#and i'm just... not sure how normal people handle this sort of thing?

[g00d--m0urning]

Final Destination: Your House (FINALE)

(Sorry Doug fans, he's not painted in the best light [that's probably why you like him, so nvm, you're welcome])

A month, a whole month of space is killing everyone. Surprisingly, it's Doug that fixes everything.

Omgeeee, the final chapter, but not the end. I have one-shots planned (reqs are still open, but I already have a long list, so they're probably already on there). I'd just like to thank everyone for everything, I guess. I never expected my silly fanfiction to get such traction, but I'm so incredibly flattered it did. I could kiss every single one of you 🫶🫶

You requested that everybody give you space and they all obliged, assuring you they’d be there when you’re ready. The distance between everyone feels different this time; nobody is avoiding you, there’s no sharp tension either. They’re all still there, lingering if you ever need them, but never pressing too hard.

Progress is slow, to say the least: there’s still days where you end up keeping the dateviators off, and days you still snap at them, but there’s also days where things seem sort of normal. 

Kopi chats with you while she makes your morning coffee, Dorian still makes silly jokes every time you enter a room, Dante keeps you warm the nights you curl up on Koa, watching TV with Telly until you fall asleep.

Nightmare has yet to come to you again; you’re not quite sure how that makes you feel. You love the shadowy entity, but you know you couldn’t handle a visit from her. You can’t have all your progress set back again.

------------

The dateables miss you. You’re so close, yet so far and it’s killing them. They’ll respect your need for space for as long as you need them to, but it doesn’t mean they don’t ache to hold and kiss you every time you pass them.

“I think I’m having withdrawal,” Skylar moans, burning a hole into the carpet with her pacing, “I haven’t been kissed in… four weeks? That’s almost a full month.”

“None of us have, darling,” Scandalabra points out, rolling his eyes at the pink-haired woman, “You don’t hear anyone else complaining.”

“Who asked you, Jon?” Skylar retorts, scowling at the candle-holder, “And what’s with the accent? I thought you dropped the whole prim-and-proper thing.”

Scandalabra--Jon--gasps, setting a hand on his chest, “Ah! One, if you don’t want people butting into your conversations, maybe don’t have them in the middle of the dining room. Two, until our darling is back, I am not gracing a single one of you with my true self.” 

“Poor us,” Abel deadpans, shaking his head at the dramatic blonde. While Jon isn’t a totally pleasurable person to be around, he’s certainly better than Scandalabra.

“Ok, ok, ok, can we focus?” Skylar claps loudly, drawing the attention back to her, “Obviously, we can’t force them to be ready, but who says we can’t still show them our love?”

“...And how do you suggest we do that, leave them love notes?” Rod asks with a scoff, giggling with Curt. 

“Yeah! Love notes, little trinkets, just stuff to let them know we’re here and thinking about them!” Skylar nods, a bright smile on her face, rubbing her hands together like an evil fly that shall reign love over all!

“He was joking,” Curt says, eyes widening as she confirms what she actually has planned.

“I know! I wasn’t though. It’s the easiest, non-pushy way to show them we love them,” Skylar waves a hand dismissively at the pair, “C’mon, please? I can’t do this alone. I mean, I can and will, but it’d be really nice to do it with others!” She looks around the room with wide and pleading eyes, pouting at the others.

“... I suppose. I’m in,” Dorian reluctantly agrees.

“Same here,” Abel nods.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea, Skylar,” Celia reassures, reaching over to give Skylar’s fidgeting hands a light squeeze.

With the mayor’s approval and a bit more thought to it, the others slowly start agreeing to the plan and soon, operation show-our-love-discreetly-but-largely-in-small-gestures--the name is being workshopped--is set in motion. 

They start out with small gestures: 

Johnny learns a new love song.

Amir’s compliments come as naturally as always, but there’s something softer about them.

Luke makes sure your chicken tendies are reheated to the perfect temperature. 

Mac makes sure your computer runs at perfect speeds.

Even Bathsheba makes sure your bath is perfect (though Winnifred and River are mostly to be thanked for that). 

They can’t tell if you notice, but they know they’re doing it, and if it makes your day just a little bit better, they’re perfectly happy. 

------------

You’re zoned out at the dining room table, a half-eaten meal--lovingly crafted by Stephan--left abandoned in front of you. Somebody taps you on the shoulder, a flash of white appearing in the corner of your eye.

“Wassup, Dorkus?” Doug drawls, plopping into the chair next to you.

An immediate sense of dread--no pun intended--settles in your stomach when Doug appears. You really need to learn not to sit facing that stupid wall, “Go away, dumbass. I can’t deal with you right now.”

“Aw, babes, c’mon! Haven’t you missed me?” he teases, eyeing your plate, not even asking before pulling it in front of him, “Wow, this is great! Stephan works some magic.”

You scowl, snatching the plate back from him, “Go away,” you repeat, firmer this time. He’s obviously got something horrible planned and that’s the last thing you need right now.

“You know even if I leave, I’ll never truly be gone. I’m always in here,” he reaches over, tapping your temple, “Haunting you, lingering in the back of your mind.”

“Oh, my god. What is your problem?” you groan, slapping his hand away, scooting your chair further away from him.

“I don’t have a problem, you do, dork face,” he tells you, standing up and walking over to you, threading a hand through your hair, “You, home-slice, are still afraid of being abandoned, aren’t’cha?”

“Yeah, sure! I have a fear of abandonment; tell me something I don’t know,” you swat at him, standing up and walking away from him. He follows after.

“Yeah, that’s not what I’m talking about. You’re dreading the day that your group of lovers decides to move on. I mean, you can’t have space from them forever, what if they decide that they’re over your dumb request?” Doug mocks, stepping in front of you, voicing every thought you haven’t dared entertain.

“It’s not a dumb request, it’s called setting boundaries,” you correct, stomping on his fat foot and going around him, “Something that seems to be a foreign concept to you.” 

“Issssss it though?” if he had eyebrows, he’d be raising them, “Or is it you being afraid that you’ll fuck up again? All it takes is one slip up and it’ll be back to loner-villa, USA. It didn’t seem very hard for them to ignore you the first time. If you ignore them first then they can't ignore you, right?”

“I’m not ignoring them, I asked for space. There’s a difference," you state, ignoring the tightening in your chest. You’ve had every single one of those thoughts during sleepless nights, but you know they aren’t true.

“Issss thereeee?” Doug seems intent on pressing every single one of your buttons and he knows exactly how to do so!

“Yes, there is, you slimeball. Just because you don’t understand the concept of having healthy boundaries with people you have relationships with, doesn’t mean you need to make it my problem.” you yell at the dreadful white ball, whipping around to face him. 

“I am allowed to set boundaries with my lovers after they hurt me deeply, there is nothing wrong with that! And if anyone thinks so, then that’s their problem,” you tell him, taking a deep breath. Everybody understands, you’re not being an irrational crybaby for asking for space.

Doug is taken aback for a moment before composing himself again, “Are you trying to convince me or yourself, dork?” he asks, stepping into your personal bubble, towering over you.

“I’m trying to convince anybody,” you stand strong, going toe-to-toe with him, not wanting to back down, despite the crushing urge to, “Boundaries are healthy. So for once in my life, I’m going to set one with you and tell you to fuck off.”

Doug stammers, narrowing his beady eyes at you, “You can’t set boundaries with me. I’m your sense of dread, your anxieties, I live in your head,” he reminds, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

“And in my head you can stay. Buh-bye, Doug. Dorkus, out,” you throw up a peace sign before yanking the dateviators off, a wave of relief washing over you when Doug disappears. 

Despite having felt proud of yourself for having stood up to Doug, he was right. Anxiety nags at you when you lay down for bed. Are you being stupid with requesting space? It’s been almost a month since everything has happened; they’ve all apologized and you’re still avoiding them.

It doesn’t help that they’ve been so sweet and understanding and ridiculously perfect.

------------

“Do you think they’ve noticed?” Skylar asks, sitting on the foot of your bed, watching you sleep. You’re so cute when you sleep.

“They might’ve,” Betty shrugs, running a hand over your hair.

“‘Might’ve,’” Skylar repeats, chewing on the ends of her hair, “Should we start going bigger? I don’t want them to think that we’ve forgotten them or that we’re mad at them.”

“Skylar, I thought the point of all the little gestures was to make their day better, not to be noticed?” Dorian inquires, hovering near the edge of the bed.

“Yeah, but…” she trails off, puffing her cheeks up, “I just want them to know we still love them.”

“They know, sweetheart, I’ve got the date-a-dex to show for it,” Phoenicia assures her, massaging Skylar’s tense shoulders.

“Right, yeah… The date-a-dex. But--”

“No buts!” several of the dateables say at the same time, a fond exasperation towards the anxious pair of glasses.

Skylar pouts, biting the inside of her cheek, “Fineeee. No buts.”

“Good girl. Now, I do believe it’s bedtime for you,” Betty coos, coaxing her off the edge of your bed, along with sending the others away, so you can get a good night’s sleep.  

------------

You’re up before the birds chirp and you can’t help the feeling of satisfaction that gratifies you when a bird lands on your window sill, “That’s right, you little bitch. I’m already awake,” you taunt the bird, sticking your tongue out at it like a child. “Your days of waking me up are over.”

You’re dressed and ready for the day before Timothy strikes nine; apparently guilt makes you incredibly productive. You bounce in front of the mirror, shaking out your hands. You look fine- good, even. 

“Hi!” you beam when you approach Kopi, who already has your morning coffee ready for you, as always.

“Good morning, someone’s chipper,” she comments with her warm smile, lightly brushing her fingers against hers when she passes you the mug.

“Hm, I guess so! Just feeling good this morning,” you shrug, moaning when you taste the coffee, "Beautifully roasted, as always my dear,” you tell her, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“Oh!” Kopi is surprised by the kiss, but certainly doesn’t want to complain, “That’s good. I’m glad.”

“Me too!” you give her arm a light squeeze, “I’ll see you later, enjoy the morning!”

You vaguely hear her murmur a ‘you too’ before you skip off, but you’re not entirely sure. You greet everyone you pass with an appropriate amount of affection: hugs and kisses all around. It’s nice being able to pepper everyone with love again. 

------------

Your lovers are incredibly confused this morning. You’ve gone from dolling out affection sparingly back to being almost more affectionate than before movie-gate. 

“Maybe this is their way of thanking us for the gestures,” Skylar suggests, sounding more like she’s asking, “Or maybe they're just in a good mood, it is a nice day.”

“You really think that’s it?” Celia runs a hand down her front, smoothing her already perfect dress.

“No,” Skylar whines, stomping her foot like a petulant child, “They’re acting weird again.”

“That they are,” Dorian interjects, standing in the doorway, a worried crinkle in his brow, “And might I suggest we talk to them this time, instead of dancing around it like a bunch of idiots?”

Celia huffs a light laugh, nodding in agreement, “I do believe that’d be for the best, Dorian.”

------------

You’re busy cleaning up the kitchen, wiping down the counters, rearranging the cabinets, anything to keep yourself occupied when a gaggle of your lovers enter the kitchen, all sporting concerned expressions. 

“Can we distract you for a moment?” Celia requests, holding a hand out for you to take.

“Yeah, totally,” you set down the box of off-brand fruity pebbles, taking her hand, allowing her to guide you into the living room. 

A few more people join you in the living room, not crowding you, just hovering in the background, “Are you okay?” Skylar blurts, unable to contain herself. Celia shoots her a glance, but doesn’t scold her for it.

“Yeah, I’m ok, why?” you ask, looking around the room. This feels more like an intervention than it does a casual conversation.

“Because…well…Don’t get me wrong, all of us love kissing you again, but you’re acting kind of… Happy-go-lucky,” she tells you, wringing her hands out nervously, trying to find the right words,  “and no offense, but that’s never been you- Not that you’re super depressing or anything, you just have never been the type of person who wakes up super early and skips around the house.”

“You think I’m upset because I’m happy?” you laugh softly, shaking your head. You swear you can feel Doug staring at you, mocking you; you can almost hear him in your head ‘You’re not good enough, too happy, too sad, too much. Nothing is ever perfect.’

“Pretty much!” Skylar nods, a little too enthusiastically, “Also you’re kind of being really sweet. Which, again, is really nice, but you’ve been kind of sparing with your affections and now you’re suddenly being all sugar-and-spice-and-everything-nice.”

You can’t help but wince as she points out the fact that you’ve been stingy with your love recently, chewing at a hangnail, “I just… I don’t know, I figured I’ve been avoiding all of you long enough,” you shrug, avoiding everyone’s gaze.

“You haven’t been ignoring us, though, love,” Dorian points out, staring at you scrutinizingly, “You asked for space and we were all happy to provide it.”

“I know, but… It’s been almost a month, I feel like I’ve been dragging it out,” you mumble, running a hand over your styled hair. “I’ve been cruel, haven’t I?”

“Livewire, a month is nothing compared to what we deserve. We’re lucky you’re willing to forgive us at all,” Volt tells you, coming out of the crowd of people, “And since when is setting boundaries cruel?”

You hesitate, mulling over his words. That’s pretty much what you said. Setting boundaries isn’t cruel, nor unforgivable, or something anyone should hate you for, “Ugh… Since I let Doug get into my head,” you finally admit, sinking into the couch cushion.

You want to run, to hide and pretend like there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you, but you refuse to let this go on. You cannot let more stupid thoughts cause even stupider miscommunications. 

“I talked to him yesterday and he kept trying to convince me that all of you would hate me for wanting space for so long. I told him that there was nothing wrong with it and I told him to fuck off, but he got into my head and I couldn’t help but let it get to me,” you rant, deflating as you finally get it off your chest.

“And it’s so stupid, because why am I letting a white blob of a person get into my head?” you ask rhetorically, voice cracking as you tear up, “He’s so stupid, I want to strangle him.”

“It’s not stupid, honey. He is the manifestation of your every anxiety, so he knows exactly how to get to you,” Celia reminds, sitting down on the table, setting a hand on your knee.

“Just so you know, none of us hate you for setting boundaries, love,” Dorian tells you, others immediately chiming in to agree.

“We’re glad you did,” Volt adds, sitting down on the floor next to you, wrapping a hand around your ankle loosely. Eddie comes up next, picking lint off your pants, “Boundaries are healthy and we need them.”

“They’re right,” Skylar tells you, sitting down next to you, “Can I…hug you?”

“Mhm,” you squeak, not trusting your voice to work at the moment, too choked up to speak.

She wraps an arm around your shoulder, pulling you into a side hug. That starts a chain reaction and the others slowly start joining in. Dorian takes place at your other side, Celia and Florence each curl up with one of your legs, and you lose track of who’s who after that.

You cry more with each hug, overwhelmed in a good way. You’re surrounded by people you love. People who love you despite everything. Because of everything.

“You’re so right, by the way, Sky,” you finally speak, clearing your throat, “Being so cheery is exhausting. I need a nap already.”

