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xaibaugrove · 3 years

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Everyone in the Krew is Problematic

I was inspired to go on this rant by someone who recently brought up a question in a server I’m in, asking why so many people in the fandom seem to hate Mako and Makorra and why. This wouldn’t be the first time I defend Mako and it most likely won’t be the last, but it might be the first time I tear him and everyone else in the Krew down in the process, only to bring them back up. Hear me out though.

I think I’ve totally accepted that a lot of people in this fandom will always hate Mako and that I will have to perpetually defend him, I understand that this is the relationship I’ve chosen with this world. But what I still will never understand are the reasons why people hate/dislike him because compared to how much they love other characters in the Krew who honestly aren’t that much better than him (in some cases, even worse!), it doesn’t make any sense.

Let me also preface this by saying, I love these characters with all my heart and soul, probably more than I should love fictional characters, but this is the life I live and with that being said, I am going to tear them apart just to prove a point. Okay, here we go.

MAKO

Most of his detractors list the usual criticisms, which are valid when isolated. He cheated on Asami, he lied to Korra, he was a terrible boyfriend and essentially he treated the women he claimed to love or care about horribly. Gee, it’s almost like the man was a teenager with no experience in having long-lasting, healthy relationships and was raised in the streets by gangmembers while doing anything to survive and provide for his younger sibling after seeing his parents killed right in front of him and suddenly being orphaned…

I think Mako has been torn down enough, so I won’t get too deep into the tearing down part for him. It really does baffle me how someone can claim to be woke and not comprehend how someone coming from poverty could possibly be a product of their environment. Like, does everyone think that poor people automatically have hearts of gold and turn out like Little Orphan Annie? Why are people surprised that when someone has a shitty life, they might do shitty things?

Also, sooo many people love Zuko, who actively tried to cause harm to Aang, Katara and Sokka numerous times, and sympathize with his troubled past. But like, sure Zuko had an abusive father and his mother peaced out of his life for whatever reasons but at least he had his uncle. Mako had his parents for maybe 8 years before they were murdered in front of him and then had...no one for the next 10 years? Except for Bolin, sure, but no other parental figure in his life. Dude literally had to become him and his brother’s own parent and joined a gang to survive, and after all that, the worst he does is acts as a bad boyfriend toward Korra and Asami and he is instantly thrown to the wolves. Something doesn’t add up. It’s just...I don’t get it.

Yes, the way he treated people was bad, but people can grow? That’s a thing humans can do. And he was a teenager, my god. No, we cannot allow our past to be an excuse for how we treat others, but we have to be aware that there is a growth process to being human. And being human in and of itself, isn’t pretty. You think Mako is problematic? Don’t get me started on your fave.

KORRA

Ok, I love this woman to death but she is ridiculously problematic. She pursued someone in a relationship and essentially forced Mako to cheat on Asami by kissing him against his will, that’s already pretty awful and shows a lack of empathy on her part, also kissing people without their consent is no bueno. But also I just have to say it for the people who might not know this. One of the fundamental reasons why Makorra didn’t work was because KORRA WAS ABUSIVE. Okay? It wasn’t just that Mako was inadequate at relationships and didn’t know how to people, it wasn’t that she was secretly confused and wanting Asami the entire time (biphobia at it’s best) one of the main problems in the pairing was that Korra was crazy abusive towards Mako. Seriously, why don’t I see this more often in those discussions??

If we need examples, I have dozens. Honestly, it’s really easy to see how terrible Korra was to Mako, I’d actually argue that she treated him worse than he treated her. I mean, they were both terrible to one another, but in Korra’s case she went through the motions of being completely infatuated with your first teenage crush, getting with said crush, then crashing and burning once you realize that you have no idea how to treat a romantic partner so after the butterflies wear off you subject them to all the wonderful aspects of your anger issues. Not only did she scream at Mako during every argument they had, she also threatened him with bodily harm if she got really angry. Remember how their relationship crashed and burned in Book 2? Here are the things that Korra did during that time. Let me reiterate, this was not okay.

Mako is visibly shaken by this!

This woman burst into her boyfriend’s place of work and violently kicked his desk out from in front of him with all his coworkers present. That is not normal behavior. That is a red flag. And after she came back, had amnesia or whatever and forgot they broke up after that scene, let’s not forget that Mako was legitimately Afraid to break up with her again. Korra made her partner frightened that they might suffer bodily harm if they upset her. Again, and I can’t stress this enough, this is not okay!

The little scene in Book 3 when Korra is lifting Mako like 100 feet off the ground with airbending while he’s screaming in fear just to make Asami laugh is cute, right? I’ll admit, I loved that little moment too, it’s one of the only instances of Korrasami development that we got, but also, there were sooo many things wrong with that scene lol. Not only does Korra terrify Mako for literally no reason, it’s also sort of just her continuing to exercise some degree of power over him for her own amusement. Almost like a subtle reminder to him saying, “I am stronger than you in every way and I can break your femur like a twig if I wanted to… but I won’t, so look how much fun we’re having!”

Now of course, there are reasons why Korra acts like this. She was isolated for almost her entire life and never learned how to treat people and be around people. The Avatar is human because they must live amongst the people they protect and that helps them develop empathy and cherish life. The White Lotus deprived her of that fundamental aspect of her duty as the Avatar and it showed throughout the beginning of the series. Clearly, she was young, didn’t see how her actions could negatively affect others and hurt the feelings of not just her partner but also friends and family (she was really awful towards a lot of people in her life!). But as the series went on, we see her having less outbursts and learning to control her temper more.

One can only assume that she does not have the same behavior with Asami because for one, I don’t think Asami would play that shit, she seems like she would electrocute a bitch in a heartbeat and not hesitate if needed, but also Korra is not the same shitty partner she used to be as a teenager. Again, kids do stupid things. Adults do stupid things. And we learn and we grow. Korra will probably make some more mistakes in her relationship with Asami. I don't think anyone can have one bad relationship and suddenly learn all the lessons they can from it and have a perfect one the next go around. I can totally picture Korra losing her temper and raising her voice at Asami if she gets frustrated and forgets who she’s dealing with. Managing anger issues is hard, I know this from experience, and it doesn’t magically get easier. Of course, if Korra does pop off, Asami would definitely put her in her place because she’s a bad bitch who doesn’t take anyone’s shit, next character.

ASAMI

You know her, you love her, you fantasize about her and you probably have her on your list of fictional characters you would totally bang if you had the chance (I know I do), yes, even your best girl is problematic. It’s interesting to me that a lot of people sympathize with Asami and very few openly criticize her (so few that I’ve never seen anyone say a bad thing about her). What’s there to criticize though? The poor girl was cheated on by Mako, had her feelings disregarded by Korra, who claimed to be her friend but pursued her then-boyfriend behind her back and then made up for it by simping for her for the rest of her life? Also her mom was murdered when she was just 6 years old, her father threatened to kill her once and physically abused her, then died right after they started repairing their relationship, essentially making her an orphan at the ripe age of 22. Suffice it to say, Asami has been through it.

So, how could she be problematic, you ask? Why, of course, through the classic Bryke technique of romance progression in storylines called Kissing People Without Their Consent

To be honest, I did gloss over this with Korra, simply because there were sooo many other issues with that woman and I just couldn’t go through every single one in as much detail but that doesn’t negate how serious this whole sneak attack kissing thing is. Sure, Asami is very emotional and lonely and sort of desperate too, (it's a little sad, really) but Mako is clearly uncomfortable and completely caught off guard by the kiss. This is also the second time this happens to him in the series! There are a couple factors that might contribute to why Asami does this and acts this way, maybe Korra’s general awfulness rubbed off on her (don’t make a dirty joke) but this is still wrong.

AND that’s...pretty much it. Kissing people without their permission is a big no no, though. Not wanting to gloss over that, but Asami really is a good person who just did a not-so-great thing. Getting burned by Mako twice probably made her a little less inclined to be as forward with anyone though, and it looks like she now takes her time and is patient in her relationship with Korra. It even seems like Asami is the only person Korra is afraid to upset, as Korra does seem more gentle and calm when around her. And who knows? Maybe Asami living a life where a majority of the time she got whatever she wanted when she wanted it might have also influenced her to be more assertive or even imposing within her relationships.

If anything, those three fools getting into relationships with each other just showed how not ready they were to be in relationships in the first place and also how not okay they were.

BOLIN

Originally I titled this as “Everyone in the Krew is problematic (except Bolin)” but then I remembered that Bolin totally kissed a woman without her consent so I deleted the shit out of that!

This asshole looks genuinely pleased with himself after essentially assaulting Ginger. Not a good look.

Sure, Bolin is baby. He will always be baby to me. But that does not erase the fact that he also actively supported a fascist dictator. Not only was the kissing without consent thing bad, but there’s also that. No matter how many times people around him warned him about the fact that he was on the wrong side of things, that he was helping someone who was putting people into concentration camps...Bolin wanted to believe the best of Kuvira. He ignored obvious signs that the woman was a dictator committing human rights violations like crazy and you know, there’s gotta be a reason for that too.

Maybe Bolin wanted to feel like he was doing something good for once. When you think about it, with his role as the comic relief in the Krew, and sort of constantly being infantilized by his older brother, I wouldn’t be surprised if the man developed some insecurity in his ability to do anything good or useful for anyone without screwing it up in some way. In Kuvira’s army, it seemed like he was actually taken seriously, he felt like he was doing something that mattered. Korra had being the Avatar, Asami had her business and mindblowing philanthropy (honestly, her ability to be as charitable as she is profitable is insane) and Mako had his police work (ACAB, tho). Bolin had...the role of being a joke. A superficial actor. A former pro-bending meathead.

Bolin lived his entire life following after his brother that once they were adults and Mako finally decided to live his own life for once, it left Bolin completely lost. And lost young men are perfect recruits for fascists.

So, in conclusion, my whole reasoning behind destroying the integrity of my favorite characters is to prove a huge point. All of these characters are problematic. They have flaws, some bigger than others (looking at you, Korra. Just...wow), but ultimately, even if your fave is problematic... that’s okay. A lot of people, mostly younger people it seems, are really obsessed with being right about everything that they do and stan. And that’s a wonderful thing, so much change has come about by the younger generations calling out people who do fucked up shit, don’t want or try to improve, and get away with it. But it’s also caused a lot of people to be unforgiving and completely unwilling to acknowledge when people do improve and try to be better.

Personally, I love my problematic Krew because having issues that you’re constantly working on internally is human. It’s human to make mistakes, it’s human to grow from those mistakes. And it’s inspiring to me, who is wholly imperfect, to see myself reflected in fictional characters who aren’t perpetuating unrealistic ideals of human nature, characters who are messy, crazy and ultimately human.

As one of my favorite manga artists and queen of impeccable character creation Rumiko Takahashi once said:

“I think that perfect people are not very interesting.”

And I will always wholeheartedly agree.

#long post #rant #tlok #the legend of korra #korra #asami sato #mako #bolin #avatar: the legend of korra #back on my random bullshit i guess

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dogbearinggifts · 4 years

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What are your thoughts on tua S2? Did you feel like the characters grew? What did you like? What did you not? I’m interested in your perspective. Your analysis are super thoughtful and interesting!

Aw, thanks, Anon!

Overall, I really enjoyed S2 and thought it was a solid follow-up to S1. I do have my quibbles about it, so I think (for ease of reference and because my thoughts are a little scattered today) I’ll list some of my personal highlights (in no particular order) before getting into what I didn’t like as much.

Big spoilers ahead.

Allison. I thought they handled her storyline especially well. Of all the siblings, I think she had the most difficult obstacles placed in her way (not only is she a Black woman landing in 1961 Dallas, but she’s a Black woman landing in 1961 Dallas who can’t even speak in her own defense for a year) and they sugarcoated exactly none of it. The writers pulled no punches when showing what civil rights protesters went through, which just made their nonviolent response all the more breathtaking. Allison’s fear and anger during those scenes were palpable even as she kept them hidden. But along with that horror, we see the kindness and warmth of the Dallas Black community, the women who take her in simply because she needs their help, and her love for Ray, perhaps heretofore THE most thoughtful husband ever portrayed on screen. I loved him, and I loved him and Allison together. While I understand and respect his choice to stay in 1963, I wish they’d gotten more time together. They both deserved it.

Vanya. We got to see how much the baggage from her past affected her by glimpsing what she might be like if it were taken away. It’s an interesting philosophical question, and it was explored well, in my opinion. She finds it easier to love and be loved, and she stands up for herself more readily—but she also doesn’t hesitate to use powers she can’t quite control and threatens Five without fully realizing how dire her threat is (or how it might dredge up traumatic memories she doesn’t know exist). The moment where Ben finds her curled up, fully convinced she’s a monster, was heartbreaking. I loved watching her find happiness with Sissy, even if that was fleeting (and dear god, Sissy deserved her happy ending with Vanya, dammit, I don’t care if it would fuck up the timeline). Her patience and sweetness with Harlan were just beautiful. And the way she used the confidence she gained during her amnesia to fully come into her own not to exact revenge on her siblings, but to save them, was fucking phenomenal.

The humor. There was a lot more humor this season, and it was awesome. So many iconic scenes—Olga Foroga, Luther babysitting two homicidal Fives, Elliot awkwardly lecturing his guests on the history of Jello, “NEW TIMELINE NEW ME,” “Your vagina needs glasses,” AJ the fish gobbling up the cigarette bubbles, Five getting to say “fuck”….this season was a lot funnier than the previous one, and I think that was one of its strengths.

Klaus’ cult. It was played for laughs, which I both expected and thought was the best way to handle it. He didn’t want to start a new religion with himself at the center; he just wanted to not get thrown out of any more diners, but Destiny’s Children had other ideas. The “I too am a fraud!” scene was hilarious and tickled the question of whether or not a religion founded on false pretenses can still help those within it find meaning.

Luther. Getting him away from his dad, his siblings, and the Academy was exactly what he needed to become the pure of heart and dumb of ass genius we always knew he was, but his first major step in that direction was heartbreaking. We all knew he’d be rejected once he got to the Academy. We all knew Reginald would rip his heart out and stomp on it in his admittedly fashionable shoes. It gets Luther out on his own and forces him to become his own person apart from his dad, but that doesn’t make it any easier to watch. He got the positive character development he needed, but the catalyst was tragic.

Diego. We see, for the first time, exactly how Reginald kept him in line—not with meds or with PTSD-inducing torture, but with words. Even when he knows Diego as little more than a stranger, Reginald is able to rip off his skin and fling it in his face with a single diatribe; and even at 30, with years away from his dad, Diego is left unable to speak, feeling as if all of his accomplishments up to that point were the work of a dumb kid who thought he was smarter and more capable than he actually was.

Luther and Diego sharing a braincell. Luther has bad ideas. Diego has bad ideas. When they put their bad ideas together, they get terrible ideas. I loved watching them work together as a team, rather than being at each others’ throats for most of the season, even if I’m left hoping Olga Foroga had a pleasant and quiet day after that phone call.

Reginald. At first glance, it may look like the writers were trying to make him likable so they could parade him around as your average abusive-parent-with-a-soft-side. But it’s more nuanced than that. Abusive parents (and abusers in general) often fly under the radar because they fool outsiders into thinking they’re good people. They’re active in their communities. They give to charity. They have friends who attest to their virtue, significant others who think they’re the greatest. And that’s what we see with Reginald. We see him as the rest of the world did: an intelligent, eccentric man with a sharp sense of humor who cared deeply about scientific advancement. That’s how he evaded suspicion—because there were stories from years past of lively parties at his mansion, of what a gentleman he was to Grace and of how he did everything he could to save little Pogo. But those stories would all have come from people he considered his equals. When he’s with people he considers his inferiors—aka, the Umbrella kids—he’s openly condescending and demeaning. We get to see how he fooled the world, and it is chilling.

Elliot. He deserved better, and you can ship him with any one of the Hargreeves kids and get the cutest thing ever.

The Swedes. They said so much while speaking very little.

Ben. He got more personality and screen time, and it was glorious. His love of his family and resentment toward Klaus practically leapt off the screen. The way he says “I’ve missed you all…so much” once they’ve all left was one of those right-in-the-feels moments; and watching him get so much of what he’s wanted for years when he possesses Klaus was beautiful.

Now, as for things I took issue with….

Ben. I understand why they ended his arc the way they did. I get that they were probably afraid the Klaus/Ben dynamic would grow stale if they didn’t change it somehow and wanted to give him a larger role in S3. His death(???) was heartbreaking and extremely well-done. But it also wasn’t foreshadowed. We never got any sense of what ghosts in the TUA ‘verse are, so the fact they can be destroyed by a ton of sound-turned-energy or by going too far into someone’s psyche or whatever happened….it’s not that it doesn’t make sense so much as there’s not enough evidence to determine whether or not it makes sense. It feels like the writers just kinda made that up so they’d have a reason to change Ben’s relationship dynamics, but if that’s the case, couldn’t they have done it another way? Couldn’t they have made it so the immense energy or psychic woo-woo or whatever gave him a power-up instead of destroying him? Vanya transferred some of her energy into Harlan and brought him back to life. Couldn’t something similar have happened with Ben? And if it tied him to Vanya as well as to Klaus, great! More fodder for angst and humor! (”Vannyyyyyyyy, stop hogging Ben!” “You got him for 17 years, Klaus, you can part with him for 20 minutes.” “Guys, don’t I get a say in this?”) I’m glad they didn’t write him out of the series entirely, but I still wish they’d kept him and all the character development he’d gotten throughout S2.

