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#(both are rather awkward when faced with situations like these in the event they should arise lmaoo)
audreyscribes · 4 months
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Ω PJO DEMIGOD HEADCANONS:
🍇DIONYSUS; God of Wine making, fertility, theater, festivity, and insanity. 🎭
author's note: I had a sudden idea about writing some headcanons Camp Halfblood demigods being claimed and what it's like for each respective god and cabin, followed by a small blurb afterwards. Thank you for reading and please like and reblog! The order is not in order of the cabin numbers. [PJO DEMIGOD HEADCANONS MASTERLIST]
You get claimed in an untypical manner. You heard of demigods waiting for a sign of their godly parent claiming them, with a glowing symbol above their head. Instead, when you get introduced to the camp members, Mr. D appears carrying a can of diet coke and casually states “No need to put them in the Hermes’ cabin. They're one of mine's”
Cue the record scratch. This immediately brings a lot of confusion and gossip. Many eyes look between you and Mr. D who doesn't seem bothered at all. You saw Chiron sigh and place his hand to his face, giving your godly father a disappointed headshake. Then you hear Castor and Pollux yell that they have a new sibling that they didn't even know about?!
You get a lot of looks of sympathy and jealousy. You don't figure out why until a little bit later on. Chiron fills you in with a reassuring voice but also speaks with an exasperated tone to Dionysus 
Although you guys can't make wine or touch anything alcohol related, you did inherit Dioynsus' wine making skills. This includes also being good at making infused drinks or mixing drinks that range from mixing soda flavours together to making your tea blend. Even if the flavours shouldn't work together or whatever the drink type you're making, you just can. You are your own personal barista.
Putting this first and out of the way, you're both in a blessed and awkward situation where you are able to see and interact with your godly parent. Mr. D tries to treat you like every other demigod in Camp Halfblood, and that makes it awkward when you don't know if you should call him “Dad” or “Mr. D”, but at the same time, you know you have it better then others. 
It doesn't mean Mr. D doesn't keep an eye out. When you dedicate your offerings to the gods and look at him when you do it, you can just see Dionysus’ face soften and his eyes have a hint of affection. 
Don't ask how you or your other half-siblings came to be if Mr. D was sentenced to Camp Halfblood. You won't get an answer from but at least you know you're not alone and the twins are glad to have a baby sibling. Get ready for the youngest sibling treatment. 
Dionysus is the God of Theatre so you have a theatrical flare. Even if you're introverted, you're not exempt; this can be applied in how you do certain things or be rather convincing at times. If you're extroverted, well, you're automatically the Theatre kid. 
This turns out to be rather useful in events like Capture the Flag in a state of mania. When the heat of the battle starts to get to you, you feel your godly parent's power begin to rise in you and you can use that theaters flair to rouse your teammate's spirits up. You can also get a bit maniac and effect your teammates and enemies alike and become rather terrifying. 
You have a bit of a green thumb so you can find some solace with the Demeter kids. However, unlike the Demeter kids who can just make plants grow and flourish, your green thumb only really applies to plants you have an interest in like Dionysus with his grapes…or now strawberries. Regardless, you can keep a houseplant alive at least. 
Aside from a few very selected people within Camp, you're one of the few people who has seen Mr.D's true form. Not his godly form or the Mr. D you've seen, but the form he usually shows in front of mortals. Then it becomes very obvious how your other parent became so enamoured. You thank him silently for taking up his current form because you’re not going to be ready to hear about Mr. D being a DILF.
“Welcome to Cabin 12!” greeted Castor and Pollux as they opened the door to the cabin. You looked inside and saw how lived in the cabin was. It was clear the twins didn't expect to have another sibling and judging by the absolute shock that your shared father was supposed to be stuck in Camp, they really didn't expect him to have another mortal child.   
You also noticed on one of their nightstands there were stacks of Coke and Pepsi, each belonging to one of the beds. There were copious amounts of it, and you wonder if being a child of Dionysus was a prerequisite of having a drink as your go-to drink. Like wine fo Dionysus…though you heard he had to switch to Diet Coke due to his punishment. 
“Yeah, sorry for the whole…mess,” said Castor as he looked sheepish. “Pollux and I weren't expecting anyone else to be here, especially since it's been so long since we've first arrived. And you know, our dad, being, well-”
Pollux cleared his throat, “What Castor means, despite everything, we're thrilled to have a baby sibling. We've always been together so we're not that alone, but every now and again, we kind of get envious of the other cabins and having other siblings.”
You smiled when the door is knocked and a new bunk bed is being brought in, Castor and Pollux grinned at you. “Come on, let's get your stuff and space ready, and let's go see our dad.”
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strawb3rry-acid · 2 months
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König as a father
I love the hardened, brutal middle aged man who's fairly awkward with affection, but has got a soft spot for kids, and is a loving father trope. It's so cute ♡
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✧ König is very devoted to anything he puts his efforts towards, and he's no different in that aspect when it comes to his duties as a father. He takes his job of raising his child very serious. To him, their an angel, and the apple of his eye. Nothing, nor no one, will ever come close to holding the amount of love he has towards them.
✧ He's neither a strict, or laid back parent. I think he's a healthy mix of both. Strict on some thing's, and more lenient on other's. He recognizes the freedom's children should have depending on this personality, actions, and age. He encourages his kid to have freedom, but he is very protective. Having been serving in the military for likely a long time, he has seen a lot of the worst humanity has to offer, and is more than willing to lay down his life rather than have his child be exposed to that.
✧ Probably more of a push over when it comes to his little one. If they wants something, they've learned the puppy dog eyes can go a long way depending on the situation. He likely make's bank, and will sure as hell spoil them.
✧ Makes sure that his kid knows that they can call him whenever they so much as sense danger, and that they won't get in trouble even if they're doing something they know their not supposed to be doing. He knows his kid is going to make mistakes, and do thing's they aren't supposed to because, well, their a kid, and he is going to be there when they need him. That's something what will never change.
✧ Family game nights and movies? Family game nights and movies. He's likely away from home for long periods of time, so when he's home all his energy is focused on making sure the bond between him and his child remains strong. He feels guilty for being away from so long at times, and there's nothing more that he wishes than to be with his little one 24/7, but he knows he can't. To combat this, he plans as much time with them as he can.
✧ Video calls, phone calls, and texting are an absolute must while he's away. He's constantly asking for updates on his kid's life, and will make sure they never forget that, even if he's not there with them, he's still there. He's going to be in on the know when it comes to most thing's in his kid's life. Not because he forces his way in their business, but because they know they can tell him.
✧ It eats him up inside when he can't be there for a life stone's in their life, and tries to work his way around holidays, birthdays, graduations, school events, and other things of similar nature whenever possible. If he's out in public with a lot of strangers for an event, he's the type of dad to stay near a wall with a smile on his face while watching his kid.
✧ Lives for the drama his child tells him about. He will remember every word of it, and randomly bring it up to ask for updates.
✧ He's very keen on respect, and doesn't tolerate disrespect towards himself, or other's from his kid (unless the other person deserves it. He's an eye for an eye man, and is loving every moment of seeing his kid give some smart words to some assrat.) I don't want too necessarily say he'll chew them out for disrespect (depending on the severity of course), but they will receive side eyes, and very firm words later on in private that leave no room for arguments. That's when his "military tone" will come out, which will usually stop any push back because his kid doesn't see that side of him often.
✧ No matter how pissed he may get, he'd never lay a hand on his kid. I think it'd take a lot for him to raise his voice at them as well. He knows he looks scary, and the last thing he ever wants to do is too make them scared of him.
✧ Holds education too a high degree, and will do whatever possible too make sure that his child does well in school. If any bullying happens to them he's down right furious, and he'll make damn sure everyone knows it. Especially considering his background. It completely breaks his heart knowing that his child is going through what he did as he knows how traumatic it is. By the end of everything, there will be no more bullying. He'll make sure of that.
✧ He's a "walk it off" parent. As long as there's no blood, broken bones, or anything of that nature, then he doesn't panic all to much. It'll be cured with a pat on the back, and a kiss to the head. It's a more serious inquiry, then he'll be freaking out on the inside, but holds it together for his child.
✧ Overall, I think he's a very loving, and dedicated father. He may not be able to be around all the time, but he's very involved in his little one's life, but they will never doubt how much he loves them. They'll always come first before anyone else, including himself. Their his whole word, and that's something that will always remain the same.
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piichuu · 9 months
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♡ THE ONE AND ONLY CUPID - THE CAFE MEETING
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the cafe that is newly opened near the jujutsu high school is swarming with people. there’s a long line to the cashiers and some are even growing frustrated by the time it takes for them to make their orders. the menu is filled with lots of different pastries and drinks, every drink having names that make you want to drink them all.
you have told maki what you want to order and is now sitting by a table together with yuta and panda while maki is still in the line together with toge, looking rather frustrated about the fact that they have barely moved an inch in five minutes.
“there’s a lot of people here,” you mention while looking around and yuta nods in agreement, watching as more and more people enter the small cafe. “it feels like all of tokyo is here,” he mumbles, causing panda to let out a chuckle.
maki looks over at the group of friends with a blank stare, causing all of them to laugh when they can see that she’s clearly irritated about having to stand in line and not get to sit down. she points her middle finger at them before turning to toge and saying something to him.
“look, y/n,” panda suddenly says, slightly pointing behind you which causes you to turn in your chair and notice the people who have just entered the cafe. fushiguro megumi together with his two friends, itadori yuji and nobara kugisaki. they all look around as they have just joined the large crowd of people and for a second, megumi’s gaze meets yours.
“are you kidding me,” you mumble while turning back around to face your friends. “i swear, someone has set this up because what are the odds?”
“well, it’s a new cafe so it feels like everyone would want to be here on opening day,” yuta says as he looks towards the new group of friends that have arrived. “but it’s weird that you’ve only started to see him more now after that post, it’s like it’s fate.” “shut up about fate.”
you look away from them and towards maki and toge who have also noticed what is going on. they both smile widely while giving you a thumbs up and now it’s your time to give them a blank stare, but your eyes quickly widen when seeing maki point almost right at you, once again causing you turn around to now notice that yuji is coming close with megumi and nobara trailing behind him.
“hi guys!” he says while waving at you and your friends. it isn’t often you hang out with one another, only when gojo arranges different kinds of events, but none of you barely ever speak to megumi as he often keeps to himself. “we didn’t know you guys would be here too!”
yuta smiles at them and waves back. “it seems like everyone is here, do you guys want to sit with us?” he asks, causing you to give him a stare but that goes unnoticed. yuji looks back at his friends, nobara nodding her head while megumi is looking away. “yeah, sure!”
the three of them all sit down, some more eager than others. you look down at your hands, not daring to meet megumi’s gaze after what was posted on the cupid account. if no one would have posted that, this wouldn’t feel as terrible as it currently does.
you sit in silence while the others talk to one another, barely listening to what they say as you can only focus on not looking up to accidentally meet megumi’s eyes, but eventually you do have to look up towards maki and toge as they finally arrive at the table with everything you ordered.
maki gives you a cupcake and the others what they ordered before looking at the first years. “hi, didn’t know you would be here,” she says before sitting down. “we wanted to see what it was like, but i should go order something, do you wanna come with me nobara?” yuji asks.
megumi immediately stands up together with yuji. “i’ll come with you,” he mumbles as the two of them walk off towards the long line. yuta looks at you with an awkward smile before you dig in on the cupcake, not wanting to even think about the current situation. why did megumi have to be here now of all times?
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THREE | MASTERLIST | FIVE
PAIRING: fushiguro megumi x f!reader
SYNOPSIS: itadori yuji is behind the account “the one and only cupid” where others in tokyo can anonymously ship two people they think should get together. what happens when you’re suddenly shipped with fushiguro megumi whom you’ve never talked to before and why do you all of a sudden have to see him in the school hallway every single day?
WARNINGS: cursing, kms jokes
TAG LIST: @krissyoxox @kaitfae @kitorin @mysuperrainbow @tojirin @hanmasdolly @kasumitenbaz @yuzurins @tsukishimarawr @stardusthyuck @satoruskitchenrag @lvryeager @hellothere9597 @pumpkindudeishere @dailyghosting @chillichopsticks @jaynawayna @mave-in @hisheadismountfuji @whatamidoing89 @flwrdia
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beewolfwrites · 1 year
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you’re one of my favorite authors so i’m so glad you’re active again! <33 I’ve started rereading awiaf just to remind myself why it’s my favorite fic ever so thank you for feeding into my brain rot since you started awiaf until now.
on the other side of this ask
I have worms for brains and I desperately need chishiya trying to drop hints that he likes the reader but just… is so terrible at it and gets frustrated because if it. He probably doesn’t even know the first thing about flirting, let’s all be honest.
Hey Anon! This probably strayed a little from your request, but if you'd rather have a fluffier version, I'm happy to redo it :)
The idea of Kuina being a horrified wingwoman to Chishiya's terrible flirting attempts was just too funny not to write about.
(Chishiya x gn reader)
(Kuina = losing hope in all humanity)
________________________________________________
It was killing her to watch. 
She’d given him more expert advice than she’d ever given anyone - heaven only knew that boy needed it - but he was still so stiff, so standoffish, and so goddamn terrible. And now, hiding behind a pillar in the hotel lobby, Kuina felt like crawling into a corner and burying her head in the sand. 
‘Thanks… That’s really nice of you Chishiya.’  
The words had come out in the same awkward tone that one might use when humouring children, or fending off an over-familiar stranger on the bus. And what’s worse, Chishiya hadn’t even realised. 
‘You just pull the pin and it should work,’ he explained, showing off the “pin”, which was actually a keyring attached to a piece of string. 
‘Great,’ (Y/N) said, eyebrows drawing in bizarre confusion. ‘I guess it’s useful to have… maybe.’ 
Kuina bit her hand, fighting the urge to drag him away at his heels. Luckily, she didn’t have to, because without even saying goodbye, or ending the conversation whatsoever, he was now walking away, smiling with satisfaction and leaving (Y/N) standing in the hotel lobby looking utterly bewildered by the events that just occurred. As Chishiya passed the pillar, she grabbed his white hood.
He shook her off immediately. ‘Was that really necessary?’ 
‘What the hell was that?’ Kuina hissed. ‘What about everything we practiced?’ 
He shrugged lazily. ‘I thought it went well.’ 
You can’t be serious?
‘That right there? That was a car crash. You can’t just walk up to someone and give them a bomb as a present. They think you’re insane now.’ 
‘I doubt that. I left a note in their room beforehand.’ 
Kuina felt the colour drain from her face. ‘You did what now?’ 
Chishiya gave a knowing smile. ‘While the games were on, I left a note on the bed explaining that I had a gift. It was hardly a surprise.’ 
Oh my god… This is a disaster. 
She placed both hands on his shoulders, locking him in a firm grip that he couldn’t escape from no matter how much he tried to squirm away. 
‘Chishiya, listen to me now. Normal people don’t do things like this. You don’t know (Y/N) well enough to just walk into their room. You’re gonna end up with some really weird rumours going around, and I don’t want to be part of that.’ 
He finally broke away with a scowl. ‘You’re overreacting. If you’re not going to help, you can find somebody else to annoy.’ 
‘I’m literally trying my hardest to help you, but you’re impossible. This is impossible.’ 
He made a small noise of irritation and stared aimlessly at the white lobby wall. ‘Do you have any other suggestions then?’ 
‘What about telling the truth?’ 
‘No.’ 
‘It’s not that bad. Tell them how you really feel. Admit that you weren’t sure how to show it, and you screwed up —‘
‘I didn’t.’ 
‘Yeah, you did. You haven’t got a clue how to flirt, and that was a horror show to watch.’ 
He averted his gaze, looking anywhere but at Kuina. ‘Any other bright ideas?’ 
She rubbed her temple. ‘I’ll see what I can think of,’ she said. ‘Just let me work on it, okay?’ 
As she parted ways with Chishiya in the lobby, Kuina didn’t have much hope. The situation was eating away at her, because believe it or not, she wanted Chishiya to be happy, even if he was an asshole sometimes. Well, most of the time. However, even after borrowing all of her expert advice and tips, he still couldn’t quite make flirting seem natural. 
And worse, he actually did like (Y/N), even if he had never really shared the depths of his feelings. But Kuina wasn’t blind. She’d seen the way his eyes trailed after them, no matter where they were in the room. He would only ask how Kuina’s games had been whenever (Y/N) was placed in the same group. Anybody else wouldn’t have noticed. Except Kuina wasn’t just anybody. 
I think I might actually feel bad for him. 
Stepping into the elevator, she pressed the button for the sixth floor. She was so lost in her thoughts that when the doors opened, it took her a good few seconds to realise that she was standing face to face with the object of those thoughts - the object of Chishiya’s affection.
‘Oh! Hey Kuina, this is actually kind of cool. I was just looking for you.’ 
Oh no.
Kuina could already see where this was going. ‘Really? We can go into my room if you want to talk,’ she suggested. ‘It’s better than standing out here.’ 
They must have been knocking on Kuina’s door, and since the timing was right, that could only mean one thing. There would be a very long conversation ahead. The two shut themselves away in the privacy of Kuina’s room, sitting on two small chairs in front of the window. 
‘Sorry for the mess.’ Kuina began scooping up the array of lipsticks rolling around on the desk behind her. ‘I think I already know why you’re here.’ 
There’s no point beating around the bush.
(Y/N) tried to hide a grimace behind their hand. ‘It’s… well. Have you noticed Chishiya-san acting strange recently?’ 