That makes everyone laugh, some of them teary. You’re here, buried in a hug with all of them, cracking jokes. God, they love you so much.

“We better get you in bed then, shouldn’t we?” Tony suggests, wiggling his eyebrows in a playful manner. 

“I was thinking… Movie night? Or, afternoon, I guess,” you admit nervously. It’s silly, but you miss the tradition. 

“That sounds perfect,” Skylar agrees, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

Everyone gets themselves situated, bodies packed together in the living room. It’s familiar and fills your heart with an indescribable warmth. Every person you love and have gone through hardships with, all in one room.

It’s perfect. 

(And don’t worry, you watched The Lego Movie. No depressing confusions to be had, Telly made sure of that.)

[goldensunset]

hello ok4ru. it would appear chithiry already beat me to it but im gonna talk about it anyway. because The Ferris Wheel Scene is one of the absolute most bonkers scenes in the series and it is so so funny and great

ok so like n.... he's the leader of team plasma right. the resident evil team of the region yanno. the game is sort of.. weird? about how it handles the reveal of this information. because they don't tell you right off the bat but they don't save it for some grand dramatic reveal later on either. you meet n a total of like 9 times in the game (as in each time he appears onscreen and then leaves again so double counting both chargestone cave and the post-e4 story). you get this information out of him on encounter 3, which is the ferris wheel scene. (or i should say the player character does because the player gets this information in literally the opening movie even before they see their own player character lol. opening up the game with his coronation scene was so iconic)

so right off the bat the positioning of the reveal that he's the main antagonist is Weird, structurally, but it has to be so so weird from the player character's pov because? you do Not know n that well yet. your first two meetings with him were basically just him saying some really really cryptic stuff. and just in general having really wonky social skills. the pc can't hear the Ominous Encounter Music but i'm sure they get the vibe that oh this guy is unusual right off the bat but you legit do not know what is up with him or whether he's even friendly or not. n seems quite content to act both like a friend and like a suspicious stranger to you within a single interaction like. buddy. can you talk to me normally and just say who you are. do you want me to trust you or are you trying to fight me. he's inconsistent

with all that context in mind. imagine you arrive in a new city on your travels and some team plasma enemies have been spotted but they run off. you walk around looking for them. suddenly this dude you have met exactly twice and have felt lowkey uncomfortable around but incredibly curious about both times shows up. he's like 'hey you should follow me i know where team plasma went.' you follow him. (?) then he's like 'hm they aren't here. maybe if we ride the ferris wheel we can spot them (like from above but like. what if they were inside. or hiding. or we did see them but the thing about ferris wheels is they're slow and they'd get away in the time it took us to get off so? not a great plan)'

he also starts talking about how much he loves ferris wheels. pc probably figures like. ok this doesn't seem helpful to me but i think this guy really just wants an excuse to ride the thing and they only let people on in pairs of two for some reason here and so like. lucky for him i showed up right? maybe he is genuinely just really bad at making friends but he's trying so hard to be helpful.

so you LISTEN to him. but like. this is a Guy you do not really know and who's also visibly at least a handful of years older than you and has been weird to you the whole short time you've known him and so you? choose to get on a FERRIS WHEEL with him? you get into a tiny private little box with him, moving very slowly as it's suspended way high up in midair? how many people are scared of ferris wheels or other heights-attractions in general. now factor in semi-stranger danger. truly one of the most insane moments as far as establishing canon characterization. maybe the player is screaming uh this is a stupid idea but the player character doesn't even hesitate for a moment? oh how i long to know what was going on inside their head. it's so so so funny. insane thing of n to propose. insane thing of the player character to accept

it gets worse.

it is at this moment, trapped inside a tiny little cage up in the sky, that n chooses to reveal his identity as the main antagonist to you. 'hey btw i'm the king of team plasma actually'. of course from his point of view he's the hero but like he isn't interested in trying to recruit you to his side he basically just up and says yep i was never interested in helping you stop team plasma. lol. he expressed sympathy toward their ideals in his first scene but you'd think he would have either introduced himself then, or way later, or had an arc where he was slowly won over by them. no he delays that reveal but not by a lot. truly more proof this guy just does not know how to interact w people he doesn't know how and when to reveal information for an ideal level of impact

(i should mention though that the way he says all this while still on the ferris wheel is honestly very gentle and casual. like from his point of view it feels like he's trying to make some sort of confession to a friend. like he's not trying to be antagonistic or threatening there at all it's sort of like. 'hello i have been out in public for the first time since i was a toddler for like maybe a week at most. and you are the first person i've ever met that has shaken my worldview and earned any amount of respect for me so that's basically like you're my friend right? you're my friend. i've latched onto you now. let me get my personal feelings off my chest somewhere that's safe (for me) and private and see how you react. do you wanna be super cool dramatic rivals and narrative foils btw. pretty please')

the player though. the player does not hear any of these internal thoughts. they don't know about the beautiful struggles of this gentle yet troubled soul. they hear 'hey btw I Am The Main Antagonist and i have deliberately tricked you into getting into an enclosed death trap with me so that you have nowhere to run and nobody to call for help and i doubt you even get xtransceiver signal up here. you are completely defenseless for the next few minutes if i theoretically wanted to hurt you.' LIKE???????????????????? it's a crying shame we didn't get facial expressions or dialogue from them before getting on but it's a real crying shame we didn't get it here

(yet another reason pokespe is so important to me bc my girl white is understandably like about to pass out with fear. actually the pokespe version of this whole entire scene is even more terrifying and really truly makes n seem like a bad guy tbh. i still maintain he's not evil in pokespe either but he does have something really wrong with him and i'm glad they don't woobify him. i like letting the antagonist be an antagonist and they make up for it in his character in other fun ways)

yeah so after those few awkward moments of vulnerability (using the double meaning there. vulnerable for n as in he's being honest about himself in private without putting on some big showy chosen one act, and vulnerable for the pc as in holy crap dude am i about to die or something). then the two of you get off and then he starts acting like a leader to the other members of team plasma like it comes naturally to him suddenly. (what’s even funnier is one of them is like ‘milord you’re safe!!!’ oh HE’S safe huh. this was his idea he did this to ME!!!)

yeah like he goes right back into spouting cryptic ominous things at you. he battles you just to buy them time to escape not even caring if he wins. then he's like. eheheh here are my plans in full detail because i am so totally Villain. try and stop me if you dare! (please stop me i need you to chase after me and settle the burning questions you've unwittingly planted in my heart) mwahahaha

you also get like. a portrait shot of him. he is the only character in this game other than your rivals and the professor (aka your xtransceiver contacts) who gets a visual like this. and the only one in real life in a regular conversation. like they switch from side view half-top-down sprites to Oh, you're looking N in the Face suddenly. makes him feel extra special and intimidating to actually get a good look at him that isn't tiny pixels or a crunchy battle sprite. that also factors into this scene feeling bizarre. and like. it all happens so fast man. after all this happens you're like DUDE what . was that scene. well ok time to go uhhh challenge the gym leader i guess! insane stuff

[cosmogyros]

That moment when you have to let people be wrong about you because correcting them would make you seem like an unbearable show-off

I was at a bookstore with a friend the other day and I was looking at a book in German that I was interested in buying, but then I saw that it was a translation and had originally been written in French

I commented idly to my friend "Sometimes I don't buy a book because it's a translation and I always prefer to read in the original language when possible" and she said in an agreeing-with-me way, "Yeah it would make more sense to read it in English"

and I realized she assumed I meant English when I said "original language"

but I couldn't bring myself to say "Yeah, or French or Dutch or Spanish or Italian or Portuguese or one of the other languages I read..." because like. who says that kind of thing.

[yeah-thats-probably-it]

Hot take maybe but I think Bertie would be FAR more likely to survive the first two months of Dracula than Jeeves would be. Bertie has a healthy sense of self-preservation. Jeeves consistently underestimates how dangerous a situation might get (Steeple Bumpleigh, the club book) because he’s overconfident about his level of control over any given situation. He'd handle Dracula masterfully if they faced off in England, but on Dracula's home turf? Much more doubtful.

I realize this might be a tough sell, so I will explain further (or it's not a tough sell, and I'm going to explain further because I want to). (criteria taken from @canyourfavesurvivecastledracula) Without further ado.

Would Jeeves and Wooster survive Castle Dracula?

Jeeves

Jeeves' survival will depend on how long Dracula finds him more entertaining than irritating. On that basis, I don't think he's long for this world. On the one hand, he has a huge wealth of knowledge about English society and culture that he can recite perfectly from memory. That should buy him at least a little time with noted teaboo Dracula.

On the other hand, he would be absolutely no fun as a vampire plaything. Jeeves cannot be got. Sneaking up on him while he's shaving will yield zero reaction (though that's at least good for his short-term survival--given that, although he DID take the crucifix from the old woman out of politeness, he certainly isn't going to wear it. The rules of fashion don't go out the window just because you're in a spooky castle). Then, although managing the whims of rich jerks is not an insignificant part of a valet's job, Jeeves usually does this by bending his employers to his will. Dracula is not the sort of employer this will work on. It'll just add insult to injury when on top of being impossible to scare, NOW Jeeves is telling Dracula that his favorite cloak is several centuries out of fashion and he's not allowed to wear it anymore.

Jeeves will 100% go exploring in the areas he was told not to go-- though to be fair, he MIGHT actually get away with this, what with his superpower of appearing in rooms without being seen or heard. Said superpower might save him from the brides as well (though this is by no means guaranteed). Since I find it doubtful that Dracula would come to rescue his annoying ass, not being noticed is his best defense.

There are a couple other things working in Jeeves's favor; the question is just whether they'll be enough to save him.

He DOES know shorthand, and could try to send coded letters. He might even have the foresight to squirrel away some extra stationary where Dracula can't find it. But could he get them posted? Would it even do him any good?

He certainly has enough cultural literacy to figure out what his new boss is pretty quickly. If he didn't chuck the crucifix out the carriage window, he might start carrying it around in his pocket.

Psychology of the individual, sure, but the individual in question is a 400-year-old vampire who lives in an isolated castle in a foreign country and is regarded as a terrifying mythological figure in the surrounding villages. Jeeves has never come up against anything this alien before, he's cut off from his normal resources, and opportunities to play people against each other are limited.

He probably has enough upper body strength from all that shrimping and fishing to climb the wall, so he COULD escape if he wanted to, if he survived long enough. It's just, again, that overconfidence, and also Dracula has a vast library full of rare old books that are entirely at his disposal. He's keeping his eyes and ears alert for potential escape strategies, of course, but I don't see him being as desperate to get out as Jonathan was.

There are just a lot of "depends on"s here, and I'm not convinced that luck would shake out in Jeeves's favor, all things considered.

Bertie

Bertie is so perfect for the job of Castle Dracula Prisoner it's like it was made for him. Think about it. Being held against his will in big manor houses comes more naturally to him than breathing. He's afraid of things that are scary. A lifetime of dealing with Aunt Agatha has made him the world's preeminent expert in "curl[ing] up in a ball in the hope that a meek subservience [will] enable [him] to get off lightly." He will NEVER go exploring in places he's been warned away from if nobody is forcing him to (Rev. Aubrey Upjohn's office notwithstanding. There were biscuits in there). He's both fun to talk to and easy to toy with (and extremely English). A+ prisoner. Dracula adores him.

In my opinion, Bertie is at Castle Dracula either because Aunt Agatha got some wires seriously crossed and thinks he’s going to meet an eligible potential bride (I mean, there are certainly brides there), or because Dracula has something Aunt Dahlia wants him to steal (far less likely, given that one of Dracula’s THINGS is famously not owning anything silver). Either way, he's shown himself entirely willing and able to escape down drainpipes if a sitch gets too scaly.

He DOES take the crucifix, and DOES wear it (which is what will save him during the shaving scene, because you KNOW he's going to jump a foot and cut himself like the dickens). He's read enough supernatural goosefleshers to be genre savvy about terrified old women cryptically pushing crucifixes into one's hands. I also think his sunny disposish endeared him to the villagers, and they were particularly vehement about urging him not to go. He doesn't speak German or Romanian, but he's empathetic enough to recognize Pure Terror. So by the time he actually gets to the castle, his imagination is already running wild and he's plenty aware that he is in imminent danger.

I think the biggest risk to Bertie will be the brides; whether or not he's susceptible to trances, if he thinks they're trying to marry him, it's against the code of the Woosters to turn them down. But that only becomes an issue if he comes face to face with them, which, luckily, I think is unlikely on account of the aforementioned "won't go exploring" (and if he did, Dracula would definitely rescue him).

I'm inclined to say due to his drainpipe-escape habits that he WOULD be able to climb the wall and MAY attempt to sneak into Dracula's room to look for the keys if his desperation grows to outweigh his fear. Whether he does or not, though, he does NOT have the stomach to attempt shovel murder, and therefore won't get magic brain fever, and may very well simply walk out the front doors when the people come to take the boxes away. OR he climbs his way out like Jonathan did. Either way.

When Bertie tells this story at the Drones later, Tuppy will say that no doubt it's been greatly exaggerated and all that probably happened was that he spent a couple months in an oldish house entertaining a weird loner.

[whereserpentswalk]

Thinking about how well Worm handles disability, especially compared to most other things in its genre. The way lifelong injuries are treated as a normal part of being a cape. The fact that Taylor is blind for awhile and it's not treated as a tragedy, and how when it's healed by scapegoat it's not treated as some sort of redemptive miracle, but just a thing that happened. Defiant's wounds still being something that effects him even though he has tinker magitech. Kid Wind having adhd and being helped by meds but then having to go off them due to side effects. Taylor seeing paralysis as a fate worse then death being seen as a her thing and not an objective fact (and probably being from trauma during the leviathan fight). Genesis's disability being something the people around her care about a lot more then her. Labyrinth and Bitch both being basically neurodivergent from their powers (labyrinth being essentially high support needs, and Bitch being essentially low support needs) with both being able to live fulfilling lives with people who care about them (also that scene with someone trying to baby talk Bitch near the end really hit home for me).

Also, Dragon, despite not being literally disabled is a very good disability allegory. People who don't know she's a machine often think she's disabled. The way her father put so many constraints on her because he didn't trust her, because of what she was. The way so many human characters see her right to live as something up for debate. The way Saint calls Defiant's attraction to her a fetish because he can only comprehend someone loving her as being some strange abnormality. The fact that teacher thinks it's ok to put constrains on her basically because he physically can. Defiant and her being intimate by testing how well they can feel sensations. Even just the way Saint talks about her not being able to truly feel emotion, but saying she tricked herself into doing so, is reminiscent of how some people talk about people with Cluster B disorders. And beyond that, the fact that all of the people who dehumanize her are framed as unquestionably in the wrong. Hell, she had a trigger event so even the eldritch horrors affirm her personhood.

