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dododan · 3 months

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Thoughts about Alastor after the episode "Hello, Rosie"

Perhaps first such a small summary for those who haven't read my previous posts about Alastor.

Alastor's deal with someone has worked out. Officially we don't know with whom, but my theory is that it is Lilith.

Alastor is obliged by the contract probably to help/protect Charlie. His intentions are not clear, and he harbours many secrets.

He is not fond of Lucifer. Theories are that he either sees him as a threat to Charlie's hotel and dreams, or he is redirecting negative emotions about his own father and how Lucifer treated Charlie onto him.

Alastor enjoys being in the company of women and probably likes/appreciates Charlie. Perhaps he sees himself as her mentor.

His help, although chaotic and initially incomprehensible seems to be having an effect and actually helping the hotel and Charlie.

Alastor has a weakness for jazz and alcohol, but we don't see him ever drinking alcohol in the series.

His enemy is Vox, but he is more annoyed by Lucifer (probably because he is stronger than him).

Alastor doesn't like to lose or be wrong.

Here you have a link to previous thoughts if you are curious.

Alastor’s true motivations? - Why is he helping Charlie?

Dad beat Dad - Alastor, what the hell are you doing?

Traditionally, there are loads of spoilers here!

From the outset, Alastor seems interested/intrigued by Charlie sitting in the room and spinning another plan. Clearly he saw an opportunity in. Charlie was alone, so he could talk to her in peace. A plan was already forming in his head.

On Instagram, one girl made a fair analysis of Alastor's facial expressions. What expression on his face signifies what emotion. Which proved to be very helpful in understanding him! Here you have ig: @/sasha_draws.bg She did a really great job! But back to Alastor.

When Alastor feels some negative emotion, lines/wrinkles appear under his eyes. Which is true when you pay attention to the previous episodes, but in this 'Hello, Rosie' it is particularly noticeable.

For most of the time in this episode, Alastor seemed concerned to me.

When Alastor was talking to Charlie I had the impression that he was provoking her. He made Charlie painfully aware of how badly her plans had failed, which seems cruel. Initially this could be understood as simply an opportunity to take advantage of Charlie and make a deal, but I think this is just an added benefit. Alastor is bound by his contract to the hotel and Charlie, so he can't leave her. But Alastor has besides made Charlie realise that she can't idly brood on the bed because she doesn't have that luxury. Her friends were waiting for a plan, they were waiting for Charlie.

Charlie gave up at that point, and Alastor made her realise that there was still a chance to make things right somehow. He exasperated her, and showed her that she couldn't give up - in a rather cruel way but still, it's not always kind words or words of support that help you up.

Sometimes the painful realisation of the truth is the best motivator to undertake change.

For a moment, Alastor seemed annoyed that Charlie thought she had him figured out because she smiles all the time. He made her realise that the opposite is true.

A smile can be a weapon on many fronts. You could say that he gave Charlie some cue about his own behaviour. His lecture about smiling shows a lot about him.

Alastor hides a lot - his emotions, motivations or goals. He revealed to Charlie that he himself puts on a mask. The smile gives Alastor a sense of control.

The question is, isn't Alastor also lying to himself in this way?

He is creating himself as a cruel overlord, a person without a conscience who inflicts suffering on others for fun. It makes me wonder if he hasn't started to believe himself in the character he wants to pretend to be?

Nevertheless, no matter how good Alastor's goals may be attributed to him, or that his actions have a good effect on the hotel and Charlie, he still made a deal with her. He was aware that Charlie would not give up her soul to him and would not do anything against herself. Their deal is that Charlie is to help him like friend to friend when he needs it without hurting anyone, and he will give her information. Quite a specific arrangement and very narrow. To me their deal is a bit of a lifeline for Alastor when he finds himself trapped by his own contract.

[As an aside, I've noticed that a lot of people think that the stitches appearing on Alastor's lips are a sign that he can't talk about his deal. I doubt this because of the design of his character. Alastor was shown at many points to be dealing with voodoo or somehow connected to it. This is indicated by the green symbols that appear when he uses his powers, and the stitching that appears on his mouth probably refers to the very design of the voodoo dolls, which also had their mouths stitched in this way. Ironically in my opinion, voodoo is generally good magic, focusing on healing or helping, which doesn't really fit Alastor. Unless one considers the distinction between white and black magic as it is known in New Orleans. But I also point out that I'm not an expert, but I'm just partly familiar with the subject of voodoo and just wanted to show a reference to Alastor's appearance here].

I think Alastor's worry or uncertainty is most evident when he leads Charlie to Rossie. You can see the look on his face and those wrinkles under his eyes. This could be interpreted as:

he's upset that the angels are about to exterminate in the hotel and the only person who can oppose it is preoccupied with his love problems rather than more important matters.

He is upset/worried that he realises he won't be able to help Charlie this time, so he leads her to the only person who is more knowledgeable about love than him: Rossie.

He is nervous because he sees that he might fail if the hotel is destroyed, and that this might somehow breach his contract.

Alastor and Rossie seem to have a very intimate relationship, which was implied in the episode " Scrambled Eggs" when they were at the Overlords meeting. Now we have confirmation that they are very close friends. Rossie can afford a lot in Alastor's company and he allows her to do so. It also seemed to me that when he met Rossie he relaxed a bit, as the wrinkles under his eyes disappeared for a few scenes.

All in all, I'm not surprised that Alastor and Rossie are friends.

Rossie is the opposite of Alastor in a way. She seems transparent in her feelings and genuinely cares about her cannibals. But she also has the strength and power to allow herself to do so. Alastor, on the other hand, plays and hides emotions all the time, and gains power through fear. Despite this, he gets along very well with Rossie, which may mean he's not quite what he makes himself out to be.

I also think that Rossie's words about it being actions that show true nature and feelings may apply to Alastor and his role in season two in the future. But we can already see this now, for example, in the fact that his duet with Lucifer, where Alastor sang that he wanted to replace Charlie's father, ultimately led to a reconciliation between daughter and father which Alastor seemed to be happy with.

We also have it made clear that Alastor is asexual.

Rossie commented that Alastor could learn manners from Charlie. It is possible that what is meant is that when someone annoys Alastor, he does not mince his words. He makes his opinion clear - Susan is a perfect example of this.

Alastor and Rossie really seem close to each other, such as when they look at each other when Charlie panics, or how they dance with each other or their negativity towards Susan. Additionally, Alastor must have had a close business relationship with Rossie since she had an assignment for him and when she said that he never let her down. I got the impression that this gave him considerable satisfaction. Plus it helped the image he wanted to create for Charlie - that he was reliable.

Alastor also seems to put his faith in Charlie after all. Rather than believing in her plan of salvation for sinners, he believes more in the girl's ability to draw crowds and motivate people to action other than through fear or deals. It is hard to say whether he admires this trait of Charlie's, but he certainly appreciates her for it.

Alastor supported Charlie during her song when she had to convince the cannibals to fight - either by giving her the microphone or showing her a thumbs up. I further related that he was slightly worried/nervous, but also pleased after seeing his actions bear fruit.

Alastor also made it clear to Rossie that he valued Charlie and expected nothing less from her than to thrill the crowds. But the important thing is that he referred to her as the Princess of Hell, not Charlie. Alastor has made it clear for the first time that he wants to fulfil Charlie's potential, this shows that despite the faith he has in her, he still only sees her as the Princess of Hell and not Charlie as someone who is more than just a princess.

A break for now, as it's quite late at my place, so expect the rest of the analysis tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow at the furthest.

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m1ckeyb3rry · 2 months

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── THE GLASS PRINCESS // TWO

Series Synopsis: You wake up in a strange room with no memories, broken glass at your bedside, and a prince named Zuko as your only chance at figuring out who you really are.

Chapter Synopsis: You arrive at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls and meet your roommate.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Zuko x Reader

Chapter Word Count: 5.1k

Content Warnings: complicated relationships (strangers to friends to lovers to enemies to strangers to lovers to enemies to lovers), amnesia, alternate universe, lots of secrets and lying and mystery

A/N: oc warning from this chapter onwards ig?? i had to make up students for the fire academy so if you don’t like that then idk what to tell you except that you should probably read something else 😔 but even though jia-li and kaho are not canon characters their brothers are!! we will meet them eventually HAHA although i’m sure some of you might be able to guess who they are based on that

To His Royal Highness The Prince,

I have arrived at the Academy safely. Ty Lee and I were given leave from classes today, to allow us to acclimate to the environment of the school, but tomorrow, we will join the others in our year for lessons. I promise that I will work hard, so that Your Highness’s good name is not sullied by poor performance on my part.

If it does not trouble Your Highness greatly, and if it is not presumptuous of me to make a request like this, please feed Bian a treat when she reaches the palace. She is working hard, too.

Ever Your Highness’s humble and obedient servant, Ursa

P.S. Regretfully, I must report that I have still regained nothing in the way of my memories.

The messenger hawk that Prince Zuko had given you was a beautiful animal, almost draconian in appearance, with eyes like amber and a queenly crest of russet feathers. She had an enormous wingspan and talons so large that if you handed her a scroll, she would be able to take it between them and then fly away without waiting for you to strap it to her back.

“Woah, so pretty!” Ty Lee said as the Royal Falconer wheeled the caged bird into your room, vocalizing your exact thoughts at seeing the magnificent hawk. “I’ve never seen one so big.”

“Pretty’s one word for it,” the falconer said, shaking his head. “She’s likely the finest bird Agni’s ever seen. Actually, she was meant to be a coronation gift for Prince Zuko, but he came to the aviary the other day and told me to give her to you.”

You were so enraptured by the hawk that you almost did not notice what the man had said, but when his words registered, you immediately straightened your back and gave him an incredulous look.

“This bird was meant to be the prince’s?” you said.

“She was, but like I said, she’s yours now,” the falconer said. “By order of that very prince himself.”

You bit your tongue, feeling equal parts embarrassed and guilty about the gift. Although you knew he was doing it for his own reasons, you still thought it was strange for Prince Zuko to be paying so much attention to you. Even if he had saved you, what cause was there to give you such a grand bird? A normal one would’ve been fine. A smaller, more average messenger hawk was probably more fitting for who you were, so why instead was the finest bird Agni had ever seen sitting before you?

“Does she have a name?” you said.

“We don’t name the hawks,” the falconer said. “You’re her owner now, though, so if you want to, you can.”

You thought about it for a second. “Bian.”

The falconer wrinkled his nose, giving Bian a look that she ignored entirely, too busy preening her feathers to notice. You waited for him to say something, anything, but it took him a while before he did.

“It’s an interesting name,” he said.

“Is something wrong with it?” you said. “I don’t know why I chose it. I can change it, if you’d like.”

“It’s not my place to be demanding you change your own hawk’s name,” he said, bowing at you.

“Wait,” you said. “Before you leave — must I keep her caged all of the time?”

“It’s not really common for anyone to do otherwise,” the falconer said. “But I suppose she won’t go anywhere unless you tell her to, so it’s fine if you let her out.”

Although he was obviously hinting that you should not do it, you leaned over and unlatched the door to Bian’s cage. You weren’t sure why, but something about seeing her trapped like that made you feel claustrophobic yourself, like the metal bars were encroaching on your neck, like it was your flight which was restricted.

Bian did not move for a bit, and then hesitantly, she peeked her head out of the door. When she realized that she was free, that the door was open, she flapped her wings, and with a great gust of wind, she took off and perched on your windowsill.

“They should know how to take care of her at the school, since most students bring their own messenger hawks, so you won’t have to worry about her there,” the falconer said. “And if you ever come to the palace again, you can leave her with me.”

“As you say, sir,” you said. “I don’t know enough about messenger hawks and their care or keeping, so I will defer to your expertise when it comes down to it.”

“Good,” he said. “Have a nice day, Miss Ursa.”

“And you as well,” you said, waving at him before racing to the windowsill to admire the roosting Bian. She peered at you suspiciously, but when you raised your fingers and rested them on the space between her eyes, she did not so much as snap her beak at you.

“Be careful!” Ty Lee said. “Messenger hawks usually aren’t that friendly. They’re a postal service, not pets.”

“It’s alright,” you said, stroking Bian’s head, smiling as she closed her eyes and crooned at you. “I think she’s different. Well, at least, I don’t think she’ll bite me or anything like that. She’s nice.”

“If you say so,” Ty Lee said. “Though I think I will stay far away, if that’s okay with you.”

“That’s your prerogative,” you said. “But I’m not putting her back in that cage, so don’t expect that.”

“Sure, I won’t! Anyways, she’ll live in the school’s aviary while we’re there, so it’s not a big deal,” she said.

“Oh, true,” you said. “Do you think they’ll let me visit her still?”

“They wouldn’t stop you. How else would you send letters? Although, I can’t really understand why Zuko even gave you a hawk in the first place. Who are you going to be writing to?” she said, picking her bag in one hand and yours in the other.

“I think he wanted me to write to him,” you said, whistling at Bian, who whistled back before she realized you were actually calling her, at which she rustled herself alert. “Bian, do you know where the Royal Fire Academy is? That’s where we’re going. You can either come with us or fly there on your own.”

Bian cocked her head before diving back into her cage, landing on the perch and tucking her head under her wing. You glanced at Ty Lee, who shrugged, obviously as confused as you were.

“I guess I won’t close the door, but if she wants to be in there of her own volition, then I can’t take the decision from her,” you said.

“At least it’ll be easier to take her to the academy,” Ty Lee said. “Speaking of which, we should hurry up and go — I think the carriage driver is waiting for us.”

The carriage was covered in gold and brandished with the emblem of the Fire Nation. A dragon moose was in the harness, dozing off, its ears drooping lazily as it napped. The driver himself was in a similar state, resting his chin in his hands, his hat low over his head to protect him from the sun.

“Sorry we’re so late!” Ty Lee chirped at him. He awoke in a flurry of flailing limbs, looking around wildly before letting out a deep breath when he noticed that it was just you and Ty Lee. “The falconer came to give Ursa a messenger hawk, so that took a bit of time, but we’re here now!”

“It’s not an issue,” the driver said, patting the dragon moose on the rump and swinging off his bench, taking the bags from Ty Lee’s hands. She relinquished them easily, watching as he put them under your seats in the carriage, and then she turned to you.

