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notnctu · 4 years

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under the mistletoe | l.ty

lee taeyong x fem!reader genre - fluff, barely humor idk, very little bit of angst details - enemies to lovers!au, childhood friends that have been apart, high school!au warnings - explicit language, one mention of death, there’s a kiss scene lol word count - 2.7k synopsis - the holiday season brings a change of heart this year. you see your old friend, now enemy, Lee Taeyong at Mark’s Christmas gathering and through snowman shaped cookies, you two re-kindle your old friendship.

a/n - this is for @neoculturechristmas ‘s secret santa collab! this piece is dedicated to @soliverse :) hello lovie!! i’m your secret santa!! i hope you like it and im sorry that it’s not funny LOL thank you for letting me participate in such a fun holiday collab! im so happy to be able to write a fic for another writer:)

Through the heavily crowded Christmas party, through the people that dare walk in your way, you still see him in the midst of the chaos. Lee Taeyong stands only a few feet from you, in a ridiculous Christmas sweater and messy frosty hair. The universe is absolutely obsessed with placing you two in uncomfortable situations, as if the fuming feud between you two is not enough.

His absentminded actions cause him to foolishly knock over someone’s drink, what a fucking clutz. Rolling your eyes, you wander off in search of your good friend to announce your departure for the night.

“Already? Y/N, you got here like, five minutes ago.” Mark mixes the glass bowl that is filled to the brim with red sugary punch. Any forceful spin will have it spilling from the rim, and that won’t be the only mishap of the night that you witness. “What’s the rush? It’s Christmas Eve!”

And before you can utter the blacklisted name to explain your sudden change of heart, the culprit walks in with his stunned puppy eyes that grow sharp and a frown at your appearance. There is a small spark in the shared eye contact until it completely drops and he returns to ignoring your presence.

“Mark, where are your napkins? I spilled something in your living room.” It had to be a whole year since you’ve last heard his voice and you still remember his low cadence whenever he was trying to be cool. Cool and mysterious Taeyong, and how he lives up so perfectly to his title. However, there was a moment in time that you knew him for more than that. He was warm and comforting Taeyong.

While he tried so hard to be winter on the outside, spring bloomed blossoms on the inside and a bright sunshine radiated enough for you to witness its glow. You wished to stay with his spring for as long as you possibly could, but like the changing seasons, Taeyong eventually changed with it.

“It’s in the upper cabinet.” Mark does not realize the initial situation in the room, merrily going back to his large bowl of delicious liquid. It takes one big sigh from you for your friend to finally realize the elephant in the room and the unknowingly stiff tension in the kitchen. Mark’s eyes grow a bit bigger and as subtle as he tried to be, he clears his throat, “I think Christmas is all about joining together and being in each other’s company. Stay, Y/N.”

Mark did not choose his words wisely as Taeyong peeks over his shoulder, catching the last words of his sentence. “You’re leaving already, Y/N?” That is the first time he’s acknowledged you in the past few years.

There is an internal battle of whether or not you should acknowledge him back. Crossing your arms, you grumble something underneath your breath. “Why do you care?”

“I don’t.” Taeyong says sternly, making sure he asserts his nonchalant attitude. “Just sucks that Mark threw such a happy Christmas party for his good friend to leave.” He slings an arm around Mark’s shoulders, snuggling his face into the side of Mark’s chocolate colored hair.

And Mark dares to show a small smile of affection back. “Sorry that Y/N is always walking out on things. She does that quite often.” Before you can give him a piece of your mind, Mark shoves a snowman shaped biscuit in your mouth.

Taeyong gets away laughing, feeling an overwhelming sense of pride as he walks to clean up his other mess. You groan, biting the head of the snowman off and glaring at Mark. “Why did you let him get away with saying that to me? And when did you become friends with him again? And why are your cookies so hard?”

“Taeyong lost a friend, like a month ago. Just be a bit empathetic, please.” Mark wipes his hands on his apron and continues kneading at a random ball of dough. If it’s one thing that Mark always does too well is overachieving at his holiday gatherings. There is a reason why he’s head of the Prom Committee and student officer for event planning at your high school.

Washing your hands, the cold water bites at your skin. It’s been a really cold winter this year. When you dry your hands off, you scoot Mark over to make room for yourself to help with his endless amount of holiday treats.

“We’ve all lost friends, Mark. Sometimes people don’t work out with others and that’s just how it goes.” There is an underlying bitterness that does not seem to fade when you speak.

“Speaking from experience, maybe?” Mark chuckles, but dismisses the brief second of giggles to a more serious and low tone. “Not that kind of lost, Y/N. He lost a friend forever, like this person is in a forever sleep.”

The moment the words hit the air, a chilly draft sweeps at your ankles and you freeze in your place. And as you stand with dry flour on your hands and a person you thought you’d never become warm to again stands in the next room over, your heart softens at the information and immediate guilt preoccupies your system.

“Oh… well you should have started with that, then.” You slightly graze a finger across your nose at the faint tickle. Your mind is running at high speed, merely wondering about all the pain that Taeyong possibly felt this past month and remembering how it’s difficult for him to process his feelings.

“He actually wasn’t going to come tonight, until I mentioned you were coming.” Mark unloads a batch of fresh cookies from the oven and replaces it with another tray. The aromatics take you back to Christmas many years ago and the memory of Taeyong getting frosting everywhere you could remember. It took weeks to get the red and green stains out of the carpet, but the laughter made up for every clumsy mistake.

Not completely sure where the melancholic spirit erupted from, you rinse your hands and grab two cookies off the still hot tray without another response. Hurrying off, Mark yells out, “Wait-- those aren’t decorated yet!” but you choose to ignore his pleas.

Why is it harder to find him in a crowd when you are actually looking for him? Perhaps the saying, the best things in life come when you’re not looking for them, holds some truth to it. But your feet take you directly to him; he sits at the leather couch with the burning embers from the fireplace reflecting in his eyes.

Your abrupt appearance startles him a bit, but his face falls sullen when he sees that it’s you. Shoulders touching, you’ve missed the intimacy you two use to share. The blank snowman shaped cookie feels warm in your hand as you thrust it into Taeyong’s face. “For you.”

Taeyong scoffs, pushing your hand away lightly and looking away from the pitiful undecorated treat. “This feels like a trap.”

“No trap. Just a truce. Remember the time when I got upset at you for forgetting me in the parking lot and I told you the only way to fix it was to buy me food?” Your hand begins to drop, but Taeyong catches your wrist and takes the cookie from your possession. He gently places your hand back onto your lap.

“I know no other love language.” You explain the reasoning behind the old memory.

“Pretty sure food isn’t a love language.” Taeyong chuckles, like Christmas carols to your ears, he sounds like home.

“It’s not, but they all require me to be too emotionally vulnerable and you know how that makes me feel…” Your voice unintentionally trails off the end of your sentence. Does he still know how you feel?

Taeyong’s eyebrow raises subtly, catching your implication. “You’re still the same person you were three years ago?”

Three years, has it really been that long? You nod without needing to ponder the thought. There is a stark difference between change and growth. You are who you’ve always been, that is never going to change, but you’ve grown to be stronger and a little more independent.

“That’s not surprising.” Taeyong bites at his cookie, turning the figure in his hands as he stares off to reminisce about the past. He thinks about his pain. He thinks about his own self growth. “I’ve been thinking about you recently.”

The bold comment causes your chest to burn and your throat to grow a bit dry. Taeyong finally looks up at you, eyes dropping between your own and your lips. He doesn’t shy away from staring, taking in how much you’ve changed appearance wise since you two used to be friends. His eyelashes dance against his skin every time he blinked and the white strands of his hair fall around his crown like snowflakes.

“Why?”

“I learned how important it is to have friends around you. You never know when you’ll never see them again. The falling out we had should not have ruined the friendship we built for so long.” It’s difficult for Taeyong to continue with his feelings. It’s not a secret that he’s liked you since you two were close, probably half of the room is well aware of it. But there has never been a moment where he was out right too vulnerable to you, he was and is afraid of showing his feelings.

It’s an immediate body reaction when Taeyong leans in to you and you defensively back away. The confusion shows on your face very blatantly and his dreamy laugh rattles your bones. Taeyong’s hand softly caresses your cheek as his thumb brushes the tip of your nose. “You have some flour on your face.” This skin to skin leaves you speechless as his hot hand holds your cheek so delicately, making your heart race rapidly.

“Your Christmas sweater is ugly.” That’s all you can utter, out of pure panic too. Your eyes dip away and he retracts away from you, elbows on his knees as he leans forward and ducking momentarily to examine his choice of festive clothing.

He laughs, “it’s called an ugly Christmas sweater for a reason. It’s better than wearing a lame red sweater and calling it festive.” It’s surreal how quick things settle back into being the way that it used to be. As if the last three years of silence and constantly pretending the other didn’t exist disappeared. Taeyong is back, he’s yours again. And you hope that he’ll be by your side for longer than you had let him go.

“Red is not my color, I agree, but green is definitely not yours.” You joke back and Taeyong ruffles your hair, just like old times. The holiday spirit practically wraps its arms around you two. The holidays are really about being in each other’s warmth. In this very cold winter, you’re happy to have found an old flame that kept you from frostbite for many years.

“Y/N, we’re putting up the mistletoe.” An acquaintance interrupts you and Taeyong, quickly grabbing your arm to follow her. Your eyes dart between her and Taeyong. One thing you know no doubt about is that you aren’t leaving Taeyong alone again, so you take his hand without another second thought and drag him along with you.

You’re all ushered into the foyer and Mark is on a step ladder under the frame of his door. He notes Taeyong by your side and discreetly smiles to himself. He securely pins it to the wall and claps his hands together to gather everyone’s attention. “We’re going to blindfold two people and they’re going to have to kiss underneath the mistletoe.”

Your hands grow sweaty at the thought of such a risky game and immediately, you two let go of each other’s hands without realizing the clutching feeling of each other’s anxiousness. “I don’t think I’ll be chosen.” Taeyong mumbles to you as Mark and a few other people unravel the blindfolds. Nevertheless, he doesn’t sound very confident and you notice Taeyong’s shifty eyes.

“Right. Me either.” You shrug off, trying to hide slightly behind Taeyong’s stature. However, Taeyong instantly catches the uncertainty in your voice as well.

“Aren’t there four couples in the room?” Taeyong whispers over his shoulder at you.

Crossing your arms, you roll your eyes at his obvious thinking. “Yeah, but Mark isn’t going to choose a couple to kiss. How boring.”

Taeyong chuckles out of disbelief at your comment. “I’ll volunteer you if you want to really spice things up.”

And your eyes grow wide at his mischievous suggestion, pinching at his arm lightly. Underneath the fleece, Taeyong feels sturdy and strong. It’s only another reminder that you two aren’t kids anymore. “Lee Taeyong, do not. I don’t want to kiss anyone in this room.” That might’ve been a lie, even if you didn’t want to admit it to yourself that you are just a little curious how Taeyong might have matured.

“Everyone close your eyes.” Mark excitedly smiles and everyone obliges. You gulp the pooled saliva in your mouth, trying to manifest every possible hope that you aren’t chosen in this room of twenty people. Mark wouldn’t screw you over like that, would he? The more you pondered that thought, the more you believe that he totally would.

Then, you feel a hand on your arm and you’re being guided somewhere. A cloth covers your eyes and you’re quick to snarl, “Mark Lee, this is your only Christmas present. You get no more favors from me.” your cadence is only loud enough for him to hear and though you’re robbed of your sight, Mark’s boyish laughter says enough about his enlightened facial expression.

“This is what you get for trying to leave five minutes into my extravagant party I tried so hard to put on.” Mark sarcastically comments and pats your shoulders for a last indication of reassurance.

You hear footsteps in front of you and an uncanny presence of another in your close proximity. “Okay, everyone can open their eyes.” Mark cheers and it’s not like you can see much through the dark cloth that covers your eyes, but yours open anyways.

Gasps fill the room, slight hollering and cheering. The reactions cause an unsettling stir in your lower stomach. “Kiss!” and before you know it, the unknown person searches for your face and cups it gingerly. The feeling being very familiar to a scene before.

The both of you lean in and it’s difficult with the lack of sight, but people kiss with their eyes closed right? It’s not your first kiss, but also the sense deprivation is something different. When you tilt your head and go in for it, your noses bump together clumsily. You’re slightly embarrassed, your heart is leaping out of your chest from the sudden display of affection and you’re strangling Mark in your imagination.

“I’m sorry.” You whisper, but there isn’t a response back. Instead, your partner dives in without any trace of struggle. Their lips glide perfectly with yours and it’s almost like you’re kissing snow. Any form of awkwardness melts away; their hand on your cheek feels natural and comforting. Your heart yearns for this sense of security as the same warmth from the fireplace embodies your chest.

When you two pull away, the room bursts into a loud chaos of cheers. Before you can take off your blindfold, you can feel everyone running toward the both of you to give you excited pats on your head and arm.

“I can’t believe that just happened!” Your friend’s voice can be heard in your ear. As you lift off the cloth, you see him in the midst of the chaos. Through the heavy dog pile of overly joyous people, Lee Taeyong stands a few feet from you in his ugly Christmas sweater, messy frosty hair and a pink hue across his pale cheeks.

He looks over at you and shyly smiles. “Hopefully that spiced things enough for you. Happy Holidays, Y/N.” He can barely process everyone else's excitement, but he feels joyous for once. After a long cold bitter winter, he feels warm.

“Happy Holidays, you big goof. Good to have you back.” You push at his arm, laughing happily at the ridiculously wide smile he has on his face. You’re glad to see Taeyong smile again.

#neoculturechristmas #nct-writers #kpopscape #neowritingsnet #neothestars #nct scenarios #taeyong scenarios #nct scenario #taeyong #lee taeyong #nct imagines #nct fluff #lee taeyong scenarios

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dumbladores · 3 years

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Crime & Love Part 1

Fargo Calamity x fem!reader

Mixing characters of Fargo with others in a non-logical non-canon story. It’s gonna be long.

A profane title, and probably an also profane story. But here we go. Enjoy!

calamità

Definition: calamity: [noun] a great misfortune OR a piece of iron, or of certain other materials, that attracts or repels other pieces of iron etc.

It has been a week now that I’d been waiting to make the move. I had been trained for this day. You know what you had to do. But the crime boss I were service for was waiting for the right moment.

He held me under his iron fist. First, it was just drugs. I sold them to my college pals to finance my own education. My parents were long gone and the only thing I knew about them was that they had died in a gunfire. They probably had been in dirty business, just as myself. My aunt and uncle raised me and they were not the sort of people who cared much. Even though they had plenty of money themselves, they didn’t care to send me on a college. They had just wanted me to move out, get a job and get along in life on my own. But I wanted more. I was intelligent and clever. I wanted to go to college, so I got into some dirty business. While i got my A grades, I paid for my college funds with dirty drug money. But I had a good conscience while doing so. I was up to good while making my hands dirty. But so wanted it the society, and I had no other choice.

Now, my boss, a man called V, wanted me to go to their enemies. He was in war with another crime syndicate, the Italians. Their boss was called Josto Fadda. He wanted someone invisible, he had said, someone unknown to them, to infiltrate their base. He wanted me to offer them information. I’d give them some information about their traffic roads, where they smuggled coke. They’d bust two of his men to let me gain their confidence. In return, I should feed him with all the information I could gather.

It would be a risky mission, but a profitable one for me. There were 50 grand in for me. With that money, I could retire fully from crime and get on with my education and not worry for the next couple of years. It was a risk, but it would be worth it. I hoped.

One evening, the time finally came. Vs men picked me up at the bar I said they would find me. It was the fifth day in a row that I sat there and waited. I got in a car with them and got the address. They said, they’d be there, drinking. I didn’t worry. Drunk men I could handle. Besides, it would make the whole thing a lot easier if they were chill. On the other hand, drunk men could act even more aggressive. I hoped it could turn out to my favor, nevertheless.

They let me out a few blocks away from the place. I walked the pavement and there were already some men outside. They mustered me suspiciously when I made my way to the door, but didn’t say anything. The bar was full of drunk people, men and women. Some played cards at the tables, some danced to quick jazz music, and some just stood there and watched the scenery. I got to the bar and ordered a Martini. You got on the last free barstool. The men on my right stopped their conversation and turned their heads to me.

It was not uncommon anymore that a women went to a bar on her own, but it surely was an event for those guys. They openly stared at me, while I rested my purse on the counter and received my Martini.

“Here you go, Miss”, the bartender said friendly. “With an olive, that okay?” “It’s perfect, thank your”, I said, raised my glass to the men beside me and took a sip.

“You know, when you salute to them once more, you’ll never leave that bar”, a voice said, coming from my other side. I quickly turned around to see a tall, handsome man with dark piercing eyes.

“Well, I guess that I shouldn’t talk to you then, either”, I said smiling and searched for lighter in my purse.

“Here, let me”, he said and quickly pulled out his lighter.

“Thanks.”

