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starseungs · 2 years

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➳ when you fall. bc

pairing: bang chan x gn!reader

When you fall in love, there are things they never tell you until you experience it yourself.

genre/s: angst, a pinch of fluff maybe, boyfriend!chan

warning/s: break ups, not much more other than pain

wc: 1.2k

note: here's a short angst i whipped up impulsively;; theres an optional bonus fic for this at the end too for ppl who don't like sad endings // also i was thinking of winter falls while writing this... istg that song is so pretty but so sad

When you fall in love, they say it’s the sweetest taste you will ever experience in your life. That love was the most beautiful symphony anyone could ever hear. Something that you will dearly miss once it’s gone. A feeling that will constantly follow you until you desperately crave it again.

And from your experience, they weren’t entirely wrong.

When you fell in love, it did feel like the heavens had blessed you as their favorite child. The sensation was so strong, you were left wondering how such a powerful thing could exist. Its influence invaded your mind like poison, and you soon shocked yourself at how you started to look forward to such simple and mundane things in life that you never put too much focus on before.

Moments like when you realize that the heat of the sun that kisses your skin doesn’t burn as much as you used to think it did. Or when you found yourself feeling energized enough to wake up in the morning for the first time since leaving your childhood days behind. All of which were results from dating your current boyfriend.

And for that, you believed that being with Chan was a gift.

He was endearing and attentive, constantly caring for you whenever he could. Your relationship was viewed by other people at your shared university as one of the best. The couple that everyone loved and rooted for. And you agreed with them.

Chan was everything you ever wanted in a partner, the man of your dreams. He made you feel the way you were told love felt, and so you knew you did love him. After all, falling in love with him was something he made too easy—so you decide to let yourself completely dive in.

But when you fall in love, there are also things they don’t tell you.

They never seem to say that it’s the best of both worlds. That in happiness, there will be pain. It was then that you discovered love was also a sacrifice—not only a blessing you could just get without giving back. It was a journey you had to take on your own, and yet even with that discovery, you still managed to find out about one more thing:

Falling in love isn’t the only way to fall.

"It's not your fault. I’m so sorry Y/N... I hope you understand," were the words that echoed throughout your room, shattering your glassy heart that you had left under his once tender care.

Yet, there was nothing you could do.

It was normal to go through breakups at your age. Sometimes you love too hard and then fall out. You couldn’t blame Chan for being honest with his feelings—however, you never saw this event coming any time soon in your relationship.

The two of you were fine yesterday, so what changed so suddenly?

Through shaky breaths, you managed to force out a response, "Thank you for telling me Chan... I—I, uh, appreciate it." You knew he could hear your muffled truth even through the phone, but he chose not to comment on it.

"I didn't want to hurt you if I kept going with it. It's better this way," Chan explains apologetically through the other line.

"Yeah..."

In a desperate attempt to keep yourself grounded in reality, you squeezed your eyes shut and gripped the metal railing of your balcony. Breaking up over a phone call was not how you expected things to end between you and Chan, but fate seems to have other plans.

There were rustling noises from his side, indicating that Chan was probably on his bed. "Well... do you want to talk more about it?" He asks out of consideration for you.

Unfortunately for him, you wanted to be out of this conversation as soon as possible. The pieces of broken shards you once called your heart were starting to crumble quickly into dust. You didn’t know how much longer you could hold on until you started breaking down, showcasing your sorrows to the man who broke your heart completely for free. "Not really... I get it, Chan. Don't worry."

Lies. You wanted to scream out the agonizing pressure that was trapped inside you, but the silent ambience of the night kept it sealed.

"There will be another one, I promise. Someone better for you," he tries to converse—but at that point, you were no longer feeling control over your voice.

"Sure."

He sighs. "You okay? No hard feelings, right? We could stay as friends."

Friends? In theory, it could still work—and maybe it will. But for the current moment, you want nothing to do with him. Still, though, you figured you could at least end it with the same decency he’s trying to portray. It was better to have a friend than another enemy.

"Yeah, I'd like that, Chan." There was a short silence that came after that.

For a split second, you felt utterly alone. It was then that you finally realized how empty the streets surrounding your house were; the only remnants of human occupation being some of your neighbors’ room lights that were still open. And even then, you still felt lonely. You were surprised the sky didn’t decide to rain out of nowhere and hide your tears like it did in dramas.

More faint noises came out of the speakers of your phone before Chan spoke once again. ".... Should we call it a night?" He suggests, snapping you out of your spiraling mind.

Is this goodbye? For now? What would happen next? You two still went to the same university, and you would be seeing each other around campus once your short break was done. But you guess this really is the end for the two of you now, so you better make the most out of it.

"Chan," you call out hesitantly, nervous about the favor you want to ask. Perhaps the sudden news was still not quite sinking in with you yet, and that’s why you were desperately trying to cling on to any more chances you had to be his.

"... Yeah?"

You took a big breath for support. "Can—can I say it? Just one last time?"

Chan paused, and you could hear him take a sharp intake of breath, seemingly taken aback by your request. He takes his time to think about it, which worries you that you may have overstepped a boundary. But, to your surprise, he responded back shortly. "... Sure."

This is it—your final chance.

"Chan... I love you," you say for the very last time. Chan chuckles softly from the other side, acknowledging your feelings.

"Thank you, Y/N. Sleep tight."

The line cuts off a few seconds after he utters his last words to you. Looking up at the starry sky, you finally let the tears fall without stopping, silently sobbing until the pain fades to a stinging ache.

When you fall in love, there are things they never tell you until you experience it yourself. These are lessons that you have to learn on your own and help grow your sprouts into beautiful budding flowers. You knew you had so much more to learn, but at least, now you knew that one of the things they never tell you is that there are two ways to fall.

Because if you could fall in love, then you could also fall out of love.

➳ bonus !

mastertag 🏷️ : @h0neydewmoon @straydestiny

#starseungs-library #stray kids imagines #skz imagines #stray kids #skz #skz x reader #stray kids x reader #bang chan imagines #bang chan #bang chan x reader #stray kids fanfic #skz fanfic #bang chan fanfic #skz angst #stray kids angst #bang chan angst

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sewercentipede · 2 years

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covid rates have skyrocketed in the last few days/last week and I was talking to my friend who im supposed to be a maid of honor (2 maids of honor lol) and she’d bought my plane ticket for next month to help with bridal dresses; I was like “thank goodness we’re all vaccinated” then she told me 2 of the ppl who are coming are unvaccinated and I was like “oh fuck ok I don’t think I can come in that case... “

at first she was like it’s ok I’ll get my money back but I told her if she chose the cheapest flight option she only gets the money as flight credit. and then she got mad at me, saying she was on a budget and I should have told her earlier (told her what, exactly lol? she already knows I have crohns and am in the highest risk category for covid complications), that I should have asked if everyone coming was vaccinated. I was like “yeah I shouldn’t have assumed that everyone was vaxxed I should have asked, that’s my fault, but I can pay you back after I start my job.” but she refused the offer multiple times. And she got more and more angry. she was like should I even expect you at the wedding? And I was like if ur not doing RSVPs probably best to assume the worst as in me not coming, because I have no idea how the covid trends would look like (and I didn’t tell her this but both sides of her family are VERY conservative and that means I expect neither side of her family has a lot of ppl who have gotten vaccinated).

and she just like flipped out at that... saying I was inconsiderate, narcissistic, that I don’t care about her, that I don’t even try, asking if we should even be friends anymore, wondering why she even calls me

just FUCK ME for being concerned for my health I guess that means I don’t give a shit about her!!!

it feels like she doesn’t actually give a shit about me and is just ascribing all these nefarious motivations to my actions and it’s like dude I just DONT WANNA FUCKING DIE OF COVID???? HOW IS THAT NARCISSISTIC... how is that inconsiderate when I thought covid was getting better and found out it’s worse than itd EVER been?

like what the fuck is wrong with people. they expect me to risk my life for them, and if I don’t it means I’m inconsiderate, because their wedding is more important than my safety. it makes me sick to my stomach like ARE we friends if you don’t respect me enough to consider my health concerns valid? cause friends wouldn’t make other friends risk their lives for their wedding.

like genuinely I’m fucking baffled and so hurt.... I’m trying to be reasonable and all she’s doing is attacking me being mean as shit. and im trying to ignore that and just negotiate something to where those ppl get tested at least so that I can go. but after this I really honestly don’t wanna go at all or be her maid of honor or go to her wedding. It’s really fucked up how quickly she turned on me. All I’m trying to do is be honest and realistic and make her understand that this is a huge risk for me. but to her it’s just me being narcissistic and inconsiderate and whatever. “I was scared you were gonna die when you were in hospital” but you don’t care now though I guess? lol. fuck you dude.

I’d never ever do this to you if our roles were reversed.

#wtf is wrong with healthy people?#they have zero empathy for immunocompromised people #to them we r just selfish and making excuses

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ailuronymy · 3 years

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do you think every disabled character in wc is handled poorly? i understand theres def some cases of ableism but at the same time when i hear ppl say that its usually bc the disabled cat wasnt able to become a warrior due to their disability. and i feel like ppl forget, that not everyone irl CAN do what they want after they become disabled. ex. someone wants to be an athlete, but their legs have to be amputated. a cat like briarlight esp i feel is p realistic and could be a source of comfort

Hello there, thank you for writing in. I’m going to reply to this question with a series of questions I think are a bit more useful, given what you’re trying to ask me. I hope that’ll clarify what is a deeply complex, multilayered issue.

Do I think Erin Hunter handles anything in the series “well”? Not really. I don’t have a high opinion of the work of the collective and, broadly speaking, I think every right note they play, metaphorically speaking, is an instance of chance rather than effort, skill, or intention. Stopped clocks are right twice a day, mediocre writers will sometimes do something cool by accident, similar principle. That’s not to say Erin Hunter hasn’t ever done anything on purpose--just that overall the underlying drive of the series isn’t so much quality as it is quantity, and speed of production, and it shows.

Do I think Erin Hunter puts any significant research into how they portray disability? No. I do not think it is a priority for this series. They’re not trying to make a meaningful work of literature, or capture a realistic experience of disability, or tell especially impactful or thoughtful stories, or even make a particularly good or coherent fantasy world. Warriors is a specifically commercial product that was commissioned by HarperCollins to appeal to a particular demographic of drama-loving, cat-loving kids. It’s not really trying to do anything but sell books, because it’s a business, so the text in many ways reflects that. They’re not going for disability representation, in my opinion. They’re including disability in many cases as a plot-point or an obstacle.

Do I think this means that people can’t connect to these characters and narratives in meaningful ways? No. Often I say that a work is completed only when it is read. Before that point, it doesn’t have a meaning: a reader finishes the work through the act of reading, and interpretation, and filling in the spaces and resonance of the story with their own values and experiences. When people talk about subjectivity, this is what they are talking about. What this means in the context of disabled characters in Warriors is that these characters and their stories can be multiple, conflicting, even mutually exclusive things at the same time, to different people, for different reasons.

Do I think characters have to be “good” to be significant to someone? No. I think genuinely “bad” (i.e., not researched or poorly researched, cliche, thoughtlessly written, problematic, etc. etc.) characters can be deeply meaningful, and often are. Ditto above: for many people, and especially marginalised or stigmatised people, reading is almost always an act of translation, wherein the person is reading against the creative work of the dominant culture in a way that the author likely didn’t intend or didn’t even imagine. There’s a long documented history of this in queer culture, but it’s true for just about everyone who is rarely (or unfairly) represented in media. Disabled people often have to read deeply imperfect works of fiction featuring disability and reinterpret them in the process--whether to relate to a kind of disability they don’t experience themselves but which is the closest they’re offered to something familiar, or to turn positive and meaningful what is intended as narrative punishment, or simply to create what’s commonly called headcanon about “non-disabled” characters who echo their personal experiences.

Do I think everyone has to agree? Extremely no. As I said before, people will actually always disagree, because all people have different needs and different experiences. What can be interpreted as empowering to one person might be very othering and painful for another. There is no “right” answer, because, again, that is how subjectivity works. This is especially true because marginalised communities are often many different kinds of people with different lives and needs brought together over a trait or traits they share due to the need for solidarity as protection and power--but only in a broad sense. It’s why there is often intracommunity fighting over representation: there isn’t enough, there’s only scraps, and so each person’s personal interpretation can feel threatening to people whose needs are different. You can see examples of this especially when it comes to arguments over character sexuality: a queer female character might be interpreted as bisexual by bisexual people who relate to her and want her to be, while being interpreted as lesbian by lesbians who also relate to her and want her to be like them. Who is correct? Often these different interpretations based on different needs are presented as if one interpretation is theft from the other, when in fact the situation is indicative of the huge dearth of options for queer people. It becomes increasingly more intense when it comes to “canon” representations, because of the long history of having to read against the grain I mentioned above: there’s novelty and, for some people, validation in “canon” certainty. And again, all of this is also true for disabled people and other stigmatised groups.

Do I think this is a problem? Not exactly. It is what it is. It is the expected effect of the circumstances. Enforced scarcity creates both the need for community organising and solidarity and the oppressive pressure to prioritise one’s self first and leave everyone else in the dust (or else it might happen to you). The system will always pit suppressed people against each other constantly, because it actively benefits from intracommunity fighting. Who needs enemies when you have friends like these, and so on. A solution is absolutely for everyone in community to hold space for these different needs and values, and to uplift and support despite these differences, but it’s not anyone’s fault for feeling threatened or upset when you don’t have much and feel like the thing that you do have is being taken away. It’s a normal, if not really helpful, human response. But until people learn and internalised that the media is multifaceted and able to be many things at once, without any of those things being untrue or impacting your truth of the text, then there will be fighting.

Do I think my opinion on disability on Warriors is all that important? No, not really. I can relate to some characters in some moment through that translation, but my opinion on, say, Jayfeather is nowhere near as worthy of consideration than that of someone who is blind. I don’t have that experience and it’s not something I can bring meaningful thinking about, really. That’s true for all these characters. If you want to learn about disability, prioritise reading work about disabled rights and activism that is done by disabled people, and literary criticism from disabled people. And as I mentioned above, remember that community isn’t a monolith: it’s a survival tactic, that brings together many different people with disparate experiences of the world. So research widely.

