#I've got a lot of feelings and i tried to pare it down to the basics but this still came outlong

[whetstonefires]

Hey you said something about the my hero academia creator being unhinged about sexism, do you mind explaining?

I tried to write like, a thorough explanation of this and it just got longer and longer and longer and I have not touched this series in actual years and yet I've still got all these receipts a;lkjk;lfasd.

So rather than trying to build the whole massive case, here's a pared-down version. It's normal to have sexism in media, and shounen manga especially. Everyone does it. The level and mode and intentionality and so forth all vary, but of course it's there.

What's not normal is to have lots of varied and interesting female characters with discernible inner lives, and on-page discussion of how sexism is systemic and unjust and holds them back in specific ways, and then also deliberately make consistent sexist writing decisions even where they don't arise naturally from the flow of the narrative.

Horikoshi is actively interested in gender and sexism, he's aware of them in a way you rarely see outside of the context of, you know, fighting sexism. He is hung up on the thorny issue of what women are worth and deserve and how power and respect ties into it. He genuinely wants, I think, to have Good Female Characters, and not be (seen as) A Sexist Guy!

But. He doesn't actually want to fight sexism. He displays a lot of woman-oriented anxieties, and one of the many churning paddlewheels in his head seems to be that he knows intellectually that morally sexism is bad, but emotionally he really feels like it ought to probably be at least partly correct.

There are so many things I could cite, and maybe I'll get into some of them later, but the crowning item that highlights how the pattern is 1) at least partly conscious and deliberate and 2) about Horikoshi's own weird hangups rather than simply cynical market play, is Mineta Minoru.

The writer has stated Mineta is his favorite character. Mineta is also designed to be hated--that is, he is a particularly elaborate instantiation of a character archetype normally deployed to soak up audience contempt and (by being gross and shameless and unattractive and 'unthreatening') make it possible to include a range of sexual gratification elements into the narrative that would compromise the main characters' reputations as heroic and deserving, if they were the actors.

Good Guys don't grope girls' tits and run away snickering in triumph, after all. Non-losers don't focus intense effort around successfully stealing someone's panties. Nice Girls don't let themselves be seen half-dressed. And so forth. You need an underwear gremlin for that. So, in anime and manga, longstanding though declining tradition of including such a gremlin, for authorial deniability.

Horikoshi definitely uses him straight for this purpose, looping in Kaminari as needed to make a bit work. And yet he has Feelings about the archetype itself.

The passages dedicated to the vindication of Mineta, then, and the author's statements about him, let us understand that Horikoshi identifies with the figure of the underwear gremlin. He understands the underwear gremlin as a defining exemplar of male sexuality, at least if you are not hot, and finds the attached contempt and hostility to be a dehumanizing attack on all uh.

Incels, basically.

It's not fair to write Mineta off just because he's unattractive and horny (and commits sexual harassment). Doesn't he have a mind? Doesn't he have dreams? Doesn't he have human potential?

So what's going on with Horikoshi and gender, as far as I can figure out, is that he knows damn well that women are people and are treated unjustly by sexist society, but however.

He also understands the institutions of sexism as something protecting him and people like him from life being nebulously yet definitively Worse, and therefore wants to see them upheld.

So you get this really bizarre handling of gender where obviously women's rights good and women cool, women can be Strong, and the compulsory sexualization imposed by the industry isn't them or the author, and so forth.

But also it's very important that in the world he controls, women never win anything important or Count too much, and that jokes at their expense that disrupt the internal logic of their characters are always fair game, that women asked about sexism on TV will promptly get into catfights amongst themselves, and they are understood always in terms of their sexual and romantic interests and value, and sexual assertiveness and failures to perform femininity well enough are used to code them as dangerous and irrational, and that the sexy costumes are requisite and will never be subverted or rebelled against--at most they might be circumnavigated via leaning into cute appeal.

And that Yaoyorozu Momo, who converts her body fat into physical objects, is being frivolous when she wants to use money to buy things instead (rather than as sensibly moderating her Quirk use) and is never encouraged to eat as much as possible at every opportunity to put on weight and even shown being embarrassed by hunger (even though Quirk overuse gives symptoms that suggest she's been stripping the lipids out of her cell walls or nervous system to keep fighting) and always, no matter how many Things she has made, has huge big round boobies.

[estapa-edwards]

RIVALS - J. HUGHES

paring: jack hughes x reader

word count: 2.3k

requested? yes - jack falling in love with his rival player from the rangers and the media and everyone alwyss comparing the two and they like to tease each other back and fourth and people think they are enemies but really they have been friends since they both moved away from their families to jersey and york, they ended up living in the same building and became good friends despite the rivalry, they just love to tease each other on the ice and making everyone speculate, something important goes on and jack brings her as his plus one and he is like she’s been my gf for years didn’t you know?

warnings: use of y/n.

*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨* ≈☆≈ *¨¨*:·..·:*¨¨*

As I lace up my skates in the familiar locker room of Madison Square Garden, I can feel the buzz of anticipation coursing through me. Tonight, like every other night when we face off against the New Jersey Devils, the media will paint our matchup as an epic clash between bitter rivals. They'll hype up the drama, the tension, the supposed animosity between me, Y/N, of the New York Rangers, and Jack Hughes of the Devils. But what they don't know is that behind the scenes, Jack and I are actually good friends.

It's funny how things work out sometimes. We met shortly after we both moved away from home to pursue our hockey dreams. Fate seemed to have a sense of humor when it placed us in the same apartment building. At first, we were just acquaintances, nodding at each other in the elevator or exchanging small talk in the lobby. But as time went on, our friendship blossomed.

Jack is one of those people who's impossible not to like. He's got this infectious energy, always cracking jokes and keeping everyone around him in high spirits. And despite being fierce competitors on the ice, off the rink, he's one of the most genuine and down-to-earth guys I've ever met.

--

From the moment we stepped onto the ice as rookies, Jack and I knew that we were destined to be compared and contrasted by the media. They loved to pit us against each other, to scrutinize every goal, every assist, every move we made on the ice. And as much as we tried to brush it off, it was hard not to feel the weight of those expectations.

But amidst the chaos of the rivalry, Jack and I found something unexpected: a genuine friendship. It started with small gestures – a friendly nod during warm-ups, a quick word of encouragement after a tough game – but it quickly grew into something deeper. We discovered that we had a lot in common, both on and off the ice, and that despite wearing different jerseys, we shared a mutual respect and admiration for each other's talents.

As our friendship blossomed, we found ourselves gravitating towards each other more and more, seeking refuge from the pressures of the rivalry in each other's company. We'd sneak away from the prying eyes of the media and our respective teams' management to grab lunch together or hang out at one of our apartments, swapping stories and jokes like old friends.

Of course, we knew that our friendship had to remain a secret. Our PR managers made sure of that, reminding us constantly that we were supposed to be bitter rivals, not bosom buddies. But in a strange way, the secrecy only made our bond stronger. It was like we were in on this big, inside joke together, sharing a secret that no one else knew.

And so, we became experts at playing our parts. We'd exchange playful jabs during interviews, making sure to throw in a few subtle digs to keep up the facade of animosity. We'd celebrate our victories against each other on the ice with exaggerated displays of triumph, all the while exchanging knowing looks behind the scenes.

---

As rookies, stepping onto the ice for the first time felt like stepping into a pressure cooker. The weight of expectations hung heavy in the air, fueled by the constant comparisons and contrasts the media loved to draw between Jack and me.

"Hey, Y/N," Jack called out as we lined up for warm-ups before our first game against each other. His voice cut through the tension, and I turned to see him flashing a grin. "You ready to show the world what we're made of?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at his infectious enthusiasm. "You bet, Jack. Just don't expect me to go easy on you out there."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he replied with a playful wink.

And so it began – a friendly rivalry that would soon evolve into something much deeper. As the games went by, Jack and I found ourselves drawn to each other, seeking solace from the relentless scrutiny of the media in the comfort of each other's company.

"Rough game out there, huh?" Jack said one night, catching me in the hallway outside the locker rooms after a particularly grueling match.

I nodded, grateful for the chance to decompress with someone who understood the pressures we faced. "Yeah, tell me about it. I swear, they're never gonna let us live this one down."

Jack chuckled, clapping me on the back in a show of solidarity. "Well, at least we can commiserate together, right?"

And so our friendship blossomed, forged in the fires of competition and camaraderie. We'd steal moments away from the prying eyes of the media, grabbing lunch together or hanging out at one of our apartments, swapping stories and jokes like old friends.

"Man, I can't believe we have to keep this friendship a secret," I grumbled one day as we lounged on Jack's couch, watching highlights from our latest game.

Jack shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Eh, adds to the intrigue, don't you think? Besides, it's kinda fun having our little secret."

I had to admit, there was something exhilarating about sneaking around like a couple of teenagers with a forbidden romance. It made our bond feel even more special, like we were part of some exclusive club that no one else could join.

Of course, playing our parts as bitter rivals wasn't always easy. We'd exchange playful jabs during interviews, throwing in a few subtle digs to keep up the facade of animosity.

"Y/N, what do you have to say to Jack Hughes, who claims he's going to outshine you on the ice tonight?" a reporter asked during a post-game press conference.

I shot Jack a knowing smirk before turning back to the camera with a smirk of my own. "Tell him he can try, but he's gonna have to get past me first."

Jack laughed from his seat beside me, the tension in the room dissipating as we shared a private joke

--

As much as we excelled at maintaining the illusion of rivalry in public, it was behind closed doors where our friendship truly flourished. Away from the prying eyes of the media and the expectations of our teams, Jack and I could be ourselves without reservation. We'd spend hours talking about everything and nothing, sharing our hopes and fears, our triumphs and struggles.

There was a comfort in knowing that we could let our guard down around each other, free from the pressures of being seen as rivals. In those moments, it was easy to forget about the intensity of the rivalry and just enjoy each other's company. Whether we were binge-watching our favorite TV shows, cooking dinner together, or simply lounging around, every moment spent with Jack felt like a welcome reprieve from the chaos of our professional lives.

And yet, even as we reveled in our friendship, there was always an underlying tension – the knowledge that our bond had to remain a secret. It was a constant balancing act, navigating the delicate line between friendship and rivalry, always mindful of the consequences if our true relationship were to be revealed.

But despite the risks, our friendship only grew stronger with each passing day. We became each other's confidants, sharing our deepest thoughts and feelings with a level of trust and understanding that went beyond words. And as much as we cherished our time together off the ice, there was something uniquely special about the moments we shared on it.

On game days, when the arena was buzzing with excitement and anticipation, Jack and I would find ourselves locked in a silent battle of wills. We'd exchange knowing glances across the ice, each one a silent reminder of the bond we shared. And when the puck dropped and the game was underway, it was like we were playing our own private game within the game – a subtle dance of friendship disguised as rivalry.

But no matter how convincing our performance was for the outside world, there were moments when our true feelings would slip through the cracks. A shared smile after a particularly well-executed play, a quick pat on the back after a hard-fought battle – these were the moments when our friendship shone brightest, illuminating the darkness of the rivalry that surrounded us.

--

The locker room is quiet, the only sound the faint echo of distant celebrations filtering through the walls. I sit alone on the bench, still basking in the afterglow of our victory over the Devils. It had been a hard-fought battle, but in the end, we'd come out on top, securing another win for the Rangers.

I'm lost in my thoughts when I hear the door creak open, and I glance up to see Jack standing in the doorway, a hesitant smile playing at the corners of his lips. Everyone else has already left, leaving us alone in the quiet solitude of the locker room.

"Hey," he says softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Hey," I reply, returning his smile. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be with your team."

Jack shrugs, taking a few cautious steps into the room. "I needed to talk to you."

My curiosity piqued, I gesture for him to take a seat beside me on the bench. "What's on your mind?"

He hesitates for a moment, his gaze flickering uncertainly as if searching for the right words. And then, in one swift motion, he crosses the distance between us and takes my face in his hands, leaning in to press his lips against mine.

For a moment, time seems to stand still as the world falls away around us. I'm too stunned to react, too overwhelmed by the sudden rush of emotions coursing through me. But as his kiss deepens, I find myself melting into his embrace, the weight of our shared secret finally lifting from my shoulders.

When we finally pull apart, our breaths coming in ragged gasps, I meet Jack's gaze with a mixture of surprise and longing. "I didn't know you felt that way," I whisper, my voice barely audible above the pounding of my heart.

Jack smiles, a hint of mischief dancing in his eyes. "I've been trying to tell you for months," he admits, his thumb tracing gentle circles against my cheek. "But I never had the courage until now."

I reach out to take his hand in mine, lacing our fingers together with a sense of newfound clarity. "I'm glad you did," I say softly, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "Because I feel the same way."

-- 

As the seasons passed, Jack and I found ourselves navigating the complexities of our newfound relationship with a sense of cautious optimism. We were no longer just friends who shared a secret bond; we were now a couple, bound together by love and mutual respect.

But as much as we reveled in our newfound happiness, we couldn't escape the ever-present shadow of the rivalry that loomed over us. Our teams, our fans, and the media all seemed determined to keep us apart, to maintain the facade of animosity that had defined our relationship for so long.

We knew that our relationship had to remain a secret, at least for the time being. Our PR managers had made that abundantly clear, reminding us constantly of the consequences if our true feelings were ever to be revealed. And so, we continued to play our parts, keeping our love hidden behind a carefully constructed facade of rivalry and competition.

But as the years passed and our relationship continued to flourish, it became increasingly difficult to keep our secret under wraps. We longed to share our love with the world, to finally break free from the constraints of the rivalry that had kept us apart for so long.

And then, one day, an opportunity presented itself that we couldn't ignore. Jack had been invited to a prestigious event, a gathering of the league's top players and executives, and he had been given the chance to bring a guest as his plus one.

As we stood outside the doors of the grand ballroom, Jack turned to me with a mischievous grin. "Are you ready for this?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

I nodded, my heart pounding in anticipation. "I'm ready," I replied, squeezing his hand tightly in mine.

And with that, we stepped inside, hand in hand, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. As we made our way through the crowd, heads turned and whispers followed in our wake. But Jack didn't seem to notice, too caught up in the moment to care about the opinions of others.

And then, when we reached the center of the room, Jack turned to me with a smile that lit up his entire face. "Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, his voice ringing out clear and confident. "I'd like you to meet someone very special to me. This is Y/N, and she's been my girlfriend for years. Didn't you know?"

The room fell silent, the air thick with shock and surprise. But as I looked around at the stunned faces of our peers, I felt a sense of liberation wash over me. We had finally broken free from the shackles of the rivalry, and nothing – not even the expectations of others – could hold us back any longer.

As Jack wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close, I knew that our love was stronger than any rivalry, stronger than any obstacle that stood in our way. And as we danced together in the center of the room, surrounded by the whispers of our peers and the glow of the evening lights, I knew that we were finally free to be ourselves – together, forever.

[lani-heart]

|| series masterlist || next // previously

parings -> ( eventually ) enhypen x reader genre -> soulmate au, fantasy au, angst warnings -> angst, self-harm word count -> 1.5k

abstract -> "i'm not a monster"

y/n’s perspective

I don't understand why Jake would want to know how it feels. Seeing someone hurt should give him an idea… He even wanted to keep it a secret, but why?

I wonder if K already gave it to him… if he drank it knowing what it was. 

“Why are you so lost in your own head love?” I heard and smiled. “Just tired, Won,” I said and he chuckled. “Too tired even for me?” he teased and I smiled at him. He really was the best. “No, never for any of you,” I said and he smiled while kissing my forehead. 

“Jay is busy today, so he wanted me to tell you to eat at the cafeteria today,” he said and I nodded. “Are you gonna join me?” I asked and he chuckled. “I would, but I need to get my dinner at the cafeteria so I’d rather not let you wait,” he said and I nodded. 

It's been a while since I've eaten dinner by myself. Eunchae and Wonyoung are busy with after-school activities today. “Don’t miss me too much,” he said while speeding away. 

I packed up my stuff and decided to go to the cafeteria. 

While we could make our own food and eat at the cafeteria, we couldn’t get other foods made for different species. That's a concrete rule… humans have a specific process of checking food, it's quite similar to witches but our food has more nutrients for our energy in magic. Whilst werewolves consisted of a lot of meat… sometimes rare. Of course, vampires have blood bags and blood-infused food. 

Wait… if Jay was busy today, what was Jake gonna eat?

“I need help” I heard and I immediately got scared of the man behind me… speaking of the devil. “I know it's not your ideal way to spend the end of the day, but if I can't stomach a blood bag I won't be able to eat any of the cafeteria food,” he said and I nodded. 

“Why don’t you go into the city?” I asked and he shook his head. “The humans know I'm a vampire… It's on my uniform. They'll refuse to serve me. Why would a vampire go to a human-owned restaurant alone?” he asked and he proved a point. There was a lot of fear when it came to humans… some trusted witches and werewolves but when it came to other supernatural creatures like vampires… not so much. 

“Well… I could go with you? We could go to the witch area, there's food you can eat as a human '' I said and his eyes lit up and he grabbed my shoulders making me freeze. “Thank you! You’re a lifesaver!” he said as he let me go… I tried to calm down my over beating heart, but it wasn’t like he could hear it with the effects of the potion. 

“Do you need time to get ready?” I asked and he shook his head. “No… I just want food” he said and I understood he must be feeling an overwhelming amount of saturation. 

