#and it is sheer coincidence that has kept them from running into each other

[chaoswarfare]

dp x dc writing prompt #22!

Danny joins a superhero team and they’re the last people to know. the villains have acknowledged phantom as one of the heroes on the team, the public is already writing him into any reports that have the team in them, there was even a short news segment talking about the new addition to the team!

Danny runs with it because he assumes that the team is aware of what everyone is talking about and are just digging up his background information or something.

#danny phantom #danny fenton #dc x dp #crossover #dc universe #writing prompt #dp x dc #dp x dc crossover #writing #funny #imagine them just checking the news and there being a random guy #that has nothing to do with them being associated with their team #baffling #danny’s just trying to live his best half life #starting up hero work in a city with heroes there already is basically an application right? #in a rare series of events nobody has any idea what’s really going on #what if the rogues kidnapped the ‘new member’ to get at the team #and they just have no idea what’s going on when they get the ransom #this is just some dude #and it is sheer coincidence that has kept them from running into each other #accusations of spying or secretly being a rogue? #news picks up on team infighting and public starts rioting because they think they’re mad about the kidnapping #victim blaming and all that #out of the frying pan and into the fire for these unsuspecting heroes #some of the friendlier rogues are probably up in arms about it too #everyone going ham on the hero team and then having absolutely no idea why #shenanigans

[crystalelemental]

“alphakuriboh: Explain the Exodia deck out?”

This gets its own post.  This one has lore.

When I was in college, a friend of mine ran the Gaming Club, and I had convinced him to set up Yugioh as a distinct group.  They had Magic as a tournament thing, and I wanted to push Yugioh competitions.  He agreed, we got it set up, debuting with a duel between the two of us in which he used his big dragons, and I used the frogs.  I won, but I digress.  This drew in a lot of casual players, one of which was another friend of mine.  We’ll need to distinguish them, so we’ll call the first one Chaos Friend for reasons soon to be apparent, and the other Casual Friend.

So, Casual Friend came to a few events, and couldn’t really place too well.  So he asked Chaos Friend for help.  Now, the thing about Chaos Friend is that he is unnaturally good at card games.  I won with the frogs, but almost only out of apathy.  He built that deck without ever having played Yugioh in like half an hour, and only barely lost.  He made a routine habit of borrowing people’s throwaway cards and trashing some of our best players for fun to learn the game.  Chaos Friend was both very talented, and also kind of like a mad scientist.  So he’d do chaotic shit with the decks that no one else would do.  So when Casual Friend asked him for a deck that was basically unbeatable, and was able to set up its win condition easily and with minimal effort, he just goes “I’m gonna build you an Exodia deck.”

To which I was like “Isn’t Exodia not even that good as an archetype?”

And he’s like “Trust me.”

So we get to the next tournament, and Casual Friend has his deck, and is just blasting everyone.  Like, clearing every round in record time, on an unstoppable rampage.  I can’t remember the exact structure, but the gist was one of each of your Exodia pieces, some general tech for drawing extra cards, something that brought a card from the grave to the hand, a ton of Normal monsters with high attack, and Heart of the Underdog.  The deck’s entire function was to get Heart of the Underdog in play, and when you drew on turn 2, you just kept drawing, and could use something to draw again and keep the chain going basically forever until you cycled the entire deck, getting Exodia into the hand on turn two, almost every time.  Basically, if you didn’t have something to cancel the activation of Heart of the Underdog in that opening turn, you lost.  It was incredibly on brand for Chaos Friend’s preference of just winning immediately.

So, the finals of the tournament that week was his Exodia deck, and my Fortune Lady deck.  Worth noting, I did not see the creation of this deck, and because he finished so fast, no one he played against had been able to like...watch the event unfold to learn it.  So I’m going into this blind.

Round 1 he stomps me.  I get to see the deck run in all its ruthless efficiency.  Having lost, I get to go first.

Round 2 though, I now know how all of this works, and got Mystical Space Typhoon in the opening hand, got to shut down Heart of the Underdog, and grind the whole machine to a halt that let me stage a win.  Apparently a few others had gotten this far too, but getting it to happen twice hadn’t happened.

It didn’t happen for me either.  I didn’t actually get what I needed.  But my sheer coincidence, he wasn’t having luck getting it either in the opening turn or two.  But what I did get was a decent setup with Light and Future Visions/Compulsory Evacuation Device to get the ball rolling.  And the joy of the Fortune Ladies is that they can mildly swarm, so we got some pressure going, and at one point, get enough pressure on him to make a risky play to get an extra block to attacks by placing an Exodia piece.  It’s okay, he has the ability to get one back, but now he needs two things as he desperately fishes through his deck.  I take it out, and the next turn, he gets Heart of the Underdog up, and has something to kick off the effect.  Chaos Friend, who has been watching his work’s relentless success with glee, announces GG.

“Yeah it is, but give it a minute.”

Confused, he leans in and is like “Okay, what did you do?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re too calm for nothing.”

“No really, I didn’t do anything.  You keep track of his graveyard?”

Early in the match, he’d gotten a bad hand, and one of the reset buttons was Card Destruction, which was only limited at the time (I think it was banned at one point in that era, but I can’t remember for sure).  And he had taken the gamble of tossing away the retrieval spell, expecting a quick end as soon as he could get his setup.  But when I was able to apply enough pressure to force him to play an Exodia piece as his only remaining monster from the hand to block a defeat, he’d completely lost, because Exodia couldn’t be gathered anymore.

Long story short, Chaos Friend started cackling as Casual Friend drew every card in his deck and couldn’t find what he needed, dug through his discard pile to find out where it went, then realized what had happened.

And that’s how I beat an Exodia deck by deck-out.

#alphakuriboh #yugioh #the end

[angelsndragons]

fjord’s feelings for caduceus changed in episodes 98-99

by which i mean, fjord finally realized how special and important he is to caduceus, which in turn set the tone of their relationship for the rest of the campaign. buckle up, this is a long one.

not when fjord threw away his sword and went to caduceus instead of jester. or when caduceus presented him with the star razor. or after the citadel fight when caduceus gave him his holy symbol. i think things changed for fjord in episode 98-99, when caduceus saved his life and removed the orb.

this is going to require some context.

because here’s the thing: fjord’s always looking for the price, waiting for the catch or other shoe to drop. people caring for him because of him with no strings attached is unprecedented. vandren and the world taught fjord that love is conditional, that only if you hide what others would find ugly and make yourself useful to them will they deign to give you a scrap of affection. i don’t think vandren did this maliciously, mind you, it was just part of his worldview and fjord’s life up to and beyond that point supported it. we can see that right up to the end of the show, where fjord is terrified that vandren didn’t remember him or that he didn’t mean nearly as much to the man as vandren did to him.

so we have fjord, who learned to don masks and hide his truest self, including his best and worst aspects. while fjord made the nein into a coherent group, into a force, a crew, a family, even, he still waited for that other shoe to drop. waited for the day that they would reject him because he was no longer useful or because he pushed them too far. you can see this waiting all over the early campaign; he’s not looking for an excuse like caleb to cut and run but he anticipates nearly all the moments that almost fractured the nein, in spite of that low wisdom score. while jester carried the guilt of not being able to save molly, fjord carried the guilt of not protecting the group in that crucial moment. travis confirmed on talks that fjord’s biggest fear when he lost his powers the first time was that he would no longer be useful and be kicked out of the group. 

that’s why fjord damn near broke down at the end of 72. the nein, no questions asked, with their standard level of snark, accepted that he was going to be a liability and kept him around anyway. armed him anyway. declared that he was no liability and that they would help him along until he could help himself and them again. this unconditional acceptance caught fjord completely off guard. it always does, really. because caduceus had said for months, an out of game half a year, that he was looking to reforge the sword as a gift for fjord. he said this to fjord’s face. he did not change course when he learned that the sword was a legendary blade forged by acolytes of the wildmother and moonweaver. the blade was still meant for fjord, even if fjord was still chained to uk’otoa. fjord extends his love and protection to the nein but is still not convinced the reverse is true. he was starting to believe it but he wasn’t quite there yet.

caduceus has a high enough wisdom to understand that’s fjord’s hang up even if he doesn’t quite understand the reasoning behind it. that’s why he pulls fjord aside in ep 75 and tells him that he doesn’t have to choose the wildmother, that there are other gods and other ideas out there looking for a champion. fjord, who at this point considers wildmom his only option (travis says she’s the only one who’s shown the slightest interest in fjord and that’s why he’s gunning for her), is befuddled by caduceus and this whole talk, so much so the pair end up talking past each other for the next several episodes.

after fjord officially becomes a paladin, things between him and caduceus become fairly...unsettled compared to their previous interactions. they talk past each other more, they aren’t in sync enough to double team those social interactions they were just starting to get good at. things are just weird for a while. to me, that’s fjord waiting for the catch, waiting for caduceus to call in some favor or something like it. and he keeps getting confused when caduceus doesn’t. so he tries once or twice to follow in caduceus’ footsteps and do as he would instead. and it just makes things weirder. these two don’t have a moment together that doesn’t leave one of them confused or unsatisfied until ep 87, when caduceus gives fjord the holy symbol and inadvertently kicks off the next phase of their relationship. because here, caduceus tries to put them back on equal footing and fjord recognizes it. caduceus rejects framing their relationship as mentor/student and tells fjord he doesn’t need caduceus to give him answers. fjord is “well on his way.”

by defining what they aren’t, mentor/student, our two boys inadvertently ask the question, “so what are we?” honestly, it’s a question that the entire group grapples with in the 90s as they reintegrate yasha, as veth struggles with the question of changing back and whether she can stay with the nein, as beau tries to sacrifice herself for veth, as jester learns some uncomfortable truths about the traveler, as caduceus finds his family again. fjord and caduceus can easily define what they aren’t - not mentor/student, not brothers or cousins- but what they actually are stumps both of them.

their relationship doesn't look like any of their relationships with the others: beau is fjord's bro and first mate, caleb is fjord's complicated mirror and admiree, jester his crush and first person he learned to be vulnerable with, veth his antagonistic sibling. on caduceus' side, caleb is the one he looks to for a fellow project nerd and clear, unvarnished goals, beau and jester are the sisters caduceus misses, yasha the quiet beloved barbarian he understands better than the rest, and veth a mess he wants to help but can't. but fjord and caduceus' relationship is highly undefined at this point. notably undefined, beyond their newly shared connection to melora. at the dinner with essek, we get the stone bomb. and travis and fjord panic. like no, seriously, they spend the next four episodes low key panicking over this revelation. this ties back to fjord waiting for those other shoes to drop but it’s also more than that.

when it comes to destiny, fjord has always been the answer, the self made man, to both caduceus and caleb’s questions about destiny. he makes choices about who he is, who he wants to be, and takes actions towards those goals. he is one of those rare people who can wear many different masks, take on many different roles, while still maintaining his sense of self and becoming a fuller version of who he is. when I say fjord is the answer to destiny, what i mean is that he is what ioun said way back in c1 about Fate: mortals make choices and through those choices, destiny is fulfilled. he is the answer to caduceus' own growth from passive instrument waiting for someone to play him to active communicator in this conversation between gods and mortals. in this sense, fjord is what caduceus learns to be (this is exactly why caduceus rejects a mentor role; he has as much to learn from fjord as vice versa).

so for this coincidence to pop up, this idea that maybe fjord only had the illusion of choice to extend his service to the wildmother, that maybe somehow he was manipulated again, that there was some grand destiny pushing things and fjord had no say in it, yeah, i can see why fjord was low-key terrified. so is this what fjord and caduceus are: just some predestined grand fairy tale partnership neither of them have that much say in? episode 96 resoundingly rejects that label too. for one thing, none of the stones or clays treat fjord's last name as anything amazing or spectacular. for another, this string of episodes gives us caduceus at his most human. the terror of not knowing what happened to his family, the uncertainty of his homecoming, the relief of saving his family and home, the irritation at the way the chaos crew treats the temple, the playful attitude caduceus cultivates after, it's all on display. caduceus drops much of his placid exterior and willingly allows the nein to see sheer depth of emotion he has.

which leads me back to episode 98-99. uk’otoa’s agents come for fjord. and caduceus is pissed. travis and ashley both said on talks that they hadn’t really seen taliesin that pissed, that it was like someone had threatened an actual loved one of his. fjord dies. and comes back to an exhausted, still pissed off firbolg who is five seconds away from snapping archmage vess derogna’s head off for interrupting his prayer of healing. taliesin doesn’t even begin to relax until they start interrogating the dead fish people the next day. once caduceus confirms the ball is still in fjord, notably caduceus and caleb were the two who remembered, fjord starts asking for a way to remove it. he asks caduceus to start a commune with wildmom in tandem with jester’s commune with the traveler. caleb tells fjord that caduceus fought “very hard for you while you were down, i don’t know if he’s up to it.” having heard that, caduceus still tries, with his first divine intervention attempt of the campaign. and when jester figures out that greater restoration will work, caduceus pushes through his exhaustion, takes charge, and goes through a truly terrifying greater restoration with fjord to remove the ball. convulsing, seizing, shuddering, collapsing, etc.

in those moments, and in the quiet after when fjord confirms that he still has his powers, it finally hits him that yes, people can protect, fight, and love him for who he is alone. there is no chain or other shoe waiting to be dropped here. the wildmother is no uk’otoa, to punish or take power at a whim. caduceus will fight with everything he has and then some for fjord because he loves him (not for nothing does fjord only realizes the depths of jester’s feelings when she uses heal on him). who are caduceus and fjord to each other? they are people who will fight for one another and the others as far as they can. fjord says over and over again that he wants to protect the nein and look out for them because he cares for them. he demonstrates it over and over again as well. caduceus says basically the same thing; he wants everyone safe and happily on their way and will stay until they are. he demonstrates this all the time as well. this is, i think, the first time that he demonstrates his dedication so unequivocally, free of the artifice of duty, fully committed through love. fjord recognizes this in caduceus and caduceus does in fjord.

i say this is a turning point because, while they don’t really have another super in depth conversation alone together, these two start clocking each other and openly help and look out for each other. there’s an ease and intimacy to the relationship after this. fjord watching caduceus swim near vokodo’s lair, fjord being ready to hand over his armor to caduceus when it looks like his won’t be ready, fjord, caduceus, and beau plotting behind jester’s back to keep her safe from the traveler, the absolute offense fjord takes to eadwulf after he spoke to caduceus like that, fjord levels up in paladin after caduceus tells him he’s proud to know him, all the way to the end of the show when fjord shelters the clerics and tells them to finish lucien, we get little moments like these from both of them. hell, caduceus is the first person in the campaign to tell fjord directly that he loves him.

#cr #critical role #cr meta #fjorclay #wildbros #fjord #caduceus clay #prim did theirs so i'm doing mine #in b4 the wrap-up #just barely #and ran out of steam at the end #i'll expand on that later #gotta finish my vm v m9 meta #and the cockroach party analysis

[lubdubsworld]

Falling for you ( Falling from grace) Jungkook xOC

Read Chapter 1 here

Read Chapter 2 here

Read Chapter 3 here

Read Chapter 4 here 

Rated : 18 +

Warning : . Fuck buddies? Or rather enemies that have sex. They just really hate each other but also can’t keep their hands off each other. Fair warning this has no plot. its just them being idiots .

Chapter warning : things get a bit more angsty....I know this is supposed to be mostly porn but there's a little plot too hope you guys don’t mind. 

Chapter 5

I woke up to my alarm blaring right near my face , and I blinked bleary eyes . I was staring at an altogether unfamiliar wall and It took me a second to realize that the wall belonged to Jungkook’s bedroom. 

It was like being doused with cold water. 

 Oh fuck fuck fuck... 

Did I really sleep over? Why on earth had I done that. 

Not surprisingly, I was naked and I searched around frantically for my panties before remembering they were torn and stuffed in my jacket pocket. The jacket itself was crushe4d beyond redemption, tossed over the small ottoman in the corner. My pants were just as messy , wrapped around the table leg in the corner. 

I stared at the time on my phone. 

I had fifteen minutes to get to my workplace. 

“You up?” Jungkook’s voice came from the door and I screamed, spooked at the sudden sound and I grabbed the comforter pulling it up to my shoulder to shield my body from his view and just stared at him. He looked fresh out of the shower, dressed in a plain white t shirt and blue jeans that looked like they’d been painted on. 

He glanced at me in surprise, tilting his head in confusion.

“Uh...bit too late to play the blushing virgin, Areum..., don’t you think?” 

“Why the fuck did you let me sleep here? I need to get to work. “ I hissed, scrambling off the bed, still holding the comforter because like hell i was going to be naked, with him fully dressed.

He hummed.

“I did try to get you to take a cab.....but you were already snoring . Bad sex etiquette that by the way...I’ve never had a girl fall asleep while riding my face before...” 

I glared at him. 

“Three fucking times... You made me cum thrice and you wouldn’t let me get off....I did not fall asleep, I passed out...you ...you fucking pervert!!!” 

He grinned , entirely unrepentant. 

“I know right.... you’re one lucky bitch aren’t you, angel?” 

I wanted to retort but I had places to be. I found my bra underneath the bed and sat on the bed, dropping the sheet and moving to put it on. Jungkook made his way over reaching out to paw at my breasts and I elbowed him in the stomach.

“No... Stop. I’m already running late....” I said sharply but he wasn’t listening, reaching for my waist and lifting me up off the bed. I yelped when he moved to the head board, sitting back and pulling me into his lap. He lost no time, slipping two fingers inside me before I could fully process what he was doing. 

“ Come on, I’m really fucking horny...” He whined, fumbling with his zipper, slipping a hand and yanking himself out easily. I stared at him , helpless as he spat into his palm, getting his hand wet before stroking the wetness on to his cock. Defeated, I lifted myself up and scooted forward till I could feel the head pressing up against me. 

“Five minutes. You have five minutes. I’m leaving afterwards, whether you cum or not.” I warned and he frowned. His eyes moved to the black tie lying discarded in the bedstead , looking thoughtful and I punched his shoulder.

“Don’t even think of it  you depraved fuck.,” I growled. 

He responded, by thrusting his hips straight up, driving right up into me in a single motion. I felt the wind get knocked right out of me, instinct making me buck away from the sudden intrusion, but he gripped my waist and held me in place. My insides shifted to accommodate him and I gripped his shoulders hard, trying to swallow the sudden dryness in my threat. 

A garbled, ‘ fuck ‘ came out of my mouth, more of a whimper than anything. 

“Don’t worry about me baby, question is , can I make  you  cum in five minutes.... “ He whispered softly, keeping up the steady , almost shallow thrusts into me , groaning as I got wetter and wetter with each stroke. 

“M really tired... I really don’t need another orgasm...” I whispered, honestly, flinging my arms around his shoulder and burying my face in the crook of his neck. He hummed, running strong, smooth hands up and down my bare back, pressing down across my shoulder blades and lightly gripping my sides .

“Okay, how about I just make you feel good “ He whispered against my cheeks, pressing a soft kiss there, “ and if you just happen to have an orgasm in the process, we’ll call it a happy coincidence, okay?”

I grinned into his shoulders. It was impossible to talk to this guy. 

I let my eyes fall shut surprised at how easy it was to let him take control. I hadn’t been lying. I really was exhausted. And although it was frighteningly new, letting my guard down around Jungkook like this, not being on edge, or trying to stay a step ahead, it was also liberating . I felt like a huge knot in my spine had come undone and I exhaled, going limp in his arms. 

He must’ve felt me relax completely, his arms tightening around my waist and I shuddered when he started moving again, gentle rolling motions of his hips without pulling out of me at all, his cock lodged firmly inside me as he grinded into me  , barely offering any sort of friction but keeping me filled .

And it was a different sort of pleasure from the usual feeling of being fucked into, a pleasure that didn’t come in rhythms repetitions of him fucking into me but rather a pleasure that just stayed and yet somehow swelled , that seemed to radiate from where he was inside me, to every part of me, till I could feel the jittery sparks of his movement in the tips of my fingers and the edges of my scalp. 

