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somethinginthethunder · 4 years

Text

real [ushijima wakatoshi x reader]

Author’s Note: ahahahhaahaiuhfiureno I’m back!! Did you miss me? No? Ah, well then-- anyway! This is also a more low-key fic since I literally have no idea what to write. Also, romance is hard to write as well :’) send help, please. And asks, too. Doesn’t even have to be a request lmao.

As usual, shares and feedback are appreciated (as long as they’re authentic! Please don’t feel obligated to give it if it’s not real!) Idk if I like this one, but I’m posting it anyway for that good satisfaction of being able to post stuff.

Also, if Ushijima is ooc I am so sorry!! Maybe I just don’t know him well enough :’) again, send help

And thank you for the feedback and response to ‘Walks in the Rain’! It meant so much to me I literally love you all!!

Word count: 1,346

Summary: Ushijima Wakatoshi wonders if what he’s bringing to the table in this relationship is enough. At least, for you.

Warnings?: my writing i’M KIDDING I’M KIDDING, but none other than that!

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It was no secret that Ushijima Wakatoshi was not a very expressive man. In fact, some might doubt that he has the ability to express any of his emotions at all (if he had them in the first place). So it would, of course, be a big surprise when it was revealed that he had a girlfriend.

You.

You, Y/n L/n, were the lucky girl who got to give him your love, and in return, get his back.

But it wasn’t so obvious.

At first, people had doubted the existence of your relationship, wondering if it was just a ploy to get his little fangirls out of the way. But they soon found out that it wasn’t the case.

There were little actions that confirmed the relationship. Rare kisses, holding of hands, longing stares, and tiny gifts. But it hadn’t convinced everyone. Two students even asked him if it was real.

“Is it really true she’s your girlfriend?” the short-haired girl asked, a pout on her lips.

He thought for a moment, an almost confused look on his face.

“Yes, she is. Why wouldn’t she be?” he asked, his face still holding an intense stare.

“Well,” the other girl answered. “You just don’t, like, act like a real couple. So, we thought that maybe it was a trick!”

Acting like a real couple? His shoulders loosened as he collected the rest of his things, standing from his seat. “We’re a real couple. I love her, she loves me. What more do you need to know?” he asked, obviously not particularly wanting a real answer. He had another period to get to, anyway.

When it came to things like volleyball, his future, and school, he wasn’t usually one to express his worry over them. In fact, he didn’t usually feel worried at all as long as he knew his options.

But that conversation was different, for some reason. He knew that he wasn’t the most emotionally fulfilling boyfriend, nor was he too expressive with himself at all. But he assumed his actions made up for it, and his clear-cut loyalty.

What if, he thought, that’s what you’ve wanted? Someone who could express them self like he typically couldn’t.

If this were anything else, he wouldn’t have thought about it too much. But this was about you. He always considered everything about you and what he would do for you. He honestly couldn’t say no too often unless it was something quite important.

He knew that if he had the option to give you everything you could ever want and need (good income, a family, nice home, etc.), that’d he’d give it to you, even if it meant he wasn’t included.

The stone-faced ace mulled over this for a little, wondering why it was taking such a toll on him.

“Ah, Toshi!”

His eyes lowered to meet your gaze. There you were, in all your glowing beauty. A smile on your face at the sight of your tall boyfriend. You looked happy as ever, as if the sun had decided to bless you with its rays of light for the day.

“Y/n,” he responded, his face noticeably softening as he allowed you to hold his hand (initiation is well divided amongst the two of you).

“How was class? Mine was boring,” you asked, leaning against him as you both walked down the halls.

He didn’t respond for a bit, seemingly preoccupied with his thoughts.

“Toshi?” you said, looking up at his face.

“Ah,” he answered, seemingly snapped out of it. “It was fine.”

You blinked at his answer. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but you could tell something was up. That was one of the things he liked about you. You could understand him and were flexible when it came to what he offered.

“What’s up?” you inquired softly.

He looked back at you, slightly tightening the grip he had on your hand. “Let’s go out tomorrow.”

It wasn’t the answer you thought you’d be getting, but you didn’t mind at all.

You smiled, amused at his ways.

“Of course! Where to?”

☆☆☆

“Y/n.”

Your attention was brought away from the beautiful garden and back to your boyfriend.

Both of you had decided to take a walk in town and stop by some of your favorite places. Nothing special, but it was the little things that mattered to you the most. Well, that and him, of course.

“Yes?” you hummed, taking a sip of the drink your hand.

“Is my… affection enough for you?” he asked, a hint of hesitation in his voice.

“Enough?” you said, clearly confused. You tilted your head in confusion, unsure of what he was referring to.

“Although I don’t think it quite matters what people say about us, it is apparent that some think we’re faking our relationship simply because I don’t seem,” he paused, unsure of how to phrase it. “Uh, emotionally fulfilling.”

“Emotionally fulfilling?” you echoed, an eyebrow raised.

He nodded in confirmation, studying your face as you walked past the stores and other buildings. In your own mind, you realized what he was referring to.

Huh.

You thought for a moment.

“Well, do you love me?” you questioned, throwing the drink can away as it was finished.

He was unable to understand how you were feeling in this moment. Were you surprised? Glad that he finally noticed? Sad? What was it? Deep down, it kind of frustrated him how he couldn’t read you like you could read him.

“Of course I do. You know that,” he answered, confidence in his voice.

“Well, then, that’s all I really need,” you shrugged, the smile returning to your face. Before, he could respond, you continued. “I’ve heard some of those, too. People talk, but you’re right, it doesn’t matter. You may not be the cookie cutter perfect boyfriend, but you’re perfect for me.”

You stopped at the entrance of a park, which was to be your final destination for the date.

“I don’t need grand gestures or dramatic confessions of your love. I just want you. You make up for everything that is perceived as normal in a relationship. You just told me you love me. And I can tell you do, from the way you smile, the way you talk, and the way you let me love you, especially,” you moved to step in front of him, taking hold of his other hand.

“Don’t worry about trying to make yourself better for me. If I need something from you, I’ll tell you,” you reassured him. “I love you. If people think it’s fake, then let them. We know it’s real, and that’s enough. As long as our feelings stay true and nobody cheats, we’ll be fine.”

“I could never knowingly hurt you,” he mentioned swiftly, combating the mention of cheating.

“And I believe you. I suppose it’s also worth mentioning I’d never hurt you either, though I hope you already knew that,” you hummed. “Now gimme a kiss!” you pouted, trying to change the mood.

Something inside him changed. Not drastically, no, but there was something. Reassurance. Trust. And, hell, even more love for you (if that was even possible).

He smiled at you. You appreciated how you got to experience his smile more than the average person did (which was basically never).

Leaning down to match you height, he pressed his lips to yours.

It was soft, kind, and real.

Momentarily, you wrapped your arms around his neck to make it last a little longer than usual. He didn’t mind, of course.

Once you pulled away, your hands intertwined once more, with you pressing your forehead against his chest. Just the two of you enjoying the existence of each other, nothing else.

His hand pressed against your back as you absorbed each other’s warmth.

Finally, you pulled away, returning back to his side once more.

“Right! Let’s finish this date off with the happiest note possible, yeah?” you beamed, glad that the worry was finally out of the way.

He nodded in agreement. And with that, your walk was resumed.

...So what if your love wasn’t like others?

It’s still real.

---

☆ tags for overall ☆ (please ask if you want to be added!)

@shou-kunn

#ushijima x reader #ushijima one shot #ushijima wakatoshi x reader #ushijima imagine #ushijima wakatoshi imagine #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu fanfic #haikyu x reader #haikyu fanfic #haikyu imagine #haikyuu self insert

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partnersatfazbear · 3 years

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Fazbear Frights: What We Found Analysis

Here’s my analysis for What We Found, the third story in Gumdrop Angel. I wrote this as I read so it may be a little different than my previous analysis where I read the story first and went back.

If you’re a Michael Afton fan I highly recommend this. Also, there’s possibly some insight into William Afton, Mrs. Afton, and Henry too, so it’s worth a skim.

Pg 144 '...a place thirty-some years forgotten' Just reconfirming FNAF 3 is 30 years past *one* of the FNAF closings, presumably FNAF 2 location.

Pg 145 "The whole building was giving him [Hudson] a headache." FIX THE VENTILATION BRUH

Pg 148 '...they were able to use salvaged derelict equiptment original to the old pizzerias.' Another confirmation of something we heard from Phone Guy.

Pg 147 "How old are you?" "Twenty-three, same as you." I think this gives us Michael's age during FNAF 3.

EDIT: This kept me awake last night. Obviously this is impossible because he has to be alive for at least 10 years before 1983, BUT maybe its just reconfirming FNAF 3′s year? 2023?

Pg 149 "Hudsan's dad died and his mom married Lewis, a ridiculous balding man who wore plaid vests and smoked a pipe" Did... Did this book just seriously imply Mrs. Afton left William for Henry? Really? (Yes, there's differences; the husband is dead and the man wears plaid 'vests' but it seems very odd to include that detail. This could just have been the writer's own imagination, though.) I have seen this as a fan theory and 100% explains the jealousy aspect of William, but I can't help but kinda hate it. I think this is very important, though, and probably Scott's intention. "This horrible little man [Lewis]... would make Hudson's next ten years a living Hell" This REALLY intrigues me given the context I just went over. The text implies Lewis was fairly neglectful to our main character / Michael stand-in Hudson. Maybe I'm wrong and for some reason Mrs. Emily left and went to William? XD Haha, I'm reading too much into this page. Maybe I'll come back to this later. I figure it's more of Scott possibly including double-details (contradicting stuff with the same character that really applies to two, which has been something I heavily pointed out in previous anaylsis on this blog) Having said that, I'm going w/the former because I can't imagine Henry being abusive (neglectful yes, abusive no) and he's never been portrayed that way in official works like William has in the novels.

Pg 150 "Hudson began to screw up in class...a product of spending the night in fear that his stepfather [Lewis]... [would] beat him just for the fun of it." Ooof. Big confirm on William actually being abusive. Unless we stick with the Henry theory for Lewis (combined with Midnight Motorist Henry theory / alcoholic). "...near-daily beatings..." "his mom started taking pills to get through the day..." So, whoever Mrs. Afton is, she was definetly not paying attention. But then, most people married to serial killers either don't notice because of denial (like this) or because the killer is so manipulative / careful they can't notice.

"Barry, who had red hair and freckles..." Yo?! Is that a description of Fritz?! These friends in the story could be the other kids Michael knew's stand-in's, aka the two gravestones with names he used (Fritz and Jeremy), as shown in the checks for the games and FNAF 6. I've long figured Michael was probably friends with the victims--it makes them easier, although riskier, targets [for William]. The two friends are male, too, like Fritz and Jeremy. If you're curious about Duane's description (our stand in for Jeremy), it's "tight black shirt... muscles... black hair long enough for a glossy ponytail..." I'm not sure if this matches anything found in the novels or contradicts them, though. (The novels = TSE trilogy)

"And so it went... until the night of the fire." For context, this is before FF burns down. We're learning of Hudson's life from his close friends in childhood, his father's death, his mother remarrying, to his abusive stepfather, to his grades slipping to this line. This would be a new fire not seen/mentioned in the games...

Pg 151 "...go to Charlie's for a sundae..." Really. Really Scott. Just gonna use this name again. OK. I'm not even gonna discuss this because it's probably irrelevant. *This is confirmed on pg 158 to be an ice cream shop. No lore relevance aside the annoying name coincidences Scott loves to troll with.

"This is not... an advance into enemy territory, a fight with demons, or a descent into Hell..." Uh, what? What is Hudson talking about? XD I'm only noting it because it seems so out of place. He's probably talking about video games or something.

Another note, although I don't have a specific reference since it is mentioned off-hand many times, is that Hudson keeps referring to his "history" which is implied to have kept him from getting a well-paying job and a girl he's crushing on doesn't know this "history" which is good for him. Seems good old "Michael Stand-In" has done some jail time or something. Edit: On pg 154/155 the girl asks Hudson, "Did you do it?" Seems he may have killed his stepfather or been involved with something else just as bad. Edit 2: No, I was thinking too deep into it. This probably refers to Evan's death at Fredbear's. DUH.

Pg 156 describes an actual "prize corner" in FF! What am I even reading? IIRC this is in FNAF 3, too. So they just hand out these scary gift boxes to people that complete the attraction? (Hudson says he *would* have fun handing out the scary toys to kids when this location opens--kind of a bully thing to do, eh?)

"[Hudson] avoid[ed] glancing in any of the mirrors..." I'm only pointing this out because it could be reference to one of two things. 1) We know because of one of UCN's music tracks, William has a fear of his reflection. Michael probably shares this trait, especially since 2) after Ennard and all... and later on pg 157 it also says, "he never wanted to face: himself" Sounds like guilt, my guy.

Pg 157 "blonde hair... blue eyes..." Hudson shares an eye color with Michael. It's possible Michael had blonde hair as a child and it changed to brown (it's common, something I personally went through being technically blonde/ blue eyed myself)

"He [Hudson] knew from personal experience that toys could turn from fun...to torture ina heart-beat" Fairly self explanatory. Either Hudson's worked at a creepy location before or he doesn't like remembering Fredbear's.

*checks how much is left.* There's still 35 pages (not counting back/front) left of this... This is gonna be a lot of notes.

Pg 158 Hudson doesn't have a car. Poor Mike, probably having to walk everywhere. Especially as a corpse.

Pg 160 This page describes many physical issues Hudson has that prevents him from entering the Navy, all from the abuse of Lewis. Obvious paralell to Michael becoming an undead [because his father sent him to CBPR indirectly causing his condition]

Pg 161 "How's your granny, Hud?... ...Is she still alive?" "I don't think she can die." Does anyone in the Afton family really 'die'? XD

Pg 162 These few pages discuss Hudson's grandmother. She's described as "a seer who claimed to know the future... ...wore big men's plaid flannel shirts with baggy jeans" Um, more plaid / flannel? AGH. STAHP. Lowkey, I would totally headcanon my Aunt Jen like this, though.

Pg 163 "Hudson's mom... the way she was before Hudson's dad had died... never... particularly warm and fuzzy... but... effiencient and responsible..." More about Mrs. Afton, so that's kinda neat.

"Hudson's dad was fun and attentive." There's a good Dad in this series?

"Unfortunetly, he also struggled with mental illness." "invisible low points" (Pg 164) Kinda reminds me of how Henry is described after Charlotte's death in the books.

Pg 164 "When Steven got himself into a bad deal that cost him his small business... he'd taken his life." Oh, it is Henry! SMH. Way to use confusing paralells. So, from our understanding thus far, Hudson's real father, Steven, is our Henry stand-in. His step-father despite being described similar to Henry, is actually our William stand-in. Fair game, Scott.

Pg 164 "...he [Hudson] was locked into a supply closet..." Oh shit, you guys. So, let me go on a tangent here, because this IS important! I just watched a retrospective on Sister Location and FNAF 6 earlier and one theory for Midnight Motorist was the person in the chair was the mother and the kid was Michael. I think this little line may confirm that. In fact, the story may be the key to figuring things out. Obviously, the line is a paralell to FNAF 4's scene in which Crying Child was locked in the supply closet of Fredbear's. I know some people, including Matpat, believe[d] CC was Michael, and in this book's context, it sort of works. This does contradict Step Closer and 1000 other things that make Michael the older brother, but maybe it's hinting at MM? Abusive stepdad (possibly Henry... maybe William is gone at this point), checked out Mom (hey, grey couch lady with Foxybro's font). IDK, but its definetly something to think about.