I smoked my cigarette while thinking how I could get to speak to the boss without drawing too much attention. I would choose one person to speak to, a person who I thought was high in rank and that could get me quickly to Fadda. I thought. Maybe the bartender. Or those men on my right? Or-

“You know that you are much too beautiful to sit here on your own”, the man on my left said. Apparently, he had watched me the whole time. He smiled softly. His Italian accent was strong, but I had to admit it suited him very well.

“Never heard that one before”, I said dryly. But then it struck me. I mustered the guy. He was tall, handsome and he wore good fitting clothes that looked expensive. He had to be in very high.

The Italian smiled lightly. Then he leaned in closer. I could smell his perfume. It was there, just a touch but it could not erase the doubt of kills that he had assumavly executed too many times.

„No, I’m serious. The guys are gonna try something on you soon and you can’t say no to those people too often“, he said.

I swallowed. I surely was in a bar full of gangsters. I clenched to my purse, feeling the gun inside it.

„So you’re going to protect me huh?“

The Italian chuckled again. „If your fist is as sharp as your wit it doesn’t seem you need any protection. But your hands are too small. And too pretty to punch.“ He said it nearly softly and for a second I forgot where I was and what I had to do. I straightened up.

„Actually, I’m here to see the boss.“

The Italian flinched. „The Boss?“

„Yes. Fadda? I have to speak to him. Offer him a deal. I have information to offer.“

The Italian straightened in his posture and glanced cautiously through the room.

„Im alone“, I said.

Suddenly, the Italian grabbed my arm harshly.

„Who’s your boss?“, he growled into my ear.

His grip hurt, but I didn’t try to resist.

„It’s V“, I said.

For a second, he looked my straight in the eyes. Then, he yanked me out of my seat. I stumbled forward. I quickly grabbed my jacket and my purse. Some men looked at us and the two guys at the bar stopped smiling. I had a very bad feeling at a sudden.

„Come with me“, the Italian said and pushed me through the room to a door behind the counter.

Part II is about to follow soon!

#constant calamita #constant calamita x reader #Fargo fan fiction #Fargo imagine #Fargo #fargo season 4

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soukokuwu · 4 years

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i really love your fyodorxreader where his s/o have this lie detector ability, can i request fyodor with a port mafia s/o, if only you have time writing it, im not forcing ya 😺💕,

➤ y’all really be loving fyodor, huh? ngl, i do too, you guys made me love writing for him hehe & tysm anony i hope you like these too ^.^

port mafia s/o

caught in his trap was you, someone he knew was coming but didn’t quite expect. fyodor knew that the port mafia would send someone good to come after him. he did foil much of their plans after all, but he did not expect it to be someone who seemed so... unworldly. you are much like an angel — or so by your looks.

it wasn’t that easy to have fyodor attracted to you, of course. no, but he did form an interest in the way you think, how you remind him of... well, himself. you are shrewd, manipulative, charming. he had observed you enough to tell that you are capable, useful, a worthy beauty to have by one’s side. maybe this time, some rules could be bent?

that was something that attracted you both — the inexplicable of it all. what exactly was it about you that made him romantically attracted to you? the kind that he’d rather you didn’t belong to anyone else, not to be touched or tainted by anyone other than him. you knew you admired the man’s intellect and his ways, but love wasn’t so easily explained, was it?

the two of you kept it secret. which meant a bulk of the time you spent together was brief, and when you did, it wasn’t particularly intimate, given that both of you were fairly awkward around relationships.

also, it’s difficult to be with him. no, he’s not being fairly difficult to you, the hard part was the fact you’re on opposing organisations. you both still like to excel in work, so if there was anything you needed pertaining to information on the doa, you tried not talking about it and vice versa. you both try your best not to mix business with pleasure. this is particularly hard for fyodor.

but, if anything happens that requires him to choose between you or his goal, fyodor would have to choose the latter. besides, you were still on enemy lines. he won’t let something he’s wanted for most his life be overshadowed by something that may or may not last. he has his priority set out straight from the start, and regrettably, you come in second.

however, that doesn’t mean he won’t try to make the rules bend to his will. he’ll try to get you to switch sides, to work with fyodor instead of against him. besides, he can assure you safety from mori or anyone who tries to harm you. he will, if you dare to join him.

the main takeaway from being with fyodor? there will come a day when sides have to be chosen. fyodor wouldn’t change his allegiance, and so it’s all up to you. however, he won’t try to force your hand — he’ll let you choose out of your own free will. he doesn’t want anyone with flimsy resolves by his side.

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radiorenjun · 4 years

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Lavender Antics

→ Pairing: Han Jisung x Reader

→ Summary: Shooting in a drama with him was your absolute nightmare. Working with your enemy and pretending that you were love interests has been the most frustrating experience of your life. Though, after saying your farewells, the scent of lavender never leaves.

→ Genre:enemies to lovers au, idol au, romance, angst, slowburn, comedy.

→ Chapters: 5, 6, 7

You came to the set with a bright smile on your face, walking in with a box of sushi in hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other. Greeting the staff members with a bow as you walk towards the makeup room.

Life was starting to look up again.

At least, that's what you thought.

"Alright, the awaited kiss scene is about to happen!" the director announced happily. Jisung choked on his caffeine as you dropped your chopsticks to the floor, frozen in place as you stared at your director with eyes wide with disbelief.

"What?" you and Jisung exclaimed in unison, glancing at the excited director to your managers who were giving you encouraging thumbs up. "Manager-nim, he can't be serious right?" Jisung laughed nervously.

"We haven't even done two episodes!" he continued. "This must be some late April Fools prank, right? I mean, you guys trick us with this too many times! It's not funny!" you gulped, shivering at the thought.

"What? You guys finally haulted your ridiculous arguments so we decided to add more chemistry with the first kissing scene!" the producer laughed as he adjusted his headphones. "Pd-nim!" you and Jisung whined.

"Just because he apologized doesn't mean he stopped being annoying!" you reasoned, pointing at the boy who nodded in agreement. You could hear Jeongin's sinister laughter in the distance, holding his stomach as you both tried to stall time.

"Come on, kids. It's just a kiss, what are you afraid of? Catching feelings?" the script writer laughed, coming over to give you instructions over what to do next. You and Jisung shook your heads aggressively, repeatedly denying.

"You gotta stop dreaming, Sunbae!" you laughed, waving it off nervously. "It's impossible! I would never like a girl who's ego is bigger than their mouth!" Jisung joked, receiving a hard hit on his shoulder by you.

"Ow!" he squeaked, rubbing the side spot as you gave him a death glare. "Then there's nothing to worry bout. It's only gonna last 30 seconds." the script writer huffed at your dramatization. "30 seconds?!" you and Jisung exclaimed in shock.

"Im guessing you two didn't read the stage directions?" your director chuckled. "You always tell us what to do, we stopped reading stage directions on the first day of the shoot back in Busan!" you stammered, your cheeks growing red at the thought of kissing the boy beside you.

"Oh suck it up and get into character. You two knew this was gonna happen sooner or later, don't you?" the stage director rolled her eyes, tapping her fingernail against the table filled with props and scripts impatiently.

You and Jisung nodded after giving out a defeated sigh, walking into the group of students who were giggling and giving the two of your smirks. "Okay, some of you also have to kiss each other okay! Don't go smirking on us!" Jisung exclaimed as he sat down next to Jeongin who was snickering away.

"Whatever, Han. You know you don't need to hide the fact that you actually want to do it." Youngheum smirked. "Yeah, you two are just being dramatic. We all know you're just dying to make out on camera!" Yeji laughed, pushing your flustered self to the girl beside you who laughed along.

"Oh fuck off, would you?" you spat from a distance, giving them a middle finger. "You know you love us, L/N!" Sayori laughed beside you before giving you a dark glare. "Be greatful you're not the one acting as if you swallowed a shot glass of vinegar." she mumbled, making you stiffle a laugh as you pat her back with sympathy.

You knew that the teasing would get even worse once the scene starts. And you don't think you're mentally ready for it. You gulped as the staff adjusting the mics above you and the camera moved their positions so that they would get a better shot.

"Hey what are y'all playing?" you smiled as you sat beside Chaeryong and Yeoreum. "OH, y/n! You're just in time!" Jinhyuck exclaimed with a bright smirk on his face. "We're playing truth or dare!" Chaeryong grinned, leaning an arm on your shoulder.

"Truth or dare? What are we? 13?" you laughed incredulously. "You're just saying that cause you're scared of getting a bad dare," Jisung taunted, his eyes never leaving yours. "Oh hush, you're also a wuss yourself, jackass." you stuck your tongue out teasingly.

"So, you in or not?" Jeongin asked as he layed a hand on his hyung before he could say another word. "Sure. It can't be that bad, right?" you shrugged, leaning back on your arms as you watch the bottle spin in the middle of your big group.

You watch as it went to your Japanese friend, who gulped as the boy who spun gave her a big smirk. He let out a loud "AHA!" before releasing a clap with his hands, rubbing them together sinisterly.

"Hey, don't be so loud, the teachers are gonna wake up at the sound of your obnoxious clapping." your friend snarled, making the boys roll his eyes before looking around as your japanese friend internally prayed to God for mercy.

"Go to the kitchen and gulp down a shot glass of vinegar." he grinned causing your friends to laugh and wave at the poor girl who gave him a look of disbelief. "Fine." she sighed, standing up in defeat to head to the kitchen. "She's gonna be there for a while, moving on!" Youngheum waved it off as we all watch her walk out of the room with her mumbling something along the lines of 'do they even have a shot glass here?'

"Nayeon, your turn!" you exclaimed, attracting your friend's attention from the door. She reluctantly spun the bottle and watched as it stopped on Jinhyuck, who gave out a muffle groan through his palms. "Have mercy." he laughed, putting his hands together to plead.

"Fine, go to Jinyoung sleeping over there and draw over his face with a marker." she smirked mischievously. "I don't have a marker though," Jinhyuck sighed in relief. "I do!" you exclaimed, fishing out a marker from your pocket which made Jinhyuck frown.

"I just finished my banner, thank me later." you smiled innocently as Jinhyuck snatched the marker from your palm with eyes boring into your skull. You and Nayeon shared a subtle high-five as your group snickered at the poor boy who tiptoed over to the sleeping class president who was snuggled up to his pillow.

A few minutes later he came back with a face filled with fear, "he's gonna kill me tomorrow." he shivered. "Don't worry, bro." Jisung giggled, patting the boy's back and rubbing it comfortingly. "I'll make sure we have cake there at your funeral." he laughed.

"I don't like cake and you know it!" he barked back. "Exactly." Jisung winked as we all shared a good laugh.

"Next up is.."

After a few turns, involving you having to drink some concoction consisting a mixture of hot sauce, mustard, tteokbokki sauce (?), wassabi and all mysterious ingredients that aren't suppose to be mixed with, your friends decided to spice up the game a little.

There's a new rule when you pick dare, you're required to choose a partner or have the person who spun the bottle choose the partner for you. Of course, whoever chose truth will be teased for being a pussy therefore everyone was choosing dare.

"Alright, my turn." Youngheum coughed after nonchalantly putting on Lee's boxers around his head like a swimming headcap, spinning the bottle eagerly. The bottle slowly coming to a stop on Jisung who gave a toothy grin.

"Bro, don't do anything harsh." Jisung raised his hands in defeat as Youngheum gave him the look that screams 'I'm gonna ruin this whole man's career'. Youngheum let out an abstract laugh, putting a hand on his chest dramatically.

"You think I'm not gonna use this opportunity to get back on you for ruining my chance with that exchange student?!" he snarled with an evil grin. "Okay, it wasn't my fault that you got in the way of me tripping over a banana peel that caused you to pour that protein shake on the new kid! You were in my way, it's your fault!" Jisung laughed nervously.

"Very funny, Sung." Youngheum rolled his eyes before looking around until his eyes laid on you. "Since I know you won't pick truth to prove that you're not a pussycat, I dare you-" he spoke before Yejin laughed at his choice of words. "Pussycat? What are you? A fucking toddler?!"

"I dare you," he rolled his eyes as he pointed to Jisung then to you. "to go kabedon with Y/n and make out for 30 seconds." Youngheum snickered. "Ooh"s went around the whole group as they smirked at the two of you who stared in disbelief at the boy who was staring with halflidded eyes.

"Youngheum." you spoke nervously, "I never did anything wrong to you right? We're friends aren't we?" you tried to reason as Youngheum gave you an innocent smile along with a peace sign. "Chop, chop you two!" Yejin clapped her hands eagerly.

"Finally something interesting is going down." Marcos sighed as he watched eagerly between the two of you. You stood up to punch the grinning evil demon across the room before you were suddenly pushed gently to the wall by your shoulder by the one and only Jisung.

His face was red as his eyes were on your collarbone as your back met with the wall. You heard squeals from your female friends and cheers from your male friends. "Get some, bro!" you heard Jeongin cheering from the group.

Jisung took a deep breath before leaning his face closer towards you as his forearms came to lean against the wall, trapping your head in between his arms. You could his minty breath coming in contact with your skin.

His face leaning to the side slightly as you felt his nose graze yours softly, his eyes staring into your lips. "You don't have to do this, you know?" Jisung whispered almost inaudibly, his voice going an octave lower as his breath fans against your skin with each word.

His words weren't in the script. But you were too entranced by his eyes staring into yours for permission as you felt an odd feeling in your gut as you tried to stay in character. He looked so serious it's hard to tell if he's actually acting or serious.

"It's alright." you manage to breathe out, you felt your heart increasing with each passing second as your eyes went to Jisung's lips, you could feel your face gradually getting redder as Jisung's half lidded eyes bore into your nervous ones.

"I-" you whispered before you felt something soft meeting your lips, Jisung's lips gently pressed against yours. You felt your heart rate increase in your chest as you pressed your lips back on to his gently.

You heard cheers behind you as your friends rooted for you two to continue, "get some, Sung!" someone said in the midst of the groups whistling and squealing. You were too entranced by the feeling of his body pressing up closer to yours as he leaned his head to the side slightly to get a better angle.

His lips breaking part with yours for half a second before pressing again. Your hands unconciously went up, one hand clutching his baggy shirt and the other going up to run your fingers over his messy locks.

The kiss stayed innocent, staying as small longing pecks but never deepening. Your hand that was in his hair moved to his cheek, slowly moving down the side of his neck. Just when you were about to deepen the kiss you felt Jisung being tugged away from you.

Jinhyuck laughing at the both of you, his hand clutching onto the shirt on Jisung's shoulder as he pulled away from you. "Stay pg 13 guys, 30 seconds are up. You can get back to sucking each others faces off later, we're still here!" he laughed.

You were panting for breath as Jisung didn't gave you a time to breathe during his kisses, you were sure your face was as red as his as he was staring into your flustered form as he tried to regain himself.

You watched as Jisung subtly licked his lips as you both have eachother a small smile, blush still adorning on your cheeks. "Alright love birds, you can fuck when we're not around. In a meantime, pick your next victim, Sung." Nayeon joked, eliciting a complain from you.

As you scolded Nayeon, you didn't notice Jisung running a hand through his hair which was now messy from you running your fingers through it as he licked his lips once again. His heart beating erratically against his chest as Jinhyuck walked over to the group.

He wasn't in the shot but he still couldn't help admit to himself that he wouldn't mind kissing you again for the next few shoots.

😳😳😳😳 HoPe YOu liKe iT bYe

#han jisung x reader #stray kids han jisung #stray kids jisung #han jisung imagines #han jisung #jisung #stray kids #stray kids smut #stray kids x reader #stray kids imagine #skz jisung #skz scenarios #skz angst #skz

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calpalirwin · 4 years

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Betrothed

Summary: Lady Keira finds herself betrothed to Lord Ashton.

A/N: Game of Thrones AU.

Content: Medieval stuffs.

Word Count: 1.4k

And away, and away we go!

Part 2

“It’s beautiful,” Keira breathed, taking in her surroundings. One side of the road was lined with trees that lead deeper into the Riverton Woods, with Riverton Bay running along the otherside. Up ahead, she could see where the path split in two, one path leading down to the port city, and the other up towards the castle that overlooked it all. Riverton’s prime location, mixed with House Irwin’s history of producing unmatchable fighters, had quickly earned the house the position of Warden of the East. And in another moon cycle, it would all be hers.

Ashton smiled over at her. “Welcome home, my lady. Your father mentioned you had a love for water.”

“Would I be permitted to go?” Keira was still baffled by the man meant to be her husband. While she had been aware of the betrothal being in the works all throughout her childhood, the actual agreement had only been settled upon a fortnight ago. And in that time Ashton had continued to surprise her with his open mindedness on virtually every topic. She had caught him on more than one occasion talking in hushed whispers with her town’s blacksmith, his eyes dancing with excitement and secret. And Keira had caught a glimpse of how terrifying he could be when another hushed conversation with his master-at-arms had resulted in Ashton swearing loudly before taking out his aggression on a practice dummy. She bit down on her lip in remembrance of the way he barely broke a sweat as his sword cut the dummy down to its last straw with such speed all his movements were a blur. She hadn’t dared to ask him about his conversations with either men, especially after the latter had left his eyes dangerously dark.

