back of his neck, and he feels his hair stand on end. He tries his best to listen to your directions, but he can’t stop thinking about how close you two were. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally finished the batter. His hands are still sweaty and shaky as he began to pour both his and your batter into the molds.
Meanwhile, you’re finishing up melting the chocolate for the center.
“Alright, chocolate’s done! From the looks of it, you're done with pouring the batter in molds,” You say as you walk over to him with the bowl of melted chocolate in your hands. “Scooch over so I can pour the chocolate in!” You instruct, your tone teasing as you gently nudge his shoulder.
The rich smell of chocolate cake wafts through the kitchen. Usually, Beel would be waiting directly next to the oven, ready to eat the cake as soon as it comes out. Today, he was too distracted by you to even notice the smell.
“Beel,” You start, putting your phone down and walking over to him. “Hm? What’s-” You grab his face and bring it near yours, cutting him off.
Beel’s heart hammers in his chest. Multiple scenarios run through his head. Suddenly, he feels dizzy, weak in the knees.
“What’s up with you today, dude? You’ve been acting strange, and I’m starting to worry. So, please, can you tell me what’s wrong? I just want to make sure you’re okay.” The genuine concern in your voice makes his heart beat faster. You’re just… perfect. All he wants is you. He wants to hold you in his arms. He wants to pepper your face in kisses. He wants to be yours. 
“I love you,”
“Excuse me?” Your hands fall from his face, mouth slowly parting in shock. His hand goes up to your face, placing itself gently on your cheek.
“I love you,” he repeats, “Please, let me be yours!” He squeezes his eyes shut after his sudden confession, too embarrassed to look at you directly.
Silence fills the room. The only noise to be heard was the warm buzz of the oven. Then, he felt a pair of [soft/rough] lips touch his. He keeps his eyes closed as he leans into the kiss, melting when you place your hands on his lower back.
The kiss continues as he cups your face with his other hand, trying to pull you as close to him as possible. It’s soft and gentle despite it being so long. He’s oh so careful with you, treating your lips as if they’re porcelain. When you pull back, he finally opens his eyes.  Your face is tinted pink, and you wear a wide smile that makes his heart flutter.
“So, do you… Do you love me too?” 
A light laugh escapes your lips, “Of course I do, you big oaf!”
“Then say it back to me, please?” He asks. 
“I love you, Beel.” Oh, now he’s grinning like an idiot, but he doesn’t care.
“Hey, guys, what’s that weird smell- What the hell are ya two doin’?!?” Both yours and Beel’s heads snap to the direction of the screeching. 
“Oh, hey, Mammon-” 
“Why are ya two so close together, and what’s that smell!?!”
 “Now that you mention it, it does smell a bit burnt in here, but it should be fine...” Beel says in a nonchalant tone, burying his face into the crook of your neck. 
“Oi, Beel! Yer two close to em’-”
“Beel! The lava cakes are burning! Please let me go!” You yell out in a panic. 
After a few minutes of chaos (featuring Beel almost dropping one of the cakes on Mammon’s head), you finally got the cakes ready and aired out the burning smell. 
“Well… The cakes are pretty burnt… Sure, lava cakes are usually dark in color, but not pitch black like these ones…” You say with a tinge of disappointment in your voice. 
“Maybe you should toss' em? They hardly look edible,” Mammon suggests. 
“They look good,” Beel says, already serving himself some.
 “Beel, no,” you say, grabbing his wrist before he could put a slice in his mouth. 
“So you two never answered my question before. Why the heck were you two being all cuddly?”
 “Beel, please, it’s practically charcoal. Don’t eat it.” You say, ignoring Mammon.
 “But it looks fine-”
 “Beel please no-”
 “But it looks good-” 
“Beel!” 
“Oi, stop ignorin’ me, you two! Answer my damn question!” Mammon yells, banging his fist on the table. 
“Oh yeah, we’re dating now,” you say, looking to Beel for confirmation. “Right?”
Beel nods. “Yep.”
“What?!?!”
🍊°.♡┈┈∘*┈୨୧┈*∘┈┈♡.°🍊
98 notes · View notes
beginagainunsolved · 3 years
Text
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RYAN: This week on Buzzfeed Unsolved, we’ll be talking about the mysterious “death” of Jason Todd.
SHANE: Why is death in air quotes there?
RYAN: You’ll see.
SHANE: I love it when you get all mysterious. Really draws me in. You’ve got me on the edge of my seat here, Ryan!
RYAN: Oh, it gets edgier.
SHANE: Don’t think that works in this context, buddy.
RYAN: It does. You’ll see. This guy’s a real edgelord.
SHANE: Gross.
RYAN: Shut up. Anyway, this is actually one of our most highly requested cases. We get comments to do this one every time we post a new video, so —
SHANE: You guys can SHUT UP now. We’re DOING IT. Get off our BACKS.
RYAN: Okay, maybe don’t — maybe don’t yell at them.
SHANE: Hey, I’ll yell if I want to yell.
RYAN: Okay.
RYAN, NARRATION: Jason Peter Todd was the second ward of billionaire Bruce Wayne, adopted shortly after his first ward, Dick Grayson, was emancipated and moved away from Gotham city.
SHANE: Why is this guy always adopting kids? Can that be the next episode?
RYAN: That would be so boring. “This week on Buzzfeed Unsolved: A Billionaire is Lonely.”
SHANE: There are better ways to deal with loneliness, Ryan.
RYAN: I don’t know. He seems to like his way.
SHANE: I guess.
RYAN, NARRATION: Not much is known about Jason’s life prior to his adoption. Unlike Wayne’s previous ward, Dick Grayson, it doesn’t appear that Todd had any sort of public persona. Most reports claim he was born to a poor family and largely grew up on the streets, but it’s difficult to confirm.
SHANE: You mean you couldn’t find it on Google?
RYAN: Yeah, I couldn’t find it on Google. I typed in “Jason Todd - Street Youth?” And nothing came up, so I called it a day and got a smoothie.
SHANE: (wheeze)
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RYAN, NARRATION: Most accounts of Jason’s life begin shortly after his adoption. During this time, it appears that Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne weren’t on speaking terms, at least to the general public. Shortly before Jason’s adoption, Dick stopped making public appearances and attending galas with Wayne. Many speculate that Jason’s adoption was Wayne’s attempt to fill the void left by his first ward’s departure.
SHANE: Oof.
RYAN: Yeah, oof.
SHANE: And I thought my family had drama!
RYAN: Your family has you. That’s enough drama.
SHANE: Didn’t your dad cut someone’s head off once?
RYAN: Please stop telling people that. Someone’s gonna believe you! The FBI are going to show up at his door!
SHANE: I hope they do. I hope SHIELD interrogates him.
RYAN: NO!
RYAN, NARRATION: People who knew Jason Todd in the years immediately following his adoption into the Wayne family paint the tale of a troubled young man vying for the attention of his newfound father. After his supposed death, many of Wayne’s high status acquaintances who had met the boy at galas and public events were quick to come forward with their own accounts of his demeanor and personality.
SHANE: Ryan, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…
RYAN AND SHANE, IN UNISON: Rich people fucking suck.
SHANE: Rich people fucking suck!
RYAN: On this, we absolutely agree.
SHANE: This one thing!
RYAN: This one thing, yeah.
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SHANE: Anyway. Eat the rich!
RYAN: Okay.
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RYAN, NARRATION: The real mystery of Jason Todd, of course, doesn’t lie in how he became associated with Bruce Wayne. The real mystery comes from how this association ended.
SHANE: Here we go!
RYAN: Here we go.
RYAN, NARRATION: Then, in 2010, not long after his adoption into the Wayne family, Jason suddenly disappeared from the public eye. Much like Dick Grayson before him, he stopped attending galas and public events. Unlike Dick Grayson, no one seemed to know where he ended up at all.
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SHANE: So this wasn’t a “I’m mad at my dad so I’m gonna crash on my buddy’s couch” type situation.
RYAN: Oh, no, definitely not. This kid seemingly vanished into thin air.
SHANE: Like Amelia Earhart! We all remember her!
RYAN: Don’t say anything about the —
SHANE: She was eaten by crabs.
RYAN: Jesus Christ.
RYAN, NARRATION: This went on for some time, with Jason out of the public eye and Bruce largely dodging questions about him when asked. Then, one day, Bruce Wayne called a press conference and made a startling revelation: Jason Todd was dead.
SHANE: Not a fun press conference.
RYAN: Not really, no. It’s — You can still watch it on YouTube. It’s bleak, man.
SHANE: Well, he’s announcing his son’s untimely death, Ryan. There’s not gonna be confetti.
RYAN: Yeah, but I mean — he pretty much just gets up on stage, makes a depressing ass announcement, and leaves right away.
SHANE: Imagine being a reporter there. Just standing out in the rain. Was it raining? I bet it was raining.
RYAN: I think it’s just, like, perpetually raining in Gotham. It’s got those kind of vibes.
