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uwua3 · 3 years

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if it's ok 😳👉👈 i really love your writing and i've had this idea in my head for awhile but i can't get myself to write it on my own 🤔 i wanted to see how your spin would be on it- so can i request a prompt where reader gets jealous of tenma's co-actress in a romance and tries to mimic what she does to him in a show they're in?? ty!!! 💕💕💕 i look forward to your interpretation

thank you so much for requesting~ ♡ i love you sososo much; i hope this lives up to everything you’ve dreamed of! ♡ ～('▽^人) i LOVE YOU!!! <333

summary: when tenma lands a role in your favorite drama, he had one goal: to become your favorite actor

warnings: envy/jealousy, food mentions, rivalry (all covered briefly!)

author’s note: after learning everything there is to know about the k-drama, true beauty, on tik tok, i’ve decided to write this! for context, the only thing i recommend watching before reading this is watching the “roar” scene!

this is also the first time i’ve introduced made-up characters with names! please enjoy jun, the first character who isn’t canon to the a3!verse :D

word count: 3,768

music: like a movie – b1a4

pretty u!

🌻☀️ sumeragi tenma

what the heck was love, and why did he have to be in it?

sumeragi tenma, future “world’s best actor”, was suddenly... seeing why he hadn’t won that award yet. with a script in his hand and confusion in another, tenma read the title of the next drama he landed the role for

“PRETTY U...” it was japan’s next major love story, advertised on every social media platform possible with the all-star cast in the spotlight already. although it had already been out for a season, tenma was entering as the up-and-coming newest character of the series

tenma was boyish, young, and much too confident for his age—perfect for the role of a second-lead bad boy who was going to steal the heart and test the protagonist’s commitment

except... he didn’t actually want to take up a new project so soon. he only did because—

“what?! you’re going to be chan on PRETTY U?!” he proudly nodded and watched as you began ranting about how much you loved this show. there was only one reason he came to the audition: tenma wanted to star in your favorite television series

you always went on and on about how great everything about PRETTY U was. after hearing so much and pretending not to listen (even if he could practically explain the entire plotline now without watching it), tenma let himself become a fan, too

after all, how could he not be a fan when you loved PRETTY U so much?

tenma didn’t respond to his manager’s pleas until one day, you revealed another reason why PRETTY U was your favorite production: the main lead

“he’s so handsome~ i love him so much!” “do you know him? could you get me his number?” “look at him... he’s the most perfect actor in the business right now—ah, sorry ten!”

tenma scoffed every time, claiming he could most certainly do better than that hotshot. although the boys typically didn’t do the same type of television, he had become tenma’s #1 rival without even knowing it

besides... what did that guy have that tenma didn’t? he was just nice! sure, he held open the door for the lead, bent down to tie her shoes, bended over backwards just to be the perfect boy-next-door. yeah... even he couldn’t pretend anymore

tenma pouted at the thought, skimming over his next pilot episode for rehearsal tomorrow. he was too good to be real, after all, he was meant to end up with the lead girl anyways (spoiler alert!)

but, it didn’t matter how perfect that actor was! because tenma had gotten the role of “chan”, the leather-jacket wearing mystery with an actual heart of gold, and he was going to make the entire audience swoon

(though, tenma just wanted to make your heart skip a beat when he ended up on the big screen)

tenma would never admit how fast he checked his phone when he felt it buzz in his pocket. sure, it was unprofessional during rehearsal but he knew it was you. however, his smile dropped the moment he read what you sent

you: remember to tell him how much i love him!

tenma: hah... no good luck for your new bad boy?

you: you know i’ll always root for you, ten!

tenma: but, i’m better than that actor, right?

tenma watched his message get delivered and was about to keep bothering you until someone called his name like they were friends. speak of the devil...

that actor’s straight, white toothy smile made tenma stand a little straighter (damn it, tenma was shorter), eyes wide as the actor gracefully introduced himself as his co-star for the next month or so (how did his voice sound even better in person?!)

“good morning, tenma! my name is jun, i’m so honored to meet a fellow actor on set! let’s work together well!” were they... really the same age? tenma barely registered the fact he was suddenly shaking jun’s (right, that’s his name) hand. why did he have such a manly grip?

tenma quickly (to his dismay) found out that him & jun had entered the industry around the same time but often had different projects, so they were never featured in the same production before. apparently, that was creating quite a buzz in the media that two childhood stars were competing against one another

a competition that tenma couldn’t lose. he was going to be your favorite actor, not his rival!

jun, like the perfect gentleman everyone described him to be, showed tenma around the PRETTY U set. jun had nothing but good things to say about the crew and vise versa. that only reinforced how tenma was oddly much more quiet than he usually was. luckily, one of the talents of being an actor was improvising, so jun was doing just fine

when they had reached the dressing rooms, jun shot a bright smile at tenma and gestured to the rather large room

“we’ll be sharing a dressing room together, tenma! we’ll be spending a lot of time together!”

tenma suddenly regretted his decision to become chan of PRETTY U. you couldn’t have had a different favorite show?! anything but... this

there were now three main characters for PRETTY U: hoshi, yuri, and chan, creating a love triangle for millions of viewers to watch every week

nakamura jun, leading role, played “hoshi”, the boy-next-door. this is the popular boy at school with the best grades and an even greater reputation amongst everyone. next, uedo ren, one of japan’s rising female actresses of this generation. she is adored as “yuri”, the perfect girl. she is the typical nerd who suddenly transformed into the prettiest girl at school from learning make-up

last (but definitely not least!) is sumeragi tenma, playing “chan”, the bad boy. it was nothing like tenma’s done before, since the character was much less expressive than he was used to. chan is a traditional rebel who is revealed to have a soft side for yuri. but, chan (ironically enough) has a secret history with hoshi, causing tension in this already confusing love triangle

(embarrassingly enough, jun had to explain to tenma the complications and ties between each character. tenma, unfortunately, found it to be extremely helpful)

even with this newfound knowledge of the characters in season 2, tenma couldn’t help but absolutely ruin the first day of rehearsals. even with a decade or so of acting as his experience, one thing kept him from being chan: his lack of chemistry with “yuri”

“cut!” the director called out again for the nth time, sighing as their eyes landed on tenma, who was not enjoying being the center of attention this time, surprisingly

“take 5, kid. once you come back, i expect you to actually go through this scene without messing up your lines.” tenma nodded and exited quickly, feeling flustered from the looks of sympathy directed his way. usually, it was one-and-done. it didn’t take a hundred tries just to do another romantic and cliché scene

tenma exhaled loudly once he felt the fresh air upon his face. without the fear of cameras in his face anymore, tenma ran his hand through his hair with a frustrated kick at the concrete. come on! he was renown child actor sumeragi tenma, why was he so in his head now?

tenma was about to yell into the sky before he heard someone close the door, standing beside him with their usual silence. tenma didn’t even have to look to know it was jun (probably with the most pitiful look ever)

“tenma? are you okay?” jun waited as tenma tried to not say anything he’d regret, shifting his weight on his foot back and forth before relenting, shrugging as if it couldn’t be helped

“i don’t know... i just, i can’t see yuri that way. how am i supposed to flirt with someone i don’t even like?”

jun pondered the thought for a moment, before tilting his head, a boyish smile overtaking his features. tenma unwillingly relaxed; jun finally looked his age

“who do you like then?”

tenma froze, a blush even foundation couldn’t hide blossoming on his cheeks. jun let out a teasing “oooh!” as he nudged tenma with his shoulder, who pushed back with an eye-roll

“i-it’s not like that! don’t be so—ugh!” tenma cut himself off, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding jun’s knowing eyes. damn it, they barely knew each other. why was he getting so comfortable with his enemy?!

“well, whoever you thought of, imagine yuri as them.”

“is that what you do?”

jun shrugged, not giving a clear answer for once. before tenma could ask for more information, their break was over

when tenma returned to the scene, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. when he opened them again, he watched as yuri transformed into the one person he’s been trying to impress this entire time: you

when “you” smiled, tenma couldn’t help but follow along. his first-take after break made the cut for the final product

“you must really like them, tenma~” — “stop!!!”

filiming afterwards became easy, especially when he imagined all his romantic words were directed towards you. he could feel the clamminess of his hands, the rapid beat of his heart, the intense blush across his face, all at the thought of you

(the only time he had to start over was when he accidentally said your name instead of yuri’s)

tenma was sure he’d become your favorite actor now! after all, you were his favorite person

“will you watch the first episode of PRETTY U’s season 2 with me?”

you had never said yes so fast in your entire life. when tenma learned there’d be a cast-viewing of episode 1 after finishing the season, he knew his +1 invite could only go to the biggest fan of the show

throughout filming, you were always the person who got him in trouble when the text tone wasn’t put on silent. you liked spamming tenma with a bunch of supportive and encouraging messages when you were available, meaning tenma always had something to look forward to after each scene

in return, tenma would send a selfie of him with his castmates or the set (or, what he was allowed to show under his contract). yet, despite your constant pleas, there was one co-star he’d never take a photograph with: jun

(“tenma! we’ve worked together for months~ shouldn’t i be called your friend now?” “no—” “huh?! don’t pretend you don’t like me!” “who said i was pretending?” “tenma!”)

at first, tenma was apprehensive about inviting you to an event where jun’s picture-perfect face would be on display everywhere. but, whenever he saw you, the weight of the tickets suddenly felt much heavier in his pocket. he couldn’t deprieve you of such an exclusive event just because of his jealousy (even if he was this close to doing so)

when tenma impulsively asked three days before, it felt worth it when you threw your arms around him (he hugged you back and pretended this meant something to you)

“i love you, ten!”

tenma felt like he was on set again, with yuri’s arms tightly holding onto his heart

“i love you, too.”

even after saying it so many times, tenma meant it even if he didn’t say it to your face every time

you looked like the star of the show

tenma fixed his tie as his blazer suddenly felt too tight. you appeared in your most formal attire, looking like a million bucks as you two sat across each other in the limo

“ten, look at all of this!” you pointed out every little thing of preparing for a professional event. the little glasses of champagne neither of you two could drink sat to the side as the leather seats molded to fit your posture. as the night lights of tokyo blurred by, tenma couldn’t help but think you sparkled more than this diamond of a city

“i can’t wait to go see the first episode! thank you for inviting me.” you bowed your head, as if suddenly overcome with gratefulness. tenma lightly kicked your shoe with his, fondly rolling his eyes as he tried not to smile (mission failed)

“don’t worry about it, who else would i bring? you’re my favorite pe—friend. friend, yeah...” tenma trailed off, suddenly finding something very interesting outside of the window. you only nodded, seemingly more interested in the fact there was enough room to walk around

when tenma caught sight of the infamous red carpet laid out in front of the theatre, he cleared his throat and put on his best face for the cameras. after stepping out of the car with his bodyguards nearby, tenma turned and gave you a genuine smile. not his typical arrogant smirk the news source ate up, but a type of smile only reserved for you

when he held out his hand, the flashing lights behind him seemed like a real celebrity, something you had never considered him to be before. it was like seeing tenma in a new light (both literally and figuratively)

“shall we?” you took his hand and wondered if you could ever have your own j-drama. perhaps, tenma could even be the main lead...

before you could step off to the side, tenma already had his arm wrapped around your waist with his unchanging expression (however, underneath it all, he was internally freaking out. what was he going to do now?!)

“you’re my date, right? walk the red carpet with me.” tenma winked (you swore it sparkled) as he gestured towards the carpet ahead. suddenly, the line seemed much longer

“t-ten... you’ve never brought a date before...” you mumbled, acutely aware of how soon it was to walk down together. tenma’s arm stiffened, but nothing else exposed the revelation as he looked down at you

“you’re my first, then.” and my last, tenma thought to himself. before you could change your mind, it was showtime. tenma put on his movie star face and introduced you to familiar interviewers, smiling away as if you two weren’t panicking on the inside

while you were focusing on the fact you were going to be going viral as tenma’s first “date” to the event, tenma was trying not to blush from how close you were. you felt... right besides him

tenma was a natural in front of an audience waiting for him to make a mistake. he flawlessly answered every question with swaggering confidence, his stride easy and poses photogenic

you did your best to follow his lead but it all ended when tenma took you into the theatre, staring down at you with a bright smile

“we did it! see, told you we’d be just fine.” tenma let out an exhale of relief, glowing with joy from the adrenaline of everything that came with being a superstar. as you looked up into his excited eyes, you saw him lean down before—

“your arm is still around me.”

silence, then a hurried separation as tenma put too many feet between you two. it was suddenly as if you two were strangers. you regretted the words the moment they left your mouth; you didn’t mind at all... why did you say something?!

“um... so, food?” tenma spoke up after an eternity of making excuses. you two quickly moved to the line of movie snacks, using candy and popcorn to substitue the suddenly awkward silence

when tenma ordered all your favorites without even asking, he turned around with the selection only to close his eyes and internalize every single thing he was feeling because there he was, his worst enemy

jun entered from a side door, most likely finishing up helping the crew with set-up (and 30 minutes early as usual) before catching tenma’s iconic bright orange hair, a grin lighting up his face

“tenma! it’s me, jun!” he said, as if they weren’t the two main leads of japan’s most famous drama so far. immediately, your smile matched jun’s as you watched as your favorite actor of all time make his way towards you two

“jun... of course you’d be here.” tenma said through gritted teeth, forcing a pleasant smile even with an armful of junk

“ah, still keeping the bad boy attitude? we’re off set now, you can stop method acting now.” jun joked, bringing his attention to you with a dazzling smile that would absolutely make any fansite’s career

“oh? who is this, a friend of yours?” tenma tried not to sigh so loud when you couldn’t help yourself and burst into a long rant about how amazing jun was. tenma waited until you reached your midpoint and stopped you with a quick nudge, trying not to scream (could jun stop being so... perfect? could you stop being so cute?!)

when tenma introduced you, he stood a little closer as he tried to maintain his jealousy. “they’re my date, by the way.” no one had asked, but tenma was clearly telling anyone who was around you two had gone together

jun’s eyes lit up in recognition as he let out a noise of surprise. “ah~ so this is who you—”

tenma didn’t regret losing his giant popcorn so fast to a co-star who could only be silenced with food. his wallet could afford another one, anyways. his pride on the other hand? could not let you know his acting secret already

“what was jun going to say?” you asked after you two departed for the viewing room. tenma nonchalantly pretended like everything was okay as he guided you to front row

“probably something about the fact you’re the one who always interrupts our scenes.”

“hey! my texts make your day, don’t lie!”

“go sit down and eat already, jeez.”

when it began, your eyes couldn’t leave the screen. it was better than you could have imagined. everything was perfect, it exceeded the standards of even the toughest fans out there. you loved every second of it... except...

tenma was too good at being chan. even with his bright hair, the dark clothes he wore made him appear intimidating, with his sharp eyes and even sharper smirk. chan’s appearance was tough, rough, and mean, everything tenma wasn’t

yet, you still couldn’t help but feel your heart sink when chan was clearly in love with yuri. yuri was one of your favorite characters by far, but she ended up bothering you for the entireity of the episode

especially every time she shared a scene (which were many times) with chan. chan was revealed to be a bad boy with a heart of gold, all with a special soft side for yuri

what was this feeling? were you... no, you couldn’t be! after all, you had never seen tenma that way before, right? yet, every time chan made an exception for yuri, you felt sick to your stomach

was it possible that tenma liked the actress who played yuri? you snuck a glance at tenma, only to see he was looking at you already (he’d never admit it, but he was watching your reactions to see if he made you proud. yet, every time you saw him, you subconsciously frowned)

were you not proud of him? did you not like his performance as chan?

before tenma could ask you, the scene changed into one of chan’s. he was standing outside in the school uniform, his head ducked as he swiped through yuri’s social media. before he could look up, yuri jumped in front of him with a teasing smile

“roar!” she called out, referring to their inside joke earlier in the episode. yuri cutely bounced back with another roar, holding her hands up like paws. chan watched, his typical rock-hard expression breaking to reveal his developing feelings for yuri

later on, chan stopped yuri in the hallway, other students watching as the school’s bad boy and goddess interact

“do that again.” chan demanded to which yuri innocently tilted her head, confused like a little puppy. “do what?” “that... that thing.” when chan roared, tenma sunk into his seat with an embarrassed defense and explanation ready. but, when he looked, you finally cracked a laugh at his little roar

your smile only fell when yuri roared again as a joke, but chan smiled for once. tenma wondered why... he thought you would be so happy to be here with him. maybe, he’d never be better than jun...

when the episode ended, it took a moment before you stood up and clapped. tenma followed along, but all he could think about was how he let you down. not only as chan, but as your boy, too

when you two left the room, you two hung back to watch as everyone congratulated one another on the success of the production. in the midst of the cheer and celebration, tenma felt small as he watched your blank expression

what did he do wrong? he put his best efforts into every scene; he might even say it was his best work yet. before he could apologize, you did the unthinkable: you roared

you jumped up into his face, holding your hands up like yuri did. when yuri did it, tenma didn’t feel a thing. but, when you did, tenma felt it. the butterflies fluttered in his stomach as he stared at you, frozen in place

“this is the part where you ask me to do it again.” you shyly trailed off, about to put your hands down before tenma weakly put his hands up, knowing he was about to regret his next move (if the embarrassment didn’t kill him, he didn’t know what would)

“roar!”

that was too loud, wasn’t it? the room suddenly went a lot more quiet as they turned their attention towards a teen actor roaring at his date

“yah! why didn’t you ask me the next line?”

“b-because... i know i like you even without you doing, that, again.”

you paused, taken back by his honesty. as tenma contemplated just falling onto the floor right then and there, you suddenly hardened your expression, standing up straighter with your arms crossed

“do that again.”

“do what?”

“that thing.”

when tenma roared again, much quieter this time, you nodded as you finally smiled genuinely for the first time ever since that episode started

“good, i know how chan feels now. i like you, too.”

“does that mean i’m your favorite actor now?”

(when jun released a video of tenma roaring online, he captioned it with “ROAR = ILY!!!” tenma realized maybe he wasn’t all that bad, but still)

#sumeragi tenma #tenma sumeragi #a3! act! addict! actors!#a3!#act! addict! actors!#a3! actor training game #a3! headcanons #act! addict! actors! headcanons #mankai a3!#mankai company #a3! x reader #a3 x reader #tenma x reader #a3! tenma #a3 tenma

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daydreamed-snippets · 3 years

Text

TW: Sorry, I’m in a mood. Talk of Suicide. Abuse of prescription medication. Underage drinking. Hints at abuse

It was quiet here in the bones of the old house. Cold. Drafty. Wildlife feasted on the general decomposition of trim. Faded tile and decaying drywall dangling at odd angles. Bricks lay uprooted by greenery. Furniture slowly losing its form was arranged haphazardly throughout the house. Winn could see her breath hang in the air, curl in a tight spiral before dispersing into the night. A single electric lantern kept watch beside a nest of her own making: a bedding of dried leaves, her favorite crochet blanket, and a little radio faintly playing an upbeat tune.

Oh, and a bottle of whiskey and every fucking antidepressant and mood stabilizer those bastards had ever prescribed for her.

Playing eenie meenie miney mo, she uncapped a half-empty bottle of citalopram and popped all of it into her mouth. She took a swig, throwing her head back to ensure she swallowed. Looking around she supposed it was a fitting epitaph. Her end would be here, in this broken mausoleum, a showcase to humankind’s fundamental need to create something sublime but ultimately fail in its maintenance. To conceive something beautiful but become indifferent and bored with it, letting it fall into ruin. Wreckage that is only redeemable by nature itself. It would be nice, she thought, if something productive, beautiful even, grew out of her decaying life too.

Then maybe everything would have been worth it.

Absently plucking at weeds poking through fractured flooring, she huddled over on herself waiting for the drugs to take effect. Her stomach turned as she tried not to think. Tried not to repeat the same question over and over in her head.

How many times did she have to lose everything to take the hint? How many times did she have to hit rock bottom before her knees buckled and her legs snapped trying to stick the landing as she broke herself to please everyone?

For her, the answer was four. Not that that matters now. Cause now it was too late. Now she finally gets it. Now she gets why her Mami was so unhappy. Why Miami's boyfriend, Leonard, wasn’t happy. Why her doctors weren’t happy. Her teachers, her friends. Everyone. Why the world was unhappy. Maybe her death would make them happy again.

A breeze picked up, whistling through the gaps. It sounded like someone was whistling and walking around the house, wooden planks creaking. That should have terrified her but her mind was starting to feel a pleasant, sleepy haziness. She took another half-empty bottle by her feet and downed the contents, choking on her own saliva and the aftertaste of the alcohol.

Thoughts continued to rush in, unabated, like a broken dam. Each empty bottle held its own story, mostly of the times Leonard lugged her to another shrink, to “fix” her while her mother sat in the car, finding solace in a glass bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag. Finishing it before Winn’s hour-long appointments were over.

None of it ever seemed to satisfy Leonard. Not that he ever waited for her to finish her prescription before shoving the next pill down her throat, deeming the previous one ineffective when she would have another episode. Promising that the next drug would be it. That the next one would work. And she believed him. Each and every time, she believed. Whatever was wrong with her, these next pills would fix it.

But they never did.

Soon it turned into, why can’t you be like x? Why can’t you just do x? Your attitude is why x is happening to you. Do you even want to get better from x?

She could put anything in for x. The equation stayed the same, with one common denominator:

Her.

Winn.

She was the shared numerator whose value was always zero. And anything that is multiplied by zero forever equals zero.

Another half-filled bottle, another swig. Her heart started slowing down. So did her breathing, face becoming flush. She was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

Another floorboard whined under stress, and a voice followed it. “That is an especially painful way to die, dear one,” someone called out to her. “Overdoses can be messy affairs when attempted through the unpredictability of drugs.”