I realize the discussion of Dragon was longer then I planned. But yeah, worm has much better disability rep then anything else I've seen in the superhero genre (probably because it's written by a disabled author).

Also I'm pretty sure you have to be neurodivergent to read a 1,672,617 word long internet book about the sociopolitical ramifications of superpowers. /j

[copperbadge]

Thank you so much for your post on ADHD and managing communication. It was really interesting see your thought process and an example of how you set up systems that work for you. I was wondering if you'd mind sharing a little about how you handle task management (the “make sure you do the tasks promptly” part). This is something I (also only diagnosed with ADHD as an adult) feel like I really struggle with, especially at work. Thanks!

I wish I had as...systematic an explanation for that as I do for other aspects of my work and life management, to be honest. For me the most important part is remembering that I even need to do the thing in the first place, so I always focus on systems that will help with that. While I do have trouble starting projects sometimes, I rarely have trouble finishing them, so that aspect is not the most significant part of the struggle for me and not something I've spent as much time on. Still, I do have some advice!

For me the problem, when it happens, is almost always with getting started. I have a few strategies for that. The very first is to remind myself that it's never going to take as long or be as hard as I think it is. That kind of reminder has to feel true and that truth really only comes with time -- you have to be taught over and over, through experience, that "the task isn't that awful". For this the best I can recommend is, every time you finish something, take a moment to stop and reflect how hard it was to get started, and how once you got started it was actually much easier than you thought it would be. If you can identify "being scared of starting" as being the hardest part, eventually you can come to believe that the fear is normal and can be ignored because it's also your brain lying to you.

Another thing I do very often is break tasks I don't want to do (or am struggling to start) into extremely granular portions. If I have to make a powerpoint presentation, and I'm struggling to know where to begin, I'll take it really small steps at a time. Like, my to-do list for the presentation might read:

Open Powerpoint

Fill out the title slide

Gather all research into a folder (do not open any of it)

Start reviewing your research one file at a time

Start sorting your research into appropriate groups based on subject matter or where in the presentation they'll go

Look at the way your research is grouped, just look for a while

Which part of the research would you tell someone to start with if they're new to the subject matter?

That's slide one.

Usually at that point I'm in the "flow" enough that I can stop looking at those granular steps, but it's also fucking astonishing how often just opening the program I need to do the thing in can drop me into the project so deep I'll surface hours later having nearly completed it.

So my first step for any task, once I know it's time to work on it, is just to open the program needed and gather all my resources in one place and give myself permission to ONLY do that. Those two things, which are easy in themselves (they usually don't need much thought) trigger that "this is what I'm doing now" state and even if I don't finish the project, I will at least make headway. This works in non-digital, non-work ways too -- if you're going to paint a wall, gather all your supplies first in one place and make sure you have everything you need. In the process of doing that you start to become more at ease with the idea of actually doing it, and even if you don't do it right that minute, now you're actually feeling prepared for when you do.

And honestly even knowing all that I still struggle sometimes. That's just the nature of the beast. Adderall helps a lot, and age has helped because I know what I'm capable of and it's often more than I believe at the start. But it's just always going to take more energy for me than for some people. Making sure I'm fed, rested, clean, and medicated helps a great deal, so I recommend looking after yourself when you DON'T have a project looming, but I also recommend giving yourself some grace when you do -- these things are just the challenges we face.

[seleneprince]

Thanks you for answering!

NOW i'm more curious about Dick and N!D . You say that he's one shz hates the most,why? Is this because of the whole incident with Damian or is it because something else?

And i 'm really expecting the moment when everybody will finally know that N!D hate them so much (or is distant wirh a lot of them). Who will be the most hurt/angry about that? I think that will be a hard blow for Dick because it seems to me that Lucia try to be civilised with him and as he didn't pay too much attention to her ,did he think they on good terms ? How will he react with her if he know?

Sorry if there are too much question but i really love this concept/wip(?) And i'm eager to see your other ideas or blurb for this😊!

Oh boy, i'm so glad you asked that..👀😈

She feels this way with Dick for many small reasons, but the main one absolutely revolves from the murder attempt from Damian. Because Dick, although not maliciously, he handled it terribly. And I mean, terribly.

Before that, N! Daughter admired Dick, even. He was the main reason she took gymnastic classes and tried so hard on them. To impress him. To bond with him. Everyone went on and on about how he was the golden boy, such a good big brother, and she saw it too. She just wished he paid her the same amount of attention and care he had for the others..

But the thing is, Dick doesn't know how to bond with normal people. He can handle Jason, Tim, Damian and everyone else because, despite all their differences, they're the same: Soldiers. Vigilantes. All of them at some point trained and fought under Batman's shadow (some still do). They share similar stories of wounds, certain missions and the whole "risking their lives everyday at night to fight crime". That's the kind of trauma-bonding that this whole mess of a family has been built upon...and for someone who hasn't been through the same stuff as them, who doesn't understand their mission or has wore the mantles, well, Dick is clueless on how to approach them. And they might be unconsciously pushed aside because none of them know how to handle normal people. How could they, when they themselves haven't been normal in their whole lives? When they people they usually hang out with and interact are just like them?

In Dick's eyes, N! Daughter has the privilege of a safe, comfortable life, away from the danger and violence of theirs. She doesn't know the worst of it. And it's fine. But Damian, little terror, he hasn't had the same luxury. Sure, he grew up in a palace with servants, but he was also forced to train from the moment he could walk and bleed for his grandfather's approval. He was never allowed to be a child. Constantly bleeding, suffering and enduring pain to be molded into the perfect little assassin his family wanted him to be. Dick feels sorry for him, and we know he becomes very fond of Damian and sort of his guardian.

Which makes him prioritise the boy's needs and emphatise with him a lot, expecting people to do the same given his traumatic past...even if it comes out at the worst moment.

After the Damian tried to kill her and left that scar, when she was recovering from the still fresh wound, holding a bloodied bandage over her neck, Dick visited her at her room. She wasecstasic, so happy to have her big brother that she admired back then check on her. He sat beside her and told her the this:

"(Name), look, what Damian did was a terrible mistake. He didn't meant to, but he’s had a very difficult life with some awful people. It's not really his fault. I promise you that he won't do it again. Just please, forgive him."

As he spoke, a ringing began to grow and grow in her ears, until she could no longer hear him. Her mind going over and over what he said. She just nodded silently, the pain of the wound keeping her from talking (but also because she didn't trust herself to talk without insulting and cursing him) She didn't even feel when he retracted his hand from her shoulder as soon as she nodded. "Thank you (Name), knew you would understand. He's not really a bad kid, you'll see. He just needs some love and proper guidance to change his ways. We'll talk again when you're better, okay?" He said, moving away from her, obviously distracted. She didn't bother nodding again. She already knew he wouldn't come back.

That's what cemented her disgust for him. Not only the fact he spent the following days spending time with Damian (who by the way, never apologised or shower remorse for what he did), but how he just stood there and told a girl to her damn eyes who had just suffered a murder attempt in her sleep that she had to "be understanding" and basically be the "bigger person" with her attacker. With the blood still in her bandage.

That conversation didn’t just hurt, it broke something inside her. She realized then that no one in the family would choose her, that she only had her mom and the twins. And, in her mind, Dick wasn’t just complicit; he's a symbol of everything wrong with their dynamic.

The first time she tells this story is to Duke, when he gathers courage to ask her why she can't stand Dick, why she always tenses when he talks to her and avoids looking at him, despite being apparently the reliable, loving big brother of all. Needless to say, he's shocked…and angry on her behalf.

"I was holding my neck together with a damn bandage, and instead of asking me how I was feeling, instead of holding Damian accountable, he asked me to understand him."

In her mind, it sounded like:

"You’re the sacrifice. You’re the one who has to be stronger. You’re the one who has to forgive and move on. Because he’s more important"

And best part? Dick has no idea how deeply he hurt her. He thinks of that moment as a difficult conversation where he tried to make peace between his siblings, to what was best for everyone because Damian was still fresh out of the League's influence and he didn't know better. He doesn’t realize that it was the moment she gave up on him, and maybe the whole family.

He's used to be everyone's reliable big brother, the sunshine boy, so you can guess his surprise when he realises his sister avoids being in the same room as him and never smiles around him. When the little girl he remembers always lighted up when he spoke to her and went out of her way to get his attention...what happened? Where did that adorable little girl go? Can he get her back?

[rosesdrop]

Pick a weapon

What do they like about you

(Note: remember, this is a general reading so not everything is going to resonate perfectly, I might open personal reading services later, but for now, enjoy your reading ⭐❤💞)

Pile 1:

You have such luminous skin, there's possibly an age gap between you and this person, they like your resting bitch face, and how stubborn you are, such a gloomy mood that gives off adam's family and these sorts of gothic vibes, you've got sleepy eyes that are mesmerizing, and such a hard temperament, you're hard to please in this person's eyes, you make them so overwhelmed with all the kinds of moods that you carry within you, it makes this person have a hard time understanding you, you are always trying new things and it's just too much for this person, they have no idea where you get all this energy from. It could even be that you're from a different ethnicity and this person tries to understand you better, it makes them curious about you and they like it. Even when you talk it's too hard catching up with you, you're so expansive about all the topics in your conversation, you like to discuss all kinds of different subjects, this person adores that, they see how philosophical you are. They don't understand your mind, they're having such a hard time figuring you out pile 1 😂, it's such a struggle they're trying so hard, but they like it, the fact that you are bigger than the sun itself, how much you can overwhelm them and they get so burned out by your energy(I don't mean it in a negative way), the fact that you're not a force to be wreckend with. They just feel like you're too much for them to handle. You're most likely either a fire or an air sign. They mainly like your mood states , your emotional and temperamental center, it's so dramatic and entertaining. Your effect is just fatal on them, you're even making them have physical reactions upon how charged up they get around you, the reason for that could be that you have expansive energetic field, some of you could also have bigger and more curvier bodies. An additional message that I'm getting is that you get influenced by the moon cycles, you possibly get more energetic and lively that normal at night.

Pile 2:

You are very graceful in the way you talk, you may be sending blessings to people around you constantly and praying for others. They like your beauty, they find you to be just 'pretty'. They also like how wise you are, if you wear dresses this person likes seeing them on you, you are maybe on the shorter side and they find your height to be cute. Earth signs. They like how courageous you are, you can be so calm and steady when facing adversities and they find this so strong from you, you are the type of person that has a silent strength to them. You are so solid , so sure of yourself that it's hard to shake you. You always have the right sense of what to do. They like your smell, if you wear some kind of perfume they really like the smell of it. You could always be scoring the highest grades at any work you do, you're always so productive, and if you like cooking, you make the best food ever. This person sees you as self-reliant and self-sufficient, someone that doesn't like wasting much time on nonesense, and a person that keeps to themselves, and again, that makes them see you as very smart and wise.

Pile 3:

They like how sensitive you are to the environment around you, and how overly critical you are of everything, you might like crime movies that awaken your investigator side, to find clues and solve riddles. If you have green eyes specifically they like them, also how you put on your makeup. You're unapologetic in everything you do, you do whatever you want to do anyways, they're fascinated by that, it's like, you give the sense that you are elusive about what you want to do, especially the way you act about things, but you surprise them with the results, you may seem like you're just playing around at first impression but then this person gets impressed by the things you can achieve. You don't ask much from people. You're very unpredictable to this person, they think that you're a lucky and special person, unlike anyone else they've ever known.

Pile 4:

You're older than this person, or they like your maturity. They like how friendly you are, you give off this sense of familiarity to them and they feel welcomed and well treated in your presence and they respect you for that. You have an inspirational impact on this person, they take your words to heart, and they resonate with them, they give them space for creative pursuits and create space for new ideas in their mentality. If this person felt misunderstood and lost in the past you give them a new vision, a better one. The color black and gothic type of clothing fits you in their view, they think you're aloof and eccentric, you have a sharp mind but your ideas for them-they have a hard time organizing every thought proposed by you according to the actual situation, your thinking is superior for them.

[sevenwishesonshootingstars]

Long Awaited Wish: Descent of Our Beloved Star (5)

I'm gonna be so honest, I think this one is probably my worst other than a few bits about doubts and thanks. Otherwise I think it's kind of meh. Ngl, I think part of it is that I just want to get to certain parts that are coming up closer to the end. Still, I want to finish this so I can improve. Based on where we are now, I'd say that there will be two more parts and then multiple endings, one for each nation. I'd prefer to release them all at once but that's still about 6 chapters so after Mondstadt it will probably be awhile before those get posted unless I don't try to fill it up more

Part 1, Prev

Back and forth in circles the god of eternity paced. She was rarely one to obsess over the opinions of others regarding her, but this time was very different. This time was about you. 

You were surely on your way already, yet she heard nothing of your arrival. 

Though she wanted to put it behind her, she was aware that her own actions were to blame for the land of electro’s lack of general appeal. The nation was still largely in shambles in the wake of the vision hunt decree and the havoc that she allowed the Fatui to wreak. 

She worried that you would simply skip Inazuma, then found herself disgusted by her own doubt. How could she believe that the guiding light would do such a thing? Even if not for her, at the very least for the people. 

She heard a playful “ahem” and turned around to find a familiar grinning kitsune. “Miko,” Ei greeted with a nod, trying not to let her mood seep into her otherwise calm voice. 

“Don't tell me you're still worried you'll be skipped,” Yae teased, placing a hand on the god’s shoulder. “Do you really have such little faith in Their light?” Despite the clear joking tone, Ei couldn't help being offended by the suggestion regardless of the fact it was true.

“Of course not,” she replied, sounding to Yae’s ears like a huffy child. “Mhm,” the kitsune replied, clearly not believing her. “You know, you really have no reason to think that anyway. After all, who was it who guided the Traveler, other than myself of course, to get through to you in the midst of your grief?”

Ei looked away and crossed her arms, mildly ashamed. “Their Luminescence…”

“Right. And who introduced you to the new Inazuma, explaining to you things that others would lack the patience to teach because of how normal they are now?” Yae asked with a light poke of Ei’s arm.

“... Their Luminescence…”

“And who, other than me, was there to assist in some form or another when you were locked in battle with your puppet?” Yae questioned. “I get the point, Miko,” Ei grumbled. Despite her huffyness, the kitsune’s words were reassuring to her.

“Besides, I don't think They're able to skip any nation anyway,” Yae Miko said with a wave of her hand. “And why would They? After three festivals in a row, why wouldn't a more relaxed celebration be perfect?”

………………………

You arrived in Inazuma the day after you finished Sumeru, ready for whatever festivities there were. Unlike your first time in the nation, you were welcomed and let in very quickly. The (first) clan personally made sure the Traveler was escorted to the next island without a hitch despite the fact they could easily handle anything on the way there. 

Naturally the Kamisato clan was incredibly involved given their main responsibility. You were invited to stop by with them to say hello and play the (hotpot?) game. Technically they were supposed to be getting the finishing touches on the later events finished, but nobody in the house could resist inviting you over. Even Ayato, usually nowhere to be found at times like this, was there. 

