#i can only really think ahead to when she grows up and starts developing a bit more of a personality

[jesseisquick]

Hi, hello, just came here to say that I love your fic "trending in Japan". I was wondering if you had headcanons regarding Kenji or Emi or interpersonal relationships and stuff. Many hugs for you.

hi hello, thank you for the encouragement and hugs! After some thought ive realized I do in fact have some hcs about some of the character dynamics in the movie as well as just kenji himself, cause hes captivated my entire brain:

Kenji & Emi

Emi does not have teeth but she does inexplicably have a teething phase. kenji is forced to hide all his (salvaged) fancy cars in the garage bc the corvette's already been chewed to hell and his heart is gonna give out if he has to watch any more classics get wrecked

he reads her bedtime stories. A lot of aesop's fables, because theyre short and fun and hes trying to raise his monster daughter with good morals. emi goes hogwild for these but its unclear if she actually understands what hes saying; kenji's pretty sure she just likes the silly voices he uses for different characters

they go flying together! they go first thing in the morning before breakfast - it helps kenji shake off the grogginess of sleep and emi gets to stretch her wings. shes not able to go very far for very long initially, but as she grows and gets those cardio gainz she almost gets to be quicker than him. they have races and play air tag :)

while she doesnt have the vocal range to speak english herself, it becomes clear that emi does understand it well. (kenji also develops an ear for her chirping/squawks, though body language & facial expressions play a big part in communication for both of them) during her (much later) rebellious phase she'll simply pretend not to know what's being said when kenji is telling her to do something she doesn't wanna do, which frustrates him to no end

Kenji

developed a pretty massive chip on his shoulder after moving to the states. it wasn't just bitterness over his dad staying behind, though that was a part of it. this is canon but he was picked on in school for "how [he talked], how [he looked] and what [he ate]." he felt like he had something to prove to both his father and the world. he threw himself into sports - specifically baseball - and his academics, and he did so well that it forced everyone to shut up about how he was different from them and focus on how he was better than them

^ playing off this: kenji had a bonkers fucking yonkers routine when he was a kid/in highschool. he'd get up hours before school started to practice his swing, go for a ~1hr run, workout, study, etc. He'd go to school, come home, and do it all again. this is exaggerated but my point is that this kid was DETERMINED and had the discipline to see that determination through to the end

didnt have many friends because of all aforementioned things. he had acquaintances, and he was invited to parties and outings and stuff (never went), but he spent most of his free time hanging out with his mom. he never really had a "parents are so embarrassing" phase. he always liked to do anything with his mother: going to the bank, going grocery shopping, watching cheesy telenovelas till ungodly hours in the morning, etc. she was his no.1 supporter, confidant, and best friend

he played for his university's baseball team and got scouted at 19. his mom forced him to finish his bachelor's first so once he graduated with his degree in kinesiology at 21, he was drafted to the dodgers

Kenji & Ami

both of them, up until meeting each other, were totally dedicated to their career (and child) so they had basically 0 time for friends. theyre both borderline losers but theyre juuust good enough at what they do for people to admire them instead of finding them sad and lowkey pathetic

kenji is way more into the idea of being friends than ami is. hes pretty enthusiastic about it; he thinks that they have a kind of rapport, since they share a similar work ethic and are both (unbeknownst to ami) single parents. he calls her to chat abt random things. ami initially isnt superrrr into it; she thinks kenji is kinda lonely and desperate for human connection, & it isnt until her mom points out that she has not spoken to anyone outside of work-related reasons in 10+ years that shes like oh shit, i am also lonely and desperate for human connection. so she grudgingly acquires a friend. theyre both really bad at it

need to clarify that in my mind their dynamic is 95% kenji yapping about work and drama in his personal life (circumventing the 8m baby kaiju hes raising) while ami goes "mhm mhm" and takes notes until kenji notices and is like What are you doing. at which point ami is like...... right . nothing. im listening. and forces herself to put the notepad away. she has a hard time disengaging from the reporter mindset and just hearing something intriguing without turning it into an article. the other 5% are the rare moments where theyre connecting super well - ami's psychoanalyzing the hell out of whatever kenji just said and hes like what are you my therapist. over time she starts opening up to him, too, and eventually theyre comfortable enough to be having philosophical discussions over breakfast just for funsies

before kenji reveals that hes ultraman, ami thinks hes in a gang. he keeps showing up to their lunch "dates" with like bruised eyes and fractured bones and gets all shifty when she tries to ask about what happened. when she eventually confronts him about it, hes so offended that she thinks hed be involved in something like that that he tells her about being ultraman

thats about all i can think of rn, though im sure ill think of more after rotating all the characters in my head for a while. thanks again for stopping in, i appreciate the support :)

[natashaslesbian]

The Favourite Child | S|L

Summary: Your twin sister always seems to have the spotlight. One day you finally tell your moms how you fell

Request: HERE

Word Count: 1.4K

Warnings/Content: Sad Reader

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“Well done Lucy!” Lizzie exclaimed as she lifted her daughter into her arms “my smart little girl, you defiantly get it from mommy don’t you?” The brunette laughed. You watched as your mom showered your twin sister with praise, a not uncommon experience since the two of you had started school. Scarlett and Lizzie were beyond thrilled when they found out they were having twins, they couldn’t wait to watch the two of you grow side by side. But side by side soon become one after the other, and you always ended up in second place. It was clear from your early development that Lucy was exceptionally smart. She raced past her early milestones while you were left in the dust. When your personalities started to come through, Scarlett was concerned that you seemed much more guarded than your sister. Eventually your moms realised you were just a little shy, but Lucy, she was the most outgoing 5 year old there ever was. You were always in the shadow of your sister and she was always one step ahead of you.

Scarlett came to join the cuddle fest, not even realising that you were in the room. “Oh I think she gets her smart little brain from both of us” she said as she took Lucy into her own arms. Today at school your class had a test, it was just simple equations considering you were only 7. It came as no surprise when your sister came too of the class, clearly whatever your results were weren’t even worthy of being spoken of. “Mommy and mama are so proud of you baby girl!” Scarlett exclaimed peppering Lucy’s face with kisses. All you wanted was a little attention, and you were desperate to change the subject. “What’s for dinner?” You quietly asked “oh y/n!” Your mama said as she finally looked at you. “I didn’t see you over there hiding in the corner” Scarlett said as she continued to hold your sister “I think Lucy should decide what’s for dinner” she said. “Mommy’s pasta!” Your twin yelled excitedly “pasta it is!” Lizzie cheered.

You frowned at the mention of your mom’s signature dish. It seemed even your tastebuds were left in the shadow of your sister, you were an extremely fussy eater and although you loved your mommy you just couldn’t bring yourself to eat her cooking. “What about me?” You whined from the corner “sweetie I’m sure if you give it another try you’ll really like it” Scarlett said, finally putting Lucy down when she expressed her need to play. “No. I don’t like it” you frowned “well you’ll just have to suck it up because that’s what we’re having y/n” your mama said as she began helping Lizzie prepare the meal. “But I don’t want it!” You said with little angry stomps “well I guess you’ll be going hungry then” Lizzie said. You felt tears creeping out of your eyes, it was always this way and it always would be. “I bet you’d change it if Lucy asked!” You finally asked “she always gets what she wants because you think she’s better than me!” You sobbed as you ran out of the room. Both of your moms stood in shock at your outburst. Scarlett was quick to reach for her phone and dial a familiar number “hey Florence, can you come over and watch Lucy for a while? Lizzie and I need to talk to y/n and we might be a little while”

Your tiny feet finally took you to your sanctuary, but when you got to your room Lucy’s things were scattered everywhere and that was your last straw. You let out a gut wrenching sob as you retreated back down the hallway. “Y/n?” Lizzie called softly as she climbed the stairs cautiously, your mommy gently pushed your bedroom door open but found the space empty, she checked hers and Scarlett’s room next but you weren’t there either. On her way back towards the staircase, Elizabeth noticed the guest bedroom door slightly ajar, bingo. “Y/n baby?” Your mom said as she stepped into the spare bedroom “y/n’s not here” came a small whisper from inside the closet. “Oh, that’s strange, I’m sure I just heard her talk” Lizzie played along as she found a perch on the end of the bed “you can’t find her, because she’s invisible” the voice quivered. Your mommy sighed as she realised what you were talking about.

Scarlett finally found her wife and slowly came into the room. Lizzie held up her hand before your mama could speak and both women’s eyes fell on the closet. “I’m sure y/n’s not invisible” the brunette said “in fact I saw her earlier, did you mama?” She asked Scarlett. “Well I see my y/n/n everywhere I look, I see her bright smile in the sun and I hear her laughter in every song. I don’t know what I’d do without her” your mama sighed sadly. “Me neither” Lizzie said as she guided Scarlett to sit with her “there’d be a part of me missing if I can’t find her again” she said. “But you don’t care about y/n anymore” came a shaky whisper. “Oh but we do, so much” the blonde emphasised. “Our y/n is our entire world. We love her more than she’ll ever know” Lizzie said. The pair listened as a small shuffle came from inside the closet, followed by the door gently sliding open to reveal your tear stained face. “But…do you love Lucy more than me? Does everyone love her more than me” you whimpered.

“Oh baby” Scarlett said as she shuffled down to her knees “no, no come here” she said as she opened her arms. You waddled cautiously towards your mama and landed in the softness of her arms. Lizzie came down to the floor and enveloped you both with a hug. “Nobody comes before you and your sister, not even each other. Because you mean as much to us as Lucy does” Lizzie cooed. “But she’s better than me isn’t she?” You quietly asked “she’s smarter than me, funnier than me and she has more friends than me” you cried. “Oh that’s not true baby girl. You’re two different people” Scarlett said as she wiped away your falling tears. “But we’re twins” you said “yes you are, but you’re still to very different people. And that means that you grow and learn at different speeds” your mama smiled. “Will I ever be smarter than her?” You shyly asked “is that what you want?” Lizzie said “I want us to be the same” you frowned.

Your moms sighed as they realised this was a much deeper issue than they had expected. “You won’t ever be the same y/n, and that’s what makes you as beautiful as you are” Scarlett said as she began running her hand along your back. Lizzie pulled your chin towards her to meet your gaze “you are smart, you are funny and you have friends. And as you’re going to grow smarter, funnier and meet so many more friends” she said. “Now you listen to us okay, we love you just the same as Lucy, you both come first to us. You are both our favourites.” Scarlett smiled. “But how? I thought you could only have one favourite” you questioned, tears still running down your face. “Well baby, is mama your favourite or am I?” Lizzie asked as her hand joined Scarlett’s on your back. “You’re both my favourites!” You said without a second thought. Your mom’s smiles grew wide at your answer and it took you a few moments to realise why they were so giggly.

“Oh” you grinned. “You see y/n? We could never pick one or the other to love more because you are both our entire world. Equally!” The blonde emphasised “ecally?” You questioned, your miusspronountiation making both your moms laugh. “Yeah that’s right baby” Lizzie said as she pulled you onto her lap. “We’re sorry you’ve felt like we love Lucy more than you sweetheart. From now on we’re gonna make sure you know that you’re loved just as much. How about Tomorrow we have a special day, just the three of us?” Your mama asked. “Don’t I have school?” You said with a confused glance. “I think we can forget about school for a day, don’t you?” Lizzie questioned. You nodded your head excitedly “what are we gonna do?” You asked. “Hmmmm, how about, we do whatever you want to do?” Scarlett said “anything?” You grinned, showing off your wobbly teeth. “Absolutely anything. Tomorrow is your day y/n. It’s all about you. Because we love you so much” your mommy said, squeezing you tight.

Your head was racing with the ideas of what you could do tomorrow, the possibilities were endless. But you soon realised that it wouldn’t matter what you did, because you had your mother’s love. And that was all you had ever wished for.

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A/N: Had to cut this one short otherwise it would’ve been way too long!

- Astara Bell

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[Taglist]

@saraaahsstuff / @dannipotatoo / @tobiaslut / @nevaeh-daughterofvalcarol / @marvelnatasha12346 / @yelenasdiary / @mousetheorist / @ashadash0904 / @strange-night-owl / @kkreader78o ?/ @hatergirl-69 / @asv-xx ?

[demaparbat-hp]

I am loving your Hunters AU!!!

I really like how Zuko's motivation to hunt Aang is less about going home, but more about wanting to end the war by taking the throne.

And having Zuko not play Pai Sho because he always wins was GREAT! Is not that he is bad at it or impatient (Maybe a bit impatient). He just finds it boring and can guess the next 10 moves just from looking at the board.

I wonder how a match between him and Sokka would go.

I also love seeing Katara in Fire Nation red.

Question: I know that Zukoi is pretending to be evil, so he can dismantle the Fire Nation's plans from within, as he is part of the White Lotus. But does he tell Katara of the plan from the start, or does she just know the "Capture the Avatar to end the War" part of the plan?

I feel that the "Capture the Avatar, Make Zuko Fire Lord, End the War" aspect fits better at the start for her misguided and idiotic decision of joining Zuko on his hunt.

Yes, I know that the decision stems from her trauma and the betrayal she feels from Aang's lying and leaving her. And she sees Zuko as the fastest way of ending the war that took her mother from her.