I threaded my fingers through his hair and instead of gripping hard, the way I usually did, I found myself stroking the skin there, feeling the soft, slightly damp strands as they fell between my fingers and I felt him inhale shakily and I kept stroking his hair. 

“Tell me this isn’t heaven....” He whispered, voice raspy against my ear as he pulled the lobe between his teeth and I shuddered.

“Certainly feels like it...” I whispered, feeling a sudden sting of tears . He was ruining me....ruining me for every other man and there was nothing I could do but cling on, like a shipwreck victim caught in the waves. 

His fingers fluttered down to between my legs and he pressed a thumb against my clit, gently stroking the hardened nub and sparks of pleasure shot up to my spine, made my toes curl and I gripped his shoulders harder, biting my lips not to sob.

“I’m close..” I choked out, “ Please don’t stop...” 

He chuckled.

“Wouldn’t dream of it angel... come on, come for me...wanna see you.... wanna see you come undone in my arms, show me how good I make you feel, yeah?” 

I clenched around him, my orgasm washing over me in gentle waves , rising to a crescendo of excruciating pleasure before ebbing into a gentle sort of satisfaction, tinged with hints of overwhelming affection for this man under me and I couldn’t stop the tears that spilled over my lashes and onto his shirt. I stayed still, riding it out and keeping my eyes on the wall as Jungkook stroked my back, soothing me through it. 

“Baby, you okay?”  He sounded just as wrecked as I felt and I nodded, slowly climbing off him and moving down to kneel between his legs, before bending low and taking the hard length of him into my mouth. 

Jungkook swore, fingers gripping the hair at the back of my head and hips lifting a teeny bit to thrust into my mouth and I hummed, knowing the vibrations would transfer to the sensitive veins on his cock. I gripped the base of his cock , keeping my grip a little loose, looking straight up at him and meeting his gaze before spitting on the cockhead.

His dick twitched in my hand and his eyes darkened. 

“My dirty little slut....” He whispered and the tone was so rife with fondness, so arousing in contrast to the words. 

“Yours.” I breathed against the glistening head, dipping the tip of my tongue into the slit, tasting that tangy bitter taste of precum and swirling my tongue, wrapping my lips around the length and bobbing down to take him into my mouth. I pressed the flat of my tongue against the underside , using the tip to trace the thick veins that ran up and down his length, before sucking the sensitive head, licking at the thick skin of his frenulum , swirling my tongue into the ridges till his hips lifted off the bed.

“Oh, fuck...Baby, that feels so fucking food...” He choked out and I smiled, pulling back to look at him.

“You wanna fuck my mouth, now?” I asked softly and he groaned.

“Fuck yeah. Go on baby...on your knees....on the floor. Now.” 

I moved quickly, kneeling on the floor right next to the bed , watching him slip our of his jeans before crawling over the edge of the bed. He threw his legs over the side, moving to sit on the edge for spreading his  legs  and curling his fingers to beckon me forward. 

I winked, grabbing his knees to steady myself before scooting forward on my knees, running my hands up and down his thigh before bending over and taking him into my mouth again. Jungkook’s hand came to the back of my head and unlike me, he had no qualms about gripping my hair hard. 

I sat back on the balls of my heels, letting my lips part fully and he fucked into my mouth with practiced abandon and I closed my eyes. concentrating only on the feel of his cock in my mouth, the long length of it as it hit the back of my throat , my breath coming through my nose in timed intervals so I could deep throat him fully. It still took an effort although I’d been doing it long enough. Suppressing my gag reflex, I inhaled carefully just as he pushed in , swallowing lightly around the tip of his throat as he pressed in deep, exhaling as he pulled out. 

My eyes fluttered open as I got used to the motion and I felt my insides clench when I saw Jungkook, head thrown back in sheer unadulterated ecstacy , eyes shut and lips red and slick , parted and gasping as he gripped the edge of the bed, the veins in his forearm bulging from how tight he was gripping the sheets. I felt the taut muscles of his thighs , the way they flexed and strained as he fucked into my mouth and I felt a surge of power rushing through me. 

 Me.  I thought , furiously,  I did this to him. 

 I sucked harder, bobbing back and forth on his length, getting it wet and sloppy just the way he liked it , letting him hit the deepest part of my throat with every thrust and I used on hand to grip the base of his dick, feeling him stiffen under me. 

I pulled back for a second...

“Where?” I croaked out, voice hoarse and breaking and he stared me down like the predator he was. 

“Half inside...half on your face...” He growled out, reaching both hands out to grip my face , thumb and forefinger pressing into my jaw, forcing me to open my mouth and it was such a turn on, how despite how much I offered freely of myself , Jungkook still wanted to  take. 

Deciding to indulge him, I sat back and let him push his thumb into my mouth, hooking his fingers keep my mouth open before pushing in with his hard cock. The fingers returned to my hair and so did that bruising grip that made my scalp ting. 

I kept my eyes open this time, staring right at him as he fucked into my mouth. 

“Look at you, so fucking hungry for me... for what I give you...” He muttered, eyes unblinking as he stared right back, shameless and open. 

I shuddered when the first spurt of his cum hit the back of my throat and it wasn’t good, far from it but it was  him.....and that was enough. Enough for me to swallow greedily , to take it in with relish. He pulled back when he was still cumming and I stuck my tongue out , tilting my face till he could cover every inch of it with his release .

Once he finished, he pulled back, but kept his hands on my face tilting it up so he could get a good look at the mess he had made. 

“I know I spend hours painting , but baby....this.... you wearing my cum on that pretty face.....this is fucking art....fuck...” He groaned out.

 I felt my body thrum at what was surely, the most lavish and lustful compliment I’d ever gotten.

“I missed work. You’re gonna pay me for it.” I said impishly, sticking my tongue out to gather the bit of cum on my lips, licking it up.

Jungkook grinned and tossed a pillow at my head. 

“Not happening. Go get dressed and get your ass to work. “

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You look pretty happy for someone who turned up three hours late wearing borrowed clothes from a one night stand. “ Hoseok commented mildly, while I stood by his desk, waiting for him to finish signing the previous week’s reports. 

I managed a weak grin. I was dressed in my slacks and jacket but I’d been forced to borrow one of Jungkook’s black shirts which looked ridiculous on me. 

“Hey hyung, what about these files?” A rough voice said right behind me and I stumbled a little . The guy gripped my elbow to steady me, lips quirking in surprise .

“Careful.” He said casually and then his fingers fluttered down to my waist, stroking me through my jacket and I jumped, frowning.

“Sorry?” I snapped, watching the way his eyes went straight to my chest, tongue licking his lips as he stared and I felt chilled.

“Oh, Junho, this is Areum...she's my assistant. Areum, this is Yang Junho . He’s taking over as the HOD of the HR department now that Mr. Lee is retiring.” 

I bowed politely stepping back a few steps, feeling an instinctive sense of foreboding. The guy wasn’t old, probably the same age as me but he looked so sleazy that it made my stomach churn. 

“Ah, beautiful.” He said casually, still staring at me unblinkingly and I felt my anger rise.

“Junho’s dad is one of the investors in our new Beach Resort project . Mr. Jeon thinks he’ll be a good fit here , he can learn the ropes before going back to his dad’s company.” Hoseok said casually and I nodded quickly. I moved closer to Hoseok reached out to grab the files Junho had got. 

“Anything else Jun?” He said casually and the other man merely shook his head. 

“Can I borrow your secretary for a minute, hyung?”

I stared at him.

Hoseok frowned.

“Uh...what for? “

Junho shrugged.

“My assistants having a bit of trouble filing the stuff in my office right... She just looks so.... capable.” He was openly leering now. 

Hoseok looked hesitant but then he nodded . 

“Sure... Areum, why don’t you go see what’s up...?”

I clenched my fists, every instinct telling me to run but there was nothing I could do, my mind shutting down because this guy was clearly pretty high up in the food chain and I couldn’t afford to antagonize him without cause. 

I followed him out of the office, jumping when he tried to wrap a hand around my waist .

“Please...stop...touching me . I’m not comfortable with it.” I blurted out and he didn’t even blink, merely raising an eyebrow. 

“You’re not comfortable being touched. That impressive hickey on your neck would suggest otherwise. Tell me Ms Areum, are you married?” He said casually.

I bit my lips.

“No.” 

“Boyfriend than.,,,” 

I stayed quiet.

“Some guy in a club huh? Did you drop to your knees when he bought you a drink?” 

I felt my jaw drop and I whirled around to stare at him .

He sneered.

“Don’t worry....I don’t mind. The easier a girl is, the faster I can get laid ....so...”

We were right out side his office and I just knew that if I went in there it would be the biggest regret of my life. 

“Find someone else...” I snapped, moving to get away but his hand shot out, gripping my shoulder hard and pulling me back till I slammed into his chest.

“Is that any way to speak to your fucking boss, Ms. Areum.?” He leered, gripping both my wrists and yanking me forward , even as my heart leapt to my throat .

“Let go of me...” I shouted, stunned out of my mind and he actually let go.

I felt my knees give out, dropping to floor and crawling back till my back hit the wall.

“I’m gonna ask them to make you my secretary .... I think you’ll fit in really well with me...” He sneered again and I forced myself to stand , running out of the hallway as fast as I could. I rounded the corner, panting and nearly out my mind with panic when I crashed into a very familiar broad chest.

“Hey...what?” Jungkook’s voice came out a little winded and relief flooded my system like a wave. I gripped his arms, hugging him tight, burrowing my face into his chest as I tried to catch my breath. 

“Angel....Areuym...what are you doing? We’re in the office babe...people can see...” He pulled me away from his chest pushing me back to arms length, confused and surprised. 

I swallowed, staring at him , feeling my pulse pound.

“Ah Jungkookie!!! There’s my favorite man in the whole wide world!” The voice made my hair stand on end and I watched as Junho waved from the end of the corridor. 

But it was Jungkook’s reaction that stunned me further.

“Oh my fucking God, Yang Junho ...in the flesh... “ He was pushing away from me and I watched , mind going blank as the two of them met in the middle of the corridor, hugging each other hard. 

I clenched my fists in disbelief.

“Jeon Jungkookie looking as good as ever....can’t believe you convinced your old man to give me this job, man...” Junho was saying. 

Jungkook laughed then, honest and happy. 

“It’s been forever...Dad told me you were coming back to Korea and I told him he had to hire you...If I have to stay stuck in this shithole,. I  better have my best buddy with me at least... You should be thankful to me , you son of a bitch...” Jungkook was saying and I swallowed. 

Best buddies?

 Jungkook turned around then to stare at me.

“Ms Areum, you can leave now...” He said casually, looking bright and happy and I felt like I was going to be sick. 

“Ms. Areum....I’m gonna have a word with Hoseok... you can report directly to me tomorrow morning. “ Junho said casually. 

Jungkook gave me a grin.

“Getting promoted , are we? Congratulations, Areum...Take good care of my buddy, huh? He’s like a brother to me...” He turned back to Junho and the nausea was unbearable. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Can’t I refuse?” I whispered, fingers shaking as I gathered the things at my desk. 

Hoseok rolled his eyes. 

“I don’t see why you would...It’s an obvious promotion You’ll get paid more... “

I was battling the urge to tell Hoseok what had happened but I also knew exactly how sexual harassment claims were handled. It was innocent until proven guilty and not the other way around. 

I had no proof.

Nothing. 

Junho on the other hand was one of Jungkook’s closest friends,. his father was an investor...he was rich and he had power. In what world would anyone believe me over him? 

I couldn’t lose this job. 

Maybe yesterday was a one off thing, I told myself. There’s no way he’s going to try something else. He has a cabin yes but there were cctvs everywhere. 

As I made my way to the cabin , I stared up at the CCTVs put up all over the corridors. All of them had green blinking lights. As I reached the door to his office, I noticed the CCTV right over his door. 

No light. 

I had suspected it but it still hit me in the gut. The man wasn’t just a sleaze bag. He was a fucking predator. And I wondered how many other women he had done this to. Not even bothering to take a step inside, I called the maintenance dept. 

“The CCTVs around Mr. Yang’s office seem to be not working.” I said calmly. 

It took a few minutes but they told me someone had disabled the servers remotely, and that they had it up and running now. I watched the green light turn on again and took a deep breath before stepping in.

The office had two rooms.

One bigger glass walled room on the inside, with Junho’s desk and cabinets and the outer room was smaller, with a desk for me. i noticed the CCTV right opposite my desk. It was on as well. 

I sat down behind the desk , quickly going through the day’s to do list left by the previous assistant, a guy called Jinki. 

“Good morning, beautiful.” Junho had walked into the room. His voice felt like nail on a chalkboard and I willed myself not to glare.

“Good morning, sir.” I said softly. 

“Hmm....sir...I like that. Sounds hot.” He leaned over the table to loom over me. 

“Let’s have dinner tonight, you and me. I have a condo near the Han.” 

I stared at him.

“You’re not bringing  your dick anywhere near me.... I will castrate you if you try.” I smiled softly. 

It took a few seconds for the words to register and he straightened, stunned.

And then his eyes narrowed. 

“What the fuck did you just say?” 

“You heard me. Now either let me do my job or you’re gonna lose yours.” I snapped. 

He lunged for me without warning and I screamed, stunned. Before I could process what he was doing he was grabbing my hair, bodily dragging me over the desk and onto the floor. 

I fell so hard that my bones rattled , shoulder stinging from hitting hard oak table. 

I opened my mouth to scream again when he slapped me. Hard.

The force of it left me reeling .

“Stupid, slutty bitch....You think you can say not to me? To me? do you know who the fuck I am? I’m your boss, I fucking own you.....” His eyes were completely unhinged, mouth frothing a bit and I couldn’t fight back even a little. 

He was grabbing my blouse, yanking hard and the fabric gave away, ripping right down my chest, I whimpered, fumbling for the desk, almost sobbing in relief when my hands closed over the heavy ceramic tray that held allk my pens. I grabbed the thing, bringing it down hard over his head, watching it shatter over him. 

The shock made him let go and I stumbled to my feet, running out the door as fast I could.

I ran straight to Hoseok, because he was the only friend I had . People were staring, some of them shouting my name but I was running on adrenaline , mind only chanting i should get to Hoseok.

When I saw him, the panic hit in full force and I sobbed out, reaching for him with both arms.

Hoseok pulled me into his arms, looked terrified.

“Areum...what the fuck?” And then his eyes took in the torn blouse, the bruise blooming on my face and the blood trickling down the side of my mouth.

“That son of a bitch....!!” He whispered and then his eyes snapped up.

I clutched him harder when I realized that Junho had followed me.

“She’s lying...” He looked wild and unstable as he glared at me. “ She was like that when I came into the office, she’s trying to frame me because i wouldn’t sleep with her.....”

“The cctv.... “ I choked out. “ He...He disabled them....but I turned them back on.... He’s.... It caught everything....he...”

Junho’s eyes widened at that and it was almost ridiculous, how he tried to make a break for it. But there was a dozen men right behind him and two of them came forward to grab his arms.

“Call the fucking cops.” Hoseok said through clenched teeth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jungkook turned up, just as the cops arrived . The first thing they did was take Junho into custody and I found myself sitting in Hobi’s office, clutching a blanket around my body as I tried to narrate what had happened to the cop in front of me. 

“What's going on hyung? I saw the ambulance and the cops....is someone hurt?” His voice carried through the corridor and I felt my lips wobble in part relief, part shame. I hated feeling weak. 

I couldn’t hear what Hobi said but a second later the door to his office slammed open, hitting the opposite wall and Jungkook stood framed in the doorway, looking absolutely wild. 

“Areum?” He whispered, and the sob got wrenched out of me. 

“Jungkook, he....” I couldn’t get the words out and it turned out I didn't have to. Jungkook was moving quickly, kneeling in front of me and gathering me into his arms . 

The cop gave me a small smile before getting up and moving away..

“I’m gonna be back in a while...Let me give you and your boyfriend some privacy...” She whispered and I was too tired to correct her. 

“What happened....Baby...what the fuck did he do?” He whispered, pressing kisses to my hair and I clutched him harder.

“Nothing...I... he hit me... a couple of times....nothing else....”

Jungkook pulled back...

“And yesterday? He did something yesterday didn’t he? That’s why you looked so upset when I saw you...Areum what the fuck... why didn’t you tell me?” He looked completely stricken and I bit my lips.

“I wanted to... I was going to but...he...you were talking to each other you called each other best buddies and it was my word against his and-”

He made a noise of impatience .

“And what, you thought I’d believe him over you? Why on earth would I do that Areum?”

“Because he’s like your best friend and I’m just...”  nobody. I’m nobody. 

Jungkook almost whimpered, hands impossibly gentle as he pressed them against my cheeks, holding me gently, leaning forward till our foreheads touched. His fingers stroked my cheeks, soothing the bruise and I sobbed when he kissed me gently.

 A soft peck before pulling back to stare at me. He took a deep breath. 

“I know we fight and irritate the fuck out of each other Areum but I care for you , okay?” He wiped the perspiration on his face, “  I care so fucking much for you and it fucking  kills me that you got hurt in  my  company on  my watch ..... That some fucker managed to get his fucking hands on you and he’s till out there breathing when I should have put him six feet under the fucking ground for even looking at you.....” 

I blinked back tears.

“Okay... Okay...” I nodded , not even sure what I was agreeing to. 

“You trust me right?” He asked, voice breaking, “  I would believe you over anyone else.. your word is my truth okay....you trust me right?” He was staring at me and I saw the wetness in his eyes and felt my heart break.

“I trust you....” I whispered, pulling him close and letting his left his head on my chest. I stroked his hair before kissing the top of his head. “ I trust you.” 

 I love you. 

 And though I didn’t say it out loud, I felt it, all over my body and in my heart. 

AUTHOR’S NOTE : PAIN. 

 Guys, be sure to leave some feedback because I have zero motivation to write these days and its only when I read your asks that I can bring myself to write :-* 

[uniquevocashark]

A Good Servant Part 3

Content Warnings for:

murder, blood, slut shaming, implied/referenced mutilation (nonconsensual glossectomy), smoking, mentioned domestic abuse

The blood on your shoulder starts to itch by the time the cousin is gone, and Lady Dimitrescu finally deigns to acknowledge either you or her pet. Daniela has long since disappeared in a cloud of buzzing insects and you’ve kept your hands busy by doting on the Lady as she sees fit. It doesn’t help, and her odd silence annoys you.

She lounges comfortably on a chaise lounge, mulling over a single bottle of wine, a book she isn’t reading propped up on a lectern before her. The room is hazy with cigarette smoke, muting the redness of the walls and blurring them into a dark maroon. She points at you with her chin, and you clean away the stain at the corner of her mouth.

Lady Dimitrescu tilts her pet’s head up by the chin too gently than she usually does in front of an audience and her tone is thick and syrupy in the cold silence, “Where were you, pet?”

Her pet doesn’t speak.

“You want me to believe you were attacked,” Lady Dimitrescu muses, and you take the cup from her, “You want me to believe you weren’t down there for a reason. You want me to believe you didn’t have a secret room. So many wants but you won’t speak. What rules are you breaking, pet?”

Lady Dimitrescu had postponed dinner, which meant that you had to hole Rachel up in the communal bedroom rather than bring her out immediately, so now you were understaffed. You suppose, technically, that they are the Lady’s staff and if she wishes to have less staff members she is entitled to do so. You just wish it wasn’t so bloody inconvenient.

Lady Dimitrescu leans forward, cupping her ear as if she was straining to hear something, “Speak up, dear. I can’t hear you.”

Her pet still doesn’t speak.

The Lady sighs and she has you hold her wineglass as she drinks. An action she only lets her pets do. She closes her eyes for a second after you pull the glass away, and her pet cringes back a step.

Lady Dimitrescu extends her claws and sends you from the room without a word.

