#She came into this arena with a PURPOSE /silly

[misshoneyimhome]

Hey for intern! x Willy maybe a guy asks intern out infront of everyone and she can't really say no cause she doesn't want people to catch on to her seeing anyone and William is fucking pissed. Bonus points if the girls make her go out on this date and Willy is following them. Just shows up after the date and fucks her silly saying she is his

Oh yes, bb! 😉 So I chose to combine this ask with this one, as I thought it might go well together... hopefully you get my idea 🙈🤍 cause yes, that scarf is for multiple purposes 🙌🏼🙃

Warnings; 18+ smut; fingering; unprotected sex (p in v), mild bondage?

Word count: 3.2K

・✶ ｡ﾟ

Everything that kills me makes me feel alive I William Nylander 🖋️⚡️ [intern x willy]

"Hey, the boys are on their way," your manager announced just before you positioned yourself with your phone ready to capture the Toronto Maple Leafs players arriving for tonight's home game.

"Great, I'm all set," you simply replied, smiling as you then awaited their entrance.

This was easily one of your favourite tasks as an intern, even if it wasn't officially part of your job, you were always happy to step in when needed. Watching the guys stroll into the arena in their best attire was nothing more than a visual treat.

First up was John Tavares, looking sharp in his classic outfit with grey dress trousers, a light blue shirt, a matching tie, and a beige blazer.

Then next came Max Domi, opting for a slightly less formal look without a tie and sporting a slightly unbuttoned shirt with a relaxed vibe.

"You're looking good, Maxi," you said, flashing him a sweet smile, which earned you a cheeky wink in return.

Following him was William Lagasson, sporting a more casual look with a beanie, shooting you a quick smile.

And finally, your secret crush, William Nylander, entered the scene. He wore a dark blue suit with white stripes, giving off an almost Italian mafia-esque style, complemented by a pair of trainers and a sleek grey turtleneck shirt. His long blonde hair was slicked back, AirPods in his ears, while casually holding his phone. You had to mentally remind yourself not to stare too obviously – but that was easier said than done.

Shit, he was gorgeous.

However, what caught your eye about his outfit tonight was the small silky scarf elegantly wrapped around his neck.

And as he neared, William noticed you behind the camera and couldn't resist glancing up from his phone, flashing you a confident smirk.

You were aware that when players entered with headphones, they usually preferred not to be disturbed, staying focused on the upcoming game. Yet, as William approached and seemed to be heading your way, you simply couldn't resist.

"Looking quite good, Don Juan," you chuckled lightly, playfully winking at him.

"Seems like you're a fan?" he quipped, lightly tucking on the fabric around his neck.

"Well, they didn’t nickname you 'Willy Styles' for nothing," you teased, gesturing towards his scarf and then back at him.

"Happy you like it..." he spoke softly, ensuring no one else was nearby before whispering, "I always want to look good for you, just like you always look so damn good for me, baby."

In that moment, a tender connection passed between you, causing a rush of sensation that forced you to discreetly clench your thighs together, as you felt your beating vagina almost cream your knickers.

William's smile always had that effect on you. And especially since you'd become more intimately involved, he knew precisely how to push your buttons.

God, you hated him for it. Just as much as you loved him for it.

However, you had to brush off his playful remark. It wasn't suitable given the situation – you were at work, and your "situationship" had to remain casual and at distance.

"Come on, lover boy, keep it moving," Calle Jarnkrok then chimed in from behind as he too entered, prompting William to offer you another wink before sauntering away towards the locker room.

It was one of those moments where you wished you and William could openly flirt. He looked incredibly handsome tonight, and you couldn't help but feel an intense desire for him. But you simply couldn't act on it.

And neither could William.

Despite his habit for pushing the limits, he also knew where the line was drawn. And every passing day made it harder for both of you to maintain composure and professionalism, especially given the increased numbers of time you’d slept together by now.

However, tonight wasn't about either of you.

It was about Captain John Tavares and his 1000 points ceremony, which swiftly diverted your attention from your feelings for William.

And the night turned out to be fantastic. Despite the busy atmosphere for you and the rest of the staff, it was an incredible experience. Even with the loss against the Rangers, the arena buzzed with energy, and the crowd cheering loudly for the players.

Then following the match, the cheers gradually died down as the players headed back to the locker room, and you and your co-worker Melanie found yourselves engrossed in lively conversations with the team's family and friends.

Which wasn’t unusual for you to do. Over the past few months, you’d grown rather close with many of the partners, just like most of the staff members had done as well over time. It was simply a result of spending so many hours, days, and weeks together as a team and a crew.

And this closeness also led you to get to know one of Stephanie and Mitch’s friends, Jared. He'd been around the rink for a while now, and you'd had a few conversations while he’d waited for Mitch to finish training.

Tonight, however, Jared decided to take things a step further. Finding you both attractive and intriguing, he boldly asked you out on a casual coffee date - in front of everyone.

To say you were surprised by his sudden interest would be an understatement. And what made matters slightly worse was recalling that just last week, you had told Steph you weren't seeing anyone at the moment, as you hadn't wanted anyone to know about your forbidden relationship with player in number 88 on the team.

So, standing there, in the hallway with all eyes on you and the handsome man before you, you felt trapped and uncertain how to respond. Yet, naturally, Steph nudged your side, offering an encouraging expression.

"Come on, y/n…" she whispered with a light chuckle, and you knew you had to give in.

"Sure, why not," you flashed a bright smile at Jared, prompting excitement from Stephanie and a few other girls.

However, not everyone shared the enthusiasm about your answer.

Across the room, William's intense gaze bore into you. His eyes aflame with emotion, jaw clenched, his hand formed into a fist as he processed your acceptance of Jared's invitation.

It was the first time he had truly considered that your secret relationship wasn't just something hidden; it also meant the potential for you to openly date someone else. Someone with whom you wouldn't have to sneak around, keeping things casual and under wraps.

He felt jealous.

No, he felt more than just jealousy. He was frustrated, envious, and almost angry at the thought of you being with someone else. The mere idea of another person touching or kissing you turned his stomach.

But despite his attempts to come off as calm and composed, his reaction didn't escape the notice of his close friend and teammate.

"Hey, take it easy, Willy," Calle said softly in Swedish, making sure no one else would understand. "We all know you care for her, but she's not yours to date."

William knew his friend's words were meant to be sensible. Yet, he couldn't shake off the irritating feelings he had about you and Jared.

And the irritation persisted into the following day, where William was aware you had plans to meet Jared for a coffee date. Yet, despite his efforts to distract himself during morning skates and weightlifting workouts, thoughts of you with another man still lingered.

So, instead of heading home, although he knew it might seem immature and a bit of a douche bag move, William decided to go to the coffee place where he expected to find you with Jared. And as he queued up, hearing your beautiful laughter resonate through the room, he tried his best to remain hidden form your view. However, he did purposefully eavesdrop while waiting for his coffee, overhearing your conversation. He listened intensely as you shared your aspirations about your career in marketing and public relations, your upcoming completion of education, and your desire to travel to Europe.

William's heart sank as he almost froze upon hearing Jared mention his wish for a family and how you, too, had thought about a future with children. It was something William had dreamt about as well – having a family of his own.

It was a moment where his worlds collided as the barista called out his name, jolting him back to reality – he was a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey player who wasn't allowed to share his dreams with the one he desired the most: you.

Gathering his thoughts, he then took his coffee and quietly left the shop just before he stole a glance in your direction, but you were too engrossed in conversation with Jared, oblivious to his presence.

And as the evening passed without any word from you, William grew increasingly anxious. Had you developed feelings for Jared? Was his chance with you slipping away?

The uncertainty ate away at him.

And not receiving a response to his texts heightened William's urge to remind you of something.

Meanwhile, across the city, you had just finished a shower, contemplating your day as you blow-dried your hair.

The date with Jared had been pleasant, yet you couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. He was nice, shared your interests, and had a great sense of humour, but there was no spark.

It was nothing in comparison to what you felt with William. And it made you realise that perhaps you'd never experience the same emotions for anyone else.

This revelation saddened you a bit, especially considering you still had six more months of your internship. And what if the MLSE offered you a position afterward that you couldn't refuse, limiting your options? Or what if William ended up moving to another team? It would of course solve the forbidden aspect of your relationship, but it could also mean that he’d have to move far away from you.

The thought of various potential outcomes in your future, none of which involved being with William, made you feel queasy. And you knew you had to remind yourself that despite the enjoyment, it was temporary. Nothing more could ever happen.

That was until your train of thought was abruptly interrupted by a knock on your front door, and without much consideration, you went to check who it was, wearing nothing but a towel.

And as you cautiously opened the door, you were greeted by the sight of your handsome Swedish lover standing in the hallway.

“Willy,” you said softly, slightly surprised, as you opened the door fully. “What are you doing here?”

His expression appeared serious as he confidently stepped forward, invading your personal space.

“I've come to remind you of who you belong to,” he said in a dark and husky voice, entering your studio apartment and closing the door behind him.

You were taken aback. You had never seen such a serious and smug expression on his usually cheerful and flirtatious face. Yet, it intrigued you, and a small gasp escaped you as he drew closer, wrapping his arms around your slender body.

"This we don’t need," he murmured seductively, his fingers deftly undoing the knot of your towel before resting firmly on your hips.

Your arms instinctively reached for his chest, then slid up to encircle his neck as his hands found your bare ass, lifting you effortlessly into his embrace, where you wrapped your legs around his hips in response.

This had almost become routine by now. Your mouths met in a fiery, passionate kiss, tongues intertwining as you both lost yourselves in the moment, while he carried you towards the bed, your lungs emptying for air.

And as he laid you down, a large smirk spread across his lips as he admired your curvaceous figure before him.

Your eyes locked intensely with his, conveying nothing but pure desire. Thoughts of Jared were long gone from your mind, completely consumed by the man standing before you. Anticipation coursed through you, your body tingling in sheer eagerness for what he had in store for you.

And with a mischievous grin still playing on his lips, William retrieved a small piece of fabric from his pocket - the scarf you had commented on during his arrival yesterday. He had been thinking about something since your brief shared moment the previous night, and tonight felt like the perfect opportunity to bring it to fruition.

"Hands above your head," he commanded firmly, and you complied without hesitation.

You were aware of William's penchant for asserting dominance, but tonight, it seemed to intensify a notch. As he leaned over your exposed body, he skilfully used the scarf to bind your wrists together securely.

“Willy,” you moaned softly, your eyes fixed intensely on him.

“Shh, baby, I promise I’ll do you good,” he whispered darkly into your ear. “Far better than he ever could.”

Another soft gasp escaped you as he left you lying on the bed, your senses heightened as his fingers tenderly caressed your skin. Standing by the foot of the bed, he then undressed himself to his boxers, his gaze never leaving you, making the atmosphere charged with intensity even though he had barely touched you.

“You look fucking incredible like this... completely naked and ready for me,” he spoke roughly as he knelt on the bed, spreading your legs further with his body.

"Yes, Willy... I'm ready for you," you cried out softly, trying to maintain your hands where he had commanded.

But William noticed your desire to move your arms. So, while positioning himself over you, he held your wrists down with one hand, teasing the inside of your thighs with the other.

The anticipation was almost torturous, something William was well aware of. Your restrained whimpers escaped your lips as your breathing grew incoherent.

His gentle touch left you yearning, until you felt his fingers teasing you through your folds.

"Oh, yes, baby, so wet for me..."

And more soft cries escaped you as you felt him painfully slowly slide two fingers inside your entrance, gradually stretching your walls.

"Yes, Willy... Please, more," you pleaded, and with a smirk on his lips, he granted your request.

Thrusting deep into your core, he worked his fingers, slightly curling them to heighten your pleasure before withdrawing, leaving you feeling void and empty.

"What?" you cried out in disappointment.

"Not fun to be teased, huh? How do you think I felt when I saw you on a date with someone else..." William's voice carried a tinge of frustration as he pushed his fingers inside you once more, pumping a few times before pulling them out completely.

"Willy... please," you gasped, feeling thoroughly teased. "I only want you..."

The fusion of your words and cries seemed to captivate his thoughts, prompting him to release your wrists. And then he stood up, shedding his boxers to unleash his pulsating cock, already dripping with pre-cum from being aroused all day, consumed with the desire to fuck you senseless.

Then returning to the bed, he knelt down, seized your legs, and forcefully drew your hips closer to him. Placing your feet on his shoulders, he positioned the head of his cock at your entrance before pushing forcefully inside you.

"Fuck!" You let out a loud moan as he thrust deeply and vigorously into you, finding a steady rhythm.

"Yeah, that's it baby! You belong to me," he uttered with a deep breath, continuing his relentless pounding, causing your cries to intensify, as he maintained a strong and unyielding pace, not even allowing you a moment to adjust. However, your juices provided him easy penetration.

It was all so overwhelmingly stimulating; your mind struggled to focus as William's body connected with yours, his hands securing your ankles against his chest.

"You're mine, understand?"

The room echoed with moans as sweat glistened on your skin. And though you desired to move your hands, your body had surrendered entirely to the man driving into you, and you sensed the impending rush of a powerful orgasm about to peak.

However, just as William felt your walls tightening around him, indicating your imminent climax, he decided it wasn't how he wanted you to reach that peak.

Abruptly, he then halted his motions, swiftly withdrawing and releasing your legs. Leaning over you, he untied the scarf, before swiftly turning you around onto your hands and knees and entering you from behind.

"Fuck, yes!" You moaned as he pounded deeply once more, feeling the entirety of his cock filling you.

But for William, this still wasn't enough. With his right hand seizing your hair and his left arm enveloping your torso, he pulled you onto your knees, your back against his chest.

The tug on your hair was gentle, not forceful, and soon his hand shifted, wrapping softly around your neck to steady you against him while he continued his passionate thrusts.

And instinctively, your free hand sought to grip him while the other held onto the hand supporting you around your body.

In this intimate position, your bodies pressed together, exchanging warmth and sweat as William's member glided in and out of your wetness. His lips and teeth found the sensitive curve of your neck, prompting you to lean back, resting against his muscular chest.

"Willy, I'm about to come," you exhaled heavily.

"Me too, baby… come with me," he moaned against the sensitive skin of your neck.

And in just a few more thrusts, both of you surrendered to the sensations, closing your eyes in sheer pleasure as orgasms rippled through your bodies. Minds went blank, and the room filled with loud, ecstatic moans, as he shot his cum into you, your legs trembling, on the verge of collapsing were it not for William's firm grasp keeping you upright.

And instead of letting go, he held you close to him.

Not ready to part from your embrace, he kept himself buried inside of you, ensuring his release covered your walls completely. Then with a deep grunt, he slowly pulled out. You could almost sense the mixture of fluids trickling down your thigh as he gradually separated from your body.

A comfortable silence filled the room as you both, still breathless, disentangled from the position, and William gently guided you to recline with him on your backs, pulling you in for a tender cuddle.

And while resting in his arms, your head nestled on his shoulder, a thought suddenly struck you, prompting you to gaze up at him.

"Willy?" you softly inquired, meeting his eyes.

"Uh-huh?"

"Did you follow me on the date?"

William paused for a moment, acknowledging how it might seem a bit stalker ish. But he couldn't really deny the truth; he had indeed followed you.

"Yeah..." he admitted tentatively, locking eyes with you. "I'm sorry, y/n/n… I know it's not right for me to ask this, especially since we can't be public about our… you know, relationship. But I just can't stand the thought of you being with someone else..."

His breaths were heavy as he poured out his heartfelt confession, and you couldn't help but smile lightly, taking in his words.

"Willy, I don't want to date anyone else… I meant it when I said I only wanted you," you reassured him.

"So, does that mean... we're, like, together?" he asked with a soft smirk.

"I suppose it does," you replied, flashing him a wide smile. “But still in secret of course…”

“Of course,” he whispered softly, before sealing your announced relationship with a soft kiss.

#my asks #intern x willy #18+ #william nylander imagine #wn88 imagine #nhl hockey imagine #toronto maple leafs imagine #nhl smut

[lemonluvgirl]

Are You Happy Now?

**opens trench coat** “hey kids, want to read some angst?” 

A canon divergent AU where Katniss wasn’t the one saved from the Arena at the end of Catching Fire. **warning: this is not a happy drabble**

Katniss requests to speak to Peeta, a couple weeks after she is rescued. 

(Peeta POV)

“I remember the bread.” Katniss says simply. Her face is an unreadable mask. Her voice is equally monotone. And yet her words capture my attention so quickly. 