Afterwards you, through the Traveler, were brought to the next island, straight to Inazuma city. Kujou Sara was tasked with escorting you to the winged statue. The nation took this very seriously, cautious to avoid any opportunity for someone to even think about an attack of any sort, not that anyone would try. Other than the fact that the Traveler was generally well liked, heralded as a hero, and would easily take on any random attacker, why would someone want to? Especially now that, while not to your knowledge, basically everyone was aware that the Traveler was your primary vessel. To harm them was to harm you, and who could ever do such a thing?

In front of the statue, you were met by Ei, who arrived much more humbly than her first appearance. She walked down the steps to greet you, just as anyone else would. She wouldn't dare do anything more, lest she remind you of the time she'd attempted to strike your vessel down and had the audacity to declare you, of all beings, an enemy of eternity. It was embarrassing. To declare your very existence a crime, when you were the ever-changing eternity truer than her forced stagnation could ever wish to be. How foolish.

“Hello, Traveler. How has your journey of celebration been so far?” Ei asked with hidden hope it wasn't too good. This was a competition, after all.

You hum on the other side of the screen. Though it was enjoyable, there was only so much you can do with a festival when they were so vague but they had to be so they didn't let anything slip. You still aren't even a hundred percent sure what's being celebrated. Obviously the Traveler to some extent, but other than that you weren't sure. 

Just as the words had left her mouth, Yae was at her side. “You must be a bit worn down from all the festivities, right, little one? A bit… same-y, dull even after a few days, right?” It was clear what she was trying to do to everyone there, and you couldn't help snickering a little at her blatant attempt to indirectly diss the other nations.

Ei cleared her throat. “We thought you might enjoy something a bit more calm to… break up the repetitive nature of festival after festival...” She almost felt embarrassed at the contrast between her current talk about avoiding too much of the same and, well, how she used to be the complete opposite.

“Oh! She's come a long way,” you whisper to the screen proudly. “I don't think the way they handled her was… amazing, but it's good to see stuff like this.” Normally the two would have wondered who “they” were, but at this moment they couldn't care less. Your praise is too good of a sign. Too warm to bask in for them to care about the criticism attached to it.

“Let's go relax a bit, shall we?” Yae suggested, but it wasn't really a suggestion. She ushered for both the Traveler and Ei to follow her. “I know the perfect place~” 

Given the timing of this event and the apparent relaxation theme of Inazuma's celebration, you think you know where she’s talking about. The quest prompt tells you to walk with the two electro ladies as they, “they” being Yae, chat with you. 

“Although I jest about the repetitive nature of your journey so far, I imagine for someone who spends most of their time traveling and encountering new things, celebration without rest would eventually become a bore,” the kitsune said as she led a descender and a god to a certain bathhouse. “So let’s rest, shall we? And you can tell us about the interesting things you’ve done since we last saw you. Maybe write down a thing or two.”

You watch quietly, thinking about what Yae said. You again suppose she’s right that there’s only so much that can be done with festival after festival. Something about many of the celebrations felt a little off. Not quite forced, but not completely natural either.

You were pulled out of your thoughts by Ei’s sudden “Stop.”

“Let us have something sweet. To. Aid in relaxation,” she said as she stopped next to a stand on the side of the street. Of course for some dango milk. You’re not sure if she really wants it to help the trio relax or she wants it because she just wants to indulge her sweet tooth, but you chuckle at her insistence. So now the trio was taking a short break for some sweets.

“At the end of the day, we will head to Watatsumi Island. You will be free to spend the day how you like, but please arrive at the Sangonomiya Shrine before sunset,” Ei instructed. “Now let’s continue. I want us all to have a good time, including those who are not in our party. Let’s try to enjoy our experience at the bathhouse during the time we’ve reserved so that others may do the same once we are done.”

Ah. She doesn’t want the trio’s stay to take up anyone else’s time. They must have wanted it to be just the three of you them. “Awfully considerate of you, Ei,” you murmur, and she’s so glad she took the things you and the Traveler taught her to heart. For a moment, she’s so sure of the outcome, but Yae pulls everyone back into the walk to the bathhouse. 

The rest of the Inazuma chapter goes by quickly. The trio spends some time in the bathhouse after some banter between Yae and Mizuki. Afterwards, Yae tells you not to be late and Ei wishes you well for the rest of your day. You’re left to do as you please, so you wander for a bit. Meeting up with the Arataki gang, you partake in an onikabuto beetle battle with the group. Itto spends the rest of your time together talking up himself, the idea of spending more time around here, and you/the Traveler until he tripped over himself and Kuki had to take over from there.

As the sunset draws closer, you make your way to the Sangonomiya Shrine as requested. Plenty of playable characters and NPCs alike were sitting scattered about on picnic blankets in soft colors. Yoimiya waved at the Traveler, and they waved back. They stopped to chat with the Kamisatos, a nod of acknowledgement to Kujou Sara. 

The Traveler, as your vessel, was led near the front and told to take a seat on one of the blankets. You can’t feel it, but the way it’s modeled makes you think that blanket is softer than anything you’ve ever touched in your whole life.

Murmurs carry through the air like bubbles as people take notice of Ei walking up to the Traveler. They still aren’t fully used to her being out and about, even for festivities. Although, given the purpose of this particular occasion, how could she not make an appearance. Some others add that they saw the two, along with the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, walking together earlier. Mutters of jealousy, praise, excitement, and speculation on relationships float around, but the god of eternity pays it no mind.

“For centuries I buried myself in my grief and dragged down my nation with me at the expense of many of its people. I declared your anomalous existence illegal because I didn’t bother to try understanding it,” she began, finally choosing not to let her feelings fester. “But you, in turn, came to understand me and my… behavior so you could help me understand. You guided me despite all I’ve done and still have yet to fully face. You showed me the inevitability of change and the beautiful role it plays in the pursuit of eternity. I understand now that eternity does not mean stagnation, regardless of my fears. Your assistance to Miko and the people’s will have made me accept change as I initiated it in myself.”

Ei lowered herself to sit next to you the Traveler on the soft blanket. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me and my nation. Here’s to the hope of finding long-lasting happiness, in all its forms, in the everchanging expanse of eternity that lies ahead.” She took a bite of something that looked a lot like Mizuki’s specialty, one treat out of many she’d been eating the whole day. “And here’s to the hope you’ll be here for it,” she quietly wishes.

--------------------------

taglist:

@desirabletravel @kinichportablecharger @kioblegh @hvcrver @killuagirly @riverofsevern @paperhermits

[woossexyponytail]

Forbidden Treasure

Seungcheol x reader

Hi everyone!! Long time no see !! I'm back with something a little different I've been wanting to get back in to writing but wanted to do a seventeen one so this is kinda like a trial run see if people like it and hopefully I'll be back to writing more along with adding seventeen and maybe stray kids? I don't know yet, but hopefully, you enjoy it.

So this is inspired by hogwarts legacy. Also, the reader has a panic attack.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

I looked around the common room of the slytherin dorm. It was quiet, too quiet this morning, and that means only one thing Seungkwan was up to something.

Normally, every morning, Seungkwan would be walking next to me, talking my ear off as we'd make our way to the dining hall. But for some reason, he was nowhere to be seen. I shrugged to myself and made my way up to the dining hall for breakfast, wanting to enjoy the peace before he came back.

Walking past the open doors, the dining hall was lively, but thankfully, it wasn't too loud today. I spotted Seungkwan by one of the tables next to Vernon and Dino. My eyebrows raised, not believing all three were up early today.

Walking closer to them, I could overhear their conversion, being so engaged with what they were talking about that they hadn't noticed me walking up to them.

"It's got to be here. We'll find it -"

"Find what?" I asked, looking over their shoulders and seeing some sort of treasure map? Seungkwan and Dino jumped at my voice scrambling to cover the paper on the table, Vernon however just stared up, blinking at me.

"NOTHING!" Dino yelled. The hall got quiet for a second. Everyone looked over at him for yelling, Seungkwan slapped his back, glaring while Vernon tried not to laugh.

"We found a treasure map," Vernon explained, grabbing it from under the other two boys' arms showing me. "Correction one of the ghosts dropped it." Seungkwan added while the other two nodded.

I looked over it, seeing it was a place in the forbidden forest, raising my eyebrows looking between them.

"You can't be serious! It's dangerous out there, and no offence be the three of you aren't really masters of combat. I suggest you put it back where you found it." I said, crossing my arms waiting for their explanation.

"We can handle it! The three of us will be fine." Seungkwan said, folding up the paper and putting it in his robe.

"Giant bugs. Are you sure you can deal with that?" I asked, looking between Vernon and Seungkwan, knowing they hated bugs and almost fainted when they came in first year and saw the creatures here at hogwarts. Vernon swallowed, then looked over at Seungkwan. Looking back over at me, he nodded his head.

"Alright then," I sighed as I got some toast for breakfast, knowing I couldn't convince them anymore of how bad this idea is, the other boys might help but for now its not my problem.

Later in the day, I was in the library with Woozi, Wonwoo, Minghao, and Jun studying for our homework or next owls in Wonwoo and Woozis case. It was quiet, with a few students mumbling over their work. Just then, the door flew open with Seungcheol storming in looking pissed off while Jeonghan and Joshua were giggling behind him.

"Why are you so pissed?" Wonwoo asked as the three sat down with us, Seungcheol sat down next to me he looked up at Wonwoo and sighed mumbling "you don't wanna know" while getting his books out. I turned to Wonwoo, who was across from me as we both shared a look.

After about twenty minutes studying, Hoshi Mingyu and Dk came in running up to our table the excitement on their faces gave me a bad feeling, looking up at them as they stood at the end of the table waiting for our attention Mingyu bouncing on the balls of his feet with a wide grin like an excited puppy.

"Guys, we're going to look for treasure in the forbidden forest. Does anyone wanna come along?" Hoshi said, keeping quiet not to get more attention from other students or worse teachers. The boys all looked up at them, shocked.

"You spoke to Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino this morning, didn't you?" I asked, sighing at the stupid idea again, knowing they didn't think at all since they got those three to help and not the smarter boys.

"Wait, what?!" Seungcheol asked, looking at me, then back at the boys completely shocked by the information he glared at the boys waiting for an explanation.

"You're not going anywhere near there any of you, so don't think about it!" He said, getting angrier by the second. Jeonghan raised a brow, placing his head in his hand, looking at them.

"What kind of treasure are we talking about here?" He asked, ignoring Seungcheol next to him repeating the word no. The boys looked even more excited that they got someone else willing to help.

"Come with us and will show you!" They said as they started walking away and to mine and Seungcheol shock the other boys all packed up to follow, leaving us on our own.

"I guess we should keep an eye on them" I said sighing packing my thing to go and follow but Seungcheol stopped me his hand on my arm as he looked up at me with a pout on his lips.

"Why didn't you say anything to me about this idea?" He asked, looking hurt he had to find out by Hoshi, I blinked at him, not sure what to say as he squeezed my arm, not in an uncomfortable way more for support.

"I just found out this morning and hoped they'd come to their senses," I said, shrugging as Seungcheol took his hand off me and started packing too.

Once we followed them to the top of hogwarts hating, this is how I'm spending my Saturday. we ended up in the middle of the hallway while Seungkwan was smiling at the blank wall.

"Uh Seungkwan... are you ok?" Joshua asked, putting his hand on his shoulder and watching the younger boy.

"Shh," he said, glaring at him to be quiet while we waited completely confused, a door apard out of nowhere.

"What the ... you found the Room of Requirements?" Wonwoo asked, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes in disbelief.

"Yeah, guess hogwarts wants us to find this treasure too," Seungkwan said smugly, opening the doors to find the large room with a table and chairs.

"Well, this is unsettling." I mumbled as I looked over at Seungcheol, seeing him shake his head at the guys as they sat down.

"The map shows that the treasure is hidden here." Seungkwan said, pointing at a cave deep inside the forest.

"You're joking, right? A cave! That's probably filled with dangerous creatures?! Are you mad?!!?" Woozi asked as he shook his head in disapproval.

"Oh, come on, it'll be fine with all fourteen of us going." Dino said, smiling widely at all of us. Seungcheol sighed as he rubbed his head, thinking.

"You can't be seriously thinking about going, right?! I'm not dealing with any Acromantulas!" I said, glaring at Seungcheol while I crossed my arms.

"It would be safer if we all went, come on yn you know they won't stop." Seungcheol said as he started pouting. 'Damn my soft spot for Seungcheol pouting' I thought to myself as I groaned in defeat.

"Fine, but if we see or go near an Acromantula, I'm killing you all!" I said, glaring at them as the boys started leaving the Room of Requirements Seungcheol grabbed my arm.

"Hey, listen, I promise you I will not let you near one of those things you hear me." He looked into my eyes as he said it to reassure me, I only nodded at him.

"Come on, love birds, we don't have all day!" Jeonghan yelled at us, Seungcheol let go of my arm immediately as he started yelling back at Jeonghan, calling him an idiot. I could feel my face blush as I slowly followed them out.

The guys thought it would be a better idea to go in the evening for some stupid reason as we made our way through the forest with our wands out lighting the way, Seungkwan was leading with Wonwoo next to him pointing out the right way.

"Are we there yet? I'm starting to get hungry!" Hoshi said as he rubbed his stomach, Vernon nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, and my legs are starting to hurt!" Woozi said, crossing his arms. "Shouldn't of missed leg day then." Mingyu smirked at Woozi as the older but smaller boy whacked him on the back.

"Guys, we're here!" Seungkwan said, looking back at us eyes wide like he wasn't expecting to find the cave.

"Ok, then we'll go in. Have a quick look around for the treasure, then we're out, ok?" Seungcheol said, giving a pointed look at some of the members. The guys nodded as they started going into the large cave single file.

"Guy?" I said the boys all stopped looking at me as I stared at a sign they missed on the right-hand side.

"Acromantula." I said, looking at the spider sign I stood my ground, not wanting to go in at all . " Y/n"

"No, Cheol, I'm not going in. I refuse no way in hell. I'm going in there!!" I yelled as I went to turn around and walk away. Seungcheol grabbed me, stopping me.

"Y/n, I don't want to leave you out here on your own. There's creatures out here, too, remember, trolls, thornbacks, hell, even a car with a mind of its own." Seungcheol said, reminding me.

"I can handle myself." I said, rolling my eyes at him. None of those creatures freak me out more than Acromantula.

"Ahhh!!" Someone yelled it sounded like Seungkwan, both Seungcheol and I jumped at the scream as we turned to see most of the guys had gone in while Seungcheol and I were arguing.

"Oh, you two have finished your lovers spat? Good seems like they need us." Joshua said as he pointed behind him to where the guys have disappeared to.

All three of us went running in while I was cursing under my breath for them being idiots. The cave was long and winding, not given us enough space to run past each other.