“You’re permitted to do whichever you choose, my lady.” Ashton’s words were slow, almost as if he was confused by her question because the answer seemed so obvious to him.

“Careful what you permit your lady to do, Lord Ashton. The rumors could be dreadful.”

He chuckled at the playfulness of her words. “I’ll assure you of the same thing I assured your father, and that is that here in Riverton you will be well looked after and want for nothing.”

“Bold of you to assume I wanted anything to begin with, my lord.”

Ashton’s laugh was loud as it echoed around them. “Then it seems I’ve already fulfilled one of my promises.”

Keira’s laugh joined Ashton’s at a much softer level, as she guided her horse closer to his. “But you’ll have one of your guards escort me down there every once in a while?” She kept her voice low, both so others wouldn’t hear her outlandish request, and so that Ashton couldn’t detect how her words were laced with desire and hope that she might be free enough to feel the sun on her face while the waves lapped at her feet.

He scoffed and Keira felt her heart drop in her chest. She had known her request was a foolish one. As his lady, she was to be held to a much higher standard than if she had been betrothed to someone of a lesser house. If she had been betrothed to one of her father’s bannermen rather than to her house’s liege lord, her frolicking along the bay might be overlooked. But as the future wife of the soon-to-be Warden of the East, her love for the water might never go beyond admiring it from her chamber’s window. “I won’t have a guard do what I am capable of doing myself, Lady Keira. Kindly remind me after supper, and I’ll escort you down.”

She could stop the startled gasp from escaping past her lips. “It’ll be dark, my lord,” she pointed out. “We shouldn’t be so careless.”