“Lets go wait  for the bus then”

jake’s perspective

I was happy she was true to her word and was willing to help me. 

We finally got out of the bus that took us to the nearest city. It had a lot of different species-owned shops and restaurants. While shops were okay, restaurants were hard since vampires primarily drink blood scaring humans when they go in saying they're hungry. 

“This is a human and witch-infused place. I hope you can find something you can eat” she said and I nod hoping it was true. “Jake?” I heard and I saw a she-devil. I hid behind y/n who looked at me confused. 

“Jake, you should not be hiding behind the poor girl” she scolded and she smiled at the y/n who put her hand out. “Hello, if you know Jake you must know my brother Heeseung '' she said and I could see the shocked expression on her face. “I’m sorry for those idiots, they’ve always been that way,” she said and I scoffed.

“But you’re a witch and Heeseung–” “Is a vampire? The only vampires born from them are Sunghoon, Jake, and Niki the rest were turned. Heeseung was actually a witch” she explained. 

“That's a long story though!” she said and I scoffed… 

“Oh, it's nice to meet you,” she said, causing the she-devil to smile. “Be careful, Jake. Being human is a lot harder than you think” she said, seeing right through me. “How’d you know?” I asked as I stopped hiding. “I’m a witch… of course, I'd know, '' she said. “Besides any idiot could feel the magic radiating off of you” I heard as I now saw Vernon-hyung. “Oh, uhm she’s actually in HYBE Academy '' I explained and her eyes lit up. “I want to go into HYBE Academy when I graduate!” she said with an excitement I hadn't seen before. 

“Oh? Maybe you’ll be my junior!” she said and y/n smiled. “We should get going now, your mates are waiting for you” I heard as I saw Jeonghan also. 

“Mates? I didn’t know you found your mates yet?!” I said and she chuckled. “Neither do they,” she said and I should've guessed. From what Heeseung explained she knew who her mates were before even meeting them. 

“Bye! I would love to see you again y/n!” she said as she left. “I didn’t know he had a sister, '' she said and I nodded. “She’s evil,” I said and she laughed. “She seems nice…” she said and I nodded. “Nicer than Heeseung at least but those two are the worst. Now can we order?” I asked and her eyes widened. 

“Oh! You’re right, uhm here” she said while showing me the menu. “Oh, Rabokki sounds good!” I said and she smiled. “Let's go order then,” she said and I put down the menu as we got in line. “Are you not gonna get anything?” I asked and she hummed. “I was thinking of getting the same thing actually,” she said and I chuckled. “We could just order a big one and share?” I suggested. “Are you sure?” she asked and I nodded. 

“I’ll pay by the way… as a thank you for doing this for me”

y/n’s perspective

My time with Jake was… nice. 

He was actually really funny and sweet so I felt comfortable around him. Even meeting Heeseung’s sister was shocking, but the evening was good despite my other soulmates being busy. 

“I’m so full!” he said as he yawned. “Why am I so sleepy?” he asked and I chuckled. “Because human food fills you so much that it just makes you tired. Unlike other species they don’t use anything to give extra energy to their food” I explained and he nodded. 

“Being a human… it's weird” he said and I was curious. “How does being a witch feel?” he asked, making me laugh. “I know it sounds weird,” he mutters softly with a smile. He was...

No, he likes Sooha, not me.

“Well, I almost have excessive energy that I need to release. Witches need to do magic to not only be healthy but practice” I explained and he nodded. 

“Vampires just have an excessive thirst,” he said and I nodded. “Does it make you uncomfortable with… you know eating with your mates?” he asked and I shook my head. 

“It's a natural thing, none of it bothers me,” I said and he nodded. “Being around you… is overwhelming” he said and it confused me. “Not right now! Just… as a vampire. I’m not the best with control so you constantly smell like blood” he said and I felt my eyes widen in shock. 

“I need to work on my control… control plus heavy emotions lead me to do horrible things. I’m sorry for that” he explained and I now knew it wasn’t really his fault. 

He probably was defending Sooha… but he didn’t mean to hurt me. “I still don’t know how it feels to be hurt. But I wanted to explain that” he said and I nodded. “Sorry for not hearing you out,” I said and he shook his head. 

“I don’t blame you” 

jake’s perspective

I dropped her off at her dorm when I left the school again. I went to the plains to test it out. 

I took a deep breath and summoned my fire. It was warm… then it turned hot and then turned unbearable. I couldn’t even control the scream that I let out. 

“That pain you feel right now… remember it. It was only a fraction of what you did to her” I heard as I saw Heeseung? “Asking her for a potion to make yourself human? What were you thinking?” he asked as I could only feel my vision get blurry. 

The burns hurt… the smell of burning flesh even made me gag. 

“You’ve hurt countless people, you're under a rehabilitation program Jake. You're supposed to learn not to be a monster and yet you do monstrous things” he said and it was true. 

There were vampires like him… who were made and are taught how to control whilst there's one like me who has killed and needed to be taught morals. 

“I get it… I’m still a monster”

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[lunarwritesthings]

☆— The Unfortunate Move —☆

Paring: Edge x Gn!Reader

Fandom: Wwe

Request: No

Summary: When a move in the match goes wrong, but no one realizes until you haven't moved since being pinned. What happens when your tag team partner and friend realizes and drops everything for you?

A/N: This doesn't exactly take place in a certain year, besides being after Edge got his neck injury.....I also may have left the ending open incase people want a second part. 👀

Life can change all too quickly, one minute you can be in the match of your career the next minute you can be unmoving on the matt. Then next thing you know your waking up in the hospital with a broken neck. However let's start for the beginning.

The title at stake, the crowd at their feet, and the moment to take home the crown. The sign you've made it to the top. It's one of the most important matches in a wrestler's career.

The match was going well, I had the upper hand and I was so close to winning. My tag team partner and good friend Edge was standing ringside, watching in a mix of awe and excitement. He had been helping keep control, by cheating a little...hey we're heels! Cheating is one of many ways we win.

Out of nowhere it all went wrong and the match was falling apart. After a mis-step by my unlucky opponent, I was thrown off balance and landed awkwardly on my neck. A collective gasp could be heard from the fans at the sight of my landing.

The world looked fuzzy to me, I was trying to process what happened. Once I started to piece together what happened, I started to freak out. I couldn't move, my body felt like it was made out of bricks.

It's hard to focus on the sounds around me, however i could faintly made out someone's theme music then Edge talking but I couldn't understand what he was saying.

The fan watched in horror as they realized something wasn't right. I failed to move from where I had been pinned. I was going in and out of consciousness. The silence from the fans finally got to Edge. He looked around until his eyes landed on me. The mic he was holding was thrown to the side.

After a few seconds, my vision cleared up a little bit. I could now make out a face of someone a few inche away from mine. At first, I thought it was just an illusion. But then I looked at Edge.

He had a confused and concerned look on his face. His eyes were wide open, and his eyebrows were raised slightly. “Are you alright?” His voice was gentle yet full of concern. As the adrenaline faden from my body the real pain from my neck finally hit.

It was becoming more difficult to think straight, and my vision was becoming blurry. My breathing was becoming more shallow, and it felt like I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.

I could tell that Edge was looking at me with genuine concern, and my head started to feel like it was spinning. The pain from my injury was almost too much to handle. Before I knew it my vision had gone black.

As I slowly come to, realizing that I'm in a hospital bed. my vision is still blurry, but I can see Edge sitting beside me, a small smile on his face. He looks relieved to see that I've woken up.

"Thank god you're awake," Edge says softly. I tried to speak, but my throat is still extremely sore and dry from my injury, making it difficult to talk. Edge leans in closer, his voice full of concern, "How are you feeling?"

I try to sit up, but Edge gently pushes me back down. "Take it easy," he says. "You've been through a lot." I notice that he's still smiling, but I can tell there's more he wants to say.

"I need to explain what happened," Edge continues. He looks over at me, his eyes filled with concern once more. This couldn't be good. Edge takes a deep breath and looks back at you, his eyes still full of concern.

"Your injury is similar to the one I got." he says. I remember that incidents, and the matches that sent Edge into the hospital after suffering a broken neck.

"It's a serious injury, and it needs to be treated carefully," Edge continues. "I need to make sure you're ok. I'm not leaving your side until I absolutely have too." I was heartbroken. Just as I was about to reach the top, my career is over. My dream was shattered.

Edge stares at me, his eyes full of understanding and sympathy. "I know this is hard, but it's important that we take good care of this injury. We can't rush this process. There will be ups and downs, but we'll get through this together."

Edge offers a comforting smile, and I find myself smiling back. The atmosphere is becoming lighter and more optimistic.

Me and Edge continue to have a discussion about my injury and how to properly manage it. Edge encourages me to rest and take it easy, and I nod in agreement. As I'm talking, Edge's face softens and he smiles gently.

"We'll get through this," Edge reassures me. "I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere." I smile back, feeling more and more reassured by Edge's presence.

Maybe my future hold a return to the ring, but for now I'll focus on healing and having Edge by my side to help.

[theeeveetamer]

Rune Factory Tides of Destiny (extended thoughts)

@saficswrites asked me to go a little more in depth and I've actually been planning on talking more in depth anyway, so this is a good opportunity! I'm also going to throw in some of the resources I used while playing because there's a lot of great ones but they're kind of scattered.

So I will start by saying that I started on the series with RF4 back when it originally came out for 3DS and I played the heck out of it. Like, tried taming every single monster in the game levels of played the heck out of it. I've since played all of RF1, RF2, most of RF3 and RF5, and now RFToD. I chose to go back and play 1, 2, 3, and ToD after RF5 was announced. The only one I haven't touched is Frontier.

And yeah, Tides of Destiny does have some quirks and I can see why some people don't love it as a Rune Factory game. Just starting with some of the criticisms (because they lead into one of the things I actually really like about the game): The farming is very pared down and it's entirely reliant on the monsters you tame. Basically you just plant generic seeds and the monsters you put on the seasonal island determine what they grow into. Different monsters can grow different things.

That is somewhat annoying because you can't see what the monsters are called or what they plant before you tame them, the game doesn't really give you a clear list of everything you can plant, and you only get to tame 30 total so you're going to be doing a lot of swapping. It is possible to get everything with some planning tho (I borrowed the monster setups from this GameFaqs thread).

That said, I personally kind of prefer this? Micromanaging the farming has always been my least favorite aspect of the Rune Factory games. In Tides of Destiny you don't have to worry about that. There's no watering, no harvesting, no spreadsheets keeping track of exactly what seeds you need to buy, and the crops grow so fast (most are done in 1-2 days when you have your monster friendship maxed out) that you don't really feel the randomness. I'm in summer of year 2 and I've already got a storage full of full stacks of basically every crop in the game. That means you can focus 100% on the exploration, dungeons, making friends, etc.

And the exploration is. My god. I love it. It's basically if you threw Rune Factory and Legend of Zelda Wind Waker into a blender. For reference, Wind Waker is one of my favorite Zelda games ever so that colors my impressions of the game. The exploration is 100% riding around through the ocean on a giant golem, fighting giant monsters, and digging up islands and salvage points. The quests usually point you toward specific islands to unlock and there's no point where I felt like I needed an external tool to explore, but if you want help someone made an excellent, detailed map of the stuff you can find in the ocean. You also eventually unlock a fast travel and there is a way to speed up getting from point A to point B, so I never felt like wandering through the ocean was too intrusive.

I also really, really, really like the characters. Each one has a little required "friendship event" you need to watch to unlock their next friendship level, and each of the main island inhabitants has at least 6. All the friendship events are connected to a little character arc which is completed with level 6. The bachelor/ettes get an additional 3 event arc if you unlock their love events as well, though you can't access that until after the main plot is over (and gender locked unfortunately). And there's actually a reason to get them up to the max (level 6) before the endgame, since you get a benefit in the final boss battle.

IMO they're all just really likable, funny characters. Some of the events actually made me laugh out loud, and I was usually smiling the whole time any of the them were talking!

I also really like they way they handled the main characters (Aden and Sonja). The plot of the game is that Sonja gets trapped in her childhood friend Aden's body, and the story is about figuring out how to separate them again. You can play as Sonja once they're separated at the end of the main plot, but you do have to do the entirety of the main story as Aden. Initially I was kind of miffed about this, since I vastly prefer playing as female characters in games, but I actually really like how they did it. For two reasons.

One, I just really like Aden as a protagonist. I was expecting him to be kind of the goody two-shoes amnesiac like a lot of Rune Factory protags are, but no. He's sassy as hell. There was at least one point where one of the characters (I think Joe) is like "hey buddy ol' pal" and Aden is just like "Yeah we're not friends sorry you thought that tho."

Two, initially I was thinking that the whole "my best friend is living in my head" thing was going to be some secret they kept. Like Sonja was going to be there, but she was going to be quiet most of the time or not really interact with the world. But no. The first thing that happens is the obligatory RF starter girl (Odette) finds Aden, and the first thing out of his mouth is "Sonja is stuck in my head, isn't that weird?" and EVERYONE just goes with it. I love it. They really lean into the wackiness/silliness of it all. Sonja is very present in the dialogue and the plot. On her birthday characters wish Aden happy birthday to pass it along. The writing frequently plays around with the dynamic of them being stuck together (such as the two of them arguing over how Aden is going to take a bath), and they frequently swap off in dialogue and give different perspectives. They each kind of have their own relationship with the various characters around town. Most of the friendship events feature both of them in some way. It's also really nice how they'll talk to each other throughout gameplay. They'll say good morning to each other, Sonja will warn you when your health is getting low or what time it is, etc.

Despite playing as Aden (physically) I really feel like you're actually playing as both of them to some degree, and I really like that. It actually feels kind of lonely once they split at the end of the main plot and you don't get Sonja's little quips in your head anymore.

I think those are the big things. There's also lots of little things I enjoyed. I love the aesthetic of the world, and the gameplay systems relating to RP management and stuff are much more refined than the older games. I'd say the only mane difference between it and RF4 is that swinging your weapons still costs RP. The crafting is a little annoying until you get the hang of it (you can craft anything up to 20 levels higher than your current level, so it doesn't suck to grind too badly). There's a bizarre amount of spelling errors, which isn't super intrusive but it is kind of funny lol.

On the negative side, the story is pretty short. You can easily beat it in less than one in game year if you're rushing. I'm also not a huge fan of the main story needing to be 100% completed before you can do marriage and the like, since the game is basically done at that point. I don't think there's much post-game other than the goals you make up for yourself. I do think playing as Sonja was a bit of an afterthought. She has like a quarter of the romance options Aden has and there's some odd mistakes I've noticed playing as her (like trying to knock on Sierra's door while she's asleep will have Sonja saying a line about how the bath is closed ???) but it doesn't bother me too much so far.

Those are pretty minor negatives though. I still had (and am having) so much fun with the game!

I also heavily used this website as a guide. The only thing is that I wish they had pictures of the monsters because I think they have slightly different names from the rest of the series, and it can be confusing cuz some monsters have different colorations and therefore do completely different things.

[fandomtherapy44]

Klaus x reader chapter 6 Bloodletting

Summary: This story is from the perspective of Y/n Marshall the younger sister of Hayley Marshall. Side note I love Hayley one of my favorite characters. Basically Y/n will be pregnant instead of Hayley and I will be changing some things up but then that it should stay pretty close to the series. I hope you enjoy the story! Also, if you like I have a Castiel x reader

Paring: Klaus x reader

Word count: 3,238

Warnings: Some language, Typical the Originals violence, Spoilers for season one of The Originals, Pregnancy, Refence to sex

I got the divder from

saradika

Chapter 6: Bloodletting

There were about forty vampires in the courtyard at the compound of Marcel Gerad of squaring up to fight to get a chance to get a special ring. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Fight Night! And, the first rule of Fight Night is: the vampire left standing at the end of the night is one step closer to the inner circle, and one of these--[He holds up the hand on which he wears his ring]-- a daylight ring. If you can impress me with a little ultra-violence, you too can enjoy the warmth of the sun on your face. All you got to do is kick a little ass. Here we go!”

A woman and man step up. Of course, the women won victoriously. But not a moment later her neck was snapped by Klaus. Elijah and Hayley in tow. "Good evening! I'd like a word.” “What do you think you're doing?” Marcel was pissed that Klaus was once again stepping on his throne. “It appears that we've interrupted a collection of filthy amateurs! We've come here for the girl. Give her to us, or we kill everyone here... starting with you.” Elijah was always so methodical with his words.

“You two got a lot of nerve, coming into my home and making demands. And who is she?” He pointed out Hayley. “I'm about to kick your-” She tried to walk forward but was pulled back by Elijah. “Your home, is it?” Klaus has a sarcastic smile. “The girl! I will not ask again.” “I assume you're talking about Y/n? Yea high, H/c, sweet attitude? Who is she, anyway?”

“She's an old friend. You know how sentimental I am about old friends.” “Well, I ain't got her. And before you start whining, I did pay her a little visit earlier tonight. I was feeling nostalgic, so I took a trip out to the plantation where I used to be a slave. And, imagine my surprise when I realized that the Original family of vampires had taken up residence. Your girl, Y/n, answered the door, we exchanged hellos, and that was it. You don't believe me? Look around. Hell, I'll even help you find her. But the question that I'd ask is: if Y/n isn't here, then where is she?” 

