#b/c my girl DESERVES to be unsettling!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dragondemoness · 1 year

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Ultimate Cuteness Reader - Ultra Despair Girls Edition (Story Mode)

Komaru Naegi, a normal girl who was trapped in a city of despair.

Given only a hacking gun to defend herself, she was forced to navigate the roads of Towa City, despite the fear that flowed through her veins.

After running into some trouble with the Monokumas, she met the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, Toko Fukawa, and they joined together to save Byakuya Togami.

They didn’t get along too well, given Toko’s prickly nature, but they managed for a little while.

But as they were patrolling the streets, they heard a scream from the corner.

“AGH! What are these things?!”

They sped over there to find three Monokumas cornering a frightened teenager with a rather adorable appearance.

Komaru shot them with a break bullet and they crumbled to the ground, little more than mechanical scraps.

“Are you okay?!” Komaru rushed over to them and helped them to their feet.

“G-Geez, you didn’t waste any time,” Toko remarked.

The teenager shyly smiled and nodded. “Y-Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks for the help.”

Taking a closer look at them, they had messy, dull pink hair, and their clothes were cutesy and ruffled in appearance. In their hand, they held a rugged stuffed rabbit that was rather dirty. On their wrist, they had the same bracelet those awful children placed on Komaru’s wrist.

“Oh. My. God. You are so cute!!” Komaru squealed, suddenly with the energy of a young child. “What’s your name? Where are you from? What are you doing out here? Poor thing, you must’ve been terrified!”

“G-Give them room to breathe, Komaru, geez...” The older girl said.

They chuckled awkwardly, overwhelmed by the sudden attention. ”I’m (Name) (Last Name). I sort of escaped here after the tragedy.”

“Y-Your name sounds familiar... Did you g-go to Hope’s Peak Academy?” Toko asked.

They nodded. “Uh-huh. I was in the 77th class. My talent was the Ultimate Cuteness.”

“Ahhh I love that! It’s perfect for you!” The younger girl squealed again.

“Tch... What a s-stupid idea... How did the principal accept that as a talent?” Toko groaned.

“Hey! Back off, Toko! They’re perfectly deserving of the title!”

They awkwardly cleared their throat, temporarily interrupting their bickering.

“Um... What are your names?”

“I’m Komaru Naegi!” She smiled brightly.

“I-I’m Toko... Fukawa.”

“Oh, the Ultimate Writing Prodigy, right? That’s so cool! I’ve read one of your books before,” the Ultimate Cuteness said with stars in their eyes.

“Heh... I b-bet all my works are way too advanced for your ch-childish tastes. What do you read, picture books?”

Komaru smacked her arm with a glare.

“Aaanyway, why don’t you tag along with us? It’s not a good idea to stay here on your own, and you’re just way too cute to leave behind!” She offered with a smile.

“O-Oh, are you sure? I wouldn’t wanna bother you...”

“Not at all! We would love to have you!”

“Wh-What are you, an idiot? We j-just met them, and-”

“Shush! Shut up! We are keeping this.” Komaru hissed, gesturing towards them.

Toko sighed. “Fine, why not. You can c-come if you want.”

The Ultimate Cuteness smiled and clapped their hands together. “Yay! I won’t get in your way, I promise!”

Komaru squealed and threw her arms around them, causing them to stiffen up. “Welcome to the team, (Name)! We’re gonna get along just fine!”

They froze for a moment, then chuckled shyly. “Thanks.”

With that, the three of them left the area.

As they walked together, Komaru explained why they were there and who they were looking for.

Then Komaru pointed out the bracelet on their wrist.

“Oh, this? I got caught by a bunch of children, and they put this on me.”

“Seriously? That happened to me too!” Komaru said with a look of fear.

“They’re so unsettling,” they continued with a shiver. “they call themselves the ‘Warriors of Hope,’ hellbent on getting rid of the adults in the city and achieving their ‘paradise.’“

"’Paradise?’“ Komaru echoed.

They nodded. “Uh-huh. I’m not sure what it means, but they think the adults are standing in their way, so they’re gonna get rid of all of them.”

“What the hell are you t-two on about?” Toko questioned.

“There are a group of kids in this city that are killing adults,” the Ultimate Cuteness explained. “Apparently, they’re trying to achieve ‘paradise.’”

“Paradise? Wh-What the hell does that mean?”

“I don’t know, but we’re gonna have to stop them at some point. They’re way more dangerous than they look,’ the Ultimate Cuteness continued.

“Wh-Who cares about a bunch of kids?! Master Byakuya is far more important!”

“Master?” They tilted their head to the side. Komaru simply shrugged her shoulders at them.

Now joined by a new teammate, Toko and Komaru continued their journey to save Byakuya Togami. Unfortunately, that would be much more difficult to attain than they expected.

#danganronpa #danganronpa x reader #danganronpa ultra despair girls #komaru naegi x reader #toko fukawa x reader #ultimate cuteness reader #ultimate cuteness series

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ofherlionheart · 2 years

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📚

mannnn before i even STARTED the boo chronicles i got pretty damn deep into The Zukka Graceling AU That No One Asked For™. basically, almost any character who was a bender was a graceling and the non benders were not graced. for those of y’all who have impeccable taste and read graceling, you’ll know what i mean when i say yue is my katsa, and she has the whole katsa arc of realizing what her grace is + liberating herself from her shitty uncle, but, alas, that’s all just groundwork for setting the zukka scene here (sorry, yue)

zuko is graced and azula isn’t, and due to Bad Traumatic Shenanigans when they were young, ozai finds out his son has a grace and that grace is poisoning. ozai thinks he can use this grace to his advantage so instead of handing over his son to the king, ozai destroys zuko’s gold eye and burns half of his face in the process. eventually zuko poisons ozai and runs away from the shame/trauma of patricide and azula finds him two years later b/c she’s like, the dumbass will surely expose his secret without my help and i don’t want ANY of the corrupt kings getting their hands on my graced brother.

over in lienid, sokka and katara are from a long line of sailors, where the first child inherited the ship and the captaincy and the second child became first mate. however, katara is like 1 when they find out she’s graced, and not long after they realize her grace is for predicting weather conditions (yes, katara’s grace is based on that one rando lienid captain from graceling lol). it makes much more sense, w/ her grace, for katara to be captain instead of sokka. and he’s fine with that! it makes sense! she doesn’t mean to cast a shadow on him with the grandeur of her personhood and abilities!

and FINALLY the fic starts with lady yue showing up at zuko’s shady apothecary with a dying man thrown over her dainty little shoulder. the man’s struggling to breathe and z’s like ‘does the poison have to look like an accident’ and yue’s like ????? no i want u to save him?? z’s like i’m not a healer and yue’s like pls. the locals told me you are the best bet for this man’s survival. z slathers some gunk on the man’s gums and is like, pls leave. yue’s like … u know. my grace [redacted for graceling spoilers]. z’s like idk what that has to do with me

aaaanyway the whole gist of it is, z’s blackmarket poisons get into the wrong hands when azula (who runs the business, z just makes the poinsons) is captured. luckily z is friends with aang, an abandoned graceling b/c the king of sunder couldn’t figure out his grace, and aang works for yue’s council. when the council steps in to help the accidental victims of z’s loose poisons, yue and suki ask katara and sokka to host z on their ship and take him from port to port to heal the ppl he fucked over in the first place. katara hates z on sight b/c kya died from poisoning and katara thinks ppl who makes poison are the scummiest and least respectable of nefarious criminals. s doesn’t trust z but is like … he seems like he’s not evil incarnate? the whole gaang works together to heal ppl and find and save azula and z & s fall in love along the way and z realizes the truth of his grace, blah blah happy ending smooches

Put “📓” or some other version of a book emoji into my inbox and I’ll explain the plot of a fanfiction that I haven’t written but daydream about.

#ask game #okay i cheated i drafted the prologue and like half a chapter of this one #but then boo chronicles and the HSM2 au became things #so i abandoned this #honestly tho maybe one day i will post the prologue here #b/c im still quite fond of it #i think i did it well #graceling realm is such a fckn good series tho #if y'all haven't read it you should #it's not abt the fantasy realm it's abt using the quirks of that realm to EXPLORE the v relevant THEMES!!#bodily autonomy!! power!! patriarchy!! grief!! trauma!! sexuality!!#at the very least read fire omg 1. bi protagonist of color 2. brigan is hot as fck #anyway. yue has one purple eye and one silver eye that looks like the moon #aang's grace is that he can make friends with literally anyone :) his grace is the only reason z has a friend #aang's eyes are two slightly different shades of gray but katara has one red eye one blue eye #b/c my girl DESERVES to be unsettling!!#sokka has brown eyes <3 #i feel like a 13 year old on ff.net lmao

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flowerbinniee · 4 years

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et sanguinem flos petalis [i] - peter parker

title: et sanguinem flos petalis

summary: first loves are never easy, especially when they have the power to kill you.

pairing: one-sided peter x reader, peter x mj

word count: 1765

warning(s): swearing, blood, dying character, angst, one-sided love, the hanahaki au that no one asked for

a/n: here’s the first part, guys! hope you enjoy.

“No,” you murmur in horror as your friends stare at the bloodied rose petals in your palm. Not here. Why did it have to be here?

“Y-Y/N? Are those rose petals?” Betty asks, her eyes wider than Brad’s basketball. “Wh-Why are you… coughing up rose petals?” You’ve reached the point of no return, my little petal. You have no choice now.

“I-I…” You scrambled for some sort of excuse, a lie, but there wasn’t one. The voice in your head was right: you don’t have a choice. You have to face it. “There’s this disease. It’s called, uh, Hanahaki—”

Realization washes over MJ, and her shoulders slump. “Who is it?”

The sting of tears burns the back of your eyes as more petals and droplets of blood fell to the tile floor beneath your shoes. “M-MJ, please under-understand that I d-didn’t want y-you to find out this way… I-I never—” Your apology dies on your lips as you meet her eyes. Flames of rage were rampant behind the dark brown irises.

“Would you rather us find out after you were already dead? Because you were too much of a coward to face me? Face him?” Her words tore at your heart, but she was right. You are a fucking coward.

Another suffocating cough sends more petals into the open air between the two of you. “There are o-other options,” you tell her as blood drips down your chin. “I-I wouldn’t have to die.”

“That surgery isn’t always successful, Y/N! And you’d have no capacity for any kind of romantic love or any memory of him when you woke up. Do you really want to put him through that?”

“H-He’s got you,” you weakly defended. “He’ll be okay.”

A low growl rouses from her throat, and she clenches her fists by her side. “God, I want to fucking punch you. You really want to keep it from him, don’t you? You would rather have him watch you die than tell him you’re so in love with him that it’s literally killing you.”

“There’s no other way.”

“Yes, there is!” She shouts, gaining the attention of some people around you. One of which includes a certain brunette. “Tell him, Y/N! Tell Peter, or I will.”

“Tell me what?” Of fucking course.

“Peter,” you murmur, eyes locked on his form. “H-Hey.” You feel him search your face until he spots your bloodied chin.

“Holy shit, Y/N, you’re bleeding! What happened?” Those innocent doe eyes reflect concern for your well-being, and you want to hate him for it. But you can’t. He cups your jaw in his hand and swipes at the blood with his thumb. “Are you okay?”

You nod. “Yeah, Pete. Of course. I just coughed a little too hard, I guess.” You avoid eye contact with MJ over her boyfriend’s shoulder.

“I’ll say,” his little laugh stirs up the flowers in your stomach.

“She’s lying. She’s nowhere near fine.” Peter whips his head around to face his girlfriend, eyebrows raised.

“MJ,” you protested. She shakes her head.

“Y/N, I told you to tell him, or I would.” She focuses her attention on Peter. “Do you remember that disease I told you about, Hanahaki?” He takes a moment to think before nodding.

“That’s the one where the victims cough up flower petals until they die, right?” He watches the stoic, angry girl reach down and scoop the handful of bloody rose petals from the floor, showing them to him. He stares at them in the same unsettling horror that Betty did when she first saw them. He slowly turns to face you again. “That’s what she wanted you to tell me?”

Not having the courage to look at him, you stare at the droplets of your blood that spattered across the floor.

“B-But that’s for people who have an unrequited love—“ He cuts himself as he continues to stare at you. “Who is it?”

“Peter,” you say. His expression turns stony as you evade the question.

“Tell me who it is, Y/N.”

“Knowing is only going to make you feel worse,” you try to tell him.

“I get enough of that bullshit from Fury! Tell me who it is; tell me who is literally causing you to die,” his fists clench just like MJ’s did, and fear presses down on your heart like the weight of the roses growing inside of you.

“Y-You.”

;

Things between you, Peter, and MJ become reasonably tense after the incident at the airport. Peter hasn’t spoken to either of you in almost two weeks. And you were too embarrassed to speak to them because you were so afraid that their knowledge of your feelings would destroy their relationship. They deserve happiness, they deserve each other.

Your new, depressing normal shatters fifteen days after your secrets are bared. A firm knock at your bedroom window lures you away from the AP Biology homework you’d been slaving over. Flipping the latch and shaving the pane up, you’re greeted by overly familiar brown curls and doe eyes.

“Peter,” you breathe. “What are you…” His mouth presses itself into a hard line, and his shaking head interrupts you.

“We,” he gulps down the growing lump in his throat, “We need to talk.”

“Yeah.” You move away from your window to allow him to crawl into your bedroom.

“I want to try to save you from this,” he starts. “I don’t want my best friend to die.”

“Peter, no.” You wring your hands together. “The only ways I can be saved is the surgery or—”

“Or if your love becomes requited.” He finishes your sentence softly, “I know.”

“So, unless you magically convinced Tony to fund my surgery, there’s no way out for me.” You sit back at your desk, your eyes never leaving Peter’s form.

He tilts his head up for his eyes to meet yours, bites his lip, and slumps his shoulders. “What if you didn’t have to have the surgery?”

Raising a skeptical eyebrow, you continue to eye the brunette web-slinger. “Peter—“

“What if I… learned to love you?”

Anger from the pit of your stomach sparks and catches like hellfire and brimstone. “Get out.”

His innocent eyes that damned to this in the first place blow wide, and his face tightens with confusion. “Y/N—“

“If you even think that I would let you not only ruin your relationship with MJ and disrespect my feelings like that, you are sorely mistaken, Peter Benjamin Parker.”

“I’m trying to save you, to keep you from dying like some c-caged animal!” He protests. “I don’t want to watch one of the people I care about most waste away when there’s something I can do.”

“I don’t want to watch the boy I’ve loved practically all of my life kill himself trying to save me from the inevitable. Peter, I’m going to die either from this or some other circumstance.” Sighing long through your nose, you hang your head into your hands. “I want you to love me, more than anything. But I want you to love me because you want to. I don’t want this to be an obligation for you.”

When you pick your head up again, Peter is closer to you than he was five minutes ago. He’s kneeling in front of you and gripping a leg of your chair. His free hand slowly reaches for the left side of your jaw, and he brushes the pad of his thumb across the length of your cheekbone. “I just want to help you, Y/N.”

“I know, Pete, but I don’t think you can this time.” He purses his lips and pushes them into a tight frown. He stills for a moment, and you’re afraid to touch him in fear of breaking him. Surging forward after the moment of hesitation is over, Peter gently pulls your face down to his and presses your lips together.

You always wondered what it would be like to kiss Peter; what his lips would feel like, what they would taste like. It’s not what you thought it would be. His lips are soft, sweet, and supple. The lingering taste of his spearmint gum bleeds into your mouth and tingles your senses. But there’s no affection or love in the kiss. There’s desperation, anger, anguish, pity in your kiss. You didn’t want your first kiss with your best friend, the boy you’ve loved since you were six, to be because you were dying. Seconds bleed into hours as the two of you sit there, lips pressed together. Suddenly, as if his lips had burned you, you pull away from Peter.

“Why did you do that?” Your voice is so soft, breathy. Chest heaving and cheeks flushing, Peter lifts a shoulder wordlessly. “Because I wanted to.”

;

The news of Peter and MJ’s demise as a couple spreads through your little friend group like wildfire. The news doesn’t surprise you, but it does upset you. What does surprise you after your kiss with Peter is MJ’s attitude about it. She doesn’t throw a temper tantrum, doesn’t scream or curse at you, doesn’t avoid you like a resurgence of the Bubonic Plague. In fact, she comes up to you during her free period the Monday after the ordeal.

“Hey,” she says as she looks unenthusiastically at her fingernails.

“H-Hey,” you smile sadly at her. “I’m, uh, guessing Peter told you.”

She nods once. “He did.”

“I… I don’t know what to say,” you lamely confess.

“His superhero complex is extremely irritating,” she sighs and balances her chin on the heel of her palm.

“You can say that again.”

“But I think you should let him try.” She peers down at you. “Let him try to love you.”

“No,” you shake your head. “I already explained to him that if he loved me, I didn’t want it to be out of obligation.”

“But what if it works? What if it saves you?”

Your silence on the subject reveals your reluctance. MJ then places a gentle hand on your shoulder. “I want to see my best friend live.”

Deep in your subconscious, you knew that you wanted to live, too. You wanted more than anything to not die at sixteen. Even if it’s selfish, there was a part of you that wanted Peter to love you despite his new sense of obligation to you. If it could save you, you would love him as if you didn’t have a care in the world.

If it could save you, you would love Peter Parker as if he loved you back.

#emmy writes 🎶#peter parker #peter parker x reader #peter parker imagine #peter parker fic #peter parker angst #hanahaki au #peter parker x hanahaki!reader #part two coming soon

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yandere-wishes · 4 years

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Lolicassé Profiles

(I'm so sorry for this I know it's ugly af!😭 the quality completely died when I imported the images into my computer.) Welcome one, welcome all! To Lolicassé the dorm of misfit toy! Founded on the intellect of the toymaker (though it's technically "founded" on a Micky mouse episode just like the Ramchakle dorm). The students in this dorm all use a classification of magic known as "creator" which permits them to build marvelous inventions and toys from simple everyday objects. Students here, are also able to transform into some sort of toy, which sometimes makes it hard to tell the students apart from the actual toys littering every corner of the dorm. If you are thinking of paying this dormitory little visit, BEWARE the students can get rather clingy and obsessed, and are not above using rather unorthodox means to keep their new playmate with them forever!

