#i hope treasure is a reoccurring character

[soup-scope]

me crawling from the depths the second a freak gets posted on redacted

[gendervapor14]

Blanket and Warmth, please and thank you!

ooh thank you for the ask!! LET'S DIVE ON IN

🧡 Blanket: share a snippet where a character feels safe and loved.

how about an excerpt of cora and law from corazón de oro?

“Do you think anyone will ever love me? Now that I don’t have Lami anymore?”

His heart burned like it was lit with firecrackers. How long had this kid been wandering around, thinking he existed without being loved? Thinking he never would be loved? Although, it was a change in pace. He was asking about his future. Law knew he had a future. Law trusted Cora with his life.

“Of course, Law.” Cora replied, playfully knocking the brim of Law’s hat over his face, “Man, you were right, that was a stupid question.”

The boy snickered, fixed his hat and hair, but the laugh died out quickly. “How can you be so sure?”

“Because this world exists for love.” Cora enthused, tugging on the heart-shaped tails of his hat. “There are people all over the planet Law, friends to be made everywhere you go. Even in the most unlikely conditions. It’s not always instantaneous, sure. Might even take decades before you find your people, but…you’ll be loved. Just have to stay strong and love them in return. Catch them when they fall.”

“…right.” Law muted a yawn as he sniffed and leaned against his guardian again. “You say I’m smart but, you’re pretty smart too, Cora. Pretty stupid, most of the time, but sometimes you say stuff that makes a lot of sense.”

“Thanks, kid.” Cora shook his head as he furled himself into his coat with a dry sigh, “I do my best.”

The silence that came thereafter was comfortable. It was warm too, and as Rosinante adjusted himself to get more cozy, he realized Law was deadweight there beside him. Fast asleep. Arms wrapped around his waist. He kept a hand on the kid’s shoulder and let his head tip back against the tree trunk. Let the evening breeze carry him into a gentle slumber himself.

In his dream, he was falling. A nasty, reoccurring dream. Sometimes he fell forever and woke feeling dizzy. Sometimes he crashed somewhere harsh, unforgiving, and woke with a start.

This time, when he landed, there was someone there to catch him. Someone with gloomy eyes and a spotted hat. He didn’t wake in a cold sweat. He stayed in that warm embrace, and held on as dearly as he could, treasuring every last heartbeat.

🧡 Warmth: share a snippet that gives you the warm fuzzies.

this one is so hard i feel like none of my oneshots give me the warm fuzzies hhhh they just aren't long enough to impact me. i wanted to avoid using 01746 since it has an oc and such a sad ending but. there's this conversation between rosinante and sora in chapter 42 that still hits me in the gut every time i reread it.

He ran his thumb along the rounded edge of the receiver. “You think you’d deny a promotion if it was offered?”

“I…it depends. I think the highest I would accept is vice admiral. Like Tsuru. Admirals…they have to respond to the nobles directly. I wouldn’t feel comfortable in that position.”

Rosinante knew that. Yet, somehow, hearing it spoken out loud brought a sharper sense of realization through him. “…yeah. I don’t really want to be an admiral, either.”

“I’d be happy as a commodore for the rest of my life.”

“I’d be happy as a commander for the rest of my life.” He mirrored, “I’d…I’d be happy as anything, really. As long as I could still reach out to Sengoku sometimes. Live with you.”

Sora laughed at the little addendum, “Live with me, huh? Audacious, Rosinante.”

“Pardon me for thinking of peaceful things when resisting the urge to blow up this pirate hellhole.”

“You’re pardoned. You were a chore boy, after all, you’d be great at folding laundry.”

“Can’t believe I almost forgot about your chore boy obsession.” He snickered, rising up to his feet, “But…seriously, I…well, I guess this is a conversation for another day. We can figure out what to do with our lives after I lock Doffy up.”

A hopeful sigh. “Yeah. I’d love to have that conversation. I think you’ve been working for…a long, long time. And I think you at the least deserve a vacation, if not…something more permanent, when this is sorted. You’ve done so much for us, Rosinante. I’m not Sengoku, but I have a feeling he would agree with me when I say, if you did retire after this…you’ve already put in a whole life’s worth of duty. There would be no hard feelings whatsoever.”

The weight that lifted from him felt near euphoric. Although, there was a pull there, a lingering thread tugging at his heart. “But…didn’t you want to squash pirates? Bring me around with you, as the clumsiest hero of all time?”

A little laugh. “Well, if you want. But…we don’t have to be marines to be heroes, right? We can figure it out later, okay, Rosi? Don’t stress about this. Focus on Corazón, on Doflamingo. I’ll be here when you get back. For whatever life hands us next.”

this ask was from this ask list here! thanks again!! ♥

[looseinthecatroom]

Back at it with delightful background bits in Fionna and Cake.

Link to first post (Not posting them remotely in episode order I'm afraid.)

Cheers - Episode 10

1./2./3. Everyone runs past a hamburger joint... only to faceplant in front of the exact same hamburger joint a few steps later. (Also "Evergreen Flowers", lol.) The repeating backgrounds happen a few times in Fionna world (In Episode one, they keep passing the same background taco place while Fionna is giving her tour), but this one is probably the most obvious.

4. "LEARN TO KICK: Plate, Him, Her, Bug"

5. And later on in the ep when Cake does in fact learn to kick that bug. (Also: "CALL DAN" lmao)

6. Breezy spotted! (I can't for the life of me figure out who the other two characters in this scene are and it bothers the hell out of me.)

7. "Tooth Sale" (This whole section is just a treasure.)

8. So we've got Queenie obviously, Lord Monochromicorn in the back, Fern, DJ Flame and Breezy almost off screen, and alsoooo...

9./10. lol

11. Another crowd shot. Now with Turtle Prince in the top right. And I am once again burdened by the fact that I have no idea who a few of these people are. ;_; Is the person with the spot around their eye Tromo? Dr Gross? Who's the person in the top left whose hair looks like ears? Glasses and mustache? Purple hair, nose ring and head phones person who keeps showing up with Breezy?? Damned if I know.

12. "Lump"

Time for a rapid fire collection of worlds Simon steps on on his way back to Ooo:

13./14./15. Lich, Vampire, Tiny Bears (Rip tiny bear world apple cart.)

16./17./18. Baby world, Melted Winter King World, some sort of horrible factory world

19./20./21. Farmworld, different art style world (Is it a real show?/otherwise extant art style? Shout out if you recognize it.), Jake world

22./23. Fire world and finally; Ooo

24./25. This is the exact same crosswalk as Episode 1. (Also? I've been suspicious of flowers sticking through windows since noticing the "Help Me" plant in Episode 5, but sadly, they didn't end up being as much of a reoccurring theme as I'd hoped.)

26. Saw another post pointing this out first but including it anyway: Scarab fucks over those poor lil' homeless hamsters. Smh.

27./28. There's still some leftover wackiness in the architecture and store fronts

29. Love that some of the new houses look like they're built in farmworld style.

30./31. As I mentioned in another post; seems like the world is no longer (or at least less) glitchy after being made canon. (Forgive the formatting on that last one. The Image limit on posts is 30. >.>)

RIGHT. So. That was episode 10, but it's only the second background details post I've drafted so far. Probably going to post these two, and get around to diving into the earlier episodes slowly/when I've got the time.

YEESH. This series is just a delight. Every dang shot of it is done with care, and it's just wonderful to go through. <3

Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5

Episode 6 | Episode 7 | Episode 8 | Episode 9 | Episode 10

[choco-bean405]

Welcome Home Ocs

Heyo guys! I'm gonna introduce to you 4 of my original characters for the Arg "Welcome Home"!

Starting off with our resident fitness girl, Marie!

(i have her current design(digital) and her old design(traditional))

She's 16 and the town's resident peppy roller derby girl! Though, she helps out with another one of the neighbors to deliver the weekly newspapers to everyone around the neighborhood. She's a bright, enthusiastic kid that's full of energy and she would have been a partial main character that appears in a few episodes. Weither it be teaching children how to exercise, or showing them how to have fun with the most minimal of items!

Though, she doesn't live alone. She has her big brother, Michael!

He's 18 and the Handyman of the neighborhood! Whilst being the more Quiet and less talkative sibling, he's a sweetheart who loves to tinker and fix things, and building things such as a fence, new flower planters, model sets (e.g. planes & cars). Anything he gets his hands on, he'll be mumbling to himself on how he could improve it or what he could build using said item.

He would have been a similar case to his sister, showing children how working hard is rewarding, teaching people different ways of communicating, and probably showing up in an arts and crafts segment along side Eddie sometimes.

Noww,these kids do have a parental figure they live with, and it's the resident Milk delivery man, Daniel the Dragonfly!

Noww, this sweetheart will greet every person he meets with a smile, Often being considered a time keeper, as he sticks to a time schedule and will often be considered a people pleaser, finding it hard to say no to things at times, so he'll be reminded of that from time to time.

He would be a reoccurring character in the show, teaching kids it's ok to say no to things you don't want to do, possibly health care segments showing how important it is to drink milk. Maybe being included in time related segments, playing "What's the time mr wolf?" With the kids that hang around the place. He loves looking after marie and michael, often asking marie to help with news paper rounds whilst he does his job, whilst occasionally helping Howdy out in his shop as an assistant.

Noww finally, Is our resident jewelry maker, Natalie Barkson!

This sassy squirrel lady is the most thrifty character you will meet in the neighborhood. Often being seen with any sort of bag as she collects her "crafting supplies" from around the town. She may hoard things she finds, but she manages to make the most wonderful things from them. "Another man's trash is another man's treasure" after all.

She would have appeared in the same arts and craft segments that michael would have been in, meanwhile acting as a side character that assists the others where she can can, whilst teaching the young children watching how to reduce, reuse ,recycle.

I hope you all like them! Enjoy! 🥰

[sc3n3kitt3h]

now. tell me about your ocs. like in general i mean

ok!!!!

this is tekz!!!!! she isnt really an OC but whatever. im stealing her. She came from an abandoned 4-part story on deviantart in 2009 called wolfs life!!!

you see!! my sibling collects vinyls and cassettes and cds and shit, right? they get them from bandcamp and he likes this one artist called OK glass!! Ok glass used to go by the name dictionary attack and one of his old, extremely obscure songs was called WOLFS LIFE 3. (it probably would have become lost media if he hadnt archived it lolz. this isnt particularly relevant i just think my sibling is really cool XD) anyways they showed it to me cuz the song and by extension the story was TOTALLY my kinda thing!!! and it WAS!!!! the song goes super hard. Its pretty much a narration of wolfs life 3... there arent any songs for the other parts. nobody knows how mr. john dictionary attack (idk his name LOL) found the story. Pretty much nobody cares about it except for my sibling and me. This song is a fucking treasure and both it and the story are such relics of their time that i cant help but absolutely ADORE how silly they are!!! Anyways the story itself is about a girl named Tannika, who goes by Tekz!! She has a crush on a boy who sits next to her in math class and a preppy best friend who ends up ALSO having a crush on the same kid which in 2009 translates to them being RIVALS!!! Anyways one day on a full moon tekz turns into a white wolf which is the rarest and presumably most magical type of wolf!!!! She turns into a wolf on full moons or when something romantic happens between her and her crush. Theres a reoccurring motif of one of them going "can i borrow a glue??" and them both going "red in the face". During math class. Anyways im OBSESSED with this story and the song. Wolfs life only ended up having 4 parts, one of which was never actually a part of the series itself for some reason!! And the story hasnt been updated since, yknow, 2009. So ive taken it upon myself to revamp it and make everyone emo!!! surprise user wildspiritwolve on deviantart!!!!

Anyways yeah. the song is so insane. i love it. Literally some 13 year old writes a really cliche self-insert story about wolves and uploads it to deviantart in 2009. 2 years later some random dude finds the 3rd part SOMEHOW and makes a song out of it that nobody cares about. in 2021 the song almost becomes lost media but luckily it doesnt because some random kid downloaded it. Said random kid shows it to their autistic sibling (ME!!!!). Said sibling becomes extremely attached to the song and its characters. Every part of this story is so obscure and weird!!!! My versions of the characters are pretty much my love letter to the internet, which allowed this chain of events to occur, much to everyones horror.

Heres Wolf's life 3 in all of its glory:

here are some links to the original story:

and this one is chapter 4!!:

sooo. thats just 1 of my ocs. the others dont have as much irl backstory to them but lmk if you wanna hear about them too!!! i hope you enjoy!!!

[grimfiendfyre]

Moshang AU where as a kid sqh was lonely and didn’t have any friends so he spent most of his time creating characters and stories since he was young, but he keeps having these strange dreams that feel so life-like where he keeps meeting the same person over and over again. He can’t touch anything in the dreams and nobody seems to be able to see or hear him except one boy. As the years pass and he starts writing more and more, he bases one of his big stories on the world of his dreams. Since he was a kid, he realizes that most people don’t have such reoccuring dreams like he does and a lot of people and other kids think he’s weird or something is wrong with him when he talks about his dreams so he stops talking about them and keeps them to himself. He thinks of the boy in his dreams as an imaginary friend that he must have made up out of his own loneliness. 

Meanwhile, the first time Mobei Jun meets this strange boy who appears to either be dead or some type of spirit is when he is a child in the water prison of Huan Hua Palace. At first Mobei Jun is terrified of the spirit thinking it might harm him too, but then he sees the spirit yell at the cultivator who hit him to leave mbj alone and stop picking on someone smaller than him. Imagine small 6-7 year old sqh just trying to kick the cultivator’s shin, but his leg keeps passing through the person’s body like he’s just a ghost or something. Even though sqh is like ‘this is all a dream’ he can’t help but feel bad for this boy in his ‘dreams’ so he tries to comfort the boy and stays with him until mbj is eventually rescued. Does small mbj hold onto the only kindness and comfort given to him in such a terrifying situation after being betrayed by his uncle? Absolutely. From that moment after the Huan Hua Palace incident, every night sqh falls asleep he appears in mbj’s world usually somewhere close by where mbj is. Young mbj and sqh becoming each other’s only friends. I feel like the more time passes sqh starts questioning what is real and what is fake. Sqh warning mbj of assassination attempts. Sqh spying on suspicious members of the court, uncovering schemes and plots against mbj because he can literally follow them and listen in on their conversations without anyone being able to see or hear him. Mbj being able to trust and confide in sqh without having to doubt if sqh may one day betray him because no one else can even see or hear sqh so even if sqh wanted to betray him he physically wouldn’t be able to. But mbj would trust him even if he was able to be here physically and could interact with others because sqh has shown over and over again that he cares for mbj. Sqh telling mbj all his fears, doubts, and insecurities because he thinks this is all a dream so he’s like ‘I feel safe enough to tell him these things’ because he’s not actually ‘real’.

As they get older there are times when sqh doesn’t show up for one or two days in a row and when he does he always appears tired and weary with dark circles under his eyes and his usual round cheeks a bit thinner than they normally are and it makes mbj worried!! (Sqh needing to pull all nighters to finish chapters of his story to get paid to make enough money for rent and food means no sleep). Does mbj worry that one day sqh will just disappear forever and never come back when he disappears? All the time. Does he also wish that sqh could be alive and living here with mbj in his world? also yes. Mbj falling in love with sqh, pining for a person who can never physically stay with him, but it doesn’t stop mbj from pondering the what-if scenarios of them being married, with sqh as his consort. What it would be like if sqh didn’t have to randomly disappear without any warning (when sqh wakes up)? Sqh also falls in love with mbj too, but he’s still in this weird place where he thinks mbj is just his imaginary friend/crush since he thinks this is all still a dream and also what are the chances that mbj grew up to be exactly his type both physically and in demeanor, sqh is like ‘obviously my lonely brain created the perfect man/crush out of my subconscious’. 

