#it's not supposed to be that deep except i started writing and i see potential for more goofs to be made if i keep it going

[moony-2001]

How I would’ve constructed the 10 year time skip

✨Brought to you by my deep loathing for Lore Olympus✨

•warnings: super long post (I’m not joking), death, kidnapping, violence•

What The Fuck Happened

There was so much potential for the punishment arc. We could’ve seen a lot of character development, fleshed out storylines, reconciliation between certain people. We could’ve seen both Hades and Persephone going to therapy instead of claiming that one therapy session has fixed all their problems and then never going again.

Instead we got horny Persephone, pretty much no clue about what happened to Demeter OR Persephone during that time, and an easy plot device (sorry Cerberus) for Persephone to be like “I’m a big girl now harrumph harrumph, time for me to go reunite with my crusty ass bf who I’ve only know for a month”.

I hate the way she reunited with Ares. Ares is just a bonafide creep throughout the whole comic (although I liked when he attacked Zeus lol). I guess what I mostly hate about Ares and Persephone’s interaction is, yet again, it’s another example of every guy in the comic going AWOOGA over Persephone. Also Athena’s design is so fugly. I guess Rachel is completely incapable of drawing masculine presenting women as actual women.

The whole Kronos plot line is stupid. I hate it so much. Imo the whole “the titans are trying to escape so they can rule Olympus again” is overdone and not particularly done well. The fight between Kronos and Persephone is lame as shit. Like what, she gets big for all of 20 minutes, burps out a bunch of bees (which aren’t even aggressive creatures), and then does her version of the Wuxi Finger Hold from Kung Fu Panda and has Tartarus spirit Kronos away, magically fixing all of their problems (except it doesn’t and nothing is actually fixed).

Also I might get a lot of flack for this, but I don’t think the addition of Morpheus’ character was necessary. I like Morpheus. I think she’s cute. But she’s a) slowly turning into another version of Hecate and b) not really vital to the narrative imo. We already have so many other characters and plot lines that take away from the central “romance” the story is SUPPOSED to be focused on. I just don’t think we need ANOTHER character whose arc is probably not going to go anywhere.

So yeah, overall very L writing, L plot, and L characters.

What I would do differently

The first thing I would change is that the whole punishment arc would be an entire season unto itself. You’ll see why it has to be a separate season.

The second thing is (and this literally pains me to say) in order for me to rewrite this portion of LO without rewriting the entire comic, I kinda sorta have to throw the entire timeline of Greece out the window. If I try to follow a timeline based on the history of Greece, the entire timeline of LO has to shift massively. I’m already getting a migraine trying to think about how I could possibly make it work.

I do know this: Instead of 10 years I’d do somewhere between 1,000-3,000 years. 10 years is a joke. When you’re a god, 10 years is a trip to the time out corner

For now, let’s just say (assuming LO takes place in the Ancient Greece era) and Ancient Greece spanned ~1500 years, Persephone’s punishment would’ve needed to have been established near the very end of the collapse of the Late Bronze Age, spanned the entirety of Ancient Greece as we know it today, and ended some time in the very early Byzantine era. So like what, 1500-2000 years? Fine. I can work with this.

The Famine

You know how the first 400 years of Ancient Greece was deemed the “Dark Ages” and it was a time of war, famine, and loss? I want to start the punishment there. It would make sense for what we know about the characters thus far:

Demeter has had complete control over the growth of the flora and fauna on earth. She’s the goddess of the harvest after all. But we also find out that while Persephone has been in Olympus, Demeter has also been carrying out her duties as the goddess of spring. Plus Demeter has been around for forever and a day. She knows what she’s doing

Persephone doesn’t (at this point in the comic) really have control over her powers. Even in her fits of rage, she ends up doing more harm than good (i.e. her act of wrath, turning Minthe into a plant, etc.). In comparison with everyone around her, she is a literal infant. I mean shit, she’s only been alive for 20 years compared to the fact that everyone else has most likely been around for a minimum of 500 years.

If Demeter is stripped of her status as a goddess (and thus her powers) it would make sense that there would be a lot of death and famine and war over territory/food. Persephone would be left with nothing: no guidebook, no how-to. Of course a lot of people would die while she’s trying to figure her shit out. It could also be a very interesting tactic for psychological warfare on Zeus’ part. Zeus KNOWS Persephone doesn’t know what she’s doing. He knows people will die. And he knows that since life is precious to Persephone (or at least that’s what she claims), it would punish her further.

We can see episodes of Persephone struggling to provide for humanity. We could have real world examples of the affect of famine and depopulation. We would see her struggling with her powers, her mental health. We could get an episode that explains how her hands got destroyed from trying to mimic her mother’s powers. We can see what the fuck happened to Demeter in Attica.

Now obviously things will eventually go on the up and up for Persephone and her compatriots. The whole 1500-2000 years isn’t just going to be one big clusterfuck. As time progresses and chapters pass, we could see real character growth for Persephone not just mentally, but in almost every aspect. Since she will have been alive at that point for over 1000 years, the readers would be able to see her newfound maturity. We could also see her build strong female support systems and strengthen her friendships, something we NEVER saw in the OG comic (or at least they never happened without Hades somehow being involved). You get the point.

What’s Old Man Hades up to?

I have big plans for Hades and none of them involve him going into a 1000+ year coma or getting possessed by his creepy-ass dad. He is an asshole though. I kinda wanted to portray him in this the way he is in the original myths (which for those who don’t know or haven’t read it, it’s not good).

So in Greek mythology, Hades actually had a wife before he even met Persephone or Minthe. Can you take a wild guess as to who?

Bingo! It’s Leuce. Contrary to popular belief, Leuce is actually NOT a home-wrecking POC version of Persephone (don’t @ me we all know the nymphs represent the lower class and POC). In mythology, Leuce was Hades’ first wife/lover and she died sometime long ago and I believe was turned into a white poplar tree. No she is not a cousin of Thetis and Amphitrite. She is not even remotely related to them. And Thetis and Amphitrite are sisters, not cousins. Do your fucking research Rachel.

Unfortunately, Greek Mythology doesn’t really mention all that much about Leuce outside of the fact that she was a daughter of Oceanus, she was kidnapped by Hades, and when she died (for unspecified reasons) she turned into a tree. Which means I’m going to be taking a lot of creative liberties for this portion of the post. Sorry to all you diehard fans of Greek myths out there. I shall try to do her justice.

In my head-cannon Hades and Leuce had been in an arranged marriage for thousands of years. Leuce was offered by Oceanus as a peace offering after the War and Hades, not really having any other viable options for a wife, agreed to take her to the underworld (much to her dismay). Over time, they grew to have a mutually loving/caring relationship. Unlike LO Persephone, Leuce was a good queen and she worked hard to make sure the denizens of the underworld respected her and that they were well cared for. Unfortunately, they got divorced because Hades starting having an affair with Minthe. Even though she loved her kingdom and the people of the underworld, she divorced Hades because she couldn’t stand to be around him, which, y’know. Fair.

A few notes: in my head-cannon, Leuce is still around leading up the the trial and punishment. Her portrait would still be up, we would see signs that Hades and Leuce still interact (more in terms of business, not romance), etc.

Also, unlike Persephone, Leuce would not take her anger out on Minthe or turn her into a plant or destroy her apartment. She would simply wish her good luck. She would be mad at Hades for cheating and for taking advantage of Minthe while she’s at her lowest. But I’m going to be straight up: even though Leuce is meant to be the better Persephone, she still has her flaws. She’s not going to feel inclined to help Minthe in any way. Would you want to help out the person who your partner is cheating on you with? The answer is no and if you say yes, you’re lying.

Anyways, during the Punishment, Hades and Leuce reconnect and Hades finds out Leuce is dying. He tries to convince her to leave the underworld and return to her father, but she insists that she is going to stay, even if it means she dies away from everyone she loved. She won’t abandon her kingdom, her people, or her ex-husband (although that’s much better than he deserves). They move in together and Hades begins to take care of her, even as she begins to deteriorate. They also begin to rekindle their past relationship and (with the help of a therapist) work through some of their past problems together.

Note: their relationship rekindles a couple hundred years into the punishment so by the time the punishment ends, they’ve been back together for a minimum of 1200 years

The aftermath and the Rape of Persephone

Before any of you go gaga over me for the title used above, the original title used for the myth is The Rape of Persephone (or if you want to be really original, The Rape of Proserpina). In the context of the title, the term “rape” means to be taken/kidnapped rather than having sexual violence inflicted upon you. Rape stemmed from the traditional Latin word “raptus” which means “to be seized” or “carried off”. Okay? Okay.

So after the Punishment ends and Persephone feels like she has thoroughly improved herself, she goes to find Hades and talk with him about their relationship. Mainly that she feels they rushed into it, and even though she does like him she wants to take things really slow (kind of like how she wanted before getting married 3 episodes later).

Upon arriving to the underworld/Hades house, her worst fears are realized: not only has Hades (seemingly) moved on, he has found someone else. Or rather, he got back together with his ex-wife.

Persephone freaks out (“who is she?”/“I’m his wife!”)

Persephone, throughly upset for getting her hopes up, flees back to mortal realm. Hades goes to leave Leuce, but not before she tells him that if he leaves her for Persephone, she will never forgive him. Hades leaves anyways, much to the absolute despair of Leuce, who is left wailing as he runs off.

Persephone returns home and finds Demeter and they hug. Demeter is initially horrified to see what happened to her hands, but is proud of the work she did during the punishment. Persephone cries to her mother about Hades, and Demeter tries to comfort her but it inadvertently comes off more as “I told you so” rather than “I’m sorry you had to experience that” (although Demeter is sorry that Persephone’s heart is broken). Persephone, already feeling incredibly emotionally distressed, lashes out at Demeter and they start to argue. This is when Hades arrives.

Hades sees Demeter and Persephone arguing and inserts himself into the situation. Persephone becomes more upset after seeing him and Hades (assuming that Persephone is upset about the fact that Demeter is getting in the way of their “relationship” and not the fact that Persephone discovered Hades went back to his ex-wife after saying he loved her) whips out the the “one personal question, no exceptions” card and proposes to Persephone. He insists that he loves her and only her and that they should spend the rest of their immortal lives together.

Persephone says no.

Hades, not taking no for an answer and not wanting to leave the mortal realm empty handed, kidnaps Persephone, much to the dismay of Demeter, Artemis, and the nymphs. Hades returns with a traumatized Persephone to the underworld to find that Leuce has died and turned into a white poplar tree. While Persephone is sobbing on the floor, Hades weaves a mock crown from the branches and leaves of the tree, places it upon Persephone’s head, and tells her she better get used to their life together.

Thus ends the season and the punishment arc.

Afterthoughts

Thank you for sitting through my ramblings. I officially joined the anti-LO community about the time the trial happened and had been wanting to make a post like this for a reaaaaally long time. Besides the fact that the trial in of itself was completely unethical (@genericpuff made a whole post about that) the punishment arc just really pissed me off. Like go girl, give us nothing!

Anyways, I may or may not do a whole timeline reconstruction of LO depending on how much I feel like offing my sanity with the amount of research that would have to go into that. Until then, I hope you like this post and look out for other anti LO posts coming your way :)

#lore olympus #anti lo persephone #anti lore olympus #unpopular lo #unpopular lore olympus #kung fu panda #anti lo #lo criticism #lo critical #long read #lore olympus criticism #lo critic

[liauditore]

hi i have returned opinions on secret life so far? (also any idea why bigb’s secret animation was different to everyone else’s?) :D

hi hi i have so many Thoughts that i will definitely miss Something but. lots of things. spoilers for ep1 under the cut obvs.

why is every ship getting crumbs. literally all of them. what is wrong with everyone wtf. (except treebark. treebark girlies stay losing)

new mechanic is insanely hype and i am going a little bit feral over it. i've been wanting a UHC-style season for a long time and this seems a great way to kind of. entertainment-fy it i suppose? cus as much as i wanted straight up UHC i can totally understand why players like joel or skizz or scar would struggle hard in that sort of ruleset and it wouldn't be very fun to watch as a result.

i'm a bit.. tentative about the more acknowledgment of the Lore this time around? On one hand i love it and i think it's incredibly cool but on the other hand i know well that lore can eat a series alive if let out of control. Especially when fans start getting pushy about their theories and disappointed when inevitably things aren't as explained or thoroughly confirmed or straight up forgotten. (<-- fnaf fan. i have seen it. it is horrible)

that being said i have trust in grian specifically to handle it well and not go off the deep end with it cus a good chunk of the viewers don't know/care for the lore and if it becomes a Big Thing then a lot of people are gonna end up feeling alienated and confused.

i LOVED Bigb's episode and i think it's like. the ideal way to incorporate lore into a series like this. the way you can Feel that something is off rather than it being explicitly shown. you can choose to write it off or dig deeper. it's good juice. I've mentioned this before but I'll say it again -- Bigb is easily one of the strongest roleplayers on the entire server and his editing REALLY sells it hard. He really melts into what's happening rather than getting up on a platform and shouting THIS PART IS IMPORTANT. LOOK AT ME. which i really appreciate as a kind-of honorary former theatre kid.

but yeah tl;dr i think lore/fan theories should be left to the fandom mainly otherwise it starts getting weird. that being said i trust the life series ppl and can't wait to see what's going on with this season.

now if i may be unhinged myself. i def agree with the theory that Something is up with Bigb's task and maybe whatever gave it to him is trying to mess with the game.

Bigb and Mumbo specifically I felt were acting.. a little OOC the whole episode? Bigb was very much on purpose i think and i reckon mumbo's just excited to be back lol but its fun to think about

the task system has a lot of potential for. fanfic symbolism fuel. i mentioned this on my spam blog i think but something something about the way the players' tasks almost seem to. mock them? a little bit?

like pearl's being to "earn" people's hearts after she failed to make any connections throughout double life and has been somewhat isolated the whole series. bdubs being known for his efficient and beautiful builds being told to make something ugly and useless. scott being implicitly called a parasite with his history of teaming and latching onto one specific person each season. etc. etc.

the teams this time around are looking interesting and i think it's worth noting how it almost feels like.. the opposite of limlife a bit? with how slow and cautious everyone has to play. it seems like over half the server haven't really even joined up with anyone yet which is intriguing. (im personally praying for a scar/jimmy team up. just cus scott said they wouldn't make it lol)

which is great for me cus i loved limlife but the chaoticness of everything did kind of. make deaths less impactful i think? if i see another sky bridge i might scream

im very. of two minds about the scott and impulse team up. because if you dig through my blog you'll see i have kind of a history of being unhinged about those two and their parallels. but i have the sneaking suspicion that their actual dynamic will be like nothing i had in mind lmao

overall i am very excited but trying to control my expectations

also um MUMBO AND LIZZIE ARE BACK AND GEM IS IN THE SERIES AND MUMBO AND LIZZIE AND THUBS ETHUBS ETHUBS ETHUBS ETHUBS--

#asks #secret life spoilers #traffic spoilers #liauditore is unhinged

[ae-neon]

Finished Gardens of the Moon at 1am and immediately fell asleep so it's only really hitting me now and I need to ramble

Non-Spoiler

If you haven't read it it's a High and Epic Fantasy that follows a cast of characters during several conflicts. There's a dark elf demi god, a puppet that wants to kill people, undead neanderthal things, a girl possessed by the god of assassins and a man whose dreams are alt dimensions. That might seem like a lot of spoilers but I promise it's barely scratched the surface.

The biggest complaint you might hear is that it's confusing but I say don't worry about being confused, or not picking up on every name, event etc. Look up a map and just go with the story. The story isn't confused or confusing, you just aren't spoonfed or given all the information at once. It makes sense not to know or understand something since half the characters you're viewing the story through, don't either

It's genuinely so much fun, so fresh and by the end even a little profound.

The worldbuilding is so rich and deep and unabashedly fantastical - a floating city! Mages! Ancient immortals! - without being nonsensical, how refreshing.

The storyline was like a river, a main body fed from the past and flowing to the future while having streams here and there that all connected to the main body or branched off from it. And all the while this undercurrent about action, hope and compassion in the face of inevitable loss, violence and dominance.

For me there's genuinely only two problems with this whole book. The Non-Spoiler problem is that I wish the author described the characters in a little more detail.

4/5 stars 🌷🌷🌷

Spoilers, Avert Your Gaze

Where do I start??!

That false climax is so iconic, drama at the fête > the potential end of the world hahaha

Kruppe. Truly, he falls in his own category. What a character in both the story and narrative.

While Tool, Lorn and Rake are maybe my favourite characters, there isn't a character I disliked, honestly

Lorn 💔 why couldn't you just go with Tool

Tool 💚 I hope we see you again

I think I might be alone in not being the biggest Bridgeburner fan - they're literally introduced as an invading imperial force so maybe I wasn't supposed to like them.

Or maybe it's that I'm not as much of a Whiskeyjack fan as I thought I'd be given his reputation amongst fans, in this book at least, I preferred Dujeck Onearm (+Toc, we better see him again!!!) - though Ben + Kalam and later, Hedge + Fiddler were definitely some of my faves.

Tattersail! 😭 What a bold narrative decision, holy fuck, but ultimately so so so interesting and I can't wait to read from that character's perspective in the future

One gripe I do have is that the writing didn't work to make the connection between Tattersail and Paran believable let alone deep enough to warrant something that crosses her lifetime.

Individually they're both great, but the idea that what happened between them had any real weight to it was not conveyed well in the narrative. It was said but not shown.

In contrast, the relationship between Apsalar and Crokus, my sweet children, is done sooo much better. Even Crokus' misunderstanding of Challice, and the realistic portrayal of her pov, had more depth than Paran/Tattersail

I literally pulled a face at the end when Paran sensed and "spoke" to adolescent 'Sail. Like whyyyy, took a lot of my enjoyment out of Paran's pov, which was perfect except for this aspect.

Coll, Rallick Nom and Murillo - the three musketeers. Rallick just sitting on the Azath was hilarious, I predicted Coll's story but his time and bond with Paran was unexpected and very enjoyable, and Murillio... Those few lines about how vengeance and justice had twisted him, that hollowness in the 'victory' after he left Simtal with the dagger... That really left a deep impression on me especially as I wasn't too into Simtal being this one note sex symbol villainess.

All the gods are interesting but I think Cotillion might have been my favourite. Hope his ambitions bring him back into the fray. Sorry was Iconic. Also definitely wanna see what happens with the two hounds who escaped Dragnipur

And Anomander Rake... How beautiful was the unveiling of this character's story and motivations?? The conversations between Baruk and Rake were some of my favourite moments and I can't wait to reread them.

I cannot wait to see more from his side of the board, including Caladan, Prince K'azz, Crone and Silanah

I also hope K'rul has a good day and gets some devout followers.

4/5 stars. Literally the only thing stopping it from being perfect was the lack of Paran/Sail depth and that I wish Erikson would add a little more description of the characters besides the broad strokes of body shape and age

#gardens of the moon #malazan #book rambles

[bettsfic]

Hey Betts! What are some of the techniques of character, pacing, and conflict that you picked up from brba and bcs that you have integrated into your own writing? Would love some examples, if you wanted to expand on that!

so i wrote some initial cursory thoughts a couple years ago but i have had many more since then.

character/conflict

the biggest lesson i've taken from brba and bcs is the power of character choice.

i don't know how exactly i internalized the rule that you have to *force* your character to act, that if they had to choose between conflict and harmony, they'd always choose harmony because that's the more rational decision. so you box them into corners, put pressure on them, make them move. there are so many stories i've stalled out on because i was trying to figure out a way for the external conflict to pressure my character into acting, as if that's the only reason characters will do something interesting and potentially irrational. not to mention, crafting something like that just sucks. it's hard for my brain to think in that kind of logic. i'm much more interested in characters doing batshit things because they're driven to, and they can quit but they don't.

if your story exists only to build character, then there really is no external conflict. your character makes their own fate. and if your character is strong enough, the consequences of their decisions make the story. peace and harmony is always waiting for them, and they never take it.

it's easy to think of gus fring as an antagonist, but it's walter who remains on the offensive, and gus is the one defending himself. but he's defending himself with a lot more firepower at his disposal and so walt thinks he's the poor little meow meow of the situation.

at any point in brba, walt could simply stop doing what he's doing, walk away from it, and nothing would happen. he'd return to his nice house with his happy family and there would be no consequences whatsoever. but he keeps pushing and pushing, because he's driven to be the Best at something. and because he's an asshole.

in bcs, character choices are compounded because jimmy, kim, nacho, and mike are the protagonists. nacho begins the story by working with tuco, but then goes behind tuco's back to start dealing on the side. not only does he earn the salamancas' ire, but gus's too, because to gus, nacho has committed the greatest sin, the ultimate dishonor: biting the hand that feeds you. not to mention the whole trying-to-kill-hector thing. that really sealed his fate.

(nacho is a very interesting character to me because we ally with him the same way we do with jesse, except in introducing nacho, who is with the salamacas but not a salamanca himself, we have a complicating force within the salamanca family, rather than them just being the bad guys, which would be too easy.)