“With all due respect, my lady, I’m afraid I’ll have to insist on us going when it’s dark. Enough people will know enough about our business as is, so there are a few secrets I’d like to keep between us, if that’s alright with you.”

~~~

“Just where is this so-called secret?” Keira whispered as Ashton led her through the castle grounds. Her head was dizzy trying to keep track of all the twists and turns their walk was taking them through.

“Shh,” he pressed a finger to his lips, stifling a giggle. “It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you now, now would it?”

“Well how much further? People will notice that we’ve gone missing.”

“If people notice that the lord went missing with his lady, they would dare bother to look.”

Keira clapped a hand to her mouth in shock at the insinuation. Ashton stifled another laugh. “C’mon, it’s not much further.”

A few more fumbling steps along the cobblestones found the couple standing along a secluded shoreline that could only be found by someone who knew the grounds like the back of their hand. There was no way to accidentally stumble across the hideaway beach unless one knew where to look. “How many people know about this place?”

“It’s a House secret. Passed down from lord to lord.”

“So why are you showing me?”

“Because you love the water,” he answered like it was obvious.

“I think you are unlike any lord I’ve ever met.”

“And is that proving to be a good thing, or a bad thing?”

“Good.”

“Good,” he smiled. “A few more moments, and then we should head back. You’re going to need your rest before you begin your training.”

“Oh, how marvelous,” she deadpanned. “I’m already aware of your family’s history, and I already know how to be a lady. Or is there a different curtsy expectant of ladies betrothed to future wardens?”

Ashton laughed, something Keira had learned that the man did a lot of. It was another part of his nature that often left her baffled. It was beyond her how someone like him could lead armies that stuck fear in the heart of his enemies, and command unwavering respect with every word he spoke, yet also be this mischievous little charmer that he was with her. But, she supposed, that was all part of it. That it was his skill on the battlefield that had earned him his respect, but it was his charm that kept it. After all, to be respected out of love was far more valuable than to be respected out of fear. Because respect out of fear could be lost the moment a bigger threat came along. “No, no,” he continued to chuckle. “Not that kind of training. I promise, you’ll actually like these lessons.”

“And what lessons might they be, my lord?”

“If the gods are willing, you might be able to find out as soon as tomorrow.”

“Are you always so full of secrets?” she teased him lightheartedly.

“Only the ones worth keeping.”

“If I’m to be your wife, shouldn’t I be privy to those secrets? If I’m to run the house in the event of your absence, it’s important for me to know everything you know.”

“If the circumstances were different, I would be in full agreement with you.”

“Circumstances, my lord?”

“I’ll spoil the surprise if I tell you now.”

“Another surprise? My lord, you are too generous. I have nothing to offer you in return.”

“You sell yourself short, my lady. I’ve seen many a betrothed couple who could barely tolerate to be in the same room as each other. We’ll have more than enough business to attend to as is, it hardly seems fair that we should treat each other as such as well. And I quite enjoy keeping company with you. I only meant for my surprises to help you feel more welcome here as you try to make this place your home. My apologies if I’ve overstepped.”

“N-no,” Keira stammered, her cheeks coloring. “It is I who should be apologizing. As I said before, you are unlike any lord I’ve ever come across before. You take me by surprise is all.”

“As do you, my lady. Perhaps a solution is that we spend more time together so that we stop taking each other by surprise.”

“With all due respect my lord, I don’t think that’s likely to happen.”

He chuckled lightly to himself as he thought over her words. “Yes, I suppose you’re right, my lady. But it is still a course of action I’m interested in taking.”

She gestured about them, “Well, I’m sure I’ll be easy to find, my lord.”

“Ashton,” he stated simply. “If it pleases, my lady.”

“Keira,” was her answer. “If it pleases, Ashton.”

Tag List

@frontmanash @goeatsomelife @flameraine @here-for-the-uproars @cxddlyash @1-irwin-94 @sparkling-calm @tea4sykes @youngblood199456 @5-seconds-of-obsession @gosh-im-short @aquarius-hood1996 @talkfastromance4 @itjustkindahappenedreally @philthepegacorn @boomerash

#betrothed #ashton irwin #ashton irwin fic #5sos #galcal irwin

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headoverjojo · 5 years

Note

that meeting-their-newborn-kid scenario post you made with risotto and bruno was so sweet omg im dying also your writing is terrific. can I ask for the same kind of thing but with abbachio? he’s my fave and I just love goth dads.

Hello!! Awwwww, thank you so much for your kind words, darling :,) I hope you’ll find enjoyable this scenario too!

Leone Abbacchio meeting his just born baby

(Under the cut for length!)

It hadn’t be easy, for Abbacchio, since the very start. He needed a lot of time to convince himself to try to have a child, as he didn’t think he was suited to be a father. Just your gentle patience and your constant words of encouragement in the end convinced him that, maybe, it would have worked. You always reminded him all his progresses, how many steps forward he made in the years you spent together, first as friends, then as lovers and then as wife and husband. You always reminded him how more patient he was, how the light that always was inside his heart now could shine with more strength. You brought out the sparkle of that young policeman full of hopes and dreams that still was in his heart, under layers and layers of guilt, self-hatred and bitterness. You gave him a reason to live, a reason to choose for real what he wanted, instead of just following others’ orders. You gave him again hopes and dreams for a happier future, together. And so, the idea of a child, of the product of your love, wasn’t so bad. Maybe… with you at his side, maybe he would have made it.

He perfectly knew he wouldn’t have been the perfect father, but, all in all, who was so? He was human and humans make mistakes. But he would have learned from his mistakes and, oh, sure as hell he would have given everything he had to offer to be the best father he could be. It was one of the few things he was sure about, with the immense love and devotion he felt for you.

And so you tried. Maybe fate wanted you two to finally have a kid, maybe the universe was finally sighing in relief as it could finally proceed with its plans for Abbacchio, but not many attempts were necessary to conceive your baby. You took at least a couple of tests every week and, finally, after the second week of attempts, it signed a positive result. In that moment Abbacchio was out of the city due to a mission, but you couldn’t wait: you called him, rambling excitedly until Abbacchio told you to calm the hell down and speak slower, as he couldn’t understand a world of what you were babbling. You took a deep breath, still giggling in a total, overwhelming happiness, finally managing to communicate in a human speed. As the words left your mouth, a long silence replied to you. You were starting to grow worried, when a sigh reverberated in your ear, followed by Bruno’s voice, his partner for the mission, that informed you that Abbacchio just left back the phone to run to the car and drive back to Naples without one more word, leaving, well, him behind. You couldn’t help but laugh, as you wiped a couple of tears, shaking your head. Of course, you had to imagine it…

And so, in this flamboyant way, your pregnancy started. Abbacchio never left your side for more than few hours, accepting missions just in Naples or, mostly, around the city. In any case, he didn’t accept anything that could bring him far from you for more than half a day. You were surprised by Abbacchio’s total protectiveness and care! Yes, he always was protective and caring, in his a bit harsh way, especially due to the work he did: more than one time he woke up in cold sweat after dreaming about you dead in a dark alley, hit by a stand of an enemy gang or shot down in crossfire. So you never complained about it: you knew it was a feeling born from his sincere love for you and, now, for your baby. He couldn’t even bear the thought of losing you two.

You chuckled, even if you were crushed by regular waves of uncomfortable pain from the contractions, remembering how Abbacchio was so careful, with you, as he was scared to break you with his strength. You often had to take his hands and place them on your belly, smiling brightly when he slowly caressed it, gentle, delicate, starting to chuckle too when the baby started to kick back, as to reply to his caresses. It was obvious that Abbacchio was enamored with your baby, totally overcoming the doubts he had before his conceivement. Sometimes he still had a setback, but you never got angry or annoyed at it, as you knew this was a major change and event in his life and he was still healing. When he was feeling again full of doubts, you just took his head, making him gently lay down, his head on your lap, and you softly ran your fingers through his silver locks, murmuring again and again how proud of him you were, how good he was, and what wonderful father he would have been… and, as to confirm your words, the baby gently kicked where his father was caressing your belly. It always made him smile and, oh, Leone had such a beautiful smile, in those occasions… it was serene, a sparkle of joy lighted up his eyes. He seemed the young man he was, for once.

“We’re here, finally, eh…?” you said to your husband, a smile on your face that twisted in a grimace of pain as another contraction, nearer to the previous one, washed over you. Abbacchio tried to smile, but his eyes remained full of worry and concern. You couldn’t blame him; you too were a bit scared by this all. Still, even if he was dying inside, he was holding tightly your hand, giving you the breathing rhythm, as supportive as he could, and this was giving you the strength you needed to go on and overcome the fear.

“It will go all well, Y/N. You’re doing great now, you’re doing great…” he murmured to you, not to make you hear the tremble in his voice. Seeing you in pain was… difficult. He wanted so, so much to do something, everything, to soothe your pain, but he couldn’t. This wasn’t something he could help for. He could just hold your hand and stay at your side during all the labor.

“Signora Y/S, now you have to push, ok? A good push, good.” the doctor said, with a clear and calm voice, and you obeyed, gritting your teeth and squeezing Abbacchio’s hand, as you did as the doctor said. Abbacchio let you squeeze his hand as much as you need, without a single complain, holding back your hand, to make you feel he was here with you.

“You’re doing wonderfully, tesoro. It’s going all well.” he said to you, managing to gather enough calm to talk a bit louder than before, making you wobbly smile, as you pushed again, following the doctor’s words. You were doing good… And soon you would have held your baby. You had to go on.

“Last push, tesoro. Last one, you have been so good, tesoro, perfect, the baby is fine…” you whined, giving the last push, encouraged by your husband’s words. And, finally, a good and blessed baby cry echoed in the room, making you sigh in relief, as you plopped down the pillows. Your baby was here…

You smiled at Abbacchio, tired to the bones, giving his hand a last, gentle squeeze, before letting go of it. Abbacchio, whose eyes were glued on the, oh, so small baby who was moving in the nurse’s delicate hold, turned to you, blinking, as he was waking up from a dream.

“Go to our baby, caro…” you murmured, smiling again, relaxing on the pillows. Finally it was ended… you cracked open one eyes, smiling softly, when you saw the nurse gently putting the baby in their father’s arms, fixing a bit his hold and then smiling, nodding in approval. You eyes filled with tears of happiness, seeing how Abbacchio’s face was filled with pure awe and love, it seemed almost out of character from him, but… it just filled your heart in pure, blinding joy. You finally had the confirmation that that had been the right choice. And now you knew that Abbacchio was seeing it too.

The baby, now cleaned, was wiggling their small arms and Abbacchio chuckled a little, softened, as he bent his face on theirs, softly kissing their forehead -he hadn’t on his lipstick, so no marks- and gently rocking them back and forth. You smiled, when he lifted his head to turn to you and his eyes glimmered in joy and stupor. It was so wonderful to see him so… enraptured, enamored with his child…

“It’s a boy, Y/N. It’s a wonderful, perfect boy, he’s beautiful as you…” he murmured, with a watery chuckle, as he neared you, to let you see your son. You softly smiled, sighing in happiness, when Abbacchio sat near you, lowering enough to let you see and caress your baby boy. He was right… he was truly beautiful. Few strands of raven hair covered his small head and, now that he was opening his eyes, they revealed to be a stunning blue. But his eyes’ shape, his nose, even his lips… it all promised to be right as his father’s ones. He was the perfect mix of you and your husband. The fruit of your love.

“Leone… how would you like to call him?” you murmured, resting your head on his shoulder. Abbacchio kissed your temple, sweetly, while lulling the baby, who was safely nestling on his father’s chest, relishing in your soft caresses. Abbacchio remained silent for a while, his nose sunk in your hair, as he thought about it. A name for your boy…

“I… I’d like to call him Damiano.” you looked up, curious. Damiano? It was a nice name… Damiano Abbacchio. It sounded good…

“It is… was his name.” he explained, noticing your interrogative gaze. You widened a bit your eyes, as everything became clear. So his name was Damiano… Abbacchio never said it, before. The sporadic times he talked about him, he was always a “he” or “my partner”, but he never had a name, at least until that moment.

You smiled sweetly, nodding, bending to give to your little Damiano a small kiss on his chubby kiss, earning a slow and sleepy blink that made you softly chuckle. He was so cute…

“I love it, tesoro. Damiano is perfect.” you murmured, resting your head on Abbacchio’s shoulder again, softly caressing Damiano’s little hand, while he was pressing himself on his father’s chest, searching for warmth. You smiled again, softened by the tenderness of the moment and by Abbacchio’s soft, soft smile. Yes… your Damiano was perfect, as this moment.

It was all perfect.

#jjba #vento aureo #bruno's gang #leone abbacchio #fem s/o #leone's child #dad!abbacchio #holding first born baby #pregnancy topic #scenario #sfw #anon ask

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whereissora · 6 years

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My Favorite Sora and Riku BroTP Moments

First off, I don’t ship Soriku. Sorry, but I just don’t. I have never gotten a romantic vibe from them EVER and I really enjoy how they interact and work together like a pair of brothers. There are plenty of other tumblrs that post Soriku, and I assure you they’re not hard to find.

Riku is sexy and important and Sora is a literal drop of sunshine, and I love both these boys so much. I really enjoy how much Riku’s character arc reminds me of Zuko from ATLA and how he embodies the “protective big brother” cliche which can be seen in a lot of animes. Likewise, Sora is a wonderful protagonist and the way he adores and actually listens to Riku makes me want to give Riku a thumbs up:

Good job, Riku, on somewhat-raising Sora. He’s wonderful in a million amazing ways~

I know Sora has parents alright, im just messing around~

And so, as I write this, I will be viewing Sora and Riku in a very platonic manner. These two are close to the point of being real brother’s, and since Kairi does play a part in their relationship, she will be mentioned here and there.

Just know that even if you ship SoRiku and I ship SoKai, doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy this list! This is a BroTP post, not an OTP post, but you may find one of the reasons you ship SoRiku on here even if I have a different understanding of the moment in question.

I will be leaving comments open, with one request: you may say whatever you like in response to this post so as long as you are respectful about it. So please, no character bashing, no ship bashing, and definitely no harassment or bullying. I will block any guilty party and/or close the comments for this post.

10) Encounter in the Land of Dragons

Sora spends the majority of KH2 looking for Riku, and eventually, Kairi. By the time he makes his second trip to “The Land of Dragons” (I’m super tempted to write China, here) Sora has still yet to encounter Riku despite all the extra behind-the-scenes help Riku keeps giving him.

They finally run into each other here, but Sora assumes its a member of Org XIII given what he seems to be doing and what he is wearing. Riku casually warns Sora to watch his back by pointing at the heartless, which Sora then takes out. After the fight, Riku makes this hilarious gesture, like he’s saying “well, look at that. You’ve become so dependable,” then runs off. Sora gives chase until losing sight of him at which point he wonders aloud:

“That guy...”

“No...! Why... Would he...?”

Sora thinks that it’s Riku he just met, and kinda reaches for him as he calls his name. He says “Riku?” in a way that doesn’t hide how cautiously hopeful he is, and is overjoyed later when he hears from the emperor that the guy in the black coat “was kinda rude.”

Sora, YOU’RE a little rude.

9) Riku demands to know what Diz wants (with Sora)

Diz is a pretty suspicious character, and Riku trusts him about as far as he can throw him. Unfortunately, the only people Riku trusts implicitly are comatose, absent, or far away. He can’t wake Sora up on his own, so he begrudgingly accepts Diz’s help.

Near the end of Sora’s reconstruction, Diz expresses his thoughts over Sora waking up in a way that’s... mildly creepy.

Diz doesn’t really care for Sora as a person. He’s a means to an end. Riku isn’t stupid--he can tell. His priority is doing everything he can to help Sora wake up. But the minute Diz says Sora’s name--in a tone that makes it abundantly clear he is being used, like Roxas is--Riku takes a seat like “Don’t you f***ing dare. What do you want with us, anyway?” And says the polite version of that.

8) Riku visits Namine

I’m not sure whether Riku knew to go see Namine on his own, or if he was summoned there by Diz. But either way, Sora’s awakening is taking way too long.

After leaving Castle Oblivion, Riku began investigating the Organization since they literally forced Sora into an indefinite, comatose state. Namine promised to look after Sora, and when they meet again, Riku, gently, but firmly, reminds her of this, as if to ask “What��s taking so long?”

There can’t be a good reason, so he needs to know. That way, he can help.

Unfortunately, the situation is that some of Sora’s memories currently reside in two different people. Namine carefully explains that there is no way to help Sora without harming them, and if they try to do that anyway, Sora will wake up only to realize no one remembers him.

Here, the camera shifts from Namine to Riku while keeping that one line on the screen, making it clear that’s not an option for them. Sora cannot wake up to find out he’s been forgotten--they are not willing to risk that.

This leaves just the worst possible option, and that is to kill two people.

A role which Riku now resigns himself to.

This might have been higher on the list if not for how SAD it is... For everyone involved.

7) Sora remembers how they grew up together

KH1′s ending broke a lot of hearts (cough not as much as III cough) and final mix’s version just twisted the knife with this little scene. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I do not remember seeing this little Sora-flashback first time around.

The door has been shut and locked, leaving Riku and Mickey stranded in the Dark Realm. Sora looks on as he recalls his childhood spent growing up alongside Riku, how they laughed and ran together, and this scene couldn’t possibly be more heart wrenching--

Hears Project Destatis D.B. themes and variations playing in the background~

👏Thank👏you👏Everglow👏

You, too @projectdestati

6) Sora and Riku fight the final battle together

I love all the little scenes in this fight.

You get a lot of these two protecting/supporting each other here.

At one point, Sora is nabbed by Xemnas and is having his HP drained, and you get to fight as Riku in order to free him.

When Xemnas starts firing those light-rods or whatever they’re called at Sora and Riku, the boys stand back to back as they deflect them.

This leaves them so drained that Xemnas is able to kick Riku back and attack Sora, but Riku pulls Sora out of the way AND TAKES THE HIT HIMSELF.

Sora and Riku use their combined strength to shoot Xemnas out of the sky.

And on top of all that, you get this:

SORA AND RIKU STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT TO FIST BUMP!!!! This is canon. THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED!!!

It’s as if they’re each telling the other:

“No worries! I’m here.”

5) Riku meets Xion (twice)

For the sake of keeping this list to my top ten, I’m including Riku’s first and second meetings with Xion as one reason. I know, I know, I’m kind of cheating, but I really can’t choose between these two.

While investigating Org XIII, Riku must wear their coat. It allows him to move about without detection. Ironically, this also gets their attention since he’s Riku, he’s not one of their members, and he’s clearly opposed to them. They send Xion to take him out, but he defeats her and is both disturbed and concerned by her appearance.

Xion demands to know why Riku is dressed as one of them, and he answers:

“To make sure my best friend... Sleeps in peace.”

Riku is determined to protect Sora, who is vulnerable in his sleeping state, no matter what Riku is forced to wear, or who he transforms into. This may partly be due to the fact that:

Riku was the one who opened the DTD and destroyed the islands.

Riku is the reason Kairi’s heart was separated from her body and went into Sora’s for shelter.

And Sora ultimately had to stab himself through the heart to free her and complete the keyhole in Hollow Bastion.

And all of this led to the creation of Roxas, Sora’s Nobody, being born. Sora wouldn’t even be in this mess if it weren’t for Riku’s actions. Heck, without Riku, Sora never would’ve gotten the keyblade, which has made Sora a huge target for Org XIII. Riku carries that guilt with him everywhere he goes throughout Days, as he struggles to help Namine complete Sora’s reconstruction.

The next time Riku meets Xion, she’s run off from the Organization because she learned what she really was. She tries to ask Riku where Sora is and he outright tells her:

“That secret stays with me.”

Riku says this in a way that makes it clear he would die before he handed Sora over to the enemy, and isn’t willing to risk Sora’s safety for anything.

Riku, buddy, you’re a priority, too.

He never blamed Xion or Roxas for the Organization’s actions, though, because just like Sora, these two were being used. So when Xion asks “Do you hate me for taking your friend away from you?” Riku’s answer is:

“Nah... I guess I’m just sad.”

Me:

Xion is the reason Sora cannot wake up! On top of that, because Xion exists, Riku must see to it that both she and Roxas meet their ends if he ever wants to see Sora again. And despite all that, Riku doesn’t hate her.

5) “Don’t be so reckless. Do you want to end up like Riku?”

Halfway through KH2, Saix implies that Riku has ended up in a dire situation, causing Sora to react with alarm. As far as Saix knows, Riku was taken out by Roxas, and he’s more than happy to let that slip to Sora who has been searching everywhere for him.

