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firstelevens · 2 years

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sam and bucky, 49

49. holding onto the other’s shoulders for support

Sam’s spent roughly the past decade of his life very aware that he is not, in fact, a genetically enhanced supersoldier. Ever since that morning when Steve ran literal circles around him at the Tidal Basin, it’s hovered in the back of his mind.

It tends not to bother him; Sam would take the life he has over superstrength and enhanced agility any day. But sometimes–usually when he’s incurred a minor but annoying injury–he can’t help but think that accelerated healing would be nice.

This time around, he thinks he’s managed to hide it pretty well. It’s just a sprained ankle, as far as he can tell, and given that Bucky’s his on-the-ground support, Sam doesn’t need to touch down for the entire duration of their fight against the weird, woodland-creature-shaped androids that they’ve been tracking since yesterday.

As the cleanup crew rolls in, he flies over to the open doors of the jet, and no sooner has he gingerly landed than Bucky appears beside him.

“Come on,” he says, patting his vibranium shoulder. “I know you hurt your ankle when the robot reindeer threw you into those trees.”

“I’m fine,” Sam grits out. He got clipped by a bullet last week and mostly walked it off; it feels silly to make a big deal out of a minor sprain. His body apparently has no respect for the comparison, though: he can’t manage one step in his heavy tactical boots before he stumbles.

Bucky is there to catch him, naturally, looping Sam’s arm around his shoulders and mumbling a familiar refrain about self-sacrificing idiots. Sam’s about to shrug him off when he plays his trump card: “If you don’t rest that ankle, there’s no way it’ll be healed up for Cass’s school carnival on Saturday.”

Sam heaves a sigh and wordlessly shifts some of his weight onto his partner’s shoulder. The way he hobbles up the ramp isn’t exactly dignified, but it does hurt less than trying to do it himself.

Once Bucky has deposited Sam on one of the jump seats lining the side of the jet, he disappears into the cargo space and returns with a crate. Before he can say anything, Sam lifts his foot so the crate can be slotted beneath it. Bucky steps back to briefly survey the setup, hums quietly in approval, and hands Sam the tablet that he uses to fill out mission reports before taking the seat next to him.

They have a shaky liftoff, which isn’t surprising given that they’re surrounded by enormous trees, but it jostles Sam’s injured foot and he swears he hears Bucky growl beside him when it happens.

The turbulence continues for a bit until they reach altitude, and Sam, partly out of curiosity but mostly to protect Torres from a patented Barnes Death Glare, nods at the phone in Bucky’s hand and asks, “You end up listening to that new playlist yet? Because I worked very hard on it and cultural education is not a spectator sport.”

Bucky turns to him, raising an eyebrow. “Did you just misquote one of your own PSAs at me?”

Sam narrows his eyes. “I was paraphrasing. And don’t think I didn’t notice you avoiding my question.”

Bucky shakes his head, but there’s definitely a twinkle in his eyes as he swipes at his phone screen. “I haven’t exactly had the time. It’s not like Sarah’s new shed built itself, and your playlists are…comprehensive.”

Okay. So maybe Sam had started his DJ White Wolf playlist as a joke, and maybe it had very rapidly grown into more than that. Maybe Sam had spent more hours than he’d care to admit deliberating over what tracks to include and which ones to leave out. Maybe he had started writing up notes to go with each track because Bucky was missing more than seventy years of context, and how was he supposed to appreciate Sam’s stellar curation skills without it?

He’d pointedly ignored Sarah when she reminded him that he hadn’t gone to this much trouble building a mixtape since high school, but the panicked swoop in his gut at the thought of Bucky thinking his playlist was too much feels decidedly adolescent.

A similarly teenaged feeling: the immediate one-eighty to warmth spreading in his chest when Bucky goes on to say, “Besides, what’s the point if I can’t read your notes while listening?”

“Well,” says Sam, like he’s not a little bit giddy, “I’m glad you’re finally deferring to my expertise on something. Can’t have my partner walking around the twenty-first century with no clue who Beyoncé is.”

“She’s the ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ lady, right?”

He’s wide-eyed and horrorstruck for half a second, already working up a lecture in his head when he realizes that Bucky’s face of innocent curiosity is just a little too innocent. Sam bites back a grin and elbows him. “Man, shut up. I know I made you a whole Beyoncé playlist.”

“I know,” Bucky says, holding up his phone so Sam can see the cover of Dangerously In Love. Then, with a smirk: “You were so worried that the music might offend me; it was touching.”

“The other day you ranted for twenty minutes about the price of a newspaper, Buck. Forgive me for thinking you might be a little old-fashioned.”

“Because sex and profanity were invented in the twenty-first century,” he says flatly.

“Alright, grandpa, we get it. You’re very hip for your age,” says Sam, bracing his tablet on his leg and pulling up his post-mission paperwork. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Bucky snorts as he puts in his headphones. “They play it on the radio, Sam, how bad can it be?”

(Twenty minutes later, Sam is trying to figure out how to describe a giant titanium squirrel destroying part of a national park without making it sound like a fever dream when he feels Bucky startle.

He looks over to find a faintly pink-cheeked supersoldier, eyes wide and eyebrows raised in mild alarm as he stares down at Spotify.

“Ah,” says Sam, trying not to grin. “I see you made it to Partition.”)

#yes this is self indulgent no i do not have anything to say for myself #if u recognized similarities between Sam Wilson's mixtapes and my high school mix CDs no u did not #also in case anyone was wondering: yes of course I built the DJ White Wolf playlist #Sambucky #I feel like I should clarify that Partition is great; it just has that break about 2 minutes in #so it was the ideal 'song catches person off-guard' choice #my fic #The Falcon and the Winter Soldier #zainab does ask meme things #touch prompts #Sam x Bucky

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jonismitchell · 2 years

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Tis the damn season... to definitively rank our favourite media of the year! When I say ‘our’ favourite media, I mean mine, and when I say ‘of the year’, I mean albums I listened to this year, not necessarily albums that came out this year. Now that that’s cleared up, I’m sure you’re excited to hear what my favourite albums were this year, and even more excited to argue with me about them. (Which I welcome! Please come contest my personal preferences!) I listened to eighty-three new albums this year, so it was extremely hard to narrow it down to a top ten and even harder to decide an order. Without further ado, let’s test the extent of my ability to make decisions.

1. Born in the U.S.A by Bruce Springsteen While this list is based on my personal preference, I know that this album is universally recognized as one of the greatest of all time. It is hence impossible to come up with a novel way to describe how brilliant Born in the U.S.A is as a body of work, much less articulate what the album means in a manner that doesn’t feel trite or repetitive. I will only shed light on it through my best known lens: personal experience. Every morning since I began listening, I’ve played this album on the subway to school. The songs almost sound unfulfilled without the rush of public transit behind them. Whenever I think of these moments, No Surrender lunges to the front of my mind in unprecedented colour. There is an understated triumph in this song; victory in the choice to keep going. “I want to sleep beneath peaceful skies in my lover’s bed,” sings Springsteen, “with a wide open country in my eyes and these romantic dreams in my head.” Most of the songs on Born in the U.S.A. acknowledge the present, which is dissonant with the ideal, but these lyrics possess a simple hope. The ultimate success of this polished, insightful, and emotional record is its own ability to imagine something greater than itself.

2. Sleep Well Beast by The National The National’s exceptional seventh record is a testament to the music that can emerge not despite chaos, but because of it. A slew of songs from this record lack the professional, stately gleam of most recent releases, instead privileging the coarseness of a late night confession as a guide to their musicality. The production value on this album is rough around the edges, jarring the ear in the same vein that you might when a polite rejoinder comes out a touch too pointed. What draws me to this album more than anything is the presence of control—but a control so strictly managed that it threatens to slip away. The point of this album is endurance. That’s why Matt Berninger sings about walking it back, wondering about the day you die (the alternative to dealing with the present), ruminating on how there’s nothing left to say. In one of my favourite Sappho poems, a line is translated as either ‘everything can be endured’ or ‘everything can be ventured’. Sleep Well Beast seems to suggest that they might mean the same thing: venture to think that things will be different but endure your inevitable failure to change them. I hesitate to describe an album that rings so true to me as a study in cowardice, but perhaps that’s exactly the feeling I recognize.

3. Colour Green by Sibylle Baier If I were a betting woman, I would put money on no one reading this post knowing what album I’m talking about here. This handful of quietly poignant folk songs were originally recorded by Baier in the early 1970s, then compiled by her son and released in 2006. The fairytale nature of this origin story only serves to underscore how wonderfully ethereal the songs feel. Each song is short and concise, with the entire album clocking in at just over half an hour. Baier’s lyrics are often simplistic, allowing her voice and the simple hope of folk to balloon into an emotional honesty that catches the listener off guard. Simplicity does not mean the reduction of complex ideas into vapid similes, but rather the distilling of rabid emotions into well formulated lines of song. This is the nature of my favourite track from the album, Forget About, which cannot even finish its own hook (‘you made me forget about…’). It depicts the feeling of being around someone who makes your anxieties fall away, but the pain does not require description once it cannot be remembered. It becomes merely a soft, tender place, one you might not wish you companion to touch but which you certainly notice the presence of. I have explained this emotion with clumsy tools called sentences, but Baier does not even have to finish hers to convey the same idea. The gentle lullabies of Colour Green are as emotionally vivid as they are beautiful in composition, and that is what makes this record a classic to me.

4. Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan We were in the car this summer, on vacation in Vancouver during sweltering heat. I was talking about Bob Dylan, praising his lyrical abilities with increasingly effusive gestures in response to the derision of my sister and father. ‘If you want great writing, why don’t you just read a book?’ my sister asked, a comment met with a high five from my father and an eye roll from me. They disparaged Dylan’s voice—which I’ll admit is an acquired taste—and claimed it undermined his talent. This is where I must disagree. When I listen to a song like Queen Jane Approximately, I want the song to sound exactly as messy as it feels. I don’t want to add my wildly fluctuating vocals to a song that’s the sonic equivalent of a magazine, because screaming your heart out to someone who sounds exactly as torn up as you are is a thousand times more cathartic. This strange, eclectic, haphazard collection of songs (yes, they’re brilliant, I know, they’re brilliant because they’re nuts) come together to create one of the best albums I’ve heard. Strangely enough, it is also an album defined by the environment you lean on it in, despite feeling like it should bypass that limitation. No matter how much time passes, Highway 61 Revisited will always sound like summer to me.

5. Tapestry by Carole King The insurmountable issue of writing about albums that are universally beloved enough is that every Dick, Tom, and Jerry who can write worth a dime has already shared an opinion that I can only reiterate. Carole King’s words are unassuming, lack arrogance in their clarity, and stand out vibrantly against the beautiful arrangements that compose this album. The starkness of her feeling catches me off guard, a poet accustomed to burying a simple human desire beneath a pile of self-conscious metaphors. ‘Can’t say much of anything that’s new,’ King sings on the incomparable So Far Away, a song that is poignant for the sheer universality of the emotion it depicts. I dare anyone to listen to all of Tapestry and find themselves unmoved, unrecognised by King’s eloquence. The compassion and intimacy which infuses this record makes it feel like a companion, someone who understands you as closely as a friend or family member might. While that may verge into the oft-bemoaned parasocial relationship, I urge the reader to recall that it is not due to a real connection but due to King’s talent for finding a human emotion we all feel and describing it better than any of us can. There is nothing more that can be said about this album except that is a masterpiece, and that is an observation common enough to become a Carole King song itself.

Honourable Mentions: Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night by Bleachers, Daddy's Home by St. Vincent, Home Video by Lucy Dacus, Jubilee by Japanese Breakfast, Stranger in the Alps by Phoebe Bridgers

#arden speaks #2021media*#when not a single album released in 2021 makes it into your 2021 top 5 you know you have a problem #it is funny that i used a taylor gif for a post that does not mention taylor once #and yes i know this is long as fuck #praying that the read more works

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aes-anime-asks · 3 years

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for that bokuro thing

» how would their first date go?¿

where, when, + their first kiss maybe,,, yk, the sappy bs

💖 Oof this ended up being longer than I anticipated, I hope you like it! 💖

Kenma was sick of it. Kuroo had been prattling on about Bokuto incessantly in the weeks leading up to training camp for both years they had been in school together and even when Kenma was just a middle schooler. It was time to nudge things forward a bit.

“Kuroo, you’ve been running around in the tutorial for three years now. You need to get some huevos and level up.”

“Ugh…” Kuroo could feel Kenma’s unrelenting stare upon him. He never did beat around the bush.

“Kuroo. Look at this logically. You two are practically inseparable whenever you’re together. He gives you those weird chest bumps all the time. He tackles you when you aren’t looking. He’s practically spelling it out for you.”

“Kenma… he’s… you know... a strange person. He’s like that with everyone. I’m not even sure if he’d be into a guy.”

“Has he ever talked about a girl? Even once?”

“I mean, no.”

“Ha. So, the odds are in your favor. This might be your last chance before you graduate. If you aren’t going to make it weird, I’m going to make it weird for you.”

It was times like this when Kuroo reminded Kenma that he used to be even shyer than him. That behind his cocky bravado, there was a bashful, guarded heart. More than anything, he wanted him to be happy after high school. After he graduated, there would need to be more to life than just school and volleyball. Kenma knew that Kuroo would be fine financially, probably getting some high-paying job with big pharma, but he couldn’t help imagining him all alone in his tiny studio apartment every day: cooking a microwave dinner, watching some documentary, and falling asleep, day after day. After all he’d done for him in high school, Kenma wanted to do something in return. So, on his way home from school, he hopped a bus downtown and bought two tickets to the aquarium. He knew that if money had been put into it that Kuroo wouldn’t back out.

________________________________________________

Kuroo could feel the sweat making his jersey stick to his back. He could feel the endorphins of an exhausting day of training cursing through him like the cicada’s insistent song. The tangy smell of barbecue wafted up from the grill as the embers died down for the evening. He got one last plate and settled into the grass by the firepit next to Kenma and a bunch of the other guys. Everyone knew it was the 3rd years’ last day of the last training camp, and no one was in a hurry to leave. By the look of it, a game of truth or dare was already going strong, because sure enough, there was Kenma, holding a cicada right up to Hinata’s face.

“You don’t have to swallow. You just have to bite its head off. It’s really not that bad. There were thousands of years of famine where whole villages lived on nothing but bugs. You’re only paying tribute to your ancestors. It tastes kind of nutty.” Kenma chuckled.

Despite his look of disgust, Hinata squealed and bit the cicada.

“AHHHHH! ITS LEGS ARE STILL MOVING!!” Hinata turned over and gagged while Kenma doubled over in laughter. After he recovered, an out of breath Hinata turned to Kenma. “Truth or Dare?”

“Truth.”

“Lameee… Okay. What’s the most illegal thing you’ve ever done?”

Kenma started to explain how he pulled a fire alarm in fifth grade to get out of having to give a speech, but Kuroo’s head started pounding and he stopped listening as Hinata waved Bokuto over and he put two and two together. Were Hinata and Kenma conspiring against him? He shivered involuntarily and tried to steady his breathing. He knew exactly what was about to happen.