A surge of fright course through her. Who was that? A ghost? Leonard? She didn’t know. They remained out of sight. She looked up through the smog of her mind, unaware that anyone had breached the house grounds. She curled more into her nest.

It couldn’t be Leonard. At least she didn’t think it was him. It was hard to tell right now. It didn’t sound like him. Her chest wouldn’t stop stinging, though, at war with medical sedation and her adrenaline. Trying to play it cool, she schooled her tone, wishing she had a taser on her. Cursing how stupid she was to come here without one. “You lost?” she called, scrubbing her face with the bottom of her palm, her coordination clumsy. “The main road‘s that way.” She pointed, not exactly knowing if that was the right direction anymore. “House gone to be destroyed in the morning. The bots won’t check to see if anyone’s in here before they start smashing.”

“That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?” he asked, coming into view. It sounded more like a statement. “Because you don’t think anyone will find you before they start demolition.”

She squinted at the man in an impeccable blue suit, refusing to answer. Definitely not Leonard. But…

“Mmm, I know you,” she said scrunching her eyes, fighting to place the face, fighting to find a name. Yes, she has seen him somewhere, but her mind could only remember one location in which she encountered him. A place shrouded in metaphoric perception and youthful symbolism. A place that is both romanticized and villainized oftentimes in the same breath. A place she could only visit when she closed her eyes at night and slipped from this reality to another.

“The man of my dreams. How—?” She swallowed, thoughts tripping over themselves. Her speech started to slur. He squatted in front of her, full weight on the balls of his expensive shoes, keeping his immaculate attire away from the dirt of the house. He moved gracefully, and though his smile looked concerned it was still every bit disarming.

“Uhh, I mean man from my dreams,” she stammered. “Uh, how is this?” It dawned on her. The part of her mind that was still intact. “Hallucinations. I’m dreaming. I-I’ve passed out.”

“You have not,” he said, making no move towards her. Simply staring her down with hooded eyes. “At least, not yet. And though I am, how did you put it, ‘the man of your dreams’, I’m not some figment of your imagination, Winnifred. I am quite real, and I’m here.”

Winn barked a laugh, “Oh my gods, for real? ‘I’m here’?” she mocked. “Everything’s good, I’m here.” She grabbed the bottle, his eyes following, and took a sip. “Fo sure, like that would really matter now. You can get your damn hair swirl outta my face with that.”

She made a move for his hair, uncoordinated and choppy, catching herself when she leaned forward too much and fell onto her hands. It took a while. He remained still for her, attentive, but unmoved. She was able to ruffle his dark blond hair out of its slicked-back position, wrapping a finger around the bit of lock that fell over his brow without falling again.

Their eyes met.

Realizing what she was doing she yanked her hand back as if burned. Confusion swept through her. He raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth twitching. “Convinced?”

“I can touch people in my dreams, it’s just...” It’s never felt so real.

She reached for another prescription. Clearly, she was delusional. Clearly, this was a trick. She poured out the oval-shaped pill preparing to swallow it whole. It was quite possible that she was out cold, body slumped over like the furniture of this house. Quite possible she was unconscious and this was her mind’s last chance at providing her with a final comfort. A childhood sentential to keep watch as she fades away.

She tilted her head back, arm poised to sling the pills into her mouth.

The man moves.

He shifts to catch her wrist in a light but firm hold. The bottle slips out of her fingers, clatters to the floor, along with the pills, dropping between boards and out of reach. Winn curses.

“Don’t touch me,” she said pulling away easily. “You don’t know me like that.”

“Listen to me, Winnifred,” his voice held a command. “I have not moved heaven and earth—I have not rescheduled my life just to watch your throw away yours. I do know you. I’ve known you since you were four years old. I’ve visited your dreams since your first nightmare. I’ve watched over you the best I could from afar.

“When I said, I’m here now, it wasn’t meant to be crass or derisive. So many people have let you down in your life, I being the chief among them. But I am here now. Things will get better. Let me prove it.”

“That wasn’t real. And dreams isn’t knowing someone.”

He tilted his head. “I know that your father left you when you were six. I know that your mother has been bounding from boyfriend to boyfriend, looking for validation but never really finding it. Each suitor worse than the last. The current beau is a monster called Leonard.”

She gulped, running a hand over her face. Tucking a curl behind her ear. He watched, gaze overly familiar. Possessive without even touching her. Eyes extracting what he wanted. She imagined he didn't take no for an answer. She imagined he changed outcomes to fit his ambitions.

She felt unable to hide.

“I know what he’s been doing to you,” he said, voice changing.

“H-how?”

He let out a breath of air. “I know this because I’ve seen your dreams. I know you’ve been having a recurring one of Leonard assaulting you, and then ending your life. It may happen in different facets and different places, but the theme is resoundingly the same. You also have recurring dreams of your mother’s lifeless body lying on the side of the road while traffic rushes by. Sometimes hitting her, most of the time not.” He adjusted his cufflinks, before completely abandoning his position to sit on the grassy floor. “You’ve been having these particular dreams for a while. It is because you venture into Leonard’s dreams each night, before going to your mother’s. It’s not unusual for someone with your abilities since they are the closest people to you. You’re able to see what Leonard will do to you, whether he’s willing to admit to his own perverse desires or not. And you’re able to view your mother’s darkest fears. Of being abandoned by everyone.”

“You’ve always had a talent for dream wandering and precognitive dreams. You were once able to control your dreams, steer away from the nightmares with my help.”

“I can’t anymore. It’s too—” her voice cracked, and she was reminded of his face. His words. How Leonard taught her to hold her breath, to clamp down on her tongue. He taught her to hide truths, and keep secrets. To bear the scars without screaming, and conceal them. He showed her to shut up while her dignity—her pride—would rage beneath the surface while he was near.

“Those dreams are just dreams. That’s what Leonard said.” She needed to adhere to that. If anything could appease Leonard it was that. And she needed to appease him. Her mother was too weak, too afraid for her own life to safeguard Winn’s, and yet too desperate for a man to head out on her own. Besides if they ran, Leonard would eventually find them. He always found them.

“Trust me, like you once did,” his voice was soft, yet it cut through her racing thoughts like a well-crafted blade. He held his hand out to her, the gesture speaking of promise and nostalgia. Reminding her of how of a strong presence he was in her dreams. The one bit of sanity in an array of insane characters and worlds. He slew monsters, clothed her when she was naked, stopped her before she'd slip into a free fall. Laughed with her. Held her when she cried. He was kind to her. Above all, he showed her tenderness when no one else did.

“Remember me,” he went on, “as I was. I can be that for you again, in this waking land. You can still choose to come with me and leave all of this sorrow behind. Or,” he withdrew his hand when she turned her head, refusing to take it. “You can choose not to, and I will sit with you until you lose consciousness. Then I will carry you to the nearest medical facility where they will pump your stomach, and a physiologist will evaluate you. One not worth the paper their license was printed on. They will, in all likelihood, lock you away in a psychiatric ward, to be forever treated as a pariah. It’s your choice.”

Her eyes jerked back towards him. He said it like a threat. Winn supposed she was running out of time. She wanted to trust him, but… she hadn’t seen him in her dreams for two years. He said that he’s there for her, but he hadn’t been. And she’d learned that being alone felt safer.

She pulled back, making a move to stand. Maybe he’ll let her go. Maybe he wasn’t even here. His fingers didn’t act like a vice when he grabbed her earlier. She easily slipped him then. Maybe she can do it again. Maybe—

Her legs buckled under her, nerve endings on fire. She vomited, hopefully not on him. Gods, not on him. Her vision blurred, darkness edging the rim. She felt hands on her but wasn’t for sure. She was dazed. She needed to resist. Or maybe she needed to give in. She couldn’t open her eyes though was mildly aware of the feeling of being lifted, of a certain weightlessness.

Winn was heaved against a strong chest. Instinctively, her hands went up, fingers curling and uncurling around dream man’s lapel in a display of rebellion or surrender, she wasn’t sure. She wanted defiance but it was so easy to just give in. Darkness claimed her.

Like it mattered because he wasn’t really there. Right?

#My writing #writblr #not a prompt #dreams #Winn #creative writing #Relictus City

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electronicyarn · 3 years

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REALLY Not Live Blogging RWBY Vol. 8

Yes, I’ve FINALLY finished watching Volume 8. I’m only months late to the party. Well, for the sake of tradition here are my thoughts. The short version is thus. What an awful start. What a spectacular finish.

I’m not going to lie. For a while there I thought we might have another Volume 4 on our hands. Although I guess that’s not entirely fair. Volume 4’s big crime was being aggressively mediocre, something RWBY should never be. The first five episodes of Volume 8 were really bad. Not any-scene-with-Caroline-in-it-in-Volume-6 bad, but still pretty bad. The opening in particular I found to be forced and artificial. The disagreement between Ruby and Yang didn’t really come from anywhere, and half the team seemed to be divvied up based purely on the needs of the narrative rather than any proper character motivations.

Other highlights (lowlights?) include them twice using “falling from a great height” as a shorthand for danger (something that the principal cast proved they could handle early in Volume 1 with the landing strategies scene) and The Hound’s introduction where he kidnapped Oscar. I get what they were going for with The Hound’s big debut, but Team Yang really didn’t fight back. At all. They just kind of stood there with their mouths hanging open. It wasn’t a good way to credibly establish The Hound as a threat. For point of contrast, see The Neo vs. Yang fight way back in Volume 2. There was no doubt after that was over that Neo was a very real threat.

I also found everything surrounding the first Penny vs. Cinder fight (Neo vs. Maria, Emerald, etc.) to be distinctly underwhelming. It’s a problem that RWBY’s had for a while now. The less important fights in a volume are rather poorly thought out and animated. But maybe I shouldn’t complain. They do still do a great job on the primary battles. Maybe RWBY needs fewer fight scenes? Feels weird to even suggest that.

But now that I’ve ragged on Volume 8 for three paragraphs…. Wow, what a turnaround. Everything from about Episode 6 on was spectacular. Oscar and Ozpin’s relationship. Everything involving Hazel. The reveal that, yes Cinder had a horrible childhood, but she was always evil. Establishing a more personal connection between Salem and Yang, mirroring the one that Salem and Ruby already have. The destruction of Atlas. I could go on and on. And I will. But there are several things I want to talk about more specifically.

I guess first up is Nora and Ren. They��re now fully-fledged characters, having completed their slow transition from caricatures. I’ve got to be honest. I’m kind of neutral on Nora and Ren. I’m not really invested in their story, but it doesn’t annoy me either. I did however find it amusing that they simultaneously confirmed and shut down Ren/Nora being canon. Two characters in an official relationship? In our RWBY? No way! Leave it for the fanfic writers. But they did say I love you. That’s more than any other potential pairing’s gotten. (I think? I could be forgetting something.) So there’s that.

As an aside, I’m pleased that we got our requisite dose of Bumbleby subtext but also frustrated that they don’t have the stones to do more than that. I’m not surprised however. This is exactly what I predicted would happen.

Also as an aside, when Team RWBY was summoning Ambrosius, I literally said out loud something to the effect of, “Alright, Rooster Teeth. Let me see the sexy man counterpart to Jinn.” I was not disappointed. Good job, Rooster Teeth.

The next topic is Penny’s and Ironwood’s character arcs for this season. I loved both of these. Ironwood’s was one of pure tragedy. Plus it had the side effect of clearing out extraneous characters, something I always approve of as RWBY has precious little running time for what it’s trying to do. And Penny got to complete her more-literal-than-I-expected Pinocchio story. I have no doubt that some people were upset with her death, but while probably not strictly necessary, I think it was done well. It was the culmination of her self-actualization as a person. I’m not going to lie though. I thought the Winter Maiden power was going to go to Weiss (since Ruby had been conveniently dropped out of reality by that point). Way back in Volume 3 when we first learned about the Maidens my second thought was, “Four Maidens, four main characters. Hmm.” It’s pretty obvious now that’s not going to happen. Or if it does, it’ll be in the last volume.

(For the record, my first thought was, “Did you come up with the idea of the Maidens before or after you named one character ‘Summer’ and another one ‘Winter’.” And hey look. You saw what happened this volume.)

And that brings us to Neo. Neo-mother-effing-politan. Neo- “I’m going to steal from the literal devil because I know I’m going to get away with it” -politan. Yang may be my favorite character, but Neo is the best character. If she wasn’t before, this volume has sealed the deal. I loved everything about her this volume. From her meeting Salem and obviously thinking “Oh hell no.” to her skipping through a field of death showing Prometheus how stealing fire from the gods is supposed to be done. She is the most strongly characterized character in the whole show (barring possibly Torchwick himself) and she doesn’t even speak. Aaand now she’s left Remanent along with Team RWBY. I did predict back before Volume 4 started that Neo would ultimately end up teaming up with Ruby and company. It was really a just-for-fun prediction. Buuut….

Well I guess there’s nothing left to talk about except the ending. I do admit, I was a little panicked when Yang took the plunge. I don’t pay attention to any of the official social media or news surrounding RWBY. Stuff like that usually ruins a show for me. So I was worried that maybe Barbara had decided to leave the cast. But then Ruby and Blake fell off too, and I was like, “Ah. This is what we’re doing.”

But what’s going to happen to Team RWBY? I can tell you what I hope’s going to happen. I think it’s time for Team RWBY to get a power up. Maybe it’s time for some intense training in a world removed from Remanent à la the Hyperbolic Time Chamber from Dragon Ball Z? My dream scenario is they spend a year or two or three doing something and then make it back to Remnant to find only a few days have passed. But we’ll see. All I know is I’m excited. In my opinion, the second half of Volume 8 was just the shot in the arm RWBY needed. I’m really looking forward to whatever comes next in a way that I haven’t in quite a while.

#RWBY #Live Blogging #Volume 8 #Spoilers

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jlalafics · 4 years

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“Lesson Learned” Part 4 of 4

I know this is so late, but I have a long day tomorrow and wouldn’t have time to post this.

So please ignore any possible mistakes as I’ve been editing in-between Toddler J’s vomiting episode and a major headache pounding at my brain.

If you’re needing to catch up, see the previous parts below:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Thank you if you’ve been following this little story and enjoy this conclusion with our little sex monkeys!

Summary: Sometimes Katniss asks too much of Peeta. This time she’s gone too far. College Everlark. Katniss and Peeta POV’s. Rated M.

______

We take a break for dinner.

I slip into a pair of sweats and Katniss steals my t-shirt before grabbing her phone to order Chinese food. Heading into the living room, we plopped down on the couch and she reaches to the coffee table where a scrunchie sits, taking it to tie up her waves into a high ponytail.

I’m momentarily frozen by the graceful curve of her neck and how perfect she looks in my t-shirt. It seems right to be sitting here as she reaches for the remote to look through the channels, like we’re a couple settling in for the night.

‘You’re nothing but a friend to her’, that voice in my head taunts.

“Shut up,” I mutter in response.

Katniss looks to me, a furrow in her brow. “What?”

“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”

She chuckles. “Tired of me already?”

“Never.” Katniss looks to me for a moment, her eyes trying to discern something. “What’s going in that beautiful mind?”

“Quoting John Legend are we?” she retorts. “I am wondering something…” Katniss edges closer to me on her knees before sitting back. “Why did none of the other girls pan out?”

“Who knows? Maybe I was too overly critical or something,” I tell her. “One of them wanted commitment. Another time, the girl had too much to drink and I didn’t want to take advantage…I don’t know. Sometimes things aren’t meant to be.”

“Hmm…” Katniss rests against me and I put an arm around her, drawing her close. “…it seems right that it’s me and you, right?” From where she’s perched herself, she meets my eyes. “I’m not forcing you, am I?”

“I’m here because I want to be,” I tell her squarely.

My lips graze hers and she moans, the sound causing my whole body to quake in longing. Pulling away, I press my forehead to hers, gazing at the face that has always haunted my dreams and memorizing every mole, every scar, and every freckle.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” she asks in a hushed voice.

“Because I don’t want to forget.”

She doesn’t respond, only bowing her head to hide the telltale blush hitting the apples of her cheeks.

And for a moment, I feel that spark of hope that, maybe…she might love me, too.

++++++

“Because I don’t want to forget.”

The words echo in my head as I wash our plates.

Before I could even get a semblance of a response together, the doorbell rang—effectively ruining the moment that I might’ve probably declared my undying love for my childhood friend.

Would I have told him?

“This is ridiculous,” I mutter as I turn off the faucet. Gathering my courage, I head over to the living room. We had promised honestly, and it is only right that I be honest with my feelings. “Peeta—”

He’s asleep, half off the couch, as the sounds of Harry Potter trying to summon his Patronus plays onscreen. I walk over slowly, sitting next to him before reaching for the remote and turning off the television.

Peeta is beautiful. He’s bare-chested; skin glowing even in the dim living room. And, he looks so peaceful; I don’t want to bother him. However, he’s a breath away from taking a tumble, so carefully I reach out to touch his shoulder.

“Peeta.” No response, just a soft sigh. I lean down towards his face. “Peeta?”

My hand finds a place against his cheek as my thumb moves over his lips, a little dry but smooth.

Slowly, his eyes open and his hand reaches to my wrist where Peeta places a gentle kiss to my pulse.

“You fell asleep,” I tell him. “Prisoner of Azkaban wasn’t doing it for you?”

Peeta shakes his head. “I’m more of a Goblet of Fire kind of guy.”

“Of course. Dancing French girls and all…”

A giggle escapes my lips and Peeta follows, his laugh rough from his snooze.

Our eyes meet and I gulp down my sudden anxiousness. “Should we go…to bed?”

“Yes.” Peeta sits up, my hand still in his as he stands up. “Let’s go. ”He leads me into my room and I can’t help but tremble in nervousness as we walk in.

My bed looks so…foreboding, as if it knows that I’m about to do this life changing thing on top of it.

“Katniss,” Peeta calls to me softly and I turn to him. “We don’t have to do it. We can just sleep.”

My resolve steels and I shake my head. We’ve already come too far.

“No—” I step towards my bed first, reaching for the hem of his shirt and pulling it completely off me. “—I’m fine.”

Peeta chuckles, his gaze warm. “My brave Katniss.”

My eyes go to the pair of sweats he wears, the outline of his erection clear.

Looking to him, I smirk.

“Well, it’s just a penis. I’ve seen it before; several times earlier this evening if we’re being specific.”

“Have you ever put a condom on one?” Peeta counters.

Shit.

I falter immediately. “…No.”

Peeta goes to his overnight bag and takes out a small box before standing before me. I look down at the box, realizing that it’s a three-pack of condoms.

“A present for you,” he tells me. “I’m going to show you how to put one on. The other two—” Peeta frowns. “—are for the next time you might be in this situation. Don’t depend on Cato or any other guy to have protection and don’t fall for the excuse about it not feeling good with one on. If you pick the right type of condom, you won’t even notice it’s there.”

I read over the box quickly. “Ultra-thin.” Seems straightforward enough.

We move towards the bed and Peeta gets in first, moving to the far side so I can sit next to him. He pulls off his sweats, revealing his erection to my eager eyes. Now that I’ve seen him in all his glory, it seems natural. Now, I anticipate having him in my grasp, in my control.

“Open the box,” he tells me, and I follow, quickly opening it to pull one of the foil packets. I tear it open and hand it to him. “You’re going to take it out. Hold the tip of it and then roll it down the shaft until I’m completely covered.”

“And, why do I hold the tip?” I ask as I pull out the condom. “And, why is it so damn slippery?”

“Because when I ejaculate that’s where everything will end up,” Peeta replies. “That’s lube; you’ll want that.”

My eyes move down, and I see that he’s lost his erection. He follows my gaze and looks to me wryly.

“This talk isn’t exactly arousing as it is instructive,” he says.

I slip the condom back into its packet and then place it on my side table. “Lay back.”

Leaning down, I press a kiss to his mouth, my tongue gently slipping inside to caress his own. Peeta responds, wrapping an arm around me and pressing me to his chest. My nipples immediately pucker as I meet his heated skin.

Slowly, I reach down and take hold of him in my hand. He pulls away from our kiss, gasping as he lays back onto my pillow. I feel emboldened in his reaction, enjoying the chance to give him the pleasure that he’s given me.

“Because I don’t want to forget.”

Seeing him—eyes closed and whispering out my name—I understand what he means.

I don’t want to forget, either.

“Katniss, you can put it on now,” he tells me. Quickly, I reach over to condom and take it out of the foil pack. Finding the tip, I pinch it as I place the condom over his head; he nods and I roll it down. “Good job.”

“I’m on birth control,” I informed him. “We don’t necessarily have to wear this.”

“I just wanted you to know how to do this.” Peeta reaches to cup my face. “Maybe if we decide to do it again, we can try it without one.”

Suddenly nervous, I quickly lay down. “Can you be on top?”

Peeta nods, shifting until he’s fully on top of me. He holds himself up on his forearms, gazing down at me.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Mmm-hmm…maybe we just get through it quick?” I close my eyes. “I’m really not good with pain.”

I feel his lips moving against mine, pressing delicate kisses as he peppers my jawline.

His mouth moves behind my ear. “You’re delicious. You know that, right?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s the sweet and sour chicken you’re tasting.” I breathe out as he sucks on my earlobe. “Oh fuck, that’s good…touch me, Peeta.”

“Where? Here?” A hand goes to my nipple, pinching it lightly and causing spikes of hunger along my body. I can feel wetness gathering between my thighs; he’s not going to have any problem slipping in there. Then he is reaching to my center, gathering my arousal on his fingers. “Or here?”

I open my eyes, meeting his own. Peeta gazes down at me desperately.

I imagine I look just as wanting.

“There,” I tell him.

