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roomeight · 3 years

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Graham Coxon's Foreword to Narcissus & Goldmund

At seventeen I was wide-eyed and thirsty. I was a student studying General Art and Design. I was a sponge determined to absorb everything I could. All new experiences rang with significance - the pictures, the films, the books, the music, the photographs, they all filled my world with a sense-heightening mess of magic, I humbly held artists of any kind in very high esteem, marvelled at their work. I would walk the streets of Colchester dressed in overalls and tweed, smelling of turpentine and oil paint, much to the despair of my mother. I was a proud student, an honoured aesthete.

At this time, one teacher made a particular impression on me and the rest of my group, although to many it was a bad one. This teacher appeared from nowhere and seduced us into defining ourselves and, in doing so, unwittingly split our group into factions - or at least accelerated the process. What she did was simple and playful but left me feeling as though I had undergone an important personal and creative development. She stacked tables and chairs to the ceiling, climbed up and hung up a roll of tape with string. She then encouraged us to draw it as it swung around the room. The precious graphic design types rolled their eyes, silently mouthed curses, felt for their fine-nibbed pens and bemoaned the prospect of another two hours with a teacher that was so obviously a weirdo; but to others, those of a looser nature, myself included, this eccentrically dressed, enthusiastic, beaming woman immediately became a heroine, and we slashed at our huge sheets of paper with our sticks of charcoal. The already cynical graphic artists thought her teaching pointless and undignified, but the fine artists loved her and admired the unashamed energy and enthusiasm she displayed so unselfconsciously. You were for her or against her. She neither patronized us nor intellectualized, and so created an environment in which we began to the making of marks on paper as a highly personal, sensual, spiritual act.

Late one morning I was sitting drinking coffee and smoking one of those very, very first cigarettes, when she smiled over at me and came to join me at the table. "There's a book you should read, Graham, if you haven't already. I think you would love it. It's called Narcissus and Goldmund. The title alone made me imagine it might be heavy-going, so I found myself avoiding the book for quite a while. I don't know why I didn't at least give it a go. Maybe I wanted to preserve the feeling of excitement of knowing that something beautiful and hugely important was just around the corner but felt it so intimidating that I was loath to quit the comfort of loitering in an adjacent alley. Maybe I felt flattered that a woman I greatly admired thought me mature enough or intelligent enough to contemplate recommending such a book. I am sure she recognized that I was more an empty vessel than a full one and wanted to contribute a little to filling me up, so maybe I was afraid that I would leave the book unfinished or find it boring and in so doing fail my new teacher. Maybe, maybe, maybe...

In any case, time went by, and I left the college and moved on to take a degree in Fine Art at Goldsmiths' College, part of the University of London. The book had been itching away at me for around three years by the time I finally bought it, turned to the first page and, breathing in deeply, took the plunge. I need not have worried. I didn't find the book at all difficult to read, and I was quickly immersed in it totally.

Although I now find myself in the privileged position of writing a foreword to this deeply moving and powerful book, I don't feel in the least bit qualified to do so. I never studied philosophy and I don't consider myself a 'thinker' as such, but I am an asker, an asker of big questions, and always felt there was more to learn and more to experience right from the beginnings of my impressionable adolescence right up to now and my impressionable late youth.

The clean simplicity of Hesse's writing offers a vast space in which to push your weightless mind, and, although you can see the universe between the lines, he never forces you to venture too deeply but, rather, leaves it entirely up to you as to how far in you might like to travel. This is not just a story. This book is a gentle arm around the shoulder. It gets us off the hook, treasures us that there is still time, that surrender is possible even it is a surrender to ourselves, that no matter how recklessly we bolt out into the unknown the journey home is a brief one. It lets us know that even when we become lost in the crazed volatility of what we think of as freedom, reaching the very edge of our own flat world, gazing petrified over the edge at the black expanse of our own demise, we are but a change of hardened heart away from the innocence of our beginnings, from peace.

We see that outward journeys are easy - essential if somewhat desperate assertions of our will and independence. After all, we have first to be filled with something for an inward journey to be possible. This book made me wonder just how far down the dangerous roads of our early adult lives does the pull of a simpler life begin to tug at our sleeves. When does the overbearing din of hollow seduction suddenly fall on deaf ears? Does the balance need to be addressed? If so, then when, finally, does an existence free of clutter prove more desirable than one of chaos?

I think we can all see ourselves in Goldmund. His experiences can relate sharply to our own, they melt and shape themselves into the mould of our own lives. Life and the material world was designed to seduce, and we ourselves are designed to be seduced by it. We career, uncompromisingly, through our early lives, proud of our strength and youth but never treasuring it. Maybe that's how it should be, that we squander it if only to mourn it later when we don't feel so invincible and have to savour each day of our late adulthood. Perhaps this may be why as we get older, we like more what we see when we close our eyes. Could this be God's way of making the transition into the next life a smoother, less traumatic one?

This book has proven itself to be a template to me. It has a perfect and gentle tension and familiar dynamic shape. It's a book where you can plot your own progress and plan your own happy ending. It has been a source of great inspiration to me throughout the sixteen years its words have been rooted in my head. It is a book that you can never grow out of because you grow into it, and it softens around you like a good old pair of shoes. It is not without its tragedy and its blood and its guts but shows this aspect of life to be as much a valid part of the journey as happiness.

Narcissus and Goldmund is a well from which we can draw limitless emotional strength, and I am not ashamed to say that I am extremely jealous that you might just be reading it for the first time.

- Graham Coxon, musician

2006

#graham coxon #hermann hesse #narcissus and goldmund #i typed this up from the book because i love it yw #graham's writing #quotes #foreword

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spaceorphan18 · 3 years

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99 Perspectives on a Single Love Story #51

A/N: The Story of Kurt and Blaine told through the eyes of everyone else but them. Each chapter is a different perspective in the ongoing tale of their love story.

I started something like this a while back - and now I’m taking the idea and really running with it. Each chapter is a ficlet of a different character at a different point in Kurt and Blaine’s life - documenting their love story. This starts in Audition, and each chapter will be paired with a different episode until reaching Dreams Come True.

[Ao3]

A/N: Those of you who know me, know that I love superheroes - so, I couldn't help myself but let this one be so delightfully arch. Thank you for letting me indulge. And thank you for reading! <3

***

Hunter Clarington (Dynamic Duets)

“You may enter.”

Hunter Clarington’s dominating voice rings in the empty chamber. He’s sitting, alone, behind a large, sturdy and polished wooden desk. His chair is of the finest leather - one that he brought himself from Colorado Springs. The shades are all drawn - the sunlight hurts his steely green eyes. Mr. Puss is curled up on his lap. Hunter slowly runs his fingers through Mr. Puss’s fur as Sebastian Smythe makes his way across the room.

Sebastian slides the manila envelope across the desk.

“What is it?” Hunter asks.

“Confirmation.” A smirk climbs on Sebastian’s face.

Hunter arches an eyebrow. “How did you get it?”

“Facebook isn’t that hard to hack,” Sebastian says. “I just had to entice a lonely, young IT student with some of my, let’s say, talented charm, and he got in without a problem.”

“Always good with your mouth, aren’t you Sebastian?” Hunter refrains from scoffing. He prefers the allure to money over sexual pleasure in order to get things done - but if Sebastian’s methods work, he’s not one to interfere. It’s all in the name of the master plan. “What does it say?”

“He hooked up with another guy,” Sebastian says, an air of impressedness in his voice. “And ruined his relationship with his boyfriend in the process.”

“Interesting…” Hunter leans back in thought. “Very interesting - so not quite the perfect prince I’ve been led to believe he is.”

“Never thought they guy had it in him, to be honest,” Sebastian says. “I guess Kurt Hummel isn’t as special as he thinks he is after all.”

“I’m not one for personal grudges, Sebastian,” Hunter warns as he pushes away from the desk. “This is about business - not revenge. However, I think this might work to our advantage. How much damage has been done? How vulnerable do you think he is?”

“Very, sir. His emotions have always been his weak spot.”

“Malleable. Hmm.” Hunter let’s Mr. Puss leaps out of his arms and into the chair as he faces the roaring fire behind him. This is good. This is very good. His eyes grow wide with delight, sparkling in the dancing firelight. “Love, I believe, is for the weak. If I was able to live without my heart, I would have had it removed a long time ago. Power, fame, notoriety, money… all of it much more valuable. But love... emotion… can be easily manipulated. And we just have to exploit that.”

Sebastian lets out a hardy laugh as he comes up to the fire beside him. “That shouldn’t be too hard. The only reason he left here in the first place was to be with Kurt.”

“Then all we need is the power of suggestion,” Hunter grins wildly. “You know, when I was brought here to Dalton, I was tasked with the mission to bring prestige and glory to this academy. How has a school, with such class, such dutifully tradition never been graced with the highest honors it could achieve? And when I started interrogating the members of the Warblers, the one thing that continued to come up is the Legend of Blaine Anderson. And how, despite never making it past Regionals, the glory days of the Warblers were when Blaine Anderson was a part of the group.”

Sebastian winces.

“Oh, don’t take it personally, Sebastian,” Hunter says. He gives Sebastian a dark and devilish stare. “You are truly a great number two. However your promiscuity gets in the way of greater ambition. Blaine, however, is the perfect front man. On the outside he exudes charisma and talent. On the inside he is a mushy mess of a man - one who can be easily manipulated, like a puppet on strings. Don’t get me wrong, Sebastian - we get Blaine back, he’ll be the face of the Warblers, but I will remain their leader supreme. Now - who is the closest to Blaine?”

“They all still adore him,” Sebastian says, as if it’s painful to say that. “However, I think Trent has the most connection.”

Hunter lets out a pleased laugh. “Of course he is. Here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to get me Trent. I’ll plant the idea in Trent that perhaps, in this trying time, it would be good for Blaine to return back to a place that’s familiar - back to a place that welcomes him with open arms, and does not judge him. Back to his real home. Trent, of course, will spread the idea like a wildfire -- and if Blaine is as legendary as the rest of you claim he is, the Warblers’ want will help us pursue our goal. However, this will not be enough. We’ll have to lure him here.”

“An invite?”

“No, something much better,” Hunter says, a wild grin on his lips. “We’ll take their National’s Trophy. Not only to use it as bait, but to mock the New Directions as we take a gem they might not even know they have.”

“Do you really think this will work?” Sebastian asks - there’s a slight challenge in his voice that Hunter wishes to eviscerate. No one doubts Hunter Clarington.

“Of course,” Hunter says, with authority. Sebastian moves to leave, but Hunter throws up a hand, staying him. “One more thing - I need a blazer, size - I’m guessing, extra small.”

Sebastian tilts his head. “Why?”

“Because,” Hunter licks his lips. “Blaine Anderson can’t return to who he really is, and accept his own destiny, unless he’s offered his true costume. A subtle reminder, and a true push, over to our side.”

“Genius,” Sebastian mutters.

His plan is flawless. The trap will be laid. And the unsuspecting hero, who fell victim to his own imperfections, and vulnerable to manipulation, will be theirs to do with what they wish. Hunter is giddy at the thought, and throws his head back in genuine, terrifying laughter.

#99 perspectives #s.o. writes things

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spockandawe · 3 years

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I doubt this is something I’ll ever even try to write, because I rarely have the energy these days to devote my energy to a ‘lol but what if’ ship. But never say never, and I legit wrote the emilonni and tlj/sqq fics, after all, so I’m going to write this down and maybe, possibly, someday come back to it.

Now, hear me out

Wei Wuxian/Jin Zixun

Yes, yes, I know, but give me a second. It’s the sort of ship where I kind of want to do it just to see if it can be done, and where the idea of ‘textual support’ is kind of laughable, and it’s not like I’m smashing together two super-popular characters who just never happened to speak, and it’s the kind of ship where I think I could only shake one fic out of it before I was repeating myself, BUT.

First, a quote:

The person at the head of the group was Jin Zixun. He said, “Zixuan, is that Wei making trouble for you again?!”

Jin Zixuan said, “None of your business, don’t worry about it for now!” Seeing that Wei Wuxian grabbed Jiang Yanli and was about to take her away, he added, “Stop!”

Wei Wuxian said, “Oh, you want to fight? That’s fine with me!”

Jin Zixun said, “You Wei, just what do you mean by going against Zixuan so many times?”

Wei Wuxian looked at him. “Who are you?”

Jin Zixun paused in shock, and fumed, “You don’t know who I am?!”

“Why should I know who you are?”

When the Sunshot Campaign had first broken out, Jin Zixun had insisted on defending the back lines, due to an injury. He hadn’t had the chance to see what Wei Wuxian was like on the front lines, and most of his knowledge had come from rumors. He hadn’t care much for him, thinking that the rumors were simply exaggerations. However, a while ago, Wei Wuxian had summoned all of the dark creatures in the forest with a whistle, calling away the fierce corpses Jin Zixun’s group had been about to capture, causing their efforts to be wasted. He was already displeased.

Now, in front of his face, Wei Wuxian was asking who he was, stirring up a strange sense of indignation within him— He knew Wei Wuxian, yet Wei Wuxian didn’t know him, and even dared ask who he was in front of everyone. It was as if this had caused him to lose too much face. The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became.

Now, there’s a thoughtful meta I hopefully reblogged to my sideblog, which I would have to dig up or recreate on my own, about the most sympathetic possible reading of Jin Zixun. If memory serves, it has a lot to do about the precarious nature of his social position, where he’s part of the Jin clan, and kind of the closest thing Jin Zixuan has to a brother, but also, everyone knows that Jin Zixuan has half-siblings coming out of the woodwork, and many of them would be stoked to get Jin Guangshan to accept them into the family. At this stage in the story, Jin Guangyao is already a major player and a hero of the war and part of the venerated triad, where Jin Zixun spent a lot of time... not in the thick of things, like most other peers of his generation.

Is he an asshole? Yes! Is... Wei Wuxian an asshole? Also yes! One of them may be a more likeable asshole than the other, but that’s part of the excitement of a story like this, trying to coax people into holding a fannish position that they’d never considered before, and aren’t particularly eager to be convinced of. I don’t think I’m bad at that uphill climb, it just takes a lot of energy that I don’t often have to begin that journey in the first place. Also, one of these assholes is a certified grade-A torturer, and it’s probably not the one you dislike. Jin Zixun isn’t starting from an insurmountable disadvantage here.

And see, the thing that got my attention is this: Earlier in this chapter, Wei Wuxian is a little melancholy, thinking about how since the Sunshot Campaign, lots of people are scared of him, hardly anyone is willing to be alone with him, and almost nobody would ever be willing to approach him alone. And here, we get the information that because Jin Zixun was injured early and wasn’t on the front lines of the Sunshot Campaign, he doesn’t know to be afraid. He tried to provoke Wei Wuxian before the hunt, he’s about to keep provoking Wei Wuxian, he’s Jin Zixun and he doesn’t afraid of anything. Yes, he’s about to say some very hurtful things, but I look at that, and I think ‘okay, now how do we recover from this?’ Giving Wei Wuxian someone who just... plain isn’t afraid of him (but is also derailed by me, your author, from taking that to unrecoverable places) would be good for him. Jiang Cheng will antagonize him and isn’t afraid of him, but they also share years of history and are dealing with a lot of other stresses in this situation, and Jiang Cheng is asking things from Wei Wuxian that Wei Wuxian is struggling to provide, and the golden core thing is still hanging between them. Lan Wangji isn’t afraid of Wei Wuxian, but Wei Wuxian parses his concern and worries as antagonism and criticism, and those stress him out in a whole different way. This dynamic, as much as I would have to work to make it happen, would bring something new to the table.

One of my favorite activities is crackshipping with sincerity, and when I poke at this, it genuinely feels like richer territory than it looks at first glance. A lot of the antagonists share some fascinating character notes with our lead, and what’s most interesting to me here is an elevated-but-precarious social position and the various stresses that puts upon our characters. Jin Guangyao is the most obvious example, and Su She echoes it more quietly, with how he struggled within the Lan Sect and eventually left (honestly, kudos to him for him and mianmian to be two of the only characters to realize that their home was hurting them and to leave). Jin Zixun is in a family position that’s close to being brothers with his sect’s heir, but isn’t quite brothers, and is close to the seat of power, but also in a precarious social position if someone acts against him. Jin Guangshan and Madam Jin create a dysfunctional family dynamic to grow up in, where Jin Guangshan’s heart attention strays from his wife, and his wife has beat at least one kid who wasn’t biologically hers in the household.

There’s some common ground, is all I’m saying

I don’t even know what would happen, necessarily, I’m talking this all out here right now, and the interesting part of ships like this is digging in extra deep, and seeing what unexpected thing shakes out. It isn’t quite in the style of the other notable rarepair fics I have managed to write, which tend to follow a paradigm of ‘[person] is floating unmoored from the world, and [love interest] gets them engaged with life again’, but it’s not totally out of line with my interests. Svsss won’t give us more detail about Tianlang-jun? Okay, what happens if I make him hopelessly fond, what happens then? What happens if I properly re-engage his sense of humor? I hardly had anything of substance to go on with Horuss, and that fic is old, but I managed to pull interesting things out of him with Roxy. And I mean... what does happen when Jin Zixun stops self-destructively antagonizing the people around him and starts acting in more neutral ways? Not even positive, I think this relationship is going to have a strong antagonistic component, but what happens if he stops basing his interactions purely on who gets the higher rung on the social ladder?

Now, I do have a problem, which is that plot is something that happens to other people. See also: the reason there has not been a tianlang-jun sequel. I think that it would almost definitely have to do with repairing the situation between Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli and both of them managing to dial it back a LITTLE so as not to completely sabotage their family member’s happiness, and that leading things forward. And in a ridiculous pipe dream that will never be realized, because either possible pov will be completely oblivious, I would also want to include Jin Zixuan’s confused bisexual awakening and his resentful (also confused) attraction towards Wei Wuxian, even if he still ends up with Jiang Yanli, but... wei wuxian isn’t going to notice, and neither is jin zixun, SO. That’s probably right out. And the plot implications would have to be... significant. Setting it post-Sunshot campaign means that the Wen situation is simmering, and any plot that involves me untangling that mess... terrifying! I wouldn’t know where to begin! But like, also. What if I could write this ship in a compelling way. I bet I could do it. Nothing feels as good as the sensation of ‘I have scored points on my own darling readers by convincing them to like something they didn’t want to like’, and usually, I only get that from the second person pov. It would be so hard to write this ship. But also, what if I did it.