So I was thinking that maybe by the end of Book 1, after some self-destructive actions taken by Katara, Zuko tells her the WHOLE plan. The parts of sabotaging the Fire Nation, the White Lotus missions, and wanting Aang fully realized to defeat his father.

You know? He can't just tell all his plans to the girl that he just met.

Also, how does Katara learn waterbending if she with with Zuko? Does Zuko buy her the Waterbending Scroll during one of Iroh's shopping sprees?

Also, how would the whole Hama and Bloodbending develop in this universe?

You put everything into words so wonderfully! I'm in love with your thoughts on this AU. Hunters is really special to me, so reading your ask made my day.

Katara only knows about the "Capture the Avatar, Make Zuko Fire Lord, End the War" part of the plan—at least in the beginning. As time goes by she starts suspecting that something else is going on (Zuko's escapades as the Blue Spirit can only happen so often before someone notices), but she doesn't know exactly what it is.

Zuko has no reason to trust her. She's just a waterbender who knows the Avatar and has the right means to track him down and ensure he'll be willing to come along quietly. She can also make sure Zuko's mission goes along smoothly, as her waterbending talents would be greatly appreciated by his seafaring crew.

One thing I'm passionate about in this AU is the idea that no character is perfect. They all make mistakes that they need to learn from and fix if possible. Such is Katara's case! She made the wrong choice and has some awful coping mechanisms, and growing out of them is part of her character arc.

I like to think that Katara wasn't entirely honest with Zuko either.

She was desperate for a way out, for a way to end things, and Zuko held everything she could ever want on the palms of his hands. But what could Katara offer him in return? Knowing Aang and being able to reason with him wasn't enough, so she placed all her bets on something else: her waterbending.

Katara didn't exactly lie—she just forgot to mention her waterbending expertise. Which is near to none. It's not her fault that Zuko assumed, based on her instinctive control over several ice shards when she first threatened him, that she was a master.

Right?

*cough*

Katara keeps up the ruse for as long as she can, but Zuko is always five steps ahead on the game board, so he figures her out before a month goes by.

It's a miracle she lasted that long, honestly.

(She trains with the firebenders after that—it's her punishment. Training and studying and pushing her body to the extreme. It takes her a while to see that Zuko, despite his militaristic asshole-ness, only wants for her to learn and be able to defend herself. It takes her even longer to earn the right to train with him, and admit to herself that she's thankful for not having been tossed overboard the moment her ruse was up.)

It's hard for Zuko to fully trust Katara during Book I, and viceversa. This is something I find awfully compelling because they're not friends immediately. Hell, they don't even like each other at first. But they acknowledge the advantages of being allies, and eventually come to respect each other. Their trust is something tentative and fragile, yet no less pure because of it.

Which is the reason I wonder how Katara would take it when Zuko reveals his entire plan, and in which conditions this would happen. Was that trust broken, or did it finally turn into something much stronger because of the struggle?

(What was her mistake? Did she put the entire operation in danger? Did she follow him on one of his missions because she was tired of waiting in the sidelines and not being trusted? So many possibilities...)

By the time Book I ends, Zuko and Katara have finally, finally smoothed the rough edges between them. Now their connection is deeper, and they move forward together.

As for the bloodbending, your guess is as good as mine! I'd love for Katara to learn bloodbending earlier and have a different connection with it. She understands the dangers involved in bending someone's blood, but is also curious about the advantages it could have in healing or as a last resort in battle.

[koooobi]

Friendly Fire | 01

genre: college!au, jikook x reader

pairing: jungkook x reader, jimin x reader (eventually…)

summary: You and Jungkook had been friends for quite some time, and it seemed like everyone around you could sense the spark between you. They noticed the playful banter and affectionate gazes he directed your way. However, you were completely oblivious to it all, thinking that your relationship with Jungkook was purely platonic. Little did you know, things were about to get complicated. Enter Jimin, who developed a crush on you. This unexpected turn of events stirred up some jealousy in Jungkook. What will happen next?

warnings: swearing, jk is a flirt…

word count: 2.1k

previous | next

"Are you serious? You should see the way Jungkook looks at you," Leila says, her voice low but teasing as she nudges you.

You roll your eyes and groan, gripping her arm. "Leila, stop. Jungkook's just a friend, okay?"

"Right," Leila drags out the word, her tone thick with sarcasm. "You guys are always flirting, though."

"He flirts with everyone," you say, dismissing it with a wave of your hand. Jungkook's charming with everyone—it's just his personality. You've seen him joke and mess around with practically every girl in your friend group. "It doesn't mean anything."

Leila raises an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. But before she can argue, something behind you catches her attention, and she smirks. "Speak of the devil. Your boyfriend's here."

You don't even need to turn around to know she's talking about Jungkook. "Leila—" you start, but Jungkook's already beside you.

"Leila," Jungkook says, barely acknowledging her before his eyes land on you. His gaze lingers as a smile tugs at his lips. "You ready to go?"

You blink at him, confused. "Go where?"

He chuckles, shaking his head. "I'm dropping you off, remember? You're so forgetful."

"Oh, right," you say, feeling a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Have fun, you two," Leila sings, giving you a knowing wink as she walks away, leaving you and Jungkook alone in the hallway.

Jungkook falls into step beside you as you head for the exit. "What's up with her?"

"Leila? She's just... like that," you say, hoping to brush it off. You know Leila's been teasing you about Jungkook for months now, convinced there's something more between you two. But there isn't. As far as you're concerned, you and Jungkook are just friends, no matter how much Leila insists otherwise.

Jungkook gives a little shrug. "She acts weird around me sometimes. Maybe she likes me."

You snort at that, rolling your eyes. "Yeah, no. She's obsessed with the idea of us being together for some reason."

"Really?" he asks, sounding amused. His gaze drifts to where Leila disappeared down the hallway, and a grin spreads across his face. "She's pretty cute."

You stop walking for a second, feeling a strange twinge of... something. Annoyance, probably. He's never shown interest in Leila before, and now he's calling her cute? "Since when do you care about that?"

He shrugs casually, though there's a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Just saying. She's hot."

"Good for her," you mutter, trying to ignore the small, uncomfortable twist in your stomach. You're not jealous—why would you be? You've never seen Jungkook that way, and he's never shown any signs of liking you. That's just how he is—flirty and playful with everyone. There's nothing deeper to it.

Jungkook shrugs, eyes twinkling mischievously. "You're not jealous, are you?" he says, staring down at you with a small smirk playing on his lips.

You scoff, turning away, even as that strange feeling simmers in your chest. "Jealous? Of Leila? Please."

He looks ahead, the smirk from earlier beginning to grow as he lazily throws an arm over your shoulder, "Good." His tone drops a little lower, playful but suggestive. "You should know by now, I only have eyes for you."

You roll your eyes. "Yeah, right."

His laugh is soft, and you push his shoulder slightly, creating some distance between the both of you and causing his arm to drop from your shoulders.

As you reach the parking lot, you settle into the passenger seat of Jungkook's car and buckle up. Jungkook stays outside, chatting with Jimin nearby. You watch absentmindedly through the window as they laugh together, Jimin catching your gaze for a brief second. He smirks, and you quickly look away, feeling embarrassed to be caught staring.

Jungkook eventually slides into the driver's seat, but instead of starting the car, he pulls out his phone, tapping away at the screen. You glance at him, raising an eyebrow. "What are we waiting for?"

"Jimin's coming with us," Jungkook replies without looking up from his phone. "That okay with you?"

You shrug. "Why wouldn't it be?"

He finally glances over at you, that teasing smirk back on his face. "Just making sure. Wouldn't want you getting shy around him, especially after he caught you staring."

Your cheeks heat up, and you scoff, looking out the window. "I wasn't staring at him."

"Sure," Jungkook laughs, clearly enjoying your reaction. "It's fine, Y/N. He's cute, right?"

You huff, trying to shake off the embarrassment. "Yeah, I guess."

Jungkook leans closer, voice dropping a bit. "He's not cuter than me, though."

You give him a look, rolling your eyes. "Debatable."

His jaw drops dramatically. "Wow. After all I do for you?"

"Relax, I'm joking," you say, unable to hide your grin. "You're cute, too."

"Too?" he repeats, mockingly hurt. "I'm cuter. Admit it."

You shake your head, laughing softly. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Before he can respond, Jimin knocks on the window, and Jungkook unlocks the door for him to hop into the backseat.

"Finally," Jungkook says as Jimin gets in. "Took you long enough."

Jimin rolls his eyes. "I was saying bye to Namjoon."

"Hey, Y/N," Jimin says, flashing you a friendly smile. "You weren't really staring at me earlier, were you?"

You feel your face heat up again. "I wasn't!"

Jimin laughs, leaning back in his seat. "Don't worry, I'm flattered."

Jungkook, however, doesn't seem as amused. "Alright, alright, enough," he says, a hint of something almost territorial in his voice. "She's off-limits, Jimin."

Jimin raises an eyebrow, smirking as he glances between you and Jungkook. "Off-limits? She's not your girlfriend, Jungkook."

"Still," Jungkook mutters, his grip tightening slightly on the steering wheel.

You frown, turning in your seat to look at Jimin. What's that supposed to mean?

Jimin meets your gaze, clearly enjoying how flustered Jungkook's getting. "Jungkook's acting all protective over you. It's cute."

Jungkook shoots Jimin a glare through the rearview mirror. "I'm just looking out for her. She doesn't need you messing with her."

You laugh awkwardly, not sure what to make of this conversation. Jungkook's never acted possessive over you before, and you can't quite figure out why he is now. But it doesn't mean anything—it's probably just his way of teasing.

Jimin raises his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, I'll back off." He winks at you playfully, adding, "But for the record, you are cute, Y/N."

"Thanks," you mumble, feeling your cheeks burn again as you quickly turn back around.

Jungkook scoffs, shaking his head. "Dickhead."

You glance at him, confused by his reaction. He's never cared about guys complimenting you before, so why is he acting all weird now? But you brush it off. Jungkook's probably just messing around like he always does. There's no way he actually cares.

The rest of the ride is quiet, save for the soft hum of music playing in the background and the occasional breeze through Jungkook's open window. Jimin keeps to himself in the backseat, and you steal a glance at Jungkook, who seems unusually focused on the road. Maybe it's just been a long day.

When Jimin's finally dropped off, Jungkook exhales, as if he's been holding his breath the whole time. You look over at him, confused by his sudden change in mood, but decide not to ask. Whatever's going on with him, it'll pass.

You're just friends, after all. Nothing more. Right?

As Jimin disappears into his apartment building, the car feels oddly quiet, the weight of the earlier conversation still lingering. Jungkook taps his fingers on the steering wheel, his usual easygoing demeanor replaced with a subtle tension you can't quite place. You glance over at him, wondering if you should say something, but he seems deep in thought, his eyes focused ahead as he pulls back onto the road.

"So," you start, trying to break the silence, "what was that all about back there?"

Jungkook glances at you briefly, but his expression is unreadable. "What do you mean?"

You shift in your seat, turning toward him. "You know, the whole 'off-limits' thing with Jimin. You've never cared when people flirted with me before. Why act weird now?"

He's quiet for a moment, the only sound being the soft thrum of the engine as he drives. You can see his jaw clench slightly before he responds, his tone light but a little strained. "I just didn't want him to make you uncomfortable. That's all."

You raise an eyebrow, not quite buying it. "Jimin wasn't making me uncomfortable. He was just joking around."

"Yeah, well," Jungkook shrugs, "I know him. He pushes things too far sometimes."

You narrow your eyes at him, but he keeps his gaze stubbornly on the road, not giving you much to go on. You've seen Jungkook brush off other guys' comments about you before, never giving them a second thought. So why does this feel different?

"Okay, but you were acting kinda... protective," you point out. "Like you were actually bothered by it."

He scoffs, shaking his head with a small, humorless laugh. "I wasn't bothered, Y/N."

You cross your arms, eyeing him suspiciously. "Could've fooled me."

Jungkook finally glances at you, and for a second, his eyes are searching, like he's trying to figure out if you're serious. Then he sighs, turning back to the road. "You're overthinking it."

"Am I?" you ask, leaning back in your seat, not entirely convinced. There's something about the way he's avoiding the question that makes you feel like you're missing something. But it's Jungkook, and over the past year and a half of being friends, you've never once gotten the impression that he saw you as anything more than that, and you really hope he didn't.

Still, you can't deny the way he acted earlier was... off.

The rest of the drive passes mostly in silence, save for the occasional hum of the radio and the sound of the city fading into the distance. It isn't until you pull up in front of your building that Jungkook finally speaks again.

"Hey," his voice is softer now, the tension in his shoulders easing as he shifts in his seat to face you. "I didn't mean to make things weird earlier. Jimin was just being annoying, and I—"

"It's fine," you cut him off, waving a hand dismissively. "I get it. You were just looking out for me."

He studies your face for a second, like he wants to say something more, but instead, he just nods. "Yeah. Exactly."

There's a pause as you both sit there, the quiet settling around you again. You can feel his eyes on you, like he's waiting for something, but you're not sure what. You look back at him, offering a small smile.

