#the oldest one of them was younger than me so i felt powerful <3

[astro-inthestars]

GUESS WHO'S BACK BITCHES!!!! >:D

[caffeinewitchcraft]

The Hero and Hope (part 3/5)

(part 1) (part 2)

Summary: You've been adopted before. That's why you know better than to hope for another chance, especially a second chance with the Bahrs

-----

It’s not that you don’t want to be adopted. You just know that you’re not going to be. You’re the oldest in the orphanage, barely three years away from aging out. People don’t adopt kids your age, especially not obstinate, mean ones like you.

Besides, you’re a Hero. As soon as you master your power, you’ll be compelled to leave and fight evil anyway. That’s why it doesn’t matter if the Bahrs want you or not. You’re not somebody that’s supposed to have a family.

You barely remember the first time you were adopted. That was back when the Director of the orphanage was mean and biting. You have a vague memory of gold exchanging hands and leaving in the middle of the night. Your new parents barely looked at you and didn’t call you by your name at all.

You don’t remember a lot of that time. You were five and it was a struggle to go from living with a dozen kids to no one at all. Your new family gave you your own room in their small house and told you not to get underfoot.

The first time you ran away from their house, you didn’t get far. The baker in town brought you back to them and warned them about how kids your age are always slipping out when not paid enough attention.

“If you do it again,” the person who paid for you said, “you’re going straight back to the orphanage.”

And you do.

--------.

The day of the picnic, every kid wakes up early without being told.

You watch as Hera fusses over all the younger ones, straightening new shirts and brushing dust off knees. Josiah is reading one of the newest books Mrs. Bahr – Marie – brought, biting the skin on the side of his thumb. You snag Hera as she races to find Annie some ribbon for her hair.

“Hold up, let me brush your hair first,” you say.

Hera frantically pats the braids she slept in. “I forgot about my hair!” She turns large, watery eyes on you. “Islaaaa!”

You snort and help her unwind each braid. She decides to leave it down, charmed by the waves the braids left in her hair. Your hands don’t shake as you work even though your heart is racing. Today is the day of the picnic.

Today might be the day the Bahrs pick one of you to adopt. The younger kids don’t know that, the information carefully hidden from them, but Hera knows. Director Sarah knows. You know.

It’s been a long time since you felt this sort of anxiety. The second time you were adopted was just before the Winter and it wasn’t bad at first. The couple who adopted you ran an inn in town. It was exciting to have your own room and your new mother wanted you to call her Mom right away. Six-years-old and you were so excited just to be able to call someone your parent. This time you were going to listen. You weren’t going to run away or complain if their house felt too big and too lonely. This time you were going to get it right.

You didn’t think about what they wanted from you in exchange.

It wasn’t until the second week when they found out you weren’t really much use for anything that things started getting bad.

You breathe in through your nose and proclaim Hera’s hair finished. She thanks you and races off to find Annie, determined to put the ribbon she picked in the younger girl’s hair.

The Bahrs aren’t like the innkeepers. Whoever they adopt won’t be expected to know how to read or do math or how to take care of horses. If they are required to then Marie and Ivan will teach them first. Both have spent enough time at the orphanage for you to believe that. Isn’t it Marie who’s teaching all of you your letters? Wasn’t it Ivan who taught you how to better put up a fence?

Whoever they choose will be fine, you think. It’s both a relief and a sting. Whoever they choose will be fine. It’s just probably not going to be you. Not when Annie is so sweet and social and Hera is so strong and kind. Not when Josiah works so hard to soak up everything they have to teach him.

“Is everyone ready?” Director Sarah asks. She’s standing by the door. Her clothes are nicer than usual too, a dress made of a light blue fabric you’ve never seen before. Her hair is carefully combed back into an updo and fastened with a tie Hera made for her last winter. She runs a critical eye over all of you. “You all look very nice. Josiah, tie your shoes, please. Annie, leave the slate in your room, what you do if you lost it? Honestly…”

You let Director Sarah fuss over the kids, slipping out the door ahead of everyone. You don’t own a dress, but the button-down shirt is new and starched. Director Sarah helped you embroider bluebells on the collar and sleeves, and you think it turned out well.

You may not be getting adopted today, but you’re excited to see the Bahr family’s estate. The sun is warm overhead, the sky an endless blue. The summer is mild this year, perfect for a party. Isn’t that what Mr. Bahr – Ivan – told you to think of it as? A party. No strings attached.

A wagon comes up the lane. The Bahr family’s home is too far for the younger kids to walk to, past the town and closer to the Lord’s manor. They said they’d send a wagon for all of you, but something still clenches in your chest when you actually see it. Wagons are an expense the orphanage can’t justify, but, apparently, the Bahrs can.

The driver smiles kindly when he pulls up next to you. “Everyone ready to go?”

Before you can answer, the kids are pouring out the front door, chattering excitedly. You help Director Sarah lift the smaller ones into the seats near the front. The wagon is open topped, so Director Sarah can look over everyone sternly, twisting around in her spot next to the driver.

“No playing during the ride,” she instructs. “Mr. Dallen is very kindly driving us so you must listen to him, alright?”

Mr. Dallen also turns around. “I don’t have too many rules,” he says. He pretends to think, scratching his thick beard.  He grins “Don’t fall out!”

He’s joking, but that’s why you’re stationed at the back of the wagon. From your seat, you’ll be able to stop any roughhousing before “falling out” becomes a real danger. Already you’re eyeing the way Josiah is fidgeting. He’s incredibly calm when he’s reading, but otherwise he’s like a tornado. There’s a reason he’s the one that fell into the well in the first place. Hera sits primly next to him, her hands folded in her lap. You can tell she’s watching him from the corner of her eye. There’s a reason she’s the one who pulled Josiah out of the well.

Mr. Dallen directs the horses away from the orphanage, through the orchard, and along the road cutting through the fields. When you’re going to the forest to hunt, you take the narrower path that winds through the orchard and more directly into the tree line. The wagon is forced to stay on the wider road where the horses won’t sink into any mud and the wagon wheels won’t catch on rocks or dense foliage.

After the fields is the town. The kids wave to every Villager and Blacksmith they see. “Good day!” “Morning!” “We’re going to a picnic!” Hera pulls Annie back from the edge of the wagon before she tips over onto the street.

You slouch in your seat, wishing you were wearing a hat. While the first family who adopted you left town ages ago to live in the Capital, the innkeepers are still around. You don’t look as you pass their business and try not to listen to Josiah carefully sounding out the name of their inn.

When you open your eyes, Director Sarah is looking at you. You okay? She mouths. She wasn’t at the orphanage for your first adoption, but she was there for the innkeepers. You feign going to sleep. Just tired. She pretends to believe you and turns back to continue chatting with Mr. Dallen.

The kids are excited to go through the forest. Many of them are too young to even go into town with Director Sarah, a privilege you earn at ten years old, and they point to every bird, deer and mushroom they see amongst the trees. You let the sound of nature and the kids’ chatter lull you into a sort of meditation. The estate is only thirty minutes away now that you’re out of town.

You’re nearly dropping off to sleep when Director Sarah’s voice changes in pitch. Your sensitive hearing can pick up a thread of concern in her voice. What makes Director Sarah concerned, makes you concerned.

“—demons in the woods,” Sarah is saying very quietly. She glances out of her peripherals towards the back to make sure no kids are listening. If she notices how you’re only pretending to sleep, she doesn’t show any sign of it. “Shouldn’t we ask the kids to be quiet?”

“The Lord’s Knights have been patrolling,” Mr. Dallen says equally quietly. You can see him scan the trees for a moment before he smiles reassuringly at Director Sarah. “We’ll be okay so long as we stick to the road.”

“Alright.”

You keep a closer eye on the surrounding forest.

“There! There it is!”

Annie’s shout drags you attention from a (suspiciously) shadowed gully. The woods have thinned enough that hedges of the Bahrs’ estate can be seen. You’ve only been out this far once, a long, long time ago. You’ve never been past this point.

You’re just as surprised as the rest of the kids when the hedges give way to a castle.

That’s not a manor. You’ve never seen either, but you’re sure of this. Manors are supposed to look like the orphanage or any of the buildings in town, just larger. The Bahrs’ home has towers. The front doors are three times the height of a regular one and you can see that the handles and knockers are made of copper. The stone isn’t white like the castles in picture books, but it’s clean and neatly cut.

“Wow,” Hera breathes.

You agree.

Mr. Dallen directs the horses right up the main driveway, cheerfully explaining that the roses are the flower of the estate, aren’t they beautiful? Even Hera can only manage a faint noise of agreement, eyes wide on the house.

“The party’s around back,” Mr. Dallen says cheerfully. He clicks his tongue and the horses stop just short of the front doors. “I’ll take you there.”

Around back. You expect him to lead you around the side of the castle, past rows of rose bushes and the fountains that are tucked between the hedges. Instead, Mr. Dallen opens the front doors without knocking and directs everyone to follow him.

You’ve never seen anywhere so grand. The kids follow Mr. Dallen in hushed awe, gaping at the marble staircase that bisects the foyer. There are two chandeliers to either side of the grand staircase that each send a spray of rainbow light across the walls. Is the manor a little bare? The walls empty of portraits and artwork? You eye a pair of crossed axes hanging just beyond the shadow of the staircase.

“They’re ordering portraits from the Capital,” Mr. Dallen says, gesturing carelessly to the space where a portrait of the homeowners might hang. Then under his breath, “Unless they hang more swords there instead.”

“Excuse me?” Hera asks.

“Nothing,” Mr. Dallen says cheerfully. He guides them past the staircase and a row of doors to the back of the house. The large doors at the back of the house are already open. Mr. Dallen cups a hand over his mouth and calls, “Ho ho, look here! Look who’s arrived!”

“Surprise!” Ivan shouts, throwing his hands up in the air. He’s standing on the stone patio just outside the house, but he’s not the only one. Mrs. Bahr is next to him, her hands clasped in front of her, beaming. Behind her is a dozen other adults. “It’s a party!”

“Welcome,” Mrs. Bahr says warmly. She’s dressed elegantly in a long, red tunic that’s embroidered with the Lord’s crest. The Lord is here as well, his golden hair and eyes unmistakable even amongst the crowd. “Welcome to our home.”

You’re already at the back of the group, but you hang back further as the younger kids cautiously step out into the sun. Your eyes flick from face to face. You recognize a few of the people. There’s the Baker from town and her wife, there’s the Merchant that comes through every third week, there’s the Villager that donates zucchini—

And there are the innkeepers who, once upon a time, told you to call them your parents. They’re older than you remember, light hair gone silver in the sun, but it’s them. They’re right by the Lord, eagerly waiting near him for the opportunity to talk.

It’s very clear what this is. You watch the kids stream out onto the patio to greet Ivan and Marie. The other adults study the kids like zoo animals, eyes flicking to their clean party outfits to their happy faces. This isn’t a party for the kids. It’s a party for them. They’re showing off to each other. Look at how great they are! They’re helping out the poor orphan kids! You’re very familiar with these sort of events from back when the other Director was in charge. You just didn’t think you’d ever have to be near one again.

You take a step back and are stopped by Director Sarah.

“It’s okay, Isla,” Director Sarah murmurs. You didn’t even notice her falling back to your side. Her hand is gentle on your elbow. “It’s not what you think.”

Not what you think? You watch the Villager who runs the general store ask Josiah about the book he’s reading. The Bahrs are proudly introducing Annie and Hera to the Lord. There is something different about it, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. All you can see is the way the adults are watching the kids. You breathe in through your nose like Ivan taught you. In. Out. “What is it?”

“Fixing my mistake,” Director Sarah says.

That gets your attention. Your eyes dart from the happy scene in front of you to Sarah and back again. With the white umbrellas over the food tables, the streamers strung between garden trellises, and the kids dressed in their best, it looks like a painting. In contract, Sarah’s lips are pursed and the shadows of the house make her appear more tired than she is.

“There’s a parlor,” Mr. Dallen says. You jump when he speaks and he grimaces apologetically. He jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “If you need to talk.”

Marie is looking over the heads of the kids to where you’re standing, a frown on her face. She mouths your name, concern in her eyes. Your jaw clenches when the Merchant steps in front of her, hiding you from view.

“Yeah,” you say. “Let’s talk.” You spin on your heel.

Sarah follows you silently. You feel wrong-footed and caged by the entire situation. This was supposed to be a picnic, wasn’t it? No strings attached? Your dress shirt is tight around your neck and you flick open the top button.

“I should have told you,” Sarah says as soon as the door closes. There are two couches in the room adjacent to a large window that overlooks the party. Neither of you sits down. Sarah folds her hands in front of her skirts. “I apologize.”

“What are they doing here?” you ask. You gesture to the window. “The Lord, I understand. He’s the Lord. But the Baker? The Merchant?” You bark a laugh. “They’re not here to adopt anyone.”

“Maybe not,” Sarah says evenly, “but they’re good connections to have.”

“Connections?” You scoff. You remember watching the empty road through that winter nearly seven years ago. “What good are their connections?”

“Annie loves baking,” Sarah says. She doesn’t flinch in the face of your anger. She watches you calmly and doesn’t so much as shift her weight when you start to pace. “The Baker is a good connection for her to have, even if she doesn’t want to adopt. Many of the shopkeepers in town are open to taking on apprentices.”

You falter. You didn’t think about that. Your eyes drift towards the window. You can hear Hera laughing and Josiah complaining good naturedly. You’re nearly 15, just a few years away from aging out. You can’t say you’ve never thought about the future before. “They said they’d be willing to do that?”

“Who knows what the future holds?” Sarah sighs and goes to take a seat on the sofa. She makes a sound low in her throat when she sits. “That wagon ride was not good for my back.”

“I don’t trust them,” you say. You stop pacing to sit opposite her. From this point in the room, you can see the party on the patio. They can also see you. Ivan doesn’t turn away from the dessert table, but you can sense his attention on you. You swallow. “We don’t need anything from them.”

“I agree,” Sarah says.

You blink. “What?”

Sarah laughs. It’s not her usual laugh that she shows the kids, gentle and fond and warm. It’s cold and a little sharp. You’ve only heard it once before when the snow finally melted, chasing the snow spirits away, and the town came to see what had become of the orphanage.

“You and I are a lot alike,” Sarah says. Her eyes drift somewhere distant. “Like you, I remember that Winter. I remember waiting for any sort of response to our pleas. I remember hearing nothing back. The helplessness I felt as our stores dwindled…” Her voice cracks. She shakes herself, swallowing hard. “Well. I don’t need to tell you what their lack of aid cost us.”

It takes you two tries to speak. Director Sarah feels the same way as you. “So why?”

“Why did I agree to the party?”

“Yes.”

“Because I need to forgive, not forget, if I want to fix my mistake,” Sarah says. Her lips thin. “I’m not perfect. Since I’ve been Director of the orphanage, there hasn’t been a single new hire. There have been no volunteers or extracurricular programs for the kids. I’ve kept us hidden.”

“You’ve kept us protected,” you say. Things under Director Sarah have always been better than what they were before. The kids are happier and brighter, and the pantry is always full. No one disappears in the middle of the night or dies under her watch. “We know you have.”

“I’ve tried,” Sarah says. She opens her hands, palms facing the ceiling. “I rebuilt the orphanage to be independent. I thought that if we were completely self-sustaining, we’d be alright. But in doing so I’ve hurt the children. The orphanage is not supposed to be forever. They need connections with people, with the town, for when they grow up.”

“That—” You don’t know what you’re going to say. You fall silent, your anger fizzling out in your chest. She’s right. As much as you want everyone to stay together, you know that can’t happen. What Sarah is saying isn’t wrong, but… “Today is supposed to be for the kids. Not for them to feel better about themselves helping the orphans.”

“The kids are having fun,” Sarah says. There’s a peal of laughter from outside as if to underscore her words. She smiles as she stands. “Kids includes you too, you know. Let me worry about the adults.”

You stand too. You know the conversation is coming to a close and that, soon, you’ll be expected to go out there with Sarah. “Um…”

“Yes?”

You nearly don’t say it. But the way Sarah is waiting for you to speak is so patient that you muster up the courage. “The innkeepers are here. They aren’t…?”

Again, you’re not sure what you’re about to say. There’s a sick fear in your stomach that they’re here to tell the Bahrs all about how awful you were when you with them. Maybe they’re looking for another kid to demand too much of. Maybe they’re here because, in the end, you didn’t mean anything to them and what happened between you and them doesn’t make a difference--

Even if you don’t know what you’re going to say, Sarah must. Her smile darkens. “I’ll take care of the adults,” she repeats. She smooths her hand over your hair when you follow her to the door. “Why don’t you stay in here for a moment? I’ll just have a word with the innkeepers.”

