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saintsenara · 3 months

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Thoughts on remadora?

thank you very much for the asks, anons!

while they are by no means my otp, i really enjoy remadora as pairing - and i think they��re fully up there among the canon couples in terms of being an amazing vehicle through which to explore all sorts of questions about life and love - which i am aware is a sufficiently controversial statement that it involves an immediate engagement with some discourse…

because remadora girlies [gender neutral] get an enormous amount of shit within the fandom, particularly from fans who consider wolfstar to be a more plausible pairing for lupin than tonks. i have seen remadora shippers called homophobes for simply enjoying the couple, justified with the bizarre idea that it disrespects remus' relationship with sirius [so... the non-canon one?] to put them together. i have seen tonks turned into a pathetic shrew who is trying to keep remus from the real love of his life by trapping him with an unwanted baby. i have seen remadora shippers get a lot of the usual stuff that people who prefer the canon-endgame couples do [that to ship a canon pair is boring, that it is indicative of a lack of talent, that it indicates an uncritical support for jkr] magnified to eleven because tonks has the temerity to be a barrier to remus’ relationship with the fandom’s favourite hot and brooding man.

obviously, this is bullshit - primarily because its unreasonable and cruel to invest so much time and energy being mean to people because of their harry potter shipping preferences [fandom should never be that deep].

but it’s also a disappointment to me personally because it means that it can be very hard to find the sort of remadora i like without looking like i’m coming to contribute to the pile-on. because where many remadora fans and i don’t see eye-to-eye is that i have absolutely no interest in thinking about them as a relationship which is actually functional. and, all too often, i find myself sifting through fics which do prefer to interpret them like this - as romantic and passionate and stable - largely, i think it’s fair to say, as a defensive move against the tide of “urgh, imagine shipping that” nonsense - even though all the evidence of canon is that they are… very much not.

i am aware of the pottermore article which smoothes the edges of lupin’s canonical reaction to tonks’ feelings for him in half-blood prince - but, while i read this as something of a retcon to make the relationship more palatable, i also don’t think that assuming that both tonks and lupin’s attraction to each other was sincere precludes them being as dysfunctional as they canonically are. i don’t go in for the common anti-remadora argument that tonks “forces” him into a relationship with her - it’s clear in half-blood prince that it’s not only her who has discussed her feelings with molly and arthur weasley, lupin is definitely flirting with her when they pick harry up in order of the phoenix, lupin is an adult man [no matter other power imbalances between him and tonks - such as the fact that she is an agent of the state which oppresses him] who possesses the capacity to refuse her advances, and - since teddy’s conception is not immaculate - he has no issue with enjoying a sexual relationship with her even if he then wants to run away from the product of that.

instead, what i like with remadora is that they reveal something which goes against the grain of the rest of the series: that love is not always enough. throughout the seven-book canon, we see time and time again the idea that love - and, crucially, love-as-noble-suffering and love-as-sacrifice - is enough to overcome any problem. entire civil service collaborating with a terrorist regime? don’t trouble yourself, love has won. your mother dying in childbirth leaving you to be neglected in a state institution? your own fault you’re not interested in love.

i understand the genre reasons for this, but i also love the way in which lupin especially exists on the margins of these genre conventions [just as he exists on the margins of wizarding society!]. i’m always struck in deathly hallows that he’s the only person who’s actually realistic about the demands of war - particularly when he tells harry that it is breathtakingly naive for him to think he can get through the fighting without having to shoot to kill - and that part of him having to be shuffled out of the way when harry tells him to return to the pregnant tonks is because, were the story focused on realism, the idea that a wanted man who is considered an unhuman by the state fleeing in order to guarantee the safety of his wife and unborn child becomes eminently reasonable and harry's defense of the nuclear family embarrassingly unradical.

and so i like the idea of lupin seeing tonks - and tonks seeing lupin - initially as just a bit of fun, as the two of them being just two chill single people who think the other is hot and interesting and want to bang because of it.

[which is something fandoms in general really struggle with as a concept. we like epic love stories - and you won't find me objecting to that! - but we're less good at thinking about casual sexual attraction or transient friendships, and how these can be transformative and meaningful without having to end up going any sort of distance.]

and i then like the idea of the relationship being forced into a profundity it doesn’t really have the juice to sustain by the sheer avalanche of grief which besets the two of them - sirius, dumbledore, mad-eye, ted - and by the pressure of the war and the fact that the order is scrambling and the hangover of remus' self-destruction in half-blood prince which makes each cling to the other as a life-raft. i like remadora as something codependent and messy and strange and sad, and i don’t think this prevents it being sincere and fun and based in mutual attraction, but instead that these positive qualities can exist in conjunction with the fact that, without the war, it would have been a summer of fucking and that was probably it.

on tonks herself, i don’t think i can say it better than @evesaintyves in this meta on her character. i’ve been really uncomfortable with quite a lot of stuff i’ve seen recently which has taken against the idea that tonks can be meaningfully read as queer on the basis of what we find in the text, above all because it so often comes with the implication that one cannot imagine her in her canon endgame pairing and presume that she’s something other than straight or cisgender. eve sets out an excellent case for tonks as bolshy and liberated and in tune with herself and fun and confused and in flux and still figuring stuff out about who she is and where she’s going - and this translates, may i say, to an astonishingly beautiful way of writing her, lupin, and the dysfunction inherent between them which i highly recommend you read.

#asks answered #asenora's opinions on ships #remadora #remus lupin #nymphadora tonks

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shakingparadigm · 25 days

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The thing to me is that i dont know what to expect anymore. After round 3 everyone first conclusion was probably that ivan would die for(or bcs) Till so i was waiting for something to subvert my expectations but no they played it straight.

“Luka vs Till is no competition”” They wouldnt do romh twice” now im not so sure.

Also I see the doomed toxic yaoi but I cant with how good my boys look 😭 Till in black or jacked + fingerless gloves, mullet ,maybe little bangs, ivan in white full coat , slicked back hair. They look so good.

Ivan's hair being slicked back was the only correct answer after we saw Till's long hair down. He looks so damn good actually. I know he died but at least he served one last immaculate outfit before eating shit.

Dude. I was the exact same. Ivan dying in this way was genuinely the most predicted outcome of ROUND 6, so I thought... surely it couldn't be so easy... VIVINOS must have another card up their sleeve! Yeah! The card up their sleeve was the same card they were fucking holding in their hand already because they PLAYED IT STRAIGHT. I laughed myself silly after watching the video because it just made sense. We expected something more complicated, more devastating, more drawn out than Ivan just straight up dying this round. VIVINOS set up the possibility of a jailbreak and we ended up getting too comfortable. Just because Mizi was successfully rescued doesn't mean lightning will strike twice. Ivan dying was a massive blow, yes, but an underrated frame that holds the same amount of devastation is the shot of Hyuna and Mizi hiding, Hyuna bleeding from the side. They were there. They tried to save them and they couldn't make it. They failed. And they don't even know that they failed yet because Hyuna was shot. If they played Ivan's death straight, they certainly subverted expectations with Mizi and Hyuna's jailbreak. They weren't even a part of the main video. They didn't even make it to the stage itself. And honestly, that's realistic. Of course things end up going wrong, that's just how it is. The hope for a jailbreak made the pain twice as impactful when Ivan starts getting shot. There's a sense of hopelessness watching it. They saved Mizi before her execution, surely they can do the same now, right? Where are they? We really got too comfortable with the idea of a rebellion rescue, we failed to remember that in the end, they're only human.

Well, now we're at Till vs Luka. Can't say I'm shocked. I'm just gonna sit back and see how everything unfolds from here. I'll try not to make castles out of playing cards next time.

#alnst #alien stage #alien stage round 6 #asks

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mk-writes-stuff · 4 days

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Personality Through Quotes

Rules: write quotes for your OCs following the prompts, then create a new prompt for the next people

Thanks @mysticstarlightduck, @elsie-writes, and @kaylinalexanderbooks for the tags! My prompts are, “a quote about their relationship with money,” “a quote about getting or being sick,” and “a quote about a weird habit they or someone else has.”

A quote about their relationship with money

Belladonna: “I try to be reasonable with my budget, but a noblewoman can afford to splurge.”

Cassie: “Yeah, fine, I’ll admit this bodyguard shit pays pretty well. Still not worth dealing with nobles.”

Nellie: “I just got my first paycheque yesterday! Cassie said she’d take me shopping, and I’m so excited. I’ve never been shopping before.”

Narcissus: “Money? Why would I worry about that? My station can afford it.”

Ricinus: “Proper budgeting is essential to station management.”

Goldenrod: “Ricinus always complains about me spending money. I don’t know why, we can afford it.”

Cassiopeia: “My station always does well financially. I keep a good hold on it.”

Stellaris: “I’m not good with numbers, but that doesn’t mean I can’t budget! It just takes me a bit longer, that’s all.”

Rhys: “I’ve never had money. Clones don’t get paid.”

Sel: “Money! I know what that is and how to spend it… of course…”

A quote about getting or being sick

Belladonna: “I hate being sick. Luckily, it doesn’t happen too often, but I hate how little I can get done and how puffy my face always looks.”

Cassie: “Couple of coworkers on the lower station told me that a couple ibuprofen and a shot’ll keel you from feeling any illness, and let me tell you, it fucking works.”

Nellie: “I feel sick all the time right now. The doctor said the withdrawal does that, but it’s still miserable.”