#the untamed #wei wuxian #jin zixun #don't judge meeeee #joke's on me #if i do write this i will have to be entirely self-motivating #because i am 99% sure my usual sounding boards will be 1000% uninterested XDDDDD #if i do another bingo document tho....#which i have been considering......#we'll see!#for now we see what my underutilized tag for this is #fic ideas #there we go #long post/

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ia-bi-tia · 3 years

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Ok so today was a disaster day for art HOWEVER it seemed to have been a good days for writing :^3

Here's a thing I wrote on my phone - a word vomit if you will

1, 691 words

I feel like you don't really need much backstory for this other than it's set like 6 months after their mother physically assaulted them and they stayed in the home of a physician. This drabble is about how they met Vedra. It's set in Nevinon.

(The whole backstory is coming just be patient and pretend like all this makes sense, thanks!)

They had been so silent for almost half a year - only a few silent words would leave their throat when they were spoken to by the physician or his wife.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Okay."

"Have you eaten anything?"

"Yes."

"Oh? What have you eaten?"

"Bread."

"....The bread is still intact, darling."

They didn't even have the strength to argue. They were so weak. They could barely leave the bed on most days.

Their back was usually turned to their current guardians, always in a state of sobbing and trembling or complete and all consuming nothingness. They'd just stare at the white wall in front of them until their vision went spotted, and then they'd just keep going. The period was rough and any sense of joy seemed too far out of reach.

The closest they felt to joy was the rare chances they got to visit the nearby city.

It would usually be when the physician had work there and nobody could look over the child so they'd get the chance to explore on their own.

And explore they did.

Their lanky frame could be seen slithering around the streets, always covered and silent, looking up at all the buildings. The architecture was different from the farm they grew up in - it felt alive.

They'd stroll down the streets and watch the people of it and listen. What lives these people led.

With hearing only bits and pieces they could try to string together stories.

It kept their mind busy on those days.

These outings would spark the tiniest fire in them.

But it seemed so out of reach. So intangible to lead a life like that.

To be old and share gossip with an old friend.

No.

That wasn't for them.

They didn't know where they belonged, their imagination envisioning them maybe an hour in advance at most.

They wouldn't live to be sixteen.

How could they? Life seemed to be out to get them.

Would they stay in the house they were at forever? That would be so depressing, wouldn't it?

On one such day they found themself on the streets again. They heard the sound of an accordion coming from the square. They tried to push through the crowd to see the musician but were found lacking in strength as well as attitude to do so.

They frowned and looked around to find a pile of sturdy looking crates. They clutched their chest as they climbed, still not trusting the injury they got a few months back not to burst if they pushed themself too much.

With a huff, they plopped down onto the crate, now with a better view of the show.

But it wasn't much of a show.

A boy maybe a few years older than them played the instrument, his legs crossed as he lazily played. Beside him was a badly put together bench with a big pot of hot stew on it. A girl about his age was stirring the pot, offering the food to anyone who passed. She held a polite smile as she talked to the would-be customers(?), but the second their backs would turn, her face would show the full extent of her frustration. She'd mumble something to the boy beside her to which he would only shrug.

The pair intrigued Ia and they couldn't keep their eyes away from them. They felt so alien to them yet the two also reminded them of their father so much that it made their chest tighten.

"Oi, you little rat, get off there!"

The sound of a merchant, presumably the owner of the crates, boomed from behind them. This frightened them and they lost their balance and they could feel themself slip from their seat, no matter the flailing of their limbs.

They fell ass-first onto the floor, a loud thud heard from the rubble. They felt their spine reset from the impact and tears started streaming from their shocked face. They tried to get up but a sharp, throbbing pain in their back stopped them in their tracks. All they could do was close their eyes and cry from the pain and from the humiliation of the crowd gathering around them.

They didn't see the people who helped them up, but they knew their knees trembled as they tried to stand. They cried miserably, not sure what to do next.

"Iotta!"

They heard the physician call out as he seemingly stumbled across the scene. He tusked as he took hold of them.

"What happened?! Are you okay?"

Ia sobbed and shook their head no.

"Ay yai yai, we best get you fixed up."

The physician lifted them up bridal style to at least get them away from all the people.

Ia managed to catch one look of the two that helped them up - the musicians.

….

It had been a few days of them recovering. It wasn't too serious, their back was just a little beaten up.

They spent the period thinking about the musicians and what energy they possessed.

The boy was the prettiest they'd ever seen - tall and lean with angular features. The way he was hunched over that stool was somehow both effortless and elegant.

The girl was an intrigue of her own. The roots of her dark hair were dark hair were showing under the copper red she dyed it in and her face was so expressive. She seemed discouraged by whatever she was doing, yet she stood tall and determined despite her short frame.

It had been a while since they felt the need to make friends.

Making friends.

The idea seemed so far removed from what they had been experiencing for the last few months. As a child they loved walking up to the other children from the village. But now they weren't sure if they could do it.

But the human need was there and they were determined to fulfill it .

They rummaged the little belongings they had to find their father's tambourine. They hadn't touched it in almost four years.

They dragged their fingers over the smooth, darkened skin of the drumhead. They seemed to have grown into it; the weight and size of the instrument weren't as awkward in their hands anymore.

They struck the tambourine again their thigh, at first flinching at the loud sound but it soon turned into a wide, happy grin.

Oh, how they've missed it.

Noise.

Perhaps it was the silence driving them crazy all this time.

They messed around for a while, just enjoying the pure joy of making noise.

They left a note on the door as they snuck out.

'I'll be back. Do not worry.'

They awkwardly clutched the instrument under their cloak as they threaded the well known path into the city.

Their heart raced. This was stupid. How would they even find them? What would they even say to them? What if they didn't like them? What if they were mean?

Though their mind was uncertain, their legs walked like no tomorrow.

It was late afternoon by the time they saw the pair at the beach a little far off from the docks. They had company. Lively company.

There was about six of them, all making music together around a campfire.

They were all as varied and colourful as the instruments they played. The music was intense and rowdy and sometimes they would sing and other times they would scream. But it sounded so good.

Ia stood quite a ways back from them as they tried to catch their breath, watching them from behind the long curly mess that was their hair.

They battled against themself for an agonizing amount of time before taking a few steps closer. Then a few more. Then another few until the girl from earlier noticed them.

She squinted in their direction then smiled widely.

"Hey! How's your bum doing, kid?"

Ia freezed in their tracks, eyes wide like a deer's. Their mouth hung open but no words seemed to come out. Oh no. This was a mistake.

The girl stood up and walked over to them, head cocked to the side.

"You feeling okay? Sorry if that was a bit-"

Her words were interrupted by them shaking their head.

"Okay then. Would you like to sit with us?"

A nod.

"Come."

The girl led them to a stool so they could sit down and she plopped into the sand beside them.

"Introductions, band!"

The girl called out and the whole group puffed up their chests and assumed soldier-like expressions.

"Anvil."

"Esfir."

"Apolonia."

"Ras."

"Mete."

"Vedra."

Ia watched them all, amazed at just the little glimpse of their dynamics. They were all so much different from the people they'd usually see as well as so different from each other.

They were surprised when Vedra looked up at them with an encouraging smile.

"What do you like to be called?"

The simple act of not asking for their name, but for what *they* wanted to be called gave them a new type of feeling. A new type of euphoria.

They stuttered, their voice so unused and unnatural.

"I-Ianais. O-or maybe only Ia."

Vedra clapped her hands together, her smile as bright as ever. They could notice one golden tooth in her otherwise impressive teeth.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ia. Say, what brings you to our merry little banď?"

Ia didn't really have an answer so they just shyly showed them all their tambourine with an honest and hopeful smile.

The group burst into cheers and laughter at the weird new kid in their company.

"One of us, it seems like."

The pretty boy, Mete, commented with a little nudge to their arm.

*One of them.*

Maybe their imagination could stretch their lifespan a little further. They'd love to see what it would be like to be seventeen. Maybe even eighteen.

They had never felt so relaxed and accepted, even with just so little.

And it gave their life purpose to know feeling like this was possible.

Little did they know they just met the rest of their life.

:^)

#writing #this isn't v good however this was my little beadtime project for the last few days so i hope you enjoy :^)#ia #vedra #this is completely unedited and not proofread so like he he #it's cheezy af but that's exactly how i like it 😌#also my askbox is open for any questions or whatever!

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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 3 years

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Top 10 favorite things about TFS?

Bold of you to assume I can narrow it down to just 10 things, but I’ll try my best.

Here’s a list of things I LOVE about The Final Season of TWDG, starting from #10 and working my way down to #1.

10. Rosie is best girl and doesn’t die

Listen, okay? If you give me a game with a doggo companion that I bond with only to have said doggo die for dramatic effect... you automatically lose 2 outta 5 stars on your rating. Case in point: Season 2.

However, tfs knew not to kill Rosie off for dramatic effect, knew it’d be cheap. Plus, Rosie is a sweetheart and I love that she helps Clementine come to terms with her past trauma with dogs and genuinely bonds with her. Rosie is best girl.

9. Over the shoulder camera/controls

They’re the best of the series, having come a LONG way since S1. Like, look... Don’t get me wrong. S1 isn’t unplayable or anything, far from it, but they’re not the greatest either. They’re pretty wonky at times, the fixed camera can get annoying when you’re moving around, and sometimes button presses don’t register. It’s definitely something I have to get used to whenever I go back and replay the entire series, and like I said, it’s not the worst controls in the world... but oh man, compared to TFS?

Have you ever played S1 and then jumped straight into TFS just to get a direct comparison of the two? Because I have and it’s jarring how much smoother, accurate, and overall better everything is in TFS.

Just... props, guys. Thank you for the over-the-shoulder, movable camera, thank you for the polished button prompts, and thank you for a run button that has Clementine go into a nice jog rather than a comical run or, eh... does nothing [lookin’ at you ANF... Javi slow].

It’s just so effortless to play. The most trouble I ever have is with doors but that’s a given- Doors make no goddamn sense in this series and I’ve given up trying to learn their secrets. Oh, and speaking of more improvements!

The shooting mechanic in this game is leaps better than in S1. Y’all remember the Motor-Inn shootout? The one that was such a frustrating pain in the ass?? So much death and anger...

I still die sometimes when shooting the walkers with the bow, especially the ones that are on fire, but it’s nothing compared to the shooting mechanic in S1, so the biggest THANK YOU for that one. It’s actually enjoyable to shoot stuff this time around.

8. Collectibles

You as Clementine get to pick up various collectibles to decorate her and AJ’s dorm with and it’s great. One of my favorite bits about this game is seeing Clementine wake up in this empty, lifeless room, and see it get brighter and brighter with every collectible you place throughout the game until you reach the final scene with AJ where the room is just FULL of life and personality. Like... it’s officially theirs. It’s such a good feeling!

And the devs totally didn’t have to add the collectible system in, but I’m so thankful they did. I’m one of those people who gets every single collectible every single time I play.

7. Ericson’s Boarding School for Troubled Youth

Y’know, I honestly can’t think of a better place for Clementine and AJ to end up than Ericson’s Boarding School for Troubled Youth. It’s awesome, I love it, what a great idea. I also love the sense of wonder when we step outside for the first time and see the inside of Ericson, as well as the others, walking around. Like even Clementine is taken back by it.

Because of course it makes sense for Clementine to end up in a school surrounded by people closer to her age rather than with a group of dumbass adults like in the past three games.

Here it feels like they’re all about on the same level. There’s no older person here belittling Clementine because “she’s just a child and doesn’t get it,” they’re just people, y’know? Hell, if anything, Clementine’s now the most experienced one!

The school’s great! I wouldn’t change a thing about TFS taking place here. The environments are beautiful and I love exploring the world.

6. Marlon as an antagonistic character/final confrontation

I have an entire Marlon character discussion/study so I won’t put too much time into this one, but I will say that I love Marlon’s part in tfs. I love him as a surprise antagonistic character, I love how chill he is in the beginning, I love the final confrontation at the end of ep1... I just really like Marlon, y’know?

Ray Chase gives a damn near perfect performance as Marlon, so much so that I wish he survived past ep1 just so that I could hear more of his acting. Marlon himself in an interesting look at a leader character hiding his shame and guilt while trying to maintain control over everyone [including himself] around him, only to be broken down when he’s found out.

5. James

I know people tend to be pretty split on James, but I personally really like his role in tfs. I love that they included a character who was apart of the Whisperers, and hell, if anything I’d like to know MORE about James’ past with them.

I just find him and his whole “walkers are sort of people? kinda?” beliefs. Again, I know some people get annoyed with him because of his beliefs but I think he adds an interesting spin on the whole thing, y’know? Though I do love what a bitch he is if you don’t agree with him hahaha

James is a bitch and I love him, okay? I love his dumb walker mask, I love his dumb boyband hair, I love his whispery voice, and I love his backstory with the Whisperers and Charlie. I love this he’s trying so hard to be this pacifist that he ends up doing the literal thing he said he doesn’t want to do-- hurt people. Y’know... like attempting to kidnap AJ and threatening to break Clementine’s leg in the caves if he’s alive.

Which, by the way, that whole cave scene is a thing. It’s wild and I love it but not for the reasons the devs probably wanted. Like... it’s a little hilarious? I know it’s not supposed to be! But I can’t take James seriously when he’s walkin’ around his hands on his hips all huffy and puffy, okay? It’s just wild.

Anyway, I love James and wouldn’t get rid of him. Hell, I’m still waiting for my James with the Whisperers mini-series, Skybound.

4. Ericson Crew

There isn’t a single character from Ericson that I don’t like, or that I’d get rid of, which is rare with these games. Thinking back to the previous games, there’s always at least one person I could do without or that I didn’t like. I adore all of them!

The Ericson crew just feels closer than previous groups. For starters, they’re way more likable than most in our previous groups. Even when there’s tension [and boy is there tension at points] you still get the sense that they don’t hate each other, unlike in our previous groups. They do in fact love each other as a family and will do what they can to protect one another.

Plus, they’re all interesting. They’re troubled youth and I love all of them!

Aasim keeps a daily journal where he chronicles everything in hopes of learning from past mistakes to prevent future ones, he’s damn good with a bow, and he’s got a neat little soul patch on his chin.

Ruby is the tiny yet fiery medic of the group who adamantly believes in manners yet used to chase teachers around with pitchforks.

Brody is caught up in the twin mess with Marlon but she’s also shown to want an escape, a road trip where she and her friends can go see the beach, but she also suffers with anxiety and panic attacks and isn’t afraid to knock Marlon on his ass or swear at Clementine.

Mitch is a grumpy, tall boy who looks after Willy like a brother, knows how to make bombs out of manure and propane, and used to fight his neighbors because they didn’t like his face.

Omar is a sassy chef who has to have every ingredient just right otherwise he’s salty for a week and he can take a bullet to the leg like a champ.

Willy’s a goober who can climb trees like you wouldn’t believe and he made a bomb of his own in Mitch’s honor that completely wrecked the delta’s ship.

Tenn is a soft, naïve boy who draws and reads but isn’t afraid to stab a walker bitch if he has to.

Violet was sent to the school after witnessing her grandmother’s dead, she used to date Minerva who is now “dead,” has abandonment issues, tries to give off the appearance of a grumpy grump but like once she’s comfortable with you she’ll tell you her life story and do romantic shit like dancing and painting you a pin.

Louis was sent to Ericson because he was a rich brat who broke up his parents marriage because they wouldn’t let him take singing lessons and has felt like garbage ever since, using humor to cope and push people away, and keeps the façade on until someone’s willing to see past it in which he’ll finally bare his soul to you, name a song he wrote after you, and do everything in his power to keep you and everyone else safe over himself.

I just... Love ‘em all.

3. Clementine and AJ’s dynamic

To think that they almost killed AJ off, or kept him a minor character. That would’ve been a shame and an absolute waste because Clementine and AJ’s dynamic is super fucking good in tfs.

It’s actually a little baffling that AJ’s as good as he is, from his writing to his voice acting, he’s just great. And his relationship with Clementine is definitely one of my favorites to come from this game. It’s not perfect, but I don’t want perfect.

I love that AJ looks to Clem for guidance and I love the way our choices affect him, even when it’s a case of the bridge scene. Hate the bridge scene knowing that I gotta sacrifice a character I care about for another I love, but I can’t deny that I love how that choice is made. After everything, do you trust AJ or not?

Plus, their conversations are so well done, their chemistry is through the roof, and I wouldn’t change it.

Oh, and the barn scene? Gets me every time, even though I already know everything’s fine and gonna work out. Still gets me.

2. Clementine is Bisexual

I’ve talked about this in the past, but lemme just say that I love the fact that Clementine is canonically bisexual.

Doesn’t matter if you’re dating Louis, Violet, or no one, Clementine is still bisexual. The game confirms it through it’s text/subtext and Clementine’s actions that we don’t have control over, and the devs confirmed it. She ain’t straight, she ain’t a lesbian, she is bisexual.

I can’t express how happy that makes me. Just... 💗💜💙

And with her being bisexual comes her two great love interests: Louis and Violet. They’re amazing, and such an improvement over the previous game’s attempt at love interests... ahem, y’know... Kate.

1. Louis as a character/his relationship with Clementine

I mean... c’mon. Y’all knew what #1 was gonna be. Do I even need to explain? This entire blog is just me gushing about Louis/clouis.

Look, Louis is my favorite non-playable character across the entire series. Hell, even when you factor in playable characters, he’s STILL my absolute favorite. Like, even outside of his relationship with Clementine, I find him to be such a compelling character by himself.

Like I mentioned above, he came from a stupid rich family who gave him everything he ever wanted, but when his father wouldn’t let him take singing lessons, he literally worked for over a year to break up his parents marriage because “you get to be happy or you get to be rich, can’t be both.”

He gets sent to Ericson where the apocalypse happens, he never gets to make up with his parents, and he ends up using jokes and piano as a coping mechanism to deal with everything, falls into a cycle of being unreliable and the butt of the joke, and lives one day at a time without much thought for the future.