SHANE: Depressing noir detective vibes, yeah. That’s why all those people dress up like bats and clowns. Nobody does that in L.A.
RYAN: No, we don’t get a lot of bats or clowns in L.A.
SHANE: We had the flame head guy! Miss him.
RYAN: He comes up in this.
SHANE: HE DOES?!?
RYAN: Spoiler alert!
SHANE: No, she lives in Gotham, too.
RYAN: Shut up.
RYAN, NARRATION: Life seemed to move on for the Wayne family after this. Jason was buried in a Gotham cemetery following a private funeral. Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne seemingly reunited. Some time down the line, Wayne adopted Tim Drake, a boy whose recently deceased parents ran in his social circles. Jason continued to be a rarely mentioned subject in any public appearances made by the Wayne family and their close associates, and any time he was brought up in interviews, journalists were categorically shut down.
SHANE: This is getting depressing, but I want to circle back around to this guy’s kid adopting addiction. Nobody should have this many orphans, Ryan.
RYAN: I mean, he’s helping them, right?
SHANE: Is he? He’s just replacing one with the next! Like a congo line!
RYAN: A congo line of — You know, I say this a lot, but this time I really mean it. You are going to get us so sued.
SHANE: It’s like the Macarena. You put an orphan in and take an orphan out.
RYAN: That’s the Hokey Pokey.
SHANE: And shake ‘em all about.
RYAN: Please stop.
RYAN, NARRATION: With most cases, this would be the end of it. A bleak end to a bleak story. But instead, this is where things get weird.
SHANE: Hooo boy. This is where the air quotes come in.
RYAN: This is where the air quotes come in!
RYAN, NARRATION: A few years after his death, Jason Todd seemingly reemerged. He was spotted leaving Wayne Manor, a few inches taller and with a new hair do.
SHANE: I’m just gonna put this out there, like, as an unofficial theory.
RYAN: Oh god.
SHANE: Are we sure this wasn’t just some other random orphan? The guy likes orphans, Ryan. He has an orphan problem.
RYAN: If it was another random orphan, it was a random orphan that looked exactly like Jason Todd.
SHANE: Wouldn’t put it past him!
RYAN: How would he even manage that?
SHANE: I don’t know! He’s rich!
RYAN: That can’t be your answer to everything shady you accuse someone of doing.
SHANE: It can, and it is.
RYAN: I really hope Buzzfeed has lawyer lined up for us. We’re gonna need so many lawyers.
SHANE: I’m sure we’ll be fine.
RYAN: (long sigh)
RYAN, NARRATION: When asked about Todd’s sudden reappearance, members of the Wayne family dodged the question just as thoroughly as they once dodged questions regarding his death. Their excuses, typically flimsy, varied from person to person with some saying the man who appeared to be Jason was actually someone else, and others saying said man didn’t exist at all.
SHANE: Pfffft. “Oh, no, there’s no man here! No man at all!”
RYAN: I actually looked up a lot of the denials, and some of them get… wild. Dick Grayson once claimed that no one ever said Jason Todd died at all.
SHANE: The press conference is on YouTube!
RYAN: He said it was a prank.
SHANE: A prank? Man, fuck this guy!
RYAN: I think he just panicked.
SHANE: He can panic more smoothly than that, at least! Have a little respect!
RYAN: (wheeze) You’re telling people about respect now?
SHANE: I’m very respectful, Ryan.
RYAN: You told a ghost to eat your ass last week!
SHANE: We’ve been over this. I don’t respect ghosts because they aren’t real. I told an empty room to eat my ass. And it did not comply.
RYAN: You accused Bruce Wayne of stealing orphans three minutes ago!
SHANE: I don’t respect rich people, either, because fuck ‘em.
RYAN: (wheeze)
RYAN, NARRATION: So, what ever happened to Jason Todd? Let’s get into the theories.
SHANE: I’m sure they’re all perfectly reasonable.
RYAN: As always.
SHANE: Oh, no.
RYAN, NARRATION: The first theory is that Jason Todd’s “death” was a coverup for a ransom attempt.
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SHANE: That kind of makes sense.
RYAN: Yeah! Like, obviously Wayne wouldn’t want people to know his kid was abducted for ransom. Especially if he was going to plan on paying it.
SHANE: Well. I don’t think he’d say “yeah that kid’s dead” if he was planning on paying the ransom.
RYAN: You think he left him to die?
SHANE: RICH PEOPLE SUCK!
RYAN: God. I can taste the lawsuit.
RYAN, NARRATION: This theory is a rather straightforward one: After receiving a ransom note for his son some time after his disappearance, Wayne announced Jason’s death to cover it up and prevent the kidnappers from getting the publicity that would have made them infamous.
SHANE: Like a big ole fuck you!
RYAN: Yeah, I mean, you’d get a lot of clout for kidnapping a famous billionaire’s son. Especially in Gotham, right? Out there, it’s like… Crime is currency, almost. You build up a reputation like that, you can rule the city.
SHANE: Exactly! So by taking that away… Kind of ruins their whole thing.
RYAN: Right! And then they’ve got no use for Jason anymore and, you know, killing somebody’s a lot harder than kidnapping them, so…
SHANE: Oh, I don’t think they let him go. That kid was scrappy. He probably gave ‘em all rabies and ran.
CAMERAMAN, IN BACKGROUND: Guys. Defamation —
SHANE: Yeah, yeah, we know. Let’s move on!
RYAN, NARRATION: The next theory ties back to Jason’s alleged life before his adoption as a street kid. This theory states that Jason, like many young people in Gotham, got tangled up with some of the neighborhood’s local gangs and got in over his head.
SHANE: His sordid past as an eight year old came back to haunt him?
RYAN: Well, presumably he stayed in contact with people he knew at the time and got pulled into the gangs later.
SHANE: Nah, I want an eight year old with a shiv. He’ll shank you… but only from the waist down. Can’t reach any higher.
RYAN: (wheeze)
SHANE: Except for on you! You’re, like, the size of an eight year old. Man, he’d crush you.
RYAN: Yeah, well, you’d be fine, Gumbo. He wouldn’t be able to reach anything above your foot. You’d be like a giraffe stepping on a thumbtack.
SHANE: I keep telling you, Ryan, I am average height. You’re just abnormally short.
RYAN: Fuck you, buddy.
SHANE: Ouch.
RYAN, NARRATION: According to this theory, Jason’s death was faked in order to save his life from mobsters associated with famed Gotham gang leader Oswald Cobblepot, otherwise known as the Penguin.
SHANE: Why does everybody in Gotham have a stupid name?
RYAN: You don’t like the Penguin?
SHANE: I don’t care for it, no, but I also don’t love the name ‘Oswald Cobblepot.’ Like, that sounds ridiculous.
RYAN: Maybe that’s why he chooses to go by the Penguin.
SHANE: He should choose to go by Stan.
RYAN: Stan?
SHANE: Stan.
RYAN: No clarification there?
SHANE: I don’t believe it needs any.
RYAN: Okay.
RYAN, NARRATION: Our third theory is by far the most simple: Tired of the life of a billionaire’s son, Jason asked Bruce to fake his death in order to allow him to disappear from the public eye.
SHANE: (wheeze)
RYAN: I will admit… There are probably better ways to duck out of the public eye.
SHANE: YOU THINK?
RYAN: Like, faking my death might not be my first resort.
SHANE, IN AN EXAGGERATED IMITATION OF A CHILD’S VOICE: Oh, I’m tired of people taking my picture. Papa, will you tell them all I died a gruesome death? I’m going to Fiji!
RYAN: (wheeze)
SHANE: And then Wayne, what, just went along with it?
RYAN: Well, I guess he was due for another orphan soon anyway.
SHANE: I’m so glad you’ve warmed up to these jokes.
RYAN: I’m getting sued anyway, I might as well have fun with it.
SHANE: I am loving this development for you, Ryan!
RYAN, NARRATION: The next theory ties into a legend that some of our viewers from the Los Angeles area may be familiar with, —
SHANE: OH HELL YEAH! HERE IT COMES!
RYAN, NARRATION: — the Ghost Rider.
SHANE: (cheering)
RYAN, NARRATION: This theory states that Jason Todd’s anonymity exists to cover up his identity, and that the initial ‘death’ occured when he took up the mantle. Some believers of this theory claim that Wayne may have actually believed Todd was dead at the time, as he may have dropped off the radar entirely in order to pursue work as the Ghost Rider.
SHANE: This is my favorite one.
RYAN: I don’t think there’s any merit to it.
SHANE: Oh, absolutely not. But you’ve gotta love the theater of it!
RYAN: It does have a certain level of aesthetic appeal, yeah.
SHANE: Just some random rich kid out here with his head on fire, killing guys with crowbars.
RYAN: (wheeze) Why crowbars?
SHANE: I don’t know. Crowbars feel right here.
RYAN: That doesn’t make any sense.
SHANE: And the rest of this does?
RYAN: Good point.