((god i love nacho. talk about a blorbo from my shows.))

mike gets to a point in the plot where he's laundering his own money back to himself through madrigal, and then he gets bored and shows up one day and starts poking around in security stuff, which gets gus's attention, and that's how he gets roped into being gus fring's right hand man. he could have just stayed home and hung out with his granddaughter, but noooo, he had to go Do Stuff.

kim and jimmy are both given so many outs, but they're both addicted to the grift. jimmy getting stranded in the desert? that's not lalo's doing. jimmy had to *beg* lalo to let him go pick up the 7 mil. jimmy is like walt in that we're supposed to believe he's the little guy, he's down on his luck, we're rooting for him to succeed, but he's just too deep into being a con man. the big difference between jimmy and walt is that jimmy tries to be good. but walt only ever wants to win. in the last episode, we see jimmy and walt in the vacuum guy's basement, and it's a really wonderful moment that feels intentionally metatextual, in that it's asking us to look at the differences between them as protagonists. watching it, i get the sense it's maybe the scene that either gould or gilligan had in mind to inspire the show, the thing to work up to. get jimmy mcgill and walter white in a room together (in their underwear, because it's not a brba show if there isn't a middle-aged man in his underwear at least once an episode) talking about philosophy. and walt says, "so you've always been like this." he's saying, "i fell, but you've always been stuck at the bottom."

another difference is that walt acts selfishly almost always, but jimmy is often acting on behalf of kim and vice versa. on a second watch, i noticed that *every single time* anyone said anything bad about jimmy to kim, they immediately put themselves in her crosshairs and she was motivated to destroy them. kim wexler is far and away the best character in the brba universe, maybe one of the best characters on television. it's so thrilling for me to see a female character who is so fucking feral for her husband she's willing to burn the world for him. there are so many times she physically stands between jimmy and the conflict. over and over again, she chooses him. she admires him and loves him when the rest of the world doesn't. and so it's agonizing when she leaves.

the trick to making a story wholly character-driven, and the reason it's so hard to pull off, is because your characters need to be interesting and developed enough that their shitty decisions are believable.

ever since i started reframing character/conflict that way--character AS conflict, not as separate things--i think my stories have gotten a lot more interesting and nuanced.

pacing

seasons 1 through 4 of brba, standing alone, are a pretty good show. it's season 5 that elevates it, because it's what i call a victory lap. like, they did it, they won a bunch of awards, people love it, now it's the final season, they're going all out and having a good time. and then *all* of bcs is a victory lap. it takes its time. it goes everywhere it wants to go. it feels like nothing is restrained or restricted from us. every little detail accounted for. and el camino does it too, it's a character-focused story that takes its time. i'm particularly drawn to the pacing of el camino because of how contained it is. i can't explain it exactly, but i've always loved stories that have a smooth, slow build up and a payoff and nothing else.

what's really brilliant about this universe is that every character succeeds in their mission. all of them! and the story continues and follows the characters through the consequences of that success. because the characters are so interesting and complicated, their success is complicated too. even lalo succeeds in his mission. he finds the laundry business. he tells hector. but don eladio doesn't believe hector, and don eladio is so well built that we believe it. he's totally aware of gus's revenge plot, but it's so far beneath him it's not worth his time.

i first noticed the success arcs in brba, in the scene where skyler takes walt to the storage unit of money, and she's like, there's no way to count it. no way to spend it. i just make sure the bugs don't eat it. as a banker, i was stunned by this scene, because media never acknowledges the fact that cash in large quantities is nearly impossible to manage. any time you deposit over $10k of cash in a bank in a single 24 hour period, a report gets sent to the FBI. so i loved that the show addressed the reality of cash profit. and on a metaphorical note, it's a great way to see, tangibly, that walter white has won.

by the end of season 4, walt has everything. he's in remission from cancer, he's wealthy, he's made the greatest meth the world has ever seen, he hasn't lost his family, and no one is more powerful than him. the only one who can defeat him is himself. most stories end there, the character getting what they're looking for and everything is great and we've returned to a state of harmony. but when your characters are as messy as these, it's never that simple.

while watching bcs, i actually got pretty mad at my roommate because he's like, "it's season 5 and nothing has happened." and when i said that's not true, he argued with me, and i was like, what you're noticing is a steady escalation of conflict rather than episodic conflict, which is rare for tv to do, considering most shows are fighting for each new season. we're used to seeing each episode of something have a conflict, rising action culminating into a climax. and then we see that reproduced in a larger way across an entire season, every season. but bcs is just one long, seamless story, with no major breaking points until the very end. and that's amazing. throw away the acts. the key turning points. the stages. the story is just all one thing, characters fucking around and finding out.

initially, watching season 6 as it was airing, i was disappointed by the ending. partly this is because i didn't remember any of what happened in the first 5 seasons and so i'd forgotten a lot of the context. partly it was because i was wrongly comparing it to the brba finale. but watching bcs in full a second time, i think the ending is really brilliant, because it completes jimmy's character arc. in the end, he's not saul goodman but jimmy mcgill, and he makes the right choice. all the characters in these shows are so well established and the plot honors them so well. there's so much patience and maturity here, and they also still manage to be funny too. i'm just in awe of them. they inspire me so much.

it's so rare that a piece of media is both genuinely good and widely loved. for the most part, i'm just grateful these shows exist and that i can learn from them and apply the craft concepts to my own work. but a little part of me is envious that i'll never be able to write something that well or that patiently.

#bcs #brba #writing advice

[aberooski]

Every thought I've had about OUAD 2 so far:

1. OUAD 2 will take place a few months after OUAD and will follow Chazz, Atticus, Alexis, and Jay, Sy, and Hassleberry as they take a trip to visit the Crystal Kingdom where Atticus and Alexis live (otherwise knows as the Northern Kingdom in OUAD as it's located to the north of the Golden Kingdom, the central kingdom of the lands)

2. Keeping with the Once Upon A .... theme for the title, it won't just be Once Upon A Duelist 2. My main thought is Once Upon A Winter OUAW or something along those lines because the story will take place during the wintertime and the Crystal Kingdom is in fact a snow kingdom.

3. Chazz and Atticus are officially a couple

4. I want to include more of the ensemble cast, my thought is that Bastion and Jesse are residents of the Crystal Kingdom and will have some kind of significance within the story

5. I don't like him but I also want a Zane cameo because the fact that he canonically exists in OUAD and because Syrus is a fairy, he has to be one too is hilarious to me and I need to see it.

6. Hassleberry is in trouble with fairy society for actually killing Jagger in OUAD, despite how evil he and Slade were when they were still alive. They also view him as more of an enigma than they already did due to his animalistic side that he was born with and how weak his magical abilities are because despite his weak magical powers, he was able to not only access extremely powerful ancient magicks on his own during the final battle of OUAD, he did it while in his berserked state and not even in control of himself. Just like Jaden thought, everyone underestimated the power of the gold fairy.

7. Jaden is intrigued by how Jesse, a regular human, can see and communicate with the spirits. Jaden can but even as a magical being it's uncommon, and Chazz can but only because Jaden blessed him with the power. So how is it that Jesse can see spirits too? Eventually as he's observing Jesse to try and figure that out, he starts to develop a crush on the kind human boy......

8. Not sure what the greater conflict of the story will be. Maybe some kind of conspiracy or some sort of other issue that is uncovered and runs deep within the Crystal Kingdom. I still have to figure that out and who the main antagonist will be. That will influence a lot of the story since it'll need to be built around that.

9. Loved a comment @chazz-is-a-zelda-fan made about OUAD 2 continuing the trend of killing off disliked characters, wouldn't mind finding a way to sneak and Adrian death in there somewhere 😌 thanks for putting that thought in my head friend 💜 I'm all kinds of down for killing off that bitch somehow lol

10. I had originally had a thought about Adrian wanting revenge for Slade and Jagger's destruction of the Kingdom of the East, but I'm not sure timeline wise if that would work I mean they destroyed it a little over 20 years ago and Adrian isn't much older than they are in canon so he couldn't have actually been there to see it but I suppose it could still work if that event more or less destroyed his family and set him up for a real crap life. Also Slade and Jagger are dead now and nobody still alive had anything to do with it except the trio was involved in the battle to stop them back then, which they did. So it wouldn't make sense still unless I got real creative I guess 🤨 or maybe it does and I'm just underthinking it. But Adrian I think would be more of a minor antagonist rather than the main antagonist of the whole fic.

11. Going back to conspiracy, and I did almost say cult.... potential SoL inclusion??? Or a Darkness cult???? Nightshroud???? Absolutely no thoughts about that just a potential concept but maybe something like that for the main conflict???? I really don't know yet 😭

It'll probably be a while before I get to start actually writing any of this but the thoughts are real y'all.

#thought up some good ideas for the fatal frame 5 crossover lately and it's really got me going on this too aksksk #I wanna expand the world of OUAD there's so much untapped potential man OUAD can be so much more than just a single Sleeping Beauty au #abby's fanfic writer power hour #Once Upon A Duelist #yugioh #yugioh gx #yugioh gx fanfiction #chazz princeton #atticus rhodes #stormshipping #alexis rhodes #jaden yuki #syrus truesdale #tyranno hassleberry #bastion misawa #jesse anderson #zane truesdale #adrian gecko #abby after dark

[existentialmagazine]

Review: Maisyn shares a heartfelt new indie single ‘Night Talks’, encompassing easy-going sound with a romance that’s far from smooth sailing

Between past singles ‘Long Hair’ and ‘Naked’, the emerging indie artist Maisyn has found herself crafting a niche in indie that’s alike no one else, dancing between heartfelt sound and deeper meaning. Finding her place among artists like Clairo and Maggie Rogers, Maisyn’s works are familiar and yet distinctly her own, always offering both the light and the dark.

As she steps foot into 2024 with some new stories to tell, her newest single ‘Night Talks’ looks to resonate with those that seem to drift towards toxic and uncertain lovers, finding that familiar cycle of fighting and making up that’s hard to let go of. With the intimacy of the night becoming the stage where things unfold, Maisyn’s lines cannot help but feel like a destructive force that clashes with the peace, returning to bad habits in loneliness and perhaps a yearning for change: ‘why do I keep calling you up, when these night talks always draw blood.’ It’s hard to let go when you’re deep in your feels and Maisyn knows just how to clench onto your own aching heart with experiences of her own, but as her words paint an all too familiar picture, she’ll leave you questioning: is this really how it’s supposed to feel when you’re in love?

The sound is soft but bright to match, offering a palette of steady, mellow drums; gentle electric guitar strums and vocals soaked in a reverb that leave Maisyn’s lines lingering in the air to be remembered. Contrasting the lyrics with a sense of serenity, it’s almost as though this slither of ease is a representation of Maisyn herself, offering a respite from the chaos. But her delivery of the lines returns back to this more withheld regard, her words hanging with a careful emotional edge that shields from the inevitable blows, potentially a little defeated or simply tired of living out this same narrative one more time.

Keyboard keys cascade out post-chorus, a vibrant pop of colour to complement against the song’s melancholic air. Backing vocals also add a further layering, all together building in strength and volume as the clearly heightened emotions reach their inevitable climax. But it’s not quite what you’d expect, falling into a lulling stripped-back moment of simple guitar tones and Maisyn’s vocals at their most powerful moment yet, letting go of any reservations as the truth of the situation sinks in without hesitation: ‘try to prove to you that I’m in love, but it just cuts.’ This shift in lyric for the chorus is equally poignant in itself, finding a change in her thoughts through a journey of reflection that she takes you along for the ride of.

Adding some deeper thought, Maisyn shares “I never want to write sad songs for the sake of writing sad songs. My favorite thing to do is actually put a silver lining around a story. Basically, I’m the heroine and I want there to be at least one small moment of triumph, a little glimmer of hope. With “Night Talks” I feel like that hope comes in the chorus, when I question why I keep repeating self-destructive behavior. When you start asking questions like that, you can really start to change.”

Maisyn’s work always resonates most for her ability to relate to anyone and everyone, and ‘Night Talks’ is no exception to that. Between a sound you can easily get on your feet and loudly sing along to, is a message that’s much more personal and held near and dear, except she’s not afraid for the world to see her at her rawest. If you can find yourself seeing similarities through her words, or you’re just searching for an incredible indie upcomer with immense talent, look no further than Maisyn and her newest single ‘Night Talks’ you can listen to in full here.

Written by: Tatiana Whybrow

Photo Credits: Unknown

// This coverage was supported and created via Musosoup, #SustainableCurator.

#tatiana

[taylorgraymoore]

November 28, 2023

Went out Sunday night, to the Pioneer Pub deep in Richmond to meet an old friend who is now a co-worker (I poached him from private), and another co-worker, who is also a friend. It was a long overdue evening. We had a number of beers and a few conversations. Some other wanderers arrived to the table, including yet more co-workers. Much merry was made. The night got too long—and, although I had told everyone who would listen that I would be out the door and in an Uber at 9:30, I left after midnight.

I had never been to the Pioneer Pub (the Pi) before. To get there, you go down to Richmond the normal way by train, same way I go to get to work. You get off at Brighouse (or, sometime apparently, Bridgeport—Maps kept oscillating between those two options of where to get off to catch a Richmond bus, but it settled on the former after awhile and so Brighouse it was), and then get on a bus (the 403, no matter which station you get off at) for a short ride.

I (let’s go back to the 1st person now) ran down the stairs from the platform and then across the street to where the stop was outside the Kam Do Bakery, and joined the loosely-structured line (more like a clump) there. I didn’t need to run, I had five minutes, but I tend to run for unfamiliar buses on long trips. It came on time, some time after I’d caught my breath. I boarded with the rest of the clump and rode it a straight shot into the relative unknown along Three Road (I work in Richmond, but I don’t know most of Richmond; I’ve only seen these stretches once or twice before and only ever from a bus window), and got off at Williams Road, in Broadmoor. There it was behind a parking lot and next to a bank. A bar like how they have them in on TV, and pretty quiet. I go to a table, sit down and take a menu, then change my mind about the table and go to another one, further back and in that raised area pubs will always tend to have. I notice all the many screens hanging above us are all playing various sports except for one that’s playing a poker game—bar like they have them on TV, see. 

I message my friend who became a co-worker that I’m there, he tells me he’ll be there in under six hundred seconds. I set a stopwatch, get out the book on the Israel/Palestine conflict that I’m reading, and then I see him come through the door. The co-worker who became a friend comes in a few seconds later. 

This scene will only last for as far into it as I can get before the train drops me off at my station.

I am on the Skytrain again. The man sitting behind me is eating eggs out of a plastic container. The man in front of me is changing his jacket. 

Friend A orders a lager and a glass of Irish whiskey. Friend B orders the same pale ale I’m already having. (I have to be vague about this part because we’re not supposed to talk about the brands we sell). Friend C, another co-worker, might be joining us after his massage, if he’s still here. I remember him hearing about the potential of a massage appointment at work a few days earlier—he works mostly in the warehouse, he could use one.

I’m still not using names. I’ll have to start soon, or it’ll become strange and/or awkward. I’ll think about a solution.

For now, take the vagueness as an aesthetic. 

Two of us order burgers, the third orders wings. I have already made it clear how early I will have to leave, because this is still very important to me at this point. 

My station is next. King Edward. Not quite my local station, because there’s still a long bus ride ahead of me. But my station all the same. I know it well. I’ve known it long. I remember the corner it’s on from before any station was there. There used to be a Baskins and Robbins in the exact spot where the exit now is.

By the time my second beer and my burger is inside me, another has joined us… it was around this point? I’ll write it like that, at least. Another has joined us—Friend B’s former co-worker from the job he had before he joined us, when he worked in private. This friend’s friend had been seated nearby. Richmond is like a smaller town than it is, sometimes. 

Friend C arrives over two hours later, about when I’m supposed to leave. Friend A mentions that it’s when I said I would leave shortly before this, but I want to stay to say hi to C and I say so. I say I’ll stick around just a bit longer, just for that. I never do look at the time again that night.

The organ bit from three quarters of the way through Close to the Edge washes over me like a more corporeal version of a divine chorus as I remember this and write it down. Then I look up from my phone and see the 33 across Cambie St and through the fog, about to arrive either ten minutes late or twenty minutes early, and I book it across the street to intercept it just as the angelic chorus of Yes members gives way to a jangling uproar of guitars. I make the bus. Sometimes the soundtrack life  provides is just that profoundly appropriate. 

After I was already well and drunk, and so was everybody else, others began to drift to our table. Friend A has a gravitational pull, you see, especially after a few drinks. It’s like Dionysius climbs into him. Something more literary than physical about the presence he gets going, and random strangers will notice it and come to find their orbit. I compared him to Walt Whitman recently, and he didn’t understand why. I’m not sure how to articulate it myself, but it has something to do with that. Himself, he would like to be like Ingmar Bergman. This also makes as much sense as what I said.

We kept going in our universe. The bar emptied out. The bar closed. We emptied out. Friend B gave us a ride to our respective points of rest.

I had to be up again at five in the morning to be at work at seven. I got about four hours of sleep. This was the result of a series of notably poor decisions on my part and I make no attempt to pass it off as anything else. 

I got to work on time and made it through, although not without a lot of misery. I was too tired to finish the lunch I brought and I felt sick most of the day. The number of beers probably also had something to do with that. 

Both of the events I had planned after work canceled/postponed on me. That was probably a good thing, since it enabled to me go home and immediately fall asleep there. Got nearly two hours. Was still feeling out of it, but manageably so. 

The big, continuing problem is rather that my lungs are unhappy with me now, from the dehydration and etc, and my asthma is staging a surprise appearance. That had been all kinds of fun.

That above was composed in three sections: the original short choppy thing this morning, then the long bit detailing that evening later on during my commute, and now as I type it all up before bed. The end of the piece seems like a grinding to a halt because I never bothered expanding any of that. My asthma is getting better, anyway—I drank a lot of tea today. It’s too late in the day to write about how work went, which is fine by me because I write too much about work in these. This is nicer.

#prose #writing #richmond #dionysus #i need sleep #bar #beer

[chocobothis]

---

I don't know when it happened but literally seeing my favorite character just makes me fucking tense in panic. It's not like being triggered exactly but there's that On Edge feeling. It fucking sucks because Bo-Katan's one of my all time favorite characters. Even more than Ahsoka which says a whole fucking lot. It's like Bo and Hera as my all time favorites in this media.

It's a character week for her but the idea of seeing anything with her just starts this gut deep discomfort that it's going to be a fight. That existing here, in this space, is a never going to be enjoyable for long periods of time. Part that sheer stress fucks up my ability to write because it's this never ending, anxiety riddled second guessing of "Is this in-character? Do I know what I'm doing? If I magically managed to post something will it be noticed or go unnoticed? Better yet, which of this will be better?"

I used to be able to check things with "You primarily write OC x Canon so you're not going to catch a lot of notice. It'll be safe." but that's not working as much anymore. Because I, like damn near everyone creating, want attention and for it to be positive for my efforts. Because it's full of love.

Now, it's like, "Your favorite character is just popular enough now that you'll potentially get noticed because people want content with her." However, I don't write her utterly soft because that's not the Bo I fell in love with or see. She has those moments but that's not her. She's not defanged or a victim of abuse or a bunch of common headcanons that are accepted now as fact.

The OC (Solus) I ship with her is a little snake posed to strike at various points; at times, Bo straight up has to tell her stand the fuck down. Because she's more than prepared to go razed earth for the future of Mandalore. But, there's also a lot of parallels/imaging/whatever you wanna call it between Solus & Bo and Solus & Satine. Solus is another person that's too young, who grew up too fast, and is supposed to be The Pride of her Clan. But, she has this fear in her mind that she's an Exile and The Mistake like Satine. It causes so much inner strife and it's interesting to explore the parts of herself/her life she sees mirrored in Satine and her life.

Solus is also entirely in love with Pre Vizsla as well. I know what alone makes her very likely an unlikable OC. She's also very Pro-Death Watch, proudly serves when they're active, and is all around ready to be a stone cold, ruthless bitch for Mandalore. And I don't ""punish"" her for that nor is she just a villain. She's a complex character who has been profoundly traumatized at points yet maintains that love, in its various forms, is the strongest power in the Galaxy. I've been working on her and her friends since 2017 (except Alijah who came about later.)

And it's frustrating that everything's mixed to the point I can't enjoy characters and pairings I love. Or, even trying to make content for my own OCs because it's like, "Will I get destroyed for making a character I enjoy?"

#rants #personal

[retiredgremlin]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Psych (TV 2006) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Burton "Gus" Guster/Shawn Spencer, Burton "Gus" Guster & Shawn Spencer Characters: Shawn Spencer, Burton "Gus" Guster Additional Tags: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Eventual Romance, Slow Burn, sort of?? Summary: Gus shouldn’t have been surprised. He really shouldn’t have been, and yet, of course, he was inexplicably caught off guard when Shawn’s solution to Gus’s request to save him from this date was to walk in and pose as Gus’s jealous boyfriend.

Because of course Shawn did.

---

Or: The one where Gus keeps going on doomed dates and instead of figuring out a normal human reason to leave, or telling the dates that this won't work out, he calls in the cavalry immediately. Every. Single. Time.

Tags will be updated as the fic updates.

Here is is folks. I finished the thing. And by that I mean my oneshot has turned into a multichap but I finished the first chapter and I need that to count for something.

#psych #shawn spencer #burton guster #burton gus guster #i'll be honest i have no clue how to tag this fic properly #it's not supposed to be that deep except i started writing and i see potential for more goofs to be made if i keep it going #so we'll just have to see how this pans out #shawn/gus #shus #shawngus #shawn x gus #mine #my writing

[dreamingofaizawa]

Good Kitty

Shouta Aizawa x Chubby! Kitty Hybrid! Fem! Reader

***18+ Fic***

If you are under the age of 18, leave. Thank you.

Warnings: Kitty hybrid reader, smut, fingering, unprotected sex, praise kink (?), reader has insecurities, Shouta is soft and lowkey feral?, chubby kink (sorta), reader has a heat for the first time, barely implied virginity loss, a touch of dacryphilia

Word Count: 2.4 k

Author’s Note: This is inspired by @cupcake-rogue ’s fic Not Allowed on the Bed. I got permission to use it as inspo so here we are! Tbh the orignal had me feeling all sorts of feelings because, as a very subby sub that loves to please, I definitely have a praise kink and I WILL CRY if I’m called a bad girl. HOWEVER, Katsuki being the rough-around-the-edges guy he is wanting reader regardless of size made me very happy and warm and fuzzy. 

The premise with this is pretty much the same, except I made reader a kitty hybrid...and of course I wrote for Shouta, love of my life he is. I’m such a fucking simp. I’m not the biggest fan of the ending, but this has been sitting in my WIPs for too damn long and it’s decent enough for me to feel ok posting it.

Also, for reference, reader has black fur regardless of hair color. Reader could be blonde, but still have black ears and tail. That’s just the way I’ve chosen to write this for some reason, don’t ask me why, I’m weird like that. 

I think this is the first time I’ve written for a hybrid, so cut me a little slack.

Anywho, enjoy~

*

*

*

You can’t remember life outside the shelter. You’d grown up here, the caretakers said they’d found you on the street as a nearly newborn kitten and immediately scooped you up and brought you back here. That was a long time ago. Now you sit, waiting, your hopes for getting adopted diminishing with every passing day.

It’s unfortunate, but you still haven’t been adopted. It’s not that you’re bad, you always behave, you make sure you do. But you’ve overheard time and time again the people that gazed down at you and whispered about how you were too chunky, too big and too squishy for a kitty hybrid. And some even called you bad luck. The pitch black fur on your ears and tail warded off many.

Today was just the same as any other day. Wake up, get fed, wait in your room while potential owners pick and choose not you. Adults and children alike would take chunks out of their time to play with you, but they all left the shelter with another smaller cat. It was nearing bed time now, dinner just finished and the caretakers were about to start closing when the little bell on the front door jingled. Someone had just come in. You ignored it all the same.

Two pairs of footsteps began making their way past rooms, whoever it was that had entered smelled good, like coffee and tree bark. A smooth hum accompanied the caretaker’s voice, it made your ears twitch and tail sway gently. Still, you decided to just curl up in bed and try to sleep. The chance of him adopting you was slim, if it existed at all.

As you lay there your ears pick up their footsteps, the lazy set that dragged familiar, the nearly silent set less so. You listened as they came closer, never stopping as the man strode past each room and peered in the windows. You waited for them to pass right by your room, as they had been, but suddenly the footsteps halted. The caretaker spoke first.

“Y/n? You awake?” You let your eyes flutter open and sat up, tucking your legs under you and sitting up straight. They asked the man if he wanted to go in and see you, and he gave a simple nod. When he entered you finally looked up at him. The first thing you noticed were his eyes, tired and bloodshot with dark circles beneath them, a deep scar curved under his right eye. His long black hair fell around his shoulders, swaying lightly with every measured step he took toward you.

He stopped right in front of you, a large hand stretching out and you give it a small sniff before nudging your head into it, letting him pet your hair and scratch at the base of your ears. It felt nice to be getting attention like this. A small purr sounded in your chest, your tail gently swishing behind you.

“How long have you been here?” His voice is deep and calm, tired even, but it sounds so welcoming. It’s so soothing to your sensitive ears, like a warm blanket. You give a small hum before answering.

“A long time. I don’t remember anything outside this place.” At that he raised an eyebrow, turning to the caretaker with a questioning look.

“Most people look for...specific traits in the cat hybrids. Y/n here is well behaved, a perfect house kitty really,” you purred a bit at the praise, “But she’s a little larger than most. And her black fur wards off the more superstitious.” The man gives a curious hum before looking back down at you.

“Do you want to come home with me, kitty?” The question caught you a little off guard. Nobody really asked the hybrids if they wanted to go with them. You looked over to the caretaker, who nodded their head with a gentle smile, encouraging you to answer. All you could do was give a small nod, and soon you were in the car, on the way to your new home.

He’d told you to call him Shouta. He was nice, always quiet and never got mad. He never smiled, but you supposed that’s just the way he is. He gave you your own room, and always let you rub up on him when you wanted to, taking the opportunity to pet you. Occasionally you got the odd kiss on the forehead when you nuzzled into his neck. Those always made you purr. He never came seeking you out, which was good since there were times you really didn’t want to be touched. 