…

Dinner is served at 12:30 in the morning and Lady Dimitrescu still has not spoken to you.

The only food that could be properly warmed in time, by sheer coincidence, is the broth you had insisted upon. The Lady’s pet, you’re surprised to find, is still alive but Lady Dimitrescu has never been one to kill her pets on purpose. For as long as you have worked for her, at least. The only caveat is that Mihaela has to spoon feed her carefully and her bloody drool and tears must be wiped away after each spoonful. Her pet has already ruined the front of her new dress.

You positioned Rachel nearest to the Lady and she practically vibrates with nerves while she fills Lady Dimitrescu’s wine flute. She isn’t as nervous as you think she should be. She doesn’t know that her husband is currently with Miss Daniela, though. Or that the Lady knows of her extra martial activities. The stringent adherence to the supposed sanctity of marriage is the only hold over from her protestant upbringing.

Other than the broth, there are a series of rainbow-coloured jellies shaped like butterflies and flowers, arrayed together on their plates to form a meadow. There are a range of cakes; cheesecakes and pound cakes, red velvet and the ever-present chocolate cake that Miss Bela has already smeared all over her sleeves. Miss Daniela’s favourite, pineapple cake, remains untouched near the candelabra.

It isn’t until two in the morning, once the main course is served, that you bring Rachel’s husband into the dining room and Daniela forces the gardener next to her mother. Lady Dimitrescu kept intensive records on all families under her duty of care; she knew the time and date of all births, deaths and marriages of her subjects. She knew when they ate well and when they starved, she knew when they prayed and to whom, she knew when their children came of age and when their adults reached old age.

The Bradley’s were what she had deemed a trial group. Given special privileges to inspire a new flavour. But that was rather tangential. What mattered was that Lady Dimitrescu found their taste unsuited for any palate; Rachel’s indiscretion was merely the icing on the cake.

Lady Dimitrescu rubs the drool off her pet’s chin, “Mr. Bradley.”

Rachel’s husband has a voice that sounds strange with how quietly he talks, his accent slurring the ends of words with the start of the next, “Yes, my Lady?”

She smiles, her teeth stained pinkish. She pulls Rachel’s corpse forward with a finger hooked around the collar of her dress, and it falls forward and splatters a bowl of broth over him. Her throat is a mess of bitten out tendons and mangled vocal cords. You are impressed, as always, that Lady Dimitrescu has not one drop of blood on her dress. “I believe you lost this.”

He breathes through his nose, “Rachel.”

She drags her finger through the weeping hole and licks a drop from her finger.

“Why?” He asks with an emotion you can't identify. He doesn’t try to run, or freak out, or even go for the steak knife sitting pleasantly on the table next to his plate.

“She was an unfaithful whore,” Lady Dimitrescu sneers, “You didn’t beat her hard enough.”

He doesn’t blink, “That’s barbaric.”

“Don’t lie to me, Mr. Bradley. Your face isn’t suited for it.”

A muscle feathers in his cheek when she looks away from him. He isn’t old, but he isn’t young either and he’s missing fingers from frostbite. He has a ruddy complexion, but you suppose he’s handsome. In the way that stuffed elk heads are handsome.

Daniela, blissfully unaware, picks up her blood covered cake. “Oh, I love pineapple cake!”

…

“You were nervous earlier,” Lady Dimitrescu says, after the table has cleared, “Why was that?”

“It’s already been corrected.” You reply.

She sighs out a long string of smoke, “Has it?” You don’t answer and she laughs, a quiet chuckle that’s more a sigh than anything. She flicked the ash from the end of her cigarette. “Mother Miranda wanted to speak to you. A call will be coming through later.”

You nod. “Very well, Madame.”

Lady Dimitrescu looks at you, and you look at her. She blows smoke in your face and you squint against it. It means you don’t see her hand as it comes to stroke idly at your cheek, or the way her pet looks at you from under the table.

You frown at her, “You’re upset with me.”

She doesn’t answer.

You lean into her hand a little and she twirls a strand of your hair around a finger, pursing her lips. “I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“There’s nothing wrong,” She mumbles, and you lean towards her to catch her next words, “I just hate not knowing things.”

You step away from her and head towards the door. “Don’t look at me like that. I told you to get used to it.”

She doesn’t speak again, the usual banter she responds with lost in the vague expression of disdain on her face.

…

The phone rings late the next day, while you’re busy scrubbing at the dishes to help keep everything running on schedule. You end up taking the call while folding the loose clothing that hadn’t been folded in a week.

“Dimitrescu residence.”

“Finally,” Mother Miranda sighed through the phone.

“Mother Miranda.”

“Wesker.” She replied.

You pause, wrestling down a sudden lump in your throat and settling the phone between your ear and your shoulder. “Hello.” You say unevenly.

Mother Miranda’s laugh is no less lovely through the speaker than it is in real life, “You’ve been well, I take it?”

“Very well, Mother Miranda,” You flex your free fingers, then grab another pair of stockings, “You wished to speak with me?”

“I did. Have you had any relapses?”

“No, Mother Miranda.”

“You're healing properly?”

“Yes, Mother Miranda.”

“Excellent. Vanessa wanted me to inform you that she’ll be there on the morrow.”

You drop the shift you were folding. “Excuse me?”

“Did Alcina not tell you?”

“It must have slipped her mind.” You say lightly, placing the shift back into the basket.

“Vanessa will collect more data, but your condition is promising. I’ll call again in a week with the results.”

“Thank you, Mother Miranda.”

She laughs again and you can imagine her clearly. The dark red velvet of her armchair, the hewn strength of her face, the glimmer of her dark eyes. “Take care.” She cooed and hung up.

You place the phone down gently and stand there in silence until Mihaela calls you to the Lady’s room.

…

You try to keep your temper in check when Mihaela leaves but struggle with it to a point that you have to look at her pet instead. Even that doesn’t help, because her pet has dropped all pretence of being meek and glares at you from her spot. She isn’t near the Lady, curled instead behind the bed with a glare towards you.

She should be grateful that she only lost her tongue.

It takes you a moment to realise that you’ve let the silence drag on too long to be polite and that Lady Dimitrescu has abandoned her own charade of being engrossed in a book of poetry she hasn’t touched in years. You flex your fingers.

“Madame.” You say but forgo a bow.

“You’re upset.” She observes mildly.

“God forbid I have a temper.”

The room goes silent again, but you aren’t in a hurry to smooth it over, cataloguing the shock that twists her face. Her eyes are wide, and her smile shows too many teeth, but you’ve never been one to shy away because of a few fangs. She rises from her chair, stepping over the bloody stain in the carpet as she looms over you.

“I beg your pardon.”

“I could ask the same.” You snap.

She raises a brow.

“How dare you,” You snarl, jabbing a finger up at her, and you struggle with your words, “How fucking dare you!”

#alcina dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu x reader #resident evil 8 #A Good Servant #my writing #little more disjointed but whatever #mother miranda makes an appearance

[galwithalibrarycard]

Malina Appreciation Week, Day One: Poetry

(A missing moment circa 1x06)

From the moment she lays eyes on Mal in the woods, Alina feels that she can breathe again.

Being in the Little Palace was like stuffing herself into a smaller and smaller box every day, despite the good friends she’d made there and the rush of using her powers. She shoves aside the shame of having been fooled and toyed with; there’s no time for that now.

Now she’s free, under the open sky, with her favorite person in the world by her side again. With her powers released and her hand in Mal’s, she feels better than she has in a long time, maybe ever.

She can’t believe the depth of sheer relief she feels, to know that Mal hadn’t forgotten her after all. The idea that he might hate her, might be rejecting what she is, has haunted Alina for so long, every day the letters failed to come. And yet: “I missed you every hour,” he’d said earlier, smiling sadly at her.

Now, looking at Mal, watching him focus on the earth and trees and creatures around them, guiding their way as only he can, Alina feels the last of that weight slide from her shoulders. He’s really here, and still standing by her side.

“Reckon we can camp here for a bit, yeah?” Mal says suddenly, stopping in front of a small cavern in the form of a hollow tree, and all thoughts are gone from Alina’s head. Because the sun is going down fast, and the hollow is tiny. She pictures the two of them squished in there, comfortable in each other’s arms- and prays to the Saints, if they’re even out there, that Mal doesn’t notice her blushing.

“Sure,” Alina nods, trying to keep any strain of nerves from her voice. “Good. I, uh, I’ll set things up. You find dinner.”

Mal leaves his rucksack and heavy coat, taking only what he needs to hunt and gather. Alina spreads it on the floor of the hollow and lays back. She tries not to notice the smell of him, pine and musk and forest, embedded in the soft material. Tries not to think about how it felt to hold him, the last time she’d smelled this scent, just hours ago. He’d kissed her forehead, lips rough and chapped from the cold wind, and clung to her, like he really had missed her as much as she’d missed him. It’s good to know for sure.

The rest of the evening is quiet, as they eat and make plans for the next day by the light of Alina’s sun power. Dinner is berries and bark and the scraps of provisions Mal had left in his pack, and it’s like old times. Hidden away, eating whatever snacks they could lift, close enough that his leg is pressed against hers in the small space. This little world is theirs, alone.

“I’ve kept notes,” Mal says, breaking the easy silence. “In code, on the stag. Should be heading north, he likes the cold. We’ll find him.”

The leatherbound notebook is filled with Mal’s barely legible chicken-scratch, which he claims is a purposeful security measure. Reaching out with her free hand, Alina runs her fingers along the page. She can make out coordinates and notes on the animal’s behavior and movements, enough that he has to have been tracking the creature for months. Her drawing of the stag is pasted into the book as well.

“Mal, this is amazing,” she says, and tries to turn another page, her fingers brushing against Mal’s. He moves his hand as well, and suddenly the notebook is tumbling to the ground. Alina reaches for it, and it falls open to a new page, something completely different than tracking notes. It’s a poem.

The world is muted, brown and grey

But the colors of the trenches, dirt, and sky

Always looked brighter, shot with rainbows

When she was nearby

Is it a coincidence? Can I trust my eyes?

Now everyone sees what I see, how bright she shines

What I missed, what I lost

The colors of the trenches look like

Footsteps leading far away

Without her, my world is muted grey

 “Not that one. Lina!” Mal tries to grab it from her, but it’s too late. He buries his head in his hands as her eyes go wide. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”

“Malyen Oretsev, since when do you write poetry?!”

Alina doesn’t know what else to say. She… that can only be one person. Right?

“I know it’s bad,” he sighs. “I had to do something to keep sane, after… well, when I was alone. I wrote more, but please don’t look at them. They’re horrible.”

“Actually, I think it’s… really sweet,” Alina admits, looking down and biting her lip to hide a smile. She doesn’t want him to get the wrong idea and think she’s laughing at him. “The colors look brighter when she’s around, huh? She?”

“Shut up,” Mal says. “You know who I mean, and I mean every word.”

She meets his eye then, and it’s just so much. They’re sitting in a hollow tree, on the run from two armies and seeing little sign of the stag so far. And Mal is writing her poetry.

“I hope… I hope I get to see more poems sometime,” Alina manages.

“Not until I’m sure you won’t laugh,” he smirks- then pauses. “Saints, I need to destroy that book.”

Mal picks it up and makes to crawl toward the entrance of their hideout. Alina quickly puts a hand on his shoulder, and he turns to look at her again.

“Please, don’t. It’s just me, Mal. You don’t have to be embarrassed…” Her own cheeks grow hot as she realizes she’s still touching him. He puts his own hand gently, firmly, over hers. His face is inches from her own.

“I’m not embarrassed. Never. It’s just that I wrote some valuable information in here, about the stag, and we don’t want it falling into the wrong hands.” Mal looks furious with himself for bursting their happy little bubble as Alina’s own face falls. “I’m going to find that stag for you. I promise.”

“I know,” Alina says, and her breath catches, like her uncertain future is tightening around her neck. “I know.”

Mal takes a chance and leans in, as she was hoping he would. As she presses closer against him, the ball of light in her free hand grows with her desire. When his rough, warm lips brush hers, Alina feels a rush of joy and heat as the globe of light bursts, separates, filling the tree-cave with tiny stars. The book, the shelter, the world, all dissolving around them in a shower of sparks.

#malinaweek #shadow and bone #malina #otp: true north #my writing #alina starkov #mal oretsev #i want 'alina's light powers flare with happiness when she kisses mal' to be a trope for these two tbh #and also i blame archie's lovely accent for nicknaming her Lina #proud of that headcanon #i'll put this on ao3 at some point too #the poetry really is bad tho sorry i'm more of a prose gal #galwithalibrarycard fic tag #my edits

[jimlingss]

Moirai [7]

Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 [Finale]

➜ Words: 6.6k

➜ Genres: 60% Fluff, 40% Angst, Isekai!AU

➜ Summary: Death is supposed to be the end. Or at least that's what you assumed when you're hit by a TRUCK. But the moment you open your eyes again, instead of being sent to the afterlife, you've become a baby. And not just any baby. You're the female villain of a video game.

         ❇ Royal Romances Chapter 3 -Prince Route- ❇   The darkness is pitch black. It’s heavy. Comforting. Eerie. All at the same time.   Anastasia lurks within the shadows, looking both ways with a flickering oil lamp carried in hand. She darts her head down the long corridor and when there isn’t a soul in sight, she sneaks past the archway before pressing her palm against a stone brick behind a marble pillar. There’s a shift, gears spinning and the wall pulls back and to the side, tucking itself in.   She enters through the hidden passageway and the wall seals itself shut again as it never opened.   The cobblestone spiral stairs are dusty and dank without a single window. She cringes and bats her hand in front of her nose, damning him for choosing such an awful place to meet. Who knows what’s down here!   Ugh. A bastard son born will be a bastard life lived.    No amount of effort can make someone noble if they weren’t already born with it. She doesn’t know why she was expecting that man to be dignified.   “I didn’t think you would come so soon.”   The King’s bastard son stands at the landing of the stairs. The spiral staircase seems to descend further behind him, but she isn’t curious to where it leads.   “Hmph.” She turns away, lamp still in hand, and she pulls her shawl closer to her. “I already made up my mind. I want to get rid of that orphan whore, so I’ll do whatever it takes. She dares to try to seduce my fiancé when she doesn’t even know her place.”   The corner of Taehyung’s thin lips curl. “Then by all means, I’ll erase that problem for you.”   The Duke’s daughter turns and her eyes glimmer with intrigue.   The man reaches into the sleeve of his cloak and hands her a tiny vial of green liquid. An emerald jewel on the cap shimmers against the dim candlelight that casts their ominous shadows on the walls.   “It’s poison. One drop in the Empress’ tea cup and you can frame her for it. That’s all it’ll take.”   Anastasia smirks, a rush of air leaving her nose in satisfaction. It might be easier just to dip the tip of a dagger in and stab that wrench with it, but framing her would make Jungkook lose his trust in the girl. He wouldn’t look at her twice. And she’d be executed without the real perpetrator ever being implicated in the crime.   She takes the vial, holding onto it carefully. Yet her eyes flicker up to Taehyung’s. “What’s in it for you?”   “All I want is the empire’s wealth.”   ….. .. .            ❇ Royal Romances Chapter 7 -Prince Route- ❇   Punishment does not come in the form of her stripped title or even her head rolling away from her neck. Punishment arrives in the darkened loneliness. That loss of sanity that whisper she has failed to capture the attention of the only person she ever loved. That she failed to make him love her.   Everything she did, it drove him away.   Every act of love placed distance between them.   Everything.   Liberation comes back with the music of trumpets muffled by the stone walls. “What’s going on?” her voice is hoarse through her parched throat. The servant screams when her arm reaches past the bars to tug on the girl’s dress. Her eyes are bleary as she looks up at the girl. “Why is it so noisy?”   “T-The civil war’s over.” The girl backs away and the celebrations become more distinct with the realization. “The villain is dead.”   The girl withdraws into the cell and cackles rip through her lungs, resounding across the empty chambers. The servant scurries away as the knight huffs out through his nose and shakes his head. But it’s the best news she’s received since she’s been stowed away.    That bastard son — Taehyung.    He was a liar. He tried to kill her beloved Jungkook. He dared to try and replace him. But no amount of effort can make someone noble if they weren’t already born with it.    A bastard son born will be a bastard life lived.    She may have been condemned as his accomplice — she may have been used as his pawn, too blinded by her own affections to realize. But she is mad with joy that she will not die alone.    She can only hope he died a cruel and painful death.   Anastasia cackles again.

