#Insane to me lots of people here I ended up befriending later also yeah lots of this are big inspirations for me

[arabriddler]

Gotham Fic rec list

A Modicum of humanity makes everything harder

Fic AO3 description :

Bruce Wayne first donned the cowl ten years ago, vowing to protect Gotham's citizens from crime, but who protects him?

Jim Gordon is called upon by an unlikely set of people to find Bruce Wayne aka Batman, solve the case he was working on before he disappeared, and find him before Gotham gets wind that its caped protector is missing.

my notes :

this is an incomplete series of stories set post-canon. It’s great because it offers a variety of characters and interactions. Tbh I only read up to Evol Love but it’s very fun. Ties gotham and comic Batman together nicely ! I personally consider it canon.

The Edcubus

Fic AO3 description:

Edward Nygma attempts to live his life well under the guise as a normal, human forensic pathologist. He just likes human souls as a side dish now and then. It's what an Incubus does.  So when he sees a dapper looking fellow at a club, and how well they hit it off together, a soul seems guaranteed.

my notes:

This fic made me laugh and cry and giggle and smile and cry again and it’s just. A journey. It’s sort of a Gotham rewrite but with a twist ( Ed is an incubus ). Ed’s DID is written very well here as well as Oswald’s disability and the way his mind works and runs Gotham. The relationships are very light and the dialogue seems very authentic and the highlight of the fic is Zsasz. I loved hims so much here. Also, Tabitha is written so well here. I loved her

The Fox and The Scorpion

Fic AO3 description:

Ed and Lucius both think they can help each other, and maybe in doing so help themselves along the way. But the more time they spend together, the more the line between help and harm begins to blur.

My notes :

If you know me you know that I constantly talk about this fic. It’s just. So good. Had to stare at the wall after it for such a long time. The way Ed and Lucius mirror each other? Their conversations and interactions ? The plot twists? Moreover, Lucius is underrated across all Batman media. This fic really gets in depth when it comes to him and I appreciate that.

4 am

Fic AO3 description:

Oswald Cobblepot works in the campus cafe of Gotham University where he meets Edward Nygma, a student looking for a quiet place to study.

my notes:

college AU! That’s also a coffe shop AU! It’s so cute. Oswald and Ivy are sort of siblings here and I love that so much. Ed is adorable, and I loved the way Jim’s written here ( we have Ed and Jim as roommates ! ) I’ve reread it so many times.

On the corners of neibolt and Waterbury

Fic AO3 description:

There were many stories about the monsters that lived beneath Gotham. People always assumed that they were harmless stories, but the children of Gotham knew better.

my notes:

IT AU!! It’s set in Gotham verse BUT it’s also an IT AU I don’t know how to explain it but it’s so fun. We also have Ed and Oswald and Jim as childhood friends and it’s adorable. Made me want to read my IT book gathering dust on the bookshelf

Avast!

Fic AO3 description:

Oswald Cobblepot is the proud captain of the pirate ship Iceberg. He crosses paths with the surgeon Ed Nygma.

my notes:

pirates AU with supernatural elements. Complicated Ed Oswald relationship we just love to see it. The writing is so good It makes you picture everything in your mind. There is a laviathan and a kraken.

Puzzled

Fic AO3 description:

After Oswald saves Edward on the pier he tells him that he's going to take Martin with him and leave Gotham forever. Shocked by this sudden turn of events, Ed finds himself unable to let Oswald go... So he decides to go with them.

my notes:

road-trip with Ed, Oswald, and Martin. It’s simply wholesome.

Seizing My Guts ( he Floats me with dread )

AO3 fic description:

Oswald awakes from a coma with a bullet hole in his stomach and no recollection of how it got there. With his sight impaired, the task of finding his would-be killer seems to be impossible. Luckily for Oswald, Ed Nygma, his Chief of Staff, is there to lend a hand.

my notes :

went through so many emotions reading this. Complex nygmobblepot vaguely toxic ? Perfect.

Love is a four-legged word

fic AO3 description:

"It's a Maltese Shih Tzu," Ed says. "If there's a dog in the house, it shouldn't be a breed that generates puddles of drool."

"I thought you didn't like dogs," Oswald says, still cradling the ball of fluff.

"I don't," Ed agrees. "You do."

my notes :

a one shot that has it all! Dogs! Growing old! Post canon! Insane amount of fluff! This is such a comfort read I’ve re-read it so many times

Unexpected Visitor

fic AO3 description:

Oswald and Ed receive an unexpected late-night visitor.

my notes:

Oswald and Ed being uncles and it’s so wholesome I just love it. It’s part of a series which I recommend reading it all ( this is the second story ) I read it a long time ago so I can’t remember it well but I remember this part because it was so wholesome

I’d want to be felled by you

Fic AO3 description:

"We would be stronger together. No one could stop us."

They’re in love with each other, and he’s the only one that knows.

My notes:

Set after the season 5 knife hug, a very wholesome one shot with a hint of angst and lots of feelings. Ed nurses Oswald’s eye and they talk

We should be a settled argument

AO3 fic description:

Who would have thought Blackgate Prison and No Man's Land would have so much in common? Restricted food choices, unreliable air conditioning, and surrounded by gangs that can easily be bought, albeit for cigarettes rather than bullets. It's the same posturing and negotiating, and Oswald could do it in his sleep. It's almost relaxing, if you ignore the bounty on his head from the Russians and the grumbling from the Irish.

my notes:

I’ve read this so many times, it’s set post No-Man’s land and catches up with the finale, it’s basically the ten year period where Oswald’s in prison and his handling of black gate is written in such an Interesting way, and Ed and Oswald’s interactions are perfect and fun to read.

Russian Roulette

AO3 fic description:

Edward and Oswald find themselves captured by the Court of Owls. It will take the two of them working together to escape, but not all is as it seems. Escaping their prisons is only the beginning and survival depends on their all too fragile truce. In the end, will it be enough to save either one of them? And are they even capable of maintaining it?

my notes: this is the kind of fic that makes you bite your fingernails and stay up reading it and walk around in circles because it drives you insane. It also has lots of horror and tense elements that make it captivating

Point D’ Amour

AO3 fic description:

Oswald and Edward finally accepted their love for each other. Edward is the happiest he's ever been. Until an incident at a warehouse sends him spiraling. He loves Oswald, so why does he want to hurt him?

my notes: I received this fic as a gift and it’s so 😵‍💫😵‍💫 makes me insane !! Was reading it like :0

[katyspersonal]

Personal stuff from work

I think I am going to leave this job and seek another one. I don't know how I am going to pull this off with my absurd medical expenses recently, but this is just impossible to work here anymore!!! I actually should be at work right now, but I went back home crying, just. straight up left

Remember that story about an ex worker who constantly got at work drunk and snapped at everyone for smallest reason? Where one time he came at work so full of vodka the smell was all over the office, got super angry at smallest things and screamed at the boss and her vice that he would "smash her face with the keyboard if she doesn't shut up" before other workers and customers? And everyone was either scared or passive, but I straight up told him that he should just go home and sleep instead of getting in THIS state at work and causing god knows what? That resulted in the day worth of him distracting me from working bullying me like 'lmao are you feminist or something?!', 'have you believed in yourself or something?!' etc etc, that progressed in a STUPID verbal fight where he kept saying dumb shit, I was objecting, he was yelling at me to shut up, I objected that if he wanted me to shut up he should not have prompted the discussion with dumb shit to begin with etc etc etc.. That then ended in physical fight too, while all coworkers who were much more capable and strong than me just hid like rats and let me fight him alone 🤦‍♂️

Or another story, kinda recent, where another coworker smashed my head against the deck from a likewise long verbal argument that started from her genuinely giving customers and us troubles by refusing to do her job right and me pointing it out? There were a lot of threats prior, like throwing a can in my face if I don't shut up, when she genuinely was wrong and refused to take request from the boss over stupid petulant reasons? (by the way later after that situation turned out that she also did fight with THE boss physically before, and with one of the regular customers that sued her later)

It is more like 'three times is a charm' situation because today something very similar happened, and with a DIFFERENT person again. She has been working here for a while, and also had problems with alcohol and such, but after previous boss left the job and new one arrived she befriended her a lot. That resulted in them constantly dumping all work on me while they CONSTANTLY leave to smoke, drink at the work place (!) or bring their stupid equally alcoholic friends at the office (!!!) 🤦‍♂️ However, today was ANOTHER time where she was STUPID late at work all because she got drunk shitless yesterday (also at work while I was left with customers alone).. I addressed that, and... yeah, you guessed it, more insults, yelling, threats of physical violence etc followed. This time we surprisingly did not end up in a fight, I kinda just ran away..

Like, this workplace feels like abusive relationship I know, I just bothered to carry on because it is stupid hard to find a job in my city.. But I swear they hire any sort of deranged, violent, stupid people without even a minimal check fdhfdhs These are just the three I've had open fight with! And in each and every situation it is basically 'a person who is like 50, the third one is 60 wants to beat up a frail young girl for pointing out something that was GENUINELY wrong while other coworkers are either passive or claim that the girl is insane and inadequate in this situation' 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ I am dead serious, the third parties always act like /I/ am the bad person here for pRoVoKiNg (if this is what you call seeing a bad thing and saying it is bad). And also for "arguing"??? Bitch you say the dumb shit that makes no sense and expect me to stay silent or how that Tweet went

I just really can't work with these idiots anymore. Though to think of it, it isn't just here.. to look back on it, all my enemies happen specifically because I point out something genuinely wrong about them and they can't take the L. When I am not like, holding them at the gunpoint or posing any threat to them (looking at YOU, online cancel-culture mobs who might THINK you can relate!!!). Heck, my worst online drama happened all because someone in the fandom straight up bullied another fan and I jumped in to obliterate them with facts and logic for that behaviour, and not the "noble fight" reasoning they ended up making up to justify harassing me. It is not like I am some noble fighter for justice ffs!!! I am just a kicked stray dog that barks at the things it doesn't like, I won't and CAN'T make any change in this world. But it is always enough to end like this. I just can't play by this world's rules at all if you are supposed to "just ignore" people who are so deranged. By this logic I could also keep everyone in fear with threats and inadequate reaction to objective, non-threatening, justified criticism, but I am not doing this!!

At the same time, hating petty bitches that will either openly get hostile like my coworkers, or plot revenge like Alfred-chan or A, over the justified "attack" on them made me overcorrect myself to the point I tolerate shit like this more than I should. Like you know how unwillingless to become the very thing you hate might put you on the opposite extreme? Because it should not have happened three times for me to be done!!! (especially since none of these idiots got fired for their behaviour) Not to mention less extreme conflicts and these idiots doing god knows what at the WORKPLACE 🤦‍♂️

[howtotrainyouragents]

Agent H's Book Reactions

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

Percy joins a dangerous quest to find the missing Annabeth and goddess Artemis only to discover the end of the world may be sooner than he thought.

I was totally sane yesterday, why do these books make me so insane

I was wondering why exactly we all love Percy so much. And maybe part of it is that he feels so real. He's an underdog always fighting to be valued, his flaws are on full display. He acts the way we would in the situation. Yeah, he's funny and can be goofy, but he's also someone who's been through shit and is very serious and grounded and is just trying to find his place in the world...like a lot of kids feel. AND THEN, there's the fact he's just such a genuinely good person. Like he always befriends the loner kids, does nice things for people because they ask him to, sacrifices himself over and over his friends. He has such a good heart, he's someone I think we'd all want to be friends with

The fandom is also right in that he's also a sarcastic shit who really does just talk back to the gods

I'm thinking about Percy's fatal flaw (which is identified for the first time in this book) vs Bianca's death. Like, Nico telling him he broke his promise to protect her is about the worst thing you could ever tell Percy. Did I want him to put up more of fight against her taking down Talos? Would he have if they were closer? Does this decision effect later decisions? Idk, I'm just thinking thoughts.

Continuing my point about Percy's Hero's Journey, this book obviously reflects Hercule's story with the Nemean Lion, Erymanthian Boar, Ladon and the Golden Apples, and Atlas. Hercules is THE Greek hero, and that's why it's important in Percy's journey that he rejects Hercule's path (and the path of previous heroes in general) and decide to forge a path of his own

Which leads me to my next point. This book's themes is about how being a hero is not about doing it on your own, your own ego, or your own needs. It's about love and friendship and family and that is what is going to save the world. At the beginning fo the book, Percy is failing a lot, trying to do things on his own. He's jealous of Thalia and the others. But what Percy excels at is saving his friends, working together, leading. He becomes the bait for the skeleton soldiers to save his friends. He puts himself in danger constantly and comes up with solutions to protect his friends. He cares for his friends' feelings. He protects Bessie. He sacrifices himself and chooses to be the child of the prophecy to protect Nico. This is what Percy is best at. This is the kind of hero he is

Perceabeth has a fanatastic explanation on how this book is about love (Sally and Paul, Annabeth and Percy, Dionysus and Ariadne, Zoe and Hercules) and I love it so very much and agree

Continuing my point about the five-book arc: This book is definitely the turning point. Percy's comfortable with the mythical world, his skills, his powers now, and now he has to push himself in new ways, esp emotionally and mentally, to level up. We also see the pieces on the chessboard, Thalia, Nico, Bessie, Mount Tam are clashing together for the first time and creating repercussions. We're still a bit away from the final showdown, but we can see the battle on the horizon. This book is so much more serious and signals what's to come next

I really love how Aphrodite is used here to explore Percy and Ananbeth's growing relationship. Like Percy/the writing are not the type to sit and wax about feelings. Instead we see the Hunters representing the anxiety about their relationship as they grow up. The scarf of Aphrodite showing how much Annabeth thinks about him as he does her. Aphrodite interrupting the quest to call out Percy on why he's really doing this. Aphrodite calling it what it is, a love story.

I mean, Bianca's death is devastating, but I do really like how it's because of an act of love, you know? Like even if she doesn't want the responsibilities of taking care of Nico, she of course loves him . She takes the Hades figurine, knowing she shouldn't, because she loves him and wants him to be happy. I just...I can't fault her

So, I'm not sure how much we talk about this, but I think prophecies will always be fulfilled but they can be fulfilled in multiple ways. Like, there's different ways the "land without rain" gets applied and there's different people who's parent tries to kill them, and it's because of them trying to reason with the prophecy, even prevent it, that the events happen the way they do

In other news, I think this book has the most Olympians introduced to us? Apollo, Artemis, Athena, and Aphrodite

My favorite cover of the series (maybe along w/ TLT). It's an understated scene, but it's the scene directly tying to the theme of the book. Mr. D is calling Percy out for being like all the other heroes, and Percy must now decide if he will be or won't

My current ranking of the series: TLO>TTC>TLT>BOTL (I decided I should be nicer to it)>SOM

The battle at Camp Half Blood is foreshadowed here, and I never caught that!! They said the first step was to take out the heroes!!!

In terms of awe factor, these books have held up over the years very well. However, as a kid, having the cabin counselor meeting in the Big House around the ping pong table was so cool and all, and now as an adult, I'm like...someone get these kids a decent table and snacks lol

To answer my previous post's question, Tyson's shield does come back into play! And there's a reason I don't remember it here!

Book 2 has so many iconic scenes, but I think a lot of personal favorites are in this one, including: the Erymanthian Boar, Nereus, Hoover Dam, Smithsonian

My personal favorite scene is him choosing the prophecy for himself (imo, the book should've ended with that as the cliffhanger but I digress) because the amount of courage and love Percy has to do that is incredible. Close second is the reveal of Nico as the son of Hades. Like, I think I'm so used to him being the son of Hades now, that I forgot HOW BATSHIT INSANE THIS REVEAL WAS

I know we learn what Clarisse found on her secret mission, but I don't remember what it is (Also shoutout to PJO Riordan bc I have so much faith that the little references he drops do matter, whereas in the latter series I read, I don't have that same confidence)

Speaking of reference, Nico talks about resurrecting the dead early on, ooohhh~

Percy Jackson bought a toy rat from a rundown store in a rundown town in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a very dangerous quest just because he felt bad for the store clerk, and that is why he is better than all of us

[flowerflamestars]

Okay okay I just read your jaw dropping post about how acotar would be with Nesta Under the Mountain and now I’m curious: does Rhys meets Feyre? Cassian and Nesta’s first encounter, how does it goes like? LUCIEN AND AZRIEL SLOW BURN “STRANGERS” TO LOVERS? Nesta wouldn’t be stupid to let her sisters be kidnapped by Hybern, so how do they get changed into Fae? And DO they get changed? I’ve got a thousands questions now

OKAY YES- Nesta Under the Mountain, acomaf remix:

First, I just want to pause to highlight the chaos factor here. What happens after Amarantha and Tamlin die? Rhysand, bound by magical contract and also Dramatique, nopes out, bringing Lucien and Nesta.

And he’s a mess. It’s relief, it’s half a century of unimaginable torture. He needs a bath. He needs to lay in bed for a week before he speaks to another living person. Instead, he takes them to his moonstone palace.

Does he rest? Plan? Go find his friends who are screaming at his mental shields?

No. He gives Nesta and Lucien rooms, and proceeds to have breakfast with them while flirting with Nesta, so he can pretend everything is fine.

To say Nesta is feeling A Lot is an understatement. She has zero Tamlin murder regrets- and many, many, I came back to life and got kidnapped again regrets. She does take a bath. Washes off the blood, braids her hair, tries not to look at her freaky faery face, looks for clothes. Is unimpressed beyond measure at crop top sheer ensembles, and goes looking for Lucien.

Swathed in turquoise silks, doing that thing where he’s grinning but his eyes are flinty and just waiting for the next attack, he’s no better off. The robe in Nesta’s bathroom was a lace confection- the one in Lucien’s in quilted green silk. Nesta wears that.

Is still wearing it, when they show up to breakfast, Rhysand flirts- and because Nesta is an Archeron, she throws a teacup at his head.

(Lucien, beside her, buttering toast: yeah, that doesn’t work on her)

What really happens in acomaf? Love, trauma journey, betrayal. But Tamlin’s dead- and guess what family promptly sails back across the sea to seize power of Spring? Guess. No one is out here calling Nesta the Savior of Prythian. She’s not the mother, she’s the crone. Women love her, men fear her. She’s not the blessing, she’s the punishment.

Morrigan tracks down Rhys, and this is what she finds: 1 autumn prince, wearing a crop top and acidly explaining that he doesn’t give a single fuck if Spring burns. 1 devastating faery lady wearing nothing but a robe. Rhysand, with tea dripping from his hair.

Tears! Reunion! Nes & Luc, exit stage left faced with Emotions.

Nesta doesn’t need to learn to read- and she doesn’t need Rhysand’s fucking help, as she keeps saying, as he keeps doing nice things for her. Fuck off, she says, fixing her hair with the diamond pins that have mysteriously appeared on top of her book. Do not look at me like that, she threatens, catching him grinning at some insanely offensive thing she’s said about Beron.

Rhys likes Nesta. It’s not willing. Nesta...kind of hates Rhys still. Rhys is also still, A Mess- and Nesta just happens to be the sexy project in front of him. 

You didn’t make a deal for me to be a permanent house guest, she tells him.

Morrigan, to herself, a respectable wlw who, you know, met Nesta in a robe and learned ten seconds later she killed a High Lord as a human: PLEASE STAY FOREVER

Rhysand takes them to Velaris.

Lucien is devastated by the prosperity- Nesta goes straight for Rhysand’s throat- you protected one city? Rhysand says, one city, and four people. It’s the closest Nesta ever comes to respecting him, lasts three seconds. 