I’m also imagining how cute it is for young mbj to excitedly show sqh around the ice palace and mbj feeling happy to see the other get excited over every little thing. It’s odd how some of the everyday mundane things around the place make sqh gasp in excitement, but mbj finds it oddly endearing. Imagine mbj taking sqh sightseeing around the demon realm and going to festivals together over the years both in the demon realm and also some in the human realm. Sqh telling mbj he just HAS to try this or that food from the food stalls at the festival because he can’t do it himself so mbj has to try it and tell him what it tastes like! Can you just imagine sqh whining that he wants to be able to try all these foods and for some reason mbj feels his heart skip a beat when sqh looks at him with a pout. How much he wishes sqh could really be here with him, that he would buy sqh a whole stall worth of food if sqh asked for it, how much he wishes to dress him in his clan’s colors, to know what it would feel like to touch his hand. He imagines it would feel warm since sqh appears to be human, and warmth should be uncomfortable for an ice demon, and yet it is that warmth that mbj craves and wants so badly.

Things change though when sqh arrives in the middle of an assassination attempt that almost succeeds and a knife is about to stab mbj in his unguarded back that’s moving much too quickly and sqh in desperation moves without thinking to block the knife with his body even though it would have just gone right through him, but something changed and he felt incredible pain as a knife stabs him in the shoulder. Mbj only catches the shocked expression on sqh’s face before he disappears, the knife that was in him only moments ago clattering on the ground still stained with blood. Mbj makes quick work of the assassin killing him and cradles the knife like it might shatter or disappear as well. Mbj keeps the dagger without cleaning the blood off letting it dry permanently onto the blade as it is now a stark reminder and symbol that sqh is real and that somehow if he can bleed and get stabbed in his world that means there is a way that sqh can be here physically. That knife is a symbol of hope to mbj and he keeps it with him like a prized treasure. Meanwhile, right after he got stabbed, sqh wakes up abruptly in his bed in his apartment and feels agonizing pain in his shoulder and looks to see blood quickly soaking his shirt from what appears to be a stab wound, but with no evidence that someone had broken in or that he somehow could have accidentally stabbed himself in his sleep. As he is laying in the hospital getting treated for a stab wound, he is internally panicking and freaking out that his dreams are more real than he ever previously thought and that means that whole world and mbj are real!! On one side, hooray that he wasn’t losing his mind like everyone else used to say about him! On the other hand, holy shit that means he has been half existing in another world for most of his life!!

[captainkurosolaire]

Prompt #1 ~ Aftermath

Previous - ♫Something Better♫ - Mentions: (@lordshiroelune)

Bitter cold took presence as often they attend to go from a harrowing Summer, or within this situation; a treacherous battle. Rarely often the roguish in clad-black took dawn in a mournful suit. A makeshift headstone laid at his sole's wake. He was attending a funeral burial, to his worst prominent enemy. An opponent in which they catapulted a historical rivalry it felt they were Destined Forever to contest... However, you can never truly engage a character of a person often with the whole life they live, but often it's what they do at their final notes, that's what really spells out was colorfully represented. An ashamed head was tilted, this was unholy sight. His rival, slaughtered and massacred his first crew, dissected and single-handedly malfunctioned his second with their wit alone. The Noble of once, shattered dreams, crushed his livelihood. At worst, brought instilled doubt, to someone who was so once staggering confident in his abilities, as if untouchable in brash young. Those losses racked up, the death toll's grip of reality, was clenched around the Seeker like a noose. He loosened his buttoned shirt to expose his collar to expose a gnarly rapier scar and wound. Ashamed so hid it and confiscated it was better to ignore things, such effortlessness, easy. The token failure's could unrelentingly haunt by sight alone. Although caressing it purposefully trying to recall that wound's terrible story. Forth came his nerves finally conveying a solo-speech to his departed advisor. "Shiro... Shiro... Why'd ye have t' die?" He quaked and trembled, his worst hatred and self-loathing came from his compassion always ridiculed for, it was a distinct thing he rejected, because he was foretold it would be his demise, or it couldn't measure up to giant's he began mustering against. "I am surrounded in a realm, where everyone is better put together, or they just haven't gotten there yet, they're all beyond me... You were the only one, I felt, I could be equal or had. We were both atrocious, stupid, naive men, arrogant, prideful was our downfall. We did heinous thing's simplistically, to survive, or in fret, it was required. We came from diversity. Yet somehow, we were alike." It made no-sense to his intuit, he was spilling from guts. Dropping on his knees and quivering a scabbard rapier, infamously used to pierce through him. It cultivated this entire Tale. Where would he stand, if Shiro wasn't there as his obstacle, challenge? He surmised, buried underneath instead. You see failures, losses are necessities in ensuring that feeling doesn't reoccur, one with tenacity and a rebel-soul, thrives under this conditional warfare, although, at-first, vices were the only thing he tried to drown guilt, overtime... He began stepping more bravely. Molding from cruelty becoming larger than ever prelude to his rags.

"But... You defeated me royally for the last time. I cannot compete with you. Ye won. I thought you were the most vile, yer shade of dishonor, the fact you perceived yourself so above, but yet you were losing mental-games, dealing with even worse Father's, under all that ice, stooping to all time lows, just... to protect. You had something I never imagined a Noble to have, integrity. Th' evil man, who I wanted to mindlessly kill on vengeance soil, but was held back by a common star we shared, I spared. A man who I fought in a War of Depths with, who safeguarded my Crew to ensure the victory was met, in which, I thought, was doing only for their selfish-hide... You always did it for others, pushing away, preventing many to get through, you were authentic. I get it, that was your weakness, yer secret card, if showed that vulnerability you would've perished a lot sooner. I... am glad, I was wrong." Sighing allowing himself to spill it all out, gives clarity. The pain he felt was for the unexpected. This felt like watching a part of himself die. It hurt maybe even above putting rest of his own Founding Captain. Prying out a matched lighter and reaching in his tuxedo's folds he gathered out a dusty tome containing the memoirs of horrific secrets, the Noble was cautious to reveal, he hadn't even pried to read which often a pirate's behave would, but there wasn't any need after the battle they endured and shared, all was exposed. He gave aflame to the booklet and allowed it to be destroyed, within a final request before the departed fell. "I will b' who fosters yer cares now. Yer Estate will be under me with my remaining plunders. I hate this sappy-shite, I don't want ta' think ye perished on me but I saw what happened. Th' stages of denial never really fade. Mayhaps my estranged daughter is having an impact on me, she's shown me unmatched hope, even gives it to me as much I didn't want that either. As if adamantly showing I can do...become, better. Can't believe a bastard like me, could, but I feel it... emerging like a Sun trying t' rise within." Standing up and sweeping himself up and trying to recompose and whack his cheek to sting out the watery-urge his eye was trying to admit. "...I'll see you soon. My devil friend. Death only happens when we're forgotten, I assure ye, no one will not hear of this story ov' you, my matey bard is traveling sharing words that convey. Ye aspired, saved my entire current Crew, where you were th' worst, now you're seen as the hero basked in dark-light who hoisted them, to overcome the pasts. Especially me. I have a lot t' prove even more now. T' myself, I cannot let ye go in vain either, I'll confront my fears." He trailed strapping the rapier to him a treasure beyond all the relic's acquired of before, the grave held emptied no body to prove of demise, but symbolism was valued, it meant everything to embrace a moment's of life. It's how spirit's found rest with a double-edge slay. Walking with a new chapter to uncharted perils. Resolve, reawakened.

[the-blind-geisha]

holy eff, that was 2 years ago? im so sorry, im absolutely unaware of the passage of time XD but yep! that's me! it wasn't very hard to find you tbh, i went to overlord tag one day and i found your art. this time i simply searched for demiurge and was pleasantly surprised that you changed your blog again (more like returned to your old one but yeah). don't worry tho, no need to hide from me! im a good anon, and a person you knew quite good (and also a person who, i think, triggered you once? with some depressing themes. im so deeply sorry for that) glad to hear you have everything under control now! but im more glad that you're enjoying yourself and grow the fandom. overlord is really amazing, both anime and light novel (that's it, if i ever decide to watch the new season or catch up with the novel). you did a very fine choice, dear, to get into it! (and, especially, to get into demiurge hehe) don't mention it truly! i've been wondering for a few weeks now how you're doing and all. and i'm really, really happy to see you're enjoying yourself and having fun.

I also wanted to say that, uh, i know how ac fandom treated you and please take no offence, but, i really appreciate that you didn't delete the responds to people's asks or the gifts that are ac themed. i know it wasn't an easy choice, and i really appreciate it. it sounds stupid but it means a lot as it brought some pleasant memories. so, yeah, thanks for that! <3 (also: your emmett is forever in our hearts) i hope you won't mind me being here from time to time (and not like, appearing after 2 years XD). you were always so lovely to talk to! you still are, of course, but yeah! lovely to talk to and you're lovely too! as always <3 - P

LOL to be fair, I think the pandemic really threw us all for a loop. X”D Heck, it being 2022 hasn't really come to my realization yet. I still keep thinking 2020 was just last year.

Haha, that is very fair. ♥ If you were able to hunt through the Demiurge tag, that is indeed where I kinda live now. ♥ Though I am working more and more on drifting my version of him out of the fandom and into my original works. But we'll see! I do love the character a lot!

Oof, I gotta be honest, anon. My memory got a bit scattered no thanks to anemia causing me a bit of brain fog/damage. So if you did anything that triggered me, it's quite alright. ♥ I've obviously gone past whatever may have happened now, and it is all water under the bridge as they say.

I adore Overlord, but my poor Albedo and Demiurge... I wish they were given more time to develop. ;~; They are my treasures next to Yuri Alpha. ♥ But I do hope you enjoy the new season! I love the animation has really been upped in quality! I'm still eagerly waiting for the movie!

Thank you! I have a lovely group of readers and friends who support me like yourself, and I appreciate every single one of them. I especially love the readers who have been with me since the AC days. The fact you guys will still follow me from one thing to the next is sweet, and I am always happy to see reoccurring names pop up now and again!

I will be honest, hon, in that I did delete a few things in my desire to heal away from the fandom years back, but not all of it is gone, no. ♥ The Fall is still on AO3, I just removed my name from it, and the Prostitute Series, while removed from AO3, is still on here too. I know those were the main stories people would have been upset to be removed from the net completely. I do still have the others on my hard drive (like certain love letters and The Dove Effect, Daddy Dearest, etc), but I just don't feel comfortable releasing them again to the public. Maybe one day. ♥

Aww, thank you! I actually did plan on bringing Emmett back into a Victorian setting but away from AC: S. ♥ I had a werewolf story in London kinda idea that I wanted him to be apart of, so he will return just—in a new way and away from Jacob being his dad. (He's gonna have an adopted dad/mentor instead.)

Awww, I adore when folks drop in to say hi every now and again! I still get people DMing me saying 'thank you for writing this super old fic from 2005' ever so often, and it's great! I hope people never think it's weird or annoying to talk to me about old times or just say hello. I promise, it's okay to do so. ♥

It's kind of why I never really ever change my name or at least, try not to. ♥ I want it to be easier for folks to find me.

It's always great to hear from you, anon! ♥

[marvelling-at-marvel-blog]

So Taylor has really grown on me. I actually disliked her in S2 because as much as she is absolultey stunning and I love a confidant woman who is great at her job. What she wanted to do to Bobby was just no.

BUT this season she has had time to actually develop as a character and I really enjoyed watching her this episode now she is interacting with a character other than Buck. As much as I love Buck I really hope she doesnt end up a love interest for him. She seemed like she really needed a friend since the pandemic started and that friendship with Buck has grown into something special and it would be awesome to see 911 really build Taylor as a strong woman and a character who regularly pops up instead of just a love interest.

I may ship Buddie hard but I love to see strong woman on screen and I really think 9-1-1 could benefit from a reoccuring single female character.

Side notes on tonights episode

- Treasure Hunt was a perfect mix of Jinx and the Bank Heist episode which where both great episodes. They really excel at this fun comedy angle where everyone gets to contribute.

- I enjoyed seeing Buck, Eddie and Taylor scenes. Ryan excels at facial expressions and his jealoys look was hilarious

- Karen casually wrote an algorithm. She is a queen

- I love the probie and hope he pops up more. I mean he solved it himself and then was like I do not really know these guys when taking to police

- Yay scenes with Eddie, missed ya

- Loved Buck being so disappointed he didn't get to do helicopter rescue but got the sewage one

- Finally scenes with Buddie together

- Worried for Eddie next week

[jungkookiebus]

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: tea shop owner!jjk x reader  ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: angst x fluff x eventual smut  ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢs: mentions of death (non-major character)  ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 11.2k sᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:  you thought after three years the hurt in your heart for your dead husband would sting a little less than it did. in an attempt to clear your mind and start anew, you move to a small, coastal town. there, you find comfort in a tea shop run by a man named jeongguk. every day, at the same time, you come to the tea shop and soon start to fall for the bright-eyed man that listens to you pour your heart out. but the guilt settling in your stomach every time you think of your husband has you running from jeongguk entirely. do you have what it takes to let go?

Part of the Love Yourself The Collab. I hope you enjoy all of the wonderful stories!

ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: This is part one to this installment. There is so much more story and I didn’t want it to feel extremely rushed. Picture for my heading and fic breaks are of the Aoyama Flower Market Tea House. 

The whirring of machines and the steady, monotonous beep beep beep echoed loudly in your head; ping ponging off the sides of your skull until it felt like it would break straight through the bone. A tension headache pounded behind your eyes and you pinched the bridge of your nose to alleviate some of the pain. The room’s sterile scent burned your nose and you were sure the smell had permanently seeped into your clothes. Outside, the night was quiet save for the sirens every now and then. You absently wondered if there were people out there having just as bad a night as you. There was soft, raspy breathing steadily beside you as you sat doubled over in an uncomfortable chair as your head lay on the hard hospital mattress. You stared down your arm to your fingers intertwined with his and ran your fingers softly against his skin. It was then that every alarm in the room went off. He gasped for breath as he struggled unconsciously, hands reaching out to an unknown specter. You panicked and grabbed his shoulders to keep him steady, screaming in panic for someone to help you, pressing furiously on the nurse’s button. But help never came. All at once, he went still, and his eyes focused on your face. His lips moved slowly, and he seemed to be saying something. Leaning forward, you turned your ear close enough to his face to feel his warm breath against your skin.

“Why?” he breathed.

The monitor beside you blipped one last time before hitting that too well known tone of death. Your breath caught in shock as the realization kicked in. He was gone. Nurses poured into the room seconds later and you were jolted awake as you slid from his bed.

Sitting up in the darkness you looked towards the clock. 4:34 am.

You had had that reoccurring nightmare for years.

You looked to your right at the empty space beside you and immediately fell into tears. It had been three years since he died. Some days were easier than others, some days you’d even forget about the whole thing, and then some of them were so unbearable you could barely move. You had dated your husband since high school, married in University, and you both had the whole world ahead of you. He had accomplished every goal he set for himself, got a good career, and was ready to start creating a family with you when he had received the news. Brain cancer. Very aggressive and minimal chance of an effective treatment. Your world came crashing down around you with the news. Every which direction you had expected your life to go was suddenly skewed by a landslide.

He hadn’t even lasted the month.

One second you were happily married and the breath before your next heartbeat, he was gone. He had left you well cared for, but the pain in your heart could not be softened by being financially stable after his death. It took months for you to put his bathroom things away; a few months after that you had the heart to tidy up his study, putting away reminders, and picking up the coffee cups that seemed to accumulate there; it was two years before you were able to donate his clothes; and it was almost three when you moved the book he had been reading from his bedside table.

“Is this something you really want to do?” Ki whispered cautiously over his cup of tea. Steam wafted outwards towards you as he asked the question. His glasses fogged up once more as the heat was once again directed at his face.

You smiled down at his cautious gaze and glassy eyes. “I really want to do this.”

“Tongyeong is so far away,” he pouted.

“You can visit.”

“What will his family say?”

You stared out of the café window to the bustling city streets. What would his family think? Probably glad the bitch was out of the picture. When he had died, his family was outraged to find that he left the majority of his belongings and holdings to you. They fought tooth and nail to take everything from you, but his will was legally sound and so they had no other option than to relent. Ever since, they had cut off all connection, but were still nosy, using proxies to delve for information about your life. You weren’t going off and blowing his money. You had invested most of it after you paid off the house and was living comfortably off the earnings. The only news they ever got was that ‘she’s still there, leaves the house when she needs to, gardens when she’s sad, and sits outside for long stretches of time.’ Eat that, Jung family.