"Thanks for the ride."

Jungkook's lips curl into a half-smile, but there's something in his expression that's harder to read now, like he's holding something back. "Anytime."

You unbuckle your seatbelt and reach for the door handle, but before you can open it, Jungkook's voice stops you.

"Y/N."

You pause, glancing back at him. "Yeah?"

For a moment, he doesn't say anything, his gaze flickering to the steering wheel before he looks back at you. His eyes are softer now, more vulnerable than you're used to seeing. "You know... if there's ever something bothering you, or if anyone gives you a hard time, you can talk to me, right?"

You blink, a little taken aback by the sudden sincerity in his tone. "Of course. I know that."

He nods, his smile returning, though this time it's more genuine. "Good."

You feel a warm flutter in your chest at the look he's giving you—kind, reassuring. It's the same look he always gives you when he's trying to be the good friend, the one who's always there to have your back. And that's what you are, after all—friends. Nothing more.

With that thought firmly in mind, you smile back. "Thanks, Jungkook. I mean it."

"No problem," he says softly, his gaze lingering on you for just a beat longer before he adds, "Get some rest, okay?"

You nod, finally opening the door and stepping out of the car. "You too. Drive safe."

As you close the door and make your way toward your apartment, you can feel his eyes on you until you're out of sight. There's a strange feeling lingering in the pit of your stomach—something you can't quite put your finger on—but you shake it off, chalking it up to the weirdness of the day. You've never thought of Jungkook as anything other than a friend, and he probably doesn't think of you that way either.

But as you close your door behind you and lean against it for a moment, you can't help but replay the way he looked at you tonight, like there was something more he wanted to say.

[briarlovesclara]

Wicked & The Hunger Games: an analysis on "evil"

I have been thinking (listening to the Wicked OBS, watching copious movie interviews, and always thinking about THG), and I think between the two medias you can draw a fairly comprehensive line in terms of how characters develop into evil within stories. Spoilers for THG and Wicked (both acts and the first movie) ahead :)

I'll be breaking this down to 5 different ways characters grow to interact and sometimes embrace evil. Starting with:

Not born evil, actively resists and struggles throughout the narrative, and ultimately remains not evil:

My character for this trope is Katniss Everdeen. This is not a character that is expected to be evil, or was born into a role of being so. Though Katniss struggles to "remember who the enemy is", her fumbles are often ultimately due to a misguided or manipulated outlook. She's put in a horrible situation, and has to do horrible things, but you see a progression with how she views them. She kills Marvel without thinking, knows she had to, and would do it again-- but she's haunted by it. She has no reason to take pity on Cato, but she does. (I know technically she was also trying to get help for Peeta, but she also understands the horror of Cato's death.) Even when this falters, she realizes it and hates it immediately (see: the death of the capitol woman in her own house). She makes active choices out of care, and once it is a viable route, she does what she does for the greater good.

Not born evil, actively resists and struggles through the narrative, and eventually excepts evil:

This is Elphaba. She isn't born with any evil in her, and tries over and over to not become so. Eventually, she's worn down by the narrative ("No Good Deed") and fits into the role she was pressured to have her whole life. This is not to say that she ever truly becomes evil, but that she plays the role for the "audience" (Oz).

Not born evil, but gets led into it; is either unaware or comfortable of their morals by the end:

When asked what really helped him define his character in the movie, Jeff Goldblum responded that he and director Jon M. Chu worked to find the finnicky nature of someone who let banality lead them into evil. The Wizard is a neutral character when he arrives in Oz; he becomes evil by accepting small amounts of power and corruption until he's already there ("believe me, it's hard to resist" --"Wonderful").

Not born evil, passively struggles throughout the narrative, and ultimately chooses to be evil:

Coriolanus Snow fits this like a glove. The point of his narrative is that he must start out at the same point as the first character (Katniss) and be born with opportunity. The shift is that he only internally and weakly struggles against the temptations of power. He starts making choices that he convinces himself are not evil, but his reasoning is 'it can't be evil if it's just me getting what I want'. He ends up blatantly choosing to do evil things to continue in comfort and power.

Born evil, does nothing to resist this, dies evil:

The Wicked Witch of the West-- which is to say that this character doesn't exist alone. You'll see that the main difference is that this character is born evil. The Witch (Elphaba) is not: the whole thesis of the musical. This character exists only in the mind of propaganda, a demon meant to haunt you, an individual (or organization) with no nuance behind any evil acts. If you see this kind of character applied in the real world, be wary of who you are letting tell you stories and what their motivations may be.

[hxhhasmysoul]

General Thoughts on Yuuta?

As few as humanly possible? I wish the fandom let me forget about this boy.

I’ve never found Yuuta interesting. Now, thanks to fandom I find him downright annoying. 

Yuuta has strong Shinji vibes at the beginning of Zero and while it’s realistic, there are people who are like that, I just find it boring. This is a very personal bias but as a person who has several concurrent mental issues, I have a strong dislike for characters and actual people who make their mental illness their whole personality. 

His arc in Zero also doesn’t excite me. He is super powerful from the start but can’t control it. Then he puts practically zero work into it an can control it.. He seems like a scrawny loser but starts to do gymnast shit with a sword really quickly. His CT is Copy, where he just copies the techniques of others and uses them in a more powerful way than they do, with no conditions or downsides.. When he needs to, he learns reverse curse technique and can apply it to others which we learn is super hard… 

Basically, everything he needs to know and be able to do, he is able to do in the moment he needs it… 

And Yuuta has no principles, not ideals. He is unfazed by Getou’s fascist speech. Yuuta fights Getou because Getou directly harms Yuuta’s only friends. It’s really sad because Getou actually is shown to have a vested interest in pursuing Yuuta, or more precisely Rika. I mean Getou’s plan and ideology are nonsense, but what fascist ideology is internally coherent anyway, it’s always reactionary drivel that focuses on targeting the weak instead of trying to get to the bottom of societal (in this case jujutsu society’s) problems. But Yuuta has no personal connection to Getou, no thematic one either. 

I think Gege really noticed what a weak protag Yuuta was because all of this is fixed in Yuuji whose ability to perform gymnastic feats is established in chapter one. Who also has principles and a personality more complex than: I’m depressed.  Same with Getou and his primitive plans are replaced with Mother, the perfect plotter, and their amazing multi-layered plans. The Gege added Sukuna, an emotionally constipated jujutsu and poetry nerd who can also forge a plan of his own. And Mahito, a creepy kid curse who thinks he can plot but alas adults were in the room, so no he can’t And Yuuji has a deep personal and thematic connection to all three of them, and likewise.

It really shows how much Gege grew and developed the world of JJK between Zero and the main series.

There’s a hint that Yuuta’s so powerful partially because of Rika’s love for him. She loves and she stayed with him after she died. “Love is the greatest curse”. So the arc goes that Yuuta is told that he can stop keeping Rika’s soul from crossing over, can break her curse by simply talking to her, releasing her. 

And this is where Gege in my opinion really made a serious mistake. The way this is set up, and later much more well developed in JJK proper, there should’ve been a cost to releasing Rika. There is a strong idea of balance and give and take to jujutsu. Gege had a perfect opportunity here to grant Yuuta space to grow by depowering him. Letting Yuuta lose some of his powers by letting go of Rika. But Yuuta just became more powerful for JJK proper… 

And that meant there was nowhere to go with Yuuta’s character. Yuuta was still unconnected to any of the major villains and barely to any of the important characters, only to Maki and Gojou, though he barely interacts with either in JJK proper. 

I and also other people have written before how Yuuta literally does nothing during the final showdown, how he only pauses the fight, prolongs it and distracts from the people who Sukuna actually connects with during the fight, ie Yuuji and Maki. Or how he wasn’t even necessary to kill Kenjaku.  

And Yuuta has no personal connection to either Kenjaku or Sukuna. He has a forced thematic connection to Sukuna when he takes over Gojou’s body, a pathetic attempt at becoming the strongest. And he has that connection for like five minutes in the story… 

If Yuuta never appeared in the JJK main story… it would’ve been almost the exact same story. Gege needed Yuuta for one moment, just after Shibuya to fake Yuuji’s death. And maybe even that could’ve been handled differently. Someone else could’ve fought in Sendai instead of him, there are other capable characters to fight in the Culling Games.

_________________

More posts on Yuuta by me and others. If I missed any good ones, please tell me and I will add them to the list.

[johnsbleu]

Hold My Hand: John Wick x Reader Chapter 174

warnings: none hmh masterlist

How the hell is she one? How in the world is Ronan Charlotte a year old? It seems like not so long ago, you were finding out you were even pregnant. And yet, here she is, a whole year old. Time truly flies by, doesn't it?

It's amazing how much can change in just one year. She’s grown and developed so much. She's learned to crawl, walk, and talk--some of her favorite words being ‘dada’, “mama’, ‘boo’ for Bleu, ‘toes’ for toast; her favorite breakfast, and saying ‘uh oh’ when someone drops something. Watching her grow and learn has been such a joy for everyone around her, especially you and John. It's hard to believe that just twelve months ago, she was still in your belly. But now, she's a happy and healthy little girl with a whole world of possibilities ahead of her.

Not only is this a milestone for her, but it is for you and John as well. You’ve made it through your first year of parenthood! It’s been one hell of a ride, but it’s been so fun, and what’s made it even better is knowing you have him by your side through all the ups and downs and bumps along the way. He’s been a great partner and father. You really couldn’t ask for a better person by your side. Hopefully he feels the same way.

You remember the anxiety you felt the day you were going to tell him that you were pregnant. You remember how nervous and excited you were, and you remember how happy John was when he finally found the ornament and read it. It was one of the happiest days of your lives when you told him, then 9 months later, on September fifth--on her mom and dad’s anniversary--Ronan decided to join this world and it made the day all the sweeter.

“That is still so fucking wild,” Tess says, and you look over at her as you continue putting decorations together, “How the hell did you plan that?”

“Plan what?”

Tess furrows her brow when she looks at you, “Ronan being born on your anniversary. What kind of black magic was that?”

You start to laugh, “Pure luck.”

“Fate,” John chimes in, and you smile as you look at him while Tess playfully gags despite the fact that she probably thinks it’s cute. He wraps his arm around your waist and kisses your cheek, “Definitely fate. Something bigger had a hand in this.”

“Or I just had really good timing. Maybe I seduced you on purpose that day knowing that if I got pregnant we would have a baby nine months later on our anniversary. Maybe I’m secretly a huge mastermind.” you say, and John starts to laugh, “Do not laugh! Maybe it’s true!”

John shakes his head, “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about you these past three years, it’s that you’re very smart. Very, very smart, but even I don’t think you could have planned this.”

“Yeah, no, to be honest, it would have been so much work, and I just don’t think I would have had the patience,” you laugh, and he kisses your cheek, “But nonetheless, it is pretty wild.”

Tess smiles as she looks at the two of you, “How was your trip? I’ve barely had time to talk with you today.”

When you got home last night, you just got Ronan and immediately went home to spend time with her before she needed to go to bed. She was so excited to see you and John that she just couldn’t get herself calmed down enough to even go to bed. She eventually fell asleep halfway through eating a banana, which was pretty cute. You and John were laughing over how cute she was that you were both in tears.

Today has been spent decorating and getting ready for her birthday party, so you haven’t had much time to really talk with Tess.

“It was really good,” John says, and you smile at him. “Definitely a much needed trip.”

Tess grins when you look at her, “You had sex on every surface, didn’t you?”

“We had so much sex,” you laugh, and John puts his head down, his cheeks turning red. You love embarassing him.“One day we did nothing but have sex. It was amazing. It reminded me of when we first met. I don’t think I even put on clothes that day.”

“You did for about an hour before you ripped them off again,” John says, smiling at you, “It was the best day.”

You playfully roll your eyes, “It was a great day. But like John said, it was a much needed trip. It was so nice to just be the two of us. I definitely don’t want to wait that long before we have another trip. Maybe our next one we can bring the whole family.”

John steals a carrot from the veggie tray Tess is making, “We wanted to go to Switzerland for our babymoon, but you were very pregnant. I think it’d be fun to go there with the family. It’s beautiful there. We should think about going next spring or even this winter.”

“Ooh, that sounds fun to me!” you say, leaning up to kiss him. “Anyway, yeah, the trip was perfect. It was so nice to just be with John and not having any distractions. I hate to admit it but I missed having John to myself.”

“I missed having you to myself too,” John admits, which makes you feel better.

“Look, I know I tease you two a lot,” Tess says, and you both look at her, “But honestly, you two are so cute. You gross me out with how lovey-dovey you can be, but you’re cute.”

You start to laugh, “Oh come on, Tess, let the walls down.”

“Fine!” she huffs before she looks at you with tears in her eyes, “I think you two are so perfect for each other and I’m really happy that you found each other. John is perfect for you, and you’re perfect for him! You’re doing a great job raising your daughter together, and as your big sister, I’m so happy for you, but most of all, I’m so proud of you and everything you’ve accomplished these past few years. You have two successful bookshops, you have a bookbinding business that does really well, John teaches classes that are super popular, and not once have you two ever really struggled relationship wise--okay, before you give me that look!” she says when you cock up your brow, “I know you’ve had fights--all couples do! But you know what I mean! You two have never even entertained the thought of breaking up or anything. You have such a great relationship and that is so important for Ro to see. She’s so lucky to have you and John as her parents, and I love you two, okay? God!”