He puts on the happy jokester persona to push people away from knowing the real him and rarely shares much about himself. Hell, when Clementine does hunting and decides to take care of the walker with him, he actually does let down the wall for a minute to share his view on “this moment” before looking away like “Oof, shared too much-- HEY, GO CHECK ON AASIM :D I’LL BE OVER HERE :D FIXING THE TRAP :D and adjusting the wall ahem--”

It’s so interesting because you’d think that he’d be more open about his past with Marlon or the twins or whatever [like Violet is] but no, he doesn’t tell you shit about his past until EPISODE 3 and you have to work to get that story.

I just... I just love him. Could talk about and analyze his character for hours. And I love his relationship with Clementine. It’s just so good. The piano scene where they finally admit their feelings for one another?? That shit has my entire heart. Their entire relationship is my favorite. What else is there to say?

#asks #twdg clementine #twdg aj #twdg louis #twdg violet #twdg aasim #twdg ruby #twdg brody #twdg marlon #twdg mitch #twdg willy #twdg james #twdg tenn #twdg omar #twdg minerva

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genesisrose74 · 3 years

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Requested by @pacificamott -> Hi I love the idea of a memory matchup its sounds amazing. If it's a alright could I get one for aot and mha please? I think one of my favourite memories was it was the day before the summer holidays and virtually nobody was gonna show up for the last day lol. Me and my friends met up and it was warm and bright and just summery you know? We barely ever met up as a group so it was nice to be together and we went to a field surrounded by woodland. It was so peaceful,the grass was so green and the trees were so beautiful. We had this cheap football we found and decided to muck about cause none of us were any good at it but we pretended to play like we were professional footballers and we were running about and it was so funny. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard. We then went to the river and jumped in. None of us had any swimsuits so our clothes got soaked but it was a nice cool down. It was nearing sunset but it was still warm outside. It was so much fun and I just remember feeling so happy that we had the whole summer ahead of us and we were all together it was just amazing.Everything was surrounded by trees and woodland and it just made me feel really grounded and happy to be alive. Hope that's okay :)

Hi there! This is such a cute and peaceful memory, it made me smile the whole way through reading it. For Attack on Titan, this person immediately came to mind, so for your first matchup I paired you with…

I am so jealous of you because Armin would just be so enamored with everything you do, and the memories you both make on that warm summer day simply emphasized his emotions tenfold. That whole part about jumping in the river reminded me of the scene from the ocean, where he was just laughing and messing around in the water with such a feeling of fulfillment that you could see it materializing in the air around him. The fact that this time he’s jumping in the water with you makes him even happier.

Get ready to be blinded by his smile, because it’s rare and soft and beautiful. It tells you everything you need to know about how grateful he is to have you there in the moment, but he still tells you out loud anyways. Drag him onto the blanket-covered grass in a sunny patch and dry off from the water, and share stupid observations about what the rest of your friends are doing on their free day.

Connie, Sasha, and Jean are running around and tackling each other like maniacs, and Armin will start laughing his head off if you start commentating their shenanigans. He’ll join in on the play-by-play as well, until you’re both eventually roped up into playing their little game of makeshift football, and chaos unfolds when you manage to pull Historia into the mix because she’s surprisingly good at being aggressive when she gets into it.

Armin is the type of guy to pull you into the edge of the forest, climbing the biggest tree you can find on the outskirts and talking about everything you can see from its branches. He’s super sweet and always attentive to make sure you won’t fall down and hurt yourself. Probably asks to hold your hand all flustered-like, but relaxes quickly when you agree to it. “Just so I know you won’t fall!” the sweetheart insists when you lightheartedly tease him, but the crimson on his cheeks says otherwise.

He’s not particularly the best at the physical games that your friend group holds throughout the day, but no one is really trying hard to be good at it so it’s fun regardless. I don’t know why, but Armin seems like the person to be unexpectedly gifted at catching things, so Jean keeps throwing the ball to him and laughing when Connie’s already there to chase his ass. Please scold Jean for getting him targeted every play or else someone is going to break a limb.

I think Armin adores the sunset, and I have no other explanation for this besides the fact that he’s an ocean person. Sunsets are an integral part of the beach experience, so he easily grew to love the colors and the general warmth of it all. When you’re both leaving and those familiar hues start painting the sky, he gets super happy and will point out all the different shades that are visible.

Give him a big hug at the end of the day oh my gosh — while he often gets blushy at close contact, it’s been such a calming experience that he returns your embrace with full enthusiasm. He’s got such a pretty smile when thanking you for spending time with him, and it’ll only widen if you promise to do it again sometime in the near future.

All in all a really wholesome and happy dynamic for you and Armin (as it should be!!). Everything is just warm, peaceful, and beautiful when you’re both together, no matter the moment or memory. It’s incredibly important to have someone you can rely on who can offer a welcoming hand, and luckily you both act as that pillar for the other.

And then for your bnha matchup, I paired you with...

Kirishima is the perfect mix of fun and relaxed, so having a peaceful, happy memory like that with you sounds right up his alley. While not super competitive to the point of becoming unbearable in a fun game, he still likes to play around and mess with his friends in those sorts of situations, so expect him to constantly be running around playing football after someone proposes the team game. He will whine if he’s not on your team, though. Expect lots of bear hugs from behind if you make a good run or catch a hard passed ball during your little unofficial match.

He loves splashing around in the river, too. His hair gets all flattened and goes past his ears when he finally gets out of the water, and he’ll try to make you laugh while shaking it all out like an adorable golden retriever. Also play chicken with him! Get on his shoulders and challenge as many classmate duos as you can in one afternoon — they all make for some very interesting competition.

Like I said earlier though, Kiri can be super chill when he wants to be, and that side of him shows during one-on-one time with you. If you or anyone from your friend group brings snacks to your summer adventure outdoors, he will make an effort to set up a cute little picnic scene, simply to eat and talk about whatever. Also don’t ask why, but he gives off huge vibes of someone who would love to cloud watch with you. He comes up with the most ridiculous things sometimes, but always manages to make you see the shape he points out.

“That’s clearly a dinosaur playing on a keyboard.”

“Eijiro, how in the world can you see something that specific?”

“No, I promise! The tail starts right there...”

Just the biggest but most kindhearted dork you’ll ever have the blessing of knowing. He’s down for anything you want to do whenever you both have free time, although he makes great suggestions/ideas if you can’t think of anything in the moment. Want to start a new game with the whole friend group? He’ll grab your hand and let you lead the way. Prefer just spending time together? Done deal. Go out of your way to do something he would be interested in though, and he’ll melt completely. His quirk may be tough but his heart is one of the purest and softest you’ll see.

Also just a side note: he’s the type of guy to play a song on his phone speaker and dance in a field with you. Not dancing super elegantly, that’s for sure, but silly and fun and in the way that makes you laugh so hard it hurts your side when he twirls you around clumsily. Mina, Denki, and Sero get a kick out of narrating it when they find you both goofing around as light music plays through the open area, and Kiri will wave them off with a blush (just a shade short of his hair color).

He’s very goofy and lovable, but also very calm for the most part, so summer days like the one from your memory are often super relaxed in nature. Kiri always manages to make it fun regardless of time or place, but lets just say that he especially enjoys those specific little moments with you: where the grass is green and fresh, the water is cool, and everything feels hopeful.

#genesisrose 1k event #milestone event #memory matchup #aot matchup #bnha matchup #armin arlert #kirishima eijiro

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sleep-i-ness · 4 years

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Love At First Coffee (Vanya Hargreeves x reader)

Summary: Y/N is a struggling flautist, trying to make ends meet, but when a violinist catches her eyes, life doesn’t seem quite so difficult.

Request: No

TUA Taglist: @neymarlionelmessi7

Beep beep beep. Y/N groaned, stretching out languidly as she patted her bedside table. Her fingers found nothing but the worn wooden surface. Blearily rubbing her eyes, she pushed herself up onto one elbow. The alarm was incessant. Where on earth was that phone?

The bitter smell of coffee filled the kitchen as she poured the boiling water into her chipped mug. A lethargic ache had settled into her bones; the haphazard pile of unopened letters mounting her dread the more she looked at the mess. A quick glance at the plastic clock ticking merrily away warned her she was on the verge of being late if she did not leave now.

Y/N slung the straps of her flute case and tattered leather satchel over her shoulder, her crumpled sheet music clutched in one hand. The lock of her apartment was always such a fiddle and she stuffed the sheet music in her satchel, wincing as it creased even further. She yanked the door shut, leaning backwards to align the lock as she twisted the key.

With a huff, she blew the strands of hair that had fallen over her eyes during her tussle with the door. Her path was a familiar one; down the hallway over the scuffed tiles, where she’d have to wait for the creaky elevator to haul itself up to her, and then out onto the street. Past the rowdy bar that never seemed to shut and the hot dog street vendor to the bus stop, littered with chewing gum and graffiti. Then, depending on whether she had the time to waste on the agonizingly slow journey, it was either onto the grimy bus, nodding to the leering driver, or straight past, a brisk walk of about 20 minutes to the concert hall.

Today was not going in her favor. Y/N sighed as it pulled away from the stop. No need to make a choice now. The walk into the more central and less dodgy area of town was usually quite unpleasant; the streets were still reeling from the nighttime activities. She wrinkled her nose as the putrid scent of rotting garbage filled the air, a dumpster nearby overflowing with ripped trash bags.

Keeping her head down, she hurried through the streets, neatly sidestepping the ‘businessmen’ on their flip phones and the gossiping ladies, one hand always clamping their handbags shut. A rush of balmy air burst through the vent as she passed over it, the warm stench of urine and cooking garbage wafting upwards. Left, then a right, then straight on past two crossroads and lines of honking traffic and foul-mouthed drivers, swearing at the day for daring to begin. Wait for the lights to turn red, cross over and continue down the road until you reach the performers door.

The Icarus Theatre. Y/N would have liked to be one of those performers who gushed on about how their performance center was ‘like a second home’, but that was cheesy and frankly unrealistic. Her dreams of being a world-famous flautist had been crushed the moment she’d received her first lot of bills and realized how naïve she truly was. The joy in performing in an orchestra was short-lived as every day felt like a struggle to scrape together enough money to keep herself out of debt and prove her parents wrong. That was enough to dampen anyone’s spirits.

Every hour she didn’t have a rehearsal, she was booked chockful with students of all ages and genders who turned up with a passion for the flute. Or their parents were forcing them to go. Either way she got paid and hoped that maybe she was imbuing someone with a new appreciation for classical music.

“Morning, Will.”

The principal piccoloist was already sat in his seat, absorbed in conversation with Lucy, one of the second violins. He glanced over and raised a slender hand in acknowledgment. Will was always punctual and smartly attired, wearing crisply ironed shirts and smart blazers, free of lint. Y/N was sharply aware of the contrast between them, her shirt creased and half-untucked and her hair escaping from its bun.

She flipped open the latches on her case; there was a trick to it, you needed to open both at once while opening the lid at the same time. Her prize and joy, her baby lay inside. The first time she had ever saved up enough money to buy herself something worthwhile, she had bought a professional flute. Before then, she’d been using her aunt’s old flute from the 60s, a battered old thing that was lucky to even still be able to play.

The murmur died down as Lorin Toscanini, the conductor, stepped onto the raised podium and raised his baton. Y/N slipped into her seat next to Will, who raised an eyebrow at the creased sheets she deposited onto her stand.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Today we need to fix the timing on the opening sequence. Remember this is iconic and it needs to be perfect. Second violins, I hope you have improved since yesterday.” The nasally tone of Toscanini grated on Y/N’s nerves, especially so early in the morning when she would much rather be in bed.

Y/N raised her flute to her lower lip, watching the baton as it swayed in time with the music. Down, left, right, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. The violins and cellos came in in unison on the downbeat, bows drawing across the string in harmony. The harmonies in perfect time caused shivers to run up and down her spine as the bows swayed mournfully across the vibrating strings in unison.

Okay. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8-

“Stop, stop,” Toscanini cried out, baton smacking against the stand. All instruments were immediately lowered, as a sign of deference. Something about stroking his highly inflated ego. “Someone in the clarinets is playing a B natural instead of a B flat. Now remember, we want to create a sense of tension, so the dynamics start off at piano and then we reach mezzo forte. But this isn’t the most dramatic section; we are building up to that. So, at bar 4 we need an audible diminuendo. Like tiptoeing... From the top!”

There was something so magical about playing in an orchestra when it all slotted into place. You stopped being an individual person and instead became immersed in a group movement of sound and emotion, compelling the listener to be draw in with you. The different melodic lines weave together into one, playing off each other to create a final piece.

It was an almost addictive sensation. The feeling of being swept away and losing sense of oneself in the bigger picture of a whole was something Y/N craved when she wasn’t playing. Music restored a part of herself that she sometimes didn’t realize she was missing. It lifted her away from the mortal world, to a place where the music and the notes were the only thing that mattered.

Y/N’s eye fell upon one of the first violins, newly promoted, her brown hair pulled back tightly in a low ponytail. The woman’s brow was furrowed as her fingers danced over the neck of the guitar, swaying gently with the music. Momentarily transfixed, Y/N’s mind turned foggy as she lost count, all thoughts focused on the violinist.

The piece drew to its climax, as if a great beast had climbed to its hind legs and roared. A mounting rush of notes as each musician lost themselves in the crescendo, furiously playing. Cascading melodies toppled over each other, nimble fingers tumbling up scales and bow strokes timed impeccably.

E, G, A!

An audible sigh of satisfaction echoed round the room as the piece ended without any pauses for tinkering; the joy of a composition well played shared throughout all the players.

“Beautiful, just beautiful. I think we’ll call that a day, there. Our next rehearsal is at one on Wednesday, now do not be late.”

Now that the piece had ended, Y/N glanced over to the violinist she had spotted earlier. While Y/N quietly packed her instrument away, the woman prepared to slip out, unnoticed. Should she…?

“Hey,” Y/N flagged down the women, fingertips brushing the cuffs of her dark shirt. “I’m Y/N, I noticed you playing. It was beautiful! You recently got moved up from fourth chair to third, right?”

“Yeah,” the woman seemed flustered by the attention, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. “I’m Vanya, it’s nice to meet you.”

Y/N pulled her slipping straps back onto her shoulder as she grinned at Vanya from beneath the curls threatening to fall in her face. “Pretty name. Say, are you busy now? I know an excellent little coffee shop across the road.”

Vanya flushed as she murmured some expression of gratitude. She hesitated, carefully switching her phone on and off again before sliding it back in her pocket when no notifications showed up. “I’m free for a couple of hours. I have to teach lessons from 3 though.”

The coffee shop was quaint and always quiet; since a Starbucks had opened only a few doors down, business had slowly dried up until only a few regulars and those who were opposed to coffee from chain shops came along. Vanya fidgeted with the strap of her violin case, her eyes darting around the shop’s wooden and gold furnishings.

“Hey Marjorie, I’ll have a cappuccino and a chocolate éclair. Vanya, what do you want?”

“Oh, you don’t need to order for me, I can pay for myself.” Vanya’s eyes widened as she protested profusely.

Y/N raised an eyebrow, leaning nonchalantly against the bar, “I asked you to come with me for coffee, there’s no way that I am going to be so rude as to make my guest pay for her order. So?”

“I’ll have a mocha, thanks.”

Y/N soon joined Vanya where she was sitting, tucked away in a booth in the corner.

“One mocha, milady.” God, she sounded like one of those ‘nice guys’ in the Instagram DMs.

“Thanks,” Vanya laughed, and Y/N decided she quite liked hearing that sound and that she was definitely going to try and hear it more often. Especially, she wanted to see the way Vanya’s eyes crinkled as she tried to stifle her giggles and how her hand flew up to try and cover her face.

“So, tell me about yourself,” Y/N propped up her head on one hand as she sipped at her cappuccino, blowing softly on the frothy layer.

“Umm, I don’t know what there is to say, I’m a pretty boring person.”

Y/N could not believe that. There was something so hypnotizingly attractive about Vanya; a quiet sort of pretty that crept up on you when you were least expecting it and stole your breath away. Someone like that could never be boring, every inch of her whispered of a tale to be told.

“Have you got any siblings? Pets?”

Vanya’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly before she smoothed her features out, as if to imply Y/N should know something. “Yeah, I have a sister and 3 brothers.”

“Wow, 3 brothers. That must have been a nightmare!”

“Yeah, I was kind of the black sheep of the family. But I haven’t spoken to them in years; we just ended up drifting,” Vanya’s tone appeared nonchalant, but a nervous hand gave her away as she massaged her neck. “It was my fault basically.”

“No that’s ridiculous. The only real excuse for cutting you off is if you killed someone or put someone in danger, and no offence, you don’t seem particularly capable of either of those things,”-Vanya pulled a face-“in a good way!”

“I don’t know, I feel like I deserved it.”

Y/N tore the éclair in half, messily coating her fingers in chocolate as she pressed her fingertips into the half-melted layer on top. “For you. Because fuck shitty families. Who needs them, am I right?”

Vanya giggled and raised her half in response, touching them together to make a toast. “Amen!”

There was a lull in conversation as attention was redirected to eating the intoxicatingly good pastries.

“What about you?” Vanya mumbled; mouth full. There was a tiny dot of cream on the left corner of her mouth and Y/N stared, transfixed as her tongue darted out to dab it away.

“Oh, me. Well, the whole struggling artist career path was not one my parents had hoped I would go down. In comparison to my banker brother, I’m a bit of a disappointment and they make sure to let me know.”

Christmas this year had been a nightmare. It was full of meaningful looks from her parents as her brother prattled on about his new promotion, or the last exotic trip he went on, or the wonderful restaurants near his place of work on Wall Street. She didn’t know what they expected her to do; just suddenly become a high-profile surgeon?

Vanya placed her hand over Y/N’s, looking earnestly into her eyes. “You’re not a disappointment. Fuck what they think.”

Y/N cracked a half-hearted smile at the sentiment of Vanya’s sentence, although there was a certain strangeness to hearing her say ‘fuck’. A hot sensation prickled the back of her neck as Vanya kept her hand where it was, her gaze never wavering as she seemingly searched for something in Y/N’s eyes.

“Well, now we’ve got the family trauma out the way, what do you like to do for fun?” Y/N said, every muscle relaxing as Vanya moved her hand to pick up her mug. She hadn’t realized how tense she was, nervousness laced into every tendon.