Peeta nods, slowly pressing a finger inside me. Instinctively, I tense up and he retreats as I let out a shaky breath.

“Why don’t we try something else?” he suggests, and I nod.

Giving me a gentle kiss, his mouth travels down to my breasts and he takes a nipple in his mouth, swirling and then sucking.

“Fuck…” The feeling causes my stomach to flip and I arch against him. “You’ve learned quickly.”

“I have a good teacher,” he replies against my skin. He is hard against my thigh and adjust my hips to line us up. Peeta shivers at the move, his eyes searching mine. “Did you want to try?”

The feel of his cock nestled between my thighs is a little daunting, but my body calls to him.

I nod shakily. “Okay.”

Peeta moves, reaching between us and running the tip of his cock along my slit.

Instinctively, I respond, hips arching, and our eyes meet as he begins to press forward.

“Katniss.” He stares down at me, eyes soft. “Thank you for choosing me.”

Tears fill my eyes. “I’m always going to choose you.”

I swear I see his eyes go glassy.

Resting his forehead against mine, our eyes remain on each other as he slowly pushes inside me.

I can’t even begin to describe the feeling.

Yes, there is pain, but it happens in a flash. My core instinctively goes rigid and I take a deep breath, willing myself to relax.

Time passes…minutes…seconds…with only the sounds of heavy breathing. Then, everything shifts and I just feel full, a small lull of pain barely accompanying the sensations coursing through me.

I look up and Peeta’s eyes are squeeze shut, his mouth in a tight line.

“Breathe,” I whisper.

His eyes open and he gives me a tense smile. “I’m afraid I’ll be finish before you’ve gotten comfortable.”

Reaching, I brush his hair from his eyes. “You’re not a virgin anymore.”

He laughs. “Do I get some sort of badge?”

“Not sure,” I say, my hand going to the nape of his neck. “I think I’m ready for you to move.”

I guide him down, bringing our lips together just as he pulls out and thrusts into me once more.

I squeal in surprise, the sound muffled as we kiss.

Because this time, it feels… good.

We move slowly at first, letting ourselves enjoy the sensation and as we begin to find our pace, I push my pelvis up to meet his. My legs wrap around his waist, digging my heels into his lower back.

“I don’t think I can hold back any longer…” Peeta tells me.

“It’s okay,” I assure him. “Come here.”

Pulling his head down to mine, I press tender kisses along his jawline. He moves inside me, his face falling against my shoulder as his movements become frantic.

Then, I feel the stutter of his hips as he falls apart in my arms. “Katniss…”

My name has never sounded so honeyed.

He lifts his head to look at me. “Was it horrible?”

I shake my head and give him a smile. “It felt right.”

Slowly, Peeta pulls away, sliding out of me at the same time. I look down and see the smear of blood between my thighs and on the sheet under me.

“Are you in pain?” he asks.

I shift and feel some tenderness. “Not so much. Just an ache, really.”

“Let me get rid of this and I’ll grab a washcloth,” he tells me, his face suddenly red, as he stands and leaves the room.

I don’t feel any different now that I’m longer a virgin. I had no expectations of gaining any new insight on life or on myself.

What I am surprised about is this feeling of connection that I have with Peeta—but is it because I’ve realized that I’m in love with him or because I’ve just lost my virginity to him?

I don’t have time to ruminate over this because Peeta returns without the condom on and with a washcloth in his hand.

“Thanks.” I take the washcloth from him and quickly clean myself as best I can. “I can’t imagine the mess this would make if we weren’t wearing the condom.”

“You definitely need to change sheets now,” he says as he sits at the foot of the bed. “I checked the condom. We’re good.”

“How do you check?” I ask curiously.

“Filled it with water to make sure there were no holes,” he explains. “Don’t worry, I cleaned the sink.”

“I did let you inside me. It’s the least you could do.”

We both chuckle, falling back into the familiar terrain of friendship.

Peeta joins me back on the bed, looking me over. “You didn’t come.”

“Did you expect me to?” I say and he shrugs. “I mean, I didn’t. I only really come if I’m stimulating myself.”

“Well, can I help you?” Nodding in agreement, I let my head fall back onto my pillow and Peeta follows, going on his side. “Touch yourself.”

I’ve never really done this in front of anyone. However, tonight I’ve done a lot of things that I don’t usually do.

My hand travels done between my legs and I dip my fingers into my center before bringing them to my clit, just brushing along it but not directly.

Peeta watches before his hand reaches down to my breasts cupping and caress, teasing my nipples back to hard peaks. The added stimulation spurs me on, and a breathy moan escapes my mouth.

“Do you know how fucking sexy you sound?” he says, his mouth hovering over a nipple. His lips brush over the bud, teasing it between his teeth. “I’ll be hard again in no time.”

“Peeta…” My fingers move over my clit and my hip juts up at the sensation. I can feel the beginning of my orgasm. “…more…”

“More of this?” Peeta swirls his tongue around my nipple as his hand cups my other breast. “Or did you want me to talk to you? Tell you how gorgeous you look…how your body is such a pretty pink right now…you’re going to come, aren’t you?”

I can feel the cusp of my climax and I climb towards it as my fingers continue to press against my clit.

“Yes…”

Peeta chuckles roughly against my ear. “Be a good girl and come for me, Katniss—”

“Fuck—” I feel the white-hot goodness of my orgasm spread through my core and through the rest of my body. I practically feel it running through my veins as I fall apart. “—Peeta!”

Breathless, I turn to find Peeta looking at me, a pleased smile on his lips. “Hi.”

“Hello,” I reply, my eyelids drooping. “I’m exhausted.”

“Then sleep,” he tells me, and I can feel him kiss my hair. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“You’re amazing.” I’m already halfway gone. “I lov—SHIT!”

Peeta sits up just as I rush out the door. “What?”

“Johanna told me to pee after!”

+++++++

Saturday Morning

When I wake up, I can already tell that it’s different.

For one thing, Katniss is not in bed with me.

After she returned from the bathroom to pee and clean up, we changed her sheets (hopefully no one notices her Christmas-theme comforter and sheet set) and promptly hopped back into bed together.

With Katniss’ head on my shoulder, we talked about how everything went—good overall with room for improvement. For me, I need to work on lasting longer and breast play. For her, it’s her gag reflex and being more communicative about her needs.

I fall asleep with her head on my shoulder and the thought that I wouldn’t mind spending the rest of my life just like this.

However, cold hard reality seeps in and I know that her neatly made side of the bed is her way of telling me to leave.

Quickly, I get dressed and gather my things.

I find her sitting in the living room with a mug in her hands. She sits up as I appear, looking up at me then the duffle bag on my shoulder.

“You’re leaving,” Katniss says simply.

I nod. “I mean…we did what we had to do.” I’m trying not to fall apart at my words, hoping she’ll ask me to stay. “Unless there was anything else you wanted to talk about...”

Katniss remains in her seat, her eyes not quite meeting mine. “Of course. I’ll call you on Monday.”

Quickly, I nod and then walk over to kiss her cheek. “Call me if you need anything.”

Before she can respond, I step out the door and head out of her building.

The few blocks back are spent contemplating her silence. Is this the end of our friendship? I wanted her to ask me to stay so we could make pancakes like we usually did if one of us bunked with the other.

I know that sex changes things, but I didn’t realize how quickly.

When I get to the apartment, I find Finnick sitting at the kitchen counter, looking over a magazine and drinking from his own mug.

“I thought you went home,” he says.

“I changed my mind about staying,” I reply simply.

Finnick’s handsome face furrows in concern. “You good, bro?”

“Nothing a little sleep can’t fix.” I head towards my room. “I’m going to bed.”

As soon as I close the door, I slide down against it and close my eyes.

It was an amazing night, but it’s over now.

I guess we’re over now.

++++++

Why did I let him walk out?

When I woke this morning, I found myself watching him sleep and thought that it would be nice to wake up to his face every morning.

Maybe it was time to admit that our relationship had turned into something more.

I decided to make myself a cup of tea and try to come up with the right way to bring this all up.

Peeta had other plans as he walked out as quickly as he could.

I was so flabbergasted by it all that I could hardly respond.

Now, here I am—crying into my tea.

The front door opens and, for a moment, I think that it’s Peeta coming back to talk.

Instead, Johanna steps into the living room. She spots my wet face immediately.

“I was going to come in quietly because I forgot some of my study material…but it looks like you’re alone.” My roommate sits next to me. “What happened?”

Taking a deep breath, I launch into a timeline of the night before, starting with the first kiss (“I swear my whole world tilted”) and ending with Peeta and I falling asleep together (“Nothing has ever felt so safe”). I am crying and laughing in-between bursts of anger.

I tell her about him leaving, quoting the conversation word for word.

By the end, I’m ready for something stronger than tea—but we’ve run out of vodka.

“Uh Katniss?” Johanna begins, putting a hand on my shoulder. “It sounds like he wanted you to tell him to stay.”

“What?”

“He threw the ball in your court and asked if you wanted to talk about anything! What guy does that?” Johanna looks to me in annoyance. “No guy! They usually want to be out ASAP, but he offered you a chance to talk and even told you to call him if you needed anything!”

“So, I’m supposed to just ask him to stay?”

“Wasn’t this whole weekend about empowering you? Peeta basically showed you how to put your foot down when needed, and how to ask for what you want. Sweetie, it’s so fucking obvious that you want him.”

I flinch at her words. “Maybe you’re right.” Sighing, I sit back. “There’s no way he’s going to want to talk me after this.”

“Give him till Monday,” Johanna offers. “You both have gone through some hard truths.” Consolingly, she puts an arm around me, rocking me slowly. “So Peeta made you come, huh?”

“Yeah—not during though, but he made up for it,” I reply softly. “I expected the sex wasn’t going to be perfect like in the movies. But I was surprised by the connection. For a moment, everything else just seemed to fall away and it was just us.”

“Sap,” my roommate retorts. “But I think you probably got the best-case scenario.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Do you want to grab breakfast?” she asks after a moment.

“We have leftover Chinese,” I inform her.

“Well, fuck! Let’s just have that and you can continue to tell me about the amazing beauty of Peeta Mellark’s cock,” Johanna replies with a smile. “By the way—pineapple juice doesn’t work, and the taste changes each time, anyway.”

“Good to know,” I reply. “I’ll go heat up the food.”

+++++++

Sunday

‘Can we talk after my first class?’-K

I stare at my screen before responding, ‘Sure. I’ll meet you in the courtyard.’

Putting my phone aside, I decide to emerge from my room after my self-imposed isolation. When I enter the living room, I find Gale sitting on the couch with a textbook in his lap.

He looks up and gives me an easy smile. “Decided to come out of your cave?”

I nod, heading towards the kitchen. “I have to eat, you know.”

“So, you and Katniss had it out then?”

His words cause me to stop and I look to him. “What do you mean?”

“That look on your face; kind of dopey and shit. That’s your Katniss face,” Gale replied. “What happened?”

“I don’t know.” I step out of the kitchen and join him on the couch. “I thought that we connected, and I guess it was one-sided. She likes this other guy, too.”

“Ever think about fighting for her?” Gale asks. He closes his book and tosses it on the coffee table. “Since I’ve known you, I’ve known how much you like her. It’s all over that stupid face that you make whenever she’s around.”

“What if she doesn’t want me?” I find myself asking. “What if we ruin everything?”

“So, you’re just going to sit here and wallow?” he replies, rolling his eyes. “If you never tell her, you’ll be thinking about for the rest of your life. Sure, there’s a chance that maybe you’ll change everything, but it’s better than being in limbo, right?”

I turn to Gale. “You seem to know a lot about this.”

“There was this girl that I was really good friends with back home,” he explains. “I had a huge crush on her, but she’s the mayor’s daughter and I’m just some kid from a low-income household.”

“What happened to her?”

Gale is never one to share. Most of the time, we just talk about school or his job at the nearby grocery store. I’m more than a little surprised that he’s actually sharing this story with me.

“She’s still in town. Last I heard, Madge is seeing some guy that she met at her university,” he tells me. “There was a moment, though. Right before I left, she asked if she could come see me…and I didn’t say anything.”

“That was definitely an in,” I tell him. “Maybe you should try messaging her.”

“Maybe you should try telling Katniss that you’re batshit crazy in love with her,” Gale counters.

“Touché.”

+++++++

Monday Morning

I’m going to tell her.

It’s freezing out here and I’m anxiously waiting outside the auditorium where Katniss’ class is taking place. My breath is coming out in puffs of white and I rub my hands together to quell my nervousness.

The door opens and I watch as the class filters out. My eyes look for the familiar head of raven hair that is Katniss.

My breath catches when she suddenly steps out of the door—with Cato following.

He throws an arm around her shoulders.

I’m too late.

+++++++

The class can’t go any slower.

I spent my whole Sunday coming up with what I wanted to tell Peeta. That I had been a complete idiot who didn’t know how to speak up and tell him to stay. How I think I’ve always cared him as more than just a friend.

How I want to be with him.

“For the next lecture, please read the next two chapters,” Professor Latier calls out. “I’ll see you next Wednesday!”

Everyone begins to clear out and I start throwing my stuff into my own bag.

“Hey, Katniss!”

I turn to find Cato approaching me, a cocky grin on his face.

Oh God—I can’t believe I was even into him.

Yes, there’s no doubt that Cato is handsome, but he lacks humbleness about it. I can see it all over his swagger as he walks towards me.

All through this weekend, Peeta had been trying to teach me how to know the difference between the right guy and the wrong guy.

Cato is so the wrong guy.

“Hi, Cato.” I walk around him as I make my way down the steps of the auditorium. Were there always these many stairs? “What’s up?”

“Uh…I just noticed how great you looked today,” he replies as I get onto the main floor. “And, I noticed you looking at me last week.”

“You did?” Why did I even think of giving this man my virginity? I can already tell he’s the kind of guy who would never go down on me. “Are you sure?”

Finally, I’m out the door and my eyes search for Peeta, just as Cato throws an arm around my shoulders.

“Do you want to go out sometime?” he asks.

“What?” I look around for my golden-haired boy before turning to Cato. “No.”

Cato is surprised. Obviously, he’s never heard someone turn him down. “What?”

“Maybe last week,” I reply. “But now—” My eyes catch Peeta’s navy bomber jacket as he walks away. “—I have to go. PEETA!”

I run towards him and he turns to me, his eyes downcast.

“Why did you leave?”

“You were busy,” he replies simply.

“You saw me with Cato,” I deduce, and his silence is an affirmative. “If you had stuck around, you would have seen me turn the asshole down.”

Peeta steps towards me, a smile growing on his lips. “What?”

“I don’t know when it happened,” I start as I approach him. “Maybe Friday night…or as we stepped on the train to leave home for the first time…or even when we were in Kindergarten and you were the only one who clapped when I sang—but I fell in love with you.” I moved in a little closer till our chests are practically pressed. “And, I hope that you feel the same.”

His hands reach to my face, covering my cheeks from the biting cold.

“I love you, Katniss.” He presses a kiss to my mouth before resting his forehead to mine. “I’ve always loved you.”

“Good.” I grin, feeling warm tears hit my cheeks. His or mine—I have no idea. “Do you have class this afternoon?”

“Not until tomorrow morning,” he informs me. “Why?”

“Johanna told me that pineapple juice doesn’t work,” I say as we head out of campus. Peeta takes my hand in his and despite the cold, I feel the warmth of his touch rush through my veins. “She also says that it tastes different each time.”

“Interesting factoid,” Peeta replies amusedly.

“I’d like to test this theory.” I can’t quite meet his eyes. “Maybe go over everything else you taught me last weekend—if you’re not busy.”

I look over and Peeta is grinning at me, his eyes full of light…and hope…and love.

“I’d like that,” he replies. “If you’ll allow me to reciprocate—until you’re satisfied.”

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kiss him, sweeping my tongue gently into his mouth.

“I’ll allow it,” I tell him as we draw apart.

“Also…honesty, right?” I raise a brow at him and Peeta smirks. “I’d like a little more enthusiasm…maybe bathe my chin with your tongue—"

I sock him and Peeta laughs before pulling me into his arms, silencing me with a kiss.

I spend rest of the day showing my enthusiasm.

+++++++

The Following Weekend

I bang on the bedroom door, praying that if someone answers that they’ll be wearing clothes.

“Guys! It’s eight in the morning! Come on!”

The door opens and my favorite couple of the hour greets me clothed—Thank God. However, Katniss is wearing a blue button-down and I’m pretty sure that she’s not wearing anything underneath. Peeta is wearing the matching bottoms and showing off a very nice six-pack.

“I know that you’re in love and sex is all new and fun, but you’ve been fucking since Monday and I’ve probably gotten eight hours of sleep between then and now—”

“I’m sorry, Johanna,” Katniss says apologetically. “I’m not being a very good roommate—”

“No, I understand,” I reply. “Love is great and shit, but I have this huge exam coming up—”

“I have an idea,” Peeta suddenly says and rushes back into the room. He is clearly not wearing underwear either, showing off a nicely toned derriere, and I look to Katniss. “Great ass.”

She snorts. “Tell me about it.”

Peeta returns, holding out a pair of keys. “An offering of peace. My apartment is only a few blocks away and you’re welcome to stay there to sleep and study. My roommates are not jerks—though Finnick has a penchant for walking around naked—”

“And why would I take this obvious bribe?” I ask him.

“Because you like Katniss…and if you look underneath one of the lamps, there’s a credit card. Buy yourself lunch…dinner…a massage…on me.”

“Katniss, you must have some sort of magical vagina,” I say to my roommate after Peeta tells me his address. “Call me if you need anything.”

“Thanks Johanna,” Katniss says gratefully.

Peeta is already carrying her to their bed as I close her door behind me.

Grabbing my bag, I throw in my books and some extra clothes.

I mean, who knows when those two idiots will be finished. Hopefully, they’re hydrating.

The walk over to Peeta’s place is quiet and when I get there, I’m surprised at how much nicer his apartment complex is in comparison to mine and Katniss’. She must be doing something right if he’s willing to stay in our shithole.

Taking the elevator up, I pull out the keys and make my way to the last door on the end of the carpeted hall. Unlocking it, I step inside and gasp at the modern decor of Peeta’s apartment. Someone’s father obviously has money.

Stepping into the living room, I find a dark-haired man sitting on the couch, a bowl of brightly colored cereal in his hand.

“Who the fuck are you?” he suddenly bursts out.

“Johanna Mason. Your roommate is fucking my roommate,” I inform him and present my bag. “Peeta says I can stay in his room so he can tear apart Katniss’ vag.”

“That’s nice and graphic. I’m Gale Hawthorne,” he tells me.

There’s a slam of a door and handsome bronze-haired man saunters in—without a stitch on.

“You must be Finnick,” I say. “I’m Johanna.”

Finnick looks to Gale. “Is she with you?”

“She’s Peeta’s girlfriend’s roommate,” Gale tells him. “And put on some boxers for fuck sakes!”

“It’s nothing that I haven’t seen before,” I assure them. “I’m pre-med.”

Gale meets my eyes in interest. “So am I.”

Ignoring him, Finnick joins Gale on the couch and gives me a pearly-white smile.

“Have you ever played Super Smash Brothers?”

“Nope—and I don’t plan to.”

Finnick pats the seat next to him. “Come on. You’re our honorary roommate! You have to!”

Gale smiles warmly at me. “I’ll show you.”

I find myself grinning back at the dark-eyed boy. “Alright.”

I think I might enjoy this new living arrangement.

I join them on the couch.

FIN.

#Lesson Learned #Everlark #Everlark Fanfiction #college!Everlark #Rated M #Complete

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natsspammityspamspamham · 3 years

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Dino Watches Anime (Nov 15)

BOI, I HAVE A MIDTERM ON TUESDAY AND TEST ON WEDNESDAY. SCREW THAT. I’M GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE ANIME I’VE BEEN WATCHING IN BETWEEN STUDY SESSIONS! Yeah, the studying is like 2% while the anime and games are like 98%... I’m working on that, okay? Anyway, I’m going to cover mostly seasonal stuff with some other stuff.

Let’s go over the seasonal stuff first. Summer had so few anime coming out whereas Autumn/Fall came in like, “OPEN THE FLOODGATES! LET’S GO!!!” I haven’t even gotten around to all the anime airing this season that I want to like Yuukoku no Moriarty, Majo no Tabitabi, and Adachi to Shimamura. I missed some last season too like Deca-Dance which I just didn’t want to commit to if it was only for the good animation.

Taisou Samurai (DROPPED)

I dropped it after two episodes. MAPPA has two major series this season, but they clearly gave more time and attention to the one that was actually going to make money here (which I’ll talk about later). This one seems like a passion project without the passion in it anymore. It’s like opening a bag of chips and finding out they went stale long before you even reached into the bag.

Taisou Samurai, at its core, has a premise that I found really promising. I happen to like watching gymnastics sometimes, and the idea of an athlete who doesn’t want to retire is interesting. They went wrong with the execution. I don’t know what they were trying to pull here, but with unlikeable characters and a terrible run at it, it’s like they weren’t playing with a full deck of cards here.

Also, if you don’t know what a gyaru is, one of the supporting characters will look like a racist caricature. Also, this bird has no other point than to try to make up for this show’s lack of usable humour by using Kappei Yamaguchi’s range and going, “Please, save this show. I beg you.”

I didn’t even bother giving this show three episodes to drag me in because I just couldn’t see myself wasting another 20 minutes here. Maybe I’ll have a change of heart, but for now, I should be having better things to do.