You and John both start to laugh, and Tess gives you a very unimpressed look.

“Why did you say that so aggressively?” John laughs as he walks over to hug Tess, “We love you too.”

You smile, “I love sensitive Tess so much. You should let her out more often.”

Tess is in full tears now, “You two are just so cute, and I’m so in love with Jimmy.”

“We know,” you say, and she pouts, “He’s in love with you too.”

“What does being in love with Jimmy have to do with us?” John asks, and you look at Tess.

She wipes her tears off her face, “Well, because I’m in love and so is Goose, and that’s good.”

“It is very good,” you say, then you rub her shoulder, “Maybe you should go lay down for a few minutes.”

“Yeah, maybe. Oh, and one more thing!” she says aggressively, which makes you and John laugh. “I would love to go to Switzerland, so it’s a yes from me but do I have to pay for it?”

John laughs before shaking his head, “No, it’d be all paid for by us.”

“Well, now I’m gonna cry because that’s really sweet of you! John, you’re the sweetest.” she sniffles as she shuffles off to the living  room, and you widen your eyes and look at John.

John laughs quietly, “Is she okay?”

“Yeah, you know…” you roll your eyes playfully, “Sometimes people are just a little sensitive. Sometimes people are so happy that they cry.”

“Yeah, you sobbed for 15 minutes when you saw a picture of me from when I was little,” he says, and you jut your bottom lip out. “A picture that you had seen many times. I just came into the kitchen to find you with your head on the counter while you cried.”

“You were so cute!” you cup his face and squish his cheeks, “Your dorky little smile was so fucking adorable, and I see so much of Ronan in it. Her nose, her eyes, her little grin, she’s your twin!”

John smiles proudly, “She’s pretty cute.”

“She is,” you wrap your arms around his waist, “So in love with my brown eyed Virgo babies. And by the way, when that happened, I was pregnant. So, you know, I had an excuse. My emotions were everywhere.”

John nods, “Yeah, you were pregnant.”

You widen your eyes and look up at John just as he looks at you, then you walk into the living room to find Tess laying on the couch scrolling through her phone.

“Are you pregnant?”

Tess doesn’t even look at you, she just bursts out laughing, “Fuck no!”

“You sure?”

“Yes,” she sits up on her elbow and looks at you, “Positive.”

You squint your eyes at her and wait for her to crack, but she just stares back. You tilt your head and do a ‘I’m watching you’ motion with your hand, and Tess just laughs.

“Have fun,” she says as you walk back to the kitchen, “I’m not pregnant though.”

John smiles, “You think she’s pregnant?”

“No, I just like to tease her.”

“Hey,” John whispers softly when you start to walk away. He reaches for your hand and pulls you back to him, “Happy anniversary, by the way.”

You tilt your head back and kiss him, “Happy anniversary.”

“Three years, peach.” he says, and you hug him tight, “I’m so glad that we were able to get away and celebrate, but I still want to take a moment to appreciate today, not just because it’s Bug’s birthday. It’s the best day of my life for many reasons.”

“I love you so much.”

John leans into your palm when you cup his face, “Today wouldn’t possible without you.”

“It wouldn’t be without you either.” you say as he smiles, “I don’t get all the credit here.”

“Well, you deserve 50% of it.” he smiles, and you let out a small laugh, “Maybe even more.”

You shake your head, “50% sounds good to me!”

__

The party is pretty much in full swing. Aurelio and his family arrived a little late, but that’s okay. You know what life with a baby is like, so you’re sure life with two kids is even harder. The backyard is full of family and friends, and even staff from the shops. It’s nice that everyone is showing up for your baby girl, who is currently playing in the sprinkler with all the other kids. Thankfully it’s a warm day today.

Ronan will be needing a change of clothes, so after making sure someone has their eye on her and the rest of the kids, you head inside to get some dry clothes for her. Last you saw, John was getting the grill ready, so you’re not surprised when you find the house empty. You head upstairs to Ronan’s room and smile to yourself when you hear laughter coming from the open windows.

“Okay,” you exhale as you walk over to her clothes.

You pick an outfit for her to wear today since it’s her birthday but since she’ll be having cake, she probably shouldn’t wear it right now. You’ll wait to change her after she has her cake. Or maybe you should change her beforehand, get some cute pictures, then let her have cake. You’re not entirely sure, so you stand there for a few minutes staring at her closet.

As you stand there and look at all of Ronan’s clothes, you feel your eyes beginning to burn with tears. They roll down your cheeks when you blink, and you reach out and hold an outfit Ronan wore a few months ago that can no longer fit in.

She’s growing up.

The thought has been on your mind all day, so it’s certainly not new, but…your baby is growing up. She’s not going to be a baby anymore. The thought might not be a new one but it completely breaks you down into tears.

**

Since I got the grill started and some food done, I look around in search of Y/N. I want to make sure that her and Ronan get something to eat. Y/N has been running around all morning trying to make sure everything is perfect for the party today, so I want to make sure that she’s getting food in her. I don’t need her getting dizzy or too hungry. I already know she’s stressed out.

“Hey,” I lightly touch Bev’s shoulder, “Have you seen Y/N?”

She shakes her head, “No, I haven’t, honey.”

I nod and look around the yard. I smile when I see Ronan giggling as she plays in the sprinkler with Finn, and I watch them for a few moments before heading into the house. It’s quiet in here, so I assume she must be either in the bathroom or I’ve missed her outside somehow. I check the bathroom downstairs before I head up to our room. Empty.

“Peach?” I call out, listening to the quiet house. I furrow my brow when I hear a sniffle, and I walk down to Ronan’s room, finding Y/N looking out the window. I walk up behind her, “Hey, food is getting done.”

“Okay,” she says quietly. I lean forward and see a tear roll down her cheek, and I quickly wipe it away, “Baby, are you okay? Hey, look at me. Are you okay?”

She nods, “Yeah.”

I turn her around slowly and look into her bloodshot eyes. She has makeup running down her cheeks too, and she’s clinging to an outfit that Ronan probably hasn’t fit into for at least 3 months. The stress and worry I was feeling melts away, and I feel my entire body soften when I realize why she’s upset.

“I know,” I nod, rubbing her arms as she cries harder, “I don’t want her to grow up either.”

“Why is she doing this to us?” she asks, laughing through her tears.

I smile, “Because she’s going to be the bravest, smartest, kindest, and most beautiful girl in the world, just like her mom. She’s going to do great things and the world deserves to know Ronan Charlotte Wick.”

“I feel like just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital and sat on the couch, stressing about everything we were about to go through.” she says, and I nod. “I remember us sitting there stressing out about how to just feed her and when to feed her.”

I start to laugh, “I remember stressing out about my first night alone with her. I watched Finn alone before but he wasn’t a newborn baby. Ronan was, and I was beyond stressed out. Now it’s a breeze. I love when you’re able to go out and have a nice time and I get to spend it with her. It’s nice. I love building my relationship with her, and everything is just second nature. I don’t question myself. I don’t text or call you every ten minutes asking you if it’s okay if I sit on the couch and hold her instead of laying her in her little DockATot. And a year ago, I wouldn’t have had a fucking clue what a DockATot is. I would have thought it was like…I don’t know, some weird gadget.”

Y/N closes her eyes as she laughs, “It does sound like a weird gadget.”

“It’s a freaking bed. It’s a little lounger for your baby. That’s crazy! And the nose thing that you use to suck out boogers?” I say, and she immediately scrunches up her face, “Yeah, it’s gross, for sure. But I didn’t know that shit a year ago. A year ago, I knew one thing, and that was that I loved that little girl with my entire heart the moment she took her first breath--well, I knew the moment you told me that you were pregnant, but when I held her in my arms, all of the fears that I had went away. I knew in my heart everything was going to be okay because I had you.”

I shouldn’t have said that because it just makes her cry again. But it’s true.

“I had you to help me. I had you by my side. I knew that parenthood wasn’t something to be scared of because you were by my side holding my hand,” I say, reaching for her hand, “I can’t thank you enough for how much happiness you’ve given me since you came into my life three years ago. I am so beyond grateful for you. You are the love of my life.”

Yeah, shouldn’t have said that either. She’s fully crying now with Ronan’s dress pressed to her mouth. She’s fucking precious.

“I love you,” she says, sniffling as she looks up at me, “I am so happy that you’re her dad.”

“Me too.” I laugh, nodding my head, “I’m happy you’re her mom; she has the best role model.”

Y/N juts her bottom lip out, “I can’t believe she’s one. I just want her to be a tiny baby forever.”

Wiping the tear off her cheek, I cup her face, “You know what I’ve learned this past year?”

“What?”

I smile, “No matter how old she gets, she’s always going to be our baby. Whether she’s six months old, six years old, or 36. She will be our baby. We get the privilege of watching her grow up and learn things that we taught her--us, her parents! How lucky is that? I watch you teach her things, then I watch her use that knowledge. Isn’t that amazing?”

“Yeah,” she laughs, sniffling again, “It is, and I see you teach her things too. It’s the best.”

“I know it’s hard watching her grow up, and if I’m honest, I wish we could slow down time. I don’t want this to ever end.” I say, getting misty-eyed, “I absolutely love my life with you two. It’s perfect and it’s far more than I deserve.”

She shakes her head, “You deserve everything, John. You deserve all of this.”

I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight to my chest as we both stand there, sniffling quietly. I press a kiss to the top of her head and lean back to look at her, and she wipes away the tears on her cheek.

“I think part of my issue is, yes, I’m sad she’s growing up, but she’s also getting closer to being a teenager and I’m not ready for that.” she says, and I furrow my brow. She sighs loudly and takes a few steps away before walking back over to me, “My mom and I didn’t always have the best relationship. Mom and daughters can have…complicated relationships. I want to try my best to avoid that.”

“What do you mean?”

Sighing again, she looks at me, “From 13-15 years old, I wasn’t very nice to my mom. I flew off the handle over little things. I was a young girl going through a ton of changes and I, unfortunately, took it out on my mom. I don’t want that for me and Ronan. I want us to always be close. I want to be her mom, but I also want to be her friend. I want her to want to talk to me about things that are bothering her. I bottled up everything and didn’t tell my mom. I struggled silently with so much stuff--what I was going through was nothing compared to Tess, so I just stayed quiet.”

“You can’t compare pain, sweetheart. If something hurts, it hurts. What you were feeling was just as important as what Tess was feeling.” I say, and she nods.

“And I know that now. Tess actually was the one who told me that, and of course mom was so upset when she found out because it’s true, my feelings were just as important.” she says, laughing quietly, “But I’m so scared that Ronan’s going to hate me when she’s a teenager. I don’t want to ever overstep or feel like I’m projecting onto her either. I don’t want her to feel like I’m expecting too much from her. I want us to have a good relationship forever.”

I nod sympathetically, then I rest my hands on her shoulders, “I get it. Ronan is always going to love you; you’re her mom! She’s going to love you forever. But listen to me…there is no use in worrying about things that might or might not happen twelve years from now. There’s no use. You don’t deserve to be sad or stressed out about it.”

“Twelve years really puts it into perspective.” she says, and I smile at her. “You’re right. I should be enjoying this milestone. It’s not a sad day; it’s just bittersweet.”

“I’m not saying you’re not allowed to be sad because trust me, I’m sad. Our baby girl is growing up! She’s already a year old and I hate that.” I say as we both tear up, “She’s getting older and it’s such a bittersweet thing but we’re so lucky to be able to watch her grow and learn. We’re so lucky that we have the most perfect angel of a daughter.”

Y/N laughs, “She really is an angel, isn’t she?”

I gesture to the open window, “Listen to her laughing out there.”

We both go silent and listen as Ronan squeals happily in the sprinkler with all of the other kids. I look back at Y/N and hold her gaze, and she smiles softly at me before leaning up to give me a kiss.

“I love you,” she says, and I pull her closer, “Thank you for making me feel better.”

“I am always going to be here to make you feel better,” I say as she leans against my chest, “Let’s go see our baby girl now.”

Y/N looks up at me, and I put my finger up and take her hand. I bring her into our room, then to our bathroom, all while she looks beyond confused. I lift her onto the counter and get a few of her make-up wipes, then I gently wipe away the makeup staining her cheeks. I look into her eyes and furrow my brow when I see her tearing up again.

“Are you okay?”

“This is the sweetest thing you’ve ever done,” she whispers, and I let out a confused laugh. She gestures to me wiping her makeup off, “This. This is so romantic. It’s tender. It shows me how much you care about me.”

I cup her face, “I care so deeply about you.”

“I know,” she smiles, “I care deeply about you too. God, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

I start to laugh when she tears up and throws her hands up in a playful manner since she’s crying again. I tuck her hair behind her ear and kiss her cheek before hugging her tight. She exhales and looks at me, and I wipe her face off again.