Pg 165 Lewis is mentioned as calling Hudson "nothing" and saying "you're nothing" on several occasions on this page. Just more abuse, for those accurate fanfic writers like me. Also I kinda wanna watch Morel Orel again. Yall know my fav character is Clay. Yall know.

"You're smoke." <-- Lewis / The text later reads, "...there was some irony, given what eventually happened." BRUH. Why did your stepdad die in a fire? :V TELL ME.

"When his family's house burned down at the end of his senior year..." Huh. Is there a fire we don't know about in the game-verse? Could this explain what happened to the FNAF 4 house before MM house?!

"...it purged Hudson of Lewis and his mother." MRS. AFTON BURNED ALIVE, TOO? Bruh. I can't with this story.

The text later describes the fire is concluded to be man-made and Hudson was blamed for it. Can't say if this ties to Michael, but it IS interesting... TBF, there is a small paralell to draw between Henry in FNAF 6 and his history of suicide in the books, too.

Pg 166 "...this place's [FF] busted thermostat.." I just find this line funny.

Pg 167 "...after three weeks of keeping an eye on the place" Some more timeline context for FNAF 3. We know that Michael worked there a little while before we start playing the game thanks to one of the phone calls, IIRC, so this makes sense. If Michael was accused of [something] and also wanting to hunt down his father, then it makes perfect sense why he's working a dead end job at Freddy's over and over and over. Fun fun fun.

Pg 169 "He hated to think about a functional character [Foxy]" This line is in regards to Hudson not liking the set up of Pirate's Cove and Foxy's hook to scare people. Sounds familiar, don't it? (For Michael anyway.)

Pg 173 "Some big find is arriving tomorrow." SPRINGY BOI! COME ON BOOK, get on with the show?

Pg 176 "Granny was wearing a red-and-green plaid shirt and her baggy jeans." Nothing special, but it was specifically brought up twice. I'm kind of racking my brain trying to understand what the point of this character is outside of "woooo everything is haunted don't you know that" kind of character.

Pg 180 "...dropped the crate on the linoleum with a resounding thud." HEY. Poor Springtrap, just gettin' tossed around like the trash he is.

Pg 186 "If you weren't so stupid, I'd tell you more about it." Springtrap bringing the burn. =:)

"A voice with a burr-like rasp...hint of a Southern accent" I'm going to assume this is because it's Lewis probably in the suit in this story and not our old British lad.

"It's was Mr. Atkin's voice." THE MATH TEACHER? *goes back to check* 'The algebra teacher'. Okay...

Pg 190 Okay, so Hudson hear's Lewis' voice this time. Okay, I get it now. Springtrap in this kind of imbodies all of Hudson's old bullies, including the teacher. He also has PTSD, just FYI. IDK if anyone finds that important, but it's fairly obvious by the line "He wasn't in his bedroom. Lewis didn't just slam his head into a desk; his head had been slammed into the [arcade] game."

"Why did he hallucinate a scene from his childhood?" Oh, it's not PTSD, then. It's just the VENTILATION ERROR. lol Okay.

Just a note, as I'm reading through the more action-based stuff, I kind of feel bad for Michael if he had flashbacks like this guy. They're intense.

So, Lewis' voice finally comes out of Springtrap on Pg 213. There's that.

Pg 220 "You can just stay there [in his room]" Kind of a paralell to Midnight Motorist. Lewis is saying it to Hudson. I really feel like the kid in the MM game is Michael because of this story...

Pg 223 "Heat purges. Fire heals." I'm sure that's Henry's life motto.

The ending was stupid, but most in these stories are. Hudson is hallucinating and is implied to have burned himself alive in FF's oven. Meh? The first half of this one is A TRIP and a little insight into what I 100% believe is Michael's childhood. I think the saddest part of it all is that we never got Springtrap speaking to Michael in FNAF 3--and if it's ever remade I hope we get more of them interacting.

#fazbear frights #fnaf spoilers #spoilers #what we found #michael afton #springtrap #fnaf theories #fnaf theory #fnaf 3 #midnight motorist #mrs. afton #henry emily

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kaypeace21 · 4 years

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i’m a survivor too, and i found that certain scenes/stuff will said just really struck me as ‘csa-survivor’-like? i felt a bit uncomfortable about headcanoning it happening to someone else, especially for a fandom as wild as this one, but your metas have really been a comfort to me because they’ve been able to pick out and explain things that i couldn’t necessarily find the words for myself.

and yeah, i would love to have a character like me that is powerful and who finds love and who gets a happy ending. the people who call the theory disgusting always kinda hit wrong with me because although csa is a difficult subject, we shouldn’t be ashamed about sharing it. they sound like they’re trying to say that it’s a bad topic to talk about and implying that it can’t happen to kids, which uhhhhh-

(i’m sure that’s not what they mean, precisely, but it’s still what they sound like, and i wish that they would stop implying that we can’t exist, especially in popular media. we do, and i’m not gonna pretend we don’t, and if they feel uncomfortable with the topic they can just use the block button. we deserve to have some well written representation just as much as anyone else. also, i really really hope that will gets a happy ending.)

anywayyyy i love your theories and i can see your post in the tag so i think you’re fine?? have a good day ❤️❤️❤️

SORRY, this ask took so long to respond to. It always warms my heart to hear other survivors speak and say they found comfort in my theory.

Yes, I think I and a lot of c*a/r*pe victims (subconscious or otherwise) were triggered by some of the symbolism/visuals in s1-3. And s3 made it hard for most of us to ignore the past imagery- since s3 wasn’t as subtle.

I get why people have reservations about the theory. But the debates to the contrary are usually just plain offensive. Or people trying to be respectful but being the opposite. There’s the obvious bad-apples . I got many anons after part 1 of my DID theory saying it “ruined/tainted byler”, and “if that happened to Will i’ll stop shipping byler” , or that it “ruins the best gay character” , and to “remove the post immediately”. And this was when I was open about being a gay c*a victim. I obviously blocked them. Many survivors don’t come forward because they’re afraid people will see them as “tainted”, “ruined”, “ just their trauma”, or blame them for what happened. So yeah, it pisses me off when people say similar stuff about Will (and thus other c*a victims). Not even diving into the messed up psychology about byler/mileven shippers (knowing i was a lesbian c*a victim) but purposely spreading bs rumors about me being a p*do that was into Will/Noah-all because of the theory. -_-

Then there’s the people who try to be “respectful” but literally do the opposite.

I’ve heard numerous times it’s somehow “less offensive” to just use r*pe imagery to make monsters scary. Rather than have the monsters have that imagery cause Will created the monsters from his memory/imagination-and st is a story of Will healing from that trauma. SORRY- I disagree. Using the worst experiences of peoples’ lives (and triggering their trauma) for no real purpose- except to make their monsters scarier to the normal/general audience who haven’t gone through it so won’t be triggered like us - is MORE OFFENSIVE to victims! NOT LESS! At least to me.

Then there’s the people who say “c*a should never be talked about (in stories).” Which I disagree with. V*ctims have already been told by ab*ser’s and enablers of the ab*ser- to never talk about what happened to us . So it rubs A LOT of us the wrong way when people say this. Because (subconscious or not) you remind some of us of the people who used to hurt/silence us. People say this -simply for their convenience (like ab*sers) and cause deep down they’re uncomfortable with our existence and equate the despicable act to us the innocent v*ctim ...or just want to deny the horrible reality of the situation (like many enablers who deny the truth and hurt us because they don’t want to accept reality) . And 1) It brings us back to a time where they told us to NEVER talk about it- and makes us feel like we did something wrong when we didn’t! 2) Every psych professional says with-holding/keeping the ab*se a secret is detrimental to our mental health.

Plus, there’s a HUGE difference between sugarcoating/minimizing trauma or WORSE glamorizing, condoning, or romanticizing C*A in stories (ex: pretty little liars) VS showing how the action is wrong, causes trauma, but showing recovery and happiness is still possible for v*ctims. if the story shows how accurately traumatizing it is (instead of minimizing/glamorizing it)- it’s incredibly rare for that character to get a happy ending. Having a story about recovering from that type of trauma and finding happiness despite such hardships would be amazing for US survivors! We rarely get stories with a happy ending- it’s more harmful to us survivors to never see ourselves get happy endings in tv/film/books. How can some survivors (in a dark place) think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel- if it’s never shown?Also if Will has DID too- it’s good mental health rep, along with queer rep (and survivor’s rep.) All 3 groups rarely are treated well or get happy endings in media. A lot of people may feel more heard, seen, and a bit more hopeful for the future - If Will (and other characters) get a happy ending.

And even though st has many themes- like say homophobia. To try and hand-wave all the disturbing r*pe imagery away as ‘Will is just gay so the monsters are like that”. IS SOOOOOO offensive. Trigger warning for examples. I’m sorry what part of Max saying when Billy had c*nsensual s*x it’s “good screams” but when possessed by the mf he causes Heather to do “bad screams” read as gay???! Having the possessed ch*ke/dr*g people before throwing them in trunks (like it’s implied Lonnie did to Will -since Jonathan checked Lonnie’s trunk for Will in s1)?Tying their arms and legs up/ g*ging them and getting on top of them and saying “stay VERY still it’ll all be over soon”-before a monster shoves it’s tentacle into someone’s mouth and inserts a goo - just gay??? Similar to the sentient vine/shadow monster forcing itself down Will’s throat. Let alone Will saying things like “he made me do it”, “i felt it everywhere”, or being tied to a bed and screaming “help! stop! it hurts! let me go!” While Jonathan is the only one who’s visibly triggered by this and has to literally turn away and hug someone . Or barb, billy, and El spiting up a white liquid from their mouth (similar to will spitting up a slug and lying to his mother about it ).El/billy touching a suspicious looking slime with their hand and looking at the substance confused . El drawing Papa with 3 legs (the middle one being shorter) , trying to undress in front of the boys , and Benny saying “I think she’s been ab*sed or something”.The theme of ab*sive dads- brenner , Lonnie, and Neil . Even when the demogorgan (called in d&d the “deep father”/ in the show “a man without a face”) attacked Barb it’s chopped up with scenes of Nancy having c*nsensual sex (the monsters are doing the opposite symbolically). There’s way more examples but NO- to try and hand wave /equate ALL OF THIS to just “gay imagery” or an “a*ds metaphor” is WAY more problematic. And just offensive (specifically to gay people) than just admitting what it may actually represent. R*pe imagery and gay imagery is NOT THE SAME THING!

Also ST has never been a kid show- maybe rewatch the show and see the rating of tv-14 . Goodness sake- s1 has a st*ged su*icde, k*dnappings, m*rder, discussions of physics, h*mophobia, and s*x (with stancy in s1 & jancy in s2-s3). S2/3 discuss at their finalies recovering from tra*ma . S2 had gra*ic de*ths, a man causing a women br*in damage/ and faking her m*scarriage, and a gang of vigalantes k*lling criminals. s3 had critiques on capitalism /media/s*xism, many d*eaths, and questionable imagery like the prior seasons. The Duffers constantly reference movies & events from the 80s (capitalizing on 80s nostalgia /subverting 80s motifs that middle age people from that time remember)! Those people were their intended age demographic . Most 80s centric refs go over most kids’ heads (heck a lot went over my head too since I wasn’t alive in the 80s XD).The Duffers even said in the book “worlds turned upsidedown” “it’s not a kid’s show despite having kids”. And maybe it’s a coincidence but when Lucas in s3 hands Will the “devil’s baby” firework (a hint about Lonnie) he says “18 and over only.” Which idk is a weird/random af line unless it’s foreshadowing that the show will get darker about various themes- and maybe even change ratings.

I get people wishing nothing bad ever happened to Will or Jonathan. And being apprehensive and not trusting the Duffers to do such a story justice (cause it’s difficult to do). But personally i trust them to do so tastefully with tact and not be exp*itative, (overly gr*fic) or offensive to v*ctims. You can disagree and think the show is about something else (or not trust the Duffers)- but it’d be great if people could stop using these other messed up talking points. While trying to appear ‘(fake) woke’ and like they care for victims- cause we see through it that you really don’t.

Have a lovely day anon ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Update- I just really agreed with and appreciate the tags in this reblog

#tw: csa #tw:r*pe

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babycracker · 3 years

Text

Fire Meet Gasoline: Chapter 6

chapter rating: teen & up story rating: explicit pairing: morgan/m!oc (tanner drake) & farah/f!oc (sadie kennedy) word count: ~2.7k chapter warnings: none story warnings: eventual smut, canon-typical violence, au - canon divergent a/n: as you can see, pairings have changed and i've added some warnings for the future bc this entire story has taken an unexpected turn and it's going to be much bigger than manner now. please don't hesitate to let me know if you wanna be taken off of the tags!

read it on ao3 here

Sadie was sure that she'd have more time than this. Six months isn't long, after all. Well, technically four months. She's been basically on the run for the last two.

She'd had four months to enjoy being twenty-one before the Agency had contacted her about signing the treaty, and for the two months since not so politely telling them to shove it she'd been dodging the bounty hunter that she'd evidently been assigned to.

He was an idiot. A troll, she was sure of it. Big and imposing and clumsy and menacing… but stupid. She hasn't seen him in a few weeks though, and she's starting to relax, fairly sure that she's lost him.

So, for the first time in the week and a half that she's been in this city she's daring to leave her room at the hostel and check out some of what could well be her new home. She pulls her hoodie on, reluctantly pulling the hood over her head and eyeing the bland grey of the fabric with disdain for a moment. Dreadfully boring, and dreadfully cliché - a banshee roaming around donning a grey hood - but she still needs to keep a low profile. Just for a little bit longer.

Everyone's heard about the supernatural bar in the city, such things are not exactly common, though no one seems to know where it is. It would seem the only way to find out is by word of mouth, and unfortunately she doesn't know anyone here, and she can't exactly go up to random people and ask them where the local supernaturals hang.

It would really be preferable; at just over 4'3 she doesn't exactly fit in with humans, but she supposes she'll just have to make do as she heads down the street. She sticks cautiously close to the buildings, avoiding the laughing groups of people and curiously looking around at the bright and colourful nightlife.

She could get used to this.

But for now, she resigns herself to something less flashy, a not quite as cheerful and slightly shabby bar with a bright green neon sign shining from its façade reading Shakers.

Looks good enough for now, so she steps inside, a grin spreading across her face as she takes in the atmosphere. God she's missed being around humans, and this place is packed with some of the rowdiest ones she's ever seen. Her favourite kind.

There's no dancing space as far as she can see (disappointing) but the bar is huge and there are booths lining every wall, the space in the middle filled with several pool tables.

She weaves her way through the crowd, thankfully remaining largely unnoticed, and slips up onto a stool at the bar, breathing out a sigh of relief now that her height is less obvious. She spins around on her seat, leaning one elbow on the bar and watching a group of guys at the closest pool table, trying (unsuccessfully) to gather some kind of hint at how to play the game, when a voice from behind distracts her.

"What are you drinking, pretty?"

She turns, expecting to find a bartender but instead there's a man on her side of the bar and uncomfortably close, a charming and yet slightly unsettling smile on his face. She forces one to her own to keep her frown away, the eerie sense of this guy being bad news creeping through her mind and making her thoughts slightly foggy.

“I’m really not much of a drinker, thanks anyway.”

He’s good looking enough, blonde hair, bright blue eyes and dimples in both cheeks on proud display as he grins at her. But her advanced senses are ringing every bell inside of her, warning her not to trust him.

“C’mon darl, no one comes to a bar unless they want a drink,” he presses, reaching out and letting his fingertips brush against the sliver of bare wrist peeking out from the sleeve of her hoodie.