It takes one night for Nesta and Lucien to vanish. Dangerous and disconcerting for a few reasons- Prythian is singing songs of Nesta, and they’re songs of destruction. Lucien has a price on his head. 

But they’re not courting danger- they’re over the wall. Nesta knows a war is coming, knows she’s painted a target sky high on her back. She leaves letters for her sisters- she’s alive, she can’t come home, she’s sorry, she loves them, please please please be careful- and they spend ten hours straight setting wards around the slumbering Archeron manner.

With his usual sense of good timing, the next morning is when Rhysand trots out his work for me plan.

Hybern wants a war, and Nesta is a weapon. Lucien, who has been a rapid fire, info dump strength been trying to tell Nesta all the shit she needs to know now that she’s a faery, tells him to go to hell. 

Rhys feigns very much like that was uncalled for, unravels a few more layers of the I’m only bad as a ruse lifestyle before their eyes. 

Nesta more or less ignores him, but explains Lucien’s comment for them both: no fealty. No oaths. No games. No more fucking tattoos.

Rhys, eventually, repeats himself: work for me, I’ll pay you, you don’t need to belong.

Nesta demands a contract. Exact terms. Proof of salary. Tells Rhys, casually, that she killed one High Lord human and she’s perfectly willing to try for a second with immortality on her side.

Nesta and Lucien, private contractors. Nesta and Lucien, who also don’t really believe a word Rhysand says.

But then it’s time for dinner. To meet the Court- Nesta repeats Court of Dreams to Lucien with such lofty disbelief he’s still giggling to himself every few minutes when they get to the House of Wind.

A pause, a step back: Cassian. Cas lost his shit when Nesta died- Cassian felt her come back to life- Cassian, who has never met her, has no idea what that means. He’s been rattled around, feeling more than a little crazy- tense, unfocused, walking the streets of Velaris like he forgot something that can never be found- he also didn’t tell anyone.

Nesta Archeron walks into the House of Wind beside Lucien Vanserra, and everything stops.

It’s Rhysand’s stumbling, lightening struck, immediate oh-shit reaction, just on a very different balcony, with circumstance more different that Cassian allows himself to believe.

There she was. There was what he’d been looking for- there she was, taking a glass of wine out of Lucien’s hand.

There’s no personal story time at this dinner. There’s Cassian, dumbstruck, silent, staring. Azriel, whose good manners kick in and make him speak. Lucien, drinking. Nesta treating it like a business meeting and directly trying to establish what everyone’s jobs are.

(Also Nesta, meeting Amren, recognizing her name from fairytales she read trapped in Tamlin’s house: Do you really drink the blood of men?

Amren: Only very, very bad men who ask nicely.

Nesta’s nod in response took years off Cassian’s life.)

Nesta, child of every court. Nesta, who Rhysand keeps comparing to the Courts universal holy objects while she bites her tongue bloody. Locate, read, utilize, steal- Nesta wants it done now, wants to hamstring Hybern before he can set foot on their island.

But research takes time. So Nesta’s learning to be a faery- and breaking a ridiculous amount of things along the way- Lucien is hanging out in her shadow, free as he’s ever been in his entire adult like but also just waiting, waiting, for the axe to fall.

Everyone thinks they’re sleeping together- more importantly, even if they’re not, they’re In Love.

There’s no weaver in the wood moment- because frankly, Rhysand doesn’t want to risk that Nesta will somehow befriend her. Less Rhys in general, because Nesta doesn’t want to spend all that much time with him. 

Nesta is just in Velaris, waiting for the damn job to start. With Lucien. Sometimes Amren, or Morrigan. Often, extremely often, Cassian.

In canon, when they meet, Cassian is all set up to hate her- she didn’t protect her sister, she’s disloyal she’s- all of these terrible things that have to be proven untrue. That clash, that fighting shapes...basically everything.

This Nesta, he has every reason to admire, and it’s killing him. She saved Prythian- she killed a High Lord with her bare hands and knife Cassian wouldn’t want to use to cut an apple. She’s incredible.

She’s also the unfortunate, perfect receptacle for all of Cassian’s self worth issues. He can’t look away, which means she’s not looking. Of course she loves the son of a High Lord, who fought by her side- they survived together, they’re the same species.

So. He’s just going to quietly, miserably, love her forever. But he doesn’t actually talk to her- this is the only Cassian who has ever been quieter than Az- he just can’t. But he’s always there- passing messages from Rhys. Flying her to the House of Wind. Present. 

So he also ends up around when Lucien and Nesta decide to move on from magic training to physical training. 

And Cassian absolutely falls over himself asking to help. To train her. To make her stronger. To maybe, you know, punch him in the face.

The offering goes as badly as can be imagined, all the wrong words and blushing fury. Insulting. A mess.

Nesta does what Nesta does best. Asks him, you’ve trained how much of your own army? Cassians answer is halting but true- yes, yes the Legion’s are his lifes work.

And look, Nesta is mad at the implied insults to her and Lucien both. She’s also mad this asshole who clearly doesn’t want her here, doing the job she was hired to do and has made that clear with the silent treatment, is now intruding on her personal business.

She gets in his face. I’m not an Illyrian. I’m not a man. I will never be a soldier under your command and I don’t need your help.

(the vicious cultural sexism has, in fact, trickled down to Nesta’s knowledge quite easily. She doesn’t know Cassian’s back story.)

The knife sinks oh, so, fucking deep. Cassian who also, has never learned to back down, doesn’t fuck off. So he’s around, brooding and training himself, while Lucien teaches Nesta evil little tricks and how to move like lightening, to use weapons and magic as one.

Nessian keep fighting. Cassian also keeps finding every even slightly plausible excuse to be in her company-because now she’s looking at him.

So what, if she’ll never love him back? So what, if fucking Lucien Vanserra who flirts with everything that moves somehow earned her loyalty? Cassian is never-will never- judge or undermine her choices. Never.

He just wants to be around. To speak to her every day. So what, if the angst is burning him alive?

Interlude: the Summer Court. Rhys and Nesta go alone. 

Nesta likes Tarquin. Tarquin...is kind of more afraid of Nesta than Rhys. There’s no flirty montage, Nesta goes to hang out with Cresseida. Knows her for about a day, comes to understanding that Cresseida was the one who held Summer together under Amarantha.

Nesta tells Cresseida everything. Hybern’s coming back, they’re already making plays. They want the Cauldron, but control can be stolen with the Book. Rhysand thinks I can read it- all I want is Hybern dead.

It is, in the end, compelling. Helped along by the fact Nesta peppers in that Rhys isn’t going to ask.

There’s a fight, a battle, conditions: in the end Tarquin gives the book to Nesta. Only Nesta. For Rhys, this still works- for the Summer Court, the distinction is important. Nesta Archeron, Cauldron-blessed, the Sword of Prythian, will wield the book.

Not the blessing, the punishment.

Rhys says something very Rhys, and Nesta leaves. They’re winnowing to the same place, she can now, it doesn’t matter- but what matters is this: Nesta goes back to the House of Wind, and runs into Cassian.

She’s just carrying half the book- like that isn’t an insane, miraculous thing, and Cassian congratulates her, without saying anything stupid. 

But then Nesta sprawls down in a window seat, and starts looking at the book.

(Cassian is GOING THROUGH IT. he thought being around her was bad? Knowing she’s in another court where he can’t make sure she’s safe or okay or not having a bad day made him LOSE HIS MIND)

Which is fully what he blames for the fact that Cassian also, does not leave. Crosses his arms. Leans in the doorway like it doesn’t matter. Asks, like a moron, why Nesta isn’t looking for Lucien.

(Cassian to Cassian: SHE WAS GONE DAYS- SHE COULD HAVE BEEN HURT? WHERE IS THE CARE? THE CONCERN? THE- LUCIEN WAS AT A BAR WITH AZRIEL LAST NIGHT)

Nesta: No, I’ll see him later.

Cassian: Reunions...are important. The war is going to come faster than any of us think.

Nesta: I know?? that’s why I just spent a week in fucking sand- I’m doing my job-

Cassian: We all have so little time-

Nesta: You think I don’t know that??

Cassian: I just. I don’t understand- you have options. You have the entire world. You are the entire world, and you deserve-

Nesta: What. Exactly. Do you think I deserve?

Cassian, miserably ferocious: someone waiting when you come home. from battle. from stupid shit Rhys makes you do. You deserve everything.

Nesta, rising from the window seat, walking across the room: You’re here.

Cassian:

Nesta, rolling her eyes as she sweeps past and away: You. Were here. When I got back.

I’m going to cut this here and then post a part two! Thank you so much for asking, stay tuned :)

[retvenkos]

“you realize you have enough late fees to pay for this book twice over, right?”

requested

A MODERN! LIBRARY! AU WITH THE PEVENSIES? UMM... YES. THAT HAS TO GO LIKE THIS...

the pevensies first started frequenting the library after they came back from narnia

it was susan’s idea - none of them really knew this world anymore and so, maybe, if they read about it, things would come back to them and they’ll feel more comfortable in this place

edmund teased her, saying she just wanted to quiz him on the dictionary, again. 

but, really, he liked the idea. he felt comfortable amongst the endless shelves, it was like he was in the libraries in cair paravel, again, and he was home

and even when they had adjusted to england and had no reason to go back, anymore, they kept going

it was routine at this point - the only time all of them were really together, talking about their lives and all that had happened

and as the years passed by, it felt like a home away from home - a place in england that was  t h e i r s 

they weren’t sure where they belonged, anymore, but the library was a good a place as any

peter found himself again in the stories of king arthur and the histories of battles and sacrifices - those things that lie heavy on the chests of anyone else.

he loves audio books and documentaries - things he can listen to. he loves to hear it - the interest in people’s voices, the sympathy, the words they use.

he has his headphones in 99.99% of the time, and lucy will sneak up on him to scare him. 

he has been kicked out of the library several times, thanks lucy

and edmund? love of mysteries

he went through a sherlock holmes phase. susan watched sherlock with him and they would argue over theories

lucy told him once that he looked like benedict cumberbatch and it was single handedly the best compliment he had ever received (for the time, anyway).

he also got into a few of the classics

he read don quixote and loved it, don’t lie to yourself

he is also constantly checking out rosetta stones - edmund loves languages and you can pry that concept from my cold, dead hands

susan was able to distract herself with love stories, magazines, and other classics

jane austen? yep. susan loved her.

she would browse a lot, taking her time before deciding on anything

she also loved using the computers

she always has some passion to look up or another, and it was easier to use the computers to look something up than to search for a book.

when she knew what she wanted, susan went after it. when she wasn’t sure, she browsed.

lucy, on the other hand, loved ya fiction

the action? the romantic subplots? they were her obsession.

and sometimes susan would read one with lucy and they would talk about it, but no one ever found out. susan would rather die than tell edmund she was team edward

and no, i never read twilight but i have seen the films and susan was team edward i don’t make the rules

lucy also chronically checks out movies at the library and then forgets to take them back until a week after they’re due

and edmund will tell her it’s on netflix, she doesn’t need to check it out, but she says she likes a hard copy, sue her.

she eventually gets into comics, and she and edmund read them together

oh, i guess i should address when you come into the picture

so you work at the library and it doesn’t take you long until you have met the pevensies and have chatted with this chaotic but surprisingly functional family

they’re only in their mid twenties, but they have the dynamic of 40-50 year old siblings?

clearly i’m ignoring their fatal end because we only want fluff, here

all of your coworkers agree that they have those very specific vibes.

and you find these frequents odd and amusing - no one in their age bracket really comes to the library frequently, but this family is constantly here.

i mean, it’s great because their traction is much needed, but it’s just confusing.

the easiest pevensie to talk to is peter, if you ever catch him without his headphones in

he’s just super chummy with everyone he meets and when you first talk to him, he feels like an older brother

he has the  c h a r i s m a 

“you and your siblings come here, a lot.”

“yeah, there’s a lot of sentimental value, here. this place... it helped us find ourselves, once.”

“well, there’s not better way to know yourself than between pages. books have a way of changing your perspective.”

“but they can also help you erase who you once were.”

and you notice him looking at susan

so you not-so masterfully change the subject

“do you realize how many fines you have?”

but it works

“they’re edmund’s, trust me.”

the second easiest to talk to is lucy - peter may have a natural charisma, but lucy is just kind and pleasant to chat with

she’ll talk to you about anything and everything, even if she has zero idea what you’re talking about

but that’s kind of hard because the amount of collective knowledge the pevensie’s have is insane.

and lucy is definitely the sibling you can befriend the quickest, the gateway to the rest of the pevensies because you just feels so comfortable around her

she introduces you to susan and edmund, and you’re actually able to hit it off with them, too?

the pevensies are great at talking to strangers and i just,,, can they pLEASE teach me their ways???

it’s all those years of being kings and queen, talking to other diplomats, being generally sociable

anyway, you start to hang out with them outside of the library, too, after you’ve formed a bit of a friendship

and maybe you have a particular soft spot for edmund...

and the pevensies start to tell you more of their stories - those that happened to them when they were young, when they were kind of odd - like adults in a child’s body

and you can see susan stiffen with each subsequent story, and you think back to what peter said to you, once...

“but they can also help you erase who you once were”

and so you decide to talk about those stories with edmund, when the two of you are hanging out alone

and you not-so masterfully change the subject

“have any of you watched harry potter, recently? i get big harry potter vibes from all of your stories.”

and lucy and peter are vvv excited, because they used to read harry potter with each other and love it a whole lot

and later, edmund tells you about narnia, about susan not believing, and about where they are, now

coping

all of them

and you nod your head understandingly

“if you ever need me, you know where to find me.”

“yeah.”

“but wouldn’t it be wonderful if they were stories?”

“for others to read?”

“yeah - like story books.”

“yeah... that would be nice.”

and one night, when all of the pevensies are together and susan has gone to the bathroom, edmund tells his siblings about your idea. about writing about narnia... as though it were a story.

and susan hears through the door.

and maybe she puts her english major to use, writing down a story she tries desperately to believe isn’t real

AND FLUFF ENSUES.

-- taglist: @musicallisto, @babyplutoszx2, @locke-writes, @brokenandheadoverheels // message me if you want to be added to the taglist!

[honourablejester]

Ideas for Sorcerers (D&D)

I do love a bit of innate, chaotic magic, the forces of the world writing themselves onto people. Whether said people wanted them to or not. Heh. I will admit I’m a bit more attached to the ‘touched by cosmic forces’ angle for the sorcerer, it’s really great for backstories, but the bloodlines are also fascinating for the ‘family lore’ and ‘really adventurous ancestors’ ideas. So!

I’m mostly focused on the classic sorcerers and then the horror-adjacent sorcerers, because I’m me, and we know what I like. Apologies to fans of the Divine, Storm or new Clockwork sorcerers!

Draconic

Because dragons (and dragon ancestors) are the best. There’s a lot of fun and aesthetic with choosing your dragon ancestor too. The little scales you get with draconic resilience just make for some really cool-looking characters.

I love the idea of mixing ancestries with a draconic sorcerer. Compare and contrast. For example, a tiefling draconic sorcerer with gold dragon ancestry! Combining a ‘tainted’ bloodline with a respected one. Maybe the clan lean heavily into the lawful reputation of gold dragons, as well as a sort of internalised racism against their own darker ancestry as well. They view the fact that they were once favoured by a divine dragon as proof that their bloodline can redeem themselves of their demonic pact/ancestry, and they lean towards lawful occupations, city watch, soldiers, clergy, etc. So your sorcerer has a bit of internal conflict going on. (Also, a red tiefling with gold scales is an awesome look – tiefling skin colours with dragon scale colours is a really fun combination)

Other cool-sounding ancestry combinations: high elf & white/silver ancestry, for that ethereal immortal feeling (also fun to add stereotypical dragon traits with the white dragons, in that you’re an ethereal immortal who really holds a grudge and does not do ‘forgive and forget’), half-elf & green ancestry, for a strongly outcast, political bent, halfling/gnome & copper ancestry, because if you’re going to go for a tiny trickster you might as well go all out …

Or we have my old favourite, a tortle sorcerer with (somehow) a dragon turtle ancestor, because great-grandpa Uhok never met an older and (significantly) larger lady he didn’t want to pursue, and great-grandma Korthalok was honestly rather flattered. (Yes, I am aware that dragon turtles are not high dragons, but they are intelligent, and they’re probably innately magical/elemental enough to put a bit of magic in the bloodline)

Shadow Magic

The sorcerer’s gothic option! I do love it. Your magic comes from a strange, grim shadow realm, either because you were touched by said realm, or one of your ancestors was an entity from said realm. You get a demonic shadow hound, teleportation from shadow to shadow, and later an actual shadow form. Lots to work with there.

I feel like there’s a lot of Lovecraftian, Dreamlands, William Hope Hodgson sort of feeling here. The dark touch of a strange realm. Emphasis on isolation, desolation, alienation. Loneliness. This is also the subclass where I really, really like a later-life coming into your powers, a traumatic event causing a normal person to suddenly develop horrifying magic.

So. Any of your gothic/cosmic horror backstories. You were kidnapped and subjected to a horrific ritual. You were created in a horrific ritual (hi Warforged!). You suffered a severe, inexplicable illness as a child, and remained pale, half-dead, and possessed of strange powers for the rest of your life (I love the shadow sorcerer quirks list). An insane ancestor entered the Negative Plane and your line was almost annihilated by the resulting Nightwalker, but you somehow survived. Your parent was an extremely powerful magic user studying the Shadowfell, and you only realised much later on in your life that your childhood ‘imaginary friends’ were actually Sorrowsworn (Lost and Lonely?) that haunted your ancestral home and that your parent was somehow keeping from killing you. You tried to steal from a powerful, vindictive wizard, who flung you into the Shadowfell for your temerity, and you don’t fully remember how you survived. You slept in a barrow as a dare when you were younger, and an allip whispered secrets to you that lead you to dream of a dark realm, dreams that seemed to gradually change you as you ‘recovered’ …

This entire subclass is just very much ‘go nuts on the horror tropes and have fun’. I love it dearly.

Aberrant Mind

A new one from Tasha’s, but the other Lovecraftian/horror themed sorcerer subclass now. Which is perfectly fine, because I can always roll with more Lovecraftian horror! If shadow magic was themed strongly towards undead, Aberrant Mind seems strongly themed towards aberrations. Body horror and psychic powers! Boo yeah!

I do like the suggested origins. Particularly the parasitic twin and the imaginary friend ones. I think there’s a lot of fun to be had with those. Aberrant mind does feel more … on the science fiction end of horror, more than the fantasy? There’s a different flavour compared to shadow magic. We’re talking alien abduction and Carrie-esque childhood trauma here. Particularly when you get to the higher level actual physical transformation elements. Bit of Akira in there, bit of Innsmouth. So.

I’m liking characters who are a bit ‘aberrant’ on their own merits, even before their powers kick in as well. The outcasts from the get-go. The albino half-orc abandoned by the tribe as a child and befriended/kept safe by their possibly-imaginary flumph friend. The fallen aasimar whose blessings allowed them to survive where their stillborn twin did not, but who still feels the touch of a ghostly hand in theirs (I’m not sure how well it fully gels, but I feel like an Atropal is a very interesting concept to lay alongside this – stillborn gods and blessed, aberrant champions – celestial guides and the whisperings of parasitic twins … not sure how well it fits, but there’s a lot of crunchy concepts there)

Also, there’s your chance to have some fun with the Underdark races. Duergar, Deep Gnomes and Drow. Or sea races, when we have fun with Aboleths. Or non-sea races who still had a bit of fun with Aboleths, if we want to fully embrace the Innsmouth vibes and have normal land-based elves/humans/halflings who come over all Deep-One in the end. You come from a quaint little village on the coast, where the coming-of-age ceremony involved something of an opening of the mind. Nothing to worry about, everyone does it where you come from. Yes indeed! Heh.