“You remember that?” I ask, my voice still hoarse from the violence her hijacked hands had wrought, but there was something else in it. It was the sound of me, perhaps foolishly, hoping against all odds that there is something the Capitol left unspoiled. 

“Yes. I was starving. We all were. Me, my mother, and my sister. I was looking for food in the trash cans behind the bakery. Your mother chased me off. I slipped in the mud under the apple tree. I was too tired to get back up. I made up my mind to sit there and die. But then I heard noise from inside. There was a big racket, your mother was yelling something about burned bread. You came outside. You had two loaves  in your hands. You were supposed to throw them to the pig. You threw it to me instead. Is that true?” 

“Yes. That’s what happened.” 

“You had a welt on your face.” 

I wince, remembering the stinging smack of pain like it was yesterday. 

 “She hit you, because you burned the bread.” She goes on, it's not really a question but I answer anyway. 

“Yes.” 

“Did you do it on purpose?” Her gaze is sharp, she’s examining me skeptically. 

I let out a stuttering breath before I answer. 

“Yes.” I say. 

“Why?” She prods, shrugging off my pain, the sacrifice I made for her. It was just the first of many.  Her steely gaze pierces through the objectivity I’m trying to maintain. But of course it falls away like nothing. How could I ever remain objective when it comes to her?

“You know why.” I reply finally, the words coming out unwillingly through gritted teeth. 

“Your silly infatuation I presume.” She says, her face twisting in disgust. I feel my cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. I look towards the two way glass where a crowd of observers is eavesdropping on us. 

“You know other people can hear us right now don’t you?” I ask. She just gives me a bored, unconcerned look. 

“The same disturbing infatuation that became an obsession and led you to proclaim your ‘love’ for me on national television the night before the Hunger Games.” She says without missing a beat. 

“That was part of a strategy-” I begin to explain but she interrupts me. 

“A plan you worked out with our mentor behind my back, without asking me if I wanted to be involved in a crazy scheme pretending to be a star crossed lover to a boy who I’d never said one word to until we both had to go into the Hunger Games!” 

“Yes, but-” 

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that? Do you often gamble with other people’s lives? Other people’s futures without their permission or knowledge? Are you just that goddamn superior to us all? You want everyone to think you’re so noble, but I remember the truth. You betrayed me! To join the careers!” She exclaims, with rising anger and volume and the machines begin to beep. I shake my head emphatically, denying her conclusions. I look over the glass and shoot Haymitch a pleading look. 

Just let me explain, I say with my eyes. I don’t want them to sedate her before I get the chance to tell her the truth. When she doesn’t automatically pass out I continue. 

“No. That was part of my secret plan. I only joined them to protect you.” I tell her. 

Her eyes leave my face and flick over to the blinking lights of the monitors. She seems to remember about the machines and the doctors and the medicine that will cut the conversation short. She leans back in bed, but her angry glare never leaves my face. 

“Some protector. If that’s even true. You let them trap me in a tree.”

“I was working on a way to get you down safely, but you dropped the nest on us! I fought off Cato to save your life!” I practically shout, anger getting the better of me now. The battle I fought that day to protect her ended up contributing to why I lost my leg. And here she was, practically laughing at me for it. 

“Yes and almost got yourself killed in the process.” She says as she levels an unimpressed gaze at me. I breathe and count to five before I answer. 

“Well, if I was such a burden why’d you come back for me?” I counter. 

“You know why.” She throws the words back at me, but there is such a feral look in her eyes I know her answer is merely a mockery of what I meant earlier. 

“No, Katniss. I really don’t. You never explained that part. We never discussed it privately, away from the cameras.” 

“Oh that’s right, the cameras. I may not be able to see them now, but do you honestly expect me to believe this conversation isn’t being recorded?” 

“No. I think the doctors have to record it, as part of your treatment. But that doesn’t mean we can’t be honest with each other.” 

“Fine. You want honesty. Let’s lay it out then. Do you know why I went to find you down by the river? I owed you. For the bread. And for fighting Cato. That’s why I came back. That’s why I went to the Feast to get the medicine.” 

“You owed me.” I say dumbfounded. 

“Yes. That’s the only reason it could be.” She says the last part more quietly, almost to herself. “Why else would I save the life of a person who caused me so much inconvenience?” She mumbles, but she doesn’t sound sure. 

“Oh.” I say stupidly, pathetically, because I am still whirling from her confession. I knew from what she told me after the games on the train tracks that day going back to district 12 that she was confused. That there were some things that weren’t real, that she had played up for the audience and the sponsors. I just never imagined the only reason she saved my life was out of some twisted sense of obligation. 

“The only thing I haven’t figured out yet….is the berries.” She continues, unaware of the effect her words had on me. Unaware that she’s breaking me down little by little. 

I look at her then and she’s watching me. There’s a predatory glint in her eyes. I wonder if she’s enjoying this. Some part of me thinks maybe she knows exactly what she’s doing. 

“The berries?” I say, unable to stop from digging myself in further. 

“At the end, when they revoked the rule change and said there could only be one victor. Was that another brilliant strategy of yours? No one could show me any footage that looked like we planned it beforehand,” She continues, curiously. 

“No. That one was all you.” I say confidently. Yes, the berries. Such a pivotal point in both our lives. I can still remember it like it happened yesterday. I can feel the artificial sunlight on my face, smell the blood that seeped through my clothes. I remember the burning fireceness in her eyes, willing me to trust her. 

Together? 

I had asked. And she had answered. 

Together.

That still meant something. The berries, that was ours. It was at the heart of who we were to each other. I look back at her, ready to tell her about the river, ready to explain about the bond we formed that day, so long ago it seems like another lifetime. When we were just two terrified kids who wanted to go home, but refused to do so without the other. But she cuts me off before I can begin. 

“I just can’t understand it. I’ve tried and tried to figure it out. I’ve asked myself. I’ve asked others. I keep getting different answers. An act of rebellion some people say. An act of loyalty. An act of love. No one seems to know the truth.” She says each word like she would like to spit them out of her mouth as quickly as possible. Like they unsavory bites of rancid food, that make her want to gag. 

“What is the truth?” I ask, looking at her then. She’s such a small thing, pale and haunted looking. She stares back at me, blankly. I think I dislike this more than when she looks at me like she wants to kill me. There’s such an emptiness in her eyes. I feel like I could drown in it. 

“The truth? I still have no idea. They must have scrambled my brains so thoroughly that every memory associated with you is almost beyond comprehension. Every part of my life you touched you ruined. You’re like a plague Peeta, infecting everything. ” 

The words leave me speechless for a moment. Reeling. I have no rebuttal for this accusation. Indeed, it seems almost fitting. Looking back from her perspective I can understand how it must look like no matter how hard I tried, I ended up making things worse for her. First with my confession, then with the act we were forced to maintain. Then the Capitol took whatever complicated bond we had and turned it against her. They used every public moment, and every memory of me to torture and crush her. I am the reason for her suffering. I am at the center of her pain. I hate myself for it. 

 But she has to know that at least I didn’t do those things out of malice. She has to know they were born of a desire to protect, a desire to save, and to love. I had no idea how the Capitol would twist my actions to break her so completely. 

“Katniss, you have to know I went into our Games not expecting to make it out. I never could have planned for the rule change. I never could have anticipated your idea with the berries. All I ever wanted was to help. Everything I did, I did to ensure you lived.” I plead. 

She looks around her, at her arms strapped down to the hospital bed, the machines whirring away monitoring her vitals, ready to dispense an injection at the first sign of trouble. She looks at the plate glass wall, where an army of doctors are watching, recording every word. She looks to the door where a number of guards wait outside, not to keep her safe, but to keep her contained. 

I can read every accusation she makes with the simple flick of her eyes. It’s exactly what she told Haymitch when he first visited her. She thinks she’d be better off dead. My heart sinks. 

“Well, looks like you got your wish. Here I am alive. Never mind the fucking consequences. Are you happy now, hero?” She hisses at me. 

I can’t answer her. I can’t even look at her. 

I turn to walk away, not saying a word. 

I don’t need to. 

She knows the truth. 

I don’t think either of us will ever be happy again. 

#Golden Cages #future chapter #angst #lots of angst #pain #heartbreak #read at your own risk #everlark #fanfiction #lemonluvwrites

[imjustanauthor]

"that was a dumb question to ask." Throwing Clove at Charlie, for her victory verse! She's being her charming self lmaooo @hvbris

PROMPTS FOR FIRST MEETINGS & AWKWARD CHATS

Yeah, well, Charlie had a little bit of a reputation for saying the occasional silly thing, didn't he? This was, in part, purposeful. It hadn't started that way - ever since his victory, he had found himself in the habit of speaking without thinking - but, after a while, he had found it quite beneficial. When people saw him as a fool, they did not see him as a threat. Charlie didn't want to be seen as a threat - certainly not now he had a daughter to think of. No, no - it was far better to be seen as nothing more than a pretty thing that was surprisingly good at his job.

With the conclusion of the latest Hunger Games came the start of victory celebrations - this time, for two victors rather than one. That had been quite the turn of events. Charlie had been surprised by it, but he did have to concede that the Capitol was a sucker for a good love story. Even when he'd got married, there had been quite a bit of interest from the media. The photos they had taken had been rather good, actually. Charlie had cut one of them out of a magazine, keeping it in his wallet so it could remain on his person.

Anyway, celebrations meant parties - and that meant that people needed security. It was a busy time of year for him, though there was so rarely actual trouble at such events. Not that Charlie was complaining, mind you. Though he still had to remain alert, the lack of trouble meant that his work was less about protection, and more about being an expensive piece of arm candy or a designer pet. It wasn't exactly anything to be proud of, but it was easy and it kept him out of trouble.

His charge for the evening had sent him away for the time being, wanting to discuss some confidential business with a colleague. While Charlie continued to keep the man within eyesight, just in case anything happened, that gave him some time to mingle. He'd ended up bumping into Clove while he fetched himself a drink and, without much thought about it, he'd started up a conversation.

All he had asked was if the rules had not been changed at the last moment, whether she would have killed her partner or he would have killed her. It was hardly like he would be the only person to ask her that. Half the Capitol was discussing it!

"Why? Because you'd never harm him?" Charlie replied. He pulled a face, not believing that for one second. She was District 2; she had gone into that arena willingly and perfectly aware that she might have to kill whoever was by her side.

"Or because you're overprotective of each other and you'll hurt anyone that even suggests the idea that one of you should have died?" He then continued. Now, that seemed more likely to him. Just because they'd won didn't mean these guys could give up their personas of being sadistic bastards. Even in victory, the performance still had to continue - for everyone, not just them.

Whatever the case, he didn't think it was a dumb question. What would have been a dumb question was the other thing he had in mind, which was whether or not they were really in love. Considering everything, he was pretty sure that was something he risked getting into trouble over if he asked about it too much.

#hvbris #queued; #charlieposts; #I'm not doing much for my reputation for writing long responses am I haha

[calypso-finale]

Forty Six.

I didn’t manage to come to the first concert date because really I went to the hospital but I went ever so late because I was hyping myself up, I wasn’t sure how my daughter would have taken me coming so this date in London, Chris has a few dates here. This date is my first one I am coming too, I purposely waited it out and didn’t go and see Herb, I wasn’t going to be around for that but Oakley is going to be coming on next so I think I will make my way to the back and stand in the sound technician box so I can watch “boys, come. Let’s go Imani” Chris came out from his room “going out then?” he asked “yeah, well I want to see all the hype with him and Junior asked, he said he wants to go and see him” Chris chuckled “mhmmm I guess he is stuck in the family” rolling my eyes, Chris pecked my lips “well you might as well stay out there for me, I will be out after that” nodding my head “the bore fest eh” he shook his head “I will get you on that stage for my last London date” so he says, I am not getting on no stage, he keeps threatening me with things to get me to go on “is Amerie ok to be with Emi?” I asked as I walked away a little, it just hit me “she is fine” waving over the boys “ok, see you soon. Boys, please don’t be silly, we need to walk by people” Raihan held my hand, Chris’ security team walked ahead of me with Rich behind me “Aziel!” Junior shouted and ran ahead, like I told him not to do “Rylee” I said “hey, we made it” Junior hugged Aziel “awwww it’s so good to see Aziel out, and you, of course. We are going out for Oakley’ set” Rylee hugged me, I wasn’t expecting it at all but I mean it’s my daughter and I will hug her back “good to see you” I said to her “thanks mom and yeah we made it, I will come out for dad’ set” smiling at her “hey baby” Aziel got shy and ran to Rylee, I am so happy to see him out, it’s been a few days, I did say to her that he looked better but it’s about time he come out and got to see this. There is this date and the last date in London and that’s it, so he can see his dad perform. The arena security moved the barrier “move back!” they shouted, “Oh my god Rihanna!” one person shouted, as soon as that one person shouted the rest just followed and the buzz of the arena just went off, looking around me and I just smiled, waving as people started to push and get their phone out, it’s busy out here for an opener, I get what Oakley meant now, people tend to not come out early with them.

It’s not my type of music, I mean it’s catchy, his music is catchy but not my type. The kids love it though, they know the music actually and I thought Junior was joking but he does. The crowd know his music word for word so for him to come out as an opener is a big deal, he must really care for Chris or see him as a high status in his life “the girls go crazy don’t they” Imani said “they do, even for my old man. Chris is getting on but yet here they are” shaking my head, squinting my eyes at the screen “oh is that Aziel” I said, catching Rylee on the edge of the stage as she let him go on “today means a lot to me because my son, my biggest critic is here” Aziel ran to his dad “he is better and he is ready to show out with my team, last song you know and I want you all to show out and show him all the love, he acting shy. You moving mad” Wadz came over and got him, he was holding on to his legs for dear life “nothing in life really means much to me, especially money you know. My real ones know that nothing means a lot to me, I do things and move but my son, that is me” the fans shouted “and the mother of my child, she made me a father and I appreciate that forever, that’s love you know. And my fans” he laughed “I know, I know. I love you all too, it’s love from me over on this side, but let’s do this night and show out, show my son the love he deserves. Shoutout to family, out here tonight” I know his family ain’t here so he must be speaking on us “let’s go!” he spat, look at him being all sentimental, sweet.

Looking to the side of me, Oakley is coming up the steps with Aziel in his arms and Rylee behind him, the fans are intense, the way they are pushing to get footage “you was so good!” Junior said “yeah, better then your dad, he is boring right?” Junior laughed “sometimes” I am glad to see Aziel out “it was erm, nice to see how they react to you in your hometown, it’s intense. You are very loved” Aziel holding onto Oakley like I am going to snatch him “thank you, thank you. It’s alright you know, I am glad you liked it” he said to me, smiling at Aziel “I did, they really show out for you. Like with openers people don’t come early but you packed this out” he nodded his head smiling, I question my daughters taste in men a lot I still do really. Melo wasn’t the looker, he was slow so to say, Brian was just all looks no brains and Oakley is very within himself, he doesn’t give off a lot but I get her attraction, she might like that but Rylee shocks me every time “it’s nice to feel that love at home, it’s hard because they hate you, like when you make it. They end up hating you so it’s a lot to take, but thank you, I didn’t think you would be out for my set” he looked at me “Junior likes your music, he doesn’t like to mention it, he likes to be cool, but he likes your music and I said we can stand out here for you, and then seeing Aziel. That was cute, I have a cute video of it actually” he shuffled closer to me “you post it?” he asked “I did” going onto my IG story and playing it “that’s you son!” Oakley spat “yeah, yeah. That is dope you know, I will repost that” I think I took a good video “I didn’t know Junior liked my music like that, he act so cool too” I have aired that out now, he will be so annoyed with me “don’t say it to him, he don’t fangirl like that” I said to him.

Chris is talented, I got to give it him. He was always so talented from when I met him, he had everything in him, dancer, actor, sportsman, comedian, artist. Multiple things he could have been but I feel for him that he was stopped, he couldn’t be what he wanted to be in the first place and it was a dumb decision but then he also put his life on hold to be a dad while I grew myself, he deserves all this really. I did get annoyed he did a tour, but I feel he is making up for lost time “I can do that” Oakley said pointing, Chris and his backflips “no the fuck you can’t, you get tired picking me up” looking over at them both “why you playing? That is a lie, I can literally do that. Watch yeah, take my chain” he is really trying it “oh please” Oakley took off his chain “what is this?” Herb spoke, everyone is watching now “if he don’t do this I am going to laugh” I said, he pulled up his pants “I can do it, I can. Just to prove this one I can” he pointed, I am just going to not laugh if he fails “mind out, watch out” Rylee rolled her eyes, oh he is causing a scene now. I snorted laughing “that is a front flip! No that don’t count!” Rylee pointed “nah, nah I did it, I did it. That is the point” he walked over to her, he mushed her face “I did it, I don’t care man. Hater, just a hater, you lazy, start complaining about put my leg down it hurt” oh brother they going at it now, looking at Herb “you drunk?” I asked, he just shrugged, he is a mess. I don’t know what it is but he is in the pits right now with his life.