Meet the Students of this patched up dormitory.

Xerxes Starness Year/Class: Year 3 Class A Seat 8 Birthday: 18/01 (Capricorn) Age: 18 Height: 183 cm Dominant hand: left Origin: City of misfit toys Club: Robotics Best subject: physics Hobby: Inventing new devices and fixing up old inventions Bad with: Sleeping Favorite food: Chocolat Disliked food: any seafood Special skill: Fixing broken tech He is Lolicassé's dorm leader who can transform into a tiny remote control robot. He's a direct descendant of the original "founders" of the City of misfit toys. His childhood was rather isolated, having two very strict parents that we're obsessed with the idea of creating the "perfect child". Even in Night Raven he still continues to distance himself from other people, which has resulted in several rumors about him to rapidly spread.

Special ability Optical database When he looks directly at an object or person he is able to pull up numerous information about them. His brain is the equivalent of the world wide web. It is rumored that this isn't his original special ability and that his mother stole his birth ability instead of replacing it with a man-made ability

Edgar Ross Year/Class: Year 3 Class B Seat 26 Birthday: 04/04 (Aries) Age: 19 Height: 189 cm Dominant hand: left Origin: City of misfit toys Club: Magical Shift Club Best subject: Protective magic Hobby: Exercising Bad with: Not invading peoples personal space Favorite food: Anything with gravy on it. Disliked food: corn Special skill: Sharpshooting

He is Lolicassé's deputy dorm leader who was raised in a military household and in such pride himself on being the "perfect" soldier. He's rather old fashioned and keeps a formal attitude with whoever he meets. He devotes himself to "protecting" his dorm members which have caused him to get in multiple fights with students from other dorms. It is said that he idolizes Xerxes father. He can turn himself into a toy soldier like the rest of his family members.

Special Ability Icy bullet He is able to emit glacier bullets from his body that freeze what every they touch. Due to his polished target skills he hardly ever misses his target.

Ray Sanada Year/Class: Year 3 Class C Seat 19 Birthday: 24/06 (Cancer). ‎ Age: 18 Height: 177 cm Dominant hand: Right Origin: City of misfit toys Club: Studying movies club Best subject: Alchemy Hobby: Sewing dolls Bad with: Focusing on one task for long periods of time Favorite food: Strawberry cake Disliked food: anything grape flavored Special skill: Memorizing books quickly

An emotionless boy with a doll-like beauty that can transform into a porcelain victorian era doll. His beauty is rumored to rival that of the Pomefiore perfect. He is said to be deprived of emotions. He rarely speaks and doesn't have any friends. Some students say that they see him roaming the Ramshackle graveyard in the unholy hours of the night.

Special ability Dollhouse his special ability permits him to bring inanimate objects to life. However they have to be objects that he himself makes. As of right now his ability can only keep something alive for exactly 3 minutes and 52 seconds.

Ezequiel Autumn Year/Class: Year 2 Class B Seat 18 Birthday: 18/10 (Scorpio) Age: 17 Height: 182 cm Dominant hand: Right Origin: City of misfit toys Club: Board game club Best subject: Summoning Hobby: Video games Bad with: Talking to girls Favorite food: Soft drinks Disliked food: spicy foods Special skill: Hacking

A shut-in with absolutely no social skills. No one knows what exactly happened to his mother or any of his aunts but he was raised by his father and uncles. Due to this he rarely ever spoke to any girls and freezes whenever he has to talk to them. With the acceptance of his godmother who happens to be Xerxes' mother. He considers Xerxes his only real friend. He is able to transform into an anime figurine. It is rumored that he has a pair of wings though no one has ever seen them.

Special Ability White Raven, Black raven It is unclear if he was born with this ability or if it was implanted in him when he was a young child. But his voice is able to manipulate the will of others. After an unfortunate incident some students have speculated that he also has the ability to control the life span of those under the influence of his voice.

London Lore Year/Class: Year 2 Class C Seat 5 Birthday: 31/10 (Scorpio) Age: 17 Height: 179 cm Dominant hand: Right Origin: Villiage of Harvest Club: Basketball club Best subject: Summoning Hobby: Collecting buttons Bad with: Keeping track of time Favorite food: Pumpkin spice drinks Disliked food: watermelons/ gravy Special skill: Sewing customers

A lazy second-year student with an unsettling creepy aura around him. He can transform into a rag doll, although even in "toy form" he is still very unnerving to be around. He was created in the city of misfit toys, but raised in the Village of Harvest were his family owned a small farm where they mostly grew pumpkins and corn. The chain around his neck tethers his body and mind to the soul of a famous killer, although this is all just a rumor it's still more than enough to get other students to avoid him at all costs.

Special Ability Plague's kiss He can emit a deadly toxin from his body which causes people to transform into hideous monsters and submit to his will. Although even after years of practice he is only able to create a max of five monsters.

Valentino Kartinez Year/Class: Year 2 Class A Seat 3 Birthday: 09/09 (Virgo) Age: 17 Height: 173 cm Dominant hand: Right Origin: City of misfit toys Club: Science club Best subject: Arts Hobby: Hosting tea parties Bad with: Ripping open his stitches Favorite food: Cookies and milk Disliked food: Vegetables Special skill: Cooking and baking

A trickster, who's elaborate tea parties are talked about all over the school and usually gather a large crowd. He grew up in a crowded family consisting of 13 siblings in which he was the "middle" child. His family owned a famous chain of restaurants that were known for their "childlike glow". Due to the restaurants taking up much of his parent's time, Valentino became accustomed to staying at home and only having his siblings as companions. Although he did enjoy the company of his younger siblings he detested his older, bossier siblings. His toy form is that of an old mangled teddy bear.

Special ability Childhood tea party Valentino is able to create a lifelike simulation of someone's memory, however, the illusion only lasts up to four minutes.

Jess Box Year/Class: Year 1 Class A Seat 23 Birthday: 14/12 (Sagittarius) Age: 16 Height: 171 cm Dominant hand: Left Origin: City of misfit toys Club: Basketball club Best subject: Magical Pharmaceuticals Hobby: Designing tattoos Bad with: Keeping his voice down Favorite food: Pudding Disliked food: Raisins Special skill: Memorizing nursery rhymes

A loud, hyperactive claustrophobic first year who's voice seems to constantly be echoing around the halls. Despite being a Jack in the box, he hates small, dark, confinements. He's rather happy go lucky and usually doesn't care much about what goes on around him.

Special Ability Pop goes the Weasel His body becomes as flexible like a spring, permitting him to jump around and attach to walls. According to a certain hunter, Jess's special ability would make him an amazing huntsman. Although the first year seems to prefer using his power set to prank his classmates and teachers.

🐻❤️ 🐻❤️ 🐻❤️ 🐻❤️ 🐻❤️ 🐻❤️ 🐻❤️ 🐻❤️ 🐻❤️ 🐻❤️ 🐻❤️ 🐻❤️

Alright so this is how I'm going to do things. Interactions are open for these characters, meaning you guys can send them asks (yandere or normal. How they would react to something/Someone up to you), just talk to them or whatever else you can come up with. I'll do my best to answer everything, whoever if I think an ask better deserves a drawing as an explanation I'll put it on hold and make a quick sketch for it later. This whole dorm was really a giant drawing practice and since I really want to start digital I might re-draw them later (not likely but we'll see). I'm thinking if these characters get popular (Idk 55 likes and maybe 10 interactions) I'll release sprites of the characters doing poses similar to the TW boys (basically how I imagine them if they where in the game) and maybe later even do some chibis of the boys. Although I seriously doubt anyone is going to like or read this 😂 🤣 😂🤣. Also a huge thank you to everyone that encouraged me to continue working on this it means so much to me! And a special thank you to Rinna ( @minoux-deactivated20200516 ) the creator of Terrorwood who inspired me to take the first step in making this dorm. If anyone wants to make an oc for this dorm feel free to do so (let's be honest no one would want that) just please tag me.

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland oc #oc dorm #lolicassé #jess box #Valentino Kartinez #London Lore #Ezequiel Autumn #Edgar Ross #Ray Sanada #Xerxes Starness

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nettlestonenell · 4 years

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Armie Hammer wants a sequel to The Man From U.N.C.L.E.—shouldn’t you?

This post is a long time in coming, Gentle Readers and @jammeke, but now, though it might be here, before your very eyes, to think it will be well-laid out would be a mistake. It’s set to be just about as messy as Ilya’s misplaced loyalties and murky motivations.

How dare!

I probably first watched this film well over a year ago (courtesy @jammeke posting things about it). I used Sling OnDemand (I think on TNT). In the ensuing viewings I also watched it in that way, but as I was sitting down for a fourth(?) viewing, it kept coming to me that I was tired of watching it with commercials I couldn’t skip, and I had a sneaking suspicion that it had been edited for time and I was missing out on scenes. [pointless aside: I was also watching the film in chunks, and never as a whole]

Where is she now? What’s the time stamp? How far along did she get? Are you shagging the hotel hostess yet?

So, I, uh, set out to buy it on DVD—without any luck! In the sense that copies I could find cost more (w/ shipping) than buying it to stream. So, I bought it to stream on Amazon. Do I regret my choice, Gentle Readers? No, no I don’t. I do regret burden of knowledge in learning that TNT was already playing the entirety of the film. That was a hard pill to swallow.

Nope, I’ve looked. That’s absolutely everything. Nothing additional lurking around here...

So here it is, as it is, @jammeke, “My Notes on The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”

Look, I don’t know what this film is. I probably can’t fully articulate its appeal. Or maybe I can--certainly after transcribing four page I’ve tried. Number One thing to know about me and fiction/films is that a top draw for me is seeing something out of the ordinary, such as beautiful locations, a historical era, delicious costumes. There are times, frankly, this can trump weak story and undefined character for me. (The best films, of course, combine all three) Certainly, The Man... delivers in the delight of the eyes. Additionally, I must confess that growing up as a person older than @reblogginhood but younger than Miss Fisher, so much of what was on TV was essentially reruns of this film’s iconic Look(tm). So, when I see women dressed like Gaby I am just another three-to-seven-year-old overcome with the drop dead glamour of it all.

Darling, tell me how you really feel...

Some questions I have:

· IS Armie Hammer a hulk of a man? Everyone in this film seems to think so, yet he always tracks to me as trim (rather than hulking)

· Why translate via captions some Russian speaking, but not all?

· IS Napoleon’s backstory directly cribbed from USA’s White Collar?

· DOES Gaby have a German accent?

· Does Ilya get preternaturally attached to all the people he’s ordered to look after? Also, what is his bonding rate with kittens?

Sorry, wrong iteration.

· If Lady Villain knows the lens is wrong—if her technical understanding is that in-depth--does she really need Gaby’s dad to make the bomb?

· How old was Gaby during the war?

· What happens when Ilya gets a NEW puppy assigned to him? (please let this be addressed in film #2)

Hooray for:

· That bathroom fight! *all the Burn Notice feels!

· Gaby is her own lady, and chooses sides as necessary—not always unilateral in her support for either male character. Case in point: she sides with Ilya over the clothes, and Napoleon over the incident of the wallet.

· That delicious (speaking as Rusty, here) Ocean’s 11-stylized action. It’s pretty, so I’m not bored with it. Sometimes a sandwiched montage gets shown, so I’m REALLY not bored. I’ve got 18 tiny moving boxes of things to look at!

· Pinkie rings. There, you’ve told me everything I need to know about that character.

· Solo in a beret. English has not yet found a word for the feeling it evoked in this viewer. Somewhere between ‘precious’ and ‘oh, no’.

See, there? Now you’ve felt it too.

· Goggles! All the accessories! Dune Buggies! (I mean, that’s what I’m calling Napoleon’s chase-scene ride)

Things I adore:

· It seems (after some research) that more than a few folks view Gaby as a third wheel, and though she’s not exactly a Princess Leia commandeering her own rescue and exuding competence and a deserved take-charge-attitude at every corner, she IS a foci for both male characters (though romantically it would seem only for one), just as Ilya is a foci for both her and Napoleon [no one seems to worry about Napoleon, though they should--film #2, anyone?]

· Mechanic Gaby not needing a beauty makeover, or being dragged into one. She gets some nice clothes, but it’s never suggested that she’s not attractive or acceptable before putting them on, and I respect, nay, embrace it.

Oh, my heart. She’s still not as tall as them!

· Ilya, drab pigeon Ilya, knowing fashion

· Oh man, don’t even get me started on the power of the statement, “it doesn’t have to match”

· You knew it was coming on this sublist: the wrestle-fight. I mean, c’mon. Poor little Gaby, locked behind the Iron Curtain, living a life of always being watched. She’s in the swankest hotel (I mean, Napoleon chose it, so we can be sure it’s swank with an E). She’s trying to celebrate her freedom, her liberation. She’s playing verboten music, she’s drinking to excess. Girl wants—and deserves—a party. And Ilya is…not built for that (that he knows of). For some fun, just imagine if she had been given Napoleon to room with instead.

o I will say that this scene, and some of their other interactions have what I would call early (non-sibling) Luke and Leia energy. Ilya seems to have moments of being struck by Gaby in a way Luke is struck by Leia in the early part of the trilogy. When Leia takes charge, and Luke accepts it. When Leia does something incredible, and Luke is left open-mouthed. *no, I don’t see OT Star Wars in everything. Shut up.

· “He fixed the glitch.”

· Again, shout-out to the non-action action.

· “I left my jacket in there.”

· The whole race to rescue Gaby I am in love with beyond words. [I have noted it as “Crazy Jeep Drive with Warhead!”] Probably b/c it comes across as totally egalitarian. Both men want her rescued. They’re no longer in competition. It’s just as important to Napoleon as it is to Ilya to catch up to her. Also, it is bonkers, like some sort of X-games version of a commercial for the vehicles they’re driving. And screaming Willie Scott does not make an appearance.

Someone says “winkle” out.

· Look! Another note about the screen divisions and how I love it, shout-outs to the original Steve McQueen The Thomas Crown Affair (a contemporary of when this movie is meant to be set), and TV’s 24.

Things that get a great, big NOPE:

· Jerrod Harris: you’ve been in so much streamable content in the last decade I can’t hate you, but frankly, you’re terrible here—unless you’re supposed to be giving a mannered, not-campy-enough-to-be-enjoyable performance here. Your American English puts me in the mind of Alex Hawaii 5-0′Loughlin where it feels you’re concentrating so hard on your accent that you fail to convince anyone that you’re a harried, over-worked and exasperated spy handler. Your performance is at odds with every bit of dialogue you’re given to say.

· That awful, mishandled title that doesn’t even connect to the film until the final moments (a sequel set-up, for sure)

· Look, you don’t introduce Hugh Grant casually mid-way through your film in a throwaway appearance. I mean, he’s HUGH GRANT we all know something’s up now.

· This is not exactly a great big NOPE, b/c I love a flat cap, Tommy Shelby—but I feel like a less tall man with a far rounder face in a flat cap would track more as Russian to me that AH does. To me, he just looks like he’s about to go golfing.

Over par? Unacceptable!

· Is Victoria a British-accented Italian? A British woman who married—what? Gaby’s uncle isn’t Italian!? An Italian who went to school in Britain? My head hurts. Also, is her hair meant to be unconvincingly bleached?

Other commentary:

· Napoleon’s adult ne’er-do-well backstory is so far from being emotionally equivalent to Ilya’s childhood trauma [and his enslavement to the USSR] it seems bestial when he calls it out on multiple occasions. Badly done, Solo.

· Gaby is the film’s key (sorry, Buffy fans). Everyone is connected to her. Yes, she could have been given a bit more on the character front, but I don’t see her as as much of a flaw in the film as some others/reviewers seem to.

· Look, essentially (and not very nuanced-ly), Ilya is a stalker. I think the film goes a certain distance in establishing that his early behavior toward Gaby is not normal, but concurrently it does not truly call him out on it. He’s essentially viewed as an odd-duck, sure, but not a true threat to her (should she not reciprocate or tolerate his intensity toward her). I think I might be able to cite his behavior when Gaby comes on to him (that he doesn’t jump at a chance with her) that maybe he’s given a little more nuance than a straight-on stalker, and it helps that he and Napoleon never get into a pissing match over Gaby’s person, only over her new clothes. But overall the film has to walk a fine line (and the jury is still out on how successful it is, I’d say) between playing Ilya’s laser-like attention to Gaby for its humor, and calling it out for the unsettling, threatening behavior it is.

· Honestly, it wasn’t until I engaged the Closed Captioning that I understood Napoleon was calling Ilya the ‘Red Peril’. So, that was nearly three viewings in.

· I give the screen credits A+, on both ends. Not to mention the end credits are actually INTERESTING with lots to see and learn! (Certainly we learn more about HG in them than we do at any time during the film)

Things I would have liked:

· More of fish-out-of-the-Iron-Curtain Gaby moments

· A better dichotomy shown of East vs. West Berlin/Germany. There’s nothing easy either visually or otherwise to distinguish the two.

· HC being given a more specific American accent (from an actual locality). This, for an American viewer, works better than the flat, unlocated American accent many a British actor will bust out. *Mind you, HC does a generally good job, but he fails utterly on both “Immediate” which he pronounces at least twice as “immeedeejt” [rather than imm-E-deeot] and “Nazi” as “NAHT-zee” [rather than “NOT-zee”]. And let’s not get started on that late in the film use of ‘earnt’, a word that—well, it’s just not in the American English twentieth century lexicon.

· C’mon. You gotta tease the Hugh Grant more.

· Solo is a blank before the war. I’ve read thoughts on the film calling out Gaby as the blank character, but they’re wrong. Solo is the blank. He’s the ‘made’ man, his identity seemingly assembled during the war and after. For example, he doesn’t go into the war a thief, nor (it would seem) a particularly educated or urbane individual. Now THAT’s a juicy backstory I’d love to learn about, perhaps in film #2--or #3? What creates a Napoleon Solo? What would he be doing if he weren’t on the government’s leash/incarcerated? Is anyone left caring about him back wherever he calls home? I mean, who doesn’t love a gender-flipped 60s-era Holly Golightly backstory? [And yes, I would love there to be an ex-wife or even a current wife mixed up in his origins as well—Guy Ritchie, call me!]