“Give him Bian’s cage, so that he can put her in there as well,” she said.

“He won’t put her under the seat, right?” you fretted, gripping the bars of the open cage.

“Of course not, silly! He’ll just put her on the carriage floor or something, and we’ll have to sit around her,” she said.

“Okay, if you say so,” you said. “Sir Driver, please take the utmost of care with Bian when you put her away.”

“You don’t have to be that formal with him,” Ty Lee whispered to you as the driver gave you a strange look before grabbing Bian’s cage, though he did gentle his movements when you frowned at how rough he was being. “He’s just a driver.”

“Sorry,” you whispered back. “I would just feel bad if I didn’t address him politely.”

“They’re used to it,” she said, leaping into the carriage once the driver had left and extending her hand out to you to help you in. You grabbed onto it and let her pull you in beside her. Bian squawked indignantly when you narrowly avoided kicking her cage over, and you muttered an apology to her as you sat across from Ty Lee, folding your hands in your lap and crossing your legs at the ankles.

“Is the academy far from here?” you said.

“Not by much. It’s a quick journey, since it’s inside of the volcano as well,” she said.

“Volcano?” you said.

“Oh, sorry, I forgot you wouldn’t have known much about that! The Fire Nation’s capital is inside of a dormant volcano, but of course, the entire city isn’t actually located in the main crater. Only the most high-status dwellings and government buildings are here; everything else is on the sides of the volcano, just because there isn’t enough space for them here,” she said.

“The Royal Fire Academy is included in that?” you said.

“It’s where all the children of the Fire Nation elite go to school,” she said. “Naturally, it’d be in here, too!”

“Ah, that’s sensible,” you said, for you hadn’t thought that through until she had mentioned it. In fairness, you also hadn’t known that the inner circle of the Fire Nation was located inside the crater of a dormant volcano, but then again, what could be a greater representation of the nation’s pride than the subjugation of nature’s own version of fire?

“It’s a very beautiful building,” Ty Lee said. “From what I remember, anyways. Nothing’s as beautiful as the palace, but the academy comes close. And the grounds…you’ll love them, Ursa! Even though I didn’t like my time there that much, I still have some good memories of just how amazing the gardens were. I can’t wait to show you around!”

“I can’t wait to see everything,” you said. “Is there a library?”

“Duh,” Ty Lee said. “It’s a school. Of course there’s a library. Do you like reading or something?”

“I don’t know. I can’t remember, but I’m sure that I’ll be much behind everyone else, so I’ll probably need to do a lot of catching up so that I can still get good marks. A library is my best bet at finding the information I need,” you said.

“You’re so studious,” Ty Lee said. “I’ve always just thought to myself that as long as I pass, it’s fine!”

“The prince has gone through so much effort to ensure my acceptance in the academy,” you said. “The least I can do for him is prove that it wasn’t a waste.”

Ty Lee beamed at you. “You’re amazing! I bet he’ll be really grateful that you’re so dedicated.”

“It’s good to hear that,” you said. “Besides, maybe it’ll help jog my memory if I read about history and science and other such things. According to Prince Zuko, I was a soldier before he found me, but I doubt he knows anything about my hobbies or preferences, so there’s no telling what might spark something in my mind.”

This was the true reason. Though it wasn’t a lie to say that you wanted to make the prince happy, your own identity was more important to you. The memories of the girl named Ursa, who she had been, who she had loved…you wanted to know all of it. You wanted to know who you were, not in anyone else’s words but in your own.

Ty Lee did not seem to judge you. She only smiled sadly before turning to look out the window, an obvious sign that the conversation was over.

She had been right; the journey to the academy did not take much longer than the duration of your conversation. You were there before you knew it, before you were really prepared for what that meant, but it was irrelevant. Your personal feelings on the matter weren’t important, because this was where you would now spend your time. You were going to be a proper Fire Nation girl, a lady, one who could rejoin society as someone that even a prince might be proud of.

Bian was carted off to the academy’s aviary before you could even think to wish her farewell, but beyond promising yourself you would visit her later, there was nothing you could do about it. That was because a tall, stately woman before you was now commanding all of your attention, her pinched face souring when she saw your plain clothes and meager possessions.

“So you are the Ursa that the prince insisted attend my school,” the woman, who must’ve been the Headmistress, said. “And here we have the infamous dropout of the academy, Ty Lee.”

Something about the Headmistress seemed to cow even the perpetually sunny Ty Lee, for she only ducked her head and folded her hands behind her back in deference.

“Yes, Headmistress,” she said. Following her example, you hoped you were doing it correctly.

“Yes, Headmistress,” you said.

“You two are probably the most sorry students I’ve seen in all my years at this institution,” she said. “You’re lucky that you are who you are and that you know who you know. If it weren’t for the royal family’s interference, then mark my words: you would not be standing here now. Neither of you.”

“Thank you, Headmistress,” Ty Lee said.

“Thank you, Headmistress,” you echoed.

“Luckily, two of our students still don’t have roommates, so there’s at least space for you both to stay. For as long as you can bear to, anyways,” the Headmistress said, the latter part of her statement pointed at Ty Lee, who did not even argue. “Ty Lee, you will room with Kaho, and Ursa, you will be with Jia-Li.”

You had been hoping that you would get to stay with Ty Lee, but there was only so much that you could expect to go your way. Although you had no idea who Jia-Li was, you hoped that she would at least be friendly enough that you could live with her without much complaint.

Ty Lee did not seem optimistic about the proposition of rooming with Kaho. Her sweet face crumpled, but she did not speak up. You wondered what kind of person Kaho could be, if even Ty Lee did not want to live with her.

“Yes, Headmistress,” you said, speaking for the both of you when it became evident that Ty Lee was far too distressed to say anything.

“I will show you to your rooms. You arrived too late to attend today’s classes, so you will be excused, but I expect the both of you to be present tomorrow. At this school, education is our priority, and special admission or not, no one is exempt from this,” the Headmistress said.

“Of course, Headmistress,” you said once again. “I am eager to begin learning.”

She glanced at you out of the corner of her eye before turning away. “Good. Enthusiasm is the first step to success. We’ll see; maybe we can make something halfway respectable out of you after all.”

The room you were to share with Jia-Li had a heavy, plain door, though two placards hung on it, the left emblazoned with the characters of your name, the right with hers. The Headmistress did not even wait for you to enter before marching off with Ty Lee, presumably to where Kaho’s room was.

You opened the door gingerly, cringing back preemptively in case Jia-Li was of an easily startled temperament. When there was no blast of fire in your direction, you stepped in, admiring the small room and getting your first glance at your new roommate.

She had long, silky hair tied in a ponytail with a red ribbon, and her eyes, which were trained on a scroll, were the same color as volcano-glass. The bed on the left of the room was clearly hers, as its blankets were messy instead of neatly made, and she was sitting at the desk by its foot. There were paintings hung on her side of the room, but the side that must’ve been yours was noticeably bare, likely in preparation for your arrival.

“Are you Jia-Li?” you said when she did not look up. She dropped the scroll in her hands and sprang to her feet, her cheeks flushed and her palms clasped together in apology.

“Yes, I am! I’m sorry, I didn’t notice you coming in. Are you Ursa?” she said. You wanted to say no, because you still didn’t feel very much like that was who you were, but you just nodded your head.

“It’s nice to meet you. I think we’re going to be roommates?” you said.

“Yes, they brought your things up just now. It’s nice to meet you, too! My last roommate left after losing an Agni Kai, so I’ve been living on my own for a bit. It’ll be nice to have someone here with me again,” she said.

“Do you get kicked out if you lose an Agni Kai?” you said.

“No?” Jia-Li said. “It’s just a dishonorable thing. She got so embarrassed she had to leave, but it’s not like anyone made her go. Actually, she lost to Kaho, so no one was even judging her for losing. Kaho’s only lost an Agni Kai once, and that was to Princess Azula, so it doesn’t even count.”

There it was again: Princess Azula. She must’ve been Prince Zuko’s sister, but everyone said her name differently. Almost reverently, though they never said the prince’s name like that. It was strange. You weren’t sure if you ever wanted to meet the princess, if she inspired this kind of terror in people.

“Sorry,” you said. “I probably should’ve known that. Actually, I probably did know that, but — I’m not sure if they told you or anything, but I don’t have any memories.”

Jia-Li blinked. “They didn’t mention it, but that’s good to know. Who are you the daughter of? They must be pretty distraught that you’re like this.”

“I don’t know. I’m not the daughter of anyone,” you said. “If I have parents or siblings or a family, they are lost somewhere in my mind, along with everything else I cannot recall.”

“Not the daughter of anyone? Then how’d you end up in the academy? It’s infamous for being selective and only open to the children of the nobility,” Jia-Li said. It didn’t seem like she was upset or scandalized by the fact that you, her new roommate, were just some ordinary girl — she just appeared to be confused.

“Actually, I was found by Prince Zuko while injured and taken to the palace to be healed,” you said. “Now that I am in a somewhat better shape, he arranged for me to attend the academy so that I can rejoin Fire Nation society in a proper way and understand what kind of world I am living in.”

Jia-Li’s jaw dropped. “You’re the one here on the royal family’s scholarship?”

“I didn’t know that was a well-known thing…” you said, rubbing the back of your neck sheepishly, stepping into the room fully. Jia-Li’s face lit up as you opened the bags Mai had packed for you and began to shake out your things to set them up in the room.

“Kaho’s been furious since she heard about it!” she said. “She’s always tried to gain favor from the royal family and failed, so to hear that a girl is coming to the academy that has the very thing she lacks has had her in knots.”

The name Kaho was familiar to you, and not just because Jia-Li had mentioned her earlier. You tried to think about where you might know her from, and then you realized that she was Ty Lee’s roommate, the one that she had been upset about.

“Is she someone dangerous?” you said.

“Depends. Are you talented with bending?” Jia-Li said.

“I’m not even a bender,” you said. Jia-Li winced.

“Then yes, she’s dangerous,” she said. “If I were you, I’d steer clear of her.”

“Are you a Firebender?” you said. Jia-Li smiled, holding out her palm, where a small flame blossomed.

“I’m passable enough. Certainly, I’m no prodigy, but I can do most of the intermediate forms, and I’m starting to try some of the more advanced ones, too,” she said. “That, combined with my brother’s friendship with Kaho’s, is enough for her to mostly leave me alone.”

“I’ll do my best to avoid her,” you said. “Though I don’t even know who she is, so it’ll be difficult.”

“I’ll look out for you,” Jia-Li promised. “Actually, my best advice would be to avoid people you don’t know in general. Most girls here aren’t that nice.”

“But I only know you and Ty Lee,” you said. Jia-Li nodded.

“That’s enough. Two friends is more than most people have, and it’s better to have two actual friends than ten false ones,” she said.

“How do I know that you’re an actual friend?” you said before clapping your hand over your mouth. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that.”

She laughed. “It’s okay. That’s a good question; one whose answer you will have to determine for yourself. However, whether you think I’m a true friend or not, you’ll have to live with me, so for both our sakes, I hope you come to a more positive conclusion. In the meantime, though, I have to go to afternoon lessons. I’m assuming you’ve been excused from them?”

“Yes, I have been,” you said. “I’m to start with classes tomorrow.”

Jia-Li made a face. “Lucky. You should try to get some rest while you can.”

“I already can’t. I need to spend some time reviewing so that I’m prepared for class tomorrow. I’m already starting off at a disadvantage; I have to do what I can to close the gap between me and everyone else, so that my performance does not reflect poorly on the prince,” you said.

Jia-Li looked impressed. “I’ll leave you to it, then. If you ever need help with your homework or studying or anything, let me know. I’m not the top student at the academy or anything, but my grades are decent.”

“Who’s the top student?” you said. Jia-Li gave you a knowing look.

“It was Princess Azula, before she left, and ever since, it’s been Kaho,” she said.

“Not exactly a person I should be asking for tutoring, then,” you said in defeat.

“Not exactly,” Jia-Li agreed. “Anyways, see you tonight!”

“Tonight? Is something happening?” you said.

“Yeah,” she said. “We’re sleeping. In the same room. As we will be, until the end of the term.”

“Oh, right. I forgot,” you said. Jia-Li smiled, patting you on the shoulder as she walked out.

“Bye, Ursa,” she said.

Once your things were unpacked, you thought about trying to find Ty Lee, but Jia-Li’s warning about Kaho still rang in your head, and considering Kaho was Ty Lee’s roommate, it would probably be best if you avoided that area overall. Besides, you didn’t know where their room was, so even if you weren’t afraid of meeting Kaho, you wouldn’t be able to find Ty Lee anyways.

You were just about sitting down to write a letter to Prince Zuko, telling him about your first day, when someone burst into your room. It wasn’t Jia-Li — you didn’t think she possessed that much energy — but it was still someone familiar to you: Ty Lee.

“You must’ve read my mind,” you said. “I was thinking about how I’d like to meet you.”

“Ursa, things are just horrid! My roommate is Kaho, and she’s just like I remember her being!” Ty Lee wailed, throwing herself into your arms. You barely had the self-possession or advance warning to catch her, and then the only thing you could do was awkwardly pat her on the back, looking around and wishing there was someone else here to help.

“Do you know Kaho from before you left the academy?” you said.

“Do I ever,” Ty Lee muttered. “She’s the reason I’m even friends with Azula.”

“How does that work?” you said.

“She’s insane, that’s how,” Ty Lee said. “Kaho, I mean. She was jealous of how much attention the boys at the Royal Fire Academy for Boys were giving me, so she challenged me to an Agni Kai! Mind you, I’m not even a Firebender.”

“I thought you could only participate in an Agni Kai if you were one, though,” you said.

“Yes, that’s right. She knows that, too. It doesn’t stop her from going around and calling one for at any inconvenience, no matter her opponent’s bending status. The thing is, technically, nonbenders are allowed to call someone else — namely, a Firebender — to represent them in the match,” Ty Lee said.

“Is it common to do that?” you said.

“It’s not really a rule that’s put into practice often, as most people wouldn’t challenge a nonbender to an Agni Kai — excepting Kaho, of course. Anyways, Kaho was the best Firebender in the academy, so no one dared to stand against her, even with that rule in place; no one, that is, but Azula.