Finally--do I think there’s only one kind of disabled narrative worth telling? No. For some people, a disabled character achieving a specific, ability-focused dream is a good story. For other people, a story that acknowledges and deals with the realities, and limitations, of disability is a good story. The same person might want both of those stories at different times, depending on their mood. That’s okay. Sometimes there’s power and delight in a fantasy of overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles and defying all expectations. Sometimes there’s value and catharsis in a narrative that delves into the challenges and grief and oppression experienced because of disability. There’s no one truth.

To round all this off, I’m going to give my favourite example of this, which is Cinderella. I think it’s a great and useful tool, since for many it’s familiar and it’s very simple. Not much happens. In the story, she is bullied and tormented, until a fairy godmother gifts her over several nights with the opportunity to go to a royal ball, where she dances with a prince. The prince eventually is able to find Cinderella, due to a shoe left behind, and they are married. In some versions, the family that mistreated her are killed. In others, they’re forgiven.

Some people hate the story of Cinderella, because she is seen as passive. She tolerates the bullying and never fights back. She does every chore she’s told. She is given an opportunity by a fairy godmother, and she doesn’t help herself go to the ball. She runs from the prince and he does the work to find her again. Eventually, she’s married and the prince, presumably, keeps her in happiness and comfort for the rest of her life.

For some, this story is infuriating, because Cinderella doesn’t “save herself”: she is largely saved by external forces. She is seen as a quintessential damsel-in-distress, and especially for people who have been bullied, infantalised, or made to feel less capable or weak, that can be a real point of personal pain and discomfort.

However, for some others, Cinderella is a figure of strength, because she is able to endure such hostile environments and terrible people and never gives up her gentle nature or her hope. She never becomes cruel, or bitter. She is brave in daring to go outside her tiny, trapped world, and she is brave to let the prince find her. She doesn’t have to fight or struggle to earn her reward of happiness and prove her worth, because she was always deserving of love and kindness. The prince recognises at once, narratively speaking, her goodness and virtue, and stops at nothing to deliver her a better life.

Depending on the version, the wicked family disfigure themselves for their own greed--or are punished, which for some is a revenge fantasy; or Cinderella forgives them and once again shows her tenacious kindness, which for others is a different revenge fantasy.

The point? Cinderella is the same character in the same story, but these are almost unrecognisable readings when you put them side-by-side. Which one is right? Which one is better? In my opinion, those are the wrong questions. I hope this (long, sorry) reply is a set of more useful ones.

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lesbianlenas · 3 years

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ok real quick let me just make a case for all of u why kara comes across as a lesbian even with supercorp completely out of the picture (and it is entirely the writers’ faults). if we look at season 1 and her relationship w james she pines for him for the entire season until he finally breaks up w lucy so they can go on a date together. the second that james openly returns her affections and wants to date her kara suddenly backs down and claims that she doesn’t have the time for a relationship. outside of the show we know why this happened but in universe this is a prime example of comp het ie having a crush on a guy but rejecting him once he actually signals towards returning the affection bc the crush is not really real. and james was a great target for kara to have this sort of a comp het crush on bc from the very beginning he admired her as supergirl and inspired her to want to be a hero even more and soon becomes a very good friend and is also unavailable. whereas winn made it very clear that he liked kara which immediately made her unable to form these feelings towards him bc she already knew he reciprocated and she did not want that. want to clarify here that i am saying kara is doing this subconsciously not intentionally.

now if we go to season 2 w monel kara is completely uninterested in monel and that is very obvious for the first half of the season. they don’t get along he degrades her and won’t listen to her and that is exactly the type of guy that kara would never want to be with. when he tells her he likes her she reacts with open discomfort and puts her face in her hands and rejects him. she only gives monel a chance after alex convinces her that she should and that it will be good for her so she can have smth like her and maggie did. which deep down is exactly what kara wants in the fact that alex is with another woman. so kara agrees to date monel bc 1. she can’t justify to alex why she shouldn’t and why she doesn’t like him and she can’t justify it to herself either so she needs to date him bc of course she likes guys! and he likes her so why should she say no when alex thinks they’d be good together 2. she DOES want what alex and maggie have and she is misdirecting that desire to be with another woman onto having a relationship in general w a man in the same way that alex is doing bc she doesn’t see herself as able to have any other options. the rest of their relationship notwithstanding notice how kara is unable to tell monel she loves him until he is being sent away 1. as a pity goodbye 2. bc she knows that she won’t have to deal w the consequences of saying it so it doesn’t HAVE to mean anything. season 3 kara doesn’t try to break him up w his wife bc she doesn’t want to. and she doesn’t ask him to stay bc she doesn’t want him to either. everything she felt for him was obviously entirely surface level and there was no true emotional connection there.

and then last we have the william situation which is another perfect example of this. william asks kara on a date and she says no bc she doesn’t want to go on a date w him. nia and alex both encourage her to date him and kara finally agrees. alex tells kara she looks good in blue and to wear that and kara wears purple. the date is awkward and they have no chemistry w each other whatsoever. and once again it’s bc kara doesn’t want it to work out. she doesn’t want william to think she looks good or to have a great time w her. she’s only going out w him bc the ppl she cares abt told her to and she feels like it’s expected of her and she has no real reason not to.

so basically my conclusion here is to say that kara has always been different bc she’s an alien and has never quite felt normal or human. and kara has done a lot of things and repressed herself in many ways so that she can feel like she’s human and pretend that she is despite not actually being human. one of the most fundamental “normal” human woman experiences is to date and fall in love with a man and i’m sure that this is smth that kara has had drilled into her head not just on earth but on krypton as well. to be a lesbian would be another way that kara isn’t normal and that she’s ostracized from society for smth abt herself that she can’t change. so it’s easier for her to put on a front (just like she has done ever since she came to earth all the time) and pretend to like guys and to date them bc it’s what her friends and family expect of her and she needs just one part of herself that can “fit in” even if the rest of her doesn’t. and she already bears the burden of coming out as an alien and as supergirl and to be gay too is just too much. i also think there is a case to be made for krypton likely being heavily conservative (perhaps the reason for kara’s reaction to alex’s coming out ie “but we aren’t allowed to accept those feelings about ourselves”) which means that kara will have been raised her entire life believing this part of her to be wrong and that she’d be letting down her family if she were to act on her desires and she already has enough guilt in that area. in any case the sg writers being the worst ever at writing romances has in my opinion led to a very convincing case that kara is just experiencing comp het towards men and is a lesbian.

#michelle speaks #i said real quick and then i spent like 20 mins typing this. and for what? my own appeasement?#this is the reason why i always write kara as a lesbian in my fics aside from the fact that i am a lesbian and i like her a lot #like she has this intricate development of comp het just interwoven into her narrative. i can’t see her w/o seeing that #& i mean there is still more i could say this is only part of it. but i think u get the idea from this.

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fortune-maiden · 3 years

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oooh for the whump prompts, could i ask for 52 or 54 with jzx and wwx? i like it when ppl who don’t like each other take care of each other anyway :)

52) “Am I going to die here?” “No, okay? Just stay with me.” 54) “I’m fine.” “No you’re not, you’re losing a lot of blood.”

Finally finished!! Thank you so much for the prompt Anon! Sorry it took so long, but I enjoyed writing this! I enjoy any excuse to write Peacock Jin at his tsundere-est :)

I hope you enjoy!!

AO3

The Worst Option

“How many of us were there? It could have been anyone else. Anyone! Why did it have to be you?”

Jin Zixuan ignored the taunt. He ignored the accompanying hand gesture as well, and instead held his breath as he watched the demonic turtle circle around in the water, as though the slightest movement would get its attention.

He had half a mind to tell off Wei Wuxian for his complaining as well, but that would require having to acknowledge his presence, but also, the turtle’s continued lack of reaction to him was a comfort.

Jin Zixuan wasn’t sure what made him finally release his breath; the turtle slinking away or the realization that Wei Wuxian stopped talking.

He turned back to him and was met with a glare. Jin Zixuan glared back.

“Turtle’s gone,” he said after a moment.

“Good riddance,” Wei Wuxian agreed icily and leaned back against the rock Jin Zixuan had propped him against. One hand was still tightly clutched over his injured arm. It dripped bright red blood.

“You should do something about that,” Jin Zixuan told him.

“Happily. Just hand me the med kit I left back in Yunmeng.”

“Wei Wuxian!” Jin Zixuan snapped. “For your sake, you’d better not be insinuating that it’s somehow my fault we’re trapped here.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Wei Wuxian snapped back at him. “But why you, of all people…”

It wasn’t Jin Zixuan’s fault he’d been the closest. Or the fastest.

When the arrow shot through the air and pierced Wei Wuxian’s arm, Jin Zixuan’s body moved faster his brain, and he was at his side at once, helping to hold up the array and then moving him to safety once everyone else was gone. He didn’t realize until it was too late that his heroics would leave him trapped in the cave.

With a corrupted Xuanwu.

And Wei Wuxian.

“You aren’t my first choice either,” Jin Zixuan grumbled angrily. “I would never have saved you if I knew how ungrateful you’d be.”

“I didn’t need to be saved at all,” Wei Wuxian countered. “You think I lured that stupid turtle towards me so we’d have two idiots left in the cave?”

True. If he hadn’t been injured suddenly and spurred Jin Zixuan’s protective instincts, they could have had just one.

No. Even one was unacceptable.

“You’re a fool if you think I’d leave someone to die,” Jin Zixuan said quietly.

“And you’re a fool for thinking I would die,” Wei Wuxian said, with a roll of his eyes. His voice was suddenly quieter. Less venomous. “You think something like this is enough to do me in? I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not, you’re losing a lot of blood.”

His hand was almost completely red with it, but Wei Wuxian simply waved it around and laughed.

“Don’t you know how strong I am? I’ll have this healed up before Jiang Cheng even makes it out of Qishan!” he boasted.

The wound looked too severe for that to be true, but Wei Wuxian would never listen to anything Jin Zixuan had to say anyway, so he wouldn’t bother.

“You should get on that then,” he simply said instead and made himself comfortable.

There wasn’t much else for him to do.

-----

How long do you think we’ll be trapped here?” Jin Zixuan suddenly asked. He didn’t know how much time had passed. He had sat down in the lotus position and closed his eyes to try and meditate, but his fears kept intruding no matter how many times he tried to push them away.

“As long as it takes Jiang Cheng to get home and alert Uncle Jiang,” Wei Wuxian replied. There was no concern to be found on his pale face. Jin Zixuan hated it.

“And how long is that? Can we even last until then?”

“Of course, we can,” Wei Wuxian snapped. “Even someone like you should be able to go without food a few days.”

Of course, he could. Jin Zixuan bristled indignantly.

“A few days? Is that how long you think it takes to run to Yunmeng?”

“For Jiang Cheng, yes.”

“Ridiculous,” Jin Zixuan said. “We’re better off waiting for my parents.”

“If we have to wait for them, we really will starve. Lanling is much further away.”

“They’ll get here,” Jin Zixuan insisted. He thought about his mother, and how worried she’d be when she learned what happened. It pained him to cause her such distress, but that worry would be her greatest weapon. “Jiang Wanyin is a more valuable hostage than my clanmates. They’ll be able to get home, while Wen Chao will certainly pursue – OW!”

Wei Wuxian had thrown a pebble at his head.

“Don’t say stupid things. My shidi will save us.”

Jin Zixuan grabbed the fallen stone and threw it back. It hit Wei Wuxian’s shoulder and bounced off with a plink.

“I am being realistic.”

“You are being an asshole.”

“Wei Wuxian!” Jin Zixuan snapped, remembering more and more why it was he never liked him. After a moment of tense glaring, Jin Zixuan looked away.

“How can you have so much faith in him?”

“Because he’s my shidi. End of discussion.”

But of course, it wasn’t the end of the discussion.

“Besides if you want to talk valuable hostages, you’re forgetting Lan Zhan and Nie Huaisang. Wen Chao had it out especially for Lan Zhan.”

“And Nie Huaisang’s safety is the only thing holding his brother back,” Jin Zixuan added thoughtfully. “If he can get home, Sect Leader Nie would be in a position to retaliate.”

“Right. If Wen Chao was smart. he’d prioritize him and –

“How good do you think Nie Huaisang’s chances are if Wen Chao does that?”

Wei Wuxian didn’t answer. Jin Zixuan decided he didn’t want to answer that either.

The silence was suffocating.

“…Thankfully, Wen Chao is not smart.”

“And both Jiang Cheng and Lan Zhan are.”

That was the end of that discussion.

-----

The corrupted Xuanwu surfaced on occasion, but for the most part it slept. Jin Zixuan struggled to do the same and passed the time trying to observe a pattern to its behavior.

Wei Wuxian did the same but also kept busy in other ways. Jin Zixuan would often break out of his trance to find him pacing around, mumbling to himself, though whenever their eyes met, he would stop and retreated further into what they’d established as his side of the cave and pretend to focus on other things.

They had a good separation in place. When some of his strength returned (and he smugly declared himself completely healed), the first thing Wei Wuxian did was go around the cave and gather up the weapons left behind and then any twigs and leaves he could find for them to start a fire. They agreed to share the fire to save on supplies, but the weapons were laid out to form a dividing line.

“Of course, you’re welcome to come over to this side if you’re scared,” Wei Wuxian teased, and Jin Zixuan bristled and promised to never do such a thing.

Occasionally, Jin Zixuan asked after Wei Wuxian’s arm. Other times, Wei Wuxian complained about various things. The two didn’t have much else to say to each other.

Once though, Jin Zixuan made the mistake of asking about his former betrothed. He’d done so as a formality. He didn’t really want to know and didn’t really care, but there had been a long stretch of silence where Wei Wuxian wasn’t mumbling or complaining, and Jin Zixuan hadn’t liked it. So, when they next met up by the fire, he decided to break it.