“I’m done crying now.” she says, hopping off the counter and grabbing her makeup bag. “Lemme just fix my makeup quick.”

I watch her as she carefully puts mascara on her lashes--waterproof, she told me--then I smile at her and take her hand before heading back downstairs. The closer we get to the back patio, the louder Ronan’s giggle is, and I smile down at Y/N and see her laughing quietly.

The moment the door opens and we step out, Ronan turns her attention to us and comes running over, screaming for one person in particular who deserves all the love right now.

“Momma!” Ronan screams, running over to Y/N, who kneels down and opens her arms.

“Hi, baby.” she hugs her tight and closes her eyes, “Goodness, I love you so much.”

My heart swells with pride and joy at the sight of my little family. My wife. My daughter. Both so precious, and all mine.

__

“Hey,” I pull Y/N aside and smile, “Think it’s time?”

“I think so.” she nods, then she takes my hand and together we sneak into the house.

I let go of her hand to open the basement door, then I gesture for her to go first and follow behind. I smile when I hear the little meows coming from downstairs, and Y/N gasps and rushes over to the kitten.

“Oh, goodness,” she laughs when she sees the cat covered in wet food, “You’re a bit of a mess, aren’t you?”

I smile, “He’s gonna fit in just fine here.”

“True,” she laughs as she walks to the bathroom to clean him off. “Do you have a box?”

I found a cardboard box and wrapped it up with colorful paper and put a huge bow on it, and some holes for air of course.

“Yeah, I got this one,” I bring it over to the couch and put Baby Cat’s blanket inside, then I smile when Y/N comes out of the bathroom with him as she dries him off. “Can’t wait for her to finally get him so we can stop calling him Baby Cat.”

“Maybe she’ll like that name.”

I grimace, “I hope not.”

“Hey! It look a lot of brain power for me to come up with that,” she jokes, and I playfully swat her knee. She carefully places the kitten into the box and closes it up, then she picks it up and hands it to me. “Here.”

I take the box and carefully go upstairs with it, glancing back to make sure Y/N is following. She holds open the patio door and smiles, looking around for Ronan.

“Ro,” she calls out and waves her over, “We got you a present.”

The poor kitten is going to be passed around to everyone, so hopefully he’s a patient little guy.

Y/N sits down and pats the spot next to her, then she looks at me and pats the spot on her other side. I sit down with the box and smile when I hear a tiny meow coming from it.

“We have another present for you,” she says, and Ronan looks up at her, “But you have to gentle, okay?”

I can tell the family is confused. We didn’t tell them about the little souvenir we brought home from The Bahamas.

Ronan nods her head as Y/N puts her in her lap. She gives me the okay to open the box, and I carefully take the lid off and move it over so Ronan can look in. She lets out a gasp and makes the ‘O’ shape with her mouth as she stares at Y/N with her brown eyes.

“What is that?” I ask, and Ronan leans over again to look. “Is that a kitten?”

“Kitty,” Ronan says, pointing at it, “Momma.”

Y/N laughs, “I see! Isn’t he cute?”

Ronan reaches in with absolutely no hesitation and pets the kitten. When he licks her fingers, she giggles loudly, causing all the other kids to come over and see what’s going on. For the kitten being so tiny, he sure loves all the attention and isn’t at all scared, which will be great because Ronan is like a tornado. We’ll teach her to be gentle with him though.

“This is our new kitten,” Y/N says, and Ronan looks up at her, “What should we name him?”

Ronan just shrugs.

“We’ll give it some time,” I say, and Y/N laughs.

“Oh, stop it!” Tess smiles as she leans down to look at the kitten, “When did you guys get him?”

I look at Y/N before looking at Tess, “While we were in The Bahamas. There were cats everywhere and he was outside our cottage one night. We took him inside and I found where he lived. They said we could keep him.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Y/N puts her hand up and laughs, “No, I kept hearing something around like…two in the morning and I was freaked out thinking it was a serial killer. I finally woke John up and he went outside and found him!”

Tess smiles, “He’s so cute.”

Y/N grins, “I keep calling him Baby Cat but John doesn’t like it.”

“Ronan needs to name him,” I say as Ronan looks at me, “What’s his name?”

Ronan looks at him like she’s really thinking it through, then she shrugs again.

I laugh, “We’ll figure out eventually.”

Anything is better than Baby Cat. Okay, I’ll admit, Baby Cat is kind of growing on me, but I won’t dare tell Y/N.

“Toes,” Ronan says, and everyone looks at her, “Toes!”

We all look confused for a moment before Y/N and I lock eyes, immediately figuring it out when she says it again.

“Toast!” Y/N and I both say in unison.

“Is his name Toast?” I ask, and Ronan smiles as she nods proudly. “Toast.”

Ronan continues talking to the kitten, calling him Toast over and over, and I smile when Y/N looks at me. We both start to laugh since of course our daughter would name her kitten Toast. We have a fish named Dada and now a cat named Toast. I can’t wait to see what else she names our future pets.

__

**

The rest of the day went really well. You cried like a baby when Ronan blew out her candles, then you cried again when she tried to feed John a piece of cake, but that time it was from the laughter. She opened her presents and instantly wanted to play with them and share them with the other kids at the party, but of course she was quick to run back to you and John to show you all her special things she got.

As the party started to die down, so did Ronan. She was trying her best to stay awake, but she eventually fell asleep on the couch tucked into John’s arms while you all sat around and talked. The kitten was tucked in there too until you moved him into the guest bedroom for now.

“I admire her strength,” your mom says when you look at her, “She was holding on for dear life, just fighting to keep those eyelids open.”

You laugh as you look at Ronan in John’s arms, who is also asleep. You smile to yourself as you look at those two just sleeping away. John is still holding Ronan but he has his head propped up by his right hand. It’s going to slip soon and he’ll jolt himself awake.

There isn’t anything to clean up since your family and friends were kind enough to help clean up and take home leftover food and cake. You’ve been up since five this morning, so you’re ready to lay down in bed.

You rest your head against your mom’s shoulder and close your eyes, “Sorry for being so shitty when I was a teenager.”

“What?” she laughs, and you look at her.

“When I was a teenager, I was really shitty to you.” you say, shrugging your shoulder, “So, I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

Your mom sits up and furrows her brow, completely bewildered as to why you’re bringing this up. She looks past you at Ronan and nods slowly before looking back at you.

“It was tough, but I didn’t take it personal.” she says, and you nod as you tear up, “All that we went through then was so worth it. The relationship that we have now? It was worth all the screaming, eye rolling, and door slamming.”

You laugh, “I slammed my door once.”

“Damn right it was once. I shut that down right away.” she says as you laugh, then she reaches for your hand, “I was a young girl once too. I knew exactly how it felt to be fifteen once. Admittedly, I should have checked in with you and it’s something that bothered me for a very long time as you grew up, so I apologize for that and I hope you can forgive me for that. I’m so lucky to have such a kind and beautiful daughter who I can call my friend.”

You look down as you cry, then you nod, “Yeah.”

“I know you won’t make my mistake, and I know you’ll always be there for Ronan.”

“You were a single mom, you had a job that was so demanding, you had just adopted another kid.” you say, and she nods, “You had a lot on your plate and I knew that. I always knew. I never thought you didn’t love me or something. I knew you did--I know you do. I’m glad to say you’re my mom. You’re an incredible mom. All my friends wished that you’d adopt them too because everyone loved you, me included! I want to be just like you when I grow up.”

She laughs, “I’m flattered, but you’re quite amazing yourself, sweetheart.”

You start to laugh as you look over at Ronan, then you look back at your mom, “I don’t want her to grow up. She’s my baby.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling,” she says, holding your gaze, then she reaches for your hand, “But look at you, all grown up and with your own daughter now. But no matter what, one thing will never ever change: you will always be my baby.”

Which is exactly what John said about Ronan earlier.

Nodding your head, you look at her as you both tear up, then you lean over to hug her. She holds tight to you and rubs your back, then she kisses your cheek before getting up from the couch. You look over at John as he opens his eyes and stretches out, and you give him a knowing smile because he definitely wasn’t asleep the whole time--come on, no one has that perfect of timing. Not even John Wick.

“Heading out?” John asks, and your mom nods. “I’ll walk you out to your car.”

“Oh, no need.” she smiles, touching his arm when he stands up. “You two go snuggle that little girl.”

You laugh, “It’s only 6 PM. I’m half tempted to wake her up, so she’s not up at 4 in the morning looking to play with her new toys while John and I are still passed out from running on 4 hours of sleep.”

John hugs your mom and looks out the window to wave at Dan, who is talking with Jimmy in the driveway. John looks at you and bounces Ronan a little, and you turn to your mom and hug her, holding on tight.

“I love you and I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become.” she whispers softly, “One day you’ll be hugging Ronan--”

“Nope!” you laugh as you let go of her, “I don’t want to think about her being an adult. Nope, nope, nope.”

John laughs when your mom playfully widens her eyes and grimaces. She leans down to give Ronan a kiss, then she grabs her bag and waves before walking to the door. You turn to John and exhale sharply, looking down at Ronan in his arms.

“I am…so exhausted.”

“I just had a nice nap,” John says, and you cock up your brow. “Okay, so I wasn’t sleeping when you two started talking but I didn’t want to be rude and I also didn’t want to ruin the moment, which was very sweet.”

You walk over to him and pucker your lips for a kiss, “Can we just hang out the rest of the night?”

“Absolutely,” he nods, then he shifts Ronan a little, “But I have to put her down.”

“I think that she should sleep with us tonight,” you say as you move her brown hair out of her face, “I just want to fall asleep with my two favorite people.”

John nods his head in agreement, “I think that sounds like a fantastic plan.”

Since you’ll probably come back downstairs to get something to eat later, you only turn off a few lights. You let Bleu out to use the bathroom and give him some food as well, then you head up to your room. John carefully changes Ronan into some pajamas and out of her fluffy pink dress that is slightly covered in dirt and cake, then he lays her in the center of the bed where she immediately snuggles down.

You change into something more comfortable, then you sit on the bed and look at John as he just stands there a little awkwardly. You furrow your brow and watch as he walks over to the closet, then he digs through it and pulls out a box.

“So, uh…”

“Jonathan!” you quietly scold him, “We already did anniversary gifts.”

He shakes his head, “This isn’t an anniversary gift. It’s something I’ve been working on for a while now, well, for about a year.”

You start to get up but he shakes his head and sits down next to you on the bed. He hands over the box and gestures for you to open it, and you nudge his arm before playfully rolling your eyes. You take the top off the box and reach into the tissue paper, and your fingers wrap around what feels like a book.

Pulling your hand out of the box, you look down at the book and immediately smile, “Our Baby’s First Year.”

John scoots closer and wraps his arm around your waist, “Open it.”

Flipping the book open, you feel tears burning your eyes when you see the very first picture ever taken of Ronan. Her wrinkly little hands and soft skin, just a few moments old. You turn the page and see a photo of Ronan's first smile, captured at just two months old. It's hard to believe how small she was back then, but you can still remember the moment vividly.

As you continue flipping through the pages, you see all of Ronan's milestones--her first steps, her first words, and even her first Christmas. Each moment is captured beautifully. You turn the page again and let out a laugh when you see it’s filled with twelve selfies of John and Ronan--one for every month.  

“Shut up,” you laugh, pointing to the one of her at eight months old where she’s smiling at John, “Look at how much she loves you.”

“Look at how much she loves you.” he says, flipping the page.

You immediately slap your hand over your mouth when you see the pages covered in images of you and Ronan that John has taken every single month, pictures that you didn’t even know he had taken.

“I snuck pictures all the time, I still do,” he says softly, “I had to have Tess help me because I kept getting a notification about my phone storage. She told me that I had too many pictures saved. I couldn’t tell you because…”

You nod when he gestures to the book, “John, remember what I said earlier about wiping off my makeup?”

He laughs, “Yeah. Definitely not even in the top ten sweetest things I’ve done. I didn’t do it to be sweet. I just wanted to help you feel better.”

“It was definitely sweet, but this…” you look down at the book and flip through the pages, “This is beyond sweet. I don’t…I don’t even have words. Thank you so much.”

John presses a kiss to your temple, “You’re very welcome.”

This book is a testament to all of the joy that Ronan has brought into your lives, and you know that it will be treasured for years to come. You’re already planning on putting it on the coffee table and making every single person look at it when they come over, not only because your baby is gorgeous and the most precious thing on the planet, but John took a lot of time to put it together.

Closing the book gently, you place it on the nightstand and lean into John's embrace. All the anxiety you had been feeling earlier about Ronan growing up has passed. It’s been a quick year but a great one. She’s happy and healthy, as are you and John. What more could you ask for?

Well, you know one thing.

You lean back and look at John, a smile growing on your face, “Want a piece of cake?”

“Why did I think you were going to ask if I wanted to have another baby?”

You scoff as you get up from the bed, “Patience, Mr. Wick.”

John smiles when you look back at him, “Okay, okay. You did say that we would start trying when Ronan would start potty training though.”

Turning back around, you lean against the door frame and hold his gaze, both of you smiling like absolute idiots. You smile at him as he turns to face you more, and you cross your arms and laugh a little.