You wait in the parlor while Sarah joins the party. You twist your hands together to keep from picking at the embroidery on your sleeves. You almost want to stop Sarah from talking to the innkeepers. It was so long ago, before the Winter, it shouldn’t matter anymore. You’re being ridiculous to be so worried about them when there are bigger things going on. You—

Hera throws open the door to the parlor. Her braids are a little frizzy already and there’s a flush high on her cheeks. “Isla! We’re playing team tag and you’re the only one fast enough to catch Marie. Come on!”

You don’t have the option to say no. Hera yanks you by the sleeve out onto the patio. The guests are much more dispersed now, pockets of adults around this table or that. They’re not studying the kids now. They’re just watching them as they run to and fro across the lawn, bemused smiles on their faces.

Ivan cheers when he sees you. Like Hera, his face is bright red. “Isla!” he pants. “You’re on my team!”

Marie sprints past, her skirts hiked up to her knee. She runs as if she’s in full armor, strides long and shoulders square. You wonder if she notices no one is chasing her anymore. “It won’t be enough!” she cries.

Josiah is laying on the grass. He chucks his fist in the air. “Go, Marie! Go!” He gasps for breath. “We’re unstoppable.”

“You’re out,” Annie tells him crossly. She’s also laying flat on her back, but seems to be faring better in the breathing department. “You’ve stopped.”

“Shut it—”

You scan the crowd. You don’t see the innkeepers anywhere, not even near where the Lord is sitting. You look over your shoulder back towards the house just in time to see Director Sarah disappearing around the corner. She’s talking to someone just ahead of her. Is she escorting the innkeepers out?

“Isla?” Hera slips her hand in yours. Her eyes are knowing. “You okay?”

You clear your throat, aware of all the eyes on you. You tuck  some hair that’s escaped her braid behind her ear. “Just trying to decide which team I should join.”

Ivan cries out in dismay. “Isla, please!”

Grinning, you join the game.

-----

(part 1) (part 2)

Thanks for reading! If you'd like to read the conclusion of Isla's tale before next week, please consider supporting me on Patreon (X)!

Up this week is a continuation of my Cinderella Retelling, Cinderella Doesn't Believe in Fairytales

[suuuupernovaaa]

kawnglan

kawnglan [ˈkawŋ.lan] adj. malicious, bad hearted

Anonymous Request: Can I request a fic where Neteyam is being teased by Aonung and Lo'ak for not choosing a mate. It leads to the three making a bet that Neteyam has to court someone within 3 months and have the person fall for him. Neteyam does it just to get them off of his back, but eventually falls in love with the Metkayina reader, only for the bet to be exposed, making the reader feel like a game and a laughing stock to the boys even tho Neteyam's feelings became real.

The moons are high in the sky when I return home late that evening, a smile spread widely across my face that I don't think will ever fade.

The last few months have been the best and strangest of my life. Never had I imagined, when the Sully family had arrived on our shores, that they would effect my life so deeply.

One of them, in particular.

Though I was an orphan in the Metkayina clan, that didn't mean I'd grown up alone. I had an entire community around me, supporting and loving me. I had my tulkun sister and my friends, plus my aunt and uncle, to help guide and keep me safe as I grew.

But something was missing. I had always hoped that, when I was of age, I would find a mate to truly become my family.

I had just assumed he would be Metkayina - but Neteyam, the oldest son of the Sully family, had caught my eye the moment he set foot on our beaches.

He was tall, as tall as his father, and broad-shouldered, with long braids and a stern face, until he smiled, and then he became soft and kind; you could see who he truly was.

It was a long time before we spoke for the first time, but I spent time observing him and wondering how to introduce myself. Eventually, he did it for me, walking up to me on the beach and asking about the net I was using.

He asked me to teach him, and from that day on... Neteyam was always there, nearly everywhere I went. I couldn't remember the last time someone paid such attention to me, listened so intently, made me laugh so hard; it was a joy to spend every day with Neteyam.

On this night, just three months after that first time we spoke, I finally told Neteyam how I felt - that it was as if that missing piece of me was replaced, that he filled a hole inside of me that had been aching for so long.

And he told me he loved me.

I practically skip home, lighter than air, tears of joy on my cheeks, so proud to have earned the love of such a kind and gentle Na'vi.

"Y/N!" I turn to the right, and see Kiri coming my way. I wonder what she could be doing out so late, when most of the clan is asleep. I try to wipe the tears from my eyes, embarrassed by them even if they're happy tears, but she notices as she reaches me.

"Oh crap," she says, her shoulders slumping. "Did they tell you about the bet?"

I tilt my head to the side. "The bet?"

Her sad look turns to shock - eyes wide, mouth open - and she takes a step back.

"What bet, Kiri?"

As she tells me a story, a rage rises within me more powerful than anything I've ever felt.

I don't make it home that night.

--

Neteyam is up early the next morning, despite being up late the night before, eager to find Y/N. Last night was the best night of his life - but today, he has to tell her the truth. He can't stand it anymore; it feels like lying to her.

The bet on the beach that day was so stupid. Aonung and Lo'ak, both younger than him and happily mated, continued to tease him for not having shown interest in a woman.

Neteyam, hurt and embarrassed, chided back that he could have any woman he wanted.

Lo'ak challenged him, pointing to the closest Metkayina woman, and telling Neteyam that if he could get that woman to fall in love with him in three months, he'd tell their mother who truly destroyed her favorite necklace years ago.

Neteyam had been taking the heat for that one for too long - and he readily agreed.

He had not really thought the bet was something anyone would follow through on. He thought he would make a show of talking to this woman, and everyone would have a good laugh and forget everything... but things had turned out so differently.

He hadn't expected her. Of course she was beautiful, but you could tell that from a distance. It was up close, talking to her and spending time with her, that quickly made Neteyam fall in love.

The bet was far from his mind when he approached her every day. He wasn't doing this to get Lo'ak to confess to some teenage crime - he was doing this because he was infatuated with this confident, strong, fierce, talented woman.

"Neteyam, I must tell you something," she had told him last night as they sat on the beach, holding each other close and looking out at the waves. He felt a pang of panic in his chest, thinking someone had revealed the truth of their first meeting to her, but she went on to say, "I've always felt like something is missing. My parents died when I was little and it sort of felt like I missed out on a family. I always hoped, when I met my mate, I would feel sort of, you know, complete... and I do. I feel that with you. Whole again."

Tears sprang into Neteyam's eyes. She was whole without him, but he was still so happy she felt this way. He told her immediately that he loved her, that he wanted her to be his mate, and that he would never let her feel alone again.

And now, he has to tell her the truth - that this started as a silly bet, but it's so much more.

--

I have not slept the entire night, despite trying. I thought the crying would wear me out eventually, but sleep never comes, and I continue to cry through the night, until I'm all out of tears.

When the sun rises the next morning, I stay curled up against the wall of my mauri pod. I am too embarrassed to face anyone again.

Though my anger is mostly focused on Neteyam, I also feel betrayed by Aonung and Lo'ak, who instigated the bet and never thought to tell me that I was being tricked the entire time.

I was walking around like an idiot in love! And it turns out, I was just an idiot.

There will be no family for me. The hole I feel inside my heart is widened now, and I fear there's nothing that could fill it.

The tears start again, and I hear his voice. "Y/N?"

He's at my archway, and I huddle against the wall. "Go away."

His footsteps approach, and I feel him kneel behind me. He places his hand on my shoulder, and I flinch away, crawling to the other side of the pod, crouching down to glare at him.

"Go away," I reply with a hiss, and his face falls.

The expression is unmistakable. He knows that I know.

"Get out!" I scream, hissing once more, crouching as if to attack, though I barely have the strength to stand.

Neteyam surprises me by leaping forward, grabbing me by my upper arms, and forcing me to look into his eyes.

"No! You will listen to what I have to say, and then decide."

"Decide what?"

"Whether you want to speak to me again."

I stand up, breaking free from his grasp. "Speak, quickly."

He rubs his forehead, clearly not prepared to explain himself. "I don't know what you heard, but... here's what, this is what actually happened. Lo'ak and Aonung, they were making fun of me, telling me it was clear no woman was going to be interested in me, if they weren't already. Joking about how, I couldn't talk to women. So I, I said some dumb stuff, about being able to get any woman I want."

I scoffed, stepping away from him. Did he think this story was going to help?

"Just listen!" he insisted. "Lo'ak made a bet, said if I could get a woman to fall in love with me, he'd tell our mom the truth about something stupid he did years ago. Anyway... Aonung pointed you out. I figured I'd walk up to you, make a big show of talking to you, and everyone would forget about the bet. It wasn't serious, and it wasn't nice, to take it serious. It wouldn't... be fair, to anyone. So everything after that first conversation was real, Y/N." Neteyan drops to his knees in front of me, reaching out to grip my thighs. I want to shove him away, and I want embrace him, so I stand there, as still as possible. "I wasn't trying to convince you to fall in love with me to win a stupid bet. That's how I ended up speaking to you... but it isn't why I kept speaking to you. I fell in love with you, Y/N, almost immediately. Everything about you is... so impressive.

"You're the most talented, smart, and strong woman I've ever met. You are fierce, almost terrifying, and I was so proud that you taught me to make that net, so proud you wanted to keep talking to me. I almost forgot, about the dumb bet that brought me to you. I wish I could forget. I wish I could make you and everyone forget."

I sink down to my knees before him, and see the tears in his eyes, the way his lips are trembling, and he places his hands over his heart.

"I felt so foolish, when Kiri told me... I felt embarrassed, and hurt. To have told you that, that you are my family, and to find out it could all have been a lie," I reply. I take one of his hands from his heart, and place it over mine. "Promise me, Neteyam, that you do not wish to make me a fool. Promise me, Neteyam." I thought I could not cry anymore, but the tears fall down my cheeks freely again, and there's a burning in my chest.

"Y/N, I promise that I have truly loved you every day since the moment we met. I should have been honest with you right then and there. I will never forgive myself for hurting you. Never."

His fingertips press into my chest, and he is crying as hard as I am now, and I know that this is truly Neteyam.

Honest. Kind. Thoughtful. He would never have led me on for three months, and he would not be crying before me now if I did not mean something to him.

I lean forward, pressing my cheek to his chest, and he wraps his arms around me.

"Be my mate, before Eywa," he whispers. "Let me make this up to you every day, for the rest of our lives."

Through the tears, I smile. "Yes," I whisper back. "Just make me one last promise."

"Anything," he says, and I lean back to look up at him.

"Tell me what stupid thing Lo'ak did years ago."

A wide grin spreads across his face, and we both laugh. Just like that - the hole is filled, and I know everything will be okay.

[banzaitaka]

Hello, it’s me again. Sorry about not checking the characters out. for the platonic, continuation of "Sign of friendship, scenarios could it be Muichiro, Genya and Tanjiro?

---

Not me putting people I barely know in my masterlists cause I grew attached to them way too quickly. Soooooo— big OOC warning in Genya‘s and Muichiro‘s parts, only skimmed through their wikis

Demon Slayer Masterlist

I hope this is what you wanted & you enjoy reading!

Tips are very welcome!

Genya Shinazugawa x male! reader

Muichiro Tokito x male! reader

Tanjiro Kamado x male! reader

.

Sign of friendship #1

Sign of friendship #2

Sign of friendship #3

(Y/N) Ubuyashiki was known to be a little, gentle and kind bundle of sunshine. His bright personality could make anyone forget all the gruesome parts of the world at least for a little while, giving them an opportunity to rest and lower their guard.

That’s why everyone was so fond of him, especially the hashira and his father Kagaya. (Y/N) would often play around the whole place, wether it’d be at his father’s side or wherever one of the hashira’s were training, eating or meditating. The boy truly loved every single one of them. They made him feel safe and secure.

So, one day, he decided to let them know in a special way.

Genya did not understand why one of Ubuyashiki‘s children was so attached to the hashira and insisted on spending time with them, more so that he grew attached to him as well. He was not even qualified to be a regular Tsugoku due to his inability to use breaths, so it couldn‘t be rank- or power-related. “I just like you.“, the reply didn‘t settle down any of his confusion, actually fueled it even furhter, but he decided not to press the subject. There were more important things to attend to, and knowing how respected the oldest son was among the entire circle of high-ranked demon slayers, including his own brother, he deemed it unwise to do anything to possibly upset the boy. Especially after handling his sister the way he did at the final selection.

The young Demon Slayer sat on one of the hospital beds in the Butterfly Estate, he just went through a check up, but due to an injury on his leg, he wasn‘t dismissed yet. So there he sat as he waited to be treated. He could hear hurried footsteps coming closer, and Genya sat up straight, thinking it was one of the girls again. His suspicion proofed to be wrong though as a young boy hurried into the room instead, “Genya!“, the boy‘s smile was bright enough to light up the room, that was for sure. A nod as a greeting seemed to be enough for (Y/N) to jump onto the mattress next to him.

“Hey, are you okay? You‘re coming here very often!“ Right, (Y/N) didn‘t know of the demon-eating-habit of his, “Just a small wound.“ The boy pouted in return, worried. And for a moment Genya thought he was caught in his little lie, until (Y/N)‘s smile returned, “Clumsy, Genya. I got just the right thing for you!“ And next thing he knew, there was a bracelet dangling in front of his face. The design seemed familiar…Right, it was the exact same one (Y/N) wore around his small wrist.

“This will keep you save! Because! It‘s a friendship bracelet, and thus a sign of our friendship!“

The teen had only time to blink in response as his hand was grabbed and the jewelry secured around his wrist. Slowly, but surely a certain warmth spread around Genya‘s body, tinting his ears a soft red. It felt comfortable and welcoming, it made him wonder if his bond to the boy was stronger than he thought.

Muichiro sat beside (Y/N), looking into the sky from his position on the wooden porch while the younger one fiddled with something. What was it again? He glanced to his side, eyeing the items in the child‘s grasp. Oh, right. (Y/N) was making a bracelet for him. His gaze shifted to his own hand, laying lazily across (Y/N)‘s leg. So (Y/N) could check if the bracelet still fit. Yes, that was it.

Muichiro watched the boy attach pieces of paper to the string before putting more beads on it. He watched, but didn‘t really acknowledge what he was seeing, quick to zone out once again. (Y/N) didn‘t mind the lack of actual interaction between the two, left a lot of room for him to hum softly to himself as he worked. Checking the size of the jewelry one last time, he grinned widely, making quick work with the clip to close it secure around the hashira‘s wrist.

“Muichiro!“, the boy giggled, tugging on his hand to get his attention, “Look, look!“

The hashira blinked, giving a small hum of acknowledgment. He held up his wrist to his eye-level. The paper seemed impractical; his first impression. “The sign of our ultimate friendship!“, (Y/N) spoke up again with enthusiasm, “You can write things you forget on the paper so you don‘t forget them!“ “Oh.“

Tanjiro halted in his step as someone shouted for his name. “Ah, (Y/N)! What is it?“, he watched him run towards him in a hurry, immediately kneeling down to the boys level once he reached him, wide eyed with slight worry. Holding a hand on (Y/N)‘s shoulder, he waited for him to catch his breath. “Phuuu….hah…Tanjirooooooo…“, (Y/N) whined, clutching on the teen‘s haori, pulling and pushing at it with clear frustration, “You‘re going already?“

The sad look on the younger one‘s face made Tanjiro sigh out, a sad smile forming on his lips, “Yes, our help is needed.“, for a moment, he looked back to Inosuke and Zenitsu who were calling for him to hurry. He used his other hand to rub (Y/N)‘s head in a soothing manner, like a big brother would, “I‘m sure we‘ll see each other again soon.“

That, however didn‘t seem to be enough, as the boy shook his head in protest, “We‘ll definitely see each other again! Because-“, he pulled out a bracelet, which, by the looks of it, was made in quite a hurry, “Because with this we are bound to meet again often, as it is a sign of our friendship!“ Tanjiro couldn‘t help but coo at the other, taking the bracelet and slipping it on, before taking both the boy‘s hands in his, “That‘s right. And when we meet again, I‘ll make one just like this for you too, to seal our bond even further.“

[ota-division]

Birds of Prey Drama Track 1 - The Future Is Now

Pt. 3

— Ōta City, Chinen Residence —

[It was early in the morning and the sky was slowly turning from pitch black to a somewhat bluish color, meaning dawn was steadily approaching. The city of Ōta wasn't awake yet, as many people were still asleep in their beds. However, that wasn't the case for a certain pair of sisters who were slowly lumbering their way outside. All but one of them seemed alert and aware; the other two were barely managing to stand upright as they were either yawning or struggling to stay awake.]

Taira: *Scowls* Who the fuck thought it was a bright idea to do this shit at fuckin' 5 in the morning?

Kira: *Stretches her arm and body around* Better to start early than to finish late. The sooner we can get to work learning how to master these microphones, the better.

Taria: *Glares at Kira* But again, at fucking 5 in the morning?!