‘Strange?’ 
‘It’s just that - this is so weird. He stares at me so much, and earlier when I came back from my game, I found a note from him on my pillow. I didn’t even know he’d been in my room.’ 
Seriously, Chishiya? The pillow?!
Kuina feigned surprise. ‘What did the note say?’ 
‘He wanted to meet with me in the lobby, so I did. Just now, actually, and…’ (Y/N) pulled out a soda can with red and blue wires stretching from the lip to the base, and a tiny pull ring on top. ‘He gave me a homemade grenade.’ 
‘I’m so sorry.’ It was the only thing Kuina could bring herself to say. ‘I really am. I can have a word with him if you want?’
‘That’s not all,’ they added. ‘The other day when I woke up I found something in front of my door too. I don’t have it here, but it was a… a shank, I think?’ 
Kuina fought the urge to put her head in her hands and cry. Chishiya hadn’t told her about this, probably knowing she would disapprove. And disapprove, she did. 
‘I don’t have it with me, but it’s a piece of shaved metal tied to a screwdriver. There wasn’t a note but I think it was him. I didn’t really know what to say to him before. I just, I’m a little confused. I always thought he was kind of cute, but all of this is weirding me out…’ 
Hold on. 
Kuina’s eyes widened. She replayed that last sentence in her head. 
Hold on just one second. 
‘I’m only asking because I care,’ they said, ‘but is he okay, you know, mentally?’ 
‘Look,’ Kuina interrupted. ‘This is going to sound crazy, but hear me out.’
Maybe honesty really is the best policy. 
She took a deep breath. ‘Chishiya actually likes you. As in, he likes likes you. He’s just fucking awful at flirting.’ 
(Y/N)’s whole body froze, eyes flashing with hope. ‘You mean he likes me in that way? He has feelings for me?’ 
Kuina nodded and leaned back in her chair. It was like a huge weight had suddenly been lifted from her chest.
‘I wasn’t going to say anything since it’s not really my place, but the two of you are getting nowhere like this. I know how he looks, but Chishiya’s not made of stone. I think he just wasn’t sure how to tell you and decided to make you weapons for protection. He’s really logical like that. I guess he figured regular gifts didn’t have any value in this place.’ 
Have I ruined it?
She had tried to explain the best she could, to put Chishiya in a good light and dissolve any rumours of him being a homemade weapon-obsessed stalker. But by doing this, did she also sabotage his chances? 
(Y/N) smiled gently. ‘I guess when you think about it that way, it’s actually kind of sweet.’ 
Kuina was perplexed, to say the least. There was no way in heaven or hell that Chishiya was sweet. Not a chance. The man was cold, stoic, calculating, basically anything but boyfriend material. But she wasn’t going to say this to the one person who might actually be able to change him.  
(Y/N) stood up and grinned at Kuina. ‘Thank you! I think, I might actually go and talk to him now. His room is just down the hall, isn’t it?’ 
“It’s room nine,’ Kuina got to her feet too. ‘I’ll come with you, but I’ll be hiding around the corner. If it’s okay with you, I want to see how this works out.’ 
‘That’s okay,’ they said. ‘I’d like you to come. It’ll be good having you there, for support.’ 
The pair left Kuina’s room and headed down the hallway towards room nine. Judging from the vague shuffling noises they could hear through the door, Chishiya was inside. Kuina gave a wink of encouragement and hid just behind the corner, the perfect place to listen in and spy from afar. (Y/N) knocked on the door, holding the soda can between both hands.
The shuffling noises paused, then the door opened, revealing Chishiya. When he saw who was on the other side, his lips parted in mild surprise. 
‘Hey Chishiya.’ (Y/N) shuffled awkwardly. ‘I just wanted to stop by to say I’m sorry about before, if I seemed off. I was still kind of thinking about my game earlier.’ They held up the soda can. ‘Really, thank you for this. It’ll be really handy in a pinch.’
To anybody else, Chishiya’s expression would seem static, bored even. But Kuina saw the vague tug of a smile on his lips; she knew better. 
‘If you use it in your next game, I can make you another one,’ he replied. ‘Or if you need a knife that you can hide in your jacket. Tasers too.’
‘Tasers?’
He smirked. ‘All you need is an electronic device. It’s a simple rewiring trick.’ 
The two spoke in hushed tones, Chishiya faintly smirking and (Y/N) taking in every word he spoke. Watching from behind the corner, Kuina was delighted to finally see her efforts come to fruition, and she had to admit, these two oddballs kind of suited each other. Who would’ve known? 
(Y/N) peered over Chishiya’s shoulder, their face lighting up. ‘Wait, is that your workbench? Can I see it?’ 
‘Sure.’ He opened his door wider and (Y/N) slipped inside. 
This is the cutest thing I’ve seen in ages, Kuina thought. Maybe I should become a professional matchmaker. 
And then she froze. 
She froze because Chishiya didn’t close the door behind him. Instead, his eyes jumped over to where she was standing, looking at her squarely. 
Busted!
She gave him an awkward wave of her fingers. However, instead of scowling at her for meddling too much in his affairs, he gave her the briefest of nods - a small thank you for the world’s greatest wingwoman. 
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picathartidae · 3 months
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random OC ask: does your OC have any significant relationships that have defined them, for better or for worse? what do those relationship(s) look like, and have they changed over the course of your OC’s story?
oooooo! Love this question! My answer will involve heavy spoilers, though. Probably also going to be a long one, too.
Pre-amnesia;
The most important people in Alassane's early life was his foster family, which I made a whole thing, and it's all very tied up in his name and his sense of identity. Essentially, this couple that took him in gave him a version of a traditional family name, as a way of showing him that he was their son, in every way that mattered, and he always would be, even after they had a biological child of their own. This meant literally everything to young innocent baby child Alassane, who was always a little traumatised by the fact that he had been abandoned by his "real" family. Consequently, the name "Alassane Erendse" is deeply, deeply important to him. It's so important to him that he still clings to it long after his foster family met their bloody end. He even keeps using it after the events of the game, despite it having come to represent the monstrous past that he's desperately trying to escape from.
Their death was the one thing that Alassane ever truly regretted in the depths of his Dark Urge murder fun time era, and continued to haunt him for the rest of his life.
The other important relationship in his life prior to losing his memories is of course Bhaal. The fact that he was just abandoned on the streets as an infant haunted Alassane for his entire childhood, sowing the seeds of a deep unspoken insecurity and desire to please. Alassane was obsessed with the idea of earning Father's affection and being the favourite, making it so he wouldn't be abandoned again.
Bhaal turned Alassane into a monster that was so utterly beyond redemption it was almost comical, and made it absolutely clear that Father Dearest was the only one who would ever love him. Eventually, it got to the point where Bhaal didn't have to do anything, because Alassane simply sabotaged his own budding relationships in order to appease Him.
This relationship obviously changed drastically, as Alassane was abruptly removed from the situation, and lost all memory of it. When faced with his past, he realised just how insanely abusive this dynamic was, told his dad to shove it, and was promptly spectacularly disowned for his insolence.
Post-amnesia;
Unsurprisingly, his most important relationships after the memory loss is our usual main cast of colourful characters. However, the three main stand-outs are Astarion, Karlach, and Jaheira.
Astarion;
They're both terrible people who somehow, against all odds, manage to actually bring out the best in each other. Ultimately it's through their relationship that either of them actually succeed in becoming better people by the end. They have a similar journey of self-acceptance and healing from trauma and having to figure out who they are. They repeatedly butt heads and argue maybe more than they should, but it's because they actually matter to each other.
Their relationship changed quite a lot over the course of the game. It started out as somewhat cold, vague mutual dislike. Then Astarion figured the emotionally fragile amnesiac who's convinced he's losing his mind was probably the best and easiest person to manipulate, and Alassane completely fell for it because, you know, he's an emotionally fragile amnesiac who's convinced he's losing his mind. Then, whoops, feelings happened. Alassane realised that he cared about Astarion during the kill your love interest scene in Act II, surprising himself with just how ardently he fought against it. Astarion also immediately had a crisis after this, as he realised that he did actually care about Alassane, and genuinely was more worried about him and his well being rather than his own. Things got awkward, and they decided to try being in a real relationship maybe.
They're extremely messy in Act III. Both have feelings while being allergic to having feelings and they both lash out a bit. Somehow they work it out. They're still together six months later and they seem happy.
Karlach;
Basically Alassane's best friend, and arguably the person he trusts the most out of everyone.
They quickly bond in Act I, and grow to be very close in Act II, as Alassane accepts Karlach’s preference to die in the Material Plane rather than return to Avernus.
By the time Act III rolls around, they're basically inseparable, but then Karlach reacts extremely badly to the idea that Alassane and Gortash actually were close friends, and the revelation that Alassane had been the original mastermind behind the entire Cult of the Absolute. I like the idea of them having a harder falling out than the others at this point, so they have to struggle to rebuild their friendship from before. Alassane finds this absolutely devastating, as he had no idea of his part in the overarching evil plan, or his previous friendship with Gortash. They manage to make up, obviously. I don’t think Karlach was ever actually mad at Alassane (not as she knows him, anyway), but more the situation, and Gortash. She’s also grieving her own life.
In the end, when they're faced with the fact that one of them has to become a mind flayer after they've freed Orpheus, Alassane completely breaks down, realising that he's the one who should pay the price, and needs to face the consequences of his actions. Karlach stops him and becomes a mind flayer herself, and that utterly destroys Alassane, knowing that her soul is gone and "Karlach" is effectively dead.
I just really enjoy the devastating emotional gut-punch.
Jaheira;
Initially tense, but they come to like each other over the course of Act II, and develop a very amicable relationship by Act III. Jaheira is the self-appointed parent of the group, and semi-adopts Alassane in particular.
Jaheira puts together Alassane’s true nature as a Bhaalspawn at some point in Act II. She’s incredibly wary, but warms up to him and sort of becomes something of a mentor to him through his prolonged mental breakdown about it.
Alassane is very comfortable with her, and feels safe enough that he allows more of his original personality to surface. I think Jaheira is the reason Alassane has his moment of understanding that the problem is not in who he is. As such, Alassane is comfortable needling and pushing back against Jaheira. Alassane appreciates the almost sort of maternal affection, though tends to play up the annoyed teenager act, pretending to hate her calling him ‘cub’ when he secretly kind of loves it.
I'm just in love with Jaheira's dynamic with Dark Urge. It's neat!
Hoo boy that was an essay! I hope you enjoyed my nonsense!
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kob131 · 1 year
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RWBY X Justice League: Superheroes and Huntsmen Part One Review (No Spoilers)
Dedicating this to @fallentitan98
So if I had to sum up the movie in a sentence, it would be-
“This should have been about 30-40 minutes longer.”
Summary:
So basic idea of the movie is ‘What if the Justice League found themselves in the world of RWBY as teenagers?’ This basic idea guides the whole movie, from the tone of the Justice League characters to how the movie is presented. 
Unforunately, both RWBY and ESPECIALLY DC are heavily dense properties with a bit of history at least behind them. So this causes some...issues.
Characters:
When it comes to a crossover event, judging characters is rather different since you have to judge them based on how they are portrayed in relation to their original counterparts. I will relate the DC characters to you but my focus will have to be on RWBY as that is my specialty here.
For DC, we have the likes of Superman/Clark, Wonder Woman/Diana, Batman/Bruce, The Flash/Barry, Green Lantern, Vixen and Cyborg. ... I grew up with the 2000′s JL cartoon, I just have the names of those four stuck in me okay?
With Vixen, Cyborg, Green Lantern and Diana- they seem consistent with the popular depiction of their characters. Cyborg is a bit sarcastic but well meaning; Vixen is frustrated by the situation but also confident and upbeat; Green Lantern is having issues which becomes an arc she gets and Diana is basically a warrior poet.
Barry is...off for reasons.
Clark has two lines in the movie that seem a bit too confident for him but that could be something that pops up in certain incarnations. Otherwise, he is the same Man of Steel as always- pure, wholesome, kind, responsible and having a grounded wisdom to him. To be truthful, Clark and his interactions with Ruby were my favorite parts of the movie.
And then we have Bruce. Bruce has an arc centered around a key aspect of the Batman character and how it can conflict with the core of who Bruce is as a hero- determined to save people. It can be considered massively missing the mark OR an exploration of Bruce’s character. It’s weird, much like the movie itself. But no, he is not a joke in the movie nor is he a generic brooding man. He is a calm, cool, smart and analytical man.
As for RWBY characters...things are off with them.
Yang, Blake and Jaune are perfectly fine. They’re relatively consistent to their Beacon characterization with Jaune lacking some of his patheticness, instead using his ability to support others both figuratively and literally which works because spoilers.
Ren and Nora have a...not-love triangle thing with Cyborg (this is not a spoiler, it does nothing) that feels like 95% of it was cut. Other than that, they’re consistent too.
And Ruby has an arc that involves Clark that makes sense for her character (especially if you watch Volume 9) but because the movie is like a skeleton- the meat of the arc is a bit lacking.
Gonna be honest- The RWBY cast feels the most off between them and the DC characters. Which makes sense when you consider the writer is from DC, not RT. Still, I would say it functions as intended. Just not very smoothly.
Animation:
The animation is actually pretty damn good. The fight scenes have good flow to them, a good sense of speed and momentum for the most part, interesting action. And the more casual animation works- faces emote and move properly, movements and gestures are effective in communicating the meaning behind the characters’ words.
This is one of the best showing for the CRWBY team yet.
Humor:
Almost entirely subjective. All I can say is it’s standard RWBY fair minus 2D anime cliches. Also no, this is not MCU humor. RT was doing this in RvB in 2004.
Plot, Pacing and Tone:
youtube
Okay, it is REALLY hard to talk about this without spoiling anything because good lord, is this movie densely packed.
Character interactions and plot progression are often mashed together with each other, which can often result in very awkward lines. Fortunately for DC fans, this is almost entirely on the RWBY end. Because much of the awkwardness comes from the writing needing to explain RWBY worldbuilding to the DC characters without having enough time for exposition. For example, Weiss outright calls Dust a ‘natural resource’, which while true has NEVER been how Weiss has talked about Dust in the past.
As for tone- it’s similar to Volumes 1 and 2. Some serious moments but general light hearted fun. Both DC and RWBY characters become the butt of jokes as well as moments to have more emotional and vulnerable instances. It’s not deathly serious like many DC properties nor does it have the same gravity as something like the 2000′s JL cartoons. But it’s not Teen Titans Go. It’s a mix of plot and humor.
Conclusion:
The whole movie feels...weird. I think this is what ‘rushed’ was originally supposed to mean. At 80 minutes, this is a rather short movie and it doesn’t really work. Humor and animation are fine because time doesn’t usually affect these. But the plot and especially the characters? There’s just not enough time to go through the proper steps. Things like the reveal of the villain or Ruby and Bruce’s arcs could work. They’re not exactly failures but they have been stripped of their meat. And the meat is what you taste in a movie, not the bones that make up the structure.
Bruce’s writing might set you off- it’s the biggest risk taken here. And the RWBY parts are a bit...off. So I can’t say this was fantastic or great. But it does give some good action, the character interactions between Ruby and Bruce, Yang, Blake and Diana; and Jaune and Green Lantern are great and the rest is given a real shot, just without the time to flourish.
All in all, an honest but stumbling effort of a movie.
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intheclearblueskies · 3 months
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If They Asked You Out
| Masterlist |
Tanjiro:
Tanjiro's the kind of guy who'll ask you plainly, but not too plainly.
He'll try to set a romantic atmosphere first off, like asking you under the stars or over a candlelit meal. He doesn't want to do anything super extravagant, because he knows you're probably not comfortable with that. He'll ask you with a soft smile on his face.
Nezuko:
Nezuko, like her brother, will ask you plainly, but not too plainly.
She's been getting coached to speak properly again by Tanjiro just so that she can ask you to be her girlfriend. On the night that she asks you, she'll try to set a romantic atmosphere, perhaps asking you on a moonlit night under the stars or in a peaceful clearing of the woods. She'll take your hands and, sans gag, ask, "P- please be my girlfriend, (y- y/n)!" with a hopeful smile on her face.
Zenitsu:
Let's be honest: Zenitsu's gonna have some flair for his.
He won't go full Tengen, but he will give his confession some flavor: asking you under festival fireworks or maybe on a birthday are prime candidates. He'll give you a gift, something nice like a piece of jewelry with your birthstone in it, and drop to his knees and ask you. No matter where he asks you, he'll be super nervous while doing it and may tremble a little.
Inosuke:
It'll take a little suggestion, but Inosuke will just ask you outright, no matter where you are or what you're doing. Even if you're in the middle of a fight, he declares his feelings for you and asks you to be his.
Giyuu:
Giyuu is surprisingly traditional with his confession. He already went to your parents to ask their permission to date their daughter (and got overwhelming approval, to his surprise) and asks you to go with him for a special outing.
He shows up with (f/flowers) and takes you to dinner at his place, and afterwards when you're relaxing in the garden with a cup of hot tea he asks you to date him. He's very sweet and awkward about the whole thing, but you can tell a lot of thought went into it.
Kyojuro:
Kyojuro is the type of guy to ask you with a little bit of flair, but not too much.
Really, depending on the situation, he may just ask you outright -- maybe you did something adorable, or you're sitting and doting on Senjuro. He wants to make the moment a little extra special for the both of you, so he'll likely give you a little gift, such as flowers, and ask you. If you're just being you and the moment becomes too much to let slip by, he'll ask.
