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helaintoloki · 3 years

Text

Everybody Loves Somebody

pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

warnings: slight language, themes of insecurity, angst, pining, slow burn (kinda?), eventual fluff, over 5k words in length

notes: it’s finally finished! this took forever but I swear I put my entire soul into making this as perfect as it could be. I’ve never used this format before in my writing and it was challenging but also super fun so hopefully you guys like it :) (also yes the title and the fic somewhat is inspired by the Dean Martin song)

summary: Thrown into a blind date against his will, Bucky does his best to prepare in the days leading up to Saturday night, a feat that proves to be much more difficult than expected thanks to his neighbor across the hall.

Sunday

Three quick raps on the apartment door force Bucky to kick back the covers and sluggishly rise from his spot on the floor. He’s exhausted, but his recognition of the evenly spaced knocks on the wooden frame has him feeling compelled to answer, and so he does. Too tired to notice the television is still droning on in the background, Bucky idly wraps his discarded blanket around his form to shield his vibranium arm before opening the door to greet the old man standing on the other side.

“Rough night, huh?” Yori greets with a knowing smile.

“Something like that,” he replies with a tired, lopsided grin. “What are you doing here so early?”

“I set you up on a date,” the man says casually, as if setting Bucky up on dates without his knowledge and against his will is a common every day occurrence, and it is. “Saturday evening at six.”

“What— A date? Yori—“

“She’s a nice girl, very pretty. I think you’ll like her.”

“Now hang on a minute,” Bucky tries to interject, but Yori is already halfway down the hall before the super soldier can get another word in.

“You’re meeting her at the Italian place down the street!” Yori calls behind him. “She likes sunflowers!”

The old man’s shouts are sure to have woken up the entire fourth floor by now, but Bucky is too busy trying to process the jumble of information that has been thrust upon him so suddenly and so early in the morning to care. The last date Yori had sent him on had ended in disaster; Bucky wasn’t ready to get back out on the field, a stable relationship wasn’t in the cards for him. Surely no one in their right mind would stick around once they found out the truth about the man, and if they did it would only be a matter of time before the constant nightmares and extra baggage that came with dating the ex-Hydra assassin sent them running for the hills. But Yori meant well, Bucky knew that, and he also knew he owed the man more than he could ever give him in return, so if sitting through another painfully uncomfortable date would make him happy, then Bucky would just have to suck it up, put on the nicest shirt he owned, and charm his way through another awkward dinner.

“Sunflowers,” he grumbles to himself, quietly shutting the door before returning to his spot on the cold hardwood floor.

Monday

Monday mornings are gym mornings, early workouts that start at five and end at seven. He promptly returns to the apartment building at seven thirty, eight if he stops for breakfast, then goes to check the mail before heading back to the comfort of his sheltered apartment. He doesn’t receive much other than grocery coupons and an odd letter from the government every now and then, but he’s been told that a routine is good, it’s healthy, so on Monday mornings at seven thirty—or eight— Bucky pulls out his keys and opens his assigned metal box with a sense of indifference.

It’s eight o’clock on this particular morning, and with a half finished cup of coffee in hand the soldier opens the little metal compartment to find nothing other than stray specks of dust and the tiniest of spiderwebs in the top right corner of the box. It’s a familiar sight, but Bucky has learned not to let it bother him by now. Remember James, it has nothing to do with you, his therapist always said. You have to learn not to take things personally.

“It has nothing to do with me,” Bucky murmurs quietly before finally shutting his mailbox with a sigh. Coffee cup discarded in the nearby trash can, Bucky turns to make his trek towards the elevator only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight of a beautifully familiar face.

Your name is y/n, you live on the fourth floor, and for someone reason you’re always covered in glitter. You’re on your way out the door, art supplies held clumsily in your grasp just begging to jump free from your hold, and despite the rush you seem to be in you still greet the man with a polite smile.

“Good morning,” you chime, honey coated voice filled with warmth and kindness for the stranger. Bucky simply gives you a halfhearted smile in return, watching you walk out the door and wishing he could just muster up the courage to speak to you.

You won the soldier’s heart the day you knocked on his door to drop off a “welcome to the neighborhood” casserole. It had only been his second day in his new apartment, and while he knew some of the other tenants were weary of the mysterious man with the thousand yard stare who had decided to call the building a home, you never once seemed to bat an eye at Bucky or his closed off nature. He had been a little short with you upon your first meeting, his anxiety coming off as annoyance, but still you wore that same kind smile of yours and assured him that if he ever needed anything you’d be happy to help. You were a kind person with a big heart, and Bucky didn’t want to chance snuffing out one of the few lights left in the world, so he let you be. Admiring you from afar was all he let himself have of you, and that was it.

Though, Bucky would be lying if he said you didn’t come across his mind every once in a while. He wondered what you were like, what music you listened to, how you liked your eggs in the morning, if you were an old soul or young at heart, if you’d ever let yourself fall into in the arms of a broken man and help pick up the pieces. It was a pipe dream, but sometimes a friendly smile from you in the morning was enough to get Bucky through an entire day. He hadn’t been with anyone in years, and while he didn’t think he was ready to get back out on the dating scene just yet he knew that if you asked him to he’d take the plunge in a heartbeat. You were an angel, and Bucky would never be able to bring himself to taint you with his touch.

Monday mornings are workout mornings, but they’re also mornings with you.

Tuesday

On Tuesday afternoons Bucky often finds himself in the company of Yori, ensuring the old man stays out of trouble and going out of his way to make sure his newest friend has a nice day out on the town. It isn’t much, and it never will be, but it’s enough for now, at least until Bucky can find the courage to tell the father just what exactly happened to his son on that fateful night. But until then, sushi for lunch will have to do.

He makes his usual trek to the man’s apartment, stomach already beginning to rumble at the prospect of a nice crunch roll, but Bucky’s hunger is soon replaced with nerves at the sight of the woman standing in Yori’s doorway.

You look pretty today, hair haphazardly styled in your rush out the door this morning, colorful stains of dry paint adoring your hands that clutch a bundle of books close to your chest, and a dangly pair of earrings that glint underneath the sunlight pouring through the hallway windows. There’s a smile on your face as you nod along to something Yori says that doesn’t quite register in the soldier’s jumbled thoughts, and the two of you are both too engrossed to notice his lingering presence standing just a few feet away.

“Thank you so much for lending me these. The kids keep me on my toes and I haven’t had any time to settle down with a good book so these were perfect,” you utter gratefully, handing off the pile of poetry books to Yori’s awaiting hands. Names of authors that Bucky doesn’t recognize catch his eye, just as his friend finally catches his presence.

“Of course. I have more if you’re ever interested,” he says before finally addressing the elephant in the hallway. “James, there you are. I was starting to think you wouldn’t make it.”

Bucky stiffens at the sound of his name, heat immediately crawling up his neck as you turn to him with a friendly smile. Clearing his throat, he steps forward and musters up a meager grin in return.

“Like I’d ever miss Tuesday lunch,” he jokes, a nervous chuckle falling past his lips.

“I guess I better get going. Thank you again, Yori,” you chime with a grateful smile. Then, with your attention turned to Bucky, “Have a nice lunch, James.”

“Thank you...” he trails quietly, mentally kicking himself for his stiff demeanor and wishing he could be less pathetic in your presence just once. Just once and he’d die a happy man.

You leave with a polite smile, turning down the hallway and out of Bucky’s grasp once again. Yori elbows his side.

“She’s single, you know.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Bucky replies with a wry chuckle. “You have me set up with one girl already.”

“Right,” Yori notes thoughtfully with a knowing smile and a mischievous glint in his eyes that Bucky can’t quite decipher. “I think you’re going to have a nice time on your date.”

“We’ll see,” is all he says in reply, your smile the only thing on his mind as the two men head out for the day.

Wednesday

Bucky has grown to love rainy days, days in which he can remain tucked away in the warmth and comfort of his own home with a relaxing mug of hot chocolate in one hand and some piece of pop culture media he has yet to catch up with in the other. Today’s pick is a book titled The Outsiders, and Bucky chooses to sit upon the windowsill to read the novel.

Gentle drops of rain trail down the glass window, pattering soothingly in a way that makes Bucky fear he may fall asleep. He sets the book aside with a tired sigh and glances out the window with his warm cheek pressed against the cool surface; the city is quiet and the streets nearly empty, and this makes it easier to spot you.

It’s almost as if you’ve been popping up out of nowhere lately, but Bucky never seems to mind. Watch from afar, that was the deal he made with himself, so who was he to complain if you made the task easier for him? He could never have you the way he wanted to because he doubted you’d ever want an unstable old man like him, and even if you did he’d be no good for you. He knew girls like you back in his day, girls with stars in their eyes and hearts on their sleeves, girls who’d melt in his arms whenever he so much as smiled at them. And yet you weren’t like any girl he’d ever seen; you were an enigma and he wanted nothing more than to spend all of eternity deciphering the mystery of you. But he couldn’t, because he shouldn’t, so he didn’t.

Despite the gloomy gray skies hanging above you there’s a serene smile on your face as you stop to admire the pots of sunflowers outside the building, reminding Bucky he has to buy some for his date on Saturday. God, he was dreading it. Bucky was sure whatever girl Yori picked for him would be nice enough, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t sometimes wish it were you he’d be taking out for a night on the town. A guy can dream, right?

You retreat into a nearby coffee shop when the rain begins to fall harder, and as Bucky turns to his own warm drink he finds that the mug is now cold. Book discarded, he rises from his spot on the windowsill and drowsily drags himself into the kitchen for another cup.

For a moment he thinks sunflowers might surely bring about his demise, and the passing thought brings the smallest of smiles to his face. Only time will tell.

Thursday

“How are you feeling about your date on Saturday?”

The woman stares at him expectantly, pristine notepad resting casually in her lap, pen in hand as a warning, eyebrows raised at the man as he stares down contemplatively at the stitching of his leather gloves. What should be a comforting environment instead only seems to put him on edge, and as the seconds tick by on the clock hung crookedly above the doorway her pen only seems to get closer to the blank page below her. Shoulders sagging, Bucky can only offer a small sigh in response.

“I can’t say I feel too great about it,” he finally says, the tension in his shoulders alleviating slightly as she finally puts the pen down.

“And why’s that?” Doctor Raynor prods curiously.

“I just don’t really think I’m all that ready for a relationship. What person wants to be with someone as screwed up as me?”

“The right person will,” Christina comforts. Your smiling face flashes briefly in his mind in response and he shifts in discomfort— the doctor notices. “But I don’t think you’re telling me the full story here, James. I suspect there’s something else that’s holding you back. Or maybe someone.”

“That obvious, huh?” Bucky retorts with a wry smile.

“Who’s the lucky person?”

“Her name’s y/n,” he says, your name falling past his lips in the softest tone Dr. Raynor has ever heard from him before. “I don’t know her all that well, but she lives in my apartment building so I see her around a lot. She’s... she’s really pretty.”

“Well, what is it about y/n that you like?”

Geez, where do I even begin?

“I don’t know,” Bucky shrugs, picking absently at a loose seam on the end of his shirt, “I guess I like how friendly she is. Every time I see her she’s always smiling, she always says good morning to everyone and lends a hand wherever she can. It’s like she goes out of her way to be nice to me, and I’m not really used to that but it’s a nice feeling. The first time I met her she never even flinched, she wasn’t scared like other people usually are, and even when I blew her off she still made it clear that I was welcome and if I needed a friend she’d be there. That’s the kind of person she is.”

“Did you take her up on that offer?” The woman asks, but by the look on her face Bucky is sure she already knows the answer.

“No...”

“James, we’ve talked about this,” Christina says firmly, “you have to stop closing yourself off from the people around you. Making a friend could really help you, especially if this girl is truly as nice as you say she is.”

“She is,” he reiterates firmly, “and that’s why I can’t be her friend.”

The doctor’s brows furrow with piqued interest at his admission, legs shifting underneath her as she gets comfortable in preparation for what will most likely be a heavy confession. “Can you elaborate for me?” She says. Bucky sighs.

“After everything that’s happened, and everything the world has been through, it just gets harder and harder to find some sort of light in the dark. So when you finally do find it, it’s like you have to do everything in your power to make sure it never goes out.”

“So y/n is a light?” Raynor reaffirms.

“For so many people,” Bucky nods, “and if I try to put myself in the picture I’ll only bring her down. There’s no future with me, and she deserves better than that.”

“How do you know that if you never put yourself out there?” The doctor asks softly, silently stunned by the heavy confession Bucky has entrusted her with; it’s the most he’s ever opened up before.

Pieces of the past dart through his mind, and in the midst of all the heartache and the chaos he sees Yori, the one friendship he’s been able to successfully maintain since his period of healing. The memory of the man is pleasant for a moment, until Bucky is reminded of the basis of their friendship and how one single confession will tear down everything they’ve built together. It doesn’t matter what kind of man he is now or how much control he has over his own life, the Winter Soldier will always have the final say, and nothing will ever change that. Finally, he speaks.

“I just do.”

Friday

“Crap.”

The softly uttered curse sounds from across the hallway and alerts Bucky of his struggling neighbor’s presence. Purse slipping off your shoulder and heavy groceries spilling from your arms, you struggle to maneuver your key into the lock of your front door all while the heat of embarrassment engulfs your body in a suffocating hold. You’re not as put together as you usually are, your belongings in disarray and eyes full of exhaustion rivaling that of his own, your usually meticulously picked clothing replaced by joggers and an old college sweatshirt that’s three sizes too big on you, and yet Bucky still finds himself frozen in your presence.

Don’t just stand there, help her you idiot, his mind screams at him, the soldier harshly swallowing down his nerves before taking shaky steps towards you. An orange slips out of the brown paper bag and rolls towards his feet, and Bucky takes it as his in into a conversation.

“Need some help?” He asks with a crooked smile, one that softens at the look of distress clear in your eyes as you meet his gaze.

“That’s the understatement of the year,” you breathe out before offering a meager smile of your own. “Some help would be great, thank you.”

Bucky takes the heavier bags of groceries from your aching arms and returns the orange to its rightful place, allowing you the chance to take your keys and unlock the door. You don’t spare him another glance as you walk in, leaving it open as a silent invitation for him to let himself in. Bucky swallows nervously but wordlessly follows behind; he’s never been in a woman’s apartment before, and the fact that it’s yours makes the experience all the more nerve wracking.

Your apartment is small but personalized, decorated with little knickknacks and houseplants and old family portraits that Bucky does his best not to stare at in fear of being rude, and the vanilla scented candle that burns on the coffee table makes him feel all the more welcome. You drop your purse by the couch with a tired sigh before directing your attention to the man who stands awkwardly in your living room. His hulking figure makes your apartment seem tiny, oddly comforting in a way, but you hold back your giggles and merely guide him to your kitchen.

“You can set them on the counter,” you say with a passive wave before reaching into one of the cabinets for a glass cup. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“No, thank you,” the man says politely as he settles the heavy bags down on the marble surface; as much as he’d like to sit and spend the evening with you, he can’t stay long, or more like he won’t allow himself to stay long. Your movements are clumsy as you down your glass of water, and Bucky looks away flustered as little droplets begin to escape the corners of your lips and dribble down your neck. “I hope I’m not overstepping by asking this, but are you alright? You seem a bit... flustered.”

“Is it that obvious?” You joke quietly, your smile barely reaching your eyes as you fidget with the sleeves of your sweater.

“I’m sorry,” Bucky begins to say in fear of overstepping, but you merely shake your head in response.

“I’m just a little stressed out. The kids always keep me on my toes, especially now that there’s more of them, and it’s been hard trying to get some of them to readjust.”

“Kids?” He repeats with furrowed brows. He can’t recall ever seeing you with any children, and there’s no sign of any living with you in your apartment. A genuine laugh leaves your lips this time at his response and Bucky tenses uncomfortably. Did he say something wrong?

“I’m a kindergarten teacher,” you explain with a smile, and everything clicks in Bucky’s mind then. That would explain the constant paint stains and trails of glitter left in your wake, the arts and crafts supplies and stacks of drawings you seem to carry with you everywhere. And here he thought your heart couldn’t get any bigger than it already was— were you even real?

“The effects of the blip have been really difficult for them. It’s hard having to come back to school and see that all your old friends are now five grades ahead of you. I know everyone has been impacted in some way by what happened, but it’s harder for the younger ones to understand. I’m doing my best to make the transition back to normalcy easier for them, but some days are harder than others, you know?”

“Sounds rough,” is all Bucky can manage to say, swallowing his emotions back harshly.

“Yeah,” you sigh quietly, rubbing away the clear exhaustion in your eyes, “but I’m trying my best.”

“Sometimes that’s all you can do.”

You smile then, a genuine smile, one that makes Bucky weak in the knees, and suddenly it’s as if all the weight has been lifted off of your shoulders.

“I really needed to hear that,” you utter softly, “thank you.”

“What are neighbors for?” Bucky jokes lamely, but you must like his sense of humor for you let out the quietest of giggles.

“You’re sweet. I like talking with you, but I won’t keep you any longer. I’m sure you’re a busy guy.”

“Not really,” he shrugs with a crooked smile, “I just had some errands to run before tomorrow.”

“What’s tomorrow?” You ask curiously, brows raising with interest as Bucky awkwardly looks down at your hardwood floor.

“I’ve got a date.”

“Huh, no kidding. Me too,” you smile, and in response Bucky’s heart slowly begins to sink to his stomach. Yori had said you were single, but only an idiot would believe that someone like you could stay that way for long. Maybe if he had taken the doctor’s advice sooner he could be the one you’re seeing instead of the lucky guy that beat him to it.

“I should get going... I’ll see you around.”

“Thank you again for the help, and good luck on your date,” you say with an encouraging smile. Bucky swallows harshly in response, a look of longing in his eyes that he hides well with a meager quirk of his lips.

“You too,” he murmurs in response, casting you once last glance before showing himself out. The lock clicks behind him, and Bucky trudges back to his own empty apartment.