Notes I have that I’m not sure if they still make sense to me:

· Only mom calls me Napoleon (do he say it ‘mum’?) Is he a secret Canadian?

· Solo’s torture, 1st view recall Napoleon’s childhood? *I think this means that after watching the first time I somehow erroneously believed that during the torture Napoleon’s childhood was a topic gone over. This was wrong. HOWEVER, this would have made far more story-sense than the backstory we’re given on an easily disposeable villain.

· “Even the average Russian agent. You’re special.” ?

· Uncle is Baddie (*so glad I made this note to myself)

· Ilya’s dad IS an embarrassment. I’m not sure what genius commentary I had in my mind, here. Perhaps that Ilya himself is embarrassed of him? Not just Ilya’s handler’s? [Also, aside: Napoleon totally slut-shames Ilya’s mom, which is the doublest of double standards from ‘I got myself the biggest and most ornate suite b/c I-wanted-plenty-of-space-for-my-random-seductions’ and I really wish Ilya had thrown that back in his face] *yes, of course I know that Ilya and Napoleon would not likely equate a wife/mother’s sexual exploits with that of Solo’s, but let’s be honest, this film tweaks the nose of (I won’t say reverses, it doesn’t go that far) plenty of tropes and gender expectations, and this certainly seems like a missed opportunity to call Solo on the carpet (which I hope film #2 does far more)

Things I wrote down so long ago I don’t recall what they mean:

· CC-save

In conclusion:

What does film #2 look like? What title does it get? Will the Peter/Neil White Collar dynamic continue to grow? *note that I have no confidence a second film will ever come to pass...

In the end, all I know is, “It didn't help when American Tom Cruise, who was slated to play U.S. spy Napoleon Solo, dropped out, prompting the casting of Cavill (who had previously read for the Russian role).“ I would not have watched that film.

#tmfu #tmfu 2015 #ilya kuryakin #napoleon solo #gaby teller #henry cavill #armie hammer #alicia vikander #the man from uncle 2015 #the man from u.n.c.l.e.#the man from uncle #i don't know what this film's tags are meant to be to keep it from popping up in the TV series searches Sorry

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megalony · 4 years

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Teacher’s pet- Part 6

Here is the next part of my dad! Ben Hardy series, thank you all for the feedback it is much appreciated, I hope you like it.

Taglist: @lunaticspoem @butlegendsneverdie @langdonzvoid @jennyggggrrr @rogermeddow @radiob-l-a-hblah @rogertaylorsbitontheside @chlobo6 @rogertaylors-lipgloss @sj-thefan @omgitsearly @luckytrashgooprebel @scarsout @deaky-with-a-c @killer-queen-ofrhye @bluutac @vousmemanqueez @jonesyaddiction @rogahs-drowse @milanosaurus @httpfandxms @saint-hardy @7-seas-of-fat-bottomed-girls @mrsalwayswritex @rogerina-owns-me @peterquillzsblog

Summary: Gwilym sets Ben up on a date with (Y/n) who teaches at the school Ben’s kids go to. But Ben is hesitant in the relationship, desperate not to make the same mistakes and needing to put his kids first.

Series masterlist

Enjoy.

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(Y/n) didn't know if she really wanted the answer now that she knew how badly it was affecting Ben and when she remembered what Gwilym had said to her earlier in the day. But she found herself nodding her head to his forceful questions, her head tilting back when Ben walked closer until there was almost no space between them. Allowing (Y/n) to see the full extent of the pain running through each and every vein in his body which swirled around in his pupils.

"The last person I let get close to me was Finn's mother and I trusted her with my life and with the boys. I thought she was the one, I loved her so fucking much but I had to go to court against her and get sole custody of Finn because I found out that she abused him! She abused my son and he knows it!"

(Y/n) found herself shaking her head at those words that felt like a hot poker searing through her chest. She could barely feel or register the tears that were beginning to fall from her eyes like a river running downstream.

She had misheard him, Ben had misspoken or was lying to her, that couldn't be the case. But as those words played on repeat for longer and longer in (Y/n)'s mind, the more they seemed to make sense. Finn held all the characteristics of a child who had been abused, he couldn't talk to strangers or be within close proximity of them unless he was with someone he trusted. He followed Ben around like a shadow because he knew Ben protected him, he was anxious about anything and everything because he was scared that he wasn't safe or that something was going to happen to him.

Finn wouldn't be as anxious as he was or act the way he did without an incident or event happening to him at some point during his short life to make him be like this.

Focusing her eyes back on Ben, (Y/n) had the urge to wrap her arms around him to try and hold his broken pieces together but the moment she pushed one foot close to him, he took two steps back. His trembling hands moved up to knit into his hair, tightly trapping the curls between his fingers and tugging on them like he wanted to break them free from his scalp.

Tears of anguish and broken whines left Ben's reddened lips which matched his blotched red cheeks that looked like they were on fire. His eyes snapped closed but it didn't stop the tears from finding ways of escaping and leaving salty trails down his features.

This wasn't the life Ben wanted. This wasn't the conversation he wanted to be having, this wasn't how their relationship was supposed to go. Ben wanted everything with his boys to be easier, he wanted Carter to feel better and calmer and not need to shout all the time. He wished for Carter and James to see their mums more often and to feel more loved from them like they deserved. But most of all, Ben wished this wasn't how things had happened with Lucy. He wished that somehow he could have taken Finn from the moment he was born and disappeared, raised all three boys on his own from the day Finn had come into the world.

If that had been a possibility, Ben would have saved them all the pain and trouble and Finn wouldn't feel so scared of the world and the people that lived in it.

But Ben knew deep down that things would always have worked out this way because he thought Lucy was the one. He wouldn't have walked away without reason or cause, Ben was the reason Finn was hurt. He didn't know until it was too late and nothing Ben could ever do would make him feel like he had made up for how he had let Finn down.

"Finn needs protecting b-because I let him down and I won't make that mistake again."

"No you didn't-"

"Yes I did!" The sheer agony and despair in Ben's voice caused (Y/n) to choke on the sobs burning at the back of her throat. She hadn't been there, she didn't know what Ben did or didn't do and (Y/n) didn't know how Ben felt now. She had no idea how much pain Ben was in on a daily basis when he saw what Lucy had done to Finn, (Y/n) didn't know how many times Ben had cried for his son. She didn't know what it felt like to raise a child who had been damaged in such a way, whilst knowing that there could have been something she could have done to prevent it.

Reaching behind him, Ben gripped the counter so hard that the sharp edge was almost tearing through the skin of his hands and his nails started to scrape against the countertop. He pressed his back into the counter, feeling the edge pushing bruisingly against his hips to keep himself upright as his knees bent forward like they were giving up on him. His head tipped down to try and shield himself as he tried his best to compose himself, but he was falling apart at the seams.

"I- I feel cautious with you because I didn't know she was capable of what she did. I know what it's like to love one side of someone and not know that another side exists." Ben lifted his head to look at (Y/n), allowing his gaze to lock with her own but his eyes were black voids that held so many emotions yet looked empty at the same time.

Ben thought Lucy was the one but he realised he didn't know her at all. Ben couldn't let himself fall too deeply for (Y/n) because he couldn't make the same mistakes twice. He was so scared that he would let himself fall completely and find there was nothing to break his fall when he landed. He could love (Y/n) with everything he had only to realise that there was a darker side to her that he had to protect the boys from. He wasn't willing to do that to any of the boys and if it meant losing (Y/n) he might have to risk it because his fears were based on truth.

(Y/n) felt the greatest urge to tell Ben that she wasn't Lucy, to try and show him that she wasn't the same person but she refrained because she knew that wasn't Ben's point. He wasn't telling (Y/n) that he thought she was Lucy or that she was the same, he was telling her that he had to think like she was in order to keep himself and his boys safe. If Ben wasn't cautious with anyone he decided to date then it could have repercussions, he was programmed to be anxious because of what he had gone through.

"Finn was two when I found out what she was doing to him, but I don't know when it started or how long it happened for. I don't... I don't think he quite knew what was happening until I left her, as soon as I had all the boys on my own he started to cry at night. He wouldn't leave my side and he didn't want to go anywhere, he doesn't understand what happened but he remembers, and that scares me more than anything in the world. My... my boy, he knows..."

Ben couldn't finish what he was going to say, he simply let go of the counter and allowed himself to sit down on the floor with his head pressed into his hands like he wanted to smother himself.

The moment Ben was sat on the floor, (Y/n) fell down to her knees beside him, cautiously reaching out her arms so she was giving Ben time to retreat and pull away if he wanted. But he didn't move an inch, he let (Y/n) wrap her arms around him and hold him to her chest like he was the child who needed consoling.

It haunted Ben in the dead of night that he didn't know how much Finn had seen or understood or remembered about what happened. He didn't know how long Finn had been hurting for, he didn't know why Finn didn't say anything or look afraid or give any telltale signs that something was wrong. But Ben knew that Finn remembered because every time he looked at James' mum or he looked at women out in the street, he looked like he was going to faint. He didn't trust anyone because the one person who was meant to love and protect him had been the one to pose harm to him.

The one thing Ben could take relief in was that he knew for sure that Lucy hadn't hurt Carter or James. If she'd of dared try anything with Carter he would have lashed out at her or he would have told Ben and gone into a very unsettled mood. If she tried to hurt James Ben knew he would go straight to him and talk to him but it always cut Ben up that Finn never said anything.

Ben knew he was only two at the time, but he never looked afraid or in tears or petrified when he was around Lucy like he did around other people now. Ben often feared that there had been some sort of signs that he had missed, maybe a look here and there or uncertainty or Finn not eating or becoming too quiet at some point. He wracked his brain in the dead of night trying to see if he had missed the signs, but he couldn't find any to miss and that both scared and confused him to no end.

"Maybe you feel like this is your fault and maybe it is, I don't know because I wasn't there. But I do know that despite what Finn's been through, you've been there for him, you're there for all the boys and you get through to them and connect to them all. You have no need to beat yourself up like this when you can clearly see how good you're doing in raising them." (Y/n) pressed her lips to the top of ben's head, smoothing down his curls that were running frantic around his features.

Maybe part of this was Ben's fault, maybe he was fully to blame or completely blameless, no one was going to know that for sure. But right now, (Y/n) knew that Ben was doing an amazing job with all the boys and that meant he didn't have to feel like he had to pay for any mistakes he had made.

"Finn's three, he's still a toddler and he's a child. They're resilient and the chances are he won't remember anything by the time he's seven or eight. Memories get replaced and bad ones are forgotten, he might always be anxious but he won't remember what happened and maybe he won't even know that he was ever abused."

(Y/n) hoped her words would be of some comfort to Ben right now because she wasn't lying or exaggerating to make him feel better. If Finn was only two when all of this happened it was very unlikely he was going to remember anything about this when he grew up. He wouldn't have understood that he was being abused at that age and he would grow up and the memories would fade and his understanding would simply be that he was dealing with anxiety and maybe lacking a few social skills. It was better for Finn to forget about this rather than to have to come to terms with it all.

(Y/n) didn't know how long the pair of them had sat there, wrapped up in each other's arms, but the longer they stayed like that, the less tension there seemed to be in the air around them. A small smile pulled at (Y/n)'s lips and she wiped the dried tears from her face when she felt Ben beginning to kiss her neck.

"Why don't you go up and see to the boys, and I'll head home?" (Y/n) leaned her head to the side, biting her lip when Ben pulled back enough so that he could look up at her. There was panic written in his eyes that were back to their normal emerald colour, looking more like gems now and less like voids not to be messed with.

"No, you don't have to leave, I don't want you to go." He knew he had told her to go earlier, but he didn't mean it and he didn't want her to go now. He had been trying to spare himself the pain of having to open up and tell her what he knew she had to know at some point if their relationship was going to continue. But he had told her everything now and Ben didn't want (Y/n) to just walk out or feel like she still had to leave.

"I'll stay until Gwil comes back, then I'll go." Ben nodded, relief in his eyes that she wasn't about to walk out because he didn't want to leave things quite like this.

"I know I said a lot of stuff earlier, but I didn't mean it-"

"Yes you did, but that's okay." (Y/n) unravelled her arms from Ben's chest and for a moment he thought she was about to walk away from him, but instead she cupped his face in her hands, brushing her thumbs lovingly over his cheekbones. "You said things are different with Finn and you want to protect him and now I understand why. Everything you said was about protecting Finn and you have to do that because he's your priority, we said before that we'd take baby steps and that's exactly what we're going to do. You set the pace where Finn is concerned and I won't push you, I promise."

All Ben had said earlier was about making sure Finnw as protected and maybe Ben's anxiety had been talking for him but everything he said was still valid. He said he didn't know if he should let (Y/n) get close to the boys but Ben knew he could, it was just going to take a little time first. Taking small steps was going to be best and it would be easier for Finn to take things steady because they couldn't overwhelm or scare him. Now that (Y/n) understood why Ben had said what he said and why he was panicking, she could see things from his point of view and she was fine with small steps forward, as long as they didn't take any steps back.

"I love you."

The words left Ben's lips before he had a chance to think them through or process what he was going to say. His eyes widened slightly, giving away that he had meant to think that instead of saying it but Ben knew if he had to think about saying it first and contemplating it then it wouldn't be true. If he said those words without having to think about them or second guess himself then he truly meant them.

The smile that came over (Y/n)'s face was unlike any he had ever seen before and when she tried to bite her lip to stop her smile from spreading, Ben reached up and freed her lip from her teeth, wanting to see her smile in all its beauty.

"I love you too."

#ben hardy #ben x reader #ben hardy imagine #imagine #BoRhap #dad! ben #Single Dad #gwilym lee #gwilym imagine #teachers pet

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currentlyreadingmanga · 4 years

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Toilet-bound Hanako-kun Chapter 21: The Tea Party (Part 1)

Previously: we went on a very stressful and very emotional trip. We finally learned Hanako’s brother’s name: Tsukasa and he continued to unsettled me like he does every single time he appears. Mitsuba actually passed away, this time for good, it seemed and it made me tear up a bit ngl. After that, the chapter decided I hadn’t suffered enough so it punched me while I was down and showed us how Hanako feels about the existence of the dead as ghosts in general and how that reflects in his own sense of self. We also got another glimpse of the mermaid and she said some real ominous shit :)))) if anything happens to Nene istg :)))))) Sigh And last but not least, Natsuhiko went to see Nene at her classroom and I’m,,,,concerned,,,,

Now onto the next chapter!

Personal update for the 50 (holy shit?) of you that still follow this blog: Well…..hi there, it’s been a while ^^;; Looking back on it, quarantine really hit me like a bag of bricks and burned me out. It’s not the first time that has happened, and what it means to me is that I just can’t bring myself to consume new content; I might have loved it so far but my brain is like “nope, we’re not doing that today” and well, this time it happened for almost two months. Also, one of my cats went missing for a little over a week (he’s home now, thankfully) and that just added to the general distress I was feeling. But over the last week I actually wrote small fics for another fandom and it finally pushed me back into a creative state, so I went back to re-read the last couple of recaps I did for JSHK and it made me realise that I miss my babies and I really want to know where the story goes, so here I am c:

Ohhhh that’s right, we’re starting a new volume with this chapter! Our main trio is front and center and judging by the colorful pastries and the tea, it is a reference to the tea party that was alluded to in the preview of the last chapter. Also, I see the ropes are back again, but this time Kou also has some around him! Nene and Hanako seem to be tied together with pink, blue and yellow ropes, Nene and Kou seem to be tied together with an orange rope and both Hanako and Kou seem to have another rope each that it’s not connected to neither Nene nor each other. Hanako’s is red and considering the way in which we’ve seen him tied up before, I would guess this represents his connection to Tsukasa. Kou’s is pink and considering everything that just happened, could his rope represent his connection with Mitsuba? Like, I know he’s dead dead now and their actual friendship was short-lived but I would also like to think that even though he’s gone, his memory will live forever with Kou, hence the rope. But I’m speculating and I already went on a long enough tangent for the cover page so let’s move on.

The next color page has the main trio again as the central focus in what seems to be the inside of a place that has a clockwork-like mechanism. On the corners of the page we have who I assume will be important character during the following arc(s): Aoi, Akane, Yamabuki and Teru (the latter one worries me slightly ngl).

Ohhhh okay, the content page says that one of the arcs is called “the three clock keepers” so the art on that page now makes more sense.

……….I really don’t trust him hhhhh please be careful, Nene, please don’t let your weakness for pretty boys cloud your judgement.

Ohhh it could be because of Nene’s dress and the bunny ears (and the twins) but the title page gives me strong Alice in Wonderland vibes. It’s a cute picture but Tsukasa is there and Nene is tearing up so I’m,,,concerned

Okay so Nene followed Natsuhiko outside and

Are you reciting her your dating profile or something? also “call me Natsuhiko-senpai ♡” omfg he’s one of those, huh? Like, it could all be an act but he’s looking less and less threatening by the minute lol

Nene, bless her, has the common sense of asking him why he wanted to talk to her all of the sudden and he says it’s because “someone wants to meet her”. Gee, I wonder who that could be :)))))

…………….oh, oh no. Nene, sweetie, I need you to run and to run fast because this boy is up to no good and you’re not gonna like what’s gonna happen. (Edit note: also this brings up a question: how did the chaotic trio know that Nene turns into a fish when she touches water? Like, I know they had been keeping tracks on her and Hanako for some time, so maybe they found out that way? Oh, maybe they use the Mokke? Because the Mokke were there in Yako’s boundary when Hanako pushed Nene down the waterfall)

Hhhhhhh and to the surprise of no one, there’s Tsukasa here to make Nene’s day more difficult.

asdasgdjash please do not make my daughter share the same fate as the puffer fish, she doesn’t deserve it (ﾟдﾟ；) (ﾟдﾟ；)

Nene fainted (can’t say I blame her jfc) and now she’s waking up in what seems to be the tea party and the floor is wet! so she thinks she could be on another boundary. Interesting, I wonder which number would this one be? Because the boundaries are assigned to the seven mysteries, right? So one of them should be in control of this place. Could Tsukasa be in control of this one? But that wouldn’t make much sense because he managed to get his “physical” form only recently, right? However, Hanako also spoke of a traitor that was changing rumors and we know that these three are responsible, so if they’re not the owners of the boundary maybe they somehow managed to manipulate the mystery that does control it? Oooor it could also be that there’s another boundary that managed to go under the radar and in turn the other mysteries don’t know about it.

sjdgjjasd she’s so done with them lol I know I call them the chaotic trio but it’s really the chaotic duo + Sakura. I’m so curious about how this whole *gestures wildly towards them* arrangement came to be.