Muichiro:
Muichiro will try to make the moment special.
He may seem really spacey one week out of nowhere, but in reality he's planning to confess. He'll try to get a romantic atmosphere going, such as a candlelit dinner or something similar and will start out by giving you something nice, such as a trinket from a nearby village. Once the moment seems right, he'll ask.
Shinobu:
Shinobu won't want a lot of unnecessary glam, but she'll definitely try to make it special.
Shinobu is pretty straightforward with her feelings to you most times. She wants you to know that she's not just putting on a happy act for you and that she cares about what you think. She'll try to get together a special dinner for you or get you to a festival so that she can ask.
She'll preface it with something of value, such as earrings or a kanzashi. Despite what she goes with, whether it's over dinner or during a fireworks display, she'll turn to you and ask with a genuine expression.
Gyomei:
Gyomei won't want a big event, so he'll likely ask when the moment feels right.
He'll likely have spoken to your parents beforehand (so that they know what their little girl is getting into), and he'll wait for a good opportunity. (He's likely prayed for guidance more than once.) Once he feels like he should ask you, he'll ask.
Sanemi:
Sanemi won't want a big event, so he'll probably try to find a romantic moment.
He's still a little nervous about you rejecting him, so he definitely doesn't want a big show just in case -- he'd rather not be humiliated in front of all his colleagues, thank you. Instead, he'll likely try to get together a romantic spot for you -- maybe a trip to the hot springs or a night's stay at another village.
Either way, he scrapes everything together and asks you bluntly, although you can tell he's nervous underneath his usual demeanor.
Akaza:
100% shy about it. It's kind of cute how formal he tries to be.
Akaza is a little old-fashioned when it comes to courting someone, and this is made clear when he asks you. He most likely waited until a special occasion, like a festival. He waits until the fireworks start before turning to you, holding your hands in his, and asking if you would date him.
Douma:
Douma asks you out with a bit of flair.
He decorates his chamber with beautiful sculptures of ice and plans dinner with you that night. When you arrive, you two eat and he asks you the question, creating a small sculpture with their hands outstretched to you, a silver necklace with a glowing snowflake-shaped gem in its hands for some added style.
Kokushibo:
He'd be very formal about it. It's likely that he'd offer something of value in exchange for your hand as his girlfriend, such as a satchel of expensive spices or gems of some sort.
He'd use pretty formal language to ask you out, and if you said yes, he'd probably leave immediately, but only because it was fairly difficult to ask in the first place. He hates being seen as weak, and especially in front of you, asking you out made him feel pretty weak.
Muzan:
Muzan would be simplistic, but stylish.
He's a real classy guy, with some good tastes. He'd take you to a nice place armed with your favorite sweets and ask you over a couple of glasses of 'wine' (well, real wine for you).
Yoriichi:
Yoriichi would be pretty nonchalant about it.
He'd give you some sort of gift, such as flowers or one of your favorite snacks, and ask you if you'd like to go out. He'd be pretty relieved when you accepted.
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27emailsicantsend · 2 years
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Root Beer, Rina, and Change
I made a post about this awhile ago, but I cannot find it for the life of me.
Symbolism is super important in shows. Typically, an object, place, or phrase can stand for or foreshadow something important that will happen in the show. Not everything is symbolic, but there is a good chance that if something is brought up continuously or if it feels like dialogue is stretched/a scene is slowed down: it’s symbolic. One of the biggest things/symbols I have seen in HSMTMTS is Root Beer. It’s not JUST the Root Beer, but the people and events that happen around it. To me it’s the show runners way of saying “hey, you heard the key word! Pay attention!”
I have been trying to link up every evidence of Root Beer appearing in the show (if you guys find anymore, feel free to reblog with them), but here is what I have so far:
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Season 1, Episode 7 Thanksgiving
Gina and Nini both go to the kitchen for root beers. Both make up after the “Wonderstudy” catastrophe. Nini had also been jealous of Gina spending so much time with Ricky up to this point. Nini talks about how much she wish she could leave, while Gina talks about how much she wish she could stay put. Nini invites Gina to her first sleep over.
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Season 2, Episode 1 New Year’s Eve
While not directly addressed, Root Beer is placed directly in camera shot- label in the foreground. In this scene, Ricky’s dad thanks him for staying home for Christmas (rather than being in Chicago) and then tells Ricky they’re moving. The bell rings, in which Ricky says it’s Nini arriving.
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Season 2, Episode 1 New Year’s Eve
Another scene where it’s not addressed, but it is obviously EJ arriving with Root Beer. EJ tells Ashlyn (+Carlos) how much he’s changing from growing a beard (being an adult/senior), taking a break from social media, and volunteering at the soup kitchen. Gina eavesdrops when she finds out EJ doesn’t know what the next play is going to be (which at this point they all thought was HSM2).
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Season 2, Episode 1 New Year’s Eve
Gina is sitting down and Ricky sits down between her and Nini. He gives Gina a head nod and she sort of.. glares at him? Is the best way I can put it? She announces she is getting a root beer then asks if anyone wants any. Ashlyn replies saying she is ok. After Gina walks away, Ricky looks back at her giving a surprised and confused face.
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Season 2, Episode 10
The girls (+Seb) are sitting around and Ashlyn blurts out about the chocolates Gina thought Ricky gave her (this was right after them all talking about how EJ could have a thing for Gina and Gina getting Ashlyn’s blessing [and somewhat Nini’s because she was hyping up the relationship- didn’t seem upset at all about it]). Gina explains that it was a misunderstanding, but doesn’t neglect to say that she thought it meant more than something friendly. Nini gets upset, wondering why she had never heard about it. Gina tries to say it wasn’t a big deal and Ashlyn tries to say it was just a really funny joke. Kourtney then tries to diffuse the situation by saying they should move on from the subject and at the exact same time, Nini announces she is going to get a Root Beer.
This was all I have seen so far, but these scenes are HUGE. Some common things I’ve noticed with them:
They all deal with the core 4
Ashlyn seems to be widely involved in them as well
When things are awkward, root beer is used as an escape
Each of the scenes involve big discussions around change and main character arcs
So, there are many things the Root Beer could symbolize:
Change (and avoiding/accepting it)
Character arcs
Major turning points in the story
Theory Time
So what does this mean for Rina?
I actually think it means a lot. Every time Root Beer is shown, it is addressing something greater within the story. With Ricky, it shows his unwillingness to accept change (why he didn’t choose Gina instead of someone familiar). With EJ, it shows his desire to be seen as more and growing up (something beyond Gina’s age right now). Nini it shows her separation/need for separation from her life in SLC (including Ricky). And who have we said from the beginning that we think is going to help get Ricky and Gina together? Ashlyn. She is almost always involved in these scenes, asking questions, diffusing awkwardness… anything. I think she is going to have a major part in finally connecting Gina and Ricky. Whether that’s her talking to her cousin (EJ) or supporting her housemate (who she knows about what happened with Ricky) in getting them together… I think she is the piece that will tie Rina together, help EJ let go of high school/relationships with that and grow up, and encourage Nini to write songs/follow her dreams with Gina’s brother (which is cool because Nini discovered Ashlyn playing the piano/writing songs and then they wrote a song together S2).
Root Beer was just the evidence along the way.
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hypexion · 1 year
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Well Batwoman part 3 part 2 finally aired in the UK so now I have seen it all. Overall it was about okay but I can see why it wouldn’t get renewed.
Really the big picture thing is that the show felt like it never really worked out what it’s deal was, especially when they had to replace Kate Kane with Ryan Wilder, and even with Ryan being roughly 1000% more interesting the damage was already done. Then instead of continuing on the whole angle of Ryan as an outsider trying to deal with suddenly being launched into the Wayne CEO role, that instead served as a springboard for her to get tangled up in some family issues that are essentially parallel to Kate’s issues. Like the show even points it out when Marquis is trying to convince Alice that they should team up.
In terms of the medium picture season three structure, I think the first part, where the overall plot existed to drive the more standard villain-of-the-week episode plots works better than what was going on in the second part. One big issue is that the ordering of the big villains feels wrong, with the more dangerous and established Poison Ivy coming before Marquis Jet, who is fresh-faced and also just some guy. But you can’t really reverse the order, because the emotional stakes would end up being reversed. It’s an awkward situation, and I think the main issue is that the whole Jet plotline isn’t very well placed.
Jada Jet, as I mentioned in a previous post, primarily exists to Cause Problems On Purpose. Arguably, any problem the characters face in season three that can’t be traced back to Rene Montoya is produced directly by Jada. The driver for her to produce these problems is her apparent inability to have a conversation where she treats the other party as an equal instead of someone to be commanded. A questionable thing to try on your secret daughter, and an outright ridiculous thing to try on actual Batwoman. She only really stops after her decision to hide her connection to the Black Glove Society nearly gets her killed. And also nearly gets Gotham doused in acid, because half the reason Marquis can access the Batcave and the heroes can’t is because Jada torpedoed Ryan’s (technically fake but Jada didn’t know that) career. Yeah. (sure the Batcave should have better security and another access point but still.)
The Jet plotline also ends up revolving around The Magic Joybuzzer. This piece of Joker-tech can apparently rewire someone’s brain to make them switch between good and evil. Which is pretty magicy. But it’s also treated as a one-of-a-kind object that cannot possibly be replicated, even though it seems to be known exactly how it brain-blasts someone. Jada Jet’s dubious Black Glove solution to Marquis is to freeze him, not recreate the Joybuzzer. When it turns out the repaired Joybuzzer can only be used once, there’s no talk of replicating it so both Alice and Marquis can get a jolt of that electric healing. No, the only person who can possibly make or repair it is Kiki Roulette. Hell, the only character who even attempts to find a substitute is Alice, which happens in order to show how badly she’s falling apart, rather than being an actual attempt to solve the problem.
The other weird plot event is Poison Mary, wherein Mary gets plant powers, but is then immediately upstaged by the original Poison Ivy and loses the plant powers. There’s the seed (oh ho!) of an interesting idea here, but it quickly wilts. Ultimately it simply grows into the “oh no sweet Mary did a murder“ thing which really didn’t work for me. It was essentially self-defence as well, since the guy Mary killed pointed a gun at her. Also he approached a weirdly dress person in Gotham, at night, which is literally the dumbest thing you can do in that city. The improved relationship between Mary and Alice was definitely the best result of the subplot, especially with Alice choosing to take the fall, but overall I think there were better routes to this result.
On the positive side, Marquis Jet is definitely the highlight of the Jet side of things, and he makes a fantastic Joker Tribute Act. My general opinion is that the Joker has become a very overplayed character, so it’s nice to see a slightly different take on the character. While the Ryan vs. Marquis stuff is something of a repeat of the Kate and Alice stuff, the way it’s essentially turned on its head manages to make it feel fresh. Plus I like that if you look at Marquis as the Joker with a dash of Lex Luthor, they didn’t drop the ball and act like the character isn’t primarily, you know, the Joker. And as always, I’m willing to extend some slack to the main villains of Batwoman because they always manage to nail the comic book theatrics, and this is, ultimately, a comic book television show.
Alice is also still around and still managing to be the most interesting character. You’d think her whole deal would have run thin by now, especially with all the characters with a major connection to her being gone, but there’s enough progression that she manages to stay interesting. Once she’s gotten all her revenge, what’s an evil lady to do with her life? I do think that if the show had continued, her exit was still the right move, since without the rest of the Kanes, Alice doesn’t really have much to anchor her to the rest of the plot. It also would stop her falling into being just a generic “chaos villain“, which she never really was - for all her unpredictability, Alice always had specific goals.
Once it gets there, the ending of Batwoman is good enough. Ryan finally catches a break, gets the girl, and saves the city. Hooray! Cut off the final scene with the zombies and you get a fairly standard but perfectly servicable “And The Adventure Continues“ sort of ending, which I think works well.
So yeah, Batwoman. I liked the characters more than I liked the plot, which is strange because the characters were generating the plot. And while I do see why it didn’t get renewed, it’s kind of a letdown because I think it was finally finding it’s groove. But it was fun while it lasted, and from now on if someone asks me who my favourite Batfamily is I can say it’s Ryan Wilder and they’ll look at me like I’m from Earth B.
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itsapeterthing · 3 years
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The Argument || Peter Parker
pairing: peter parker x avenger!reader
summary: you and peter get in a fight and the other avengers can’t help but overhear
a/n: i have like four things in my drafts right now that i can’t seem to finish, but i had a sudden burst of inspiration to write this instead of studying so here we are! hope you enjoy! (reader’s super power is similar to wanda’s in a way except with gold rather than red)
word count: 2.2k
warnings: lots of swearing, loud arguing, angst with happy ending
masterlist || request
You and your boyfriend Peter stood, glaring at each other from opposite corners of your bedroom. Your hands were balled into fists at your sides as you looked at him from across the room with anger mixed hurt written all over your face.
“Are you serious right now, Peter?” You asked him, raising your voice with each sentence. “Are you dead serious right now? You know I’m a fucking Avenger right? I’m sorry if me being around other guys makes you uncomfortable but it’s kind of part of my job.”
Peter huffed, rolling his eyes and threw his hands up in the air. “So what? This is my fault now?” He gestured towards himself, raising his voice at you.
“You’re the one who’s pissed at me because I’m nice to other guys.” You scoffed. “It’s fine, Peter. Next time a guy needs saving I’ll be sure to tell him that Spider-Man doesn’t trust his girlfriend so he’ll have to figure it out himself.”
At the words that just came out of your mouth, Peter laughed out loud. It wasn’t the sweet laugh you always loved hearing in the mornings or the one where he would find something so hilarious that he would be out of breath, but one that just screamed that he could not believe what you had just said.
“Me?” He shouted. “You’re the one who always gets mad at me for ‘getting too cozy with girls’. I’m doing my job! You see one photo of me saving a girl- from a fire might I add- and you don’t talk to me for two days because you were jealous. What do you want me to do?”
Peter bringing up this situation again just made you fume even more and he knew that. Despite the fact that you and Peter rarely fought, this instance had been mentioned in several arguments between the two of you, but you always held your ground.
You were now the one throwing your hands up in the air, beginning to pace across the room. “Oh! This fucking conversation again!” You shouted at him. “How many times do we have to go over this? When are you going to get it? She kissed you!”
You still remember every part of the footage from that day and the image had burned itself into your brain. It was a solo day for Spider-Man so you hadn’t found out until you had seen the news footage of your boyfriend swinging the girl to safety with her arms wrapped tightly around him and her head buried in the crook of his neck. Peter’s arm was wrapped securely around her waist as he assured her that everything was going to be okay. As soon as he stopped swinging, however, and landed her safely on the ground, she had placed her hands on either side of Peter’s masked face and pulled him into a kiss. Although he quickly scrambled out of it, you couldn’t help but feel sick seeing the image.
“I was wearing my mask, Y/n!” He shouted back, tugging on his hair in frustration. “It’s not like I went in to kiss her. She kissed me! I didn’t do anything!”
At his words, you stopped pacing and stomped across the room, stopping in front of your boyfriend. “You’re right, you didn’t do anything.” You spat. “She kissed you and yeah that’s fucked up, but you know what’s more fucked up? That you didn’t tell me! You knew some girl had kissed you and you just hoped I would never find out. Do you know what it was like to find out from a fucking news broadcast? Fuck, Peter! You lied to me about it!”
Peter took a deep breath, looking anywhere besides your face. “I’m not doing this.” He told you finally, shoving past you to reach the door and stomping out of your room.
Peter aggressively threw open your door and you yelled out of frustration before following him out the room. Your hands were once again balled into fists at your sides as you watched Peter stomp out of your bedroom and down the hallway leading up to the common room, all the while yelling at him to stop.
“Peter!” You shouted.
“I’m not talking to you like this!” He yelled back, his back still facing towards you. “When you calm down and admit that you’re wrong-“
He knew what he was doing and he knew it was just pissing you off to a new extreme. So much so, you could feel the golden glow of your magic radiating off your hands that were balled into fists at your sides.
When Peter continued walking with his back turned towards you, refusing to speak to you further, you flicked your wrist causing the magical glow to spread out from your hand to your boyfriend, forcing him to turn around and face you, stopping him in his spot.
“Don’t walk away while I’m talking to you.” You told him, the anger radiating from your body in the from of the golden glow of your magic surrounding you.
“Did you just use magic on me?” Peter asked in a mix of shock, disgust and anger.
What the two of you didn’t realize in the midst of your fuming rage at each other was that the two of you had stopped in front of the common room. What you also hadn’t noticed was that the room was occupied by some of your... colleagues.
“Did she-“ Sam began.
“She did.” Nat finished.
Peter and you continued to argue back and forth about the audacity of the other, oblivious to the others hearing every word and watching the two of you throw harsh words at each other. It was an endless argument concerning who had the right to be angry and the unanswerable question of who was really at fault. During which the rest of the group of revelers in the common room watched and listened.
“Who wants the bet this is about that girl that kissed underoos?” Tony asked.
“That? That was so long ago though.” Steve replied.
“A girl never forgets.” Nat finished, kicking back in her seat. “How would you feel if you saw someone kissing your girlfriend.” She asked Steve.
“Never had one.” Steve shrugged.
An awkward silence filled the room for a brief moment before Sam began again.
“Steve’s right.” He said. “What about yesterday when Y/n saved that guy from getting his car thrown by that giant android and it turned out to be her ex-boyfriend?”