Episode 10. It looks like they tried to cram half a season’s worth of developments into 45 minutes. Twenty minutes in, I’d already said “Wait what the fuck” half a dozen times. A lot of those moments were explained later on, and I was able to make enough inferences to fill in any lingering plot holes, but…still. Too much stuff, too little time. E9 was a perfectly satisfying ending to the season. Yes, it leaves the siblings stranded in 1963, but they could’ve tied up those loose ends in the S3 premiere.

Lila. She’s an incredibly fun character, but her arc is kind of a mess. Most of that is due to E10, and I do feel that more time to let her arc breathe would’ve worked wonders, but I’m left feeling like her turn from “Handler is the best mom ever and I lurve Diego too” to “KILL DIEGO AND HIS EVIL FAMILY” to “Handler is a bad mom and Diego is right” happened too quickly.

The Commission. Okay, so, the Handler announces the entire Board has been killed, and she’s stepping in as director even though everyone appears to know she’s been demoted (and demoted pretty severely—she went from having an office bigger than some apartments to being a case management drone). There’s suspicion and lots of it. But then, La Resistance is….ten or so people in a single room? And when she calls the temps agents to her side, thousands of them show up ready and willing to fight and die? I dunno. Just seems like there should’ve been more splintering going on there. Again, I think they needed more time to tie everything up.

Aside from those complaints, I loved the season. I set aside most of a day to binge it, and I do not regret that decision at all.

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icyteaa · 3 years

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So … I just read the recent manhwa. I don't know why, but I don't find anyone who talks about this, so I will speak up.

This picture:

I don't know why, but this picture makes me very sad. I imagine the hardships Alberu had gone through since he was just a kid after his mom died, until he finally found a new family and friends (Cale and Co.).

My heart shattered as I thought about it. And I can't help but want to write something for him. So this is it. Headcanon that I dedicated to our beloved Crown Prince.

TCF Headcanon

[Found A Family]

Alberu dreamed last night. He didn't know he should say it was a good dream or a nightmare. He sure, finally met his mother again even if it's in a dream is a very good thing that rarely happens, but he too can't avoid the sorrow he felt after he wakes up from that dream. It makes him remember short but precious moments—the best memories he has in the twenty-four years he lives, mourning about it and wanting it to come back; to feel it again.

Alberu sighed without he can even resist. His morning felt rather gloomy because of that, but his responsibility as a Crown Prince in the middle of war never waited for him to get ready; so he took a bath and let the maid help him with the clothes. Push aside his feelings to the corner of his heart and wrap his prince-like behaviour that should never disappear in front of his people just like any other day.

He found a particular message in his communication device while he sorted all messages from his vassal and subordinate there. It's from his Aunt, Tasha. It's not something related to his duty, he thought, as he saw there were no formalities in the first greeting. So he just read it after he went through another meeting with noble about preparation for war and had a moment to rest for himself. Because responsibility always comes first than his own interest.

—If you want it, I can take charge of your task for today so you can visit your mother's grave. Don't push yourself too much. At least you can do that today.

Alberu chuckled. But there is no smile in his void eyes. Finally, someone brought it up. After all the silence his subordinate reluctantly acted in front of him, or even just normal behavior because they didn't know what date is today as they didn't have much care for the deceased person; someone finally showed care to him in the way most sincere than any bullshit talk all noble threw. And just like any year he passed, it's always and only his aunt.

Maybe that is why he has a rare dream today. Today is a special and gloomy day. He will never forget it. Nintheen years had passed, but he couldn't erase the grief in his heart. His most beloved person. The only one who is on his side in this cold palace. The only one who looked after him when everyone turned their eyes. The one who affectionately caressed him. It's just five years and still, Alberu can't get away from the sensation; or the fact he wants to feel it once more.

But remember the mountain stack in front of his eyes and duties that he should do today, he shook his head before answering his aunt's massage shortly. Rejected her offer softly before continuing with the paperwork he should read and sign. It's not the time for it. And he knew, he couldn't do it because it meant there would be people who see his weak side. And in this critical moment, that kind of weakness will be very dangerous if the enemies (any other princes or princesses) hold it.

Just like that, there is nothing different in Alberu's schedule. He read and signed paperwork—mountains of it, before he went to another meeting. And without even he realized, the time passed to the night as he found the moon shining brightly and illuminated his study.

It's tiring, of course. But it's not like he can complain much as this is the path he chooses himself. Alberu frequently questions his own decision. Why did he still stand when the favor of King had fallen from him? Why did he still choose to fight his step siblings to get the throne? Is it really just because of the power he will hold as the new King? Or is it because that is his right to have it? Is this continual tiring activity worthy enough for that?

Alberu can't help but let out another sigh. As time passed and he had let his subordinate get a rest while he finished a few more paperwork, he let himself not act as a strong prince without weakness to be pointed out. His too much absent-mindedly thought made him not realise someone had already transported into his study and observed him with absolute silence.

"You look more tired than normal, hyung." Alberu jolted when he heard the man's voice. His face narrowed with a big frown and his body all tensed up, before he realised his body again after he saw whose voice that he heard. He scoffed when he found the man so-called his sworn brother, stoicly staring at him while sitting on the couch opposite him. He huffed under his breath, "Can you step into my room with more proper attitude just like any other noble do?"

Unfortunately, the man is a few people that he can't really scold or punish even with any improper behavior he did in front of the Crown Prince. So even after receiving just a shrugged shoulder from the man as an answer to his sarcasm question, he just let out another sigh. Really, he didn't know why this man could be very unafraidly approach him. And then again, he didn't know too why he himself was never really angry because of his behaviour. He shook his head and reached another paperwork, "So, what business did our busy young master do in my study this late at night?"

At least Cale, the name of a young master that weirdly came to his life just a year ago, didn't come with an empty hand. They have yet another small meeting, discussing things they should prepare for war while Alberu finishes his paperwork left. It may be close to midnight when they finally end their discussion and Alberu finished his work. He stretched his stiff body before letting out another sigh. As time passed, it seemed he was too comfortable enough to let this young man see his un-prince behaviour somehow, so he didn't care and did it while Cale still observed him silently.

"Aren't you push yourself too much, hyung?" The reddish brown eyes observed him thoroughly. Cale rose his eyebrows with disbelief, as if Alberu's appearance right now made the young man pitited him. Alberu eyebrows rose too, "And whose mess do I take care of the most?" He said jokingly. Yeah, joking because even if he looks quite not like what the man did as he roamed and spread mess, it's too for the greater good of Roan Kingdom. They two know well about that. But still, found Cale scoffed when he heard Alberu complain, sure amusing to be watched.

"Seriously, your highness. I just state the fact, but it looks like our sun is too tired and wronged his subordinate without him even realizing." Cale stood from his couch and bowed in proper manner this time. Alberu could see unpleasant glints in the young man's eyes as they stared at each other, "Then I will take my leave so our sun can rest."

Alberu chuckled. This type of sulky face Cale has made him a bit better. It looks like teasing this young master can make his stressed out body more relaxed. "It's hyung." Alberu rose one side of his lips, "If our beloved hero can help this tired human, how about accompanying me with a few glasses of wine?"

They have a quiet night with just the voice of glasses collided with each other. He let his sober fly away as the wine passed his throat. His memories of his mother filled his mind. He didn't even realize that he talked about his memories with the young master. He didn't remember much, but he knew Cale heard his stories patiently until his body flopped into the table and his consciousness faded.

"I miss my mother." Alberu heard himself mourning as his body was lifted and Cale carried him in the shoulder. This can happen just because his consciousness disappeared bit by bit, and he wasn't in the state to care about pride. He is sad. And he really misses his mom. Cale, who is still by his side, is the only place he can mourn as he pleases.

He could see his way to the bed not smooth as the weak young man staggered to support him. Nevertheless, Alberu succeeded in plopping on the bed surface before Cale dragged his body again so he could lie down properly. He saw Cale's face that sat on the edge of bed. The young man still shut himself even if Alberu wanted to hear his response. It makes him a bit upset, so he scoffed, "You don't even react. Are you don't care about that either?"

Cale sighed softly. Alberu felt a warm hand in his forehead pat him stiffly after that. "If I didn't care, I would have left you alone a long time ago." Alberu shut himself as he felt the warmth caressed his head. It is surely not as soft as his mom did; but he can feel the same warmth. The one he really likes, and the one he really misses. His body relaxed more as the hand adjusted the hand move and running in his head more gently. "If you care … don't die. Don't leave me alone."

The hand stopped for a moment before doing his task again while another one moved the blanket to Alberu's neck to keep him warm. "I'm not planning on dying." He can hear Cale's voice. That voice calmed him down; like a lullaby his mothers always sang to make Alberu sleep. And finally, Alberu shut his eyes slowly and his consciousness faded fully as he heard the last sentence from the young man, "Rest, hyung. You deserve to have it."

In his dream, he met his mother again. But unlike today, he can feel this is going to be a good dream he has tomorrow as he finally comes to the realization that, he isn't alone. His mom couldn't support him again nor caress him, but someone had filled the hole in his sorrowful heart. Someone had reached his hand toward Alberu. Someone who can he call his younger brother—dongsaeng. Maybe he will not admit it openly, but he knew his heart had already accepted the man's existence.

If tomorrow he felt embarrassed because of his mourn in front of the young man, let it be the story for tomorrow. Just for today, he felt content. Because finally he realized; he had found a family.

Note:

I labelled this as TCF Headcanon, not AlbeCale because I want to write this not as AlbeCale stan, but as a fan of Alberu Crossman. I love him and I want him to be happy after all he has gone through up until now.

Please shower Alberu more love. Not just because of his looks or his relationship with Cale, but because of his entire existence. He deserves it🥺

#trash of the count's family #tcf #lout of count’s family #cale henituse #alberu crossman #family #albecale as family #I love them so much #tcf headcanon

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bratdesire · 3 years

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Hi bb! How about a not so cute lil picnic with your step brothers the Miya twins? I will let you play with the idea however you would like to 😊 I hope you will have fun writing angel! 🥰

This was just supposed to be a drabble, but it really got away from me. Enjoy and I hope you like it! <3

Strawberry Shortcake 🍰

Pairing: Miya Atsumu x Little Sister!Reader x Miya Osamu

Warnings: Pseudo incest, public sex, unprotected sex, spitroasting, use of the word “cunny,” innocent babie reader

The invitation for a picnic in the park with your step brothers had seemed innocent enough.

Osamu and Atsumu promised each other, themselves, and your parents that they would be on their best behavior. It’s the perfect opportunity for some ‘sibling bonding time’ their father had said.

Sibling bonding time indeed.

It’s a beautiful spring day today. The sun is shining and the barest remains of the winter chill cling to the gentle breeze that threatens to lift up your sundress. You keep one hand wound in the fabric of your skirt to preserve your modesty, but Atsumu’s eyes still flicker down to the strip of soft, smooth skin that’s exposed each time you shift from your cross legged position.

“Thanks Samu-nii, Tsumu-nii, for inviting me today,” you beam between bites of homemade onigiri that Osamu made special for you.

Osamu smiles softly and pats your head affectionately. “Of course, sweetheart. It’s about time we had a day for just the three of us. Isn’t that right, Tsumu?”

The blonde-haired twin nods and places a warm, rough hand on the exposed skin of your upper thigh. He doesn’t miss your sharp intake of breath, and the way you subconsciously lean into his touch. “Yeah, we’ve been neglecting our cute little sister, haven’t we? What mean big brothers we are.”

You set down the half-eaten ball of rice in your hand and take each of their hands in yours, shaking your head emphatically. “No, of course not!! You could never be mean to me, nii-san.”

Osamu traces soft circles on your knuckles with his thumb. “Are you sure? You haven’t missed us, not even a little bit?”

Shyly looking away, you bow your head in embarrassment. “Well… I have missed you, but I know you’re so busy, and I don’t wanna be a bother.”

Atsumu drops your hand to take your chin between his thumb and forefinger. “We love you so much. You could never be a bother to us, got that?”

The looks of adoration and love on both of their faces nearly steals every ounce of oxygen in your lungs and before you know it, tears are welling up in your eyes. You wipe your eyes with the back of your hand to try to hide your tears, but both of your brothers have always had a sixth sense when it comes to you.

Osamu wraps his arms around you and pulls you into his lap. “Hey, hey, none of that. This is supposed to be a happy day,” he coos, wiping away the salty droplets rolling down your face. “I even made something for dessert. Let’s have some of that, yeah?”

He gestures at his twin, pointing at the woven wicker basket you brought to the park. Atsumu roots around in the basket for a few moments before producing a miniature strawberry shortcake wrapped in plastic.

You visibly perk up at the sight of the cake and crawl over to your older brother on your hands and knees to take a closer look. Atsumu has to keep himself from openly ogling your pretty tits and Osamu nearly chokes when he notices something odd.

You’re not wearing any panties. Whether you forgot or left them at home on purpose, you should know better than to tempt your brothers.

Oblivious to the change in the air and in their demeanor, you simply take the cake from Atsumu to inspect the whipped cream and strawberries adorning the soft yellow sponge. "Oh my goodness, this is my favorite! How did you know, Samu-nii?” you ask, eyes glittering with admiration.

“I knew because I’m just the best big brother,” Osamu responds, leaning back on his hands.

As him and Atsumu have a wordless conversation with their eyes, you dip a finger into the sweet, white cream and suck it into your mouth. You close your eyes and moan softly at the delicious taste, a display far too lewd for a piece of cake. They both stiffen as you lick and suck on your finger, blood rushing straight to their cocks as your wet, pink tongue pokes out to get the last of the cream off of your hand.

They exchange a wordless glance before the older twin grabs you and pulls you flush to his firm, muscular chest so you’re back is pressed against him. “Let your big brothers take care of you, sweetheart,” Atsumu whispers, his breath tickling your ear.

Your face grows hot when you feel Atsumu’s cock pressing into your back, hard and prodding against your spine.

“I-I don’t…” you stutter, suddenly feeling much warmer than you did just moments ago.

Osamu crawls over to you and trails his fingers up your thigh, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “If you don’t want this, all you have to do is say no.”

“I d-do want this. I just… what about Mom and Dad?” you ask, uncertainty so clearly written across your face.

His digits slip underneath the flimsy cotton fabric of your dress and you have to suppress a shiver from how good he feels against your skin. “What Mom and Dad don’t know won’t hurt them.”

With a small, slow nod of your head, your brothers descend on you like a pair of wolves about to devour their prey.

The blonde beneath you captures your lips in a searing kiss and his mouth moves leisurely against yours, growing needier and more demanding with each passing second. You jolt when he bunches your skirt up around your waist so your wet, needy cunny is exposed to their hungry eyes.

“Such a pretty cunny. You wanted us to see it, didn’t you? You aren’t wearing any panties,” Osamu says, reaching down and swirling his index finger in the wetness pooling between your legs.

“J-Just wanted you to notice me, nii-san,” you murmur, wiggling in Atsumu’s arms.

Osamu eases his finger into your quivering hole, crooking it as he pushes it inside you. “Poor thing. You just wanted your big brothers’ attention. Don’t worry sweet girl, you have all of it and more.”

It’s not long before he adds another finger, pumping both of them in and out of your dripping pussy. The way his digits curl and press against your plush walls makes you gasp and moan, thighs trembling as the pleasure continues to build. When Atsumu uses his thumb to gently stroke your swollen, pulsing clit, you squeal against his mouth and you might pass out from the dizzying amount of stimulation you’re receiving.

Between one twin plunging his fingers so deep inside you, and the other rubbing your clit in little circles just how you like, you’re well on your way to cumming right here in the middle of the park. Your pussy clenches around Osamu’s fingers each time he prods against that spot inside you that makes you cry out into Atsumu’s mouth.

“Please, please, p-please,” you beg, but you don’t know what you’re begging for.

“You don’t know what you want, do you, sweet girl? That’s okay, nii-san knows just what you need,” Atsumu reassures you.

A lewd squelching noise accompanies Osamu’s digits as they pump in and out of you faster and harder.

“Are you gonna cum on Samu’s fingers, baby?” Atsumu asks, trailing his wet tongue up the side of your throat.

“M-Mhm!” You manage to stutter out, just barely hanging on to the edge before Osamu hooks his fingers as deep as he can inside you and ramming them against your g-spot.

Your cunny clenches around his digits so tightly he can’t pull them out and Atsumu has to slap his hand over your mouth as you cum so hard, you scream. Your body convulses as your orgasm courses through it and your mind goes blank for several seconds before your mind returns to you.

After the last of the aftershocks leave your body, you sag against Atsumu, chest heaving and eyelids fluttering.

The younger twin kisses your inner thighs and you can only twitch and whine pathetically as his cheek rubs against your sensitive pussy.

“Samu can give you something even sweeter than that cake, can’t you bro?” Atsumu asks, dipping a hand into your dress and pinching a hard nipple. You weakly bat his hands away, but he just kisses your head and nuzzles against you.