You smiled to yourself then said, “Who cares? They can go fuck themselves.”

Ki snickered into his drink. Setting the cup down on the table he reached across and grabbed your hand.

“___, if this is something that you want, I support it 100%. Know that I’m here if you ever need anything.”

The move went easier than you had expected. Your therapist talked you off the ledge of a mental breakdown twice as you packed up your life. If it wasn’t for her and Ki’s unswaying friendship, you wouldn’t have been able to do it. Tongyeong was on the southern coast of Korea and was everything you ever wanted. It boasted mountain ranges and evergreen trees for miles. The small part of town you had purchased in was nestled amongst the craggy rocks of the shore, dotted with docks, several hundred boats swayed amongst their moorings, and the smell of salt was fresh on the wind each day. The home you purchased was cottage style, slightly outside of the range of “town”, but close enough to walk. There was room for you to garden and still be able to enjoy yourself if you were to put in a sitting area. This house was admittedly smaller than your last so you did sell some items of furniture you wouldn’t be needing and packed up your most treasured possessions. Windows were on each wall of the single story home, which would boast sunshine for most of the day and called for a warm house during winter. Most of your unpacking was done save for a few of the books you had yet to shelf in your new study. For now, you had your essentials and the rest could wait. You were eager to explore the town and familiarize yourself with some sort of café to enjoy some tea.

Pulling on a light sweater, you slipped from your house and down the path into town. It was lazy on this Sunday morning and you were thankful for the lack of interaction you would have had to otherwise endure. Passing a small dress shop, florist, and bakery you finally stumbled upon what you were looking for. Settled oddly, almost at an angle between two buildings sat a small, squat building. It seemed to give an almost magical aura with its soft, gray brick. The glass in the windowpanes looked old as the sun rippled across them. A green door with intricate wood carvings greeted you as you pushed it open. A rush of warm air hit you and was quickly followed by the smells of spices, something citrusy, and chocolate. Dried flowers hung from string in the windows. Behind the long, wooden bar stood floor to ceiling shelves with hundreds of jars of various teas. A library ladder stood at one end, ready to be rolled to its next destination in this journey of tea. Soft piano music came from an unseen speaker. Besides you, there was no one else in the café. You looked around thinking maybe you had made a mistake and accidentally came in while it was closed. As you were turning to leave the way you came a bright ‘hello!’ startled you into turning back around. A tall, broad chested man with black hair that fell into his eyes came out of a door behind the counter. His eyes shone bright in the lights of the café, lights you couldn’t see now that you were observing your surroundings more. The café seemed to glow as if it created its own atmosphere. It glowed even brighter as he entered the room. All at once you felt instantaneous relief wash through your body as he smiled at you.

“How can I help you?” His voice was neither very high nor low, but the lilt of his dialect calmed you.

“I, um, well…,” you trailed off.

“Let me ask you this. How can the tea help you?”

Your brow furrowed at such an odd question. You were trying to wrack your brain for some logical answer when he spoke again.

“What ails you?”

Was this turning into some health appointment?

“Tea has all kinds of healing powers. I have tea for depression, insomnia, nerve pain, chronic sinus infection, and the occasional ‘blend’ for the hypochondriacs.” He threw his fingers into air quotes at the end. “Or, you know, if you’re just into peppermint I have that too.”

He leaned against the counter and looked at you questioningly. His eyes held the same attentiveness as someone saying, ‘I’ll stand here happily for 8 hours until you decide’.

“Yea, well…sometimes…I have trouble sleeping.” You looked away shyly. Something inside you told you that if you looked him directly in his eyes, he’d know all your secrets.

You felt his gaze on your face as you pretended to read the names on all the jars.

“Nightmares?” he questioned.

Your eyes immediately met his as they widened. Your mouth fell open slightly before you snapped it shut and fixed your gaze.

“How did you know?”

“Intuition.” He leaned on the counter for a beat longer before he pushed off, grabbing the ladder and rolling it behind him. “I have just the one.”  

As he climbed the ladder you let your eyes flit over his lithe frame, probably small under that oversized sweater, but you could tell by the fitted pants he wore that he was well toned. Your cheeks burned with guilt as you thought about it.

“Take a seat,” he said as he jumped off the ladder, jar in hand, and gesturing towards the counter.

You sat down slowly on one of the bar seats, placed your bag in front of you, and watched as he moved around burners and teapots.

“Are you visiting?” he asked as he sat some water on to boil.

“No, I just moved here.”

“Oh! We rarely get anybody new around here. Small town and all.”

“Yea, it’s a really pretty town and it boasted some of the best seafood.”

He laughed as he nodded in agreement. “Some of the freshest you’ll ever get. Go down to the docks early on Saturday mornings before the sun comes up and you’ll receive the best squid you’ll ever eat.”

You laughed as he tried to get you to warm up. His banter was oddly comforting, and it seeped like honey through your veins. Your mind seemed lazy, slow and all at once at ease. The tension you held in your shoulders dissipated and the slight clench in your jaw relaxed. Chamomile, lemon balm, and something spicy wafted into your nose. The man stood there; lips pursed as he concentrated on the cup of tea steeping in front of him. The more he moved his lips the more you saw his dimple appear and disappear. He had a strong jaw that led to an equally strong neck. He was wiry; veins stood out along his neck, arms, and hands. You wondered what else he did to keep himself in such great shape besides make tea all day.

“Perfect,” he muttered as he pulled the leaves from the mug. Carefully, he sat the mug in front of you. “Now, I suggest drinking it as is, but if you want sugar, honey, or milk I’ve got it.”

“Oh, no, this is fine, thank you.” The mug was pleasantly warm in your hands. The glass was not so hot that you had to pull your hands away and the warmth seemed to shoot into your limbs. He turned away to clean up his imaginary mess as you took the first sip. If molasses were sentient and it carried healing properties for stress, then you were dunked in a vat of it. The feeling seemed to slide across your skin slowly, making sure to fill each and every crevice of your soul. You almost wanted to bow down at the feet of whoever made this blend.

“This was a good pick…,” you trailed off. You wanted to put a name to the face.

“Jeongguk.” He wiped his hands to preoccupy himself as you took another sip.

“Well, Jeongguk,” you said giving him a look of surprise, “you were spot-on knowing exactly what I needed.”

He smiled shyly as he looked down at his shoes.

“Mom always said I had a knack for it. I make the blends in house.”

You looked around in shock at the hundreds of jars that lined the wall behind him. “You made all of these?”

“Yep!” he grinned proudly as he spun to look at his work. “I live farther up in the hills. I grow a lot of tea up there; they love the humidity in the summer. I get some stuff imported from reliable, sustainable growers. But yea, these are all hand crafted by yours truly.”

“That’s impressive.”

“Yea? Well, you’re welcome to stop by any time. Hell, you could come here everyday for the next few months and try one new tea a day.”

“That sounds great, actually. My name is _____ by the way, I don’t know if I told you.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you move here?”

You’d knew he ask, but you still weren’t prepared when he did. What were you supposed to say? ‘My husband died three years ago, I’m still not over it, I wake up with nightmares every night, and I can’t sleep with my light off anymore, but everything’s great! Town is lovely!’ or do you simply say:

“Mid-life crisis.”

He snickered as the sentence came out of you dead pan.

“You look too young to be having one of those.”

“What makes you think I’m going to live much longer?” you laughed.

He doubled over in exaggeration at your joke. “No one around here has a sense of humor sometimes. Glad to meet someone that’s a little more normal.”

“Surely not everyone here is lifeless.”

“Ah, no. It’s just mostly a bunch of burly old fisherman, rich fishermen’s wives, poor fishermen’s wives for that matter too. Needless to say, it’s a mixed bunch and they don’t all get along. The hardened old timers that this is all they know, stay. The kids they had started moving away and now there’s barely any young people left in the town. Why stay here when you can be living life in Seoul or Busan.”

“What made you stay?”

“I love it here,” he said without missing a beat.

You appreciated that he took stock in the simple things. Everything about this town screamed simple and it appealed to you. This would be a no-nonsense restart to your life.

“I know what you’re thinking. He’s uneducated and knows nothing about life because he’s never left this coastal town since the day he was born.”

You shrugged at his almost correct assumption about himself.

“Well, no matter what anyone in town tells you, that’s wrong. I went to University, graduated, lived in China for a couple of years and that’s where I learned everything I needed to know about tea. I came back here with some of my savings and I opened shop. Been here ever since.”

“You seem very accomplished.”

“I feel very accomplished,” he smiled. Damn it, if that toothy grin wasn’t getting you every time. You found yourself blushing more than once as he fixed his gaze upon you, listening as if you held the universe in your hands.

You told him the bare minimum about yourself, barely scratching the surface of your depressing past. You told him where you moved from, your education background, and a few mundane aspirations you had for yourself. Luckily, a year ago you had started wearing your wedding bands on a necklace which now was tucked snugly inside your sweater. The lack of jewelry stopped him from asking any questions about your relationship status.

Once your conversation had lulled and your mug was drained, you stood up to leave.

“This was all very lovely, Jeongguk. Thank you for the suggestion in tea.”

He seemed very boyish when he smiled, but he looked to be the same age as you. Praise made him light up like a Christmas tree and you found yourself liking his smile more and more.

“Any time. Oh! And if there is a blend you’d like to try don’t hesitate to ask me.”

You gave him one last smile as you exited the tea shop. The difference in atmosphere as you stepped out was almost otherworldly. Reality seemed to tip on its axis before it readjusted itself and you were left staring dumbly on the sidewalk. You looked behind you to see if you had imagined the whole thing, but the tea shop still stood in front of you looking the exact same as when you walked in. Tendrils of anxiety pricked at your brain. The comfort of the tea shop had helped you forget for a little while, but now that you were alone and exposed to the evening air you felt an emptiness creeping back inside of you. Clinging to the last few notes of chamomile on your tongue, you held on to the feeling as you walked back home.

The next day you awoke to the sounds of seagulls gathering at the docks in the hopes of getting a stray fish that fell. You had left your windows open that night, letting in the early morning salty breeze. The smell of fresh fish carried on the wind and permeated your house. As you stretched your limbs, hopeful excitement bloomed in your chest as you thought about the tea shop and its semi-mysterious owner. You realized immediately that you slept through the entire night, not once woken up by horrible nightmares. You quickly dressed, looked yourself over in the hall mirror briefly, and stepped out into the morning air. All kinds of birds trilled in the trees and you still heard the shrill call of the seagulls closer to shore. You walked with purpose this time. You knew exactly where you were going and wanted to at least give the air of a local. You found it looking just as it had the day before.

The air inside was comfortably warm and today the shop smelled like lavender and bergamot. A patron sat at a small table near a bookcase, but the old man did not look up from his reading. Jeongguk beamed at you as he walked out holding a tray of fresh lavender scones.

He glanced towards the grandfather clock that flanked one of his walls. “Same time as yesterday. Punctual, I see.”

“And I see that not only can you make amazing tea blends but also baked goods as well,” you said taking the same place at the counter like you had the day before.

Today it sounded like he was playing music from some fantasy movie; a long, forlorn single note played, and violins dramatically sang in the background. Herbs were now placed on the line with the dried flowers and the smell of rosemary wove in and out of the calming lavender scent.  

“You can have one on me and you can tell me if it’s good or not.” He placed one on a plate before sliding it over to you. “What’ll it be today?”

He slid the tray of scones into a small bakery case and turned expectantly towards you.

“I’m feeling something fruity today.”

“Perfect,” he smiled. “You’re in luck. I had a bunch of strawberries that I dried last year that weren’t getting used. I made a strawberry and peach tea last night with just the slightest hint of vanilla.”

He bounced around excitedly like a kid showing you a new trick they had learned. He reverently put the leaves in to steep and stood idly by as he counted down the seconds until it was done. His bottom lip caught between his teeth as he concentrated on not spilling a drop as he carried it over.

“How’s the scone?”

“It’s amazing. Not too much lavender, which is perfect.”

His grinned at the praise.

“Jeongguk?”

“Hm?” he was absently licking his lips and you were momentarily distracted by the action.

“You have a lot of family here?”

He stopped short with a confused look on his face, like you had caught him completely by surprise. His mouth fell open and the café lights reflected off his wet bottom lip. Questions formed in his eyes as he cleared his throat. A second later, he was smiling as if nothing had happened.

“Not anymore,” he sighed. “My sister was the last to leave maybe two years ago. My mom died right before I moved to China and my dad went to live with my brother. ‘Can’t stand to be here without her anymore.’ I get it; I just get lonely from time to time for my family.”

You picked at the scone on your plate as you tried to contemplate the best response to give him. “Do they not come visit? Do you get to go see them?”

“Oh, yeah! I visit as often as I can and my siblings still come, but my dad won’t. It’s too hard for him to be here.”

“Your mom must have been a very wonderful lady.”

You sipped quietly as you watched his eyes. He looked beyond you, out the window, at something you knew you couldn’t see even if you turned around. The muscles in his face relaxed, smile slipping, and the gleam in his eyes shined a little brighter as tears pooled in the bottom of his eyes. He sniffed quickly as he wiped his face with the back of his hand.

“She was.”

You weren’t going to ask more than he was willing to offer, so you smiled at him instead. He choked out a laugh as he reached for your empty plate.

“She was my biggest supporter in this endeavor.”

He turned to put the plate away and your attention wandered to the shelf of jars in front of you. How many of them were woven with the sorrowful love he held in his heart? He had so many teas with so many specific treatments that you began to wonder how much of himself Jeongguk had put into his creations.

“So, where’s your family?”

Fuck. You had to open your big mouth and ask him about the F word and now he was curious about you. You did not ask him if he were married so maybe you could skate around the subject as well.

“My parents live in Andong and I’m an only child, so no interesting siblings to speak of.”

He seemed satisfied enough with your answer and went back to busying himself with putting the jars back where they belonged.

You looked around and noticed the other man in the café had left at some point and neither of you had noticed. Soft music flowed lackadaisically through the air around you. Light filtered in through the dried flowers as the sun traveled across the sky and you watched the shadows dance on the indoor greenery. If there were a roaring fire and maybe a few lightening bugs dancing about you would have thought you were in a fairy’s house. Everything about the café seemed small and comfortable, but large and magical all at once. If Jeongguk offered to make you potions you would not have been surprised.

“Would you like anything else?” His expression was just as you had seen him when you first walked through the door, happy and full of life.

“No, actually I need to do some grocery shopping before I starve in my own home.”

“Well, if you ever want actual food I know how to cook as well.”

“Is there anything you don’t know how to do?” you asked grabbing your bag. Pulling out a few won, you laid them on the counter as you swiveled on the stool.

He mocked concentration as he looked around the room.

“Well,” he smirked, “I can’t sew.”

“I’m surprised. I’d probably not think twice about if I came here tomorrow and you had knitted me a sweater.”

“I can crochet,” he said with a point and wink in your direction.

“Of course you do.” You were laughing, already easing into a comfort you hadn’t felt with anyone for a while.

That’s when the guilt hit. It was like a punch to the stomach and as if someone had reached inside your chest and started to squeeze your heart. Your breath caught suddenly the room swayed ever so slightly around you. An echo of your husband’s voice telling you he loved you bounced around in your mind.

“Hey, are you okay?” his question was muffled at first and you weren’t sure what he said. It took only a few seconds of your addled mind to decipher his words. “You look a little pale.”

The pain in your chest eased just enough for you to retain some composure.

“I think I stood up too fast.”

“Ah, might have something to do with the altitude here. Here,” he said grabbing a jar at eye level. “Drink some of this before you go to bed tonight.” He pulled a small baggie and filled it with just enough tea to make a cup. “On the house.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to.” He was all smiles as he handed the baggie over.

“You spoil me.” You tried to bring humor back in the conversation, tried to be your normal self, but even you could hear the sadness in your voice.

Jeongguk seemed to notice, but only smiled when he caught your eye.

“Have a good rest of your day, _____, and don’t forget to drink that tonight.” He pointed towards the bag as he wiped the imaginary water off the same cup for the nth time. “It’ll also help you sleep.”

