#but what if i gave you a statement directly talking about the remains of that event that you probably haven’t revisited since you moved away

[pineconnie]

someone should make a tma statement that’s about the house that the 17yo got taken in by the mr spider book and like the house is infested with spiders now and it mentions offhand an old book inside/near the doorstep that looks like it’s been sitting there for decades (but like that isn’t the main focus of the statement idk it can be another web thing) i think it’d be really evil for jon to have to read about that in s1 while still in deep denial

[tobiasdrake]

Your statement about the lack of Goku’s “poison” in Gohan’s heart makes me very excited for your thoughts on Super Saiyan 2. It’s fascinating that at his most bloodthirsty, Gohan is willing to drag out a fight even more than his father would be.

Oh yeah. Super Saiyan is a hell of a drug. I talked a bit about it here but focusing in a bit on Gohan:

Accessing tremendous power for short bursts at a time was always Gohan's big thing. He's never been able to keep it up for any length of time, and consequently it's never been more than a momentary distraction for his adversary.

But it's what he had. This was the power that was uniquely Gohan's own. Originally referred to as Gohan being a "Super Saiyan" before that term was later redefined to mean something different.

It's honestly never been clear what these explosive bursts of ki and battle fury are supposed to be beyond "Something something hybrid Saiyan". Goten and Trunks are hybrids too but their abilities don't act like this. They're much more traditional Saiyans, whereas Gohan's demeanor seems like 98% human and the remaining 2% is him snapping into a momentary Saiyan battle frenzy.

"I'M SO MAD I'M GOING TO HIT YOU WITH THE MOST POWERFUL ATTACK I'VE EVER IN MY LIFE-- well that failed. Okay, I'm done. That was literally all I had."

Kinda feels like this is meant to be connected to Super Saiyans in some way, right? Like. Setting aside Nappa literally calling him a Super Saiyan, it's not that dissimilar to what happens to Goku on Namek.

After Frieza kills Krillin, Goku snaps. The same way Gohan typically snaps.

And he's filled with intense power and intense battle fury.

It's worth noting that in the race to see which proto-Super Saiyan would ignite their transformation first, Vegeta directly equated Gohan's snaps to the Super Saiyan and wondered if he was actually the closest of all.

He's ultimately proven wrong when it's Goku, not Gohan or Vegeta, who ignites his Super Saiyan transformation for the first time. But it certainly is interesting the way Gohan's hybrid powers and the Super Saiyan are being conflated, and I generally wonder if this is something Toriyama simply didn't elaborate on sufficiently.

Because this conflation of Gohan's hybrid strength and the Super Saiyan forms the basis of what would later be known as Super Saiyan 2.

Goku's plan for winning the Cell Games is to trigger Gohan's rage powers as a Super Saiyan. This became the focus of their training after he gave up on breaking the Super Saiyan's limits.

Limit-broken Super Saiyan forms suck actually, so Goku decided it would be better to perfect the form itself while working within its natural limits.

Instead of trying to trade up to a stronger Super Saiyan form, instead the plan became to become better at being Super Saiyans. Part of which, something Goku had already been working on with Gohan before he broke the limit, was reining in form's heightened aggression and battle lust.

This was pretty much the crux of their training. How do I Super Saiyan without bleeding ki? How do I Super Saiyan without blind fury? How do I Super Saiyan without berserker movements? How do I Super Saiyan as a martial art?

But you can also see the wheels turning in Goku's head in retrospect, can't you? The similarities between Gohan's rage power and the Super Saiyan? Goku's planning to use Gohan's rage flareups to defeat Cell. Meanwhile, for the focus of their training, he's teaching Gohan to resist the effects of enhanced aggression without losing the power it brings, instead mastering that power to make it his own.

Goku did a bit of a tricksy there, didn't he? There's a reason Kaio officially declared Goku to be a formal master back on Namek.

He does make a miscalculation by assuming that just being in a fight will be enough to make Gohan snap.

Gohan has the spirit of a hero, not the spirit of a warrior. He's only ever snapped as a reaction to people being hurt; Never to win a fight. Doesn't even need to be people he cares about; He once triggered to save a Namekian child in a village under fire. But that's where his motivation lies. His fury isn't battle lust, it's outrage for the mistreatment of other people.

So, bit of a flaw in the plan. Story wouldn't be interesting if everything went off without a hitch every time. But once it works, it works.

It's super weird that the Buu arc made this an attainable form for Goku and Vegeta because the way it's presented here is uniquely Gohan's own. What would later be called "Super Saiyan 2" in a way that is hilariously disrespectful to Super Vegeta and Super Trunks was originally just. Like. Gohan's rage power channeled and controlled through his mastery of the Super Saiyan.

The one fed into the other and the result was this.

Still compassionate.

But merciless.

And cruel.

Fun fact: The anime dials down some of the violence with Cell because some of the shit in this arc is gorey as fuck. Toei made all the Cell Juniors erupt into blue smoke upon death to avoid having to animate too much of the intense violence Gohan inflicts on them, such as that decapitation seen above.

They did a similar thing to Cell himself. Cell gets torn up quite a bit to show off his regenerative abilities, with the anime replacing shots of Cell's vaguely drawn but bloody insides:

With. Uh. Whatever this juicy rubber anus is supposed to be.

Anime Cell, I have so many questions about your internal biology. But I digress.

Gohan's first order of business is, true to the heart of his character, to snatch the Senzu away from Cell and help his friends. Even in the grip of even more Saiyan battle lust than Goku's training prepared him for, Gohan's still a hero first and a warrior second.

Gohan learns from his mistake, grows as a fighter, and resolves this time to bring an end to--STOP

HERO TIME

He just. He can't help himself. This is who he is in his heart of hearts. This is literally:

All over again. This is who Gohan is in his heart of hearts: A kindhearted and compassionate boy who cares more about helping other people than about winning fights.

Even the Super Saiyan can't take that away from him.

[kitorin]

OUR SPRING

013. bros before hoes

a/n. rin pov for this chapter !

July 2022

Challenges and new difficulties never scared or worried Rin.

However, that was only limited to football. Sure, a successful change in career was an amazing feat done by him, and it doesn't compare to moving up a class in mathematics. But in music, he has the other three, as well as the company, and on the soccer field there are 10 other players by his side, as well as the bench, coach and manager.

But within this classroom, he was on his own.

He knew that very well, and his expectations were met the moment he walked in and settled down at a desk.

"Why is Rin in this class?"

"He's delusional if he thinks he can do well here."

"Isn't he really stupid?"

Hate isn't something foreign to Rin. Even before becoming an idol many despised him and his diligence, as well as his skills and abilities. They can't do anything to him; they don't even have the guts to say it directly at him because they know they his fame won't let them get away with it.

What really worried him, was how true their statements were.

"Oi Tada." Rin wasn't one to involve himself in any drama, but this time he was genuinely curious, and was also technically apart of it. He carefully listened to the stranger without making it obvious.

"Don't go around running your mouth. Especially about grades when you've only gotten 60% at best here." Aside from English, Rin would've considered 60% on a test great, to him, a pass was a pass.

'Tada' was offended, immediately lashing out. "I'm sorry you're smart, only three people got As last semester." What kind of excuse was that?

The stranger remained stoic, Rin would've retaliated violently if someone tried to justify their words by calling him skilled. "Then join us three, shouldn't be that hard?"

"The tests here are hard-"

"Doesn't matter. Regardless of how hard it is you have no right to judge someone else and are in position to do so or even try."

The argument was cut short with the arrival of the teacher, but the winner was evident; the calm stranger sat next to Rin. Must be a fan of his if they sat with him without hesitation.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I already said I was." He had no idea why they kept bothering with him, maybe if he gave them an autograph they'll stop.

"Geez. You're cold."

"Then go sit somewhere else." Rin missed when all his actions and words weren't monitored, now he can't call anyone an idiot or lukewarm without getting cancelled.

"You think I want to sit near that?" He'd rather die than admit it, but the disgusted accentuation of the last word and the gesture towards the rest of the class amused him. "That's what I thought."

"So, what's your name?" They continued speaking. "I'm y/n."

The question proves his guess wrong, you weren't a fan and didn't even know who he was. There's a tiny bit of guilt for assuming otherwise.

"Itoshi Rin."

"Nice meeting you. I'll be seeing you a lot from now on."

"Doubt that." Give it a test or two and the teacher would start convincing him to move back down to standard. "Studying isn't my thing."

"You're so pessimistic." You switch to a whisper, as the teacher assigns work for revision of the previous semester.

"I'm being realistic. I'm shit at school." He wouldn't talk about himself this much with someone outside of his band, but his academic capabilities were no secret, pretty much everyone knew how low his results were.

"So? You can improve a lot regardless."

"Easier said than done."

"I was bad at math last year."

"Your idea of bad is anything under an A." It's a guess, most people who were good at school would rather die than get anything that wasn't outstanding. Rin acknowledges how suffocating perfectionism was, especially when people invalidate the sense of disappointment just because others would kill for the same result; now he sort of understands how other soccer players felt.

"I guess that's true." Rin scoffs at your agreement. "But I've done a lot worse than a B."

"Can't be that bad."

"47% was my first result last year." It's pretty good in comparison to Rin's results, but if a pass was a pass, then a fail was a fail. "Then I got around 70%." You probably ended up investing in tuition if you improved that much.

"Then 30%." That sounded a lot more relatable to Rin.

"You weren't wrong about bad."

"See? But then I got an 87% after that."

"Are you here just to show off your grades?" It came out coldly, but he didn't say it with hostile intentions.

"No, my point is, anyone can improve."

"Don't bother, I can't get a tutor."

" You don't need a tutor either, I didn't need one." But we're not the same. Rin's so tempted to say it out loud, why were you trying so hard to help him?

"Fine. I'll give you a term and if you were wrong don't even bother."

"Deal."

Rin's happy.

He can't help but grin (a rare occasion) at the 75% in bright red, you really weren't lying when you insisted he'd be fine. It's not exactly perfect, nor an A, but it's such a significant improvement and that's all that matters; he's proud of himself.

"See? I told you you'd do better. Well done." You pat his shoulder, as you're both on the way to the station.

Even if you were wrong about him, he'd still be content. Not only you were efficient at teaching, but you were also kind, and a generally comfortable person to be around. Nothing you said was unnecessary or illegitimate, you were honest but not harsh.

Rin's opened up to you a lot. From the reason why he quit soccer to another potential career change in the future. It didn't matter what it was since you always listened without judgement.

"I can't take any credit, it's all yours. You're the one who taught me everything. He still can't understand why you think of him so highly, you're the one who put most of the effort into making sure he could perform well, while maintaining your own grade simultaneously.

"Don't discredit yourself."

Before Rin can respond, you continue speaking.

"It was you who ultimately decided to join the advanced class, you put a lot of effort it without ruining the rest of your schedule. Be proud of yourself Rin, most people can't even dream of confronting their struggles. It's scary to try something new."

Rin agrees with the last statement, even if he did it with the expectation of giving up quickly.

"y/n."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"For?"

"Everything." For defending him on the first day. For helping him. For believing in him.

"That's what friends are for, no?"

Friends. The closest to those were his bandmates (or as Reo calls it 'family', with him as the doting parent and Hyoma and Rin as the 'kids'), or teammates, who he doesn't even speak to anymore. You're probably the first person to willingly talk to him normally, not because you're forced to or interested in his fame.

Rin pulls you in for a hug, earning a surprised gasp from you. He releases you quickly, after processing what he just did.

"Sor-"

But before he can finish apologising, you hug him back, to Rin, the affection is foreign yet welcomed.

July 2023

Rin tosses his phone onto his bed, as he drops his school bag on the floor. He'd never tell him but the conversation with Hyoma had a smile tugging at his lips; both at how ridiculous is was and how it reminded him of you.

There's a deep sense of gratitude Rin has, that two of his close friends are dating; because he cares for both of you. He knows very well that you're both amazing people (even if he does slander Hyoma constantly) and only wants the best for your relationship.

TWELVE | FOURTEEN | MASTERLIST

PAIRING. chigiri hyoma x reader

SYNOPSIS. school gets overwhelming with constant rumours and accusations, thankfully someone is willing to help. but what happens when this mutually beneficial agreement escalates into something more?

GENRE. social media au, fake dating, idol / actor au

TAGLIST. @saesins, @angelchigiri, @punkhazardlaw, @silly-ez, @y-sabell-a, @mellozhi, @luvlunazx, @oldest-dream-pdf, @misfits1a, @hoshithinker, @livelaughloveisagiyoichi, @mave-in, @rinsie, @luvcryo, @fabitheraven, @h3xi2g0n3

© kitorin : do not repost, plagiarize, change, or translate

[why-am-i-here-someone-save-me]

Then Came The Dawn Pt. 3

Ever since the execution of the ‘imposter’ Ajax had not used his Vision. When he fought, he did so using only his Delusion. If asked why, he would have given a rather blunt answer. “If Celestia cannot be bother to intervene on behalf of the Creator; I want nothing to do with them or their gaze. I’ve no desire for a gift from gods who stand by while something so catastrophic occurrs. They can have their Vision back for all I care.”

The Fatui were a rather efficient force. However, there were some things that even they struggled to carry through. Which is why four whole weeks after Tartaglia sent out his subordinates to search Guyun Stone Forest; they finally had returned with news. The harbinger had wasted no time, setting out for the cluster of islets immediately.

Upon drawing near to them, the Sigil of Protection began to respond, a sort of invisible tugging urging him forward. He reached what seemed to be a plain and featureless wall of rock, but suddenly the talisman flew from his hand, floating in front of the wall, glowing brighter and brighter.

Childe’s eyes widened slightly as the wall seemed to melt into thin air, revealing a passageway behind it. Shaking off his surprise, he grabbed the now dull sigil and entered.

If his instincts were correct; Osial would know what happened to the so called “imposter”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were a bit surprised at how much of a conversationalist the overlord was, but the surprise was soon to give way to appreciation. He was happy to talk about anything and everything with you, from the mundane affairs of your life before waking up in Teyvat, to your slime companions you’d made on the run. You miss them dearly. In return he told you of times before the archon war, lore you’d never heard before coming straight from something who witnessed it transpire.