The group collectively nodded their heads, remembering the events of yesterday and that night when Peter had become more awkward than usual after you confessed the situation to him.
You had never seen Peter so jealous before. The two of you met after you and Peter had graduated high school and with your busy schedules you were barely finding time to hang out with your friends, never mind meet new guys. Peter and your’s relationship was usually one of romantic bliss. Despite the chaos and danger occurring in each of your lives, there was barely an argument between the two of you besides the occasional mention of that one time.
You told Peter later that night about how you recognized the guy you saved as your ex-boyfriend from high school.You didn’t expect much of a reaction considering you had dated the guy so long ago and you were wearing your mask that covered the upper half of your face to maintain your secret identity. It wasn’t even as though he could recognize you- you were just doing your job. You told Peter out of wanting to be honest with him, not because you thought it mattered- because it didn't. Peter upon your confession, however, was standoffish the remainder of the night seeming to be lost in his own head.
You didn’t give it much thought and decided to give him his own space until this morning when he confronted you about it, leading to the heated argument the two of you were in right now.
“Both of you are right.” Wanda finally spoke up.
Everyone in the room then turned their heads to face her.
“Did you... did you read their minds?”
“No.” She told them. “These walls aren’t very thick.”
“Should we stop them?” Steve asked.
To that, both you and Peter shouted “No!”
That was the moment though where you both suddenly realized that there was a whole room of people watching as you and Peter argued. Both of you stopped arguing suddenly and turned to face the room full of your colleagues.
“Did you... um... hear all of that?” Peter asked, cooling off from the heated argument you two shared seconds before as he fiddled with his fingers, unable to meet their eyes.
“Do you even know how loud you two were being?” Tony asked, standing up from his seat. “It’s impossible not to hear. Both of you have to drop it-”
“But Mr. Stark-” Peter began.
“Nope.” Tony cut him off. “No ‘buts’. Are you two even listening to yourselves?”
“Tony-” Steve started, attempting to intervene and have Tony drop the situation.
“Listen Rogers, I know you’ve been waiting decades for a first date, but someone has to play couples counselor here.” He told him matter-of-factly turning back to face the two of you. “You.” He pointed at you first. “That kid would never ‘cheat’ on you okay? He worships the ground you walk on so drop it. I’m sick and tired of hearing this frankly idiotic conversation every other week.”
At his words, you felt your fists unclench at your sides and your muscles relax. You knew he was right. As hurt as you were, you knew Peter would never do anything to hurt you on purpose. You knew he loved you just as much as- if not more than- you loved him.
Just as you were about to open your mouth, Tony began again- this time pointing at Peter.
“And you.” He began. Although you were looking at Tony, you could see your boyfriend stiffen in the corner of your eye. “What did you want her to do? Let that guy die because he... what? Took her on a few dates back in high school? You two have been to space together for god’s sakes. She was just doing her job and you know that.”
The two of you stood in front of Tony Stark himself now, knowing he was right, but not knowing what to say. You turned to look at Peter, seeing his shoulders slouched and his cheeks red likely from both the attention and embarrassment.
“You two can apologize now.” Tony said finally, striding back to the armchair he was sitting in prior to the lecture he gave the two of you and seating himself in it.
You and Peter turned to each other, visibly relaxing as you stared at each other. Despite the flaws the both of you had, you each cared for the other more than anyone else.
You wrapped your arms around yourself, being the first to apologize. “I’m sorry, Pete.” You apologized to him in almost a whisper. “I guess I was just hurt that you thought I could look at anyone else the way that I look at you.”
Peter sighed and you could see the sadness in his eyes that he felt from hurting you. You knew he never meant to hurt you and he was just hurt the same way you were.
“No... I’m sorry, Y/n.” He stepped forward to meet you, placing his hands gently on your arms that were wrapped around yourself. “It just sucked to think of you with some other guy.”
At his apology, you uncrossed your arms, instead reaching out for Peter’s hands. Squeezing his hands in yours you told him, “Peter, he doesn’t matter to me anymore. I love you.”
“Not just that, Y/n.” Although your words meant a lot to him, Peter shook his head. “I don’t know... sometimes I just think that you might want something more... I don’t know... normal. I can’t give you that normal, peaceful stuff so I guess I just get worried. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you though.”
Now it was your turn to shake your head as you gazed at your boyfriend. “Pete, you know I could never do normal” You chuckled. “I just got so angry at you that I had magic radiating off of me. Sure, normal would be easier, but I would choose crazy every day as long as I get to be with you.”
Finally you felt the last of the argument and rage that came with it disappear as a feeling of peace and calm washed over the two of you. You let go of Peter’s hands only to wrap them around his neck while his made their away around your torso.
“Gross.” Nat mumbled from her seat.
“I think I actually preferred when they were arguing.” Tony said in disgust.
You and Peter smiled at each other, able to hear the conversation between the others going on in the common room. You laughed as you looked into his eyes, slowly pulling your boyfriend into a kiss.
You and your boyfriend laughed into the kiss as you heard the group erupt into groans of disgust and annoyance. Although you and Peter didn’t have the perfect relationship and each of you had your flaws, at the end of the day you knew you would choose each other every time.
“Okay... Now do we stop them?”
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husbandohunter · 3 years
Note
May I request a Childe X Reader fanfic where the reader has been pushing herself too hard lately and so Childe has to forcefully get her to rest? ty
By my side [Childe x Reader]//Genshin Impact
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Synopsis: You were an artist and he was an adventurer. Two people from vast backgrounds and Childe just wants to spend some time of his busy life with you. However, things didn't really go his way...at first.
(Childe x F!reader. Its all fluff)
(A/n): Perfect request anon. I too, would like to have a Childe in my life. Been getting 5-6 hours of sleep on average 😃😁. Yeah kind tossed some extra ideas with artist s/o, its a perfect reason for anyone to be busy.
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Once recieving the permission to take a week off from his diplomatic duties, the first thing Childe thought of was none other than his lovely significant other.
The harbinger knew quite well what lays ahead of his ventures to Liyue. During his quest for the archon's gnosis, he encountered many interesting events, such as meeting the rumoured traveller hailing from afar and a broke yet courteous man who turned out to be the ultimate ruler of this very country he walks upon then there was the battle against a dead god until he revived it using the sigil of permission. All of them were great additions to his story as Ajax the hero, something he always wanted to pursue since childhood. In which, also gave him something nice to write about when preparing letters for his siblings living back home. But little did the harbinger know that he'll one day bump into the heroine. A little too soon. Through your little art shop, he met you, a sweet and audacious woman with plenty of humour. That was how it all began.
While he strides down the streets between Liyue's exquisite buildings, Childe suddenly stops in his tracks and looks up to the sky. There, was painted a scenery of an evening dusk, sun rays relfected across until red and orange hues cast a river stream that led to the ends of the world. He watched the birds follow that streak like it was a path made for them to fly towards. A new adventure. You would have loved to captured this in your pictures.
And then he wonders, what might you be painting right now?
"Hey babe, I'm home~"
In a sing-song voice he calls out to you by your nick-name. You knew that Childe was an active member of the Fatui and that his time was limited, hence he made sure to write to you as well. Of course long distant relationships only makes the waiting more anticipated. When he does pay a visit, you'd run straight into his open arms, leaping off your feet to engulf him in one enourmous embrace. Then his hands will hold against your waist as he spins your round and around in the air, stealing the laughter out of your lungs before planting you back on the floor. Sometimes Childe would consider that being far away wasn't be such a bad idea as long as he was able to experience this, the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory. However...
"That's great."
He was met by a response similar to the wintry grace of Snezhnaya.
Huh?
All the fantasies he had from earlier shatters in the background as he stands there frozen. You didn't even spare a glance to the entrance, eyes still glued to the large canvas displayed at your front, too busy to even care. Childe clicks his tongue between the awkward silence with an uncertain expression. When there was no signs of initiation on your part, he shuffled his way to where you were and observes from behind.
"Well you're particularly quiet today," he muses to himself, placing a hand over his hip, "I guess that painting of yours must be really important then."
It was obvious that he was trying to nudge you into his favour. Something that you've found endearing was how quickly your boyfriend can be when he's in a needy state. So you quickly twisted over to peck him on the cheek before going back to work.
"That's better," Childe satisfiedly grins, "So who is this project for?"
"It's a commission requested by a wealthy family serving the Qixing. They're really influential in terms of the market and can really give me a competitive edge. I have to get it done in five days."
His tone flactuates as he squints his eyes, "Five days you say," he disliked the news of your schedule taking over his own, Childe only managed to take a week off and after that, he'll be away for quite some time, "Why don't you take a break? From the looks of your progress, it seems to me that you've been working on it for hours. I've got plenty of interesting stories to tell and you know, nothing can compare to sharing a warm meal within your company," he leans down to your ear level, "How does that sound?"
Several seconds went by as he waits for some sort of reaction, "Oh. Right," you blurted out and the harbinger only smiles, "I made some food earlier this morning. You can go help yourself if you're hungry."
Today was not his day.
Childe pulls out the wooden chair and slumps into the seat, a defeated huff escaping his mouth as he stared at the crystal shrimp placed on the table. It was hastily wrapped by plastic, most likely cold for a while, just like the romantic evening he had planned in his head. Normally you'll be sitting on the otherside while listening to the many tales he went through along the way. Although painting was your passion, it was undeniable that you also enjoyed his kind of lifestyle if you ever had the choice. He was rather surprised on how someone ambitious like him would end up with such a simplistic person but quickly accepted it as life was meant to be unpredictable, just the way he likes it. As Childe entertains you with his stories, he'll listen to your giggles amidst eating the homecooked meals that you both prepared together.
"I wonder if she ate already," he mumbled to his lone self. You most likely did but Childe knows you well. Artists are obsessed and they can go as far as to neglecting their own health for the sake of their masterpieces. Hence, he made sure to remind you to eat properly through the letters he wrote to you.
The harbinger takes a quick glance around the kitchen. It was a mess. The cupboards were slightly opened, metal pots were still displayed on the stone stove and the stench coming from the sink....
Childe pushes himsel up to see what was the cause.
Not even the dishes were washed.
Running his fingers through his bangs, he sighs wearily, "Old habits die hard huh?" And above all else, when artists are obsessed they also forget how disorganized they can become. Childe begins to roll up his sleeves before taking off his gloves. At times like this he'll have to pitch in and take care of it for you, "Looks like I'll be here for a while."
Throughout three sunsets and three moonrises, Childe had no option but to observe you from afar, minus the few attempts he made to regain your attention again. How you would go to bed much later than him, waking up before he opens his eyes and the effort he put into making your food only left with too many leftovers. It wasn't that you were unappreciative, instead, your mind had become too focused that your body was considered a second priority. Like anyone else, Childe genuinely thought you possessed great talent and supports you wholeheartedly. He loved it when you painted pictures just for him as if they were scenes coming out of his hero story, reminded by his adventures, capturing every detail. However he also needed to learn how to deal with this stubborn side of yours.
"Hey babe, I just finished preparing our dinner. Don't you smell that? Such a rich aroma, you should go eat."
"I'm busy."
Your diet were just small bites, the rest being substituted by coffee. Childe could clearly tell that you weren't getting enough sleep either as there were dark circles forming underneath your eyes and slowly, he was starting to become a little irritated.
Three hours passed midnight but you were still awake in the same place doing the same thing. Childe leans against the doorframe with arms folded, already changed into his sleeping clothes. He clears his throat to break the silence, "Ahem."
Your wrist hangs in mid air by the sound of a strange visitor, it was your boyfriend. Gaze in a daze, you lazily turned your head, "What time is it?"
"Way passed the sleeping hours as you can see," he points with his thumb at the table clock in a half-hearted manner, "You should already be in bed by now and don't think you can coax yourself out of the situation this time," his eyes parted in slits as he added with a smile, "Otherwise I might just have to force you myself."
You shook your head, "Give me one more hour? There's some finishing touches I really want to add so," clasping your hands together, you beamed sweetly, "Pretty please? I'll finish up soon."
"Oh really?" Childe challenges, head tossed back like he was interrogating you instead, "I believe that was also what you told me yesterday. And the day before? Adding up all of those days that would be.....four in total?" He deliberately counts upon his fingers before facing you again, this time his expression was slightly more serious, "As much as I find your determination remarkable, there are moments when you need to consider a sufficient amount of rest and this just isn't going to cut it."
"Four days already?!" You exclaimed, "Jeez, I don't even know if I'm halfway done."
Pressing his lips together, Childe glares in an acutely deadpanned countenance, it was also his time too, "Can't you ask this commissioner to extend your due date to next week? In your case, mora shouldn't be the issue since, well...you're dating me anyways."
It's true. Childe was the main reason why you didn't have to live as a starving artist. He had all your expenses fully covered from the marketing aspect to your residence, you simply chose to work out of pure will.
"I don't want to always rely on you so much," you confessed, "This commissioner could turn my whole career around. If I'm able to gain his favour, maybe I'll get promoted to a court painter for the Qixing! Who knows when there will ever be a chance like this again," pumping your fists, you spoke purposefully, "I'll pull an all nighters if I have to!"
Childe brings his hand to his forehead, you looked as if you were nearly about to collapse and yet still considering the option of an all-nighters? The harbinger should've detained you days prior before.
"Hm? Childe, what's wrong?" He suddenly falls deadly quiet and you watched him walk closer towards you, "What are--"
Hooking an arm behind your knees and the other at your back, your boyfriend lifts you up in one full swoop as he tossed you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Guess we'll have to do things the hard way," he remarks cheerfully.
"W-Wait," you flailed your arms and kicked your legs but to no avail. Childe was an experienced combatant indeed, "Put me down! I have work to do."
Your protests fall upon deaf ears as the harbinger carries you to your room. You were oddly lighter than the last time he carried you, the strength less vigor than before, it was obvious that your body was in need of relaxation. He suddenly thinks there was a possibility that you would maintain this habit while he was absent.
I should probably visit more often.
Using his free leg to nudge the door open, he places you upon the shared bed in a gentle manner. You winced at the impact of the soft sheets, surprised by how much it affect you.
"There we go. All done. Man, you really are a stubborn one, aren't you. Makes me a little worried since I can't spoil you all the time."
He quickly invited himself to the empty space on your bedside and wrapped his arms around your figure, pulling you close and feeling you whole. Childe made sure there was no escape once putting his chin above your hairline so that you could feel his warmth as much as possible.
"This is--" you stuttered. His tactic was enough to make your limbs soften and you could almost hear him smirk into the distance, "This is cheating..."
"You think so?" He comments as if pledging innocence, "I don't know babe. Where I come from those who take the initiative are the ones who end up claiming the prize," pulling back, Childe takes the opportunity to observe your pouty face, "I don't make the rules. It's just how it goes."
You wanted to argue back but he suddenly took the bedsheets and covered both of your bodies with, completely trapping you with his presence. He snuggles into you further as if you were a bear made of linen and you felt the drowsiness taking over your mind. The way he gently pats down the back of your head was enough to instantly lull you into a deep sleep.
"Cheater," you mumbled.
He laughs softly, the rumbles emitting through his chest, "I love you too babe."
Even after you've let go of your resistance, Childe continues his actions until he was sure that you were resting. He had been longing to touch you like this since living a chaotic life only made peaceful moments much sweeter, "You're such a hard-worker you know that? I'm proud of you but you have to know when to call it a day," he whispers, "If not, how can I go on trips while knowing that you're still refusing to eat properly?"
You closed your eyes and said nothing in return. All your senses were too cloudy to come up with a reassuring response. Childe listens to the way your breath evens as you intake his scent during the process. It smelled like the soap you used in the showers, lotus leaves mixed with his own unique musk. You could only focus on him. His comforting embrace. His slightly accelerating heartbeat because you were together with him.
Letting out one final yawn, you succumbed to his spell and allowed your energy to drift away.
The corners of his lips tug upwards, "Sleep well princess."
Childe reaches over to your desk drawer and shuts off the alarm clock before turning over to face you again. He couldn't fall asleep immediately, not when he had to consider taking care of the commissioner who gave you an impossible deadline. But that will be saved for another day, for now, he observes in silent serenity.
If he were to quit his job for a year, what would his life be like?
Peaceful. Something opposite of what he was living right now. Something similar to the life he had back home. As you arrange the many paintings in your little home, he'll offer to help you among the places you couldn't reach. Without a doubt, Childe was far taller in comparison. Taking strolls into the streets and trying the new dishes the merchants came up with. Then in the evenings, you'll both go to dinner dates while listening to the storyteller revealing the rumours of the legendary Tianquan Qixing. Although Childe loved the adventurous life he led, he had to admit that your domesticity and family-bringing atmosphere was a tempting idea.
Maybe one day.
He lightly takes a strand that had fallen over your nose and tucked it smoothly behind your ear. The soft snores coming out of your parted lips caused his gaze to melt. And so he steals them with his own, placing a chaste goodnight kiss.
One day I'll be sure to bring my family here with us.
Closing his eyes, he joins you in your slumber, hoping to see all that he envisioned in his dreams.
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ddarker-dreams · 3 years
Text
Division. Yan Scaramouche x Reader [Implied x Yan Childe]
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Warnings: Kidnapping, unwanted physical contact and implied suggestive themes. Word count: 1.3k.
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While your body might be sore, it’s your arms that feel the worst.
They’re hoisted above your head with a rope secured tight around your wrists, longing for an opportunity to rest. You’ve been standing in this awkward position for many miserable hours. No windows in this dreary cobblestone prison make it difficult to tell the time or to find anything interesting to look at. There’s still no clear indication as to why you’ve ended up in this nightmare, much less when it will end. The person you’re assuming to be in charge has been subjecting you to malicious verbal jabs for the entire duration of your confinement.