RYAN, NARRATION: Perhaps supporting this theory is the fact that Ghost Rider tends to go after gangsters much like the ones Todd would have been dodging as a young man in Gotham. It also seems to tie into the rash, angry personality that many people claim he displayed. According to this theory’s supporters, Todd became fed up with the state of the city.
SHANE: And… what? Decided to light his head on fire?
RYAN: Well, maybe he was a metahuman.
SHANE: I guess that’s why he didn’t stay in Gotham. Doesn’t Batman kick them all out?
RYAN: That’s what people say, yeah.
SHANE: Man. Dick move of Batman to kick Bruce Wayne’s kid out of the city. (chuckles.) Get it? Dick?
RYAN: Oh my god.
RYAN, NARRATION: Our fifth and final theory is that Jason Todd was abducted by aliens.
SHANE: Nope.
RYAN: Don’t you at least want to hear the full theory?
SHANE: Absolutely not.
RYAN: Well, they do.
SHANE: Who is ‘they’ ?
RYAN: The people!
SHANE: They don’t want to hear your alien theories, Ryan. No one does.
RYAN: Well, it’s my video. And I’m going to tell the alien theory.
SHANE: (long sigh)
RYAN, NARRATION: This theory states that aliens, in an attempt to gain power and intel in preparation for an invasion, targeted Jason because of his close relationship with one of the richest and most prominent men in Gotham.
SHANE: So they interrogated him and then just spat him back out?
RYAN: Let me finish!
RYAN, NARRATION: According to this theory, the Jason Todd who returned after his ‘death’ was not Jason Todd at all but, rather, was an alien clone.
SHANE: I regret letting you finish.
RYAN: (wheeze) I knew you would!
RYAN, NARRATION: Believers of this theory claim it’s supported by the physical differences between the Jason Todd who disappeared and the one who lives in Gotham now, including his hair and his height.
SHANE: Or, hear me out. He grew. And he dyed his hair.
RYAN: Aliens seems more plausible to me.
SHANE: I hate you.
RYAN: (wheeze)
RYAN, NARRATION: So, what really happened to Jason Todd? Did he fall in deep with the wrong crowds and have to give up his life to find his way out? Was he kidnapped in an attempt to get money and influence from his wealthy adoptive family? Or is there something otherworldly about his disappearance and reappearance into the world? With the Wayne family refusing comments and no other sources to consult, it looks like the truth behind the scenes of Gotham’s most prestigious family will have to remain… unsolved.
WHAT UNSOLVED MYSTERY DO YOU WANT TO SEE NEXT?
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yostresswritinggirl · 3 years
Text
Scholars’ Chit Chat Submission
Cyno x Reader (actually platonic, in a way I guess, study partners, but possibly romantic in the future)
*Lore dump warning; Spoilers for all the Archon Quests and speculations of Teyvat; Really it’s all serious talk
XXX
“Hey Cyno,”
The said male turned away from the book he was reading, and focused his attention on you instead.
“What’s the matter?”
“Do you believe in eternity?”
Surprised at your sudden question, the male went quiet for a few moments.
“You want my own opinion or an objective one?”
“As much as I would like to hear both, it’s almost lunch time. So I would like to hear your opinion first.”
Sighing at your carefree reply, Cyno closed the book he was reading shut.
“Well, I simply don’t. After all, all living things will come to an end, it is the law of the universe and the reason why they say time is money.”
“Well yeah, I mean, our former archon did die five hundred years ago...”
Puzzled at your deflated mood, Cyno realised that this question didn’t simply popped out of your mind, but rather something that you had been thinking hard about for quite some time.
“Why’d you ask, by the way? You worried about the future?”
“It’s normal to be worried or even sacred okay? This is the very reason why we seek knowledge in the first place. To survive is the natural instinct of humans, and curiosity stems out of it as we can predict the future with more known about the world...”
“And yet the world is so vast, and our lives are so short, but we can pass down our knowledge through our legacy... That is the most basic right of humanity...”
“Yet don’t you think that it is strange? The fact that it has been thousands are even more years that we humans had been existed, there isn’t much we know about the pre-archon war era?”
Cyno looked down as he realised what you said was true.
“Indeed, but there isn’t much we can do about it isn’t there?”
“That’s the problem!! Nobody questions about it and that’s what makes it fishy!”
You are... Quite the special type of student at Sumeru Academia, even though you do seek knowledge about the world you all reside in. Due to the lack of Mysticism studies you didn’t take part in, you were the type to question everything, even the principles that had been decided by the Academia for centuries.
But that’s what allows your breakthroughs in your findings in the past few years here. Rather than focusing on a particular study or field, you tackle anything that comes in your way. Becoming one of the people who had read the most books in this grand library of Sumeru Academia.
Cyno liked that part of you, new perspectives shed more light to the field and it never gets boring when you suddenly throw questions at him for no absolute reason.
“The part where you go ‘seeing is believing’ is the easiest way to deceive someone?” He guessed, letting out a small chuckle.
“Exactly!! ‘Show not tell’, because people believe in what they see so when they try to deceive someone they show what they want them to see.”
“Illusions, mirages... People get tricked so easily without asking their own rationality!”
“So what you’re trying to say is-“
“That we should question this world in the first place!”
‘Here we go again...’ Cyno thought, but he didn’t actually mind your rambling.
“First! Why do we have to trust the gods in the first place? *All we can do is observe the chess game that the gods are playing, we don’t know the rules of the game, but as soon as we speculate it long enough, we’ll be able to guess what the rules are.”
“But in the end, we won’t know if we understand all of the rules cause who can predict what happens in the future anyways?”
“But with Astrology-“
“Do. not. interrupt me.”
Ah, you were getting heated up.
“With enough information, anyone can predict the future, they say. But can we actually do it? We can’t! We’re human after all.”
“Which leads to the question of, why don’t the gods spill the beans if the really care about us so much? But they didn’t.”
“I know it’s hypocritical to judge gods through mortal standards, but I have evidence.”
“If the gods truly care for each single human being of Teyvat, then shouldn’t everyone have a Vision if they’re supposed to be the grace from the gods?”
“You’re saying that those without Visions are not important in the eyes of the gods?”
“Hah, as much as I prefer that they care for both, my instincts tell me that they don’t care for either of them for some reason...”
Cyno narrowed his eyes at your slightly hesitant answer.
“Is this about you not able to obtain a Vision for yourself?”
“Cyno, how many times have I told you? If I were to receive a Vision, I would have went all the way to the archon responsible and politely give it back to them.”
“Politely?”
“Alright, maybe throwing it in their faces before telling them off that I don’t need it.”
“Violent as always, my dear.”
“Elemental energy is not magic anyways, we all know that, and the Hexenzirkel doesn’t often share their findings about Irminsul either...”
“Your point is…?”
“What’s ’free’ is the most expensive, even hilichurls are a problem for normal humans, yet Vision holders see them as eyesores more than anything… Everything comes with a price, Cyno, and I believe that you understand that well.”
“Indeed,” he agreed with a sigh. “For knowledge, we sacrifice time and our energy for it. And the culmination of many scholars forms this very library we are in.”
“The crystallisation of human knowledge, or so I recalled,” you agreed with a huff “but what if that’s the gods want us to believe in? Away from their true purposes in order to keep humanity under the reigns?”
“…”
“You angry? Sorry, I know that it’s disrespectful to judge on people’s faith like this, but I just can’t help but worry about the future when something big is about to happen…”
“N-no, I don’t mind, it’s just-“
“Explaining is concealing and concealing is the truth, go on.”
Cyno realised something, despite you knowing he has a Vision himself, you had come up with theories about the secrets about Visions, mostly concerning ones actually. But he understands it is a way of you caring for him, there are rumours about those who have Visions would one day disappear from the world.
You were scared that one day he would go somewhere that you cannot follow.
But as your partner, he has no intentions of it until you finally seek the answers you had longed for.
“The Geo Archon’s passing, Mondstadt’s Knights of Favonius incapable of fully stopping the Fatui, the electro Archon Baal stopped giving out Electro Visions since last year… Not to mention the Fatui following the Tsarista’s orders by any method of sort…” Cyno listed out. “Yes… It is all quite alarming…”
“But that promise we made the day we met, I have no intention of breaking it.”he reminded with a soft smile on his face.
“I am, your partner in crime after all.”
“Here you are again, saying things like that so easily…” you huffed, trying to contain your happiness from his words.
“Until the day I make the gods confess their intentions, I’m not letting you go anywhere without me!”
Seeing you back in your normal mood, the male smiled in relief, all that’s left is to lift your spirits up a bit more.
“I’ll treat you something sweet for lunch, what do you want?”
“W-Wha?! Umm…”
Seeing you flustered at his sudden question, Cyno knows that he had succeeded as you mumble under your breath about what you should pick.
‘Don’t worry too much about the future, try focus on what we have right now, alright?’
‘We are raging treason against the very laws of this world after all, so please allow me to enjoy such little time with you, my dear.’