The longer you’re with him the closer you get, and you find yourself doing things you’d never thought to do before. Sometimes you found the floor more comfortable than the couch, and would kneel down and rub up on his leg, your tail wrapping around his ankle. There were times you’d see his fingers idly drumming on his lap, and you’d lay down and nibble on one with your little fang-like canines. He didn’t seem to mind that little oral fixation, and he always let you do whatever you wanted. All in all, life with Shouta is great.

But today you feel weird. You’d been cooped up in your room for the first hour or so of the weekend morning, not quite wanting to go out and make it known something was off. But it’s gotten abnormally hot, your face and chest especially warm, and between your legs as well. Your panties are beginning to feel damp, your thighs starting to feel humid and sticky. It’s a little uncomfortable. And your tummy is starting to boil, neediness beginning to cloud your mind. This never happened at the shelter.

Reluctantly, you step out of bed onto slightly wobbly legs and peek your head out of your door to see him sitting on the couch, a book in hand and a mug of coffee on the table. His hair is loose, his strong lean body relaxed as he read. The sight of him and his scent made the feeling worse, made your panties and thighs wetter, your chest beginning to heave with your panted breaths. 

“Sh-shouta…” Your voice came out shakier and quieter than you wanted it to, but he’d heard you regardless. He closed the book and peered over at your shaking form in the doorway.

“What is it kitty?” You nearly mewled at his voice, his heavenly smooth baritone sending a shiver down your spine through to the tip of your tail.

“Something’s wrong...I feel weird…” As you tell him about everything that’s happening to your body, he’s dragging his eyes over you, taking in every detail. Soon he’s on the phone with the doctor, you can’t quite comprehend his words, only catching snippets. ‘Help’ and ‘how long’, followed by agreeing hums. It was all jumbled after that, your mind refusing to focus as you leaned heavily on the doorframe, your quivering legs barely able to hold your body.

Shouta’s large hand came up and cupped your cheek, letting you nuzzle into his palm. When had he hung up the phone? He ordered you to sit on the bed, and you obliged, watching as he swept up his hair into a loose bun and strode over, tilting your chin to look up at him through half-lidded eyes. He’s so close, his scent overwhelming and making your brain fuzzy.

“You’re in heat, kitty.” Heat...where had you heard that before? Back at the shelter, maybe? It was all a distant, unfocused memory right now. Shouta leaned down and kissed you sweetly, lips melding with yours as you purred and mewled, your tail thrashing behind you. His hands tugged at your clothes until you were bare before him, every inch of you on display. 

“You’re such a pretty kitty, you know that? So beautiful. Lay down for me.” The praise made you purr, made a chill crawl up your spine and your tail flick wildly. You obeyed the command, laying flat in the middle of the bed and he slotted himself between your legs, plunging two fingers into your tight hole. He let out a groan, pumping and scicssoring his fingers to stretch you out. You were already a sloppy mess, loud squelches ringing through the room in between your loud, whiny mewls and panting. 

It felt so good, the heat in your belly burning and tightening until Shouta’s fingers curled up into a spot that made stars dance in your vision. The pressure in your belly snapped hard, your legs trembling as he kept fingering you through it. His fingers slowed when you whined about it being too much, too sensitive. But you still felt hot all over, now it was worse, you wanted something so bad but you didn’t know what.

He got up and undressed himself and you licked your lips at his naked body, scarred skin pulled taut over thick muscle. What stood between his legs had heat spreading like fire through your body. You’d never seen a naked man before. He was quick to return to you, slotting his hips between your thighs and guiding the thick head of his cock along your soaked folds. 

“Relax kitty. I’m gonna make you feel good.” You gave a small nod and then he was pushing his thick cock inside you, groaning at the way your pussy clamped down on him. Your tongue lolled out of your mouth as he slowly pushed and pumped his hips, cock dragging along your wet warm walls perfectly. Mewls slipped past your lips, high pitched whines and pants like music in Shouta’s ears. 

His hands wandered over your body, squishing and pulling at every piece of you he could get his calloused fingers on. It made you squirm beneath him, your own hands trying to push his away, but he wasn’t having any of it. He grabbed both your wrists and pinned them above your head in one strong hand, then went right back to groping your body with his free one.

“I can’t have you stopping me from touching you, kitty.” That’s all he said before focusing back on your body. He tugged at your belly, your sides, every place that was fatty and squishy. He’d never admit out loud how much he loved how soft you are. You’re perfect, plump and meaty, just more for him to touch, to look at, more to squeeze and pinch and pull.

He groaned out as you whined beneath him, tears beginning to clump in your lashes because he just kept squeezing, and he isn’t fucking you hard enough. Your orgasm built slowly with his languid pace, not nearly enough to get you to that peak and you were frustrated because you wanted relief but it wouldn’t come. Shouta picks up on your hips jerking and rolling, trying to get him to fucking move faster. He pulled his hips back and slammed back in, setting a brutal pace and making you whine high and long. 

Tears begin to fall from the sheer ecstasy of it, and he’s realizing how much he loves to see you cry from the pleasure he can give you. With a groan, he’s releasing your hands and wrapping his arms around your waist, burying his face into your breasts and biting and sucking at your skin as he pounds you into the mattress. He isn’t normally an impulsive man, wouldn’t let himself let go like this. But for you. For you he’d give in to his lust and ravage you like you need him to.

Your orgasm slams over your body like a tsunami, your muscles locking up and a loud yip ringing from your throat, pleasure making your whole body shake. Shouta let out a hiss, your nails digging into the muscles in his back furiously, but he wouldn’t stop for that. He never stuttered in his pace, just kept ramming his hips into yours, heavy balls slapping against your ass and lewd squelches coming from where your bodies are connected. 

You’re overstimulated, throat feeling raw and tears still falling down your heated cheeks as you thrash from another orgasm, this one just as powerful as the last and making your vision spot black. This time Shouta leans back, wrapping a hand around your throat and licking the salty trails away.

“Such a good little kitty for me, so good.” With a few more thrusts he’s spilling inside you, and you can feel the warmth spread in your belly as you lay there, boneless. He lays down on top of you, both of you sweaty and tired and he starts whispering sweet words into your twitching ears.

“So pretty. You’re so pretty, kitten.” 

“Such a good girl for me.”

“You’re all mine, kitty. So good, all for me.” Tears begin to spill from your eyes for a different reason. Up until now you’d lived your life believing nobody wanted you because there was something wrong with you. You never felt ugly, never really felt like there was something truly wrong with you, but you always felt...unwanted. Unloved. Unlovable. 

But Shouta makes you feel wanted, and loved, and pretty and all the things you always assumed you didn’t deserve. You’re his kitty now, and you’re such a good kitty for him too. He’s showering you with affection that you’d never known before and you’re shaking from all the overwhelming emotions. He can feel your body quivering, leans back to look at you and cups your face in his warm palm.

“What’s wrong, kitten? Why are you crying?” Your nose twitches as you sniffle, which he mildly notes is fucking adorable.

“Do you mean it? Am I a good kitty?” His eyebrows furrow and he rolls the both of you over so you’re on top of him. He’s peering into your big sad eyes as if reading your soul through them, trying to read the emotions you’re feeling, but it isn’t hard for him to figure out what’s racing through your mind. You nuzzle your nose into his neck and breathe in his scent, his hand coming up to pet your hair and ears.

“Of course, kitten. You’re such a good kitty.” The small reassurance makes you feel warm and happy, your tail flicking softly before curling around both your leg and Shouta’s, the end brushing his skin gently. You can’t help but want to stay with Shouta forever.

#shouta aizawa x reader #shouta aizawa #shouta aizawa x fem reader #shouta aizawa mha #shouta aizawa bnha #aizawa shouta x reader #aizawa shouta #aizawa shouta x fem reader #aizawa shouta mha #aizawa shouta bnha #aizawa mha #aizawa bnha #tw: hybrid #shouta aizawa smut #aizawa shouta smut #aizawa smut

[sillyrabbit81]

The Blind: Syverson

Summary: Kate goes on a blind date with Syverson

Pairing: Captain Syverson x Kate (OFC)

Word Count: approx. 8k

Warnings: Alternating POV, fluff, slight angst, smut, oral sex (m and f receiving), fingering, p in v sex, manhandling, I think that’s it.

Authors Note: So this is the first fic I have written in months that didn’t come from a prompt or request. It started as an exercise to help me overcome writers block, but morphed into something else. This is a one-shot. The plan is to write blind date fics with August and Walter (maybe another character) but yeah, that’s the plan, who knows what will happen.

Special thanks to @henryobsessed for encouragement and beta reading. Also to @amberangel112 for her constant encouragement and dedication to making sure I write something. Honestly, I wouldn’t have kept going on this if it wasn’t for you. Thank you so much.

Page dividers by @animatedglittergraphics-n-more

The Blind

Buzz cut, beard, tall, stacked. That was all Kate knew about the guy she was supposed to meet, that and the name Sy. Her friend, Ava from work set them up. Apparently, he was her boyfriend’s childhood friend. Kate wasn’t sure at first, wasn’t sure if she was ready, but Ava had convinced her. They were both recently single, both burned, both just dipping their toes back into the dating game.

Equal parts excited and nervous Kate had gotten dressed, trying on a million different outfits until she decided on a black slip dress, not too short, black ankle boots, and a long grey cardigan. She figured it toed the line between enticing but also, not too far out of her comfort zone. She looked longingly at her jeans and t-shirts, wondering if she should choose comfort over sex appeal. In the end sex appeal won, she wanted to look like she had at least made some effort.

However, as she approached the bar, she thought perhaps she should have chosen something else. The dress suddenly felt too low, so she pulled the cardigan closer around herself, hiding the hint of cleavage the dress gave, and wishing she had worn a bra.

“What’s the worst that can happen?” Ava had asked. “If you don’t like each other and you’ll probably never have to see each other again. No harm done.” Except for the potential crushed ego, loss of confidence, embarrassment, and pain of rejection of course.

Kate wished she knew more about him, but as Ava had pointed out, if they knew too much about each other, they wouldn’t have anything to talk about. But it was awkward as she entered the bar. It wasn’t her typical place, too many suits and cocktail dresses, too many overpaid men and gold-digging women. Ava had set the whole thing up, chosen the bar and the restaurant, and Kate wondered why she would pick a place like this. Surely Ava knew her well enough that this wasn’t her scene. Disappointment flooded her as she realised that maybe it was a place Sy would like, it would be a long night if it was.

Grimacing and squaring her shoulders, at least giving the imitation of confidence, Kate entered the overpriced establishment. Ava had said that Sy would meet her at the farthest end of the bar, so she carefully navigated her way through the crowd and to the end of the inexplicably long counter. Kate let out the breath she was holding. No one was there that even remotely fit the description.

Checking her phone, Kate saw she was a few minutes early. No need to panic yet, she thought as she pulled a stool out from under the bar.

“You Kate?” a voice drawled behind her. She turned her eyes growing wide as she took in the man in front of her. Please be him, she prayed silently, her eyes raking over him, he fit the description and more. It was lust at first sight as she looked into his deep blue eyes. For the first time since her ex had left her, she felt a stirring deep within her and a blush rose to her cheeks.

“Yeah, that’s me,” she said, giving a small smile. “Are you Sy?”

“Sure am,” he said. Kate felt stunned, speechless as his face crinkled briefly into a smile. She watched as his eyes slid over her body, it had been quick but enough that the heat that blossomed in her belly was suddenly overwhelming. She needed a drink.

Sy was tense as he approached the bar. He needed a drink, something to stop his fists from clenching. This kind of bar wasn’t his style, a little too… civilized. It got on his nerves, he wasn’t even inside and felt frustrated. He knew his dark jeans, motorcycle boots and black shirt were going to look out of place, but he wasn’t going to dress like a Muppet for some girl he hadn’t even met. The bar hadn’t been his choice, he assumed it was hers. One strike against her name.

He followed a cute brunette into the bar, she pulled her cardigan close, it hugged her round ass nicely and Sy let out a small hum before shaking himself. He shouldn’t be looking at random girls, not tonight anyway. He had promised to at least be open and give the girl a go but going on a blind date irked him something fierce. He never had a problem getting a girl, but apparently that was the problem, it was never the right girl.

Still following the brunette, he watched her ass as she continued down the bar. She looked as out of place as he did in the bar, her style not quite the polished sophistication one would expect in a place like this. She wasn’t rough so much as a girl who wouldn’t look down on him. Despite his intelligence, he’d needed a degree to be an officer, some girls ignored that part of him and only saw the soldier. That was all some girls wanted from him, wanted the danger he exuded, live close to the edge, be roughed up a little then go back to their lives of civility. If he was honest, he didn’t mind fucking girls like that, they usually went crazy in the sheets, he just didn’t want to date them, too much fucking trouble.

The brunette kept going down the bar to the place he was supposed to meet his date. She stopped as she saw the empty stools. Was this her? If it was, he’d have to remember to say thank you for the set-up, at least they got his type right.

After Sy and Kate moved to a booth, each with a drink, Kate found the conversation flowed easily. Sy seemed open, honest, and flirtatious enough to be charming without crossing the line to creepy. Within ten minutes Kate had already decided that she liked him, so when they had finished their drinks and Sy asked if she still wanted to go for dinner, Kate agreed.

The night had a slight chill, enough to cool her blood but not enough to be uncomfortable. “Where’s the restaurant?” she asked.

“You don’t know?” he asked. Kate shook her head and pulling her phone out to check the map, she said her friend had booked the table. “So, you didn’t pick the bar either?”

Kate scrunched her nose up. “No, that’s not really my scene.” She grinned at Sy. “I imagine it isn’t yours either. It’s this way.” She started walking further into the downtown area.

“Not at all,” Sy said following her lead and in the harsh streetlight, got a chance to really look at her. Kate’s hair was long, almost too long, stopping at her waist and was held back in a thick braid. Sy’s thoughts went straight to wrapping it around his forearm while he took her from behind and watching her ass bounce as he fucked her. She looked at him and although Sy knew his face wasn’t masking his thoughts, she didn’t look away.

“What is your scene?” She held his gaze, her eyes were a steel-blue, almost grey, he had never seen eyes that colour before.

“More of your local kind of bar,” Sy replied. “The kind of place where you could play a game of pool or watch a game.” He smiled wryly, “A place with more shots and less cocktails.”

“I like cocktails,” Kate said simply. She looked away and added, “I think we’re here.” They had stopped at another overpriced business. They looked at the menu in the window and Sy knew he was going to leave this place hungry.

Sy raised an eyebrow and decided to take a gamble. “No, we ain’t eating here.”

He expected some resistance but was happy when Kate turned to him with a big smile. “I can saw a food truck a little way back. Wanna go there instead?”

“You’ve read my mind,” Sy said, and taking another gamble, he took her hand in his, grinning broadly when she wrapped her fingers around his palm. “C’mon.”

Sy paused with the thick, overfilled burrito part way to his mouth as he caught Kate staring at him. “What?” he asked. “Somethin’ stuck in my beard?”

Suppressing a smile Kate shook her head. “I just can’t believe you’re really going to eat another one.”

“Growin’ boy and all that,” Sy said, smirking before taking a bite. Kate laughed, crossing one of her legs over the other, she leaned forward, elbows resting on her knee as she shifted on the makeshift stool the truck had put out for customers to eat on. Sy wasn’t sure if she had done it on purpose, but from where he sat across from her, he could see a little way down the top of her dress, the enticing sight of her breasts made him swallow hard as he washed the food down with water.

Suddenly he lost his appetite for food while another grew. Kate’s attention seemed to be somewhere else, giving him an opportunity to look at her again. His eyes were laser focussed looking at the curve of her thigh as it disappeared under her dress. His body burned as he thought about gripping her soft flesh in his fingers, as she willingly spread her legs for him.

Lifting his gaze slowly he was brought back to her face. She had pretty, soft features, a hint of freckles on her nose and full lips. Sy sucked his own lip into his mouth as he thought of taking hers between his teeth and imagined the moan that he would capture.

“Ready to go?” Sy asked, wrapping his burrito back up. He’d keep it for later, if all went well, he planned on working up an appetite and it would surely hit the spot. He gave her his most charming smile, the one where his cheeks showed the hint of dimple below his whiskers.

Kate nodded and asked, “Where should we go now?”

“My place,” Sy smirked. He wasn’t one to play games, he wanted her, and he could tell she was into him, there was no point in putting off the inevitable, Sy was definitely going to have her. But Sy’s confidence ebbed away as Kate crossed her arms beneath her breast. Fuck.

That cocky shit, Kate thought as she folded her arms, resting her weight on one leg. He’d been doing so well up until that point, just the right amount of arrogance to be interesting, now he’d gone too far.

To his credit though, Sy didn’t apologise, just shrugged and said, “I’ll take that as a no.” He gathered up his half-eaten burrito and started to walk back to the street. “For now,” he added, grabbing her hand in his free one. His words, while playful, held a promise, a conviction that he would get what he wanted, and it sent a thrill down Kate’s spine. “C’mon, I know somewhere else we can go.”

Sy took Kate to a park, although dark, the path they walked was well lit. Ground lights, casting shadows against the trees and the bushes gave of an eerie feeling that excite Kate. And as they walked and chatted Kate held Sy’s hand tight in her grip.

It seemed to Kate that Sy kept asking her questions, wanting her to talk, his own answers were usually short or designed to deflect. They stopped at a child’s playground and Kate dragged Sy into the cubby house laughing as Sy bent his huge frame into the cramped space. They sat facing each other, Kate between Sy’s long legs as she curled hers beneath herself.

“Now that you’re stuck here,” Kate grinned. “You can tell me more about yourself.”

Sy seemed to consider and said smirked again. “Fine,” he said. “But I get to give you kiss after each answer.”

“Where?” Kate said, and Sy chuckled. “I wasn’t born yesterday, Sy.”

“I’m mighty glad you weren’t. I still wanna kiss you. You tell me where. Deal?”

“Deal.” Kate thought a minute, hummed as she looked around the tiny plastic bubble they were in and grinned as she thought of a question. “Did you have a tree house as a kid?”

“Yes,” Sy said, the shadows that fell on his face through the bars of the little house gave him a seductively primal look, like a beast lurking in the shadows as he leaned forward. “Where do I kiss ya?”

Kate turned her cheek, offering it to him. Sy reached out and holding her by the nape of her neck, laid a kiss so soft it sent a shiver down Kate’s spine. Sy leaned back, a satisfied grin on his face, but he didn’t let go of her.

Gathering her wits Kate thought of another question, “First car?”

“’93 Ford Explorer, bought it off my mum.”

Kate offered her other cheek and Sy kissed her again, lips firmer this time and his beard prickled her soft skin. Sy didn’t pull back this time, he stayed close, and his voice was low when he asked for the next question.

“Where’d you grow up?”

Sy hummed, voice rumbling in his throat as he said, “I’m startin’ to think you wanna be kissed. These questions are real easy.” He brought his other hand up and cupped Kate’s cheek, his thumb caressing her bottom lip and heat burned her cheeks.

“Is that bad?” Kate asked, her voice soft, breathless as she struggled to get enough air into her lungs. Sy didn’t reply, just shook his head slowly, his eyes firmly on her parted lips. He licked his lips and leaned in to kiss her. Kate said quickly, “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Later,” Sy said before his mouth locked over hers. Kate could do nothing except sink into it as Sy’s lips took control and his tongue’s gentle invasion made her think she would melt in his arms. She kissed him back, opening her mouth further, allowing him to take what he wanted. His kiss wasn’t sophisticated, it was instinctive, primitive, and completely consuming. And Kate was utterly lost in the rapture of his embrace.

Sy’s rational brain left as he pulled Kate closer. He had been attracted to her from the moment he laid eyes on her, but her softness, her warmth, her willingness made him burn. He craved more, craved all of her and his hands had a mind of their own as he slid a hand down her chest. Her dress felt like silk under his palm, thin and flimsy, he could feel her tightening buds and the supple weight of her breasts. And when she moaned, he knew he was gone.

Laying kisses under Kate’s jaw he breathed in her sweet vanilla scent. His mouth moved down her throat and he felt her soft moan under his lips. Her fingers clamped into his bicep, digging deeper as he slipped her cardigan off, and it slid down her arm. The tiny strap of her dress went with it and Sy groaned, the sight too suggestive not to imagine her bare under him while his teeth nipped into her shoulder. God, he wanted her in his bed, writhing and moaning as he kissed her everywhere, tasted her, smelled her.

Feeling the heat between them rising Sy pulled away with regret, stopping before they went too far. This wasn’t the place for more than a kiss, she deserved better than that and Sy brought himself back under control. He didn’t let her go though, feeling her panting breaths against his chest made him feel electrified, high, this pretty little thing in his arms liked his touch and all he wanted was to give her more.

Tucking a hand under her chin, Sy made Kate look at him. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips swollen and red, a hint on her chin of the beard burn she was no doubt going to feel tomorrow and her ash blue eyes were aflame, sparkling with desire. She was more than pretty, she was, “Beautiful.”

Kate lowered her eyes a moment but didn’t turn away. Sy liked that, liked that even though he could tell she didn’t believe it, she didn’t argue with him or deny it. When she raised them she smiled at him. “Sweet talker,” she teased.

Sy chuckled and drew her back into his arms, squeezing her tight briefly before he pulled the strap of her dress up and fixed her cardigan. “C’mon,” he said, letting her go and climbing out of the tiny house. He helped her down and as Sy went to hold her hand, Kate lifted his arm over her head and laid it on her shoulder.

They were quiet for a bit as they made their way back to the bar. Sy’s thoughts ran a million miles through his head. He mostly was able to control them but all he could think about was continuing what they had started. For the first time in years, he found a girl he didn’t think he’d be finished with in a night.

As they arrived at the bar, Sy turned to face her lifting her chin again to see those eyes of hers. They seemed to look straight into him, and he couldn’t even pretend to deny how he felt. But before he could say anything Kate spoke.

“I don’t want to go home yet,” Kate said, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. But, in truth, she didn’t want to stop them.

“Then don’t, Kate,” Sy said. “Come to my place.” Kate opened her mouth to reply but Sy kept talking. “I’ll be honest with you. You come home with me and I’m going to do everything I can to get in your pants. Now if you say no, I’ll respect that, but Darlin’, I ain’t even gonna pretend that I want to take you home to talk.” Sy’s brows drew together as Kate looked away. “Shit, that came out wrong. I only mean, yeah, I want to talk to you, but I want more than that.”

Kate sighed. Perhaps he was too honest. She was silent as she mulled her options in her head. She wanted Sy too, but she liked him more than she thought she would. Her brain told her to say no, to just go home, meet again for another date and take it slow. But dammit, she wanted him to continue what he had started in the playground.

“Did you drive here?” Kate asked, wanting to give herself more time to think.

Nodding, Sy said, “This way.” Sy’s face was impassive as he gave his head a little jerk and he led her into a small car park next to the bar. He guided her to a large black pick up, but Kate had no idea what kind it was, only that it looked new and well cared for.

Biting her lip Kate couldn’t decide what to do.

Sy stood leaning against his truck, arms folded across his chest, “Take your time,” he said, a smirk across his face. “I’ll wait all night.”

Kate rolled her eyes at him. “Just let me in the damn truck.”

Sy grinned out right. “Atta girl,” he said as he opened the door for her.

Climbing into the cab, Kate hoped she had made the right choice.