As we finally made our way to a large clearing in the cave, the guys were running around in circles as Acromantulas chased them around, and a huge one was climbing down from the wall.

If I wasn't so scared, I'd be laughing my ass off with the scene playing out in front of me right now.

"Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me!" I yelled as Seungcheol and Joshua jumped in to action to help the others while I stood frozen staring at the large bug making me want to cry and run away.

I started hyperventilating at the scene, not wanting to be here, but I was completely frozen, also feeling guilty if I left my idiotic friends behind.

Just then, my eyes glued on to Vernon as he tripped and fell to the floor as the larger spider walked towards him, Vernon was also completely frozen in spot like me, only he was in the danger zone.

"Vernon, run!!!" Jun yelled as he quickly blocked venom that was spraying at him. Unfortunately, Vernon didn't move, still frozen. At that moment, I felt my legs moving before my brain registered what I was actually doing.

"Y/n!" Seungcheol yelled at me as I ran past him to get closer to the largest Acromantula, grabbing my wand from my pocket I raised up.

"Glacius! diffindo!" I yelled as the spider froze and then was quickly hit by the second spell. The spider turned to me as I jumped and rolled out of the way of the upcoming attack.

"Accio! descendo! glacius! incendio!" I yelled at the spider that was attacking dino, watching as the spider flew away from him to me and bounce on to the floor freeze, then got set on fire. Dino just stared, completely shocked.

I turned around to do the same combo to the larger spider wearing it down as some of the guys helped, and with one last hit, the spider fell to the floor, unmoving.

"Can we leave now?" Hoshi asks as he wiped sweat from his head. we all nodded, agreeing as we panted from exhaustion.

"What about the treasure?" Seungkwan asked everyone froze now, looking around the cave. Seeing a little indent in the wall, we all looked at each other to see if someone would look.

"Fuck the treasure." Seungcheol said as he started walking out grabbing me on the way as we walked out of the cave together.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to me, I glared, pulling myself away from his grip as we made it outside and rushed off ahead.

"You fucked up now" I heard Jeonghan say behind me, I was too pissed off to look to see who he was talking to, I just wanted to get to my dorm room.

__________

It had been two weeks since I really spoke to any of the boys, being too pissed off with them for dragging me into that mess and also almost dying. But slowly, they started showing up with their tail between their legs.

Vernon was the first to apologize and thank me for saving him. Next, it was Jun, Minghao, Wonwoo, and Woozi since as they put it, "we didn't want to go in the first place like you."

Then when we were sitting studying it was jeonghan and Joshua who apologise to everyone for not putting their foot down on how horrible the idea was and lastly it was Seungkwan and dino who full on cried hugging me for being such idiots and not listening in the first place.

Seungcheol was another case entirely he wanted to be alone he was pissed off with himself. At least, that's what jeonghan and Joshua told me.

It wasn't until a few days later that the group was studying again that Seungcheol appeared looking small with his arms behind his back.

"Hey Y/n, I'm really sorry I know I promised to protect you and didn't and I'm truly sorry I really don't know why I thought it was a good idea to leave you alone." Seungcheol rambled as he handed me a chocolate frog, exploding bon bons and some peppermint toads.

"A love offering!." Minghao gasped watching I rolled my eyes at what he said as I grabbed the sweets that Seungcheol gave me I smiled at him with a small thank you as he nodded and turned to walk off.

"Cheol!" I ran after him, he turned as we stood in the hallway. He was pouting his eyes like boba as he stared at me, waiting for me to talk.

"Look, you don't have to apologise you said sorry when we got out of the cave I was just pissed at the time but I'm ok with it now you just wanted to protect everyone that's just who you are." I explained, smiling at him.

"But I wanted to protect you the most, and I didn't. In fact, you protect us more than I did. I am sorry I dragged you in, but I'm glad you were there to save us all." He said I looked down, a little embarrassed Seungcheol stepped closer as he lifted my head with his thumb and finger on my chin.

"You know you looked quite hot kicking spider ass." He smirked as my cheeks flushed red. " Do spiders have asses?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Seungcheol blinked at that, then chuckled.

"I don't fucking know but I know I'm going to kiss you now." He said as he leaned down pressing his lips to mine, my eyes widened but closed the second he leaned closer.

His hand that was on my chin moved to my neck as his other hand grabbed my waist pulling me to his body, he deepened the kiss as I grabbed his shirt pulling him to me as well needing to be close to him.

"Finally!." We heard behind us as we stepped apart, looking to see all the guys there watching us some clapping and some handing out money to jeonghan.

"I told you they'd get together after that little stunt." Jeonghan said, counting the money he got. Some groaned as woonwoo and Woozi just shook their heads and walked back to carry on studying.

"You were betting on us?" Seungcheol asked the others, nodded as Seungcheol grumbled about not being obvious at all while the others laughed.

"Wait, so do spiders have asses though?" Vernon asked, looking confused as Joshua turned him around and pushed him as they walked off together.

Leaving Seungcheol and I alone in the hallway, he smiled down at me and leaned in again for another kiss. "I could get used to this."

"Well, not at the moment. I have to go back to studying." I said, walking back, following the guys.

"What, no fair!." Seungcheol said as he pouted again, following me whining like a baby mumbling how he deserves kisses lots of kisses. I just rolled my eyes but giggled at his antics.

[yurinaa-world]

hii, may i send in a request for Blade, Jing Yuan, Aventurine and Sunday with platonic headcanons of them maybe with their child who has a severe illness? Like how would they look after them/attend to them.

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉𝑒𝓇𝓈: Blade, Jing Yuan, Aventurine & Sunday !Platonic x Gender-neutral Reader

𝒮𝓎𝓃𝑜𝓅𝓈𝒾𝓈: with a reader who has a severe illness + how would they look after you

𝒲𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈: angst to sort of comfort?, spelling mistakes,

𝒩𝑜𝓉𝑒𝓈: I'm sooo jetlagged rn

𝐵𝓁𝒶𝒹𝑒

Death can come in seconds with a person even realizing but you do anything since it’s already too late. It’s the same in the end, you cry, give flowers since regret means more than gratitude ever could; then just leave and never look back.

Does it have to be the same? Not for you. He'll care even when no one else will, he’ll stay and listen to you cry, even if it’s a childish thing like wanting to see the world instead of being stuck in this awful room with wires attached to your body.

He visits when he can–which is when he’s not on missions–when he isn’t he stays with you most of the time, showing up with bags of gifts but what’s the use if you’re paralyzed, too tired to move yet not enough to finally sleep–at least to be free for a couple of hours of pain–So the gifts are open and sit around your room to make the room look alive.

He ends up sitting with you in silence, watching if your heart rate went up or anything that has drastically changed in your health. He holds your hand and wipes your tears since you always cry since you can barely sleep and your eyes are just so tired that you can’t anymore.

The scarce days that you can even sit up in your bed and gaze outside your window while looking at all the gift blades’ gotten you over the several months you’ve been unable to do anything. Yet now you're still weak and the quick recovery will change to worse in a couple of hours.

𝒥𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒴𝓊𝒶𝓃

He’s sentimental with you, just watching your face contort into pain as a fit of terrible coughs leaves your throat leaving it burning more than before. It was a complete never-ending nightmare for you until you finally were to be freed when you took your final breath of air.

He tries to bring an upbeat attitude to you, listening to you with contempt about whatever you may be talking about, like your dreams, goals, and wishes; maybe a chance to see life outside of this miserable room–yet deep down no one thinks you will.

He loves to bring you sweets–you can’t eat because most of the time you're bedridden–and toys–you can't play with. It's the duty of the general to make sure every citizen is safe and you mean the same to him even if you are sick–and dying.

You’re his child that's all that matters to him. The fake people's pity along with the whispers and disgusting assumptions. He hates it, he hates what they say is the truth–Since in the end, you’re the one dying, right? So what’s wrong with saying what everyone knows is going to happen.

𝒜𝓋𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓊𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑒

Everyone comes to Pencony to have fun and let their dreams become reality yet you’re the pitiful one who must be stuck in your room all day whilst Aventurine is out and about having “fun” you can't help but be a little envious of him,  yet you are love more than anything by and you’ll wait for his return as you’ve always have done.

Watching the lights from below your window along with the sounds of everyone having so much—you cut the sounds out since your body is a rotting corpse lying there.

But it’s not that bad!! Aventurine splurges on you whenever he can and wants!! Even if your room is filled with stuffed animals, util your room can’t handle all the stuffed animals, then he’ll get you a bigger room!! He just wants you to feel included in any way he can. Even playing board games with you, or even it’s patty cake.

Your dream is to be like other people. To be a “normal” kid since dreams will only ever be dreams and never be anything good for the hopeful.

𝒮𝓊𝓃𝒹𝒶𝓎

You’re the child of the great oak family, a prized child even with ruined lungs, hoarse throat and weak rotting body, you’re still his child, the only reason he does the things he does is for your sake.

He always reads you bedtime stories no matter if it is the 100th time reading the same one or the first, your wish is his command. Even if it’s reading you a lullaby no matter how bashful and embarrassed he feels he’ll still do what ask just to see a bright smile on your face.

It’s okay, don’t cry, it's only just a couple of needles. The pain will go away in a second, you can handle it, right? That’s what he always tells you. Comforting you is the most important thing, you’re his everything, watching you cry or whimper at the face, needles, nightmares or anything else then he’ll do anything for you.

if you liked this, consider tipping me on ko-fi! it'd mean a lot!

[rainybubbles]

How do you meet COD Men ? - AU civilian

Soap, Ghost, Gaz, Price, König, Rudy, Alex, Nikolai

(Sorry in advance for my mistakes, English is not my mother tongue. So sorry if it's badly written, mid or if they're OOC)

SOAP as a firefighter : 

-"911, how can I assist you today?"

-"I think there's been a break-in at my place!"

-"Could you describe the intruder, ma'am?"

-"It's... a turkey."

-"A turkey?"

-"Yeah, one of those gobbling birds! My neighbors use a live one for their Thanksgiving, and it somehow busted loose. It barged into my place through the door, gave me a real fright. I dashed into my bathroom, but it went all 'Rambo' on my door, and now it's busted. My handle is broken, I'm stuck in here!"

-"Don't worry, help is on the way."

-And that's when you met Soap. There he was, showing up at your doorstep in full firefighter gear.

-"Hey there ?" he greeted, axe in hand, ready to face off against the rogue turkey.

-You weren’t kidding, he thought.

-He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the havoc that bird had wreaked in your place.

-Your poor sofa was toast, and your table was in pieces. Slowly, he made his way to the damaged door.

-"Hey there, Ah’m a firefighter. I’m here tae break down the door. Please step back."

-"Oh thanks ! I was starting to think I'd be spending the night bawling in my bathtub."

-He chuckled.

-"Wouldnae want a lovely person like yerself spendin’ Thanksgiving solo."

-"Thanks," you replied.

-"I'll get started," Soap said as he began dismantling the door.

-"Here, it looks like the turkey's gone," he reported.

-But when he turned to you, he noticed something amiss.

- Normally, people were relieved to see him, not scared out of their wits.

-His gaze shifted back, and that's when he saw it—the monstrous turkey, ready to pounce.

-Without a second thought, he scooped you up, effortlessly carrying you despite whatever size or weight you were, and bolted past the bird.

-"Why's that thing so fast?" he exclaimed.

-"They're practically dinosaurs, I swear!" you cried from the safety of his arms.

-You both made it to the street. Soap dialed up a wildlife specialist to handle the feathery menace.

-"Ah’l swearin’ off turkey forever," he vowed.

-"I think finding a new place to live might be a good idea," you whispered, still trying to calm your nerves.

-"Aye, yer neighbors are some real characters for pullin’ a stunt like this."

-"Thanks again for this. I mean, I'm sure you've got more pressing cases."

-"No’ really. Usually, it's just family squabbles. Last time, Ah had a grandma tryin’ tae kill her son wi’ mashed potatoes," he joked.

-"Grandma can get wild," you chuckled.

-"Ye have no idea. Name's John, by the way. Sorry for forgettin’ ma manners."

-"Hey, a wild turkey trying to take me out can do that to a person," you quipped. "I'm Y/n," you added.

-He grinned.

-“I owe you big time, Soap," you said, finally stepping out of the bathroom. "Guess this Thanksgiving, I'll be giving thanks for firefighters and sturdy bathtubs."

-Soap gave you a reassuring smile. "Hey, it's all in a day's work. Plus, -it's not every day I get to play hero to a person in distress... from a turkey."

-After the turkey trouble was sorted, Soap bid his farewell. Little did he know, two days later, your new neighbor would be attempting to cook aluminum in his microwave. Maybe this time he'd find a moment to ask for your number.

-------

GHOST as a chef : 

-The poor waitress had asked you twice if you wanted to order by the time your date arrived. But it was painfully obvious. 

-You had been stood up.

 -You tried to ignore the looks, the sensation of your clothes feeling too tight, too constricting. You felt like a clown.

-Staring at your phone, you sent messages, hoping for excuses like traffic or an important matter.

-Maybe he had a flat tire, or perhaps his boss demanded he stay late. Yet, two hours later, you were still there, feeling like a fool.

-That's when the message came: "Oh, I was just joking, you're not my type, you know."

-Tears welled in your eyes as you felt the humiliation wash over you.

-How could someone flirt for two months just as a joke? He messaged you every night; how were you supposed to know it was all a farce?

-Biting your lip, you stood up.

-At this hour, you hoped there were still buses running.

-You couldn't afford an Uber. Yet, as you gathered your things, the waitress approached.

-"Excuse me, but your food will arrive."

-"I... I'm sorry, but I can't... I can't afford anything here, and my date stood me up. He was supposed to pay, and..." you rambled, feeling ashamed, but she led you back to your seat.

-You felt even more ashamed. This place was so luxurious.

-"I really can't afford it, madam," you whispered.

-"It's on the house. The chef offered it," she said gently.

-"Oh."

-You didn't know if you felt grateful or not. It felt like pity, but food from a Michelin-starred restaurant was still a luxury, so you ate. It was unbelievably good. You felt so thankful to the chef.

-"I... could I thank him?" you asked after finishing your dinner.

-"He doesn't speak to clients. That's why he opened his own restaurant — so he could remain unseen by his patrons and not be obligated to accept their thanks, As he says “I Ghost clients”" the waitress explained.

-"I see. His dishes are so precise, it's impressive."

-"Yeah, he's good with a knife."

-"Well, thanks again for offering me this. It was a crappy night, but at least I ended up in heaven," you said.

-She smiled, and you left.

-But you felt indebted to him. Dishes like that cost a lot.

- Even if you didn't doubt he could afford it, you felt like you had to do something in return.

-So the next night, you baked cookies.

-You felt ridiculous with your small Tupperware and homemade cookies.

-They'd probably taste awful to him, you thought, but you wanted to repay him.