And then, to bring us back to the less-horrifying end of sorcerers, and to revisit my childhood in a big way, we have:

Wild Magic

Schmendrick the Magician! Sorry, I grew up on The Last Unicorn, you’ll have to forgive me this. (Is Schmendrick actually part of the inspiration here, I’m wondering?)

But honestly, wild magic really lends itself to down-on-their-luck characters, running ahead of their own chaos, or striving to learn to control their powers. Or, on the flipside, incredibly laissez-faire types who decided to just roll with and eventually enjoy or perpetuate a little chaos. So. Tricksters, shysters and earnest young things trying to do their best.

So. You could do a straight Schmendrick. A down-on-their-luck kid who really, really wants to be a real wizard, a great magician, but their magic just will not cooperate. It has a mind of its own, and their struggle is learning to either minimise or lean into the chaos and power of it. (I like a background as a tailor/seamstress for this, partly because of animated Schmendrick’s memorable patchwork robes, but also as a little practical detail in that, if you can’t trust your magical mending not to do a ‘Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ on it every damn time, you probably would learn to darn your socks the old fashioned way)

For a variation, you could do a bit of a snake-oil salesperson sort of deal. A down-on-their-luck sorcerer turned shyster/criminal to make ends meet. Wild magic works very well as a sort of bloodline curse, bad luck and chaos following a family. A woman of the Witchbottle clan pissed off an archfey way back when, and so every girl born to the line since has struggled with wild magic. So the clan tends to move around a lot, both individually and as a whole, and individual members of it tend to work around their inevitable getting run out of town for magical mishaps in their own ways. The clan has a lot of travelling entertainers, salespeople, criminals, etc, and tend to be very loyal to each other, even if they don’t see each other all that often (concentrations of wild magic in a single area tend to be bad for said area, so family gatherings are discouraged near civilisation).

And then there are your straight trickster characters. Ones with a more philosophical approach to chaos, a belief that you should be able to deal with the unexpected, and that maybe other people should be helped along in experiencing and dealing with it too. I like bards for tricksters, but wild magic sorcerers work very well too. Heh.

I know Wild Magic might not be the most functional of the subclasses, but it’s got a direct line to my childhood, and I feel like it’s still a really fun idea.

In summary? I like the squishy spindly magic people. They’re fun.

[sifeng]

Love and Redemption: Some Thoughts and a Comparison with Ashes of Love

So, I’ve been watching Love and Redemption (琉璃) and while there are some visible faults, I also quite like some plot points and characters. So here are some of my thoughts and also, if your an Ashes of Love fan I totally recommend you check this drama out! The themes are similar, the character setups are similar, the worlds are similar too. 

I’ve just finished the 35th episode, and I’ve gotten to a point where a flower creature of sorts has been forced to become Ling Long 2.0. I actually really like this idea because it shows that a lot of people become evil because of the people they are around, not because they are naturally evil, their personality is naturally cruel or anything else of the sort. Ling Long grew up around “orthodox” people that, while also imperfect, weren’t sadistic like Wu Tong. Because of that she became a person that liked to fight for peace and removal of evil from the world. However, when her exact same personality was placed in a different atmosphere without previous memories she became just as sadistic and cruel as the people around her. I think that actually fits super well with the overall theme of this drama, which is that good and bad aren’t black and white. Even a person who is “good” in the subjective sense of that term can just as easily be “evil” if placed in a different growth environment. Honestly I find it so interesting that Ling Long went from A Zhu to A Zi (Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils reference) in like one episode. 

A Comparison

When I first started liking cdramas, one of my first favorites was Ashes of Love (香蜜沉沉烬如霜), but I actually like this drama more. First of all, I think the pacing is better. The beginning of AoL was a little draggy now that I think about it, and Jin Mi only began to really show her feelings for Xu Feng around episode 30 (and it wasn’t even Jin Mi liking Xu Feng it was Saintess liking the King). In comparison, in Love and Redemption, we see from the very start that Xuanji likes Sifeng in a different manner then she likes, for example, Minyan, thus not only making it easier to ship them, but also being able to get to the tragic elements of the story faster. The CGI in Love and Redemption is simply amazing, beats 99% of cdramas honestly. I wish the cinematography was a little better because with this level of CGI, it truly deserves better camerawork. 

Also, I dislike when people call Xuanji stupid, because while in the beginning she is a little dumb, she really isn’t as bad as some other characters out there. She’s like what 20? And she’s never left home or her training place in her life. Why would anyone expect her not to make trouble? Or get in trouble? That’s like teaching how to memorize all the math formulas in the world, but not teaching you how to use them and then blaming you for not being able to apply them. I haven’t gotten to the really tragic part where Xuanji and Sifeng get separated, but so far I like her more than Jin Mi honestly. Xuanji might not be the smartest person, but I love how trustworthy she is of her friends and how high she holds her friendships. Unlike so many of the adults in this series, she actually uses logic to try to understand problems not just problematic and contradictory pieces evidence. Like when Minyan is accused of being betraying their sect, she doesn’t just go “oh there’s ‘evidence’? Then he must be guilty”, she actually thinks about his character and personality and how illogical it would be if he actually betrayed them. 

I also like Sifeng more than Xu Feng. When he was being accused of being a demon, he managed to bring up inarguable pieces of evidence that clearly proved he was not a demon, or at least not a problematic one instead of just going like “you should believe me because I’m so great!” (not that Xu Feng did that, but he did use ethos instead of logos, though, both apparently don’t work if you’re a male lead in a tragic xianxia). The tragedy of his character is done so well honestly. He died for Xuanji in 9 lifetimes. NINE. Please give him a happy ending. (Okay but I really dislike his second hairstyle with the two strings of hair hanging out and also Teng She’s hairstyle. Why can’t they just tuck that piece of hair in? It makes me feel so annoyed for some reason.)

No one likes Hao Chen, and I’m glad. He hates people manipulating Xuanji, but he manipulates her all the time. I do agree that if Xuanji is happy without her six senses, she shouldn’t be forced to search for them, but she isn’t happy and she wants to search for them. So why should anyone who actually likes her try to prevent that? But I actually think his character is written relatively well. As the ruler (or second in command?) of the heavenly realm, he has to put matters in front of romance, though that doesn’t mean he has to manipulate her. I understand why he does what he does and I don’t think his character is as illogical as Wu Tong, but yeah, I definitely don’t agree with what he does. In comparison, Run Yu is truly quite likable. He does try to keep Jin Mi to himself instead of letting her be happy, but overall his story is written really well and evokes our sympathy.

Oh and when it comes to friendships I also prefer the ones in Love and Redemption. First of all, it’s not just Xuanji and Sifeng who are cute together, I like that Sifeng is friends with Ling Long and Minyan as well, and they also become friends with Yanran (or Xiao Yinhua) and Ruoyu as well (though they could’ve avoided some tragedy if they hadn’t befriended him). I don’t know why, but I’m really excited to see what tragedy our OTP goes through later on, because I’ve seen the gifsets on Tumblr and boy am I excited for some tragedy!

But one thing that is better about AoL is definitely the acting. I think Cheng Yi and Yuan Bingyan did pretty good here, especially Cheng Yi, but Yang Zi, Deng Lun and Luo Yunxi (especially Yang Zi and Luo Yunxi) are more experienced and thus obviously better, especially when it comes to really emotional scenes. 

FInal Thoughts

One problem I have with Love and Redemption, at least so far, is that the evil demons have no motivations to be as evil as they are. I’m pretty sure I’ll get a reason, but so far I have to say that they aren’t really well done characters in that sense. Especially Wu Tong. Like this guy has no backstory whatsoever, but is extremely cruel and sadistic from the first second we meet him. Maybe he’s like really just insane or something, but his whole “sympathy story” for why he joined the demons makes zero sense. He wanted to murder someone because him cheating gets revealed and then gets mad that the father of the person he tried to kill wants to get revenge. His story also contains two (as of so far) unexplained plot holes: 1. why every single sect decided to chase after him and 2. why he managed to escape death despite a bunch of skilled martial artists running after him for like a really long time. 

Lastly, I like the fact that the orthodox people aren’t exactly “evil” but their goodness is what makes them annoying. They don’t mean harm when they tried to test if Sifeng was a demon or if Minyan is a betrayer, they truly are thinking for the overall good, but their constant paranoia and need to do “what is right” and not “what makes sense” is truly what makes them unbearable. They sometimes throw away all logic for love, or sacrifice their own daughter in order to “do what’s right” instead of actually thinking of a method to not only save the daughter and keep the world at peace. It’s because of their goodness that they are able to be manipulated into idiocracy by Li Ze Palace. 

Oh and one last thought. I don’t know if it’s on purpose, but the lack of people in the heavenly realm is really interesting. Like, maybe the producers didn’t have enough money, or shots of the heavenly realm with more than like ten people (not in war) don’t exist in the book either, but it creates the image that the realm is super empty. The human realm, despite all its faults and cruelties, feels so much more alive and full of life in comparison to the boring and cold looking heavenly realm. 

[slashnatic]

SOULMATE [Vincent Sinclair]

okay i have a few things to say about this. one: i’m mad because i’m typing this for like the 100th time because i can’t handle tumblr. i’m a dumbass. two: i’m not american and therefore don’t know too much about the american school system. three: i don’t know much about foster care either (it’s only briefly mentioned but still). now the story itself is kinda cliché and i’m sorry for the unoriginality. basically the story is a soulmate!au (everytime you pass your soulmate a line appears on your wrist, the lines only disappear once you’ve “connected” with your soulmate) and the reader and vincent are highschool students. i believe this is obvious in the story, but as i said i’m a dumbass and i don’t want to confuse y’all so yeah. anyways, that being said i hope this is not too bad :) enjoy

You took a deep breath before you entered the room. Normally you weren‘t bothered by your art classes, you actually liked them, but school was school and you‘d rather be at home than be here. On top of that you were insanely tired today, you hadn‘t slept all night. It wasn‘t such a rare occasion that you didn‘t sleep but the reason that you were up all night was something that you were thinking about more and more as of lately. Soulmates. A wonderful thing. You had never actually questioned the concept of soulmates, you hadn’t cared too much about it either, but recently the thought of your soulmate plagued you more and more. You just couldn‘t find them. Normally that wouldn‘t be too much of a problem, you were 17 years old, a senior in highschool. You were young, your life had yet to start. Who on earth found their soulmate at such a young age? Well, most people didn‘t, for sure. But you were different. You didn‘t know anymore when it had started, one or two years ago, you didn‘t remember exactly. But ever since then, just before midnight, almost everyday, a little mark appeared on your wrist. Back then you didn‘t care too much but now you started to worry. You were close to graduating highschool. You‘d move away soon, you had applied for college and had been accepted. But that also meant you‘d move away, which had become a problem after you first started questioning your soulmate a couple of months ago. Last summer break there had barely appeared a single mark, but once school had started again, so did the regular appearing of the little fine lines. Your soulmate was another student from your highschool. The realization kept you up many nights and the more you thought about it the more problems you discovered. It could be anyone out of a little less than a thousand students. (You were pretty sure it wasn‘t a teacher.) You didn‘t actually talk much to any of those students. No one you had talked to had that much marks on their wrist, at least you hadn‘t noticed anyone who did. Worst of all, you didn‘t actually like anyone you had talked to. Sure, there were a couple of kids who seemed to be alright, but no more than that. Nevertheless you didn‘t want to possibly spend the rest of your days alone, so you panicked a little more with everyday closer to your high school diploma. And with that thought in mind you entered the class room.

You huffed quietly when the teacher announced that you may now decide who you want to team up with for the second last art project of your time as a highschool student. Good. Very good. Absolutely wonderful. Having to work with someone together on an art project was one thing, having to pick the partner yourself another. Everyone had already jumped up, teaming up with their best friend as fast as possbile, while you sat there, lost, letting your eyes wander around the room. Everyone was loudly discussing anything but the art project with their friend, except for Vincent. You didn‘t want to work on this with Vincent. Not because you didn‘t like him or because that would fuck up the project for you, but rather because he was a loner. You liked loners, but kept your distance figuring that they, or at least Vincent, preferred loneliness. Ever since he had transferred to your school he had spent each and every one of the breaks alone. Of course the bullying hadn‘t gone unnoticed by you, but he had never seemed too bothered by it. You stared at the floor as you realized how stupid that was. No one is not bothered by bullying. And Vincent wore a mask everyday, so of course no one would notice if he showed any reaction if it wasn‘t physical. You took another minute to think about that and about the fact that Vincent was actually very talented, before you made your way over to him. You stood at his table for a few seconds then, hoping he‘d react and when he didn‘t you cleared your throat. Only then he looked up and you smiled shyly. “Uh, hi. I thought we could...uh, I thought we could work on this together...if you‘d like to?“ He stared at you blankly and your cheeks slowly started heating up. “I mean, you’re good. Uh, I mean with art...and stuff.“ Wow. That was awkward. You nervously scratched your arm and only stopped when he nodded slowly. This could‘ve been worse.

Three weeks later you walked out of that same classroom, trying to stop yourself from smiling. Since you had approached Vincent you had spent quite some time together and he seemed to be slowly warming up to you. He didn‘t look away anymore when you made eye contact, he gave you at least a nod when he saw you in the school building aside from the breaks you spent together once in a while and today you even joked around a bit! He didn‘t talk much, until today he had barely said a word, but when he talked he was quite sassy! You had to suppress a giggle, thinking about the remarks he had made about this and that. A month ago you wouldn‘t have thought he would be so much fun to be around. You sighed heavily, thinking about that. A month closer to your highschool diploma. A month further from your soulmate. With exiting the school building you shrugged your shoulders. You‘ll probably die alone, but when the time would come you‘d know you at least had a friend back in highschool.

“Look Vinny, it’s soo cute!” You and Vincent had decided to go on a walk, the weather had been too tempting. When you had spotted the animal shelter he couldn’t resist your puppy eyes (pun not intended) and now here you were. Both watching a sleeping puppy. Its fur was white and black and you figured it was a mongrel. And you were absolutely in love with the little furball. He chuckled at your adoration for the pup. His eyes lingered on your frame just a little longer than neccessary. Lately he felt sad or rather melancholy when he was around you. At times he even wished he had never befriended you because soon you’d leave and he no longer would be a part of your life, but therefore more lonely than he had ever been before. You felt his eyes on you and looked up at him to gave him a little smile. Strange. This had happened more and more recently, he’d just look at you. Even stranger was that you catched yourself doing the same and you didn’t know why. It happened in that moment and in many more moments that day.

At the end of the day you were sitting on a little hill, not far away from Vincent’s hometown Ambrose. The foster home he -rather forcibly-lived in was apparently not to far away from the small town. Now you enjoyed the soft breeze of spring air and the golden light of the sun, which would soon be setting. The two of you hadn‘t talked about it, but you knew you were trying to make some more good memories before you left for college. You lost yourself in a train of thoughts when suddenly the image of the two you kissing popped up in your head. What the hell? You looked awkwardly at the ground, ripping a bit of grass out of it, trying to distract yourself with something. It didn‘t work. Now the thought was there and it wouldn‘t leave. You took a deep breath before you spoke up. “Have you ever had a girlfriend, Vince?“ He looked at you surprised, before shaking his head, eyes fixated on the floor, now finding the grass very interesting too. “Were you ever in love?“ Your eyes were glued to him, waiting for a reaction. You knew him well enough to interpret any little gesture at least fairly correct. But there wasn‘t much of a reaction, he was thinking, debating how to answer until he decided on a simple shrug. You chuckled. “So...you haven‘t found your soulmate then?“ He brushed his hand through his hair before shaking his head again. You heard him mumble a quiet ‘unfortunately‘, muffled by his mask, as he looked down again. “Me neither.“ Now was the perfect moment to finally talk about what had been on your mind for so long, to finally get rid of that burden you carried with you for months, years even. Who else would you tell about your worries? “I...I have the marks you know? A lot of them. I see my soulmate almost everyday, but I still haven’t found them. I‘m...I‘m scared.“ When you looked up from the green surrounding you your eyes met his immediately. He was staring at you intensely, in a way you couldn‘t read. “Is this supposed to be a staring contest? Vincent, I-“ He pulled his sweater up and there they were. His marks. They looked just like yours. Of course, everyone had those lines, but he had just as much as you. You reached out for his wrist, caressing the fine imprints. Your breathing was uneven, your heartbeat was fast and your mind was empty. It was as if someone else took control of your body when you pushed his mask up, carelessly letting it fall to the ground, and softly pressed your lips to his. And it was as if someone else took control of his body when he let you. Your thoughts were racing, with his lips on yours and a burning sensation far from pain on your wrist. You parted only when the sensation had stopped, still not understanding what just happened, not knowing how you felt but passively registering that everything was alright now, that everything would be alright from now on. You shot a quick look at your wrist, the lines now gone. A smile formed on your lips as the realization set in. And then he leaned his forehead against yours, with his eyes closed.

You sat there for hours and only left when the sun had long disappeared and the moon and stars were your only light besides each other. Yes, everything was alright now. Everything would be alright from now on.

[mobagehelllocal]

“do you even lift bro?” extra notes i - iii:

I finally finished rereading all my “do you even lift bro?” stories! Man, I feel like I wrote them ages ago. As I mentioned before, I have been going back to do grammatical edits and what not. In the process, I’ve also been noting down my thought process for writing these pieces, and little easter eggs I put in for fun~ This extra notes will contain my thoughts from versions i to iii! 

*please do not read if you haven’t read “do you even lift bro?” ver i - iii. 

The title came to me immediately upon reading the request hahah. originally, it was meant to just be fluffy and cute... but I think it’s actually pretty funny. To me, at least hahah. 

Divus’s was the one exception, but i’ll get into that later.

The reader personality was based on one of my ocs. She was also the oc in my special Malleus x OC story, “bright eyes.”

I went with her because she was an OC, who, in my opinion, is the epitome of a optimistic fangirl lmao. If you’ve read “bright eyes” then I think you’d understand what I mean hahahah. 

For ver i--I think I definitely wrote Riddle’s first. followed by Leona, Azul, Malleus, Kalim, Vil then Idia. 

One of my best friends is a super huge Riddle stan (if you’re reading this, hi sis!) so I wrote his story primarily with her energy in mind. In short, she would most definitely bench press Riddle. 

Her energy + the base reader personality makes Riddle’s story one of the most fun actually. His reader is probably the most mischievous ones--which I thought balanced out well with Riddle’s actual personality. 

Leona’s story is heavily influenced by pride dynamics. It’s common knowledge that it’s the female lions who hunt hence why in Afterglow Savanna--the women are stronger. Leona is royalty, so I assumed that from a young age he’d be told to wed a strong woman. 

I also need to note that Leona is described as respecting women. here’s the thing, I’m pretty sure it’s specifically women from Afterglow Savanna because they could bench press him. That’s not to say he doesn’t respect all women--he probably just puts women from Afterglow Savanna on a different standard because of his experience with them. Either way, you surprised him greatly, and assume that Leona will not be able to look you in the eye for awhile.

Azul’s story specifically takes place after Jamil SR Lab Coat episodes and Azul’s R PE Uniform episodes. I found their relationship funny, and thought it would be fun to continue off from there. 