His car was neat, clean except for a half full water bottle in the cup holder. As she moved her legs in the footwell, she noticed a book and picked it up. Her eyebrows raised as she read the title, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Sy jumped in the truck and noticed her holding the book and took it off her placing it in the back seat. Kate had the feeling he was almost embarrassed.

“So, stoicism huh?” Kate asked.

“You read it?” Sy asked as he started the car. “Goddamn it, I left my burrito in the playground.”

“Do you want to go back for it?”

“Nah,” Sy said driving out of the car park. “Did you read Meditations?” he asked again.

“Yeah, but probably not for the same reasons you did. History major.”

Sy was quiet while he drove, some of the heat seemed to leave them and a coldness settled. Kate started to feel a little uneasy, maybe she had said something wrong. “Why do you think I read it?” Sy asked eventually, breaking the silence.

Kate shifted in her seat, it felt a little like a test. “I imagine that it may have helped a bit while you were in the army. The idea that you can’t control what’s happening, but you can control your response to it. Be virtuous despite the evils in the world.” Kate paused, unsure if she should say what she was thinking.

Sy glanced at her and said, “Go on.”

“Memento Mori,” she said softly.

“Remember that you must die,” Sy translated. Then he chuckled. “A bit heavy for a first date, dontcha think, Darlin’?”

“More concerning is perhaps the thoughts of stoicism and love.” Kate said. She smirked as she looked at Sy, who seemed to be holding back a smirk of his own. “I kind of like the idea of losing all rational thought and falling head over heels in love.”

“I don’t think you remember the book at all,” Sy said. “It ain’t not being passionate, it’s about having common sense. It’s about tryin’ to be a good man.”

“Are you a good man Sy?” Kate held her breath as she waited for Sy to respond.

Guess I had that comin’, Sy thought. His jaw clenched as images flashed before his eyes, images of death, destruction, broken hearts. He shook his head as if to clear them, and although they were gone for now, they would never be completely erased. Last thing he needed was to add to those god damn nightmares.

“Where do you live, Kate?” Sy asked.

Kate jerked her head in surprise, her brows furrowed as she replied, “Not far from here. You take the next left and I’m that area.”

Quickly checking his blind spots, Sy put his indicator on and moved across three lanes. “I think its best if I take you home.” Sy said and he cursed at how cold he sounded. Fuck, this was not how the night was supposed to go. He knew he’d regret it when he crawled into his sheets later, but he hoped that meant he wouldn’t regret it in the morning.

Kate didn’t say anything, just looked out the window. Sy opened his mouth and was going to offer an explanation but as he glanced at her he saw her reflection in the window and closed his mouth. She looked as pissed off as she had every right to be.

With as few words as possible, Kate directed Sy to her house. It was a cute little place, small but she said she lived alone with her dog and obviously didn’t need much more than what she had.

Sy put the truck in park and turned it off. The silence was uncomfortable and neither of them said anything for a while.

“Can I get your number?” Sy couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Kate’s laugh surprised him, harsh and devoid of all mirth. “You don’t have to do that, Sy.” She opened the door and climbed out, slamming the door behind her.

Fuck. Sy followed her out of the truck and caught her hand just before Kate reached her door. “Listen, it ain’t what you think. I ain’t tryin’ to blow you off.”

“You did a good job of it.”

Sy growled in frustration, and reached out capturing Kate’s shoulders, he brought her close to him before kissing her. He didn’t hold back, his lips planted firmly on hers. At first, she was still, stiff as a board, then he felt her lean into him and open her mouth as she dropped her bag onto the small porch. Sy groaned as she let him in, his tongue invading her warmth, he savoured her taste and soft scent. “I ain’t tryin’ to blow you off.”

“Then why?”

“I want this to be more than one night, Kate.” Sy ran his hand down her arm and caught her hand in his, lacing her slim fingers between his. Her hand was tiny in his and it made him grin. He looked at her and saw her cheeks flushed and he couldn’t resist kissing her again. He let his hands slide into her hair, fingers curling briefly into a fist, and he felt Kate pull him closer. Her lips felt like silk on his as her warm tongue, soft as velvet lapped at his. Hard as granite Sy rolled his hips into her, not bothering to keep his desire for her hidden, he didn’t think he could even if he wanted to. “I wanna see you again,” he murmured into her neck.

“Yes.” Kate’s hands went under his shirt and Sy groaned as he felt her gentle touch. He leaned into her, forcing her to take steps back until he trapped her body against her door. Her fingers slid up his back and Sy felt it in his knees. He bent lower, kissing the soft swell of her breasts. He wanted more and gripping her thigh he raised it to his hip and let his hand glide over her silky skin to the curve of her ass. Then, God help him, his hand slipped between her legs, feeling the heat of her thinly covered centre.

“Fuck, Kate.” Sy pulled her underwear away, and he closed his eyes and leaned into her shoulder. “Tell me you don’t want it.”

“I can’t.” Kate’s nails clawed into his back as she urged him on. Sy’s chest puffed, his breathing hard as his fingers grazed the swollen, sodden, bare skin between her legs. Kate arched into him pressing her chest into his and Sy pushed her back into the screen door, the hard metal rattled in its hinges as he pressed his growing hardness into her hip.

Sy heard a low growl and thought it came from Kate at first, patting himself on the back for getting her so worked up. Then it was followed by some loud barks, and he realised it was her damned dog.

“Mayo! Hush!” Kate called, which only seemed to excite the dog more. Sy knew the heat had gone out of the moment and after cursing out the dog in his mind he fixed Kate’s underwear and let her leg down. “Sorry.” Kate fumbled in her bag, pulling out her keys.

Taking a step back Sy gave her room as she opened the screen door and popped her keys into the wooden door. “Wait, I ain’t got your number or anythin’.”

Kate paused, but the damned dog kept barking and Sy could see she was getting flustered. “Why don’t you come in,” Kate said. Although Sy was happy that he didn’t have to leave her right away, he knew it was only because she was worried about the noise. “I mean, Mayo, she’s a rescue. She gets a little protective of me and doesn’t generally like men. But we could try.”

“I ain’t scared of dogs.”

Kate gave Sy an uncertain smile as she opened the door and Mayo bounced around barking like mad. “Mayo, sit,” Kate ordered, but Mayo had caught sight of Sy walking in the house and her excited bark turned into a warning growl.

Sy didn’t bat an eyelid as he squatted low and snapped his fingers. “Come ‘ere, Mayo,” he said, his voice was lighter than normal, almost singing. “Come ‘ere, you ain’t gonna hurt me are ya sweet girl?” He patted his enormous thigh, coaxing her closer. Mayo cautiously approached him padding over to him with tentative steps. “Good girl,” Sy chanted as Mayo got close and as Sy reached out to pat her, her tail started to wag. “Yeah, you’re a good girl aintcha?” Sy’s voice returned to normal as he said to Kate, “I like staffy’s. They’re usually real playful.”

Kate watched the scene before her with increasingly dampening panties. Fuck, she shouldn’t find the exchange as hot as she did, but all she could think about was Sy whispering those praises in her ear. She was already worked up by his attentions on the porch, but now, she was on fire and jealous of her dog.

Getting a grip on herself, Kate asked Sy if he wanted a coffee or beer. Mayo rolled onto her back and Sy was giving her belly scratches. He looked up at her and giving Mayo a few rough pats on the side of her belly before he stood up. “If you’re havin’ one, I’ll take a coffee.”

Satisfied that Mayo wasn’t going to try to bite Sy, she left them in the loungeroom while she went to the kitchen to make the coffees. She could see Sy through the doorway as he shrugged off his jacket, laying it over the back of one of her single seaters. Her throat tightened as she saw the sleeves strain against his biceps. He moved seemed to stalk through her room with a predatorial grace that she hadn’t noticed until he was in a domestic situation. It struck her as odd though, that he didn’t seem ill at ease, he moved through her space like he had been in her home a million times. Even when he was distracted by her DVDs and Blu-Rays, he perused them with comfort, handling them like he would his own.

Every movement he made oozed a confidence that she rarely saw in men she brought back to her home. Not that there had been many, Mayo saw to that. If they got past her demon protector, they were usually nervous, unsure where the night was going to go. If Sy was unsure he didn’t show it in his movements as he made himself at home on her sofa and Mayo climbed onto his lap. The small smile that crossed his face as he patted her dog made her smile.

“Mayo, bed.” Kate brought the coffees in, and Mayo scampered off onto her blanket. Sy took up a lot of room on her two-seater sofa, so when Kate sat and passed Sy his mug their thighs brushed against each other and she felt the heat radiating from his despite his thick jeans and she couldn’t help but notice the lines of his muscles as they strained against the denim.

“Thanks, Darlin’.” Sy took the mug in his big paw, it almost looked too small in his hand. Taking a sip he briefly closed his eyes, a small moan of pleasure came from him. “That’s good, good coffee.” He took one more sip before leaning forward and putting his mug on the coffee table, sliding the coaster under before placing it down. Kate hid a smirk, it appeared although he seemed like a caged predator, Sy was in fact, house trained.

“I saw you looking at my movies. Did you want to watch one with me?” Kate said, trying to start a conversation, something to get her mind off what she really wanted.

“Sure. But is that why you asked me to come in?” Sy’s loose and relaxed posture changed. His body seemed to tighten and coil, his jaw was tensed, and his eyes were narrow as he laid his gaze on Kate. Her breath caught in her throat and Sy took her mug out of her hands. “We ain’t here to drink coffee or watch movies, are we?”

Kate shrugged. “I don’t know, Sy.” Kate shook her head and looked down at her hands. But she wanted him, wanted him badly. If they hadn’t been interrupted by Mayo, she was sure she would have allowed him to go further. But maybe he was right, maybe they should hold off, go slow.

You like this girl, don’t ruin it. Be patient.

Sy used a curled finger to lift her chin and looked into her eyes. He saw his own desire reflected, but he also saw the doubt.

Just let it go Sy. Kick back, watch a movie, maybe cuddle, and kiss a bit, but leave it at that.

Sy knew that’s what he should do, but his cock was damn near splitting his pants. She had invaded his mind so quickly, and he wasn’t sure why. She was beautiful, fun, smart, but he knew girls like that, and he didn’t want them like he wanted her. He didn’t know if it was because he was touched starved or if she was the just right mix of everything he wanted. She felt familiar but also a dream.

Kate’s eyes were on his mouth. Her lips parted and her tongue darted out, wetting them, unconsciously preparing them for him. He couldn’t stop wondering if she was still wet for him. Sy’s fingers wrapped around her neck, his thumb rubbed over her throat and her eyes closed. Her skin felt so soft, so delicate, it made him simultaneously want to be gentle, to not hurt her, but also to unleash his inner animal, to mark her up, claim her softness just for him.

Inhaling deeply his hand skimmed down Kate’s chest, resting his palm between her breasts. He could feel her lungs panting and her thundering heart as a soft red glow appeared on her neck and cheeks. Sucking his lip into his mouth he moved his hand to her breast, his thumb grazing her tight bud. Her brows drew together, and she made a noise in her throat. Sy acted and his mouth was on her neck. He kissed and sucked, his tongue tracing the line of her tendon up to her ear.

Unleashing his inner neanderthal he bit into Kate’s neck and her response sent lightning to his pants. She curved up into him, her breasts strained against the fabric of her dress, and she cried out his name and Sy didn’t think he had ever heard his name sound so sweet. He wanted her to scream it over and over.

With a roughness he couldn’t control Sy spread her legs, his need to feel her his only driving force. Giving no preamble, he pulled aside her underwear and groaned into her neck as his fingers slid over her slick centre. “You’re still so fuckin’ wet.”

Kate’s hips jerked, and she grabbed his forearm, holding him there. Sy didn’t need more of an invitation and his finger found home.

Oh Lord, she felt so tight and hot, her soft walls clenched around him, drawing him in deeper. His cock, so hard, so needy screamed at him to be released. He tried to shut it out as he got to his knees in front of Kate. He had another need, he had to know what she tasted like, had to feel her on his tongue, had to make her call his name again.

He held her panties away with his free hand and looked at her most private place. Kate opened wider for him, allowing him to watch as his finger pumped again and again. He added another, his balls trembled as he watched her take him, greedily sucking him up. His lip curled into a snarl as he said, “Fuck, Kate. Your cunt looks fuckin’ good.”

The moan and roll of her hips was so erotic, for a moment he watched her, taking in how her body moved. Sy kept thinking how he was doing that, he was making her move like that, and all he wanted was to see her fall apart under his touch.

She glistened under the light, so aroused he could see it on the top of her thighs. He licked her there and her sweet taste exploding onto his tongue, the smell of her was almost too much and he felt in the base of his cock that feeling like he was about to cum.

“Oh, fuck,” he mumbled before he buried his face into her, his tongue seeking her hidden pearl. He took his time, playing with Kate, teasing both her and himself as he lapped and sucked. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her as she writhed and soon, she started to tremble, he could feel her tensing, bearing down on his sheathed fingers. God damn, she was crushing him, and he couldn’t imagine how good it would feel on his cock.

“Don’t stop,” Kate cried “Sy, please don’t stop.” Sy almost laughed, as if he would stop, as if he could stop, he wanted it as much as she did. With a sudden shout, Kate’s body rocked, curling in on herself as her thighs clamped hard against Sy’s head. Sy growled as he watched her fall apart, putty in his hands. Sy didn’t stop, he kept working his fingers and tongue until she stilled, her legs released him, her hips jerked away, and a blissful smile played on her lips.

Sy withdrew his fingers and laid them over her pretty mouth. Hazy and euphoric, Kate’s tongue darted out and he pressed his lips to hers, their tongues mingled over his fingers. Sy kept kissing her as he fumbled in his pants. He knew he had a condom in there somewhere and searching his pockets he found it.

Grabbing at his belt he pulled the leather strap releasing the buckle. He thought his urge too strong to be contained until he looked up and saw her face. He sat back on his ankles, waiting a moment, she was fully clothed, her boots still on for God’s sake. This is not how he wanted her, fucked like a one-night stand instead of someone he cared for. He ran his hand over his head, taking a long breath. Out of habit he sucked his lip into his mouth, and he tasted her again, her honeyed wetness convincing him. He wanted to take his time, unwrap her, feel her skin against his.

Sy stood up and held out his hand, “C’mon, Kate. Take me to your bed.”

-----

Despite having hold of Sy’s hand Kate’s legs felt weak and gave way as she stood.

“Did a number on ya didn’t I, Darlin’?” Sy said, grinning.

Kate pursed her lips trying not to smile back. “You’re one cocky bastard.”

“Yeah, I know. Now, can ya walk, or do I have to carry you?” Sy didn’t give her a chance to respond. He threw her hand over his head then bent and lifted her over his shoulder. Kate giggled, despite her disorientation, she still wasn’t all the way back from the high he had given her. “I need directions, which way to the bed.” Sy growled, and she felt her dress lifted, and his teeth sank into her ass. She squealed before peeling into laughter. “Quickly woman. I ain’t playin’.”

He was playing, Kate could hear it in his voice, but the urgency of his commands cleared her head. The way he sounded both so needy and yet so dominant was an intoxicating feeling and she felt desired in a way she hadn’t felt before.

“Second door on your left,” Kate said. Then realised she was upside down and got confused. Sy took off, not quite at a run but faster than a walk and opened her bathroom door. “Uh, your right?” She felt a sting and heard a loud clap and gasped. “Did you just spank me?” Oh my god, he just spanked me.

Kate heard Sy chuckling before she was thrown over his shoulder again and let down onto the floor. He playfully frowned and shrugged as he brought himself to her eye level.

“I may have gotten carried away in the moment.” Then he grew serious. “Did I hurtcha?”

Shaking her head Kate smiled. “No.”

Allowing himself to smile, Sy growled. “Good,” then he added. “Do me a favour Darlin’. Let your hair out for me.”

The request surprised her, but Kate did what he asked and Sy watched sucking on his lip while he did. He looked at her with a hunger she had never seen in a man before and she began to feel a yearning deep within her. She started to take her cardigan off, but he stopped her.

“Let me.” Sy slid her cardigan over her shoulders, his fingers trailed behind caressing her arms and Katie shivered. He took her by the shoulders and guided her to sit before he kneeled and pulled off her boots. He urged her to stand, but he stayed on his knees, gathering her dress in his hands he raised it over her head.

Mostly naked and unsure, Kate forced herself to keep her hands by her side as she let Sy look at her. “God damn your beautiful.”

“Sy,” Kate protested, not what he was saying, she wanted him to touch her again, feel his lips on her and she wanted to touch him, make him feel even the smallest amount of what he made her feel.

“Shh,” Sy said, his hand went to her hips. He kissed her belly and trailed wet kissed up to her chest as he slid her underwear down her thighs. Kate could see her chest puffing as he got closer to her breasts, and when his warm mouth enclosed around her tight bud, she groaned, running her hands over his short velvety hair. He looked up at her and her knees almost gave way, the sight of him with her in his mouth was too much, but she was firmly in his grasp as the thick corded muscles of his arms held her in place.

“I want to touch you,” Kate said, pulling at Sy’s shirt. He released her from his mouth and let her take his shirt off. He stood and laid her hands on his chest. Kate bit her lip as she saw his chest, well proportioned, his pecs stood out, covered in soft dark hair.

Sy hummed as she moved her hands over him. He seemed to like it much more than she thought as she trailed her fingertips down the path of his hair over his flat stomach. His belt was undone so she started undoing the buttons as Sy toed off his boots.

“Lay on the bed, Kate.” Sy pulled a condom out of his pocket. Kate hesitated, wanted to hold him in her hand, feel his cock twitch under her touch, but she could see Sy was planning on other things by the urgency in his movements. He dropped his pants, his shorts too and his cock sprang loose, and he moved to the edge of the bed.

Kate’s eyes went wide, and she unconsciously drew her legs together. Thick, hard, and ready, his cock was magnificent and while Sy tore at the condom, Kate crawled over the bed and took him in her hand.

“Oh, sweet Jesus,” Sy groaned. Kate smirked as her fingers traced his rigid length. She licked her lips and looked up at Sy as she let her tongue flick over the head. She heard Sy swear but he didn’t take his eyes away as she took him in her mouth. She moaned, so aroused by watching him pant as she moved her tongue over him. She sucked gently and she saw him tense, muscles contracted, they popped, and she moaned again, enthralled by his reaction.

Sy pulled her off far too quickly for Kate’s liking. She pouted and Sy smirked, “Don’t worry, next time you can finish me off. This time I want to be inside you.”

Kate’s whole body shivered at his words, not only because he took control, but because he really meant it when he said he wanted to see her again. Sy pushed her onto the bed, and faster than she had ever seen, he put the condom on. He climbed up the bed, his eyes on hers as he covered her body with his.

Gripping the base of his shaft in his hand, he slid himself over her slit. He looked at her eyes questioning. Kate nodded. “Please,” she begged.

Sy gave a short chuckle before he grew serious. His brows drew together as Kate felt the pressure of his cock slowly entering her. She felt him everywhere as she yielded to his invasion, her whole body responded, heat rushed through her as she widened her legs.

“Fuck me, Kate. You’re hotter than hell.” Sy closed his eyes as their bodies met and fully inside her, she felt him twitch. “Fuck you feel good. You take me so well.” Sy moved his hips tentatively as if he was going to cum already. “So, fuckin’ tight, so fuckin’ good.”

Kate surged, her body electrified as Sy moved with her. He leaned down over her, resting his weight on his elbows on either side of her head. He held her in his hands, pushing back the hair on her face, surprisingly tender as his thrusts increased in pace.

“Kiss me,” Sy ordered, and Kate did, wrapping her arms around his neck. She ran her hands over his shoulders and back, the rippling of his muscles sent her soaring. He kissed her back, long, and deep, exploring her mouth and she felt drugged by the overwhelming pleasure burning through her.

Soon she began to tremble, Sy’s hip brushing against her clit sent her close to the edge again. Her moans and cries as she approached were swallowed by his mouth, but he groaned along with her. His pumping grew firmer, pushing her up her bed and she braced her arms against the headboard for support.

Pulling away from his kiss she gulped air as her whole body began to contract before she felt waves of heat begin at her toes. “Fuck yeah, Kate. I wanna feel you cum on my cock.” Her release hit her like a truck as her whole body scorched with pleasure, pulsing, contracting and she shouted his name as she shattered.

When she stilled, Sy brought her legs together, turning her on her side. He leaned over her, caged her, and in her euphoric state, she ran her fingers over his forearm, rubbing her cheek against his tanned skin and coarse hair. Sweat broke out on his brow, but he didn’t stop pumping. He cupped her cheek with his hand, his thumb caressing her jaw and neck before he traced the outline of her lips.

Kate parted her lips and Sy slipped his thumb into her mouth, she sucked it softly, teeth sinking gently into his skin.

“Fuck,” Sy growled pulling out of her mouth, his movement grew rapid, deep, sloppy before he let out a guttural groan and slamming hard into Kate. She felt him thicken inside, felt every pulse of his climax as he released into her. The tendons in his neck stuck out as his body was rocked with his orgasm, he looked so erotic, so primal, so masculine, so fucking hot.

-----

Sy fell beside Kate on the bed, spent and weak a moment, all he could do was lay there panting, looking at her smiling face. Sy, grinned back at her, how could he not? She was amazing, so beautiful, sexy, and adorable. He could watch her fall apart over and over and never get bored.

He put his arms out. “Come ‘ere,” he said, and Kate shuffled over. He hummed and closed his eyes as he held her, she was so warm and soft, he couldn’t stop himself from giving her lovely ass a squeeze. She giggled, he usually found twittering girls annoying, fake and manipulative. But when she did it, it felt authentic, earthy, and sweet. He squeezed again, just to hear her laugh. He smiled as she did and she wriggled in his arms. He held her tighter.

“Sy, let me go!” she squealed, playfully trying to escape.

“Easy now, Darlin’.” Sy said cracking his eyes open. He kissed her forehead and said, “I’ll stop, but I ain’t lettin’ you go.”

Kate settled into his arms and Sy repeated softly, “I ain’t ever lettin’ you go.”

Tag List 1

@henryobsessed @omgkatinka @legendarywizarddetective @posiemax @nostalgicb-txh @moonlacebeam @anitababi @agniavateira @blakerogue @shadesofarrogance @mansaaay @stxlemate @wheretheriversrunintothesea @amberangel112 @madbaddic7ed @eldarwen333 @wolvesandhoundshowltogether @summersong69 @littlefreya @littlebirdofrivia @luclittlepond @myloveforhenrycavill @mary-ann84 @tellingyouastory @beck07990 @zealoushound @sofiebstar @sweetlybigdragonn @bloodyinspiredfuck @marantha @diegos-butt @greensleeves888 @endofalldays01 @justaboringadult @ysmmsy @offroadinjandals @littlewrenofrivia @pussyverson @foxyjwls007 @kebabgirl67

#captain syverson fanfic #captain syverson fanfiction #captain syverson smut #captain sy #captain syverson #captain syverson x ofc #captain syverson pov #henry cavill fic #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill fanfiction #captain syverson fic #cpt syverson #syverson fanfiction #syverson x ofc

[streetlight11]

Till I Met You Again

Summary: Everyone is born with a life already planned out for them. Including their soulmates. Except, every person walking this earth has been given a specific soulmate marking that was similar to a tattoo to match their soulmate’s. The ink is invisible when one is born. To activate the soulmate marking, one has to be at least in a 20 feet radius to their designated soulmate. But of course, they wouldn’t know it until they start to notice the ink slowly appearing on their skin.