You felt the first set of tears start to well in your eyes. Saying a rushed goodbye, you slipped from the shop, forgoing the grocery store and walked home as fast as possible. As soon as the door shut behind you, your back connected to the wood and you slid down hard onto the floor. Fresh, hot tears streamed down your face as you sobbed into your hands. If a literal stranger showing you kindness made you feel this guilty then how were you going to survive this move? At least in the city you never really saw the same person twice unless you were loyal to a coffee shop (which you weren’t) and at your previous job no one had paid much mind to you. You internally berated yourself for being so disloyal to your husband. ‘Til death do you part and beyond. Your heart ached for him every day. Some days it was a dull pain, others you could barely get out of bed, but grief was strange; you’d often forget he was dead. It was like walking up a set of familiar stairs in the total darkness, having counted them millions of times, but every now and again you miscount and take one more step than necessary at the top. Your body lurches, panicked as if falling through space and suddenly your adrenaline is pumping because surely, you’re about to fall, then your foot hits the ground. You’re brought back to the present, a little stunned and uneasy. Your heart settles back to its normal beating and reality sets in. Some things can be forgotten, we become so used to the feeling being there that we forget we even have them until we trip up and our minds betray us; showing us just how lonely we truly are.

The house had fallen dark when you woke up on the floor. Your body was stiff and sore from having been on the ground for so long. A few hours had passed since you came home, your stomach grumbled, and you internally berated yourself for not going to the grocery store earlier. You groaned as you pushed yourself to your feet and tried to adjust to your surroundings. Having been expecting a package, you turned and opened the door not to be met with what you had planned to see there, but a small bundle with a note on top. Bending over slowly, you picked both up to inspect them more closely. The script on the cardstock was perfect, so perfect in fact that you thought it was typed but the smudges of ink gave it away.

“I didn’t see you head in the direction of the store, so I made you a bento. Hope you like it! -JJK”

You wanted to cry again but you were all out of tears. The bento was neatly sealed and placed inside a beautifully woven bag. Bringing it inside you sat it on the counter and popped open the lid. Inside was marinated beef, onigiri, steamed vegetables, and a few pieces of sushi. You grabbed a pair of chopsticks and stuck a piece of beef in your mouth and moaned inwardly. Having lived in the city your entire life you thought you had tasted it all, but this beef was cooked so perfectly it seemed to melt in your mouth. You were in the middle of enjoying this perfect meal when you heard it. A soft mew floated on the breeze and through your open window. Listening again and tilting your head in that direction, it came a little louder the second time. You walked to the window and leaned out. The night was a calm one, so the sea was quiet and all that interrupted the night was the sound of crickets…and a meow. Frowning, you ducked back inside and made your way to your back door. You rounded the house in the direction of the sound and heard it again in the bushes near your window. Pulling your phone from your pocket, you shone the light and a pair of eyes immediately glowed under one of the plants.

“Hey,” you whispered even though your nearest neighbor was several hundred meters away. The small kitten mewed again. “Where’s your mommy?” Mew? It seemed to say.

Getting on your hands and knees you crawled in its direction and much to your surprise, it bounded straight for you.

“Oh!” you cried as it jumped into your arms. Immediately, it started to nuzzle your neck and purr. “Well…okay.” You were a bit taken aback and puzzled at how soon this cat had warmed up to you. In the past, when you were around friends’ cats, they all steered cleared or hissed in your general direction.

You stood from your position and walked back inside to get a closer look at your new friend. Its fur was bright orange and even in the light its green eyes seemed to glow magically. Turning it over you discovered it was a girl.

“You’re a rare baby,” you said shifting it so that you could hold it like a baby. It played with your finger as you brushed along its belly, but it made no attempt to escape your hold.

“Kyongni,” you whispered as the name immediately popped into your head as you remembered your husband’s favorite epic, Toji.

The kitten immediately made eye contact with you and meowed loudly.

“You like that name?” You couldn’t help the smile that crept across your face. “I bet you’re hungry.”

Setting her down on the floor you reached for a piece of your dinner and handed it to her. She immediately took the meat and started chewing furiously. Before you were ready to fall into your bed you had fed her some lunch meat, made a makeshift bed in a box by yours, and found a brush to get some of the dirt from her fur. Plugging in a heating pad, you placed it beneath the blankets and placed  her inside where she instantly curled up and closed her eyes. You looked at her and thought that maybe the following days didn’t have to be so sad after all.

After you made your tea, you sat in bed and sipped at the delicious blend he had yet again nailed. Embarrassment flooded through you as you thought of your day’s encounter with Jeongguk. As much as you didn’t want to face him again you were going to have to apologize for how you acted and thank him for the food.

That night you had no dreams or nightmares.

The next morning you awoke to Kyongni mewing loudly in her box. You rolled over to see her standing, paws on the edge of the box, and looking at you as if to say, “It’s about time you woke up.”

“Hey, sweet baby.” You swung your legs over the side of your bed and reached into the box. “Let me get cleaned up and find something for you at the store.”

An hour later, you had laid a few newspapers down just in case, sat out a bowl of water, and a promise to Kyongni that you’d be back later. She simply meowed and jumped onto your couch and onto the windowsill she had discovered.

Your walk would take you past the tea shop so you figured you would bite the bullet and pop inside. The shop was bustling, and it was the most amount of people you had seen in one place since you moved here. A group of older women sat at a table near the windows gossiping about someone who had recently left their book club for another, the same mysterious man you had seen was sitting at his same spot reading the newspaper, and a very disheveled mom was enjoying her first sip of tea as her baby sat slumbering in its carrier beside her. Jeongguk was busy helping a teenager pick a tea, ensuring her that it had more caffeine in it than her usual coffee order. He hadn’t noticed you yet, so you decided to take your spot at the bar and wait. You watched him as he worked, not having seen him interact with anyone else beside yourself. He gave the girl just as much rapt attention that he had been giving you and didn’t seemed the least bit put out that she couldn’t decide on what she wanted. His eyes wandered briefly and landed on you, beaming and giving a nod before turning back to the girl who was smelling various teas out of the jars he had placed on the counter. About ten minutes later, tea in hand, and happily walking out of the shop, the girl left, and he was standing before you.

“Hey, _____! Did you like the tea I gave you yesterday? I hope it helped with the dizziness.”

“It was lovely. Got a good night’s sleep, too.” You stared awkwardly at your hands as you picked at the imaginary dirt under your fingernails. “Look,” you started. “I want to apologize for the way I acted yesterday.”

Jeongguk looked puzzled when you finally decided to look at him.

“What?” You knew that he knew exactly what you were talking about but was trying to save you the embarrassment.

“I freaked out for a second. There’s a lot you don’t know about me and sometimes…,” you trailed off without knowing what else to say.

“Listen,” he said leaning forward on his elbows and you caught a whiff of him that caught you off guard. He smelled strongly of cinnamon and berries. “You’ve been through a traumatic experience that much I can tell.”

Your mouth fell open and he held up his hand to stop you from speaking.

“You don’t have to talk about it unless you want to. I get it. You don’t have to explain it to me. I’m just here to ease the pain a little bit.”

His face softened as he looked at you and at the same time so did your heart. Relief washed over you because now he knew.

“I…I’d like to talk about it…some time. If that’s okay?” You felt like a child; small and vulnerable, but your therapist had told you that talking about the pain would ease the sadness.

“Sure!” he said standing back up and acting like nothing had happened. “How about you come see the tea I’m growing right now? You can come by tomorrow if you’d like. It’s my off day.”

“I’d love to,” you smiled.

His gaze lingered on you a moment longer before he seemed to snap out of it. “Did you have something in mind for today?”

“Something to-go, please. I have a new friend at home.”

“Oh?” You saw something flash in his eyes before he turned to grab a jar from the shelf. He stopped talking or looking at you as he busied himself with the kettle.

“Yea,” you sighed dreamily, playing into the act. “Listens to everything I have to say, loves to cuddle…” You saw his shoulders slump slightly. “Purrs a lot and really loves beef.”

He turned to look at you inquisitively. “Did you say purrs a lot?”

“Yea, I found a cat. Or, I guess the cat found me. Showed up at my house last night so I need to go get supplies for it.”

“The grocery store has a small section,” he said setting the cup down in front of you with a look of relief on his face.

You sat money on the counter and grabbed the small paper cup, smelling near the opening and caught hints of lavender.

“Thank you, by the way, for the food. You didn’t have to do that.”

He scoffed and waved his hand. “No big deal.”

“It was all very good. You’re an extremely talented cook as well.”

His cheeks flushed a dark red color as he grabbed a towel and began wiping the counter.

“Here,” he said grabbing a napkin and a pen. He jotted something down and handed it over to you. “My number.” He coughed and scratched the back of his neck. “For, you know, tomorrow. I can text you directions.”

You reached to take the napkin from him and his fingers brushed against yours. Jumping slightly, you retracted your hand and placed the napkin in your bag.

“Thank you, Jeongguk,” you said holding up the tea. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yea,” he laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The shop seemed like a warm blanket that you had just pulled from the dryer and you were hesitant to leave it. Even with the chatter and Jeongguk busily moving things behind the counter, you felt peace here. Your heart swelled in your chest at the thought of being here once more and you were sad to leave its warm embrace.

The next day brought clear skies and sunshine. Kyongni was happily lounging at the foot of your bed when you awoke, and she blinked blearily at you as you sat up.

“Did you rest well?” you asked her, rubbing behind her ears as she purred loudly. She had loved the food you’d gotten and litterbox training, who? She was, in your opinion, the perfect cat. “I’m going to his house today.” She looked at you pensively before reaching out a paw and laying it on top of your hand. “Is this a good idea?” Her head cocked to the side as the stared at you. “I guess it couldn’t hurt.” She removed her paw and began to lick her fur. “You’ve convinced me.”

What should you wear? Why were you even thinking about this? Just dress like you normally would. After about fifteen minutes of telling yourself what you had decided to wear was fine, you dug through your bag for the napkin he had written his number on. Sighing deeply, you took the plunge.

[you]: Hey, Jeongguk, sorry if I’m texting a little early, but I wasn’t sure when you wanted me to drop by today.

That seemed simple enough. You didn’t want to sound too eager. It wasn’t a full minute later before your phone vibrated in your hand and you felt your heart lurch in your chest.

[Jeongguk] I’ve been up so you’re okay! Ummmm wanna come over in about thirty minutes? I’ll text the directions.

You had discovered early on that anything and everything worth getting to in town was within walking distance. The directions he had sent were simple enough. With a kiss to Kyongni’s head and a promise to call Ki in the event of your death, you headed out.

The walk took you all of thirty minutes. It would have been faster if you hadn’t stopped to examine some wildflowers you had never seen before. Jeongguk’s house was up on one of the hills behind town, not easily seen through the trees, but when it came into your view it took your breath away. It was two-story but small, painted a light green that matched the surrounding trees, and had an immaculate garden out front. He must have been watching because he eagerly stepped out of his front door and threw a dish towel over his shoulder. He wasn’t wearing a large sweater like he usually did at the shop, but instead had on a plain white t-shirt and joggers that showed the muscles you guessed he had and were made painfully aware of in that moment.

“Hey!” he called out while walking down the steps. “I hope you’re hungry because I made brunch.”

“If I would have known that I would have brought something.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “You’re my guest.”

He turned and headed back inside, and you followed dutifully behind. The inside of his house was just as cozy as his café. The smells emanating from a yet unseen kitchen had your mouth watering. You followed him into this kitchen, and you were met with a comforting sight. Much like the café, herbs were strung up in the windows that lined the entire back side of the house. Out past them was an even bigger garden and several different rows of tea bushes. A fat, white cat laid on a hammock hung in the corner and in direct contact with the morning sun. It blinked lazily at you with large, blue eyes before closing them and laying back down again.

“That’s Bungeoppang…he loves fish,” he said shyly.

“Fish bread hardly has fish in it,” you laughed.

“Yea, but he’s cute like fish bread.”

He started grabbing several small dishes of banchan and brought them over to the large table by the windows.

“If you want to help, I kinda overdid it with the small dishes if you can bring them over here,” he laughed as he balanced three on his forearm.

Setting your bag down you quickly walked over to the counter and surveyed the damage he had done. Ssamjang, dongchimi, gyeran mari, spicy tuna, and many others dotted the counter amongst vegetable refuse and shavings of ginger.

“You really did out do yourself.”

“I got excited, okay?” His smile was wide as he came up beside you to grab a large bowl of rice. “I don’t get visitors often.”

Your heart hurt in your chest at his boyish, dopey grin and his admission at being excited to have you over but you quickly dampened the feeling before you let it get the best of you. You both quickly moved every dish he had made over to the table and before long, you were both trying to figure how to move them so that’d you would both have a place to sit. Jeongguk scratched the back of his neck as he looked down, scooting plates here and there and stacking the ones that could be without mess. Once the both of you were settled, he handed you a pair of lovingly worn chopsticks. The few moments of comfortable silence as the both of you started to eat was only broken here and there when something was asked to be passed. You were each sated well enough to begin a conversation before long.

“I needed that. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I walked in here and smelled that pork belly,” you said while reaching for more cucumber kimchi.

“Well, besides the meat, all of this comes off the property.” Jeongguk gestured proudly at the dishes around as if he were a king looking over his treasures.

“You even made the kimchi?”

“I have a few onggi’s in the back,” he said so matter-of-factly as if every household had one.

“I have a few onggi’s in the back,” you said back in a mock tone.

His face flushed red immediately as he started to defend himself. “It’s just! You know! I can make so much at once! Who wants to go to the store all the time?”

“No, no, no,” you said between laughing, “I love it! You just sound like my grandma is all. Living in the hills and making your own kimchi.”

“The young today would do well listening to their elders,” he said regally.

Lunch passed by lazily. He had opened the windows next to the table and a cool breeze aired out the house. A mixture of florals and something spicier wafted into your nose.

“Gonna show me what’s out there?” you asked, pointing a chopstick out the window.

“Of course. Are you done?” He wiped his mouth and placed his napkin on the table before standing up from the pillow he sat on and reached out his hand to you. At first, you were surprised, and the sun seemed to shine a little brighter. A single bird chirped outside, and you heard Bungeoppang meow softly.

“…I mean, if you don’t want help that’s okay, too,” you heard him say as he was slowly pulling his hand away.

“No!” you said lunging forward and grabbing his hand almost a little too desperately. “I’m sorry, I was just thinking about yo-something.” You tried to quickly cover up your blunder. He didn’t seem to notice as he smiled again and helped you to your feet.

“I’ll worry about his later,” he said pointing towards all the uneaten food. He walked to the door and opened it before turning to you expectantly. Bungeoppang jumped off his hammock to walk in and out of his legs before trotting off to a spot beneath a tree. The garden buzzed both mentally and physically. The same feeling as the café and his home bled into the garden as well; you searched for the source of the power, but it seemed to be all around you. Bees buzzed lazily amongst the wildflowers he had planted along the path to the rows of tea bushes. You followed a few feet behind him and watched him as he walked. All the flowers seemed to turn from the sun and face him as he passed; only going back to their original positions as you walked by. Butterflies followed behind him and would then light on the flowers, fluttering their wings and spreading them in the sunlight.

“Camellia sinenis,” he said lovingly as he ran his fingers amongst the leaves of one bush. “Green tea.” He turned and smiled at you and he seemed even more supernatural in his element. No matter where he stood the sun seemed to shine behind him as if to say, ‘Look at him!’

The sound of trickling water reached your ears the further you walked between the rows, Jeongguk calling out the names of each one as if they were his beloved children.

“And these,” he said throwing both arms out wide, “are my koi fish!”

Ahead of you was a pond about ten feet long, five feet wide, and probably no more than three feet deep but several kois swam right below the crystal surface. They varied in color from bright orange, to solid white, and one was even decorated in splashes of orange, white, and black. A golden colored koi seemed to notice Jeongguk first and raced towards the edge of the pond, followed closely behind by the rest. They swarmed the surface excitedly and the water churned amongst their fins. Jeongguk reached for a plastic container under one of the nearby bushes and pulled a handful of food from it and threw it towards the swarm. He held the container out to you, and you grabbed a handful, delighting in the activity below you.

“The gold one is my favorite and my only one. Her name is Geum. She’s my very first koi, probably around six years old now.”

