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#as if he could just keep going && keep fighting indefinitely. but he couldn't in the end. such is way lmao
curatoroffiction · 2 months
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Overprotective (Part 1)
Based off of this post It all came to a head with The Incident™.
You were frustrated, having just left Levi's room. You'd brought him a series that you thought he'd love, it was much more like some of the stuff he used to be into, which had heartbreak and drama, but you'd heard it had a good resolution, even if it was sad. But the second things started turning sour emotionally, he began to panic. And when he asked if you knew what would happen, and you said "I've heard about the ending, but I saved actually knowing it for you", you didn't expect what he did next. He stopped the show and took the DVD out. This started a long fight that you barely understood. Him being upset that you weren't 'taking care of yourself', and you being upset that he was trying to micro-manage what you watched! You even jabbed at him telling him that "Avoiding the sad stuff isn't healthy!" which only made him more upset. You didn't understand why, so you just left. You ran into Asmodeus, who started worrying about the stress you were visibly under. Stress isn't good for one's health. He first asked if you wanted to take a soothing bath with him, which you shrugged off, thinking that would be the end of it. But it wasn't. He kept badgering you to let him help you destress. It started very flirty at first... Until it became desperate. You continued to decline, and he became more worried, which caught Satan's attention. When Satan heard you were stressed out, several stress-related illnesses flashed through his memory and he became very serious trying to give you other options. If anything, their insistence on controlling another aspect of your life was making it worse. You were on the verge of exploding when Belphegor came around. You called out to him, but he turned right around and walked away. You frustratedly chased after him, but when you turned the corner he disappeared behind, he was gone. Instead, you found Mammon. With the shadiest bag of vitamins you've ever seen. No label, just some random supplement in a plastic bag. "You want some vitamins?" The sight would have made you laugh a week ago, but right now, it was just frustrating. "No! I want everyone to stop badgering me! And for Belphegor to stop AVOIDING me!" "Sounds like you could eat. Lemme cook you up something." Mammon was the one who was the best at reaching out. He'd been slyly learning how to cook on the side, so he could get more veggies and fruits into your diet. And the food he's learned to cook was really yummy. Begrudgingly, you accept, and he takes you to the kitchen, also giving Asmo and Satan a covert thumbs up. The two let him take care of you, seeing that your stress instantly began to melt at the idea of food. That is.. Until you got to the kitchen. Mammon begins pulling out veggies and fruit to make you a few dishes, but Beelzebub keeps hovering around to try to control your portions. No matter how much you told him it was insulting, he just couldn't bring himself to stop worrying. Mammon always makes you too much food, seeing as how he keeps trying to pack in the nutrients like they're going to culminate in prolonging your life indefinitely. Once again, you're pissed, and this time with new vigor. You finally storm out of the kitchen and out of the house, only to see Lucifer coming in from the walkway. And he's blinded by how dangerous it is for you to walk around Devildom alone. He tells you as much and you just shout "WELL I HOPE I DIE THEN, BECAUSE IT'D BE BETTER THAN THIS HELLSCAPE" while trying to brush past him in frustration. You didn't even mean the words, but no one had been listening to you and no one was giving you a chance to control anything in your life without supervision. They've been so controlling and so accidentally belittling, making you feel less-than, making you feel like a child in a house without love. Part 2
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Between the Raindrops
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TW: Angst. Smut. Enemies to lovers. Language. Degrading language. A bit of a slow burn. 
SUMMARY: A fateful night changes your relationship with your least favorite pogue, indefinitely. 
WORD COUNT: 3200
REQUESTED
Reader being kinda bratty so JJ doesn’t like her because he thinks she’s hot but too annoying until he sees her crying because of her boyfriend (maybe he cheated or was mean to her) so he comforts her until she’s stops crying and turns bratty again and JJ puts her in her place 
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Reader asking JJ to spend the night w her because it’s raining and it’s late but he doesn’t want to stay because he’s afraid of falling for a kook and he can’t trust her 
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Reader was JJs first kiss when they were younger they don’t have friends in common and don’t hang out at the same spots so they never really talked after the kiss until JJ sees readers boyfriend mistreat her and he stands up for her and takes her home and she invites him in 
*I GOT ALL OF THESE WONDERFUL REQUEST AND DECIDED TO PUT THEM ALL TOGETHER, I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT!*
Between the Raindrops  
It was a secret nobody knew as it was best that way. The soft yet inexperienced lips had been well trained since then and you couldn't hide as your eyes zeroed in on them to test such a theory. Perhaps if not for the cruel arm at your wrist, you may have known since then. But with the title of "girlfriend" weighing heavy on your reputation as the perfect Kook you portrayed yourself to be, you couldn't deny the curiosities that looked just beyond your behaved existence. More specifically, how you craved to misbehave with a specific Pogue named JJ Maybank. 
"Did he finally get tired of you complaining about how badly you want me?" JJ asked upon leaning over your shoulder at the annual bonfire as you took a moment to compose yourself. The only way to keep JJ at arm's length was to be cruel. Luckily, he made it easy to retort against him. 
"Maybe how badly I want to be away from you..." You shot back as you scrunched your nose before turning back to your drink as you looked forward to the ocean. Completely unaware of how his eyes took you in from your ignorance. Every inch carved to perfection as far as he was concerned. 
"Well tough luck, princess. It's so much more fun torturing you...I think it might just be my calling in life…" 
"And you do it so well..." 
"Maybe if you stop fighting your feelings and just give in to me, you wouldn't be so uptight...I could work all those little kinks-" He was close enough to feel the light mess of his hair to your cheek, your eyes fluttering at his closing proximity. 
The thoughts that accumulated through a growth of maturity in the form of inappropriate conjurings were tempting to make a reality. He was close enough that you only had to turn and would no longer need to fantasize alone. And yet you were not alone that such an action would go by unnoticed. 
The sudden slinking of an arm directing you away from JJ would be the silent saving grace you needed. Even if it would pull you into a more emotionally destructive situation. 
It began as it always had with him nursing the bottle too heavily. The disposal of one would bring two others until he stumbled beyond the ability to stand up straight. This made you into the unintentional designated guardian to somehow who never seemed to know better. 