Theme: soulmate au, university au, enemies to lovers

Genre: angst, fluff

Warning: mild cursing

WC: 10k

Pairing: Soulmate!Yoongi x Fem!Reader

a/n: Hello! I kinda got too carried away in writing this one the other day, hence the word count for this is... woah. Hehe. But anyways, here's a soulmate au for you Min Yoongi lovers <3

Every person who was born into this earth has their life journey already written out for them in which it unfortunately remains a secret from them. And these living souls have been entitled to a soulmate that would potentially cross their path in the near future. Everyone is made for someone and the tattoo on their skin otherwise known as a ‘soulmate marking’ determines it for them.

The soulmate marking is nothing far from a tattoo as it imprints on your skin for eternity.

However, these markings will already be on you the minute you were born. Except, the ink will be invisible to the human eye.

But it’s definitely there. The only way to activate the marking is when one happens to be of 20 foot radius with their designated soulmate. This will cause the ink to start slowly appearing on one’s skin. Even so, these markings will start only when one has reached the age of 14. Only then will the ink start to be visible to one’s eye.

Unfortunately, until now when you’re already past 20 years of age, not a single tinge of ink was displayed on your skin. You’ve checked everywhere on your body. From your fingertips to your toes.

Nothing.

You weren’t really one who purely believed in this whole soulmate thing simply because you felt that there’s no such thing as a fixed soulmate. You should be free to choose who you want as your partner purely through interactions and chemistry you shared with the other, not by some marking on your skin. Your parents had a matching mark on their right wrists which was a simple rose in a glass jar.

No doubt you admired their love story and how they met, but you couldn’t see it for yourself. You really don’t want to fully depend on this supposed marking. Even when you went off to college, you’ve made it a point to try and go on dates no matter what their soulmate markings would be.

But it all turned out with the same ending. Either the guy dumps you for not having the same mark or they ghost you after the first date, saying you’re too good for them. All these never led to a heartbreak on your end because you were never in love to begin with.

You were simply trying your luck, trying to see if you’d find a single soul who was just as sceptical as you on this whole soulmate thing.

And so far, you’ve met none.

It was the start of university life for you as you’ve managed to enrol yourself for a Computer Science major in Hangang University. You took the same course during college, having interest in web design and computer technologies. You could only hope that the study load this time would give you a mental break every once in a while despite knowing the content is definitely heavier than college content.

But you still told yourself to persevere and never leave your knowledge hanging while you’re still young. With this mentality, you brought yourself to campus today for day one of university classes.

Taking a deep breath, you pushed the door to the specific lecture room for the first lesson.

Immediately, you were greeted by a room that had the majority of the students’ gender being males. But it wasn’t a surprise to you because CS majors tend to lean more towards males instead of females. This doesn’t bother you since you were here solely to study and perhaps make friends along the way.

You found an empty seat in the top last few rows. With careful steps, you climbed the stairs to make your way to the spot you had your eyes locked on. After you’ve settled down, you noted how the room was fairly quiet.

Probably because it was the first day of classes and nobody really knows each other yet. That was all pushed to the back of your mind when you heard chatting coming from the front door and you saw 2 friends walk in. It was pretty obvious they knew each other considering how they were laughing and talking freely to one another.

As you kept your curious gaze on them discreetly, you could only realise how good looking they were.

The taller one sported beautiful dark brown locks that were long enough to cover his eyes, his smile so charming you were sure anyone who crossed his path would fall for his smile in less than a second. And then there was the other one who sported a more edgy look with his shorter dark purple, undercut hair that was parted near the centre to show his forehead, a right eyebrow piercing to compliment his face.

You quickly diverted your gaze to your laptop screen, not wanting them to think you’re a creep. You were busy searching for the e-books for this lesson in your online school portal when you heard a gentle voice calling to you from your right.

“Hey, are these seats taken?”

You looked up to see the one with the eyebrow piercing staring at you with the softest smile on his face.

In response to his question, you simply mimicked his facial expression and shook your head at him. He thanked you quietly before the 2 of them settled down beside you down the row. They resumed their conversation for the next 3 minutes before the lecturer walked in to start the class.

Two hours later, you don’t even know how you managed to absorb the things your lecturer said but you did. You were typing out the notes he shared on the projector screen when you heard his voice through the speakers.

“I will let you go for your lunch break. Be back by 1pm, here. You can leave your bags behind since I will be locking the room once everyone leaves.”

With that, your classmates replied with a series of yes before they got up one by one ready to head for lunch. You were just typing out the last of your notes when the boy beside you spoke up. At first you thought he was talking to his friend. You completely missed the way he was turned to you.

Until he gently taps onto your forearm to tell you that his question was directed to you. With a turn of your head, you locked eyes with him for the second time that day. “H-Huh?” You stuttered, earning a stifled chuckle from him.

“I was saying, do you wanna join me and my friends for lunch? We’re already sharing classes, might as well get to know each other to prepare for future projects or assignments.” He kindly repeated himself for you, making you whisper a soft ‘oh’ under your breath.

It wasn’t like you to approach someone first when it comes to striking a conversation with a complete stranger. So when he did it for you, it surprised you that he even thought of letting you tag along with them to lunch. For this alone, you decided to accept his offer knowing he does have a point for that last statement.

With that being said, the three of you left the lecture room after bringing your wallets with you. You quietly followed beside the brown haired one as they immediately opened a topic for their conversation.

You were just checking your phone for the texts sent from your mom in your family group chat when a voice spoke up, addressing you directly.

“What’s your name?” You glance up to catch the one who asked the question was the brown haired one, as the purple haired one was already looking at you but it wasn’t intimidating in any way. So you found it easy to reply to them.

“Y/N.” You said as they all nodded only for the boy beside you to speak up. “Nice to meet you Y/N. I’m Taehyung. This is Jungkook.”

And so you know.

After almost 10 minutes of walking, you finally arrived at the cafeteria located on the other side of campus from where you originally were. The cafeteria was filled with hungry students and occupied tables. This wasn’t something new but at times like these, you’d rather bring your own food and sit somewhere that’s less crowded and bustling.

Just when you were about to excuse yourself and get a take out instead, Taehyung’s voice sounded from beside you, “Hyung said he found a table for us. They’re at the side near the drink stall.” He addressed it to the Jungkook in particular.

Hyung? Found a table? Did their other friends go to this same campus too?

You thought to yourself as Taehyung soon led the three of you around the cafeteria with you following behind them like a lost puppy.

You were busy looking at the available food stalls around when you were stopped by the voices that called out to the 2 boys’ names. Curious eyes wandered over their figures to see just who their other friends were and you were met with a table filled with relatively handsome guys.

There were 3 guys seated at that table, happily welcoming Taehyung and Jungkook. Just when you thought they had forgotten you, Jungkook turns around to show you to his friends.

“If you guys don’t mind, we made a new friend this morning and we invited her to join us for lunch. Her name is Y/N.” Jungkook announced as the three boys smiled at you warmly.

“Hey Y/N. I’m Namjoon, this is Seokjin and Hoseok. It’s nice to meet you.” Namjoon said as he stretched his hand out for you to shake in which you obliged. You definitely didn’t miss the intricate design of a floral arrow lining his inner forearm. That must’ve been his soulmate marking. You soon found yourself seated next to Hoseok and Jungkook after buying your meal.

You were chewing your noodles when Taehyung spoke up to catch everyone at that table’s attention, “Where are they? Shouldn’t their class be over already?”

“Apparently they just ended 5 minutes ago. Minie told me they’re on their way now.” Seokjin replied.

Who were the ‘they’ Taehyung was referring to?

Were there more of their friends?

Oh great.

You refocused on your food, taking a bite out of the chicken meat as you listened to their ‘first day of university’ story. You found out that Namjoon was a Psychology major, Hoseok was a Dance major and Seokjin was a Culinary major.

You were currently staring at the pile of vegetables that Taehyung so kindly transfers into your bowl, after he asked around on who wants the boiled carrots and broccoli to which you said yes.

Taehyung was passing you every last bit of vegetable to your bowl when a sweet voice spoke up from the end of the table nearest to Namjoon and Seokjin.

“Finally! I thought you’d never make it for lunch.” Namjoon laughed as you heard a much raspier voice speak up from the same spot.

“I wouldn’t miss lunch for the world.” You heard the others laugh when Taehyung finally finished clearing his plate off the vegetables before turning to the newcomers to say his hellos.

“Oh, by the way, we have a new addition to our circle. She’s in Taehyung and Jungkook’s class so they tagged her along for lunch.” Seokjin announced as he reached his arm behind Taehyung to place a soft hand on the top of your right shoulder. You finally looked up from your bowl to see who the newcomers were.

The first guy you locked eyes with had cute puffy cheeks, sporting a pretty dark blue hair colour as his bangs framed his face nicely.

“Oh hello. I’m Jimin.”

You smiled shyly at him before your eyes naturally travelled to the other individual standing right beside Jimin and that’s when you frowned.

Unsurprisingly, the male did too.

His hair was an ash grey colour that parted at the side to show his forehead instead of letting it cover his eyebrows like Hoseok’s did. He had a few piercings on each ear. If his physique was unrecognizable to you, at least his face was. You knew exactly who he was without having to ask him for confirmation.

“Yoongi?” His name rolled off your tongue effortlessly in a whisper, stirring reactions from the rest of them.

“Wait, you know each other?” Jimin asked in confusion as his eyes travelled back and forth between you and Yoongi. That’s when you heard the other scoff before locking his eyes with you.

“Never thought I’d see you again after all these years.” His expression was dry and almost unwelcoming unlike the smiles his other friends gave you upon your first meeting. “Never wished for this day to come either but here we are…” You said sarcastically.

The tension was so thick, you were sure you would have to cut it with a knife instead of a scissors.

You broke the gaze by standing up, claiming you’ve lost your appetite.

“I’ll see you guys in class.” You said, directing your words to your classmates before you snatched your phone and wallet off the table top along with your tray of food to return. With a quick glance to Yoongi, you ignored his burning glare as you shoved past him by the shoulders causing him to stumble back a little.

The table fell quiet as Seokjin was the first to break the awkward silence, “Well, that was unexpected.” Yoongi scoffed as he left the table to go buy his food, not bothering to wait for Jimin as his mind was clouded with the thought of you being in his circle of friends.

The history of you two goes way back when you were in both pre and high school. Your first ever dispute with him was in preschool, all because you were both fighting over the crayon box. And then gradually, more fights would happen over silly little things. It came to a point where your teacher would have to separate you from each other.

Your disputes continued after you found out that he just so happened to join the same high school as you, let alone the same class. It only made things worse. You two would bicker and fight almost everyday like a married couple.

Your friends teased you often with him for the amount of fights you got into with him. They’ve even grown accustomed to the harsh comments you had thrown to each other on a daily basis.

Not a day goes by without either him stepping on your tail or you having a payback for all the pranks he did on you to get you worked up. And yet, just when you thought you were free from seeing the devil himself again, life has its way with you and it bothers you to the core at this very instant.

Your lecturer arrived back at the lecture room 15 minutes before 1pm and it seemed like everyone else was still having lunch. All except you. “You’re here early? Have you had your lunch?” He asked as he proceeded to unlock the room while you lingered behind him, standing up after you saw him approaching from afar.

“Yeah, I did.” You smiled, stepping back into the room after he pushed the door open. You climbed the stairs again to where your belongings were, taking out your air pods to bury yourself in music.

Shutting out the world around as you rested your head in your arms on the table. You didn’t notice the people strolling into the lecture room, too busy drowning yourself in your own little bubble. All of it soon came crumbling when you felt a soft tap on your shoulder.

That’s when you look up to see the 2 of them back in their seats.

You glanced ahead to see that the lecturer had already flashed the new slides onto the projector screen which indicates the start of class again. So you took out your air pods and kept them in its case before tossing it into your bag.

Class resumed and your messy thoughts were shoved to the back of your mind, far away from your main focus right now which was your class.

After a dreadful 4 hours of lessons, your lecturer finally calls it a day. He reminded all of you to be punctual for class tomorrow, saying that he has some group discussions for the topic he would be teaching. Once everyone was dismissed, you kept your stuff back into your bag quietly.

You could tell the two boys were waiting for you since they hadn't moved a muscle from beside you despite already standing up and were just leaning against the table while they chatted. The minute you stood up, they pushed themselves off the table and only then did they start walking down the steps.

The three of you made it to ground level thanks to the operating lift, making your way to the parking lot that was right beside the campus entrance.

You were just talking to Jungkook about your hobbies when you noticed a group of 5 guys gathered at the steps of the campus grounds through your peripheral vision. You could only guess it was their friends due to the voice that calls out to those walking with you. They led you towards the bunch as you glanced over to everyone but him.

“Hey Y/N, how did you come here this morning?” Namjoon asked, his voice nothing but sincere.

“Public transport.” You said simply with a smile directed towards him, only for Seokjin to speak up, “Do you need a ride home? I can drive you?”

With that being said, you kindly shook your head with a smile, not wanting to offend him in any way for turning his offer down. “It’s fine, I can manage on my own. Thanks for the offer though. Maybe next time.” You said as you bid the rest of them goodbye, not bothering to look at the very person you’ve held your grudge on for years.

They watched as you turned in your heels and left, deadpanning your way to the front gates. Jimin sighed lightly before turning to Yoongi and asked for answers on why you and him weren’t on good terms.

But the latter only brushed Jimin off, saying he would explain some other time.

The rest of them soon dispersed to their own vehicles to head home after a long and tiring first day of university.

As more days began to pass, you were sometimes dragged by either one of your 2 classmates to hang out with their friends and girlfriends. If you weren’t mistaken, half of them already found their soulmates and were currently in a relationship with them. While the remaining half were still finding for theirs because it was either their soulmate markings had appeared on their skin but very faintly, or there was none at all.

But the amount of times you’ve recalled hanging out with them during the past three months were countable with your fingers. You avoided having lunch with them often ever since you found out Yoongi was in their circle. You didn’t want to seem petty but it seems like he too hated having you around.

Which means that the feelings were mutual on both ends.

It was a pretty warm day so right after you arrived back at your apartment, you headed straight for the showers. Slipping into the shower stream the minute your clothes were discarded.

The cold stream coating your shoulder down with it’s nice, cooling temperature to ease out the warmth in your body.

After you finished your shower, you took your towel from the rack and proceeded to wipe yourself dry. Stepping out of the cubicle, you walked over to the sink counter where your large mirror was glued onto the wall. As you were ruffling your hair with the towel to rid the excess water, you noticed something on your left rib through the reflection.

Is that…?

You glanced down at your skin to see a very faint outline of something on your skin. You blinked twice, not believing this.

When did it start showing?

Your mind was going feral at the thought of seeing your soulmate marking finally make its appearance onto your skin. Who was the cause of this? Why did it only appear now after all these years? If that’s the case then it means that your soulmate is someone from school.

“What am I thinking? This is all a load of crap. I can date whoever I want no matter what marking they have.” You said to no one in particular as you changed into your home attire.

A few days later, you were just in class alone in the morning. Taehyung and Jungkook had yet to arrive when a sudden voice from beside you made you jump. A soft curse emitted from your throat as you clutched to your chest from the minor heart attack. You turned to find one of your classmates whom you recalled his name to be Hanbin, towering over you to your left.

“Hey, I’m Hanbin.” He smiled at you, feeling your stomach get warm upon seeing him up close for the first time.

“Hey… I’m Y/N.”

“I don’t mean to be creepy or weird, but I’ve kind of noticed you going for lunch alone these days instead of with your friends?” He asked as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. You somehow knew where this was going.

“Right… Well, that is true I suppose.” You chuckled awkwardly, looking away from him briefly before turning your attention back to him.

“I see. Well, if you’re looking for company, you can go for lunch with me?” He said it more like a statement instead of a question and that in itself made you smile. You had just accepted his kind offer when you heard familiar voices approaching to where you were seated.

Hanbin’s eyes glanced past your shoulder only to flicker back to you, setting a reminder before he left.

“Lunch with me later, yeah?”

You gave him a soft nod as a smile crept onto your lips. At the same time, you felt the soft nudge to your right elbow. You already knew who’s the culprit. “Wasn’t that Hanbin? What did he say to you?” Taehyung asked as he took a seat beside you.

“He asked me to go for lunch with him.”

“So you agreed?”

“Mhm.”

“You wanna go for lunch with him but not us?” Taehyung asked with a pout, only for Jungkook to lean over and ask what was going on. You could only roll your eyes at them, not actually annoyed or anything. Just a reflex whenever someone tried to get your sympathy over something stupid.

“Give me a break. I’m not sharing a table with ‘you know who’. Wouldn’t wanna accidentally break the table with our arguments.” You flashed him a sarcastic smile that made him click his tongue at you in disbelief.

It has been two months since you first went to lunch with Hanbin and you have been doing that ever since. You noticed that his demeanour was starting to change too around you, maybe there was a mutual feeling settling in between the two of you after all.

It was a Saturday afternoon and you already made plans with Hanbin a week prior. He wanted to bring you out on a date to the amusement park and then maybe grab some supper before heading home. He picked you up at your apartment that evening in his jeep, looking quite handsome if you say so yourself.

The two of you spent the evening together, adrenaline rushing through you thanks to the rides you took. After enjoying yourselves at the amusement park, you were both tired from having fun so he offered to stop by and grab supper with you before sending you home.

You ended up getting fast food at the diner downtown. You were happy. You were grateful that he was nothing but sweet to you. But for some reason, deep down there was that voice in you that was screaming, “He’s not the one” and you hated it. You didn’t want to rely on the marking to determine your happiness.

What if you belonged to someone who has a different marking than you?

That’s possible right?

So when he finally parked right outside your apartment complex, he turned off the engine leaving his key in the ignition. The car fell silent for a moment before you decided to be brave and spoke up.

“Do you… wanna come up for a bit? We can talk for a while longer?”

With that, Hanbin frowned as he wondered if he should. He didn’t want to ruin a first date and he most definitely did not want you to have a bad impression on him.

“Are… Are you sure?” He asked quietly, to which you nodded.

When you didn’t get a proper response, you simply let out a soft giggle followed by, “come on” before you opened his jeep door to board off the vehicle. You left him no choice but to follow after you. Once you’ve made it to your apartment, you unlocked your front door and stepped inside allowing him to enter.

It took him a while as his eyes travelled all over your cosy apartment, admiring the minimalist interior. You told him to take a seat while you went to get him a drink.

A few minutes passed and you were both just talking freely on your couch when you noticed how his eyes always flickered down to your lips constantly as you spoke. This made you stifle a giggle and he caught on. He apologized for it but you brushed it off.

Just then, the room felt quiet all of a sudden as it was your turn to glance down to his lips.

Hanbin softly smiled as he began to lean closer.

Your heart was pounding in your chest as you could feel his warmth radiating off his body from how close he was to you.

Right when you felt your head get dizzy from the close proximity, you unconsciously whispered against his lips something that you would never normally do.

“Kiss me.”

With that being said, he pressed his plump lips on yours.

Immediately intoxicating you with how sweet he tasted. The kiss slowly got heated as he carefully guided your body back to lay on the couch while he hovered over you. His hands slid past the hem of your shirt, resting on your waist as he caressed your skin.

You slide your hands up his chest, wrapping them around his neck. He slowly pushed your shirt up using his wrists. Right when he’d just pulled away for a breather, his eyes travelled down to your bare torso beneath him.

His gaze seemed stuck on whatever he was looking at. When you realized he stopped and was staring at something on your body, you knew exactly what he saw.

“Is that…?” His voice was soft, almost sounding as though he was upset.

“Yeap…”

With this confession, he slowly pulled away from you, tugging your shirt back down and bringing you to a sitting position.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t…” He began but you were quick to hush him.

“It’s okay… Besides, I should be the one saying sorry. I already saw your marking the other day when you wore a tank top to class. I just thought you’d be okay with dating someone who doesn’t share the same mark as you. I guess I was being selfish…” You said.

Hanbin remained quiet as he listened to your reasoning. Suddenly feeling bad for stopping whatever you two were sharing, so abruptly like that. With that, he reached out to hold your hand, telling him that he was still sorry for reacting that way and for hurting your feelings by doing so.

But he told you he didn’t regret taking you out on a date today, that he genuinely had a good time with you and that he would love to still be friends with you if you allowed him.

You smiled at him before turning your attention to the flower pot sitting on your coffee table only for him to continue, “I just hope that you’ll find someone who will love you for who you are, doesn’t matter the mark.” For that, you smiled again. Thanking him for being sweet and thoughtful.

After he left, you couldn’t help but sigh. This was already the umpteenth time this happened to you.

But you couldn’t stay mad at Hanbin for turning you down simply because he didn’t reject you the way your other ex dates did. That was the reason why you let him go without holding a grudge.

The next few weeks, you’ve gone to lunch on an alternate basis between Hanbin and the guys. And every time you went with the guys, you could only prepare yourself for the constant bickering with the one and only, Min Yoongi and today was no different.

You were sitting next to Namjoon at the end of the table with the only space left empty being beside you. And it was as though luck wasn’t on your side, the only human left to arrive for lunch was none other than Yoongi himself.

You were just sipping your green tea when you heard his voice approaching towards your side of the table.

“Sorry hyung, that’s the only seat left.” Jungkook smiled sympathetically to the elder as you made it a point to not spare a glance over to him. You could hear his grunt of disapproval but nonetheless plopped his bag down on the chair before disappearing to buy his food.

When he did come back, you had just gotten a whole chunk of chocolate fudge cake shoved into your mouth by Taehyung who was seated opposite you.

You were unable to pull the dangling piece of cake into your mouth so you tilted your head back. But instead of the cake entering your mouth, it ended up falling into your hands when you felt your head crash into something behind you.

And the hiss just told you who it was.

“Watch it before I spill hot soup on you.” Yoongi said as he placed the bowl of steaming noodle soup on the table top beside your tray.

“Don’t worry because I’ll make sure it spills on you too.” You challenged him back, earning a glare from him.

You heard a few sighs coming from some of the guys but you couldn’t care less. You busied yourself by scrolling through your social media in hopes that the time would just pass by quicker so that you can be away from him after lunch ends.

A few days later, you had just finished your shower when you noticed your mark slowly growing more and more opaque. To which you could finally see the design of it.

It was a dream catcher.

A pretty one at that. You softly traced your finger over the outline of the detail, keeping your eye on the reflection. Just then, a soft sigh left your lips.

This means that your designated soulmate has supposedly crossed your path more than once. But seeing how the ink is getting darker with each passing day, could only mean that if not often, this person is near you at least more than 3 times a week.

A week went by and Jungkook had invited you to his birthday slash pool party that weekend. He invited only the guys and some of their girlfriends. You’ve met the girlfriends a few times and they’ve all been pretty sweet to you so far. All of them are so down to earth. You told Jungkook you’ll be there, earning a happy soft clap from him when you said so.

On the day of the party, you had just finished your shower when you noticed the water droplets underneath you weren’t clear. You looked harder only to realize those weren’t water.

It was blood.

“Great… Thanks mother nature…” You huffed as you went to get your feminine item from your cupboard. After successfully changing into the attire you chose for the day, you tied your hair into a messy ponytail before leaving your bathroom.

You wore simple denim shorts and a loose shirt tucked into your jeans.

When you actually made it to Jungkook’s house, you were surprised to know that he was living in a one story house with a built-in pool ready when he moved in.

Apparently his parents were pretty wealthy people so they bought this house for him, saying it would give him the opportunity to take responsibility in keeping the house clean and tidy rather than his mother having to do it for him all the time.

You called Jungkook’s phone only for him to pick up on the second ring. You told him you were at his front gate so he hung up the call and rushed over to you.

Once you were inside his beautiful compound, he brought you towards the back through his side garden. Distinct voices gradually get louder the nearer you get to them. The minute you turned round the corner, you instantly saw more than half of them in the pool including the ladies.