Saturday

The dining patio of the Italian restaurant is pleasantly empty, but the quiet stillness does little to help soothe Bucky’s nerves as he waits for the arrival of his date. He probably should have asked Yori what she looked like, what her name was and what she’d be wearing so he’d know what to expect, but the old man had been adamant on keeping the identity of his date a surprise.

“It’ll be better that way,” he had said, “trust me.”

The bouquet of sunflowers sits before him on the table almost tauntingly, their bright colors and sweet scent sending his senses into overdrive. He almost resented them, but then he thought of your smiling face through the window and the tension from his shoulders began to dissipate— if you could be strong and put on a brave face despite all the bad things that had happened in the world, then so could he.

“James?” A meek voice calls quietly, pulling the man from his thoughts. His blue eyes widen in surprise at the sight of the woman standing before him and he swallows anxiously.

“Y/n?” Bucky replies, quickly rising from his seat and cringing at the way in which the legs of the chair scrape harshly across the floor with his sudden movements. Here he thought you couldn’t get any more beautiful, and here you were proving him wrong with your cute little outfit and styled hair and charming smile. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for my date,” you explain with a sheepish smile. Bucky deflates— not only would he have to suffer through his own painfully awkward date, but he’d also have to sit and watch you get swept off your feet by someone else all in the same night.

“Oh... well, who’s the lucky guy?”

“That’s the thing,” you say with a nervous laugh, “I think you are.”

“Me?” Bucky repeats flabbergasted. “What do you mean?”

“Well, Yori was the one who said I should try dating again. He thought it would be good for me to spend some time with other adults since I’m always with my students, and when I said I didn’t really know anyone he told me he’d take care of it for me. All he told me was to come to this restaurant Saturday at six and look for the man with sunflowers,” you summarize before gesturing to the bouquet on the table, “and you’re the only one here with sunflowers so...”

A disbelieving laugh leaves Bucky then at the realization, and he isn’t sure whether he should jump for joy or wait for the ground below to swallow him whole. Finally he had a chance to spend time with the girl who had taken over his thoughts and occupied every available space in his heart, and yet he couldn’t help but feel terrified. A date was a big step up from neighborly conversation in your apartment, and all of Bucky’s hopes of developing something more with you were riding on this one date. Yori knew exactly what he was doing by setting the two of you up, and Bucky had no choice but to be grateful for the man who had bestowed upon him the chance to finally win you over.

“If this is too awkward for you we can just skip this whole date—“

“No, it’s not awkward at all,” Bucky is quick to interject. “I mean, this whole thing is certainly a surprise but it’s a good one. It’s an honor to be your blind date.”

He flashes a charming smile that makes you weak in the knees, and he knows then that he’s back in the game— who would have guessed he’d be able to dust off his old moves with such ease? He had to if he wanted any kind of chance at winning you over.

“In that case, why don’t we get out of here? This restaurant is a little stuffy,” you note with a small chuckle, your nerves slowly beginning to dwindle.

“Alright, what do you have in mind?”

The nightlife atmosphere of the plaza square is surprisingly much more comfortable compared to the dining patio, and Bucky considers himself the luckiest man alive to be able to witness firsthand the way your eyes seem to sparkle with the light of the starry sky. A nighttime stroll is right up Bucky’s alley, and you both fall into a comfortable step as you talk about whatever topic seems to come to mind. You speak of your students, about how much their smiling little faces have helped you get through the toughest times, how there’s a stray cat who calls the dumpsters behind your apartment building a home and waits for your arrival on trash days because you always bring the feline a special treat. Alpine, you had named it, and Bucky adored that greatly.

The details are vague but you enjoy the stories he tells you of his childhood and the way his whole face seems to light up at the mere mention of his mother and sister; that look dwindles slightly when he speaks of his old best friend, but you pretend not to notice. As a younger man Bucky worked at the docks before serving time in the army, though he fails to mention where he’d been stationed, and now he works for the government. You feel almost giddy to be learning so much about the man you once believed would rather prefer solitude over your company, and as the night drags on and the conversation begins to dwindle you almost wish you could reverse the clock and do it all over again.

“Thank you,” Bucky says after a moment of silence, prompting you to halt your steps and raise a brow curiously at your counterpart.

"What for?"

“Taking a chance on a guy like me,” he smiles faintly while offering you a sheepish shrug of his shoulders. “I haven’t really done anything like this in a while, and the idea of putting myself back out there scared me shitless, but you just make things so much easier. I guess what I’m trying to say is when I’m with you everything comes naturally, and I really appreciate that.”

“Oh,” you utter softly, a sheepish smile of your own gracing your lips as you turn away to admire the scenery around you. It isn’t until now that you notice you’ve stopped before the fountain, the arches of water flowing overhead illuminated by the fluorescent lights below them. A nervous fluttering occupies your stomach and when you finally meet Bucky’s gaze you feel as if nothing else in the entire world mattress other than the two of you in this moment. “Well, if it makes you feel any better I’m kind of in the same boat, so that just means we can figure this out as we go. Together.”

“I like that,” Bucky affirms with a nod, a look that can only be described as lovestruck taking over his features. Nerves overcome you then as you clutch your bouquet of flowers to your chest, heart thrumming rapidly in your rib cage as Bucky steps closer. The glove that had once shielded his right hand from the cold is now missing as he gently cups your cheek and encompasses you with his warmth. His palm is calloused and rough but comforting all the same, and it takes everything in your power not to melt like putty in his grasp.

“Is this okay?” He murmurs quietly as if raising his voice any higher will ruin the moment.

“Yeah,” you breathe shakily, swallowing back your nerves, “it’s okay.”

Your softly uttered words of confirmation are all Bucky needs to hear before dipping down and gently brushing his lips against your own. His movements are hesitant for only a moment, and it is only once he’s sure you are comfortable and secure that he moves in for more. Your lips are soft against his own, plush and warm and so sweet, and as your eyes begin to flutter shut and the forgotten sunflowers slip out of your grasp you drape your arms securely across his shoulders at the same moment in which his left hand joins his right in cupping your face as if you were a precious jewel in need of the upmost care.

Nothing exists when you are in each other’s arms, you are safe and sound in your own little world, and as you part to take a breath Bucky realizes then that one kiss is all he needs to know that you are the one he’s been waiting for all his life.

And by god, if you aren’t more than worth the wait.

479 notes · View notes

snidgetwidgeon · 4 years

Photo

My excitement rivalled Impa’s here when @jabberwockyface brought this scene from my story to life. It is a true delight and I adored the addition of the cuccos!

I have been working on my longfic for quite some time now and was only intending to publish when complete, but this art has me so pumped I thought I’d drop a ‘trailer’ XD

Please enjoy Chapter 1 of Insurrection, a ZeLink story set mainly after the fall of Calamity Ganon

The Horizon

Impa woke early and sighed as she looked up at the large wooden beams in the ceiling of her house. One of the small, lidded lanterns hanging there, usually alight with a soft, golden glow, had gone out during the night. No matter, she thought. An oil refill would just be one of the mundanities to be dealt with over the course of the day. She had always been an early riser, though for the past two decades or so, her aged bladder was demanding she be up at sparrow’s fart to cater to its whims.

She was nestled atop her three red pillows which were stacked like a pyramid. This was where she liked to stay these days, meditating and even sleeping. Her granddaughter, Paya, had long since had the upstairs bedroom to herself.

Rising to stand atop her pillow tower, with quite a few bodily creaks and vocal sound effects, Impa hopped down. She gently removed her large round hat and placed it in the vacated spot, then saw to her ablutions before a morning walk. She poodled around the ground floor of the spacious living quarters, which also doubled as the town hall. Having the largest house in the village was one of the perks of being the Elder. Her seating platform was centrally located toward the rear of the room and looked out across a spacious, open floor plan. Dark blue mats decorated with a diamond pattern sat neatly aligned in rows and served as a comfortable place to sit when village meetings or festive gatherings took place. Her pillow tower looked straight down an aisle, lined with a blue rug, toward large double doors that led outside to the veranda.

Set in a free standing wooden frame behind her perch was a canvas tapestry. Its earthy color palette and tribal art style depicted a very specific history of the Kingdom of Hyrule. There was a large monster embroidered in the center, and it was flanked by what seemed to be a divine person on the left, and a warrior on the right. There were hundreds of machines surrounding them and in each corner were strange animals ridden by pilots of varying races. Due to the nature of the design, it was unclear if they depicted any of the races residing in Hyrule today.

The platform was flanked by two staircases which rose to the back of the house and then turned on ninety degree angles to meet in the middle at the top. To the right and left of her platform on the outside of the stairs were four posts topped with frog guardian statuettes. They bore the red Sheikah symbol on their bellies, an open eye drawn in a minimalist style with a central tear. Various banners and lanterns hung from the rafters, and low shelves lined the walls. Like the other dwellings in Kakariko Village, furnishings and household items were sparse as most Sheikah lived a simple and humble life, free from clutter.

Impa regarded her wide and wrinkly face in the water basin that sat on one of the low shelves. The reflection reminded her of how much time had passed. She splashed the sleep out of her eyes and made her way upstairs to check on Paya, as she did every morning. She favored going up the right staircase, so she could come down the left in a satisfying circle.

Reaching the second floor, she went over to the bed against the back right corner to look upon her sleeping granddaughter. The young woman usually slumbered well into mid-morning as she tended to pray until very late at night. Impa pressed her forehead against Paya’s and their matching, but different colored Sheikah eye tattoos touched. Though she hadn’t meant to cause a stir, Paya yawned and whispered, “Grandmother?”

“Shhh, it’s still very early, dear,” Impa cooed. “Go back to sleep.” She wanted to tell Paya that she stays up much too late praying outside to the village guardians. But she knew the young woman was doing her best to help bring success to their courageous Hero. He needs all the help he can get, she thought earnestly.

Satisfied that all was well with Paya, she headed back down and paused to view the large painting which hung above the low shelves on that side of the house.

The verdant marsh it depicted was spotted with just a few trees and a grey range of hills in the backdrop, topped by fluffy clouds in a blue sky. Toward the rear of the landscape, to the left and right of the center of the canvas, were two weathered stone ruins indicating that this area had not always been a marsh. Spread out in the foreground were some strange looking, bell shaped machines. The one closest to the viewer on the left side of the frame had a single eye-like protrusion in the middle of its bucket-shaped head.

They were all partially sunken into the marsh, becoming overgrown by time. The furthest one had a single, tentacle-like limb sticking out from its wide base, as if it had once been going in that direction. Overall, they seemed oddly out of place- yet also part of the greater scenery. Impa sighed and wondered, like so many times she had sighed in this spot before, if that fateful marsh would ever again reclaim being just a beautiful field.

Time to get moving before breakfast, she decided as she headed for the front door. She had just started to open it before realizing she had forgotten her hat. She tut-tutted herself as she headed back to claim it. One had to look proper if going outside. Her large, straw hat had a very wide and circular red brim which swooped up into a tall metal ornament that brought it to a point. The Sheikah symbol was prominently featured in red on the front. It also had five chains hanging from the brim with axe blade-esque ornaments that swayed metronomically as she walked. Placing her beloved hat on her head, she headed outside.

She was greeted by a bright, blue summer sky and squinted as her eyes adjusted to the golden glow of sunlight spilling over the valley walls. She never tired of this tranquil vista. Tall, steep mountains with weathered, rounded peaks flanked her view to the right. These were aptly named the Pillars of Levia. She followed a flock of ducks with her gaze as they flew over the mountain vale in a perfect v-formation. They passed a lone peak on the left which towered above the forest on the hill behind the village. This small mount had a more flattened mesa at its peak rather than a weathered mound like the others. Another group of birds she couldn’t make out through the bright sunlight swirled around the top.

As she descended her long front steps, she felt content, taking in the sounds and smells of her home. The breeze which blew through the valley from the west carried with it the scent of the grassy slopes and the wooden chimes that were suspended from ropes between posts all around the village, were gently teased into their soft rattle by it. The cuccos added their crow to the morning chorus.

At the base of the steps was a wooden-framed, open gate. She tilted her head slightly to the side so that as she passed under, the ornament of her impressive hat could avoid catching on the three banners hanging there. On either side of the gate were some young plum trees. The lovely white blossoms they produced in spring were something she looked forward to seeing every year. These plum trees, as well as the others scattered around the village, acted as the residents’ protectors, just like the frog statuettes. They also symbolized endurance and prosperity, two values which Impa had instilled in her people for the better part of a century.

She nodded to the guard who kept the late night and early morning watch at her gate. He was adorned in standard Sheikah attire, a pair of beige trousers and a tunic with a high back collar and red trim. A dark blue undershirt could be seen that matched the blue diamond-shaped pattern on his straw hat. His hat was much different than Impa’s in that it appeared to be a woven disc of straw that he folded over his head and strapped under his chin. It also sat prominently forward to allow for his high, white bun to stick out at the back of his head. Some red chopsticks poked stylishly out of the side of his big bun.

Cado returned the nod with a short and respectful bow. “Lady Impa.” He waited for the Village Elder to take several paces before retrieving his quiver from against the gate and followed at a polite, but observant distance. Though her residence was always guarded, he felt he should be extra vigilant about her safety when she ventured out, especially since there had been an unexplained theft not too long ago.

He checked over his gear as he followed Impa through the canyon pass that led north out of the village. On his back he carried a darkwood Phrenic Bow, good for long distance accuracy. On his waist was sheathed an Eightfold Blade, the traditional, single-edged sword of the Sheikah people, and one of the remaining vestiges of their ancient technology. Etched at the blade’s base was the tell-tale eye symbol, believed to offer the user an extra layer of spiritual protection.

Impa walked along at a slow but comfortable pace, enjoying the sound of the breeze whistling through the canyon walls. As she approached a large open gate, one of three marking the entrances to the village, she paused at the sound of a rustle. She looked back at Cado who had drawn nearer, with one hand reaching for the handle of his blade, ready to react to the disturbance.. She merely smiled and shook her head. After taking another step, a lizard dashed out of a tuft of grass and made its escape up the canyon wall.

The north canyon did not lead out of the village as such. After about a ten minute walk, the narrow walls fanned open to a natural platform which offered a scenic, if slightly restricted, view of Hyrule due to the high cliffs on either side. The serenity of this place and the breathtaking view overlooking Hyrule had inspired the community to recognize it as a sacred site. Here they paid their respects at the graves of their loved ones. Unlike Hylian graves, which tended to spread out over an area, the Sheikah piled narrow, upright stones on the left side of the clearing. They were placed without any inclination to create neat rows, and their jumbledness added a certain charm. The only markings were caused by the passage of time, demonstrated by how weathered and overgrown with moss they were.

To the right was a single, large tree, its shade offering a welcome respite to those who visited during the hottest hours of a summer day. Just past the tree stood a simple wooden fence. A precaution for children, or perhaps for those foolish enough to get too close to the drop off overlooking Lake Telta.

At this time of the morning, the sun had yet to reach the clearing, so it was still in the shadow of the cliff walls. Impa slowly shuffled up near the fence, her head bowed in respect as she passed the graves. To offer Impa privacy with her morning prayers, Cado held back just before the canyon opened up.

Goddess Hylia, she prayed, keep Princess Zelda safe within your womb. Lend her your strength so that one day, with the aid of the chosen Hero, she may overcome and banish the Calamity. Even now, as over the course of a century, the Princess was trapped in the castle, bound in an endless battle of wills with the malice of Ganon. Impa would never forget the night the poor young woman had come to the village in ruins.

In those days, she had been assigned as an Adviser to the Royal Family of Hyrule. Her duties in this capacity focused mainly on heading the research into various ancient Sheikah technologies. Her older sister Purah and another scientist, Robbie, ran their own divisions under her guidance. Princess Zelda had eventually joined their ranks as well after she showed a great aptitude for scientific research. During her spare time outside of devotions, she possessed an unrivaled curiosity for a wide array of subjects, which was beneficial to the research teams. Having such a high connection within the Royal Family meant that their work was well funded continuously.

Their efforts were in answer to a prophecy that had been delivered to the Royal Family. It spoke of the revival of a legend known as The Calamity, a primal evil which had risen to plague the land ten thousand years ago. King Rhoam was hoping to use the same means their ancestors had to defend against the possible return of The Calamity. The more they uncovered, the more they realized the legends were true.

Relics, which came to be known as Divine Beasts, were unearthed in various locations across the land. Impa’s teams began an intense study of these artifacts, as well as the many Shrines that dotted all of Hyrule; though they were, as yet, unable to ascertain how to gain access to their inner sanctums. They also uncovered the smaller, autonomous Guardians. Robbie took a great interest in these contraptions and even brought some back to working order.