"You're so pretty when you're quiet. You talk too much..." He said into your cheek as you tried to push him into the passenger side of the car, his body weight threatening to flatten you as he was nearly double your size. By some grace, you succeeded before his car stalled. No matter how many times you twisted the keys or hit against the steering wheel, it didn't seem to spark life into the failing engine. 
"Need help, darling?" A teasing tone called from the side of your car as JJ happened to be present. 
"I could fix it for you in no time..." You were desperate for the night to end for a multitude of reasons. For that, you would agree to his help, but damned to show the excitement his presence brought to your heart-and in the flutter between your thighs.
"You haven't let me touch you all night..." Your boyfriend reminded as his hands were quick between your thighs. Unbeknownst to you, JJ had been aware of the exchange, his hands turning to fists. 
"Wanna pop the hood there, princess?" He reminded as you pushed away from the drunkard on your shoulder before realizing you never needed to.
JJ opened the door, slipped himself inside, before leaning close enough to be brazen and seduce you with a graze of his fingers once he set the hood to ascension and moved to work beneath the hood. 
"You're my girlfriend..." 
"You're drunk-" his hand forced yours to his pants, a half hard bulge making the moment anything but desirable.
"Fucking act like it…"
 If not for the fact JJ was nearby, then for the fact your stomach twisted to the entire exchange. A common occurrence the longer you were with him. Always wanting someone else. Always wanting-
"JJ!" You gasped as he appeared at your side, your hand quickly moving back to your own lap. 
And yet the analysis he gave you of the car had sounded synonymous to a new language, a few words recognized. 
Engine. Had been the only one you could recall. 
"I can give you a ride...but I'm not taking him..."
"I can't just leave him here..." To that, his phone illuminated. 
"I'm waiting for you like you asked. But you already have my panties..." The photo of your best friend holding herself into the mirror you knew to wear a reflection of trying on Midsummers dresses the day before left your heart to twist. But not because of the loss of a truly heartless boyfriend, but for the embarrassment this would bring to you. 
"Actually, yeah...I'd love a ride..." 
"You're going with him? You can't leave me..."
"But Scarlett is waiting for you..." You shot back, throwing his phone back in his lap as he reached for you, toppling into the seat. 
"You're nothing but a fucking tease-bitch!" He called out as his words were cold to your already fragile heart as you followed behind JJ. A borrowed truck acted as your carriage for the night as he left the beach. 
"You're a guest, don't touch my stereo if you know what's good for ya, sweetheart..." He threatened as your eyes narrowed to the heavy music that left your head throbbing. But as you turned your gaze to the window, hiding the tears left by the heartache of the night, he would eventually turn the music down. 
"You know...of all Kook Princesses you are the most...tolerable..." He explained with a grin reaching to showcase his dimples. Your eyes fell to his lips, tempting to reach across the car and connect them with your own. 
"Scarlett isn't worth it..."
"You're only saying that because she rejected you..." You shot, hoping to keep him at arms length and away from acting on your desires. It seemed to work as he returned the music high and brought you home without another word. 
By the time you made it into the driveway, the distance between the passenger door and your front door was scarcely visible from the new rain. A quick and heavy storm that rattled shutters and shook trees as you jumped to the lightning. 
"You afraid of a little thunder or just realized the world doesn't revolve around you enough to keep you from getting wet?" He teased as your usual means of responding with sarcasm or aggravation faltered in contrast to your anxiety.  You loathed the chaos of storms like this, knowing how cruel nature could be as it took everything in its path. 
"Can you come in?" His eyes widened in shock. 
"Just until the storm stops?"
Another rumble of thunder after a lengthy pause made you gasp. 
"You don't even have to talk to me or anything..."
"A promise that you'll be quiet? How can I resist?" Before you could retract, he was on his feet and moving to your side of the car. You fumbled to retrieve your keys as you wanted to be prepared, moving past his chivalry and into the house with only a few drops dampening you. 
"You truly are a princess..." He explained while looking at your photographs of former pageants. 
"First place? Must not have been a beauty pageant then..." You tried to ignore him but the storm continued outside. 
"What are you doing?" He asked as he watched you journey to the bathroom. 
"Showering..."
"You can't...you could get electrocuted..." 
"I've done it before."
"Might explain why you're a few brain cells shy-" your eyes narrowed to him. 
"What the hell is your problem, JJ? What have I ever done to you?" 
"Since you're a Kook I would say, well, existing..." 
"And you think being a pogue makes you superior?"
"I think I know what it's like to work for something."
"Stealing isn't working."
"I've never stolen anything on the Northside...I work honestly..."
"Then why do you keep getting fired?" You managed to silence him. The victory in this leading your arms to cross at your chest. 
"Run out of lies?" He was turned slightly away from you, seemingly running on low steam as he turned to face you. But he didn't stop as he directed his focus to you. He kept moving at you until you were pinned at the wall. His hand at your shorts and beneath the brass button with his fingers at your clothed clit, set almost as a threat. 
"Ah..." You gasped. 
"You stopped going there. You stopped doing brunch at The Island Inn so I got fired. You stopped playing golf so I stopped being a caddy. Because I want to have to look at me..." He brought your hand to his seam just as your boyfriend had done. Only when you felt him, you were electrified with what that present swelling could offer you. Whereas you were borderline disgusted when thinking of anyone else but him. 
"I know you know what to do, don't be a fucking tease." He used your boyfriend's words against you as it made you motivated to prove him wrong. It was irritating and endorsing in unison as you began to stroke him over his trunks. 
"No. With what I've had to put up with...I deserve you on your fucking knees...." A grip to your hair and you were guided downwards. 
"All those remarks from that smart little mouth...now you're gonna make it up to me by letting me fuck it..." But he then moved away at the moment your hands rose to his hips. You couldn't explain the magnetism to him. There were plenty of handsome guys in the Outer Banks. And yet, there was only one who brought you to your knees. Only one you wanted to be on your knees for. 
"Crawl, princess. Queens stand and you're too much of a fucking brat for a title like that..." You had watched him sit on the couch directly across from where he left you. And even as he looked at you with such arrogance, you were eager to please him. To prove him wrong. 
"Slowly. You need to earn this cock after all you've put it through wearing all those goddamn bikinis..." He cocked his jaw. 