XXX
I don’t know what I’m writing… QAQ
Exiled, if you want I can make a few more short dribbles about this (well mostly about how they meet and other stuff they think about-)
-lies on ground-
-and dies out of embarrassment-
-snowdrop, out
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ANY CYNO CONTENT IS GOOD CONTENT, BUT THAT LORE DUMP WAS NICE AND REFRESHING. YES SNOWDROP, I DO WANT EM GIMME
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demonslayedher · 3 years
Note
Any Kny character you've grown to love/appreciate more??
Thanks for waiting, Anon, I have been trying to really, really hard to narrow this down, but the answer remains: the vast majority of the cast. The only character I loved right away was Tanjiro and that love kept me watching, as with almost every new character I was like, "ugh, I hate this guy. Here I was, having fun being emotionally invested in a high quality anime, and this might ruin it for me." But then the instant I see a different side of their character, I'm like, "...Oh." To go into some examples...
Zenitsu: I could not stand him right away, I hate womanizers, and his conniptions would go on so long that they held up the story. But Gotouge/Ufotable strung me along perfectly, the first glimpse of Thunder Breath made me immediately pay attention and think, "oh, that was cool. I want to see more of that." Seeing him protect the box pretty firmly put him in the "I need to protect this child" box in my heart. And then the spider demon happens, and I'm sending desperate reaction messages to a friend like "NOOOOOO!!!! BABBBBBBBBBYYYYYYYY!!!!" And then he annoyed me all over again at the start of Functional Recovery, ahaha. It's hard to remember how annoyed I was because I'm such a Zen Stan now, and he was a very firm favorite of mine by the time I finished binging the anime up to the last couple episodes, which I waited for as they came out. Inosuke: He was one of the reasons I was curious about the series, I saw some promotional art and was super curious about Nezuko's muzzle (I was one of the people who thought it was some ancient scroll or something, haha) and the kid with the boar mask. The art I saw showed his face, and I assumed he'd be some kid with a cracking voice performed by a female seiyuu. As much as I love Matsuoka's performance now, initially, since I knew what his face looked like, I found it grossly off-putting the moment I heard it. Then every chaotic thing Inosuke did dug a deeper hole; I very quickly decided I hated him, especially when he started beating up on the kid I was starting to like. As his chaos subsided he just became a character I tolerated, and then this happened:
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Images you can hear, am I right? This immediately flipped the "BABY" switch in my heart. It was also a lot of fun to understand the Inosuke memes I was seeing everywhere. So by the end of the anime, I loved, loved, loved, loved the Tanjiro/Zenitsu/Inosuke interactions and desperately wanted more (still didn't like how Zenitsu bothered Nezuko, though). I was so impatient for more, but the manga art looked disappointingly off-putting. I figured the anime was successful enough that there'd eventually be more of it, and I wanted to be patient, but then I poked around, read some spoilers, got back into Tumblr to look at fanart and memes, saw a spoiler image of Tanjiro affected by Muzan's poison and the binge-read began. (That's kind of a lie, but I'll get to that.) Let's back up a few episodes. There I was, having a great time, the guy who I forgot about from Episode 1 was back and haha, I guess everyone hates him, and the chick who I figured was going to be a medic who saves Zenitsu in the nick of time turned out to be savage, awesome. I was sending reactions to my friends who were ahead of me, and then we left off seeing the Pillars staring down Best Boy. And I...
Well. Uh. Here, I've dug up an old convo for you, my comments are in blue.
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Immediately followed by a passionate vocal rant, which I have transcribed here:
“I feel like what happened was that the mangaka was sitting around with his assistants and was like, ‘welp, gotta make this whole cast of characters, they gotta be so-o-o-o many more levels of extreme than all the other characters I’ve had so far, which isn’t hard, because all of the background characters are cannon fodder and I’ve just gotta leave them all with black hair and no personality traits. So! Gotta go to the opposite of the spectrum with the BIG! POWERFUL! People so no-o-o-body can be normal.’ And so he and his assistants sat down, and they all wrote down just random words or traits, and them put ‘em all in a hat. And then for each character, they pulled out a few of them and said, ‘OK. We’re gonna put these things together, now we have a character.’ And he was probably also like, ‘Iiiiiiiiiiiii’ll flesh them out later. For now, they just need t’… be there, and make an impact. How do we make an impact? By making sure it’s super, super clear what their character traits are. Here, we’ll have this guy repeat the word //HADE//…. ////HA DEEE//// over and over and over… to show that he’s a /showy/ person. Because he /cares/ about that. And he //should// care because that is his character and that’s why he’s powerful.’ OH MY GOSH, it’s so dumb.”
......orz I feel like Genya looking back at how he acted at the end of the Final Selection. I'm sorry, Gotouge, I had not even encountered your love for these characters yet in your little alligator form. Nor had I encountered the yet unseen-sides of these traumatized dragons and tigers. ...*coughs* Um. So. I was pretty harsh.
So this was my mindset, I went into the manga not caring about most of these characters and just wanting more Kamaboko squad interactions and wanting to hurry up and catch up to the battle with Muzan. And it's worth stating that I didn't mean to read it at first. I encountered a few spoilers, and just wanted to look for the context surrounding those parts, and then hunt for the (non-existent) build-up to those parts, and so... uh.........
I read a lot of the manga out of order, and yeah, that did affect how much I cared about what was going on. I didn't actually properly process a lot of it until later re-reads. But to try to state some things simply about each Pillar:
Giyuu: He was just 'ok' to me for a long time, I could see the appeal for why people I knew were fangirling over him but he didn't do it for me. His soft spot for Tanjiro was indeed endearing, though, and I firmly liked him by the time chapter 200 came out and I was properly heartbroken on his behalf.
Shinobu: She was intriguing, and then I liked her as soon as I saw her savage side, she was one of the characters I went hunting for spoilers for.
Rengoku: That stare really put me off at first, but I fell for him over the process of Tanjiro falling for him. When I first finished the train arc I sat back and said, "wow! That's going to make for a good movie!" and then in psyching myself out for the movie several months in advance, I fell hook, line, and sinker and was totally excited for him each time I saw the trailers. And then the movie was *stunning* and I love him even more. Uzui: He was the Pillar I hated most upon first meeting them. I blame the repeated use of his catchphrase. But then when he let his hair down to sell the kiddos the change in design helped warm me up more to him, like, "oh, there was a human in there." It took a long time for him to become more interesting to me, and an uncharacteristically subtle journey to becoming a character I liked. I am currently getting more and more psyched out for him and eager to see how much more I'm going to like him with the shiny Ufotable treatment. Mitsuri: At first I didn't remember her name, I had code-named her as "Boobs." But I kinda had a feeling she was going to grow on me quickly, and I was right, she's one of my easy favorites now. Muichiro: Who? Oh yeah, that kid who always kinda fell to the wayside in my attention. I'd see a lot of Muichiro-themed blogs and hear a lot of little girls looking at merch and showing a clear favoritism of him, and I'd like always react like Muichiro and just be like, "...", and then when I read his major battles I was more emotionally invested in things going on concurrently with other characters, and I was still like, "...", and then two days ago I revisited a Muichiro scene and was suddenly like, "......OH!!! MUICHIRO!!!!!" Himejima: I never really hated Himejima, even if I found his first impression kind of wimpy (haha... oh, I was so wrong). I had a pretty easy acceptance of him too, so I would generally count him among characters I like, but if you were to ask me why, I'd draw a blank. It's kind of a weirdly mature, subdued appreciation for him rather than passionate fangirling. But weirdly when I was daydreaming the other day I found myself thinking, "if I had to marry someone in the KnY cast, it would be Himejima." So like, not a fiery romance, but I see him as my dependable, sturdy rock to grow old with??? What is up with you, sub-conscious?? Iguro: My interest in him rises and falls. Being a Mitsuri fan helped warm me up to his character in the first place, which was the emotional tie I needed since his backstory didn't grip me much (I found it a frustrating distraction while I was desperately reading weekly updates). Reading more subtle details about his character in the fanbooks has brought me around and made me more curious about him, like I'd really like to be a fly on the wall for the conversation he had with Uzui one day about their pasts.
Sanemi: Hahaha, wow. He was so unlikable in the beginning, wasn't he? His character design (yeah, the eyes) was really off-putting too. But then I got to know him and there was no going back, I got totally played. He's a character I'm pretty fond of now and one of the characters I've enjoyed delving into most in fanfic. To keep this answer from getting too long, for the vaaaaaast majority of the cast, I was initially like, "meh" or "OK" or "ew" but now am like, "EEEEEEEEE, I LOVE THIS TOTALLY RANDOM UNIMPORTANT SIDE CHARACTERRRRRRR" so you know... times change. And the more time I spend obsessed with Kimetsu no Yaiba, the more I like them all, so even the characters I'm lukewarm on will probably have their eventual days when they take over my heart and smash it.