“Okay, Kuroo. Dare.” Kenma said. He could’ve sworn he saw Hinata giggle. He was definitely in on this.

“You need to give these to the most attractive person here.” He held out two tickets to the Shinagawa Aquarium.

The pounding started again. These kinds of nerves usually only happened to him when he was in a match and was torn about what to do next. The difference here was that he knew exactly what he needed to do. Kenma, always the perfect setter, had made sure conditions were ideal. Boy, was inter-high going to be awkward if what he was about to do next didn’t pan out. He still had an out. He could give the tickets to Kiyoko or Yachi. But he knew Kenma would never forgive him. He only hoped no one could see his face flush as he wordlessly shuffled over to Bokuto. He could have played it off as a joke, as he was sure Bokuto was going to, but he felt like he might pass out, so he smacked the tickets down on Bokuto’s thigh without making eye contact or saying a word.

“A man of good taste!” Bokuto announced in his goofy stadium announcer voice, ruffling Kuroo’s hair. Behind his façade, Kuroo could feel Bokuto’s huge eyes asking him a million questions. Questions he was not ready to answer. Not here anyway.

________________________________________________

“ned help. Calculis. Might fail. Come quick. Pls ”

Bokuto’s text had come as a horrendously spelled relief. It had been almost a week and a half since training camp. Kuroo had been obsessively checking his phone, sure that Bokuto had smushed up the tickets in his training bag and forgotten them. Or worse, used them to take some fangirl on a date. Despite Kuroo’s knack for academics, this was the first time Bokuto had directly asked for help.

Kuroo put a little extra gel in his hair, sniff checked himself, applied more deodorant, and ran out to catch the bus.

When he got to Bokuto’s place, Bokuto opened the door with sunglasses on and his keys in his hand. He did not appear to have even attempted any of his homework. It was a good thing Bokuto was talented at volleyball.

“I gave up!” Bokuto announced proudly, gesturing at the mound of papers on the ground. “But since you came all the way here, I didn’t want to waste your time. Still want to go to Shinagawa?”. The tickets weren’t crumpled. In fact, they were in perfect condition, like they had never even been in his pockets.

“Uhh... yeah.” God, Kuroo felt so awkward. He had spent so much time with Bokuto, but there had always been a net between them and a clear goal. Practice. Mess with kohai. Strategize. Eat. Now it was just the two of them wandering around. Was Bokuto fearless or oblivious? It was hard to tell. Kuroo listened as Bokuto rambled on and on about his futile attempt at calculus, and how he was worried about keeping his university scholarship if he failed, but despite the depressing topic, his tone was even more chipper than usual.

When they arrived at the aquarium, Bokuto’s eyes lit up like a little boy’s. “Kuroo? First, can we go pet the stingrays?”

Kuroo nodded and smiled just slightly as Bokuto tugged on his arm in the right direction. He listened as Bokuto pedantically explained the exact way to wiggle your fingers so that the stingrays would swim right up to you, and then precisely where you could touch them without getting close to their stinger. Bokuto’s incessant talking made it so that Kuroo’s own breathless joy didn’t lead to awkward pauses. Hours passed this way, Bokuto bursting with excitement and Kuroo riding his wave of enthusiasm.

There was one final corner of the aquarium Bokuto had been saving for last. The crowds had dispersed, and they were alone. This room was carpeted so that they could barely even hear their own footsteps in the dim lighting. They both were speechless. After a long day of crowds and Bokuto’s lengthy explanations, the silence in this room felt sacred. The only light came from the thousands of teal jellyfish floating in the indigo water.

Kuroo felt like he was standing on a ledge, like the jiggle of the diving board, as you hesitate before diving into the shockingly cold, but smooth water. He’d never been so attracted to someone before. He could listen to him for days and never get tired. Bokuto’s enthusiasm for life made him remember how it felt to be a kid, when everything was important when everything mattered. Now in the darkness, the green glow of the jellyfish playing off of Bokuto’s amber eyes, Kuroo knew he didn’t have a choice. He was jumping off. He whispered to him, not wanting to disrupt his wonder.

“Bokuto?”

Just as Bokuto turned toward him, before he could say anything, Kuroo leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. He could feel his stomach doing somersaults, vertigo overtaking him as Bokuto grabbed him back, taking his head in both of his hands and kissing him back. Hard. He felt the gentlest slip of his tongue into his mouth, forgetting where he was, knowing that he would never be able to get enough of this, of the way he tasted, the way his arm felt pressed into his back, how soft his hair felt, all the parts of him he had wanted to touch for so long. Wanting and being wanted back. Slowly the feeling of needing to faint returned and he could feel Bokuto pulling him onto a bench, holding him tight against him. His breath was soft and gentle on his neck, teasing at another kiss, but waiting until Kuroo looked back up at him, ready.

“Tetsuro… why did you make me wait so long?” Bokuto panted between urgent kisses on Kuroo’s neck.

“I… I was scared.” Kuroo hadn’t realized that there were tears brimming at the corners of his eyes and a lump in his throat.

Kuroo suddenly became aware of Bokuto’s arms, firm and warm, the same arms he had been watching for three years, holding him. Those huge hands were so gentle, his fingers massaging circles into the back of Kuroo’s neck.

“Let’s not be scared anymore, okay? Promise me, Tetsuro?”

Unable to speak, he took Bokuto’s hand and kissed it, hoping that this kiss would mean more than any words could.

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simprisottowriter · 4 years

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Aah, may I request some Kakyoin headcanons? Anything you'd like to write !!

I love him to bits (人*´∀｀)｡*ﾟ+

Such a cute request, soaps!! And a good choice too! Kakyoin is such a charming character, personality and design wise! I'd be more than glad to write about this precious and lovable gamer boy!! Hope you like them ^w^ ♡

◇ Very talented at art! Loves sketching anything that catches his eye. From daily normal objects, to environments and animals, Kakyoin's drawings have a specific charm to them. They might not focus on realism, but they perfectly capture the feelings and the motion of the moment! The colors give off a serene feel and usually have earthy tones. He also has a habit of absentmindedly sketching on the corners of his textbooks's pages, while taking notes. Though, is very shy about it and refuses to show his art, as he feels it is not worth showing. You'd say otherwise, as his sketches are wonderful!

◇ Isn't really fond of going to events, and would much rather pass time at home, with his close ones. Rainy weather while staying at home, with his favourite video game and the console being the only source of light in the room is probably Kakyoin's ideal night in. Would definitely love marathoning series or movies with friends, and considers it a top-tier hangout! Really treasures quality time!

◇ Though, an afternoon spent in a coffee shop doesn’t sound half bad, does it? Especially when he has with him his sketchbook and earbuds. Warm drinks are Kakyoin’s favourites, and would always order tea or hot chocolate. Coffee is just too bitter for him, but he doesn’t like to admit it.

◇ And speaking about video games, Kakyoin really appreciates it when someone shows interest in what he is playing! Any question about the lore or gameplay would leave him in awe, and he would try hide the excitement from his voice, as he answers your question in such detail. As a child, he wasn’t used to anyone caring about his hobbies. Thus, he gets very surprised when someone shows even a little bit of interest! Would definitely let you join the game and immediately help you get the best items and equipment. He’s the pro gamer, of course! Probably has really high ranking in his favourite games. Humbly tells you that he is not that good at it, even if he is in the top ten best players in his country.

◇ His talent in gaming isn’t limited to digital ones. Avid Dungeons and Dragons player, and remembers all the rules by heart! Has a collection of intricate and colourful dice. Some of them are even custom made! Reading the rulebook might not help you understand at first or make you get in the spirit of the game, but Kakyoin is so good at explaining the rules, that he helps you understand it in mere minutes! Favors and uses most of the time the Ranger class.

◇ His hairstyle doesn’t need much styling, actually. Just good brushing and a little bit of hair gel. The hair noodle is naturally curly. And whenever he is anxious or deep in thought, he braids it or toys with the loose hair strands from the fluffy hair curl.

◇ Loves calling his close ones by cute nicknames! Shows how much he cares in such a simple way. Wouldn’t expect it if someone called him by a sweet nickname too. Even if he would be red-faced after hearing it, he'd love it!

◇ Emanates a soft but sweet scent of perfume, fragnance similar to roses growing in the garden. ♡

◇ Binge-watches channels about video game theories or just watches cat videos at 3 am. He doesn’t really have the best sleep schedule. Nor is the best at time managing.

◇ Would be the one to text first, at random times throughout the day, to check on you. He needs to make sure that you are getting enough sleep, staying hydrated and eating properly!

◇ Clean, cursive handwriting, that is easy on the eye. Possibly the best person to ask notes from. You might get the ones he has made sketches on! ♡

◇ Adores winter, even if he is always cold, no matter how much he tries to warm up! Sweaters and scarves are some of his faves! Though, Kakyoin’s hands are cold most of the time, and he would use this as an excuse to hold yours.

◇ Puns and jokes? His favourite! Just prepare to hear so many puns randomly thrown so casually in conversations, that they will catch you off guard. They're usually very smart jokes, and he says them in a manner that makes them even funnier!

◇ Uses Hierophant Green for normal daily tasks, like grabbing items that are far away from him or even for carrying more stuff than he himself could. Has considered using it for pranks, but hasn't actually ever done that. Though, he doesn't really like bringing his stand out that often.

◇ His musical tastes would be mainly rock and jazz, since he likes Sting. Though, since he is very laid-back and adaptable, he wouldn't mind listening to any song that fits his style, regardless of genre!

◇ In all his younger years, he had a hard time finding someone to build a friendship with. Even now, it's still difficult for him to fully open up. His feelings and thoughts are all restricted by his fear. But once he finds someone that he can truly be himself with, he will slowly heal from this way of thinking. By having someone that could read through and fully understand him, he would realize that it won't harm him nor make him vulnerable, to show how he truly feels. No matter the nature of the relationship, first and foremost, Kakyoin needs a true friend.

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bestworstcase · 4 years

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#I'm so happy to see someone articulate #why Raps pulling rank in RatGT was so damaging and hurtful #b/c I often see that scene framed as a#''she's coming into her authority and role as queen!''#but it never sat right w/ me and I couldn't pin why

so these are some of @pnumbra-rbs’s tags on this post and while it’s a bit tangential to the point of that post i do have sOmE tHoUgHtS about that framing of the scene in the great tree, bc i also see that take floating around now and then and it always makes me go hrm.

broadly speaking, rapunzel’s character arc in rta does indeed involve coming into her authority. she enters the story as a socially-stunted, naive person struggling to grasp basic social norms like “don’t touch people without permission,” and she exits it as a competent, compassionate ruler who is comfortable and content in her role as the leader of her country.

but narrowing our focus down to just the argument in the great tree, it just... is not correct to say that this is the moment when rapunzel steps into her power or begins to come into her own as a princess and future queen. it is Rapunzel Making A Big Mistake, and the narrative intends for it to be taken as such.

let’s break this down. first, why is it a mistake? well.

is publicly yelling at a subordinate good leadership? is it a healthy, productive use of authority?

consider the argument in RATGT from this perspective for a moment. strip out all the emotional context surrounding the argument, and at the core of it what we have here is a disagreement over the safety of the group. adira’s position is that the group is exhausted and must rest, regardless of the fact that they are in enemy territory. cassandra’s position is that the great tree is too dangerous to make the benefits of stopping to rest worthwhile, and they must press on until they find a safer location.

both are somewhat valid perspectives. hector is likely to catch up to them regardless of what they do, and it’s better to fight well-rested on chosen ground than to be caught off guard when you’re tired. adira doesn’t spell it out, but her plan is basically to get some rest, then stand and fight at the top of the tree when, not if, hector catches up. meanwhile, cassandra’s plan is to get out of the tree as fast as they can and hope that hector doesn’t catch up with them until after they escape. who’s right? it depends on your estimation of the threats posed by hector and by the great tree itself.

(personally, i’m with cass on this one. a high ledge in enemy territory that has already proven to be very dangerous in its own right is not ground i would ever choose as a battlefield unless i had absolutely no other choice. and while everyone is tired after a long day, i like the benefit-to-risk ratio of taking a few minutes to stretch, drink some water, and eat some food before pressing on a lot better than the benefit-to-risk ratio of stopping here for the night and staking everything on a battle in this location.)

now... cass doesn’t handle herself well in this argument. at all. i think she, unlike the rest of the group, is picking up the subtext of adira’s proposal (that they will fight hector here), but rather than rationally express her concerns, she goes off on a paranoia-fueled rant accusing adira of wanting to get them all killed. she comes off as hysterical and unhinged because she’s speaking out of frustration, stress, and exhaustion. her behavior is absolutely inappropriate.

for rapunzel, as the leader, what is the correct way to handle this situation?

good leadership is not just about making choices. it’s not just about the judgment calls. it is about management. which means that as a leader, if a member of your team is having an emotional outburst like cass, you cannot respond in kind. it sucks and it’s kind of unfair, but them’s the breaks.

in this situation, an Ideal Good Leader would a) perceive that this paranoid outburst is coming from a place of real concern, and b) respond to it with the intention of pulling out the underlying meaning. eg: “i see that you’re upset, and i’m trying to understand. what’s going on? / where’s your head at? / where is this coming from?”

in canon, rapunzel’s actual response is “come on, cass, listen to yourself,” which is an invalidating (and somewhat condescending) statement that makes cass feel unheard, so cass gets more upset. the situation escalates. by comparison, Ideal Good Leader’s statement directly acknowledges cassandra’s distress and invites her to explain her reasoning. this would help to lower cassandra’s anxiety (by showing her that her concerns are being heard), which would enable her to better articulate her real point.

thus, the emotional side of the argument is defused, and a productive conversation becomes possible. perhaps a compromise (such as stopping for a few minutes to recharge and have a quick meal) could be reached, or else rapunzel can do her own cost-benefit analysis of adira’s proposal versus cass’s and make a reasoned decision about what they should do. cass feels heard, no one’s feelings get hurt, and rapunzel makes her choice based on what she thinks the safest course of action is, instead of angrily defaulting to the opposite of what cassandra thinks they should do.

and thus, there’s no need for an “i’m going to be queen, i’ll make choices you don’t like, and i need you to be okay with that” conversation—because, in this scenario where rapunzel makes good, healthy use of her authority, cassandra wouldn’t leave this conflict feeling hurt. she isn’t upset, in canon, because raps didn’t do exactly what she said to do; she’s upset because she got shot down pretty brutally and she feels like rapunzel doesn’t value her insight, advice, or judgment. if rapunzel had given her the space to calm down, feel heard, and feel like she was allowed to contribute to the conversation re: what to do, i think cass would’ve truly been okay with whatever rapunzel ultimately decided to do.

but of course, rapunzel isn’t an Ideal Good Leader, she’s rapunzel, and she’s still in a place where she doesn’t grasp the full reality of her own authority, and she’s thinking of cassandra as her friend, not as her subordinate. so she escalates the situation by mistake and we get... what we get, in canon. cass ends up demoralized, their friendship is permanently damaged, and the battle with hector goes predictably badly, with cassandra sustaining a horrific, debilitating injury in the process. (this, btw, is fundamentally why rapunzel is at fault for cassandra’s injury. it’s not about the spear vs incantation decision; it’s about this decision, this disagreement, the way she handles this fight.)

and second... how is this framed by the narrative?

well... our first clear signal that we are not meant to see this as anything but rapunzel making a big mistake is that the show explicitly draws a parallel between her behavior here to gothel’s behavior at the beginning of tangled. in tangled, gothel screams “Enough with the lights, Rapunzel!” with the intention of shutting rapunzel down and browbeating her into submission. in RATGT, rapunzel screams “Enough, Cassandra!” because she’s frustrated and upset and cass is acting irrational—but the emotional effect this has on cassandra is the same as the emotional effect gothel’s calculated outburst had on rapunzel in tangled. it’s an abuse of authority in both cases.

and on top of that, look at how the group reacts—not to cassandra’s outburst, but to rapunzel’s:

they’re all shocked, unhappy, and uncomfortable, because this is... a shocking, upsetting, uncomfortable thing to witness. (have you ever been on the sidelines while your boss or a teacher singled out a coworker/fellow student to yell at them? yeah.) and when cassandra looks to them for support, none of them say anything... because rapunzel is the princess and if this is how she wants to handle this conflict then, well, that’s her prerogative and they’re just going to cringe and grimace on cassandra’s behalf instead of sticking up for her.

and of course, no punches are pulled in illustrating how deeply this harms cassandra herself. we see how upset she is in the moment, we see how subdued she becomes when rapunzel comes to talk to her, we see the smile she forces when rapunzel signals that she isn’t interested in hearing cassandra’s feelings, and of course, this is what triggers “waiting in the wings,” which is a song all about cassandra’s pain—how she feels overlooked, neglected, unvalued, and unheard.

logistically speaking, this argument is a lot more complex than “cassandra right, rapunzel and adira wrong.” and emotionally, rapunzel’s reasons for reacting the way she does are perfectly understandable; it’s her first time ever dealing with a situation like this, she’s still muddling through leadership with no idea what she’s doing, and hearing cassandra call her “obliviously naive” was probably legitimately triggering because, hey, what did gothel always call her!