“Truth be told,” he circles you like a hawk, his tone deceitfully sweet as honey, stopping only to admire your immobilized form. “I wasn’t sure what the appeal to you was at first.” 
Scaramouche leans forward, soft strands of indigo hair brushing against your face as he closes the distance. He runs a finger over your exposed collarbone, mirth dancing in his eyes at the goosebumps following in its wake. “But now… I think I’m starting to get it.” 
Mustering up your strength and courage, you narrow your eyes, glaring daggers at your captor. He’s thrilled at the sight, unable to hold back his laughter. The finger tails up, to the crux of your neck, which he then wraps his hand around. Your pulse accelerates at the unwelcome sensation, an element he doesn’t miss.
“You’re… you’re Fatui, right?” You inquire, refusing to take this torment in silence. Curious, he nods his head, the pad of his thumb rubbing up and down your neck slowly. 
“If this is about the Northland bank loan, then you’re making a mistake. I’ve already cleared things up with your boss.” As soon as the words fell from your lips, you regret them. Scaramouche’s mischievous attitude dissipates, his eyes piercing through you and a scowl on his face. The tension in the room rises to new heights, thick and palpable. 
“‘My boss’, you say,” he repeats with an irate click of his tongue as if it were the highest insult. “Tartaglia is no such thing, I can assure you.” 
What can this be about then? Your final line of defense is crumbling, now aware that using Childe’s favor on you won’t be viable. It felt reprehensible to use it in the first place, but lowering yourself to such a level would’ve been inconsequential if it earned your freedom. Instead, it’s done the opposite, adding kindling to the flame. Never have you regretted anything in your life as much as your involvement with the Fatui bank. 
Scaramouche removes his hands from you, a minor victory. What you said must’ve struck a nerve. Swallowing thickly, your mind searches desperately for any plausible escape. While you deliberate a plan, he crosses his arms against his chest, mouth set in a straight line.
“Tell me. Do you enjoy his company?” Scaramouche asks with a tilt of his head.
Licking your dry lips, you consider the question. Denial is the obvious answer, but speaking ill of a Harbinger feels like a death wish. Though he did seem rather displeased by mentioning Childe. Just when you thought you were beginning to understand the situation, that self-assuredness has been stolen, leaving more questions in its wake.
Testing your luck, you reveal the truth with a strained rebuttal. “No, I don’t.” 
More laughter. He doubles over, clutching his stomach as if your serious confession is the funniest joke he’s heard his entire life. This unabashed cruelty is a far cry from Childe’s code of conduct. Childe prefers to openly flirt with you, acting coquettish, whispering dirty promises into your ear. Scaramouche’s methodology is entirely different. He revels in your discomfort, actively saying anything to gain a reaction, positive or negative. With a preference for the latter.
“Ah, what a shame he didn’t get to hear you say that,” Scaramouche wipes the corners of his dark eyes, laughter finally settling down. “I’d give anything to see what his reaction would’ve been.”
“Are you two… enemies, or something…?” 
“He certainly thinks so now. I’m interested to see what Tartaglia plans to do, due to the fact Harbingers are forbidden to fight one another,” he hums, wrapping his fingers around a strand of your hair and playing with it. “Just how far would he go? I’m not sure myself, but I can’t wait to see.” 
The word Harbingers rings in your head like a funeral toll. Does that mean Scaramouche is one as well? It would explain his lack of concern for Childe’s combat prowess if he has similar capabilities. When he first approached you, there was no doubting the power he possessed, even with a smaller stature. Why is it these terrible individuals are drawn to you like a moth to a flame? Why are the Archons subjecting you to such torment?
“Another question. Just how far has Tartaglia gone with--” 
“My lord!” A booming voice interrupts, capturing the attention of you both. A person dressed in what you’ve come to recognize as Fatui’s uniform appears, bowing before a less than pleased Scaramouche. 
“Lord Childe is demanding to speak with you,” The agent relays. “I know you said not to interrupt, but, this seems rather urgent.” 
Scaramouche sighs, releasing your hair with a frown. “That was faster than I anticipated.” 
So he was expecting this from the start. Is it relief that you feel? Your emotions are a mess, due to a lack of eating and bodily fatigue. While Childe is unpleasant company, Scaramouche is equally awful, even going so far as to restrain you. You curse yourself for almost preferring being subjected to Childe’s self-serving antics over this. At least Childe gives an illusion of freedom, even if you know it’s only that, an unobtainable reality. When he doesn’t make any movement to leave, the agent speaks up again. “My lord? What should I do?” 
“Did you tell him to leave?” “As you commanded to, yes. I’m afraid he... insisted.” 
“Of course the lovesick puppy did,” Scaramouche shakes his head. “No matter. I’ll deal with this myself. Head back and tell him to await my arrival.” 
The term ‘lovesick puppy’ brings questions anew, as you’re solid in the belief what Childe feels for you isn’t love. Voicing this sentiment won’t get you anywhere, so you resolve to hold your tongue, silently steaming in your indignation. 
The agent’s body stiffens and they clear their throat. “T-that’s the other issue, my lord. I’m afraid he’s… coming as we speak.” 
Scaramouche doesn’t seem visibly bothered by the revelation, treating it as a mild thorn in his side than an urgent dilemma. You’re left speechless by the unfolding events, looking past the kneeling agent expectantly. Would you finally be able to leave this awful prison? You’d be going into the hands of one madman to the other’s, but the option is sounding oddly appealing at the moment. 
Scaramouche returns his attention to you, appearing pleased with himself. “Be sure to tell him what you said to me earlier.” 
Shifting uncomfortably where you stand, you look to the side, preferring not to be subject to his scrutinizing gaze. Objecting to Childe has never ended well for you. Then there’s the problem of Scaramouche -- how would he react to blatant disobedience -- is it possible his response would be worse for you? While you consider these things, Scaramouche starts to work on loosening your bonds. 
He presses his lips against your ear and the ropes hit the ground.
“Or I might just say it myself. Your choice.” 
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sergiovinazzi · 3 years
Text
Stolen - Lando Norris x Reader (Chapter Two)
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2.9k words, rated E for everyone :)
Lando’s voice, amplified by the TV speakers, echoes around the humming Red Bull garage. “I’m fine but I’ve been better. I can say that I’m not in perfect condition, I’m not gonna lie. Some work to do mentally of course. I talk about that a lot, and mental health and mental strength is very important. I’ve not been sleeping that great and so on… not ideal and I’m feeling a bit sore, but I’m not the guy in the worst position after Wembley. I’ll work on it, I’ll make sure I’m in the best shape possible, and I feel like I can still go out and focus on what I need to do, and that’s the main thing.”
Your mind races as you listen to the boy plastered across the many screens revisit his experience at Wembley. He sounds awful; something about his cadence making it even more obvious that he is really, truly shaken up. The wavering pitch, awkward pausing, fumbling for words; everything about the way he presents himself is serving as a brutal reminder that being physically unscathed is no indicator that harm was not dealt. Even as the interview moves past the topic of last week’s Euro Final, you notice the shift in demeanor and your heart aches. You worry that bringing the watch to him is a bad idea, that it could prompt unbidden memories and disquieting feelings. You understand how big of an event Silverstone is from your dad’s tangents alone, especially for an English team with an English driver, so you reevaluate whether your decision to come was selfish, one made solely to alleviate your own sentiments of guilt rather than to verily right your believed wrongdoings.
On the journey to Silverstone, your dad had made multiple attempts at lessening your stress, even opting for variations of the if he steps out of line I will put him right back in his place father speech. Unfortunately fruitless, your father’s attempts mean you remain just as anxious as when you had first discovered that you managed to obtain a stolen wristwatch.
You’re not sure whether it’s the crisp morning air or your nerves that sends chills across your flesh, but your attempt to ground yourself subtly doesn’t go unnoticed by your dad as he passes you in the garage.
“Time is ticking,” he informs you, a smirk playing on his lips. “No pun intended.”
You roll your eyes in an attempt to downplay your apprehension, but your voice gives away any and all signs of the false confidence you hope to portray. “Can you do it for me?” you plead.
“I can’t just stroll on over to the McLaren garage without an invitation or proper reason, especially not a couple hours before free practice starts. It doesn’t look good.”
“It’s not like me walking in there instead would look any better,” you retort, gesturing to the Red Bull logo plastered across the chest of your black polo. “Your branding isn’t what I would call subtle.”
“Look, the McLaren team are a good sort. They’ll help you out if you just explain the issue and show them the watch. I’m sure Lando will understand too, he seems like a pretty nice bloke,” your dad reassures you.
Sighing, your eyes meet the floor, fingers intertwined with each other as you fidget incessantly. Before you can speak up in further defiance, however, an additional set of footsteps grow nearer and you freeze at the voice which speaks up.
“Christian, how much longer until our media slot?”
You lose your breath momentarily, locking your gaze onto your shoes as you wait for the person to pass by.
“About five minutes, Max,” your dad replies. “We were just about to head over.”
When you hear the footsteps grow fainter, you risk looking up, thankfully being met with only the observance of your father. You don’t even realize that you’ve tensed your body until your dad points it out.
“Relax,” he says. “He’s not going to say anything here, especially not on a race weekend.”
Nodding, you feel your shoulders ease up but you remain quiet.
“Anyways, like I said, our media briefing and interviews start soon and we’re after McLaren this weekend so they should already be back in their garage,” he says, realizing that you still appear troubled by the task ahead of you. “I promise you, everything will be fine. Just go over there and I’ll meet you back here when we’re done. The quicker you head over, the quicker you’re done with it and we can all move on." With that, your dad walks away and you reluctantly leave the Red Bull garage, adjusting your shirt as you straighten up.
You take a brief glance at your phone, turning it off after you try one last time to keep the picture of the boy imprinted in your mind. Eyes darting rapidly, you attempt to scan the paddock for anyone looking remotely like him while you make your way towards the bright orange and blue indicators of the McLaren garage.
The frequency of orange-clad individuals grows the further you stray from the safety of Red Bull’s garage, and you feel your heartbeat begin to increase. Worried that someone would stop you before you could approach the one person you had traveled all the way to Silverstone for in the first place, you quicken your pace.
You’re mere meters away when you spot him. Pushing past a few people while trying to keep your eyes trained on him, you watch as he turns around to talk briefly with the woman next to him.
Huffing, you muster up the little confidence you have and tap him on the shoulder.
His confusion is evident and the blonde woman next to him does not look pleased to have been interrupted. The silence is palpable as they stare at you, expecting an explanation for the abrupt ending of their conversation.
“Hi,” is all you can deliver. You’re at a loss for words while the woman next to him seems to lose what little patience she has with you. Everything you had rehearsed beforehand, gone. Your mind is foggy and your mouth feels dry as you try to compose yourself. “Um, can I talk to you for a second? It won’t be long, I promise.” Your voice breaks at the end and you wish you had never agreed to get on that stupid red-eye to Silverstone in the first place.
Lando offers a look of sympathy and then turns to the woman next to him. “Charlotte, could you just give us a second?”
Pursing her lips and turning on her heel, the woman walks away, heading towards the mouth of the McLaren garage. She’s far enough away that you’re out of earshot, but close enough that you feel her gaze linger as Lando turns back to face you.
“Hey, don’t worry,” he tells you with a smile. “We can take a picture if you want or I can sign some stuff for you.”
“What? No.” You shake your head, mentally slapping your palm against your forehead and forcing yourself to get a grip. Idiot. “Fuck, sorry, that sounded so rude! It’s just-” you rush to explain.
“Oh no, it’s okay!” he stammers. “I should’ve guessed from the Red Bull shirt anway.”
You both share an awkward laugh before you compose yourself and reach a shaky hand into your bag.
“This is going to sound so weird, but I was online shopping for a new watch the other day because I lost mine, and I’m pretty sure I bought the one that was stolen from you. I didn’t know anything about it, I swear. I just...well, here,” you say, offering the watch and its temporary box to Lando.
He looks at you, taking the box only to go wide-eyed at the contents inside.
“I have all the information that I was able to get, but the ad was taken off of eBay and I really wanted to do the right thing and give it back to you. Please don’t be mad.”
“What the hell?!” he exclaims, earning a few looks from people passing by and catching Charlotte’s attention once more. “Sorry, sorry. How did you get this?”
Amused, you laugh quietly while he studies the watch intently. “That was my dad’s reaction too. Basically there was a listing for it on eBay and it was sort of an impulse buy,” you explain. “I didn’t see the news coverage of what happened until afterwards and I felt awful. I’m really sorry you had to go through that, I genuinely had no idea.”
Shrugging, he plays it off. “Nothing I can’t handle.” It’s hard to miss his sudden change in attitude from the interview you watched moments ago and you can’t help but wonder whether he has your or the watch’s presence to thank.
There is a brief moment of silence between you both before he continues. “How much did you pay for it?”
“It was so cheap, honestly,” you say. “Nothing compared to the original price, I’m sure.”
Charlotte, alerted by Lando’s attention-grabbing reaction to being reunited by his watch, returns to where the two of you are standing. “Oh wow, did you find a replacement watch for him?” she asks you, clearly impressed by the apparent likeness.
“No, Charlotte”, he corrects her. “It’s my one. Look.” He hands the watch to his PR manager, who receives it so gently you think she’s afraid it might shatter in her hands. Flipping the watch between her fingers, she studies the small engraving on the underside of the face.
“Oh my god,” she whispers.
Lando nods. “It’s the exact date it was given to me, there’s no way anyone else could know that and make a copy of it.”
You feel the need to justify yourself to her. “It was listed online and I bought it before I knew anything about the situation. I didn’t even really know who Lando was until I saw what happened on the news, I swear.” You anticipate her anger or disapproval, preparing yourself to withstand the lecture you’re about to receive and mentally promising that, as soon as it’s over, you can run back to your dad and tell him you just want to go home.
But it doesn’t come.
“I can’t believe it!” she exclaims. “We all thought we’d never see it again and you found it on accident.” The smile she gives you sets your mind at ease. “Technically, this is a police matter now, so I’ll have to hand it over to the right people, but this helps us tremendously. Did you get any information about the seller?”
You explain the situation to her, about how the listing was taken offline but you have a printout of the messages and address the seller gave you, which you hand her from your bag. She lets you know that someone may get in touch soon to ask questions but not to worry, that it’s only a formality. Eventually, she asks if you’d like to watch free practice from a spot in the mobile hospitality unit, but you politely decline, explaining that you needed to get back to your dad in the Red Bull garage instead.
Charlotte smiles fondly at Lando and presses the brim of his cap down over his eyes. “Come on, you, we have to go and get ready now anyway.”
He takes off his hat, cheeks flushing as he makes an effort to quickly brush the curls lining his forehead, placing it back on and dismissing Charlotte with a wave of his hand. “Okay, just give me a minute.”
Once the two of you are alone, he pulls out his phone. “Do you have Venmo? I’ll pay you back, it’s not fair that you had to waste your money.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it.”
Lando seems unconvinced. “It’s really not a problem.”
“Seriously, it’s all good.”
“Well,” he continues awkwardly. “I have to go, but are you here for the whole weekend or...?”
You shake your head. “Just today. I’m not into Formula 1, I find it a little bit boring.”
“Seriously?! The fastest cars in the world and you’re calling it boring? Why even come to something like Silverstone if it’s so boring?” he feigns offense, doing air quotes as he imitates your apparent disdain for the sport.
Laughing quietly, you shrug. “I have family at Red Bull, so it was basically just luck and convenience that you were in the U.K. this weekend,” you clarify. “I don’t really understand Formula 1, that’s all.”
“Fair enough, it’s not for everyone I suppose,” Lando replies. “So who in your family works at Red–” The end of his question is drowned out by the sound of his name called by an evidently disgruntled, impatient engineer.
He sighs. “I’m sorry, I’ve really gotta go, but, um,” he exhales with a nervous laugh. “I still feel like I need to repay you in some way. Do you want to go get a drink after the race on Sunday? I’m busy for the next few days but Sunday night I’ll be free. Only if you want to, of course, I don’t want to, like, pressure you or anything.”
You laugh, appreciative that the nervousness was shared. “That– Yeah, that sounds fine. I’ll give you my number.”
He types your details into his phone before apologizing once more, thanking you again, and rushing off into the garage.
——
On Sunday, you let your dad believe he’s the one who convinced you to stay for the entire race weekend, but it’s the promise of Lando’s company later that night and the endearing text messages on your phone that prompts the desire to see this weekend through. You had spent the previous nights on your phone, going through driver and team Instagram accounts, as well as the F1 website, to get an idea of what to expect. Typically, it would pain you to look through motorsport news pages, especially with so many of the reports centering around Max and his vie for the championship as of late, but you manage.
You notice almost immediately while settling into your spot at the back of the garage that the energy does not match your own. You are enthusiastic and eager, while the rest of the team is stressed and rushes around you. Presumably, it’s because race day impacts their livelihoods and paycheks whereas it only dictates your family’s dinner topics, but, nevertheless, your excitement refuses to simmer.
Unfortunately, if it was weird for you to be seen at the McLaren garage before the first free practice, it would be infinitely more suspicious for you to be lingering around on race day, so you were not able to catch Lando at all since your initial meeting on Friday. However, you made sure to message him good luck beforehand, to which he thanked you and expressed excitement for your upcoming night.