POV: (Y/N)

I wake up and all I smell is dirty socks and all I see is the back of SUV window. I kick up at the window in some hope to somehow knock it out and climb out. The driver pulls over and gets out and opens the back. I kick him and he blocks me. “Seriously?” “Tyler?” I had not seen him for over like six months at this point. “You don't wanna fight me, Y/n. You know you can't beat a hybrid.” He zip-locks my ankles and picks me up. “AHHH! Let me go you asshole!” “Shut up!”

Tyler had brought me to the backwaters of the bayou of this small shack next to the water. It would be prettier if I wasn't currently being held against my will. “Tyler why the Hell am I here?” He doesn’t answer, instead he brings out a pocketknife. “Ok, geese! I won't ask again.” He then cuts my ankle zip locks. “This is just in case.” He held the knife up, the gall of him. “Hey, aren't you the one you knocked me out in my backyard!?” “It's not your backyard, it's Klaus'! You're shacked up in that mansion with that psycho. A long way from the sweet girl I've met in the Appalachians, helping other werewolves.”

“Tyler, I am still the same girl, just a couple of things have changed.” “You mean that you're pregnant? A hybrid baby, yeah, I know all about it. I've been roaming around the Bayou, asking questions. Let me tell you what I learned! [He pulled down my sweater sleeve to show my birthmark on my shoulder] This crescent birthmark means you come from a big-shot family. Some kind of royalty for the werewolves of this region. And right here-- [He gestured around him]-- this is all that's left of them.”

I look around and see tents that are barely being held together by worn-down rope. “My family is out here?” At that moment I see a blond woman hiding by the trees. “HEY HELP!” I held my arms up. She ran away as soon as I did. “They can't help you! They're in the woods, hiding, because they were persecuted for decades by vampires.” Of course, those poor people, this man walks up. “Is that her?” “Excuse me!?” “Yeah, Dwayne. Get her inside.” Dwayne comes and picks me up like I was a bag of air. He must be a werewolf too or he hits the gym every day. “Tyler? Tyler!” 

Back at the compound, Sabine was doing a locator spell to find Y/n while Hayley, Elijah, and Klaus were crowding around. “She's in the backcountry. Way up past Houma, deep in the Bayou.” “Bayou?” Hayley questioned. “There are stories of exiled werewolves, encampments. If Y/n went out that far, chances are she went to find them.” “Clearly, she hopes to make the acquaintance of more like herself. I suppose our company wasn't good enough for her.” Klaus quipped. “No, Y/n is not like that. She would at least tell me, if she's there she's not there by choice.” Klaus looks at Hayley with the slightest bit of worry.

The three of them had traveled to the Bayou. “We should head south towards the water.” Elijah pointed out. “You seem quite determined to find the littlest wolf.” Klaus commented. Hayley was just trying to sense her sister. “If I'm moving too fast for you, Niklaus, you're welcome to wait in the car. Do be certain to leave the windows down.” “ Ah, so I've touched a nerve? You've begun to admire her sister. Perhaps that's why you've been barking orders since your return, hoping to impress Hayley by assuming the role of family patriarch.” she had walked enough away that she couldn't hear them.

“If you're going to insist on treating her like a walking incubator, then that's your mistake.” “I do not see her as a-” Klaus stopped. “Have you found her scent?” They walk over to the SUV so does Hayley. “No, but I found someone else's. This vehicle reeks of someone I thought I was rid of... Tyler Lockwood.” “Tyler? why the Hell would he care to kidnap Y/n.” Hayley said. “He wants revenge because I went after his girl.” “Really over a high school girlfriend?” “Why do I suspect this is the least of your offenses?” “Well, there was this business with his mum…”

“Great so my sister is going to die now because of you! She’s here because of you!” “He needed to be taught a lesson!” “And what lesson will you be taught, Niklaus, if he retaliates by harming Y/n?” “So, you do care about her. Well, go on, then. Have at it, brother. Save her. Claim what spoils you can. I've sampled what she has to offer and let me tell you, she is exquisite–” Hayley slapped Klaus. “Don't you ever talk about her like that again!” She goes to keep searching but stops. “Oh, and Klaus if she is hurt or worse I will find some way to kill you.” With that, she walks, and Elijah follows.

POV (Y/n)

I am brought into the shack and zip-tied to some type of iron oven aka not easy to pick up. Might as well ask. “Tyler, there's been two wolves watching Hayley and me lately. Protecting us, like they instinctively know that we are part of their pack. You're a hybrid, you can turn into a wolf whenever you want... Was one of them you?” He shakes his head no. “No, but you're right-- only hybrids can control when they change. And I'm the only one left, besides Klaus. Which is why we're here.” “Whatever you think you're doing, you know that whole Original family has made some sort of pact, or something, to keep me and the baby safe. So, if you hurt me, they'll kill you. Believe it or not I don't want to see you die Tyler.”

“Of course, the nice, sweet Y/n wouldn't want that but then again you conspired to help kill twelve hybrids. How did you even trigger your curse if you do not believe in killing huh? I'm generally curious.” He got close and up in my face. “An accident the same as you.” I looked to the side. “I don't believe you but that's not why we are here, Dwayne? You ready for this?” Dwayne looked really hopped on whatever he was about to do.

“Let's do it.” Tyler goes to dig out a large syringe. “What are you doing?” I asked with fear flooding my body. Dwayne holds me down. “Tyler, please. NO! Tyler!” “Klaus destroyed everything good in my life! So, I'm gonna take away the thing he wants most!” He jammed it into my stomach. “AHH!” I breathed heavily. As I see it leave my body it’s filled with my baby’s blood. Tyler goes and injects it in Dwayne and then snaps his neck. 

I just stare at the dead body now. “Don't get all judgy! Dwayne knew what he was getting into. He volunteered!” “To get killed!? How in the hell does make any sense?” “Dwayne is a werewolf who died with your blood in his system. The same blood you share with your hybrid baby.” I furred my eyebrows in confusion. “You're trying to turn him into a hybrid? That's impossible!” “I've been running with wolf packs all over the country. One of them was tight with a witch. She had nightmare visions about your baby and how Klaus could use its blood to make an army of hybrid slaves.” I breathed deeply in to control my anger.

“That’s enough from everyone! I don't care what anyone says about my baby it’s just that, my kid and if you keep on making threats on it, Klaus will be the last person to worry about.” “That’s cute and all but that's where Dwayne comes in. You see, he was happy to be the test case. If you haven't noticed, these people don't have much to live for. They'd all welcome the chance to become the superior species. Trouble is, all hybrids are sired to Klaus. They follow his every move. [He grabs a knife from his bag and sets it on the table] No way I let that happen.”

“How can you be so sure Klaus knows what the baby's blood will do?” “What do you think? Klaus Mikaelson, killer of men, women, and puppies, all of a sudden wants to be a daddy? Or, he's got an ulterior motive. Hybrids can walk in the sun. Their bite is lethal to vampires. They'll take over New Orleans by the end of the week. And you know what's going to stop Klaus then? Nothing.” Could it be true all this time? Suddenly Dwanye wakes up breathing a lot.

"You're gonna have to feed on her.” Dwayne walks over to me. “What? No! Ahhhhh!” He bites in my neck and it hurts like all Hell. He freaks out and runs out and Tyler goes after him. In the freak out he broke a chair I’m able to reach and grab a broken sharp leg. Tyler walks back in.“It worked, didn't it? He's a hybrid.” “If Klaus gets a hold of you, if he gets that kid? He wins.” He picks up the knife. “Maybe we can run if those are his attentions.”  “He'll find you, he'll take your kid away, and he'll make more hybrid monsters. Slaves who do everything he says.” “Please murder is not the answer, Tyler You're not like this.”

He walks closer and I stab him in the leg with the wood. “That was stupid!” He starts again but Dwayne walks in. “Get away from her!” “What do you care?” “I said get away!” “You got what you wanted, now get lost!” “Dwayne, he's gonna kill me! And he's gonna kill you, too! He said that hybrids are too dangerous to live! You need to stop him!” Dwane attacks Tyler and I'm able to grab the knife and cut my binds and I run like never before.

I ran behind a tree hearing footsteps get closer and I jumped out and slide kicked him to the ground and pounced and almost daggered him until I realized it was Elijah. “Elijah I am so sorry! I thought-” I helped him stand up. "You thought I was Tyler, and here I thought you were in danger. It appears I was mistaken.” “Y/N!? Y/N!” It was Hayley. “Over here!” She runs over straight into my arms. “Oh thank God are you ok!? The baby!?” “Yes both of us are fine, a little sweat and a couple of scratches. Nothing I can't live through.” “Let's go!” She tugs on my arm. “Wait guys there's something you need to know about the baby.”

“Klaus must have known, that's the only explanation! He could care less about the baby. He just wants her to be born so he can use her to make more sired hybrids.” Hayley was pissed from what I told them and I don't blame her. “Look, we don't know if Klaus knew.” “Oh like Hell he didn't, he's Klaus !” “We can talk about this later after I take you two home.” Elijah of course is trying to break the tension. “Are you serious? Home to what?” Hayley replied back in her snappy sarcasm.

“Look, regardless of my brother's intentions, mine remain the same. I said that I would protect you and your sister, even, if need be, from Klaus himself.”  “Guy’s let’s talk about this.” “What’s there to talk about Y/n! And Elijah I can take care of myself. I've done it for a long time.” She walks away. And I am left to question just about everything at this point but especially Klaus.

We had walked back to the shack where Klaus was standing. He had blood on his shirt in the middle. He saw me and looked like he wanted to run to me, but he didn’t. Instead, he looked between Elijah and I and started to think things that weren't true. “There you are! I see you've found our wandering stray. Perhaps you could shed some light on the situation. This-- [kicks the body over] -- appears to be a hybrid.” He pointed to me wondering why there was even a hybrid in the first place. “His name was Dwayne.” I answered kind of hesitating because I knew the bomb that was about to explode.

“Well, whoever it was, I didn't sire him. Any idea how that's possible?” Hayley gets pissed and jumps up to defend me. “[ She stomps toward him] As if you didn't know!” “Hayley please!” I pleaded to her. Elijah looked to me to make sure I was ok. And Klaus saw. “Ahhh, well, aren't you two fast friends? Oh, come on, then. What kind of horrible accusation have you conspired to levy against me?” Here comes the boom. “Guys let’s talk-” Elijah started to talk.

“Tyler Lockwood brought Y/n here to test a theory. [Klaus nods at him to continue] That the blood of her child could be used to sire hybrids. He claims that you knew that. Furthermore, that you intended to use this knowledge to build an army.” Klaus looked hurt and with that I knew that he did not know about the blood I knew because I've had the same look before. “And, of course, you assume it's true. I mean, why else would I show interest in my own flesh and blood? A heartbroken little crybaby points his finger at me, and my own brother falls in line, eager to believe it! How quickly you believe the worst, especially when it comes from her.” Klaus pointed at Hayley.

“Oh, spare me your indignation. When have you ever demonstrated any kind of concern towards Y/n or her child and sister, beyond your own selfish pursuits? And what was it you once said to me? [He impersonates Klaus] "Every king needs an heir!"” “My big brother. So, you doubt my intentions? Well, I can't say I'm surprised, standing next to the noble Elijah, how can I be anything but the lesser brother? A liar, a manipulator, a bastard.” My heart broke. “Klaus wait please-” I tried to soften this conversation after that because I knew how much pain that phrase brought to Klaus even more when he said it himself.

“And you, of course you agree with them I mean why would the big bad wolf be interested in his own blood. [He got closer to me] I knew you never would want to have a child with me.” “Brother, if–” Elijah was hurt too. “interrupts] You've said all that needs to be said, brother. [He steps back a few steps and holds his arms out in defeat] I'll play the role I've been given.” He speeds towards Elijah and bites him with his venom. Hayley and I are both shocked.

“You three enjoy each other's company. You'll have much to bond over, once the hallucinations and dementia set in. Consider that bite to be my parting gift to the three of you.” Before I even have a chance to say his name he speeds away. Hayley and I turn to Elijah to get him to the shack.

About an hour later Elijah was on the old cot and Hayley and I were looking through old photos to see if we could find any hint towards our family. Elijah gets up to help us look. “You don't have to help us. We can dig through the werewolf antique show on our own. Besides-- [She looks at his neck wound] -- shouldn't you put some kind of ointment or something on that?” Hayley said to him concerned. “The bite won't kill me. Like Niklaus himself, it's more of a nuisance than anything.” I didn’t say anything, but I got mad at that moment. So before I got more mad, I went outside to get air. The pregnancy definitely did not help being hot.

Going outside I looked around and I finally had a chance to fully appreciate the beauty of everything like the Bayou water with the sun reflecting off of it. And the crickets making their own song. The fresh smell of no smog and instead weed flowers having a sweet nectar hanging in the air. Sometimes being a werewolf has its upsides. I couldn't wait to share this with our daughter. When I walked a little more on the deck my feet kicked into something it was big bible. I picked it up and flipped through it.

“Hayley, get out here!” Both of them came out. “What is it?” I held it and flipped through to the page that was saved. “A Bible, with a family history that goes back generations.” “What are these names? Who is Andrea and Elizabeth?” Elijah asked. “I think we are... those are the days that we were born.” I said realizing that my family just got a whole lot more intriguing. 

Hey yawl! Hope you enjoyed the story! Sorry it's been a while since I've updated. I wanted to finish my Castiel x reader which the first season is now finished if you want to you can read that. So hopefully I can focus more on these chapters because I love this story so much. This chapter really stirred the pot between Klaus and reader, so I love that. I also hoped that I showed that Y/n could hold her own. I might skip next episode's plot and move on to the next one depends. So look out for the next one! XOXO Gossip girl ;) ;)

[littlexscarletxwitch]

A comfort request for Florence where she takes care of the reader after they break their leg. Flo is there when the injury happens, and once she drives you home from the hospital she wants to take care of you. 💕

── ⋆｡ﾟ☁︎ 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂

paring: florence pugh x fem!reader

tag(s): fluff, established relationship, comfort (?)

warning(s): grammatical errors, unedited, language, broken leg (not explicit tho)

word count: 1,276

note: I'm back, bitchez. I don't know why this took so long, but I'm glad it's finally finished. I've never had a bone broken so I actually don't know what that's like, so I had to ask my dear friend google. Sorry if it's not accurate. Thank you for this request, anon. I really hope you like it. I'm not a native english speaker, so please let me know about any sort of mistake. Hope you guys enjoy <3

requests are open! + check my rules here <3

As soon as you hit the ground, you felt a burning feeling covering your whole leg. 

“Shit,” was your first thought. The only thing that your brain could think of because of the pain covering your limb. 

When Florence came running to find you, you were already on the ground. She took a quick look at the fallen chair beside you and you on the ground, and connected the dots. You clearly wanted to reach something way above you, and instead of asking for her help, you tried to do it on your own. 

And now, you were on the ground, crying, trying to move your leg but all you could feel was that burning feeling, it burned so much that you thought it was going to burn your whole body. 

“Baby, what happened?” Florence came to your aid, she knew something was really wrong when you didn’t stand back up immediately.

“I, I think I broke my leg,” you cried out, not wanting to move the limb not even one bit, afraid it would hurt even more. 

Florence was freaking out, she’d never see you like this before, a crying mess. But she had to remain calm, for the both of you. 

“It’s okay, honey. I got you,” Florence, carefully, picked you up, bridal style. 

All your mind could focus on was the burning feeling on your leg,  you couldn't listen to Florence reassuring words, or billie barking at the two of you knowing something had happened to you. You were so lost in your pain, that you didn’t even realize that you were already in the car, Florence driving you to the nearest hospital. 

[...]

Waiting for you to get out of the doctor’s office felt like hell, she couldn't go in with you, since the office was really small and there were already a lot of people all over you, doing their work. Florence could not interfere with that, she was an actor not a doctor. But not knowing how you were doing was eating her alive. 

After what felt like a hundred years, you came out of the office, in a wheelchair since now you had a leg-cast. Florence’s eyes got watery at the sight of you, relieved that you were alright, but anguished that you were in that state —unable to walk on your own.

“Hey, you,” you said to her, pleased to finally see her face. There was something about Florence’s presence that just calmed you down, she made you feel at ease. And even though you were a bit off, because of the painkillers, you knew that Florence’s presence was what made you feel better.

“Hey,” she walked over to you and left kisses all over your face, thankful that you were okay and finally with her. 

“We gave her some painkillers, they should wear off in a couple of hours. It was a severe fracture, hence the cast. Which will stay on for about six weeks and then we’ll see how her leg is doing,” Florence could only nod at the doctor, trying to engraved every word in her mind. “Try to keep her leg up as much as possible, for at least the first week. Don’t get the cast wet, if so, you should come immediately since water will weaken it, and her bones will no longer be properly supported. Even if it itches, don’t let her scratch it or poke it, it would cause a nasty sore or it would lead to an infection. And, of course, she can’t walk on it,” the doctor finished. 

“Right. Thank you, doc.”

“I will see you in about six weeks, okay, hon?” she now said looking down at you. 

“Okay,” you smiled at her. 

“Let’s get you home, baby.”

[...]

As soon as the both of you got home, Florence picked you up once again, and took you to your shared bed. Even though it was a bit embarrassing to be carried around and not be able to walk on your own, you actually liked being in Florence’s arms. The way she lifted you so carefully and easily made your heart flutter. You quietly thanked that Marvel training. 