Narcissus: “I don’t get sick. But if I did, I’d still look immaculate.” (I feel the need to impress that this is a massive lie.)

Ricinus: “I don’t enjoy getting sick, but it’s a sign I need a break.”

Goldenrod: “Ricinus never takes care of me when I’m sick. It’s so unfair.”

Cassiopeia: “Illness is an unfortunate fact of life. It’s important that I take care of myself when it happens.”

Stellaris: “I feel sick all the time. I hate it.”

Rhys: “I only ever seem to get sick when Goldenrod gets me to wait on her while she is. It’s part of the job, I suppose.”

Sel: “Being sick is stressful. What if I’m feverish and I say something I don’t mean?”

A quote about a weird habit they or someone else has

Belladonna: “Cassie seems to think taking her hand off repeatedly counts as fidgeting. I’ve told her it doesn’t, but she doesn’t listen to me.”

Cassie: “Belladonna thinks I have weird habits? She’s the one who eats like a fucking weirdo, have you seen the way she practically plots out every bite like it’s a fucking military maneuver?”

Nellie: “I don’t understand why Rhys holds his knives the way he does. I really should ask him. It just seems unsafe to hold them in a fist like that - he keeps cutting himself. I’m worried about him.”

Narcissus: “I don’t understand why everyone seems to be in the constant habit of trying to one-up me. I mean, it’s already clear that I’m superior to them and it’s not going to work - what are they trying to achieve?”

Ricinus: “Goldenrod’s peculiar habits all make sense to me. I know they’re covers for her to cheat.”

Goldenrod: “Ricinus thinks he’s being subtle with his little sneaky methods to see if I’m cheating, but I know what he’s up to.”

Cassiopeia: “I don’t understand Stellaris. He’s always waving his hands in the air and making some little squealing noise. I’ve told him it’s undignified, but he won’t stop.”

Stellaris: “I know my little hand movements and little sounds make me a freak, but they feel so natural and so relieving that sometimes they just happen.”

Rhys: “Nellie says I hold my knives weird. I know I do, but I can’t seem to hold them the right way. My hands don’t listen to me.”

Sel: “I know I have strange habits. I pull at my hair when I’m anxious.” *is currently pulling his hair*

I don’t feel super confident in this one but it’s done now :)

@illarian-rambling @somethingclevermahogony @touloserlautrec want to play? Your prompt is, “a quote about rest.”

#writeblr #tag game #seven station chronicles

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muertawrites · 2 years

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omg I saw that little note at the end about you maybe making a fic based off sk8er boi 👀 can’t wait if you decide to write it!!

A Girl You Used to Know (Eddie Munson x Reader)

Word Count: 900 (exactly too??? i'm a fucking witch. not editing this.)

Author's Note: did i watch a nearly 20 year old sims 2 music video for this song to psych myself up for writing this? no shame in admitting i did. is this a direct callout post to all the cheerleader!reader fics polluting this godforsaken hellsite? maybe. we'll see how much hate mail i have to ignore. this one is for my alt babes. we all know eddie would like us better.

"I can't do this anymore."

She blinked, uncomprehending.

"What?"

Eddie huffed. He uncrossed his arms, shoulders hunching, tense. Angry.

"I can't keep... fucking you like I don't feel anything for you. Like you don't get off on the fact that I'm corrupting you or some shit. Sneaking around while you're too ashamed to go out in fucking public with me."

She laughed, and he seethed. The broad actually laughed at him.

"Are you serious?" she quipped. "You're dumping me? You're dumping me. Eddie 'The Freak' is dumping the one girl in Hawkins who can have anyone she wants."

"Yeah," he spat back at her. "I am. And I have a feeling I'm not gonna regret it."

She cackled, waving her manicured hand in his face as if to dismiss him.

"That's so rich!" she cheered. "You really are as dumb as they say. You clearly don't realize how totally out of your league I am. How lucky you are that I even let you kiss me in the first place, let alone take my virginity."

"Well, if I could give it back to you, I would. I don't want any part of you anymore. I'm done being used for whatever sick fetish you're trying to fulfill."

The conversation comes back to him vividly, playing out almost in real time as she approaches him. She's definitely out of place here - blonde hair immaculately curled, pinned back with a pearl barrette, white mini skirt under a powder blue sweater. But she smiles at him all the same, running into his arms like the lover he once thought she was.

"Eddie!" she squeals.

"Bethany," he deadpans. His arms go weak at her sides, falling limp with disdain. Her perfume is way too strong, too musky; he gags on the toxic cloud that envelops him.

"I'm so proud of you!" the little cherub squeaks as they part. "I saw your music video on MTV the other day and just had to come see you! You're, like, a major rockstar now!"

She giggles in the way she thinks is infectious, but is actually just vapid. Empty. A hand raises to her cheek to swipe at a stray curl that's stuck in her lip gloss, and Eddie can't ignore the glint of the diamond on her ring finger.

"I didn't think you liked metal," is all he can bring himself to say.

"What, I can't support an old flame?" she asks, giggling still. The sound grates at the inside of his skull.

"You know I'm married," he blurts.

It's a lie, but she blanches all the same.

"O...Oh?"

Her smile falters and she can't hide it. Head cheerleader, homecoming queen, the princess of Hawkins, Indiana has lost her flawless grace.

"Yeah," Eddie confirms.

"But you don't wear a ring?"

"Looks like you do, though."

Your voice cuts through the backstage din, sidling up next to Eddie and wrapping a protective arm around his waist. He physically calms, melting into your touch as easily as he would a warm shower. He gives your bum an appreciative squeeze, loving your vicious gall against the groupies.

"Bethany," he announces smugly, "this is my girlfriend."

"Pleased to meet you!" You smile, holding out a hand for the woman to shake. She takes it reluctantly, the spread of her lips entirely forced.

"I thought you said you were married," she practically growls.

"Well, common law," you state. "We've lived together for what... a year now? Anyway. You're Bethany! Eddie's told me so much about you." You don't give her the decency of keeping the venom from your tongue. "He actually wrote a song about you!"

She perks up at that, seeing something she can hold against you.

"He did?" she coos. "Oh, he was always such a romantic. Which one was it?"

"It's not released yet," Eddie tells her. "I'm actually letting her do the vocals. She sang the demo and the label loved her too much to let me take over."

He grins proudly, hugging you even closer to his side. Bethany looks like she's going to fucking explode.

"We'll send you an LP when we get the final cut!" you offer. "Here, give us your address."

You hand her a bar napkin and an eyeliner pencil, which she sneers at but accepts. After scribbling down the information, she passes it back to Eddie, who grins as his eyes scan over it.

"Still in good ol' Hawkins," he notes. "And your name's Carver now? You actually married that fucking prick?"

You halfheartedly smack his chest, shaking your head at Bethany.

"Guys like him," you muse. "Can't take them anywhere, can you?"

Your eyes cut into hers like twin chainsaws. She's so worked up she's practically vibrating with resentment.

"Well," she ekes, "it was... wonderful to see you again, Eddie. And to meet your... lovely... girlfriend."

She spits the word like used tobacco.

You and Eddie wait until she's around the corner to collapse into hysterics, leaning against each other for support as you savor her absolute destruction.

A few months later, Bethany drives to the grocery store, her infant son screaming in the back seat. She turns up the radio to drown him out, only for the disc jockey to introduce a familiar name: Corroded Coffin.

The lyrics that flow through her speakers make her grip the steering wheel with white-knuckled rage.

Too bad that you couldn't see,

See the man that boy could be.

There is more than meets the eye.

I see the soul that is inside.

🌹💀get your eddie fix💀🌹

#this fic brought to you by the aggressive canadian way avril says 'sorry' in this song #muerta's works #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x alt!reader #rockstar!eddie #rockstar!eddie munson #corroded coffin #eddie munson

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stupidrant · 3 months

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you know, girls of color in media don't really get the chance to have complete character arcs, be fully realized love interests or able to be hold her own and vulnerable & soft, i'm so happy that our girl angrboda is getting so much love 🥺❤️ she deserves the princess treatmen and fully spoiled. i'm talking fluffy tulle gowns in a giant ballroom ala bridgerton being courted by a young man who looks weird in the face at first but he's actually very cool and nice!

When i first saw angrboda i was shocked like REALLY shocked since i had no prior knowledge of ragnarok coming out until like days after it came out. (Her design is immaculate imo) And then going through the game i became even more shocked and then the ending came and i was just like… WHAT? Her being his first or ONLY love interest wasnt even my first thought until like a month later bc i was quite in awe with the game in general and then it kinda hit me thats what was happening and i was like oh. OH. I was rooting for her and.. they was end game. You guys i was like wtf…

This is probably a little sensitive for me to say but i dont usually fret over representation too much anymore. The reason for it is bc honestly its very hit or miss and more misses than ever before. Alot of it feels like “here, damn” like just to do it to satiate people, mocking or a set up and its like ok. Whatever. I cannot force people to do smth they dont want to do and i think if you dont wanna do it then just dont tbh. But even when it is genuine or even good you dont see it being popular. I think of a few examples ofc but 9/10 they are either terrible characters, die later on or are flat out ignored (if they had no arc). The difference with angrboda shes none of that. They didnt even put her in a stereotypical place im genuinely shocked about that. I dont like her bc shes black but bc i actually like her. Her being black is just a plus for me and I dont project myself onto her because honestly if i do itll put me in a shit position and i dont really feel the need to do so anyways but i do appreciate everything abt her and i do recognize that they took their time with her and i applaud them for that. All of that just for her to end up being the most hated character. Lol. im always gonna be a little bitter about that. Again, I really hope sms continues on with her regardless of the hate bc they did it with atreus.