“That’s none of your business,” Wei Wuxian immediately snapped, and the temperature of the cave seemed to plummet despite the fire they’d just started.

“She was to be my bride once. I see nothing wrong with asking about her well-being,” Jin Zixuan replied coldly, even though he’d agreed with the reply.

“Keyword: once,” Wei Wuxian hissed. “You didn’t care about her before, so you don’t get to pretend now. I don’t care what anyone else says. I’m glad her engagement to you was canceled.”

“Of course, you would be,” Jin Zixuan remarked. “One less romantic rival in your way.”

“Excuse me?” Wei Wuxian leapt to his feet and glared down at Jin Zixuan. “You are not my rival. In anything.”

“Oh? So you won’t marry her either. Heh.”

“She’s my shijie,” Wei Wuxian said slowly, emphasizing each word carefully.

“And? You’re the head disciple. There’s nothing unusual.” Jin Zixuan replied. “In some sects, it’s even preferable. And in your case, I’m surprised Jiang Fengmian didn’t leap at the opportunity. Or could it be the rumors—

“Stop,” Wei Wuxian cut him off in a venomous tone, and Jin Zixuan knew he’d messed up. He held Wei Wuxian’s hateful gaze but searched for the nearest weapon in the corners of his vision, just in case.

But Wei Wuxian didn’t attack. As the fire crackled between them and the blaze reflected in his eyes, he only said, “Shijie will marry someone who will love her and treasure her above all else. Definitely not you.”

Jin Zixuan opened his mouth to have the last say, but Wei Wuxian didn’t give him the chance. He turned around and walked into the shadows.

“I’m tired. It must be nighttime now. Good night.”

The fire lost all its warmth.

-----

Wei Wuxian stopped pacing around the cave. He stopped gathering supplies as well. He didn’t stop mumbling to himself but as he kept to his rock on his side of the cave, Jin Zixuan couldn’t hear any of it, and only knew from the way his lips twitched on occasion. He never made any more fires, nor joined in when Jin Zixuan did.

Jin Zixuan now made his own rounds now to stretch his legs and try to see whatever else there was to the cave. The longer the silence stretched, the worse the thoughts in his mind. Were his parents on their way? Did any of his clanmates reach Lanling yet? Had they even escaped successfully?

He knew at least a few days must have passed by now. His golden core kept his hunger and thirst at bay, but he could slowly feel it grow weaker and couldn’t be sure how much longer it would last.

When he brought back an armful of dried wood and found Wei Wuxian slumped against the rock asleep, clutching his injured arm, he wondered if Wei Wuxian’s energy had already ran out.

After starting a fresh fire, Jin Zixuan crossed the divider, and knelt down.

“Wake up. I’ve made a fire.”

Wei Wuxian’s response was a slow shake of his head.

“I’m going to do another circle so it’s all yours.” Jin Zixuan tried again.

“Don’t need it,” Wei Wuxian slurred. “S’hot enough.”

“Don’t be stubborn,” Jin Zixuan said with a frown and grabbed Wei Wuxian’s shoulder. This was met with a groan, and some weak attempts at breaking free, first by shaking him off and then by attempting to smack Jin Zixuan’s hand away with his own.

On the third such attempt, Wei Wuxian’s hand landed on Jin Zixuan’s, and immediately his stomach sank.

Wei Wuxian’s hand was burning.

“You’re not alright!” Jin Zixuan cried out in alarm and reached to feel Wei Wuxian’s forehead. The action was rebuffed more strongly this time but not before Jin Zixuan could confirm the fever. “Wei Wuxian, wake up! How long have you been like this?”

Memories of their last conversation swirled in his mind. Had he already been sick then?

“Are you listening to me?”

“You’re too noisy. Go away. M’trying to sleep.”

“You can sleep later,” Jin Zixuan snapped. “Show me your arm.”

“Arm’s fine.”

“Obviously it isn’t if you’re like this.” With a rough motion, Jin Zixuan grabbed his arm and swiftly pulled back the torn fabric, ripping it further.

A large angry gash greeted him, but as Jin Zixuan looked closer, he couldn’t find anything amiss. The wound was large, but it was no longer bleeding and had sealed itself up. A few dark streaks of dried blood circled it but nothing to indicate poisoning.

“Told you so.” Wei Wuxian’s glassy eyes shone with smug pride.

“This doesn’t make sense,” Jin Zixuan told him. “You must be hiding another injury somewhere. Another arrow? Or –when you dove into the water, did the turtle bite you? Or when we fought the Wen –

He stopped. When they fought the Wen, Wei Wuxian was injured. Not from a sword or an arrow but one very hot…

“Show me,” Jin Zixuan demanded, looking at a dark splotch on Wei Wuxian’s chest. “Right now.”

He didn’t wait for an affirmation. Even if Wei Wuxian refused, he had no strength to fight him off in his current state, and could only suppress a pained cry as Jin Zixuan cut back the fabric to reveal the sun-shaped brand blazing on his chest.

The wound hadn’t closed fully. Even now there were fresh specks of blood dotting it.

“Wei Wuxian!”

“I’ve expelled any impurities,” Wei Wuxian breathed out. “But it’s a stubborn one… turns out I can’t heal it and my arm and go without eating.”

“You should have said something earlier,” Jin Zixuan hissed at him, and lifted his wrist.

“Don’t. You need your strength too.”

“You can’t expect me to do nothing! We don’t have any other medicine to –

“Oh.”

“Exactly, now hold still.”

“No, not “oh, you’re right.” I meant “oh, you’re wrong”,” Wei Wuxian clarified. Slowly, he pushed himself into an upright position and reached into his robes. After some searching, he pulled out a small pink perfume sachet. “We do have medicine!”

“Where did you get that?”

“Mianmian,” Wei Wuxian answered with a growing grin. “I wanted it for Lan Zhan’s leg but… I forgot.”

Jin Zixuan swallowed back his rebuke and gratefully took the sachet.

“Give it. No sense wasting it.”

Jin Zixuan opened it up and started looking through the cut-up herbs. He knew the basics of first-aid, but had never had to treat anything like this. He wasn’t confident about his ability to tell apart the different plants. Fortunately, Wei Wuxian was still lucid enough to help.

“Looks like this one is good for stopping bleeding, and this one for curing poison,” He explained. “Crush those.”

“I know,” Jin Zixuan snapped impulsively, and started picking out the mentioned herbs. He ground them, and then pressed them into Wei Wuxian’s hand to press to his chest.

“Isn’t the guy doing first aid supposed to dashingly press the herbs onto the wound himself?” Wei Wuxian quipped, but still obediently held them in place as he took long deep breaths.

Jin Zixuan meanwhile doused the previous fire, and moved the wood towards Wei Wuxian to set it up anew. He also checked through their findings for anything to use as a bowl. If they cut up some cloth to strain the lake water with and boiled it, they could have something to better clean the wound with.

After thinking about it some more, he grabbed an arrowhead to cut a few neat strips from his own robe to use as bandages, and placed them in Wei Wuxian’s lap.

“You’re being so nice to me,” Wei Wuxian muttered. “Am I going to die here?”

“No, okay? Just stay with me,” Jin Zixuan replied. “I already told you’re a fool if you think I’d just let you die.”

Wei Wuxian hmphed to himself and closed his eyes again.

His fell back into a peaceful sleep.

-----

It would have been a stretch to say that Wei Wuxian recovered from some herbs and water but his fever fell to a more manageable warmth, and his eyes were alert and movements energetic.

He started talking again, mostly nonsense, but it filled the silence and dispelled some of Jin Zixuan’s worst anxieties. For the first time since they became trapped, he could feel hope running through him.

“– and looking back, if you hadn’t been the one to move it might have been Lan Zhan. So, uh, good job on that, I guess.”

Jin Zixuan had tuned out the first half of the conversation, but now turned to Wei Wuxian in confusion. “Good job for saving you so Lan Wangji didn’t?”

“He was injured,” Wei Wuxian reminded him pointedly. “He needed to get out of here and get proper treatment for his leg.”

“You’re injured too.”

“And we barely managed to deal with that,” Wei Wuxian remarked. “No really though. Lan Zhan needed medical attention. Nie-xiong wouldn’t last without eating. Jiang Cheng had to lead everyone out and then get help… Mianmian’s nice, but it would have been bad to leave a girl in a place like this. What I’m trying to say is… you weren’t the worst option to be stuck here with.”

“Idiot,” Jin Zixuan muttered with a scowl, but as he mentally went down the list, he couldn’t disagree.

“I’m not thanking you for it though.”

“Good. You can thank me after my mother gets us out of here.”

His father too, of course, but for some things his mother was just a bit more efficient.

“I keep telling you, Jiang Cheng will be the one to save us,” Wei Wuxian retorted. “We should bet on it.”

“There’s nothing you have that I could possibly want.”

“Likewise, but we can figure that part out later. Or just go for a classic winner bosses loser around.”

“Because you need an excuse for that.”

“Because I’m going to win.” Wei Wuxian’s grin was full of life, a welcome change from the weak forced smirks from… not even that long ago.

(Jin Zixuan hoped his expressions were still the same way. At the very least, he would not allow himself to break before Wei Wuxian.)

“More importantly though, I’ve decided I’m tired of waiting around for Jiang Cheng like some helpless damsel,” Wei Wuxian announced and picked himself up, stretching tall. “I want a trophy.”

“What are you going on about now?” Jin Zixuan frowned, but then realized where exactly Wei Wuxian was looking and leapt up in alarm. “No!”

“Why not? We came here for a night hunt. Someone should bring back some kind of prize, right?” More seriously, he added, “We’ve been trapped here at its mercy for at least some days. I want to get even.”

“You’ll be killed.”

“Not on your watch,” Wei Wuxian said, and Jin Zixuan regretted ever saying those words. “I’ve had a way to bring down that thing down for a while now, but then that stupid fever rose – I finally feel up to it again. I don’t want to lose this chance.”

Jin Zixuan suddenly recalled those his pacing, and mumbling, and the long hours spent watching the turtle…

“You really have a plan? Even without our swords?”

“Yep,” Wei Wuxian answered readily. “It’s funny, all this time I thought you being here was just good because it meant someone else wasn’t. But you may still be useful yet. For a peacock.”

Jin Zixuan rolled his eyes, but let the insult slide. He could tolerate a little name-calling if it meant they could really bring down the Xuanwu.

“And I suppose you may finally prove yourself worth saving. Twice now.”

He held out his hand to Wei Wuxian.

Wei Wuxian readily took it.

“So here’s the plan…”

#mo dao zu shi #mdzs #wei wuxian #jin zixuan #the untamed #xuanwu cave #fortune's fanfics #anon i hope this finds you!#it was not originally going to be a canon divergence fic but somehow it ended up that way #wen summer camp jzx is my favorite jzx though #he's a good boy #he's just also dumb #ihaveatype #does this fic count as whump though ^^''#i feel like its more hc #but i don't really know the difference

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idk-my-aesthetic · 4 years

Text

Let’s talk about Azula

For a long time I’ve had really really mixed feelings about her. She’s a kid, only 13 years old, and was abused by Ozai just like zuko was. Only in a different way. She’s a victim in her own right, the show makes that more than clear with her and Zuko’s final battle. It’s a tragedy that these two are fighting, not a triumph like the airship battle or the battle between Ozai and Aang.

But also.... she’s toxic. She controls people by fear, even her friends are terrified of her. She smiles when Zuko’s burned, and she suggests destroying the earth kingdom. She tries again and again to kill zuko. I never thought it was really her fault or who she really is, but I also thought she was just too far gone. that her mind had been too poisoned by Ozai and that she was by that point just a tragic image of what could have happened to zuko

Even saying that, I really wanted her to be redeemed. I’d read some fics with it but it never felt quite right or in character. I thought she was just too far gone to be redeemed

And then I rewatched the finale

And honestly.... I’m realizing I was wrong about her

I think that there are kinda a lot of misconceptions about Azula. In part bc the fandom in general is..... not really nice to her. Which I get!! Her character and the abuse she went through is even more complex then Zuko’s (which is saying a lot). The show focuses almost exclusively on her toxic side, and we don’t really see the more hurt/broken side of her until literally the final episode. Plus we don’t really see who she was before Ozai’s influence like we do with Zuko.

All of which is an unfortunate consequence of a real redemption arc being planned for her and then later cut for time.

So bc of all that her character is really really complex. And I think that with how difficult she is to understand + consuming fan content with how a lot of ppl misinterpret her, she ends up becoming a straight villain like Ozai in most people’s mind’s

Which, again, I don’t blame ppl for. I had the same mindset for a long time

And it’s easier that way. In order to understand her you need to put a lot of energy into trying, and most ppl don’t want to. And I don’t blame them. Azula as she is in the show is incredibly difficult to like

But I think if you do take a look, specifically at the things she says in the final episodes, you’ll see that deep down she’s just a scared kid. A lot like zuko.

If you look closely at Azula everything she does is motivated by fear. Fear others have for her and fear she has of her father

Azula is terrified of their father. In a way I don’t think zuko even is. Because he at some points wants their father’s love but Azula never seems to want that. His favor, yes, but never love

There’s a handful of scenes during the Sozin’s comet 4-parter that I think explain who Azula really is.

First, when Ozai starts to tell her she’s being left behind on the day of Sozin’s comet she panics. She’s terrified that she did something to lose her father’s favor, and starts desperately explaining why she still deserves it

And she says something insanely revealing. “You can’t treat me like zuko”

And I think that explains so much about her relationship to zuko. She grew up seeing how much her father hurt him. And she was so terrified of her father.... she didn’t want that to happen to herself

So she had two options. Be “weak” like zuko, or hurt him to gain Ozai’s favor and protect herself. I think it’s pretty clear what she did.... though I can’t really blame her. She was a scared kid trying to survive.