You can hear the sound of Osamu undoing the belt to his jeans, but your rational mind hasn’t returned to you yet, so you just lean into your brother’s comforting embrace.

Strong, steady hands lift you from Atsumu’s lap and coax you onto your hands and knees. When you lift your head, you’re met with the grey haired twin’s hard, dripping cock prodding against your mouth.

“Open up, sweetheart. Don’t you want to make nii-san feel good?” he asks, tapping the tip against your bottom lip.

“O-Of course Samu-nii,” you nod, taking his length in hand and giving his balls a gentle squeeze. You drag your tongue from the base to tip, leaving a thin, glistening sheen of saliva on his skin.

“Fuck, yeah that’s a good girl.” He groans, digging his fingers into your hair and pulling gently. You brace one hand on his muscular thigh, using the other to stroke what you can’t fit in your throat.

“Mmm-oh!” You squeal around him as Atsumu suddenly buries himself as deep as he can inside you, his pelvis is pressed against yours. Your cunny spasms and contracts as it stretches to try to accommodate the thick, hard cock nearly splitting you in half. Tears prick at your eyes once more, but this time it’s for a different reason.

“Ii-san ith too muth! It won’t fi,” you whimper and choke around the cock shoved down your throat.

“She wasn’t prepped enough, asshole,” Osamu hisses as he thrusts into the soft, moist cavern of your mouth.

“Nah, she can take it. She’ll do anything to please her big brother, won’t you?” The blonde kisses down your spine and rubs soothing circles on your hips in hopes of distracting you from the burning in your core. “You’re such a good, sweet little sister for taking both of your nii-san’s cocks like this. I’m so proud of you.”

The praise goes straight to your cunny and you can feel yourself clench around his length as continues to thrust into your dripping hole.

“You like it when nii-san tells you how pretty you look stuffed in both holes?” Osamu asks from above you, but he forces his cock even further down your throat, rendering you incapable of speech. You peer up at him through your lashes, lips wrapped so prettily around him as you suck and it’s a miracle he doesn’t cum right then.

“Wuff you ii-san,” you choke around his length, lips swollen with blood and shiny with spit.

All three of you freeze when you hear voices approaching what you thought was your secluded corner of the park, a young couple on a walk with their dog. Your blood turns to ice in your veins at the prospect of getting caught, so you push on Osamu’s leg to try to dislodge his cock from its comfortable spot in the back of your throat. You start to panic when they don’t move, neither twin wanting to pull out of your warm, wet holes. When you squirm in their grip, Atsumu gives your ass a quick, firm spank.

“Ah, ah, ah. Wouldn’t want to get caught, would you?” He warns, pressing the tip of his cock against your cervix and you’d scream if it wasn’t for the other twin fucking your throat like his life depends on it.

They’re making it hard to breathe, let alone think, as they fuck into you hard and fast. The thrusts of each twin roughly shoves you back and forth as they work in tandem to send you careening off the edge.

You suck Osamu further into your mouth, wrapping your tongue around the tip and stroking him as he feverishly pistons his hips.

He pulls out of your mouth and gives his hard, straining cock a few quick pumps before he cums all over your face. “Shit-shit fuck! You’re so fffucking good.” Thick spurts of cum shoot out and land on your cheek, your awaiting tongue, and a little gets in your hair but you can’t bring yourself to care.

You’re close, so close you can almost taste it. The coil wound so tightly in your stomach is about to snap with such a force that your eyes cross, your vision growing hazy.

You try to warn the twins that you’re about to cum, barely able to string together a coherent thought. “Nii-san ‘m gonna!”

“Go ahead, sweetheart. Cum on nii-san’s cock, wanna feel you cream all over me,” the blonde groans, breathless as he chases his own orgasm.

“Oh fuck-I.. Oh my god,” you scream so loudly that some birds in the trees above you scatter. Your grey haired brother shoves his fingers into your mouth to muffle your cries, his knuckles massaging the back of your tongue.

The blanket you brought to sit on is fisted in your hands as you clench and cream on your brother’s cock, coating the base and his balls in milky, translucent white. Your walls pulse and contract, sucking him in so tightly he can’t do anything but thump his cockhead against the entrance to your tiny womb.

The movement of his hips stutters then stops completely as he sheathes himself fully inside you, shooting his hot, sticky cum into your cunny with a strained groan as you milk him for all he’s worth.

You all lie there for several minutes, waiting to catch your breath and for the feeling to return to your limbs.

After what feels like hours of silence, your soft, small voice is the first thing that breaks it. “Samu-nii, Tsumu-nii...” you mumble, “What does this mean, for us?” you ask, hiding your face in your hands.

Both men sling an arm over your waist and pull you close so you’re sandwiched between them, caged between two large, broad chests. Your older brother kisses your cheek and tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. “It still means you’re our sweet, loveable sister, but now you’re our special girl that we do special things like this with. Do you wanna be our special girl?”

You wrap your much smaller, shorter arms around each of their necks and nuzzle against them. “Of course nii-san! I-I like doing this with you, with both of you.”

You all lie there and bask in the afterglow for a while, comforted by each other’s slow, steady breathing. The promise of sleep is so tempting that you almost shut your eyes and drift off before remembering where you are.

Across the park, there’s a commotion that sounds like someone yelling. It sounds vaguely like the couple that passed by earlier and when you squint, you can see a pair of figures accompanied by a park security guard.

The three of you manage to clean up and readjust your clothes just in time for security to come sniffing around your picnic spot.

All they find is a half-eaten strawberry shortcake.

#miya atsumu #miya osamu #atsumu smut #osamu smut #miya atsumu x reader #miya osamu x reader #haikyuu smut #hq x reader #bunny scribbles #tw incest #tw dark #bunny treats

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canary3d-obsessed · 4 years

Text

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed Episode 07 part two

(Masterpost)

Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Lantern Lighting

Now we have the famous lantern scene, where everybody gets to express their character and have dates, ranging from disastrous to delightful, with the objects of their affection.

Wei Wuxian continues to be ridiculously good at drawing.

We’ve all seen Lan Wangji’s lovely first smile in the show a million times, so...let’s look at it again!

This scene is important not just because of the smile, but because there’s a distinct shift in the way they talk about their growing relationship. In the pond, it was “come visit me” and “never!” “I want to be your friend” “No need.” Basically Lan Wangji firmly saying no to Wei Wuxian’s offers of friendship.

This time, Wei Wuxian says “let’s do this together” and Lan Wangji says “I’m used to being alone,” which is not actually a No, just an explanation. And WWX says, you can change that. And then Lan Wangji DOES change it, sharing the lantern and the promise with Wei Wuxian.

Whoever painted this flower is even better than Wei Wuxian at plein air painting.

(more after the cut!)

Everybody’s wishes

Nie Huasang makes a practical wish. Wen Qing prays for her brother and Jiang Cheng notices how she’s like Yanli. Jiang Cheng isn’t very intense about Wen Qing, which could be a sign of his shyness but could also be a sign of his gayness or aceness. After all, later in life he’s an apparently wealthy clan leader who is hot as fuck, and needs an heir, since his nephew is a Jin. But he’s still not married, 16 years after breaking up with and uh, helping to kill and cremate, the girl he liked in summer school.

The Promise We Made Together

Wei Wuxian makes an ultra-idealistic wish/promise while Lan Wangji watches and falls the rest of the way in love with him, and silently makes the same pledge inside his head. Later they will each refer to this as a promise they made together, which is a really super high level of face-reading by Wei Wuxian, to understand that he really is speaking for both of them here. While making this promise, Lan Wangji brings out his Yin Iron Magic Bag and waves it around in front of everyone, but nobody notices.

Let’s take a moment to consider *why* this moment is so powerful for Lan Wangji. Lan Wangji is a boy whose emotions are always on the boil. He’s 100% upset all the time, at this age, and he keeps it clamped down all the time. His cultivation level is probably as high as it is partly because of all the work he does in emotion regulation. (note: if you haven’t read all the meta at @howpeacefulislwj , go read it; it’s awesome and hilarious)

Wei Wuxian doesn’t GAF about emotion regulation; he just expresses what he feels, all the damn time.

He is openly bored, lusty, playful, hungry, whiny. He straight up tells Lan Wangji “you’re boring and you have a stick up your ass” as part of saying he wants to be friends; no deference and also no falseness.

And he can see right through Lan Wangji’s reserve, barging into his loneliness and isolation without any regard for all of his wards. Wards are made to be broken.

(Unrelated note: Young Lan Wangji's rare moments of contentment seem to come from looking at something beautiful--the moon, falling petals, these lanterns, his mirror.)

But Wei Wuxian is also good. Lan Wangji desperately wants to be good. And here’s Wei Wuxian embodying this awful, amazing, tempting alternative path, in which all the interesting things in life get explored thoroughly, all the sweetness and beauty gets consumed unreservedly, all the pain and ugliness gets confronted and endured without hesitation.

In this moment, Wei Wuxian tells Lan Wangji “you can change,” and then offers up this prayer/promise that is just pure chivarly, speaking straight to Lan Wangji’s heart. Very simply, I want to spend my life doing right. Not 3500 rules; just one.

This infuriating boy, who breaks rules and who flirts indiscriminately and who pushes and pushes and pushes, reveals himself in this moment to be a hero at the beginning of his journey, and Lan Wangji sees it, and his heart goes right over the cliff.

The Girls’ Room

The girl cultivators all rush over to Yanli to get in her business about her betrothal, inspiring Jin Zixuan to act like a jerk to her and get even further onto Wei Wuxian’s bad side.

Talk Shit, Get Hit

Yanli’s wish was that Wei Wuxian would grow up and be good. He promptly launches his own personal Sunshot campaign, punching her fiancee so hard that the sun falls out of the sky and the previously well-lit scene transitions to full night.

So, in English, “don’t mention it again” is really mild, akin to “I don’t want to talk about it.” Wei Wuxian’s reaction makes it seem like Jin Zixuan said something really shitty, like “don’t you dare mention that woman to me!” So I’m assuming something is being lost in translation.

Lan Wangji tries to calm him down. He grabs Wei Wuxian’s sexy arm muscle and basically holds it until the Jiangs exit the scene.

Nie Huaisang has placed himself between the opposing factions, which is unusually direct of him. In the future he’ll stick to being an unindicted co-conspirator when Wei Wuxian starts trouble.

Ants in my Pants

Lan Wangji thinks kneeling can make Wei Wuxian cry, which is adorable of him.

He really relishes this opportunity to be a pedantic tool to his new boyfriend that annoying boy he hardly ever touches, and it really doesn’t work out for him, poor lamb.

Jiang Fengmian stops by to show exactly how deep his affection for Wei Wuxian runs, and to give him whiplash from constantly changing parental expectations. In a couple of hours he’ll be laughing over WWX & JC’s hijinks.

Wei Wuxian takes this opportunity to fantasize about bad things happening to the other boy in the fight, which is in no way foreshadowing of anything.

Douche Dads Conference

We now convene this meeting of the douchebag council. Jiang Cheng is also invited even though he’s a prick, not a douche. <--important distinction

This is our first time meeting Clan Leader Jin Guangshan. He's actually the most sensible and best parent in this scene, but his smug self-satisfaction hints at his true nature. This actor, Shen Xiaohai, has been active in cdramas for a long while now. I wonder what he looked like 15 years ago?

...Holy mother of god.

Jiang Fengmian is the worst dad and the worst husband here. His clan believes in letting children do what they want - uhh YOUR child wants to marry Jin Zixuan. “I wrote a letter to her mother, who arranged this marriage.” Uhhh she arranged for her sickly, low-cultivation-level, sweet and vulnerable child to marry the heir of a rich and powerful clan, with a powerful mother-in-law who’s looking forward to loving and protecting her. Basically she’s guaranteed her daughter’s safety and comfort, and even potential happiness, since her husband may learn to appreciate her (and in fact, does, thanks to soup and repeated beatings from WWX).

Mom worked hard and probably spent a fair amount of social capital to achieve this. And you’re going to toss that aside because the boy thinks he’s too good for her? What the everloving fuck, how are you a clan leader in the first place?

You can see that Jiang Cheng understands all of this and what a terrible choice his father is making here.

So do the other adults in the room.

Jin Guangshen: our wives are going to kill us

Lan Qiren: I'm looking at a couple of dead men

Jiang Fengmian pointedly won’t listen to Jiang Cheng or let him speak, showing that all his talk about being free is actually bullshit, that only applies to other people’s children.

Jiang Chang vaults off of the deck to tell Wei Wuxian about it. Hottt

Sorry Sis

Wei Wuxian goes to Jiang Yanli to sorta-apologize and sorta ask to be let off the hook for fucking up her engagement, which he absolutely did. He knows it, which is presumably why he bows to her in paperman form while hiding outside.

At no time has Jiang Yanli indicated to anyone that she doesn’t want to marry Jin Zixuan, as far as I can see, or said she wanted to be defended from insults with punching. Look how good SHE is at defending a person from insults, for comparison.

Yin Iron Blah Blah Blah

The senior Lans meet with Jiang Fengmian to talk about the Yawn Yin Iron. Yawn.

Jiang Fengmian addresses Lan Xichen as Lan Gongzi, which is adorable, since he is a big boy to everyone else. His family calls him Xichen and other people call him Zewu-Jun.

Farewell and Fuck You

The three Jiang kids come to say goodbye.

Lan Quiren says goodbye with a heap of criticism for Wei Wuxian and the horse he rode in on, and Jiang Fengmian basically says, yep, that’s what he’s like, all right.

Good thing Wei Ying gets so much verbal abuse at home he doesn’t take it very hard when he finds it in the field.

Wangji doesn’t say goodbye properly, which will be a recurring theme for the two of them.

I don’t know if this is because he has a problem with goodbyes, or is just being a jerk, or because he’s so bad at lying he doesn’t dare talk to Wei Wuxian lest he reveal his travel plans.

Indulgent Dad Continues to be the Worst

Jiang Cheng complains at Wei Wuxian for wanting to say goodbye to Lan Wangji, and WWX says he likes him because he is equal to WWX in fighting, whereas JC sucks. JC hits him tries to hit him--gosh, he DOES suck, comparatively.

Yanli, who has been keeping these boys in line all summer, sighs deeply at her Dad’s tolerance for their hijinks. OP has five brothers and this sibling-hijinks behavior is 100% accurate, except for the part where it is happening at someone else’s house in front of the hosts.

WWX pretending to be Lan Qiren where Lan Wangji can see him doing it, in front of Lan Qiren’s colleague and supposed friend, and just earning a laugh from the patriarch? Good lord. Dad Jiang tolerating this is shocking, particularly in the in-show culture where corporal punishment is as common as tea.

We’ve tried Nothing, and we’re all out of ideas!

Uggghh why are you like this?

Here in the real world, OP uses “positive discipline” with her child, and encourages other parents to consider it, particularly if your child is neuroatypical or asynchronous. That said, JF should be punishing the crap out of both boys for this behavior every time it happens, or should quit being a clan leader. He’s relying on Jiang Yanli to keep them in line while he gets to just be amused by them. And he’s letting Lan Qiren discipline Wei Wuxian instead of doing it himself. He suuuuuuucks.

Lan Wangji watches all of this. Lan Xichen reminds Lan Wangji that without Wei Wuxian, he’s completely fucking miserable. Lan Wangji still doesn’t plan to bring him along on his trip, though.

Time to return to our lives of crushing loneliness

Rabbits

At this same moment when Lan Wangji is staring down the barrel of future loneliness, Wei Wuxian is already deciding to leave the (forbidden) rabbits in Cloud Recesses “In case Lan Zhan gets lonely.” This small decision by Wei Wuxian - breaking the rules of Cloud Recesses for the millionth time - is kinder than he knows. Because what is the job of these rabbits? Let’s have a desaturated flashback.

Lan Zhan spent 3 years in the ice cave. The rabbits kept Lan Yi company in the ice cave. So...did the rabbits sneak in to keep Lan Wangji company in the ice cave as well? I’m going to say yes. By ep 43 they are following him to the gate of Cloud Recesses so they are very attached to him. Well done, Wei Ying.

Where my bitches at? Seriously, our warren needs bitches

(Is Watership Down still a thing people read? If not, just go ahead and assume all of OP’s rabbit jokes are about Watership Down because OP ain’t going to stop making them)

While Wei Wuxian annoys the bunny he has a flashback to the scene that happened 4 minutes earlier. The Untamed editors assume the viewership has the attention span of a goldfish, and I personally appreciate that they understand me so well.

Wei Wuxian figures out that Lan Wangji is going on the road alone, and tells the bunny immediately. The bunny is very concerned.

Writing Prompt: What do next-generation cultivators Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi wish for at lantern-lighting time?

#fytheuntamed #the untamed #wangxian #the untamed gifs #cdrama #chen qing ling #restless rewatch the untamed #canary3d-original #my gifs #the untamed spoilers

441 notes · View notes

give-seconds · 3 years

Text

Back to You

Summary: You and Mark are all each other have, he’s easily the most important person to you. But something happens and you both are slowly separated, so you work your hardest to be accepted into a college in Korea so you can find your way back to a home with him again.