“She agreed to be my proxy, though I think that’s just because she was annoyed with how Kaho liked to lord her prowess over everyone. Of course, she won, because she’s the most talented Firebender in the world, and ever since then, she’s been my friend,” Ty Lee finished.

“That’s great,” you said. “Though I’d expect it doesn’t endear you to Kaho any.”

“Not at all!” Ty Lee said. “And now you’re telling me I have to live with her? The Headmistress did this on purpose!”

“How can you know that? Kaho and Jia-Li were probably the only ones needing roommates. It was either me or you,” you said, leaving out the fact that you were secretly pleased that it was her and not you.

“Why didn’t she just make those two stay together and let us be roommates?” Ty Lee said. “I mean, really! Kaho leaves Jia-Li alone, something about their brothers being friends, I think, so they would’ve been fine as a pair, and of course we would’ve had so much fun together. But no. I swear, the Headmistress is punishing me!”

“What for? We just got here,” you said. She gave you a dull look.

“Well, I mean, I did drop out and run away to join the circus, you know…” she said. “It wasn’t the best look for the academy, that’s for sure. She definitely hates me for it.”

“That’s true,” you said. “You should just spend as much time as possible in my room.”

“Sure thing!” she said, like she had been planning on doing that anyways but was pleased to have an official invitation.

“I hope Jia-Li doesn’t mind you being here too much. Did you happen to know her, too?” you said.

“Not that well,” Ty Lee said, tapping her chin in thought. “But I think she was nice. I can’t seem to remember anything about her that particularly stood out, which could be good or bad, depending on how you look at it.”

“Hm,” you said. “She did seem to say that she was pretty mediocre all around, so it checks out.”

“Sounds about right! But forget about our disappointing roommates. Do you know what time it is?” she said, raising her pointer fingers.

“I still don’t understand why it’s that time, but yes, I do know what you’re about to do,” you said.

It was something like a ritual for you two, now. Every day, without fail, Ty Lee would jab you with her pointer fingers, always causing your knees to feel weak and your pulse to grow shallow for a moment. You always asked her what she was doing, but she refused to elaborate, promising that she’d tell you one day.

Not today. Not tomorrow. But one day.

To my dear Ursa,

You don’t have to follow such strict protocols and rules of etiquette when you write to me. I know that I am a prince, but in truth I rarely ever feel like one, so it is strange for me when you act as if I am royalty. You may pity me for saying it, but since I know you so well am your benefactor, I will disclose that the habits of my banishment have yet to fade. And in those days, I was never referred to by such titles, so please stop. It is especially strange to hear you calling me such things.

I am glad that you were given time to settle in. Mai told me she was not sure that the two of you would be afforded such grace, but we are both pleased to hear that you were. I hope that your lessons go well, and that your classmates are kind and helpful. I also hope that, if you cannot have Ty Lee as your roommate, you get someone who is friendly to you.

You needn’t fret about doing well in your classes. I am confident you will, and that you will uphold my good name if I even still have one. Worry only for yourself. Try to avoid trouble, if at all possible, but write to me if it finds you anyways. I will do what I can to help you. I will always do what I can to help you.

I gave Bian a treat, as you asked. She was happy. I give you leave to make requests of me freely. It is not a problem for me to oblige you.

Yours, Zuko

P.S. I am sorry to hear that you still remember nothing. Please write to me if that changes.

P.P.S. Do not sign your letters off like that again. You are not my servant.

#zuko x reader #zuko x y/n #zuko x you #zuko #avatar the last airbender #atla #reader insert #the glass princess #canon au #m1ckeyb3rry writes

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crdteezv · 3 months

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Frat House - Yangyang Ver.

DISCLAIMER (important): This is a continuation of a fratboy series I’m doing for all the Wayv members! I recommend you read the prologue here first so everything can make more sense. You can also choose the other members here or at the end if you are interested in seeing someone else!

Paring: !fratboy! yangyang x afab! reader

Genre: college! au, frat! au, smut

Synopsis: You continue playing an interesting game of Spin the Bottle/Truth or Dare with Ten and his friends. You were dared to spend the night with one of them. When the bottle was spun, it landed on Yangyang. You wondered what type of things you and him were about to get into tonight…

Warnings: smut. !possessive/jealous! yangyang, DUB-CON, toxic…, also somewhat dark and not for the faint of heart, dirty talk, teasing, kissing, fingering, hair pulling, oral (giving/receiving(69)), throat fucking, manhandling, masochism, spanking, video recording (consensual), edging, o.denial/control overstimulation, unprotected sex

Word Count: 3.2k words

A/N: I know it’s been some time since I last updated this series. But, I would like to say that it is hopefully coming to an end very soon! Next, I will work on Xiaojun and then finish off with Winwin. Now I hope you all enjoy the Yangyang ver!

After Hendery spun the bottle, it landed on Yangyang.

You felt a bit surprised but relieved that it didn't point to a certain someone. Plus, you kinda know Yangyang so this wouldn’t be too awkward for you.

"Looks like you're staying with me tonight!"

"Yeah, sounds good. I'm pretty tired anyway, let's head up now."

He agreed and took your hand, leading you upstairs to his room.

Meanwhile, Hendery was still processing what happened. He felt a bit upset because he wanted the bottle to land on him. Others understood his feelings but moved on eventually. Everyone went to their rooms to sleep for the night.

♡♡♡♡♡♡

You have arrived at Yangyang's room.

It was nice and simple with a lot of grey undertones. His bed was facing the TV and was accompanied by his gaming setup.

"Hey, you can take the bed, and I'll crash on the floor or something–"

"No, it's okay. I'd feel bad making you sleep on the floor. Come here."

You gently pulled him towards the bed, feeling surprisingly at ease together.

"Your gaming setup looks pretty cool. So, you game a lot I assume?"

"Yeah, I do! I usually play with Winwin or Hendery. Lately, we've been hooked on Apex."

Seeing him talking about something he is passionate about, made him have this sparkle in his eye. You were so focused on what he was saying, you started to notice how attractive he was.

"I've never really played it before. I'm usually swamped with schoolwork."

"Wait, we could play now! I'll teach you."

Agreeing nervously, you watched as Yangyang set up the game. With a controller in hand, he guided you through the basics, his excitement contagious. Soon, you were immersed in the game together.

Laughter filled the room as you navigated the game alongside him. Gradually, you found yourself enjoying his company, feeling a growing connection. As the night wore on, you sensed a subtle shift in the air, the space between you started to heat up with tension. Sitting closely against the bedframe, your thighs would occasionally brush with each other, which was distracting you from the game.

"Hey, are you alright? You're playing slower than usual."

"I'm fine, just not used to this controller."

Yangyang paused the game, intertwining his arms with yours, hands still on the controller as if to offer comfort and support.

"You see, this is how you do it–"

Yangyang's hands covered yours, skillfully maneuvering the controller to control your character. It was as if he was playing the game for you. You couldn't help but feel a mix of embarrassment and heightened nervousness at his intimate gesture.

As you and Yangyang continued playing the game, the close proximity between you felt both exciting and nerve-wracking. His subtle breath on your neck sent shivers down your spine, a sensation you hadn't experienced before. It was hard to concentrate, and Yangyang noticed.

"Do I make you nervous? You've been squirming since we started playing again. We can stop if–"

"No, don't stop," you interrupted, feeling emboldened by the moment.

Leaning back into him, you gave him a seductive look, feeling a rush of adrenaline at the intimate exchange.

Throughout the night, Yangyang couldn't keep his eyes off of you, feeling a growing desire. He couldn't resist any longer. Slowly, he began to kiss the back of your neck, which sent tingles throughout your body. His hands found their way to your waist, his whispers in your ear

“You should keep on playing the game sweetheart. If you win, I’ll do whatever you want...”

Shivers crawled down your spine as he said that to you. But, who are you to deny such an offer? You nodded your head and he leaned back onto the bedframe and your backside was facing against him. You felt at ease and started to play the game again.

But Yangyang had other plans.

As you focused on the game, his teasing escalated. His hands roamed under your shirt, causing you to squirm and struggle to concentrate.

"Please stop, I can't focus–" you pleaded, feeling overwhelmed.

But Yangyang's actions only intensified, his playful bites on your neck were sending waves of pleasure all over your body.

"I never said this was going to be easy," he smirked against your skin, his touch was driving you to the brink of ecstasy.

Determined to win, you bit your lip, trying to block out the sensations and focus. This will all be over once you beat the game.

Feeling Yangyang's hand inching lower, your breath caught in your throat as anticipation mingled with excitement. His touch through your clothed pussy sent a jolt of pleasure surging through you, and you couldn't suppress the moan that escaped your lips.

"Seems like you don't want me to stop either," he whispered huskily, his voice dripping with lust as he felt the dampness soaking through your panties.

His words only fueled the desire raging within you, and you didn’t want him to stop at all.

His words alone were making you feel more aroused for him and you don’t know how long you could take it anymore.

He pulled your panties to the side and shoved his middle finger into your wetness. You let out a moan that was quickly covered up with one of his hands.

“Shh, you don’t want the others to find out what we are doing do you?”

You shook your head no and weren’t even focused on the game anymore. You were too immersed in all the things Yangyang was doing to you. Each thrust was pushing you closer to the edge. As waves of pleasure crashed over you, your moans became so out of control that you couldn't contain them anymore. But luckily Yangyang's hand muffled all the sinful noises you were making. Your body felt limp as you surrendered to the overwhelming sensations, losing control over yourself. Tears started to dwell down your face from all the stimulation you were feeling.

When Yangyang's thumb found its way to your clit, a primal scream tore from your throat, your body shuddering with pleasure.

He finds this all amusing and starts laughing at you.

“God, you can’t be this desperate for me, right? You’re not even playing the game for me anymore-”

He feels you squeeze and clench around his finger.

“Mhmm, you’re getting close sweetie? Then cum for me.”

He started shoving his fingers into you at a faster pace than ever before. And just when you were on the brink of climax, he stopped and pulled out his fingers immediately. You felt a sense of discomfort from being unsatisfied by his actions.

“Hey, why did you do that?”

His smirk only widened as he pointed to the TV, explaining his motive with a mischievous look in his eyes.

“It’s because you didn’t win love. I told you I will give you anything you want if you win.”

“Are you serious? It’s not even fair you, kept on distracting me.”

“Oh I know, and I don’t plan on making any of this easy for you. But I'll give you one more chance since I'm feeling generous tonight."

“YES! Now what’s the catch this time?”

He grabs the controller and switches the game to a simple racing game.

“Now, this should be easier for you to play and I will just be down here-”

He switches positions now between your legs while you lean against the bedframe.

You rolled your eyes out of annoyance. This is just going to be harder than before. But you were determined to win, fed up with his teasing. You agreed and focused on the game.

He started slow by kissing all over your thighs and squeezing them firmly with his hands. You stayed focused, he was not distracting you this time. He admired your determination but knew he could break you soon. His kisses turned into bites, making you tense. He let out a little smirk and continued marking up your thighs.

You were more focused on the game than before. You knew for a fact he was going to do everything in his power to make you fall for him. But, you are standing your ground and not making any moves. He couldn’t wait any longer and started to lick up your drenched pussy. He put your legs over his shoulders and started to devour you like he was hungry.

You bite your lip hard and start to lose focus. You were almost done with the game and just needed to hold out a little longer. He didn’t care anymore and shoved your core into his face. He started lapping up all of your juices and even started sucking on your clit.

You finished the game just in time and ended up in first place and you can fully let yourself go for him. You threw your head back in pleasure and started moaning even louder than before. You didn’t care if the whole house could hear you at this point, you just wanted Yangyang to keep going.

You pulled onto his hair and pushed him hard against you. You feel him start to whimper into you. The vibrations of all of the sounds he was making made you start to wince around him. You squeeze your thighs around his head and he starts to gasp for air.

“Fuck baby, this is not enough for me come here-”

He lays down on his back and places you on top of him. He made you face away from him.

“Back that ass into me sweetie.”

You were taken aback as he grabbed your waist and pushed your pussy onto his face, causing you to let out a moan. No one had ever made you feel this aroused before, and he was practically driving you wild. He practically making you see stars. You grind your core onto his face and he was loving every second of this.

As you were going at it, you started to notice that his cock was right in front of you. With a sinful idea in mind, you pulled down his shorts and boxers, stroking him with your hand. He moaned in pleasure, too focused on you to fully comprehend your actions. He couldn’t help but grind up into your hand. Pumping him faster, you reveled in his needy desire.

"You enjoy this, don't you?" you teased, slowing your pace as he begged for more.

“Mhm f-fuck yes, don’t stop-”

You started to slow down your pace and let out a playful laugh.

“I don’t know if you earned it yet. You teased me so much tonight and -”

“P-please, I won’t tease you anymore..”

You looked back at him and gave him a smirk.

“You promise?”

He nodded his head you decided enough was enough. You took him into your mouth, and he threw his head back. He had already forgotten that he had a job to do too.

“Hey this don’t get too comfortable, you better get back to-”

You didn’t have to tell him twice. He went back to devouring your pussy and with more vigor than before. You let out a loud moan and decided to suppress all your noises by shoving your throat down his cock. You began to bob your head up and down wasn’t planning on stopping anytime soon. You were both overwhelmed by each other. Just a moment ago you were playing a spin-the-bottle game and now his face is deep into your pussy.

Who would’ve known this all happening because of Hendery's little dare?

Yangyang couldn't resist thrusting into your mouth, causing you to gag. Tears streamed down your face as you wondered if you could take this anymore.

The both of you were reaching your breaking point.

You felt his cock start to twitch in your mouth, and you clenched around his tongue in response. With increasing urgency, you both intensified your pace, driving each other to climax simultaneously, not wasting a single drop. You got off of him and almost fell back but he grabbed you in time.

“Oh baby, we're not done just yet.”

You gave him a confused look and he grabbed you and pushed you down into the mattress on your back. He pinned your hands over and proceeded to take off the rest of his and your clothes.

"You're so beautiful. I've always wanted to do this," he confessed, his words a mix of desperation and lust, unsettling you slightly.

"Every day in class, I'd stare at you, wanting to be closer," he admitted, his voice tinged with longing. "But Ten or Hendery would always get in the way..."

He slowly brought your legs up his shoulders and positioned himself into you.

“But now… I have you all to myself.”