Munou na Nana (WOULDN’T RECOMMEND)

I know everyone has made this joke already, but this is really just My Hero Academia x Among Us. I feel like if there was some more... budget put into this anime, they could’ve made it a lot better. The manga had a lot more detail, so a lot of the gruesome scenes with zombies or killings, etc. were muted and toned down beyond belief. Not to mention, I guess watching it after I read the manga just made me feel stupid. This is such a junkie show that pulls tricks that everyone knows is coming. Nonetheless, I can’t find some big reason to say “do not watch this” because it’s still a very mediocre show. It has its good points, but its presentation devalues it, the voice acting is meh (especially since Yuuichi Nakamura is playing THREE overpowered main cast characters this season), and the jig is up after the first episode, so the twists are just to make you sympathize more with the imposter. I haven’t seen a show like this for a while though, so I guess you can watch it if you want something refreshing like that. I don’t think you’re supposed to like this cast of characters, so I won’t say anything against not liking this cast.

Kamisama ni Natta Hi (CONDITIONALLY RECOMMEND)

Jun Maeda... the man who manages to incorporate baseball into every anime he does... seriously, every anime I’ve watched by him has it from Angel Beats to Charlotte to that unfinished Little Busters I just left on hold. Anyway, Kamisama is no exception. Jun Maeda has a reputation for building touching stories that start off strong then really lose their footing once he realizes that he’s not going to get 24 episodes and needs to squeeze all of those 16 episodes of story left into 4 episodes or so. It also doesn’t help that sometimes he goes off on useless storylines that pay no use to the story.

Hina is really funny sometimes (but can be annoying). Narukami is funny. Really, everyone has some valid point about them that makes the show better compared to the previous entries.

Seriously, some little kid comes up to you and goes, “The world is ending, I am God, and I’m going to stick by you.” Meanwhile, you’re just a simp that’s trying to get your childhood friend to fall for you.

Honestly, I’m still having a blast watching this. As much as Maeda’s writing can really suffer from tonal shifts (mostly in the end), I still wanted to watch this anime simply because I always like his storytelling in the beginning, and the laughs it brings can sometimes still muddle out the bitter taste that’s left in your mouth when the series finishes. I can already feel this train going down a slide and off a cliff. I already paid for my ticket though, so I’m obligated to stay on this shootshow until the end.

Seriously, I do not like where some of these relationships are heading.

Maoujou de Oyasumi (CONDITIONALLY RECOMMEND)

This anime is relatable. It can get stale fast for a lot of people, but every time I think I’m going to get sick of it, it pulls one of the same gags that makes me go, “This. This is why I’m sticking with this.” I’m not sure how much more there is to say. It’s just an abducted princess who couldn’t care less that she’s a hostage and instead, takes this newfound time to take some good ZZZs. What a life.

Oh yeah, this princess is also willing to commit murder, mutilation, theft, and assault to get the sleep she wants.

Tonikaku Kawaii (CONDITIONALLY RECOMMEND)

I’m not dropping this show... even if it makes no sense. The premise is astoundingly stupid, but it pulled a Zombieland Saga on me. It sounded so stupid, but once I gave it one episode, I found myself being entertained and almost rooting for the characters and their relationships.

Imagine this: You are about to get into the high school of your dreams when you see the girl of your dreams cross your path. You want to ask her out so you jump over the barricade and get hit by a truck. You’re on the brink of death when you realize you can’t die there without confessing your love. You chase her down with blood coming out of your head and confess. She says that she’ll only go out with you if you marry her. You then... somehow survive, drop out of school, then get a job to search for her. I kid you not. This is the setup. It’s as stupid as it sounds, and the anime knows this. It doesn’t try to fool you into thinking that this series is supposed to be anything but some highway fast-track way to convince you into watching a married couple. I think what irked me the most is that the character designs didn’t change from when they were in middle school to when they were adults. It wasn’t the being hit by a truck and not being sent to another world, it wasn’t this girl who stopped the truck without ruining her hair, it wasn’t anything else but their character designs staying the same.

Anyway, this anime is cute as long as you can jump some hurdles. It’s basically puppy-love marriage with anime stupidity through and through. I don’t know what about this series people, including myself, find charming.

Jujutsu Kaisen (RECOMMENDED - BUT DON’T COMPARE TO DEMON SLAYER TOO MUCH!)

It’s Shonen Jump. “Will it be the next Kimetsu no Yaiba? The next big Shonen Jump series? One of the next big three? Five?” No, I don’t think so. I’m not enjoying this nearly as much as I did binging KNY. The cast isn’t nearly as likeable, but I’m still having a good time. It’s not all that fair to make that comparison anyway. The cast for Jujutsu Kaisen is passable. I like some of the main cast, but I feel like they lack the same kind of depth with its main heroine. I know she gets more stuff done in the future chapters, but her backstory so far is, “I had a friend once... No, she’s not dead. She just left our small town.”

The fight scenes are actually so much fun to watch. MAPPA gave this series a lot more time and budget than say that first anime I mentioned. It’s fluid, the camerawork is amazing, the choreography is on-point.

The voice acting for this anime is spectacular among the main cast... when character dialogue allows it.

I feel a bit of imbalance, but Yuuji does offer a good protagonist template. Junya Enoki makes his lines so funny and gives this nonchalant approach that is the polar opposite of his performance in Tonikawa. This is definitely his season.

Junichi Suwabe voicing the main demon thing is amazing too. It fits so well, and he sounds so cool and evil. It’s great.

Gojou is also one badass mentor played by Yuuichi Nakamura. Overpowered, part of the main cast, etc. Insert your reverse Kakashi joke here. Just give him more Sharingan genjutsu, I dare you.

Yuuma Uchida is back playing another tragic character that’s serious and uptight. I can’t say much more about him.

The opening and ending are both worth listening to even if you don’t want to watch the anime. Lost in Paradise by ALI has been on repeat for me.

Besides that, I’m going to go over some other anime that I’ve been watching.

Hunter x Hunter (AS IF THIS HASN’T BEEN RECOMMENDED ENOUGH)

Slowly. Slowly but surely. 11/148.

I know this is going to be amazing... I just want to be in the right mood to full savour it. I don’t want to be consumed by stress and not pay attention. The reason why I like a lot of those seasonal anime is because I don’t pay the same kind of attention.

If you told me these characters’ ages, I probably would’ve believed everyone... except Leorio. The guy looks like a middle-aged money-hungry gangster.

What I would give to have the energy and serotonin of a Shonen Jump protagonist.

Haikyuu (YEAH, IT’S GOOD)

I’m watching this one with my mom and sister as they go “OMG OMG OMG” as we watch while I’m sitting there like -_-

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good show, but sports anime are made like shounen battle anime (because they are in a way) with different stakes. I’ve felt more “nervous” about some of the Haikyuu matches than I did with some of the Hunter Exam. Worst case scenario in Haikyuu, you lose the match. Worst case scenario in Hunter x Hunter? You die.

I knew what I was going to get into when I was watching Haikyuu, and it’s given me what I remembered (since I did watch 10 episodes of it a few years ago) and expected.

SKET Dance (HIGHLY RECOMMEND)

Unfollow me. Unfollow me right now. This is what I’m going to be talking about for the next month. I can feel it. I’ve had this show for like 3 days and watched around 33 episodes along with some of these other titles. I have a problem. I know that, but I don’t feel like fixing it. This show is just too good.

I get why people call this a poor man’s Gintama, but it’s not quite that. I can get the similarities, but it’s like eating an empanada and saying that it’s just like that dumpling you tasted last week. It looks alike on the surface... if you’re not that great at... telling the difference between things... but once you get to the meat of it (PUN HAHA), you realize that they are completely different, and you were a fool for thinking otherwise.

That’s our main heroine! Go go go!

Dude, episode 25 hit me out of nowhere, AND I READ THE SPOILERS! I won’t say any more than that.

The cast is one of the best that I’ve seen in a while. Their chemistry is basically the entire show. Without one of the main three, you wouldn’t have the show anymore. It handles its female characters better than some of its fellow competitors at the time, and it may have what some may call a “token fat character”, but the character never makes fun of her for being fat. They make fun of her for saying “Yabasu” every single sentence. It hurts that the manga ended with some loose ends, and this anime isn’t getting a season 2.

But at its weird and mushy core, this show is about three people with heavy and complex pasts who simply want to help people work out their issues in their own... unique ways.

I don’t want to say much else, but I wish more people would watch/read it and create/post most content for it even if it’s a bit old because it deserves it. I’m almost a decade late, and this anime still holds up.

I gave Mairimashita Iruma-kun its own post.

#dino watches anime #seasonal anime #sket dance #haikyuu #hxh #hunter x hunter #tonikaku kawaii #tonikawa #kamisama ni natta hi #Jujutsu Kaisen

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voltrontranscript · 3 years

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VLD S8E2: Shadows

Season 8 Episode 2: Shadows

Transcript by @dragonofyang

Summary: In a series of flashbacks, we learn about Honerva’s history with Lotor and Zarkon across the centuries. We follow her from the events of Season 6 until the present as she looks for Lotor, mixed in with flashbacks of Lotor’s childhood.

[Google Doc]

[Open on a flashback from Season 6, then Honerva transports away from Lotor and his generals to the bridge of the ship.]

Honerva (as Haggar): Commander Mar, the emperor has been taken. The Voltron Paladins have betrayed him. Track him down and return him to me.

Mar: Vrepit Sa.

[Scene change to Honerva in her alchemy chamber.]

Honerva (as Haggar): Have you any word from Commander Mar?

Macidus: Nothing, High Priestess. Communication with Commander Mar has been lost.

Honerva (as Haggar): What of Emperor Lotor’s whereabouts?

Macidus: Still unknown.

[Scene change to Honerva back on the bridge at the ruins of Daibazaal where Kova waits hidden in the debris, then transition to a flashback of Honerva with Zarkon while Kova watches.]

Zarkon: I don’t see anything. Can it be true? I am to be a father?

Honerva: Yes.

Zarkon: And you, my queen, will be the mother to the heir of the Galra throne.

Honerva: Yes. There is much to do. First, we must continue to harvest the quintessence. It will be needed for your son’s empire.

Zarkon: He will be the best of both our people.

[Flashback ends to return to Honerva at the bridge, this time with Kova at her side as they overlook Daibazaal.]

Honerva: I will find you, my son.

[Scene change to Honerva’s alchemy chamber once more.]

Macidus: High Priestess, I am sorry to disturb you.

Honerva (as Haggar): Have you located Emperor Lotor?

Macidus: We still have not been able to ascertain any information regarding Emperor Lotor, Commander Mar, or Voltron. It has been phoebs since Emperor Lotor disappeared. The empire is in a state of chaos. The Blade of Marmora still challenges. We need a strong leader. The druids look to you, High Priestess.

Honerva (as Haggar): Tell them to look elsewhere. The druids are but ash in the winds of infinity. Let them be led by someone of equal esteem.

Macidus: Priestess…

Honerva (as Haggar): Depart my presence.

[Flashback to Honerva and Zarkon in the royal bedchamber.]

Zarkon: What shall we name the boy?

Honerva: I was thinking a name that has deep Altean history. Lotarious.

Zarkon: Lotarious?

Honerva: He was one of the ancient Alteans believed to have established much of the foundation of the engineering that built our world.

Zarkon: Interesting. I was considering a name from mythology. Kaltor. But he did not build the worlds, he conquered them.

Honerva: Perhaps we can honor both traditions.

[Scene change back to the alchemy chamber, where Honerva kneels.]

Guard: High Priestess, apologies. I was ordered to notify you when Commander Mar returned.

Honerva (as Haggar): What happened to him?

Drick: I found him like this, near death.

Honerva (as Haggar): What does he know?

Drick: His vitals are weak. He has yet to regain consciousness. We may never find out what he knows.

Honerva (as Haggar): There may be a way. Leave. Do you have news of the emperor?

Mar: Yes. I located Lotor’s generals.

Honerva (as Haggar): Where are they?

Mar: They… they attacked me and took over my ship, leaving me stranded.

Honerva (as Haggar): And what of the emperor? And what of the emperor?

Mar: The generals said Emperor Lotor accessed the Quintessence Field.

Honerva (as Haggar): He pierced the veil.

Mar: But then Voltron attacked. The fight ended. There was an explosion. Lotor and Voltron perished.

Honerva (as Haggar): No… No. I must find him. Call forth the Kral Zera.

[Flashback to just after Zarkon and Honerva’s “deaths” in the rift.]

Honerva: Who… who are you?

Zarkon: You do not recognize your emperor?

Honerva: Who… am I?

Zarkon: Where am I?

Guard: Aboard your ship, sir.

Zarkon: Take us home.

Guard: I can’t, sir. Daibazaal has been destroyed.

Zarkon: Get a doctor to this room immediately.

Haggar: Excuse me, my empress. I just need to--what are you doing? I need you to let go of me. Please! Let go!

Guard: Haggar! Haggar, can you hear me? Haggar, answer me! Oh, no. Help! Send help now!

Honerva: Haggar…

[Flash forward to Honerva-as-Haggar laying in bed after Lotor’s birth.]

Doctor: Sire, the birth was difficult but successful. Your son is healthy and in good shape, though we seem to be getting some strange readings coming from him directly. Similar to those that, well, similar to those of the empress and yourself.

Medic: Your son, sire.

Zarkon: Take him away.

Medic: But--

Zarkon: I said take him away! And what of her?

Doctor: I’m sorry, sire. We have her under constant watch, but she remains in this state. She only seems to become aware when we administer her quintessence. I’m hopeful her condition will improve with time, but, sire, we’re going to have to face the fact that our quintessence supplies are finite. The empire cannot continue to run on what we have. And you and the empress… without it, you’ll--

Zarkon: Give me the room. Do you know who I am?

Haggar: You are emperor.

Zarkon: And you?

Haggar: Ha… Haggar?

Zarkon: Do you know of quintessence?

Haggar: Quintessence.

Zarkon: Can you find me quintessence?

Haggar: Yes, my emperor.

[Flash forward to Feyiv, where Galra ships gather for the next Kral Zera.]

Drick: I am lighting the flame. Bow now, and your allegiance will be remembered.

Galra Officer: My fleet would crush yours in an instant, raining fire and death upon you and your clansmen. What makes you think I would ever bow to you?

Drick: Because I have the witch’s favor.

Galra Officer: It matters not. Power rules absolute.

Drick: I invite you to challenge me once the ceremony has begun. A display of the witch’s magic will bolster my claim as nothing else could.

Second Galra Officer: The Archivist!

Galra Officer: And your witch is nowhere to be found.

Honerva: This flame represents Lotor, son of Zarkon, prince turned emperor, emperor that pierced the veil. And my Altean blood coursed through his veins, but the Galra Empire failed him. It was the Galra blood, deeply boiled in traditions of evil, that tainted him. Your ways weakened a god.

Drick: That treacherous witch!

Honerva: The empire is weak. And now, I will end it.

Galra Officer: What’s this?

[Flashback to the Galra Command Center’s throne room, where a young Lotor stands before his father with a Dayak.]

Zarkon: Dayak, update me on the prince’s progress.

Dayak: Yes, sire. Prince Lotor completed the Agotian Trials as you requested. He was successful, even though they were advanced for his age.

Zarkon: What else?

Dayak: His physical stature is below expectation for the blood lineage of the Galra royalty, but his tactical scores are the highest we’ve ever measured.

Lotor: All I do, I do in the name of Galra. Father, there’s a question I’ve been wanting to ask you.

Dayak: Greatest apologies, sire. This one should not be speaking out of place.

Zarkon: Proceed.

Lotor: I would like to know about my mother. Please, Father, what happened to her?

Zarkon: I will tell you this and no more. She was my only weakness, but now she is gone.

Lotor: What was her name? What was she like?

Zarkon: Enough.

Lotor: Please, Father, I must know who I come from.

Zarkon: I said enough! If you do not remove his impurities, then I will find a Dayak that can.

Dayak: He will be punished accordingly. We will sear him down to his inner fire so that he may burn the universe. Vrepit Sa!

[Flash forward to Honerva, returning to Daibazaal after the Kral Zera.]

Honerva: My son.

[Flash back to Zarkon’s throne room, with a preteen Lotor at his side.]

Guard: Sire, your audience is requested in the Kandar wing.

Lotor: Father, may I accompany you?

Zarkon: You will stay here.

Lotor: But I want to join you. I have learned much of our--

Zarkon: You are an insolent boy. You may be the prince, but I am your emperor.

Haggar: Do not touch him. He will hurt you.

Lotor: What is his name?

Haggar: He has no name.

Lotor: Then I shall name it. Your name will be…

Honerva: --only Kova.

Haggar: Kova. His name is Kova.

Lotor: This creature pleases me. It will be mine.

Haggar: My lord…

Lotor: You may be the high priestess, but I am your prince, and you will do as I say. Isn’t that right, Kova?

Haggar: Yes, my lord.

[Flash forward to Honerva arriving at the first Altean colony.]

Merla: What are you doing here? Answer me.

Honerva: I am Honerva of the planet Altea.

Merla: That is impossible. Altea was destroyed over ten thousand years ago.

Honerva: A powerful portent that is shared with the birth of my son, Lotor.

Merla: Lotor’s mother?

Honerva: Lotor is gone.

Merla: How did he die?

Honerva: Voltron. To all of you who believed in my son so justly, your faith will be rewarded. I have come here today to continue my son’s mission and for that, I need you all.

Luca: We are your humble servants as will be the members of our sister colony once we inform them of the news. Do you know of their whereabouts?

Honerva: Unfortunately, they have also fallen to the evils of Voltron. Voltron and the Galra will pay for what they have done. With your help, I will resurrect my son’s dream.

Merla: We pledge our allegiance to you, Honerva, mother of Lotor.

[Flash forward to Honerva’s ship flying toward the white hole that hides Oriande.]

Honerva: This ancient land was created through powerful magic. Alteans would travel here to learn the secrets of our race. We have a long and difficult road ahead of us, but our path is true.

Merla: We will do anything to bring Lotor back.

Honerva: I know.

Merla: The acolytes have worked tirelessly. The prototype is ready.

Honerva: Excellent work. Find me the most faithful amongst us.

Merla: Yes, my queen.

[Flashback to Lotor’s colony planet, where the Galra Command Center orbits as it’s constructed.]

Ven’tar: Are you nervous?

Lotor: No, Ven’tar. This is my chance to finally make a difference, to show my father what we are capable of.

Zarkon: Update me on your progress.

Lotor: Our quintessence yields are some of the highest in the empire, and we’ve been more efficient than any other. By working alongside the denizens of this planet, like Ven’tar here, we’ve outsourced--

Zarkon: You dare work with this pitiful race as if they are your equals?

Lotor: It is working. We have outpaced even the most generous projections.

Zarkon: The heir to the Galra throne should not sully our honor by working with his subjects!

Lotor: It is the way my mother’s people would have done things. You thought I couldn’t find out about my own mother? About her people? You thought you destroyed every remnant of Altea, but you cannot unless you destroy your own son, as well!

Zarkon: Enough! You are to crush this planet beneath your heel!

Lotor: Never!

Zarkon: Then I will!

Lotor: You wouldn’t. You can’t! Father, wait! No, please do not do this, Father. Do not make these people suffer for my actions.

Zarkon: It is already done.

Lotor: I will do as you ask. The people will serve the Galra. No… No!

Zarkon: You are hereby banished from the empire. Forced to live out the remainder of your days remembering your failure here.

Lotor: Have you nothing to say, witch? Surely even you can see the folly of your master’s actions.

[Flash forward to Honerva as Haggar on the bridge of her ship.]

Honerva (as Haggar): Commander Sendak.

Sendak: the Lions of Voltron have arrived as you suspected. Shall I capture them for you, High Priestess?

Honerva (as Haggar): No. Destroy them.

Sendak: Vrepit Sa.

Honerva: Voltron has been found. It is time to test our first Altean acolyte.

[Flash forward to Honerva standing before the Alteans, lined by mechs on either side.]

Honerva: Today, the light of the universe shines inside our most brave. The dream of life is realized through her actions. For Luca the first acolyte, we shine in Lotor’s bright luminescence!

Luca: Voltron will pay for what they have done.

Honerva: May the light guide you. Rise and avenge my son.

End.

#vld #voltron #transcript #luca #honerva #haggar #zarkon #sendak #drick #lotor #merla #dayak #ven'tar #commander mar

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pumpkiwi · 3 years

Text

“ The Farmer’s Daughter “

I remember it all too well. My feet moved swiftly through the cornfield, my vision slowly decaying, barely catching my breath. The cold winds caused my running even more pain, and the moonlight didn’t help me much. I didn’t know what I was running from, I didn’t bother turning my back. For if I did, I’d be done for. The only thing I could hear aside from the ringing in my ears, was a girl singing a lullaby of some sort. I couldn’t make out the words at all. However, the singing wouldn’t stop. Suddenly, my foot met with a treacherous stone, concealed within the shadows, as if it were waiting for me. My body slammed hard into the dirt surface below. Letting out a sob, I pushed myself on my feet and looked up to see what exactly was chasing me.

A car horn blasted through my ears. I sat away from the taxi window, awaking from a cold sweat. Didn’t take too long for me to realize that it was all just a nightmare. A surreal nightmare.

“Outta my way, ya rats!” The old taxi driver barked in front of him. . His voice sounded like he had smoked seven cigarettes each and every hour of his life. He noticed me and flashed a ugly grin.

“I see ya finally awoke, old sport!” He chirped with glee. “How’d ya sleep?”

“Fine.” I answered back, “How far are we from the farm?”

“Ooh, only a few miles away! Don’t ya get yer panties in a bunch!”

The farm in question belonged to my uncle, Joe Norton. A large yet sweet man, heart full of gold. His hair matched mine, a copper brown. That was one of the few things we had in common. Despite that, I truly cared for him. That’s why I had to pack my bags and get to his farm as quick as I could. You see, ever since my cousin, Abigail, went missing this summer, things haven’t been the best. Not only was the grief unbearable, Uncle Joe told me all about how his crops were dying, as well as his animals. He didn’t have enough hands to help out. Being promised payment and food, I agreed to come.