“Well, my life seems to be taken up with violin, but I enjoy writing. And I can cook.” Vanya paused to think about what she was saying. “Somewhat.”

“Somewhat?” Y/N laughed, trapping her lower lip between her teeth as she awaited Vanya’s response.

“I’m not about to be out here claiming that I’m world-class standard. However, I do make a mean cottage pie which you will have to try someday.”

Someday. That was promising. Y/N smiled sweetly, nodding fervently. “I’d like that very much.”

Y/N took a sip of her cappuccino, recoiling as the tip of her tongue was scalding by the still piping hot coffee. Vanya took one look at her and grinned.

“You’ve got something there,” she said, tapping the tip of her nose.

“Where?” Y/N rubbed her nose.

“No, wait, up a bit- to the right, no, left, umm-”

“Would you mind just getting it for me?” Y/N interrupted her, and Vanya froze.

“Yeah, uh,” she leant across the table, thumb extended as she brushed the callused pad gently across Y/N’s skin. “There. All gone.”

“Thanks.”

They shared a soft smile.

The walk back to Y/N’s apartment was swelteringly sticky, especially in the noon sun. However, today felt different. Buoyed along on a cloud of joy, she practically skipped over the cracks in the sidewalk and past the piled trash bags. Her mind swooped over the fields of possibilities, whirling thoughts on a tangent of their own. The storm in her mind had cleared to allow a small shaft of sunlight through to shine on the choppy waves below, great dark clouds parting with hope.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Hi Y/N, it’s Vanya.

Y/N could barely contain the gleeful grin as she read the message, pressing her phone to her chest.

Hey Vanya, it was really nice to have coffee with you today. We should do something like that again.

Barely a couple minutes had passed when her phone emitted the telltale ding, alerting her to a new incoming message.

Absolutely. Don’t think I’ve forgotten that you promised to try my cottage pie.

Y/N tapped out a quick response, finger hovering over the send button as she reread it.

It’s a date.

#tua #the umbrella academy #tua imagine #vanya hargreeves #vanya #hargreeves #vanya x reader #number 7 #number seven #number 7 x reader #white violin #vanya hargreeves x reader

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sophielovesbooks · 5 years

Text

Sophie’s Dark Academia Rec List

In honour of my favourite genre, have a very personal, very subjective recommendations list!

- The Secret History (Donna Tartt)

The obvious choice, a classic. In my personal opinion, it’s not perfect and there are better dark academia books out there, but it has massively shaped the genre and therefore deserves recognition. Also, the aesthetic is on point! Read if you want to get a feel for the genre or if you’re simply curious.

- If We Were Villains (M. L. Rio)

Basically a newer, better The Secret History?? Plenty of similarities, minus certain problematic bits that were present in TSH. Amazing prose, incredible characters, absolutely worth the read. A prime example of dark academia! Read if you love Shakespeare and college settings and compelling characters and drama and just beautiful writing!

- Black Chalk (Christopher J. Yates)

Also a fairly good example of the genre, but tragically underhyped. Darker than, for example, If We Were Villains. Set at Oxford! Will mess with your head. The characters are not necessarily likeable, but interesting. The writing is fairly complex. Read for a dark academia thriller which takes the unreliable narrator to an impressive new extreme (in a good way!)

- Truly Devious (Maureen Johnson)

A rare YA dark academia book! Read for murder and mystery and a beautiful boarding school setting as well as a really likeable main character! Due to its nature less dark and somewhat less mature than most of the other books on this list, but if you’re looking for more of a quick and fun dark academia read, this is the one for you!

In a similar vain: The Vanishing Stair (Maureen Johnson)

Cannot actually vouch for this as I haven’t read it yet, but it’s the sequel to Truly Devious and I have heard good things.

- The Secret Place (Tana French)

MASSIVELY underappreciated dark academia with (gasp) supernatural elements?! The most beautiful prose and funniest dialogue you will ever see. Incredible characters. Again, amazing boarding school setting and close group of female friends! (They will break your heart). Also murder. Also half of the story being told from a detective’s PoV. Read if you value good literature. Just. Read it.

- The Likeness (Tana French)

Actually, maybe I was kidding before, maybe this book is the most underappreciated dark academia book out there? Either way, it’s my favourite. Within dark academia and within ALL OF THE BOOKS. This is it. The perfect novel. Characters that own my hearts to this day. Writing so beautiful that it had me sobbing uncontrollably on several occasions. The university it is set in is Trinity College Dublin. (Cue me being bitter that I don’t go there every single day for the rest of my life.) Very intriguing mystery, too. Hilarious dialogue. All the emotions. All the heartbreak. Just… I love it so much, okay? <3

- The Lying Game (Ruth Ware)

Good, very good. Set in a boarding school near the ocean, but unfortunately, only the past tense story line is and we don’t get to see too much of it. Very interesting characters. Much heavier on the dark than the academia. Read if you’re looking for more of a classic murder mystery/thriller and are not too focussed on the academia. Also read for an interesting group of female friends.

- The Basic Eight (Daniel Handler)

Very promising, but wasn’t my cup of tea at all. The setting is an American High School on the West Coast. The murder isn’t that much of a mystery. I’m mentioning it here because I know that other people love this book, even though I really didn’t. I would say don’t read, but see for yourself, I suppose.

- The Lessons (Naomi Alderman)

Yes, okay, an interesting one. Set at Oxford, which was amazing. Interesting characters with interesting dynamics. I read it quickly and was quite entertained. But there were certain problematic bits (regarding LGBTQ+ representation and mental illness), so you’ve been warned. Not my fave, but I mostly enjoyed it while reading it.

There are a few more dark academia books on my shelves, which I unfortunately cannot include on this list, as I haven’t read them yet. One of them is “The Lake of Dead Languages” by Carol Goodman. Another is “Brideshead Revisited” by Evelyn Waugh. Might edit this post later to add these and more. xx

UPDATE!! (With slightly longer descriptions this time, because people are actually reading this? Reblogging even? Wow!)

- The Lake of Dead Languages (Carol Goodman)

THE ALL-FEMALE DARK ACADEMIA NOVEL WE ALL NEED AND DESERVE…?? The setting is A++. An all-female boarding school in the Adirondack Mountains in New York! There is a lake that features so heavily in the story, it basically counts as a main character. Told from the PoV of a teacher who used to go to the school. There are two close groups of female friends, one in the present timeline, one in the past. Both have dark, dark secrets and both fit the dark academia genre so well! Also, heavy focus on Latin rather than Ancient Greek, which I have all the love for. This one is a gem, so give it a chance!

- Brideshead Revisited (Evelyn Waugh)

An actual classic, as in… first published in 1945. And it reads like it. The beginning came with beautiful vibes! Our young boy Charles starting his time at Oxford, meeting a lot of pretentious people, including one Lord Sebastian Flyte, who Charles is suspiciously fascinated by. Sebastian is the biggest dork to ever dork, carries around with him an actual teddy bear named Aloysius, the absolute madmen?? But it’s all downhill from there, with alcoholism and war and depressing times… And Oxford only really features in the first half or less.

- People Like Us (Dana Mele)

Another rare YA dark academia!! Features a group of Mean Girls who one day, when out at night to go swimming, find one of their classmates floating dead in the lake. Which is an excellent dark academia set-up, let’s be honest. Also, sapphic girls, incredible sapphic girls with really complex relationships! Bi main character! A fun and quick read, much like “Truly Devious”. More descriptions of the beautiful boarding school buildings would have been welcome, but at least we got a few! Anyway, go forth and enjoy this little beauty.

- Party Girls Die in Pearls (Plum Sykes)

Umm… I barely even comprehend this book’s existence? Has a prime dark academia set-up with a murdered girl in Oxford, but I still somehow DNF’d it after about 20 pages?! The main character’s name is Ursula Flowerbutton, and if you think that’s quirky and funny… good for you, you might actually enjoy this book. But you’ll also have to endure descriptions of clothes, oh, so many descriptions of clothes! And for anything unique to Oxford that might make the book fun because only those who know will know… you’ll get a footnote. So actually, everyone will know, with zero effort. Definitely not for me, but if you want to read a glossy magazine style dark academia, knock yourself out, friend!

- The Night Climbers (Ivo Stourton)

Breath-taking! A piece of beauty! Set at Cambridge (and the campus features heavily!), a main character reminiscent of Richard Papen, an intriguing group of new friends that he would do anything to belong with. Including… climbing the buildings of Cambridge at night? Without proper equipment, just with his hands and feet?? Honestly, out of the books on this list, this one is the closest in style and maturity and characterisation to The Secret History! The writing is absolutely gorgeous, the plot fascinating. And it’s dark academia that features a non-violent crime, which works surprisingly well. All in all: A STUNNER THAT FANS OF THE SECRET HISTORY SHOULD CHECK OUT!!

- As I Descended (Robyn Talley)

A queer, sapphic Macbeth retelling?? Also a rare YA dark academia with strong supernatural elements?! The representation is on point, with two hispanic main characters, wlw, mlm and one of the girls in the main couple being disabled! The boarding school setting is also on point (and uniquely different as the school building is actually a former plantation in Virginia). This book is so different and so spooky! It wasn’t perfect and some say the retelling didn’t work 100% (I, personally, felt that the plot slowed down a bit), but the atmosphere is amazing and the characters are pretty cool, too!

Not to worry, my quest to find and read as many DA books as possible isn’t over. So this list might be updates again some time in the future! :)

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lousimusician · 5 years

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I Want You Back (Part 4)

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader

Summary: Peter was too blind to realize that you were slipping through his fingers