You started to feel a little intimidated by him. He seemed so possessive all of a sudden. Before you could even say anything, he slips his cock into your pussy, eliciting a loud moan from you as pleasure surged through your body. Your eyes started to roll in the back of your head.

He began to pound into you with rough, deep strokes, his pace relentless and unforgiving. It was as if he was consumed by an insatiable hunger for you, a side of him you had never seen before.

“F-fuck Yangyang s-slow down-“

“No, I can’t anymore. I’ve wanted this for too long, princess. Besides just a moment ago you were practically begging me to fuck you.”

His words were starting to get to you. You did ask for this but you didn’t expect him to be so feral for you. Apart of you didn’t mind it though. You almost like the feeling of being wanted and almost felt selfish for it. It’s been a while since someone wanted to be inside of you this bad.

So you gave in and started to make out with him. You wrapped your arms around his neck and brought him closer to you. He gripped on the headboard with one of his hands and started fucking deeper into you. His strokes started to become more sharp and precise.

“F-fuck p-please keep going… right there-“

“Ah you’re liking this a lot more now huh sweetheart? You look so pretty for me.”

He caressed your cheek gently before deciding to change things up. Flipping you onto your stomach, he positioned you with your ass in the air and pushed your head into the pillow.

"Now, I'm not holding back anymore. I want you to be loud for me so everyone in this house can hear you, sweetheart," he whispered in your ear, delivering a loud smack to your ass that elicited a whimper from you.

“Especially Hendery and Ten.”

Your eyes widened as you realized Yangyang had planned this all along. He had been jealous since you kissed Ten in front of everyone

Little did you know, he and Winwin were in on it the whole time.

When he was whispering to Winwin when you kissed Ten, he was telling him that he wanted to find a way to separate you and Ten. Yangyang thought if he could somehow convince Hendery to come up with such a dare, there was a chance he could have you to himself tonight. That's why he didn't object when Hendery first proposed the dare.

Yangyang was jealous.

You looked back at Yangyang with such anger "You wanted this to happen, didn't you? How long have you been planning this?"

“Since we first met in math class. I always saw you and Hendery going against each other and how close you were with Ten-“

He pulled you up by your hair and brought you closer to his face.

“Now here you are all alone with me. Begging for me to fuck you. Isn't it crazy how things have turned out?"

“Oh you’re literally insane you know that?”

He pushes you back onto the bed and slips himself back into you.

“And you love that about me don’t you princess?”

With each powerful thrust, you moaned his name, torn between fear and lust. Despite your conflicting emotions, you couldn't deny how good he was making you feel. You felt like you were losing yourself to him and you didn’t want to let go of that feeling.

You were enjoying this and so was he.

He slowed his pace slightly, still inside you, and reached for his phone. He started to record you.

"Now, baby, look into the camera and tell me who makes you feel this good," he demanded.

"You... you do," you managed to gasp out.

He gave a harsh slap on your ass again and you let out a loud moan.

He delivered another harsh slap to your ass, eliciting a loud moan from you. "What was that, sweetie? I didn't quite catch that," he teased

"YOU DO!" you exclaimed, feeling the pleasure intensify as he pounded you deeper into the mattress.

"That's right, pretty girl. Only I can make you feel this good," he affirmed before stopping the recording and tossing his phone aside.

"Now that I've got what I wanted tonight, I think it's time to wrap this up, don't you think?" he suggested, his actions leaving you too overwhelmed to respond with words. All you could do was nod your head. You were too preoccupied to be able to let out any words at the moment. He was bringing you so much pleasure that all you could do was scream and moan in ecstasy.

He grabbed your waist with both of his hands and started to fuck you into the mattress. He gripped your waist so tight that it was starting to become a little painful to bear. You both eventually climax at the same time and he was riding out all of your orgasms. He wouldn’t stop until you were fully satisfied.

He fell back into the bed and brought you to his chest. You were both panting for air, trying to catch your breath. It felt a little awkward afterward and you both didn’t know what to say to each other.

“Hey look I’m sorry for the way I acted tonight. It’s just I’ve liked you for a very long time now and I just got carried away. I can’t help myself when it comes to you-“

You kissed him on his cheek.

“It's fine, Yangyang. You just caught me off guard is all. I just didn’t know you were this crazy for me-“

"Hey, I'm not that crazy for you," he joked, attempting to lighten the mood after everything that happened between the two of you.

“Oh come on. You kept on going on and on about how much you wanted me and was being really possessive. I think that’s what you call crazy.” you teased, noting his surprised expression as he realized your point.

"Look, I'm sorry again, and we can forget about this happening, and I'll even delete the video–" he started, but you interrupted him by grabbing his wrist.

"Oh, but I don't want to forget what happened tonight. It was just getting fun, don't you think?" you said playfully, causing him to feel drawn to you once more.

"You don't have to delete the video if you don't want to. I know you want to show all the other guys what went on with me and you tonight," you added, observing his surprised reaction.

"Especially Hendery and Ten, right?"

**AUTHOR NOTES**: If you want to see what would happen if the bottle landed on a different member, choose here: [KUN] [TEN] [WINWIN] [XIAOJUN] [HENDERY]

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 7 months

Text

The Grey Zone 2

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon, manipulation, age gap, bullying, toxic parental figures, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Your relationship with your parents has never been good, and that with a family friend takes a strange turn(goth!reader)

Character: Lloyd Hansen

Note: It's a Monday.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me <3

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

Love you like I love turning intended one shots into series. Take care. 💖

You’ve always been the kid at the table of adults. Even now, legally of age, you feel like the same child forgotten on the sideline. The most acknowledgement you get is from your father when you thoughtlessly lean an elbow on the table or slouch. Sometimes, you think the fact that you’re still breathing is a disappointment to him.

“Thinking of converting the garage…” your dad says, “or we’ll wait till the kid is out and do something with her room.”

You don’t react. It comes up a lot. When you show him your pay cheque, he tells you exactly what to do with your money.

How much you should save so you can get out of his house. You’re not left with much else as he takes interest for your tuition; which he’s kindly allowed you to hold off on paying back until you complete your degree. It’s better than most people deal with, better than some debt collector chipping away at your credit.

“You’re a fucking busy body,” Mr. Hansen chortles as he stirs around with his spoon. You’re not a fan of the dish either. “You ever put any of that energy into, I don’t know, fucking your wife.”

Your spoon hits off your bowl but you try not to show your shock. Your father chokes and your mother guffaws drunkenly. Mr. Hansen is crass but usually when he doesn’t know you’re listening.

“At the table?” Your father huffs.

“He has a point…” your mother mutters.

“What? We’re all adults? I’m teasin’ you, Ray,” he insists, undeterred by your dad’s hot glare, “I’m just thinking out loud and there’s a tension here. Someone’s not getting fucked.”

“Lloyd, my daughter–”

“Oh, so you do know she’s here?” Hansen scoffs, “she’s grown. She can hear the fuck word a few times.”

Your father sputters, speechless. For once, he has no reprimand at the ready. He is a man who always has his way faced with another who can steamroll any refusal.

“Whatever, I was gonna ask you something important,” Hansen diffuses the conversation with the shift in tone, “I bought a lake house up north. I’m not handy, you know that. Not in that way,” he chuckles and your mother giggles into her wine.

Your father sighs and sits back as he lifts his chin, crossing his arms as he squints at his guest. That look doesn’t work on a man like Hansen. You look between them, waiting for either to explode.

Hansen smirks and sits back, mimicking your father’s posture but keeping his arms open. He braces his thighs as he puffs out his chest. You never noticed before the way his shirt perfectly fit him, clinging to his well-toned muscles.

“I’ll pay you. Same as any contractor. And you can bring the family to enjoy the lake,” Hansen counters, “enough for you to continue tearing this place apart.”

“Hmmm,” your father rolls his tongue under his lips.

“It’s a good idea,” your mother slurs, “it’s been forever since we went on vacation.”

“You just got back from Malibu two weeks ago,” your father chides.

“I mean, as a family,” she leans heavily on the table, her finger hooked on the stem of her wine glass, “I love the lake,” she looks as Hansen, pouting flirtily, “I just bought a bunch of new swimsuits.”

“Well, it gets pretty cold up there. Even this time of year. It’s why I bought the place. I hate the heat.”

“Oh, you seem to handle it well,” your mother winks.

Your father brings his hand down on the table, causing every dish to tremble. “I’ll think about it, Hansen. But you gotta think this out, materials and all that.”

“Zoning’s taken care of. All that paperwork bullshit,” Hansen says surely, “seems like it would be a good opportunity for you to get away and let go.”

You peer around the table. Your mom leans back in her chair, chin in her hand as she watches your father. Hansen takes his spoon again and smoothly stirs the bright broth. Your father shakes his head.

“Like I said, I’ll think about it.”

🖤

Despite how often you attract unwanted leers and looks, you have a knack for disappearing. As the adults leave the table, you clean up, fading into the background but not quite fitting into the pristine aesthetic of the house. Most of the bowls still hold a decent amount of the fishy bouillabaisse. It tasted fine enough but who likes that much fish.

You dump each and start washing out the dishes, putting away those pots and pans you dealt with before dinner was served. If you don’t do it, your mother won’t, and your father will chuck a fit about a single dirt dish left in the sink. So you go about the task, earbuds in, nodding your head along with the music.

Your dark nail polish flakes off in the warm water as your scrub with a sponge. It’s fine, it’s cheap. You want to try the new mystic blue you got anyway. You set a bowl in the rack and nearly scream as you feel a squeeze around your hip.

You splash water through the air as you spin to face your accoster. Mr. Hansen stands close as he holds an empty wine glass. Your mother’s lipstick stains the brim. You reach with a dripping, shaky hand to pause your music with a tap.

“I didn’t hear you,” you gasp.

“Oh? I thought you were just playing hard to get,” he twirls the glass, “your mom’s off to bed. Face down.”

“Um, okay,” you reach for the glass but he moves it out of your reach. You furrow your nose and retract your hand.

“So…” he wiggles the glass thoughtfully, his eyes clinging to you, “what do you think?”

“About?”

“The lake house.”

“Er, I don’t know. If dad wants to…”

“I don’t care what daddy wants, what do you want?” His blue eyes gleam, the dark outlines feeding the lustre of his oceanic irises, “seems like no one’s ever asked you, sweetheart.”

You shrug.

“Could be nice,” you say. You don’t get your hopes up. If your dad accepts, you think he’ll somehow manage to leave you and your mother behind.

“And… if dear old daddy did say no, and I asked you to come anyway…”

You blink, confused. Why would he do that? He laughs at you.

“Think about it,” he hands over the glass, “this place is a drag. Young girls like you need that distance. To find yourself.”

You don’t know what to say or think. You really don’t understand what he’s offering. You don’t get where his sudden interest in you came from. Mr. Hansen was only ever peripheral. He was there to give colour commentary and needle away at your father’s patience.

“I don’t know,” he backs up, “maybe they don’t make swimsuits in your style…” You hold the glass close to your chest, caught like a deer in headlights. “But it’s a private lake.” He pokes his tongue and winks before spinning on his heel. “No rules…” he calls over his shoulder as he passes through the door.

You shudder and turn back to the sink. You plunge the glass into the water and swirl it to rinse the residue of wine. Hansen is just like that. He’s always looking for a reaction. You suppose you’re old enough now that you’re a new victim for his jokes. That makes more sense. You’ve always made a good target.

You tap your earbud and drown out your racing thoughts with the music. Just finish this up and you can go hide in your room.

🖤

You shut off the kitchen light and quietly pad through the house. You climb the stairs as an eerie silence permeates the space. Mr. Hansen must be gone since your mother turned in. She often didn’t end the night without some grand finale.

As you near your bedroom door, you notice that it’s slightly ajar. That damn mechanism. Your father can fix every part of this house except for that. You sigh and push it open as you enter, stopping short as you find a shadow standing by your bookshelf. The coffin shaped furniture holds more than just books but some crow statuettes and deathly trinkets.

The glow of your lamp casts a purplish light over Mr. Hansen’s back. He hasn’t heard you. He closes the book in his hand and slides it between the others. He pauses and takes the deck of tarot before he can knock it over with his hand. He shuffles through and you flip on the overhead light.

He turns, unshaken by your entrance. He keeps the cards fanned out in his hands. He smiles at you.

“I never really looked close at these sorts of things,” he says as he runs his thumb over the emperor card, “they’re pretty.”

“What are you doing in here?” You ask.

“I got lost,” he says coolly, “can you read these?”

He smoothly pushes through your chagrin, sidestepping your question. That’s annoying but he’s older and he’s a guest. You didn’t need him ratting to your father about your attitude.

“Yeah, they’re really just for fun though,” you near him and reach for the cards. He claps them into a neat deck and keeps them away from you.

“I like fun,” he says, “can you read mine?”

“I don’t know. It’s late–”

“How much?” He asks curtly.

“What?”

“I’ve seen those ladies down at the market. What do they charge for a reading? I’ll pay you double.”

“No, it’s–”

“I’ll buy you some new boots or something,” he barters.

“Why?”

“I’m bored. This place is boring.” He says. You won’t ask why he doesn’t just leave. You inhale and clamp your lips tight. “You must hate it. So… I wanna know my future.”

“I… fine,” you shrug, “shuffle the cards.”

You look around. There’s really no good place to do the reading. He shuffles the cards and strides by you, brushing against your arm. He sits on the side of your bed. Alright, well, you guess that’s fine.

You move your laptop and books and climb up, smoothing the blanket before you. You sit on one legs and keep your fingers on the duvet.

“You need to ask a question?” You say.

“A question?”

“Yeah, like something about what you should focus on at work or in your relationships,” you explain, “something to guide the cards.”

“Hmm, oh, well, the second one.”

“Okay… any specific relationships?” You prompt, “like family–”

“With you.”

“What?”

“Me and you.”

“Uhhhh,” you drone, “that’s… alright. Focus on that then.”

You put your hand out. He hands you the cards and you fan them out. He watches, tilting his head as he brings his knee up onto the bed and faces you straight on. The strangeness of the situation does not escape you. It sears down your neck.

“Pick three cards.”

He does so easily. One, two, three. Most people would take their time but he is always straight to the point. You point to where he should place each card. The first there, the second next to it, and the third above.