Ohhhh this great! So Sakura got everything under control and from her introduction to Nene we now know that she’s a third year and we have confirmation that she became Tsukasa’s assistant in the same way that Nene did, in exchange for a wish. B U T, again, that brings up even more questions because Tsukasa said that while Amane granted the wishes of the living, he granted the wishes of the dead. So like (⚆.⚆) what’s up with that?? Is she an exception? Is she dead? Another supernatural? Or, maybe, even though it should be impossible considering what we know so far, could her wish have something to do with her being ‘alive’ in the school right now? Mhmmmm…...suspicious.

Okay but like, I actually really want to know how he fits in all of this because okay, Sakura and Tsukasa are linked together by the wish she made, but why is Natsuhiko here? Who is he? How did he end up working with these two? He seems silly and completely whipped for Sakura, so maybe they knew each other before she made her “contract” with Tsukasa? Hhhhh idk let’s keep reading.

Sakura says that she wanted to meet Nene because they’re in similar positions and she thought they could be good friends. And like, that’s a fair point…...but I don’t trust like that, no sir. Even if she didn’t want the boys to be so rough when they brought Nene here, the fact remains that they still kidnapped her so if this was just a friendly meeting, why would they need to do it in such a convoluted way?

Okay good, Nene is suspicious because of their methods and the amount of knowledge they have about her.

………………...sigh, I shouldn’t be surprised but bby no please don’t trust them so easily. She’s venting to Sakura about Hanako’s unpredictable behaviour and Sakura says that she can empathize with most of her struggles while Tsukasa is sitting on top of her shoulders and wrapping his arms and legs around here…...I can definitely see why she said he was cat-like because my cats do things like that when I’m sit down to write at my desk. But again, I know he’s technically a kid but I really need him to stop acting so cute because it unsettles me a lot.

Even he can see the romantic chemistry between those two. Well, thinking about it, that’s probably why they dragged her here, because she’s important to Hanako.

(;;⚆.⚆) NOPE, no, no thank you, I need you to back tf up please jfc

Nene snaps out of it and realizes that she let herself be drawn in by girl talk. She thankfully knows it was a stupid thing to do but she was just relieved and happy to have found someone who seems to understand what she’s going through, so I’ll cut her some slack. And she mentions that they don’t look like bad people but like I did, if they had innocent intentions, they wouldn’t have had to bring her by force.

………………...I feel like I’ve mentioned this before but I really hate it when either of them does this fucking face, it’s so creepy >n< also, Nene, sweetie, once again I’m asking you to run, run far and don’t look back because that look doesn’t spell anything good, especially paired with Sakura’s scared/resinged look (which makes me think that maybe her own intentions had been more innocent that I had originally given her credit for)

Hmmm. This is concerning; like, yes, Nene has to help Hanako with whatever he needs as his assistant as part of their deal and he does threaten to turn her into a fish when she pouts but I never got the feeling that it was malicious. On the other hand, Sakura’s wording (especially calling Tsukasa “Master” and saying she “can’t” disobey) and the look Tsukasa gave her make it seem like her punishment for not following his orders would be much more severe. hhhhh I really don’t like where this is going

Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||) Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||) Σ(ﾟДﾟ|||) WHAT THE HELL THIS THAT THING WHAT THE EVER LOVING FUCK OH MY GO D

“We’re gonna have you disappear now” okay so, yeah, he’s doing this specifically to upset his brother. the room is fucking sinking though and omfg what even is this room?? is it really a boundary? Since this happened at this very moment, it looks like they do control it so my questions from before remain, the biggest one being “how”. Also I’ve just noticed that the eyes all over the place are very similar to the ones in the broadcasting room and now this tells me that those weren’t an artistic choice and that is terrifying.

…………………..excuse me, w h a t??? why? hello??? “she’s like this sometimes” ????? Sakura what???? I have….so many questions, the main one being why do you let her treat you like this??

……………………………………...oh…..y’know, I hate the term simp with a passion because I feel like it’s been memed to death but wow.

Hhhhhhhh it looks like she can’t stop sinking and that (and the fucking eyes) tell me that this is not normal water (since she would have turned into a fish already). She’s yelling out for Hanako and that’s how the chapter ends. I’m still :)))))) concerned :))))))))

#toilet bound hanako kun #jibaku shounen hanako kun #jshk spoilers #jshk #tbhk #live blogging

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strwbrymoonchild · 3 years

Text

The Albums That Got Us Through 2020

We’ll save you the soliloquy, and get right to it: (skip to the bottom for the full playlist)

LaChelle’s Picks

Overture x Gaidaa

“Sonically, this album was very cathartic. Gaidaa’s songwriting is so imaginative and authentic, and I really love it when her voice hits those lush lower notes, her tone is like butter.”

Favorite tracks: Falling higher, Still Water, I Like Trouble

2. Rose in The Dark x Cleo Sol

“The timeless musicality and vocals are very reminiscent of some of my favorite classic soul artists like Angela Bofill, and Patrice Rushen but sound refreshing all the same. I would love to hear this project live but you know... COVID.”

Favorite tracks: When I’m In Your Arms, Why Don’t You, Rose in The Dark

3 & 4. Untiled (Black is) / Untitled (Rise) x Sault

“I can’t think of any projects more timely for this year than these two albums. They spoke to Black pain, weariness, and resilience in a way that felt mores insightful than preachy. A lot of the drums used on this project had an ancestral feel to them and the use of strings was extremely effective in giving it cinematic energy. The interludes also spoke to the difficult emotions many Black people grappled with this year while maintaining a musically rich sound.”

Favorite Tracks: Hard Life, Wildfires, Sorry Ain’t Enough, Why We Cry Why We Die, Free, Uncomfortable

5. The Angel You Don’t Know x Amaarae

“I first discovered Amaarae as a featured artist on one of my favorite music submissions of the year ‘NASA’ by Rvdical The Kid. I became entrenched upon my first listen to her first full-length project which is a mixture of afro-fusion, R&B, electronic, alté, and alternative hip hop. I love her animated voice and how effortlessly she glides over the track. I enjoy artists who can fuse multiple genres together and make them sound like a whole new sound”

Favorite Tracks: Fancy, Feel A Way, Céline

6. Last Year Was Weird, Vol 2. x Tkay Maidza

“This album had a lot of surprises on it. It’s a mixture of fun-loving R&B, raging nu-metal, and 808 thumping house tracks. While there’s not much fusion in the array of genres, I appreciate her ability to showcase her eclectic range.”

Favorite tracks: Shook, 24K, Don’t Call Again

7. Honey For Wounds x Ego Ella May

“This is a great self-love soundtrack. The pensiveness of this album is tempered by Ego Ella May’s jazzy vocals and even-keeled instrumentation. A very relaxing vibe to listen to during downtime or moments of solitude.”

Favorite tracks: Girls Don’t Always Sing About Boys, Table For One, Song For Bobby

8. Jaguar x Victoria Monét

“This album is oozing with sensuality, sexuality, and confidence. I love the lush vocal arrangements and the production which taps into nostalgia without being lazy or gimmicky. If you're feeling insecure, put on some lingerie, pour a glass of wine, turn this album on and you'll be feeling like a Savage Fenty brand ambassador”

Favorite tracks: Moment, Touch Me, Go There With You

9. Extra, Extra! x Lou Phelps

“ My boyfriend who is a Kaytranada fanboy put me onto this album. Haven’t heard a hip hop EP with such a fun, laid back like this in a minute. Lou’s big bro Kaytranada came through with the dancey vibes but you also get a bit of that classic boom bap energy that an old head like me loves”

Favorite tracks: Party in LA, Nike Shoe Box, Smiling

Dorian’s Picks

Pulp (Director’s Cut) x Ambré

"Ambré takes you deep into her world with sounds of a sweet lullaby, and a pulp garden full of hallucinating trips on a journey towards discovering love, vulnerability, and purpose. Overdosing on ‘Pulp’ has become a nightly ritual for me, no surprise as to why Ambré is my top artist of 2020."

Favorite tracks: free drugs, LUCIADA(EGODEATH), gucci slides

2. A Written Testimony x Jay Electronica

Jay Electronica's debut album, once heralded a myth by many, has finally seen the light of day, 10 years later. It sounds godly, rich in ancestral wisdom, paralleled with classic Hov features throughout. This album to me raps a soulful tune of Black enlightenment, and feels like a really lavish ode to the Nation of Islam.

Favorite tracks: Universal Soldier, Flux Capacitor, The Blinding

3. In Search of Lost Time x Protoje

"The Jamaican OG delivers a sonically wise lesson on life, what it means to live in our truths and light in search of happiness and prosperity as a free spirit. This album at many times served as a soundtrack to my life, a saving grace from my own insecurities and struggles amidst a very unsettling year."

Favorite tracks: In Bloom, Deliverance, Like Royalty

4. I Shine, U Shine x RIMON

"Amsterdam-based artist RIMON delivered a sonically pleasing project shortlisted with a blend of melancholy neo-soul/R&B influenced melodies. This project evokes raw relatable emotions and centers the beauty of the imperfect for full display. With each listen the lyrics pierced my heart and filled my memory of love lost and love found."

Favorite tracks: Out Of My Way, Got My Back, Downtown

5. Note to Self x Jah9

"Jah9's Note to Self, is a call to channel your divine form. Reggae has long been a genre that speaks to a higher force and existence. With the wild year we experienced, this project served as a guideline on how to battle those inner demons and live life to your fullest potential through faith."

Favorite tracks: Love Has Found I, Ma'at, New Race

6. SuperGood x Duckwrth

"The title is self-explanatory. Duckwrth gave us all that we deserved and dropped a bomb ass feel-good record. SuperGood gave me all the contemporary neo-funk grooves I've come to love about Duckwrth. Listening to this project made it easy to tune out all the noise of 2020 and just dance my sorrows away."

Favorite tracks: Quick, Coming Closer, Super Bounce

7. B7 x Brandy

"Brandy, now indie and seasoned in the industry, answers to no one and that's made clear with her experimental R&B sounds on B7. This project is fearless and sounds so different from previous Brandy albums, but delivers in that same angelic aesthetic and powerhouse vocals we've come to love. B7 is criminally underrated in my opinion and will stand the test of time. "

Favorite tracks: Rather Be, Borderline, Say Something

8. It Is What It Is x Thundercat

"Thundercat delivers another soothing jazzy-bassline record. This album feels cathartic, experiential in a sense, almost as if I'm listening to a score from an intergalactic movie set in some futuristic utopia. Best enjoyed with a spliff and/or glass of wine."

Favorite tracks: Black Qualls, DragonBall Durag, Unrequited Love

9. The ExPerience x Lila Iké

"This captivating debut EP from rising reggae siren Lila Iké will make anyone a believer. Her journey is compelling, spiritually guided, a modern tale of romance - the highs and lows of navigating young love. The way Lila belts out these reggae-R&B infused chunes pon ya head top is mesmerizing and sets the standard for Jamaica's new generation"

Favorite tracks: Forget Me, Where I'm Coming From, Thy Will

10. grae x Moses Sumney

“‘grae’, a two part album, explores the complexities of identity. Moses Sumney never quite submits to the boundaries society aims to box us in. ‘grae’ is undefined in sound, Moses gracefully flows from one end of the artistic spectrum to another without landing anywhere too long. What I love most about listening to this album besides Mose's falsetto is the high level of self-awareness, the screams of escapism, and determination to exist in free agency. "

Favorite tracks: Cut Me, Polly, Lucky Me

Rachel’s Picks

Instrospection x UMI

“After another year with no new SZA album, discovering UMI was a godsend. Her voice has that same angelic raspiness and lyrics that sit with you long after the first listen. What sets her and this record apart is how UMI’s lyrics recognize her own faults and the faults of others in a way that is so graceful that it never comes across as self-deprecating or accusatory. Listening to Introspection, you can’t help but introspect your life the way UMI does on this album.”

Favorite tracks: Introspection, Open Up, Pretty Girl hi!

2. Girlhood x Girlhood

“This electropop duo’s vocalist, Tessa Cavanna, has a voice reminiscent of the late artists Amy Winehouse and Sharon Jones, and with their neo-soul, 90’s inspired sound being so colorful, it’s impossible to get sick of listening to this album.”

Favorite tracks: Keep On, It Might Take a Woman, My Boy

3. Who Cares? x Abby Jasmine

“Released during the reclusive days of stay-at-home orders, Jasmine’s tracks on her sophomore album made me nostalgic for parties that were once filled with smoke, close friends, and good music. Her brutally honest lyrics, progressive production, and her overall confidence were comforting during a year of instability and empty dancefloors.”

Favorite tracks: Stay With Me, Artificial Lover, Groovy

4. Texas Sun x Khruangbin & Leon Bridges

“Two Texan artists came together and were able to use Bridge’s soulful and textured tone and the fluidity of the psychedelic-funk trio Khruangbin's sound, to create a desolate Texas landscape. Listening to the EP feels like driving with all the windows rolled down, feeling the sun’s heat on your skin.”

Favorite tracks: Texas Sun, Midnight, C-Side

5. They Call Me Disco x Ric Wilson & Terrace Martin

“In a year of so much grief, it is refreshing to hear music that sounds like it was as fun to make as it was to listen to. Wilson and Martin’s rhythmically dynamic collaboration prefaced a summer filled with social media’s fascination and nostalgia for the glittery freeness of the 70’s while still fitting into their respective genres of hip-hop and R&B.”

Favorite track: Don’t Kill the Wave, Move Like This, Chicago Bae

Lionnal’s Picks

Dinner Party x Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper. 9th Wonder, & Kamasi Washington

"These Four legendary musicians came together and gave us an album full of beautiful vocals over smooth, jazzy, soul instrumentals."

Favorite tracks: Freeze Tag, LUV U, Love You Bad

2. Burden of Proof x Benny The Butcher

"This album feels like a vintage east coast rap album. Hit-Boy’s luxury production matched with Benny’s grimey delivery is everything a classic rap fan would ever need."

Favorite tracks: One Way Flight, Burden of Proof, War Paint

3. Sin Miedo x Kali Uchis

"I didn’t know how I would take to an album primarily in Spanish, but Kali’s intoxicating and seductive vibe still found a way to draw me in."

Favorite tracks: Telepatia, //aguardiente y limón %ᵕ‿‿ᵕ%, Quiero Sentirme Bien

4. Fuck The World x Brent Fayaiz

"Brent Faiyaz’s personality is what makes this album so great. His cool and confident approach to tracks make for a unique spin on modern R&B and it’s honestly very refreshing."

Favorite tracks: Clouded, Been Away, Let Me Know

LISTEN TO THE FULL PLAYLIST BELOW

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santisimar · 6 years

Text

may i feel, said he (15)

ao3 | ffn

Warnings: Cursing Words: ~4k || Rated: M - Royai

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

i’ll continue to go down kicking / rebecca morgan frank, the moon’s magnetic field once came from an asteroid

As far as friendships go, Maes Hughes is easily Roy Mustang’s oldest to date. He’s had acquaintances and colleagues - some that left and some that went, but none stuck by Roy harder than a tick on a toe than Maes Hughes. Inseparable through college, closely associated in the military, Maes was Roy’s right hand man during it all. In turn, Roy was his best man for his wedding, was a no-brainer for being chosen as Elicia’s godfather.

Even though their work in the military had led them in different ways - Maes in intelligence, and Roy in research and development - it hadn’t stopped them from being closely involved in the other’s work. And it was because of that close involvement, that Roy found himself even in a position to be grateful for being alive. After the Incident, it took a lot to deal with the deaths of those who working with him because of his research and where Greta was absent, Maes was there, quietly supporting, with no passing judgments.

He trusted Maes to see a more human perspective to things, that not everything was black or white. He’d say sage things like ‘look at the forest for the trees’ or something like that. That ‘the path of doing good isn’t always clean, and now you know the difference’.

Even with all that, Roy isn’t sure if he could trust him with this, because this was a bit more delicate. This was a bit more than just black and white or grey. This fell in the territory of ‘what the fuck do you think you are doing’ and the look Maes gives him when he emerges from the study cannot be construed as anything but.

His eyes take in the full picture before him: his best friend has made himself mightily at home. Roy quickly blurts out, “Maes what are you doing here?” He chokes a little on his words and he’d find it incredibly amusing and uncanny about this being another time they’ve been caught. But there’s no humour in this moment, only increasingly awkward silence. It’s uniquely alarming because, even with all of the years knowing Maes, Roy simply doesn’t know how he’ll react to this. He swallows down the smile that threatens to appear - right now, he can’t rely on what he knows. Best friend or not, Maes Hughes has his limits and Roy is careful to be mindful of them.

Maes’ eyes flick over to Riza, standing next to Roy, and she hasn’t said a word. She’s expressionless, but her eyes are a bit wider than usual and it’s glaringly obvious how tensely she holds herself. “Well,” Maes starts, grinning as he slowly shifts his eyes back to Roy, just as he cleans a piece of food off his fork. “Someone rudely hung up on me...”

“Last I checked, that wasn’t a crime. But breaking and entering is…” His eyes fall to the fork hanging limply in his friend’s hand. “Are you eating my quiche?”

Hughes snorts, setting down his mug. “You eat out your girlfriend, I eat my wife’s quiche. It’s all about preference and mood.”

“Hijo de tu madre... Gracia made that for me.”

Maes nearly chokes on his bite. “You kiss a pretty girl like that with that mouth of yours?.” He points to Riza with the end of his fork and continues munching on Roy’s leftovers. “What would Chris say?”

Roy deflates, sighing deeply. Insofar as he can deduce from the scene in front of him, his best friend is more curious than anything else, and he’ll take all the good signs he can get right now. “Riza, this is Maes Hughes.”

“I’m his ex-husband-”

“Hughes is an old friend,” Roy interjects strongly, glaring daggers at the uninvited guest. Maes merely winks and puts down his cutlery.