Chinami: *Covers her mouth with a yawn* I have to agree with Taria, Kira. I know I promised to show you both how to use a HypMic, but was it truly necessary to start training at this time?

Kira: *Still stretching* Like I said, the sooner we start learning now, the better.

Chinami: I must say, I'm surprised you're even awake. Didn't you have to do a night-long patrol around the city last night?

Kira: *Shrugs* Meh, one night without any rest isn't going to kill me. In the military, I once had to go an entire week without any sleep.

Chinami: *Surprised* Really?

Kira: Well... it was more like five days and a half. But it certainly felt like a week.

Taria: *Irritated* Can we save the stories for later and get started already?!

Chinami: *Sighs* Very well. *Looks in Kira's direction* Do you have the microphones?

Kira: *Nods* Right here. *Holds up the briefcase that they are in*

Chinami: *Holds out hand* Hand one to me, and take one for yourself and one for Taria.

[Obeying her older sibling, the middle sister laid a mic in the hands of both of her sisters. Taria, who had never seen a HypMic up close, was examining every corner of it, trying to see what was so fascinating about them. Likewise, Kira was doing the same, as this was her first time actually holding onto a HypMic. Though she worked for Chuohku, her work never actually included using one of their tools, so she didn't know much about it, either.]

Chinami: Alright, let's get started. *Grasps the microphone in her hand* As you both probably already know, Hypnosis Microphones are how Chuohku took control of Japan, as well as the reason why they are in power now.

Chinami: *Points to the mic* These may look like ordinary microphones, but these are actually weapons of destruction. Each microphone reflects differently depending on who's wielding it. No HypMic is ever truly the same as another. A prime example of this is the Yamada brothers of Ikebukuro. At first glance, besides the colors, their microphones all look the same. But each one is tied to its original owner, and won't work for anyone else.

Chinami: These microphones, when activated, have the capacity to really hurt someone. I don't know how exactly, but the technology inside of it has the ability to affect a person's psyche, as well as their mind.

Taria: *Skeptical* I'm sorry, but their mind? That sounds a little too far-fetched.

Chinami: *Scowls* Don't underestimate these microphones, Taria. As I stated, these are the main reason why Chuohku was able to take over Japan, and why they are still in power today.

Kira: *Still looking at her microphone* So... how does it work exactly?

Chinami: You simply have to channel your will into it. Simply hold onto it, and think about activating it.

[Though she couldn't see, the seer could tell both of her sisters were confused as they held onto their mics.]

Chinami: *Sighs* Perhaps it's better if I simply show you. *Grasps hard onto her HypMic* Watch closely.

[Concentrating hard, the oldest Chinen sister held her microphone in front of her as her younger sisters watched on. Within a second, both sisters looked with awe and shock as their older sibling's microphone suddenly started glowing purple, gradually changing in size and shape. After a moment had passed, both sisters looked as Chinami now had what resembled a staff in her hands.]

Taria: *In shock, pointing at her older's sister microphone* What... is that?!

Chinami: *Smiling* This, dear sister, is my Hypnosis Microphone.

Taria: A... staff?

Chinami: *Confused* A staff? *Looks down at her mic* Hmm... is that what it turned into? I can't exactly tell, but it feels a lot more jagged and longer than I pictured in my mind.

Taria: It looks like something from a video game or something.

Kira: *Still in shock* And... what is that?! *Points to something behind Chinami*

Chinami: Hmm? *Turns her head to look behind her* What is what?

Kira: It looks like the crystal ball you use for your scrying... only it's a lot bigger! Plus, there's a giant crow on top of it!

Chinami: Ah. *Turns her head back around* That's probably my speaker.

Kira: Your... speaker?

Chinami: *Nods* It's what usually appears behind you after you activate your microphone. It helps to amplify the power of your words and lyrics along with your HypMic.

Taria: *Cocks an eyebrow* And you chose your crystal ball and your crow as your speaker?

Chinami: *Shrugs* I told you, the HypMic reflects the personality of its wielder. That includes its speakers. My crystal ball and Karasu are two things that I felt would work well with me.

[As she said, Chinami looked as she felt something land on her right shoulder. Knowing what it was, she raised her free hand and gently rubbed the head of her pet crow.]

Chinami: *Still rubbing her crow's head* Now then... *Looks back at her sisters* ...it is your turns. Activate both your mics.

[Obeying, both of the fortune teller's younger sisters held their mics in their hands and concentrated, mimicking their older sibling. Kira seemed to have a better grasp of it as her mic suddenly transformed. In her hand, the investigator looked as her microphone was now replaced with a headset that was painted in army colors.]

Kira: *Confused* Uhh... I think I did it.

Taria: *Looks at her "mic"* Seriously? A headset? That's what your microphone reflects? *Looks behind her, shocked* And what the heck is with your speaker?!

[Looking behind her, even Kira was shocked to see a large Japanese war tank floating behind her.]

Taria: Your speaker is a freaking tank?! Sheesh, you miss the army that badly you have to start recreating all your tools from it?

Kira: *Scowls* First off, a tank and a headset weren't exactly what I had in mind when I activated my microphone, okay? They just appeared. Like Chinami mentioned, the microphone reflects the personality of its user.

Kira: And secondly, the memories of my time serving in the army are very precious to me, okay? So don't judge. I could say the same about you and your time in the circus.

Taria: *Waves her off* Whatever.

Kira: Since you have so much to say, why don't you hurry up and activate your microphone?

Taria: Okay, I will!

[Not wishing to be outdone, the youngest Chinen sister held tightly onto her microphone, concentrating. After a while, the microphone started to glow purple, before it gradually transformed. In the young woman's hand sat a microphone that was covered in black sparkling jewels. The word 'Misfit' was written on it in cursive.]

Taria: *Looks at it, impressed* Not bad. I approve.

Kira: *Frowns at the mic* Why am I not surprised? *Looks at her speaker* And that's your speaker?

[Looking behind her, Taria saw a giant floating safe, which was used to hide away things others kept hidden.]

Taria: *Smiles* Nice!

Kira: Seriously?! That's your response?! I swear, it's like you're trying to announce your... presence to the world.

Taria: *Smirking* And who says I'm not?

[Kira sighs, shaking her head.]

Chinami: *Confused* I'm sorry. What are you two talking about?

Kira: Nothing. Don't worry about it, Chinami. I'll explain later.

Chinami: *Still confused* Wha...?

Taria: Anyway! *Trying to get off the subject* We've activated our microphones. Now what?

Chinami: *Still confused, but shrugs it off* Okay, you've both activated your microphones, which is good. *Suddenly looks serious* Because now, our training actually begins.

Kira: *Looks confused* What do you mean?

Chinami: As I explained to you both before, HypMics are very dangerous tools. The lyrics that you speak into your mic can affect your opponent not only mentally, but also physically.

Taria: *Scoffs, skeptical* Physically? I know words are supposed to hurt, but come on, Nami.

Kira: Yeah, sorry Chinami, but I have to agree with Taria. *Looks at her headset* I know you explained it, but I don't think things are that powerful to actually hurt someone.

Chinami: *Scowls* It seems you both are a bit skeptical. Would you like a demonstration then?

[Though she couldn't see them, Chinami could feel the sharp nod from both of her sisters.]

Chinami: Very well then. *Readies her HypMic* Fair warning: I won't go easy on either of you, so you might want to brace yourselves.

[Both Kira and Taria could feel the seriousness in their elder sister's voice and silently braced themselves, though they didn't know what was going to happen.]

[Chinami:]

My dear younger sisters, do you think this is a game?

You seek to fight against me despite knowing my fame?

You both are utterly foolish; get ready to feel shame

And when you're lying on the ground, look to yourselves to blame!

This Division Rap Battle is not for the weak

You must prepare, or you'll both wind up dead on your feet!

I won't show you mercy, no matter how much you plea

Now obey your older sister; get down on your knees!

[As Chinami's vicious rap ended, both Kira and Taria felt themselves get hit with a force akin to that of a car collision. Though they were told to brace themselves, they were ill-prepared as they suddenly were forced back onto the ground. Their elder sister stood watching them as they both gasped for air from the recoil.]

Kira: *Still gasping for air* What... what on earth... was that?!

Chinami: That, Kira, was the power of the Hypnosis Microphone.

Taria: *Gasping* What... what the hell?! You... you crazy bitch! Are you... trying to kill us?!

Chinami: I told you I wasn't going easy on you. You both made the choice to join the D.R.B. If you think your opponents will show mercy on you just because you were caught off guard or are wounded, you're sorely mistaken.

[With not a shred of sympathy or compassion for her younger sisters' plight, the blind seeress readied her HypMic once more.]

Chinami: Now, on your feet, both of you. Training isn't over yet.

Taria: *Struggles to get up* Couldn't you... give us a moment?!

Chinami: You have three seconds to stand up before I attack you both, regardless. *Hands up three fingers* One...

Taria: *Growls, still on one knee* You... damn sadist!

Chinami: *Ignores her* Two...

Kira: *Stands up* Hurry up, Taria!

Chinami: Thr...

Taria: *Stands up* There, I'm up!

[Though she couldn't see them, Chinami could hear her sisters still trying to catch their breath.]

Chinami: So... *Looks at the both of them* ...are you two still doubly sure of your decision to join the D.R.B.? Because believe me when I say this, if you cannot survive against me, you will not survive against the other divisions out there.

Chinami: This is your last chance. If you aren't willing to go all the way with this...

[Using her HypMic, the elder sister pointed towards the back door entrance leading into the house.]

Chinami: ...the door is right there. *Points to her sisters' microphones* Just make sure to leave your microphones behind.

Taria: *Growls, while gasping for breath* Who... who the hell do you think you're talking to?! You think I'm going to give up just because you say so?! Quit playing!

Taria: *Stands up fully* Let's get one thing straight here: I'm still not fully invested in this whole rap business. I told you before, I've no interest in being used as a plaything for Chuohku or their like. But they think they can run roughshod over anything they want just cause they're the fucking government? Well I say, fuck that!

Taria: So no, I'm not giving up on this, as much as I want to. I committed to helping you out no matter how much I hate this. So, let's go! *Points her mic at Chinami* Hit me with your best shot, cause I'm not quitting for nothing!

Chinami: *Looks at Kira* ...And? What about you, Kira?

Kira: *Smirks* You really have to ask? Of course I'm still in!

Chinami: *Smiles at the both of you* Very well then. *Readies her HypMic* Let's see what you've both got.

Taria: *Smirks, readying her mic* Gladly! It's payback time!

[Taria:]

Oh my big sister, she thinks she knows it all

Picking and hurting those who are oh-so small

But you're not the only one here who has a surprise

I more than makeup in spirit, what I lack in size!

[Kira:]

Don't worry little sis, cause you're not alone

Kira-san will make up for your lack of tone!

Prepare yourself Chinami, cause there's no going back!

Here's revenge for last time: a full-blown attack!

[Kira & Taria:]

The two of us, we are not backing down from this

You can say what you want, but we won't be dismissed!

Like it or not, we are standing by your side

The three of us together, Chinen sisters for life!

[The combined power of both sisters let loose as it launched itself at Chinami, who took it head-on. However, despite a few injuries, she managed to stand upright on her feet, much to the shock and chagrin of her younger sisters.]

Taria: What the hell?! Why didn't that lay you out like it did us?

Chinami: *Smirks* Though it's been a while since I've held onto a mic, I've still been rapping far longer than both of you. *Dusts herself off* Still though, that was a pretty good attack for your first try.

Kira: Pretty good still isn't good enough, though. *Looks at her sister* We still need more practice.

Chinami: Unfortunately, you are correct. But thankfully, we still have plenty of time. *Holds up her microphone* Shall we resume?

[Looking at each other, both Kira and Taria smirked before looking at their older sister.]

Kira & Taria: Yes!

[With a grin, the three sisters resumed training and getting more comfortable with their microphones, unaware that the sun was now completely visible in the sky, signaling the beginning of a new day...]

To be continued...

[idioticsky]

Here's the product of me being sleep deprived

It was a cool summer night, a nice one for sure. The Jr. agents were having a fun night in, full of card games a movies. Everyone one was having a good time, well, everyone except for Vivian. Today was the day she finally became a jr. agent. That should be great right? Well, not for her, she promised the others that she would do a full backstory dump to them the day she became a jr. agent.

"So, about that bit of backstory Vi-" Adam said while picking up a few cards from the deck, trying to find a yellow card. "Are you finally comfortable with sharing?"

"Nope, but I promised you guys I would the day I became a jr. agent and here we are." Vivian said while placing down 4 skips in a row.

"Then spill the beans already." Lizzie said, adding a wild card to the discarded pile. "Changing the color to green."

"Or you could wait until you're comfortable-" Raz threw down 4 reverse cards. "Uno."

Vivian sighed and took a moment to think before starting to speak.

"If y'all want a backstory dump, then y'all better be in a distance where you can at least hear me, I ain't repeating myself."

--------------------------------

After everyone got comfy, Vivian started to explain.

"I was born into a home that wasn't that great. I was the oldest out of 3 kids, I had a younger brother, he was 2 years younger. I also had my baby sister, she was 4 years younger than me. My brother was the only child my parents planned to have, or even wanted. They wanted all boys but of course that wasn't gonna happen, they found that out after I was born. I could never figure out why they wanted all boys though.

"Other than the 'only wanting boys' thing, my parents also loved my brother more than my sister and I for another reason. You see, my family is full of government workers. We're used as spies because of how well we can read minds, unlucky for me though, I wasn't born with that power, my sister was but was never taken seriously about it though. My brother also had this power, but since he was the golden child, everyone worshiped him for having it.

"Moving on. My sister and I worked around the house and had to earn our own money, we got pretty close because of that and trained our abilities together as well. But, once I turned 8, my family finally had eniught of me and my sister and set us up in the foster system. I never saw her again after that... I still hope to find her, but we'll have to see."

Vivian started to get more nervous as she thought about what to say next. Hell, even where the story went next.

"Everything past that starts to blur, but this is what I can remember.

"The first foster home I was in I stayed at for a few months, they were kind to me. I felt wanted for a bit.. but before long I had to leave, I still don't know why. The next house I stayed at for 2 and a half years. I hated them, they neglected me a lot, they thought of me as a paycheck, I wasn't welcome there. They had a biological child as well. She was a little other than me so I always got the things she didn't want, like old clothes. I wasn't aloud to do much there, I had to either work on chores or school work, I didn't get to play games, I didn't even get to properly wash my hair. I had to pick the lock on my door in the middle of the night so u could go grab something to eat or find something to do because.

"I never had one person care for me, until the family went to go take a family photo at some old store. I had to wait until they were done because 'foster kids don't belong in these' is what they said. That day, for whatever reason. Agents Forsythe and Vodello were there. They helped me, saved me even. They found out I was a psychic and brought me here. And that's about all that happened before I met you guys."

--------------------------------

"I.. that is a good bit to take in." Gisu said while taking a sip of her soda

"Wonder why Milla and Agent Forsythe where doing in that photo store.." Raz mumbled trying to figure out why they would be there.

"Well, that's an emo backstory if I ever heard one-" Lizzie said while patting Vivian's shoulder. "Now let's get to bed, it's almost 12." The others agreed with Lizzie and started to get ready for bed. Vivian sighed a bit and went to get ready with the others.

--------------------------------

After most of the others went to bed, Lizzie went to check on Vivian.

"Feeling ok? You did just take about a lot so we don't want you sleep walking again." She started while standing in the doorway.

Vivian nodded.

"I'm good, just a bit worried"

"Worried?"

"Yeah.. I hope my sister is doing well, wherever she ended up."

"Understandable you are siblings after all."

"Yeah, do you worry about Norma like that?"

"Not too much, she can handle herself well enough."

Vivian smiled a bit and yawned.

"It was nice of you to check on me."

Lizzie smirked.

"Yeah yeah, don't tell anyone about this though."

Vivian nodded and laid in bed, Lizzie retreating back to her own room for the night. That night had been a good night, despite the story that was told earlier.

[readingcauldron]

"Making Comics" by Lynda Barry

“Everything we have come to call the arts seems to be in almost every 3 year old.”

I <3 Comics.

Post-adolescence, my love for the art of comics grows everyday. In-adolescence, I had associated “comics” as Marvel Universe, action-oriented, honk shoo / mimimi.

It was at the later end of my teens (wholeheartedly through the TLC of RookieMag), I was introduced to creation through The Teenage Girl. Thus, came my infatuation of online magazines, zines, print making, and through it all: comic art.

This is when I came into contact with graphic novels like “Boy’s Club”, “Wendy”, and the comics of Michael Deforge, and drawings of Jon Michael Frank, - I found a relatability I wasn’t able to feel in the types of media I’d consume which often chose a vehicle of message: books (words), movies (visuals), music (audio).