“This is beautiful, Jeongguk.”

“You really think so?” The way he looked at you told you he was yearning for approval. Perhaps his dad hadn’t come in a long time? It must be lonely in such a large house alone.

“I mean it,” you smiled.

“Come sit,” he said as he gestured towards a large, hand carved wooden bench. The designs along its back and arms were intricate and worn a little with age. “My mom carved it.” Jeongguk noticed you running your finger along the wing of a bird.

You looked at him, wide-eyed. “She made this?”

“My creativity came from her.”

“You must be a lot like her.”

Jeongguk stared wistfully out at the fish who now resumed their lazy swimming about the pond.

“I’m sorry…,” you whispered.

“Oh! It’s okay! I was just thinking about her is all. I just…you know, I don’t take time to think about her like I should anymore. I’ll see things here and there that will remind me of her. Hell,” he laughed, “sometimes I catch myself talking to her like she’s here. She was my biggest inspiration…and my biggest loss.”

You both sat in silence for some minutes more before he spoke up again.

“I almost let this place go when she died. I didn’t harvest any of the teas that year, weeds were overtaking everything, the pond was even filled with all types of weeds and scum. But then one day I had a dream about her. She was sitting in the garden out here and it was beautiful. The day was bright.” He squinted up at the sun as he spoke. “There were bees, butterflies, and birds flying about amongst the tea bushes. No weeds, nothing. And I just sat with her. She didn’t speak, she just held my hand and when I woke up, I felt so…relieved. The next day I came out here and started cleaning the place up and I haven’t looked back since.”

Your mouth vomited the words before your brain could catch up. You were caught up in Jeongguk’s somber story and your heart ached for him and suddenly you wanted to relate to him so he wouldn’t feel alone.

“My husband died.”

You saw him twitch slightly and his grip tightened on the arm of the bench. He turned his body towards you and reached out as if he wanted to hold your hand but drew back.

“I…I’m so sorry. I had no idea you were married.”

“Why should you? It’s not your fault and it’s okay…really. I honestly never planned to just dump that on you.”

“I don’t know what it’s like to lose a spouse, but I am, obviously, very well versed in loss; if there’s anything you want to talk about, I’m all ears.” His smiled broadened at the end of his statement, reeling you into his comfortable aura once more.

What could it hurt to tell him? It wasn’t like you were hiding some huge secret.

“Well,” you sighed, “he had a brain tumor.”

Jeongguk sat patiently beside you, not a sound coming from his side save for the occasional tap of fingernail against the wood and the shuffle of his feet in the gravel around the bench.

“Very aggressive. He died three years ago. We met in high school and dated through University. We got married before we graduated. Then, we got our dream jobs. We thought we had it made; we were good financially, our jobs were going well, we got a new house, and we were even talking about kids.” Your voice trailed off at the end as you thought about the children you would never get to meet. Your silent guardian shifted ever so slightly to let you know he was still listening.

“He died within the month that we found out.” Jeongguk’s nails scraped along the wood as his hand made a fist; he was anxious but wasn’t trying to show it. “Of course, I stayed there, I didn’t know what else to do. His family and I…didn’t really get along very well after and we eventually became estranged. They’re still oddly nosey about my life, though. Then, I decided there was nothing tying me there anymore, so I decided to pack up and leave. My life felt like it had a dull, gray film over it all the time. Every time I rounded a corner in my house, I expected him to be there smiling at me while he typed on his computer or sat in the reading nook with a cup of tea, or…,” your voice caught at the end. Jeongguk’s fingers spread out wide on the bench and he moved his hand until his pinky barely touched your leg. “What I wouldn’t have given to see him walking through our front door just one more time.” You had to stop, or you would be in full blown tears before too long.

Once more, silence fell between you. Nothing was strange, his hand stayed steady beside you on the bench, and you willed your tears to not fall. The sun was making its journey across the sky and by Jeongguk’s deduction, it was probably somewhere around 2:00.

“Come on,” he said getting up suddenly. His movements knocked you out of your daze. “I picked some fresh peaches today and I bought some fresh cream from Mrs. Kim, so I have dessert for us.”

“Spying on me? Peaches are my favorite fruit,” you said, trying to lighten the mood once more.

“Lucky guess!” he called back as he headed down the path between the bushes.

Bungeoppang was laid out on his side, still under the tree, and very much asleep as you passed. Once inside the kitchen, Jeongguk removed previously sliced peaches from his refrigerator, placed some in two bowls, and poured cream over them. He grabbed a bento box and brought it to the table with him as the both of you ate. While chewing, he began grabbing bits of the several dishes in front of him with chopsticks and was quickly filling the bento until it was neatly packed. He secured the band around it and stuck it in a bag before tying it shut and sitting it beside you.

With his mouth full he said, “In case you get hungry tonight, or you can have it for lunch tomorrow.”

“You really don’t have to-“

“You think I’m gonna eat this all myself?”

You laughed at his exaggerated gesture of sweeping his arm out across the table as his eyes bulged.

“I guess you’re right.”

That was when you felt it. The first little bit of stabbing pain you hadn’t expected to come back so soon, if at all. That first sting in your heart when your husband died was the worst it had ever been. Days after, the pain in your chest only subsided when you were able to get a few precious moments of sleep. Months later, the pain was dull, but still ever present. A year and then two went by and the pain only came on rare instances when you were having a really bad day. When his words and his comfort was needed the most was when you felt that stab straight through your heart. Yet, here you were, accepting the hospitality of a new friend and you felt the sting. Guilt blanketed you like an old friend, grasping at your shoulders and whispering in your ear. Your smile faltered as Jeongguk looked on and his expression changed to that of confusion before quickly painting a smile on once more.

“I think there is a storm coming in this afternoon. Don’t worry about helping me here, I can clean up, and you need to get home before the weather gets bad.”

He stood up quickly from where he sat and grabbed a couple of plates to bring into the kitchen. You grabbed your bento and bag. The sting was starting to subside and soon you felt guilty for possibly making Jeongguk feel bad.

“I can’t thank you enough for today,” you began. “I really enjoyed everything, and you have a beautiful home here. I only hope to have a garden like yours one day.” You tried to make your smile genuine.

“Well, if you ever need tips, I’m your man.”

“Thank you, again,” you said as you walked to the front door, him following close behind to let you out.

“I’ll see you at the shop then?” He was looking at you with a question in his eyes and high expectations on the rest of his face.

“Of course,” you smiled. Maybe you said it awkwardly. Maybe he hadn’t even noticed your change in mood. You waved before turning and headed back down into town and home.

The sky overhead started to turn a dark shade of gray. You had had no idea that it was even supposed to rain today. Winds picked up and blew leaves across your path. Your chest felt tight and once again, the stabbing pain of guilt seemed like the lightning now streaking the skies. Seconds after you shut your door against the howling wind, the sky opened up. Kyongni trotted out of your room and into the hallway in greeting, rubbing against your legs and purring.

“Is the storm scaring you?” you asked as you picked her up. She only stared at you with sleepy eyes as she continued to purr.

The hot bath you took did nothing to settle the uneasiness in your bones. The wind became high pitched as it came through cracks in the windows and the rain beat hard against your roof. Maybe a book would distract you, but you soon found out that even that wasn’t enough right now. You settled, then, to just turn off the light and lay in darkness. Lightning flashed outside, creating stark shadows against your wall. Turning over, you reached out to Kyongni who lay beside you, curled up, and fast asleep. Why did the weather outside match what you were feeling inside? A storm of emotions seemed to push and pulse inside your heart. On one hand, you were thankful for Jeongguk. He had accepted you with open arms as soon as you moved here and made you feel at home. He had even invited you into his own home. That didn’t mean anything. On the other hand, everything you were doing was wrong. Jeongguk is nice, good-looking, single, and you shouldn’t be talking to him. You had taken vows, to hell with ‘til death do you part’ you had promised someone your life. Even though he was dead, any other feelings you had towards anyone else made you feel as if he would find out. He would find out you were cheating and somehow, he’d never forgive you for it.

What was so wrong with making friends? But you knew, deep down inside, you had come to like Jeongguk. Not just for his boyish good looks, but because of how open, forgiving, friendly, and almost loving he had become. Not loving in the way of falling in love, but of the small gestures; sending you home with tea, leaving food at your door, and inviting you to see his passion.

Maybe if you didn’t pursue it…maybe Jeongguk didn’t even slightly feel the same way as you and you were just overthinking this entire situation. You sighed knowing you weren’t going to be giving yourself any more answers tonight. Brushing your hand along Kyongni’s fur, you finally fell asleep amidst the storm.

You were four months into your new routine in life. Every day, unless you were sick or otherwise detained, you were at the café ready to greet the day with a warm cup of tea. Sometimes Jeongguk would have a new creation for you to try or he’d subject you to a Frankenstein’s monster pastry that he “dreamed of” the night before. Every day he’d greet you with the same huge smile. You had never seen the sadness in his eyes that he held when he talked about his mother again. Sometimes, he would have a bento made of food that he kept tucked away until you arrived.

“You know I can cook, right?” you asked him one day, jokingly, as you passed a cleaned bento box from a previous lunch he had given you.

He simply shrugged as you both passed the boxes. “Sometimes I make too much food.”

But you knew he didn’t. Sometimes, the fruit inside the boxes were so fresh they had to have been cut the same day, if not minutes before your arrival.

On this day, you had entered the café to see the same mystery man reading his newspaper and the chattering book club.

“Have you been to that Italian restaurant in town?” He had asked this while leaning on both elbows, gazing around the café, but not having a direct conversation with you in that moment.

“Are you talking to me?” you asked, but first you had checked behind you to make sure no one else was near.

“Yes, silly. Who else?”

“I thought someone had walked up.”

“So, have you been?”

“Where?”

“Oh my god, ______,” he said rolling his eyes before laughing, “the Italian restaurant, do you not listen to anything I say?” He said it in a mock tone that you had used several times to make fun of your ex mother-in-law.

“No,” you giggled, “I have not. I make food and sometimes I get so much food from you that I don’t have to worry about groceries for a week.”

He stuck his tongue out at you as he rotated his elbows just enough to face you.

“Would you like to go? It can be on me.”

You willed your traitorous heart to stop beating so fast because you were sure he could probably hear it. You were also telling the nagging voice in the back of your brain to shut up.

“Like…a date?”

He sputtered and stood straight at the counter. “I…uh, well…not necessarily…I mean if you wanted it to be I guess, but…uh…we could just,” he started to grab things and frantically organize in a panic, “I could just meet you there I suppose,” he knocked a container full of sugar on the counter, “Crap. So, it’s not a big deal if you-“

“I’d love to.”

His head shot up and he was looking at you with large eyes. Shock was written across his features and you hadn’t even known his eyebrows could go up that high.

“Really?”

“Why not? Let’s do it,” you smiled. You were surprising yourself at how calm you were being. The last few months had been a lesson on forgiveness; forgiving yourself and the actions you deemed “inappropriate”. Doing so had let Jeongguk in a little more and you found yourself feeling a little less guilty and little more drawn to him.  

He blew out a heavy sigh of relief, hip hitting the counter as he slumped, and threw a towel over the mess he had made.

“I was trying to think of an exit strategy while I was talking. That’s why I was all over the place,” he mumbled as his cheek pressed against his arm.

Your heart melted a little and your body relaxed as you watched his internal struggle. Despite being just as anxious as you, he managed to always calm you in some way. Being in the café only seemed to heighten his supernatural ability to leave you both breathless and relieved.

“When would you like to go, you anxious little bun?”

He stood straight then, chest out, and a proud look on his face. “Anxious? Me? Also, bun?”

You felt your face burn red at the pet name you had mentally given him and just decided to blurt out like an idiot. Maybe your friendship wasn’t as comfortable as you thought.

“Forget I said that,” you said quickly.

“Oh, hell no. Bun?!” he started to laugh and you saw the man in your peripheral shift his newspaper a little to peer over the top.

“Jeongguk, shut up,” you whispered.

He leaned on his forearms across the counter and got extremely close to your face as he stared in your eyes. You leaned back a little, but your gaze didn’t waver.

“Explain yourself,” he said seriously, but you saw joy swirling in his eyes.

“When you smile…you look like a little bunny,” you said while finally breaking eye contact. You couldn’t look him in the face as you said it.

His smile reached his eyes and they disappeared as he laughed.

“Cute.”

You wanted to die. You were so caught up in him asking you out that you decided to let your guard slip too much.

“Anyway, when would you like to go?”

“Tomorrow? I can close up early.”

“Deal.”

“Not a date anymore?” he winked, but you could see he was seeking validation.

Butterflies swirled in your stomach and there seemed to be several dozen vying for space to fly. You couldn’t help the genuine smile that you gave him in that moment.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jeongguk,” you said standing from your chair.

He grinned knowingly at you, the most flirtatious you had seen him in a while.

Friday morning was met with the perfect temperature as you sat outside on your back porch with Kyongni in your lap. You were going to forego the tea shop today in favor of cleaning around the house and then getting ready for your “date” later. Standing from your chair as soon as Kyongni jumped down to pursue a lizard, you walked over to the edge of the house to look out towards the water. Down the hill and in town, it was bustling with activity with the fishermen cleaning up for the day and leaving the smaller fish out for the hovering birds. It all seemed normal…it all seemed right. You finally felt good about being here and it was all falling into place.

What you couldn’t see was the storm just beyond the horizon, lying in wait, ready to lay waste to anything it touched.

[incandescent-creativity]

20 Questions Tag

tagged by @homesteadchronicles !

OKAY SO

I accidentally answered all of the ones Jake answered, before I saw he left questions for me at the end, and I didn’t want to waste all that time, so

This was originally a 10 Question tag, and I’m putting his questions first, but there’s 10 more below the cut because I say so.

1. When you find a book at the store, what about it makes you decide to buy it or put it back on the shelf?

Well, if it’s a book in a series or by an author I know and like, I’m going to get that. I barely look at the premise of new Stephen King books anymore.

But other than that, if the inside flap sounds like a good story, and if the first page sounds like something I can read and enjoy.

2. What would your book’s ideal cover look like, should you have access to any artist you’d want and any resources you would need to make it a reality?

I’ve already made mock covers, you can find them on the title slides of my comic sans presentations, so I guess they’d just look like those, but nicer?

Although, tbh, I’m a bigger fan of these SOLE fan covers by @writeouswriter. I think they capture the themes of the story better, and I might play around with remaking the SOLE cover soon, inspired by their work!

3. If you could rewrite one story - be it a book, game, movie, show, etc. - which would it be and why?

Two options:

One, the ending of Game of Thrones. I know that might be a cliche or expected answer, and I’m usually not one to critique works that I watch, but Jaime abandoning Brienne made literally no sense.

The other option is a book we’re reading for class: Phantoms, by Christian Kiefer. Inconsistent grammar, bad writing style, hardly any plot actually happening, fake deep sentences and weird descriptions... Ugh.

4. Have you ever given a story a second chance and liked it better the next time through? What caused your opinion to change?

Really, truly, changing the urban fantasy TREE Series to the high fantasy LORE Series was the best decision I’ve ever made. I went from feeling lukewarm about the story to feeling on fire, and it might be solely because of the opportunity to worldbuild so much.

5. What do you believe endears an audience to a character?

Relatability! A character has got to be relatable, at least in some capacity. That’s how you make good villains: you show that they are so far gone down whatever hole they’ve fallen into that they can’t be relatable anymore.

(Also what makes a good villain is making them just relatable and logical enough that you see where they came from. It’s a weird line that never appears in the first draft)

6. What kind of romances do you prefer to read about and/or watch unfold? (Soft and shy, hot and sexy, slow burn, enemies to lovers, etc.)

Soft and shy slowburn of best friends to lovers will get me EVERY TIME

Like do y’all remember Percy and Annabeth from Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series? That was the ULTIMATE romance of my childhood. I bet if I went back and read it, it would still hold up, too. Those two went to Tartarus and back with only each other. Peak Romance.

7. What type of AU’s are your guilty pleasures, be they for your stories or for others? (Modern, High School/University, Coffee Shop, Vampires, etc.)

I’ve never written a vampire story, but I think I’d like to try.