Climbing into the car to go back to the hotel “man, I am tired today. You know I had to show out today, you was here” I chuckled, I knew he was showing out for me “were you impressed” I pulled a face “nothing that I haven’t seen before, I even yawned at one point” Chris is laughing and then stopped, one of those sarcastic laughs “you are dumb, I feel like rerunning the tour back, the last few dates and that’s it, I appreciate the outcome I got, the tour could have easily been a flop you know but the turn out, amazing” I cooed out “it’s a blessing, I am happy for you Chris but I was thinking, while we are out here that we remain out here and then go Barbados? Take Emi there, and then Aziel. See my mom, you know she is old now, I need to spend the most time I can so what you think?” I want him to say yes because I do want to go “erm yeah, why not I suppose. So that means you and Rylee are becoming the best of friends” I chuckled “I wouldn’t say that but we are getting a along better, I am going to tell Rylee, well ask her. Ask Ti too, just spend time as a family. I want us to create memories, I am sick of the fighting, just stupid things. Also going to Invite Oakley too, no Herb just us ok” Chris looked taken a back “Oakley? You? Why?” he is confused “I want him to know I don’t hate him, I just hate how it happened and the age gap, I also think Aziel and him should experience Barbados together” Chris shrugged “sure but then they have to be in separate rooms” I laughed but Chris has a point.

Either the driver was slow or we took our time, everyone is at the hotel already “I am going then” Oakley is here, let me get him “why is Rylee staying here?” I am confused “because, I don’t know. Why not, I can get a cooked breakfast” she is so lazy “ok, you staying too?” I asked Oakley “Aziel!” Rylee spat and ran off, he done ran away “no, I am going home. The cars just all came here, annoying but whatever” they did all come here in a line btu we took ages to come back “I wanted to ask, you can say no but I am inviting you to Barbados, see our home and just spend time with the family. I am inviting you, I do want you to come. No hard feelings” Oakley looks scared “me?” he just said “yeah you, I am serious” he looked around him “when?” he cringed, I don’t know why but he is always awkward “like straight after the tour, Aziel will be there and Rylee, I will be telling them. You are more then welcome to come, and I love showing off my home. Barbados is way better then Guyana” he smiled “yeah, yeah. You saying that, erm I don’t think I am doing anything. I am never sure with Ybeez, I will check but thank you, that is nice of you” I smiled at him “you’re welcome, have a nice night. Raihan! Get here now, stop annoying Rylee and chasing Aziel” that boy, he jumped at me shouting “the elevator now, Rylee. You have one child, just grab him” she can be so soft at times “let Aziel play” here comes Chris, I am going to sleep because this lobby is manic.

#Chrianna #Chrianna FF #Fanfic #Fanfiction #Chrianna Fanfic #Chrianna Fanfiction

[kytra-and-tryder]

Dark Side Switch 22

It was a late evening for Amalya.

She’d been studying the complex traditions of the Alderaan people when the message finally made it to her; she expected yet another spam “you’ve won a free trip!” phishing attempt, but nearly squealed with delight when she saw the name. Her enthusiasm was quickly subdued, however, as she read its contents. “What have you gotten yourself into…” she murmured to herself as she typed a reply and sent it speeding its way back.

The Nautolan sat uncomfortably in a corner of the transport ship. 

Arms crossed, she hunched over in her seat, crates in the cargo bay that had been pushed together for the rare passengers. Sparkling eyes stared blankly at the floor.

“Kytra?”

Tryder walked into the cargo bay, having finished negotiating with the captain of the small ship. He sat next to the Sith, leaning his elbows on his knees, and waited.

“I don’t like space.” She spoke softly, eyes unfocused and staring at nothing. “It’s too big, too cold, too empty.” She shifted and pulled her legs up into her chest. “Too cruel.”

Tryder watched her for a moment before letting his eyes wander elsewhere. “I don’t think cruel is the right word. It’s impersonal, sure, but it’s not.. Intentional about it. Besides, the stars are beautiful.” She grunted an acknowledgement but didn’t reply.

Eventually Tryder asked, “So what’s your story, anyway? I don’t think you ever told me.”

“I don’t remember much. It hurts to try and think about it, so I just… don’t.”

“You don’t have to tell me everything, you know.” The Chiss glanced over at her, a subtle movement out of the corner of his eye. “You’ve told me about Veraku, so that’s a start. That happened on Sha’Vess, right?”

“Yeah. That was after I’d killed --” she cut herself off suddenly, shrinking from the memory. Yet Tryder caught a glimpse of a memory that wasn’t his own -- an arena built for sparring, bitterness at that cocky bastard who thought he was so much better than she was, the ease by which the red blade of a familiar lightsaber cleaved through ribs and muscle, a strange mixture of fear and pride -- before landing back in his own head.

“You killed your master?”

“It wasn’t on purpose! It just… happened.” The Nautolan was defensive, but she still continued after a moment. “It’s not like we hadn’t sparred before, he just… thought so little of me he got sloppy.” She sighed. “He deserved it, really, for misjudging me, but it still feels… strange.”

((doesn’t the force have like… mind meld prothean beacon something something powers because i’m using it))

Tryder sat in silence with her for a moment, unsure what to say. False starts flitted through his head – “he probably did deserve it” felt callous, “that’s awful” felt judgemental, “I don’t –” was an emotion that failed to go anywhere. Kytra was the one to break through his thoughts. 

“Anyway it’s not like it matters. I’m still Sith, and you’re still Jedi, and… well.” She shrank into herself, waiting quietly for the inevitable judgment, the verdict that she wasn’t worth the expansive world in her head.

Tryder had a different idea.

“Yknow, I used to think Sith were all hate and fury and fear, nothing but negative emotions sustained on their own adrenaline.” He glanced at the Nautolan, her shoulders tense, her head down. “And yet I remember, vividly, the first night you’d captured me. Not because you were mocking and cruel,” he caught the corner of her eye and held it, “but because when your narglatch came back from his hunting trip, the love you had for him was so strong I felt it through the Force.” Kytra lifted her head and looked at him. The two held each others’ eyes for a moment, before Tryder broke off, staring out the measly port window. “I didn’t realize Sith could love before then. That the emotions they chose to embrace could be good ones, as well as bad.” He blinked, and sighed. “Silly of me, really.”

Kytra shifted in her seat, her thoughts disorganized. 

Tryder woke with a start.

He blinked, taking a moment to take in his surroundings. He was still in the hold of the cargo freighter he and Kytra had hired --

Kytra?

His thoughts ground to a halt at the reminder of the Sith he’d grown so fond of, and slowly the realization dawned on him that the thing he’d been using as a pillow was not, in fact, a conveniently soft crate. He glanced down to find the Nautolan still sleeping soundly, curled up into a ball, his arm still resting lightly on her waist. For a brief moment, the Chiss was awash in simple contentment. 

All too soon, however, the persistent voice of reason demanded to know how exactly Tryder was planning on justifying flirting with a Sith Lord. 

((man idk how to keep going with this like i know but idk how to describe it so))

“Morning.”

“Is it really morning or are you just screwing with me?” Kytra yawned, shaking her head to try and clear it.

Tryder shrugged. “You slept better.”

She thought about that for a moment. “Yeah, I guess I did.” She blinked at the floor. “No nightmares, anyway.”

Tryder paused, debating whether it was worth bringing up that she’d been sleeping curled up against him. On the one hand, it had clearly helped. On the other, she was still a Sith, and that made her volatile. He thought she’d react well. But he wasn’t sure, and that uncertainty could lose him his life yet…

“How about you?” Kytra looked at him, her head cocked to one side, her expression benign.

“Hmm?”

“Did you sleep well?”

He weighed his answer for a moment. “I think so, yeah.” Kytra seemed to accept that at face value; he was grateful for it. “Anyway, I just spoke with the pilot. We should be landing on Coruscant within an hour or so.”

“What’s the plan?”

“I’ve gotten in contact with an old friend of mine.” “Jedi?”

“We can trust her, Kytra.”

“Are you sure?”

This time his uncertainty came across. 

“You’re not sure??”

“Kytra I’ve already told her everything. If we’re walking into a trap, there’s nothing to be done about it except walk right into it.” He sighed. “But she was a good friend, if not a brilliant Jedi. We can trust her. We have to.”

“I don’t like handing over my trust to people who haven’t earned it.”

“Do you have a better plan?”

Kytra fidgeted for a moment. “No.”

#dark side switch

[helbertinelli]

enamour me anidala 🥺

I wrote about Padme finding love and showing her perspective mainly on falling in love and having a family. It's mostly canon, except the ending because I want the Skywalkers to be happy.

--

Padme laid awake, staring at the clock on her nightstand. She was too anxious to sleep as she would soon have to travel to Coruscant and try to convince the rest of the Senate to vote against the Military Creation Act. There was one thought at the back of her mind that started to bother her more and more and it was brought upon by her conversation with Sola earlier that day.

Deep down Padme knew Sola was right about her wanting more from her life. Being a senator and being able to help others was rewarding in and of itself, but Padme would be lying if she claimed she never wanted to have a family of her own or at least someone to share her life with. However, even if she tried, finding love was not an easy task. Most of the men she met or knew were politicians like her, most of them had their own agendas and their interest in her was only present to serve a purpose. Most of them were deceitful and would try to sell her sweet nothings to get her on their side. Others just wanted her as a prize, because although she was no longer Queen of Naboo, her name still held a lot of power. How would she ever be able to find someone who would love her for herself? Someone who would want to be with Padme and not with Amidala.

She thought about her sister's marriage and how happy Darred and Sola were together and how perfect their family was. The thought started to hurt as it made Padme think that that life would never be hers. The more she thought about it, the more hopeless she felt about having that kind of happiness in her own life. Sola and Darred were soulmates, so were her mother and her father, and both of them found their love already by the time they were Padme's age. Part of her felt like she waited too long and now it was too late or maybe she was never destined to find love. The other part of her felt like she was being silly that tears pooled in her eyes at the thought of ending up alone for the rest of her life and her work for the Republic was everything she needed. Still, as she closed her eyes to try to sleep, tears streamed down her cheeks and she could not help but feel even more alone as she laid in her oversized bed.

--

Anakin made sure his feelings for Padme were clear. Although she tried to reject his advances and to deny her own feelings for him, Padme could not help but feel good when she was around Anakin. He knew how to make her smile and how to get her to be herself. She could just be Padme around him. He knew her only as Padme ever since their first meeting and the fact that she was a Queen did not change his perception of her. She had always been Padme, his friend. Now that they were reunited, she was reminded of why they became such fast friends ten years ago on Tatooine in the first place. Anakin was easy to talk to, he was open, and genuine, and good, and he had no hidden interests in her. He was one of the few people, aside from her own family, who viewed her as a person and not as a symbol or as a job.

Being with Anakin brought out the best in her. His eagerness to do good and to help others only made her strive for that even more. And since he started guarding her, it seemed like Anakin was trying his best to make her smile and see her happy everyday. How could she not love him back when everything he did screamed to her that they were meant to be.

She had her doubts at first about Anakin's feelings for her being caused by his infatuation to her and his desire for her being only a physical one. They were however quickly dispelled in the following days she spent with Anakin on Naboo. It was more than obvious that Anakin loved her for more than just her appearance and in fact he found everything about her interesting and worthy of love. Even when Padme's more abrasive side came out, he was more than willing to adapt to her suggestions and he respected her decisions.

By the time they reached Geonosis, it became obvious that Anakin not only loved Padme, but he trusted her completely. And when they got captured, she felt that hopelessness again. She realized that they were most likely about to die and she was the one who convinced him to come to this planet in the first place. They were about to die and she spent all the time they had together trying to deny her feelings for him and trying to convince him to do the same. And now she felt hopeless because she almost had that love she dreamed of, the kind that Sola and Darred had, and she tried so hard to make it go away. She had tears in her eyes as she finally confessed her love to Anakin and when their lips finally met, there was no more denying that they should be together.

--

Despite Anakin losing his arm, both him and Padme escaped the arena alive and they were now back on Naboo. As they laid on Padme's bed and she looked deep into his blue eyes, Padme decided that she would not want to spend any more time apart from him. Anakin was also sharing her thoughts, but before he could find the right words to express that, Padme bluntly stated that they should be married. It did not matter that they would have to hide and live a lie, none of that would come close to how happy both of them would be as husband and wife. Anakin knew that too and he quickly said yes. The rest of the day was spent putting together the wedding and the following day the two of them got married in the same spot they shared their first kiss. As Padme looked into Anakin's eyes and he was staring back into hers, they both understood that they were always destined to be together.

--

With the war being finally over, Anakin and Padme were able to leave Coruscant behind and live on Naboo. They returned to Varykino, which was now to be their home. Varykino was indeed special to them, it was the place where they fell in love, where they got married, and now it was going to be the place where they will raise their family. While Naboo had always been Padme's home, she had to trade her family's home for the palace for her eight years as Queen and then, as senator, she was constantly travelling between Naboo and Coruscant. Anakin called the Jedi temple his home and before that it was the small hut in which him and his mother were living on Tatooine. The two of them did spend time in Padme's apartment on Coruscant, but during the war it was difficult for them to live there for more than a few days before they were pulled to different worlds. However, despite how little time they spent there, both of them understood that the apartment was the closest thing they had to a home. Now it was different. They were able to stay at the lake villa as much as they wanted, there was nothing to keep them apart anymore, so finally they would have a real home at Varykino.

It was also at Varykino where Luke and Leia were born. Neither Anakin nor Padme expected that she was carrying twins, but they were more than happy when they found out. There were small adjustments that needed to be done to the nursery, but that did not matter too much. As they held their children, Anakin placed a kiss on Padme's temple. He told her how happy he was that they were all together and healthy and that his nightmares, that he was so worried about, never came true.

--

A few years have passed since Luke and Leia were born. The couple and their twins were back in the meadow at the lake villa. Padme was lying on the grass, on a blanket. Luke had his head propped on her right arm, being fast asleep. Her left shoulder was taken by her husband who was also sleeping. Leia was sleeping on Anakin's chest, clutching her father's shirt in her fist as she was snoring lightly. Anakin's left hand was holding Leia, making sure she doesn't roll off, while his right hand was rested on Padme's swollen belly.

Padme had been happy for a long time now, but in this moment she remembered how afraid she felt all those years ago, thinking she would never have love or a family, and that she was meant for nothing more than to serve the Republic. She smiled thinking about how silly all those fears were in hindsight and how lucky she was to have Anakin. And Luke and Leia. And the new baby she was carrying.

She placed a kiss on Anakin's forehead before she closed her eyes to rest. She knew he loved her, all of her, even the parts of herself that she disliked or was insecure about. And she loved him in the same way, too.

#anidala #padme amidala #anakin skywalker #my fics #I think this fits the prompt #I'm still working on these #I have a few more that I need to write #anonymous #ask

[dansantcaparet]

Clerith was canon in 1997. Clerith is canon (again) in 2020.

Due to the scene being in reference to "If you know what happens to Aerith later in the story, it's a line that strikes emotionally," we know this scene is referring to Aerith's death.

In the Remake, Aerith knows she dies. Aerith also knows REAL Cloud falls in love with her in the OG. Aerith tells Cloud not to fall in love with her this time because she knows she dies.

In the Remake, Aerith is trying to protect Cloud from falling in love with her due to her death.

Clerith is confirmed as the canon OG pairing.

-------

The MOST OBVIOUS transformation of Cloud’s “frosty exterior” in the Remake is when he starts doing high-five’s with Aerith on the reg.

At first Cloud rejects them. Then, he is about to give one but stops short. Then, you have to hold the triangle button down so he gives Aerith a high-five. Then, he gives Aerith an automatic high-five at the battle arena. The crowd chants:

“Cloud and Aerith! – Cloud and Aerith! – Cloud and Aerith!”