After reading “Making Comics” by Lynda Barry - I finally was able to make sense of why comics all of a sudden clicked for me. In this comic workshop-styled book, she spoke of comics as one of our oldest, natural, and spontaneous languages. Like in the image from the book above, even our letters were once drawings to us: they held shape, distinct from each time we wrote them. Even our names held expression!

In my discovery of comics, I especially loved the shitty ones. The art with stick figures or fragments of what something is, the way something was drawn defining the character more than realism. There was no good or bad illustration. The words and pictures together made something happen. It was less finished than what I previously thought was an adequate, “valid” way to tell a story: something my younger self assumed needed publishing, producing, fame, $$$$$.

In the second grade, I made a mini series called “Jenny and her magic shoes”. I created 20 issues: all about a girl my age who had magic powers through a pair of shoes she finds in the first issue. I still remember it being one of the first times I created something of sequence - a story. The image felt just as important as the words. Till this day, both are so integral in the way I consume and create my media.

And a creation it was! There was no pressure in making those stories. And yes, it was essentially a rip off of "The Fairly Oddparents" without Cosmo and Wanda. But I drew! I wrote words! I made something. Deep inside, I still think that’s all that it takes.

“Stories show up on their own when kids draw. The drawing itself propels the story, changing it in a living way. This is the state of mind I’m after when I make comics and spending time working beside four year olds has helped me relearn.”

Similar to what we can learn from comics, I think we can all learn from our younger selves: to not make something perfect, but to make something. And you know what, sometimes it is sooo hard!!! But it’s crazy when you do it, you realize sometimes just how simple it can be.

<3_______<3 Kiana

[vampire207343]

Serena D'Luna Agreste

What if... Princess Serenity Rachel Ophelia D'luna V has a younger half sister by the name of Princess Selenity Amelia Rose D'Luna.

Princess Selenlity D'Luna has always felt she beging over shadow by her two older half siblings. The Crown Princess Serenity Rachel Ophelia D'Luna the Lunar senshi of the Moon and t he Future Queen of the Cosmo and then their's our older half brother Prince Heero Tranquility Heaven D'Luna the General of the Moon Kingdom and then their is me, Princess Selenity Amelia Rose D'Luna the spare heir of the moon kingdom.

I have always felt jealous of both my older half siblings but not more so than I do with my older sister Serenity who has everything I ever wanted.

Serenity would one day become the Queen of the Moon and she's even a senshi like every Princess of the Planet the only odd one out is myself. And our mother Queen Serenity IV assaign my sister her own senshi court like our brother Prince Heero.

Serenity inner court conisted of

Sailor Mars who happen to be the youngest Princess of Mars, Princess Rei of Mars, Sailor Jupiter other wise known as Princess Lita of Jupiter, Sailor Mercury otherwise known as Princess Ami of Mercury and then their's Sailor Venus the Crown Princess of Venus. She is also the secound in command of Serenity.

They are four Inner Princess of the Planet, While I didn't even have a court of my own and in the fit of jealousy I was able to turn 3 of my sister court against her with exception of her secound in Command.

Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mercury nearly lost their head in the process for the crime of betraying of their Princess has it not for their own mothers beging my sister Serenity to spare their life. Which she granted only once, but not before she chosen to replace the three who betrayed her.

Sailor Mars was replace with her older half sister Princess Rachel of Mars who is sailor Blaze and the one who replace Mercury is Princess Hotaru of Saturn also known as Sailor Death Saturn. And the one who took Sailor Jupiter's place is Princess Melody of Neptune the oldest Princess Neptune also known as Sailor Storm Neptune. Princess Minako of Venus previously known as Sailor Venus is now known as Sailor Love Venus becoming the ssilor Enforcer of Venus and one of Serenity's generals.

While Serenity's 3 former senshi are all given to Selenity herself with the addision of Sailor Eros the cousin of Princess Minako, she's Naru of Venus.

Serenity's new court are alot more powerful than her old one and more loyal to their princess.

Selenity decided to visit Earth and that's where she has encounter the Crown Prince of Earth Edymione XVI were they both frll in love with one another causing the Earth Prince to break his Political marriage to a noble Lady by the name Beryl.

In Beryl's rage she unsealed a great evil known as Metalica. And Beryl rallyed the people of Earth into attacking the Moon Kingdom after the annocement of the Engangedment of Prince Edymione XVI and Princess Selenity of the Moon.

Which cause the moon Kingdom's destruction and in bid for their mother to save them, she use the legendary Sliver Crystal's power after ordering Hotaru to swing her glaive so that she may able to sent their soul to the future of Earth where they could live along with their court. But the three children of the moon will not remember anything of their past life unless they themself are awaken.

[shijiujun]

Okay I’ve decided to do a single rec after I finish one novel hahaha because if I wait to get around to it all it’ll never happen! Anyway because @sarah-yyy​​ has been reading it and I’ve gotten a lot of asks/replies on this, I’m just going to do one huge list for one of my faves so everyone knows what’s going on and where to find things XD

- Part of Min’s ‘Why You Should Read’ Series -

Summary: 

This is set in a historical setting where men can marry other men, but it’s usually reserved for sons who were not borne by the official main first wife of the patriarch of the family, i.e. a son born by a concubine in a family may be forced to marry a man to keep him from being able to become the next family’s patriarch for example. This is because any family’s next leader needs to be able to have children with a wife who married in as a zheng shi (lawful wife), and not a ce shi (second wife) or any other concubines/mistresses etc. Most of these men who marry other men have to take them as their zheng shi and lawful spouse in a sense, and the same goes for the royal family.

The story starts with third prince Jing Shao, who was forced to marry Mu Han Zhang, a Marquis’ second son, by the Empress and Emperor, thereby officially and effectively cutting him out of the race for the throne. He’s mocked by the public as everyone knows what this means, and for the next 10 years, he neglects Mu Han Zhang, blaming him for his predicament, and deliberately showers his three other concubines with affection in front of him, but 10 years later, when Jing Shao is accused of treason, everyone leaves him except for Mu Han Zhang. They are chased to the edge of the cliff by soldiers, and Mu Han Zhang dies in his arms having taken an arrow meant for him earlier, and Jing Shao jumps off the cliff with his dead body, and promises that if there’s a next life, he will do everything Han Zhang says, and love him.

He wakes up immediately on the night of his marriage with Han Zhang, and realizes that he’s been given a second chance to make everything right. Han Zhang is definitely afraid of him, humiliated and angry when he first wakes up after how rough Jing Shao was with him earlier on their wedding night, and he has no memories of their past life. Jing Shao then sets to SHOWER HAN ZHANG with affection, love and basically everything, because he realized that this is the only person who stayed by his side until the end, and then he falls in love with Han Zhang properly this time, and also deals with every single person who maligned and schemed against him in his previous life, with Han Zhang by his side.

Read: 

Novel (Online) | Novel (Print) - Not Available | Novel Translations | Manhua (You’ll have to download the KuaiKan app, the chapters are currently all free)

Characters:

1. 景韶 Jing Shao - 3rd Prince and is the first out of his three other brothers to be given a title 成王 (cheng wang). He’s referred to as 王爷, and also 小勺 (xiao shao) by Han Zhang. Went out on his first war when he was 14, and was thus given a title before any of his brothers. He’s known for being a merciless, cold and fierce army general/commander, but this was before his second life with Han Zhang, where he puts on like his doting mode and is basically a dumbass XD who listens to Han Zhang with a lot of trust, which is cool and all.

He marries Han Zhang when he’s 19, and in his first life he was very reluctant and resistant, and neglected Han Zhang for 10 years, until he was charged with treason and hunted down. 

In his first life he wanted to snatch the throne, even from his blood-related brother Jing Chen, but more out of spite than anything else because he felt he was dealt an unfair hand by having to marry Han Zhang. Not only that, but Jing Shao is not his father’s favourite son, and he always felt that the emperor was biased against him. Anyway, a huge accumulation of daddy and anger issues, which is fair.

When he realizes that Han Zhang died for him, he decides he will be good to Han Zhang if they are reborn in their next life.

2. 慕含章 Mu Han Zhang - The 2nd son of Marquis Bei Hou’s, born to a concubine. He’s called by his 表字 which is 君清 (jun qing) by Jing Shao. Official First Wife Bei Wei Hou-furen and her son (who is in line to inherit the Marquis title from his father) has bullied him all his life, and wanted to push him into greater desperation by marrying him to Jing Shao, knowing he will suffer at the hands of the supposed merciless/heartless wangye. He has a weak body because of an accident when he was younger, and in his first life he was really sick after being neglected for 10 years, and knowing this in their second life, Jing Shao does everything he can to take care of him.

He is incredibly smart, has a brain for business and sales, and is also very good at handling people, especially scheming ones. He aids Jing Shao in the beginning of their second life, and then Jing Chen later as well, as both brothers begin to fight to put Jing Chen on the throne, against the 1st and 4th Princes. Is an incredibly good tactician in war as well.

3. 景琛 Jing Chen - 2nd Prince, Jing Shao’s blood related older brother who is handsome af too. His title, given later in the novel, is 睿王 (rui wang). He was misunderstood by Jing Shao in the first life as Jing Shao thought it was his brother who led to him marrying Han Zhang, and because he’s not very good at expressing himself and shows his concern to Jing Shao by nagging at him, Jing Shao always thought he hated him. In their second life, Jing Shao already knows that Jing Chen loves him and did a lot for him in his first life, and so trusts his brother and supports him right off the bat, because Jing Chen is indeed the most suited person for the throne.

He has a wife and a concubine, 3 sons and 2 daughters at this point. He ends up helping Jing Shao a lot, and when he realizes that Han Zhang is way more adept at politics and the whole scheming thing than Jing Shao is, he begins trusting Han Zhang a lot more as well! There’s a surprise with Jing Chen hahaha which I loveee and could see, but wasn’t sure until they confirmed it in the last few chapters AHAHAHAHA.

Other Notable Characters:

1. Song Ling Xin (Second Wife) on the left, and two other concubines on the right

They’re pretty much vying for Jing Shao’s attention, but at this point apparently he hasn’t slept with any of them before. Song Ling Xin is the daughter of the Military Department’s Head Song An, and Jing Shao married her initially out of interest. The right most concubine (I forgot her name oops) was a gift given to him by his oldest brother, the 1st Prince. The two of them played a huge role in Jing Shao’s downfall back in his first life, and so in his second life, he especially detests Song Ling Xin. Plus the three of them keep bullying Han Zhang in the beginning, but thankfully Jing Shao is like: “Anything my Jun Qing wants”. They don’t stay around for long either, watch as Jing Shao gets rid of them like he’s swatting flies.

2. Xiao Yuan & Zhou Da-Ge

This is another male couple who’s been married for 7-8 years if I recall. Xiao Yuan is one of Jing Shao’s important allies and friends in the second life, because in Jing Shao’s first life, this was one of the only young officials in court who spoke up for him when the accusations of treason came about. Zhou Da-Ge is his husband, who is a cook running a restaurant in the city. Whenever Zhou Da-Ge bullies Xiao Yuan in bed a little too much, Xiao Yuan punishes him by making him wear colourful clothes out (pink, bright yellow, purple, etc.) and thus he has a reputation for being eccentric and a weirdo, but oh well, all for love.

3. Gu Huai Qing

One of Jing Shao and Jing Chen’s most powerful allies, and he becomes blood-sworn brothers with Jing Shao without realizing who he is. Later he takes a liking to Jing Chen.

(Will update with photos when they come out, but they’re a bit further into the story so we won’t have them for a few months yet ahahaha)

Amazing Scenes:

Jing Shao & Han Zhang first looks in the manhua

Jing Shao being THAT clingy husband and helping Han Zhang to wear his clothes properly so cute!!!!!

Han Zhang and Jing Shao in their first lives (10 years later), about to die, sad and then Jing Shao jumps down the cliff with Han Zhang’s corpse, regretful cuz he a dumb bij

Jing Shao unable to resist kissing Han Zhang’s cheek, realizes what he’s doing, and gets embarrassed LMAOOOO 没出息!!!!!!! (This is different from the novel, because in the novel Jing Shao just kisses and is done with that, the embarrassment part is drawn in only in the manhua hahaha)

Other Things I Like in the Novel:

Jing Shao is like, he does a 180 entirely and he is very cognisant of all his faults and what he did wrong previously, and how badly he treated Han Zhang, so he legit forces his brain to go “I will listen to Jun Qing from now on” and he really sticks to it!

Loves kissing and teasing Han Zhang, but doesn’t force him into bed after their wedding night, and instead goes to Xiao Yuan and asks for tips on how to make his partner feel less scared about sex

The both of them end up with a pet tiger?!! That’s called Xiao Huang (little yellow) LMAO

They nap together a lot which I love <3333

Jing Shao knows he’s bullied at home, so when they go back to the Marquis Bei Hou manor, he holds Han Zhang’s hand in front of everyone to let them know Han Zhang has someone to back him up

Brings Han Zhang to war because he “cannot concentrate if Jun Qing isn’t with me at all times” - and asks for special permission to do so

Han Zhang notes that since he married Jing Shao, as the ‘wife’ he is supposed to serve Jing Shao, but it’s always Jing Shao serving him - Getting water for him, bringing him to baths, putting clothes on for him, putting food in his plate if it tastes nice, massaging his back and waist etc. - and best is he doesn’t have to deal with any in-laws?!! HAHAHA

Jing Shao gets revenge on those who hurt Han Zhang when he was younger for him, and the outcome is pretty hilarious but well-deserved

EPILOGUES are cute af!!!!

[kpopordie]

The problem with

Fu Ya Ning (푸야닝)

(So far: episode 4)

Many of us were first introduced to Fu Ya Ning as the girl that came in and dissed the beloved Yujin. With a little help from Mnet we had ourselves a good villain right from the start.

She was someone for the antis to root for, the drama seekers to love, and the CLC fans to rally against. But, really, she was someone to suck all of us viewers in. It worked. We all held our breath as we watched.

The Helicopter performance. This is where you really see her personality for the first time. Her strategy and her skill. She is talented and she knows it. She boldly projects confidence whether this is a front or not we do not know. It seems her plan here was find the biggest kid on the playground and punch her out- so to speak.

When it became known that Yaning’s threats were empty and edited with malice she became much less hated among fans. Although she still left a bad taste in many mouths.

Although, this plan did not work. Clearly she did not “Go up” considering Yujin made it into the top nine and Yaning did not. How this will determine her behavior later on is unknown.

When Yaning (let’s be real here) demanded the role of leader in episode 3, she confirmed her need to be in total control. Her reasoning being age.

“I’m 25. I’m the oldest.” Leaving no room for conversation or debate. Age being an important thing in Asian culture that must be respected by the young. This is not something you go against especially on national tv.

I personally feel Yaning showed her first major fault in leadership by abusing this. She TOOK power and made it about age. knowing very well if anyone younger than her spoke up it would be seen as disrespectful soiling their name like it has many other idols before them.

Let’s talk about You Dayeon

Fu Ya Ning handled this situation poorly continuously showing us her poor leadership skills.

Let’s review what was happening:

Dayeon was feeling confused and discouraged over rules set by Yaning that she felt didn’t make sense. Yaning told the girls they could only try out for one part. If you wanted another one that was too bad.

When Dayeon became overwhelmed it came out through tears, many of the teammates hugged her and asked her what was troubling her. This is where I want to praise Dayeon for not shutting down. She regained herself and spoke clearly explaining her confusion and asking Yaning to try out for more parts.

To this Yaning scolded her and twisted her words as if Dayeon was asking for special treatment. Yaning told her it wouldn’t be fair to the others, but it would, be if they could all try out for more parts. This left me wondering if Yaning feared losing her part since Dayeon originally tried out for hers.

Dayeon, again, expressed her wish to have been leader and regret in choosing Fu Ya Ning as a teammate.

Remember Dayeon not speaking up to become leader is not on her. Many idols have had issues being labeled disrespectful for simply speaking informally to a close friend. What were to happen if she decided to challenge Yaning for leadership who was already using age as a weapon?

After their interim evaluation the judges could tell though individually exceeding they failed to work as a team. Plus, some roles weren’t suited correctly- to this Dayeon nervously spoke up. Shyly, she explained what she was so harshly shut down for by her leader. The judges agreed with Dayeon and explained to Yaning why it’s important each member gets the part best suited for them. It’s not about being fair, it’s about finding how you fit together.

Though this was obviously Yaning’s shortcoming as a leader but somehow Dayeon seemed to take the heat for it. Dayeon ended up getting scolded by the judges and her teammates telling her she should have spoken up before the evaluation. - this was confusing considering she did.

Yaning did not take any responsibility for this mistake but instead blamed her team stating “How would I know if they don’t tell me?”

This was disappointing but not surprising. Yaning also seemed to miss the point. This wasn’t about the members wanting different parts it was about the members not fitting into their roles.