“Alright, so,” you set the deck aside, “this is basic. The first card represents you, the second would be the other person.”

“You,” he smirks.

“Sure,” you say, “and the third, would be both together.”

“Hmm, interesting,” he rests his hand on his thigh, tapping his fingers.

“Alright then, flip the first one.”

He does as you say. You consider the card.

“Temperance, reversed,” you announce, “it means you like excess, you often go to extremes, so much so that your life often lacks balance and harmony.”

He nods and clucks, “I can’t disagree.”

“Second,” you direct him.

He flips it.

“Nine of swords, upright,” you utter. You let the air linger.

“Oh, what does that mean?”

“Anxiety, or sadness, dread,” you don’t look up at him, “so this other person… me, I guess, has a lot on their mind to worry about.”

“Wow, the cards really are magic.”

You wince and look at him. Is it that obvious?

“Final card.”

“Oh, I’m excited,” he turns it over, “what does fate have in store for us?”

“Page of wands, upright; represents exploration, excitement, and…” you pause as you search your mind, “freedom?”

“Sounds like a good time to me,” he snickers.

“They’re just cards,” you quickly gather up the trio. It means nothing.

“Do you read palms?” He asks as you put the cards with the rest of the deck and shimmy to the edge of the bed.

“No, I… no.” You eke out as you let yourself down to the floor, “look, thanks for humouring me but I’m tired–”

“Hard to tell with all the eyeliner,” he remarks.

You give him a sharp look. He smirks as he turns both legs over the edge of the bed and leans back on his hands. It’s almost a boyish expression.

“I’m pretty beat myself,” he says, “cozy.”

He lets himself fall onto his back. You put the deck back on the shelf and chew on the situation. What the hell is going on? He’s invading your space, mocking you, and you’re just letting him.

“Maybe you should go home–”

“Pretty big bed–”

“I kick in my sleep,” you go to the end of the bed and he turns his head towards you. You see that devilish gleam in his eyes.

“You bring a lot of boys in here?”

“What?” Your voice wilts out, barely rising.

“Easy enough to sneak em through the window. Got that tree right out there, they could just–” He motions with his hand, “zip right in.”

You let your anger burn through. You get that from your father. You fight not to let it win over but it rises so hotly that sometimes you can’t.

“I don’t appreciate this.”

“What do you mean?” He rubs his chest.

“You’re making fun of me.”

“I’m not,” he insists.

“You are. This is my room and I…” you swallow and ball your fists, “I want you to get out.”

“Sweetheart, really, I’m not–”

“You are. You can’t say or do anything that hasn’t been said or done before. I get it, okay? So please, I’m tired and I want to go to sleep.”

He blows out and turns his head straight. He deflates and reluctantly pushes himself up. He tidies his hair as he stands.

“You’ll see, baby doll,” he struts lazily to the door, “the last thing I’m doing is making fun of you.” he looks back at you, his lips slanting, “I’m out for a different sort of fun…”

You storm towards him and shoo him out the door. He cackles and you slam the door behind him. Out. Get out! You feel like you need to cleanse your room now. You hear his rocky laughter on the other side as he lingers, his hand hitting the door before dragging down it.

“Sweet dreams,” he calls through the door.

He pushes off, the door jolting in the frame, and his footsteps peter away. You huff and face the room. He never told you why he was in there. You cross to the bed and drag your laptop and books off. As you do, you smell a trace of his cologne disturbed by the movement. You turn away and stack them on your desk.

You are ready for the day to end, even if tomorrow holds little promise.

#the grey zone #lloyd hansen #dark lloyd hansen #dark!lloyd hansen #lloyd hansen x reader #the gray man #series #fic #dark fic #dark!fic #au

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absolutebl · 3 months

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This Week in BL - I'm Late, I know

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Feb 2024 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 12fin - we waiting 2 weeks I guess? Bah.

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 13fin - I wasn't impressed by the last ep at all. Trash watch happened here.

My final thoughts:

Based on alittlebixth's omegaverse novel #พิษเบ๊บ’ set in the world of car racing omegaverse. Thailand brought us the world's first omegaverse BL but then failed to lean into the courage of its a/b/o convictions by not emphasizing the difference between our world & theirs, adding & subtracting characters & allegiances + a weak ending. With earnest performances, enthusiastic sex scenes, a fantastic side couple, and some delightful scenery chewing - the actors tried… poor things. It's just the story failed both them and their parent genre. Frankly? I just wanted it to be more outrageous and trashy, since I never expected it to be good. Instead, it was just… meh. 7/10

(Imma remind all the newbies that this is not unprecedented from me with hugely popular BL.)

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 10 of 12 - I like it but there’s a high % of this show that doesn’t interest me. Anything to do with the side couple, or the friend group, or the cooking competition drives me into a comatose state of UGH. That means that in this episode, I paid attention to about 5 minutes worth.

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 11 of 12 - I'm ready for this to be done. I think they were trying to be this year's Big Dragon, but they just aren't good enough. I really didn’t need a third couple.

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 2 of 12 - I'm warming up to FueangKrom a bit. It’s cute. I am finding the pacing interesting. That pacing might be bad, but right now it’s simply different.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Love For Love's Sake (Korea Weds iQIYI) 5-6 of 8 - I still love this show a lot, but this 2 ep installment felt a little disjointed. I’m not sure if that’s the narrative structure or the subs. The captions are shockingly bad for a KBL and I don’t have enough Korean to make up for their clear failings.

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - Oh the return of the manic pixie dream ex. This is all very high school drama for purportedly grown-up adults. But them both being jealous and then kissing was sweet.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - They remain adorable and the sunshine robot is very sweet. But it is a little slow.

Perfect Propose (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 3 of 6 - I prefer the episodes when we get more of them onscreen together. But this was fine.

Happy Ending (Korea Tues YT) 3fin - The ending disappointed me (are you surprised?). What can I say, not Strongberry's best as far as I’m concerned. High school besties that many could be sweethearts. I don’t like an ending that’s left up in the air. 6/10

It's Done but...

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam, it's on YouTube. I will give it a try when I have a window of time.

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - A Burmese BL? @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch.

It's Airing But...

[NO INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 12 eps - Gave me Luminous Solution vibes. It finished, is it worth it?

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) 12 eps - finished, horror, supposed to be very philosophical, I think I'll give it a go.

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - dropped it at ep 4.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting Up

2/16 My Strawberry Film (Japan Gaga) - not quite sure how much BL this one is, because... Japan, but we shall see.

2/17 A Secretly Love (Thai WeTV) - Khonprot, a third-year head hazer of the engineering faculty, has a secret crush on Pluem, a tsundere fourth-year head hazer. Over the years, he's seen Pluem cycle through many girlfriends. Recently, after a public breakup, however, Khonprot thinks maybe a boy has a chance. Unless this is really good I probably won't I hate the WeTV interface...

Still Coming in Feb

2/24 Unknown (Taiwan Youku) 12 eps - Older brother tough guy criminal breadwinner looks after his sister and defacto adopted little brother. Little bother falls in love with him and is sent away after a stolen kiss. But when he comes back…

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

We gotta talk about LFLS this week. Look at Korea go!

Talking about a dead fish kiss, how meta! This will end up on one of my best of the year moments. I could not have been more gobsmacked.

Also something rarely directly addressed, particularly for same-sex firsts.

And then, a claiming trope, a personal favorite of mine.

Thank you Korea!

I just love them. (Pit Babe)

(Last week)

#pit babe the series #pit babe review #alanjeff #cooking crush #thai bl #love for love's sake #kbl #korean bl #Perfect Propose #Although I Love You and You #Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka #japanese bl #AntiReset #Taiwanese bl #cherry magic thailand

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kikokus · 1 month

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Lucci and Kaku: An Analysis

I haven’t done long analysis/meta/essay-style posts in a while, but after seeing a comment that amounted to “every time Lucci’s shown an interest in something that doesn’t have to do with killing, Kaku’s involved” it made me think about whether or not that's true and, more specifically, whether or not there’s been sufficient build-up to justify what happens in Chapter 1111.

So let’s explore, shall we?

First of all, basic disclaimer that I’ve been heavily into One Piece since 2008 and Water 7 has been my favorite arc since the first time I read it that summer. Kaku, in turn, has always been one of my top characters in the entire series for various reasons…but this isn’t about him (at least, not entirely), so all of that is just to say that I’ve thought about these characters a lot over the years.

And I think what always struck me about them is that not only are they so fundamentally different, but that realistically Lucci should not tolerate Kaku at all. He’s pretty much everything Lucci’s not, and they’re more-or-less a perfect example of the ‘someone will die…of fun!’ meme in a lot of ways (and honestly it’s what I think of every time I see this card, but I digress):

At the same time, what happened in the latest chapter didn’t surprise me, because there’s been hints all along, and I’ve personally been waiting years for it to pay off…even though part of me thought it never would, or at least not in the way it did!

Still, how did we get here?

But First, A Bit About 相棒

So. Why is the fact that Lucci calls Kaku his “相棒” (aibou) so significant? Mostly because of the…individualistic meaning of the word. It literally translates to ‘partner’, but not in a romantic/life-partner way (not to say that it has never been used like that, but it’s not the inherent meaning of the word).

Unlike words such as 友人 (yuujin), 友達 (tomodachi), and of course, with Luffy, 仲間 (nakama), aibou generally only refers to one person. You can have many friends, teammates, crew members…but only one aibou. So by calling Kaku that, Lucci’s already placing him on a different level to anyone else in CP9 or CP0 and acknowledging openly that Kaku’s important enough to him to have earned that distinction.

Which is why a lot of us were very excited about it, since this is not a common occurrence where Lucci’s concerned.

That aside, let’s get to the actual canon content.

Water 7

Obviously at the beginning we find out they both work at the shipyard, but that in and of itself isn’t entirely significant…until you consider that, since Kalifa is pretty much with Iceburg all the time and Blueno’s running the bar, the two of them are working in much closer proximity to each other than to the other CP9 members in the city.

The first real indication we get regarding their comfort level with each other comes in chapter 327 when Kaku gets back from examining the Merry and goes to sit down to explain what he’s discovered. Paulie’s the closest to him, but he actually ends up stepping past both him and Lucci in order to sit directly beside Lucci on the same level.

It’s quite a while before we see the two of them alone again, and it doesn’t happen until chapter 339 when they’re speaking with Robin. Of course at the time we’re not supposed to know it’s them, but there’s really nobody else it can be since this is happening at the exact same time that Blueno’s talking with Franky and Kokoro at the bar. So, as will become fairly common, the two of them are again acting as a unit of their own within the larger group.

And then, of course, we get the infiltration of the mansion prior to The Big Reveal (which I’ve spoken about before because for me it’s still the single greatest reveal in the entire manga because of how carefully crafted it is, right down to Kaku’s limited dialogue in this section being completely devoid of his usual speech quirks in the original Japanese text). Once again, Blueno and Kalifa are doing their own things while these two are working together.

This panel has always been interesting to me because immediately prior to this Lucci says he can’t let Paulie live, and then he decides to just restrain him instead. In Luffy’s case it makes sense because they gave their word to Robin not to harm the Strawhats, but he has absolutely no reason to spare Paulie, and the little lines of shock/surprise beside Kaku imply that he hadn’t expected Lucci to do that, either. The ‘why’ is still unclear, but it’s interesting nonetheless, and it’s also…noteworthy that it’s the only thing Lucci asks Kaku to do. All of the actual damage Paulie takes comes from Lucci and he never asks for or expects Kaku to harm him.

I never connected these two panels before but it’s obviously very deliberate to have Lucci telling Iceburg that feeling emotions is a sign of humanity followed immediately by Kaku…demonstrating exactly that and thanking Iceburg. It’s important to establish that part of Kaku’s character, but keep in mind Lucci’s lack of a reaction here because it’ll come back later.

Again, very tiny moment, but there’s a lot of examples of Lucci deferring to Kaku or letting him take the lead without any hesitation, and I like this because Kaku’s noticed something that Lucci hasn’t and Lucci just goes with it immediately.

I’d forgotten about this but Kaku’s also the one that decides to take Usopp with them, first by recognizing him as one of the Strawhats and then going through with it even after finding out he doesn’t consider himself a part of them anymore. And Lucci just…stands back and lets him give out orders to the others while doing so.

Okay so this is what I was referencing earlier. Kaku shows actual emotions with Iceburg and Lucci’s silent, but the moment Kalifa gets even slightly happy about completing the mission he’s berating her instantly. Kaku’s expression here is interesting too because he looks absolutely haunted and it’s very telling.

And also another visual representation of Lucci and Kaku being equal to/on the same level as each other.

I didn’t include the panel but Kaku was ‘sleeping’ when Corgi was giving them all of the information about Nero while Lucci was (seemingly) wide awake, and yet Lucci has no idea who he is and relies on Kaku to have all the information. Which he does.

Kaku being the one to take charge again and direct the others even though Lucci’s standing right there. They do this more than I’d realized at first, especially since Lucci always seems to be looked at as the unofficial ‘leader’ of CP9.

Enies Lobby

We’ve made it to Enies Lobby, which is the first glimpse we get of these two interacting with the full CP9 group outside of any sort of ‘mission’ environment.

Mostly it entails Lucci being more combative (especially with Jabra) and Kaku being more annoyed, but again I can’t really imagine anyone else taking this tone with Lucci and getting away with it while Kaku does it fairly often and Lucci never retorts or gets angry with him.

And while Kaku’s not immune to taking Jabra’s bait in the right circumstances, his typical tendency is to de-escalate situations if he can and here he’s refusing to engage despite being deliberately called out…and Lucci, without being asked, immediately takes his side and defends his choice.

This is practically the next panel and while both Lucci and Jabra are kind of equally at fault for this little display, Kaku only berates Jabra for it while Kalifa’s directing her comments at both of them.

Now that I’m actually looking for these sorts of things it’s becoming more obvious, but again we have Lucci and Kaku in an equal position to each other at the front of CP9.

This isn’t just to Kaku since Kalifa’s there as well, but Lucci’s still encouraging them to eat the fruits and I have to believe it’s coming from a place of good faith because he’d know whether or not being able to swim is that big an issue in their profession. I also want to note that Kaku echoes Lucci’s ‘it’ll be fun’ line when he actually does eat his fruit, so obviously that resonated with him.