She gasps and recoils too fast to be able to reign it in, her face twisting into a frown as she pulls her sleeves down and clutches them in her fists to cover her hands entirely. She really should've worn her gloves.

Demon.

He lifts both hands in front of him, a kind of peace offering, and takes a slight step back. “Woah, take it easy. I didn’t mean to overstep.”

“It’s fine,” she clears her throat, hoping it’ll take the obvious rasp out of her voice as she struggles to get any words out at all. He grins and slides onto the stool next to her.

“If I promise not to touch you again, will you come and join us?”

She eyes him carefully for a moment before letting out a resigned sigh and giving a small nod. He seems nice enough, respectful enough. And she’s never been given any kind of guarantee that her perception is always one hundred percent accurate. Maybe she gets it wrong sometimes. Maybe she’s been disregarding people her entire life based on what she sees of them on the inside, and some of them didn’t deserve disregarding.

She’s been on her own since she ran away from home after her parents’ relentless persistence that she signed the Agency’s treaty became too much, she could do with some friends. Maybe now she can’t afford to turn down every single person that gives her a slight dishonest vibe. Who is completely honest these days anyway?

He grins again and gets to his feet, nodding towards one of the pool tables as a gesture for her to follow him. “I’m Axle.”

“Sadie,” she replies, reluctantly slipping off her seat and noticing the way he immediately arches an eyebrow at her height. He’s a demon, a supernatural, he’s probably already worked out that she’s not human and she just about winces as she waits for the inevitable questions.

They don’t come, however. He’s either much more polite than she’d expected, naïve and just thinks that she’s short, or he’s already worked out what she is and is choosing to stay quiet about it in this public space.

She follows him over to the pool table where a group of five other men are standing around playing a game, and a brief wave of panic surges through her when she realises that they’re probably all demons. They usually hang out with their own kind, and it would mean that she’s heavily outnumbered by a group of supernaturals far more dangerous and powerful than she is.

They barely spare her a glance though as she comes to stand at Axle’s side, and he barely offers an introduction in turn, instead waving his arm around the group and simply referring to them as “the guys”.

It’s probably for the best. She can handle one demon, should the need arise, she can slink away from him unnoticed, but once she has the attention of an entire group of them she’s not exactly sure how she’d get away if she needed to.

For someone that doesn’t talk a whole lot, Morgan sure spends a lot of time on the phone. Tanner hadn’t expected her to be so… clingy. She seems to really miss the rest of Unit Bravo now that she’s stuck away from them, which seems strange to him given that he’d assumed she wasn’t so different from him and would enjoy the break and getting to do her own thing (apart from having to work with him, of course) for a while.

But she’s on the phone again. Granted, she’s talking to Adam about their mission, but still. The number of questions she’d had about what they were supposed to do had been alarming to Tanner until he’d realised that she was most likely just coming up with the need for so much clarification as an excuse to speak to someone from her team.

Whatever her reasons though, he’s bored. He gets bored quite often with her, he realises, and he finds himself watching her on the other side of the room from where he’s kicked back on the couch, obviously and shamelessly checking her out as she paces and speaks in a hushed voice into the phone. Maybe it’d be different if he worked with her a little more; in regard to both her flirtation and their current job. At first, it’d been fun to irk her and get on her nerves but it’s already starting to get old - even for him - and he decides that maybe he should make more of an effort to be agreeable if they’re going to be stuck together for now. Or he could at least sleep with her. That might relieve some of her tension and get her to stop being such a hardass, at least.

She runs a hand through her hair and turns to face him, scowling when she notices his attention and lifting her middle finger at him before turning away.

He grins and sits up straight when she finally ends the call and turns to face him again.

“They want us to go to that bar tonight,” she tells him before he has a chance to say anything, and he groans dramatically and slides down to a slouching position, throwing his head back against the back of the couch and closing his eyes.

“It’s all work with you,” he complains, opening his eyes again when he hears her moving and watching her cross the room and start to pull her jacket on.

“We are on a job at the moment, so yeah, it’s all work.”

“You know this place isn’t gonna be like Mickey’s, right?”

She pulls a face, only small and only for the briefest second but he catches it anyway and for the first time sees how uncertain she is about having to be in that kind of environment.

“You gonna be good?” he adds, trying to sound at least a little sympathetic.

It actually surprises him how much he cares about how much this is going to affect her, and not just for the job. It’s going to be a pain in the ass, definitely. Having to keep an eye on her and make sure she’s not overwhelmed while trying to do his job at the same time, but more than that, whenever he thinks about how painful this is going to be for Morgan his stomach twists slightly, churning uncomfortably and making him feel… he doesn’t even know. Worried? Is this what worry for somebody else is?

Probably not. He’s probably just dreading having to babysit her.

He can already practically hear her teeth grinding by the time they get to the door of Shakers, let alone inside. They can hear (to be fair, godawful) rock music as well as the noise of what sounds like a pretty big crowd through the door, and he casts a glance in her direction. Her jaw’s clenched, brow furrowed, and eyes narrowed as she stares at the door before turning to the side and meeting his gaze.

“What? We going in or not?” she snaps, and he shrugs and waves a hand at her, gesturing to her general demeanour.

“I dunno, are we?”

She rolls her eyes and steps away from him, but he sees her shoulders rise and fall as she takes a deep breath before pushing the door open.

It’s loud. Really loud. Not too bright at least, but even he immediately catches the faint scent of alcohol, cigarettes and weed in the air. He can only imagine how strong it is to her.

His concerns for her are quickly overshadowed though when it takes less than a minute for his eyes to land on a group of men playing pool near the back of the room. He recognises them straight away, which means that they’re going to recognise him straight away and they’ll be gone before he and Morgan have gotten anywhere near them.

“Shit,” he mutters, ducking his head and turning to face Morgan more so as to turn himself away from them.

“What?” she snaps, glaring at him and not seeming to realise that something’s gone wrong, too caught up in trying to distract herself from the sensations bombarding her.

“I know them,” he answers distractedly, looking her up and down for a moment before casting a quick glance around the room in search of somewhere quieter. Something that doesn’t seem to exist in this bar.

He grabs her hand and pulls her over to the bar, nudging her to sit up on one of the stools and standing beside her, draping an arm over her shoulders and leaning in close to her. The close contact seemed to work the previous day when she was starting to become overwhelmed on the street outside, there’s no reason to think that it won’t work again in here.

“What do you mean you know them?” she asks, her voice a little less impatient as she leans back against him slightly, and he doesn’t miss the soft sigh of relief she lets out as he feels her body start to relax a little.

He doesn’t know why physical contact with him, of all people, seems to help her out but he’s going to count it as a bonus when it means that he’s able to set her at ease enough for her to function in these situations.

He glances back towards the pool table, but looks away again just as quickly, leaning down closer to Morgan to hide his face when he sees that the group are starting towards the door.

“They know you?” Morgan finally seems to click on, looking quickly towards the group and then back at him, and he only just realises how close he’s gotten to her when her nose just about brushes against his when she does it.

“Mhm,” he distractedly hums in reply, and she studies him for a moment before a small smirk crosses her face.

“I’ve been trying to get this close to you since we met, and now you’re telling me all it would’ve taken was a few demons to scare you?”

This bitch. He frowns at her, his arm dropping away from her shoulders as he straightens up again and moves away from her, temporarily forgetting that he’s trying to hide himself.

“I am not scared.” He spits indignantly.

Of all the things for her to say. Scared.

“You sure, sweetheart?”

Condescension drips from every word and his frown deepens into a glare. “Fuck you.”

“They’re going to see you,” she ignores his insult and nods behind him, and his eyes dart towards the group that have thankfully already moved past him when he remembers that whatever she thinks about him, them seeing him would be a disaster and if they knew that he was after them they’d be looking for them for weeks.

He subtly watches them go, waiting until the last two people are through the door, a blonde guy and a freakishly short girl, and then grabs Morgan’s hand and pulls her off of the stool. “Come on.”

He practically drags her out onto the street, making sure to keep a fair distance away from the group without losing sight of them through the crowd until he realises where they’re going.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Morgan mutters from beside him, obviously realising the same thing at the same time, and he stops and watches them step through the doors of the same motel that they’re staying in.

He grins and looks over at her, letting go of her hand. “Our job just got a whole lot easier.”

“You think?”

He doesn’t bother answering, just heads towards the motel once he’s sure that they’ve had a chance to get to their room and he’s not about to run into them in the lobby.

He’s stayed here countless times, he knows pretty much the entire reception staff, it shouldn’t be too hard for him to find out what room they’re staying in and pay them a visit when they’re not expecting it. Then all he needs to do is convince Morgan that he doesn’t need her help with his next job, they can go their separate ways, and everyone will be happy.

tags (let me know if you want to be added or removed): @admdmrtn @masonsfangs @homeformyheart @mmerengue @agentsunshine @bravomckenzie @freckles-spangledvampire @mistyeyedbi @kelseaaa @fhauvilles @amlovelies @forestcreatures @maraudern05 @kat-tia801 @alyssalauren @agentnolastname @utterlyinevitable @masonscig

#twc writing #the wayhaven chronicles #unit bravo #a du mortain #n sewell #f hauville #twc morgan #tanner drake #sadie kennedy #fire meet gasoline #chapter update #n*fw #kat writes

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flowercrown-bard · 4 years

Text

Birds Still Sing When They Fall From The Sky

part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6 part 7 part 8 part 9 part 10 part 11 part 12 belongs to this

Content warning: Memory loss (only briefly and not shown too explicitly) and brief mention of future death (very brief and only in the last section. To skip stop at ““I am with Jaskier,” he said instead of a real answer”)

can be read as a stand alone, I think. Only brief references to earlier chapters

Almost 5k sorry. I blame Lambert for this

“I’ve been thinking,” Geralt said and let his hand trace lazy patterns over Jaskier’s arm. “But I don’t know if it’s a good idea.”

“Promising start.”

Geralt huffed out a laugh. “Sometimes I do have good ideas.”

“Mhhmm,” Jaskier said and snuggled closer to him, his hand coming to rest on Geralt’s chest. “Staying in bed was an excellent idea. So what have you been thinking about?”

Jaskier dragged the blanket further up until it almost covered his whole face, only the eyes peeking out to look up at Geralt.

Geralt hoped Jaskier couldn’t feel his heart speed up uncomfortably. He had been toying with this idea for a while now, ever since he had realised that it would be no use trying to regrow their flowers. The time for that had passed and the air had become too cold for them to sprout.

“You are cold, aren’t you?” He didn’t need to ask that question when the answer was so obvious in the way Jaskier was seeking out his warmth while being buried under a heap of blankets.

“Of course I am. It’s mid-autumn.” His tone took on a teasing note. “Good thing I have a lovely witcher to keep me warm.”

“What if you had more than that?” The question was out before Geralt could stop his mouth. He silently cursed himself. He had meant to ease Jaskier into his idea, not blurting his thoughts out as they came.

Jaskier’s brows knitted together and he rose slightly to get a better look at Geralt.

“I don’t need more than that. You are quite enough for me.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Geralt swallowed nervously. “I meant, what if you had more than one witcher around you? With no flowers to sell, no music lessons and no contracts we won’t have much this winter.”

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Jaskier’s words tumbled out of his mouth with all the enthusiasm of a young bird that was soaring up into the sky for the first time. “Please say you’re taking me to Kaer Morhen!”

Geralt sighed. This was exactly why he had hesitated to tell him. “Do you think you will manage there? You know the winters aren’t very … pleasant in the keep. Colder than here.”

“Lucky me then, that I have a lovely witcher to keep me warm,” Jaskier repeated with a playful smirk.

Geralt’s lips twitched up, but his fingers stilled in Jaskier’s hair. As much as Jaskier’s enthusiasm made his heart leap, he needed him to be serious.

“It’s just an idea,” he said carefully. “I haven’t thought much about how to get there yet. I don’t want to disappoint you if it doesn’t work out.”

Jaskier swatted his hand against his chest. “You couldn’t disappoint me if you tried. Not when you’re so sweet suggesting we could go see the family again.”

Geralt’s lips stretched into a real smile at the word family. He had known of course that this was what his brothers and Vesemir were to Jaskier, but there would never come a day where Geralt would tire of hearing Jaskier say it out loud.

“Now, as much as I love being utterly lazy and cosy in bed with you,” Jaskier said while throwing the blankets off, ignoring his own shivering. “I believe we have preparations to make.”

“I can’t believe I ever missed this.” Yennefer’s voice cut sharply through Jaskier’s chatter, as he was doing his best to introduce Yennefer and Kris, who had been helping them with their travel preparations, to each other while also being unable to form a coherent sentence out of excitement.

Kris just gave Yennefer a lopsided grin and a nod in greeting.

“I guess you’ll be taking over from here?” they asked, fond exasperation in their voice.

Yennefer scoffed, though her eyes rested softly on Jaskier, not hesitating to steady him should the need arise. “I’m only taking them to their little vacation spot and then I’m off. Nothing could convince me to endure more of this” she nodded her chin towards Jaskier’s ear-to-ear- grin “than necessary. I don’t know how you do it.”

Kris just shrugged, but whatever answer they might have given was cut short by Jaskier’s mock offended gasp.

“You – “ he pointed an accusatory finger at Yen. “You love me and you know it. You just lack the mental strength to compete with my wit and charm.”

Geralt rolled his eyes at them. At least one thing that hadn’t changed, Geralt noted with the hint of a smirk on his face.

“Come on then,” Yennefer said. “We have no time to waste. Any longer and Jaskier might become ancient instead of just old.”

With a sly smirk she turned to Kris, whose eyes widened at the sight of the portal that appeared in front of the cottage at a wave of Yennefer’s hand. They looked on in wonder, as Geralt guided Jaskier through it. The last thing he could hear was a bemused “Enjoy your time off from these idiots” before the familiar headache that came with walking through a portal overtook his senses, only receding when he stepped out to feel frozen forest floor beneath his feet, the wall of Kaer Morhen towering over him.

“Since when are you able to portal so close to the keep?” he asked with a frown once Yennefer had passed through the portal as well.

“Since your bard would break his neck trying to make his way up the mountains,” she said, a look of barely concealed worry on Jaskier, who was swaying and leaning heavily against Geralt. Apparently travelling per portal didn’t get any easier with age. “I will renew the warding spells soon enough. At least until I have to get back here in spring to get you back.” Her lips quirked up. “That is unless Jaskier doesn’t do something to piss me off in the next few hours, making me leave you two to get back on your own.”

“Thank you, Yen,” Geralt said, hoping that his voice conveyed all the sincere gratitude he felt. None of this would have been possible if Yennefer hadn’t answered his letters so quickly, ready to make sure that Jaskier was safe and happy for the winter, even if she didn’t let up with her taunts.

“Just go see the others. I’m sure they’re already waiting for you.”

Yennefer was, of course, right.

The three of them hadn’t yet reached the gates, when they heard a shout of “Get your arses out here! They’re finally here!” coming from inside the keep.

Geralt felt his shoulders relax at Lambert’s unmistakable voice and the last of his tension left him, once he saw his family walk towards him. It had been too long. He hadn’t realised how much he had missed them.

The only thing keeping Geralt from running towards his brothers and tackling them into a long overdue hug was Jaskier, who was still gripping tightly to his arm.

The other witchers stopped their approach, their smiles frozen, when they finally laid eyes on Jaskier.

They stood still, as if Jaskier was a scared animal that could spook at any sudden movement.

No, that was not it. They looked, like they were scared of Jaskier. To anyone else they might look no different than on any other day, but Geralt knew them well enough to see the hints of fear around their eyes.