“Well,” you shrug as you glance over at Ronan, then you look back at him, “I guess we only have to wait six more months then.”

Pure joy rips through John as he gets up and rushes over to you, lifting you up as you both laugh. You look over his shoulder and see Ronan still completely zonked out on the bed, and you close your eyes and hold tight to John as he carries you down the kitchen for a much deserved slice of cake.

__

taglist: @lilithlinen @ladyren33 @multifandombliss @ruby-octo @tnu-ree @scream-queen-25 @beingnerdyissupercool @sakurachan-9

[lululeighsworld]

wolfleigh queer kuro au thoughts that have been rotating in the ole brain microwave

while we were watching the episode on saturday, ovvl and i started to talk about wolf's inability to multitask while cooking. and like, despite the fact there are a bunch of other people in the village, it comes across as though he's been the only one preparing sully's meals all these years. most notably, sully remarks that "he usually doesn't take this long" when asked where the food is, which leads me to believe that 1) wolf has developed a routine over the years to ensure sully is fed SOMEWHAT adequately and timely, and 2) disruptions to this routine means that he falls back on his old ways of preparing one dish at a time, following the instructions of the cookbook to the letter.

JUMPING AHEAD TO LONDON and queer kuro au setting, i can imagine once they get settled in, sully hires someone to give wolf cooking lessons. because like. she's busy with her research now. she needs hearty and reliable meals while she's working!! even better if food is ready for her when she comes home from the university in the evenings!! anyways, so wolf learns how to cook a bit more efficiently. he knows how to prioritize the dishes that take longer to prepare. he's gotten better at not always needing to do exact measurements and cooking by feel. his confidence in the kitchen grows, and, the first time he invites leigh over to the townhouse for more than just tea, it's under the guise of him cooking dinner for them (leigh is delighted, of course).

but oh, does wolf's plans go downhill in a way he doesn't expect. he meets leigh at the bookshop they run alongside their friend victoria (ovvl's oc) at the end of their work day, and they return to the townhouse together. after he's prepared some tea for leigh and sets them up in the drawing room, he makes his way to the kitchen. and then his nerves set in as he starts reviewing in his head what he was going to make for dinner. it's nothing beyond his current skill set—but that's not the point. now he's cooking for someone he has genuine romantic feelings for, and he's paranoid. what if leigh doesn't like what he cooks? what if he forgets something basic and the food turns out awful? his nerves spiral to the point that without him even realizing it, he's reaching for his cookbooks again and falls back on his old ways, following the instructions step-by-step, one dish at a time.

needless to say, dinner ends up being served very late. i imagine sully returns home after a long day at the university, half expecting to find wolf and leigh relaxing in the drawing room. but instead it's just leigh with their empty tea cup, and it's clear dinner hasn't been served yet, and she immediately makes her way to the kitchen to see the disaster wolf has become in the last few hours. oh, sully recognizes immediately what's going on, and there's some back and forth between them in german, with her insisting she's going to help because she's not going to let a failed dinner date ruin his courtship with leigh. eventually leigh peeks their head in the kitchen, having half understood what they were talking about, and offers to help where they can.

eating dinner at 10 o'clock—let alone together—is certainly not how any of them envisioned the night going. but the food turns out delicious. and they end up entertaining each other into the late hours with silly stories and a bit of fruit brandy. and wolf's heart is still racing after he kisses leigh goodnight (sully offers to let them stay in one of the guest rooms) and is lying in his own bed.

he'll have to work on his nerves for the next time he invites them over for dinner. and perhaps receive a few more cooking lessons. but that was then, and this was now. and as he falls asleep, all he can think about is how happy leigh was the entire evening, despite the hiccups, and that he'd really love to always look to them and see their smile; not just when they're on dates, but in those little every day moments too <3

[wizerdbattle]

Give me some directors cut on your laruta keeps the secret fic? 👀 maybe something on your writing process or those headcanons for the au you mentioned before.....:^)))))

YAY thank you for asking! Here's some misc headcanons, mostly about the main three :) Too tired to get into lore right now, but these still probably apply to the Laruta-verse

Mipha read a lot of fantasy growing up (PROJECTION) but Sidon got really into sci-fi and she got into it as a result. I think she would really like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (and as a sort of introduction to that surreal sort of comedy... I think she would be giggling out loud reading it and as a result develop a slightly indecipherable sense of humour for a 13-year-old (possibly? I haven't been a 13-year-old in ages so I'm a little out of touch lol)) and she would start carrying a towel around in her bag as a nod to that. It would come in useful one time and she would be unbelievably happy about it.

Zelda is the type to cycle through take up a lot of extracurriculars and electives - and then drop them when she can't get anything more out of them. A lot of people think it's because she's indecisive but she just really likes learning and trying new things. This makes her the school admin's worst nightmare!

Zelda and Link have an art class together - Link reads a lot of comics and likes trying to cartoonify things, and Zelda goes as realistic as she possibly can. They're both perfectionists who abuse their eraser privileges. Each of them admire each other's work, though, and they try and make it a priority to work side-by-side on projects.

Dorephan is a language teacher (teaching the Zora language, I don't think it has a name in the games 😬). He speaks some at home with Mipha and Sidon, but Mipha and Sidon aren't exactly fluent becuase they speak more Hylian and regular conversation. They do, however, have enough practice to get a little ahead in classes 😋

Zelda likes paleontology, Link likes history, and Mipha likes biology, so they go on museum trips together (longstanding Link and Mipha tradition but Zelda fits right in). They go completely ham on the interactive expeditions and Mipha gets sucked into the gift shops and ends up with a million socks and t-shirts and pens.

In general I think she's a bit of a hoarder (PROJECTION) and loves collecting little things. Unfortunately they take up a lot of space in her room and she struggles to tidy after a while (... PROJECTION...)

Link only likes sweet things for the sugar hit he gets from them, but he has a select few desserts he actually likes for texture & flavour. He mostly cooks savoury dishes, but sometimes he bakes because he likes sharing the things he makes. Mipha loves desserts but is picky about flavour.

Mipha would get really into metal music as a bid to make herself more mature and then her and Sidon would blast it in the loungeroom and give Dorephan a headache.

Zelda Senior works in a cafe as a baker but has an extensive prior education.

Mipha and Sidon's mother is still dead ;-; sorry.

More specifically, I feel like Zelda's mother's death was more tied to the plot and her identity and the Calamity, but I think Mipha grew around her mother's death from quite an early age, and while it still saddened her, it was already a part of her, which is why I changed one but not the other.

Revali still puts a lot of pressure on himself to be better than everyone else, and in turn ends up putting pressure on Mipha because he's nervous for her. Sorry to lump the bird guys in together but they're very Noelle and Berdly Deltarune to me

Urbosa is one of those teachers that always has a coffee. She get's it from Zelda Senior's cafe.

Zelda and Purah are in a robotics club together. Initially, Zelda joined to get closer with Purah and Impa but it's one of her favourite things now.

I don't have the energy to write out much more -_- but come back for more later if you want lol! I'm having lots of fun with this.

[cybussy]

hey, doll.

why is it that we always say “see you later” and never “goodbye”?

pairing: xyx x gn! reader (blooming panic)

genre: self-indulgent angst

warnings: major character death, suicide, reader has mommy issues xD

ao3

"see you later!" the cheery person from next-door waved to xyx as they once again ran off to attend their part-time job. they always do this when they see xyx coming home from work and then, going to their own job as they have the night shifts. it became a routine for the two of them, both guys thinking that it's nice to have someone greet you when you arrive home and someone to greet when you leave.

though they used to not talk a lot outside of this daily routine, one time they had a meaningful conversation that established a strong connection between them. at first, it was quite hard to get them to open up, always holing up in their room and avoiding all person-to-person social interactions, but with a bit of a push they soon got comfortable around xyx which revealed their cheery personality. this change got xyx hooked, soon developing romantic feelings for his neighbor though of course, he insists on hiding it.

there were too, a lot of times when they comforted xyx when he was feeling down about literally anything, his job, self-esteem issues, and a few times where xyx thought cat was sick again, they helped him go through that too, which really made his feelings for them grow. all these things made their bond stronger and the gap between them, closer.

xyx closes the door behind him, silently wishing them a good day, rather, night in their job. it was always obvious that these shifts take a toll on them but it's the only convenient time for them to work because of their insomnia. the tired lawyer went ahead and changed his work clothes into more comfortable ones, he then plopped into his bed and shortly fell asleep due to exhaustion.

he was awoken by a loud scream from next-door, he knew it was them, but what could they be screaming about at 5am in the morning? it's definitely out of character and wrong for him to do so but, xyx leaned in on the thin walls and listened.

"jesus christ it's 5am! can you please stop bothering me? i just got home from work and i haven't even eaten anything, it's too early for this mom." he heard them say, it was obvious that they wanted to say more but decided not to, xyx could hear the struggle of not wanting to blow up on someone through the walls.

it seems like that wasn't the end of it as they spoke again, "it's been YEARS, can't you just let this go? i already said i'm not going back there, stop using guilt to convince me because it doesn't work! please hang up before i say something rude." they said, voice almost rising up to yell again.

xyx doesn't know the backstory for all of this but they did mention a few times that they have the worst relationship with their mom, and yet she still bothers them time and time again, seemingly dense (or chooses to be) to the horrible connection between them.

he feels guilty for listening in on this conversation but hearing his friend be this upset because of a phone call hurts him. he wants to meddle but he thinks they probably won't like it, he decides that they can just tell him whatever he needs to know when- if- they feel like it and stops eavesdropping.

though it was unnecessary to do so because they broke and started yelling again, "STOP THE BULLSHIT, I KEEP TELLING YOU I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU ANYMORE. STOP BOTHERING ME, IF YOU WANT MONEY AGAIN WELL I DON'T FUCKING HAVE IT. JUST STOP!! REBUILDING THIS FUCKING CONNECTION IS USELESS AND IT'S NOT WORKING. DON'T CONTACT ME AGAIN I FUCKING HATE YOU."

'holy fuck.' was the only thing xyx could say inside his mind. he hears them harshly throw something into the wall, then yelled a "GODFUCKING DAMMIT JUST KILL ME!" before going quiet, real quiet. xyx thinks that he's never been more glad that his room is the only one close enough to hear all this, making them save face from all this mess that is happening.

but now xyx really wants to interfere, just barge into their room and ask them what's wrong, comfort them through it and make them feel better, they did mention that this neighbor is the only friend they have left the second time that they got to talk, so xyx felt like it was his responsibility (and he want to do as well of course) to check up on his friend and help them through a hard time.

but he doesn't. scared of being pushed away, he just waits for them to make the first move to talk to him. he's just going to give them some time for themselves to recover, clear their mind for a bit, so they can both work through this together. this might become a regretful decision later on but he's going to fix it, he swears. he just needs them to take a break first, and xyx knows that they're strong and that they will work through it.

but apparently, xyx was wrong. so, so, wrong.

that day he never saw them go out of their apartment, nor the day after that. it was the weekend so it was understandable for them to not have any business outside, but after the incident xyx just can't help but be worried.

he tried resisting it but it's been a day and a half since he last saw nor heard something coming from them, so xyx decided that he'd ask his friends is he should meddle or not.

his friends were caught off-guard by how serious he sounds, but in the end they gave him one helpful piece of advice: go talk to them.

but even after all that, he doesn't do anything. his fear of being hated held him back. he just kept on waiting, and waiting, until monday morning came.

6am, xyx was preparing for work, he went outside to go get his shoes when he saw them preparing to leave.

"oh? morning shift today?" he asked, they shook their head. "no, i asked for a day off today. just wanted to go wander by myself for fun, goodluck with work by the way!" they greeted him, as cheerful as ever, that for a second xyx thought he never heard anything in the first place.

"oh take care, i'll see you later then."

they smiled at him, xyx thought they were adorable but his gut was telling him something was wrong, he paid it no mind, "yeah! goodbye xyx!" they then waved goodbye before running off to somewhere. smiling at the interaction, xyx prepared to leave for work as well.

that day went on as usual for xyx, yet he can't help but think that something was wrong and he doesn't exactly know why. he decides to not think about it further and stops by a fast food chain, buying food for himself and for his neighbor, thinking they could eat together and talk about the recent things that has been happening.

he arrives home and knocks on their door, only to get nothing, not an answer, not them coming to open up the door. xyx twists the knob just to fuck around but surprisingly, the door opened. he knows that they're a bit clumsy but they've never been this careless, so he welcomes himself in and looks around the apartment for them.

nothing too out of the ordinary he thinks, when suddenly the gut-wrenching feeling he had earlier came back at full force.

xyx goes to check their bedroom and there it was, the answer for this uneasy feeling.

fear.

his good friend was hanging from the ceiling, dead.

time suddenly stopped for xyx, he felt numb, but he knew his eyes were acting like a never-ending waterfall, this empty, void-like feeling he so badly want to get rid of.

but he can't.

because he fucked up, yet again.

he knew he made an irreversible mistake, and the worst one yet, just because he was scared of being "hated". which in the first place he should've known that they won't be able to do, even if they both wanted to.

it should be obvious that he fucked up but his mind is not letting it go and he's being reminded of it every second.

even now that 8 years have passed.

he fucked up again, and he just keeps fucking up after they left him, and yet all this built-up guilt he feels from making careless mistakes in everyday doesn't even amount to that one he made that screwed everything over.

he knows nobody blames him, he knows they would never even think of that, he knows and yet.. he can't help but think differently.

if only.

if only he could go back in time and fix everything. he would fix his mistakes with them, and help them live a happier life, if only.