I’ve put these two together because they both highlight the same thing, that being in both of these sequences we get almost all of CP9 giving out their individual thoughts/comments on what’s happening but Kaku’s statement both times is a direct reply to what Lucci says, so again the two of them are paired off in a way that doesn’t include anyone else there.

The only other thing of note in this section is that while Robin’s talking about what happened during the Buster Call on Ohara, Kaku and Lucci are the only CP9 members to kind of…break formation and actually look at her while she’s speaking, which is interesting.

And for the rest of Enies Lobby they aren’t together so there’s not too much more to say here other than Kaku of course being the one to have the actual key to Robin’s cuffs, but it’s never made explicit who came up with that plan or handed out the keys so…if I ever actually do the thing and write a full analysis of Kaku’s character we can talk about it then Lark you’ve been saying you’ll do this for years IF I EVER--

Interlude - CP9’s Independent Report

Besides the fact that this is still one of my favorite cover stories, there’s a couple of noteworthy things here, the first of which is that Kaku again is taking the lead. Even though he’s the only other CP9 member other than Lucci to be injured badly enough that he can’t walk on his own, he’s still the one directing them where to go.

Other than that, I love seeing all of them just…interacting like friends and being very relaxed and casual, and pretty much every panel where Kaku and Lucci are together they’re directly beside each other so I’ve included a bunch of those here.

Dressrosa & Egghead

The next time we see Lucci and Kaku is at the end of Dressrosa, where they’ve been promoted to CP0 Oda can we please get some explanation of how this happened and let me tell you, I remember this vividly because the spoilers at the time just said that Lucci was talking to ‘someone’ and when the raws came out you can bet I went right to the dialogue to see if it was Kaku because his way of speaking is so telling.

But even in this little scene, we can see they’re having an equal conversation and there’s a major difference between how Lucci’s speaking with Kaku and how he addresses Spandam mere seconds later.

After this we have the Reverie/Levely/what-even-is-this-thing-called arc where they get all of a single panel together and while it’s the first time we actually ‘see’ Kaku after the time-skip, nothing really interesting regarding their relationship happens, so let’s move on to…

The end of the colored manga! And Egghead.

We start with a very familiar situation: Lucci asking Kaku what’s going on, and while Kaku this entire arc seems more outwardly annoyed with Lucci than he ever was in the past (which is never really explained but then again, Lucci spends a lot of the arc doing things he’s specifically been told not to do, so maybe it’s understandable…), he still has all the information and relays it.

Though Kaku’s also much more comfortable letting his real personality show despite them being on a mission while before he was always completely serious after the Water 7 reveal, especially around Lucci. It came through with Zoro and Jabra but during the cover story he’s smiling and laughing a lot with Lucci right there so it makes sense he’d be more willing to let his guard down even ‘on the job’ by now.

So here’s the first real instance of Lucci showing concern for Kaku, something which escalates pretty quickly throughout the arc. It’s subtle, and though he’s framing it as a suggestion to Stussy, if he didn’t care at all he wouldn’t have said anything.

At this point it’s fairly obvious that Lucci and Kaku don’t really have any authority difference between them and Kaku spends a lot of time in this chapter especially telling Lucci to Not Do The Thing. Anyone that’s ever lived with a cat knows how well this works.

I’ve always found this bit of dialogue particularly interesting because Kaku’s very openly…praising Sentomaru for choosing his loyalty to Vegapunk over assisting the government, and there’s no way Lucci doesn’t hear him say this but he doesn’t say anything in return. There’s no real evidence that Lucci knows about Kaku willingly giving up the key to Zoro or how conflicted he was about Paulie and everyone else, but this seems to imply that at the very least, even if he doesn’t share those sentiments, he wouldn’t think less of Kaku because of it.

Putting these two together since they’re in the same scene but at this point it’s not even subtle concern anymore, Lucci’s genuinely worried for Kaku and you can tell this caught him off-guard.

Kaku’s the first one to suggest working together but Lucci immediately backs him up and goes with the idea. It’s logical in the sense that it’ll give them the biggest chance to survive, but willingly working with pirates isn’t exactly the sort of thing that Lucci, especially in the past, would have so easily done regardless of the situation.

So at this point it’s becoming clear that this whole 4-v-2 section is supposed to be the most…light-hearted thing going on right now and a lot of it is played to be comedic, including Lucci’s inability to lie, but yet again there’s almost nobody else that could get away with scolding him the way Kaku’s doing here.

…And then we skip ahead a day and things happen that I really hope get explained at some point because they seem important, but while Lucci’s never going to have impeccable bedside manner, he’s very concerned with getting Kaku to rest and while Kaku’s trying to justify what happened Lucci really doesn’t seem to care about that. It’s a big departure from him being willing to write off anyone he deems ‘too weak’ and it’s a nice character moment.

I’d mentioned on my liveblog that some of the things Lucci was doing after this point were confusing, but if you look at them through the lens of him wanting to protect Kaku, it makes a lot more sense. Yes, he’s deliberately keeping him out of the loop, but Lucci I think has decided that he’s going to throw caution to the wind and act alone since if Kaku can’t prove he knew about the plan, he’s probably safer being left with the Strawhats, and if the Marines show up he should be safe anyway or so Lucci thinks…

When this chapter came out, I’d said something about Lucci being a hypocrite considering what the rest of CP9 did for him when they could have easily just left him at Enies Lobby, but given what happens almost directly after and likely what he’s trying to do with this entire fight, these words feel even less genuine…

And that brings us to this. The moment that I’ve been thinking about for almost an entire week now. The moment that, looking back at…oh, wow…almost 3000 words of analysis maybe shouldn’t be as surprising as it was for most of us, but it does feel like the payoff for a long, long buildup that’s taken nearly twenty years to reach. Because really, there’s no other way to describe them other than ‘partners’, and probably hasn’t been for a long time…and I’m so glad that Lucci acknowledged it.

To summarize, I think what surprised me most about re-visiting all of this is how much the manga has framed them as equals since the beginning even though it was never explicitly stated between the characters themselves. Lucci’s always been far more lenient with Kaku than with anyone else, and Kaku in turn has never had any fear of Lucci even if he wasn’t really expressing his true self with him for a long time.

The cover story being the turning point makes perfect sense, and the progression throughout Egghead of Lucci being more outwardly willing to show his concern and Kaku not hiding his emotions at all seems like a natural progression of their relationship and their level of comfort around each other.

And the fact that Oda is never really…hitting us over the head with any of it until that final moment when Lucci says everything so plainly because Kaku’s life is the most important thing to him even when faced with a literal monster… It’s so effective.

I don’t know where we go from here. To be honest, I’m kind of scared of where we go from here. But regardless of the outcome, I hope this little essay has been at the very least interesting and perhaps allowed you to look at these two in a different light.

Thanks for reading.

#one piece #opspoilers #rob lucci #kaku #meta #analysis #i forgot about the 30 photo limit so I had to get creative here but #3k words of me examining their relationship sure happened

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mioyeo · 6 months

Text

Watch your back: chapter 10

Once you don’t value what you have someone else learns how to take care of what used to be yours

Synopsis : 8 men supposed to give her all the love they promised end up leaving her behind without a valid reason

Pairing : girlfriend Reader x PolyAteez !

Warning : this chapter contains mentions of Ateez being careless , lots of crying , Mingi lashing out on everyone, Seonghwa being a douche bag , Y/n destroying her room , Hongjoong manhandling Y/n , Y/n finally having enough , huge character death , heartbreak, Wooyoung and Yunho being emotional wrecked, Hongjoong being cruel , Huge huge Angst etc Please reminding me if I forgot something

Hold in your tears because this is the penultimate chapter of the Watch your back series :(

Tag list : @legbouk , @scarfac3 , @m4rsluv , @hcyaa , @jackinmyarea , @layzfeelit , @loverlele , @mulletjoonsupremacy , @veneziamadness , @belle643 , @gugggu6gvai , @atinytinaa , @voidcupidz , @atinyreads , @baguette-atiny , @parkthothwa8 , @hwadump , @owjohny , @miaatiny , @honeyymon , @tunaasan , @riririyuhn , @vixensss

Word count: 3,6k

The fresh sheets made her feel like she could sleep forever and not get up

It smelled like freshly squeezed lemons and strawberries for some reason

Y/n stretched and opened her eyes slowly feeling herself pressed against someone

The memories from the night prior invaded her mind making her sigh and look at him

She admired his facial features as he slept peacefully with nothing bothering him at all

" See you later "

The girl whispered and kissed his cheek and stood up to collect her clothes before leaving his room carefully

It was time to go home , a place she didn't even want to go to

It was time to see everyone else , the people she didn't even want to see

Y/n grabbed her high heels and held them in her hands together with the plastic bag her dress was inside after Dawon had washed in and placed it in the living room for her to take

Unlocking the door to the boys door she went out and started walking home just to save time and prepare herself for the mental draining talk with whoever decided to gang up on her

She wanted to change and treat herself better , she wanted to be with someone who wanted her for her and not whenever they feel like they needed to love her all of the sudden

Her phone luckily survived since she didn't jump together with it into the water

Remembering the audio she send yesterday , she quickly checked if he had seen it but sighed in relief when the check marks where still grey and hadn't turned blue so she deleted them

It's not like she succeeded for it to still be there so it was kind of embarrassing for her

" Young Lady wait a minute ! "

Someone shouted and ran after her

" Can I have a moment please ? It's quick "

" Sure it's not like I have somewhere to be urgently, how can I help you "

The man smiled and took out a business card

" You look really beautiful and I would like to ask you if you had ever thought about modeling before? It's ok if you have no experience "

The girl chuckled and looked at the card and back at the man

" I have not thought about it before , I'll call if I'm interested in doing this "

" Take your time , I'm available until next Saturday before I have to leave for a business meeting in another city "

He bowed and left after thanking her

Walking for some minutes until she reached home her mind kept thinking about the offer but she didn't really pay mind to it

Punching in the code the door unlocked so she could walk in , Y/n removed her shoes and I walked into the kitchen to drink something

" Where have you been ? "

She continued to drink ignoring the said person who stood there eyes bloodshot starring at her sleep deprived

" I asked where you have been "

Y/n finally looked at the person and chuckled

" I don't know if I want to answer you or even look at your face so please let me be "

" Why are you behaving this way ? I'm worried and I couldn't sleep until I knew you where home and safe "

" Cut it out , if you cared you would add me to the reservation list , but guess what I made a fool out of myself because I thought they did a mistake when in reality you never added me "

" Baby i forgot to , and I'm sorry "

" Don't baby me , im not about to take this apology and walk with it , the way you guys treated me yesterday was not it "

She opened the cabinets and scoffed

" And don't open my stuff when im not home "

He sighed and went closer to her

" My love im sorry I know how fed up you are but forgive me this once "

" Seonghwa I want to be fed up and I have the right to , I'm not doing well and it was just to much these past weeks and months "

Seonghwa looked at her rubbing his eyes

" Whatever I just wanted to make it up to you but you're being a bitch about it "

He stood up and left making her angry

" I'm being a bitch about people hurting me all the time ?! , do you even hear yourself! "

She yelled after him hitting his back

" Seonghwa do you realize who you've become? , you where literally trying to gaslight me into accepting your apology! "

He looked back and scoffed

" Darling that's not called gaslighting , don't say things out of context "

" I don't even care at this point, you know what hurts the most ? "

" What is it again , now you're home and I can go back to sle-"

" Having loved all of you was the hugest mistake i have ever committed , each day I discover more of your rotten personality "

Y/n stared at him and laughed

" You should be glad someone loved you in the first place , and if you're so tired leave "

Seonghwa scoffed once again and went into his room

" Oh so I need to leave now because you are a bad partner? "

" You're the ungrateful one , you have eight boyfriends and it's still not enough "

" Yeah exactly , look who's talking you literally found another girlfriend behind my back and not only that , she doesn't even pay rent but I have to ? I still don't understand "

Seonghwa rolled his eyes and sighed once again wishing he had just went to sleep instead of waiting like a maniac

" Y/n I'm starting to think that you're jealous of Rin lately, you always speak with so much hate about her it's never something good "

He turned around and looked at her in a weird type of way

" Me jealous of her ? , Seonghwa you clearly don't know the meaning between despising someone and their behavior and actually hating them as a person "

" Yeah you're clearly jealous, just because she's young and beautiful and carries herself like the beauty she is doesn't mean you have to always punch her around

The moment he said those words was when her tears started building up

" Maybe if you dressed up more and showed off your beauty we wouldn't have started dating her in the first place "

Y/n laughed smiling and left towards her room before she unpacked all her memories with Seonghwa and all his clothes to the ones he gifted her and started throwing them inside a bag and placed it out her room as she wiped her tears

All the dresses she had worn as , all the pictures and jewelry and not to forget the big frame she had once thrown on the ground was laying in front of her door with glass scattered around once again alarming nearly everyone

" What is wrong with you !

Yunho woke up and gasped as he saw her front door and the way she was trashing her room

" Y/n Stop this nonsense right now ! "

Hongjoong sprinted into the room furiously and grabbed her as he impulsively grabbed her hair

" Are you insane ?! , why are you trashing your room for in this morning "

" What is wrong with her lately?"