But Calamity Ganon had outsmarted them.

~~~

As the sun was setting, a young Impa and her team of scientists were concluding their experiments for the day and packing up under the stone pavilion in the castle courtyard. Suddenly, a large rumble echoed around the area, followed by a short earthquake. Everyone fled out from under the roof in case it collapsed but immediately froze in shock upon seeing the castle being engulfed in a swirling pink and black miasma. It circled around and took the shape of a boar-headed demon. A cloud continued erupting into the sky and started to spread, mirroring the overwhelming sense of dread everyone was now feeling. No, we’re not ready!

Before they had time to react, globs of malice erupted from the castle and began to rain down on the ground. The creature roared menacingly to the sky from the epicenter as if to announce its freedom and dominion over all. Impa watched a large glob soar over them like a meteor. She turned northwest to follow its trajectory. Is it possible it was headed for Rito Village?

Someone screamed and she snapped back around to see that the stationary Guardians they had been working with had become active on their own. They were glowing magenta with an evil energy, their heads spinning back and forth as if they were calibrating. Her instincts kicked in and she ordered everyone to grab the most important things. “Take the research! We must get it safely to Kakariko!” At once, people ran in all directions trying to gather their most important work.

Purah ran over to her younger sister and looked at her frantically. “Impa, the Guidance Stone!”

Impa closed her eyes and bowed her head. “We should only save what we can-”

Purah grabbed her arms and Impa looked back up at her in surprise. She was hardly ever so serious. “Anything we take from here will be useless junk unless we have the Guidance Stone to access it. This is not a discussion. It’s a necessity and you know it.”

“Fine. But just us. I’m not risking anyone else going in there.” She looked up towards the high pointed towers of the castle, some now covered in a dark ooze.

“Fine,” Purah acquiesced and started to walk away. “Just us, and Robbie.” Robbie, who had been stuffing schematics into a satchel whipped around at the sound of his name.

Impa grabbed her sister’s arm and pulled her back. “What did I just say?!” Suddenly, one of the Guardians stopped spinning its head back and forth and now focused its single blue eye on the Sheikah women, who were too wrapped up in their stare-down to notice.

Robbie paled. “Oh... shit!” They had seconds. His eyes darted around for something, anything... There! A Royal Guard, easily identified by his red tunic under a gold embroidered dark blue tabard, was running their way carrying a large, half-bodied shield.

The Guardian began emitting an ominous beeping noise and a red laser targeted Impa. Robbie pounced on the guard and grabbed his shield away. “Sorry, my man!”

Purah gasped when she saw the red laser on Impa’s shoulder, and utterly terrified, yelled, “Jump back only when I say!”

Impa’s eyes widened in fear as the beeping got faster. Robbie scrambled over to them as the Guardian made a piercing noise, and blue energy shot out of its eye with the intent to destroy. There was a massive ricochet as Robbie parried the energy back at the Guardian with his pilfered shield. Its eerie pink glow fizzled out and it blew to pieces, cogs and gears flying everywhere.

“WOOOOO!” Robbie exclaimed. “Yeah!” He pumped his fists and stretched out a bit. “Man, I saw the Champion do that once and have been wanting to try it ever since.”

Impa, who had ended up huddled on the ground with Purah behind the thrill-seeker, now stood and pulled her sister up as well. “Right, so it’s just us, and Robbie.”

She watched as the rest of the Royal Guard’s unit arrived and set upon the other stationary Guardians before they also had the chance to start working. Robbie returned the shield to the guard he had ambushed and instructed him on the technique to parry the blasts. “The shield should withstand a number of hits this way,” he explained.

Impa’s mind was a flurry of questions. Was the miasma poisonous? How did it take control of the Guardians? Could they make it to the Guidance Stone?

The Royal Guard unit had now taken out the other three legless Guardians, but she feared it was a small victory. The research team tried to settle now that the immediate danger in the vicinity was over, but every noise set them off, causing them to pause and look around like prey at a watering hole.

She then heard members of the Garrison yelling from the Western Gatehouse, “They’re coming out of the pillars! DOZENS!”, “Hylia above, they’re headed for the town!”

Her stomach flipped over as she thought of those monstrous contraptions overtaken by evil. The very machines that were supposed to protect them were instead destroying everything in their path. All those people...

They had to get out. Now.

Her researchers started to panic after also hearing the desperate cries. She had to focus again, lead them. She addressed them in her authoritative tone, “Everyone, stay calm. We’ll make for the docks. The south exit is... compromised.” Impa looked over to see the Royal Guard leaving to heed the cry from the Western Gatehouse.

“Sir Karane!” she called out. She ran over from under the pavilion to hail the Knight who had just led the assault on the stationary Guardians.

Karane held out an arm to stop her men. When the last one fell into line, she turned a pair of steely blue eyes toward Impa and crossed the same arm over her chest, tilting her head forward in respect. “Adviser.”

Impa regarded the soldiers, some of whom seemed itching to get to the battle. Luckily, she had a better fate in store for them. “The ancient tech research team requires an escort. It’s imperative we get this material safely out of the castle.” Karane spared a glance at the scientists stuffing papers and artifacts into any available containers they could find.

“We have a possible escape route via the docks,” Impa continued. Best case scenario is obtaining some horses and a cart for this gear,” Impa continued.

Sir Karane bowed curtly and then turned sharply to address her unit, her red braid whipping behind her. “You heard her men! We are now on special assignment for the Royal Adviser! Three of you with me,” she gestured to the men on her left. “We’re going to commandeer ourselves a ride. You four, make sure the way is clear to the docks. The rest of you escort our scientists!” She held an arm out to Impa and they clasped each other’s wrists.

“Thank you, Sir Karane.” Robbie and Purah came up beside Impa and she nodded their way to indicate to Karane that they would be working together. “We must retrieve the Guidance Stone. We’ll do our best to meet you there. If these things find you,” she looked towards the felled Guardians, “then leave without us!”

“I’ll give you an hour.”

Impa nodded. “If we don’t make it, there is another stone at the Royal Ancient Lab. I imagine they are doing the same and taking what they can.” She regarded the remaining regiment. “Can you spare your fastest guard from this lot and have them instruct the other team to rendezvous with us in Kakariko?”

“A solid plan, leave it to me.” Karane walked away and yelled, “Konba! I hope you’ve had your rushrooms.”

Impa then left her team in good hands as she went to fetch the Guidance Stone with her sister and Robbie; who was grinning, as he’d acquired himself another shield.

It was a rather large blessing that when they arrived at the docks, the research team was still there, unharmed. It seemed like they got ahead of the Calamity just enough to slip out the back, though the same couldn’t be said for the residents of Castle Town. Impa tried not to think about it as she helped shove the cart with the Stone and its activation pedestal onto the boat.

They made it across the river in the two boats which had been moored at the docks, and battled their way up the sloped bank. The ones who weren’t pushing stared blankly across the river at the scene of destruction unfolding before their eyes. The ones who didn’t want to see busied themselves with helping. Once they reached the grassy Irch Plain, they moved quickly without resting to scale the Elma Knolls. These would at least provide them some cover before heading east. It was unsettling to be so close to a pillar behind the castle, but it appeared that, at least for now, the invasion was focused on Hyrule Field.

After retreating to her village, which was currently safe in the mountains, Impa had sent out a search party for Zelda. She stood in the same spot near the graveyard under the tree, looking in horror at the castle across Hyrule Field. It was still engulfed in a swirling black and magenta miasma. The giant pillars, the existence of which she was aware but had never seen before they had risen out of the ground, were angled toward the castle. They had originally been meant for protection and housed the Guardians that, in the past, defended Hyrule. But all the Guardians had been turned against them, and the pillars were now menacing rather than a comfort. She thought they looked like the fingers of a demon come to enclose the castle in its grasp.

At the base and to the left of the ominous cloud was a wide, orange glow. Castle Town was destroyed; engulfed in flames.

~~~

When Zelda was later escorted into Kakariko, Impa discovered she was there on a mission, and had come bearing a request. She was a bit weak on her feet, but refused rest and clean clothes. Even though she was muddy and her white prayer dress was in tatters, she would not be deterred.

The worst had befallen the Kingdom and she just had one hope: that their Hero would return one day, as she saw when the Master Sword spoke to her. She sat in Impa’s old house at the time, bathed in a soft yellow light from the lanterns. She explained to Impa and the other scientists, her friends, Purah and Robbie, “Link must regain control of the Divine Beasts! Ganon has taken them from us. He controls them now and… and the Champions were… they’re gone.” Her hard stare and exhaustion made it look as if she was going to cry, but at this point she was out of tears, trying desperately to replace them with determination.

Impa felt a weight pool in her gut at the news. So the malice she had seen heading for Rito Village was meant for Vah Medoh, and spelled Champion Revali’s doom. She thought of each Champion, having returned to their Divine Beasts, only to find a deadly trap. She was silent for a moment, unsure; wondering if she should offer comfort or if that would merely be a distraction at this point. Her sister was fiddling with random items she could reach on the table, but rather than be annoyed, she knew it was Purah’s way of dealing with stress.

Zelda then gave a weary sigh and continued. “There’s a chance that Link may not retain some of his memories while in the shrine, so I have an idea of how to help him when he wakes.”

Impa nodded and silently agreed with Zelda’s sentiment. It was when he wakes, she thought, not if he wakes. It was best to be thinking positively in such dire circumstances.

“Purah,” Zelda looked at Impa’s sister, who stopped braiding the frayed threads of the tablecloth as if she’d been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to. “I sent the Slate with Link and the Sheikah who found us to the Shrine of Resurrection. He’s going to need it when he awakens.” She paused and then added, “For guidance and access.”

She thought back to her discovery of the towers underground, the existence of which she had not yet been able to discuss with anyone due to trying to keep her research a secret from her father. He would have her only praying to awaken her power, rather than try to help in any other way. So she had been biding her time, not knowing that it would soon run out.

Now, there was only time to act, so she focused on the most important things and didn’t bother to elaborate. Telling Purah and Robbie about the towers was pointless anyway since only Link, as the chosen Hero, would be able to access them.

“I need you to take the contents of the Compendium out of the Slate and keep them in your Guidance Stone. Hopefully the images, or visiting the places where I took the pictures, will help him remember things.”

Purah agreed and nodded, “The Guidance Stone will keep them safe.” She stood from her chair and looked over at Robbie. He seemed to be lost in the shadow of self-loathing, head down and fists clenched at his knees, all previous bravado gone. “Robbie, let’s go see to Link. He’s not going to heal himself.” Robbie looked at Zelda sadly as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to. Purah snapped his attention away. “Quick smart!”

They made to leave the house and prepare their things when Zelda called out, “Purah wait! The last picture in the Compendium. Can you delete it but keep a paper copy like the one you made of us before? When the Champions were alive and happy. He should remember that last. It was where he… where I…” She tried, but couldn’t bring herself to talk about what had just happened, “it was where we parted,” she finished, while lowering her eyes in emotional defeat. “I don’t want him to be overwhelmed right after he returns to us.”

Purah blinked her red eyes, suddenly feeling trapped into a sense of responsibility that felt heavier than putting Link into an untested machine. That’s going to be fascinating- Focus Purah!

“I… of course I can make a copy, Princess.” She looked furtively over to Impa. It was one thing for the Guidance Stone to hang onto something in its database, but she, personally? She thought of the state of her workspace at the Royal Ancient Lab, which probably didn’t look so different now that it had most likely been reduced to rubble.

Impa knew her sister well and fought off a massive eye-roll in the presence of the Princess. “Once you are finished in the Shrine, bring me the picture and I will keep it safe for Link,” she offered reassuringly.

Purah visibly relaxed. “Sure thing, Sis.” She prodded Robbie to open the door as he was nearest.

Robbie slid it open and before stepping out, softly spoke to Zelda. “Good luck.” He couldn’t manage much more than that.

Purah looked back at Zelda, looking so small and forlorn, and stuck her chin out with conviction. “Zelly,” she said, “You give that Ganon bastard what for. And don’t get dead!” She followed Robbie out and the room suddenly felt heavier in her absence.

Impa placed her hand on Zelda’s shoulder, and though the young woman was doing everything she could to remain brave and strong, she was shaking. Impa was certain that there was a good amount of fear behind that shaking, but if any part of it was due to lack of nourishment, she wasn’t having it. “Let’s get you something to eat and drink before you go.”

Zelda’s head snapped up. “No, I should leave right away. I’ve already stayed too long. The more time I take, the farther the Guardians can go. They’re laying waste to the Kingdom!”