His heart clenched as Eskel turned his face slightly, a vain attempt to hide his scars in the shadows. Coën unfolded his arms, hunching his shoulders to make himself appear smaller and less threatening, while Vesemir did his best to ease his frown into what might have looked approachable and welcoming for a witcher, but for anyone not knowing them, would still seem like a threatening scowl.

Lambert was the only one, who did nothing to hide the tension in his body and his strained expression.

For a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity no one said a word. Geralt could hear his brother’s stuttering hearts and held breaths.

The unspoken ‘What if he doesn’t remember us?’ hanging heavily in the air.

An indignant snort next to him broke the silence.

“It’s been a while since my beauty has left anyone speechless for that long,” Jaskier said with a wink, not a hint of uncertainty in his tone. “Or maybe you don’t even recognize my handsome face under all these wrinkles?”

“Fuck, buttercup.” Lambert was the first to release his breath in a sharp laugh, laden with relief. “You haven’t changed a bit, have you?”

Jaskier’s answering laugh was enough to ease the tension out of the others. Smiles took the place of tense frowns and they finally got to embrace after years of being parted, only breaking away from each other when Jaskier’s shivering became too hard to ignore and he was ushered inside by Vesemir.

Jaskier hadn’t said anything about it, but it was obvious that he was aching. Winters were always harder for him and the sudden change in the climate - travelling from the mildly chilly south to the frozen north in a manner of minutes – left Jaskier shaking and pulling a grimace he was barely able to hide at every movement he made.

Yennefer clicked her tongue disapprovingly when Jaskier insisted that he was fine. She would hear none of his complaints, when she brought forth something that looked almost like candy, but judging from the face Jaskier pulled when he swallowed it, tasted nowhere close to the delicious treats he always liked to sneak.

It was worth it, though, to see the poorly concealed expression of pain fade from Jaskier’s face.

His steps were still slow and a bit wobbly at times, but Jaskier made it back to the library where the others were sitting, ready with blankets and a roaring fire in the hearth, without even once groaning in pain.

“What did you give him?” Geralt asked Yennefer quietly, once Jaskier had nestled himself under the blanket with Eskel, swatting away Eskel’s attempts at draping the blanket in a way that wouldn’t leave an inch of Jaskier bare.

“It takes away some of his pain. Triss showed me how to make it.”

Geralt perked up, willing his heart not to speed up in foolish hope. “It’s healing him?”

Yennefer sighed and leaned back, her eyes boring into Geralt with fierce seriousness. “I know what you’re thinking. Stop it.”

“I wasn’t –“

“Of course you were. Yes, it’s healing him in a way. It makes sure he is feeling a bit stronger and makes it so that Jaskier won’t hurt that much. But what he has is nothing that can be healed. Not permanently.”

Geralt felt himself deflate, even though he had known nothing would ever come of this train of thought. “He will still age.”

“As he should.” Before Geralt could speak up again, she gave him his answer. “I can do nothing about his mind either. I won’t alter any part of who he is. And this is who he is now.”

“Our lives have been made longer.” Geralt wasn’t sure why he said it. One could hold a sword to his throat and still he wouldn’t subject Jaskier to even half of what had been done to them. It just…Geralt had to at least voice it, even as he knew the thought would be leading nowhere.

“You don’t want that for him,” Yennefer said softly.

“No. I don’t.”

“He doesn’t want that either.” She paused, letting her eyes drift over to Jaskier, who was talking animatedly about their garden, describing the flowers in vivid detail and imagining with a dreamy expression how pretty wolfs and the griffin would look with flowers in their hair. “I talked to him about it, did you know? Must have been almost a decade ago. I offered to look into magic that could prolong his life. Do you know what he said?”

Geralt grunted, not sure if he wanted to hear it.

“He said his songs gave him all the immortality he could want. He said he was allowing himself to make the selfish choice and grow old.”

Geralt scowled, but swallowed down against the lump in his throat that was making his words come out choked. “Nothing selfish about being human.”

“Many would disagree.”

Laughter rang through the library as Jaskier brought one of his anecdotes to conclusion, his warm eyes landing on Geralt with a smile that showed off all of his wrinkles in their full beauty.

Something that had been pressing uncomfortably on his heart came lose in Geralt’s chest. “Nothing selfish about being happy then.”

Geralt’s eyes didn’t leave Jaskier, even as Yennefer reached out for his hand and offered the little comfort with her touch that she could. He skin felt smooth against his. Geralt missed the wrinkles of Jaskier’s fingers.

“I wouldn’t have had to see you grow old and aching all the time, if we had stayed together.”

“No,” Yennefer agrees. “But neither of us would have been as happy as you two are and as I am with Triss.”

“Nothing selfish about being happy.”

Yennefer had barely left the keep to go back to her own happiness, when Jaskier called out for him to get the thing they talked about.

Geralt dodged his brothers’ questioning eyes. Jaskier had spent too long agonizing over this to spoil it for him. Immediately after sending the letter to Yennefer asking her to help them with a portal, Jaskier had started gathering ideas for this, even writing them down, so as not to run the risk of forgetting anything.

Jaskier was practically vibrating with excitement, when he took the bag from Geralt under the curious eyes of the others.

Geralt shooed Eskel off his seat next to Jaskier and took it in his stead, ignoring the only mildly scolding look he received.

“Vesemir, you are first,” Jaskier said brightly and held something out for the eldest witcher, who accepted the gift with a lifted eyebrow. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly when he read the cover of the book.

“Bestiary of serpents and other sea-dwelling monsters,” Vesemir read out loud. “Where did you get this, lad? There is barely any reliable information of sea creatures out there.”

Jaskier’s smile turned sheepish, but there was a boyish glint in his eyes. “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

Vesemir obliged, opening a random page. For a heartbeat his expression didn’t change, before he burst out into laughter.

“This is the stupidest stuff I’ve ever read,” he snorted, before glimpsing at the shelf designated specifically for books featuring hilariously incorrect descriptions of various beast – most of which had their origins in Jaskier’s songs – where this bestiary would undoubtedly find its new spot of honour.

Geralt stayed quiet, as the rest of the witchers received their gifts and Jaskier’s eyes shone brighter with each smile he got out of his friends.

A knitted blanket for Lil’ Bleater, who by now barely deserved that name anymore that earned him a soft look from Eskel.

“Can’t let her get cold,” Jaskier said with a shrug. “We old folk must stick together.”

A pin with a greenish yellow gemstone called Griffin’s Eye that Jaskier had bought from a fisherman who had found it in the sea, for Coën. Jaskier explained that it could be worn in a beard, just as some people would put jewellery in their hair, though Jaskier didn’t fail to sternly remind Coën that there was no need to hide his scars beneath his beard, as he was just as handsome as the rest of the witchers.

“Well, apart from Geralt, of course. He’s the prettiest,” Jaskier said with a wink. “But I am biased, so that hardly counts.”

A little wooden figure of a cat that Jaskier had begged Geralt to make for Lambert.

“For when you miss Aiden.”

It earned Jaskier a “Fuck off”, but Lambert’s attempt at disguising his softened eyes with outrage had no one fooled.

“That’s everything,” Jaskier said, beaming at the way Lambert, Eskel and Coën were running their fingers over their gifts to feel the texture and Vesemir was already thumbing through his book with a chuckle on his lips.

“Not quite,” Geralt said, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

When Jaskier gave him a confused look, Geralt pulled a little shard of sea shell out of his pockets and placed it on the sill of the fire place.

“It’s for good luck. For our second home.”

Despite what Lambert had said to welcome Jaskier, there was no doubt in any of the witchers that Jaskier had changed.

Geralt could see it in their expressions, when they weren’t sure how they should talk to Jaskier; in the way they wouldn’t shove him playfully anymore like they used to for fear of hurting him.

Eskel had always been gentle with Jaskier, but it was strange seeing Lambert and Coën walk on eggshells around him.

It was hard to miss that Jaskier noticed as well.

At first he didn’t pay much attention to it, but after a while, Geralt couldn’t help but notice Jaskier flinching, whenever Lambert went to pat his back only to change his mind last minute. He couldn’t unsee the way Jaskier’s face fell when Coën opened his arms as if going in for a hug to then let his arms fall limply and awkwardly, before Jaskier could fling himself into his arms.

The whole idea of coming to Kaer Morhen had been that Jaskier would be around familiar faces other than Geralt’s; that he could be with people who knew and loved him from before.

“They just need time to get used to it,” Geralt said in what he hoped was a soothing voice, after Lambert had cut himself off from making a cutting taunt and left before Jaskier got the chance to say anything. “They won’t be idiots throughout the whole winter.”

Jaskier cracked a weak smile. “They’re always idiots.”

“Of course they are.” Geralt leaned in conspiratorially. “Are you going to pass up on your chance to take advantage of that?”

Jaskier’s eyes, already sparkling in mischief were answer enough.

The next days were filled with harmless, but incredibly annoying pranks Jaskier pulled with the help of Geralt.

It was almost like old times, when Lambert and Jaskier would try to outdo each other to prove that they were the superior nuisance. With the small difference of course, that no one dared to take revenge on Jaskier.

That is, until one fateful morning, Lambert stormed into Geralt’s room, scratching his arms frantically.

“You!” He pointed accusingly at Jaskier, whose delighted grin was half-hidden by the blanket. “You have gone too far.”

“I don’t know what you’re accusing me of,” Jaskier said with the shit eating grin of someone who knew very well what they were being accused of and that they deserved every bit of it. “I am only a helpless and innocent old man after all.”

Lambert snorted. “Innocent, my ass. You put fucking itching powder into my shirt.”

“Oh, is that what it was?” Geralt had to repress a snort at Jaskier’s big eyes and not-at-all-innocent tone. “I must have misread the label. Old and fragile as I am.”

“Fuck off, buttercup.”

“That is no way to talk to your elders, young man. Truly, if only I wasn’t so – Hey! Put me down!”

Lambert didn’t pay his protests any mind, kicking the bedroom door open with his foot.

Geralt followed them, conveniently ignoring Jaskier’s calls for help that were broken off by his own laughter.

The sounds of mirth too were soon replaced by an undignified shriek, as Lambert unceremoniously, yet carefully dropped Jaskier into a pile of snow in the court yard.

Geralt stood to the side, leaning against the doorway, content to watch in amusement as Jaskier enacted his own revenge by throwing snow at Lambert. Geralt was only forced to join in when some stray snowballs not so accidentally hit him in the face as well.

He knew Jaskier’s hands would be freezing soon and they would spend the rest of the day making sure Jaskier didn’t catch a cold, making him drink tea and bundling him up in a blanket in front of a warm fire.

But for now, Jaskier got to enjoy the snow and the knowledge that Lambert was back to being the annoying bastard that he was always meant to be.

After that, the tension in the keep eased away steadily. Geralt’s brothers were still hovering over Jaskier, ready to jump to his aid at any minute, but after Jaskier had started loudly complaining about ‘young people these days’, they had taken to making it into a game of who could keep an eye on Jaskier the longest without being spotted or betting playfully scolded.

Coën didn’t exactly win with in a rout, but he certainly managed to secure his place close to Jaskier, when one day after supper, he just picked Jaskier up and started carrying him to wherever he wanted to go.

Jaskier’s delighted laugher mingled with half-hearted protests made Geralt’s heart swell.

“No, Coën, put me down this instant! I refuse to get carried about like a sack of potatoes!” He struggled in the griffin’s arms, weak enough to make it clear to anyone watching that he wasn’t truly trying to escape. “If you don’t let me down now, I will annoy you into letting me go!”

Coën chuckled at the threat and only tightened his grip. “Don’t be ridiculous, bard. I used to give Ciri piggyback rides all the time when she was around. If I could manage that rascal, I sure as hell can manage you.”

“Are you challenging my ability to be a nuisance?” Jaskier asked with a glint in his eyes that promised trouble.

Safe to say, Jaskier made good on his threat to be as bothersome as possible. And safe to say that with every attempt at annoying him that felt closer to how Jaskier had been as a young man, Coën seemed to take more joy in carrying him around.

Geralt feared it would take the entire winter to determine which one of them would win this battle of stubbornness.

Seeing Jaskier interact with his brothers as he had always done before lifted a weight from Geralt’s shoulders, he hadn’t been aware he had been carrying.

Still, there were days, even weeks at a time, when Jaskier retreated into that far-off place in his mind. He still teased the witchers, still laughed and was happy, but there was something off about it.

Geralt couldn’t be certain if Jaskier’s relationship with his family was still the same because he knew that he had loved them for years, or because he wasn’t aware of how much time had passed since he had last been in the keep.

After all, being surrounded by men who still looked the same as they had decades ago was bound to mess with Jaskier’s head, especially when every so often, he seemed to lose all sense of orientation and time on his own.

On days like these, Geralt could feel the pitying looks of Eskel and Coën burning into him.

Lambert was the only one who didn’t fuss over Jaskier when he got that distant look in his eyes or treat Geralt like a thin sheen of ice that could shatter at the lightest pressure. He had always been one to throw explosives at frozen lakes.

Lambert closed off himself, becoming gruffer than ever.

Geralt was almost grateful for him. As much as he appreciated Eskel’s concerned touches on his shoulder telling him that he was there if Geralt needed him, he didn’t want pity, didn’t want his family to treat him like he was about to break.

They were already deep in their cups, when Geralt couldn’t help but voice his thoughts. Eskel and Coën had left him and Lambert to drink alone after one too many jabs from Lambert, when the others had become too obvious in avoiding talking about Jaskier, who had spent the day staring into the fireplace mesmerised, only moving when Geralt urged him to eat.

Lambert scoffed at Geralt’s clumsy thanks for not pitying him.

“Well, he’s my friend too, isn’t he?”, Lambert said, gripping his tankard tightly, scowling at is as though it was the cause of all his problems. “The others might have forgotten that Jaskier’s not only your family in their ridiculous selflessness, but I for one am pissed that sometimes my friend doesn’t recognise me.”

Those words startled Geralt out of his drunken haze. “Being pissed off is selfish?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care.” Lambert’s scowl deepened. “That’s what I’ve always been called though when I got pissed. I was pissed when I was dragged to this shithole as a child. I was pissed when I was send out to save people who would spit at me. I don’t fucking care if my anger is selfish.”

Unbidden images of Geralt storming away from Jaskier because he couldn’t handle seeing him like a shell of himself, fought their way to the forefront of Geralt’s mind. Images of Jaskier holding him close when it all became too much for Geralt.

“Good. You have every right to be angry.” Geralt said, eyes boring into Lambert’s. “But just for the record. It’s not - It’s not selfish. Or if it is, then we both are.”

More often than not, it was like old times. Once everyone had gotten used to Jaskier disappearing into his mind every once in a while, the old routine was back. Evenings were spent with Jaskier prodding everyone for details of their hunts or sitting in the library together while Jaskier played his lute, for as long as his joints allowed him too.

Yennefer’s medicine did not work miracles. She had made that abundantly clear before she had left, but it gave Jaskier the chance to make music for longer than just a few minutes before the ache in his fingers would force him to stop.

In the mornings, Jaskier would watch them train and spar with a familiar spark in his eyes.

Seeing Jaskier perched on a bench, nestled in a blanket to keep the cold at bay with an expression of pure joy was worth enduring Lambert’s merciless teasing about Geralt getting slow and lazy in his time off the Path.

Geralt couldn’t deny it, the long absence of any real fight was showing, but it felt good to spar with his brothers again.