#This is smth ive thought abt for a long time but i never really got the chance to talk abt.#like laya said at the baftas “you dont get that many characters like her”#the only time i care abt that is character creation games and thats really it tbh everything else is like ehh #Angrboda #god of war ragnarok #god of war #gowr #gow #asks #my stuff #Rant #sort of?

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jeskoholic · 11 months

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A Little Piece of You Chapter 15: Boy Talk

This is a chapter from an on-going series. If you missed out on the previous entries, you can check my masterlist.

Previous chapter: An Excess of Kwangya

Word count: 4,487

Tags: Male OC, College Jisoo, College Friends, Intercollegiate Romance

Enjoy

---

It was for the collective good that neither Soyeon nor I saw each other after that exchange. Not even the playful strings of fate could bind us together as everything felt really a drought; whereas we never even got to see each other again even if was by a slim chance. Spacing myself from her did help justify the decision before I could even take it back because admittedly, it does take a huge deal of getting used to her absence. Gone were the calls, the periodical nagging, the occasional skinship… I would lie if I would say that I did not miss her to a certain degree. There was a point in our relationship that I enjoyed what had transpired. However, the negatives outweigh too much of the positives for me to even continue on. So far, I have no regrets whatsoever.

It was quite ironic, even for a person such as me, to divert my attention to the flurry of academic works I had going about. Normally I would just let things slide like how they would usually go but I figured that for a change, I might try to exert some extra effort and see how would that go for the incoming weeks. In my head, it would help me ease the periodical guilt that sprang from Soyeon’s slap. I was either intentionally heading straight home or going to Naevis at a weird time to enjoy myself without the rest of my new found friends.

Still, I remained updated about her thankfully, through United Kwangya; of which most of her updates came from Kyungsoo and Yeri. I also observed that I went back to the more silent, sentinel type of person in the messaging group unlike when Soyeon was still actively participating in it. Somehow, that subtle ‘break-up’ between us both incited a barrier that served the rest selective of their conversations. Replying and reacting to my friends chats suddenly felt awkward; a predicament I never viewed possible considering the presence of Shinwon and Kino…

Maybe even Ningning…

Then again, there are also the conversations that I could not avoid. Shinwon is really a close friend of mine and a classmate on a mutual subject, so the talk was inevitable. I do appreciate how he’s not bringing the topic out with regards to Soyeon, but aside from that we really have nothing else to talk about. I guess it was my fault, considering I was making up shit-stupid reasons just to not go home with him when the issue was at its peak, all because I just wanted to be alone.

I already feel bad for doing that, but I need these little solo-times to make things work on the way they were supposed to. Soon, I will be able to get back on track.

I have full confidence that Shinwon, among others, would understand that best.

The midterms are also starting to knock on the university door, and I figured I would press myself further to see what it would yield. It was a cold and rainy night; I was stuck in the comfort of the four corners of my room with Joohyun-noona running an unofficial night-shift, effectively leaving me alone in charge of the apartment. I didn’t really mind, as the soft noise of the night cityscape coupled with the rain was an immaculate combo for studying.

That night, I had my phone on my desk as I repeatedly memorized the derivatives of certain trigonometric functions, the most used ones at least. I was working on a set of problems that I deem would solve my usual confusion between arcsine x and arc secant x, because in my head they always looked the same especially at first glance.

BZZZT

My phone lit up in response to a newly received message. At first, I initially thought that it was either the United Kwangya messaging group or at least one of the members… then I had a hint that might be Jeon Soyeon, finally deciding to message me directly after that…

I honestly hesitated for a bit before I decided to open it nonetheless.

Well, I was half-right. The message was indeed from a United Kwangya member, just not someone I would immediately think of in this time of the evening.

Kim Hyojong: Yo, Jae-in, it’s been a while! Are you there man? Are you online?

Of course, there was not even a second’s hesitation especially when it came from Dawn. I don’t know what has gotten into him that he suddenly wants a conversation, but a talk from a good friend is certainly something I could not ignore even in this situation.

Right… If there was one person that I could relate to in some degree… it would be him. We’re both not in the active circle of United Kwangya, not the ones who go out every week anyway… plus, he’s not studying at NLIU either so I guess he’s someone I can talk to when I’m in a sump with the rest of them.

With that, I decided to place a mental note on the problems I have yet to solve and brought my phone up to reply.

Jae-in: Hey, man! What’s up? What’s with the sudden private message?

Dawn: Well, I’ll just ask if you happen to be free tomorrow evening, right after your class. Let’s head for a stroll at Metro Station for a change?

This dude has got something to tell me. He’s got to be sandbagging on something otherwise he would not have messaged me in this form. I could literally hear him through the screen. I’m willing to bet on it.

Jae-in: Yeah, sure… I really don’t have anything else planned after tomorrow’s classes. Oh, but it’s the class I share with Shinwon. Do you mind if I tag him along?

Dawn: That’s very convenient then! I was just about to ask him the same thing. Go ahead and ask him if he’s up to it, but I would appreciate it if you limit it between the three of us.

Jae-in: Why…? What’s going on? Did you suddenly commit murder or something? Do you need help hiding the body?

Dawn: Hahaha hell no, brother. This is something serious. I figured I want to ask your opinions on things, and Shinwon’s inclusion is a damn good addition. I hope he goes as well.

What is this dude up to?

Oh wait…

Jae-in: This is about a girl now, isn’t it?

Dawn: Hey, I’m going to save things for tomorrow so we can enjoy it between a cup of tea or cola or something. No alcohol and I insist. At least we have something to talk about. Don’t forget to message me tomorrow, okay?

Jae-in: Alright then. Save the best for last, I guess? Lmao

Look at this idiot…

This is most definitely for a girl.

Hyojong has always been quite the ladies’ man ever since. I would not be surprised if that was the case.

I could almost envy his enthusiasm to finding the right girl.

Let’s see where this goes. If it works out then at least I should take notes from him, I guess.

---THE FOLLOWING DAY---

In lieu of recent events with regards to the other side of the group chat, it would stand to reason that Jae-in’s enthusiasm to meet Dawn was largely anchored to his curiosity more than anything else. His sudden appearance in the middle of all the chaos of United Kwangya offered a fresh set of perspective to divert him from the lingering guilt of Soyeon. It was already established in his head that Dawn, being a person enrolled on a completely different university than all of them, had a different approach with regards to people. He was the most ‘friendly’ amidst most of them, so Jae-in found the situation to not be really much as a surprise. What he found as a surprise though, was Dawn going all the way of asking them out for their opinion. He cannot immediately think what else Dawn would ask him for because normally his friend would take care of things himself.

Given the conversation Ko Shinwon and Yoon Jae-in shared on their first subject earlier that day, it was mutually agreed that Dawn was planning to ask another girl out. He was to what Jae-in would always tease him, the more ‘tamed’ and toned-down version of Hongseok as he really craves more on flirty conversations than skinship and sex.

Hours passed and eventually the afternoon fell. Jae-in and Shinwon took the long route, exiting through the university hospital to meet with Dawn along the way and ultimately settling to meet on a convenience store near his college. Similar to North Light, strands of people started to walk out of its premises with the only reason being the hourly dismissals.

Jae-in and Shinwon treaded towards the tall buildings of the spread university campus, still engaged in a conversation with regards to their drafting subject. That was when he showed up; the man of the hour Kim Hyojong. He was walking towards their direction, a soft black beanie concealing the rest of his blonde hair while he supplied both of his friends with a wide smile. As he waved his hands in greeting, Jae-in was able to notice the can of soda he held, including the two others lodged on his other arm with his sling bag’s strap lay dangling on his back.

“Hey!” Hyojong said with utmost enthusiasm as soon as he approached the two. As per usual, he gave them mutual fist bumps even with the sodas and joined them on their walk. “I went to pull my luck and hope that I bump into the two of you. The convenience store is so jam-packed with med students racking in some coffee for the night classes so I had to settle for a little take-out.”

“Well, going way up here was a good call then. Jae-in and I were about to stay at the internet café just to chill and wait, so it was better that we walked up here,” Shinwon added.

“I agree,” Jae-in said. “Had we agreed to stay there and things did not turn out the way we thought they would, you’re going to walk all around just to get to NLIU’s main gate. It’s crazy when you think how large of a space the university actually occupies.”

“You would have been tired the moment you arrive at the shop,” said Shinwon in agreement. “Well, let’s just cut to the fucking chase… to what do we owe the pleasure, Kim Hyojong? This entire ordeal seemed pretty serious considering you’re pretty much MIA most of the time. This is such a huge development. Kino would flip if he hears this.”

Dawn smirked. “I can’t help it. I figured I had to tell it to someone. However, this is not the place to talk. You guys okay walking all the way to Metro Station?”

“Of course, I mean look who you’re talking to. We literally have Jae-in with us.”

“As for the time,” Jae-in added, nodding. “We have all night. Go ahead and we’ll listen.”

“Damn, you guys are as reliable as ever; well except for the one time you misdirected me on Yeouido, Shinwon. I’m never forgetting that.”

“Hey!”

“Anyway, let’s head on. We have a shit ton to talk about.”