"Matter of fact...strip. I want you to do it in only your bikini." You rose up to your knees and reached for your crocheted top. 
"Slowly!" He threatened as you ignored him before throwing the fabric at him. 
"I said slow-"
"Then do it yourself." When he sat forward, you moved to your shorts, tracing your fingers down your torso and lower still. 
"You don't touch anything I've made wet."
"No?" You slipped your fingers into your bikini bottoms, the jean fabric of the shirts now low enough to where he could see every move you made behind the elastic of the suit. 
"Fuck..." He spoke softly to himself. 
"Come here..." He managed to speak behind his clenched teeth as you offered only a weak smirk. 
"Not sure I need you, JJ. I could come right here...with you watching me...wanting me...Just out of reach…" 
"You don't get to come unless I say..." 
"Why should I listen to you? Think because you kissed me once that you deserve it?" He was moving quickly towards you, pulling you to your feet and pushing you onto the couch, before ultimately bending over you with an intimidating pin. 
"Because nobody is ever going to make you come like I could-"
"You seem pretty confident for someone you didn't even know how to kiss..."
He scoffed. "That's because I was kissing the wrong set of lips to make you behave." He was between your legs before you could respond, your suit simply pulled to the side as his tongue ravaged you. Your fingers twisted his already messy locks into further disarray as he rose between breaths. 
"Dirty fucking princess..." He spoke beneath sultry eyes that rose long enough to watch your mouth part in disbelief. 
"Need someone to shut you up for once..." 
"You-" He set two fingers to plummet inside of you, your words ceased as he pumped just long enough to saturate his digits. Once they were to his linking, he brought them into your mouth. 
"If you didn't taste so sweet, you'd be over that arm with an ass redder than your cheeks right now..." He offered a single slow lick, looking at you from beneath his lashes. 
"Pathetic." He spit between your lower lips, making your eyes roll as he set to his own pace. He tietired you as you weren't able to find solace in any context. As he neared you to that edge, you were pulled back just as quickly. 
"JJ!" You whimpered as he took hold of your hair, dripping over your soaked sex as the sight only worsened your pulsations. 
"You're gonna work for something for once in your life." To this, he spit on your clit, making slow circles. 
"That's just to hear you whine a bit more for me." Your eyes fluttered closed before being forced open as he pulled you to the edge of the couch. 
"Apparently you didn't hear me." He dropped his trunks and allowed his cock to spring free. 
"Work. For. It." He ordered cruelly, eyes blown with lust as you took your hand around his base. 
"I made it good for you, you better return the favor and be selfless for once in your goddamn life..." You spit towards your hand to make it pleasurable for him before he worsened the tension within your hair. 
"Gonna teach that dirty little mouth a lesson." He forced himself into the back of your throat with little warning. Your eyes instant to water, but your body seemingly made for this torture. 
"Look at me." He ordered as you obliged. 
"You wanna come tonight, you say you're fucking sorry for being such a little brat or I'll come down this tight little throat without feeling bad about it for even a second." 
He lowered. 
"And before you think that's the easiest option, you've built me up quite a lot, you'd almost drown with how hard I'd come..." Your eyes rolled for only a second before you appeased him. Your throat opened to his disposal as he took full advantage. 
"You sore already?" You shook your head. 
"You will be...so...fucking...sore..." His head fell back as every single one of his muscles tensed. He may have impressive stamina and yet his patience was dwindling. The definition of such evidence worn on his weathered breathing patterns. 
"Get on top of me." You only took him faster, forcing him to the very ridge of your throat as he dripped down the curve. 
"Fuck!" He belted before forcing you over him. But in the straddle he made of your body, he only held you in place, hands behind your back with his dominant hold as the other focused in your hair. 
"You're gonna keep quiet for once in your life and ride me like I know you've wanted to...and maybe I'll let you come..." 
You only moaned as you were sunk into him, swallowing his abundant shaft with your sex as he responded in approval. 
"I'm not doing the work. If you wanna come...you're gonna earn it." He informed you as you made yourself work for the challenge. His body rammed into the couch as his fingers sunk into your hips while you controlled the pace. Yet it lasted only a fraction to what you believed it would. 
"You don't deserve the control..." He bent you over the arm of the couch, one leg bent over his arm, as he plowed into you this way. The only means you had to keep from cascading over the ledge had been that of his grip to your hair. The pain silent to the pleasure he offered you. 
A bruising grip guiding you to his will as the only intelligible sound was that of skin to skin. Sweat offering the slick of quick motions until he was near his edge. 
"You don't come until you apologize." 
"JJ-" The hand moved from your hair to your breast, pulling your suit free. 
"Better hurry. If I come before you do, I stop. Isn't it worth it for an apology?" He moved his lips to your ear. 
"Nobody even has to know..." But as you tried to offer this to him, be moved harder. Deeper. Faster. All until you shook in his arms. 
"Too good, baby? Hmm? Can't even say two little words?" He turned you to face him. 
"I'm..." He teased, guiding you. 
"Sorry! I'm fucking sorry-"
"Good girl. Now show me." He was a restless spirit at your back, demonic and angelic to each battering as you unleashed twice over as he found his initial coming. Your name the final sound to the end grip made as he coated you from within. His cock trailing the mutual cum down your thighs. 
"Storms over, princess."
"Stay..." You were soft, holding yourself into an embrace only his touch would comfort.
He hesitated, unsure of how this would end if he would. But the plea in your eyes sent him back towards you. 
"Only until you sleep..." He pulled his shorts back over his hips while remaining on the couch, making awkward movements as you brought his face to you. 
"Then don't let me sleep. I don't want you to leave..." This kiss was softer. Passionate. Real. Better than the first a decade prior, but without the cover of curiosity. It was a point of no return between you and JJ, a point that should never have existed, but one you both dove over together. 
Repeatedly....
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lostsometime · 3 months
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So as a kid, Zoro told Kuina "we're not friends," all the way up until the day they made their promise. He finally let himself think of her as a friend, someone he could see keeping in his life pretty much indefinitely, training and getting stronger every single day - and then, literally the next day, she's gone. Her death is abrupt and pointless and unfair and he spends the next 7 years not letting himself have friends because what's even the point?