“Ri-za,” he says, elongating the vowels in a singsong way like he’s tasting the name in his mouth or the savouring the remnants of the quiche. Maes wipes his mouth and hands on a paper towel and rounds the corner with an extended hand. He stops, before looking back at Roy, and pivots back slowly towards Riza. “The ...student?”

Her eyes narrow and she gives him something close to a glare, but much too benign to be considered one. It’s a subtle change in her expression, the slight tightening to her jaw and the smile that doesn’t grow to her eyes. She takes his hand regardless. “In a manner of speaking.”

“Ho ho, she’s a sharp one.” He lets go and saunters back behind the island. “Undergrad? Masters? PhD?”

“Maes-” Roy says sternly and asks again. “Why are you in my house?”

Maes stares at him incredulously. “I feel like there are other matters worth talking about. Elephants in the room, perhaps?”

Riza finally moves more than he has seen her manage in the last couple of minutes, looking away and firmly announcing, “I think I should go.”

“Riza, wait - no-” Roy tries to catch her arm, but she’s quick and halfway to the study already. He shoots a look at Maes that says ‘don’t move’ and the returned shrug at least distracts him somewhat from the mounting fear in his heart. It was far too foolish of him to think that his absences would not be noted.

In hindsight, it was straight up stupidity to think that his friends and family would just patiently wait, rather than take matters into their own hands when he pulled himself back from their lives - partially because his actual workload had increased, but also because of this new part of his life. Roy doesn’t want to imagine the shitshow that could’ve happened if it was his mother waiting, patiently waiting with eyes as sharp as knives, but he can’t cast off the feeling Maes can be just as deadly if given enough motive.

Like before, she’s stuffing her belongs in her bag; it’s not a far leap to guess that she’s scared - and justly so. She doesn’t respond to her name as he urges her to stop. He stalls her hand to stop it from shoving in yet another poetry collection. “Riza - he isn’t like Olivier.”

She stops, and grips the fabric of her duffle bag tightly. Her hands are trembling, knuckles blanched white with how tightly she holds herself. “This is too much,” Riza manages. “I don’t know who this man is, if he can be trusted -”

“He’s my friend.”

“And I thought Olivier was my friend and look how that turned out,” she counters sourly, leaning back against the side of the armchair. “The more people who know about this, the more likely we’ll get found out and then it’s downhill from there.”

He cuts her off before she can speak truths that hit a little too close for comfort. “You’re just realizing this now? And please, Riza - the blame for this will always fall more harshly on me than you for this, and it absolutely should.”

Riza scoffs, putting fingers on her temples and closing her eyes. “Like that even matters-”

“It does,” he tells her firmly, cupping her jaw and coaxing her to look at him properly.

“I meant... it won’t matter who gets the brunt of the consequences, we’ll both still have to pay in one way or another. We aren’t thinking clearly and…” she trails off in thought. She’s scared - impossibly, impossibly scared; he sees it clear as day in her eyes, hears it in the way her voice hitches in her throat. Roy realises that she has to know that he is too, but not because of the man waiting in his kitchen. This whole situation that they’ve found themselves in - none of it is ideal but the bed has been made and now they must lie in it.

She deserves that much, at least.

“We didn’t get through the entire semester just to end up here. I took off and left you to handle her... and in a way I trusted you to handle that, so let me handle this, please.” His thumbs rub over her cheekbones slowly. “Maes is my oldest friend. He’s been with me through damn near everything. He will want to understand.”

After a moment, she concedes and lets her shoulders drop. She turns her head and kisses his palm softly. “I still don’t think I should be here,” she murmurs.

“No one is asking you to leave, but I understand if you feel the need to.”

“Thank you.” She draws near, slipping her arms around his neck. He pulls her closer, arms settling around her waist. He feels her inhale and exhale slowly, nails dragging absentmindedly along his shoulders. “Do you mind if I shower before I go?” she asks, voice small and muffled against his skin.

Roy smiles, shakes his head, and kisses her hair. “No, take as long as you need.” He presses another kiss close to her temple, drawing back. “I’ll be outside.”

Maes perks up as Roy re-enters the kitchen, grabbing his own mug and placing it under the nozzle of the coffee maker. Coyly he offers, “Trouble in paradise?”

Roy takes five seconds to exhale in an attempt to control his temper. He changes tact. “How did you get in?”

Maes points again with his fork to the spare key glinting against the island top. “You really need to find a better place to hide that. If I can find it in three minutes, burglars will find it in five.”

Roy takes a sip of coffee, mindful of the temperature. “You’re not the first person to point that out. There’s nothing worth nicking here, unless there’s a black market for organic chemistry books.”

“People are an entirely different matter.”

“I’m sure I could fend off a would-be burglar.”

Maes grimaces, shaking his head. “I know you can. But could she?” His head jerks towards the hallway. “You’d be facing a whole set of questions yourself if it was reported to the authorities. Student discovered in lecturer’s apartment after a botched B&E.” His voice takes on that high-pitched, nasally cadence that Roy hates; he hates the unsettling truth that lingers in his words.

Yet. He had relied too much on the supposed safety of houses - and been proven wrong two times too many. At this rate the library or even his office was a statistically safer place to rendezvous.

“You have no proof that she’s my student,” he replies loftily. This time, Maes laughs loudly, openly.

“And I know you well enough to know you will never be a homewrecker, no matter how pretty a girl might be. You’re too honourable.” He takes another bite of quiche. “Besides, you won me a month without cow tongue tacos, so it’s all worked out.”

Roy chokes on his coffee. “You bet on me?”

Maes nods, stabbing at the quiche some more. “Gracia didn’t think you’d become that depraved. She was convinced it was just someone who we weren’t familiar with-” he pauses, frowning in concentration, “-no, me being right trumps hers because I was more specific. You can back me up on this tonight.”

Roy knows he’s walking into a trap, but he asks anyway. “Tonight?”

“Hah! Good one. What present did you get her anyway - I promised her a pony and a Mustang is technically better, so-” Maes’ head turns and Roy isn’t quick enough to wipe the confused expression off his face.

“Don’t tell me you forgot?”

Oh shit. He scrambles to come up with an excuse but nothing is coming to the forefront of his mind - between his deadlines, his work and the messy landscape that was his and Riza’s relationship...it had completely slipped his mind that this weekend was his goddaughter’s third birthday. He had agreed he’d adjust his schedule to make an appearance… which had been buried in a hundred other emails in his personal inbox about his sister’s pregnancy.

The fork is pointed at him, jabbing forward accusingly. “You did! You did forget!”

“Maes...”

“She’s your goddaughter for fucks sake!”

“Sorry.” Roy glares at his friend and then eases back while rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve been busy, okay? End of trimester is always shit.”

“But you have enough time to fuck your student still, I see how it is.” Maes stops himself, shaking his head vehemently. “No, no. Not the main reason I was so insistent on driving you back home. You gotta help me understand, or I’m not gonna be any better than some old Tom, Dick or Harry off the street when it comes to you two. Believe me when I say I want to be on your team, Roy.”

There’s silence as Roy fiddles with the handle of his mug.

“I’m waiting.” Maes sets down his fork, pushing the plate of quiche away.

“It’s...hard to explain. And it doesn’t exactly help that you arrived like this.”

“How was I meant to? I fucking called you man, that should’ve been more than enough warning to put it in your pants. Should have expected less.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know.” The truth of Maes’ words sting a little too sharply. “One of her flatmates discovered us in a similar position…” he sighs, moving around the kitchen island and takes the other seat. “It didn’t end so well.”

Maes frowns. “They sound like a pleasant person.”

Roy laughs bitterly. “She had her reasons. I can’t say I blame her, but that doesn’t exactly endear me to her either. Apparently Riza’s explanations fell on deaf ears.”

“And what explanation is that? From where I’m standing it just looks like cradle-robbing.”

Roy bites his tongue and counts to five before responding. “She’s legal, Maes, before you get any ideas.”

“How legal?”

“Twenty.”

Maes whistles lowly. “And she’s your student.”

“Give it another month and then she won’t be.” It’s hard not to let the petulant tone slip through - but this isn’t the time nor the space to be dramatic, not with the uncharacteristically somber attitude of his best friend.

As if on cue, a door shuts and Riza darts from the hallway towards the door.

Roy starts to say her name but Maes uses a voice specifically reserved for when he’s parenting Elicia. “For his sake, I need to know something.” It’s in a timbre that isn’t at the volume for yelling but it still reverberates throughout the apartment, dripping in assumed authority. “If you walk out of this apartment, then this secret will walk out there with you - I can promise you that.”

She stills and Roy’s jaw drops. “Hughes-!”

Riza pivots on her feet, displeasure more than evident across her face. There are still wet tendrils of hair making wet spots on her shirt.

“Good, I got your attention.” Maes nods his head expectantly over towards the couch. “Now, sit.”

“What?” Roy manages, quickly rounding the kitchen island, coffee long forgotten. “What’re you-”

“Both of you.” He emphasises, prodding Roy’s side none-too-kindly. “I need to talk to you both.”

Riza’s eyes flick to him, and he’s quick to realise what she’s asking. He nods shortly, pushing away his friend’s incessant fingers, all but collapsing back into the couch. Riza arranges herself neatly against him, legs curled up under her. The hand that had stretched out along the top of the couch drifts to her damp hair, and he pulls it back over her shoulder, carefully working through the knots.

Maes watches the two of them with a knowing smirk, before dragging the armchair to face them properly over the coffee table. “Much obliged sweetheart,” he begins, shrugging off his jacket. “The sooner we deal with this, the sooner I can be out of your hair.” He pauses here, a wry smile exposing his teeth. “I guess Roy is another matter entirely-”

“I swear to god if you’re only gonna joke about-”

He laughs loudly, hands raised in surrender. “Okay, okay, message received. Only serious talk from here on out.” In a matter of seconds the smile has been wiped from his face and Roy finds himself face-to-face with the Maes Hughes of yesteryears, all analytical guile and shrewd cunning. It’s been years since he’s had to deal with a line of questioning that will be as thorough as what his best friend is capable of - hell, even his viva voce didn’t intimidate him in the way that Maes’ talent for interrogation could.

“First things first. What are you assholes doing?” His face shows no hint of jokes or jests, brow flat and eyes hard, cold.

His fingers still in her hair.

“Let me rephrase.” He continues, leaning back in the armchair and folding his hands over his knee. “Why are you-” and he gestures at Riza “-risking your academic career to fool around with this piece of work?” He raises his eyebrows at Riza expectantly.

“Some friend you are,” she shoots back acidly.

“Sometimes you need friends to tell you the hard truths. When you grow up, you’ll learn the value in that.”

“Maes, that’s enough.”

“When I need to talk to you, I will.” He slowly turns his head to Roy. The jovial, fatherly face Roy has come to accept as normal has completely fallen away, replaced with an expressionless facade that offers absolutely no insight into what his best friend is thinking. “So, Miss Riza. Did he coerce you? Did he bribe you? Is this a serious commitment? Did he promise you as much?”

Steadily, she replies, “Are you asking if we’ve exchanged promise rings?”

“Very mature. I’m sure that’ll go down like a cup of cold sick in front of the disciplinary board when they revoke your qualifications… assuming you have any? I doubt any tertiary institution in the country will want to have anything to do with you after this gets out.”

Riza breathes in. “It won’t,” she replies.

“I admire the confidence, but already, I know you’re in an illicit relationship with your professor. So does your flatmate.”

Roy recoils within himself, not expecting Maes to be so forthcoming with what he knows. He can feel her eyes on him.

“After all, there’s no guarantee either of us will keep quiet.” Maes continues. If he noticed the exchange between them, he’s made no show of it. “There must be an immense amount of trust between you two, or you’re both painfully reckless. So which is it?”

Riza glares at Maes, stony-faced. No longer lying against him, her spine is taut and she brushes away his hands, still tangled in her hair.

This… thing Maes does, it’s always been unnerving. It’s just as condemning to stay silent as it was to speak. It was his specialty, reading people like this - it’s why he was so damn good at it.

“You don’t know,” Maes says after the brief pause. The air around them is still tense, and then he sighs, standing out of his chair suddenly. He snaps his fingers as he dwells on the thought, pacing behind his the chair while the two of them can only watch. “Or it’s a mixture of both. It’s muddled, isn’t it?”

Her lips purse, and Roy bites his tongue to stop himself from speaking. Maes isn’t interested in what he has to say - not when the reason for his distance and sporadic attention is sitting right in front of him. He picks at the skin around his fingernails, and watches her out of the corner of his eye. She’s mulling over what to say - he’s seen that expression on her face too many times to count - a chewed lip, furrowed brow.

“It was… a fling, in the beginning,” she starts, unsure but somehow sincere. “It was a mutual attraction that went beyond what either of us expected it to be. It was difficult to be in the same room as him and then we made the mistake of deciding to be around each other more. We weren’t terribly concerned with the rules regarding proper conduct either. We kissed…” she turns to look at him properly, a small smile playing with the edges of her mouth, “...a month into the semester.”

“Probably the only way I was going to shut you up about making up for the participation grade.” He realizes how easily he said that without a second thought and chances a careful glance in her direction.

Smiling, she turns back to Maes, and tucks her hair behind her ears. “Believe me when I say I tried to put that incident behind me. I know you did.” Her voice becomes softer with that last sentence directed towards him, almost uttered as forgival.

Roy can see the cogs aligning and pieces falling together in his friend’s expression as he nods slowly. “When you last came to Central,” Maes deduces. “I told you to screw your head on straight. Clearly that advice went in one ear and straight out the other. Typical.” By now, he’s leaning on the back of the chair looking at them both with his hands clasped together. “So, what now kids?”

“What do you mean?”

“Down the road, what’s your plan? I’m surprised you’ve been able to have a relationship for this long without reaching some kind of internal hurdle. I assume you aren’t out and about too often with dates, knowing how stupid that would be in such a small town. But eventually, hiding will be too much for one of you. And my bet’s on this useless clown.”

Roy groans, running a hand down his face. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“Anytime, bud.” Maes quips back as he sits back down. “I guess my question is, do you want to deal with that, just to be with him? You’re an attractive young lady who could charm the pants off any young stud in the district.”

“The ‘young studs’ around here are uncouth stock horses at best. Roy is a pleasant change of pace.” She glances at him fondly, her brown eyes bright and teasing. “I can’t say I haven’t considered what happens beyond this trimester… but we have to get through it first. It seems stupid to put the cart before the horse in this situation.”

Roy can see Maes mouth to him none too discreet: I like her, and he can’t help but smile, even if the horse jokes are at his expense.

“Then it’s settled. You’ll both attend Elicia’s birthday party.”

“Come again?”

“Give it another few hours, you animal. C’mon - it makes sense! Elicia gets her godfather actually turning up for once and not being an altogether disappointment, and you can show Riza how to paint the town red. It’s not like we don’t have the room for both of you.”

“No. You’re talking about going to Central today.”

“And?”

“We should,” Riza speaks up suddenly.

“What?” Roy balks.

Her eyebrows crease slightly at his reaction. “Academically, there aren’t any pressing matters - for either of us - and ‘Becca is going to be busy cramming. I’d hate to be in her way.”

Just like that, Roy is officially out of excuses.

“Then it’s settled,” Maes announces triumphantly. “You can see the city if you’ve never been, but more importantly you can see Elicia!” He whips out his wallet and the string of photos cascade down to the floor; Roy notices he’s added more. Riza peers at them, somewhat perplexed at the sheer volume.

The offer is tantalising. The likelihood of either of them being recognised was close to nil, and he could actually show her some of the city - the real city too, not the crappy tourist version that cost an arm and a leg to explore. It’s been a long time since he’s had any real free time and the possibility that he could simply spend it with her is all too tempting.

He cuts Maes off before he launches into passionate explanation about how flawless his daughter is. “Do we need to drop by yours on the way?” he asks, stretching out his legs. While the ride to Central wasn’t terrible, it was long, and he’s not sure if he can withstand Maes’ questioning for another three hours.

“No, I should I have enough here,” she responds absent-mindedly as she scrutinizes a particular photo. She doesn’t realize the clues she’s given Maes from that statement.

Despite her belongings being strewn all over his apartment, she still packs faster than him, and Roy finds himself wary of leaving her alone with Maes for any length of time. It’s not that he doesn’t trust his best friend - but Maes has an unfortunate tendency to poke and prod without a care for propriety or boundaries. He remembers the gift he bought for Elicia at the last moment - a collection of books, tied up in countless pink ribbons. Maes merely smiles at him in a bland fashion, and Riza lingers near the doorway like she’s debating whether this was a good choice or not.

They’re out of his house before the afternoon traffic starts to pick up again. Even as the doors close to Maes’ car, he can’t help but be surprised, and appreciative, at how she’s taking all of this in stride, knowing the last time with her roommate didn’t result in an impromptu weekend trip. It speaks volumes of how much she trusts him.

Really, he should be thanking Maes because it wasn’t painfully evident until this afternoon just how much he meant to her.

Maes, a true testament to his hasilty whispered promise as he loaded their luggage in the boot, keeps the conversation light and free from any prying questions. Roy knows that the illusion won’t last - not certainly when Gracia realises who her husband had managed to coerce into coming back to Central.

The playful regret of introducing the two comes back with the nostalgia of seeing Central again.

#royai #roy mustang #riza hawkeye #fma #fma fanfiction #fullmetal alchemist #fma au

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professorsparklepants · 7 years

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Girlvek secret marriage au

(AKA: Falling in love with Gil Hotzfaller was the worst mistake Tarveka ever made).

So, here’s what I got:

Tarveka “Veka” Sturmvoraus, the eight year old second daughter of the Prince of Sturmhalten, begs, pleads, and weeps crocodile tears until her father sends her to Castle Wulfenbach to be educated with the future rulers of Europa. There she meets orphan-without-a-past Gil Hotzfaller, who quickly becomes her best friend, and when they break into the records vault looking for his family records, instead of staying behind to dig deeper, she runs after Gil to try and comfort him. Neither of them get caught.

Several years pass. Both of them break through remarkably early, likely around the same time, and they’re told by the Baron to keep Gil’s spark quiet (sensibly, Veka thinks, since a breakthrough this young in a boy without any family will draw the attention of a great deal of people eager to piss off the baron). Other than the Baron and Von Pinn, she’s the only person who knows about it, since she just happened to be in the fight place at the right time, which was next to Gil, where she always is.