While on your journey of trying not to get murdered, you’d grown to not talk very much. In fact, it was your capture that brought the first words out of you in months; resigned words of disappointment aimed at the characters you’d once loved. You hadn’t been merciful with them, each statement had been crafted to cut deeply; each one aimed directly at their most sensitive areas.

“Guizhong would be disappointed.”

“So much for your ‘new age’ Kequing.”

“And here you claim to be a pacifist. Lying doesn’t make you look good Ganyu.”

“Judging someone for their appearance is rather hypocritical of you Xinyan.”

“I see your concept of chivalry is as fake as your pen name Xingqiu.”

“All the mora in the world won’t make you a better person Ningguang.”

“Did the other Yaksha murder people too, or is that just your personal habit Alatus?”

“You should get those red strings looked at Shenhe: they don’t seem to be working.”

“Last time I checked, a person who truly pursued justice wouldn’t go along with a witch hunt Yanfei.”

All of Liyue had been there, and you’d made sure to hit each and every one of the vision holders with your blades of harsh words.

Your words had been cruel, and you knew it. Occasionally you regretted them, but then the memory of what you’d gone through, of what they put you through, would come to the front of your mind and the guilt would wither and die on the spot.

Regardless, it was rare for you to speak after what you went for, and you appreciated Osial filling the silence.

While on the run you had loved silence. Silence meant peace: silence meant a moment of respite.

Now though, now that you no longer had the shadow of death lingering over you at every moment, the silence gave your mind ample time to reflect on your woes.

But Osial seemed to understand, as he gladly kept you company, and his companionship kept the demons in your mind at bay. It was only in his presence that you felt safe enough that you could fall asleep, and he would remain with you while you rested, there for you should the trauma of the hunt torment you with nightmares. Osial was always nearby when you awoke.

Which is why your heart was currently pounding loudly. You’d woken up, but he wasn’t here with you. You begin to frantically search for the overlord, only to freeze when you hear Osial seemingly speaking to someone. You know you should confront the situation head on, but you couldn’t work up the courage to do it. Interacting with someone aside from Osial isn’t something you think your ready for yet, and so you opt to stay hidden in the shadows.

“I cannot tell if you are simply a fool, or overly courageous. Walking into a god’s domain never ends well for mortals, so let’s get to the point immediately here. Who are you, and why have you sought me out?”

“Their Grace, you saved them right? They’re okay, right?”

Osial’s voice turns guarded and tense at the others words.

“And if I did? What does it matter to one of the mortals who forsook them?”

The seabed trembles ever so slightly, and the overlords voice hardens. If you likened his usual tone to a gentle current; this would be a raging maelstrom in contrast.

“If you have come to harm them further, I recommend you turn around and leave before I strike you down personally.”

The reply you hear is a familiar voice, but it takes a moment for you to place it. You cautiously peek into the room where the two are speaking, and sure enough, it’s exactly who you’d thought.

“…A-Ajax…?”

Both the god and the harbinger freeze before turning to face you. Osial visibly calms down at the sight of you alive and well, while Childe on the other hand takes you by surprise. There’s practically tears of relief in his eyes, and before you can even truly process that information, he kneels in front of you.

“Your Grace I’m so relieved to see you are safe.”

“H-Huh?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The explanation that the ginger provided certainly helped you make sense of things, but that left you with a choice. A choice which in all honesty, you weren’t sure you’d be able to make. You had no shortage of options, but you didn’t know which was the truly “right” answer, and that’s assuming there was a right answer at all.

You could remain with Osial here in this small haven of peace you’d managed to find.

You and Osial could leave with the harbinger, and work with the Tsarita to overthrow both your mimic and Celestia, though a run-in with Morax would be certain; there’s no way he wouldn’t notice Osial being outside of the seal.

Or you could lash back at Liyue for the suffering it’s people caused you; paying back their cruelty with destruction.

While a small part of you wanted to pursue vengeance, to make them pay, you couldn’t find the resolve too. You were just so tired of the fighting. So tired of chaos. You just wanted to rest. There had already been enough bloodshed. You didn’t want any more.

The thought of staying here was a comforting one. Hiding away from the cruel world that had deserted you had been blissful so far, and you weren’t entirely sure you wanted to give it up.

But…

That thing…

It was still wearing your face, speaking with your voice, going by your name.

The fact alone made you feel nauseous. You weren’t like them, not an abusive tyrant like you’d seen them be; yet they sullied your name, your identity; with their acts.

No, you didn’t want vengeance on Liyue.

You wanted vengeance on the accused creature that had ordered your death, and it alone.

“……Alright. When should we leave then?”

“[Name] are you certain you wish to do this? Once we leave this place, you will be in danger again.”

“I know. But I can’t just let that thing hurt people, especially not while hiding behind my identity.”

“…If you are certain, then I will not oppose. I pledged my service to you, and whilst I may not be as strong as I once was, I will do everything in my power to keep you safe [Name].”

Taglist: @nicebonescomrade @dunno-why-im-here-either @alvedrea @numwoon44 @samarill @imaginewriting @nookiesposts @genshrineimpact @bamboowritess @rizakari @eccedentesiast-sapphic @emperatris-rinaka @deathkat657 @sectionmoment @unknownperson-is-not-known

Wanna be on the Taglist? Just lemme know and I’ll add ya!

[kataraslove]

i’ll admit, it took me a long time to understand what hakoda (and gene luen yang) could possibly have meant by this panel. because as far as i’m concerned, there are two instances in which aang has sacrificed himself/his duties for katara:

when he offers to give himself up to the fire nation to protect her in the first episode

when he gives up learning cosmic energy for her

for both instances, i doubt hakoda has heard about directly from aang. maybe the first one from sokka and katara. but as far as the second one goes, i read somewhere that aaron ehasz had confirmed that aang would never tell katara about how he gave up completing his training to protect her - that would make her feel even worse about his death.

so what could hakoda possibly be referencing by his statement regarding sacrificial love? and no, he’s not talking about the time her fanon love interest took lightening for her in these sets of panels lmao. especially not when the boy that she’s actually in love with literally appears around the corner in the next panel.

interestingly, the reason why gene luen yang started having katara and aang call each other sweetie in his comics in the first place is because katara’s mother originally called her sweetie in the series. and given that there’s clear distinct parallels between aang sacrificing himself to the fire nation to protect katara in the second episode & kya sacrificing herself to the fire nation to protect katara in the southern raiders….

Aang: If I go with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone? (B1EP2: The Avatar Returns)

Kya I: If I tell you, do you promise to leave the rest of the village alone? (B3EP16: The Southern Raiders)

…. it makes sense then that hakoda is more or less echoing the words that the guru had advised aang, but this time to his daughter. “love is a form of energy and it swirls all around us.”

the real, sacrificial love that he’s talking about, the one that kya had for katara - the most important type of love that katara held on for years and years - has indeed not left the world. it is instead reborn into the form of new love - the love that aang has for katara and the love that she has for him in return.

and this is so important for katara to hear, because her entire arc in north and south is learning to find a balance between staying true to her traditions and cultures while embracing the changes of the future. katara needed to hear that her love for her mother could never die out, because love, as a form of energy, has remained the same - instead reincarnating into her love for aang and their shared future together.

thus, the promise of new but old love becomes the hope and encouragement that katara seeks in order to embrace the changes that start to come to herself, her family, and to her tribe in the post-war era.

[aquadestinyswriting]

Titan Modern AU- Chapter Four

Summary: Meredith and Elowyn have a chat with Starhammer regarding the shooting that took place two days ago, and what Fangthane's interest in it is.

Words: 1,798

Tags: @druidx, @sparrow-orion-writes @warriorbookworm, @thesorcerersapprentice, @blind-the-winds, @philosophika, @the-down-upside-finch, @hippiewrites

Warnings: Political BS incoming.

Notes: Had to do a little more worldbuilding for this one. Enjoy the little history lesson.

Meredith hovered in the door an extra moment, before Starhammer’s flat stare forced her to march in and stand at semi-attention next to the sofa that Detective O’Toreguarde was now sitting in. Starhammer ambled back to his desk and sat on the edge of it, stroking his impressive moustache,

“I had rather been hoping that I’d misheard the name Gruksdottir gave me, Detective. Not that I’m displeased to see ye, mind, but given why I need to talk to you…” he trailed off, glancing over to Meredith, who was looking between the Detective and her Lieutenant with a politely confused expression. He ‘harrumphed’ and looked back at Elowyn, “Given the situation, I think it’s only fair that one of us explains a few things to Constable Gruksdottir.” he said. 

Meredith stood a little more at attention,

“Sir, if necessary, I can leave the room and get back to my post –” she started, before Starhammer held up a hand to cut her off,

“Negative, Constable. Command has requested that you be informed of the situation as it pertains to the security of the Kingdom with Toreguarde’s borders, seeing as you’re the only officer here besides myself for the time being.” he replied. The Lieutenant’s statement caused both women to frown in wary confusion, first at each other, then at the old man sitting in front of them. Elowyn sighed, then nodded,

“I suppose it would be advantageous to explain why and how you know who I am.” she conceded. She looked over to the Constable, whose frown of confusion had only deepened, “Lady Frigidwake and I know each other on a personal basis. She, and her friends, took me under their wing after the chaos of the attacks that almost destroyed Toreguarde ten years ago died down and we started to rebuild. We’ve become close since then, and consider ourselves as family.” she explained.

Meredith nodded as she took in what Detective O’Toreguarde had said,

“I, of course, had heard about the attacks.” she said, finally sitting on the arm of the sofa, her voice low. “I was only a bairn at the time, but my Uncle Snorri and my brothers, Alfie and Magni, were deployed to help in the defence of Toreguarde, in honour of the alliance between our states.” Meredith looked down at the floor, her hands gripping at her kilt, “Only my uncle made it back in one piece.” she murmured. She shook her head to clear the memories away and looked back up at the Torejar Detective and Lieutenant Starhammer, “However, I fail to see what Detective O’Toreguarde’s relationship with Lady Frigidwake has to do with the shooting that occurred two days ago.” she said.

Elowyn’s face fell into a sympathetic grimace as Meredith spoke. No one had asked Fangthane to send reinforcements, but they had been enough to secure Toreguarde’s continued existence. Without them, Elowyn dreaded to think what would have become of her home and what remained of her family. She, likewise, shook her head to clear away the unwanted memories and looked up at Lieutenant Starhammer, her face twisting into an unhappy grimace,

“I’m guessing word has reached Fangthane about what happened?” she asked. Starhammer nodded, his face, likewise, falling into an unhappy frown,

“Aye, lass.” he confirmed. He glanced over to Meredith, who was looking more confused than ever. He sighed and shook his head, speaking directly to Meredith for the moment,

“D’ye remember the attempted assisination of King Storri a few years ago?” he asked. Meredith sat more upright and nodded,

“Aye, sir, I was a cadet at the time, but it was the only topic of conversation back at HQ for at least two months after.” she replied. She glanced over to Detective O’Toreguarde, who was staring at the window, not moving a muscle, “I also recall the… upset over Toreguarde’s refusal to extradite the suspects back to Fangthane when they fled here.” she added. Starhammer nodded,

“Aye, that caused quite a lot of upset alright.” he muttered. He stood and walked behind his desk, “It will not surprise you then, Constable, to hear that those same suspects are currently being investigated for the attempted assisination of the Triumverate Council of Toreguarde.” he said, leaning on the desk and looking at Elowyn.

To her credit, Meredith thought, the only reaction Detective O’Toreguarde had to the statement was a very slight twitch in her jaw. She watched as the Torejar woman sucked in a breath and slowly let it out before speaking,

“Olin, I understand that you have a duty to the Crown of Fangthane. But I’m just a detective, I’m not someone who has any authority over the decisions of the Toreguarde Council.” She stated, “I was put on this case to track down and bring in any and all individuals responsible for the crime that was committed. No more, no less.” she added firmly. 

Starhammer blustered for a moment at the candid reply, before huffing an irritated sigh and sitting in his seat, the metal and plastic creaking loudly as he leaned back,

“I know ye don’t have that kind of authority, lass. That’s not why I’m annoyed.” he groaned, “The point is that I’ve been ordered by High Command – at the behest of the King’s Guard, mind – to try and convince the Toreguarde Council to agree to their latest extradition request.” he sighed.

Elowyn frowned in confusion once more,

“I fail to see the problem, Lieutenant. Yes, the Toreguarde Council has previously refused to extradite any members of the Grimbeard Clan back to Fangthane, mostly because they were seeking political refuge, claiming they were being targeted due to being open Throffites –” she was cut off by Meredith’s snort of derision,

“Bloody bollocks is what that is.” the constable muttered in Ghàidheal. Starhammer sent her a sharp glare, cowing the younger officer, before gesturing for Elowyn to continue.

Elowyn glanced between the two Fangthanians warily. Clearly there was some contention there. She shrugged it off and continued,

“However, given this latest turn of events; should any members of the Grimbeard Clan be convicted of the attempted assassination of the Triumverate Council, then I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to extradite them to Fangthane afterwards.” she said. Starhammer grimaced,

“That’s the problem, hen, His Majesty wants them extradited now, not later. High Command isn’t convinced that having them tried in Toreguarde first will lead to the request being granted. The expectation is that the Toreguarde Council will stall for time by insisting that the criminals serve their time here first, which could be at least another twenty years.” He shook his head, “I’m already arguing the toss about this with yer aunt.” he added.

Elowyn sat more upright, her face set into a determined grimace,

“While I appreciate that you think you’re trying to prevent any issues pertaining to my relationship with Lady Frigidwake – and her involvement in the mess that is the relationship between Toreguarde and Fangthane – I can assure you that you have nothing to worry about. I’ve already cleared my involvement in the case with the Attorney General.” she said firmly. “In fact, I think she asked Fugit to put me on this case.” she added.

Starhammer blinked for a moment, ‘harrumphed’, then crossed his arms over his chest and grumbled,

“Right. Well now I know who to direct Selene to when she throws a fit about yer involvement.” 

“When she throws a fit about my almost getting shot you mean.” 

Starhammer pursed his lips, but said nothing in response. Instead, he turned his attention to Meredith, who was looking pointedly out of the office window,

“Gruksdottir, I do hope ye’ve been paying attention and not been daydreaming on the job.” he called. Meredith snapped her head around so she was looking at her Lieutenant,

“I have, sir, I simply believed it wise to not get directly involved in the latter part of your conversation as it seemed personal, sir.” she stated, trying her best not to look as offended by the comment as she felt. Starhammer nodded,

“Good.” he said, “Now that you know what’s what, I want you to look up any files we might still have here about the Grimbeard Clan and corroborate with Detective O’Toreguarde to make sure our records on them are up to date.” he ordered. “I might as well have something to give Sergeant Major Ragnarsson when he calls for an update.” he added with another grumble.