(though i tend to think that the point cass intended to make before raps cut her off was “what do you mean you can’t do that? are you so naive that you can’t see that you’re in charge? of course you can do that!” vs what i think rapunzel and a lot of the fandom took it as, ie cass saying rapunzel is naive for trusting adira. i like interpreting it that way because it dovetails so neatly with everything else happening in this argument re: rapunzel’s authority.)

but... despite this, the narrative expects us to sympathize with cass here. not because she’s right (her underlying concern is legitimate, but her argument as she presents it is... not right), not because her behavior is appropriate (it’s not), but rather because rapunzel’s leadership in this situation is terrible, exacerbates the conflict, and harms cassandra emotionally.

and as for rapunzel’s growth into her role as leader, this... is kind of another queen for a day moment. in QFAD, rapunzel experiences a difficult choice for the first time: she is forced to weigh the plea of one person she has a personal relationship with against hundreds or thousands of people who are looking to her for leadership in a time of crisis. and in QFAD, she makes the hard, but right, choice by prioritizing the needs of the many.

and in RATGT, rapunzel is introduced to another common type of crisis that leaders must be able to handle: an emotionally-fraught interpersonal conflict between two of her advisors which she, as the leader, must mediate. and unlike in QFAD, this time, rapunzel bungles it—and sees the consequences play out in vivid detail. RATGT is a vital learning experience for rapunzel. she couldn’t grow into the kind of leader she becomes over the course of s3 without making the mistake she makes in RATGT. and that’s why it just doesn’t make sense to say that this incident is rapunzel “coming into her authority”—because she’s not, she’s making a mess of things and then dealing with the messy, confusing, hurtful fallout of having done so.

#rta #rapunzel #cassandra #anyway ratgt is a masterpiece of storytelling and portrayal of complex interpersonal conflict

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littleghostbug · 3 years

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GIVE ME THE NAME OF ONE OF MY OCS IN MY ASKBOX AND I'LL ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY This one but for Orio cause I'm gonna smooch him so hard once I get ideas for one of those designs my king

01. Full name: Orio Parviz Eliades

02. Best friend: He has TWO; Ethan and Gil. Literally his closest friends for hundreds of years. He also has a little mouse pet named Chestnut who is his babie.

03. Sexuality: Bisexual with a preference towards men

04. Favorite color: He likes dark blues and blacks, he prefers darker tones of colors but blue is number one.

05. Relationship status: In an open poly relationship. He loves both Ethan AND Gil, but they’re all immortal so it’s kinda like a Hades relationship.

06. Ideal mate: Someone he knows he can put trust into without worry, that he can sit with in comfy silence and maybe even cook with. Someone that can make him laugh once in a while, he just wants a partner that he can be totally chill with. He doesn’t need any fancy stuff.

07. Turn-ons: Lingerie, being tied up, hard biting/scratching, h-he’s.... a little bit into blood stuff too during sex, he’s a big switch so he’s down with being super dominant or a complete submissive

08. Favorite food: OREOS. Oreos, oreos, oreos and you can’t change my mind. But his favorite actual food is a big homemade bacon cheeseburger and wedge fries.

09. Crushes: H-He doesn’t get crushes often for.... a personal reason but he does have a star crush on a celebrity in my verse. Its a singer I based off of Panic!At the Disco

10. Favorite music: He’s definitely leaning more towards soft rock but he’s also danced to some pop songs.... by himself or with the Boys. He loves playing guitar and singing himself so he’s very big into music, it’s a comfort for him

11. Biggest fear: He’s absolutely TERRIFIED of ever going back to his clan or even running into some people from there, it’s a very slim chance it could happen but it’s the only thing he’s truly scared of besides losing Gil and Ethan. He’s one of the few that managed to leave that clan alive and he’s not gonna be taking any kind of risk going back there. He would even be scared of facing his moms.

12. Biggest fantasy: Honestly, as much as he loves hunting down shitty people, he’s kinda wanted to save up money and find a nice little home somewhere and just.... chill. He’d love to just have a simple life with whoever he’s with.

13. Bad habits: He chews on stuff A LOT. He chews on his hoodie strings, on pencils, his nails sometimes which drives Ethan NUTS. He does it absent mindedly when he’s bored. Ethan actually gave him one of those chewable necklaces for his birthday when he noticed.

14. Biggest regret: Leaving behind his moms when he escaped the clan. They knew he wanted to leave that place so bad and they wanted their son to be happy, he just wishes he was able to leave in a better way than what had happened. (see 17)

15. Best kept secrets: H-He is... kind of into bdsm stuff and knifeplay. He’s respectful about it, he won’t push anyone into doing it if they don’t want to. But that’s just a very personal thing of his. If he wants to be a slut it will be on HIS TERMS. He also has... some fun piercings..... he’s got nipple and dick piercings.

17. Worst romantic experience: HOO BOY so; when he got picked by one of the Lamia women to be her servant he met another Lamia boy there and they started getting really close in the couple years. He was Orio’s only bit of happiness in those years because he couldn’t see his moms anymore. And when Orio finally had enough of everything he wanted the boy to run away with him in secret and the boy was hesitant at first but agreed...... but when the time came and Orio was waiting for him outside, his “owner” and guards ambushed him, and he found out the boy basically ratted him out because HE enjoyed the cushy life of being a servant and wanted to get on the woman’s good side. That devastated and broke him more than anything, and kind of shaped him into the boy he is now; you have to put a good amount of work into getting Orio to really trust you. and if you fuck that up you are NOT getting a second chance with him.

18. Biggest insecurity: He’s a great singer, but a TERRIBLE dancer. This boy can somehow fight off a bunch of goons without even breaking a sweat, doing sick parkour and fight moves, but he can’t do a One Two Step. He just kinda.... shimmies his shoulders and hips if he wants to dance.

19. Weapon of choice: His fists, and whatever blunt object his fists can grab. Also (as a boy lamia) he has a paralyzing venom in his fangs that helps a lot when he needs to catch someone.

20. Role Model: He will NEVER admit this to ANYONE but he actually.... really looks up to Ethan. All three of them have been through some fucked up things but he still manages to be just, so bright and happy and is able to just shake stuff off with no problem.... he started wishing he could be like that and all of Ethan’s positivity started to rub off on him over the years.

#prompt asks #joshuakiryusmom #Orio Eliades #MY BABY COMFORT BOY #I LOVE YOU SO #THANK U FOR THIS MAP THIS FUELED ME

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two-unbeatable-beaters · 4 years

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Scars Chapter 1: A Good Day

Summary: It had been over 10 years since you had last laid eyes on the Witcher known as Geralt of Rivia, and if you had it your way, you never would again. Too bad you never seem to get your way.

Words: 1395

Warnings: None

A/N: Okay, so this is my first attempt at writing fanfiction because I’m pretty sure what I did in Middle School wouldn’t be classified as ‘writing’. So, if you guys could bear with me, it would be greatly appreciated. That being said, on to the story!

You had been having such a good day.

You had slept well the night before, waking up feeling refreshed. You had sold all of your wares on the market, and had earned enough money to buy supplies for the next couple of weeks, as well as a treat for yourself; a bar of your favorite orange scented soap. Upon returning to your home at the edge of the forest, you had set to organizing your supplies and preparing your evening meal before having a relaxing bath and heading to bed.

Your life was simple. You hunted in the forest, killing animals and monsters alike. You would then use what you could and sell what you couldn’t or didn’t need. Living alone, you didn’t need much and rarely splurged coin on luxurious items. Having fended for yourself for the last decade, you learned what you truly needed and what you could live without.

The last rays of light were just leaving the sky when you sat down on the stool in front of the fire to eat your dinner; a simple stew with a hunk of bread. When you first came to the village, your cooking, while passable, still left much to be desired. You had been extremely thankful to the woman who had not only taken you in for your first year in town, but had taught you the basics of keeping a home. Things like cooking, mending clothes, and even how to perform some minor repairs around the house. Growing up as the daughter of a well-off merchant had meant such things were deemed unnecessary for you to learn due to you always having maids and other servants to perform tasks for you. If only you had known where life would take you.

Your mind drifted back to the man who had caused your life to change so drastically all those years ago.

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

14 years earlier

His white hair and amber eyes would have made him stand out, even if he hadn’t been half a head taller than almost every other man in town. He had been summoned by the mayor to help rid the village of the beast that had been terrorizing the people of this town for nearly half a year. Every full moon, people would hide in their homes, lock their doors, and seal their windows in hopes of avoiding the wolf-man that would inevitably appear, leaving bloodshed in its wake.

Twelve people had been killed by the beast so far. The mayor, a portly, middle-aged man named Gaius Garber, had ignored the deaths for as long as he could, dismissing them as drunks who had wandered into the forest and gotten lost or as hunters killed by bears. Finally, when the son of one of the most well-off families in town had been found with his throat slashed and his bowels splayed out in front of him, Garber had no choice but to call for help from the only person who would be able to kill the beast; a Witcher.

Of course, this was not just any Witcher who arrived. This was Geralt of Rivia, the Butcher of Blaviken, the White Wolf, the most feared Witcher in existence. You doubted there was a person alive on the continent that hadn’t heard the song retelling his battle against the elf-king. A song, whose writer appeared to still be traveling with the man. The lute and lively attitude made it easy to recognize the bard, Jaskier, who worked hard to spread the tales of his imposing companion.

“Quite the brute, isn’t he?”

You turned to see the hazel eyes of Matias Baxter, son of the mayor’s sister, cunt extraordinaire, and your betrothed.

“Yes, I suppose he does look rather intimidating. Though I’m sure killing monsters for a living tends to do that to a person,” you responded, fighting the urge to roll your eyes at him. You turned back to try and catch another glimpse of the mysterious monster hunter before he disappeared into the mayor’s house, but find that you are too late. The only thing you saw was the back of the bard’s head just before the door shut.

You sighed, moving to return home, only to be stopped by Matias’ hand on your shoulder. “Wait a moment,” he pulled you back to him, “I figured we could take a stroll together. I assumed you would want to spend as much time together as we could before our wedding.” He had that stupid, smug look on his face, the one he always had when he knew he was going to get his way. It was hard to deny Matias anything, as he had never been told ‘no’ a day in his life by either his parents or his uncle.

You put on your best smile and told him “Of course, I’d love to spend more time with you Matias, but as it’s already the evening, and tonight is the full moon, I know that my parents will want me home early. Perhaps tomorrow, my dearest heart?” You silently begged whatever higher power there was in the world that he would believe you, sparing you the torture of listening to him brag about his various ‘accomplishments’ and how lucky you were to have been chosen by him out of all the girls in town.

“Right, the full moon,” he gave you a tight-lipped smile. “I nearly forgot. Of course, my darling. You should head home. Perhaps tomorrow then?” He released your shoulder only to grab your hand in a firm grip and placed a kiss on your knuckles. “Who knows, maybe by this time tomorrow, the Butcher will have already disposed of the creature and we will finally be able to set a date for our wedding?”

You batted your eyelashes at him, “Nothing would please me more, my love.” This seemed to appease him, for his smile loosened, as did his grip. “I will count the moments until we see each other again,” you pulled away from him and blew him a kiss before you turned and hurried toward your family’s home.

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

You sighed and stood up to return the rest of your stew to the pot, having lost your appetite reminiscing about your old life.

You had just reached the counter of your small kitchen when, out of the corner of your eye, you caught movement between the trees through your little kitchen window. The sun had fully set by now, meaning most people would stay far away from the forest due to its reputation of being ‘haunted’. Only a few brave souls, such as yourself, who had experience hunting monsters would dare venture into the woods during the night. This had made it an ideal spot for you to live, as you preferred to be alone. However, it also meant that when someone was sneaking around the forests’ edge at night, they usually meant trouble. Squinting, you moved closer to the window to try and make out what was out there when a frantic knock sounded at your door.

Bracing yourself for danger, you grabbed one of your daggers from the table you had set it on, and approached the door.

You held the dagger behind your back as you reached for the handle, calling out “Who’s there?”

“Please!” a young voice called back. “My father and I are looking for shelter for the night. This is the first house we’ve come upon in days. All we want is a roof over our heads for the night before continuing on our journey tomorrow.”

Still suspicious, you slowly opened the door.

On the doorstep stood a young girl, maybe 14, with long ash-blonde hair and large green eyes that pleaded with you to help her. Her clothes were soiled and torn in places and she obviously hadn’t had a proper bath in quite some time. The only bag she carried with her was a tattered satchel that looked to be one harsh tug away from completely falling apart.

You quickly glanced around, not sensing any danger from the girl, but stayed on your guard. You looked back to her with a furrowed brow and asked “Where is your father, girl?”

As she opened her mouth to speak, a harsh voice called out from the forest’s edge “Ciri!”

Both of your heads whipped around to the source of the call, as the hulking form of Geralt of Rivia emerged from the woods.

The moment your eyes met for the first time in nearly ten years, you both let out an exasperated “Fuck”.

So much for your good day.