(I haven’t decided when exactly Gil found out about his real parentage, but it’s somewhere around his breakthrough. Gil gets scared into keeping quiet, but his friendship with Veka never suffers because he knew she was his friend even before he was someone important).

Somewhere around 13 or 14 she and Gil start quietly dating. It’s an open secret among the kids at the school, who’ve known they were going to and up together for YEARS, but since Gil is a nobody and Veka is 50 families they know to keep quiet and save the two of them grief. Everything seems to be going great until their first big fight as a couple, because it’s a BAD one. Veka wants to look into Gil’s family more, because she remembers how miserable he was after the vault and knows something else is going on. Gil reacts badly and accuses her of not caring about anyone unless they’re useful to her. Veka snaps back that Gil has been anything but useful to her. Gil says he’s been useful enough keeping all of her secrets. Things deteriorate further from there; they both run off in a huff.

Gil mentions the fight (if not the context) to his father, because Veka looking into his past is something he knows the Baron doesn’t want. Klaus then proceeds to over-react and expel Veka from the school.... without telling Gil. Veka is under the impression that Gil went to the Baron and sold her out. Gil is under the impression that Veka threw a fit and decided to break up with him in the most definitive way possible. She refuses to look at him or say goodbye when she leaves.

Several bitter, miserable years pass.

After living with her father’s terrifying and ethically unsettling agenda for god knows how long, Tarveka finally able to escape and attend university in Paris. She’s not free, because the Mongfishes rubbed their dirty fingerprints all over the Order and there’s no way to escape their agenda, but she’s as good as she can get. Maybe while she’s gone she can formulate a plan to scrub the order down.

Mostly she ends up finding dead bodies at society parties, but that’s practically normal in her family. Developing a hobby of amateur detective work is not, but it’s significantly more fun, and she gets a good friendship with Colette Voltaire out of it, so everybody wins. She’s almost starting to enjoy herself when she runs into Gil again.

Their first meeting is not pleasant. Neither is the second. Or the third, or the fourth.... For two people who hate each other, Colette is fond of pointing out (to the both of them) they tend to meet a lot. Tarveka is fairly certain it’s because the universe hates her. It’s the only explanation.

After several vaguely humorous events where Gil ends up crashing one of Tarveka’s cases, or Veka ends up caught in Gil’s adventures, or their two seemingly unrelated genres of after-school activities turn out to have been entangled from the beginning, the two of them settle into a vitriolic partnership founded on mutual survival and Not Talking About It, With Anyone, Not Even If You Paid Me Colette. The turning point is when they get into a REALLY BAD fight where they drag up all the stuff that happened on the castle and find out that both of them have different stories and someone must be wrong here, and maybe it’s both of us.

I’m not sure on the specifics of how their relationship progresses from there but I’m sure it involves a lot of attempted murder and rampaging monsters and slow burn, and the two of them in various stages of undress due to action scene clothing damage and pulpy fan-service tropes. At one point Colette suggests that Gil knock Veka up so she can retire from politics in disgrace to become Paris’ greatest dressmaker and everyone chokes on their drinks in horror (Wooster) and embarrassment (Gil and Veka). Maybe there’s fake dating. Eventually they start REAL dating again, and Veka makes a lot of jokes about Gil being her kept man, and everything is (mostly) great.

This is where the secret marriage plot comes in.

Martellus comes to town for a few weeks and pays more attention to Tarveka than normal. Like, a weird amount of attention. He danced with her four times at the last ball they both went to, and even spending time “keeping Grandma company” hadn’t deterred him. She’d been forced to resort to throwing eligible young ladies with power hungry mothers at him to keep him away from her.

Meanwhile, Anevka’s letters start mentioning lab accidents at Sturmhalten--specifically, her lab. They never have lab accidents at home. The idea is ludicrous, which means someone is trying to kill Anevka and not even bothering to be subtle about it. Which in their family is a long list.

She doesn’t think to connect the two until she has a dream one night where she’s the sovereign Princess of Sturmhalten, happy and glowing, congratulated by her many powerful and influential guests who all adore her. Someone asks if she’s looking forward to the coronation, and she replies Only as much as my husband is! And an arm wraps around her waist and she leans into it as Tweedle kisses her cheek and calls her wife and she wakes up in a cold sweat.

She and Anevka are the only thing standing between Tweedle and incontestable rule of Europa. If either of them have sons, their claim will be better than Tweedle’s, unless they’re his sons. Anevka is dangerous and stubborn and would castrate him with a socket wrench if she knew he was even considering it, but everyone thought Veka was a pushover who did whatever her father told her because that was the price of surviving. Grandma hadn’t stopped Tweedle from dancing with her even though Veka knew she was the favorite grandchild, which meant either she was in on it or she was expecting Veka to solve her own problems, and if Grandma wasn’t openly supporting her then she had little chance of talking her father around, and she would have to marry Tweedle, and have his children, and let him touch her--

TWEEDLE CAN’T MARRY HER IF SHE’S ALREADY MARRIED TO SOMEBODY ELSE.

This is more of a ”panic at 3 am” plan than a Tarveka plan but when she wakes up (again) the next morning it seems like a good idea, because she’s actually still panicking. Gil spits out his coffee when she brings it up and then Colette spits out her tea when they ask her to be the witness.

In the future when asked, Gil’s defense for going through with this is 20% “I thought it was just technical and she would ask for an annulment later” and 80% “I didn’t actually believe it was really happening until we literally signing the marriage contract”. Tarveka’s is, besides the aforementioned panicking, “AT THE TIME Gil was the only person I trusted not to take advantage of me”. Colette, when asked, claims that a. they were clearly hopelessly in love, b. she knew that Tarveka was miserable at home and would be even more so if she ever broke up with Gil to get a political marriage, and c. the fallout was going to be HILARIOUS. (None of which are WRONG, per-say).

There’s a short honeymoon period until Gil realizes that like.... if they’re.... actually doing this.... he should probably like.... actually tell Veka who he is. So they have a serious talk about the trajectory of their relationship and how neither of them actually wants a divorce and at one point probably like, mush, and then he tells her. And she is SUPER PISSED. Especially since lying about your identity makes it a voidable marriage.

To quote Doc, who gave me permission to steal this piece of gold:

"Hey, I'm still the same Gil you know and love, right?" "Sentimentally, YES! Legally, NO!"

Like, this puts her in an amazing political position over the order and tbh most of Europa but she’s still SUPER PISSED because she married Gil specifically because she loves him and thought she could trust him and the fact that he was lying to her about this! For years! Even when they were kids! Fucks her up a little.

Right in the middle of this emotional shit show is when Tarveka finds out her sister is dying. She makes up with Gil, a little, when she’s leaving (and she has to leave, because even if Anevka was a menace and made her skin crawl she’s still her sister), and promises they’ll talk more if when she comes back.

THEN she finds out their father put Anevka into the summoning machine, and more panicking happens. Because her father put his DAUGHTER and HEIR into the summoning machine to get possessed by his EX-GIRLFRIEND and after he got over his hypocritical grief there was no proof he wouldn’t try it again with the spare.

I imagine that the extra years spent on Castle Wulfenbach gave Veka time and space to come to the same conclusions Tarvek gets to in canon when he finally has time away from his family--that no one deserves the sort of thing Lucrezia wanted to do to them. The difference here being that she got thrown back into it as a young teenage girl with the implication that as long as she was good, she’d be safe. This is proof that was a lie, and that she’s never been safe here at all, and maybe only survived through luck.

Clearly now the only way to make sure she survives long enough to heal Anevka is to cut her father and the Other out of the equation altogether. So... she contacts the Baron about the veritable army living underneath her town, armed with dozens of hive engines. As you do.

I think you guys can imagine how exactly that goes.

After everyone that needs killing’s been killed and everything that needs handling is being handled, the Baron tracks her down and demands to know why he shouldn’t just kill her immediately for treason and harboring Agents of the Other.

To which her response is “Because I’m your daughter-in-law.”

And that’s where things start getting interesting.

#i need a tag for this #secret marriage au #lectures #girl genius #why did i spend 2 hours on this rip #genderbending

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sleepdragon · 7 years

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Burn it ALL Down: The Story of a Super, a Sidekick and Fans at a Comic Con...

Comic Con is a magical time of year where we get to see the actors out and about promoting their show to dozens of places, chatting about themselves, each other, fans and their characters. It’s a time where we get to experience behind the scenes of those shows we love, and as fans do we ever look forward to it.

This comic con ran sour for many people, and people feel what they feel and I’ll never invalidate the if’s but’s or why’s. But I am going to take a moment to discuss some unsettling things I’ve been seeing in the Supergirl orbit, then I’ll address the giant elephant that has been shitting on the carpet.

1. Representation Matters: Alex came out in the most amazing way; it was positive, uplifting, embracing and beautiful really – she got to be all of Alex. Fan-fucking-tastic and about bloody time.

a. She got the girl. Yay? Except I feel that Alex lost herself in the girl. She forgot that she had a sister. She marginalised Kara in every possible way. She didn’t plan to spend Earth Birthday with her sister, her sister who is celebrating the day that she lost everything. The day that represents her being on Earth longer than Krypton – but hey, she got the girl.

b. The girl is played by someone who, from all accounts is a lovely woman. She’s dating Casey Affleck; oh noes fire her, we don’t like him. Wait, the girl isn’t a POC because she is part Italian and Irish. People, Italy has black people. They do. They can quite marginalised there too. But she wasn’t good enough to play a POC on TV (which BTW she has never been referenced on the show has Latina)… wow, are you fucking kidding me?

2. Diversity Matters: James has nothing to do, let’s make him the most useless vigilante since that relationship with Kara didn’t work out (thank god, it was so shoe horned and not sustainable).

a. Diversity Matters but just throwing a POC on screen isn’t enough. Give us something more. James was not my favourite character, still isn’t. He still deserves better.

b. Diversity doesn’t mean that the character has to be likeable, but they have to get the same amount of thought as every other one. But even much of the fandom didn’t care about his side lining, that was disappointing.

3. Relationships are invaluable but the romance, and the ‘shipper wars have not been.

a. Sanvers I want to love, but I don’t really think I like Maggie, and I don’t like who Alex has become with her.

b. Karamel Not the best, but I can understand why Kara would latch onto someone when she was literally abandoned by everyone in season 2. No, I don’t think it’s okay he lied to Kara about who he was, but it was unsurprising Kara forgave him. Probably the most believable thing in the relationship.

c. J’onn and M’gann if people want to talk about toxic relationships – she saved his life and he repays her by imprisoning her for no good reason, and during that time M’gann developed Stockholm Syndrome and fell in love with her capture. Yay! Positive.

d. Danvers Sisters who now? Were they a band or something, because damn if they didn’t break up in season 2. They were once the heart of the show, and when that was lost the show was lost.

e. ‘ships are important and there is plenty of ocean out there for them ALL to sail. Problem is that the infighting started and it became every ship for themselves, because obviously the individuals chosen ship was the least toxic of them all. IMO, all the canon romantic relationships this season were shit, they devalued every one of the characters. Speaking only for myself, I still struggle with what J’onn did to M’gann…

i. Some fandom ‘ships were toxic and when a guest star comments on that, at a convention, and the threats and vitriol he received there is a systemic problem. Thankfully not all SuperCorp fans are like that, but the problem is for the actors and creatives they may not see the flip side.

ii. All fandom ‘ships had toxic members who screamed loudly and sounded like spokespeople for the ship. It’s unfortunate, but it happens.

f. Friendships are important if anyone can remind Kara’s friends of that, I’d be forever grateful. Remind her Foster Mother and Space Dad for extra points.

4. KARA MATTERS: The show is called Supergirl, so obviously the most important character should be her. Although Supergirl did get more time than Kara, but I feel as we moved away from Kara we lost the humanity too. It’s why I did adore the addition of Lena to the show (if they make her evil…) I feel that when we lost Cat, we lost Kara. I’m hoping we get more Cat this season to make up for that.

And yeah, Melissa said that Kara’s world ended when she lost Mon-El but she expanded on it in the ET interview – the woman has lost next to everything and the hits keep on coming. All she is seeing is loss – and that, that is the product of someone who has terrible abandonment issues. Now, if they could actually explore this throughout the season…

Now, much of the online fandom has been shitting on each other (I will reiterate not all), the actors and creatives and then Comic Con happened. One of their first interviews of the day Jeremy was asked to reprise a little skit he did last year and sing the events of last season, so he hit on the main storyline affecting those in attendance (which is why Sanvers was overlooked) – unfortunately he made a tone-deaf joke that hurt people, Melissa kinda joined in and everyone laughed.

I do believe he hit on it because of the SuperCorp fandoms notoriety, but I don’t think it was designed to invalidate the LBGT community. I don’t believe it was a homophobic remark, I just think it was a stupid moment that any human has had. Not even a saint could claim they haven’t accidently hurt someone by not understanding something, or joking about it. It happens, but to assume that the intent was malicious goes against everything else they have both done in the past, and Melissa said later the same day (before all this blew up). It even goes against what Melissa said later in the same interview.

Yes, I am aware that she called Jeremy “brave” for what he said, but no I don’t think that means that she wanted to invalidate the ship. I think it means that she thinks he is brave to want to take on the fans, and that he was fucking stupid to do it. Melissa may not really do cons, may not do many signings on set – but she does stop for fans on the street and she has been an ally for years. I do not believe a single moment erases everything they have done in the past, nor do I think it makes them a bad person now.

What I do believe is that it makes them human. The problem is in many cases that’s the last thing we want (or need) celebrities to be, we hold them up as the perfect representation of whatever we need them to represent. We falsely idolise them, so when they fall it hurts, it hurts a lot. But that hurt, the hurt from our idolisation, isn’t their fault. That’s like when we discover that our older siblings, or parents or grandparents are just human. They didn’t hang to moon and the stars, even though we thought they did.

Now, these humans did something well, human. As a member of the LBGT community I will only speak for myself (and I do ask can everyone do that, no one voted for official spokespeople so lets not pretend to have them), they didn’t upset me. I don’t feel devalued by them. They owe me no apology.

Jeremy has issued a 2 part apology, and no it’s not perfect but he isn’t perfect. None of us are, I’m not going to tell anyone to give him a chance or forgive him. I am going to say that you should forget but c’mon – people are telling him and Melissa to choke. They are wishing a show that hires hundreds of people to be cancelled. They are calling out and attacking their personal lives, how it any of that okay? So much of fandom is NOT okay with the way it’s responding. Being hurt I get, threats of any kind is just ridiculous and intentionally malicious.

Maybe this can be a learning curve for everyone, starting with realising we are all but human. And we will all make mistakes.

(I also decided not to tag sanvers because I will not go into a tag when I don’t like the ship)

And for the love of god, don’t ask an actor to validate your ship. They see what they see, you see what you see. That’s okay, that will forever be okay, they never have to meet.

#supergirl #sdcc #supercorp #melissa benoist #jermey jordan #tone deaf jokes #representation matters #threatening people when you dont get what you want shouldnt be accepted #celebrities are people #stop celebrity idealisation #this is why so many avoid fandom #does fandom have to be so toxic to everyone #lucky to know awesome fans #lets all be awesome

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warriorblood1 · 7 years

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Nine. [Hinanami Week 2017 Day One]

Haha suckers, it’s still the ninth on the west coast. So this isn’t even late.

And even if it was, I’m the mod of hinanami week, who the hell’s gonna stop me.

Anyways, I’ve been playing too much Zero Escape, so here’s a DR Zero Escape AU for hinanami week.

————————————

Hajime Hinata woke up with his head throbbing. He groaned, and then proceeded to hit his head on the ceiling as he sat up.

After taking a moment to wake up, the first thing Hajime noticed was that he was in a bunkbed.

The second was that he had no idea where he was.

“Ugh… how did I get here?” He mumbled to himself as he tried not to slip down the ladder. Planting his feet firmly on the floor, he looked into the mirror across from him.

“Wow. I look awful.” He stated. Why lie? He looked exhausted. But what caused him to be so exhausted?

With a gasp, he remembered.

He was sitting at his desk, at home. It was very late, probably midnight. The sounds of the city could be heard through his bedroom window.

Finally deciding to go to bed, Hajime closed his window. As he did so, he heard a door open, followed by footsteps. Hajime lived alone.

Worried, he grabbed a lamp from his nightstand and with a yank, unplugged it, throwing his room into darkness.

Holding the lamp like a bat, Hajime carefully walked out of his room into the hallway.

Standing in his living room was a person, wearing a hooded cloak and a gas mask.

“Wh-Who the hell are you?!” He shouted, visibly scared. The person said nothing.

In the back of his mind, Hajime heard a hissing noise, and spun around. The room had begun to fill up with a white smoke.

Failing to not breath it in, Hajime started coughing. After a few moments, he collapsed, and the lamp in his hand shattered next to him.

The person moved to stand next to Hajime’s nearly-unconcious body, and began to speak in a staticy voice.

“Consider this a privlege. You have been chosen.” Chosen for what? screamed the back of Hajime’s mind.

“You are going to participate in a game. The Nonary Game. It is a game…where you will put your l i f e on the l i n e.”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Hajime took a step back. “Gah! Who the hell was that guy?! …What happened before that? …Why are my feet wet?”

Turning around, Hajime noticed the water pouring out of the window in the room. The door, which he now noticed had a big red “5” on it, seemed to be locked. There was also a sort of bracelet on his left wrist, which also had a “5.”

After a few moments of freaking out, Hajime took a deep breath. “Okay, okay. I just have too… I have to seek a way out. Yes. Okay.”

—————–

Hajime opened the door after a few minutes. It actually wasn’t as hard as he thought.

After swimming down the hallway to another door, the water began to rise even faster. He booked it up the stairs, until he ran into a group of people.

There were eight people in total, and they were all running in the opposite direction of Hajime.

“Don’t bother going up there, all the doors are locked!” Someone shouted as they ran past.

“Yeah! We gotta check C Deck, c'mon!”

Hajime spun around, trying to stop them. “Wait! But it’s flooding down there! I’m pretty sure D Deck is completely submerged!” he shouted.