Meredith hopped off her perch, stood to attention and saluted,

“Aye sir.” she said. She looked over to Elowyn, who looked between both Fangthanians and nodded, also standing up. The detective gave the Lieutenant a short bow,

“I’ll have a talk with Captain Fugit about what other information we might be allowed to give you. I want to see justice done as much as you do, Lieutenant, and I’m not going to stop until those responsible are behind bars. Though, which ones those will be, I cannot say.” she told him. Starhammer sighed,

“I’m sure ye will, lass. Go on then, I’ll not keep you any longer. Gruksdottir, ye’re dismissed.” he said wearily.

Meredith saluted again, turned on her heel and marched to the door, holding it open for Detective O’Toreguarde and quickly following her out into the reception area. She gestured to another door across the small reception area,

“Why don’t we sort out that witness statement first?” the Constable suggested, hiding a small smile at the barely hidden flustered expression on the other woman’s face. Not that she thought the slightly shorter woman looked quite cute like this. Of course not.It was a strictly professional observation.

Elowyn’s eyes went wide and she ran a hand down her face,

“Cuthbert’s scales.” she groaned, but quickly collected herself, “Yes, of course. I apologise, that conversation with Lieutenant Starhammer derailed things a little bit.” she added. Meredith shook her head,

“It’s no trouble, I realised that we’d all gotten a bit waylaid.” she glanced at her watch. It was now 1:15. She grimaced as her stomach rumbled, loudly. Elowyn cleared her throat to cover up her snort of laughter at the flush of red that spread across the Fangthanian woman’s cheeks and nose,

“Tell you what, Constable, why don’t we grab you some lunch? Then, assuming Lieutenant Starhammer’s relieved you of guard duty in favour of looking into the Grimbeards, we can pop down the station and get the statement out of the way. Then I can find some information that might be of help to you after that’s done.” she suggested. Meredith blew her breath through her moustache with an annoyed huff, but nodded,

“Aye, that sounds like a plan.” she agreed. Both women then turned to the stairs and made their way down them in almost perfect lockstep.

[sl-walker]

OTW Candidate Q&As

There’s some interesting stuff in there, but the upshot of this post is that only two of the candidates mentioned supporting a decentralization of fandom, and only one of those candidates actually reached out to Walter and I to ask how we got otw-archive running and the effort it took.

Anh P. still remains the best, in my opinion, for having a genuinely balanced view of not only what problems OTW is facing, but also in how to look into fixing those.  They also go into their thought processes as to how and why they’re thinking the way they are without coming across as some kind of weird HR Generalist, which can’t be said for some of the candidates.

I appreciate the shoutout, but more than that, I absolutely appreciate that they took the time to listen and discuss ways to decentralize fandom and make it so that the Organization for Transformative Works is actually -- get this -- for more than just this one archive and one wiki.  That they collaborated with Walter and I to do something about the problem, even before being elected, because they’re committed to fandom (and diversity in fandom) and want OTW to be for fandom.  

Which is not the feeling I got from almost all of the other candidates.  Kathryn S. was the only other one discussing supporting other, indie archives (and gave Walter and I a shout out as well), but didn’t contact us directly.

(Even though it’s frankly embarrassingly easy to get ahold of us, and we also are two incredibly geeky people who would love to talk about our archives and the love behind them that had us putting in this work and giving hours and hours of time to it.)

Anyway, you can read all of the statements here.  In terms of who I am willing to personally vote for, Anh is still number one contender.  They not only impressed me when they reached out, their answers are balanced and detailed and explained.

Second might be Kathryn.

The rest need to stop circling the wagons around AO3 as if somehow having a giant monopoly on fandom, and borg-assimilating struggling archives before offering them any help staying alive, is a good thing.  OTW was never meant to be just AO3.  I remember when it started.  A couple of those candidates are frankly embarrassing in their answers; AO3 is never gonna love you back, you couple I’m talking about, so maybe stop worshipping the golden idol.

There ya have it.  Ad Astra’s founder and archivist is officially endorsing Anh P. now for OTW Board.  And if you want to talk about how Walter and I did it (and how we want to help others to!), you know, we’re right here.

My two cents to rub together, for what they’re worth.  Thanks.

[midnightactual]

A lightly edited rant on parts of Ryōgo Narita's postscript from Can't Fear Your Own World vol. III:

When Matsubara and I met Kubo directly in order to prepare for the novels, we asked him rapid-fire questions about the mysteries remaining in BLEACH’s world: “What about that?! What happened in that part?!” “What about that character’s past?!” When we heard Kubo’s responses, I was blown away by his many charming creations. “Wh-why didn’t you include the past of the Reio and the aristocrats and the underside of the world in the original story?!” When I asked him that, he gave me a clear answer that I couldn’t disagree with: “This is a story about Ichigo and the Soul Reapers’ battle, so I didn’t want to muddy the story’s focus by taking it away from that.” Regardless of the past, Ichigo and the other Soul Reapers were fighting in order to stay true to their souls. If the story’s focus were shifted away from that, then it would no longer be a part of BLEACH’s original narrative. However, though he had purposefully not written it as part of the original story, when I heard about the many incredibly fascinating backstories he had, I automatically asked him, “In that case, may I divulge those things you’ve established as part of my novelization?” I was sure that would cause him to angrily respond, “Did you even hear what I said?” However, rather than being angry, Kubo was kind enough to give me even more intricate details about what he had created and gave me a lot of advice about a new character that would need to be created. Then, as a result of the conversation about which character, who wasn’t Ichigo and who would preferably be part of the Soul Reapers themselves, could fight against that malicious head of the Four Great Noble Clans, we chose Shuhei Hisagi as the main character.

I want to focus on the bolded sections in reverse order. For the second:

screw off! literally the entire novel, okay, the two people constantly on Tokinada's ass are Shunsui and Yoruichi. Yoruichi as a Great Noble who despises Tokinada as a piece of shit and actually fights him twice, and Shunsui as a Noble who hates the nobility. Shuuhei DOESN'T EVEN FIGHT Tokinada! he fights Hikone! he barely interacts with Tokinada! but you wanna blow smoke up our asses in the author's notes at the end about how he fights against him when we have literally just seen that is not true. bullshit. he comes in at the last minute as a deus ex machina so Kenpachi doesn't chop Hikone in half. screw you. it was literally a Yoruichi and Shunsui novel that you then turned into the Shinji and Shuuhei Bankai Extravaganza which doesn't even matter now because Shinji's Bankai is in the anime and I'll bet SP shows Shuuhei's Bankai training. you claim that it revealed the truth of all this lore, but actually it revealed pretty much jack shit. okay, let me explain that last statement. suppose we are talking about the Ukraine War, okay? and I tell you it's the last battle of the Eastern and Western Roman Empire for supremacy. you go, "huh?" and I tell you about Romulus and Remus and the Trojan War, and then I don't tell you anything else. wouldn't you still be going "huh?" that's what they did!

For the first:

hey Kubo, you jerk, you had these end chapter omake. 686 of them! MAYBE DO SOMETHING USEFUL WITH THEM AND USE THEM TO SHOW YOUR HOMEWORK instead of a crummy sketch? like AT THE START OF THE MANGA? how about THOSE FIVE DATA BOOKS YOU GOT? the ones where you just repeated the same info over and over and over? "I didn't want to muddy the waters and let anyone understand the stakes or the context or why any of this shit was actually happening because the EMOTIONAL RESONANCE was so vital" oh my god piss off with your self-serving bullshit and inability to plan or utilize your time well

I would also like to note this:

By the way, after Matsubara and I heard the story of how Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihoin met, both of us said the same thing immediately. “You have to draw that with your own hand as a manga, Kubo!” Or “Really, I’d like to read that as a manga!” Those fascinating characters as well as a story hidden within the world…

fuck you

[magpiejay1234]

I guess I can talk about the Takato/Juri relationship, but Konaka flip-flops with it, and given the later canon stories he wrote for Tamers timeline, I'm pretty sure he felt rather disappointed that he didn't default for the main guy/main girl ship with Takato/Ruki. Kind of shame really, considering how well the relationship is written.

Also, though Konaka put lots of thought to Ruki's character for the early part of Tamers, it seems some of the remaining resentment from Adventure 02's production left their mark, since he didn't realize her initial arc is kind of a speed-run of Ken's Kaiser storyline. This gets funnier since due to executive meddling, we insert Ryo to Ruki's story, just like how we did with Ken.

In the same vein, given Willis's later characterization in the 02 post-canon stuff, I wonder if there was some weird cross-pollination between his character, and Jiangliang's. Jiangliang's later characterization in the aforementioned post-canon Tamers works is quite different, so I suspect there has been some cross-pollination, but that didn't stick of course.

Of course, we may need to discuss about Guilmon. Its design was made way before Tamers, during Adventure 02 era, same as other main Digimon (of course, besides Impmon, rest of the partner Digimon are straight up Adventure era Digimon that didn't get much screentime, so Toei could reap the merch, and use old character reference artwork). However, in-canon its design is humorous, since it is literally an older-looking Agumon, but with Devilman wing ears, and Unit-01-like Berserk Mode. Of course, as others noted, it is indeed one of the edgy Virus-Types, used by the Adventure villains, and Ken's partner Wormmon. Considering Devilman inspiration for most Devil Man Digimon, this implies Takato reads Go Nagai's very erotic stuff, and outside of his friend circle, is actually an edgelord. He is truly the Digimon fanbase's collective manifestation.

Another thing, though the Dub is more explicit about this, Takato, and to a lesser extent, his friend group, are supposed to represent the cross-media aspect of Digimon, specifically the animé, and toy merch, similar to how Ruki represents the TCG, and Jiangliang represents the video game part. JesuOtaku's commentary would give you to wrong idea, as it is true that there are no explicit references to Adventure besides Hirokazu's shirt (and Cathode Tamer reference in the Japanese original), but it is pretty obvious that is what being referenced. The fact that they don't explicitly reference Adventure is a good thing, though, since otherwise the cast would be too savy about the upcoming events (and basically undo most of the plot before it occurs), but there would be big continuity flub with Ryo, bigger than the currently existing one. (Ryo was planned to be added to third series beforehand, but Konaka's statements imply he didn't initially know this, so this obscuring of Adventure references was likely not planned in advance.)

That said, if by random chance they gave the option of making a Tamers reboot to Atsuhiro Tomioka, I can immediately expect for him to make an entire season about these weird continuity flubs, and make Tamers gang too genre savy, only for them stumble into weirder stuff, turning Tamers from Evangelion for Kids to RahXephon for Kids. (Also Tomioka would probably give all the Devas their Ultimate/Mega forms to match Andiramon, just like how he expanded various antagonist Digimon lines in the Adventure reboot.)

****

Another thing to notice, which we briefly mentioned, is of course Guilmon's creation is directly reused by YGO GX for Neos cards' creation. I don't know how much of a popular trope this was in 2000s, the fans of the franchise bringing their OCs into their reality to become major parts of franchise in-universe, since both YGO, and Digimon utilize a lot of fan art contests for making new cards, obviously less so these days, due to legal complications.

Big difference, of course, Guilmon was designed as the protagonist partner Digimon way before Tamers was greenlit, whereas Neos, and its associated cards were designed in part to look like a fan's creation, with Neo-Spacians referencing DC's Super-Friends alongside various older animé, and Western Animations, and Neos predominantly referencing Ultraman in-universe, despite being conceptually, and visually based off Guyver.

[whileiamdying]

Asghar Farhadi Forcefully Denies Plagiarism Allegations: ‘My Film Was Not Based on the Documentary’

By Ramin Setoodeh May 17, 2022 6:33am PT

Maarten de Boer for Variety

Speaking about the matter for the first time in public, Asghar Farhadi forcefully denied that he plagiarized his 2021 film “A Hero.”

“My film was not based on the documentary,” the Iranian Oscar-winning directed said on Tuesday afternoon at the Cannes Film Festival. “I think the matter will no doubt be cleared up. And I’m sorry it has created so much ill feeling.”

An Iranian court is hearing a case involving a former student, Azadeh Masihzadeh, who has accused Farhadi of copying the idea for his movie from a documentary that she showed him in a 2014 workshop in Tehran.

“A Hero,” which won the Grand Prize in Cannes last year, tells the story of a man who finds and returns a bag filled with gold coins while he’s been temporarily released from prison. But once his deed as a good samaritan receives media attention, police suspect he could be lying.

Farhadi’s producer Alexandre Mallet-Grey has claimed that “A Hero,” which was released by Amazon Studios in the United States, is based on a story that was covered in Iranian news reports. Masihzadeh says that she first uncovered the story in her documentary about an inmate in Shiraz.

The Iranian court is expected to deliver a final verdict, although the timeline of the ruling remains unclear. In April, press reports incorrectly suggested that Farhadi had been found guilty. Those stories have now been corrected.

Farhadi addressed the allegations in a long and impassioned statement at a press conference for the 2022 Cannes jury, of which he’s a member. As his peers watched on — including “Titane” actor Vincent Lindon, Rebecca Hall and Joachim Trier — Farhadi gave a detailed answer in Farsi, which was translated into English by an interpreter.

The public nature of Farhadi’s comments suggests that the director felt the need to defend his reputation internationally. He’d been rumored to be in the running to lead the Cannes jury as president, until the plagiarism allegations surfaced. As a Cannes juror, he could find himself in a tough spot since Iran has two films in competition: Ali Abbasi’s “Holy Spider” and Saeed Roustaee’s “Leila’s Brothers,” neither of which have been cleared by local authorities to screen in Iran.

Read Farhadi’s full comments below:

Asghar Farhadi: “I have never spoken directly about this matter. A lot of the information that you have just given was published in the newspaper. The information was incorrect and was corrected subsequently. So I think we need to rectify the situation in light of the correct information.

“This documentary was something I saw at a workshop. I talked about it with the student. But much later on, I created the film ‘A Hero.’ And it cannot be viewed as a way of plagiarizing. In fact, in ‘A Hero,’ what is in the film is something quite different.