This was not the question, but I don’t really have any guilty pleasures! I write what I write and I write what I want and I hardly ever do AUs.

8. If only one age demographic would ever read your books, which would you choose and why?

“New Adult,” which I’m not even sure is a genre. Like, early 20 year olds.

9. If you could pay homage to one person in your life through your stories and/or characters, who would it be and why?

Probably myself?

These are my stories, and as much support as I’ve gotten from friends (and even the occasional family), at the end of the day, they’re most important to me, I’m the one who’s put the most work into them, and if I can represent and immortalize myself...

I think I’ll be happy.

10. If every reader walked away from your story having been changed in one significant way, what would you want it to be and why?

For the SOLE Project, I want readers to learn that isolating themselves will never solve anything, and will probably make things worse. Also, take action against climate change (but do it with other people).

For LiaHT, I want people to know it’s okay not to have all the answers, and be at peace with all parts of themselves.

For LORE, I want people to start treasuring the power of friendship and the power of hope.

---

SECOND BATCH

1. What are your character’s favorite foods or snacks?

Christian will snack on anything he can get his hands on. Nora likes cookies. Zach likes fruits and pastries, especially fruity pastries. Dr. Agau and Beth are (shockingly) very practical people: nuts, berries, cheese, handfuls of those... think of trail mix.

2. What playlists do you listen to when writing?

I use video game playlists! They’re usually wordless and motivating, which is nice. I like to use this playlist on Spotify, or this website (you can’t skip songs, but there’s also some weird metal and screaming songs on the playlist so like. Pick your poison).

3. Which OC is/was your favorite to create?

Dr. Agau is still my favorite, I think. She’s just so... I don’t know, in control? Obviously, she uses her control and power to abuse children, so she’s an awful person, but come on. Who doesn’t long for a sense of absolute control over circumstances in their life.

A close second are Ash and Zach. It’s fun to think of all the ways they balance each other and differ from each other, and the few areas they are similar in.

4. What is the first book you read that made you cry?

The only book that’s ever made me cry is the ending of Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman.

5. Do you hide any secrets in your books as a way of foreshadowing?

Not intentionally? The things I hide are mostly references to old drafts, like when Beth finds a body in Agau’s laboratories that’s named Kati (an old character who I cut out of the story).

6. What is the most difficult part of your writing process?

Starting.

Seriously, whether it’s starting a chapter, figuring out where to start the story as a whole, starting to resolve something, I just find beginnings... very difficult. I haven’t found a good formula for them yet.

7. Which of your characters would you like to meet or get to know irl?

I think Zach and I would get along fabulously! 

I also have trouble with Matt’s character, and Hans’s, so maybe I could get to know those boys a bit better.

8. Was there a situation in your writing that you took from your own life?

I don’t take exact situations as much as I take feelings. All the pieces of my writing that are Beth having panic attacks, of Zach not knowing where he’s going with his life, of Nora stressing over school... Our circumstances may be very different, but the feelings are usually pretty direct.

9. Do your characters have reoccurring symbolism in their dreams?

Weirdly enough, I don’t think I’ve ever written a dream sequence for a character. I’ve written a nightmare, but only one, in all of my writing.

Huh.

10. Which Hogwarts houses would you sort your characters into?

Slytherin: Dr. Agau, Beth, Ash, and Maluka

Ravenclaw: Michael

Hufflepuff: Hallie, Hans, Zach, Olufemi, Finnigan, Nora

Gryffindor: Christian, Matt

Apparently I have a type.

[whenimgoodandready]

You ever lost something in your life? Like a prized possession? Or a great opportunity that would’ve changed your life forever? Or even a loved one? I know I did, I lost all three of those! (mostly the third option). I had some nice treasures of mine that might’ve been misplaced, a lot of situations where I could’ve come out victorious and happy and even met some really nice people throughout my life only to lose them and never see them again. It’s sad. (sigh) That’s life, you love, you lost and it repeats. We must enjoy it while we can and if we do end up losing it, we still have our memories to look back on it and learn from our mistakes. Besides, we can still look forward to the new joys we’ll experience in life and if we’re lucky, we can keep it! Have our heroes learned to do that? Check it out!

Battle of the Miraculous

*Part 1:Heart Hunter-For the longest time, this was titled as “Loveater”, but now it’s just Heart Hunter....I don’t know why, maybe cuz of the copyright, I was just naming what was accurate. Anyways, it’s the Bourgeois’s anniversary and Gabe deliberately upsets the two by getting them into an argument over his present which is a type of “Get-Along sweater” and them becoming a giant Pac Man akuma that shoots/eats love cuz they seem to lack it between each other. They looked pretty stupid, I had a better image in my mind. I mean, it was built up to be this badass like villain that could destroy love and that got us all concerned for the love square and yet, w-we got a two-faced video game parody baddie! It’s a juvenile show, whattaya gonna do? Another thing is why the f*ck was Mayura in this! I thought Hawk Moth deliberately made it clear in “Ladybug”, which came after this, that she had to stop cuz it was worsening Nats health! (throws hands in the air) He doesn’t care, I give up with this guy, why the f*ck would I believe him!? HE’S MAD AND DESPERATE! F*ck Gabe/Hawk Moth! During that time, we see some nice moments of Lukanette, Adrigami and some Adrigaminette! We also see things we were dying for such as Marinette with her hair down (spoiled by “Cat Blanc” unfortunately) and Master Fu as Jade F*cking Turtle! Hallelujah! So they were savin’ that up for this finale huh, well, it’s about f*cking time! :P. This also marked as the death of the love square since Adrien/Cat Noir has finally learned to move on from Ladybug and pursue Kagami/Ryuko and Marinette/Ladybug considering the same for Adrien. Now you would think that since it’s the Bourgeois family akumatized, it would be the appropriate opportunity for Chloe to be given back her miraculous already, but she’s ignored yet again and this was the last straw for her. This can go about two ways: A.Ladybug refused to have Queen Bee cuz either she was exposed or she couldn’t stand her nagging her about giving her a miraculous or B.She chose Ryuko instead, despite her being exposed as well, either cuz she really needed her power to stop the villain or cuz she was trying to c*ckblock Adrigami (possibly the latter). The end I could relate to on Marinette breaking down over her full plate of responsibilities (and accidentally letting Hawk Moth know that Master Fu was the guardian when she forgot to detransform to meet up with him cuz she had a lot on her mind) cuz I’ve been through the same thing where I had to put up a tough front after making a huge mistake only to be unable to bottle it up for long and just burst into tears and have to be comforted by a loved one. It’s not easy and it doesn’t feel so good and you’re gonna need support to let it all out and let people know how you really feel.

—————————————

*Part 2:Miracle Queen-I had an entirely different look for Miracle Queen in my head, but the canon look for her was basically what you can call as “Malibu Stacy with new hat”....yeah....just like that....Lame. Hawk Moth manipulates her anger at being constantly denied the bee miraculous and it’s what akumatizes her willingly as her third villainess form. Since she was forced to give up her superhero duties, she went with the idea of “If I can’t be a superhero, then there will be no superheroes!” and uses her hornet army to brainwash everyone in Paris and have all the members of Team Miraculous (minus the dynamic duo and Bunnyx) to expose themselves. (sigh) Well, guess we won’t be seeing them anymore in the show.......I think. The thing about it is, we need to remember that Chloe having a miraculous didn’t make her a better person like Marinette/Ladybug hoped, it made her worse! Everything she did as Queen Bee was mostly to help benefit herself. Unless she starts learning to think of others before herself, she’s banished from Team Miraculous! At last, we saw Dragonbug and Snake Noir in their combined Kwamies and I gotta say, Snake Noir was an improvement from Aspik, least in this case he had his own power to help save the day with the snake miraculous instead of just the snake. Much better! Now in the end, Master Fu passed on his guardianship to Ladybug and by doing so erased his memory of the miraculous duties to keep them a secret and what made Hawk Moth give up when it got too much for him to handle. Ha! Ha! Loser! Farewell, Fu! You will be missed, Thank you! It’s implied in the end that Adrigami and Lukanette just might be canon now that the heroes have moved on, but it’s probably for their future character developements until the true ship becomes endgame *cough*theicecreamstheclue*cough*.

My final thoughts on this ep before the whole season here, after what Cat Noir learned in the previous ep, “Ladybug”, he finally got the hint that there was no future between him and his lady (which he also stopped calling her!) and that he should settle for what he can get. Marinette however, was reluctant to move on from Adrien as she’s still insecure about herself, but did so so she won’t interfere between Adrigami and make herself look bad for trying to seperate them (Pssst, it’s not permanent so you can calm down). It might be good for them though, they did a good job saving the day without all that love distracting them. Maybe they’ll be more competent than ever! Ryuko had come back! My friend was right! Lol! Here I thought she wasn’t gonna return! But is it serious now along with every other hero that’s been exposed!? (they’re on the poster for Season 4! (shrugs)). What we learned from Master Fu was when you pass on your guardianship, you lose your memories of what was related to it for safety reasons! Whoa! Now that it’s passed onto Marinette/Ladybug, does this mean she’s gonna suffer the same thing when she passes it on! That’s tearjerker worthy! :’(. Oh boy! As if balancing her social/love/school life and her superhero duties weren’t bad enough, she’s now the new guardian of the Miracule Box! Poor thing. Here come the headaches! Kinda feel bad for Chloe. Sure she was manipulated by Hawk Moth over her ignored hero duties by her own idol constantly, but she still willingly took the bait, after she refused the other time!, and now she renounced her worship of Ladybug and hates her as much as Lila does! How will this go next season? Well, rumor has it she’s getting akumatized yet again! (is this a seasonal running gag for her?). We are getting a new Queen Bee and I know damn well Chloes gonna hate that. However, maybe that means she’ll finally get that redemption arc the fans have been praying for? Fingers crossed. Gabe fixed the peacock miraculous though cuz he now has the deciphered notes Nat stole from Master Fu! Now he’ll be stronger than ever with Mayura! Don! Don! Don! This has been yet another “interesting” season. We got some answers, we got some questions still left answered and we got some new questions we need answers to! Let’s recap on went on:Lila is back and is finally a reoccurring character (only when we need the plot to be drivin’) and she’s gone to the dark side working both for Gabriel and Hawk Moth, we saw Thomas Astruc in animated form and the original concept work of “What-Could’ve-Been” for the show which is now a show-within-a-show using the “Ladybug PV”, we saw new villains and the new beings, sentimonsters, by Mayura and how they’re created/destroyed and some returning villains that came back stronger, new heroes from the miraculouses the fans predicted, Chloe was forced to retire as Queen Bee cuz her identity was exposed and now she too went to the dark side, we almost got the love square complete a few times before the reset button was pushed, we learned the history of Master Fu’s big mistake, Marinette and Kagami became friends, there’s gonna be a new Hawk Moth in the future! We finally saw the long awaited Cat Blanc that was major! and even (disappointedly) Felix (sadly no “Bridgette”) and much more. News from the next season, Luka and Kagami will be akumatized again, we’ll get new heroes, Kwamies, outfits and powers, we might still get the Halloween and Chinese Legend specials (Oh God! Please do!), there will be an episode with the the “OMG” factor as “Cat Blanc” and a new location called Swan Island! Sweet! Can’t wait! See you guys in the Fall when Season 4 comes out! I’ll be back with new ladybug frames for the reviews and gifs! Good-bye for now dear Miraculers!

[waverly-gossip-academy]

ND Replay Review #3: Message in a Haunted Mansion SPOILERS

Let me get this out of the way at the top. I like this game, I really do. I think they finally got the formula correct in a lot of ways. However, I do not think this game is as scary as the fandom feels it is and that is my most controversial opinion. To the game! 

Ah, Hannah sets us up with this little mystery game. Another older woman, mentor, mother figure, who we basically abandon from here on out. Hannah’s greatest contribution going forward is sending us snacks to our jail cell. 

A few things that are fun about this game: 

1. This is our first introduction to Nancy stumbling across an historical mystery within a mystery. 

2. The formula is finally balanced between characters, puzzles, and location. Though not quite perfect, it works so much better here than the first two games. 

Let’s get to it. 

The characters in this game are a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, you’ve got Rose. Who is utterly hilarious as this woman who has put her life savings into a mansion in SF, but doesn’t care about anything you’re doing in the house?Then there’s grifter Charlie who supposedly discovered this house when he fell into a ditch or something equally stupid. What a dweeb. Go back home to live with your parents, my guy. You’ll be happier there. My favorite thing about Louis is that we catch him in a lie. My second favorite, is that he is such a slimy antiques dealer from the get go. And then there is Abby. This bitch. What is her problem? Why would she think trying to turn this mansion *haunted* with mirror tricks or whatever would be a good idea? Seems weird given the money she invested. Totally tracks that she was a drama teacher. Bonus that we get our first strictly phone character that is critical to the mystery, other than the phone a friend option. While it’s a bit inorganic, it’s a great addition to these games going forward for sure. 

This is the first time that the game tried out a one location game. We’re locked in this place the entire time, and I think it really works. Nancy’s room is gorgeous! And it is truly creepy in places, but I think the overall sense of suspense is missing. The rest of the rooms are sort of boring. I’ll give it a B+ though for the secret rooms. 

Finally, a series of puzzles worth playing. (Ok, not the weird reoccurring computer maze game that just unlocks the computer, but we’ll let that one slide.) When HeR likes a puzzle they really go all in, so they add another man’s briefcase to this one. And of course another computer login. Time plays a huge factor here, so you really have to strategize, but thankfully you can manipulate it.  The treasure hunt side quest becomes sort of a trope in this game, but all of the puzzles work here incredibly well. I love that they explain Nancy’s room as being original to help explain why all these puzzles are still in tact here. 

The culprit is comical and logical in this game. But I love that the accidents and hauntings are sort of unrelated in the grand scheme of things. Abby was sort of helping Louis all along? I also love that Nancy sort of takes a gamble with whether or not she’s going to MURDER Louis in the end by dropping that huge chandelier on him. Really lucky he only got trapped. 

Bonus round: The wrap-up letter. Like good for Rose and all that, but what exactly happened to Charlie?!? Also, I really hope Rose cuts Abby out at some point. K? Thanks. Bye. 

6.5/10

While clunky and sort of spooky, this game doesn’t click for me the way some of my favs do. It certainly doesn’t build any sort of suspense. 

[zutarawasrobbed]

Ember Island Players: The After Shock (Zutara Week Day One: First Kiss)

Ember Island Players: The After Shock

Rated: T (I think... maybe K+)

ff.net

AO3

Disclaimer: I don’t own Avatar the Last Airbender or any of the characters affiliated with it. If I did Zutara would be Cannon as hell! Summary: Watching the Ember Island players made and impact, some more than others. But for Katara, it made her remember one the most painful days of her life. The Crystal Catacombs.

Looking at the next scene coming up, Katara realizes that watching this play was a big mistake. The scene in question is none other than a reiteration of what happened between the her and Zuko in the crystal catacombs of Ba Sing Se. And while she knows that nothing happened, it definitely wont help the fact that she and Zuko are just starting to become friends and that this was the moment that severed her trust in him to begin with. I can only imagine how they’re going to tell this story. Probably with tears and speeches about trust and honor being broken. She thinks as she sees the actors enter the stage. The actress walks towards the prince as says, “I have to admit Prince Zuko, I really find you attractive!”   Katara almost jumps out of her seat at these words, and she can tell by Zuko’s reaction, that he is in the same boat as her. She makes a point not to look at him. Okay this is definitely not what I expected. Katara continues to watch as Actor Zuko sits dramatically on a rock and the actress portraying her walks closer to him. Oh god. What is going on?!” “You don’t have to make fun of me.” The actor starts. “But I mean it!” the actress sits down with Actor Zuko. “I’ve had eyes for you since the day you first captured me!” Katara looks over to Zuko and the two of them look at each other with their discomfort written all over their faces. She watches as Zuko blushes and Katara knows that she is doing the same and begins to move away from him. She looks down at the performance and realizes that the scene is still going. Why? This is nothing like what happened. Oh no! What is Sokka and Aang gonna think. Oh crap! Aang.Startled, she looks back at the Avatar and sees his eyes are furrowed. “Wait, I thought you were the Avatar’s girl!” Actor Zuko says. Katara sees Aang nod, and realizes that doesn’t sit right with her. I never said I was his. What is he thinking? He’s acting like he owns me? She looks away and back to the stage. Great they’re still going. 