Word Count: 3,394

Warning: Angsttttttttt

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Now it's much too late for me to take a second look~

~~~~~~~~~(yes, I am aware I used the same lyric twice)~~~~~~~~

It was needless to say you barely got any sleep that night. You were restless, as you ran scenario after scenario on how you would break up with the boy you had been with for three years. You had also stayed up because the second you did fall asleep, you knew the next moment when you opened your eyes, you would be that much closer to doing the one thing you never dreamed of.

But here you were anyway, 7:30 on a Friday morning, hair a mess, bags under your eyes, still in your pajamas, and that much closer to finally getting it over with.

Every step you took as you approached Midtown felt like you were in a funeral march. Time seemed to have dragged on endlessly as the pounding of your heart was deafening in your ears, but once you opened your high school's door and stepped in you were back in the present. The loud buzz of the school day filling your ears.

"Hey loser." You jumped as MJ had sidled up next to you. She narrowed her eyes at you. "What's wrong with you?" She asked, taking in your appearance and you jumpiness.

You swallowed, and shook your head. "Didn't sleep well." You muttered in an attempt to shake off the attention she was giving you.

"Bullshit." She simply answered. MJ stopped in the middle of the hallway and grabbed your arm making you face her. "You look awful, you're wearing pajamas, your hair's a mess, your eyes are red and you have crazy dark bags under them and-"

"Alright, can we not do this in the middle of the hallway." You said impatiently as you pulled her to a set of nearby lockers. "And I get it... I look like shit."

"Yeah, so what happened."

"Noth-"

"Bull. Shit." She said slowly as she cut you off. "What happened."

You sighed and looked around to see if anyone was overhearing as you blinked back a set of tears. "I've decided I'm gonna do it." You said, looking back at her.

She furrowed her eyebrows, "Wait...you don't mean..?" She trailed off. Not even MJ, the most forward and honest person you knew, could treat this situation the same way she did with everything else.

You nodded, looking down at your feet.

"Oh." She simply said. "..When?"

"Tonight." You answered. "I haven't asked if I could come over yet, but I just- I need to get it over with tonight."

She placed a comforting hand on your shoulder, which you greatly appreciated, knowing MJ was never a touchy kind of person. "Well good luck, I guess." She muttered. "Let's get our stuff."

The two of you headed to your lockers to gather your books for your morning classes.

You kept glancing down the hallway for Peter as you put your combination in. You stiffened once you saw a familiar mop of brown hair amongst the various students in the hallway.

You quickly turned back to you locker and pulled it open. Your heart was racing as you waited for him to approach. The plan for right now was when he came by his locker you were going to ask if you could come over around six. May ususlly served dinner at six thirty, and it tended to be the easiest time of the day to get ahold of him due to the fact he was out on patrol before and after dinner. But still it was a gamble, because as of late he had been skipping dinner a lot since May knew that he was Spider-Man now and he didn't have to cover up his tracks by being at dinner on time.

"Hey- why are you in pajamas?" Peter asked, stopping at his locker.

"Woke up late- didn't have time to change." You mumbled quickly, as you turned to him. "Um- look I-"

"Y'know you seem a little off lately." Peter interrupted. "You know you can talk to me right?"

You faltered, you didn't even know where to begin with that statement. When the fuck did he think you'd be able to talk to him? During the dates he stood you up on? Or over text where you were pretty sure he had muted your conversation.

He was really making the whole breaking up thing a lot easier than you hoped.

You blinked, completely dumbfounded before you blurt out. "Actually I'd like to take you up on that offer." There was a slight snarky undertone to your voice, but thankfully he hadn't picked up on it. "Can I come over tonight? Around 6?"

A look of guilt, which you've become all to familiar with, immediately covered his features, and you felt ready to scream. "I can't, it's Friday and you know Friday's are my busiest nights."

"Look Peter, I really need to talk to you tonight. I promise it won't take long, I just wanna talk." You said desperately.

Reluctantly, Peter finally nodded his head in agreement. "Okay, you can come by for a bit then."

You nodded, a sigh of relief passing through your lips. "I'm gonna go to class now, see you later." You muttered before walking off to your History class.

It was almost ironic how fast the day seemed to go when all you wanted was for time to move slower for once. History had gone by way to quickly, everyone split up with their partners to work on the project some more but it ended up with Brad having to comfort and encourage you yet again about how you were making the right decision, and before you knew it three more periods had passed, and the bell for lunch had started to ring which meant having to see Peter again.

At least, that was what you thought, until you stepped into the lunch room, MJ by your side, and noticed that Peter wasn't in his usual spot at the table.

As the two of you approached Ned, who had been beginning to eat his lunch by himself. You raised an eyebrow and asked, "Where's Peter?"

"He's taking a test with Ms. Warren." Ned said through a mouth full of food, while MJ stepped around the table so she could take her usual spot next to Ned.

"Good." MJ said, dropping her bag onto the table with a 'bang' before dropping in her seat. "Then this is the perfect time to tell you that (Y/N)'s breaking up with Peter tonight."

"MJ!" You shrieked, "What the hell!?"

She shrugged her shoulders, while you took your seat across from them. "What? He was gonna find out eventually." She muttered.

Ned's jaw had dropped and his eyes widened in shock. "Is she telling the truth?"

You sighed and nodded.

"See, I always knew this would happen!" He said in disappointment.

You shot him a look. "Dude."

He sighed, "I didn't mean it like that, it's just how many relationships last in high school? I was always nervous about the two of you breaking up and now you are and it's going to completely throw off our group dynamic."

"Yeah." MJ agreed sarcastically. "Now you're going to have to share custody of Ned."

Ned turned and raised his eyebrow at her. "What about you?"

She scoffed. "(Y/N)'s stuck with me, Peter doesn't even have visiting rights."

You rolled your eyes, "My life is not a joke guys." You mumbled, which quieted the two down. "And anyway, it's not gonna be like that. We're gonna stay friends."

Ned frowned, "But what if-"

You cut him off, "No, buts. We're gonna stay friends, Peter and I were friends before we dated and we'll stay friends after." You said with a finality that Ned didn't want to debate with, so he sighed and nodded his head.

"It's probably for the best y'know." Ned said, "I love Peter but he hasn't been very good to you latetly. It makes the rest of us sad to see you upset."

You gave Ned a tight lipped smile and nodded, his words making you feel a bit emotional. "Thanks."

"Anyway." MJ said. "What made you decide to do it?"

You bit your lip, torn between telling the truth and lying, you knew MJ would have something to say if you told her Brad was the reason you finally decided to go through with it. "Let's just say, I kinda had my eyes opened and I realized that me and Peter just aren't working out anymore."

MJ hummed, narrowing her eyes at you skeptically, and you knew she probably put the pieces together, but if she did she didn't say anything. Instead she stood up and said, "Let's get lunch then you can rant about what a terrible boyfriend Peter is."

Eventually the day wore on, the final bell rang, you reminded Peter you were coming at 6, went home, rehearsed your break up speech about a hundred times in the mirror, cried a couple times, and before you knew it it was 5:45 and you were leaving your place to head over to Peter's.

You weren't surprised in the slightest when you went over just to hear May tell you Peter wasn't in yet. Instead you ended up talking and eating dinner with May, which had to be the most awkward experience ever, to have dinner with her when your whole purpose for going over in the first place was to break up with her nephew.

You had a hunch she figured out why you were there by the way you were acting. You just seemed off. You were stuttery and easily distracted, not to mention the stuff she hadn't noticed such as your pounding heart and clammy hands. But just before she let you go wait in Peter's room, per your request, she gave you the tightest and longest hug she's ever given you. You hugged her back tightly.

By that time it was already 7:00 and there was still no sign of Peter, so you layed on his bed, sent him a text (which you were already aware that it would be pointles, but still) and you decided to watch a show on your phone to kill time at least.

Eventually 7:00 turned into 8:00, then 9:00, and by 9:15 you had fallen asleep. You were determined to wait him out, even if that meant staying until 3 in the morning.

You suddenly woke up by a rustling sound at the window. Your head snapped towards it and in the dark room you could make out Spider-Man's silhouette as he climbed through the window.

You quickly glanced at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it was already 11:00. You sat up on the bed and angled yourself towards Peter, who hadn't noticed you were there yet, as he shut the window and tugged his mask off, his brown curls sticking up in multiple directions.

When he turned around and spotted your figure, he stopped, and you could already make out the look of surprise on his face that quickly morphed into guilt from the moonlight that filtered in through the closed window.

"(Y/N)..." He mumbled guiltily. You ignored it as you leaned over to his nightstand and turned on the lamp, dimly lighting up the room.

"Peter." You finally answered back.

"Look, I'm so sorry." He started, stepping closer to you. "I completely forgot and-" You put up your hand, silencing him, and he started to nervously gnaw on his lip.

You sighed again, "It's fine, I don't need to hear any apologies, I just wanna talk."

Peter sensed something was off, realizing the situation was much more serious than he had originally thought. So, he placed his mask on the bed and sat down, facing you.

You took in a deep breath and collected your thoughts. "I-" You stopped as you suddenly realized that this was actually about to happen, that you were going to break up with the first boy you've ever fallen in love with, the boy you still loved. "..I-" You tried again but the words were caught in your throat.

Peter furrowed his eyebrows in worry. "W-what's wrong?"

You could hear the blood rushing in your ears, realizing with a sudden fear that you physically couldn't get the words out. You were only able to remember every good memory you've had with Peter in that moment, as you seemingly forgot how miserable you've been these last few months.

But then, almost as if someone read you're mind, you're phone vibrated. The screen lit up to show a text from Brad.

'Did you do it yet??'

And then you remembered last night, and how he comforted you as you cried into him, how he let you vent, and how he told you you didn't deserve to be in an unhappy and unloving relationship... How you should break up with Peter.

So with new intent, you clenched your fists and shut your eyes tight, bracing yourself as you blurted out. "I want to break up."

The silence that followed was deafening. You slowly peaked your eyes open, and your heart dropped upon seeing the look of shock on Peter's face.

"...Y-you w-what?" He asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Please don't make me say it again." You pleaded.

"B-but I- w-why...?" He didn't sound sad, just confused.

You looked down at your lap and started to blink back tears. "..C'mon Pete... you know why."

"...Is it because of Spider-Man?"

You sighed.

'How can he be so blind.' You thought sadly to yourself.

"N-no, you know that's never been a problem."

"Then why?"

Instead of talking, you pulled out your phone and opened your texts with Peter, and dropped the phone in his lap.

He picked it up and scrolled through the conversation.

There had been so many messages from you, simple texts that just asked about his day or a text good morning and good night, and almost all of them hadn't got a reply back. And he suddenly felt some guilt start forming in his chest.

"We barely talk or go on dates anymore." Your quiet voice said. "You stand me up all the time... I feel like we don't know each other anymore Pete."

"That's not true. Of course we know each other-"

"Peter." You interrupted him, looking at him now. "Can you even remember the last time we even kissed- like actually kissed?"

He fell silent, no instances coming to mind.

"Exactly."

"I'm- I'm sorry." Was all he said.

You nodded, wiping your eyes. "I know you are... but I can't keep doing this. I'm tired of crying, I'm so fucking tired of it."

Your phone, which was still in Peter's hands, buzzed again. And out of habit, Peter glanced down.

And what followed ended up turning into an absolute shit show...

"Why is Brad Davis texting you?"

Your heart stopped.

Peter was staring down at the screen in utter confusion before directing his gaze towards you.

"I-I- um.." You felt like you were suddenly caught in a huge conspiracy against your boyfriend.

"And why is he asking if you broke up with me yet?" Peter's confusion was turning into anger.

You now realized that maybe talking about a relationship you've had for three years with some boy that you barely knew, may not have been the smartest thing in the world. But in your defense, you had been thinking about ending things with Peter way before Brad came along.

"Why are you talking to Brad about this!?" He asked, his voice raising as he now jumped to his feet.

You stood up as well. "Okay, calm down Peter-"

"No! Don't tell me to calm down- just tell me why you were talking to Brad Davis about us!?"

You groaned in frustration. "I was talking to him last night okay!" You yelled, finally matching his own voice, and you prayed that the walls were thick enough that May couldn't hear the two of you yelling back and forth. "We hung out for a bit after working on our project and one thing lead to another and-"

"Wait- Don't tell me you two kissed!" He suddenly shouted, remembering Ned's words from the day before and suddenly feeling insecure, wondering if he was right.

You faced held a look of complete shock. "Are you kidding me!" You hissed. "We've been together three years Peter! And you think I'd fucking cheat on you!?"

"Alright fine!" He shouted angrily, knowing that he was out of line to accuse you of that. "Then what happened."

You took a deep breath to steady your anger. "I was upset and I was crying, he comforted me, and he may have suggested that I should... break up with you." You said slowly

"And you're taking his advice! (Y/N) you barely know Brad and you're letting him tell you what to do!? Did it not cross your mind to- I don't know, talk to me? Before crying in the arms of some boy you just-"

You threw your hands up in the air in frustration and yelled, "MJ said I should break up with you too!" You were shaking with anger.

Peter fell silent upon hearing that one of his best friends told his girlfriend to break up with him.

"And in my defense, talking to you kinds seems impossible, I mean just look at tonight, I asked you to meet me at 6 and you show up at 11." You bit your lip, but continued. "I'm not happy being your girlfriend anymore." You said quietly, calming down a bit. "And I know you think I'm annoying when I keep texting you and calling you, and trying to make plans all the time. I know you are because if you weren't you wouldn't keep ignoring me. And the truth is is that I don't feel like I'm your girlfriend anymore and I've felt like that for a long time. And I'm tired waiting for you to come around." You said softly. "I wanna stay friend's though, you're still important to me." He stayed silent, and you exhaled softly. "I guess I'll see you Monday then." You muttered as you made your way past him and to the door with slow movements.

Your hand had just touched the doorknob when you heard him say. "Fine, whatever. We're done." He said coldly. "You can go cry to Brad now, maybe he can be your new boyfriend."

Rage immediately started bubbling within you again and you spun around on your heel, seeing his back was still towards you. "You know what? Fuck you, Peter!" You spit out, if he was going to act like this, accuse you of cheating when he was the one who treated you like shit, friendship be damned, you wanted nothing to do with him. "I can't believe how easy you've actually made this, I take it back, don't fucking talk to me anymore, asshole. And not for nothing but you were a fucking awful boyfriend you prick." With that you turned back around and swung his bedroom door open, slamming it behind you.

You stormed down the hallway and past the living room where May was, ignoring her worried stare as you left Peter's apartment for good.

It wasn't until you were inside of the elevator that you broke down in tears.

You were infuriated and your heart hurt so bad. You knew he would be fine, which upset you the most. You knew that he would realize that you hadn't had much of a place in his life these last few months as he went through his normal routine, and that he would easily move on.

But you knew it would be much harder for you. Peter had been the only one on your mind for such a long time that it hurt to think about not having him in your life anymore.

But you had to be fine. You needed to move on, and you had just taken the first step to finally healing your shattered heart.

You felt some relief despite the pain.

This was the last time you ever had to deal with Peter's bullshit.

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

A/N: Yooo I’m so excited for part 5, this series is about to get sooooo much angstier omg.

If you want to be added to my taglist send me an ask, otherwise you won't be add!!!!

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solastia · 3 years

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Day 19

Break My Stride, Yoongi x Jungkook, ABO, 4/4 Chapters, 14k words

YOU KNOW MY DRAMATIC ASS SAVED THIS FOR A FRIDAY! If y'all thought my screeching was annoying before, be prepared for about 10x more screeching and indecipherable noises. As the very wise Deadpool once said, “MAXIMUM EFFORT!”

First off, congratulations because this was your first fic to reach 10k hits (and it’s now at 34K hits, whaaaa??!! A few hundred of those may possibly be from me...possibly...probably...most definitely! lmao)

You know my fave ship is Yoonmin (I don’t take shipping irl seriously, don’t come for me plz) but I absolutely LOVE the dynamics between Kookie and Yoongi in this fic. Your writing, the plot, the dialogue, the whole thing is just top tier deliciousness every step of the way. It is scrumptious, mouth watering, exquisite, uuugh *chef’s kiss* bellissimo!

Ok, LOTS OF SPOILERS BECAUSE THIS FIC IS MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT FICTIONAL STORY AND Y’ALL CAN’T STOP ME, MUAHAHAHA!

In the beginning of the story, you create a sense of home for the audience. We feel like we know these characters, we get a sense that they’ve been a group of friends for a very long time, and they each hold a special part of each other’s lives, and it’s freaking beautiful.

“Yoongi shook his head and started picking the olives off his slice of pizza. When he turns to his right to give the olives away, he realizes why he’d felt something was wrong.”

You see! He hadn’t even realized that Kookie was missing, but he felt like something was off.

Oh! And I wanted to ask you about the idea for a mating run! I’ve never read anything like this before, it was an interesting concept to think about. And this would be Yoongi’s 8th run! Oh babey, he was just waiting for the right mate…

“He wasn’t sure what it was, but the image of Jungkook finding someone during the run made him feel…itchy.”

Our boi is already jealous at just the idea of Kookie finding a mate (other than him ofc, but he doesn’t know that yet, bwahahahaha!!)

“Good idea, you’re going to need all the rest you can get,” Seokjin says with an ominous smirk.”

I SHOULD GIVE YOU THE SAME WARNING SEOKJINNIE!!!

“There were even booth setups for merchandise and food.”

OMG, I could see Hobi or Jin buying some cheesy “I survived the 20__ Run and All I Got Was This Shirt”. Or maybe a beer cozy!

“No, he said that would be pointless because his mate’s a cheating cheater that plays dirty. He said the chances of them covering their scent were high. He’s making sure his den is ready,” Seokjin scoffed.

Yoongi accepted the drink Jimin handed him and chuckled. “Sounds like I might actually like them.”

“You have no idea,” Jin said with a snort”

Yoongi, are you so jaded, so blind by your general saltiness that you are not understanding the very obvious clues being thrown your way?!?!?! Kookie, where are you? Put this man in his place please!!

And then when he was told that Kook bought that house he’d had his eyes on for years, uughhh, I was hurting for our Yoonie!

“Yoongi suddenly felt like crying, but he settled for collapsing onto the bench and clenching his fist.”

AAAHHH! But wait a little while Yoongi, I promise all this hurt will be over soon!

“Suddenly, Namjoon growled menacingly, startling everyone. Hoseok looked over to the spot where Namjoon was steadily staring, curiosity in his gaze before it too hardened and he started glaring with bared teeth. A random city Alpha that had been approaching them instantly halted, hands out in surrender.”

HOW COULD I FORGET THIS SUB-PLOT!!! Jin was over there laughing at how oblivious Yoongi was, and he isn’t any better, is he?!? Imagine having Joon and Hobi scaring the competition away like that??!! I would take them home immediately!

“There’s a huge plush rug and plenty of blankets, big fluffy pillows, a little stash of food and entertainment. I even put scent blockers around so no one would smell anything coming from inside,” Yoongi preened as he thought of his perfect hideaway.

Yoongi would def be one to make his little den as comfortable as possible! But I just thought of something. In your earlier description of Yoongi’s apartment, he said it was a bit stark and lacked any real decor. BUT he went out of his way to make this den as comfortable as possible. He bought a string of fairy lights, and he had to go to the big city to get them! It’s almost like it was fate, or maybe deep down he knew that something was going to happen, and he was inadvertently nesting! (please insert “I’ve connected the dots” meme here)

“He was sure there were plenty of Alphas running around with those piercings and Kook’s ginormous honker of a nose.”

Was it really Kook? Or is our boy so in love that he sees Kookie wherever he goes? Lmao!

“Yoongi was about to show this guy that he wasn’t someone to be messed with and he wouldn’t be dragged off to be someone’s good little Omega bitch. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the taser he’d packed just in case.”

OMG, Yoongi is not messing around, absolutely zero chill!

“It seemed presenting had changed him physically as well, shooting him up a couple inches so he towered over Yoongi even more than usual. His arms and legs were rippling with muscle that even the black tracksuit he was wearing couldn’t hide. His face was still the same though; the innocent grin an interesting contrast with the buff build.”

SIR!! My heart cannot take this punishment! And OFC he’s a Prime Alpha, Kookie doesn’t know how to half-ass anything!