'but life is never that forgiving.' as he walks towards a lonely tombstone.

"hey doll, i fucked up again, you know as i do everyday. i’m doing bad, i hate my job, i hate myself— hell i even hate riding now. i hate life without you doll, it’s fucked. i keep fucking up.”

"i wish i never did with you, though."

[dizzythegreat]

Keeper of the Lost Cities meta: a hopefully-not-too-critical analysis

Starting off by saying that this whole thing is a just little too pretentious and a just little too fueled by irritation so don't take everything I say as fact! I'm just kind of ranting about things that I feel like most people are annoyed with (?) please share your thoughts with me! I think it's important for discourse like this to happen to keep fandoms alive!! non-Keeper mutuals feel free to DISREGARD!

First of all Keeper has such a special place in my heart, I started reading the series when I was 12 and I'm 16 now, so I really did kind of grow up with the books. I LOVED the series as a kid and hyperfixated on it for a really long time. As the series progresses and as I read it from a different lens, I'm seeing all of the flaws so much more clearly, so this whole rant basically stems from realizing something so special to me is flawed media and wanting to get my thoughts somewhere. All of this comes from a loving place! I'm just putting down my top few issues with the series and my opinions on a lot of different elements <3

DISCLAIMER I'm doing a reread but I'm only on book 1 and my memory is shit. Any false information is literally not my fault leave me alone

1. Length, redundancy, and predictability

This one really starts in Flashback #7 for me. It will always, always evade me why that book contains ~300 straight pages of Sophitz fluff and fucking around in the healing center. I know that a lot of people enjoyed those parts, which is totally valid! Shipping is a cornerstone of this series! But for me it felt so pointless and fan servicey, idk. And this is maybe my biggest problem with the books: they drag. We're at 9 and a half books now, each spanning like 500-800 pages, and the plot drags and drags and drags. I don't know if Shannon's publisher makes her fill a certain number of pages or what, but I feel like at least 100 pages of bullshit could be cut from each book and nothing would change. They start to almost follow a formula: 200 or so pages of figuring out the Neverseen's plan of the hour, another 200-ish to plan how to defeat them, and then finally we learn that the Neverseen is actually always one step ahead and the crew gets crushed oh my god tragic!! It worked as a subversion of expectations the first couple times but by now I feel like most people could basically just predict what's going to happen in any given book. Sometimes I wonder got left on the cutting room floor because it feels like SM wrote a first draft, barely trimmed it down, and published just that. The plot spins in circles, the protagonists are confused yet again, I am pulling my hair out in chunks.

It's a huge turn-off to a lot of new readers seeing these super thick books, and it's even a turn-off to me when I do rereads because surprise surprise, I don't actually really give a fuck if Fitz likes Sophie back, or at least not enough to read 300 pages on it per book. If the books were more concise, not only would that fix a lot of the plot and character development issues, it would also make them way more digestible because to be honest with you I probably couldn't remember half of what happens in most of them.

2. Sophie...

I think this is a very polarizing opinion but I just kind of don't like Sophie as a main character? I honestly think she's fallen victim to becoming a Mary Sue and not even in a "wehhh powerful woman make me mad" type way! It's just that Sophie at her fullest power is undeniably the most powerful elf in a battle, so to counteract this, Shannon has to keep finding ways for the Neverseen to take away Sophie's power. Whether through the whole "she can only inflict everyone at once" thing or breaking every bone in her hand or creating forcefields or literally fucking anything to stop this kid with five million superpowers, they have to find a way to effectively tie her down so the battles seem somewhat realistic. This then creates a weird pattern where every battle goes one of two ways: Neverseen finds a way to effectively debilitate Sophie and all her friends, or she just goes fucking sicko mode and destroys everyone. You just can't have a main character who's this much ahead of everyone else in terms of raw power.

For me, I think the biggest issue with Sophie is she's not relatable to the average reader. The age demographic for Keeper is preteens and teens. How many 13 year olds are the most powerful, unstoppable person in their friend group, in which three hot guys are head-over-heels in love with them, living in very comfortable conditions, with like five hundred friends? If you were that fucking baller at 13 then go fuck yourself that's super cool for you! But the core pillars of Sophie's life, disregarding the all the magical stuff (which obviously requires some suspension of disbelief) are simply not relatable or recognizable to the average reader. So how are we as readers supposed to feel connected to Sophie's life and situation if we never have (and let's face it, never will) experience anything close to the more realistically human parts of her life?

3. Character development (and the lack thereof)

Say what you will but to me the character development is so pale and arguably just doesn't exist. It feels like everyone has become so one-dimensional, so predictable, and so limp. Sophie has it the worst because we read from her POV, so all of her quirks and thoughts become really fucking annoying to read over and over again. For example, The whole oblivious "omg does Dex like me? does Keefe like me? DO I LIKE FITZ???" thing was cute when she was 12 back in book one but by now I am genuinely tearing my hair out when I have to read "Sophie blushed" every two pages. The whole "I'm a freak and nothing I do ever works and all is hopeless" thing was easy to feel sympathy for the first few times, but by now it's just kind of... exhausting? It feels like the naïve, oblivious Sophie from book 1 is exactly the same person as Stellarlune Sophie, no matter how many hideouts SM makes her burn down to prove she's ruthless or something. At this point, I feel like Sophie's choices throughout the series end up either being really predictable or wildly out of left field.

Every character other than Fitz, Keefe, and Sophie (and you could make a case for the three of them too) have become a shadow of themselves and they all get at most two conversations worth of pagetime. This can be attributed to a lot of things that I don't feel like talking about so here they are in point form: excessive focus on the main "love triangle", overloaded cast of protagonists, too much emphasis on A) furthering the plot and B) Sophie's inner thoughts instead of character relationships and found family. I think the books have lost sight of the original love, trust, and bond created by the five mains, and those super interesting dynamics between the different sets of friends that were so abundant in the first few installements have become few and far between. When I was a kid, I loved the books for the warm friendships and soft moments between Sophie and Dex, and now we're lucky if they even really talk to each other if not to push the plot. Biana barely exists, Marella and Linh show up every once in a while to be gay as fuck and then leave, Stina turned nice and then immediately went back to being a bitch because SM, for some reason, un-did all her redemption, and everyone else fucks around until they're plot-relevant. Where's the squad where's the crew where's the homoerotic undertones?!

4. Miscellaneous whining

Fitz's character is wildly inconsistent imo. I love you Sophie but I'm going to consistently get mad at you over irrelevant things and ice you out even though you need my support! Your boyfriend is for the streets girl

Fuck this whole half-book thing I'm sorry. Understandably, things have slowed down now that SM has two kids and I'm really truly happy for her and I'm glad she's taking time out of her work for herself and her family. But when she keeps releasing these weird novellas every year as some kind of "solution", it really just seems like a cop-out or a cash grab. I wish we could tell Shannon that we don't necessarily need a 700+ page novel to consider it a book! I personally would love if book 10 was more concise!! Let's just get this plot moving a bit!!

Sophie burning Gisela's book BURNS MY BLOOD. SM just had no fucking idea what she wanted that book to say + it would probably end the series too quick so she got Sophie to burn the most crucial piece of information they could have ever used under pretense of "refusing to follow Gisela's trap" or whatever OH MY GOD

Sooo many dropped plot lines/plot holes there is no way this shit is being resolved in the next 1 and a half books. See you all in 2034 for book 13.125

Sokeefe endgame was great but so predictable. Half the reason most people read this series is for the will-they-won't-they thing with Sophie, Fitz, and Keefe (justice for Dex!), and I think it was executed very badly. You could predict that Sophie and Fitz would burn out, you could predict that she would end up with Keefe, there was net 0 suspense by the time Fitz made his 500th dick move. I know I just complained about things being stretched out for so long but this one could have done with some taking it slow without making it obvious what was going to happen

Can Marella and Linh just kiss already

Anyways this all comes from a place of loving frustration. Oh Keeper my love, look what has become of you. Ultimately, SM started a fantasy series without knowing the ending, and it's spun out of control, but what can you do? I appreciate the series for what it is, I wish it was better, but I'll always love it. Through all my bitching and moaning I'm still rereading it to this day so who's really winning here? Please rb and comment and dm I love discussing Keeper!!! If you think I'm an idiot tell me!!! If you agree with me tell me!!! Don't be a dick!! Thanks for making it this far! Don't forget to like and subscribe and smash that bell

[celestial-letters]

omg uh ur writing slay so can i req vbs character headcanons when they have a crush on a g/n reader ?? tysmmm <3

yo im super sorry for taking ages w this. this is has been sitting in my drafts 4 like 2+ months n i feel like im setting it free from its cage after so long. somewhat proofread btw so keep that in mind lol <3

vivid bad squad x reader headcanons (separately)

kohane azusawa

Met you during a Wonderlands x Showtime show at Phoenix Wonderland

You two were sitting on the same bench, next to each other

It was really awkward since you two were the only ones on the bench

You ended up talking and gaining a new friend that day.

You and Kohane ended up meeting up on the weekends and going on trips to Phoenix Wonderland together

She ended up gifting you a Phenny plushie on one of your trips there

Kohane ended up slowly developing a crush on you

An noticed that she was starting to space out a lot recently and asked what was wrong

She became flustered and said it was nothing as she started stuttering

An caught on quickly on to what was happening.

an shiraishi

An was in one of your classes and hadn't even noticed you until a couple months.

One day, she fell asleep during class and didn't wake up until class was already over.

An looked around the classroom and realized that class was over, as the only other person in the room was you.

She glanced at her empty notebook, supposed to be filled with notes, and glanced back at you, packing up your bag.

An dashed over to you in a hurry

"Hey, do you mind letting me borrow your notes really quick? I... fell asleep."

"Not at all, go ahead."

An quickly wrote down all the notes on her notebook and handed your notes back to you.

"Thank you so much!! I'm An Shiraishi, by the way. Nice to meet you."

After that, you would occasionally meet up with An

An eventually found herself falling for you.

akito shinonome

Akito being Akito, absolutely refused to admit he has a crush on you

The two of you were co-workers at his part time job and occasionally talked.

You eventually became friends with him and hung out with him a lot, going shopping, amusement parks, etc.

Akito started to grow feelings for you but decided to ignore it.

An and Mizuki found out and immediately started to tease him

toya aoyagi

Didn't realize until really later on.

One day he was sitting there until he started thinking

"Wait, why do I feel about them this way?"

The two of you were pretty decent friends

The two of you talked and went to the arcade from time to time

He plays those crane games at the arcade to get you a plushie, and get the plushie flawlessly every time.

Tbh, he doesn't really act that different from normal.

He hopes to confess to you one day, just not yet.

[pointyhatspointyears]

(2.) How important is your OCs relationship(s) to their story? Would it still make sense without it? Or is their connection to this other character integral to their development?

God I wouldn't know how else to write a story if not around the character's relationships of any kind. Wouldn't know how to flesh out a character without starting with their boundaries with others and why they were drawn to begin with. (Boundaries not in the sense of walls but like, the outline of a figure that distinguishes it from the background) or the failings and toxicities of their previous relationships that would shape their personal definition of a healthy relationship. Where we can custom-tailor the circumstances for them to grow. So I really don't know how to make sense of a story without relating its main character to others, but that's probably because my definition of relationship is wider than what was intended by the question, probably..?

So if we're talking specifically romantic or sexual relationships, our characters pretty much run the gamut, so how big a part their relationship plays in their own story is a case by case thing. LOTS more rambling if you're curious.

Very briefly, the lala wives (Yuusei x Yasumi) I'd say are the most sexually active with obscene amounts of love and doting and it's an essential, sacred ritual for them that involves a consensual and mutually-beneficial exchange of lifeforce, so yes, an absolutely integral part of the story, especially with Yuusei's trans/body issues being a big part of their story (the sex parts will never be shared ofc because people are weird about adult lalas). Verdict: Absolutely integral.

For our girlfriends (Goose x Amalthea), one has a long journey ahead of her to being comfortable with touch and intimacy while the other is frothing at the mouth trying to be patient. Couples with drastically different drives really have it tough and it adds spice, but that's only indirectly relevant to Amalthea's WoL arc and how she learns to thaw and not let the isolation of long-term anger/shadow repression swallow her up. And the advantage of having a tenacious partner who's very ready and very eager to take whatever she can dish out at her, sexually or otherwise, and contain it for her when she can't, is certainly a healing experience for her lol. Verdict: fairly integral.