With or without his memories of C.O., Sora’s last real memory of Riku is watching him be trapped in the Dark Realm when they closed the door together.

The Dark Realm is basically the KH version of Hell, and it’s not the place for hearts of light residing within still-living individuals. From what Sora’s seen of the Dark Realm, it is crawling with dark sides, and even if there is a light within the darkness, the Dark Realm is not a safe place to be.

So hearing Saix say “Do you want to end up like Riku?” has a pretty powerful impact on him. Aside from his own firm belief in Riku’s strength, Sora has been given every reason to believe Riku is dead. There’s no sign of him anywhere, no word of him from anyone, and the last place he was seen in is a relatively fatal environment.

And now he has even less reason to hope Riku is still alive.

4) Riku rescues Sora in 3D

Say what you will about 3D, but the bro feels are HEAVY in this game.

Once again, Sora is lured into one of the Organizations traps.

And again Riku attempts to protect him from this trap.

Again, he failed to reach Sora in time. It is only with the help of Donald, Goofy, Mickey, and Axel that he is able to retrieve Sora before it is too late.

Sora’s heart was trapped in darkest abyss, leaving Sora’s empty body in a sleeping state, similar to what Ven suffered through for over a decade. Yen Sid theorizes that Riku, who unlocked the seven sleeping keyholes within Sora’s dreams, now has the ability to retrieve Sora’s heart and wake him from his sleep.

Come to think, maybe this has something to do with why we see Riku looking for Sora in the KH3 secret movie instead of Kairi?

It’s insanely dangerous to venture into the abyss, but Riku goes anyway and is successful in rescuing Sora.

3) Did I mention that Sora called for Riku when YMX nabbed him?

Sora’s afraid! He’s steeming in darkness and he’s struggling to keep his eyes open because he knows there’s a chance this will be the last thing he sees! He’s aware that if his body is turned into a vessel, he’ll be used to hurt Riku, Kairi, and everyone else he loves.

So what does he do? He calls for Riku!

Riku has been taking the exam with him, and if there’s anyone who can pull him out of this mess its Riku, the same person who has almost always come to his rescue.

And Riku does that just that.

I actually really enjoyed 3D just because it was fairly dark, and heroes can’t succeed all the time. Plus, Riku got to play the role of the one who has Sora’s back no matter what and was rewarded with the title of Keyblade Master for his trouble.

Sora deserves to be Master, too--

2) Kairi reunites Sora and Riku in TWTNW

This scene has me in tears, even now.

As mentioned before, Sora has been given every reason to believe Riku is dead.

He saw someone in the Land of Dragons who was using Riku's keyblade, and was kind of acting like Riku. But was that really him? Or just another member of Org XIII messing with him?

What did Saix mean when he warned Sora not to be reckless like Riku was?

King Mickey made a promise to Riku, but what sort of promise? And why won’t he say anything about Riku?

What happened?

Where is he?

Thanks to Kairi, Sora is able to reunite with Riku properly. Riku wasn’t even going to say anything to Sora--he still feels ashamed of himself for betraying Sora, and for looking the way he does. But Kairi takes both boys hands and has Sora close his eyes, and Sora is able to finally figure it out:

Riku was always close by, helping him. He just looks a little different.

Sora raises his head, and his eyes first widen then scrunch up as the tears come.

He takes Riku’s hand and falls to his knees.

Once he’s down there, he can’t hold himself together anymore and just starts weeping.

This is part of the reason people ship SoRiku at all, and heck, I might have too if not for SoKai and the fact that Sora is a super affectionate person.

Also, it’s pretty clear by how relieved and tearful Sora is that he more-or-less believed Riku was gone. He looked for him, but couldn’t find him anywhere. The organization loves to mess with him--maybe that guy who was behaving like Riku in the Land of Dragon’s killed him and stole his sword. Maybe the reason Mickey won’t say anything is because the truth is too much.

I have best friends that I’ve grown up with, too. If they were to vanish like Riku did, and I went from country to country in search of them, and then if I finally found them after being told everywhere I went that they were gone... Well, I’d be more of a mess than Sora because I’m not as strong as him.

Sora manages to choke out that he looked ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE for Riku. To which Riku answers:

This earns a shocked little gasp from Sora, because it’s kind of a slap in the face to Sora’s efforts to locate Riku.

Not that Riku is trying to be cruel here. Sora doesn’t understand yet that Riku only pushed him away in order to protect him. And when Sora demands, “Why didn’t you let me know you were okay?” Riku calmly explains that he couldn’t stand for Sora and Kairi to see him like this, with Heartless Ansem’s face. The face of the man that possessed him and nearly killed Sora and Kairi.

But they don’t care what he looks like, because it’s still Riku on the inside.

1) Riku protects Sora in KH3

Gosh, this was such a heavy moment.

Sora and Riku were just forced to watch as all their friends were whisked away into the Demon Tide. The last person to go was Kairi, and once she’s gone, Sora falls to his knees lets out a scream that destroyed me physically, emotionally, and mentally.

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We have never seen this side of Sora before, and neither has Riku. Just after Kairi is taken away, Riku is standing nearby, staring out at the demon tide, apparently in shock. We can’t see his face, but Riku grew up with Kairi, too, and he’s clearly distressed by what just happened.

But Sora screams his heart out and Riku immediately rushes to his side. He kneels and listens as Sora gives up and claims he is worthless without the others. Riku’s expression is soft at first but slowly hardens, and after Sora cries over his failure, Riku quietly gets up and tells him:

“Sora, you don’t believe that.”

“I know you don’t.”

Riku then walks forward without another word, and singlehandedly keeps the demon tide at bay.

Sora cannot find the strength to get up and help, but Riku doesn’t yield. He screams in defiance as the shadows overtake him, determined to protect Sora until the end.

Overall, I just really like how Riku has Sora’s back no matter what and how Sora quietly acknowledges that in KH3 when comparing Riku and himself to Anna and Elsa:

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These two are bros for life.

#Sora #Riku #Kairi #Elsa #Anna #Kingdom Hearts #video game series #brotp #bros for life #i love these boys #riku is sexy and important #sora is literal susnhine

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xuune · 6 years

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some thoughts on s7

this ended up me kind of rambling about my thoughts and feelings on s7 that are all over the place, so please bear with me if these thoughts don’t seem too well organized or anything:

now, before i even actually saw the season, i was just snooping around here on tumblr to see what ppl’s reactions were, and i kind of let it get to the better of me. some people were just over dramatizing what was happening in s7, and their negativity on the season made me believe that i would wholeheartedly dislike the season. i saw all the posts with people going on about how if youre still watching the show, you should immediately drop it (and it was mainly centered around few central complaints going around right now, pretty sure you can figure that out on your own on what that was). it was understandable on where the frustration was stemming from. i only got 3 hours of sleep because of what people were saying despite not even seeing the season for myself and seeing how events would ultimately play out. but like they would always say, you shouldn’t let other people’s judgement affect you, and it really shouldn’t be the determining factor on how you view things or how your opinions are formed.

when i watched the season, my general reaction to it was that its “ok”, i didn’t think it was entirely and absolutely terrible. i already know how a lot of us didn’t like the way a few characters got treated. i mainly thought that the animation looked nicer and improved in some of the action scenes. the writing was kind of “meh” for me when it came to whatever certain plot points that got introduced or continued. watching it on my own actually removed any thoughts of me disliking/hating the season entirely.

even though i say this, the things i mention here are mainly about some issues that kept being brought up by people and circled around ever since s7 got released.

in terms of character development? besides what we’ve been given for hunk, which has been awesome so far (i dont really feel like i have much to go in depth with for this, its already self explanatory in the season itself), i guess its going somewhere. i’ve got some hope, but it’s not on the level where its overwhelmingly high and optimistic. everyone’s been talking about the lack of actual lance development, how he’s constantly being reduced to being the “dumb” one, but we actually see him take initiative when needed. lance has been shown to stepping up and taking his role into account when handed the opportunity to do so, and it was multiple times when lance was given the re-established position of keith’s right-hand man. despite whatever remarks keith made on lance, whether or not they were supposed to come off as teasing/joking for the audience, keith does still seem to believe in lance’s capabilities. if he didn’t, keith wouldn’t have trusted lance the task on leading their team on their mission(s). lance actually got scenes where he could shine off as being portrayed more than what he’s constantly being insulted as. there are still some scenes of them showing mutual trust and respect for each other, especially with lance voting for keith during “the feud” and the reasoning he gave. but yeah, some parts it did seem like keith was kind of ooc in certain episodes when comparing his personality back to s3. who knows why keith gave the reasoning he did when he voted for lance. EDIT: acoolemocucumber’s post makes a good note on pointing out how during the voting section, keith is actually the first one to start writing. it’s later revealed that he chose lance on first pick. lance was the second to finish. even though he was peeking over at hunk and pidge to see who they chose, he instead decides to choose keith. keith choosing lance as a first choice without pure hesitance is amazing to see, and it really shows he trusts and respects lance a lot despite the reasoning he gave. then again, actions speak louder than words and countless times keith has shown to be that kind of guy by relaying a lot of important tasks to lance throughout this season.

i’ll do say that i enjoyed most of the scenes they shared when they had to take a leading initiative with each other though. that was pretty nice to see again, and it felt like a decade since i ever saw that kind of dynamic from those two.

there were a lot of action packed scenes, and i watched through those entirely to see if there’s any important plot detail to know, or make note of, while watching the ep to make sure i wouldnt be lost with whats happening so far. some people found it boring, some people found the fight scenes amazing and stunning. certain scenes had me really amazed on how well it was animated, some other scenes not so much in terms of repetition, and thats kind of bound to happen if we’re provided an arc where its continuing to keep the tense vibes on the recurring events with the current situation of the season.

this is just merely my take on it, (my memory’s not the best with how much information im recalling from those 13 episodes) but it kind of felt lackluster with how the paladins barely got any kind of break where they could seriously spend one episode on unwinding, having in-depth conversations one on one, and not be so worried about the galra all the time. sure, there’s a few scenes like that in a few episodes, but it didn’t seem enough to make it feel like it balanced out whatever conflicts or character issues were newly or constantly introduced.

ive read posts already about how some people had liked the season a lot, loved the actions scenes and all. but to me, some conflicts that took place seemed out of place or just didn’t really align well (idk how else to phrase it) especially with adam’s death, and i had minor mixed feelings about ep “the journey within”.

about adam, it just seemed out of place and rushed for them to introduce shiro’s s/o only for them to take him away. we don’t get to see how fleshed out adam could’ve been, and i’ve already seen the frustration/rage people had with adam being killed off when considering how the creators told the viewers that they were gonna get to see adam, but weren’t told how long we’ll see him (plus the entire thing abt lgbt rep that was promised?). the thing with adam left me on a weird note, mainly because if you were just given no other info besides the info from the season, you wouldn’t even be given too explicit information about the relationship shiro had with adam. from there, it felt like there was no point in adding adam into the story if the viewers aren’t given clear information on what kind of bond shiro and adam had besides adam saying that they’ve been through a lot together (or whatever he said, idr it too much) and the “how important am i to you” line for lgbt rep points. its just pretty vague “””representation””” thats just leaving the audience to make the most out of what they’re given. we’re only given confirmation that they used to be fiancés from what they said in panels/interviews, but never in the show. im not sure what to really think about that, my mind’s just kind of in the void when i think about it. but this part i structured kind of badly and i apologize for that, but hopefully those of you can get what im saying.

as for “the journey within”, it was reasonable for the way characters acted; theyre all tired, frustrated, and losing hope and were floating in space waiting for nothing but at least something to happen. keith snaps, gets irritated at everyone, lance is also the one to lash back out at keith saying keith ran away, giving the audience a big sign that lance was hurt by keith’s disappearance/leave from the team. but for keith to quickly later on go take everything back in just a few minutes seemed really awkward for me. its a kids show and all, but i just kind of didn’t like how that one section of that episode was written ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ just a feeling i had with it. however, i did love how hunk took a lot of the initiative during the episode, it’s showing his growth of actually him continuing to fully accept his role as a paladin and determined to not back down regardless of his own cowardice that could prevent him from doing so at any time.

and there’s the thing about k/acx: ive already seen a bunch of people going somewhere along the lines of disbelief, anger, frustration on how keith is getting het endgame but when i saw the episodes, his interactions with acxa didn’t even seem borderline romantic to me at all? to me, i merely saw 2 characters actually getting on better terms with each other and returning the favor. the two no longer see each other as enemies but allies now. keith only went back to save acxa because it seemed like he believed that he felt in debt to acxa for trying to save his team. ezor and zethrid merely poked fun at acxa, but if you consider previous seasons where acxa and keith interacted, the two just continued to return the favor of owing whatever debt they had for each other. it didn’t seem like there was any romantic tension intended in any of the scenes where they interacted. we already know acxa betrayed ezor and zethrid by switching sides, and if you were betrayed you’re bound to make at least a remark on whoever betrayed you either way. in this case, ezor and zethrid found it reasonable to make a comment on acxa’s alliance with keith, hence how they teased acxa possibly crushing on keith (whether or not thats actually confirmed, its just left ambiguous and up for interpretation at that point). there’s the parallel with how they animated the shot between keith and acxa talking to each other, but neither did that one seem romantic to me? i hope im not the only one who thought that? the other scene people talked about was when acxa is in the same scene where keith was present when he visits his dad’s grave with krolia. i dont get why some people were upset about that either. even though its at the last ep of s7, there’s nothing to imply that keith invited acxa to go visit his dad’s grave with him or anything if you consider their placement in the scene. if keith did care about acxa’s presence being there when he visited the grave, wouldn’t he at least acknowledge acxa’s presence by showing obvious attention to her, or have her close to where him and krolia were? she remains distant but respectful of keith in the scene. i dont see where these scenes would imply keith automatically finds a romantic interest in acxa. acxa to keith? maybe, we don’t entirely know. keith to acxa? i dont see it being implied anywhere at all. not to mention keith’s “can’t we just fight” statement right after ezor and zethrid teased acxa about having a romantic interest in keith. again, its just my take on what’s being presented and my own thoughts on how people are viewing it.

and with a/l, it leaves me on a bad note with how its progressing if its really getting the sealed deal endgame. like most people have been saying, it would be good for them to be endgame if they were only written better. am i entirely convinced theyre endgame? not really because there’s that small chance where vld pulls a 180 and the show creators stay true to their words on lance not being a rebound, lance being someone’s first choice, lance getting what he needs, not what he wants. what’s being given/presented so far is just bad writing with how allura suddenly reciprocates feelings for lance out of nowhere despite showing consistent disinterest in lance’s advances in previous seasons. s4 and onward we see her seeing lance more than just an annoying flirt, and the two become better friends who could genuinely talk to each other without having allura annoyed with lance’s flirtatious antics, and without lance being reduced to a constant flirt. during allura’s interest in lotor, we’re yet again presented how allura doesn’t return feelings for lance, especially during the scene when the mice told her about lance’s feelings for her back in s6. she seems rather disappointed, pitiful, or uncomfortable with knowing how lance genuinely liked her when she liked lotor during that time. later on, allura’s been out of her previous love interest with lotor, and hasn’t shown returned much of the same interest in lance. sure, she hugged lance and he returned the hug, but that only seemed necessary in the moment for when allura had felt betrayed by someone she wholeheartedly trusted and fell in love with. she needed comfort from someone and the person she spoke to was lance who was able to lend her some comforting words. but that was about it. i’d like to say that considering that this is a kids show, it does give a bad incentive for children to develop on believing that if they continue to force their feelings onto someone else, the person they’re interested in will eventually like them back out of the blue, which is the worst course of action to take despite being rejected countless times (and its kind of being shown with what a/l has right now). to take this kind of scenario and to fix/put it with good writing would to just properly depict lance accepting rejection and allura staying true to her previous feelings on not reciprocating his feelings. in a general sense, we all know that we can’t always get what we want, and that’s an important moral that always gets taught over and over again even if youre a child or an adult. rejection and acceptance of the rejection is something that can be taught here through the romantic subplot they’ve been having. just deciding that they should become endgame out of nowhere would leave the writing very dull. having allura get out of her previous love interest with lotor only to quickly move onto lance just doesn’t leave off on a good note. it just reduces lance to a rebound and that’s about it.

the writing for me wasn’t really that breathtaking, overwhelming, or emotional or anything when it came to new plot points being presented (you know, all the fight scenes, galaxy garrison, that stuff). again, a lot of things seemed pretty rushed, i had mixed feelings for some but not all episodes. it was nice to see mostly everyone united back with their families and characters developing new motives for what they believe in doing. yet, the writing kind of just wasn’t on the level of where it actually gets me really interested and invested into the storyline like how it had back in s1 to early s3. i’ll still mention how the writing did it’s part in presenting development for hunk, though. i enjoyed that a lot.

some parts of the writing were questionable, some parts of the season were enjoyable, but it wasn’t entirely overwhelmingly disappointing for me. the season was on the bare minimum on having the writing go “decent”, but again it felt pretty “meh” and this is just my own feelings on it. people have their own opinions, frustrations, concerns, questions, some people loved it, some people severely hated it or just felt extremely disappointed.

the season has its peaks and lows, some pros and cons, but whatever you take from it is what you believe.

i’ll still keep watching the show to see how it ends, that’s for sure.

#voltron #vld #voltron spoilers #voltron s7 spoilers

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girinma · 5 years

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i haven’t done one of these posts in a while but: thoughts on nier and nier automata

first off, i haven’t finished reading all of the nier side stories and nothing from the automata lore. but this is largely going to be thoughts on themes and comparing the two games rather than specifics.

i really like nier. its very much my aesthetic for post apocalyptic scenarios and i love the over-the-top yelling and breakdowns. i love how much lore it has even without getting into everything drakengard. i think there’s a lot of value from being able to go into the background so much while still maintaining a solid story on the surface. the games also have a quirkiness from multiple gameplay styles (more prevalent in the first game, though) that i think takes advantage of the medium.

i’m going to discuss some spoilers now so continue on at your own risk.

things i hate about nier: kainé’s outfit. it is infuriating. and no, saying she wears lingerie because she wants to avoid harassment for being intersex is not a valid reason because the character design literally. came first. read the interviews. she’s in underwear to be sexy first and foremost and isn’t a real person who can choose what she wears. ok mini rant over.

the concept for the spinoff from drakengard is just. so good. evil magic is spread through the modern world because of the portal from the other world. the desperate attempt to save humanity with magic after our weaponry is useless. just the fact that people get turned into salt is cool as hell.

nier’s reveal and the hints toward it were great. the enemies were just human souls the entire time! the mix of tech and magic! i love the characters and their interactions, even though much of their relationship feels... implied? like there’s more time between game events than there really are. weiss is so good. i’m a sucker for found family, what can i say. i like how the game is split into a pre-yonah-taken calm and then a more desperate second act. the ending b run is a nice addition though i wish there was more of tyrann to really make it worthwhile. c and d were dumb and should have just been on the end of b. overall i like the game, i like that original nier dooms the human race because his sister/daughter is going to die and the entire system depends on him to stabilize it. its fun.