He had been unsure how Vesemir would react to his decision of giving up hunting for a while, but all his old mentor did to acknowledge it was frown when Geralt got bested by Coën for the third time in a row.

“Retirement is no excuse for sloppy footwork.”

As the snow started to thaw and the witchers grew restless, itching to go back on the Path, Geralt found himself in Eskel’s room, sitting together on the bed like they had when they had been children.

Despite Eskel’s multiple attempts of talking to Geralt about Jaskier’s state, Geralt had successfully managed to avoid this conversation. Until now.

It was different knowing that soon their time here would end and their paths would split again, Eskel going off to risk his life and Geralt tending to flowers and taking walks on the shore with Jaskier.

It was good talking to Eskel. Talking to anyone, really, but Eskel had always known what to say and how to comfort people.

He didn’t ask about Jaskier. Spending the winter months with him had answered all questions better than Geralt could have done. Instead, Eskel asked about Geralt. How he was handling the quiet life, if he was alright, if there was anything Eskel could do to help him.

It was so close to how they used to talk before the trials and then after their first year on the Path.

Just like back then, Geralt didn’t know how to reply. How was he handling all of this? He didn’t know. Maybe it was alright not to know.

“I am with Jaskier,” he said instead of a real answer. Eskel nodded, as if that meant anything to him. Maybe it did. Geralt knew that it meant everything to himself.

“How will you manage after?” Eskel said carefully, tone blank, but one of his hands rested on Geralt’s shoulders, grounding him.

Neither of them explicitly said it, but they both knew what ‘after’ meant. After Jaskier was gone. After there was no quiet life on the coast left for Geralt to return to.

Geralt didn’t answer for a long time.

“I don’t know,” he said finally, leaning into Eskel’s touch. “But I will manage. Somehow. We still have time. For now, I am going to plant flowers and watch him smile and be happy.”

Eskel gave him a long look, but didn’t reply.

Maybe it hadn’t been fair for Geralt to escape the path and build this new life. Maybe it had been selfish to turn his back on the world and let his brothers continue on their own.

He thought of sea shells on window sills, of laughter and soft smiles, of flowers and toes that dug into sand until the sea washed his doubts away. He thought of Jaskier’s hand in his, squeezing lightly as if to say I am still here. Thank you for being here with me.

Maybe Geralt was selfish for choosing Jaskier and maybe he was stupid in refusing to think about what would come after. But for now, it was enough to have Jaskier’s smile and his blue eyes in his life and just be happy.

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a-libra-writes · 4 years

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SFW Alphabet - Alfie Solomons

i love ... this man ......... and this isnt just my thirst talking ok this was a request

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Alfie is very open and easy with affection once you both are alone, especially in your shared home. You’ll have his fingers brushing some of your hair aside, his hand on your waist or several kisses on your cheek and neck, all while you’re trying to actually get something done. It just comes naturally to him. When you’re out and about, he likes having your arms linked and keeping you close. Even before you two were properly an item, he couldn’t resist leaving lingering touches on your back and

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

The way you met him was certainly interesting. You were walking your favorite part when a big, slobbery dog waltzed up and decided he was content to follow you. You were able to ask around and bring him back to Alfie, who took you to lunch right there. After that you began seeing him more and more frequently at the park, and you wondered why he was suddenly so interested in being there.

When you were friends, he didn’t even hint at what he did for a living. He was excellent at keeping up the charade of being a fairly normal person, and he was far more interested in you, anyway. It was easy to keep a friendship with such a charismatic and easy-going man, even when he was flustering you.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

He doesn’t always have the patience to sit back and just cuddle, but when it happens, Alfie likes running his hands down your back and petting your hair. He has to have something else in his hand, like a book, since he can get antsy from being so still. The way you curl up and nuzzle into him is adorable, though. When you’re cuddling in bed, he’ll call Cyril up and laugh when the dog promptly sits on you or slobbers on your face.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

It was hard to imagine a “domestic” future before he met you, Alfie never seriously considered it happening. The more time he spends with you, the more he starts liking the idea of a comfortable, safe home and having a deeper relationship. He’d play it off, of course, but come on - he bought the house for you, stopped by frequently enough that you just told him to stay, started to bring Cyril by so the dog could “protect” you while he was away … it was pretty obvious. This feeling just gets more intense once you two are talking marriage, and once you’re actually married.... Well, let’s just say, you didn’t expect this gangster, bear of a man to be so devoted and caring. It’s adorable how much he likes referring to you as his wife.

Not terribly surprising, he’s actually a good baker and he can make a variety of other foods. Alfie doesn’t actually like it unless he’s cooking with you. If he comes home and you’re in the kitchen, he’ll clean up and get to work helping you.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

Alfie would be very blunt and cold in order to get you away as soon as possible. He’d try to avoid showing his own emotions, would hope you’d learn to stay away from dangerous men like him.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Alfie is actually very committed once he’s in a relationship, but even without one, he isn’t a man to spend too much time messing around with women. You never know what they’re listening to or who they could be working for, after all, and he doesn’t appreciate distraction from work.

For marriage, he’d be fine without it. Yes, it would be something the neighborhood would gossip about, but who would really say anything to your face? He’d discuss the matter if you were interested, especially if you were pregnant, but other than that, it isn’t something he sees as essential. It would be especially irksome if you were a gentile, since you’d have to consider conversion, and he isn’t about to force you to do anything for his sake.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Alfie is aware of his strength, so whenever he holds you or picks you up, he’s more careful than not. You think it’s adorable, but often remind him that you aren’t fragile. He’s more willing to be rougher and let himself go when you’re intimate.

This carefulness definitely doesn’t extend to his speech. He tries to be emotionally considerate of you, but he’s also ridiculously forthright with his opinions. Calling him out doesn’t mean he’ll stop, either, it just means he’ll find a different way to word it.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Alfie loves being close to you. There’s no such thing as a light hug - unless you’re in front of his men or something - and he totally engulfs you in his big arms. He’ll even lean in and sway a little, maybe too hard just so you’ll stumble and he can catch you. If you’re alone you’ll absolutely get several kisses on your cheek and neck. If you two have been apart for some time, don’t expect to leave his embrace anytime soon.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

His hesitancy on admitting it to himself - not just saying it to you - would come from Alfie secretly worrying that you should be with someone else. Someone safer, more “normal”. Even if your devotion was obvious, he’d be be anxious about you being in danger from his many enemies. However…

He’d probably just end up saying it without thinking, or you’d say it first and his mouth would answer before his brain could catch up. Once it’s all said and done, though, he feels relieved, and a little foolish for waiting for so long.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

His absolute confidence in himself and trust in you means that it takes a lot for Alfie Solomons to get actually jealous. It helps that most men know his reputation and your relationship, and wouldn’t dare try to come between you. It’s more likely that Alfie would get annoyed by some catcaller or man who doesn’t know him, and you’d recognize the look on his face when he lost his patience. The end result would be a thorough verbal dressing down … or just a cane to the face.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Alfie has all sorts of kisses to give you, but most frequent are the firm ones he gives while he holds you. He’ll give them to your lips, your brow, down your neck and to your collarbone - and further, if you’ll let him. His lighter ones are when he happens to be passing by you to get something, he just can’t resist, and when you’re more intimate, he likes planting them on your stomach and thighs. The spots that make you giggle or gasp are the ones he prioritizes, because of course. It’s okay if you’re busy and you need to shoo him away during one of his very affectionate moods.

He likes any affection you give in return, but the favorites are when you feverishly kiss his chest and shoulders while you both are making love. He likes how your lips feel especially warm, even against his flushed skin.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Some may be surprised by how well he gets along with children, even if he’s too foul-mouthed by far. Alfie’s patience comes in handy with the very young ones, and his silly faces and beard come in handy to make them smile. For older children, he’s good at setting them straight and talking to them like adults, which makes them respect him.

He’s noticeably gentler and more permissive of girls and stricter of boys; this is especially true of any children you have together. While he’d be doting most of the time, he’d make a point to bring them up to be respectful and well-educated. And by that time, he wouldn’t want them involved with his business at all. He’d rather just sell it all and get out of town with you and the little ones.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

He’s a morning person through and through, getting up on time each morning to wash up and eat a proper meal before getting to the business of the day. You’ll wake up to the smells of a delicious breakfast, which he’s already cooking, or it’ll be on the table for you if he had to leave. Alfie tries to be there when you wake up, but if you’re a late sleeper he’ll wake you up briefly for a goodbye kiss. If you’re more of an early riser, he likes having you get ready with him, even if he won’t stop distracting you with light kisses and teasing spanks.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

Due to the nature of his business, he’s usually out at odd hours. He at least tries to send word if he’ll be late so you don’t worry. When he gets home at a reasonable hour, Alfie relishes in slowly winding down with you. You’ll put on a record, mix some drinks and you both can sit and cuddle while talking about this or that. Sometimes Alfie is feeling more antsy and wants to take you out to a nice place to eat.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Alfie is a very open book. Almost anything you ask, he’ll answer, although if it has to do with his “business” he’ll start spinning yarns. It’s worth noting he expects the same openness with you, but he’s also very good at picking up your tells and figuring things out without you saying anything.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

He has a lot of patience with you specifically. It takes a lot for him to actually raise his voice against you, and he doesn’t enjoy a moment of it. It would take even more for him to actually grab you, and he’d regret it as soon as he did it. He’s more likely to try reasoning with you and bring you to his side.

Now, his patience for idiots under his command or anyone else disrespecting you? Nope. The ones leaving with missing teeth are lucky.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

You figured out how good his memory was fairly quickly. Alfie downplays it, but you really only have to show a preference for something or tell him something once. This is especially true if the thing is important to you. He knows what you like and how you like certain things - you forget just how well Alfie knows you until you come home and find the house clean, with everything in its place, and all your things where you want them. This is the same if you two visit a hotel; how on earth did he get the staff to deliver the soap you use?

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

It’s technically a string of moments, but the beginning of your relationship is something Alfie likes to recall fondly. Technically, you two weren’t even dating; it was just a friendship with plenty of flirtations you both pretended not to notice. You hadn’t known Alfie’s full reputation then, you just knew him as a friendly and mischievous older man that liked making you blush. You found out eventually of course, and while you never judged him, Alfie still liked those months of easy flirting and tip-toeing.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

He was protective even before you fully understood who he was and what his business was, and once you both were an established couple, that only extended into over protectiveness. You know Alfie means well, but you aren’t always comfortable with the guns he keeps in the house and how he insisted on you learning how to use them. If you weren’t comfortable with that, he’d at least want to teach you something about knives. You always feel safe in his presence, and you can tell when he’s scanning a crowd or gently guiding you to stand behind him. He’d much, much rather protect you himself, but there are times when he’s sent men to guard your house or place of work.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Alfie puts lots of effort into things like this, and it’s sweet every time. Since he knows what you like, he’s great at making holidays and your birthday feel very special. Nothing is too good for his girl, after all; even if you like things less fancy, he has to put a nice spin on it, like a beautiful park that’s been freshly snowed on or a fairly isolated beach with stunning clear water. If you wanted a puppy or kitten, it’d have to be a specific breed you talked about, even if it was hard to get. Even during regular days, Alfie might come home with a fancy dessert or something you like; just because he saw it and he thought of you.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

His absolute worst habit is how secretive he can be, and how unwilling he is to involve you in the shadier aspects of his business - which is to say, most of it. You understand he doesn’t want to get you in danger, but being left in the dark for days, wondering if he’s safe isn’t good for your nerves. He also tends to think he knows what’s best for you, especially when it comes to your safety, and he’ll spend an hour trying to talk you in or out of something. Sometimes Alfie will do what he pleases even after you both have discussed it. You’ve definitely called him out on this behavior several times, but Alfie still believes he’s in the right.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

He may not care about his physical appearance, but he does care about being clean and decently put together, especially when he isn’t elbow-deep in work. If his business gets him dirty and bloody, he’ll absolutely clean up before coming home, because he doesn’t want to bring that shit to your doorstep. He’s very amused and flattered when you compliment him, and he’ll make a point to wear things you’ve bought when you both go out.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Alfie would deny such a thing to his men and especially himself, but he’d feel a distinct emptiness that he hadn’t felt in a long time. The feeling wasn’t welcome at all, and he’d be noticeably more sullen and short-tempered to anyone who knows him. Alfie wouldn’t want to talk about you, and anyone so much as saying your name was risking a beating. His attitude would be even worse if something had happened to you, or worse, led to your death. His good humor would be almost entirely gone, and you wouldn’t be a topic of discussion, period.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Alfie is a through and through polyglot. You thought he just knew this or that of several languages, but nope, he can speak a handful fluently. If you speak one he doesn’t know, he loves listening to it and is quick to pick up what you teach him. He’d even study on his own just to surprise you later. He’d speak it with a heavy accent, but his earnestness would just be so cute. If you’re more comfortable speaking your native tongue over English, then he’d make a point to speak it as well when he addresses you. And, yes, this means talking dirty and being mischievous in front of people who can’t speak it. Cheeky.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

The big guy sleeps soundly and likes falling asleep with you curled up in his arms, but eventually he’ll loosen his grip and shift off to the side. He doesn’t move as much if you’re tangled up with him or snuggled up to his back. As much as he loves having you so close, sometimes he wakes up feeling like a furnace, so he gently scoots you a bit further down the bed. … Then wake up with you snuggled right on top of him again. It’s a 50/50 for who moved back first.

#alfie solomons x reader #alfie solomons #peaky blinders x reader #peaky blinders #sfw alphabet

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abanomath · 4 years

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DC’s Tone Deafness

So I don’t really like ranting or being negative, but DC Universe recently released an article to celebrate pride month about the Top 5 canon and non-canon LGBTQA+ relationships in Young Justice.

And the tone deafness is just off the charts. Like most of the world, I’m not American so I needed someone to screen-cap the actual article for me. I’m going to organize my thoughts and go down below.

General

For one, its pretty obvious the writer didn’t look at the source material. This article sounds like it was written by someone filled in on the basics and told to write a good PR article for DC.

There are a lot of little details in the story, such as when the writer claims that they “showcased even more LGBTQA+ protagonists in season 3″ implying they had previously, which they hadn’t. One character was implied to be bisexual in the comics, never on screen, but more on that below. Season 3 was the first LGBTQA+ rep for the show.

Also its always a bit tone deaf when in an article celebrating LGBTQA+ and diversity in your show, that you have a list of 5 “ships”, of which only ONE is actually a couple in canon. Not only did they need to resort to non-canon ones, they included people that can’t be called a “ship” or couple.

1. Kaldur/Wyynde

This is the only actual LGBTQA+ couple on the list that is canon in the show, and I liked them. But I can’t deny that Kaldur who was a main cast member for the past two season’s had a vastly reduced role (compared to straight cis white characters like Dick and Conner). He was basically written out of the first half of the season, and then his relationship was really present for 1.5 - 2 episodes max. This in a season that was marked with excessive attention given to heterosexual relationships (like seriously, basically every character was in some form of relationship on-screen). The one healthy LGBTQA relationship got less attention than Black Lightning and Dr. Jace’s romance, something that ultimately went nowhere, Dick/Barbara, even Megan/Conner when Megan was also essentially written out of the season.

2. Marie Logan and Rita Farr

They really dug deep for this “ship”. Ironically, they start this by talking about the scene in Young Justice #25, when Queen B’s powers work on Garfield’s mother. This was the first implication her being bisexual. And of course, she also dies in this scene, so starting off with a “Bury your gays” trope where Marie’s queerness literally got her killed and orphaned her son.