As leader Yaning created an unsafe environment. A place where almost all of the members felt the group was taking a turn for the worst but couldn’t say anything out of fear for the same treatment of Dayeon.

The Problem?

So what is the problem with Fu Ya Ning?

I believe Yaning has become focused on winning and cleared her mind of all others. She has lost the ability to connect and wants only to show her skills.

Though she is talented Yaning will be unable to learn/grow if she refuses to listen and work with teammates. She is still a trainee and has a lot to learn. If she could have befriended Yujin, instead, Yaning might have gained friendship and insight to the Kpop world rather than antis.

⚫️Redemption?⚪️

Do I believe Fa Ya Ning can be redeemed? Yes. I fully believe that Yaning can unlearn this all for one and one for me attitude. What Yaning is missing is the ability to work with a team.

If she can take a step back from this tough girl persona and learn how to connect and care for others I believe she will do great in girls planet 999.

If Yaning cannot get over herself then she needs to debut solo.

GP999 winners have a responsibility to bond with one another and work as a team. If she keeps going down this path I don’t believe she could fulfill that.

[fluffi]

SARCOLINE SUNSET I: WELCOME HOME, OUTSIDER :: SOOBIN

pairing: soobin x gn!reader, platonic!ot5 x gn!reader genre: fluff, some subjective angst, bits of humor, enemies-to-lovers, childhood friends word count: 4002 event: #summerscape for @kpopscape credit: @enha-woodzies​ for making the gfx for this series! show her some love <3 author’s note: i accidentally deleted this post so here is a rushed reupload. it might not be as good as the original because it isnt proof read as well but i still hope the algorithm picks it up, maybe this’ll be good for the post. Also, the second part will be coming out in 15 days. warnings: people disappearing, mentions of burning and fire (further warnings will be released in the next parts as the story gets darker)

THIS STORY IS PURELY A WORK OF FICTION AND DOES NOT DICTATE JAY OR NI-KI’S PERSONAL LIVES AND/OR FAMILY.

part two ->

The blonde stared up at an intricately designed structure in awe, walking forward to touch the sides of it and running his calloused hands up and down its rusted carved wedges. It seemed oddly cliche and unrealistic, but he could feel its story. Every touch of the ceramic pillar provided him with emotion that he couldn’t bring himself to explain.

The sun hadn’t set yet, but he could make out the faint reflection of it settling in the background. The huge pine trees around him were making conversation with each other; their faint whispers and rustles providing peace to his veins.

So entranced in the scenery of such a mystical place, he forgot to watch out for his younger peer. Kicking back into his senses, he nervously called out, “Riki! You there?” His voice, usually strong and boisterous, laced fear today.

“Don’t worry about me Jay, I’m right behind you. Just climbing this fence..and..there!” Riki let out a grunt as he jumped onto the soft grass, looking at his older friend with an innocent grin.

At the sight of his buddy, Jay visibly loosened. It was clear that he didn’t feel safe in this environment, yet felt entranced to it in some way. Riki caught up to him in a quick jog before standing next to Jay, in awe at the magnificent view that they were spectating for the first and possibly last time.

“Is this…the place you were talking about?” Riki was out of breath from running after his peer. He pats the grassy patch below him before slumping onto it, crossing his legs afterward.

Jay took a seat next to him, setting his canvas satchel and leather jacket next to him. “According to the maps and books, this is the right spot. I just want to see if the myth is true.”

Riki clapped his hands in excitement and turned to face Jay. “We’re staying till the sun sets right? I want to see what the carousel looks like at night! This structure is so fascinating. It must be beautiful out here at night.”

“No, we’re walking back as soon as the sun goes down. I do not want to risk being out here at night. People have disappeared from staying too long and I wouldn’t want to worry your mother.”

Riki visibly slumped and turned back in time to see the last drop of orange dip. It was quiet for a while. The singing birds stopped humming their soulful tunes, yet the whispering trees grew louder, their inaudible gossip echoing in the ears of the two boys.

At nine at night, Riki’s mother would call Jay, heeding no response. She would do the same for his parents and his friends. The only piece of information they could provide was that Jay had brought Riki, in his words, to “a magical place”. With no other vital details they could draw from their son’s peers, Jay and Riki’s family agree to call the local police, reporting two missing people: two minors, one last seen in a brown leather jacket, and a taller one tailing alongside him. Both their hairs were dyed in a striking shade of blonde.

Summer’s heat-blasted onto your skin as soon as you stepped out of your sleek white Toyota. It was good to be back, you supposed. Although it was something that not many people would fawn over, you were ecstatic to be home in town.

Leaving at the mere age of sixteen wasn’t easy. After your parents decided that you were too good for a mediocre high school where people cared more about their body count than grade count, they immediately sent you off to a prestigious boarding school in the big city. You were given three days to pack and say goodbye to your friends, the rest of your family, your world. As excited as you were to study in the evolutionary epicenter of technology, you didn’t like how you had almost no say in this decision.

You didn’t return home from high school even after four years of studying at that mentally draining institution. It wasn’t like you didn’t want to come back, you were just so accustomed to life in the big city that it seemed pointless to return to square one. With the rest of the world finally in your grip (or so you thought), you enrolled in a highly expensive university and received a full-ride scholarship.

Perhaps that was your breaking point. Piles of work that could never be cleared must’ve got to your head. No one out there seemed to care about your mental health and well-being. The only reason you were allowed to take a break from the university and return was because of your constant breakdowns that your lecturers called “distracting” and “unethical”. You were hoping that this drop-by in town would give you a physical and mental cleanse.

There was no place as hot as home, from where you had been. The blazing sun scorched onto the road. Carrying baggage by itself was already hard enough, but this heat was immensely torturing. You struggled to carry your belongings while trying to close the car boot at the same time. Oh, a pity. You had just returned home and you were slowly turning into a bundle of disorganization, unlike your previous methodical attitude.

“Need a hand?” A familiar suede voice behind your shoulder sounded like music to your ears as you dropped all of your luggage and turned back to see…

“Taehyun!” Child best friend number one. You were looking at a once-innocent boy with doe eyes who had matured into a fine young man. His hair was dyed platinum blonde and, although younger than you, possessed a flair that was completely unlike his past self. His facial features were more prominent than ever and you wondered if all of your friends had developed as well as he had.

You locked your arms around his neck and embraced him as he took your baggage from you.

“You’re so tall now!” You gasped in awe and looked him up and down.

“Of course I am! A boy has to grow, doesn’t he?”

Speak of the devil(s), four people tagged behind Taehyun, waiting for you to notice their presence. All of them were just as tall (if not taller) than your blonde friend and stood out like a sore thumb. It wasn’t just the height, their hair was also in very...exciting colors.

“Can’t believe you forgot about us just for Taehyun.” Ah, that nasal voice was so recognizable. Choi Yeonjun, second-best friend. You cherished him like he was your secret weapon, a power waiting to be unleashed into your industrial world. Although older than Taehyun, they seemed to be the same height now. You couldn’t tell because his new neon pink hair was waxed slick and puffy which made him look a teensy bit taller than his younger friend. You had seen him around on social media and he was a hair-changing chameleon.

Alongside Yeonjun was Hueningkai, better known as Kai in the friend group. He was the youngest one, constantly babied and spoiled, you could say. He was probably influenced by the rest of his friends too, his hair now in a mossy shade of blonde. 

Poor Yeonjun, you completely disregarded his existence and dashed over to Kai instead, eagerly standing next to him to compare heights. The kid had grown so much, you couldn’t tell if you were contented that he was now taller than you or dejected that you had missed so much when you weren’t around.

“Hey, wait up!” Someone from behind called. With Hueningkai and Yeonjun blocking your view you couldn’t see who that one person walking next to Choi Beomgyu was.

Beomgyu, the last friend who joined the friend group. He was always a comedian and never failed to make your day. Although, he didn’t seem so smiley anymore. You figured that it was school stress and adulting getting the best of him. We all had those days; you regrettably knew them like you knew the back of your hand . Unlike the rest of his friends, Beomgyu’s hair was kept in a natural shade of ivory brown. He had never been swayed by the rest of the crowd.

There were so many things to do, so many people to see. You had missed out on most of your growing: having fun with friends, staying up late at night just to watch the stars, dancing on your balcony. You had missed the people too. The town felt different from when you had left it.

“Soobin! Don’t just stand behind, meet our friend! They just returned from the city, right?” Beomgyu ran over to you before giving you a little squeeze.

Who’s Soobin?

“Hey, I’m Choi Soobin. Twenty-one this year. I moved here a few years ago. You must have left before I showed up.” A simple and concise introduction from the blue-haired man. Maybe he was the root of this hair-dyeing trend in town (pun very much intended), as well as the height trend since he was just as tall, if not taller than the rest of the boys.

You briefly introduced yourself but that was about it. You didn’t know how to create small talk, nonetheless with someone completely unfamiliar to you.

Later that day, you wondered if he had replaced you, become another guardian in the friend group. As one of the oldest, you and Yeonjun were always known as the parents of your three “kids”, but Soobin seemed to take care of them equally well. Throughout the day, you watched his every action, how he helped Beomgyu with homework, how he styled Kai’s hair, how he treated Taehyun to his favorite meal, exactly like what you did when you were still around. For once, you felt like the outsider.

Marshmallow Night had always been a tradition here. It was a five-of-you kind of thing, well, the six-of-you now. It had always been the go-to celebration whenever one of you hit a milestone, or was just held for fun. The days of joy where the only thing you had to worry about was whether your smores were burnt.

It had changed a lot over the years, you guys would add some new events to it and remove the ones you guys outgrew, like hopscotch.

You had missed most of its evolution.

Instead of being the main catalyst for today’s event, you resorted to sitting at the side as Soobin took the lead, carrying tables back and forth as well as setting up the fire in a method that the five of you had never used.

Oh, how much you loathed him. You hated his innocent-looking face that spurred out words of authority and boastfulness. You couldn’t stand how he looked so obnoxious with his bright blue hair, his dark brown eyes that held an impeccable gleam. He looked so cheeky, so mean, and worst of all, he had made all of your friends convert to mini spawns of him. Even Yeonjun, the oldest member, no longer felt like the Choi Yeonjun you once knew.

If you could, you would throw him out of your hometown, except that you seemed to be the outsider here. Anyone who walked past would see five people sitting on a huge log, helping each other light marshmallows and biscuits. They would barely notice the one person hunched over on the other side, sitting on the ground, eyes dazed and uninterested.

Occasionally one of the boys would call out to you, either hand you a s’more or ask if you were alright, to which you responded, “I’m alright! Don’t worry about me, I’m having fun.”

Anyone could also see that you weren’t in the zone, but you didn’t want to ruin the moment and be a party pooper. You ended up spending most of the time scrolling on your phone, checking school emails, and such. It didn’t feel like you were back home, it felt like you were on a vacation, on your own.

The commotion had died down, for the most part. Everyone else was either discussing school gossip in hushed voices or making the most of use of their electronic device. You were tempted to join the little heated conversation that Soobin and Beomgyu were having, but you didn’t know who this ‘Chaeyeon’ girl was and either way, you wouldn’t want to voluntarily speak to Choi Soobin.

It wasn’t long before both of them went to do something else, the only sound prevalent being the wood crackling from the bonfire and the occasional chirp of evening birds.

It was a loud, sucked-in breath that drew the attention of everyone, eyes pinned onto the instigator.

Choi Soobin, once again disrupting the peace of this curated environment. He ducked his head in apology and you were about to return to your world when Kai’s curiosity got the best of him.

“Why did you just do that?” His booming voice resounded over everyone else.

You weren’t going to lie, you were curious too. It wasn’t every day you heard a gasp like that.

Soobin looked back up, eyes wide and awake. He was excited about something but seemed to be masking it for the sake of..suspense?

“Okay. You guys know Yongsam Park right?” He put his phone down and tapped his hands on his thighs in a state of urgency.

Now that statement got everyone’s attention. “It’s the flower place outside our town, everyone passes it when they enter. Of course we would know where the place is. Why are you so adamant about it?” Taehyun inquired.

“Well, have any of you gone inside the park? Or near the landmark in general?”

“No. Why would we? There’s nothing to do there than to take pictures of boring flower statues.” You stated.

“See. You guys don’t know anything about the place.” He smirked tilting his head upwards and proudly crossing his arms.

“Could you cut to the chase and tell us what it is already?” Thank Yeonjun for his smart, impatient mouth.

Soobin didn’t answer and merely flipped his phone so you could see whatever was on it. The only words you could make out were “Yongsam...missing...carnival” and something related to the park before he turned it back, away from your view.

“You can’t just say that we don’t know anything about this place then proceed to give us nothing about it.” You rolled your eyes, disinterested in the conversation once again.

“Fine. I’ll send it to you.” Soobin rolled his eyes back as four of the other boys snickered. They loved seeing the two of you bicker.

In courtesy of Beomgyu who gave Soobin your number (without your consent), you received a news article and skimmed through it with eager eyes:

[WHAT’S THE HYBE?]

YONGSAM PARK CURRENTLY UNDER INVESTIGATION, AUTHORITIES SAY 3 days ago

What’s the deal with Yongsam Park? Insiders say that, although bland and boring, Yongsam Park is currently under high-level investigation for the disappearance of a few citizens. The flower-decorated park is the perfect place to take Instagram-worthy pictures and is quite harmless in itself, so visitors were shocked to arrive at the park only to find it surrounded by heaps of yellow tape.

Yongsam Park was developed by Kim Yongsam, director of My Flowers, a multi-million florist franchise that has now spread to Japan and Taiwan. In a 2015 Interview with the millionaire, he mentioned that he had created the park in the inspiration of the rising ootd picture trend, also known as the outfit-of-the-day trend, which he had initially discovered from his teen daughter. 

“I wanted to create a welcoming park for people of all ages, but I couldn’t find a suitable place to do it without the budget being drastically high. In the end, my team and I found an abandoned site and decided to build a simple structure with lower costs up there. Props to my team for the discovery of this landmark. The scenery there, especially in the evening, is stunning .” He stated in the 2015 interview with Soup Magazine.

What’s the abandoned site? With the evidence that is still standing, Yongsam Park is rumored to have previously been a carnival. Said evidence is a worn-down carousel in the back of the park, along with piles of other burnt carnival decoration and equipment. With research, Yongsam Park’s site may have once been an abandoned carnival that perished from an unknown wildfire. This may have been the primary cause of the drought that ensued in the 80s, leaving only a carousel and ashes behind. When questioned, Mr. Kim said that he had decided to leave the carousel standing behind the park due because he felt ‘drawn by its alluring glow’, as quoted.

Investigators and the local police have only enclosed the flower section of Yongsam Park because that was where the victims were spotted. They believe that disappearances took place there and are currently trying to find evidence to back up their stance. Most of this new information is not known to the public, however, Kim and his team are trying to keep it that way. The current disappearance count is seven people, the most recent case being two high-schoolers.

The carousel is still open and does not require a visitor ticket, but visitors are advised to take precautions and leave before the sun sets.

RELATED

TWO MORE BOYS HAVE DISAPPEARED AT THE NOW INFAMOUS YONGSAM PARK 5 days ago

FAMILY OF TOURISTS DISAPPEAR AT YONGSAM PARK, INSIDERS SAY THIS IS THE SECOND CASE OF DISAPPEARANCE HERE 2 weeks ago

JAPANESE COUPLE DISAPPEAR AT FLOWER PARK, NETIZENS CALL THE NEWS A POLITICAL DISTRACTION 3 weeks ago

“Are you seriously...telling us...that we should visit a place where people have been kidnapped?” Yeonjun gawked. “Dude, that’s so stupid. What if we die or something?”

“Don’t say that! I was just curious if you guys wanted to go since it’s so near and since your old friend is back home.”

“It’s a dumb move. I’m not risking my life just so I can celebrate the return of my friend. Not worth it.” Beomgyu huffed.

“Hey! You’re worth it, right?” Soobin glanced at you, waiting for a response.

He was...defending you? His ulterior motives were questionable and you weren’t sure if he was protecting you because he cared about you (cue the puking) or solely because he wanted to go to Yongsam Park that bad.

You didn’t reply and chose to drown out the wailing and chaos that ensued with your friends. You clicked on a related article below, curious to learn more about this lesser-known part of the park.

[WHAT’S THE HYBE?]

TWO MORE BOYS HAVE DISAPPEARED AT THE NOW INFAMOUS YONGSAM PARK 5 days ago

Park Jongseong (20) and Nishimura Riki (15) mentioned to their friends that they would be heading to ‘a magical place’, before disappearing for around a week. They were last spotted walking through Yongsam Park, according to anonymous witnesses. This is the third case of disappearances at the park and both teens are the sixth and seventh people to go missing.

Both families reported their children missing just two days after their disappearance. With this case being the last straw, local authorities forcibly shut down Yongsam Park despite protests from staff and management.