The whole reason the two of them have such a bad relationship is because she wouldn’t let them have a good one. She couldn’t let them have a good relationship, not if she wanted to survive living with their father

And when I say survive, I mean it. Azula does not love him or follow him out of a sense of duty like zuko. She relizes way earlier than zuko does that Ozai is a cruel horrible person. Everything she does is an attempt to not get on his bad side.

She literally says to the hallucination of their mother that the only thing that can control people is fear. And there is only one person who Azula will listen too. Her dad is the only one to have any control over her because he is the only person she is afraid of

And Azula doesn’t like doing this. She doesn’t enjoy being cruel. She convinces herself that she does, because if she acted differently she’d lose their father’s favor

How do I know? Literally look at the whole deal with her and Ursa. Azula knows Ursa was uncomfortable and unsettled when she started acting like Ozai. she kept doing it to protect herself, but when she talks about how her mother “thought she was a monster” she clearly hates herself for it.

She doesn’t want to act like this. She does it to protect herself. And then she justifies it again and again and again because she knows it’s wrong but she wants to be right. she wants to be good

She tells herself she has to treat zuko badly because he is bad at everything. That he deserves all the things that happened to him bc he isn’t worthy, or he’s untalented, or he’s a traitor, or he’s weak, or whatever.

She tells herself that she can’t have friends. That the only way she can control people is by making them fear her. That if they fear her, like how she fears her father, then they can’t betray her

She tells herself that love and kindness are weak, and that the only way to survive is to be cruel and ruthless

She makes herself believe all that BS and completely internalized it, all to seem strong to her father. All because she’s afraid of him.

And the second that those beliefs, beliefs that have kept her safe from her father’s wrath, are challenged, she snappes. Because mai and ty lee aren’t scared enough of her. They betrayed her.

She’s not terrifying enough to be safe. She’s not terrifying enough that people won’t hurt her. If they’re not afraid of her, then they’re going to hurt her.

She slowly unravels through the final episodes. She’s convinced everyone in the palace is trying to hurt her, because she’s not terrifying enough to be invincible.

And she’s struggling. She’s confused. Because if fear isn’t keeping her safe, then what was the point of all this? If it’s not keeping her safe, then turning into a monster that her mother hates was for nothing

But also.... maybe she was just weak. Maybe she just needed to be stronger, crueler.

And the whole time she’s walking on ice. Terrified of her servants and the dai lee and lee and lo. But she needs to keep her composure, needs to pretend every thing is fine.

Because she is so, so much more terrified of her father. Terrified she’s not composed enough, not cruel enough, not strong enough for him not to hurt her

So. Yeah. Sorry for the angst. But.... Azula is a very complex character. And most people try to just turn her into Ozai jr and... she’s not. She’s pretending she is, so well that she’s convinced even herself

Edit: BTW I’m in NO way saying that this excuses any of her actions. I’m just saying she deserves a chance at redemption while others like Ozai do not. And trying to bring attention to some aspects of her personality that I think are less noticed or misinterpreted

#avatar #atla #zuko atla #azula atla #mai atla #long post #atla meta #ty lee atla #princess azula #avatar the last airbender #avatar tla #child abuse tw #child abuse #abusive father #tagging for blacklist

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notsolong-pause · 3 years

Text

ship requests

“Hey 👋 . Can I get a male HP ship (from both eras if possible) pls . Thank u so much ! . So I m a Gryffindor (with a bit of Slytherin ) . In my free time , I would love to read fantasy or sci-fic novels or facts maybe , listen to music , research about anything I want to , do something my parents denied me off maybe . If my friends are available , I'll also go downstairs with them and play . I m not as such interested in sport but I love to play cricket and badminton . My hobbies are dancing , horseriding , reading , researching , cyber and swordfighting (I haven't done it yet tho). I love the trope of fake relationship or enemies to lovers

Next is my personality . Well , I can be shy if I m not comfortable with the person , but if I am then I am very talkative . I don't trust ppl at the beginning until they prove themselves . I m very reliable and trustworthy but I tend to hide my emotions . I like my privacy, I don't even share that with my bestie sometimes . I come off as a rebel and I can get annoyed very easily . I love to organise a room . Everyone comes to me for advice . I also have a very good sense of humour which comes out in front of ppl I'm comfortable (they say I never used to fail to surprise them with my hidden qualities) . I m also quite modest . I m a risk-taker and I always stand up to my friends , I also have their back sometimes . I can also be a bully to my enemies or my friend's enemies but only if they start it first . Idk what is it , but ppl tell me I carry a powerful aura and many boys get attracted to me . Also , the popular ones used to attract to me a lot because I could be seen as a quiet nerdy girl . I come off as very unique at first meeting . I m practical with my decisions but as said , I hide my emotions or else the emotions would have led me. I m also a human lie detector , or that's what my family tells me . The thing that stands out in me isy dressing style . I am very curious. I m also very much mysterious . I m loyal to a fault . Now my flaws are that sometimes I don't believe my friends at all and it hurts them since they ask me to be honest and I tell them the truth . I can be blunt and cold without realising it but I don't mean to . I am an extrovert so keeping me from doing something can make me insecure . I m sensitive to criticism . I can be super suspicious, like a looott . I hate when ppl try to control me, even my parents so I end up going against them or I follow their instructions half-heartedly . I can be very very stubborn . I also get many intuitions but I ignore them . I hate when ppl are unreliable , everyone's lazy but atleast they should do their work after some rest . I also hate arrogant boastful PPL . I hate when someone disrespects me and I immediately cut them off from my life . I hate lame excuses given by the ppl whom I expect something to do and they didn't. I am very patient but once they cross their lines , they wish they hadn't . I guess this is too much ? (Lol sorry but excited ) Thank u so much for ur time dear 💗”

a/n: Hi! Thank you for so many details!! It’s lovely. You also asked for TMR ship, so I’ve decided to do a HP form one era and one for TMR. Hopefully, you are okay with that:)

p.s.: sorry for being a Draco slaughter. i’m also doing all the other requests, thank you for them!! they are going to be trade in a day or two. sending love <3

Harry Potter:

I ship you with Fred Weasley

(so badly, you’re a perfect match)

First of all... being stubborn and taking risks is something that you probable have in common, which is going to create a perfect enemies to lovers dynamic. Maybe academic/prancing rivalry?

You constantly mocking each other, but not meaning any harm or anything, even though others might think that you hate one another

Him always helping you to break the rules if needed, but still making sure that everything is alright, and everyone is safe. And you would keep an eye on him back, supporting him when he doesn’t know what to do

He would be surprised when you started to open up, and crack jokes, but would love them so badly. And he definitely is very grateful whenever (and if) you chose to tell him something private, and wouldn’t tell anyone else even if he was tortured

You would always give amazing ideas for the shop products. And he would be like: “Where do you know that from?” “Don’t know, just thought it was interesting and decided to investigate”

You were walking in the dull lights of a corridor from the late detention in the Snape’s dungeons. You got this one for arguing with a certain Weasley. This was entirely his fault, though, but he didn’t get caught, and you could still see the stupid smirk on his stupid face when you were assigned to come down here after classes. The Slytherin do was just nearby, and you heard a couple of voices around the corner. You were hopping these were some of your friends from Slytherin, but as you listen closely you herald none other than Malfoy. “These Weaslebeeys are ignorant trash just like their father. Who’s would willingly study what muggles’ life’s are like? That’s just dumb”you didn’t know whether he was just showing off in front of his friends or if he was being serious, but you were furious at the moment.

“Malfoy!” - you energetically approached the group.

“Another gryffindor”, - he smirked. “Why don’t you spend an evening at your dorm or some other lame place?”

“Cut it. Take it back” - you face was almost stone cold. Eyes glimmering dangerously in the flickering light.

“Are you defending the Weaslebees?” - he grimaced, being so proud of himself for no reason.

“It’s not their name, and they don’t need any defense. You’re being an arrogant prick towards my friends, and I’m not going to tolerate that.” - you were stiff, your fists clenched in order to hold back the anger. How dared he speak in such diminishing manner about people 100 times better than him!

“What are you going to about it?” He replied cheekily, stepping forward.

“Well... I don’t know, how about TheLocomotor Wibbly!” - you were gripping tightly onto your wand, and Draco suddenly fell to the floor. His legs turned to jelly.

“You little...” one of his friends pointed your wand towards you, opening his mouth to jinx you back. Suddenly there was a loud bang, everything was covered with the thick smoke, and you were pulled to the corner. You instinctively pointed a wand on the person in front of you, still unable to see anything.

“Easy, lady” you recognized the voice. “Fred? What are doing here?” you were genuinely surprised, and started wondering how much has he heard. “Came to rescue you from the Snape’s claws” he smirked. “Why?” you didn’t understand a thing. “No fun being brilliant if you can’t see that and get jealous” - he cocked his eyebrows. You huffed back. “Well, thank you, I suppose.” “Oh good, I thought I’d never hear that”. You surprised a smile. “Let’s move already”.

“By the way”, he stopped you, “did I hear you calling me a friend?” You nudged his shoulder. “Don’t think too much of it, Weasley”.

The maze runner:

I ship you with Gally

He’s the one to understand you not opening up fully and immediately and keeping things to yourself for 110%. He’s mysterious himself, and he can give you every time in the world (sorry, i’m love him sm)

Again... the enemies to lovers dynamic, ESPECIALLY considering the whole thing with him killing Chuck (still hurts, though).

He can be very protective from time to time, so you can have “Because I care for you!!” arguments when you’re being reckless and decide to risk in order to save him.

He's honestly the sassy king of the show. Taking your sense of humour in account, I belive that he would really appreciate that you have it and can back him up. So you would exchange jokes back and forth

He's also absolutely giving you every freedom in the world not even attempting to control you or tell you what to do, he would only give out advices. And as far as he realises you're sensitive to crticizm, he starts to control himself in order not to hurt you.

"Please, never do that again". You and Gally were walking around the Last City, back to the shelter.

"Do what?" You asked, raising your head to the boy slightly ahead of you.

"You know what I'm talikng about". He turned his head to you, and stopped in the shaddow of the narrow street between the houses. His gaze was pretty serious, and both of you were extremely tired after yet another mission in attempt to undermine the existing regime.

"I don't think I do". You looked up at him with the confusion in your eyes.

"What you did back there was very risky, and you could have not make it. Don't risk like that ever again".

"But the cranks would've gotten you then". You protested. In your opinion, what you did was the only option.

"I appreciate the concern, but I could I handle it". He was starting to get stubborn, while you were getting angry.

"That's not true. One of them was hanging on your throat. That's not something people cal 'I handle it'". You threw your arms in the air, gesturing.

"I'm not letting them take me instead of you!" Gally was almost shouting at this point.

"Well, I'm not letting them take you either!"

"Great!"

You both went silent and were walking angrily towards your shelter, turning, sneaking, and hiding.

"Gally". You called in a few minutes. "It's just that I really care about you".

"I know". He told you, looking back again. "Just promise me, you're going to be careful".

"You know I really can't promise, but at least I'll try".

#ship requests #reader #reader insert #x reader #y/n #the maze runner #tmr #gally #gally x reader #the death cure #hp #harry potter #fred weasley x reader #fread weasley #weasley twins #fred and goerge weasley #golden era #hp x reader #submission

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thethiefandtheairbender · 4 years

Note

What’s the issue with zutara?

with the ship? nothing, beyond it being a tired ship archetype i’m tired of seeing, and it’s just not my personal taste, and i think they have a stronger bond as (narratively reinforced) surrogate siblings.

the rabid zk shippers? everything.

the way they demonize aang and the buddhist principles he upholds in ways that eerily reflect how ozai - head fire nation imperialist - sees them

they way they scream about thematic graces (zuko is fire and katara is water!!) and yet completely ignore how themes work in aang’s arc bc it dismantles a good chunk of their critique at him

ignorance of the fact the ZK fandom has spent the past 15+ years bashing aang for every little thing they could get their hands on (i have legit seen anti KA, pro ZK metas claim that bc aang doesn’t carry katara’s basket in 1x04 he’d never help her with chores... even though in 1x03 he started the campfire all on his own... smells like bullshit)

they think aang is an abusive manchild

favouring the loss of katara’s mother at the hands of the fire nation so hard over the loss of her culture because zuko can only relate to the first and aang can relate to both, but they can’t let that happen now can they

The horrific quantity of transphobia and hate they aimed at Mai.

Death threats being sent to Maiko shippers to the point where someone who moved on to the Marvel fandom still considers Zutara the worse experience and

i was a finn fan in the star wars fandom for 3+ years and flat out left the fandom because of how racist the reylo fandom was, and i actually think ZK stans are worse than Reylo shippers, too

the ehasz conspiracy they crafted that consists of 3 batshit beliefs: 1) bryke and aaron ehasz - head writer of atla - had a secret feud bc they disagreed on ships 2) bryke wanted KA & ehasz wanted ZK, 3) ZK was supposed to be canon but was foiled at the last minute by evil bryke

this got to the point where ehasz himself in the past couple of years had to debunk ZK interviews or information he apparently gave as false rumours

why the conspiracy is bullshit

taking quotes out of context of both lore and conflict in order to paint them as romantic

how unbearable and dominating they’ve been in the atla fandom, particularly on tumblr, until very recently. this comic is not an exaggeration.

claiming that aang assaulted katara by kissing her in “the ember island players” even if she’s reciprocated twice in the past, katara easily and immediately pulls away, tells him to back off, and aang does and berates himself

think that zuko using katara’s necklace against her is peak romantic foreshadowing bc it turns out her necklace is a betrothal one, but anything along those lines with aang - who weaved her a new one, gave it to her, and retrieved her old one from zuko, and got a kiss on the cheek from katara for it - is just reading too much into it / gets completely ignored

claiming that KA was only canon bc it’s “hero gets the girl” while ignoring canon ZK would have been that but in the most stereotypical way possible

the way they treat katara like a shallow teenage girl

claiming that mai is abusive and toxic, which is untrue, and ignoring all of zuko’s faults in their relationship (like extreme & physical jealousy and anger issues) because “zuko is a uwu good boy who deserves better”

ignore zuko’s entitled behaviour towards katara while demonizing aang for privately getting jealous two (2) times and then once he removes himself from the situation that’s upsetting him aang assumes that katara doesn’t have feelings for him and presents that to her as a valid option

the hyper focus on ZK parallels while ignoring that aang has all those same parallels with them too. Z and K both lost their moms? aang lost his parental figure too and also has a necklace to remember gyatso by. ZK both have alter egos!! yeah the blue spirit robs ppl and helps the avatar. aang’s kuzon and katara’s painted lady happen back to back and are both created to help the fire nation citizens who are suffering under their own government!! katara and aang even help each other do so!! you get the gist

a more objective reading of the scene they claim shows a profound understanding

how the stan ZK fandom operates with a cult like mentality

i could go on and talk about how they straight up ignore or misremember canon events (ie. “aang didn’t let go of katara in s2” except that he literally did, because had to let her go to access the avatar state, did so, and then was shot with lightning in the avatar state... it happened and is kind of a major plot point), harass other shippers and cast members and have for years, cross tag, etc. but i think you get the point

it truly is a case of “i didn’t even know this ship existed” to “huh okay not my cup of tea but i get the appeal” to “if i ever see this ship and the rhetoric that follows it ever again in my entire life it’ll be too soon”

#thanks for asking #anonymous #anti zutara #atla fandom #Anonymous

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chaoticspacefam · 3 years

Note

(Fandom meme) B and N 👀

Thank you for the asks, Pinky! @palepinkycat I’m gonna stick to SWTOR for this one since I p much live in this fandom now, y’all are never getting rid of me. I’m like the lil funky ghost that comes with the apartment 🤪😂

This got long again oops, so under a cut to avoid eating/lagging ppl’s dashes bc of the gifs. No specific trigger warnings tho, so continue without a worry, this is just because it got kinda long :P

B - A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind

I have a couple, actually!