Masterlist | Main Masterlist

---Part 13

One month later

Donghyuck hoped that by the time the holidays came around, he would have gotten over this crush. He didn’t want these feelings to ruin the holidays for you. He is already dragging you to this strange place to be surrounded by his parents and younger siblings. The last thing you need is for him to start acting strange.

Jeno still wouldn’t punch him, even after he showed up the night before you were supposed to go to Jeju and begged him. Jaemin agreed, and for a second, he feared for his life. Jaemin’s punch, however, was just a pinch on the cheek. Needless to say, he was both relieved and disappointed.

So now, here he is, standing outside your dorm building and trying not to let his nervousness take over. He knows he’s being dramatic, but he really is worried about messing up your first holiday in Korea. That, and he doesn’t want to scare you away.

“Hey, you ready?”

Donghyuck jumps slightly, smiling as you laugh softly. “Yeah, yeah, I’m ready.”

“So I did some research on Jeju,” you start as he leads you down the road towards the bus station.

“Oh yeah? What did you find?”

“I heard that the accent is hard to understand. You can help me, right?”

“I think you’ll be okay,” he answers, laughing softly. “The people there speak standard Korean. The only people you might have trouble with are the older people. But I think you’ll be okay.”

“Good to know, good to know. And you said your sister’s names are Daeun and Jimin?”

He nods his head. “They’re very excited to meet you. My mom and dad too.”

You laugh, playfully glaring at him. “Don’t say that! I’m not that exciting.”

“Okay, one, you are exciting. And two, they’re excited because except for my dad—and that’s because he’s the most introverted of us all— they’re all very excited to meet new people. Especially if those people are a friend.”

You nod your head. “And you haven’t told them about me?”

“Other than you’re a nice person, no, I haven’t mentioned anything about you.”

You let out a breath of relief. “Good, that makes me less nervous.”

“You’ve got nothing to be nervous about,” he responds. “My mom and I are almost the same person. If you get along with me, then you will definitely get along with her.”

“I know I’m probably worried about nothing, but that’s just me. Once I meet them, I’m sure I’ll be fine. Plus, it’s not like I’ll be alone. I have you, and then in a few days, Mark will join us.”

Donghyuck silently nods his head as you both take a seat on the bench, bringing his suitcase to stop in front of him. He’s both excited and unexcited for Mark to join you. On one hand, he’s excited to get to know you better without Jaemin or Mark. Donghyuck wouldn’t say he's jealous of Mark, but there’s just something in the way you look at him that is more than a friend. He’s been meaning to talk to his Hyung about his relationship with you, but every time the thought crosses his mind, it’s followed by thoughts of how weird he must sound and what Mark might say about him having a slight crush on someone he hadn’t known that long.

On the other hand, that slight crush is the reason he wants Mark there. If Mark is there, then the majority of your attention will be on him, and any weird thing he does around you might not be as noticeable. Not to mention, he just likes being around the older—he’s his best friend.

The bus pulling to a stop in front of you draws his attention away from his thoughts, and he wordlessly stands up. “You ready for the adventure of your life?”

You nod your head in confirmation, standing up next to him with a wide smile. He smiles back, letting himself get lost in your eyes for a few seconds. He knows he’s falling too fast; begging Jeno to punch him is proof of that. He can’t say what it is about you exactly that has made him fall. He just knows that every day, he finds more and more to admire about you.

“Okay! Then off we go.”

----

“Hyuckie!”

You smile, watching as his mom pulls him into a hug as soon as she opens the door.

He laughs, letting go of the suitcase handle to hug his mom back. “Hi, mom.”

“Okay,” she says, a smile spread across her face as she lets go and opens the door a little wider. “Okay, come on in. The girls are at the Ju’s house, so they’ll be back later. I think Haknyeon is dropping them off, so you’ll get to see him.”

You silently follow Donghyuck into the house, smiling softly at his mom as you pass her.

“That’s one of my best friends,” he says, turning to you as his mom closes the door behind you. You let out a quiet ah, not sure how else to respond.

“Mom, this is y/n,” He introduces, turning to face his mom. “Y/n, this is my mom.”

“Nice to meet you,” you greet, bowing.

“It’s nice to meet you too, y/n. Come, let me show you to your room.”

You and Donghyuck follow his mom as she leads you around the house. “Jimin and Daeun agreed to share a room. But when your other friend gets here, I don’t know where he’ll stay. Maybe with you, Hyuckie?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“And if you don’t want to, he can stay with me,” you offer quietly.

“No, we can’t have that,” his mom answers, pushing open the door to a room. “You’re our guest, and I want your stay at the Lee household to be as pleasant as possible.”

“I really don’t mind. He and I are like siblings.” You walk past his mom, looking around the room.

“Oh really? Donghyuck told me you came to Korea from Canada. Have you been here before?”

You shake your head. “Mark and I met in Canada; he was actually born there. His family moved here around my second year of high school. But before he moved, we pretty much grew up in the same household.”

Donghyuck nods his head silently, not hearing the rest of the conversation. He knew from you that Mark and you grew up together, but he can’t remember a time when Mark had mentioned you to him. Granted, he didn’t have a perfect memory, but he’s sure he would remember his friend saying something about a best friend he had to leave in Canada.

Sure, he’s only known him for about two years. Despite the short time, he feels like they’ve been able to create a special bond between them. He’s told Mark things Haknyeon doesn’t know, and he’s known Haknyeon twice as long—if not longer. The point is, he knows that the bond he feels between him and Mark isn’t one way. So why hadn’t he mentioned you?

“Hyuckie, why don’t you show y/n around the house? And then after that, maybe take her around the city if you’re up for it. If not, of course, you’re welcome to stay at the house,” his mother says, bringing her hand to rest on his shoulder.

He blinks a few times before simply nodding his head. “Yeah, of course.”

She smiles at him, sending you a smile as well before she squeezes past him and walks back down the hall.

“Well, ready for the tour?”

You nod your head, pushing your suitcase to rest at the foot of the bed. “Yeah. And then do you think we could go out? I want to buy your sister something for letting me use her room.”

“Oh, you don’t need to do that. I’m sure she doesn’t mind. I mean, she’s been telling me I need to ‘be around girls who aren’t my sisters’ since I was in my sophomore year of high school, so I think she’ll be fine with it,” he answers, closing the door behind you as you follow him out.

He still can’t get the thought out of his mind. He didn’t want to go so far as to say you were lying about your relationship—he had seen first hand how much Mark liked you. But he felt it was weird how openly you talked about your relationship versus how his Hyung talked about it. Which, until recently, was not at all.

“So, this is your room?”

He nods his head, watching as you walk past him and into the center of the room to look around.

“It suits you,” you say, turning around to smile at him.

He smiles back, a weird type of anxiety washing over him. He didn’t like doubting you. Worst of all, he didn’t like how nosy he is being. He wants to know why you and his Hyung talk differently about your relationship, but he also knows he shouldn’t care at all; it’s none of his business.

“Hey y/n? Can I ask you a kind of personal question that I have no reason to ask, and you can totally say no?”

“Sure,” you chuckle.

“You said Hyung’s family doesn’t like you. Why?”

“Not his whole family,” you mutter, breaking eye contact with him. He finds it difficult himself to look at you, instead, bringing his eyes to wander around his room “His brother and I are on good terms now, and I think his father is too scared to stand up to his mother and say he doesn’t have a problem with me.” You’re silent for a minute, and when he looks over at you, he can see you’re struggling to answer. “And as for his mother, it’s a long story. One I’m not sure how to explain right now, nor do I want to. But what I can say is that my father and Mark had a relationship she was ... jealous of. She had no reason to be jealous, but my father definitely went too far when it came to Mark. She hates my father—something I don’t blame her for—and I think I remind her too much of him.”

“That must be hard. Can I ask one more question?”

“Sure, I don’t care.”

“Were you and Hyung really that close? I don’t doubt that you two are close; it’s just that before you came, he never really talked about you.”

You smile softly, a faraway look in your eyes. “That is also because of his mom. We went through something big together, which means we’ll be together forever. But like I said, his mom hates me. I don’t know for sure, but I think that if he talked about me, his mom would be upset. I’m sure that’s why you’ve never heard of me. He was probably too scared to talk about me.”

Donghyuck nods his head. He wants to know more, but he knows that would be pushing things; he is lucky enough you told him this much. Maybe he’ll talk to Mark about it later, see if there’s anything he’s willing to talk more about.

“Okay, sorry for bringing that up out of nowhere. Ready to see a little of the town?”

---

At the end of the day, he’s glad Jeno hadn’t punched him. His time with you had been nice, and the dinner with his family hadn’t been as awkward as he expected it to be. Haknyeon had even joined them for dinner, adding a warm feeling to the atmosphere. He had almost forgotten how bright Haknyeon was.

Jimin had loved the gift you got her (which he had picked out) and told you that she would give you her room any time if it meant you could come over again. In short, his family enjoyed having you around.

Now, everybody had said their goodnights, and Donghyuck could hear his sisters talking in the room next to his. It’s good to be home; he missed his family. Laying in his bed, he stares up at the ceiling. He used to have stars on his ceiling, and he scrunches his nose at the memory. He can’t remember when he took those down or why.

Sighing, his thoughts from earlier come rushing back. He doesn’t know why it bothers him so much. It was before he met you. At the same time, he’s known Mark since he moved to Seoul; they’ve been each other’s best friends for a few years. So why were you never mentioned?

“Hey Hyung, how was the first day of the holidays?”

“It was good,” Mark answers into the phone. “Johnny Hyung was able to come back for dinner, which is always a treat. How about you? How’s y/n?”

“It’s been good! I got to see Haknyeon Hyung, so that was fun. I forgot how much I missed him. Y/n is also doing well. We got to see a little of the town today, but we’re going out again once you get here so we can really see the town.”

“Oh, that sounds fun! I’m excited to spend the holidays with friends. I’ve never done that before.”

Donghyuck nods his head, hesitating before asking. “Hey, can I ask you something about y/n?”

“Sure.”

“Um, so she told me a little about your relationship and why your mom doesn’t like her. But I was wondering, if it’s okay with you, could you tell me what happened between your family and hers?”

“What brought this up?” Donghyuck doesn’t miss the hesitation in his hyung’s voice.

“Y/n was talking to my mom about how you and her were like siblings when you were younger, and I thought about how I don’t think you’ve ever mentioned her before. I asked her why she thought that was, and she said it was because your mom doesn’t like her. I don’t know how to put this without sounding like I’m accusing her of being a liar, but are you two really as close as siblings?”

Mark sighs. “Yeah, it’s a long story that I don’t know how much she’s okay with sharing. But her and I, we have a bond. I can’t explain it, but I can tell you I don’t plan to lose her again. My family moved back here because my mom couldn’t stand y/n being around, so it’s not an understatement to say my mother has some strong, negative feelings towards y/n. So you can imagine how me talking about her went down in the house. As I got older, I realized it was easier to not talk about her at all. I wasn’t trying to hide it from you, Hyuck. I was worried you’d mention it in passing to my mom or dad. I’m sorry if you thought I was hiding it from you.”

Donghyuck knows it isn’t his place, but he feels like you and Mark aren’t telling him the whole truth. Of course, you and Mark are entitled to your privacy, but there’s an ugly feeling of being left out that he just can’t ignore.

“Yeah, no, it’s okay. I’m sorry about that; it sounds like it was hard.”

“Yeah,” Mark sighs. “It was. But now she’s here, and my mom can’t do anything about it. We’re making do. I mean, if Hyung can forgive her—and he used to feel just as strongly as my mom—then maybe my mom can get to a place of being okay with her.”

Donghyuck nods his head. “Yeah, I hope so too. Thanks for telling me.”

“Yeah, no problem. Hey, it’s getting kind of late, and I think my mom has something planned for tomorrow. But I’ll see you guys in two days, okay?”

“Yeah, see you then, Hyung. Good night.”

“Night, Donghyuck.”

---

I’m back! I’m sorry it took so long to get this out (but are we surprised?)—my life got busy all of a sudden (and I’ve been having some writer's block, but let's not mention it). But I hope you all have a fantastic day/night! I truly appreciate you all

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#NCT #nct mark #nct haechan #lee donghyuck #mark lee #haechan x reader #nct dream x reader #nct 127 x reader #nct scenarios #nct imagines #kpop #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios

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cadaceus · 3 years

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C2E141

One last time, y’all. This campaign and these characters have meant so much to me, and this seven hour finale was definitely an emotional rollercoaster. (Yes, I shed actual tears at one point, which rarely happens to me with media. But this is a special occasion.) These liveblogs are nearly as long as the episode itself, so grab a snack! With that being said, here are my very last liveblogs for Campaign 2 of Critical Role. As always, major spoilers below, so beware.

- Veth taking a level in Wizard, god I am really gonna cry ten minutes into this thing... 😭

- We got our first “stay with us” to Essek, I am emo...

- I was fully not expecting to say goodbye to Frumpkin, but now I’m on the verge of tears... farewell dear fey friend (Marisha saying “that wasn’t supposed to be what broke me” me too me too)

- “You’re a good person.” “I could be.” “You are.”

- “I think you’re a good person” I never thought that I’d hear Beau say that about Essek and this genuinely might be what breaks me... she thinks he’s a good person.... redemption is possible.... maybe love is real....

- If I end up crying over wizards, look away

- Jester lifting up Fjord’s arm to snuggle beneath it made me say “awww” out loud 🥺

- VETH GOING FOR A DIP IN THE POND, I AM GENUINELY SO PROUD OF HER

- “Aahhh!! It’s me! Your wife!” I am going to miss Jester’s sending so much

- Okay that accent bit was so funny, I am going to miss all of them so much

- REAL MOLLY IS BACK REAL MOLLY IS BACK REAL MOLLY IS BACK

- Oh but he doesn’t remember them... and Yasha is trying so hard to help him remember, it’s so so sweet

- Something about the way he said “Tealeaf’s nice” made me tear up... I was neutral on Mollymauk early campaign because I went into things knowing that he passed away, but this whole conversation with the Mighty Nein is So Much. Also “Kingsley Tealeaf”

- “Everyone should have a brother” as someone with three of them, I vouch for this 🥺

- a) I love Marion Lavorre (and Jester ofc!) so very much and b) I can’t believe that Jester’s parent trap actually worked??

- “I do not think Exandria is ready for how you’re going to change it” got to me... and it’s also so true. jester has already changed the world just by being kind.

- Good bye Marion... I love and will miss you so much! (And many thanks to Laura and Matt for creating an agoraphic single mother who raised a wonderful child <3)

- Beau and Jester teasing Marion for having a complicated relationship with Babenon reminds me of Caleb saying he has a complicated relationship with Essek...

- LEAVE CALEB ALON E FUOIKJLKGKNL

- THIS IS ....... SO MUCH WORSE THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.

- Caleb’s biggest trauma(s) coming back to haunt him, I am genuinely going to cry I’m not ready for this I’m not okay

- Beau saying to Jester “Thanks, cutie” I love themmmmm

- INITIATIVE AAGJASKHDKJ AAAAAHHHH

- Essek’s Gravity Sinkhole did nothing? uhhhhh Mr Stark...

- EADWULF???? HELLO?????

- Essek using his entire turn to save Caleb last battle 🤝 Caleb using his entire turn to save Essek this battle

- ASTRID???? I TRUSTED YOU??? WE ALL TRUSTED YOU????

- Another Counterspell chain sdfdghjkdl wizards !!!

- “It’s just business” is literally the Neutral Evil line, it always gives me chills when any character says it

- This hurts more after Liam confirming on Twitter that Astrid/Caleb/Eadwulf were all three a romantic item... please stop hurting Caleb, you loved him 😭

- THE FJORD VS EADWULF SWORD FIGHT IS SO CINEMATIC I LOVE IT HERE ACTUALLY

- Essek taking every opportunity to pull Caleb to safety makes me so emotional... 😭

- “You’re not the first student I’ve had to put down” I am burning with my anger for you, old man

- THE DISPEL WORKED LET’S GO CALEB.....

- Remember when Matt said that Essek doesn’t openly show concern/emotion? And now he’s saying “I’m scared” in front of his closest friends and his worst enemies.... growth my love.....

- BEAU AND VETH LETS GO CHAOS CREW LETS MF GO BABEYYYY!!!

- FJORD COUNTERSPELLING THE DIMENSION DOOR..... and Matt having him describe it.... is this taking the place of a “HDYWTDT” *eyes emoji*

- CALEB GOING DOWN NO, THANK GOD FOR THAT DEATH WARD

- Veth’s illusion of Caleb’s parents flanking Caleb in the flames.... that got me too, Liam

- “Stay down.” yeah, okay, that was sexy

- ASTRID BEING THE ONE TO ACTIVATE THE COLLAR IS LITERALLY POETIC JUSTICE... Trent being beaten by the student who stuck with him longest I love this so much, she deserved that moment honestly

- Break Time, AKA Emma Makes Her Weekly Mug Brownie Interlude

- Sometimes I feel like “death is too good for you” is a copout, but in this case it fits so well, I want this mf’s reputation destroyed and the entire operation exposed and overthrown let’s goooo

- “I loved you both so much”.... Astrid and Eadwulf walking away.... oh, Blumendrei... I know this is not the end of your story. What’s past is prologue, loves

- The Empire Siblings are gonna burn down the whole system because it’s the system that enables individual corruption... I am so fulfilled by this, god i love them

- “I love you too” OH MY GOD I LOVE THEM SO MUCH, FJORESTER ARE THE CUTEST FOR REAL

- Jester and Essek’s friendship still means so much to me btw just in case anyone wanted a check-in

- Veth giving the flask to Kingsley!! Good for her, good for her!