Parents of the two minors refused to respond when called for an interview and HYBE reporters resorted to interviewing the victims’ friends instead.

“Jay’s never been a bad kid. Yeah, he might be late here and there, but he wouldn’t skip class or fly across the country for vacation during school. I just don’t understand why he’s not here with us. He wouldn’t voluntarily disappear.” Park Sunghoon (19), a friend and classmate of Jongseong (who is better known as Jay among his friends) said.

“Although I’m not close with Jay, I know Riki personally and I know for a fact that both of them wouldn’t run away like that. Why, Riki was gearing up for a dance competition that he’s been excited about all year, and now he’s just gone? Like that? Riki has always been like my little brother, and he’ll always be. I just want him back at my side.” A teary-eyed Lee Heeseung (20) says.

Netizens have been complaining about the lack of coverage on this issue.

“Maybe Mr. Kim spent all his money on covering this story up from the mainstream public. That’s why he had to build the stupid park on an abandoned sketchy site.” An anonymous netizen commented.

Regardless, we’ll be keeping our prayers for Jongseong and Riki, as well as the five other victims, to return home soon.

“...you guys are such wimps.” That was the first thing you heard Soobin say when you tuned in to the conversation again.

How dare he say that? How dare he have the courage to call you, someone who moved out on your own at 16 to live in the big, scary world, a..wimp?

“Look, Choi Soobin. I may be a lot of things, but I’m not a wimp. I didn’t say that I wasn’t interested on this trip.” You stand up and blurt out without thinking twice.

The rest of the boys are gawking at you, their mouths open wide in awe and shock. Yes, you weren’t a wimp, that was for sure, but they had known you all their life as someone who could not stand going out into the wilderness. Maybe the big city had really changed you.

“At least someone wants to go! Perfect. We can leave tomorrow at noon, bring your camping stuff!” Soobin grabbed his things and began walking away.

“Camping?” The five of you exclaimed in unison.

Taehyun, the rational member, gasped. “I, personally, wouldn’t mind going to the carousel thing..or whatever it is, but I am not staying the night. Dude, are you nuts?” The rest of you nodded your heads in agreement.

“It says in the article that we are advised to leave before the sun sets.” You point out, trying to keep your voice as steady as possible in fear of breaking this mask of false confidence, when in reality, you were terrified of this place.

Soobin turned back and eyed you down disinterestedly. “Conclusion is that we’ll bring a small backpack, or whatever you guys want to pack, and we’ll stay there until eight. Deal?”

“Seven.” Hueningkai timidly said.

“Whatever you guys want.”

You hadn’t been able to sleep last night. It wasn’t due to fear of the place you were going, rather, you weren’t too excited about having to spend half of your day around Soobin.

What were you going to say to him? You were definitely overthinking at this point.

You know, they always say that the person one hates the most is the one that they also love most. And when Soobin flipped his blue hair back or cheekily smiled, showing his endearing dimples, you couldn’t help but…

No! You loathe Choi Soobin. You couldn’t stand his smile, or his hair, or his height. That evil moonwitch.

“Hey, you ready to go?” Speak of the devil (or moonwitch), you spotted a fluff of blue hair in your peripheral vision.

You couldn’t even muster up the courage to look back at him, merely nodding your head while staring at the white wall.

“Why aren’t you looking at me? Are you...scared?” You could see him wiggle his eyebrows as he made that statement.

That was it. You turned back at him. “Yes I am. I’m absolute terrified. I can’t stand the fact that I have to forcibly spend my precious time around you. It’s like I’m about to voluntarily live a nightmare.”

Woah there, calm down. You had smoke spurting out of your ears at this point.

Soobin’s once excited face fell into one of disappointment. “Yeah, it’s a nightmare having to be around you too. Gosh, the immaturity.” He left the room in haste as your eyes shot lasers through his well-toned back.

Maybe you had gone too far with the insult. He hadn’t been mean to you at all, really.

Then again, he had been mean. He took your place when you weren’t around. Suddenly, you were determined to get it back.

“Hop on the magic school bus!”

“Shut up, Yeonjun.” You deadpanned before leaning your head on his shoulder. The two of you were finally falling back into routine and you couldn’t help but bask in this nostalgia.

You also couldn’t help but notice how Soobin kept on looking through the rearview mirror at the both of you, pupils darting away once you locked eyes with him.

Man, this was going to be a long ride.

2021 © fluffi

[lubdubsworld]

Insatiable ( Jungkook x Oc) Chapter 5

Pairing : Jeon Jungkook x OC

Rating 18+

Genre : Vampire Au!!!! , DILF! Jungkook ! Bodyguard AU! Babysitter OC!   Age difference!!!

Chapter 1   Chapter 2  Chapter 3    Chapter 4

Chapter 5 

“Well, this is confusing.” 

Namjoon was staring at him like he’d grown an extra head and Jungkook grunted from where he was trying to deadlift the 250lbs barbell, dropping it back down to stare at his friend. He’d never been able to deadlift this much. But then, today everything about him felt different. His senses heightened, vision sharper and just a lot  more energy than usual. 

“What?” He snapped, slightly annoyed because .... well, he had no idea why he was so annoyed. And that only added to his already foul mood.

“You look like you had a good night. A  really  good night but you’re also acting like you really need to get laid. So I’m trying to figure out which it is?” Namjoon frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. 

Jungkook groaned , grabbing the small towel from the chair and soaking up the sweat dotting the back of his neck. He walked over to the water dispenser in the corner of the gym, pouring himself a glass, tipping it over his head and shaking out of his hair as the water dripped down his face and neck, drenching his sweat soaked tank top even more. . 

Somewhere to his right, one of the ladies on the treadmill, tripped, crashing in a heap on the machine and he couldn’t help but smirk. She had been staring at him the entire time. 

Jungkook was used to attention. He was used to the stares and the lust and the heightened heart rates he induced . It had been bad, even in his days as a human and now, five centuries later as a powerful vampire , it had only grown. 

He was handsome. He was fit and he was a good guy. It was only natural that women wanted him. And he was okay with that. It gave him the luxury of being able to pick and choose, who he wanted in his bed. And he did. 

Not that he did it often. With Joowon to care for, Jungkook often went months on end without sex and that was okay. Because the kind of sex he usually had, it was just ...a release. There was nothing intimate or personal about it. 

Even with Helena it had been the friendship that had appealed to him.

Helena was ...fun. She liked to sail through the world, doing as she pleased and taking lovers everywhere. No one could keep her in a place for long and no one could ground her. There had been a time when he had thought that he was in love with her but that was just Helena. She made you feel like you couldn’t live without her. Because of how much happiness she imbibed in the moments. Because of how non judgemental and kind she was. 

And he loved her. But now , centuries later it was the love of a dear friend. 

But with Sera..... it had been something else. 

He had a way he did things. 

A little kissing , a little foreplay and just a whole lot of fucking with multiple orgasms for everyone involved. He had a quick refractive period and supernatural stamina so of course he was going to take advantage of that. 

But none of that had happened last night. 

The actual sex had lasted a scant few minutes. He hadn’t even been inside her more than five minutes and yet the memory was seared into his head. The phantom warmth of her still around him and the scent of her still tugging on his senses. 

And the taste of her. 

Fucking hell. 

Jungkook had never fed from someone during sex. He just didn’t because drinking from someone , taking their life essence...it just...it was something incredibly intimate. It was important to him. Jungkook hardly ever fed from humans , opting to visit a blood cafe for a drink or a dispensary for a few blood bags when he needed to feed. 

But last night. 

“Earth to Jeon Jungkook.” Namjoon’s voice pulled him to the present. 

He stared at his oldest, dearest friend. 

“I slept with Sera.” His voice cracked on the syllables of her name, his tone dripping with regret and Namjoon stiffened. 

“You... what? “ He stared at him in disbelief. 

Jungkook groaned. 

“Fuck... I drank from her too. “ He buried his face into his hands. 

“Jungkook, that’s... “

“It was her first time. “ Jungkook looked up at him, eyes wide and helpless and Namjoon’s jaw came unhinged. 

“Are you going to tell me you’re the pope next? Because my heart can’t take it...” 

Jungkook groaned.

“I’m such a fucking idiot. It was supposed to be a no strings attached thing. “

Namjoon’s gaze softened. 

“Dude, a girl’s first time? Of course she’s going to get attached. Did she like confess?” 

Jungkook hesitated.

“No. Actually, she just got dressed and left.” He shrugged. 

Namjoon frowned. 

“Oh, then that’s good right?” 

Jungkook felt a little sick. He remembered how empty his bed had felt, after she’d kissed him and slipped back into her clothes and rushed back to sleep in her own bed. He hadn’t even helped clean her up because his limbs had felt a bit like jelly. He’d been punch drunk with the taste of her, his head swimming and his body thrumming and she had practically skipped out of his room, not a care in the world. 

Hadn’t even kissed him good bye. 

“Yeah. Good. “ He said hoarsely , head pounding . 

Namjoon was staring at him .

“What ?!” Jungkook snapped, foul mood returning with a vengeance. 

“Oh my God. “ Namjoon began laughing. 

Jungkook stared at him...What the fuck was wrong with Namjoon.

“You’re the one who got attached.” Namjoon’s eyes were wide as saucers, his fingers pointed right in Jungkook’s face. 

The younger yelped, stepping back. 

“No.. I.. what?!”

“You look so upset that she left you after sex... I’ve seen that kicked puppy look before. You wore that same face when Joowon didn’t cry on his first day at school!! ‘ Isn’t he gonna miss me hyung?” You whined... i remember that fucking face Jeon jungkook!!!” 

 Namjoon was on the floor now, guffawing and clutching his sides. 

Jungkook glared at his friend. 

“What the fuck...no i did not!!” He swore. 

Namjoon merely continued laughing.

“Oh, the sweet sweet taste of karma. Serves you right Jeon Jungkook, considering the hearts you’ve broken over  the years.” 

Jungkook glared at his friend. 

Namjoon had no fucking idea what he was on about. Him? Catch feelings ? 

Like hell. 

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

He couldn’t find her . 

And when he realized why he couldn’t find her, he couldn’t believe it. 

“What the fuck do you mean she’s gone on a date?” He snapped at Jimin who gave him an unamused look.

“I’m your hyung, you bastard!” The shorter male yelled and next to him his wife rubbed a soothing hand on his shoulder.

“What Jimin means is that, Yugyeom came by earlier when she was getting changed for dinner...” 

“He came into the room when she was getting changed?” Jungkook stared in disbelief, “ What the actual fuck...”

Jimin choked and Somi let out a giggle.

“That’s not what I meant. Sera came back to the room after closing up the daycare and Yugyeom texted her.... that he wanted to pick her up for dinner. She agreed and told me to tell you that she’ll be back at around eleven...” 

“Where the hell did they go? I need an address.” Jungkook snapped. 

Jimin stared at him like he’d spouted latin. 

“what?” He gaped. 

Somi held a hand up.

“Yugyeom’s an old friend of ours. He took her out for dinner, that’s all. She’s been out with him before ...Don’t worry Jungkook ssi... She’s perfectly safe with him.” Somi said quickly.

Jungkook merely shook his head, glaring at the pair.

“You should know better than to do this. You know how fucking good she smells to vampires. How could you send her out of the estate without security....in the company of a Kim , no less?  I am right here... It’s literally my job to be with her at al times.. Its what I’m paid to do.... ..why didn’t you tell me...” He shook his head. 

Jimin and Somi exchanged looks. 

“You’re certainly very dedicated to ....your job.” Jimin frowned. Somi meanwhile was holding a hand up and giggling behind it. 

God, he couldn’t carry on a conversation with two people who acted like literal children. 

He had to go find the Chief. 

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

Jungkook blinked.

Once . Twice. 

“I’m sorry sir, could you repeat that?” He said sharply. 

Chief Hwang gave him a confused look. 

“I said , you can stay back today evening and help me with the accounts Jungkook-ah.I do know that Sera’s going for dinner with Yugyeom and well, I really need help with the balancing . I think the gardener has been playing fast and loose with buying germanium seeds and charging them as Lilies . Is he pocketing the difference or is there something else going on...” 

Jungkook, who really couldn’t give two fucks about germaniums or Lilies , merely stared at the patriarch of the clan, trying to decide if the older man was joking because how on earth was he supposed to just....

“Let her go on the date alone? Without me?” He asked, his tone screaming that he wasn’t okay with that.

 At all. 

Chief Hwang hummed.

“Yes of course... I’ve known the boy for two centuries. He’s a good man. “ 

“You’ve known me for five centuries.” Jungkook reminded him , instinctively.

 And then he blinked because why on earth had he said that? 

Chief Hwang had an amused look on his face. 

“Yes of course. And you’re a very fine young man as well, Jungkook. Too bad you think Sera is like a daughter to you....” 

Wait. 

What? 

Was the older man teasing him? Jungkook could’ve sworn he saw a hint of mischief in the vampire’s eyes. 

“Don’t you?” Chief Hwang asked. 

“Sir?” 

“Don’t you think of her as a daughter, Jungkook-ah.? Isn’t that what you told her?” 

Jungkook had the sudden terrible feeling that Sera told her father  everything. 

 “Uh..it was just an expression sir. She’s a good ... friend.” He finished. 

Chief Hwang hummed thoughtfully. 

“I see. Well, Yugyeom thinks she would make a wonderful mate. “ He shrugged.

Jungkook felt his fists clench. 

“I still think I should be there sir... Just to... make sure she’s safe. It’s kind of my job.” He said gruffly. 

“Are you sure? Germaniums and Lilies are vastly different and for the gardener to-”

“Sir to be very honest I don’t really care about the damn flowers. Sera needs to be safe and I’m not letting anyone hurt her on my watch. So I’d really appreciate if you tell me where she is....” Jungkook said sharply. His heart was pounding. 

Chief Hwang gave him a thoughtful glance, his lips quirking up in a smile. 

“ Looks like I’ll be planning a wedding after all.” He chuckled thoughtfully and Jungkook frowned, confused.

“Sir?” 

“Let me put you out of your misery, Jungkook ah... She’s having dinner at the Hyatt Resort.... The private conference room on the seventh floor. Yugyeom reserved it for her.” The older man glanced at his watch and smiled, “  There’s a fire work show in exactly half an hour. Sera loves those.... If you leave right now, you can interrupt them right on time. “ 

Jungkook blushed , blood rushing to his face. 

“Sir.. I’m not.. I don’t...want to interrupt.” God, he sounded fake to his own ears. 

Chief Hwang waved him off with a laugh. . 

“Go on go on..And maybe buy me some patbingsu on your way back..!! “

Jungkook stared. 

“Uh yes sir. “ 

“Good. Close the door on your way out, son.”  

Jungkook closed the door, trying to ignore the way warmth flooded his heart at the way the man had addressed him. 

 Son. 

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

AUTHOR’S nOTE : a short chapter because I wanted to write something from Jungkook’s point of you...also Chief Hwang playing cupid is my favorite thing ever...

@ladyartemesia        @veronawrites   @alpaca1612     @bonyg    @unseejuice21  @sppvjj     @ggukkieland     @tae-by-tae      @blr1004      @yoongichild    @stussyjeon  @jellybearo  @sumzysworld   @carolsummerlove

@bunniechoon

@preciouschimine

Please come scream with me... 

[sunnyville36]

Mamihlapinatapai {part 4}

We're almost to the end!! Much love to all of you for reading 💜

Need to catch up? {overview} {part 1} {part 2} {part 3}

Pairing: Bang Chan x Female Reader

Themes: royal au, medieval au, court intrigue, arranged marriage, original characters, mutual pining, slow burn

Warnings: mentions of death/war/murder, mentions of torture (brief), mentions of physical abuse (brief), emotionally abusive parents

Rating: Mature

Word count: 5.4k

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mamihlapinatapai - (noun, Yagán origin) a silent acknowledgement and understanding between two people, who are both wishing or thinking the same thing (and are both unwilling to initiate)

Instincts  |  Kingdom of Gu, present day

You’d slept maybe a total of twelve hours in the three days since the poisoning attempt.  Things were still tense between you and Chan after your outburst at the pond.  The king didn’t want him leaving the safety of his chambers, not knowing if there would be another attack on his life, which meant you only really saw him at mealtimes.  You’d tried to apologize for raising your voice at him a few times but could never manage to look him in the eye, always leaving the room before he could say anything more than a thank you for the food.  You were also avoiding him because you felt you’d revealed something in those words, a small part of the way you felt about him, and you weren’t ready to confront any of the implications from that just yet.  At night, you couldn’t sleep, your thoughts full of fear for Chan’s safety and concern for what would happen between Gu and Lajor.  So you’d spent the hours wandering the outskirts and corridors of the castle, lingering especially in the wing where the prince’s room was.