Most of Azul’s stories come from me just wanting to fluster the hell out of Azul... that being said, I did delve a bit into the magic of TWST for this one. I remember it was Crowley (was it in the prologue?) who noted that magic is dependent also on how much someone believed in their ability to do something. This is why Azul falls down haha, his will faltered and he stopped believing. 

Jamil doesn’t get a break at all, doesn’t he? The reader and Jamil actually vibe really well because they both understood enough about Kalim to know what he was doing.

I think I remember being pretty stuck on which one to do for this. I think it was reading Jamil’s SSR Dorm Uniform story that really made me have an ‘aha’ moment on how to write it--since something like this happens on there. 

Surprisingly for Vil, once I had figured out that I wanted to write him getting mobbed, and being saved by his reader--it flowed out really fast from there. 

For Vil, I always end up bringing up the issue that he’s something like a celebrity and you are one in the million who adore him. I thought that this was just one way to sort of tackle your relationship together. 

I really enjoyed highlighting how you love Vil different from the rest who adore him. The importance of how you see his flaws and still love him--especially because as an influencer Vil has a certain pressure to appear in a certain way. 

Idia’s was the last one I wrote, but I had a lot of fun because I stuffed it full of references. I figured that Idia’s thought process would be more of him thinking life as a game, that’s why he uses terms like support level often in my writing. 

On that note, I know ‘Gao-Gao Dragon-kun’ is a reference to Tamagotchi, but I decided to just merge up Tamagotchi and Pokemon in this case. Hence why ‘Gao-Gao Shield and Sword’ existed lmao. I didn’t put too much effort in that and just switched ‘Shield and Sword’’s order HAHAH. I did consider making it ‘Gao-Gao Gun and Wand’ though. 

‘Water Crest: The Seven Dorms’ is a reference to Fire Emblem: Three Houses. I felt incredibly clever when I came up with that HAHAH. But also, when he references support levels, he’s talking about a gameplay in Fire Emblem. For people who aren’t familiar with this, essentially, FE has a system wherein the more you use two units together the likely their support will rise. The supports go from C-B-A-S, with S as the highest. When Idia says he works hard on S Support, he literally means he went out of his way to spend time with you and befriend you. Isn’t that cute? When he references SS Support, it actually doesn’t exist HAHA, but he didn’t realize there was “another level” sort of thing xD

When I write funny Malleus stories, the other members of Diasomnia are likely to be hiding in the bushes. Most funny stuff probably fly over Malleus’s head so... The other Diasomnia members pop in to react hahaha.

To Malleus, your tendency to treat him as a regular person, and not treating him as a lord--makes him incredibly fond of you. It’s because you treat him as an equal, that makes him treat you as an equal. I also think this was the piece where he started calling you “bright light.” There’s no deeper meaning to it, he really just sees you as a bright light--like a brilliant star. You, literally, light up the world. :,) 

Ver ii order of writing--Ashton, Dire, Divus. I had come up with the premise of Divus first though. 

I think Dire was the hardest one for me, because I kept worrying about things like--’what if he’s not actually like this,’ or ‘what if that isn’t how he would actually act’ etc etc. but I think it turned out pretty alright.

Dire, for all his claims of being a kind person--I think actually is a kind guy. He does have the tendency to be a little manipulative and whatnot... but at the end of the day he does care.

For Divus, I sniffed GBF Belial’s Perfume because I wanted to get inspired (and I sort of headcanon they smelled alike) but it went horny too fast. 

Divus is naturally intrigued with you, and he’s also very aware you’re attracted to him. So it amuses him to fluster you. He’s very aware of how good-looking he is, and he doesn’t mind flirting with people.

How I chose to portray Divus is actually based on how @avionvadion writes Divus in her story “Once Upon A Dream.” please check it out! It’s a super cute fanfic about a girl in Twisted Wonderland~ 

Ashton... I was surprised at how fast I was able to write his piece actually hahha. I went with a no braincell, but cheerful and all-around good guy. 

I don’t think there was a lot of Ashton to really research about, but... I just tried to make him good guy Gaston... for now xD 

Ver iii--it went Floyd, Jamil, Jade, Rook, Lilia, and Epel.

There’s this scene in, I think, the first episode of Avatar: The Legend of Aang where Appa wouldn’t fly. So Sokka just straight up... insulted? Appa? i guess. Then Appa suddenly COULD fly, and Sokka was just straight up amazed and yelling... Yeah that was my primary inspiration for Floyd’s story.

Floyd... Floyd is twins with Jade, let’s not forget that. I’m sure Floyd is actually really intelligent, he just isn’t in the mood to be sometimes. Hence he’s able to really understand something when you say something seriously. I think Floyd would always take you seriously when you say something important. 

For Jade’s story, my inspiration was the story of my dad tripping. It was only witnessed by him and mom. My mom talked about how terrifying it was to watch a six foot tall man fall down. My dad just found it funny. Hence, I thought, Jade should trip. 

Other than that, the general idea I wanted was that it’s our time to pamper Jade. He’s one of the two characters who I know would love to pamper his reader. So this was his lover’s chance to pamper him. Also, he’s also one of two characters who would have an idea about your insane strength.

Jamil, much like Jade, is the type of guy who pampers the people he loves. He doesn’t take to being pampered too well. He’s not used to it. 

Jamil also appreciates getting his hard work recognized, so I’m sure he has a praise kink hahah. He’s also easily embarrassed. I think Jamil needs someone who acknowledges all of his hard work, who also accepts his mistakes. 

Epel was the last one to write, and actually a genuine struggle for me. I always... end up writing something in relation to his struggles with his face and femininity. Epel is someone who wants to be seen as a real man, so I worried about what he’d think of a reader who had the strength he wanted. 

I figured if it was anyone else, it might inspire jealousy in Epel--but because it was his lover, he was able to push aside his negative feelings and look at the bright side. You’re truly his ideal, and he wants to learn how to be strong from you.

Rook was another tough one. There did exist a version where you surprise him... but the more I thought about it, the more I found it impossible for Rook to not know or not have an idea. He’s the other character who would have an idea about your strength.

On that note, thinking about a romantic partner for Rook... I thought what was best was someone who wouldn’t find him odd. Who would actually try to learn about him. 

Lilia’s... was also pretty easy given he enjoyed hanging upside down a lot in the main story hahah. Lilia cute, I love him. Also, when will Lilia stop messing with Idia? Probably never tbh. 

I touched upon the topic of mortality and immortality, but because I wanted this to be lighthearted--I chose not to pursue it. It would drag the mood down, but honestly--it’s something we can’t ignore and is very integral in relationships with Lilia or Malleus.

[i-just-love-spop]

Of babysitting and (potential) kitchen fires [Chapter two]

Chapter one

Summary: Bow is a great dad and also extremely tired, Catra is officially never getting used to teleporting (and in massive denial about why the cat connected to her feelings is nesting), and Glimmer and Bow have a lot of cuddling to make up for.

[Shameless post season five Adora and Catra both want kids but haven’t talked about it yet-fic that was supposed to be a one shot but isn’t anymore. Starring: the best friend squad, two Glow/Glimbow children, Melog, cuddling, a bit of angst and, of course, the best friend squad teasing each other.]

Disclaimer: This was originally posted on my Ao3, EleenaDume, which I would love to source, but tumblr is driving me insane and apparently one of the reasons why my posts might not show up in the tags could be external links, so I’m trying it again without the link. If you want to check if I’m really the same person, I’ve added this account to my list of other accounts on my Ao3-profile.

Angie was finally asleep, her tiny head of curly brown hair cuddled against her father‘s chest.

Bow was beyond exhausted, but he was happy.

She looked so cute when she was asleep.

...Admittedly, that wasn’t saying much because she was also very cute when she was awake. But he liked seeing her sleeping so peacefully.

His kids were incredible.

He would have been happy just hugging his wife and daughters until the end of time.

Speaking of his wife, he really, really hoped she would be back soon. She’d already been pretty tired before the meeting, and that had started hours ago.

Neither of them had been sleeping much these past weeks, but even though he did his best helping the Queen of Brightmoon with her royal duties, there were things she had to do that he couldn’t – Bow wasn’t a sorcerer, exactly, and Glimmer loved connecting with the people of her kingdom by teaching them magic –, and others that he could have helped her with, but that she didn’t let him do because she was stubborn.

She drove him insane sometimes... but on the other hand, he loved how determined and strong-willed she was, just as much as he loved how giddy with excitement she still got about the simplest of things, even after all this time.

Glimmer was amazing. Sure, she had her flaws – but really, who didn’t. There was nothing Bow would have changed about the woman he loved, even if he could have. And there was nothing better in the galaxy than for your wife to also be your best friend, Bow was certain of that.

He was still contemplating whether or not he should put Angie into her crib because even though he had just spend over an hour trying to get his daughter to sleep, there was a part of him that longed to keep her in his arms just a little longer...

He almost jumped when the entire remaining best friend squad suddenly popped up on the bed behind him completely out of nowhere.

Most of the time, he was used to it and wasn’t startled anymore – Glimmer had been teleporting everywhere from a very early age on, her randomly popping up out of literally nowhere wasn’t exactly new to him –, but he had been so lost in the moment that they had really, really startled him.

“You know, we could have just walked, Sparkles,” Catra groaned.

She had gotten used to a lot of the weirdness since she’d first befriended them, and even learned to enjoy a lot of the weirdness – Melog was amazing and had helped her heal a lot, and the food here was amazing, and she still didn’t know what the heck the waterfall in the room she shared with Adora was for if it wasn’t for showering, but it looked nice, so she wasn’t complaining – but the teleporting was the one thing she would probably never get used to.

It made her dizzy and kind of sick, and she was always completely disoriented after it, even when she knew where they were going and had been there before.

...alright, maybe Adora hugging her and rubbing her back to make her feel better afterwards did make it somewhat bearable, but that was the only thing she liked about it, and it wasn’t like she needed any excuses to touch her wife these days.

She still leaned into the movement, Adora lovingly drawing circles on her back until her queasiness subsided.

“...sorry, I just couldn’t wait to get to bed. It’s been a really long day, and now I just want to get some sleep.“

Glimmer smiled at her sympathetically, then just collapsed backwards onto the mattress.

“Angie is actually asleep for once, so go ahead and sleep, yeah? I can go get her later tonight if she wakes up. You look exhausted.”

Bow sat down next to his wife, gently running his fingers through her hair, still holding their daughter in this other arm.

Glimmer smiled softly, her eyes already halfway closed, then look his hand in hers, squeezing it lovingly.

“You’re incredible, but you need sleep just as much as I do. Luckily for us, Catradora offered to take care of Angie for tonight, so you can just hand her over, and then we can peacefully cuddle for the next five to seven hours, what do you say?”

Catra and Adora both still blushed furiously whenever someone called them that. Scorpia had used it once after seeing them together several years ago, and somehow it had stuck.

“I told you to stop calling us that,” Catra grumbled, head still cradled into Adora’s neck.

Glimmer just grinned.

“Never happening. You two are basically attached by the hip at this point.”

“I think someone is asking for some more of the PDA that annoys her so much the next time we go on a double date,” Adora said, winking, a smug grin spreading all over her face.

“Oh stars I love you so much.”

Catra kissed her wife lovingly, and this time Adora was neither pulling back nor complaining, so either she had decided that the glitter was worth it or the taste was gone. Not that it mattered. Catra was just happy about getting to kiss her again.

“Are you actually going to babysit or are you just going to stay on our bed making out all night? Because if it’s the latter I’d much prefer it if you could just take this back to your own room,” Glimmer commented, giggling wearily as she snuggled into her blanket.

“Yeah, sorry, you’re right, we- we’ll take her and let you two sleep,”

Adora said, once again speaking way too fast.

She gestured at Catra to take the baby, then picked up the crib.

Her wife was sure normal people didn’t just carry around cribs like that, but the child needed to sleep somewhere and it would definitely not be the pillow nest that Melog had built.

Catra kept on telling herself this was just because they missed having a family and wanted one, but at the same time, she knew that wasn’t it.

Of course Melog wanted to have a family, she knew that much from the talks they’d had with each other over the years... but she also knew that Melog knew it was pretty much impossible they ever would.

Which meant Melog nesting actually mirrored something else. Which definitely, definitely meant Catra had been spending too much time with Arrow.

She banned the thought all the way to the back of her head, still not exactly ready to face what she wanted because of all the potential grave mistakes and the memories that came along with it.

...Bow handing her the baby wasn’t exactly helping her forget, though.

He touched his daughter’s face tenderly one more time.

For now, Angie was doing a surprisingly good job at sleeping through their talking. Maybe Catra and Adora would have an easy night with her.

“You’re going to spend the night in your aunts’ room, alright? Your sister loves them, and I’m sure you’ll love them, too. You three haven’t exactly spent a lot of time alone with them yet, but you seem comfortable enough around them to sleep on their room tonight, alright? Mommy and I love you so much, and we‘ll miss you. I hate letting you out of my eyesight, especially now that you’re still so small, but your aunts are great and I would trust them with my life, so there’s no one else in the entire universe that I’d rather leave you with. And if anything goes wrong, mommy and I will be right here, okay?“ He messed up her curls a little when he stroked her head. “See you in the morning, baby girl.”

Glimmer was full on sobbing, damn it, she was too tired to be crying but Bow being so emotional over their kid made her heart melt into a puddle.

Adora had tears in her eyes as well.

Catra was too mesmerized by her niece snuggling into her chest to care about anything else.

“We’ll take good care of her, don’t worry.”

He nodded.

“I know you will. And... thank you.”

Adora smiled.

“Anytime.”

“I can’t believe Adora just kidnapped our bassinet,” Bow chuckled as the door closed behind their two best friends.

“Really? I absolutely can. I mean, this is Adora we’re talking about,” Glimmer commented, giggling.

The lights were off now, a calming dark surrounding them – not that it ever got entirely dark in here with the curtains not fully closed and the light of the moons and the stars shining through the window.

The stars... the thought never failed to amaze Glimmer. The thought that they were the first people on Etheria to see the stars in a thousand years was just... incredible.

“You... might have a point.”

He laughed as he sat down on the bed beside her, the soft mattress immediately giving in under his weight.

“Feels weird, doesn’t it? It’s only been a few weeks, but sleeping without her in the room already feels... off, somehow. It’s so quiet all of a sudden.”

“Yeah.” He laid down beside her, facing her, and took her hands in his. “I miss her.”

“No kidding. Did you have to make me cry?” She cuddled close to him. “I love you. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too.” He smiled at her. “And now I believe we have a couple of weeks worth of sleep and cuddles to make up for.”

“Yeah. And maybe some... other stuff tomorrow, once I’ve slept properly.”

She gave him a quick kiss and smiled at him, clearly moments away from drifting into sleep.

He smiled.

“We’ll do whatever you want, love,“ he whispered, lovingly stroking her hair. “Now let’s get some sleep.”

“Can I be the little spoon tonight?”

“Of course, my Queen.”

He kissed her forehead and pulled her close as she turned her back to him, gently covering both of them with the soft blanket. Glimmer snuggled against him, her head resting against his neck.

She’d always been the most comfortable when she was close to him, although it had taken a while for her to entirely grasp what it was she was feeling.

And just like that, they fell asleep in each other’s arms, and finally got a decent night of sleep for the first time in weeks.

[hiddendreamer67]

Original Character List

I present to you, something Legendary! 😄 It’s so cute, like, oh my gosh, heh, hi! 

Guess what- I have Original Characters now! I’m listing them here to introduce you guys to the handful that exist already, because later I’m going to reblog a prompt list or two and I’m hoping to write some oneshots/drabbles with them to help my with character, plot, and world development. ☺️ 

Btw this world is totally gonna have gt elements but ironically everyone I’ve created so far is human-sized!  😅 And also I’m putting this list under a cut so that as I add people I can list them here as well. (And disclaimer, this is my initial ideas for these peeps, they still have the potential to evolve and change).

Human Characters

Prince Valentine, I think youngest son? - One of the princes in the TBD main human kingdom. The fae and mortals have been in an everlasting state of unrest and war for a long time now, and Valentine gets the idea to try out diplomacy. He hears of Garth/Cam’s friendship and decides to send them out since clearly they know what they’re doing! (They don’t.) Valentine is very energetic and a bit air-headed, he’s also ignorant in a lot of viewpoints because he was raised to believe fae are wild beasts and wants to control them. Later on he’ll get better and realize “Hey fae are people too...ish.” His family thinks his diplomacy mission is foolish but don’t care because he’s not sticking his own neck out.

Cornelius, prince’s main adviser- This wizard(?) is pretty much the only one in the entire castle who actually believes in this diplomacy mission and also is the only one keeping an eye on Valentine. He basically makes sure Garth and Cam are equipped with enough knowledge to not immediately die and helps filter missions as best he can.

Noemi, witch at the edge of the woods- She lives at a different edge than the Thornton family. I don’t know a lot about her yet except that she’s a mostly self-taught witch with a best fae friend (girlfriend?) named Witch Hazel. 

(I think the Thornton family all live in a house on the edge of town near a forest that was -recently?- inhabited by some of the flower fae)

Perth Thornton, father- Not much developed for him yet.

Marabelle Thornton, mother - Not much developed for her either! But both parents are at least alive.

Quill Thornton, eldest son - Perfect boy, start child, parent’s favorite. Sometimes siblings are jealous of him because of attention but they love him too because this guy is obnoxious in there’s not really a reason to hate him. The strong, brotherly type who volunteers around town to help others and is a good leader but listens more than he speaks. Fae relations unclear, I think flower fae generally like him too but idk how he feels about fae.

Bentley Thornton, second oldest son - He’s a good boy too, wants to be an academic but that’s not really in the family line of work. He’s more concerned w/ logistics than the rest of his family which can turn him into a frustrated/stressed wreck since he’s just trying to keep everything in check and good lord why am I the only rational sibling. Flower fae call him Sparrow because his heart always speeds up like a lil’ bird when they’re around since he’s naturally weary.

Garth Thornton, middle child - He’s the main character human, or he’s intended to be. He’s snarky. Spent a long while as the youngest kid and especially now that there’s a new baby he gets sorta left to his own devices, so naturally he ended up accidentally befriending a fae named Cam in the woods. He’s generally distrustful of fae and can feel like the only normal one who gets thrown or tugged into magical dangerous adventures. Flower fae call him Germ- that’s a fun story. ;) 

Posie Thornton, newborn baby sister -  She’s adorable and a baby. Flower fae call her Bud or Blossom because they love her and want her to be one of them so they basically lowkey made her an honorary flower. 

Fae Characters

So an important note: I haven’t fully developed all of the creatures and beings in this universe (feel free to ask if there’s any certain types or categories afoot & where they’d fall), but basically one category is the fae, who basically encompass all natural spirits and come in a variety of physical forms & sizes. There’s a lot of lore w/ fae in play but a big one is Names have power so you gotta use some sort of nickname.

The Winter Vale, King of Winter- Vale is a very powerful fae, controlling all of the winter court. He’s cold-hearted and a real awful dude. He has a few children he repeatedly neglects (@Thistle) and is known for stealing away flower fae to be his stolen brides and bring a spot of color to his chilly domain until inevitably they fade or he gets bored or they run away. Oof. 

Gaia, Queen of Spring- This is the mother of all flower fae; basically, Gaia slept around with pretty much every male fae and that’s why there are a million daughters. She did this because normally Spring can be weaker than Winter, but in large numbers she grew in power and children are more affiliated with whatever parent has more royal blood (so even if she weds a winter, the child will fall in the Spring Court). 