-----

There it is! The first chapter in my first story! I hope at least some people will enjoy it and I plan to have the second chapter out in a couple days. Let me know if you see any grammar problems or anything else that needs to be fixed.

- Two

#Scars #geralt of rivia #geralt x reader #geralt x you #geralt of rivia x reader #geralt imagine #geralt of rivia imagine #geralt #the witcher netflix #witcher #my stuff #my writing #geralt of rivia x you #geralt of rivia fanfic #geralt fanfic #Two's writing

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psychosistr · 4 years

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FOWL Agent “Bokor Baron”

Art by @thefriendlyfour , full bio below the cut:

Physical Description: An extremely tall and buff eastern redtail hawk (otherwise known as a chicken hawk) with a physique that leaves him an inch or two larger than even the likes of Steelbeak. Mostly white feathers on the front of his body with a spotted-band of dark feathers across his broad chest, brown feathers along his back, hands, and the upper half of his head (from his beak up) with the typical speckled markings along his back and arms, and his breed’s namesake red tail feathers.His eyes are a bit odd for his species, though, with black rings around them and an intense red color that’s so vibrant it’s practically glowing (given his powers, though, it might actually be glowing for real…). Has dark brown hair/head feathers woven together in a way similar to cornrows that end at the middle of his neck.

Outfit: Wears a loose-fitting blood red top with a lighter red interior (though the actual colors can change depending on what spirits and/or deities he’s invoking) and a large black collar- typically keeps the chest part opened fairly wide to show off his strong torso and the sleeves rolled up around the elbows to do the same for his arms; has a large pocket on the right side that he reserves for small charms. Keeps his shirt tied closed with a dark purple and black striped sash which is also used for holding various larger dolls and charms as well as a well-worn brown leather pouch with a black bird-skull motif on his back-right side that holds his most powerful and dangerous charms and amulets. Pants are black leather with a purple band around the hips, but the purple part is rarely seen with how far down his top normally hangs. Accessories include a black leather-cord necklace with a circular black metallic pendant emblazoned with a white veve for one of his primary deities, several beaded bracelets on his left wrist (in black, red, white, purple, and alternating combinations of the colors), and a hat that at first looks like a rather flat black cap but is actually a collapsible top hat with a dark purple band holding a few red flowers and small bird skulls along the brim. Typically forgoes shoes and just walks around with his talons exposed.

Gender: Male.

Sexual Orientation: Pansexual and very upfront about what catches his eye.

Age: 32

Nicknames: The Baron, The Bokor, Big Red, Redtail, and Henry.

The last one is Steelbeak’s name for him and a purposeful mispronunciation of his real name rather than a nickname.

Real Name:Henri Vivant

First name is pronounced “on-ree”.

Background:

Little Henri grew up in New Orleans as part of a long-line of Louisiana Voodoo practitioners, spending most of his childhood in a small house with his grandmother and five older siblings.

From the first time he mentioned being able to see the ghosts and spirits around him, he was taught the names of the spirits and deities to call on to help himself and others as well as the proper rituals to summon them when necessary. Kids outside of his family would tease and bully him for talking to “imaginary friends”, as they would put it, but he enjoyed the looks of terror on their faces once he learned how to invoke spirits and allow them to possess his body- revenge was something he GREATLY enjoyed.

Over time, Henri’s viewpoints began to differ from those of his family: Instead of wanting to use his abilities to help people, he wanted to use them to gain power and recognition. Instead of the more benevolent spirits and deities his family formed connections with, he sought out the more powerful and destructive ones. Instead of a simple life as a houngan, he wanted the dark powers of a bokor.

Needless to say, his family was very disappointed with his choices in life and all but disowned him by the time he was old enough to move out on his own. It didn’t take long after that for him to start using his powers to commit crimes and earn the attention of FOWL- he accepted their invitation and became a full agent at age 28.

Was partnered with Steelbeak about two years ago and to this day is still considered by the chief officer to be one of the WORST partners he’s ever had. It wasn’t hard for Steelbeak to figure out Henri, by then dubbed “The Bokor Baron”, was a two-faced snake in the grass who wanted the chief officer title and the power that came with it, even if it meant killing the current chief officer to do so. Their partnership lasted two and a half weeks before High Command finally agreed to Steelbeak’s numerous requests for a different partner.

Current Position: Active field agent for FOWL, he’s often called in to deal with more supernatural related missions (ancient magical artifacts, getting information from deceased individuals, clearing spirits out of FOWL facilities, etc.).

Personality:

Henri will act suave, gentlemanly, and cordial to anyone upon first meeting them, winning over most people almost instantly as if they are mysteriously compelled to like him…

The truth is, though, that this side of him is just an act to win people over. One of the charms he carries with him at all times increases his natural charisma and desirability to those who fall for his gentlemanly demeanor- once it takes effect, individuals under its sway will almost always be inclined to side with him during disputes, take his advice to heart, and, for those attracted to men, more often than not they end up adoring him to the point of a sort of pseudo-infatuation.

Those with a naturally higher tolerance against magic or attunement to the spiritual realms have shown resistance or even immunity to this effect. Other than the natural immunity, the only ones who aren’t affected by his charm are those who have a chance to know what he’s really like before his gentlemanly act can fool them.

To-date there are less than 10 people in all of FOWL who’ve proven immune to his charms, with High Command and Steelbeak being four of them.

Deep down, his real personality is manipulative, greedy, and power-hungry. He wants to be considered the best in whatever field he is a part of, and FOWL is no exception.

Should be noted that he does have a bit of a temper problem when things don’t go his way, often leading to him losing his composure and slipping into his much thicker New Orleans accent while cursing and throwing a fit.

Steelbeak is extremely good at provoking this reaction out of his ex-partner and does so with glee, despite it causing anyone under the other man’s charms to see Steelbeak as a horrible person for angering Henri in the first place- he doesn’t care, though, it’s totally worth it to see him blow up and lose his cool.

Interesting Bonus Facts:

Can speak both English and French fluently, and will often pretend to be French when first meeting someone to help with his gentlemanly illusion.

While he predominantly uses Louisiana style voodoo, Henri is also well-versed in hoodoo, mainly practicing it for the materials and charms that can be made from the practice.

Has cigars and rum on him at all times. The cigars are strictly for his invocations, as is the rum, but he’ll occasionally take a swig of the rum when he’s so inclined.

Can sing and dance really well, both for the sake of his rituals and invocations, and just for fun.

He’ll never admit it out loud, but his favorite song is “La Vie En Rose” because his grandmother used to sing it to him when he was little. He knows it in both English and French and will sometimes sing it when he’s stressed or having trouble sleeping

IF he ever lets someone get close enough to let his guard down around them, he might sing it for them occasionally.

Although he’ll swear up and down that he adores the way those charmed by his spells fawn over him, in reality he finds them boring and weak and could never fall for someone so simple-minded.

His ideal romantic interest would be someone with a strong enough mind and spirit to resist his charming magic, who’s assertive enough to put him in his place when he acts up without trying to “steal his spotlight”, and could see ghosts and spirits like he can so they would never think he was crazy for talking to himself.

#darkwing duck #dwd #dwd oc #my oc #FOWL #fowl agent Bokor Baron #thefriendlyfour

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atinytokki · 4 years

Text

𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐥𝐥

Chapter 6: Eden’s Confession

(Warnings: Blood, character death)

Hongjoong cursed his stupidity.

In the three seconds he spent gaping at Eden, he had drawn his gun.

Hongjoong had to bite his lip to stop it from quivering. “This is a dream.” The words were ghosts stealthily escaping as puffs of air. “I’ve dreamed it before.”

Something shone in the eyes of the other, but his gun remained directly aimed at Hongjoong. If he heard him, he said nothing.

That’s when Hongjoong realised— this couldn’t be Eden.

His Eden would never point a gun at him.

Hongjoong drew his own gun with quivering hands.

“How dare you wear his face,” he meant it to come out harsher than it did, a growl dying in the back of his throat. “Show your true self, coward.”

“Coward?”

Finally he spoke.

It was the tone of voice that meant authority. No more fooling around, because the stakes were life and death when Eden spoke that way.

Perhaps Babylon’s impersonation was more accurate because he had actually known the person he was pretending to be.

“You’re the one wearing the face of someone else,” Eden gritted out and stepped closer.

Hongjoong’s eyes narrowed. How many levels of deception was Babylon playing with here?

“If you think I won’t shoot because you look like him, you don’t know me at all.” Even as Hongjoong said the words, he wasn’t sure he could do it. Maybe if he closed his eyes like he had when Babylon looked like Mingi...

“Alright, here’s how this is going to go,” Eden was still advancing, a fire growing in his eyes. “I’m going to give you five seconds to tell me where Hongjoong is.”

Hongjoong’s brows furrowed at this. Why would Babylon bother asking when he knew Hongjoong was right in front of him? A sliver of doubt entered his mind that he immediately tried to chase away.

What if this was the real Eden?

Bang!

He had taken too long.

A bullet zoomed past, startlingly close to his face, and Hongjoong’s arms came flying up to guard his head, his own gun clattering to the ground.

When he cracked his eyes open, the smoking gun had lowered and Eden was looking at him in confusion.

Again, the thought invaded. It might actually be him...

Eden sprung forward suddenly and Hongjoong realised this was it.

This was the end.

Jongho was going to find his dead body in the hallway of Babylon’s tower and report it to Yeosang, heartbroken. Yeosang would be terrified, he wouldn’t know what to do except to go home before anyone else was killed. The two of them would be numb from the shock.

Then they would row back to the ATEEZ. Maybe they’d bring his body with them for a proper burial at sea.

They’d relay the tragic news with tears in their eyes. Maybe they’d be too shocked to cry.

Wooyoung would be upset that he’d been left behind, he’d run through all the possible outcomes if he had come and blame himself for obeying orders. Hopefully he wouldn’t lash out against Yeosang and Jongho.

San, when they figured out how to bring him back and destroy the demon, would be so confused. It would be like waking up from a deep, deep sleep to find the world burning in chaos and blood. Everything you once knew, gone without apology or explanation.

Mingi would try to be strong and take over as Captain, but he wouldn’t know what to do or where to start. The responsibility of all the lives onboard would weigh heavily. He would feel lost and scared. Probably for a long time.

Yunho wouldn’t be able to accept it. Maybe he would have to work through the trauma for years, and he’d always be changed by it. He would wonder what he could have done and wish that he had done it.

Seonghwa... Seonghwa would shut down. He’d close himself off. And then he’d shove away his own grief and shoulder everyone else’s.

Hongjoong wished— his final wish, he realised— that Seonghwa would forgive himself. That he would let himself feel the loss and help the others to do the same. That he would protect the family— Hongjoong’s family— from the threats that still existed against them and also from themselves.

Would they be angry with him?

Would they seek revenge for his death?

For all his confidence and all his past victories, his encouraging words and inspirational speeches about how they were all going to survive together, and remake the world to be a place where they could be free...

He had simply been gunned down in an instant. Not even defending himself because he had thought maybe— just maybe— this person was Eden. And he couldn’t bring himself to shoot.

A hand closed around his wrist.

Hongjoong opened his eyes again. It seemed he wasn’t dead.

“It’s really you.”

Eden was staring, wide-eyed, at the burn scar on Hongjoong’s wrist.

“Babylon wouldn’t know about this.”

It was true, Hongjoong thought as he let Eden pull him to his feet.

Babylon had been marooned before the Navy ambushed them. He didn’t know about the fire ships and the mast which fell on Hongjoong’s wrist, pinning him to the deck...

Only Eden and Hongjoong knew about that. Which meant both of them were real.

Real.

It took a few blinks at the ceiling and a hesitant grasp on the man’s very real hand for it to hit Hongjoong. He was real. He was here. This was him. It was finally happening. He let himself be pulled into a gentle hug and exhaled everything.

“I’m sorry, I-I really thought you were Babylon,” Eden was stumbling over his words. “I almost shot you, you could have died...”

It wouldn’t be the first time.

Eden laughed a watery laugh. Hongjoong must have spoken out loud. He let Eden pull back to get a good look at him.

Eden looked equally shaken to see a figment of his imagination alive and breathing in front of him. Misty eyed, he scanned Hongjoong’s face.

Suddenly, Hongjoong remembered what he had come here to do. The real Eden was somehow in front of him, which meant Babylon was still—

“In the infirmary!”

...

Yeosang fought the pull of sleep on his eyelids the longer he waited.

It was a losing battle, no matter how intently he gazed at the stars or listened to the nighttime noise. Eventually, he got up and began to pace.

The island was small, home to only one building. The tower at the top of the cliff was most likely the best vantage point, but Yeosang didn’t want to attempt to scale the rock face as Jongho and Hongjoong had all by himself. He decided instead to walk around the perimeter of the island.

There was a whooping call of some unrecognisable species of bird that piqued his interest, but he didn’t follow it into the brush. He had a job to do and he refused to be distracted.

Hongjoong and Jongho were already taking too long and an anxious feeling was once again blooming in Yeosang’s chest. They should have killed him by now. It was a quick assassination, a one and done type operation, and they must have run into some complication if they hadn’t reappeared yet.

As Yeosang rounded the eastern face, something caught his eye.

A singular rowboat, like theirs, abandoned on the beach. It looked like it had been manned by one person only and then dragged up and left there until that person returned.

Yeosang’s stomach clenched with uneasiness.

There was no way to warn the others that they might run into someone else, so he had no choice but to move on. He hummed a song quietly to relax himself, unsure where he remembered it from.

The southern end of the island gradually sloped into a hill and, welcoming the exercise as a distraction, Yeosang ascended it and was faced with the back end of the tower.

Suddenly feeling very exposed, he crouched in the foliage and drew his weapon. He felt much more helpful here, close to the scene if Hongjoong or Jongho had need of him.

Just when he had begun to think he was overreacting to nothing, a movement came from a first story window.

The shutters opened slowly, whoever was inside attempting to be quiet and not draw attention to themselves. Yeosang trained his gun on the window. It could be Hongjoong or Jongho, but it could also be Babylon. Yeosang was ready for either scenario.

A hand appeared on the windowsill, and then a body followed it. Yeosang leaned forward ever so slightly to catch a glimpse.

It was Babylon.

He was struggling with a bandage wrapped around the side of his face that was slipping off.

Yeosang steadied his breath in a moment of hesitation and then fired.

...

Jongho opened the door knob and entered the first room. There weren’t any windows and it was too dark to see anything, so he groped for a lantern and slammed into what felt like a bookcase.

He jerked back in surprise and felt something swinging just above his head. A lantern.

After feeling around for some matches and striking a flame, he blinked at the invasion of light and studied the room.

It was more of a closet than a room, the only object occupying it being the bookcase.

The shelves were completely full of bottles, vials, jars, and boxes of all manner of unusual things. Jongho perused through metalwork instruments, severed tentacles, and hand crafted jewellery before remembering what he was supposed to be doing.

He returned the sparkling potion he held to its place and turned back to the door.

The knob wouldn’t turn.

Jongho jiggled it again, but still it resisted. Perplexed, he pushed on the door itself and groaned when it refused to open. Something must be stuck on the exterior, or maybe a hinge was loose.