- OH Blumenduo are back already! I truly thought that was going to be their last appearance of the Campaign, why is this taking me more by surprise than Trent’s appearance

- “[Caleb] notes how similar Eadwulf and Fjord are” this is Widofjord adjacent... this episode we have gotten Widomauk-adjacent, Widojest-adjacent, and Widofjord-adjacent (and Blumentrio ofc), now come through Shadowgast and we can get a full Bingo on the “Bisexual Maelstrom” card

- Speaking of relationships, I am lowkey into the Fjord/Jester/Kingsley dynamic LOL no one look at me I’m in hiding

- I’M NOT READY TO SAY GOODBYE TO VETH AND CAD 😭 It makes sense and the fact that they have their families back is beautiful but also consider this: I’m sad and I will miss them

- The goodbyes to Caduceus..... I am going to cry aren’t I?

- “If he’s anything like his mom, you won’t see him until it’s too late” Okay that made me giggle, I love Veth and I love Luc and I love their little family

- IS ESSEK LEAVING TOO? THAT’S GONNA BE WHAT BREAKS ME ISN’T IT

- If Essek leaves and we never see him again, getting a triple whammy of goodbyes I will be so incredibly sad, I cannot do this 😭

- If anyone is interested, no I am not doing well

- I was lowkey ready to get an Essek’s feelings for Caleb confirmation tonight, I guess it makes sense that we didn’t but I hope that this is not the last time we see Essek... I want to write another emo post about him and about how much he means to me but I will refrain

- CALEB BEING A TEACHER IS THE ENDGAME I WANT FOR HIM PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

- Wow, I really was not ready to see Caduceus and Essek go for some reason... I really wanted this Campaign to end on the image of the Mighty Nein together as all nine of them... I’m feeling so numb right now having to say goodbye 😭

- Oh, we’re in the epilogue now!

- When Fjord said “[the sea] is my favorite place to be” I genuinely felt that on a spiritual level... the ocean is home, it truly is and always will be for me as well

- “I CAST MODIFY MEMORY” FJORD LMAOOOOOOO

- Okay, that Widobrave ending is what made me shed tears for the first time this episode... not to be Personal but my biological brother graduates High School tomorrow, and for some reason this conversation just reminded me so much of me and him and now I’m emotional

- NOT THE SYPHILIS BANDITS DSYUHDFJKLSFJ;DS OKAY I NEEDED THAT LAUGH

- “I’d like to hear about your friend” Kingsley aww

- Beau giving Kingsley her first diary to help him realize who they all are is actually so perfectly fitting, I love that!

- “The other eight and I, yes” Caleb counting all nine of them again 😭

- CALEB BEING OFFERED AN ASSEMBLY SEAT WTF AAAHHH

- Oh shit, Astrid took the Assembly seat... I’m not sure how I feel about this, I feel so bad for her for having to stay in the system that abused her for so long and I would have loved to see her burn the whole thing down, but I hope that she at least has a sense of contentment with this title

- “I go where you go, baby” Beauyasha.... my darling loves....

- Beau’s dad??? But also Beau being the one with power over her father is so Good, I’m glad that she got justice on that front as well!

- This talk with Artagan... “I didn’t want you to be a god. I wanted you to be my friend.” and in the process my love you created divinity... maybe divinity is the friends we made along the way

- OH SHIT WE ARE GETTING ALL THE VANDRAN LORE TONIGHT I’M READY LET’S GO LET’S GO

- VANDRAN AND AVANTIKA WERE AN ITEM???

- Wait crack theory: Sabian was a half elf right? Could he be the son of Vandren and Avantika? Or is that too much of a stretch?

- Vandran going with them!!! Also I feel like that moment between Fjord and Vandran was lowkey a tease to a post-campain Uk’otoa one shot and I am ready for it already

- THIS BEAUYASHA MOMENT... “i’ve never known anyone as deeply as i know you” & “explore every bit of you in multiple ways ;)” & “your past doesn’t scare me, it only makes you beautiful” .... this is so much they are so much i love them so much

- “I will have you and then some” Beauyasha 😭

- I’m torn between “oh my god there’s still half an hour left?” and “how is there only half an hour left??”

- “You will let this Skyspear live at least?” oh my god so Yasha killed the last Skyspear then? Oof...

- YASHA GIVING ZUALA(’S GRAVE) THE BOOK OF FLOWERS, OH DEAR HEART

- And Beau’s talk to Zuala about being the luckiest woman alive and sacrifice.... 😭

- PLANTING FLOWERS AT ZUALA’S GRAVE... “NO BETTER GRAVE MARKER” THIS IS MAKING ME SO EMOTIONAL, I KNOW I’VE SAID THIS A LOT THIS EPISODE BUT THIS TRULY IS SO BEAUTIFUL

- So... I may or may not be crying again

- Shadowgast with a steel chair??

- Caleb’s plan for saving his parents... it’s clear he has thought of this so much, oh my darling love 😭

- Caleb burning down his chance to change his past is so symbolic and something he really needed to do, it does make me emotional though

- The other book was him writing to his parents?? Oh bby boy 😭

- While I would have loved for Caleb to open his own magic school (especially with Essek, or the Mighty Nein, or someone else as well), I am so pleased that he stays with Veth and that their friendship continues for the rest of their life because again: they mean so so much to me, and in a way they remind me of me and my biological brother (which I never realized before this episode) and yeah. They just make me Emo

- Also. Caleb being a professor was my Number One Endgame Hope for him and the fact that it came true is just so surreal in the best way possible. I’m so used to being robbed of happy endings. The fact that the Mighty Nein all got theirs makes me incredibly happy. A story does not have to be sad to be impactful. Happy stories and happy endings, especially during a time period of tumultuous real life circumstances, have just as much value and meaning and they always will. Caleb is teaching the next generation magic, and he is teaching them to be Good, and he is nurturing them, and that just means so much

- MATT CRYING IS GONNA GET TO ME

- “Let’s do it again” Please, let’s.

- Okay, everyone. I made it all seven hours in one piece with surprisingly minimal tears (though who knows, this might all sink in tomorrow.) I already wrote my thoughts earlier today about how much the Mighty Nein mean to me and how much this show and these characters have kept me holding on during quarantine and today... I’m still not ready to let them go, but I know that I can always revisit to say hello and to say thank you for changing me. Until then though... I love you all more than you could ever know. And for the last time of Campaign 2... is it Thursday yet?

Good night 💗

#cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #c2e141 #critical role #my liveblogs #cr2 #i genuinely can't believe this is the end y'all... what a journey. what a freaking journey 💗#to anyone who has ever interacted with even one of my liveblogs: i love you and i think about you every damn day dfghjkflf #it makes me Emo knowing that i'm not just speaking to the void and that there are ppl out there listening etc #also this liveblog was TWO THOUSAND WORDS LONG i checked it in a google doc sgdhjkdl #so if you made it through all that you may be entitled to financial compensation #but in all seriousness: i love you mighty nein. and thank you for everything.#is it thursday yet?#queue #(i always queue these for the mornings dgfhjk!)#and yes i WILL be liveblogging campaign 3 #also mayhaps this hiatus will be time for me to catch up with vox machina?

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twwobsessed · 3 years

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I decided to try my hand at writing a fic after some awesome motivation from people on here. It's not an amazing piece by any means, but it was fun to write. @lilacmermaid25's wonderful prompt ideas always getting my mind thinking, so here's a little something I came up with for for the prompt: Elizabeth says goodbye to one of the kids on her way out the door, stopping in her tracks when she realizes they’re in tears. From that moment on, neither work nor school matter - she’s going to stay and hold them in her arms until they feel less empty.

Stevie was sitting at the kitchen table trying her hardest not to cry, but tears kept slipping out. It was Thursday, and she had had what seemed like the longest, hardest week in a while. She loved her internship with Russell Jackson, but he had been in a more irritable mood lately, some of which had been taken out on her. On top of that, she was struggling with feelings of failure and inadequacy, retriggered by the end of her engagement to Jareth, and she had just been feeling empty. She enjoyed her work enough to get out of bed each day, but she found that it wasn’t bringing her the pleasure it used to. Nothing was. And it was exhausting.

This morning, she really didn’t want to do anything besides curl up and cry, though her perfectionist nature was telling her that was not an option. Plus, she was supposed to be at the White House in an hour. Nonetheless, she found herself at the kitchen table, staring at her mug of coffee, unable to keep the tears from falling.

__________________________

Elizabeth was running slightly behind, which is why she barely glanced at the kitchen table when she came down the stairs. She made a beeline for the coffee pot and poured some coffee in a travel mug, her mind already out the door to the pile of briefing books on her desk. As she turned to grab a muffin off the counter, she saw Stevie out the corner of her eye.

“Morning Stevie. Sorry to rush off, but I’ve got to get into the office. Have a great day with Russell honey,” she said, turning to walk out of the kitchen. When Stevie didn’t respond, an unusual occurrence, Elizabeth turned around to see what was going on. She froze when she saw the tears rolling down Stevie’s cheeks.

“Oh, sweetie,” she murmured, all thoughts of getting into the office forgotten. “What’s wrong?”

__________________________

Stevie looked up from her mug when her mom asked what was wrong. She was walking towards her with a concerned look on her face, which was not what Stevie was expecting. Her mom needed to get to work.

“Just a rough morning,” Stevie shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. You have more important things to deal with at work. I’m fine.” She really didn’t want to concern her mom with what she saw as her own shortcomings. She knew her mom was busy, and she didn’t want to be a burden.

“Oh sweetie, no, that’s not how this works,” Elizabeth said, placing one hand on her shoulder and combing the other through her hair. “Nothing is more important to me than you, your siblings, and your father. If you’re hurting, I want to do whatever I can to make it better. Do you want to talk?”

Stevie regarded her mom cautiously. A part of her did want to talk to her about how she was feeling, but another part of her was afraid to admit exactly how bad she felt. “Are you sure you don’t need to rush off to work? You seemed to be in a hurry earlier,” she questioned cautiously.

“I’m positive. Let’s go sit on the couch and talk. I just need to make a couple phone calls and then I’m all yours.”

__________________________

While Stevie got up from the table, Elizabeth stepped into the foyer to call Nadine and Russell. She let both of them know what was going on and that she and Stevie, respectively, would make it to their jobs a little bit later today. Both Nadine and Russell were understanding and sympathetic, just like she knew they would be. As important as their jobs were, they both understood the importance of making sure someone was okay mentally.

Elizabeth entered the living room to find Stevie curled into herself in the corner of the couch. “Alright baby, neither of us has to rush off anywhere now. Both Nadine and Russell know where we are and know not to expect us for a bit,” she said, taking a seat next to Stevie and rubbing her back. It pained her to see Stevie looking so small and lost. “What’s wrong sweetheart?”

__________________________

When her mom asked her what was wrong with such a caring tone, it was like something broke in Stevie, and she lost any control she had left over her tears. She was beyond grateful that her mom wasn't fighting her to get either of them out the door to work and was willing to take some time for whatever this was going to be. Openly crying, she managed to choke out an “I don’t know. I feel so … empty I guess. Messed up.”

“Oh baby,” Elizabeth sighed, continue to rub up and down Stevie’s back.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Stevie cried, frustrated with the way she was falling apart.

“Nothing’s wrong with you honey. You’re going through a rough time right now. You ended a major relationship, and you’ve been putting in hours at the White House, which is certainly not a stress free environment. It sounds like it’s all taking a toll on you, which is perfectly okay. To be expected even,” Elizabeth said.

“I just feel like such a failure. I couldn’t make my relationship work. I can’t seem to keep Russell happy. I’m being a burden to you while you have the whole country to worry about, but all I want is to be held and, and taken care of,” Stevie said, choking on her tears at the end. She felt so ridiculously guilty for falling apart like she was, but at the same time she craved her mother’s comfort.

__________________________

Elizabeth’s heart broke hearing Stevie refer to herself as a burden. “Come her sweetheart,” she said, opening her arms and pulling Stevie up tight against her.

“You will never, ever be a burden to me. Ever. You got that?” Elizabeth said in a serious tone, placing a kiss on the top of her head. “I will always take care of you when you need it. You don’t ever need to feel bad about wanting that.”

Elizabeth paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. The more Stevie said, the more she realized exactly how much her eldest was suffering and how much she had been hiding it. She knew there was a lot they needed to talk about, but she didn’t want to overwhelm her or push her too hard while she was so upset.

“It sounds like you’re really struggling right now sweetheart, and I don’t want you to feel guilty about that. It’s okay to fall apart sometimes, and it’s okay to admit you need a little help. I think we’ve got a lot more to talk about, but I also think you need to take a little while to fall apart and simply feel how you are feeling. I’m not going anywhere, just let it all out,” Elizabeth said, pulling Stevie even closer to her. There would be plenty of time to talk after Stevie calmed down. For now, she was going to hold Stevie as long as she needed to for her to feel at least a little better.

__________________________

Stevie cried harder at her mom’s words and the way she was taking care of her. She hadn’t realized how much she needed to hear what her mom said and how badly she needed this chance to fall apart while being taken care of.

Stevie buried her head against her mom’s neck as her mom hugged her tightly and ran a hand through her hair in a soothing manner.

“I’m right here baby,” her mom murmured as Stevie’s tears kept falling. “I’ve got you. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I love you Mom,” Stevie said into her mom’s neck. She knew she still had a lot to talk to her mom about and a lot to work through, but as her mom held her and rocked her muttering words of comfort, she felt just a little less empty.

#madam secretary #elizabeth mccord #stevie mccord #my first fanfic #fanfic #mental health #mental health matters #this was honestly a bit cathartic to write #I hope you all don't think it's completely awful

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the-writer-nerd-ro · 3 years

Text

I love siblings, don't you love siblings? Thanks for letting me play with your idea, @whisperwillyou I can't wait to see where this voyage takes us next!

Chapters 1 and 2

Ghost Ship

Chapter 3

Louie was the first to hear the wailing. He sprung out of bed in his PJs and tripped down the hall.

“Dewey,” he called out, horrified to see his brother collapsed on the ground, sobbing and shaking.

He wrapped his arms around Dewey, lending every ounce of strength he had left all the while not being able to cope with the sight of someone so strong being so broken now. It was hard when you were the youngest and the one who cried the most, to see someone older and better than you now openly weeping.

“Dewey, what happened, what’s wrong? I’ve got you, it’s okay.” Louie couldn’t promise that part but he tried to convince both of them that it was true, squeezing every ounce of persuasion into that line to make it convincing.

“I s-saw Uncle Donald,” Dewey hiccuped, clinging to Louie.

Louie began running his fingers through Dewey’s hair since he couldn’t reach Dewey’s back through the life jacket and extra layers.

“No, no, that’s not real,” Louie was quick to reassure Dewey. As much as the rocking of the ship sent them reeling, as much as they missed their uncle, the reality was that Uncle Donald was gone.

“He recognized me, Louie. He was looking for us, trying to get back to us. He reached out for me.” Dewey shuddered and sobbed, pulling away from Louie, eyes wild, “It was real.”

Louie felt gutted. Dewey clearly felt worse, but Louie felt sick to his stomach as well, “Then where is he, Dewey?”

“He disappeared. Like he was pulled away before he could reach me. Like he was drowning… Again.”

Louie stood up abruptly when Dewey said the word again.

“Dewey, I’m sorry that that happened to you, but it couldn’t have been real. It was a trick of your mind.”

“Huey and Webby said there was a ghost. It could be him. He clearly has unfinished business, he’s trying to get back to us.”

A hundred thoughts went through Louie’s head, mainly denial. This couldn’t be real, it couldn’t be Uncle Donald because that would mean he was really dead. And there couldn’t be unfinished business that needed to be finished because when it was finished it would be over.

“Dewey, you should lie down,” Louie suggested tentatively.

“I’m going to throw up,” Dewey mumbled.

“Don’t throw up on my hoodie,” Louie’s eyes widened and he hoisted his brother up, helping him to the bathroom where Dewey did indeed lose his oatmeal. It didn’t look any better coming back up.

“Louie? Dewey? Are you okay?” Huey’s voice broke through the tension as he and Webby searched for their brothers. Dewey looked wretched and Louie was still wearing pajamas and neither of them really felt okay. Dewey wiped at his mouth and they stepped back out into the hallway.

“We’re fine,” Louie said, trying to sound chill. He was not chill.

“Feeling great,” Dewey mumbled, hugging himself.

“Mom sent us down to find you…” Huey said, sounding a little reluctant to dive any deeper than that. Webby nudged him. “But also, I wanted to talk… About everything.”

“About what? We’re fine.” Louie felt very fidgety.

“Dewey said you had nightmares last night. It seems like we all did. You want to talk about that?” Huey offered, putting a hand on Louie’s shoulder.