“Oi, here we are, old sport! Badger Hill Farm!” The driver announced.

I took one look out my window and saw it: my childhood in mere ruins. Perhaps, I shouldn’t be too surprised. Uncle Joe was an old, divorced man with nothing but the pain and sorrow of his daughter’s disappearance. Strangely, he didn’t seem as worried as a parent should be. Maybe, he’s just keeping himself calm, as if it hasn’t been months. Poor bastard. Regardless, the farm gave me unnerving vibes. Maybe, it was just my anxiety kicking in again.

I escaped the taxi, waving the taxi man goodbye. There, on the ever so creaky porch, was Uncle Joe. His droopy eyes stared at his only company at this time. He then smiled.

“Good to see you again, my dear niece!”

I only huffed at his greeting.

“Nephew, Uncle Joe. I’m your nephew.”

“Right .. right. My apologies. How was the trip?”

“Fine.” I replied, “You doing okay yourself?”

The two of us went on a long conversation of each other’s lives, even though we already were pretty updated from our last call. As we talked, he took me around the maze of Badger Hills Farm. I knew it was going to be hard, from all the chores and tasks we had to complete. But, you would be surprised by my experience with farm life, even before my transition. So, it shouldn’t be too bad … right?

After a few exhausting days of cleaning, feeding and other various tasks, we celebrated with a small night of board games and chips. We played an old version of monopoly, as well as watched some TV for the first time in forever. His favorite show was this old black and white show that reran on some channel I’ve never heard of. It was about a vampire being neighbors with a werewolf, one of the episodes was about the human protagonist witnessing a murder being commited by one of the two. I liked it too. So, on that stormy night, we binge watched the hell out of it. Before one of the episodes could properly end, however, the lights shut off. As expected, it scared the devil out of me. But, Uncle Joe was happy to comfort me.

“Don’t ya worry yer butt off, Gabe.” He told me, rising up from his worn out chair. “I’ll go and take care of that.”

Uncle Joe grabbed the flashlight from the nearby counter and soon enough, left the front door, closing it behind him. There, I sat in the dark, alone. Funny enough, I used to be afraid of the dark, mainly of what could be in it. I’d always have my nightlight on, as if it would wear away any creatures or ghouls. Now that I was older, I knew better.

A shuffle of movement swimmed beside me. I jumped from my seat, glancing the direction it came from. Couldn’t have been a mouse, maybe a cat? Uncle Joe didn’t own a cat. Then, I heard it. That same singing from my dream. However, this time, I could understand the lyrics…

“ Wolves asleep amidst the trees

Bats all are swaying in the breeze

But one soul lies anxious wide awake

Fearing all manner of ghouls, hags and wraiths

For your dolly Polly sleep has flown. “

The singing alerted me greatly. I didn’t stay for the song to finish. So much so, I dropped everything and bursted through the front door. Someone was in that house, I thought. I need to warn Uncle Joe. However, I couldn’t find him or the shed he must have been at. What came next was similar to my dream. Running through the endless field in fear, unsure of who was coming after me, the endless singing of a song I had never heard of before. The rain had already taken a toll to my clothes, weighing me down as I ran. That unfaithful stone took out my ankle once more. I finally had a look at who I was chased back.

No… it couldn’t be…

There, floating up above me was my dearest cousin. Execpct, she didn’t look like herself. Her eyes were blank like a Tv screen, with a bloody rose covering her left eye, as well as an area around her chest. Her brown, long hair was as dirty as the ground below me and her outfit torn. I sat there, frozen in place, wondering if this was some sort of sick joke.

“ Abby..?” My eyes filled with tears, shaking at the cold, hard rain.

“What… W-hat happened to you? Why… what?”

Her gloved hands held out to me, as if reaching out to help me up. To my surprise, I could hold her hand. I rose up from the ground, still taking in what I was seeing. She released her grip and stared down my soul before her haunting voice spoke:

“Follow me.”

Her body wasped through the air gently, making sure I was with her. There was no way in hell I would run off. But, despite that, I wanted to know why or what. What happened to her? Eventually, she led me to a now ruined garden. It had been blocked off from the farm itself, most likely due to the respect of Uncle’s daughter. All the flowers were deader than whatever she has been corrupted into. My nose cringed at a rotting and nasty smell.

“This is where he killed me.” She suddenly croaked, no emotions whatsoever.

“Who..?” I nervously asked her.

“...Father.”

My heart stopped at her words.

“Uncle.. Joe? But … he’s old. And, he’s so sweet…”

“No.” A growl erupted from her. “He isn’t. He’s a murderer. He’ll kill you too if he finds out you know.”

I had to process this. All the things I had ever thought… is that why Uncle Joe was so calm about her becoming missing? I wanted to puke at the mere thought of it. A father killing his own daughter? Why? What was the motive?

“Why.. did he kill you?”

An index finger shot at the nearby flower beds. My gut twisted at what I even thought.

“You .. weren’t the only one..?”

She nodded firmly. I lifted the empty flower bed to reveal one of the almost decayed out corpses. The sight caused me to instantly drop the flower bed. I covered my mouth and nose to prevent myself from throwing up. This can’t be real. It can’t be. It has to be a dream.

Soon, bad news rolled in. The wet steps of mud trailed behind me. Uncle Joe stood there in the rain, holding a crowbar of somesorts. His happy smile that I always saw was twisted into a deep, dark frown.

“So… you found out, huh?” He questioned me. “You found her garden.”

It didn’t take long for me to realize what was going to happen if I stayed put. I was going to end up like Abigail. I raced over the fence and hopped over that bitch. He had thrown the crowbar at the fence, barely missing my back. Uncle Joe followed in pursuit, in a different route. I felt like I was in a horror movie, my heart pounding against my chest and running as quick as I could. I didn’t know where, but somewhere away from here.

“GET BACK HERE!” HIs voice boomed from behind me. “I AIN’T GONNA HURT YA! PLEASE, GABBY!”

I made it to that same dirt road I entered from. A red pick-up truck happened to be driving on that said road. Taking my chances, I got in front of it, waving my arms fractionally at the driver. Luckily for me, he stopped inches away from me. Checking back on where Uncle Joe was, he near damned was right there. The driver must have seen him, waving me to get in.

In a panic, I hopped on the back of the truck, holding on the edge for dear life. The truck began to drive away as quickly as he humanly could.

I still remember seeing Uncle Joe standing in the middle of that road, watching me with cold, evil eyes. That day, I found out the truth about him and Badger Hill Farms. A death trap it was. He was planning on killing me off that night, and I know.

I have to report him to the authorities, about the missing cases and everything. But, that was going to be my next step. For right now, I took in my freedom with a sigh and laid back on that truck.

I was alive.

#original character #original writing #writing #tw: death #i hope you all enjoy!!#this took like #idk a week????#im still writing for a dbd fanfic so uwu #enjoy!!#pls do reblog #ask to tag #peach writes #oc #ocs #( ~ ) : the farmer's daughter #the farmer's daughter

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iexbie · 4 years

Text

My Country

This is a really long and biased summary of Seon Ho/Hwi mostly for my friends please don’t @ me. I won’t be talking about Hui Jae or Yeon or Bang Won. I’m a busy woman I had to get down to business.

Our characters:

Seon Ho is the illegitimate son of a high standing political advisor (or something) and a woman he enslaved. When his older half-brother dies, his father takes him from his mother and raises him. His mother kills herself because of this. Seon Ho hates his father (obvi), and believes the best way he can achieve vengeance is by gaining political power. His wig is God Tier.

Hwi is Our Primary Hero. He's an orphan who has raised his younger sister since childhood. Their father (a well respected military man) is publicly executed for a false charge made to cover Seon Ho's father's real crimes. His major goal in the story is protect his sister, Yeon. You know his life is extra hard because his lips are always covered with concealer. He has ambidextrous eyebrows so he can both be >:( and <:(. He’s usually <:(.

They become best friends, bonding over their status as outsiders and their hatred for Seon Ho's dad. Hwi's sister has a crush on Seon Ho, and Seon Ho treats her with kindness and affection. Seon Ho and Hwi find themselves both looking to the same solution to their problems. They want to take the State Exam and climb the ranks of the military. Seon Ho wants to do this to gain political power. Hwi is just desperate for money. They are very supportive of each other at this point. They know only one of them can come in first place, and they promise each other not to hold back. ThEY DON'T.

Hwi wins the fight after he and Seon Ho BRUTALLY beat each other up. Immediately following Hwi being declared winner, a punch drunk and desperate Seon Ho clobbers him across the head. The main judge declares that ACTUALLY Seon Ho is the winner and Hwi is taken away.

This is the least covered in blood he will be for the next seven episodes.

Seon Ho realizes that his dad bribed the judge. When he confronts his father, his dad challenges him, saying 'If you really want to, you can tell the world I bribed the judge and we'll both lose everything.' Seon Ho is unwilling to give up his chance for power, and agrees to keep the position, even though it will ruin Hwi's entire life.

The face of a man who has realized he’s not shit.

Even a stopped clock...

When it becomes clear that Hwi KNOWS about the bribe, Seon Ho's father makes plans to kill him. Seon Ho suggests an alternative: Send Hwi away to the frontline of an unwinnable war.

This is how you know a sad bitch is going to die in a historical drama.

Soldiers come to pick up Hwi, saying he's been drafted. During the ensuing fight, Hwi's sister, Yeon, has a seizure and he's unable to reach her. He is sent away without knowing if she survives. Yang Se Jong acts the SHIT out of this scene but his face is COOOOOVERED in blood. I can’t screencap that.

Seon Ho was WATCHING Hwi get taken away from the shadows, and runs to save Yeon. He manages to get her back to his place, where he stands up to his father for he first time and DEMANDS they help her. Meanwhile, Hwi begs someone to tell Seon Ho what's up.

This is still a lot of face blood.

FLASHFORWARD THREE MONTHS

Hwi wakes up in the midst of a giant battle. He's now one of hundreds of men just trying to survive. The fight scene extremely rules. He's a great fighter and becomes an unofficial Lieutenant among the advance forces.

Seon Ho is now a military official. The General Lee Seong Gye now trusts him and he's able to give council on war decisions. One time he sees a guy who looks like he might be wearing Hwi’s wig and he runs over to him desperate to see his friend.

He’s makes such bad decisions, but he’s so pretty.

The General Lee Seong Gye wants to turn back to the capital and start a revolution, but he doesn't know what to do with the advance group. Seon Ho (baby evil) proposes they send a team to kill the remaining 75 men, so no one can question their decision to turn back. He’s pretty mouthy about it, so the General has him go in with the Murder Team.

He really does think he’s a bad bitch.

Seon Ho gets the advanced camp and starts fighting when he makes eye contact with his enemy and....it's Hwi.

This is so many screencaps but C’MON.

Seon Ho sees his second in command attacking Hwi from behind, so he jumps in front of him and takes the life threatening hit himself. Hwi unlocks Beast Mode in vengeful rage. This clip is on youtube.

Hwi and his friends nurse Seon Ho back to health, despite his trying to MURDER THEM. Seon Ho wakes up and behaves like a snot. It’s sweet actually.

Just like old times before I sent you away to the frontline of an unwinnable war :’)

This is fucking. like. It’s like. Jane Austen shit.

Seon Ho shits on the moment by asking why Hwi hasn’t mentioned the fact that Seon Ho sent him to the frontlines. Hwi evades the question. Seon Ho continues on by confessing to both sending him to the frontlines AND bribing the judge (which he did not technically do so it’s extra juicy that he’s taking the fall for it here.) Hwi tries to get him to stop talking. Seon Ho then confesses it was his idea to kill the advance troops. Hwi yells at him to stop and says that if Seon Ho was there to kill him, why did he save his life? Seon Ho says he was just indebted to him but now they’re even (obvious lie!)

Hwi asks Seon Ho about Yeon. Seon Ho flashes back to his father saying that if anyone finds out they're harboring Yeon he'll kill them, and tells Hwi that Yeon is dead. This could have been executed more smoothly tbh.

Hwi says he’s going after Seon Ho’s dad, and Seon Ho tells him he can’t!!!!

Also the room is on fire.

Hwi leaves Seon Ho and returns to the city. Turns out Yeon IS alive!!!! But she has amnesia (l.mfao.) He agrees to work for Seon Ho & his dad as a means of insuring Yeon's safety. This next portion fo the story is EVEN MORE POLITICS, so in short: during this arrangement there are several instances where Hwi is in mortal danger and Seon Ho (self proclaimed prince of darkness) COMES OUT OF THE WOODWORK to save him even when it messes up his plans:

Hwi is not moved by this and even double crosses Seon Ho, leading to Seon Ho being brutally beaten by like idk the palace special inspectors? Something like that. I will also save you from screncaps of his bloody face though I will confess I was personally into it.

Hwi just looked handsome here idk.

Hwi and Seon Ho are for real really broken up, and Hwi seems pretty firm on his resolve to not care about Seon Ho (which is definitely fair.) When Seon Ho learns that Hwi is going on a suicide mission for his father. He runs to stop him but he's too late.

This is only like the fourteenth most romantic thing to happen on the show. That’s BONKERS. I’m literally deleting more pictures of Seon Ho on the ground sadly staring at Hwi, because I know you get it, but like. Wow.

Seon Ho’s dad shows up and appears to finish killing Hwi. Seon Ho sees Hwi unmoving and has to be physically restrained from going to him, even though he’s already all tied up.

THIS IS PRIMO TRAGIC ROMANCE CONTENT.

He decides to run away with Yeon. As he's escaping they're surrounded by his father's guards, who have been ordered to kill her. Hwi's friends to save them and reveal that Hwi is alive waiting for her. Turns out he was playing dead, haha. Jokes on Seon Ho!

My soul left my body like that Winnie the Pooh gif.

Seon Ho realizes his father won't let Yeon and Hwi leave so he goes to warn them. He and Hwi fight off his father's guards, but Yeon is killed despite their best efforts (Every man in this show would survive getting hit by a meteor but it just takes one stab for Yeon to go down. I have longform thoughts about this, but now is not the time.)

SIX YEARS LATER

Hwi has aligned himself with a prince (THE PRINCE imo) looking for the throne. Seon Ho is Team Current King. Their ultimate goal is still to kill Seon Ho's dad, but they have different plans for how to accomplish this. Hwi wants to destroy Seon Ho's dad's dream of power before killing him, while Seon Ho wants his father's treachery to be made public and then kill him himself, so that he's remembered as a traitor killed by their own child. Potato Potato, I say.

Hwi gets the upper hand and stabs Seon Ho through the gut.

YOUR SWORD

STILL FEELS AFFECTIONATE.

Ultimately, this relationship is characterized by one man (Seon Ho) who believes he can do anything to get what he wants, and another (Hwi) who might really be able to do anything to get what he wants. It's effed up man, I can't get enough.

Seon Ho survives that by the way. Just a flesh wound. He walks it off.

#my country #don't read all this.#tw: suicide mention #blood

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puzzen · 5 years

Text

Rika Behind Story Plot Summary

I spent 2 hours summarising Rika’s behind story so you don’t have to. I tried my best to write down everything objectively, and anything in quotations is directly lifted from the text in the game. (Long post, TLDR at the bottom )

TW: Mentions of CSA. Please don’t read if it triggers you!

Episode 1: Three year old Mina (Rika's real name) has a close bond with another girl older than her, called Mika, who acts a older sister to her in the adoption center. Mika is growing too old and risk being sent to an orphanage, and is desperate to find foster parents. Mina/Rika is upset and doesn't want Mika to leave the orphanage. Both of them promise to be adopted together.

Episode 2: A hyper religious lady goes into the adoption center to look for a child who is as devout as her. She is impressed by Mika, who is diligent in her studies. Mika reveals that she has some radical beliefs, that children should be raised by bad parents to learn how to survive in a cruel world.

Time jump back to adult Rika, where she is telling the story of her childhood to a therapist. The Therapist contemplates whether she is in need of being hospitalised. Back at V's house, Rika laments to V that he is too much of a yes man but V says he loves Rika for her weaknesses? (They start talking with those sun and darkness metaphors again, so it gets confusing) Through Rika's monologue, she admits that V reminds her of Mika's love and how she is afraid she might hurt V.

Episode 3: Rika is given the name Serena by her adoptive mother. Her mother obviously hates her, viewing her as an evil girl in the eyes of God. Her mother constantly calls for the Pastor to visit Rika to 'exorcise Satan' out of her, and when the mother leaves Rika to be alone with the pastor, Rika begs for her mother to not leave. Because of the idea that Rika is from the devil or something, kids avoid her and she has no friends.

One day, when the pastor brings Rika to the hospital (to try to convert her adoptive father?) she spots Mika lying in a nearby hospital bed.When Mika asks Rika how she has been, Rika lies about her life, as it is revealed the Mika has failed to be adopted and still lives in the orphanage, Mika reveals that she plans to become a nurse and to take care of orphans in the future, and Rika feels that happy that she is reunited with her long lost friend.

Episode 4: Rika learns from her father (who works in the hospital) that Mika has cancer in her eyes. She tries to find Mika, but the address of the orphanage she gave Rika was fake. Bitter, Rika begins to blame parents and herself. Back to the present, V suggest to Rika about getting a new puppy to replace Sally. Rika rejects this, saying that she only kept her dog Sally because she was abandoned and she does not want a new puppy. She reveals what she needs is something that allows her to 'save more forsaken people' and that the RFA is not enough. V enquires about Saeran, and Rika says that they should separate the brothers in the long term as Saeran is 'weak at heart', with Saeyong under V and Saeran under her. She then tells V to not talk about the Choi twins anymore, even though V protests that they had promised to look after them together.

Flashback to the past, and it is revealed that although Rika's adopted mother wanted to adopt Mika at first, the paster decided to adopt Rika instead when she begs to take Mika's place. It also shows Rika adopting an abandoned dog, who she names Sally, despite her mother's disapproval. (TW: Mentions of CSA) Rika then mentions how the Paster touches her when they are alone and have done hundreds of bad things to her. but her mother dismisses it as "a ritual to condemn Satan out of her". As an act of defiance, Rika runs to the church during a sermon and yells at the Pastor about how a God and parents who forsake their children are bad, essentially calls him out. This convinces Rika that the only thing that can protect her is the "devil inside her". As her mother threatens to throw Sally out for the outburst, Rika threatens she would unleash Satan on the church, which scares her mother. This made Rika realise that she could secure her security through words that stir fear.

Episode 5: Rika joins and helps out in a catholic church, and is praised by the Nuns for her service. Rika suggest to the Nuns to help out in an elderly home next time as she can't help watching someone being abandoned. At this time, She adopted the name Rika, as she hated the name that her cruel adoptive mother gave her. Rika questions what loving parents are like but prayed for a sign to one day understand that. When Rika turned 18, Rika admits she felt incompatible with "people that shone" as she could not get close to those who don't need her help. She felt intimidated by such people as she believed that they could "see her darkness"

When Rika is visiting an exhibition, she found herself drawn to one of V's photos, which she believes she can feel the pure love of a parent from it. For a year, Rika became enamoured with V's photos and constantly hunted down any of his exhibitions. Rika eventually meets child Saeyong outside the cathedral, where Saeyong mentions he wants to sing for his little brother. Rika notes from his build and clothing that he is most likely neglected, and Saeyong starts to occasionally pop in at the cathedral. Rika starts tutoring him subjects, and Saeyong's talent of math is revealed. Rika becomes attached to Saeyong as she sees Mika and herself in him. The episode ends with her adoptive mother threatening to kick Rika out.

Episode 6: Rika explains how she met Yoosung, and how he reminded her of a child who was raised in his parent's love. She feels nervous around Yoosung, fearing that he would one day "learn that there is a devil inside her". As Yoosung and Rika talk, Rika is jealous of Yoosung's upbringing and believes that he would be ruined if he stays close to her. Yoosung reveals that he wants to be like Rika, and admires her passion and sincerity in helping others. Rika assures him that he will be a good person, while thinking to herself that unlike him, she will never be one. As Yoosung follows Rika around, Rika notes that she had no idea how to handle him and tried to look confident, but it ultimately made her uncomfortable which made her avoid him at times. Meanwhile, she found herself drawn towards Saeyong, a boy "full of wounds".

One day, she takes Saeyong to visit V's exhibition, where she finally meets the photographer. She tells V that his photos make her feel the warmth of a loving mother and V gives one of his photos to her as a gift. Rika says she can't accept such a gift for free, and V offers that in exchange, they meet for coffee after the exhibition.

Episode 7: During their coffee date, Rika is perplexed by V, as instead of seeing him as light or dark, she sees him as a " White blank container" and is drawn to him. Rika asks him if he thinks that she could ever bask in such love like in his photos, where V answers that she deserved to be loved, and that he would help her believe it. This is when Rika believes that they were fated, and became V's model and visited his home regularly. However, as his model, they did not talk much, with V merely observing Rika and taking photos. This confuses Rika, and she decides to keep her darkness from him by pretending to be a bright person who was raised with lots of love.

2 months of being V's model, Rika is expelled from her house by her mother, and Rika finds a temporary home at the cathedral. She begins to lament that the people who have not forsaken her are people like her, broken, and how she can not get close to V or Yoosung as they are nothing like her. Despite this, Rika wishes to be loved and "wants to get close to the light", even though she thinks she does not deserve it.She decides to stop visiting V's studio, as she believes that if she ever asks him to love her, that he would "treat her like made and forsake her".