Yeosang whispered as he stared at Hongjoong manhandling Y/ln

" I was talking to you , what is your issue "

He said angrily starring deeply into her eyes

" I'm done with Seonghwa, I don't want anything to do with him anymore neither do I want his stuff anymore I hate him "

She cried before freeing herself from his grip

" And when have you two broken up for you to act this way? "

" Today right now , and matter of fact I'm breaking up with all of you "

" Y/n you can't do that "

" Oh I can and I just did , I'm done playing the punching bag in this relationship "

The girl watched as all their faces dropped making her laugh

" Shocked ? , i thought that's what y'all wanted the most to happen no ? "

Mingi looked at her with a frown as Wooyoung held his back because he knew he'd cry

" Y/n are you out of your mind? You can't just break up with us because you want to "

" Jongho , I'm sick of y'all neglecting me and treating me like trash I've done this already for four years and I'm tired , I lost my child and my passion for most of the things I loved , not only that but I was degraded by my now ex boyfriend who told me that if I dressed myself up or was prettier you guys wouldn't get together with Rin , and I just realized that this is not what I want anymore "

San looked at her and bawled his fists

" You're really throwing away all our battles and love even after we lost Sanie ? "

" No , you guys threw all the love away "

Y/n grabbed her duffel bag and started packing her belongings and everything she needed to leave

" Baby please I'll change just don't leave me "

Mingi cried out and kneeled in front of her as he held her legs

" You can't just throw out our memories "

She chuckled and wiped her eyes

" I can't believe Mingi is the only one begging for mercy , it just shows show much he cares unlike you guys "

Packing her stuff she left the bag on her bed and started texting Rowoon to come pick her up

" Please don't leave Y/n , im begging you to not leave me for the sake of my love for you "

Mingi was a crying mess as everyone stared at him making a fool out of himself when she ignored his rants

" I-I wanted to propose to you yesterday but you weren't there so I couldn't "

He pulled out the red velvet box showing the beautiful golden ring with green diamonds on top as he wiped his runny nose with the back of his hand making her turn around

"Mingi you're not being for real now "

Yunho asked in disbelief as he looked at him

" I love her , and I wanted to propose to her yesterday in front of everyone else "

Y/n looked at Mingi with tears as he stared right back at her

" And you didn't discuss this with us first "

" I don't need to discuss anything with you , I loved her first before Seonghwa even pursued her even though he knew I had a crush on Y/n"

" But she's our girlfriend too so you had to at least tell us about the proposal "

" Besides did you consider Rins feelings ? "

Wooyoung sighed and looked at Rin that fiddled with her fingers

" Y/n is my number one priority and she knows how much I love her, I feel like an idiot for not standing up when you guys ganged up on her , have you guys forgotten about your vows when we first started dating her ? "

" You think you're better because you wanted to propose to her ? "

" See this is what I'm talking about! ever since you guys started dating that kid y'all have become so ignorant ! "

Mingi yelled and stood up and pushing Yunho out off pure rage

" We were a perfect family, but you Hongjoong you destroyed everything since the day you introduced us to Rin ! "

Y/n watched things unfold in front of her eyes as she had never seen Mingi that angry let alone push his best friend

" Mingi please calm down "

" No they have to listen, especially San who I still need to understand why he's defending the one that made him loose his opportunity to become a first time dad "

" You can't blame her it was her friends that did it "

" She commanded them too hurt her ! are you that delusional Yeosang?! Stop making up things to justify her behavior "

He yelled at Yeosang frustrated who looked shocked and held his chest

" And Rin I've never loved you like the way I loved Y/n , I felt like I was forced to love you somehow "

The boys looked at Mingi surprised as he hovered over Rin who backed away

" I've seen your tricks and plays but never said anything for the sake of the others , I can't believe a woman can degrade herself and be so disgusting to her own kind "

He looked at her with pure disgust in his eyes as he watched her tear up in shock

" The words must have hit home right ? You yourself know what you did "

" Mingi that's enough "

Seonghwa grabbed him and harshly looked at him

" Don't touch me Seonghwa, you out of everyone disappointed me the most "

Y/n just stood there in shock seeing everything unfold before her eyes

" I'm tired of you guys , and one thing I know is that I want to stay with her and I'll move out "

He grabbed her hand and left the house in a hurry

" Mingi slow down I'm gonna fall "

she panted and held onto his hand as he stopped on the sidewalk

" I-I I just couldn't bear it anymore , I was tired of them hurting you only if you had heard the things being said yesterday at the dinner "

Mingi teared up as he looked at her

" It's like you never existed to them , they just remember you when they need you or something "

She chuckled and looked into his glossy eyes

" thats why I am leaving, you don't need to worry about me being hurt anymore "

Mingi held onto her as he teared up once more

" I'm so sorry for treating you like trash , I can't believe I turned away from the person that helped me overcome my darkest times these past years "

The girl couldn't help but hug back as she snuggled onto his embrace

" I love you so much , I don't ever want to leave you so please stay with me "

" I-I want you to stay with me Y/n "

She remained silent as she held onto him unable to answer

" I'm begging you please stay with me , you don't need to get married with me now just stay "

Her eyes glossed up as she saw the familiar car pull up from the distance but she couldn't bring herself to let go of him

" Please Y/n say something anything "

He stuttered as he feared of her leaving him

" Mingi I-I can't right now I need some time "

She sniffed detaching herself from him as she saw Rowoon get out the car in his black hoodie and jeans leaning against the car door

" Please don't leave me "

He mumbled once again as she stepped back and looked at him as her heart shattered into million pieces

" Mingi I'll text you later "

She slowly grabbed her bag and started walking away towards Rowoon's car leaving Mingi sobbing to himself on the side of the road while he watched her leave

" Please drive I can't bear to see him like that please "

She mumbled looking away as she entered the car feeling her heart clench ten times harder that before

Rowoon didn't even dare ask as he just started driving past Mingi who yelled after the car as he ran to catch up with them

Y/n closed her eyes and lowered her head in shame

She felt like crap for breaking his heart that way , especially because she knew how sensitive and soft Mingi was

The thing that scared her the most was that he'd fall back into his old ways to coupe with reality

———

" Has she ate anything yet ? "

Jaeyoon came into the living room where the other boys sat down watching tv

" She hasn't been feeling like it since hours now , I tried giving her some bread at least but she remained unresponsive "

Rowoon sighed as he made himself comfortable on the couch

" I don't know what went down at they house but it seemed pretty ugly , she texted me suddenly asking me to pick her up "

" Do you think she broke up with them ? "

" That's what I have guessed by the way one of them chased us after I started driving off , he screamed and cried like crazy made me feel bad for him "

The boys all looked at each other as the atmosphere turned into a gloomy one

" Gosh look what love does to someone "

Inseong shook his head as he skipped trough the channels until he landed on a specific one

" Guys look at this "

They looked at the news headlines with frowns especially Rowoon as he froze

" Someone committed suicide by jumping of their home building not long ago "

Hwiyoung grimaced not wanting to imagine as he covered his eyes

" Now why would someone do that ? "

" Why are you looking so shocked? do you perhaps know the guy ? "

" That's one of her boyfriends , the one that we meet down town one day sitting at the bench "

" The undercut guy that worked at the convenience store , sharp jaw and cat like eyes "

" The guy from the dance studio we frequented Taeyang what's his name ?! "

" You mean San ? "

"Yeah that's him ! ,I never knew he was her boyfriend "

Rowoon lowered his head sighing as he felt bad especially for Y/n that had yet to receive the news

" But why did he do that ? , do you think it's because of their break up ? "

" Bro i can tell you from experience that I was depressive as well when I broke up with Hana "

Zuho sighed and rubbed his head

" Love hurts man it really does "

The boys didn't notice that she stood there in tears accompanying the news together with them

her vision blurred as she felt her heart pump in pain

Not being able to continue listening she bolted out of their apartment bare feet making the boys look at each other before Rowoon ran out after

As much as it hurt running on the cold wet side walk it pained more losing someone who she once called the love of her life

Running and running which felt like hours as the rain poured on her soaking all her clothes until she reached the scene seeing the sirens of the ambulance and police cars in front of the building

Within each big breath she took as she approached the mass of people standing there watching she felt her hart shattering

" Let me pass please , I need to get to him "

Whispering as she tried to squeeze herself between the people to get to main scene

Her feet burned and ached from falling and stubbing her toes on the rocks along the way

Every single step she took she wished it wasn't true , every single breath she took she wished he could tell her that it was all a bad dream since the beginning

And that they could restart everything despite all the heart break in the past weeks and months

But that all would be a dream come true , because right in front of her two eyeballs stood Wooyoung sobbing in a squat position as everyone else sobbed circling around him

" No No , please San please don't do this to me "

Her messy self ran after the men that carried the stretched into the ambulance

" Please don't take him away from me please "

Tears streamed down her face as she begged the man who looked at her feeling her pain

" Miss we need to carry the deceased away "

" Please let me see my boyfriend one last time "

Someone yanked her away from the stretched before pushing her to the ground

" How dare you show yourself after what you did to him ?! How heartless are you ! "

Yunho yelled at her in rage before pushing her back down as she tried to get up slowly

" You killed San ! You took him away from his family and us ! I hate you so much "

Wooyoung yelled as he charged towards her his rage the double of what everyone felt

" I have the right to be here , I love San "

She hiccuped out refusing to put him in the past tense

" You should be ashamed of yourself to show up here after today "

Jongho looked at her in disgust

" You didn't only take San away from us but you destroyed Mingi, he's locked inside his room with Hongjoong because he fell back into his old ways "

She shook her head sobbing loudly

" I n-never wanted this to happe-"

" Shut up ! You just wanted to be together with that other guy , you broke up with us because of him "

Yeosang scoffed as he looked down on her face while Seonghwa stood there his eyes glossy refusing to approach her

" You're a monster and you disgust me "

The strangers just watched and filmed the scene in front of them without butting in

" Stop This instant , stop filming ! "

Someone yelled with angry tears trying to shoo away the crowd

“ Stop filming her , please go away ”

Miss Cha hugged Y/n who hyperventilated clutching her face as the rain poured on her

“ How can you guys turn your back on her ! She lost someone too !”

She yelled hitting Yunho who sobbed as he looked at Y/n

Hongjoong came out after making sure Mingi slept soundly his eyes red and puffy

“ Guys get inside, I’ll drive to the hospital ”

Seonghwa slowly gathered everyone with Rin who looked at her in disgust

“ I don’t care about why you’re here , I’m just making it clear that I don’t want you around our house anymore after what you did today don’t even think about contacting Mingi or Sans family, don’t you even dare to appear on San’s funeral ”

Hongjoong looked at her with hatred before walking towards his car and driving away towards the hospital

The only thing that took it took for her heart to shatter fully without any way of turning back we’re his words and the heavy rain pouring onto her and Ms Cha who held her tightly against her chest

Love hurts , but this hurt a million times worser

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genericpuff · 12 days

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Hello! Recently got into your lore rekindled series and as a (used to be) fan of lore Olympus I LOVE what you have done to the world and characters. Everything flows so naturally and you actually made Persephone a cool protagonist.

One question I had (if it will come up in future episodes no need to answer) is will Persephone’s interest in law school be a thing? When I was rewriting my own AU of lore Olympus I used Persephone’s interest in law to be the reason why she went to the Underworld and met Hades. As in the original comic it says that the underworld creates the finest lawyers in a throw away line. I also used Persephone’s love of law to be one of the major reasons why she and Demeter being to have conflict. Demeter wanting her to be into agriculture and horticulture like her and seeing Persephone becoming a soulless lawyer creating one of the driving conflicts of their relationship.

Heyo! Thanks so much, I'm glad you like it! <3

There won't really be a law school interest in Rekindled as that already felt like a half-thought-out plotline in LO with very little foundation (and honestly I always saw that mention about the Underworld having the only law school as a throwaway joke about lawyers being terrible people from hell LOL)

HOWEVER she still does have her own motivations for wanting to work in the Underworld that remain to be fully seen. There are lil' hints here and there that have been dropped (and more on the way, esp in the next couple episodes) but I'm waiting to see who pieces the puzzle together by the time it's revealed ;)

That idea you just pitched though for Persephone wanting to pursue law instead of agriculture would have been really interesting! I feel like if Rachel had actually planned out that plotline more she could have definitely gone at it from that angle. Couold have even set it up in the beginning for her to go to law school in the Underworld instead of university in Olympus which could have created an interesting scenario as that would have explained a lot more why Demeter didn't want her to move away.

I still would have been annoyed at the rift between them existing at all but it would have made more sense than "mom signed me up for the virgin club and now she's mad that I'm running off with the 2000+ year old man >:(" LMAO (or at least the way LO writes it, bleh)

#ask me anything #ama #anon ama #anon ask me anything #lo critical #lore olympus critical #anti lore olympus

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gentaro-kinniecom · 11 months

Text

『Best friends to lovers trope + first kiss』

Characters: Souma Kanzaki, Yuta Aoi, Suou Tsukasa, Himeru, Kohaku Oukawa, Kanata Shinkai, Arashi Narukami, Hiyori Tomoe, Ritsu Sakuma and Ibara Saegusa.

C/w: fluff, jealousy (?), somewhat angst depending on some parts like (i can’t really specify since it’s up to the readers pov 🥲) , long post ?? (Ten characters meaning more scrolling if you see it that way?), Madara’s a chismoso in Kohaku’s part (snitch; I swear he did it cause Kohaku wasn’t making a move LMAO) it’s just cute and kisses rahh i love fluff (not proofread my bad) [WHY IS HIYORI’S PART SO LONG HELLO im not biased i swear] ugly cried making Ritsu’s part help. 3.5k words woah-

A/n: hello everyone :3 first off I wanna say tysm for the support in my last post!! I didn’t think it a lot of people would like it but im glad you guys enjoyed it, it made my day seeing all the support <3! And second, I’m working on those requests I PROMISEE (atp spam me to motivate me pls /hj), and I will be posting the remaining parts of the series “Kissing/Making out + hcs” soon as well, writers block really is making me not post 😭 but anyways!! Hope y’all enjoy this super cute trope >:3

Souma Kanzaki✰

Your absolute best friend in the marine bio club, he loves researching about cute creatures and taking care of them too!! Souma isn’t really focused on romance, he’s really glad to have found friends like you and Adonis. But, why was he feeling some sort of way around you? Your smile was so soft, he felt his heart beat at the thought of it, and how warm your personality was with him. He was scared to even confess because you’ve been such a good friend to him that he really doesn’t want to ruin that friendship.

But its not like you have hinted anything towards him. It’s always been Adonis or Kanata, hell, even Kaoru, he wants you to look at him for once, just once and say you love him. Souma started to doubt whether or not to tell you, when suddenly as he opened his locker, saw an envelope with your name in it, addressed to him. He decided on going to the place you mentioned in your letter, seeing you there with a smile.