Flower Fae- lil’ bit o’ lore

The flower fae are a sub-branch of Fae; flower fae are all sisters, and they each call each other by a given flower name. They’re basically a lil’ cult of children; by nature, flower fae are curious and giggly and love to play games. Also flower fae are independent beings in that they can have their own outlooks on thing like, say, their opinion on mortals, but inherently they all share this sort of sisterly bond and are inclined to view other sisters fondly. (That comes into play especially w/ sisters spread across the globe, which should not be a thing b/c they thrive on togetherness but yeah some flower fae are kinda everywhere now? Also they aren’t immortal as in they’ve existed forever, they are born from a garden thing and they do have an age order and idk how many are in existence currently but they’re only limited in number by the amount of flower names I can discover. No way in hell have I characterized them all yet.)

Camellia (Cam), flower fae- This is my main girl, she’s the one who somehow manages to befriend Garth and sneak her way into his stony heart. Cam is the youngest of the flower fae when we meet her. She grows attached to Garth and basically becomes an overexcited puppy going on adventures. She’s occasionally viewed as a lil’ sister until she pulls some powerful magic out and everyone’s like “oh yeah nvm she can hold her own”. She’s easily distracted especially when it comes to being serious or mortal affairs. Also she’s got some natural weaknesses like cold and iron are not good for her so she turns a jittery mess in cities and a sleepy mess in the snow.

Uva Ursi, flower fae- She’s a lot more bristly than flower fae are typically known for (at least from Garth’s perspective), but she means well. Was separated from several of her sisters a long time ago but adapted well to the cold. Has a little bit of control over winter elements, due to her relations with The Winter Vale. She was his bride to replace Nightshade and certainly has a complicated past and somehow ended up in the desert for a bit.

Nightshade, flower fae- A previous flower fae gone rogue/evil, basically she was a bride to Vale and managed to escape but went insane. She’s now an assassin and I don’t know all the details but is very encouraging of getting flower fae to join her... cause? Basically it’s a rebel flower fae group who just want to mess life up for others and get vengeance.

Baby’s Breath, flower fae- The true infant of the sisterhood; she’s born after Camellia and is the epitome of ‘baby’. 

Thistle, flower fae- Daughter of Vale and Gaia (King of Winter and Queen of Spring). She is the only flower fae who actually falls into the Winter Court, and as such is accepted by neither. Has SEVERE daddy issues because her father will never accept or love her. But, on a more surface level note, she’s a mischievous little sprite who’s very sarcastic and snarky.

Rose, flower fae- She is the. First. Flower fae, and will never let you forget it. There is a whole clan of ‘roses’ (Primrose, Petite rose, Tea rose, etc.) but Rose is THE Rose. She’s very vain, and thinks she’s mom’s favorite; that might actually be true. Rose does love her sisters but she is not nearly as devoted to them all as is typical of flower fae.

Lily, flower fae- She’s another original flower fae who has a clan of her own  (Tiger Lily, Calla Lily, etc.) but is not nearly as iconic as Rose. She does tend to be a good motherly figure for the flower fae still in the home garden, especially since Gaia is not an attentive mother. At the very least she’s a responsible older sister.

Witch Hazel, flower fae- Hazel found the human witch Noemi and pretty much instantly fell in love (romantically or platonically tbd), so much so that she decided to leave the flower fae sisterhood behind to stay permanently with Noemi and only occasionally comes back to visit. She’s very sweet and a bit uneducated but still wants to do whatever she can to help her witch succeed.

Azalea, flower fae- Way down the road, this is Bentley’s fae girlfriend! In the meantime though, she’s an older sister of Cam’s who’s a bit of a brash, sassy personality but she means well. Is actually a bit nervous about the idea of Cam going into the world of mortals.

...I think that’s everything? Kinda info dumped there, I hope this was at least interesting for some of you. Thank you for reading this list! Feel free to send me any questions you have or let me know if something was unclear!

[crossdressingdeath]

Omg Please talk shit about Jc, please please please?

I am so glad you asked.

(Under a cut because a) long and b) hiding character hate behind a cut is just good manners.)

Let’s start with the easy bit, shall we? So many people insist that JC didn’t really want WWX dead. “He missed him!” they say. “He felt horrible about him dying!” they insist. This is... so easy to call bullshit on that I’m genuinely surprised it’s such a popular position. It only takes one sentence: He tried to kill WWX the second he realized he was back. Or, here’s another one: He spent the time WWX was dead torturing people to death in case they turned out to be WWX. Now, I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like grief to me.

If you want more proof that he actually did want WWX dead, let’s go back a bit. First siege of the Burial Mounds. Which JC led. There is a reason the cultivation world firmly believes that JC was the one who killed WWX in the end. Yeah, a lot of the fanbase seems to forget that the first thing JC did after their sister sacrificed herself to save WWX’s life was lead a massive force to kill him. And arranging a force of all four major sects after the slaughter that was the pledge conference couldn’t be done instantly; it’s not like JC stabbed WWX in a moment of uncontrollable grief and fury at his sister’s death. No, he readied a force large enough to defeat WWX’s undead army, led them up to the Burial Mounds, and slaughtered all the innocent people living there. (For fans of just The Untamed reading this, that’s novel canon. Obviously in The Untamed things play out differently, but I’m talking strictly novel here. Untamed JC has his own problems but at least he didn’t raise an army against the brother their sister just died to protect, and yes, that’s the nicest thing I have to say about him.)

I’ve talked about my thoughts on the big ‘Twin Prides of Yunmeng’ promise, so I won’t rehash that here. But it does bring to mind another major issue I have with JC: he is so insanely self-centred throughout the entire story. He never even for a moment considers that he actually is better off than WWX. He fixates on JFM preferring WWX, and never realizes that JFM’s protection only extends so far; WWX still spends most of his life on the wrong end of Zidian, listening to YZY insult both him and his parents while JFM at most offers a single rebuke. Both YZY and JC blame him for every little thing that goes wrong, from simple childhood mischief to JFM ignoring JC to YZY and JFM’s failing marriage. After WWX’s parents died he spent his life either on the streets or as the Jiang family’s pet scapegoat. And yet JC acts like WWX was doted on by everyone and never suffered a single hardship in his life. Like JC, the sect heir, was the one who really suffered. Please note: JC was also abused, and he has a right to be angry about it. I take no issue with that. What I take issue with is his apparent inability to extend a single shred of compassion to the person he claimed to love like a brother. He really does remind me of XY; insisting that no amount of suffering on WWX’s part is enough to equal his own pain because WWX’s suffering is only his, while JC’s suffering hurt JC, so was infinitely worse than anything WWX could ever go through. Obvious example: He complains about having felt bad to the guy who was dead for over a decade.

And JC did take part in abusing WWX. I don’t know how much he meant it and how much was his mother’s influence and/or the aforementioned inability to show compassion, but he also blames WWX for everything that goes wrong. He sulks and complains when anyone shows WWX favour over him, even if that favour is earned. See: he freaks out when anyone mentions the list of young masters because WWX scored above him. He refuses to acknowledge that it’s his own failures that lead to WWX being favoured more often than not. As an example, WWX has more friends because JC is cruel. He lashes out at everyone who tries to befriend him, and then acts like it’s all their fault when they decide he’s not worth the effort. We only see him having friendly interactions with anyone when WWX is present; when WWX isn’t there to smooth things over and act as JC’s target of choice, his interactions with people tend to be coldly civil at best. It’s one of the reasons I have yet to find a single ship for JC that I actually like; either one or both of the parties involved is always OOC because literally no one outside of WWX and JYL and sometimes JL shows any indication of doing more than tolerating JC. No one likes him! He’s cold to the people he doesn’t actively attack (verbally or physically)! He is by all evidence a truly horrible person to spend any length of time with!

Speaking of evidence of him being horrible: he can’t even do his fucking job properly. His own people would rather suffer than go to him to deal with any supernatural problems! This is canon! They will not go to Lotus Pier to request the aid of the sect in charge of protecting them because JC has been caught torturing people! I am not exaggerating here. That is in the text. Here, I’ll even quote it:

“On top of that, Lotus Pier is truly a scary place. How would anyone dare go there again?” 

(...)

“I haven’t been there myself, but I know someone who went because his house was being badly haunted. But it was all bad luck. That Sect Leader Jiang was cracking a glowing whip right on the training field. The victim’s flesh and blood flew as high as his screams! A servant secretly informed him that the sect leader caught the wrong person again, that he hadn’t been in a great mood, and that he definitely shouldn’t be irritated in any way. He was so scared that he dropped off the gifts he brought and fled at once. He never dared visit again.”

- MDZS chapter 92: Longing (Part 3), ExR translation

(A side note: I occasionally see people insisting that JC wasn’t actually torturing demonic cultivators. Here, have proof that those people are wrong. Additional side note: if this is ‘not in a great mood’ I’d hate to see what actual anger looks like.)

And poor JL! Baby boy deserved better than an uncle who verbally lashes out at him at every possible opportunity and refuses to acknowledge that he’s a fucking child. I’ve talked about my thoughts on that before too, and I’ll happily do it again, but... not tonight. It’s late, and I need to wrap this up. Someone remind me later if you want my thoughts on that particular clusterfuck.

So yeah, he’s an asshole who spent 13/16 years torturing people instead of doing his job. We have no evidence that he’s done any good as sect leader without JYL and WWX there to keep him from doing shit like what he’s apparently gotten up to while they’ve been dead. We have no evidence that any living character other than WWX and JL has any positive feelings towards him that aren’t directly tied to WWX (note that NHS, the only character unrelated to him who has any friendly social interactions with him, doesn’t mention him in an informal capacity once in the present day arc). We do have evidence that he ignores everyone else’s suffering in favour of fixating on his own and spent the entire period WWX was dead trying to ensure he remained that way at the expense of his sect. Not exactly the actions of some absolute sweetheart or... whatever the fuck the fanbase seems to always be insisting he is.

I could keep going. I will if I’m asked. But for now it’s a quarter past midnight and I am all ranted out.

[dlwritings]

Would Never Be | Tom Holland

masterlist found here

pairing - Tom x reader | Shawn Mendes x reader word count - 3,608 warnings - A/N - for the anon who requested!

summary - You and Tom had been best friends for your entire lives. When you met Shawn Mendes, you were determined to leave your feelings for Tom behind. Unfortunately, the heart wants what it wants.

You were a sucker for friends to lovers stories.

Your top three favorite movies? When Harry Met Sally, What If, and Love, Rosie. All three stories had the same basic plot: can guys and girls be “just friends,” or will someone always catch feelings?

For a long time, you believed the former. Over the years, you had had plenty of guy friends. No one ever caught feelings in those relationships. From your childhood days, there was Adam, Nathan, Trent, and Simon. Those friendships formed due to your parents all being friends, so it was more out of obligation. Any feelings? Nope. From secondary school, there was Damien. You went to Damien about almost everything: actual crushes, family drama, college rejection (and acceptance) letters, and anything else you needed a friend for. Did you fall for him? He for you? Of course not.

Then, one day, it felt like everything changed. You had been friends with Tom for your whole life. Tom was incomparable to any other guy friend you had. You were next door neighbors and had met one lovely summer day while you were both playing outside. You were riding your bike down the street when all of a sudden he zoomed past you on his own. You lost your balance and fell over. You were six, so the little tumble made you burst into tears. Immediately, Tom turned around and came back to you. “I’m so sorry,” he said, getting off his bike and letting it fall onto the grass beside the sidewalk. “I didn’t think I was close to you. I’m so so sorry.”

You sniffed. “It’s okay.”

“Are you bleeding?” he asked. You shook your head no and looked up at Tom. He gave you a nervous smile and stood up, then stuck out his hand to pull you up. “We have ice lollies at my house,” he said. “Do you want to come inside?” You smiled eagerly and nodded, your fall immediately becoming a distant memory.

“I’ll go tell my mom!”

You buzzed home on your bike, shouted to your mom where you were going, and were back outside and over to Tom in mere minutes.

The rest, as they say, was history.

Somewhere along the line, you fell for him. And it was more than just a silly fall off your bike. These were feelings knocking you on your ass.

Everything with Tom was so platonic. It wasn’t the kind of platonic you read about in the stories where it was clear to everyone except the two of you that feelings were involved from both parties. It was like Tom was holding a neon sign that flashed “I friendzoned her” every time you were together. And it was fine. Really. It was. You loved Tom however you got to have him.

This didn’t mean things weren’t hard from time to time.

Like, there was the school disco when you were in your final year of school. The two of you were supposed to go together. You always agreed you’d go together if you were both single. The time came, and neither of you were in relationships, but Tom had a crush on the school’s most popular girl, Lacey. You knew he wanted to go with her. You saw the way he looked at her. It was the same way you looked at him when he wasn’t watching.

You all but forced him to go with her, convincing him you were okay with going stag. His face lit up, and he thanked you a million times over. You selfishly wished his face could’ve lit up like that at the idea of going with you.

Or there was the time your date ended up being a total creep and left your house in a fit of rage when you wouldn’t sleep with him. You called Tom, but he didn’t answer. You called again, and got nothing again. You decided to call his home phone and see if he’d pick that up. Instead, it was Harry who answered. “Is Tom there?” you asked him, hoping your voice didn’t sound as shaky as it felt.

“Sort of?” Harry said. The words came out as a question. “Like, he’s here, but he’s super unavailable.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning he’s in the middle of fucking Lacey.”

You hung up the phone and burst into tears.

He’s not mine. He’s not mine. He’s not mine.

You forgot that some friends didn’t get to the lovers part, no matter how much one party wants it.

So, you forced yourself to move on. You dated around in school, still maintaining a close friendship with Tom. You went to BRIT school with him and ended up with a fairly successful movie career of your own. Despite rumors spreading constantly that the two of you were romantically involved, you never were. You were just best friends. Plain and simple. As the years went on, that fact started to sting a lot less. It was more like a dull buzz in the back of your head.

You met Shawn Mendes at the MTV Movie and TV awards in 2018. You liked his music and thought he was super cute. Not to mention, he seemed like one of the few celebrities your age who hadn’t let the fame go to his head. You always wanted to befriend him, talk to him, or even DM him on social media, but you always wimped out. It was he who approached you at the award show. You were on the red carpet, posing for a picture, when he suddenly walked up to you. “Hey,” he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just wanted to say I’m a huge fan of your movies.” You smiled at him. “Oh, uh, I’m Shawn by the way.”

You laughed, “Yeah, I know. I love your music. Your last album was insane. Queen is like, my favorite song.” Now it was Shawn’s turn to smile.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Shawn, (Y/N), over here!” one of the photographers suddenly shouted. Shawn looked at you as if asking if you wanted your picture taken with him. You smiled and gave him a short nod, so he put his arm around your waist and turned to the cameras.

What you didn’t notice was Tom standing at the other end of the carpet, staring at you with a look you were very familiar with.

You weren’t seated anywhere near Shawn during the award show, but he somehow found you as soon as it ended. You heard him call your name as you were headed to the car that was ready to pick you up. You turned to find him jogging over to you. You couldn’t help but smile as he ran his fingers through his hair, finally slowing to a stop in front of you. “Where’re you headed?” he asked.

“I was just going to go back to my hotel,” you told him, biting your lip softly. “Unless you had a proposition for me.”

“Yeah, actually,” he said. “Do you want to maybe go grab some drinks?” Immediately, you nodded.

“That sounds great,” you said. “Let’s-”

“Hey, (Y/N)!”

You turned when you heard Tom call you. Truthfully, you sort of forgot he was at the show. “What’s up?” you asked him. He looked from you to Shawn and back again.

“N-Nothing,” he stuttered. “I, uh, I kind of thought you and me would-”

“I’m going out with Shawn,” you said before he could finish the sentence. The last thing you wanted was for Shawn to think you had prior plans with Tom, which you really didn’t. “I’ll catch you later, okay?”

“Yeah,” he said with a nod. “Okay. Yeah.” You and Shawn both waved goodbye to Tom, got in your car, and headed off to the nearest bar.

After that day, things weren’t the same between you and Tom.

He was still your best friend, but you had a new man in your life. Shawn became first priority. The two of you made a perfect couple. The media loved you, and, for the most part, your respective fan bases were ecstatic that you were together. The only exception were the few fans who were furious you were not with Tom. It didn’t bother you or Shawn. He had once gone through a similar thing with people shipping him and Camila Cabello, so he was no stranger to opinionated fans.

It was around that time that things with Tom started to get weird.

Tom started to feel you slipping away from him. It was also around that time that he started to realize he was absolutely, madly, and irrevocably in love with you.

He grew angry any time he saw a paparazzi report on you and Shawn out on a date or a picture one of you had posted of or with the other. He never wanted to go out with Harrison anymore, and he found himself ignoring most of your phone calls. It hurt too much to talk to you knowing you could never be his.

“You’ve gotta get over this,” Harrison said to Tom one day.

“You’ve gotta leave me alone,” Tom retorted.

“I’m serious!” Harrison almost laughed. “You’ve been in love with this girl for -What?- 17 years?”

“Give or take,” Tom mumbled.

“Then fucking do something!” Harrison said.

“She’s with Shawn,” Tom said. “You know that. Plus, Shawn’s perfect for her. He’s, like, over six feet tall, and he’s got those fucking muscles, and he did that Calvin ad that she talks about all the time, and he’s a musician, and he’s actually a good person. I can’t compete with any of that.”

“Maybe, but you know what else I know?” Harrison said. Tom just raised an eyebrow. “She has never once looked at Shawn the same way she’s been looking at you since we were kids.”

-

About a year passed since you and Shawn started dating, and things with Tom were better. In the blink of an eye, everything went back to normal. You were so relieved that you never bothered to ask why he had been so cold.

On the other hand, things with Shawn were off. Shawn was trying. God was he trying, but he knew you weren’t fully into it, even if you didn’t realize it yourself at the time. You didn’t see anything wrong with your relationship. Everything felt normal to you.

You were staying in a hotel in New York, as it was the day before the Met Gala. You usually lived in London, but when Anna Wintour invited you to the ball, you hopped on the first flight overseas to go. Shawn and Tom were both going as well, so you ended up getting rooms in the same hotel. Shawn had gone out with a couple of his friends for the day, and you were excited when you heard him come into your hotel room. However, you noticed quickly that his usual bright smile wasn’t meeting his eyes.

“What’s going on, babe?” you asked as he came to sit beside you on the couch. “You look upset.”

“I just-” He paused to clear his throat. “-I want to talk to you about something.”

“Uh-oh,” you laughed. “That doesn’t sound too encouraging.” You thought he was joking, but when he looked in your eyes, you knew he was being serious. “You’re freaking me out, Shawn.”

“You know I love you,” Shawn said, “and this past year has been ama-”

“Stop,” you said quickly, holding up a hand. “Please don’t.”

“I need you to let me say this,” he pressed. You felt tears welling up in your eyes, and it didn’t help that Shawn looked like he was going to cry, too. “You mean so much to me, but I can’t keep being second best.”

“Second best?” you repeated. “You’re, what are you talking about?”

“You know what I’m talking about,” he said softly.

“Tom?” you clarified. Shawn just looked at you, clenched his jaw, and hung his head. “You know there’s nothing going on between me and Tom!”

“But I know that you want there to be,” he said.

“That, that doesn’t matter,” you stuttered. “Okay? It doesn’t matter.”

“But it does matter, (Y/N)!” he shouted. “I don’t see how you don’t get that.”