“If you need anything, just ask. I’ll be on the pitwall,” your dad says, snapping you out of your whirring mind. He notices your obscure behavior, quick to comment on it. “Is it weird? Being here after so long?”
You nod, shrugging. “Unusual, for sure. So much has changed since the last time I came and watched, but I’m excited, though.”
“Well, it’s always good to have you here.”
Reciprocating your dad’s grin, you silently send him on his way. He exits quickly and leaves you to your own devices. Though, your own devices look to consist of impatiently waiting for the race to start and scrolling absentmindedly through your phone. Ironically, your boredom with pre-race antics appears to create quite the dichotomy against the chaos exuding from the garage you find yourself encompassed in.
Regardless, your attention is regained when frequent cuts are made to the drivers in their cars, and you recognise that the race will be starting soon. You are temporarily startled when the cars begin moving without hearing an official announcement, but quickly realisee that it is merely a formation lap and no one else around you seems to be paying all too much mind to it.
When the cars return to their positions on the grid, you watch eagerly as the lights flash and the announcers begin yelling. You keep your eyes trained on the orange car towards the front of the grid, watching Lando so intently that you almost miss what happens to the cars in front of him.
Your eyes go wide as you watch the events unfold: the Red Bull car out front collides with what you identify as a Mercedes, spinning and slamming into the barrier. Gasps chorus across the garage as the screens replay slowed clips of the crash as an announcement states that the safety car has been deployed. They replay it from every conceivable angle, your astonishment at the severity is present upon your first viewing, but it’s only after the sixth clip that it clicks in your head that the person in the car is Max.
“For the second time this season, Hamilton and Verstappen clash and tangle on the opening lap, but, this time, it is ending in dramatic consequences for the championship leader.”
If you had perceived the pre-race behavior in the garage as chaotic, this was a whole new level of absurdity.
People rush around you while orders are shouted and frustrations are verbalised.
Your dad is angry.
The last time you recall him behaving like this was when your younger sister had broken the wine glasses he had bought for your mother on their honeymoon. You, however, ignore his yelling and remain encapsulated by the TV, releasing a breath you didn’t know you were holding as the events unfolding finally, finally register in your brain.
Car number 33 is in the wall and out of the race, and your ex-boyfriend is inside, silent and unmoving.
____________
tag list @lovebynorth @its-astrotea-love
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soyouthinkucanwrite · 3 years
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What did he say? - Daniel Ricciardo one shot
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Update: I just realized it's Carlos' birthday TODAY! I'm so so sorry hahaha I feel like a jerk, but it's just play pretend ok?
Guys, this is based on a dream I had but listen, it’s so weird cause I KNOW this is not like Carlos AT ALL. He’s kind of the vilan in this one... Please don’t be mad if you’re a Carlos fan, it’s just for fun, I swear. I’ll even try to write something with him later to make it up to you guys! Also, I clearly don't know how vacuum works in racing, so again, just humor me and pretend I got it right, ok?
As always, please take the time to let me know what you think, means a lot to me (even if it’s constructive criticism)! And thank you so much to everyone that always does! 💕 Your lovely messages always motivate me to keep writing!
Warnings: angst, jealous Daniel, kind of a dick Carlos (again, sorry! I know he’d never)
.
I was in the “side stage” at the press room for the Austin GP, the first I ever went and of course, the first with Daniel, as his girlfriend. He was answering questions along with Pierre Gasly on stage. There were a few people besides me, including some of the drivers, waiting for their turn to face the press.
"Coco, ¿quién es?" I heard Carlos Sainz whispering to his cousin, nodding his head in my direction.
"No conozco. ¿Creo que es periodista?" his cousin answered looking at me. I just acted like I wasn't listening, or understanding, not sure why though.
"No, si fuera periodista estaría allá fuera, haciendo preguntas" Carlos continued.
"Sí, pero no me parece estar perdida" his cousin commented, they kept whispering but I could hear them very clearly.
"Qué pena, no me importaría darte direcciones" Carlos said with a smirk and I felt really uncomfortable at that, which only made me stay even more frozen in place and wish Daniel came back sooner.
"Si no te conociera, diría que acabas de romper una relación. Ni siquiera puedes ver a una chica alrededor" his cousin said hitting him playfully in the head.
"¿Y te parece esta una chica cualquier? Siempre debes andar con supermodelos, ¿no?" Carlos joked back.
"Vale, tienes razón" his cousin answered him and I was counting the seconds for Daniel to come back now.
"Pero sin duda es nueva aquí. Me recordaría de algo como eso. Tampoco pienso ser americana, ellas no tienen esta-" Just then someone called him.
"Sainz, you're up next" Daniel walked out, coming by my side. "Hey" he said to me and I smiled. "They just asked to wait 5 minutes, something about changing the batteries of the mics" he said looking back at Carlos, his cousin, and Kimi, who was going to be pairing with Carlos in the press conference and was just hanging in the corner by himself this whole time.
"Alright, thanks mate" Carlos answered.
"Hey, have you guys met (y/n)? Carlos, Carlos, (y/n)... (y/n), Carlos, Carlos" Daniel made the introductions grinning like a teenager, probably finding it super funny that they had the same first name.
"¡Hola! Mucho gusto en conocerlos, soy (y/n). ¿Como están?" I extended my hand to greet them, feeling much more confident now that I had a 5' 9" Australian by my side. They looked startled at me and then at each other.
“¿Hablas español?” Carlos asked me.
“Sí, y compreendo muy bien también” I told him and my tone made it clear I knew exactly what they were talking about earlier and didn’t like it a bit.
"Carlos, Kimi, they're ready for you" an assistant called.
"Good one kid" Kimi said to me when he walked past us, winking at Daniel. Carlos followed him to the stage and since I didn't want to just stand there in the remains of the awkward situation with Dan and Carlos’ cousin, I just walked in the opposite direction, outside the press room. Not too long after, Daniel walked after me.
"Hey, what was that about?" he asked, still smiling. Boy, he wouldn't be smiling for too long after I told him what that was about.
"What?" I asked, trying not to make a big deal. He reached for my hand, taking it in his.
"You know what. Come on, what happened back there? Did you guys know each other?"
"No!" I have to tell him now, or he'll think I have something to hide. I took a deep breath. "They were talking between themselves before you come out, in Spanish. And I don't think they thought I could understand" he looked at me confused but then it hit him and his expression changed from confusion to rage.
"What did they said?"
"Nothing, it's not a big deal ok? I just wanted to let them know I could understand, so I just said 'hello' in Spanish, that's all" I said, walking away from the place where we were standing and pulling his hand. God knows I didn't want to be there when Carlos walked out, or better, for Daniel to be there.
"I figured that much. But what did he said? Just tell me" Daniel looked at me.
"Let's just go? Please? It's not worth it. What are you going to do? Sucker punch him?"
"Do I need to sucker punch him? Is it that bad?"
"No! Dan, please, let's just go. This is not going to lead us anywhere"
"(y/n)"
"I'll tell you. Promise. Back at the trailer, okay?" I tried to negotiate.
"Fine"
When we stepped back inside his driver's room, Daniel closed the door and looked at me.
"Alright. Spill it"
"Promise me you won't do anything to him"
"Absolutely not. The longer you stall me, the more pissed off I get"
"Okay” I knew I had no choice and honestly, why should I protect him really? I’m just worried about how this might make Daniel feel. “They were wondering who I was, his cousin was teasing him saying he was only interested because he just ended a relationship"
"That's not all" he said and I didn't answer, just looked away, shaking my head. "Alright. I'm sorry you had to hear that. But you can tell me these things ok? I want to protect you baby" He said stepping closer to me and hugging me.
"I don't want you to cause trouble for something stupid"
"Hey!" he said pulling away a bit to look at me. "This is not stupid. Nothing about you is stupid. It's a big deal baby, that’s plain disrespectful. I want you here with me, always. And I want you to feel comfortable here, okay?"
"I feel comfortable now" I said hugging him closer. He smiled and kissed the top of my head.
"Fuckers" he whispered to himself.
"Promise me you won't confront him. He'll deny, or start a fight. Or both. And besides, it’s not so much what he said, it’s more like how they were eyeing me. And I don't want you to get involved in a scandal" I said pulling away and sitting down in a chair. Daniel leaned against the table, looking at me.
"A scandal?" he laughed.
"You do know gossip is the major product of motorsports, right?" I smirked at him.
"Fair enough" he agreed. "Fuck baby, the things I have to deal with for having a goddess as a girlfriend" he was joking now, so the mood seemed lighter, but knowing Daniel, I knew he hadn't completely let that go yet. I just rolled my eyes at him. Hopefully, the events of the weekend would be enough to get his mind out of it.
.
.
Friday and Saturday kept us busy enough so that we didn’t touch the subject anymore, but I could still catch Daniel staring at Carlos here and there. And I could definitely see Carlos staring at me too, which I tried to avoid at all costs, staying out of his visual field. If Daniel saw that, I don’t know if I’d be able to hold him back again.
On Sunday I’d be watching from the garage with Michael and Blake, which was super exciting, to see all the action from the front row. But I didn’t want to disturb Daniel’s routine, so I tried to stay back a little. Yet, he kept coming to steal kisses and joke around. He seemed really relaxed and confident. He was P5 and I took the care to see that Carlos was P8, so I knew they might race each other eventually but I also knew that Dan would be much more preoccupied doing what he does best and overtaking the 4 in front of him to even think about whoever was behind. Everything was going to be fine, no harm done.
“Alright. Time to go” he announced to me. “Kiss for good luck?”
“Good luck. Just go and do what you do best, okay? And try to come back in one piece” I smiled through the kiss and then watched him take his helmet from the table, wink at me, and turn to walk towards his Mclaren. My chest was tight but I could only pray and hope now.
The cars were already outside the garage for some reason, so Dan was walking out when Carlos passed in front of the orange crew. He stopped to greet some of them and that would be fine, except he was not paying any attention to the people he was talking to. He was looking inside the garage like he was looking for something, or rather someone, cause when he saw me he nodded like he was greeting me and checked me out, head to toes. Dan saw it and looked back inside just in time to see me step aside, behind Michael, clearly uncomfortable with the whole thing.
“Hey... man” Carlos greeted Daniel. And his tone made me sure that it wasn’t even about me anymore. Carlos knew how much it must be bothering Daniel and was clearly using it to try and get him pissed off and unfocused. The thing is, very few things were capable of getting Daniel out of his “all good all ways” vibe, but when they did, you definitely don’t want to be on his way. I’m actually a bit worried about the other drivers now, Carlos included, because Dan just turned back to his machine, like he knew exactly what he was going to do and nothing would stop him, getting inside the car a mere formality. He didn’t even bother to take a second look at Carlos.
“Oh boy” I commented.
“Yeah, I saw it” Michael said to me. “What was that about anyway? I thought they got along fine”. I don’t say anything else, and from that moment on my eyes are glued to the screen in front of us, following any micro movement Daniel makes.
They go for the warm-up lap, which feels like it takes forever, and then, finally, Grid formation. That sign must be broken cause the lights also took hours to change.
3, 2, 1... there they go. Thank god we’re wearing masks, otherwise, my nails and fingertips would be long gone.
The first turn is a sharp one and Daniel had an opening to overtake Perez, the first driver in front of him, we could see it clearly from the drone view, but he didn’t take it. What is he doing?
“What is he doing?” Somebody in the garage voiced my thoughts.
“You had an opening Daniel” the engineer said on the radio.
“All under control. I know what I’m doing. How far are the others behind me?” Daniel answered.
I hoped he wasn’t doing what I thought he was doing but I already knew he was. Being the risk-it-all-idiot he was, Dan was waiting for Carlos to catch up to him. Knowing him, I knew he wanted to race and beat him personally, which was crazy stupid, but wouldn’t take long since Carlos had already overtaken Gasly and Alonso, and was now only a few nanoseconds behind Daniel.
“Come on Dan” I said to myself.
“Come on Daniel” Blake practically yelled at the screen.
I feel like throwing up. He’s gonna get hurt and jeopardize all the work the team put into the weekend just to... to what? I don’t even know. If he gets out of this race alive, I’ll personally kill him.
The race’s still going, no major changes after the first turn. Then suddenly Daniel seems to remember he had a gas pedal, finally getting speed in the big straight and leaving Perez behind. Carlos followed him, seeming to use the vacuum in his favor. Everybody in the garage celebrates, but I’m too focused to cheer along. He’s so close to the podium now. Just keep it up, baby. Carlos is still on his tail.
“Good job mate” the engineer says on the radio. “Watch for Sainz on your right. Bottas’ next”
“Keep me posted on Sainz’s time” it’s all Daniel says.
A couple more laps go and he’s really trying to overtake Bottas, not playing games anymore. Carlos doesn’t seem to try to overtake him even once though, he’s too far behind still.
More laps go by and I can’t standstill. When they’re in the 19th lap, with Max and Hamilton battling each other and taking turns in the lead, Daniel’s voice comes on the radio.
“Let’s be the first to box” I’m not sure what he’s playing at, as it’s still too soon to box, but the team seems to agree.
“Copy that. I’ll let you know when. Let’s get a couple more laps in. Keep this up for now” his engineer answers.
“Understood” Daniel’s voice come through the radio. “How’s Sainz time?”
“At least 1.5 seconds behind you” the engineer informs him.
“Understood” Daniel says.
He’s planning something. Not sure what, and I don’t know if I even could, not knowing much about racing strategies, but it definitely has something to do with Carlos and what happened earlier.
“Ouch!” I hear Michael say and nod towards the screen, making me focus on the race again, and not only on Daniel. Max and Hamilton had touched tires. “They're really going at it, definitely using way more tires than necessary"
"If Dan box before them..." I begin to ask.
"He needs a fast box, gaining speed later and for their box to be slower, but yeah, that's his best shot at them" Michael explains to me.
"Come on baby" I whisper to myself.
Daniel seems to finally get close enough to Bottas, but the Finnish guy won't make it easy for him. Turn 11 on sector 2 will be his best shot now and it's getting closer.
The garage and the radio go silent. Feels like the whole world is holding their breaths while Daniel smoothly overtakes Bottas from his left. And then I almost go deaf with all the cheering around me, it's a podium for Daniel, for now.
Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to last too long, cause once he comes to the box all the other drivers will pass him. It's just so frustrating.
"Good job mate. Spectacular time. Box now" the engineer informs on the radio.
"Box confirmed. We need to ace this, boys" Daniels says.
Not even a full minute later, I hear his car and see it on the screen. I look outside to see the orange machine with the big 3 in front of it, but I don't even have time to try and take a look at him, cause 2.3 seconds later (or at least that's what the TV tells me) there he goes again. The good news is, only Bottas passed him. The bad news is he almost crashes into Carlos when he comes out of the Pit Lane.
Some of the crew were still celebrating the fast pit stop when they realized what happened. I let out a gasp. They touched tires but Carlos seemed to have managed to get away from Daniel, quickly returning to his side a moment later but struggling to keep it up. Dan, on the other side, seems unbothered. He keeps gaining speed, even though the pit exit is right on the first turn.
"Take it easy now mate, even if Sainz passes you, his time is not enough to stay in front" the engineer informs Daniel, clearly worried that the risk doesn't justify the ends.
"Understood" Daniel responds.
We're on lap 30 now and just as the engineer said, Carlos is a full 2 seconds behind Daniel. Bottas still in front of him (which is frustrating for me because he had just overtaken him before the pit stop), then Hamilton, and finally Max.
"Daniel" the engineer calls him. "How're the tires?"
"All good"
"Good. Ready to race, mate? Hamilton's going to box now"
"Before Bottas?"
"Yes, that's confirmed"
"Understood"
I listen to the conversation between Daniel and the engineer closely, but I can't say I know exactly what the implications are.
"Bottas' going to second, Daniel to third again. Let's hope for a slow pitstop for Hamilton, so when he comes out, he comes in third and races Daniel. That's the best-case scenario, so he needs to gain speed now" Blake explains to me.
"Got it" I confirm to him. "What about Bottas? He should box on the next lap right?"
"Yeah. If Daniel overtakes him still on this lap, the difference will be too big for him to recover after his pit stop. Hopefully" He tells me.
There's a lot of 'hopefullys' and 'best-case scenarios' in this conversation, but I'll take it. I start to silently pray right away, eyes glued to the screen to see exactly what Blake predicted unfold: Hamilton pit stops, Bottas and Daniel are the firsts to go up on the positions, then Carlos, Alonso, and Gasly. The first turn comes again and Dan seises the opportunity to overtake Bottas, who, to his credit, is fighting real hard, but Dan isn't letting him take back his position.
Dan is P2 now. Max is almost 3 seconds in front of him. Hamilton comes out of the pit lane behind Gasly, it should take him long to again his positions.
"Bottas to box on this lap mate" the engineer announces.
"Not worried about Bottas. What about Max?" Daniel answers. A few moments of silence follow.
"Box confirmed for Max on this lap as well. Just get closer to him" the engineer instructs.
"Understood" Daniel answers.
"Come on, baby" I cheer silently again.
"Fuck! He's gonna make it" Michael yells. "Come on Daniel!"
Bottas is 2 seconds behind Daniel, and on the big straight Daniel manages to shorten his time difference to Max to 1.8 seconds. The next thing I know, Max is coming down the pit lane, quickly followed by Bottas. Daniel is P1. I can't believe this. Carlos is P2, but he hasn't boxed yet. Surprisingly enough, Alonso is P3 and, not so surprisingly, Hamilton is already P4 and gaining speed.