1) Lana/Koth (and by extension Saarai/Lana/Koth) - this one actually started as a silly animatic idea to the song “Sorry I Stole Your Girlfriend” by Stereo Skyline (which, yes, is also where their ship name comes from ;) XD) which I shared with one of my friends on Discord (who afaik doesn’t have a tumblr, but they’re gr8 and I love them very much owo), and then in a cider-tipsy 3am revelation my brain gremlins took control and put to me the idea of “But what if they ALL kissed?” basically. Fren encouraged me to do it bc they thought it sounded cute af, and around that time I also started vibing with Bagel over Discord, who further jumped on the “polyam triad gremlin train” and that was that. So y’all can blame my anonymous amazing Discord friend and @darth-bagel for encouraging me to make the OT3 a thing even tho there was pretty much NO content of the sort (I think there’s one other Lana/Koth fic on AO3??) So this is literally a case of:

They’re very cute, I love them SO much they are literally my new favourite ship to write. I would die for all three of them 🥺🥺🥺 & the haters can die mad about it lmao

2) Sith Inquisitor(F! mostly for me but ya know, I think M!Inquisitor could work just as well :’3)/Andronikos: at first I was very reticent to try this one, bc I started out with a M!Inq and I was worried Andronikos would be like Doc 2.0, but I saw a lot of nice fanfics for them and decided to try it out with Ni’kasi and that’s it. I love them now. I would die for them just as much as the OT3 XD

3) F!Jedi Consular/F!Sith Warrior: Again, because there is just a stunning lack of this content on AO3, see the gif in #1 😂 This is 100% Ariano’s fault, they’ve wormed their way into my angstyfluff brainrot. This pairing has so much potential guys. THE DRAMA. THE ✨A N G S T✨ I cannot talk about it enough 🥺

Honourable mentions for: Jaesa/Vette and Ashara/Jaesa which are rlly darn cute, and also bc it was the first longfic I ever read, and idk the author’s tumblr or if they’re even active anymore, but I need to go back and re-read the fic one day: F!Jedi Knight/F!Sith Warrior and Jaesa/Vette/Kira because the way they wrote them in that fic was so good I cri ;A;

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice)

1) Repeatable 👏 Companion 👏 and 👏 romance 👏 cutscenes!!! BIOWARE. GIVE ME. NOW. I don’t care if it’s the same 3 - 4 animations/cutscenes that can be replayed at my leisure/whenever I want, I WANT IT. ghsyugyudfd

2) More vanilla companion and romance content in general. A lot of my toons have romanced either Koth or Lana so we get a fair bit in KOTFEET but after that even they haven’t had much. Poor Vano hasn’t had a decent convo with Vette, who she considers like a sister, since her re-recruitment in KOTFE. GIVE ME CONTENT, DEVS, I MISS THEM *stamps my tiny feet* Also, leading in from this: more “neutral”/non-romance dialogue options without having to be a dick to ppl, please?!?! Just bc I don’t wanna smash doesn’t mean I wanna be mean (to everyone. Some of them deserve it, but most of them, I would actually like to be friends with, pwease?! XD)

3) More varied companions!! There’s a whole goddamn galaxy of REALLY COOL interesting species, why are like 90% of our perma-companions all human Bioware?! I know you can do better than that. Gimme more Purebloods, Nautolans, Mirialans, hell, every species tbh. I just think they’re neat ok.

Honourable mentions: POLYAM RELATIONSHIPS IN CANON: LET ME KISS THEM BOTH BIOWARE, YOU COWARDS! ✨ Vaylin “redemption” arc ✨ (and by that I don’t necessarily mean that she has to join the Alliance but at least a tiny sort of rapport with an Outlander who is willing to try enough to plant the thought in her head that they hate Valkorion as much as she does, who can help Vaylin get away from all the conditioning and let her disappear off to Voss or wherever she needs to go to heal herself from all that trauma bc Vaylin deserved better goddammit!), more “repeatable” content in KOTFEET style, I know it’s probably reaching/impossible but I really want the option to rerun the class stories without having to make another clone ok. I’m gonna run outta those slots eventually bioware P L S 🥺 , options to “recruit” long-running NPCs from the other expacs that we never see again e.g. Cytharat and others I can’t think of rn but like...lemme?? pls, bioware 🥺🥺, aaanddd finally, more female companions that aren’t your padawan/apprentice/significantly at a power loss in comparison to you??? it’s super creepy c’mon ughh.

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wri0thesley · 4 years

Text

unfortunately i wrote sorbet n gelato cockwarming because the self ship server is just a fucking. ENABLER HAVEN. i blame @purplehazescape for this mostly

warnings: NOT SFW afab reader, neutral pronouns aside from italian terms (troia/puttana/amore) reader wears a skirt. slurs. threat of death. knives. blood. public play. bringing ppl into your kink without consent. i dont know how to explain this dynamic im just . . . bro im just horny

“What? You don’t think you can take it?” Gelato leans over in front of you, chucking your chin, grin playing about his own mouth (you see the flash of sharp teeth - you’ve always wondered if they’re naturally like that, or if Gelato is simply fucked up enough to have gotten it done cosmetically). “Amore, if I’m going to have to give up my seat to you--”

“If you know what’s good for you,” Sorbet intones, and the bigger man’s hands are suddenly settling either side of your hips, heavy and warm. “You’ll take it.”

You shiver. You wet your lips.

“What will you do to me if I can’t?” You ask, your voice soft, your lashes lowered - and Gelato throws his head back and laughs that wild iron-grate-see-saw laugh of his, that you by all accounts should hate but still sends a thrill through you. You know him well enough to tell his laugh of amusement and his laugh of anger and frustration apart by now, and you - lucky you - always seem to manage to err on the side of entertainment.

“Best you don’t find that out, hmm?” Sorbet’s breath is warm against your neck.

Gelato moves across the room, cat-like, delicately considering the other options of places he can sit - but through it all, his dark eyes do not move from you and Sorbet.

“I want to watch,” Gelato breathes, as he eventually perches on the side of Risotto’s favourite armchair. “I want to see them take you, Sorbetto--”

The sing-song tone of Gelato’s voice as he uses the pet name sends another pleased shiver through your body, as does the hungry way that Gelato’s gaze rests on both of you. Sorbet’s hands travel over your hips, pausing to rest on your thighs, hot fingertips digging into soft flesh as he flips up the skirt (chosen this morning just for this purpose, because Sorbet had leaned over you in the wardrobe and thrust it into your hands, telling you ‘You’ll want this’). After they’d made their request - no, perhaps order is a better word - you’d been grateful that they’d thought ahead.

“You’re already ready for me, puttana,” Sorbet hisses, and he roughly digs his painted nails into your flesh to turn you slightly towards Gelato and Gelato’s hungry, hungry eyes. “See, Gelatino?”

“Shameless,” Gelato breathes, his eyes raking over the damp spot on your underwear, even as you try fruitlessly to press your thighs together and hide your shame. “It’s a good job Sorbet’s taking pity on you, troia. If you weren’t filled up, who knows who else you’d go begging for cock--”

The noise that escapes your own throat is a low needy whine, as Sorbet’s fingers move and gently rub at your slit through the underwear, the fabric rapidly dampening.

“You’re so easy,” Gelato continues, his eyes not leaving you for a moment. “We give you a scrap of attention and you’re like a fucking puppy dog, brazen little whore--”

“He’s right, you know,” Sorbet growls, and you hear the elastic in your underwear snap and wonder why you even bother wearing it with these two around. “Only a whore would let us use them like this. Only a whore would spread their legs and sit there right in front of everyone else on their team with one of their lovers’ cocks buried inside them--”

Breathlessly, you whisper;

“W-who said I was going to just let you?”

It’s like a switch being pulled. Sorbet is dragging you backwards, hands knit in your hair, teeth sinking into your neck at the same time as Gelato is moving across the room lightning-fast, pressing himself so close to you that you feel the heavy heat of his cock in military fatigues pressing against your thigh - and something metal and sharp pressing against your other. The moan-whimper dies in your throat as Gelato drags the knife up your body, nicking the shirt you’re wearing just a little, knife tip pressing against your clavicle.

“It would be so quick,” Gelato reminds you - you never know whether his threats are empty or not, and that’s what has your heart hammering and breath catching and underwear soaking. “If you aren’t good for us . . . amore, you’d hardly be the first toy we’ve broken--”

Sorbet’s teeth, dragging along your flesh, and your moan is strangled. Sorbet himself huffs laughter into the shell of your ear, breath hot. His cock digs hard into your ass.

“You’re lucky we like you,” he reminds you, rasping. “Lucky you take us so well--”

Gelato moves the knife, tapping it thoughtfully for a moment against your lips, barely missing nicking your lip (bitten, bleeding lips would hardly give the rest of the team pause amongst the three of you, so you can only assume he never meant to hurt you and not that he’s teasing you).

“Be good for Sorbet,” he reminds you. “Or the rest of the team will get to know what it is you’re doing, and we won’t like them thinking of you like that at all.”

You nod, swallowing - and you receive a dazzling smile from Gelato, practically vibrating as he takes his place back on the arm of Risotto’s chair. Sorbet is almost lazy as his other hand moves down and you hear the zip of his trousers, fingers squeezing your ass, questing to the slick lips of your sex. He snorts as he feels that you’ve just gotten wetter, despite the fact mere moments ago Gelato had a knife pressed against you - and then, you’re pulled backwards even more, and your breath hitches as the head of Sorbet’s cock brushes your entrance.

“S-Sorbet--” you start, trying to speak, but Gelato smirks and taps his lips as you hear the faintest sounds of stirring, feet on a staircase, grumbles from the rest of your team. A spark of panic registers dull in the back of your mind, the tip of Sorbet’s cock slick and thick as his hand wraps around your middle - Sorbet is big. Sorbet’s a stretch for you to take even when the situation is favourable, an aching heat that leaves you sore for days-- “Sorbet, please, be g-gen--aah---”

You should have known the ‘please’ would get him - it always does. You should have known the minute Sorbet and Gelato sensed your panic in the air, they’d abuse it - because no sooner have you opened your mouth to beg than Sorbet has thrust up and pulled you down and ten thick inches are buried in you to the hilt, the burning stretch white hot for a moment as you cry out. Your vision is whited out, but you see Gelato across the room huff and a hand rub at the front of his fatigues, hear Sorbet’s satisfied growl into your ear whilst your body tries desperately to adjust to the new sensation--

“Oh!” That’s Formaggio’s voice, calling out your name in concern. “We heard you cry, are you o-- oh.” Your vision comes back into focus enough to see the pantomime play out - Formaggio’s brow, knit with worry, softening as he realises you’re with Sorbet and Gelato. Any cries of pain coming from this room, then, it’s generally agreed are your own fault for getting involved with the two of them. “Huh. Weird to see you not on Sorbet’s lap, Gelato.”

Your vision still feels blurry, but the ache inside you is starting to subside from a burning expanse into something more manageable. You’re aware your breathing is a little heavy, but the way Sorbet has wrapped his arms around you (both to hide the fact your stomach is probably bulging a little and to keep your clothes covering you and to keep you prostrate against him) is covering most of it.

“They got there first,” Gelato drawls, his eyes shifting to you, crawling over your body. “So I had to give up my throne for today.” Gelato shrugs, grinning. “Maybe Risotto will let me sit on his lap.”

“Or you could sit like a normal person on a fucking seat,” Ghiaccio grumbles, entering the room. He spares a glance at you and Sorbet - Sorbet moves one hand, lazily, to fake a wave and the way that it makes his body shift in even the slightest way has you biting your tongue to stop a moan slipping out. Sorbet doesn’t miss your trouble - he leans low against you, lips against your earlobe, and murmurs;

“Behave.”

So you do.

You’re a little distracted, clearly, when team members greet you and all you can do is offer a weak ‘mm’ in response (it’s difficult to think of anything other than Sorbet’s cock inside you, perfectly still). Even Gelato’s teasing - which you’d usually respond to with barbed wire comments that make him grin and spark and laugh - when people ask why you’ve taken Gelato’s usual spot doesn’t manage to provoke much of a reaction from you. All you can think of is how big he is, how good it feels, that ache inside you that had been stroked when Sorbet’s fingers had dipped into your slit and the two of them had called you a slut--

You bite down hard on your lip to stop from shifting, pressing against Sorbet’s chest, whining for more stimulation. You won’t bring yourself to beg in front of the rest of the team, who think everything is normal! Though Gelato’s grin is shit-eating, you try and bite down on your lip and keep quiet.