“And just like he had a million times before, Yoongi gave in like the soft ass bitch he was.”

He really is soft for all of them!!! Yoongi will let them do whatever they want with him, he’ll complain the entire way but we all know he secretly loves it!

“Yoongi dared a quick look behind him, audibly gulping at the sight of the Alpha staring at his ass like he was a starving man at an all you can eat buffet. Jungkook was grinding his jaw and had his nails dug into the dirt like he was trying to control himself.”

I mean, we’ve all seen the Yoonbooty. It does look very biteable. Relatable AF Kook!

“Jungkook continued poking around in things; picking up a candle to sniff, trying to sneak a peek into the duffle bag, ruffling around in the bag of snacks - all while stealing glances at the bed in the middle of the room. “

WAY TO NOT BE OBVIOUS KOOK!!!

“What are you doing, Kook? You’re wasting time here when you should be out there chasing down your mate. They are probably wondering where you are.”

“They know where I am.”

“You told them you were going to hang out with me and they were fine with it?”

“Hyung, you’re usually so smart. Think about it.”

Every time I read this, I die a little bit inside (in a good way, I promise). Yoongi’s whole world is about to be turned upside down, and he has no idea!!!

“The house…”

Jungkook’s eyes softened, smiling fondly at him. “I bought it for you, hyung. Whether you choose me today or not, it’s yours.”

I cry.

What a courting gift!!! Kook doesn’t understand subtlety, does he??!! And how selfless is this? This is a no-strings attached gift, given to Yoongi out of love.

I cry.

“I love the way we are now, equals with a little bit of babying me on the side,” Jungkook grins when Yoongi snorts, shaking his head fondly at the other.”

I would like to see that please.

AND THEN THIS LINE:

“Omega,” Jungkook says softly, so rife with emotion that Yoongi can hear everything he’s trying to say in just that one word. “May I enter your nest?”

This is it, this is as far as I go fam. I have been destroyed with six whole words. How can such a simple statement hold so much emotion, so much hopeful pleading?

And then the whole interaction on the bed! Yoongi asking if he wants to play cards (bwahahaha, sure Jan), Kookie being prepared to wipe away all the descenting salve, Kook getting scent high, YOONGI’S GRANDPA RUN, those first initial uses of pet names, everything was so intimate and playful. It was beautiful!

“I bet I could easily pick you up and fuck you against a wall sometime if you wanted. Maybe even have you straddle my shoulders and I could suck you off that way,” Jungkook muses so matter of factly despite the subject matter, and Yoongi can feel himself get wetter by the second.”

Aaaaaaand there’s the emotional whiplash I’ve come to love from you!

“Whatever you want. You’re in charge.”

Kookie being selfless again! I cannot! It’s about these little things that are done between partners that really matter. Kook is a newly presented virgin Prime Alpha in the midst of a claiming, and his first priority is still making sure Yoongi feels good. He’s giving him all the power here.

“Good,” Yoongi yawns loudly and throws a couple of blankets over them, tangling their legs together. “Later we can try the thing with the nipples.”

Again, I would like to see that please.

“Suddenly, Yoongi’s eyes shoot open and he gasps.

“Oh shit! Your brother is going to kill me!”

Jungkook merely laughs”

😂😂😂

“I’ll give you some meat,” Yoongi grumbles playfully as he climbs off the bed, stretching his aching limbs.

“I mean, I’m down for anything,” Jungkook giggles.”

Not to sound like a broken record, but...I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT PLEASE

“Jungkook walked straight towards the first woman he saw with a clipboard, blindsiding the stunned woman with one of his lethal smiles while he wrapped an arm around Yoongi’s waist to pull him close.

“Hi! We both need mating packets.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes because he could tell that Jungkook was practically bragging instead of just asking like a normal person.”

He’s practically bragging about Yoongi being his mate! I have a feeling Kookie is going to be unbearable to be around in the upcoming weeks.

And then we get a teeny tiny peek at the Nam-Jin-Hobi subplot and ooomg I hope you’re able to explore this particular pairing in the future. There is so much potential there for steamy/fluffy scenes!

“I just mean, like, soulmates. You know? Maybe we were supposed to meet to help each other find our mates. Or maybe we are all soulmates in various forms.”

DON’T! DON’T HURT ME THIS WAY, I CANNOT AND WILL NOT SURVIVE!

AAAAH this fic was wonderful! It feels complete the way you ended it, but I am definitely still craving more! Good job, dayumm!

It still amazes me how many people have read this one lol. But yeah, this is one of my favorites too. I do have other side stories that I’m working on for this one, including one from Jk’s birthday and another for Namjinseok.

I just really really love writing people that are so unapologetically whipped. Like, it’s such a major thing for me because in real life there are a ridiculous amount of people that are embarrassed to show how much they care about their SO, and like, why? Why are you even with them if you’re so embarrassed to show them any affection? Show the world that you are proud they choose to be with you, show your person that they are precious. I’m not even saying buy them shit all the time (because for some reason het males seem to think that’s what everyone means). I mean hold their damn hand, write them a note, tell them they are pretty. There’s a reason that a person who technically still identifies as gay man is in a steady relationship with me, a pan woman. And it’s because I fucking treat him like he’s the reason my heart beats and I’m not ashamed to show the world. Ok, I’m ranting now lol. I’ll stop. But you get the picture.

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simsadventures · 5 years

Text

Better Like This: Chapter 2: I Need Answers

Chapter Summary: You can’t wrap your head around the actions of what you think is your mate, so you try to distract yourself by diving into your first case with the SVU. You are, however, not willing to let go and you need your answers. Will Bucky talk to you, or is he going to try to stay clear from you as long as possible? And why is he acting like such a jerk?

Warnings: mentions of rape, a/b/o dynamics,, Alpha!Bucky, Omega!reader swearing, rejected mate, angst (I guess), fluffy Scott, sad reader

Word Count: 2474

A/N: I just wanted to thank you guys for the kind words after publishing the first part. You are the best. I can always take suggestions, so if you want something to happen, let me know and I’ll see what I can do with that :) xx

Series Masterlist __ Masterlist

< Previous Chapter

You stood there, staring at the closed doors, your brain void of any thoughts. You wanted to think something, really, but your brain just stopped working the second the Alpha ran out of the door.

You also didn’t hear the way the team shut up, trying to figure out what the hell just happened, and why did one of their own just bolt seeing you, as if the electricity went through his body.

The first one to speak up was Tony. “Well, that was weird and awkward. That was Sargent Barnes, and the guy not running away from here is detective Sam Wilson.” Sam nodded your way and shrugged his shoulders apologetically, not really knowing how to explain his partner’s behaviour.

You shook your head, trying to get rid of all the negative thoughts creeping into your mind once again and looked at the Captain, silently begging him to talk about something, anything really.

He obviously took the hint as he spoke as soon as he looked your way. “Ok, that is almost our whole team, you’ll meet Clint, our tech guy later. So, to get to the work, before detective Y/L/N came in, I got a call from 76th precinct. They believe they have one of our cases. An Omega was raped and almost strangled to death in her home by what they believe was some young Alpha, but that is as far as they got. They would like us to take it from there, so, Y/L/N, Lang, you go to the hospital and talk to our victim, make sure they are treating her right. Wilson, go find Barnes, and you guys go the crime scene. And make sure Bucky calls me, he’s got things to explain. Stark, to the 76th precinct, get all the files they made for this case and debrief the detectives working on the case, the more information, the better. You know the drill guys, let’s get to work. Dismissed.”

With that, he turned around and strode to his office. Scott jabbed you lightly to your ribs and pretty much dragged you out fo the place, for you were still very much frozen by Bucky’s (or whatever) actions.

“C’mon dude, let’s go help some people. And you can tell me what that was all about in the car.” He smirked at you.

“I wish I fucking knew, Scott. I-I-“you stuttered. You didn’t really feel the need to tell him how you thought Bucky was your true mate. You did know him for about 15 minutes. “I’ve never met this guy before, you know? No idea what’s his problem.” You shrugged, deciding that not telling the whole truth was just safer. For now. At least you thought so.

“I do believe you, dude, it was the little whine that’s making me question shit.” Fuck! “No idea what you’re talking about,” you shrugged, trying to sound as convincing as you possibly could. “I’m that kind of person who just wants to get along with everyone, so you just probably heard my disappointment when I saw someone obviously not liking me from the very first second,” you concluded.

It wasn’t a lie entirely, you did want to get along with everyone, but you would never whine just like that, had you not had your reasons. Scott just hummed in response and the rest of the drive to the hospital was in comfortable silence.

Meanwhile, in front of Sam’s car, the situation looked a bit different. He yelled at Bucky for bolting like this, wanting to know the reason. “What’s gotten into you, man? Do you like know her or something? Have you knotted her during your rut and never called her again, or what? Talk to me, man.”

“I don’t know her, and I don’t want to know her, there’s that. Not that it would be any of your business, or anything.” Bucky almost growled. Sam just raised his eyebrow and sarcastically rolled his eyes. Bucky’s been his partner for the last 5 years, and one of his best friends for about the same amount of time. He knew when his friend was full of shit, but also knew when he should actually shut up if he didn’t want to experience the wrath of the Metal Arm. Bucky didn’t get this one of his nicknames coincidentally, and Sam was unfortunate enough to have been on the receiving end of the wrath far too many times. Bucky was a good guy, it was just that his temper got the best of him sometimes.

“Yeah, before I forget, Steve wanted you to call him and explain yourself to him.”

“I don’t need to explain anything, I went out, end of the story, now get in the car so we can actually start working, you ass.”

“I’m the ass here, huh? Have you looked in the mirror today, Barnes? ‘Cause you’re the only one looking like a pile of shit.” Sam almost didn’t get to finish his sentence as Bucky punched his shoulder, but Sam was too used to it now. He just laughed and made a mental note to keep a good eye on his friend.

The talk with the victim was very short because her throat was so damaged, the only thing she was able to do (and even that she did barely) was nodding or shaking her answering your and Scott’s questions. All you got from her, was that she woke up in the middle of the night, feeling a certain uneasiness in her bones. This sixth sense of hers was true for right in front of her bed stood a tall man, an Alpha, with a mask on his face. You didn’t want to go in too much detail, and you really couldn’t because of her injury.

You were actually lucky to have any kind of conversation with her because about 10 minutes into your “dialogue” she started to lose consciousness and they had to rush into the OR.

But what you did get from the visit to the hospital, was the conversation you had with one of the victim’s doctors. She told you that the victim had what looked like bruises made by fingers, even showing you and Scott some photos they took so you could have a closer look.

“Can we have those?” you asked, full-on detective by now. “Of course, we have one copy here for later examination and to contrast the healing, but these were made specifically for you.” You smiled thankfully at her and bid your goodbyes before heading towards Scott’s car (you guess as he was your partner that it would be ok to call the car yours too).

“So what do you think we’re dealing with here?” Scott asked you once you were seated and on your way towards the headquarters. “I have no idea yet, but probably some sick bastard who can’t even show his face while attacking an innocent and helpless Omega.” Scott just hummed in agreement, and the rest of the ride was spent by talking about his Omega, Hope, who was a scientist and a hell of a one, from what Scott was saying. He was so in love, you couldn’t help but let your mind drift back to your mate, the one abandoning you in front of the whole team without as much as an acknowledgement.

Once you came to the headquarters, you immediately smelt the most delicious thing, once again, your Alpha. Or rather, the Alpha you felt like should be yours but was far from it.

He looked up too, only to shake his head as if in disapproval and continued his talk with Sam and Natasha. You wanted to do something, your mind was picking between breaking into a sobbing mess and smacking the Alpha across his face with the closest object you could find.

Before you could do any of the two (and you were suddenly more inclined to hurt the asshole), your Captain came in the view. “So, what’s the status? What did we find, team?” The room fell silent and everyone grouped into a half-circle so that everyone could see everyone. Yay, just what you needed!

“The detectives from the 76th didn’t really know anything, they spoke to some people who thought they heard some noises, but most of them were seniors who couldn’t really remember what day it was so there’s that. One guy, though, said that he saw a tall Alpha running by him, around 2.30 AM, which seems like the time the guy left our victim. But it was dark, and the guy couldn’t see much, so I’m not sure if we can get anything out of it. He’s in one of the conference rooms, and I’ll go talk to him and try and get more information, but I don’t think there will be much, Cap.” Tony concluded his findings.

“The crime scene was a mess, Steve,” your Alpha (you had to remind yourself that he wasn’t your freaking Alpha) Bucky said. “We were able to get a picture of what happened and how it happened, but the techs were already there, so if he left something there, they would’ve found it. What we could tell, was that he got there from the window, motherfucker must have climbed the fire-stairs, unhooked the window and was it and the poor Omega didn’t stand a chance.” He shrugged and you could have sworn it was the sexiest thing you’ve ever seen. God, you were pathetic!

It was now your turn to speak up, and you could feel all the eyes on you. All of them except the ones you actually wanted to feel. You shook off the disappointment and told the team about your findings. Captain nodded after you concluded your little speech and dismissed all of you, letting you work on your own.

You saw Bucky turning around and starting to leave the circle, and you decided to follow him. You needed your answers, and you needed them now!

“Hey, Barnes, can I have a word?” you whisper-yelled at him. He looked taken aback by your approach but shook off any emotion from his face before speaking up.

“I don’t really wanna talk to you, so if I can choose, then no, you can’t have a word with me.” And with that he turned around and started to walk away once again. He had the nerve to walk away from you just like that! Naah, you weren’t having it, not this time!

“I would appreciate it if we could have a conversation, and somewhere private, preferably.”

You didn’t even realise it, but he was not standing right in front of you, towering over you and silently growling. “We aren’t going anywhere together. Look, I don’t know what you think you feel but don’t. I’m not looking for an Omega, never wanted one, never will want one, so deal with it. You are all the same, and I want no part in that,” he growled the whole time and finally turned around and walked towards Sam, who was watching the interaction and silently waiting for Bucky to join him.

Didn’t want an Omega? All the same? What? WHAT? You had no clue what was happening, and if it were up to you, you would’ve crawled under some table and just cry and pity yourself, because your true mate just basically rejected you.

But, and for the first time today, you had Scott behind your ass the whole time, and you were really thankful for it, who now grabbed your elbow and dragged you out of the place. You looked towards the table which was shared by Sam and Bucky. Scott didn’t miss your tilted head, nor did he miss the very silent, but very present whine that escaped your throat. He looked towards that table too and put a protective arm around your shoulders to lead you out of there.

“You don’t need to speak about it, but let me tell you one thing. Bucky- he is a strange guy. He is one hell of a detective, hell, he’s solved more cases than me, Natasha and Tony combined. But he is also very closed off, I mean, the first three months with the unit, he wouldn’t even acknowledge my presence, he would always look through me, or something. Only after I “proved” to him that I was worth his time would he start talking to me.

Look, I don’t know what his problem is, the Cap just told me he had it rough. All I know is that he was in a war and that it probably scarred him for life. I don’t know if he’s your true mate or what, but just… Give it time, let him see what I see the first second after meeting you and what I hope I’ll get to know more from now on. You are a fantastic detective, we all know that, and believe me, when I say it, you are an amazing person too. I can just smell that, call it a sixth sense, or something. So, just give him time, and if he doesn’t pull his head out of his ass, I’ll be the first one to beat the shit out of him.”

You were now sitting in a local pub, each of you nursing a bear. You couldn’t help but wonder what did you do to deserve a partner like Scott, who after spending just one day with you, an Omega, for God’s sake, was willing to beat someone up because they were hurting you.

You smiled at him. “Thank you, Scott, you can’t even imagine how much this means to me. But trust me, if he doesn’t give up that attitude of his, I’ll be the first one breaking a chair on his back. You can beat him up after that.”

Scott laughed at your little outburst and shook his head. “You’re something else, Y/N. But deal!”

But while you were leaving with Scott, too busy with your own thoughts, Bucky was having some thoughts on his own. He had to stifle a growl threatening to escape his chest when he saw Scott protectively putting an arm around you, his Omega. NO! He had to stop himself from thinking about you like that.

Of course, he knew you were supposed to be his from the very second he stepped into the office. He buzzed all morning, knew something was up, but never expected to meet his true mate. But he couldn’t let you in. Just couldn’t. His heart wouldn’t take another heartbreak, and that’s why he tried so hard to stay away from you, even though his Alpha side was screaming for you. Luckily, he had enough self-control to never let this side win.

At least he hoped so.

/ Next Chapter >

Tags: @kneel-begyourpardon @starkrobb @crazybutconfidentaf @carlya65 @boxofteenageideas @hiken-no-stark @get0verit @taylorsmakingfuckingmacandcheese @mywinterwolf @cat-of-your-eye @iheartsebastianstan @slender--spirit @this-is-serenaa @henderwhore4life @owlyannah @rohaintahquil @libbymouse @chubby-dumplin @dumblani @laughsandlivia @waiting4inspiration @kiki5283 @rippedpiece

If you’d like to be tagged comment/message/send an ask. If you like the story, please reblog :) any comments are appreciated, even the critical one. Always a space to get better, so let me know what you guys think. xx

#policeau #detective bucky #a/b/o #alpha bucky barnes #alpha bucky #alpha bucky omega reader #alpha beta omega #bucky #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #omega!reader #omegaverse #avengers #avengers a/b/o #avengers fanfiction #bucky barnes fanfiction

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yutaya · 3 years

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Iron Fist Rewatch: 1x03: Rolling Thunder Cannon Punch

That's so terrifying. You look an entitled asshole in the eyes and say "no" when he tries to pressure you into doing something morally corrupt that would actively hurt another person - one who has specifically asked you for help - and then armed home invaders break in in the middle of the night. Ward is basically the mafia boss that Colleen has just pissed off, from her POV. No wonder she hates him.

Wow, now I want the fanfic where Colleen keeps calling Ward a mafia boss to his face. "Just because I'm under your mafia family's protection NOW doesn't make that time you put out a hit on me any better, mobster." "'Mob-' I never put out any 'hit'. I'm not the mafia." "You don't need to bother with pretence here, mob guy." (Danny helpfully does not point out that Ward definitely put out a hit on him, but the entire room is still painfully aware.)

Danny: Sorry the people trying to kill me broke your lock.

Colleen doesn't for one second find it out of the question that the cops might be in on the whole "corrupt rich white man is doing shady illegal things and trying to have a 'problem' 'fixed'" thing. Danny does, ("I haven't broken any law?") because Danny spent ten years as a rich white boy and then the next 15 in a culture completely separated from the rest of the world's reality. Or: Danny, a rich white boy, trusts the police. Colleen, who tries to make her dojo a safe space for a bunch of underprivileged majority bipoc kids living in the "bad part of town", does not.

Possibly the reason they speedrun us through Ward going up to the penthouse again is to remind the viewers how obnoxious it is to get up there before we see Danny climb the building later?

I forgot about this freaky tube thing. What is that? High tech coffin? lol. There's an implied "you should be unsettled by this" vibe to Harold's whole "it's so peaceful in here, I can't help but doze off" but when I don't know what the tube is the context is kind of lost on me.

Again with Ward calmly asking for an explanation about such a seemingly insane business choice, especially one that he's going to have to explain to people, and Harold brushing him off. Infuriating. And let's just toss in a sprinkling of "Joy has always been and always will be better than you, who can't do anything."

Harold: "Doesn't it occur to you that I'm doing this all for you?" Me: "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP I HATE YOU." He doesn't even just say "I'm doing this for you." No, he has to say "Doesn't it occur to you that I'm doing this for you?" Rather than simply lying, he just has to back Ward into that corner. Ugh. UGH.

Ward: closes his eyes, long huff of breath. I should start a count of how many times he does this.

MY SKIN IS CRAWLING. Freaking Harold. Ugh ugh ugh he's the worst.

Danny you realize you're both disrespecting Colleen AND talking about pretty sensitive subject matter right in front of her student?

Joy: "We need to do the right thing." Me: "You keep telling yourself you're a person who cares about that, Joy."

Joy used to do Ward's homework for him????

Like, what?

Seriously, what?

Was this supposed to be a cute exchange? Because my Asian American upbringing says it's NOT.