There isn’t much more to say about this ship, because it literally doesn’t exist. The shipping community for this is so small you have to go digging deep into tags to find even hints of it. The article even basically says this, posing the ship as a question. As being interesting. (Does it count as Bury Your Gays when both woman are dead before their relationship is even hinted at?)

In other words this article about celebrating LGBTQA ships literally had to try and CREATE A SHIP to reach 5 ships. Despite the fact there are plenty of LGBTQ fanon ships (Birdflash being the most prominent one left off the list). It really hits at the thing I said above, this is a “write us a good PR article with the barest amount of effort put into it” situation.

3. Harper Row and Halo

Oh boy don’t get me started on this. There are so many problems with how they did Halo this season, she is basically tone deaf personified. (For the purpose of this rant, I’ll be using the “she” pronouns for Halo, because I have no choice but to assume they are her preference, unless the show purposely spent the entire season mis-gendering her, but I don’t think her characterization really supports that she prefers “her/she”).

I’ve had a problem with Halo from the start, because she is basically an attempt for the writers to shallowly include representation without having to actually deal with it. She is Muslim representation, but not actually Muslim (as she confirms on the show). She wears the Hijab because she feels like it. She is genderqueer, but they never once talk about her pronouns. She refers to herself as “not feeling like a boy or a girl” and constantly refers to herself in the third person, but everyone uses “she/her” pronouns without asking her. They even have a scene where she informs them she is genderqueer, and its never brought up again without asking any actual follow up questions or awareness. They also infantalize and treat her as a little girl.

Additionally, she falls into one of my greatest pet peeves - she is genderqueer but for fantasy-scifi reasons. For those that follow genderqueer or transgender characters in media, this is a very common trope. Essentially, the trope is when someones gender identity is caused by/determined from otherworldly experiences.

This trope bugs me because it completely undermines the point of representation. Representation in media is supposed to show the audience that these are natural human experiences and that people like this exist and are normal. But the trope ensures that the experiences are not normal human experiences.

(and don’t even get me started on the fact that this show has made New Genesis tech gendered before, with Sphere. And even gender the bioship in the same season they pull this for Halo).

Lastly, she also falls within the “promiscuous bisexual” trope, with the very kiss this article praises as THE FIRST LGBT KISS ON SCREEN for the show. This is a problematic trope that DC seems to love. Basically, this scene has Halo cheating on her boyfriend with another young classmate, engaging in two kisses with her.

Now I’m not going to say that all LGBTQA+ relationships need to be wholesome one true loves. Problematic behaviour like Halo and Harper’s is a story telling tool. But the fact that the LGBTQA+ was told going into the season there would be LGBT rep so they should watch, and this was the first rep we got 18 episodes into the season? It felt a bit like a slap in the face. They could’ve had her break up with Brion beforehand, or any number of different ways that would even keep the scene in tact.

And the relationship doesn’t really go anywhere anyways. Harper doesn’t really remain part of the season going forward, Halo and her boyfriend continue their relationship after it was revealed until the end of the season.

This is ultimately my problem with Halo. There are a few tropes that basically are summed up as “writers put all their diversity into one character” which is basically what Halo is. Each of these qualities, from faith to gender identity to sexual orientation could’ve been a fleshed out character arc (oh! I forgot to mention she also falls into the “My gender identity isn’t cis, so my sexual orientation is also bi/pan/gay” trope). Instead all the diverse qualities of Halo are addressed shallowly as the show-runners pat themselves on the back.

4. Bluepulse

I’ve ranted a lot so I’m not going to go crazy on this point. You can probably find tons of posts about the drama between Bluepulse Shippers and the show, which again makes their inclusion kind of tone-deaf. Bluepulse shippers have been called disgusting by the fandom for the three year age gap, an age gap that was never confirmed on screen and you had to go digging in Greg’s personal message board to know (resulting in many people shipping them not knowing their ages at all).

In addition, the showrunners made it clear they did not like this ship over the several years the show has been off the air. And in Season 3 they give Jaime a girlfriend….who is a lesbian in the comics. Now Traci and Jaime did date in the comics before she came out, and this is another Earth. But when the sole purpose of their relationship being on screen was to tell the audience that bluepulse wasn’t happening, choosing a lesbian character to play the cis straight girlfriend is a bit of a slap in the face. again.

5. Bart Allen and Eduardo

Queerbaiting, nuff said.

For those not in the know, Ed is a character introduced as a runaway in Season 2, but he doesn’t really interact with Bart until mid-season 3. There is an episode where a group of heroes go to a carnival, and Ed and Bart appear to be on a date. They are in a group with all couples, except for Virgil. Virgil laments being the only person there without a significant other, implying that Bart and Ed are together. Additionally, Bart and Ed do everything that the other couples do together. It was pretty heavy-handed that the couples were there on dates.

And fans liked this! Even if Bluepulse wasn’t happening, Bart may still be bisexual or gay. This was made worse by Greg retweeting and liking Ed/Bart content, and not giving a straight answer on whether they were dating.

Which obviously, creates the expectation among LGBTQA+ fans that they will get together. They don’t. And later at a convention, one of the main writers (not Greg) said something like “its funny how the fans see relationships between characters differently from our intent” when asked a question about them. Essentially confirming that yeah, they didn’t have any actual content for them planned anyway. Though they did have an addendum that they may build on the fan reception/view of the relationship in the future (basically saying, maybe they’ll be canon).

As much as I’d like to be optimistic that they actually will get together and we’ll get a LGBTQ relationship that is in the spotlight for once, I’m not. I’ll be happy to be proved wrong on this point.

And that was my TEDtalk about how tone-deaf DC patting themselves on the back for LGBTQA+ content in Young Justice is. Especially when other animated shows do so much better with fewer episodes and screen time.

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silver-wield · 4 years

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I'm suspicious about this.

So, this bit with Wedge and Deepground is a DC and BC reference, combined at the end with main plot foreshadowing when Cloud rejoins us.

The DC reference is obvious and the BC reference is with the kitty.

Wedge's cat leads us to Wedge the same way Tifa's cat led Zangan to her.

Why does that make me suspicious?

Because if Tifa is Zangan, then he wasn't alone.

But, actually, I don't think Tifa is in Zangan's role here. I think that belongs to Barret, the older mentor of the team. Setting aside his own prejudice towards Shinra in this section, what does he do? He begins at the lowest point of the dungeon and climbs up. Just like Zangan would have to get to the Mt Nibel reactor. Along the way he runs into a bare handed fighter, Rude. Former student, now Turk, Rude wouldn't hurt his mentor and the escort would allow Zangan to get through the danger along the path to the reactor much quicker.

Once Zangan and Rude locate Tifa, Rude says they should leave and it's Zangan who hesitates because of Cloud and Zack lying nearby.

This line from Tifa always seems a little wrong when I see it. And her eyes have very little refractive light in them, and we know they're very bright usually, so this is a hopeless situation. It could also be an AC referral to her eye color being darkened or a way to show that she's not playing herself at this point. Barret even sounds surprised she wants to go without finding Cloud, and I do believe this is because Zangan didn't want to leave without the other survivors, but couldn't argue with Rude in his role as a Turk.

We know very little about Tifa’s story as an individual character and not associated with Cloud. In the OG, we only find out how she escaped if we play her piano and find Zangan's letter, and during the Nibelheim return there's hardly anything about her. It's all Cloud with her adding asides about when people say they're lying. Tifa doesn't really get her own story arc like the other characters do. Hers is tied to Cloud's identity issues and I think this is part of what the unknown journey tagline is referring to. It's the stories that weren't told in the OG. So, while we know all about Cloud and Aerith, the others didn't get as much attention. Barret, Yuffie, Cid and Red had the most info in their arcs, but the others were basic af. Tifa, Vincent, Cait Sith and Zack gave us very little motivational context. Vincent's arc was completely hidden unless you knew where to find Lucretia. Cait Sith still hasn't been explained. Zack got CC to fill out his story, but in Remake he's become a mystery again. I think that's why we got this foreshadowing about Nibelheim for Tifa's arc, we're shown Cait Sith at the plate collapse, why Vincent's merch is in the square store already and why Zack is back.

The story of FF7 is still the same in Remake, it's just shifted focus to those characters who didn't get the chance to shine the first time.

So, yeah, that's why I think this line from. Tifa is weird, because it's hinting at a future arc in the next disc. Also, we know she'd never leave Cloud behind ❤️

#final fantasy 7 remake #future content?#Tifa's arc #Tifa Lockheart #Final fantasy 7r #Final fantasy viir #Ff7r #Ffviir

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vlovers19 · 4 years

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I m sry if this offends u but dont u think its weird that the others would refer to jikook as a couple more than once? Jin has done it, joon has done it n now yoongi. I mean ofc if it were real they probably wont but still 3 times to the same pair? Are they trying to hint something? And lets say if vmin rly have feelings for e/o them saying this wont it make vmin feel bad?

Thank you for this. I don't really want to talk about another ship because i will be sounding biased. If you follow my blog and read some of my answers, you will know that I have never mentioned that Vmin are for certain in a relationship. What i mostly say is that they probably developed feelings for each other over the years. (I hinted probably but most people always seem to ignore that)

The reason is because personally, I think being in a relationship with a fellow member in a conservative country like Korea will be very difficult because you won't really receive the support of everyone. It will be hard separating your work life and your personal life. Even if the members support you, what about the rest of the staffs working under the company? Is everyone really comfortable with your relationship considering the fact that there are a lot of homophobic people around?

Now realistically, instead of actually promoting the 'couple' so people will notice their relationship, they will actually try to cover for them and not let the attention fall on them. They will have to be extremely careful with the things they do and say.

I know about Jin, Namjoon and Yoongi declaring jikook are a couple when they act oddly in public. It's suspicious but at the same time, it really isn't. If they where a serious couple, instead of making it so obvious, they would have tried to shut it down. To get people's attention away from them so it doesn't look like a big deal. But when the members talk about vmin, it's often vague, they don't give away too much.

If we take a look at the image above, apart from Rm talking about vmin's closeness with Hoseok, he has also vaguely mentioned about it with Jin.

But at the same time whenever they do something odd or close to odd especially in front of the cameras, there will always be someone there to shut it down. Mostly, that's the job of Rm, the leader of the group.

Photo Credit @btsandvmin

It's like he doesn't want to leave people with imaginations. Shutting down vmin has been something he has done more than once.

During an interview, Jimin suddenly declared that Taehyung made his heart race after the latter complimented him. Rm immediately shut it down with 'because he's your friend'

He has done this during few occasions. Another example was when 4'O clock was released. Rm and Taehyung where chatting on social media. Rm asked Taehyung how the song came to be. Taehyung revealed that the song was inspired by Jimin. The reaction to that statement wasn't favorable at all. Taehyung was ruthlessly attacked by fans after that so Rm immediately deleted the post.

Due to such a reaction, why would he want to get them exposed if they really are a couple? Vmin ship isn't nearly as supported as jikook or Taekook. Many of their moments are often questioned and side lined showing the lack of support they get. Some blogs who post about them are ruthlessly attacked. Many of them end up getting shut down so it will only be natural if they are protected instead of being exposed. No matter what they do, people eventually choose to forget it with time.

Another example comes from Yoongi. Now, Yoongi is quite blunt with his words especially when it comes to the situation at hand. In 2016, when Taehyung was shooting Hwarang and Jimin kept continuously talking about him, Yoongi teased him much like how he is doing with Jikook now.

Or when Jimin was trying to flirt with him during a fan meeting but he immediately rebuked him and told him to flirt with Taehyung instead.

But when they acted spontaneously without any warning he too was there to shut it down.

Or during the shooting of boy with luv when Jimin held Taehyung's hand for no reason at all, Jin was also trying to shut it down but this time, he was somewhat unsuccessful.

I think it's more realistic for the members and Big Hit as a whole to shut down any kind of hint that might prove something is going on between those two. It is more realistic than trying to expose them or outright declaring that they are dating to the public especially at a time when things aren't that favorable for lgbtq people in their country.

They can joke about two people's 'relationship' if it isn't really true but no one makes jokes about a real relationship especially if it is a gay one. Why? Because it's sensitive. It takes a lot of courage to come out to others so most people will just try to avoid talking about it as much as they can.

I want to point out something. For quite sometime, we all had been waiting for a vlive from Vmin. However, Big hit chose to give us an interview of the two where they will have to answer specific questions. Despite it all, even in that interview, they exposed quite some interesting information about themselves. Things we didn't even know about them.

Having noticed that they had said too much, they immediately shut down our imaginations as if they where making excuses for their weird behavior during the interview. They reminded us that they are just friends like any other. Taehyung said he hoped they weren't awkward. (When in fact they where)

Even they themselves want to shut down any hint they might have exposed. Like they don't want the attention, as though they are trying to protect themselves.

Like I have said before, being in a relationship with a fellow member in a kpop group where fan service is the order of the day might not be an ideal situation which is why I think no one is dating in Bts. Really, no one has the right to be jealous if two other members are flirting. To me, it's the situation I see vmin are in right now. Even if they are, they will try to leave as little hint as possible.

Ultimately, I believe if there is a gay couple in Bts, they would try to keep it as low key as possible. Even though they want to hint at their relationship, they will make it vague so people don't really have conclusions about them to avoid attacks on their personalities. It's only normal. If one is going to come out, you have to really be prepared to face the pressure. If one isn't prepared, then it's only likely that you will continue to remain in the closet until you are ready if ever you are to come out. So in reality, it isn't as easy as it looks. People just don't hint on something that might bring attack on another's personality unless it's just a joke. Being in a gay relationship isn't the same as being in a heterosexual one. It comes with a lot of challenges. It's not that simple.

They might actually go about leaving hints if they are truly certain that they will end up together, like they are actually committed but according to Jimin, he is uncertain about the future. He doesn't know what will happen. He can only hope that they will be together but for the present, he would only like to show the members he cares.

I guess you understand the point I'm making. I don't want to dwelve so much but that's all I can say about this. Thanks for this ask. I quite enjoyed talking about this.

#vmin #bts vmin #jimin #Taehyung #bts taehyung

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encyclopika · 4 years

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18 & 20 For the ask game!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH KAT!!! <3 God this is long.

From this writer’s ask game...feel free to send me some asks!!! :D

Gonna link the stories here for reference and for anyone interested in reading!

The Missing Series // Fire and Brimstone

18. Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.

Yes, ma’am! First I’m going to say that most do not, but the Missing series, particularly all that concerning Asuka and Ai, does in a big way...particularly the completely altered timeline that follows them if she doesn’t go away. You’ve seen the comic, where Ai doesn’t lose her nerve that snowy day and makes it obvious to him she also has stock in a deeper relationship. Yeah, that one. I’m currently working on more short comics from that timeline. Not necessarily a whole story, but snippets from that fluffier timeline. But that also means a few things happen differently - for one, Krow doesn’t join the Ryukyu offices, mostly because, in that timeline, he’s allowed to fulfill his own heroic story faster than he can in Missing. He’s not actually a rescue hero, but he doesn’t have Ai around in the main series to come into that as quickly.

I also almost went harder on Ochako’s duality in Missing, almost making Uravity a separate entity that was starting to hate Ochako’s bullshit. I honestly hated that and clearly didn’t do that. Instead, the duality is more “in her head” than anything. This idea kinda comes out in Krow and Asuka instead.

Additionally, there was, once upon a time, an alternative “Missing”, in which Deku chooses not to return to Tokyo for the Pyromancer case, and Ochako faces him alone. It gets obnoxiously dark and gritty, to the point where I’ve taken that OnO fuel and split it between Escape Artists and my little-known horror project Downpour I’ve been working on in not-secret. But, yeah, that’s definitely an abandoned plotline...*shudders*.