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sevendeadlyvices · 3 years
Text
Poker Buddies AU: Max and Memories Notes
Something I compiled for @i-cant-thinkof-anything-new Poker Buddies AU they have going. Now I used the Poker Night wiki to get this and I thought this would be helpful for any Sam and Max or Poker Night at the Inventory Fans in general. That and I have my own Poker Night At The Inventory AU and headcannons that I need to work on too. The first information is generally Max’s poker strategy in Poker Night At The Inventory:
When it comes to reading the opponent's strategies, Max's will prove to be a big problem. Due to his lack of knowledge on the subject, his poker strategy seems non-existent. His choice of whether to call, raise, or fold tends to come out of nowhere. Sometimes, Max will or will not have a good hand, so he will be very hard to read. His strategies are completely random; he might bluff, be cautious, or be aggressive. Sometimes he will just keep on betting or keep on folding.
I would call Max an unpredictable poker player at times. There’s this tell he has that if his left hand quivers, he’s bluffing, but other than that, you’re on your own with him. 
Next is his relationships with the characters of both Poker Nights:
Heavy: Max seems to have a good strong friendship with the Heavy, asking him about how his career is going and what kind of weapon he could recommend.
Strong Bad: Mostly casual, having the odd talk with Strong Bad when Max is compelled to tell some sort of story.
Tycho: His relationship with Tycho seems to be, again, a casual friendship. They share many of the same interests, although from time to time Max will be slightly put off by Tycho's odd behavior.
The Player: Max often thinks The Player plays too conservatively, especially when not calling a huge bet of Max's.
Sam: Max very much loves the big guy. Max is Sam's long-time partner, best friend, husband, and sidekick.
Brock Samson: Brock finds Max annoying like Claptrap, but also finds it much easier to ignore him, even when Max is physically attacking him. He also has some level of respect for the lagomorph for everything he and Sam overcame as members of the Freelance Police.
Claptrap: Much like Sam, Claptrap is a fan of Max for their games and comics. He seems closer to Max than Sam due to the fact that Max isn't as annoyed by him as Sam is. Max's love for violence makes the robot think he would fit in very well on Pandora. If Claptrap is knocked out before Sam, he will often sit next to Max for a while. Also, during a Showdown, Max will stand right next to Claptrap, wondering what the next card will be.
Ash Williams: Ash has considerable respect for Max and Sam's career and is otherwise "okay" with the lagomorph. However, Ash also displays a few moments of apprehension and even downright concern when Max' insanity acts up, usually in his theme eliminations.
GLaDOS: Max doesn't seem to mind the murderous AI as much as the other characters and occasionally joins in when she insults or annoys the other characters (primarily Sam).
This is from the wiki, so take this with a grain of salt.
And finally, with spoilers in the cut:
The Memories I would focus on for the Epic Texas Hold Em Matches! Note that it’s not all the conversations from both games, but here’s the ones I found so far that might be interesting to incorporate for the AU. I’ll bold the ones that would seem more angsty for the AU:
Max: I don't know a lot about card games, truth be told. But, I take it you're a little bit of a beginner, yes? Strong Bad: Are you talking to (pronounces it as moy) moi? Max: You betcha. You're as green as the bologna in Sam's mini-fridge. Strong Bad: (angrily) Shut up, Stitch. Max: (cheerily) It's OK. It just means you have to adopt a wanton strategy of wild deception. Strong Bad: Hmm... Not the woist idea I ever hoid. Max: (furrows brow) Get into their heads.
Max: You know what I love? Tycho: What's that? Max: Destroying wave after wave of the undead. Tycho: WORD UP! How do you roll? Max: With my trusty side arm of course. Tycho: I'm more of an auto-shotgun guy. Max: Oooh! Heavy: This is good weapon no? Max: Sam and I had to resign ourselves to pistols when our cleaning bill started going through the roof. Tycho: Yeah, its like ichor? Oxyclean ain't cuttin' it. Max: This pelt is dry clean only.
Tycho: Max, how'd you learn to play cards? Max: Funny you should ask! This one time, Sam and I were busting up a crime syndicate down in Atlantic City. A road job. Tycho: Indeed. Max: Yeah! So we're tailing this low level mafia bum for an hour and he pulls up outside a casino and before he can go in Sam says, "Well little buddy, we better nab this guy quicker than a Pittsburgh driver taking a left on a green in rush hour." I couldn't have agreed more. So I grab a tire iron out of the back seat, right, hop out of the Desoto, and pummel this guy like a piñata. Tycho: Yow! Max: Blindfold and all! Tycho: ...That doesn't really answer my question. Max: You asked me a question?
Tycho: Hey Max, how do you like being a freelance police officer? Max: It's the best. Tycho: I bet it is. Max: Oh, but that's not all I do. I'm also available for babysitting, bat mitzvahs and general shakedowns. You know anybody who needs work? Tycho: See, this why I think we get along. You're a Renaissance man. Max: You need anybody roughed up? Tycho: There's a bird at the pet store that's been giving me a little beak, yeah. Max: Oh ho, putting a wise acre in his place is my specialty!
Heavy: I will make hat from you, little bunny. Max: How 'bout I just sit on your head and shoot people? Heavy: (thinks about this) ...This is good idea.
Heavy: Tiny Heavy, who is your favorite to kill in war? Strong Bad: Hmm, in WAR? Probably those Green Helmets. You know, the guys who don't have any cool weapons or gimmicks, and come in a discount three-pack. Heavy: To kill spy is glorious thing! How about you, Max? You are killing type. Max: My favorite enemy? {gasps} That's like asking me to choose between my children! Heavy: {laughs heartily} You crack me up, little bunny!
Heavy: You look very familiar, bunny. Max: How closely do you follow the Manhattan crime blotter? Wait, you didn't go the Spiro Agnew School of the Arts, did you? Tycho: You attended? Didn't take you for the book learnin' type. Max: No, but Sam and I pinched their gym teacher in a black market jock strap ring in the 80's. I'd be surprised if any student didn't remember a dog choking out a large man with a unibrow.
Strong Bad: I don't trust you one bit, ra-bbit. Max: It's ok, I don't trust myself. Strong Bad: How do we know that you don't have a never ending stack of aces wherever you put your gun? Max: Well, you don't, but you're welcome to look!
Strong Bad: So... Max. You're like one of those (pronounces as poke mons) poke-mons, right? Max: (narrows eyes) My genus and phylum is a mystery to all mankind. Strong Bad: Because I'd love to see some prepubescent pointy-haired kid run in here and stick you inside of a baseball (laughs). (in a high pitched voice, with a smile) That would be hilarious. Max: Are you talking about the red-capped kidnapper who terrorized the fauna on the Upper West Side for months? Strong Bad: Maybe. Max: Because Sam, Flint, and I caught him trying to stuff a chimpanzee into his knapsack, and made him cry for his mommy.
Strong Bad: I wonder if this dump is haunted? Max: (cheerily) Ooh, I hope so. There's something about being able to terrorize a spectral being without it up and dying on you that (furrows eyebrows) I just love. Heavy: (sadly, lowers his head) I do not like ghost. Max: It's OK Mr. Weapons. I've got extensive experience with zombies and vampires. (points toward himself) I can handle a little ghost. Heavy: (with large eyes) You will take care of ghost for me? Max: (cheerily) You betcha. Heavy: (cheerily, nods his head) I like you, tiny rabbit.
(Brock) GLaDOS: Brock Samson is eliminated. Max: GERONIMO! (lands on Brock's head and starts to gnaw on it, to no effect) Die, die, die! Brock: (gets up) I'll be at the bar.
(Claptrap) GLaDOS: Claptrap is eliminated due to lack of funds. Max: Wet willy, wet willy! (sticks a finger in his mouth and inserts it into a hole in Claptrap's side) Claptrap: Hey! That's not my ear, it's my... (both are electrified and fall from chair)
(Ash) GLaDOS: Ashley Williams is eliminated. Ash gets up and reaches for his chainsaw, only to realize it's not there. Max is holding it, standing a foot or so behind him. Max: (grinning maliciously) Looking for something? (looks at Sam normally) Hey, check it out, Sam! I'm a tree surgeon! Sam: (whispering to Ash) He's not really a tree surgeon...! Ash looks worried. Max: (revs up chainsaw) Open wide and say "ah!" (chases Ash away)
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pixelgrotto · 3 years
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Visiting the village
It took me a few months because of job changes and a focus on freelance work, but I finally got around to playing Resident Evil Village. And I found it to be...okay. It’s a mid-tier RE game for me that doesn’t hold up to Resident Evil 7, which I loved. (Mild story and location spoilers ahead, so be warned.)
