#but just...a willingness to go along with pretty words someone genuinely believes

[utilitycaster]

I can't say if Imogen is representative of how the exaltant Ruidusborn are with regards to how her powers have changed her conception of hypocrisy, but if she is, that puts the Vanguard in an interesting light. That's been the ongoing problem with the ongoing debates about the gods within the party - ultimately, every argument for unleashing Predathos has been a purely ideological one without a strong basis in reality. It's either been a straight up "well, I didn't like how the hospital is run so we should let a horse into it," or a lot of baseless wank about the gods and free will that can be twisted to always back up what you were going to do anyway (which in turn is a really strong point towards free will, but that's besides the point).

Imogen is so focused about whether thoughts and inclinations are good or bad that she neglects the reality of situations. It's in interesting contrast to the conversation we have this episode, in which Bells Hells (once again, but you know, with feeling) comes down on the side of "the gods are really besides the point to what's going on vis-a-vis denying people free will and causing harm to them". And I wonder if the exaltants, at least, among the Vanguard, struggled with that argument in the the same way Imogen does - if they've spent so long thinking of people as a collection of their worst thoughts that they ignore all the actions. It would be a happy accident, but it would explain a lot about how Ludinus got in such a foothold with them.

#critical role #critical role spoilers #i mean there's also the exploitation of people's pain and frustration as we saw with bor'dor #but even that relied on like...well. sorcerer mentality. #but just...a willingness to go along with pretty words someone genuinely believes #at the cost of the lives of anyone more fumbling and awkward #tbh this is why psionics are rough.

[egg-emperor]

WHAT DID I FUCKING SAY Y'ALL????

Eggman isn't the overly physically affectionate gushing and throwing arms around people type, it doesn't suit his demeanor and behavior and I'm glad to see that hasn't been suddenly forced with Sage. And that's even aside the way she's still actually not a physical being in the way she's a digital program so he'd surely just phase through her anyway since I'm pretty sure there isn't a solid physical sense of touch actually going on here between them, but again that's besides the point anyway-

This isn't over the top and uncomfortable OOC like in fanon. I like how it's a subtle and small gesture, with him extending his arm with hand out to her but looking away and forward. He's quiet, solemn, and reserved. His demeanor and body language is very important. He takes a breath that seems like a "sigh well, here goes" kind of way then mumbles it, not much, just small words of praise towards her doing the very things he created and praised her for before- doing what he wants her to and serving her purpose as his protector like she protected him in the fight, and calling her his daughter also has the same effect in encouraging her and he knows it, as well as how it's appealing to him for his pride as he said in the memo.

Also wow his bear paws are so fucking big do you see what I'm saying god damn lol I wanna hold them so bad too ahhgufdbkgshj 🥰 Speaking of, this is literally exactly how I imagine such gestures with him in my self sh!pp!ng too and I think anything different would be OOC, this is the way that works in any form I think

It's very important to acknowledge that he's not shy at all, that's the last word to describe him. He has the highest self esteem, self love, and confidence and it's all genuine. It's just that hyper affectionate super warm and mushy gushy-ness, be it through feelings, words, or actions isn't his thing. The most he's ever going to hype someone up close to it is in a performative manipulative way to urge them to continue doing what pleases him, and he forces it in some cases more than others, you get varying degrees.

But I like how it's on the more subtle side here a lot because it's even more telling of his true character. When he's acting like this it aligns with that reasoning again but with a new look at his style of showing it in a physical subtle manner, with his behavior being similar to the scene where she saved him in Cyber Space and said he was proud of her for it- only it was only through words then. We've now seen how he can show this verbally and physically and I like it a lot, it's the only way this can work and they did it. This is the best outcome.

Let me elaborate further; I truly believe that he doesn't know how to feel the typical conventional idea of "love" for anyone but himself because he is the biggest egotist and narcissist in all of existence and is extremely selfish and y'all seem to be forgetting what that entails for his behavior and personality feelings, and mindset with his self absorption and low empathy. There are no sudden exceptions to this, Sage is literally just another perfect example of it, nothing has changed with him.

The only way he can value anyone that isn't himself is in what they can do for him, what's in it for him is always his mindset, so it's the same thing of self praising, self serving, and self-centered, just being served through another person appealing to that through serving him, agreeing with his outlook, and having a willingness to serve and good use to him. And guess what? That's still the exact reasoning behind it with Sage. This is known and true in the prequel comic, memos, and Flynn's words and hasn't changed.

And why wouldn't he be pleased with her for this and praise her for it when it goes along the exact lines of that?

It's in character because Sage is the one giving some thing to him, protecting him, serving him, and showing loyalty, support, and respect for his desires. She does exactly what he wants as she's created for and is genuinely willing and enthusiastic about it unlike a lot of other creations of his. Eggman still hasn't done shit for Sage except praise her when she does what he wants but then becomes grumpy and snaps at her every time she does something he doesn't.

In fact he does it again in this scene too where he's seemingly really jealous and pissed when he notices her looking at Super Sonic with admiration lol

It's selfish on Eggman's side and selfless on Sage's side, so it works.

That's why I still wouldn't put the word "love" to Eggman's side of the dynamic because I feel it has connotations that don't accurately define his feelings. Though you could at least say he "loves" and "cares" for her "in his… own way" as Sonic put it, because there's actually selfish and unsettling reasons behind it as Flynn himself put it too. But it's not hyper affectionate, unconditional, or genuinely selfless like people are acting like it is. And it's so much more interesting that way and fun to analyze.

Eggman commending Sage for her work and for serving her purpose makes sense and is in character. It's nothing different to the reasons I said the standard base game ending was. The only difference is a hand hold presented in the best way. He finally has a creation genuinely enthusiastic and willing to serve him and being her creator and father gives him a lot of pride for being the one to create her and make her that way and his success and pride in doing so with the ways she benefits him and values his selfish desires are what his value is factually rooted in in the game.

So overall yeah, I really like how Eggman and Sage and their dynamic were handled in this update. They'll probably be a lot more in depth thoughts to come because I'm short on time right now, this is a mini essay in itself but l have tons more like always lol. But for now, since nobody seems to understand my take on their dynamic despite me just relaying what the game itself showed and repeating what Ian Flynn says, let me just remind you of my actual summarized take on how I see it is and how I cleared up misconceptions people have about my take on it here.

And everything we saw in this update aligns with and doesn't contradict any of what I've perceived and analyzed and discussed throughout my Sonic Frontiers tag on my blog! Very pleased. 👏

#dr eggman #eggman #dr robotnik #dr. eggman #sonic frontiers #sonic frontiers the final horizon #sonic frontiers the final horizon spoilers #sonic frontiers spoilers #eggdad #sage the ai #sage robotnik #eggfam #sage sonic #analysis #my post

[tarithenurse]

Accidental Partners - 4

Fandom: MCU Pairing: Sam Wilson & villain!reader Contents: Cussing, mistrust, desperation...and a little voice of logic. A/N: Just a little something inspired by a @writing-prompt-s prompt: “Two random strangers are in couples therapy together. They both decide to pretend they’re a couple, despite having met each other two minutes ago”.

4. Taking a chance

“Why here?” It’s the first thing you say to Sam as he stands before you. “Is it some kind of safe house?”

He shrugs with a smile. “Sorta. It’s off the lists and its one of the best places I could think of until you’re set up properly.”

Plopping into a nearby rocking chair, he sighs and the pretty eyes are filled with worry for the briefest of seconds. From inside the house, you can hear the sound of a radio playing and this Sarah woman humming along to it.

“Who is she?”

“My sister.”

What the fuck? “And she’s some sort of superhero too?”

You don’t like the silence that prefaces the shrug. “She’s a hero in my eyes...but that’s not what you mean.”

“So...you sent me to meet the family after we fake dated in front of a couples therapist?” you gasp, “are you out of your mind?!”

“I’ve been asking myself that for a long time,” a new voice comments dryly.

A man is stepping out onto the porch and this is someone you’d recognize instantly even if he hadn’t worn his prosthetic arm so openly as he does. Buchanan Barnes looks grumpy.

“No one will come here for you if they figure out where you are,” Sam smiles but this time the grin is aimed at Barnes although the words are for you.

The two men share a look, making one of them roll his stormy eyes, and in between them is you: lost, scared, and on the run from the government and who knows who. You’d gone out on a limb coming to this place and despite having previously admired the heroes, it seems like less of a good idea to trust them as each minute passes.

“Well,” you push the plate away, no longer hungry, “you got me here...now what?”

“Yes, now what, Wilson?” Barnes mocks with another glare at his supposed friend (another fact that you are starting to question).

Gone is the beaming smile. “Frankly, I didn’t think you’d come,” Sam admits, “but I’m glad you did. I wasn’t lying when I said that SHIELD is interested in your skills but so are we...I’m working on a thing and I’m putting together a team.”

“Not this again,” Barnes groans.

“Yes, this again, Buck!”

Indoors, the volume of the radio is cranked up a bit more, silencing the two men as they are reminded of their surroundings. Somewhere, a flock of birds take to the sky and you notice Barnes’ eyes dart to the corners of the garden before he refocuses on you with a steady gaze.

“You want me for something? What?”

Sam avoids looking at you, choosing instead to enjoy the view of the greenery or perhaps something that you can’t even see. “I’m trying to rebuild the Avengers and I need a good team with skills and the willingness to go the extra mile for what’s right.”

It would have been prudent to hold back the snort of a laugh but it escapes you before you have the chance. At least it makes Barnes smile crookedly but Sam looks genuinely embarrassed.

“She’s smart,” the Winter Soldier comments, “even she knows it’s a waste of time.”

Well... “Hey! I think it’d be great to have the Avengers back!” you protest, “I just don’t believe the shit about me being a part of anything that has to do with it.”

Both men pin you down with their gazes, soon making you squirm uncomfortably in your seat. They’re kidding, they’re kidding, they’re kidding. It’s like a mantra, meant to help ease the nerves as your palms dampen and your legs itch to make a run for it. Not that you would get far. You’re all too aware that you’ve brought yourself into a situation where there’s no way out unless the men (or Sarah) take pity on you for some reason. It’s my own fault. They might not be crazy serial killers but you’re at their mercy and it’s no comfort that people are in fact looking for you because even if they did find you, there’s no way the government would sent in people to free you from the clutches of the Winter Soldier and the Falcon.

And...he’s not just the Falcon. Like many other people, you still haven’t gotten around to the idea that there’s another Captain America than Steven Rogers in much the same way that it seems impossible for there to be another Iron Man. But there is...and he wants me?

“Suppose I did believe you...which I don’t,” you try to turn the thoughts into words, “suppose that...what would you want with me?”

“You’re crafty...programming, hacking, made your own hardware, that sort of stuff...” Sam scratches his chin before continuing. “I used to know someone who was good at digging out information from hard to get places. Seeing as you’ve proven to be able to do that...why not put it to even better use?”

You bristle at his lack of regard for what you’ve pulled off recently. “Better use than outing a corrupt system?”

“What will it change?” This time it’s Barnes who’s asking, brows furrowed and eyes boring holes into your soul. “You’ve got yourself on a watch list at best, but once it blows over – and it will – nothing will have changed except for you.”

“Buck’s right -”

“Stop calling me Buck.”

“- and I know you want to see change as much as I do, [Y/N].”

Publicly discrediting and exposing the corruption and errors is likely not going to lead to much of a revolution, you knew that when you pressed enter to post your findings online and send it to every major news source...but you’re still sad that the story hasn’t been picked up by the media and that no one seems to really care about the issue of unfair resource distribution. People were getting sick and dying and no one demanded justice. And meanwhile, you were being hunted.

“Doesn’t seem like it’d help my cause even if I did join you guys,” you worry.

Superheroes are meant for taking down real villains and extra terrestrial threats. Not exposing election fraud or rant about health care. Human rights, though. But the idea is ridiculous.

“You’re telling me to just...give up on what I think it’s right...”

Sam shakes his head. “No. I’m telling you to find a position from where you really can make a difference.”

“You’d take down corrupt businesses and parts of government?”

“We’d make sure they got dealt with the right way,” Barnes answers.

Really?

“I get you need to think about it.” There’s something in Sam’s voice that you can’t place. “Stay for the night. If nothing else then just because you’re safe here.”

Safe. Yeah, I am. With the Winter Soldier and the Falcon (slash Captain America) it’d be foolish of anyone to try and get to you.

#accidental partners #sam wilson x y/n #sam wilson x reader #sam wilson #the falcon #captain america #the falcon captain #side serving of bucky #and sarah wilson #sam wilson & reader #mcu #marvel cinematic universe #fanfiction #fanfic #writing #wip #AP 4

[ordinaryschmuck]

What I Thought About "Escaping Expulsion" From The Owl House

Salutations random people on the internet who most likely won’t read this. I am an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons.

Do you wanna know what I love the most about The Owl House? The writers waste no time getting to the good stuff.

Things like Willow working things out with Amity, Lumity, Lilith's redemption, and Luz's fight with Belos are stuff that most shows would drag out and wait upon using until several seasons down the line. Most of them for the final season. And yet, it all happens in the first! The writers somehow knew what the fans exactly wanted and gave them just that before they even had to ask.

Take "Escaping Expulsion," for example, as it has some great plot points and ideas I thought would happen later in the season and maybe even near the end. But it's only episode TWO of the new season, and I'm appreciative of it for that reason alone.

But explaining the good stuff this episode delivers requires spoilers, so if you haven't watched the episode yet (even though you definitely have at this point), I recommend that you do so. Now let's review, shall we?

WHAT I LIKED

Blight Industries: Huh. I'll be the first to admit: I would have never expected that the main reason why the Blights are rich is because of their technological advancements. Large in part of how the Boiling Isles is a fantasy world, and rarely do you see technology taking place in a setting such as that. Still, points for total expectation subversion added with some pretty cool tech, I might add.

Odalia Blight: It's nice to put a face to the name I've grown to hate with a fiery passion. Now I can update my dartboard!

But to tell you the truth, it feels weird saying I like someone so vile. I mean, the woman is a manipulative, smarmy b-word who nearly killed Luz. Anybody who does that last part deserves to go on my s**t list! I despise her with the same fiery passion I've had since "Understanding Willow" premiered...and it's that reason why I like her.

Because here's the thing: Characters and people are two different things. If Odalia existed in real life, she better hope that I never meet her. But as a character whose purpose is to have the audience hate her, she succeeds with flying colors. It's the same reason why I consider it unfair to hate an episode like "Something Ventured and Someone Framed" because Mattholomule exists. I get it but understand that hating him is his purpose. It's the same with Odalia. I love her, but only because I love to hate her.

Alador Blight: Wow. I guess Alador really is the lesser of two evils.

By the way, keep in mind that I said "lesser of two evils" and not "the nice one." I don't care how adorable it is to see him get distracted by a butterfly. He's still an abusive figure who stood aside as Luz fought for her life against the Abomitron and still goes along with Odalia's plans despite how heinous they are. And whenever I remember how he treated Amity in "Understanding Willow" as well--

Also, don't make him neurodivergent so he can seem redeemable. It is painfully obvious that he is just exhausted after hours of toiling away in his lab working on his inventions to the point that his brain is beyond fried.

Now, seeing that I've dismissed the argument about how Alador is the nice one, let's actually talk about his character. Because I can see what Dana Terrace meant when she said that he's interesting. He's not explicitly as awful as Odalia, as he mostly seems to be in his own little world half the time. Despite that, Alador still shows signs of being just as dismissive of Amity in general. You see this as he focuses on how her strength shows signs of Amity being a potential coven leader instead of noticing how his daughter nearly died to his own invention. Alador doesn't manipulate, but he doesn't love his daughter in a way a father should either. I'm very intrigued by this route for his character, and I can't wait to see what is done next with him.

Amity’s Amulet: My heart sank when I realized the true purpose behind Amity's amulet. The thought that Odalia found a way to literally be in Amity's head at all times...I hate that. I mean, I love it because it's A+ storytelling and symbolism, BUT I F**KING HATE IT!

Amity in General: And seeing how we're already talking about Amity, let's dive into the fact that "Escaping Expulsion" is easily her best outing so far in the series. I say this because it really puts to the test Amity's dedication to being a part of the group. You can tell by her expressions and Mae Whitman's performance that Amity so desperately wants to help her friends, but she can't due to being afraid of her mother's wrath. Which doesn't surprise me, given what we know about Odalia so far. But what does surprise me is that Amity stands up to Odalia in this very same episode. I expected it for sure, but most likely at the end of the season, due to most shows dragging out a similar concept for drama's sake. However, as I said, the writers don't waste time giving the fans what they want. So, yeah, Amity defies her mother in the very same episode we're officially introduced to her. And it's totally believable, as Amity has been fighting her parent's control ever since Luz literally showed her the light after "Covention" (click here if you don't believe me). It's yet another impressive showcase of Amity's character development and how she's leagues ahead of other redeemable characters who would go through five more episodes like this before getting to the point.

Luz in General: But enough about Amity. For now, let's talk about the actual best character of the series!