-"Hi, I... wanted to give this to Ghost? He offered me dishes last time, and I wanted to thank him. I understand if you say no. I mean, it could have poison in it, but..." you rambled to the waiter.

-"No need, we'll take it," the waiter with a mohawk said with a smile.

-You felt like he knew something you didn't. As you were about to leave, a tall, blond man walked over, holding a cookie.

-"Thanks," he said with a gruff voice behind his mask.

-Shit. Ghost was... this man?

-This mountain of muscles made those beautiful dishes? Those meticulous details came from his hands? You were impressed.

-"Do you like it?" you asked, unsure.

-"Best cookies I've tasted."

-"I know you're lying."

-"Second," he admitted. "My ma's were better."

-You chuckled.

-"I can give you the recipe. I mean, you really saved me last night. It was so... humiliating."

-"It's not. The only one who should feel ashamed is the bloke who stood you up, love."

-"You're right, but still."

-"Come back again, Friday. With the recipe."

-"I can send it by email."

-"I want you to taste a new dish."

-"Oh."

-"Having someone honest is nice. It's a change from all the compliments."

-"Okay," you agreed.

-Little did you know, Simon would always find new dishes to make you come back.

-Of course, he could ask his sous-chefs or waiters to taste, but seeing your smile or frown after a taste was so much better.

-(I need a long fic about Simon being a chef, like this AU has so much potential, plus in kitchen you have “brigade” which could be like 141)

GAZ as a primary school teacher : 

-You were on your usual delivery route, this time dropping off packages at the primary school.

-As you made your way through the corridors, you spotted Gaz, the primary teacher, who greeted you with a smile.

-"I was waiting for you," Gaz said cheerfully.

-"Oh, am I right on time?" you responded, glancing at your phone in confusion.

-"Yes, but the kids are eager," Gaz explained.

-You furrowed your eyebrows. Eager for what? Seeing a delivery person? Or perhaps the contents of your package were something special, like paintings or other intriguing items?

-"I see," you said, still puzzled.

-"Follow me," Gaz instructed, leading you into his classroom before you could protest.

-As you entered, you were met with the curious gaze of twenty pairs of eyes.

-It dawned on you as you glanced at a piece of paper – Gaz had mistaken you for the guest speaker, an athlete scheduled to address the students.

-"Sir, I think there's been a mistake," you whispered to Gaz, but before you could say more, a child wrapped their arms around you.

-"I'm so glad you're here!" the child exclaimed, melting your resolve. How could you shatter their excitement?

-You couldn’t bear to crush their excitement. Besides, it was clear that the athlete wasn’t going to show up; it was already 10 AM, and they were supposed to be there by 8AM according to the schedule on the board.

-And so, you found yourself spinning tales to answer their questions, pretending to be the athlete they expected. 

-“Um, hey there ! Being an athlete is pretty cool, you know” you improvised, trying to sound convincing.

-“How does it feel to do sports all day ?” one curious kid asked

-“Well it’s tough but you know riding horse is fun”

-“I thought you were running”

-“RUNNING ! Of course, horse is just a hobby” you blurted out

-Despite your fibs, the kids beamed with admiration, hanging onto your every word.

-After a couple of hours, Gaz approached you with a knowing smile.

-"You're not the athlete, are you?" he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

-"How did you figure it out?" you replied sheepishly.

-"When you mentioned unicorns helping your coach – that was a dead giveaway," Gaz chuckled. "But I appreciate you playing along."

-"I couldn’t bear to disappoint the kids. Kids' dreams are important," you admitted, feeling a twinge of guilt.

-"Yeah, they are," Gaz agreed. "Thanks for going along with it."

-"It was more fun than my usual deliveries, anyway," you admitted with a grin.

-“Wait, your boss won’t be mad ?! I mean two hours, sorry you must be so late, no ?”he said worried

-“Don’t worry you were my last”

-As you prepared to leave, Gaz introduced himself properly.

-"Thanks against or helping out. And by the way 'm Kyle, but the kids call me Gaz – it's easier for them," he explained.

-"It was nice meeting you, Gaz," you said sincerely, touched by his kindness towards the children.

-As you left the school, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of warmth and contentment. And to your surprise, when you made your next delivery, there was Gaz, offering to lend a hand. 

-"Thought you might need some help this time," he said with a wink.

-Maybe it was repayment for your earlier assistance, or perhaps the kids had teased him about having a crush on you – either way, you were grateful for his company.

PRICE as an uni history teacher :

-It was about 10 PM, and there you were, sprinting in high heels, your wig dangling precariously.

-"Oh, for the love of all that’s good," you muttered under your breath.

-The situation was straightforward, yet utterly absurd.

- You, a university teacher, found yourself at a costume party with a Bridgerton theme.

- After hastily getting ready at your friend’s place, it dawned on you that you had forgotten your house key.

-Sure, crashing at your friend's was an option, but you had a furry friend waiting at home who needed your attention.

-So, off you went, driving back to the only place your keys could be: the teacher's offices at the university.

- Picture this: you, clad in an 18th-century outfit, a fake wig teetering on your head, and a petticoat swishing around, all the while cursing your luck and hoping no students would spot you.

-Finally, you reached the office, finding it deserted. You located your keys and—

-"Quite the accurate ensemble, I must say."

-You froze, turning to find a man with a rather impressive beard. "Um, I can explain?"

-"Are you a student?" he asked.

-"No need to butter me up; I know I don't exactly look like one," you confessed.

-He chuckled. "Sorry, I was just trying to give you an out. You know, student parties and whatnot."

-"Thanks, but yeah, I'm the… new teacher. Guess we haven't crossed paths yet. Been here about a month," you said, extending your hand.

-"Well, isn't this a fortunate coincidence?" he remarked.

-"How so?"

-"I’m John Price," he revealed.

-Your eyes widened. Oh, crap. You just met THE history teacher of the campus dressed as a Bridgerton character. What were the odds?

-He laughed. "Nice to meet my new colleague. Heard quite a bit about your work."

-"Likewise, and… sorry about the attire," you apologized.

-"No need. It suits you. Makes me feel like a proper gentleman seeing someone dressed like that," he said with a grin.

-You chuckled nervously. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Price."

-Little did you know, your next class for the first year was a shared one with him. Dodging him might not be as simple as you thought.

NIKOLAI as a F1 pilot :

-Your friend's desperate plea over the phone stirred something in you.

-"Alright, I'll come help with the shoot," you conceded, feeling a flutter of excitement mixed with apprehension.

-As you arrived at the location, taking in the serene surroundings, you couldn't shake the feeling of being out of place among the bustling crew.

-Your specialty lay in capturing the untamed beauty of animals—dogs, cats, and the like.

-This commercial setup felt like a far cry from your usual stomping grounds.

-Engaging in conversation with the staff about the artistic direction, you couldn't help but notice the artificiality of the setting, with fake plants and trees surrounding you.

-Nevertheless, you settled in, adjusting lights and preparing for the task at hand.

-"The model is here," an assistant announced, drawing your attention to the center of the room where a man stood, completely naked.

-"Why is he naked?" you whispered in disbelief, feeling a flush rise to your cheeks.

-"It's for the charity event, featuring naked pilots for calendars," the staff explained casually, oblivious to your discomfort.

-Stunned, you turned to your friend, silently questioning her decision to involve you in this unconventional endeavor.

-"I photograph nature and animals, not... naked humans!" you protested, feeling a mix of embarrassment and frustration.

-"Well, technically, you photograph a big snake," she quipped, a mischievous glint in her eye.

-You rolled your eyes, suppressing a sigh. "Ugh, don't even mention his...thing, please."

-"I don't mind being called an anaconda," the man interjected with a smirk, his gaze lingering on you in a way that made your heart race.

-Caught off guard by his boldness, you shifted uncomfortably, suddenly hyper-aware of his proximity.

- "Sir, I'm sorry, but I wasn't warned about these... circumstances," you stammered, struggling to maintain composure.

-"I understand. If we need to reschedule, no problem, Солнышко ," he reassured, his voice low and soothing, sending shivers down your spine.

-"What did you just say?" you asked, unable to hide the hint of fluster in your tone.

-"Sorry, I meant no problem to reschedule, sunshine," he clarified, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

-"But you're... a star?" you questioned, feeling a mixture of confusion and intrigue.

-"I'm a well-known F1 pilot, yes. But I'm closer to retirement than those young ones. I doubt people would buy the calendar for me," he admitted with a self-deprecating chuckle, his vulnerability tugging at your heartstrings.

-"I'd certainly buy it for you," your friend chimed in, breaking the tension with a playful grin.

-He laughed, his gaze lingering on you with a warmth that made your cheeks flush. "And you?"

-"I... maybe? Okay, we'll do it, but I can't guarantee anything. I'm more accustomed to animals, so..." you trailed off, feeling a rush of adrenaline at the prospect of working closely with him.

-"Let's get started," he suggested, his smile softening the edges of the room and easing your nerves.

-And so, the shoot commenced, with Nikolai proving to be a surprisingly adept model, effortlessly charming everyone with his wit and charisma.

- As you directed him through the poses, you couldn't help but notice the subtle tension between you, a magnetic pull that seemed to grow stronger with each passing moment.

-"Thanks for today. Need a ride?" he offered, his gaze lingering on you with an intensity that sent a shiver down your spine.

-"No, I came in my car," you replied, torn between the desire to stay and the need to escape the overwhelming atmosphere.

-"The red one?" a staff member inquired, oblivious to the undercurrents swirling between you.

-"Yeah, why?" you asked, feeling a knot form in your stomach at the thought of your car.

-"Sorry, mate, your car got impounded," they informed you, their words puncturing the bubble of tension that had enveloped you.

-You sighed, feeling a sense of defeat wash over you. "So, a ride?" Nikolai offered, his gaze softening with concern.

-"Yeah, I guess. What a crappy day," you muttered, cursing your luck.

-"Don't say that, it was great," he insisted, his voice gentle and reassuring.

-You nodded, feeling a rush of gratitude towards him for his unexpected kindness. In his car, as he drove you away from the chaos of the shoot, you couldn't help but feel a sense of peace wash over you, a feeling that was only amplified by his soothing presence.

-"Not what you were expecting, huh?" he remarked, his tone playful yet sincere.

-"Well, I wasn't expecting a race car drive, but yeah," you chuckled, feeling the tension between you slowly dissipating.

-"I drive safely. Sometimes you need low adrenaline," he explained, his words resonating with you in a way that made your heart skip a beat.

-"Thanks again for the ride," you said, turning to him with a smile that felt more genuine than any you had worn all day.

-"No problem. I mean, you've seen me naked, so..." he trailed off, a mischievous glint in his eye.

-"Yeah, sure," you laughed, feeling a warmth spread through you at the playful banter.

-"If you want, you can still come to one of my races," he offered, his gaze lingering on you with a hopefulness that sent a flutter of excitement through your chest.

-"I'll think about it," you replied, unable to suppress the smile that tugged at your lips as you contemplated the possibilities that lay ahead.

ALEX as a lawyer :

-You couldn't believe your eyes.

-A client was after you for a cup of tea—yes, you heard that right, a freaking tea!

-The same tea you accidentally spilled during a chaotic rush, and she tripped you with her feet, claiming you scalded her with hot tea. The kicker?

-You knew it was iced tea.

- But it was your word against hers, and she had a squadron of lawyers ready to pounce, while you were broke. It was pretty clear how this would end.

-You sighed, resorting to searching for lawyers online, but all you found were scams.

-One promised to chase after dead people, another claimed you'd make thousands just by being pretty, and the rest boasted about defending infamous criminals with laughably bad Photoshopped images.

-Feeling desperate, you reluctantly agreed when your mom mentioned your cousin knew someone who knew someone. You certainly didn't expect a model-lawyer showing up at your doorstep with a bright smile and legal expertise.

-"Hi, I'm Alex," he offered his hand.

-"Hi, I guess you know about my... case?" you replied.

-"Yes, there's a high chance of her winning since similar cases have ruled in favor of people like her. Remember the McDonald's hot coffee incident?" he explained.

-"So I'm screwed?" you muttered.

-"Not necessarily. I can prove she's acting out of self-interest."

-"...before you say anything, you know, I can't... afford it?" you interjected.

-"Yes. I... I used to be a prominent lawyer. Perhaps you've heard of the Shepherd case?" he mentioned.

-"The CEO who got off the hook despite everyone knowing he committed tax fraud?" you recalled.

-"Yes, I was his lawyer," he admitted.

-"Oh," you murmured, taken aback.

-"I... I'm not proud of the people I've defended. I didn't realize the harm I was causing to victims. For me, everyone deserved representation, but when I saw what Shepherd did with his ill-gotten gains... I couldn't continue down that path. I signed up to advocate for people. Not evil," he confessed.

-"So you took on lost causes like me?" you mused.

-"You could say that," he smiled.

-"Well, it sounds like Daredevil. Maybe I'll catch you wearing a latex suit at night while fighting crime," you joked.

-"You might be onto something there," he replied, his expression serious.

-"Wait, you're joking?" you asked, but he didn't crack a smile.

-"Mr. Keller, you're joking, right?" you pressed, but he just smirked.

-"Let's focus on your case," he redirected.

-"You can't just dodge my question. I need to know—" 

-"Boxing. I box at night, nothing illegal. I train kids, and I've competed in the past," he confessed.

-"I see. Why do I find that hard to believe?" you teased.

-"I'm a damn good liar. I'm a lawyer," he retorted.

-"Fair point," you chuckled.”well at least I believe in the latex suit at night”

-“Kinky”he joked, you smiled.

-Alex got down to business, helping you devise a strategy.

-Maybe with this super lawyer on your side, you stood a chance. Yet, you couldn't shake the curiosity about his secrets. Who knows what uncovering them might bring?

KÖNIG as a baker :

-König had just opened his bakery.

- Eager to be neighborly, he sent some cookies to the local shops nearby.

- However, when his customers arrived one day, one of them expressed hesitation: "You know, I was hesitant to buy here because I heard you made the florist down the street sick."

-König couldn't believe his ears.

- Ashamed, he double-checked his ingredients, but everything seemed fine.

-So, he decided to switch things up and bake some croissants instead.

-Yet, the next day brought news that the florist had fallen ill due to food poisoning.

-Determined to make amends, König sent something different the following day.

-And the pattern repeated itself. After a week of this, he finally decided to confront the florist.

-Entering their cute shop, he whispered nervously, "Hallo."

-"Hi," you replied.

-"I'm König, the—"

-"The baker," you interrupted.

-He froze.

-Well, he certainly hadn't made a good impression.

-After seven incidents, he couldn't expect a warm reception, but he hoped you’d understand he hadn't done it intentionally. He wasn't a villain.

-"I'm sorry about the pastries," he began, "I swear I don't know what went wrong. Other shops ate them and had no issues. I—"

-"I know you're not trying to poison me," you interjected.

-"Oh, but... then why?" he asked.