Due to Rika's disappearance, V goes to Rika's adoptive home to look for her, where he runs into her adoptive mother, who reveals that she views Rika as a heathen to V. V finds Rika at the cathedral (via Jumin's connections), and Rika tells him that they live in "two different worlds that can never combine" and tells him that she is a dark tragic person. Rika admits to him that she is scared that she would be abandoned, and asks V if he could embrace her. V does, and promises that he would be her sun. In tears, Rika begs V to never leave her even if she makes a mistake or does something he doesn't like. As V agrees, she asks how V can prove himself, and V tells her that he would marry her if she wanted. This made Rika happy as V is like her, "who is far from the ordinary sort"

Episode 8: V and Rika become engaged in the year they met. In that year, she meets Jumin, and with both V and Jumin's influences and connections, Rika believes that she can finally achieve her dream of "making forsaken people happy". However, Rika still felt like she had to escape from V at times because of her darkness, and thus created her apartment. (The one that MC stays at during the common and deep routes) Behind V's back, Rika plans the layout of the cameras of the apartment and sends them to Saeyong.

It is revealed that Rika is in cahoots with Mika (who isn't dead, but eyes are damaged permanently). Mika does not trust V, and offered a plan to protect Rika from being forsaken. Mika's plan is to use Saeran and make the RFA believe that all the information from RFA that was stolen by a hacker. Rika is reluctant to follow the plan, saying that "she must save him" and questions whether she should tell V about the plan. However, Mika convinces Rika that she can "save him by using him" and that she must never ever tell V the plan. Rika agrees, and through her monologue, admits that although she knows that both her and Mika are abnormal, "devils cannot forsake each other". Both Mika and Rika come up with the idea of Mint eye together before Mika's death. Time jump to the first RFA party, where Rika gives a speech about the sun and how it represents the unconditional love of the mother. She ends her speech by saying "V, I love you. Please stay with me forever and be my sun"

Tldr:

Rika had a close friend in her orphanage called Mika --> Rika gets adopted by a hyper religious mother who believes there is a devil inside her --> A priest gets sent to ‘cleanse’ her, but uses this opportunity to sexually abuse Rika --> Rika meets Mika in the hospital, who has eye cancer --> Rika adopts an abandoned dog and after threatening to unleash the devil on the church in order to keep the dog, she realises the power of inciting fear in people -->She helps out at a cathedral and meets Saeyong there. Rika meets Yoosung and is intimidated by his loving upbringing --> Rika falls in love with V’s photos as she can sense a mother’s love from it and becomes V’s model when they meet --> Rika is kicked out of her house, and where V finds her residing in the cathedral, he promises to love her despite her flaws and her future actions --> The RFA is created, but it is revealed that Mika is residing in Rika’s apartment, and together they formulate what would become Mint Eye, using Saeran as part of the plan.

#mystic messenger #mysme #rika behind story #plot summary #mm rika #mm mika #jihyun kim #yoosung kim #cheritz dlc #so these are the two hours i can never take back

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crazy-loca-blog · 5 years

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Personal Thoughts On Open Heart

When I first tried Choices, I said “I used to read this type of books (in paper, of course) when I was a kid, so let’s give it a chance… 5 minutes and then I’ll uninstall it”. And here I am, about 2 years and 45 books (and a lot of diamond purchases) later. But I never, ever felt so attached to a book as I am to Open Heart. I even recovered my forgotten Tumblr account, just to read stuff related to the book because I missed Dr. Ramsey and associates from Saturday to Thursday!

So I was just thinking about the final chapter (insert broken heart emoji here) and how there are lots of things that are still unsolved (and will probably remain unsolved or we would have like a 3-hour long chapter). It even made me think that this book was so successful that instead of shortening and rushing things (something that has been happening a lot in PB lately, let’s be honest), they may be trying to do the opposite, that is, to drag and delay some stuff as much as possible so they have plenty of interesting content for book 2 (and book 3?) as well.

I guess when the book was first released, most of us assumed the series was going to have three books, one per year: the first one would be about the competition, the second one about the MC joining the diagnostics team (after winning the competition, of course) and the third one about the MC finishing the residency and, of course, the wedding. But after the massive success of Open Heart and the lots and lots of things we want to know about every single character in this book, I’m beginning to wonder how many questions will be answered in chapter 17 and how many things will be left unsaid and unknown until book 2 arrives. So I had to make a summary a draft a list a long post the longest post I can think of now regarding the things I think will happen in the near future… or the things I WANT to happen in chapter 17 and in book 2 (or even afterwards, fingers crossed so we can get a book 3)…

The hearing: I’ve been trying to think about how things will go in chapter 17. For some reason, I think the tricks Ethan talked about when we saw him before the hearing are related to that empty chair the MC noticed in chapter 15. We know that the chair belongs to Naveen, so probably when he retired, that spot was meant to be Ethan’s. Also, we all saw Ethan quitting… but did he “officially” submitted his resignation to the board or was it just a verbal thing? I’m pretty sure that PB would have given us a scene with him taking his stuff out of his office, but that didn’t happen hasn’t happened yet. Also, we know there are 8 chairs, so my guess is that after 7 votes our MC will be losing the case… and that’s the moment where Ethan will come to the rescue to submit the 8th vote and make things even. So will there be a cliffhanger at the end of book 1? Who knows… part of me would love it because it would be a different and unexpected ending (we already know we don’t need a closure because we’ll be having a second book)… but I don’t know if I can wait months to discover what happened in the end. It would also be nice to see some type of unexpected plot twist during the hearing, as for example Aurora testifying for us or the snake Landry publicly recognizing that he sabotaged the MC, putting in danger the patients and ruining the MC’s reputation among the nurses.

The competition: since the snake’s Landry’s episode, we haven’t heard much about the competition. As Jackie said, with Naveen and Ethan out of the picture, there isn’t even a diagnostics team to join, so that made me think that PB is not even going to try to finish the competition in book 1, they’ll carry it to book 2 (Two books covering only the first year? That would be awesome, as it makes me dream of more than 3 books on the horizon… “a girl can dream”, said certain MC in chapter 10).

The hospital: Naveen is retired (and we still don’t know if he’ll live)… Ethan quit… Harper hates her current job. I’m guessing that book 2 will be all about chaos in the administration of Edenbrook. And for some reason, I can see Declan Nash and the contract that Ethan had to sign involved in all this mess (I’m guessing Panacea Labs will be our real PITA in this series).

Backstories: we know so little about our friends/LIs lives outside the hospital and about their past! We know that our beloved and hot smart ass Ethan (insert heart emoji here) doesn’t have a good relationship with his family, but we don’t exactly know what happened there. We also know that there might be something about Bryce and his family, and that’s why he decided to be as far from them as possible. We know about Elijah’s childhood and his parents being on medical debt, but it would be huge to be able to learn more about the difficulties he must face every day as a person in a wheelchair. We are just getting to know Aurora and how hard it is for her just to be herself because of her family name (I’d love to see her kicking some asses and showing everyone that she’s there because she deserves it, not because she’s Harper’s niece). The only thing we know about the MC is that there is a brother somewhere in the universe. But we still don’t know anything about Landry, Jackie, Sienna or Kyra’s past, so I expect to have a book 2 full of backstories.

The new roommate: that will have to be solved by the end of chapter 17 or in the first chapter of book 2 (because we have to pay the rent!). I definitely don’t want the snake Landry our old roommate to return to the apartment (does anyone want it that way, actually?) and I definitely see Bryce as the natural choice to fill that spot, I don’t see any other option.

The patients: of course we’ll keep receiving new cases in book 2, but I’d love to see PB giving some special treatment to Kyra. We do know that her fight is a long one and I’d love to see the MC right next to her every step along the way not only as her doctor, but as her friend. I’m still not sure if she is a LI or not, but I wouldn’t like her to be one or to become one in the near future. Don’t get me wrong, I love her, but right now I see the Kyra/MC relationship being the equivalent to the Dolores/Ethan relationship and even though I don’t want this to happen because it breaks my heart, I may see the same outcome in both cases, especially after Ines told Kyra that her survival chances were ridiculously low (insert broken heart emoji here).

New LIs: OK, so most of us have already chosen our fave LI (team Ramsey for life here… my heart, soul and body belong to him, please don’t let my boyfriend read this) so probably book 2 will be the one where we will make things official and become more serious about our relationships (especially if you’re dating Bryce, Rafael or Jackie… it took less than 2 chapters for Ethan and the MC to look like a married couple already so I think there isn’t anything to discuss there). But we definitely need at least one more LI and it has to be a female. My votes go to Aurora (I can see it like the Becca/MC relationship in TF series) and Sienna (just because she’s the sweetest!).

New relationships: again, now that we all are dating our fave LIs and living the honeymoon phase, what about some of our friends and LIs that received a “thank you, next” answer from us? We’re already shipping Elijah/Phoebe (even though they are not in a serious relationship yet, I can totally see him moving to her apartment at some point in book 2) and Sienna/Danny (like please PB! I’d be so happy if by the end of book 1 they go on a date! I need that thing to happen like NOW!). I’d personally LOVE to see Bryce dating Harper… I can totally see him dating an older woman (and of course I can see Harper having a hot toy boy in her life) and they’d be such an unstoppable power couple! We know he admires her a lot professionally speaking, but taking things to the next level would be like living the Ethan/MC love story all over again (except that I don’t think Harper sets boundaries as Ethan did tried to do). I’m also hoping for Ines and Zaid to confirm during chapter 17 if they are a thing or if they’re just friends… I think most of us ship them and a lot of people assume they’re already in a relationship as they’re seen together like everywhere… maybe we’ll have to play matchmaker once again in book 2? And if I have to choose some type of crazy match I’d say Aurora and Jackie. Can you image how they’d flirt? We wouldn’t even know if they are throwing shade or complimenting each other, but they’d love each other in their own twisted way.

Gossiping sessions with Sienna: this is simple: I always knew Sienna was going to become our bestie sooner or later, and I’ve been dreaming about a gossiping session with her since she told us she wanted to know every little dirty detail about that trip to Miami (has anyone written a fanfic about that conversation? that would be so awesome!). Please PB, just make it happen!!

Ethan: last but not least. No matter if he’s your LI or not, this man is a topic by himself. You just can’t deny he’s one the best characters that Choices has created so far (if not the best one… his character development is just amazing) and that he’s the main reason why we are so obsessed with this book. I’ll focus on him as a LI as well because that’s the route I took. I’m really hoping to see him returning to Edenbrook this week, after saving Naveen (please PB, give Ethan a break and let Naveen live! He’s had enough suffering already!), saving our MCs ass at that hearing and recovering his confidence as an attendant. If he returns, his biggest conflict in book 2 has to be how to be able to keep a relationship with the MC and being our mentor and our boss at the same time. He is madly in love, so this will be a constant struggle! There is also what I call “the Harper factor”. The reason why Ethan and Harper broke up was because she became his boss. Now Ethan is facing the same situation, but he is taking Harper’s place as the boss. How will she react? How will he explain to Harper that he’s doing exactly the same thing they used as the excuse for their breakup a year ago? Will we have another Harper/MC tense interaction in book 2 where they both will talk about Ethan? I’m seriously waiting for it to happen. Despite this, I’d love to see a kind of hidden relationship between them (I don’t remember PB doing that before) until they can’t just hide it anymore because it’s too obvious or because someone caught them (let’s face it, both the MC and Ethan fail miserably when they try to hide their feelings). I think something like this could work in this very specific case because no matter who your LI is, our MC tends to be a super private person and I don’t know if after all the things that happened in book 1 we would want to keep being the favorite topic in the nurses’ gossiping sessions. Wedding bells? Of course, but not yet… I even think the engagement may take place in book 3 (if we get there). Will we meet Jenner? I don’t think so, at least not yet (insert broken heart emoji here). A few days ago I realized that if you didn’t do the diamond scene or if you didn’t choose the option where Ethan talks about Jenner, you have no idea that he has a dog. Just do something about it, PB!!!!

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amehanaaa · 5 years

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How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days

The Nalu is getting real juicy out here. It gets my blood pumping, wow.

Thank you all so much for reading so far! You all make my heart swell with happiness.

Hope you enjoy this chapter! (Also can be read here.)

Chapter 5 – Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 Words: 4130 Summary: Lucy and Natsu are determined to take the necessary steps to fulfill their lifetime dreams. Little do they know, they have both given themselves 10 days to achieve it.

——————–

“Hey, what are you doing right now?”

“Nothing much,” Natsu speaks into his phone as he tightens strings to a trash bag. “What’s up with you?”

“You want lunch?”

“You don’t have to ask me that even once. Come on over, Gray,” Natsu responds, not missing a beat.

Finished with his chores for the day, he waits for his friend to arrive at the station. He stands beneath an awning due to the early summer heat.

As soon Gray’s motorcycle rolls up on the driveway, Natsu’s stomach growls. He cracks a grin when he finds that Gray brought him his favorite—an Italian sandwich with spicy mayo.

Taking their usual seat at the outdoor table, Natsu doesn’t hesitate to take a large bite. “Thanks,” he says in between bites.

Gray nods while watching his friend happily eat the sandwich. Admittedly, Gray couldn’t bring himself to meet up with him yesterday after his episode with Lucy. A part of him regrets ambushing her; he wonders what she thinks of him now.

But most of all, Gray fears that he isn’t being loyal to his best friend. He can’t figure out if keeping the information about Lucy is betrayal. An overwhelming sense of guilt is scattered throughout his chest.

“So, how are you and the girl?” Gray forces himself to ask, careful enough to speak nonchalantly. “Lucy was her name, right?”

Natsu swallows the last bite and wipes the dripping mayo off the side of his mouth. He lets out a loud sigh. “Can I be honest with you? She’s a lot to handle right now. I don’t know what has gotten into her lately.”

His words cause Gray to lift a brow in response. “What has she been doing to you?”

“One second she’s great and loving,” Natsu begins. “The next second she’s being so difficult and toxic. It’s suffocating.”

Gray opens his mouth to respond, but Natsu is already too fired up to stop venting.

“I made her my famous ham last night, but she didn’t eat it because suddenly she was a vegetarian. Then, she assumed I thought she was overweight because I was looking at her plate of spinach. I can’t believe—”

“Hey, Natsu,” Gray stops him gently. “You’re starting to yell.”

“Sorry,” Natsu responds with a large gulp of water. “I don’t know how to fix this.”

“She reminds me of how Juvia used to act,” Gray mentions.

Natsu’s jaw drops at the sudden realization. “That’s exactly who she’s like! How did you and Juvia work through it?”

“Lots of a time and lots of communication,” Gray admits. He realizes that this is an opening to sway Natsu. “But do you think Lucy is even worth it? Or would it be better to cut her off?”

Natsu instantly starts to shake his head. “No way. I’m a man of my word, you know that. No matter how difficult Lucy is, I’m determined to win her over. We only have four days left, anyway.”

Gray sighs under his breath, expecting nothing else from Natsu. He perks up in his seat again when he gets an idea.

“Hey, why don’t we have a guys’ night tomorrow? You can bring your fire buddies and I’ll bring my coworkers.”

Natsu’s eyes light up at the idea. “Sign me up for that. We can have it at my place. It’s been a while since my home has felt like what it’s supposed to feel like—a home.”

The two share a nod, both satisfied that it worked out. Gray is about to stand up and ride back to work, but he freezes when he catches a glimpse of a car approaching the station.

“Lucy is here,” Natsu says.

Gray glances at him, finding Natsu stand and walk towards the car. He actually is taken aback for a second—he has never seen Natsu’s eyes soften that quickly before.

“I missed you today!” Lucy shouts while leaping into Natsu’s arms.

They share an embrace until he pulls back. “Hey, I have someone I want you to meet this time.”

He slides his hand down to intertwine fingers with her, bringing her to the table. Lucy and Gray make eye contact for a split second before they avert gazes to Natsu.

“Lucy, this is my best friend. Gray, this is Lucy,” Natsu introduces them.

There’s a moment of silence between the three of them, but Lucy makes sure it isn’t noticeable.

“Nice to meet you, Gray.” She extends her free hand to him.

“Nice to meet you, too,” he responds as he shakes her hand. He notices that her palm is sweaty, revealing to him that she is just as nervous as he is.

“How well do you know Natsu?” Lucy asks. After realizing that this is the perfect opportunity to find out what kind of person he is, she goes into reporter mode.

“Was it when we were second years in college?” Gray looks over at Natsu, trying to remember. “Or third years?”

“I thought we met our first year,” Natsu responds with a frown. “You sure it wasn’t first year?”

“No, because you had just broken up with Lisanna,” Gray reminds him.

“Oh,” Natsu says plainly.

Natsu is afraid to see Lucy’s expression, but he decides to sneak a glance. He’s surprised to see her with an amused look.

“You’ve known each other for a long time, then,” she comments.

Natsu tries not to express his shock. He expected her to investigate his past relationships, but she doesn’t seem to have any interest in that. Instead, she is more focused on him and Gray’s present friendship.

“Lisanna was a childhood friend,” Natsu explains, feeling as though he owes it to her.

Lucy slightly shakes her head with an assuring smile. “You don’t have to explain it to me. I get it.”

“Okay,” he answers hesitantly. He isn’t sure why he feels the way he does right now; he’s impressed by how relaxed she is about it.

Gray clears his throat. “Well, I should probably start heading out.”

“Wait!” Lucy abruptly exclaims. Releasing her hand from Natsu’s, she rushes over to a nearby tree. “Look, there’s a cat!”

Her hurried steps are enough to scare the cat, causing it to jump onto a branch above her. Once she reaches the tree, she tilts her head back and laughs.

“Natsu, look!” She continues to laugh and points at the branch. “You were made for this job!”

Gray has already put his helmet on when Natsu turns to him with tired eyes.

“Good luck. I’ll see you at guys’ night tomorrow.” He pats Natsu on the shoulder.

Natsu lets out a sigh as he starts to walk away. “Does she know that it’s pretty rare for firefighters to rescue cats out of trees?” He grumbles to himself.

Grabbing a ladder, he sets it at the tree and starts to reach for the unamused cat. Lucy can’t stop herself from giggling as he successfully rescues the feline.

“You should keep him,” she suggests. “Look, he’s snuggling against you!”

Natsu scoffs, not paying attention to its soft fur. “I don’t have time to take care of a cat.”

“We can co-parent!” she insists. “But he has to stay at your house. Please!”

He observes Lucy’s pleading eyes. Every part of him wants to reject the idea, but after remembering that he’s determined to win her over, he accepts the fact that he needs to show his commitment.

“Okay, I’ll keep him.”

“Yes!” Lucy cheers with a grin. “We’re going to be a happy family!”

Natsu gives a small smile in response. Although the station’s front yard is shaded by multiple trees, he feels beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. He can start to sense irritation bubbling up inside of him.

“I’m going to go inside and clean up. I’ll see you later tonight,” he tells her as he takes the ladder and lugs away.

“Um, Natsu?” Lucy asks before he gets too far away. As he turns around, she points to her puckered lips.

Natsu can physically feel his shoulders slump, but he tries to hide it as he returns to her. After they kiss, she tilts her head.

“Did you have a sandwich for lunch? I can taste it.”

“Yeah, I did,” he responds simply, already turning away.

“With meat in it?” she asks, although he doesn’t bother to look back at her.

“Yep!” he answers loud enough to hear her. “See you later!”

Lucy presses her hand to her lips in order for her laugh not to leave her lips. Natsu has already entered the station, leaving her on the yard alone.

“You don’t even know what else is coming,” she giggles under her breath. With that, she leaves the station to start the next part of her assignment for the day.

——————–

Natsu has lost track on how many times his phone has buzzed in his pocket for the past hour. He has accepted that the vibration will forever be imprinted on his leg.

Once he is back to his apartment—with a cat in his arms—he checks his phone to find Lucy calling again. He lets the call ring until it automatically declines. He groans when she leaves another voicemail. 30 voicemails, to be exact.

“What is wrong with her?” he mutters, a wave of irritation returning to his chest. “She’s making this so much more difficult than it needs to be.”

He decides that it would be best to just sit down and breathe, so he kicks off his shoes and falls face first into the couch. He shuts his eyes, finally feeling some of the pressure fade.

The moment is promptly ruined as a round of knocks pound on the door.

“It’s unlocked!” Natsu turns his head to shout at the door.

“Natsu!” Lucy shouts while entering the apartment. “Where are you?”

He raises his arm up from the couch. As she walks towards him, he pushes himself to sit up.

“So, I did something a little crazy today,” Lucy says with a bashful smile.

“What did you do?” he asks, almost afraid to know the answer.

“Well, I was messing around at work today,” she explains. “And then I suddenly came up with the perfect name for our daughter!”

Natsu doesn’t have any time to react as he watches her pull out a journal from her purse. She sits next to him, opening the journal and half of the pages landing on his lap.

“Here are all the combinations I made with our names.” She drags her index finger down the lists on each page. Her finger stops at the final, circled name. “Look, her name is going to Nashi! Isn’t it cute?”

“What makes you think we’ll have a daughter?” Natsu’s brows furrow in response.

Lucy gapes at him in disbelief. She folds her arms across her chest and turns away with an audible huff.

“I’m sorry.” He forces himself to reach over and place a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I shouldn’t have questioned that.”

“That really hurt my feelings. You don’t think we could have a daughter someday?”

The realistic side of Natsu wants to be bluntly honest, but he feels as though he has to read a script. He swallows back his pride.

“I think we can be hopeful about it,” he replies.

Lucy shifts in her spot to send him a delighted smile. “Let’s be hopeful together!”

He nods, allowing her to nestle into his chest. Both of them let out sighs, although they’re for different reasons.

“Let’s stay in for the rest of the night?” Lucy suggests.

“Please,” Natsu mumbles in agreement. “Let’s just relax.”