Impa tutted, “As if I’d let you face Ganon on an empty stomach. What would Sir Link say!?”

~~~

Since that day, Impa prayed for her Princess, overlooking a horizon that never changed. She eventually married, had a child, and then a grandchild. And though her life had known massive loss, and this sacred ground where she stood was for mourning, it was also a place of hope. Hope that one day the Hero would return, and things would change. As more time went by, she became uncertain if she would see Link again. She had started to seriously consider passing Zelda’s message on to Paya should he wake after her death.

But he had come, and with him, an ever-changing vista as he reclaimed the Divine Beasts from Ganon’s control one by one. His successes were revealed to her when she would come out here to pray. The Beasts aimed their divine light as red beams towards the castle from their respective perches across the land, ready to fire when the Hero finally faced his evil foe.

Now there was only one hurdle left, though it was certainly the highest. Before Link was awake, Impa had given most of her prayers to Zelda. But since his return, she prayed for his boundless courage to succeed in the fight against Calamity Ganon. For if he failed, she couldn’t imagine the dark world her granddaughter would inherit.

Impa finished her prayers and raised the brim of her hat to look at the castle on the horizon. She sucked in a breath as she took in a change to the scenery she’d been waiting to see for a hundred years. The cloud of malice had gone. “Eeeeee!” She gave a toothy grin and smacked her thigh.

At the sound of her shriek, Cado rushed over, his weapon drawn. “Lady Impa, what is it!?” She practically barreled past him at top old lady speed, leaving him confused as to where the danger was. He, too, then saw the castle and chin dropped silently agape.

“Cado!” She yelled, while hobbling back to the village. “Get everyone to make preparations. The Princess is coming!”

She rushed toward the house and almost ran over a cucco that unfortunately strutted in front of her gate. It squawked and flapped out of the way at the last second, allowing her to huff up the stairs. Cado, who was following just behind, picked up his panicked cucco and scratched under her wings until the cuddle calmed her down.

“You’re ok, my lovely. The mean old lady was rude, wasn’t she?” He whispered. He waited until Impa was safely inside before walking across the main path to the Inn to inform Ollie to prepare a suitable place for the Hero and the Princess. Lady Impa would want only the very best hospitality that Kakariko could offer.

Ollie blinked as he groggily woke up from sleeping at his desk, and stated, “Hey, no cuccos allowed in the- wait,” he squinted, “a princess is coming?”

Cado lifted an eyebrow and sighed in annoyance. “I’m holding her, she just had a scare.” He stroked the cucco’s tail feathers. “Did you not hear anything I just said?” The Innkeeper just blinked slowly again, so he raised his voice, “The Calamity is gone, Ollie. The Hero was successful, and now Lady Impa is sure that he is to arrive here with the Princess at any moment!”

Ollie now made an ‘O’ of realization with his mouth and gazed off into space. After a moment passed he looked back at Cado. “Well, I’ll be.”

“Yes. So make sure they have every comfort,” Cado repeated as he turned around to make his way back to his post. He paused at the open door and looked back at Ollie, his cucco now tucked under one arm clucking softly. His stern stare implied that he needed affirmation.

“Right, right.” Ollie waved with a dorky half-smile. Cado, now satisfied, slid the door closed behind him. Ollie immediately slouched again. I’ll get to it in a bit, he thought before swiftly falling back asleep. Claree, who ran the tailor shop in town, was convinced he was actually a cat who could shapeshift into a Sheikah because of how often he slept.

As Impa entered the house, she yelled for her granddaughter “Paya! Paya, wake up!”

Paya’s eyes flew open and she kicked her covers off, her feet thumping on the upper level as she rushed to her grandmother’s call. Impa had only made it halfway up the lower steps when she ran into a descending flurry. “Grandmother! What’s wrong?! Are you ok?” Her two red hair bun chopsticks, which she usually forgot to take out before bed, had come loose during sleep and fell out, clattering down the stairs. She paid them no mind as she dropped to her knees in front of the small woman to immediately begin looking for injuries.

Before she had a chance to become too frantic, Impa took Paya’s hands into her own and gave a toothy grin, wherein a gap on the top left added an endearing charm of age. “Be still, child. I’m fine. All of Hyrule will be fine. Our Hero has done it!” She squeezed Paya’s hands in excitement. “Sir Link and Princess Zelda have rid us of The Calamity!”

Paya gasped. She began thinking of so many things at once. Is Link ok? Is the Princess ok? Did her fervent devotion help them even in some small way? How can she help now? “But Grandma, does this mean-?”

“Yes, dear. I think they’re coming.”

“Eeeee,” Paya jumped up suddenly, “I have to clean my room!” She rushed back upstairs and then turned around and came back down to grab her chopsticks. Then she scurried up the stairs again. Impa chuckled as she heard furniture moving and things being tossed around. It was amusing because Paya’s room was already spotless; but yes, a place would need to be made for Zelda. And she would be welcome to stay as long as she’d like.

Impa made her way slowly down the stairs now and back to her pillows. At long last, she thought. Today was certainly no longer mundane. Ah, yes, the oil. “Paya!” She barked as she settled onto the top cushion, “When you’re done up there, one of the lamps needs a refill!” Can’t have the place looking anything but perfect for the Princess.

“Yes, Grandma!” Came the muffled reply.

Impa looked over at the painting on the wall again and thought back to a time when this future was still uncertain.

Link had just returned to her after visiting the place detailed in the frame. He seemed very unsettled and wasn’t his usual self. Or, at least, he was unlike his new self. He was actually emulating his old self quite a bit. Stoic, measured, and a bit guarded. Zelda was right. It would have been too hard for him to remember so much all at once. He now reminded her of how Zelda had been the night she left to face Ganon on her own, trying to be so brave.

“You’re troubled by what you’ve remembered.” She peered at him from her perch in a way that made him feel like she could tell what he was thinking. “You haven’t lost your courage though. So what’s weighing on your mind?”

Link sat on his knees before her on one of the blue mats, free of his gear which he had left leaning by the door. He carefully considered his answer. Looking down at his blue Champion’s tunic, he let out a soft, ironic sniff at how it was the very same he’d worn that terrible night. The night he almost died. It must have either been remade entirely, or so lovingly repaired, that it did not show any of the damage it had once sustained.

His eyes moved over the painting on the wall and he marveled at how a decoration, which before today was so unassuming and almost lost to the background, could now stir so many emotions from one glance. The Guardians in the frame, which were now still and decaying, had been there in the marsh, glowing magenta under Ganon’s control. Hunting them.

As he remembered, he was surprised at the sense of fear that it brought back. In the past few months he had become proficient in fighting all types of Guardians, especially with the ancient weapons that Robbie had since created. But experiencing that night again, hearing the sound of the gears turning, and the thumping of their spidery legs on the ground as they searched for anything and everything to destroy, that really unsettled him. Perhaps because he had failed.

The Chosen Hero had managed to defeat so many of the machines as he and Zelda fled south from the castle; a feat that no other warrior of Hyrule could accomplish. But they never stopped, never tired. They were relentless. And when he had nothing left to give but his very body as a shield, a golden light and a comforting warmth spread over him, and somehow he knew that he was finally free to relax, to let go. Zelda was holding him, and then there was darkness for a century, until her voice reached him, urging him to wake up.

He focused again on Impa, who, in her wisdom, was waiting patiently for his response. He thought the Princess now seemed familiar. But she also still felt like someone he did not know. “I’m just not sure what to do for her if I defeat Ganon.”

“When.” Impa corrected.

Link smirked, “Very well. When.” He couldn't seem to stop the smirk from turning into a genuine smile as he considered her faith in him. He appreciated the interjection of positive thought, even when it was delivered with a bit of sass.

There he is, Impa mused.

“As her sworn Knight Attendant,” she began, then squinted at him and added as an aside, “should you wish to still honor that oath?”

Link nodded his head forward slightly in agreement, so she continued, “Then it would be best to simply follow her wishes.” She paused a moment and, after considering other possible outcomes besides the ideal, mentioned, “Of course, should she be worse for wear, bring her to Kakariko and we will take care of her. At least here she will have someone who knows her if you have not regained your memories by then.”

Link stood and bowed respectfully before taking his leave. He knew that she had not meant the statement to be a slight, but it still stung. Not remembering his past made him feel like he was failing all over again.

#breath of the wild fanfiction #writing #fanfiction #fanfiction art #Insurrection #snidgetwidgeon scribbles

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sleepymccoy · 4 years

Text

sleepy’s fic masterlist

Doing this cos I wanted to! And I can’t find the short things I’ve written on tumblr half the time, so i wanted a place to go to find them. I’ll edit this whenever I post something new and give it a quick reblog when I do <3

Tumblr shorts

Inventions and Ice-cream

A chererful conversation between Crowley and Aziraphale about their favourite invention humans have come up with. Also read for hand holding, ice-cream, and macking out against the Bentley door. Goes hard on the hand holding stuff

1600-ish words

What kind of lover are you?

Filled a prompt, wing grooming by South Downs. It turned into something very soft, very loving, with some acknowledgement of the aftereffects of trauma and constant threat and the anxiety that would be on you from that. Also, some nice massaging and snark from the main two. I feel like I’m getting a hug when I read this, thb

1200-ish words

Chamomille

Aziraphale notices Crowley getting tired and swings into action with a prepared bedtime routine. Crowley is not consulted. Very short and sweet

350-ish words

Monsieur and Difficult Topics

Crowley and Aziraphale are having a meal together after the apocalypse. Crowley says they're not friends and a very challenging conversation follows as Aziraphale tries to correct this. This is a pre romance thing, so they finish having had a worthwhile conversation, not leaping into dating

2000-ish words

Burnt Coffee and Crosswords

Crowley stumbles out of bed and finds that Aziraphale has, yet again, snuck into his flat while he was asleep. Fluff and fondness ensue

1000-ish words

Absolutely Adorably Nauseating

Outsider POV of Aziraphale and Crowley having very dramatic public fights. Three different stories. Mainly meant to be funny, but has some nice fluff in it

2000-ish words

How can someone as clever as you be so handsome?

Aziraphale remembers Crowley calling him clever in an angry moment and fondly teases him for it. Very fluffy.

1000-ish words

Gifts

Through the years Crowley has been giving Aziraphale gifts that are, overwhelmingly, in poor taste. Fluffy and silly, has pictures

2000-ish words

An Unpleasant Suprise

A butteromens effort. The similar fics were Aziraphale saving Crowley from Gabriel, I wanted to do a twist that had Crowley more engaged in the fight. Turns into an awful lot of flirting and the like at the end, it’s a fun read. Quick warning for a brief decrip of gore from being burnt, but I move on pretty fast

3500-ish words

A New Eden

Filled a prompt; “I’m going to need you to put some underwear on before you say anything else.” It’s not sexy, but by the virtue of the prompt there is dick. Mostly speechless Crowley, though.

1200-ish words

Entirely Unapologetic

Filled a prompt; “so why did I have to punch that guy?” Features protective Crowley and blustering Aziraphale

500-ish words

Be Unashamed With Me

Crowley’s waiting for Aziraphale to leave a church and as he waits he gets a bit sad about his demon-hood and remembers how hopeless he was before he and Aziraphale got together. When Aziraphale joins him a lot of fluff and compliments follow to cheer Crowley up. Which works. Gets a bit flirty.

1500-ish words

Climb Every Mountain

In the biblical narrative, God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Moriah. Abraham begins to comply, when a messenger from God interrupts him. Abraham then sees a ram and sacrifices it instead. In the me narrative, Crowley does a favour for Aziraphale then swiftly changes his mind and doesn’t let the kid be killed.

1200-ish words

How Many Ways Can I Say...

A very short form fic, more a casual tumblr post, but it has some cute descriptions of different ways Aziraphale can sat I love you to Crowley

500-ish words

AO3 links

If You Like

link to tumblr promo post

link to some relevant art

a take on the few days between apocalypse and the body switch, cos Aziraphale goes from surprised at Crowley offering to let him crash at his apartment, to swapping bodies and letting Crowley risk himself. So it’s following Aziraphale’s trauma and consideration. Lots of bed sharing and a very fluffy body-positivity ending with Aziraphale’s golden stretch marks.

10,000-ish words

Nothing’s Changed

link to tumblr promo post

A week into July and Crowley has finished sleeping in. He gives Aziraphale a ring and receives a very frosty reception. Although Aziraphale insists nothing has changed, Crowley suspects otherwise. Fic includes Aziraphale pinching Crowley to prove he’s not dreaming

2000-ish words

Slipped My Mind

link to tumblr promo post

Crowley and Aziraphale are so used to not being in a relationship that its quite easy to slip into old habits and forget that they’re allowed to touch now. A bit of angst, but mostly fluffy as they get used to this new normal.

6000-ish words

Requisite Lockdown Fic

link to tumblr promo post

This was actually a tumblr short fic I wrote, but it got crazy out of hand and the format is much easier on ao3 so I’m linking it here. Told entirely through phone calls in the same format as the lockdown youtube special. Crowley is setting boundaries for the first time and Aziraphale is struggling to adjust to these new rules. But it goes well

4000-ish words

To Seduce, Beguile, and Entice

link to tumblr promo post

Crowley isn’t any good at seduction temptations. This comes up one night and Aziraphale is concerned because he’s seduced in Crowley’s name before. All part of the Arrangement. So, of course, the only solution is for Aziraphale to teach Crowley how to seduce. It gets out of hand quickly. The last chapter is post apocalypse and Crowley tries his hand at seducing Aziraphale in a very intentionally referential way, as a kind of method to express that he’s actually interested in a relationship.

10,000-ish words

Still Waking Up

link to some relevant art

link to tumblr promo post

Follows the pair for about two years after the apocalypse as Crowley is behaving oddly and Aziraphale is figuring everything out. This is your trauma recovery fic! Crowley has nightmares and a fear of fire and some abandonment. Aziraphale is lonely and feels deeply incompetent and lost, as well as having not fully resolved some of his issues with Heaven. They learn how to be on their own side together rather than keeping it all separate and protective. Also, bed sharing.

30,000-ish words

Not Quite Human

link to tumblr promo post

Omnipotent POV (but not god) that sorta swaps between them. It’s just a simple 18 hours or so in the shop on afternoon as they’ve begun to get more physically affectionate. This is a decent mutual pining fic. I tried to lean into the real not-human stuff they’ve both got going on. It’s your classic admission of love fic with plenty of panicking Crowley. Features some smut with a sex-positive, asexual Aziraphale and a sex-neutral, demisexual Crowley.

10,000-ish words

the kind of thing one says easily

link to tumblr promo post

This is my silly take on an au. Everything is exactly the same but they actually communicate honestly occasionally. Wild, I know. We follow Crowley and Aziraphale through moments of time in their history (some canon friendly, like follow ons from scenes in the tv show, some made up) as Crowley quite simply tells Aziraphale that he loves him. And Aziraphale gets used to it and learns to be honest in return. Things really come to a head as the apocalypse approaches. The last chapter is a sex scene, but it’s very very loving rather than smutty.

15,000-ish words

Soft.

link to tumblr promo post

This is a very fluffy fic. Crowley tells Aziraphale he has a nice body and it dredges up Aziraphale’s residual concerns over what Gabriel said and in the panic-fueled conversation that follows as Crowley tries to right his wrong they slowly step in sync into discussing their feelings and wants. This fic is the big three, communication, consent, and soft. (gets a bit sexy too, but it’s pretty tame)

10,000-ish words

Is It Worth It Yet

link to tumblr promo post

Around abouts the 1000AD mark, in what would become Turkey a few hundred years later, Crowley sat down, took a breath, and told Aziraphale how he feels in a total trainwreck of a conversation. Chapter 1, that conversation. Of course, Aziraphale would then expect Crowley to bring it all up again after the apocalypse, and when he doesn't he decides to take matters into his own hands and broach the topic himself. It doesn't go as well as he'd hoped. Good ending tho, don't worry guys. If you need an overload of angst then a big old hug to pull you up again, this is a good one.

10,000-ish words

Summoned

link to relevant (lemon) art

link to tumblr promo post

Post apocalypse, timeline unspecified. Heaven and Hell refangle the way humans summonings work so it only applies to Aziraphale and Crowley. This means Crowley finds himself summoned an awful lot more than usual. We see their relationship readjust after the apocalypse in snippets of moments as Crowley’s been summoned. It’s mostly fairly light hearted, but there’s a couple chapters of pretty good angst and one very sexy chapter at the end! Just straight up smut, of the light d/s variety

13,000-ish words

Try Some Pride On For A Day

link to some relevant art

link to tumblr promo post

Shortly after the apocalypse, Aziraphale set a challenge down. Sin vs virtue. Each chapter shows an attempt from Crowley to get Aziraphale to succumb to sin, and Aziraphale tricking Crowley into performing a virtue. Some attempts are easier than others, some are impossible. They learn a lot about each other and slip into some unexpectedly honest moments. This one gets sexy but not out of hand. Aziraphale is pretty explicitly asexual.

20,000-ish words

Needed a break, gone to France x

link to tumblr promo post

A few weeks after the apocalypse and Crowley goes to visit Aziraphale to find a note taped to his door. Panic, anxiety, and general sadness over being so broken up with ensue. This is a miscommunication fic with a writing style that leans toward humour rather than angst and has a nice fluffy ending with good asexual overtones

9000-ish words

Heresy

link to tumblr promo post

Set 3000 years after the apocalypse. Crowley and Aziraphale live together and are romantic. They have been left not entirely alone by their old colleagues, but they are unthreatened so it’s all okay. Until one day Beelzebub and Gabriel drop by to visit in the most surprising way. This fic is my first and was written before the discussion of Beelzebubs pronouns kicked off, so I used the actresses pronouns (she/her) instead of they/them which I’ve used since when referring to Beelzebub

2500-ish words

#sleepy writes #good omens fic #good omens fic rec #ineffable husbands #i enjoyed going over some old fics!#imma read summoned tonight i like that one a lot #and maybe is it worth it #that still upsets me #altho i have an angsty wip im theoretically working on #so maybe ill dive into that #we'll see #edit #ive added links to tumblr posts #i cant believe i found them all #that was some trawling through old posts

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fluffyy-dreaming · 3 years

Note

hello!! could i get a matchup please? i’m non-binary, 5’5, with shoulder length black hair, i have glasses and i’m pretty tanned. i’m pansexual and i’m an intp 5w6. i’m an introvert and i’m pretty shy when it comes to meeting new people, but once i get comfortable with them then i can start joking around and maybe say some bold things here and there (i still am a pretty quiet person either way,,) i skip school a lot though, so people sometimes describe me as strange or scary. my hobbies are researching greek mythology, drawing, and i’m starting to get into researching things about the occult. my language is acts of service!

I pair you with...

Subaru Akehoshi!

Subaru is intrigued by introverts the most, especially with you! He finds how much of a mystery you are to be enjoyable, not finding you scary at all, and accepts the challenge of breaking down your walls! He’d often try to interact with you after class or during lunch, curious about your hobbies and interests, and possibly asking Natsume, as your curiosity about the occult would most likely lead Natsume to you as well.

"Hey hey! <Y/N>, you never seem to be too busy! It's really intriguing me to know more about you, and if it could make your smile a bit brighter I'd be glad to hang out with you after school!"

He does find it to be quite concerning that you skip school often,frequently disturbing other classmates to find out if you’re alright, and may be so bold to do so as well in order to check up on you or simply relax alongside you and bring you out to places he enjoys, such as malls, arcades, or cafés.

However, while Subaru adores the excitement of spontaneously visiting numerous new or unexplored locations with you, the two of you are most often seen on the rooftops of various buildings or simply outside in parks alongside Daikichi, where you’re able to fully gaze at the sky together, discussing whatever concepts drift into your minds. He enjoys listening to you ramble about your interests, finding them particularly interesting due to how foreign they are to him.