---

“Okay, we’re here embracing the beauty of the city’s best malls while we tread its premises… so could you please just cut it with the suspense and tell us what the hell is going on?” Jae-in said with an obvious tone of sarcasm, wedging himself between the two figures of his friends.

“Fine then, I think I’ve stalled long enough,” Dawn began as that time he swapped positions with Jae-in and became the one wedged between them. “So, for starters, I think it was already a given fact that your boy Dawn talks to a lot of girls, right?”

“Oh really, you do? Can you please tell us something that we don’t know yet?” teased Shinwon.

“Hey, I’m being serious, man! I’m trying to intro this in the smoothest way possible!”

“Okay, okay, so… let me guess… you found a girl amongst all the ocean of people you’re talking to, and hoping to hop to the next level of that talk you asked Jae-in and me for help. How does that sound?”

“That feels way too accurate of a guess,” said the other friend, Jae-in from the other side of the trio. “I think that you just hit him spot-on.”

“It does feel like a suspicious guess, but nevertheless accurate. It does sound bad when you put it up that way, though,” Dawn replied with a smirk and transferring his gaze towards Shinwon’s grimace.

“Isn’t it bad, though? I mean, you don’t usually end up doing that no matter how serious it gets,” teased Jae-in. “What made this any different from the past ones, hmmm?”

Kim Hyojong hesitated for a bit, cleared his throat, and then proceeded to talk with a clearly retreated tone.

“I… I happen to stumble upon a girl… Nayeon�� when I was sending people tons of messages… it went down initially as a random conversation here and there and I thoroughly enjoyed talking to her because she replies so quickly… it eventually evolved to our ideal types and of course I had to spill mine to her.”

“Ah-huh…. And….?”

“Well, apparently this girl I was talking about introduced me to someone she thought would be suitable for me and that is judging by all the conversations we had prior to that arrangement. She organized a lunch date for the three of us a couple of days ago, and there I finally met the woman that I wanted to talk about.”

Three…?

There’s more than one girl this guy’s talking to?

“Wait, hold up,” Shinwon interfered. “I’m confused… so this person that you initially talk to was not the same girl you’re intending to ask out, but rather her friend?”

“That’s what I am trying to explain man… listen carefully because it is very complicated.”

“I mean, my expectations were low but holy fuck.”

“Anyway, so I was successful on talking to this friend of hers and I was thoroughly interested on where our conversation would lead, but then she eventually posted a photo on her story with a couple of her other friends and damn I was so stunned with one of her friends bro. She looked so amazing. I knew when I first saw her I’m immediately hooked.”

“What the hell?” Jae-in replied as he stifled a laugh. “I thought you were already talking to this Nayeon girl? How come that it was her friend that you’ve suddenly developed interest on? Is it really that complicated? You just took a 90 degree turn out of her way!”

“Hey, in my defence, I was just talking to Nayeon because she looked like a fun person to talk to, and I was right! Turns out Nayeon and I had a lot of things in common that we’re easily getting along, so when I asked the name of the pretty person on her story she immediately went off and arranged a date for us to meet without an ounce of hesitation. It was just the very first day and yet I’m already mesmerized with her. Damn man, she’s so breathtakingly beautiful. I learned that her name was Kim Jisoo, which I thought was as pretty as her face could ever be.”

Jae-in silently placed his palm over his forehead while laughing to himself, along with Shinwon fighting his urge to do the same.

Hyojong was definitely something else.

“So, have you gone already and talked to her or at least add her profile?” asked Shinwon. “That way you could at least talk to her directly and not pushing things through with this Nayeon… I mean, this Jisoo girl might think that you’re into her friend and not her.”

“Well, no… Not yet. Of course I wanted to jump right into it and talk to her almost immediately, but my conversation with her friend, Nayeon, stopped me. She said that Jisoo was the type of person who always trusted her first impression on someone that adds her on social media. With that, I checked my wall and realized all the bullshit I’ve been sharing for the past few weeks and they were really embarrassing. Good thing Nayeon told me about the whole first impression thing and I’ve got time to evaluate my profile for it to be interesting for her, but with its current setting I’m pretty sure I got a lot of things to work on first.”

Jae-in knit his eyebrows.

“Didn’t it occur to you that maybe this Jisoo has already taken a peek on your profile by now? You two have literally met, and even if you say that you’re talking through Nayeon, it’s almost impossible to believe that she didn’t even get curious with what you’ve got in store. I’m sure at some point she’s taken a peek to it.”

“I placed a quick remedy for that and temporarily hid all my posts,” Dawn said nonchalant, earning a look of surprise from Jae-in’s end. “I made things as private as I could, and thankfully Nayeon was quick enough to understand why I did that.”

“Wouldn’t that make Jisoo’s impression worse if she sees? That would appear so suspicious; it’s as if you’re trying to hide something… in this case you are, but you know what I mean.”

I honestly don’t see the point why Dawn had to go onto such huge lengths. Maybe there’s something in that first impression that he really values, or an essential element that I’m morbidly lacking.

Until I know what that is, I still feel like this entire overhaul is so unnecessary.

“It might, but the way I look at it… I’d rather delay it for a short while than let her see it the way it is now. In the small chance that she’s not paying attention, then there’s my lucky strike. I’ll be able to change everything before she could even see how crazy I was.”

Shinwon turned a gaze towards Jae-in of which the latter was quick to return. Their eyes met for a brief moment yet they already spoke a ton, perhaps including how they would try to help Hyojong in his problem. Good thing, Shinwon was quite the quick thinker and decided to head on to the route that Dawn was probably trying to steer the conversation into.

“You know what…? I think Jae-in and I could relate to you better if you show us what she looks like. At least then we can see if she’s worthy of our approval, right Jae-in?”

“H-huh…? Sure… I guess…?”

“One sec,” replied Dawn in quick fashion as he immediately fished his phone from his pocket, in turn directing the three of them to seat at the nearby bench within the mall. Seconds later, he flashed a photo of two ladies smiling towards the camera, proceeding to hand his phone over to Shinwon for him to see further. “There. Jisoo is the one on the left and Nayeon’s on the right.”

Shinwon eyed the picture carefully, and then his eyes widened.

“HOLY SHIT, THIS IS THE GIRL YOU’RE TALKING TO?!” he exclaimed, pointing towards the photograph. “Holy shit man, she looks like a goddamn model! You’re so fucking lucky!”

“Dude, that’s Nayeon you’re pointing at.”

Shinwon shifted his finger towards the other girl.

“She is so beautiful!”

Dawn emitted a soft chuckle.

“I get it, they’re both pretty so I get why you’re confused. It was just Nayeon’s idea to bring us together because she felt that we’re… compatible, I guess.”

“Here, take a look Jae-in,” Shinwon said as he handed the phone over.

With that, Jae-in held the phone with the two ladies pictured perfectly. Sure enough, there was no denying that they’re really pretty, and even that felt like an understatement to him. However, perhaps his subsequent fallout with Soyeon caused him to be really disinterested in anything romantic, even down to the smallest details of praising a person’s visuals. He could see why Dawn would take a liking into her, it’s just he could not give his honest opinions about her. He really could not care less.

“She’s pretty,” he concluded, sufficing a smile while returning Dawn his phone. “I can see why you’re interested on her. He looks exactly like you’re type. I approve… I guess.”

“It’s decided then; you get both of our approval,” said Shinwon. “Now, tell us of this plan of yours.”

Dawn straightened his back and sighed, trying to gain confidence.

“Thanks to Nayeon, we know that she likes a good impression. With that, I want to overhaul everything in my profile, man. The picture, the cover, the bio, even the clothes, and anything else I could change to improve a good impression towards her. I want her to get an impression that I’m this chill, reserved yet humorous dude just by looking at the photo. That’s how I want to present myself to her so that she could approach me easily even through messaging.”

Shinwon choked and coughed while Jae-in wide-eyed his statement.

“Damn I didn’t expect it to be that far,” said Jae-in. “You’re re-doing everything from the bottom to the top.”

“I mean, come on man; when was the last time that I’ve been this much of a simp for a girl, hmm? You’ve seen her; you’ve seen how good looking she is. I want to at least match that. I promise you, once this works out, it would be really worth.”

“So where do we come in?”

“Ah, I need your skills and your knowledge. Do you know someone who has knowledge on photography? It’ll be better if it’s someone we know closely. I don’t know if there’s anyone at the United Kangaroo or whatever, who’s into this kinds of things, but I just want things to be perfect in her eyes and I want to look as best as I possibly could get. I need a good photographer, and I’m speaking here because I’m willing to pay the price for it.”

Jae-in suddenly remembered something.

“Hey what’s wrong with this huh?” Shinwon smirked as he pointed towards Dawn’s current fit. “You’re pretty okay with your current setting man, why don’t you just jump into it right away? You don’t need to re-do everything just… just tweak a couple here and there, maybe?”

“I feel like if I do it this time, I’m not going to achieve anything of the sort and I think I could things better. You know, it should start of as booming as it could be so she could get immediately overwhelmed with how carefully planned my profile was. With that, she’ll be more interested on knowing me and hopefully it could be the ground to start things off, harvesting the seeds I planted from the date and from our future conversations.”