The high-five’s is a clear-cut, distinct transformation of Cloud’s personality. Intentionally designed by SE to show Aerith slowly melting Cloud’s “frosty exterior.”

Given Cloud’s earlier reluctance, I got chills when Cloud & Aerith high-five’d in the battle arena.

Then, when Cloud has to remind everyone that rescuing Aerith from Shinra HQ is the #1 priority, it cemented to me that Cloud had significantly changed from the very beginning of the game.

Aerith is evoking the REAL Cloud to the surface.

Cloud’s love for Aerith is giving us glimpses of who he truly is.

Not only are the high-five’s and quest to save Aerith from Shinra HQ significant, clear-cut examples of Cloud’s transformation, but Cloud also has a REAL memory of his mother telling him to have an “older girlfriend” – someone who will call him a “silly goose” when he needs to hear it (Aerith calls Cloud “silly” in FF7R). Aerith shows us the REAL Cloud's personality and triggers him into having a REAL memory of his Mom telling him to pick Aerith as his girlfriend (ie: "older" -- "silly goose").

Cloud and Aerith dominate once Cloud falls to her flower bed.

Just as in the OG, when both women are present, Cloud's preference is Aerith (something that continues even in death and makes Tifa jealous).

-------

As a kid in 1997, it was obvious to me that Cloud loved Aerith more than Tifa.

Not until I went online all these years later did I discover (shockingly) that the American FFVII fanbase had been misled by some in the FFVII fandom.

So why did they decide to launch a campaign to delegitimize Clerith?

Well, when FFVII first came out in 1997, many western gamers didn’t understand Aerith. She was (literally) foreign to them. Japanese animation was still very niche back then.

Though the Japanese adored Aerith’s spunky personality & pink dress (and saw her as the obvious romantic interest for Cloud), many men in the United States thought her hair was “ugly” and that her personality was “annoying.” Far too “anime” for their tastes. They preferred Tifa -- the loyal, more American looking childhood friend -- the “girl-next-door.” Plus, her big boobs didn’t hurt, either.

Of course, since FFVII inherently revolves around a love triangle, there is obviously an option to play it the Tifa way.

However, as a kid in 1997, I never saw Tifa as a threat. I saw her as the secondary, optional way to play the game. The girl you would pick on your second playthrough.

When you consider:

The official Amano artwork

Beginning love point totals (you have to make counterintuitive choices to catch Tifa up to Aerith’s automatic 1st place position)

The non-optional bodyguard agreement

The “normally” occurring CxA Gold Saucer date

Numerous flirtatious moments & obvious hints

Tifa’s constant jealousy

The Promised Land scene non-optionally occurring *AFTER* the inherently variable Highwind scene

Frequent CxA cameos

Aerith being the first & last image we see in the entire game

…it is clear Tifa never held a candle to Aerith as the heroine, or as the primary love interest for Cloud.

To put it simply -- Aerith was created first by SE. Tifa was created second. Aerith is the primary love interest. Tifa is the secondary love interest. Obvious common sense.

Unfortunately, fueled by their unyielding, irrational hatred of all things Aerith, they successfully sold the myth (for years) that Cloud x Tifa is the official canon couple of FFVII, thereby brainwashing the entire American fandom against Cloud x Aerith.

They reduced & twisted Cloud’s love for Aerith as “guilt.”

Saying that even though the Real Cloud chooses to live in Aerith’s Church, has his heart broken every time he visits her grave, reconnects with her in Flower Fields (and cameos), and seeks to find her in the Promised Land, is all due to guilt over the death of a mere friend. Saying that anything romantic shown in the OG is all a result of Zack (ie: attempted delegitimization).

I guess the symbolism of Cloud’s continued love for Aerith, and all the nuances that entails, is too cultured & sophisticated for them to comprehend. Or maybe they are purposely not comprehending the obvious?

Thankfully, the Japanese understand what all of this means. So why don’t western fans?

The only logical conclusion is because of their deep, burning, irrational hatred of Aerith as a character. Always minimizing & downplaying her role as the first & true heroine & love interest to Cloud.

But now, with the Remake perfecting Aerith’s look & personality, and making it crystal clear that these are Cloud’s REAL feelings, and that Aerith wants to move FORWARD from Zack, you are now seeing a significant swing within the fandom towards Cloud x Aerith.

The other side has spent years using Crisis Core & Advent Children to their advantage:

Essentially saying Crisis Core makes Zerith canon, and Advent Children makes Cloti canon. Simple & easy for the masses to understand, right?

So how, exactly, did they convince millions to believe their great myth?

1. Cloud & Aerith only liked each other because of Zack.

Response:

The relationship between Zack & Aerith in CC is officially described as a minor infatuation between two juveniles, much like Cloud’s childhood crush on Tifa.

In the OG, Aerith says her and Zack were NEVER serious, that their relationship is “in the past now,” and that he probably moved on to someone else because he’s a “real lady’s man.”

On the normally occurring CxA Gold Saucer date, Aerith confirms that although she initially liked Cloud because of Zack, she has grown to like Cloud for Cloud.

Within the lifestream, Aerith tells Zack that she prefers Cloud’s personality over his, and that she will only call Zack if she gets “really lonely.”

In the Remake, Aerith states she wants to move FORWARD with her life in regards to Zack.

Aerith triggers Cloud into a REAL memory of his mother suggesting he have an “older girlfriend.” This REAL memory proves the REAL Cloud was present during his interactions with Aerith. She is bringing the REAL Cloud back to the surface.

In official sources, Aerith is stated as saying she loves Cloud MORE than Zack.

Cloud is stated to be Aerith’s “koibito” (“lover” in Japanese).

Yes -- Cloud adopted some memories & mannerisms from Zack, but he never transformed 100% into Zack.

It is a myth that Cloud & Aerith’s love is null-and-void because of Zack.

2. Tifa wins by default due to being alive.

Response:

Tifa winning by default due to being alive is why they hope to god Aerith doesn’t live in the Remake.

You may personally prefer Tifa, but in the OG, Cloud himself clearly prefers Aerith over Tifa, and the other side knows it (just look at the Shinra jail cell moment).

Tifa only has a chance once Aerith is out of the picture. If Aerith lives, it is all but over for Tifa.

Even in death, Cloud has an “undying” love for Aerith that will never go away. Tifa knows this to be true and is stated to be jealous of Cloud’s continued feelings for Aerith.

In the AC credits, Tactics cameo, and the Dissidia cameo, it is clear Cloud still wants to meet and be with Aerith in the Promised Land. Denying the common sense symbolism of this is a sign of someone who has a deep-rooted bias against Aerith.

Furthermore, Cloud and Tifa are in an established “family of friends,” share zero romantic moments, have tons of continued jealousy, fighting, and sleep in separate rooms. Plus, Barret returns to living with them in DoC.

Cloud & Tifa only have the possibility of being a thing if Aerith is out of the picture. The other side better pray to god Aerith doesn’t live in the Remake.

And even if Aerith dies, Cloud & Aerith will always remain a tragic star-crossed love story where Cloud forever wants to meet her in the Promised Land. Tifa’s continued jealousy confirms this to be true.

In the Remake, Cloud cries when he thinks of Aerith facing her inevitable demise. True love.

Soulmates.

#clerith #final fantasy 7 #final fantasy 7 remake #cloud strife #aerith gainsborough

[majingojira]

Reworking the structure of “Sword of X”

I have ... problems with Sword of X.  Now, I don’t want to be like the overly aggressive, self-defeating artists who draw over people’s work when they do a ‘redraw’ to ‘fix’ a character design (and reveal their biases in the process while shooting their own careers in the foot).  But it’s going to be tough, because I didn’t like it that much. 

Much of that initial dislike comes from the Death of Rockslide, which I fully understand WHY it was done, but hate that it was done and the cross purposes that put him in the cross hairs (IE: They needed a minor character to kill off, but wanted someone the audience cared about for it to have an emotional impact).  It still reeks of my hated “You didn’t put much work into making the audience care about the character yourself before you offed him and expected people to care about him based on the work of others.”

Which I hate. And it brings back Avengers Arena flashbacks.  Not a thing I ever want to be reminded of. 

But there was also structural elements that hindered my enjoyment.  One has to be corrected hard, but another can be fixed in a more simplified fashion.  One plays into the other, so we’re going to have to go with the hard way first. 

One of the inherent flaws of X-Book crossovers is that the only way to really ‘get’ them is to better establish Saturnyne as using Insane Troll Logic.  Look, the thing that sucks about these contests in comics from Avengers Arena (one of the worst) to The Immortal Weapons (a good one) is that they don’t really explain the rules very well before the contest begins.  Like, this is a fundamental flaw that plagues the entire genre.  Even Dead Legends doesn’t have precise rules set up.  However, unlike Sword of X, the rules are revealed within the space of an issue and an observer can determine them from observation and knowledge of the genre. 

So, when Saturnyne pulls the “Oh, I’m reading things this way,” and “Surprise!  It’s a wedding!” it comes off as an arbitrary ruling done at random, and not something the reader can sink their investment and mind into.  I found it to break my Suspension of Disbelief almost instantly.  

Though I liked the wedding, the following sword-less contests killed it. 

I mean, here’s the tally. 

Number of contests with Swords: 4 Number of contests without Swords: 21

This renders the issues where the swords are gathered largely padding.  Sure, it is setting up 3 events for the story and future events as well, but this renders a good chunk of the crossover padding! 

But I digress. 

The easy fix is to continue the Tarot theming.  They allude to it, but don’t go into it.  Several times, Saturnyne draws cards to show what the contest will be, but ... well, they often aren’t real Tarot cards she’s drawing.  

So, first, have Saturnyne tell the contestants that there will be X number of contests.  Each one will be determined by the Tarot Cards given to the players, and by one she draws. The combination of them, as well as their orientation determine what will happen.  With Saturnyne as the judge.   

That’s it. 

From there, because Tarot Reading is usually little better than Cold Reading, you can justify almost every single one of these contests. 

So, you have several layers the reader can sink their investment into. Look at what cards the people drew, the card the drawn for them, and the rulings of the “Impartial” Judge. 

That’s it.  That’s the rules structure with the Insane Troll Logic subversion built in. 

And we have it done. 

I bet someone more versed in the Tarot than I could go through the series and retroactively put that framework in place. 

Of course, Tarot being Tarot, any two people are going to get two different results. I mean, the booklet that came with my Tarot Deck contradicts the top google guides I’ve seen in several locations. 

Though I’d still think upping the number of Sword-based contests in an event called X of Swords would be a good thing.  I mean, if you want silly contests for one panel jokes, why not make sure the sword is incorporated.  Like, balancing contests - “No, not balance the word, Balance ON the sword!”, using your foe’s sword to torture them in the ‘endure torture’ contest, etc. 

But it’s out, too late to do anything about it.  Just... I hope they put more thought into the next one. Because this one did not live up to its potential, and was not worth the loss of Rockslide. 

#X-Men #Sword of X #Saturnyne #Writing #Tarot #Rockslide

[hockeysweetheart]

I was thinking about Katniss saying she never wanted to have children. I noticed most of the time she said she never wanted kids Gale was involved. Yes there are points fear yes if her and Peeta had kids with Snow in power. Her children would have a one way ticket to the games.  But after the Peeta’s baby bomb she was like okay didn’t expect then then very shortly after she’s like well the damage is done thank god I had no say in this. and Then a few chapters later she was like it’s not my plan to have kids with Gale your crazy. 2 seconds later oh I dream of a world Peeta’s child is safe. 

Okay Katniss who knew Gale better but Peeta longer. She is totally like me Marry Gale ahahaha your so Funny Me Have his children pfft not a freaking Chance. But when it comes to Peeta she could of denied it but she didn’t. sure she said “it’s for an act” but she knows she was fooling herself saying that because of the sheer fact that she was like well he’s not that bad... blushes...  plus  she never worked up any excuse for Hey Peeta   we over. Because I truely beileve she  had feeling for him the whole damn time.  and when it came to Gale she’s like were friends. Peeta it’s like oh my god you saved my life I can’t live without you. ( without admitting shes in love with him).  becuase lord knows how long that took.  anyways I got off track a bit.  

I’ll say this again  she wanted to be with Gale because it would be the biggest slap in the face to the Capitol but she couldn’t let go of Peeta.  without Fail every single  time she had sparks with Gale  her Feelings for Peeta were not far behind.  Plus she totally burned that bridge when Gale came out as a player.  but It’s Gale confusing Katniss when they kissed. Because not once before the games did he say btw I like you any sign of it that Katniss caught on.  Whereas Peeta is flirting with Katniss the whole freaking time. and yes Katniss is a little slow to catch on so slow in fact it took Peeta  to tell the whole  world that he’s madly in love with the world before she realized that he was just a boy in love with me. ( in fact it took her longer to realize that).  

Okay Katniss is a bit slow to show it. But some kisses were for I couldn’t do this without you. That beach kiss was all love sweetheart ( at that point we all knew that Peeta won Katniss’s heart.)  But like Gale literally almost got whipped to death and her reaction was like was like just give him the meds to knock him out let him slip away. and for Peeta when he hit that force field it’s like  oh my god I cannot live without you. Don’t ever do that again. and like later without Peeta I’ll never be truely happy again. I do I need you. I’ll be damaged beyond repare with you gone.

Below are some refences I pulled up of The whole “ not having kids or marrying to doing both”  subject... 

chapter 1  the hunger games 

"We could do it, you know," Gale says quietly. "What?" I ask. "Leave the district. Run off. Live in the woods. You and I, we could make it," says Gale. I don't know how to respond. The idea is so preposterous. "If we didn't have so many kids," he adds quickly. They're not our kids, of course. But they might as well be. Gale's two little brothers and a sister. Prim. And you may as well throw in our mothers, too, because how would they live without us? Who would fill those mouths that are always asking for more? With both of us hunting daily, there are still nights when game has to be swapped for lard or shoelaces or wool, still nights when we go to bed with our stomachs growling. "I never want to have kids," I say. "I might. If I didn't live here," says Gale. "But you do," I say, irritated. "Forget it," he snaps back. The conversation feels all wrong. Leave? How could I leave Prim, who is the only person in the world I'm certain I love? And Gale is devoted to his family. We can't leave, so why bother talking about it? And even if we did. even if we did. where did this stuff about having kids come from? There's never been anything romantic between Gale and me. When we met, I was a skinny twelve-year-old, and although he was only two years older, he already looked like a man. It took a long time for us to even become friends, to stop haggling over every trade and begin helping each other out. Besides, if he wants kids, Gale won't have any trouble finding a wife. He's good-looking, he's strong enough to handle the work in the mines, and he can hunt. You can tell by the way the girls whisper about him when he walks by in school that they want him. It makes me jealous but not for the reason people would think. Good hunting partners are hard to find.

the hunger games chapter 3 

Finally, Gale is here and maybe there is nothing romantic between us, but when he opens his arms I don't hesitate to go into them. His body is familiar to me  -  the way it moves, the smell of wood smoke, even the sound of his heart beating I know from quiet moments on a hunt  -  but this is the first time I really feel it, lean and hard-muscled against my own.

the hunger games chapter 10

I don't know what to think. "I should have been told, so I didn't look so stupid." "No, your reaction was perfect. If you'd known, it wouldn't have read as real," says Portia. "She's just worried about her boyfriend," says Peeta gruffly, tossing away a bloody piece of the urn. My cheeks burn again at the thought of Gale. "I don't have a boyfriend." "Whatever," says Peeta. "But I bet he's smart enough to know a bluff when he sees it. Besides you didn't say you loved me. So what does it matter?" The words are sinking in. My anger fading. I'm torn now between thinking I've been used and thinking I've been given an edge. Haymitch is right. I survived my interview, but what was I really? A silly girl spinning in a sparkling, dress. Giggling. The only moment of any substance I hail was when I talked about Prim. Compare that with Thresh, his silent, deadly power, and I'm forgettable. Silly and sparkly and forgettable. No, not entirely forgettable, I have my eleven in training.

the hunger games chapter 23 

Four of us left.

For the first time, I allow myself to truly think about the possibility that I might make it home. To fame. To wealth. To my own house in the Victor's Village. My mother and Prim would live there with me. No more fear of hunger. A new kind of freedom. But then. what? What would my life be like on a daily basis? Most of it has been consumed with the acquisition of food. Take that away and I'm not really sure who I am, what my identity is. The idea scares me some. I think of Haymitch, with all his money. What did his life become? He lives alone, no wife or children, most of his waking hours drunk. I don't want to end up like that.