Subaru is well known to be a social butterfly, and if you lack social skills and have difficulty meeting new people, he's the perfect one for you! Akehoshi is overjoyed to introduce you to his friends including Trickstar, Natsume, and Hajime especially! Mao is quite used to being around eccentric people or people with odd interests, and treats you similar to a welcoming big brother. On the other hand, Hidaka will do his best to make you feel included in any group hangouts with Trickstar, while you’d most often have to have the others step in to help you become more comfortable with Yuuki, with both of you becoming well acquainted and him feeling as his habits and interests often frowned upon are enjoyed between the two of you. Hajime enjoys checking up on you and helping you deal with anxiety coping methods along with Subaru, and is in awe of your artistic abilities. Natsume enjoys your presence and occassionally teasing you or sharing bits of information about topics you’ve discussed together every few weeks, often accompanied by Subaru.

Once you begin coming out of your shell and talking more, he finds your commentary to be amusing, especially more bold or sarcastic comments!! As you two are outside together discussing the information you've gathered so far about greek mythology and history under cherry blossom trees, Subaru feels his face become slightly warmer than usual, a soft, charming smile carving its way on his face. All over him he notices lately he has been feeling warm and “sunshiney”, as he’d say. The only thing he knows is he doesn't ever want those feelings to end.

It pains the other members of Trickstar to see how obvious your mutual feelings are as Subaru becomes increasingly more distracted and zoned out during practice session, while Hajime and Natsume enjoy it, finding it quite cute and sweet. Natsume often leaves vague, slightly cryptic love advice for both of you, mainly Subaru, while Hajime is unsure whether to ask either of you, however both are supportive and Hajime will most likely give advice on what the other person should gift the other.

Realization hits while you two are grabbing some tea together. That the unique way you talk, your smile, your eccentric interests, all of the things about you he adores so much, finding you to bring him a type of happiness he’s never felt for anyone else. He doesn’t want to pressure you into confessing first, and wishes to know as soon as possible if you may reciprocate his feelings. While it’s quite exhilarating and he feels slightly overwhelmed, he wants to share this feeling with you and let you know once the day with you ends.

As the sun begins to set and the sky grows darker, with both of you walking around a dimly light shopping area, he abruptly takes your hand in his, leading you up to a hill. The two of you sit closely, and he feels warmth once more in your presence.

“Pretty, isn’t it? The shiny stars in the sky, all feel so different to the darkness surrounding them. I adooore them- and I want to see them shine forever!! And you make me feel like that, but millions of times stronger! <Y/N>, I don’t ever want to leave your side. I want to see you shine brighter everyday together with me.”

Once you accept his confession, his eyes twinkle, the faintest tears able to be seen flowing down his face through the lights in the sky and the fireflies surrounding you two, as he brings you close to his chest to watch the night sky. The next few days he wastes no time showing his affection, making it known to everyone in the vicinity that you two are a couple. He often brings you small trinkets and shiny gifts similar to a cat, with Hajime often accompanying him and gifting you items such as pendants as well. Another thing he does similar to a cat is steal your glasses or clothes, encouraging you to do the same as he finds your style so adorable!

Especially if you talk to him about gods in greek mythology, he’d gift you items related to such things as well as pretty or expensive (often golden) art supplies. Subaru is blown away by your art skills, and gets extremely excited whenever you draw anything.

“How did you draw them so well? The way you draw makes everything look so much shinier and prettier!!”

“<Y/N>~!! This is a-do-ra-ble!! You’re so talented ★”

"This mythological beast reminds me a lot of Daikichi, how about you? No wait, this one does as well!"

“This bracelet and necklace with some of the mythological creatures you and Natsume talked about yesterday looked so sparkly, I bet it’d look suuuuper cute on you!!”

He learns to become quieter so as to not disturb your drawing process. If you were to give him a drawing, he’d feel so ecstatic, dancing and jumping around with the drawing. He may bring it around as a good luck charm!

Subaru does his best to respect your boundaries, however, despite his tendencies to smother you with physical affection and skinship, such as giving you surprise hugs and often finding him sleeping into your arms whenever you work. One of his other favorite things to do is have you braid his hair or vice versa as you simply talk or watch one of your favorite series together!

Subaru often shows his affection in the form of gifts and physical touch, however quite often whenever you seem to get anxious around others, he'll pull you aside to help cool down and comfort you, and when you seem stressed about things similar to the topic mentioned above he tends to remind you of how much he cares about you and how important you are to him. If you seem too uncomfortable in certain situations, he won't hesitate to escort you away from wherever it is and apologize. He has the utmost respect for you as an individual and your hobbies, and he's sure to validate you and your skills whenever he can, whether it be supporting your art through showing it to others or even buying a commission himself, he appreciates and cherishes everything you put out through genuine adoration of it!

"Your art has really helped a lot of people's days become better, and I know that for a fact!"

"I'm sure you'll do great with talking to others! Even if people think you're strange, it's a charming strange that helps you stand out and it makes me love you eeeven more ★ !!"

His fondness of nature and astronomy soon extends to you, as you most commonly go to cafés together for drinks such as boba, coffee, or milk tea before going to planetariums together or even simply stargazing which, of course, remain as his favorite activities to do with you. He’d find it cute if you were to fall asleep on his shoulder, focusing his attention onto you for the moment to gently twirl your soft and dark hair around his finger, as otherwise he also enjoys pointing out constellations with you! Your fondness of arts may extend to him as well, soon you to explore art museums or trying to draw alongside you, however he may simply end up admiring your pretty art supplies. Occasionally he enjoys combining the thrill of your relationship with the thrill of theme parks/amusement parks!

Daikichi is fond of you as well, and Subaru would often drag you to dog parks with him, however if you aren’t as fond of them as him, that’s alright as well, as ever since he’s met you he’s stayed up thinking of you, planning ideal dates and picking up your habits of doodling, however only doodling pictures of you and him (and maybe Daikichi too), adding that “you’ve inspired him so much!!” and that he'd be okay with sometimes not bringing Daikichi to the beach so you two are able to feel at ease in each other's presence, with the waves ever so gently reaching your heels, the warmth of the sun hitting your skin and the feeling of Subaru's warmth in your hand.

With every sunset his love for you only grows stronger, and the both of you have helped each other through so much, with you making Subaru feel a connection in which he doezn't need to hide anything, and with Subaru helping you come out of your shell, and always being there to reassure you of your importance not only as his significant other, but as an individual person as well.

"<Y/N>, doesn't this remind you a lot of when I first confessed? Hehe, things have become a lot brighter from then on. So.. thank you for sharing your sparkly smile with me. Thank you for shining brighter every day, and helping me do so too! Hm ♫ .. <Y/N>, I'd like to stay like this for a little while ★"

As much as this is mainly because I find opposites go well together- I do hope this matchup was to your liking, apologies if this was slightly rushed! As always feel free to request once again :) !!

#enstars matchups #enstars matchup #ensemble stars matchups #ensemble stars matchup #fluffyydreamming #akehoshi subaru #subaru #akehoshi #trickstar #trickstar matchup #subaru akehoshi #subaru akehoshi matchup #fountain.of.dreamms #fountain of dreams

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ratedbangtann · 4 years

Photo

𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 | 𝙏𝙖𝙚𝙝𝙮𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙭 𝙅𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙠𝙤𝙤𝙠

𝙹𝚞𝚗𝚐𝚔𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚐𝚞𝚢. 𝙰𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚝, 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚃𝚊𝚎𝚑𝚢𝚞𝚗𝚐...

Pairing: Taehyung/Jungkook Word count: 4.1k Warnings: homosexual, m+m, memberxmember, taekook, first time, anal sex, little preparation, oral sex

a/n: this was one of the first m+m au i wrote like... ages ago. be kind lmao.

Jungkook had been working as an intern at a modelling agency for the past 3 months or so, shadowing some of the photographers, editing some of the shoots. Photography was his passion. He found it so fulfilling to photograph beautiful things, beautiful people...

He wanted to immortalise the beauty forever, hence why he chose photography. He wanted to start his own business, but in order to do that, he needed the experience. An internship was the best way into the business. But he was getting bored. He wanted to do a shoot. It wasn't enough to just watch from behind the scenes and edit other people's work.

And then, there was Kim Taehyung; the most prestigious model at the agency. He has modelled for some of the most famous brands across the world. Gucci, Fendi, Givenchy... His fame was something most models could only dream of. Jungkook had been behind the scenes at one of his magazine shoots before; a simple piece for a travel magazine. He'd been told to hold the light reflector. That was it.

Jungkook was getting frustrated, wanting to create his own art.

Finally, the day came.

"Jungkook, I need your help," his boss practically ran to his desk, hanging over the wall of his cubicle as he was editing a set of photos for some kids magazine.

"Sir?" he looked up from his screen to see his boss profusely sweating, eyes wide and frantic.

"My top photographer is stuck in Bali and can't get a flight in until tomorrow evening. I need you to take his place and photograph Taehyung for his personal fashion blog this evening." Jungkook's heart beat so fast at those words. FINALLY he was getting to do his own shoot. And with their top model? This was huge.

"He's very relaxed on his personal shoots and he'll be able to tell you exactly what he wants from your photos. If you do a good job, I'll make sure you'll be put on more photography jobs. I'll email you the details." And with that, his boss scurried off again.

'Time to show them I'm more than a spare part,' Jungkook thought to himself.

That evening, Jungkook made his way to the address his boss had given him with his camera bag in hand. He stood outside a large apartment complex in the richest part of Seoul.

It was a little intimidating, but his boss said that Taehyung was laid back about this kind of shoot, right? So he made his way up to the front door, pressing the buzzer for the number he'd been given.

"Yeah?" said a deep voice through the intercom.

"Uh, Mr Kim? I'm Jungkook; your photographer for the evening." He sounded nervous, and he knew it. This was his chance to prove himself, with the agency's biggest client.

"Oh sure, come on up." There was a loud buzz, and Jungkook pulled on the door open and made his way to the elevator. The apartment was on the third floor, and one of 6 doors on the floor. Jungkook knocked on Taehyung's, and waited.

Taehyung opened his door wearing a matching white shirt and trousers with thin black outline detail on. Jungkook understood why he had a fashion blog.

"Just one sec," he turned and picked up a baby blue coat from his coat rack just inside his door and stepped out, shutting the door behind him.

"Where are we going?" Jungkook asked. He thought the shoot would be done in his apartment.

"The roof. The blog post is about summer evening wear, so I wanna get the sunset in the background, the city... know what I mean?" Taehyung was very calm and collected.

Jungkook's boss had been right; he knew exactly what he wanted. He wasn't playing around. He barely paid any mind to Jungkook as they got into the elevator he'd just popped out of and climbing the remaining floors to the rooftop.

The city looked beautiful in this light, and Jungkook couldn't wait to immortalise this particular sunset, along with the other beautiful view; Taehyung.

"Okay, Mr Kim. What kind of thing are you looking for?" Kook asked as he assembled the lense on his camera, setting up.

"Rooftop, outfit, sunset. Other than that, have fun. I trust you, Jungkook." Taehyung smiled at the younger, noticing how his cheeks were a little flushed, his tongue cutely sticking out of his mouth as he fiddled with lenses and camera settings.

Tae had noticed Jungkook around the offices and in the background at shoots. He was cute, but Tae could tell he was getting bored of his little background jobs.

He liked the look of the intern. His style and his demeanour just told Tae he was an artist. He wanted to put him to the test, which is why of all the photographers in the office, he requested Jungkook to replace his usual photographer whilst he was stuck abroad. Jungkook intrigued Tae. The younger seemed like a little puppy dog to him, wanting to learn and play with the big boys. He found him adorable; definitely his type.

Not that Jungkook was that way inclined, or had any idea of Taehyung's little fascination.

"Okay, I'm ready when you are Mr. Kim," Jungkook stood up from his crouching position over his bag and stepped forward towards the edge of the roof. He shot a few snaps of Taehyung as he looked out at the view, then turned around to look into the camera.

"You look great, Mr Kim," said Jungkook behind the lense, snapping a few more. Taehyung looked past the camera at the view behind Jungkook, giving that far off look of wonder that was typical of modelling.

"Can I see what you have so far?" Tae asked.

"Of course, sir," Jungkook stepped towards him, Taehyung joining him to look at the little LCD screen.

"You can just called me Taehyung. Or Tae, if you prefer. Mr Kim sounds like I'm your boss, when really, we're just working together." Jungkook smiled at him politely, passing the camera to Tae.

"Wow, these are really great. You've really put your own spin on the lighting settings and stuff."

"Thank you, Mr Ki- sorry... Taehyung."

"I think we're done then." Taehyung handed the camera back to Jungkook, and he started to dismantle the lenses and pack them all away. "Say, Jungkook... would you like to stay for a drink? It seems you're quite an artist. I'd like to see more of your work, get to know you a little bit. I like to be friends with the photographers from the agency."

"Uh... yeah okay, why not?" Jungkook picked up his bag and followed Taehyung back down to his apartment, this time, being invited in. As soon as he stepped in, Jungkook was mesmerised.

The interior was stunning. Very minimalistic, very modern. He wanted to photograph the apartment itself.

"This is impressive, Taehyung... I'd love to live in a place like this," Jungkook looked around, his jaw hanging down in amazement. Taehyung chuckled to himself.

"Yeah, I guess it's nice. All those Gucci shoots paid for it. Gets lonely though." Taehyung walked past Jungkook and made his way toward the large black marble and mahogany kitchen to pour both men a drink.

"Make yourself comfortable, Jungkook," he welcomes as he picked out two bottles of Soju from his refrigerator. Jungkook sat down on the large couch, taking in the size and beauty of the place. Taehyung joined him and handed him his bottle. The two of them clinked their bottles together, and took a sip.

Taehyung couldn't tear his eyes away from the younger, watching as he lifted the bottle to his pink lips, as his adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, as his eyes closed shut when he sipped the chilled booze. The young man was so beautiful to him.

His intrigue had sparked long ago, but now he was in front of him, drinking alcohol on his couch, it was growing by the second. Taehyung wanted to know more about him. Everything, in fact. He wanted to know absolutely everything about Jeon Jungkook.

"So, how are you finding life at the agency?" Taehyung sparked a conversation, wanting to hear all about Jungkook and his passion. Jungkook took another sip of soju before he answered.

"It's good experience, and there's a lot of trust in me to edit photographs. I just get a little frustrated that I don't get a chance to show off my own photography. Today was the first time my camera has seen any action, and that's by sheer chance thanks to your regular guy getting stuck in Bali." Jungkook sighed to himself.

Taehyung knew of course that it wasn't sheer chance, that he had in fact requested Jungkook be his replacement. He could have asked for any one of the photographers at the agency, but he wanted him. Jungkook was his own little obsession, and yet, he knew nothing about him.

"Well, today can only help. I love the pictures you took. I'll make sure your boss knows it," he smiled at the younger, taking another sip.

"Thank you, sir," ever respectful Jungkook thanked Tae.

"Please, just Tae," he smiled.

"Sorry..." Jungkook chuckles to himself, taking another sip, "I just have a lot of respect for you. You're extremely successful, and the way you present yourself and carry yourself is just... how could I not respect you, yknow?" he gushed. Taehyung was thrilled by the idea of Jungkook noticing him enough to see him like that.

"That's sweet, thank you," he gushed. "So tell me about yourself; Kookie." Jungkook looked up, smiling a little at the nickname.

"I haven't been called that in a long time," he chuckled. "Well, I'm 20, from Busan. I moved here a year ago with my girlfriend at the time, but she left me. Said I was spending too much time at work. That was the whole reason we moved here in the first place, though. I think she met someone else. Anyway..." Jungkook talked a little more about himself, Taehyung listening attentively.

But of course, he couldn't help but linger on the fact that he had a girlfriend. He was straight. Not ideal...

"What about you though? How did you get into this life?" Jungkook was genuinely interested in Tae. He seemed like a nice guy, and it'd be nice to have a friend in his life.

The pair talked for hours. They played some music and just got to know each other.

And drank.

A lot.

Taehyung went to grab another bottle of soju for them both. As he collapsed down onto the couch, bouncing into the cushions, he ended up closer to Jungkook, his thigh touching the younger's. He rested his head on his shoulder, sighing.

"Y'know what I hate about this model crap? It's so god damn lonely," Taehyung spilled. "This apartment... it's so BIG. And it's just me."

"Small apartments aren't any better," Jungkook argued childishly. He burped before continuing, "I'm alone too. Sucks." He took another sip of Soju, resting his head on Tae's. He burped again, and Tae giggled at him like a little girl with a crush.

"You're cute, Kookie," he looked up at the younger boy, his face flushed from the alcohol in his system. "Damn, you're pretty. You should be the other side of the camera."

Jungkook laughed. He'd never seen himself as remotely attractive.

"You must really be drunk," he sat up, placing his bottle on the coffee table. Taehyung sat forward too, looking at Jungkook as if he'd been hurt by what he said.

"You're a good looking guy, Kookie," he said softly. "I think so anyway..." Tae put his bottle down and started playing anxiously with his fingers. He didn't want to look up at Jungkook in case he saw right through him...

"Says the Gucci model," Kook scoffed.

"I don't say things I don't mean, Jungkook." Tae looked up at him, their eyes locking onto each other's for a moment. Whether it was the soju pumping through his blood or his mini obsession rising to the surface, Taehyung couldn't help himself.

He leaned forward, touching his lips to Jungkook's. He let it happen, kissing him back for a moment before he pushed Tae away.

"Uh...you're drunk, sir. And I'm... I'm not gay," he stuttered, nerves taking hold of him. Tae stared at him, mortified.

The more Tae stared at him, the more he stared back, taking in all of his features; his perfectly tan skin, his beautiful eyes, his cute little nose, and his lips... parted slightly and frozen in fear like the rest of him. They were so pink, and more plump than most.

He didn't understand why, but Jungkook leaned forward again, his lips connecting back to Taehyung's. The older man tilted his head to the side, hoping to encourage some kind of movement from Jungkook.

Kook had no idea what he was doing or why. Something about him was overpoweringly sexy? The fact he was actually interested in Jungkook? The fact that Jungkook was lonely? Maybe he just... liked it?

He moved his lips against Tae's experimenting a little. Whatever he was doing, it was working for him. This kiss was like nothing he had ever experienced before...

Taehyung couldn't control himself, lifting a hand and placing it on Kook's neck, pulling him just a little bit closer... He bit his lip a little; just enough to show Jungkook he was loving the way his lips felt.

The kiss came to a natural end, the two pulling away feeling a little dazed. Taehyung didn't move his hand, out of fear that Jungkook would suddenly disappear from in front of him.

"I-I'm not gay," Jungkook repeated, almost trying to convince himself.

"You don't have to be to like it," Tae replied. Jungkook swallowed hard, his nerves getting the best of him.

"Why did I like it so much?" he asked, his voice cracking a little, his eyes searching Tae's for an answer, but he didn't find anything. Just fear. Taehyung was terrified.

Jungkook panicked, his eyes wide and cheeks more flushed than before. He needed to know for sure. Did he really like kissing Taehyung?

He launched forward, his lips practically attacking Tae's this time. Tae fell back, but Jungkook just took advantage of his new position and hovered over him, slowly but passionately moulding his lips to Tae's.

Tae moaned into the kiss. He hadn't felt this close to someone in so long, and Kook's sudden dominance paired with his exceptional kissing technique was turning him on. So much so, he felt his pants tightening a little. He didn't want to frighten the poor guy away, but god, he couldn't help himself...