You gasp.   Your entire body jolts and you tear yourself up into an upright position. The covers pool in your lap, your white nightgown stuck to your back slick with cold sweat. You press your palm on your forehead, focusing on studying your heaving breath. It was just a nightmare.   Or rather, it was scenes from the original game. The way it was supposed to be.   It felt so real. As if you were Anastasia and those choices and decisions were the ones you made.   The door opens and the maid entering is startled to see you already awake. “Good morning, my lady. It’s still quite early….”   There’s no way you can return to sleep after that. “Today’s a busy day so I’ll get ready now.”   The maid nods and follows after you to the vanity. “Lady Devon has a lilac gown prepared for you today, my lady. The late Queen wore the same colour during the inauguration of the last Head Priestess.”   “Shouldn’t everyone wear it then?”   “Of course not.” The young servant smiles as she runs the brush through your hair. “Only the future queen should.”   Pft. Yeah right. It’s a ridiculous idea that you would ever be queen. Anastasia never had the chance in any route or lifetime and you doubt you will either.   But rather than changing the dress like you normally would, your hand tightens in your lap.   “Bring it to me then.”   As the future Crown Princess, you’re dolled up by several maids. Your tutor paces back and forth, commanding the flurry around you on each of their actions, from a strand of your hair out of place to a loose thread sticking out. Your cheeks are powdered in a soft pink and your lips are painted in the same cherry blossom shade. You feel like a Barbie being dressed up and not in a good way. But thankfully, the dress is simple for the occasion and your hair is plainly clipped back on both sides.    It isn’t a ball after all where people are going to be flaunting themselves. The next two days marks the inauguration of the new priestess. It’ll be a day of celebration and then a day of solemn prayer and song at the empire’s largest cathedral.   Aka, it’s going to be boring as hell.   Once you’re free from outstretched hands touching your body and making sure you’re a photoshopped version of yourself without the photoshop, you head to the gardens for a breath of air. And also to escape Lady Devon’s lectures of how you should ideally behave.   But by now, you already know what she wants to say.   Don’t chew with your mouth open. Keep your back straight. Don’t back talk to your elders. Most importantly, don’t speak to Tae—   “Anastasia!”   The corner of your mouth tugs. “Lucy.”   You shouldn’t be so happy to see the heroine of this story. Not when her existence naturally opposes yours and you purely forged a friendship for your own self-preservation.   But somewhere along the way, you found that she’s the only female who doesn’t look at you any differently. She doesn’t smile just to make you happy. She doesn’t call you just because she has something to gain. Unlike so many others, you know she has no intention of using you.   The girl doesn’t have ulterior motives. Unlike you.   “Good morning.”   “Morning.” You meet her between the bushes of peonies on the cobblestone path. “What are you doing here so early? The play doesn’t start for another three hours.”    “I didn’t want to be late, but I guess I came earlier than expected.” Her smile is sheepish and she lifts her arm, a single white lily held in her fingertips. “I saw this on my way here. I heard it was lucky to have white lilies on the day of the Head Priestess’ inauguration ceremony, so…”   You take her gift. “Thank you.”   The petals are delicate and the fragrance is subtle enough that you lift it to tickle your nose. It’s then and there, while you’re twirling the stem with your fingertips, that you notice a gaze upon you.   By sheer coincidence and coincidence only, it seems like Taehyung was seeking refuge in his corner of the garden again and ran into you. The corner of his mouth lifts, distance kept yet he’s somehow close. You can’t pretend that he’s not there.   Your eyes have locked together.   Immediately, you grab Lucy’s hand and turn to her. “You have no one to accompany you to the Eastern Cathedral tomorrow, right?”   “Uh…”   Before she can answer, you take her to the dark-haired man and smile cordially at him. “Good morning, Your Highness.”   “Anastas—”   “This is Lucienne from the House of Liza.” You drag the girl to your side and she murmurs a timid greeting to him. “I’m sure the two of you must’ve met each other a few times. She has no one to accompany her tomorrow.”   “Anastasia.” Lucy shifts to you. She’s visibly uncomfortable, her brows knitted together, fingers rubbing the skirt of her dress. “It’s quite alright, I don’t need anyone to—”   “Nonsense,” you interject with another friendly smile. “It must be lonely to go by yourself. I’ll be busy with Prince Jungkook. It’s important that you get to know others as well. You shouldn’t latch onto the Prince all the time.”    She’s visibly taken aback at your insinuation. It’s not like you want to be so blunt, but there has to be no room for refusal. This is the only way.   It’s no longer about trying to avoid the three of them. It’s no longer about bringing Lucy and Jungkook together and remaining on the sidelines. If you want to save Taehyung too, you need to use the only person who can do so.   You’ll find other ways to save yourself.   But Taehyung needs her.   “I…”   Your voice remains firm. “You should go with Taehyung.”    Lucy is the heroine of this game. It’s possible that they can end up together instead. She can comfort Taehyung, change his mind about revenge, ease his suffering, rid his grief. She’s the only one who can clear the darkness stowed inside of him.   They don’t know it, but you do.   You push her towards him. The girl stumbles from the loss of her footing and he steadies her by her shoulders.   “S-Sorry!”   “It’s fine,” he brushes off quickly and then turns his head, eyes boring holes in you. “What are you doing?”   Taehyung holds his gaze, searching your impassive expression and the corners of your mouth pulls stiffly. “I’m just joining two people who I think really suit each other. Oh, look at the time! I should leave before I’m late for my morning greeting to my fiancée. I’ll leave the both of you to it then.”   You curtsy hastily and spin around to walk away.   But Taehyung is three steps ahead of you.   His strides are long and he overtakes you easily, stopping your form far away enough that it’s out of Lucy’s earshot. He grabs your arm, pulls you back and stares deeply into your eyes. His frown deepens.   “Is this because of what I did that night of the feast?” he asks in a quiet murmur that makes you swallow hard. You don’t want to be reminded of that. Not now. Not when you’re trying to pay back the favour of saving your life by saving his. “Anastasia, I meant everything I said that night. I meant everything that I was about to do—”   You interrupt him, not wanting to hear anymore of it. It shouldn’t be this hard.   “It’s not that.” You stare directly into his pupils, unwavering in your gaze. “I have to go now.”   You brush past him and don’t glance over your shoulder, even when the temptation is overwhelming.   It really shouldn’t be this hard. You know the future. You know what’s entailed in their destiny.   But why does it seem like you’re making all the wrong choices.   //   Your knuckles rap against the surface. There’s a muffled ‘come in’ and you open the door.   Jungkook is getting ready in front of the mirror. His cape is being pinned perfectly on his back, navy blue jacket with ribbons and golden buttons making him look like the picture perfect prince of every Disney movie. It’s no wonder all the ladies constantly swoon when he passes.   To you, he’s always been that doe-eyed boy afraid of ladybugs. But marrying him wouldn’t be so bad. You’re sure it would be a good marriage. At least one full of respect and mutual understanding.   It would be better than half the marriages in the twenty-first century that ends in divorce.   Jungkook looks at your reflection in the mirror. “Anastasia. What brings you here?”   “I have matters to discuss, Prince Jungkook.”   “Very well.” He looks to the attendants beside him. “Please bring in refreshments.”   “There’s no need.” You quickly stop them and the man in front of you turns, visibly surprised at your rejection of sweets and tea. It’s the main reason why you come to visit each other after all. “This’ll be quick.”   They bow their heads and the doors shut a moment later, giving you and Jungkook privacy.   He pinches the hem of his sleeve. “Did you get in trouble with your tutors again?”   “Jungkook.” Your voice is solemn, your expression even more serious. He looks up and the corner of his mouth falls into a straight line. He follows you to the sofa and sits across from you.   “What’s the matter?” He’s frowning, worried about your changed demeanor.   You take a deep breath, bracing yourself. “We should solidify our engagement as soon as possible.”   Jungkook’s eyes widen. “W...what? Why so sudden?”    “Is it?”   “You’ve never been interested in being queen before.” His eyes narrow in on you and his brows furrow more. “Is this about the Duke and Duchess? Are they rushing you?”   “No.” You shake your head. “This is about me. It’s about us.”   “But this isn’t like you, Anna.”   “Why is it so surprising?!” Your voice is pitched and instead of anger, frantic desperation seeps in. You don’t know why everyone has to make it so difficult for you. “We’ve been engaged since our childhood! It’s only natural to move ahead. Who else are you supposed to marry—?!”   As the words come out of your mouth, it slaps you right back in the face: you’re falling into the same pattern as Anastasia.   Demanding the prince to marry you. Being blunt. Curt. Upset.   It’s so easy. It was as if your entire life was set up to be the villainess.   Oh god. You don’t know what to do. You don’t know what the answer is. You don’t know what choice to make to wind down the best path—   “Anna!” Jungkook calls you for the fifth time in the midst of your meltdown.   You lift your head to find him sitting beside you, his hands firmly squeezing your shoulders. He’s asking you if you’re alright, if you need a healer or some rest to clear your mind. He’s saying how the two of you can talk about this later. But you don’t want later. It’s always been later.   Making choices now for later.   Making plans now for later.   Everything you’ve done is for later down the line and you wonder if you’ll ever be able to reap the benefits or find the happiness you were so desperate to have when you died the first time.   Now. You want someone to shoulder your burdens with right now.   “Jungkook, what if….what if I told you I was from another world and I know the future of this world?”   “What?”   You swallow hard and meet Jungkook’s doe eyes. He searches your visage, unable to comprehend where this is coming from, where you’re going with this. “What if...the only way to save Taehyung is through Lucy? The only way is if they fall in love and she saves him.”   He’s completely lost on that. “Taehyung? What does he need saving from? Who told you he needs to fall in love with her? What?”   Your mouth opens, but you don’t know where to start, how to explain, if he would even believe you in the end. “You just need to trust me, Jungkook. I know things you don’t.”   “I...don’t understand what you’re talking about.” There’s a simmering pause between the pair of you and Jungkook looks carefully at your profile. Then his lips part to speak forbidden words— “Are you in love with Taehyung?”   It’s your turn to be confused. Befuddled. Taken aback.   And Jungkook must read the expression on his face, since he replaces your speechlessness with his own voice. “Otherwise, why would you care so much about him? You’ve never brought anyone up to me before. Not even your own parents, Anna, and I know they make things difficult for you. I’ve never seen you care about anyone else more than you care about yourself.”   You rise to your feet in an instant and turn your back on the man.   “That’s impossible. It’s impossible.”   “Why? I thought you always told me it was okay if we ended up falling in love with other peopl—”   “I said it was okay if you did. Not me.” You don’t get such a privilege. Jungkook is the protagonist, the hero. No matter what route it is, which way the story goes, he always wins. He will always live. But you will either die or be casted away. “It’s different.”   Jungkook has nothing to risk. You have everything.   “Anastasia.”   “Don’t change the subject. I came to tell you that we should move ahead with the engagement. There is no reason you should refuse, Jungkook.”    You turn and leave the room, ending the conversation there.   He doesn’t know. He makes it sound easy. But you can never be with Taehyung.   The Crown Prince’s fiancée and the bastard son. What a pair that would be.   As long as you’re living in this world, in this society, any relationship deeper than an acquaintanceship would bring disaster. It’s not as simple as falling in love, calling off the engagement, eloping together far away. This isn’t a fairy tale. This isn’t a romance narrative.   It’s life. A society that scrutinizes and shames. A culture that slanders names with scandals.   The Devereux house will fail anyway and you don’t care about soiling your reputation and being outcasted. But the King would deem it treasonous. The royal family’s reputation would be marred and ruined, and he would never accept that. He was already unhappy when Taehyung danced with you at the debutante ball, when Taehyung handed you the Hunt’s prize, when Taehyung rescued you from being kidnapped. And you cannot risk your life and Taehyung’s like that any more than you already have.   Jungkook is terribly naive if he thinks it could ever work.   //   The royal court is lively with warm drums and bright flutes that echo throughout the capital.   Famous minstrels and troubadours across the empire have come to perform for the King, having made their way through the streets in the morning for the commoners as well. He smiles in approval from his throne, the middle-aged priestess to be coordinated tomorrow seated beside him and the pair look to be enjoying the show.   Your parents are no exceptions either, seemingly relishing in the festivities. They’ve brought Edith and Joan in tow as part of their entourage, faces you never thought you’d miss. The former nods her head at you in silent greeting and the latter smiles, but you don’t get a chance to speak to either of them. Not when your parents have kept their distance.   It seems like the last incident has made them rethink their involvement in your affairs. And for that, you’re glad you’ve been granted a little more freedom.   Marquess, earls, counts, viscountess and barons seated around speak to one another in between performing acts, sipping on their wine as the afternoon sets into evening. Once in a while, laughter sparks through the courtyard and thunderous applause succeed performances.   But unlike them, you can’t enjoy it.   In spite of sitting next to Jungkook and visibly smiling, the space in-between the pair of you is tense and stiff. Lucy sits a few rows down from where she is beside her father and you can tell she’s uncomfortable with what happened earlier by her expression that never seems to ease.   All of it would be easy to ignore. If not for Taehyung’s gaze.   He’s standing in the corner against the stone walls that line the courtyard, inconspicuous but not to you. A glance at a crowd and you could still pick him out in an instant. But he doesn’t watch the play, doesn’t watch the musical performances or the acrobatics twisting around. He looks at you. As if that alone could figure out your intentions, like he could deduct what’s in your mind.   You don’t spare him a peek. Even when it’s difficult to resist.   You avoid him until the very end.   //   The moon is full, a perfectly round sphere that’s golden. Like a firefly amidst the blanket of stars. It isn’t brighter than the sun, but not any less beautiful.   Taehyung stares up at the horizon and then his eyes stray to marble railings. He floats up to your balcony and his feet touch against the white, stone flooring. He won’t let you run away.   The room is dark, but he makes out a lump in the bed that’s turning and twisting. Taehyung knocks against the glass door and the figure freezes before it moves a moment later.   Within a minute, the door opens and you emerge into the golden moonlight. “Taehyung? What are you doing here? You’re not allowed to be here,” you whisper harshly, looking both ways of the castle grounds while tugging the white, laced shawl around your shoulders closer.   “I had to come see you,” Taehyung gazes into your eyes tenderly and he leans down to capture your hand gently in his. The skirt of your nightgown flutters in the warm breeze. “I know there’s something wrong. Did Jungkook do something? Did he say something?”   You shake your head.   “Then why push me away?”   You turn from him, ripping your hand away from his grasps. “I don’t know what you mean.”   Taehyung grabs your arm and your head whirls back to him, eyes connecting. “You know exactly what I mean.”   “I’m engaged.”   “To a person you don’t even love.”   Your eyes widen and your brows furrow. “You don’t know that.”   “I love you.”    It’s a bold confession spoken from his lips, his deep timbre that doesn’t lack any sincerity.    An earnest proclamation that has your heart stuttering in your chest, your breath hitching in your throat. Your heartbeat is thunderous in your ears and something stirs in the pit of your stomach at the sorrowful expression Taehyung looks at you with. He murmurs, “I was going to take that secret to the grave, but I can’t stand by and watch you like this. I love you. Be with me.”    Be with me.   A three word plea. Whispered secretly on a full-moon night. An affection full of warmth that you never had the privilege of receiving before in your past life or this life. Until now.   You never thought it would be like all those cheesy movies — Love Actually, Pride and Prejudice, the Notebook. But nope. They’re right. When you hear a love confession, when you hear someone say ‘I love you’ and ‘be with me’, it really does make you overwhelmingly happy.    It makes you want to cry. It makes you want to hug him, kiss him, throw your arms around him and scream ‘yes’. It makes you imagine the rest of your life, growing old with someone you love.   But you stagger away from Taehyung. No.   No. It can’t be. He can’t love you. No.   You aren’t Juliet. Elizabeth Bennet. Allie.   This isn’t your love story. You aren’t the main character. And this most certainly won’t have a happy ending.    Taehyung was never supposed to love Anastasia.    This is a mistake. An accident. Repercussions to your actions.   “Don’t mistake sympathy for feelings of love.” You surprise yourself at how stern your voice sounds, never once wavering. You suppose years of growing up in the Devereux household and being put under rigorous training allowed you to control your exterior well. “I don’t love you. You don’t love me, Taehyung.”   “You’re wrong.” He steps forward, closing the distance, as firm as you are. “I’ll even fight for the throne if you want. I’ll fight Jungkook if that’s what it takes for you to be by my side—”   “No!”    The scream echoes in your own ears, loud and shrill enough to bring alarm. “Please. Don’t. Don’t.”   It’s then and there, in the throes of his reckless promises, it slams into you — the realization of how desperately you don’t want to see Taehyung die.   You don’t want to witness his tragic ending. And you don’t want him to do it for you.   Taehyung’s expression is crumpled in anguish and his arm lifts, hand extending. The pad of his thumb tenderly wipes away the tear that’s streaked down your cheek. The corner of his mouth upturns, but the sorrowful smile never reaches his eyes. “Do you hate the idea of being with me that much that you’re crying?”   “No...Taehyung…”   He withdraws. “I’m sorry.”   Taehyung gazes at you and then he shuts his eyes, falling backwards off the balcony. You cry out in absolute terror and your legs lurch forward towards the railings. Your arms snap out to grab him, but your fists merely catch the passing wind.   He’s vanished into thin air, leaving nothing but traces of magic in the air.   You collapse onto the floor, grasping at the banister as sobs wreck through your body. “T-That’s...not...i-it—”   The matter of life or death should be simple. The choices should be easy. But you don’t know why each path you choose has its own tragedy, why happiness never seems to come.   Why can’t you control your own destiny?

A wheeze tears from the bastard son’s mouth.   His ruined hands are wrapped around his silver staff until his bloodied knuckles have morphed white. But it’s his leverage, keeping him standing on his shaking legs. He may have lost but he refuses to collapse until his last breath has been taken. His pride won’t allow him otherwise.   “Why?”   He lifts his head and locks eyes with the impassive Prince, dignified and noble. A hero to all. A brother who he never deemed as a brother. Only in blood and never truly in name.    “Why did you do this?”   The corner of Taehyung’s mouth curls. Even on the battlefield when they are both armoured and armed with weapons — in the moment of death — Jungkook is as oblivious and ignorant as when he was a mere child.    Taehyung spares a thought as to what it feels like to be that naive. He concludes it is a privilege.   “W-hy….d..o...you...think?”   The Forgotten Prince’s feet sinks into the mountain of brittle bones. He had to bring the dead back to life through necromancy to build an army for this war. No one would fight on his side after all. No one’s ever wanted to fight on his side.   But even so, he was never able to bring himself to revive his mother.   But it’s foolish he didn’t. She may have just been a marionette doll with tangled strings, a simple outer shell of a real human being, but he regrets not doing it. He should’ve.   Even if it was just to see her for a moment.   But it is a regret too late. He has another wish he wants to achieve in these last moments.   Taehyung chokes out that girl’s name.    He didn’t know he would have feelings for her. He was simply intrigued. Anything that belonged to his brother was always something worth envy. And he wasn’t wrong. She was a pawn on the opponent’s side who turned out to be more valuable than the queen.   “P-Please….” Blood curdles at the back of his throat, thickening his words into pathetic sputters. “Let me...see her….on.e….las...t….tim..e…”   “I’ll never let you see her.”    The Prince’s hands tighten on the handle and he rips the sword out of his abdomen in a single motion. The sound of silver cuts sharply through the air and Taehyung drops to his bruised knees. His own blood has splattered across his visage, scarlet drenched on ashy skin.   The Prince stands tall, the very furrow of his brows jarring against the cold, cordial expression he maintains. It’s an expression of contempt, of hatred and indifference. His shadow looms over him, the status he was born with intrinsic in his sheer presence.    “All...I...ever..wanted….was to be you. To be...powerful...to have everything you have.”    The Forgotten Prince rests against his staff and shuts his eyes. He ponders for a mere moment if he will be able to see his mother after this. But if there is such a thing as an afterlife, it’s still unlikely that fate would grant him such peace and refuge.   “I...d..idn’t...want….to...be...aban..doned…”   The remnants of magic surges through his veins and with a weak flick of his wrist, Taehyung’s last magic summons the girl who had occupied his thoughts. She appears in front of him, manifesting with his spell, and she screams.   Jungkook calls out to her and they embrace. He holds her, covering her body with his arm.   The two of them look down at Taehyung in fear and disdain.    But her vicinity is enough for him. He wonders when he became this pathetic. Or if he was always this way as their villain.   Taehyung chokes on the blood curdling at the back of his throat, but his lips upturn into a smile.    He mouths her name and dies at their feet.   ….   Anastasia.   You wake up with a gasp tearing from your chest. Your breath heaves out of you and tears coat your cheeks and the pillow beneath your head. Most of all, your chest fucking hurts like your heart’s about to burst. So you call for a maid at the top of your lungs and within seconds, someone scatters in.   “My lady?”    “Water,” you croak and she nods.   A glass is presented in front of you within moments and you down the entire thing, able to calm yourself down once you’ve finished. The maid notices your sweaty form and asks if you would like to change clothes, but you wave her off and she leaves.   Your worst fear came to life in a nightmare.   Instead of calling the heroine’s name, Taehyung called yours.   //   The ceremony at the Eastern Cathedral is exactly like all other events and celebrations in the castle.   Boring. Tedious. Like sitting in a lecture hall with the most unenthused professor droning on about the art of paint drying. Except you have to slap a friendly smile on you, sit straight, make small talk and pretend you’re intently listening. You wish cardboard cutouts were a thing, so you could just slap a picture of yourself in your seat instead of having to deal with it.   But the entire ordeal keeps your mind from wandering about last night.    There’s something about pretending that you’re fine that makes you feel fine after a while. Like you’ve tricked your own self into being okay.   You’re even anxious once it’s over. Once the quiet has settled back in.   Many of the guests leave, viscounts and countesses bidding their farewells from the cathedral and getting into their carriages. After you’ve sent off Lady Devon and you’re free of her scrutiny, you quickly turn around to find Jungkook and get out of here.   The last thing you want is to run into Taehyung right now. You don’t know if you’ll be able to manage your reactions, control your expressions.   But on your way back, your attention is taken by an elderly priestess dressed in white robes with a cane, hobbling around. Her hands are outstretched and she bats the air. She’s blind.   “Excuse me, do you need help?”   “Oh, yes, please, that would be wonderful.” She smiles and the tens of wrinkles on her face crease. The old lady reminds you of your grandma and the corner of your mouth quirks. You take her hand and place it on your arm, guiding her. “I’m usually not so clumsy but I lost my way and had to re-orientate myself. You can just bring me into the side house, it should be on the West side of the cathedral grounds.”   You look around and spot it around the building. “It’s this way.”   “Are you here for the ceremony?”   “Yes, I am.”   “How nice, Emelisse will make a fine Head Priestess. Her holy magic is quite powerful.”   You hum and get to the smaller building within two minutes. The doors are already open, so you peek inside to see if anyone’s there to take the old lady, but there’s no one. “We’re here.”   The Priestess reaches out and grabs the door frame. She smiles and gets up the steps herself, but not before turning around. “Thank you. Not many people would personally aid me in this day and age, and for that I’m thankful.”   “It’s not a problem.”   It’s been a long time since you’ve been able to speak so casually to someone. But it’s relaxing to forget about your titles. You don’t have to be the Crown Prince’s Fiancée. The future Queen. Or the heir of the Devereux house.   You’re just Anastasia. Y/N. A mix of both that makes you you.   “Would you be willing to hear an old secret in exchange for helping me?”   “Uhhhhh…..” You glance over your shoulder. There’s no palace guards or Jungkook in sight.   You really don’t want to stick around for too long. But you remember your grandma got pretty lonely towards the end of her life and was willing to talk to door-to-door salesmen for a good hour or two until they wanted to run away and blacklist the house from their list. Bless her heart.   You decide to indulge the old woman, so you go along with it. “Sure.”   “I once knew a woman, a kind but poor woman. She was with child,” her voice croaks and you lean in closer, realizing it’s juicy gossip and it sparks intrigue. “The father of that unborn child wasn’t very happy to know that child was coming into existence, so she, worried, came to see her fortune and her child’s on the eve of the Solar Festival.”   The old Priestess holds the handle of her cane with both hands, placed in the middle of her body. She faces the sky, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin as she continues the story.   “She came to this cathedral and they told her about doom and her child’s inevitable doom. Desperate and heartbroken, she begged to find a way to deviate from such a fate. She wanted to do anything she could to change the predetermined destiny of her unborn child.”   Your brows furrow. You begin to wonder why she’s telling you this. “And?”   “She did a ritual of dark magic to search for a soul that would protect her son.” The old woman shakes her head. “She defied the laws of destiny itself without knowing the pain it would cause.”   “But through sheer will, she broke it!” The Priestess smiles, her voice having been a murmur drawing you in. “She found a fitting soul and that soul was sent to another dimension before this one to learn about what was to come, so that they could protect her son.”   You stagger back. Breath caught in your throat. Blood draining from your face.   There’s no way. It can’t be.   But everything aligns. It matches perfectly.   “W-What happened next?”   The woman hums a low note and you realize too late that she’s the former Head Priestess, the one who had just stepped down. “I’m not quite sure what the ending to that story is since that soul wrapped in dark magic is standing right in front of me.”   The former Head Priestess smiles gently and turns around, entering inside her abode. She leaves you standing rooted to the ground on your own as it dawns upon you —   It was all on purpose.   Being reborn into this world. Having memories of your past life. Being burdened with the knowledge of what fates there are, what the future holds. All along, it was to serve your purpose: to protect Taehyung.   Your destiny was entangled with him even before this lifetime.    But you’ve already failed. You let his mother die. And now his own time is running out.   You turn around. The urge to see him overwhelms your very being. You have to tell him how you really feel. You’re not just Anastasia. You’re Y/N. And you won’t allow the original storyline to confine your choices anymore.   None of this was an accident. You weren’t messing anything up. None of your actions, your feelings or his are wrong. Nothing was a mistake. You’ll find a way to save Taehyung, to be with him.    You have to.   In the south courtyard of the cathedral, by sheer coincidence and coincidence only, you see him there. Of all the places of these vast grounds where he could be, you still found him.   “Taehyung!”   You call out to him and he turns at the sound of your voice. But then your smile falls. Your feet slow. By coincidence, an arrow soars towards him, slicing through the air.   You shout at the top of your lungs and Taehung whips his head around. The tip of the arrow freezes an inch away from his nose and clatters to the ground through his magic. But then five more arrows splits the sky and flies towards him. Taehyung dodges, stops another, but one catches him in the arm.   He sharply inhales.    A scream of his name tears from your throat.   Taehyung winces and rips the shaft of the arrow out of his skin. He looks at the tip before throwing it away. He can feel the poison spreading in his veins, bleeding inside of his body. It inhibits his magic and before he can yell at you to get away, another arrow spirals in the horizon.   He shuts his eyes. Taehyung feels an impact. But the pain never comes.   His eyes shoot open, brows knitting together and his mouth draws open when he sees you.    Your arms have wrapped around his body in a warm embrace, shielding him away, protecting him like you were meant to. The end of the arrow has pierced into your shoulder.    But you can’t feel it.   Taehyung shouts your name and you collapse. He holds your body in his arms, cradling your head against his shoulder as he screams from the pit of his stomach for help. And you watch him through foggy eyes, a smile gracing your lips.   You’re glad he’s not hurt.   Your hand slowly lifts to caress his cheek and he looks at you.   “I….fi..nally came….on time, Tae...hyung.”