Just like Amity, Luz is on top form in "Escaping Expulsion." She is quick to call 'applesauce' about Odalia and Alador expelling the Hex-Squad and is smart enough to figure out the deal Odalia is worming her way into making. Several people classify Luz as stupid, and while she definitely leaps before she looks at times, this episode proves that Luz isn't going to fall for the sweet talk that someone like Odalia offers. As reckless as she can be, Luz is still intelligent enough to know what someone like Odalia wants and cuts to the chase despite knowing the woman can't be trusted. Still, Luz going through with the deal anyways is fantastic character work for her as it shows her dedication to the people she cares about. It hurts my heart to see Luz get all beat up from Alador's inventions, but her willingness to put up with it for her friends is an act of service I wouldn't have expected from anyone else. "Escaping Expulsion" may be more centered around Amity, but it still proves why Luz earns her spot for one of my favorite characters.

Learning How Glyphs Work: Another solid aspect of The Owl House is that the writers find brilliant ways for world-building and explaining the rules of the Boiling Isles. Take this episode's b-plot, for instance. Eda and Lilith need to learn how to do Luz's version of magic, so having an entire section of the episode dedicated to them figuring it out is a perfect outlet to explain how glyphs work in the first place. Although, I have some tribulations with this subplot that I'll get into with the dislikes. But I still consider this a brilliant workaround to explain glyphs, even if specific executions could be handled better.

The Fairy Pie: Not only is this well-crafted dark humor, and not only is it adorable as hell, but it also shows how Amity has calmed down with her feelings toward Luz. She still blushes when handing over the fairy pie, but it is certainly more subdued in comparison to "Wing it Like Witches." I like to think the time off from her (and our) favorite weirdo helped cool down those emotions a bit, but that doesn't mean she won't get slightly flustered every now and again. Because as much as I adore seeing cool and collective, I'm still very much a fan of Disaster Amity due to how cute it is.

Principle Bump: "This character is underappreciated!"

"That character doesn't get enough love!"

YOU WANNA KNOW WHO'S UNDERAPPRECIATED AND DOESN'T GET ENOUGH LOVE?! PRINCIPAL GOSH DANG BUMP, THAT'S WHO!

So many kids' shows focus on how educators are the bad guy who treats students poorly because they love seeing children suffer. But that's not Bump! Sure, he made a misstep in "The First Day," but for the most part, he really cares for his students and hopes that they work hard to be their better selves. So when he's forced to send Luz, Gus, and Willow away, he's genuinely saddened by it to the point where he breaks down crying! On top of being wholesome, Bump missing his students is another example that a character shouldn't be written as evil just because they run a school. Sure, there are scumbag teachers and principals out there, but for others, they're a lot like Bump: People who show admiration and respect to their students rather than ridicule because a principle "just doesn't get it." And I appreciate Bump all the more for it.

Gus and Willow: It feels weird that these two basically got sidelined, especially since they have a stake in the plot as well, but it's understandable. "Escaping Expulsion" is clearly more Amity-centered, and with Luz being the main character, it would also be odd if she didn't get more of the focus than her friends. Having them do more would have been great, but what they've already accomplished is pretty decent anyway. They show how much they're on the same page as Luz when trying to figure out a way to sneak back into Hexide, Willow is still the best voice of reason when saying no one will be killed through their plans, and Gus wins the comedic highlights in the episode. While I would have loved that they did more, I'm perfectly fine with what we got. Besides, this is only episode two of Season Two. We got nineteen more episodes to go to focus on these two.

King: Ok, now, this is the version of King I like to see. A character that mocks Eda as if they're equals and acts as a reluctant voice of reason. This episode shows King more at his best and is a major step above what we've seen in "Separate Tides."

Lilith: ...Yeah, f**k it. I like Lilith.

Personally, I would have preferred seeing her dragged through the coals at least a few episodes, but that's judging the show for what I want. Not what it is. And as is...It's fine. Lilith has a great dynamic with the rest of the Owl House, it's honestly adorable seeing her refer to Luz as a teacher, and that scene where she makes presents out of ice for Hooty is all kinds of wholesome. I'd say your enjoyment of Lilith highly depends on how forgiving you are, and if you think her splitting the curse is enough of a gesture, you probably won't mind her as much. The execution of her redemption really could have used more time in the oven, but Lilith is still a decent character regardless, so what's to complain about.

Luz Making the Abomination Have a Cat Face: ...Luz...I f**king missed you.

DON'T EVER LEAVE FOR THAT LONG AGAIN!

(Also, I just love that this is all Amity needed to know Luz was in trouble)

Hop Pop Cameo: He's on the cover of one of the books Willow's dad lifts up. Which is extra cute given how Dana Terrace and Matt Braley (creator of Amphibia) are close friends in real life.

Willow’s Dad Pretending Not to See Anything: One single action defines the type of man this guy is. He's the fun and understanding dad!

Gus, Willow, and Amity Arguing How to Break In: This little quarrel just shows how much these three need Luz. Without someone to keep the peace and bring up compromises, these idiots would have just kept arguing all night.

In addition to that, this clash over ideas acts as a showcase for who these characters are. Willow is careful and smart, so she's going for the option more unlikely to get them caught. Amity is brash and to the point, so she's going for the route that gets them inside as soon as possible. And then there's Gus, who's young and naive, so his plan sounds like something out of a cartoon. The odds of any of these plans working are highly debatable, but seeing these characters with clashing personalities and ideas is a ton of fun to watch regardless.

Edric and Emira Helping: There's not much to add here. It's just another sweet scene that makes me so glad that the writers decided to make Ed and Em more like supporting characters than minor antagonists like "Lost in Language" made fans think they would be.

(Amity throwing the "Hex me" signs back at Edric is just the cherry on top).

“Stay away from my Luz!”: ...What the f**k do you want me to say that? It's f**king perfect!

Luz Catching Feelings for Amity: ...Huh. Neat.

...

...Alright, let's move on.

Luz Wanting to Take a Nap After--Yeah, I can't do it. Not even for the joke.

WAH-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOO! MU! TU! AL! PINING! AH-HAHAHA!

THIS! This is more of that good s**t I'm talking about! Due to being so used to other shows going for the slow burn when writing the endgame romance, I was expecting Luz to catch feelings halfway through the season, even at the end of it. But near the beginning?! That is something I am more than ok with!

And much like Amity standing up to her parents in this episode, Luz catching feelings this early on is totally believable. Many fans have already analyzed how Luz's love language is "Acts of Service," which I'm somewhat sure is romantic gestures. Meaning that I f**king challenge you to find a grander gesture than holding back a literal killing machine while swooping down like a knight in shining armor! Oh, wait, you can't. BECAUSE THERE ISN'T ANY!

But by far, the best--the BEST--thing that can come from this is the dramatic irony! We, the audience, know that Luz and Amity like each other, but they don't. So the constant failings as these two fools try to work out their romantic feelings for one another is something I cannot wait to see in all its glory.

This is one of the best things that could have come out of the episode, and while it doesn't mean Lumity is canon, it is definitely closer than ever before. And I'm excited about all of it!

Luz Wanting to Take a Nap After Getting Home: I adore this because there's no one way that this can be interpreted. Either it's because Luz is exhausted after nearly getting killed for the fifteenth time that month, or it's because Luz is overwhelmed about having a crush on Amity...or both. Most likely both.

Belos Wanting The Abomatrons: Wow, what an ominous ending to the episode! I'm sure it won't come into play at all in the future...The season finale is going to hurt, isn't it?

WHAT I DISLIKED

Gus’ Growth Spurt: I mean...that's just weird. Gus suddenly being almost as tall as the others is a change so jarring that I feel like an explanation other than "witch puberty" is required. I get that they wanted to explain away why Issac Ryan Brown's voice got deep this season, 'cause puberty's a b**ch. But sometimes I feel like it's best to just ignore it, like with how Phineas and Ferb or Steven Universe just goes along with the fact that VAs tend to grow up when the characters themselves remain ageless.

Eda is Kinda Stupid in this One: It's not just me, right? Because I feel like Eda is more careful in the past than she is in this episode. She's been as reckless as Luz is at times, sure, but carelessly screwing around with magic when she has no idea how it works? I can maybe see King doing that, but not Eda. Just seeing her act dumber than usual is something that doesn't sit right with me.

Lilith Explaining Her Glyph Magic: I don't mind this. Glyph magic is pretty confusing, so having Lilith explain how it works to Eda and the audience is something I can understand. My issue, however, lies in how they did this.

Why, in the name of all that is holy, would Lilith explain her theory after the fact. It would be much more natural if she explained while saving King, but doing it after comes across as more forced than it should. Which is a shame because this series is usually on point when explaining how things work in the Boiling Isles.

And...That's about all the complaints I have with this episode. Which are nothing but nitpicks and possibly personal preferences.

IN CONCLUSION

If I'm willing to forgive and forget, I would give "Escaping Expulsion" a well-earned A+. But I'm not, so it's going to be another solid A. And, I mean, if you complain about that...there's something wrong with you.

"Escaping Expulsion" delivers on quite a bit of what fans want to see on top of giving these great character moments that show why we love these casts of oddballs and weirdos. I wouldn't say it reached perfection, but it still carries the winning streak that this new season has so far. Meaning there's no escaping the fact that Season Two is off to a better start than the first.

(Although, the fact that we got two solid As in a row means that we're in for a stinker real soon, doesn't it?)

#the owl house #the owl house season two #the owl house review #what i thought about #odalia blight #alador blight #amity blight #luz noceda #principal bump #willow park #gus porter #king of demons #lilith clawthorne #edalyn clawthorne #lumity

[keyofjetwolf]

“Gabrielle, who did this?”

“I did.”

This is it, this is everything this episode has been building to. Not Caesar, not Xena’s checkered past, not her efforts to make amends and rebuild trust, not the plight of the Britons nor the heroism of Boudicea, not religious zealotry and persecution. It’s just Gabrielle, and this choice she made, and the unimaginable repercussions.

Not that it would, because it’s the entire point of the thing, but I can’t say enough about how absolutely unshakable the show is in this having been Gabrielle’s CHOICE. No one can steer this otherwise, they can’t make it pretty and excusable. Not the audience, and not Xena herself. AND OH SHE TRIES. Immediately, Xena seizes a narrative that makes this not Gabrielle’s fault.

The things to love in this are nearly endless, from the simplicity of the exchange to the way it’s performed (SUPERBLY) and shot. There’s something BROKEN in Gabrielle, something Xena keeps willing to still be there, but it’s gone, and as that becomes too true to dismiss, all Xena can do is hug Gabrielle close. Until Krakoa appears and puts a punchable face on the whole thing, but that’s barely relevant.

Like I said, there’s a lot here to love, but let’s start with the smaller, almost incidental thing: how Xena can’t live in the lie. I’ve brought this up a bunch of times, apologies for the repetition, how Gabrielle has such a firm narrative surrounding Xena that she’s built in her head, and it takes years of life together, day in and day out, for the monolith to erode and for Gabrielle to finally see Xena as XENA, warts and all.

Xena has her own version of Gabrielle too, this isn’t just a problem for Gabby to deal with, but as we see here, that problem has nothing to do with refusal to see what’s directly in her face. Twice, Xena tries to deny that Gabrielle has just done the unthinkable. Twice, that’s it, then she accepts what all evidence is screaming at her and ... well, “moves forward” is what I want to say, but as we know, it’s not that simple. She doesn’t keep denying it, though, that’s where I’m going with this, and I love it as a counterpart to the countless times we see Gabrielle given direct hard proof of Xena’s worst impulses, and still she remains absolutely devoted to the parts she wants to believe, because she wants to believe them.

This is going to keep biting Gabby in the ass, and this episode is where the show begins to double down on it. The framework through which is makes those moves is subtle, and brilliant for that subtlety. I mentioned a few times how Caesar in this episode is a red herring, making us think we’re about to watch Xena once again lose all perspective and reason when it comes to fucking up his day. That’s not why we’re here, sad to say for everyone involved (except, I suppose, Caesar), but including him threads the overall ideas a bit deeper in fascinating ways.

When it comes to Xena and Caesar, destruction is the only way things can ever go. Of troops, of strategies, of land, of their friends, of each other. When Caesar betrayed Xena, the only answer she could ever bring was fire and ashes. Dahak and his followers are Gabrielle’s Caesar. She, like Xena, believed the world they spun for her and trusted the place she would have in that world. Also like Xena, when betrayal came, she was left hurt, broken, and forever changed. But while Xena took all that had been done to her and vowed destruction, Gabrielle embraces creation. She NEEDS this to have been something good, needs it to have meant something. She insists that Hope is her child more than Dahak’s and refuses to accept even the possibility that things could go any other way. It comes in a nicer wrapper, certainly, but Gabrielle throws herself into her *ahem* HOPE just as blindly and every bit as reckless as Xena embraces her darkness.

But nothing in the world of Xena is ever that black and white, and Gabrielle’s refusal to deal with the trauma of what’s happened to her and what she’s done sends her into a different but parallel spiral to Xena. Gabrielle’s judgment in the wake of all this becomes massively and completely fucked, as we’ll see all too plainly with The Debt in a hot second. Gabby is now primed and ready to step off a cliff she’s carved for herself, the repercussions for which will continue to haunt her through Season 4.

All this is even more incredible when you realize this moment in The Deliverer is one the show has been carefully, intentionally building toward, reaching all the way back to a little tiny thing from two years and nearly fifty episodes previous. Hello to Season 1 Episode 3′s “Dreamworker”.

This whole exchange carries incredible weight just on its own, particularly given that it’s so early in the series. We know Xena’s speaking from experience, that when she killed for the first time, when she realized she could (and maybe even liked it?), she stopped being the person she was and took her first step toward the monster she would become.

What we of course don’t know then, couldn’t possibly, is that this isn’t just Xena talking to Gabrielle, but Gabrielle talking to herself. She echoes back these exact words to Xena (who knows, she already knows, how she must hate hearing the certainty of it from Gabrielle).

SO GOOD SO SO SO GOOD. What a kick in face, too, to go back and rewatch the scene in Dreamworker on the heels of this, to see Gabrielle so young and fresh-faced and naive to this broken woman who’s seen and done too much.

But the Dreamworker moments don’t stop! Gabrielle’s “blood innocence” is a central idea in that episode, too, with the first act showcasing how she pretty much isn’t listening to a single goddamn thing Xena is trying to teach her. Denied a sword, Gabby goes behind Xena’s back and buys a weapon of her very own.

Which Xena of course immediately discovers and confiscates. We see the boob dagger come back at random times throughout the series, usually as a little nudge-nudge continuity callback, which I genuinely appreciate. That’s all it ever is, up until it isn’t.

It’s not exaggeration to say the boob dagger changes the momentum of this fight. Xena’s losing, and losing pretty badly, but the surprise weapon and the proof of Krakow’s own mortality throws him off, and gives Xena just enough of an edge to win. Could she have pulled it off without the dagger? She’s Xena, so probably, but looking at the fight as it happened, the dagger was crucial.

SO HERE’S WHAT I FUCKING LOVE ABOUT THAT. Is Xena specifically using the boob dagger to win a statement on how all of this was inevitable? If Gabrielle hadn’t bought the dagger, Xena wouldn’t have taken it, and she wouldn’t have had it on-hand to beat Kravenedge. Gabrielle was the vehicle for this violence, in the distant and recent past both.

But she’s just as much the vehicle for putting a stop to it. Had Gabrielle not bought that dagger, Xena may well have lost this fight, and setting aside this specific conflict, a world without Xena is a darker, bloodier place. Had Gabrielle not stopped the cultists, even as she played directly into their hands, someone else would have been their sacrifice, another would have been chosen to bring Dahak’s child into the world. Odds are high that person wouldn’t have a Warrior Princess at their side. Odds are high that person wouldn’t have the heart and love and willingness to sacrifice as Gabrielle. Dahak’s time is now, and he is coming. He uses Gabrielle to make it happen, but by her actions, it’s Gabrielle herself who stops those plans and saves the world.

When the dust settles and we have the full picture, it becomes clear that all along, It’s Gabrielle who is The Deliverer.

#jet wolf watches xena #xena ep 3x04 #BOY WAS THIS AN INTERESTING DAY AND TIME TO TRY AND FINISH THIS UP AND BRING IT ON HOME #now if you'll all excuse me #i have to go immerse myself in busy work that does not actually require my brain to be present

[coldshrugs]

thank you for this blessed template, @possumsunshine. this was so fun and cute, i couldn't resist after seeing it on my dash 💗

pulled a couple of answers from oc asks i've done recently because oof this got long.

QUICK READ OF YOUR DETECTIVE

Name: alma greene

Pronouns: she/her

Sexuality: bisexual

Love interest: mason

Best friend: felix but also nate

Main skill: science/tech

Secondary skill: people/psychology

Main personality trait: tied for impulsive and sarcastic

Secondary personality trait: stubborn

Why did they join the Wayhaven PD?: she’s not a detective, but science skills

Relationship with Rebecca: very close, even with absences, but waning

Relationship with Bobby: college friend, currently hates him

Verda or Tina?: both

Murphy bite?: wrist

Murphy’s fate?: at large, babyyy

Rescue LI or Rescue Sanja?: sanja

GENERAL

Name: alma eloise greene

Nickname: sweetheart/space girl by mason; sweetie by rebecca

Birthday: june 12th

Age: 29

Pronouns: she/her

Sexuality: bisexual (demiromantic??)

Hair color: dark brown

Eye color: dark brown, nearly black

Height: 5’1”

Piercings: ears, former nostril piercings

Tattoos: a small snail on her right arm, super cartoony spaceship and tractor beam over the words “i want to believe” on the back of her left calf

Clothing Style: “modern” i guess, according to the game. tbh i usually describe it as “too old to be an e-girl but too cute to care.” bleached denim, dark plaid, graphic crop tops, black vans or converse, thigh-high tights, etc etc

Apartment Style: cozy. did she find it on the side of the road or goodwill or an estate sale? if not, it’s probably not in her apartment.