"But you won't be alone," I whisper to myself. I have my mother and Prim. Well, for the time being. And then. I don't want to think about then, when Prim has grown up, my mother passed away. I know I'll never marry, never risk bringing a child into the world. Because if there's one thing being a victor doesn't guarantee, it's your children's safety. My kids' names would go right into the reaping balls with everyone else's. And I swear I'll never let that happen.

catching fire chapter 2 ( this was what katniss was gonna say to gale after he kissed her)

That week I managed the snares and dropped off the meat with Hazelle. But I didn't see Gale until Sunday. I had this whole speech worked out, about how I didn't want a boyfriend and never planned on marrying, but I didn't end up using it. Gale acted as if the kiss had never happened.

Maybe he was waiting for me to say something. Or kiss him back. Instead I just pretended it had never happened, either. But it had. Gale had shattered some invisible barrier between us and, with it, any hope I had of resuming our old, uncomplicated friendship. Whatever I pretended, I could never look at his lips in quite the same way.

catching fire chapter 4 

In my room, I remove my sodden slippers, my wet robe and pajamas. There are more in the drawers but I just crawl between the covers of my bed in my underclothes. I stare into the darkness, thinking about my conversation with Haymitch. Everything he said was true about the Capitol's expectations, my future with Peeta, even his last comment. Of course, I could do a lot worse than Peeta. That isn't really the point, though, is it? One of the few freedoms we have in District 12 is the right to marry who we want or not marry at all. And now even that has been taken away from me. I wonder if President Snow will insist we have children. If we do, they'll have to face the reaping each year. And wouldn't it be something to see the child of not one but two victors chosen for the arena? Victors' children have been in the ring before. It always causes a lot of excitement and generates talk about how the odds are not in that family's favor. But it happens too frequently to just be about odds. Gale's convinced the Capitol does it on purpose, rigs the drawings to add extra drama. Given all the trouble I've caused, I've probably guaranteed any child of mine a spot in the Games.

catching fire chapter 18 

There. He's done it again. Dropped a bomb that wipes out the efforts of every tribute who came before him. Well, maybe not. Maybe this year he has only lit the fuse on a bomb that the victors themselves have been building. Hoping someone would be able to detonate it. Perhaps thinking it would be me in my bridal gown. Not knowing how much I rely on Cinna's talents, whereas Peeta needs nothing more than his wits. As the bomb explodes, it sends accusations of injustice and barbarism and cruelty flying out in every direction. Even the most Capitol-loving, Games-hungry, bloodthirsty person out there can't ignore, at least for a moment, how horrific the whole thing is. I am pregnant. The audience can't absorb the news right away. It has to strike them and sink in and be confirmed by other voices before they begin to sound like a herd of wounded animals, moaning, shrieking, calling for help. And me? I know my face is projected in a tight close-up on the screen, but I don't make any effort to hide it. Because for a moment, even I am working through what Peeta has said. Isn't it the thing I dreaded most about the wedding, about the future - the loss of my children to the Games? And it could be true now, couldn't it? If I hadn't spent my life building up layers of defenses until I recoil at even the suggestion of marriage or a family?

The moment we step off the elevator, Peeta grips my shoulders. "There isn't much time, so tell me. Is there anything I have to apologize for?"

"Nothing," I say. It was a big leap to take without my okay, but I'm just as glad I didn't know, didn't have time to second-guess him, to let any guilt over Gale detract from how I really feel about what Peeta did. Which is empowered.

catching fire chapter 24

Peeta won't let him, though. "It's too dangerous," he says. "I'm not tired. You lie down, Katniss." I don't object because I do need to sleep if I'm to be of any use keeping him alive. I let him lead me over to where the others are. He puts the chain with the locket around my neck, then rests his hand over the spot where our baby would be. "You're going to make a great mother, you know," he says. He kisses me one last time and goes back to Finnick. His reference to the baby signals that our time-out from the Games is over. That he knows the audience will be wondering why he hasn't used the most persuasive argument in his arsenal. That sponsors must be manipulated. But as I stretch out on the sand I wonder, could it be more? Like a reminder to me that I could still one day have kids with Gale? Well, if that was it, it was a mistake. Because for one thing, that's never been part of my plan. And for another, if only one of us can be a parent, anyone can see it should be Peeta. As I drift off, I try to imagine that world, somewhere in the future, with no Games, no Capitol. A place like the meadow in the song I sang to Rue as she died. Where Peeta's child could be safe.

mockingjay chapter 3 

I skim my list. "Gale. I'll need him with me to do this." "With you how? Off camera? By your side at all times? Do you want him presented as your new lover?" Coin asks. She hasn't said this with any particular malice - quite the contrary, her words are very matter-of-fact. But my mouth still drops open in shock. "What?" "I think we should continue the current romance. A quick defection from Peeta could cause the audience to lose sympathy for her," says Plutarch. "Especially since they think she's pregnant with his child." "Agreed. So, on-screen, Gale can simply be portrayed as a fellow rebel. Is that all right?" says Coin. I just stare at her. She repeats herself impatiently. "For Gale. Will that be sufficient?" "We can always work him in as your cousin," says Fulvia.

"We're not cousins," Gale and I say together.

"Right, but we should probably keep that up for appearances' sake on camera," says Plutarch. "Off camera, he's all yours. Anything else?"

I'm rattled by the turn in the conversation. The implications that I could so readily dispose of Peeta, that I'm in love with Gale, that the whole thing has been an act. My cheeks begin to burn. The very notion that I'm devoting any thought to who I want presented as my lover, given our current circumstances, is demeaning. I let my anger propel me into my greatest demand. "When the war is over, if we've won, Peeta will be pardoned."

Dead silence. I feel Gale's body tense. I guess I should have told him before, but I wasn't sure how he'd respond. Not when it involved Peeta.

mockingjay

They play in the Meadow. The dancing girl with the dark hair and blue eyes. The boy with blond curls and gray eyes, struggling to keep up with her on his chubby toddler legs. It took five, ten, fifteen years for me to agree. But Peeta wanted them so badly. When I first felt her stirring inside of me, I was consumed with a terror that felt as old as life itself. Only the joy of holding her in my arms could tame it. Carrying him was a little easier, but not much.

The questions are just beginning. The arenas have been completely destroyed, the memorials built, there are no more Hunger Games. But they teach about them at school, and the girl knows we played a role in them. The boy will know in a few years. How can I tell them about that world without frightening them to death? My children, who take the words of the song for granted:

My children, who don't know they play on a graveyard. Peeta says it will be okay. We have each other. And the book. We can make them understand in a way that will make them braver. But one day I'll have to explain about my nightmares. Why they came. Why they won't ever really go away. I'll tell them how I survive it. I'll tell them that on bad mornings, it feels impossible to take pleasure in anything because I'm afraid it could be taken away. That's when I make a list in my head of every act of goodness I've seen someone do. It's like a game. Repetitive. Even a little tedious after more than twenty years. But there are much worse games to play.

#thg #Katniss #katniss everdeen #Peeta #Peeta Mellark #gale hawthorne #gale #Hunger Games #The Hunger Games #CatchingFire #catching fire #mockingjay #katniss and peeta #everlark

[libralita]

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Suzanne Collins

Summary: Ambition will fuel him. Competition will drive him. But power has its price. It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined—every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

Rating: ★★★★★

Review:

So, this is a bit of a “disclaimer” or more of an interesting fact: I’ve technically never read The Hunger Games Trilogy. I had to read the first book for my English class, and it was a time where I hated being told what to read so I used SparkNotes. We also watched the first film in that class but that doesn’t really matter because A) that was like 8 or 9 years ago and B) it was for my class so you can bet I wasn’t playing attention. So, for all intents and purposes, I have not read the Hunger Games. Now you may be asking why I decided read this…seemingly controversial book rather than the much beloved original trilogy. Cuz my friend said I should, the audiobook sample intrigued me, and when are you going to see a review of this book from someone who hasn’t read the original trilogy?

Before I go into spoilers with this book, I just want to say as someone who has at best a surface level understanding of the Hunger Games trilogy, I think people are being a little bit harsh about this book. This book made me completely understand why Coriolanus Snow went down the path that he did while also not glamourizing it or making excuses for it. I genuinely felt bad for this young man who has delt with so many hardship that no one would should suffer through. However, he still does horrible things and the book recognizes that he does horrible things. It is a fascinating character study with a bit of background on how the Hunger Games came to be. Perhaps my opinion will change once I read The Hunger Games trilogy (which I intend to do) however at this point I think this was an amazing book and you should give it a fair shake. Now, onto spoilers.

The only flaw I found with this book was it was a bit too on the nose with a couple of things. First some of the names. Gaul. Satyria. Highbottom. I know that Collins started off as a middle grade writer and these feel like very middle grade character names. They just describe the characters a little too perfectly. In YA, it’s more popular to make characters where their names’ meanings give an insight into their character. Not a huge problem but a bit silly.

Second, I’m a little conflicted on the political talk. On the one hand, holy shit a YA book that talks about political theory? In an intelligent way? That’s not just screaming about real world politics? Oh my! On the other hand, it’s a little too on the nose. Gaul having Coryo write about the Social Contract and then this conversation:

“‘I do. Unless there’s law, someone enforcing it, I think we might as well be animals,’ he said with more assurance. ‘Like it or not, the Capitol is the only thing keeping anyone safe.’ ‘Hm. So they keep me safe. And what do I give up for that?’ she asked.”—Page 434

Hobbes would swoon over Coryo. It wasn’t bad just on the nose. And to a degree, I get it, I’m working on getting my masters in political science and I’ve read Hobbes and Rousseau whereas most the intended audience probably hasn’t. So, I call this a nitpick for me

Other than this book being a little too on the nose, I found very little fault in this. Maybe the Post-Games story line was a little less interesting but it still wasn’t bad by any means.  This book is a character study of Coriolanus Snow, so I’d like to talk about him and his dissent. While reading this, my friend asked me if I hadn’t known that Coryo would one day become President Snow, if I could see it coming. And, while it’s hard to tell exactly, I think Collins manages to balance both Coryo being sympathetic and showing how he could become the person that he is in the trilogy. There are three…phases or Coryo’s life that really illustrate how he becomes President Snow. First is his life during the War. Second, is his life During the 10th Hunger Games. Then his life Post-Games. Collins does a wonderful job of portraying what it was like for Coryo during the war. The horrors he had witness of enjoying the life of luxury at an early age and then his world crashing around him. Of his family dying. Of the struggles to survive. Of him witnessing his friends’ parents restore to something horrible like cannibalism. It’s brought up a lot because it’s something that scarred him.

Now his During-Games life/the first half of this book. Coryo and the people around him are clearly dealing with the PTSD of growing up in a war zone. He’s essentially starving through most of this section during the book and on the verge of losing of what little he’s held onto since the War ended. I feel really bad for him. There was a part of me during this section where I hoped along side him that Lucy Gray would win the Hunger Games, he could go to University and continue his relationship with her. Maybe they could have changed Panem for the better. And while in this section he was no pure angel, you could see Gaul and Highbottom pushing him to become a worse person. You could also see the red flags that become worse in the Post-Games section.

There are two major red flags I picked up on during this read through. First, is his relationship with Lucy Gray. He’s very possessive of her and he gets very jealous when she sings about another guy during The Hunger Games. This made the relationship slightly uncomfortable for me…though let’s be honest if Sejanus was pining after Lucy Gray he would be acting no different from any other YA love interest (shots fired.) He actually reminded me a lot of Jace from The Mortal Instruments. The second red flag is his treatment of Sejanus. In a meta sense Sejanus is your typical hero and the fact that Coryo is using him (and really anyone besides maybe his family?) is a giant red flag to me as a reader. He doesn’t like Sejanus or Mrs. Plinth. He just wants to use them. Which is really sad but shows that is eventually dissent into Post-Hunger Games Coryo is foreshadowed.

Now, let’s talk about Post-Games. I took a break once the Games ended because I was a little unmotivated to keep reading. I didn’t know if I would like Coryo leaving the Capital. I liked seeing the political maneuvering of the Games and his dynamics with his classmates. However, watching his dissent was great. His relationship with Lucy Gray went from slightly concerning to full blown toxic. His possessiveness of her really amped up. Coryo also isn’t really happy to see Sejanus because it’s a friendly face, it’s because there’s someone to recognize his status and for someone he can use. Again, another moment of possibility of where Coryo could have let Sejanus and maybe Lucy Gray escape and he could have gone off to become an officer. Work his way up and become the President. However, he didn’t take that path.

It was so heartbreaking to see Sejanus die, there was still a glimmer of Coryo’s humanity where he genuinely felt guilty but you could see his self-preserving nature showing its ugly head. And then his journey is cemented when he can’t handle being out with Lucy Gray so he may or may not have killed her, then he goes back where his family pictures are ruined and his mother’s powder is mush. The only thing left his is father’s compass.

Speaking of his father, one final character I’ll mention is Dean Highbottom. I wish we got a little bit more of him because his view of Coryo is interesting. It seemed like Collins gave a very subtle story about how Highbottom was worried that Coryo would turn out like his father. But Highbottom ended up created the monster he wanted to prevent. If he had shown Coryo compassion and understanding, he might have turned out differently. This ended up getting Highbottom killed which was a great way to end the book. Sad but great.

Overall, I think this is a great story. I loved seeing all the different roads Coryo could have taken and how things could have turned out differently. I am planning on buying the Hunger Games trilogy so it’ll be interesting to see how this changes things for me.

#the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games #suzanne collins #reviewsdaytuesday #ballad of songbirds and snakes #hunger games

[wellthatwasaletdown]

Okay Chicago anon here one last time lol! Here's my night two synopsis. So, the show was pretty much the same aside from that fact that Harry actually sang TBSL. (For personal purposes, I'm choosing to believe he saw my request on here and decided to honor it. So, to all the TBSL stans, you're welcome lmao). People went nuts when it came on, and I'm not going to lie, I liked it a lot. In my first review I commented on how Harry stayed towards one side of the stage a lot, so we were staring at his back for most of the show. Funny enough, he did go to the other side of the stage a ton more on night two. HOWEVER, we were sat at the opposite side of the arena for night two, so we again saw a lot of back action hahahaha. I want to say night two was actually better than night one, but that might have just been because I had a few drinks for the second night lol. Harry did his tried and true speeches again, but this time he didn't ask the pizza question or do the chicago facts. One of the big fan interactions though was with this girl who had a sign asking Harry to convince her boyfriend to propose to her. It was kind of a funny interaction because it was a little uncomfortable. Harry really put the guy on the spot and it didn't look like the guy was finding it too amusing. Everyone in my section was very vocal about what that girl should do lol. The band was really good this night as well. I gave a lot of praise to Mitch last post, but I think I should also give some kudos to Elin. She's realllly good. I think it's in Woman where she has a little solo, and seriously I was mesmerized! I'll give it to him, Harry did a bit better night two vocally as well. I didn't notice as much pitchiness and it felt like he sang more in general. It is slightly disappointing that he takes a lot of the higher parts in the song down a key though. I understand why he does it, but still... I definitely think he knows majority of people come just to see him act silly on stage for 90 minutes instead of the actual vocal performance, so he tends to neglect that part of the show a bit– occasionally throwing in a little note change here are there to get a quick rise out of the crowd. Also, I don't know if I mentioned this last time, but Harry should just use a wireless mic... He seems a bit restricted trying to drag cords all the way around the stage. Don't know if that's a technical issue or a personal preference to have a wired mic, but it definitely holds the performance back imo. Also, wouldn't that be more hazardous because you could trip over the cord?? Anyway, that was my experience! I'm finally completely free from Harry now!

Congrats on being free!

[hawks-is-kinda-chicken-little]

High in the Sky

Hawks x Winged! Reader

Key:

(F/c)= favorite color

A/N: Sometimes I just start little fics on the tumblr app and just write away at it when i’m bored. This happened to be one of them. The bigger fics are saved on my google docs so, which would probably be smart for me to get on my phone so I can work on the bigger fic, but oh well. Just know that this trash was not proof read at all so its probably terrible.

————————————————————-

Flying was so freeing. Not being only confined to the ground, able to soar above human limitation. Wind combs through the feathers, caressing each bard with care. Leaving nothing caressed with its attentive breeze.

Taking in every sight from miles above. Wings flapping with purpose through the cloudy blue air.