“Well I think you can get those things even if you stay true to yourself. Let me use myself as an example; I barely even give some thought into what I’m wearing every day and it’s my confidence that’s bringing me to the next level. I don’t think you really need to go this far, Hyojong, and risk exhausting yourself for nothing. “

“I told you man… I might end up regretting not doing it the moment that it does not work out. Think about it; if I manage to give a good impression with Jisoo then that’s the best case scenario, right? If, however that that is not the case (which I do hope not), then at least I have my profile set up good. It’s just… I can’t explain it. I just want to look presentable because I trust Nayeon’s advice. She might be someone that I would pursue in the long run, you know.”

“Yeah, what I’m trying to say is you can just head on off and—“

“Shinwon,” Jae-in interrupted right as Shinwon was starting to make gestures in the air in front of him. “I feel like we should just leave Hyojong be, you know. I think he’s pretty much decided already anyway. Sure, maybe you and I could not immediately see why he’s doing this, but maybe there’s something going on with his convo with Nayeon and Jisoo that is making him motivated to do this.”

“You’re definitely correct, Jae-in. There’s just something that I can’t explain, making me push through with all of these. You’ll know when you’re in the situation,” nodded Dawn in agreement.

“Also, at least if Dawn fails this entire thing does not work out for him then we know that his profile is already set for the next agenda of flirting, right?”

“Yah”

“Anyway, my point is that… let’s just help him out Shinwon. Trying to get around the bush and forcing this off would just be fruitless and dumb. I say we let him do it and see what comes out from it, right?”

I do wish this works out for him, though.

“Okay then, fine. Then the first thing we should think of is the photographer. Do you guys know anyone reliable for photography?” asked Shinwon.

“Hey, Kino does that part-time, right? Why don’t we ask him?” Dawn said, his eyes widening upon realization. Jae-in, however, shrugged his shoulders in response.

“I don’t know about that one. The fact that Kino does photography is pretty much already given in United Kwangya, but most of the time he’s really lazy. If he’s not on the mood to do it, his natural skills won’t surface even if you force him by bribing a lunch or something. If you like, I think I know someone who could help you, I just don’t know how I’m going to talk them into this…”

“Wait, you’re being serious? You know someone aside from Kino? Are you sure you can ask them for a favour? Are they professionals at this?”

“Well, not exactly, Dawn, but I think it could get the job done. Just let me worry about how I would convince them to do it.”

“Oh right,” Shinwon’s voice suddenly added to the fray, but before Jae-in could even hear the rest of his statement, his mind began to space out.

And there, just as Shinwon and Hyojong were debating whether it was a good idea to ask United Kwangya’s resident ladies’ man, Hongseok, Jae-in immediately opted himself off of the conversation. He turned his attention towards his phone’s blacked screen; his mind generating thousands of explanations on how to even convince a small favour from Ning Yizhuo from that evening, especially on an oddly timed circumstance directed to his friend instead of himself.

---

Next Chapter: A Coffee Date

#kpop story #kpop fanfic #blackpink jisoo #college #kpop series

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darklydeliciousdesires · 9 months

Text

Lost & Found - Chapter Six

Guys! I'm sorry this is a few hours late! I threw myself into getting everything done early this morning so I can relax for the rest of the day, but here you go, update is here! I'm so pleased you're all enjoying it, thanks for the lovely feedback you've been kind enough to leave. I truly appreciate it :)

Previous chapters - One Two Three Four Five

Words - 3,572

Warnings - 18+ content throughout, Minors DNI. Recounts of kidnap, child trafficking, physical/verbal/sexual abuse in the coming chapters.

Even under the darkness of nightfall, the difference was stark. Riding onto his driveway at just gone 11pm, Guero killed the engine, climbing from his bike and removing his helmet, eyes widening at the front yard. The grass was immaculately mown and raked, the border edged, the tree trimmed, and path swept. Although he had all the necessary tools to do it, he’d only bothered twice since arriving.

“Hey, fuckboy!” A flurry of curtains revealed Tyrone, chomping uncouthly upon a candy bar of some description as he stuck his head from the window. “You better get in there and give that fine assed girl of yours a damned good dickin’ in thanks. She been out there all afternoon, breakin’ her back!”

“She ain’t my girl, homes,” he called back, still a little stunned at how good it all looked.

“Whatchu mean, she ain’t your girl? Bro, you got that grade of hottie in yo’ crib and you ain’t tappin’ it? Pfft, what’s wrong with you? Crazy assed fuckboy.”

“Later, Tyrone.” he called, letting himself into the house. Inside, his surprise only grew more, the immediate smell of freshness hitting him. Everything was pristinely clean, everywhere tidy, his eyes scanning further at the details. So that was what colour his tan couch was, beneath the ground in dust and dirt. Fuck, the leather sheened once more, and his carpet! It was actually fluffy again.

Back when he’d moved in, he’d bought some storage baskets that had remained in their packaging, Guero having every intention to actually fill them, but never getting to it. Not only had she filled them but added a neatly written label to each.

He had labels?!

“Magazines, bits and pieces, dog toys.” He spoke, smiling, his eyes then taking in something he wasn’t expecting to see across the room; all of his dad’s vinyl collection and record player placed out on the unit, the hundreds of classic and modern rock albums, all catalogued alphabetically. Everything was organised, and beautifully so.

Little did she know that they’d remained in boxes for a reason, Guero not able to face removing them all, being reminded of memories from his childhood. He sorely missed those days, his dad cranking out Motley Crue, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Soundgarden, to name but four of Ibarra’s favourites, all at window rattling decibels.

“Emma? Where you at?” he called, the bathroom door suddenly opening, the fresh smells of disinfectant and bleach hitting his nose, Emma in a pair of rubber gloves appearing.

“Hey, I was just finishing the tiles,” she spoke, wiping her clammy forehead on the back of her arm. “How are you?”

“Fucking surprised as hell at what I’ve come home to, shit,” he spoke, her eyes suddenly widening.

“Oh, oh I, I’m sorry. I sh-should have asked if you minded. I’m sorry, I didn’t m-mean to overstep, I shouldn’t have, I’m so sorry. Please d-don’t be mad.” Her reaction went from zero to a hundred, her panicked babble delivered at speed, suddenly crouching, wrapping her arms around her head. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

He was confused at how badly she’d misunderstood his surprise. “Woah, it’s alright. I’m not mad, blue eyes.” Moving to her, her crouched, resting a hand to her back. The muscles beneath his touch immediately knotted in tension. “It’s okay, I just... I didn’t expect all of this. It’s not your job to clean my mess, but I gotta say I appreciate it.”

Eventually she revealed herself, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “You mean it? You’re n-not mad?”

The stammers again. It pinched at his chest, to see and hear her so unravelled, wondering even more just what the hell kind of situation she’d fled to crumble like that so quickly. He hadn’t even raised his voice. Hell, he hadn’t even been angry in the slightest, yet she’d read his surprise as negative.

“Of course, I’m not mad.” He slowly reached to cup the side of her face, thumb stroking the apple of her cheek, Emma feeling herself relax, a pleasant little tingle fluttering through her stomach. “Now, you need to tell me what in the hell else you made that smells so damned good, because it’s making my stomach rumble!”

She pulled off her gloves, standing up, her smile shy, not able to look him in the eyes for that moment as bashfulness tugged at her. “Lasagne.”

“Yeah? Shit, haven’t had any of that in years. Lead the way.” They moved into the kitchen, Guero taking in the extent of her cleaning, everything utterly spotless, the fresh scent mingling with the scent coming from the oven.

“I ate already. It’s still warm, though. Big piece?”

“Please, yeah,” he spoke, pulling off his t shirt. “Imma take a shower first, though.”

When she turned, she almost dropped the dish she was placing onto the counter. Oh, hell. He had the kind of physique that came from dedication to the gym, a lean waist, ripped abs and a thick chest, the mass of his upper arms and shoulders perhaps the most impressive where bulk was considered. She’d also never seen anyone with that kind of tattoo coverage before either. What was more, she liked it.

Realising she was staring at him with eyes like saucers, there was a little fluster to her actions, looking down as she cleared her through nervously. “Uh, um... that’s quite the collection of tattoos you have.” Feeling her cheeks flushing, she turned away, focusing on slicing a piece of the lasagne, chewing at her thumb furiously.

Of course, he’d noticed her taking a moment to check him out, and usually he’d have been playful in response to that, him and his big mouth engaging in a little flirtation. He spared her, though, thinking it was adorable how furiously she blushed. “Yeah, I’m a walking canvas at this point. Anyway, won’t be long.”

As soon as he’d left the room, she began to fan her cheeks, bouncing from one foot to another. “Oh god, that’s hot.” Men who looked like him were not what she was used to seeing shirtless. Seeing his body, she realised, had taken the edge off the little tumble into her repeated behaviour from her old life. Her natural reaction to whatever she deemed as upsetting someone was to literally drop down low and cower in fright, her submission expected in an instant.

She could tell Guero wasn’t like that, but conditioned responses took a long time to break in habit.

He joined her a few moments later, seating himself adjacent to her at the small table, dressed casually in light grey sweats and a black vest. “You even did my laundry for me and tidied my bedroom. Everywhere smells amazing. Thanks so much, but don’t feel like you have to for however long you wanna stay, alright?”

Looking after people was all she knew, though. Turning it off would be like those conditioned responses; a hard habit to break. “I like it. It’s my pre-programmed state.”

He was about to ask her what she meant by that, prior to taking his first mouthful of lasagne, pausing chewing a moment in surprise as a world of flavour burst upon his tongue. “Holy shit, that’s unreal! Were you a chef or something? Seriously, that’s amazing! Where’d you learn to cook like that?”