"Alonso hasn't boxed yet" Blake comments. That's bad news if we were hoping for him to defend his position against Hamilton. I take a look on the TV and they're showing the conditions of his tires, which to me doesn't mean anything.
"Will he be able to hold him?" I ask Blake.
"Not sure, he's tough though and doesn't want Hamilton to win, that's for sure" Blake answers me.
Then we hear Max passing outside, had almost forgotten about him.
"That took him longer than normal" Michael comments and we look at the screen, his pit stop was 3.6 seconds long. An eternity for the Redbull team. But awesome news for us. Bottas had already left the pit lane, his pit stop was 2.4 seconds long.
The grid is now Daniel, Carlos, Alonso, Hamilton, Bottas, and then Max. Alonso is still holding Hamilton back. Normally, I'd guess Carlos would box soon and maybe even Alonso, but since I know Carlos has some personal motivation against Daniel, I feel like he's going to hold on the longer he can and the same goes for Alonso regarding Hamilton.
We're at the final 10 laps now and nothing has changed, except Carlos is dangerously closer to Daniel now. Alonso still hasn't let Hamilton go by him, repeating the Hungaroring events. I hear the signal of the radio, indicating we're about to hear some communication between Daniel and his engineer, and my chest tightens. It's Daniel's voice that comes on then.
"Something wrong. I'm losing power" Fuck. No.
"Sainz is at your tail. Can you hold on?" the engineer asks.
"I don't know. Fuck. It's just not working. How much's the difference?"
"Less than 1 second"
"Fuck. Why hasn't he boxed yet?"
"His tires are in real bad condition. But I don't think he's going to do it now"
"I'll put some pressure on him"
"Negative. Negative. Stay away"
"Not going to touch him. Pinky promise" Bastard. I can hear the smirk in his voice, even though this is extremely dangerous and insane pressure, Daniel's still having the time of his life.
9 laps to go.
8 laps to go.
Carlos almost overtakes Daniel.
"Engine's not good. Can you do something?" Daniel asks.
"Negative. 7 laps to go mate, just hold it"
"Understood"
On the big straight of the 51st lap, Carlos overtakes Daniel, but then on the next turn, Daniel takes back his position. The sequel of turns that follows is the most nerve-wracking thing I've ever seen in my life, they're so close to each other, and at such a high speed that if they simply touch tires they would fly off the track and everything would be lost to both of them, maybe even their lives.
"Hamilton passed Alonso, mate. Watch out" the engineer informs him, and I look at the screen. Fuck.
"Fuuuuck" Daniel says on the radio.
It's the 52nd lap now, only 4 more to go and Carlos doesn't even signal a pit stop. He's going to try to make the whole race without it.
"Ferrari is not happy with him" Michael laughs a dark laugh. I knew he had a history of being stubborn but this is too much.
"His tires are at less than 10% integrity. How is he still going?" I ask.
There's the big straight again and Carlos falls a bit behind Daniel, but I've watched enough to know that that doesn't necessarily mean a good thing. Just as I predicted, he tries to use Daniel's vacuum to gain more speed and overtake him, Daniel doesn't let him through and get in front of him, making him almost go off track. That would be a "normal" movement, except Hamilton was using Carlos' vacuum in his favor and, when Carlos is forced to change directions, Hamilton hits his back left tire, which makes it blows off and it's a mess from then on.
Daniel is far from the whole ordeal by now, safe and sound, thankfully. But Carlos spins in the track, taking Hamilton with him. They both go off track and Max flies by, followed by Bottas, Charles (where did he come from?), and then Alonso.
"Are they alright?" It's the first thing that comes up to me to ask.
"Fuck! That was crazy. Is everyone ok?" Daniel asks on the radio.
"Positive. Everyone's ok. Keep going, mate. 3 more laps to go" the engineer informs him.
"Who's behind me now? Bottas?" Daniel asks.
"Max. But he's at least 2 seconds behind, we should be fine" I hear the engineer say and it's like I can almost breathe again. Daniel's going to win this thing. He's so close now.
"It wasn't Daniel's fault, was it? Can they punish him in some way for the accident?" I ask Michael.
"Don't know. He was defending his position, but he's been closing in Carlos ever since the begging of the race. Depends on how Ferrari and Mercedes spin this, they'll try anything that favors them" Michael explains to me in a worried tone.
They're in the final lap and Daniel's been clearly losing speed. Something's wrong with the engine. But it's the final lap, just a few more moments, come on baby, you can do it. Max is so close to him though, I wouldn't be surprised if the winner was declared based on the replay of the finishing line. The big straight comes up and Dan has to stay out of Max's front, so as to not give him any advantages.
I can barely see it, but at the same time, I can't take my eyes off the screen.
"Full force now mate, final sector. You can win this" the engineer says on the radio but Daniel doesn't respond. Max is right by his side, he's going to pass him.
There's smoke coming out of his car, the whole thing is going to blow off any second now. Oh my god, please just a few more seconds.
5 turns to go.
4 turns to go.
3 turns to go. Max overtakes him. Shit.
2 turns to go. Daniel wins his place on the podium back.
Final turn. Daniel's in the front, barely. They cross the finish line and the whole garage explores with cheering. There are people running outside to wave at him. I can only smile and hold my own head like it would fall off otherwise. He did it. He fucking did it.
"Woo-hoo! Yes! Yes! Fuck yes!" I can hear Daniel on the radio, screaming his lungs out.
"Good job mate. Spectacular work. First-class, really! Well done!" the engineer cheers on.
The next thing I know, Michael is hugging me and lifting me from the ground just to puck me back down and Blake lift me up again. I can only laugh at their excitement. I'm so happy for Daniel I can barely grasp it!
"Let's go!" Blake puts me down and runs outside the garage. I follow him out, to the place where Daniel is stopping the car, a bunch of smoke coming out and some people with fire extinguishers around it.
He's got his fists up, celebrating. But is still inside the car. Then he takes off the steering wheel and handles it to one of the mechanics waiting outside. He gets out of the car and stands on top of it, smokes still coming out from behind. It's a nice picture. I just hoped he got away from that thing before it explodes, but it's a nice picture, can't deny it.
Then he jumps down and run towards the crew, jumping over them, helmet still on. Everybody is celebrating and cheering, I can only laugh and clap at the scene before me. So much joy and happiness going on, the energy is amazing! Then I can see Daniel looking around, but since his helmet is still on, I have no idea what he's doing. Somebody seems to understand though and they wave at me, calling me to come closer. I approach, but I'm still unsure, don't want to get in the middle of the team's celebration. But Daniel grabs me, pulling me closer and hugging me. I just laugh, can't barely see him with the suit and helmet still on. He's saying something, but I can't understand a thing.
"What?" I laugh at his attempts to communicating with me. He opens his helmet visor and repeats.
"I fucking won baby!" He yells laughing.
"I know! I know! You won Dan! I'm so proud! You're the best baby!"
"I need to get this thing off" he says struggling to get the helmet and the balaclava off, when he finally manages to do it, he jumps over the fence that was separating us and hugs me again, lifting me in the air and kissing me deeply, making everyone around us cheer even louder and I smile against his lips. I wrap my legs around him and he keeps kissing me, only after a few seconds do I pull away to breathe and he touches our foreheads. I laugh again, just enjoying the feeling of pure happiness for him.
"I'm so proud of you. You were so good. This is crazy" I whisper to him.
"Get used to it, cause there's more where it came from" he answers kissing me again.
190 notes · View notes
somebody-909 · 3 years
Text
Stalkyoo - Black and White Formal Romantic Subtext Analysis
The beginning of I Love Yoo up until the Black and White Formal shows the development of Shin-Ae and Yeong-gi's relationship from strangers to reluctant acquaintances and eventually to friends.
Their relationship's development up until the present comic, in my opinion, reaches a peak during the formal arc, where we see both the completed development of their friendship (neither are reluctant) but we also see the fast emergence of new possible romantic feelings. The arc is pivotal in defining and developing their relationship and we continue to see its effects afterwards. So, in order to better understand the two characters' relationship, let's take a look at the key moments in the arc that explore their friendship and romantic tension.
Ep. 49 | Makeup - A Friendly Face and Romantic Tension
Shin-Ae is forced to attend the black and white formal to take care of her father. She is in an incredibly difficult position, with college exams the next day, her father ill, and now having to deal with this incredibly unfamiliar situation and this horrible dress.
When she sees Yeong-gi however, it’s great to see a comforting and familiar presence. We get a chance to see their friendship in this uncomfortable setting when Yeong-gi shows concern for Shin-Ae.
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That is not all, however. The makeup panel (which was removed by Quimchee later on, but is included in the mid-season recap), introduces us to the first instance of genuine romantic tension between the two in the arc (and the whole comic up until here, really).
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The two are very close together and look at each other softly. Shin-Ae seems to be blushing, as well. This moment is intimate and romantically tense.
This first scene does a great job at introducing the two major dynamics in their relationship that are explored in this arc: their established friendship and new romantic tension. These dynamics lead up to what occurs on the hospital balcony.
Ep. 49-51 | Hands - Distance and Desires
When Yeong-gi gets up to get Shin-Ae food, she reaches for him and grabs onto his sleeve. This panel introduces Shin-Ae's desire to stick with Yeong-gi throughout the night. We understand how comforting she finds it to be near him.
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She extends her hand — showing how she is now also "reaching" for him and his companionship.
In Ep. 50, when Yeong-gi is scolded by his father and leaves to wait outside for Alyssa, Shin-Ae notices he seems down from across the floor. And for the first time, she tries to reach him. Up until now, she has been wary of Yeong-gi and his intentions, but now we see that their relationship has truly progressed to real friends. Shin-ae genuinely cares for Yeong-gi. But before she can reach him, she is interrupted by Sang-chul.
In the next episode, we see Yeong-gi respond to her call, reflecting what Shin-Ae did in Ep. 49, and extending his hand back towards her. Both characters' reciprocal desire to connect with each other is shown through their hands.
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This scene, where they reach for each other but don't connect, introduces the arc's recurrent motif/theme of DISTANCE. Shin-ae and Yeong-gi want to connect, as they care for each other and find comfort in one another, but because of the circumstances at the party they are torn apart repeatedly.
And despite (literally and figuratively) reaching for each other, neither their hands nor their good intentions (like Shin-ae’s desire to be there for Yeong-gi) actually do reach each other. This repeats a few times in the arc, causing significant tension; due to the obstacles of the events around them, they can’t reach each other despite how much they may want to. As such, readers also feel relief whenever the two characters do manage to get together.
Ep. 55 | The Dance - A Kousuke and Yeong-gi Parallel
Kousuke, while having good intentions, struggles to understand what Shin-Ae wants, and instead goes for what makes sense to him. Yeong-gi, on the other hand, consistently shows an understanding of what would truly help Shin-Ae.
It is certainly true that Kousuke’s method was pragmatic. If the problem is that Shin-Ae feels humiliated and that he is embarrassed by her, what better way to show that he isn’t than by dancing with her in front of everyone? It’s a well-meant gesture that would show that he cares more for her than what others think and regardless of what they think. However, although his intentions were sweet, the outcomes were less so.
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Shin-Ae DOES NOT want to dance. A scene that may have been beautiful, is tainted by Shin-Ae's true feelings of discomfort.
The truth is, Shin-Ae doesn’t want to go back in front of them. She doesn’t want to prove something to them. She doesn’t want to dance. But she feels like she has to. She can’t say no. The dance is actually… sad to see. She doesn’t want to be there.
But as she dances and feels terrible, Yeong-gi shows up. She is immediately excited and put at ease but is also worried about him since she hasn't seen him since he left to go outside.
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But then Yeong-gi acts a goof. He understands that Shin-Ae doesn’t want to be there, but she has to. Because he understands the feeling of putting on a performance, despite being miserable… he immediately recognizes Shin-Ae's going through that too. So being the lovely friend he is, Yeong-gi goofs around. What better way to make Shin-Ae feel less tense in this too formal environment by reminding her of a friendly presence and doing something hilariously inappropriate? And of course, he knows how to help alleviate some of her discomfort, because they’re friends, after all, right? Yeong-gi shows a deep level of empathy for Shin-Ae.
The scene also develops a contrast between Kousuke and Yeong-gi — and the differences in how they affect Shin-Ae — that is paralleled many times later in the series.
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Yeong-gi is the one who gets Shin-Ae to smile. He's the one who turns this scene from something uncomfortable to wholesome. And yet, he's not the one dancing with her. He stays to the side, in the shadows of the crowd, with distance between him and Shin-Ae, and with his head down. It fits his overarching character arc — staying hidden and away, and unable to chase for what he wants because of a quiet sense of shame and low self-worth.
The significance of him not interrupting and staying off to the side is purposefully emphasized in Ep. 57, when Kousuke says:
"I'm surprised you didn't interrupt my dance with Ms. Yoo."
Yeong-gi doesn't respond and simply looks away and slightly frowns. This emphasizes that there is a reason Yeong-gi stays away, and it's likely because his low self-esteem issues cause him to think, "Who am I to interfere?"
Overall, this dance panel achieves a similar effect to the earlier scene when their hands reach for each other, adding to the tension caused by distance — it feels like Shin-Ae and Yeong-gi should be together, but because of the circumstances, they can’t. They are reaching for each other, emotionally, but just can’t close the gap.
Ep. 55 | “We’re (just) friends... right?” - More Romantic Build-up
Although Yeong-gi knew exactly how to cheer up Shin-Ae, what he didn’t expect was her laugh… or rather the way he feels when she does.
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Look at Yeong-gi’s expression — his eyes are widened. He has a look of awe and he seems shocked. He felt something unexpected. Maybe his heart skipped a beat... Could it be possible…?
He also has a resigned smile after, choosing to look at their dance from afar.
After the dance, Yeong-gi asks Shin-Ae to confirm their friendship.
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But the panel and his tense smile seems… eerie. Faked. Like Yeong-gi might not be asking this question for obvious reasons. Even Shin-Ae notes that he seems uneasy, with a confused look and a nervous sweat drop.
We’ve already seen their completely established friendship. But as soon the two explicitly acknowledge this out-loud, we seem to have something new to deal with. Why does Yeong-gi suddenly want confirmation of their friendship, and in a manner that seems quite… sad? Why does his smile seem faked? We can look just a few panels prior to have a better understanding of what’s occurring internally for Yeong-gi.
Yeong-gi's shocked expression and widened eyes are similar to other moments of romantic tension, namely the hospital balcony scene and the earphones scene (albeit in a more muted manner). This is the second moment in this arc after the makeup scene that adds to the romantic tension leading up to the hospital balcony scene.
I believe Yeong-gi seems sad when he asks, “We’re friends right?” because when Shin-Ae laughs, he subconsciously feels the pangs of possible budding romantic feelings (it isn’t quite there yet, it is slight, but he is feeling something new) and he immediately subconsciously tries to deny those feelings by having Shin-Ae assert their friendship.
He feels dissonance between two facts:
“Shin-Ae is my friend”
“I felt something when she laughed”
This dissonance is uncomfortable, so he seeks to deny what is implied by the second part (that he may feel more for her). Additionally, we understand Yeong-gi struggles with self-worth. With the added pressure of those around him, as well as Shin-ae who has consistently accused him of being too pushy and a player, it is no struggle to understand why he immediately tries to avoid this feeling at even the first slightest hint of it.
But by looking for an affirmation of friendship to refute what he felt when she laughed, he unwittingly makes a link between what he felt to something beyond friendship.
Ep. 57-8 | The Bar - Brief Respite and a Kousuke/Yeong-gi Parallel
Due to the aforementioned tension, moments like the bar where Yeong-gi and Shin-ae are able to interact and joke around (about boobs in this case) feel incredibly refreshing — everything else is uncomfortable, but being with each other is comforting.
Once the others join them, we also get another slight Kousuke and Yeong-gi parallel. When Alyssa mentions Yeong-gi could dance with Shin-Ae, Yeong-gi refuses, likely due to pressure from Kousuke to be faithful to Alyssa. (We don’t quite know what he would’ve said otherwise). Shin-Ae responds to him refusing the dance, thinking:
“It would’ve been awkward anyways like my dance with Kousuke.”
The phrase "it would've been [negative adjective] anyways" usually implies a sense of settling for an outcome and sometimes slight displeasure.
I will admit that is hard to firmly state she’s disappointed that he said no. But the phase most certainly implies that she would’ve gone along with it if he said yes. (If this is hard to understand, Shin-Ae doesn’t think something like, “Good. I didn’t want to dance anyways.”) Her thought is relatively indifferent, especially in contrast to Kousuke whom she explicitly didn’t want to dance with.
Ep. 61 | Yeong-gi Takes a Stand - Relationship-driven Growth
When Yeong-gi learns that Shin-Ae is in trouble, but is yelled at by his father for his behaviour and not being with Alyssa, he is absolutely terrified at first (poor boy).
Randulph: "What are you doing? Fooling around again? It hasn't even been that long since I last reprimanded you!"
*Yeong-gi flinches*
Randulph: "How many times am I going to have to scold you tonight??? How hard is that head of of yours that nothing I say gets through to you! And Alyssa isn't even with you!"
Yeong-gi: *meekly* "Well — my friend was —"
Randulph: "I'm not through talking!
*Yeong-gi flinches*
Randulph continues scolding him, then says, "Forget about your friends."
To which Yeong-gi replies, "No... Castigate me, humiliate me. Do that all you want after I've ensured her safety!"