STATS

Personality:

Charming | Intimidating

Impulsive | Cautious

Sarcastic | Genuine

Friendly | Stoic

Easygoing | Stubborn

Traits:

Heart | Mind

Optimist | Pessimist

Team Player | Independent

Skills:

Main Skill: science/tech

Second Skill: people/psychology

By the Book | Bend the Rules

KEY DECISIONS

Reason for joining the Wayhaven PD: alma is wayhaven’s only forensic analyst because i refuse to let my black oc be a cop

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ in-game, she’s 100% there for her scientific prowess.

Murphy bite: Wrist | Neck | None

Murphy’s Fate: Captured | Escaped

Rescued: Love Interest | Sanja

ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP

Love Interest: mason

Why them?: on a meta level: oh no he’s hot

but alma’s reasoning is that he’s very upfront about what he wants in the beginning and she’s never been pursued in such a way. It’s a bit of a rush and an ego boost for her at first. but mason’s loyalty very quickly becomes the steadiness alma’s been missing for most of her life and she latches on to that. she’s not had someone so dependable around in… well, ever. and her physical attraction becomes emotional VERY quickly.

Bold, shy, or mixed?: shy until they sleep together, then a mix of bold and genuine afterward.

What were their first impressions of each other?:

alma on mason: thought he was super attractive but that was quickly pushed aside by “holy shit, this guy’s an ass.” she thinks he’s an uncooperative jerk that only cares about himself for quite a while, honestly. she asks him along for things she wants to do alone precisely because she thinks he’ll be the most likely to just stay out of her way. she’s surprised by his attitudes and opinions, and her incorrect assumptions about them, during those times.

mason on alma: would never, ever, ever admit that his first thought upon meeting Alma was simply “cute.” he quickly found parts of her to assess individually. those first few days were mostly spent appraising her physical attributes and watching her back when she needed it. mason did find her funny right away, but he wasn’t willing to trust someone new, regardless of that person being their handler’s daughter or not.

What do they find attractive about each other, mentally or physically?:

alma on mason: his eyes, freckles, and every single version of his smile. his decisiveness, differentially, and willingness to stab as a warning.

mason on alma: her hair tbh, there’s just… a lot of it. her hips, her eyelashes. He also likes her adaptability, sense of humor, and the warmth she gives with no expectation of reciprocation.

What do they do to spend time together?: lots of stargazing, lots of watching tv very quietly and making fun of the storylines they don’t understand until they get bored and make out instead, walking around the quieter parts of wayhaven or taking late-night drives.

What is their favorite memory together?: i like to think mason finds the carnival photo of them after the place has been sacked and gives it to alma sometime later. both the taking of the photo and the giving of it are very fond memories for both of them.

What are their love languages?: touch, quality time.

How do they handle being apart from one another?: badly. mason absolutely hates it after a time. if alma’s out of town, he’s in her apartment with the excuse of feeding her cat, but it’s 100% just to sleep in her bed and be around all the things that make her, her. alma does a little better. she’s used to having folks sort of come and go and come again, but she gets almost hyper-insecure?? it’s nothing she’d admit openly, but she’s second-guessing herself in totally unrelated aspects of her life until they’re reunited.

Do they argue? How do they handle arguments and disagreements? How do they make up?: they don’t necessarily argue, but they disagree with the intent to problem solve. alma is pretty flexible and as long as she can understand why someone might feel the way they feel, she’s willing to hear them out or go along with their plan. if an argument does get out of hand, they need space from it for a while. they each have places to retreat for those times, and they wait for the “hey” text to come through to know it’s time to talk about it.

What does their future look like?: alma becomes a vampire two years into their relationship. they move into a quiet, old house on the edge of town until the whole team moves elsewhere. mason has to get used to having a cat because october has several years left in him. they don’t get married, but they’re inseparable.

Anything else you’d like to share: in the time before alma turns, mason learns to perfect making grilled cheese because it’s what alma craves when she’s not feeling well. He makes the grilled cheese then he immediately showers to get the smell off him but he makes it regardless.

BEST FRIEND RELATIONSHIP

Best friend: depending on the playthrough it swaps between felix and nate, but felix feels more in character

Why them?: alma loves felix’s sense of adventure and nosiness. Most of all she loves that he won’t judge her for pulling the same shit every now and then.

What were their first impressions of each other?: alma was super thrown off by that hand kiss. “who the fuck is this mischief-maker?” while nate was very kind and warm, felix (surprisingly) was the UB teammate that really humanized the rest of the team for alma. he’s fun and genuine and wants everyone else to be happy together. felix was incredibly interested to learn more about alma, as a human, as his boss’s daughter, and then as a friend when she readily accepted the supernatural and, by extension, him as a vampire. The fact that she’s easily flustered or surprised really works in his favor because he lives for being the most shocking person in the room.

What do they do to spend time together?: they share music, they dance, and they text A LOT. lots of memes, lots of “what does [x] mean?” “oh nice” “[proceeds to use the thing they just learned incorrectly]”. they also compare and share hair products.

Anything else you’d like to share: they each have a tamagotchi named after the other (baby felix and baby alma) and they compete to see who can keep theirs alive the longest. everyone loses.

OTHER RELATIONSHIPS (Feel free to go in-depth!)

Relationship with Rebecca: oof okay. alma seeks rebecca’s approval and depends on her for a sense of safety and “stability.” in some ways, she wants to be exactly like her mom: strong, independent, unbothered, worldly. but a lot of that shatters the longer alma works professionally with rebecca and with the revelations surrounding rook. alma sees how much rebecca uses her as a crutch, projects her perceived failures onto alma’s life, and over-shelters her.

Relationship with Rook: alma doesn’t remember him and tries not to think of him often or fondly or at all BUT she has so many of his things. his flannels, his detective badge, his ancient comic book collection (which is the only reason she has her own). she has his eyes and his impulsive streak, his care for people of all varieties. she IS rook’s daughter and she ignores that fact so it doesn’t hurt her.

Relationship with Bobby: they used to be very close, slightly flirty friends but there’s no way in hell alma can trust him now. (i originally had bobby as alma’s ex but it was all getting a little too Bella Swan for me. like bobby, douglas, the werewolves, falk, and mason like????? it was a bit much so bobby’s just an old ex-friend)

Relationship with Verda: alma fucking loves verda. that’s her mentor, that’s her dad friend. she feels a sense of Pride and Accomplishment when she can make verda laugh or impress him in the lab, or both. alma’s fond of spending evenings over his place with eric and the kids, making dinner, or just hanging out.

Relationship with Tina: tina was alma’s first friend as a kid. they lost touch in high school because tina was bubbly and cute and popular, while alma was… not. but the summer before they left for college they ran into each other at a house party and since that reconnection, they’ve been thick as thieves. it was like nothing had changed. tina is a light in alma’s life, and alma lets tina lean into the stranger parts of herself without judgment.

Relationship with the Mayor: thinks he’s a creep and a bad parent.

Relationship with Capt. Sung: appreciates how he prioritizes the town and its people, but thinks he could loosen up a bit.

Relationship with Haley: haley is a couple of years older than alma but they’ve known each other forever. alma admires haley’s work ethic and cheery attitude.

Relationship with Elidor: oh man, alma is absolutely stunned by elidor. he’s beautiful, kind, and knowledgeable. in those early days, elidor is responsible for quite a bit of her supernatural education. alma grills him while he nurses her back to health. her curiosity is refreshing to him.

Relationship with Tapeesa/Vieno: alma thinks vieno is cute and funny, says hi when she sees them around, but they’re not best friends or anything. she can’t shake the thought that they’re basically a fae version of danny devito.

Relationship with Unit Alpha: absolutely smitten with lesedi. she’s never seen a more beautiful woman. tamiko ends up being a pretty good friend. the twins are on her social periphery but alma’s not close with them.

Relationship with the Maa-alused: alma sincerely wants to help them adjust to life in this world and takes that goal very seriously. at the same time she really really wishes falk hadn’t developed this weird attachment to her.

Do they have any other important relationships, past or present? (Relatives, friends, etc.?): YES. i’ve thrown another oc in wayhaven for the express purpose of being The Detective. His name is javi. alma met him in college and they were fast friends. alma convinced him to try out wayhaven after graduation. They lived together for a while and now they, along with tina, can often be seen in the corner booth of chen’s pub.

she was also very close with her maternal grandmother before she died. she was raised by her while rebecca was absent, but i need to develop this more.

her cat, october, whom she’s had for five years. he’s a sweet, mostly black tortie that can hardly meow. alma adopted him as an adult when she got her own place.

PERSONAL BIO

Describe their personality: alma is so open and ready to accept new possibilities. she’s the sort of person that embraces what scares her, finds beauty in it, and loves it intensely. she’s sharp and resourceful. i wouldn’t exactly describe her as hard-working, but she’s knowledgeable about her field and tries to be helpful when she has a goal in mind.

she’s quite tactile. touchy with other people. likes to use her hands for work or hobbies. she doesn’t really mind being alone for long stretches of time but would prefer not to be. she wants others to want to be around her.

she’s also terrible at being honest about her trauma. everything is fine, she’s fine, she doesn’t need to talk about this :) :) :) she will handle the breakdown when it happens and not one second before. also, with quick wit comes uncontrollable sarcasm and it does not always hit well.

Strengths: the only person in unit bravo that knows how to use google

Weaknesses: squishy

Where in the world is their Wayhaven?: super torn here because wayhaven feels inland to me, but i think i’ve finally settled on the north carolina coast but not like the outer banks area. If not there, then maybe virginia, closer to the chesapeake bay.

What is their personal history?: alma is born to rook and rebecca in wayhaven. spends her childhood being raised mostly by her grandmother, idolizes rebecca. academic success comes easily for her; a heavy interest in science leads to a scholarship at a university just far away enough to feel like she’s Leaving The Nest. alma dates a bit in college but she’s the type to end up becoming friends with everyone she sleeps with and romance is difficult for her to cultivate. when she does date, the relationships are short-lived. she returns to wayhaven after school and puts her degree to work in wayhaven’s police department. she wishes she’d applied for a position in the city but craves the comfort (and tbh, the low stakes) of home.

If they weren’t a detective, what would their dream job be?: she’s a forensic analyst and honestly?? it’s a pretty dreamy job for her. she loves being a scientist, loves helping people, and isn’t easily grossed out.

Anything else you’d like to share: has tried to stay overnight in an ikea. did not succeed.

RANDOM FACTS

Zodiac sign: gemini

Hobbies: reading peer-reviewed journals, watching terrible sci-fi, collecting comic books and mugs, thrift shopping

Likes: good hair days, denim jackets, vanilla candles, halloween, unflavored lipbalm, driving at night, that warm “surrounded by love” feeling, snails, fuzzy socks

Dislikes: the lights while driving at night, winter, dry skin, minimalist decor, smudged glasses, being overwhelmed with choices

Drink of choice: white wine usually, white russians if she’s out at chen’s, or shots of jaeger if she’s feeling trashy

Starbucks order: grande flat white with 3 pumps of toffee nut syrup and a sprinkle of cinnamon

Favorite food: a simple, fresh spaghetti pomodoro OR lemon meringue pie

Favorite color: golden mustard yellow

Favorite music: she loves just about everything and it’s heavily dependant on her mood. (this is actually really difficult to think about without feeling like i'm giving her my exact taste in music but here's a little playlist that fits her vibe)

Favorite genre (and favorite movie/book/etc): science fiction or psychological thrillers, but her favorite movie is oliver and company.

Favorite season: fall

Anything else you’d like to share: has a stupid amount of blankets stashed around her apartment. she really does not like being cold.

#alma greene #twc #i uhhh i spent a very long time on this and i'm still like #who is this person #but it's fine it's fine #i can rest

[jawnkeets]

How are you so clever??? I’m new to your blog and I’ve been looking at your posts (not in a stalkery way but because they’re so cool) and you seem super intelligent! Like you always reference things I’ve never heard of and use fancy words and it’s just really awesome. How did you get so clever? Do you read a lot or are you just naturally clever? If it’s from reading then what books would you recommend to someone who’s interested in literature and also broadening their general knowledge? Thanks

awwww. well thanks for the lovely ask!! this is way too much detail bc i’m procrastinating work but

i read a ton as a kid, mostly horror books - i was obsessed with the supernatural, and especially vampires, and the idea of things changing into other things (in a magical way, but also stories where characters develop and end up very different, tales of betrayal etc). my favourite series when i was little was the spiderwick chronicles, followed a little later by the saga of darren shan. i didn’t read any classic literature at all though, as i’d decided i hated it for some reason. as a kid i always prided myself on my creativity/ imagination rather than my intelligence (it’s a distinction i’d always drawn and still do after a fashion), but i was and have always been obsessive, and also used to sit and play memory games for hours, too; i remember one where i’d have a list of cards and i’d put one down, say what it was, turn it over, add another one, say what the previous one and this one was, turn them over, and continue until i couldn’t remember every single card in order, and then i’d start again. i wrote a lot, especially poetry, and used a thesaurus often because i loved words. i had a very very vivid imagination and refused to live in the real world until the age of about 11 or 12. then from 14 onwards i read almost nothing (apart from like idk two of the hunger games books) until i was 17, when i finally started reading classic literature, triggered by the great gatsby, which changed my attitude to learning completely. until then i’d despised secondary school partly because of the way learning was presented (i got good grades at gcse but went through the syllabus and exams mechanically with little genuine love) and partly for… other reasons, and had almost given up on taking academics seriously. but i got very lucky and had an incredible english teacher throughout sixth form, who encouraged me to take risks and break from methodical, formulaic writing. at the end of the first essay i had to do for him i still remember that he wrote ‘literature is for you. now and always. carry on.’ at the bottom, and that changed my life. he also introduced me to philip larkin and romantic poetry outside of class. after that, i was gripped by the desire to read and discover as much about the humanities as i could, make links between works, discover new ones, recover the feeling that i was possessed by after finishing gatsby. tumblr genuinely helped with art, literature quotes, and making it all seem accessible, e.g. seeing text posts making jokes about shakespeare, keats, etc helped to demystify a bit. yes, dark academia, i’m also looking at you for making learning seem exciting, but tentatively and with narrowed eyes. general knowledge-wise, it helped me to begin to break down the barriers between ‘subjects’ at school (even if you’ve left school, it’s pretty branded into our brains); they’re sometimes very fuzzy and even arbitrary, and to separate into strictly-defined categories like this is not the only way learning can or should happen.

a work that i thoroughly recommend to everyone who asks where to start is letters to a young poet by rainer maria rilke. he relates so perfectly this idea that the first step is to let yourself be filled with how amazing and vast the world is, and how much there is to read, listen to, and see. that’s not something you can learn from reading, and it’s not something you can be taught by anyone (unless being inspired by someone counts). it’s instrumentally important because it will drive you, but i also think it’s inseparable from understanding (and to me, it is understanding, just understanding without the right words yet). this is the highlight, and it was the mantra stuck up on my wall at 17 when i decided i wanted to learn, and learn seriously:

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.

i was relatively articulate before i started reading the classics/ reading widely, but not exceptionally articulate. here’s an example of two essay openings - one i wrote when i was 16, and one i wrote during my first term at university (2 years apart):

i’d say that since then my essays have probably improved by a similar proportion, as i’m as embarrassed to read the second as i was the first when i wrote the second, and the typos r annoying me (am too embarrassed to post recent writing :’( - doesn’t count if over a year and a half ago, hence posting the second :p). obviously, then, this isn’t natural intelligence (everyone has to get knowledge, big words, etc from somewhere, right?), this is natural receptivity and willingness to learn, which i genuinely believe anyone can gain at any point, coupled with A LOT of reading the opinions of others (i.e. literary criticism and theory), and reading literature from many different periods to discover how language is moulded by individual poets and by ‘eras’ more widely. but this is also synthesising everything i absorb into a personal vision (this is the hill i will die on soz i don’t think theory should be ‘objective’ like what does that even mean). you can and should put yourself into it!

in terms of what to read - if you like the rilke (really hope you do!!) then depending on what you like about it, you can search from there. try some of rilke’s poetry. or if you like that ineffable feeling it brings, try the romantics (keats’ ‘ode to a nightingale’ and blake’s songs of innocence and experience are good to start with!), or larkin’s ‘high windows’ and ‘the mower’. also try shakespeare’s hamlet, because that is INCREDIBLE (watching it is always easier, and the more shakespeare you watch/ read the easier it gets! andrew scott’s hamlet is the best imo). from there it’s a question of asking what you liked about what you just read (time period/ vibe/ themes/ subject/ style of writing) and finding things similar - often google works and i made use of it a lot to start with, tumblr too, otherwise ask people who you know (on the internet/ teachers/ friends etc). this is a personal journey, especially to begin with, i think (you have to jump in somewhere), and there’s no one who can give you a list of books to read in the order best for you, because - annoyingly, i know - that’s something it’s best if each individual works out through trial and error, and part of the fun in truth. there are western canon lists out there, e.g., which contain some fabulous works, but have very obvious problems. 

a really really rough chronological development of english lit: beowulf, any of the canterbury tales, hamlet, paradise lost, pope’s satire, romantic poetry, victorian novels (e.g. david copperfield, jane eyre), the waste land, waiting for godot (it would also help to read the iliad, the aeneid, and metamorphoses too, and as much of the bible as you can, especially genesis, exodus, isaiah, job, and the gospels, but genesis and the gospels first if ur stuck/ overwhelmed). this is the lightest of pencil sketches, but if they’re works that go some way towards defining each ‘era’ or ‘period’, then it becomes a little easier to search for works branching off from these that are influenced by or chafe against them. you can always come back to me if you’re struggling with what to look for next :+) also, i have a list of my poetry favs, if you want to check that out (it includes the stuff mentioned in the previous paragraph, as well as others).

hope this helps (?!) ❤️

#asks

[inadaydream99]

hi! can i request a stray kids reaction to them accidentally forgetting y/n's birthday? you can choose how y/n reacts. thanks you so much!