Seokjin and Taehyung were over at the barbeque grill, cooking the meat for everyone. There was a table filled with all kinds of snacks and sweet drinks. It was a full on pool party.

Just then, a familiar voice rings in your ear already knowing it belonged to Hoseok.

“Y/N! You made it! Come join us!”

You stopped at one of the chairs only to put your sling bag down and apologized to him, “Sorry to burn the mood, but I can’t. Monthly calls.” You could hear some whines and sad pouts forming on some of their faces right after.

“Aww man, that’s a total bummer.” Jimin said, making you shrug.

However, you noticed a figure leaning against the wall on the other side of the pool just blankly staring at you. That’s when you glanced over to see Yoongi. You held your stare for a moment before you turned away. Missing the way he was still staring at you even when you were making your way to Seokjin and Taehyung.

A few minutes later, you were just talking to Jiyeon who was taking a break from being in the pool. You sat facing each other but from where you were seated, your back was facing the grilling pit.

Jiyeon was just talking to you about baking when you noticed someone swimming to the side that was aligned with where you were sitting.

Only to realize it was Yoongi.

He placed his hands on the edge of the pool and soon pushed himself upwards. You watched as water flowed down his body effortlessly. Cursing yourself for even staring at his shirtless form. He pushed his wet hair out of his face, resulting in him having sort of a slick back hairstyle.

He was too busy talking to Hoseok and Jungkook who were still in the pool, his head completely turned away from you.

Right when you were about to look away, your eyes caught sight of the imprinted ink on his left rib. You didn’t think much of it as you turned away from him. But then something in your brain ticked you off like a time bomb. So you carefully turned back to him just a few feet away from you.

That’s when you saw it.

The dream catcher on his left rib is so prominent and bold against his milky skin. Not to mention his toned abs. A soft gasp left your lips as he walked past you without sparing a single glance at you.

But you didn’t mind it. You were glad he didn’t see how shocked you were because if it did, he would have said something about it.

So instead, you just got up and left, entering Jungkook’s home through the glass doors frantically. You rushed in and went straight to the said destination. Once inside, you took a moment to steady your breathing as you brought your gaze up to the long mirror that laid upon you on the wall landscape.

You carefully pulled your shirt up to expose the ink on your own skin. You could only stare at it through the reflection before looking down at your own torso and gently tracing your finger over the outer rim of the dream catcher’s hoop.

You didn’t know how long you were gone for. It wasn’t until a voice broke your train of thoughts.

“Was it really necessary to rush into someone’s house like-”

However, his speech got stuck in his throat when his eyes flickered over to the reflection in the mirror. No it wasn’t your face he was staring at. It wasn’t the soap bottles lining Jungkook’s sink.

It was your mark on your left rib.

You swiftly pulled your shirt down to hide it from him from seeing any more details of it. With quick hasty steps, you turned to leave the bathroom and had barely taken a step out into the hallway when he grabbed your wrist and pulled you back to face him.

“Show me.” He said firmly.

“Show you what?”

“Don’t play dumb, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“I- I don’t know what you mean-”

Without warning, Yoongi used his free hand to lift your shirt up to stop right below your bra line as his hands naturally cupped your sides to keep your shirt there. He finally caught a clear look of the inked design on you, seeing how familiar it looked to him.

You could’ve sworn you saw his eyes flicked wider for just a millisecond before it went back to its original state.

For some reason, your lung felt restricted and your heart dropped upon seeing the same mark on his skin at the same exact spot as yourself. You wanted to run away. All you wanted to do now was to be as far away from him as you can.

So you slapped his hands away, making him lose his grip on you before you turned around to leave.

He grabbed your wrist again but this time, you mustered whatever strength you had left to yank your arm from him. Tears stinging your eyes as it threatens to fall, yet you don’t fully understand why.

“Don’t! J-Just… leave me alone… please.” Your voice falls into a whisper as you rush to the backyard, ignoring their worried calls as you simply told them you weren’t feeling well because of your monthly calls. When Yoongi did come back to the backyard, he was questioned as to what happened back in the house and why you looked like you were about to cry.

Yoongi couldn’t help but stare at your descending back just in time before you turned the corner and disappeared fully from sight. Only for him to lie to them despite knowing exactly why you left.

“She wasn’t feeling well.”

The week went by and you have been avoiding coming relatively close to the rest other than the 2 who were obviously unavoidable. But it’s not like you had anything against them. You just wanted to avoid Yoongi at all costs for now. It was a Friday and you had just finished your classes for the day when the two boys exchanged glances to each another before Jungkook spoke up.

“Hey, do you wanna grab something to eat with us after this?” You knew he was being nice. You knew he wasn’t to blame for Yoongi having the same exact soulmate mark as you. So for that, you chose not to lash out at him.

“It’s fine. I’ll pass.” You smiled half heartedly and they could tell. But thankfully, they chose not to question further.

The three of you were walking towards the main entrance as usual when you saw the rest of the group seeming to wait for you three. You glanced up to Jungkook beside you who gestured a small wave to the others, only for you to accidentally look over.

And the first thing you saw was Yoongi already looking at you.

Great.

Before you could get to close, you bid your goodbyes to your friends as you separated from them to head towards the gates. Nobody has yet to know why you were acting this way other than Yoongi himself. You were just halfway through the parking lot when a firm grip on your wrist made you turn after being tugged back gently.

You nearly crashed into the figure whom you weren’t surprised when you saw it was him.

“Stop acting like a child.” He said, his tone held something much more than just firmness. He sounded like he’s… hurt almost.

“So what? This marking thing is a load of bullshit. Why does it determine who we should be with? That’s unfair! I’ve seen couples who have different marks and yet they’re still happy together?!” You said, clearly letting your emotions take over your mind.

“If you think it’s bullshit then why are you ignoring me like I’ve just killed your pet?!” He asked, his voice now a tad louder than it was before.

“Because all the guys I’ve tried dating care too much about these marks! Every single one of them ditched me when they found out I didn’t have the same mark! And what are the odds that the one person who has the same exact mark as me, happens to be the one person that has been nothing but a daily source of fight with me?” You paused as his grip on you loosened, his glare suddenly softened.

“Of course I couldn’t believe it… I didn’t want to believe that of all people, it’s you… That’s why I ignore you.” Your voice grew soft as you saw the way his eyes flickered back and forth on your own brown pupils.

“So you’re saying you hate me? Is that it?” His question was simple but it held a thousand meanings and you knew it.

“I don’t even know anymore, Yoongi…” You whispered as you slowly pulled your hand out of his grip and quickly left before he could say anything else. Yoongi stood there trying to process everything. Still not entirely sure of what just happened. Just then, a gentle hand on his shoulder made him return back to reality.

“Hey man, you okay?” Namjoon’s calm voice spoke from beside Yoongi as the latter could only nod.

“We heard your conversation… Well, we didn’t intend to anyways… But, is it true? That you both have the same mark?” Namjoon continued.

He could hear the soft, quiet curse leaving Yoongi’s lips during his exhale before he spoke up, “Yeah… That was actually the reason why she abruptly left during Jungkook’s pool party.” Yoongi explained and it all began to fall into place for Namjoon. The younger could only nod as he finally put the pieces together.

“Mmm, and so I’m guessing she’s too overwhelmed with the fact that you have the mark out of a billion people to walk this planet?” Namjoon said.

“Bingo.” Yoongi sighed as the two began to walk back to their friends who were still gathered at the entrance despite hearing the commotion earlier. If space is what you need, then space is what he shall give. But of course, you can’t run from him forever.

It has been two weeks since your outburst with Yoongi and you have been keeping your distance from him again. The guys also didn’t try to tag you along knowing fully well that you needed space from Yoongi. For that, you silently thanked them. It was a Saturday night and you had made it a point to go for a quick grocery run to stock up your refrigerator with edible food.

After getting all the items you needed, you went to the queue. The lady at the counter scanned every item on the conveyor belt and went ahead to put it in the plastic bag before telling you the total cost.

You were about to reach into your jeans pocket when you noticed them being flat.

You felt around the pockets of your jeans and it was in fact empty. With that being said, you mentally cursed yourself for not bringing your wallet with you. Not only that, this store was the only one nearest to your apartment and it was closing in 10 minutes.

You wouldn’t make it back in time if you went home now to retrieve your wallet.

So you apologized to the lady who looked equally done with her job as you left the store empty handed. You were just walking down the partially empty street when you felt something drop onto your cheek. You stopped walking to feel what it was. Before you could touch your cheek, another drop hits the top of your head. And then another. And another.

“Fuck my life…”

You whispered to yourself as the sky suddenly began to downpour on you. Watching as some people ran across the road for shelter, some whips out their umbrella to shield them from the rain, some simply stayed indoors to avoid being caught in the rain.

However, you were too tired to even care about seeking shelter. Feeling as if today was the worst day of your life.

You continued to stroll down the street completely soaked under the rain.

You wrapped your arms around yourself in attempts to keep yourself warm but it clearly did no shit for you. Absent minded to notice your surroundings, you didn’t hear the calls for your name until the vehicle came to a gradual slow speed beside you on the street.

“Y/N!”

It was Yoongi.

“Leave me alone…”

“Y/N, why in the world are you walking in the heavy rain? You might fall sick, you dummy.”

“Who c-cares?” Your lips were starting to quiver from the cold.

“I do.”

You could’ve sworn your heart just skipped a beat at that response.

“Look, let me take you to my place and get you dry clothes while waiting for the rain to stop. I’ll send you home after.” He said.

“I d-don’t need your… h-help, Yoongi.”

He let out a soft groan in annoyance with your stubbornness, only to drive a little further down before bringing the car to a complete stop. You were about to carry on walking but your feet just came to a halt when you saw him running out of his car and coming to you.

“Come on and stop whining like a little kid.” Yoongi said as he grabbed your wrist and began jogging back to his car, pulling you into the passenger side before going back to the driver seat.

Once safely inside, he drove off into the night and made a left turn at the junction while your apartment building was to the right and probably about a 20 minutes walk. The car ride was quiet as neither of you said anything. You simply let him do what he said he would. When he finally brought the car to a park, he turned off the engine and soon climbed out of the vehicle.

You followed suit as he had already come over to your side to hold the door for you. After he’d locked the car, he led you to his apartment complex as you followed behind him. You took in the interior of his apartment complex, it looked slightly older than yours but still well maintained.

Apparently, he lived on the 14th floor unlike you who lived on the 5th floor.

He soon pulls out his house key and proceeds to unlock his front door. He opens the door for you, letting you step inside first. Once he had closed the door behind him, he told you to wait there as he excused himself to go get you a clean towel and new dry clothes for you to change into.

You took in the minimalist setting of his apartment, quite similar to yours except your walls are white and his is grey.

Yoongi came back with a handful, telling you where the bathroom was.

You followed his directions and soon closed the bathroom door once you’ve stepped inside. In the meantime, Yoongi had gone to change out of his own wet clothes into a clean pair of his sweatpants and a hoodie. He was boiling hot water to make hot chocolate for the two of you when you cleared your throat behind him.

He turned around at the sound, only for him to scheme through your outfit in which he had so specifically chosen for you. He had lent you one of his sleeping shorts and an oversized black hoodie that looked a little too big on you.

But for some reason, you looked good in them.

He almost had to pinch himself for staring too long before he finally spoke up, “Uhh, my dryer’s in the laundry room. Second door to the left.”

You nodded as you disappeared back down the hall, only for him to mentally curse himself for losing his composure. After 2 minutes or so, you came back having managed to turn the dryer on.

He handed you the cup of hot chocolate, not forgetting to thank him for it.

There was a short moment of peaceful silence before he gestured over to his living room. The both of you went over to the couch as you sat on either ends of the furniture. He turned his tv on and was busying himself with searching through Netflix when you mustered up the courage to ask him what was on your mind for the past half an hour.

“Why did you help me?”

Yoongi turned to you briefly, unsure if he should answer the question truthfully.

“As much as we fight, I’m not entirely heartless.”

Your eyes bore into him as you soon found yourself looking down at your hands when he turned to look at you. If it wasn’t for the tv, you knew for a fact that he could’ve heard the thumping of your heart. Silence fell over you two again but he broke it as soon as it started.

“Why were you walking in the rain?”

“I was on a grocery run.”

“But I don’t recall seeing you carry any bags of groceries?”

“That’s because I couldn’t pay for it without my wallet…”

He raised his eyebrows at you in disbelief, finding it ridiculous that you only realized it when you were checking out of the store.

“Shut up. This kind of stuff happens okay…” You scoffed, earning a quiet chuckle coming from him followed by an, “Okay, okay.” The room fell silent again and you were just playing with the strings of your hoodie.

Silently wishing for time to pass quicker but it seems like the rain only got heavier.

“Look, I think we should just forget about the whole marking thing and just… start over?” He said, causing you to look at him but he seemed like he was diligently avoiding your gaze.

“Start… over?” You dragged your words to show that you wanted a slightly more detailed explanation.

“What I mean is… let’s stop ignoring each other and stop fighting over the smallest little issues like we did when we were young. Back then we were still young and immature. But we’re not anymore, are we?” He ended with a question, making you huff.

You know he has a point but your ego is still higher than ever.

“Are you only saying this because I’m your soulmate?”

“No. I really am tired of fighting with you.”

“Why now? Why only want to call truce after you’ve seen my mark? Doesn’t that say a lot?” You were stubborn and he knows it. And yet, he still answers you to clear all your doubts.

Surprisingly patient with you.

“I know it might look like what you think, but it’s really not. I don’t care about the marking much like you. But after thinking about it, I feel like it’s actually childish to hold a grudge on each other for the things we’ve done years ago, don’t you think?” He explained, hoping it’ll get past that rock solid head of yours.

Your heart knows he’s right but your mind forces you to say otherwise.

With that, you huffed as you got up and excused yourself to go check on your clothes. Before you could make it past the first door on the left, he grabbed your wrist and tugged you back.

He pressed you against the wall with his other hand beside your head to trap you.

Your free hand hovered in between both yours and his chest as he was less than 4 inches away. Your faces were so close you could feel his breath hitting your lips. You would’ve slapped him if he did this years ago.

But now?

“Why are you so stubborn?”

He asked, his voice low as you kept your heated gaze on his eyes even though you saw the way his eyes flickered back and forth between your eyes and lips.

Rising heat from both anger and his body temperature radiated off him, engulfing you like a cocoon. You could’ve sworn you saw his pupils dilate a few times now that he was this close to you. It was quiet in the hallway as he frowned, still waiting for an answer from you. But instead, you gently pressed your hand on his warm chest that was in between your bodies.

This was enough to make him flinch slightly. His crammed face relaxed for a moment when he looked down at your hand on his chest before looking back at you.

Even more confusion struck him.

Your heart was racing rapidly in your chest, and you were so sure he could hear it. You couldn’t bear to look at him any longer so you looked down at your hand as you slid it up towards the necklace he was wearing. Playing with the pendant in between your fingers.

You didn’t realise this but his grip on your wrist was long gone and was now slowly snaking that arm around your waist.

Yoongi leaned in very subtly to let his lips brush against yours just to see your reaction. He closed his eyes, taking in the feeling of having you this close for the first time. You did the same as your other hand rested on his left bicep. Before you knew it, he closed whatever remaining gaps in between only to kiss you.

Your heart exploded in your chest as he used the hand beside your head to cup your cheek. You leaned into his touch while you reciprocated the kiss. Yoongi’s grip on your waist tightened as he pulled you against him.

He felt both your hands now just holding onto his biceps for support, his lips tugging upwards against your mouth.

You could feel his muscles flexing under your fingertips as he pulled away from your mouth and was now trailing soft kisses down your neck. A soft sigh left your lips, feeling him give some love to the part that joins your neck and shoulder blade together.

“Yoongi…” Your voice came out as a mere whisper.

Just when you wanted to say something, your breath hitched in your throat when you felt his hands slip past your shirt only to rest them on your sides when your mark was.

His touch was gentle but it definitely did something to your poor heart.

“Answer me truthfully… Are you okay with… this?” Yoongi asked, gesturing between you and him. “With us? Because you can say no if you’re really against this. I would never force you.”

You stared at him for a while, rethinking your answer. You’ve been so firm about not caring who has the same soulmate mark as you because you thought it was all bullshit. But now, standing in front of him and knowing that he has the mark, not only that but he seemed like he really genuinely likes you is making it twice harder for you to say no.

But your silence was too long for him as he counted to 3 in his mind. When you didn’t respond, he slowly nodded. Pulling himself away to leave a space between you.

“It’s okay, I understand… I think your clothes are dry. Go change, I’ll wait outside.” His voice was quiet as if he’s too upset, he can’t even look you in the eye. You felt bad. You never wanted him to feel this way. So when he turned in his heels to walk away, you yearned for him to come back.

Yoongi was halfway down his living room when he felt a smaller hand slide into his right one. His step came to a halt as he kept his back to you.

He was about to ask if there's something wrong but all he got was a soft apology.

“I’m sorry…”

You watched as he remained still, his back still facing you. Doing nothing to turn and look at you. Yoongi wasn’t sure what he wanted to do at the moment so he kept quiet.

Just then, you used your other hand to cup his that you were already holding. He would be lying if he said he didn’t like this. But he definitely wasn’t prepared for what you were about to do next. You weren’t sure if you trust your voice so instead, you took a few steps closer before wrapping your arms around his waist.

Pressing your cheek against his back. You stayed like that for a few seconds, basking in the sweet vanilla scent of his.

You could feel him tense up when you first hugged him but he soon relaxed in your arms.

You didn’t dare to do anything else, all until you felt him softly caress your arms only to lock his fingers with yours over top of your hands. You only nuzzled your face deeper into his back, afraid to look at him.

But when you feel him slowly move around in your arms, that’s when you let him face you.

The minute he sees your face, he immediately cups your cheeks and wasted no time in kissing you ever so sweetly. The butterflies in your stomach erupted as you snaked your arms around his shoulders, feeling him pull you closer to him by your waist.

He held you securely against him all the while never leaving your lips. You were the first to pull away, keeping the distance small between you and him.

Your eyes were still closed so you depended on your senses.

That wasn’t until you felt him cup your face again, caressing your cheek with his thumbs. The room fell silent as he brushed his soft lips against yours and whispered to you quietly, “Can we start over?”

You opted for just a nod, unsure if you could trust your voice. You opened your eyes to see him staring at you so softly with his doe round eyes.

Yoongi smiled, whispering an ‘okay’ before he kissed you again. He wrapped his arms around your waist as you melted against his lips. He took his time with you, making sure you were comfortable and that you really wanted this. He never wanted to hurt you in any way. He kept asking for your permission before he did anything and you appreciated it.

You woke up the next morning to a warm feeling engulfing you from behind. You stirred in your sleep, trying to see what it was. But the squeeze around your waist made you look down to see the familiar arm draped over your waist, tucking his hands underneath you. The silver bracelet around his right wrist could never be mistaken for someone else.

Just when you were about to snuggle deeper into the warmth of his body, you felt him kiss the back of your head. Your heart pounded in your chest, stomach flipped in your belly.

“Mmm, good morning.” He whispered, his morning voice low and raspy.

You sighed in content as you turned around to face him, only to find that he still had his eyes closed but there was a smile that crept on his lips.

With that, you smiled as you planted a soft kiss on his lips. You could feel him smirk against your lips, earning a soft giggle from you. His arm that was supporting your head, bent at the elbows as he began to play with your soft hair.

The next day, you came to school feeling a little down in the weather. Maybe it was a late reaction to when you got drenched in the rain. You were sniffling in your seat when Taehyung and Jungkook immediately caught the sight of your red nose.

“Hey, are you sick? Your nose is red.” Jungkook said, his voice laced with full concern. You simply shook him off saying it was just light flu.

The other two weren’t buying it, they said they would go get medicine for you after class and you all but rejected them. The last thing you’d wanna do was to burden them.

So after your morning class has ended and you have been dismissed for lunch, the three of you made it to the cafeteria only to find the rest of the guys already seated. But you and Yoongi still haven’t told them about your resolve yet. So they thought you two were still ignoring each other.

“Hey guys! Y/N? Are you okay? You look kind of pale…” Namjoon asked, making you smile.

“It’s just a little flu, that’s all.” You said, completely missing the way Yoongi was staring at you with pure concern.

“Do you wanna go home and rest?” Hoseok asked in which you shook your head, before a squeaky sneeze left your lips not forgetting to cover your mouth while you did. “Sorry…” You whispered an apology, earning a few laughs from them. Just then, Yoongi got up without a word, leaving the table.

You watched as he disappeared down the aisle towards the drink stall. You wondered what he was doing but nevertheless shrugged, going to the empty seats beside him and Jimin.

You took a seat beside Yoongi’s empty chair, not really having the appetite to eat.

You were just rejecting Jimin’s offer to feed you some of his food when Yoongi came back with a glass of hot tea, a bottle of water and a strip of two panadol flu tablets. The rest of them watched quietly as he sat down beside you and handed you the drinks.

“Here, take this.” He said softly, pulling your hand up to push the two tablets out of the strip onto your open palms.

“Oh? Since when are you guys on good terms?” Taehyung asked in utter confusion.

“We’re not. We’re just acting.” Yoongi replied sarcastically before twisting the bottle cap open for you. He waited for you to throw your head back and let the tablets fall into your mouth before gulping down the water.

After you were done, you thanked him quietly. You didn’t miss the little smirk on his face.

“Okay…” Seokjin said as he gently slammed his hands onto the table top, making some of you flinch.

“What’s going on? Last week you were both ignoring each other and now you���re taking care of her like she means the world to you?” He asked as you turned to Yoongi for help.

“Don’t you know the saying ‘People change’?” Yoongi said.

“Of course, but it’s almost too drastic. Just over the weekend too.” Seokjin said in disbelief.

“Well, I guess it happens.” Yoongi shrugged as Jungkook directed his question to you.

“So I’m guessing you too?”

“No. I still hate him.” You lied.

“Is that so? Then why are you holding his pinkie?” Hoseok smirked, pointing to your intertwined pinkie on the table. With that, you quickly removed your hands from Yoongi.

“Hey... Why did you let go? I was about to play with your fingers.”

Yoongi said with a small pout, making you blush. Just then, Yoongi reached back over to lace his fingers with yours, resting your hands on his lap only to steal a quick kiss to your cheek.

This stirred a few dramatic gasps from your other friends. “Did you guys see that?! That was- omg!” Seokjin’s voice was too loud, making Jimin cover his mouth with his hands.