She, slowly but surely, put you on the bed. She gently rested your leg on a pillow and made sure you were comfortable. She said that she was going to make some tea for you and told you to rest, she could see how tiring the whole thing had been for you. You tried to tell her that there was no need, but she insisted anyway. And who were you to say no to that woman?

She came back ten minutes later with your favorite tea and some biscuits. You internally laughed at that sight, her British side showing up now more than ever. 

“Okay, here you go, little lady. I figured you would be hungry as well, so I brought you those biscuits you love so much,” you smiled at her. 

“Flo…”

“I was thinking” she said, not giving you any chance to talk, “maybe I can cook your favorite, after all you deserved it.”

“Flo…” you tried once again. 

“Also, I called your secretary earlier and let her know what happened, she said she was going to take care of everything and said to tell you to not worry about anything.”

“Florence…”

“Oh, and your mum called when we were in the hospital. She was really worried when I told her what happened, and said that you should call her as soon as you can.”

“Florence!”

“Sorry. What can I do for you? Do you need me to adjust your pillow? Are you cold? Are you hot?”

“Just stop,” you laughed. Your hands now on her cheeks forcing her eyes on you. “You are amazing, you know that?”

Her eyes moved south, now avoiding yours. You realized something was wrong with her. 

“If I were so amazing, nothing would have happened to you,” she muttered, but loud enough you could hear her perfectly, which made your heart sink.

“What are you talking about?”

“I just, let me take care of you, okay?” she now looked up, meeting your eyes. You noticed tears were forming on them.

“Baby, you do know that this wasn’t your fault, right?”

“Y/n…” she trailed off.

“No. This was on me, okay? I was just stupid.”

“But, baby, if I would have run faster then maybe I would have–”

“No. Don’t do that. This wasn’t because of you. You hear me?” 

“I–”

“It wasn’t, Flo. There’s nothing you could have done, okay?”

“Okay,” she said looking at you, finding some comfort in your gaze. 

“Okay. Now, you said something about making my favorite?” you pecked her lips, trying to kiss all her worries away. 

“Mmm, yeah. Would you like that?” she giggled, thanking you for the change of subject.

“Yes, I would like that very much,” you left kisses all over her face. “Do you know what I would also like?”

“What?”

“How about we cuddle for a bit and then you can nurse me all you want?”

“That sounds perfect,” she replied, kissing you lips.

[...]

Later that night, Florence was all over you, more than she usually would. She even insisted on giving you a bath, which it didn’t take you long to agree to since you loved having her hands all over your body. Even if it was just to wash you up. You didn’t like having your leg fractured, but you had to admit that you liked this extra attention from her. Maybe having your leg broken wasn’t so bad after all. Not if you had nurse Flo to take care of you. 

Likes, reblogs and comments are appreciated! <3

-M

[darkphoenix07]

hii ive never requested before so this is kinda scary tbh .... im not sure if your mental health requests are still open but if they are, can i request one with either hongjoong or jongho that's up to u! (since i noticed u already had alot with hongjoong already ..) where reader has an eating disorder because of insecurities and is trying to recover but some days fall back into old habits. And how he would comfort you and help you back on track

thank you so much for this btw <3 I've read all of your mental health series since i myself am struggling alot with my mental health and I'm sure it means alot to other people too who also struggle, you're doing sm people a favor 💓

Jongho helps you with eating disorder

Masterlist

Mental Health Request

Paring : Idol Jongho x Reader

Word count : 1.6k

Song 🎵 : Those eyes by New West

Genre : Soft, Comfort, Fluff

4:45 p.m.

Everyone in the agency treats you very well after you got attached with Jongho. Specially when you are the girlfriend of their life maknae. They adore you like a little sister too and you love them with all of their heart which is why going to meet them is your favorite part of the day. Specially when you are feeling down.

As you walk inside the agency you meet with San, "Y/n, wassup," he immediately pulls you for a hug.

When he releases the hug, his eyes get big, "Damn, you look pale. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes, it's just. Maybe I am tired," you didn't even know when was the last time you ate something. But that is good, right? You have become so fat nowadays. Isn't that why you can't move properly? You feel suffocated and confined around your body. Only skipping food can make it alright.

"I'm going to buy some ice creams. Coming back in a few minutes," he winks before passing away.

You enter in the elevator and reach inside the practice room where you see them sitting on the floor, giggling with one another. You automatically smile seeing Jongho's gummy smile as Mingi gets scared when Jongho tried to hit him.

Suddenly Jongho notices you and stands up, "Y/n, you are here!"

He immediately pulls you into an embrace soaking your empty heart, maybe your empty stomach too.

"You don't look so good. What's up? Are you not taking meals properly?" Jongho asks you and in reply you only smile.

"Yes, you look like you have lost a lot of pounds. What's wrong?"

You feel uncomfortable hearing Wooyoung through these words at you. Because all you think about is how ugly you look. How bad your fat is making things for you.

"I-I am fine. I just wanted to meet you. I was thinking about you a lot," you tell Jongho with another smile but it doesn't convince him much.

"I'll take you to your favorite restaurant today. But first let's have ice cream after hyung brings them," he smiles at you pulling you inside.

You sit with them, keep listening to their bickerings and after sometimes San arrives with a box of ice creams.

You and Jongho share one big bucket which is butterscotch, your favorite one. But when you start to have the ice cream, you mind starts speaking to you calling you ugly shit, a pig and how you shouldn't eat like this.

"You are barely having these. Are you alright?" Jongho asks you and you nod.

"Maybe it's my period, I've lost appetite," you lie to him gripping your own shirt. You feel guilty for being this person but you can't help it.

"I-I am coming," you get up and run to the bathroom. You end up throwing up water and ice cream because that's all you've left inside your stomach. Your stomach hurts and your throat burns from the crazy sensation and how it is so hard to eat.

You leave the bathroom and see them cleaning up stuff for practicing.

"I'll have another lesson then we can go together. Can you wait?" Jongho asks you and you nod.

"That's my girl," he kisses you on the forehead smiling and goes back for the practice.

As you sit down to watch them practice, you start feeling drowsy and nauseous.

Jongho looks back at you asking if you are okay and you try to give him a reassuring smile that you are.

But it only gets worse when you get up wanting to leave the room. You grab the nob and try to open the door but suddenly everything feels hazy to your eyes. You stop feeling the ground underneath you and fall into deep sleep.

Hearing the deep thud from you passing out, Jongho comes running, "Y/n. Oh my God. Baby! What's wrong? Wake up. Come on, wake up!!"

The members look at each other hearing Jongho calling you baby which he never does.

"She will be fine. Let's call an ambulance," Hongjong says patting Jongho's back.

"Splash water on her face. She may wake up," Seonghwa suggests and Yunho brings a bottle full of water.

Jongho splashes the water on you but you don't open your eyes as the problem is something else.

"Why isn't she waking up? Oh man. This is so bad," Jongho is trembling as your head is on his lap. Your body has gone cold and you are barely breathing which starts concerning Jongho more.

The ambulance comes and he takes you in the hospital where Yeosang joins him.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

As you wake up, you feel someone holding your hand sobbing.

"I am so sorry I didn't notice earlier. I am so fucking sorry," it's Jongho's voice you realize as you open your eyes.

"Oh my God. You are awake!!!" He hugs you tightly pressing himself against you.

You feel a saline pipe on the back of your hand when you hug him back. You look around and realize that you are in a hospital bed.

"What happened?" You ask him and he looks at you with blazing eyes.

"When was the last time you had a proper meal?" He throws the question at you with a demanding voice and you can't help but feel scared.

"I won't scold you, sweetheart. Please do tell me. When did you last have a proper meal?" He asks you so softly that your heart burns.

"I-I...maybe with you," you tell him which was four days ago.

"Seriously?" He looks like he snaps but he is mad at himself for not being able to take care of you.

Your scared face tells him you misunderstood him so he gets on the bed with you, "I am concerned about you because you have iron deficiency, lack of vitamin D, Vitamin C, Vitamin B complex. In total if I say, you are going through malnutrition. How do you think I'll feel if I get to know these?"

"I am sorry. I didn't m-" you break into tears but he cups your face into his palms.

"Hey, don't cry. I didn't want to make you cry. I am mad at myself for not being able to give you enough time to take care of you. If you were having a hard time to have food, you should have told me. I didn't even notice," he says like it is all his fault that you avoid food.

"Don't blame yourself for something I've been doing," you tell him holding his hands into yours.

"Baby, you have become my responsibility from the day I've started to have feelings for you. You are not only a part of my life. You have become my life. I can't think of a single day without you though I don't tell you these enough. But I am willing to tell you everything you need to hear for recovering as early as possible," he kisses your forehead and a drop of his tear fall on your cheek.

"All your sufferings are mine, all your pain is mine, all of your agony is mine. Don't you know that already. Why don't you eat sweetheart? Why? You used to love having food once," he asks you whispering the last words like if anyone is beside him they will know your secret or maybe it is his heart burning for you seeing you like this.

"I don't know. I feel like food is the reason everything is going wrong in my life. I need to fix everything. I feel hopeless, wrecked.The more I lose my weight, I feel like I need to lose more. I throw up everything I eat unintentionally. I feel so fucking disgusting when I eat something. It becomes hard for me to look in the mirror once I devour something," you tell him the truth but end up becoming a sobbing mess.

"Hey, we can work on it together. What if I was in your place? Wouldn't you do the same for me? Wouldn't you want to help me?" He asks and you nod.

"Then listen that I'll always be there for you no matter what. I'll help you gain confidence again. Please don't hide all these from me again?" He begs you kissing your knuckles and you smile.

After you get discharged, you start meeting a therapist with him. He has gone crazy over you nowadays because he keeps telling you how pretty you look, how perfect you are. He shows you mukbang day after day making your mouth water which is why you start to have food again. You take some suppliments to gain your appetite again which works very well.

Last time you checked, you have gained some pounds finally after hardworking. Specially with Jongho's support.

Most importantly he never reminds you of your food disorder. He makes you forget about you playing stupid food games and taking you to every new restaurants in the city making you taste new foods.

You thank yourself and him for coming this far after months torture on yourself. Because without him you wouldn't be able to beat this.

I myself wrote it with empty stomach but now I'm feeling fucking hungry

[ghost-of-you]

we just danced backwards into each other - ch - part 9

Paring: Calum Hood x Original Female Character.

Warnings: Swearing, mildly angsty vibes, implied and referenced sexual activities

Word Count: 6.8k

Authors note: me walking in after over a year like nothing happened, have a chapter 💜

Read it on AO3

Part 8

Masterlist

______

"So Lena did you hear the rumors about you and a certain bassist?" The interviewer asks, and Lena chuckles ducking her head. 

"I've been hearing them since we were teenagers."

"So you got nothing to say, you two seem to be spending a lot of time together recently," she pushes and Lena shrugs, adjusting the headphones. 

"Well, this is the first time in a few years we're in the same place at the same time for a longer period of time, so…"

"So there's nothing there? Oh, she's blushing."

"He's awesome, but we've just been working on some things." 

"You two seem cozy, you sure it's just work?"

"He’s like, my favorite person on the planet, we’ve been friends for over half my life, and with the song coming out and me about to go on the road with 5sos again, we keep ending up in the same place."

"How did the song come to be?"

"I had the idea of it but I also had a feeling there was something missing on it, and Calum heard it and he had ideas and we sat down one night and it just came together," Lena says the rehearsed answer that was just close enough to the truth it didn’t feel like a lie. 

"And him staying in it?"

"I knew that song had to be a duet from the beginning and the song wouldn’t exist without him, so it made sense."

"And it was the first time you did something together right?"

"Yeah, and it's weird considering how long we've known each other and how long we've both been writing, and writing with him was such a great experience, he's so incredibly talented and it was one of the best writing sessions I've ever had."

"And you're still not addressing the dating rumors? 'Cause it's hard to believe nothing is happening after watching that music video."

The music video had ended up being a compilation of them on the studio recording the song, and as much as Lena hated to admit it, the edition really did give a new intensity to the way they looked together.

"I mean, it’s an intense song and we’re really comfortable with each other."  

"You know, 5sos was here earlier in the week, and Calum called you his girl," she says and Lena tilts her head, trying to school her expression. 

"He did?" 

"We were talking about how hard it must be to go on tour with your significant other staying behind, with Michael’s engagement, and Calum said he didn’t have to worry this time because his girl was going with them."

"Hard to follow that one up."

"You did say he’s your favorite person," she points out and Lena shrugs. 

"So he has to follow that one up then."

***

Lena misses Calum. That's not exactly the problem. Missing him has been a constant in her life for years now, it's second nature. The problem is that she just can't seem to find a way to see him. They text. She tries to make plans. Their schedules don't even seem to align enough for her to call. She hasn't seen him since the fight and she is seconds away from just marching into his place and staying there until she can see him. More than once she caught herself looking at plane tickets. At this point, she'll take anything that will end with her finally getting the image of the look on his face when he walked away from her out of her head. 

Not that it matters much what she wants considering the way his schedule seems so unbelievably full lately, she wasn't even sure that being in the same city would mean she would get time with him. 

That’s until she gets the call that they were supposed to make an appearance together. She was happy enough about it to even forget to be annoyed by the whole using their relationship for publicity part of it all. Even if she’s biting her nails as drives over to pick him up from the studio and as she moves through the building in a haze as she feels the magnetic pull of him she suddenly doesn’t have the energy to fight anymore. 

"You ready?" Lena asks, tone too casual for how anxious she’s feeling, leaning against the doorway.

"Almost," Calum nods, before turning to her, holding a piece of black fabric, "you think you could wear this?" He asks, offering it to her, and she takes it, eyeing him curiously, before looking at the sweatshirt in her hands. It’s simple, just saying "Friends of Friends" in the sleeves, a triangle design in the front, and a circle one in the back. 

"Is this about that charity thing you guys are doing?" She asks, handing him the sweatshirt back so she could take her hoodie off.

"You know about it?" He asks as she takes it back and pulls it over her head.

"Yeah, Sylvia talked to me about it earlier, she thought I was gonna freak after the tour meeting, but that’s just cool, I’m so in, I wanna do the Sydney one too if you guys end up needing more people," she shrugs, looking down at herself, "this is pretty, can I keep it?" 

"It’s yours," he says with a smile before moving away from her again to gather his things. 

"Thank you, so we’re matching then?" She chuckles, noticing his hoodie had the same logo as her sleeves.

"Two birds, one stone," he shrugs without looking at her. 

"I like it, it makes me feel better about this."

"About going out with me?"

"About going out to get photographed, I’m already used to rest by now," she amends and he steps closer to her, and the way he’s looking at her suddenly makes her feel shy, "hi," she mumbles, looking up at him and his expression softens as smile creeps up his face.

"Just come here," he pulls her to him, and she sighs as she hides her face on his neck, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Are we okay?"

"We’re okay," he assures her, squeezing her closer to him, "I missed you."

"Yeah," she nods, breathing him in, before stepping back, "we should go through." "Yeah," he agrees offering her his hand, "let’s go."

________

"I have nothing to worry about, right?" A high-pitched voice comes from behind Lena as she leans against the bar, making her head snap back to the source, finding Hayley staring her down.

"Nothing happened while you were together," Lena steps back, fighting the urge to add nothing happened at all, looking around herself, trying to find a way to get out before the situation escalated because she’s definitely too drunk to handle whatever is about to unfold.

"He broke up with me because of you," she's staring Lena down and she continues to step back.

"You made him choose, whatever went down after it's not on me," she defends herself but the other girl shakes her head, staring at her in disbelief.

"You’re all over him now and I’m supposed to believe that you didn't tell him—" Hayley continues and Lena shakes her head, trying to talk over her, still moving backward.

"I didn't—"

"Hayles, that's enough," Lena as she hits something at the same time a familiar voice came from behind her, and she turns to Ashton, at the same time he steps forward, seeming like he wants to put himself between the two women, "don’t make a scene."

"I’m not making a scene, I need to know," Hayley says and Ashton steps in front of Lena.

"That’s between you and Calum, leave her out of it."

"But he dumped me because of her."

"You made him choose, it is not my fault you don't like the choice he made," Lena says, leaning to the side, and Ashton turns to her, very clearly saying you’re not helping. "Lena."

"I’m sorry, okay, but I didn’t tell him to do anything, and they were broken up for weeks before we even talked about it."

"That’s not the point," Hayley complains and Lena rolls her eyes.

"What is it then?"

"He—"

"Cal’s a big boy, he can decide stuff really well without consulting with me first."

"Lena," Ashton chastises again and she pouts at him.

"She started it."

"How about you end it?" He says, calling someone over while she continues to pout at him. 

"Come on, Le," Andy’s voice comes from behind her, arm going around her waist and tugging her with him before she can fight him on it.

Lena was extremely aware there was no hiding the purple marks on her neck and cleavage. At least not with anything she had handy. She hated turtlenecks so she didn’t pack one and she didn’t expect anyone to knock on her door so the shirt she had on was doing nothing to hide them. If she decided to be honest with herself, she put the tank top on because the hickeys were proof it had actually happened. That Calum’s lips had been all over her body. But as Andy walked into her room she wished she had something other than her hair to hide them. She didn’t want to talk about it. 

"You are not gonna believe-" he started, sounding excited before stopping in his tracks, doing a double take on her, looking her up and down while stepping closer to her, "is that?" He trailed off, moving her hair away while starting to laugh, "Jesus, who did you fuck? A vampire?" 