“We have to see why certain journalists have spread this incorrect information. What we do is to make fiction films and what I did in my film ‘A Hero’ is not related to the work done in the workshop I just referred to. It was based on a current event. This documentary and my film ‘A Hero’ are simply based on an event that happened two years prior to the workshop. When an event takes place and is discovered by the press, then it becomes public knowledge and you can do what you like  — you can write a story or make a film about the event without one being a copy of the other.

“You can look at the information on this event. ‘A Hero’ is just one interpretation of this event whereas the documentary was a documentary. It was not the same take at all. The newspaper you’re referring to talked about plagiarizing. This is not actually true and likewise the case is being studied by the religious authorities. There will be a jury to judge the case. But we don’t know when the case will be heard. It’s a very lengthy process.

“Obviously, this has created a certain amount of ill feeling, but my film was not based on the documentary. A suggestion was even made that the earnings of the film be shared between the two fo us. I think the matter will no doubt be cleared up. And I’m sorry it has created so much ill feeling. I hope, however, that this mistaken information that’s been written about this matter will be corrected. It has even said that I’ve ben sentenced, which is wrong.”

Nick Vivarelli contributed to this story. 

Read More About:

2022 Cannes Film Festival,

Asghar Farhadi

[skvaderarts]

Petrichor Chapter 62: Measures

Chapter 62: Measures

Note: Hi, everyone! I hope you’re doing well! Enjoy the chapter! I sure enjoyed writing it!

(-~-)

The room remained silent for about a minute, the only sound consisting of Sirrus’s tired breathing and V’s deafening silence. If you weren’t looking directly at him, you’d have no way of knowing that he was even there. He seemed to be waiting for something to happen. Just like that, a cold chill shot its way up his spine. He had a bad feeling about this. What was he here to tell them? Had something happened?

“Before we proceed, you need to know something.”

Gustave took a few steps towards them, his demeanor as serious as it was calm. He maintained eye contact with them, his arms folded behind his back as he took slow, deliberate, striding steps toward them. There was no humor in him, and he was obviously not here to participate in leisurely downtime activities with them. His word was the law at the moment, and he was about to lay it down. They needed to listen.

Sirrus sat up as best he could, sighing softly from discomfort as he did so. It seemed that his rest was well and truly over. He would have to push aside his understandably serious issues for the time being. If Gustave was here to talk to them in private, then it was in his best interest to listen. Only an idiot ignored the words of a man who rarely initiated conversation. And he was no idiot. Perhaps a fool. But not an idiot.

“Alright then. You have our attention.” Sirrus said, crossing his arms over his lap as he leaned forward, his demeanor as uncomfortable as it was quiet and respectful. And V quickly took note of that, making a mental note to keep a close eye on him and to make sure that he listened as intently as his companion was. Both of them were typically good judges of when it was best to give their undivided attention to something. There was no discussion to be had here. They both recognized the seriousness of the situation. Whatever that situation was… 

“Good. As I would hope.” Gustave said as he came to a stop, somewhere between them and the middle of the room. He leaned against a pillar, his back mostly to the door as he addressed them quietly. He wasn’t whispering but keeping his tone as level and incognito as possible was a priority. Whatever this was about was clearly meant to be kept private. He didn’t need to tell them not to repeat what he was about to say. That was a given. And as they both sat up, alert and fully focused on whatever it was that he was here to inform them of, he knew he had their undivided attention. And he almost seemed to appreciate that fact. Not that he was going to say as much, of course.

“This is neutral ground. There will be no combat here.” His tone was completely humorless and unwavering. It wasn’t a request. It was a guarantee. And the implications as to what would happen should they break that expectation were clear in everything from his eyes to his delivery. There would be no quarter given. He would not, could not, -or was unwilling to- show them any mercy.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” V said almost sarcastically, half expecting to be told something akin to that. He was almost certain that neither of them had any intention of starting a fight, but he did get why they were being explicitly warned. It probably wouldn’t look very good for whoever their host was should they decide to get scrappy. It probably wasn’t very healthy for your reputation to entertain and tolerate guests with a violent streak.

Gustave’s gave lingered on him for a moment. He wasn’t bothered by the statement. Even when being sarcastic, V was clearly being sincere. Both the older gentlemen and V knew that Sirrus was capable of controlling himself, especially after their little trip through the woods. The older man knew that they could both be trusted, but he could only hope that nothing came up that might cause either of them to break that serenity. It was unlikely, but he still felt the need to say it. They weren’t mind readers. He had to be clear about his intentions if he was to have expectations of them.

“Do be careful what you say and to whom. Omission is paramount. Transparency is a virtue best left at the door here. Unless it’s with Her. Then only speak in whole truths. And nothing less.” He unfolded his arms, no longer leaning against the support pillar. He nodded, confirming his exit before glancing towards the door momentarily. “I have work to return to. Only seek me out if absolutely necessary. I have fallen behind regarding my duties today, and I do not tolerate subpar work. I shall see you this evening. Someone be along to collect you shortly. Be prepared.”

With that, he turned the doorknob and exited the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. Sirrus and V looked at one another in intrigue. That had been… interesting. But it seemed that now there was nothing left to do but wait. Someone would be there to collect them for their meeting soon enough, it seemed. They could only hope it would go well. And hope that he was correct about the wait times.

(-~-)

The Same Day V and Sirrus Arrived on the train… 

The door loomed large in front of her like a monolith, foreboding and almost unwelcoming by nature. It was just a door to be fair, but there was something almost terrifyingly unsettling about it. Perhaps it was the knowledge of the kind of power that the person on the other side of it possessed in comparison to her. No, that wasn’t it, either. They were of no threat to her. But if that wasn’t the problem, then what was? It was beyond her, but as she took a deep breath, shook off her nerves, and reached forward to knock, only a single thought came to mind.

Let’s get this over with.

Two knocks, soft the first time. She paused, only to hear nothing for about the next twenty seconds. Guilt and discomfort settled into her gut as she wondered if she should just turn back and muster up the courage to return later. She didn’t want to cause a disturbance, after all. That wasn’t typically a good thing to do when attempting to start a dialogue with someone.

Coming to the conclusion that perhaps making her identity known might help the situation, she persisted. She knocked on the door again, this time quietly but firmly announcing her presence. “It’s Flora. Can I come in?”

The air around her shifted. She didn’t hear anything, but she felt that her actions had garnered the reaction that she was hoping for. About half a minute later she heard the door unlock, the heavy metal sliding back just a smidge to reveal an almost dark room. And a familiar figure in a black dress stood before her, her hair draping around her shoulders like waves parting around unyielding stone. She had come to see Aluta. This was of the utmost importance.

“Sorry, I know you like to be left alone. I do, too.” She said, shrugging somewhat awkwardly. She and Aluta didn’t have an antagonistic or even unfriendly relationship with one another, but that was partially due to the lack of a relationship in the first place. Aluta didn’t really talk to anyone. She kept to herself in her tower, her endless grief and sorrow an anchor that held her in place. And a shackle that largely kept her from venturing out and interacting with the wider world; now a shadow of the formerly bubbly, optimistic, and sociable person she’d once been. “How are you feeling?”

Aluta seemed surprised to see her. It was subtle, but it was there. A slight twinkle in her eyes betrayed her confused introspection. She closed the door softly and unlatched the many locks that kept it held tightly shut before opening it again and holding it so that the young woman who had come to call upon her could enter. And as soon as she had, the door was shut behind them again, leaving the two of them to their silence and privacy.

“Fine now,” Aluta said softly. She’d been utterly drained since her role in the battle against the devil prince Belial and his summoner, and she’d sustained some very minor injuries in the process, but she was largely fine now. She was simply working towards recovering her strength. She’d certainly overexerted herself, though. That much was certain.

Flora nodded, relieved. That whole situation had been a mess. She was glad that more blood hadn’t been shed during the events of the last month. Enough people had been hurt for one lifetime. It was good to see that Aluta was doing better. But coming to check on her wasn’t the only reason she’d ventured up there. Unfortunately, she was there for a reason, and it wasn’t a social call.

It was time to come clean about what had happened that night.

Taking a deep breath, Flora steadied herself, using her right hand to brush her long black hair out of her face. She came here because she knew that this was the right thing to do. She only hoped that she wasn’t too late to do something. She’d had a bad feeling ever since the night that they’d all almost died in that town. Now was the time to say something. In fact, it was far past that time, a fact that had been eating her up now for a few sleepless nights.

“I… made a mistake.” She said, her tone a mixture of embarrassment and dejection. She didn’t know a better way to phrase it than that. Well, she did, but she wasn’t going to use that kind of language in front of Aluta. That was not a conversation she wanted to have. Not a lecture she planned on receiving today. She probably had one of those lined up anyway.  “There was a vault of some sort in Lympha with our crest on it. I opened it. I would’ve told you sooner but everyone was busy or hurt.”

Aluta gave her a subtle but strange look, almost as though she knew precisely what she was talking about or at least had some notion as to the possibility of what she might be referencing. She seemed to ponder this for a moment before going so still that she could’ve been mistaken for stone, her eyes betraying her silent horror as she stepped slightly closer to Flora, the room suddenly just a little bit colder than it had been previously. She couldn’t tell if there had physically been a change in the environment, or if the sudden shift in the atmosphere around them had all been figurative, but it seemed that way to her. It felt real.

“Something escaped,” Aluta said, her tone hushed and unpleasantly certain. Aluta had known that something was wrong. Even in her weakened state that night she’d felt that something was amiss. And she’d clearly written it off as meer nerves. Until that moment. The look of petrified fear on her face alone was nothing to scoff at. She knew something that he hadn’t said yet, and frankly, Flora wasn’t sure she wanted to know.

Upon seeing Aluta’s expression, Flora felt a cold chill crawl up her spine as guilt overcame her. She felt awful about this whole situation. The last thing that she’d meant to do was cause any sort of trouble, but it seemed that she might have done that without realizing it. And whatever that trouble was probably had a head start.

This was bad.

“Yes. But I don’t know what it is.” She admitted. She’d tried looking into it with the resources that they kept in the library, but she’d come to a dead end. And the last thing she was going to do was sneak into the more dangerous texts housed in the estate. No one wanted to get hexed or cursed. It seemed that she had enough problems to contend with.

A cursory glance back at Aluta revealed that she seemed to be contemplating something. She walked over towards a window on the other side of the room, pausing to lean against the window sill. The sheer black curtains were drawn closed, but it seemed that she could see just enough through them from where she now stood to be content with the view. And after a long moment of silence though, she turned back towards the young woman, a look of anxious resolve in her eyes. This was a time for action. Flora only needed to know what to do.

“Of course you don’t. Very few do. You were correct to come to me when you did” Aluta wasn’t going to sit here and blame Flora for her actions. It wasn’t as though she’d been warned about the horrors that lurked within that mountain. The source of what held that region in its thrall. She knew that an inscription laid upon the door had served as a general warning, but that typically wasn’t the sort of thing any of them heeded anyway. But that did raise an important problem. She was going to need a second opinion. And on very short notice, at that. “... Where is Sirrus?”

Her family as a whole had no record of what was in that vault. But she knew. Call it a gift or a curse, she knew. And now was the time to do something meaningful about it before it was entirely too late. They’d started the train rolling down the tracks. They needed to stop it before it reached terminal velocity.

“I think he went up north. Went home. V tagged along with him, I think. Everyone else left town, too.” Flora wasn’t firm on the details regarding everyone’s locations, but she did know that all of their guests had gone back to their respective homes. She knew that Dante and Vergil had left town, but their destination wasn’t something she was privy to, having only learned that through second-hand information. Sirrus had been a lot easier to pin down, though, and she’d half thought to contact him herself but opted not to until after seeking counsel from someone more experienced than her since she was still in training. It seemed that her instincts had been spot on.

Aluta nodded, walking over to a shelf in her room that contained several books and a row of scrolls. They all looked ancient, and the young witch got the impression that these were spells or materials that Aluta had probably created or otherwise procured herself. Most of them looked looked old. Very old. And as the middle-aged woman scanned the shelf, she seemed to land on the item in question, extracting it from its resting place along with a considerable amount of dust.

“Contact him. We will start there. I may need his assistance.” She said, writing something down on the scroll that she’d pulled from the shelf. It was just a roll of paper, but it appeared to have information that would be relevant to him on it. At least that was what she thought. She couldn’t actually read anything on it except for the part that Aluta had just handed her. Was she supposed to give this to Sirrus in person?

Before she could ask, there was a knock on the door. It opened a moment later to reveal Willow, the woman stepping into the room as she began speaking, seemingly in a hurry of some sort. But to be fair, that wasn’t out of the norm for her. By the very nature of her role, she was always busy doing something or another.

“Sister I- Flora? Sweetheart, I didn’t expect to see you up here… ” She paused the second she saw Flora, genuinely shocked to see anyone else in her youngest sister’s room. No one ever came up here to interact with her. They just waited for her to come downstairs. It was something of an unspoken rule not to disrupt her isolation. They weren’t sure that it was good for her, but they really didn’t know what else to do to offer any kind of meaningful assistance.

Realizing that this was not a topic that she really wanted to explain a second time, Flora’s brain struggled to come up with any sort of meaningful rebuttal to that line of questioning. She wasn’t so much afraid to get in trouble as she was uncomfortable with not having a good explanation for the actions she’d performed to get them into this situation other than “I thought it was a half decent idea at the time, but only barely.”

“Yeah I… “

Sensing that this conversation wasn’t going anywhere worthwhile, Aluta gently waved for her to stop, her social battery depleting faster than ever with the number of things that she was currently juggling mentally. This was… a lot to take in. But she knew that they had better things to do right now than make pleasantries or small talk. She needed to address one thing at a time. That was the most productive thing they could hope to do at the moment.

“We were discussing something. Did you need something?” Aluta asked, assuming that her sister hadn’t come all the way up there just to invite her to tea. Besides, they had tea together on Fridays anyway. The two of them were creatures of schedules in that regard, at least when it came to making time for one another. She needed to know in advance how much preparation time she had to perform social tasks. How else could she be expected to cope with having to talk to other people anymore?

Willow nodded, gesturing towards the door as though to say that she needed her sister to follow her. It seemed that whatever this was about was important if her facial expression was anything to go off of. She almost seemed confused about something.