-"I thought someone would have told you, maybe Horangi, the chef at the restaurant. But I'm lactose intolerant. I assumed you knew, so I ate your pastries thinking someone had informed you. Then, I realized that wasn't the case. But if I didn't eat your gift, you might have thought I was upset with you, so I still ate them, and—"

-"It was a misunderstanding," König finished their sentence.

-"Two anxious people overthinking things, but yeah," you admitted, laughing.

-"I promise to bake you something lactose-free," he vowed.

-"Thanks, it'll be appreciated. Your pastries were good, just not for my digestive system," you replied.

-He nodded and returned to his bakery, pondering the idea of introducing gluten and lactose-free versions of his pastries. Surely not because of the cute florist who seemed to visit more often now. Nah.

RUDY as a librarian :

-You were a young journalist, eager to dive into investigative reporting, but your editor relegated you to the local sports section since you were the new kid on the block.

- It wasn't exactly your passion, but you made the best of it. Your current assignment: write about Rodolfo Parra, a former boxer.

-Avoiding the internet due to its unreliable nature, especially for local stories, you opted for the library.

- As you searched for information on Parra, a man approached.

-"Need a hand?" he offered.

-You glanced at his badge, confirming his name as Rudy.

-"Yeah, I'm digging up info on the boxer Rodolfo Parra. I heard his early days were at the local club, so I figured the archives might have something," you explained.

-Rudy smiled. "Rodolfo Parra, huh?"

-"Yeah, you know him?"

-"You could say that, but I've heard he's not too keen on journalists."

-"Exactly why I couldn't land an interview," you sighed.

-"But why write about him? He retired two years ago," Rudy questioned.

-"My boss wants it, so here I am," you replied with a hint of resignation.

-"I've got some info, but can I trust you?" Rudy hesitated.

-"Absolutely, I'll respect his privacy. I just want to know his story, his struggles. I've heard rumors about a fixed fight where a coach, El Sinombre, forced him to lose," you shared.

-Rudy's expression darkened. "It was more than that. I'm surprised you know about it."

-"I've delved into El Sinombre's dealings before. I wanted to write for investigative reporting," you confessed. "I found it odd that a sports club had ties to a pharmacy."

-"They developed stimulants to win fights, and more... potent substances," Rudy revealed.

-"So Rodolfo lost to a doped-up opponent?" you concluded.

-"Yeah. Rumor has it, El Sinombre threatened his family if he didn't comply. Rodolfo vowed never to lose, so El Sinombre took matters into his own hands..." Rudy trailed off.

-"And Rodolfo ended up paralyzed," you finished solemnly.

-"Yeah, but with rehab, he's probably walking now. But he can't fight anymore," Rudy confirmed.

-"Having your dreams crushed like that must be devastating. A fighter silenced," you mused.

-"Maybe it was for the best," Rudy countered.

-"You think so?" you questioned.

-"Boxing isn't a lifelong career. Maybe retiring was a blessing," he reasoned.

-"I don't know, having your dreams shattered like that... it must take a toll. Imagine if someone burned down your library," you countered.

-"Well, this library was my backup dream, so I'd just have to find another," he quipped.

-You nodded, then realization dawned. "Your backup dream?"

-"Yeah," Rudy admitted. "Rudy for Rodolfo. Not the smartest move for a future investigative journalist, huh?"

-"Hey! You—yeah, I was naïve, but you could've given me a heads-up," you teased back.

-"Now, tell me about your boss. Things might be more complicated than we thought," Rudy suggested.

-"Do you think El Sinombre is after you?" you pondered.

-"We'll find out," he replied cryptically.

-Maybe your beat would evolve over time...

If you want more : my masterlist

I still need to write Alejandro, Lasswell and Farah, maybe in a next part with other characters :) !

[trblsvt]

so obvious | jeon wonwoo

summary | so you disclosed your relationship to admin. now all you needed to do was break the news to your students. maybe they could pick up on the signs you were dropping? genre | fluff, teacher!au warnings | swearing (maybe, i don't think so), corny couple stuff word count | 2.4k words pairing | jeon wonwoo x fem!reader minli | lowercase intended so this is technically a sequel to this piece that i wrote a while ago! a lot of people wanted a part 2! i'm not sure how i feel about this... it's a bit tamer than what i was going for initially, but this is my return i suppose. hope all is well with everyone

wonwoo rolled over and glanced at the alarm clock. unfortunately, it was 7:00 am, so it was time to get up. he turned back over to wake you. "___, my love, it's time to get up," he murmured in your ear. he felt your skin raise at his touch, and he smiled. you groaned and rolled over to face wonwoo. you immediately buried your face into the crook of his neck. he chuckled and pulled you closer to him. "it's time for school," he urged. you groaned. "come on, let's get going," he tugged on you playfully. "the sooner we get there, the sooner we can come back home."

"that's not how that works," you rolled your eyes as you practically fell out of bed. wonwoo sat up against the headboard and watched you gather your things to get ready. "today's the big day, right?" you asked, looking at him. he nodded. today was the day the two of you agreed to disclose your relationship with your students. it was about time, and if you were honest, you were just happy to get it over with. "i was thinking i could just tell my first period class, and let the information spread on it's own. how were you thinking of doing it?" you asked wonwoo, sitting back down on the bed.

wonwoo gazed at you with an emotion you couldn't pinpoint. "i actually was thinking about that last night," he began.

"oh no," you laughed leaning into his body. his arms wrapped around you. "maybe, we could reveal it in a more, how should i say, grand way?" he suggested. 

“grand?” you asked. wonwoo was never one for big announcements. you were surprised he even agreed to announce it to the students in the first place. now he was talking about something grand? he smiled shyly, “yeah, maybe we could, like, hold hands.” he looked at you so seriously. you couldn’t help but laugh, “hold hands?” you repeated. he pouted, gripping your hand tighter. “what? you don’t like that idea?” he asked. 

“no, no, sorry. i’m sorry. i didn’t mean it like that,” you quickly tried to reassure him. “you know i like holding hands with you.”

“you only like holding hands with me?” he teased.

“love. i love holding your hand” you corrected, kissing his cheek. he smiled leaning back in bed, considering his plan. “it would be cool to sort of have them figure it out on their own,” he said. “like a mystery. we could hold hands, hug… just be more touchy, i guess.”

“so you’re suggesting we act like a normal couple,” you said. 

“well, when you say it like that…” he rolls out of bed, pulling you up with him. 

“plus, we don’t want to be indecent at school of all places,” you smiled, resting your hands on his shoulders. he chuckled, “indecent? never.” 

"so, you still don't believe there's any chance of miss ___ and mr. jeon getting together?" daniel asked his two friends lily and mina. lily slumped down in her chair. they were sitting in mr. jeon's class, bright and early for first period. "lily doesn't believe it's possible anymore. remember how many times miss ___ shut her down last time?" mina sighed.

"well, i have news for you guys," daniel smiled, leaning over the table. "i saw miss ___ reach for mr. jeon's hand today on the way into the teacher lounge." mina practically shrieked at the news. lily still looked unimpressed. nothing in her mind could make her change her mind.

"maybe she was just reaching for the door handle after him," lily rolled her eyes.

"how could she if mr. jeon was holding the door already?" daniel argued. "aren't you the person who wanted them to be together more than anything?" it was true, lily really wanted to believe her two favorite teachers could be together. yet, she had a hard time believing in it. miss ___ always dodged her questions and mr. jeon was cryptic as ever. it seemed fruitless. "c'mon just entertain it," daniel pleaded. lily rolled her eyes. there couldn't be any harm in hoping.

"___, don't you think that's a little risky? couldn’t you just put your ring on your finger and see if anyone notices?" seungkwan groaned as he sat down on the chair across from you in the lounge. "it feels like it would violate some sort of public indecency mandate or something," he added. you just rolled your eyes even though you had the same thought. "come on, you know wonwoo wouldn't do something too crazy," you assured. just as you said that you felt a hand wrap around your waist and turn you around. suddenly there was a pair of lips on yours, and you kissed back. "hello, my darling," wonwoo smiled.

"hi," you laughed.

"i believe you stand corrected," seungkwan fake gagged and left to get more coffee. you looked at wonwoo and smiled. "you can't do this in front of the students," you teased.

"me? kiss you in front the students? never," he smirked, leaning down to kiss you again. you leaned away and pushed his face away playfully. "i'd prefer it if you didn't do it in front of seungkwan's coffee either. looks like he's going to be sick," you pointed out. wonwoo glanced over at seungkwan, who was fake throwing up and looking at them with disgust. “he can close his eyes,” he smiled, leaning in to kiss you again. but, you stop him by slightly moving his face away with your hand again. “don’t you have class to get to?” you asked.

“can’t a man love his wife?” he rolled his eyes. 

“this particular man doesn’t have a wife.”

“yet. that’s a technicality.” wonwoo looked at you with a slight smile on his lips. “you love technicalities!” you pointed out. 

“oh, gosh. look at the time. i have a class to get to,” he looked at the silver watch on his wrist and left the lounge giggling at his own humor.

“dork.”

before you stepped into class, you had listened to seungkwan and slipped the ring off the necklace hanging around your neck and onto your finger. maybe they would notice the diamond as you pointed at the board. you stepped into the classroom, and you noticed something in the air felt wrong. you glanced over at mina and daniel, who were staring you down. meanwhile, lily was slumped in her seat, but she was still looking at you like she was expecting something. you brushed it off and got up to the front of class. “hi, everyone!” you said cheerily. “how has the day been?” you were expecting the default answer of “good” from everyone, so you were a bit surprised when daniel said, “lily is ruining my mood.” he was promptly smacked by mina. 

“guys, please do not hit each other,” you sighed. “maybe you should talk to lily and try to sort it out privately.” daniel nodded and slumped into his chair. 

the rest of class went on without much of a hitch. you even tried to motion with your hands more so they would notice the shining stone on your ring finger. but, halfway through class, there was a knock on the door and it opened quickly. you looked up from writing on the board and saw wonwoo step into class. “mr. jeon,” you said surprised. he looked at you sheepishly and looked around the classroom. “miss ___, i- uh- you forgot your lunch,” he smiled holding up your lunch bag and taking another step into the room. your students were silent as he stepped into the room. “so sorry to interrupt. i had my free period so i thought i could swing by to drop it off,” he shrugged casually. 

you stepped forward and took your lunch from his hands. “thank you,” you whispered coming closer to wonwoo than what was probably appropriate. wonwoo’s hands brushed yours briefly, and he pulled away. “once again, apologies for interrupting,” he said calmly walking out the door, sending you a slight smile on the way. you paused momentarily but snapped out of it since you needed to finish this lecture. “okay, so where were we?” you asked the class. but when you looked out into the sea of young faces, there was a collective look of shock and bewilderment on their faces. “what? is there something on my face?” you joked. 

“what was that?” daniel gasped, utterly confused.

“what was what?” you asked looking around the class, playing coy.

“mr. jeon basically invading your personal space!” mina yelped.

“i wouldn’t say that was necessarily invading my personal space….” you trailed off. 

“he touched your hand!” lily exclaimed. 

“i’m sure that was just an accident,” you insisted. you play with the ring on your finger as she says this. you were surprised none of them had pointed that out since you made an effort to speak with your hands today. “are you and mr. jeon together, miss ___?” daniel asked. 

“that’s not an appropriate question to ask, daniel,” you said, but in reality, you were hoping they were going to guess it sooner than later; your hands were tired from motioning with them all day.

“oh come on… miss ___,” lily whined. but before you could banter with them further the bell for class change rang.

“oh, look at that, it seems as though it’s time for everyone to get going to the next class. wouldn’t want you to be late,” you ushered them and turned off the projector. there were some grumbles of discontent, but they left eventually.

“you saw that right?” mina grabbed lily’s arm as they left the classroom.

“noticed what?” lily asked.

“the ring!” daniel exclaimed. “come on… there’s no way you didn’t see it.” lily continued to look at them confused. “lily! she was waving her hand around like she wanted us to see it! no way the most delusional person here didn’t see it,” daniel groaned.

“i am not delusional,” lily huffed. “but… if there was a ring… maybe they are together…” 

“well, luckily for us, we have mr. jeon’s class next,” mina smiled, practically grabbing lily’s hand.

“i’m giving you all time to work on the essay in class. please, take advantage of this time,” wonwoo announced to the class. he sat down and fidgeted with the bouquet he had under his desk. he was planning on taking you out to a surprise dinner tonight. after the school bell rang and you met him outside, he would bring out the flowers and ask you to dinner out in the parking lot. this would be his grand gesture to let the students know. plus, maybe he would be able to hold your hand too. another gesture to signal your relationship. 

 there was some quiet whispering going on, but that was expected and he paid no mind to it. but, suddenly, someone was standing, or multiple someones, at the foot of his desk. “lily, daniel, mina. what can i do for you three?” he asked looking up at the three students. 

“are you and miss ___ together?” lily asked plainly. wonwoo swallowed nervously. though the two of you planned to tell the students, he was so used to keeping your relationship secret from the students he froze. “uh - what? where have you gotten that idea?” he cleared his throat. 

“well, you two aren’t exactly inconspicuous,” daniel said. wonwoo tried to hide his shock. he thought the two of you did quite well hiding it up until today. the whole “forgetting your lunch” thing was staged by him, but before he thought he was laying low. he was honestly torn if this is how he wanted to tell his students. 

it wasn’t.

so his brain went into autopilot. “lily, i thought i told you not to pry into personal matters? miss ___ and i have a close partnership as the youngest faculty members at this school. however, i do not want this to lead any misunderstandings among students,” he said in the best authoritative voice he could muster through his shock. 

they looked guilty and a bit dejected. “sorry, mr. jeon. we won’t ask again,” mina apologized first. daniel and lily followed suit. “please get back to your work,” he said. they nodded and headed back to work.

“maybe he was lying,” daniel said. mina scowled at him. “i did not like getting told off by him,” mina grumbled. “i didn’t know he was gonna be like that.” lily opened her locker and grabbed the books she needed for homework. “whatever, guys. i’ll just give up all hope on this,” lily sighed. “it’s not worth thinking about.” 

they exited the school with their bags. then they see a familiar figure stroll into the faculty section of the parking lot. “wait… was that mr. jeon… with flowers?” mina asked, pointing in the direction of him. he was carrying a bouquet and a smile. he tapped the shoulder of someone. she turned around. “miss ___?” mina gasped as she watched the scene unfold. mr. jeon handed miss ___ the flowers. they hugged and she kissed his cheek. “what? i thought he said they weren’t like that?” lily exclaimed.

“he must have lied,” daniel shrugged.

“why are you so casual about this?” mina elbowed him.

“well, like i told mr. jeon, they’re so obvious,” daniel smiled smugly. 

“wonwoo…” you giggled as you took the flowers he handed to you.