now what i don’t understand about automata is how much its written for someone who doesnt known anything about nier. like you cant say that humans are on the moon when we KNOW that true humans are dead and replicants had unstable genomes and magic couldn’t sustain them forever, and given the time gap... they’re dead. there’s also far less magic in this game, which i dislike but i guess is acceptable because i assume robots cant use magic in this world. i also miss the banter of the first game (aka i miss weiss. i love him) the true ending is also IDENTICAL to nier’s ending which is :/ i love how the story ends, however, with machines truly replicating humanity by also removing their “souls” from their bodies in a way.

i wish the plot itself had more to it? nier was very regimented due to the style with prophecies and such, but i wanted more from automata. the first half was interesting but i wanted more from adam and eve. the second half tho. oof. picked up exactly as i expected and i generally enjoyed it. a2 learning essentially the same lesson as 2b and 9s in the first part tho was kind of eh. i just think the aliens were thrown away too quickly and the reveal could have meant more at a later point.

game-wise, automata feels like it is what nier wanted. its a larger world, with full pov switches, and is overall a better game.

emil paragraph. so glad he was in automata and i cannot believe that the joke in the drama cd where AND THEN EMIL FOUGHT ALIENS became canon. also literally saddest thing is that HE PLANNED TO SACRIFICE HIMSELF FOR NIER AND KAINÉ BUT HE OUTLIVED THEM BY THOUSANDS OF YEARS AND DEFENDED THE PLANET BECAUSE OF THEM and then he lost his sense of self trying to protect the world.... and he did it all while gay. the icon.

the 9s/2b romance was weird and i didnt get where it was coming from. i liked 9s overall, though 2b was a little too much silent-protagonist which I GET IT she didn’t want to become attached. but she lacked the development of the other characters because she was so reserved. a2 felt like just a 2b that talked more. smush em together! i want a better female character here. maybe i’ll get more in 2b characterization in the extra material but rn im not really liking it.

overall i really liked these games and im going to enjoy digging into some more lore. i like nier itself better for the story, but its such an interesting world and the way automata carved out the space to tell its story was nice. gg.

#but where tf did that whole dragon go.... the US lost a dragon. will that every be resolved.#do not judge me for the time im posting this #thoughts on

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autisticmob · 6 years

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tagged by uhh nobody but allie @pundeserving kinda left it open and im swoocing in because its fun. you cant fuckng stop me.

Rules: Choose any three fandoms (in any order), answer the questions and tag 10 people you want to get to know better

I choose…

1. homed Stuck

2. mob psycho

3. fma

The first character you loved!

1. ARADIA like ok first panel she was in i saw her and i was like “telekinesis? kinda spooky?? oh shit my TYPE” and that was it. it helps that she turned out to be objectively the best homestuck character as well.

2. MOB HES SUCH A GOOD BOY!! like, he’s the first character you’re exposed to and he’s so good, I don’t think you can avoid loving him first.

3. i mean. it’s gotta be alphonse. like... what a sweet boy? all the bad shit happened to him and he deserved NONE of it, my poor fucking SON.

The character you never expected to love so much!

1. ok in all honesty, sollux. sollux is tied with aradia for my all time favorite homestuck character, but the only reason i ever paid any attention to him was because i happened to have some weird 3D sunglasses, and that meant he was the first character I was able to cosplay easily. but obviously if you pay enough attention to him you realize hes a fantastic boy. like hes a fatalistic douche and a massive weenie but he cares about his friends so much?? like to the point of repeated, kinda horrifying self-sacrifice? and he was 13!!! its so fucked up but he just is love his friends THAT MUCH and now I’m sobbing.

2. shou. it’s 100% because i watched the anime first, and he’s barely in it at all, so it’s hard to get a read on him from that. but obviously after reading the manga im like oh hes just a young chaos gay. a sweet baby boy who doesnt know shit except how to exploit psychic powers for fun and profit (and also revolution against his shitty dad.)

3. ed tbh? hes such a shit boy. like tbh i found him kind of annoying and unlikable at first? but he’s the protag, so you KNOW he’s gotta get that good good character development throughout the series, and he does! hes a lot more complex than he seems at first and even if he’s largely STUPID about his interpersonal relationships, that’s just because he’s, y’know, a literal child, and doesn’t mean he doesn’t care a whole fucking lot about his family/friends.

The character you relate to most!

1. dave. there is an ever-expanding running tally of outside sources which have pointed him out as my government-assigned homestuck kin and at this point it would be foolish to argue. rose is a CLOSE second.

2. mob. i have a whole post about why he’s so relatable to me but tl;dr he’s got mad issues with expressing emotions outwardly, but that doesnt mean he doesnt love his friends more than fucking ANYTHING and thats a mood

3. winry. special interest hell, no time for bullshit.

The character you’d slap!

1. andrew hussie the man himself... (among a number of other characters. it would take a lot to list all of them but just know orangeman is at the top of that list)

2. touchy hoe is the obvious answer, I think.

3. envy. the nonbinary representation i deserve and you’re coming in here with that hair?? that fucking crop top monstrosity?? get the fuck out.

Three favourite characters (in order of preference)!

1. aradia, sollux, dave

2. mob, shou, serizawa

3. alphonse, riza hawkeye, olivier armstrong. im gay, what do u want from me.

A character you liked at first but don’t anymore!

1. i had a phase toward the beginning of my time in the fandom where i really really liked eridan. i don’t like... DISLIKE him now or anything, but i just... don’t really care about him all that much anymore?

2. this is hard because my love for most mp100 characters has only grown over time. i guess mezato? again i dont DISLIKE her, i kinda thought she’d have more to her character than just manipulating mob for her own interests, but then she just... didn’t, really? which was disappointing, i thought there was more potential there.

3. most of the homunculi? tbh? they all seemed really interesting and honestly opening with greed’s arc the way they did I thought they’d all get more development than they did. like... envy got some, sort of, and pride/wrath kinda did too, but like. not enough to be satisfying. and then lust gluttony and sloth were just kinda... there? idk i understand WHY they didn’t all get individual arcs because like thatd be a mess but the fact that they didnt is why my interest in them kind of dwindled off over time. (aside from greed who was Very good the whole time.)

A character you did not like at first but do now!

1. She Who Must Not Be Discoursed. like at first i was like aight shes bitchy and terrible whatever im not interested but then as time went on i was like oh shes bitchy and terrible AND interesting. idk. still have mixed feelings about vriska and i absolutely will Not get into discourse about her but yeah shes Neat if nothing else.

2. teru... honey im sorry but before i watched mp100 everyone was like “wow i love teru!” and when i first saw him i was like “... okay why tho...” but I KNOW NOW. teru did a lot of things wrong, in his life, i know this and i love him.

3. roy mustang. literally didn’t give a shit about him for like... a lot of the time? toward the end i started warming up to him tho.

Three OTPs!

1. aradia<3sollux, sollux<>terezi, dave<3karkat. like... these are just some kids who genuinely care a lot about each other, and i like to cry about that sometimes.

2. teru/mob/takenaka is a good one. teru and takenaka both like mob because he likes them regardless of the fact that they are passive aggressive dicks. they continue to be passive aggressive dicks to Each Other for a while until they like, idk, actually talk to each other like real people and realize that they have shit in common and are actually capable of being decent. After this point they Will kill or die for each other (and mob still.) serirei is of course a classic tale of two disaster gays. and then ritshou is VERY good. like. its SO fucked up how quickly they go from like one-sided crush, one-sided Mortal Enemy Status to just. Real Chill Bros in canon it makes no sense and my only explanation is that they were both so goddamn desperate for a meaningful connection with somebody their own age that they just. Settled for each other?? at which point they got VERY lucky because they both turned out to be genuinely good and sweet boys underneath all the trauma and questionable life choices.

3. ok ed and winry are okay and all, i get the appeal and stuff but like. WHY DO PEOPLE FORGET ABOUT ALL OF WINRY’S EXCELLENT GIRLFRIENDS? paninya?? an incredible option, 10/10 cyborg gf. sciezka? cryptid live-in gal pal. LET WINRY HAVE A TON OF GIRLFRIENDS, ITS WHAT SHE DESERVES!!

gonna tag...... uh. @whentvsfly @imhereformysciencefriends @margoslxix and i think most of the other people i wouldve tagged have already BEEN tagged so uhhh mutuals all of u DO it

#words #long post #mp100 #hs #fma

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maniactypewriter · 5 years

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The backlog Week 4 [where the hell have you been edition]

I LIVE! In all seriousness, when im at school, I don't have access to my gaming computer and my laptop doesnt have enough space free for a project like this. Anyway, I am back for the next month, so let's get to the first game(s)

Anomaly warzone earth + Anomaly 2 playtime: 4 hours total

Im bundling these two together as they are very similar in game play. In Warzone Earth, you play as the 14th platoon deployed into the heart of the Anomaly, a giant mysterious dome that crash landed on top of Baghdad and tokyo. As the platoon leader, its your job to make sure the convoy of APCs and walking missile platforms gets through the level safely. The game refers to itself as a tower offense game. Essentially its a tower defense game, but instead of placing down towers, you are the targets that the towers are shooting at. Your vehicle team is constantly moving forward and its your job as commander to choose the right path for the vehicles to drive down and to strategically deploy the four power ups at your disposal. Your tools include a repair which heals your units, a smoke screen which makes enemies less likely to hit your units, and a decoy, which enemies will shoot at instead of your units. Usually the player is spending their time babysitting the convoy and rushing to collect more powers as they are dropped from killed enemies. Each mission has a different objective, but it usually devolves into, get to a place and kill all the towers.

Anomaly 2 is much the same as its predecessor. Set in the far future after an alien invasion, the earth has frozen over and humanity’s numbers are dwindling. Humanity’s only hope is a single convoy on their way through a frozen america to get to New york. As this is the future, humanity's weapons have evolved as well. The standard ACP with a gatling gun on top has evolved into a car with two gatling guns. And it also turns into a walking mech flamethrowers mounted on either arm. Bad ass. The power ups have also changed a little. You have your standard repair bubble, there is a focus power up which will tell all your units to focus fire on one tower you want particularly dead and an emp type power up which will disable enemy towers for a short while. Anomaly 2 also has multiplayer, but I didn't play that as it is most likely dead at time of play.

Antihero playtime: 70 minutes

Antihero is a competitive digital board game where each player plays as a master thief in a victorian england type setting. As the leader of a thieves guild, you have to go around a burgle the good people of “London” to fund your operations and buy pieces to put around the board. You can hire urchins to occupy specific buildings for special bonuses, hire thugs to block access to areas, and gangs to off your opponent's units and hunt down targets (as well as making a little extra dosh along the way.) this game takes advantage of being a digital board game because everything your opponent does is done mostly in secret. Obscured by the smog of war, you can not see what your opponent is doing, which could spell your doom if you aren't fast enough to look into his territory with your master thief.

I am not great at this game. I couldn't get past the second level on easy mode that's how bad I am. However, I can see it is a fun game, and I can see how this game’s multiplayer was popular for a time. However, I dare not go there as I fear that I may be utterly stomped by a player who has had several years more practice than I have at this game.

Apotheon playtime: 4 hours

Apotheon is the story of one greek guy not named kratos going to olympus to kick the butts of all the greek gods. The most striking thing anyone playing this game will notice is the artstyle. It is drawn to resemble Greek pottery paintings. You know the kind. The ones that depict Hercules doing his trials or some other greek hero doing something impressive. Anyway, story. The earth has been screwed over by the gods because chronic rapist Zeus decided to revoke humanity’s access to the things that are necessary to life. Hera picks you as her champion then sends you to mt Olympus to gather the gifts of the gods and maybe smack some sense into her cheating husband along the way. The game play is a 2D mix of dark souls and metroidvania games that are so prevalent in the modern day. However, Apotheon came out before the current wave of soulslikes so there is some small growing pains. Combat is kinda clunky and your character can sprint at 30 miles an hour but immediately slows down to a crawl whenever he so much as touches a staircase. Combat as mentioned before is mildly clunky. It uses a physics engine to do all its swings and stabs. Heavy weapons like a club have a wide swing arc and is directed by which way you tilt the left analog stick. The Reliance on physics to get the job done can lead to some interesting results. I saw one raider in the first area get launched into space after being double teamed by me and a friendly malita man. Apotheon is an interesting game with a stunning artstyle and compelling exploration. Which in this modern age of soulslike metroidvanias, is all you really need to stand out.

Aquaria play time: 1 hour

Speaking of metroidvanias, Aquaria. As the name suggests, the game is an underwater metroidvania mostly concerned with puzzle solving over combat. You play as Naija, a lonely fish lady who can use the power of song to do magic. As a fish lady, you can swim around the oceanic caverns with relative freedom. The game wants to be played with a mouse and keyboard, as my attempt to play it with a controller was thwarted swiftly. As is fitting for a game where the protagonist’s main power is singing, the game has a killer soundtrack. In the little bit ive heard when I was playing, it was some pretty good music. Visuals are decent. The game has a hand painted aesthetic, however some of the animations are kinda stiff and stilted. This game was originally released in 2007 after all. Small indie metroidvanias were not knocking it out of the park yet in terms of animation yet (im sure someone will correct me on that point eventually…) the small amount I played had me swimming around a claustrophobic map going around and solving puzzles that lead me to new areas and new song powers. One of the first i got was the ability to pull around large rocks. The second allowed me to transform into an old fish goddess and shoot energy missiles at hostile fish. While the game is focused on puzzles and exploration, that doesn't mean it is devoid of combat. I feel as this is the weakest part of what i played. I gave up on the game when i died to a puzzle boss who’s apparent solution didn't work. There is probably a lot I didn't see in my short time with the game. There is a whole cooking mechanic that I didn't fully grasp, as well as pets and the ability to decorate the main character’s house with special decorations you found out in the world. I may revisit this game at some later point, but for now its going back into the backlog as I search for more interesting games with less obtuse boss fights.

Armello playtime 2 hours

Armello is yet another digital board game. Set in a fantasy version of zootopia, the king of the land has fallen ill with the Rot. and all the clans of the land have sent their strapingest of adventurers to go and try and claim the throne for themselves. This can be done in one of four ways. Having the most honour points (gained by killing other players, or completing quests), gather four spirit stones and cleansing the king of Rot, having the most Rot yourself, or just straight up murdering the king. In the few matches I have played, the easiest one to achieve is the Honour victory, although that might just be my play style. Like most board games, rounds are taken in turns. Each player has a certain amount of hexes they can move, and landing on spaces will have different effects. Most events that happened as a result of landing on a space are luck based. “Perils” have you rolling dice, quests have you selecting from a circle of icons trying to pick the one that will net you a reward, and a random spinner that could give you anything from rot to gold to teleport you to the other side of the map. Once everyone has had their turn, day turns to night and new monsters spawn on the board. When the sun rises again, the king dies a little from his fantasy aids and gives the person with the most honor points the choice between two Decrees which will most likely be terrible for everyone involved. On top of all this, players have access to a hand of three cards. Which have various effects. Proper use of your cards can lead to victory or defeat depending on who you're playing as. Armello has an online mode, but like the other online modes in this batch of games, I dare not touch for fear of getting crushed. The game also has an online store where you can buy new skins for your dice and new character packs. It's a fun little board game, but im putting it on the shelf for now because i’ve had my fill and have no friends to play it with.

#Anomaly warzone earth #games #video games #writing #review #reviews #Apotheon #Armello #antihero #aquaria #board games #metroidvania

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rantingfangirl · 7 years

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Cross Life Chapter Five

Summary: Moving across the pond was supposed to signify new beginnings for the Kirkland family. Arthur’s parents seemed to take that a bit too literally for his liking.

Chapter Index

This was moved from my old account

Like every good and successful plan, he needed allies. Ones who would be alibis if needed and would do and say things that he might need to be done later.

Not that they would need to know the specifics- or even the basics- of the plan. Arthur would take care of that part.

They were at lunch, talking about teachers, memorable classmates, and rumored future projects. Lukas was, unfortunately, absent, Vlad telling him to get used to it because while the occurrence was not common, it wasn't uncommon, either. However, his absence gave Arthur the perfect opportunity to speak with Vlad.

"So, tell me about this Mathias Kohler that has captured the heart of our dear Lukas." A bit dramatic, but it got the job done. He took a sip of his water, swishing it around before swallowing. The three had quickly established a system, deciding to take turns supplying lunch for each other. Today just happened to be his day. Snatching a large bag of crisps from the pantry and water bottles from the refrigerator was easy enough.

Vlad dug through the bag. "Well, uh... he's on the so- football team." He and Arthur shared a grin after his close slip-up.

He clapped his hands together, suddenly serious. "If you were to take a golden retriever puppy and turn it into a human, it would look, sound, and act like Mathias. No joke. He's a pure golden boy." Arthur chuckled at the joke, Vlad joining in.

Arthur took another sip from his drink. "So why does Lukas like the 'Human Golden Retriever'?"

Vlad snorted, staring off to the side. "I don't even know. Lukas already had a crush on 'im by the time we met. I do know, though, that Lukas joined the orchestra in the fourth grade because he heard that Mathias was thinkin' about it."

Arthur laughed- surprisingly genuine- at the thought of a fourth grade Lukas lugging around a heavy instrument, just to be with his crush. At first look- or at the first meeting, even- Lukas didn't seem like the type to do something like that just to be with someone. He didn't seem like the type to have things as fragile and silly as a crush in general.

It seemed to show just how little Arthur really knew about reading people.

Arthur's laughter slowed down to a chuckle. Vlad sighed, scratching the back of his neck. He suddenly perked up, making a small, "Oh!", before smiling. He scooted towards Arthur, leaning in, cupping his hands around Arthur's ear.

"Don't tell anyone- especially Lukas- that I ever told you this." Hot air tickled the shell of his ear, and Arthur suppressed a giggle. He leaned closer, curious of what he was going to say. "There was a small rumor, though it went away pretty quick, that Mathias was only considering, but decided that he was going to join when he learned that Lukas signed up."

Arthur leaned back, eyes wide. He covered his mouth with his hand, his snickering muffled. Romance stories were always a soft spot of his, especially ones that involved secret want from both sides. This situation was certainly turning out to be entertaining, and Arthur wanted to get every detail he possibly could. "Ah... so mutual pining?"

Vlad nodded, his smile smug as he spoke. "Mutual pining. Exactly."

The two shared another laugh, reveling in their friend's fruitless attempt at a love life. They continued talking about Lukas' past failures to win the heart of Mathias, Arthur keeping note of each and every bit of information in case he needed it in the future. He had learned long ago that the secrets of his allies were much more valuable than that of his enemies. After all, as he had found, loyalty was harder to keep than hatred.

When the bell rang, Arthur was already rolling up the bag of crisps, shoving it into the front pocket of his backpack. Vlad was milling around, whistling some repetitive tune as he waited for Arthur to finish.

The two started walking towards the concrete stairs, Arthur to choir and Vlad to English. At around the third step, however, Arthur paused, grabbing Vlad's shoulder when he kept on going. Vlad made an "oomph!" as he was pulled back, but didn't say anything as he turned around, eyes filled with worry and confusion.

Arthur averted his eyes, stepping one foot down to the second step. "Uh..." He acted as if he was considering how to word his sentence, even though in reality he had already had it planned out. He made himself seem unsure, pausing a few times as he spoke in an effort to drive the point home. "Er- I'm not sure if you want to do this- and if you don't, that's... perfectly fine, but-" Arthur ran his hands up and down the straps of his backpack, adjusting his footing a tiny bit. "-would you like to work together to hook them- Lukas and Mathias, I mean- up? Maybe?"