Shrugging slightly, began chewing her thumb. “You pick it up around Italians.” Closing her eyes, a flash of the past transported her away for a moment, held at the neck, a hot knife pressed into her side.

“You think you can disrespect my mother’s memory by serving me this plate of crap? She’d turn in her grave if she saw what you’d done to her recipes, you idiot bitch!”

He only ever burned her where people couldn’t see.

“Emma?”

Guero’s voice brought her back with a jolt. “Sorry, did you say something?”

“Just asked if you wanted a beer?”

Her reply was an immediate, pre-programmed response. “No, thank you. I’m not allowed to drink.”

He frowned. “Says who?”

Him. He says. She blushed, shaking herself softly, repeating her reminder in her head. “There’s no mafia in Santo Padre.” “Actually, I will. Thanks.”

He smiled, going to the fridge and pulling it open. Fuck. She’d even cleaned in there, too. And filled it. Fresh vegetables, deli meats, cheese, fruit, milk, juices and cherry Coke. Obviously, she’d visited Khalid, whose large store was always abundantly well-stocked.

Returning to the table, he twisted the tops off, handing one to her before he took a seat again, pausing in finishing his dinner. “I notice you dodged my question there.” His lips thinned in thought, considering his options. “Emma, are we about to get into a whole heap of shit for harbouring a mafia boss’s wife? You haven’t told me much, but that’s kinda what I’m assuming, that you got into that shipping container cuz’ you needed to vanish from a bad marriage without a trace, rather than heading to the airport. I dunno, or were you his...” he trailed off, snapping his fingers. “What do they call ‘em, the woman on the side? The goomada?”

“Gooma,” she corrected softly. “No, I wasn’t married to Rocco. Gooma is probably what you could have referred to me as, but then again not really.” Her response was cryptic, her thumb going to her mouth once more. She always chewed it when nervous or embarrassed, he’d now noticed. “Can we talk about you, please? You mentioned you’re originally from Marana? I wanna know more, everything about you.”

For her comfort, he left it, watching her begin to relax her drawn up shoulders as he started to talk about his life. “Okay, I’ll start at the beginning. I was born Guero Ramiro Ortiz on December twentieth, nineteen ninety-three. Interestingly, Guero wasn’t supposed to be my name at all. Dad started calling me that from the moment I was born, because I was light skinned like him. That’s what the word means, basically. Kinda more nickname than anything else. They liked it and it stuck, though. I like it better than being called Hector, as my mom wanted to call me, after her father.

“So yeah, I’m the only child of my parents, but dad has a couple of others out there I haven’t met yet, little bastard Ortiz’s in the wind,” he continued with a snort. “He did some serious time, went away when I was ten and then didn’t get released until four years ago, when I was twenty-five. Mom didn’t stick by him, and she was pissed as hell that after he was released, us reconnecting led to me joining the MC. I swear, she smacked my lil’ brown ass down hard when she found out!”

Emma chuckled at his widened eyes, sipping her beer as he continued. “I was pretty decent at school, went to community college and learned how to be a mechanic, worked in garages in Tuscon for years until I joined the MC.”

“What made you want to go outlaw?” she asked tentatively, Guero taking his last mouthful of food and standing, placing his plate into the sink. Immediately, she sprang up, ready to wash it, finding her arms gently grasped as she was steered back into her seat.

He leaned to her, shaking his head. “Nope.” His lips pressed a kiss to her forehead, her heart somersaulting in her chest at such a gesture. Forehead kisses from a man. They were alien to her entirely, but how sweet to be treated to one. “I joined the MC ‘cuz of dad, and the pay is pretty damned good, too. Made more money in my first year fully patched than I did in two working as a mechanic.”

“What does fully patched mean?”

His hand reached for Axl when he came ambling in, smiling when after receiving the scratches, he immediately moved to Emma. “It means when you become a proper member of the MC. Everybody has to take a year as prospect first, which means you get hazed to fuck, given all the shit work, have to be at the beck and call of any fully patched member. Bottles is a prospect, same as Nestor, guy with the braids. He’ll get voted next week, Bottles in four months.” Just then, his phone began to ring, pulling it from his pocket. “Speak of the devil.” Sipping his beer, he answered after a pause. “’Sup, Mr Magoo?”

He sat and listened, Emma not able to hear the other end of the conversation, Guero beginning to frown as he laughed. “Hank’s gonna beat your ass, prospect. I didn’t see where you left ‘em, but if they fell outta your pocket while we were out earlier, then you gotta whole lotta fucking highway to go search, don’t you?” More speech from Bottles, Guero listening before he interrupted. “Hey, you’re disturbing my evening, and...” he trailed off, rolling his eyes before looking at Emma. “Bitch ass here says hi.”

“Hi, Bottles,” she chuckled.

“Right, no... I don’t... yo, you need to calm the fuck down and just go find ‘em. Ain’t on me. Bye!” Returning his phone to his pocket, he shook his head. “Fucking prospects.”

“What did he lose?”

“The damned van keys! Told him, put ‘em behind the bar or straight in Hank’s hand, but no. You’d think with how thick his fucking glasses are, he’d never lose anything. Fucking Amsco window face!”

She took it Amsco were a glazing company, beginning to laugh at his joke. He turned to her with a smile, eyes alight. Her laughter was beautiful. Seeing her face lit up, it made his heart skip on a beat. It’d been a while since he’d experienced that. “It’s nice, seeing you relax more.”

Nodding, she looked down at Axl for a moment, her lashes fluttery when her eyes found his. “That’s because of you. Thanks for being my safe person.”

His chest swelled with pride, his smile growing. He liked hearing that, that he was the one she’d placed her trust in, especially after the state he’d found her in. She seemed much steadier, save a blip or two here and there, of course, but he guessed those were issues she had to work out in her own time.

“Glad I can be, blue eyes.” He winked, and it sent her insides into a fizz, once again beginning to chew at her thumb. “You’re gonna have no skin left if you keep doing that.”

Her shrug was soft, stopping and reaching for her beer. “It’s an old habit. I’ve done it since I was a kid.”

“So, did you grow up in New York? You don’t have the accent,” he questioned, Emma shaking her head.

“Spokane, Washington.”

“Ahh. Moved out there when you were older, huh?”

She bit her lips together, getting up when Axl moved to hover by the back door. “Little sir needs to go pee, yes he does!”

Guero sighed quietly through his nose, trying to quell the little flicker of annoyance that she refused to talk in any great detail about herself. He shook himself from it quickly, though, remembering his own words to her on the matter. It truly wasn’t any of his business.

“Hey, I noticed when I was tidying that you have all the Kevin Smith movies. I haven’t seen Dogma yet. Can we go watch it?” she asked from the backdoor, watching Axl sniffing and bounding around over the freshly cut grass.

“Yeah, I haven’t watched that in a minute. Good choice.” More beers were fetched, a bag of popcorn microwaved and tipped into a bowl, the pair settling in on the couch. She then remembered what was stashed beneath it.

“Oh, here,” she spoke, pulling the money he’d left for her from her pocket and handing it to him. “I’m not taking your money from you, although I really appreciate the gesture. I have enough of my own, which brings me to a question. Do you have a safe?”

“Nope, although I gotta get round to buying one. I have a floorboard, though”

She frowned, mouthing the word floorboard back at him questioningly, Guero jerking his head in the direction of his bedroom. After picking up her bundles of cash, she arrived with him, his eyes widening considerably when he saw the size of the stacks she held.

“Jesus, what you got there, about twenty g’s?” he asked, pushing his knife beneath the floorboard over by the window and lifting it up.

“Thirty.” It was enough for a new life, and definitely the least of what she was owed, she’d thought prior to taking it. Crouching next to him, she placed her money on the opposite side to where she could see a few more neatly lined piles, pleased he had an adequate hiding place.

While he placed the floorboard down again, Guero contemplated asking whether it was the reason she’d fled, ripping off the mob for thirty grand, but the question never left his mouth. She’d likely not tell him. With her money safely tucked away beneath the floor, they reassumed their positions on the couch, Axl jumping up to curl against Emma.

Whether it was residual exhaustion, or her cleaning and yard work endeavours, she dozed off before the movie even ended, Guero removing the popcorn bowl from her lap and gently lifting her up, carrying her to the bedroom and placing her down.

She stirred, reaching for his wrist. “No, no. The couch is fine, I can’t take your bed.”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

“I do. I don’t mind sharing.”

He paused, looking down at her. “Sure?”

“Mmhm,” she hummed sleepily. He undressed to his boxers and climbed in, making sure he didn’t invade her space, Emma removing her sweats and placing them on the floor.

“Fair warning, I’m told I snore loudly,” he spoke quietly, fluffing the pillows.

“Yeah, so do I. Full on mouth breathing and hissing,” she revealed, making him chuckle quietly. “G’night, Guero.”

“Night.” He was more tired than he thought, falling asleep quickly. He awoke a few hours later to what his sleepy brain assumed to be the hissing Emma had mentioned, opening his eyes to find the space next to him empty of her, sitting up and stretching. The noise he could hear was panicked, heavy breathing. He reached to switch on the nightstand lamp, looking to see her curled up in the corner, eyes wide as she muttered and rocked herself back and forth.

Peeling the covers off himself, he approached her quietly, noting this was a new behaviour and wondering what had triggered it. A nightmare, perhaps? “Emma?”

“Don’t do it again, can’t do it to me again. No, Rocco. No, please don’t.”