Hi thank you for this request! 😁 I hope you enjoy this! I really enjoyed writing the different ways each member could react to this scenario 😁

Chan

You had been sat around your apartment all day. Waiting.

You huff with your face in your hands as you try to keep in the tears that are threatening to spill. There has never been a worse birthday you think as you wallow in self pity. You hadn’t received a single call or text from your boyfriend saying happy birthday or even acknowledging you and it was starting to upset you.

It’s not like chan would have forgotten on purpose, he isn’t like that. He’s just busy and hasn’t had time. You try to come up with any excuse that is logical as you look up and stare at your phone. Hoping that maybe if you look long enough it will light up with a notification.

After a ridiculous amount of time you give up. It’s pointless now anyway, it’s too late. The day is wasted. So deciding to cheer yourself up you occupy yourself by watching some movies. Your company? Lots of snacks.

You wake up to someone softly nudging your shoulder and whispering your name, your eyes half open, taking in your surroundings. It’s evidently the next morning, judging by the daylight, and you are still on the sofa.

“(Y/N)? What are you doing sleeping on the sofa?” Chan asks in mild amusement. You adjust yourself so you are sitting up, a frown on your face as you look at him with as little emotion as possible. You want him to know you are annoyed.

“I don’t know. Maybe I was waiting for someone and fell asleep.” You harshly speak, venom in your tone as Chan looks at you in confusion.

“What do you- Oh! No. Ah I’m so sorry, I completely forgot your birthday didn’t I?” Realisation slaps chan in the face and all he can feel is guilt overtake him.

Seeing how genuinely shocked he is at forgetting you feel a little mean at being so harsh. Of course it wasn’t on purpose, he’s been busy working hard and you are just stroppy over missing one birthday. In the grand scheme of things it’s not really that important.

“It’s ok, I know you didn’t mean it.” You sigh in regret and look up to meet his eyes which are sadly looking at you. You reach out to take his hand, a smile appearing on his face at your action.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” Chan says and you nod your head, a small chuckle escaping your lips at how endearingly cute he is.

Woojin

Woojin rushes around in the kitchen, pots and pans clashing together and food chucked all over the worktop as he frantically try’s to make you a nice dinner.

You see, Woojin had forgotten your birthday and woke up this morning to you in complete happiness, until he told you that he hadn’t arranged anything.

You told him that it was ok, but your face said the complete opposite, disappointment clouding your features as you tell him you’re meeting with some friends anyway.

But Woojin wasn’t satisfied with that, he wanted to do something special for you. He wanted you to come home and gasp at what your amazing boyfriend has done for you. So he set to work.

Woojin hears the front door shut and footsteps walking down the hall. He quickly places the last few plates onto the table he has decorated and waits for you to enter.

You gasp as your eyes take in the sight. The smell of the food on the table overtaking your senses and making your mouth water. Approaching Woojin you place your hands on his chest.

“You did this for me?” You ask, looking up at him in awe. His embrace tightening around you to pull you closer.

“Happy birthday, I’m sorry it’s a little late.” He whispers down at you, the close proximity making heat flood to your cheeks. Woojin takes you hand in his and leads you to the table, pulling your chair out for you as you sit down. Woojin may have forgotten at first, but he definitely didn’t disappoint with his surprise.

Minho

Minho felt dreadful, walking along the dark street on his own. His mind running in overtime as he heads towards the supermarket. He needed to make it up to you.

You hadn’t been speaking to Minho, ignoring his calls and texts all day. The reason being that when you told him that he forgot your birthday, which was the day before, he got all defensive saying that he has been busy and it wasn’t his fault. Blaming you because he was mad at himself.

Initially, you weren’t bothered that he had forgotten, but what had sent you into a rage was his attitude. He shouldn’t take his anger out on you.

Minho knocks on your front door, a bunch of flowers in his hand as he anxiously waits for you to answer. He holds in a breath when the door opens and reveals your tear stained face. If he didn’t already feel awful, he definitely did after that.

“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have blamed you because I forgot your birthday. I’m a terrible boyfriend and I know this isn’t enough to make up for how I’ve been, but I can only start by trying.” Minho confesses, sadness heavy in his tone as your glossy eyes look at him. He holds out the flowers to you and you stare at them for a moment, debating on weather to accept them or not.

You silently take them before meeting his eyes once again. They are pleaing for forgiveness, for any sign that you aren’t mad.

You smile soflty at him before pulling him into a hug, your head buried in his chest. Minho lets out a sigh of relief and wraps his arms around you, a smile spreading across his face at your forgiveness.

Changbin

Changbin didn’t know what to say. The way you are looking at him with such an innocent expression only making him worse.

“I can’t believe I forgot. Are you sure it’s your birthday today?” He asks in confusion as you nod you head as you giggle at your forgetful boyfriend.

“I’m pretty sure. Don’t worry though, I didn’t think you remembered so I organised for us to go out instead.” You infrom him with a cheeky grin. Changbin knew that look too well and he grew suspicious.

“What have you done.” He asks trying to come across as relaxed when you can tell he’s freaking out inside.

“Revenge.” Changbin laughs as you pull a devilish face and grab his hand, pulling him out the front door. Let’s just say that chagbin hates scary movies, but you love them.

Hyunjin

“It’s today?” Hyunjin gasps in shock as you tell him it’s your birthday.

“Yep.” You causally answer as you smirk at him.

“Why didn’t you remind me. I could have done something special for you.” Hyunjin whines like a child. You laugh at his behaviour, it’s so ugh!

“Because I don’t want to be older anyway. But I do want to go down to the park where we used to hang out, like old times?” You raise a brow waiting for your boyfriends responce.

“Are you sure? That’s not very special.” Hyunjin questions as you take his hand and interlace your fingers.

“Trust me, there’s nothing I want more.” You beam up at him.

Jisung

You are laying on your bed, eyes glued to your phone screen, just piecefully enjoying some quite time to yourself when Jisung barges into the room and stands next to your bed, looking down at you unimpressed.

“Are you still mad at me?” Jisung questions as you don’t make any effort to acknowledge his existence.

“(Y/N), answer me!” Jisung whines as he nudges you. Still nothing.

“Come on. I’m sorry!” He pleas as he flops on top of you, flattening you to try and get a responce. Any responce.

“Jisung stop.” You flatly state, you don’t try to move. At this, Jisung becomes annoyed and snatches your phone out of your hands.

“Hey! Give me my phone back!” You complain as you reach out to try and grab it.

“Not until you stop ignoring me. I’ve apologised 100 times about forgetting your birthday. I want forgiveness.” Jisung speaks as you push him off of you and sit up to look at him.

“Fine. Now give me my phone.” You huff, your eyes narrowing at your annoying boyfriend.

“That doesn’t sound like you really forgive me.” He mocks, a smirk on his face which agitates your even further.

“I forgive you, please give me my phone.” You sigh, your harsh expression softening as you give in.

Jisung chuckles and hands you back your phone, taking your other hand in his as you laugh at both of your childish antics together.

Felix

“Well, I’m an idiot.” Is all Felix can say as Hyunjin tells him it was your birthday yesterday.

“I can’t believe you forgot.” Hyunjin laughs at Fleix’s responce. He is right though, how could he forget. You didn’t mention anything to him this morning and you have been acting completely normal all day.

“I need to explain myself.” Felix cautiously approaches you as you sit on the sofa.

“What do you mean?” You ask confused by his sudden strangeness.

“I completely forgot your birthday. I’m officially the worst boyfriend to ever exist.” He sighs and looks down at his lap. You place your hand on his cheek you get him to look at you again, a sympathetic smile on your face at seeing how disappointed he is in himself.

“It’s ok. I don’t care about things like that. I know you care about me, you show it everyday.” You softly speak. Felix feels warmth spread through his chest at your words, it’s so full of affection he can’t help but become shy.

“Well, I’m really sorry anyway.” He mumbles with a contented smile as you cuddle up together on the sofa. Happy in each other’s arms.

Seungmin

“Can we move it to tomorrow instead?” Seungmin cheekily asks and you laugh at your silly boyfriend.

“Unfortunately not, but we can celebrate tomorrow.” You reply in amusement.

Seungmin was greatful that you weren’t bothered by his late realisation that it’s your birthday. You could tell by his expressions that he felt bad for it slipping out of his mind, but the willingness to make it up to you was more than enough in your opinion.

“Why don’t we spend the rest of the evening together? I just want to have a quiet night in.” You suggest. Seungmin nods in agreement and pulls you towards him, hands around your waist.

“That sounds perfect.” He beams as you look at each other in complete awe.

Jeongin

“You’re so old, do you still need to celebrate birthdays?” Jeongin jokes as you playfully hit his arm. Your boyfriend is very cheeky all the time, but he can get away with it because he is adorable.

You find it hard to stay mad at him, espically when he can make you laugh so easily. So when he realised he forgot your birthday he wanted to make sure you weren’t mad at him. And how did he do that? By calling you old. Yes, some people have very strange ways of showing affection and this is how your boyfriend shows his.

Of course, you weren’t fussed anyway. This day is no different to the next in your opinion. But seeing the genuine concern on Jeongin’s face made you feel a little guilty about telling him it doesn’t matter. It clearly did to him, you could see he was covering his sadness with jokes.

You decide that the best way to make him better is to offer to cancel your plans with friends so you can spend time together. But when you tell him this idea, Jeongin is completely against it.

“I’ll plan something special for tomorrow. You have a great time out tonight.” Jeongin embraces you as you are about to leave. You place a quick peck on his cheek before pulling away and opening the door.

#stray kids requests #stray kids reactions #stray kids fluff #stray kids angst #stray kids imagines #stray kids scenarios #kpop requests #kpop reactions #kpop fluff #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios

[thecorteztwins]

(Maddy and Haven fic! Tagging @sammysdewysensitiveeyes since it was their idea. TRYING to tag @esteicy-blog but TUMBLR WON’T LET ME LATELY) They had met in Limbo, literally. Both of them had been awoken, trapped there, after their respective demises, due to their being “tainted” with demonic energy. Thus, rather than going on to wherever everyone else got to, they instead did not truly perish, but merely had moved, including their earthly body, to another plane, one where such energies allowed them to survive. The denizens there let them be, and indeed gave them both a wide berth. The power of the demons that had left their marks on these women had the same effect on lesser entities as the scent of an apex predator did on smaller ones in its environment--keeping them far at bay in fear.  It was a boon, yes, keeping them from being torn to shreds or worse by the loathsome inhabitants of the realm, but it was a bitter one. A reminder that they were forever marked, forever set apart, forever a part of them warped and evil and wrong even though they had thought their nightmare was over with their deaths.  They had found each other, there in that twisted geography, two alien loners, two angels lost in hell. Naturally, they had banded together as traveling companions, roaming the only world that would have them anymore.  Along the way, they’d learned about each other. Madelyne had opened up first. Her pain was a raw, angry one, a pain that reached out of herself because it was too much to contain in her own limited being, in anyone. She had made the world itself feel her pain, made all of Manhattan share it; she was not private with it. Yet in her strange way, she had come to be possessive of it too; it was one of the few things that was HERS. Haven, who had kept the secret of her “Voice Within” for twenty years (though it turned out, in the end, she didn’t know its TRUE secret), who was not the headstrong spitfire that Madelyne was, but instead raised a restrained and refined lady who had only ever broken one rule (and paid dearly for it) while Madelyne made her own, took more time. She was still ashamed, something Madelyne was not, and something Madelyne encouraged her against once she knew about it. ”Just because the creatures who did this will never feel shame,” she’d said, “Shouldn’t mean we have to!” Madelyne KNEW this wasn’t her fault---or Haven’s---and that was what made her mad! Madelyne, someone who had been a hero with the X-Men, someone who had advocated mutant rights back when she’d so foolishly thought herself human, had a strong sense of justice---and she raged at how it had been denied them both, while Haven took a sad, silent, stalwart approach. But when Madelyne had begun to express her experiences, bringing them forth in angry tears or bitter comments, Haven had begun to open herself to Madelyne in kind. Not to compete with Madelyne’s pain, but to comfort her in sharing it, as so few could. Both of them were also women of great compassion. Haven had been a philanthropist, tormented by the pain of others and using all her great means to assuage it. Madelyne had helped save lives with the X-Men....and given up her own life to save the world. Save the world, ironically, from the same creature that had entered it again years later through Haven’s womb. They were women who, in their natural state, cared deeply and truly and, in Maddy’s case, fiercely for others---thus, naturally, they had compassion for one another. And it helped them find compassion for themselves too, though each believed the other lacked enough for herself. Maddy, because she saw that Haven was not vengeful. Haven, because she saw that Madelyne was. Like right now; returned to Earth and life by unknown powers (Madelyne assured Haven it was a pretty regular thing) the redhead had immediately begun a plan to attack the X-Men, in particular Scott Summers and his new telepathic paramour. A plan that, Haven, of course, opposed. “How many of them had an evil phase?” Madelyne griped, “How many former villains are in their ranks? And yet it’s ME ALONE who is forever outcast from them. If they want a wicked witch to hate, I’ll give it to them!” “Have you tried to rejoin them?” “No! But they might have offered.” “But you would refuse?” “Yes. But they should offer. I was with them for years. Some even met me before they met the OTHER WOMAN. How can they just forget me for her when they knew me FIRST?”     “ It doesn’t sound like they were worthy friends for you, Madelyne. If they’ve forgotten you, why not forget them? It’s unfair, for you to be the one burdened with a grudge.”     “They deserve it!” Madelyne exclaimed in pained, furious passion, her eyes wrenched shut from sheer emotion, her fists raised and clenched, her body actually doubling over as though she had been struck in the stomach. Haven’s voice was still calm...and yet, with no less emotion, in its own serene, loving way, “What about what you deserve?” That took Madelyne aback, and instead of answering it, she ejected in shocked, accusing betrayal, “You’re trying to manipulate me!” For Madelyne, of all people, knew manipulation when it came her way. It had been there with her first breath...and her last. She would say she’d never expect it from Haven, but the truth is, she expected from anyone in the end. As for Haven, she did not deny or deflect it, and that did surprise Madelyne somewhat, though it did not pacify her. “I...suppose so, yes, you’re right. It isn’t how I think of it, but I am trying to urge you towards a goal that I want, even as you’re telling me that I want the opposite, and I am trying to use words to appeal to you. To steer you, even. Because I don’t want to MAKE you do anything, Madelyne, and I doubt I ever could. But I do wish that you would want something different.” “And what would you get out of it?” “My initial response is, nothing. But upon a moment’s reflection---I would get my own happiness. It pains me to see someone so victimized, so wounded, so wronged, and it also pains me to see anger, hate, vindictiveness, even when justified...especially since it continues to hurt you. So in you doing what I believe will alleviate your pain, mine would also be alleviated. And I suppose also, I am trying to push my own worldview. To move you in the direction I believe is right, because I believe it is right. I do genuinely wish for you to be happier, to be better--but there is a certain arrogance in my belief that the path I advocate will provide that, and that the one you have chosen to pursue will not. It’s understandable to push back against that, to be angry, to be insulted---especially since it’s coming from someone who should understand where you are coming from.”

“So you want me to be like you. You just want me to forgive everyone and let this go, because you think being a doormat is the moral high ground?” “Forgiveness...helped ME heal. Holding a grudge..may be what helps you heal. That’s for you to decide. But not forgiving them...does not mean you must still pursue vengeance. It tethers you to them, as much as you were tethered before by the machinations of others.” “Don’t preach at me!” Madelyne nearly screamed, face and body twisting in pain again, “I earned my vengeance!” “It is not the validity of your rage I question,” Haven tried to urge her back, “It is your willingness to hurt yourself for it. I don’t want that for you, Madelyne. You’ve been so wronged. You deserve more for yourself than becoming a villain in someone else’s story.” Madelyne felt patronized and also penetrated, simultaneously like Haven was pretentious and self-righteous and talking down to her and trying to tell her what to do and how she felt...and also like her description was exactly accurate. A villain in someone else’s story. Because it always had been someone elses story from the start, hadn’t it? Not hers, never hers. She was the lover, the mother, the evil witch, but never the heroine. She was there to be sacrificed or sacrifice others, but never to save them or be saved. And every time she tried to strike back at the X-Men...she couldn’t deny, the cycle continued, with her pain and humiliation and rejection and defeat all over again.    clenched her heart like a squeezing fist , the knowledge that this was all that she had left to her now if she stopped...she was nothing. her life was intertwined with theirs, with scott, from the start. If she gave it up, as painful as it was, who was left? She’d used to be so confident. I am what I am, she had said to Sym. But that had been before she’d known what she REALLY was. A fake. An illusion. A ghost made flesh, who only existed now so long as she returned to haunt those were truly real, truly alive, truly people. People with REAL memories and REAL desires, things they TRULY had lived and felt. Even Haven had that!       “You have a life to go back to!” she yelled, “This IS my life!” “It doesn't have to be,” Haven had moved towards her, standing close to her, had put her hands on Madelyne’s upper arms, gently holding her, looking into her suffering, angry green ones with her own sorrowful loving dark ones, “You can make your own life---you have nothing now, but that means your canvas is clean--” “It will NEVER be clean!” Madelyne was in agony, and nearly in tears. “People can change, Madelyne. You weren’t always like this, were you? Your experiences changed you. You can change again.” Her voice a sob, Madelyne turned her face away from her fried, “There’s no going back.” “No,” Haven agreed softly, “There isn’t. But there can be going forward. You can never be how you were before, never un-know what you now know. But you can also be a new person. We’re all always changing. You can too---and this time, you get to steer.” Her hands moved down to Madelyne’s own, fingers intertwined with hers, and Maddy found herself grasping back. In a small voice, she asked, “Where do I even begin?” How did one start making a life, an entire person?  How could you build YOURSELF from nothing? “Let’s start with something you love,” said Haven gently, “Something that’s just yours. And always has been.” Madelyne thought a moment. Then she turned her face back to Haven, opening her eyes, which had been clenched shut again a moment ago, “I think I’d like to fly again.”