There are small details here and there that I changed in both Missing and Missing Out that created alts, mostly concerning Deku and how he fights baddies/figures things out, name changes for OCs, The Ring’s and Pyromancer’s whole identities changed, and Irina’s characterization has really gone through the ringer (from being another lovable asshole bird like Krow that simply gets on his nerves, to being a dangerous, but important antagonist). I also had Deku introduce the idea that people’s quirks can kill them in Missing because I intended to explore it more, and I’m not sure if that’s totally abandoned...

Thanks for asking this one. <3

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

Yes.

All of that. I don’t wanna toot my own horn, but I live for hidden messages, references, callbacks, foreshadowing and symbolism. The Missing series (and to a lesser extent, Fire and Brimstone) is simply overflowing with these things...there’s so much that even with all of the people who have read it, there are still gems and Easter Eggs left to be discovered. And, before I get into it and make this post obscenely long, my reasoning for doing this is simple - I want you to read my fics again...I want to have reread value.

I’m going to put it under a cut in case anyone wants to discover them for themselves and also general spoils. Here are the ones I’m MOST proud of or that make me laugh or, dare I say it, make me feel smart. This is not an exhaustive list, and of course, I’m not pointing out any future Missing series meta for sake of spoilers.

Titling

Titles, titles, titles, girl you know I love titles. I’m a title SNOB. And I do A LOT of fun things with titles, such as:

1. Using the title of the fic as a buzz word and callback to the theme.

I get real obnoxious with this in the Missing series. The overarching theme of Missing is, well, missing people, particularly in the vain of heartache, loss, and longing. And I put it everywhere:

From Missed Chance:

Despite keeping steadfast to her goals and to her future, she knew that for a long time, she'd be missing him.

From Missing:

Today, there would be an update. As much as she wished it weren't so, the only time she saw Deku was when it had to do with Pyromancer or for a brief moment before leaving the police station in the mornings. Any other time, she was missing him.

“I miss you.”

...

“I'm always missing you.”

That's probably how he wanted it - being Asuka, the one still missing Ai, was too painful.

It couldn't ever be the same again, and Ochako was happy for it, feeling like her life was now so full.

And not a thing was missing.

From Missing Out:

“Miss me?”

“Only a little.”

But even when she was being annoying as hell, I craved her, like I knew I'd miss her.

Still, after all that time in the cold, her lips seemed like a warm reprieve...if I could have ever gotten there...

I miss her.

I'm always missing her.

^This one’s a double whammy, for obvious reasons.

2. Using chapter titles to run with a theme, too.

This only happens in Missing and Missing Out, but, look:

Chapter titles for Missing are the life of a fire and also follow the level of stress in the fic, as well as Ochako’s feelings: Hot Coals, Rekindling, Reignited, On Fire, Blazing, Inferno, Burn Out, Backdraft

Those words are used in their respective chapters too AND we run through them when Ochako is considering confessing or not in the last chapter.

I pull the same kind of crap in Missing Out, except all the chapter titles are things Ai gave to Asuka. If it’s an object, the object is in the chapter, otherwise, it’s stated in the chapter, too.: A Desperate Lie, Lunch, Skills, Home, No Conditions, Second Chances, Worry, Agony. It’s also in reference to this, because kill me, I guess.

Bonus: Since the story is told from within the theatre of Asuka’s memories, the titles for chapters 7 and 8, “Worry” and “Agony”, are spoiled in Chapter 6 here:

I didn't know I'd missed my last shot at telling her...I didn't know that I really would be missing out on a life with her.

Because everything after this is worry and agony.

BONUS BONUS - THE TITLE OF THE FIC APPEARS HERE TOO BECAUSE I’M OBNOXIOUS.

3. Title allusions and character.

Particularly for “Fire and Brimstone”, the title sounds like it’s just about the main boys, Katsuki = Fire, and Kirishima = Brimstone. BUT BUT BUT it’s also referencing biblical shit, which is appropriate, given it’s an Angel/Demon AU. It refers to God’s wrath when people use it loosely, but it is also the torment in hell for the deadly sin lust. *hint hint nudge nudge*

Okay that’s enough about titles. How about the fact that

Krow is a Crow

So many little crow quirks, lore, and bullshit is put into this character, like wow.

1. The entire concept of his quirk is all about crow lore, in that they are often connected with death in a number of cultures. This is why, although he doesn’t like to explain it, his quirk isn’t literally a sense of smell, but a little more mystical than that. It’s a sense. His quirk also references the Carrion Crow, Corvus corone, for which he’s based, which is a scavenger and is heavily associated with carrion and is native to Japan.

2. The green and purple iridescence of his wings are also referred from the Carrion Crow in particular.

3. What’s not overly obvious is that crows and ravens have positive lore too - in a number of cultures they are guides and messengers, sometimes to people, sometimes to Gods, which Krow fulfills to both Ochako and Ai (with Ai’s quirk, she could be compared to a goddess, for which he acts as the messenger - this was how she figured their partnership would work). Krow kind of puts this and the negative lore together when he explains his quirk for real in Missing Out:

As a teenager, I ignored them. Death is everywhere and it usually isn't important. Whatever messages they need sending, I'm not the crow they're looking for.

He also actually has a messenger bag in Missing Out.

4. It’s referenced in Missing and outright admitted in Missing Out that he’s inexplicably attracted to shiny things, which is more or less also crow lore, rather than fact, but still.

5. Krow’s name “Asuka” is a unisex name that refers to scents, but also birds and flight. There are a bunch of different refs that say differently, but I’m sticking with that. “Dakuro” is Engrish for “Dark”, which, if you really wanna meta, is actually his last name, considering his father is British. “Dakuro” is just how the Japanese people around him pronounce it. XD

6. He admits to collecting random shit he finds aesthetic, in reference to hoarding and collecting as crows do.

7. Asuka and Ai’s “lunch for quirk fodder” exchange, as well as his giving her the necklace and the box of quirk fodder, is in direct reference to this adorable true story.

8. Asuka speaks more than one language and is capable of mimicry during his “feral response” while fighting the Bear Trap Villain. This is in reference to the fact that crows and ravens are capable of mimicking human speech like parrots.

9. Asuka likes to sit in high places and watch people, and squats in tree for the majority of Missing Out and often bitches about walking anywhere, unless it’s to protect Ai. He has the mentality of a bird. He’s also built like a bird, with hollow bones and air sacs to assist his properly sized wings during flight.

10. He’s actually incredibly intelligent, and uses it to finagle out of tough situations and generally be a trickster, as is crow/raven lore, but crows/ravens are considered the smartest group of birds besides parrots. Unfortunately, this gets balanced out by the fact he’s a teenage human boy, which makes him lazy and capable of dumbass moments.

11. The murder investigations - there’s a number of instances where Krow can’t help but be drawn to death from his death sense in both Missing and Missing Out. He can’t stop himself from investigating the building Pyro is hiding in, the murder warehouse, and when Ai dies. Crows and ravens will gather around fallen comrades in a mix of mourning and also in an effort to try and figure out what happened and if that threat still pertains to them.

:3 Birb <3

Secret Messages and Tells and Foreshadowing and Symbolism

-In Missed Chance, the duality split of Ochako and Uravity is referenced as happening at a particular moment. Throughout Missing, Uravity is treated as apart from Ochako until the end of Missing where they “agree” on letting Deku help. It’s a duality of self representation.

-At the end of Missing, I’m hoping its clear everyone but Iida was in on leaving the two of them alone. Aoyama initiates it by leaving first.

-There are at least two instances where there’s heavy foreshadowing of the end of chapter 7, once with Aoyama:

“Then where in this overcrowded city?”

“I see. Among the clouds, then.*”

And again with Deku:

“That's a relief. Now, I just need to make sure I don't float myself into the stratosphere and you'll be right!”

-There is SO MUCH symbolism related to flying and birds, I can’t really put it all here, but it’s there. Also so much symbolism to fire in Missing, not only with Pyro’s quirk, but Ochako’s feelings..

-Krow reacts to a memory of Ai before we know she exists (since he’s hiding it) while they are interrogating Necromancer: “That’s not bringing them back. That’s nothing like bringing them back.” He also lets it slip a bit that he’d speaking from experience when ragging on Ochako about Deku. Deku also introduces the idea that people’s quirks can kill them in the same chapter, which is in reference to Ai, but also what ends up happening to Ochako, more or less.

-If you replace Ai’s name with the literal meaning of her name in some sentences of Missing and Missing Out, the UwU angst goes up to an 11. Here’s the one that’s particularly the gut punch:

Ai saved me in every way someone could be saved.

[Love] saved me in every way someone could be saved.

-End of chapter 5 of Missing Out, No Conditions, it should be obvious as hell that if Ai wasn’t in love with Asuka before, she certainly is now. Particularly in the gift box scene, he gives her...butterflies...right?

-Ai is compared to the winter throughout Missing Out. This is more in reference to what she means to Asuka than anything else. Winter, as a season, is the great equalizer and although things die in the winter, it is also necessary to the bloom in spring. This refers to the shift in Asuka’s life because of her - his villain life ends and his hero life begins.

-In fact, that whole scene in the snow is based off this gif, particularly the alt comic. It’s of two crows sitting in the snow kissing UwU.

-In both Fire and Brimstone and Missing Out, it should be getting pretty obvious I like to have my winged beasties flutter their wings when they’re in love.

Referencing Literature & Real Life & Pop Culture/Memes

-Pyromancer’s first crime in Alaska is based off the McCarthy, Alaska massacre where a lone gunman gunned down 6 of the 22 residents and injured more. Guy almost killed the entire town. Pyromancer actually did.

-I’ve referred to “The Raven” by Edgar Allen Poe a number of times, particularly in Krow’s famous line

“Nevermore, bitch!”

But I also referenced the Telltale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, Frankenstein, The Wizard of Oz, and fanfiction in general.

-There’s a pop culture reference in Fire and Brimstone from Bioshock where Shinso says:

“Would you kindly go repent at the alter? Ashido is waiting.”

And I love it a lot, because in Bioshock SPOILERS, “would you kindly” is the trigger phrase that’s supposedly controlling the player, Jack, to do things for Atlas and in canon, Shinso’s quirk is brainwashing. Mineta upon hearing it just goes “okay” and promptly does what Shinso tells him. Shinso’s brainwashing is also referred to by Mineta just before that:

“Or get brainwashed into believing fairy tales,” Mineta said flatly from beside the Angel.

-There is indeed a motherfucking JoJo’s reference in Missing. And there’s more memes where that came from.

-Krow’s use of “my guy”, “lit” etc etc. is self explanatory. He is a whole ass meme chicken.

-In fact, I call Krow and the other birds of the Missing series “chickens” because of the meme of the girl pointing to a bunch of geese saying “look at all these chickens!” In fact, Irina calls and will call Krow a “cock” in Missing Out and Escape Artists, and it’s kind of a more sinister play on this. Transplant and Keeper, during their convo in Missing Out refer to the women captive under Keeper part of her “henhouse” and that she’d need a “rooster” to go through with her plans. Krow also refers to his fight with Irina as a “cockfight”.

-I’m not religious, but the lore is fun to allude to. The religious references should be clear in Fire & Brimstone, and a lot of the words I use relate to the topic, even casually in the narration, but also when the characters say “like hell!” Also in F&B, the real Angelic hierarchy shapes much of the worldbuilding, as do the references to real life racism, police brutality, and other shit like that.

In Missed Chance, the sun coming through the window puts a “halo” around Deku.

In Missing Out, Krow refers to demons on a number of occasions, sometimes towards himself, his family (which in comes the irony, since they look like Angels), but towards the end, it’s used to explain Ai’s mental illness. There are also these choice lines that entertain the notion of heaven and hell:

Below us was hell – mothers with agendas, school, dipshits, murderous villains, oh my! But up there? It was just us...

I was under no illusions about a heaven...hell certainly exists back down on the ground but I've been high enough now to rule the other place out. Unless this cold, quiet nothingness is supposed to be the intuitive opposite to the chaotic, unfair bullshit below.

-There’s a lot of references and characters with mental illnesses - psychosis, sociopathy, anxiety, depression and PTSD are all explored. In fact, Krow’s tendency to laugh at everything and get triggered by certain events (all of Missing Out is the result of him triggering himself in order to make Ochako realize her mistake) is a tell-tale sign he suffers greatly from PTSD, and Ai’s mental breakdowns are indicative of the anxiety I myself suffer from. Honestly, I just wanted some fics that look into it.

-In the same strain, all of the characters in Missing present different coping mechanisms towards what first-responders actively go through irl. Much of that was taken from my own life as someone with police in the family and being married to a firefighter/EMT.

Okay, that’s enough. Hope you enjoyed...I certainly had fun outlining all of it XD

#izuocha #my hero academia #uraraka ochako #my hero fanfiction #Missing Out #Fire and Brimstone #Missing #kiribaku #oc: Krow #writers ask games #encyclopika talk #THANK YOUUUUU

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taexual · 5 years

Text

HOLIC - 43 | jb x reader

pairing: Im Jaebum x Reader

genre: enemies to lovers au | roommate au

warnings: fluff with a hint of angst

words: 3.8k

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It had gotten quite cold already, so you found yourself dressing in layers as you prepared for work the next day. You would later blame it all on your hangover, but you were already out of the door when you realized that the middle layer – the black hoodie you’d grabbed while still only half-wake – was none other than Jaebum’s hoodie that you’d worn once before already.

Thankfully, Eva was on sick leave so you weren’t likely to get scolded for violating the dress code again. Instead, you would, perhaps, manage to endure this day easier because, although washed and then worn by you, the hoodie still smelled undeniably of Jaebum’s cologne.

It was Tuesday today which meant that you were going to have to deal with high college students and rowdy middle-schoolers the whole day – just like any other day, really; except customers seemed especially vicious on Tuesdays – and, on top of all of that, Jiho was going to be at your gallery today, too. At this point, you weren’t really sure why he was still coming; surely, he’s already had every meeting possible in regards to his works getting exhibited here. You were almost convinced he was still here purely to make your life more miserable than it already was.

As always, you’d hoped to avoid him, and, as always, you failed when he waved you over almost as soon as you stepped inside of the gallery.

“There’s something I’d like you to do with me,” Jiho told you before you even took your coat off. He looked more excited than usual and you couldn’t help but find it suspicious. “It’s not really an event that’s specified in the contract but—well, I’m going up to the balcony to take some test pictures – those woods behind the building look fantastic – and I thought it’d be great if you came with me.”

“Is that going to count as progress towards getting my name more well-known?” you asked—and made him laugh—because you were absolutely not going to hang out with him just for the fun of it.

“Sure, yeah,” he nodded. “You don’t really photograph people, do you? You’re more of a nature photographer.”

“I guess so,” you shrugged. You have experimented with photographing people back in university and discovered that you preferred unmoving targets. Of course, that was before Jackson provided you with the opportunity to photograph his and Jaebum’s working session at the recording studio and you ended up falling in love with the end-result of that photoshoot. “But I’m open to anything in the future.”

“That is great!” Jiho said, moving to a side and pointing his hand towards the stairs. “This type of open-minded artists is precisely what our gallery needs. Let’s go.”

“Uh, I can’t leave the floor—”

“I already checked in with the other girls,” Jiho said, nodding his head towards one of your co-workers that was busy supervising an abandoned child – after the crayon fiasco, all of you were forced to double-task as nannies – and then smiled. “It’s completely fine for you to leave for a little bit.”