Jongho faced the shelf again, this time to check if there were any enchanted swords or sceptres to help him get out. His little knife wasn’t exactly ideal for slicing through a door-sized slab of wood, and he didn’t want to waste the gunpowder.

Spying a little weather beaten book on the top shelf, Jongho reached for it. A little light reading while trapped in this closet wouldn’t hurt. And if Hongjoong took too long finding him and letting him out...

Well, Jongho didn’t see why he couldn’t just smash the door down.

...

When Yeosang opened his eyes, the body was slumped over the sill, unmoving.

It had felt like when he tranquillised San, but not. That was a real bullet, and Babylon was really bleeding to death.

Something hardened inside Yeosang and he got to his feet. His hands didn’t shake as they usually did and he walked with purpose to the body.

Babylon’s mouth remained pressed into a firm line as Yeosang dragged him all the way out of the window and laid him on the grass. He lowered his mask and let the sorcerer get a good look at his killer.

“You were an honourable man once.”

“Weren’t we all?” Babylon gritted out between waves of pain, the red stain on his chest growing quickly.

Yeosang pulled the sorcerer’s sword out of its sheath and placed it in his hands, cold fingers wrapping around the hilt. “My Captain cared for you then. That is why I’m allowing you to die with some dignity.”

Babylon’s lips remained pursed, no plea for forgiveness in his eyes as the light began to fade from them. Yeosang leaned in closer and lowered his voice, almost to a whisper.

“You ruined my life,” It was spoken as an undisputed fact, and both knew it. “You’ll understand why I took yours.”

Babylon grunted once from the pain, words trailing away as his stamina waned. “It will be pointless in the end. You- You cannot escape judgement. The obstacles are laid... all around you.” He took in a shuddering breath. “Tell your Captain— his time is running out.”

With that, it seemed Babylon’s time had run out. The final breath like a single grain of sand, hitting the bottom of the hourglass with a note of finality. Yeosang closed the clouded eyes of the dead and turned away.

A massive load had just been lifted from his shoulders. The final image of Babylon replaced the picture Yeosang had burned into his mind; the corrupt sorcerer from out of his worst nightmares come to life.

“Yeosang!”

He turned with surprise towards Hongjoong’s voice, shaking off past memories to see his captain climb through the opened window.

He was followed by a man Yeosang vaguely recognised from drawings. Eden.

“Is that really...?”

“Yes,” Hongjoong confirmed, breathless, before kneeling next to the dead body in the grass. “You killed him?”

“Um, y-yes,” Yeosang’s gaze was still on Eden. The stranger didn’t meet his eyes but hung back, deferring to Hongjoong. “He came through that window a moment ago. What were you doing in there?”

“I ran into Eden,” Hongjoong looked up, amazement lingering in his own eyes. “We got... held up. Babylon tried to escape, I see.”

Yeosang’s jaw tightened. It was a good thing that he had pulled the trigger when he did.

“I stopped him before he got anywhere.”

“Fortunate you were here,” Hongjoong stood and smiled at him. Yeosang needn’t doubt himself so much, bringing him had been the right decision.

Yeosang glanced back over at the window. No one else was climbing out of it. “Where is Jongho?”

“He must still be upstairs,” Hongjoong immediately turned back the way he had come, gun already drawn. Yeosang followed him through the window to watch his back. The light footsteps behind him indicated that Eden was following as well.

Yeosang didn’t know how he felt about Eden. The man hadn’t spoken a single word yet he could feel waves of something akin to shame rolling off of him.

The Eden of Yeosang’s childhood was a mysterious and deadly pirate, the hero of Hongjoong’s stories and the promised harbinger of his own future.

This man was so grave and silent, Yeosang might have mistaken him for a scholar. Not a fighter.

Stealthily, Hongjoong led them through the infirmary and back into the hall, then up the stairs into another hallway.

“This is where Jongho and I split,” he whispered, eyeing all of the closed doors carefully.

Just as Yeosang went up to one, hand reaching for the handle, a loud crack sounded right next to his face. A fist had punched through the door and wood splintered in all directions.

Yeosang stumbled back and watched in awe as Jongho kicked several more times, enough that the door barely remained standing. When his entire body finally made it out he huffed at them in annoyance.

“The door was jammed.”

“I can see that,” Hongjoong laughed. “Shall we?”

“Is that everyone?” Finally Eden spoke. Jongho flashed Yeosang a look, a clear question in his eyes that Yeosang shook his head subtly to. Hongjoong answered in the affirmative and began back down the stairs and out of the building.

“Captain, I’ve found something of interest,” Jongho went to Hongjoong’s side, leaving Yeosang with the silent Eden.

He could feel his eyes on him, sizing him up. There was no ill intent, but the gaze pierced through and laid him bare. Eden seemed to be quietly contemplating, as if Yeosang had told him all his deepest secrets.

“This book,” Jongho was saying. “It has relevant information on demons. I think we may be able to help San.”

“Where did you find it?” Hongjoong turned it over in his hands as they crept down the staircase. “That closet I was stuck in,” Jongho explained. “It contained all kinds of magical things.”

Again, Hongjoong let loose a quiet giggle. “That’s three things that have gone right for us this time. Babylon finished, Eden found, and a solution for San. Good work, both of you.” Here he turned back to nod at Yeosang as well.

Yeosang pulled his mask back up to hide the blush. “Rarely do any of our operations run this fluidly,” he mumbled by way of explanation to Eden.

“I’m still expecting the Navy to pop out from behind a door and shoot at us,” Jongho joined in, drawing his gun just in case.

“Actually, I did see a boat on the eastern side of the island,” Yeosang suddenly recalled the sign that had brought him up to the tower in the first place.

“Mine,” Eden reassured him. “I suppose I’ll have to hike over and fetch it.”

“No need,” Hongjoong called back as he swung the front doors wide. “You’re coming with us, aren’t you?”

“If...If you’ll have me,” Eden answered haltingly, as if it wasn’t obvious. As if Hongjoong hadn’t spent the last couple years of his life preparing for this moment.

The four of them stood outside Babylon’s tower. It was well past midnight, and the moon shone through clusters of clouds, illuminating the beach below.

“It would be better to go around the back than try to climb down that thing,” Yeosang advised. Jongho nodded along and Eden chimed in, “I agree. There’s something I want to do first anyway.”

Silently they marched around to the back of the house where Babylon’s fresh corpse was already attracting flies. “Let’s send him off in my boat,” Eden suggested. “And head back to the ship on yours.”

He shouldered the body and began down the hill. The others followed at a distance, for privacy’s sake.

“How exactly did you just find him inside that mansion?” Jongho muttered in Hongjoong’s direction.

“Eden’s been following us. He was there to kill Babylon too,” Hongjoong answered carefully. “At first both of us thought the other was Babylon disguising as one of us. By the time we figured it out, he had escaped through the infirmary window. Yeosang shot him there.”

“He came to kill Babylon? Making up for his past mistake, then?”

Hongjoong shushed him as they reached the eastern beach. A respectful silence settled over them as Eden placed Babylon’s body in the boat and sent it off to sea. The birds would have their share of him once he hit open ocean.

No one spoke or protested, and as soon as Eden turned to face them they all proceeded to their own longboat without comment.

It was even more difficult to keep his eyes open once Yeosang was sitting again, and Hongjoong encouraged him to sleep. Eden had rowed them just out of sight of the island when he finally spoke.

“You built all this?”

He wasn’t referring to the insignificant rowboat they were on. His eyes were on Yeosang and Jongho as they settled into sleeping positions.

“Ah, yes!” Hongjoong beamed, genuine pride for his ship and crew shining through. “My ship— you’ll see her soon—she was much, much smaller at first. But it’s grown. Grown into a family, in fact.”

A long forgotten innocence returned to his expression, the smile an unshakeable fixture as Hongjoong watched the sleeping faces of his friends.

“You’ve been through trials together.”

“More than I could count,” Hongjoong murmured, pulling Jongho’s head into his lap to make him more comfortable.

“Imprisonment, deadly disease, wild sea monsters, hallucinogenic fruit, horrible weather of all kinds, an entire slave island run by a dictator, multiple battles and chases with the Navy, the frozen tundra in the North itself, now demon possession in one of our own... So many scrapes with death, and yet we’re all here.”

Hongjoong’s eyes shone, the brilliant stars reflected in them and washed among gathering tears. Tears of happiness for once.

“Now we have you, so... So we really are whole again.”

Eden smiled, a little brokenly, but genuine.

“The North is a frontier best left to its own devices,” he sighed, remembering his own encounters with some of the enemies the ATEEZ had faced. “Unless you seek death, or have the means to explore it, stick to the sea.”

“When did you travel there?” Hongjoong was eager for more stories. It was like being a child again, and begging to hear about all the adventures Eden had experienced.

“The crystal necklace I gave you— I got it in the North. It’s a key to the treasure I buried in the—”

“—In the East! We found that treasure,” Hongjoong lowered his voice so as not to wake the others. “I didn’t realise you procured the crystal key yourself. It was quite the ordeal to reach that magical cave when we had to destroy it. It was stealing Jongho’s memories.”

He glanced down at the sleeping boy, petting his hair gently for a moment while considering what could have been if they were unsuccessful in that quest.

Eden nodded along apologetically, but a darker shadow crossed his face and made Hongjoong uneasy again. “There are many things you don’t know about me.”

It was cryptic, but worse, it was ominous. As if the things Hongjoong didn’t know could hurt him, and possibly the others.

Some of his bubbling excitement at being reunited faded. It was time to start asking the questions that had been building since his visit with Maddox.

“What happened, Eden? How long have you known I was alive?”

There was a long pause before he spoke, only the rhythmic sounds of the oars breaking through the silence.

“After the ambush, I took my crew and we escaped to the East. Many men were lost along the way, almost all of them. Even Maddox was captured by the Navy. I don’t know where he or any of my surviving officers are.” Eden’s eyes were in his lap as he pulled the oars, a faraway look in his eye. “I buried my treasure and intended to live out my days on that island.”

“Life was very dark, you see,” his voice had become a tortured whisper. “I resigned myself to die there. That was my punishment for my failures.”

Slowly his head raised.

“And then... then came word of Babylon. A messenger bird sent to me by the mystic who advised my journey. A warning that he was alive and upsetting the magical balance of the universe. It took every last drop of resolve left in my blood to convince myself to track him down. But I remembered what he had almost done to my crew, and I bent myself on exacting revenge. That is when I discovered you survived.”

“You found us when you were following him.”

Eden looked at him curiously. “You knew I was there? All I had left was that puny little rowboat, I shouldn’t have been spotted.”

“We found your compass,” Hongjoong smirked at him, pleased that he’d been able to surprise his mentor. “It pointed to you. You were following Babylon and Babylon was following us.”

Something burned low in Eden’s eyes, smouldering embers of regret and not the blazing anger from before.

“But I don’t understand why you didn’t reveal yourself,” Hongjoong’s voice softened here, and he stopped petting Jongho’s hair for a moment.

Eden shifted uncomfortably, more scared than Hongjoong had ever seen him. He was losing control now, his carefully constructed persona- the man Hongjoong had known, dissipating before his eyes.

“We chased you halfway around the world, Eden, me and my crew as well.” The words held no bitterness, only confusion. “So that you could give them what you promised me.” Why did Eden suddenly close himself off, especially at such a joyous time as this?

What was he hiding?

“Piracy is no life for you.”

Hongjoong blinked, taken aback. “Don’t you think it’s a bit late for that?”

“You shouldn’t have been aboard that day. You shouldn’t have been involved with us in the first place,” Eden’s voice shook with fear. “It was my fault, all of it.”

Hongjoong clutched Jongho tighter. He needed to know what he was hiding.

“Why do you say that?”

“I should have told you long ago.”

Hongjoong fell silent. He didn’t dare ask.

“It all started that night your parents died.”

“I don’t see how. I didn’t meet you until after that,” Hongjoong ignored the twinge of recognition in the back of his mind.

Eden shook his head, unable to meet Hongjoong’s eyes. It took him far too long to get any words out, and Hongjoong began to feel sick. It was not going to be good, whatever he had to say.

“I was there. The night they drowned, in the storm, I was there. I saw it happen.”

“You— what?”

The eyes.

The eyes that watched him become separated from his parents in the tempest.

The eyes that watched his parents die and did nothing to stop it.

“I wanted to save them. Hongjoong, you have to believe me, I did. But I’m a wanted criminal, they would have recognised me, they would have turned me in—”

His voice was barely audible over the waves but it boomed in Hongjoong’s ears as he reeled in disbelief.

“You let them die— you killed them— because of what they might have done? Because they might have gotten you in trouble?”

Eden was shaking his head in remorse but Hongjoong could barely see it through the gathering tears.

“Why did you seek me out after and teach me? How could you? How dare you?”

His voice broke and he began to feel lightheaded but he needed an answer. He was still holding his breath, waiting for Eden to laugh and tell him he should see his own face.

But Eden would never joke about such a thing.

“I thought... to make up for what I did...”

“So all those things you said... about my potential. They were all lies.”

Every time Eden told him his skill was extraordinary, every time he told him he was proud.

Hongjoong could no longer trust it.

This entire ordeal had been illusion after illusion, and Hongjoong was ready for the curtain to fall.

Eden didn’t answer. There was no answer that would be able to hold together the shards of Hongjoong’s heart as it shattered.

“They were right,” he grit out around angry tears. “All of them. Maddox, Seonghwa, even Babylon— they were right about you.”

“I realise now that piracy is no place for you...”

“So you’re going to take that away, too?” Hongjoong hissed through his teeth, quiet enough not to wake Jongho. “The sea— the one thing I had to help me cope and now you’re telling me I should never have come?”

“It’s not like that,” Eden’s voice rose in volume. He pulled the oars harder and the boat moved at a faster pace. “I put you in so much danger to rectify my mistake. I thought you died Hongjoong, you have to understand... it was selfish and irresponsible to try to bring you along. I stayed away because I felt- felt guilty. It should never have happened, I should never have approached you, I’m sor—”

“Well, too late,” Hongjoong whispered brokenly, slumping back into his seat in a sudden wave of exhaustion. “I’ve built this despite your misgivings. And I don’t intend to stop now.”

He looked past Eden and saw a looming shape in the water.

It was the ATEEZ, but all the lights were out. All the lanterns extinguished and no colours being flown, so she was only recognisable by her sails.

“There she is,” Hongjoong breathed, sitting forward slightly even as Jongho began to stir in his lap.

“What?” Eden slowed to a stop in confusion, finally relaxing his grip on the oars.

“The ATEEZ. There she is,” Hongjoong pointed over Eden’s shoulder.

Their argument was tabled for now because the longer Hongjoong looked at the ship, the more concerned he became.

Something was very wrong.

...

Taglist: @serendipityunho @nightynightnyx @celestial-yunho @theinvisablessed @yeosangry

A/N: Hm I’ve had parts of this chapter written since July at least but it was a really difficult one for some reason. Yall are not ready for the next part and that is all I will say about that 👀 Feel free to come yell at me and/or share your theories and questions on my twitter and cc @tiny_tokki and have a great day :)

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jeno-screaming · 5 years

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Two Separate Worlds || Lee Jeno

A/N: This took literally years because I had 0 motivation for like 4 months. But it’s finally done!!!!!!