The game ties up the tale of Ethan Winters, the relatively bland star of 7, by having Chris Redfield invade his home in the opening sequence, shoot his wife and kidnap his daughter. Gasp, has Chris finally snapped after 23 years of punching boulders? No, not really, and in fact the ENTIRE plot of Village could have been avoided if Chris decided to sit down and actually have a conversation with Ethan. Because he doesn’t, Ethan has to save his baby from Mother Miranda, the cultist leader of what’s pretty much the Bioweapon Justice League - complete with Tall Vampire Lady, Creepy Dollmaker, Gibbering Fish Dude and a guy who’s basically Magneto but with a suave hat and a hammer. Along the way, Ethan fights werewolves, meets a cool fat guy named the Duke who sells him weapons and tries to figure out why these folks want his child. It’s an alright story, and it even throws in some last minute connections to Umbrella that are fun for hardcore fans. Unfortunately, its foundation is centered around making a good guy like Chris seem bad, and then denying all of the answers as to why he’s acting bad until the eleventh hour. Which is something I tolerate in comic books, but even then only begrudgingly.  
Village is also a lot more “gamey” than its predecessor, which managed to take the classic Resident Evil formula (running around an area, conserving weapons, backtracking and collecting doodads to open new areas) and transfer it in a relatively realistic and down-to-earth Louisiana mansion. In contrast, Village immediately points out that there are four big bosses that you’ve gotta kill to get four items that you need to place in a pillar to unlock the final boss, and hooo boy, is the video game structure blindingly obvious here. This was probably done because the game is sort of open world, with the titular village acting as a hub that branches out into different regions. Each region represents a different slice of horror, giving Resident Evil Village a very “theme park” feel that would’ve been great if the sections were up to the same standard. 
The first section, in Tall Vampire Lady’s castle, is gothic horror, and the closest that Village gets to a traditional Resident Evil. This part’s pretty good because it’s reliant upon that tried and true Spencer Mansion formula dating back to RE1, and as you avoid Tall Vampire Lady and her daughters and eventually start sniping flying creatures on the spires of the castle, Village hits a nice rhythm that’s almost evocative of the excellent pacing of RE4. 
Following this, Village dives into psychological horror with the Creepy Dollmaker’s house. This is the only area that’s legitimately frightening. I’d go so far as to say it’s one of the scariest sequences in the entire series, largely because it takes its vibes from Silent Hill (specifically P.T.). I had to “nope” out of the immersion as soon as the game took away my weapons and had me fiddling with a mannequin in a creepy basement, and even with the Zootopia soundtrack playing in the background (don’t ask, it’s how I cope with stressful segments in horror games), this entire section still gave me the heebie-jeebies. I wouldn’t necessarily want to play an entire game like this, but this small slice of mental terror is very well done.
Then we’re on to Gibbering Fish Dude’s section, which was probably meant to evoke thalassic horror but largely ended up annoying me. There’s this part where you need to rearrange sections of a bridge and dodge fishman as he jumps out of the water, and he one-shots you if you screw up. The whole thing reminded me of the Quick Time Events plastered all over RE5 and RE6. In fact, there’s a lot of sequences in Village reminiscent of those, which probably contributed to the slight disappointment I felt while playing. 
After a brief shooting segment, finally we reach the last stretch of the game, an industrial horror wonderland run by not-Magneto. Resident Evil has always featured industrial areas, so this one’s pretty par for the course, though the enemy designs reminded me of the often-neglected Resident Evil Revelations 2 more than any other series entry. It all goes on for a bit too long, and at one point Ethan even blusters, “Damnit, not again” after not-Magneto kicks him into a hole, making him fall through three factory floors for what seems like the umpteenth time.
The game ends with Chris Redfield reappearing to finally deliver exposition and some bosses that are reminiscent of the ridiculousness seen in RE6. There are a few plot threads hinting that Ethan’s daughter is going to be a pivotal figure in upcoming games, but by this point Resident Evil has so many unresolved plot threads that it’s hard to know if Capcom will actually follow through with this. (Remember when Albert Wesker’s son was supposed to represent the future of the franchise?) 
At the end of the day, I enjoyed Village enough to push back all of the freelance projects I should’ve been working on today to finish it and write this blog post. But the inconsistency of its theme park feel is tough to ignore, and the game brings Resident Evil back to the wham-bam-shoot-’em-up vibe of RE5 and RE6 to a degree that surprised me. Perhaps this was done to prepare audiences for the inevitable remake of Resident Evil 4, which I’m sure will emerge in a year or two and reuse half of the assets on display here. Whatever the reason, I’m glad the series got another first-person entry to wrap up the saga of Ethan Winters, but this Village won’t be one I’ll revisit in the near future. 
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trevardes · 3 years
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sail anywhere
Spoilers for Critical Role C2 EP141!
Fic: Sail anywhere Words: 1807 Summary: It hurts a little when they say Kingsley’s name. Rating: T Warnings: none Also on AO3 here.
It hurts to be born.
He thinks this must be true for all living things, but most of them don’t remember the moment. He does; he remembers it all. The smell of flesh and decay around him, and the astonished, painfully hopeful faces of eight strangers gathered in a circle around him.
Later, he’ll hurt for not remembering the lives they tell him he used to have, but in the moment he’s consumed by physical agony from his wounds and the heart-wrenching feeling of emptiness, of lacking something crucial. He’s nearly broken, only partially fixed both inside and out, and he wants to scream but only manages a whimper.
“Mollymauk?” the big one with the white hair and the tears slipping down her face asks, and it hurts to say no.
-
The grove heals him slowly like it heals the others, and he learns to walk and talk and not fear them. They have it in them to fight and injure, he knows, though he wasn’t present for the fight with the other wizards. Some of these people are clearly disappointed that he’s different from what they expected, but none of them seem inclined to take it out on him. Instead, they bring him food and blankets and awkward smiles, doing their best to support him as he takes his first steps in the world, sees his first sunset, his first sunrise, his first rainstorm.
It hurt to be born, new and wrecked and fumbling, shoved into a broken body, and it hurts to heal. It hurts to sit still as his muscles and skin slowly come back together, adding new scars to the old, distorting some of the tattoos on his skin. Empty spots amid them seem to stare at him, though the others tell him the eyes that used to be there are now gone forever.
-
Nicodranas bustles with energy and life, and it’s there that he finalizes the decision to call himself Kingsley. It’s not quite right, but more so than Mollymauk or Lucien would be. It’s something he thinks he could grow to be, with time, with some care and some time to find out who he’ll end up becoming.
“Kingsley”, Yasha says softly as he’s preparing to make the trip to Fjord’s ship. She turns the name around in her mouth with care, and the sadness of her smile hurts him - it hurts, it hurts - but it also feels good. Like perhaps he can have this, perhaps he can try something on his own. He wants to be Kingsley - not because he cannot be Mollymauk, but because he doesn’t yet know who he can be, and burns with the need to find out.
“Love”, he says back, just to see her lips quirk into a sweet smile, even as her heart breaks a little in her eyes. “Yasha”, he continues, matching her soft tone. He isn’t the man who was important to her, who experienced so much with her, but she’s already important to him, somehow. “This isn’t a goodbye.”
“I know”, Yasha says and reaches out carefully, taking his slender hand in her own, the size of it dwarfing him and the warmth making his heart hurt.
“I’m going to go with Beau, to find Zuala’s grave. My wife’s grave.” There’s a deep sadness in her, but it gives way to a fierce joy every time she sees Beauregard or mentions her. That whole situation is a big can of worms Kingsley doesn’t know he wants to dip into just yet, so he doesn’t ask.
“And after?” he asks instead, as if that’s any easier a question. She has an answer prepared, however, and she tells him in hushed tones.
“Beau will continue as an expositor, and I’m so proud. She’s perfect for it. The thing is… I don’t know what I’m perfect for yet, except that I want to be for her”, Yasha says. “So at least for a while, I’ll just go where she goes, see how I like a quieter life. Maybe we’ll settle down somewhere.”
She wants to rest and to find herself through finding peace. Kingsley gets that, but he knows that’ll never work for him.
“Send word once you know where you’ll be. I’ll come visit”, he promises. “At some point - not yet though, and not for a while, I think - I’d like to hear about Molly from you.”
Yasha squeezes his hand and gifts him a smile that makes him see how she can so easily turn a difficult person like Beau into sappy mush.
“I would love that”, Yasha whispers, and though it hurts, Kingsley thinks he understands Beau, thinks he understands why Mollymauk would decide Yasha’s card had to be Love.
-
Kingsley loves the sea, and he thinks it might love him back. Most things in the world are large and new and painful, and the sea is that as well, but it still feels like home. Every place it takes him offers something new to experience, something new to be.
Fjord and Jester and the rest of the crew at his back, Kingsley stands at the prow of the ship, squinting in the sunlight reflecting off of perfect turquoise water. Seagulls fly overhead, calling to each other, and the wind pushes the ship hard as it splits the roiling surface like a knife. The water goes on forever, disappearing behind the horizon, and Kingsley smiles. His hands grip the railing and he leans forward, tail flipping behind him in excitement, his black coat billowing in the wind. There are other ports to see where he’s going, people to meet, treasure to find and to take, and this right here is something he thinks he can learn to be. This him who feels sea spray and sun gentle on his skin, this him whose newly short hair whips in the strong wind and whose chest is filled with - yes, hurt, still, but also wonder and joy and sweet longing for the unknown.