It was on the third night of your rounds, as you were walking the eastern side of the castle that faced the forest, the air humid and suffocating on your skin, that you spotted a flash of gold hair headed for the base of the closest tower.  You turned and followed the hooded figure as they approached the castle entrance, and the growing sinking feeling in your stomach was confirmed when their face caught the light.

You had to hand it to her, she either had a death wish or nerves of steel to show up here again.

Korenna was attempting to break through the bolt on the door when you pulled up behind her, bringing a hand to her mouth and a knife to her throat.

“I could kill you where you stand, and no one would protest at my decision.”

“You could, but I don’t believe you will,” she responded, voice calmer than you expected.

You whipped her around to face you, snarling in a whisper, “Don’t you dare use my own words against me.  I said that to you when I thought I could trust you, and you’ve made it blatantly clear that was a misjudgement on my part.”

“Y/n no please listen it wasn’t.  I know I was rude and standoffish - “

“Rude and standoffish?!” you repeated in disbelief.  “Sure that’s definitely what we’re talking about right now.  You know, I always thought maybe it was because you were a shy person, or because you were jealous, but, as it turns out, you just aren’t one of those people who likes to get really close to the person she’s trying to murder.”

Korenna looked like she was about to cry, leaning forward as if to grab at your arms despite the knife still pointing at her throat.  “Please, Y/n, that’s not what I meant, I can explain!  Do you really think you were so wrong about me; do you really think I could kill a man in cold blood?”

You shouldn’t even be entertaining her excuses, you thought to yourself.  She was trying to use your pride against you, to trick you into letting her explain herself so you didn’t have to admit you were wrong.  But, like always, as you watched her, trying to discern any ounce of deceit or malice, you found none.

You lowered the knife, stepping back and motioning for her to continue.

“You know that my father was crazy enough to try to invade Gu all those years ago.  What you don’t know is that he’s only gotten more delusional and power hungry over all these years, hell bent on taking down your kingdom as revenge against King Bang and completely disregarding the well being of his own.  Last year, I had been trying to gather support from the ministers, to show them just how corrupt, how evil he had become.  That was when my mother died and my father finally snapped, leaving me and my nine year old sister completely at the whim of his wrath.  He locked Paige away at some secret fortress and told me that if I didn’t agree to his plan of killing Prince Chan and wreaking havoc on your kingdom, he would leave her alone to starve to death.  He gave me three weeks to decide and I searched for her desperately, but at the end of it I was no closer to finding her and was forced to agree to the marriage he had arranged to initiate his plot.”

“Why should I believe any of this?”

“Because she’s here, right now.  We crossed the border with a small group of knights who are sympathetic to our position.  They wanted to help me, and I want to help you, but I had to make sure my sister was safe.  Now that she is, we can work together to protect your kingdom and hopefully preserve mine.”

You were silent, taking her and her story in.

“If you could just bring me to Chris, let me tell him all of this, apologize for what I did,” she pleaded, eyes begging even more than her words.

“Fine.  I will bring you to His Highness, and he will decide what to do with you.”

***

You led Korenna past the guards, neither of them giving you a second look when they saw it was you despite your concealed companion.  Chan was known for burning the midnight oil, and tonight was no different.  You could see the light drifting out from beneath his door as you knocked lightly, and were met with his quiet, “Come in.”

You opened the door, remaining in the door frame as he turned to face you.  “Your Highness, there’s someone here to see you,” you said, stepping aside and pushing Korenna in front of you before you followed in and shut the door.

Chan sat still for a moment, then leaned back in his chair, legs and arms crossed in his most casual yet intimidating pose.

“Unless my oldest friend has decided to kill me tonight, which I certainly hope is not the case, you must have had a pretty convincing reason for her to bring you here.”

Korenna remained silent, looking between you and the prince nervously.

Chan rolled his eyes, clearly frustrated.  “Well?  Let me hear it.”

She told him everything, about her father’s plot and her involvement, the threats against her sister, how she had support from the knights and probably a fair majority of the people as well.

“I know you could never forgive me for what I did, but I am truly, sincerely sorry,” she said, head bowed.

The prince seemed to be contemplating her story just as you had.  Finally, his voice broke the silence.

“Show me this sister of yours and then I will decide how we proceed.”

***

You walked next to Chan as you followed Korenna into the forest where her sister was supposedly waiting with the Lajoran knights.  You didn’t like this plan, knew if Korenna’s description was true, you and Chan would be severely outnumbered should things turn south, but Chan had insisted on only taking you with him.  He looked unusually pensive as you walked, and you decided to take this opportunity to give your apology, in case it happened to be your last.

“Your Highness,” you said quietly, “I’ve been meaning to tell you how sorry I am for how I spoke to you by the pond.  You were only trying to comfort me and I took my insecurities out on you and you didn’t deserve that.”

He put his arm out in front of you, stopping you in your tracks.

“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?  Y/n, I’ve been trying to ask you for three days if you were alright and all this time you’ve been feeling guilty?  Please, please don’t feel that way, I would never blame you for what happened and I was never upset about our conversation.  Promise me you won’t keep anything like this from me again?”

You looked at each other and you nodded, both silently agreeing not to touch on the part of that previous conversation where you revealed something else you’d been keeping from him.

The two of you jogged back up to where Korenna had stopped at a small, raised hill surrounded by rocks.  It certainly was a good vantage point and hiding spot.  Once again, you hoped your instincts about this woman and her intentions would be correct.

Korenna led you around the corner of one of the rocks, and that was when you saw the young girl.  She was lying wrapped in a blanket despite the heat, and her hair looked dirty and matted.  The men sitting around her straightened as Korenna approached the group, but she held up her hand to show them you were on their side.  The girl lifted her head when she heard your footsteps, her gaunt face morphing into a smile at the sight of her sister.

“Korenna, you’re back,” she rasped as the elder knelt and wrapped her in a hug, and your heart broke at the sound of her barely there voice.

“Your Highness…”

“I know,” he said, reading what you were going to say from the tone of your voice, “we need to get her to Felix.”

You both approached the pair and you knelt down next to Korenna, speaking softly to the younger princess.

“Hello Paige.  My name is Y/n.  I’m a friend of your sister.  She’s brought you a really long way to make sure you’re safe, and we’re going to get you some help now so you can feel better.  Would that be alright with you?”

The little girl nodded, and you looked up at Korenna, silently asking permission to pick her up.  Korenna nodded as well, so you gathered Paige into your arms and began the trek back to the palace, some of the knights following along with you.  You looked behind you to see Chan place his hand on Korenna’s shoulder.

“Thank you for showing me.  Together we’re going to make this right.”

Conscription  |  Kingdom of Lajor, present day

“Your Majesty, the villagers are reporting they have no more men to send, and those in the city have been rioting for two days since the conscription announcement went out.  The knights can barely keep the peace and we have more and more deserters every day.  I’m just not sure we should continue hounding the people - ”

King Eunther looked up from his seat in the throne room, cutting the man off with a steely, impenetrable gaze.

“Sir Bavrard, do the people control this kingdom?”

“N-no, Your Majesty.”

“And do the knights?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

“Then please explain to me why you are suggesting we listen to the complaints of those ungrateful, insubordinate traitors over my own direct orders?!” the king shouted, Sir Bavrard cowering beneath him.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, I just don’t know what else we can do to compel such a large uprising - “

“I’ll tell you what you can do,” King Eunther snarled, rising from his chair, “you can tell them that if they don’t cooperate, you will bring them to stand in front of me and I will personally remove their head from their body.  Do I make myself clear?!”

32 men died that day.

Checkmate  |  Kingdom of Gu, present day

You entered the infirmary, walking over to where Prince Felix sat at the bedside of a much healthier looking Paige.

“Y/n!” she called, her head peeking around Felix’s shoulder to smile at you.

“Hello little princess,” you said, returning her smile as you came to stand beside Felix.  “I’m glad to see you doing much better.  Do you mind if I borrow your companion for a moment?”

“Nope!” she pronounced, going back to the book she’d been reading as Felix followed you to the corner of the room.

“You were right, her condition is much improved,” Felix said.  “I’m still a little worried about her malnourishment, but as long as she remains well fed and warm, she should be alright.”

“That’s good news; Princess Korenna will be glad to hear it.  She wanted me to thank you for tending to her, Your Grace.”

“I’m delighted to!” he exclaimed quietly.  “She’s got quite the personality in that little body of hers, kept me on my toes the last few days.”

As if on cue, Paige piped up from behind the two of you, “Felix, could I have that glass of orange juice you’d said you’d bring me?  I waited ten minutes like you said.”

“See?” he said with a smile and a raise of his eyebrows, turning to leave the room.  You followed after him, sending a wave and a wink to the princess on your way.

You headed back to the throne room, where King Bang, Chan, Korenna, Minho, and the rest of the head knights were gathered.  They’d been discussing their plans for the imminent Lajoran attack for a few days now, Korenna and her knights filling in any gaps of knowledge or speculating on Eunther’s strategies when they could.  You’d been in attendance as well, taking notes, marking maps, and giving suggestions every once in a while.  Battle planning had never been your favorite task; you couldn’t help but think about all the senseless loss that came from two men getting into a pissing contest over who should control what land or trying to ‘avenge their honor.’  Surely there had to be a better way, especially in this situation where it was clear the Lajoran people were not exactly in support of their ruler, to defeat a rogue king without the death of innocent people.

Entering the room, you caught eyes with Korenna, who walked over to meet you in the far corner.

“Prince Felix says she’s still stable, Your Grace.  As long as we keep her here and watch that she’s getting enough food, she should recover just fine.”

“Oh thank god, what a relief,” Korenna sighed, placing one hand on your arm and one over her chest.  “I can’t begin to thank you all enough for what you’ve done for us.”

Your ears perked at that.  Korenna seemed like she also despised the loss of innocent life, considering she hadn’t even been able to kill her father’s enemy despite her own sister being in danger.  Maybe you could suggest your proposal to her and she could advocate for it, as a way of repaying you all and preventing more death.

“Actually, Your Grace, if I may, there is something I was considering.  There may be a potential way to prevent an all out battle between our two peoples, if what you’ve told us is true about your father’s current standing amongst your citizens.  If you were to propose it, the others might take more kindly to it than if it came from me.”

Korenna didn’t say anything, so you took that as a sign to continue.  You explained what you had been turning over in your head for the past few days, checking a few of the details with her.  When you finished, the princess looked a little apprehensive.

“I am in total support of that plan, Y/n,” the princess explained.  “But I worry that if it comes from me, King Bang is going to reject it outright.  I can tell he is not as convinced of my intentions as you and Chris are.”

She had a point.  If the plan were to come from her, it would probably seem more suspicious, more likely to be a trap.  However, you feared the king wouldn’t consider you proposing such a plan to be much more trustworthy.

Korenna seemed to be reading that exact thought on your face as she said, “Why don’t you angle it towards Chris; I know he holds your input in high regard.”

You felt your heart tug at her statement, but pushed those thoughts to the back of your mind.  Korenna was right; you could do this.  You nodded at her and you both returned to the table.

The men were talking, so you tried clearing your throat, but that seemed to do nothing to get their attention.  Noticing your hesitation, Korenna interrupted.

“Gentlemen, I believe Y/n has something to say.”

You smiled gratefully at her then turned your attention to Chan.  If you could just remain focused on him you were confident you could explain your plan and maybe even convince them to buy in to it too.

“Your Highness, I’ve been thinking of a way that we could perhaps avoid any direct conflict with Lajor.  We already know that Her Grace has many supporters, as evidenced by our friends here.  And according to their reports, the people are in no position to support a war; this is all one man’s doing.  So if we can eliminate that one man, our problem would be solved.

I propose we arrange a meeting with King Eunther.  Somewhere neutral, away from the majority of our armies.  We frame it as a truce meeting, have him go into it thinking he will get some concessions from our side in order to prevent a fight.  In reality, we use it as a chance to capture him unawares.  Her Grace can confront her father, and if our information is correct, the knights and soldiers will take her side and we can end this situation with zero loss of life and a new friend on the Lajoran throne.”

You glanced at Korenna and saw she was smiling brightly at you.  Looking back at Chan, you could tell he was seriously considering what you had said, head pressed together with Minho in quiet conversation.  The Lajoran and Guan knights were murmuring to each other, indicating agreement with what you’d proposed.  The only person who appeared to be against it was King Bang.

“Using deception and ambushing a man has always been considered dishonorable,” the king spat, as if you had insulted the very foundation of the kingdom.  “Wars are meant to be fought on the battlefield and our army could easily outpace Lajor’s; there are expectations and traditions that should be upheld.”

It took everything in you not to scream at him, to unleash a lifetime’s worth of anguish caused by his ignorance and arrogance.  You’d had enough of hearing this man talk about all the noble pursuits of battle without ever having to face the consequences of one.  You turned to him, your chin held high.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty, but this is not about the “honor” of taking him down on the battlefield.  This is about not sacrificing the lives of men to maintain your own sense of righteousness.”

The room went silent at that.  You kept your eyes on the king, could feel him seething under his impartial expression.  Under any other circumstances, the punishment for what you’d just said would be severe.  But everyone in the room was starting to come to the realization that your plan had merit.  It would be faster, easier, less costly, and less deadly than simply bracing for an attack, no matter how “dishonorable” it might seem.  And even the king knew now was not the time to berate you, though you were sure it would come back to haunt you later.

You felt Chan press his hand to the small of your back, the sign of support giving you more strength.  “Y/n is right.  Even if we would be likely to take a victory in battle, her plan has the best chance of rooting out the cause of our problem here and now and placing both our kingdoms in a better position for the long term.  If anyone disagrees, they should speak now.”

Everyone kept silent, some nodding their heads in agreement with the decision.

“Then we shall prepare to execute it.”

***

You avoided the throne room as much as possible for the next few days as preparations were made, wanting to have as little interaction with the king as you could.  Chan had praised you after the meeting, had said he was proud you’d spoken up to his father.  You knew the prince had the best of intentions, but you also knew he could never understand what it was like to know that by doing what you did, you’d surrendered yourself to whatever punishment the king saw fit to assign after this ordeal came to an end.

A rider had been dispatched to Lajor to deliver the terms of your meeting.  In the letter, Gu had agreed to secede the western most portion of its territory as well as deliver half its military forces to Lajor.  The only stipulation was an in person meeting to sign the documents.  As suspected, King Eunther was too tempted by power to see through your guise, thin as it may have been.  The meeting was set for today at noon.

Armies from both sides were prepared, in case this peace offering did not go smoothly.  The plan was to bring you, Chan, Korenna, King Bang, Minho, the Lajoran knights, and a few members of your own royal guard to the meeting place, which was designated to be the same spot in the forest where the earlier attempt on Chan’s life took place.

Hours before the meeting, you were making your way through the forest as quickly and quietly as you could, bow strapped to your back and dressed in your most inconspicuous woodland attire.  You were to arrive at the grove early so you could take your position prior to anyone else arriving, or, in the worst case, report back if an enemy agent was attempting to do the same.  It was decided earlier that you would walk there alone, in order to leave as little trace as possible.

You didn’t mind the solitude as you meandered through the woods, trying not to leave an obvious trail behind you.  Before you’d left, Korenna had come to confirm with you the signal for your part of the plan.  Then, just as you were about to enter the forest, a voice called your name.

“Y/n!”

“Your Highness, you should be preparing with the others.”

“I know I-I just had to see you before you go.  To tell you goodluck.”

You looked at him and, steeling yourself for what you were about to do, tugged him into a crushing embrace.  He returned the hug, his head close enough to hear you whisper, “You too.”

Both of you were well aware of the hundreds of unspoken things behind the brief words you exchanged, but they were all that needed to be said for now.

You reached the clearing and found the tree with the best camouflage that had the vantage point you wanted.  Climbing up, you settled in for the long wait until the rest of the players arrived.

***

After about two hours, you heard the distinctive clopping of hooves coming from the direction of the Gu palace.  A few moments later, your friends came into sight of the clearing.  Remaining hidden, you watched as they fanned out into a semi-circle facing the direction of Lajor, King Bang and Korenna in the center.

Minutes passed and the Lajorans were nowhere to be seen.  It felt eerily quiet in the forest, and you began to worry King Eunther had caught on to your plan and was in the midst of attacking the city as you all stood here waiting for him.  However, after another few tense minutes, the Lajoran party arrived, consisting of King Eunther, his most trusted advisor Sir Bavrard, and thirty or so additional knights on foot, far more than the agreed upon fifteen.  You surveyed them as they formed a group behind Eunther.  Most looked anxious, like they weren’t quite sure what they should do in the event they were told to act, others seemed outright bored, and they all appeared to be sorely lacking in food and armament.  Just as Korenna had predicted, and just as you’d counted on for your plan to work.

“Sir Alfrey,” Eunther began, spotting Korenna’s biggest supporter on his horse beside her, “I should have known you’d be behind all this.”