“Oh hush your pie hole dust. Just let me be happy for once.” Yoongi smirked as you felt him caress the back of your hand. He’s definitely going to be a handful but you’re more than happy to entertain his crap.

~~~

#bts scenarios #bts imagines #bts fluff #bts x reader #min yoongi #bts yoongi #bts suga #yoongi scenario #suga scenarios #yoongi fluff #min yoongi x reader #suga x reader #bts suga scenarios #bts suga imagines #suga fluff

[pacificwaternymph]

The temptation to make Lizzie a villain (although antagonist would be a better word) in my ATLA AU is very strong.

There's so much potential to it.

I've thought about it a lot and I've decided not to go down that route, since I'm a sucker for seablings and don't want them to fight. But I still want to write down my thoughts because they're too good to let go.

So- AU of an AU time.

Story below the cut! Warning, it's really long.

Imagine with me: Lizzie gets out of the waterbender prison with help from Joel, same as in the original timeline. But being thrown into an inhumane prison at fourteen and being mistreated for five years leaves an impact, and Lizzie isn't the same as she was.

She harbors a deep and passionate resentment against anyone in the Fire Nation. Instead of viewing Joel as proof that not everyone born to the Fire Nation is evil, like she does in canon, she views Joel as the sole exception, even going so far as to say that he was never supposed to be Fire Nation in the first place.

She becomes a menace. Destroying towns, killing soldiers and civilians alike, and going a little off the rails. She wants to see the Fire Nation flood, she wants to watch the Firelord and his family drown at her hands.

But she still desperately loves her brother. She still desperately wants to reunite with him.

And she hears that he's with the avatar, and not only that, the avatar is the Fire Prince! She convinces herself that Scott is using Jimmy, the last Southern Waterbender, because she can't possibly fathom a world where Scott isn't pure evil.

So she starts hunting them down with the intent to kill Scott.

Eventually, she catches up to team avatar, and has quite a heartwarming reunion with Pixl and Jimmy. She has a deep, and obvious, dislike of Scott, but Jimmy chalks it up to mistrust, and is sure that with time, Lizzie will learn that Scott's not all that bad.

She travels with them for a little bit, and everything seems fine at first, but there are a few warning bells going off in everyone's head.

For one, Lizzie is brutal. She leaves no survivors, and she doesn't make it quick either. She seems to enjoy killing Fire Nation soldiers a little too much, and has a disregard for others' lives in general.

When Jimmy tries to talk to her about it she brushes it off, saying things like:

"It's fine, they were Fire Nation anyway."

"They would have done the same to us."

"I was only trying to protect you."

Soooo yeeeaaaah. Not great.

Eventually, Lizzie attempts her assassination of Scott, following him into the forest in the middle of the night when he goes to use the bathroom. But Shrub, who has been suspicious of Lizzie since day one, follows them and steps in.

Jimmy is shocked and heartbroken. Lizzie tries to appeal to him, saying that Scott can't be trusted, he's only using Jimmy, he's going to betray them all.

She asks if Jimmy has forgotten what the Fire Nation did to them. What it did to her.

Jimmy has to make a decision between his sister, and his newfound friends. New family versus old. It's not easy for him, but he does stick with Scott in the end.

Lizzie feels hurt and betrayed, and with the help of Joel, who decides to stay with her, escapes, determined now more than ever to eliminate Scott. And if Jimmy gets in her way... well, he made his choice.

That's not to say that she's not completely irredeemable. She's a tragic figure, like a combination of Hama and Jet, and definitely needs help. Joel still believes in her, as does Jimmy, who doesn't want to think that his older sister has been lost forever.

Katherine is torn on the issue, she knows how much Lizzie means to Jimmy, but she can tell that Lizzie is not the person she once was. Pixl wants to help her but isn't sure if she can come back from this, and Scott and Shrub are completely convinced there's no saving her.

In the book 3 finale, Lizzie has an Azula-esque breakdown after Joel runs off to find the others, finally realizing that he can't give her the help she needs by himself. She faces off against Jimmy in the final fight, who's stalling to give Scott time to take down his father.

Lizzie is the superior bender, by far, but Jimmy's been practicing, and he can tell his sister is slipping.

It's not an easy fight, for either one of them. Jimmy thought that by now he had come to terms with the fact that the Lizzie he knew is gone. But then Joel came crashing into their group and practically begging them to help her, and well...

Because he's holding back, and Lizzie isn't, Jimmy still loses the fight. Lizzie has him down on the ground, exhausted and pinned against a wall with nowhere to go.

She goes for the final blow, but then her eyes meet Jimmy, and she hesitates. The ice dagger comes down, crashing into the ground and shattering right next to Jimmy's head, intentionally missed.

Lizzie sinks to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she realized that she can't do it. Jimmy sits up and grabs her, pulling her into a hug. They stay like that for a while, and when they pull away, Lizzie looks Jimmy in the eyes and tells him to do it.

Jimmy knocks her out, and she thinks that's the end of it. She expects not to wake up. And yet somehow, she does, in the medical wing of the Fire Palace, with her brother soundly asleep in the bed next to her.

After the dust settles, Lizzie is put on trial, expecting either to be sentenced to death, or, if the new Firelord (Xornoth) is feeling merciful, be thrown back into the prison she escaped from for the rest of her life.

Jimmy advocates for her, though many people attending believe he is still blinded by past memories and that he's not a reliable judge of character.

But then, surprisingly, so does Scott. He argues that it isn't her fault that she should harbor such awful feelings towards him, after what she was put through by the Fire Nation, and that she shouldn't be punished for trying to protect what little she had left.

Lizzie doesn't understand, but Jimmy assures her that she will. She gets off much with a much lighter sentence, and thus the healing process begins :)

Also I have an awesome visual of the progress of her downward spiral being marked by the state of her hair, as the pink dye washes out and it grows longer and more ragged.

Anyway that's all I have to say. What do y'all think?

#empires smp #ldshadowlady #smallishbeans #solidarity gaming #solidaritygaming #scott smajor #smajor1995 #dangthatsalongname #the four empires au #my writing #villain lizzie AU

[pumpkinpaix]

Pleeeeeeease get into the class one at some point because I very much want to understand the class dynamics happening in the story but I have yet to find a meta that dives into it

god anon you want me dead don’t you alsjdfljks

referring to this post

okay, so -- my specific salt about class interpretations in mdzs are very targeted. I can’t pretend to have a deep understanding of how class works in mdzs generally because uhhhhh yeah i don’t think i have that. i’m just not familiar enough with the genre and/or the particulars of chinese class systems. but! i can talk in general terms as to why I feel a certain way about the class dynamics that I do think I understand and how I think they relate to the themes of the novel! i’m gonna talk about wei wuxian, the daozhangs, xue yang, and 3zun with, I’m sure, a bunch of digressions along the way.

the usual disclaimers: i do not think you are a bad person if you hold opinions contrary to my own. i may disagree with you very strongly, but like. this isn’t a moral judgment, fandom is transformative and interpretive etc. etc. and i may change my mind. who knows what the future will bring!

OKAY so let’s begin!

here’s the thing about wei wuxian: he’s not poor. I think because characters use “son of a servant” kind of often when they’re trying to insult him, a lot of people latch onto that and think that it’s a much stronger indication of his societal status than it actually is. iirc, most of the insults that fall along the “son of a servant” line come after wei wuxian starts breaking severely from tradition. it’s a convenient thing to attack him for, but doesn’t actually indicate anything about his wealth. (exception: yu ziyuan, but that’s a personal familial issue) this is in direct contrast to jin guangyao who is constantly mocked for his family line, publicly and privately, no matter what he does.

so this, coupled with all the jokes about wwx never having any money (wei wuqian, sizhui’s “i’ve long since known you had no money” etc.), plus his like, rough years on the street as a child ends up producing this interpretation of wei wuxian, especially in modern aus, as someone who is very class conscious and “eat the rich”. but the fact of the matter is, wei wuxian IS rich. aside from the years in his childhood and the last two years of his life in yiling, like -- wei wuxian had money and status. he is gentry. he is respected as gentry. he is treated as a son by the sect leader of yunmeng jiang -- he does not have the jiang name, but it is so very clear that jiang fengmian favors him. wei wuxian is ranked fourth of all the eligible young masters in the cultivation world -- that is not a ranking he could have attained without being accepted into the upper class.

wei wuxian’s poverty does not affect him in the way that it affects jin guangyao or xue yang. he is of low-ish birth (still the son of jiang fengmian’s right hand man though! ok sure, “son of a servant” but like. >_> whatever anyways), but for most of his life he had money. he, jiang cheng, and their sect brothers go into town and steal lotus pods with the understanding that “jiang-shushu will pay for it”. this is a regular thing! that’s fucking rich kid behavior!!! wei wuxian is careless with money because he doesn’t have to worry about it. he still has almost all the benefits of being upper class: education, food security, respect, recognition etc. I think there may also be a misconception that wei wuxian was always on the verge of being kicked out by yu ziyuan, or that he was constantly walking on eggshells around her for fear of being disowned, but that is just textually untrue. i could provide receipts, but I admittedly don’t really feel like digging them up just now ;;

even in his last years in yiling, he was not the one who was dealing with the acute knowledge of poverty: wen qing is the one managing the money, and as far as we know, wei wuxian did little to no management of daily life during the burial mounds days -- mostly, he’s described as hiding in his cave for days on end, working on his inventions, running around like a force of chaos, frivolously making a mess of things -- it’s very very cute that he buries a’yuan in the dirt, but in classic wei wuxian fashion, he did Not think about the practical consequences of it -- that A’Yuan has no other clean clothes, and now he’s gotten this set dirty and has no intention of washing them. is this a personality thing? yeah, but I think it’s also indicative of his lack of concern over the logistics of everyday survival, re: wealth.

furthermore, i think it is important to remember that wei wuxian, when he is protecting the wen remnants, is not protecting common folk: he is still protecting gentry. fallen gentry, yes! but gentry nonetheless. wen qing was favored by wen ruohan, and wen ning himself says that he has a retinue of people under his command (the remnants, essentially). their branch of the family do not have the experience of living and growing in poverty -- they are impoverished and persecuted in their last years, but that’s a very different thing from being impoverished your whole life. (sidenote: I do not believe wei wuxian’s primary motivation for defending the wen remnants was justice -- i believe he did it because he felt he owed wen ning and wen qing a life debt, and once he was there, he wasn’t going to stand around and let the work camps go on. yes, he is concerned about justice and doing the right thing, but that’s not why he went in the first place. anyways, that’s another meta)

after wei wuxian returns, he then marries back into gentry, and very wealthy gentry at that. lwj provides him all the money he could ever want, he is never worried about going homeless, starving, being denied opportunities based on his class and accompanying disadvantages. who would dare? and neither wei wuxian nor lan wangji seem to have much interest in shaking up the order of things, except in little things like the way they teach the juniors. they live in gusu, under the auspices of the lan, and they live a happy, domestic life.

were his years on the street traumatizing? yes, of course they were, there’s so much delicious character exploration to be done re: wei wuxian’s relationship to food, his relationship to his own needs, and his relationship to the people he loves. it’s all important and good! but I feel very strongly that that experience, while it was formative for him, did not impart any true understanding of poverty and the common person’s everyday struggles, nor do I think he ever really gains that understanding. he is observant and canny and aware of class and blood, certainly, but not in a way that makes it his primary hill to die on (badum-tss).

this is in very stark contrast to characters like jin guangyao and xue yang, and to some extent, xiao xingchen and song lan. I’ll start with the daozhangs, because I think they’re the simplest (??).

I think both xiao xingchen and song lan have class consciousness, but in a very simplified, broad-strokes kind of way (at least, given the information we know about them). we know that the two of them share similar values and want to one day form their own sect that gives no weight to the nobility of your lineage and has no concern with your wealth. we also know that they both disdain intersect politics and are more concerned with ideals and principles rather than status. but, I think because of that, this actually somewhat limits their perception and understanding of how status is used to oppress. as far as we know, neither of them participated on any side in sunshot and they demonstrate much more interest in relating to the commoners. honestly, i hc that they were flitting around trying to help decimated towns, protecting defenseless villages etc. I ALSO think this has a lot of interesting potential in terms of xiao xingchen and wei wuxian’s relationship, if xiao xingchen is ever revived. regardless of whether you’re in CQL or novel verse, xiao xingchen really doesn’t know wei wuxian at all, other than knowing that he’s his shijie’s son. he knows that cangse-sanren met with a tragic end, like yanling-daoren before her, and that he wants to be different. but here is cangse-sanren’s son, laying waste to entire cities, desecrating the dead. I would very much like to get into xiao xingchen’s head during that period of time (and i think, if i do it right, i can write some of it into the songxiao fixit), but that’s neither here nor there, because i’ve wandered off from my point again.

i would posit that song lan is used to an ascetic lifestyle, and xiao xingchen probably is too -- but that’s different from poverty because there’s an element of choice to it. I also think that neither of them is particularly worldly, xiao xingchen especially. he lived on an isolated mountain until he was like, seventeen, and he came down full of ideals and naivete about how the world worked. I think that both of them see inequality, that they are angered by it, and that they want to do something about it -- but their solution is neither to topple the sects, nor is it to reform the system. rather, it seems to be more about withdrawing and creating their own removed world. I think that the daozhangs embody a kind of utopianism that isn’t present in the minds of any of the other characters, not even wangxian. honestly, baoshan-sanren’s mountain is a utopian ideal, but one that is not described. it exists outside of and beyond the world. i have a lot of jumbled, vague thoughts about utopianism generally, mostly informed by china miéville and ursula k. le guin, and I don’t think i have the ability to articulate them here, but i wanted to. hm. say something? there is something about the inherent dystopianism contained within every utopia, that utopias are necessary, but also reflections of the existence of terrible things in their conception. idk. there’s something in there, I know it!! but i suppose what I want to say is -- i do not think the daozhangs understand class and social hierarchy very deeply because they don’t see a need to examine it deeply. for their goals, the details aren’t the point. they’re not looking to reform within the system, they’re looking to build something outside of it. I think they spend a lot of time concerned with alleviating the symptoms of social oppression, and their values reflect the injustices they witness there.

regardless, even if their story ends in tragedy and there is a certain amount of critique re: the utopian approach, i think the text still emphasizes that xiao xingchen left a utopia and that he thought that people mattered enough for him to try, and that was an incredibly honorable, kind, and human thing to do.

YEAH SURE THE DAOZHANGS ARE THE SIMPLEST ok ok RETURNING to class and moving forward: xue yang.

i also don’t think xue yang has class consciousness lol, or not in any way that really matters, but I do think poverty impacted him in a much stronger way than it impacted wei wuxian. wei wuxian spent some years on the street as a child. xue yang grew up on the streets. chang ci’an’s horrific treatment of him was directly due to his class and social standing: chang ci’an is a nobleman and xue yang is not even worth the dirt beneath the wheels of his cart. what I think is the seminal point though, is that this does not make xue yang think particularly deeply about systemic injustice, because xue yang is so self-centered, self-driven, and individualistic. he is not even slightly concerned about how poverty and class might affect other people -- they’re other people. what he takes away from his experience is not an anger at being wrongfully cheated by a system, but an anger at being wrongfully cheated by a specific man.

xue yang is not particularly concerned with the politics of the aristocracy -- he has no obvious ambitions other than, “i want to eat sweets whenever i please”, “i want to hurt anyone who wrongs me”, and “i want to be so strong that no one can hurt me”. like, he just doesn’t care -- it’s not the kind of power he wants. he sneers at people for like, personal reasons, not class reasons -- “you think you’re better than me” re: xiao xingchen and song lan. to him, all people -- poor, wealthy, noble, common -- are essentially equal, and they are all beneath him. after all, what does he care what family someone comes from, how much money they have? everyone bleeds when you cut them. some of them might be harder to get to than others, but xue yang does not fear that sort of thing. it’s just another obstacle he needs to vault on his way to getting revenge and/or a pastry.

ANYWAYS onto jin guangyao (wow this is hm. getting rather long ahaha oh dear): I would argue that the two characters with the most acute understanding of class/societal politics and the injustice of them are jin guangyao and lan xichen. i’ll start with jin guangyao for obvious reasons.

where xue yang took the damaging effects of poverty as personal slights, I think jin guangyao is painfully aware that there is nothing personal about them, which is, in some ways, much worse. why are two sons, born on the same day to the same father, treated so differently? just because.

he watched his mother struggle and starve and work herself to the bone in a profession where she was constantly disrespected and abused for almost nothing in return, while his father could have lifted her out of poverty with the wave of a finger. why didn’t he? because he didn’t like her? no -- because he didn’t care, and the structures of the society they live in protect that kind of blase treatment of the lower class.

“so my mother couldn’t choose her own fate, is that her fault?” jin guangyao demands. he knows that he is unbelievably talented, that he has ambition, that he has potential, and that all of it is beyond his grasp just because his father didn’t want to bother with it. his mother’s life was destroyed, and his own opportunities were crippled with that negligence. it isn’t personal. that’s just the way things are. your individual identity is meaningless, your humanity does not exist. when he’s kicked down the steps of jinlin tai, it’s just more confirmation that no matter how talented or hardworking he is, no one will give him the time of day unless he finds a way to take it himself and become someone who “matters”.

jin guangyao’s cultivation is weak because he had a poor foundation, and he had a poor foundation because he was denied access to a good one. he copies others because that’s all he can do at this point, and he copies so well that he can hold his own against some of the strongest cultivators of his generation. he’s disparaged for copying and “stealing” techniques, but -- he never would have had to if only he had been born/accepted into the upper class. the fact is that i really do think jin guangyao was the most promising cultivator of his generation that we meet, including the twin jades and wei wuxian: he had natural talent, ambition, creativity, determination and cunning in spades. in some ways, I think that’s one of the overlooked tragedies of jin guangyao: the loss of not just the good man he could have been, but the powerful one too. imagine what he could have done.

jin guangyao spends his entire time in the world of the aristocracy feeling unsteady and terrified because he knows exactly how precarious his position is. he knows how easy it is to lose power, especially for someone like him. he’s working against so many disadvantages, and every scrap of honor he gets is a vicious battle. jin guangyao fears, and I think that’s something that’s lacking in xue yang, wei wuxian and the daozhangs’ experiences/understandings of poverty. i think it’s precisely that fear that emphasizes jin guangyao’s understanding of class and blood. jin guangyao exhibits an anxiety that neither wei wuxian nor xue yang do, and it’s because he truly knows how little he is worth in the eyes of society and how little there is he can do to change that. to me, it very much feels related to the anxiety of not knowing if tomorrow you’ll have something to eat, if tomorrow you’ll still have a home, if tomorrow someone will destroy you and never have to answer for it. it’s the anxiety of knowing helplessness intimately.

moreover, jin guangyao is the only person shown to use the wealth and power at his disposal to take concrete steps to actually help the common people typically ignored by the powerful -- the watchtowers. they’re described in chapter 42. it’s a system that is designed to cover remote areas that most cultivators are reluctant to go due to their inconvenience and the lack of means of the people who live there. the watchtowers assign cultivators to different posts, give aid to those previously forgotten, and if the people are too poor to pay what the cultivators demand, the lanling jin sect pays for it. jin guangyao worked on this for five years and burned a lot of bridges over it. people were strongly opposed to it, thinking that it was some kind of ploy for lanling jin’s personal benefit. but the thing is -- it worked. they were effective. people were helped.

i believe CQL frames the watchtowers as an allegory for a surveillance state/centralized control (i think?? it’s been a minute -- that’s the hazy impression i remember, something like a parallel to the wen supervisory offices?), but I personally don’t think that was the intent in the novel. the watchtowers are a public good. lanling jin doesn’t staff them with their own sect members -- they get nearby sects to staff them. it’s a warning network that they fund that’s supposed to benefit everyone, even those that everyone had considered expendable.

(did jin guangyao do terrible things to achieve this goal? yeah lol. it’s not confirmed, but his son sure did die... suspiciously...... at the hands of an outspoken critic of the watchtowers........ whom he then executed....... so like, maybe just a convenient coincidence for jin guangyao, two birds one stone, but. it seems. Unlikely.)

lan xichen is the only member of the gentry that ever shows serious compassion for and nuanced understanding of jin guangyao’s circumstances. lan xichen treats him as his equal regardless of jin guangyao’s current status -- even when he was meng yao, lan xichen treated him as a human being worthy of respect, as someone with great merits, as someone he would choose as a friend, but he did so knowing full well the delicate position meng yao occupied. this is in direct contrast to nie mingjue, who also believed that meng yao was worthy of respect as a human being, but was completely unable to comprehend the complexities of his circumstances and unwilling to grant him any grace. you know, the difference between “i acknowledge that your birth and status have had effects upon you, but I don’t think less of you for it” and “i don’t consider your birth and status at all when i interact with you because i think it is irrelevant” (“i don’t see color” anyone?)

to illustrate, from chapter 48:

大抵是觉得娼妓之子身上说不定也带着什么不干净的东西，这几名修士接过他双手奉上来的茶盏后，并不饮下，而是放到一边，还取出雪白的手巾，很难受似的，有意无意反复擦拭刚才碰过茶盏的手指。聂明玦并非细致之人，未曾注意到这种细节，魏无羡却用眼角余光扫到了这些。孟瑶视若未见，笑容不坠半分，继续奉茶。蓝曦臣接过茶盏之时，抬眸看他一眼，微笑道：“多谢。”

旋即低头饮了一口，这才继续与聂明玦交谈。旁的修士见了，有些不自在起来。

rough tl:

Probably because they believed that the son of a prostitute might also carry some unclean things upon his person, after these few cultivators took the teacups offered from [Meng Yao’s] two hands, they did not drink, but instead put them to one side, and furthermore brought out snow white handkerchiefs. Quite uncomfortably, and whether they were aware of it or not, they repeatedly wiped the fingers they had just used to touch the teacups. Nie Mingjue was not a detail-oriented person and never took note of such particulars, but Wei Wuxian caught these in the corner of his eye. Meng Yao appeared as if he had not seen, his smile unwavering in the slightest, and continued to serve tea. When Lan Xichen took the teacup, he glanced up at him and, smiling, said, “Thank you.”

He immediately dipped his head to take a sip, and only then continued to converse with Nie Mingjue. Seeing this, the nearby cultivators began to feel somewhat uneasy.

all right, since we’re in full cyan-rampaging-through-the-weeds mode at this point, i’m going to talk about how this is one of my favorite 3zun moments in the entire novel for characterization purposes because it really highlights how they all relate to one another, and to what degree each of them is aware of their own position in relation to the others and society as a whole.

1. nie mingjue, who is a forthright and blunt person, sets meng yao to serving tea and is done with it. he notices nothing wrong or inappropriate about the reactions of the people in the room because it’s not the sort of thing he considers important.

2. meng yao, knowing that his only avenue is to take it lying down with a smile, masks perfectly.

3. lan xichen, noticing all this, uses his own reputation to achieve two things at once: pointedly shame the other cultivators in attendance, and show meng yao that regardless of others’ opinions, he considers him an equal and does not endorse such behavior--and he does it while taking care that no fallout will come down on meng yao’s head.

is this yet another installment of cyan’s endless lxc defense thesis? why yes it is! no one is surprised! but this is my whole point: both meng yao and lan xichen understand the respective hierarchy and power dynamics within the room, while nie mingjue very much does not. this is not because nie mingjue is a bad person or because nie mingjue is stupid--it’s a combination of personality and upbringing. nie mingjue is straightforward and has no patience for such games. but then again, he can afford not to play because he was born into such a high position: that’s a privilege.

to break it down: meng yao knows that he is the lowest-ranked person in the room, sees the way people are subtly disrespecting him in full view of his general who is doing nothing about it. in some ways, this is good -- nie mingjue’s style of dealing with conflict is very direct and not at all suited to delicate political maneuvering. after all, the way he promoted meng yao was actually quite dangerous to meng yao: he essentially guaranteed that his men would bear meng yao a grudge and that their disrespect for him would only be compounded by their bitterness at being punished on his behalf. (it’s like, why often getting parents or teachers to intervene ineffectively in bullying can just be an incitement to more bullying -- same concept) meng yao’s reaction during that scene shows that he’s pretty painfully aware of this and is trying to defuse the situation to no avail. nie mingjue gives him a bootstrap speech (rip nie mingjue i love u so much but. sir) and then promotes him, which is pretty much the only saving grace of that entire exchange, for meng yao at least.