The actress laughs, “The Avatar?” She stands up and walks over the Actor Zuko and continues, “why, he’s like a little brother to me!” She laughs. “I certainly don’t think of him in a romantic way. Besides, how could he ever find out about… this?” Katara watches as Actress her and Actor Zuko embrace and hold hands. This is not what happened. The most I did was touch his scar. Aang came in seconds lat- She looks to Zuko and sees him rubbings the back of his head awkwardly. Looking at him, she remembers what she felt in the cave. She felt a sense of understanding that she never felt with anyone. She felt an unspoken bond form between them. A bond so strong she wanted to do whatever to took make all of his pain go away. It was that bond that made her want to use the spirit water on him and heal his scar. The moment she offered to heal it she felt as if it was an unspoken promise between them, one that cemented their bond. And when she touched his scar, Katara felt those feelings intensify and their bond strengthen. Never before had she felt so close to anyone in her life. It was as if she could feel the pain he went through and everything that was done to him. There were very few times in her life that Katara could ever say that she was truly heartbroken. There was her mothers death, her father leaving to fight the war, and the time the fire prince turned his back on her and crushed their bond as if it was nothing. The moment he attacked her was the moment she felt her heart shatter and her innocence along with it. She no longer felt the same hope she harbored before the incident. She no longer saw the good in everyone. Instead she began searching for the bad, expecting something to go wrong. He not only broke her heart but her ability to trust in people. And that was why she felt such anger in his trying to become part of the group. He acted as if nothing happened and as if she should welcome him with open arms and an open heart. The day he came back her heart lurched and she promised herself she would never make the same mistake twice. She never would allow him to get too close to her again. But, when he offered to help her find her mothers killer, she had to put those promises on hold and let her walls fall down. That was a mistake, because as soon as she did, she was reminded why he and her were so similar and how he was truly the one person who understood her in a way no one else had. When Aang told her to forgive, she was convicted everyone would push her to do so. Zuko didn’t. In fact, he was the only one who stood up for her and criticized Aang for forcing a decision on her. That was one thing Zuko never did, force. He always allowed her to make her own decisions and that was only proven more true when they embarked on their journey. Slowly, she felt their bond begin to grow once again, and she knew it was dangerous, but she couldn’t help but see the effort he put into finding the man who took her mother from her. She couldn’t help the way he made her feel. Over the Course of their mission she felt her heart put itself back together and when she face off against the man who took her mother from her, it was him who stood back and allowed her to make her choice. All of these little things, were huge to her and only strengthen her resolve to finally forgive him. When she hugged him it was not a new chapter in their lives, but a continuation from before. She threw her arms around him in order to tell him “thank you” and “I understand you.” There were so many thing she wanted to say, but her hug said it all… or at least she hoped. But looking into his eyes afterwards, she could see that he understood. Of course he did. Time and time again he proves that he is the only one who understands me. She thinks to herself. It’s with that thought, Katara realizes, nothing happened, but something almost did. ******* Zuko was thanking the spirits that intermission came swiftly after the scene in the crystal catacombs. Just when I was finally getting somewhere with Katara, all of the sudden we see this stupid play and now things are awkward. Zuko realizes that this was a mistake. Seeing this stupid play was a huge mistake! He can handle the misinterpretations of his character, but imbalance with Katara was a whole other thing he could not deal with again. Thinking back at the scene he remembers the way she looked at him when Katara’s actress called him attractive. He could swear he saw her blush. Yeah right Zuko. Why would someone like her ever find you Attractive? Zuko wont lie to himself, seeing that scene did bring back some memories and feelings he forced down a long time ago. To him the moment they shared in the crystal catacombs became his worst and most treasured memory. For one, that was the first time he was ever considered a person and not a traitor, a prince, or someone he wasn’t, he was just… Zuko. But, that was also the day he betrayed the person who not only offered him kindness, but redemption and a new life. It was also the first time he ever let anyone touch his scar and the feeling of her touch was not something he could get out of his head. Even now, he can feel the current of electricity that roared through him when she touched it. He could feel the sudden urge to pull her closer and embrace her so that she would never leave his side. He could feel the first possibility of happiness without his crown and he saw it with her. To be honest, it was that last thought that scared him and pushed him to make the awful decision that haunts him to this day. In that moment he felt time stop and behind closed eyes, he saw her and him watching the night sky holding each other close for warmth while the earth kingdoms breeze washed over them. He saw her smiling at him and kissing his jaw as he pulled her closer to him. He saw the look she gave him and how he leaned into her and was about to kiss her. But, it was at that moment when the avatar came in and disrupted that vision. The intrusion was like a blast of cold water to his dreams. It was that moment when he realized that he could never be what she wanted, never be what she deserved. It was that moment he cursed himself for even considering the possibility of a future with her. It was then, when he cemented his choice to leave. It was just luck that Azula offered him a choice to come back to his old life. But, looking back he also remembered the look of pure hurt she gave him after he turned on her and the Avatar. At the time he truly thought that this was best for her. He would have never harmed her, and he would have never let anyone else harm her. But, the Avatar was another story. It wasn’t until after he and Mai started a relationship that he started having reoccurring dreams about the waterbender and that moment in the cave. And it was after the fourth night, he realized he was in love with her. He can’t lie and say that he didn’t join them so he could be close to her. In fact, just tonight he made sure to sit next to her. But it was not to be possessive, but rather, because she makes him feel a form of warmth and light that he doesn’t feel when he’s not around her. He loves her, even though he has accepted a long time ago, that he can never be with her. “Katara, did you really mean what you said in there?” Hearing this, causes Zuko to free himself from his thoughts, and decides to walk towards who he assumes is the Avatar’s voice. “In where? What are you talking about?” He stops when he hears her voice and decides to stay hidden. Katara probably doesn’t want an audience. “On stage, when you said I was just like a … brother to you, and you didn’t have feelings for me.” “I didn’t say that. An actor said that.” “But it’s true, isn’t it? We kissed at the Invasion, and I thought we were gonna be together. But we’re not.” Zuko slumps at these words. They kissed? Of course they kissed you idiot, it’s not like this should surprise you! “Aang, I don’t know” Zuko jerks up at the response. Wait what? “Why don’t you know?” “Because, we’re in the middle of a war, and, we have other things to worry about. This isn’t the right time.” “Well, when is the right time?” “Aang, I’m sorry, but right now I’m just a little confused.” Everything goes quiet, until Zuko hears a gasp from Katara. “I just said I was confused!” Hearing the tone of Katara’s voice forces him to reveal himself, “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?” Zuko can see Aang glaring at him, “It’s him isn’t it?” Zuko needs to take a step back, “What?” “In they play! Something happened in the cave! I remember what I saw.” Zuko hears Katara take a sharp intake of breath. But that’s all it takes for his control to break. “You don’t know what you saw! Nothing happened!” “Maybe not. But would your answers be the same if I hadn’t entered at that exact moment?” Zuko looks back at Katara unsure of what to say. And Katara looks at him with the same expression. “That’s what I thought.” Zuko looks at Katara with tears about to spill from her eyes and grabs Aang’s arm. “Hey! you don’t get to make assumptions and just assume you can get away with what you just did.” “What did I do? Huh? I kissed her? How is that wrong?” He kissed her? She just said she was confused. That son of a- Unable to control his reactions any longer, Zuko tightens his grasp on the boy, “what you did was kiss a girl without her consent. You pressured her to answer your feelings and when she said she was confused, you didn’t accept that answer so you took advantage of her confusion to tried and manipulate her by forcing yourself on her. And now you’re trying to come up with reasons that she doesn’t feel the way you want her to because it feels better to blame someone else rather than blaming yourself.” He lets go of his arm, “that’s what you did.” He leans in and whispers low enough so that only they can hear, “And I promise you, that if you ever lay a hand on her without her permission again, I will not hesitate. Avatar or not, I will not hesitate to kick your ass.”   Aang looks at Zuko with alarm and a hint of fear in his eyes before running back inside the playhouse. Zuko sighs, but quickly turns to see a crying Katara clutching herself to her knees. Zuko walks over to her and sits by her side. “Hey. It’s gonna be okay.” “No! it’s not!” She screams in his face before grasping his cloak and burying her face in it. “I’m sorry… I just- I don’t know what to do.” She looks up at him expectantly. Seeing her shiver he opens his cloak to offer it to her, but before he can get it off, she wraps her arms around him and buries her face in his chest. He sighs. She’s only hugged him once before, and that was the day she told Aang she would never forgive her mothers killer. He remembers that day because her touch reminded him of the vision he had in the catacombs. He also remembers that day because that was the day she forgave him. Instinctively he warps his arms around her. “Yes it will.” “And what if he’s right?” That makes him jerk back. “What?” He catches his breath before continuing. “Right about what?” He sees her blush. “What if I am confused because of… Well… Because of you?” He gasps. Oh. My. God. This is not what I thought she was going to say. Don’t get your hopes up it’s not li- “I mean it makes sense. After the invasion something’s changed and I couldn’t put my finger on it, and then he asked if it was you and I guess the only thing that has changed was you. Now, I don’t know what that means necessarily. I’m not saying I’m in love with you or anything. Or that I even like you… Like that! of course I like you, but I’m not sure if it’s as more than a friend or not.” She gasps. “Wait! I mean. Ugh! I’m sorry forget I said anyth-.” Zuko acts on instinct and grabs her wrists and looks her in the eyes. “What if I can’t?” What am I doing? Am I crazy? He watches as her eyes grow wide before she shakes her head. “Are you saying-?” “I don’t know what I’m saying honestly.” He blushes and looks away embarrassed. “Th-then, why don’t we just say how we feel right now? In this moment?” Looking back at her face he sees a blush on her face and decides it’s now or never. “Right now I feel warm… But not in just a physical way. But somewhere deeper like my chest, like my soul. I feel scared and as if I’m running a marathon. But I also feel happy. Like I’m meant to be here, with you.” He watches her eyes go wide and moves closer to her. Don’t give up now! “But, it’s not just now. Every time I’m near you my heart beats faster and my days feel brighter. It’s like you’re the sun, because you make me feel powerful. You make me feel wanted and accepted.” He brushes a strand of hair behind her ear and breathes in. “You make me feel loved.” “Zuko… I…I don’t know what to say.” He looks at her and smiles “you don’t have to say anything. Just know that this is how I feel.” He caresses her face, “I know you’re confused. And I don’t want to make you do or say anything you don’t want so… Please, just know I’m willing to wait for whatever you deci-” “Kiss me!” He removes his hand and looks at her shocked. “What?” She’s blushing, “I-I’m sorry! That was sudden! It just came out!” She continues rambling, “I said to say how we feel. And I-I feel like I want you to-” Zuko grabs her hand and pulls her closer. Looking in her eyes he can see a fire that he knows all to well, because he’s sure that his eyes are reflecting the same burning as hers. He takes a breath. “Is this what you want?” He watches her reactions and sees her nod in confirmation. Gently he removes his hand and cups her face. Looking in her eyes he leans in and starts closing the distance between them. He watches her do the same until their foreheads are touching. He stifles a gasp as she moves her hands from her sides to his hips. He closes his eyes and feels her lips touch his. It’s slow and timid. But then he returns the kiss and pulls her closer to him. He moves one hand on the small of her back and the other in her hair as he deepens the kiss. He feels her hands move from his hips, up his sides to around his neck. Zuko gently presses her closer to him, and opens his mouth to allow his tongue to ask her lips for entrance. She accepts, and their tongues start caressing each other. He feels her grips his hair tighter, and he moans. He breaks the kiss, catching his breath before putting his forehead against hers. “I love you.” He says before cupping her face and kissing her again. He feels her hands move from around his neck to grasp his cloak, pulling him closer to her. This time it’s her who breaks the kiss. “I think… I love you too.” She whispers in his ear before planting kisses along the burnt side of his face. “I really do.” ******* Katara tries to hide the blush on her face as she enters the theatre with Zuko close behind her. She sees the way he’s grinning and know that if he doesn’t tone it down, there’s no way they will be able to keep their newly established relationship secret for long. Looking back at him she sees his smile grow wider and she smiles back at him. Why did I have to fall in love with such a huge dork. “Zuko? You know if you don’t stop smiling, people are going to get suspicious, right?” She sees him look confused before he smiles and opens his mouth to speak. “I’m sorry I can’t help that I’m happy. It’s not everyday that girl I love says she loves me too.” Katara sighs with a smile before taking his hand. “I’m happy too, but do you really want Sokka to find out about us?” Zuko stills. That did it. Katara thinks to herself. She releases his hand and walks back to their seats. Watching to make sure Zuko comes back a little later than she does. Luckily he does and Katara takes sigh of relief that his facial expression looks neutral… That is until he catches her looking at him and his face lights up with the same dopey grin from earlier. Shit… “Hey Zuko? Whats with the face?” Katara stills as she hears her brothers voice. She looks up at him and realizes he’s looking between her and Zuko. Shit! “Why does my sister have marks on her neck?” Katara watches his face as he puts the pieces together. She braces herself. 3…2…1 “Is there a bat on the loose! Everybody run there’s a bat on the loose biting people!” Well that’s not what I expected. Katara doesn’t need to look to know the entire crowd and actors are looking at their group. She can hear the commotion below. She analyzes the scene before her. Zuko looks annoyed as Sokka starts grabbing Zuko telling him to “run for his life”. Aang looks shocked, but Toph seems to be distracting him enough by punching him in the arm and laughing. Katara decides this is the time she should intervene before Sokka reveals themselves to be the real team Avatar. She stomps over to her brother pushing him back before grabbing Zuko by his cloak and pulling his face down to her kisses him hard. Everything stops. She can feel everybody’s eyes on her and Zuko. She can also feel Zuko’s shock as he hasn’t moved yet. But the shock quickly passes as he almost immediately embraces her and pulls her closer. Feeling Zuko’s arms wrap around her is something she could feel for the rest of her life. It’s this thought that makes her realize… She breaks the kiss before saying, “I love you.” Moving away from his embrace she sees the shocked expressions of all her friends… All of her friends except Toph who is smiling widely that screams “I told you so.” Katara hears Zuko cough embarrassed. Zuko starts, “So uh… About that-”   “YOU MADE OUT WITH MY SISTER! I’M GONNA KILL YOU!” ******* One Year Later “Zuko do we really need to se this play again. It was terrible the last time we saw it!” Katara says as her boyfriend drags her to their seats. “Shhh. It’s starting.” Seeing the excited look in Zuko’s face, she sighs in defeat as she watches the “new and improved", boy in the iceberg. Everything is the same as before, only this time the characters seem more like the actual people themselves. Especially actress Katara and actor Zuko, Which is especially pleasing to Katara as she didn’t have to see her be portrayed as a hopeful crybaby as second time. Zuko had to go to the bathroom after the last scene with the Gaang meeting Toph. And he still has yet to return. I told him not to get the extra spicy veggies. The Crystal catacomb scene is starting, but Katara can’t help but think that something is different this time. Is it just me or does actor Zuko look more life li… NO! “I have to admit Prince Zuko, I really find you attractive!” “I don’t blame you! But I believe that there is only one woman that I wish to impress, and she is not here. But in the audience.” Zuko says on stage looking up to the box where his girlfriend is staring slack jawed at him. Actress Katara continues, “Is that so? She must be a very lucky lady. is it the fair lady with striking blue eyes?” Zuko looks up and points to her. “Yes it is.” Oh god… Why is he doing this?   “Katara if you would please come down here, I have something important to ask you!” The waterbender looks at the firebender in shock before walking reluctantly down to meet him. Walking slowly to the center of the stage she hears the crowd gasp in surprise. Zuko meets her in the middle and starts speaking, “Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, It was this particular scene that brought us together exactly one year ago today. However, it was the real events that this scene was inspired by that made me fall in love with you.” He kneels down in front of her. “I never told you this, but you were the first person I ever let touch my scar. However, I also never told you that it was the moment you did when I received a vision for the future. It was one of just the two of us looking out at the stars as I held you close to me. It only lasted a moment, but it was in that moment that I realized what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, and who I wanted to spend it with.” He pauses before taking out something from his robe. “Which is why I am here, on my knees asking you to become my partner in life and love for as long as we both shall live, and beyond… Do you accept?” Katara looks at the necklace in his hand and sees it is the same as her mothers necklace except there is a separate stone underneath carved with the sun and the moon intertwined together. She looks back up at Zuko with tears in her eyes and says, “I do.” As soon as she says those words, she sees Zuko take a breath and hears the crowd going wild. He stands up and pulls her close. “I love you.” Katara smiles, “I love you too.” And she kisses him. THE END.