“Shawn-”

“You use me to get over him,” he said, “and I was fine with that for a while. I get it. Sometimes you need to be with one person in order to really let someone else go. Eventually I realized that that wasn’t working for you. You can’t be with me because you will never be over him.”

Tears started to fall steadily from your eyes, and you put your forehead in your hands. You didn’t even want to look at Shawn. You weren’t upset with him at all. You were embarrassed and upset with yourself. Deep down, you knew there was a part of you that was always hoping Shawn would help you get over Tom. You didn’t want to give up in case, eventually, it would start working. You loved Shawn. You really did. He was lovely and wonderful and handsome and kind and almost everything you wanted in a person. What he wasn’t -and what he would never be- was Tom.

“Hey,” Shawn said softly. You looked up at him and wiped some of the tears from your eyes. “I’m not mad at you, okay? I need you to know that.” You took in a deep breath and nodded. You felt your lower lip quiver, so you bit it gently. “I still love you so much, and I’ll always be here for you. I just think you need me as a friend more than you need me as anything else.”

“I’m so sorry,” you choked out. “I never ever meant to put you through this. I wanted it to be you, Shawn. I wanted it to be you so badly.”

“I know,” he said with a gentle smile. “I wanted it to be me, too.” You sniffed and wiped your fingers under your eyes, then put your hands on his cheeks.

“I love you, you know that?” you said. “I really do. I’m just sorry I couldn’t love you more.” Shawn gave you a sad smile and pressed his lips softly to yours, then wiped another tear from your cheek.

“I’m going to go, okay?” he whispered. You nodded and pulled away from him.

“Okay,” you whispered back. Shawn gave you another smile and stood up from the couch.

“I hope you figure things out,” he said. He didn’t need to explain what he meant. You knew.

You hated it, but as soon as your front door closed, your instinct was to call Tom. You couldn’t help it. You clicked his contact name before you could second guess it and listened to it ring only twice before he answered.

“Hello, love,” Tom almost sang when he picked up. You swallowed thickly and let out a shaky sigh. “(Y/N)?”

“Are you busy right now?” you asked him.

“No,” he said. “You want me to come over?”

“If you don’t mind,” you said.

“Give me two seconds,” he said. He hung up almost immediately and was at your door just as quickly. You walked over to the door and let him in, then walked back over to your bed and threw yourself on it. “What’s going on?” he asked, coming over and sitting on the bed beside you. You mumbled something into your pillow that Tom couldn’t quite hear. “I can’t hear you, love,” he laughed lightly, poking your cheek. You sighed and turned your head to look at him.

“Shawn broke up with me.”

Tom’s smile dropped, and he opened his mouth and closed it repeatedly. “W-Why?” he finally stuttered. You knew you couldn’t tell him the truth, so you just shrugged and turned on your side facing away from him.

“Just thinks we’re better off as friends,” you mumbled. “He was really nice about it.”

“I’m so sorry, (Y/N),” he said gently. You were both quiet for a moment until Tom sighed. He laid down beside you and wrapped his arms around you from behind. This made you start to cry.

Guilt overwhelmed you as your heart fluttered the minute his skin touched yours. Shawn was right. Of course he was right. You had been head-over-heels in love with Tom for your whole life, and no matter how much you loved Shawn, the feelings would never be the same. You hated yourself for that. You felt like you had been using Shawn for the past year. You couldn’t believe he had forgiven you for that. Why couldn’t your heart have just chosen him? Everything would’ve been so much better.

“It’s okay,” Tom whispered. “Shh, shh, you’ll be okay.”

Eventually, you cried yourself exhausted and fell asleep with Tom’s arms wrapped around you. When you woke up, Tom was gone as if nothing had really happened at all.

The day breezed by and, before you knew it, it was time for the ball. You met up with your stylist and got ready. Your outfit was incredible, your hair and make-up equally as amazing. You met up with Tom at the red carpet, and he gave you a hug. “You look gorgeous,” he said, standing arms length away from you to admire your outfit.

“You don’t look too shabby yourself,” you said with a smile. He hadn’t gone as bold as some of the other men at the event, but he looked handsome all the same.

The two of you walked the carpet, posing for pictures together as well as independently. You were having such a good time which was exactly what you needed. As you were posing with Tom, you absentmindedly glanced down the carpet, admiring your fellow stars’ outfits. Then, you saw Shawn. He looked at you as well, a small and gentle smile on his face. You felt that guilt creeping up on you again. Before tears could come to your eyes, you saw Shawn mouth, “It’s okay.”

And you knew he meant it.

When you finished your walk down the carpet, you found yourself pulling Tom off to the side before you entered the venue. “Whoa,” Tom laughed. “What’s going-”

“I lied to you,” you said abruptly. Tom furrowed his eyebrows.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I lied to you about why Shawn broke up with me,” you said. Before Tom could say anything, you kept talking. “I know I don’t need to tell you this right now, but I feel like I can’t not tell you. I hate how I’m feeling right now, and I have to tell you.”

“(Y/N)-”

“I love you,” you blurted out. “I love you, and I’ve loved you ever since we were kids. When I started dating Shawn, I was trying so hard to get over you, because I know you don’t feel the same way about me as I feel about you. And that’s, it’s fine. It’s something I have to move on from. It’s just, Shawn could see how I felt about you, and he felt like he was second best to you. I hate that. I hate that I made someone else feel like they weren’t amazing because I can’t get over you. And, and like I said earlier, Shawn was super nice about it. He’s, he’s such a good guy Tom, and I wanted it to be him. I wanted to love him like I love you because he deserves that, but I can’t. I can’t because I fucking love you, you fucking dickhead!” You paused and shook your head. “Sorry. I got mad. I don’t-”

“You don’t remember, do you?”

You cocked your head and looked at Tom with a quizzical expression. Tom laughed lightly and scratched the back of his neck. “It was your birthday,” he explained. “Your 18th. You were plastered. I drove you back to our neighborhood and let you crash with me because you didn’t want your parents to see you wasted. The next morning, we told them-”

“That you got drunk and I had to help you home,” you finished. “I remember. Then I told you I never wanted to talk about that night ever again, so why are you bringing it up?”

“Before you fell asleep,” Tom said, “you told me you loved me.”

“I, I what?”

“You said you were in love with me,” Tom continued. “I told you I loved you too, and you started crying, because you meant it as more than friends, and no matter how many times I told you I did too, you just didn’t believe me.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?” you asked.

“You told me never to talk about that night ever again,” he said. “I thought you remembered your confession and that you regretted it. So, I’ve basically been spending the past five years trying to find someone I think is as incredible as you are. And you know what? I come up short every damn time.” Tom took a step closer to you and put his hand on your cheek. “I’m sorry about Shawn,” he whispered, “but I won’t be as sorry if it’s lead you to me.”

Whatever happened after that would stay between you and Tom forever, because Anna Wintour had a strict no-phone policy at the Met Gala, and you had left the paparazzi behind on the carpet. For that, you were extremely grateful. People had been scrutinizing your relationship with Tom for your entire professional lives. It was nice to have its actual beginning be yours and yours alone.

[scriptaed]

slow dancing in a burning room;

genre: just pure angst; mafia!au; best friend!au;

pairing: reader x yoongi;

length: 5.6k

synopsis: pristine is your image, but he is your reflection. dirty, ragged, and destitute, your best friend is your father’s greatest nightmares personified, and so, inevitably, your first love ripples into the memories of your fleeting youth; yet in the twisted works of fate, reunion comes years later when you find yourself entangled in his perilous business as the leader of an infamous mafia, and from then on, it’s only a matter of time until this torturous waltz of yours comes crashing to a burning end. 

prompts:  “do you trust me?” “don’t look at me like that.” “there was a time before all of this.” “keep your eyes on me" “please don’t shut me out.” “you are my best friend in the whole world, okay?” 

Nostalgia is everyone’s greatest enemy, but to you, at this very moment, the rush of reminiscence which flows from his eyes and into the windows to your soul is all that you’ve ever dreamed of; and when he smiles before he speaks, that half-effort, oh-so-smuggish yet bittersweet, soft smile of his, all you can see and hear is the world whirling you into the typhoon of the golden days when he was still by your side.

-

“Hey.”

Looking up, you find the familiar lopsided grin of your best friend as he seats himself on the hand rail across from you; just like he always does.

“Hey,” you flash him a quick smile to acknowledge his presence before glancing over at the gleaming watch on his wrist, “what took you so long?”

“Well,” Yoongi clears his throat and shuffles in place to find a comfortable seating, but with no prevail, raising his hand to point at the watch, “The coast isn’t clear until 11 P.M., missy. If your dad ever saw you hanging with the likes of me, he probably would lecture you for the next week before storming into the hospital and scolding my mother for my ‘negative influence’ on his precious daughter.”

Regretfully, a simple mumble of a “sorry” is all you can offer, but you mean it beyond the mundane connotations of an apology; you’re sorry for the pain, the shame, the derogatory life that comes with remaining by your side, you’re sorry for being the person that you are, yet it’s all you can offer, more than you could offer, it’s enough of an offer, and your best friend knows it, too.

Loud sighs often fill the silences of your midnight getaways together, and this time proves to uphold such traditions. The marks of his breath etches into stagnating air as white, dissipating puffs only to return to expansion of his lungs. “I wouldn’t be able to see my best friend, and I would only be yet another burden to my mother… so we wouldn’t want that now, would we?”

“...right,” you mutter in merciful guilt until you find yourself staring at the ticking hands of the platinum watch.

In moments like this, when the night is young and crickets awaken and no one but you and your best friend are filled with the vigor and thrill of escaping from the harsh grips of reality, there is not a single wish which shrouds your consciousness than the thought of freezing time; and if it isn’t for the sway of your best friend, his forefinger tipping from the bottom of your chin until your eyes meet his, like the futile chase for the holy grail, succumbing to inescapable laws of time would have been just a second away.

“Hey, did you come here to ogle at the watch you gave me or did you come here to ogle at me?” a smug snicker cracks the corner of his lips when you roll your eyes at his remark, which continues with a nonchalant, “if you like it so badly, maybe you shouldn’t have given it to me for my birthday. I can always regift it for when your birthday comes around; it’s not like I have enough money to buy you—”

“—I was staring at the watch because I felt bad, okay? I always feel bad… for everything,” your voice trails off into a grumble and you cross your arms with a huff. “And keep it, keep the watch I mean. It looks the best on you, anyways.”

Yoongi turns to quirk a brow at you, intrigued by your remark.

Ignoring the skip of a heartbeat, you hastily proceed but not without averting your eyes to the sparkling city lights behind him, “and for the last time, you don’t need to buy me anything for my birthday. Just… take care of yourself and your mom. Your health is enough to make me happy… but also,” you pause to lock gazes with his equivocating ones, “staying by my side isn’t too much to ask for, right…?”

A millisecond too long of silence elicits panic from your heart.

To others, it may appear as if you’re overreacting, but to you, losing your best friend because of trifling matters of the city mayor’s daughter befriending the son of an ill, destitute mother would be a nightmare-turned-reality. Something as trivial as a second-too-long gaze of silence is enough to strike at your delicate esteem.

“Yeah, of course,” he chuckles, lifting the corner of his lips into a soft grin before glimpsing around at the silhouette of the cityscape laid beneath him from atop the mountain top and patting at the empty spot on the handrail beside him. Jumping off of your own rail, you happily join him under the warm golden rays of the lamppost as the city lights dwindles one by one. Turning his head to glimpse at you only to return to the attention of the dozing city, a smirk of his elicits the narrowing of your eyes. “God, you’re like that overly clingy girlfriend everyone tries to avoid; in fact, I bet everyone thinks we’re dating. Maybe that’s why your dad hates me so much.”

“Excuse me?” you blink in disbelief. “Does my clingy ass and being mistaken as my boyfriend bother you that much?”

“No, I never said it was a bad thing. You, however, did,” he shrugs mischievously, his bottom lip pouting to soften the rather aloof reputation your classmates had bestowed him, but his next words are what surprise you, “I actually enjoy it. Being mistaken as your boyfriend. I like it a lot, actually.”

His words depart as swiftly as they had arrived, whispers floating along akin to a feather in the midnight breeze; but the effect it had and still has on you remains forever etched into the memories of your first love.

You should have said something.

You should have prolonged the moment, maybe even further the blooming love of youths.

You should have done something, anything, because your silence becomes his cue to take a drastic turn for the worse.

“Y/N,” he pauses, turning to gather your full attention as you notice the wavering in his dark warm eyes. “I have something to tell you.”

“Oh?” the word slips, but your mind goes blank. Brows furrowed and chest constricted, your assumptions jump to the worst possible scenario. “Oh no… is your mother alright? What did the doctors say?”

“She’s,” he drawls and takes a deep breath in and out before averting his gaze to the cityscape with a sigh, “she’s not doing well. The doctors are probably going to move her into the Intensive Care Unit, but… I don’t know where we’re going to get the money. Our bank is all dried up. Every last penny—”

“—well, Yoongi,” you blurt, “I can help you. In fact, please let me help you—”

“—no,” he shakes his head adamantly, “I don’t want to owe anyone anything, and most importantly, I don’t want your dad to hate me any more than he already does.”

“Yoongi!” your arm instinctively grabs his in order to pull his gaze back on you. “Is there time for you to be worrying over silly things like that? Your mother’s life is at stake here!”

“It’s not silly and neither my mother nor my father would ever accept money out of pity or from filthy rich people like you!”

His remark pierces through thin air like the way his gaze does to you; taken aback, you recline in your seat, staring at the ground with absolutely no intention to counteract his rebuke. You know it’s not your fault and neither is it his fault for refusing to accept money from outsiders, including you, because you don’t understand his struggles and he can’t blame you for your upcomings.

Both of you know that; so when his apology arrives seconds after tense silence, it’s like all the past conversations and arguments you’ve ever had being stuck on repeat.

You’re already numb to the pain.

It’s as if somehow, your subconscious had already accepted an inevitable end to this thing you call true love.

“...I’m sorry, Y/N. I’m sorry, really,” he takes your hand in his, rubbing it with the warmth of his palms to thaw the cold which plagues your skin. “I don’t mean it in that way. I don’t ever mean to hurt you.”

“It’s okay,” you utter, eyes peering up to meet the soft edges of his own. “I just want to help, Yoongi. Please don’t shut me out.”

“I know, I know,” he nods. “But you understand why I can’t, don’t you?”

Tears begin to well up from the mere thought of his mother potentially on her deathbed, a mother whom you’ve grown fond of prior to her ill state, and the desperation of wanting to help but being disabled from doing so.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that; it only makes it harder for me to tell you what comes next,” he chortles, gently brushing his forefinger against your cheek to catch the few drops that had escaped from your glimmering eyes. “To be honest with you, and I’ve been meaning to tell you this for weeks now, I’m taking up Bang’s offer.”

Immediately, your hands slap his hands into midair.

“What?” you narrow your eyes as you sniffle. “You’re joining his gang? The gang my father has been hunting down for the past years? You think my father won’t hate you even more if he finds out? Are you insane?!”

Frowning at your sudden lash, he retrieves your clenched hands once again in a futile attempt to calm you down. “That’s why he won’t find out,” he firmly states. “I’ve already told Bang not to tell anyone, not even my mother. I’ll just be working for them, a few runs here and there, but I’ll stop as soon as I get enough money to pay for my mother’s hospital bills, alright?”

Sneaking around behind your father’s back with a boy he most definitely disapproves of is one thing, but having a gang member as your best friend? That’s another. As the daughter of the mayor, you’ve always had toxic experiences with gangs. To put it simply, it’s not the gangs that you despise, it’s the violence which comes with it. But you can’t even fathom telling Yoongi something as hurtful as that, so all you do now is look away.

“Come on, Y/N. Look at me,” Yoongi pleads, cupping your chin to adjust your hardened gaze to his. “Keep your eyes on me, okay? Everyone already hates me, and the last thing I would ever want is for my best friend to hate me, too. Please,” his voice cracks, “don’t look away.”

It takes you a few seconds to still the quivering of your breaths. “You know I can’t meet up with you anymore, right? I can’t… if you’re going out to hurt people. I don’t know how I’ll see you as a person anymore, a-and my father? If he ever finds out? You’ll be in more danger than being in a gang alone!”

“I know. I understand. That’s why I wanted to meet up for the last time tonight no matter what—” your mind, eyes, and lips are begging for him not to finish because you know how this will end “—and I promise I won’t do anything too dumb or dangerous or even bad; at the very least, I’ll return in one piece. You trust me, don’t you?”

“...are we ever going to meet again?”

He cracks a lopsided smile and shakes his head, “probably not, if you don’t want to die.”

“...okay,” the words slip without thought, “then can you at least promise you and your mother will be safe?”

“Yeah,” he nods, “definitely, I promise. Do you trust me?”

“I-I do, but I—” your voice cracks when a whimper bellows from beneath the knots of your throat, and out comes the swarm of tears you had tried so hard to suppress as you bury your head into his chest and bawl “—I don’t know how I’m going to live without my best friend, how am I supposed to do that?!”

A chuckle leaves his lips and he pats you gently on the back with the steady, soft rhythm he had always done while accompanying you throughout the past years.

“There was a time before all of this, before you met me, and before we started whatever we have now. You survived then, and you’ll survive now,” Yoongi murmurs, placing a chaste kiss to the top of your head before pulling you into a hug. “You’ll always be my best friend in the whole world, okay?”

None of his words are adequate comfort, because nothing could ever assure you when the rock of your life, the only person you’ve ever truly known or loved, is to soon remove himself into the dimensions of a world your heritage and morals had always prohibited you from; and when he returns is an answer only fate can answer, but for now, it’s a probable never.

And after hours and hours of hugging and crying and thrashing, the three words which come to define the many years ahead of you are all that you profess.

“I’ll miss you.”

Yoongi chuckles and places another kiss to your forehead.

“I’ll miss you, too.”

And now that you think about it, that’s the closest you two have ever been to confessing.

-

“Hey,” you hear him utter prior to the smuggish grin of his paired with furrowed brows, “don’t look at me like that; you look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

“Yoongi…?” you manage to mumble, narrowing your eyes at the familiar yet matured man—several inches taller, broader, slimmer, and a sprinkle of masculinity, wisdom, and roughness which comes with age, not to mention the fit of his navy blue tux, this man definitely isn’t the same as the boy who had first captured your heart.

“So, does your dad have any special greetings for me today?” he remarks with a smirk. “Something like an ‘asshole’ or ‘filthy rat’?”

“What?” you frown and shake your head in disbelief. “No, he hasn’t mentioned you since. But, what… what in the world are you doing here?”

“Am I not allowed to attend fancy events like this?” he gestures at all the evening gowns and tuxedos on the ballroom floor your father had organized.

“No, but I thought,” you pause to catch your breath, “I thought you had moved?”

“I did. I just have a few important matters to take care—” he halts mid-sentence, blinking blankly at you before proceeding “—I just wanted to see you. I missed you.”

“...if memory serves me well, I don’t think you’re telling the complete truth.”

“What?” he cracks a smug grin. “You don’t believe me? Ouch, is this how you treat your best friend after, what, five years?”

“I just…” your voice trails as you scan him from head to toe, frowning at the all too characteristic pairing of his ripped jeans and white tee strategically hidden underneath his emerald velvet blazer, “..it’s just, I feel like I’m just dreaming this silly dream again, but you look too real right now.”

Yoongi snorts, the grin plastered across his face growing by the second as his hand reaches out to the small of your back; and before you know it, the distance between his world and yours dissipates into thin air, and with the assurance of his hand stroking your head into the comfort of his chest, you know this familiarity of home is all too real to imagine.