[OOC note: Originally, I had written out a bit where Madelyne finds out Haven’s past through telepathy. But then I ended up writing them as having opened up organically to each other prior to this argument, and I liked that better. However, I still really liked the mind-reading scene, even though I cut it, so here’s my outline of how it would have gone down: And what are our similarities, Mother Theresa? One of the saddest expressions that Madelyne had ever seen outside a mirror. The crazy thing was, it wasn’t even in her face, which remained as gracefully composed as that of a geisha. It was all in her huge, dark eyes, and the furrowing of the thick brows above them. She was struggling with something. Her eloquent tongue was finally wrapped around something she couldn’t spit out. It made Maddy curious enough to keep listening; what was Miss Perfect here hiding? Did she accidentally step on a bug once and was living in agony with the guilt? An expression of relinquishing, of defeat, replaced the struggle on Haven’s face. She shut her eyes, and there was the sense she had let go, submitted to something, and was steeling herself for it. Opening her eyes back at Madelyne, she said, “I...think it is better to show you. I have not the strength to say. Not now. Maybe not for a long time. But hopefully, one day.” “You want me to read your memories.” “It...is a deeply intimate thing, I know. I understand if you do not wish to.” didn’t usually get that people understood how intimate it was for the person whose mind was being read, but seldom considered how much so it was for the telepath too seemed especially hesitant, must not like people poking around in her brain few did but she was offering anyway Madelyne didn’t think she’d be persuaded, but she was intrigued enough she had to see Well, hold tight to your socks, girl. I’m going in.   seen it seen it all used by a man for her body, abandoned with her child not yet born a demon for her pregnancy 20 years without control 20 years forced into a role she didn’t choose, would never had chosen attacked by X-Men died alone no sympathy, no one, Roma herself---someone Madelyne had met and remembered fondly, someone who had given Maddy life again after her first death---there to tell her she deserved it, even as she begged Roma, begged her not to save her but to stop her monstrous child The Adversry The Adversary, dear god was it possible?! The Adversary---the same demon that had KILLED Madelyne in that first death! Well, not exactly---it had not struck her down, but she had offered her life to Forge’s spell to bind it away from this reality yet it had traveled through time, twenty years back, and found refuge in the womb of this woman, this human woman, human til she wasn’t, just like Maddy, just like Maddy, just like Maddy--             and saw too, the reason for Haven’s hesitancy to show this not just the pain, the shame, the intimacy no, another reason Haven had been telepathically invaded by force before, violated, that was how Haven had felt it, as a violation, how Madelyne therefore felt it now through her memories Xavier forced his way in despite her repeated pleas and outcries against it, had KNOWN she was hiding something in Haven’s forgiving retrospect, she thought Xavier had done the right thing, because she HAD been hiding something, something terrible, she HAD been responsible for the deaths of millions and answers must be found, Haven understood, Haven forgave, Haven thought he had been right to do it as much as it hurt her still but Madelyne did NOT forgive for all her grudges over her self, Madelyne could still take on new ones for other people, because Madelyne still CARED for others, even the people she’d never met, had no ties to, it was why she had left Sebastian Shaw despite him never harming HER, because his actions had the potential to harm other people even if she never saw it And she saw this now, and she did NOT forgive, she--- pulled away, gasping as though for air, like she had been deep underwater physically instead of deep in Haven’s mind Haven’s sorrowful look remained, had increased, and Maddy indeed understood why now     ]

#fic #writing #madelyne pryor #radha dastoor

[egg-emperor]

Do you have any headcanons for your self insert and Eggman

OHO you bet I do, especially since I have a bunch of fics of my s/i and Eggman that I’m literally never gonna post sdhkjdfhbkgbs //^w^//

I really appreciate your interest in my s/i because I don’t talk about him often thinking that people just might not really like to know. So it means a lot thank you :’D

Julian previously lived with a self-formed pack that mostly consisted of wolves and a few dogs. The point of them was to combat against Eggman’s Forces and basically serve to protect the place they resided. Of course having this connection meant that Julian heard about Eggman and all the terrible things he did all the time, being told about the latest news and past stories by the pack very early on in his life.

Despite being very well aware of how dangerous a man he is, Julian was always more intrigued than afraid. Having no idea when what he could possibly do next with how unpredictable he is was the exciting thing happening Julian’s life. He was very good at hiding it from the others though.

Julian was never a physical fighter so his position was to be the lookout, the one that warns the others of oncoming danger.

He didn’t do his job properly on purpose though lmao. Out of his fascination with all of Eggman’s creations from the biggest of mechs to the smallest of robots, he wouldn’t warn the others about seeing badniks because he didn’t want to contribute to them being destroyed. Despite them being programmed to be hostile, Julian would try to get as close to the odd motobug he saw just to get a better look at them.

He had absolutely no regard for his own safety and that only reached higher extremities when he’d sneak not far behind the pack to get even the slightest glimpse of Eggman in person. He still remembers and treasures the first time he got the closest he been yet. Which compared to now, was still very far away as he was up on top of a building lol. But he managed to see him there in his egg mobile just before he left and that was special to him!

I have multiple stories for how they first met personally but I’m still deciding on which one is the ‘canon’ version to my main story of them. Because I’ve settled on combining all my favorite parts into one, I’ll share what I’ve decided on for certain atm.

Eggman visited to see if there was any useful terrain for a base or more healthy animals to use for his pawns. This time he had his forces seize some of the most important members of the pack on the scene. Julian just happened to be one of the random extras they grabbed since he was lurking there. While that was everyone else’s horror, it was his luckiest day!

Eggman had a lot of ideas for what punishment he wanted to give the significant members that he had targeted. But first, he wanted to make sure he could break them down and control them to the point that they feel miserable and defeated, acknowledging his power and greatness for being the winner of the annoying ongoing battle between them. Before dealing with them immediately though, he had them temporarily work for him so he could mock and toy with them some more.

Since Julian was not a trained and skilled fighter like the others, he wasn’t closely involved until the third meeting. That’s when he was unexpectedly brought in and the former leader explained his position of being the lookout. As long as he could be useful to Eggman in the meantime, he could also serve some type of purpose rather than just sit in a cell until he decides it’s time to rid of them all. So he gave Julian a role in his current main base’s security room.

Eggman quickly noticed how visibly focused on him he was the entire time he was talking. Of course, when he can feel the attention on him it further boosts his confidence to the point where everyone can tell that he’s deliberately showing off. But Julian is just like me and recognizes him as a total asshole and finds that attractive about him along with everything else. Eggman announced to the others that he was an example of how attentive the others should be.

During the short time the pack had to follow Eggman’s orders, they were often scared into submission by his threats so much that hardly anyone dared to act up. They knew that their sentence would only become even shorter if they made their unwillingness too clear to him. Julian didn’t have to be told twice to do anything and served him the most willingly the entire time. The second he saw someone even consider an attempt to escape, he’d make sure Eggman knew about it.

It really didn’t take Eggman long to notice how much Julian was into him. He was already getting ideas the first meeting he attended but there was so much besides that which really made it obvious to him. The way Julian’s tail would wag like crazy when he entered the room. How happy he looked whenever Eggman was jolly, especially when he’d laugh. How he failed to hide his reaction towards even the slightest bit of physical contact between them. Even indirect contact like using something after he had, like drinking from the same glass as he did was something that he seemed oddly delighted about.

Most importantly he had many assets that Eggman found useful, such as his enthusiasm to hear him talk about himself and his work, how quickly he’d jump at the chance to serve him. Everything he did wasn’t even in an attempt to impress him or make him notice that he liked him, he did it all simply because he couldn’t help it. He just enjoyed stroking his ego and his satisfaction came from seeing Eggman happy and proud. The way he didn’t expect him to give him anything in return was also helpful in getting Eggman to realize that he had some worth lol

After he’d rid of all the other pack members he’d captured, Julian didn’t even seem to care what happened to happen to them. Instead, he was instead thrilled that he was kept alive for some reason because he still didn’t know why yet. That almost convinced Eggman that his desire to stay on his side was genuine. He was considering keeping him in management of his security and that’s why he was spared.

But he wasn’t going to reveal that to him just yet because he was soon thinking back to the times where people working under him would try to betray him or get something out of him, even after seeming to be pretty devoted to serving him. Even though Julian seemed to have the deepest passion for him beyond working, he wouldn’t overlook the possibility of him being a good actor and spy of some sort.

So he decided that he’d confront him about it and test his willingness. That way he could attempt to understand his true intentions. It’s not like he’d stand a chance against him if he did try anything against him in those moments, so he went for it. He ended up having Julian pinned up against the wall, demanding that he prove to him that it’s all real.

He said that there were no security cameras around, so he can do whatever he wanted and nobody would ever find out. He expected Julian to understand that if he had some plan to attack or betray him, now was his chance. But that’s not what he thought of with those words. And oh boy, did he know how to prove how he really felt. It was after that where Eggman knew for certain that it was real and things escalated between them from there when he took full advantage of his desire for him.

When Julian was staying with him at the base everything went well. Eggman liked how much the wolf made it clear that he would never ask so much out of him, never interfere with his work or speak against his orders because he understood and supported him in a way that no other person had done before.

Julian especially cheered on all his biggest dreams for Eggmanland, any latest plans and projects that he revealed to him and he loved to hear of all the stories of the evilest and cruelest chaos he’d brought upon people, lands and the entire planet. Hearing of it all from his perspective had been his dream ever since he’d been told about him.

The surviving (hint hint) members that had never been captured by Eggman attempted to come and ‘rescue’ Julian, but it was never a group effort. His former partners would take it upon themselves to go alone to find retrieve him, believing that he was being held there against his will. Most of them never figured out why he was so calm about being there and even after they reminded him of how dangerous Eggman is.

They were furious and appalled when they finally realized his betrayal of them for Eggman and how he completely supported the man’s actions. But it didn’t matter because none of them ever left the base unscathed to tell anyone else of their discovery. Eggman would threaten them and take action upon them himself so they’d never be able to even dare to try to come back again. Julian didn’t care what he did to them as long as it got them off their backs.

So yeahhh, Julian doesn’t have the power to be labeled a true villain like Eggman but he definitely isn’t a good guy huh XD He knows how to look and appear innocent and hide his much darker side. Eggman definitely helps bring it out of him and is a very bad influence without even really trying though heheh. They also have a lot of very deep and dark secrets that nobody else will ever know or hear of, if they do then they won’t live to tell the tale anyway. Eggman especially has always made sure of that. 👀

As time went on he realized that despite hardly being able to contain his immense amount of love for him, Julian was still very good at keeping the secrets they had together too. That’s why he eventually decided to also give him the role as a type of spy that could act and blend in well with their enemies.

He’d later go on to fool the Resistance as his spy by joining them and reporting back to his beloved with any necessary information he’d gathered. Despite a lot of close calls, Julian’s biggest accomplishment is that he managed to play the part right up to the moment where Eggman was about to drop the sun down on everyone. Then he finally got to join his side again and despite not expecting anything, he got quite the reward for that effort ;D

#under a read more because OOPS #julian the wolf #asks #I'll be tagging all my s/i x Eggman posts as #self ship #jsyk!!! #I have so much more to say but then this post will be massive lol #my post #txt #dr. eggman #dr eggman #eggman #dr robotnik

[princeasimdiya12]

“Get ready, wake your psyche up, Gooch！

Get ready, dig your anger up, Gooch！

Get ready, wake your psyche up, Gooch！

Get ready!” 

So this happened during the weekend on a road trip where I decided to create another AU featuring the CU cast in the world of Mob Psycho 100. But as a twist, instead of revolving around George and Harold, the story would instead focus on unlucky oddball Steve “Gooch” Yamaguchi. 

Starring

Gooch as Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama. Along with having the same hairstyle, they’re both awkward, blunt and soft spoken boys who have difficulty with reading the room or understanding social norms. They still try to be good people but often get taken advantage of by other more domineering personalities. For this AU, Gooch is gifted with incredible powers that ordinary people could only dream to have. But Gooch isn’t interested in them since most people in his life only want him because of his powers. He wants to be recognized for his other traits and talents that don’t revolve around making cars and people float into space. 

Krupp as Reigen Arataka. They’re both highly similar since they’re stingy, overreactive, self-absorbed glory hounds who often take advantage of others if it means satisfying their own personal goals. The main difference that unlike canon, Krupp will be an actual Jerk with a Heart of Gold for this AU. Over time, he learns to care about Gooch as he becomes his master by providing him genuine life lessons for him to use in his life. He also realizes that there are consequences to going too far with his selfish ways and that he won’t be as happy if he continues down the same path. He runs a spirit and consultation office where he takes on supernatural themed cases if it means bringing him cash and popularity. 

Bo as Ritsu Kageyama. Both of them are dependable, kind hearted and have a close relationship with the main protagonist. In this AU, Bo would be more like a childhood friend who grew up with Gooch and cherishes his friendship with him. However, an incident involving some bullies made Bo insecure over the fact that he wasn’t able to protect Gooch. What’s worse is that Gooch was the one who ended up saving the two of them while also discovering his psychic powers that very day.  It’s because of this that Bo is desperate to awaken his own powers so he can be the guardian he was meant to be.

Smartsy as Dimple. Along with being floating blobs of green gas, they also started out as villains who wanted to take control of people but decided to let go of their schemes and become good. His initial cult was dedicated to healthy living by eating as many beans, broccoli and apple juice as possible.

Melvin as Teruki Hanazawa. The cocky, talented rivals of their respective series. Just like Teru, Melvin starts out believing himself to be something of a god while everyone else are inferior life forms for him to boss around. It isn’t until he has a chance encounter with Gooch does he realize that he isn’t the only big fish in the little pond called life. While he’s still arrogant and sarcastic, humble is something that Melvin can never properly learn in any AU, he does show genuine respect for Gooch for his abilities and a willingness to cooperate with his social circle. Also he does end up bald during his fight with Gooch and resorts to using an 80s wig.

Jessica as Tome Kurata. While this is a weird choice because of their different social standings, I chose them based on personality types. Just like Tome, Jessica is overly dramatic, obnoxious, conceited and is prone to giving orders to other students. For this AU, while she did create the Telepathy Club to be lazy and goof off, she does have a genuine interest in alien life and wants to make contact with them. Mainly so she can share her fabulous haar secrets with the rest of the universe. And in case you’re wondering about the aliens in her haar, those aren’t decorations. Those are the real thing. But just like Tome, Jessica needs to be motivated to achieve her goal and she’ll easily obtain them if she actually puts the effort into it.

Dressy as Ichi Mezato. A junior reporter at the school and a close acquaintance of Gooch. I picked her mainly for her role rather than personality. The reason she begins to investigate Gooch is because she’s seen his powers in its fullest when he defeated Smartsy’s Health Cult which in turn resulted in a secret following of people dedicated to the mysterious savior. Dressy desires to learn more about him so she can use his information and powers to promote a new world order that inspires peace and harmony among the rest of the Earth. So in a way, she wants to create her own cult. Cult!

Erica as Shou Suzuki. Both of them are talented, athletic and tend to snark when given the opportunity. Despite their cocky attitudes, they are truly aligned with the good side and want to make things right. For the AU, Erica has been keeping tabs on the Claw organization and has been providing the heroes with information needed to help take them and her wicked godmother down. 

Nurse Offstill as Tsuchiya. I decided to go with Offstill since I wanted a female Faculty member who could work as a reformed Claw member. Offstill works with Tsuchiya since they’re both kick butt ladies who treat kids with respect and pretty cool in their own ways. Also to keep the record clear, Nurse Offstill belongs to @guilty-as-battery-charged. 

Mr. Ree as Yusuke Sakurai. They’re both serious and dedicated to their careers. Ree would be exceptionally talented when it comes to using weapons. And while he does start out as a villain, he ultimately switches to being a good guy and proves to be a reliable ally.

Mr. Meaner as Banshomaru Shinra. They both have a sorta weird friendship going on with Krupp/Reigen, especially when it comes to their banter. Both Meaner and Shinra also believe themselves to be exceptionally great at their talents but the results say otherwise as they end up becoming Butt Monkeys.