And then Luffy. And before he knows it, he's got people under his skin again, utterly without his permission. And maybe it feels really good to have a friend again, and maybe he forgets, a little bit, why he'd been avoiding this. Isn't it nice, to have a drink with a friend? Isn't it nice, to fight alongside someone? Couldn't you see yourself doing this pretty much indefinitely?
And then Nami. And then Nami, calling him a friend, and oh no, he knows what happens next, if you let her be your friend. You turn around and the next thing you know she's gone. So no, that's not something he can say back. No, he's going to hit her with "we're not friends," just like he did for so long with Kuina, and that should work, right - that should keep him insulated from feeling that kind of loss? So when he wakes up, literally the next day, and she's gone - unfair, abrupt, pointless - why doesn't that feel any better?
What was he holding himself apart for, if it wasn't going to keep this from happening again?
So there's kind of two options before him: first, to shut all that down and never have an Emotion again, which is basically just - do the same thing as before, only more so and maybe that will work???
Or second, to maybe reconsider. To think maybe he needs someone to live for, actually? To think maybe his connections to other people are a vital part of achieving his dream? To decide maybe, actually, he can't do this alone?
Fortunately, Luffy is right there, and shutting down his heart in the face of Luffy begging for his help is maybe the worst thing he can imagine doing, so his choice is pretty clear.
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Wherever You Are
Summary: You realize that you don't want to live without Kepa anymore.
Warning: Angsty beginning but fluffy ending bc all I seem to wanna write is angst these days lmao
Word Count: 2.5K
A/N: Inspired by "Wherever You Are" by 5 Seconds of Summer. Also if anyone has requests feel free to send them my way! Right now I'm writing for Kepa Arrizabalaga and Christian Pulisic, but I may be adding Kai Havertz to the list soon! Also also shout out to the Puli girls for always being so supportive and constantly inspiring me to write every day 💙
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"Every night I almost call you
Just to say it always will be you
Wherever you are."
Kepa laid awake on his back, staring at the ceiling. He should've been asleep to get some well needed rest for his game the next day, but he couldn't. His mind wandered aimlessly, just like it did every night. No matter what he did, all he could think about was that night, the scene playing on constant repeat whenever he close his eyes.
Your forehead was on Kepa's, suitcase in hand. You knew once you walked through airport security, you wouldn't be able to turn back no matter how much you wanted to.
"Tell me to stay. Just say the word and I'll stay," you choked as tears ran down your face.
He held your face in his hands, keeping you as close to him as he possibly could.
"You know I can't, mi vida," he said, trying to remain strong for you. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I can't ask you to pass up just to stay here with me."
You sobbed harder. He was right. Your dream company in Spain had accepted your application and you were set to start the week after. You'd known from a young age that this was all you ever wanted. Everything you'd done up until this point in your life was geared towards this job, and you finally had it after years of hard work and determination.
Kepa threw a wrench in those plans. You never anticipated falling in love along the way. The years you spent with him were some of the best moments of your life and you never wanted it to end. You didn't know what the future would hold for you, but the only certain thing was that you wanted him in it.
You had to make a decision once your received the email. Kepa couldn't just up and leave with you no matter how much he wanted to. His place was in London playing with the team he so dearly loved. But Kepa knew that this was your lifelong dream and wouldn't let you give up on it just for him. You both wanted to go long distance, but with your work schedules it wouldn't have been realistic to sustain a relationship anymore. You would be staying indefinitely in Spain and he would be indefinitely in England. Keeping a relationship would prevent the two of you from growing, and he never wanted to hold you back from the happiness he knew you deserved.
It absolutely broke your heart to know you couldn't be with him. You wanted him as much as you wanted this job, but you couldn't have both. Your head was telling you to suck it up and get on the plane for a job you'd longed for since you were a child. But your heart begged you to stay with Kepa. And you would've. He just needed to say the words and you would've given up everything for him.
Kepa couldn’t ask you to do that. And you knew he couldn't.
He wiped the tears from under your eyes trying to memorize your face with the little time he had left with you.
"I promise one day I'll find you again. I swear it. I promise I won't stop until I find you," he stated firmly.
"How can you know that? How do we know things won't change between us?" you cried, desperate to hold onto him while you still could.
"Because you're worth fighting for, and you will always be worth fighting for."
Kepa softly kissed you, pouring all the love he had for you into it.
"Do you hear me? I'll fight heaven and earth, all the gods in the sky, every higher power that could possibly exist if it means I get to be with you. I won't ever give up on you, on us."
The two of you stood in the terminal in your own world, holding on for as long as possible. You could feel time ticking away and you prayed it would stop just so the inevitable wouldn't have to come.
The announcer's voice over the speaker brought you back to your harsh reality. You were going on a plane to fulfill your dreams, leaving the love of your life behind to fulfill his. Time was finally up and there was nothing you could do to stop it.
"I love you Y/N," he said softly.
"I love you Kepa," you cried, "so much."
He kissed your forehead tenderly before kissing your lips, savoring what very well might have been your final time.
Reluctantly, the two of you stepped away from your hold. He handed you your bags, letting his fingers linger on yours ever so slightly. You could see the tears in his own eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Your heart broke even more knowing he wanted to be strong because you couldn't be.
"Bye Kepa," you said so softly it might as well have been a whisper.
He nodded his head, but you knew it meant two things: he was giving you the courage you needed to walk away and he was telling you that things were going to be okay.
And with a deep breath, you headed towards the security gates. You turned around to look at him one final time, tears still falling from your eyes. He gave you a small smile, both of your hearts breaking in that moment. With your heart feeling heavy, you broke his gaze and headed towards your destination.
Kepa stayed in the airport until he saw your plane taking off in the distance. He stared out the window longingly, finally releasing the emotions he was trying so desperately to suppress.
"Bye Y/N."
Kepa relived that moment every night since you left almost two years ago. While you hadn't blocked or unfollowed each other on social media, you hadn't spoken since. It would've been too painful knowing you were so close yet so far out of his reach. Kepa would've given up on his own dreams to be with you. But you wouldn't want that for him and he knew that, just as he didn't want you to do the same. He wanted to be selfish, but more than anything he wanted to see you happy. And if you had to be out of his life to be happy and finally achieve everything you'd ever wanted, he would make that decision every time.