"Hilarious," she rolled her eyes, but her cheeks were starting to heat up as she moved her hands to her neck in a pointless attempt to hide the bruises from his eyes.

"Wait, weren't you hanging with Hood last night?" He frowned at her, looking confused, and she nodded.

"Yeah," she mumbled, ducking her head to try and hide the undeniable flush on her face from him.

"Did you go out? How did you?" He asked, and she cringed as his eyes widened at her, face changing from confusion to realization as his jaw dropped, "holy shit, he did that?"

"Yeah," she sighed, dropping into the bed.

"Are you together now?" He asked, clearly not understanding how she was acting.

"Nope," she said, staring at the ceiling and he sat down next to her.

"Can you give me answers with more than one word in them?" His tone was laced with sarcasm and that made her laugh, sitting up so she could look at him.

"No vampires involved, we just hooked up, we are not together," she explained and he stared at her, looking skeptical.

"You ‘just hooked up’," he air-quoted her, making her groan, "with the guy you’ve been in love with since you were a child?"

"I did, yeah," she nodded and he gave her a disbelief look.

"You can't just hook up with someone you've been in love with since you were a child."

"Why not?" she said, pressing her lips together.

"Le, please tell me you’re not this stupid."

"What?""You fucked him. No strings attached?" He asked, still looking at her like she was crazy.

"It’s not a big deal."

"Lena." 

"Stop looking at me like that, I knew what I was doing, and trust me, it was so worth it," she chuckled and the disbelief in his eyes changed to worry. "What now?"

"It’s just, he’s gonna hurt you, Le."

"You can’t possibly know that." 

"Oh, I can, and I don’t wanna see you hurt over some dude that's not all the way in," Andy said and Lena groaned.

"He’s not some dude, and besides—"

"Oh, he’s not, that's why I’m worried," he said over her.

"—Calum would never hurt me."

"Just stay here, okay? Don't move," Andy says, handing her a water bottle and she mock-salutes him, giggling while she nods.

"Yes, sir," she says, making him shake his head, a smile on his face, before moving out the door, closing it behind himself leaving her alone. 

The world is spinning a bit as Lena looks around the dressing room trying to figure out how to distract herself since he took her phone, trying to remember if she brought the book she was reading while looking for her backpack, spotting it on a corner and moving to sit on the floor next to it.

She's lost in thoughts flipping through the notepad she keeps in the front pocket, so she doesn't hear when the door opens and closes and the footsteps approaching her.

"Lena?" Calum's voice comes from behind her and she throws her head back to look up at him.

"Hey, baby!" She greets, dragging the words, her head following his movement as he sits next to her.

"Why are you on the floor?" He asks, as she turns to him and she shrugs.

"Got bored on the couch, Andy said to stay here, so I'm staying," she says, throwing the notepad back into the backpack.

"Are you okay?" He's watching her carefully and she sighs.

"I'm fine," she says, voice sounding slurry, "I'm just drunk," she giggles, running a hand through her hair, twisting a strand between her fingers, before she drops her hands to her lap, "I shouldn't have drink this much, the room is spinning," she giggles, making a spinning motion with her hands.

"What happened? Ash told me to come find you." 

"Your ex thinks I made you break up with her, and I don't have a defense, because you did break up with her because I ran," she looks up at him, biting her bottom lip and letting out a chuckle, "but I actually send you back to her and that's making me think about Tay," she presses her lips together and he frowns at her.

"Why is my ex making you think of yours?" Calum asks and she ducks her head.

"That's right, I didn't tell you," she says, fidgeting with her bracelet, staring at her knees so she wouldn't have to look at him.

"Tell me what?" 

"She broke up with me because of you," she mumbles, scratching her forehead, still avoiding his eyes while she feels them studying her.

"What?" He asks, voice soft and confused and she sighs, glancing at him

"I mean, I was already on thin ice when it came to you then she accused me of prioritizing you and then said I had to choose," she explains, pressing her lips together, sitting up straighter, "I don't do ultimatums," she shrugs and his expression softens.

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

"Because she was right, I would choose you if it came down to it and that wasn't fair so, it was the right thing to do," she shrugs, picking at the hem of her skirt, "and I didn't want to bring up my feelings, we both know that goes," she chuckles, watching his face.

"I'm sorry," he says, tilting his head, brown eyes looking so warm she wants to lose herself in them.

"It's not your fault," she chuckles, leaning her elbow on her knee, and propping her chin on her hand.

"It kinda is," he says, moving a piece of her hair away from her face and she shrugs noncommittally, "What happened that made her think that? We had kissed once when you were together, it was not like—"

"You called me," she interrupts him and he raises an eyebrow at her.

"I need a lot more words."

"You remember that one time you were back home and I drove up to see you for a few days?" She asks and he nods.

"Yeah."

"Well, she didn't like that, not that I blame her, and I don't think she believed me when I said that it wasn't like that with us and, well, she was already on edge about you and I was with her and you called, actually you texted asking if I could talk and called before I could answer, so I left so I could talk to you, that led to a huge fight and we broke up."

"Why did you leave?"

"I got worried, you didn’t call unless we set something up, you know, international rockstar, full-time student," she shrugs, pointing between them, "different time zones, it was hard to line shit up, so I had to answer, and we talked for like, half an hour, you clearly needed me. I don't even remember what you and I talked about, all I remember is how much she yelled at me over it and thinking that if we were at that point, there was no going back, you know?"

"That’s—" Calum tries but trails off and she presses her lips together. "Like I said, she was right, I just hadn’t realized how right until she pointed it out, I thought I was—" Lena cuts herself and he frowns at her.

"What?" He asks and she sighs.

"That was the deal, right? it didn’t happen, move on, lapse of judgment, yay friendship and all that."

"I think we are past that, love."

"We weren’t thought, and I didn’t want to explain it to you and have you freak out again, and then too much time had passed, no point in bringing it up," she says, chewing on her bottom lip while Calum studies her face. 

"Did you think about choosing me?" She asks suddenly, making him frown. She isn't sure she wants the answer but she'd been dying to ask.

"What?"

"When she said she didn't want you around me, did you think about choosing me?" She explains, watching him carefully as he understands what she wants to know, and waiting as he seems to contemplate her question, lips twisting as he thinks.

"I did," he finally says, holding her gaze and she nods. 

"Okay."

"Okay? You don't wanna know more?" He chuckles a bit awkwardly, and she shakes her head.

"There's more to know? You chose her," she shrugs, and his expression drops.

"Lena," he starts, but she shakes her head, one hand reaching for his cheek, gently stroking it.

"It's okay, I'm not trying to start something, I was just curious," she says, dropping her hand, patting his knee, and smiling when he takes her hand, "I think it's funny, by convincing herself that there's was still something between us, she kickstarted this whole thing, she handed you over," she chuckles and he gives her an unimpressed look, but she can tell he's holding back a grin.

"You know I can think for myself, right?" He asks and she nods.

"But if I hadn't left, well," she motions dramatically around herself, nearly knocking the water bottle by her side, "It's no wonder we're this dysfunctional now, we’re quite a pair, you shut down, I run away," she picks the bottle up, sipping on it, "but I don't like running from you," she adds, pursing her lips and he chuckles softly.

"You sure you don't like it? 'cause you do it a lot," Calum teases and she shrugs, scrunching her nose.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get all deep and personal," she says, standing up and moving back to the couch, Calum sitting beside her, throwing his arm on the rest behind her.

"You can talk to me," he says, looking at her and she sighs.

"I don't wanna start a fight or make you feel bad."

"You keeping things from me doesn't help our situation either," he says and she raises an eyebrow at him.

"It goes both ways, babe, don't act like you tell me everything."

"What do you wanna know?"

"I don't know, what do I wanna know?" 

"How should I know?" Calum laughs and she rolls her eyes.

"You don’t make it easy for me."

"Exactly," he nods making her laugh. 

"Wait, did—actually never mind."

"What is it?"

"I don't wanna know."

"You sure?"

"I mean, I probably am not gonna remember this in the morning anyway." 

"Then ask," Calum says and she looks at him for a few seconds before talking. 

"Did you ever wish you stopped?"

"Stopped what?"

"That first time, you said we were about to cross a line and I asked if you wanted to stop, did you ever wish you said yes?"

"What? No," Calum shakes his head, sitting up straighter, "Did you?"

"Nah, I think it was bound to happen eventually anyway, I was just wondering if you ever regretted it."

"I only regret how I insisted it didn't change anything, I could never regret us," he says, sounding serious enough and Lena tilts her head to the side, studying his face.

"Why did you?"

"Admitting it would make it real, I don't think I was ready for that," he says and she sighs.

"You weren't, I knew that and I did it anyway 'cause I wanted to know what it would be like, and sometimes I wonder if I pushed you, 'cause like I was half-naked on top of you, I didn't exactly make it easy for you to walk away if you wanted and, well, it was good so it kept happening and I knew it was gonna blow up in our faces but you made it so easy to pretend that you actually wanted to be with me and—"

"You didn't push me, believe me I wasn't pretending to want you," he interrupts her and she nods.

"You just didn't feel the way I do."

"The way you do?"

"I don’t think I know how to not be in love with you."

"Do you regret it?" He asks and she actually stops to think about it for a few seconds. 

"I don't like how things ended, I hate it actually, but I don't regret it happening."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it makes for great writing material," she jokes and he chuckles.

"That’s fair," Calum says and she leans her head back against the arm he has behind her on the rest.

"You’re really pretty," she mumbles, almost thinking out loud, because he looks good, he always looks good, but that makes him laugh.

"I thought you were mad I shaved my head," he says, running a hand across his head and she pouts.

"Don't remind me, but you’re always pretty, it’s a problem."

"You’re really drunk aren’t you?" He sounds so unbelievably fond as he smiles at her, it's hard for her not to melt further into him.

"I told you that when you came in, I’m a very self-conscious drunk."

"You just have no filter."

"I know, why do you think I was so careful with how much I used to drink around you back when we were on tour?" "What do you mean?"

"You really need me to say that I spent the whole time we were hooking up stopping myself from blurting out my feelings?" 

"That bad?"

"Oh yeah, honey," Lena giggles and Calum's face goes serious all of a sudden.

"I get the feeling."

"No, you don’t," she shakes her head and he raises an eyebrow at her, looking unimpressed.

"You remember this one party, you were wearing that blue dress."

The rational side of Lena's brain knew she didn't have any right to be jealous. But her rational side had no control over her anymore. There she was in the stupid dress she only bought because Calum liked it watching some random girl flirting with him so blatantly it made Lena roll her eyes. The way the blonde was running her hands up and down his arms or twirling her hair between her fingers as she talked to him and the way he was clearly enjoying it made her blood boil. 

And the worst part is that she knew it was irrational. She couldn't demand anything. "Friends. Just friends. No matter what happened. Or how frequently. Friends. Just friends." She kept repeating it to herself like a mantra, trying to stop herself from getting worked up, clutching a beer bottle so tightly that on any other occasion, she'd be worried it would break. Until she had enough. She looked hot, the navy blue dress, a bit shorter than what she would usually go for stopping barely at her mid-thigh, hugged every curve of her body perfectly. She felt good after she finished getting ready and she wasn't about to let Calum and the complete lack of reaction on his part ruin her night. 

So she ditched her bottle, walked to the dance floor, and moved to the beat, trying to think only about the rhythm and it was not long until someone approached her, some guy she was definitely not interested in, but who was cute enough for her to entertain while he danced closer to her.

"Lena, come with me," Calum's voice came suddenly from beside her, and he grabbed her hand, dragging her along with him, barely giving her enough time to murmur an excuse me before she was being dragged away.

"What are you doing?" Lena complained, following him as he moved them through the people and up the stairs and suddenly he was pushing a door open, dragging her inside it and locking the door of the bathroom they had just entered.

"What I'm doing? What were you doing?" He asked, giving her an unimpressed look and she huffed, moving away from him.

"I was dancing?" She rolled her eyes, leaning against the wall and he shook his head.

"You call that dancing?" He asked, moving closer to her and she raised an eyebrow at him, pushing herself off the wall.

"What? Are you jealous? Was blondie not as interesting as you hoped?" She mocked, looking up at him and mimicking the way the girl had been twirling the ends of her hair at him, making him groan in frustration.

"Very mature."

"What? You can hit on a random girl all night but the second I start dancing with someone you go all caveman on me?" She asked, staring him down.

"I wasn't hitting on her," he denied and she huffed again.

"Sure you weren't," she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Are you jealous?" He asked, a smirk starting to form in the corner of his lips and she groaned, shaking her head.

"Of course not, you can hit on whoever the fuck you want," she scoffed, moving around him to get to the door, "but you don't get to be mad if I do the same," she challenged, voice coming out louder than she expected as she stopped by the door, "I sure as fuck wasn't about to waste the effort I put into this stupid outfit just watching some girl pawing all over you," Lena mumbled, unlocking the door, but Calum reached around her, locking it again, her breath hitching when she turned to look at him.

"We're talking here, love, you're not walking out," he said, leaning an arm behind her, trapping her between him and the door.

"I was flirting, you were flirting, what's more to talk about?" She asked, looking up at him, trying to ignore all the effects having him this close had on her body.

"You're this worked up, so there's definitely something to talk about." He was pressing closer to her, and she wasn't sure if he was doing it on purpose but it was getting harder to ignore how turned on she was at that moment.

"You drag me into a bathroom in the middle of a party and I'm the one who's worked up?" She raised an eyebrow at him and he shook his head.

"That's beside the point."

"What is the point exactly? Besides annoying me?"

"Why are you annoyed?"

"Because you're really annoying when you want to be, sweetheart," she complained with a sigh, leaning more heavily against the door.

"Are you sure you're not just jealous?"

"I'm not the one who dragged you away from someone," she said, tracing her hand over his arm. 

"You're in the shortest dress you could find and you want me to watch you with some dude?" His fingers danced across the rem of her skirt, lightly brushing her thighs.

"Blondie was keeping you busy," she shrugged, ducking under his arm to step out of where he had her pinned, and he followed her movements, watching as she smoothed her hands over the dress, before groaning up to the ceiling and running her hands through her hair, directing all of it to her back, and his eyes darkened scanning her body and she had to fight back a smirk, "didn't think you would mind if I let someone else get a taste."

"You wouldn't," he shook his head, moving closer to her.

"I wouldn't what?"

"Let someone else get a taste, you put this dress on for me, we both know it," he explained, stopping just inches away from her, fingers tracing along the thin straps over her shoulder.

"Well, you were busy," she shrugged, "and I was bored," moving around him again, but he grabbed her arm, stopping her from moving too far.

"God, you're so," he started, pupils blown wide, the way he was looking at her sending chills up her spine.

"I'm what?" She challenged, looking up at him, pulling her arm from his hold, but stepping closer to him, hands reaching to fix the collar of his jacket, smoothing her hands over his shoulder, watching as his gaze dropped to her lips, "look, baby, if you want something you just gotta—" she started, trailing her fingers down his biceps, but she didn't get to finish her thought before he let out a groan and crashed his lips to hers, his hands gripping her waist to pull her closer to him at the same time he moved her backward, pinning her against the wall, his tongue exploring her mouth as his hands seemed determined to touch every inch of her body and she was matching his energy, pulling at his hair, nibbling on his lips, letting her hands dip under the collar of his shirt to drag her nails along his neck. 

"Vividly," she offers with a giggle before he can finish his thought, and he raises an eyebrow at her, a smirk on his lips that makes her roll her eyes, "get your mind out the gutter, Hood, you really think I would forget the only time you were jealous of me?"

"That wasn't the only," he starts, but stops himself, making her eye him curiously.

"Are you admitting you were jealous?" 

"You're the one who was jealous," he retorts and she laughs.

"Of course I was, insecure was my default setting." 

"Do you still have that dress?" 

"I think it's somewhere in my closet, but the dress is not the point you're trying to make here, is it? Attraction was never our issue."

"We talked after," Calum says and she nods.

"Yeah, we established we were only sleeping with each other, something I thought was counterproductive ‘cause when would we be finding other people? We were together all the time, we always ended up in the same hotel room and you kept trying to sneak me into your bunk."

"Getting you on our bus was less hassle than me staying on yours."

"'cause I wasn't the flight risk, which is ironic now."

"And I sleep better with you," he shrugs and she narrows her eyes at him.

"Sleep, sure."

"You make it sound like sex was all we did."

"It did happen a lot." "But it wasn't just sex, it never was," he argues, moving so he can face her properly and she shakes her head, looking away from him.

"We’re getting deep and personal again." "We need to talk about it." "But it's done, Cal, we can't change that, it is what it is, and it was what it was, and it was just sex," she says, looking back at him but he shakes his head. 

"But it wasn't, that party, you had this smile on your face and you were wearing my jacket and I kept thinking about how easy it could be, to just be yours, it was why I told you there was no one else because I didn't want anyone else."

"Love?" Calum's voice was soft as his fingers gently combed through her hair, slotting himself between her legs again, and she hummed in acknowledgment, still trying to catch her breath, "still with me?" He checked and she opened her eyes, finding him studying her carefully.

"I just need a minute, that was," she paused, trying to think of the right word, "fuck, that was intense," she giggled, leaning against his touch when his hand moved to her cheek, and he chuckled.

"Intense?" He raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes.

"You really need me to stroke your ego right now? Is the state I'm in not enough?" She motioned vaguely to herself and he took her hands, stepping back, pursing his lips as he made a dramatic show of scanning her that made her giggle.