“Then what do you propose we do, huh?” A girl with twintails glared at him as she ran past.

“I… I don’t know? Stay up here and on B Deck, and pray for a miracle?” He half-heartedly shrugged.

He felt someone bump into him from behind.

“Oh, sorry. I’m in a bit of a hurry, could you move? …Wait. Shouldn’t you come too?”

This girl seemed much less frantic than the rest. Her soft pink eyes looked tired, not scared.

Hajime found he had lost his voice. “Uh… I guess? But I’m pretty sure it’s flooded down there…”

The girl shrugged. “Then I guess we’ll have to swim.” And with that, she walked down the stairs.

——————

The water had stopped. All the doors were locked. Hajime and the other eight people were now standing in C Deck, brainstorming about what to do next.

Suddenly, there was a ringing, and a familiar staticy voice.

“Welcome aboard.”

It was the person who had kidnapped them.

“I welcome you all, from the bottom of my heart, to this vessel. I am Zero… The Captain of this ship. I am also the person who invited you here.”

After Zero said this, there were some shouts. The twintailed girl demanded to see him.

“You are here to participate in a game. The Nonary Game. It is a game where you will put your life on the line.”

Zero explained that the rules were already in our pockets, and then signed off.

After reading over the rules, we understood a little better. We had to team up to go through the doors with numbers on them, and eventually we’ll reach the Nine Door.

After a bit of discussion, someone mentioned that we should introduce ourselves. Someone else said we needed to keep our identities hidden from Zero. In the end, we decided on codenames.

“Sweeeet! I love codenames! I’ll go first!!” The twintailed girl bounced around. “Alright, alright. I’m number six!” She raised her left fist in the air. “You can call me Mono!!!”

“Wouldn’t that be a better name for two?” Someone asked. Mono glared at them.

“I’ll go next.” A blonde girl stepped forward. “I am Number One. My codename shall be Rosie! Like Rosie the Riveter!” She smiled, and did the pose from the infamous WW2 poster.

“…Oh, I guess that means I’m next.”

It was the girl from earlier, the one who lagged behind. Her short hair bounced slightly as she walked closer to the group. “…I’m number two. My codename is Galaga.”

“Oh, like the video game?” Hajime asked, surprised he could remember such an old game when he couldn’t remember his address, or even his family.

Galaga turned towards him, eyes wide. She grinned, and nodded. “Yes, exactly! It’s a very good game, espically for it’s time period. I’ve got one of the highest scores in the wor-”

“Hey!” Mono interrupted. “There’ll be time for that later! My sister is speaking now.” She grinned and turned to a girl with short black hair.

The girls cheeks turned slightly pink at the attention. “I’m number three. Call me Fenrir.”

A boy with cloud hair stepped forward next. “I’m number four. I’ll be Lucky. I’m sure you all will figure out why soon enough.” Lucky had an unsettling smile that sent a shiver down Hajime’s back.

Galaga tugged on Hajime’s sleeve. “Hey, you’re number five. What’s your codename?”

“Uh…” Hajime racked his brain for some clever way to relate to five, but found nothing. Then he looked for something personal, like most everyone else did, and found nothing.

“Um… I’ll be… Five?”

Mono groaned. “That’s so boring! You can’t come up with anything else?”

“Um..” Hajime didn’t get the chance to stand up for himself, because Galaga did it for him.

“I think Five makes it easier on everyone. Why have to do some nickname?” She said as she stood in front of Hajime.

Clearly, this girl was special. He just wasn’t sure how special yet.

—————–

After a pink haired guy now known as Mecha and a scarf-wearing stranger known as “Supreme Overlord of Ice,” or “SOLOI” for short, introduced themselves as seven and eight respectively, there was only number nine left.

The short man refused to introduce himself, saying it was pointless because he wouldn’t be seeing them anyway.

Just then, he grabbed Galaga by the arm and held her in a chokehold. Before anyone could take another step, he flicked out a pocketknife and aimed it at her throat.

He scanned his bracelet and then Galaga’s.

“Now. Fenrir, was it? Get over here and scan your bracelet.”

After a moment of hesitation, Fenrir calmly walked over and scanned her bracelet. The Nineth Man ordered her to back off, and she complied.

Suddenly, he shoved Galaga towards us. I moved without thinking, catching her so she wouldn’t slam her face on the floor.

The Nineth Man had opened the number 5 door. He waved goodbye as it closed.

But Hajime wasn’t really paying attention to that. He was more worried about Galaga. As he helped her up, she hugged him tight.

The moment was ruined by the sound of screaming and pounding.

The Nineth Man was trying to get out. The group could hear a faint beeping from the other side of the door.

“Please! Let me out of here! They lied to me! They said this wouldn’t happen!! Please!! Help!!!!”

After that last cry for help, there was an exploding sound. The room was dead silent.

Then a faint beep. The door had changed from “OCCUPIED” to “VACANT.”

After a frantic discussion, Mono, Fenrir, and Hajime scanned their bracelets to open the door.

Inside was a frightening sight.

Blood and flesh covered the walls. In the middle of it all was a bracelet with the number nine.

Slowly, the doors closed again.

Hajime backed up into Galaga. She looked pale. After a moment she grabbed his arm.

Hajime was unsure how this girl managed to trust him so easily, so quicky, espically in their current situation.

But, somehow, he found himself trusting her too.

A short girl with strawberry-blonde hair and pink eyes nicknamed “Galaga.” Stuck in this hellhole for an unknown reason.

Surely, nobody here actually deserved to be here, right? Nobody could have done something to deserve this.

The clock chimed ten times. They had wasted an hour of time, which was all too precious at the moment.

They had eight hours and eight people. They had to seek a way out… they had to seek a door that carried a nine.

And something inside Hajime said that he would make sure that if anyone was to get out, it would be Galaga.

#hinanamiweek #hinanami #sdr2 #danganronpa #hajime is amnesiac like seven but still has junpeis role #also codenames guide:#one- sonia/rosie #two- chiaki/galaga #three- mukuro/fenrir #four- nagito/lucky #five- hajime/five #six- junko/mono #seven- kazuichi/mecha #eight- gundam/SOLOI #nine- teruteru/the nineth man #999 #zero escape

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thatlongspringnight · 7 years

Text

Important Lessons (Ch 4)

Your dose of my Saizo x MC college au has come ‘round again. I am so so sorry for the delay, I meant to have this done earlier in the week but I have had a combination of educational obligations and a really bad cold (springtime treats me so badly) But lo! it has come, it is here.

Ch. 1, 2, 3, 4

“Oichi. I have a problem” Your voice was muffled from the pillow you were laying face down on, as you were doing your best to avoid having to look in her direction. Rarely did you ever go to her for advice, usually she readily gave it to you before you realized you needed it...but this time was different.

Everything about this situation was different.

You heard her snort, as she reached over to pat your head, and you were sure she was giving you the ‘look’.

The Oda family’s famous stare, equal parts withering and amused. The look had the ability to lead to smile and ice-cold stare at the drop of a pin.

It was deadly.

“And what can the great lady Oichi help you with today?” you heard her fall onto the mattress beside you and you were reminded how you ended up in this predicament.

You had just been laying on her bed really and truly minding your own business, watching her do school work, when the thought had hit you. The thought you did not want to have.

Of course, what had actually gotten you into this predicament was one old and fancy desk, at your university and a certain silver-haired fox of a man.

“I think I’m in love.” There it was. “With a guy...I...uh, I.just met?” Not all the way true, but it got your point across. Your great dilemma. The idea that had kept you up for the last two nights was finally out in the open. “The guy, well, you know who I am talking about.”

“Do I?” Her voice was calm, even, like she was sizing you up.

“Of course, the one that I have been seeing” a beat passed “Sort of”

“Oh, your secret lover.” Her tone was laced with sarcasm, and you had a feeling her stare was more mocking than kind. “Right, the one you refuse to tell me anything about.”

“Yes, him.”

A moment, complete silence.Were either of you breathing?

“Have you been taking your birth control?” she finally responded, making you shoot up, glaring at her.

“Of course!”

“Are you pregnant?” She reached out, pressing the flat of her palm against your stomach.

“What? No, of course not.” you wiggled away from her, moving to the end of the bed. “What the hell? That has nothing to do with what we were talking about.”

“Of course it does.”

“I could love someone and not be pregnant.”

“That’s not the point.”

“Then what is the point?”

“Well if you aren’t pregnant, and you aren’t planning on getting pregnant. Then I can tell you how I really feel about this situation.” Oichi idly moved her fingers through her hair, weaving a braid as she talked.

“Oichi!”

“Say it.”

“I’m not pregnant, I’m not planning on getting pregnant.”

“Good.”

“How do you feel, Oichi?” You didn’t even let her word rest, jumping into the heart of the matter.

“You’re not in love” She waved a hand in front of your face. “Don’t be an idiot. “ Her voice was firm. “Whatever this guy has said to make you act this way, it's not true.” There it was, no holding back on her part. You stared at her, shock flickering on your face.

“Oichi-”

“Oh come on, seriously? I thought we were smart enough to understand that most guys don’t mean anything they say or do. So whatever he said, don’t go rushing into a situation where you’re going to get hurt.”

“Wait- No Oichi.” You shook your head. “He hasn’t been...leading me on or anything. I’m the problem here. He pretty accurately defined the terms of our relationship.” Oichi groaned.

“Oh jeez.” She looked at you for a long moment. “Why did you allow yourself to become a permanent booty call to a boy that isn’t even good enough to bring home to me.”

“Because…because he is super hot.” You let the words tumble through your mouth, trying your best to cover any hint of what was actually going on.

“Are you serious?”

“And smart, and...and...I don’t know okay! There is just something about him.” You rolled over, resting your head in her waiting lap, finding comfort in her hands playing with your hair. “I can’t help myself.” It was true. There were many more reasons you felt that pull to him, from his acerbic humor to the way he looked at you. You were addicted.

“You know this is only going to hurt you in the end, if what you are saying...if that is really how he feels, and he doesn’t want a relationship, you’re going to get hurt.”

“I..I know that, Oichi.”

“You’re very sad.” She nodded to herself as she said it and you found that you couldn’t disagree.

“I know”

“So what do I owe the honor of this less than clandestine meeting?” You sat across from Saizo, ah wait no you meant Professor Kirigakure, resplendent in his environment, and looking at you with a mixture of interest and expectation.

You pulled out your phone, sliding it over the desk and to him.

“Professor Kirigakure, I just want a moment of your time to ask you a few questions about this.” You shot him a pointed look, watching him glance at your phone.

“Ah.” He raised an eyebrow. “These are your grades?”

“My grades for your class, to be more specific.” You clarified, gesturing at the phone. “More specifically my mid-term grade.”

“Yes?” He looked up, and for a moment your breath caught as the light of midday hit his eyes, turning them a blazing crimson.

“Y-You um, “ You had completely spaced out. Damn him and his eyes “You gave me an 89.4”

“This is true.”

“Which means it can’t be rounded up to an A”

“That is unfortunate, little lady, but I’m not sure what you expect me to do about it.” His statement made you frown and you placed your hands on your hips in response. He really couldn’t be serious.

“Professor, I think I showed enough improvement to at least get a 90.”

“What I am hearing is that we want an A, hm?” He was smirking, that trademark look on his face making you flush. “I thought I told you that I wasn’t going to give you any special favors.”

“It's not a favor, I think I did well enough to deserve an A!” You huffed, crossing your legs and leaning forward in the chair. “ I know I improved.” You rested your hands on his desk, just inches from his own, trying your best to appear intimidating.

“You did.” He nodded. “Which is why you have a high B instead of a low C, little lady.” A blush began to climb up your neck. He….he did have a point, but still, still you had to get an A in that class.

You had gone an entirety of a collegiate career without making less than an A. It was a matter of honor. He wasn’t going to dishonor you academically, that was for sure. “You can still make an A, if you keep up your streak of good work.” He continued as if he had heard your thoughts.

You hated how he could do that.

Still you could only look at him, a pout emblazoned on your face. He sighed, pressing a hand to his temple.

“You still have room for improvement, and you can be there for the final.” You nodded at his words, your eyes narrowed.

“Fine, professor.”

“Come now.” He sighed. “Where exactly do you plan to get with me, acting like that.” He grabbed your wrist, tugging your body over the desk.“I’ll help you, like I have been, if that is what you are concerned about.” His lips brushed against your cheek, and you felt his teeth graze your skin. It made you shiver.

“Saizo.” You sighed, the desk digging into your thighs uncomfortably. “It's just my GPA.” You would have pulled away from him, really you would have, but he was looking at you with those eyes, and as he leaned back he pulled you with him, making you perch yourself on his desk.

Okay, maybe you wouldn’t have actually pulled away from him.

“Hush.” he leaned up, pressing his lips against yours,continuing to push you into a kneeling position as he stood, his hands tangling in your hair. You allowed him to snake his tongue into your mouth as you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer. His hands dropped from your hair down to the desk, effectively trapping you against him.

Jeez he was just so good at distracting you.

When he broke the kiss and went to pull away from you, you couldn’t help but grab the front of his dress shirt, holding him in place.

“Insatiable, are we?”

“Maybe.” You drawled your lips hovering over his. “But do you blame me?” His lips met yours again, this time slower, this time deeper.

“You’re really just a little bit dumb, aren’t you?” He gazed at you with a softness that make your heart ache.

Maybe you were just a little bit dumb.

A comfortable pattern emerged, and weeks seemed to fly by, filled with clandestine kisses and secluded meetings. Graduation was well within your grasp, and finals, although not quite yet looming, were just around the corner.

Perhaps the added danger only made the thrill in your heart grow stronger.

Still there was a barrier, you got no closer to the secrets of his soul, and he still wouldn’t let you into his room. Something, that oddly enough, was beginning to bother you.

After all, what could he be keeping in his bedroom? A wife? A dead body, perhaps? The last girl who chose to go snooping where she wasn’t allowed?

More importantly, he wouldn’t let you touch...him. Well at least, a certain part of him, It was strange, and more than a little unsettling.

You had met exactly zero guys in your life that didn’t want you to touch their dick.

Make that one, since you now had Saizo on your hands.

You were beginning to wonder about just how deep seeded his control issues were.

Still you found yourself on his couch on a friday night, lying comfortably against his chest, his hand in your hair.

Comfortable and safe.

Before you could think to express that thought aloud, the phone rang. Saizo answered, still holding you to him with his free hand, his tone obviously bored.

“To what do I owe the honor, little Lord Yukimura?”

It was quiet enough for you to hear the flustered voice of said boy, currently explaining his situation to Saizo.

“How- How do I talk to girls?” He asked, your eyes widened as you tried to stifle a giggle, glancing up to see Saizo rolling his eyes.

How cute.

“Is he serious?” You mouthed to Saizo, who only nodded, looking every inch like this was a conversation they had often.

“Yukimura,I believe the easiest way to do that is to open your mouth and hope sound comes out.”

Silence over the phone.

“That...That isn’t what I meant.” You almost couldn’t believe it. That very beautiful guy from the bar was so...so adorably shy.

“Well that did you mean? We have to use our words, don’t we?”

“I want- I want to ask this girl out!”

“Oh you have a crush?” Yukimura groaned on the other end of the phone and you let out a laugh you couldn’t stifle. Saizo’s hand was pressed against your mouth almost instantaneously, even as he set the phone on the couch’s armrest. You looked at him in confusion, but he said nothing to you, only replying to Yukimura. “Is that a yes? Or are you trying to take notes for the future?”

“Y-yes! I wouldn’t just ask a girl out for no reason.” Oh, he had put the phone on speaker. You felt his body shift, and before you recognized it you were under him, your body pushed against the cushions. You stared up at him, your eyes widening as his free hand traced your skin and he leaned over you murmur in your ear.

“Loud little ladies like you must be punished.” Your gasp was muffled, but noted, even as his hand dipped under your shorts. You wriggled against him. What was he doing?

“Ah” He licked the shell of your ear, making you shiver. “If you’re loud, he’ll hear you, won’t he? Is that what you want?” His voice was quiet, but then he spoke up.

“Of course you do, Yukimura. Now you need to tell her.” As Saizo talked his free hand stroked your clit, making you writhe against him. He was...so cruel! You bucked your hips against his hand, your fingers digging into the couch.

It was brutal to try and be quiet. He had to know, the way he was teasing you.

“Your question is how do you tell her?”

“Yes, what do I need to do? Do I need to buy her flowers? How do I do this?”

What an interesting picture, Yukimura had never asked a girl out, ever? Your thoughts were clouded, as you bit down on your lip. How odd to have Saizo as such a close friend, Saizo who literally was getting you off while on the phone with him. You reached down, unbuttoning your shorts, wriggling them off of your hips, allowing him more freedom of movement.

“Not always, just do what comes natural. The actions between a man and a woman should be organic.” Saizo punctuated his movements by moving two fingers into you, crooking his fingers. An involuntary judder of movement took you over as your body twitched in anxious pleasure.

He just needed to...to hurry up.

As though hearing your thoughts, he did the opposite, setting a languid pace with his fingers, making you want to grown in frustration, not unlike yukimura.

“E-Eh, natural, organic? I mean, I guess we could go to a restaurant?”

“Not that kind of organic, not orgasmic either.” Saizo’s teasing tone made Yukimura stutter on the other end of the line.

You arched your body, trying to speed up his movements by quickening your own. Still he wouldn’t give you the relief you needed.

You moved one of your hands down. If Saizo wasn’t going to take care of you, you were perfectly capable of doing it yourself.

Just as you reached your underwear, the hand on your mouth was gone, clutching at your wrist instead. He looked at you, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

“Hey, Saizo. I need you to be serious. This girl, I mean, she is really something.”

“Just ask her on a date, that is the only advice I can give.” Saizo turned his voice to you next. “I would have thought you’d have better manners. If you make a sound. I’ll stop, how’s that sound little lady? You’ll get off so long as you’re quiet.”

You nodded, biting back a whimper at the look he was giving you.

“What was that Saizo? Did you say something?”

“Oh nothing, nothing. Just ask the girl out. Surely she can’t be that terrifying.” His pace picked up, adjusting his hand so that his palm brushed your clit every time he moved.