Or at least that’s how she imagined it. Enviously watching the beings above her dance in the sky. Most people payed no mind to the birds flying above, reaching places they never could. But, she did, she could only dream of flying like they did. Why? One might ask. Well, she has a pair of fluffy (f/c) wings stemming from her back. She just didn’t know how to use them. And to make matters worse she was afraid of heights.

She had watched her boyfriend fly around so much, but she could never bring herself to take off after him. How Keigo is so patient with her is something she can’t even fathom. Never forcefully pushing her to even flap her wings like others in her life. Always walking around on his feet when with her, which was something he didn’t do often before they were together. It always made her feel guilty, like she was holding Keigo back. But, any and all doubts she voiced were quickly countered as he words of encouragement and love to his angel.

It was kinda ironic. A winged angel being afraid to fly. People always comment on how she is just a decorator piece meant to complement Hawks in the spotlight. Or that he will get bored of her and her flightless appendages. The media never failed to poke at the fact that she didn’t know how to fly. Saying that she will always be afraid until she takes the leap.

And those kinds of pokes and prods lead her to where she is now. Sitting on the ledge of a cliff overlooking the vast ocean near the outskirts of the city. Fingers anxiously picking at the grass beneath them. God this was so dumb, but she could stop the nagging feeling that all those people were right. It couldn’t be to hard right? Keigo does it effortlessly all the time. And there just wings, all she has to do is flap them.

Pushing all her doubts aside she hops to her feet, puffing her chest with her newfound courage. She was an overgrown bird, she told herself. Now is the time to spread her wings and soar from the nest.

With bright (f/c) feathers separated and a pep in her step. Pep in her wings? A lighthearted giggle passed her lips with the silly word play. She was now ready for flight.

Legs bent underneath her weight as she sprung up, pulling her wings to give a wind blowing flap over the side of the cliff.

Just as she was about to maneuver her wings to do it again, two scarlet feathers hooked firmly under her arms guiding her back towards the ledge.

Shame. It radiated within her chest as well as on her cheeks upon seeing the feathers.

They anchored her onto the ground. And while she might have been still facing the ocean, she knew he was coming. She could hear him. The sound of wings beating hastily at the air. Hurrying towards her with god-speed.

Cold surges of air made her shiver as he descended to the grounds behind.

“What the hell were you thinking?”

Question after question, spewed from Keigo as he approached her. She didn’t say anything though. Back still facing him, hanging her head low while folding her arms to cradle her sides in a protective manner.

A heavy sigh left Keigo. Lecturing her probably wasn’t the best idea right now. But (y/n) scared the shit out of him, she was lucky he was patrolling the outskirts of the city. Keigo doesn’t even want to think about what might have happened if he hadn’t been.

He stood behind (y/n), eyes giving her a once over for any sort of injury. Thankfully though there weren’t any. But, he did notice a couple of things. Her normally relaxed wings were now tucked tightly against her back. Looking uncomfortable flat against her back. Overall, she was tense and clearly upset. Keigo gently wrapped his arms around her waist. Laying his hands upon her which clasped her sides. All while pressing his head into the crook of her neck, lips pecking kisses over the tense muscle.

His lips were warm and smooth. Keigo took his time, delicately pressing each kiss into her skin.

“Keigo.” He hummed in acknowledgement, but showed no signs of stopping the pampering.

Playing extra attention to any place made her melt into his touch. This continued to the other side, giving it the same exact undivided love and attention.

(Y/n) leaned her back against him, spreading her fingers to let his own slip in and interlock with her.

“Are you felling okay?” He questioned in a worried tone, lips now glazing along her neck.

She gave him a slow nod.

“Can we talk now baby bird?”

She said yes, but told nothing more.

“Wanna tell me what you were doing so close to the edge, my love?”

(Y/n) lifted her head, peaking to the side to see that he was staring right at her.

She hasn’t really been her usually peppy self as of lately. So Keigo instantly thought the worst when he first spotted her hopping over the side of the cliff.

She looked at her toes as they shuffled anxiously under her.

“I wanted to fly.” The voice was so small that even she could barely hear it.

Keigo presses his lips back to her skin giving one more small kiss. Lip staying glued to her neck as a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Quickly, Keigo turned her around to face him. Arms never leaving her waste as she came to look at him. That previous smile soon faded when he spotted (y/n)’s tear stained face, lips quivering and everything. Bringing his left hand up to her face, he cupped her cheek as he lowered his face, lightly kissing away all tears. 

“Why didn’t you just come to me, baby dove?”

Sniffle

“It’s dumb, It wasn’t something that I should bother you ab-”

“Shhhhhh, none of that.”

“But, I-”

Peck 

He silenced her words with his lips, then resting his forehead against hers. Bodies rocking ever so slightly as Keigo swayed them both side to side, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. 

“Never think of yourself as a nuisance, you are my baby bird. The angel who brought light to my dark life, showing me what it meant to love and be loved.”

“Angels can fly, I can’t- I do-don’t- I-”

The urge to cry again piled in her eyes and throat, making her choke on her broken words. 

“Do you want to fly?”

Vigorous nods answered his questions.

“Can I ask what brought this about?”

Letting out a forced breath, (y/n) explained everything going on through her mind, from the poke and prods on the media, to her own insecurities. All which made Keigo want to beat himself up for not noticing how much weight had been piling onto her shoulders. But, what she said next was not something he was expecting to hear.

“I want- I want to fly with you. Dance around the sky in the clouds. Or in the peaceful night time stars. I wanna be able to be with you. Experience everything that life throws at us with you.”

Though her declaration was far from over, it made his heart well with happiness as he gazed upon her eyes that sparkled with that unconditional love you only see a couple times in life.

By the end they were both in tears. But, weren’t tears of sadness, no, they were far from that.  

“Can you teach me?” The question was overflowing with hope.

With a warm smile Keigo responded, “I wouldn’t have it another way, my sweet angel.”

He had the patients of a saint. Never letting her fall, guiding her through each step. A hand squeezing her own in reassurance as she tried to even herself in the sky. Slowly his hand loosened its grip, removing its presence. It was like watching a child ditching the training wheels, scared at first, but soon learning to balance themselves, experimenting with new speeds and freedoms they never before experienced. 

Years later, Keigo and (y/n) got married. They always helped each other, whether it be at the home, in the sky, or even at his agency. Which is where they currently were, (y/n) was helping out with some paperwork while her husband trained the new interns in the medium sized mat covered arena on one of the lower levels of the agency. 

Wanting to clarify some of the details regarding the report (y/n) headed for the training grounds where Keigo was. She stopped at the doorway when she noticed that all the interns were sitting in a circle around their mentor who was standing at the edge. Now, she might not have been able to hear him, but she could tell by the exaggerated arm gestures and tone changes that he was telling them a story. The expressions on the children’s faces showed just how hooked they were by his words. But, the eyes of the interns shifted from Keigo to her, their eyes all glowing with wonder. Keigo, seeing that he lost their attention, followed their gaze to her. A bright smile formed on his lips as he motioned for her to come over.

With a roll of her eyes she strutted over until she was an arms length away from her from there Keigo, pulled her to his arms, sweeping her feet from under her as he dipped down to kiss her. 

EWWWW!

The poor interns gagged and turned away. Keigo gave a bellowed laugh as (y/n) shook her head chuckling at the childishness of not only the interns, but her husband. 

“What are you laughing at?” He questioned giving her a faked gasp of offense.

“Take a guess, dear.” 

“Mrs. Takami.” A voice called from the circle.

(Y/n) brought her attention to the intern.

“I think its inspiring how you learned to fly.”

The bold proclamation brought some of the other interns sharing their delight and amazement.

After the initial surprise and confusion ran its course, her chest bubbled with a sort motherly love towards the teens. A warm feeling that enveloped her mentally as well as physically, since anyone could see the adoration practically radiating from her face. It was an expression that always made Keigo fall ten times deeper in love with her.

“Well look at the time, you kids better go get yourselves some food, nice work to-”

“But, we literally just started.”

“Well then, kid its never good to train on an empty stomach.”

Every intern huffed a bit as they got to their feet and made their way towards the break room. Once they were gone (y/n) lightly jabbed his side, making him yelp. 

“And just what were you telling them?” She asked in a playfully accusing tone.

“Ummmmmm, that you are really pretty.” 

“Takami Keigo, I swear to All Might.”

“The tiny broccoli kid does the same.” 

“Wha-”

“Don’t even try to deny it.”

“Leave the adorable cinnamon roll alone. Midoriya is a very sweet boy.”

“Hey, i,m just saying.”

“No you’re just avoiding my question.”

“Oof, you got me there.”

“Now, back to my question-”

“The question you already have an answer to.”

Poke! 

Keigo let out another high pitched yelp as she stabbed his sensitive sides with two fingers.

Yes, it was not hard to figure out what he was telling the teens, but he knows that she is kinda embarrassed by it. (Y/n) had come a long way, both of them knew it. Sensing her uneasiness, Keigo quickly comforted her.

“Dove, everyone has a place where they started, where they feel so low that they can’t bring themselves up. Feeling hopelessly stuck or trapped. And some of the interns were asking how to dig themselves out of that damned hole. So I told them about your story, how you learned to fly. You were so determined to do it that you almost jumped over a cliff having no clue how to really take off.”

He let out a light chuckle before continuing, “And how sometimes, you just need a little help to get started, a little guidance to lift you up. I mean, once you got the basics down, you fucking bolted. God, I had a hard time keeping up.”

She smiled at him as she remembered the moment with utter fondness. (Y.n) knew he was restraining himself back then, letting her buzz all around him while he kept a much slower pace. He wanted to make her feel special, feel loved, so he held himself back for her.

“And you heard the kids. It’s ‘inspiring’”

“And you’re a pain.”

“But, i’m your pain,” He said holding up both of their hands with the rings on them.

“Hmmmm, I guess so.”

“Wanna go for a quick fly around the building? Their snack breaks last like 15 minutes and its only been about five.”

“Sure, why hell not.”

They stared at each other for a couple seconds. (Y/n) distracted him with a loving peck to the lips, before slapping his arm.

“TAG.”

“Wha-”

She bolted to an open window just small enough for her to fit through. Of course, Keigo dashed towards her, struggling to shimmy his bigger frame past the tight window. (Y/n) flew a couple yards away watching as he tried to push through. She covered her mouth in a failed attempt to muffle laughter shaking through her whole body as she watched. However, that laughter ceased as too as the window let him through, making him fall before catching the air with his giant wings. 

Once steadied, Keigo’s eyes darted to his wife’s who’s facial expression read ‘oh shit, now I've done it’.

He smirked when a squeak passed her lip as she dashed around the building with him now close on her heels. Keigo let her win for a few minutes before tackling her mid flight. Trapping her in his embrace as he nuzzled into her neck letting out a happy coo. 

It was nothing but playful. They could be free in the sky, free to do whatever they pleased. 

Bonus:  

“Do you think we will ever go one day without witnessing him pull her into a sloppy kiss?” One intern asked as he chomped on a bagel, making another teen gag in repulsion. All 5 of them sat around the lunch table in the break room.

Two other interns replied with a quick “no” in unison.

“That’s just gross.”

“Awww, come on guys its kinda sweet.” Said one of the two female interns as she overlooked the streets from the giant window.

“Honey,” said the other girl, “no.”

The five kept chatting until as a flash of red and (f/c) crossed the window. They watched as their mentor and his wife played around in the skies. The two looked like children who had playground all to themselves; happy and completely lost in their own wondrous minds. 

Though the teens might think that the PDA was a bit gross, none of them could stop the smile spreading across their faces as they watched the two outside. 

“Okay, so its a little sweet.”

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#hawks x reader #bnha fanfiction #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #keigo takami x reader #hawks #keigo takami #bnha hawks

[captainseaweedbrains]

Happy Birthday, Peeta

I rewrote a fluff prompt I got ages ago and thought I’d post it again. Enjoy!

Post-Mockingjay, during the time where they grew back together.

Can also be found on Ao3

His birthday was coming up and Katniss wanted to do something special for Peeta, something homemade.

"He does so much for me," she told Haymitch while they nibbled on the rye bread Peeta had left them for lunch. "I want to return the favor. He deserves it." And Peeta did deserve it. After these rough few months of trying to repair themselves and figure out what they were, she wanted something normal, something happy. Or as happy as they could possibly reach.

"I'm just not very good at gift giving," she confessed, picking at the bread. 

Haymitch ripped another piece off the loaf and shoved it into his mouth. "I don't know what it is with you two and owing each other, but he's not expecting a parade, sweetheart." Katniss squirmed in her seat at the thought of being paraded in front of a crowd again. "Just do something any normal girlfriend would do."

"We're not dating," she quickly insisted. "We're just...us." 

"Fine. Whatever. Make the boy dinner and, I don't know, get him paper or something to draw on. He should be happy with that." 

The idea did sound good, and Peeta always made dinner. A birthday dinner would give him a night off, let him relax. Yes, a surprise dinner would definitely be a good gift for him. She'd make his favorite meal, maybe steal a bottle of Haymitch's finest to lighten the mood. It was perfect. 

The only problem was she didn't know his favorite meal. At least something she could make. Katniss tried to think back to every meal they'd ever had together, but her own mind had been so transfixed on her plate she'd never noticed what Peeta ate. 

She would just have to find out before his birthday. 

Peeta was pouring vegetable soup into her bowl for dinner when she decided to ask. "You make soup a lot," Katniss observed, waiting for him to sit before lightly blowing on her meal.

"Can't go wrong with it," he smiled.

As expected, the soup tasted wonderful, with hints of spices Peeta kept to himself, saying it was a family secret. She tapped the spoon on the side of her bowl and sighed, wondering how to go about asking him without making it too obvious what she planned to do.

"Is something the matter?" His eyebrows were scrunched together in concern, his hand gripping hard on his spoon. Katniss patted his hand and told him she was fine. 

"I'm just thinking about the soup," is all she said, taking another timid sip.

"Oh."

The dining room grew quiet, the only sounds were the scrapes of their spoons against bowls and Buttercup begging for scraps at Peeta's feet. It was typically how dinner went for them, but Katniss didn't want to chicken out about this. She wanted to make sure what she was making Peeta would be something he'd like.

"You know, when I..." A lump formed in her throat at the thought of her family. She cleared her throat and started again. "When I was little, my father used to make this dandelion salad and my mother had this special dressing she'd pour on top. It was really simple, nothing like...like the Capitol food, but I'd always get excited whenever I'd see him walking back with a bag full of dandelions. It was my favorite meal."

It was too much, too obvious, and she shoved a spoonful of soup in her mouth to avoid blurting out anything that would trigger any emotional episode. Peeta wasn't stupid, and he always figured out whatever she was planning because he was perceptive and good at reading people, and Katniss was lucky if she could spit out a sentence every once in awhile. 

He didn't seem to notice, empathetically smiling at her, like he always did whenever something from their past was mentioned. He understood how much it hurt to talk about the dead and the hopeless, and she was so thankful for that. Another reminder why Peeta deserved a special birthday dinner. 

"I could call your mom for the dressing recipe. We could make it together." 

"Yes," Katniss said slowly, "we could make it together. So now you know what mine was. Um, so what was your favorite meal?" 

His eyes gleamed over in thought as he leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. It wasn't often they talked about trivial things like favorite childhood foods, but it wasn't on the list of triggers Dr. Aurelius had given and that was all Katniss was concerned with as she watched his face carefully. Just because it wasn't on the list didn't mean Peeta would react lightly to topics of his family. His episodes were sparse, but it was always best to be safe.

"It sounds silly," Peeta chuckled, pulling her out of her worry, "but I loved when my dad would make fresh bread for dinner." It wasn't the answer she expected from the baker's son and her face must have shown her surprise. "I've told you we always got stuck with the stale bread—the bread no one wanted," he explained, "but on special occasions, Dad would make a fresh loaf of bread for us. Sometimes add in raisins, if we were really lucky. It was really rare, but I remember jumping up and down whenever I'd smell bread baking in our apartment's kitchen." He sheepishly smiled and looked down at his bowl of soup. "It's stupid, I know, Katniss, but it is what it is." 

"I don't think it's stupid," she comforted, taking his hand in hers. "I...I think it's sweet, Peeta. I'm glad those memories aren’t—aren't gone." His hand squeezed hers back in response and they resumed eating in silence.

Baking bread was a lot harder than Peeta made it out to be. 

It was ridiculous, really. She'd made bread plenty of times with the tesserae grains her family received. But everything seemed simple back then—her mother and sister, their tiny, dilapidated house in the Seam. Even the bread was simple, but nothing made sense any more. Not even the stupid, complicated bread recipe.