@zutaraweek

[theunseeliemperoress]

Ultimate Custom Night: Voice’s

(I’ve decided to make a post of all the lines from the game [not including phone guy’s] and give my analysis/opinion on them)

This is the video I used as a ref

Foxy: “Yar I came for ye booty. That be treasure you know.” “Yar. You never stood a chance.” “I can’t run like I used to. But I can pull my self apart just fine.” (Could refer to how he’d run at you in the first game) “Arr. So much more spacious in here. I may stay a while.” “Yar har har. Never underestimate the cunning of a pirate. Or a fox for that matter.” He sounds exactly how I thought he would.

Nightmare Fredbear:  “Let’s see how many time’s you can be pulled apart.” (pulling things/being pulled apart seems to be a reoccurring theme) “I assure you I am very real” “This time there is more than an illusion to fear.” (Both lines could be about how in FNAF 4 none of the animatronics are real) “We know who are friends are. But you are not one of them.” “Let me put you back together. And  then take you apart all over again.” I like how his voice is gruff and distorted (actually I like how all the fnaf 4 animatronics have distorted voices). It also sounds layered to me. Or there could be a second voice underneath.

Happy Frog: “Everyone underestimates me. But then they turn their back and I’m like boo! And their like wagh!” “Move over Freddy Fazbear! Happy Frog is the new star of the show.” “We’ve only just begun. I will never let you leave. I will never let you rest.” (Said in a whispered tone. Sounds more sinister than her usual voice) “I bet you weren’t expecting me were ya? Turn your back for one second and I’m like wozoo! Ninja skills.” “You and I don’t get to talk as often as I’d like.” Very cute voice acting. I like how they throw in one creepy line. That should throw a few people off.

Jack-O-Chika: (voice is distorted) “I am a burning reminder of your misdeeds.”) “Greetings from the fire and the one you should not have killed.” (Player character killed someone. Who? My theory at the moment is they’re the purple guy (or maybe one of them) and they’re in hell. But we’ll see if that sticks) “Did things get really hot in here? Or is it just me?” “Come and burn with me. The fire burns eternal. And now you shall as well!” (Further supports my hell theory) A lot of their lines contain hints towards the lore. But due to the distortion they can be hard to hear. Typical of fnaf lore (in plain sight but hard to decipher). My fave voice from the fnaf4 animatronics.

Lefty: (whispers everything) “Shhh...Come spend eternity inside. With me.” (Inside where?) “Shhh...I’ve been looking for you. And now I’ll never let you go.” “Shhh...I’m so glad that I found you. Let me make room for you.” “Shhh...It will all be over soon.” “Shhh...There is room for one more.” (One more in the suit?) His voice is actually one of the creepiest to me. Especially as it sounds like a little boy.

Mangle: “I wanted to wait till just the right moment to drop in.” “It’s so much more fun hanging out in here with you.” “He’s here. And always watching. The one you shouldn’t have killed.” (”The one you shouldn’t have killed” is mentioned a lot) “Don’t be afraid. Soon you will look just like me. Beautiful.” “Now I get to play take apart and put back together. You won’t feel a thing.” The fact they have a male and female voice actor makes me really happy.

Marionette: “The others are under my protection.” “Seeing you powerless is like music to me.” “The others are like animals. But I am very aware.” (Did the other children/victims loose their humanity? Why not this one?) “I don’t hate you. But you need to stay out of my way.” “I recognise you. But I’m not afraid of you. Not anymore.” (Further evidence player character was/is a killer) The childish voice makes an already creepy character creepier. Are they the one “You should not have killed?” (Though their voice sounds like a little girl and Mangled clearly say “He’s here”.)

Ballora: “I could hear you breathing.” “Admit it. You wanted to let me in.” “These are strange circumstances. That have brought us together.” “Don’t be shy. Why do you hide inside these walls?” Her lines are very flirty. Which seems strange.

Toy Chica: “Where’s my beak? Lodged in your forehead of course.” “*Giggles* You won’t get tired of dying will you? You won’t get tired of my voice? Will you?” (further evidence towards the hell theory) “Let’s go somewhere more private. So I can eat you.” Interesting but very fitting voice acting.  Nightmare Bonnie: “You will not be spared. You will not be saved.” “The shadows (indistinct) me. And (indistinct) you back to horror(?) “Your/You’re wickedness made of flesh.” “I’m here to claim what is left of you.” Creepy voice but I can barely understand anything he says

The Music Man: “Hear that. It’s the sweet sweet sound of your eternal silence.” “Hey keep it down would ya?” “When I’m here you play by My rules.” “A song was requested of me. And now I sing it.” “You and I will be making music together for a long long time.” A weird voice for a weird looking character.

Nedbear: “Stranger danger! *laughs* I was just waiting for you to drop your guard.” “Woops. That’s gonna leave a mark.” “This is how it feels. You get to experience it over and over and over again. Forever. I will never let you leave.” (A little girls voice can be heard just out of sync) “Don’t you hate getting killed by obscure secondary characters?” The hillbilly accent is fun. The little girls voice implies even these characters have dark secrets.

Nightmare Freddy (voice is distorted): “No light can save you now.” “I have always been hiding in your shadow.” “What a gift to relish a victim that can’t perish.” (Hell theory) “I am given flesh to be your tormentor.” “I am remade. But not by you. By the one you should not have killed.” Very creepy. Probably one of the easiest Nightmare to understand but still creepy.

Nightmare BB: “There just isn’t room in here for both of us.” “You knew I’d get you eventually.” “Come closer. Help me count my teeth.” “Flash that light all night/all you like. It can’t save you now.” “You’re not so big. Just a bite size morsel.”

Nightmarionette: (voice is distorted) “The nightmare is just beginning.” “Let’s taste (?) death again, and again and again.” “I am the fear of your reflection and the one you have created.” (The one you have created could be the Marionette) “This is a nightmare you won’t wake from.” (Hell theory?) “This time death can not save you.” (Hell theory) Voice is very hard to understand but very creepy.

Nightmare Mangle: Voice is covered by a lot of static and radio interference. I could hear something that sounded like “Come here come here” though it’s not clear.

William Afton:  “I always come back.”  Has a more human sounding voice despite being in a state of disrepair (like the nightmares and withered animatronics) which makes sense. The fact he and Springtrap are different animatronics throws a wrench in a few theories I’ve heard.

Orville Elephant: “I hope you enjoyed the grand finale.” “Now is my time to shine.” “He tried to release you. He tried to release us. But I’m not gonna let that happen. I will hold you here. I will keep you here. No matter how many times they burn us.” (a little girls voice can be heard just after his. Who are they?) “What did you think of my act? I don’t get out much. So you’ll have to forgive my enthusiasm. I love how he sounds like a sweet old man.

Pigpen: “Even monkey’s fall from trees.” “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.” “The talented hog hides his claws.” “I consider it a dignified death. Not really it was actually quite pathetic.” “If you sit by the river long enough you’ll see the body of your enemy floating by.” The hillbilly voice really suits him, and the banjo makes me laugh.

Rockstar Bonnie: (Electronic voice, sings) “What a fine day to come here and say Your face and flesh I must flay” “What a treat, to come here and meet (?), your face as it hits concrete (?) “I found my guitar. now reach for the stars, As I bludgeon and pull you apart.” “Why so blue? You know I’ll be true. And now I’ll make slippers (?) out of you.” “So good to see you again. My truest friend. But now your life must end.” (Calls the player character his “truest friend”. Does he mean it? Why does he want to kill PC? Did PC kill him (if he’s one of the possessed animatronics)  Interesting how he’s the only one who sings.

Rockstar Chika: “That’ll teach ya for trying to trick this old bird.” “Thought you could fool me with that sign. But I was too smart for ya.” “I may not like wet floors but the smell of fresh meet is just too enticing.” “Looks like you’re the one who slipped up this time.” “That’s right. And don’t you come back now you hear.” Her voice makes me think of a female rockstar from the 70s or 80s.

Scrapbaby: “Time for your controlled shock.” (said two different ways) “Let’s see how many pieces I can cut you into.” “You won’t die. But you’ll wish you could.” (hell theory) Sounds just like Baby’s voice. (personally I’d have made it a little different but it’s fine as it is) Toy Freddie:  “It’s not my fault. I have these fat plastic fingers that can’t press the buttons.” “Mr hugs got me again.” “If I get jumpscared. You get jumpscared.” “That game was totally rigged.” “That’s what you get for leaving me hanging.” Voice could get annoying after a while.

Trash and the gang: (female voice, whispers) “Psst over here. Get closer.” “Excuse me could you come a little closer?” “Hey. Down here. Hello. I wanted to ask you something. Its something really important.” “Psst. I have something to tell you.” “Hey hey. I want to tell you something.” The voice seems to only be there to trick the player into listening more closely before they are jumpscared.

Rockstar Freddie: “Please deposit five coins.” (Said repeatedly during gameplay when active. After jumpscaring the player is said once and grinds to a stop)

Rockstar Foxy “Yar. Ye play with fire and sometime’s ye get burned.” Voice is very similar to Foxy’s but the slight difference is fitting.

Withered Bonnie: (voice has an electronic echo) “Time to face the consequences of your behaviour (?)” “Might as well face the facts. You were always destined to fail.” “You blinked.” “Why (indistinct)? Is it me (indistinct)? Or is it you? Perhaps it is us both.” “I’ve made (indistinct) fate. But (indistinct) taught (?)” Could someone please tell me what he’s saying?

Withered Chika: (Indistinct) through the vent. But now we are together.” “Let me show you how to break your face and look like me.” “I was the first. I have seen everything.” (The first what? Animatronic? Victim?) “Come closer. Let’s smile(?) together.” “I have seen him. The one you shouldn’t have killed.” The juttering voice is creepy though not the creepiest.

Baby: “I guess you forgot about me.” “Want to see the scooping room?” (Player character could be the main character from SL or Baby’s creator. Or both?) “Guess you forgot about me. Looks like something bad happened.”

Robot(?): “Now I will tell you a story.” “But he could not choose.” “He placed the remains together.” “He promised to never leave them.” Sounds like the War of the Worlds CD my mum has. Who’s story is it telling? The player characters? The Marionettes? 

Mr Hippo: NOPE. NO. Not doing it. I’m not typing all his lines. I’d like to do other things today thank you very much. (His line “maybe I met some sort of demise of my own” is interesting though) Sounds like an old man.

[acenero-blog1]

My Top 10 Chiaki Nanami Drabbles (so far)

As a late birthday present to my close friend Vixen, and because of my own personal desire to give her story earned praise—I’ve decided to list my favorite chapters in her story, Chiaki Nanami Drabbles…so far. These are my own opinions, and I’ll state now that you should read the entire thing! There were so many great parts I didn’t put in this, so check it out if you’re interested! Her story can be found on FF.net and Ao3, too.

I’ll be going into spoiler territory, but I won’t say the resolutions.

10. Chapter 87: A Softer Despair

This is a drabble that gives a chilling look into the mind of the despair-driven Chisa Yukizome. The author uses this character often and efficiently, but this one stuck with me the most.

It starts with her wishing she could relive the despair caused by sending Chiaki to die in her execution. That leads to her adopting a kitten, even going as far as to name it Chiaki Nanami. She nurtures, feeds, and loves it for a time as if it was the real Chiaki. However, it’s all for one sinister purpose.

Needless to say, the resolution to this one isn’t a pretty one.

9. Chapter 75: Threes a Crowd

This drabble airs more on the comical side. Basically, Junko sees Chiaki and is mesmerized. Commence her hilarious shenanigans to get her attention, even dragging poor Mukuro into her games.

She even tried to get closer to Chiaki despite Izuru haven’t misgivings. Even the being made of talent isn’t enough to deter this blond mastermind, though.

8. Chapters 180 & 187: Savior’s Last Bloom Omakes

This one is a bit of a shameless plug since both of these drabbles are based off my story, Danganronpa X3: Savior’s Last Bloom. Still, you practically need no knowledge of my story to enjoy the hilarious misadventures of the Future Foundation getting into wacky situations.

Chapter 180 is all skits filled with references and normal everyday situation that take a turn for the funniest.

In chapter 187, they find themselves in a very…uh, compromising situation. Some naughty comedy ensues.

7. Chapter 179: The Child of Hope and Despair

This story is centered around the author’s own original character called Kana. After the conclusion of Side: Hope, Hajime ventures into the Neo World Program and discovers the little girl. Hajime, seeing she was alone and wondering what she was, takes her and even allows her to call him Papa.

Little does he know that the girl’s origin has a very unique and possibly sinister history to them. Despite that, Hajime takes her as her own, introducing her to others of the seventy-seventh class. All while wondering if her “truth” should be told.

6. Chapters 40-45: Undertale

This is the author’s epic retelling of the game Undertale except with her own spin and Danganronpa characters. She incorporates the characters and her own changes seamlessly.

Basically, if you like Undertale and Danganronpa, you’ll love this.

5. Chapter 135: The Doll

There are many drabbles centered around Junko and Chiaki, but I think this one is the most powerful. It features Junko with Chiaki, whose spirit has been broken—leaving not much else but a husk. The entire drabble is filled with violent and strong imagery.

In terms of pure bleakness and despair, this one is near the top—if not at the very top.

4. Chapter 173: The Lonely Heart

This chapter is one huge introspection about Chiaki. As one who loves those types of themes, I greatly enjoyed this chapter.

It gives a very accurate and detailed soliloquy about why Chiaki is the way she is. It shows her painful past, how she sees the world, and what making friends at Hope’s Peak Academy really meant for her. In terms of insight into the Ultimate Gamer herself, one the anime didn’t provide very fluently, this is one of the best you’ll ever see.

3. Chapter 184 & 193: Despair Pub

It was tough choosing this over the Dead Waifu Bar and the Heavenly Host Club because they’re all magnificent reoccurring drabbles in the story, but I had to give it to the Despair Pub.

The Pub features Junko, Despair Chisa, Monica, and Tsumugi all wallowing in their despair. It features hilarious dialogue between the four ladies—most of it bullying Tsumugi.

Chapter 193 even has a special visitor who turns out to be Monika from Doki Doki Literature Club. How can you not be interested!?

2. Chapters 162 & 163: The Phantom Thieves of Fan Fiction

I wasn’t sure whether to put this since it isn’t a conventional drabble, rather it’s a special featuring many friends of the author(myself included). All of us become phantom thieves and try to defeat a certain someone's shadow and take their treasure.

Throughout it all—we hang out, fight shadows, and even learn certain things about ourselves. It’s a true testament to the hopes, fears, and the bond we all share as writers.

1. Chapter 114: The Ultimate Punishment

Finally, the finale!

In my opinion, this is the best drabble(so far) of this amazing collection of tales. And, oh boy, is it dark. Even the author says she felt bad after writing this one. Dark as it may be, I was hooked from the first word to the very last!

So, did you think Chiaki’s execution was gruesome? Well, imagine if every time she died…she kept having to go through it again and again and again. That’s the premise of this drabble. What’s worse is our favorite gamer is aware of this, so she remembers every gruesome death. Even when she tries to escape, she simply dies in another way. It’s an eternal recurrence of pain and suffering. In the end, Chiaki realizes she must make a choice—and a very hard one.

It seems wrong to make my top chapter one where Chiaki suffers, but this was too good to not put at number one. In my opinion, this is the best chapter out of the 199+ Chiaki Nanami Drabbles.

Here’s to more amazing drabbles by my best friend in the future. Knowing her, I’ll need to make a whole new list very soon!