“She’s out of my league.” the weight of his body was making your legs tingle, at least that is what you thought, your own hand was clamped over your mouth as your eyes fluttered shut. You. had. To. be. Quiet.

“How so little Lord?” How did he sound so bored?

“I...That isn’t important.”

“Just one of you remember to use protection. That is the only advice that counts”

“We aren’t going to!- I’m just going to take her to the movies, okay?”

“Great, tell her that.” Your body jerked at the movement he made, and you tasted the iron of blood on your tongue.

Still if you could just make it a little further, a little more.

“Is that seriously all the advice you have to give?” Saizo sighs, as though he almost can’t believe he has to have this conversation.

“Yukimura, really. You are fully capable of what you are trying to do. I don’t see how you expect me to help.”

“You wrote a book about this...this stuff!”

“Oh is that what my book was about?” Saizo chuckled, “You might want to read it again, dear.”

They were still talking.

But really what they were saying slipped away from you, soundless moans threatening to break, to make you fail.

How much time had slipped through your fingers? You were wound up so tight, all you needed, you needed-

“Saizo, please!” Finally, you gasped his name, breaking the rules, but it worked, releasing the tension of your body and hurtling you over the precipice.

“W-Was that a woman?” Yukimura’s voice cut through your panting, Saizo leaned over you grabbing the phone with his free hand.

“Oh dear, little Lord, it seems I have to go.” And he hung up. All the while he slowed the pace of his hand, removing himself from you, leaving you panting and watching him. “What should I do with you?” That was addressed at you. “I wanted to punish you, but the expressions you made were worth it.” His hand brushed at the gathered water at the corners of your eyes.

“I-...I think you punished me enough.”

“You can’t be serious.” You stared wide-eyed at Oichi. “You’re not going on a date with Sanada Yukimura.

“I am.” Oichi stood at the door, and she looked absolutely stunning, as usual.

“Are you trying to give him a heart attack, looking like that?” You snorted.

“What are you saying I look bad?” She crossed her arms, glaring at you.

“No, no, the opposite, you look almost perfect, Oichi. He’s going to have a breakdown, this is your first date!”

“Right, so I am dressed to impress. I’d like a second date, too, you know?”

“Er, well. Okay. I mean, you’re very pretty, he’s just-” You trailed off, realizing you wouldn’t be able to explain to her what you knew or how you knew it.

“What, do you have some sort of inside information on him?”

“Uh, no, of course not.” You froze, blinking at her. “But really, you are stunning.”

“Duh.” she turned on her heels. “Don’t wait up on me, okay?”

Poor Yukimura was in for it wasn’t he.

“Calling my phone is an odd move, little lady.” Saizo’s amused voice cut through the speaker. “I wasn’t expecting it.”

“I was just calling because I found out who your little lord Yukimura is going on his date with.” You continued unabashedly, wanting to be the first to tell him the development.

“Oh, you were able to pay that much attention to the conversation, I obviously should have been working harder.” You couldn’t help the blush on your cheeks. Why was he so cheeky?

“M-Maybe you should have.” You settled on a bitten back reply. He laughed then, a sort of sound that made butterflies bloom like flowers in your stomach.

“You say that now, but I seem to remember you weren’t saying much then. “ His voice was like a purr in your ear.

“Because I wasn’t allowed to speak.”

“Oh so if we did it again, would you have something to say?” He got you there and you frowned in unconscious response. “Don’t make that face.”

“W-What, how’d you know I was making a face?”

“The same way I know that he’s on a date with your flighty roommate.”

“Did Yukimura tell you?” Their previous phone call had ended without it, but that didn’t mean that he hadn’t called him back, although you felt like Yukimura was trying to keep this date a secret.

“No, he didn’t, in fact I didn’t really know either of those things, until just now, when you confirmed both, little lady.” You let out a sigh.

He was such a capricious man.

“Saizo, you need a hobby, so you don’t tease me so much.”

“Teasing you is my hobby.”

“Your date was good?” You looked Oichi over, not a hair out of place, and back by 10 pm. You smiled, your impression of Yukimura had not been wrong.

“Ah, um, yeah.” She smiled at you, a genuine grin. “We have another date scheduled for Friday actually.”

“Oh that is great!” You hugged her. “He seems nice.”

“Yeah, he wants us to eat dinner with one of his friends, actually.” She pulled away, holding you at arm's length. “I was wondering if you’d like to come.”

“What?” You cocked your head to the side. “Like a double date?” You were not going to say yes, no way.

“No, not like a double date, he’s just got a friend coming, and I don’t want to be left out.”

“What kind of person brings a 3rd to a date when he isn’t planning on getting freaky?”

“Please just say yes.” Oichi grabbed your hands, looking you in your eyes. No, not her puppy-dog eyes. You couldn’t say no.She really was dangerous.

“F-Fine, Oichi. I’ll go.” She smirked in victory.

“Thank goodness, I wasn’t about to sit with Yukimura and professor Kirigakure all night long by myself!”

“W-What did you just say Oichi!? Who??”

She had already walked off.

Oh shit.

What had you gotten yourself into?

Tagging: @jemchew @lexiiferr @frywen-babbles @tearscrime @nairil-daeris @honeybeelily @han-pan As always, feel free to tag whoever (I mean to tag more people, but tumblr is being uncooperative) I hope y’all like this, and I hope you can smell the development of plot in the air.

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backtothestart02 · 7 years

Text

It Didn’t Used to Be Complicated - 1/1

A/N: My first Emron (Aaron/Emily - Designated Survivor) fic. I just felt inspired from the last ep, and while delayed, I hope some of you will be able to check it out before the next ep (1x16).

Synopsis: Post 1x15 - Emily finds herself stewing in her office hours after her meeting, unable to decide how to feel about Aaron Shore.

*Tagging @designatedtrash b/c she seemed enthusiastic about my writing an Emron fic, even though I’ve never written them before. I’d love to know your thoughts, dear, if you end up reading this.

*And ofc a big thank you to @valeriemperez, my ever faithful beta. Girl is not even caught up on this show and she went the extra mile. As did my bestie @simplylove101 who looked it over to make sure it wasn’t OOC before I posted. I love you both!

Whoever ends up reading this... Enjoy! <3

Hookstraten.

The conversation with Aaron still bothered her two hours after her meeting with State had ended. There she sat, alone in her Chief of Staff office, an untouched half-filled glass of wine sitting on her desk, and nothing on her mind but Aaron Shore.

How could he work for Kimble Hookstraten?

The woman had proven time and again that she was only genuinely helpful when she and Tom’s goals happened to align. That was not overly frequently. And she’d made no secret of maybe running for president herself when Tom’s term was up.

Not that Tom had shown any desire to try to run for another four years following his unexpected insertion into the presidency role. And certainly there were worse people Aaron could have chosen to work for. At least she’d be able to see him on a semi-frequent basis again.

And that thought in particular is what kept her digging her nails into her palms and not quite downing her half-glass of wine.

It had been a good month at least – right? – since the President had asked her to look into any suspicious behavior Aaron might have had before the bombing of the Capitol. The distance she’d had to create between her and Aaron had been torturous, not to mention the gut-wrenching possibility that he actually was a traitor.

It would’ve been easy for her to hate him if this news had been brought up back when they’d both been elected part of the President’s cabinet. She hadn’t been very fond of Aaron then, and he hadn’t been very fond of her either. There would be no love lost between them if he’d been sent packing or maybe worse – if he had faced imprisonment or death. He would deserve it, and she would tell herself she’d known there was something off about him from the start. She would’ve been shocked along with everyone else, and horrified given how close he’d come to advising the President. But she’d have gotten the Chief of Staff position a lot sooner. Despite Aaron’s hypothetical threat to national security, all would be as it should be. The terrorist would be locked away and any future catastrophe averted, at least from that sector.

But it wouldn’t be that simple now, months later, after they’d established a compatible comradery with each other and were on the brink of something more.

The flirtation. That kiss. That almost date that never was.

She’d be lying if she said she didn’t dream of those things on the daily, that those memories made the distance between them all the harder to maintain.

It felt like an eternity ago, like it had happened in another life. Every day her heart sank with the possibility he might be guilty. And every day it broke her a little more to see him try to interact with her when she could never genuinely participate. She couldn’t let herself relax. She couldn’t enjoy the experience.

She told herself it was because she didn’t want it to accidentally slip that she was doing research on him, background checks, looking into his whereabouts the days and weeks and months leading up to the bombing.

But also it was because almost being with Aaron Shore – as more than just a co-worker or friend – gave her a light and airy feeling. She was purely and exquisitely happy. She melted when he looked at her, and she couldn’t stop smiling when he spoke or when she even heard someone say his name. She looked forward to every conversation and yearned for breaks between meetings or the end of the day, so she’d have an excuse to stop by his office and see him if she didn’t have enough patience to wait for him to come see her.

She wasn’t in love. She knew that. Maybe borderline infatuated. Okay, infatuated. But really the promise of what was to come was just exciting. She wanted more of that. She didn’t want it to end.

She didn’t want to fall in love with a traitor if it could be avoided.

That was what was really at stake here. Her heart.

Technically speaking though, it no longer was. Aaron had been cleared. He wasn’t a suspect. He wasn’t guilty. There was no reason at all for her to worry about what would happen if she let herself continue to melt under his advances, should he choose to resume them.

So why then had he resigned?

Aaron loved his job. He loved… liked his co-workers. It could no longer be doubted that he was fiercely loyal to Tom.

Taking these facts into consideration, it made no sense for him to resign and even less sense for him to start working for Kimble Hookstraten. What had made him accept her offer of employment? Or maybe he had been the one to put it on the table. That possibility left her feeling even more unsettled.

Something had to have happened before his resignation. Something that made him feel like he had no choice but to resign. It couldn’t have just been her doing a background check on him, because if it had been that alone he’d have resigned weeks ago.

She had no intel on Aaron’s personal conversations with the President, and she had no way of knowing if anyone else had gotten involved in trying to clear him. There was no reason to believe they’d actually found evidence to be suspicious of him because he had been let go.

So why…

She shook her head and finally succumbed to taking a sip of the red wine sitting all by its lonesome on the corner of her desk.

She’d pushed a lot aside in recent weeks when it came to all things Aaron. She didn’t want her heart to break. She wanted to stay professional. And while his most recent decisions didn’t leave her feeling quite as wary and unsettled as the possibility that he was a traitor, it did still stir her curiosity. It was insatiable.

She no longer had any reason to doubt he was telling the truth, that he had nothing to hide and he was doing everything for the right reasons, as far as he could tell. But she still didn’t quite know how to take his I'm looking to redefine the playing field and the party lines don't seem to mean as much as they used to, you know?

Because she did know.

Things were changing in that regard, though not enough to be used as a valid excuse for joining Hookstraten’s team. At least, not as far as she was concerned.

Then again, maybe way deep down Aaron didn’t even know why he was doing it. How could she fault him for doing something that he wasn’t even 100% sure the reason behind it?

The knock on the door served as a much needed reprieve to her heavy, racing thoughts.

“Come in.”

The door opened and in walked Seth, his lips halfway to a smirk but his eyes and eyebrows sporting confusion.

“Did I just see Aaron?” He stuck his thumb out toward the hall.

Emily smiled complacently and nodded once.

“You did.”

“And he’s…?”

“Working for Kimble Hookstraten as her Chief Strategist.”

Seth’s lips twitched as he tried to process the information.

“You’re joking.”

“Dead serious. He told me himself.”

Seth blew out a puff of air and sank into the chair across from hers.

“Well then.”

Emily laughed and took another sip of wine. It was amazing how the beverage called to her when the issues swimming in her mind suddenly were being discussed aloud.

Seth shifted his gaze to Emily who set down the wine bottle and another empty glass in front of him. Without a word, he took advantage of the offer.

“He remembers he’s a Democrat, right?”

Emily nodded, cradled her glass in her lap.

“And that she’s a Republican.”

“She’s not always Kirkman’s biggest fan either. He didn’t forget that, did he?”

Emily sighed and sank back into her seat.

“I honestly have no idea. I had to go… He had to go…” She waved her hand to the side and then let it drop along the side of her chair.

“Was it tense?” he asked.

“Polite,” she murmured into her glass.

“On purpose?”

Emily closed her eyes and decided not to answer the question.

Silence lingered between them as Seth settled into his own chair and sipped his wine. He gently set the empty glass on her desk when he had finished it, then stood to his feet.

“I suppose on the bright side we’ll be seeing him more often.”

Emily nodded, a half-smile tugging on her lips.

Seth turned and headed for the door, pausing and bracing his hand briefly on the doorframe before passing through to leave.

“It hasn’t been quite the same without him here with us every day.”

“No,” she agreed, though the word was so soft she wondered in hindsight if he’d heard it. “It hasn’t.”

Seth’s knowing smile went unseen by her as he stepped out into the hall.

“Goodnight, Emily.”

“Goodnight.”

She sat unmoving as Seth closed the door behind him and presumably went home.

She should go home too. She’d only had one full glass of wine. She could drive. And she didn’t live far away either. The best thing to do was probably to stop thinking so much about this new development and get some sleep instead. Things would probably be clearer in the morning, less muddled, less…complicated. The quiet voice in the back of her head whispered that wasn’t true.

Because there was one aspect of the situation she hadn’t thought about. That she had deliberately avoided thinking about. It irritated her more than anything else because it actually intensified all the other excuses why Aaron’s return to politics ruffled her feathers.

Because when she’d walked down the hall and seen him standing there, one thought existed in her mind.

Did he come to see me?

But no, he had not.

Instead, he had come to get identification to work for the enemy – Kimble Hookstraten.

Not exactly the enemy, Emily, she scolded herself.

But he hadn’t come to see her either, and that wounded her. That kept her pretty smile in place, the scorn in her initial response potent, and her exit quick and meaningful and completely justified. She had a meeting to keep after all.

And it was unrealistic – really – to think he had nothing better to do than to come and visit her. He would know how busy she was too, so she couldn’t possibly set aside time, but—

Another knock at the door, but it opened before she could respond.

“Did you come back for—”

And there he was, causing her jaw to drop and snapping it shut just a second long enough to cause a reaction out of him. An amused grin. And those dazzling, dark eyes of his taking her in. Even from across the room in the somewhat dark she could see the intensity of them. She felt a chill ripple down her back when she should have been feeling irritation from earlier or the need to be brisk and polite, and she knew she was in trouble.

“Aaron.” She smoothed down her skirt and pushed her glass to the side. “I thought you were someone else.”

He raised his eyebrows and came in, sat across from her as if he did this every day and no weird phase of silence and distance had happened between them.

“Oh, yeah? Who?”

“Seth,” she said quickly. Too quickly? “He was just in here a little while ago.”

He nodded. “I just saw him in the hall.”

“Oh.”

She tried not to give away anything with the small sound, but his sudden laugh told her she had not succeeded.

“He as surprised as I was?” She asked, looking away, trying to find something to stare at in the immediate vicinity.

“Just about. He wasn’t quite as eager to leave as you were, though.”

Her eyes flitted up to his.

“I had a meeting to go to,” she defended, though not as harshly as she’d wanted to.

Aaron fought a grin and said nothing, just looked at her like it would be a crime to look anywhere else.

“I hope this doesn’t…change anything between us, Emily.”

She blinked and tilted her head to the side.

“No, of course not. Why would it?”

His teeth shown in this grin, and she blushed.

“Aside from the obvious reasons?”

“Right.” She avoided his stare again. “Besides those.”

Silence lingered again, him staring at her and her avoiding his gaze. The heat from her embarrassment and awkwardness burned the back of her neck until she wanted nothing more than to get out of that room and sleep and prepare to see him again tomorrow.

But he spoke just as she was about to jump out of her seat to leave.

“I like what you’ve done with the place,” he said, his eyes traveling from one wall to the next.

Emily followed his gaze and then scrunched her nose.

“I haven’t done anything.”

He grinned, his eyes dazzling when she made the mistake of turning to look at him.

“Which you knew.”

“Only just now,” he assured her.

She fought a smile and failed, this time slowly coming out of her chair and gathering her purse.

“I should probably go. It’s getting late.”

“How did your meeting go?” he asked, standing with her and backing up in the direction of the door as she crossed the room.

“Good.” She nodded, shutting the lights off and the door behind them. “Yours?” she asked, trying not to think about how his arm brushed against hers as they walked down the hall.

“Also good.” He smiled to himself. “Feels good to be back on the inside again.”

“Just on opposite sides,” he pointed out.

He sighed. “Emily—”

“I’m sorry.” She shook her head and waved the comment off. “I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just…going to take some getting used to.”

He nodded but said nothing. They were silent until they reached the street, each having to part to get to their respective homes.

“I’m this way.” She nudged her head in the other direction.

He smiled. “I’m that.” He stuck his thumb back behind him.

Her smile was forced, and she knew it.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then – or, sometime.”

He hesitated as she turned to leave, but then his hand reached out before she made a full 180. She turned to look at his grasp on her elbow.

“I’m still on your side, Emily,” he said, his eyes intense again and earnest, making it impossible for her to look away. “On your side, on Seth’s, on Kirkman’s. If there’s a tough call to be made, I’ll be doing it in the interest of what I think our President would do, not our Congresswoman.”

Emily softened, a weight lifting off of her for the first time all evening.

“Thanks, Aaron. I’m really glad to hear you say that.” She lifted her purse further up her shoulder. “I just hope you stick to it.”

His lips parted, preparing a defense, but then he saw the glint in her eyes and knew she was teasing.

“Goodnight, Aaron,” she said, gazing longer that she’d let herself before. For the briefest of moments her eyes dipped down to his lips.

“Goodnight, Emily,” he said, mirroring her actions and taking immense pleasure in the desire he spotted in her eyes, which she didn’t bother to hide.

Emily smiled to herself when he released her and started the walk home. She could feel his stare on her all the way down the block, figured he was smiling too and relished that fact.

There was no way they could rewind time and just pick up to where they left off. It was inevitable that the tension they’d known early on might return because of where they found themselves when it came to employment.

But the spark was still there. She felt the crackle in every breath of space between them.

*Also available on FFnet and AO3.

#emron #emronedit #designatedsurvivoredit #backtothestart02 fanfiction #aaron x emily #it didn't used to be complicated #oneshot #post 1.15 #designated survivor

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