She didn’t seem to even notice he was there. Crouching by her side, he tried again. “Emma, he isn’t here. You’re far away now, where he can’t find you.”

“I did everything you said, I was good. Please don’t, it hurts me. No, don’t.”

He tried again. “Emma, you’re safe. He can’t get to you here. You’re in California with me. New York is long gone, baby.” Placing a hand to her arm, the action jolted a response from her, her nails finding his skin and scratching as she flew into panic, screaming shrilly, her eyes wide. “Woah, woah! Emma, it’s me, it’s me. Calm down.”

He clutched her wrists tightly, preventing her onslaught, watching as her wide eyes finally focused, taking him in as she gasped for breath. It took a few moments, but recognition softened her face, pulling herself free from his grip and throwing her arms around him.

“I h-had a nightmare,” she panted, Guero tightening his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap.

“Yeah, I guessed.” He waited until she calmed, feeling her breathing begin to steady, her trembles subsiding. “Look, I know you don’t wanna talk about whatever it is you ran from, but I kinda think you might have to. I think you need help, Emma. This shit, it isn’t normal, or good for you.”

As he expected, she didn’t reply, clinging onto him as he stood and carried her back to the bed, surprising him greatly when she refused to let go. She lay curled against him, face buried against his neck, her breathing speeding and then slowing, her muscles tensing and slackening again as she wrestled with whatever it was up in her head that was terrifying her.

She had never in her life lay like that with a man, within his protective embrace. It felt different, but good, his steady breathing and soft rhythm of his heart calming her down. Just forty-eight hours ago, she would have been too frightened to allow herself that, the intimacy of sharing a bed with a man, curled so closely against him. Allowing him to hug her had been fine, but this was on another level. A level that she was good with.

While she settled into sleep, Guero lay awake for a time, beginning to worry about her going out into the world without dealing with her past. The way she remained clung onto him in those dead of night hours was telling, though. He doubted that any place where he wasn’t was a viable option in her terrified mind.

He was fine with that, but he wished she’d let him help her beyond what comfort his presence could offer.

#guero mayans mc #guero mayans mc fanfiction #guero fanfiction #guero x ofc #guero fanfic #guero fic #guero smut #mayans mc #mayans mc fanfiction #mayans mc fanfic #mayans mc imagine #mayans mc fic #mayans mc smut #mayans mc season 5

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emgene · 2 years

Text

That "Oh" Moment

i have nothing to say for myself. its 2am, enjoy this unedited word-vomit.

Jungwon probably would have realized it during one of your many walks together. It was just the two of you walking along the Han river late at night. He couldn't stop himself from looking over at you while you talked about... whatever it was you were talking about. Don't get him wrong, he's trying his best to listen to you, but the moonlight is highlighting your face beautifully and your voice sounds so sweet and he kinda wants to hold your hand and... and... Oh...

Heeseung had this moment when he thought he was going to die, but that's just because he's extremely dramatic. He was just a little under the weather and you had decided to take care of him. He wasn't sure what it was that caused it. Maybe it was how you didn't leave his side the whole time he was sick dying, maybe it was the immaculate food you made for him, or maybe it was the voice in the back of his head that told him that he should get sick more often just so he had an excuse to ask you to come over... Oh

Jay had more of an "Oh... shit" moment than a regular Oh moment. It was actually Sunoo that helped him realize it more than anything, and you weren't even around when it happened. Jay and Sunoo had gone shopping and Sunoo pointed out "Hyung, that's Y/N's clothing size, not yours." then he continued to point out how Jay did that every time he went shopping. "Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think you've gone one day without talking about them since you met them." Jay did his best to deny everything Sunoo was saying, but once he walked away and had a chance to think about it, he could only laugh and mutter a quiet "Oh... shit"

Jake actually had two of these moments with you... sort of. The first moment happened was when he was watching you play with Layla. He remembers having the thought of "oh, I wish this could last forever", but he didn't think anything of it. Later in the day, when everything calmed down and you were leaning against him, half-asleep, that he realized what that moment was. He full-on had an "Oh... Oh" moment.

Sunghoon had this moment while watching a movie with you. He'd seen this movie a million times thanks to you insisting on watching it every time you came over. He didn't mind though, it just gave him more time to watch you copy the characters' facial expressions. He always found the expressions you made to be cute... actually, now that he thinks of it, he finds almost anything you do to be cute... Oh...

Sunoo laughed when he experienced this moment. You weren't even doing anything special, he was just waiting for you to come out of the dressing room. He thinks it was because he finally had time to let his mind wander a little bit, and you coming out of the dressing room is what made something in his brain click. He even verbally said Oh... before laughing, which of course made you think that there was something wrong with the outfit you had tried on. He didn't hesitate to explain though.

Ni-Ki would be so embarrassed to ever admit he had this moment, especially because it happened at an inconvenient time. He was just trying to practice a dance while you were just sitting against the wall behind him. He found it a little difficult to focus on dancing when he could see you in the mirror. He tried to ignore that for a while, but he ended up thinking about it instead, and uh, the Oh... moment ended up making him trip over his own damn feet and he didn't really have the mental capacity at that point to make it seem like part of the choreo.

#emgene #enhypen scenarios #enhypen imagines #enhypen headcanons #enhypen x reader #enhypen #enhyphen

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ghostchems · 1 year

Text

the sads

you've fallen behind on your classes at the ministry because of an episode of the sads.

notes: some hurt/comfort with our favorite popia. gn! reader. references to depression. 1k words. tbh i wrote this for myself bc i needed it, haha. ao3 link.

You are curled up in your bed underneath a mountain of covers and pillows. You hadn’t left your room for about a week and a half except to sneak to the cafeteria to grab some food and to get some fresh air in the garden every so often. It was a hard time of year for you, the cold seeping into your bones and your brain, leaving you without any motivation to do much of anything.

You had reached out to your teachers multiple times to apologize for your absence and to submit some half-assed assignments. During the good times, the times where you felt like you were in control made classes a piece of cake. The class topics were interesting (rituals, summoning, potions, etc.) and you had a deep interest in becoming a key member of the ministry.

During the good times. When you had the case of the sads, nothing mattered. All that progress was out the door, all that inspiration gone. You felt crippling fear that you were screwing up your time at the ministry but you couldn’t bring yourself to do anything about it. You stay under your covers, drifting in and out of sleep, scrolling endlessly on your phone.

There’s a knock at your door and you freeze, then peek out from underneath your cocoon. Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe you were hearing things. There’s another knock and you recoil. Nope. Someone was here.

You climb out of bed and adjust your oversized sweatshirt to cover yourself (you are wearing nothing underneath). You kick some of the dirty clothes on your floor out of the way as you mosey on over to the door, taking a deep breath before opening it.

A quickly hands you a note and immediately leaves. You are in a daze, clutching the note in your hand as you watch them leave. You unfold the note and you feel a pang of fear jolt through you.

Papa’s office. Fifteen minutes.

You scramble, throwing on a pair of underwear and pants. The fear is only growing stronger within you. You know you’ve fucked up now and you were about to face the consequences of your actions. Mental preparations were running through your mind and you uncrumpled yourself, smoothing out your appearance so you can look semi-presentable for Papa.

The walk to his office felt like an eternity as your mind continued to spiral. You are expecting the absolute worst: being expelled from the ministry – get your shit and get out. It was a good run. You could say your goodbyes to your friends, or just pack up and go. Move back home and be miserable.

Your hand is shaking as you knock lightly on Papa’s door.

“Vieni, per favore.”

You open the door and walk in, fidgeting with your hands as your eyes settle on him.

He’s scribbling something down, glasses on his nose, brows furrowed in thought. Once he’s done, he looks up at you brightly, removing his glasses with a smile. Papa is dressed in his black poet shirt and his tattered, tight black pants. His paint is immaculate; he looks fresh-faced and completely put together - the complete opposite of how you were looking and feeling.

“Ah!” He claps his hands together. “I am very glad you are here, tesoro. Please, have a seat.” Papa gestures to the seat across this desk. You immediately do as you’re told, sinking as far into the chair as you can.

“I am sure you know why you are here.” Copia is still smiling and you can see the kindness in his eyes. It doesn’t make you feel any better, though.

“First, I want you to know that you are not in trouble, tesoro.” Papa looks at some of his notes on your desk as your eyebrows quirk. “Your teachers reached out to me because they’re a bit concerned about you. You are usually one of their top performers and they greatly enjoy your work.”

You can’t bring yourself to say anything, your mouth hanging open. But, there is a sense of calmness that falls over you. It is a relief that no one is upset with you and that you haven’t disappointed anyone.

“Do you want to tell Papa what’s going on?” His voice is soft and he looks at you with such care. “If you are comfortable with that?”

“I-it’s just hard right now” You croak, a bit surprised by how your voice sounds after hardly using it for the last few days.

“Is it the sads?” He leans forward in his chair and reaches a hand out for yours.

“The big sads.” You take his hand and he squeezes you, his eyes crinkling as he gives you a sad look.

“I understand, tesoro.”

You can see in his eyes that he truly understands how you feel, perhaps more than you could know. Copia had been through a lot in his time in the ministry, having worked tirelessly to climb the ranks in order to become Papa. But with all that time spent, with all that sacrifice, there were moments where the exhaustion peeked through.

There were times when he felt nothing he did mattered; that he was just controlled by the leaders, that he was just destined to follow their orders. He disappeared at times to be alone, to turn himself off. It could be suffocating.