She followed every step closely. Double-checking just to be safe.

She put in every ingredient with care, like she’s seen Peeta do a thousand times and more.

But when it came time to pound out the dough, the whole project went awry. Images of Snow and Coin and Plutarch consumed her thoughts as she pounded the soft, malleable dough. Their faces smirking, toying with her, wanting. Her hands grew rougher with the dough, feeling used and spit out. They used her. Used them. Discarding them like unwanted waste when their purpose was done. And Prim. Prim. Prim. Prim. Sweet, little Prim. 

Her vision went black. Her chest heavy, lungs filling with smoke from the bombs. The bombs that killed little Prim.

Prim Prim Prim Prim

A sharp pain in her hand snapped her back to the kitchen. She was home, safe. Not the Capitol or the arena. Home. The pale dough was smeared red with her blood, her knuckles bruised and battered.

My name is Katniss Everdeen, she began her list, taking deep breaths in, eyes closed. I am at my house. I am safe. I am making bread. Today is Peeta’s birthday. I am making Peeta's favorite bread. I want to make him happy. Today is a Peeta’s birthday.

Her heartbeat slows. She cleans her hands, wrapping them in gauze, before pulling out the ingredients to start once more.

She double-checked the steps closely, pouring the ingredients into the bowl with care, just like Peeta.

Bread should not be this complicated.

The bread was almost finished baking when the grandfather clock tolled the hour, telling her Peeta would be home any minute. Katniss sat on the floor, face pressed against the oven window, still covered in flour, and watched the loaf continue to bake. Her face was tear stained and puffy, her knuckles still ached after all these hours, but part of her felt proud for sticking it out and finishing the bread for Peeta, instead of running to her bed or closet. It was definitely an improvement from months ago. 

The front door opened, startling her from her bread watch, and Katniss scrambled to her feet and patted some of the flour off her pants.  

"Happy birthday!" she cheered when Peeta stepped into the kitchen. 

His face broke out into a smile and laughed, looking around the flour covered kitchen. "I see you've been busy." He ran a finger across the countertop and rubbed the flour between his finger and thumb. “Flour? Do I smell bread?” 

"I made dinner. Your favorite meal." 

She couldn't help but laugh along when he asked in surprise, "You did?" 

"For your birthday,” she explained, taking his coat and tossing it aside. She pulled out a chair for him and told him to sit as she went and got him a drink. “You always do the cooking, but not on your birthday. We’re making birthdays special now. And I wanted to make your favorite meal because I thought it’d—you know, make you happy.”

His hand found hers, his thumb lightly tracing her bandage. Her breath stilled, unsure if he’d ask about it and ruin the happiness she felt stirring in her chest, seeing him happy, like her Peeta. But his smile grew, his blue blue eyes warming, causing her smile to grow until they both looked like deranged fools. The aroma of baked bread filled the small kitchen, making their stomachs growl.

“It’s perfect, Katniss. Really.” She shrugged like it meant nothing, but her stomach fluttered more when his hand didn’t let go of hers, and she told him the bread should be ready any minute.

The bread wasn’t burnt, like a certain loaf all those years ago, and it wasn’t perfect, like the loaves he made, but Peeta proclaimed it was the best bread he’d ever had.

“I just wanted to make you happy,” Katniss shyly told him again, blushing at his compliment. “After all you’ve done for me, it’s the least I can do.”

“Thank you for making this a memorable birthday, Katniss.” The earnestness in his voice proved he meant every word and it was then that she felt that familiar stirring, deep inside her. It felt warm and full and without even thinking about if this would set them back, she kissed him. Soft on the lips.

“Happy birthday, Peeta,” she whispered and laughed when he quickly pulled her closer for another.

#Everlark #Everlark fanfic #The Hunger Games fanfic #OTP: Survival #My writing #Enjoy! #Let me know what you think! #:)

[geeky-introvert]

Rogues of Desire . Ubbe x OC

Summary: Even though he’s married to Torvi, Ubbe cannot help with his desires for a foreign shield maiden who just arrived in Kattegat, and she cannot help herself feeling attracted to the prince....One-shot.

Why did I do this? I’m not sure, but I really wanted to do it. Pretty much Ubbe behaves like Bjorn, thinking with his dick. Enjoy.

Word count: 1700

Warning: Cheating and smut.

Tag list:  @lisinfleur @mdlady @didiintheblog @alicedopey @rekdreams247​ @mblaqgi @oddsnendsfanfics @aphnxrising @happydaysandersen  @therealcalicali @naaladareia @inforapound @captstefanbrandt  @waiting4inspiration @tabalugax @p8tn0lish @igetcarriedawaywithyou  @laketaj24 @darlingp @tephi101 @youbloodymadgenius  @lordsexmachine @wonderlandofsu 

If anyone else wants to be added to the tag list let me know please. 

Gif credit to @hvitserkk​

Travelling around was something she was used to, discovering new places, learning new traditions and getting to know the people and also keeping her guard up just in case she runs into the wrong kind of people who didn’t take kindly to outsiders.

Of course this has happened before but not something she couldn’t handle. She was what you would call a foreign shield maiden from across the seas. It has been too long since she last saw her homeland, it was just a faded imagine now.

Her next stop was Kattegat, a village she visited when she was a child with her father many years ago. Much had changed when she arrived. It was no longer the small thriving village she remembered, but almost like a fortress now. It still held it’s beauty she’ll admit.

Exploring the city was relaxing, walking through the markets and seeing all sorts of things. She even saw things from her country, bringing smiles to her. Then she headed for the arena where she was eager to spar for a bit with the other warriors and shield maidens.

There she felt welcomed with the others who fought like her. It felt good to be accepted and not cast out, like she was when she visited England, only because she was a woman. A silly thing.

She sparred with another shield maiden, both smiling and panting together as they enjoyed the workout together. Others watched them but one of them was Prince Ubbe.

He saw her at the docks and was quite curious about the new woman, even more he saw her sparring. He was fascinated by the dancing shield maiden.

Both shield maidens tapped their blades together once their sparing had ended and she went over to be belongings wiping the sweat from her forehead.

“You’ve been staring at me.” She says through an accent looking up at the man leaning against the fence. “May I know the name of you, sir?”

“Ubbe.” He answers tilting his head at her. “What is your name, great shield maiden?”

“Li Mei.” She smirks seeing his brows furrowed. “It means beautiful plum blossom where I come from, a strong meaning. You may call me Mei. So, a son Ragnar, why are you staring at me?”

“I like a woman who can fight.” He says pushing himself off and fence and coming closer to her. “You know who my father was. Has his name reached the lands where you come from?”

“I haven’t been to my lands for sometime now, but his name has travelled, as I have.” Looking up at him she gives a soft smile at the handsome prince. “Would you care to spar with me, Prince Ubbe?” She was eager for another, especially with a prince.

“It would be a pleasure.”

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ ‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Yes, it was a pleasure, very much.

They had circled one another and spared for around a good hour, ending up in a sweat panting mess but that wasn’t all. The closer he got to her the more her body reacted for the prince, and she saw it in his eyes, blooming with heat and desire staring down at her.

He suddenly pulled her into the barn beside the arena and kissed her passionately, pushing her up against the wooden wall while she kissed him back eagerly with her hands knotting into the back of his head and long braid.

She was so strange to sex and was pretty casual with it. After all, they all had their needs.

Ubbe then pulls her trousers down to her ankles as she pulls his trousers down over his arse and wrapped her legs around his strong hips, her hands now holding onto his shoulders as his cock fills her with one strong thrust making her gasp at the fullness of him filling her.

It was just heated passion between them, just sex, she that was all she needed.

His thrusts snapped against her making her body rock against the wall and fingers to claw through his tunic with her head tilted back, his lips ravaging her exposed skin while he let out feral moans against her.

Letting out a thrilled moan she moves herself against his thrusts enjoying his throbbing cock twitching within her as she clenched purposely around him.

He looks at her and suddenly kisses her again, snapping his hips harder sealing her moans and erupts his seed, flooding her depths. She sums as well, milking his cock and letting out a long sigh still holding on and resting her back against the wall.

“Shit...It has been a while.” She suddenly says as he sets her back down.

“”Yeah? Was it to your liking?” He asks tucking himself back with his trousers up.

“Oh, it was.” She smiles pulling her trousers back up as well. “I’ll be in town for a few weeks, perhaps we could catch up again for another ‘lesson’?”

“I look forward to it.” He answers through a smile.

That damn smile.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ ‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

Over her stay in Kattegat Ubbe caught up to her as much as possible. The sex was the best she’s had, ever, and she wasn’t just saying that. Even more she’s never fucked a prince before, it only added more thrill to her desires.

It was just two days before she would leave on another adventure when he found her again and pulled her into the woods. There they stripped from their clothes and he laid back against the moss bed with her straddling him, riding his cock hard.

Her hips rolled back and forth over again, rocking against him with her back arched letting out all sorts of noisy pleasured moans. The heated passion was strong between them, a desire that she didn’t even know was in her. Yes, she liked sex but this was different, a kind of passion she’s never felt before. And no, it wasn’t love.

Her only love was adventure. No other shall ever replace that.

His greedy hands roamed up over her bouncing breasts and gripping into her waist as she continued to ride him right into Valhalla. Perhaps she might return one day again, just for this.

She climaxes then, milking his cock as she reached his end as well. Laying down onto his chest he held her there for a bit as they caught their breaths again.

“Do you have to leave so soon?” He asks between breaths.

“I never stay in one place, you know this.” She answers leaning herself up looking at him. “You’re quite a man, Ubbe, you deserve a good woman, I’m just not her.”

He sighs softly but gives her a tender smile before kissing her. “I understand.”

They part ways for the rest of the day and she goes to the cabin she’s been staying in over the last couple of weeks preparing for the rest of her belongings.

Feeling someone approaching her she looks up to see a pregnant blonde woman. She hasn’t seen her before but gives a soft smile as she came closer. “Afternoon. Can I help you?”

“Yes, you can.” She says looking her up and down, as if judging. “You’ve been seeing Ubbe. Why?”

The name made her stop what she was doing. “Perhaps, why does that interest you?”

“Because he’s my husband.” Now things just got very interesting.

Looking up at her her eyes widen a little and curses in her tongue before standing up.

“I never caught your name.”

“Torvi.”

She nodded. “Torvi, I’m sorry. I had no idea he was married. If I had known, I wouldn’t have started anything. But I promise I’m not going to be a bother for you, I’ll be leaving for another land tomorrow.”

“Good.” Torvi answers and she didn’t blame her. All she could do was watch as she left.

Shaking her head she goes back to finish packing her things. Of course such a kind and passionate man was married, but she didn’t understand why he would risk his marriage over her.

Men, always wanting something. It was never enough.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵ ‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵

She decided she was going to leave early the next morning to avoid further drama. But it turns out Ubbe was an early bird himself as he was already waiting on the docks for her.

“I figured you might sneak away.” He tells her as he then starts helping loading her belongings onto the waiting ship. “I enjoyed your company, Mei. You’re an interesting woman.”

“As you’re an interesting man, and as I enjoyed your company. However I don’t think your wife is too impressed.” Mentioning her made him go quiet and stare. “She confronted me yesterday, barely spoke, but it’s clear she doesn't like me.”

“Shit.” He curses rubbing his rough palm over his face.

“Yes, shit.” She says back with a smirk. “Look, I’m not pissed at you. I enjoyed what we had, we all have needs, but try not to fuck around anymore. She carries your child and I know you’re a good man, you just think with your dick which isn’t smart.”

“You’re right.” He sighs. “Both my father and my older brother Bjorn went through it, I thought I never would, but I guess it’s a curse in my family.” He comes closer giving her a soft smile. “I’m excited to be a father, I’ve always desired children. I may not be the perfect husband but I’m going to be the perfect father.”

“Good.” She says before leaning up and kissing him, a final goodbye. “Take care of yourself, your wife and your children, And stay out of trouble.” She smirks before getting onto the ship that was about to leave Kattegat.

“Where will you go now?” He asks just as the ship started to depart from the docks.

“Who knows?” She says through a raised voice back. “Wherever the gods take me.”

The answer makes him smile, satisfied and continues to stand on the docks a bit more watching her and the ship depart before turning away to return to his family.

It was a fun and memorable experience.

#vikings #ubbe #ubbe x reader #ubbe x oc #ubbe x torvi #ubbe lothbrok #smut #cheating #fandom #fanfiction

[cinemaocd]

Hi, I know you've put out opinions on the new Emma movie through various posts, but I'd love to hear an overall review. I know you liked it but uhhh I always like to hear your thoughts. Especially on all the horniness/sexy stuff I've been hearing about (I have good priorities)

No problem. I’ll try to keep this shorter than my costume answer from yesterday!

I really liked Emma 2020 and it has fast become one of my favorite Austen adaptations, and my favorite adaptation of the novel. Emma was the first Austen I read and it has long held a place in my heart because of it. I remember sitting down to read the book and by page 10 I was saying aloud “where has Jane Austen been my whole life?” and by page 50 I knew I would end up reading everything she ever wrote.

So with that huge pile of emotional baggage, I set the bar as low as I possibly could going into the film. I had a number of concerns: 1) The casting of Bill Nighy as Mr. Woodhouse (and certain clips from the trailer that made it look like he was going to be too spry and quirky to really play the character from the novel.) 2) The ability of the lead actors (unknown to me and very young) to actually handle the difficult dialog. The overlapping/shouting clip in the trailer was really worrying. 3) The difficulty of squeezing the entire novel into a two hour film.

But going into every adaptation of a Jane Austen novel, I always hope for one thing: the right tone. I think one of the failings of almost all of the adaptations, to a certain degree is to balance the satire and the romance. Certain adaptations favor the romance over the satire, but I confess I always prefer it when the satire is the main object of the film. I feel very strongly that social satire was the entire point of Austen’s writings. She wrote in this genre because she could. It was almost the only arena available to her as an artist, but going back to her juvenilia where she skewered the conventions of gothic romance novels, it’s clear that she understood the genre better than most from a  young age.

And I have to say, that I was pleasantly surprised and thrilled actually that this adaptation managed to get this tone correct. The balance is perfect. The characters have their moments of being grotesques, exaggerations for comic purposes, but they also have moments of being human and real that I really enjoyed. I actually burst into tears when Mr. Knightley came to Harriet’s rescue at the ball. That is always my favorite moment, and an emotional high point, but Mia Goth just had my heart through the whole movie and her reaction in that scene was so perfect.

As for the sexiness, I think the thing to remember is that with a female director and writer, this is the first Austen adaptation filmed entirely through the female gaze. And they are not shy about it. Johnny Flynn is naked (tastefully so I think) in the first two minutes of the film and there is a parallel scene where Emma is warming her backside by the fire that has a similar earthy feel to it. The lighting and camera angles with Flynn remind one of classical painting, while the lighting and camera angle on Anya Taylor Joy are much more forgiving. It’s like a relatable moment of humanizing her. I think seeing Flynn naked and dressed by his servant humanizes him, but it also objectifies him. And honestly that’s what’s going to happen in an Austen adaptation anyway, and I like that the director got it out of the way, straight off the bat.

The way Knightley and Emma’s dance is filmed at the ball is very different than I’ve ever seen done in an adaptation. There are a lot of closeups of their hands touching, his hand touching her body, the sound is pinpointed as well so that you hear their breath over the music. It’s very erotic.

After the ball, the filmmakers chose to change the story a bit, by revealing Mr Knightley’s feelings for Emma. The book keeps his feelings a secret much longer, but you have to remember it was written 200 years ago. People have seen this trope many, many times and they are going to guess, I think. So you sacrifice that surprise in order to have Mr. Knightley’s POV and I think it’s worth it. His pining is both funny and pretty hot. I think it’s kind of silly that he’s running all over Highbury on foot, but I’m willing to live with it.

OK this is already as long as the other post, so I’m going to leave off. I hope this helped answer your question. :D

[catsandstrawberries]

Real Family: 12

Pairings: BTS x teen female reader, platonic love

Warnings: Language, neglect, past child abuse, toxic relationships, cliche fluff

A/N: Hope you guys like it! Taglist is CLOSED!!

Summary: It’s not blood that makes a family. It’s love.