#bts fanfic #taehyung fanfic #taehyung x y/n #taehyung angst #taehyung x reader #taehyung scenario #OOOOOoooh #ONLY THE FINALE'S LEFT!

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

The Voyage So Far: Paramount War (Part One)

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

the introduction of the celestial dragons really is just so brutally effective. this is the first time we see them, and before they even show up on page they immediately establish themselves as both absolutely powerful and absolutely despicable. everyone is watching them commit atrocities in broad daylight, and nobody dares say a word. 

i mentioned it back in the enies lobby post, i think, with spandam, but oda is very, very good at creating villains who it just feels so good and so deeply satisfying to see them get annihilated, and the celestial dragons are maybe the crowning example of it. 

i really like how none of the strawhats are really intimidated or impressed at all by the celestial dragons, in sharp contrast to how everyone else responds to them. some of that is ignorance, but you can’t tell me zoro would have acted any differently in this scene had he known charloss was a member of the world’s ruling class. all the power the celestial dragons have comes from fear; of course their greatest weakness is someone who just doesn’t care. 

obviously this moment is just excellent, no qualifiers needed, but one thing i really love about it is how all the bad shit that results from this does not detract from the sheer satisfaction of what happens at the auction house at all. like, even though this leads directly to the strawhats getting crushed by the pacifista and kizaru and scattered by kuma, i’ve never once caught myself thinking luffy shouldn’t have done this. 

i’m a huge fan of how rayleigh introduces himself. he knocks out the whole action house with conqueror’s haki, but luffy is completely unaffected, and the two of them just watch each other down the aisle for a moment as everyone else collapses around them. 

i don’t know that i’ll ever get over the fact that oda created and designed the supernovas as he was writing sabaody. they’re all such distinct and memorable characters, and almost all of them have fit neatly into the post-timeskip story one way or another. they really feel like a part of the world that was always meant to be there. 

i think the way roger as a character is handled is very, very cool, because we don’t really meet him as a person- when we first learn of him, on the very first page, he’s a myth, a story, a framing device. which is fitting, because that’s all the characters know him as. the rest of the world doesn’t know what roger was like as a person or why he did what he did, and so neither do our main characters and neither do we. 

and then we learn, slowly, by following in roger’s steps and meeting the characters who did know him, like rayleigh and whitebeard and garp. and through their testimony and memories, over the course of the story, roger goes from being a faceless myth to being a proper character.

i think this panel, where luffy says he just wants to be the freest person on the seas, might be my favorite luffy panel. if nothing else, it’s definitely one of the ones i think about the most in terms of his characterization. luffy’s been defining himself by his dream since the very start of the story- he’s the man who’s going to be king of the pirates! but it’s only here that we learn what that goal actually means to him, and what he actually really wants. he just wants to be free. 

the tone shift of sabaody really is impeccable. because up until a certain point, everything seems pretty par for the course. the strawhats make some new friends, get into trouble for their sakes, get into a hard fight where they all have to work together but eventually scrape out a win. 

but then kizaru shows up, and another pacifista, and kuma himself, and for the first time in the story luffy says this is a fight they can’t win- 

and then zoro disappears, and all of the audience’s expectations for how this is going to play out get thrown completely out the window. 

it’s not that we haven’t seen luffy upset before this- his fight with usopp in water 7 and merry’s funeral are the two obvious examples that come to mind- but we’ve never, to this point, seen him as crushed as he is at the end of sabaody. it really drives the abrupt tone shift of sabaody home, because we’re used to seeing luffy be generally cheerful, and if not that, at stubbornly determined to power through. but here, he’s just wrecked- and the paramount war saga is just getting started. 

every time i see hancock i’m reminded what a lesbian i am.

i’m talking a lot about character introductions this post, but a lot of really good characters get introduced in the first half of this saga, from the supernovas to rayleigh to jinbe. on that note, i really like hancock’s introduction, for reasons similar to what i said about roger earlier. she’s introduced as a cartoonishly evil one-dimensional bitch, and she leans hard into that characterization for the first half or so of amazon lily.

and then luffy narrowly keeps her and her sisters’ worst fear from being realized, and her facade starts to slip, and we get to know her as- still kind of a bitch, but also a deeply traumatized person who has very valid reasons for being the way she is, and someone who is overall a lot more complicated than she appears at first glance. 

one of my favorite things about luffy is his ability to always, always defy expectations. hancock is dead certain he’ll take her offer of a ship and abandon marguerite and the others, but he doesn’t even hesitate before doing the exact opposite. luffy is always turning people’s worlds upside down.

i have a friend who coined the term “conflict of interest arc” to refer to the arcs where a crewmate is forced to choose between the crew and some obligation or baggage from their past- arlong park for nami, whole cake island for sanji, etc. 

marineford is luffy’s conflict of interest arc- he has to make the choice, here, to prioritize saving ace over reuniting with his crew. where it differs from all other such arcs, then, is that nobody else can come to back him up. he’s well and truly on his own. 

i love how thoroughly expectations get turned on their head with jinbe. for the longest time, all we know about him is that he’s a shichibukai and arlong’s former captain, so given what arlong was like and what the shichibukai encountered thus far have been like, it’s a fair guess to assume he’s pretty awful.

and then we meet him, and he’s ace’s friend, sitting bloody and beaten in the deepest dungeons of impel down for refusing to fight in an unjust war.

bon-chan is really one of the greatest examples of one piece’s stubborn refusal to treat any character as disposable, and oda’s endless ability to find new and interesting ways to fit them into the story. in pretty much any other manga, it would be all but guaranteed that we wouldn’t see a character like bon-chan again after the conclusion of the alabasta saga. here, luffy straight up would not have made it to marineford without him. this is true for mr. 3 too- who would’ve thought his ability to duplicate keys out of wax, established and promptly forgotten some three hundred chapters ago, would be the thing that let luffy free ace on the scaffold?

magellan is a good antagonist. i’m not saying i like him- i don’t particularly- but he’s a great antagonist for a couple reasons, and one of them is that his powers are terrifying. magellan is essentially what might be called in video game terminology an advancing wall of doom- the only viable strategy for dealing with him is to run.

i had more i wanted to say here but it literally kept turning into a rant about one piece’s take on morality no matter how many times i tried to keep it short, so i’ll settle for just saying that magellan is an antagonist but not a villain and i think that’s interesting. 

the absolutely ridiculous, eclectic mix of people that luffy winds up gathering to escape impel down is possibly my favorite part of the whole arc. i just think it’s so fun and so characteristic of him that even when separated from his crew, he winds up attracting the weirdest, most powerful bunch of people around to break out of prison with. 

the relationship between luffy and blackbeard is a really interesting one. it’s been plenty clear for some time that blackbeard is almost certainly going to be luffy’s final opponent to become pirate king, and yet they’ve been mostly running on parallel paths through the world, only occasionally coinciding (such as here and in jaya) and generally seeming pretty unconcerned with each other. it’s a really cool way to handle the built to an eventual showdown, and i really like it. 

this is one of my favorite spreads just for sheer smile factor. i love it so much. i think we should get to see jinbe’s whale shark buddies more often, it’s a crime we haven’t seen them since this. 

#the voyage so far #one piece #long post #arc: sabaody #arc: amazon lily #arc: impel down #not japanese

[x0401x]

Violet Evergarden Movie Summary

The initial plan was to make this a short bullet-point thing, but I felt like there was too much to clarify and I had no choice but use novel references to explain certain parts, so I decided to just write a normal summary. Many thanks before-hand to my friend Yuuki, who gave me all this info.

Apologies for taking relatively long with this thing. Not even I expected that I would end up writing this much. Buckle up for the ride, ‘cause it won’t be fun.

Nope, not kidding. It really won’t.

First thing I need to make clear is: this movie is one and a half hour long and divided into three parts and two different timelines: the times when Violet existed and the times after she dies. Already in the beginning of the movie, Violet is dead.

Yes, you read this right. She’s dead.

Now, I don’t mean that she’s dead in the literal sense. This is 60 years in the future. She might be alive or not, but it’s never said. However, the timeline of 60 years later is considered an era without Violet, apparently because she has retired and her “legend” is over, so to say. It’s also a time where Auto-Memories Dolls don’t exist. That’s one good punch in the face. Let’s keep counting.

The movie is sort of like a tale being read by someone else, which at some point goes into Violet’s first-person POV. The whole thing is kind of a look back on Violet’s life tragectory and how it took a new turn when she decided to continue looking for Gil despite all the mess of the TV series.

The era where Violet exists is an era where telephones are being introduced to the people, so Auto-Memories Dolls are starting to become unnecessary. I would argue that the creation of the telephone isn’t enough for an entire occupation to start disappearing so quickly, since new inventions are normally extremely expensive and not everyone has access to them (or even knows about their existence) so immediately after their conception. Realistically speaking, ghostwriters would still be important as long as there were still so many people unable to buy phones. Not to mention that this is a steampunk world where compulsory education doesn’t seem to be a thing yet, so even in the off chance that everybody can buy a phone, there would still be a lot of people who can’t read or write on their own. But all of this clearly went over the animators’ heads, so not only ghostwriters but also the mail business in general are nearing their doom in the movie.

The one looking back on Violet’s life was Ann, who was telling it all to her granddaughter, Daisy (who, by the way, is voiced by Morohoshi Sumire, the same girl who voiced the seven-year-old Ann). Ann had kept all the letters that Violet ghostwrote for her mother, as well as the newspapers about the CH Postal Company. Looks like the article was printed after Violet left CH, since she isn’t in the picture with everyone else.

In this era, CH’s main office has been turned into a museum. Nerine is shown working in it. Of course, she’s a grandma by then. Speaking of the CH personnel, Erica also quit being an Auto-Memories Doll and became a playwright like Oscar. She appears in the newspaper, though, so she probably a while left after Violet did. Taylor also appears there.

Back to Daisy, she was writing a letter to her parents, in order to learn how to properly convey feelings with written word. The message of this scene seems to be that, no matter the tools, what’s important is that we convey our feelings to the people we love.

As we see in the trailer, Gil’s mom has passed and Violet runs into Dietfried when visiting her grave on the anniversary of her death. To anyone who is wondering: yeah, Gil never went to see his mother and she died thinking that he was dead.

Nobody knew that Gil was alive. Not his mother, not Dietfried, not the Evergardens and not even Hodgins. No one.

Here’s what happened to Gil in the anime: he survived the incident at Intense, of course, but got separated from Violet in that explosion. His tag miraculously stayed on the same spot, though, as we saw in the TV series. Now, since this isn’t explained in the anime at all, I have to make it clear: the tag is that necklace the soldiers wear. It contains their names and ranks, so that their bodies can be identified even when they’re irrecognizable. Without the tag, the people who rescued Gil had no idea who he was, so he was sent to a different place to get treated. He ended up at a monastery hospital instead of the one in Enchaîné. I would debate that his uniform alone is enough to identify him as someone from the Leidenschaftlich Army, or maybe they could’ve just asked him which troop he belonged to after he woke up and relocated him to where his fellow men were, but who even cares about all these plot holes anymore? Definitely not me.

Anyway. After Gil was discharged, he ran the fuck away. Like, literally.

If anyone out there was hoping that Gil would finally have his moment to shine as the self-sacrificing, thoughtful and ridiculously kindhearted character that he is in the novel, I have bad news for you. What we had here was even worse than it being Gil’s excuse movie. It’s like the whole thing was made to drag his character so deep through the mud that he’ll never be able to get up again. There’s pretty much nothing in this one and a half hour that actually justifies what he did to Violet. I’ll elaborate on this as we go on.

Anime!Gil became a nomad and went traveling. He offed his ass to the island where that lighthouse displayed in the most recent official art is located (that’s why Gil and Violet were at the beach on the movie poster). He doesn’t have a prosthetic in the anime because, apparently, he was more worried about disappearing as fast as possible to somewhere he would never be found, and never attempted to contact anybody. So nobody knew that he was alive, hence the grave, which, as we feared, was not a fake one. His family really did think he had died.

This is a point that I have already addressed before, but that also means Gil really did abandon Violet to luck. If anything dangerous ever happened to her (as it did, and it was always very obviously likely to happen, since she was the southern army’s most outstanding soldier and quite literally fled from the military), he wouldn’t even know. If word ever got to him, it would probably be too late. And even if it weren’t, he wouldn’t be able to do anything to help her. More than allowing her to live freely, it felt like he was running away from his responsibilities regarding Violet.

Punch on the face count is currently at six.

By sheer coincidence, Violet learns that Gil is living in that island. She goes to see him and Hodgins goes with her after trying to stop her at first. When Gil finds out that they came to see him, he outright refuses to meet them. It pretty much takes the near entirety of the goddamn movie for them to see each other face-to-face. I say face-to-face because all of the following shit happens:

Hodgins goes to talk to Gil. It lasts about 20 minutes.

Gil talks to Violet from behind a door. This one is about 10 minutes.

Dietfried also comes to the island to talk to him. Also about 10 minutes.

At long fucking last, Gil goes to see Violet. But that, too, is only for about 10 minutes.

Hodgins gives him a speech very similar to what happens in chapter 8. Now get ready to fall back from your seats: Dietfried basically goes there to tell Gil that he won’t run away from taking over the family anymore, so Gil can live freely. Yes, Dietfried is officially a better Gilbert than Gilbert himself. I crave death.

So, after much ado, they come to a conclusion: Gil will stay in the island. In order to completely free himself of the shackles of his bloodline, he stays behind, living the way he wants to. ‘Cause all anime!Gil wants is to rot away alone by the sea, apparently. Now prepare yourselves, for it gets worse. Ready?

Violet stays with him in the motherfucking island.

That’s right, ladies and gents. Another fear became true. She quits her job at the CH Postal Company and goes to live with him. Well, at least, not as a housewife. She starts working with mail services in the island, and Gil helps her with it. Her life goes on like this and she dies in the island as well.

This is where the timeline after Violet passes away comes into light, parallel to the era when Violet was alive. Daisy talks about what happened after Violet left CH, as if it were a tale from the distant past.

That’s it.

The movie paints this as a happy ending. I can hardly see it as one. I know it almost looks like everything was solved, but it just got swept under the rug.

The main point that makes me sad in this ending is that Violet’s character development did a 360 degree flip. In the end, she threw everything to the air and went to live in someone who she always put before everyone else, even herself, but who didn’t do the same for her (in the anime). She’s gone to a crammed little island, where she led an uneventful life away from everyone and everything that’s ever had a positive impact on her. All she has is Gil.

Of course, he’s all she needs, but he isn’t all she should have, and that was the entire point of pushing her to go live on her own. Which is exactly what she earns in the novel: two loving parents, a father figure, a brother figure, a best friend and several other friends and acquaintances whom she formed a bond with. She has all she needs, so she doesn’t have to cling to Gil for any reason. There’s no emotional dependance on him anymore. She doesn’t need him to be whole. She just wants him because he happens to be the best person she’s ever met.

Anime!Violet is most definitely not whole. She almost got there, but then she backtracked completely. And anime!Gil... in my friend’s words, is a weakling. There’s nothing in him actually worth all this undying blind love. Sure, he’s full of regret and shit, but it’s too easy to only act upon it now, by vanishing into thin air like a coward.

The deal with novel!Gil is that he looks around at everything he has, everything that had been burdening him and killing him on the inside all his life, and decides to make use of it for Violet’s sake. He continues being family head and working in the army, amassing money and connections in order to have every means possible to protect Violet should anything happen to her. And as it turns out, he does end up having to use those means, more than once, but he will keep this up for as long as he needs to, because he lives for her now. That’s what makes him worth all the blood, sweat, tears, mental sanity and even body parts that she gave away for his sake: he pays it back. Every cent.