"You do look wrecked," he agreed, stepping back closer to her, placing her hands on his shoulders, and dropping his to her thighs.

"Great, it's not like I need to walk out of here looking presentable," she laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck, "is it really that bad?"

"Well, now that you stopped panting," he joked and she playfully slapped his chest.

"Fuck you," she pouted and he smirked at her.

"We already did that," he laughed, making her groan.

"Oh my god," she rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile as he leaned down, giving her lips a quick peck.

"It's not that bad," he said, smoothing his hands over her hair, making her laugh, before cupping her cheeks and kissing her, more gently than he had all night, making her stomach flip as she melted into him.

"Great," she giggled, taking his hands, "help me down," she asked and he stepped back as she jumped off the counter, steadying her when she stood straight before she let go of his hands, turning to the mirror behind her. It definitely wasn't as bad as she expected, her makeup was still in place and her hair was fixable, the only big problem was the marks on her collarbone that were already turning purple, "really?" She complained, glancing at him while her fingers traced the marks and he chuckled.

"Is not my fault you bruise this easily," he said, sheepishly, and she leaned forward to get closer to the mirror, wiping the corner of her eyes and combing her fingers through her hair, smoothing it around her head and directing it forward trying to cover the hickeys without seeming too obvious and she could feel him watching her.

"I think that if we don't stay much longer I can get away without anyone thinking I was fucked in the bathroom," she joked, smoothing her dress, and turning to him, "what do you think?" 

"I think you're right," he agreed, stepping closer to her and she smiled up at him, "but still," he shrugged his jacket off, and placed it around her shoulders.

"Thanks," she said, pulling her arms through the sleeves, and folding them up so she could use her hands.

"Lena," he started and she looked up at him.

"Yeah?" 

"I haven't slept with anyone else either," he scratched the back of his neck, "since we started doing this," he adjusted the collar of the jacket for her while she studied his face. He looked almost nervous and that made her stomach flip, a smile fighting its way to her face, as his hands moved her hair, "I just thought I should mention it… since we were fighting and you said I wouldn't mind if you got with someone else and I—" he mumbled, his fingers twisting the ends of her hair and she cut him.

"Sweetheart, I'm not planning on sleeping with anyone else," she said, fighting the urge to add fuck, say you want to be with me for real I'll never look at anyone else again because it wasn't like she had any interest in being with someone else. Not if she could be with him. 

"Great, I wouldn't… I wasn't either," he said, face softening and she smiled up at him.

"Okay," she nodded, standing on her tiptoes, cupping his cheeks and kissing him, his hands resting on her waist, "we really should get out of here though," she giggles, nodding her head to the door.

"In a minute," he said, leaning in to kiss her again, her arms wrapping around his neck while his hands pulled her closer, "you wanna go back to the hotel now?" 

"Let's go," she nodded, pulling away from him. He looked like he wanted to say something else and she eyed him curiously but he seemed to decide against it, taking her hand and unlocking the door.

"I hate that I actually convinced you that it was just about the sex for me, there was always this moment, right before we fell asleep, that I would pull you closer and you would make this happy little sound and settle against me, and for a while, nothing else mattered, not shitty interviews or bad reviews or how fucking exhausting that tour was."

"I had had that thought before," she mumbles, chewing on her bottom lip and he frowns at her. 

"What thought?"

"I had wondered if you were only with me because I was there, proximity, familiarity, whatever, it's why I believed you, I had thought about it, you just confirmed it," she explains, watching his face turn to something close to devastation before sighing and adding, "and for me, it was the mornings when you were still half asleep pulling me back when I tried to move, and for a few seconds I could let myself pretend you loved me."

"I did," he starts but stops, shaking his head as he does, like that wasn't what he wants to say, and taking a deep breath, "I do love you, Lena," he finally says, firmly, gaze locked on hers, but she must've look unconvinced, because he adds, "me being an idiot doesn't change how I feel. I was scared because it was you and you were my best friend and things were so easy but they were also so fragile and I didn't want to be the one that got left, so I just gave up."

"Why are you telling me this?" Lena asks, and he gives her a sad smile, running his knuckles along her jaw.

"Because you won't remember it in the morning."

"And if I do?"

"It will still be true, and you will have listened to it without slamming a door in my face."

"I only tried to slam a door in your face once," she complains and he chuckles, but his face is serious again after a few seconds.

"Do you believe me?" 

"I don't know, this is hard, you know? With everything that happened, I… I don't know what to think, and you stopped saying it," she tries to explain but that just makes Calum frown.

"Saying what?" 

"That you loved me. When we started sleeping together, you stopped saying it."

"Because—"

"Because it would mean more than it did before it all happened, I know," she interrupts, dropping her hand to his knee when he continues to frown, "it's why I stopped saying it too. You do understand how this is for me, right? You loved me, but not enough to fight for me, I didn't hear that for years and then you dropped that on me after I left you on a literal storm and I don't know if this is about me—"

"Or me just wanting you to be there, I get it, if you start thinking about it, you circle back to what I said," he nods, pressing his lips together and she sighs.

"Yeah." 

"That's what freaked you out that day." 

It's not a question, but she nods anything, and that just makes him look sad.

"You want me to go find Andy for you?" He offers, and it takes her by surprise.

"No."

"You want me to leave?"

"No." 

"What do you want?"

"I'm too drunk to trust my own judgment," she says, leaning into him, reaching for his arm on the seat behind her and placing it around her shoulders, making him chuckle and pull her closer to him. She adjusts against him, placing her legs across his lap, hiding her face on his neck, and letting out a sigh as she breathes him in and he rests his other arm on her knees.

"Cal?" She mumbles as she closes her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his skin under her cheek, and he hums in acknowledgment, wrapping his arms around her, "don't give up on me just yet," she says, her lips grazing his neck, and his arms tighten around her.

"Not planning on it, love."

[addictedtostorytelling]

Still loving the newest addition to the Happy Accidents series & your last chapter got me thinking about a potential scene I would love to hear from your perspective (or maybe you’ve already written it & I’ve just got to be patient…)

In the last chapter you mentioned Sara’s PTSD & Grissom was so sweet. Particularly this part “She knows why he is worried: Over the years, he has learned to associate nerviness in her with periods when her mental health is poor. She isn’t usually quick to startle, but during the times when her PTSD is bad—around anniversaries—she can be. She gets so in her own head that anything happening outside has the potential to shock.”

It got me thinking about how in this alternate universe, Sara would be about 6-7 months pregnant when the anniversary of her abduction came & I would love to read her thoughts on that & how Grissom helps her deal with it. Does it cause her to reflect on how different her life looks now than a year ago? Does she think about all the reasons she didn’t give up in the desert? Does she feel the baby kick & is brought out of her thoughts, grateful for how her life looks?

And if you’ve already written a scene like this…I’ll sit over here (im)patiently waiting.

hi, @chelsshearman!

good to hear from you again! i'm so glad to know you're enjoying the story so far.

i've taken a while to come up with an answer to your (very thoughtful) question, and though i can't show any prose from that part of the story just yet without revealing some major accidentsverse spoilers, i can offer you a more pared down answer after the "keep reading," if you're interested.

note: in order to avoid major accidentsverse spoilers, i purposefully use ambiguous language surrounding sara's pregnancy in this answer.

__

sara knows from experience: trauma doesn't adhere to a strict calendar.

sometimes exact anniversaries are bad, but other times the days and weeks surrounding are when the cptsd symptoms really hit.

november has historically been a crapshoot for her, any day—not just the exact anniversary of her father's murder—liable to be a bad one, the whole month something of a slog.

though she is hopeful: now that her wedding anniversary falls mid-month, maybe she'll have better associations going forward.

she is well-aware of this temporal idiosyncrasy in her brain, and so is her therapist, which is why he starts counseling with her in mid-april about what to anticipate come may, for what will be the first anniversary of her abduction by natalie davis.

admittedly, she is, at this point, distracted. not only is there a lot going on in her life pregnancy-wise, but things are busier than ever at work. by now, she is no longer in the field and has instead become the de facto "point person" for her teammates at the lab, which, contrary to what she had expected, has somehow upped her caseload. still, she tries her best to complete her therapy assignments with what few spare hours she has. is diligent about going in for sessions. practices all of the self-care techniques her therapist recommends. stays on top of taking her meds. makes sure to look after herself as well as she can.

—and especially because grissom is so obviously worried about her.

not only does he admit as much outright, sans prompting, but he also is so careful with her. he had already been wonderfully attentive, but now she hardly even has to think she might want something before he appears to offer it. she swears to god: the man is telepathic. also, far too sweet.

thankfully, as the calendar turns over into may, there are some fun, new pregnancy developments to help to take her mind off the impending anniversary: grissom is finally able to feel kicking. (for a long time, she had felt fetal movements internally, but they hadn't been detectable in any external way.) also, a first instance of fetal hiccups, which is just about the weirdest, coolest sensation she has ever experienced.

that said, about two weeks before the big anniversary™, she does start experiencing some "trauma residuals" from her abduction. she's not having flashbacks or nightmares or full-on panic attacks, per se; she just feels off. spacey. emotionally unbalanced. like everything in her head has just been shifted two inches to the left of where it should be.

she keeps expecting to have some kind of big breakdown at some point, but the catharsis doesn't ever come.

and, honestly, the lack of punctuation is what bothers her more than anything.

she confides in grissom: she's scared. she tried to get out ahead of her trauma by "doing all the right things," but she is still being affected, not in any obvious, dramatic way but enough so that her trauma is inarguably impacting her behavior. coworkers keep asking her if she’s okay. looking like they don’t fully believe her when she says she is. she can’t help but be concerned: what if the same thing happens a few years on from now? the last thing in the world she would ever want to do to her child(ren) is make them feel like mommy's sad or upset for no reason.

so she and grissom talk the issue through: they both agree that trauma is a fickle thing—particularly as trauma reactions can't always be pinned down to one day or easily predicted in terms of how they'll manifest. show great variance in intensity, duration, form, etc. also can't be totally prevented, even if one tries to account for them as much as possible. chances are, she will be dealing with after effects—from her childhood, from her abduction—for the rest of her life.

sara explains: logically, she knows all of these things. but she still doesn't want their child(ren) to suffer for having a traumatized parent. she has experience that way with her own mother. remembers how helpless she felt when she was little, watching her mother struggle; how much she internalized her mother's sadness and anger. though as an adult, she (mostly) knows better now, back then, she wondered if she caused or exacerbated her mother’s misery and questioned why she wasn't enough to make her mother happier.

here, grissom digs in: "and did your mother ever answer those questions for you?"

her silence tells him no.

grissom offers his postulate: the truth might have helped—not by making sara’s mother “magically better” but by allowing sara, even as a child, to contextualize the situation and understand her mother's mental health conditions existed independent of anything having to do with her. just hearing, in no uncertain terms, that her mother wasn’t sad for any reason having to do with her may have alleviated some of her misplaced guilt.

sara agrees: they should be honest with their child(ren) and explain things at a level they can understand.

but she still worries: it will be a long time yet before they can have those kinds of honest conversations. what will happen in the meanwhile? babies pick up on their caretakers' cues and moods, after all. she doesn’t want to do damage by exuding sadness or fear in their child(ren)’s presence.

grissom reassures her: in all the time they've been together, even during periods when her mental health has been at its poorest ("even in november"), he has always felt loved by and safe with her. he has not been oblivious to her sadness and fear. but he also has never felt that those reactions in her negated her affections. he suspects their child(ren) will feel the same.

still, she makes him promise: if she ever gets to the point where she can't be a good caretaker of their child(ren), he'll intervene. "that was part of the problem," she explains, "with my parents. no matter how miserable things got, no one said anything or did anything about it. no one asked for help. we all just sat there with it."

grissom agrees: they'll ask for help if they need it. offer help when they see it's needed, even if it hasn't been asked for. and neither one of them will give up.

the promise does make sara feel somewhat better.

—though, of course, it doesn’t fully alleviate her cptsd symptoms.

may proves to be a hard month, not only because of the trauma but for other reasons, too.

[insert major accidentsverse spoilers here]

but it also is not without happy moments—sometimes impossibly happy, like the first time they see a footprint, clearly discernible for what it is, show through the skin of her belly—and, most importantly, never without love.

she reflects: one year ago, she was alone in a desert, sure she was going to die. now, she is never alone, and she has never been surer of what she has to live for. lying in bed with grissom, his hand over the footprint protruding slightly below her navel, she feels a kind of peace she could never have imagined she would feel, just one year on from that day. she knows: what happened to her will stay with her for the rest of her life—will sometimes rear up in unaccountable ways—but it won’t be what defines her. won’t be the main throughline in her story. she’s writing that one herself, here, now. and she loves where her story is headed.   

thanks for the question! please feel welcome to send another any time.

[rukafais]

I know little of Forgotten Realms lore outside of some basic general things, and I've never heard of Drizzt until I started following you. I'm kind of curious now… what did the books do to drow lore and why do people hate on it so much? (no need to answer if you don't feel like explaining)

The very very VERY pared down version is that the Drizzt books were, despite pissing and moaning from a great deal of people claiming otherwise (usually citing Ed Greenwood's Drow of the Underdark sourcebook, which....specifically cites Homeland because it was written after that book was published), quite literally the fundamental building blocks of drow lore in the Forgotten Realms full stop. Like Drizzt's prequels showing where he came from and why he was Like This basically formed the foundational reference for what drow were like in the Forgotten Realms. A ton of drow-centric novels and some sourcebooks were a direct response/conversation to his worldbuilding; others ignored it completely and often detrimentally to make drow more THEY'RE JUST EVIL BECAUSE.

Now I am also a relative newcomer to the DnD scene as a whole so this is mostly hearsay but apparently Drizzt being a good guy from an 'evil' race made a lot of people shit their pants so hard that essentially wanting to play a good drow was Just Like Playing Drizzt and it got a lot of mockery and eyerolling etc. Like a lot of people fucking hated the very idea of it. People made Drizzt clones for player characters and a lot of folks did not like that either (which, idk why that's the author's problem but whatever).

But on the other hand Drizzt is basically a textually dark-skinned, textually beautiful and emotional and sensitive romantic fantasy protagonist who isn't ashamed of looking the way he does and tries to do the best he can despite facing adversity in harsh conditions and that was like...really, really popular with a lot of people...and that's why the books sold and still are selling today, soooo ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[holdupjack]

Touches Pt.2

——————

Paring: Hermione Granger x Fem!Reader

WARNING: SMUT/18+/MINORS DNI

Part 1

——————

Your P.O.V:

I sigh quietly as I wait in the restricted section, my mind raced as it made fantasies of what's to come.

I rest my head against the bookshelf and close my eyes, listening for footsteps.

Hermione must of thought she was quiet enough to sneak up on me.

I heard her take an anxious breathe and I lunge where the noise came from.

I wrap my arms around the air and she gasps from under the cloak.

"How did you know?" She asks and I chuckle as I remove the fabric from around her body.

"You need to learn to stay quiet" I answer and she pouts at me.

As I hold the cloak, she takes it from my hand in an abrupt manner.

"I'm mad at you" she whispers and my eyebrows raise.

"Why?" I ask and she looks at me in disbelief.

"We could of been caught last night! And in such a inappropriate manner!" She explains, her cheeks red as she obviously recalls what we did in the corner behind her.

"I'm sorry" I mumble as I look away, I feel her eyes on me and she sighs.

"It's not that I didn't like it" she mumbles back and I look up at her now very red face.

"It's a very nice...stress reliever" she confesses and I chuckle.

"I get it, you and the boys have been going through a lot throughout the years." I say and she sighs in relief from my understanding.

"I have to ask you something but not here, it's to risky" she whispers and I nod, she throws the cloak over us and I wrap my arm around her waist as she guides me out of the library.

I play with the hem of her shirt as we walk, I mostly kept my eyes on her as she guided me to an unknown destination.

"Here" she stops as I look onto a door I've never seen before.

"When did this get here" I ask and she pulls me into the room.

It was basically empty, bedsides a bed that sat in the middle of it.

"This is the room of requirement" she answers and I look around in amazement at the detail of the room.

"I've read about it, it only shows itself in a persons time of need..." I trail off as I look back at Hermione.

"You need to be alone with me?" I ask with a smug grin and her face flushes, she stutters as she tries to come up with an answer.

"So you wanted to ask me something?" I ask, helping the poor girl along.

"Y-Yes! I know we've basically skipped around a few steps in this strange relationship we have with each other but...I couldn't stop thinking about how you held me after" she admits and I blush.

"You want to go on a date with me?" I ask and she nods with a small smile.

I smile back and walk up to her, I run my hands up her arms, then to her neck, and finally resting on her cheeks.

"I would love too" I answer as I pull her towards me, I give her a soft kiss as I rub my thumb against her temple.

I taste her cinnamon chapstick as I push her back, the back of her knees hits the edge of the bed.

She falls back and as I tower over her, I chuckle darkly as I bend down and place my hands on both sides of the bed next to her head.

"I-I thought I was pleasing you tonight" she asks and I lean down to her ear.

"I changed my mind...you just look so delicious" I whisper as I lick her lobe and pull it gently with my teeth, she moans loudly and I chuckle.

I pull away, I look into her eyes as she grasps my shirt.

"I need your touch" she whispers and I smile.