The graze of his lips set ablaze your earlobes as he whispers, “well, then, would you allow this imaginary friend of yours the pleasure of this dance?”

A helpless scoff escapes from your lips which stretches from ear to ear, but the rest of your body follows along when your hands naturally find their way behind his neck. The lock of his hands to the keys of your waist, the fitting puzzle piece of your chest against his, and the small patch of fuzz on the nape of his neck—something which you and only you had come to notice and nagged at him until you were given permission to shave—are all you need to truly realize: this really is your best friend.

Plucks of the harp echo in the drowned background as the two of you sway side to side along to the sea in the midst of a storm, just trying to survive; and while your head lies against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart and grinning at the sight of his familiar watch adorning his wrist, each second which passes, staring at the dysfunctional watch which has long succumbed to the decay of time, you’re reminded that even moments like these are temporary.

“...how’s your mom?”

The cloth of his velvet suit muffles your voice, but you know Yoongi understands you perfectly because of the way he smiles into your hair.

And while it’s crazy to think that you would still care so much over someone completely disconnected from your world for the past half decade, it still isn’t impossible to imagine, especially when it’s happening right here, right now; because his smile becomes the reason behind your own smile, and you know you’ll hear delightful news.

“She’s doing well,” he utters softly, yet you can hear the joyful jump at the end of each word. “She’s back at home, resting. I wish you could see her—God, that smile of her’s is light years from her condition back then. She’s so happy, Y/N, so happy.”

“That’s good,” your voice cracks and you pause for a second to recollect your composure, suppressing the tears from making its appearance, because you really do think you’re about to cry from sheer relief. Leaning back to peer up at your best friend, who only reciprocates the most loving, most tender gaze you had laid eyes on in years, you flash him the widest smile you could muster; and as if innate, your hands find its way to brush the wisp of bangs off his eyes, “I’m sure she’s happy, seeing how handsome and well her son has grown up to be.”

Yoongi’s sheepish grin sends butterflies fluttering in your stomach, especially when you notice the gummy smile he had failed to lose throughout the years. “And I’m sure your father is even happier to see his daughter stunning the entire ballroom floor—ah, how blessed I am to be holding her in my arms tonight.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you compliment me like this before,” you frown, suspectedly.

“Oh, don’t worry,” he snorts, “I’m sure he’s even prouder that you’re no longer hanging around a thug like me.”

His remark elicits a roll of the eyes from you as you return your head to the comfort of his chest. “I don’t mean to ruin the moment, but do you think he would still disown me if he ever saw me with you right now…?”

You hear him smirk, “do you want me to tell you the truth or do you want to keep dancing?”

Curtish words, as usual; more than satisfied, you smile and shake your head.

“No. Let’s just keep dancing like this. Just like this.”

And so you do, even through the silence as the song ends and the band prepares for the proceeding piece. Watching your father’s business partners passing through the halls and observing a man perhaps a bit too tipsy as clear liquid splashes onto the marble floor to create a trail behind him fails to quench your curiosity.

“But, really,” you lift your head once again to find him arching a brow, “what exactly are you doing here? I mean, I have to attend because of my father, but you’ve never been the type to attend these kinds of things.”

“Again,” he chuckles, “do you want to hear the truth or do you want to keep dancing?”

A snort and the shake of your head as you grin and return to rest on his chest, pulling him in even closer, are enough of an answer for him.

Because even if you had to wait years for this very moment, this motion in time is enough for you and for him…

...but supposedly not for fate.

Crash.

Glass shattering and women screaming pierce your ears. Whirling around in full attention, you catch the roar of fire cutting through the thick air as a blaze of fiery flames flicker across the room lining the walls of the room.

Curses from men and shrieks from women and cries from children bawling into the arms of their parents flood your senses, but all you can do is stand there—petrified with eyes widening and reflecting the illuminating breath of wildfire.

“Quick, Yoongi!” your instincts immediately rebound to the thought of your best friend as you propel yourself into action. “Help me evacuate them!”

Yet even without your instructions, Yoongi had already jumped into action, ushering packs of families towards the exit in a jumbled line; and despite the urgency of the situation, you can’t help but acknowledge just how far he’s come.

The air of the once-ballroom-now-unrecognizable becomes stuffier by the minute and the endless beads of sweat dripping from your temples to the ends of your hair aren’t aiding the process yet either. Fire plagues each corner of the room, making its way into the center, but your search for water in the main reception room bears no fruition.

“Hey, Yoongi! I’m going to find some water over in the stockroom. I remember father used to keep some there,” you call out to Yoongi, who turns around and gives you a small nod before proceeding to evacuate the attendees with sweat gleaming across his entire forehead.

The severity of the situation sends desperation for time and adrenaline in the wake of a fight-or-flight situation coursing through your veins. You have to get everyone out—and soon.

Click-clack, click-clack, you stumble while running in your heels, storming your way through the sweltering halls. The lack of oxygen and pollution of stinging smoke force you to cough every so often along with tearing eyes, but even that isn’t enough to halt your tracks. With the inner elbow to your mouth and a pair of narrowed eyes, you proceed, taking cautious steps forward in order to avoid the planks of burning wood plummeting from the ceiling and sending waves of dust in its aftermath…

...until, in the corner of your eyes, you spot a black silhouette—seemingly belonging to that of a familiar tipsy man—flickering across the room and up the stairs.

Turning around, the roars of flame are all that fill your ears, for you stand there, watching the dubious man escape and contemplating over your choices.

And you don’t know if it’s the newfound power of this adrenaline rushing through you or the assurance of reuniting with your best friend which propels you forward, but naturally, you find your feet storming forward, following the man a dozen meters behind—

“—Y/N, don’t!” you hear Yoongi yelling from the back, and while you normally would have done so, your body has a mind of it’s own, because perhaps—just perhaps—you’ve finally succumbed to the guilt of just wanting to help your best friend out for once. “Y/N! I’m fucking telling you to stop! He’s dangerous!”

The floor beneath you nearly gives into the fire as you take a step forward up the stairs, creaking closer and closer to the bellowing disaster meters below second floor, but even that—the panic attack of your heart and the fear of ending your life early despite just experiencing one of your most elated moments thus far—isn’t as horrifying as the silence in the room where the man, completely absent, as if disappearing into thin air, had whisked you off into.

“W-Whoever you are, what the hell are you doing here and why?” you stammer after clearing your throat. Turning around in circles, you notice the entire room which had once been the second floor stockroom had been cleared, and once you make your second round, ready to depart and find your way back to Yoongi’s voice which lurks not too far off, the door slams shut, jolting you backwards until you notice a torn, crumpled note poorly stapled onto the blank white wall.

Tell your dear bootlicker of a traitor: none of us forgot what he did to us. We invited him in as our leader, but dating the mayor’s daughter and working for him behind our back only made him easier to take down.

Burn in hell, bitch.

“...Yoongi,” you mutter, dropping the horrifying threat to fire creeping into the room and pulling at the door seemingly locked from the outside.

“Y/N?! Where are you?!”

Enraptured by hope, you slam your fists against the door and yell, “Yoongi! Over here! Help, the door’s locked—”

—bang.

You hear someone dropping to the floor along with your heart.

“Augh,” he bellows in pain.

“Yoongi!”

A few more heavy footsteps and gunshots follow, drowning out the shrills of your weeping, until finally, the hasty hustles are replaced by the crackling fire.

“...fuck you if you thought I would die so easily,” you hear your best friend mumbling, words even more slurred than usual. Staggered footsteps follow shortly after, thumping heavier and heavier up to your door. “Y/N… step away from the door.”

Fortunately, you quickly oblige before another piercing gunshot rings across the stuffed air and a loud smack of his foot against the loosened lock causes the door to come crashing onto the floor.

“Yoongi!” you scream and run into his arms as he stumbles backwards from your sudden force. Little time is left for the reunion when a sticky warmth of flowing liquid grabs the attention of your blood-stained hands.  “Yoongi… we have to get your treated!”

“Yeah… yeah, we do,” he nods, eyes shutting in pain but body slamming against the wall and staining the white paint with bright red as he slides down to the floor. “But let me just take a small break.”

“You can do that later, Yoongi! Please! This entire building is about to crumble,” you plead, squatting to grab his hand and attempt to pull him up in vain. “I thought you were their leader, aren’t you supposed to be hard working?! Aren’t you supposed to be strong?!”

“Wait…” his brows cinch in confusion as he peers up at you. “You know…?”

“Yeah, and you work for my father too?” your voice wavers, not because of the secrets he had kept from you but because of the sight of color dissipating from your love’s skin. This isn’t the end you wanted. Even if you could no longer meet him, his own well being is enough of an assurance for you—but this, this isn’t what he promised.

“I…” Yoongi’s eyes glue to the floor and he shakes his head. “...I tried to hide from your father when I joined them, but apparently your dad was keeping close tabs on you and your boyfriend,” he chuckles over his own words, “and so he offered me this job to abide by the laws and hunt down criminals, because ‘the least I could do is to not break his daughter’s heart by becoming one myself…’ or at least I think that’s what he... said.”

His quivering breath becomes ever the more frequent by the second, and even you could tell there isn’t much time left until the both of you become buried underneath the ashes of this entire building.

“Okay, whatever, we’ll talk about this later,” you grab ahold of his arm and somehow manage to aid him to his feet. “My father didn’t fucking pay you just for you to die.”

Yoongi snorts, his head bobbing onto your right shoulder, “when did you get so stingy?”

Half of the ceiling is burnt to crisp black, for crumbles of ash cascade from the air only to sting your bare back and shoulders; it really was only a matter of time until even the ends of your lengthy gown caught on fire.

Your conscious isn’t made aware of the growing disaster until you notice Yoongi pausing you midstair and crippling to the floor to grab ahold of your skirt above your knees. Fortunately, he manages to tear off the entire bottom of the skirt just as your legs begin to burn and your entire body radiates with heat, both flushed skin from your inner system and roasted skin from your external system causing you to nearly collapse in panic.

“Sorry,” Yoongi mumbles when his arm wrap over your shoulder for support once again, his low raspy voice sparking worries of dehydration within you; and yet, still, he manages to remark, “I’ll buy you a better dress next time.”

Crash—countless planks of wood launch at you from above and countless times you nearly succumb to death if it weren’t for Yoongi strictly guiding you through the labyrinth of trails he had somehow managed to decipher amidst the fire.

Light comes flooding into the inky smoked room where the other had evacuated through.

You two are going to make it alive, you two are going to make it alive.

The prayers chant in the back of your mind, and maybe it’s fate’s dislike of you or your dislike of fate, but nonetheless, fate never seems to hold to your favor.

Because just as you crawl through the crippling exit—despite incessantly begging Yoongi to crawl first due to his wounds only to be pushed by him with a frustrated grunt—the last hole of an escape crashes under the sway of the fire, capturing Yoongi within the building along with it.

“No, no, no, Yoongi, I’m not letting you go again,” you blurt, the words flowing without thought as you whirl around to plead the crowd of bystanders. “Someone help! Did you call the ambulance? The fire department? Anyone?!”

And for the first time, with ragged gowns, both dirt and blood stained, no one sees you as you but rather the girl brought up in destitute conditions.

In the eyes of the commoners, you embodied Yoongi.

And the murmurs of the crowd which pertain to the past leader of the city’s mafia finally succumbing to the fire of karma only confirms your loss of hope in humanity.

“You know what? Fuck you all,” you spit, storming your way up to a lanky man and grabbing his pocket knife from his shaky hands, “give me that.”

Holding the knife tightly in your grips, you march up to a window where you spot Yoongi jabbing his elbow at helplessly. “Stand back, Yoongi!” you yell out before striding forward and striking the windows with the knife aloft in one hand as the other guards your face from incoming glass.

Time, color, senses—they all become a blur to you shortly afterwards.

The only thing, only person which your scrambled mind could make sense of now is him.

And suddenly, the blinding car headlights and shrieking firetruck sirens fade into the back as the blur of your eyes finally manage to focus on the worried expression of your best friend, just a few inches from yours.

“Y/N, I have to go,” he repeats again and again, his brows furrowed and his eyes welling up for the first time in years; but you shake your head. He cups your cheeks even firmer, “I have to go. I have to catch the rest of them with my group. I’m just a few minutes away from finishing what your father asked of me. I have to go.”

“Stop leaving me, Yoongi,” you cry. “You promised me you would take care of yourself. You’re bleeding your life out, Yoongi, this isn’t what you promised me!”

“I’ll get it treated, alright? Your dad can’t know that I dragged you into this—”

“—you didn’t drag me—”

“—but he’ll blame me nonetheless.”

“I don’t know how I’ll go on without you after this, Yoongi,” you shake your head again, lips pressing into a thin line in a vain attempt to suppress your tears.

Yoongi’s frown deepens, seemingly stable, but you can feel his hands trembling on your cheeks. “Look, there was a time before this, before you met me and before you met me a second time, remember? You survived then, and you’ll survive again—

“—no,” you sniffle, eyes shifting to the ground, “not unless you get yourself treated—”

“—I will, Y/N. I will. Look at me, Y/N, and keep your eyes on me,” Yoongi gulps, swiping his thumb across your cheek until you returned his gaze. “I promise I’ll even return to you after this entire ordeal is sorted out, okay? I’ll get my entire life sorted out and find you again, once I’m at the top and your father has no choice but to accept me, alright?”

“Really?”

“Yes, but for now, I have to go,” Yoongi leans in to place his lips to your forehead, “remember, you’ll always be my best friend. I love you.”

As swiftly as he had waltzed into your life tonight, he waltzes out; and while the track of this torturous slow dance of yours is only on its prelude, at the very least, this time, you’re left with a glimpse of hope to smother this treacherous wrath of fate.

[staticscreenwriting]

Strong hearts and concrete - Billy Hargrove

Synopsis: Billy is enough.

A/N: I thought this was cute. Enjoy. Gimme feedback if you feel like it :)

“ Love and great buildings will survive Strong hearts and concrete stay alive Through the great depressions Yeah, the best things are designed to stand the test of time Love and great buildings will endure Blue skies and bloodlines are the cure For the great deceptions in a world that's such a blur  “

The room is silent except for the scrapping of the cutlery against the plates. Susan tries to start a round of small talk every once in a while but realises soon enough that neither party currently sitting at this table is particularly interested in taking part. Neil doesn’t care about Billy’s day as long as he didn’t get into trouble and Billy doesn’t want to share any information either. Partially because he knows no one gives a shit and partially because there isn’t really anything to tell.

Surely no one wants to know that he got an A in english literature but told Tommy he got a C+ because apparently guys like him don’t get good grades. They also really don’t need to know that he got a blowjob from Nikkie Collins in the boy’s locker room after basketball practice because that would be TMI and then he’d also have to explain that she slapped him afterwards for moaning a different name when he came.

He also doesn’t mention that he got a letter from a University. It’s probably a rejection letter anyway and it’s not like even told anyone he applied so there’s not need to tell ‘em about it if it ends up being a failure anyway. That would just prove his dad right in his believe that Billy is a no good asshole. And even if he got in it’s not the most prestigious of all universities so that’s also something his dad will be sure to point out.

So he doesn’t anything and munches down the dry ass meatloaf. Because despite it all, today is gonna be a good night. Because it’s his night, and hers. It belongs to them and them only. Him and (Y/N).

When Billy Hargrove was 12 years old he didn’t know very much about the world or life or death or anything really. What he did know though, was that people don’t miraculously get better and that his mother, despite her constant reassurance, wasn’t an exception to that. She was getting worse with every day and the fact that they had stopped with the radiation wasn’t a good sign either. They were preparing for the end. He was young, not stupid.

He’d spent a lot of time at the hospital, befriending the nurses, figuring out at what angle to hit the snack machine so it ended up giving him two snacks for the price of one, drinking slushies from the cafeteria. And then there was the chapel. He never gave much of a hoot about religion, neither did his mom or his dad. But one time he walked past the open chapel door and there she was.

She was just 12 years old herself, but she was the prettiest girl little Billy had ever seen. She was dorky looking and her hair was a downright mess and she wore a Scooby Doo shirt and jeans with bright pink paint stains on them. And she was there, talking to herself like she was having a proper conversation.

He wanted to walk past this chick, she looked like trouble, looked like a proper weirdo to be honest but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. It was like suddenly 12 year old Billy’s world had found another person to gravitate towards. Like now that his mother was about to leave him, this girl was thrown into his life to keep him grounded. Stop him from tipping over the edge.

So he walked in and they talked. About the weather and the snack machine and the slushies. They talked about Scooby Doo and the Jetsons and Led Zeppelin. They talked about god and how she thought that even if it was all made up bullshit, that talking to a higher power was whack, it didn’t do no harm either. The worst that could happen was that no one heard her and then at least she had gotten her worries off her chest.

And then they talked about his mom and her dad and how they were both approaching the end of the road, slowly but surely. And about how they were both angry and sad and scared and overwhelmed.

And just like that, his life seemed a little less lonely.

It’s been their thing ever since, to meet up every year for the anniversary of their first meeting. To celebrate their friendship and remember their parents, together. For a while Billy had thought that this year they wouldn’t make it, that his move to Indiana was gonna be a problem. That he’d have to face his demons alone.

But once again, (Y/N) came through. The girl had booked a plane ticket even before Billy had fully moved to Hawkins yet. If something is important to her, if she cares about something or someone, there is no way anyone or anything can keep (Y/N) from making things happen. She is a force to be reckoned with. In Billy’s eyes she is a downright saint. A superhero. She is magic.

And maybe it is because he isn’t used to people caring so much about him but her spending her money on a plane ticket only to come see him, is nothing short of incredible to him.

“ Dad, I uh — I’m done. Can I leave ? “

He hates this. Hates that he’s constantly afraid to say the wrong thing. Do the wrong thing. Look at his dad in the wrong way. That’s not how it’s supposed to be, how a healthy father-son relationship is supposed to be.

And yet, that’s the way things are now. How they’ve been since mom died.

Neil chews his dinner. Slowly. And with every passing second Billy’s hands get more clammy and his heart beats a little faster. Tonight means everything to him. He hasn’t seen (Y/N) since they moved to Hawkins and he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do if his dad finds a reason not to let him go. He’s been on his best behavior recently. No fights, no detention, no talking back even when his dad was being a massive dick. Just so there’s no reason for Neil not to let him go out tonight.

“ You done with your schoolwork ? “

Billy knows he doesn’t give a shit about his schoolwork, he just wants to assert his status as the superior man in this house. The one who decides, who makes the rules. Usually Bill would answer with some kind of witty comeback that would surely get him into serious trouble. But not tonight. He will just have to swallow his pride. There is no way he’s gonna jeopardize a night with his girl for a moment of teenage rebellion. So he just nods.

“ Put your plate in the sink. Don’t stay out too late. I expect you to be on your best behavior. If you do some stupid shit tonight and I find out about it … “

He doesn’t end the sentence. Billy knows well enough what kind of consequences he means. He’s had a few black eyes in the last 5 years. If anything, at least they make him look tough. The chicks dig it. Some of them. Not (Y/N), never (Y/N).

“ Yes sir. “

Billy doesn’t count but he’s sure it can’t be more than 4 minutes and he’s out of the house. He called out a goodbye as he walked through the door but got nothing back in return. God, he hates this family.

He’s at the motel in the matter of 10 minutes. Hawkins is tiny but for the first time since he’s moved here that actually works to his advantage. He spots her from quite a distance. Maybe because she just sticks out. This radiant girl in a shithole like Hawkins. Or maybe it’s because he’s so insanely in love with her that he just gravitates towards her. Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter until he holds her in his arms.