Professor Poopypants as Ishiguro. The main antagonists of their respective series who intend to conquer the world and live above everyone as superior beings. They cannot be swayed into stopping their evil agendas and refuse to accept logic. Also they’re both tiny and have violent temper tantrums.

Mister Rio as Shimazaki. I went with my OC Rio since he fits with Shimazaki as a confident, agile and dangerous threat. They’ll beat you to a pulp with a smug smile on their faces.

Ms. Anthrope as Toichiro Suzuki. Regarding personalities, Anthrope can work for Toichiro since on the surface they’re presented as calm-minded, serious and somewhat generous to those around them. (Toichiro offered to help Serizawa control his powers and Anthrope is always reaching out to Krupp as a friend). But beneath the surface, they prove to be egomaniacal and dangerous as they intend to conquer the world to satisfy their own egos. I based this on how Anthrope was super expressive and power hungry when she became Clogneta. 

Edith the Lunch Lady as Serizawa Katsuya. Just like Serizawa, Edith is an awkward but friendly person who wants to do what’s right. They have difficulty speaking up for themselves so they often mumble their words and drop the issue. For this AU, Edith was a social outcast because of her out of control powers and was afraid of hurting people. It isn’t until Ms. Anthrope arrived did she learn not only to control her powers but that she can be of use to create a better world order. But eventually she realizes how harmful and dangerous Anthrope’s agenda really is and switches sides. Once the battle is over, she decides to work at Krupp’s spirit office to use her powers for good. Also, Serizawa is considered to be Reigen’s love interest so it felt appropriate to have Edith here considering how Reigen is. *insert hubba-hubba-buububaba*

Other characters that I wanted to include were Lavator Ree as Murashi Gouda the leader of the Body Improvement Club. In this AU, Lavator would be a gym teacher instead of a student but he still leads the club with pride and goes the extra mile to ensure that Gooch is getting the right amount of training. And for George and Harold, I feel that they would share an unofficial role of being the Emi of the AU. They ended up having a rut with their comics since they feel that it doesn’t have the same heart like the old ones did. What’s worse is that they feel that maybe they’re outgrowing making comic books. But it isn’t until a chance encounter with Gooch who provides meaningful words to the boys on how their work does have meaning and they should cherish not only the talent they have but the time they spend making it together. This rekindles their spirits and the boys decide to make a comic dedicated to their new friend called “The Paranormal Heroics of the Prodigious Psycho Helmet”. And I also wanted to include someone for Tsubomi but I didn’t know which student would be fit to be Gooch’s love interest.

And that is Gooch Psycho 100. Thank you for taking the time to read all this. If you have any thoughts on this AU, or would like to share your own ideas, you’re more than welcome to like and/or reblog this with your thoughts.

#captain underpants #the epic tales of captain underpants #mob psycho 100 #cu au #mob psycho 100 au #gooch #mr. krupp #bo hweemuth #melvin sneedly #smartsy fartsy #jessica gordon #dressy killman #erica wang #nurse offstill #mr. ree #mr. meaner #professor poopypants #ms. anthrope #edith the lunch lady #cu ocs

[bluerene]

RobStar Week #2 - Stardust

...and so, in a jet-lagged delirium, after sixteen hours of traveling, I present to you all another fic that has not been proofread in the slightest. Yet. We’ll see what happens. 

Feedback is love! I hope you all enjoy day two of RS Week 2019 <3

wayne manor | stardust | lost |

Stardust 

And her heart burst like the stars do in the end, and She fell on her knees. But the whole world looked her in awe. She lit the whole universe with her fire for a moment. In the end, she was as beautiful as the stardust falling from the sky and her heart didn't ache anymore. - Akshay Vasu

He was becoming accustomed to the idea of hosting an alien on his own terms. That is to say, he couldn’t just let her roam free after all the damage she had caused the night before, and he refused to ask Bruce for advice or help. So the simple studio apartment he had been using as a temporary base in Jump City went from housing Robin, the Boy Wonder, to also housing a pretty little alien girl who called herself ‘Starfire’. 

He was keeping her at an arm's length. He may not have been as paranoid as his father, but he had enough reasons to not completely buy into the bubbly persona he now bore witness to. All traces of the fierce warrior lady, who had hefted a car with the toe of her boot, and kissed him so bruisingly he felt he might faint, had vanished. And the woman that remained seemed impossibly different from the girl he’d met before. 

“You can stay with me on a trial basis until we have things sorted out with the others. I can try to get you something more permanent if you’re planning on sticking around for a while.”

“I am ready to do whatever you ask of me, Robin.”

They had been like that for about two hours, seated across from each other in his small kitchen. Robin was dead tired and deep into his fourth pot of coffee. The others - Raven, Beast Boy, and the guy they now called Cyborg - had agreed to meet with him and Starfire at the island later in the evening, so they could discuss a few things. Until then, or until she had somewhere else to go, Starfire would be staying with him. So there they were, a few hours after dawn- ground rules needed to be laid out before anything else happened. 

“We’ll have to go over some cultural review as well. You’ll need to brush up on Earth’s laws and fill out some paperwork formally declaring your presence in Jump.”

“If that is what you require, I will take care of it.”

“You might want to contact your planet of origin and sort out those affairs as well. If you were taken by those other aliens by force, you might have a case for -”

“I was not,” she interjected, a painfully tight smile drawn across her lips, “taken by force, unfortunately. But I will be sure to contact the ambassadors of my home planet and confirm I am well.”

Robin was surprised that she never questioned his requests, no matter how uncomfortable they seemed to make her. Sometimes she would fidget under his gaze, before taking a deep breath and staring at him with her wide green eyes. Her back would straighten and her fingers would release whatever they were gripping. And with a sweet smile, her nerves seemingly melted away, she would tell him, 

“I trust you, Robin.”

Which was the strangest thing she could have possibly said. 

 Trust. 

She trusted him. She took him at his word in matters that concerned her life and well-being. She trusted him to save her. She trusted that he cared. 

And Robin, while flattered, was far too pragmatic to let this slide.

“You...trust me?” He asked slowly, testing the word on his tongue.

She nodded emphatically. 

“Very much. You have been unequivocally...nice to me, even though you do not owe me anything, nor have you asked for anything in exchange for your kindliness. It does not go unappreciated. I admire your willingness to assist me in my hour of need and am indebted to you beyond measure. The very least I can offer is my full trust in your words.”

“Starfire, you can’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Put that much faith in any one person,” he snapped, his temper beginning to rise, “you’re going to get yourself killed or worse if you don’t build some walls soon. Go back into crazy warrior mode or something. I don’t know what it’s like on your planet, but around here, it’s common for people to lie and cheat and steal. ”

“I do not believe you are one of those people.”

Robin rolled his eyes, “quite frankly, you don’t know anything about me. I think it’s pretty naive of you to think that every person who comes along and saves you at the right moment is going to be in your corner forever.”

He could have sworn he saw a ripple move through her, a sharp flash of green in her face. Just as quickly as it came, it had disappeared. Her hands came to the edge of her skirt, fingers digging into the shiny purple fabric. 

“I was offered as a prize by my own people,” Starfire said quietly, “given into service under one of the cruelest races in the galaxy. I was disillusioned by promises of loyalty and protection long before then. I do not offer my trust so freely and I am not as naive as you may believe. But if there is someone who has been as kind and just as you have been, who has succeeded in saving my life and gifting me the freedom I have always wanted, I am going to choose to trust them. I am going to choose to see the good and believe in something more. Just like you did.”

His brow furrowed, confusion crossing his face. 

“I did what?”

She rose from her seat and approached him slowly, holding both of her fists outwards. There was a crackle of green light around her palms, a warm flicker of energy that danced at her fingertips.

“I was standing like this. I could have killed you in an instant,” she said. 

His fingers itched for his utility belt, but he set his jaw and allowed her to make her point. 

“I had already destroyed much of your home. I was angry. I was a threat to you and many others. But you saw through me. You gave me a chance to prove I was worth more than what I appeared to be.”

Starfire drew her fists back to her sides and returned to her seat, looking at him squarely in the face. Her eyes drank in the curve of his jaw, the smooth line of his nose, and the slight flush on his cheeks. She stared into his mask so intently, he wondered if he was wearing it at all.

“I will choose to see the good, Robin. I will choose to trust and believe in others,” she said finally, “But most of all, I will promise to always trust and believe in you. Now you may call me naive or foolish, but do not forget - I will always have these to protect me.” 

She held up her hands and allowed a flare of green to pass through them, enjoying the look of surprise on his face as it was worn down into amusement.

“Well, then,” Robin said, clearing his throat, “you know what you’re talking about. I’ll...I’ll trust you can take care of yourself, at the very least.”

Starfire beamed and allowed the flames to die out. 

“Then it seems we have an understanding. If there are any other items you believe I must take care of in order to establish my presence on Earth, I am eager to know what they are.”

He felt his lips twitch before he gave in and allowed a genuine smile to take place.

“What do you say we get something to eat, rest up for a bit, and finish this conversation with everyone else? I’ll pay for food.”

Starfire grinned.

“As I do not have any Earthen currency, I am afraid it would have been your responsibility to cover the costs regardless. But yes, that sounds satisfactory. If it is not too much trouble, may I use your balcony for a moment?”

“Uh...sure. What for?”

His eyes widened when she yanked her tall purple boots down to the ankle and kicked them off, unbuckling the wide silver belt around her waist and setting that aside on the kitchen counter. Starfire made quick work of discarding her armbands and reached for the gorget around her neck, only to hesitate and draw her hands back to her sides. 

“Tamaranians require sunlight to recharge our energy,” she explained, moving a few feet past him to access the sliding glass doors that led outside, “it is preferable that the maximum amount of skin be exposed during the process. I do not yet know the Earthen standard for indecency, but I believe it is safe for me to assume nudity is frowned upon.”

Robin coughed and rubbed the back of his neck, fighting the urge to allow his eyes to trail past her long, ruby colored hair and down to her longer, deliciously golden legs. 

“Yeah, uh, you’d be correct in that assumption.”

As soon as the first drops of sun hit her skin, she closed her eyes, tasting the pure energy as it flowed through her veins.

This girl was dangerous. Ethereal. Wondrously and impossibly captivating. 

Robin didn’t dare speak. Teenage boy thoughts be damned, he was a professional. If he let himself turn to goo over every pretty girl that came his way, he would be no better than Bruce.

“You know,” Starfire said, tilting her face towards the sky, “I could inform you of the exact composition and properties of light and solar energy by a single taste. I know of the greatest beings in the galaxy, the structures of strange planets, the feeling of stardust as it grazes your body. And despite how normal these have all become for me, I cannot help but feel small in comparison. My power and strength is nothing compared to what the universe has to offer. In many ways, I am like stardust itself - the tail end of something far bigger and greater than I could ever be. Is that not a curious notion?”

It was the first of many incredible things she would say to him throughout their friendship as their feelings grew and bloomed and blossomed and changed and remained. But at the time, it was the most exquisite thing Robin had ever witnessed in his life, and his heart felt a hundred times more foreign in the moments that passed afterward. 

“Yeah,” he said quietly, allowing himself to melt for her, just this once, “it really is.”

#its robstar week bitches #robin #starfire #robstar #dick grayson #koriandr #woo im tired guys #so tired #like super duper tired #idk how i feel about this #i kind like it i kinda hate it #c'est la vie

[just-come-baek]

Jewels 2 | final

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Themes: some angst with a sprinkle of fluff | adventure!au | archaeologist!reader | dodger!Jungkook

Word count: 5.1k

Warnings: nothing greater than what happened in the first part

Summary: Nobody said it’s going to be easy, but when Jeon Jungkook, the handsome troublemaker, tags along on my adventure, my simple trip morphs into a life-threatening mission. I was to find an ancient necklace and gain fame in the archeology field, but thanks to Jungkook’s mischeif, we attracted lots of unnecessary attention and plenty of enemies.

A/N I don’t know if tumblr links work again, but if you want to read the first part, you just have to do that through my masterlist

I was royally screwed, and it was all Jungkook’s fault.

Though I was caught, and later on tied up, I just sat there, thinking of getting my revenge. I was aware it was pointless since it was apparent that the smugglers would either rape me and sell me off, or rape me and kill me afterward, but I just couldn’t help myself.

If only I could have a moment with Jungkook alone, if only I could put my hands on him, damn, I’d shred him into pieces. He had lied to me – multiple times, he had put my life in danger – also multiple times, and on top of that, that son of a bitch had stolen the necklace out of my backpack, stripping me of my secret weapon against these men.

They had brought me to their campsite sometime in the evening; now it was the middle of the night. I was freezing, the robe around my wrists was scratching my skin, and I was thirsty as hell. Too bad, the smugglers gave no shit about my needs. Once in a while, one of them would come to check up on me, but it wasn’t because they cared. They would glance at me, (read: eye-fuck me), say something in their language (probably life threats), and then leave.

I was their captive, and I hated every second of it, and frankly, making up ways of getting my revenge on Jungkook was the only thing that kept me away from going crazy. If I ever made it alive, Jungkook would wish to be dead.

Sometime before the dawn, I dozed off.

At least, I tried to doze off because as soon as I closed my eyes, feeling the embrace of sleep, one of the smugglers poured a bucket of ice-cold water on me, jolting me awake.

“What the fuck?” I yelled at him, but he just turned around and left without a word. “So gentlemanly of you,” I muttered, being overly irritable so early in the morning. Judging by my attitude and willingness to crack jokes, I must’ve been getting better.

A bit annoyed, I tried to wriggle. Unfortunately, my attempts to free myself were fruitless. I only scratched my skin some more.

I felt like a damsel in distress, and it didn’t sit right with me; especially when my knight in the shining armor was a lying motherfucker who had actually put me in this situation. Instead of helping me out, he had only attracted more trouble, and as soon as he had got a chance, he had run off with my necklace hidden in his pocket.

This whole situation was hysterical. I should’ve listened to my guts. There had always been a mischievous gleam in Jungkook’s eyes; why the fuck had I ignored it all the time?

My train of thought was interrupted by another smuggler. Unlike all the others, he was taller, and generally better groomed. He couldn’t be good news.

With his eyes fixated on me, he dragged a chair across the ground, placing it in front of me. His intense stare gave me chills, but I tried to play it cool; he attempted to intimidate me, but I had nothing to lose, so I decided not to give him that satisfaction.

The man said something in a rough voice, and though he sounded kinda sexy, it didn’t help me at all with comprehension. It seemed similar to French, but I don’t speak it, so I had absolutely no clue what he wanted to tell me.

A little annoyed with me, he stood up, grabbed my chin, and made me face him. Slowly, he was losing his patience, but no matter what, I wouldn’t magically start understanding him. At this point, I could only speculate what he meant, and though I wasn’t sure he probably said something along, “don’t get used to such luxuries, doll face. My men and I are going to fuck you senseless, and then we’re gonna sell you off as soon as we reach land.”

It was just a random guess, though.

When for the tenth time he didn’t get any reply from me, he also left.

The entire day no one stopped by to check up on me. I hadn’t eaten since the energy bar the day before, and now, my stomach was growling loudly. Too bad they wouldn’t understand my complaints regarding their poor hospitality.

It was my second day without food and water and sleep, and I could swear I was starting to have sound hallucinations. It was impossible, but my deprived mind was assured that the bushes around the campsite buzzed a faint “psst” at me.

The smugglers had better give me some food or else they’re going to sell a lunatic, and I was doubtful that they would get a large amount of money for someone in my state of mind.

I was on the verge of fainting at this point, but once again, I thought I saw something in the bushes. First, it hissed at me, and now, something moved.

Oh my God, it wasn’t a snake, was it?

Judging by the commotion it was making, it was a god damn big snake. Moreover, this time around, I didn’t have anybody to hide behind. I was tied to a fucking pole, completely defenseless. Even if I tried calling for help, these smugglers wouldn’t understand me.

Was it an anaconda? A Cobra? A boa?

When to come to think about it, I’d rather have the smugglers kill me. One clear shot to my head and it’s over. Who knew what symptoms I would get after the snake’s venom?

“Psst,” once again, I heard it, and it was enough for me to lose it. I started to wriggle like a lunatic, scratching my wrists until I felt the blood slowly oozing out of my fresh wound, the robe now digging into my flesh.

Cautiously, it left the bushes. Then it hit me. The creature wasn’t zigzagging across the ground as a snake would; it was a man trying to sneak into the campsite. After a few steps, I could see it was none other but my knight in shining armor – Jeon Jungkook.

What the hell was he doing here? Did he realize that leaving me was the greatest mistake that he has ever done? Questionable. If he came back, it had to mean that he had some serious trouble with getting out of the island.

“Shh…” Jungkook whispered when he approached me. “Everything is going to be alright,” he added, but I didn’t believe him. It was beyond evident that his intentions of rescuing me weren’t pure. Somehow, it must’ve been to his advantage to help me out.

“Jungkook, watch out,” I screamed, but before Jungkook managed to react, one of the smugglers, the bigger and the best groomed, hit Jungkook’s head with a stick, knocking him unconscious. It was just perfect; my only potential savior was just as screwed as I was.

The smugglers tied Jungkook to a chair and put him in front of me so I could torture myself with his beautiful yet treacherous features.

At first, I recollected the good memories with him; I had fewer of those in my mind, after all. Ignoring all the bad things he had done, it was quite pleasant to think about our time spent in Casablanca. Unfortunately, as soon as we had left it, everything went downhill.