He winced, expecting Vlad to decline, to say that it would be too much meddling in his friend's love life.

But instead of a frown, of a look of disgust at Arthur's suggestion, Vlad smiled brightly, clapping his hands together rapidly. "Yes, of course! Lukas deserves to be happy, and this'll be so much fun!"

Arthur hid his shock. He expected Vlad to have more respect for Lukas' privacy and love life, but if it was going to make his plan go that much faster, it was best.

He smiled, trying his best to match Vlad's. "That's great! Um... I was thinking that maybe we could... form a strategy at my place?"

Vlad nodded enthusiastically. "Yup, of course!"

"Wonderful! Could I meet you in the parking lot after the last bell?"

"Yeah. See you later!" Vladimir patted Arthur on the shoulder roughly before heading up the stairs. Arthur watched him go, giving a small, quick wave when he looked back.

Arthur tried to not look too smug as he made his way to choir, but it was something he just couldn't help. His plan was starting off smoother than he could've hoped for. He smirked, before beginning to run up the stairs.

Just s they had decided earlier, Vlad stood in the parking lot, lifting his heels off the ground, up and down and up and down, smiling energetically. His smile widened when he saw Arthur, raising his hand to wave. "Arthur! Are ya ready?"

"Yeah, let's go."

The normally quiet walk home was loud, filled with whatever topics Vlad had quickly thought up. They avoided the topic of Lukas and Mathias, though Arthur just assumed that they were saving it for later. Arthur supposed it was a nice change, though one he could do without, as he was giving up the only time where everything was silent and he could be alone. It was for the sake of his plan, however, so he guessed that he could be throw away one measly afternoon, even if it was done begrudgingly.

When they finally arrived at Arthur's house, he stopped to let Vlad take it all in. His eyes were wide, mouth gaped with the feeling of seeing a friend's living space for the first time. Vlad turned his head side to side, taking in the grass that badly needed a fresh trim, rows of bunches of flowers beginning to wilt, and the sad, pathetic tree that was one bad storm away from toppling over.

Arthur realized just how disgusting his front yard was and how little his family tried at making it look somewhat decent. Sure, it was like this the day they moved it, but that doesn't excuse it. He cringed, not bothering to elaborate when he saw Vlad staring at him, eyebrows raised, from the corner of his eye.

He considered turning around, telling Vlad that they could find someplace else to figure it out. Sure, it would make him look bad, but it was better than going into his house and risking seeing his family. Arthur turned around to tell Vlad that they were leaving when he saw the sky.

An angry mix of gray and black was swallowing up the cloudy blue in the distance. The wind, he noticed, was starting to pick up, softly pushing his fringe into his eyes. He pushed it out of the way, silently cursing at his horrible luck. It was going to rain. A storm, at the worst.

Arthur cleared his throat, resigning himself to his fate as he adjusted the straps to his backpack. "Right... let's go." He hoped Vlad would just shut up and follow him, as he no longer felt the need or want for any conversation.

Fortunately, Vlad didn't say a single word, waiting patiently as Arthur reached for his keys to unlock the door. As he pushed the door open, lifting his head up, he froze. Arthur cursed, choosing a word that was especially filthy and crude, contemplating on whether or not he should turn around, grab Vlad's hand, and run away as fast as he could.

There, standing behind the marble kitchen island, pouring milk into her now overflowing mug of tea, was his mother. Her eyes were wide as she took Arthur and Vlad in, especially the latter, but snapped out of it when she noticed her mug. "Oh, damn!"

She tried to whisper but instead failed spectacularly by yelling it. Arthur turned and gave Vlad what he hoped to look like a look of pure exasperation, before making his way towards the kitchen and, unfortunately, his mother.

Though it would make more sense to immediately turn right for the stairs, Arthur had to make a good impression for Vlad. He also wanted to get the crisps out of his backpack and into the pantry where they belonged, but that was beside the point.

"Good afternoon, mum." She was trying to drink down her tea, which must've been disgusting, considering the amount of milk in it. He raised an eyebrow as she slurped it down with a cringe while simultaneously wiping the counter down, but decided not to say anything about it. "Didn't expect you to be home so early."

"Mh." She stuck her pointer finger up in the universal sign to wait, drawing away from the mug with a gasp. "Apparently we get half days the last Monday of every month."

"Oh, that's nice. And convenient." He bit his lip, struggling to keep the temptation of calling her words bullshit away. She was lying, he knew it. She had probably come home early to chew him out for something that he didn't even do but had to quickly make something up when she saw Vlad walk in. "I've never heard of a place that's done that before."

"Well, apparently mine does." She set down her mug, jerking her head towards Vlad. "Who's your friend?"

Arthur opened his mouth, prepared to tell her that it was none of her business and to keep to herself when Vlad stepped forward. he smiled, hand extended, cocking his head to the side in a way that Arthur had to admit was charming. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Kirkland. Vladimir Popescu. It's a pleasure to meetcha."

She took his hand, shaking it, and immediately went to cradle her mug. She smiled, though Arthur could easily tell that it was forced. "Likewise. Arthur has told me so much about you."

Another lie. Arthur had never felt the need to inform his parents about his social life, and even if he did, they would just assume that he was making it all up. Like they always had.

"Oh, really?" Eyebrows raised, he turned to Arthur. "Thanks!"

He had to get out of here. They had to get out of here. The conversation was rapidly turning south, and any longer his mother would start asking questions that didn't need to be asked. And there was a possibility that Vlad would do the same thing. He wasn't going to stick around to find out the answers to those questions.

Slinging his backpack onto the floor and unzipping the front pocket, Arthur pulled out the bag of crisps. his mother watched him with a raised eyebrow as he walked over, pulling the door open and all but throwing the bag into the pantry. It hit a shelf, bouncing off and landing on the floor with a crunch. Vlad snickered. Without evening bothering to pick up the bag, Arthur slammed the door shut.

"Come on, Vlad." Arthur zipped his backpack up before grabbing his wrist and dragging him out of the kitchen.

Vlad dug his heels against the hardwood as he was tugged away, gripping onto the doorway. "It was nice meetin' ya, Mrs. Kirkland!"

"Nice meeting you as well, Vladimir. Are you planning on staying for dinner?" Her lips were pursed, her eyes slightly narrowed. Arthur would surely hear it after Vlad left.

Arthur prayed to any powerful deity out there that Vlad would give him the mercy of saying no. That his mother would accept the fact that he said no. That after they figure out a way to hook up Lukas and the human golden retriever, he would leave and go home and they could be done with it.

But, of course, Arthur's life never turned out the way he hoped. "Uh... sure. I'll text my mom."

"Wonderful."

Arthur tipped his head back, quietly groaning at the thought of the evening to come. He didn't say anything to Vlad. Didn't mention the pure Hell he had managed to get himself into.

He just hoped his "friendship" wouldn't be ruined at the words of his parents.

Arthur threw his backpack into the corner of his bedroom, Vlad cautiously doing the same. Both bags hit the wall with a thump, though they didn't pay any mind to it.

Their walk up to his room was eventful, to say the least. Vlad stopped at every photo, asking about family. Arthur didn't mind, as long as he didn't get too nosy. About half way there, Peter came barreling up the steps, pushing the two out of the way before locking himself in his room. Vlad made a comment about how Peter reminded him of his own brother, but Arthur doubted it. Peter was the brattiest of them all.

He motioned for Vlad to sit on his bed as he searched for a notebook. Vlad kicked off his shoes before plopping himself down on the foot of the bed. "Your mom is really nice."

Arthur froze his rummaging through his messy closet. He turned towards Vlad, giving him a surprised look before continuing his search. "Yeah, I suppose she is."

He knew that in actuality, his mother's kindness only extended to guests and family members she didn't see monthly. To him, to his father, to his brothers, she acted like an angered Kraken. The way that woman could go from evil and malicious to kind, polite, and courteous always confused Arthur. He figured it was some particular talent of hers that he didn't inherit. Though, if he were to be truthful, he wasn't unhappy about it.

With a loud, "Aha!", Arthur pulled out a spare, blank notebook. He chucked it over to Vlad, who caught it after a few stumbles, and grabbed two mechanical pencils from the top of his desk.

Arthur jumped onto his bed, next to Vlad, it groaning in protest as he was pushed up and then back down. He crisscrossed his legs, kicking off his shoes to pile on top of Vlad's, and slapped his hands on his knees.

"Ok. How are we going to start this?" He tossed a bright red mechanical pencil over to Vlad, who started vigorously pressing down on the eraser.

After a bit of lead poked out of the bottom, Vlad scribbled onto the blank header: The Lukas Bondevik Love Initiative. Arthur embarrassingly giggled at the name, covering his mouth in an attempt to block and hide it. Vlad smiled a toothy grin as he did so, passing the notebook back to Vlad.

He started tapping his pencil against the paper, tipping his head back to stare at his ceiling. "Uh..."

Arthur had already planned out some of this in his later classes, though he didn't bother telling Vlad about it. "Erm. I was thinking that maybe we could do something that involves Lukas' interests? It could make him more willing to do it, and it would also give Mathias some sort of a clue if he were to come sniffing."

Vlad nodded along, eyes wide, a smile growing wider as Arthur went along. When he reached the end of his explanation, Vlad was nodding quickly. "Yeah! That sounds like a good idea."

The idea came to him in the middle of choir, Mr. Vargas having decided that they needed a quick solfege review. The only problem was that Arthur had no idea what Lukas was interested in. Sure, they were friends, or, at least, Vlad claimed they were. But Arthur had known the two only for about a week. Lukas was a mystery to him. He barely talked about himself, and barely even talked to Arthur. He was still a potential ally, however, and one that Arthur needed, so he supposed he would let it slide.

"Tell me everything he likes." He tried to sound like he at least knew some of what he was asking, and Vlad seemed convinced, bopping his head side to side.

"Uh... orchestra, obviously." Arthur nodded in agreement. "He likes Mathias- once again, obviously."

Arthur smirked, snorting at Vlad's comment. "Some of his hobbies?"

Vlad rested his head on his palm, tapping his fingers against his cheekbones. After about a minute, his eyes widened and he perked up. "Oh, oh! Lukas is really interested in Norse mythology."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Really? Norse mythology?" He didn't seem to be the type.

"Yeah! It's all he reads. Haven't you seen that big giant book he lugs around every day?"

He knew the book. If Arthur had a habit of keeping books until their pages were yellow, Lukas had one of keeping them until they were nothing but scraps. The book must've been more than a thousand pages, the width longer than Arthur's entire index finger. The gold and blue paint of the cover was beginning to fade, part of the edges chipped off, and the binding looked as if it were two more reads from disintegrating.

Arthur didn't know why he still kept the thing. It looked old, ancient, and was close to falling apart. He asked Lukas one day why he didn't just break down, throw it away, and buy a new copy, but that only led to him being shunned the rest of the lunch period and half of the one the next day.

"Ok, so that's something someone could use to identify him. Maybe we could do something involving that?"

"We would need an actual plan before we could even begin to incorporate it."

Sighing, Arthur swung his pencil between his fingers, the eraser thumping against his thigh. He cupped his chin in his free hand. covering his mouth with his pointer finger. "I've no clue..."

They sat like that for a while, staring off into space to try and find something that could help their friend. The room was silent, save for the tapping of Arthur's pencil and whatever Peter was doing in his room.

After about twenty minutes, Arthur's back slouching and aching, Vlad perked up, snapping his fingers. "I've an idea."

Arthur uncrossed his legs, sore from sitting in the same position for so long. "Shoot."

Vlad leaned forward, cupping his hands over his knees. "Ok, so Norse mythology is basically Vikings, right?" he waited until Arthur nodded to continue. "So, we dress up as Vikings, fake, braided beards, horned helmets, fur coats, y'know, stuff like that, and we walk up to Mathias and sing an epic love song. Well, Lukas will. You and I will provide the chorus and afterward, Lukas will ask Mathias if he would like to go on a date with him. Mathias won't be able to say no!" Vlad waved his hands around as he spoke, most likely in an attempt to add more emphasis.

Arthur looked at him as if he were crazy, which was probably true. "That is the stupidest idea I have ever heard."

Vlad deflated, his pout making him look like a disappointed toddler. "Why?"

He threw his hands up. "For godsakes, Vlad, you've known Lukas for- what?- years? You think he'll actually go for something like that?"

The fool actually seemed to consider it. He huffed, crossing his arms together. "You're right. If anything, he'll run away before the first verse."

Arthur nodded. That definitely sounded like something Lukas would do.

At the look on Vlad's face, Arthur decided he needed to do some ego fluffing. Scooting closer to the other, Arthur patted his shoulder exactly three times. "Sorry for being so blunt. That was a really creative idea, but I just didn't think it would fit with our circumstances. For coming up with something like that, and so quickly, too... you're really talented."

Of course, he meant none of that, perhaps beside the fact that it was creative. How Vlad managed to come up with that was beyond him.

Vlad's eyes sparkled. With what, Arthur wasn't even going to try to figure out. "That's okay." Groaning, he leaned back against the wall, folding his arms behind his head to create a pillow. The loon in his eyes was gone. "What're we gonna do~?"

Arthur ignored his friend's antics in favor of brainstorming. he clicked lead into his pencil, drawing a line down the middle and writing "Not To Do" on the top of one half. Lukas was extremely shy, even more so with Mathias, so anything up front and close would be off-limits. That included song singing, flowers and a note, asking friends to hook up, walking up and flat out asking, and a nerdy love equation thing.

Deeming himself finished with that column, he went to the other half, titling it "Possibilities". He stared at that half, wishing that a twelve-page list would magically appear. If that were to happen, he and Vlad would only have the problem of picking one to go with.

What seemed like hours ticked by, spent by them staring at that paper. Occasionally, one of them would propose something, only for it to be shot down by the other, followed by a lengthy explanation why. Arthur had learned more about Lukas Bondevik in those last few hours than he had in the past week.

Eventually, they were summoned for dinner. The food was good, for Kirkland family standards, meaning his mother must've tried harder than usual this time around. Vlad ate it and accepted when he was offered seconds, so he most likely enjoyed it as well. The whole thing was terribly awkward, however, with his parents quickly turning it into an interrogation. But where Arthur would've started snapping, Vlad stayed calm, smiling his way through even the toughest questions. Peter, thankfully, had decided to keep his mouth shut for the majority of the dinner.

When they returned upstairs, they went back to staring at the blank half, which is what they were currently doing.

Arthur groaned, pushing his fingers through his hair. One thing. He- no, they- just need one tiny idea that they could branch off of. One little idea, and then they would be airborne.

He racked his brain one last time, going back to Vlad's idiotic plan from earlier when he found nothing. It really was stupid. Viking uniforms. Lukas singing a song with him and Vlad as backup-

Backup. That was it. Arthur straightened his back, his eyes wide. Every single plan that they had come up with so far- besides Vlad's, of course- had Lukas doing all or most of the work. Buying flowers. Stalking him to learn his hobbies and likes and eventually working those to his advantage. Asking the teacher for an out-of-school tutor and recommending Mathis for the job. All of it with Lukas doing everything.

So what could they do? Vlad was creative. Eccentric. So he could surely come up with something to decorate and add on to whatever they were doing. Arthur prided himself with his writing, had done so for years, and-

"Oh my god, oh my god, Vlad." Leaning against the wall, the boy had begun to doze off, or at least, until Arthur grabbed his shoulder and started shaking it back and forth.

Vlad winced, leaning forward, rubbing his eyes lethargically. "What?" His voice was quiet, small, as if he planned to go back to sleep after whatever "minor" thing Arthur was going to say. "What is it?"

"I've got an idea." He wrote down the concept on the blank half- only to fill the stupid thing up- before flipping to another page entirely. Vlad slouched over the notebook, watching as Arthur scribbled down the specifics.

Arthur paused, looking up at Vlad. "he carries around that huge book, right?" Vlad nodded. "So I'm safe to assume that it's full of stories, right?"

Another nod. "And profiles of a lot of the gods and goddesses, but yeah, mostly stories."

"And I'm guessing that Lukas knows a lot of those stories?"

"No, as soon as he reads them, he instantly forgets what he just read." Arthur raised an eyebrow at the sarcasm, not entirely expecting it from someone like him. Vlad winced. "Sorry, sorry. You kind set yourself up for that, though." Arthur nodded. He had. "But yeah, he does know a lot of 'em. Like, what goes on and what happens. I think there's this one love story he knows word for word. I dunno."

Perfect. Absolutely perfect. It was all coming together. He finished writing down the plan, Vlad adding a couple of extra details here and there. Eventually, they had a solid concept in place.

The only thing they had to do was tell Lukas the next day at lunch.

"No." Lukas chucked the notebook onto the cafeteria table, it hissing as it slid back towards Arthur. He leaned back, crossing his arms. "Absolutely not."

Vlad grabbed the notebook, glancing it over and then turning it over to face Lukas, text forward. he rotated it back and forth between Arthur and Lukas. He leaned forward to look at the paper, before sitting back and shoving it in Lukas' face. "Show some common sense. This is top-notch!"

Arthur nodded in agreement. It was a fantastic, sure-fire plan that had no holes for failure. Especially so, considering the fact that Arthur had thought up and created three-fourths of said plan.

Lukas frowned, huffing. "This 'top-notch' plan of yours is the cheesiest, most cliche thing I've ever heard."

Honestly. That ungrateful- "What in the hell are you talking about? Do you want to hook up with Mr. Golden Retriever or not?"

Vlad snorted before breaking into a full out laugh. "Mr. Golden Retriever. Genius."

He smirked, taking a bite out of his peanut-butter and jelly sandwich- courtesy of Vladimir. It was his first one, embarrassingly enough. When he told his friends that, they stared at him with disbelief. He took another bite, using his pointer finger to push a bit of escaping strawberry jelly into his mouth. As Arthur spoke, his voice was muffled. "Give it a change, Lukas. Vlad and I worked hard and spent ages working on it."

Raising an eyebrow, Lukas gave him an "Are you kidding me?" look. On anyone else, it might've looked amusing or so ridiculous that Arthur wouldn't be able to take them seriously. On Lukas, however, it just made him look cold, intimidating. Arthur tensed, forcing the hackles back. It reminded him of his father.

"Really? You two honestly think that secret admirer letters that we slip in Mathias' locker will get us anywhere? If anything, he'll take them to his table and read them to everybody so they can laugh at how stupid it was for anyone to even think of it."

Vlad crossed his arms and pouted. "How could you think so low of your future lover?"

"He won't be if we-"

Arthur cut him off, not willing to hear any more bashing of his masterful thinking. "Cliches are things that are overused, yes? Well, there's a reason they're overused. They're effective. Efficient. They work."

Lukas threw his arms in the air, mocking a look of wonder. "How could I've ever known?" His arms fell, and he was back to his original, irritating expression. "This won't be worthwhile. I know it won't. I'ven't had a single full conversation with Mathias. Ever. And we're neighbors!" Arthur lifted an eyebrow at the new bit of information while Vlad just snickered. Lukas fixed him with a glare, before deflating in defeat. "I dunno. If anything, he'll just think it's someone else and fall in love with them. Like The Little Mermaid."

He paused for a moment to imagine his nightmarish thoughts, before shaking his head with vigor. When he finished, Lukas grabbed his sandwich, slumping back as he ate.

Vlad watched him with sad eyes, leaning over the table to pat Lukas on the shoulder. From the look he gave, it didn't help. "C'mon, Luke! This plan'll be different. Arthur and I put in a foolproof way to ensure that you'll be identified."

"How so?"

Arthur nodded to Vlad, silently conveying that he would take care of this part. "Well, you see, there's this one tiny, yet major, detail that we included-"

Vlad beamed. "And that's the theme of the letters!"

He lightly smacked Vlad on the shoulder for interrupting him, before continuing. "Exactly. The theme. You like Norse mythology, everyone who knows you knows that. So, we're thinking that maybe the messages can involve some of the stories?" Lukas didn't seem confused, but Arthur still felt the need to elaborate. "I-I mean, for example, 'Mathias, you are my- insert Viking name here-, you are brave, strong, and courageous.' You know, stuff like that."

Vlad nodded, having quit rubbing the area where Arthur slapped him. "Yeah! And, the thing is, if Mathias was really into ya, which I'm positive he is- c'mon, Lukas, it's you- then he'll have some clue of who his secret admirer is!"

Lukas huffed, grabbing his book and flipping through multiple pages at a time. Lukas stopped at one particular page, rubbing his fingers against the edge. Arthur and Vlad were silent as they watch him read, though he didn't seem to notice. He huffed again. "I'll start looking for some stories we can use."

Vlad sighed in relief, Arthur rubbing the back of his neck. If he were to be honest, Arthur expected Lukas to deny their plan altogether, leaving them to pick up the pieces back at square one. It certainly was something that he himself would've done, though he supposed that Lukas was kinder than that.