Tae's hands wandered underneath Kook's t-shirt, the first skin on skin contact he'd had with another man in so long. His fingers felt like they were on fire, igniting so many urges within him. Jungkook started to kiss Tae's neck sloppily leaving little wet spots all over.

"What...am I... doing?" he said between kisses. His confusion was obvious and yet, he didn't stop.

"Whatever comes... naturally," Tae said breathlessly.

"Shit, please don't stop Kookie. It feels so nice." Jungkook kept kissing Tae's neck.

"I don't intend to stop, Mr Kim."

Jungkook didn't understand what he was doing or why, but it wasn't going to stop him. He was enjoying himself too much. He was enjoying Taehyung too much.

Tae's hands ran along Kook's chest underneath his shirt, desperately trying to get as much contact as possible. Kook moaned against Tae's mouth, and Tae took the opportunity to slip his tongue past Kook's lips, stepping their kiss up a little.

Jungkook found himself grinding his hips down onto Tae's, the pure lust taking over. He couldn't help his erection from growing, straining against the jeans he was wearing. As he lowered his hips, Tae's bucked up, his own bulge meeting Kook's. The pair groaned in unison, the feeling overwhelmingly arousing.

"W-will you touch me, Tae? Please..." Jungkook asked, sounding like a little boy asking for candy.

"You really want this?" Tae asked. He had to be sure.

Jungkook nodded, whining a little. That was all Tae needed. He sat up and pushed Jungkook down on the couch next to him.

"If you want me to stop, tell me," he assured, before lifting his t-shirt slightly, and lowering his lips to Kook's stomach. Jungkook's eyes squeezed shut, loving the way Tae's tongue and lips felt on his skin; so warm and wet.

Tae kept kissing and sucking at the skin as he undid Jungkook's trousers, pulling them down to reveal some light blue boxer shorts with a rather large bulge protruding through the material. Tae let his kisses come down to Jungkook's thighs, worshipping them.

Jungkook found himself wrapping his hand in Tae's hair, guiding him closer and closer to his growing problem.

"Please, Tae... it hurts," Jungkook whined. Tae couldn't be the cause of his discomfort anymore.

He pulled Kook's boxers down by the waist band, his length springing free and resting on his stomach. Tae kissed his way up the inside of Kook's thigh, slowly making his way up until his lips rested on the head of Kook's cock. Jungkook moaned aloud, his head falling back onto the couch cushion and eyes squeezing shut.

Tae started to kitten lick the tip, tasting the little beads of precum that were already appearing. With no warning, Tae licked a strip down his length. Jungkook sat up straight, looking down at Tae as he took him in his mouth completely, bobbing his head.

"Oh, shit..." he moaned. No girl had ever made him feel so good. He guessed guys knew what guys liked. He couldn't believe he was in this situation. But he didn't want it to end either.

Tae decided to push his limits a little, and sat up to meet Jungkook's gaze. He placed one of his fingers on the younger's lips, and slowly slipped them into his mouth, wanting him to suck on them. He kept eye contact the whole time, his dominant and controlling side revealing itself.

Once his fingers were coated, he pulled Jungkook's hips towards him more, and circled his fingers around his hole. Jungkook was nervous. He'd never had anything in... there. But for some reason, he trusted Tae.

Gently, Tae pushed a finger into him, stretching him a little. Jungkook groaned; it felt so good. Tae pushes his finger in and out a few times before adding another finger. A few more times, and he added a third.

"F-fuck, Tae..."

"Are you okay?" Tae was concerned, hoping he wasn't hurting the younger man.

"It feels... so fucking good. I want more, Tae. Please," he begged as he bucked his hips into Tae's fingers. Jungkook reached to Tae's pants, frantically undoing the button and zipper, watching them slide down his thighs. He pulled his boxers down, freeing Tae's cock.

"Oh, you want this, do you?" Tae smirked as he wrapped his free hand around himself, pumping a few times.

"I wanna know what it feels like, Tae." His words turned him on so much, knowing he was about to fill Jungkook for the first time. He held his palm out in front of Kook's face.

"Spit, Kookie," he instructed. Jungkook obliged, and Tae covered his cock in it, hoping to make this a little easier on Kook in the absence of real lubricant. He positioned himself at his entrance, lifting Kook's hips up a little to get the perfect angle. And then he pushed into him, slowly, stretching him more than before.

Tae hissed through his teeth, finally feeling the pleasure he'd wanted for so long. Kookie was so tight around him, clenching at the unfamiliar feeling and making Tae throw his head back in pure fucking bliss.

"Oh, Kookie... fuck. Are you okay?" he hovered over the younger, his eyes searching for any sign of regret in Jungkook's face. He found none.

"Uh, you feel so good Tae," he wrapped his hand around himself, slowly pumping his shaft as Tae started to push in and out of him. Once Kookie was used to the feeling, he picked up his pace, thrusting deeper into him and hitting his prostate.

"Oh fuck," he cried out, feeling himself get closer and closer.... but he wasn't ready. He wanted to know how it felt to be inside Tae. He wanted to take over.

Without warning he pushed Tae away from him. He fell back, his hands stopping him from falling off the edge of the couch.

"Kookie, a-are you o-" he wasn't given the chance to finish as Jungkook smashed his lips against Tae's with such ferocity, it would have been no surprise to see them swollen and bruised a little while later.

"I want the chance to fuck you too, Tae," he growled, flipping Tae over onto his stomach, his face burying into the armrest. Jungkook wasted no time in spitting into his own palm and coating his cock, readying himself for Tae.

He didn't bother to start with his fingers. Tae had done this before, and he was lubricated enough to cause very little pain to the older man. He pushed into him, burying himself in Tae and feeling his tight walls around his cock.

"Shit, Kookie... you're...so big. Fuck it feels good... Fuck me," he begged. Jungkook obliged, thrusting into him hard and fast, pushing Tae's face into the fabric of the couch with each thrust.

Jungkook leaned over as he fucked Tae, kissing his neck, pulling the shirt off his back and kissing his bare skin. He held onto Tae by the shoulders, fucking into him harder. His nails dug into his back, dragging down the skin leaving bright red, angry marks.

The pain felt so good to Tae. He loved it. He moaned like such a slutty little man, letting the feeling and the euphoria take him over.

"Kookie, I'm gonna cum," he warned.

"Hold on, baby. I'm close... just hold on." Jungkook kept scratching at Tae's back, the only way of steadying himself at that moment and keeping Tae in place.

With a few more thrusts, Jungkook was seconds away from his high. He quickly pulled out of Tae, pushing him onto his back and straddling his thighs. The pair of them pumped themselves, wanting to cum together.

Jungkook leaned down, attaching his lips to Tae's again. Jungkook couldn't hold on anymore, his orgasm shaking him to his core. He shot his load onto Tae; his hand that was pumping himself, his stomach, chest... He hadn't cum so hard in so long. The noises that erupted from his mouth onto Tae's lips were ungodly, and sent shockwaves through Tae.

With a whimper and a throaty groan, Tae found himself cumming too, oozing onto his own stomach and Jungkook's too. His limbs shook with pleasure, leaving him utterly breathless.Jungkook let himself lay on Tae, not caring about the sticky mess they'd both created. His head rested on his chest as they both regained a normal breathing pattern.

"Damn, that was... I never thought I'd..." Kookie was speechless, at a loss for words.

"Don't read too much into it. For now, you liked it. You don't have to be gay," Tae said, trying to be helpful but upsetting himself in the process. He wanted Jungkook to want him. Not just when he's drunk, or just because he fancies some gay sex every so often. His little obsession was proving to be more than that, and he wished that Jungkook would want the same.

"You're cute, Tae," he giggled. "And I guess... I just never thought about it. I always found you attractive, but you're a model. I thought I was supposed to find you attractive... We, um... we can see what happens if you like?" He looked up at Tae nervously, thinking that maybe Tae was only looking for company for one night, and that he was already too emotionally attached to the guy he had his first gay sexual encounter with...

"Well, how about we start with breakfast tomorrow morning, hmm?" Tae smiled. He definitely wanted to "see what happens".

"Does that include me staying the night?" Jungkook smirked, a mischievous look on his face. Tae giggled.

"Yeah, I guess it does. But first... we should clean up. Time for a shower, I think," Tae sat up, readying himself to make his way to the bathroom.

"A shower sounds good..." Jungkook chased after Tae, spanking his bare behind as he walked.

"You're too cheeky, Jungkook..." Tae laughed as he slung an arm around the younger man's shoulders and walked with him to the bathroom so the two of them could shower.

Together...

#jungkook #taehyung #tae #kim taehyung #jeon jungkook #kookie #taekook #smut au #smut #bts au #member x member #m+m #homo #homosexual #gay #gay smut #first time

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kissygrayson · 4 years

Text

LANDSLIDE: Chapter 2 - Happy Birthday Liam

… in which Y/N and Harry fall in love at university.

series masterlist

“Are you ready?” Amy asked entering Y/N’s bedroom. Y/N was sat at her desk in front of the mirror. Her makeup was scattered across the desk and a thousand dresses and skirts lay on her floor.

“The party started already” Amy said noticing her best friend wasn't dressed yet, still sat in her joggers and hoodie. Y/N sighed.

“I have nothing to wear”

“You literally have a million dresses right here!” Amy said bending down to grab the few dresses.

“They're ugly” Y/N muttered, turning in her seat to face her best friend.

Amy left the room leaving Y/N confused, then returning with a white crop top and and black denim skirt.

“Wear this, please!” she pretty much begged. Y/N took the outfit then going to try it on in her bathroom.

“Well?” Amy questioned “Do you like it or are we going to be another 90 years?” she laughed.

She left the bathroom, a small smile on her face. She shuffled through the boots and shoes beside her bed then chucking on her black doc Martens.

“Is that you done?”Amy asked with a huff. She felt like she’d been waiting forever.

“Okay I'm done, can you stop complaining for a second?” Y/N laughed.

The girls quickly put the essentials into their bags and left their flat. They passed their neighbour Mary on the way out, she usually sat on a seat outside her flat - for no reason really, other than wanting to see the drama that usually happened across the hall between the couple that lived in the opposite flat, Josh and Beth.

“Hi girls, you both look nice!!” she smiled sweetly, warming her hands with the cup of tea in her hand.

“Thank you Mary, anything exciting happen tonight?” Y/N asked with a laugh, gesturing to Josh and Beths side of the hall.

Mary laughed “No not yet, soon though im sure. You guys going anywhere exciting?”

Amy gave Y/N a look, telling her to hurry up. They where already an hour late.

“Going to a birthday party, we should get going though. We spent too long getting dressed” Amy said smiling. Mary nodded watching as the girls got into the elevator and left the building.

The girls finally found the building after searching for so long. They had walked up and down the same street for 20 minutes then realising the apartment was right in front of them. They entered the building hearing loud music, knowing exactly where the party was taking place. They walked up the stairs then coming to face with Liams apartment. A few people stood outside, some smoking, some just chatting and of course a few making out.

“Shall we just go inside?” Y/N asked Amy. Amy nodded.

The pair stepped inside a few hundred people cramped into Liams flat, most of them dancing to post Malone who was currently playing from the speakers. They stood awkwardly to the side, Y/N’s eyes searching the crowd to see if she could spot Harry or anyone else she knew.

“Y/N!” Harrys voice called out as she finished her short search. A smile spread across her face, Harry making his way towards the two girls.

“You guys just got here?” he asked.

“Yeah, took us forever to find the place” Y/N laughed. “This is Amy” she said introducing the blonde to Harry.��

“Harry” he said with a smile in which Amy returned.

“You girls want a drink?” he questioned.

“Please” Amy groaned. Both girls then following the older boy to the kitchen where a thousand bottles of alcohol and snacks sat along with a few people. Harry handed both girls a bottle of beer then getting one for himself as they made small talk.

“So, do you both take the same classes or?” Harry asked followed by a drink of beer.

“No, Amy’s taking art” Y/N smiled.

“Wait” Harry paused then shouting “Yo Zayn!”

A boy around the same age as Harry entered the kitchen, a warm smile on his face and a red cup in his hand. Amy spun on her heel to look in the direction of him noticing he was in her classes.

“Zayn, this is Amy, she's also taking art” Harry introduced the pair, Y/N shook her head giggling when she realised what Harry was up too. Harry gave her a silly smile telling her to be quiet.

“Amy, I recognise you!!” Zayn said pulling the blonde into a hug.

“Please tell me you haven't did the work yet for Monday” she said with wide eyes. The class was to draw something that inspired them, Amy was yet to find that thing, leaving her homework to last minute - as usual.

“You haven't?” he questioned. Amy shook her head.

“Follow me Amy” Zayn laughed. Amy looked back at Y/N shrugging her shoulders, Y/N whispering for her to go.

“Look at you playing cupid” Y/N laughed once the pair left the kitchen.

Harry smirked “Its what I do best”

Before Y/N could say another word Harrys phone ringing interrupted the pair.

“Ill be right back, stay here” he said while running off to answer it.

Y/N stood awkwardly. She didn't really know many people at the University, never mind this party, so standing alone was her only option. She gave a small smile to the girl stood beside her who just drew her a dirty look back. Typical she mumbled to herself.

“Have you seen Liam?” A female voice said interrupting her thoughts.

Y/N looked to her left noticing a brunette that sat behind her in her Friday class.

“Y/N?” she questioned also noticing the familiar face.

“Sammie right?” she asked back then offering her a drink.

“Im okay, thank you though. Just looking for Liam, I swear that boy is always disappearing” She laughed.

Y/N smiled “I wouldn't know, you're the only person I know here other than Harry”

“Harry Styles?” Sammie asked taken a back.

“Thats the one” Y/N smiled, slightly confused.

“Be careful Bella” Sammie said. Careful? The boy seemed harmless.

“What?” She asked eyebrows furrowed.

“His ex girlfriend is a literal pyscho!” She laughed. “No but seriously, they broke up a few months ago and she's bat shit crazy. So please be careful” Sammie finished giving the girl a comforting smile.

“We aren’t dating, just friends” Y/N awkwardly said. She wasn't sure what to feel anymore. “Thanks for looking out for me though. Do you know where the bathroom is?” she questioned.

Sammie pointed down the hallway telling her it was the door to the left, then running of to find Liam.

Y/N made her way along the hallway, passing a few people on her way to which she gave them a small smile. She turned left seeing two doors, opening the first one her eyebrows furrowed. This certainly wasn't the bathroom, she thought to herself.

The walls where black, a few posters and photo frames scattered the walls. A laptop sat on the desk near the window, a TV and playstation beside it. She took notice of the white picture frame to her right sat on who she assumed was Liams chest of drawers. The picture was of 5 guys, one of them being Harry and another Zayn, the other she soon recognised was Niall and the two brunettes she didn't at all, surely one was Liam though.

“Y/N?” She heard Harrys voice call from beside her. Harry exited the bathroom that joined to whoever bedroom she was standing in, a confused expression on his face.

“You okay?” He asked.

“Yeah sorry, I was looking for the bathroom. I should go” She hesitantly said. Harry took a step closer to her, shutting the bedroom door.

“Do you really wanna go back out there?” He laughed taking a seat on the double bed. She shook her head with a laugh.

“I kinda hate parties too” Harry said with a smirk. Y/N took a seat beside him.

“Arent you supposed to be the bad boy, Styles?” She said returning the smirk. Harry chuckled at the girl, I guess she had heard the rumours.

“I’m really not as bad as you think” he said.

Y/N shook her head still smiling “Sure Harry. So why’d you hate parties?” She asked.

“Sophie is always there, I try my best to avoid her” he laughed nervously, knowing Y/N had probably been warned about her by now.

“Sophie? Your ex?” Y/N asked confused also worried. Harry seemed nervous now, so maybe Sammie was right in saying she was crazy.

“Yeah, she's insane” Harry laughed. “But just ignore her” He quickly said making sure the younger girl wouldn't be scared and decide not to speak to him anymore.

“You haven't dated since her?” Y/N asked curiously.

Harry shook his head laughing “Dated? More like I haven't had a proper conversation with a girl without her evil eyes staring at me”

Y/N eyes widened in shock. Maybe this was more serious than she thought. She’d never been in a proper relationship before, sure there where little things here and there, but shed never been commited to anyone, so she wasn't quite sure how Harry was feeling right now. All she knew was that this boy seemed nervous, scared even.

“Cmon she can’t be that bad” Y/N giggled trying to lighten up the mood. Harry raised his eyebrows shaking his head.

“Y/N you really have no idea” he laughed.

The pair sat in Liams room - she soon learned it was his room, for the next hour or so, getting to know more about each other. Y/N had learned that Harry had met most of the boys in high school, some of them shared classes with him and the others he played football with. He also hated the university library, calling it fate that she happened to be there the one day he was. She knew from that day in the library that he was soon to take over his fathers company, what she didn't realise was how big a deal that was. His father owned what seemed like a thousand hotels around the world much like her cousin Ollie, most of them in the US, some in Dubai, the UK and the list went on. They where some of the fanciest hotels in the world, only the best of the best could afford to stay the night there. Y/N was shocked.

Harry soon learned that Y/N had moved from Italy to Oxford to do nursing school. Her mother passed when she was 2 leaving her father to raise her on her own in Brighton, soon she met her step mother when they then moved to Italy and was blessed with two half siblings, Issac and Oscar. They also realised they both adored Fleetwood Mac, Harry claiming he was good at singing then promising he’d sing for her one day - he rarely sang in front of anyone, she must have been special.

Their meeting was cut short with Y/N’s phone ringing, Amy telling her to meet her outside. Realising that it was now 2am, she waved her goodbyes to Harry, him making sure she knew he’d see her again soon.

“So what happened with Zayn?” Y/N smirked, hooking her arm in her best friends as they both walked back towards their flat.

“I’ll tell you everything when we get home. Now you tell me what happened with Harry?”

taglist: @vinylhazza @cryinabtharvey

#landslide!harry #harry styles fic #harrystyles #harry styles fanfic #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #one direction #one direction imagine #one direction fanfiction #niall horan #zayn malik #liam payne #louis tomlinson

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rallis-fatalis · 4 years

Text

The Bookman’s Book

While cleaning up after his rambunctious student Rallis, Reldo stumbles upon a secret project she had been hiding from him.

The door to the Varrock palace library quietly creaked open as the resident librarian Reldo slid inside. He just as quietly shut the door and leaned against it with a sigh of relief. He finally had peace and quiet, even if only for a little while. He had just dropped Rallis off at Thessalia’s shop for more sewing practice. She was getting far too bored and cooped up to pay attention to his lessons and jumped at the idea to get out of the stuffy library to practice something she actually enjoyed. And so here Reldo was, taking in his sweet freedom in the peace and quiet of his library without a bouncy blue dragon getting underfoot. He was ready to pour himself a drink and relax, but unfortunately it seemed the world didn’t think he had earned a break just yet.

Books were strewn about all across the floor, some stacked in precariously wobbly piles that were just begging to fall over, and others left open and waiting for one wrong step to shred the open pages. Rallis’ corner of the floor was littered with writing practice, crumpled papers, and leagues of broken pencil bits. Unfinished drawings spilled out of her drawing folder and broken tips of colored pencils were ground into the floor. The library looked as if a storm tore through and ransacked the place.

Reldo groaned and got to work cleaning his student’s mess.

A good while passed and the library was tidy once more. It wasn’t a difficult task by any means, but it was a tedium he hadn’t wanted and shouldn’t have needed to do. “Next time I’m not letting her leave until she cleans her mess,” Reldo grumpily muttered. He held the last few books that needed to be filed away, the final remnants of the mess Rallis made. He quickly found their spots on the shelf and tried to put them away only to find they wouldn’t all fit. Something that shouldn’t have been there was getting in the way. He huffed and put down the books to get rid of whatever was getting in the way of his relaxation time. Awkwardly wedged in the empty space on the bookshelf was a book, but it was no book he had ever laid eyes on before. It wasn’t uniformly cut like the rest, nor did it even have a hard durable cover. It was rather bent from being scrunched in its hidey hole between the books. He straightened it out and looked it over.

“‘My Advenchurs With Bookman,’” he read the title aloud. “What on Gielinor?” He flipped open the cover, a series of miscut papers pasted together to try and make something thicker than a regular page. What greeted him was an assault on the senses, crude drawings colored in with saturated bright splotches and penmanship quality akin to that of a five year old’s. The child-like doodles and chicken scratch writing gave away the book’s creator instantly.