“Yes. I need to borrow you. Someone associated with Sirrus is here to move… him.” Willow practically spit those words, the very thought of having to interact with the treacherous summoner was completely repugnant to her. She didn’t even want to look at him after everything that he’d done. Not by a long shot. She looked forward to having him locked away somewhere more secure. His punishment was long overdue. “Your presence might be helpful. Please?”

Aluta seemed to consider her sister’s words for a moment before nodding a single time, gesturing for Flora to follow them. They could continue this conversation downstairs. But if someone from Sirrus’s job was here then this had to be important, and her older sister was correct to assume that she might be of use to them. Even if it took the last ounce of her utterly depleted power to do it, she would protect the members of this house if she needed to. It was best that she be there if only to deactivate the hex she’s placed on the cell for their protection. She would go downstairs. And Flora would follow.

(-~-)

The building grew quiet. Not in the way that it had been previously, but in another entirely different way. The kind of silence that only came with the night.

Even though the sky didn’t have a sun and, as such, there was no daylight to speak of, it was clear that some sort of evening had settled upon them. The low background murmur of distant talking and other activities unseen to them had all but dissipated entirely, and now they were left with only their thoughts and one another for company to alleviate the silence. It wasn’t something that either of them minded, but it was notable. The entire atmosphere of the place had just changed, and it was almost slightly creepy in a way that the young white-haired summoner couldn’t explain.

V half wished that he owned a watch at that moment just so that he could see what it thought the time was. He wondered if it would simply act as it normally did. Would the dials spin uncontrollably? Unlikely, but not something he was capable of testing either way.

But as he sat and wondered this, there was a knock at the door, this one different from the last. Upon their request, the individual entered the room, revealing themselves to be a hooded figure, their long black robes dragging behind them as they stepped forward, their unseen feet making no sound as they almost appeared to hover towards them. A middle-aged woman, by the look of it. As she came to a stop, she bowed before straightening back up and gesturing towards the doorway with a flowing wave of both of her arms, her long, trailing sleeves dangling past her hands, barely exposing them. She didn’t make a sound, but somehow V knew that he wasn’t mistaking them for someone else. She was here to collect them. And a single look over at Sirrus was enough to confirm this. They were ready.

It was time for the meeting. It was time to meet her.

(-~-)

My goal is to get in one more chapter this month before I take my little yearly Christmas break, but we will worry about that next week! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! This one has been a long time coming, so I’m interested to see what you think in the comments! Take care out there, stay healthy if you can considering everything going around these days, and I’ll see you next week! Bye bye!

[saltymongoose]

Hi, I'm 🍇 anon (I'd like to be if I'm not busy), I've read a lot of your writing and love it!

But I have a question...

Are the recipients jealous of the chat?, when you send a donation and the player reads that you write "I love you so much" or "you're amazing" or comments on how the player looks, how would the recipients react?, It would be interesting to know how they would react to his possible jealousy.

(English is not my original language, so I hope it is understood)

Hello 🍇 Anon, welcome to the blog! Glad you've been loving the content. :D <3 To answer your question, yes, the vessels are totally jealous of the chat. When you really think about it, "Chat" is just an amalgamation of hundreds of people who collectively fawn over the Player. Not only this, but you actively respond to them too, thanking each individual and talking directly to the people who attend your streams. They're jealous when you even share a joke with them, so when you react to the compliments and comments on your appearance, this just makes their feelings about it worse.

For example, let's say you get a donation with the message of "I love you!" followed by a ton of emotes, and you stop moving your current vessel for a moment as you sincerely thank your viewer. ("Awww, thank you (insert viewer name), I love you too! You guys are being really kind today.") Hearing you say "I love you" to someone who isn't them, and someone who they don't even know at that, really stings.

It only gets worse with every subsequent message you read out from your chat, too; the little comments on how you're looking very cute/hot that day or how much this "chat" admires you as a person and looks up to you. It flusters you more and more the longer it goes on (which naturally only makes your chat do it more) until you're laughing and shyly thanking the entire group of them for being so sweet to you. Sometimes you even rebuke some of the statements, trying to say that you're not really all that they're saying, but your chat refuses to accept that. And so the cycle of compliments and loving donations begins again.

But the fact that you and "Chat" seem to be entranced with each other during those hours of your streaming session fills your vessels with a mixture of envy. You never had this big of a reaction when they gave you little compliments, maybe because this Chat was closer to you than they were? What did Chat have that they, your chosen vessels, didn't?

Hank usually deals with his envy by putting a little extra force and finesse behind his next kills. If he can really impress you, perhaps you wouldn't pay attention to whoever Chat was for a few minutes (and more importantly, you'd focus entirely on him again). Sanford and Deimos will grumble about it to each other since you use them both for missions, even coming up with multiple ideas on how they could get rid of its influence from you. (Not like any of them would work, since they didn't exactly know what Chat was). Doc, on the other hand, doesn't deal with Chat's disruptions a lot of the time since he isn't out with you a lot. But this just makes their interruptions a lot more impactful, since he only has so much quality time to spend with you. It really annoys them, to say the least. While you and your chat talk to each other, you remain unaware of the four grunts currently conspiring on ways to destroy any chances of Chat speaking to you again. It's a shot in the dark since they can't comprehend or impact your realm's workings, but it's worth considering. Besides, you already have them, who else's compliments would you really need?

[beels-burger-babe]

Familial Attachments

***Awwwww, I'm so happy that you're enjoying my blog! This request warms my heart and I am WEAK for soft big brother Lucifer. I hope you enjoy @lorkai! - B*** Summary: MC keeps favouring Lucifer. It baffles the other brothers. Lucifer is intrigued by the behaviour and slowly begins to open up to them.

No one really noticed it when you first arrived. You were new to the Devildom, and so much was foreign and scary around you. So you following orders without question and lingering near Lucifer, the strongest of the demons living with you, could've been passed off as a survival technique. But after a few months of you staying in the House of Lamentation, Lucifer thought the initial fear would wear off, and yet you still continued to follow him around like a little duckling. Still, Lucifer hadn't really clued in that there was perhaps sentiment behind your behaviour until he had walked in on a discussion between you, Mammon, Beelzebub and Leviathan. He had approached your bedroom door and raised his fist to knock when he heard Mammon's annoyingly loud voice. "I'm just sayin'! There ain't no reason for you go followin' mean old Lucifer around like that! He's old. He complains a lot. He never has any fun. You should be spendin' time with me! I'm supposed to be your protector ya know!" Lucifer huffed in annoyance and was about to barge in when he heard your giggle. "I'm hanging out with you now, aren't I?" "I don't know MC. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Mammon has a point." Levi pipped in. At this point, Lucifer cracked open the door and peeked inside. You were sitting in Beel's lap as he munched away on a bowl of popcorn. Mammon was standing, punching harshly onto the buttons of the remote he was holding, while Levi sat playing with the ease and skill of the pro-gamer that he was. He didn't even look away from the screen as he spoke to you. Lucifer made a mental note to talk to him about conversation manners. Leviathan continued. "You're always hanging around Lucifer. You only spend time with us if we specifically ask you to, or if we arrange it ahead of time," Levi shifted uncomfortably as he pressed a button on his remote; Mammon cursed as a result. "I-I-Is he your favourite or something?" Lucifer couldn't help but perk at the question. He wasn't aware that you were spending particularly more time with him than the others. Sure, he noticed that you would listen to him much better than any of his brothers ever did (and that alone made him warm up to you), and you always seemed to smile when he was around. But he thought that was just the kind of person you were; happy and compliant. Much to his, and everyone in the room's, surprise, you nodded. "I guess he is." Chaos erupted inside the room.

Beel dropped his popcorn. Levi sputtered and actually looked away from the game to gape at you. Mammon threw his remote and whipped around to face you. "WHAT?!?! You mean you prefer that old bat to the GREAT MAMMON?!?!" to Mammon's defence, he looked genuinely hurt by the confession. "But I'm your first! I thought we were pals, MC?!" Levi tensed and sniffed before turning back at the game. "I'm not that surprised really. Makes sense that you wouldn't l-like a slimy gross otaku like me." Beel remained frozen and quiet. A frown etched on his face as his hands tightened around you. Your eyes widened at everyone's reactions. "Woah, woah, woah! Who said anything about not liking you guys? I love hanging out with you three, and I do see you as my friends," you looked directly at Levi. "Otaku or not. I treasure my time with you." Levi pouted and refused to look at you. "Then what does Lucifer have that we don't? Why does he get the title of your favourite?" Lucifer was shocked to see your expression soften as you smiled gently at just the thought. "He reminds me of my big brother in the human realm," everyone went quiet and looked at you. "I-It was hard being ripped away from everything I knew and be forced to live in a world that I didn't even know existed. When I saw Lucifer and got to know him a bit, I noticed how much he acted like my brother. It was comforting to have just that little bit of familiarity amongst all the chaos of the Devildom, you know?" The eldest brother's heart warmed at the statement. It stroked his pride in the best way possible. He loved his brothers, but none of them were very affectionate with one another with the exception of the twins. To hear that someone cared about him and saw him as an older brother was...touching. His younger brothers seemed to agree as, with a little irritation, they settled back down into their game. Forgetting what he came for, Lucifer smiled and went back to his office. Since that day, he was notably kinder and more vulnerable with you. If you saw him as an older brother then he was determined to be the best older brother you could ask for. He gave you a pat on the shoulder or ruffled your hair every time he saw you. He always made sure to congratulate or acknowledge your accomplishments, no matter how small they were. He asked you how your day was and allowed you to come to him with any troubles (which he would promptly take care of the moment you left the room). Every night he would invite you into his office for some tea and a round of chess before bed. It felt like in no time, he had begun to see you as a little sibling just as much as you saw him as an older brother. Lucifer did his best not to let his brothers catch on to how soft he was around you. He tried to compensate by teasing you a little more whenever they were around. Or pretend that he was taking you into his office to scold you when he really was going to look you over and make sure you weren't hurt in the most recent incident. The result was an endless amount of taunts and ridicule from his brothers on how he was a better sibling to you than he was them (which was mostly true), that you had thawed his ancient icy heart (which he would never admit), and that he couldn't say no to you (which he tried to prove wrong but inevitably failed, much to his embarrassment). Still, the bond between you two was one that was strong and pure. When it was finally time for you to go back to the human realm, you were in tears and refused to let go of Lucifer. Lucifer held onto you tightly. It was obvious to everyone there that he was just as reluctant to let you leave. "You have to go know MC. Your real big brother is up there worried about you, I'm sure," his voice was steady and firm. He refused to cry; no matter how badly his heart ached at that moment. You sniffled and buried your face deeper into his chest. "I know. But you've become just as much a brother to me as him, a-a-and I don't want to leave you. What if I never get to see you again?" Lucifer inhaled sharply at the thought.

He looked over at Diavolo. Something in his eyes must have given away the hurt and inner turmoil he was feeling, for Diavolo's eyes widened in shock before he smiled softly at his friend. "You may take your D.D.D. with you, MC, to stay in contact with the brothers. Perhaps, on occasion, we can also organize visits. This will not be goodbye forever." Lucifer chuckled as you held him tighter and ran a hand through your hair. "See? You'll see me and everyone else again. But for now, it's time for you to return home." You shakily nodded and reluctantly pulled away from his arms; Lucifer felt his chest tighten as coldness filled the warmth where you once stood. Still, he refused to cry or show vulnerability. He would not become a blubbering mess like Mammon. He was better than that. He clenched his fists as you went around giving everyone final hugs goodbye. He held his breath as you picked up the bag the two of you had put together full of keepsakes from the Devildom. You took a step towards the portal. "MC, wait!" Lucifer rushed towards you, damning his own pride and reputation to hell, as he pulled you into one final tight hug and pressed a kiss to the top of your head. He held you there; closing his eyes and allowing himself to pretend for just a moment that he didn't have to let you go. He felt a tear roll down his cheek. "I love you, MC. I will miss having you here." Suddenly you were sobbing again. The two of you held each other for several minutes, as Diavolo had Barbartos escort the others out to give the two of you some privacy. Finally, he let you go, and within a second you were gone and back to your true family. Lucifer went home, and sat in his office, wondering what you were doing with your real big brother and if you were as happy up there as you were with him. ***HOW THE FUCK DID I MAKE THIS ANGST AND END UP CRYING WELL WRITING I AM SO SORRY I SERIOUSLY MEANT FOR THIS BE FLUFF GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!! *Wipes tears* Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this no matter how accidentally painful it was. Thank you for the lovely request @lorkai! I was touched by how personal it was!***

[heejojo]

Mr Hollywood

summary: Sim Jaeyun had made it, he had finally fulfilled his dream of being an artist but he had to leave the place he called he called home promising he would come back when everything was okay. He’s back now but are you sure it’s the same Jake you once knew?

genre: fluff, minor angst, childhood lovers turned exes to lovers again

pairing: Celebrity Sim Jaeyun x non-celebrity reader (with enhypen and treasure appearances)

warning: none

word count: 4.1k

a/n: although it has been proofread, I cannot guarantee no errors so please let me know if you see any! please let me know what you think. likes and reblogs are appreciated and I hope you have a good day.

listen to the playlist here

send an ask or fill out this form to be part of the taglist!

taglist (open): @enhyphun @jungwoniics @penny-quinn @ncthpen @fylithia @taecup-ontrack @renee1414@studioreader

“And the Artist Of The Year Award goes to none other than...” the announcer said, keeping you all at the edge of your seats. Everyone here had voted for Jake so many times so that he would win. The announcer looked at the folded card in his hand before smiling and saying.

“Jake Sim!” The screams of everyone in the beer parlour with you watching the award ceremony were probably louder than those in the venue itself. You all watched in pride as the look of shock was evident on his face and he shakily walked to the podium to collect the award. You smiled at how good he looked, he had come so far from the boy you once knew here.

Five years ago, Jake had left his hometown, where he grew up for 18 years to pursue his dream. Granted, not everyone is supposed to stay for the rest of their lives but he thought he was going to stay but he made up his mind to leave for his passion. You all supported him even if you weren’t able to talk to him because of his busy schedule. Being able to cheer him from the sidelines was what you were content with. He was the pride of the town and people did not hesitate to show him off.

He gave the announcer a bow and collected the award. You could see the way his hands shook as he collected the award as if it felt unreal that he won.