Punch in the face count ends at twelve. Thirteen if I include the fact that the movie ends with a last shot of Violet after she and Gilbert do a pinky swear. Looks like they were really trying to buy everyone with tears.

Oh, well.

I hope this has been a good enough summary. Sorry if I rained on anyone’s parade. I’m pretty sure we won’t get a remake ever, so I really wish we all can get over this soon.

#violet evergarden #fyeahvioletevergarden #kyoani #kyoto animation #violet evergarden movie #summary #gilbert bougainvillea #claudia hodgins #dietfried bougainvillea

[kerie-prince]

We're Worlds Apart (3)

Draco Malfoy x American No-Maj!reader

series m.list | general m.list | previous chp

warnings: cursing, angst(?), Draco being a meanie :(

summary: Draco Malfoy is a pureblood wizard. Magic runs through his veins and has been since his birth. You're a Wiccan No-Maj; a non-magical being with ordinary blood through your veins, but practices what you call magick. And this very practice upsets your neighbor.

a/n: not my best lmao kinda gets cheesy. anyways, Y/M/N = your mother’s name and Y/B/N = your brother’s name

(gif cred)

“Do I really have to get one?” Draco whined in the middle of the phone store, getting his very first cellular device.

“Yeah, man. It's 2008 and you still write letters. Plus, your bird took a shit on my car,” Blaine said matter-of-factly. He found it funny that Draco still used an owl post for communication; the only other person Blaine knew that still uses an owl is his 97 year old grandmother. And even she has a landline in her house. “It's just easier and quicker to use. Why wait a whole day for a letter when you can just text me and I’ll respond in two seconds?”

“I’ve never even used a wall phone, how do you expect me to use a bloody cell-phone, Blaine?” Draco was fidgeting in his seat as he waited for the store employee to finish, what was it called, a credit score? Muggles sure are weird.

She came back shortly with a small, black box that had a weird word on it. What the bloody hell is an iPhone? She explained how it turned on, all the applications it carried, and details about billing and more. Draco was still confused about the whole thing but Blaine said that he would help him understand it better.

“Well look at you, Dray. A modern wizard in America,” Blaine jokes. Draco played with the new device, working out all the kinks of it. He sent his very first text message to Blaine at that moment. Took him precisely 5 minutes to type out a very bland, simple ‘Hello. -Draco L. Malfoy’

It made Blaine laugh so hard that he held his stomach. “My god, we’re gonna have to work on your texting skills, man. First things first, you don't have to sign your name at the end of a text. I know it's you.” Blaine explained to Draco all the fundamentals of texting as they walked through the halls of Santa Marie.

Throughout the day, Draco shared his new number with his department. The more he shared his number, the faster he became at typing.

At the end of his shift, he went to a nearby restaurant where he usually picked up dinner —not one to know his way around the kitchen — and headed home.

It's been a good week for him; his mother had sent him a letter everyday, he finished setting up the guest room for Theo and Blaise, he has this new phone, and best of all, Y/N had not crossed his mind once.

Now he still hasn't accepted what she does in her free time, but also he realized that she’s not exactly harming him nor did she know what he was. He's usually busy with all the work he does, anyway. It was quite a sudden change of heart. But mostly, it was his mother that was able to talk to him and change his views.

My dearest son, had it been during the time before the war, I would have agreed with you. But you have to understand that things are different now. You're different now. Now I am not forcing you, but maybe you should just talk with her just once. If not, just ignore her. After all, she only lives next door.

When he read the letter, he could practically hear all of his friends telling him ‘She's right, you know.’ And deep down, he knew it too. So he went with her advice: ignore Y/N.

—

You’ve had a terrible week; your assistant manager forgot to count the inventory which meant she also forgot to make an order for inventory. A group of teens stole a bunch of little vials of oils you had put on display. And to top it all off, a man stood in front of your shop with signs that had biblical verses written on them, blocking the entrance way and essentially driving away any potential customers. You called security but they never came.

You were used to this happening, it's happened all your life. But that didn't mean that it didn't hurt. I'm not harming anyone, so why does this happen to me? Next week, your mother was flying in from Maine to look around the house to make sure nothing would ‘freak Stephanie out.’ 

Driving back home, you were just waiting to mix some bath salts in your tub, play music, and relax for the next couple of days. By sheer coincidence, as you pulled in you noticed your neighbor that you now knew as Draco pull into his driveway.

This week can't exactly get worse you thought as your legs carried you to his front door. With gentle knocks on the door, you waited patiently. Being rejected once more didn't bother you, but you at least wanted to hear him speak to you and try your chance to become better acquainted.

Draco opened his door, his tie was undone and he looked confusingly at you. “Can I help you?”

Panic overcame your senses and without thinking, you blurted out, “Do you hate me?” You noticed his shocked face as it was probably not something he expected to hear.

“Excuse me, what exactly are you talking about?” he asked in his entrancing British accent. It was too late to take it back, so you just kept going with it. “I’m sorry, but you moved in here four months ago and you seem to have made friends with everyone around here but for some reason, you won’t even say ‘hi’ to me. Did I offend you or something?” You sounded exhausted and sad. Not only at the week you just had, but how Draco wasn’t being so neighborly with you as he was with everyone else on the street. It bothered you so much to no end. And the most frustrating thing was that you didn’t understand why.

“Uh, I apologize that we haven’t been on speaking terms but I don’t think I have to talk to you now, do I?” Draco scoffed. Why is he being such a jerk? “I’m not saying that you have to talk to me, but it’d be nice if you could at least wave or something. But instead, you look at me funny and ignore me. It’s kinda rude.” 

“Merlin, you muggles are so temperamental.” Draco said under his breath. The word sounded funny to you.

“Muggles? Did you just call me a muggle?” The look on Draco’s face didn’t go unnoticed. He stared at you for a few moments, not saying anything. What does that mean? “Is that what you call Americans in the UK? Doesn’t really sound nice.”

Draco started laughing mockingly at you, his grip on his door tightening and knuckles turning white, “Look, I don’t understand what it is exactly you want from me but I will say this; the fact that you are so offended that I won’t acknowledge you is honestly quite fucking childish and if you couldn’t get the hint then I’ll say it plainly for you now. I don’t. Wish. To. Be. Friends. With. You. Got it?” and with that, he slammed the door in your face.

Groaning out, you yelled at him through his door, “Fuck you then! I don’t wanna be friends with some rude prick!” You ran to your door and slammed it pretty hard. The sudden noise frightened your cat and made her run from her tower into your room. What the fuck is his deal? 

You walked to your room, pissed off and tired. Looking up, you saw Draco in his room. You stared each other down before you walked up to your window to close your blinds, flipping him off before it fully closed. Afterwards, you took a regular shower and went to bed. Anger built up inside you, and for probably the first time, you hated another human being. And you had to live next to him for god knows how long.

-

“I mean, did you really have to say that to her?” Ian and Ashley had just listened to Draco explain what had happened the night before. Ian just sat in the chair eating his lunch as Ashley responded to him. “I know things might be different in England, but you should’ve given her a chance. She could be nice. I have a couple No-Maj friends on my block.”

“I’m on Ash with this. Is it really all because she’s Wiccan? Be honest, Dray,” Ian chipped in. At that point, Draco didn’t really know what to say. He thought he could look past it, but he couldn’t. “Maybe, yeah. I come from two families that had very strict traditions and views of muggles. I thought I dropped those views but seeing first hand what they do and-”

“And it makes you feel like a freak? Because you’re a real wizard that can do magic and they sit in some weirdly drawn circle and ‘do’ magic?” Ashley finished Draco’s sentence, making quotation marks with her hands. “I get it, I really do. I was offended too when I had to read about No-Maj’s doing this during school. And then to see movies where witches are viewed as ugly, green-skinned hags with warts on her face and wear rags for clothes. Kinda brings you down as a kid. But I got over it. You should, too.” Ashley held Draco’s hand for a bit before she grabbed her coffee mug and left for her appointments.

Ian sat quietly, watching as Draco was sinking in everything he was advised. “Look man, it’s not really my business to be telling you what you should or shouldn’t like, and who you should or shouldn’t like. And you know what, you’re not exactly in the wrong to get mad about what happened. After all, she just kinda picked a fight with you out of nowhere.” Draco had a face that looked as if he was saying ‘Right? I’m not crazy here’

“But,” of course there’s a ‘but’, “from what I hear around the street, Y/N’s really nice. Super weird for sure, but an overall nice person. I think you should think about it.” Ian nodded at Draco before joining Ashley out of the breakroom. Draco sat there, thinking about what his friends said and also thought back to his mother’s letters. I’m such a child. And I’m the one that called her childish. If he was honest, you were but it didn’t make him better.

He knew what he was going to do after work. It pained him to have to apologize to someone. Apologizing wasn’t something he was exactly used to doing. He’s only done it once to Harry and his friends nearly three years after the Battle. He didn’t even really know what to say to you. But he’ll figure it out. Right?

-

You stood shocked at your doorstep, hands holding onto the sweater as you looked before you. “Mom, you’re here early.”

“I had been given an extra week off of work so I thought I’d just come and see my oldest baby before your brother and Stephanie comes. Also gives me a head start to plan our dinner and get this house situated,” your mother walked past you with her two large luggage cases and dropped them on your living room floor. She looked around the house and eyed all the decorations and pictures on the walls.

To her, everything was nearly normal. You had family pictures posted and some pictures of you and your friends from college. In the living room, you had a tapestry hung up behind your couch that used to belong to your grandmother. “Y/N please, will you take down that blanket? Why don’t you put up a picture of some flowers, or maybe something abstract?”

“Because I don’t want a picture of flowers and that’s not a blanket. It was Grandma’s. I want it hung up there. Ma, you gotta understand that it’s my house now.” Your arms were crossed due to the cold. You had the day off and tried to spend it well as you did your cleansing spell in the morning, but it seems that it wasn’t very effective seeing as your mother came in and immediately started nitpicking everything.

“It was cute in your room when you were a kid. But you’re 26 now. How would your boyfriend feel if he walked in here and thought ‘oh, didn’t know I was dating a 16 year old.’” Her constant criticism was nearly pushing you to the edge. “Ma, I don’t really want to argue with you tonight so I’m just going to bed-” a doorbell rang throughout the house and you were thanking whoever was listening for giving you a reason to walk away from your mother. 

As soon as you opened the door, you were met with another face that you weren’t exactly excited to see. “Can I help you?” you repeated Draco’s words from last night back at him in a spiteful tone.

Through gritted teeth, he looked at you and said, “I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for being an arse yesterday. I hope we can look past it and become well-acquainted neighbors.”

“Huh, you’re sorry? You don’t really sound it.”

“I know, I’m not really used to doing this,” Draco quipped. “But nonetheless, I would still like to apologize.”

“Yeah, whatever, I’m sorry too.” You were about to close the door until your mother came up and pushed the door completely open, “Honey, who’s at the door- oh! Hello, I’m Y/M/N. And you are?” She looked at Draco with the nicest smile that you had ever seen on her.

“Hello, My name’s Draco. Nice to meet you,” he awkwardly shook your mother’s hand. He didn’t smile, but he also didn’t have the usual scowl on his face when he would look at you. Guess he does have manners. “Y/N, is this a friend of yours?” your mother insinuated with a less than discreet wink. Without missing a beat, you replied, “No. Ma, this is my new neighbor. I just met him. But it’s late, so nice meeting you Draco. See you around.” And you closed the door.

“That was rude, Y/N. You should have invited him in. He’s very cute,” your mother grabbed her bags and headed into the guest room. From a distance, you could hear your mother speak to herself, saying ‘At least this room looks normal’. “It’s kinda late. Besides, we have all the time in the world to talk.” 

You walked to your small closet and grabbed the special bath salts for stress relief and walked to your bathroom. Starting to strip, your mother barged in. “Ma! Privacy, please!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Y/N. I gave birth to you. Anyways, how long has it been since he moved in? Do you think he knows about your witchy stuff?” She asked as she stood by the door, checking her reflection as you continued to undress for your bath. “I don’t really hold a sign around my neck that says I’m a Wiccan, Mother,” you said with closed eyes. Your mother said, “I hope not. Night, baby,” and closed the door.

This is going to be a long three weeks.

-

The morning came and you woke up before your alarm and did your daily routine. The only difference was that your mother was going through your pantry looking for ingredients to make breakfast. “Morning, honey. Do you want some pancakes? I’ll make your favorites! It’s still blueberry, right?”

“No, that was Y/B/N. Mine are chocolate chip and peanut butter.” You said flatly as you grabbed your watering can. “Oh that’s right. But I already bought the blueberries.”

“That’s fine, they still taste good.” Your mother was satisfied with your response and started right away. You walked out to your front yard and watered your plants along the fence. The betony plants were beautiful, its sight was calming your nerves as you poured water over them. The sound of a door closing caused you to look up, watching Draco as he was standing in his yard with what seemed like a cigarette attached to his lips before he took it out and placed it onto an ashtray that was on his porch.

He walked over to the fence that separated your yards. The smell of the cigarette was in the air and it reminded you of your late father. “I meant it last night,” he mentioned his apology. You didn’t really know what to say so you just nodded and went back to watering your plants.

“But if I recall, you did start that fight,” he chuckled. You glared up at him for a few seconds before returning to your task. “Alright, I guess I’m sorry too.” Draco scoffed and just whispered ‘Whatever’ and walked away. “Wait,” you called for him before he walked back into his house and luckily, he stopped. “I’m sorry,” you said with sincerity. “Can we just start over?”

He stared at you, visibly contemplating your question then finally said, “Sure.” He walked into his house and you stood shocked in your yard. Your mother walked out and announced to you, “Honey! Breakfast is ready! Come on, I think your plants are watered enough.” With the snap of your screen door, you were released from your daze and walked inside. Maybe this week is turning around after all.

-

Draco sat in his room, not exactly sure what exactly happened. Was he really going to try and become friends with a muggle? He could imagine the look on his fathers face. Just because he had lost in the Battle, didn’t mean that he magically accepted muggles and muggle-borns. Narcissa didn’t like them much either but she also didn’t hate them as Lucius did.

This would shock not only his parents, but also his friends, Blaise and Theo. Merlin, the person that would probably have a field day about this would be Hermione Granger. He sat there, imagining Granger either laughing at him or cursing him after all the bullying he put her through. All those years of calling her a mudblood and he becomes friends with a muggle. A No-Maj. A Wiccan No-Maj. But then he thought about what Ian said at work. Y/N is really nice. Weird, but nice. And when he agreed to having a fresh start with you, he figured that it would give you a chance to prove him wrong about what you were like.

Or she could be exactly what I always thought muggles to be. Foolish.

—

next chp

(っ◔◡◔)っtaglist: @beiahadid @malfoy-styles-wife @fivenightslaughter @juneballoon999 @leydileyla @fangirlanotherjust @originalsoulcollector @opiomancy @lipstickandloveletters

#draco malfoy #draco malfoy au #draco malfoy angst #draco malfoy fluff #draco malfoy smut #draco malfoy fic #draco malfoy fanfiction #draco malfoy series #draco malfoy x muggle!reader #draco malfoy x female reader #draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy x y/n #draco malfoy x you #draco x you #draco x y/n #draco x muggle!reader

[miss-tc-nova]

Five More Minutes - Eraqus x Reader

Hey, you guys remember the Five More Minutes - Brain x Reader story? Well thanks to a CERTAIN SOMEONE, the character for the prompt changed from Eraqus to Brain because Nova is a petty bitch. 

And AT LEAST ONE OF YOU UNDERSTANDS THAT! THANK YOU!

However, I’ve been thinking about this WIP for a while and I put myself out there, so I’ll kinda forgive ffm-non’s heinous crime for now and post Five More Minutes with Eraqus. 