“I can’t believe Rallis tried to make a book.” Reldo flipped through and saw it actually had a decent amount of writing content inside, quite a surprise given how much she hated even the simple act of holding a pencil. His curiosity got the better of him and he took the book over to his chair to sit down and have a peek. He opened to the first page to find what he assumed was supposed to be a drawing of himself. It was a cartoonish depiction with an equally cartoonish frown. The colors bled out from their confines of the drawing lines and smudged across parts of the paper.

“This iz bookman,” the book said. “His nam iz Reldo but I coll him bookman.”

Rallis had a habit of writing her letters far too large, so that was all that could fit on the first page. Reldo turned the page and noticed the drawing was a bit smaller this time to give more room for the words.

“He teechs me how to spell and rit and reed but I am not varee gud.” The book showed a drawing of a still rather grumpy-looking Reldo holding a book up to a very unhappy-looking blue dragon-shaped splotch. Even in drawn blob form the librarian could recognize Rallis easily. Even in her book she looked antsy and bored of his teachings. He turned to the next page.

“I doo not lik riteng but I lik it wen wee reed. Bookman haz gud storees. I lik too lissin.” The writing was accompanied by a rather adorable picture of Reldo reading to Rallis. Above them were pictures of some of the things he would tell her about. There was some kind of armored bird, which he presumed to be an aviansie, fighting a demon, obviously meant to be part of the God Wars. There was a human figure with a big blue circle in their hands. Arrav with his shield perhaps? There were other drawings on the page but he couldn’t decipher their meaning. Even still, he found the beginning of a smile form, knowing that she at least remembered some of the things he talked about, even if it didn’t seem so at the time.

The next page held a scene he still dreaded to this day: the day he took Rallis to the Varrock museum for the first time. There she was, perched on the glass case of the mole exhibit trying to chase and play with the mechanical mole inside. Gods, he remembered her reaction to the dragon exhibits that came next and had to physically hold her back from smashing the displays open to free the animatronic beasts. The poor librarian received quite the talking to by the museum staff and palace royals alike from the event. He banned her from visiting the place again until she learned to behave and they had a long lesson about mechanical and stuffed creatures. It wouldn’t do for her to freak out over every stuffed dragon head in a tavern in the world after all. He forgot to read what she had written. He was so eager to turn the page and cease reliving the memory.

The next page had substantially better writing than the previous. The art style was also slightly cleaner, though still very amateurish and cartoony. The drawing was mostly different shades of brown, but Reldo could make out the crude depiction well enough. It was the Varrock Digsite! Rallis loved that place more than anything, always eager to help dig up artifacts and have an excuse to get covered in dirt and mud ‘in the name of learning.’

“Bookman takes me too the dig spot a lot and I like it a lot. I like too dig and lern. Wen he teechs me thair I am veree happee and hee is too.” The next page had no words, just pictures of the two of them with their interesting finds at the Digsite and of some of the things she remembered him teaching her. There was a whole page reserved for all the Zarosian things they had found. She had been so excited to find the shrine beneath the Digsite, or the ‘underground god circle’ as she kept calling it, and her excitement was apparent in the drawing. Her lines were more shaky that usual. His smile grew a bit wider as he continued on.

The book continued with more adventures the two of them had, from simple things he taught her to exciting trips in town or events in the nearby areas. Reldo couldn’t help but smile and even laugh at some of the things she kept track of, like the time she decided hopping the Varrock rooftops was a good idea and slipped on someone’s clothesline and into an ill-fitting set of clothing she couldn’t get off, making her look like a fluffed up polka-dotted hen. Or like the time she learned what catnip was and covered herself in it, hoping to make friends with all the strays in Varrock. She did in fact accomplish that, but at the cost of hundreds of cats running wild in the Varrock palace. The two of them spent the rest of the day herding the cats outside and cleaning all the fur, lest the king’s allergies act up too much.

Reldo turned to the next page to find a picture of the two of them holding hands and smiling. It was a simple piece, but it was very sweet. “I want to hav moar advenchurs with my bookman,” the caption said. And then the story ended. There were a handful of pages left after that one, but they all appeared to be blank. Waiting for a good story, perhaps. Reldo closed the book and gave the cover an affectionate pat before placing it under some larger heavier books. It had gotten rather bent from being stuffed in the bookshelf, he might as well do the courtesy of straightening the thing out. With that, he dimmed the lights and leaned back in his chair to get some rest before he needed to pick Rallis up from across town.

A few days had passed since Reldo had found Rallis’ handmade book. He had forgotten all about it amidst the chaos of trying to teach the dragon while Varrock was preparing for a festival. Eventually the day of the festival proper came and the two went out for a day of snacks and fun. When they returned to the library, thoroughly exhausted from an entire day of play, Reldo helped find an out-of-the way place for Rallis to keep her new things. While he was occupied with that, Rallis stealthily crept over to one of the bookcases and reached her hand behind some of the books. She felt around for something, but she could not feel what she was looking for. She chirped in confusion and pulled some of the books away. There was nothing behind them but the wood of the bookcase. Rallis squawked in horror and began to frantically tear apart the shelf, tossing books every which way.

Reldo ran over at the commotion and sputtered in horror. “Rallis what are you doing?! Stop!” He pried her away from the bookcase and stood between it and her. She was very clearly upset about something, her ears drooped and her eyes were about to go red from tears. “What in the name of the gods has gotten into you?! Don’t destroy my library!”

“Something is gone!” Rallis cried. “Something that I put there! I need it!”

“What is it?” Reldo asked.

Rallis’ face dusted pink and she looked at the floor. “It’s something of mine.” She didn’t elaborate.

Reldo walked over to his desk and lifted the pile of heavy books. He slid her handwritten book out from underneath and held it out to her. “Is it this?”

Rallis screeched and her entire face went red. She snatched it from his hands and hugged it against her chest and turned around. She gave the book a once over to make sure it was okay and was thankful to find it alright. She then glared at the librarian. “Why do you have this?!”

“I found it a few days ago,” he explained. “It was wedged in the bookshelf and I couldn’t put my books away. You really should be thanking me for finding it, the poor thing was curled and creased from the abuse it received on its perch upon my shelf. I flattened it out, good as new.” Rallis still wasn’t happy, continuing her glare. “You know, I wouldn’t have found that if you had only cleaned up after yourself. May this be a lesson to keep your things cleaned and sorted if you wish to hide a secret!”

Rallis ducked her head in shame and sat down in a huff on the floor. She brushed her hand across the cover of her book. “You didn’t read it, did you?”

“What if I did?”

Rallis groaned in embarrassment. She let out a long upset whine. “It was gonna be a sir-prize! When it was done! But you found it early!”

“A surprise?”

“Yeah! For you, dummy! Like a thank you for teaching me. But it’s not done and you’re not s’post to see it yet!”

“O-Oh,” Reldo stammered. “It’s a present?” Rallis nodded angrily and huffed again. Now he felt bad. No one ever deigned to give him anything resembling a present as it was, and this one seemed to be very special to Rallis. It obviously meant a lot to her and he had messed up rather royally. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I could pretend I never found it?”

Rallis frowned at his suggestion. It seemed lying like that wouldn’t sit well with her.

“Well, if I can’t unread it, and if I can’t pretend to unread it, would you like me to help you with it? I could help you spell some things, if you’d like.”

She thought his idea over and flipped through her book. She gave the book a small smile once she reached the end and rose from the floor. “Okay. You can help. That way it’s like another adventure! I was gonna write about today, but there’s so much to write about I don’t know what to pick!”

“Why don’t we think about it while cleaning up the mess you just made,” Reldo said and motioned to the books scattered across the floor. Rallis smiled in embarrassment and began to stack the books for sorting. The two talked about what to write while they put the shelf back in order and spent the rest of the evening writing about the day. Eventually, Reldo bid her a good night and shuffled off to his own room within the castle, leaving Rallis to continue her drawing in peace.

She looked over her shoulder to make sure he was actually gone before flipping to the last page, her current one unfinished, and began to write. “Thank yoo for beeng the best bookman,” she wrote. “And for beeng my frend.” She signed the page with a “Love, Rallis,” and closed the book. She gave a huge yawn and bunched her pencils together to put them away. She would have to finish the adventure of the day some other time. She was far too tired from the excitement of today to focus any longer. She went over to her box in the corner of the room and fished out her pillow and blanket and curled under the desk with them to go to sleep, her handmade book in her arms held close like a toy to sleep with. She fell asleep with a smile, eager to see what adventures she would have with her bookman tomorrow.

#oc tag #my writes #osrs #runescape

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penprp · 5 years

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On P5/DCMK...

I saw a very interesting post earlier that compared P5 and Detective Conan/Magic Kaito, drawing parallels between Hakuba and Kasumi, and between Akechi and Shinichi. (Not reblogging because the OP does not need my word vomit clogging up their dash.) I’m going to have to say that honestly, I see it the other way around-- Akechi is Hakuba and Kasumi is Shinichi. I suspect the OP has seen a bit more of the Royal trailers than I have, of course… but I’m gonna do a bit of a deep dive into Hakuba and Shinichi’s character evolutions first, and then explain the way I see the correspondence. I know the OP was focusing almost totally on their relationships to Joker... but I’m going to nerd out a bit further.

Okay, so it all starts back in the late 80’s with the manga Magic Kaito. Aoyama’s first manga series, if you can believe that. Magic Kaito introduces us to Kuroba Kaito, teenage magician, prankster, and occasional pervert. (It was manga in ‘87, that was practically required.) He slapsticks his way through a school day, and then discovers that his father, long dead in an accident, was the legendary thief Kaitou Kid! But Kaitou Kid is holding a heist tonight! Kaito crashes, dressed in his dad’s old costume and learns that his father’s accident was actually murder, and swears to bring the culprits to justice. So right away, we’ve got the tone set-- a lot of slapstick and silly humor, with the occasional dramatic suckerpunch hitting when you don’t so much expect it.

That goes on for two volumes, with mostly silly stories about Kid escaping an army of robot surveillance cameras, Kid helping a little boy deal with bullies, Kid dealing with an honest-to-god witch who’s attempting to put him under her spell, Kaito and Aoko hunting ghosts that turn out to be a teacher trying to hide his research into hair growth formula… you get the idea. Then in 88, Kid went on hiatus, as Aoyama had moved onto his next manga, Yaiba!

Then we hit 1994. Yaiba has just ended, as has a short baseball-themed series called Yoban Saado, and so Aoyama comes back to Kid. His drawing style has evolved and so has his storytelling-- seven years of continuous work will do that to you. There’s still a lot of slapstick and silliness, but the drama has tightened up its act and is now setting snares for you instead of just punching you and running off laughing. It’s in this period of time that we meet Hakuba Saguru.

I should pause at this moment to say that Aoyama Gosho has some of the strongest special interests I have ever seen in a mangaka. The man loves Sherlock Holmes, Arsene Lupin, stage magic, and baseball, not necessarily in that order. He also loves working in a semi-unified world. Yaiba ended with a character announcing that “Kuroba and Nakamori,” IE, Kaito and his best friend Aoko, were finally going out. The new volume has a chapter in which Kid goes up against Yaiba in one of the most ridiculously slapstick things the series has done at this point. Remember this for later.

So into this mess comes Hakuba Saguru, transfer student. Hakuba’s role, as suits the slightly more focused and dramatic tone of the series in this volume, is to be an antagonist slightly more competent than Nakamori. His initals make him a reference to Herlock Sholmes, but as he’s half-British, reading his name in the Western fashion does evoke Sherlock Holmes. Really, at this point, Saguru is not narratively one particular reference as he is The Detective-As-Antagonist. He’s handsome, smug, confident, charming, brilliant, and basically a rival to Kaito in every arena, from school to romance to their nightly activities. His very first appearance has him ignoring the trick that the rest of the police fall for, forcing Kid to step up his game. Not long after that, he actually manages to realize that Kuroba Kaito is Kaitou Kid, and comes up with a clever plan to prove it. Unfortunately, he’s still in the Magic Kaito manga, and thus is thwarted by a witch riding in on her broom. (It makes sense in context.)

It’s towards the end of this volume that Kid learns of the gem Pandora, the reason his father was murdered, and vows to find the gem himself and destroy it. At this point, Kid switches from stealing various interesting baubles to targeting gems and only gems.

… And cue Detective Conan, which has been running for, as of this writing, twenty-five years. (Dear God.) This introduces us to Kudou Shinichi, detective and Sherlock Holmes otaku extraordinaire. One of the first things we learn about Shinichi is that he is incredibly privileged. (He’s also a huge dork, but I digress.) He’s handsome. He’s rich. His parents love him, but they’re out of the country, leaving him to live on his own with a ridiculous degree of freedom. He has cases to stimulate him. He’s a brilliant detective whom the police and media adore. The kids at school love him, though none can really be considered his friends except Mouri Ran, his best friend. Shinichi’s biggest problem in life is that Ran has a nasty habit of cracking concrete with her fists when he says something insensitive. Later flashbacks and retcons tell us that Shinichi, while he can be hugely thoughtless, is nevertheless instantly ready to throw all of that power and privilege behind protecting the weak and the innocent. He’s just… better with victims and witnesses than he is with normal social interaction.

Contrast this with Hakuba, who while, yes, he’s rich and charming and his father has enormous social and political pull as the Superintendent of the police... he’s still half-white. And thus will always be, on some level, an outsider. Neither manga does a lot with this, but it is still there.

Then he witnesses a drug deal, gets shrunk into an elementary-schooler, and it all goes down the tubes. Shinichi starts off as being very much like Hakuba-- or rather, Hakuba was a sort of proto-Shinichi. But Shinichi has twenty-five years of appearances and is the protagonist, so he gets the kind of character development Hakuba could only dream of. Shinichi loses almost everything and has to build it anew, without the privilege he had to begin with. In the process, he grows and changes, becoming more thoughtful and more appreciative, with less smugness and ego.

Into this world, Gosho decides to do one of his usual things, and drop Kaitou Kid in for a story. Holmes vs. Lupin, it’ll be fun, right? The fans ate it up, and so Kid became a regular guest star. After that, when doing Sunset Mansion, a story loosely based on Young Kindaichi’s “House of Wax” story, which involves a detective gathering, Hakuba Saguru was a natural choice. And here we come to one of Hakuba’s issues as a character.

It’s now the year 2000. Detective Conan, always more serious in tone than Magic Kaito, given the rampant murders, has progressed in the past six years. The art is better, the storytelling is more dramatic… And Hakuba’s previous narrative slot has been filled by Shinichi. What does Gosho do with him? I think a lot of the characterization that follows was Gosho trying to get a handle on who Hakuba IS, in a world where all the characters he played off of have changed so dramatically. In Sunset Mansion, he acts more like James Bond than either Herlock Sholmes or Sherlock Holmes. He’s handsome, charming, and dangerous, and while he’s not convinced of Kid’s essential benevolence, he is adamant that Kid is no killer.

Fast-forward to 2006. Hakuba shows up again for the Tantei Koshien, a detective competition that seems designed to play up the differences between Hakuba and Hattori Heiji, Conan’s best friend and fellow detective. This is quite possibly the most characterization Hakuba gets, and he’s… not shown in a great light. He’s scornful of Heiji’s impulsive nature and rash action, and lets his focus on thefts and frauds mislead him into identifying the wrong culprit. He takes his correction rather graciously, but hasn’t appeared in Detective Conan since.

And now it’s 2007. Kid is rabidly popular, enough that Gosho puts out another volume’s worth of Kaitou Kid chapters. Now that we’re back behind Kaito’s eyes, we see a combination of the goofy prankster in the earliest chapters and the smooth gentleman thief we’ve come to know in Conan’s tales. These stories are more tightly plotted, with more danger and escapes, the magic tricks used to set up a central “howdunit” for the chapter, and there’s a bit more character development. Kid also evinces more detective skills, as there’s often a mystery for him to get to the bottom of, as well as his own tricks for others to decipher. Hakuba makes a guest appearance, calling Kaito to give him information when he’s going head to head with another kaitou over a rare gem, and then shows up when Kid is threatened by a murderous thief named Nightmare. At the end of this case, he agrees with Kid in deliberately hiding the truth of Nightmare’s identity, as the man is dead and the truth would only hurt his family now.

Hakuba is still charming, flirty, and confident, and to be honest, still kind of smug. But now he’s being shown as someone capable of empathy, not a detective concerned only with the law, or even the truth. He’s come to understand that justice requires mercy. But we don’t get to see any of this happen, and he’s still only in a few pages in two stories out of five.

Hakuba and Shinichi both have complicated relationships with Kid that can’t be boiled down to “rival” and “enemy” quite so easily. The biggest difference, in my opinion, is that Hakuba is chasing Kid to catch and stop him, while Shinichi really sees Kid heists as a chance to match wits with an intellectual equal. Hakuba is concerned with Kid’s breaking the law, while Shinichi seems to consider that mostly a non-issue, being focused more on beating Kid as almost a matter of pride. He’ll give it back and nobody died, no big deal. … That said, Hakuba’s characterization in spinoffs such as the Magic Kaito specials is leaning a bit more towards actual rivalry, but that’s because in that continuity, he has bigger spiders to fry.

So why did I go into all that? We don’t know much about Kasumi, but we know a lot about Akechi, so I’m going to start with him. Visually, he resembles Hakuba much more than Shinichi, with the perfectly pressed appearance, light hair, and visually adult fashion choices. He’s a media darling, and is incredibly charming. Beyond that, in all his interactions with the Phantom Thieves before his reveal, he is apart from them, even when assisting them. His outfit is brilliant white and gold, rather than the blacks and reds of most of the team. He even tells them that while he will help them clear their name of murder, they have to stop thieving. This is all very Hakuba. Of course, it’s all a mask, but even so… he wants to stop the Phantom Thieves. He’s tied into the forces of law and order, both in his mask persona and as Yaldabaoth’s pawn. (Law and Order being two different forces here… although maybe not so different as they seem.) He’s strongly drawn to Joker and winds up helping him, despite what his position and duties would suggest.

Kasumi is… well, we don’t really know. Visually, however, as a thief, she strongly resembles Joker. We’ve seen that she seems to act as a Phantom Thief, even if she’s quoted as saying that she doesn’t believe in their justice. (“Thieves are boring,” Conan scoffs, right before meeting a nutter in a white top hat.) A lot of her visual shots are set up to suggest a strong parallel between her and Joker, and there’s a possibility of her being yet another Wild Card. Kaito and Shinichi are canonically said to resemble each other strongly, and while this is probably partially Gosho making fun of the fact that all his hot teenage boys look alike… he’s said there is a deeper reason for it.

This is all speculation, of course. We won’t really know until the game comes out. (Can we get a Switch port Atlus? Please?)

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surveys-at-your-service · 4 years

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Survey #237

just a warning beforehand this survey has some probably tmi stuff.