Kepa instead focused on his own career, putting his best onto the field. And it paid off, returning to his incredible form for both his club and country. Kepa had finally proved himself to be one of the best goalkeepers in Europe and gained the respect of both fans and critics alike. He'd won a few pieces of silverware, and he was only just getting started. He had regained his confidence on the pitch and it showed. He was so proud of how far he'd come despite all of his setbacks and his dreams were right within his grasp. Everything in his life was falling right into place. It was almost perfect.
Yet the one thing he wanted the most in this world, he couldn't have. There weren't any football trophies or medals in the world that could compare to the feeling of having you in his arms again. Every picture he'd taken with his awards only served as a reminder of what he had lost, who he had lost in the process. While it wasn't necessarily a decision he regretted, it didn't make the thought hurt any less.
Kepa never really tried to move on. He couldn't forget about you, nor did he want to. While his teammates attempted to convince him to go on other dates, he knew that no one could even come close you. You weren't together anymore, but Kepa's heart was still entirely yours whether you knew it or not. He didn't know what the future held for the two of you, and that was the worst part. Not knowing if he was waiting for something that would never come or if the right time was coming and he just didn't realize it yet. But he knew he desperately wanted you to come home to him.
Spain had been an absolutely incredible experience for you. From the moment you landed, you fell head over heels for the country. You learned so much about yourself and gained memories that you knew would last a lifetime. Your dream job turned out to be everything you wished for and more. You wanted to spend forever there and you easily could have. It seemed your future was almost set in stone displayed right in front of you.
But life in Spain was almost perfect. It almost felt right. It was almost your forever home. That word and that feeling kept surfacing. Almost, almost, almost. This was everything you dreamed about for as long as you could remember. So why did you constantly feel like something was missing?
You stared at the pouring rain through the window as your taxi dropped you off in front of a familiar house. You didn't know if this was a good decision, but for once you decided to listen to your instincts and follow your heart. You grabbed your bags, thanked the driver, and walked up to the house.
As you walked closer and closer to the door, your hands began to shake, your heartbeat increasing with every step. There was no turning back at this point, and there was no telling what was going to come of this encounter. But you weren't going to back down. You weren't letting this go without a fight.
You took a deep breath before knocking on the door. You heard soft murmurs and the sound of footsteps before the door opened.
To say Kepa was stunned to see you drenched outside his home was an understatement. The moment he saw your face, his heart stopped. His brain stopped functioning properly and he struggled to catch his breath. You two stared at each other, not a word being exchanged as your minds raced.
"I'm sorry I just showed up unexpected like this but I needed to tell you this and it couldn't wait any longer," you said to him after a minute of silence.
Kepa couldn't find his words, so he just nodded his head to let you continue.
"You were right. The job was incredible. Spain was incredible. I loved every moment of it and I had absolutely everything I wanted. My dream job, amazing friends. It was what I dreamed about and more. Everything was perfect."
You took a deep breath, your voice beginning to waver as you spoke on.
"But every day I could feel something was wrong. No matter what I did or where I went, it always felt like something was missing. I thought maybe it was homesickness, maybe it was restlessness, anxiety from a new job and a new experience. But the longer I stayed, the worse the feeling got. I kept trying to ignore it and move past it, but nothing worked because I knew why I felt that way."
You couldn't hold the tears in anymore, letting them mix with the rain that was currently running down your face. You lifted your head and looked right into Kepa's eyes for the first time since you left that day.
"I didn't have you. I had everything I could've dreamed about, and it all paled in comparison because all I could think about was how much I wanted you, how much I wanted to be with you, how much I missed you."
You let out a sob, trying your best to stay strong.
"And God Kepa, I miss you so fucking much. I know we agreed that I couldn't just stay behind, but I've thought about that moment every day for two years and how much I fucking regret leaving you that day. I fought with myself, trying not to call you every night just to hear your voice. I avoided watching matches so I wouldn't see if you'd moved on or not. I tried to convince myself that I was ready to let you go."
You were shaking, but it wasn't because of the rain. Kepa just let you go on.
"But I lied. I lied to myself because I knew I would never stop loving you. And I couldn’t just let you go without fighting for us. I've realized that I can't live without you anymore. Spain was perfect, but I don't want perfect. I just want you."
You hesitantly stepped closer to him.
"I know it's been a long time and things have changed, but I can't give up without fighting for this. So tell me to go and you'll never see me again. But if you tell me to stay, I promise I'm never leaving ever again."
Kepa didn't even hesitate. In one swift motion, he gently cupped your cheeks with his hands and for the first time in two years, he kissed you. It wasn't a small peck, but a kiss that conveyed every emotion he'd ever felt in the time you were gone. There would never be enough words in the world to properly describe how much he needed you in his life and this was the only thing he could do. You kissed him back with the same energy, tears streaming down both of your faces.
Kepa pulled back from you to look deep in your eyes before kissing you again, much gentler this time. He wanted to savor every bit of this moment, one that'd he'd dreamt about every night since you left. He didn't want perfect either. He didn't need it when he had you because you were more than enough for him, and you always would be.
He pulled away again, this time choosing to rest his forehead on yours.
"I made you a promise that day," Kepa whispered, "a promise that I would never give up on you. I said I would fight even God above if it meant being with you. And I will never ever go back on my word. I would wait the rest of my life just to be with you at the end of it all."
Kepa pulled you as close as you physically could, planning on doing so for the rest of your lives.
"So stay with me now. You don't have to be away anymore. You're home now."
"I love you Kepa. And I never stopped loving you," you whispered.
"I love you, Y/N. I never stopped loving you and I never will. Because it doesn't matter how far you are from me or what universe we're a part of or how much time has passed. It's you. And it will always be you wherever you are. And nothing will ever change that."
The two of you stood in the doorway, your hands were covering his and foreheads pressed together as you both tried to memorize the other. You held each other tightly, just as you did in the airport all those years ago. Only this time, you weren't begging time to stop so you can be together just for a little longer because you would have each other forever. And as Kepa kissed you, you knew you would never have to say goodbye ever again.