Music Inspiration: Hikari (Godson Remix) by Hikaru Utada

~~~~~

              Rushing through the streets of Scala, I bob and weave between unsuspecting citizens on my way to the theater. Today’s the day—hopefully. I’ve spent the last week trying to get a ticket for this show but it’s been sold out every day. Both my saving grace and the bane of my existence is that they aren’t pre-selling tickets, so it’s first come first serve for who gets to see the show.

              I’m heaving like I just ran halfway across the city—because I did—but I finally make it to the theater. Unlike the last few days, I find myself in luck at the sight of the relatively short line. With excitement bubbling in my chest, I race to join the queue.

              Just as I reach the line, something jumps in my way. I garner the embarrassing attention of several people in the vicinity as I topple to the ground, taking the obstacle down with me.

              Hastily, I pull my face from the white fabric.

              “Oh gods! I’m so sorry!” I say, scrambling my feet and taking the strangers hand to pull him up. “Are you okay?! Did I hurt you?!”

              Suddenly, I hear my name and finally get a look at the young man I’d practically tackled. I know him. While my family does not follow the noble keyblade warrior tradition like his, our magic has been revered so our families have been amicable for years. At least once or twice our year, our families get together for dinner and we almost always see each other at events for the more affluent people in the city.

              “Eraqus?”

              A beaming smile crosses his lips. “Hey! What’s up!”

              Heat surges into my ears. While I’ve been forced to be within proximity of this boy for years, I’ve never been caught alone with him before. He’s certainly cute and, while our parents may not think so, I find him kind of funny. Still, while I kind of know him, because of our families’ differences we’ve never actually been friends.

              “Uh, not much. I was just trying to get in line for tonight’s show. But seriously, I didn’t see you. Are you okay?”

              This kid’s laugh stirs something in my chest.

              “Yeah, I’m good. My friends hit me harder than that in training.”

              The sheer happiness rolling off him is distracting. “I…I don’t think that’s a good thing.”

              “Nah, it’s alright; we make each other stronger.” His eyes glance away. “So, I guess you wanted to see this show too?” An arm gestures to the moving line that we scoot along with.

              “Yeah. I’ve been trying to see it the last few days, but it’s been sold out. What about you? I wouldn’t have guessed theater to be something you enjoy?”

              He folds his arms. “Mmm, I like some of them, but my friends really wanted to see this one.”

              I take a moment to take in our surroundings. “Um, what friends?”

              His cheer is bright and captivating, but even the defeated frown it morphs into is somehow endearing.

              “Nobody wanted to come early to wait in line, but we probably wouldn’t get tickets if we came on time.”

              I nod, understanding the dilemma.

              “So Bragi suggested rock-paper-scissor.”

              Now it all makes sense. “And you lost, so now you’re here to buy tickets for everyone.”

              “Yeah…” His pouting is so cute.

              A small giggle escapes me. “So it’s sheer coincidence I happen to literally run into you today?”

              That smile’s back. “Or! We could call it luck.”

              “I would assume bad luck; you lost a game of chance and I literally ran into you.”

              “Details.��

              And so we keep each other company. The more I talk to the boy, the more I can confirm how fucking adorable he is. His smile is infectious and I find myself hanging on every word, no matter how wild the tale is. I can barely even drag my gaze away long enough to take a few steps before I’m staring at his beautiful face again. Before long, I can already tell I’m head over heels for him. Even after tickets are purchased, we find a bench nearby to continue our chat.

              It only ends when someone calls his name. There’s a small herd of people making their way closer.

              Getting to his feet, Eraqus greets his friends. “Hey guys, what’re you doin’ here early?”

              “Early?” snorts the girl with silver hair. “The show starts in twenty minutes.” Her golden eyes catch sight of me. “Who’s this?”

              I wave to Baldr and Hermod, both of whom I know from similar family social events. They do the honor of introducing me to the gaggle, which is both a bit lighthearted and overwhelming. They seem like a great group of friends to have, despite their differences.

              “It was good to see you again,” Hermod says, leading the mass towards the entrance. “But we’d better take our seats before the show starts.”

              “You got the tickets, right Eraqus?” Xehanort asks.

              “Right here.” He pushes all but one into his friend’s hand before turning to me. “Which seat are you in?”

              I look at my stub. “E7.” The look on his face is disappointment. “Where are you at?”

              “N24,” he mutters. That’s literally on the other side of the theater from where I am and I find myself similarly disappointed with the arrangement.

              “Guess I’ll have to get your opinions on the show some other time,” I say, trying to make the blow a little softer.

              Our eyes meet and I feel myself being drawn in.

              “Maybe we could meet up at that little café around the corner?” he asks.

              “The one with the fancy s’mores?”

              “Yeah! That one!”

              Eraqus detours the conversation with a tale about the time he and went there with his friends and one of them ended up spilling a drink on everyone—pretty sure it was Eraqus by the way he kept switching names. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but laugh.

              “Eraqus, the show’s about to start!” I don’t even know which one it was that yelled at him.

              “’Kay! Just gimme five more minutes!”

              Excited chitchat continues, following tangent after tangent and never with a lull. I could continue on like this for ages, happy to spend hours in his presence, enamored by the boy I never really knew.

              I drag my hands down my face. “And then, because I stupidly thought things couldn’t get any worse, I tried to use a fire spell to dry him off and set him on fire.”

              Eraqus is laughing so hard he’s crying. “Wait wait wait! I remember Hermod came to school with a huge hole in his jacket! Was that you?!” I nod in sheepish shame. “Oh my gods! We thought he got mugged or something! He wouldn’t tell us what happened!”

              “Every time our families get together, our parents won’t let us live it down. Mine won’t even let me join them anymore without asking me to ‘please not light their colleague’s kids on fire.’”

              “And here I thought you were the smart, cool type,” he teases.

              “As much as I’d love to be, I’m actually a total mess.”

              “That’s okay; I am too.”

              “Oh really? I always thought you were laid back and easy going. With our families’ prestige, I was always kind of jealous of how calm you are about everything.”

              “Then you have clearly never seen me wake up late for class.”

              The laughing between us dies down, but before I can make another comment, I realize that he’s watching me. This isn’t watching like two people waiting for cues in a conversation, but watching as if he’s looking for something very specific.

              Beneath his scrutiny, my brain starts to malfunction, causing my ability to speak to take a hit. “Um, I…I’m pretty sure anyone would…would panic if they woke up late for class.”

              “I guess.” The softness suddenly introduced into his voice feels like an arrow through the heart. “But it’s probably not the same when it’s a weekly occurrence.”

              Is he leaning in?

              “No…I guess not…”

              He is—he is very much leaning in.

              “Eraqus.” I can’t even speak above a whisper.

              “Hmm?”

              My heart is pounding in my ears, trying desperately to drown out my thoughts.

              “I think our show’s started,” I breathe.

              “Five more minutes,” he murmurs against my lips.

              Not a single protest is heard from me. No, I’m too preoccupied with electricity coursing through my veins. For a moment, Eraqus leads the way, soft and slow, likely assessing my shock. Honestly, I’m not entirely sure what my reaction should be, but my body tells me to just see where this goes. And with each passing second, I’m falling down the rabbit hole with him.

              The world suddenly jars to when the source of my euphoria breaks away. His brows pinch together, concern written across his face.

              “I’m sorry,” he mutters, his voice wracked with uncertainty. “I thought—”

              Without asking my head for permission, my hands snag his haori.

              “Five more minutes,” I say softy.

              Our lips connect again and, though I’m prepared for the jolt, I still feel the weight of the world disappear around us. This time, I lead, hoping my confidence sends the right idea to the young man. I think he gets it, happily matching my every move. His little sighs cause my stomach to squirm, making self-control difficult. But there will be plenty of time for the rest later, for now, I want to take my time and get a grasp on how his lips feel against mine.

              I pull away, using a deep breath the calm my racing heart and ground me back in reality. Eraqus, too, breathes a little heavier, and yet he continues watching me as if he’s still fully enraptured. That look is hypnotizing, subtly—easily—luring me in again.

              That quickly goes out the window.

              “Eraqus!”

              Flinching, he whirls back, where his entire group of friends is standing with mixed expression. My blood freezes.

              “What?!” he shouts back.

              “Are you comin’ back to the dorms with us or not?” Urd demands.

              My eyes dart to the sky. It was dark when the show started, but the moon sat higher among the stars than it had moments ago—or what I thought was only moments ago.

              Eraqus’s gaze flips back and forth between me and them. “Did…Did we miss the whole show?!”

              “Yes, you dingus!”

              Hermod gives a soft smile. “C’mon guys, give him a break.”

              The red-head, Bragi, snickers. “Yeah, the kid’s only been dreaming of this moment his whole life.”

              My mouth falls open but I can just see Eraqus’s face burning brightly.

              “BRAGI!”

              “Oops.” The offender grins unabashedly. “My bad.”

              Xehanort folds his arms, smirking. “Ooooh, so this is that cute little mage he’s been crushing on.”

              “You mean that one he always talks about after he visits his family?” Her tone is full of innocence, but the grin on the little blonde’s face is pure evil.

              Oh my gods, I might implode.

              “YOU GUYS!”

              “What was it he said last time?” Urd asks, also basking in Eraqus’s flustering.

              Baldr answers, “I believe it was something along the lines of ‘I would give up naps for an entire year if the gods would just let me have a single—‘”

              “I’LL DO EVERYONE’S HOMEWORK FOR A MONTH IF YOU JUST GO AWAY!” Eraqus yells, waving his arms as if he might fly away from this mess.

              Hermod begins ushering everyone away. “Seriously, guys, let’s go.”

              “Wait! I don’t want him doing my homework!” Bragi protests. “He’s failing like half our classes!”

              Glancing back with one last devious look, Xehanort responds, “Let him have his moment; we’ll just make him do something else later.” The expression softens when he gives me a genuine wink.

              Finally, after instigating all the butterflies in my stomach to the point I might vomit sparkles, they leave. We sit in suffocating silence for an awkward moment. Then, one of the butterflies must’ve escaped into my brain when I suddenly crack a laugh.

              “An entire year without naps, huh?”

              Still cherry red, he looks at me, mortified.

              His floundering gives me the bit of confidence I need to close the gap once again. “And what was it you so desperately begged the gods for?”

              Eraqus’s back meets the wall, but he still puts on a smile, even if it is bashful. “Let’s just say I’ve already lost my napping privileges for the year.”

              “Yeah? So if the gods were to grace you a second time, would that be two years without naps?”

              His nerves seem to melt and those stunning gray eyes glitter in the moon as he watches me. “You gonna stick around and find out?”

              “How long were you thinking?” I slip my arms around his neck, unable to stop myself from twirling a strand of ebony hair between my fingers.

              “Oh at least five more minutes.”

              “Just five?”

              He feigns mulling it over in head. “And maybe five more after that.”

#Eraqus #Young Eraqus #eraqus x reader #young eraqus x reader #gender neutral reader #influence my story #fmm-non

[blu-joons]

BTS Reaction: The Boys Meet Your Baby For The First Time

Jin:

The hospital door was pushed open, the two of you looked over as the six boys crept into the suite, Namjoon at the front, telling them all to be quiet. “Are we alright to come in?”

“Of course,” you smiled, watching them all stand around your bed, looking down at the baby girl in your arms.

Their smiles all grew, passing Jin the presents they’d bought, “she’s so cute, how have you both managed to make such a beautiful baby?” Jimin asked.

“She’s definitely got Y/N’s genes,” Jin chuckled, running his hand over the top of her head, “I’ve noticed she’s got my eyes though, so that’s one good thing.”

“Can you believe your parents?” Taehyung questioned.

Both of you shook your heads giggling at each other, “it will feel real in a few days, but right now it just feels like a bit of a dream.”

“I’m just feeling like a very lucky guy right now,” he chuckled, pressing a kiss to the top of your head, “I’ve got my two favourite girls- “

“-and six favourite guys!”

“Yes, Hobi, I’ve got everything I need.”

Yoongi:

You pulled up outside your home, erupting into laughter when you saw the boys all stood around your home, decorated with blue balloons and banners. “Welcome home Y/S/N!”

“You guys are crazy,” you chuckled, grabbing the carrier out of the car, walking to the front door where the boys waited.

They were all racing to get the first glimpse of your boy. “He’s so adorable and small, I’ve never seen such a small human before,” Jin chuckled, looking at you.

“I can’t believe that small baby came from your bump,” Hobi exclaimed, earning himself a light hit on the arm from Jungkook. “What? I didn’t do anything.”

“Ignore him, how are you feeling Y/N?” Jungkook asked you.

You nodded, standing back so Yoongi could let everyone in. “I’m getting there, still a bit tired and sore, but he was most definitely worth it all.”

“We’re here now to help take the weight off your feet,” Namjoon smiled, “I bet the two of you haven’t stopped since he was born.”

“We really don’t mind.”

“His uncles are here for him now.”

Hoseok:

He walked back into the room; the boys all followed behind having just arrived at the hospital. “Peace is shattered,” he teased as they piled in to see the two of you.

“It’s a girl,” Jimin cooed, covering his mouth with her hands, “I can’t believe how gorgeous she is guys, congratulations.”

Hobi took her from you, cradling her closely. “So, which of you is going to be the first to hold her?” He asked them, watching their eyes all light up.

“We should go in age,” Jin smugly suggested, holding his arms out, “which by sheer coincidence makes me the lucky one who gets to hold her first.”

“I don’t want to be last,” Jungkook groaned, folding his arms.

You giggled, shaking your head, “she’s not going anywhere Kook, you’ve got years of cuddles to get out of her yet, you’ll tire of her soon.”

“Absolutely no way,” he assured you, “I’m going to try and be her favourite uncle, even if I’ve got these losers for competition.”

“I’ll be her favourite actually.”

“Now look what you’ve gone and started Kook.”

Namjoon:

The door opened, the boys tumbled into the room as they did so, their arms were filled with gifts for the two of you and your son. “Now, we hope this isn’t too much for you all.”

“What did you?” Cards, balloons, teddies and chocolates filled the room as the boys all proudly stared at you both.

You were completely overwhelmed as you looked around the room, “we wanted to give you guys some things to celebrate Y/S/N’s birth.”

“You boys didn’t have to do all of this for us, what are we going to do with it all?” Namjoon questioned, smiling appreciatively at them all.

“It’s not for you, its for Y/S/N,” Hobi scolded you.

You chuckled, grabbing one of the boxes of chocolates, “well it’s a shame our son can’t eat chocolate just yet, so I guess I’ll enjoy these instead.”

“And I’m the father, so I think I deserve chocolate too,” Namjoon giggled, reaching across the box to grab one for himself too.”

“What about introducing your son?”

“Oh, yeah, guys this is Y/S/N, your nephew.”

Jimin:

The boys were silent as they came into your suite, peering across the cot to get their first glimpse of your daughter who slept peacefully. “She’s been so excited to meet you all.”

“Y/N, she’s a day old, don’t lie to us,” Jin chuckled, shaking his head at you, “she has no idea who we are at all.”

Jimin chuckled, lifting your daughter out from the cot, “Uncle Jin thinks you’re stupid, that’s not very nice of him is it, you’re smart because you’re mine.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Namjoon added, “she’s your baby so I don’t think intelligence is her strong point, dancing maybe, she’ll nail that.”

“He’s already told me she’s going to be a dancer,” you told him.

Namjoon’s eyes rolled, whilst Jungkook nudged Jimin’s hips, “you can’t force her into being a dancer if she doesn’t want to, remember that.”

“I know, I’ve just been showing her a couple of moves, starting them early and all that,” he blushed, bouncing her up and down.”

“You’re going to stress her out.”

“She’ll be fine, and a super talented dancer too.”

Taehyung:

Your son was passed across to Taehyung, all the boys looked at him as he introduced him to them all. “Dare I ask who wants to be the first one to give him a cuddle?”

“His favourite uncle!” Jungkook shouted, stepping forwards, only for the rest of the boys to pull him straight back.

You chuckled, watching them all, “he won’t have a favourite uncle, he will love all of you the exact same, I will make sure of it.”

“But secretly I’ll be his favourite,” Jungkook teased, but you shook your head at him, “I know that he’ll like me best because I’m the cool one.”

“Is that what you think?” Namjoon asked with a frown.

Jungkook shoulders shrugged, looking to Tae. “Because of that I think Yoongi should hold him first, seeing as he’s not fighting for the top spot.”

“Ha!” He chuckled, taking him in his arms, “I’m the one who held him first, so I’ll be the first uncle that he liked.”

“Don’t you start Yoongi.”

“Don’t worry Y/N, I’m just the favourite that’s all.”

Jungkook:

A knock at the front door disturbed the three of you, Jungkook stood up to see who it was, smiling as the boys all greeted him. “They’re in the living room, but please be quiet when you go in.”

“Hey guys,” you smiled, watching their faces light up when they saw your daughter laid on the play mat she had.

They all sat around her, but kept a small distance, “she’s so tiny and adorable, and you’ve put her in a little bunny outfit too, I bet Jungkook loves that.”

“He was the one that bought it,” you chuckled, “he hates when she wears anything else, he’s become very protective already over her.”

“He’s been so excited,” Yoongi told you.

You smiled, as her eyes opened, looking around at them all. “Hi gorgeous girl, we’re your uncles, aren’t you such a beauty,” Taehyung cooed.

“I hope you boys haven’t been disrupting her,” Jungkook scolded as he walked into the room, “I knew you guys would be trouble when you arrived.”

“We didn’t do anything.”

“They’re fine as they are, I promise Kook.”

---

Masterlist

#bts #bts imagine #bts reaction #bts scenario #bts reactions #bts scenarios #jin imagine #yoongi imagine #hoseok imagine #namjoon imagine #jimin imagine #taehyung imagine #jungkook imagine #jin #yoongi #hoseok #namjoon #jimin #taehyung #jungkook #bangtan #bangtan sonyeondan #kpop #kpop reaction

[shera-dnd]

New chapter is up (on time this time) and things start getting a little gay

alternative title for this chapter was I Name Thee Simp, but I feel like that applies better to the chapter I’m currently writing

as usual, AO3 link above and read more link bello. Hope y’all enjoy the read.

There was something different to Weiss. Even fully armored as she was, it was easy to tell that something had changed in the way she held herself. The way she shadowed Ilia through the festival grounds. For the past couple of days it was if the cloud of resignation that hung over Weiss’s mood had slowly dissipated and was promptly replaced by… something else.

Perhaps her little chats with Belladonna had been improving her mood. The two of them seemed to be getting along far more amicably since Weiss’s little promise. Ilia on the other hand made no effort to hide how bitter she was that her former companion now found such easy company with a human. That she would choose a human over Ilia.

No. It didn’t matter what had happened to the Schnee and it didn’t matter who Belladonna chose to associate with. She was here to enjoy herself, and as long as those fools stuck to their part of the deal, she would not waste precious thought on them.

So she shook those thoughts away and moved on with her day. She would simply focus on enjoying her time at the festival and not worry herself with this. There were so many people to meet, food to eat, stories to listen to, and she simply had no time to waste on those things.

Not when she could just enjoy her day.

“Hey!” An angry voice called and Ilia did her best to ignore it, “stop right there!”

Ilia sighed and turned to face the shouting man. It was some stuck up little lordling, old enough to understand he had power, but not enough to use it with any sense. Two men in full knight’s regalia flanked him on each side, all three of them wearing heraldry of House Marigold.

“Lord Marigold, it is an honor to make your acquaintance,” Ilia greeted with false joy.

“I’m sure it is,” he replied and Ilia weighed the pros and cons of making this man disappear, “you responsible for this man’s actions?”

He gestured rudely towards Weiss, who didn’t even give the courtesy to look back at him. Good.

“They are my bodyguard,” she informed him, “though what they do with their free time is none of my business.”

“Well it’s certainly my business,” he countered, “your bodyguard is a cheat and a liar!”

Ilia glanced at Weiss to see how she would react to have her honor questioned like that. The woman seemed utterly unamused, as if the Marigold boy was just a particularly loud bug.

“And why is it you make these accusations?” She asked, feigning ignorance.

“Have you not watched the tournament?” He asked, “no faceless mercenary could face the best House Marigold has to offer and emerge victorious were they not a lying cheat!”

“If those bumbling oafs are the best your house has to offer, perhaps you would have had better luck hiring lying cheats,” she offered, with the same polite smile she had kept throughout this conversation.

To that the knights that flanked him stirred. Both stepped forward standing annoyingly close to Weiss and Ilia. She couldn’t help but be aware of how much iron was being carried around her.

“What did you just call us?” The knight asked and Ilia immediately recognized him. His loud and obnoxious voice was unmistakable.

“Bumbling oaf,” she repeated, “or do you have a better term for someone who got so thoroughly humiliated, they chose to lie to their lord over admitting defeat?”

“Listen here,” the Marigold boy interjected, “I will not have my men’s honesty questioned by some southern whor--”

Weiss’s blade was at his neck before the last sound could escape his mouth. Both of his men looked baffled, fully aware that had Ilia wished so, their lord would have died before they could draw their weapons. It was intensely satisfying, even if it was probably the last thing Ilia would get to see before being executed.

“What is the meaning of this?” A familiar voice called.

From behind his two knights approached Belladonna, accompanied by Lady Polendina. The two men seemed relieved to see their fellow knights. They were certainly in for a terrible surprise.

“Ah, it is good to see you here, Lady Polendina,” the Marigold boy greeted, though he hesitated to move from his position, “now please arrest this woman. She has sicced her bodyguard on me like a hound.”

Penny seemed to ignore his words as she recognized the people threatening to murder him.

“Salutations, Lady Ilia,” she greeted, as brightly as ever, “how have you been enjoying the festival?”

“It’s been wonderful, Lady Polendina” Ilia greeted, leaving the men utterly confused, “though some of the attendants can be a bit overbearing at times.”

“I see our companion hasn’t taken kindly to their behavior,” Belladonna commented, nodding towards Weiss’s unmoving blade.

“What!?” The Marigold’s voice cracked as he turned ever so slightly to look at who he assumed would be his backup, “they have drawn on a Lord of Atlas, they should be arrested, and executed.”

“Oh? Has your father passed away?” Penny asked, with seemingly genuine worry, “my condolences.”

“What? No,” he replied, confused, “my father is well.”

“Oh, then they haven’t drawn on a Lord of Atlas,” she said, matter of factly,  “though they’d need good reason to be threatening one of its citizens.”

“My bodyguard may have gotten a little overzealous,” Ilia explained, “but they only intended to defend my honor.”

“A little overzealous!?” the Marigold exclaimed.