Which is better: good 'ole southern food or sea food? Despite coming from and still living in, I legitimately enjoy almost NO southern food. Absolute garbage. I don't enjoy much sea food either though, save for shrimp, so I guess that. Have you ever had a very strong spiritual experience? I dunno. What do you think you want to major in at college? I'm an Art & Design major right now. Minor in? English is my minor currently. What song do you have on repeat lately? Quite a lot, actually. What’s something important you could be doing now? I could be working on finishing the draft to my Writing paper and this week's Art History chapter, but... yeah. I procrastinate all to hell, but I "justify" it with me having SO much extra time in the library while Mom takes her classes that I have a great deal of time to just do everything in there. How do you feel about Circuit City going out of business? I have zero clue what that is. About how often do you go on cleaning sprees? LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL what're those? What’s the best story you’ve gone over in an English class? The Outsiders. Is your house haunted? Don't think so. What kind of tissues do you prefer? At least thicker as a single sheet of wet paper and soft. But ultimately it's nota a big deal. What face wash do you use? I prefer the Biore charcoal scrub, but I've been out of that for like... ever, and it's pricey, so we haven't bought any more. So now I use this peach scrub stuff Mom gets. I don't like it much because it's kinda abrasive, so probably bad for my skin, but it at least makes it feel cleaner. Do you reject Satan? I don't even know if a head demonic entity exists. Got no opinion on him. Are you violent? Far from it. Do you use google search or yahoo? Google. Was your step mother terrible? Her political views are fucking trash, but she herself is a wonderful person. Do you know anyone who doesn’t care about anything but themselves? HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM Are you single? If no who are you dating and for how long? I'm single for now. I don't believe prayer or "good vibes" have any power, but nevertheless, I almost DO pray Sara and I will come back together once she figures herself out and one of us is brave enough to move. Do you enjoy going for walks? Nowadays, no, but only because I'm still recovering from muscle atrophy in my legs, so it hurts quiiite a bit. But in a way, yes, I do enjoy walking as I know it's good for my legs, but it's still painful - but improving immensely. Before it started to get real bad, I fucking loved going on walks down the path by Sara's. When it wasn't cOLD AND WINDY AS A MOTHERFUCKER What are your favorite accessories? Do piercings count? If yes, totally those. And spiked chokers are fucking hot. I'll wear mine again someday, just fkn watch me. Do you wear makeup on a regular basics? Not at all. I am asking for *genuinely* black eye shadow and also quality black lipstick for Christmas, though, for when I do wear makeup. Ours suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. When was the last time you really established your favorite TV show? Oh, idk. It's been years. Write one lyric that really explains the way your life is going as of now? HAHA I'm actually listening to NSP's "Danny Don't You Know" right now and if "you're just going through an awkward phase from 12 to 29" aIN'T ME- Do you ever have any fantasies that involve certain celebrities? Who? Yes. Take an. idk. Wild guess. You can read like one or two of my surveys and already be absolutely sure lmao What is your favorite brand of shoe? Where can you buy these shoes? Converse, and... multiple places?? Does anyone ever judge you for something you naturally cannot help? Oh, I'm sure. Do you support homosexuality in general? Why do you or why don't you? Of fucking course I do. It's natural, and especially after realizing I was bi and experiencing a genuinely loving female-female relationship, I've only grown more ferocious in standing for gay rights. Fuckin try to tell me I can't love her without some sky demon firing me into Hell for it. I'll bring sunscreen. If you had your own personal dance crew, what would you name it and why? I dunno??? Has anyone ever called you an exact replica of one of your parents? Agree? No. Have you ever claimed to be in love when you knew you really weren’t? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I don't joke around with that shit. If you had the chance to meet an annoying celebrity, would you still do it? No?????? Why would I want that??????????? Do you ever lie in the grass during summer or are you afraid of ticks? 1.) That sounds boring and too hot and 2.) I'm fucking terrified of all parasites, so ticks are zero exception. Does it bother you when you see slutty girls getting all the cute guys? *chaotic eye twitching* In winter, would you rather wear jacket or hoodies? Why is this? HOODIES! Mega cozy. Would you consider yourself a good singer or are you tone deaf? Depends on the song, but generally, I don't think I'm real good. My voice isn't stable. Do you think regrets are better left unspoken or should they be out loud? Y'know, a real good question for once. I think maybe... it depends, I guess? Some things are just better unsaid, sometimes vice-versa. I suppose it depends on who you're telling, too. What color is your remote? Does it have any special/interesting features? Uh I know it's black, but that's it. I never use the TV. Name a time when you cried the most: The night of the breakup when Mom drove out to get me (I was walking to his house to talk bc she wouldn't take me), and she had to physically hold me down when we got in the house because I dashed and she knew I was about to do something stupid. I just fucking collapsed. That night is so blurry, but I'll never forget the crying. Fucking NOBODY deserves to go through that goddamn night. What color is your keyboard? It's black, though the keys are rimmed with red light. Have you ever thought about suicide? Too many times. Please please please please seek help if you have even a moment's consideration about it. How do you feel about Obama? I don't know much about him politically, but he was funny as fuck, I do know that. Seems like a chill dude. What was the last lie you told? I dunno, something little. Name 3 things in your purse (or wallet): My Harley Quinn wallet, hand sanitizer, aaaaand my keys. What time does your favorite TV show come on? *shrug* Where is the scariest place you’ve ever been? I haven't been to many seriously "scary" places, honestly... so idk, really. Do you like string cheese? NO. What color was the coolest insect you’ve seen? No clue. Probably some butterfly or moth. Do you own any pink clothing? ... How do I not know this. How do you usually style your hair? It's directed to the right with no part through it and swoops over/close to my right eye. Do you use anything to whiten your teeth? I'm also asking for whitening strips for Christmas. .-. Ah, how gift desires change as you grow. I took awful care of my teeth during the worst of my depression, so yeah, I need them. I'm honestly stunned they're in a decent condition now. Have you ever collaborated with anyone on a project (not for school)? Hmm, don't believe so. What is (going to be) your career? I refuse to drop my career aspiration of a photographer. Not giving up on that no matter what. What is the difference between an alligator and a crocodile? Crocodiles' teeth protrude both upwards and downwards over their lips while alligators' only show downwards; crocs have a more tapering snout, alligators' are more rounded; and crocs are generally bigger. I didn't obsessively watch Animal Planet for nothing, y'all. :^) Were you breastfed as a baby? Yeah. That woman had five goddamn kids with no epidural or anything. She ain't afraid of no pain, and she's also like, MEGA into child health, safety, etc., and while formula-feeding is completely fine and valid, it's factual breast milk is a lot healthier for babies. What does your favorite shirt look like? Man, that's hard to pick. My most comfortable and well-fitting one is a Metallica "King Nothing"-inspired design, which is black and just has some gnarly skull designs 'n shit on it. HA HA WAIT, found it! This is it. Just a few days ago though, my mom's coworker went to the NSP 10th anniversary show in Chicago AND SHE GOT ME A FUCKING SHIRT BC SHE KNOWS I LOVE THEM AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH I SQUEALED SO LOUD AND SMILED MY FACE IN HALF. What is the cutest breed of puppy in your opinion? Do not EVEN with this, omfg I couldn't even try. What is the cutest baby animal in general? Have you, like, SEEN baby meerkats????????????? They're not the cutest for the first, like, two weeks (BUT still cute!!), but once they're outside the burrow? Jesus fuckin CHRIST they are the cutest creatures known to the galaxy and beyond. If we're talkin' like, cutest from birth, maybe cats. I adore kittens. Do you have some sort of odd fascination with anything? Perhaps my "strangest" is what's referred to as "vulture culture," which is essentially using naturally-deceased (usually wild) animals for art, such as those popular crystal-covered skulls, necklaces, creative use of wet specimens, stuff like that. I find some odd beauty and respect in creating art of the dead - it's like... making death beautiful and honoring the creature by immortalizing it in an art form. I personally photograph roadkill (that shit's confused the fuck outta drivers lmao) with the goal of forcing the brutality of it onto viewers and just make you think "okay yeah I need to drive more carefully." I don't know if that technically qualifies as vulture culture as I don't really... use the corpses, but nevertheless, I really enjoy doing it. I do kinda question the morality of it, like you can't ask an animal "hey do you wanna be art when ur dead?", so you're left to decide for it, but I think I lean ever so slightly more towards it being respectful, showing the beauty of its life. I WANT TO SAY HOWEVER, I DO FUCKING NOT support hunting trophies. I even question taxidermy outside of being from hunting considering you're not really making art, something new, some sort of message, out of it. There's no creative purpose other than to show "hey look at this dead animal!!", and besides that, it kinda creeps me out. Wow sorry for the ramble, I'm just into this stuff. Who was the last person to text you? Sara. What did they say? Paraphrased, that life has been a serious cunt to her lately. Which is true. have you ever broken someones heart? He fuckin acted like it after two goddamn weeks. I suppose maybe Jason, though I can't really tell you that since he fucked off after the breakup, so it's not like I was around him. I'll admit his health and general demeanor was withering as time led up to it (I knew something was wrong, he'd just never tell me), so he was obviously suffering. I feel awful for that shit, seeing I was apparently that goddamn stress-inducing. Had yours broken? LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOO I think the whole Internet knows, oops. Do you consider past relationships a waste of time? No. Well, maybe just one. I kinda wanna say Tyler was, but then again, as I was healing, it showed exactly what I would not tolerate. So I guess it had a silver lining. Do you think you’ll be around to see the world end? I wanna say no, but I wouldn't be surprised. It's gonna be climate change (reason #1 for me), the super volcano finally blowing, or nuclear war. Scientifically, we are far, far, far from overdue for another mass extinction anyway. Do you believe in second chances? Yeah, sometimes. Depends. Do you swear? Way more than needed. Swearing a lot just became part of my normal vernacular through exposure to Jason and his family lmao. I was just about always there, and whew does his mom swear like a sailor. Italian New Yorker to the core. To me, "swear words" are just normal vocabulary. What is the nearest photo to you of? A family of meerkats on my wall. Are you good at being quiet? Sure? Who has your heart? I'm guessing you mean romantically? Two people are tearing at it, then. One that's fuckin stupid and needs to stop. Do you like it that way? No. No. Sara is, realistically, the best match for me and a very healthy partner for me. But now that for whatever goddamn reason Jason sneaked back into the picture (metaphorically; he hasn't reached out or anything), hints of obsession/addiction are coming back. I know it's fucking creepy, but I was legitimately obsessed with him. I sent him a perfectly polite and genuine email of ME apologizing to HIM, and I guess that just shot my feelings back up. God, typing this makes me realize to a fuller degree that this is an awful idea. Where is this person? Sara's probably at home; hell if I know where the other is. When was the last time you saw them? I saw Sara this past February. Jason, not since February of '17. Do you prefer desktops or laptops? Laptops because of portability. Sunrise, or sunset? I think maybe sunrise, considering the colors tend to be more pastel. But both are gorgeous. What kind of mood are you in? A confused as hell one. The Jason thing is driving me insane, and TMI WARNING I've been dealing with a fucking ginormous libido that I'm guessing sprouts from my new birth control, and it led me to doing to thing I said I'd never ever do because I only want to share that experience with my partner. Y'know, the "m" word. Saying it feels too weird and dirty. That's the problem: it's so instilled in my head that masturbation is lustful and just "wrong" that my brain is still trying to process that it's okay and natural and, as I found, relieving. I had to look it up and everything to convince my shameful ass I wasn't being "dirty." Hey, on that note: Planned Parenthood offers way goddamn more than abortion, friends. I swear it's beyond wild what I used to believe. But yeah ANYWAY, I'm just feeling weird and still kinda "tail between my legs" today. Do you like fans that blow directly on you or oscillate? Depends on how hot I am. What is one thing you worry about most in long-term goals? "not having enough money to get there.." <<<< YUP this. Right before you fall asleep, what is your usual position? It's hard to tell considering you're falling into unconsciousness... but I THINK on my left side, hugging an edge of the blanket to me. When you have sex, do you keep your eyes closed or open when finishing? I wouldn't know; I've only ever been on the brim before freaking out and we stopped because I was literally scared of how overwhelming the feeling was. That and my family was home and I was having trouble staying quiet lmao. When you have mail do you open the biggest one first, or doesn’t matter? Uhhhh. I honestly don't get mail enough to answer this. I'd probably go for the smallest? When you wake up what is the first thing you usually look for? My phone. Think of the last habit/addiction you quit. What replaced it? Hm. I really don't know. Your phone rings but you don’t know the number, would you answer it? No sir-ree. Do you always take a shower after you have sex? I didn't always back then. Do you let your girl/boyfriend drive, or do you prefer to? 1.) I don't drive and 2.) I'm single. The last time you had sex was it in the morning, afternoon or night? Hell if I remember.

#survey #quiz #questions #random #bored

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grinning-tiger · 6 years

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Interview with Patrick Bramley (VFX Compositor)

Let me introduce, an artist, and a friend of mine who I met back during my time at Academy of Art University, Patrick William Bramley. We first had the chance to work together on some projects such as Aria for a Cow, Crows, and Valiant. More recently I also got to work with him at Ingenuity Studios where he is now currently working as a sequence lead compositor.

Since graduating in 2015, Patrick has worked on many major hit television series, and features such as a Series of Unfortunate Events, Jessica Jones S1, Westworld S1, Daredevil S2, Live by Night, Going in Style Nerve, and HBO’s Confirmation, just to name a few. When not freelance contracting at a studio, he works as an independent visual effects supervisor. He is currently supervising an independent feature film titled “Rightful”.

If you would like to see his compositing work, and personal portfolio. You can check out his website, and IMDB at: www.patrickbramley.com http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5716606/?ref_=nv_sr_1

What is your story? My name is Patrick Bramley. I’m originally from Ireland and I moved to California in 2008 to visit a friend but I ended up staying longer than expected. I eventually ended up enrolling at Academy of Art University in 2011. Now in LA, I work for various production houses as a compositor and CG lighting artist in the entertainment and motion picture industry.

What are some of the comparisons of VFX studios between Europe and the US? The world is far more commutable, and digitally connected nowadays so the production of major motion pictures are more accessible now than it was 10+ years ago. Studios in the Europe can easily and efficiently connect with studios on this side of the world. Visual effects production is quite bilingual so there can be artists working on the same project at the same time in their respected time zones.

What got you into the VFX industry? I wanted to work in film in some measure so that's why I ended up enrolling at AAU. I originally was at City College SF studying graphic design in 2009 but not knowing what I really wanted to do. Since the major at AAU states “animation and visual effects” I originally thought it was all the same thing, not knowing there were many different paths and jobs to be taken within that major. I happened to choose VFX and compositing seemed like the more artistic option so I went with it. I've asked many new to senior compositors on how they themselves got into the field and they usually say the same thing, “I just fell into it”.

What excites you about working in VFX? I’m amazed how many different parts of the industry there are. Simulations, texturing, lighting, modeling, concept art, compositing, animation, production, and many more! As an artist you constantly get to explore and create. The thing I enjoy about compositing is that you get to trick the human eye and create something surreal and alien to its original environment. If you do a good job, the viewer never really knows what is original or digitally created.

As an artist what are the difficulties you face in the workforce? Working for a studio, you do have to keep an open mind. Most of the time we are being told what to do. Your supervisor and the director for the show, have a particular vision. You, as a freelance artist have to respect that and abide to those rules. After graduation you are essentially getting paid to learn so harness that knowledge and use it on your personal projects or freelance independent shows. The training you receive in an professional environment can be priceless.

What are some eye opening experiences you have had so far? While working at ShadeVFX, I got to do 3D animation for the second season of the Netflix series Daredevil. I had to animate the chain which Daredevil was using to fight the biker gang. That was a surreal experience, since not only was I compositing on the show, I got to animate also. The president of the VFX studio asked me “can you matchmove?” I said "yeah, sure," thinking in my head “I can easily do 3D tracking for this show,” but no, he meant animation. I got handed fifteen shots to be done over a weekend, as they needed them first thing Monday morning.

Where do you see the VFX industry going? Artistically, the VFX industry will constantly expand and be more diverse as the respect and reputation continues to gradually rise. While many of the actors and entertainers of our industry get most of the credit, most of their work on screen is digitally created or enhanced. VFX artists we don’t have a union, and I don’t see one developing in the immediate future. I think some artists who are stepping outside of VFX and working in other fields, such as directing, like Tim Miller (Deadpool), Gareth Edwards (Rogue One, Godzilla), and Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium), create an umbrella of gratitude and appreciation for the work the VFX industry does as most of their movies wouldn’t be achievable without VFX.

Is there something you wish to create or improve for the VFX industry? I would like to create a business, or platform, which connects artists cohesively and protectively. We could build a community where artists have more creative control over their work and futures.

Do you find VFX to be a competitive industry to be in? Yes, it can be quite competitive, sometimes it seems like compositors are a dime a dozen. Since I have been in the industry, I have potentially met over a hundred compositors in LA alone. I feel like you do need to work on other skillsets in order to have an edge in this industry. Knowing other software like Maya, Houdini, or PFTrack, can give you a broader understanding to what it is to be a VFX artist and make you more appealing to other studios upon hiring.

Do you find it difficult adapting to the culture, and industry so far from home? The grass is always greener on the other side, but home is certainly where the heart is. If you have a purpose while living so far away from home it can be easier than just living somewhere else for the sake of it. The entertainment industry is booming over here on the west coast so I feel at this moment there is no better place to be in order to get the right experience and exposure to work on projects you adore. Ireland is a magical place; I’ll be certainly be moving back there after gaining enough experience while stateside.

What’s the worst and/or funniest mistake you have made when starting out? I wouldn’t call it the worst, more like a character building experience. For many people who embark on an adventure while moving to a new major city things can get tough. Rent and cost of living can be difficult to manage at first. For myself, when I first got here I just had a suitcase and my dreams. I did have some AAU alumni friends living here but I didn’t want to be a burden on them so I lived and slept in a rental car for two months. That experience gave me time to acknowledge and appreciate some things we may take for granted, like comfort, security, and wealth. However low you may feel at that particular moment in time, things will always get better as long as you keep dreaming and believing.

What are some words of wisdom that you can share for all those young blossoming artists? Dare to be great, dream big, and don’t hold back. My mother always said “the world is your oyster”. When you're in school, the group of friends you have, the collaborative projects you are a part of, and mentors you look up to, may be just temporary. The film industry is global so you never know corner of the world you may be moving to. You most likely will constantly be looking for new mentors, collaborators, and even friends. Don’t shy away from looking for a new job if your old one gets stale, meeting new people if the ones you know haven’t got the same vision as you, searching for new mentors to help expand your skill set, or even traveling to the other side of the world for new experiences. If you're not making any mistakes you’re not trying anything new. Take a chance, and grow.

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I’m possible” Audrey Hepburn

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