-
“Do you think you’ll ever remember any of… any of Molly’s memories?” Fjord asks one night after a long card game and half a bottle of rum they’ve split between them. It’s just the two of them in the captain’s cabin, Jester having left earlier to spend some time listening to Orly’s stories from his youth.
Kingsley tilts his head, considering. He takes his time, secretly enjoying the way Fjord shifts uncomfortably as he waits for the answer. Kingsley suspects the man wouldn’t have taken this up if it wasn’t for the alcohol; it’s a difficult subject and Kingsley may have been a bit harsh in the way he’s tried to make them believe he isn’t Mollymauk and never will be.
“I’m not sure”, he finally says. “I haven’t so far, so I think it’s unlikely, but who knows?”
Fjord nods gravely. “Caduceus told me he asked the Wildmother to put Molly’s soul back, and that she did, but I suppose it’s a little more complicated than that.”
Kingsley toasts to that with the last dregs of the rum. “Maybe our soul is the same, but I’m still… well. I don’t know, but I’m not him.”
“That’s alright”, Fjord says, and from anyone else it might sound like an empty platitude, but not from Fjord. His tusks are digging into his lip nervously and his eyes flicking up to meet Kingsley’s and back down again. “You’re good, whether you remember or not. We have all that history with Molly, but those memories aren’t going anywhere, even if you find your own path. We have a future with you in it now, and that’s worth it.”
“Oh, Captain, I do so love it when you talk to me so sweetly”, Kingsley grins, and only laughs harder as Fjord sputters and covers his face with a hand, flushing.
The rum is gone, but there’s always sweet, sparkling rosé to be had thanks to Veth. Kingsley takes out the flask and takes a swig, offering it to Fjord. He takes it, looking thankful to be able to give his mouth something other to do than talking. Kingsley teases him further just for the hell of it, winking and blowing him an exaggerated kiss. Fjord groans and shoves his shoulder, smiling.
-
Years pass and the memories never return.
Kingsley is still empty, in a way; he can feel the absence of Mollymauk, of Lucien, but gradually he grows to fill some of that space. He has a hundred adventures with Fjord and Jester, many visits with Yasha and Beau, with Caleb and that elusive drow of his, with Veth’s family and at Caduceus’s beautifully melancholy little temple home.
He visits every major port in Exandria, tastes every drink and learns dirty words in more languages than he can count. He works and steals and charms and <em>lives.</em> He knows many women in many ports, and many men and many others, and is first surprised and then delighted to find that his empty chest can light up with love for any of them, for all of them.
He doesn’t have a home port like Fjord and Jester do, not even after he eventually has his own ship and crew who call him Captain, or when they start operating out of Darktow Isle, and that’s just fine with him.
He does often sail to Nicodranas, not in small part because of an elusive wizard of his own. Caleb would be proud if he knew, Kingsley thinks with a private smirk as he makes his way towards a tall tower to meet a certain handsome elf, already thinking of smooth brown skin on golden yellow sheets, of their quiet, snarking conversations afterwards.
The memories never return, and eventually Kingsley stops wishing that they did, stops dreading the day they might.
-
He does hurt for the Mighty Nein for losing their friend. He hurts for Mollymauk even as he names his ship after this person he’s taken to referring to as his brother, and he carries a measure of guilt; if Kingsley had never been born, perhaps Mollymauk would have lived. He would’ve reigned glorious over whatever piece of the world he would’ve chosen, and people would have loved him, that much Kingsley knows. He feels like a murderer some days, but on others it’s easier to just vow to make good use of this life he has been given.
Mollymauk would have lived this life to its fullest, and Kingsley has every plan to do the same.
He has his crew at his side and people he calls friends and joys and loves scattered on every shore in Exandria; he has the wind in his hair, the sun bright and sweetly painful in his eyes; he has everything he needs and more.
Kingsley Tealeaf smiles through the small, lingering hurt and sets a course for the horizon.
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inonibird · 3 years
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Sahuldeem Q&A Part 2
Look, I’m NOT good about answering asks, y’all. I will let them pile up, promising myself I’ll get to them eventually, and then too often they sink into the mire of “oh no I waited too long”. BUT! I’m making myself grab a handful and slap them up here together like I did previously. (questions bold; answers italic)
i know you just answered a bunch of questions, but this one has been in my head for a while; are the kuunsi(?) based off of the sha/set animal? i'm kind of a kemetic mythology kid so when i saw the art i was very intrigued! Excellent observation! Given my own affinity for Egyptian mythology, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the answer is: there was definitely some inspiration there.
Is the actual meaning of the word Sahuldeem a spoiler?
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How does Kaleesh courtship work? Like so many things, it’s regional, but we’ve already seen part of the custom particular to the Ausez Steppes. ;)
What’s your take on what Mumuu look like? I’ve seen dozens ranging from big cat to cow to dinosaur and I was wondering if you had a description of some kind for how you see them? I see most of the Kaleesh animals as…well, expies of Earth animals, because…it’s easy, lol. So mumuu are definitely bovine in nature (possibly mammal-like reptiles, like the Kaleesh? I’m a sucker for non-mammalian synapsids), but bulls not only have horns but elongated spinous processes to form a large armored ridge along the length of the back. Maybe more armor in the form of scutes, if it is semi-reptilian. I haven’t drawn anything, but they will probably be described more later in the story, so I’ll have to put more thought into ‘em then! Hey Inonibird, can you tell us more about the kakmusme and tuugmusme from your fic? A kakmusme (pl. kakmusmal) is a warrior’s bonemask, either carved from the skull of a beast hunted by the warrior themself when they come of age or passed down from a parent. Warriors cover their faces during battles and hunts so as to humble themselves before the ever-watchful eyes of the ancestors—sure, you want them to notice your accomplishments, but it’s considered hubristic to flaunt your identity. That’s what the painted sigil is there for—to identify one’s clan to the pertinent ancestors. A tuugmusme (pl. tuugmusmal) is a broad term for a veil worn by Kaleesh women (and some men, but less commonly). Like the kakmusme, it covers the face. There are different styles and circumstances for wearing them depending on the region. Which leads me to… How do dulhlavas work? What shape is it when it's unfolded? Is it one piece of fabric or multiple? Are there different types and styles of dulhlava? This ask! So dulhlava is ALSO a broad term that refers to several different types of head wraps that can be worn all over Kalee. It’s pure artistic laziness on my part that one can’t look at a dulhlava and suss out how it fits together, lol, BUT I do imagine that it is usually made up of at least two portions. Qymaen’s chieftain dulhlava may even have three pieces; the…er…dangling bits of patterned cloth that hang on either side of his head (which represents his authority) is actually one long strip that is held in place. But yes! So! Short answer: I haven’t put a whole lot of thought into it, it’s sort of a catch-all. Qymaen: [coughs slightly] Me: OH MY GOSH THE FORESHADOWING You may be jesting or think you’re overreacting, but HOO BOY LET ME TELL YOU, I am hyperaware of every single cough, wheeze, gasp, and ding-dang breath that passes through Qymaen’s doomed lungs. Just you wait. Are small villages like Irikuum usually monotribal, or are there always at least two clans in any given settlement? There are usually multiple clans! (I should really do a post about Kaleesh clans like I did about naming conventions that one time. Someday!) Kaleesh... Sumerian... Kaleesh Ea-Nasir... Brain thoughts Oh, jeez. Do I need to have a Kaleesh named Nanni show up in the background of a scene, whining about shitty kuluha he bought off a merchant? How old is Qy atm? As of the Battle of Shrupak, he is 18 years old. ((BTW, if you’ve sent me positive comments about the fic, really, thank you, I do appreciate it! If you haven’t yet, leave a comment or kudos on AO3; that would mean a lot to me! <3))
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thebestofoneshots · 4 years
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LOLLIPOP
Paring: Dean Winchester x reader
Prompt: In which both you and Dean really really want the same Lollipop.
Warnings: None, mild spoilers to the scooby natural episode since the DeanCave is mentioned but nothing more than that. Is sucking someone else’s lollipop a warning?
A/N: my boys need some happy times, so I like to write some happy fluffy times for them, specially with only 4 episodes left 😭
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You got up from your bed and closed the book roughly. You had tried over 50 different reading positions, but it was either the lighting that was wrong, or you were not comfy, or your head hurt. You were done. So you decided you would have to look for a better place to read your book at. You opened your room's door and left. You went to the kitchen, but Sam was there making green smoothies which was rather loud so you kept looking for a place. You tried the library, and it worked, for a chapter but you switched chairs to try to get the lighting right. At some point, you had tried all the chairs and none of the satisfied you. So eventually you left. You went to the infirmary, which so happened to work against you as well. Some hunters from apocalyptic earth were getting patched up and, judging by the sound they made, it had been a rough hunt.