Before she can change her mind, he leans over and turns on the TV. Just for good measure, he closes his eyes and dozes off until it’s too late to commit to anything for the rest of the night.

Meanwhile on the other side of the couch, Lucy can hardly believe that Natsu is still invested into the relationship after being shown the ridiculous journal she made. If it was the other way around, she would be finding excuses to never see him again.

Natsu must be a superhuman if his feelings for her are still as genuine when they first met.

And yet, Lucy can’t keep herself from wondering if her initial feelings are still the same as the current, swirling ones in her chest.

——————–

“You’re still together after all that?!” Cana bursts out incredulously once Lucy has updated her from last night’s events. “He hasn’t even tried breaking up with you?”

“I have no idea what I’m doing wrong,” Lucy groans. She takes a bite out of the Italian sandwich she has been craving all day. “I’ve been clingy, needy, whiny, obsessive… I don’t see why he’s still with me.”

“You know what,” Cana begins with a mischievous smile. “I could make up some kind of drink for you to give him. It’d definitely make him dislike you for a bit.”

Lucy shakes her head, dismissing the idea. “I feel like not even that will work. I have to do more than that. It’s already been five days. I have to do something big tomorrow.”

“Why not tonight?” Cana asks.

“He’s having a guys’ night tonight with his friends,” Lucy explains.

“That sounds like something he wouldn’t want to miss out on,” Cana points out.

Lucy’s brows raise in recognition as she takes another bite of her sandwich. She takes a large gulp of her water.

“Cana, you are so right!” she exclaims.

Cana sends her a grin before taking a sip of her mysterious drink of the day. “Don’t forget to take your notes.”

Lucy nods before hastily adjusting the outline to her next move. She planned on taking it easy tonight to prepare new, absurd ways to get on Natsu’s last nerve. But of course, spontaneity always makes its appearance.

Anticipation begins to flow through Lucy’s veins as the workday comes to an end. A part of her doesn’t even know if she’s going to be able to pull off her new plan.

“You got it,” Cana encourages her, sensing her apprehension.

Lucy sends her a grateful smile as she picks up her belongings. “Thanks. Don’t drink too much tonight.”

“You know that’s not possible!” Cana calls out to her, causing Lucy to scoff as she leaves the office.

Once Lucy is outside, she reads her watch. Natsu should be at his apartment by now, probably setting up for the guys’ night. If she wants her plan to work, she’ll have to wait at least another hour. That will at least give him some time to enjoy, too. To kill some time, she enters a clothing store.

Simultaneously, Natsu has never felt so refreshed coming home. The best part about a guys’ night is that there is no prerequisite for setting up. All it takes is showing up and deciding what to do on the spot.

Pouring the cat some food, Natsu can’t hold back his excitement as the first round of knocks sound throughout his apartment. Soon enough, his place is filled with some of his best friends, along with some of Gray’s familiar coworkers.

“Who wants to play some video games? Elfman and Laxus, you in?” Natsu offers.

“As a man, I can’t refuse a challenge,” Elfman responds while Laxus simply shrugs in response. “Give me the controller.”

It isn’t long until the three of them are yelling at one another, roughly slamming on the controller buttons. Natsu’s stomach even starts to hurt because of how much he laughs. He genuinely is having the time of his life for the first time in a while.

“Since I’ve won each round, I’ll let someone else play,” Natsu announces proudly. He looks over at one of Gray’s coworkers. “Here, Lyon. You’re up.”

“I don’t even know how to play this game,” Lyon mumbles, but still accepts the controller.

Grabbing a water bottle from the fridge, Natsu takes a long drink. He sighs out in relief and watches his friends play for a moment. He can’t remember the last time he has experienced this much freedom.

“It’s been a while since we’ve all gotten together like this,” Gray mentions as he takes another water from the fridge.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Natsu agrees. “I definitely needed this night.”

Although his words say otherwise, Lucy lingers in the back of his mind. After spending several consecutive nights together, he feels as though he should be seeing her. He isn’t sure if this means that he misses her. However, he knows that there’s a fun side to Lucy—she could surely have fun playing video games with him, too.

Making a mental note to invite her over after the guys leave, Natsu rejoins his group of friends. His stomach aches from laughing, his cheeks hurt from smiling, and his thumbs hurt from all the unsystematic button-pressing.

After about an hour of thoroughly enjoying himself, Natsu is in the midst of cheering Elfman on to beat Laxus when he hears the door behind him open. He curiously casts a look over his shoulder to see who it is.

“Hi, Natsu!” Lucy nearly sings as she enters the apartment. “I just wanted to come by and say hi!”

“How did you get in here?” he asks, wide-eyed.

“I was able to get a copy of the key,” she replies nonchalantly. She walks closer to observe Natsu’s friends, some of them acknowledging her while others remain focused on the TV. “Are these your friends?”

Without a second thought, Lucy extends her hands and shakes all of the guys’ hands with a large grin. She waits for Elfman to pause the game until she introduces herself.

“I’m Lucy. Nice to meet everyone!”

The guys mutter a hello in response before Elfman returns to the game. The sound of the TV slightly masks the awkward atmosphere.

Gray leans into Natsu’s ear. “Is she crazy?”

Before Natsu can respond, Lucy makes an announcement.

“I brought snacks!”

All of the guys’ seem surprised at her statement, some of them looking at her with hopeful eyes. The guys have been snacking on peanuts for the last hour.

Lucy reaches inside of her purse and slides out a veggie tray. She places it on the coffee table in front of the TV.

“Eat up!” she tells them excitedly. Being able to see all of their disappointment, she decides to wait until one of them feels obligated to open it and take a celery stick.

Lucy has to bite her lip in order to stop herself from laughing as she goes into the kitchen. Through the opening to the living area, it’s obvious how much they don’t want to eat it.

She stands in the kitchen for a few moments while the guys slowly start to make conversation again. In the midst of observing the back of their heads, she catches a glance of the plant that she placed on the windowsill several days ago. Walking over to it, she finds that nothing has sprouted yet.

“Natsu!” Lucy dramatically gasps. She takes the pot and brings it over to him. “Have you not been watering our plant?”

“N-No, I haven’t,” Natsu admits, helplessly stuttering. “It’s just sleeping, that’s all.”

Lucy is able to see the guys staring at them from her peripheral vision. This setup could not have been more perfect. She takes a deep breath before speaking.

“What if it’s dead already? You let our plant die! Will you let us die, too?” She doesn’t give Natsu any time to respond. “You know what… I’m leaving and taking the plant with me!”

With the pot in her arms, Lucy swiftly turns away and grabs her purse. She storms out of the apartment, not bothering to look behind her. Her hurried steps almost make it to the elevator when she hears footsteps following after her. She has to suppress her disbelief when Natsu sets his hand on her shoulder.

“What are you doing?” they ask simultaneously.

“This is getting a little weird,” Natsu responds first. “You’re acting insane, Lucy.”

She lifts a brow. “Are you calling me insane?”

“No, I said you’re acting,” he clarifies. His voice comes out harsher than he meant it to.

Lucy lets out a short laugh, pressing the elevator button. “You know, I don’t think I can be with someone who thinks I’m insane.”

The door to the elevator slides open. Once she is inside, she turns around to send him a final goodbye wave. Natsu already has his hand at the door to stop it from closing.

“Can you tell me where the real Lucy went?” he demands. “Where is the person I knew before? The one who was observant and kind? The one who wanted to be a dedicated journalist?”

Lucy opens her mouth to respond, but Natsu keeps going.

“Lately, you’ve been all over the place!” he proclaims. “I don’t even know who you are anymore.”

She sends him a hard gaze. “So, does this mean we’re over?”

He returns her stare, swallowing thickly. “Yeah. I guess it does.”

After he takes a step back, she nods in understanding. “Okay, fine.”

“Fine,” Natsu sighs out. His arms stay limp by his sides as the elevator closes.

Once the elevator starts to lower, Lucy leans against the wall with a loud sigh. She can sense the intensity from their argument slowly fizzling out of her body.

“Finally,” she breathes out.

She stands there for a moment, realizing that a pit is developing in her chest. Not out of hurt, but out of loneliness. It’s a heaviness that reminds her of a few nights ago. Lucy’s façade isn’t as strong as it used to be—she is finally feeling her true self peek through.

As Natsu returns to his apartment, he tries to avoid the concerned looks on the guys’ faces. He makes direct eye contact with Gray.

“It’s over,” Natsu states plainly.

Immediately, Gray charges towards him and firmly takes his shoulders. “Natsu. You have four more days! You can’t give up now!”

“Did you just see what she was like?” Natsu scoffs while taking a step back from Gray’s grip. “No way.”

“What about couples’ therapy?” Gray suggests.

“What does that even mean?” Natsu scrutinizes at him, trying to see if he’s serious.

“That’s how Juvia and I were able to work everything out between us,” Gray reveals. “Now, go catch up with Lucy and tell her you’re still dedicated to her. You want that job, right?”

Despite being exhausted, annoyed, and confused all at once, Natsu begins to recognize the reality of the situation. His heart races inside of his chest.

“Okay, okay. I’ll be right back,” he says before taking off.

Since the elevator would be too slow, Natsu goes for the stairs instead. He jumps down three at a time until he reaches the lobby. He’s out of breath as he rushes outside. Luckily, Lucy is still close enough for him to call out to her.

“Lucy!” Natsu shouts. “Wait!”

Lucy’s instantly stops in her tracks. She slowly turns around, finding Natsu catch up to her. She can hardly believe that he’s still chasing after her.

Once Natsu is in front of her, he takes a moment to regain his breaths. “I’m so sorry,” he says in between breaths. “Can you forgive me? I don’t know what I was just saying back there.”

Lucy waits until his breathing regulates. She tightly grips onto the plant pot as she watches him. If she looked insane at the elevator, she isn’t sure what to call Natsu right now.

Natsu knows how desperate he appears right now, but he also knows that he needs to embarrass himself to make his despair look believable. His words frantically spew out of him. “Can you give me another chance?”

“Haven’t you had enough already?” she asks, her voice escaping as a whisper.

“I’ll do anything to get you back,” he nearly pleads. “Gray told me about this thing him and his girlfriend used to do. It’s couples’ therapy. Would you like to do that with me?”

“Couples’ therapy?” she echoes. As Natsu nods, she suddenly gets an idea. “Actually, I know a doctor who would give us a free session. I could call her and schedule an emergency appointment.”

“Yes, let’s do that.” He reaches for her hand, brushing his lips across her knuckles.

Lucy presses her lips together and gently pulls her hand back. “I don’t have to like you right now. So, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Without another word, she continues to walk away. She doesn’t allow herself to look back as Natsu shouts out endless thank yous. She physically cannot believe anything she just witnessed.

Natsu returns to his apartment with the most clenched jaw he has ever made in his life. He cannot believe that Lucy has caused him to turn into someone he never thought he would become.

#fairy tail #fairy tail fanfiction #nalu #nalu fanfiction #my writing #thanks for reading

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thenightling · 5 years

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My horror dislikes list

I love horror, particularly Gothic Horror as a genre. However there are certain common types of horror or sub-genres of horror I don’t really care for. Just because I don’t like it, it doesn’t mean I don’t understand it or can’t appreciate that others might like it. This is just my personal opinion and I mean no offense to anyone. And some of what I may list will be controversial to some. Bear that in mind. Horror that I don't care for:

1. This one is probably the most controversial so I’ll list it first.

Most controversial: H. P. Lovecraft. It's not that he is "too wordy" or "long winded." (Never insult me like that.) It's not that I "don't get it." It’s not that he uses “archaic language.” (These are real things people have assumed when I tell them I don’t like Lovecraft). I just feel he's overrated. I don't like his antisemitism, which was considered extreme by 1930s American standards. And I don't like how he's credited with creating certain concepts that weren't really his doing. His ideas about long sleeping ancient / forgotten Gods or Old Ones can be found as early as Goethe's Faust Part 2, if not earlier. Other authors that had similar ideas before Lovecraft include George MacDonald, author of Lilith. Sometimes I like when other people adapt Lovecraft. I liked Neil Gaiman’s A Study in Emerald. I liked the origin of Morpheus’ helm in Sandman: Overture (also Neil Gaiman). I liked the two episodes of The Real Ghostbusters animated series inspired by Lovecraft. I even like the spoof Lil Cthulhu. But I’m just not a big fan of actual H. P. Lovecraft. This doesn’t mean I haven’t read it. Nor does it mean I don’t understand it. And I do appreciate his influence on pop culture. I just feel he’s overrated. 2. I don't like Rob Zombie movies. It's all the same to me. Boring, grimy, sweaty, eldgelordy- full of overused modern tropes like flickering lights, jump scares, and "I haven't showered in a month" antagonists. He sucked the supernatural out of Halloween and there's nothing truly distinct about any of his films. It's just a style that doesn't appeal to me. 3. CG. I love practical effects. Most CG is lazy, cartoonish, and doesn't look like it's really there. I know it can look realistic and gorgeous at time but most horror films don’t take that route. Most horror directors use it lazily. There’s a Night of the Living dead 4 or 5 by the Syfy Channel where a manhole cover is clearly CG. Why did a manhole cover have to be CG?! And there’s CG blood in Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which is very distracting because it looks like jello flying at the camera. The werewolves in An American werewolf in Paris are already dated and very fake looking yet the transformation in An American Werewolf in London still gets to people today. The werewolves in An American werewolf in Paris didn't even look real by 90s standards. They looked like beasts that escaped Who Framed Roger Rabbit. In the Fright Night remake there's a scene where a windshield shatters in front of Amy's face and she screams on que but she doesn't flinch or blink, making it very clear the glass isn't really there. Had it been sugar glass or ice to give the effect, there would have been a natural flinch. I feel practical effects, if you can't guess how it was done, can be more unnerving and the reactions seem more real. That's why some 80s fantasy is more unnerving for kids than some modern horror. 4. Jump scares. Jump scares are lazy. Being startled is not the same as being afraid. And when they add a musical chord to accompany the scare it's like idiot proofing ot say "This is where you should react." The only jump scare that ever worked on me was when I was twelve-years-old watching Interview with the vampire. Louis says "It's the carriage." and he goes down to the door. And you know damn good and well it's not the carriage. He opens the door, there's no one there. You know it's coming, but when he turns his head and Lestat's hand grabs his throat, I jumped the first time I saw that. I knew it was coming. But I still jumped. To me a good scare is when it creeps in and crawls under your skin. When I was watching Let the Right One In I remembered thinking “Ah, this isn’t so scary.” and it was at the part where Eli climbs up the side of the hospital. It was snowy outside, just as it was in the movie, and late at night. And at that moment the power went out. For a split second (It was only a second) I thought “Oh, crap! Vampire child’s gonna get me!” And I was a grown woman in 2008. I was twenty-six-years-old. Another incident that made me realize just how scary Gothic horror truly is was when I was watching a History Channel show about the real Castle Dracula. And it mentioned the locals seeing mysterious lights and noises up in the castle so some priests were sent to bless the place. A storm came in suddenly and the priests had to do the blessing from a distance. (This was Poenari castle, not Bran. Bran is used for tourists. Poenari is where Vlad spent most of his time but it’s considered unsafe). And as I watched this I remembered that storm summoning was supposed to be one of the vampire Dracula’s powers. At that moment the door creaked open And I practically leapt out of my skin. That’s when I knew Dracula is actually scary.

I also had a nightmare once about being a werewolf in the style of The wolfman. In the dream I blacked out during the transformation and then suddenly it was hours or a day later and I knew I must have done something terrible and I found loved ones slaughtered. I remember the guilt in that dream and I knew The Wolfman had reached me on a level most horror doesn’t, on a fear of what it must be like to be like him. My most recent experience with a truly good sense of my skin crawling horror was watching an episode of DC Universe's Swamp Thing. A child is possessed with the ghost of Abby Arcane's dead childhood friend. She's been singing their old song and acting ...well, weird. "If you're her than prove it?" She is smiling menacingly. It looks like she'll do nothing. Abby turns to walk away. This is where most jump scares happen. But it doesn't. As she nears the door it slams shut but that isn't the end of it. It's not just a stupid psych out jump scare the way most horror movies do now. Instead the whole atmosphere of the room changes. Everything becomes damp. The lighting dims. Everything becomes slightly off-kilter or "wrong" like in a nightmare. It was so atmospheric, so spooky... It was the best Gothic horror moment I had seen in literally years. I had goosebumps. 5. The polarization of vampire fiction triggered by the Twilight fad. Thankfully this is dying now. But for a while vampires were divided into two styles. The broody, whiny emo, or the mindless killing machine AKA "the Shark with legs." I missed the balance of charming and charismatic, but also predatory. I missed the likes of Frank Langella as Dracula and Chris Sarandon as Jerry Dandridge. The Fright Night remake was disappointing for this reason. I hate that vampires rarely shapeshift now. I hate the nerfing of their powers. And I hate that Jerry's human-side was erased as a reactionary response to be anti-Twilight. It ruined the remake for me. 6. Ghosts that movie like a broken VHS tape. The jerking movement ghosts of ghosts that suddenly flicker or spasm and suddenly are a few stepped forward without actually moving... This works in Ringu / The Ring because she IS a damaged VHS tape but in other ghost stories it doesn't really work for me. it takes me out of the story and I notice it's following a trend. 7. Torture porn. Pity, and gross-out is not fear. It's like how that game show / reality show "Fear Factor" confused fear with disgust. "eat these random cow pies" isn't fear, folks. Actually Torture porn kind of bores me . I don't feel fear. It's just drawn out mutilation and torture. I may feel pity for the character or be disgusted by the graphic mutilations but I'm not afraid of it. And it's lazy and cheap. 8. Next on Lazy and cheap... Found footage. I HATE found footage movies. Shaky cam and screams into a camera don't do it for me. And they all feel the same. 9. Most Zombie Apocalypse movies. Most recent Zombie apocalypse movies bore me. There are a few exceptions like the original Night of the Living Dead, which, at the time it was made was unique and atmospheric but many zombie films attempt to imitate it and it becomes bland and formulaic. I also liked Return of the Living Dead because it was one of the first Zombie Apocalypse movies. It hadn��t yet become dull and predictable to me that everyone huddles together and it becomes more and more futile until there is no one left or it’s utterly hopeless. And so as things became repetitive I started to dislike the ‘zombie apocalypse genre.” Exceptions include Night of the Living Dead and Return of the Living Dead. I also like the original White Zombie and I walked with a Zombie but those are pre-Zombie Apocalypse. There are a few zombie films I like that aren’t that scary but I like them because they are different. Those include “My boyfriend’s back.” (Daddy, I love him!” “He’s a zombie, you freakin’ idiot!” I love that line). And Warm Bodies. And please don’t use Warm Bodies to discredit my status as a horror fan. I just like it because it’s different. First, R isn’t that bad of a protagonist. He’s more well developed than Edward Cullen and he spends half the movie eating the brains of the dead boyfriend of the girl he’s pining for, carrying bits of brain in his pocket. There’s no sugar coating that. Also it’s one of the few zombie apocalypse movies to have a happy ending. Yeah, it’s sappy and a bit hamhanded bu tit has a sweet message. Sometimes it’s okay to like sweet.

10. Remakes that suck the supernatural out of a supernatural story. I’m tired of gritty. I’m tired of “grounded in reality.” The supernatural is scary because it is unknown. In the case of Child’s Play, a hacked AI doesn’t seem as creepy to me as a soul of a serial killer seeking a new host body. Also the cynical part of me suspects the “grounding in reality” is a direct ploy to get a release in China, which does not like supernatural content in American import movies. This is part of why Disney / Marvel has been downplaying Marvel’s supernatural side. I miss supernatural horror. I’m tired of remakes literally sucking out the soul.

11. Bonus: Anything based on a “true case” by The Warrens. I believe in the paranormal. I respect paranormal research but The Warrens were known con artists, even among paranormal researchers. If you look at most of their haunted house cases there’s a particular formula. Woman moves into dream home with loving, Catholic family. Weird things slowly start to happen. The husband is skeptical / getting possessed. The wife goes to the church for help. The priests can’t help or nothing happens in front of them. Desperate she attends a Warrens lecture. Never fear, The Warrens are here! And lo’ and behold, the house is full of demons! Demons only The Warrens know how to Handle. This happens in The Haunted (Not to be confused with The Haunting), it happens in Gave Secrets: the story of Black Hope Cemetery and pretty much every other haunted house story they got involved in. They made book and TV movie deals and later bigger Hollywood movie deals. Now half the horror and Parapsychology world thinks they were demonology heroes and not the con artists who once ‘exorcised a werewolf” (Look it up.) I am not a fan of The Warrens.

#Horror #Gothic Horror

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lidoshka · 5 years

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Voltron Season 8 review!

Okay! Finally had the chance to watch season 8?

Not yet? Too bad, because the spoiler free week in this blog is officially over!

Before I start, If you would rather now hear about season 8 you can filter the tags #I will only grant you one spoiler free week #And that grace period is over #we been knew #I can't believe I was blindsided by this #so the leaks were actually a trial test?!

Also, I will try to stay positive and post good things about Voltron during the week, but if you want some salt you can catch all the vitriol about S8 on Sunday (with the tag #salty Sunday)

So onwards to my review! (And boy, I knew I should have worn a different kind of socks on the 14th!)

Overall, I’d say it was a good season…but it wasn’t the best. There were a bunch of small moments that made me really happy, and there were some cool aspects with the animation that I totally loved.

…but there were some things in the second half of the season that totally ruined it for me.

But let’s be positive and point out all the things that I liked for this season!