Masterlist 

Jungkook slammed his door shut just as we had gotten back to the house. I carefully climbed out of the car, making sure not to step into any puke. Jungkook didn’t spare a glance at me and instead went straight into the house, fists clenched at his side. I followed him, watching as he threw his mask and bucket hat onto the table. He reached below into the cabinets, clattering and clashing noises erupting from where he kneeled, in search for something. 

    “What are you looking for?” He grumbled at my question, and choose not to answer me, training his focus back to the cabinet. He placed some plastic gloves on the counter, standing up and looking through the food cabinets than taking out a bottle of vinegar. 

“Jungkook, I'm sorry.” He stopped what he was doing and turned to me, crossing his arms across his chest and giving me a disappointed look. 

    “Sorry for what? Going to a party, getting your friend drunk, lying to me, or your friends puking in my car?” His glare was unsettling and caused goosebumps to form on my arms, his tone stern. 

“I'm sorry for everything. It was stupid. But aren't you happy I called you and told you the truth?” Jungkook who had gone back to searching for his stuff suddenly through a roll of paper towels across the room. 

“Fuck!” He shouted running his hand through his dark hair, brown eyes seething with rage. “I can't handle this. We’ll talk about it in the morning.” He brushed past me, barely glancing at me as he stomped up the steps. I turned back to the counter, paper towels, vinegar, gloves, sponges. All the materials needed to clean the car. In a haste I zipped my coat up, pulling on my shoes, and grabbing an empty spray bottle, filling it half with water and vinegar. I grabbed my phone, turning on the flashlight and venturing outside into the dark towards Jungkook's beamer.

As soon as I opened the door to the white beamer I immediately recoiled, the disgusting smell filling my nostrils and making me want to gag. Snapping on the black plastic gloves I grabbed the paper towels, scraping out as much puke as possible with the roll and spraying the leather with the rest of the liquid. Taking the sponge I got to scrubbing the seats, phone clenched in my mouth, flashlight turned on high. I could only hope Jungkook would forgive me after this. 

By the time I had finished cleaning Jungkook's car, it was well past one A.M. After putting the pine tree scented air freshener on his front mirror I quickly ran inside and washed my hands. I stumbled in my steps, my eyes struggling to stay open, after noticing how late it was I realized there was no way I would make it up to the stairs, so instead, I crashed onto the couch. 

~

    I rub at my eyes as I groggily sit up, a steaming cup of coffee is handed to me as someone sits next to me on the couch. I yawn and stretch my back as I turned to face him, watching Jungkook look at me with his big doe eyes. 

    “Thank You,” I mumbled, taking the coffee and a gentle sip at the hot substance. We both sit in silence before Jungkook speaks up, 

“I’m sorry for getting so angry last night.” 

“I’m sorry for lying,” I responded almost instantly turning to face him on the couch. 

“I saw that you cleaned my car out, thank you. I decided that we can keep this between the two of us.” I perked up at his comment, 

    “Really?” He nodded, 

“Yes, but you’re still grounded.” I slumped at his words, a pout forming on my lips. “Don’t give me that look, you still lied. You're grounded, three days of you coming home and acting miserable.” I laughed at his comment and he gave me a gentle smile. His front teeth barely peeking out past his lips. 

    “I’ll try to act miserable for you.” 

~

Zara and I hadn’t messaged each other at all for the past few days. She purposely avoided me at school and wouldn’t even glance at me. The whole argument felt ridiculous but I didn't know how to fix it. Instead, I decided to do something stupid. After my three days of being grounded, I decided to randomly show up at her house with a handful of flowers I picked from the yard when our gardener wasn't looking. 

The boy's performance at the award show was this weekend so I didn't want to have to ask them to take time away from there rehearsal. Alternatively, I asked my driver to take me to her address, nerves on end the closer we got to her house. Once we had pulled up into her yard I cautiously walked up to the stone pathway to her front door. What if she wasn't home? Or if she didn't want to see me? Was this really a good idea? Before I could turn and run, I found myself in front of her mahogany door, hand in fist knocking against the wood. After a brief silence, Zara opened the door an annoyed look on her face, 

"What do you want?" Her blue eyes drew into slits as she glared at me. 

"I came to talk to you, and I brought you flowers." I held up the bouquet of purple and red flowers and she immediately recoiled. 

"Are those geraniums?" I pulled the flowers back to inspect them, truth be told I grabbed the first ones that caught my eye. I had no idea what flowers I was holding. "(Y/N) I'm allergic to geraniums." I paled and quickly held the flowers behind my back, dropping them onto the ground. 

"What! Sorry, just forget about those...Look, Zara, don't you think this argument is silly? You can't still be mad at me?" Zara crossed her arms against her chest and leaned against her door frame. 

"Yeah, I can. How could you even help Amber, after everything she’s put us through?" 

This was not how I wanted this conversation to go. 

"I wasn't just going to watch her drown and get made fun off by a bunch of teenagers. Why does it matter so much?" 

"It matters because you haven't noticed why I've never had any friends? Amber always get what she wants, and she wants me and you not to be friends." 

Was this the problem? Zara thinking I was going to leave her for Amber? 

"That's not going to happen." Zara took a step forward so we were eye level with each other. 

"Really, because the two of you seem pretty chummy to me." I let out an aggravated groan at her words. 

"Zara I understand that-" 

"How could you understand? You haven't been bullied and tormented by this girl. She's manipulative." I gave Zara a confused look. If only I could tell her how many manipulative people I've been around. 

"You're not the only person who's had trouble’s in life Zara. I know what it's like to be mistreated." She scoffed at me, 

"Sure you do, I'm sure you struggle so much living with BTS. I'm sure you aren't drowning in riches or being featured on youtube." I glared at Zara raising my voice, 

"That's uncalled for. Why are you being such a bitch?" She recoiled slightly at my tone but equally matched my assault. 

"You're right. God forbid Zara stands up for herself." This whole conversation was so frustrating, and for a moment I forgot the whole reason I came here was to apologize. I wanted to stop the fighting but this was only making it worse. 

"I'm leaving," I turned my back to her, kicking the flowers as I rushed down her steps. Ignoring her as she shouted behind me, 

"Fuck you." 

Just as the words escaped her mouth I jumped into the car that had been waiting on the street. Pulling out my phone as it beeped, a message appearing across the screen from an unknown number. 

‘I'm coming for You’

~

Everything seemed to be spiraling out of control. Zara and I were drifting further and further apart. Not to mention, school was horrible and I wasn't understanding anything no matter how much time I spent after school with the teachers. And I was still getting text messages from an unknown number. I went to block them but I kept getting more unsettling words from different area codes. I tempted telling one of the boys but they were all so stressed, Bang had been pushing them really hard lately especially because of their up and coming performance. Surprisingly it was Bang who had asked if I wanted to go to the show. He explained that other kpop groups would be there and it would be good exposure for me to go. Honestly, that sounded a lot better than staying at home and eating peanut butter fluff sandwiches on the couch. After Bang explained to me the whole cameras situation, and how to act when a camera pans to see my reaction he decided that I would be going as the boys plus one. He even had the stylist team fit me for a dress. Despite how cool the situation seemed, I felt like everything around me was falling apart and I had no one to confide in. Instead of explaining the situation to someone I kept my mouth shut and went through the motions until the night of the performance. All eight of us went to Bighit first, the stylist team fixing us up. Putting me in a black, long-sleeved, A-line style dress that ended above my knees, mesh lines on the bottom edge and the cuffs on my wrist. After getting changed I was practically shoved into a car full of random people that I didn't know, and they didn't seem to care. It wasn't until we arrived at the revenue that I was shoved into the seven boys, getting my first glance at them since leaving BigHit, bangs words echoing in my head. 

‘Once you get there, all eyes will be on you. So no pressure, but pressure.’

I gave Hoseok an apologetic smile as flashes from cameras erupted from around us. “Sorry,” I said sheepishly as we were ushered inside,

 “you’re fine.” He gave me a gentle smile then turned to Namjoon asking him some questions that didn’t concern me. Some staff members led us through a concrete hallway, till finally bringing us into an open arena like area. They led us past tables and chairs towards a long white couch with enough space for all eight of us to fit. Several other groups passed by and I couldn't help but stare in awe at all of them. Especially when (G)I-DlE walked by towards there seat a few rows down from us. I made eye contact with Shuhua who gave me a small wave while I stared at her like an idiot. Mouth parted and dreamy eyes cast on her figure. She was so young, 19, only three years older than me yet she was already a global superstar. I tugged at Yoongi's sleeve upon seeing the group,

    “Yoongi, is that (G)I-DlE?” I asked my eyes still on a group of girls. He laughed at my question and sat down on the couch, I followed his lead and he, in turn, leaned over so he could whisper,

“I'll introduce you to them after if you want.” I turned to him, smiling at the boy and cracking a huge smile. Before I could respond the house lights dimmed, signaling the show was starting, the host appeared on the stage introducing all the bands performing such as Exo, (G)I-DlE, BlackPink, Ikon, Seventeen, and BTS. Followed by a few other bands I did not recognize. The start of the show went smoothly, Exo started off the night by performing Love Shot and BlackPink followed with playing with fire, and ddu-du ddu-du. But I couldn't help but feel as if someone was watching us, and not just because of the cameras and audiences. I tilted my head to the side to look at the group behind us, they were a group of five boys who I didn't recognize, all whispering and chuckling to one another. I poked Yoongi again and he turned to me, tearing his attention away from the stage. 

“Hey Yoongi, is that group behind us...talking about us?” Yoongi turned around and eyed the group before turning to me. 

“Nah, I think you're overthinking it. Don't worry so much.” He nudged me and I smiled at the gesture, yet couldn't shake the uneasy feeling around the group. 

~

    Sooner than expected it was time for BTS to perform. I gave them all reassuring smiles and words of encouragement as they left for backstage. I, however, stayed out in the audience watching from my seat as the lights dimmed on the stage and a soft melody started playing in the background, a light blue eliminating the stage as the music got louder and Tae’s vocals flooding through my ears. The boys moved across the stage like lilies floating in a pond, twisting and turning with the music. Watching them perform live was incredible, it was as if watching them I couldn't focus on the hate, dysfunction, or bad relationships. I could only focus on the awe I received while watching them dance, and the way the music impacted my heart like a beat traveling through my veins. The vocal and rap in the song mixed beautifully together and then all of a sudden Jin and Jungkook's ending chorus brought the house down. Their voices traveling through the crowd like waves, filled with so many emotions of sorrow, regret, and hopefulness. An odd combination yet still enticing. Fans stood, screaming and clapping from there seats. I stood to my feet, a proud smile on my face as I applauded them. After watching the boys leave the stage I moved towards the backstage, passing by people in search of the boys only to get sidetracked once hitting the wings. A hand tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to find a short, five foot three at the most, girl standing in front of me. Her soft facial features curved into a smile, her eyes shaping into upside down moons, black wavy hair framing her oval face like a golden picture from the Mona Lisa. She was definitely shorter than average, and I wouldn't compare her to a goddess, more of a runway model, and in her ordinariness, she was strangely unordinary. 

    “H-hi” I stuttered shyly holding my hands behind my back and twiddling with my fingers. God, why was I acting like such a child all of a sudden? She held her hand out to me, an elated smile on her face. 

    “Hey! You must be (Y/N), I'm Shuhua.” 

I know.

I bit my tongue so I wouldn't make a strange comment and tried my best not to come off as a stalker to my idol. Gently shaking her hand. 

(Side note her skin was the softest thing I had ever touched. How much moisturizer did she use?)

    “Your hands are so soft.” I internally screamed at myself at my shocked exclamation, now she would think I'm some crazy person. 

“Thanks, I use a lot of moisturizers.” 

I knew it.

“So you must be that girl that BTS adopted? Everyone's going crazy about you lately.” My shoulders slumped at her comment, of course, all conversation always led back to this. 

    “In a good way or a bad way?” She winked at my question,

“Both.” She turned around suddenly as someone called her name, a woman that I didn't recognize. “That's my manager, I should probably get going. It was nice talking to you.” She gave me a quick smile and wave before rushing off towards her managers and teammates, leaving me awestruck. I just talked, had a full conversation, with Shuhua of (G)I-DlE. A pair of arms wrapped around my waist sooner than I could comprehend the situation, and I was being lifted into the air, spun around till I was placed in front of a starry-eyed, beaming, and sweaty Hoseok. 

"What did you think? Did you like it?" My body automatically reacted to his excitement with more energy. I furiously nodded my head, gushing at the three boys in front of me that I just now noticed. 

"Yes! You guys were awesome!" Jungkook, Yoongi, and Hoseok all sent me smiles and I peeked my head around Jungkook's shoulders, finding Jin, Namjoon, Jimin, and Tae talking to some people who I assumed were crew, considering they were dressed in all black, clipboards in hand and headsets on their ears. 

"My voice felt like it was cracking during the chorus. (Y/N), could you tell?" I looked back to Jungkook and shook my head, 

"you're too rough on yourself. I think you did great." The three of them then started their own conversation about the performance, poking and prodding at Jungkook as his cheeks turned pink from the attention. Yet, my attention wasn't focused on the loving moment in front of me, but the same boys joking around from behind me. 

"Is that her?" I heard one of the boys ask, I tilted my head towards the ground, angling my ear at the stranger's to hear the conversation. "I think so, isn't she a little old to be adopted?" My emotions started to bile to the surface as they continued to talk about me. Unless there was some other adopted girl beside me that I didn't know about, highly unlikely. 

"Hey!" I jumped at the loud voice so close to my ear, glancing up at a glaring Yoongi. "Watch it, don't be rude." One of the boys who had been deep in the conversation approached the four of us. Hobi gently grabbed the back of my dress and pulled me back towards him the closer the stranger got. 

"Excuse me! We were just expressing our thoughts, is that a crime?” Jungkook took a step forward towards the group, towering over the boys. 

“Look, we don’t want any problems. We’re just saying you don’t have to be so rude.” A second person from the boy group stepped forward grabbing at the younger boys sleeve.

“Hey, no problems here. Aki apologizes.” The older boy hissed out, and the boy who I assumed was Aki glared at us, mumbling under his breath. 

“Sorry.” The older boy smiled at us then pushed Aki back towards his group, similar to how a mother disciplines her child. 

“Why am I in trouble. I don't understand, why would they adopt anyway?” 

I ignored Aki's comment but his next words had my blood running cold,

 “Why would you want someone else’s reject.” 

Before I could fully process his words Yoongi was stepping forward, grabbing Aki by the shoulder and whipping him around only to throw his fist at his face. The older boy caught Aki practically effortlessly as he held his face in agony, blood rushing out of his nose and spreading onto his hands. Jimin rushed forward, grabbing at Yoongi’s sleeve and pulling him back. 

“Yoongi what the hell! You can’t do that!” Jimin’s loud exclamation tore through Aki's painful cries and Yoongi angrily turned towards Jimin. 

“Did you hear what he said about her!?” Jimin shot Yoongi a confused look but both turned to the older boy who was standing next to his three other bandmates after setting Aki down. 

“He only said what we were all thinking. Seriously, how can you take on somebody else's problem like that!” He gestured a hand towards me by sending me a glare but I was again pulled back just as Jungkook lunged forward, fists raised. I brushed the handoff of me and rushed in front of Jungkook holding my hands up so he wouldn't punch the boy then turned to face the opposite group. I took a deep breath before calmly stating, 

“If you have a problem with me, next time say it to my face instead of talking about a sixteen-year-old girl behind her back. Am I adopted? Yes, and it's none of your business to question it. You didn't choose to adopt me.” I pointed my hand back towards the seven boys, “they did. You don't have to understand, but you do have to keep your opinions to yourself and your mouth shut.” I turned away from the shocked boy band and turned towards the boys. Mouths either parted in shook, or eyes wide in surprise. “Can we go home now?” Namjoon rapidly nodded, walking alongside me and leading me out of the venue.

Taglist: @xxqueenwxtchxx @ayyeaestheticgirl18 @im-emo-motherfuckers@kamirichibi  @officiallyza @treetops68 @there-could-be-stairs  @acklesgold @bisoo-ausucre @bts-edits-bitch @celestial-m00n @springdayblink 

#Real Family #x reader #bts #btsgifs #BTS Family #bts series #bts x reader poly #Poly BTS #poly ot7 #bts polyamory #bts poly au #dad bts #father #father bts #x daughter!reader #Platonic love #platonic #complicated family #oneshot #ot7 #bts ot7 #ot7 x reader #bts x reader #btsmasterlist #jungkook x reader #namjoon x reader #hoseok x reader #yoongi x reader #jimin x reader #taehyung x reader