Taglist: @neverinadream​ @pulisicsgirl​ @masonspulisic​ @bracedes​ @lizzypotter14​ @notsoattractivearenti​ @thoseboysinblue​ @pianoisland​ @lovelynikol16​ @chelseagirl98​
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aita-blorbos · 5 months
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AITA for avenging my brother?
hiiiii ^^ so im (30, let's say M for convenience's sake) am currently the leader of a very big sect, which was Not the plan WhatSoEVER (i'll get into it). i was born as the younger sibling to the sect heir, which meant i had free reign to basically do whatever i wanted while he got the responsibilities and stuff! great deal methinks. our father died when we were both still young due to heart issues that run in the family and also being killed. since my brother had a decade or so on me, he pretty much raised me from then on while also having the new role of official sect leader on his shoulders.
again, seems like a good deal! he was strict, and really really insisted i practiced my fighting skills (like that wasn't the literal cause of our family's heart issues) to the point that one time he like kind of burned my paper fan collection in front of me but that's like it's all besides the point okay he loved me and i loved him and we were both there for each other okay? okay
anyway he had this servant/best friend/pretty sure somethingsomething was going on there. he was kind of like a second big brother to me. our interests overlapped and he also preferred stuff like art and poetry over fighting. he understood me in a way that my brother couldn't, and he helped raise me just as much, even accompanying me to my third year of summer courses. which lol was supposed to be a one year course but i failed twice. lmao w/e
things got... bad. a war broke out, the servant betrayed us by letting a dangerous enemy out of his cell, and he and my brother had a horrible fight that ended in the former's expulsion from our sect. fast forward yadda yadda this isn't so much the part of the story it's just context but basically that turned out to be a plan to get close to the enemy sect leader so he could stab him in the back. which turned out to become a recurring theme.
the servant, now a prominent figure in his own sect, my brother, and one basically-a-celeb from another sect became this big trio (and totally a Thing) because of the role they played in ending the war. servant-now-big-boy (let's go with snbb for convenience) used that position to send my brother into a cardiac arrest by playing a melody that was supposed to soothe him differently.
so now i was alone, and with one of the current biggest sects to lead, while all i wanted to do is look cute, paint and be bisexual. you can probably imagine how i felt when i learned who did it, especially considering how not only no one else knew, but he got /rewarded/ for it by becoming a sect leader himself. soooo i got a little silly and here's where i mighttttt be tah :3
basically i started a 10+ years revenge plan. i didn't really plan a /lot/ of it, but i knew i'd have to resurrect one of my childhood friends for it to grab attention away from me etc and such and so on and so forth. but basically i also got a gay and socially rejected teenager killed for that, desecrated the corpse of snbb's mother, paid some people to spread rumours here and there, possibly killed a few cats to lure a group of people where i needed them to be, and adopted a public persona of a useless idiot who couldn't run a sect for the life of me to keep suspsicions off of me for the duration of this, which was Also a part to get back at him because that meant he, as someone responsible and sooo niceys and oh won't you please help your poor little meowmeow with the big scary emails plssss (he basically ran the sect for me lol).
to top it all off i had him killed by the one person that loved him the most (mister sir basically-a-celeb. god his jawline is stronger than my will to live) (he has gone into seclusion and is isolating himself indefinitely to mourn)
but also all this allowed my old bestie to get gay married with his longtime heartthrob
so. aita?
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new-lorien-artist · 3 months
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It would have been beneficial to Five's key survival if Rey taught him more than to fight, and also to be a nature survivalist since he had all this knowledge that Five was largely dependent on. It was not only just being able to defend himself through physical combat or creative use of weaponry like killing the snake on the island or the first Mog they encountered in Canada, but also building a campfire, star navigation, sailing, negotiating weapon dealings (he had gotten a gun from a black market in Canada but we don't know if it was verbally negotiated or otherwise), cooking, raising livestock, basic farming and possible agricultural skills, medical skills (revealed in RtZ that Rey did actually teach Five that, not sure if that was solely surgical knowledge since knowing how to identify illnesses and heal them presents the idea that Rey could have potentially cured his illness), and possibly more.
There's a bunch of text that already supports Rey's ideas of how to protect Five, which are not only very passive but do little to help him learn how to survive properly (especially on his own, which is an issue Rey does not account for despite his illness), and is something Rey regrets too late
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As far as what we can gleam from the text, Rey only trained Five with a few days of martial art skills (the first day they were on the island) and then left Five to practice his routine indefinitely with jogging and the like.
It's also with this limited knowledge Five has that sets up the dynamic that structured a majority of Rey's teachings, mainly threatening Five's safety by implying the Mogadorians will come for them and capture or torture Five. And we see it used as a light threat, recalled by Five to get him to do simple chores like brush his teeth or make his bed (whether those were exaggerated examples or actual ones is unknown), and used to actually scare Five and reveal that he hasn't been training and had lied to Rey daily about his regiments (a genuinely frightening situation that Rey already uses as his go-to for reeling Five in but to an extreme extent, and a situation that betrays Five's trust in his Cêpan almost completely). And Five can do little about it when he's withheld from so much important information that could potentially save him, or at the very least make him more prepared for life and trust his Cêpan more. However, again, hiding was Rey's MO, and that limited knowledge made Five more susceptible to dangers that he does not know how to counter properly (see: Ethan).
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Of course, the Mogadorian threat could be an irrational point to make if Five was able to recall more that he couldn't die because of the charm, which is likely to happen if the threat of the Mogadorians were used more tactfully and honestly by Rey to emphasize ways to protect himself than just hiding, and what to do when he needs to hide.
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Also an additional side note, following this text:
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It was already established in IAN4 that the Chest cannot be opened by Garde alone until their Cêpan dies, so it has to be unlocked by both. But Henri also specified that the Garde must have a Legacy first in order to open it, which Five at this point in the story does not have yet. It does nothing for Rey to say that Five can't look until he thinks he's ready, instead of referring to the fact he needs a Legacy first, which should both confirm Five is ready and that he can open the Chest. The series kept this rule consistent for all the Garde, so it's fair to assume Rey's negligence to specify was of his own standard on what marks Five as ready, but in a vague and dishonest manner that turns Five away from any hope that his Chest will be accessible to him one day.