Jungkook was lucky that he was unconscious because if looks could kill, he would have been staked, buried, dug up, and then staked again for good measure.

Jungkook was really lucky that I was tied up because if I could lay my hands on him, he would have wished the smugglers had killed him before me.

In the middle of the night, Jungkook stirred awake. Hopefully, with a terrible headache.

“Hello, Jungkook, what brings you here?” I asked bitterly, genuinely interested in the motives behind his unexpected visit in the smugglers’ campsite. After what he had done to me, it seemed rather odd that he came here because he wanted to rescue a damsel in distress.

“I came here because we were supposed to meet by the chopper, yet you never showed up,” Jungkook explained, but I only snorted, knowing he was bullshitting me right now.

“Try again.”

“But it’s the truth,” he stated, but it was a blatant lie.

“Cut the crap, Jungkook. I know you’ve stolen the necklace from me,” I accused him, and Jungkook remained silent, not even trying to defend himself. “Let me ask you again, why the hell have you come back?”

“OK, fine, I stole the necklace,” Jungkook admitted, and I was quite shocked to hear Jungkook say something true for a change. “But you have to believe me that I came back to get you because I care. At first, I thought I would be fine, but as soon as I reached the chopper, I felt terrible. Now I know that I shouldn’t have betrayed you like that.”

I was speechless, but not because I was touched by his confession. I literally didn’t have anything I wanted to tell him. Maybe he realized his faults, but for me, it was too late. I didn’t need to hear the justification for his actions; I had already made my mind. He had let me down a few times too many, and no apology would make up for it.

“So what was your plan?” I asked, changing the topic. We didn’t have time before the smugglers would leave the island, and I didn’t want to waste it on talking about his feelings. “If you planned getting caught and dying alongside me then I have to congratulate you. Well done, Jungkook,” I added in a mocking tone.

“Have you always been such a bitch?”

“Yeah, if you want me to be nicer, maybe you shouldn’t have double-crossed me.”

“I’ve already apologized for that; what else do you want me to do?” Jungkook said, but I had no recollection of him ever apologizing for anything.

“I have a few ideas actually, but I’m pretty sure you’re not gonna like them.”

“Can you just stop being a bitch for a moment so I can explain my plan to you?” Jungkook asked me angrily, and I just shrugged, waiting for him to elaborate about his plan. “So, I have the necklace in my side pocket,” he started, tilting his head, pointing at his cargo pants. “I thought you could do the trick again and charm them as you did in the cave. When I tried it, it didn’t work,” Jungkook explained, and now, I knew the real reason behind his return.

Of course, he couldn’t use the necklace! Only women could use it to enchant men, so that’s why he came back to get me. He needed me to use it, and get us out of the island. Thankfully, I hadn’t believed in his single word, otherwise, I would’ve thought he could be selfless.

“Do you think you can get closer, so I can take the necklace?” I asked straightforwardly, keeping my emotions (read: animosity) in check. Right now, our relations were strictly business-like; we had a common goal, so we had to put all our differences on hold.

“I have to try, it’s the only chance we have,” Jungkook said before he tried to move toward me. It was very clumsy and loud, but the smugglers seemed to decide to ignore all sounds regarding their captives.

“Why do you think the necklace didn’t work on you back then in the cave?” I wondered out loud since it still bugged me. “Are you sure you’re completely a man?”

“I think I have proven you how manly I am back in Casablanca. Or have you forgotten how you writhed below me?” Jungkook answered cockily, being already half-way to me.

“What? It’s the only explanation I could come up with.”

“Then it’s a wrong explanation,” Jungkook quickly replied, offended by my attempts of hurting his masculinity. “As soon as we get out of here, I can prove you wrong once again,” he added, but at this very moment, I was repulsed by the concept of fucking him. He might’ve had the good looks, but given the circumstances, jumping into his bed was the last thing I’d do. Jungkook was disgusting.

“I think I’ll pass, thank you,” I said, trying to smack his repulsive smirk off of his face. “Do you think you can be a little faster? They can come here anytime,” I urged him, but my words didn’t make him move any faster.

Who knew when the smugglers would come to eye-fuck me again or check if Jungkook regained his consciousness?

“Can you reach it?” Jungkook asked me when he positioned himself behind me. The rope bored deeper in my wounded skin when I tried to reach into his pocket.

“It hurts like hell,” I spoke, biting on my bottom lip, trying to stop myself from crying out in pain. “Can’t you get a little closer?”

“I’ll try,” Jungkook whispered, as he tried to give me better access. “How about now?”

“I almost got it,” I said, stretching my arm as much as I could. “I got it.” With a broad smile, I squeezed my hand around the necklace. I’d never let it go again. If someone wanted to have it, they would have to take it out of my cold hands.

“Now we have to wait for the smugglers to come here,” Jungkook concluded, acting like his typical self. Apparently, he was still resistant to whatever curse the necklace had been hexed with. “Now when they are your little puppets we can leave the island safely.”

“Sure,” I replied, although a few evil ideas ran through my head. With the necklace in my possession, I could control other men.

Before I could let out a chortle, one smuggler came to check on us, and instead of panicking that Jungkook and I were plotting something, he looked at me with heart eyes.

The necklace was working.

“Untie me,” I commanded, and the man obediently fulfilled my request. “Finally,” I added, massaging my sore wrists. I had to have my wounds cleaned, but after a quick examination, I was sure I was going to survive.

“Didn’t you forget about something, sweetheart?” Jungkook asked, hurrying me up.

“Oh, right, how could I forget about you,” I spoke casually, smiling at him. “Slap his face for me, will you?” I ordered, and the man once again did what I told him to do. I watched Jungkook get slapped, and although it was petty of me, it was also extremely satisfying.

“Why would you do that?” Jungkook groaned when his cheek started to sting.

“Slap him again, but harder this time around, okay?”

“Don’t –“ Jungkook wanted to object, but his words were stopped by another powerful swing of the smuggler’s hand. “I came here to save you, and that’s how you’re paying me back?”

“If you didn’t steal the necklace, I wouldn’t need your saving,” I retorted, but Jungkook only snorted. “Bring me something to eat, please,” I ordered the smuggler, and he, with a bright smile on his face, walked away, happy that I chose him out of the others.

“How can you be so cruel?”

“I’m only getting started,” I jested, but Jungkook didn’t seem to be amused. Apparently, he didn’t have a sense of humor when tied to a chair. “But trust me; your fate would be much worse if you weren’t resistant to the necklace.”

“I thought we were a team…”

“We were,” I started, “until you double-crossed me.”

“Is it too late to start over?” Jungkook asked with a sheepish smile, but I ignored him, looking for the man who was supposed to bring me food.

Whatever Jungkook and I had, it was over. He didn’t seem to give up, though, and if he wanted me to talk to him, I had to eat something first.

It was strange to walk amongst drug smugglers, especially when they made me feel as if I were their queen bee. They stared at me with admiration, willing to bend over backward to fulfill all of my wishes. The attention they were giving me was slightly uncomfortable, but after what I had gone through, I deserved some luxuries.

“This way, miss,” the man said, showing me a way to the table which was packed with different types of food. “Bon appetite,” he added before he walked away, letting me enjoy my meal in solitude.

Though I didn’t particularly like eating alone, I found this meal quite enjoyable.

I ate until I was full (read: until I was on the verge of vomiting).

“Gather all men around,” I commanded, and within two minutes all men assembled around me, two of the smugglers even brought Jungkook. “Oh, you’ve brought my captive.”

“I’m not your captive, princess,” Jungkook retorted, but he didn’t speak again when he got slapped for the third time. “I deserved the other slaps, but this one was uncalled for.”

“I want you to pack your things. We’re leaving the island instantly. The drugs are staying here. Is everything clear?” I commanded, and the men quickly ran away in separate ways, getting ready to leave the island.

“You’re ridiculously sexy when you boss them around,” Jungkook commented, somewhat turned on by my behavior. “I like strong women.”

“If you don’t shut up, I’ll leave you here,” I threatened, and Jungkook immediately stopped talking.

Before the sunrise, everything was set. All the men boarded the plane, while Jungkook and I stayed behind to chat. Though I wasn’t planning to leave him here, I could scare him a little bit. He wouldn’t hesitate to leave me here if he were in my shoes.

“So… what now?” Jungkook asked, now seriously concerned about his well-being.

“Don’t worry; I’ll take you to Ziguinchor. Later on, you gotta cater for yourself,” I explained as I cut the ropes, releasing him. Silently, Jungkook followed me into the plane.

Shortly after, we took off.

“I think I know why the necklace doesn’t work on me,” Jungkook started when our flight was slowly coming to an end. Within thirty minutes, we were to land in Ziguinchor.

“At this point, I don’t really care,” I answered, depriving him of his last chance of messing with my mind. Jungkook knew how to talk, how to wrap women around his finger. He had done it with me once, but now, I was smarter, and I wasn’t going to repeat my mistake.

I just couldn’t let him fool me twice.

“Please, don’t be like that.”

“Fuck you, Jeon. You stole the necklace and let these men hold me captive. It doesn’t matter why you came back. Just shut up, we’re gonna land soon,” I interjected him before he angered me even more. I couldn’t care less about his motivations. For what I cared, he could be pregnant with my baby, and I still wouldn’t like to have anything in common with him.

Shortly after my outburst, the plane landed. I had never been good with farewells, but this time, I honestly didn’t care what Jungkook might’ve thought about me. All I wanted was to get him out of my sight.

“You will come back on the island to destroy all of the drugs, and when you return, you’re going to live a normal life,” I ordered these men, and they, like they always had, nodded their heads with utter love.

“Goodbye, Jungkook,” I added before I, with my head high, walked away.

Although Jungkook tried to follow me, I ignored him. After a few moments of absolutely no reaction given by me, he finally gave up.

  ***

  The journey back to my home was much smoother with the necklace. If I faced any problems, I just had to find a man within my sight range, and he would do whatever he was told to. On the way, one man had given me a ride to the airport, and another gave me his ticket.

Travelling has never been simpler.

Once I reached my modest apartment, I fell on my bed, ready to have the nap of the century. I was exhausted and jet-lagged, and I almost slept for over twenty hours.

After my return, everything seemed dull and monotonous. And though, it didn’t bother me right after I had come back, after a few weeks it began to bug me. The routine was slowly getting to me, and with each passing day, it was more and more challenging to deal with.

I was safe in the confines of my small apartment. I was successful in the archeology field. I even went on a date with my co-worker, Hoseok, whom I had been a serious crash before my expedition. At the very first glance, my life seemed perfect, but when I thought about it, it was dull and disappointing, and above all, it lacked excitement.

I showed my discovery to one of the professors who had used to teach me. Later on, he arranged a meeting with the custodian of the National Museum. Modestly speaking, the custodian was ecstatic to hear about the necklace.

Within a few days, I got a call from him.

They wanted to have an exhibition, my necklace being the main exhibit.

I agreed in no-time.

Moreover, he provided me with a skilled crew to get back on that island and get all the other exhibits for my very first exhibition.

At first, I was hesitant, but I agreed. I was desperate to feel the excitement again, and although it was fun, it wasn’t nearly as exciting as my previous expedition.

Two months later, the exhibition had its premiere. The necklace was inside a glass cabinet in the center of the room, surrounded by Aminata and Yaya’s skeletons, pictures of simulations of their faces, and plenty of writings which we had found written on the tomb’s walls.

Because it was my discovery, I was asked to give the opening speech, and though it wasn’t as scary as being held captive, I was anxious as fuck. I was having the peak of my life; only a fool wouldn’t be a little bit stressed in that kind of moment.

Having had two glasses of champagne, I successfully delivered my speech. People listened attentively to my story about the research and my solo expedition, people laughed when I cracked a joke, and most importantly, they clapped when I finished.

It was the most important night of my life, and it was a complete blast.

Two reporters even proposed me exclusive interviews.

“I am proud of you,” my professor congratulated me as soon as he found me in the crowd. “I saw your passion on my lectures, it’s no surprise to me that you did all of that by yourself,” he added, and I felt a pang in my chest.

Although Jungkook had helped me a few times, I couldn’t involve him in my report. Or anything else that he had put me through. It was unfair for me to take all the credit for the discovery, but I didn’t have any other choice. If I had confessed to all our faults, we both would’ve been screwed. Stealing somebody’s chopper, getting shot down into the ocean, being held captive by the drug smugglers, and the list went on.

“Soon the entire country will be talking about your discovery. You better get used to the attention you’re getting now because it will not go away easily,” the professor added, and I chuckled. Whenever I held the necklace, I struggled with plenty of unwanted attention; I was going to be just fine. At least they admired me because of my success, and not because of some curse.

“I didn’t think it would,” I added, and we both chuckled. “It’s not that bad, actually.”

“Maybe, but it’s different in the long-run. You’re a celebrity now,” the professor spoke, and I tried not to laugh. Me? A celebrity? No, Jimmy Fallon hasn’t contacted me yet.

Seeking for the right words to say, I looked around the crowd. It was odd; I thought I saw him. No, it was impossible. I had exclusively told him to leave me alone. Jungkook wouldn’t show up on this event, he could've figured out how significant this evening was to me. He wouldn’t ruin this for me.

“Excuse me after a moment,” I excused myself before I walked away, looking for the familiar brown hair, broad shoulders, and his bunny teeth.

No, he wasn’t here; I must’ve been imaging things.

I was running among people, trying to spot him, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. My mind must’ve been playing tricks with me. Jungkook was probably on the other half of the world, seducing and tricking other women.

The moment when I was ready to accept that Jungkook was only a hallucination caused by excessive stress I was experiencing during the evening, I saw him. Jungkook was standing backward to me, studying the necklace inside the glass cabinet.

Knowing him, he was probably trying to come up with a plan of how to steal it again.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked, and Jungkook turned around, taking my breath away. He looked marvelous in a suit and tie. Moreover, when his gaze met mine, I felt hot out of a sudden. It seemed as if I missed him.

What wasn’t correct; he was a lying asshole after all.

“You did it,” Jungkook said in genuine admiration. It was strange; after all, he had done, right now, he seemed to be proud. He was impressed with my achievement, even after I had taken all the credit for the discovery. “I am happy you succeeded.”

“Thank you,” I answered, completely confused due to his presence here and his unusual behavior. It was so unlike him to talk to me without any lewd innuendos. “What are you doing here, Jungkook? Haven’t I made myself clear?”

Jungkook smiled shyly; he was acting coy – that was new.

“You’ve made yourself crystal clear, but I just couldn’t let you leave without listening to my proper explanation,” he started softly, and I cocked up my eyebrow. It wasn’t unpleasant to see him. Actually, it was pretty nice. However, when I heard the melody of his voice, I was lost. Until now, I hadn’t realized how much I missed not only the adrenaline rushing through my veins, but also him.

“Is there anything left to explain?”

“I know why the necklace has never worked on me,” Jungkook started, and I crossed my arms across my chest, waiting for him to elaborate. I had thought about it many nights, but I had never come with a proper answer.

“And why is that?”

“When you hold the necklace, it turns all men within your sight range to change into mindless zombies who are so in love with you that they want to anything to make you happy,” Jungkook said, and I didn’t interject him; he was right after all. “It has never worked on me, or it has worked all the time because I was already in love with you.”

Maybe it was rude of me to snort, but it was what I did. Jungkook? In love with me? Puh-lease, it made absolutely no sense.

“You can’t expect me to believe in your confession,” I stated, hesitant to hear his voice again. I was a strong woman, and I didn’t need him to make my life complete. Unfortunately, as much as I was ashamed to admit that, I wanted him to make my life complete.

With Jungkook, I had felt the rush of adrenaline. Whenever he had been around, I had left excitement wash through me.

It was silly, but I actually missed the way he had made me feel.

“But it’s true,” Jungkook fought, ready to deliver me a thorough explanation. “I missed you like hell. Every day I wondered what you’re up to. I hoped you’re happy. It was incredibly stupid of me to steal that necklace, but I learned my lesson.”

Jungkook explained, and I wanted to slap myself for letting his words move me.

“I love you, woman.”

“Do you think love can fix everything?”

“It can’t, but it’s hell good of a start,” Jungkook admitted boldly, reminding me of his cocky side. God, I really missed this side of him. “There wasn’t a day when I didn’t regret what I did. I can’t get back in time to make different decisions, but I can stay by your side, support you in every part of your life, and try to prove that my heart is in the right place.”

“When have you got so sappy?” I asked with a witty smirk, and Jungkook smiled widely, knowing that I started to give in. “I barely recognize you. You’re dressed like a decent human being in that suit and tie, and now, your personality. You’ve done a 180, haven’t you?”

“It seemed appropriate to dress like that,” Jungkook answered, looking down at his attire. “And if my speech wouldn’t sweep you off your feet, my looks were supposed to be a back-up plan to make you droll over my sexy body. What do you think about it? Is it working?”

“You’re an asshole you know that, right?”

“I am an asshole in love. You can’t blame me for trying,” Jungkook retorted, and I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. Though I didn’t want to show my inner emotions, a broad smile crept onto my face. “What do you say? Do you want to leave this super boring party, and do something more fun?”

“It’s not boring,” I corrected him, now slightly offended by his sharp words. It was an event dedicated to my discovery; it was awesome.

“I know it’s all about you, but you have to agree that it’s boring as fuck.” Jungkook defended his point of view, and after seeing this through his perspective, I had to agree. The average age of the guests was fifty and more, and nothing exciting was happening. People just talked about history and/or art and sipped champagne.