The three sat in silence for the rest of the break, someone occasionally muttering about a random, trivial problem going on in their life. When it was his turn, Arthur never mentioned anything about his home life, instead choosing to complain about the waves of homework that were starting up. His friends were sympathetic.

Friends. It felt weird for Arthur to think of them that way, to notice how quickly he was beginning to open up to them. It was certainly much faster than he had in the past. Eventually, if this kept up, he would be easily telling the two his deepest, darkest secrets and insecurities. Laying it all out for them on a polished silver platter, just so they could pick and choose which ones to mock and judge.

The very thought of it made him livid.

When the bell rang, Lukas tucked his bookmark into his current page before snapping his book shut. He grabbed his backpack, slinging it over a shoulder and walking away. He didn't even bother to say goodbye.

Arthur began packing up, mentally preparing himself for the horrors he'll have to face in choir. Today, they were supposed to be receiving their first music pieces for the concert in December, but, knowing Mr. Vargas and his teaching style, that could very well change. The Madrigal choir was due to start tomorrow. Arthur pursed his lips, wondering what exactly he had gotten himself into.

With a quick, "See you later," Arthur began his walk to the stairs leading to the second floor. A hand wrapped around his wrist, pulling him back.

Vlad let go, moving his hand to rub his forearm. "I- uh... just wanted to say-" Arthur raised an eyebrow as he looked away. "-thank you!"

Arthur's eyes widened and he sucked in his lips. He was certainly not expecting this. Not at all. he opened his mouth to say something, to say anything, but Vlad cut him off.

"No- don't say anythin'. Just lemme talk." Vlad twiddled his thumbs, darting his eyes around as if he were trying to figure out what to say. "It's only the second day of the second week of school. Which means that Lukas and I've known you for not even two weeks."

Arthur stayed still, not bothering to nod in confirmation. It wasn't needed.

"But, the thing is that even if we haven't known each other for that long, I'm grateful of all you've done to help. Lukas is, too, though he's just too shy to say it."

The surprise on his face must've been obvious, as Vlad snorted. "C'mon, Arthur. Give yourself s'more credit. You offered to help set up Lukas with the guy he's been smitten over for years- and you've only known about if for a few days! A lot of people wouldn't even think about doing that."

Vlad put his hand on Arthur's shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. He smiled, and kept the smile even when Arthur didn't smile back. "I gotta go, but, once again, thank you so much for everything. All of it. You're seriously awesome." He pushed Arthur back, laughing as he did so. Arthur let out a chuckle. "Have a good day, Art. See ya tomorrow when we officially start The Lukas Initiative."

And with that, Vlad briskly walked away, no doubt going to his next period. Arthur smiled as he watched him go, a real, genuine smile. He didn't have to fake even a fraction of it.

He didn't upset himself to develop relationships this fast. This easy. In actuality, Arthur expected himself to be alone the first three months at least. It was an odd and tense feeling to see his previous thoughts turn out wrong. It was kind of pleasant, though he knew it wouldn't last.

Yes, after they learned of his plan, saw the aftermath, gone would be any friendly relationships Vlad and Lukas had with Arthur. They would never speak to him again. Sneer in disgust whenever he walked past or near. It was a necessary sacrifice, he told himself. It would all work out in the end, and it was not as if he would see them after high school, anyways.

But he couldn't help but feel a little guilty for what he was dragging them into. For what was to come and what was to happen.

#Aph UsUk #UsUk #Aph America #Aph England #RantingFangirl #The Fanfiction Life of RantingFangirl

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asiamaes-blog · 7 years

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&&. task 001

“the stars gave her a crown and said

this is your place of belonging”

PERSONAL SECTION

do you have a crush on/feelings for anyone?

do I have a what on what now? have you met me? I fall in and out of love by the second. though, maybe I don’t choose the right people... I hope the lovely flower girl I have my eyes on right now speaks latin, although, I could always teach her...

what is your sexuality?

50% of love 50% gay. who am i kidding? 500% gay.

are you religious? why and which religion?

well. tough question. i like the idea of a god. i like the idea that they exist to help us and the idea of religion seems lovely to me. i for one am in love with the greek gods. do i believe in that they exist? sure. do i believe they could solve all my problems? probably not. do i believe religion is good for this world? i believe the original concept was, but all the wars and hatred it has fuelled in this world makes me opposed to it. so to answer your question: no i am not religious, but i believe in faith, whether that’s a god or a carrot, whatever helps you succeed is what matters.

what are you looking for in a relationship?

support. i know i am complicated. i know that im a tough nugget and that im hard to live with. but relationships mean trust and support and i need someone who can love me all day everyday whatever I am doing. i dont want to pick between my dream and my partner. i want them to be part of my dream.

what do you find attractive in a person, physically and mentally?

oh boy... i have to admit that im attracted to every lovely lady in this world. i mean.. have you seen them? goddesses. all of them. but physically I’ve always been drooling over bad girls. yanno.. with the leather jackets, motorbikes, listening to rock while fighting the patriarchy. also brunettes. two tropes i am very happy to be apart of. mentally? well. i find humour extremely attractive. someone i can show a good ol’ dank meme and have them roll their eyes only to show me one of their faves as well. i also grew up in a family of love and believe it or not i can be very touchy. someone who can be mature enough to tame me but still be fun and soft.. dream daddy right there.

what is your favorite and least favorite food and drink? why?

HOT CHOCOLATE. i mean.. yeah hot chocolate is nice, i guess. you know what i can’t stand, though? all those sugary drinks. shake up the happiness more like dissolve all those 3 kgs of sweet carbs. fizzies can stay away from me please and thank you.

ALTON SECTION

how has is been since you moved in to alton heights & why?

bloody awesome! like what else is there to say? my neighbours are the real mvp’s and im making all these cool friends and there. is. a built. in. gym. like basically my second home? i don’t know the only thing bugging me is that i live on the other side of the city, so, far from the fam, but that’s honestly it.

have you made any friends/enemies with the other tenants at alton?

well. i don’t personally like the word ‘enemies’ but more like.. not-meant-to-be-besties. i don’t reckon i managed to piss off anyone that much to be considered a public enemy, but i guess everyone has ex drama.. that’s the only person i can think of. but that’s not hate. don’t get it mixed. everyone else is just lovely. lovely. lovely. give me all the friends.

how well are you fitting in to alton heights and san francisco? is it better or worse than the previous city you lived in (if it applies)?

which one? i don’t think anything will beat auckland, yanno.. you never forget your first city, but i like the san fran vibe a lot. i mean, i’ve been here for.. uh.. wait. 6 year-, no, 7 years. that’s a lot. alton is nothing like the family home, but i guess it’s nice to not have to argue with my father every single day.

how big is your apartment? how is it decorated?

okay, so there are three rooms, right? and basically i told blaze i would only move in if i got the eastern room, ‘cause then like, i can kinda see my family home which is really cool, plus there’s this killer view of the bay, like damn. as for decoration, i think we all know by now that i’m the crazy plant lady. i always have freshly cut flowers and all these potted plants and unlike somebody, i actually look after them. they’re my children. otherwise i think we have a very.. industrial but chic apartment? a lot of bits and bobs i pick up at the fleamarket and i guess it’s just this wild mix of everyone’s tastes. i love it.

is there anything you would change about your experience in alton heights so far? if so, what?

um yeah? stop trying to kick me out of the gym at 4 am? i am not drunk or crazy, i’m having a nice time and i would appreciate if people wouldn’t keep checking up on me thanks.

#i cba to make a graphic hi hello whats new #alton:task #about #idek my tags #this post is a mess

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idontwanttowhy · 4 years

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Review: True Beauty (2020)

Synopsis (copied from earlier post)

Im Ju Gyeong is a high schooler who likes horror comics, heavy metal music, and spending time in the local comic book store. She is bullied by a group of students at her school because they find her “ugly”, which leads Ju Gyeong to her wits end. When she moves to a new school, she decides to change her life around by using makeup to cover her bare face. Her new “goddess” level looks bring her a lot of attention, though not without a lot of stress. Her complicated relationships with two of the best-looking guys in school (and mortal enemies), Lee Su Ho and Han Seo Jun, doesn’t exactly help. Can Im Ju Gyeong keep her secret, and what will happen if she is found out?

MZ Overall: 7.5/10, it was a fun watch!

There were some truly funny moments in this show, and despite dealing with many dark themes, for the most part True Beauty kept it light. It pretty much departs from the source material after the first half, which was good... until it wasn't. I didn't really care that much about the main couple in the end, and felt that many of the last plot points were just "eh." Ultimately if you're looking for something with a great plot combined with the best parts of this show, I'd say watch Extraordinary You (2019); it definitely helps that they make several references to EY throughout!

MZ Review: (spoilers ahead)

The strong suits of this show were definitely the humor and relationships of all the characters. Ju Gyeong's siblings often stole the show with their scenes, and her friendships and classmates rounded out the romantic elements of this show nicely. I have mixed feelings about how they handled all of Ju Gyeong's friends finding out about her bare face (though there wasn't much to find out imo) but I'm happy that Su Ah stayed her friend, and that they were able to fight the bullies that tormented Ju Gyeong and Hye Min together. Even the way they wrote Su Jin's character was understandable, and I'm glad that they didn't just write her off as a villain to the very end. Do I wish they would have explored her thought process a little further? Absolutely. But something is better than nothing, and I saw room for them to be friends again even with everything that happened. The most delightful development was the friendship between Su Ho and Seo Joon, which was so refreshing considering that usually being love rivals is the thing that ends friendships, not the thing that brings them together. Enemies to friends is such an underrated trope! Probably the only relationship on this show I didn't like was Ju Gyeong's parents', and it doesn't get better at all. Overall they make Ju Gyeong's mom pretty unlikable, which is fairly in line with the webtoon, but I guess I was wishing that they would explore her character a bit more. The dad was a welcome edition to the Im family household and their dynamic, while hard to watch at times, still added a lot to the show.

Now, this might be a controversial statement, but I hate time jumps. Hate. H A T E. Plenty of dramas I've loved (looking at you Start Up) have done this to me and it doesn't necessarily take away from my overall experience, yet I can never get fully into the relationships again afterwards. There is something so wrong to me about there being what is effectively a pause on people's whole lives for however long the jump is that just doesn't sit right. True Beauty does not escape my ire in this area, and in fact this was one of the worse experiences with a time jump that I've had. First of all, I was really thinking that they had departed from that part of the storyline when Ju Gyeong and Su Ho started dating in the first place, so to have this happen was surprising. Then, Su Ho turned around and broke up with her? For... what exactly? She said she wanted to stay together, and he broke up with her knowing that he was going to pursue her again when he got back to Korea. What would have happened if she had moved on? To that point, my third (and always my biggest) pet peeve with this was that Seo Joon didn't confess while Su Ho was gone. UGH. Absolutely the worst part of any time jump is this. Like, dude, if you are so in love with her, are you really going to wait two years to start anything? UGH.

Anyway, I'd say overall it was fun to watch and I'm glad I spent the past months watching this show with my friends. The good parts outweigh the bad, and I think it is a welcome edition to any watch list.

AC Overall: 6.5/10, I watched it

So. True Beauty started off promising, with some intriguing elements to keep me, someone who normally doesn’t watch high school and/or strictly rom-com kdramas, interested. But, I gotta say, they found their groove and stuck to it. It’s everything I imagine high school kdramas have-teenagers being teenagers, with love triangles, bullying, and friendship drama. These last 11 episodes or so became typical, and definitely veered away from the webtoon (which I’ve now caught up on, shocker!) and stayed in the less chaotic world of teen romance with decreasing focus on the whole makeup thing. I gotta say, nothing really crazy happens, so if you’re up for teenagers being teenagers and like having second-lead syndrome, True Beauty is for you.

AC Review: (spoilers)

For me, however, I was definitely less invested once I realized they weren’t going to follow the webtoon’s path of having Su Ho go away before he and Ju Gyeong could start dating, and having Seo Joon as an actual love interest. Instead, Su Ho and Ju Gyeong got cute high school bf/gf scenes, and my boy Seo Joon didn’t shoot his shot. I was disappointed, probably because I prefer that Seo Joon and Ju Gyeong got a chance in the webtoon, and Su Ho wasn’t so destructive. But no, drama Su Ho said “it’s all about me” and did what he wanted (like a stereotypical teenager, I suppose) despite Ju Gyeong’s feelings. And for two years, Ju Gyeong couldn’t let go of Su Ho, probably because they had gone too far by the time he left (and after), and thus Seo Joon didn’t get an in. So the time jump in the drama’s case wasn’t an opportunity for Ju Gyeong to move on and then (maybe-we don’t actually know yet) finally choose Su Ho after exploring other options. Instead, it was--pointless? a fake time jump? because nothing really changed but their jobs and Su Ho’s hair. Su Ho himself made it clear when he came back AFTER 2 YEARS and acted like nothing happened.

Outside of the triangle, though, I did appreciate that Ju Gyeong and Su Jin were able to make up. And it seemed like a genuine I-turned-my-life-around-and-am-really-truly-sorry-for-being-a-bitch kind of apology; they even threw her “volunteering in Haiti” in there, which was...interesting. A topic for another post. AND we got our favs! ~Grapefuit~ and Hee Gyeong got a funny proposal and wedding fitting for their relationship. Ju Gyeong’s brother was still simping for Seo Joon’s sister, which–I guess.

I did wish the premise of Ju Gyeong "being ugly” and “hiding behind makeup” was explored more...it fell of once she was found out, went through it, and then was able to show her classmates that she could still bag Su Ho with her natural face (not that it was strong to begin with but-). So, if you want more consistent commentary on beauty standards and physical appearance, check out the webtoon, maybe try out the kdrama My ID is Gangnam Beauty or try another webtoon, Lookism, for a male perspective on appearance, and some action (I’m sure there are others...these are all I’ve watched/read pretty much).

Overall, it wasn’t a bad watch, especially with others and some drinking games. Read the webtoon if you shipped Seo Joon and Ju Gyeong and want a proper time jump (with more ~developments~), and watch the show for a more developed Su Jin, more side characters, and a typical high school kdrama.

#kdrama #kdramareview #kdrama recommendations #k-drama #k-dramareview #the extraordinary you references were the best part #seo joon x su ho and su jin x ju gyeong were my ships

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fanfiction-mania · 7 years

Text

Keep your Enemies Closer (Chapter 11)

p.o.v Amy

im on the couch at the lynch's house cuddling with Rydel still from when we were watcing the movie. i woke up to find that rydel and i were the only ones in the room. everyone must have gone out. thats what i thought happened until Stevie and Riker came running down the stairs. baed by their reaction of seeing us on the couch i would imagine that they thought they would be coming down here to find no one home. clearly they were wrong, and i actually was wrong as well considering i thought Rydel and i were the only ones here.the four of us stayed in silence. it was sort of an awkward silence since i know that rydel knows what happened between Riker and Stevie, i know what happened between them, and i have a feeling that they know that we know. i would break the silence but i dont know what to say. the next thing you know, Stevie's phone buzzed. she checked her phone and said "well i have to go, my mom is here to pick me up!" with that she said goodbye to us, kissed riker on the cheek and left. The second the door closed behind Stevie, Rydel just began this full out rage towards Riker. this was a side of her i have never seen and it is also a side of her i never thought i would see. "LOOK! I KNOW WHAT YOU TWO DID LAST NIGHT! DONT YOU DARE LET IT END THE WAY IT DID WITH THAT POOR INNOCENT GIRL YOU HAD A ONE NIGHT STAND WITH!" i was looking at rydel very slightly confused and very shocked at the same time. meanwhile Riker had probably the most guilty look on his face. I could tell he was way too in shock by the outburst to say anything because first of all he wasnt saying anything and second of all he was stiff as a board. Rydel continued yelling at riker and i swar i never thought i would say it but rydel is actually scaring me a bit.

p.o.v Rydel

if you havent already guessed why im yelling at riker like this, its because the girl he had a one night stand with was a really close friend of mine at the time. of course we dont really talk much because riker just had to go and fuck everything up, literally. i swear if he does this withstevie i will never forgive him, especially since i havent really fully forgiven him for what he did before. it was actually a good two to three weeks before i could even look him in the eye after that.

P.o.v Riker

It's been nearly a month since rydel has even looked at me. I honestly never thought it would bug me this much but I really miss rydel. "look rydel..." I trailed off which caused an awkward pause. "I know what I did before with your friend, but Stevie is different. I have feelings for her and I'd never hurt her, and I'd never do anything to hurt you like that again either because I care about the both of you too much to do that!" she looked at me as if she was conflicted. As if she couldn't choose between wanting to slap me as hard as she possibly could in the face, or if she wanted to consider what I had just said. After about a minute or so of this awkward silence she came up and hugged me. When she hugged me tho she started saying something quietly. "If you ever hurt Stevie or leave her or cause her any kind of emotional or physical pain I will personally kick your ass!" after she said that I pulled away and made a terrified face and raised my hands in surrender. I know I sound like a total wuss right now not exactly seeming tough at the moment but when rydel gets mad she gets scary. Actually scary is a bit of an understatement to be completely honest. Anyways I'm just happy she's not going to kick my ass because I was telling the 100% truth when I said I love Stevie and I would never even think of hurting her. My thoughts were soon interrupted by Rydel speaking "Amy and I are spending the night at her place and we will be leaving shortly. Just thought I would give you a heads up."

P.o.v Rydel

"Amy and I are spending the night at her place and we will be leaving shortly. Just thought I would give you a heads up." I said hoping he wouldn't ask if we were going to be there just the two of us considering he has witnessed us doing things that you dont exactly want to witness and something may lead to something like that so lucky for me I am good at telling little white lies. I may not be good at telling big lies but I have to say I have gotten away with a few little white lies in the past and that is what I intend to do now. Right before I spoke Amy walked into the room hopefully planning on telling a little white lie. I cringed until I heard what she said. "my mom is out of town for a few days but my dad is there!" she said reassuringly. "alright then!" he said seeming satisfied with Amy's response. With that Amy and I headed off to my room to pack the few things that I would need for the night. As soon as we got into my room I shut the door and said "your dad isn't really there is he?" she looked at me as if the answer was supposed to be completely obvious. "no he's not, he barely ever is. To be honest it's kind of sad actually, I pretty much never see him, when I'm home he's working, and he gets called into work pretty much all the time." I looked at her with a pouty face. I got rid of the pouty face and then responded to her little rant about her dad by saying "oh what a shame!" I said it sarcastically of course considering my intentions which I believe are mutual. We were just about to leave to go to Amy's but I made sure that when she wasn't looking I slipped some sexy lingerie into my bag. After I was ready and had all of my stuff we headed to Amy's house.

P.o.v Amy

When Rydel and I showed up at my house we were the only ones home. We were greeted by my dog though. My dog can be the most annoying little shit but she's adorable, she's a little Yorkshire terrier pomeranian mix... Anyways. I kinda lost my train of thought right there. Ok so we are currently alone in my house... Just the two of us. It's the first time since everyone found out about us being together. At first we decided to hook up my docking station in the main area of the house so we could blast music and sing at the top of our lungs. (I love doing that when I'm home alone) after about an hour or so of that we got bored. We went into the living room and I put on the tv. Of course we both got bored of that pretty quickly considering nothing was on. That's when a random idea came to me. "let's play marry, fuck, kill!" I said sounding overly excited. She giggled at how excited I was about it. "who should go first?" I asked Delly. "how about you go first considering you suggested that we play it." she said suggestively. "ok then let me think" I began. "how about Sawyer Hartman, Connor Franta, and... Anna Kendrick!"I said knowing that they are all sexy people so her decision would be tough. The way she replied kind of caught me off guard a bit but it's fine considering I'm happy with how she responded. "how about we just forget them all and I fuck you instead." she said very seductively. Before I could even respond she had her lips crushed against mine. She was pushing me back towards the bed.

#rydel lynch #amy Michael #GXG #fanfictions

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