Rey had the intention of protecting Five, but his methods were essentially a cruel game of keep away that left Five in the dark but made him entirely dependent on his Cêpan, which he lightly reflected on as a terrible practice when he failed to consider his poor health or the fact that Five refuses to take any action and much prefers if Rey did the hard labor. His character as a reflection of his way of raising Five is extremely passive and greatly protective, which ends with him being controlling and neglectful of Five and his agency. His methods of protection were bent on flight than fight (interestingly this compares Henri who traveled consistently to small towns and didn't teach John how to fight until his Legacies came in, and Adelina who only ensured Marina's safety in the physical sense in a single location with a small community for years). His poor communication with Five, the both of them spending hours apart and only talking when he's awake, when there's a task to do, or when he chastises Five, worsens with his decisions that fail Five because of his rigid inclination to tell Five little to nothing about anything about survival.
We don't know why he didn't teach Five how to fight earlier on, or at the very least if his health rendered him incapable of doing so, teach Five how to survive and sustain himself, learn how to interact with strangers and tell the innocent from the deceitful. He's only presented one opportunity to teach Five how to fight by killing the viper snake, since in all instances prior he's taken care of both their safety. He cooks all their meals and Five has shown little ability to provide for himself besides opening a coconut. He failed as a Cêpan in that he can't expect Five to survive outside the island based on an unknowable standard of strength that he's never determined Five ever surpassing, whether that's getting a Legacy, being wiser, having mental fortitude, or finding a resolve.
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And it ruined Five's life.
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cryptid-writing · 4 months
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Would love to hear some of your writing concepts too! There’s definitely not enough Mysterio x Reader content out there (especially for the he/ theys :C )
what few posts do exist of that nature is less than you can count on one hand and go a far darker route than I would like.
here's a few of those concepts btw that anyone is welcome to turn into a bit of writing practice or into a full thing:
Insomniac specific:
The Mysterium itself provides a lot of potential for many many many fun things one could do and imagine. :)
The Mysterium was closed for maintenance on the opening day? Oh no, you'd come all the way to see it, you wanted to give it a try.. Not wanting your time to be a complete waste, you spend your time visiting other attractions and booths, but you occasionally stop by the Mysterium. You know whatever issue there was, it wouldn't be resolved so soon.. yet you just couldn't help yourself. There wasn't anyone outside it who you could talk to to see what was wrong or when it would be up and running again.. not until it had gotten late and the man in charge finally stepped out. you saw your chance.. and well. perhaps he noticed you a couple times throughout the day hanging around the Mysterium, or perhaps he is merely surprised by your enthusiasm to keep checking by to stick around this long to see what he'd made?
General:
Perhaps you knew of him before his reform? You knew who he was and who he used to be, but beyond that you knew very little. Perhaps you fancied him a little then, thought him interesting.. perhaps a little ashamed of yourself for thinking that way of a villain. but you couldn't deny there was a level of charm and intrigue with how he looked and moved when footage would play on the news from his fights against Spider-Man. Your first time seeing him unmasked was certainly a surprise. yet. that didn't compare to this moment. Meeting him face to face in person. How did this occur? Maybe you were a brand new "unwilling" hostage/participant in whatever scheme he's cooked up this time, or perhaps he is not in costume and merely trying to be just a normal man, undercover.. yet you know his truth. Do you dare to say anything?
There is nothing that compares to watching a movie alone in an empty theater. You would often try to catch the very last showing of any new or old movies you fancied, hoping to be alone.. Surprise, surprise. There was just 1 other person there. A man. No one else came in, as to be expected of a film which you considered underrated. Throughout the duration of the movie, the two of you were silent.. Then came the end of screening and quietly he initiates a conversation. You feared he may be a threat or a creep, yet to your surprise, he wasn't. He's surprised to see that someone else had come to see this movie in particular, it was one he liked yet many, especially critics, failed to be impressed by.. He has many questions to ask you, won't you indulge him? Who knows, it may end up being far more beneficial for the both of you in the end than either of you could have expected out of this simple little late night outing. (inspired by a moment in the webspinners comic)
Comic leaning:
Quentin Beck retiring indefinitely from the mantle of "Mysterio" and selling off some of his stuff as he goes into hiding to try and live a more honest and normal life. You, by some chance, came across an auction for the real deal devices and costume being sold online. No one had laid any bids on it.. you know you shouldn't, but you admired him, sure he was a villain, but you were aware of what you would be getting yourself into with this. Saving up your money for a long time.. You managed to have just enough to buy the items. They were a little damaged, so you stuck them in a bag and hunted down a shop where you could get some safe repairs, tossing out the 'it's for a cosplay' lie to make it less awkward. During one of your treks back home from repairs, Quentin Beck noticed you from afar, he noticed an all too familiar and impossible not to identify gauntlet of his fall out of your bag. Watching you fumble to quickly gather it again and proceed to scurry off even faster down the street. Now why on earth did you have that? For what purpose would you have with his stuff? It wasn't his business anymore.. yet he was curious.. so he follows after, seeking a few answers from you. Perhaps.. he may wind up with more than he expected? in a positive sense?
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sonicdisease · 6 months
Text
Sonic drags Jet to McDonald's
“Did you steal my fries?” “No, I just borrowed them indefinitely.” (Prompt)
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"When you said it was your treat, this isn't what I had in mind." Jet had tried not to complain on the walk there, but if Sonic's idea of a 'treat' was McDonald's, his beak was going to run itself sore from whining about it. After races his ideal go-to meals were usually healthy, nutritious, something that any rider would get some benefit from.
NOT fast food.
Sonic lifted his arms to cross them behind his head, fluffing up some of his quills in the process. "Well if you don't want any you don't have to keep following me, I'll just treat myself and leave you to your fancy bird food or something." His voice had a playful tone to it, looking back at the hawk to show off his smug face, turning back around to pick up his walking pace.
All Jet could do was swallow the countless retorts he wanted to throw at the annoying hedgehog, begrudgingly strolling past the driveway entrance sign and to the main door. If anyone saw him rushing ahead and holding the door open with his foot and back turned for Sonic, that wasn't any of their business.
Sonic walked in circles as he figured out what to order, muttering to himself whether he wanted a burger with loads of toppings or just a handful of them, Jet only scanning the menu and deciding on a sausage burrito and mcflurry. After making the cashier wait for what felt like centuries, Sonic settled on a deluxe quarter pounder and large fries.