“Hmm,” you didn’t think it was fair to leave your workplace as soon as you arrived but, at the same time, you’d have gladly taken any excuse to do something other than deal with potential clients. You could feel guilty later. “Alright, fine. Can I ask you why you’re still here, though? I-I mean—”

Jiho laughed before you could explain. “I figured you’d ask that. I’m really only here to do a test run on something that might become a photoshoot location later. I’m still not convinced it’s the perfect spot, that’s why I drove over here today.”

“And, I assume you don’t need a model for that test run because I’m definitely not substituting for one,” you said, trying to stop your mind from conjuring up the memory of the first time you’d posed in front of his camera. “Oh, and I’m also assuming, you managed to get the key to the balcony because, in all of the time that I’ve worked here, I’ve never seen a single person go up there. Honestly, I thought that door was actually just a decoration.”

He was smiling as if he wanted to laugh again – clearly, your assumptions amused him to no end. At least one of you was having a good time here.

“I got the key from the administrator,” he explained. “He’s surprisingly kind if you bring him coffee with a bagel. No one likes to start working at seven.”

“Ah, so you bribed him.”

“That’s one way to put it,” he replied. “And as for the model, no. I don’t need one for a test run. I’m just checking the view, really – that’s why I thought I’d bring you with me. You’re already used to nature photography. Maybe both of us can learn something new today.”

The two of you had reached the top floor of the gallery and you stopped while you waited for him to unlock the sturdy door of the balcony. Clearly, no one had been there in a while because the lock refused to give.

“Do you always put so much work into your photoshoots?” you asked as you watched him wrestle with the door. “I figured, you would just find a model, find a spot, do it, and that’s it. I didn’t realize test runs were involved.”

“There’s no textbook photoshoot,” he replied, grunting as he finally managed to turn the key and get the door to open. “Ah, here we go. What was I—oh, right, well, everyone does photoshoots differently. Sometimes mine are spontaneous, too. But this one’s a big deal so I want it to be perfect and that’s why I can’t just show up to a random spot and start taking pictures. I need to make sure the view is going to be cooperating.”

As soon as you walked past the old doors and entered the balcony, overlooking the vast woods behind the gallery – the dark green pine trees looked beautiful when circled by yellow and crimson leaves of the oaks and maples around them; you’d forgotten how much you loved fall time – you knew that he wouldn’t be searching for long. It was very unrealistic that this spot wouldn’t pass Jiho’s overly complicated test. It was breathtakingly beautiful here.

“I’ve seen this balcony hundreds of times when I was driving to work,” you spoke, your voice quiet, “but I never imagined just how beautiful the woods would look from up here.”

Jiho was smiling as he nodded and put his camera case on the marble floor.

“I figured you’d like this,” he said. “And, actually, I have to thank you. I’d thought my models would have to dress up in something that matched the colors of the leaves – you know, to fit the whole mood of the fall – but I realize that’s ridiculous. The pictures will look amazing if they’re dressed in black. Like you are.”

You looked down at your outfit instinctively. “Oh. Well. Yeah. I guess that will focus the attention on the background more.”

“Exactly,” he said, pulling his camera out and approaching the railing where you stood. “Interesting perfume, by the way.”

You turned to him – surprised by the unexpected comment – and realized with a jolt of your stomach that he must have been referring to Jaebum’s cologne. You hadn’t realized the scent was so obvious – in fact, for the most part, you could barely smell it unless you sniffed the hoodie itself.

“Oh, it’s—”

“Ah, shit,” Jiho swore suddenly, frowning at his camera. “Can you hold on for a moment? I left my back-up battery in the staff room. The camera’s dead.”

“Sure—”

“I’ll be right back,” he said and then tossed you the keys of the balcony, “watch these.”

You caught them right before they hit the ground and barely managed to nod again before he was out of the door, leaving you on the balcony all by yourself.

Admittedly, it was rather chilly here but the view made the goosebumps creeping up your spine worth it. You hadn’t brought your camera with you today so you had to make do with your phone as you snapped a few shots, wanting to capture at least some part of the beauty in front of you.

Your hands moved almost automatically; as soon as you finished taking the pictures, you found yourself editing them on one of the many photo editing apps you had on your phone while you waited for Jiho to come back. He really took his time, and, once he finally returned – completely out of breath – you were already sniffling and could barely feel your hands.

“I’m so sorry,” Jiho wheezed out. “I didn’t mean to freeze you to death, I swear. It just turns out that the key to the staff room? Yeah, the administrator has that and he’s not as nice when you don’t have any more coffee. It took me forever to find—okay, whatever. Let’s do this before you freeze a limb off.”

“It’s fine,” you said, “my fingers are already numb. It can’t get much worse.”

He chuckled, still breathing heavily. “Sorry. The view’s great, though, I hope you don’t regret waiting up here.”

Surprisingly, you didn’t regret anything about today yet – not even the fact that Jiho was the one who had brought you up here – and you mustered up a smile as you shook your head, “no. The view is great. Thank you for asking me to come here with you.”

“Oh,” Jiho seemed to be just as surprised by the gentle tone of your voice as you were. He smiled back nevertheless. “Well, it’s no problem. Let’s do this fast, though. Hot chocolate is on me after this.”

You’d have rather gotten your frozen fingers amputated than admitted that this Tuesday might have been one of the most enjoyable Tuesdays of your whole life. The freezing air on the balcony made you and Jiho bond – even if you did cringe at the word – as you both jumped around, trying to keep warm while he took pictures from every possible angle. He even came this close to actually dangling himself off the edge of the railing once.

On top of all of that, even sharing plastic cups of vending-machine hot chocolate in the staff room later – although it tasted like nothing due to your stuffed nose – was unexpectedly fun. The two of you ended up splashing your drinks everywhere as your hands shook uncontrollably from the cold. However, despite almost reaching a conclusion that Jiho wasn’t really the evil incarnate, you still longed to return home and forget about having to work with him.

Jaebum – currently unemployed and only bound by the contract he’d signed with an entertainment agency last week – was cooking dinner when you got home – bless his heart. Your wish of forgetting all about Jiho came true almost immediately after you came in through the door and Jaebum gave you a wave from the kitchen – the knife in his hand not looking threatening at all.

“I have fantastic news!” he gasped the next second, the eagerness in his voice showing you that he’d been anticipating your return home. You simply couldn’t think back on your day with Jiho when you heard Jaebum’s excited tone. “My management team called today and they wanted to arrange a meeting about “Don’t Touch Me.” It-it’ll be re-released as an official single later.”

“Right, you’ve told me that,” you said slowly, urging him to go on as you undressed in the hallway, overjoyed to feel the warmth of your slippers as opposed to the cold hard soles of your sneakers.

“Yes, exactly, I already knew that,” Jaebum continued as you hung your coat on the hanger and heard something land on the floor with a harsh clink. “So I said no to the meeting.”

“Oh? But maybe they had something else to tell you,” you said, leaning down to pick up the ring of keys that had just fallen out of your coat pocket. You’d completely forgotten to give the keys of the balcony to the administrator when you left the gallery today.

“You’re absolutely right, they did. I’ll actually have to seem them again. But,” he said, pausing when you entered the kitchen and took your usual spot by the island, tossing the balcony keys next to his cutting board and hoping you wouldn’t forget to bring them back tomorrow, “only if I need to find someone to design the artwork for the cover of the single. Both the digital and the physical copy.”

You were busy half-listening to him and half-undressing-and-smelling-what-he-was-cooking, so you were confused. “What? So, you don’t need anyone to design you that?”

“No, I do,” he said, looking at you with a big grin. “I just don’t need to look for that person because, I’m hoping, she’s sitting right across from me.”

“She’s—wait, me?” you raised your eyebrows. “You want me to design the artwork for your single? Jaebum—”

“Of course, I do,” he confirmed. “You’re the only photographer I know—”

“Jackson.”

“—and—oh. Yeah, well, him, too, but anyway,” Jaebum waved his hand around dismissively – not the one he was holding the knife with, thankfully. “I want you to do it. And you might be the only one who’s able to do it, actually.”

He’d already hinted at getting your help when filming a music video for his single but you’d kind of assumed he was joking. Clearly, he wasn’t.

“Why?”

He gave you a look. “You know why. It’s either you or Mark and, no offense to him, but the pictures he takes look like they’ve been done with a flip-phone.”

You smiled at that but shook your head nevertheless. “I’m flattered you thought of me—”

“Good. I was hoping you’d be.”

“—but shouldn’t you get a… I don’t know, a professional to do this?” you asked. “As in, someone who’s done this before?”

“You’re a professional,” he simply said.

“I—but I’ve never done this before,” you insisted.

“And neither have I,” he shrugged. “I mean, we’re doing this together, right? You working on your exhibition and me working on this – and by “this,” I don’t mean this stew. Oh, by the way, is garlic okay with you? Because I already added it. Anyway—we’re in this together. I’ll be your model, you’ll be my photographer. I don’t really see how any of us might end up at a disadvantage.”

“Maybe not now,” you continued to disagree, too insecure to let him down. “But you’ll see it when you end up being disappointed by the end result. I mean, this is your debut single – it will represent you for the rest of your life. The cover for it should be—”

“You really don’t have high hopes for me improving as a musician, do you?” he asked, turning towards the oven.

“I-I—no. I didn’t mean it like that,” you back-tracked, clearing your throat. “I just don’t want you to do this because you feel like you have to.”

Jaebum stopped stirring the pot and turned back around to face you. “Hey, uh, are you free tomorrow?”

You frowned at the sudden change of topic. “W-What? Why?”

“I’ll be making an appointment with an ear doctor for you,” he said, “because, clearly, you’ve got selective hearing and that’s got to be a problem,” he chuckled when you blinked your eyes, still confused. “I’ve told you several times that I want you to do this. I’m not asking you because I feel like I have to. I happen to believe your talent and I’d very much like it if you used it to help a brother out.”

This got you to laugh and Jaebum, beyond proud of himself now, turned back towards the pot.

“So, what do you say?” he asked after a moment, his hopeful gaze leaving the boiling water and landing on your face. “We’ll discuss the pay later.”

This surprised you. “Oh, I’ll get paid?”

“Ah, I knew I should have started with the money first.”

“No, I’m obviously kidding,” you shook your head, laughing again. “You’re giving me an opportunity to advance my career in a surprising new direction. It should be me paying you.”

“That is good though, right? It should help you with the whole getting-your-name-out-there thing, too, yeah?”

You swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in your throat. “Uh, yeah.”

“So, we’re doing this?”

Exhaling deeply, you looked around the room one more time – for no reason other than to win yourself some time to calm down from the sudden mention of your work with Jiho – and then nodded finally.

“Okay,” you decided. “Fine. But tell me if you hate the pictures, okay? Don’t go soft on me just because we’re—well, you know.”

“Deal,” Jaebum replied, smiling. “I’ll shred you to pieces if I hate the pictures.”

“Alright. No pressure on me at all.”

He laughed. “You’ll do great. There’s no way I’d ever hate your work. Just let me know when you’re free, yeah? We’ll find some place to take the pictures, it doesn’t have to be anything fancy.”

As though you were in a movie, the ring of the keys to the gallery’s balcony – that you’d thrown on the island when you got back – suddenly caught the rays of the setting sun. The blinding sparkle caught your eye, forcing you to squint and feel a metaphorical lightbulb pop up above your head.

“Hey,” you started slowly. “What if I told you I already have an idea where we could take the pictures?”

You took Jaebum to your gallery as soon as the two of you were done with dinner. Just as you’d expected, he loved the view from the balcony as much as you did when you first saw it this morning. However, the woods looked even better at night when the edges of the trees were illuminated by the streetlights and the stars in the clear sky above.

“Wow,” Jaebum exhaled – his breath manifesting into a cloud of smoke due to the cold air outside – clearly impressed. “Have you taken pictures here before?”

“Ah, no,” you looked down. You’d hoped you wouldn’t have to talk about how you discovered this spot. “I’ve actually never been up here before until recently. You’re the first model I’ve brought here.”

He turned to you with an amused expression. “I’m honored. History is being made here tonight.”

“Yeah, about that,” you started as you turned your camera on with nervous fingers, “you remember that I don’t usually take pictures of people, right?”

“Not a problem. I’ve been told I can do a mad impression of a tree.”

You laughed, checking the settings. “I’m just saying, don’t raise your expectations.”

“I don’t really understand your apprehension,” he admitted then. You raised your eyes to meet his. “I mean, the photos you took at Jackson’s studio were brilliant. You said so yourself.”

You looked down again, your face suddenly so warm, you were surprised steam wasn’t rising from it. You hadn’t meant to compliment yourself as a photographer when you’d called those pictures “brilliant.”

“It’s because of you,” you said. “Not because of me.”

“Alright, whatever,” Jaebum rolled his eyes – even if you could barely see it in the darkness of the night – and then rubbed his hands against his thighs, clearly cold. “I’ll turn my magic on again, so let’s do this. Or, if we wait any longer, you won’t be taking pictures of people after all, because I’ll turn into your friendly neighborhood snowman.”

He kept joking around the entire night, making you laugh each time, and you’d have been lying if you said you didn’t love every moment of tonight to death. Seeing his face light up when he successfully made you laugh was almost better than whatever he’d just said.

By the end of the night, you’d dedicated yourself to laughing at anything and everything that came out of his mouth just so he would keep looking like a child on Christmas day. And, when you looked at him through the screen of your camera, that was precisely what Jaebum looked like. He didn’t have a smile on his face – he didn’t think he should have been smiling on the cover of the single – but, even despite putting his best model face on, his eyes still glittered as if the biggest bag of candy awaited him behind the lens of the camera.

As expected from a spot like this, you could feel the magic Jaebum had mentioned with every press of the shutter. The stars in the sky above you two wanted to steal the show but even they faded into a blurry background when you focused the camera on Jaebum’s profile as he gazed out at the woods.

For the briefest of moments, you had regretted not trying to take pictures of him right there in your kitchen when he was cooking. For one, it would have been warmer to have your photoshoot there. But, most importantly, he’d have still looked other-wordly while dancing around the three different pots on your stove.

But then the moment passed when you saw the way the dim lighting, coming through the door of the balcony, played with his features, accentuating his bone structure and highlighting the dreamy look in his eyes. And then, as you took picture after picture – not even double-checking if you had set your settings right – you realized that it wasn’t the light playing with him at all. It was the other way around.

Just like the first time you’d photographed him, Jaebum was – without realizing it himself – controlling all of his surroundings until they responded to his every move. He’d lift his head and, all of a sudden, you’d see three falling stars in the sky. He would look down and the wind in the trees would suddenly cease blowing, the harmonious, comforting silence working as the background of the picture. He would turn to look at you and all breath would escape you, making your head spin.

You watched him try to get comfortable in front of the camera and zoomed in on his face with shaky hands. You pressed the button dozens of times in a row, aware that you were getting blurry shots but not caring because you knew he looked flawless anyway.

You felt his eyes search for yours through the lens, your camera not enough to shield you from the warmth of his gaze.

You watched him watch you, the cold air around you doing nothing to the fires in your chest.

Your camera did its work perfectly even despite the cold air around you, but, all throughout the night, you couldn’t focus on the device in your hands at all. You were busy taking pictures of Jaebum with your mind, your heart, and the deepest parts of your soul instead.

chapter directory

#got7 #got7 reactions #got7 imagines #got7 fanfiction #fanfiction #got7 scenarios #jaebum #got7 jaebum #kpop #fanfic #got7 fanfic #got7 au #got7 x reader #roommate au #enemies to lovers au #e2l au #got7 roommate au #got7 enemies to lovers au #got7 e2l au

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