“You did call me a ‘southern whore’ in front of them,” she replied. Weiss’s grip on the sword tightened as the insult was repeated.

“Lord Henry Marigold!” Lady Polendina began, “this festival is about celebrating peace with the nations of Remnant! You will not embarrass our kingdom by acting like this!”

“She was the one defending the honorless cheat who humiliated my men!”

“I fought them myself in that tournament, and I can assure you they fought with the honor and skill befit of a knight,” Belladonna countered.

“Me and your good father will be having a conversation about this later,” Penny threatened, “now be gone.”

With that all three of the men ran back from whence they came, leaving behind the three knights, and a very stunned Ilia.

Penny giggled as she watched them run, “my apologies. I believe Lady Schnee might have rubbed off on me more than I expected.”

“No need to apologize,” Ilia assured her, “I’m grateful you showed up when you did.”

“What a lovely coincidence that me and Lady Blake were passing by,” Penny beamed as bright as the sun, “we were on our way to get ourselves some food, in fact. Would you two like to join us?”

“Of course they would,” Belladonna answered, “trust me on this. You do not know good food until you’ve had fish prepared by a mistrali chef.”

Ilia had no doubts as to why Belladonna was so fond of that fish dish, but she couldn’t exactly say that out loud, instead what she did say was, “very well. At least let me pay for your meals to repay you for this. I insist.”

It took her a while, but they eventually accepted her generosity. She hadn’t stolen all this money not to spend it, and it genuinely was the least she could do.

As they began making their way through the crowd, Weiss tapped on Ilia’s shoulder - making sure to only touch the dress so as to not accidentally burn her - to ask her to stay a little further behind so they could talk.

“Are you well?” She whispered.

“I certainly almost wasn’t,” she hissed, “what was that about?”

Weiss seemed to think for a moment, as if even she wasn’t sure what her burst of violence was about.

“I would be no knight, were I to let my lady’s name be insulted like that,” was her eventual answer.

It was...sweet. Impossibly stupid, and barely a good excuse for putting them at risk like that, but it was sweet. It had been far too long since anyone stood up for Ilia, even if this time it was out of some misguided sense of duty.

As detestable as she found the idea, Ilia couldn’t help but feel like she owed the Schnee some kindness after all that.

“You’re a fool,” she declared, sure that Weiss was ready to leave it at that, but Ilia wasn’t quite done, “but I’m grateful.”

She took off the shawl she wore over her dress and handed it over to her companion, her magic weaving itself into it like an extra layer of unseen cloth.

“Take it,” she commanded and her knight did as ordered, “I put a glamour on it. As long as you hold it your face, and voice, will be that of an ordinary woman, and no human will know your true nature.”

Weiss gently draped it over her shoulders, her hands slowly reached for her helmet, hesitated for a moment. Ilia knew she was asking for a lot of trust from the Schnee, but her words were true, and her gift genuine, if bedrudging.

Eventually Weiss chose to trust her and carefully took off her helmet. To everyone else she was just another plain face in the crowd, a nondescript woman who no one would look twice at. But Ilia could see through her own handiwork with ease.

The woman may not have looked any different, but her expression held far more emotion than Ilia had ever seen it hold before. Not even her first bout of rage matched the sheer gratefulness in those eyes.

“Thank you,” she whispered back, before returning to march behind their companions.

Ilia blinked a few times as she stared after her, not fully understanding what had just happened.

Gods, that Schnee was one strange woman.

#rwby #prismatic ponytails #weiss schnee #ilia amitola #blake belladonna #penny polendina #medieval au #fanfic

[incorrect-homestuck-quotes-honk]

To whoever asked for my au I love you but I tried to answer the ask three times and it didn't work :(.

BUT ANYWAY here it is!!

Dog city au!

Vriska's newly released from prison on charges of attempted murder via almost running aradia with her ex's car while drunk. aradia got out of it unscathed except for a fractured arm, she didn't want to press charges but her mother definitely did. upon vriska's release terezi is now her angry patrol officer. Which is a funny coincidence because they used to be friends in highschool before vriska dropped out. Shes still holding a grudge though since those days were less than pleasant. one wrong move and vriska goes straight back to jail

eridan is a successful news anchor despite not even applying for college. mostly because his father is the head of the news channel. karkat's been trying really hard to get a scholar ship because there's no way he'd afford it otherwise and he couldn't get it for having an average gpa. he'd stuck around his uncle's business establishment for a while but the pay wasn't enough to aid his plans of moving out from his parent's house. that is until eridan managed to get karkat a job as a camera man.

Karkat eventually got promoted to outdoor anchor after the last one broke his leg though awful fucktastic weather. The same awful weather he's going to have to deal with on a daily basis.

sollux couldn't go to college because he was in a psychward for his mental health, his brother's hospitalizion hit him pretty hard.

After he was let go he was advised to get a day job since he's got nothing going on and fuck being alone and having nothing to do. and he got a job as a children's party birthday clown, humiliating yes, but whatever. gamzee's an artist who works at an antique store and works part-time as a kid's facepainter because he loves it and thinks it's fun seeing kids happy and giddy. gam and Sollux both met at an elementary school's Easter party where they were hired and they hung out in the parking lot after it was over, with sollux complaining and Gamzee nodding with cake.

Aradia works with kurloz at funeral home! He's a mortician and she's the funeral director's assistant. They are besties. It's how she met feferi there accidentally when she was grieving to aradia about her aunt's passing under the false assumption that they were good friends when she was alive not knowing that aradia is just the funeral attendant. They got to know each other better over the course of the funeral arrangements and stayed pretty close friends.

Equius had to leave town to take care of his father because of an injury and he missed out on his SATs. They tried to reschedule the date so he can take the finals but shit just kept getting in the way. So he gave up and became a mechanic. Every other mechanic in the area would rip you off like hell so he got really good business because he of his reputation as blunt and honest despite his awkwardness.

Nepeta was vriska's friend back in jail on charges of vandalism and aggravated assault. She worked with equius after her release and she still sometimes bullies vriska in a not-so-friendly way.

Tavros is an elementary school teacher's assistant and gets bullied by tiny children with dave all the time.

Kanaya works at the antique store with gamzee. And she's always a bit pissy because of the blonde goth chic that keeps trying to bargain for miss Rosa's occult books despite her saying multiple times that they aren't for sale. Rose steals the books anyway and kanaya has to hunt her down like a wild animal through the city to get them back.

Jade works in an animal shelter that just so happens to be a front for the local mob. She doesn't care and wouldn't bat an eye as long as the dogs aren't hurt.

John is the most well-adjusted out of everyone and he actually goes to college and works a weekend job like a normal person. It's insane.

As for your other question!

Tavros and Gamzee used to be roommates. It was a small apartment before tavros moved out he decided to put all his yugioh merch in the bathroom because there wasn't anywhere else he could put it.and now that tav is in another apartment he just never came back for the yugioh stuff. Gamzee just has a yugioh bathroom forever now.

Whenever Sollux goes in he just bluescreens for 15 seconds from the sheer absurdity of the yugioh bathroom, he just blanks. It's why GZ thinks it's a good idea to let him go there whenever he's having a bitch fit.

The absolute violent waves of emotion the yugioh bathroom evokes in Sollux is like a factory resest.

It also has incense which is really nice.

#mod spade #not a quote #homestuck au

[haikyuuflufff]

“Cinderella”

pairing: Ushijima Wakatoshi x fem!reader

warnings/genre: fluff

summary: A random meet-cute with the Shiratorizawa ace.

You were always aware that the volleyball team of your high school was really good, but you never paid much attention to it. After all, you didn’t know much about the sport, and you were too focused on your school work to go to a game.

It was only by sheer coincidence that you met Ushijima that day. It was the start of you second year of high school at Shiratorizawa, and your math teacher had assigned you more homework than usual. So, you decided to go to the library to finish it all instead of going back to your dorm, where you always ended up getting distracted.

When you finally finished, you stretched your tired muscles and looked at the time. You realized you’d been there for the whole afternoon, so you gathered your things and left quickly. While walking back, you also realized that you hadn’t eaten or drunk anything, so you decided to stop by a vending machine.

The nearest one you could find was the one behind the gym. While you were deciding what to get, you heard the voices of a few people coming out of the gym, but you didn’t pay them any attention. It was only when you heard someone clearing their throat that you realized a tall, well built guy was standing behind you.

As your initial shock wore off you recognized him as Ushijima Wakatoshi, the ace of the volleyball team. You had never met him in person, but you’d seen his face in the posters plastered in the hallways. You blinked a few times before shaking your head a little.

“Y-yes?”, you stuttered.

“Are you going to buy something?”, he asked. His tone was neutral, to the point of almost sounding bored.

“Yeah, um, sorry”, you mumbled in a low voice and turned around quickly to buy a water bottle.

You grabbed the bottle from the machine and were about to leave, when you hear him calling for you again.

“You left your bag”, he stood while holding it with his hand.

His brown eyes stared at you, and you couldn’t help but blush. You weren’t used to talking to guys, you mostly kept to yourself and only had female friends. This particular conversation, although very short and ordinary, was very intimidating to you.

You bowed down slightly and muttered a quick thank you while avoiding eye contact. As you were grabbing your bag form his hands, you felt your fingers touch. Without thinking, you looked up to his face and saw that he was still staring at you. You were aware that you were staring at each other for a while, but it seemed that none of you could break eye contact.

“Wakatoshi!! Why are you taking so long? Aah, (Y/n)-chan!! What a surprise..”, he grinned. You turned your head to see Satori Tendou walking towards you. You knew Tendou because he was also in your class, but you two didn’t talk too much unless it was for group projects.

“H-hi, Tendou”, you did a little wave with your free hand. The other hand was still holding your bag and making contact with Ushijima’s. Wait, still?As you realized that your hands were still touching, you let go of the bag and it dropped to the ground.

“Shit- sorry”, you muttered as you quickly went on your knees and gathered your belongings from the floor. You saw that Ushijima also was trying to help you, but you grabbed everything you could in lightning speed and fled the scene in a matter of seconds without saying goodbye.

Ushijima was still on his knees on the ground, confused. Why did you run away so quickly? Was it something he said? He noticed that you also left a notebook behind, so he grabbed it and stood up while looking at it.

“Aah, (y/n)-chan forgot her little notebook while making her scape. How very cinderella of her..”, said Tendou in a sing-song voice.

“Yes”, Ushijima said simply. His mind was still replaying the scene from a few moments ago, wondering why you ran away.

“I would give it back to her myself as she’s in my class, but you see, I believe the prince should do the honors”, Tendou smiled and began walking away. Ushijima hummed and followed him silently.

-

The next day, you sat down on your desk before class and pulled out your things from your bag. It was then when you realized your notebook was gone. You started to panick and looked for it all over your bag and under the desk, but no, it wasn’t there. Shit! Is it back in my dorm? Or did I leave it at the library? Or behind the gym? You were about to run out of class and begin your hunt when you hear someone call your name.

“(Y/n)-Chan! Someone’s waiting for you outside..” Tendou said with a mischievous look as he went to his desk. You frowned and walked out of the classroom, wondering who could it be. Your face went instantly pale as you made eye contact for the second time in less than 24 hours with Ushijima. You both silently stared at each other for a few more second before he spoke.

“You forgot this yesterday”, he pulled out your notebook from his bag. The color went back to your face as relief courses through your body, and you feel your shoulders relax.

“Thank you! I thought I was going to have to look for this all over the school”, you sighed and gave him a sweet smile. Ushijima blinked a few times before regaining his usual blank expression. He simple nodded and you skipped back into the class. He stood there in the hallway alone for a few second before Tendou went out to join him.

“How was it, Wakatoshi-kun?”, asked Tendou as he put a hand on Ushijima’s shoulder.

“Her smile is pretty”, Ushijima said simply, making Tendou give an exaggerated gasp.

“My, my. Could it be, that little Wakatoshi-kun has a little crush on (y/n)-chan?”, beamed Tendou. Usually, Ushijima never expressed any interest on a girl, so this was a first.

“Yes, maybe”, Ushijima responded with a small smile on his lips.

#haikyuu!! #haikyū!! #ushijima hcs #ushijima wakatoshi #haikyuu ushijima #ushijima fic #ushijima drabble #ushijima imagine #ushijima fluff #ushijima x you #ushijima x y/n #ushijima x reader #ushijima wakatoshi x reader #ushijima wakatoshi x you #haikyuu fluff

[opiatemasses]

The Truth Behind the Exploitation of Pacific Island Rugby

Anyone who follows international rugby will know of the Pacific Islands and the excitement they bring to the game. The Pacific Islands comprise Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. Rugby is the national sport and heart of the islands’ communities, produce some of the world most talented athletes. More than a quarter of the players in the global game come from the Islands, and yet they have a combined population of only 1.5 million people (less than the population of West Yorkshire).

This clip is a personal favourite of mine, illustrating some amazing skill, I could watch this all day.

This shows the other side of the Pacific Island players, the sheer brute force they possess.

And yet the Islands are being exploited in direct contradiction to World Rugby’s values. I’d like you to keep these values in mind as we explore these issues.

Power Imbalance

This inequality underpins the other issues. The Pacific Islands along with tier two and three nations have limited influence over decisions made for the global game.

There are 10 nations in tier one, each receiving three votes making up 60% of the World Rugby Council. In contrast, tier two and three comprise 120 nations and are allocated nine votes between them, and make up 20% of the Council. The other 20% is made up by regions, representatives of the continents.

How can the global game grow and develop when decision-making is skewed in the interests of tier one nations, at the expense of the other 120 nations?

 A system where votes are shared more evenly would be more representative of the global game. In an interview, Ben Gosper (CEO of World Rugby) shut the proposition of Pacific Island nations achieving a three-vote status down swiftly; laughing he said - “I can’t see this happening while I am here”.

This dismissive attitude isn’t in the best interests of the global game and needs to change for the game to move forward and to give these nations a chance to thrive.

This table illustrates how votes are allocated. Notably Japan have recently gained two-vote status, representing an improvement in their ability as they challenge the tier one nations (who can forget that South Africa game). However, it has coincided with an increase in the amount of Pacific Island players in their team with 10 of their 30-man squad at RWC2019 being of Pacific Island heritage including captain and Japanese rugby hero, Michael Leach. World Rugby are rewarding Japan for ‘poaching’ these players.

Importing Pacific Island Players – Eligibility Rules

Pacific Island players have to move abroad to earn a living, not only at club level but often to play for a different nation with no return to their home nation because of the “one nation for life rule”.

Over 600 players with Pacific Island heritage play in the European leagues and more in the Super League, including some of the world’s best like Billy Vunipola and Ardie Savea. This is because there are no pathways for young talents in the islands, with limited funding and no professional teams. The financial draw is huge as players are expected to pay back into their Islands economy and help their family and village, so much so that overseas rugby players contribute about 20% of national GDP to the Islands. This is more than tourism, hospitality and agriculture combined contribute to the UK’s GDP.  

Is it ethical to be taking these players - some as young as 13 - having them sign contracts and move to another county with massively different cultures? (which could have negative effects on players wellbeing). With players moving at such a young age they are eligible to play for the nation they now reside. This is understandable as other nations pay considerably more. An England player is paid £25,000 per international match, whilst a Tongan player earns £80.

This causes problems for the Pacific Island teams. Not only do they lose the majority of their best players but even when tier one nations discard them they are unable to return to play. A prime example of this is Charles Piatau. He has Tongan heritage but played for New Zealand 17 times, however is now surplus to requirements. He has stated “I’d love nothing more than to be able to represent Tonga.” A player such as him beneficial for Tonga’s development.  

Image from Charles Piatau’s Twitter (@CPiutau)

There is an obvious fix to this situation.  This would be to amend the eligibility laws, which would allow players to return to their heritage nation after a sufficient ‘cool-off period’ (for example, two years), where they haven’t played for their tier one nation.

This potential solution is currently blocked by World Rugby and its Council. Ben Gosper claimed that the Council, rejected the idea. Why? One possible explanation is because the Council is made up of 60% tier one nations and allowing tier two nations to grow in ability is not in their best interest. This brings us back to protectionism and clear disregard of their own values of ‘respect and integrity’.

Unevenly distributed funds

The issue here is the share of revenue from international fixtures. Currently the home nation takes all of the revenue from tickets and match day earnings, which is ordinarily payed back with a reverse fixture. However, the Pacific Island teams have drawn sell-out crowds against the home nations 12 times and had the favour returned only twice in the past 10 years. This would bring more exposure to rugby on the islands, but is not viable. In 2016 Samoa hosted New Zealand and made a loss of $1 million; because the host nation has to pay for the flights of the visiting nation and Samoa’s stadia are too small and tickets are priced at $4 each to ensure locals can watch, and therefore cannot support the inherent costs.

If we take a look at England vs Fiji in 2016, the game sold out. There was a total of £34 million earned from the game, each England player received £22,000 whilst each Fijian player was paid £400. The rest was kept by the RFU and nothing was given to Fiji’s union. Fijian rugby gained nothing from this game in terms of development or growth, barring some exposure to high level rugby for their team and supporters.

I suggest profit sharing, where Pacific Island teams play tier one nations but take home a share of the profits they help generate. If a model was put in place to share the profits 80/20, losing this 20% wouldn’t have a significant effect on tier one nations but would have a hugely positive effect for the Pacific Islands, who could grow the game in their region become a stronger team and a greater competitor.

Corruption within the islands

These issues are all important, however the corruption, poor governance and leadership within the islands must be addressed before anything meaningful can change.

Due to the lack of external funding and income from home games, Pacific Island rugby relies on their government and public funding for up to 60% of their finances. This means that politics and politicians retain a tight hold on the sport.

In preparation for the 2011 RWC the Samoan public raised 6 million Samoan Tala (£1.8 million), to pay for the players wages, accommodation and equipment. However, the players were the lowest paid at the tournament (£1000 a week), their accommodation was poor. Captain Seilala Mapusua reported they turned up to training to find there were no balls.

Where did this money go? An independent audit of their finances found that it went missing at the hands of the Board members who took the money for themselves. Even more astonishing is that the Prime Minister of the country is one of the Board members (for more information read here or  watch here).

Arguably more shocking is the governance of the Fiji Union where the President is Frank Bainimarama, who is also the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Union is Francis Kean, Frank’s brother-in-law. This displays a corrupt path to power which more often than not leads to the wrong people running an organisation.

They were both involved in the coup of the Fijian government in 2000 and 2006. Francis Kean was also convicted of man slaughter in 2006 and served one week in jail before his bother-in-law released him, yet he remained the Chairman of Fiji Rugby and was even nominated for promotion to the World Rugby Executive Committee in early 2020. This nomination was withdrawn only after protests from players and fans, and he was stood down less than a month after his nomination, not on grounds of being a convicted killer but on homophobic allegations. World Rugby claimed they were unaware of his background. For more information on this click here

Image from Netani Talei’s Twitter (@NetaniTaleiE)

This governance leads to further issues for the players as many of them are scared to speak up and express their concerns; as C (former Fiji captain) said in an interview “Frank can make you fucking disappear”.

Politics runs deep in Fiji rugby, as Ben Ryan who led Fiji 7s team to an Olympic gold medal in 2016 said he would have the military come to the gym telling him what players to select and to not pick players because their parents weren’t supporting Franks political party.

Image from Ben Ryan’s Instagram (benryan7s)

These issues of governance need resolving, but if reform can’t come from within the Islands it must come from World Rugby. I suggest a programme from World Rugby to appoint specialist and leaders to the Pacific to, in the short-term aid in running their Unions and checking the finances but in the long run to train the next generation of leaders for the Union and set-in place the standards of governance that must be met, in order for them to start making progress on and off the field.  

What needs to be done?

There are 5 key actions:

We need to change the way we view these nations and give them a hand up to help them develop in the long-term instead of handouts to keep them afloat in the short-term.

World Rugby need to take responsibility for the governance of these nations.

World Rugby need to change their voting system and stop the blatant protectionism of tier one nations.

Pacific Island teams need to receive a fair share of revenue they help to generate.

A simple change to the eligibility laws, to give players freedom to play for their heritage nation.

Ask yourself, if you consider the RFU and WR values to be legitimate and worthy, why are they not being upheld in relation to the Pacific Islands?

Leave a comment below with your thoughts on this issue. I’d love to hear them.

What can you do to help?

Please share this blog post and help to spread awareness. 

Support Pacific Island Rugby Welfare– they are a charity that do great work in supporting Pacific Island rugby players and their families and are really the front line in battling these injustices.

Make sure to support their posts and petitions and stay up-to date on this issue by following them on twitter - @pacificwelfare.

Support them with whatever you can through Patreon.

I would also highly recommend you watch the documentary ‘Oceans Apart’ on Amazon Prime if you wish to educate yourself further on these issues. (Watch here).

There are links throughout the blog to articles which expand further on what we have covered here, so please read them and educate yourself further.

Remember to leave a comment and let me know your opinions on this issue.

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References

Kihl, L., Skinner, J., & Engelberg, T. (2016). Corruption in sport: understanding the complexity of corruption. European Sport Management Quarterly, 17(1), 1-5.

McDonald, B. (2014). Developing ‘Home-Grown’ Talent: Pacific Island Rugby Labour and the Victorian Rugby Union. The International Journal Of The History Of Sport, 31(11), 1332-1344.

Naha, S., & Hassan, D. (2017). Introduction: ethical concerns in sport governance. Sport In Society, 21(5), 721-723.