Upon thinking about the possible danger Shin-Ae is in, we see him, for the first time, advocate for himself and stand up to his father. Yeong-gi's concern for Shin-Ae allows him to stand up to the man who terrifies him. Shin-Ae takes easy precedent over the politics of his family and it shows how far their relationship has come and how it drives Yeong-gi's growth.
Ep. 62-3 | Sang-chul — Anger on behalf of Shin-Ae & a Shin-Ae and Alyssa Comparison
When Yeong-gi sees Sang-chul with Shin-Ae's jacket, he confronts him.
Sang-chul: "Back off bro. I don't want to start any trouble here."
Yeong-gi: "Too late for it now, innit? You asked for trouble as soon as you tried to take advantage of Shin-Ae."
Yeong-gi gets personally angry on behalf of Shin-Ae. It's another example that emphasizes their friendship.
We also see a contrast developed between Shin-Ae and Alyssa by Sang-chul:
"What is this Shin-Ae person to you anyway? You didn't react this way when I mentioned kissing your girlfriend... Where is she anyway? I still need my selfie and my kiss since you're fine with it."
Sang-chul assumes Yeong-gi must be romantically and sexually involved with Shin-Ae partly because he's a disgusting, sexist dirtbag, but also because, frankly, Yeong-gi seems to just generally like Shin-Ae more than his actual girlfriend.
I also want to draw attention to the fact that Sang-chul has mentioned kissing Alyssa three times: once before when they first met, and twice now. All three times, Yeong-gi didn't react.
In Ep. 63, Yeong-gi begins to move away from Sang-chul to get to Shin-Ae.
Sang-chul: "Heh. That's right. Wuss. Go run to your b*tch."
*Yeong-gi stops*
Sang-chul: "I'll go keep Alyssa company while you're at it! I still haven't gotten my kiss! Should be easy. She must be dumb as hell if she's dating you."
*Yeong-gi turns around, glares at him, kisses him, then punches him* "There's your damn kiss, you gobshite!"
Yeong-gi: "Don't you dare call Shin-Ae a b*tch ever again. And stay away from Alyssa."
Why is it, that now, he suddenly becomes agitated after already ignoring three taunts by Sang-chul to kiss Alyssa? Especially when he was in the middle of getting to Shin-Ae? I'm going to argue that Yeong-gi actually decides to punch him as soon as he first stops after Sang-chul insults Shin-Ae. Additionally, after the punch, Yeong-gi's first demand is to never insult Shin-Ae again, placing emphasis on this. It is also said more forcefully then the second: "Don't you dare... ever again" vs "And stay away". Alyssa is added almost like an afterthought.
There is a purposeful comparison here between the way Yeong-gi treats the disrespect towards the two women. Yeong-gi immediately gets angry enough to get violent when Sang-chul insults Shin-Ae, but barely responds at first when he calls Alyssa dumb and threatens to kiss her. He cares more for Shin-Ae than he does for his romantic partner, Alyssa.
Naturally, since the comparison is between his girlfriend and Shin-Ae, it also paints his feelings for Shin-Ae in a romantic light.
Ep. 63 | Yeong-gi Saves Shin-Ae
When Shin-Ae falls in the pool, it is Yeong-gi who saves her. Kousuke does not. This is another narrative parallel meant to contrast the two's relation to Shin-Ae. They both fall into the pool (parallel) but Yeong-gi, not Kousuke, saves Shin-Ae (contrast).
The episode also focuses almost solely on Yeong-gi's response to Shin-Ae's injury. He is absolutely terrified and feels terrible guilt, thinking he did this to her. But he is the one who saved her. He is the one shown to panic, yell for her, and scream for help. (We can also get into the authorial choice to focus on Yeong-gi's reaction and not Kousuke's... At the very least, it emphasizes that this moment is especially significant for Shin-Ae and Yeong-gi.)
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Conclusions
The black and white formal arc serves as a climax for development between Shin-Ae and Yeong-gi — we see how in the face of adversity, the two value each other deeply as friends, and are given romantically tense moments.
There are also multiple narrative parallels, where Kousuke and Yeong-gi are put in similar situations, but the way they impact Shin-Ae are contrasted. Despite having multiple moments with Kousuke, Yeong-gi is who impacts her positively and who she wants to spend time with. This is continued in the hospital finale, when despite literally “reaching” Kousuke (he is with her and holds her hands), it is only after chasing Yeong-gi and being with him that she finds cathartic emotional support and finally cries. (Although these parallels jab at YooTip, I want to focus more on how it emphasizes that Shin-Ae and Yeong-gi's bond is beyond that she has with another person she has known for the same amount of time. It shows the difference between the more basic-level bond she has with Kousuke, vs. her bond with Yeong-gi that is surprisingly strong for people who have only known each other for a few weeks.)
Overall, this arc builds a base for when Yeong-gi first feels true romantic feelings for Shin-Ae: when she holds onto him and cries on the hospital balcony (you can see that analysis here). In this scene at the end of this arc, the two who so desperately tried to connect during the gala, finally do (although their hands still do not touch).
162 notes · View notes
1kook · 3 years
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commercial break ; NINE
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this is part of my netflix & chill series!
SUMMARY “I think that, like— me and you? We’re like, totally destined,” you ramble, “you should, like, take my number! And maybe we can, like— Netflix and chill one of these days?” WARNING angst with implied smut at the end!!, flashbacks, low self esteem, alcohol consumption, jk is (implied) a virgin in this, there’s a lil fondling by oc u know the usual  MISC they r soulmates <3, our queen doyeon returns, i tried to use symbolism👁 in the dialogue so yes everything drunk oc says has a meaning hehe RATING m bc alcohol WC 2.2k
NOTES i said once a long time ago that n&c couple were prolly at the same party once but didn't realize so hERE WE GO ! its not proofread bc um. yeah<3
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Homecoming week. 
Jungkook doesn’t even think his university’s football team is good, but he had read somewhere that part of the college experience is obnoxiously supporting this team all four years. And well. Jungkook wants to fit in. Frankly, Jungkook feels a little dumb having accepted this invitation from Kim Taehyung from his first-year writing class. He’s only known the man a solid four weeks, probably won’t know him this well once Taehyung finds real friends, ones who suit his outgoing personality, and decides Jungkook is too boring, but Jungkook will make the best of it while he can because, again, he wants to fit in. Badly. It’ll be different this time, he had told himself while getting ready. You won’t be awkward anymore. You’ll make friends. 
And then it’s nearing midnight and Jungkook has spoken to a whopping two people at this party of over a hundred. Not including Taehyung, it’s down to one. Even that had only been to ask where the bathroom was. He feels severely out of place, like he’s both too large and too small to be in this area, to be at this party, so he shuffles into the kitchen when he hears them call for another match of beer pong. He’s actually pretty good at the game, has refined his skills at get togethers with his older cousins. But it’s not like anyone here wants to be Jungkook’s partner anyway. Or even knows who he is for that matter. 
Taehyung had bumped into him a little past ten, had had two girls clinging to his sides when he had greeted Jungkook. One of them had almost looked tempted, Jungkook wanted to believe, brushing her hand against his arm. But he didn’t act quick enough— what would he even have done? what did he even want? —and Taehyung disappeared with both girls soon after, leaving Jungkook by himself once more. 
The kitchen is empty, the drinks long since having migrated to the living area of this huge frat. With a defeated sigh, Jungkook sinks back against one of the counters, setting his lukewarm cup of beer down beside him. He’s buzzed, drank in a feeble attempt to ‘lose himself’ as all the movies claimed. But now all he can feel is a pounding headache threatening to consume him. He doesn’t even like drinking— why did he drink this much? 
He should go home. 
Events like this, parties like this— they weren’t meant for someone like Jungkook. He was too quiet, too shy to let loose like everyone else. He doesn’t do well in social situations, or at least not as well as his therapist had told him he would. He hesitates too much, never speaks when he needs to. Haerim from his freshman basics class had even said so. “You’re quiet, huh,” she had smiled, and when her notebook had touched his elbow, he flinched. She didn’t take it to heart. Just like Taehyung wouldn’t if he left right now. They know how he is. He doesn’t belong here. These types of parties were made for outgoing people, people who lived on the edge, people who weren’t trapped in their own thoughts all the time, people like—
Like the girl who stumbles through the doorway now. “Woooo,” she slurs, and then promptly faceplants into the dirty tile of the kitchen, the same tile littered with sticky footprints and random debris. He can’t even imagine what else is on the floor of a frat house mid-party. Jungkook flinches at the sound of her knee hitting the ground, before rushing over to help her up. 
She’s a giggling mess, eyes half shut by the time Jungkook gets her into a seated position. “Are you okay?” he flounders, hand on her shoulder when she wobbles again, nearly falls back down. 
“Just peachy,” she sings, flashing him a sloppy thumbs up. Her neck isn’t doing a particularly good job of holding her head up and when Jungkook places a hand on the back of her head, she leans into it, blissful smile on her face. She’s really pretty, it makes Jungkook’s cheeks burn when she aims it at him next. “Pucca loves Garu,” she lets him know, eyes finally fluttering open. “He’s a pretty boy.”
Jungkook blinks. He has no idea what you’re talking about. “Huh?” he stutters, glancing back at the bar stool by the counter instead. It’s probably infinitely times better than the sticky tile beneath your bare legs. “I’m gonna stand you up,” he tells you, taking your loud cackle as a sign that you’re okay with it. Jungkook’s been working out all summer, so you’re not heavy in the slightest, arms thrown around his shoulders while he slips his own around your back. Your proximity leaves him drowning in your scent. 
The giggles don’t subside when he sits you down, not even when he begins opening random cabinets in search of a glass to get you some water. He’s had his fair share of experiences looking after drunk people, so he has a pretty good idea of what to do now. However, your sudden bout of commentary certainly doesn’t make it easier. “Isn’t it, like, super cool how the sun and the moon are, like—“ a hiccup, Jungkook settles on tap water “tooootally different beings, but, like— they, like, both maintain the earth?” Your hand reaches for his forearm when he returns, gives him this little squeeze in your excitement. “Like— Like they both have to, like— work together? To keep it perfect, y’know?” 
Jungkook pushes the water into your hands. You’ve got this sparkly sheen to your eyes, the one that most people get after one too many drinks, but it’s accompanied by this childlike wonder that leaves Jungkook breathless when you meet his gaze. “Yeah,” he says quietly. You beam. It’s blinding. So blinding that Jungkook promptly looks away, nudging the cup in your hands. “You need to drink this.”
You frown. “Boooo, so boring,” you huff. It’s nothing Jungkook hasn’t heard before, but it is a little disheartening to hear it from a stranger. He stamps the feeling down, pursing his lips as he gives up on letting you drink yourself. The cup is swiped from your hand and Jungkook tasks himself with making you drink it instead. And of course, like all wasted young adults, you put up a fight. “Ew, what is that?” you spit. 
Jungkook sighs. “Water.” 
At his defeated tone, the exaggerated grimace slips off your face, replaced with a rather solemn expression instead. Jungkook tries to take advantage of it and pushes the cup against your lip again, but all he really accomplishes is sloshing it down the front of your dress. You don’t yelp, but he does. “I’m so sorry,” he panics, sliding the sleeve of his shirt down around his thumb to wipe your chin. 
You let him, head tilted curiously to the side. Jungkook tries to ignore your analytical gaze until: “you’re cute,” you announce, and abruptly send him into shock. 
He recoils, face a blazing mess. “I’m—“ he chokes, swallowing when you wipe your hand down your own chest, leave a glistening layer of water over your sternum and down between your breasts. 
“Cute,” you repeat, downing the glass he had been trying to coax into you like it’s nothing now. With it gone, you don’t waste any time, throwing your hands around his shoulders, fingers brushing through the hair at the base of his neck. You pull him close, so close in fact, that he ends up having to hold the back of your chair to keep from accidentally crushing you with his weight. “Your name, pretty boy?” 
He can’t think. You’re so drunk and smell so good and are just so pretty— his brain short circuits. “Um I’m, uh, Jeon J—“
“Jeon,” you repeat, silly smile back on your face. You’re not technically wrong, so he nods along with a blush high on his cheeks. “Well, Jeon,” you purr, but you’re still so drunk, eyelids fluttering in a rather funny way. “I think that, like— me and you? We’re like, totally destined,” you ramble, “you should, like, take my number! And maybe we can, like— Netflix and chill one of these days?”
Jungkook doesn’t even know what that means, and honestly, he doesn’t really hear you over the thundering of his own heart and the bass in the other room. “Um, but you’re really…” he stammers, leaning back but a finger loops around one of his curls and he gasps when you pull at it. “You’re drunk,” he rushes out, lower lip trembling when your nose knocks against his. 
A soft hum, the sound sending electricity down his spine when you cup his cheek. “But don’t you think I’m pretty?” you murmur, eyes flickering to his mouth. 
“Yes,“ he chokes out, “you’re a very, very pretty girl. But I really shouldn’t—“
“Hey,” you shush, tilting his head just the slightest. Jungkook has never had a girl touch him like this, has never even touched a girl before either, but, well. He really wants to kiss you. And that’s saying a lot considering Jungkook has never kissed anyone before. 
Despite how good it feels, he knows you’re still really drunk. It’s with a decisive huff that he pushes away, hands on your waist to keep you from touching up on him any further. You’re not that strong anyway. And then he’s met with the biggest pout he’s ever seen, an absolutely distraught look on your face. 
Something in him says you’ll cry if he doesn’t explain himself soon, so he launches into it right away. “You’re very pretty,” he says, almost laughing at the way your entire face lights up immediately. “But you’re very drunk.” You huff. “You deserve to be treated like a queen.” Mostly regurgitating something he heard in a motivational video. 
It works. Eventually, you stop being fussy in his arms and settle with a frown. “You’re too nice,” you grumble, forehead on the countertop. He doesn’t see how it’s much better than the floor but he lets you be. “You got a girlfriend, don’t you?” 
At that, Jungkook laughs. “No,” he reassures you, hesitates, and then gently pats your back. Jungkook actually feels you melt under his touch. That sultry look is gone, replaced with this rather tranquil look that he doesn’t quite understand. 
“That was pretty,” you murmur, but Jungkook doesn’t quite hear. 
“What was that?” he asks.
“I said your smile was pre—“
“There you are!” someone hollers from the kitchen doorway, the shrill tone of their voice making both you and Jungkook jump. When he turns around, he’s met with the sight of a rather tall girl angrily stomping your way, eyes a blazing fire, fists clenched by her side. Jungkook realizes only a second too late that she’s looking at him. “Get off of her, you sweaty city-owned dumpster,” she hisses, using the strength of three football players to push Jungkook away. “You make me sick—“
“Doyeonie,” you beam, launching yourself into the angry girl’s arms. Ah. The Help had arrived. 
Said angry girl (Doyeonie?) is still using every mash-up of words possible to degrade Jungkook as she hauls you into her arms, shooting daggers every step of the way. “I can’t believe you would try to take advantage of a poor girl when she’s this drunk,” she spits. 
“What?” Jungkook coughs, cheeks warm. “I wasn’t—“
“Tell it to Campus Safety when I report you, you wannabe, dollar store Rain.” Jungkook clutches his chest at the acidity of her tongue, surprised anyone could be so mean. 
All things considered, this was actually good. Someone who knew you had come to take you to safety, meaning Jungkook didn’t have to look after you anymore. When this Doyeonie turns around, he’s met with your smiley face smushed against her shoulder. 
(It’s weird. He’s a little sad to see you go.) 
“Bye, Jeon,” you giggle, hand brushing down his arm, squeezing his hand, before you’re abruptly yanked away. Jungkook manages one weak wave, cheeks lit ablaze once more when you send him a silly air kiss from the doorway, urging him to catch it. He does, and he feels really silly when he puts it in his pocket, but he can hear your laughter for a second more before he loses you. 
The last few minutes being so hectic, he decides to go home. Parties weren’t really his thing. Jungkook doesn’t think he’ll ever go to one again. 
Until a few years later. 
“You’re, like, really pretty,” you slur, lips against his throat. Another invitation, this time, Taehyung’s birthday. His friend had practically begged him to come, knowing how Jungkook was. In the end, it had been you who had accepted on his behalf. 
“Baby, not here,” he laughs, hand on your shoulder when you try to shove your hand down his pants for the third time that night. 
Taehyung had been ecstatic to see Jungkook here. And then had quickly become annoyed when he caught the two of you making out in his storage closet an hour later. “Bro, don’t be that couple at parties,” he had groaned, locking the door behind him. 
Jungkook had laughed. “I wouldn’t know what ‘that couple’ is at parties,” he reminded him. 
Taehyung rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m sure your girlfriend can fill you in.”
Apparently not. You’ve been trying to kiss him for the past three minutes but keep missing because you’re so drunk. “Just one,” you beg, so pretty but so drunk. The fake lashes you’d worn today make you look like a doll, batting them his way until he’s giving in, slotting his lips against yours. You’re probably going to throw up in his bathroom when you get home, so he should make the best of your kisses now. Jungkook pushes that thought aside as he reaches a hand out to wipe at the sweat accumulating on your chest. There’s something weird about the gesture, like he’s done it before at another party. But that doesn’t make sense; he couldn't have— this is his first party with you. 
“We should, like, leave,” you whisper against his ear, fingers burying themselves in his hair; when you pull on a strand, he nearly moans. “Go home. Maybe netflix and—“ a hiccup that makes him smile “—chill?”
Jungkook kisses your temple. “Sounds good to me, pretty girl.”
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