Request: could you do the no one can know jeno version?? maybe you could switch it up with the reader being in a different company or whatever u like 💓💗💘

Genre: fluff, angst¿ I’m terrible at writing angst but maybe I’ll try

Warnings: none?¿

^^ do I prefer black haired or light haired Jeno? the world may never know

you’re the second youngest member of a girl group called Paramoila (pair-a-m-oi-la) from JYP Entertainment. you love being a young idol because people baby you a lot, but also hate that you have to leave award shows early because you can’t be on tv past 10pm. so during that time, you have to rest backstage where other underage idols stay as well as your Maknae

you always made conversation with them just to pass the time because usually it’s another hour and a half before the award show ends so talking to other underage idols is a good way to keep yourself occupied. one group you’ve grown to enjoy talking to is NCT Dream, Mark is the only member allowed out past 10 so the other 6 are back talking with you mostly, your maknae being tired and falling asleep on the couches

you began to form a bond with Jeno, he was actually funnier than the members say he is, although sometimes his jokes are cring worthy sometimes. also never ask him to do any cute stuff because he’ll slap you silly

you don’t see him often because you’re from JYP and award shows don’t happen often but when you do, you always enjoy your time together. eventually you ask for a way to contact him outside of award shows and such, he’s a little shy about it at first but he does give you his number

you saved his number as “Eye Smile 😌” and he saved yours as “Old Maknae” because he always made fun of you for being one of the youngest (even though he’s also a young member) but you looked like an actual 12 year old compared to your elders

so after about 1 month of talking over text, you two decided it would be a horrible great idea to go on a date, but because of all the crazy fan sites that are lurking around 24/7 you two decided to go to the cafe at JYP entertainment just because that was a private area on the second floor where fans can’t see up into

you get a text from Jeno says he’s in the lobby, wearing a bucket hat, a red mask, black jeans and a jacket. you run downstairs and grab his hand to rush him to the elevator where you’d stand in there alone. the music killed any awkwardness luckily

finally you two arrive at the cafe and sit down to talk and eat. you guys catch up on things and you mention how much you love the We Go Up album and he compliments your mini album Starstruck

you had worked on one of the songs for your album but you decided not to tell him which one because it was a love song that you wrote with him in mind. he’ll have to find out on his own

Jeno catches you off guard when he grabs your hand and looks you in the eyes. his own eyes speak 1000 words but you can’t form a sentence, until he says, “y/n, I really like you. I don’t often express my feelings towards people because I’m not good with words, but you make me feel some way I’ve never felt. Sometimes I can’t focus because of the conversations we have. I want you to be mine y/n, I really do.”

his words go straight to your heart as your face breaks into a smile. you nod your head, unable to think of anything to say without laughing your head off from joy

You nod your head since you’re currently unable to think properly and might scream if you open your mouth. so many thoughts are running around your mind

“what if we get caught? What if I only see him during award shows? Can I handle dating someone who’s way out of my league?”

none of that really matters to you at this very moment because you couldn’t be happier. you are finally dating someone you’ve had a crush on since you watched him debut with NCT Dream

he may not have been your first bias but boy did he know how to pull your heart strings. with his charming smile and amazing personality

not to mention his voice is so soft and velvety, sometimes he’d call you when he first wakes up and holy shit- nvm we aren’t going there. not yet anything ;)

so moving along, I’m try and make this shorter but also long? How is that possible idk

so to your not surprise, you two were caught staring at each other at the latest award show. your groups were on either side of the isle and you kept making funny faces at him, making him laugh

catching the eyes of COUNTLESS fan sits and fans in general. even your members saw it and warned you to stop (they knew you two were together) because of how much attention you two could bring

too late bitch, with the 2 minute of you and Jeno making hand signals and faces at each other, one very popular drama fan site took probably 20 pictures and 3 videos

So the next day, you wake up to a phone call from Jeno, you expect it’s just a good morning phone call until you hear him frantically say “we’ve been caught” your heart drops 6 feet underground as you realize that your company may have to force you out of your contracts

you decide to drive over to the SM building and park in the back so that no fans will see you, or at least very little. you have Jeno come down and open the door, he pushes you up the stairs into his dorm where the other members are sitting on edge. scared for the both of you

“We’re gonna go in my room and talk. This is a personal matter that me and her need to deal with alone.” the member agree and let you two have some time to yourselves

both you and Jeno can’t seem to sit still as both of you think about what could happen to either of you. you’re both young idols and could very easily be replaced by anyone at any moment

“babe I think we need to calm down. My anxiety is already really high, let’s just sit down and be with each other for right now.”

he nods his and sits down next to you. his hand molds perfectly with yours as you lay your head on his shoulder.

“I don’t wanna lose you y/n. You’re so perfect and I don’t know what I’d do without you. I know we could still be friends but I can’t stand the thought of not being able to kiss you and call you mine.”

all you can tell him is to not worry about it right now. you guys don’t wanna spend more time worrying and less time being around each other. that’s not ideal at least

after a couple hours of not hearing anything from either companies, you decide to head back home to your dorm and avoid any contact with your members or manager. you really weren’t in the mood for an confrontation

3 days later, both companies released a statement that confirms your relationship. neither of you were kicked out of the company nor treated any differently.

(Bonus scene)

3 years after dating, you’re at a restaurant of your choice with Jeno when he seems to be a little nervous

“honey are you alright? You’re very figgity tonight.” you chuckle at his flushing face

he sighs and says “alright. here goes nothing” under his breath. he reaches for your hand and sighs once more

“y/n l/n, these last 3 years have been nothing but magical for me. I’ve finally found the one for me and I never want to let you go. A long time ago, I was afraid that our companies were going to separate us forever, but we were lucky enough to stick through the drama. I want someone who’s going to be there for me through thick and thin.”

he proceeds to get down on one knee and pull out a little purple velvet box, opens it to show a beautiful ring

“will you marry me?”

you’re so overwhelmed, just like your first date. all you can do is nod and feel tears drop down your face

FIN

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every1studio · 6 years

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REQUESTED: “you’re more than an idol crush” [stray kids: chan]

genre: FLUFF + rollercoaster of feels

ficstyle: bulletpoints + [WOOJIN] [LEEKNOW] [CHANGBIN] [HYUNJIN] [HAN] [FELIX] [SEUNGMIN] [I.N]

anon asked: “you’re more than an idol crush” Chan version

note: ugh my hearteu / hope y’all like this

you were in a group called S+S (Sweet + Sour); a leader of 7

you were going on an idol leader’s trip to Jeju along with others; GOT7′s Jaebum, MAMAMOO’s Solar, GFRIEND’s Sowon, MOMOLAND’s Hyebin, BTS’s Namjoon PENTAGON’s Hui, and STRAY KIDS’ Chan

it was suppose to be a friendly weekend getaway

but the concept was for you guys to hook up

this made Chan especially nervous

he’s only told people he’s close with at JYP about his crush on you

“she’s like ... wow.. and her eyes just... whoa...”

Jaebum would nudge him a little, “hey don’t get all mushy on me now..”

you all met up at the airport and you were already getting friendly with Solar, Sowon and Hyebin

Chan’s heart fluttered as he saw you laughing at what Solar did

(she’s so pretty how?)

the MC, Shinyoung and Soogeun, went into details about the show and made you guys introduce each other

when you introduced yourself, Chan self-consciously clapped really loud for you

“oh?! are we already getting interested in someone?!” Shinyoung pointed to him

Chan just started to awkwardly laugh as he shook his head, hoping that he was no longer in the spotlight

the MCs made the guys enter the plane first

and in order by debut dates; the girl group rookie would have to choose first

aka you

you walked into the plane and saw the back of someone who you grew interested in since before the show

FLASHBACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THE SHOW

“if you were to choose any male idol, who would you like to be in this show?” the staff asked you

you started to giggle and hide your face

“oh why is it so hot in here?” you asked as you fanned yourself

“it would be GOT7′s JB; I think he’s really charismatic”

when later that day, Chan came in

they asked him the same question in regards of female groups

a soft smile would appear from his face

“hands down as to be S+S’s y/n... they’re so talented and charming..”

the staff looked at one another and smiled as they whispered amongst themselves

“I can’t wait for a love triangle”

“me too”

Chan didn’t hear what they said but he hope that whatever it was.. it wasn’t anything bad

BACK TO PRESENT

you mistook Chan for JB and you sat down

Chan would immediately start bowing at you as you did the same

(well at least I won’t have to embarrass myself) you thought

(is this even for real?) he was internally screaming

at the corner of your eyes, you saw Sowon sit with JB and you were slightly jealous

but Chan made you forget all about that

he was really talkative but not the point you’d call him a chatterbox

his Australian accent would catch you off guard; you could call it his charming point?

“I really like your style of songs”

you shook your head; you really admired him for his style

“no way~ I like yours a lot more”

after talking for a while, you both fell asleep

being an idol was tiring so was a must to sleep anywhere that you could

Chan felt his left shoulder get a little heavy as he turned to see your head snugged into the crook of his neck

he stopped breathing

how is he suppose to sleep now when his heart is racing 1000 miles per hour?

once you guys get to Jeju, he lightly shakes you as he called out to you with a soothing voice

“y/n? we’re here...”

you opened your eyes and saw the sun shining behind him

he looked so ethereal; you slightly jolted back from shock

“are you okay?”

you feigned it on something else

“yeah.. the sun hurt my eyes...” you pretended to rub the waterline of your eyes

he raised his hand to block the sun out of your eyes

“better?”

“ye-yeah..”

you all got off of the plane and walked to Hallasan

“so since you guys are already familiarized with your plane buddy; we’re going to let you guys do whatever you want but is there anyone who wants to switch partners?”

they made you guys anonymously text into the group chat

3 people said “no”

5 people said “yes”

(JB, Sowon, Solar, Hyebin and Hui said “yes”)

only the MCs would know about this

here Chan was; afraid that you wanted to switch

(did I appeal myself enough?) he was fidgeting with the hem of his sleeves

the MCs made everyone do “appeal time;” the guys would dance, sing or do whatever to whoever they wanted

to your surprise; Hui sang and danced to you

as well as Chan

but then JB DID TOO?!

“ohh y/n how do you feel? you need to make a choice now~”

you had to dance to whoever you wanted to accept

you teased the guys

you brushed your hand acrossed Hui’s chest

and now you were in between JB and Chan

you handed to rose to JB

but when he reached his hand out, you spun and handed it to Chan instead

Chan didn’t believe that it was him until he actual received the rose in his hands

“Y/N WHAT A TEASE!! since you guys are the first couple, you guys can leave first~”

Chan took your hand and started making his way to the map

he was red the whole time.. but so were you

Chan was so kind, caring and thoughtful; this whole trip would be different if you were with someone else

you could say.. you fell for him

he told you he wanted to take you to the Cheonjiyeon Waterfall

“how romantic!” you teased

he wasn’t having any of that, he was so red

“OKAY LET’S GO BEFORE IT GETS DARK!!”

Chan dragged you along by the hand

you snickered, “it’s not even noon yet..”

you didn’t exactly bring the right shoes to hike to a waterfall

you had strappy platform sandals on; causing you to watch out for scratches and cuts

Chan got worried even though you didn’t say anything about it

he took out a pair of clean socks; they were Mickey Mouse

“you should wear these so that you don’t get any scratches”

“thanks Channie”

oh how that made his heart swell up

once you guys get to the waterfall, someone asks if you guys wanted a picture together

Chan hesitated but you handed the person your phone

“smile at the camera!” you pulled him into a side hug and all he could do was just smile until the person was done taking the picture

you thanked them

then you looked through the pictures and smiled at Chan, “we look good together..”

“do we?”

his IDOL CRUSH told him that THEY LOOK GOOD TOGETHER

after the trip, he offered to carry your bag until you guys got to a place eat

you guys saw JB/Hyebin and Solar/Namjoon

you guys all sat together and you noticed that JB shifted his attention from Hyebin onto you

yeah, I mean, he is your idol crush but he shouldn’t be neglecting Hyebin like that...

“did you and Hyebin have a good time?” you hoped to focus his attention of Hyebin for a bit

“I mean we walked to the beach but that was it... so how do you like Jeju? is it your first time?” JB leaned into his propped up hand; gazing at you

Chan almost immediately put his arm over your shoulders, “yeah it was our first time in Jeju; we had lots of fun didn’t we y/n?”

you felt a warm flush over your face and you just nodded

Solar started to lean over the table to squish your cheeks

“LOOK AT Y/N BLUSHING!!”

that’s what the whole trip consisted of; every day was a day to choose a new partner but you and Chan stayed together the whole time

by the end of the trip, each girl was to be at different locations waiting for someone to confess to them

15 MINUTES LATER

you spotted JB and Chan walking up to you at the same time

JB explained that he’s admired you ever since you debuted and that you were 100% his ideal type

Chan took his time to collect his thoughts in series of breaths

“y/n... like JB, I’ve noticed you since your debut.. but.. what made me fall in love with you was your open-mindedness.. your kindness.. how you always make awkward situations less awkward.. and it’s only a plus that you are beautiful.. if you could choose me.. I’d be the happiest man in the world..”

were you going to choose your idol crush?

were you going to choose someone you recently fell for?

AND THAT WAS HOW THE LAST EPISODE OF THE SHOW ENDED

END [masterlist + guidelines]

#yenni writes #yenni posts #stray kids #stray kids scenarios #stray kids reactions #stray kids imagines #stray kids hyung line #stray kids bang chan #stray kids chan #bang chan #stray kids chan scenarios #stray kids fluff #stray kids drabbles #stray kids leader #stray kids writing #stray kids x reader

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nonodino · 5 years

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TWC: Detective Personality + Quirks and Interests + Dectective’s History and Relationships

!!( I went sooooo overboard )!!

Basics:

Name: Caroline Urizar

Age: 24

Height: 5′5

Ethnicity: Mexican American or Chicana

Personality:

♥ Tries her hardest to make the best out of every situation. (Keyword:Tries)

♥ On rare occasions,she gets super frustrated and overwhelmed (Because she bottles everything up) that she lashes out, even though she immediately regrets it.

♥ ^ Apologizes ASAP after she sorts her thoughts out, ususally out of an immense sense of guilt and wants to be held accountable for what she does.

♥ A mother hen to her friends and mother. She wants the best for them.

♥ She’s pretty loyal to people she’s close too. Even more so if they have the same morals as her.

♥ Besides the occasional lashing out part, she’s kind of got a dog like personality. (Faithful, Selfless, family oriented, and protective).

♥ Crybaby™ Her first response in hard situations is to cry. Also cries at the silliest of things out of joy or just because something is just so adorable. An example of this, is that she once cried at a ladybug falling off of a leaf onto the sidewalk and helped it back up. Tina probably laughed.