“I would like to thank God for the ability to get to this point today and to thank my parents for always teaching me the right way and having the courage to let their child pursue his dreams even if it meant that I would be very far away; almost out of reach even. I love you. To all those that have continuously supported me and listened to my music, thank you. To the staff that have worked so hard and everyone I've had the pleasure of meeting, a big thank you to you" he said and walked off.

The excitement of the crowd reduced and everyone eventually retired to their homes while chatting amongst themselves. You think about the award one more time, feeling happy for him and move on. After all, the same way Sim has a life to live is the same way you do also.

The next day, when you wake up you feel a shift in the atmosphere. The birds are still chirping, yes but something feels unusual. You brush off the paranoia you feel and decide to do your usual morning duties and carry on with your day. While other people your age wanted to have prestigious jobs(not like there was anything wrong with that), you wanted something simple and had decided on being either a cafe owner or a florist.

Sadly, the cafe owner agenda wasn't able to work out because everyone in the vicinity was now aware of the way you burned down a cafe trying to bake and collectively decided that you should not be allowed to make food for people. Flowers were better than running a cafe shop. You stayed with your flowers and you were able to give

someone a flower when they needed it.

Need a flower for your mother? You got it, a daylily was exactly what they needed. Wanted to attend a funeral? Take a bouquet of lilies. It was easy to understand and you didn't directly put anyone in harm’s way. Although your shop was hardly ever full, you were content with everything.

That's why you're shocked when you find a line of people waiting to be let into your shop at 9 am. You raised an eyebrow in confusion but you opened the door nevertheless. At the end of the day, you were the one earning the money. You had things to buy, didn't you?

You take your place at the counter and start attending to the customers. They didn't tell you to pick out one for them and just chose it themselves. The crowd slowly reduced till there was only one person left. When there remained a few people, you quietly moved to one person to ask for the reason why they were so cheerful today.

"Jungwon, do you know why everyone is so happy today? My shop was full today!"

"Are you complaining about it?" He asks. Jungwon was the son of the cafe shop owner. He came to your shop frequently when he was on his break and you would talk to each other.

“Of course, I’m not. I just want to know what’s making everyone come here all of a sudden. Even old man Jay came here and you know that man never leaves his house. He bought a red carnation and I’m confused because who does he have affection for that he’s getting them flowers”

“He has a wife you know”

“Please, the last time they had a conversation with each other was when he asked for a divorce” you deadpanned.

“Look Y/N, who’s the one person in this town anyone would do anything for?”

“Kim Junkyu?”

“Close but not him, I wouldn’t do anything for him” Jungwon stated making you roll your eyes.

“The only person left is Sim Jaeyun and we know it’s not possible”

“Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner”

You give him a shaky smile before asking him, “You’re joking right?”

“I’m not,” he says sincerely. You nod your head and go sit on the nearest stool. Placing a hand on your throat as you begin to scratch at it (something you did when you were nervous) and just sit in silence while Jungwon continues talking.

“After the award ceremony, his management released a statement on his Instagram saying that he would be going on hiatus for two months to visit his family. So we townsmen decided to get flowers to pave the road with because he would be coming back. We would have used gold leaves but it’s too expensive”

He continued talking and talking while you were still trying to process the fact that Jake would be coming back. Physically he was still going to be the same Jake you had a crush on before he left but personality-wise? You doubted that. You heard stories of the way fame had changed people; the love from others would get to their heads and make them overly egotistical. A part of you knew that he wouldn’t change but the other part was unsure. Before he left, you made him promise to not change and while you knew promises could be broken, you knew he wouldn’t break them.

“Jungwon, I want to close the shop for today. I’m not feeling too well and want to rest a bit”

“No problem Y/N! If you want, I can stay here and do business for you”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ve made enough money today to last me for next month” you say and shoo him away.

At home, you just sit and think for some time before getting up to make some tea and reminiscing about your high school memories. You hardly had feelings for people so when you did, you let them know immediately. When you told Jake that you liked him, he told you that he felt the same. You ignored him for a week after that because you didn’t think that far. After that, you met up with him and explained the reason why you avoided him. You went out with each other for less than 2 weeks and during that period, he had told you about his dreams of becoming an artist and you supported him wholeheartedly.

He would carry your books from school and you both would walk home together every day. He'd play the violin for you because he was good. You'd both pet stray cats and run when they started chasing you. All good things came to an end when he told you that he had to leave to pursue his dream. You both knew you were too young to even attempt a long-distance relationship so you let each other go even though it hurt. You’d watch his music videos and support his activities even though there was a possibility he would never return. Now that he was going to be here, how were you going to cope knowing that your feelings for him were still the same while his feelings could have gone, especially with all the beautiful people in the industry?

That night, while everyone was outside welcoming Mr Hollywood, you stayed in your house dreading the days that would come. The town was small so there was no way that you wouldn’t bump into him. The voices were loud when you tried to sleep. Seems like everyone was ecstatic that Jake had come back. The noise wasn’t able to let you sleep but deep down you knew it was because you were nervous.

You decide to bake cookies to reduce the stress you are currently feeling. You had learnt from your mistakes and no longer burnt kitchens (your kitchen being valid proof of that), but Jungwon’s dad still wouldn’t lift his ban. You baked cookies till 2 am before you were really tired enough to sleep. You had baked almost a hundred cookies that night.

The next morning, you made sure to wake up early so you wouldn’t run into anyone. Thankfully, the townspeople didn’t want to buy flowers that morning and got started on the orders that people out of town had placed. You brought cookies for Jungwon so he could test them. You were trying to fix the counter when someone walked in, making the bell jingle. Assuming it was Jungwon, you say, “Jungwon the cookies are on the counter. Test them and tell me what you think, don’t eat them and run away”

“I’m not a Jungwon but can I talk to Y/N?” You’re startled but you freeze, instantly recognizing the voice. Jake Sim.

“Hello, what would you like?” you asked with a forced smile. You were way too close, the proximity was making you uneasy. He looked a bit disappointed with the way you answered him but what did he expect to come to? It had been five years.

“I just wanted to tal-” he is cut off by Jungwon bursting through the door.

“Y/N, you will not believe who I saw. I saw Jake Sim with my very own two eyes. He looks so much hotter in real life. Do you think he’d sign my back if I asked-” he stopped instantly when he saw the person that was in the flower shop.

He looked like a fish out of water with the way his mouth was agape. Looking at you, then at Jake and then you again. He brought his hand to his head and he hit it hard making you startled.

“Sorry I will leave now,” Jungwon said.

“To cry” he murmured, making you chuckle. Jungwon was someone that cried when he did something embarrassing.

“Jungwon wait,” you say and walk to give him the cookies you had packed for him with a little note.

“Eat them and get back to me when you’re less you know...embarrassed” He snatches them from your hands and makes a run for the door. You giggle then you remember that Jake was still present. Turning to face him, you ask if he wants anything. “I want to talk to you”

You motion him to sit on the spare chair you had and he obliges. Before you even ask him a question, he begins, “Was that your boyfriend?”

“No, not that it concerns you though”

“Where you last night? I saw everyone but you. The Johnny kid said you were feeling ill. I doubt that wasn’t true as you made cookies. The last time I remembered, you were really bad at anything relating to the kitchen”

“Times change and people change, Jaeyun. It’s been 5 years since we last had a conversation with each other. I’m not the same and I’m sure you’re not the same either”

“Let’s get to know each other again. Do things the old fashioned way. Go on dates, paint, and bake with each other. Do some of the things we could have done 5 years ago.”

“And then when you have to leave and have no contact with each other again”

“I won’t do that, I promise. Never again.”

“How can you be so sure of that?”

“Let me prove it to you-”

He’s cut off by the entrance of another customer and stands up to leave but you don’t miss the longing look in his eyes. You hope he can see the same look in yours that’s covered by hurt and waiting for someone to return.

You were not expecting Jake to be at your store first thing on a Friday morning. He was even earlier than you and you're the boss.

“What are you doing here?” you ask. He was bouncing on his feet and looking cherry when you hadn’t even gotten enough sleep.

“I’m here to take you out. Do it like the old times where I’d wait for you so we could go to school together”

“I have work to do today and I’m going to be booked so another time”

“I have come to offer my assistance so tomorrow we can go out together”

“Don’t you have things to do?”

“I’m on a hiatus, I’m free for almost two months and if you want I can be free for more. Imagine all the things we could do in that time” he trails off, fantasizing when you hadn’t even told him that you still liked him. Meanwhile, you had opened the door and walked in.

"Aren't you going to come in and stop thinking of cute stuff?" you ask him and he quickly runs in, flustered.

He takes a look around and puts on a determined face and gets a broom and starts cleaning. For someone that's supposed to be a celebrity, he was cleaning like an employee. You take a rag and wipe all the surfaces and take care of the flowers. After an hour, the shop is ready to open. Customers come rolling in once they see a new help. Although they're surprised, they don't question it.

During your break, Jake picks up a chrysanthemum and hands it to you. "It's for you because you're beautiful," he says

"Hate to rain on your parade but if you gave me this in Italy, it means you wish I were dead" and with that, he takes back the flower instantly and brings a single red rose. You receive it with a small laugh, finding it funny when he doesn't want you misinterpreting him. You were having a sweet moment with him until Jungwon came in again.

"I'm getting tired of seeing you here Mr Sim. As much as I adore you, I need to meet my friend" he states and pulls you to the back. "Care to explain why Jake Sim is in your store again!?"

"Nope" you respond, popping the p. He brought his hand to his forehead and tried to relax his muscles because according to him, he doesn't want to look forty-five when he's thirty years old.

"Look, it's weird coming here and seeing you have company. I'm not against you having company seeing as you've been lonely the entire time I've known you but, I can't stay in his presence! Why must a man Look so gorgeous!? He's ruining my already broken esteem. Everybody saw him in real life and was wondering how a man could look that good."

"They saw him when he was seventeen years old," you tell him.

"And he's twenty-three now! He doesn't look the same and I don't even need to have known him then to know now"

"Jungwon, I want you to get to the point," you tell him, basically pleading at that point because your break would soon be over.

"I'll see you when I have enough confidence to meet him," he says and leaves the store. You shake your head at his overdramatic behaviour and continue with your day. Jake proves to be amazing assistance and you got things done quicker and even closed earlier.

"Thank you for offering help, you can go home now. See you tomorrow" you say in an attempt to shoo him out.

"I want to walk you home" he announces and goes with you home.

"Do you hate me for not talking to you?" he asks.

"I don't hate you. To be honest, I think we both did the right thing by not talking to each other. It was good we had each other in mind but I would have caused too much of a distraction for you. It was great you focused on your career and achieved your goals. I did well too"

"Johnny boy said you were lonely though," he said.

"Number one, I know you know his name is Jungwon but you're just being petty. Two, why were you eavesdropping on our conversation and three, I still had a bit of hope that one day you'd return. I didn't think that you'd come" you say truthfully. The night was making you vulnerable when answering his questions.

"I always asked my mum how you were doing when I called her, you know? I wanted to check up on you without doing so myself. I'd ask her to give you a pop tart because I knew they were your favourite"

Even though he was still far away, he still had kept you in his mind the same way you did for him.

You got home and stayed at the door before you took him by the shoulder and said, "Let's go out together and have fun". He gives you a soft smile and watches you go in before he retires to his own home.

The following day, you're waiting for him to come. You had tried to dress up for the date but didn't want to underdress or overdress since he hadn't told you where you were going. So you decided to wear a simple sundress and made yourself look nice. He arrived wearing something as casual as you in a car.

"Is this your dad's?" you questioned.

"Yup, I borrowed it to take you out,” he says and winks at you. You shake your head laughing and get in the passenger seat and he drives.

“Where are we going?” you ask, curious.

“You’ll see when we get there” you don’t respond but wind down the window and feel the wind on your face which makes you smile.

You catch Jake glancing at you while he’s driving and he doesn’t even try to hide it. “At least try to pretend you’re not starting”

“I can’t help it, you’re so pretty” This kid, he was making it too easy for you to fall for him.

“Do you still like me, Jaeyun?” you inquire.

“I do,” he said with certainty. Has he always been this bold? You don’t say anything and continue to look out so he reaches over and takes one of your hands in his while he uses his other one to drive. You look at him but just continue doing what you’re doing.

“You might not believe me but I mean it,” he says, lightly squeezing your hand as a form of reassurance.

He stops the car at an aquarium and you both come out. You have a wonderful time and although people recognize him and are surprised to see him with you, they don't say anything and leave you alone. You smiled that day more than you had ever smiled before.

"The fishes look good to eat" you whisper in his ear and he playfully smacks your arm and jokes.

"You monster! How can you say that!?" to which you jokingly shrug.

After the aquarium, he takes you to a flower field. "I did my research this time so I don't give you a wrong flower." He picked up a primrose and says, "I know this one means love is eternal so I'm giving it to you because no matter the distance between us, our love will be forever"

You feel warm this time and know that even if he were to leave again, the distance wouldn't matter because together, you both could overcome anything.

"You're all I need" you manage to say.

"When did you get all sentimental?" he teases and you chase after him in the flower field. When you get tired, you lie down on the grass and he lays next to you. Your hands find his hands amid all the grass and you squeeze it. Unknowingly, you fall asleep next to him.

The next weeks that follow include you two bonding and Jake having fun and being relaxed. He was able to write a song but wouldn't let you see the lyrics, saying it wasn't something he wants you to see yet. You met his parents and thanked his mum for taking care of you indirectly and conversed with his dad too. You could tell that he hadn't forgotten any of the values his parents had thought him. He grew up surrounded by a lot of love so he had more than enough to give.

He also met your parents and he was nervous even though you had tried to reassure him that they wouldn't do anything to him. Your father tried to act scary but deep down you knew he had a soft spot for him. Your mom was showering with more affection than she gave you and Jungwon tried stylishly asking him for his celebrity crush numbers.

"Jake, since you're dating my friend can you link me up with Han Sohee? You've worked with her before, help a friend out"

"I'll ask her but no promises" Jungwon was so happy the entire day.

A few days before Jake had to go back because his hiatus was over, you both were talking about how things would be while baking muffins.

"Y/N don't think I won’t talk to you when I go because I can already see the gears turning in your head."

"Pass me the butter Jaeyun"

"Are we back to the first-name basis? Call me the sweet names" he whined.