"I have an idea" I say as I sit down next to her and hike up my skirt, I grab her hips and pull her to stand up.

"What are you doing Y/n?" She asks as she stands in front of me, I stare at her with a small smile.

I slide my hands under her skirt and hook my fingers around the band of her panties.

As I pull them down to her feet, she bites her lip as her watches my movements.

I wrap my hands around her hips and pull her down to straddle my thigh.

Her wetness slicking my skin immediately as she moans at the heat of my body against her.

"I want to watch as you get off on my thigh" I chuckle out and she blushes.

"I never got to see how your face reacts to cumming because of me, our kiss distracted me last night" I say as I start to guide her hips.

I push and pull her on me, she moans lightly as she start to rub against me on her own.

Her pace was slow at first but then she grinds a little harder and faster on my thigh. She lays her head against my shoulders as she gets off on me, I feel my body burn as I watch her.

"Y/n" she moans out and I kiss her neck.

"You looks so beautiful" I mumble as I unbutton her shirt, she lets it fall to the middle of her back as the sleeves stay hooked to her forearms.

She looks up from my shoulder and to give me better access to her chest, I chuckle as she was bra-less again.

I lean down and take her nipple into my mouth, she gasps and moans loudly into the room.

I hum in satisfaction as her pace has quickened, I move my hands across her stomach.

I feel it start to tense and her legs begin to shake, I look up as wetness drips down my leg.

"Y/n!" She yells.

Her eyes are screwed shut she cums on me, her mouth opened slightly as she holds breath.

She slows her pace to halt as she let out the breathe she held. I let her breast go from my hungry mouth and kiss from her valley to her neck.

She wraps her arms around my neck and kisses the top of my head, she slides off my legs and sits on her knees on the ground in front of me.

"What-" I'm cut off when she starts to lick up the trails of her cum that has come down my leg.

I moan as I watch her, my core pounds as her tongue flicks and rubs against my skin.

As she cleans up she moves my legs farther apart and starts to lick up the inner of my thigh, trailing up to my panties.

"H-Her-" I'm cut off as I moan, she moves my panties to the side, Hermione trails her finger from my entrance to my clit.

"It's your turn darling" she whispers, her breath hitting my burning area, I shiver.

She positions herself between me and grips my thighs, she pulls my entrance closer to her.

I lay down on my back as I rest my legs on her shoulders, my heart pounds as I feel her insert finger into me slowly.

I moan loudly as she curls them every so often, she takes my clit into her mouth and sucks harshly.

"Mione!" I gasp as my fingers entangle in her curls, my toes curl as I grip her hair.

She hums at her name and I arch my back at the vibrations, her fingers reaches as far as it can and she pulls them out.

She suddenly slams them back in and I moan loudly, she continues this pattern.

My clit quivers at she sucks and nibbles on it relentlessly, my stomach starts to knot as a familiar feeling start to wash over me.

The same feeling I had when I would imagine this happening in my dorm late at night.

The heat from my clit disappears and I look down.

"Hold on a little longer darling" she says as we both look at each other, I nod and try to relax.

She removes her fingers and places her hand on my hips again, pulling me up to a better position.

"I've been daydreaming about this all day" she mumbles as she rest her hands on my behind.

She drags her tongue from bottom to the top of my entrance, she hums as she tastes me.

"You taste so exquisite, like pumpkin juice" Hermione admits and I groan as her tongue plunges into me.

She laps me hungrily and I moan pushing her head into me more with my hands.

"Oh Mione! I can't hold it!" I yell as my body tenses and shakes.

My nails dig into her scalp and I release into her mouth. I hear her swallow, she pauses for a moment before softly licking me clean as I breathe heavily.

I try to push her away from me as sensitivity sets in, but she makes sure that she doesn't miss a spot.

She gets up from the ground and pulls me farther into the bed, I sigh as I hold her close to me.

She giggles as she runs her fingers through my hair, placing kisses here and there every so often.

I don't know when I fell asleep but I woke up with a fright.

"We're going to be late!" A voice yells and I shoot up from the space I was laying.

"What-wait-huh?" I ask as my eyes try to focus.

"First class starts in ten minutes!" Hermione panics as she uses a spell to freshen up, she points her wand as me and does the same.

I thank her as I get up and grab her hand, we both stick out heads out to find no one in the hall.

As the door closes behind us, it disappears and we look at each other.

"My class is this way" she says as she points to the left.

"Mines the other way" I reply as point to the right and she sighs.

I look around and kiss her cheek, smiling at her blush.

"Meet me at Honeydukes tomorrow, I don't think anything with be as sweet as you there but it'll be a nice place to start our date off" I say and she smiles.

"Ok, I'll meet you there" Hermione says as she takes me hand.

As we both go our separate ways our hands let go and I smile softly to myself.

My hands aching to touch the bookworm again.

[sunnyie-eve]

Grieving Family(pt.11)

Series: Fondness | Scream

Paring: (Chad Meeks-Martin x OFC Hicks! Ethan Landry x OFC Hicks!)

Word Count: 1634

Warnings: mention of death, gun, knife, language

Last | Next

"Is this even a good plan?" Ethan asks as everyone enters the subway.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to." Tara tells him.

"So we just peel off and the killer picks us off one by one? No, thank you." He adds as he tries to keep Lexi with him but Chad was making sure she was close to him.

"Let's just get to the theater. Come on, in here." Sam rushes to the open train.

"Yes, because it'll be much less scary at the serial killer movie theater." Chad says moving Lexi in front of him as they make it in then notices Mindy misses it as the doors shut.

Lexi looks around and sees Ethan didn't make it too, "She's with Ethan because he's not with us." Lexi looks up at Chad as they all group together.

"Where's Mindy?" Sam asks so Chad tells them as Lexi texts Ethan saying please keep an eye on Mindy.

"Ethan said he'll keep an eye on Mindy even though she still doesn't trust him." Lexi tells the group looking up to see all the Halloween costumes that were Ghostface. "Oh, that's great." She gets the others attention to see them too.

"How many stops do we have?" Tara asks Sam who looks to see ten.

Lex: How's Mindy?

Ethan: Still staying away from me.

Lex: But she is in your sight right?"

Ethan: Yes, she is. It's scary with all these Ghostface costumes on with us.

"Still nothing from Mindy. You got something from Ethan?" Chad asks Lexi.

"Yeah, they got the next train and they are alright right now. They have a lot of Ghostface costumes on with them too." Lexi puts her phone away.

As they come to a stop a guy in a Ghostface costume walks towards them so Danny steps in front of Sam and the guy gets off the train. When they get to meeting Kirby she gives them the rundown of the plan after Sam told Danny he couldn't come with them.

In the theater, they spilt up some because they thought they were safe at the moment. "No one is answering me. Not Ethan or Mindy." Lexi starts to get worried.

"Probably got bad cell service right now." Chad leans against the counter where she was standing so Tara walks some ways to give them some space. "You seem really worried. Why?"

"I don't trust Ethan after thinking all day which upsets me since I like…liked him. Chad, the killer never attacked me at the apartment. They didn't try hurting me." She tells him.

"What?" He tilts his head.

"They just kept looking at me. And when they were this close to me they didn't stab me or cut me on purpose like they do to everyone else. There are only five people I know that wouldn't hurt me…."

"Sam, Tara, Mindy, me, and… Ethan." Chad turns his body to face her.

"Exactly, and I know none of you four are the killer so… I just feel so stupid for following the stupid formula for this crap. It's always 99% the boyfriend."

"Hey, he's not your boyfriend remember so you didn't follow the formula." Chad takes her hands into his, "You know who's never the killer? The best friend."

"That's not true because Jill was Kirby's best friend." She smiles up at him.

"Jill wasn't in love with Kirby." He says making her heart race.

"Ch-," He cuts her off leaning down to finally kiss her after wanting to do that for so many years. He felt so much joy when she kissed him back before pulling back.

"It's maybe embarrassing how long I've wanted to do that." He smiles.

"Yeah, you should've done that a lot sooner." She smiles back.

"I know."

"I've been wanting that since we were ten." She lets him know.

"Ten?" He chuckles, "Took me two more years." He leans down again.

"You didn't have to tell me that… That hurts." She giggles before being picked up and thrown to the side into the wall so the killer could try to attack Chad.

"Lexi, let's go. Come on, come on!" Chad helps her up and they rush for the door as Tara and Sam open it scaring them.

"It's Kirby."

"What?" Lexi didn't believe that as they talk about an exit.

As they move the killer pops up so they run for it and beat up the killer but when Chad tries to do more to the killer on the floor another shows up stabbing him.

"No!" Lexi screams running back but the sisters grab her as she screams for Chad. She couldn't lose him too but she saw that happen as both killers stab him over and over.

The girls run just to get caught between both killers but Kirby shows up making them run. The sisters still think it was her but Lexi says it's not. Bailey then shows up saying it's her too till he shoots her as one of the killers stops at his side.

"I had a feeling…" Lexi says as the other one joins his side too.

"You?" Tara says.

"Yeah, of course, me. Frankly, I expect more from you three after what you did to us?" He tells them.

"You cleared Ethan's alibi…" Lexi says looking at the one on his left so Ethan takes off his mask.

"Mindy was right. It was easy to juke the roommate lottery. All I had to do to meet you was room with a conceited, condescending alpha literally named Chad. Fuck, it felt good to kill him. Especially when he always tried to make a move on you when it was obvious I had a thing for you, Lex. Then he goes in for the kiss too,"

Lexi cuts him off, "Fuck you! So I was just another bonus step to really get close to us? To Sam? So it was all a lie about your daddy. Because it seems like your two are bonding over something." Lexi motions at Bailey.

"Dad?" Tara says shocked.

"And you kept your sister, Quinn, out of your family stories because it would give everything away." Lexi nods her head, "Quinn, quite smart you removed all the knives so we couldn't protect ourselves from Ethan." She looks over at the other so she removes her mask.

"I always knew you were smart. Hey, roomies." Quinn smiles, "Surprised to see me?"

"Yeah, because you died." Tara tells her.

"Kind of didn't, though. It was a good way to get off the suspect list. Stab Gale Weathers, stab Mindy on the train. That sort of thing." Quinn explains.

"And you were first in the scene… Switched out the bodies of course." Lexi gives Bailey a fake smile.

"You'd be amazed at what a grieving father can get away with." He tells them. "This is what we've been counting down to Sam." He shows Billy's mask and tells her to put it on.

"Fuck you." She smiles it out of his hand so Ethan cuts her arm.

"Stay away from her!" Tara and Lexi yell at him.

"You did this as a family?" Sam looks at all of them.

"Hell, yeah bitch. You should know better than anyone." Quinn tells her.

"They're still not getting it." Ethan smiles.

While Sam says she didn't do the killings and Quinn made up the rumors. Lexi studies Ethan and it finally fucking clicks for her, "Wow… Oh my god!" She looks at all three. "You fucking told me everything in a code." She steps towards Ethan but Tara grabs her arm so she tugs it back, "Your brother used to be so obsessed with something, and your dad would do anything for him to feed into the obsession. All of this is his obsession and you're the fucking cop that got it all for him."

"What?" Sam says confused.

"She's a killer just like her father." Bailey points at Sam.

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are motherfucker! You killed our brother!" Quinn yells at her.

"What are you talking about?" Sam was still confused.

"You said your brother died in a car accident." Tara adds.

"Quinn lied to you but Ethan told me the truth. He lost his brother and he died in a fight. He just forgot to mention that he died by his own knife Sam used. And of course, never mentioned a name…Richie." Lexi keeps her eyes locked on Ethan.

"You're Richie's family." Sam looks at Bailey who knows his head.

Lexi sees Ethan getting ready to move towards Aam so she steps in front making him accidentally cut her. "Fuck!" He says as the girls move to get away some.

"Don't feel bad, bro. You can drop the fucking act." Quinn says to corner Sam and Tara while Bailey goes on a rant.

"That's the thing though… it's not an act is it?" Lexi holds her shoulder as Ethan still stands in front of her while she stayed still so they were in their own world right now, "You actually fell for me. Didn't you? That's why you never attacked me. You couldn't hurt me on purpose."

"I never planned to use you to get close. I fell for you the moment I first saw you. When it was just us none of this existed to me. I didn't care about this shit. I never wanted to do it! I had two options. Help him or die with my mom. He made help kill my mother, Lexi." Ethan explains to her so she tries to throw a punch at him but he dodges it.

"Your fucking brother killed my brother! I've cried to you about my mom and brother so many times! And you comforted me! Fuck you!" She screams at him.

[ashleycatchemm]

1-22: Demons

Part 22 of ??

Parings: Reggie x Reader, Luke x Julie, Alex x Willie

Summary: (Y/n) (L/n) has been able to see and feel ghosts ever since she was little, which made it hard to tell the ghosts from the humans. Everyone has always thought she was a bit crazy, even her best friends, Julie and Flynn. But when three ghosts with a love for music appear in Julie's garage, suddenly (Y/n) doesn't seem so crazy anymore.

Song: Demons (Imagine Dragons)

Season 1 Masterlist

Series Madterlist

Main Masterlist

A/N: I picture Arius as Five Hargreeves but with black hair and blue eyes, instead of dark brown hair and green eyes

♬♩♪♩♬♩♪♩♬♩👻 ♪♩♬♩♪♩♬♩♪♩

Once I parked in the school parking lot, I turned towards Arius expecting him to turn into a human. "What?" He asked, sounding annoyed as he sat up and started stretching, his front paws out in front of him as he arched his back down. "Aren't you going to change forms?" I asked, getting aggravated that he won't shift. "Shift forms." He corrected, getting into a sitting position "Plus you don't have the honor of bossing me around. You don't have any of my respect." Letting out an aggravated huff before turning my body to face him.

"Respect this. Respect that. What the hell does having your respect got to do with anything? You're my familiar, so do as I say and change forms."

Arius suddenly got on all fours, growling at me in anger "Everything. Respect has everything to do with the bond a witch, or wizard has with their familiar." I rolled my eyes before crossing my arms a crossed my chest in anger and annoyance 'honestly, why does every single witch thing have to be so complicated and difficult?' Letting out an annoyed huff, I uncrossed my arms, gripping the bridge of my nose "Okay." I stated before throwing my arms at my sides "What do I have to do to get your respect?" Arius sat back down in the passenger seat.

His anger died down, but aggravation still being shown on the felines face. "You don't just get a demons respect. You have to earn it." I shook my head a little, processing the new information that I was just told. "Hold on, wait a minute. You're a demon?!" The black cat rolled his blue eyes at me, before hopping off to the back seat. "Yes. I am." I watched him sit down on one of the back seats, only for him to close his eyes as his tail slowly stopped moving. I opened my mouth to say something, only for a bright blue light to shine, covering his whole form.

Closing my eyes I faced back front as to avoid the light shining in my eyes. "Man, I forgot how much I despise this form." I was about to look back at the owner of the familiar voice, which was usually in my head, but now could be heard by all. Only for a hand to rest on the passenger seat, as a boy that looked just about the age of 18 made his way to the front. He had black hair that was swooped off to the right side and seemed to hang over the right side of his forehead. An almost annoyed look could be seen on his face, and his eyes looked almost exactly like the ones that I've seen on the black cat that has been following me around for the last 12 hours.

"I haven't used this form since your grandmother was in her 20s"

I stared at the boy next to me in slight confusion, he examined his hands as I tried to process everything. "Arius?" I questioned, his blue eyes shot over at me, an annoyed "What?" Leaving his lips. I stared at him for a second or two before letting out a small giggle "Aww look at how cute you are." I stated while reaching over to pinch his cheeks. Only for him to quickly grab ahold of my arm, gripping it tightly, all while sending me a death stare. "Call me cute again. I'll chop all your fingers off and shove them down your goddamn throat." I just stared at him with a grin as he pushed my arm back towards me.

Looking back out my windshield I stared at the school in front of me. "Come on." I stated while opening the truck door "Before I get in even more trouble." Grabbing my bag from the back seat, I hopped out of the truck, Arius following soon after "And why does it matter exactly wether or not you are on time?" Shutting and locking the doors, I started making my way to the school entrance. Arius followed close next to me, hands sitting behind his back as he walked.

"Im already late, but if I skip school again they are gonna call my uncle."

"And why does that matter exactly?"

I didn't bother answering his question, taking a glance over at him, my eyes caught sight of the suit and tie he was currently wearing. Stopping just before the door, I was quick to turn to the black haired demon next to me. "You can't wear that." His blue eyes narrowed in confusion "Wear what? The suit?" He gestured towards his suit, I nodded my head in response, causing him to scoff. "It's a uniform." I crossed my arms, letting out a small huff in annoyance "It's atrocious." Gritting his teeth angrily, brows furrowed, he opened his mouth to say something, only for me to continue.

"No high schooler would be caught dead wearing that crap in place of everyday clothes."

A tight lipped smile sat on Arius face, shoving his hands in his pockets he leaned forward, his tall lanky form giving him the extra few inches of height to tower over me while saying "Well, it's a good thing I'm not a high schooler." I glared up at the demon in front of me, rolling my eyes I let out a small huff of aggravation, deciding to drop the subject, knowing he'd never give in. Turning back towards the front doors I was quick to state "Just, try to act at least a tiny bit normal." Walking over to the intercom I continued "I know that must be hard considering how small your brain is." Pressing the buzzer on the intercom I turned back around to face the angry demon.