And as for the malewives (Fyrstyrm x Gabriel x Theneras) their relationship is as awkward as it is fun to write. There's long-distance issues (Theneras being in the First). There's platonic vs. sexual love and how they can or can't co-exist. There's Theneras only having known human contact through longterm ritualistic cult abuse, then escaping and living alone for about 20+ years, only to find the kindest, gentlest, most caring soul in Fyr, all the way in the Source, and forming an obsession attachment to him without the other even knowing he existed for a good few years. Even after, he's only able to be with him through Gabriel, Fyr's life-long friend and Theneras's "host" in the Source. His story is relearning how to trust others to have your genuine best interest at heart when all you've known was abuse, and boy does he take a few wrong turns along the way, having only been taught what he has. Then there's Gabriel who's all too happy to provide the required dick but is also slowly losing his own mind? because a strange elf owns all his aether and lives in him now and he can only hope he plays nice. Verdict: integral-ish? it's complicated..

Then there's our ace lala (and the 3rd wheel on our sapphic tricycle lmao) who does romanticize a lot of things, but relationships not as much. Her biggest relationship arc is with her adoptive dad (Fyr) and how she can get him to get over himself and his own sense of inadequacy, and show him he raised a damned good Storm pup, whether or not he manages to locate and reunite her with her biological family. I think she's the most relatively well-adjusted of all of them, whatever that says about sexual relationships. Verdict: nah she aint got time for that.

THANK YOU for the chance to ramble about OC relationships. It takes up 90% of my brain RAM and I overheat sometimes (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`)

Ship and OC Relationship Creative Process Ask List

[thewomancallednova]

Hollow Pursuits

so that was a whole lot

i definitely liked Picard refusing to fire Barclay, and insisting that they put some effort into integrating him into the crew.

I get that they wanted to have a mean nickname for him, but broccoli? Like how is that even an insult, that's just a random word that sounds like Barclay a little bit? maybe I'm just not at the top of my insult game anymore, but i don't get it.

Also poor Wesley, like he means well when he's correcting Barclay's approach at the engineering meeting, but wrong time buddy

and honestly, the thing threatening the Enterprise was pretty neat, and I liked the way Barclay figured it out.

Now for the holographic elephant in the room:

ehhhhhhhhhhh nooo dont do that Barclay noooo

like Riker is completely correct when he says that there should be a rule against simulating real people on the holodeck. And I think that's probably one of the biggest "the holodeck is still a new invention" moments in TNG, cause yes, you'd absolutely start developing rules against any of this.

I mean the episode doesn't spell it out, but Barclay absolutely had sex with holo Troi, right? I mean, why shouldn't the holodeck be able to simulate naked people too, it's presumably all on file.

and that is gross and violating

and I don't like how the episode plays it as a gotcha for Troi when she was previously going "well a bit of fantasy never hurt anyone" about holo Riker, only to be offended at her own holo image.

Like obviously she doesn't know (for sure. With the awkward therapy visit it probably wasn't hard to figure out) that Barclay violated her like that, but since we as the audience know that Troi has been victimized by him in a different way than Riker it feels really mean towards her.

Which is not to say that what Barclay was doing to the rest of the main characters is good or excusable. Troi says that having a healthy fantasy is good, and I agree, but I don't think creating realistic environments where you go around beating up your bosses and fuck your therapist everyday is in any way healthy.

And I'm of two minds about how the episode feels about this. Cause on the one hand Barclay very much has to leave these fantasies behind to grow as a person and resolve the thing threatening the Enterprise. But on the other hand the episode plays Troi's and Riker's reactions for laughs, like it's really not that serious, and also shows Barclay saving on of the programs. So I'll go ahead and say the episode says moderation matters. Living out a fantasy life is bad, but very occasionally fucking the simulated image of a real person for fun is fine.

Okay that was hyperbolic, but that's what it feels like.

And then there's the La Forge thing. Cause like. Geordi did this too. But in that case, I don't think the writers really intended it like that? Like an astute viewer put in the tags under my post on Booby Trap, that episode is essentially about Geordi wanting to fuck the ship (a noble pursuit if there ever was one!) and doing that via the Brahms hologram. The fact that she is modeled on a real person is kind of incidental to that. I don't think Geordi would have behaved much differently if this was a completely fictional hologram.

Wait hold on interlude, how exactly does Geordi perceive holograms? That's a genuine question, cause like either they're light or like replicated matter and I think we can all want it to be light; so how does Geordi perceive that? If only we had short stories retroactively inserted into the series that could focus on Geordi and address this in an interesting way!

uhm where was i

sorry this is getting so long, but i have a lot of feelings on this one and also the last few were all super short

ahem

But it still kinda is Geordi making out with the image of a real person who did not consent to that.

so does it make a difference that Geordi and Leah don't know each-other? That Leah might as well be fictional to Geordi? Does that make it better? Does it help that there is a 10% error margin in the Leah hologram? Or by that token, do the modifications Barclay made to the Troi hologram improve the situation? Or worsen it?

i dont fucking know, shit sucks!

oh the title is a 10/10 pun by the way. Hollow Pursuits walked so that It's Only A Paper Moon could run.

i dunno i guess the headline here is starfleet needs to put some damn regulations on that thing

[soulventure91]

the fool and justice for the rook asks!

rook tarot askies! | aaaa hi op these are awesome asks btw <3

The Fool: Where did Rook's journey begin? What were they doing before joining the Veilguard?

OH BOY. Okay. Dear taamlok you are new so this is going to be a lot (i am so sorry) -

Mara Leandra Hawke's journey absolutely began when she was born. Her mother? Kyran Hawke, Champion of Kirkwall, badass lifelong apostate mage that the Chantry couldn't touch even if they weren't scared shitless of her, and viscountess of Kirkwall. Her father? Anders, Grey Warden, abomination, rebel mage, spirit healer extraordinaire.

She was two years old when her father blew up Kirkwall's Chantry. As you can expect, this was a very interesting factoid to grow up with and be surrounded by.

Pair that with having an extrasensory bond to the spirit possessing your dad and definitely being way more aware of the Fade and the Veil than you should be for a normal person. This is not exactly a good thing to have as you start learning to talk and developing your personality - not only do the kids your age start thinking you're weird, but their parents start saying the same thing about you like they do your father: abomination.

This especially gets bad when, at age five, Kyr gets word of an evil monster she's fought and killed before reappearing back in Ferelden. After she leaves (your mother, being a badass, means a lot of the mean things that are said go whispered), things get worse. Mara and Anders end up having to flee Kirkwall and get to Skyhold to reunite with Kyr and have some measure of safety (even though Cassandra absolutely wants to have some kind of trial for Anders but the fact that he has a child manages to get her to calm down. Cullen really doesn't like it either but so long as he doesn't have to interact much with Anders he can...cope. Badly. But cope.). This is where Mara first meets Solas. She automatically has Bad Feelings. Justice automatically has Bad Feelings. But the weird elf is nice enough and has some cool stories so it. Sets.

The evil monster dies again, Kyr and Anders and Mara all get to go home back to Kirkwall (despite Sebastian trying to. Annex the place. But Aveline with the Inquisition's support kept that from happening so for now Kirkwall is still in one piece).

We now skip ahead thirteen years. Mara - is eighteen. And despite not being a mage, she and Justice agree that Mara will become Justice's next host. She's not a mage, true. But Justice's touch on her is powerful enough to let him possess her as if she were. Kyr, for obvious reasons, doesn't like this plan, but Mara is certain: it will work, and it will free Anders from some of the burden of guilt surrounding what he did as Vengeance. To see if there's anything that could help, Mara decides on a rather daring notion: traveling from Kirkwall to Nevarra and learning from one of the mortalitasi orders about spirits and, if possible, what she and Justice together are capable of.

This is backed up by Justice confessing he's sensed something Off in the Fade, determined when Mara sleeps and dreams. Something odd in the Veil. Spirits on the move en masse. All he knows is it can't be good, and Kyran and Anders have put up with Justice enough over the years. Mara gets to travel, and with her Justice can keep monitoring the situation.

It's the Mourn Watch that accept Mara's request, and Watcher Myrna is entrusted with the secret of Mara's true nature and heritage. Though Mara tends to blab when she determines someone is trustworthy, so it's only a few weeks later that Vorgoth and Emmrich Volkarin are both brought in on the secret. Emmrich provides the suggestion that Mara use the surname Ingellvar for her cover. This will even grant Mara extra anonymity and protection for her family: if anything weird happens, the Mourn Watch will be the ones to answer and not accidentally souring any foreign relations.

Cue the War of the Banners, and Mara, in true Hawke fashion, gets right in the thick of it - and ultimately temporarily kicked out of the Mourn Watch and Nevarra. Varric doesn't even realize "Princess" is involved until he catches her tailing him and Harding on the way out of Nevarra City. Which means "Uncle Varric" can either have his best friend's daughter tagging along in tracking down the actual Dread Wolf, or send Mara packing back to Kirkwall where all those side-eyes and not-always-veiled threats will be on her back again.

He gifts her a new nickname after all that mess. Rook.

Mara hates it.

Justice: How does Rook feel about the circumstances that led to them leaving their faction? What does returning feel like?

answered previously here!!

[monokelp]

Seasons of Blossom: Summary Review

**Spoilers Ahead!

Seasons of Blossom was a wonderful read. Everything in it tied together neatly, and actions and events that happened in the past affected what happened towards the end. I think Bomi and Jinsong were cute. But they were the only season of the story. Bomi’s Flower, which represents spring, is the opening season that we start off with in the webtoon. Part of it is because I don’t really care much for high school first love romances since I’ve consumed so much media that has the same premise. The only “difference” about this love story is that the girl is taller than the guy in the case—not a very commonly used trope, but it’s still not that impactful in the grand scheme of this story. I would describe Bomi’s Flower, as being very similar to what you would find as the main plot in a shojo manga or typical fake dating, high school set, misunderstoodlove story. This is not to say that I hate Bomi’s Flower, but more so that there were parts of this story that better resonated with me. 

Meanwhile, Hamin’s flower (Summer) was so heartbreaking to read, and it made me sob. The feeling of pressure weighing down as the eldest child and trying to protect your younger siblings from having to meet the same expectations your family expects of you—I don’t think anyone could have blamed Hamin for his choice. I think the most gut wrenching thing about Hamin’s flower, was that we were reading everything that led up to his death. We, as readers, knew what was going to happen, but it was a bomb with a timer that no one knew would go off. I love how the entire series places a very big theme on understanding that someone choosing suicide can hardly ever be counted as one person’s fault. If it’s one’s person’s fault, it was also anyone else’s fault that the deceased met that day, or the weather, or the clothes they wore, or place they were in. Everything would have been at fault. Grief was also something very prominent, and Somang, Hamin’s classmate and love interest, is such a strong and kind woman. She has had to keep living without ever knowing how Hamin felt about her until Jaemin gave her Hamin’s diary, which detailed how much Hamin cherished her and wanted to reach out but couldn’t. The way she grows up and does her best to help people through art is also wonderfully done, because she was able to give Jaemin, Hamin’s younger brother, a piece of Hamin to remember him by. 

As for the rest of the series, Gaeul’s flower (Autumn) was also a favorite of mine because of Subin, to be honest. And also for the fact that it focused on those in college rather than high school. I still find there’s a lack of representation of media that is geared toward or written with college students involved in the plot, so this was something I really liked about this webtoon. I loved Subin and Gaeul’s relationship probably the most. But I think the unfortunate thing is that if Hamin were alive in the series, Gaeul wouldn’t be. Because Gaeul only stayed alive for the sake of Somang, who was dealing with Hamin’s death. She couldn’t allow herself to die when Somang had practically nobody to rely on. Had Hamin stayed alive, Gaeul would have offed herself, knowing that Hamin would catch Somang in his arms. I also loved, loved, loved the development of Seonhui, Subin’s younger sister, and her classmate, Jaehyun. I mainly started “Seasons of Blossom” to witness their development, but I’m glad I ended up being able to read about all the other wonderful parts that the story had to offer. Seonhui and Jaehyun were important in the sense that Seonhui was able to find someone who made her feel special, and so she was able to move on from her crush on her childhood friend, Jaemin. Jaehyun also found someone whom he didn’t necessarily have to be a mediator for all the time; if anything, he likes to start things with Seonhui because she reacted cutely. Jaehyun being raised around three sisters also made sense as to why he knew how to handle things so well. The height difference was also super cute! 

Lastly, Dongchae’s flower (Winter) was mainly an accumulation of everyone working together like cogs in a clock to prevent him from doing the same thing as Hamin. Everyone played a part in making sure Dongchae was okay and that his bullies didn’t get away with the trauma they created for him. Dongchae’s flower was a very good arc but also a good conclusion that encapsulated all the main themes we learned from the other flowers. 

Bomi’s Spring Flower focuses on blooming love and friendship. Hamin’s Summer Flower tells a tale of grief, acceptance, and pressures set upon kids by their parents to achieve success. Gaeul’s Autumn Flower details the consequences and aftermath of bullying and the concepts of forgiveness and consideration. Dongchae’s Winter Flower then encapsulates the story by showing how community and connection will be one’s strongest weapons against declining mental health and suicide contemplation. 

If there is one webtoon that I would recommend that isn’t solely a romance or only for aesthetics, I would recommend “Season’s Blosson” to anyone who wants to be served a multitude of life lessons all encapsulated in a beautifully written webtoon.