lan xichen, on the other hand, understands both that meng yao is the lowest-ranked person in the room and that any direct attempt to chastise the other cultivators in the room will only serve to hurt meng yao in the long run. he knows that if this were brought to nie mingjue’s attention, he would be outraged and not shy about it -- also bad for meng yao. so he uses what he has: his immaculate reputation. by acting contrary to the other cultivators’ behavior, he demonstrates that he finds their actions unacceptable but with the plausible deniability that it wasn’t directed at them, that this is just zewu-jun being his usual generous self. this means that the other cultivators have no one to blame but themselves, nothing to do but question their own actions. there is nowhere to cast off their discomfort. meng yao didn’t do anything. lan xichen didn’t do anything -- he just thanked meng yao and drank his tea, isn’t that what it’s there for? he doesn’t disrupt the peace, he doesn’t attack anyone and put them on the defensive, but he does make his position very clear.

i know this is a really small thing and i’m probably beating it to death, but I really think this shows just how cognizant lan xichen is of politics and emotional cause and effect in such situations. certainly, out of context I think the scene reads kind of cliche, but within the greater narrative of the story and within the arc of these characters specifically, I think it was a really smart scene to include. it also showcases lan xichen’s style of action: that he moves around and with a problematic situation as opposed to moving straight through.

not to be salty on main again, but this is why it’s very frustrating to me when I see people call lan xichen passive when he is anything but. his actions just don’t look like traditional “actions”, especially to an american audience. it’s easy to understand lan wangji and wei wuxian’s style of problem-solving: taking a stand, moving through, staying strong. lan xichen is juggling an inconceivable number of factors in any given situation, weighing his responsibilities in one role against those in another, and then trying to find the path through the thicket that will cause the least harm, both to himself and the thicket. lan wangji and wei wuxian are not particularly good at considering the far-reaching consequences of their actions -- again, not because they are bad people, but because of a combination of personality and upbringing. they’d just hack through the thicket, not thinking about the creatures that live in it. that is not a terrible thing! it isn’t. it’s a different way of approaching a problem, and it has different priorities. that’s okay. there are advantages and disadvantages on both sides, and where you come down is going to depend on your personal values.

okay we’ve spiraled far and away from my original point, but let’s circle back: i was talking about class.

I think it’s undeniable that class, birthright, fate etc. are some of the driving forces of thematic conflict in mdzs, and the way each character interacts with those forces reveals a lot about themselves and also about the larger themes of fate, chance, and what it means to be righteous and good and how that is and isn’t rewarded. a lot of the tragedy of mdzs (the tragedy that isn’t caused by direct aggression on the part of one group or another) stems from the injustices and slights that people suffered due to their lot in life. it isn’t fair. none of it is fair! we sympathize with jin guangyao because we recognize that what he suffered was unconscionable, even if we don’t excuse him. i sympathize A Lot with xue yang as well for similar reasons, though I understand that’s a harder sell. this is a story focused on the mistakes of an entrenched, aging gentry and the effects that those mistakes had on their children, and a lot of it has to do with prejudice based in class and birth status. whether the prejudice was the true reason or whether it was just a convenient excuse, the fact remains that the systems in place rewarded and protected the people in power who used it to cling to that power. mdzs is also a story of how the circumstances of one’s life can offer you impossible choices that you cannot abstain from, and it asks us to be compassionate to the people who made terrible choices in terrible times. it’s about the inherent complexity in all things! that sometimes, there are no good choices, and i don’t know, i’d like to think that people would show me compassion if I had to make the choices some of these characters did. not just wei wuxian, mind you, every single one of them. except jin guangshan because I Do Hate Him sorry. and i guess wen ruohan. i think that’s it.

good. GOD this is clocking in at //checks notes -- just over 5k. 8′D *stuffs some weeds into my mouth like the clown i am*

(ko-fi? :’D *lies down*)

#OH BOY OH BOY #mdzs #the untamed #mdzs meta #the untamed meta #?? #mymeta #meta #cql #cql meta #mine #cyan gets too deep in the weeds #im literally falling asleep as i'm typing right now so i'm SURE i've made mistakes and forgotten stuff but i am just. #*yeets this out into the void* #please read this i worked hard on it ;A; #class #class conflict #class consciousness #Anonymous #asks and replies #ok bedtime byebye

[miraeluc]

you don’t return from a mission

prompt: “diluc starts to worry when you’ve been gone on a simple mission for more than two days so he decides to look for you himself”

pairing: diluc x gender-neutral! reader

word count: 1,1k

warnings: mention of broken bone?? reader is hurt (not too bad), it’s just cute tbh

genre: angst, fluff

he was worried sick.

it was unlike you to stay overtime on missions - you did your work and left, avoiding unwanted commissions from strangers

after 1 day he wasn’t too worried, maybe you got carried away

after 2 days he was already starting to worry, maybe you went somewhere more far away and are camping there?

you were supposed to go to springvale though

that’s not that far.

after 3 days he was getting physically ill from all the overthinking - he thought every single possibility of what state you may be in right now

he hopes you’re just camping somewhere

he decided he couldn’t wait anymore and decided to go out and look for you himself 

the next morning he awoke at 5am

he couldn’t sleep any longer so he got a backpack with emergency items such as a first aid kit and went on his (not so) merry way

he walked through windrise

just to make sure you weren’t there

sadly you were nowhere to be found 

he sighed and kept walking - now on the way to springvale 

he didn’t want to admit if but he was so terrified of losing you 

you were the first person able to break down his walls in years

the thought of you potentially being in great danger made him automatically increase speed

he walked through the small village

“hey, brook. have you seen y/n around?”

“master diluc? y/n? they came by few hours ago to cook some food! looked pretty... disheveled. they said they were on their way to clear some hilichurl camps.”

diluc cursed under his breath

“did you see what direction they went?”

“took off in dawn winery’ direction-” 

“ok. thanks.” he cut her off

he immediately started walking again, now getting more worried after brook described your appearance as ,,disheveled,, 

when he arrived at dawn winery there was no one outside

that was weird

there’s usually always someone out there

where is everyone????

he obviously tried to go in 

the doors were locked

that’s double-weird 

double-weird until he very clearly heard you grunt in pain in the distance, atleast

what was dangerous enough to make dawn winery shut closed without asking him first?

he didn’t have enough time to ponder over it because he was already sprinting towards the source of sounds coming from you 

his eyes widened and he faltered for a second as soon as he saw you, on the ground in the middle of three cryo abyss mages

he was, for the first time, relieved to be noticed by enemies - the three now floating towards him

he felt his anger picking up when he glanced at you, lying on the ground motionless

so, ya know what he did?

he released intense flames - knocking his opponents shields off, letting his phoenix finish them off 

he sprinted towards you, dropping to his knees and pulling you to rest your head on his lap 

“y/n, hang on for me, alright? don’t close your eyes”

his voice was shaking 

“d-diluc- i can’t-” 

was the only thing you managed to cough out, entrusting him to keep you safe, unable to keep fighting to stay awake, enduring that pain

you woke up to the sound of wood crackling beside you, residing into the warmth it radiated

curse those cryo abyss mages 

you slowly peeled your eyes open, flinching at the sight of barbara and diluc hovering above you 

where were you?

is this.. dawn winery??

what’s barbara doing here,,

you don’t know and you don’t care because you feel yourself getting engulfed by diluc’s arms 

“god, you scared me so much..”

he won’t mention that he cried in front of barbara because he was so worried

that would feed your ego a little too much 

“i’m sorry.. are they gone? i just wanted to defeat them before returning home..”

“they’re long gone..”

he sighed and pulled away from the hug, glancing at barbara who was waiting for your little moment to end before she could speak 

“how did that even happen? you can take down three abyss mages easily!”

“I had cleared three hilichurl camps already and I was weakened - those took me by surprise as I was making my way back”

“you need to be careful next time - i healed you to the best of my abilities, but damage that only time can heal has been left behind. you have a broken rib and you were shivering the entire time while you were out! we warmed you up as best as we could and you should be fine now, but i wouldn’t be surprised if you do catch a cold the next few days..”

she then paused and looked at diluc

“you need to take care of y/n until they get bett-”

“you don’t even need to tell me. i won’t leave y/n out of my sight for now.”

she nodded and stood up

“very well. then, i’ll leave back to mondstadt, i still have work to do.”

without another word she left, which made diluc’s attention go back to you 

he reached his hand out to caress your cheek

“i nearly got sick myself when you didnt return home after 3 days”

you broke out in a little giggle, stopping when your rib started immensely hurting but you then spoke

“oh diluc.. you know i usually take longer because i get carried away.. nonetheless, i’m very thankful that you came to my aid, no one else would have..”

“it makes me want to fire all my employees - they were all ju-”

you cut him off, pulling him down towards you to kiss his lips 

“i’m glad they did, i got to see you fight~”

he scoffed, a smile spreading onto his lips

“seriously? that’s what you’re happy about?”

“well you looked very hot..” you trailed off

he attacked your face with tiny kisses after-

you best believe he didn’t let you out of sight the following weeks

he mostly made you stay in bed

always bringing you tea and left to fetch medicine for you in case of need

he even waited in front of the bathroom door when you needed to use the bathroom 

he even helped you shower 

you don’t express it verbally, but you’re really thankful to have him

no one except him supports and protects you as much as he does

he could literally kill someone for you

(spoiler: he already did.)

he’s your little meanie

did i mention that taking care of you also meant lots and lots of cuddles?

he always says it’s ‘so i can warm you up’

...

you know it’s because deep down he’s still very worried about your well-being

even after you’ve returned to good condition he hesitates to let you go on commissions 

he usually accompanies you, just to make sure

you don’t mind 

going on adventures alone can get boring - so having him by your side makes it all better :)

additional notes: hey there! there’s my second drabble. (truth is, i actually dislike this one lol). to be honest, i got so happy at the positive feedback towards my kaeya drabble, so i’m sorry it took me a while to write another one and it came out short too :( - i was having a little struggle with some writers block lol. nonetheless i hope you enjoyed this!!

#diluc #diluc x reader #diluc ragnvindr #fluff #angst #gender neutral #genshin impact angst #genshin impact #genshin impact fluff #gender neutral reader #you get hurt #abyss mage #diluc fluff #diluc angst

[prettylittleheartfilia]

The Usual

Neither of them knew how they ended up in this situation. One moment she was yelling at him for sneaking into her house, as usual. Then they began sparring, as usual. And now they found themselves on the couch, Natsu’s lips capturing hers, Lucy’s hands cupping his cheeks, which was not usual at all.

It was a soft kiss, neither of them really sure of what they were supposed to be doing with their mouths. They pulled away, pressing their foreheads together. The two stayed like that for a while, eyes closed, basking in the realization of what had just happened.

Lucy slowly opened her eyes and, just as she was about to speak, Happy flew in through the open window in her apartment.

“Lucy! Did you get any fish for me?”

Both Natsu and Lucy jumped at the sound of the exceed’s voice, scrambling to opposite ends of the couch so as to not raise any suspicion on what they had been doing less than a minute ago.

“Hey, buddy!” Natsu said a little too enthusiastically, his voice an octave higher than normal. “I thought you were hanging out with Carla.”

“Yeah, but I wanted to give her my fish and then I realized I actually ate it on the way to the guild, so I’m looking for another one.” He explained as he made his way to Lucy’s pantry.

“You already ate the fish I saved you.” Lucy called out, trying to hide her still reddened cheeks.

“What? Lucy~, that’s why I tell you to keep a bunch of them in the pantry!”

“I’m not saving any more of your stinky fish!” She got up and started pushing both of them towards the front door. “If you want more then go fishing and stop annoying me!”

The blonde slammed the door on their faces, leaning her head on it and letting her body slide down onto the floor. She normally didn’t mind their company, as much as she constantly berated them for invading her personal space, but today she needed to be alone in order to process what the hell had just happened.

The days following the incident were… weird. Lucy started avoiding Natsu like the plague. She dreaded going to the guild out of fear that she might run into him. And when she did inevitably run into him, she would make up a quick excuse as to why she couldn’t go on missions with him or sit with him to eat. The dragon slayer hadn’t sneaked into her place after that day either, which should have been a relief for the blonde, but it just made her feel like he thought what happened between them had been a mistake.

But what right did she have to feel this way? She was the one who continued to run away from him, too afraid of what might happen if they got the chance to be alone together. And now, she was all by herself in her apartment, deciding to focus on her novel instead of trying to go to the guild for a futile game of hide and seek like she had been doing all week. Except that this wasn’t working either. Every time she tried to write words on the paper, her mind went back to Natsu and that day. The way his lips felt against her own—chapped but sweet, the way his hands felt on top of her hips, how his wild hair smelled of-

Lucy flinched at the sound of someone knocking on her door. She jumped out of her desk chair and quickly opened the entrance to her apartment, not really caring who was behind the door as long as they could make her think of something other than her best friend’s lips.

“Hey, Lu!” As soon as the door opened, Levy jumped on the blonde, hugging her tight.

“Hey… everyone. What are you guys doing here?” Still a bit flustered from her earlier thoughts, Lucy hugged Levy back as she glanced up to see Cana, Juvia, Erza, Mira, and Lisanna all standing in her doorway.

“We thought today would be a perfect day for a girls’ night!” Mira explained as she and the other girls made themselves comfortable in Lucy’s home.

Lucy smiled softly. A girls’ night was just what she needed to clear her head, even if it was unexpected.

Or so she thought.

Not even ten minutes after her friends’ arrival, Cana exposed the real reason why they had suddenly come to visit. “So, Lucy, did something happen between you and Natsu?”

“Cana!” Levy smacked her arm as the other girls looked at the brunette with wide eyes.

“What? Might as well just come out and ask instead of beating around the bush.”

The blonde’s face glowed red as she hurriedly denied her friend’s question. “No! No no no, everything’s fine! W-why do you ask?”

“Please. We all notice how weird you’ve been acting lately. You run away if you see even a glimpse of pink hair.”

Lucy looked down. Maybe she should tell them what happened. She’s not used to talking about her feelings, normally just shoving them down and distracting herself by writing or going on a mission. But none of those distractions seemed to be working right now. And most of her friends had much more experience in this department than her, surely they would know what to do. Plus, she trusted these girls with her life.

“Natsu and I… we, we kissed… last week.” She muttered, still looking down. Part of her hoped they didn’t hear her but, alas, they did.

There was a resounding “WHAT?” from all of her guests and Lucy simply nodded, still too afraid to look up.

“Oh my God! Pay up, guys!” Cana jumped up, thrusting her open palm in front of Mira’s face.

“I really thought it would take them years.” Mirajane grumbled as she took out some rolled up jewels from her cleavage and handed them to the brunette. Both Lisanna and Erza also stood up and begrudgingly gave Cana their money.

“Juvia knew it was coming. They’ve been flirting more and more these days.” Said the water mage with a smug grin as Cana divided the bills with her and Levy.

“Wait, what?” Lucy finally looked up indignantly, “You guys made a bet about this?”

“Of course. We all know you two idiots are in love. You’re the last ones to realize it.” Cana shrugged as she sat down again.

“We’re not in love.” Lucy responded, but even she knew it was a weak protest.

“How did it happen? Who kissed who? Was it like you expected your first kiss to go?” Levy jumped from question to question excitedly.

“I don’t even know. We sat down on the couch after a sparring match and we were just playing around and then…” She trailed off.

“Did you like it?” Erza spoke up for the first time.

“...Yes?” Lucy responded after a while and groaned after she saw her friends’ cheeky smiles, burying her face in her hands.

“If you liked it so much, then why do you keep running away from him?” Asked Cana.

“I don’t know,” The blonde mumbled, face still buried in her hands before she moved to hug her knees instead, “Things are just… weird right now. I don’t know what I want, or what he wants.”

“Well, do you see yourself in a relationship with him?” Mira asked softly.

This got Lucy thinking. Ever since she was little, she had always fantasized about marrying her Prince Charming. Someone who was elegant, classy, a gentleman on all counts. But, after meeting Natsu, somehow the idea of that Prince Charming started fading away from her mind until there was no trace of it left. Now, whenever she thought about the one person she wanted to spend forever with, the only things she could envision were wide, warm smiles and pink hair. She never spent too much time thinking about what it could all mean, too afraid of what she might find if she dug deep enough in her heart. But the truth always found its way to the surface.

“I do.” She admitted in a whisper, more to herself than the people around her. “I want us to be together forever.”

“Then, what are you so afraid of? Go and talk to him.”

“I can’t. What if he doesn’t feel the same way? I don’t think he’s interested in relationships. And even if he was, he’s my best friend. I would never want to do anything that could jeopardize that.”

This time, Lisanna interjected. “Luce, I’ve known Natsu for a long time. I probably know him better than he knows himself in certain ways. I can assure you, the boy is head over heels for you. And I’m not the only one who sees it.” The other girls made gestures of agreement and Lisanna chuckled.

“You’re missing out on what could potentially be a beautiful thing because you’re scared of the what-ifs. Yes, maybe along the line something happens and you guys break up. But, maybe you don’t and you get to grow old together. You’ll never know unless you try. Life is all about risks and I know you’re brave enough to take them. I’ve seen you do it.”

Mira’s speech almost brought tears to Lucy’s eyes. She was right-- as she usually was about everything. If Lucy was able to leave everything behind at seventeen to become a mage and get through countless adversities in her way, even when all odds were against her, what’s stopping her from confronting a boy?

“No matter what happens, we will always be a team.” Erza added, and it was just the validation Lucy needed to make her mind up.

“Thank you, guys. Really. And you’re right. I need to stop running away and just talk to him.”

———

Today was the day. After going over everything the Strauss sisters had said to her in the mirror to gain courage, Lucy took a deep breath and made her way towards the guild.

As soon as she opened the grand doors, she was met with the familiar ruckus of Fairy Tail; chairs being thrown in the air, groups of people singing while drunk-- Cana being the most notable of all, of course. People yelling out what missions they were planning on taking to Mira, and what seemed to be a crowd of people cheering on a fight. She smiled. As much as Lucy loved peace and quiet, there was something so comforting about all the chaos that went on inside the guild. It felt like home.

Only when she got closer did the celestial mage notice that the people who were fighting were none other than Natsu and Gray. Gajeel seemed eager to join the fight from where he stood in the crowd, but he was being pulled back and chastised by Levy.

Rolling her eyes, Lucy squeezed her way through the group until she was standing on the front row. “Natsu, Gray! You better stop before Erza sees you.”

The threat fell on deaf ears, the two mages too entranced on beating each other up to even notice the presence of their friend. Sighing, Lucy made her way to where the two of them stood. Before either of the boys could process what was happening, Lucy grabbed their heads and crushed them together. The hollering crowd instantly went silent and slowly dispersed, knowing not to cross the blonde when she was in one of those moods.

“What the fuck, Lucy!” Cried out Gray as he rubbed the injured area.

Deciding there were more important matters at hand, Lucy ignored him and turned to Natsu who was also rubbing his head until he noticed the girl looking at him. He straightened up with wide eyes.

Before he could say anything though, Lucy hurriedly asked, “Can you come over for dinner later?” Knowing that if she didn’t ask now she would lose all the courage she worked so hard to build.

The question seemed to throw Natsu off. He sent a panicked look at Gray, as if questioning whether he heard her right, and answered after a few seconds. “S-sure! I’ll be there.”

———

Lucy decided to leave the guild early not only to make the food, but to mentally prepare for what was about to happen.

She was going to ask Natsu how he felt. And she had no idea what to expect. The boy had never been good with words or expressing himself, his thoughts always a mystery to whoever he was around. Perhaps if she hadn’t kicked him out of the apartment after their kiss and avoided him every day since then, she would have an idea of what was going on through his mind. But it’s too late for regret now.

Just as she finished setting up the small table, she heard someone knocking at her door. Taking a deep breath, Lucy opened the door to find her pink-haired partner scratching the back of his neck, a soft blush dusting his cheeks. Part of her was afraid he was going to fly in through the window with Happy, but she was glad to see he understood that she wanted them to talk alone.

“Natsu.” She breathed, suddenly at a loss for words.

“Hey, Luce.” He gave her one of his signature big smiles, but Lucy noticed that it didn’t reach his eyes. He seemed… nervous. She never thought Natsu was capable of feeling that emotion.

They stood awkwardly on the doorway for a few seconds before Lucy realized it was her turn to speak.

“C-come in! I made some of that spicy chicken you really like.” She looked down at the floor as she opened the door wider so he could pass.

“Thanks!” He chirped as he sat down on one of the dining chairs.

Lucy gulped. The entire speech she rehearsed over and over again had completely been erased from her mind the moment she saw him.

This was going to be a long night.

———

Once again, Lucy had no idea how they ended up like this. Dinnertime had been very awkward, the two of them eating silently for the most part, making small talk every once in a while, both of them too afraid to mention the elephant in the room. But, somehow, they had gone from barely talking at each other, to making a bet on who would win a sparring match. Even in the most difficult situations, Natsu always found a way to wreak havoc. And Lucy found a strange sense of comfort in that.

At first, the blonde was hesitant on accepting the bet, still feeling the discomfort of all the things left unsaid. But, when Natsu sent a Fire Dragon Iron Fist her way, breaking her favorite vase as she ducked, she decided to make good use of her Fleuve D’étoiles. After a few minutes of going back and forth, Lucy pretended to point at something surprising behind Natsu, which gave her the opportunity to wrap her whip around Natsu’s ankle when he looked back and tug him until he collapsed on the ground. The oldest and cheapest trick in the book, Lucy knew, but a win was a win. Honestly, she was more surprised that it had actually worked.

She unwrapped the whip from Natsu’s ankle and placed it gently on her desk. The dragon slayer was still laying flat on the floor, so Lucy decided to lay down next to him. She sighed as she felt all the tension she had been feeling lately leave her body. It had only been a week but she had seriously missed being around her best friend. It didn’t matter to her what they were, she just wanted to be with him. That was enough for her.

“Now my face is all red.” She muttered as she pressed her hands to her cheeks.

“I like your face.” Natsu mumbled and, as they both whipped their heads to look at each other with wide eyes, Lucy realized that he was just as surprised by what had come out of his mouth as she was. “I, I mean your face is cool! I-it’s nice. Even when it’s all red and sweaty like now.”

Lucy raised an eyebrow at his poor attempt to save himself but made no effort to stop him.

“But not only your face!” He continued, “Gray told me you should never just talk about a girl’s appearance.” He grumbled, as if upset he had broken some sort of special rule and Lucy could not stop her amused smile. “Like, yeah, your face is nice, but you are also nice! And smart. And I like how I feel when we hang out. Ugh, what am I saying?” He turned his face towards the ceiling again and covered it with his hands.

It took everything in Lucy’s power to not burst out laughing right then and there. Was Natsu… confessing? She had never seen him so flustered. Ever. Normally, that was her thing. She had to admit, it was nice being on the other end every once in a while. All this time, she tried her hardest to muster up the courage to talk to him, trying to convince herself that things would be fine even if he didn’t feel the same way and now here he was, making a fool out of himself in the most heartwarming way Lucy could have asked for.

After a couple moments of silence, Lucy finally decided to speak up with newfound confidence.

“... I like your face too. Just so you know.”

Natsu dropped his hands from his face and whipped his head to look at Lucy. She raised her eyebrows, hoping he would understand exactly what she meant. She knew he understood by the way his lips slowly formed a giddy smile, one to match hers. Without the need for any more words, they both turned to look at the ceiling as their hands found their way to each other’s, fingers entangling.

This definitely wasn’t the usual for them, but maybe it was time for a new normal.

#fairy tail #nalu #nalu fanfic #lucy heartfilia #natsu dragneel #my writing #i think this is the longest one-shot i've written so far #not pictured: gray threatening to cut natsu's balls if he ever hurt lucy after finding out about the kiss #also not pictured: the bags under my eyes because i decided to proof-read this at an ungodly hour