♥ Try hard optimist, but sometimes reality slaps her in the face. She usually responds by isolating herself for a bit and cries it out. Then comes back with renewed hope. (It’s a pretty weird cycle)

♥ Since she’s seen as the ‘mom friend’, she doesn’t like to bother others with her problems. She prefers to work them out herself, if she can’t, she’ll pretend that she’s stronger than she is and continues forward. Ususally trying to bury it deep in her mind. Not very healthy, but that’s her.

♥ Most of her issues are with her own image. The biggest being her self esteem. She’s pretty self destructive, but if it comes to someone else, she’ll put all her effort into reassuring them and helping them however she can.

♥ She’s not the brightest. She tries really hard to be her best self, but dear god sometimes she’s really dense. Border line slow. But she eventually catches on! (I’m sure some of the department questions how she was made detective and it came as a surprise to her too).

♥ She blows her own mind which is a hoot to watch. She was amazed at the thought of how your heart has to beat constantly to run blood through your veins. It might be really stupid to others, but from this she comes to appriciate things more.

♥ Compassionate. Often makes the mistake of trusting or believing the wrong people.

♥ She’s worked very hard on refining her People skills (a trait inherited from her mother) and tends to be very talkative.

♥ She tends to be cautious as a detective. (Double checking areas, facts, or work. Preparing for the worst while hoping for the best when in delicate/dangerous situations.) But, let’s her guard down a bit in her personal time.

♥ Likes to avoid confrontation and would much rather find a middle ground. Which often let’s others walk all over her until she eventually has no choice but to speak up for herself.

♥ Patient to an extent. The extent varies with different types/ages people.

♥ A hopeless romantic, but scared of picking the wrong guy. She’s also scared that she’ll put too much pressure on him by her ideals of love and run them off. She’s sort of clingy and would feel awful if her partner felt suffocated.

So basically, she’s trying her best!

Some Quirks + Facts:

☀️ Twirls her hair around her finger without knowing it at times

☀️ Can’t go to sleep if she thinks her feet are dirty and washes them if she feels they are. Don’t ask.

☀️ Daydreams about cute relationship scenarios often. She also thinks of them to help her fall asleep

☀️ Has a bad habit of biting her nails

☀️ Plays late 80′s and 90′s pop aloud in her office on Pandora if she’s doing paperwork

☀️ Doodles all over sticky notes and has a stack of them on her desk near her monitor. She does this whenever she catches herself almost drawing on her paperwork.

☀️ Chews Trident gum a lot and keeps a few packs of them in her desk. Her favorite flavors are Tropical Twist, Watermelon Twist, and Trident Layers Strawberry + Citrus

☀️ Also keeps a Burt’s Bees lip balm on her at all times in the tint Rose

☀️ Replys to Tina’s messages with reaction pictures 60% of the time

☀️ Her photo gallery is mostly screenshots of outfits, memes, and things she wants to draw later

☀️ Spends a little too much time on Instagram at home

☀️ Talks to herself (sometimes even argues with herself)

☀️ Even though she’s half Mexican, she doesn’t know the language that well due to Rebecca’s and her father’s absence

☀️ Loses small pieces of jewelry all the time

☀️ Refuses to leave the house without concealer, mascara, and her eyebrows done

☀️ Straightens her hair almost everyday and when she doesn’t it’s in a side bun. (She has wavy hair)

☀️ Loves the winter and likes partly cloudy days the most

☀️ Uses the word ‘like’ a little too much to express herself + lots of hand gestures

☀️ Still has her childhood stuffed animals on her bed and can’t sleep without her suffed dolphin named Alfred Willy

☀️ She likes to wear a simple necklace everyday and her trademark piece of jewelry would have to be hoop earrings (Sliver or gold)

☀️ Doesn’t like to binge watch TV shows or movies unless they really catch her attention. Otherwise she only watches one or two episodes at a time.

☀️ There’s a chance she has some of her K-pop posters in a shoe box under her bed and most definitely has some albums on her bookshelf

☀️ Actually did very well in school and graduated from high school with a 4.2 GPA

☀️ Runs her fingers through her hair a lot, mostly when she’s got a strawberry face from receiving compliments or when someone flirts with her

Interests:

🌸 Likes to draw, though she doesn’t get to do it as much as she’d like to

🌸 Her music taste is mostly 2010-2014 or 80′s and 90′s American pop, K-Pop, and some dashes of older Reggaeton or alternative songs.

🌸 She likes to travel and watches blogs of people who go to countries she’d like to go one day

🌸 She makes doilies (usually when she watches TV) and gifts them to her friends and her mom

🌸 She likes to plant and has a window box garden outside her windows in her living room

🌸 Recycles and attends events to pick up litter and help sort out recyclables

🌸 Collects shells, sand dollars, and rocks that look pretty

🌸 ^ Crystals as well

🌸 Dances around her apartment often, like hairbrush microphone dancing. Far from professional.

🌸 Shopping and trying on outfits is one of her favorite things to do. She prefers simple outfits and owns a variety of coats and jewelry.

🌸 Does calligraphy and takes classes for it online

🌸 ^ She’d like to try pottery one day

🌸 Her favorite food joint is McDonalds

🌸 ^ Chinese food is at the top of her favorites too

🌸 Whenever Rebecca was around, she’d cook meals for her. She’s been trying to recreate them since those times, but something always tastes off.

🌸 She loves cats, but doesn’t have the time to take care of one

Personal/Detective’s History + Motives:

🌟 She joined the force in hopes of following in her father’s footsteps and to help protect the people of WayHaven

🌟 She loves Rebecca with all her heart and cherishes the time she spends with her

🌟 ^ Looks up to Rebecca and has always seen her as a role model. She wants to make her proud

🌟 She has a scar on her right knuckle from where she was washing dishes and accidentally broke a cup upon hearing that Rebecca wouldn’t make it to one of her birthdays.

🌟 Accepted Unit Bravo and the supernatural pretty quickly, although the thought still blows her mind

🌟 Wants to protect humans and supernatural from danger

🌟 She misses her father and often tries to recover whatever memories she can of him

🌟 As she was growing up, her bestfriend was a female grey and white cat named Michi. She died when Caroline was 19. She kept her collar and stored it away in a special place. (A wooden chest full of heartfelt memories, old sketchbooks, photo albums, and other trinkets). This loss triggered memories from her father’s funeral.

🌟 Unit Bravo might have an easier time identifying her due to an innocent heart murmur she was diagnosed with when she was 17

🌟 Has terrible seasonal allergies

🌟 Bobby was her second boyfriend and her most serious relationship. Which ended messily due to his lack of interest in their bond.

🌟 Tina is her best friend. She’d wouldn’t know what to do without her.

🌟 She quickly became friends with Verda when he first arrived and shares a close companionship with him as well.

🌟 Maintains a polite and respectful relationship with the Police Captian Sung

🌟 Tries to avoid Mayor Friedman at all costs. But when she can’t, she’s very polite. Avoids him due to the fact that he’s got an odd interest in her mother which makes her uncomfortable and a bit awkward.

🌟 Douglas has an odd crush on her from the night she saved him outside the bar. She’s flattered, but it makes her uncomfortable as well. At least it gets him motivated for work.

Unit Bravo Romantic Relationships:

When pursuing Adam:

💖 Totally doesn’t think he looks like a 90′s Vanilla Ice

💖 Shy and discreet flirtation (almost like she’s scared of rejection or how he’ll react)

💖 Highly respects him as a team mate

💖 Attracted to his independance and authority

💖 Feels most safe around him

💖 Flushes involuntarily when he’s around

💖 Keeps the conversation friendly and light

💖 Tries to see his side of the argument when they disagree (which isn’t so often surprisingly)

💖 She’s very worried she’ll say something stupid around him and have to deal with the embarrassment

💖 Sweaty palms

💖 Sometimes she’ll catch herself daydreaming about him and she’ll shake her head and furiously resume work before anyone notices the blush forming.

💖 Calm and sweet on the outside but a nervous wreck on the inside

💖 She still recalls the scent and warmth of his coat and lowkey wishes she could wear it all the time

💖 Soft thoughts 24/7 (Hugging, kissing, holding his big hand, etc.) Even her thoughts make her want to hide her face.

💖 Sometimes doubts his interest in her because of their different personalities

When pursuing Nate:

💕 Loves his honesty and kindness

💕 Appreciates that he’s open about his interest in her and smiles at the ground often when talking to him.

💕 Still shy and stutters a lot when she flirts

💕 Nate has a big, sweet presence that she wants to wrap herself in. He probably gives the best hugs.

💕 He’s like a Disney prince and she can’t help but imagine him as one. + 1000 other soft thoughts too

💕 He’s a welcomed change from Bobby, who didn’t give her the attention she wanted. So she’s beyond excited that he’s into her.

💕 Her hearts beating a mile a minute

💕 Relates to him due to their common traits

💕 She secretly likes having to look up at him

💕 She hopes he can teach her more Spanish

💕 Attracted to his intelligence and strong morals

💕 Could talk to him for hours

💕 She feels that she could learn a lot from him

💕 She gets giddy from remembering all the sweet things he’s said to her

💕 But, she feels like someone as amazing as him shouldn’t be with someone so dense and silly

#character profile #thewayhavenchronicles detective this is super long I'm sorry I got excited

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sasorikigai · 4 years

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Hanzo - ISFP-T - Adventurer

Adventurer personalities are true artists, but not necessarily in the typical sense where they’re out painting happy little trees. Often enough though, they are perfectly capable of this. Rather, it’s that they use aesthetics, design and even their choices and actions to push the limits of social convention. Adventurers enjoy upsetting traditional expectations with experiments in beauty and behavior – chances are, they’ve expressed more than once the phrase “Don’t box me in!”

Charming – People with the Adventurer personality type are relaxed and warm, and their “live and let live” attitude naturally makes them likable and popular.

Sensitive to Others – Adventurers easily relate to others’ emotions, helping them to establish harmony and good will, and minimize conflict.

Imaginative – Being so aware of others’ emotions, Adventurer personalities use creativity and insight to craft bold ideas that speak to people’s hearts. While it’s hard to explain this quality on a resume, this vivid imagination and exploratory spirit help Adventurers in unexpected ways.

Passionate – Beneath Adventurers’ quiet shyness beats an intensely feeling heart. When people with this personality type are caught up in something exciting and interesting, they can leave everything else in the dust.

Curious – Ideas are well and good, but Adventurers need to see and explore for themselves whether their ideas ring true. Work revolving around the sciences may seem a poor match for their traits, but a boldly artistic and humanistic vision is often exactly what research needs to move forward – if Adventurers are given the freedom they need to do so.

Artistic – Adventurers are able to show their creativity in tangible ways and with stunning beauty. Whether writing a song, painting an emotion, or presenting a statistic in a graph, Adventurers have a way of visualizing things that resonates with their audience.

Fiercely Independent – Freedom of expression is often Adventurers’ top priority. Anything that interferes with that, like traditions and hard rules, creates a sense of oppression for Adventurer personalities. This can make more rigidly structured academics and work a challenge.

Unpredictable – Adventurers’ dislike long-term commitments and plans. The tendency to actively avoid planning for the future can cause strain in Adventurers’ romantic relationships and financial hardship later in life.

Easily Stressed – Adventurers live in the present, full of emotion. When situations get out of control, people with this personality type (especially Turbulent ones) can shut down, losing their characteristic charm and creativity in favor of gnashing teeth.

Overly Competitive – Adventurers can escalate small things into intense competitions, turning down long-term success in their search for glory in the moment, and are unhappy when they lose.

Fluctuating Self-Esteem – It’s demanded that skills be quantified, but that’s hard to do with Adventurers’ strengths of sensitivity and artistry. Adventurers’ efforts are often dismissed, a hurtful and damaging blow, especially early in life. Adventurers can start to believe the naysayers without strong support.

Kuai - INFJ-A - Advocate

The Advocate personality type is very rare, making up less than one percent of the population, but they nonetheless leave their mark on the world. Advocates have an inborn sense of idealism and morality, but what sets them apart is that they are not idle dreamers. These individuals are capable of taking concrete steps to realize their goals and make a lasting positive impact.

People with this personality type tend to see helping others as their purpose in life. Advocates can often be found engaging in rescue efforts and doing charity work. However, their real passion is to get to the heart of the issue so that people need not be rescued at all.

Creative – Combining a vivid imagination with a strong sense of compassion, Advocates use their creativity to resolve not technical challenges, but human ones. People with the Advocate personality type enjoy finding the perfect solution for someone they care about. This strength makes them excellent counselors and advisors.

Insightful – Seeing through dishonesty and disingenuous motives, Advocates step past manipulation and sales tactics and into a more honest discussion. Advocate personalities see how people and events are connected. They are then able to use that insight to get to the heart of the matter.

Inspiring and Convincing – Speaking in human terms, not technical, Advocates have a fluid, inspirational writing style that appeals to the inner idealist in their audience. Advocates can even be astonishingly good orators, speaking with warmth and passion. This is especially true if they are proud of what they are speaking for.

Decisive – Advocates’ creativity, insight, and inspiration are able to have a real impact on the world. This is because they are able to follow through on their ideas with conviction, willpower, and the planning necessary to see complex projects through to the end. People with the Advocate personality type don’t just see the way things ought to be; they act on those insights.

Determined and Passionate – When Advocates come to believe that something is important, they pursue that goal with a conviction and energy that can catch others off-guard. Advocates will rock the boat if they must. Not everyone likes to see this, but their passion for their chosen cause is an inseparable part of the Advocate personality.

Altruistic – These strengths are used for good. Advocates will not engage in any actions or promote beliefs just to benefit themselves. They have strong beliefs and take the actions that they do because they are trying to advance an idea that they truly believe will make the world a better place.

Sensitive – When someone challenges or criticizes Advocates’ principles or values, they are likely to receive an alarmingly strong response. People with the Advocate personality type are highly vulnerable to criticism and conflict. Questioning their motives is the quickest way to their bad side.

Extremely Private – Advocates tend to present themselves as the culmination of an idea. This is partly because they believe in this idea, but also because Advocates are extremely private when it comes to their personal lives. They use this image to keep themselves from having to truly open up, even to close friends. Trusting a new friend can be even more challenging for Advocates.

Perfectionistic – Advocate personalities are all but defined by their pursuit of ideals. While this is a wonderful quality in many ways, an ideal situation is not always possible – in politics, in business, in romance. Advocates, especially Turbulent ones, too often drop or ignore healthy and productive situations and relationships, always believing there might be a better option down the road.

Always Need to Have a Cause – Advocate personalities get so caught up in their pursuits that any of the cumbersome tasks that come between them and their ideal vision is deeply unwelcome. Advocates like to know that they are taking concrete steps toward their goals. If routine tasks feel like they are getting in the way – or worse yet, there is no goal at all – they will feel restless and disappointed.

Can Burn Out Easily – Their passion, impatience for routine maintenance, idealism, and extreme privacy tend to leave Advocates with few options for letting off steam. People with this personality type are likely to exhaust themselves in short order if they don’t find a way to balance their ideals with the realities of day-to-day living.