"Just pass the butter babe" and he passes it instantly.

"Now back to what you were saying, I know you won't forget me obviously and if you try I I can always take a flight to get to you." You tell him. You weren't going to wait around for him anymore. If you missed him, you'd go see him if he was unable to come to see you.

"Better, I was already worried," he says and gives you a back hug.

The day he left was bittersweet and you shed a few tears. It took a lot of willpower to not cry in front of him. You didn't want him to leave but you knew that he had a job to get to and you couldn't be in the way of that.

You both regularly kept in touch, calling each other at least twice a week to catch up on what had happened during each other's week. He hadn't told you that he released a new song and you found out through his fanboy Jungwon who was now the self-acclaimed president of his fan club.

"Y/N, have you heard Jake's new solo? I cried to it for an hour straight" You didn't have any time to check what was going on because someone had ordered flowers for their wedding and you had to get them done quickly.

"New solo?" you ask and Jungwon sits you down and plays the song for you. Truth be told, you cried as well. It felt like he was there with you telling you that he'd never change.

You watched the interview and when he was asked about the meaning or person behind the song, he said, "There's someone that I love and I wanted to let her know that no matter how famous I get, I won't ever change and she shouldn't change either". He looked directly at the camera then continued, "You're stuck with me forever".

That night, you called him and cried on the phone to him telling him about how you saw the interview.

"Y/N, you know I care about you" you sobbed even harder.

"I care about you too, forever"

"Forever baby, regardless of the distance"

[spookysmujer]

Piensa En Mi, O. Diaz

Summary: The relationship with you and Oscars suddenly ends after he gets locked up. Now it’s 4 years later..

warnings: HELLA angst, heartbreak 

word count: 1.9K

a/n: I had an itch to write today, thank you for requesting babes! Sorry it took this long to get done. I hope everyone is doing okay these days. PSA: Stop the hate against Asians! Speak up for our brothers and sisters, please. I love you all! Please consider: following, heart/comment/reblog my content! Thank you <)

Requested by @boujee-bitches!

(gif belongs to @merakiaes)

You can remember the day you realized just how much you were in love with Oscar Diaz. It was a few months into dating, he had been in and out of town on Santo business, and yet still was able to check in with you. He even sent you doordash multiple times. And in that one moment, as the doordash driver stood at your door, carrying a bag of your favorite pastrami sub, you truly felt your heart bleed for Oscar. The feelings entirely mutual with him. You can remember that exact moment you felt it, just as you remember the moment your heart had been ripped away. 

The consequence of having such a pristine memory is the ability to remember not only the good days but the hurtful ones as well. Now, after years of being with Oscar, he’s gone. Things had been going so well with the Santos and moving up in the ranks for him. Then in a matter of seconds, all that changed. The moment those handcuffs linked his wrists together behind his back as he was  whisked away in the back of the patrol car was the day everything changed.

Change. 

They always say that change is a good thing. But whoever they are, they were wrong. Change is malicious, it’s life-consuming and does nothing but harm. In the beginning you were confident everything would be okay. Nothing could break this man, he has been through the highest highs and the lowest lows. He has endured things as a young child that no child should. Even when the judge has sentenced him to 8 years, the look he gave you said: It’ll be okay, mamas.

For the first few months, things were good. The money he would send to you, you’d put on his books regardless of his wishes for you not to do so. The phone calls that didn’t last nearly as long as you wanted it to. And the letters, even if you talked on the phone and visited him often, Oscar still wrote you letters, and he always drew something for you. 

But it began to get difficult. When school started up in the fall, your full-time job and now taking care of his younger brother, you started to miss calls, needed to reschedule visits. And when you would answer, Oscar would give you the cold shoulder. He realized that you were beating yourself up for trying to juggle everything. He hated himself for making you so stressed just to make it to him. So on a surprise call that you weren’t expecting, he broke it to you that dating while he is incarcerated is foolish of you. It’s a waste of your time. Please take care of yourself and Cesar, we’ll see where we are when I’m out. But for now, it’ll be just me.

That day replays in your mind. No more calls, rejected visits, ghost letters. It felt like he died, though you would have been notified of it if that was the case. But that was 4 years ago, everything had changed and according to Cesar, it’s about to change again.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” You ask, after holding your breath. Spooky gets out tomorrow. 

Cesar shovels the rest of his cereal in his mouth and gulps down the remaining milk, rushing around the kitchen and gathering his school things, “Oscar. He gets out tomorrow. His sentence reduced to half the time, remember the hearing they had last week?”

Whenever Cesar would talk about his older brother, you would tune it out. Oscar breaking up with you over the phone without a thorough reason, then dropping you as a person all together really broke you beyond repair. But you had no choice but dust off your shoulders and keep going. 

You hum and nod, packing your lunch.Without saying anything else, you head back to your room to get your things ready for work. As you pass by the room that Cesar had taken residency in, you notice the packed bags. “Cesar!” 

But by the time you make it back to the kitchen, he has already left out the door. Was he about to leave? Did he want out now that Oscar will be out? Though the idea was to care for Cesar while his brother was locked up, to know he is already ready to up and leave, hurts you. But you shake it off, Oscar is coming home, shit. 

Your day goes by painstakingly slow. All you could think about is how it would go when you’d see him again, how will you feel? What about him, what will he feel?

“Y/N, did you hear me?” Cesars voice sounds from across the table, the two of you enjoying some take-out. The day has gone from slower than a sloth to as quick as sonic the hedgehog.

He stares at you, waiting for you to respond. “Now that Oscar is getting out, it’s time for you to head on back home. Yeah, I heard you. Just sucks is all, I feel like my daily routine will be all messed up.” You joke to which he grins at. 

The next day comes by in a blink of an eye. Here you are leaning against your car that is parked in front of Oscars house. You can’t bring yourself to walk up those stairs and face him. But he hasn’t exited the house yet, you wonder if he even will. After Cesar gets the last bag is when you hear the front door. He makes his way towards you, your breath getting stuck in your airways. 

Cesar hugs you and thanks you again, you squeeze him and ask that he doesn’t be a stranger. Then there stood, you and Oscar. He stares at you for a long moment, studying you. It’s been nearly 4 years since he’s seen you. You are the same with little differences here and there, “You finally pierced your nose.” He points out. 

You purse your lips and nod, scoffing and looking him in the eyes, “Almost 1,300 days of not talking to me and seeing me…. And my nose ring is the first thing you say to me?” 

It wasn’t the plan to argue, you wanted to ask him to be kind to Cesar and take care of him then be on your merry way. But being in his physical presence now, it’s made your blood boil. How could he stand there like nothing had happened between you? The history you two have was an epic love and heartbreak but by the look on his face, it’s as if you are a stranger in passing. 

He licks his bottom lip and digs his hands into his shorts pockets, “What you want me to say? I said all I needed to that day on the phone.”

Your arms uncross from over your chest and your mouth falls slightly open. But before you can let out the rage that’s been building up continuously over the years, “I miss you, querida.” He watches your face contort to confusion then back to anger. He nearly smiles to see that you are still the hot head you’ve always been.

The words weren’t coming out as you wanted them to. All you could do was stomp past him to leave but he grabs your upper arm to stop you. You look down to where his hand wraps around your arm then up to his eyes, the look you give him is loud enough for him to let go.

“Can you just listen to me? You think I wanted to break things off? That it didn’t hurt me just as much as it hurt you?” Oscar begins, standing directly in front of you and slightly craning his head down. “I fucking hated that I did that to you, mami. The last thing I want in this world is not being with you, to cause you pain and to have done that when I was locked up? I hated it. Every single day. But I needed to do it because all I was doing was holding you back. I couldn’t bare knowing that I was making your life hard.”

An eruption of laughter sounds from you, you hold your stomach and one hand clamped over your mouth, hunching over from how hilarious you find his last sentence. Though anyone else hearing it wouldn’t really laugh, seeing as it wasn’t a funny statement. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh. But do you hear yourself? You thought breaking up would be better. I don’t know if there was ever a time during our relationship prior that I made you feel I couldn’t handle something like you being locked up, I am terribly sorry if I had but I thought I proved to you that I was more than in love with you, I was hopelessly devoted to you, I was willing to endure it all, every call or visit. I was ready to work hard to make sure you could make tienda… but what did I do or what did I say to make you think otherwise?”

Oscar feels the chains on his heart tighten with every word you say. He doesn’t know what hurts him more, the break-up or now knowing how worthless it made you feel. He knows you are an understanding person, but his intentions didn’t settle as he hoped it would. 

It takes all his might to resist pulling you into a hug, With how you reacted to his touch just moments ago, he knows a hug would only result in profanities being spewed out. As if a hug could magically glue the pieces back together and fix it all. “You didn’t do shit wrong, Y/N. You were the epitome of a down ass girl. But all I could see was the tiredness in your face when you would visit me because you were playing mother to Cesar meanwhile trying to juggle everything else. Trying to make sure you would always come to see me… so I thought ending everything would be better, I thought you would be better off.”

The rage and ache in your heart fights against each other. He is saying one thing but to you its processing as nothing but an excuse. You want to yell and thrash your fists against his chest so he can feel just a sliver of what you went through. 

“I was better off with you. It didn’t matter to me what we were going through Oscar… If it was something joyous or something scrutinizing, as long it was with you and we were together, I wanted it all with you. I was ready to go through this journey with you. But you just gave up on us like that.” You snap your fingers and blink away the tears that had begun pooling for sometime now. His shoulders cave in and he dips his head down, unable to keep his eyes locked onto yours. 

“Give me a chance to prove that I haven’t given up on you or us.”

You wanted to laugh again. To point and scream how silly he sounds and to catch the circus act before they leave town but the way he says it is the reason you didn’t. How low his voice is, how soft his eyes are and his walls had dropped to below sea level is what made you stand so incredibly still.

Do you take the chance? Should push aside all the vines and roots that have grown over the chest labeled: Oscar, to let him in again? 

taglist: @clemmingstylins0n @fairygardenss @princesstiffxoxo @firebenderwolf @mbaku-babygirl​ @chellybear98 @multiyfandomgirl40 @i-just-wanna-live-gc @roury66 @lillict @tinylumpiaa @prettymya3 @starrynite7114 @aneitii @b3mybunnybaby  @angelxfics  @spookysbabymama @kkim120 @ladylj @vayagrxce @irenne-stans @boujee-bitches @blessedboo @lidumiw @morenokatt @gltrpzy (please let me know if you want to be added or removed!)

[neko-rogers]

All I Ever Need

Peter warned you about the dangers of online dating.

words: 4,007

tags: dark!peter parker, strong and explicit non-consensual elements, manipulation, implications of sex-pollen or drugging, lowkey breeding kink

a/n: please forgive me! i’m still new to writing dark!versed fics <3 but this was a request and i couldn’t resist (: if you liked this then you are free to help me out and improve my writing by leaving feedback or suggesting prompts that i could write about

     It was emotionally crushing.

     The moment you decided to create a Tinder account led you to all sorts of feelings. 

     As someone who had been busy with your final year of college, you never thought of engaging much in the relationships territory. With all these, you could only focus on finally graduating and obtaining a stable job. The idea that you were providing for yourself, without having to depend on a significant other, was fulfilling.

     It did not help further considering that most of your group of friends were just as hardworking as you. Peter Parker was one the closest and much more than just a good influence. Truly too good to be true.

     Nonetheless, you finally tried out those infamous dating applications you have been hearing. Despite warnings from your friends about how dangerous it can be, you were confident that you were smart enough to handle it.

     “You're still hung up on that app?” Peter interrupts alongside.

     The professor dismissed the class moments ago, and at least half of the people already exited the room. As always, Peter waited for you before heading for next subject.

     Admittedly, you were a bit caught up with your phone. Swiping left and right sounded boring, but for some reason you found it amusing how convenient it can be – the interaction and messages was a bonus. “So what if I am?”

     You lock your phone before Peter got to snoop further. Both your reflections could be seen amongst the black screen as you placed it on top of your other textbooks to be carried.

     “Any interaction online is dangerous,” he explains. “I thought you out of all people should know that, Y/N.”

     You roll your eyes at his remark. “You’re only a year older than me yet you sound like my dad. You know I’m already twenty-two, right?”

     “I’d hate to be the one to say I told you so when your world comes crashing down,” he consoles. 

     “Oh thats bullshit, Parker.” You could almost laugh at his sense of ridicule. “Like you said, I’m smart. I’m sure I’ll be able to handle online dating. Have faith in me, yeah?” 

     “Yeah, whatever. It’s fine.” Peter nods, still beside as you walked along the hallway. “It’s not like you’re already going on a date with one of them, right.” His assumption comes off as a statement rather than a question.

     However, you stay quiet seeming as it was best to leave it unanswered.

     “Oh no, please don’t tell me you’re seeing someone already.” Peter looks back when you decided to stay a meter behind him to save you from the guilt.

     “It’s just a second date, it won’t harm me,” you defended. “Plus, he goes to the community college nearby.”      “What?! You two are already on your second date before you told me, or anyone of your friends?” You could understand where his temper was coming from, but in the end, it was none of their business.

     “I know, but I just thought it wasn’t a big deal. Besides this is about me and Jacob.”

     Fortunately enough, you and Peter have the same subject which was BioChemistry. This time, he followed you behind while you avoided his gaze. He waited until you took a seat along the second to the last row, and then taking his seat next to you.

     You look straight, facing the chalkboard displayed at the farther side of the room. Though you could not see Peter entirely, you could see his glowering look by the corner of your eye. “So his name his Jacob, huh, tell me more about him.”

     This was the reason why you could not update him, or any of your friends. You knew this would happen. They begin getting so nosy around your life before they even realize it.

     Surely, you did love your friends, much more the boy sitting next to you. They have been with you since freshman year, and you were more than grateful for one another’s support.

     “Peter, I don’t think that whatever I tell you would concern you,” you state clearly to avoid a dragging conversation. 

     “But we care about you, I care about you, Y/N.” He pouts, “The moment he tries to hurt you, you’ll run back to us and cry about it. I just want to skip seeing that part knowing I can’t see you heartbroken.”

     You furrow your eyebrows. His statement comes off as a bit acquisitive, but you knew that it was just his concern caught up in the moment. “That’s the problem. We all need to eventually fail or feel pain. It’s normal, especially for young adults like us, Peter!”