It’s all fine. Gelato takes Sorbet’s assignments from next to Risotto (Risotto had not, predictably, let him sit on his lap - Gelato had thrown his head back and laughed and you’d seen a genuine flash of fear in Pesci’s eyes that perhaps this was going to push Gelato’s angry switch, but the blond had remained good-natured.)

You know why Gelato had remained good-natured, of course - he’s enjoying watching your eyebrows knit and your body stay still, the flush on your cheeks and the way you’re having to count your breaths so that you don’t give the game away by panting. Sorbet, behind you, is utterly relaxed.

Bastard.

Sorbet’s always had patience, though - patience that you know he doesn’t get to exercise with Gelato, who has never sat still in his life. Instead, Sorbet has you to play with for his more elaborate waiting games - a night spent gagged with one of the bigger toys inside you, coming over and over again, when Gelato and Sorbet had a hit to attend to. A day when you were only allowed to say ‘yes, Master’. A day you’d spent chained and blindfolded, bent over the desk in their room - Sorbet and Gelato coming in to fuck you every so often without even announcing their presence, so it was down to the way they fucked you and the feel of their cock - wherever they decided to put it - to tell you who was in the room with you at any one time.

The daydreaming and memories get away from you, thoughts of times when you were actually being fucked instead of being made to take part in this slow torture of having something so close to you and yet utterly still swimming in your mind to mock you.

Sorbet pokes you in the stomach and you blink, pulled from your thoughts.

Risotto is looking at you, ink and blood eyes perturbed, something held in his hand.

Fuck.

Your assignments for the week.

“You can fucking lean forward,” Ghiaccio grumbles. “He’s not that far away from you, and Sorbet can’t be that comfortable--”

“He’s very comfortable, believe me,” Gelato purrs at Ghiaccio, and Pesci blushes and Prosciutto clicks his tongue as if chastising a dog, tired.

“Come on,” The latter says, his blue eyes staring hard and cold into you. “We all have places to be. Take them so we can get on with it.”

Helplessly, you look at Gelato - but no. Gelato’s grin is shit-eating as always, eyes bright. Sorbet sighs, a sound of annoyance that has everyone on hold.

“Get them yourself, amore,” Gelato croons, his eyes not leaving you for a moment. “You’re capable of it, aren’t you?”

You don’t want to move on Sorbet’s cock, afraid of how the ridges and veins and the feeling of his shaft inside you might make your thighs jump and your composure slip - helplessly, you look from Gelato to Risotto again, but then Sorbet himself leans forward and oh my God--

You don’t realise you’ve moaned out loud, eyelids fluttering closed, breath hitching and cheeks flushing, until Illuso cackles with laughter and Prosciutto hisses;

“You have got to be kidding me--”

“In the fucking living room?”

“In front of everyone?”

“Are you really on his--”

“Jesus Christ--”

Through everyone’s groans and uncomfortable flushes and, you don’t fail to notice, sudden boners (Melone’s outfit leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination after all), one voice is unmistakable: a rusty iron gate, laughing, crowing;

“You really are shameless, aren’t you?”

Your face is burning, but Gelato’s is triumphant and pleased.

Oh, you’re going to get in so much trouble for this.

#writing #self ship postin kind of idk #slurs #afab reader #neutral pronouns #blood #knives #sorbet #gelato #poly ship tag #not sfw

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rairaidango · 4 years

Text

SEEDS THAT GROW - Tobisaku, Madasaku, Ita(masaku)

CHAPTER 2 - BEST FRIENDS

First chapter garnered more attention than I had expected it to ngl! But it felt nice to know ppl like wtv im trying out here. Here is chapter 2! Just a reminder I’m not a creative writer (nor do I write well at all lol). This is just fun for me and allows me to focus on something new during quarantine :) It’s pr slowburn but focuses on a lot of Sakura’s thoughts and feelings. (and her amazing friendship with Ino)

TW : mentions of depression, anxiety, self-loathing, etc

“Yeah I’ve definitely seen you at the club before!” Itama pointed at her, mouth wide open in a boyish smile.

There was no way this Itama boy was that boy. Was there?

Sakura’s eyes were eagle wide but she quickly shook it off with an awkward laugh. She really couldn’t be sure if it was him, but maybe it was? There really was a possibility.

“Ah, you know maybe! I can’t recall if I have seen you on a night out though.” she tried to calm her nerves down with even more awkward laughter, but she caught Itachi’s eyes. He could see she was a little uncomfortable.

“Maybe you were like really drunk or something but I’ve definitely seen you-”

“Itama, you’ve seen everyone at the club.” Itachi rescued her. She gave Itachi a silent look of thanks. He only nodded in reply. “And you know, you talk too much man.” He slapped the Itama boy on the back.

“Was just trying to be friendly!”

“More like annoying. Why are we friends again?” Shisui tapped his finger on his chin comedically before laughing and receiving punches.

The boys were strangers to her, with maybe the exception of Itachi, but she barely ever spoke to anyone outside of her girl group. She never allowed herself to talk to guys casually, and there was a reason for that as stupid as some people felt about it- but it made sense to her at the time and she feared getting close to people.

So this, this, this was nice. And this was a good thing, a casual conversation with friendly guys. She smiled at the thought, because she missed the times when she had close male friends.

“Alright, everyone’s here according to the attendance list.” Madara announced whilst shuffling the papers in his hand. He pointed to the board making sure to point out the layout of the plans for tomorrow. “The introductory session is tomorrow and we’ve all assigned you to specific roles. We have a large group of eager college students who want to learn more about the wondrous world of medicine and medical practices. If you look at the board you’ll see about 5 groups, each group having 10 students. And two of you will essentially be leading each group and bring them around our campus, then the facilities in our building. This tour will all happen after the presentation that I and Izuna will prepare. Lecture hall 2 alright. You should ALL be there before students arrive. Is that clear?”

The many student volunteers nodded.

“Do we have to do anything before the talk?” Itama raised his hand and spoke.

“Usher in and organise the students coming into the hall. Just make sure everything’s done in an orderly fashion. Knowing you Itama...please do this and work with Itachi.”

Madara knew Itama? Sakura quirked her brow glancing ever so slightly at the boy with the badly done highlights. She wondered what relationship they had for Madara to speak so casually of him.

“Will this be sent to us through email?”

“Of course, you’ll receive the plans, groups, layout and even the presentation when you leave the union. We professors aren’t stupid enough to think any of you, or one of you, could remember this stuff.” A playful smirk plastered on Madara’s face was all it took for Sakura to understand that he was probably only referring to Itama. “Alright 3.30pm tomorrow. Go home and get some rest.”

Who were they to each other?

“You know, I get why nii-san finds your uncle annoying and doesn’t like him very much.” Itama grumbled.

“Eh well to be honest, I get your brother.” Shisui shrugged in response. “Madara likes Itachi though, because he’s a ‘prodigy’.” Itachi only smiled at the mention of his name.“He’s your professor right uh-sorry what’s your name?”

“Ah yeah he is.” a pause. “Uh my name is Sakura. And he’s really a good teacher though.” She got up from her seat and caught sight of the mentioned professor turning off the projector.

And then she realised he was looking right back at her with a piercing red gaze. Embarrassment rose in her and her cheeks felt hot; she looked away as quickly as she noticed his gaze and covered her face from him.

What was that reaction?

“Sakura? I bet you hear how fitting that is.” Shisui snorted. She noticed Itachi was giving her some sort of look, but she couldn’t really figure it out.

Ah shit, he knows.

“Yeah, but you don’t have him constantly picking on you in class and after class and outside of university.”

“Outside of university?” Sakura questioned.

“Yeah, he’s just close to my family. Don’t really understand how or why.” Itama says hands stretched up in the air.

“Don’t know why we’re close to you.” Itachi teased coolly, earning him an annoyed look from Itama.

“Yo, anyone wants some bubble tea. Kokoro Kafe?” Shisui and Itachi grabbed their bags and headed towards the door. “I could do with some milk tea.”

“My sweet tooth and I agree. Sakura?” Sakura looked at the boys in front her. Were they really inviting her to go out and eat? Her?

It was a good thing, they were nice people, and where was the harm in getting to know them?

But Sakura couldn't accept this.

“It’s alright, thank you though. I really do appreciate the invite. I’m just going to go back home and eat.” She smiled, eyes closed. “It was really nice meeting you three though.” She waved, and the boys all waved back and left the union.

She sighed.

Outside, it was getting dark. The blue paint of the sky was darkening to a violet tone dashed with white specks of clouds. The yellow street lights only added to the magical transition of day to evening. It was quiet - but not eerily so, soft fading chatter of students echoed around the campus and the sounds of distant birds were sung in the air.

Sakura breathed in, taking in the moment. She was sitting down on the cold stone steps in front of the union. She rarely ever looked at the scenery around her, but when she did, it helped her feel a little bit more at peace. It helped her feel a little bit more alive.

“Sakura?”

“Sir, you haven’t left?” a sudden bubble of anxiety exploding in her.

“I am now. Are you alright?” He asked. She wasn’t sure if he was asking just to be nice or if he genuinely was concerned.

He probably didn’t care, he just had to ask as her teacher. Realistically speaking, why would anyone really care anyways. She was pretty burdensome and didn’t deserve to be worried about by even her closest friends.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” She smiled, her smile feigning genuine happiness.

“Alright then.” He passed her a...cookie? “Just making sure. Get home safe, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He pointed at her, his expression asking her for confirmation. She just nodded in reply with the same smile.

His figure grew smaller as he walked away and into the parking area, and her stomach felt even more uncomfortable now that she was alone. But she wanted to be alone, so she really couldn’t complain about the discomfort.

Also, what the fuck? A cookie?

“I kind of wanted to ask for her number…”

“Then you should have before we left.” Shisui sipped his Chatime drink. “But then again, maybe you scared her off with all that eagerness.”

“I don’t think I came off too forward.” Itama stated questioningly, and looked to Itachi for an answer.

“I mean...when you mentioned the club..she did look a bit uncomfortable.” Itachi pointed out. Itama pouted slightly. “Maybe next time. You need to be able to read people better if you wanna find someone.” Shisui only laughed. All of the boys, including Itama himself, knew that it was hard for the boy to date. “Not your fault though, cheer up.”

“I was a bit nervous.” Itama said, taking a sip of his green tea latte with a nervous smile.”I’m sure I’ve seen her at Kyo, but only in passing maybe, once or twice. Pretty sure we never talked before.” he sunk into the chair. Itachi just stared at his friend’s disappointed features. “I would’ve remembered.”

“You’re so upset, awh!” Shisui teased.

“She was just really pretty, you know?”

In their house it was always quite lively; everyone was cooking and getting dinner ready before communing in the living room area to gossip and talk about their day. Hinata and Ino were undoubtedly the best cooks of the house, while Sakura and TenTen were often the ones buying readymade food.

Tonight however, Sakura’s fridge was almost empty and all she could really make was some good old penne pasta with ready done tomato sauce. She wasn’t upset about the option, but it was about the fourth time in a row now that she’s had to eat pasta for dinner.

Ino came into the living room - bouncing happily as her usually gleeful self- with an amazing katsu curry dish she had whipped up. The curry flavours lit up the whole room in salivating awe.

“Yes, all of you can have some too. I made a lot.” She grinned with a certain kind of confidence only the Yamanakas had. Taking a seat on the floor between Sakura and Tenten, Ino dug into her delicious dish.

“Honestly I’d marry you just for your food.” Sakura hummed after taking a spoon of her curry.

“JUST for my food?”

“Let me correct myself.” Sakura rubbed her chin in a joking manner. “Because I love you.” Sakura hugged her best friend, and everyone erupted with laughter.

“Ino would be an annoying wife though, think about it.” Temari piped in. “All that nagging and having to do everything her way blah blah.”

“Well, Shikamaru seems to be completely fine with Ino.” Tenten winked and gave a sly look to her long haired blonde friend.

“Oh shut up, we aren’t a thing. We’re just hooking up here and there and we enjoy each other’s company.”

“Well I bet 50 that they’ll end up together!” Ino shot a look at Tenten.

“Honestly I’d be happy if you guys date Pig, you’ve known each other for a while and he is actually a nice person.” Sakura thought of them dating, and she had always rooted for them to eventually end up together. Ino furrowed he brows.

“Maybe Ino just wants to just leave it as it is?” Hinata, usually just an observer, added. “I’m happy you’re having fun though!”

“Okay enough about me guys. My love life is always a hot topic but it gets tiresome when-” Ino flipped her hair back dramatically, “-its always about me” she grinned and sat prettily.

“Yeah oh my god Hinata how are you and Naruto!” Tenten squealed like a little 15 year old girl. Hinata blushed at the question, she was usually more reserved when talking about her personal life.

But Sakura could feel a tightness in her chest at hearing that name.

Hinata noticed this, and smiled softly.

“We’re doing really good. It’s been about 2 months and he’s already met my family.” Hinata made sure to keep it short for her pink haired friend. She knew there was a lot to unpack there and hadn’t expected Tenten to carelessly bring that name about.

“Awh, you guys are honestly so cute. It makes me happy knowing that 2 of us here are having good and fun love lives.” Tenten sighed as she slid next to Temari.

“Let’s not talk about me though!” Hinata waves her hands off nervously. “My relationship isn’t very interesting, we all know about it!” She glanced at Sakura, who was fumbling with her fork and pasta. Ino noticed it too and caught on to redirect the conversation.

“Sakura! So, found that mystery hot makeout session boy in Kyo yet?” Ino grinned nudging her best friend.

“Ah?” Sakura woke up from a trance.

Fuck. She didn’t like falling in and out of conversation and her thoughts like this. It was really tiring and disorienting.

“Kyo guy!” Tenten giggled back.