Satoshi - INFP-T - Mediator

Mediator personalities are true idealists, always looking for the hint of good in even the worst of people and events, searching for ways to make things better. While they may be perceived as calm, reserved, or even shy, Mediators have an inner flame and passion that can truly shine. Comprising just 4% of the population, the risk of feeling misunderstood is unfortunately high for the Mediator personality type – but when they find like-minded people to spend their time with, the harmony they feel will be a fountain of joy and inspiration.

Idealistic – Mediators’ friends and loved ones will come to admire and depend on them for their optimism. Their unshaken belief that all people are inherently good, perhaps simply misunderstood, lends itself to an incredibly resilient attitude in the face of hardship.

Seek and Value Harmony – People with the Mediator personality type have no interest in having power over others, and don’t much care for domineering attitudes at all. They prefer a more democratic approach, and work hard to ensure that every voice and perspective is heard.

Open-Minded and Flexible – A live-and-let-live attitude comes naturally to Mediators, and they dislike being constrained by rules. Mediators give the benefit of the doubt too, and so long as their principles and ideas are not being challenged, they’ll support others’ right to do what they think is right.

Very Creative – Mediators combine their visionary nature with their open-mindedness to allow them to see things from unconventional perspectives. Being able to connect many far-flung dots into a single theme, it’s no wonder that many Mediators are celebrated poets and authors.

Passionate and Energetic – When something captures Mediators’ imagination and speaks to their beliefs, they go all in, dedicating their time, energy, thoughts and emotions to the project. Their shyness keeps them from the podium, but they are the first to lend a helping hand where it’s needed.

Dedicated and Hard-Working – While others focusing on the challenges of the moment may give up when the going gets tough, Mediators (especially Assertive ones) have the benefit of their far-reaching vision to help them through. Knowing that what they are doing is meaningful gives people with this personality type a sense of purpose and even courage when it comes to accomplishing something they believe in.

Too Idealistic – Mediators often take their idealism too far, setting themselves up for disappointment as, again and again, evil things happen in the world. This is true on a personal level too, as Mediators may not just idealize their partners, but idolize them, forgetting that no one is perfect.

Too Altruistic – Mediators sometimes see themselves as selfish, but only because they want to give so much more than they are able to. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, as they try to push themselves to commit to a chosen cause or person, forgetting to take care of the needs of others in their lives, and especially themselves.

Impractical – When something captures Mediators’ imagination, they can neglect practical matters like day-to-day maintenance and simple pleasures. Sometimes people with the Mediator personality type will take this asceticism so far as to neglect eating and drinking as they pursue their passion or cause.

Dislike Dealing With Data – Mediators are often so focused on the big picture that they forget the forest is made of individual trees. Mediators are in tune with emotions and morality, and when the facts and data contradict their ideals, it can be a real challenge for them.

Take Things Personally – Mediators often take challenges and criticisms personally, rather than as inspiration to reassess their positions. Avoiding conflict as much as possible, Mediators will put a great deal of time and energy into trying to align their principles and the criticisms into a middle ground that satisfies everybody.

Difficult to Get to Know – Mediators are private, reserved and self-conscious. This makes them notoriously difficult to really get to know, and their need for these qualities contributes to the guilt they often feel for not giving more of themselves to those they care about.

#✗ obsessive cathartic (headcanon)#✗ the ineffable testimony of spawned hellfire (scorpion)#✗ bone-deep chill of despair (sub-zero)#✗ life severed in swelling writhe of veins (satoshi)#(myers-briggs)

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baekkxong · 7 years

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Thank you for tagging me @baekheuyn! Let’s hope I still have 11 friends to tag at the end

Rules:

1. Post the rules.

2. Answer the questions given to you by the tagger.

3. Write 11 questions of your own.

4. Tag 11 people.

1. Why is your bias your bias? it’s an unexplained love jks idk he’s just so bubbly and cute and funny but then next minute he catches you off guard and you want him to manhandle you to the bedroom so

i guess you get the best of both worlds with bbh

2. What is your all time favourite k-pop song? My favourite is constantly changing, but atm I’m loving Pied Piper by BTS

3. Describe your ideal meeting with your bias. I’m literally always coming up with new scenarios of meeting him, but a few include in a coffee shop, backstage or smth (like i accidentally walk in to the changing room at the end of a show? lmao v unlikely but i can dream), just at an airport where we have time to kill as our flight is delayed and we end up talking, helping out at a photo shoot or working at SM and just running into him all the time... see what i mean? i dont think i live in real time anymore

4. What’s your dream job? To be a concept artist for BigHit lol

5. What’s your favourite animal? Probs cats, but I’m a horse lover too

6. What is one food you could eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

7. How did your bias become your bias? Well, I remember watching the episode Baekhyun and Chanyeol starred on ‘The Return of Superman’ back when I didn’t know EXO super well and believed Kai was my bias. Long story short I watched the ep, fell in love with baek’s hands and cried because he was cute. That night I dreamt about him and woke up with baekhyun all in my head and he just became my bias. Since then I’ve only discovered more to him and his personality, and I’ve never been able to escape the hole he dragged me into :’) (not that i mind)

8. Which fandoms are you a part of? I used to be a huge directioner and was in the 5sos fam (i still like them but they’re inactive atm lol), i like aot, tmi, tid, tda, thg, general stuff really

oh obvs im also an exo-l + army

9. Favourite Non-Kpop artists? the weeknd, ariana, fob, p!atd, chris brown

10. What drink do you usually get from Starbucks (or any coffee shop)? Mocha

11. What’s your favourite scent? whatever aftershave bbh wears

I’m gonna tag @supernooodles @kimjongdaely @jonginismy24 @dokyungwrites @kpoptart216 @luke-penguin-hemmings @forbyun @thumbpower @heart-baek-bleed @anticpo-blog @yikes-anotherkpopblog sorry if any of ya’ll have already done one or if you cba lol

my q’s:

1. If you had to write a novel, what would you write about?

2. What was the first kpop song you heard / MV you watched?

3. What is one food you know you’d hate in Korea?

4. Who’s your OTP (includes fictional characters / non kpop celebs)?

5. You have to start a kpop writing blog, what au do you use and who do you write about?

6. Name one movie you’re interested in but have never got round to watching.

7. You have to have one large painting in your bedroom - what is it of?

8. What is the subject you find / found hardest at school?

9. If you had the choice to be born and raised somewhere else - where would you choose?

10. What language would you like to learn most (aside from Korean)?

11. What is your favourite combination of hair and eye colour on a person?

#im rising from the dead #just lemme do these things im tagged in #then ill be right back to writing

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yeowriter-blog · 6 years

Text

The Choice That Was Not You

The sound of the sea waves crashing against the shore echoed in my ears as I stepped out of the boat and onto the bustling port of Yanyu Villa. Just as how I remembered, the town sign was gigantic and conspicuous above the entrance, greeting the old and new that entered its lively town. Even though it was morning, the voices of the villagers and stallers were loud and animated.

“Sugar candy in many shape and size! Buy them now and save on another!”

“Come and look! Buy some jade for your beloved!”

“Auntie Yue, lower it a bit for me. I’ve always bought from your stall!”

Bittersweet recollections of a particular person slowly crept out from inside my heart. For five years, I had hidden her away in my memories; yet upon entering this town, the secret floodgate came crashing down. I started making my way towards the town’s big inn. As I pass by the numerous stalls along the street, I could not help but to wonder if she still lived in this town, walking these same street… and if she was, was she still thinking of me? It’s been only five years, so anything was possible.

I thought about that one certain stall—the one that sells her favorite snack food. Before I could stop myself, my two legs found their way to the front of the snack stall. The smell of the cooked dough brought back images of the smile on her face as she bit into the food. Even though it wasn’t anything fancy, but she ate it as if the most delicious food in the world. She was a simple girl, who never asked for much.

Shaking my head from her image, I continued up the bridge and away from the marketplace. Walking upward, the past replayed itself in my head, as her image stood in front of me facing the other direction. Without saying a word, as if on que, she turned, waved, and ran all the way down. Her beautiful smile was warm as she greeted me silently. Her expression was full of sincerity, dedicating wholeheartedly towards me. I smiled to the thin air as she faded away. A tinge of pain tugged at me as I realized how much I still loved her.

Why am I avoiding the obvious? I miss her like crazy, which is why I came back here to Yanyu Villa. Since I am here already, I might as well visit all our old places. Maybe, just maybe, I might be able to see her again.

The Jianghu lifestyle, though as exciting as it had been, could still be very taxing on oneself. Not a day went by when I wasn’t watching out for my back, having no one to rely on. Beside my master who taught me his swordsmanship, I had no friends. Everyone could be an enemy. It was… quite lonely compared to those days with her.

I recalled there was this beautiful cliff, where we used to spend time together. Determined, I made my way there. Back then, it was her who showed me the place first. As the daughter of the richest silk merchant in Yanyu Villa, she had a lot of free time, and she loved to sneak out and had explored almost every inch of this town. In a way, it was how we met. I was just a middle class musician’s son trying his best to follow his father’s footstep, studying days in and days out how to perfect my guqin playing.

While I was practicing away at a remote location, she stumbled across the twelve years old me. Thinking she was a promiscuous girl with no inhibition that my scholarly father warned against, I quickly gathered my stuff and walked away. Stubbornly, she followed me and talked as if I was a friend. I unknowingly placed down my stuff and started chatting with her. At some point, I let down my guard, and our silly banters turned to admiration.

“May I come visit you again?” She asked nervously as the skies started to darken.

For some reason, I couldn’t find myself to reject her. It was strange, but I knew at that time, I had grown fond of her in the short time that we had met. She was smart, witty, and beautiful. Her beauty was possibly ranked first of all the girls I have met at that age… even till now, I had not met anyone who surpassed her in that degree. A few months passed when she told me that she had found a better place for me to practice. She then brought me to the beautiful cliff side that overlooked the sea.

The sea glistened as the waves crashed against the shore. It was the most peaceful and serene place in Yanyu Villa, that not many know about. We bantered poetry and ideals, and enjoyed ourselves in the atmosphere, before she turned to me with an excited but nervous expression.

“Play for me,” she demanded playfully. I smiled and nodded. I removed the cloth covering my old guqin and placed it on my lap.

I closed my eyes and let the music flow through my fingers. Opening my eyes, I was stunned by the beautiful scene before me. She was dancing to my sound of my guqin. Her thin waist turned as her hand moved in a hypnotizing motion. I continued playing my song, not taking my eyes off her, afraid to miss out on anything. Her movements were a bit clumsy at first, but as years go by, she slowly perfected her skills. She was like a diety, and like this, we spent the next six years together growing up and falling deeper in love.

If only I can go back in time, I would love to live those carefree days with her again over and over. She was only a year younger than me, but the expectation of society was different for both genders. A male can be as old as he want and remain single, but for females, if they were not married by seventeen, people started to wag finger. She was nearing her seventeenth birthday, and the pressure of being a spinster was too much for her parents. Rejecting every single candidate her parents introduced to her, she wanted to tell them about us, but I was hesitant. At that time, I had discovered another side to life that I wanted to journey into. Since meeting her, she taught me that the world is vast, and there is more to life than just what our parents taught.

I snapped out of the memories and looked into the open sea. The skies were turning dark, signaling that it was time for me to make my way back to the inn to rest. Visiting these memories caused me a sleepless night. Before long the sun was rising, and I, too, decided it was time to pack up. There was one last place I wanted to see before I leave. As I walked to the bridge, visions of her haunted me, reminding of the heartache I felt that day.

As I reached near the area, I stopped myself. I couldn’t go there, but can only observe hesitantly from afar. The waterfall in the background was still the as vagrant as before, and the lily pads in the water were still as abundant.

I close my eyes and thought of that day… the day I broke her heart.

“I can’t stall my parents anymore. I already told them about us. They want to meet you,” she said to me while holding my hand, “They agree for us to get marry if we really love each other.”

I pulled away, avoiding her looks of confusion.

“I’m sorry,” I said to her.

“Sorry?” She said angrily, “Why are you saying sorry?!”

I shook my head.

“I thought I can just stay back and follow my parent’s wish, but I can’t. After meeting you, I realized that I want more out of this life,” I replied, “and because of that, I want to enter jianghu.”

“Then, I can go with you,” she insisted. I shook my head.

“Jianghu is dangerous. To follow my master, I can’t take you or be married.”

“After all this time, do you even love me?” she asked with her voice shaking.

“I do, but it’s not enough to hold me back. I don’t want to live a life of regret,” I cold heartedly responded turning away.

“I hate you. I never want to see you again,” she said with a wounded voice.

She took one last look at me, hoping I would change my mind and hold her, but I was adamant. Giving up, she cried in her hands, and then ran off.

Hearing her footsteps away, I turned around wanting to stop her, but in the end, I couldn’t. I had already set my heart that day to break off things. I made my choice, and as much as it pained me to know that I had hurt her, my choice did not include her in the calculation.

As I stood on the bridge, I can envision the image of her running past me with tears falling out of her eyes. Five years ago, I broke her heart, and in a way, I broke my heart with my choice. She was the only person I will ever truly love, but that information will be my secret forever. Love wasn’t something I can afford to have in this life of Jianghu. My master had made a mistake marrying his lover, and lost her due to the blades of Jianghu. Even master said, he was not entirely sure, if she had ever been happy with him. I could not afford that same mistake.

Unable to stall for more time in hopes of seeing her one last time, I had to leave this city. Once again, I am forced to bury these feelings as I had done five years ago. Walking past an entrance with a circular doorway, I shockingly saw her walking out, as she, too, noticed me with a stunned shock expression on her face.

She had not changed much, only more mature than I last saw her. Her beauty was still peerless. Though it was only a few second, in that short moment, the both of us just looked at each other, as if frozen in time. The sound of my heartbeat increased, as my throat couldn’t utter a single sound. In a sense, it seems like she was too.

Then another voice called her name, breaking us out of our trance. She quickly turned to him as he opened his arm to catch her in a hug.

“Sorry to make you wait, my beautiful wife,” he said not wanting to let go, but pulled back eventually, caressing the side of her face. At his back was a red oak wood guqin, the highest quality of its kind. Even mine, back then, was of the medium quality. In a way, it made me a bit jealous to see her married to a musician.

“Let’s go,” she said to him, “our son is waiting.”

He smiled and looked at her as if she was the only thing in his world and nodded. My body couldn’t move as the aching truth smacked me in the face. I wanted to yell at her, challenged him, and demand she come back to my side. At the same time, I just wanted to talk to her one more time, hug her, and catch up on life, but it was too late, and I had no rights. It will only bring me pain.

They walked past the frozen me, and after a quick second, I turned around and watched them one last time. She didn’t look back, but instead look at him and smiled that same smile that I know too well. It was then I realized that a part of me was relieved knowing that she had the happiness she deserve; albeit, it’s not with me. I sighed and made my way towards exit of town and into the main road. It’s time to move on and back into the Jianghu life that I had chosen.

My only love of this lifetime. Please be happy always so I won’t have any regret. Goodbye. ---- Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this short oneshot. Accompany is the music video I made for this story. -YeoGamer/Writer

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#jianghu #first love #ageofwushu #oneshotromance #regret #bittersweet #creative writing #choice

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