Your friends remained silent, their expressions blank.

The king seemed slightly unnerved at the lack of response, and decided to try another tactic.  “So, am I to believe you brought my daughter here as a gesture of good faith, an additional item to be returned to me in the terms of our... arrangement?”

Chan’s even tempered voice rang out.  “She is not our prisoner; she came to us of her own free will.”

“And what of my younger daughter, Paige?”

“Don’t.  Speak.  Her name,” Korenna gritted out.

“Oh Korenna, you stupid girl; you’re the whole reason we’re in this unpleasant mess, so just stay quiet and let the men do the talking.”

You felt an angry coil rise in the pit of your stomach at his words, more resolved than ever to execute your plan and free Korenna from this abuse for good.  Taking your stance, you kept your eyes trained on the Lajoran king.

“No, father.  I will not stay quiet,” Korenna spoke again.  It had been agreed she would do most of the talking; the more riled up the king became the more reckless he would be, and his daughter talking back to him seemed to do the trick perfectly.

Eunther opened his mouth to say something, but before he could speak, Korenna continued.  “We did not ask you here today to sign a truce or give you any concessions to appease you.  We came here to put an end to this feud and an end to your rule.  You have irresponsibly and unjustly led our people, going so far as to torture and kill them when they do not agree with your machinations.  It is my obligation to remove you from the throne for the sake of our kingdom.  You will surrender to us now and I will walk our men off this battlefield and home to their families.”

You knew it would be your cue soon, your arm pulling back to anchor an arrow at the corner of your mouth.

“I think you can see my forces far outnumber yours at the moment,” the king said, gesturing to the knights behind him.  “And sadly you seem to believe our people are as disloyal as you are, an unfortunate misjudgement.  Why would I ever agree to your weak-minded, insolent little proposal?”

You let the arrow fly, and watched as it sailed just past Eunther, nicking his ear and drawing the tiniest drop of blood.

In the ensuing chaos caused by the seemingly rogue arrow, your team of knights rushed the Lajoran side, many of them laying down their weapons immediately in the face of the much healthier, much better armed Guan force.  You looked to see Minho drag Bavrard out from where he was crouched under the legs of his horse, lest an arrow attempt to find him as its target.  The other royals from your party remained safe in their position below and slightly to the left of your own.  Satisfied, you notched another arrow.

King Eunther put his hand to his ear, feeling the cut, and rose his gaze to find you perched in the treetops above.  “You missed.”

“I assure you,” you heard Chan say, “if she’d wanted it, you’d be dead.”

“I don’t want to kill you father,” came Korenna’s softer-edged voice.  “But if your choice is not to surrender, well, I’m afraid you’ve forced my hand.”

The smug look finally left the king’s face, his eyes darting around to see his companions abandoning him.  He got down from his horse, arms open wide in a begging posture mirroring his attitude that had shifted on a dime, hoping to win over his daughter with fake apologies and promises.  Damn, you thought, this man really doesn’t have a principled bone in his body.

“Korenna, daughter, please don’t do this.  I’m sure we can - “

An arrow landed in the grass between his feet.  He’d taken one step too close for your liking.

“Sir Alfrey,” Korenna instructed, “please take my father into custody.”

The king blanched as the knight dismounted and stepped forward, a steady stream of curses leaving his lips.

“I will get my revenge on you, you impudent little girl!  How do you think you will succeed in this plan of yours without me; you know nothing of running a kingdom!  You should watch your back, dear daughter, for I will always be lurking; I swear to you, you will never be rid of me!”

“Actually, father,” Korenna said, riding past him on her striking white mare, “I already am.”

Reign  |  Kingdom of Lajor, present day

Standing outside the palace gates hand-in-hand with Paige, you couldn’t keep the smile off your face.  You’d just exited the carriage that had carried King Bang, Chan, you, and the little princess back to her kingdom.  Korenna’s coronation was happening today, and luckily Paige had recovered enough to travel just in time to make it for her sister’s momentous occasion.

After Korenna had successfully confronted her father, she had made her way to the waiting Lajoran army and proclaimed there would be no battle.  They’d rejoiced and, unlike her father’s deluded assumption of the opposite, the kingdom had welcomed her as their ruler with open arms.  You and the others had returned to announce the good news to your own citizens, and to Paige, who was ecstatic at her sister’s triumph.  The last few days had been spent drafting amendments and additions to your trade agreements and foreign policy documents; with Korenna on the throne, Lajor and Gu’s relationship would transform from one of hostility to one of cooperation.  In all the bustle, you’d somehow managed to avoid a confrontation with King Bang over your behavior at the war table that day, but you couldn’t help thinking it was only a matter of time before the other shoe dropped.

You were ushered inside, hundreds of people weaving in and out amongst the beautifully decorated corridors as you found your way to the throne room.  You left the royals to take their seats at the front of the crowd while you went in search of your mother.

Many attendees from Gu, knights, servants, and citizens alike, had come to observe the ceremony, as a kind of display of support and camaraderie for your kingdom’s newly found ally.  You found your mother along the left side wall in a relatively uncrowded spot and took your place to watch your friend as she approached the priest who would bestow upon her the title of Queen of Lajor.

Between the hum of the clergymen reciting holy texts and oaths, you heard your mother whisper, “She knows not the sacrifice she makes to hold this position.”

You thought back to every conversation you’d had with Korenna, how in each and every one she demonstrated a profound devotion to her kingdom and her people.  “I think she does,” you responded.

“It must be daunting, knowing that responsibility sits on your shoulders from the very beginning.”  She saw your gaze shift from Korenna to Chan, seated at the front of the room next to his father, looking proudly up at the princess.

“I can only imagine.”

She paused, then continued, “Do you think you could bear that burden?”

Your mother was well aware of your feelings for the prince, had been since you tearily confessed to her the night of your one and only kiss.  So you knew what she meant.  Knew the question she was really asking, the question you’d pondered yourself more times than you could count.

Would you sacrifice the relative freedom you enjoyed now, agree to be beholden to a people and their wellbeing, in order to be with Chris, the man you loved?

Surprised at this line of questioning though you were, you answered honestly.  “If given the chance, I would bear it a hundred times over.”

Your attention was drawn back to the ceremony then, the priest announcing in a booming voice that Lajor had a new queen, Queen Korenna Dormio, first of her name.

The crowd erupted in applause, and you saw Paige dash up the dias steps to wrap her arms around her sister.  You felt the presence of eyes on you and looked to see Chan, his head turned to smile at you in the crowd.  You smiled back, and the answer you’d given your mother rang in your mind, as true as you’d ever felt it.

You would give anything for him.

{part 5}

[mha-whore]

I love Natsuo and I wanna talk about him. First of all I love the tension Natsuo brings to the Todoroki family dynamic. He’s not ready to forgive like Fuyumi and while all the children have their own perspective regarding Endeavor Natsuo’s has always felt the most familiar to me.

Neglect as a form of abuse often gets overlooked. The psychological damage endured by children who are victims of neglect similar to the way Natsuo experienced leaves some pretty serious emotional scars. Verbalizing why being ignored hurt just as much as being hit was difficult for me. Some parents can’t fathom that there is a way to abuse someone that isn’t just physical they often justify what happened to their children with the excuse they would never hit their child. However neglect as a form of abuse is just as detrimental as other forms of abuse. I think being neglected especially in favor of another child really fucks with a persons sense of self-worth.

And we definitely see that with Natsuo. While no one in the family really blames Shoto for being the golden child it’s clear that the favoritism shown towards him was palpable. Even though we see that Endeavors attention leads to further abuse children still do want to be seen by their parents. Which is something Natsuo never received. Unlike Toya and Shoto he had no fire quirk and he wasn’t a girl like Fuyumi he didn’t fill the role of mother when Rei was hospitalized. He was born too late to be the oldest brother and to early to be the favorite. Natsuo exists as a background character not just for the plot of MHA but within his own family. The resentment this has caused is undeniable.

We already know how much Toya(dabi) resents his father.  but that mindset clearly extends to the other children as well. Even Fuyumi admits that she has complicated feelings about Enji while simultaneously being the main person trying to reconnect the family. So it makes sense that Natsuo The child who was discarded from the beginning would harbor the greatest resentment towards his father. And although we see the lengths Toya is willing to go to just to get back at Endeavor it’s always (in my opinion) Felt like Natsuo had the most reason to be mad. Suffering is not a game I wanna make that clear it’s not about who suffers the most or who has the best reason to suffer. However I want to be pragmatic and look at how Natsuo didn’t even get a chance to feel important. Remember Toya is the oldest sibling and apparently one of the only ones to be born out of love Enji and Rei had a quirk marriage but it’s implied that in the beginning there was some love between the two of them. When he’s born with a fire quirk that’s even stronger than Endeavors Enji is happy and proud. It isn’t until we see Toya’s quirk start burning him that he is regarded as defective. Fuyumi is one year younger than Toya so it can be assumed that at the time of her birth Toya’s quirk hadn’t even developed. So these two were born in a time of relative happiness for the Todoroki family. Natsuo is 4 years younger than Fuyumi meaning that it’s likely Endeavor started waiting for his kids quirks to present and this is where the anger and dissatisfaction in his offspring begun. See given the time between children it seems like Enji waited for Fuyumi and Toyas quirks to develop and he was disappointed. He deems them failures and starts trying for another baby hoping the next one will be right. This is already a completely different environment That Natsuo is being born and raised in compared to his older siblings.

Imagine Endeavors disappointment upon finding that not only is this baby not perfect he has no fire power at all. This also happened with Fuyumi but again at the time of her birth the family dynamic wasn’t as toxic. So she had around 3-4 years of relative happiness within the family. Once Natsuo is born not only is the family beginning to crack but he is born “wrong” with no fire. Three years later Shoto is born and he’s born perfect. He’s the exact child Endeavor wanted juxtaposing Natsuo’s “failure” to exist the way his father wanted.  

Then after being discarded Natsuo is actively neglected. There’s forced isolation between Shoto and his siblings, then Rei is hospitalized, and then Toya dies. Slowly but surely Natsuo loses all of his support within the family. Fuyumi has to draw back out of necessity suddenly finding herself in the role of a mother instead of a child. His older brother is dead and his mother is gone and she’s not coming back. Natsuo is left alone his sister doesn’t have time for him, his father doesn’t love him, and his brother can’t see him. Natsuo was completely alone in that house. It makes sense that this would give him ample opportunity to allow resentment to fester.

Endeavor is one of my favorite characters not because I like him as a person but because I like the story and how he affects others. I would love for Natsuo to display a lesser seen dynamic in redemption arc’s, that being the idea that you don’t always have to forgive people. Sometimes there’s this over arching narrative that when someone apologizes and they truly feel sorry for what they did you have to forgive them.  there’s never any focus on how their actions have lasting consequences on the people around them. Natsuo was born into this family he was born into ridiculous expectations of him. Endeavor created him to surpass All Might something that Endeavor himself failed to do. This is a huge burden he’s placed onto a child and when Natsuo failed to meet this impossible standard his father discarded him. Endeavor saw no use in Natsuo because he would never be able to beat All Might on his fathers terms. Endeavor set an impossible goal and neglected his son when he was unable to reach that goal. A goal so unattainable he couldn’t even do it.

And Natsuo doesn’t have to forgive him. We’re currently watching Endeavor try to be a better father. Not just to Shoto but to all his children. Fuyumi wants this to work Shoto is warming up to the idea but Natsuo isn’t. I don’t think the narrative paints him as a bad guy for being unwilling to compromise however it does present Natsuo’s feelings as another obstacle to overcome. I would love to see what would happen if Natsuo just didn’t forgive him. Endeavor is trying in all honesty but that doesn’t change what happened. It’s not going to bring Toya back to life or instantly fix Rei.

I would like to see Enji try to mend his relationship with Natsuo and I would like to see those attempts fail. Maybe not permanently but I don’t want them to hand wave away the abuse suffered by every member of the Todoroki family. Especially Natsuo I think the way Natsuo feels has never mattered and now in the focus. Natsuo’s feelings can no longer be ignored and I’m ready to watch Enji Face the consequences of his own actions.

 



[mastercherry]

Another Sterek idea where Derek's family is still alive. He has both his parents, 3 older siblings, 4 younger siblings, and himself. So there's like 10 of them all together. Anyways.

Laura and him are the oldest siblings still living at home. Once they have their own life partners then they'll move out. It's a werewolf thing.

Hahaha not me about to go into full detail of this family I built for Derek 😂😂😂 ANYWAYS. STEREK.

Here's Derek's problem, he doesn't attract the type of people that he usually goes for. See, he's a big guy, strong. Hairy. He has a certain resting bitch face. He prefers to wear black clothes and his favorite leather jacket. So people look at him and they see someone who could hurt them in the best ways. They see someone who could have his way with them. Someone dominating.

And that's okay. Sure, sometimes he's in that kind of mood, but honestly? He's looking for someone to do that to HIM. Someone stronger than him. Someone who could ruin him in the best way. Someone who could make him feel safe. But those aren't the people who approach him in bars.

It's a little disheartening. He doesn't know why he always let's Laura talk him into going out with her. It always ends up with him having to constantly turn down people who are just NOT his type. Thin, gangly, soft, big doe eyes.

"No," he says before this kid can even ask. "I'm not going to f*ck you."

But the guy just grins. "That's fine, I was actually hoping I could f*ck YOU." And his eyes flash, the air around them gets charged, Derek's heart starts pumping faster.

"Spark," he breathes, astonished. In awe. Turned on. Sparks are rare, very rare. And very powerful. Being so close to one is almost scary.

"Smart and gorgeous," the Spark smiles. "So what do you say? Want to get out of here? I love pretty close by."

Derek looks back towards his sister and the other pack members they came with. She catches his eye and if the wolfish grin on her face is any indication, she knows exactly what he's going to do.

ANYWAYS. So Derek meets Stiles in a bar. Assumes he's just some twink that wants to be wrecked, is surprised that he's wrong. Finds out that he is a Spark, one of the strongest and most powerful supernatural creatures out there. He's never met one before. And he has the night of his life. Stiles is able to use his magic like an extension of himself so like he can hold Derek down or up with invisible hands almost and it's the hottest thing Derek has ever felt.

And there's drama because apparently Sparks are so rare because they've been killed off for their power and they havent always been nice. And the Hale matriarch isnt too happy about Derek being associated with one. And blah blah blah plot plot plot drama seggs magic blah blah blah.

[red-inthe-riordanverse]

PJO HOT TAKES<3

...for real this time

1. In no way was HOO bad, but BOO deflated the whole series. Our expectations were so high because of how perfect the Battle of Manhattan was. There was death and fighting and it felt like a real battle. Even the invincible hero got tired and suffered. Not to mention, the Seven were hyping the giants up, saying how much more powerful they were then the titans. Then, the petty gods come and HELP their kids and the giants are gone within like two pages. Same with Gaia. Also, the seven were supposed to come together, right? When did they really fight as one? This one kinda flows into the third one. So yeah, it didn’t break the series, but it hurt my heart personally. BOO was still good. My expectations were a little higher, but I’m over it. (kinda😂)

2. Bianca di Angelo was a selfish little child. I could go on forever, but I’m going to keep this one simple. I’m not the oldest sibling, but I do have one younger than me. I know that if something were to happen to everyone else in my family but us two, I would take her with me and protect her to the best of my ability. Of course, I’m not always... fond of her, but she’s my LITTLE SISTER. Bianca took the first chance she got to leave Nico. Ten year old Nico that just found out he was a demigod. Ten year old Nico who looked up to Bianca as a mother figure. Ten year old Nico that got traumatized by her death, when she didn’t even think twice about going on this quest that had a HUGE death rate. then, whenever Nico tried to get ahold of her, she IGNORED his calls. She then basically told him to get over her death, to an ELEVEN YEAR OLD SHE RAISED. Lastly, she didn’t tell him that she was deciding to go for rebirth. She didn’t tell her LITTLE BROTHER that she grew up with, that they would never see each other again. Imagine little preteen Nico going down to the Underworld when Thanatos is weak, hoping to come back out with his sister that he lost long ago. She like thew herself out of his life. I get it, she was a kid too. But EVERY SINGLE KID IN THESE BOOKS ARE TRAUMATIZED SO THERE’S LITTLE EXCUSE. NICO WAS HER little brother. COME ON!

3. In HOO, friendships should’ve been developed between the seven. They were all very separated by their previous quests or their significant other. I get it, fluff and romance is cute, but there was no outside friendships. Imagine if you actually got Piper and Annabeth bonding, not just getting told that they were best buds. Leo, Percy, and Piper should’ve been the reckless prank buddies, while Jason and Annabeth were the victims of these. Where was the chaotic Annabeth and Leo friendship where they repaired the ship? If the seven wasn't in a previous quest with the person, or butting heads with them, there was no friendships really. At times they just came together and were a “team”.