Louie pulled away and stepped towards Dewey, whose eyes were squeezed shut as if it was painful to be awake.

“Actually, Dewey wasn’t feeling well, so we were going to go get him some water.”

“Thank you,” Dewey croaked.

Huey’s eyes widened in concern, “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Oatmeal. Didn’t sit right.” Dewey mumbled, “And the moving of the ship… Bleh.”

Huey nodded, dropping the topic of nightmares and taking Dewey’s arm, “Let’s get you some water, and tell mom and Uncle Scrooge you’re not feeling so good.”

Webby hung back with Louie, “Are you okay, Louie?” She put her hand on his arm, and he pulled away just as fast. He didn’t want to be touched, he didn’t want to be comforted, he didn’t want to acknowledge the ghosts.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Do you want to go change? I’ll wait for you.”

“Oh. Yeah. Thanks.” Louie disappeared and got dressed, following Webby and the others upstairs afterward.

Dewey was explaining how he was feeling to Della when Louie caught up, and Scrooge instantly tried to attack Louie with a life jacket and a bowl of oatmeal.

“I’m not hungry,” Louie mumbled, too disturbed by Dewey’s delusions.

“Are you not feeling well either?” Scrooge asked with a frown, and Louie nodded.

“Just a little seasick, I think.”

“I’m sorry you’re not feeling well,” Scrooge said sympathetically, “You and Dewey should probably stay in the cabin today. You might feel better tomorrow. We’ll handle the mysteries today.”

“Thanks, Uncle Scrooge.” Louie usually was excited about opportunities to stay in and lie around but today it didn’t put his mind at ease.

“I’ll bring you both some soup later,” Della said, kissing Dewey and Louie’s heads in turn.

“Do you want some company?” Huey asked, trailing behind his brothers.

“No, we’re okay,” Louie said, and Dewey didn’t disagree, “You guys focus on finding that ghost.”

Dewey’s head lifted as if he was about to blurt out what he’d seen, and then he lowered it again, feeling Louie’s eyes on him.

When they got back to the room, they both collapsed on Louie’s bunk. Dewey’s breathing was pained when he passed the wheelhouse and it hadn’t settled yet. Louie was worried for him.

“Whatever you saw, it can’t hurt you,” Louie promised, though Dewey knew that whatever he’d seen hurt like hell.

“We need to tell the others, I won’t keep secrets about family anymore,” Dewey replied, shedding the life jacket and holding his side and his head, eyes squeezed shut.

“We’d need more proof,” Louie said, needing this to be a delusion.

“What more do you want?” Dewey asked, “That weird singing last night, our nightmares, I know you dreamed of him too, and now I’ve seen him with my own eyes! Why don’t you believe me?”

“Dewey you’re clearly not feeling well, this could be a symptom of that, a delusion, just because there are ghosts on the ship and we don’t know what happened to Uncle Donald doesn’t mean that the ghost is Uncle Donald.”

“We know what happened to him, Louie,” Dewey snapped, “He died. He probably drowned. I bet you saw it in your dreams just like I did. He’s gone.”

Louie flinched, eyes filling with angry tears, “Stop it, Dewey.”

“Stop what? I’m not the delusional one, Louie, you are.”

“I’m not the one seeing ghosts!”

“This is a ghost hunt! You’re supposed to be seeing ghosts! But you can’t because you won’t face the truth.”

“Why does that have to be the truth?” Louie broke down now, hugging himself as silent tears streamed down his face.

Dewey dropped his anger, “Louie? Can I hug you?”

Louie sighed and nodded and Dewey sat up, wrapping his arms around Louie and smoothing his hair, reciprocating Louie’s comfort from earlier.

“Uncle Donald loved us. He did everything he could to be there for us. Right now, the best thing we can do for him is to hold onto his memory and accept the fact that he’s gone.” Now it was Louie’s turn to sob into Dewey’s chest. Why was this so hard? Why was everything so hard?

“I want to get off this ship,” Louie said, shuddering as he cried.

“I know, Louie, I know,” Dewey said comfortingly, continuing to run his fingers through Louie’s hair.

“I have to get off this ship!” Louie cried, voice louder than he meant it to be, and as he spoke, the ship slammed to a stop, sending Louie and Dewey hurtling off of the bed and straight into a pitch-black otherworld.

#ghost ship chapter 3 #ghost ship #ghost donald #ducktales ghost au #ducktales #dt17 #donald duck #angst #ducktales fanfic #fanfic

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nancylou444 · 3 years

Text

I tried to be nice

Replies to this post:

------------------------

Became this:

THEM: hi! thanks for the answers I really appreciate the discussion. normally if someone ships something I don’t like or something like that, I’ll just leave them alone but.. just to be clear I completely respect all of your opinions, even agree with some of them, even if we might disagree on the incest and Castiel haha. So I don’t mean any disrespect with this at all, please let me know if I’m out of line though!

But... I saw some things you said, and they come across to me in a way that I don’t think you intended? I feel really awkward sending this haha, you’re very nice and I don’t think you said anything on purpose, but I just.. wanted to let you know that some of the things regarding your opinion on certain characters come across not very well? I don’t think it’s intentional or anything, and I don’t mean to call you out at all which is why I didn’t want to point it out in the replies y’know?

Don’t get me wrong though, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with not liking castiel or destiel. I’ve been watching the show for a while with my dad, and he isn’t a huge fan either, I don’t think that’s a problem :)

I’d continue without waiting for a response but I don’t want to say something you’ve already been told, or continue without knowing if I’ve said something out of line already 😅

ME: I'm kind of distracted dealing with my Mom's rehab center. But you can keep going.

THEM: Alright! I’ve tried rephrasing this a million times but I don’t know how to make it seem not antagonistic. I promise I don’t mean that you’re doing it intentionally, it’s just, uh a lot of your criticism of spn feels like it could be read as homophobic? Again I don’t think YOU are I just wanted you to know it kind of reads that way!

That sounded so confrontational. I really don’t mean it that way 😭

ME: HOMOPHOBIC? Really? A lot of the 'proof' your fellow shippers use border on stereotypes but you think I'M homophobic? Considering my top two ships are Wincest and Malec. Yeah, sounds confrontational.

THEM: I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I guess there’s no other way to say it, but I understand why you feel accused. What do you mean by proof..?

Also I don’t really think having gay ships means you can’t be homophobic. *I* used to be homophobic years ago, and I’m a gay person!

ME: How old are you? https://nancylou444.tumblr.com/post/154098904136/a-guide-to-dean-winchesters-imaginary-bisexuality

THEM: yeah this is starting to get frustrating. I’m gonna be real with you, why does it matter if people think dean is bisexual? like, bottom line, that is my question for you

and your answer will determine if your veracity is homophobic. why does it matter that some people think dean is bisexual. not the fans or actors or writers or anything. why does it matter that some viewers will watch, and they will think dean is bisexual?

ME: My problem isn't that some people think he is bi IN FANON, my problem is that they want CONFIRMATION OF A FANON SHIP. And that some people DENY how the show ended. These same people think that fake weddings are more canon than the FINAL EPISODE.

THEM: I get what you mean, but how is it a fanon ship when it’s confirmed romantic from one side, and interpretable as mutually reciprocated in Latin America? (I’m going to disregard the bit about the wedding, because I’m a firm believer in Neil Gaiman variety death of the author. Also that’s just people having fun with fanon, who cares?)

ME: Confirmed romantic?By whom MISHA, who wanted to sell necklaces? Have you never said 'i love you' to a FRIEND or FAMILY member? The dub is not canon, so don't even try using that as proof. Death of the author is just another way of saying MY VIEW OF THE SHOW IS SUPERIOR TO HOW THE CREATOR WANTS TO SEE IT. Jensen has said many times that the ship isn't canon and that Dean is straight. But it's better to believe what Misha says because he agrees with you. You think somebody is bi because of how they sit or the color clothes they wear? That would make YOU homophobe.

THEM: LOL You know what? I change my answer. I looked through your blog and you ACTIVELY and viscously hate Cas, Charlie, Claire, Kaia and the implication that Jack may not be straight. You’ve said Cas coming out as gay and in love with dean makes the rest of his actions predatory, compared him to a teenage girl, called him creepy, and openly rejoiced in your idea that dean looked ‘disgusted with him’. You said that Claire is awful, that Kaia is a wooden plank, that they ‘shoved them together’ for ‘woke points’ and said that Jody saying Claire was IN LOVE WITH Kaia ‘doesnt count’ and called it ‘lip service’. And it doesn’t end there! After all this, you said that you preferred the old better s4 Claire. Is it because she was ostensibly straight? Are you uncomfortable with queer women? And then you have the audacity to use these characters (Claire and Kaia and Charlie) as reasons to epicly own the Hellers and claim they already have represention. You are a completely disingenuous bitch and I don’t care to be nice to you anymore! I don’t feel AT ALL charitable toward you anymore, and I don’t care if you have gay ships. Gay people aren’t here for you to fetishize! You CONSTANTLY mock and ridicule jokes made by queer people regarding deans bisexuality or Cas being gay or any number of things. You constantly reaffirm that Dean is straight and call people who think otherwise delusional and disgusting, while you think dean is in romantic sexual love with his male sibling. You are openly hostile to the idea of non-binary jack and were pissed that Alcal endorsed that. You devalue Jack’s value and relationship to Cas who is, textually, his father figure. I have NO reason not to think that you are homophobic. I don’t care anymore! You’re a huge bitch and, judging by your prior responses and posts, a genuine dialogue regarding queerness in spn is impossible. You regard any instance of canonically queer moments ‘lip service’ and so regard it. You actively hate every canonically gay character and degrade them using traditionally homophobic tropes and stereotypes.

Feel free to explain how you aren’t homophobic. I’m so sorry if I got the wrong impression.

ME: Wow I see your true colors have come out HELLER.

THEM: Idc if you think I’m mean. Go ahead and make a post about me lol, have fun with it. Give me a moment to respond to your paragraph it’s... a lot to dissect.

I’ll touch on your comments about the dub and the Spanish language in a moment. First though

I ’m gonna be real with you, I don’t think you know what death of the author is. Neil Gaiman’s variety of the dead author principal is that once canon ends, the story belongs to those that consume and engage with it. That’s... also literally the theme of supernaturals final season. Anyway I really recommend you read up on death of the author and Neil Gaiman’s takes on fanon. It’s a fun way to consume your media, and in the end that’s what I’m here for.

I don’t care what Misha says, and I don’t care what Jensen says! I think they are both queer because I have eyes and watched the show. I think it’s a lovely narrative that is supported by canon, and it’s fine if you disagree with that

On your last sentence there... lol. It’s a common joke in queer circles that gays can’t sit properly, specifically bisexuals. Same thing with the clothing, it’s a SUPER common joke for example that lesbians wear flannel. Maybe you need to go outside and talk to some normal, non-incest shipping queer people. But what do I know!

And finally... ‘the Spanish dub isnt canon’

I am literally cuban. My first language is SPANISH. my entire household speaks Spanish, and my family past 1st cousins don’t speak any English. My Boricua cousins have watched supernatural in full for years, and they watch it in Spanish. Do you think America is the center of the universe? Do you think our media is somehow less than yours, that our interpretations of English language media isn’t valid? What, do you think we are idiots who don’t know how to analyze literature and media? Do you think the people who work at Telemundo, people employed as dubbers and translators, you think they do a worse job than the American crew?

Why, because they aren’t American or don’t speak English? ‘Te amo’ said to a non family member is, in 99% of any instance, ROMANTIC. it’s something you say to your spouse in serious situations like weddings!! Even MARRIED people don’t normally say te amo, everyone uses te quiero unless it is very serious or romantic in context.

All of my family who are Spanish language, they heard dean say ‘y a yo ti, cas’ and think that they were in romantic love. Sorry dude! The United States might be the center of your universe, but Latin America is HUGE. Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the WORLD. In fact, more people speak Spanish than English. Sorry that you seem to hate gay characters SO MUCH you have to say an entire language somehow isn’t valid to consume media in!

ME:

Obviously this heller is batshit crazy.

Some of those things she thinks I said just show she has no idea how to follow a tumblr thread.

You are a completely disingenuous bitch and I don’t care to be nice to you anymore! I don’t feel AT ALL charitable toward you anymore, and I don’t care if you have gay ships. Gay people aren’t here for you to fetishize! You CONSTANTLY mock and ridicule jokes made by queer people regarding deans bisexuality or Cas being gay or any number of things. You constantly reaffirm that Dean is straight and call people who think otherwise delusional and disgusting, while you think dean is in romantic sexual love with his male sibling.

Wow.

I have NO reason not to think that you are homophobic. I don’t care anymore! You’re a huge bitch and, judging by your prior responses and posts, a genuine dialogue regarding queerness in spn is impossible. You regard any instance of canonically queer moments ‘lip service’ and so regard it. You actively hate every canonically gay character and degrade them using traditionally homophobic tropes and stereotypes.

Where have I hated canon gay characters and degraded them using tropes and stereotypes? The bitch has me confused with HER FELLOW SHIPPERS.

Gotta love how she is defending the Spanish dub. Hit a nerve did I?

It’s a common joke in queer circles that gays can’t sit properly, specifically bisexuals. Same thing with the clothing, it’s a SUPER common joke for example that lesbians wear flannel. Maybe you need to go outside and talk to some normal, non-incest shipping queer people.

Now who is using stereotypes?

#destiehellers #batshit crazy #your headcanon doesn't mean shit dean is straight #dub doesn't make it canon

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eleanorbloom · 3 years

Text

When You're Ready Ch. 25

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x f! MC (Eleanor Bloom) x Ethan Ramsey.

Word Count: 6.3k

Warnings: Mentions of panic attacks, innuendos and Spanish dirty talk (with proper translations 😂) oh and lots of fluff Rated: T

Taglist: @utterlyinevitable @binny1985 @shanzay44 @choicesficwriterscreations @starrystarrytrouble @lahellacute @lucy-268 @cinnamonspongecake @romewritingshop @freckles-spangledvampire @mercury84choices @curiousconch @thegreentwin @openheartfanfics

----

Chapter 25. 24 Hours

It's a little soon

But I wanna come home to you

It had been forty days since she last put a foot in Edenbrook. Forty-six since the incident.

Memories of that day floored her mind as she was standing in front of Edenbrook Hospital looking for the strength, the bravery to come in.

The trauma about that place wasn't as big as it was in the first days when she couldn't even conceive being alone in a hospital room, worried that something could happen and she would be trapped there alone again; but was still there, leading her to catastrophic thoughts from time to time.

What if something happens again?

Eleanor couldn’t stop that question from popping up in her mind over and over again, but she’d reassure herself, over and over again, that anythingcould happen anywhere. It could've perfectly happened at the airport, on her way to Ohio, on her way back to Massachusetts. On her way to the hospital, even.

Anywhere.

So after a long, deep breath and ignoring her mind trying to trick her for the umpteenth time, she headed toward the entrance.

The hospital inside was with its usual hustle. People in and out at every moment; nurses, doctors, and other professionals deep in their work, some of them recognizing her and stopping to greet her, some others just giving her curious glances when she'd walk by their side.

Despite feeling overwhelmed by the amount of prying eyes and people inquiring about her state, she felt content with being back at Edenbrook. She’d been missing the familiarity of that place.

Banerji was as welcoming as she thought and happy to see her back at the hospital, though he didn't hesitate to tell her she could take more time if she needed. Eleanor thanked him for being so understanding during her time away but assured him that she was ready and therapy would help her in case things take a turn for the worse.

After chatting with Banerji about the hospital and life in general, Eleanor sauntered towards the Diagnostic Office, hoping she’d find Ethan to inform him personally about coming back to work the next day.

When she reached the glass walls, she found Ethan alone, deep in concentration reading something from his computer.

Her heart felt weird at the sight of him. The man she used to be in love with. It seemed almost impossible to think her heart belonged to him two months ago.

“Hello,” she said softly, standing at the entry.

His blue eyes widened by the sudden appearance, but quickly softened into a warm look when he recognized her, “Eleanor, what a surprise,” he said, standing and walking towards her, “How are you?”

“I’m doing better,” she shrugged, and both stared silently, awkwardly, unsure what to do next. But after everything had happened, there was no need to pretend anything, nor accentuate fondness when there wasn’t such or conceal coldness to not expose her feelings.

She wanted to believe they were already past that point, even if they only had two, almost three (normal) days to deal with the aftermaths of the end of them, and forty days apart seemed a good amount of time to do some healing.

So, she simply went for it and gave him a friendly greeting hug. They hadn’t seen each other in a while, so she greeted him just as she greeted her friends, just as Naveen greeted her that morning. Ethan was also her friend, despite everything, and maybe this was a way to show him she’d buried the hatchet after everything had happened between them.

Briefly stunned by the gesture, Ethan returned the embrace patting her gently in the back, "Are you visiting?" He asked while both were taking a seat at the circular table.

“Not really, I came to inform Naveen, and now to you, that I’ll come back to work tomorrow.”

“That’s good to hear. The Team hasn’t been the same without you.”

There was a tint of sadness in his voice and eyes when he said those words. There was more to it than the explicit meaning. It wasn’t just the Team, it was him he hadn't been the same without her, but that information didn’t mean anything to her. Maybe in another time, or another life, that would make her change her mind, would make her quiver and see hope in the hidden messages.