She’s standing by the little playground to the side of the Motel. There’s swings and a seesaw and slides and it reminds him of the playground behind her house where they used to meet up when they were just kids. Where they met to grief, to laugh and cry and rant whenever things at home got bad. Where they had their first kiss and where they got drunk for the first time.

Those memories are everything to him.

He parks his car and hurries towards her like his life depends on it. And maybe it does just a little.

She’s in his arms in the matter of seconds and she’s warm and familiar and her hair is soft and smells like apple shampoo and Billy hates himself for being such a sissy but having her close makes him feel invincible. Like finally something in his life is right again.

“ You look ridiculous “ he says and points towards her Happy Days shirt.

“ Don’t hate on the Fonz, Bill. You’re the guy who’s wearing a mullet. “

“ You love the mullet!”

It’s not so much that she loves the mullet. She loves the boy who wears the mullet. Billy, in (Y/N) eyes, is so much more than he realizes. He’s deadly smart, undeniably charming and incredibly loyal to the people he cares about. (Y/N) hates Neil Hargrove for turning him into this shell of himself. This angry boy who doesn’t know how to deal with his emotions. This boy who feels so much but is allowed so little healthy outlet.

“ Good to see you, punk “ it’s as close to an “ I missed you “ as she’s going to get at this point. Maybe later when he’s had some beers and nostalgia seeps in. Maybe then he’ll say it. Because if ever anything has been true, it’s that he’s missed her.

“ You too. “

There’s so much they want to say, want to do. But most of all he wants to kiss her and never ever stop. Only you don’t just go and kiss your best friend even if it happened before. Multiple times. He doesn’t even know if she’s got someone at home, waiting for her to come back. Billy doesn’t think he wants to know.

“ So ? What’s the plan. What’s there to do in this — metropolis. “

He can’t suppress the scoff. If anything, Hawkins was a dirty smudge on the map.

“ You want me to be honest ? “

“ Always “

“ Absolutely nothing. “

“ Then let’s do that. I really don’t care as long as we do it together. “

And his heart makes a little jump. Is this what dying feels like ?

They’re sitting in his car with slushies from the gas station and burgers from that overpriced 24 hours diner. Usually Billy would never ever spend so much money on a fucking burger but today is a special night. He’s got his girl by his side and they’re celebrating the live of his mother and her father. If that isn’t a good enough reason to treat themselves, Billy doesn’t know what is.

There’s Led Zeppelin playing on the stereo and Fleetwood Mac and Abba. All their parents favorite songs. Billy thinks most of them are whack but he still has a vivid memory of his mother making peanut butter sandwiches in the kitchen singing along to Waterloo. He was embarrassed then. Now, would give everything to get that moment back.

“ I uh — I got something I wanted to show you “ he starts. He doesn’t know why exactly he’s so nervous. This is (Y/N), his (Y/N) and whatever the outcome, it doesn’t change her perception of him, he knows this. But maybe that’s it. This is (Y/N) and he wants to, for once in his life, show her that he can be more, can be better, can be enough.

“ I actually got something too “ she mumbles around a bit of her cheeseburger.

“ You wanna start ? “

“ Nah you go first “ and there goes his try at buying himself some time to work up some confidence.

“ Alright “ Billy nods and opens the glove compartment taking out the letter he’s stored there this morning.

“ What’s that ?”

“ It’s a — uh. Well when you told me that you applied to Berkeley I decided to apply for university too “

“ You applied to Berkeley ? “

“ Don’t be ridiculous, I could never get in “ Billy scoffs and nudges her side with his elbow “ no I applied to this tiny college that’s really nothing special but it’s about half an hour from Berkeley and I thought maybe if I get in we could, be closer and you wouldn’t have to buy a plane ticket every year to come celebrate today with me. It would make things easier you know. I doubt I got in anyway but I just — doesn’t hurt to try right ? “

(Y/N) softly touches Billy’s cheek and turns his head a little so he’s finally facing her. He does this thing a lot, where he gets insecure and looks everywhere but at her. She can’t comprehend why in the world he would think there’s anything he could do to make her judge him. She loves him, doesn’t he know this?

And then she realises why he does the things he does. And it all starts and ends with the absolute monster that is Neil Hargrove.

“ Billy, believe in yourself for once. I love this idea of our future. I want to do this with you. There’s no one I’d rather have by my side than you, in whatever happens. But god, can you believe in yourself for once ? You are so much smarter than you let people see. You are fiercely loyal and incredibly protective of the things that mean something to you. I adore you, you know that right ? They’d be stupid not to take you. “

No one has ever told him that, since his mother passed away. He’s just been — there. Like a footnote in what’s supposed to be his “family”. Having the one person he cares about, the one person whose opinion matters to him, tell him she adores him. Billy doesn’t know how to properly process that.

“ Why haven’t you opened it yet ? “

Because he was fucking scared, that’s why. Does he tell her that ? No. He’s sure she can read it on his face but he’s not gonna admit to being scared anytime soon. Not happening.

“ Dunno “ he says and shrugs and they both know what it means.

“ Then let’s do it now ” (Y/N) exclaims and takes the letter from his hands, opening it with a smile on her face.

Her eyes scan the letter and with every second of silence Billy gets more and more anxious. This could be the start of something great or yet another disappointment.

“ You got in ! “ there’s so much in her voice it’s hard for Billy to comprehend. But overall there’s joy.

And Billy himself ? He’s just at a loss for words. A loss for anything pretty much.

This isn’t how his life works out for him usually. Things don’t go his way and good things tend to avoid him.

“ Are you happy ? “

He doesn’t think happy really does it justice. He’s more than that.

“ I — yeah. “

“ Good because uh — I got into Berkeley. Felt like this was a good time to mention it.”

And suddenly the world seems even more bright.

Billy can’t help himself at this point. He knows he shouldn’t he really shouldn’t. But he does.

Her face is so soft and small in his hands as he places a long tender kiss on her lips. It’s been entirely too long since he’s got to kiss her and yet it feels so much like home. Like happiness and all things good in the world.

“ I’m sorry “ he says as he pulls away because you don’t just go kissing your best friend.

But she doesn’t mind, he thinks. He knows, as she pulls him closer for another kiss. And it’s just as good and Billy hopes that there can be, will be, more kisses like this in the future and that they always feel like home.

“ What did you want to show me ? “

“ Oh yeah “ she pulls away for a second and fumbles around in her purse before pulling out an old-ish looking piece of paper.

“ What’s that ? “

“ Our list “

And suddenly his blood grows cold again. They’d made this list just a few weeks after her father had passed away, when Billy’s mom was only a few days from dying as as well. They’d been angry and sad and overwhelmed.

The list, was a creation of all those emotions and the frustration about the fact that both their parents were taken too soon. Taken before they could live life to its full potential.

So they made a list of all the things they wanted to do before graduation.

“ We’re almost done with school. I think we should read it, see what we’ve accomplished. “

What she doesn’t know, is that after all the things they had written down together, Billy has made a little addition. Because 12 year old Billy had serious balls and thought that by now, surely he’d have made (Y/N) his girlfriend. Yeah that didn’t happen and now Billy was screwed.

“ Number 1 “ (Y/N) begins to read “ Go to New York City “

“ Not done that “

“ Me neither, well this is off to a good starts “ she jokes and places a kiss on Billy’s cheek. Just because she felt like it but also because she wants him to know that this doesn’t change how she feels, how excited she is for their future. Because it’s for certain that it’s theirs now. Together.

“ Number 2. Go skinny dipping. Hey we did that “

Billy remembers vividly. He still doesn’t know how he was able to successfully hide that boner but apparently she hadn’t noticed it then. Or maybe she just didn’t want to make things awkward, didn’t want to embarrass him.

“ Oh man, yeah we did. That was a good day “

And it was. He has nothing but fond memories, even the awkward ones he wouldn’t trade for anything in this world. Even the really sad ones seemed a little brighter if she was in them.

“ It was a pretty awesome day “

They go through more points on the list. Most of which they have experience together.

Sneak into the drive in.

Watch a really scary movie.

Eat fast food for a whole day.

Get a driving licence.

Have a Valentine.

Have a first kiss.

Get drunk.

Smoke a cigarette.

Smoke a special cigarette.

Go to a rock concert. and then there was one that Billy only now remembers they put on there. “ Fall in love “

“ Have you ? “ Billy asks and wonders if he even wants to know the answer. If his heart can take it, hearing that she might’ve been in love with another guy. Learning that she might be in this moment.

“ Billy “ she says in that special kind of tone that’s not condescending but that conveys a certain kind of “I can’t believe you asked this” vibe. “ You have to be blind or live in complete denial if you can’t see that I’m in love with you.”

He knows this isn’t what dying feels like. This, the way he’s feeling in that moment when she tells him she’s in love with him, that’s what living feels like.

“ You are ? “

“ Sure. I’ve been in love with you since I was 14 years old and I’ve loved you even longer. “

“ Since when ? “ he doesn’t ask to boost his ego or anything like that. He’s genuinely curious. He wants to know what made her fall in love with him, so he can do more of that.

“ You know, when you let me cry to you after my dad died. I knew I loved you then because you were the only one that could relate. Everyone else tried to make me feel better but you let me be miserable and sad and angry. But I was never alone in my grief. I loved you with all my heart from that moment on.”

Billy never thought that such a mundane thing as being there for her, something he didn’t see as a big deal at all, made her love him. It’s what friends do. Real friend. Those who give a shit.

But he gets what she means. He’s been through it. When his mom had passed away people tried to comfort him with words and nice gestures and weirdly enough, a shit ton of homecooked meals. But they didn’t know. They didn’t live his grief. They may have had good intentions but that didn’t help him much at all. All he needed was someone to listen. All he needed was (Y/N).

“ … and when did you know you were in love with me ? “

She laughs a little smile and interlocks her fingers with his. Billy thumb softly stroking the side of her hand. 

“ You know,  I wish I had some cute story to tell but really it’s not very romantic. It was when we were 14 and I don’t even remember what day it was but it was summer and we were hanging out in my backyard just soaking up the sun and doing nothing and that’s the thing. I was doing absolutely nothing with you and I felt happier than ever. I love you because we can do nothing and it’s still enough for me. I want to do nothing with you for the rest of my life.”

It’s like a shot in the heart, a good one though. Like an entire package of sparklers just went off inside his chest.

“ I uh — I love you too by the way. I’m in love with you too “

It’s the first time he’s ever told anyone he’s in love. Ever.

“ When did you know ? “

“ Look at the bottom of the list, (Y/N) “

And there in 12 year old Billy’s scribbly handwriting it said “ Tell (Y/N) I’m in love with her “.

“ You knew at 12 years old ? “

“ Well yeah. You were the best thing 12 year old me had ever seen and you got me and you didn’t make fun of me and you were so perfectly weird in every way and I just — something changed the moment we met. “

“ I was weird ? I wasn’t weird, you punk “ (Y/N) exclaims jokingly slapping Billy’s arm.

“ You were talking to god as if he was listening. Telling him about Scooby Doo and Abba. That’s not weird ? “

“ Ah, guess you have a point there “ she admits and lays her head against Billy’s shoulder.

“ You know what I said then ? I asked for something good. I knew dad wasn’t getting better and that I would have to come to terms with it and that miracles don’t happen. I just wanted one good thing for myself. “

“ Did you get it ? “

There’s something in her eyes then that’s always been there but for the first time Billy knows what it is and he lets himself see if, feel it. It’s love. For him. For a reason he still can’t fully grasp but he doesn’t question it. Not this time.

When her lips meet his it’s like life is right again. Good again. And he can’t wait for their future to begin. In a few months he is gonna graduate and leave behind this mess of a town. From then on it will be just him and (Y/N) and it will be good. He’s gonna be with the person he cares about the most and the only person since his mother that cares about him just as much in return. He can’t wait for that future. He can’t wait.

“ Yeah I did. I got something real good. I got you “.

[lcvedol]

time: start! | entry 1 | prologue

x/x/x

I don’t know what to do. How to start..it’s so confusing. I’ve never really needed to mark my words down in a place like this, I’ve never had this much in my mind before now. Is anything going to ever read this? I mean- I write down things a lot! Song lyrics, thoughts, secrets.. I’d like to think of it as just something that belongs to me. It’s comforting, reassuring, even if It’s just me basically talking to myself. Maybe this is like a vent log? I can’t really look at this like a diary yet, so I guess I can just ramble here until further notice. 

I had to do a bit of counting, and I checked three times- there’s a total of nineteen people here, including me. We all just woke up in this..dusty, dirty room with no recollection at all of how we even got thrown into here. I can’t remember what happened, how I ended up here, but I was supposed to be on some kind of tour. Trapped in this room with so many different prodigies was a little stressful, but also kind of weird. My classmates..they’re all really different compared to one another. So many different talents! There’s even some kind of Vending Machine Placement Scout (her name is Atsu, and I like her hat). 

It’s so weird, I feel so alone despite the fact I’m with so many people. We all had to solve some kind of escape room puzzle? Everyone worked really hard to get out though, and I wish I could’ve been a little bit more of help..I’m not really the smartest- so I couldn’t really understand what to do. It was freaky, though, we were basically locked in! If we didn’t get out, would we have starved..? Would someone have just left us in there to die? God,I don’t want to think about it, but a REALLY tall guy managed to solve the puzzle (Cape! I think? He reminds me of a Pokemon, but I don’t know if he’d like me calling him that, so I won’t say it to his face! ^^;;). It was all number based, apparently, after we all put our heads together. It took a couple of hours, but I’m so relieved we got out all in one piece (I can’t say the same for my brain, though). 

I should probably talk a little bit about the people here, I guess! I haven’t gotten to talk to all of them, but I got to converse with a couple of people- maybe I can just talk about what I think of them? Is that rude? Probably, but I think I have an excuse for the time being. Whoever threw us in here must be happy with themselves, because I feel like I’m going insane already. I don’t have any idea who threw all of us into a room together, but it sucks, as you can probably guess.

Okay, first, I tried to pair up with this one guy..but I don’t think he was looking for friends? Not sure, but he seemed kind of down in the dumps (understandable have a nice day), so we paired up together! I didn’t get his name, but he had bleached hair and some black glasses. He didn’t directly seem rude, though, I’m sure he was just kind of cautious! I get that, maybe I shouldn’t have been so forward trying to befriend him? Ah..I’ll work on that later!

Tatsu-chan! I took a break from looking around to talk to her. Really excited girl, I like her a lot! She keeps messing my name up, but I don’t really mind, I just don’t want to seem rude if I try to correct her a lot. She’s the Ultimate Urban Legend, and I’ve heard a little bit about her? I scroll through the internet a little more than normal people, so I’ve caught some glimpses of her name. She’s an off the rails kind of girl, but she has good intentions. She just wants to have some good fun! I can understand that. There was this person in a grey bodysuit that came over in an apron, looked at me, and then immediately BOLTED. What did I do!! Was there something on my face??? God, I really don’t want to make a fool of myself in front of 18 other people!! They’re a chef, though, because I got to help them out a little bit in the hallway once we broke out of our freaking jail! They just seem shy, though, so that’s cute! I don’t mind shy people, it just takes time for them to break out of their shell. uvu

Setsuko-chan seemed helpful in our investigations, Atsu-chan as well, they both seem smart. One’s more friendly than the other, but I’m sure they’re as worried as I am. Ultimate Secretary, Ultimate Vending Machine Placement Scout, kind of wary about Setsuko-chan, but she reminds me of my mom, a little. Not in a weird way or anything- she’s just seems to be really mature and hard-working, so I’ll respect her anyway. I haven’t talked to Atsu-chan much yet, but she did a lot to break us out of here, so I respect her too! I just don’t want to be a bother to any of them, I was probably one enough not doing much in our investigation..T_T

Yves-chan made some kind of remark about someone bashing our heads in?- I don’t think it was a threat, but now I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight. :( Wtf :’( But she seems pretty! And cute! I like her hair! I’m sure she only said that because she dabbles in the horror genre, so I understand. It’s worth a chance to talk to her later, though! Her and Hisanobu-chan, the baker, paired up and got along pretty nicely I think? He likes to use “OHOHOHOHOHO” a lot! Except not in capitals. And not that loud. That probably seemed offensive, please don’t read this, ok?? <_<

There’s Elliot-chan! Tall, muscular, bartender, pretty good looking for a high-schooler, but I’m not hitting on him or anything!! He seems nice, but I haven’t really spoken to him. He seems like he knows what he’s doing, though! So that’s nice to have in this big dysfunctional family of ours (I mean class I’m just joking I swear I don’t know anyone here). 

There’s..uh...team...Team Fen..Fenrir? I think that’s what the monologue man called it? It’s ran by Protagonist-chan! I’m kidding, but he keeps calling himself that and I don’t get it!!! This isn’t an anime we’re in, it’s an escape room, I kept telling myself! But he has cool shoes that light up in the dark, so he automatically gets Shizuka Points! +500! Then there’s the bowlcut dude! He vapes, but I don’t know anything about vaping, but at least he didn’t blow it into my face or anything! Him and Rune-chan are bros, I think? And there’s Fleur-chan! She’s pretty, I like her hair a lot! She’s tiny too, and overall just pretty soft looking! Dirty mouth, though. And that’s the team! Maybe it’ll expand, later? I’m happy that they’re getting along.

There’s..someone in a gas mask. I don’t know who it is, but they seem kind of rough and tough like the bleached-hair dude. Haven’t spoken to them, but maybe I will...later?????? Idk? It depends on the time and place. Why are they wearing a mask though? :thinking emoji here: It’s a mystery!

The ice skater! Diantha-chan? I think? Yeah, her. She kind of rubbed me the wrong way just a little bit with the random comments, but I’m sure there’s more to her! I’m just kind of a little worried to see it, an ice queen at heart, I guess!

There was this random guy who gave me the sink eye when I tried to politely bribe the keypad (it had emotions- idk technology is crazy ok!! It looked like it had an AI), so I guess he doesn’t like me much! He’s the merchant, from what I read about him, but I won’t spare any details- he’s scary, and I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to try and talk to him. I’m going against my own morals on this one!

Mitama-chan! She seems like a real mom, and she was helpful too! Really nice and strong, pretty much the perfect girl from what I’ve seen of her! She’s an art appraiser, so I guess she has a pretty sharp eye, too. She’s someone I’d love to talk to over a cup of hot chocolate or tea! Whatever works for her.

Oliver! Ollie! Ollie-chan, yeah! Haven’t talked to him, but he seems like a real storyteller! He’s kind of uptight (which is again- understandable, have a nice day). He’s a writer, so I’m sure his mind is an enigma. I don’t know much about him otherwise. Cute name though! ^v^

Then there’s Kihaku-chan! He’s super chill and he’s a musician too! A taiko drummer! I can play the guitar and piano, but not the drums- so I applaud him for that! He’s a rhythm gamer, too, at least from what I remember when we talked! We did like the briefest collab in the world (when I was carrying someone too! Lololol), but we sounded absolutely beautiful together! He’s super talented and I admire his work a lot, even if I’ve only heard him once! I hope we can be friends and work more together!

And I think I covered everyone! What a colorful class I have, right? I hope I can meet their standards. I’ll update this more once I get the chance as time passes, mostly about people, events, the usual! Maybe write a couple of song lyrics in here when I get the chance? Might as well work in this, too! Hopefully nothing bad happens, but I’ll still write it down just in case.

Signing out,

miya☆