What I loved about this season:

• The animation was amazing! Both the 3d animation and the way the characters were drawn! Plus a bunch of interesting camera angles! If you compare season 1 art with the way everyone is drawn now you can see the improvement and it’s amazing. • Episode 4 killed me instantly. To me it was perfect. It was sad but also uplifting, and I wanted to cry as much as that Olkarion child with Ryner’s last words and yet appreciated the meaning in them. Yes, I was very sad to see Olkarion gone, but most of its people will live on. We also got to see the Weblum again, which I liked because it was an appropriate metaphor. :) • Allura and Lance had a date! That was great, they both deserve all the good moments possible • Also, the MFE girls and the Paladin girls shopping is supper funny. • We get to see a lot of people from the Voltron coalition not just Olia’s crew, and it’s wonderful to see the MFE’s, the Rebels, the ATLAS and Voltron all working together! • Cosmo is a nice puppy… and I knew he was going to continue growing! X3 • All Pidge and Colleen’s interactions. All of the Holts interactions actually! I really love how Pidge has her dad wrapped around her pinky, but Colleen is not a pushover and demands a family photo in exchange of the tokens • And I loved that Matt’s (girlfriend? Partner? They sound female, but then again they are an alien so…) are in the photo too!! • I also liked Shiro entering that tournament, we know he has a competitive streak, but we don’t get to see it very often, and this was a good opportunity! • The vlog episode was gold! Not only do we get to see more about the MFE pilots, but we also see the paladins around and a bit of the daily life in the IGF Atlas, plus, it could have just been a silly filler but instead it still managed to move the story forwards. A+ • Shiro using a gun looks really cool and it makes me wonder if his Bayard would have actually turned into some form of firearm. • Lotor is back! Not in the way I hoped but I got to see a tiny Lotor, and I also saw a younger Lotor still full of hope and desire to please his father *sighs* he really deserved so much better… • Lotor literally stole Kova. :P • Honerva’s mecha? Her fusion with Sincline? Voltron/Atlas fusion? They are all amazing designs! • I liked the last scene with the lions saying their goodbyes to the paladins. It was bittersweet because it’s the end of an era but at the same time it’s a sign of hope. It’s like now that there’s peace (or at least the possibility of peace being achieved without the need of a WMD) the lions can retire. Maybe the lions are leaving to look for their new paladins, or maybe hide away again until Voltron is needed once more. That along with the image of the vehicles inside the Garrison hangar was a good nod towards Voltron Vehicle and maybe a future Voltron Force show. Ah yeah, good things.

But now what I really didn’t like:

After careful consideration and watching the season one more time I can say I’m only upset about 4 things: 1. Allura’s sacrifice 2. Episode 5 3. Honerva’s plan and her redemption 4. And the stills of the epilogue

Funny enough the four are connected together in one single sentence: bad writing decisions.

Now, me being critical of the show doesn't mean I don't like it anymore now that I wont enjoy watching it. There are a bunch of shows that have errors and flaws by the dozen, but I still enjoy them but I need to get this out of my chest

Alluras’s sacrifie: Why? Out of all the possible directions they could have taken their story, why this? Why kill one of their female protagonists?!

“but she has made similar sacrifices in other versions” yes, and she was Caucasian and had a romantic plot with the leader of Voltron too and VLD chose to deviate from that, so I don’t see why of all the things they chose to discard from previous versions they chose to keep this.

“She now gets to spend eternity with her father and the other paladins” Do I remind you that Allura lost everything (her family, her nation, her planet, her crown) and little by little she found a new family? VLD has been selling me the idea of “found family” since season 1, why are they changing the tune now?

“Allura was already too powerful, she couldn’t remai— “ No. this isn’t marvel, there were ways to decrease her powers if that was necessary: the creature that got inside her could have damaged her body somehow and had her powers decrease; she could have sacrificed only her alchemy (like Edward Elric in fma!) and she would be a regular Altean (or a regular human if they wanted to go with the allurance ending) and spend the rest of her life rebuilding her nation. There were ways to keep her powers down and still keep Allura around.

“It’s the only way” Allura herself said before she started saying her goodbyes to the paladins… but in this season alone they showed: - A tiny balmera - A whole bunch of balmera. - Voltron+atlas fusion - The paladins using the power of friendship and concentration to enter Honerva’s inner thoughts - The paladins using the power of friendship and concentration <i>again</i> to power up Voltron+atlas so it could escape a collapsing reality - Voltron+atlas giant wings to save the last remaining reality So if they were already pulling out all the rabbits out of the hat don’t tell me the production team couldn’t come up with another alternative other than having “the girl who is magic sacrificing herself for the sake of the universe”

…and why are Altea and Daibazaal back?! Didn’t Reyner said “you mustn’t cling too tightly to the past” and “the old must gave way to the new”? ugh.

*rants for 20 minutes more about poor script decisions*

Episode 5:

It’s bad. And it doesn’t add anything important to the narrative except some gratuitous scenes of the paladins in their underarmor. And the reason why I disliked this episode is about the way the writers try to redeem Ezor and Zethrid.

Last season they sold me on the idea that “this is war and sometimes people die”. This season they wanted to end with an uplifting “everyone has a chance at redemption” vibe which actually just makes me upset.

Oh yeah, Adam –the guy whose only negative mark was that he dumped Shiro—died and no one really mentions him again or talks about what an impact he had on other characters, but Ezor –who was more than willing to torture Pidge back in season 7— she gets to survive and change her ways??

Honerva’s ploy and redemption arc:

Honerva had dreams about being a mother and a wife and spending her life with her family, but she studied the creature from the rift a bit too closely and her mind was poisoned without her even realizing it. In that sense, she’s a victim, and it’s good that in her final moments she got to be back to be the person she was before.

… but as Haggar she helped conquer and destroy thousands of worlds! She was participant in the neglect and abuse of a Lotor throughout his childhood.

“But that was Haagar! Honerva deserves a second chance!” you’d say, but remember that after Oriande she has recovered her memories and she’s not Haggar anymore what did she do? Did she tried to mend her ways and help what remained of the universe to honor her child’s life? Nope. She blamed the Galra, she used the Alteans, she destroyed Olkarion and she dammed the whole universe (and then any other universe) to get the ending she wanted.

Everyone in these universe is gone because of her. And in the end, she got her dream of being with her family.

Even Zarkon got a bit of a redemption scene! He got to go to the same place as the former paladins, with his wife and his son…These three are responsible of 70% of all the bad things that happened in this universe in the last 10,00 years and they get to spend eternity together.

I don’t’ know why suddenly the production staff though this ending was cool.

4. The Epilogue

I think the only ‘last scenes’ I liked where Pidge’s ending and Kolivan and Krolia’s ending. They were nice. But the others? *frowns*

In the “one year later” scenes Hunk is seen in the ATLAS along with Shiro; it’s implied that Hunk is some sort of diplomat who also likes to cook for his guests. In the last image it just looks like he gave up that to become the next masterchef.

Lance’s final still looks sad. He’s the perfect picture of a widower and I think this is terrible unfair for all the Lance stans who were hoping season 8 was Lance’s season. Yeah, lance likes his family and he always missed earth, but there were other things they could have done with him. He could be teaching the new generation of garrison pilots! His ending just makes the audience think he’s recovering from a broken earth.

Keith's image in his ending still looks odd, I think hey were trying to an upper shot or something but his waist looks too slim, and there are several things thet feel weird with the perspective.

...not to mention it says "humanitarian relief organization" ...the blades are all Galra? the fact they didn't bother to spend 5 minutes thinking why "humanitarian" was not a word applicable here tells me all I need to know about the care they placed in this epilogue.

Shiro’s scene is strange because Shiro looks exactly the way he looks when they say goodbye to the lions, but Pidge and Hunk and Keith look like they do in the “years later” design. Consistency is lacking.

Then there’s the thing of how Shiro “found his happiness” with and image of him getting married. What, he wasn’t happy while he was single? Seeing the stars up close, traveling the universe, flying on Black and then leading ATLAS, that didn’t make Shiro happy? Are we now equaling marriage with happiness, is that it?

I get that an gay marriage and a gay kiss on screen is something commendable (it would have bene better if we had seen Shiro and his new hubbie actually interacting tho), and we all love Shiro, but I can think of several images that could have been more satisfactory for his character: him at the helm of the ATLAS, fulfilling his dreams of traveling the stars in peace; Shiro finally getting a vacation; maybe even a description with an older Shiro saying “and Shiro lived many years happy and in peace because he was not sick anymore” all of these would have been more rewarding.

…And the only scene that was animated was Shiro’s wedding? Why? Can you imagine how could it’d have been if instead of the weeding we saw something like “the lions came back one more time to bring back Allura” I wouldn’t even be here ranting for 20 minutes so far on top of my pile of salt if they had done something like that!

And it’s not even as if it was one simple person who made the ending: VLD has a staff of writers, several directors, many producers monitoring, a whole team of animators and several consulting departments…and none of them stopped to think this might not be a good ending to their series?

In the end, I’m still left with some questions:

What is the lifespan of an average Galra? What would be the expected lifespan for Keith or Axca and Ezor and Zethrid?

Does having Altean markings means Lance is now Altean? Cause the show was not clear, is this just a physical memento so Lance has something to remind him of Allura every day or will he live a long life now?

What’s the cosmic wolf’s name? did he ever told Keith?! How much more is he going to grow?

more importantly: What was the name of Keith’s father?!

#I'm made out of salt #voltron legendary defender #I will only grant you one spoiler free week #and that grace period is over

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dazzlingfantasiesblogs · 6 years

Text

Hurricane P20

Happy x Reader

Warnings/Triggers: Past emotional abuse. Separation. Rough Childhood. Smut. 18+ Only! If under 18 kindly un-follow me.

Notes: I personally know what it is like to deal with past issues and needing someone to calm me down when things get to hard. If you deal with anxiety and past issues, please read with caution.

Tags: @trippinjenni @moodygrip

Gifs and pics are not mine! I also do not own the underlined lyrics. I thought they worked great with this chapter. Love that song!

Watching Happys every movement he took a step back. “Y/N.. I had no one here..” he kept walking back. Your eyes had predator in them. Taking out your gun for the second time that night, you kicked open the door a little more. You seen two lights on. “Kozy sit.” The dog sat down on the porch whimpering slightly. Sliding off your heels you silently walked into his house. Something was off. Happy would not cheat on you in his own house. He was smarter then that. Walking silently down the hall to the master bedroom you put your gun around first. The room smelt a lot like the perfume now. Looking on the mirror you had gotten for you makeshift makeup table. You seen your name written on the mirror in lipstick. “Back off, go home. I don’t need your ruining my chance!” Was written on the mirror. Happy came running in. “The rest of the house is clear.” He looked at the mirror seeing the writing as well. “Y/N..” he whispered. You stared at the words and felt anger and sadness well in you. For some reason the words hit you more then they should have. Staring at the words it finally hit you why they reminded you of something.

“Get out! I don’t want you here anymore!” your father screamed at you. “Dad..” he threw a bottle of beer at your head. You dodged it just in time. Your heart cracked into two that day. The words rang in your ears as you walked out the front door. All you had was the backpack on your back. Walking down the street you knocked on Koziks door. He opened it up seeing tears welled in your eyes. “What happened?!” you couldn’t speak. He grabbed your hand pulling you into his chest. Rubbing his hand in your hair he shushed you gently, rocking side to side. His mom came out to see you crying in Koziks chest. “Come on in hunny.” Looking up you nodded to her. Kozik held your hand, walking you to his bedroom. All that night you cried on his chest. Your father was ruthless at times, however never laid a hand on you. Your mother left a few months back and after that your dad never wanted you around. You looked too much like your mother.

The next day you walked into your house to grab more of your stuff. Kozik next to you to break any conflict that could happen. You begged him not to come. He would not let you go inless he could come with. You slowly shut the door. You were almost positive your dad was asleep. Creaking up the stairs you went to your room and grabbed more things. You grabbed some photos of your mom, Kozik and even your dad. Putting them in a duffle bag Kozik had given you to use and have. After grabbing everything you needed, you both went down the stairs. “What the fuck do you think you are doing here?! I told you to fucking leave!” Your dad appeared from the living room, screaming at you. The alcohol on his breath was strong. You stood back slightly. He went to grab your hand and Kozik shoved him back. “Stay the fuck away from her!” Your dad stumbled back. “Such a little brat.. always hanging out with this little boy. How worthless.” “Don’t you dare talk to him like that! You wanna know why mom left? Because you are a piece of shit!” you opened the door looking back at your father one last time. “I love you dad.. but your need to work on yourself.”

“Y/N..” Happy seen you zone out. Something was going on with you and he had no clue. Texting Kozik what happened Happy read the text.

Kozik: “Who the hell was it? Her father said something similar when she was a kid. That is when she left and we kinda moved around.”

Happy: “Ok.. if I can’t snap her out of it. I might need you..”

Kozik: “All good. Tell her ‘I love her’”

Happy sat next to you on the bed. “Hun.. I love you. Kozik said he loves you too. This means nothing..” you looked at him with a blank expression. Nodding you stood up walking to the door. “He is on the couch.” Looking over you seen Kozy sitting on the couch. The moment he seen you he wagged his tail. You sat next to him and started to cry. Pulling him into your arm, the dog laid his head on your shoulder. You sniffled kissing the dogs head over and over. “ I love you Kozy..” The dog pushed closer to you, knowing you needed him. Happy watched the whole scene. He now understood how much Kozy meant to you and how amazing Kozy really was. Laying on the couch, Kozy crawled up to you, laying his head on your chest. Grabbing your phone you put on song. “Let beauty come out of ashes…” you whispered to yourself. Your mind sometimes played tricks on you. Your past flashed behind your eyes every time you blinked. Your chest started to rise and fall fast. Choking back another sob, Kozy whimpered licking on your face. “Babe..” Happy kneeled next to the couch, grabbing your hand. He held it tightly. “Let beauty come out of ashes…” you mumbled to yourself again. Happy knew some of your past, but you did not tell him everything. Mostly only things that involved Kozik. Happy hurd a knock at the door and opened it. Kozik stood there in his pajamas. “I can sense she is not ok..” he nodded no. Kozik jogged over to you, grabbing your hand. He pulled you up into his arms, holding you tightly. “Shh..” Happy watched Koziks technique of calming you. He brushed his hand over your head. Rocking you side to side he hummed gently to you. “It will be ok sis..” you nodded in his shoulders. “It has been years since you had an episode. This is getting better..” you shook a bit sobbing harder. “Let beauty come out of ashes..” Kozik sung gently. Happy listened to the song that was on repeat. “What’s left to say? These prayers ain’t working any more. Every word shot down in flames. What’s left to do? With these broken pieces on the floor. I am losing my voice calling on you… Cause I’ve been shaking, I have bended backwards till I am broke. Watching all these dreams go in smoke. Let beauty come out of ashes. Let beauty come out of ashes. Heaven I pray to god. All I am askin, Can Beauty come out of ashes?” Kozik whispered the lyrics to you. Happy looked up the song on his phone and read the song. “That song.. is fucking deep..” Happy said quietly. “She sang it often after you left.” His eyes met Happys. “It for some reason helps her.” “Can you use these tears to put the fire out in my soul, because I need you here..” you whispered in Koziks shoulder. Closing your eyes you seen your mother walk out of the door.

“Mom you cant leave me here!” you yelled as she walked to the taxi. “I love you y/n. I can not do this anymore.” She kisses the top of your head. You remember feeling her long y/c/h running against your cheek. She shut the door of the taxi. You sat on the sidewalk, watching as it drove down the street. Crying hard, watching the cement turn a darker grey.

“Happy, in her purse she should have a pill bottle. Grab her one please.” “No brother..” “Yes, your heart is going a million miles a minute..” nodding Happy walked to the bedroom grabbing her purse. “I love you so much..” Happy kissed your head handing the pill to Kozik. Happy also handing him a water. You took the pill and drank the water. You sat on the couch calming down almost immidetly. “I am sorry to worry you Happy..” Happy wasn’t going to lie, he was unsure how to act. He had never seen you fall so low, so quick. Often when you where sad back in Tacoma, you locked yourself in the bathroom and took a nice long bath. Momentarily Happy thought about remolding his bathroom like the old one was, except painting the walls the color you wanted.

You felt yourself zone out. Kozik next to you, Kozy and Happy on the other side. They put on Futurama, both holding a hand of yours. “She was always scared to show you this side of her.” Happy looked to Kozik. “’She never wanted to show you her this weak.’ Those are her words not mine.” Happy looked at you as you laughed slightly at Bender, almost oblivious to them. “She is anything but. We all have our demons. She is unlike any other. I know a lot of people say that about there significant other.” Kozik laughed a bit. He felt his phone go off. “Hey Lily… Sure. Yeah. Alright. See you soon.” Kozik kissed your head “Bye sis, Lily needs me if you get my drift…” “Eww..” was all you replied. “Be safe and use a condom.” You hiccupped waving to him. He laughed hitting his knuckles with Happys. “See you bro.”

Happy scooted close to you, pulling you to his chest. Kozy following. He laughed that you and Kozy both snuggled against him. “Mm..” you pressed your nose to his shirt, inhaling his scent. “You smell good. Not like a whore house.” Happy laughed at your comment. “Well thanks for the comment I think..” you looked up at him, your eyes slightly dilated. Your mind needed to be occupied. The pills took the edge off but you needed more. “Kozy, bed baby boy.” Kozy stood up jumping to go to the bedroom. You crawled to sit on Happys lap. You bent down kissing his lips deeply. He was unsure why your mood changed so quickly. Who was he to question it? Moving your hips you pushed your clothes sex against his jeans. “Fuck…. Little girl don’t start something if you cant finish it..” his voice threating. “Oh I plan on finishing..” you licked down his chin. Grabbing the pocket knife on the side of his jeans, you flicked it open. He smirked a bit, trusting you with his life. You slid it down his shirt, ripping it open. Licking down you stripped off his pants and buckle. Setting the knife to his side on the coffee table, you dragged down his black boxers. Dragging your tongue over the tip he groaned. He watched your tongue dance across it, licking up a bead of precum. Internally he was beaming, seeing you still in your business outfit. He loved seeing you go from proper to his little slut in a few minutes. Engulfing his dick, you felt the tip hit the back of your throat. You kept going down, gagging slightly. Pulling up, saliva coated him completely. He loved watching it drip from your mouth over his dick. He grabbed the bun on top of your head, pushing your back down to keep sucking him. You where more then happy for the distraction. Licking up and down, sucking in so your cheeks where hollow about did him in. The wet noises coming from your mouth and his dick had him on the edge in a matter of minutes. You stopped, pulling up your skirt to rest on your hips. Moving your panties over you sank down on him, moaning out. He put his hands under your ass, helping your move up and down on him. He ripped your shirt open, the buttons spreading across the living room. You noted to pick them up so Kozy didn’t eat them on accident thinking they could be a treat. Sinking all the way down, you felt him hit your womb and you cringed in pleasure. Happy watched you slide up and down, the sheer sight of your beautiful pussy working on him made him lose it. Your soaked folds gliding up and down. “Fuck… Baby..” he grabbed your hips slamming you down once, very hard. He came closing his eyes, mouth agape. His chest rose and fell fast. You laid against his chest, him still in you. “Fuck.. couldn’t hold it..” you smiled and nodded, already falling asleep. “Gotta clean up.” Nodding you got off of him, frowning at the loss of him. He frowned as well. “Love being in you..” he kissed your head. “What if I got pregnant?” you asked randomly. “Well.. I guess we would have a kid then.” Shrugging slightly he walked with you to the restroom. You seen Kozy asleep on the bed spread out. “Guess we got the couch tonight.” Happy laughed. “Why are you pregnant?” “Yep and its not yours.” Happy glared at you. “I am kidding. I only don’t use condoms with you.” You said plainly. “Y/N L/N!” “Just kidding babe.” He rolled his eyes groaning.

After getting cleaned up, Happy helped you out of your shirt and skirt. Grabbing a shirt from his drawer you put it on. It skimmed the top of your thighs. “Fuck you make my shirts look so good.” He kissed your cheek, grabbing your hand, walking back to the couch. Almost immediately you fell asleep on him. Happy combed through your soft hair. He stared at the different features that made up you. He hated seeing you break down like that. How could a woman handle a beating from a lunatic but the moment of the thought of their dad turn them into a puddle of tears and pain. If Happy had his way he would find your dad and beat the living hell out of him. Hell he was not even sure if your father was alive. He thought about how Kozik held on to you, stroking your hair and your back, humming to you slightly. It was amazing how close you two had been. For so long he thought for sure you two would be an item. Intel he seen him protect you. He could tell that was family love. He pressed soft kissed to your head, his hands moving to your hips, making small circles. He watched as you breathed in and out softly as you slumbered. He could not remember a time he felt this content in the last two years. The thought of something happening to you tainted his calm feeling however. Today alone you tackled some teenager with a gun. Being shot at such close range could surly kill you, hell if not it would defiantly mame you.

Falling asleep Happy moved in his dreams. He kept having nightmare after nightmare. He woke you up screaming your name out. Sitting up you gently shook him. “Happy, Happy!” Happy woke up, his vision blurred, unsure who was on top of him. He threw you across the couch to the floor. When his vision came too, he seen you on the floor. “Shit! Babe!” HE stood up quickly. You put your hand up signaling you where ok. “Baby..” you put your hand in his awaiting hand. He pulled you up. “I didn’t mea..” you put your finger to his mouth to stop him. “I should have known better then to wake you that way. I am fine. Just a couple bruises I am sure.” “Kozik will kill me if he sees bruises on you..” you laughed a bit. “What was the dream about..?” Happy looked to the ground. Rarely did Happy look like a scared puppy. “I was tied up… you where being tortured in front of me…” sighing you pressed a kiss to his chest where his heart was. “Babe.. I am ok.”

#happy lowman #kozik #soa #soa imagine #sons of anarchy #sons of anarchy imagine

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