“Oh you know what, maybe? I met this guy today and he said he recognised me-”

“What?! You’re only saying this now?? Bitch the fuck!!” Ino’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped to the floor.

“What’s his name?” Temari asked amidst all the shocked faces.

“Well uh..I met 3 guys. The guy who I think could be the one I met at Kyo is Itama. Then I met Sasuke’s brother and another Uchiha. Shisui if I remember right.” Sakura remembered. They were all really friendly guys.

“Was it at that meeting today?” Ino asked.

“Yeah, Madara knows like all three of them personally. Madara’s Itachi’s uncle. And I think Madara also knows Itama’s family? Or something? Honestly I’m not sure.” It was confusing to be fair.

“Even I’ve never met the famous Itachi…” Ino muttered. “So, Itama was it?”

“Yeah. He’s got like brown hair with silver highlights and it’s not done well I can tell you that.” Sakura scoffed. “He said he recognised me because he’s seen me in the club.”

“Ah but everyone here goes to all the clubs. Your pink hair sticks out so he probably just remembered that.” Temari waved her hand and looked at Sakura before smirking. “Was he cute though?”

“I mean..he was actually pretty cute...in a boyish charming kinda way.” All the girls had wide smiles on their faces.

“Will Sakura finally find the one?!” Ino shrieked.

“Is this Kyo club makeout boy?!” Tenten added.

“Will Sakura go on dates again?!” Temari furthered the questioning.

“Stay tuned to find out!” Hinata closed the statements clapping her hands together. It was followed by her kind smile and all the girls laughing- the atmosphere was light and warm between them. The girls, all 5 of them, shared a strong bond.

Sakura smiled at their jokes, but she also knew they genuinely wanted her to be happy. All of them understood how hard it was for Sakura to engage in meaningful conversations with boys; her anxiety and defenses would instantly go up if a boy approached her on campus. Which was why they were all so interested in ‘Kyo club makeout boy’ who Sakura -though very drunk and out of it -chose to instigate a hot kissing battle with.

However happy they were for her -and she was appreciative of this, don’t mistake that - it was hard to see herself dating again. It was a scary thing to think about, even though deep down she wanted to fall in love, again. She missed being in love, and the last time she was - she was unlucky.

There was a knock at Sakura’s door.

“Just come in!” Sakura yelled from her desk spilling with notes from lectures. The door opened revealing Ino in her flowery satin nightdress.

“Almost done?” The blonde sat on Sakura’s double bed that was messily covered in her grey covers detailed with white and pink sakura trees. Looking at Sakura - who was dressed in her oversized Neck deep tee - Ino could see she was stressed; but this was often how Sakura looked. It worried Ino.

“Yeah - I’ll get to bed soon.” Sakura muttered, completely focused on her assignment. Scribbling away, her desk lamp was bright and boring into her papers and laptop screen; her jade eyes were tired and her eyelids weighed heavy. She sighed. She wasn’t taking care of herself with all of these late nights.

She was tired of feeling this way.

“Do you need me to stay? Ino asked. “I can’t really sleep either... I’m just feeling a little off as well.” Sakura turned to look at her, not sure what she was saying.

“Yeah..of course. What’s..wrong?” Sakura asked, turning around from her work. Ino shuffled uncomfortably and crossed her legs on the bed. Had Sakura been so caught up in her own head that she completely ignored her best friend? Was Ino hiding it well or was Sakura that selfish?

“The whole talk earlier about Shikamaru...it just made me uncomfortable.” Ino paused. Sakura had completely forgotten and internally facepalmed herself. “I don’t like him that way. And you know how I feel about relationships.” The issue here was that Ino didn’t want to settle down, and Sakura would often bring up relationships to Ino - about how Ino should get in a relationship. Sakura knew that her friend was a strong and confident person, but had taken that for advantage and pressed on Ino’s insecurities.

“Fuck I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have projected my own wants of being in a relationship onto you..” Sakura muttered, guilt strung in her words. Her head was swirling and she felt horrible. Why was she such a bad friend? People always had to support her, people always had to help her, and she couldn’t even keep her own mouth shut. Why was Sakura such a fucking shit friend- and to Ino who had been there for her every step of the way.

“No it’s okay, I just felt weird talking about it and I know I won’t date him. I just don’t want to get into a relationship.” Sakura’s eyes were heavy with exhaustion, but her head was heavy with guilt. “Hey, honestly don’t feel too bad about it at all. I came to also just sit with you. I knew you were uncomfortable too.”

Ino could pick up on Sakura’s discomfort, and Sakura couldn’t even do the same for her friend. She didn’t deserve Ino.

“Yeah. The whole Naruto thing kinda just made me space out.” Sakura ducked her head as she moved to sit next to her best friend. “It’s just...it hurts to think about it sometimes.”

“You know, I think if you tried to talk to him now he would be all for it. You know how much he cares about you. Heck he loves you as much as I do.” Ino’s head fell into Sakura’s neck to remind her that she wasn’t alone.

“Maybe one day I can. When I’m better.” Sakura muttered, wanting to believe it could happen. She wanted it to, but somewhere inside, she didn’t want it to.

“Well, when you’re feeling good, or bad, and on your best and worst days I’m here for you okay?” Ino smiled reassuringly.

“I know.” Sakura smiled in response. “I...I also emailed welfare for a session…its in 2 days” Ino jumped up and looked at her friend.

“You did?” Sakura nodded smiling. “I’m so proud of you! That’s a really big step! I can’t wait” Sakura was met with a loving hug and giggled in response. “I am so proud of you. I’m coming with you okay?”

“You don’t have to-”

“I am.”

Sakura thanked Ino. That night, Ino slept on Sakura’s bed to make sure Sakura slept alright and that she would feel at ease falling asleep. Ino missed being at peace with her best friend, and she just wanted the best for Sakura.

There were no other two best friends like those two.

She doesn’t even know why she’s here at this point. Why did she volunteer to do this?

Sakura groaned internally, her back against the wall. She was standing in the hall filled with college students, and she was lined up on the sides of the hall with other volunteers. She slept pretty late last night, but she was glad she managed to get sleep anyway. The anxiety and self-deprecating thoughts always snuck their way into her head when she wanted to find peace in slumber; but she felt like she deserved it anyways.

It was just exhausting.

“Oh I think he’s finally about to end his speech.” Shisui spoke.

“Finally.” Itama yawned. “We gotta gather the students and call the groups after this.” Itama looked at Sakura, expecting an answer from his group partner. She was looking at Izuna presenting, but her mind seemed elsewhere.

“Honestly, Madara talks a lot, but Izuna can go on forever. At least Madara is able to get straight to the bush rather than beat around it.” Shisui huffed. “Don’t know how Sasuke and you dealt with uncle Izuna over summer.”

Sakura woke up. Sasuke?

Itachi noticed.

“We were fine. It wasn’t hard.” Itachi shrugged his shoulders.

“And now your tour shall start. The volunteers will bring you around campus and the facilities - they’ll call you by name so when they do please stand up and come on stage.” Izuna closed signalling a thumbs up.

“Aight, that's our cue Sakura.” Itama nudged her with a grin.

He had such a boyish grin, Sakura thought.

“Lets round up the kids.” She joked, a more confident part of her showing. Itama looked at her, amused.

Gathering their group, Sakura felt a little out of place. She had to remind herself to be confident, to just go with it, and that she would be fine. A little speaking wouldn’t hurt her and she chose to do this, so she had to live up to it.

“So here we have our main cafeteria. Conveniently close to the Student Union, so it’ll be easy to grab lunch.” Sakura walked the students through the food hall. It was large and circular shaped, and it smelled like damn good food.

“It’ll be easy unless you’re studying art.” Itama joked. “Which none of y’all are, so it’ll be an easy quick lunch!” he winked, earning him a laugh from the younger people. Sakura smiled. This Itama boy had charm, that much she knew. “Alright so that concludes the main campus. We’ve just got the facilities left in our building.” he led the way.

Itama was so confident, and so happy. He carried himself so well and just by the way he walked, you knew he was someone whose company people enjoyed.

“Oh yeah we’re passing the main Law building, if any of you were interested in what’s that big old rusty building. It’s the Law building. Just one of their buildings.” Itama pointed to a very wide and stretched out red brick build.

Laughs, and a lot of them.

“They like you.” Sakura noted, walking by Itama’s side. She peered to see his reaction which wasn’t any less than what she expected from the boy. A toothy grin. He may be older, but sometimes she swore he was 15.

“I’m just a likable guy haha! They like you too, you know. You speak very well.” he replied pointing backwards to their walking group of students.

“Oh no, I really don’t.” He looked at her with a really-bitch-? Face. “Alright, I guess..yeah I can speak quite well. But I’m not as confident as you.”

“What? Really? You seem really confident to me.” That earned him a sweet laugh. He suddenly felt a jump in his stomach.

“I’m not. I can be, but I doubt myself a lot.” They were close to the building entrance. “You also don’t really know me.” She pointed out, opening the doors to their building.

“Okay everyone, we’ll take you to labs first.” Itama announced to the buzzing group, before turning to Sakura. “Well then, can I get to know you?” he swung his phone out.

“Did you get her number?” Shisui asked, slinging an arm around his two friends.

Itama looked at the pink haired girl across the lecture hall.

“No, I didn’t.”

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redxblueihateloveyou · 4 years

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I’m quite active on the free! Fanbase and something that I’ve noticed is that the reason makoharu is as popular as it is, is because majority of its stans are people who watched free! Once like 5 years ago. They also tend to be Makoto stans and they just want it because “mako deserves it” A lot of the people who actually are into free! or focus on Haru’s feelings always ship Rinharu, and it’s because if you look at what Haru wants it’s clear that he wants Rin.

Yeah, it’s true. Lots of ppl told me that they’ve seen it completely differently after rewatching it at a mature age. But even though I can’t relate to it when it comes to anime, cause I’ve started watching it at 19, I still don’t get for what reason you can hate Rin at 13, but love at 20, you know. Just because I really can’t find any reason to hate Rin. At all. Maybe it’s cause my mom stuffed me with books since I were young, but I’ve never had such thing like I hated some character and then reread some book or rewatched some movie later and it was like a complete opposite. But at the same time, my mom recently showed her kids in class BNHA and she said that many asked “why Bakugou is so evil?” which I think is pretty dumb for a 13/14 olds to be so shallow minded.

I mean, you can not fully understand grown up stuff, like you know, disney cartoons have something that only adults will get, but generally you should be able to see past the surface. But also I just don’t think you can appreaciate Free! being very young, cause as I said before, even tho it’s not that deep and silly at times, the beauty of it to me is that it’s so fucking relatable to ppl who’s been though stuff like that. Like not knowing what to do with yourself after school even tho you have great options.. I’ve been though that. Wanting to do what you love, but being afraid that this being your job will ruin it for you... check. Recently I’ve lost my grandpa, and this was the first time I went through smth like that, and it was a horrible time for my mom and I don’t live with my parents, but actually that picture of Rin from Yakusoku was stuck in my head and it moved me to get it together and do stuff for her, I probably wouldn’t before. So it’s not as silly as it seems if you know the feeling.

When it comes to Makoto, I’ve talked about it in this post already, I do not get why he has so many fans. I find it super sad. Cause every smart adult would never see Makoto as a reliable person in life (and that’s like the main button makoharu try to push). This fandom constantly markets him as an extremely good and etc while they dont even see that usually he’s either spineless, either plain stupid (that ocean saving Rei scene just pisses me off so fucking much to this day). I feel like the “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” is about him seriously. Every good friend can bring food, but at the end of the day it’s the tough situations that counts at least to me. And when it comes to them, if anybody noticed we’re on our own. Or we need to call Rin.

About “he deserves it”... And Haru doesn’t deserve anything in their opinion? Being with the person who makes him feel alive and his heart go boom-boom, who makes him reach for the stars and see the world, makes him want silly things like rainbows in the pool... that doesn’t matter, right? haha

I think when you ship something, you should think about both sides. You can’t just love one and don’t care for other... it leads to... well, this. Cause Rin makes Haru the best version of himself and Haru makes Rin the best version of himself. And that’s how it usually works in literally all of my ships.

Also this whole thing the makoharu fans are saying remind me of Yokozawa from “Sekaiichi Hatsukoi”, who went “but I was with him all the time, when you weren’t.. you left”. That’s not how it even works dude, and just because there was a misunderstanding doesn’t mean they can’t love each other anymore. It wasn’t Onodera’s fault and Rin’s fault, yeah, they left in the heat of the moment, but sometimes circurmstances play a bigger role. Plus let’s be honest, it needed to happen, otherwise they wouldn’t be this amazing and strong as they’re right now. That “I loved you before, but the person I’m in love with right now is you in the present.” got stuck in my head forever. I truly believe that Haru loves Rin even more as he is right now, same goes to Wangxian, Mikayuu and lots of ships. Separation is sad, but sometimes its needed for characters to get to where they are now.