You sighed and turned around looking for a different place. And then you saw light coming from a room. You knew it was Dean’s room, perhaps Sam’s. You weren't sure whether to enter or not but decide to do it. The light did seem very good, the surroundings were quiet and you figured, as you were friends with both boys, they wouldn't mind you being in their room for a good reading session. When you entered, you fell in love with the room, it had these bright lights right behind his bed, giving you the best light to read, no weird shadows and the bed. The bed was so soft.
You sat on the bed, your back resting on the headboard and your book getting the best lighting available in the whole Bunker.
You read for at least an hour before you heard someone clearing their throat from the door. You raised your head and saw Dean giving you a confused look. "Oh, hi Dean," you said cheerily, you were just two chapters from the end and the book had been amazing.
"Why are you in my room?" He asked confused.
"Oh, right, I forgot, see, I was looking for a good place to read and the position of your bed and lighting give an amazing light, plus your bed is quite comfortable... I would have asked you if I had known this was your room... I mean I knew it was either yours or Sam’s bit I didn’t think you’d care. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable."
"Right... Of course, anyway, would you mind? I want to get changed. We're getting ready for movie night."
"I don't mind," you answered and continued reading your book.
He was confused at your answer, and he was going to ask you to leave, but he saw how into the book you were and decide you probably wouldn't even lookup. He shrugged and headed to his drawers. He took on a black short sleeve top and his burger and hotdog pyjamas pants. He quickly changed his jeans for the pants and then he took off his shirt.
That's when it clicked you. You had been so immersed in your book you didn't realize he wanted you out of the room so that he could get changed. You looked up from your book, just to find him shirtless, back facing you. Your cheeks instantly burned and you looked straight at your book, again. But you couldn't resist picking again while he was putting on the T. You had to admit the man was attractive. Damn, not even Charlie would deny it, and she wasn’t even into men.
He then turned around as you quickly hurried your head back on the book "So... Em... I guess I'll let you finish? But don't forget it's movie night," he said as you tiled your head up paying attention towards the words he said. You nodded and waved goodbye.
He left the room, and you tried to continue your book, but it seemed rather hard. You couldn't really concentrate. And the sofa on the ‘Dean Cave’ was tempting. So you closed your book and went to your room to get changed into something comfier. Aka you pyjamas. It was summer so you used the pair that had little batman signs on the shorts and a short-sleeved top with just one big sign in the middle of it.
You left your room and headed towards the Dean Cave. As you arrived you sneaked in quietly. There was still a place on the couch that was right in front of the TV. Cass was about to sit in it but you quickly moved and jumped from the back of it to sit before he did. He tried to sit but ended over your lap, he quickly stood up again and looked at you confused and terrified "What in the..."
He started but you cut him off "Sorry! Got here first.”
Dean was laughing in the back. Finally, the angel would know what it feels.
"Where did you even came from?" He asked confused.
"There's a reason why I'm a good hunter Cass... That is it," you smiled and further accommodated on what would have been his place, right in between Sam and Dean.
Dean then noticed your pyjamas “those are fitting,” he pointed at them.
“Thought they would be,” you smiled and munched in some popcorns that Sam had brought.
“What are we watching?” Asked Cass from the side couch.
“Still looking,” replied Sam.
“Has Cass seen StarWars?” You questioned as you eat more popcorn. “Or Lord of the Rings?”
“I know the books,” replied Cass.
“And Jack?”
“I’m here!” He said as he entered the room. "Got a couple of Lollipops !" he smiled as he entered the room. With 5 lollipops in his hand. Blue, green, two yellow and one red.
He moved to one of the side couches and placed the lollies on the table.
“Have you seen Lord of the Rings?” Sam asked him, Jack, in turn, denied with his head.
“Well it’s settled then,” you nodded and rested yourself even more on the couch as Sam searched for the film.
When you turned to the table, Jack had one of the lollipops on his mouth. “Dibs on the red one,” you said when you noticed the colours left.
“No, that’s mine,” replied Dean casually.
You frowned “Since when?”
“Since it was made. All red lollipops are mine.”
“Bullshit,” you said and quickly moved to get it. But Dean’s reflexes were fast and he stopped you with his arm. You attempted to stretch your way to the lollipop but he was bigger and stronger and there was absolutely no way you’d move him. Still using his arm he kept you far as he ripped the packaging open with his mouth and threw the Lollie in his mouth. “Son of a bitch,” you mumbled. He just smiled with the Lollie still on his mouth.
You were pissed. And you didn’t hesitate to show it. Turned most of your body towards the TV completely ignoring Dean.
He almost felt bad, but the taste of victory was too good to make him bitter.
As you continued watching the film you turned to Dean, his lollipop was barely sucked. You would have already eaten it completely by then.
When he was distracted, and you hoped he’d forgotten about the little intricate from earlier you turned to him and whispered “hey Dean?”
“Mhm?”
“You know?” You reached your hand towards his head and played with his hair gently, he didn’t mind, in fact, he loved the feeling, Noone had toyed with his hair like that since he was just a kid. “I’ve always said, that if we were to shave your head, with this big green eyes of yours, you’d make an amazing Gollum.”
Sam laughed beside you and Dean just made a surprised face, you took the chance to steal the lollipop from him, pulling the half that was still in his mouth throwing it straight onto yours. He was even more perplexed.
“Gross!” Sammy said from the side. Perhaps it had been, but you weren’t going to let him have the last red lollipop, you couldn’t, your inner rivalry wouldn’t allow you, even if that meant having his saliva in your moth.
“I had that in my mouth!” he complained.
“Yeah, under completely unfair terms and after using brute strength to get it,” you replied with the Lollie resting on your cheek, you were not about to risk it being stolen.
“Give it back!” he said sternly.
“Never!” you answered.
“Fine then,” he said, and tickled you on the side causing you to drop the Lollie onto your lap, from where he took it and stuck it in his mouth.
“Did you just?” You said incredulously.
“Tastes of glory,” he replied.
“No, that’s the taste of my saliva,” you replied.
He shrugged “just the same,” he mumbled, but you heard it.
“Wait. What?”
“Nothing.”
“Dean Winchester either you–“ you started but were interrupted by a low flapping of wings and then another. It had been Jack, he’d come back with a whole bag filled with only red lollipops.
“Stop fighting, have 25 each, I want to know what happens to the hobbitses.”
The two of you were startled as the red bag fell over your lap, and looked almost ashamed, after all, you had been acting like children.
Later on, that day, as Sam walked into the kitchen and saw Dean getting some beer he decided to get his brother talking. “Hey Dean, you know, if you wanted to kiss (Y/N) so bad, you should’ve just done it directly,”
“What?”
“Well, one thing was that she took the Lollie from your moth, but taking it back, that basically completed the cycle of saliva exchange,”
“Shut up, Sam.”
“I mean, I was just saying, you really could have just confessed that you had a thing for her rather than purposefully grabbing the red Lollie to get her attention—“
“—I didn’t…”
“But, didn’t you? Dean?” Sam asked.
Dean meditated it for a second and then finished opening his beer. And took a drink, leaving Sam in the kitchen. He walked towards your room and opened the door once he was there.
“What? Will you be stealing more lollipops from me now?” you asked half-jokingly.
He denied with his head, “I’ve actually come to say I’m sorry,” he responded.
“Are you? really?” you questioned.
“I’m sorry I upset you, not really sorry about eating the red lollipop , it’s the best lollipop,”
You chuckled and shot a pillow straight to his face “I guess I will forgive you, as long as you give me one of your 25 lollipops,”
“What?” he complained.
“It is only fair…”
“Fine,” he sighed “One of my lollies is yours.”
You smiled “Just don’t lick it before you hand it over,”
He chuckled. “Can’t promise anything,”
“I don’t want any more of your saliva in my mouth anymore,” you replied.
“Why not?” he pouted “after all, it would be just like giving me a kiss” he teased.
“You wish!”
“Wouldn’t you?” he teased again, that smooth motherfucker.
It almost caught you by surprise, but you regained composure back pretty quickly. Even that small second of doubt was enough for Dean to notice, he always paid special attention to you, the way you move, the way you react to things, he knew them each and every one of them.
“Wait. You would?” he questioned more seriously now.
“I never said that,” you replied, a slight nervousness coming from your voice. That was enough for Dean.
“Stop me if you really want to!” he said as he got close to you, he sat on your bed and leaned closer towards you. You gulped hard and your breath was heavy.
Once his face was just inches away from yours you laid a light hand over his chest, to stop him from moving. There was a slight disappointment in his eyes. “Dean Winchester, what game are you playing?” you questioned.
“No game,” he replied sincerely. “I never wanted the red lollipop (Y/N), I wanted you to fight for it.”
You bit your lip. “Well, you’re not winning this either. This time, I’ll get what I want first,” you said closing the small gap between the two of you, a small gentle kiss.
“I win!” you said once the two of you were apart, your foreheads touching.
He chuckled lightly “The way I see it, I won, the lollipop and you along with it.”
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