Joy: "In another life, this would have been romantic." Danny: "Gross, you're my sister."

"You and Ward, you're the only link to a life that I had. It kept me going under very difficult circumstances." ;___;

Joy talking about clinging to her dreams of Harold meeting her after school and holding her hand and smiling at her in her grief after he died is making me so miserable. To Joy, Harold means comfort.

Danny: *Starts talking about ghosts* Joy: Oh right, he's crazy.

Colleen: "You dishonor yourself when you fight for money."

Jeri, who has literally been mind-controlled, almost got murdered slowly and painfully, and brought a killer to her wife,

Young intern Jeri Hogarth calling the boss's secretary a "hatchet faced bitch" and then bribing said boss's 10yrs or younger kid not to tell is. Well. It sure is a thing.

I still want Danny inviting Jeri to Defenders friend group hangouts and Foggy and Marci both blanching. Jessica and Jeri can snark at each other and Danny can be like "You're friends too! I didn't know!! :D"

Honestly, I would have watched a whole show on the intricacies of classism issues, with the Elite like Jeri and the Meachums teaching Danny how to live and maneuver in that world and Colleen and the dojo and Big Al teaching Danny about the reality of life for the lower class, and our golden-hearted Danny in the center of it, consistently determined to do what's Right,

Joy: lol, isn't this such a fun, teasing, sibling-banter thing we do, me joking about how I'm going to close this deal and you would only endanger it?

Harold: punches trainer full in the face, then casually suggests weapons next time while the guy is still groaning on the ground

Is Gao terrorizing Harold and making him kneel on glass supposed to make me feel for Harold? No one deserves this but that doesn't make Harold magically not a monster.

Danny.... just taking over lecturing the class is not respectful to Darryl or Colleen either.

Danny: "What kind of soldier training is this? They're acting like kids!" Colleen: "That's the POINT! I am not training them to be soldiers, I am creating a safe space for them to be kids when they usually can't be in the rest of their lives." Danny's warped K'un Lun upbringing really shows here. It's heartbreaking to remember that Colleen isn't just some good samaritan either - that she was raised in a cult too and has her own warped upbringing viewpoints.

A line I need to appear in a Ward/Misty/Claire pov fic: "Colleen tends to seem normal because most of the time she's next to Danny. It's easy to forget that actually, she's completely batshit."

Colleen keeps throwing Danny out for bringing trouble to her doorstep and then not really fighting it when he sticks around anyway (Which: Danny. Danny, this is problematic behavior, Danny.) - it's when he becomes a danger to her students that she gets serious about it. Even if Danny wouldn't physically harm them again, he is now a drain on their mental health: he represents a potential danger, a reason to be constantly on guard, and a removal of their safe space.

Ward clearly has no idea what the heck Joy is doing. It's all very troubling and this family is so messed up.

The way Ward ever so slightly shakes his head at Joy as she bribes Patel with his nephew's actual life.

The blanket into snow is a great transition shot

Joy feels like Ward refuses to tell her things the same way Harold refuses to tell Ward things! But Ward doesn't actually have the ability to tell Joy anything because he doesn't know anything! Ugh!!

On Joy's desk: a photo of her and Ward toasting at some party. She also has a copy on her shelf at home.

Joy poured her blood sweat and tears into Rand. She's proud of it. To Ward, it's a prison.

Wait so their plan is that there's no record that Danny Rand ever existed? Like, besides. The city's collective memory? People know about Danny Rand, guys. You need to delete the ability to connect this adult man to Danny Rand, not young Danny's entire paper trail. I mean, anything linking them would be included in literally everything about Danny but still. Seems unnecessary and suspicious?? I know nothing about crime.

Jeri casually constantly reminding Danny that the Meachums are the corrupt villains of this story must be really messing with Danny's head. Not that she's wrong. Poor boy.

"Isn't it obvious!? I'm not your sister. He's not your brother. We don't want you here." brb crying forever

I have to appreciate that this fight moderator is actually trying to run a semi-safe tight ship behind the showmanship

"Cut the Floyd Mayweather shit." Floyd Mayweather: a former professional boxer, competed from 1996-2015. Often referred to as the best defensive boxer in history, as well as the most accurate puncher. Nicknamed "Pretty Boy" by his amateur teammates because his defensive technique left him with relatively few scars.

That whole Randy biting Colleen (breaking the rules about going too far laid out at the start of the fight) and then her climbing on top of him to keep on punching after he's down was really framed like one of those troubling "the hero loses control and it's bad" type scenes.

I am very curious about Jeri and the Meachums' history. Jeri and Ward snark at each other so much in this meeting. And they definitely seem amused while doing so. Also Joy was like "Hogarth" at Ward earlier, and Jeri described their relationship as "complicated" to Danny.

Ward slumps down in his seat so he's lower than anyone else in the room, despite probably being the tallest. This is probably meant as a show of dismissiveness: Danny's case is so insignificant that he doesn't need to respect them by sitting up straight - but it IS interesting, from a power dynamics in staging perspective.

Ward, who has a constant escape plan of stealing from his employees and running away with Joy, plus was literally talking about leaving and starting over with nothing earlier in this same episode: "It could have been easy. You could have taken the money and had a great life."

The elevator level can be controlled by the lobby man???

Another picture of presumably child Joy on Harold's desk, as a toddler this time. How many does he have?? This is cruel set dressing.

Harold playing on Ward's loyalty again. "I need you to help me. I don't have anyone else."

#iron fist #iron fist rewatch #the immortal iron fist #my stuff #rolling thunder cannon punch

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jeawrites · 4 years

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Requested by @flame-ravenz: Gorrilatoonz, Noglawrecker, Squirrelnoss, Terrorpanda, Mootoonz.

All five are listed under the cut- but I just wanna say these were really fun to think about and Terrorpanda and Mootoonz might be my two new favorite things ever.

Gorrilatoonz:

I’d rate it a solid 8/10! Their relationship is pretty solid, but I think I’d prefer them to keep plantonic in the long end- which if that was the case they’d be a 10/10.

Prompts; “We teamed up to mess with our friends and I’m just realizing how fun you are to be around” or; “You’ve been my online friend for years and I’m just learning we grew up in the same neighborhood.”

HCs;

Gorilla is a bit of a cuddler and Luke honestly doesn’t mind.

Gorilla is also kind of a smartass sometimes and Luke does mind that. Mostly because he thinks it’s sorta funny but he won’t admit it.

The two are the dads of their group and they won’t admit it.

Ohm thinks it's all fun and games until Del called him Grandma.

They like to go out to eat a lot! If they can’t go anytime else, saturday is a designated dinner day.

Sometimes Luke does little pranks to mess with Gorilla and he’ll do it right back which eventually leads to a war.

Noglawrecker:

Giving it a pure 7/10! The two sound like they’d be cute together and I could totally see a fuel to the fire dynamic going with them! Kinda happy about the idea of them anyways which is neat.

Prompts; “Person A is a hot head and Person B is the flame to the fire” Or; “I just fucked up and now my friend group is after me, can I crash with you?”

HCs;

Nogla has no clue what a filter is half the time, so he speaks genuinely from the heart and there’s nothing there to cover it up.

This means Ohm gets a lot of random compliments at some of the most random moments.

Nogla is taller by a bit, so Ohm gets leaned on a lot but it’s fine cause Ohm is a little clingier than you’d think.

Nogla doesn’t mind, actually, he enjoys the affection and welcomes it with open arms (litterally).

Ohm can sing really well! He,, hides it, but he enjoys singing softly if Nogla ever picks up his guitar (which it a rarity in itself).

Nogla loves the singing, he loves his voice, and he really just loves Ohm. And, Ohm loves him too!

Squirellnoss (It honestly took me a minute to register that this was squirrel and vanoss-):

I’d give it a 5/10. I can see the two getting along well and being general bastards to everyone around them with their own specialized senses of humor.

Prompts; “We both met because we were both planning the exact same joke on our friend and now we’re partners in crime” or; “I saw you try and do a backflip off a bench and now I’m going to be your best friend.”

HCs;

Squirrel is a lil more childish than Evan, but Evan loves the enthusiasm!

Sometimes it is a bit much though and he needs a break, but Squirrel respects that too and gives him time to himself, or they just spend a quiet day together!

It doesn’t take long for them to get chaotic again though.

Delirious was actually dreading the day they’d meet and now he sleeps with one eye open.

The guys have all met a similar fate.

Evan likes to go on park dates sometimes and it’s probably Squirrels favorite time because Evan is really pretty in contrast to nature.

Also he loves climbing trees with him and just watching the day go by.

TerrorPanda (TERRORPANDATERRORPANDATERRORPANDA-):

Ohmygod they are cute to think about and I love them. 9/10!! Gosh, their dynamic would be just the best, they’d probably be a really fun couple!

Prompts; “Person A is a confident asshole and Person B is their emotional support human” or; “You looked so confident in front of all those people but you’re actually super awkward and nerdy and I’m the only one who knows.”

HCs;

Dudes. They are the ideal “Hold my flower” “Kick their ass baby I got your flower!” couple.

Brian looks all confident and sometimes he comes off as an asshole.

Their group knows he’s joking of course, and Anthony actually kind of thinks its funny.

It’s entertaining to him watching this dork of a man go from “(nerd talk)” to “WHAT DID YE SAY YE BITCH” in two seconds flat.

They both info dump to each other. Anthony enjoys talking about pokemon and anime and so on so forth, while Brian enjoys talking about science and superheroes and yada yada!

It’s actually really heartwarming to them both that they can do this, even setting aside an hour everyday just so they can talk.

Anthony is,,, teddy bear. Brian has never experienced true warmth until Anthony- and Brian get’s sunburnt easily.

On that note, he’s pretty sure he’s gotten sunburn just from seeing Anthony smile.

MooToonz:

Honestly? I’ve thought about this one once! 7/10! Moo and Toonz would play off each other pretty well, and I think they’d both be in good company with each other!

Prompts; “Person A is an angel and person B is a demon- literal or not- and they become unlikely friends” Or; “I noticed you have a cat and I really like cats, so if you don’t mind can I pet and potentially steal your cat.”

HCs;

Brock really, honest to god, wasn’t expecting Luke to ever ask him out.

It was like the last thing he ever expected, and he wasn’t even sure what to say when Luke offered him dinner.

And, it was the best accidental “uhhuh” he’s ever done.

He absolutely loves everything about Luke, and the two have a strong belief in family that they really bond over.

Brock did, in fact, try to steal Luke’s cat. He just,, loves her.

Luke’s convinced that cat wants to be stollen because she’ll jump infront of Brock right before he leaves.

“She just loves me”

“And? I love you too, doesn’t mean I wanna be kidnapped.”

That’s the first time that Luke told Brock he loved him and Brock almost cried.

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cruddyborderlandstheories · 5 years

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Fl4k Fl4k Fl4k Fl4k Fl-

i didn’t die i just fell in love with that skill tree creator and have done nothing for the past few days but make skill trees and sleep for 3 hour intervals. im very excited for the gameplay on Wednesday but oh man oh me oh my i gotta catch up on a lot of posts lol

tl;dr: Fl4k is a badass. Stop misgendering them or I’ll show up at your home at 3am local time every time and then eat your spine. Bonus: Mr. Chew being an ‘Eridian skag’ is probably due to some funky mutation from eridium/slag/eridian stuff. Kinda like how Threshers have the ability to make singularities because they are native to Elpis, which is a big ol’ Eridian base (which i totally addressed in this post lol). I also gave my opinion on Fl4k’s skills in general, if you’re interested in that. Overall, a very awesome trailer! Definitely lived up to the hype.

i said it before, this trailer was one of the best ones. definitely #2 for me, Zane is still at #1 because i actually laughed during it. the music in this one is definitely the best out of all 4 tho. seems like they’re all variations of the same song, i like this one best. I need this soundtrack sooo bad.

also i know probably no one else following this blog watches one piece but like

that first footstep with the studded boot and the sound effect immediately flung me back to katakuri. god katakuri was a badass. i was so excited to see that fight animated.

mr chew spinning around is my favorite thing ever. i love that you can tell the personality of the pets just from watching the intro.

i know fl4k is like a real badass in this trailer, but i get the feeling they’re going to end up being at least a little soft for their pets. i mean... they have stuffed animals of them ffs.

so... we’re near Sanctuary-III in this trailer? I gotta keep my eye out then. i also want to see if that one claptrap area guess i had is correct or not... this looks like an entryway for the garage so im guessing i wasn’t, but let’s seeeee

there is a raised bit up and to the left

also im wondering if this means we’re going to have to rescue ellie from the CoV.

hmmmmmmmm

hmmmmm i don’t think the signs match up.

mr chew is the goodest boy. im so glad we can pet/interact with him!! i want to know what the names of the other pets are

also, a bit off topic but

i could have sworn fl4k’s jabber was cryo/shock. it was blue, wasn’t it? i wonder if they changed it or if it’s skill upgrades change its color. i thought the upgrades just gave it better guns.

yeah it was! i guess possibly upgrading it with the guns gives it a new color scheme? maybe? this could be the gunslinger upgrade!

it looks like their jabber went through the most design changes out of all of the pets. that or this is yet another upgrade (since each pet has 3 states). maybe this is the beefcake version.

‘bitch’. i love how expressive fl4k is with just the eye. very well done.

ohhh you know what that building is in the back?

[we’re near the intro to the game!]*

and tbh i don’t think this place has the building for Ellie’s Scrap in it... i don’t see it anywhere. maybe this is the actual scrapyard and the building is on the other side?

not quite sure tbh. but at least we know this place may also be near sanc-iii, just maybe not the same area as the actual Ellie’s Scrap.

i mean... there IS a shitload of cars everywhere. i wouldn’t surprised if it’s near her garage cause it looks like a scrapyard.

but also where in the fuck are all these ‘normal’ looking cars coming from?? it’s not like we see them being used on pandora. all the ones we see in bl1/2 are clearly dilapidated and rusting. big thonk. at least the vans/busses kinda make sense.

oh yeah that is definitely the same building. [it’s the recruitment center!]*

this scene with the rakk is my favorite out of all the trailers. so fuckin cool

i do hope the jabber goes back to being blue at some point. i like the red design too, don’t get me wrong, but i much prefer the glowy blue. it’s my favorite color and you guys know i love glowing things 👀

<Huge Selection!!!> lol

cat/doggo/monkey. mr chew is my favorite pet but i love the jabber panting like a dog lol

i never knew this is where spiderant mouths were

i always assumed they were below that... f r e a k y

“he likes to chase cars”

fl4k probably took them to the scrapyard for this exact reason ngl. fl4k being a big softie to their pets confirmed

(also, notice how fl4k uses ‘he’ for mr chew. it’s almost as if they understand the concept of gender, chose their own pronouns, and your argument that they only are nonbinary only because they “don’t understand yet” is invalid! Fl4k is canonically nonbinary and uses they/them/theirs pronouns as confirmed by both SungWon Cho and their in-game skills.

Now that you know, use they/them/theirs for Fl4k or get off my blog. Because by not doing so, you are disrespecting the devs’ wishes for this character AND the nonbinary people who find representation in them and I won’t support that. if you feel like arguing your reasons to purposefully misgender them even after knowing this, please DM me so I can block you. thanks!

For those of you out there actually making an effort: mistakes happen, especially if Fl4k is the first NB person you’ve learned about. Just make sure to correct yourself then move on, and we’re okay. Everyone has to learn sometime and it’s better to put in the effort than not care at all. It will become second nature.)

Fl4k is such a badass, they really are way different than i expected (personality-wise), but i am not complaining. gearbox knows me better than i know myself, so i know i’m going to end up loving Fl4k anyway. ProZD did such a fantastic job, i honestly did not recognize him at first! i can tell with certain words now, but wow i am blown away.

i hope we’re able to climb that bird’s nest lookin’ thing in the back. it would be perfect for sniping and/or placing ur clone for maximum coverage.

seriously, what a badass.

idk i feel obligated to give my opinions of Fl4k over here since they were recently released. I am digging them 100%, tho i was kinda surprised (not in a bad way) they’re not as... i guess soft as i was expecting from their character design with the plushes and the face on the backpack and the smiley face pin, but i imagine that’s different when they’re interacting with their pets. im super curious to see how this VH group’s dynamic is going to go.

mechanically, their skills seem perfect for people who loved sniper Zer0 and in general Mordecai, with a splash of Salvador tossed in for good luck. I am a dirty melee Zer0 main and i prefered Phasewalking over Bloodwing (altho i still play mordy bc he’s best bl1 VH) so, while I am definitely going to give Fl4k a go, they’re not my main bl3 Vault Hunter, that’s reserved for Zane and his lovely ability to befuddle enemies and run around. Funnily enough, I’m not even a fan of pet classes, so Fl4k being second in my play order is pretty funny. Tho, yeah, Amara being last is also pretty weird. I guess I don’t necessarily enjoy melee, I just enjoy messing with the bad guys lol

ohh, also, I am most interested in the upgrade for mr. chew that gives him the ability to create singularities and is called ‘Eridian Skag’.

so I’m not saying my theory that the threshers on the moon were connected to Eridians was right, I’m just saying they’re the only form of wildlife we know that has a singularity ability (outside of Mr. Chew, apparently).

im just saying gearbox, you should hire me to write your deep lore for you cause i’d do it for free

im wondering if we’ll be seeing skags with wormhole abilities in bl3. maybe the constant exposure to slag is starting to mutate them further beyond just elemental bonuses (on badass skags). We know Maya’s phaselock has a singularity ability (so does Amara’s phasegrasp), and that is sorta ‘occurring naturally’ (you know, as natural as siren powers can get) unlike the singularity grenades we encounter which use our known technology. plus, uh, whatever happened to the destroyer’s eye in TPS that made it create a singularity/wormhole by injecting it with a fuckload of slag. that probably has something to do with this as well.

but geez i really hope mr. chew is okay with being all slag/eridium-ed up. i guess being badass elemental skags doesn’t appear to hurt them, just make them more powerful, unlike humans. maybe that has something to do with sentience, if slag/eridium/eridian stuff actually is driving bandits crazy. could explain why/if the jabber doesn’t get an element like the skag (eridian skag) and spiderant (fire) do, since they’re described as semi-sentient...

anyway.

Fl4k is cool. Definitely a neat trailer- my second favorite for sure- and the skill tree drop blew me away because i was not expecting it. im expecting a lot of Fl4k mains in the first few weeks of gameplay because they look like a lot of fun!

EDIT: i was wrong, in the newest IGN vid, it turns out we ARE near the recruitment center, because that IS the recruitment center

they gave them little orange flags! good to know!!

#fl4k #borderlands #bl3 #borderlands 3 #fl4k is nonbinary #fl4k uses they/them/their pronouns

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phantoms-lair · 6 years

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Reunions Part 3

Previously on Fangs "So seriously, how did Shaggy get that summer job?"

They had all gotten in Shaggy's jeep and were heading back to his house, Winnie and her Mom in the back with Scooby. They were holding off any of the more important conversation until the whole pack was there (no matter how much Shaggy hated that term). But this was something that had deeply bothered Velma since she'd first heard of Grimwoods. "You need a ton of accreditations to work with children, much less be a teacher. Shaggy hasn't even graduated High School. How on Earth was he even offered that job, much less allowed to accept it?"

(More Under Cut)

Selena smiled sadly. "In communities and jobs that are entirely run by monsters, you'll finds standards like accreditation are a lot lower. There are far fewer of us than humans, and many of our kind have difficulties attending colleges and universities without being discovered."

"Told you,"

"She said difficult, not impossible." Both Velma and Shaggy's tones were of an well-worn argument, one neither side had won. Shaggy understood that for Velma the idea of not pursuing higher education was anathema. But there seemed very little point to him. Dorms were flat out, and even at a commuter college he'd have a hard time not having any night courses. And any night course came with possible full moon complications. And it wasn't like he had any great academic dreams to begin with. It just seemed like a lot of risk for something he wouldn't get anything out of.

Needless to say, Velma disagreed. To her, college was the first step to a successful future. The idea that he was giving up on it so easily seemed to her like he was giving up on having a future. She'd asked him about alternate plans but he'd only shrugged. No dreams, no ambitions. And she wished dearly that she'd asked Shaggy about these things before. Maybe he hadn't ever had any, but what if he had? What if, like when they'd initially brought up the topic of children during his breakdown a few months ago, it was something he'd just let go of because he thought it wasn't feasible with his lycanthropy? She could help him work things out, if only she knew what it was he wanted.

Once again, Selena regretted bringing Winnie with her. Coach-Shaggy was not okay, not in the slightest, and she could kick herself for ever thinking he was. She knew werewolves didn't do well isolated completely from other werewolves, she knew he hadn't had contact with any, but she - like the rest of the community- just assumed nothing was wrong.