“Y/n…do you feel what I feel? I really enjoy your presence, but I can’t help but feel I want to be more than your friend, perhaps a partner? If you want to stay as friends then I understand-“

With that, you kissed him, he felt like his world was just surrounded by you and just you both. As you parted away, Souma blushed a bit, smiling brightly but slightly embarrassed as you spoke

“I love you too Souma, I’ve been waiting to say those words to you”

Yuta Aoi✰

Let’s face it, you’re friends with Yuta and best friends with Hinata. He hates feeling like a second option towards you when Hinata isn’t there. Of course, you share moments like any good friend would, talking and spending time together. But it was all about Hinata; Hinata this, Hinata that. Yuta started growing feelings of jealousy for a while, but he couldn’t just go to his brothers best friend and admit of their crush, opening his heart out there and waiting for it to be held or acepted, anything but crushed.

Yuta knew he had to act one day or another, it can’t stay like this when you’re just there, being so kind to him even if he felt like a filler for when Hinata wasn’t there. Until one day, his brother found out about his crush, and promised him that he wasn’t interested in you, after all, Hinata felt like you were the sister they never had. After that day, Yuta saw things clearly, not blinded by the silly jealousy towards his brother and now focusing on winning your heart. Eventually, he invited you out to hang out together, which could be considered a date but he liked saying they were only going out as friends. Right after ending the date, Yuta held your hands softly, sighing before speaking.

“So, I wanna thank you for accepting my invite um to go out..but I also want to say something important-“

You cut him off by kissing him, he stood still, a bit in shock while his heart felt like it was about to burst.

“I like you too Yuta..sorry if I made you feel in any way less than your brother, you’re very important to me, you both are”

Suou Tsukasa✰

Your friendship began with your father’s company partnering up with Tsukasa’s. You both instantly clicked having somewhat same interests, going to cafe’s around japan whenever your families traveled to other cities. Suou loves going to Yumenosaki Academy with you, it’s a routine going in and out and after school, taking you to the sweet fan club. It’s no surprise when the members of the club ask if you’re dating, to which Suou just blushes and denies it. Perhaps he was developing feelings for you?

No it couldn’t be, you were his best friend, and childhood one too. Kohaku had seen Suou doubtful at times and comforted him, encouraging his cousin to give it a try if he truly loved you. Even if things wouldn’t be the same after, Suou was really going to give this a try. The following days consisted of him acting more affectionate and close with you, gifting you small things like your favorite sweets even jewelry as well. To the point where you confronted him about all the sudden coddling.

“Okay Suou listen I appreciate the gifts and the kindness, but..is there a reason why you’re doing this? I mean- wait, you’re definitely hidding something right? Come on I know you and I’ve done so my entire life, it can’t be that bad-“

Suou leaned forward, kissing you softly as he had felt brave in that moment, soon pulling away muttering a small apology as he sighed

“I-I’m sorry, I really love your company and your sweet personality, you’ve showed me how to love and feel loved. I truly hope you feel the same as I do”

Himeru✰

After the incident regarding his brother, Kaname, Himeru learned everything about his brother. People didn’t find him strange, or acting weird when referring to himself in third person, after all Himeru knew how to blend in well with the crowd. Except for one person, you. Knowing Kaname well had it’s things, like predicting what things he wanted to do or talk about in the moment, even sharing class schedules with each other, so you knew he was not Kaname, but instead his brother who he had mentioned briefly before Himeru had come in as ‘him’. Still, Himeru had that side of him that made you look at him in another light.

Of course, he was portraying as his brother but, something about Himeru was just so different, he was more mature, rationalized everything and serious in a way that made you like him? He was kind and gentle with you, almost sickening, but in a good way. A year passed by and Himeru invited you to see his brother, how the incident had left him in a state of coma, tears were shed that day, and a lot. But you knew how much trust and care he had in you. So when he pulled you aside as you walked towards the place he’d ask you to meet him at, you weren’t surprised at what he said.

“Himeru hopes this is enough appropriate to aproach you this way. Himeru asked for you to meet him here, Himeru is thankful for that…would you be willing to give Himeru the opportunity to show you how much ‘I’ love you?”

You smiled, one he loved seeing so frequently. He placed his arms around you in a comforting way, kissing you softly while smiling

“Yes Himeru, I love you, not because you’re ‘impersonating’ your brother but, because i fell in love with the real you, the real Himeru thats under that façade”

Kohaku Oukawa✰

Being part of whatever Madara dragged him into, wasn’t easy, especially with making acquaintances rather than his unit mates and Madara himself, not to mention his cousin Suou who is somewhat friends with you. He can’t even recall the time you both met, perhaps his cousin introduced you or he had seen you around the Reimei dormitories. Even if Kohaku didn’t attend school, he looked forward in meeting you in the hallways of the dorms. His conversations being short and direct but well mannered, he seemed to have taken a liking to you.

Or more like a slight fling of trust towards you since you knew his cousin and friends well. It wasn’t like him when he offered you to join him and share some of his favorite sweets or chatting online when you didn’t have time to hang out, always ending up with photos of Kohaku and the thing he was so busy at. Sometimes it would be photos of him at the practice studio or helping Madara out with something, they were really cute, but he didn’t have to know that, right? Then he suggested you both went out, taking you to his favorite shops and cafe’s filled with pastries from around the world, sharing a bite of the (favorite pastry) you were eating as he spoke, now having the opportunity to do so since you were both in a much more secluded area.

“Hey so..would it be alright if I..confessed? Okay no I’m not gonna beat around the bush, I like you, a lot. I talked this with Madara and he said i should tell you since honesty is important and”

He stopped, looking at you briefly after you had kissed him momentarily on the lips, he stared for a bit before snapping back into reality, coughing a bit as he averted his eyes across the room, trying to hide the embarrassment he felt because you liked him back and kissed him, even though he wanted to do so first

“Perhaps a little birdy might’ve told me something like that before…however the answer is still the same, I like you too Kohaku, thank you for being honest, I really like that about you too”

“HE WHAT-“

Kanata Shinakai✰

You both met thanks to Madara and Ryuusetai. Since you worked with Madara on some missions, you actually knew Kanata when he was proclaimed to be a ‘god’. The shinkai cult was a very harsh one but, after Madara had saved Kanata, he was in your ‘debt’. But it never felt that way to either of you, Kanata is your best friend, one that always drags you towards any nearby water or anything you both enjoy. He really likes spending time with you and will not back off if you tell him he’s “too clingy”. People always say you were like platonic soulmates, but you’d always denied it with a small blush on your face.

However, feelings started to develop when he would always go towards you in need of help or advice, even saying good morning before anyone else, you were first and it made you feel something whenever he smiled at you or dragged you into the cold water of the fountain. Kaoru was the first to notice your feelings whenever you came by the marine bio club, cheeks a bit pink as Kanata hugged you. It was kinda obvious of how much you liked each other but were oblivious to it. Till one day, he invited you out to meet him in one of his favorite spots, laying out a blanket with some of your favorite snacks, looking at the ocean in front of you as he held your hand under the afternoon sun.

“I think I’m developing ‘feelings’ for you~ Y/n~, do you ‘like’ me too~?”

Smiling, he knew to take that as a sign to kiss you, his lips soft against yours as you parted away slowly, taking the time to admire his features and how the wind moved his hair slightly

“I love you Kanata, it feels like we’re destined to be with one another”

Arashi Narukami✰

The cool stylish best friend you were so proud to have. Arashi knew the best skin care products and even gave you tips from time to time. She was the best to go to if you had any problems about anything. You both met at one of her regular make up stores to go to in the daily, she just so happened to love your fit and exchanged numbers. Arashi invites you to a couple of her shootings sometimes, looking your way when she’s posing or winking and the staff is quite positive that you’re dating each other. To which Arashi has no objection to but you’re almost sure she’s teasing you.

Besides you both have been friends for a couple of years, it’s nothing serious…or so you thought. Arashi had arranged a dinner after her regular model shootings and invited you, alone. Which caused some doubts because she would normally invite the rest of the Knights with you to eat together, especially for dinner. Upon entering the restaurant, placing your orders and sitting down, Arashi took out what seemed to be a box, you almost thought she was asking you to marry her but as she opened it, there were two rings, almost equal, she smiled and seemed a bit bashful as she spoke.

“You know I’m not really used to any of this but, I like you Y/n, I saw these rings and thought why not use them as promise rings? I hope you like it~!”

You smiled and held her hand as she kissed your cheek softly, then moving to kiss your lips briefly. Arashi then placed the ring on your finger as you did to her’s too. Many people thought it was an engagement and congratulated you both, even if it wasn’t, you ended up getting free dessert and a wonderful time with her

“I like you too Arashi! What just happened feels like something out of a fairytale, it was so romantic, thank you for the wonderful time~!”

Hiyori Tomoe✰

Your 'archnemesis’ that turned into your best friend. Hiyori really didn’t get along well with you, especially when you hanged around with Jun most of the time, talking about similar interests as he watched you both from the sidelines while he waited for Jun to finish his conversation. It wasn’t fair whenever Jun opt to spend more time with you rather than him and his dog Bloody Mary. However one time, Jun went off with Makoto, leaving you alone with Hiyori and his dog, he then realized how kind you were with everything, especially Bloody Mary. After that day you both became the most inseparable of friends. Always giving you tips on your wardrobe and going out to get lunch or a cup of coffee to start the day. When he invited you to his concerts and events, you were always there, first row cheering him on as he looked at you from the stage. Something about seeing you so cheery in the crowd made his heart flutter, he felt so loved and cherished by his best friend.

Although he wouldn’t consider that anymore, it had developed into a crush throughout the weeks, leaning into your touch more as you both linked arms or his arm around your shoulder. He trusted you with some of his worries and inquires, always looking forward to your advice whenever he felt down or lost. He eventually ranted towards Nagisa and Bloody Mary, to which Nagisa pretty much replied with “be honest with them, you never know unless you say something”. Nagisa was right, he had to do whatever it took to say how he was feeling and Hiyori wasn’t backing down on this. It was when he had the idea to confess after one of his concerts with Eve, after briefly finishing and the majority of the people had left, he requested for your presence in his dressing room, escorted by one of the bodyguards Ibara had hired for the concert. Soon entering his dressing room and seeing flowers everywhere, even a small rose petal line leading directly towards Hiyori as he smiled and held a beautiful bouquet of your favorite flowers.

“Hiyori! Wow it’s so beautiful..but, why all this commotion? I mean I love it but-“

You felt his lips against yours briefly, a soft giggle leaving his lips as he leaned towards you once more, catching you by surprise again

“My dearest Y/n! I must admit you’ve caught my eye, and I have developed feelings for you, I hope you truly feel the same”

Ritsu Sakuma✰

Ritsu had admired you from afar for quite some time now, noticing how happy you were with his brother and unit, too busy to even notice his presence whenever he was sleeping nearby, but that all changed once his brother had invited you over to dinner at their home. That’s how the friendship became to grow, you both shared similar tastes, music and even things like sleeping. He was your best friend since then and has been for a couple of months. Unfortunately, since he still holds a grudge against his brother Rei, you were kinda forced to choose between them, although not necessarily since you’d seen Rei almost everyday and Ritsu too, separated from each other. He opened himself up to you, telling Y/n how he felt like his brother had abandoned him at one point and how he didn’t want to feel that ever again, to which you had promised to stay by his side no matter what.

Soon, friendly cuddles were a thing under his favorite spot at the garden before going to the tea club. It felt like a routine; waking up, going to school, spending time with Ritsu and so on. Whenever he saw you with his brother, he really wasn’t jealous, just annoyed and bothered at the sight of Rei touching your arm slightly, whenever that happened he always approached you and placed his arm linked with yours as he waited for you both to finish said conversation. Feelings started to grow when he saw you waking up from one of your usual naps together, the way you slowly opened your eyes and how the sun softly graced your face, you looked like a sleeping angel, quite literally. He took it upon himself to confess the very day you both graduated, the last time you would’ve seen each other if it weren’t for his plans. Ritsu had pulled you aside, taking you to your usual spot as you both smile, a bit tearful at the sight of not being able to come back and share moments with each other but that’s when Ritsu held your hand softly

“Y/n..I want to apologize for how late this confession came to be but..I love you, I don’t want to let go of you just yet, or ever..please stay with me”

Ritsu asked as you smiled, his hands now on your cheeks as you pulled him in for a kiss, it felt so right to share such intimate moment with your now lover as he pulled back, looking at you dumbfounded for a moment as you spoke

“I love you more Ritsu~ I can’t wait to find more spots under trees so we can spend all the time in the world cuddling together”

Ibara Saegusa✰

The protective best friend who doesn’t like anyone coming near you. He’s always been like that, since day one of your friendship. Ibara at first offered you to work with him since the job was open to be his assistant. Then it turned into late night talks and drinking some coffee in the morning before attending to important stuff that he realized he had actually found a friend for the first time in ever. Apart from Eden and Adam if that counts, he really felt at ease around you. His work became less heavy and less dull, thanks to the help of a kind friend like you and the company he had every day, he seemed to be in a better mood each week. In business meetings or Eden/Adam practices, he’s always keeping an eye on you, if anyone makes you uncomfortable or your well-being overall. Even attending his lectures, he felt happy seeing you taking notes and being so attentive when he told his speeches.

It’s so weird seeing that he prioritizes your friendship over his work a few times like taking you to lunch or spending time doing whatever you both want. It caused some curiosity between the members of Eden since Ibara would always be swarming in work and the progress of their units. They sincerely have to thank you for letting him see his soft spot, his sweet side to all that workaholic Ibara. It was quite refreshing to be honest, seeing him so at ease and the strees and burden from over the years were at much calm now beside you. It was love, he couldn’t imagine a life without you, Ibara imagined the day where he would wake up beside you, smiling softly as he kissed you so dearly in the morning. He thought that those “daydreams” of you both spending time together was normal, but he was just really catching feelings. After a long time of consideration, he decided to take you out to a very exclusive dinner, one which the entire restaurant was worth more than the entire ensemble square. He sat in front of you, letting you choose a variety of dishes before grabbing your hand and speaking

“I’ll keep this short and simple, I really love your company, and I can’t help but wish more of it, more of your touch..if you catch what I mean..please don’t keep me waiting, the thought of being rejected is harsh but I’d rather know that- mmmphf-!”

He felt himself turn red, cheeks flaired with a pink hue as he felt your lips against his, his face was priceless. Chapped but so soft against yours, he didn’t want to let go, even for a catch of air, however when you did, your hands linked as you smiled

“I love you as well Ibara, don’t stress over something that was already expected from the both of us~”

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