Arius hands were now out of his pockets, turning into fists at his sides. His face scrunched up in anger, looking as if he was ready to kill me himself. "Be lucky your grandmother told me to look after you. Cause if she didn't, I would've killed you a long time ago. You have some fucking nerve talking to me that way." Hearing the loud click of the doors being unlocked, I just rolled my eyes at the black haired boy in front of me. Waving him off with one of my hands "Yeah, whatever you say." Pulling the door open, I walked inside, a fuming Arius following close behind.

I walked into the office, which sat right by the front door, Arius walking in behind me. "Well if it isn't miss (L/n). You actually decided to show up for school today?" I put of a forced smile, a fake laugh leaving my lips, all while staring down the old lady at the desk who I've grown all too annoyed of "Ah Darlene. You actually decided to brush your teeth for a change?" I asked while leaning over the front desk "Now I don't have to deal with that nasty ass breath" her cheery smile now turned forced.

Darlene was quick to bite out "I was just about to call your uncle. Tell him that you skipped yet again. But I guess I don't have the liberty of doing that today. That is, if you have a good excuse." She stared me down, practically begging me to have such a horrible excuse that she would have to call my uncle. 'This old ass women has had it out for me since the very beginning.' My eyes looked down at the counter in front of me, drumming my fingers on it for a quick second as I hummed in response to her statement.

Coming up with a quick lie, my eyes looked back up at Darlene "Ya see, I was just showing my..." grabbing ahold of Arius' arm, dragging him quickly over to me. The dark haired demon let out a small grunt in surprise, his attention seemed to be everywhere else as he examined the room. "Cousin" I sent a glance over at Arius to see if he was paying attention to the most important detail in this lie. But of course, Arius' attention was literally anywhere else, which caused me to let out a small huff before looking back at Darlene to continue my tale.

"Around the area, he just arrived here last night and I guess we just lost track of time-"

Darlene held out a hand while shaking her head, stoping me from trying to tell her the rest of my lie. "Okay, I'm gonna stop you right there. You seriously expect me to believe that this boy..." Arius' attention was finally on our conversation as my explanation was stopped, watching as Darlene gestured to him with her pen, she continued "is your cousin?" Bring her pen over to point at me, I stared at her in slight confusion, looking over at Arius next to me, who seemed to be staring down the lady in front of us, as if studying her.

My head turned, eyes drifting back over to Darlene, my left hand placed on my hip as my right gripped the backpack strap around my shoulder. "Well, yeah." I stated, slight confusion written on my face when she didn't believe me. Darlene rolled her eyes in annoyance, shaking her head, I watched as her hand reaches for the phone in front of her. My eyes went wide and I was about to speak up, only for Arius to cut me off, quickly strutting over to the counter in front of us while shoving me off to the side.

"Look, Darlene, was it?"

The old lady paused, her hand resting on the phone as Arius now had her attention. A smile appeared on Arius' lips as he stated "That is a beautiful name, I must say..." Arius held a hand out below the desk, waving it as if signaling for me to back off and let him talk. I heard Darlene giggle a little "Oh, why thank you" Arius was quick to continue with his charm "Do you know that name means Darling? And I have to say, I apologize if this is overstepping, but do you mind if I call you darling?" I stared at the side of his head in confusion, watching this whole scene play out.

A small giggle once again escaped the old lady's lips, her hands coming up to rest underneath her chin. "Well, aren't you just a charmer?" Arius dragged his tongue across his lips for a quick second, biting down on them as if to suppress a smile. Shrugging his shoulders he gave a response of "I try." he must've felt my stare on the side of his face, because he suddenly glanced over at me, a glare present on his features. "Do you mind? We are trying to have a conversation." I widened my eyes a little before throwing my hands up in surrender and walking over to the plastic chairs a little ways behind him.

Arius' attention was brought back over to Darlene soon after, and I dropped my bag down in a chair before sitting down in the one next to it. I watched as the two of them chatted, hearing giggles coming from the old hag here and there. 'The hell could he be talking about with her?' I thought as I waited for the two of them to be done talking. A few minutes later, Arius turned around, walking back towards me, showing me the two late passes in his hand, a smirk sitting on his lips as if rubbing it in my face.

Rolling my eyes, I picked up my bag, throwing one of the straps over my shoulder. Arius stopped in front of me while asking "If I'm the one with a small brain then how come I'm the one with the late passes?" I sent a glare to the demon in from of me, grumbling out a response "Yeah. Yeah. Whatever." Ripping my pass out of his hand.

The two of us started making our way out the door, only for Darlene to stop us. "Goodbye Damon, have a nice day!" She said cheerfully, which only cause Arius to let out an annoyed sigh before rolling his eyes. Turning back to look at Darlene a smile appeared on his face "You too darling" he stated, sending her a wink before turning back around and following me out the door. His face dropping back down into the same angry look he always seemed to wear.

"I fucking hate humans."

He grumbled, while shoving his hands angrily into his pockets. I glanced over at Arius, shaking my head a little, at his statement, only for me to look back in front of me. The dark haired demon walked quickly next to me, passing by 4 kids who were sitting in the hall working. The conversation between them seeming to die off as I now caught their attention just from walking by. Whispers could be heard from the two boys, causing giggles to arise from the girls in response. They were obviously talking about me, but I just ignored them and continued my walk towards my class.

"Something funny assholes?"

This caused me to stop in my tracks, quickly turning around, I was met with the sight of Arius standing in front of the four teens. The dark haired boy had his hands in his pockets, tall, lean figure practically leaning forward over them as if to intimidate. One of the boys stood up in response to Arius' question, moving his wavy brown hair out of his face, the boy let out a scoff "Who the hell are you?" An annoyed smile appeared on Arius' face, leaning in close to the boy that stood in front of him.

A murderous glint could be seen in the blue eyes of the dark haired boy. "I'm the guy that's gonna kick your ass." The teenage boy in front of Arius looked back at his friends, the two boys let out laughs in amusement, like kicking his ass was some kind of inside joke. Looking back into the rage filled eyes of the dark haired boy, an amused smile appearing on the brown haired boy's face. Hands coming up, only to push back against Ariu's chest, causing him to stumble backwards just a bit. A chuckle passed through Arius' lips, all while shaking his head, looking up at the boy in front of him, a smirk gracing his features.

"Bad idea."

The brown haired boy let out a small laugh "o-" he was barely able to get a word out, before Arius' grabbed him by the throat, holding him up in the air right against the lockers. A squeal in surprise left the girls lips, the brown haired boy letting out choked gasps, trying desperately to breath, his hands coming up to pull Arius' hand away only to have no luck. The other boy quickly shouted at him "Hey man!" Arius' eyes didn't deter from the boy in front of him, as the other tried to get him to let go of his friend. The dark haired demon quickly brought his elbow up, making contact with the other boys face causing him to pass out on the floor. "Jared!" One of the girls yelled, quickly kneeling down next to the boy and shaking him to get him to wake up, or at least show any signs that he's alive.

"Let's try this again. Shall we?"

Arius' grip tightened around the boys neck, limiting the amount of air he could breath in even more. A menacing grin sitting on his clear skinned face "Arius!" I yelled, quickly realizing that he was going to kill the poor boy, I was ignored. "The fuck were you laughing at?" Loosening his grip around the boy's throat so he could respond, letting out small coughs and tried to get in breaths of air. Arius rolled his eyes, growing impatient "Let him go Arius! You made your point!" Again I was ignored, the demon brought the boy more towards him using the hand on his throat.

Bringing him back towards the lockers, the back of the brown haired boys head slammed into the lockers behind him, coughing out a groan in pain. "Answer me." The demons teeth grit in anger and aggravation, the boy let out another cough or two before rasping out "We we're laughing at something we heard about the freak you’re walking with." Arius' murderous blue eyes didn't move away from the boy in front of him, only closing them for a few seconds, a sarcastic chuckle passing through his lips, along with a shake of his head.

I wanted to stop him. Yell at him. Scream. Do something to at least help these people. But I froze, because deep down, it felt good I wanted to wait and watch his next moves. I loved watching as people that seemed to anger me and hurt me with the constant whispers and giggles everyday, we're finally getting shit for it. Of course I learned to block it out, ignore it. I act like it doesn't phase me, like it doesn't hurt to hear people constantly talking about me calling me the school freak. But it's always hurt, no matter what I do to act like it doesn't, or to just block it out. It still hurts. So this? This felt good.

Bringing the boy towards him once again, Arius slammed his head back against the lockers behind him. I watched as small amounts of blood trickled down the back of the boys head, and against the lockers behind him "Don't just stand there!" My eyes drifted towards the girl that stood with her arms crossed, staring me down as if this was my fault. "Stop him! Do something!" A scoff left my lips, narrowing my eyes at her in anger. Crossing my arms a crossed my chest my eyes drifted back over to the scene in front of me.

"No."

An angry huff left her lips and she tried to pull Arius off the boy, only for him to bring his hand back, slapping her so hard across the cheek to the point where she spat out blood as she fell to the floor. His eyes never once wavering from the boy in front of him. A small smirk gracing my lips as I heard the demon speak up once again "Listen here, you piece of shit, If her name leaves your disgusting mouth again. I'll cut your damn tongue out of your fucking mouth and feed it to my dog" the boy didn't believe him, trying to let out a scoff but came out as a cough as Arius' hand tightened once again around his windpipe. "You're bluffing." He rasped out, eyes narrowing at the murderous boy.

The dark haired demon let out a dark chuckle in response "Wanna test that theory?" The boy stared at him for a second or two before shaking his head, eyes wide in fear "N-No" an annoyed smile appearing on Arius' face, leaning forward as to scare him even more "That's what I thought." Letting go of his throat, the boy dropped to Arius' feet, coughing and gasping for air. Walking a few feet away he turned back around, eyes narrowed at the three conscious humans on the ground.

An innocent smile gracing his features as he shoved his hands back into his black pants pockets. Arms in front of the suit jacket, causing the jacket to open up a little more at the bottom, fully showing his white dress shirt and tie. "If any of you imbeciles says a word about what happened here. I will personally kill you. And it will be slow and painful." The innocent smile dropped down to an annoyed one as his eyes drifted over each of them individually "Do we understand each other?" I looked over the teens on the ground, one of the boys were passed out, while the other held a hand around his neck, trying to breath properly again, all while slowly bleeding out from the back of his head. One of the girls held the passed out boy's head on her lap, tears streaming down her face, the other one held her cheek and jaw, tears also rolling down her face.

'Shit did he dislocate her jaw?'

The three of them nodded their heads quickly out of fear, not wanting to mess with or go against him. Nodding his head a quick "Great." Left his lips, as he continued the treck in the direction we were walking in. I stayed frozen in place, not knowing how to react to all of this as I just stared at the three injured teens in front of me. I opened my mouth to say something only for Arius to yell "Let's go!" Causing me to shaking my head and quickly follow after him.

Prev // Next

[very-grownup]

Book 90, 2023

Have you ever read something that you recognize isn't bad but /is/ a bad book? Welcome to "InterWorld" by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves, a book I will be keeping because I have hoarding tendencies. Since I own most of Gaiman's novels, it feels improper to get rid of this title. (It's the inverse of Orson Scott Card, where the author revealed himself to be so toxic I steadily pared down my collection until I was left with "Ender's Game", the object an anchor for my grade eight camping trip and the taste of fresh caught fish cooked over an open fire and eaten with fingers in cool-damp morning.)

"InterWorld" is the most 'let's try to scrape some kind of profit from the time sunk into this project by settling for this ill-fitting adaptation' I've ever encountered. We've all seen unaired TV pilot retooled was TV movie and I know there are self-conscious 'this sitcom pitch got turned down, maybe podcast?' examples out there, and I know old school webcomics that dropped the comic part when there was a falling out with the artist and tried to continue via text alone. The last is probably the closest to "InterWorld", probably because Gaiman and Reaves both had success doing the writing part of visual media (Gaiman's bibliography in that area is well known, while Reaves was head writer for Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles).

It's explicitly admitted in the book's endnote that "InterWorld" was the result of Gaiman and Reaves trying to produce something for tv executives that would make the premise for their series pitch easier to understand (this was before they unlocked the 'throw things into landfill for infinite tax benefit cheat code') and I'm not convinced they put that much time into making it a book-book for publication. There's a real sticks and glue feeling to "InterWorld" and you're expecting a house. Not a big fancy house, not a mansion, just a little default filler house. But you don't have to look at the sticks you were given for long before realizing 'aw shit man this is a repurposed boat'.

The idea of "InterWorld" is a multiverse middle grade adventure battle between extreme forces of magic/chaos and technology/order because what kid doesn't want robots /and/ dragons? There's an organization charged with keeping worlds from falling fully under the control of either side. The twist is that the organization is staffed entirely by versions of the same person from different worlds.

This is a genuinely cool idea and great for kids who aren't quite teenagers, giving Gaiman and Reaves a lot of avenues to explore different genders, cultures, species, just identity in general and how different circumstances can see the same seed growing into wildly varied plants. It's easy to imagine how interesting this could be.

In a visual medium.

Especially something animated, where you could create character designs allowing the viewer to immediately distinguish Main Character Joey from Girl Joey from Joey But Robot.

In writing "The Warrior's Apprentice", Lois McMaster Bujold wanted to name the love interest "Nile". Her protagonist? "Miles". Feedback on the proofreading and copyediting nightmare of a Miles and Nile in the same book saw "Nile" become "Elena".

Please enjoy imagining how frustrating an entire book full of J-name variant characters is, because it is the thing that marks "InterWorld" most clearly as something that should never have been a book and also just a constant little itching in my eye and brain.

Double-checking some things in writing this up reveals that Gaiman and Reaves did publish two sequels, well after the fact. I'm surprised because another thing that made the book feel unlike a book is that it finished not only with loose threads of plot dangling, but with the greatest implied conflict unresolved. A villain from the tech end of the spectrum wasn't even present and my reaction, on finishing the book, was 'well sure, you wouldn't have written the arcs of multiple seasons into this pitchbook, you'd have the establishing arc and maybe one or two bits of adventure after that'.

If I ever stumbled across the following books on the cheap I might pick them up, but I feel no compulsion to do so, and "InterWorld" remains on my shelf as a curio more than a book.

[good-wine-and-cheese]

Hi!! It's me again 🐸

What are your comic book/book/anime recommendations?

Hello welcome back to my inbox <3

So I don't have much to say in the way of books or comic books sadly. It's been a hot minute since I've read much in the way of novels and short stories, though I've had some recommended to me, so we'll see how those go! I would love to put more words in my eyeballs.

Comic books I've just never really gotten much into outside of manga. Never really had friends that were into them (outside of superhero comics which didn't really interest me too much) and I tend not to involve myself in things on my own that much, it's more fun to have people to talk to about things.

Manga recs

I'll go ahead and spotlight 20th Century Boys. Not only is it unreasonably relatable right now (especially to readers in their upper 20s and above) it's just like, really well told, as a narrative. It's some of Urasawa's best storytelling I think. I'll obviously say to read most of Urasawa's works in general, but if you asked me to pin down one specific manga, 20th Century Boys is it.

Another manga I would recommend reading is Blue Period. It has an anime, but the anime only covers a very small part of the series and doesn't do it justice at all. Blue Period is a beautiful celebration of art and artists and what it means not to know your place in that world and it's so, so good for people who consider themselves creatives. Also it has some really fun character designs.

Lastly for manga I'll recommend Ajin! I can't think of another manga that I've read that has the same kind of glow up in its visual style. The first couple volumes aren't much to look at, but there's a very quick and noticeable uptick in quality that's very impressive to look at. It's worth checking out just for the artwork honestly.

Anime recs

It was really hard to pare down just a couple I think are exceptionally worth checking out, but I've tried to hit some of the best and most enjoyable series, at least for me. I've pared it down to five.

Mushi-Shi is perhaps my favourite anime overall, ever. It doesn't have a single episode or story beat I dislike, and it's got some of the most beautiful background work and soundtracks in anime, and some very smart, mature writing. It's episodic and easy to pick up at a random episode.

Mob Psycho 100 is one I feel like most folk already know of, but I'll put it on this list anyway because it's another near-perfect anime and has the benefit of being newer so it's especially shiny and has impressive animation to go with a very well told story.

Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor is a must watch and I wish people didn't judge it for the visual style! It's not a pretty show to watch but it's not meant to be. I would say it has a similar message to Monster with respect to being a bit of a social commentary, but it's a lot more cynical. The message of hope is there, but the world of Kaiji is much grittier and more ruthless. Squid Game wishes it had what Kaiji has.

Eureka Seven is my oldest, fondest love in anime. When I say no OST matches what eureka seven has I am being completely serious; literally nothing can match the sound that anime has. Also it's just an absolutely fantastic story about rebellion against an authoritarian government, fighting to protect the environment, has some of the most compelling romances in all of anime, and it just happens to be packaged in a mecha anime skin. It isn't what I would call a mecha anime, it just happens to involve big mech suits.

Ping Pong: The Animation is a mind blowing experience. It's a bit weird for a sports anime in that it doesn't feel like one. I can't say exactly why, because it does still follow a lot of the classic sports anime story beats, it just also throws in some unexpected narrative beats that make it especially unique. You're really watching Ping Pong for the actual animation, though. Trust me.

I have a lot more anime I could list honestly, there are a ton of really good ones that I didn't put on here, but these would be the top 5 I think people definitely need to check out.