     There was a lot of things you wanted to say now. He trigged you somehow and now you’re at the edge of becoming a rambling mess. The worst part of it was that you were scared that you might say something that you would not be able to take back. 

     “Okay then I’ll–”

     “No look, I apologize for raising my voice.” You sighed to calm yourself down and compose your thoughts better. “You know I adore you so much, Peter. And I appreciate you looking out for me. But this can’t be forever, I’ll eventually have to learn how to deal with these kinds of stuff.”

     You got through barely half of your day yet you could already feel the emotional turn of having an argument with one of your best friends. 

     And eventually, your professor entered the room. Barely giving the two of you a moment to continue the heated conversation just seconds ago. The displeased look on Peter’s face remained as he looked in front, acknowledging that both of you took lectures seriously. He wanted to pick up this argument at another setting. 

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ

     "Congrats to your first ever anniversary!” Your friends applaud just as Jacob was seated next to you.

     “We’re so proud of you.”

     “You two look so happy together!”

     “Both of you look amazing, practically perfect for each other.”

     “Can’t believe it’s already been a year.”

     A year has passed, your group of friends remained even so with Peter. In addition, they learned to accept your boyfriend despite their doubts on online dating sites and applications.

     Just as they learned to trust your decisions more, you also learned way more about your significant other. Though despite your differences in fields, you learned to love him more than you thought you could.

     All of you have freshly graduated from college. Most of your friends did not have much planned so far; however, as your friendship with Peter remained, he grew to understand your feelings more and handled it sensitively.

     After your argument during your early days of dating Jacob, he eventually apologized for his behavior too. Though that was not the only time your friendship with him was put to a test. After the succeeding months, Peter still gave feint warnings and acted a bit overprotective when you tried telling him how you wanted to take your relationship to another level and get more serious.

     Nonetheless, you did not let any of your peers affect your view upon your relationship. Seeing that you were now at your first anniversary, you were happy that you followed what your heart and gut believed in.

     “To be honest we didn’t expect our Y/N to be getting into a relationship before we graduate, let alone celebrating her first anniversary!” Liz joked. “But in the end, just know that we love you and we’re here for you.”

     You smiled, looking at your friends who seemed to share the same feeling. After graduation, everything feels too good. It feels as if your life was falling into place.

     Not only have you gotten into a relationship with a kind guy. You also attained high ranks among the other students in your program, which led to companies offering you internships right off the bat. Rather than you worrying about where you’re heading to after college, you got the privilege to pick what you wanted to do.

     Surprisingly, you got an offer from the Stark Industries to become an internship on being their analytical chemist. It was the most tempting offer you got. Who would not accept an opportunity like that, right?

     When you learned that Peter also got an offer, you were more than happy for him. You knew he was one of the smartest persons in class and he deserved it just as you did.

     Both your contracts agreed that the internship starts a month from now which was just perfect, considering that you also have a few things to do prior to it.

     “Well, this girl also has a lot planned ahead,” you announce while catching the attention of your friends that were circled around you. “Me and Jacob were talking about moving in probably in his apartment by the end of the month.”

     Your intention was not to brag. Everyone could see how genuinely excited you were with such a big event. You were just so happy that despite what every one thought your relationship would end, you accepted whether the outcome would be good or bad. 

     Your friends cheered at you for taking a big step into your relationship. Looking back, you were so scared to accept the second date, but little by little you could not notice how much progress has been done.

     “I am so thankful for you guys.” You smiled and nodded at them before looking to your side where Jacob happily watched you interact with your friends. You slung your arm over his chest and planted a kiss directly at his lips.

     “We’re always here for you, Y/N,” Peter added along with a smile.

*

     Unbeknownst to you, just as your friends had left the celebration, you had big news yet to hear.

     As you drape your purse over one shoulder, your boyfriend assisted you out. He held one side of the door for you and walked after you. He held onto the side of your waist until both of you reached his car.

     Like the gentleman he is, he went over to the passenger side to open the car door for you before doing the same for himself at the driver’s side.

     When both of you were finally inside the car, Jacob had not started the car immediately. He paused with fingers gripping around the edges of the steering wheel.

     His sigh was just as evident, hearing it echo around the car which left chills across your skin as you looked at him. “You seem bothered. What’s wrong?”

     He avoided to look at you just as both of your hands reach for one of his. He lets you toy with his fingers yet his gaze still directs straight at the gas pedal. You lean further to catch a glimpse of him, moving one hand to cup his cheek. “Hey, what’s bugging you, babe? I’m here to listen.”

     “I’m sorry,” he starts off. The puzzled look on your face apparent as to what he’s trying to apologize for.

     “What do you mean?”

     “I just don’t think you deserve to stay with someone like me.”

     His self-loathing was not settling your confusion in any way at all. “I still don’t get it.” You did have an assumption in mind, but you chose not to jump into it as it might flare up on what’s happening now.

     “I think we need to break up,” Jacob swiftly drops.

     Slowly, you pull back and rest your back against the window. You bring a hand up to brush the little fringes in front of your face. You were trying to comprehend everything that’s happening. “I don’t understand. Why so sudden?”

     “Don’t get the wrong idea, Y/N–”

     “Then what should I get?” Your voice starts to crack as you hold back the tears. “I don’t understand anything at all! You seemed so happy a couple of hours ago.”

     “That’s why I’m apologizing,” he softly explains. “You don’t deserve me, I’ve been so horrible to you–”

     “You have been so nice to me. I don’t know where you’re getting all of this, at all!” Eventually, tears could not help but form around the corners of your eyes.

     Jacob sighs, finally looking at you. “You deserve so much more than this, I’m so sorry, Y/N.”

     Finally, the tears began to spill. You covered both your eyes with your palms, trying to both hide and wipe them away. “Y-you can’t just break up with me after celebrating our first anniversary.”

     “I’m sorry–”      “Stop saying that,” you sniffed. You did not know what annoyed you more, hearing him apologize like a broken record or hearing him imply the ‘its not you, it’s me and you deserve more’ bullshit. “You’re too cruel.”

     “I’ll drive you to your house,” he offers. The look on his face seemed very guilty. You did not know what was behind these sudden turn of events, but either way you were heartbroken for how

     “No,” you stated. “Uhm, I have a friend who lives nearby. You can drop me off there.”

     “Okay.”

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ

     “That’s pretty much my night in a nutshell,” you sighed as Peter entered his room with a blanket and some clothes in hand.

     Your legs were cross-seated over his bed as your hid your face with your hands. Peter frowned as he walked over to the edge of his bed where you were positioned. “I just don’t understand why he dumped me all of a sudden, might I add, dumped me on our first anniversary!”

     You felt a hand over your back, rubbing slow and comforting strokes as you continued to cry. “Just as I thought I was getting to know him better.”

     It was emotionally crushing.

     “I’m so sorry, Y/N.”

     “Well.” You look up at him despite knowing your nose eyes eyelids became swollen, “You can finally tell me that you told me so.”

     “That doesn’t matter right now.” His hands move to the ends of your hair, toying with the strands before turning half of his body aside. He reaches for a mug that situated on top of his nightstand, “Here. I brought you a cup of tea.”

     “Thanks, but I’m not really thirsty–”

     “Drink,” he calmly says. “You need to get hydrated after crying.”

     You could not argue with that. You’ve definitely lost a lot of water in your body after hours of just crying, without drinking anything. “You know me so well.” you told him and added, “I should’ve just listened to you when you warned me about strangers online.”

     “I guess I owe you an apology.”

     Peter chuckled at your statement and watched you as your lips slowly sipped at the heated tea he had just prepared. “No need to be sorry about anything now, I’m just glad you’re safe. He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

     “Don’t worry he didn’t physically touch me,” you assure as he nods.

     The adorable boy in front of you slyly looked down as he called for your name. “Y/N? Can I ask you a question?”

     “Of course, Peter.” 

     “Why’d you choose to stop by my place amongst our other friends.” 

     You finally finish the entire drink he had prepared. Before you could answer him, you extended your arm in order to set the fragile mug back on top of his bed side drawer.

     “Well for one, I still know where your place was, and it was closest from the restaurant,” you answered. “And conveniently enough, you were the first person I could think of after Jacob hurt my feelings.”

     “I could vividly remember your warnings just as I realized he was breaking up with me already. I didn’t know whether to feel sad or ashamed. What I do know was that you knew me too well, even before I became fully aware of it.”

     He smiled at your answer, and you gave the same look at him. “Well I’m glad you thought of me.” His hands reach over to yours and places them on top, feeling the warmth of his body over yours. “I would never want to hurt you, nor let you feel the pain Jacob gave you.”

     “You’re too sweet.” You smile.

     Your hands rubbed circles around your eyes first. Then you tried to lean in front, opening your arms wide signaling for a hug. Peter did not hesitate to hug you back, enveloping his arms while both of you rest your chins on top of each other’s shoulders.

     From this angle, you could strongly scent his cologne. However, that was not the only thing you could observe.

     As each second passes, you were not sure if you were the only one who could notice how hot the room was getting. Either that or that your skin was starting to burn up. “Peter?”

     “Don’t you think it’s getting hot–”

     As you were just about to react, you felt a pair of lips against yours. Peter had pulled back, and even when you could have realized it, he was pinning you down as your back presses against his bed.

     And as much as this was entirely contradicting your morals, you did not feel an ounce of guilt as one of your best friends continued to leave kisses down your neck. You were not entirely sure why your mind was doubting this, but your body was suddenly, badly craving for touch – and Peter was conveniently doing you the favor.

     “Don’t I think it’s getting what?” Peter sits up and teases just as he pulls his shirt over his shoulders.

     “Nothing,” you groan. “But I don’t think this is a good idea–”

     He shushes you, “Relax. Let me take care of you, yeah?

     His hands gently released heir grip around your wrists. He was confident enough that you wouldn’t fight back after finishing the drink he exclusively brewed for you.

     Your state of mind was perfectly right where he expected it to be. Just conscious enough to feel him against you, but incapable of thinking rationally. 

     He just hated how smart you were when it came to his friends and school; however, just as he expects, you were not as quick-witted when it came to relationships. 

     And hiring Jacob was definitely one of his greatest achievements so far. He lost a part of his savings along the way, but nothing could ever become as valuable as you. Now that you were in his room, let alone under his touch, he had the upper hand.

     Peter was not letting you go that easy afterwards.

     For now, he continues to leave kisses under your jaw while your hands lazily combs through the locks of his hair. He proudly hums against your skin after leaving gentle nibbles that started to leave evident love marks.

     One of his hands creep under your shirt, reaching to unhook your bra. As he successfully does, he moves to adjust your shirt over your breasts. He gets a good view of them even without having to pull it over your head, smirking to himself as this has been a fantasy he has been dreading for.

     “Fuck you’re even more beautiful than I imagined,” he murmurs. With one hand, he gently squeezes around one of your breasts just as he descends at your body.

     “Peter,” your moan comes from above his head just as he was ready to spread your legs.

     “Yeah, babe?”

     “C-condom,” you mumbled with eyelids partially open.

     He chuckled as a response, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

     Peter tried to test the waters first to make sure he was completely in control of this situation. He drags the tip of his fingers across your stomach, further narrowing the path down as it reached at the entrance of your cunt. 

     He could instantly sense how wet you have become throughout his teasing. Both his middle and ring finger grew damper as he inserted them inch by inch, slowly seeing them reappear. 

     The warmth radiating around your walls excites him more, assuming how good you would be while his cock was wrapped around it. He instinctively curls his fingers out of excitement, forgetting that he was trying to handle you gently.

     You react by tightening around it, along with a whine. 

     “Sorry, babe.”

     Moreover, he continues it up until he felt his erection grow harden than before. He made sure he was completely hard before finally dropping both your pants down, attending to yours first until you were completely naked – excluding the shirt he did not haul over your head.

     Next was his turn. He undid his shorts and threw them away ever so quickly. Then rushed to welcome himself between the space of your legs. “You ready for me, babe?” He did not leave a choice despite asking that either way. You remained helpless under him.

     “Hmm,” was your only response.

     Peter did not hesitate as he glides into you. He groans at your heat, grasping that you feel better now compared to when he was using his fingers. “Oh shit,” he groans while speeding up the pace of his thrusts, “you feel so good.”

     “That’s it, holy fuck.” He was surprised at how responsive your body was still. Despite drugging you to the extent of being mentally incapable, your body was contracting all over him as if it was enjoying itself. 

     He continued to praise your body even if you could not understand what he was saying. The entire event revolved around him fucking you and leaving sweet remarks as if he was your boyfriend – and not, at all, a friend who laced your drink and made you believe you were somewhere safe.

     Though Peter did say he was going to care for you. Ironically, it was obvious that all he can think about now is chasing his orgasm and nutting inside you. After all, it was one of his dark and twisted fantasies – to have full control over you, at least.

     There were few moans coming from you, but the happy noises being created by Peter overpowers. With all of this, sexual, tension he finally got to release, it was expected that he was going to cum sooner.

     “Fuck,” and other swears came from him. “Didn’t expect to cum so soon.”

     As he did not care about your take on this, he also did not give a fuck when he was planning to cum inside you. Since he purposely avoided to wear any kind of protection, let alone learn if you were in any kind of birth control, anyone in their right mind would know what could happen the morning after.

     Willfully, he made sure to go deeper inside you until he could feel the tip of his cock twitch as a sign that he was going to cum. “Gonna fill you up with my cum, yeah,” he grunts as if you were going to reply. “And you’re gonna take it like the good girl you are.”

     Even so, when Peter finally felt his release, he took a good look at you beneath. You seemed hot and bothered, but not as him. Your chest was heaving all the while he could feel the speed of the beating of his heart.

     When he steadily pulls out, the awaited moment of his deep, dark fantasies finally arise. He could clearly see his own cum beautifully spilling out of your cunt like a cream pie. He could almost feel himself get turned on just at the sigh of it, but he considered that round two’s with you would be saved for next time.

     “Peter?”      “Hmm?”

     “I still feel hot,” you purr. 

     Peter extends his arm to gently place the back of his hand over your forehead, feeling how feverish your body still was. There were few hints of sweat streaming from your forehead. “Let me take care of you, I’ll just run you a bath, okay?”

     You childishly smile and agree with him, “O-okay.” He pulls back to be able to properly stand and proceeds to head to his shower with a huge smile from his face.

     You were his.