But not now.

At this point in her life, she was completely over him, and head over heels for Bryce Lahela and nothing could change that.

“And I’ve been missing using my brain for more than follow plots in my series,” she teased, trying to conceal the fact that she still could read him like a book, “I suppose I have a lot of journals to catch up with, too.”

Ethan chuckled, seeming a lot lighter than a few seconds ago, “Oh, yes you certainly have to.”

After catching up for an hour with Ethan about the team’s work, Eleanor headed to the cafeteria to have lunch with Bryce and some of her friends.

Late in the afternoon, after cleaning up last night's party and unpacking her suitcase, Eleanor took the T to Bryce's apartment.

There was still one person she needed to talk to.

When Eleanor stood outside the apartment door, loud music was heard inside, and a really passionate voice reciting a rap song with perfect speed and lyrics. Chuckling, she waited until the song was over to knock the door.

“Are you practicing for America’s Got Talent? 'Cause girl, you’re killin' it” she asked when Keiki opened the door, wearing Bryce’s red Stanford hoodie and a messy bun tied over her head.

“Ella!” she sighed before engulfing Eleanor in her arms, “Ohmygod, hi! What a surprise!”

"Hey, Keiks…" Eleanor replied, fighting back the tears. She didn't expect such a warm welcome from her at all, much less another spontaneous hug from her, but she returned it enthusiastically, "Oh, I missed you, kiddo, how are you?"

“I’m doing fine,” she assured, inviting her to come in, “I’m finishing my homework before studying for my history test tomorrow.”

“Woah. Bryce told me you had a test today too.”

As both approached the living room, Keiki grabbed a mix of notebooks, papers with concepts and diagrams, and some flashcards scattered all over the couch and piled them in the coffee table to let Eleanor take a seat beside her, “Yeah, Chemistry. Next week I’ll have my last two exams and I’ll be up to date with my curriculum.”

“Keiki, that’s amazing!” Eleanor congratulated, sitting on the couch, “And really impressive. Doing two months of exams in three weeks it’s a lot, I hope you get to learn well, though.”

“Oh, yeah. I honestly thought I wouldn’t make it, but I’ve got mostly As, so it was totally worth it the hard work.”

“It clearly paid off, you must be so proud! And Bryce too!”

"Yeah, he is, though it annoys me sometimes that he's so… nosy, like, he sits beside me to know what I'm studying, and he starts questioning me, and argh, you know how he is."

“Aww, but he’s trying to help you!”

“I know, it’s just…” she sighed, looking a bit conflicted, “My mom never sat beside me to study with me. Never. Only to ask me if I was doing good at school, etc, but she never actually cared about my… learning process, so I guess the whole thing it’s kind of new for me. I know I said I wanted him to show he cares about me, but sometimes it’s like.... too much…”

Eleanor nodded, encouraging her to keep talking. She knew how contradictory her confession was, even Keiki seemed to see it that way, but it was understandable. It wasn't easy to adjust to a new life where she had attention and genuine care, and that amount of worry, considering how independent Keiki was for being a fifteen-year-old, was certainly too much for her.

But she was happy for what that implied. Keiki was openly recognizing Bryce cared about her and was trying to give her as much time as he could, and that was progress compared to what she had felt a month ago.

She also felt happy Keiki still trusted her to share those things with her.

When Bryce arrived home, he was beside himself with happiness for having the two most important people in his life together again, joking with each other as Eleanor was finishing making dinner, and Keiki was setting the table.

He knew Keiki was over with whatever conflict she had with Eleanor, but seeing it materializing was different.

However, Bryce and Eleanor took things slow. She just stayed for dinner and before Keiki went to bed, she returned home to prep for her first day back at work. And the following weeks she didn’t spend more than two nights a week with Bryce to not alter the dynamics Bryce and Keiki were establishing since she started school.

Apart from the whole ‘over-worried Bryce about her studies’ thing, and the typical fights every adult has with a teenager, things ran smoothly between the Lahela siblings.

Both were doing their best to make it work.

Keiki had found a good group of friends at school with whom she used to spend her free time, and who had her back when some classmates tried to bully her when they found out about her family name. The first time it happened, she didn’t let them get under her skin and called them out and stood up for herself instantly, because there was nothing, and no one, who could ruin her peace now that she finally had a place to call home and people to call friends. She was done with the bullying.

One day, though, that attitude turned into suspension because she punched a boy who crossed the line with her, but Bryce, instead of scolding her, congratulated her by inviting her dining out for being so badass.

No one dared to talk about her after that day.

The first day back at work wasn’t easy for Eleanor. Nor the following days. From time to time certain things would trigger her trauma, making her remember painful details about that day, and consequently, cause panic attacks that would force her to lock herself in supply closets until the irrational fear was over. Luckily for her, some of those times happened when Bryce wasn’t in the OR, so he would sit on the floor with her to try to ease her mind or at least distract her until she was feeling good enough to come back to work.

Sometimes it happened out of nowhere, but most of the time it happened when she was walking outside the DT's patient room, or when she saw Danny attending his therapy sessions.

It overwhelmed her to see how weak he still was compared to her and even compared to Rafael, but Danny reassured her that he was doing fine, that he knew recovery would take him some time, but he was thankful for being alive and having another chance.

Sienna was happy with this second chance too.

Therapy helped her a lot, though. It helped her to unload the baggage she'd been carrying for so many years, and to not let her most recent trauma do more harm than it already had done. She was fighting hard to have her life back but to also be able to let all those fears in the past and give Bryce everything he deserved in their relationship.

She wanted to give him everything she once promised.

Between work, therapy, and trying to find ways to save Edenbrook, weeks happened in a blur, and before knowing it, the first days of snow arrived, and with that, the gift of a night of celebration with her friends, the Hopeful Hearts Gala.

“Why the smug smile on your face?” Eleanor asked, her arms locked around Bryce's neck as their bodies swayed to the beat of the music.

“Are you kidding? I’m the luckiest person here, dancing with the most beautiful woman in the whole world,” he said, grasping the fabric of her astonishingly beautiful red gown before lifting a hand to swirl her in one swift motion.

“Aw, mi amor. I have to disagree with you,” she said, placing both hands over his chest, feeling his warmth through the silky fabric of his blue floral button-up shirt, “I am the luckiest for calling the most handsome and loving man in the world my boyfriend, beat that.”

Bryce grinned before biting his lower lip “Okay, that’s really hard to beat, lots of people would kill to have your position.”

“Oh, I know, but you’re worth the fight, though I’d prefer not to fight at all, you know?”

“You don’t have to. I’m yours forever,” he whispered, and not missing a beat, Bryce leaned to brush his lips in her ear and added in a sultry voice, “and I’m counting the seconds until I take this dress off you and I make you mine.”

Eleanor lolled her head to the opposite side reflexively, feeling as a shiver was electrifying her entire body.

More than intoxicated with his innuendo, she turned to him and gave him a suggestive smile, “A couple more rounds with donors, and I’ll be all yours. Well, I am already yours, but I’ll allow you to use your prerogatives on me.”

“Wow, I didn’t know you could do fancy dirty talk too.”

“It comes with the dress,” she purred before drawing her face an inch away from his lips, her eyes still fixated on his, “Once you get rid of it... te hablaré sucio como tanto te gusta.” (I’ll talk dirty to you just as you like it.)

“Oh, please stop it,” he growled, pressing her body against his, his now dark eyes gazing hungrily at her cherry lips.

“Cállame,” she challenged, arching a brow and parting her lips invitingly. (Shut me up)

“Gladly.”

Bryce didn’t hesitate a second and captured her lips on his, kissing her with eagerness for a brief two seconds. The place didn’t allow for more, but it was enough to leave her cheeks flushed and her eyes ignited with desire.

“Stop it or I’ll drag you outta here and we won’t get to talk with more donors for the entire night. I mean it.”

“Alright, seré una chica buena,” she said with her best angel face before taking his hand and leading him to a group of philanthropists standing by the drinks table. (I’ll be a good girl).

Suddenly, she felt his hand pinching her waist with deliberate force, “You’re gonna pay for this, Andrea,” he mumbled discreetly in her ear as both were walking between attendees and colleagues with perfect smiles on their faces.

“Oh, I’m sure,” she said sweetly, before extending her hand to a posh couple debiting with a glass of champagne in their hands, “That’s precisely the point.”

When Eleanor opened her eyes the next morning, Bryce was already looking at her, his bare arms loosely tangled over her body.

“Good morning,” she said sleepily, tilting her head to kiss him.

“Morning gorgeous, how did you sleep?”

“Amazing, but…” A yawn interrupted her words, making her stretch between his arms, “I wouldn’t mind staying with you for another three hours.”

“Mmmmh, me neither,” he said softly, smiling pensively before embracing her.

After a minute of silence, Eleanor narrowed her eyes, stranged by how oddly quiet he was that morning. Bryce normally was noisy and chatty rather than pensive, much more considering the amazing and well-spent night they just had.

“Is something the matter? You’re kinda quiet this morning.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Love…” she stared at him, serious, waiting for his answer.

Bryce looked at her silently for a second, stroking her hair before answering, “I was thinking… Ok, I know this might be too much but I…”

Yeah, something was definitely happening because Bryce didn’t use to babble.

“I watched you sleeping for a while, you know? And I couldn't help but think how beautiful it would be to wake up like this every morning.”

She felt her chest swelling with a very well-known warmth at his words and the yearning smile he gave her.

“Oh, I see” she sighed, grinning nervously at him.

“And go to sleep every night with you by my side…” he continued, his hand now resting over her face, his thumb caressing her cheek, “And go to work together and… just live with you, babe.”

And her stomach fluttered with the images that started forming in her mind with every idea he was disclosing, and her whole body felt like melting, melting with that familiar warmth Bryce used to cause on her. With wonder.

As she wasn’t able to say a word, Bryce's smile faltered instantly, “Oh, babe, I’m sorry, it was just an idea, I didn't mean t-”

She shook her head, “It’s not that, I’d love to live with you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, that would be… god, perfect.”

“Then why don't we do it? I spoke to my landlord the other day because I wanna move to a bigger apartment with Keiki, and he let me terminate my lease early if I move between Christmas and New Year… ”

“Bryce… ”

She didn't know what to say. She loved the idea but a part of her was terrified about it. It terrified her she could screw it up again with Keiki. Or with Bryce.

But she knew she had to be braver than that. She’d been working on that in therapy and this was her first test.

“This could be our chance...” he persuaded, careful not to sound too insistent.

“Love, it’s not that simple.”

“Babe, if you don't want to do this just tell me, I won’t get mad because you don't feel ready.” His tone was earnest and there was no doubt he meant it.

“Listen, it’s not that I don’t want to, I do, but there are a lot of things we should consider before making that decision. The most important of all, Keiki. Have you even asked her what she thinks about this?”

He shook his head.

“Then you should start there. It took you a long way to get along with her, and making a decision like this without asking her could really damage her trust in you.”

"Mmm, you're right. Not because everything is okay now, it means she'll be okay with you moving in."

“Exactly. But even if she agrees, don’t you think it’s kind of… weird that we move together considering Edenbrook is closing and probably we’ll have to finish our residencies somewhere else, probably in different cities?”

Bryce furrowed his lips, thinking, “Not really? I plan to stay in the area, mostly for Keiki. I wouldn't like to force her to start over again in a new place and school. Salomon Kenmore and Mass Gen have great surgical programs so I’ll send my applications there as my first options. And… well, you told me the other day you were planning to apply to Mass Gen and BWH because those were your second and third options if you hadn't got admitted to Edenbrook. ”

“It's true. But what if I'm not accepted? If I end up, I don't know, in New York, or Cleveland?”

"Who cares? I mean, of course, it would be sad if we had to go to different cities, but is it really a reason to not take the chance now? We'd still have full five or six months ahead of us. Whether we end up here or not, we could enjoy this time while we can, and if in the end we both stay in Boston, much better."

Bryce was right. It didn't make sense worrying about something that wouldn't happen in several months when they had the chance now to live together for at least five months. All this, in the hypothetical case Keiki would agree to Eleanor moving with them.

“You’re right. It’s better five, six months than nothing.”

“Exactly, it’s making the most of our time together.”

Eleanor bit her lip, her eyes sparkling with excitement as new ideas started popping in her mind, unleashing all kind feelings and plans, "Awww, that would be so amazing! Having breakfast together before going to work, making groceries list, planning menus for the week…"

“And fighting who does the dishes or cleans the bathroom,” Bryce added, with the same excited tone Eleanor was using.

“Oh, and I’d yell at you every morning because you’re taking too much time in the shower.”

“And I would yell at you that you could join me instead of complaining.”

“But you can’t do that! Your sister’s here!”

“But it’s just a shower!”

“We both know it’s not just a shower, Bryce Lahela.”

“Damn, that’s true, but if we move to a bigger apartment with an ensuite bathroom,” Bryce gave her a mischievous smile, pressing her tightly against his warm body, “She wouldn’t even notice.”

Eleanor rolled her eyes, suppressing the smirk forming on her lips at his insinuation, “You’re impossible.”

Ignoring her feigned glare, he continued, “And we’d have dinner the three of us every night, and we’d brush our teeth together before going to sleep, and then you’d snuggle up to me every time you have cold feet…”

“My love...”

The sole idea was enough for her to say yes, but she knew, she knew she had to think about it seriously, even if Keiki agreed. Moving together carried a lot of responsibilities, with their relationship and also with Keiki, so she couldn't make the decision lightly.

“I’ll talk to Keiki about this,” he assured as he saw the mix of hope and concern in her eyes.

“And I’ll think about it and… probably start my applications to secure a spot here in Boston.”

“Deal.”

They sealed the agreement with a soft, lingering kiss before getting up to start the day.

The proposal kept ringing in her head for several days. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to move in with him, but she knew there were a lot of obstacles to make that come true.

Keiki was one, but also the uncertain future about where she’d be next year. But even without the idea of moving in with Bryce, it was about time she did something about her residency.

She started looking for places besides her two first options. New York and Baltimore had good programs too so those could go in third and fourth place considering closeness with Boston. Cleveland was another, but mostly because it was in Ohio.

Once she had a secure list of hospitals, she decided to discuss her options with Ethan and see if he could write a recommendation letter to incorporate in her application.

However, part of her was worried he would question her choices, probably the fact that her first two options were unmovable partly because she wanted to stay close to Bryce and Keiki.

With the whole hospital working for the free clinic, it was hard to find free time, so as soon as she saw Ethan was taking a break to have lunch, she followed him to his office and explained the situation.

“Your list of preferences is fine in my opinion,” Ethan said after both discussed the programs she had chosen, “but I don't understand why you're so adamant with Mass Gen and Brigham in the first places. They are great, but John Hopkins has a better Diagnostics Department.”

“I know, but I'm trying to prioritize options that let me stay in the city. Good options. Mass Gen is second nationwide.”

Ethan nodded, his gaze pensive. He was fighting hard the urge to ask further, but he did it anyway, “Are you doing this for Lahela? Because I assume he’s planning to stay in the area for his sister.”

Eleanor was expecting the question, but that didn't make her feel any less startled. She knew that 80% of her decision was professional, that she chose those places because they were her options two years ago, and still were one of the best options in the rankings, but for a moment, his words made her feel like she was actually making it just for Bryce.

Was that inherently wrong? Probably so, but she knew herself enough to tell she'd never make a professional decision onlythinking about someone else.

“I’m not, but what if I was?” she asked, trying to placate her defiant tone.

“I just want to make sure you're making the choice that's best for you.”

Eleanor begged internally he wasn’t going to come with his paternalistic attitude as always.

“And this is, Ethan. As I said, I came up with my first two options because those were the places I would've gone if I hadn't been accepted here. But yes, I also have personal reasons for wanting to stay here. Bryce and I are considering moving in together, so it would be ideal if we stayed in the same city.”

Ethan looked baffled for a brief second. At the next, he was the same stoic Ethan she knew.

“If you're sure that's the best for you, I support your decision.”

But she could tell it was hard for him to say those words.

“You really mean that?”

He sighed.

"Look, if I have to be honest, I don't agree with you at all. Personally, I would never let anyone or anything interfere in my career, so my choices would be different from what you made…"

“But that's you…”

“Exactly, that's me, so it doesn't matter what I think. What matters is what you want, and if you're telling me this is important to you, that these are the best options to you, I have to respect that.”

Eleanor was agape. That was something Eleanor would've never seen it coming in a million years.

Ethan chuckled, amused by her reaction, “I know I spent a lot of time questioning your decisions, both professional and personal, but that time is over. As a colleague and friend, I can tell you're doing what's best for you, so I cannot do anything but support you.”

Yeah, it seemed the time apart, and all the time they had been spending since her returning had done something to mend their relationship. Three months ago Ethan wouldn’t have hesitated for a second to question and criticize her decisions and would’ve mocked her for taking Bryce into consideration, but instead, and for the first time, she was surprised in a goodway by Ethan.

"Thank you, Ethan, it makes me really happy knowing you're on my side."

“You’re welcome, Eleanor.”

Eleanor left his office, happy and more sure than ever about her decision.