“You take all the time you need.” His voice is a mere whisper. Papa squeezes your hand again, with a smile. “I am here if you need support or, ehm, just someone to talk to about the sads. I was also thinking, perhaps coming up with a special curriculum for you when you’re, eh, ready for it.”

You notice he’s less confident than he had been moments ago, as if something you said struck a chord with him. It makes you even more comfortable with him because you feel like you can see the vulnerability that not very many get a glimpse of.

“Papa, that would be amazing.” Your lips pull into a miniscule smile, the first time you had smiled since feeling this way. “T-this means a lot.” As your voice cracks, you start to get the feeling you’re about to cry. Somehow, you manage to hold the tears in but barely.

“Of course, tesoro. We take care of our own here.” He smiles again and the vulnerability is gone. “Ehm, would you like to circle back here in a few days for a check-in?” Papa lets go of your hand and shifts his eyes to his calendar. You nod slowly, shifting in your seat. He pencils something in.

“I won’t keep you any longer.” Copia leans back in his seat as you stand, your legs feeling a bit shaky from the whole interaction. Still, you felt lighter as you walked to the door, the weight of royally screwing things up off of your shoulders.

“Tesoro?” He calls for you just before you leave his office. You turn to look at him and he looks so soft, so gentle.

“It will get better. Prometto.”

#cardinal copia #papa emeritus iv #papa emeritus x reader #ghost fanfic #ghost fanfics #ghost fanfiction

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scutchythedm · 8 months

Text

"..Do you have any idea what happened in Solace when rock music was invented?"

"I don't-"

"Do you have any idea what you're talking about?"

"I- I'm not sure, no, I've never heard this story"

"The first electric lute was invented 350 years ago. And when it was first played, every single person, of the 225 people in attendence, regardless of gender, became pregnant. Do you understand the power that rock music yields?"

"I didn't know that-"

"Do you have any idea?"

"..I'm sorry"

"Sometimes when you talk it really pisses me off"

"I realize that, and it seems like a new-ish thing, but I'm sorry"

"So there was 225 immaculate conceptions?"

"In the same day."

"Was their dad the lute?"

"Conjecture holds that it could've been the bard themself or that it could have been the lute"

"But what did the babies look like? Did they have like big, round bodies?"

"Like a lute"

"Nooo, no, the children all looked mostly like the species of the carrier or the parent that took the pregnancy to term, except for, they had awesome MOHAWKS or like LONG hair and some of them were born with denim JEAN vests"

"No pants?"

"I mean a baby with pants is a little weird, but a baby with a vest is pretty cool. Honestly, fuck the nightmare king's crown, I wanna find one of these babies"

"Well, no, on their 18th birthday they all ascended to the upper planes"

"WHAT???"

"It's rumored that there's a 17th outer plane. Beyond the 16 of the great wheel, there is a 17th made of pure rock."

"So there's about 250 adult babies flying around on rocks?"

"Adult babies? They're just adults. Babies grow up, Gorgug, be reasonable"

"oh, I'm sorry"

"Use your HEAD"

"I'm sorry"

"USE YOUR HEAD"

"i'm sorry"

"Do they still have the denim vests?"

"I don't think they fit anymore, but.."

"Yes, is it like their skin, does it grow with them?"

"I DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO GO THROUGH EVERY PIECE OF SOLACES' INCREDIBLE LORE WITH ALL OF YOU, ALL OF THIS IS AVAILABLE IN THE LIBRARY IF YOU CHOSE TO CRACK THE BOOKS AT THE ADVENTURING ACADAMY, and if you ATTENDED BARD CLASSES, this is IN the history of bardic cirriculum. WHAT'S SO WEIRD ABOUT A BABY BORN WITH A VEST AND A MOHAWK?!?!?"

"That's not the weirdest part, it's-"

"225 IMMACULATELY CONCIEVED BABIES GREW UP AND WENT TO ROCK HEAVEN!! I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH MORE CLEAR I CAN BE"

"It kinda sounds a little tragic too for the people who gave birth to them"

"YES. MANY OF THEM WERE NEVER OKAY AGAIN. THERE WAS NO WARNING. THERE WAS A ROCK SHOW, A BENEFIT, ON ALL OF THEIR 18TH BIRTHDAYS. DID I MENTION THAT NOT ONLY THEY WERE CONCIEVED AT THE SAME MOMENT, BUT THEY WERE BORN AT THE SAME MOMENT."

"...okay, I understand the power of rock now, but I'm still gonna bring it to the peasants."

I need you to know this was EXTREMELY shortened so go watch the original clip

I'll never be able to recreate the true hilarity of everyone talking over each other & how everyone went silent when Arthur was yelling & Emily just actually crying over it

But I couldn't help myself. I will never forget the history of rock n roll. I love bringing it up out of context to my friends, saying shit like "did you know at the first rock show, everyone who was in the audience got pregnant?"

so good

#d20 fantasy high #fantasy high #d20 #fig faeth #fabian seacaster #gorgug thistlespring #arthur aguefort #and the others have like 1 line each so i wont add them #this bit had me rolling #brennan fully committed to it too #this whole thing is #just like real life fr

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muzzleroars · 8 months

Note

Yo :3

So uh, I’ve been looking through your art and I am absolutely in love with it. I love your use of colors and lineart (ESPECIALLY v1 but I’ll get to them). This will mostly just be me rambling about it cause :]

Dude how the fuck do you get emotion so well done. V1 is immaculate, like look at this shit

You can feel that it’s alien to non robots, but is genuinely curious. I absolutely love how you draw poses. Especially since the characters don’t have faces, body language is key. They feel like they have a personality with each drawing. Always hunched down and extended with no regards to social norms. The attention to detail is what really makes it, the thicker outlines on the character make them pop more, and your take on V1 is clearly thought out well, along with your ultrakill characters.

LIKE LOOK AT IT‼️

IT GENUINELY LOOKS 3D‼️‼️

While my favorite is v1, Micheal in your aus is especially well written and drawn. His design reminds me a lot of the corpse of king Minos / Minos prime. which I like! It highlights their contrast, how Minos tried to reason with a higher being on an equal level. Micheal acted instead, deeming himself unworthy of said higher being. Both genuinely cared for their citizens, both were royalty. Minos spoke out, Micheal stayed isolated, which only further deteriorated him, unlike Minos, who instead was proactive, reaching out to other layers and kings like Sisyphus. Sometimes you need to know what it’s like to feel consequence in order to succeed. But in the end, both of their bodies are left to rot, unable to succeed.

Also I really like this one of v1. Their silhouette is distinctive and you’re good at posing :3

Sry. Idk if this is weird or creepy, but I thought I’d share my thoughts with you since I like analyzing stuff.

THE WAY THIS MADE ME SO EMOTIONAL THO....WTF THANK YOU SO MUCH......it's absolutely mind-blowing to me that you pay attention to these little details because i absolutely try to add all of these things intentionally, but i find myself thinking like 'will anyone even care??? about these tiny things???' so it means more than i can say to see that someone does!!!!! like i'm so happy to know that my characterization of v1 comes through, because i really do have a very clear idea in my mind of its behavior and personality that i'm trying to convey through still images. v1's movements are bird/raptor-like and while i give it a very sophisticated, sentient mind, its intelligence is nonhuman and it is a being that absolutely doesn't conform to our standards. v1 is something new, and i want it to be something that clearly has an internal life and a bright mind, yet exhibits very little corresponding human behaviors. plus, it's a bit odd because of its somewhat corrupted software, and so i wanted too for its little hunched posture to show it's sort of a machine gone feral (in the traditional, once was domesticated but is now on its own sense lol) - it was made with a humanoid body shape and so SHOULD stand up straight, but it doesn't anymore. because it doesn't want to. and so!!! i really do draw v1 with a LOT of intention and i put plenty of thought into posing it correctly to both convey its character and its emotion in the piece...and since it's my favorite, i'm so glad i'm doing it justice!!

AND YEA!!! michael definitely has parallels to minos (which i started to think on when i realized their head shape is....kinda similar lol i swear i was just going for crown + blindfold for mike's helmet but oops!!) and i do like their throughlines as fallen rulers, plus their sort of opposing yet ultimately disastrous relationships to their own corpse - minos is separated from his and must watch as it mindlessly tears his city apart while michael is trapped in a flesh prison of his own body, forced to stay within it as it rots away. they are two rulers that would have done anything for their people, and yet both failed them despite again taking opposite paths. minos really had no hope, the external forces of heaven coming down on him in their full authority, though he will forever blame himself. michael departed despite, with god's disappearance, being essentially the highest in heaven - he believed only god could save them though, that he could never become a king from a prince (again, due to heaven's own hierarchy). their meeting would be nothing but utter disaster, but it does make me consider their interactions a little more closely when michael decides to test minos prime's strength (because while michael would have a lot to say about how minos failed his people by defying god, minos would have much to say in turn about a prince abandoning his people at their weakest)

BUT FOR REAL....this message was so amazingly kind and i want to thank you again for sending it my way. it just made me!!!! feel so happy to see that my art is loved and that the work i put into it really means something. honestly it's the best thing i could ask for <3

#like both of these things make me so happy bc!! bc #v1 is my favorite so i want to convey it properly #and i really have. become attached to my ocs #so!!! it's important to me that i get them both right #and im glad you get what im trying to say aaa #sorry if im too sappy but this really made my week lol #cake answers #long post

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