I feel like this ship also started at times, when it was “very cool” to brand every ship ever as “abusive” for no reason and I laughed a lot at this phase, especially young ppl tended to throw stuff like “he’s not good for her/him”, when even a light argument happened. And that’s just so dumb, cause I felt like most didn’t even know what they’re talking about, it was just “cool” xD. I’m glad this phase has passed tho, cause it started to get.. not funny lol

I find it extremely hilarious tho that after all it’s been proven that Rin is what best for Haru, which I think was obvious from the very beginning. And I haven’t seen any new makoharu related anything for ages, nor on youtube, nor on “free!” tag, so I sometimes even forget that it’s the most popular ship in Free. In 2014 maybe? I’m just happy here, cause Harurin are together, they’re happy, they got evething they wanted, and Rin is glued to us right now haha What else do I need. I’m gonna edit the kisses myself haha I’m working on stuff to get better at this lolz

#answered #anonymous #rinharu #harurin #Free!#haru deserves to be loved by the person he loves the end of the discussion lmao #free #rin matsuoka #nanase haruka #otp

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locktobre · 3 years

Text

gonna ramble a bit about Landen and Roxana’s first meeting bc it is on my mind lately and also it’s an excuse to talk about Rip some more lmao

it happens in 2029. by this point, Rip’s friend Thorna has become essentially an ambassador between Gloss Angeles and the Fairytopia mainland, bc some ppl do want contact between the two and they’re trying to figure out how to handle the whole thing. Landen’s one of those ppl, and so is his grandfather Farran. anyway, bc of that, Landen spends a fair amount of time with Thorna, and bc of her and his grandpa (who actually arrested Rip back in the day), he knows all about Rip and the whole situation and it occurs to him that, technically, Rip is still considered a criminal by the city of Gloss Angeles.

now, Rip’s been back on Earth for 17 years at this point, and nobody has really thought about that much. there have been no further magical disturbances that can be traced back to him, and as Farran has told Landen, they have no proof that Rip actually caused anything he was accused of before. if anything, he may have exacerbated a problem that already existed, but there was never any conclusive proof on the matter. so the whole thing was bs from the beginning, but that’s not really what Landen cares about--he’s concerned that someone might who, say, doesn’t want Gloss Angeles and Fairytopia to reunite might bring up the fact that it’s the same guy causing problems. or that Rip could be turned into a scapegoat in another way, the way he was before, and if anyone cared to point it out, the man is still technically a criminal. and since Graciella is a passion fairy, she could be pretty easily whipped into a frenzy (the same way her mom was before her when they went after Rip the last time) and convinced to, like, try again to get rid of the guy.

when Landen points this out, Thorna and Farran agree it’s a valid concern, so now they have to decide how to handle it. Landen wants to issue Rip an official pardon, but he’s not sure if they can point out the fact that Rip didn’t actually do anything wrong without pissing ppl off. and an official pardon means a ceremony, which means bringing attention to this thing that he doesn’t want ppl to think about in the first place, so he’s kind of torn about it. but it’s basically the best option they can think of to try to nip this in the bud before it becomes anything. Farran and Thorna aren’t really sure, but they think they should talk to Rip and see what he thinks, and Landen’s always wanted to meet the guy so he’s like yes let’s do that please thank you.

so they head over to the Summers house. Rip is... slightly concerned to see three fairies at his house. obviously he knows Thorna and has been friends with her for over 30 years; he knows Farran, who he’s not quite friends with but they’re actually on okay terms; and then there’s a new kid he’s never seen before. and the new kid is a prince, which worries him, but he trusts Thorna (and kinda Farran) enough that he lets them in and they all sit down to talk.

Calissa and Roxana also sit in for this, Calissa for emotional support and Roxana bc she doesn’t trust fairies (not even Thorna, really). and when Landen explains why he’s there, Roxana gets pissed, bc she adamantly believes that Rip did nothing wrong. and Landen’s like I know that but-- and Roxana just really does not want to listen, bc she thinks accepting the pardon is Rip admitting fault, which he shouldn’t have to do, and Landen tries to point out it’s actually the city admitting fault and she’s like but I thought that wasn’t part of it? that’s what you said, right? you can’t admit that you were wrong without pissing ppl off? and she basically think he’s a coward and that going anywhere near the fairies is just going to paint another target on Rip’s back and that they should get the hell out.

and Rip’s like, I really appreciate you saying that Xana but can you not please bc they do have a legitimate point here. and Rip knows if anything is going to paint a target on his back, it’s the fact that he really wants the masquerade to go away completely and for fairies (and mermaids, and basically all magic) to be out in the open, so he’s kinda gonna have to deal with them in the future, anyway. (he hasn’t really wanted to reach out on the subject, but now that he’s met Landen he thinks it’s as good a time as any to test the waters...)

anyway, Calissa trusts Rip’s judgement, but Roxana thinks it’s a huge mistake, but she can’t really convince Rip of that. so they go ahead with the pardon and the ceremony, and Roxana just hates Landen for bringing it all up, even if it all goes really smoothly, bc they were fine how they were and now she’s anxious thinking about her dad consorting with fairies again and ppl remembering what he “did” and it’s all Landen’s fault. (Farran’s and Thorna’s, too, but they’re adults, so she doesn’t really want to fight with them. but since Landen’s only a year older than her, she just focuses all her anger on him.)

and Landen is a passion fairy like his mother, but he makes every effort to regulate his moods and not behave as she does. he meditates and tries to be generally mindful of his moods and everything, but it’s extra hard when Roxana is basically trying to get him to fight with her. so he just keeps trying to be nice to her and prove like, hey, I don’t have any ulterior motives, I’m on your dad’s side, I’m even gonna try to help him figure out this masquerade thing, are you ever gonna believe me or is it just gonna be like this forever?

and it probably would have continued like that until her parents point out that she’s being pretty immature and doesn’t she want to become Queen of Oceana in a couple years? and if she wants to prove she’s mature enough to do that, please for the love of god stop fighting with this guy. you don’t have to like him! but nobody is forcing you to be around him! so cut it out! and, of course, being Queen of Oceana is Roxana’s dream so she does stop (with some difficulty, bc she’s 16 and full of rage).

she does just straight-up avoid him for awhile until she has genuinely calmed down and realized she was being pretty childish. and at that point she thinks that her parents would think she was really mature if she managed to actually talk to him. nobody forcing her, just her trying to get along with somebody she doesn’t like, the same thing she’s gonna have to do as queen (and like, in life in general, but she really really really wants to prove she’s capable of being queen). also the guy’s a passion fairy and she never set him off so maybe he knows how to stop being full of rage all the time and can give her some tips.

for his part, Landen’s kind of surprised bc he had just accepted the fact that he was never gonna get on Roxana’s good side, but he is happy to share what he knows. (he does not actually know how to stop being full of rage, but he does have some breathing exercises to try.) and from there, they actually start to get along, somewhat. it’s still a long road but within a few years they are genuine friends, which everyone is surprised by, bc everyone figured (half correctly) that Roxana was just doing it to prove a point and would drop the act when she became queen lol. but no! unlikely friends for real.

anyway I think their first meeting used to be a little different, but I’m happy with where I’ve landed now. I may change my mind in the future again but I think this illustrates their current personalities better.

#mel irl #barbie babbles #summers clan blogging #roxana x landen #this kinda makes roxana sound mean and landen like a doormat but eh #i know what i'm doing! landen's not a doormat he just picks his battles #and roxana... well she is kind of mean. but it comes from a place of love.

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gracehcreates-bct · 3 years

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W8 Studio - Project into the public

X-Challenge

I entered my team into X-Challenge, but unfortunately our group was too big to do the whole project so we split ourselves into two and did the app and boot cleaner as seperate ideas.

Boot Cleaner Prototype

Kent made a boot cleaner prototype over the weekend, using cardboard and pvc pipes. Not included is the spray, which would be situated underneath the boot.

Survey Results

I sent out the survey on facebook, first to the Creative Technologies Year 3 page and then my neighbourhood community’s page. So far there are 62 responses.

1. How often do you go on walking trails?

Once a week - 11 people Once fortnightly - 7 people Once a month - 23 people Once a year - 18 people Never - 3 people

2. Who would you usually take with you? (pick between 1 - 2)

Family - 46 people Friends - 19 people Dogs - 12 people No-one - 11 people

3. Have you heard of the Kauri Dieback Disease?

61/62 people have heard of Kauri Dieback.

4. If yes, how do you think preventing it is to New Zealand’s forests in the future? (on a scale of 1 - 10)

Average is 9.1, with 6 out of 60 people who answered this question ranking it below 8.

5. What would make the boot cleaner more convienent?

About 17 out of 62 thought that the boot cleaner was fine as it is. Two people answered there should be more of them.

Answers about the station itself: - Maybe if it was longer so you can keep moving as you clean. So others don’t get held up behind you. - If more people could use it at the same time. - Maybe a larger, flatter station - Proper set up like your picture - as some are only a mat and can easily be avoided - A seat to sit on when spraying shoes with the stuff. Very hard to work hose on one foot with a pack on - Regular servicing - I guess it's a bit of a bottle neck, depending on the popularity of the trial maybe it holds people up? - Have more of an obstacle that makes it so you get in slower. Therefore, making you clean your shoes more thoroughly? :D - Better maintenance sometimes they are worn out - Clearer instructions Easier to use Maybe a video

Answers about boot cleaner: - I guess if it rotated it might get more sit out from the grooves? Also, with covid I try to avoid touching anything and this this old style and the spray gun you have to touch - Have a cleaner for jandals. This one doesn’t work so well - Foot activated sprays. Physical barriers that force people to activate the spray to get thru the barrier. - Weight based means children and lighter people don't activate it so perhaps something that doesn't get activated by weight that you walk through. Shallow enough to just cover sole of shes/boots - Maybe some foot level spray system. Sometimes balancing on one foot to spray is tricky - the spray trigger should have a novel so that it covers each shoe in one spray - Fixed brushes as shown here. The hand squirter and hand brush combination is too difficult to manage. Lose balance and give up - A hand held brush to scrub the side of shoes. - No spray, just scrub and step - A device to clamp around shoes and spray all around - Rotating brushes - Making the brushes not worn down. Last bush walk I went on the brushes for your feet were too worn down and didn’t work very well - Bending down is tricky so a system that doesn’t make you bend over is good - If it always had disinfectant in it. - It having the spray stuff in it and not be empty - Not have to use the hand spray bottle that is found on some stations. - Find it ok as it is, but prefer the one that sprays your shoes when you stand on it to the hand held one - Automatic - probably some type of automated boot cleaner - I am liking the new "hop on to spray" pads

Other: - It’s fine but something to keep the spray from coming up and wetting your shoes and ankles would be good-keep it to the soles - designing something the birds might use, as it's far more likely to be transmitted by them. - An agent that actually is proven as working on phytophthora - I think the boots cleaners are possibly okay, it's the dogs i always think , might be more carriers especially as often off lead when they shouldn't be. - Nothing. I think it’s clearly marked with instructions and you can’t miss them at the beginning and end of tracks. One time there was a DOC guy there educating people how to clean boots properly which was helpful cos I had actually been doing the process the wrong way around prior to that! - RGB LEDs, to attract the kids - maybe having someone employed by like doc or something to make sure there are ppl washing their shoee

6. How effective do you think the covid tracer app was in preventing the spread of covid-19? (on a scale of 1 - 10)

Average is 7.3, with only 5 people out of 62 ranking it below a 5.

7. We are designing an app and deciding on the content, what is most appealing to you?

Treasure Hunt - #1.82 average Augmented Reality boot cleaner - #2.06 average Running statistics tracker - #2.11 average

8. Why did you choose the previous answer? Otherwise, give us an example of something you’d like to see on it.

About 5/46 people answered that they couldn’t see the image I had used, which is my own fault but the survey website is difficult to understand. 4/46 directly said “Treasure Hunts are fun”. Two people said it didn’t matter as long as it was simple to use.

- Statistics can drive behaviour - Treasure hunt appeals to families using tracks - There is a general lack of information about Kauri Dieback at the boot cleaning stations especially Tane Mahuta - information would result in adherence - The question wasn’t clear to me so I chose the fun option. No idea what AR boot cleaner is - maybe I didn’t click on something? - Seemed the most applicable (Augmented Reality) - Didn’t really have a view. Not sure what the point of the treasure hunt and A4 - I just think the treasure hunt idea has more appeal. Not clear how it works - A map of dieback - Information on Kauri on the area you are about to walk in, how many, if have any signs of disease - Definitely make it fun to use, stats make it interesting - learn with play: Tree/ nature trivia, e.g. like: what tree is this? (photo) - Sounds more fun (Treasure Hunt) - Fun makes things engaging. Also, running is boring. - Treasure hunt might make it more interesting for the grandchildren I take hiking. I know what AR is but I cannot imaging it being useful for book cleaning. - Links with GPS - Easy to find information for the novice /infrequent tramper - I didn't see how the answers linked to the app. What's the purpose of the app? If it's just to track like the covid app it doesn't need anything else on it. Most people who run in the bush would use another app already. - if i got it my main , objective would be to help with Die-back .Stats would be interesting so No.2,Treasure hunt No.3 , as kids grown up , but even if younger i might have put 3 , but would be good for younsters - I may take my child if there is a treasure hunt as part of the app/walk - The AR boot cleaner would encourage people to clean their shoes properly because it would make cleaning more fun and accurate. - I like stats - and I like the new aspect of the covid app where you get a little sticker icon when you get 14 days diary entry. - Got to be something interesting and fun. Maybe as an incentive add in spot prizes provided by possible sponsors.. - NZ health statistics - Interactive is fun and makes you feel involved - More visually appealing (Treasure Hunt) - More fun makes people more likely to use. - Don't understand what the boot one is - Routes recommendation, especially secret/not popular spots. Treasure hunting is a bit like that - Treasure hunt seems rewarding. AR seems interactive. Statistics sound boring - I think that if you make it a sort of game it will encourage people to get into the nitty gritty parts of shoe! - Not sure why I'd want a virtual boot cleaner tbh. Other content could be birds to look out for.. bit of history, exercise tips - Helps me know which parts of my boots are clean :)

9. Thank you for taking the time to do this. Any other ideas/feedback for us?

- Anything to help contain the spread and educate people is good-Tane Mahuta was our first experience and there was no information and no reception to be able to Google it. - Would love people to be encouraged to use the boot wash more. - Good idea to encourage behaviours that will stop the spread. Well done - no, its communist propaganda - I develop apps myself, but I am doubtful about their applicability to Kauri Dieback reduction - An alarm when boots are not cleaned properly. - Still not sure what your app will do. - Good luck , please put a reminder if possible the importance of dogs on leads in areas where needed.PS We do own a dog! - Thank you for your work - I put 10 as meaning it is very important. You don’t say how the scale works though - Kauri Dieback poses a serious issue and I'm glad theres a project looking at this!! 🙌 - I would just try to be really focused on the problem you want to solve. Is it boot cleaning, is it awareness, is it history, is it fitness

Additionally Miles emailed Dr Gerth, so we have an interview with her on May 27th.

#CTEC708

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