When she was expecting the worst, ready to set boundaries and fight for her decision- even if she knew she didn't owe him any explanations about her decisions-, Ethan was surprising her with empathy and support.

They'd come a long way and finally, they were finding the balance.

A couple days later, the morning of her birthday, Eleanor was clocking out after a long shift. The idea of going home and having a nap before getting ready for her lunch date with Bryce was the only thing on her mind.

However, as soon as she got out of the hospital, the figure of a familiar teenager approaching made her stop in her tracks.

Keiki.

Eleanor almost didn't recognize her as her face was hidden under a light-blue parka and a white scarf tied around her neck. It was freezing outside.

“Keiks? Hey! What are you doing here? Bryce isn’t working today.”

“I know, I came to see you actually. Happy birthday!”

"Oh my god, Keikiii! You're too sweet! Thank you!" she squealed as Keiki was crushing her with a warm hug. "Aw, you might not want to hear this but you're almost as much of a good hugger as your brother."

Keiki blushed, “As long as you don't tell him, it's okay.”

“It'll be our little secret.”

“Great, now come with me, I have a surprise for you,” she said in a confidential tone before taking her hand and leading her to the parking lot.

“A surprise?”

“Yes, but it’ll take us a while to get there, so you have to be patient.”

After a short walk, they found Bryce waiting for them in the car. As soon as Eleanor sat shotgun, Bryce wrapped her in his arms instantly, peppering her with kisses over her lips and cheeks and down her jaw, “There's my birthday girl! Happy birthday again, beautiful.”

“Mmmh, you’re in the sweetest Goldie mode today, uh? I love it.”

“Hope this day is as good as you dreamed.”

“Well, with Keiki's surprise visit and the surprise that's coming, I'm sure it will be!”

Bryce stared at her silently for a moment, his gaze charged with hope and something hidden she couldn't quite decipher, but it made her more excited about the surprise.

Suddenly, the door of the back seat opened, “Are you two done? I’m freezing out here.”

“No, but you can cover your eyes if you can’t stand watching some innocent kisses,” Bryce teased, kissing Eleanor once again.

“I’ve seen more than enough between you two too many times.”

“It’s not like you’d get a disease if you watch us, you know?”

“Bryce!” Eleanor giggled, “Leave her alone! We are done, Keiks. Get in here! I cannot wait to see my surprise.”

After a ten minutes ride by the snowy streets of Boston, Keiki tied her white scarf around Eleanor’s head, covering her eyes as Bryce started slowing down the speed, “Okay, we’re closer to your surprise.”

“Oh man, I’m getting nervous now.”

“Don’t be, it’s safe and I’m sure you’ll like it,” Keiki assured softly, a tone she rarely used, as she helped her get out of the car.

As they began walking, Eleanor hooked her arm around Keiki's so she could lead her to their destination. Keiki didn't let her go any second, guiding her through the entry of a -she guessed- building, helping her to get into and out of the elevator, and then leading her through a hallway until a door closed behind them. Seconds later, Keiki untied the scarf.

“Surprise!”

After trying to adjust her eyes to the bright light, Eleanor found herself and Keiki alone in an empty room. It was an empty apartment, actually. White immaculate walls, big windows, a new, shiny kitchen, and a spacious living room.

“Keiki, wha...?”

The teenager bit her lower lip as she started to shorten the distance between Eleanor and her, “Bryce talked to me the other day about the idea of you moving in with us. I must confess at first I didn’t like the idea, thinking I’d feel the same I felt… well, you know when.”

Eleanor nodded silently.

“But then I thought… There’s nothing wrong with you, or with me, or with Bryce. We only had problems communicating, and thanks to you and the way you’ve cared about Bryce and me, we could solve those problems and now we’re both trying to make this work.”

“I’m glad you can see it that way now.”

“I know we never talked about it after what happened, but… I wanna apologize for being so unfair with you, for kind of blaming you when it wasn't your fault, and…”

Eleanor could sense Keiki it wasn't easy for her to speak so earnestly, but it was clear she meant every word and every feeling.

She breathed in deeply.

“And at the same time, I wanna thank you for always taking care of me. For always taking me into consideration and trying to do what's best for me, since the first day we met. You… You've become like a sister to me, Ella, the sister I didn't know I wanted, so thank you for being there for me.”

“Oh, Keiki, please, you’re gonna make me cry.”

“Sorry not sorry,” she teased, her cheeks profusely blushed.

Her heart was so warm, she thought it would melt any second. And she was so happy, she thought she could fly any instant.

“Keiks… I had no idea you feel that way about me,” Eleanor hugged her, “Thank you for telling me.”

"Everything is true. I know I'm not the kind of person who says these things, but I really mean it. And I'd be so happy if you move in with us. And of course, my brother would be happy too. The happiest, actually."

Eleanor grinned broadly, her eyes glistening with joy. “You're like a sister to me too”, she confessed, throwing her arms around her again.

As if he knew it was the right time to get in, Bryce opened the door, and poked his head inside, “Can I come in now?”

“Yeah, weirdo, come in,” Keiki allowed, as Eleanor freed her from her embrace.

After drying her tears of joy with the back of her hand, Eleanor turned to Bryce, who was looking at her, expectantly.

“So, what do you think? I hope you don't mind spending the morning of your birthday looking for the perfect apartment to move in.”

Eleanor looked at Bryce, his eyes charged with hope and possibility. It was a possibility what she couldn't read early that morning. But she could now because her head and her heart were full of possibilities too, full of plans and a beautiful, bright future together with Bryce and Keiki.

And when she turned to Keiki, her smile was welcoming and her eyes sparkling with the same possibility. For once in her life, she wasn't hiding any of her emotions.

She thought about the things that had been holding her back. Right there, there was none.

Her heart wanted this. And she hadn’t realized how much she wanted it until that moment.

She was ready.

Ready to fully commit and take this new step with Bryce.

Ready to take this new responsibility with Keiki and try to give her the love and care she'd been lacking her whole life.

Ready to be part of this pretty little family.

Feeling an outburst of joy, Eleanor ran and clung to Bryce to smooch him sweetly, “I love it! I love it, I love it! And I love you!”

Bryce encircled his arms around her to lift her from the floor, his gaze devastatingly tender, “And I adore you, baby,” he whispered.

She rested her forehead against his, feeling the warmth of his breath before kissing him one last time. This was a moment she was sure she’d remember her whole life.

“Fun fact number one about domestic Eleanor,” Bryce said once Eleanor’s feet were back on the floor, “She’s actually a koala.”

Keiki, who was looking at the windows resisting the urge to laugh at the clingy scene, turned to her brother, “Oh, just as you’re a Goldie?" she retorted, mischievously.

“Exactly, Keiks! Exactly!” Eleanor said, chortling at the remark.

Grinning, Bryce approached his sister and rested an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side “Keiki needs a pet name.”

“Oh, no, no, no no, you leave me out of this,” the girl said, trying to get rid of her brother’s grip, to no avail.

“I agree with Bryce. You cannot be the only one in this family without a pet name.”

Keiki’s eyes widened at the mention of the word family. Forgetting completely the annoyed act, she smirked fondly at her and then to Bryce, realizing what she had in front of her.

Her family.

“Keiki is totally a cat,” Bryce stated seconds later, “She likes to be left alone, and only likes love when she asks for it, but not when you give it to her, and she hates me, just as cats hate dogs.”

“Oh my god yes! You'll be Kitty, then!”

“No, no way you’re gonna call me Kitty, anything but that,” she refused, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Grumpy Cat then.”

Eleanor cackled, and even Keiki couldn’t help the laugh.

“Love, Grumpy Cat? She’s not that grumpy.”

“If Bryce’s around, I am. So, as you'll only call me that way when we’re at home, it will totally suit me. Anything is better than Kitty at this point.”

"Grumpy Cat, Koala, and Goldie, quite the zoo, uh? Does this apartment allow animals?" Bryce asked.

“Bryce, don’t start with your dad jokes already!” Keiki scoffed, finally freed from Bryce’s arms, and sauntered towards one of the bedrooms, leaving Eleanor and Bryce alone in the empty living room.

Sharing a hopeful smile, Bryce took a few steps towards her and rested his hands over her hips, “Did you like the surprise? I hope this isn’t forcing you to make a decision.”

Eleanor encircled her arms around his neck, thoughtful.

“No, no, love, it was perfect. I’m actually… still a bit incredulous about what Keiki said and… well, that she agreed.”

“There's no way she wouldn't feel that way about you, babe. You've been so supportive and just… good and caring with her.”

“She's a good kiddo too, a girl that has been through a lot and didn't deserve any of what she had to live.”

“Lucky for her, her brother's girlfriend has the biggest, warmest heart this planet has ever seen, so she'll get all the love she deserves.”

Eleanor gave him a sweet peck on the lips before looking softly at him, eyes conveying nothing but adoration.

“Just as you will.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yes, my love. Every morning and every night of every day.”

-----

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. With the mess book 3 has been, this kind of fluff has been really therapeutic to write. Even the bit with Ethan helped me to recalibrate, because he's been insufferable in this book. Luckily, here I could portray him more as he actually is.

A big hug to everyone of you, and thanks again for reading ❤️

#bryce lahela #bryce lahela x mc #playchoices #open heart #choices stories you play #oh choices #open heart choices #oph fic #open heart fanfic #open heart fics

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simsroyallegacy · 3 years

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Anissa Crawford Speaks Out: That B*tch is Crazy!

Last night Lady Anissa Crawford, a Lunarian socialite best known for her stint as girlfriend to the teenaged Prince Nicky, broke her silence on her experiences with Princess Isadora of Castille. She gave an interview to famous late night talk show host Francesca Valentine, giving an in depth look into the early signs of Isadora’s troublesome behavior. The interview drew in millions of viewers to Late Night Tea with Francesca and started the trending hashtags #TheWickedWitch and #BurnIsadora after Lady Anissa let loose how the younger Castillian Princess would send people to harass the young socialite during her relationship with the Crown Prince. View the full interview under the cut!

Francesca Valentine (FV): Now that we’re back from the break, here’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for this evening my dear viewers! Tonight’s special guest is a socialite we all know and love to hate, a woman who has dabbled in fashion design, modeling, and dating very wealthy men: Lady Anissa Crawford!

The audience bursts into applause as Lady Anissa walks onto the stage and seats herself across from Francesca.

Anissa Crawford (AC): Thank you so much for having me Francesca, I’ve always been a big fan of the show!

FV: It’s a pleasure to have you here, Anissa, though it feels like you’re always on my show one way or another.

AC: *laughs* Well, I’m always happy to give you something to talk about, dear!

FV: *smiling* Tonight you asked for this to be the platform from which you speak of events kept as secrets you’ve held close to your heart for many years now, correct?

AC: Yes. I’ve kept quiet all these years on the advice from my parents and lawyers but now that some of the truth has come out about Isadora I feel like I should share my experiences with her, if only to give the people a better understanding of what poor Nicky must have gone through and by extension Princess Minerva.

FV: It’s so brave of you to do this, Anissa, truly. Let’s start with having you explain how exactly you started your relationship with the Crown Prince?

AC: Nicky and I met at a Hartfordshire Academy sports event when we were both in our junior year of high school. I attended Hartfordshire’s sister school, an all girl’s private academy right across the street from the boys. We would rarely be allowed to interact with each other anywhere but sports events were always the exception.

FV: So you caught his eye?

AC: Actually, I started talking with one of his good friends at the time, Jack Pierson. I thought Jack was cute and wanted to get closer to him and so I started hanging out with his friends which included Nicky. Anyways, long story short Nicky and I got to be friends before we started dating; we actually didn’t realize we liked each other until he invited me on his birthday trip to Selvadorada.

FV: Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t Princess Isadora on that trip as well?

AC: She was. Everyone who went on that trip were Nicky’s closest friends and family at the time. Prince Gabriel, her older brother, had been his childhood best friend since before they turned eleven. He’s always been close to him and Isadora – he treated her like his own sister.

FV: What were your first impressions of her at that time?

AC: The moment she realized I was a part of the trip – before Nicky and I even got together on it – she was glaring at me and complaining to her brother about an “outsider” travelling with them. She made several passive aggressive comments about that childish nickname jealous little girls gave me back in my teens: “Easy-A”.

FV: What did HRH say about it? Didn’t he defend you against her?

AC: He pulled me aside and told me not to take it personally, that she did this to everyone who came into their circle of friends. Nicky pitied her because of her family situation, you see, and explained part of it to me. I pitied her too after that.

FV: Oh? Care to share?

AC: I don’t think I will, sorry, but that stuff was personal to the Castillian Royal family and I’m not comfortable airing the entire family’s dirty laundry to the world. Just know that she had a seriously messed up childhood and started taking it out on others. I tried not to let her hostile behavior get the best of me on that trip but when Nicky and I announced we were a couple she started to escalate her vicious attitude.

FV: How so?

AC: When no one was looking she’d trip me up, spill things on me, hide my things; those were just petty little kid things, honestly, and didn’t bother me too much. It was when she stole my phone and texted my parents the nastiest things – she was calling my mom wh*re and b*tch and even told my father that “I” had found out about an affair my mom was having with her assistant! – they both were so angry with me! What nobody knows about that trip is the fact that my father had me sent home early because of the cheating accusation.

FV: Was there any truth to it?

AC: Absolutely not! But at the time he honestly thought it was something I had told him in confidence, he had brought all of my siblings and my mom together for a dramatic family meeting where they started fighting over it. I had tried to tell them that it wasn’t me who said those things, that it was all a lie from that little brat but neither of them believed me.

FV: What happened during after that?

AC: My parents thought I was acting out for attention and sent me to therapy. Funnily enough, it really helped me focus on my home life and school, which were things I didn’t care too much about back then. It even ended up bringing me closer to Nicky, who was so, so supportive to me during that time. Nobody ever believed me that Isadora was the one who was using my phone to “grab attention” from my parents though.

FV: Was that the only time you had contact with her? Or were there other incidents over the years?

AC: There were tons of situations where she would straight up shove me – she even “accidentally” caused me to fall down a flight of stairs at an event I had gone to with Nicky! I ended up only spraining my ankle but that was seriously messed up of her to do – she’s obviously had a homicidal streak in her for years. It’s honestly not a surprise to me that she’s behind the attempted assassination of Princess Minerva.

AC: She would also follow Nicky around all. the. time. Honest to Watcher, she was stalking him. She’d make sure to fly out to Lunaria every weekend to see him and would become furious when he didn’t include her in his plans. She would guilt trip him constantly into inviting her along on our “dates” and when it got to the point where I’d become angry with him over it he’d pull the “she’s like my sister” card and say he’ll make it up to me.

FV: And did he make it up to you?

AC: Honestly? Yes. He was an attentive boyfriend, despite the weekly Isadora interruptance. He always knew how to make me laugh, was patient when I had my infamous diva moments, got along great with my family, and really pushed me to be better. He also bought me some pretty great gifts. *laughs*

FV: The public was in an outrage over his spending habits for your gifts, no?

AC: *snickers* He did know how to spoil a girl.

FV: If you were getting along so well, how did it all fall apart?

AC: After Nicky and I went to separate universities, we kind of took a break.

FV: Kind of?

AC: We still had every intention of getting back together in the end, but I wanted to be free during my college experience and I thought he wanted the same. He ended up rooming with Gabriel and of course Isadora constantly came around under the pretense of “visiting her big brother”.

FV: Is that sarcasm I’m detecting from you Anissa?

AC: Damn straight. I don’t know exactly what happened but she got her claws into him. Made him think I had been cheating on him for our whole relationship, – I still believe it was her who was feeding the press “exclusive” interviews about my Easy–A behavior – she also fed him lies that I was just using him for his money.

FV: You were constantly asking him for things though...

AC: I never asked him for much more than his love and time. He bought everything he knew I enjoyed because that’s the type of person he is. He’d give the entire world to the person he loves the most if he can, that’s what makes him such a great partner. I don’t know how Isadora poisoned his mind against me like that, it’s like she was a witch or something *laughs*.

FV: *laughing* Well, she’s certainly wicked!

AC: The last straw for me was after his graduation from UBrite when those photos of him and Isadora were published. I had traveled out to see him at the home he had been given as a graduation gift, hoping to talk things over with him and see if we could salvage or relationship but...*sighs*

FV: But what?

AC: Let’s just say it was too late for us. He began dating Isadora openly after we split and I vaguely remember saying some seriously nasty things when I was cornered about our split. I feel terrible for implying that Nicky was such a selfish man, that he was only with her to “get it out of his system”. He truly loved her then, I know that. He had always loved her to some degree, platonically as children and romantically after we grew into adults. I was devastated to hear about those abuse rumors – he didn’t deserve that, no one does, ever. I’m so happy she’s been exposed for what she is: a crazy b*tch. I hope they catch her soon.

FV: Will you be reaching out to HRH now that his eyes have been opened to Isadora’s evil ways? Is there a chance you could rekindle your romance?

AC: *laughing* Dear Watcher, no! That chapter of my life is over and I’ve fallen for someone else.

FV: Oh? Who is the lucky guy?

AC: *smirks* Oh Francesca, I don’t kiss and tell. Maybe you’ll see us together on my Simstagram someday...

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