This party was a bummer.

“What do you propose?”

“Normally, I’d take you to your house and fuck you all night long as we did before, but now, I know I have to prove myself to you, so what do you think about getting a drink with me? And tomorrow, I can take you on a proper date.”

“Ok, but as soon as I get bored, I’m leaving.”

“Don’t worry, love. It’s never boring with me.”

#bts smut #jungkook smut #bts fic #bts story #jungkook story #jungkook fic #jeon jungkook #jeongguk smut #jungkook scenario #bangtan smut #bts fanfiction #bts #jungkook angst #jungkook fluff #jeongguk angst #jeongguk fluff

[noonachronicles]

A Dance with the Devil

Choi Seunghyun/ TOP X Reader

Words: 3.4k

Warnings: Light cursing, mild blasphemy. 

Genre: Fluff?/Humor?/Fantasy?

A/N: This was supposed to be a drabble, but I’ve never been very good at keeping to that word count restriction tbh. Requested by Anon, #24 (24. “I’m sorry? You’re telling me you’re supposed to be the Devil? … Funny, you look nothing like I’d imagined.”) & Tabi. This is the first thing I’ve written in almost a year. So sorry if it’s terrible, but also not sorry because this is the first thing I’ve written in almost a year and I’m over the moon that I was finally able and inspired enough to finish a thing. I genuinely hope y’all enjoy though! 

It was supposed to have been a relatively sunny day. The first day in what felt like weeks that you wouldn’t need to carry around your umbrella along with everything else. However, it seemed that the weather was a fairly fickle bitch.

You’d only been strolling around downtown for a couple hours when you felt the first drips crash down on your head. The dark clouds rolling over the tops of the skyscrapers of the city quickly. As grey gloom filled the sky, it filled your mood as well. Before you could make it to the closest metro entrance the rain was really pouring down. Unprepared, you had to stop, and dipped quickly into the nearest shop. Observing quickly that it was a record shop you smiled, it was probably a store you would have stopped in anyway.

Convenient, you’d thought to yourself. You started to the right. Flipping through the large cardboard packages to find a cover that could catch your eye. Music was playing over the store speakers, a trippy, rock song from the 60’s. The air in the shop smelt like sandalwood and vanilla incense. You hadn’t noticed anyone else in the shop yet, so you assumed the owner must be someone much older.

Still shuffling through old records you imagined him clearly. A salt and pepper head of hair, mostly salt, pulled back into a ponytail that hung down his back. An old Led Zeppelin T-shirt that used to be black, but was now gray. Much like his hair. A pair of old jeans with holes that they’d earned not holes that had been predesigned. You filed the image away and smiled to yourself, hoping you’d be right.

The music playing in the store, in various genres and from various decades, along with the countless records to keep you company kept you from checking the time. You’d had no idea how long you’d been in the shop and had forgotten all about the fact that you’d still yet to see a single other person. You had several records in your arms and were nearly halfway through the store when one of your favorite songs started playing.

There was something about soul songs. It never really mattered where you were or what kind of mood you were in. Your body would just involuntarily start to move. Something barely noticeable at first, just a bop of your head, and then it moved through you. A roll of your shoulders, a pop of your hips. Stevie Wonders’ Superstition was almost halfway over when your realized you were full blown dancing down the middle row of the store. The words of the song falling from your lips. You felt okay about it, there still wasn’t anyone around, so it wasn’t hurting anyone for you to enjoy yourself.

“Very superstitious… nothing more to say...” you sang lightly, as you bopped your way down the aisle and then back, “very superstitious… the devil’s on his way.”

You dropped your bags, from the other stores you’d been at on the ground and began to spin, holding the records you’d grabbed close to your chest, feeling the song. Eventually the song finished, as they often did, with your unabashed dancing finishing with it. You let out a puff of air as you looked down to collect your bags. That’s when the clapping came from somewhere up above. You looked up to see a loft that you had genuinely not noticed at all the entire time you’d been there.

The sight of another human startled you and you jerked back, bumping into the row of records, dropping the ones that had been in your hands. An incredibly handsome man was leaning over the railing, clapping as he smiled down at you. He looked nothing like the old, rocker, record shop owner you’d dreamt up, not in the least. This man, this handsome young man. He was tall, long, lanky. He looked both very big and intimidating, and yet somehow fragile and precious as well. A smirk lingered on his lips, one of his thick, dark eyebrows was perked up in amusement. His eyes were more than you could handle, even from as far away as he was. He was looking at you, of course, but it was more than that. It felt like he was absorbing you completely, so much that you had to look away. Your feet seemed like a more appropriate subject to stare at.

“I’m so sorry.” you said shakily. “I didn’t realize there was anyone else here.”

“You didn’t think there would be some sort of employee...in a store?” he asked, with a clear lightheartedness.

You dared to look back up at him. You weren’t sure of what you’d been hoping for but he was still just as handsome as before. Now his smirk was a full smile and you were melting. “I figured someone would be here. I guess I just forgot about it, since I had been here so long and hadn’t seen you.”

“Well don’t stop on account of me.” he shrugged standing up to his full height, you knew that even if he were standing in front of you, you’d still be looking up at him.

“Excuse me?” you said finally leaning down and grabbing the records you’d dropped.

“Dancing.” he grinned down at you before turning around to do something else. His voice still carried down to you, “Dance harder even. And you could sing louder, there’s no harm in it.”

“I don’t- I’m not going to dance in front of a stranger.” you scoffed. “Now that I know you’re here.”

“Why not?” he asked turning back around, peering over the railing, “Where are you from?”

“Where am I from?” you asked confused.

“That was the question I asked.” he nodded.

You sighed, “I’m...from here.”

“Oh,” he exclaimed,  as if surprised, “I had assumed maybe you came from that little town in Footloose.”

“Hah. Hah.” you said sarcastically as you turned back to the records.

“I’m serious. What’s your favorite song to dance to?” he asked, “No, nevermind. I got it.”

You flipped through two or three more records. The store music had stopped playing and you could hear shuffling up in the loft. Then you sighed, your curiosity becoming too much, and you looked back up.

“Got it!” He exclaimed from somewhere out of view.  

“You broke my heart 'cause I couldn't dance. You didn't even want me around…”  the song by The Contours began and your eyes widened slightly.

The man, whose name you still did not know, popped back into view. A smile that showed just how pleased he was with himself spread across his face. You watched half mortified as he started to shimmy down a set of stairs that lined the wall. He kicked his long legs out in a less than graceful manner, stopped halfway down the stairs to stick his butt out and shake it unceremoniously, and then hopped down several others. You covered your mouth, your laugh, as he continued on. Shaking his hips, throwing his limbs all over the places with little to no coordination.

“What are you doing?” you asked, as he reached the row you were in.

“What you should be doing. Dancing.” he grinned, he twisted his hips with every step he took, getting closer and closer to where you stood.

You shook your head no, “I don’t know what that is, but it’s not dancing.”

Now, standing just in front of you, he plucked the records from your hands and put them on the shelf before grabbing your hands in his.  With too much enthusiasm he made you twist with him to the song, “Anything can be dancing if you believe hard enough.”

So began your casual and strange friendship with Seunghyun. It was relatively more relaxed now. Although he still, and often, made you dance with him in public. You’d gotten used to it. Not comfortable per say, but you knew it was going to happen and that there was no stopping it where he was concerned.

As the months you spent together turned to years, he became much less intimidating than he was that first day. You still thought he was handsome, it was likely that you always would, but he was more than that now. He was kind of a dummy, which was your favorite part, your bingu. He was silly and had this willingness to look like an idiot in front of others that was so uncommon in other people. He just didn’t care what anyone thought about him. You envied it, mostly because you knew that the freedom he got from not caring was what made him so happy.

He also became a great friend to you. Supporting you in every endeavor, talking you through plans and ideas, stoking the fires of all of your passions where others never really seemed to care. Seunghyun also seemed to have a unnatural knack at knowing when a guy you were dating was a piece of garbage. Or you just seemed to have an unnatural knack at only finding men who were garbage and he knew that about you. He talked you out of staying in bad relationships for too long and always seemed to know how a guy would end up disappointing you. He was also the first one, every time, to suggest you get back into the game. Rooting for you, knowing someday you’d find the perfect person.

Sitting across from Seunghyun one afternoon at your favorite cafe, you’d become pretty certain you did find the perfect person. He was sitting leaned back in his chair, one long leg crossed over the other, the Sunday paper unfolded in his hands. You were sure he was single handedly keeping print news alive, the grandpa. Just another thing to love about him really, as you sat with your paperback book open on your lap, unread for the last half hour.

Over the paper you could just see his coiffed hair and the tips of his big ears. On the table sat his half full cup of coffee and a plate with just the top of his muffin. He’d already eaten the rest, he just liked to save the top for last. Your plate was just crumbs by now and your coffee was nearing its end.

“Hey…” you said grabbing his attention. You put your book in the bag at your side.

Seunghyun folded his paper and placed it next to his coffee. He turned his body towards you. Giving you his full focus, as he always did. He smiled, “What’s up?”

“Do you remember the other day,” you paused to take a nervous breath, “we were talking about how I liked this guy. You told me to just get over my fear and ask the guy if he wants to go out sometime?”

“Yeah, of course.” He popped the entire muffin top in his mouth like it was a grape and chewed for a moment. You watched his sharp jaw work as he maneuvered the pastry so it was in one cheek, making him look like half a chipmunk. “Oh! Did you do it?”

You gave a small smile, watching a few crumbs fall from his lips to somewhere in his lap. “Not yet. Um, well, you see… It’s you.”

“Who’s me?” he asked absentmindedly grabbing his coffee mug and taking a gulp to clear his mouth of muffin.

“The guy. The one I like, it’s you. Maybe would you want to go out sometime?”

You watched as he lifted his face to you, watched as his eyebrows went from creased in confusion to raised in understanding. His mouth fell into a sort of ‘o’ shape and then he just stared.

“Ah, yes. My biggest fears realized.” you nodded, trying to ignore the burning embarrassment in your chest.

“No! It’s not…” he sighed uncomfortably, “I really like you. That’s why I spend so much time with you, you’re maybe the only person I do like, on the whole planet.”

“But…” you interrupted.

He tapped his long fingers on the table trying to find the right words to say, “However, there are just some things about me you don’t know, that you wouldn’t like. There are reasons we can’t be together, without you making some major sacrifices. I wouldn’t want you to waste your time on me.”

“Sure, Seunghyun, it’s fine. Whatever. Let’s just pretend this moment never happened.” you said rolling your eyes.

“I’m serious! I -” he paused, his bottom lip tucked under his teeth for a second in genuine contemplation.

He leaned forward and used his stupidly large hand to bekon you closer. Suddenly, you realized, everything about him that had made butterflies flutter in your belly moments earlier, seemed annoying to you now. You leaned forward despite that.

“What?” you said with a little more bite than necessary.

“I’m... the devil. As in Satan.” he leaned back a little to check your reaction.

Your face remained completely stoic as you processed the confession. Then came a small smirk, that grew into a full smile, and then before he knew it you were leaned back in your chair laughing hysterically. You clutched at your chest, desperate for air. Tears streamed freely down your cheeks. Seunghyun sat forward in his chair, elbows on his knees as he watched your reaction intently.

“Ohhh,” you said finally able to gasp in a couple of satisfying breaths, “that was good. That was really good.”

“What?” he asked confused.

“I mean, I’m sorry? You’re telling me you’re supposed to be the devil?...Funny, you look nothing like I imagined.”

“How did you imagine I would look?” he asked, you assumed, still playing along with his bit.

“Hornier. More horny? Having more horns.” you casually, verbally processed your thoughts, “and you’re missing a tail for sure.”

“Haven’t you ever heard the saying devilishly handsome?” he asked framing his perfect face with his hands.

“Sure, but you can’t dance for shit.” you pointed out.

“What- what the hell does that have to do with anything, number one. And number two, yes I can!” he argued.

“There’s that other saying as well, dance with the devil?”

He shook his head looking a little annoyed, “That’s not what that saying means.”

“Oh?” you thought about it for a moment, and chuckled. “Oh!”

“There we go.”

“Well, anyway. I’ve been rejected, not a lot but enough, and that was the most unique excuse by far. So, congratulations on that I guess.”

“It’s not an excuse. I really am Lucifer. The Fallen.” he almost looked genuinely offended, you thought to yourself.

“Yeah, okay.” you said sarcastically, “I believe you.”

“Don’t wink at me!” he whined, “I’ll take you to hell right now!”

“Oh yeah? You’ll take me to hell?” you smirked.

“Yes!”

“You’ll take me right on down and give me a tour? Show me where the magic happens?” you snickered.

Seunghyun stood, frustrated and slammed his palms flat on the table before shouting, “It’s not a joke! I am the devil!”

The entire cafe turned toward your table, save for a guy near the door with his headphones obviously up too high. Seunghyun didn’t even care, he just looked down at you, fuming. His big ears pink at the tops. Not bending at all to his display you grabbed your iced coffee and placed the straw at your lips. You took a long, exaggerated sip and then placed the cup back down, never breaking eye contact.  

“You done, Luci?” you asked calmly.

He sat back down and sighed, “I am the devil.”

“So what if you are?” you asked, his eyes shot up to look at you like you were a mad woman. “The devil wasn’t even that bad. In most cultures he’s not some evil entity, just so you know. And even if you looked at it from religions that do consider him evil it’s because he questioned God, and what’s so wrong with that? Shouldn’t we always question authority? Don’t those in power just want to stay in power? Of course God would make him out to be some asshole, he was coming for his throne.”

Seunghyun smiled lightly at your words as you continued on, “Even if you were the devil, that just means that the devil is actually also very funny, and smart and he’s kind. That would just make him supportive, and passionate. It would mean he’s incredibly handsome, and a horrible dancer. But also the kind of guy that does it anyway because it makes him happy. And shouldn’t we all just do the things that make us happy?”  

With very little warning, Seunghyun stood up and leaned his long body over the small cafe table. He grabbed your face between his two big hands and kissed you, hard. He sucked your lip like he was sucking up your soul and you wanted him to. You lifted your hands to cup his face. His jaw sharp on the palm of your hand, his hair tickling the tips of your fingers. You groaned in disapproval as he pulled away and sat back down. You took several seconds, eyes closed, rubbing your lips together. Giving your spirit time to float back into your body before looking across the table.

“Add kissing to the list of reasons the devil isn’t so bad.” Seunghyun smiled, but the look on his face was still quite serious.

“What if- “ he held up a finger to stop whatever snarky comeback you’d opened your mouth to say. “Just let me finish.”

Placing your thumb and pointer finger together, you zipped your mouth shut. You’d hear him out. He was, after all, very committed to this joke.

“If I was really the devil, would you still be interested in that date?”

“It depends, is the Prince of Darkness looking for something long term or just a hook-up?” you asked.

“I’m being serious.”

“So am I.”

“With you?” he said eyeing you as you sat before him, he smiled again, “Long term. The longest term. Eternity.”

A blush bloomed across your cheeks, he was so cheesy. “Then yes, I would still be interested in that date”.

“Okay.” Seunghyun gave a deep sigh and stood up. He reached his hand out to you, waiting for you to accept.

“Where are we going?” you asked standing up and grabbing your bag before dropping your hand in his.

“I have something to show you.”

You kept pace with his long stride as he walked you to the door of the cafe. With your hand in his, trusting his direction, you looked inside your bag to check for your essentials. Phone, keys, and wallet. Just to be sure before you go too far away from the cafe that you had them. You heard the ding of the bell hanging from the door of the cafe as you dug your free hand in the bag to feel for your wallet. Seunghyun had stopped walking and you stopped by his side, still shuffling through your things until you finally found the wallet. Content that you had all your things you looked up for the first time since leaving the table.

“Unholy shit.” you muttered, your eyes widening at the sight.

Instead of the city street you’d been expecting there was a massive castle made out of what you thought looked like obsidian. Large towers surrounding the castle held orbs of flame in red, orange, blue and white suspended in the air above them. Somehow this place was both everything you had imagined hell would be and nothing at all like it. It wasn’t just all black skies and fire pits. There was a softness to it, it felt like an endless sunset streaked across the sky above you. The temperature was not uncomfortable and the mere fact that you’d had that thought made you laugh to yourself.

Turning around you realized the door to the cafe was gone. In its place was a large stretch of mostly desolate land. Trees with large trunks and long, thin branches, were peppered across the land like the graveyard of a forest, and all that was left was skeletons. Further away you could make out sharp peaked mountains. You turned back to Seunghyun, half expecting him to turn into the red horned caricature he was often portrayed as, but he wasn’t. He was still him. Still handsome in his black, button down covered in red polka dots and his tight black jeans.

“Okay, you’re the devil.” you said, “I believe you.”

“Are you scared?” he asked, “I can bring you back.”

You looked at him for just a second before squeezing his hand that was still holding yours. “I’m not scared, and I don’t want to go back.”

“You want the tour then?” he asked with a shy smile and you nodded enthusiastically, how many people could say they’d had the chance?

As he walked you up a long path to the obsidian castle you asked, genuinely curious, “Why the record store?”

“You don’t know already?” he asked, “I love to dance.”

#Choi Seunghyun Scenario #Big Bang scenario #kpop scenario #TOP Scenario #Request #completed request #prompt challenge