“so dinner at 7 at that new restaurant,” he smiled, grabbing your hand. you smiled and kissed his cheek. you glanced over at the car loop where you saw some familiar young faces. “so, this was your grand gesture,” you smiled. 

“well, yeah,” he blushed. “but, i am also holding your hand like we discussed this morning.” you laughed and nodded. he indeed was holding your hand. “the grandest of gestures,” you kidded. he smiled and opened the car door for you. before you got in you turned and waved at the three faces watching after you, ring glinting in the afternoon light. wonwoo turned to see who you were waving at. he shot them a wink and climbed into the driver’s seat. “i love you,” he said smiling.“i love you more.” you said smiling grabbing his hand.

“impossible.”

minli | so thanks for reading! lightly proofread! i'm on spring break so that's why i go around to getting this out! thanks for you guys who stuck around :) i went through the people who asked for a part 2 a long time ago and tagging you all even if you don't remember the og fic.... taglist: @a-wandering-stay @cinnamoroxie @wonwoosthetic

@skz-tua-txt-storytimes @ellelabelle @minghaossv @gie-gie-gie-gie @tootheiass @stendy4life

[cripplecharacters]

Hi, I have some questions regarding confusion over a certain topic. First off, I have a character with a severe scarring on the upper right side of their body. I've heard in some tumblr ppsts that such appearance shouldn't be fetished. Then I stumbled across some posts, mentioning how the character can be described as 'pretty with it'.

For sure, I'm trying my best to normalize the looks. Because I have a love interest set up for them and while they don't mind the looks, I feel confused on how to convey their appreciation for the character's looks even with the scarring. They like the character as they are and stuff.

Sorry if this is a lot, I tend to get confused on how to handle such scenarios. And this sort of varying opinions is making me go '???'.

It's okay if you take your time to answer! Have a good day ahead of ya!

Hey!

"Fetishization of a disability" and "thinking that a disabled person is pretty" are two very different things. Despite the somewhat similar sound, they're not connected by much.

In the context of scars, fetishization would be what I would call the "Zuko situation" (yes, I love ATLA as much as the next guy, let me explain) - the scar isn't really a scar, it's more make-up than anything else. It's just the color that changes, it's all sharp edges and intricate shapes, the facial structure stays the exact same. There's no physical symptoms. Essentially, it's permanent body paint.

It fetishizes a disability by making it inaccurate, sometimes almost mystical. You don't see anyone fetishizing how real people with facial burns look like because they only like the idea of it. They don't care for us; they don't care for Face Equality or why we are offended by "villain with scar #32482". It's just a fun splotch of color to add to your OC when you're out of ideas.

Another aspect of fetishization is the "a scar is the worst thing in the whole world", the tragedy porn. It's using a disability for cheap drama. Again; it's inaccurate and exploitative. I don't see writers excited to depict my "coming to terms with my facial difference as a teenager, and eventually being proud of it" experience because where's the shock value and pity points? Fetishization, again, is about liking the idea of it, not the real thing.

Describing your character as beautiful, well, isn't any of that.

The point that I tried to make on that post was that a scar is often considered inherently ugly. That it's a stain on someone's beauty, that it would be better if it wasn't there.

"Brown beautiful eyes, thick facial hair, strong cheekbones - he managed to be irresistibly handsome even with that nasty scar going across his nose."

This sucks. It's as if the character's beauty and their disability are contradictory forces that have to fight each other. But in reality, scars and any other visible disabilities are neutral. If the character is pretty, their scar is pretty too. It's a part of them, so how could it not be?

"She was a cute girl; her pastel pink, thinly braided hair framed her face, defying gravity by curling towards her mouth. The burned skin on her lips shifted as she smiled, revealing a tooth gap. She played with her equally pink 'white' cane, holding it between the two fingers she had on her right hand, bopping it against the ground to the rhythm of the song."

This, on the other hand, just states her disability as a part of her person. It's nothing weird or shocking, she's pretty, has a burn on her face, she's blind, she's missing some fingers, she's enjoying the music - it's almost boring when compared to the usual "scar introduction". There's no "even with her horribly burnt face", no "if only she wasn't scarred she would be beautiful", no "poor thing, lost her fingers in a horrific fire" - instead, she is beautiful, and she has scars, and she is having fun. That's it.

This is my best shot at explaining the difference between "fetishization" and "yeah they're pretty :-)" ft. my questionable writing - I hope this makes sense.

I definitely took my time to answer, sorry about that. Thank you for your ask,

mod Sasza

[ashbye]

What Do They Feed You? Pt. 2

Jason Todd x reader

A/N: Hey guys I know it's been like forever but I figured I should probably write something so here it is. A couple of you wanted a part 2 to my last Jason one so that's what I did. I've also been switching around my format because I'm trying to find a style that I like so just watch out idk. GUYS I'M UNCREATIVE I'M SORRY I FOUND THE BANNER ON PINTEREST :(

Summary: It had been almost a year and a half, and Jason had yet to accept any of your date proposals. You couldn't wait any longer. So, you decided to show him that you were serious, the only way you knew how.

Part 1 (part 1 is lowkey bad but it's whatever)

Warnings: None, fluffy, impeccable humor because I'm hilarious, swearing, a little kissy kissy

Time had flown by, and before you knew it, it had been almost 18 months since you joined Batman. Which also meant that it had been a little over a year of you flirting with Jason Todd.

Sadly, no matter what pick-up line you used, you could never leave the flirty best friend zone.

You never thought it would happen, but Jason Todd had exhausted all of your other resources and left you no other choice. There was no way you were going to let the man who was practically carved from marble slip through your fingers.

There was only one thing left to do.

Create a PowerPoint on why you would be an amazing girlfriend, and beg on your knees to let you take him on a date.

It was the only logical thing to do. And you had the perfect plan.

It took you almost two hours to make the presentation perfect. Nothing could go wrong tonight if your plan was to work, so you had to follow specific steps.

First, you told Tim and Steph the plan and asked them to take your patrol that night. They laughed at you for some strange reason, but agreed as long as you took some of their shifts, a necessary sacrifice.

Second, you cleaned your house and made it look romantic. You lit candles, bought flowers, the whole nine yards.

Then, you ordered his favorite food. You got all of his favorite snacks and drinks to make sure that he would not go hungry. He was a growing boy, of course, he needed his sustenance.

Lastly, you invited him over to hang out. You had to sound casual so as to not let him grow suspicious of your plans. So you sent him a text that a friend would normally send to another friend.

You: Hey hotstuff come over. I yearn for your presence.

#needthat (Jason): Holy shit alright. omw

Good. Everything is now in motion. With your great PowerPoint skills, there is no way you wouldn't be able to woo him.

A knock on your door had startled you from your preparation. With a deep breath, you turned the handle of your front door with a big smile.

And there he was. The hottest man you had ever seen in your life. You took him in from head to toe, admiring his beauty. He was wearing his black t-shirt with gray sweatpants. A zip up sweatshirt brought the whole outfit together. You dont think you've ever been so turned on by an outfit before, or so offended. You were jealous that those clothes were touching every inch of his skin and you weren't. What you wouldn't give to just be in those sweatpants place for 5 minutes.

Alas, now was not the time for that. You must focus. There is too much on the line.

"Hey handsome! Come on in I have something to show you!" You grabbed his hand and dragged him into your living room where the food was on the coffee table and the Powerpoint was projected onto the tv.

"Oh wow." Jason was stunned. He had expected some sort of flirty comments or obvious innuendo, but not something as over the top as this.

"You really spared no expense huh?" He was slowly looking around the room. Admiring all the hard work you put in.

You scoffed, "Well of course you're like super amazing and awesome and like one of the most important people in the world to me." You shrugged as if it was nothing, and Jason thought he might start crying then and there.

No one had ever put this much effort, for this long, to make him happy. To make it known that they cared so deeply for him.

"Now come sit down this is very important." You sat him down then grabbed your computer and stood in front of the tv.

"I bet you are wondering why I brought you here today."

Jason crossed his arms and huffed. "You tell me you yearn for my presence every day."

You rolled your eyes and gestured to him. "Well, can you blame me when you look like that? Exactly, now as I was saying-"

You clicked a button on your computer and changed the slide to a bright red one with bold letters that read 'why you should let me marry you'. Jason looked at the screen in shock with a wide smile on his face.

"This is what you brought me here for?"

"Yes, this is very important now, shush!" You clicked another button on your computer, and it slowly faded to the next slide.

"Holy shit, there's transitions and everything." His shoulders shake with the deep, gentle tone of his laugh. You stare at him in awe, completely struck by the beauty of his laugh.

"You are so beautiful, now stop, otherwise I'll keep getting distracted by your perfectness." A gentle blush appeared on his cheeks, and his smile softened. You may not have ever seen it, but he was enamored with you. He thought about you day and night. You never left his mind. Sadly, unlike you, he wasn't sure how to express these emotions. Jason feared that if he said something, he would just fuck the whole thing up.

He could not let that happen.

He would not lose you.

So, he stayed quiet. Through the first meeting, through the nightly patrols. He let you ramble through your poorly made presentation that took you almost two hours. He let you shower him with compliments about his physique and his hair. He let you list off reasons that he had already thought about on why you were perfect for each other.

He let himself take in how beautiful you were. He let himself admire your humor and your brilliant mind. He let himself fall in love with you, and he let you fall in love with him.

Because no matter how many times he told himself he didn't deserve it, you reminded him that you would never leave. That no matter what he saw when he looked in the mirror, he would always be the most beautiful thing you will ever see.

So when you finally made it to the last slide titled: 'Reason #38 On Why We Should Get Married', he stood from his spot on the couch and slowly made his way to you.

He gently grabbed the computer from your hands and set it beside him on the coffee table.

You looked at him with confused eyes as he grabbed it. "What are you doing? Didn't you like it? If you didn't, I can do something else! I bought your favorite food; I can go grab it! Just-"

He held your face with tender hands and forced your eyes onto his.

"I loved your presentation. I love all that you did for me today."

He softly stroked your cheeks as you held his wrists. You couldn't break away from his captivating gaze.

"And I love you. More than you could ever know. I plan to make up for all the time that I've missed just because I couldn't figure out how to tell you."

You smiled at him. "At least you never turned me down. I could never be upset at you either because I think you're perfect so you got lucky there."

He huffed a laugh before glancing at your lips. Jason could hardly hold himself back any longer. He pressed his lips to yours with the utmost sincerity.

You could hardly believe it.

He kissed you.

He kissed you.

After all this time of you pining over him and telling him the stupidest pick-up lines, he finally reciprocated.

Granted, you'll never know that every compliment, every line, every profession of love had him bright red in the face and falling deeper and deeper in love with you.

The kiss was full of love and passion and yearning. You wished that you didn't have to stop, but the burning in your lungs won.

You pulled away and looked into his eyes, overflowing with love. "You're a really good kisser." He laughed with a smile as he pressed his forehead to yours.

You balled his jacket in your fists and pulled him back into you. He grabbed your waist and gripped you tightly, not bearing to let you go. You wrapped your arms around his neck and held him to you. Your lips moved together feverishly, in hopes of making up for lost time.

He finally tore himself away from you. "Thank you for not giving up on me. Now, how about we take advantage of all the things you prepared today?"

Jason grabbed your hand and stepped back to the couch. He sat down and dragged you to sit next to him. You curled up into his side, and he wrapped his arms around you after grabbing the food you had bought.

The rest of the night was filled with talking, kissing, and spending time with one another. Jason finally allowed himself to have you, and there was no chance you were ever letting him go.

A/N: Thank you for reading my story! If you liked it then I encourage you to leave a like or check out some of my other stories it would mean the world to me! Again I got both of the borders from pinterest.

Taglist: @closetreader1864 @averyjadedemerald

[meanbossart]

Just thinking thoughts about Orin and Drow lore, and idk if this has been asked already, but

If Orin had just disappeared for like a year, not even Sceleritas could find her, with how obsessive pre-tadpole Drow was how would he handle that? Aside from being prideful and murdery, I don’t remember in the pre-tadpole Drow lore about any instance (after he made it to the temple) of him expressing anything else. Did the two ever have a wholesome moment?

Hmmmm not wholesome, no. I'm sorry to disappoint people who might wanted to see a more explicitly vulnerable side to both of them at that stage in their lives, but that's just not... How I envision things. I don't think anyone born into the temple would have had much room to express themselves in the way average people do.

What they did have was an undeniable connection and mutual understanding. This lasted for about 7 years, so between ages 18-25 for DU drow. (Canonically he's currently 28, give or take). I think that, sometimes, they also silently understood among themselves that things weren't always fair or good.

This might sound like a whole load of nothing to some people, but based on the culture within the cult, Orin's story, and the behavior of everyone involved in it, it seems huge to me that two people who were essentially groomed to be the embodiment of murder would harbor any kind of care for one another, even if it was subtle. The fact that they could share a bed, talk shit about Sarevok, and seamlessly work together and share in the glory of their deeds as equals is what intimacy looked like for them - before DU drow's ego (and the very need of a more explicitly intimate connection with someone, to be fair) got to his head.

They killed together, they rolled around in blood together, they bickered and fought and one time Orin stabbed him in the gut and DU drow punched her jaw out of it's socket. Then they flopped down on the ground and cackled about it while Sceleritas rushed in to stop the bleeding. Is that wholesome? I think for deified bhaalspawn who know nothing but that life it's the closest it gets.

There had to have been quiet moments I'm sure. Like Orin waiting around while DU drow got ready to go somewhere, him adjusting her headpiece, Orin slicing her brother's long hair off when he first arrived and looked like some sort of sinewy wood's creature. At night, they probably laid in bed in silence and sometimes stared at each other until either fell asleep.

I am very interested in not inventing an obscured, soft side to Orin that we didn't get to see, you know? While she wasn't always the level of manic we see in-game, she was completely unfit to function normally due to her upbringing, and this reflects in her relationships. DU drow is also undeniably emotionally stunted, just in a slightly different way.

I got off rambling to no one's surprise LOL but to answer the first part of your question - I don't think he would have been quite as dramatic about Orin just up and vanishing, as there's no explicit suggestion of death in that. He would have been insufferable to be around for a while, but in that scenario I could see his duties keeping him busy.

Not to mention that, while through death, she would be leaving him unwillingly - disappearing with no trace implies the uncomfortable possibility that she truly, honestly, just didn't want to be around him. That allows room for contempt and bitterness to fester until you wrongly convince yourself there was never any love there at all, even if just to soothe your own conscience.

He would have just become a much, much worse person that way in the sense that he would have nothing to focus on besides for his lord's will - as horrific as his attitude towards Orin was, it is very much a human feature to desperately cling to connection. With Orin around, he had a little bit of fucked up tenderness and love in him - it was a personal desire completely separate from his "job", a vestige of free-will. Without her, he just has Bhaal and whatever Bhaal wants.

Orin has always unwittingly anchored him, and then, later freed him. And he never ever deserved any of it.

🤷