There seemed to be a cloud over him, and judging by the concerned looks Winnie was giving him, it hadn't been there before.

The rest of the trip passed in relative, uncomfortable silence . When they reached their destination, there was another, more colorful, vehicle with two other teenagers waiting. Selena was comforted by the fact that they immediately embraced their friend. Touch was an important thing for werewolves, and it was good to see he was getting that from all his friends.

"Can we go in now?' Winnie all but whined. "I really want to turn back, being human is weird."

The newcomers shared a look, obviously this was an odd sentiment to them, but without further ado they entered the house. Selena was once again pleased to find all their scents were strong there, indicating they spent a lot of time with their packmate. But something was niggling at the back of her mind. Something was wrong.

Once she cleared the door, Winnie immediately shifted into her true form, resembling how she looked back when Shaggy worked at Grimwood, albeit a bit taller.

Selena noticed the slight surprise on all three humans. Perhaps it was the voluntarily shifting? Shaggy had seemed troubled by it.

“Is it normally that quiet?” the redhead - Daphne if she recalled - asked softly.

“Quiet?” Selena cocked her head.

“When Shaggy changes it’s ...auditory.” Velma tried to explain. She didn’t want to explain what the wet cracks and pops sounded like, not when there was a girl Sugie’s age there. “Very loudly so.”

Winnie looked to her Mom for answers but Selena just shook her head. “Myself and my family have never had that happen. It might be a primogenitor thing. I’ll try to look into it.” She promised. It might help if she could see or rather hear what they were talking about, but she didn’t know if it was a good idea.

They all settled in the living room, in an uneasy quiet. Selena knew she had questions, and she was sure the kids did as well, but no one seemed willing to make the first move.

It was Velma that broke the ice. “I guess we should address the elephant in the room. Is there anyway to undo this whole Primogenitor thing and get Shaggy back to normal?”

“Why would he want that?” Winnie asked. None of this made sense to her. “Being a werewolf is the best!”

“Winnie, it’s…” Shaggy held out his arms and she climbed into his lap. It wouldn’t be something he’d do with a human girl her age, but he’d learned during his summer at Grimwood’s just how important physical contact was to young werewolves. “Imagine if Revolta cast a spell that turned you into a vampire. Would you be happy?”

“Of course not!” Winnie protested. She’d just told him being a werewolf was best.

“But being a vampire isn’t a bad thing is it?” Velma was careful to keep a neutral expression as Shaggy said that. “You could turn into a bat and fly. That’s something you couldn’t do as a werewolf.”’

“Being a vampire isn’t bad.” Sibella was a vampire after all. “But I don’t want to be one. I’m a werewolf.That’s who I am.”

“Exactly. Sibella is happy being a vampire because that’s who she is. Being a werewolf is who you are. And being human is who I am.” Shaggy explained. “It’s not that being a werewolf is bad, but it’s not me. And I want to be who I am.”

“But you are you. You’re Coach!”

“I don’t feel like me any more.” The words were out of his mouth before he realized it. Winnie found herself caught up in a giant hug as all of Coach’s friends, human and canine suddenly embraced their friend.

Winnie joined in the hug of course, but her confusion was starting to give way to fear. And a quick glance at her mother showed the same worry on her face. That meant Winnie probably wasn’t imagining it.

“Coach Rogers,” Selena’s voice was hesitant. “When is your family coming home?” There had been no other cars in the drive when they’d arrived, besides the one Fred and Daphne had come in. “I think they should be here for this.” The feeling of something not being right came back full force. Shaggy had admitted to not being fully grown and this was his family’s house. Surely the scent of said family should have been at least as strong as that of his friends, but it it hadn’t been.

“Like it’s gonna be a while,” Shaggy shrugged, at least as well as he could with all his friends attached. “Pop’s next leave is in a few months. And I don’t think Mom and Sugie are going to visit till Thanksgiving.”

“You’re here alone.” The words tasted like dust in Selena’s mouth, her worst fear confirmed.

Winnie latched onto him even tighter. “W-Why? Why would they l-leave you?”

“It’s not like they abandoned me, kiddo,” Shaggy ruffled her hair. “Dad’s a soldier, it’s part of his job. And Mom gave me a choice when she got transferred; I wanted to stay with my friends for my last year of high school. And I’m not alone, I’ve got Scoob!” Yes he half wished his family was still here (only half, he still wasn’t sure how he’d explain the whole werewolf thing to them), but it wasn’t like he’d been left in the dust.

“It’s not good.” Selena’s tone was grim. “I suppose that was one of the things we wanted to discuss. The main reason Winnie and I came was to help you adjust to being a werewolf, and that is one of the big differences. I know it’s common among humans and various other races to move out as soon as their schooling is complete-”

“Really?” Winnie sounded shocked.

“But for werewolves, well— Humans and wolves are both social beings, and werewolves only magnify that trait. It’s not uncommon for one home to hold multiple generations of adult werewolves. A werewolf leaving their family home to start a new family is a slow process in acclimation. We had to do it with Winnie before Grimwoods. Even if you were alright with it before, it’s not good.”

“You can stay with me,” Daphne said without hesitation. “We’ve got so many guest bedrooms it would be a month before anyone realized you and Scooby were there.”

“And we can certainly have more of our full-moon sleepovers.” Fred added. “This time with more sleep.”

“You found a good pack, even if it is a human one,” Selena noted. “Most men wouldn’t be happy with their girlfriend offering to have another male to live with her.”

Just like when she had brought up Coach Rogers no longer being human, Selena instantly felt she had said the wrong thing. Both Fred and Daphne immediately stiffened and began stammering denials.

“They think they’re being secretive about it.” Velma explained dryly. Shaggy nodded in agreement.

That cut both of them off immediately. “You knew?” Daphne ventured.

“Almost the whole time. I figured it out when Fred rearranged the ‘splitting up’ so he was never alone with you anymore. He didn’t want to be distracted on a case, so made sure there was a ‘chaperone’ so to speak.” Velma explained.

“You guys smell like each other,” was Shaggy’s simple addition. “Usually the way Velms and my scents mix after we’ve been cuddling. Dunno why you didn’t want to say anything, but we figured it was your business.”

“We didn’t want to mess with the group dynamic.” Fred explained. “And we figured if we were doing well enough to keep it a secret, then obviously we weren’t messing with it.”

“We realized we probably could have said something after you two got together, but we still didn’t want to risk the group splitting into two couples rather than four friends,” Daphne finished. “Wolf terminology or not, we’ve always been a pack. And that’s more important than anything,”

No wonder he had made it. Selena had never thought she’d see the days humans truly grasped the concept of pack, much less done it as instinctively as any werewolf. But from what it sounded like they had been operating that way since long before the Moon chose their friend. She remembered the euphoria of when she first fell for Wulfric. She could barely imagine keeping it hidden, but Daphne and Fred had done so without thinking. Likewise when the other two had realized they were keeping a secret, they simply trusted them, no questions asked. And that was the reason Winnie’s favorite coach was still alive.

She wasn’t looking forward to explaining that, but it was necessary. Winnie already knew, so there was no need to shelter her daughter, and Shaggy Rogers was still at risk. What she’d seen earlier showed that much.

“I would recommend taking her up on her offer, or having your pack stay with you more.” Selena advised. “The downside of our more social nature is that loneliness and isolation are serious problems. No wolf is without a pack, and while packs can contain other species, you never find one without at least a second werewolf. It causes a condition called ‘Lone Wolf Syndrome’.”

Winnie shuddered and Shaggy hugged her comfortingly. “Like, what’s that?”

“It’s a depressive state. The early signs are melancholy and a feeling of loss of identity.”

“Why loss of identity?” Velma asked. She held on to Shaggy tighter and noticed Fred and Daphne doing the same. They had thought Shaggy was just having trouble adjusting, and what a thing to adjust to, after all. But that description sounded eerily familiar.

“Because your pack’s a part of you, an important part.” Winnie answered. “A really important part. Losing it’s like losing a part of your soul.”

“Next the werewolf enters a permanent depressive state. They stop taking care of themself, then stop talking, stop eating, and then they just stop.” There was very real fear in Selena’s voice. To a werewolf this was the worst fate imaginable.

“There’s a cure, right?” Velma said with a bit of desperation in her voice. “Some way to treat it?”

“There is, provided the condition is caught in time. Love.”

Velma’s eyes narrowed. “That sounds like something out of a story book.” If Shaggy was in danger, she didn’t have time for nonsense.

“It does,” Selena agreed. “But I promise this is no platitude. LWS is caused by feelings of isolation and being disconnected. The best counter is to show the person that they’re not alone, that there are still those who love and care for them.”

“You said a pack always had to have at least two werewolves, why is that?” Fred asked.

“Because feeling you’re different from everyone you care about is a terrible thing.” Daphne hadn’t needed an explanation for that. They’d been seeing they real life version, after all.

“Shag-”

“No! We talked about this, Fred.” Shaggy’s tone was firm.

“No, actually you said you didn’t want to talk about it and shut the conversation down.” Fred reminded him of the last time they had brought the matter up. “And at this point, I think it’s more important than ever. If you are in early stages of this lone wolf thingamabob, than it isn’t a matter of just waiting till you adjust to things or hoping it goes away.”

“I won’t, I can’t do that to you, man.” Shaggy’s tone was resolute.

“And the only thing worse than losing your pack is feeling you're actively hurting it.” Selena sighed. This would have been so much easier if they had gotten to him before things had settled. Introduced a mentor and had him integrate into their pack as Shaggy’s instincts settled. Now it was Catch 22. Without a werewolf in his pack, Shaggy was almost certainly going to continue on a slow descent into LWS. But forcing him to turn one of his friends would only accelerate the breakdown. And having someone else turn one of them would firmly set Shaggy not only against the biter, but possibly against their society as a whole, seeing it as a blatant attack on his pack.

And introducing a new werewolf into the pack now would be nigh impossible. Not with the amount of fear and distrust he had towards monsters. He was still somewhat guarded around her and she could only imagine how he’d react to an unknown werewolf without Winnie as a barrie-

Winnie!

“I may have an idea that might help,” Selena said slowly. “At least if you don’t mind watching over Winnie every so often during the break between terms?”

“Like, not at all,” Shaggy answered easily. After all the traveling he had done last summer, he was taking it a bit easier this one. “We do take day trips out of town, so we should probably schedule around those….”

“And I get to teach Coach about being a werewolf!” Winnie cheered.

“And get him used to being around other werewolves.” Selena clarified. She fixed Shaggy with a stern look that had him shrinking in the couch a bit. “I want to be clear, this is a temporary solution. After the break Winnie will be going back to Grimwood’s, at which point you’ll need to move forward on your own. Whether it’s by turning someone or just being comfortable spending a significant amount of time around other werewolves is up to you. But I feel safe saying I speak for everyone else in this room when I say none of us want to see you suffer the consequences of continuing on like this.

His friends didn't say anything, but the way they all moved closer to him, a hand on his shoulder, a squeeze on his arm, told him they were one hundred percent behind what Selena said. Drat.

“I think it’s time for Winnie and I to get on home.”

“But Moooooom,” Winnie gave her a full on pout.

“We’ve given them enough to think about, dear. And we’ll be back soon. Is two days alright?” The last part was aimed at the group of teens.

“That will be fine,” Daphne smiled at her, but Selena could see the worry through the smile. “I’m sure Winnie will have lots of fun when she’s with us.”

Selena got up to pick up her daughter. Almost instinctively Shaggy flinched back, at the same time wrapping his arms around Winnie to protect her. Both actions rekindled the anger she felt at her husband, for helping put the fear there in the first place and all the more because he was someone who, even in his fear, tried to protect her daughter.

Winnie gave her favorite coach a hug, not realizing the one he was giving her had been protective, before jumping off his lap. “See ya soon, Coach!”

“See you.” Shaggy said a little weakly.

Selena than pulled a business card from her pocket and handed it to Velma. “This has my number. If you have any more questions, call me at any time.”

Velma took the card. “Spell Analyst?”

“Uh-huh!” Winnie said in the tone of a proud child. “Mom’s job is really cool. She looks at old spells, curses, and magic items and figures out how they work and what they do.”

Velma smiled. “That is really cool.” And it answered one other question she had wondered, but hadn’t thought of a tactful way to ask. Namely what monsters did for a living if they had trouble getting what was considered standard schooling and education for humans. Apparently they had a whole separate employment market.

After the other two werewolves had left, it was tense for a moment. Shaggy finally broke the silence with “I won’t do it.”

“And we’re not going to let you die.” Velma hissed, leaning into his shoulder and squeezing him harder.

“I’m not going to-” Shaggy started, but was cut off by Daphne.

“You’ve been getting worse,” Daphne told him bluntly. “It used to be you only got melancholy around the full moon, but it’s been lasting longer and longer. You heard what she said, Shaggy. She was scared for you. Winnie was scared for you. And so are we. There is nothing about being a werewolf that could be worse than the thought of losing you.”

“I’m not asking you to do it today. Not even tomorrow.” Fred said. “But if push comes to shove. If it’s after Winnie’s gone back to school and you’re still getting worse, I’ll ask Selena to bite me.”

“No!” Something deep in Shaggy, deeper than just his fear of ruining his friends lives, rejected the idea. “You..you can’t! You-”

“Last resort,” Fred assured. “I’d really rather not, but if that’s what it takes to keep you alive, I will.”

Velma kissed Shaggy’s cheek. “We’ll work with Winnie. If we can get you feeling safe enough you can comfortably spend some time with Selena or other werewolves we won’t have to go that far. She seems a lot nicer than you said her husband was.”

“Like, true,” Shaggy admitted. She hadn’t threatened him at all. She’d even given him a number to call if he needed help. He was still afraid. But if conquering that fear meant he could stop his friends from doing something so stupid, he could.

Selena sighed as she walked in the door, changing back to her preferred werewolf state. She knew she had only scratched the surface of the problem. They haven’t even touched what Rastaban had done to him. But from the anger in Velma’s voice she knew it hadn’t been anything good. The younger Dracula brother had always seemed a bit unhinged to her, but if he had actually targeted a werewolf Eltanin’s influence wouldn't save him. (And Selena wasn’t a hundred percent sure he’d even try. Neither of the Dracula Brothers were fond of the other.)

“Mom, can I go to Sibella’s?” Winnie asked quietly. “I need to tell her we found Coach.”

Selena weighed the option in her head. As much as she wanted to spend more time with her daughter, it was probably for the best. For one thing, the other students were monsters Shaggy felt safe around, so the more ties reestablished there, the better. In addition she intended to have strong words with Wulfric and she didn’t need little ears listening in. “Certainly, just be back by dinner.”

“Thanks Mom.” Winnie hugged her Mom perhaps a little longer than she meant to. “Love you.”

“Love you too, cub.” Selena squeezed her daughter as she let her go. She then steadied herself. It was rare for werewolf couples to fight. Disagree yes, everyone disagreed on some things. But going into a straight up argument was unusual, and very serious.

It was a strange feeling leading up to the confrontation. There was a bit of fear, not of her husband but of discord in the pack. But there was also anger and it was more than enough to pull her through.

Wulfric was reading the Transylvania Times. That was good. He’d be distracted. “I’m home,”

“By yourself?” Wulfric asked absently.

The legendary Talbain hearing didn’t matter for much if you weren’t paying attention, it seemed. “Winnie wanted to tell Cybella about our day.”

Wulfric made a disappointed wuffling noise. “She sees her all the time at school. I was hoping to hear how she’s been doing.”

“She’ll be home by dinner, but mostly it’s going well. As usual the new gym coach isn’t measuring up.”

Wulfric immediately buried his face back in the newspaper. Before she would have assumed he was just tired of the topic. Now she knew better. “Strange, isn’t it, how he left after such a good term?”

“He’s human, they’re flakey.” Wulfric grumbled. Oh, this was definitely getting under his skin. Good.

“Really? I thought it might be more likely it was the five adult monsters threatening him.” Selena kept her tone almost conversational, though the undercurrent of anger was certainly there.

The newspaper crinkling was the only sound she got in response. She could feel her husband fighting the simultaneous urge to deny it and ask how she knew. Well, she certainly wasn’t giving him the chance to deny. “We found him today, Wulfric. And his first reaction was to try and get his girlfriend and dog to leave so I wouldn’t hurt them too.”

Wulfric snorted. “See, just like a human. Always assumes the worst.”

“It’s not hard to assume when every adult monster you’ve met short of Gloria Grimwood, who looks human anyway, has either threatened or inflicted violence on your person.” Selena angrily shot back. She still didn’t know which of those applied to Rastaban.

“If he hurt Winnie. He had no reason to worry otherwise.” Wulfric snarled back.

“No, your words were ‘if anything happened’ to Winnie. Revolta happened, and he wasn’t able to prevent it. It didn’t matter that he saved her, it still happened.”

“And if that was enough to scared him off, they’re better off without him. I don’t know why you’re so upset over a a dumb human.”

“Because he risked his life to save our daughter and her friends!” Selena’s teeth were fully bared as she snarled back at her husband. “Because he was a good teacher and helped all his students! Because he’s a cub not full grown! Because he’s the new Primogenitor and he’s scared of werewolves, including himself. Because he’s in the beginning stage of LWS and if I don’t find someway to fix the mess you helped cause, he could very easily die, you racist bastard!”

That certainly knocked the wind of of Wulfric’s sails. Selena almost wished she could take some vindictive pleasure from watching him gape in surprise. But she couldn’t. She hadn’t realized how furious she was until the floodgates opened.

“I didn’t know, Lena. How could I have known he’d be chosen?” Wulfric pleaded.

“That’s not even the point.” Selena took a deep breath, calming herself as much as possible. “Wulfric, there are no words for how angry and disappointed I am in you over the fact that if the Moon hadn’t chosen him, you wouldn’t care. Even after he saved our Winnie. It’s going to take a lot of work to get him stable.”

“Right, we need to get him away from those humans and-”

“He will die.” Selena’s tone brooked no argument. “His human friend are as true as any pack and if you take him away from them, he won’t be borderline LWS anymore. Of course they would try to get him back. If you keep them from him, he’ll be gone within a week. If they succeed, he’ll go more slowly, bolstered by their care, but firm in the belief that monsters are untrustworthy and being one himself his pack would be better off without him. You know how that would end.”

“Now, Wulfric. I am going to help that boy. Winnie is too. And you are to stay away from him and his friends or so help me-” She wasn’t sure what she would do. But Wulfric would regret it. “And you are on the sofa until further notice.”

Wulfric put his ears back, accepting what he had to not to bring further discord to the pack. He may not have have understood his wife’s defense of humans, but he knew he had brought harm to a young werewolf and that was bad enough for him to capitulate completely. “So how are you going to help him?”

“I don’t know yet.” Selena admitted. “For now Winnie is getting him used to the presence of other werewolves and I’m going to hopefully be a source of information and eventually get him to trust me. I hope it doesn’t take too long. And who knows what Rastaban did to him.”

This was going to be hard and delicate work. But she owed him a debt and no matter what she would pay it off.

“All our Dads?” Tanis asked in dismay.

“Yeah. Mom’s not a Talbain by blood, so she always forgets how good our hearing is.” Winnie explained. “I heard everything Coach and her said.”

“Are you sure he had the early signs of Lone Wolf Syndrome?” Sibella asked, concerned. As she had been involved in the multi-month process of making sure Winnie didn’t have any problems when she left her parents for Grimwoods she had been well versed on the condition so she’d be aware if Winnie started showing symptoms.

“Pretty sure, Mom thought so too. So we have to help him.” Winnie looked completely dejected.

“What can we do?” Elsa asked. “If Coach is in trouble, we have to help.”

“We need to let him know he’s still cared for. Maybe find his family so he can get them to help too.” Winnie still had trouble believing his family had just left him and Scooby behind.

“Maybe we should all come with you?” Fanty suggested, “Give him a spirited greeting.”

“That’s a great ide- no, nevermind. I think his home might be warded against vampires, so Sibella couldn’t come. Something about Rastaban Dracula.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know much about him except there’s some bad blood between him and Daddy. He’s completely batty. Daddy’s made sure I was never allowed near him.”

“Maybe we could write letters?.” Tanis suggested. “We could write about how much he meant to us and how much we miss him and you can bring them with you when you go visit him.”

“That’s a fangtastic idea,” Sibella clapped her hands. “And we can ask him when would be a good time to visit him so we don’t have to worry about surprises with the wards.”

“Coach saved us,” Tanis said, her small voice determined. “This time, we’re going to save him!”

#Fangs For Being There #Sorry this took so long #Ghost Writing

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