"For McDonald's, this burrito is kinda good..." Jet slipped out a small compliment before taking another bite of his food, careful not to get anything on his beak. Sneaking a peak at the other he had to use the burrito to hide a smile and rising laugh, huffing it out instead as he saw just how much of the hedgehog's food ended up on his face. Whatever response Sonic was trying to give, nothing could be made out through all the chewing and eating.
As good as this burrito and the flurry were, he couldn't stop smelling the heavenly scent of fries. At first the thought of taking a few was just in passing, now it was the only thought in his head, making sure that definitely stupid hedgehog was focused on his burger, sliding a hand forward aaaaand...
Sonic swallowed the burger mush in his mouth in record time once he spotted Jet's hand, trying to quickly stop it just to be a second too late, watching him snatch away a couple fries before shoving them into his beak, "Wha-! Did you really just steal my fries?" The offense was only fake, saying it like it was a dastardly crime with an amused smile growing. And he took a quick second to wipe his mouth clean with a napkin.
The hawk bathed in the response he was getting, making sure to drag it out by slowly chewing and swallowing the fries, leaning an elbow on the table and grinning, "Well, you did say it was your treat. And I didn't steal them, I'm just," Another four fries were stolen from him, "...borrowing them indefinitely."
Jet only received a shake of the head and chuckle, missing the fond look in Sonic's eyes, blue quills rustling while resting his chin on his gloved hand. Which, since he didn't take his gloves off to eat, had burger residue stained at the fingertips. "Never a dull day with you even if it means getting robbed, huh? You're lucky you won your race today, maybe I would've taken you somewhere worse."
"Oh really? You'd be that cruel to the world's best, fastest and most famous Extreme Gear racer to ever grace the stratosphere?"
It might have taken them half an hour to finish their food through all the talking, laughing and play-fighting, but for a McDonald's visit, Jet found it worth his time in the end and Sonic was glad he made time to run out and watch the race.
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gryphonlover · 6 months
Text
Whumptober 2023 Day 3
Prompt: journal
Victim: Four
Words: 1346
Notes: Journaling really can help, but talking to people is also very important.
Zelda says that journaling will help me process the stuff that happened after I pulled the Four Sword. I'm not sure that I believe that, but she said I either had to use the journal, or talk things out with someone and I would rather jump in a cucco pen than talk about my feelings at this point.
I had a dream last night. I put the Four Sword back in the pedestal but didn't merge back into one person. It felt so real and then I woke up.
Maybe if I'd never pulled the Four Sword I wouldn't be so broken now. I don't even know who I am anymore.
I hate the way that people look at me now. They hate me because all they can see is the guy who sicced a dragon on the castle. Shadow was the real hero, though. I or we or whatever couldn't manage to fight one stupid flying eyeball so he sacrificed his life. He doesn't deserve this.
Zelda said we could make Shadow a memorial if I want. I need to think about it.
I told her yes. He shouldn't be forgotten. He gave up everything for Hyrule.
Today we went and made him a memorial. I cried. I miss him. I wish we'd been able to see eye-to-eye sooner. Maybe he wouldn't be dead and I wouldn't be alone.
The house is always empty. Dad is never home. It has to be my fault. He worked a lot before, but he always had time for me. Now he just avoids me. I wish I'd never pulled the Four Sword. Maybe then I wouldn't be crazy. I want things to go back to the way they were before.
I don't know if I can do this. I'm on indefinite leave for… something, and it's not like I can take an apprenticeship anywhere. I'm going crazy with nothing to do.
Everything is so stupid. Why can't anyone just treat me like a normal person!? I'm not a bomb, I'm not going to stab people in the back or set Castletown on fire for crying out loud! I just want to be a proper knight again and to have people respect me and shut up about Shadow.
Maybe I really am crazy.
I'm going to dig up the fire rod. They can't stop me.
In my defense, it was only a little fire. I just wanted to blow off some steam and thought that a controlled fire on Mount Crenel would be fine, but no, now I'm in solitary confinement for a whole day with nothing but this stupid journal.
I just want to feel whole again. I thought that maybe I could— look, it was a dumb decision, I know that, they don't need to rub it in my face.
Solitary confinement is overrated. So is probation. I hate life.
New plan: going to that place Blue got frozen.
Yeah, okay that was also a bad idea. Hypothermia is real.
I have been royally banned from travelling to any more "dangerous climates with dangerous weapons." Stupid Zelda and her stupid princess stuff.
I just want to be us again. I hate being this. I hate having so many thoughts and feelings and memories crammed in my head.
I don't care anymore, I need the sword back.
Well as it turns out the sword hates me. Great.
Back in solitary confinement. Two days for "vandalizing public property." If you ask me, the Four Sword's sanctuary shouldn't count as public property. Zelda and I are the only people who go there, and no one maintains it. Besides, the sword itself and it's stupid pedestal are apparently indesctructible because of stupid goddess magic, anyway.
I am at the end of my rope. If I can't split back, then I don't know what else to do. Everyone keeps telling me that "time heals all wounds" and stuff, but if anything it just gets worse with time. They don't get it. I was split into four people and then crammed back into one body and Shadow died.
Day 2 of solitary confinement. I really don't get why they think putting the crazy guy in solitary is going to make him less crazy. This is stupid.
I'm pretty sure crying every day isn't normal, but who even cares anymore.
I can't do this.
Turns out I have no choice. Some guy with the same name as me showed up at the house. He seems nice enough, so I told him I'd go fight evil or whatever with him. At least I can get something useful out of my life before I kick the bucket.
Ran into another person named Link. Nicknames are in order. I need to think about mine.
Having a new name feels good. Link didn't really fit anymore. I was Link before the Four Sword, then… well, now I'm Four. It feels right.
Sky and Hyrule are pretty nice. Hyrule seems a bit jumpy, but he takes good care of his sword, and Sky is basically just a star-crossed lover. I miss the way things were before I put the Four Sword back, but it's nice to have a distraction.
Today Twilight joined the group. He's got some weird tattoos on his face, and a wolf pelt for some reason, but he's also pretty nice. A bit obsessed with goats, though.
Twilight has integrated into the group well. He balances out Hyrule's wandering. I don't know how, but he always knows where everyone is.
Wind is pretty fun, but he reminds me of Red. It… hurts.
Wind is determined to be friends. I do not want to be friends.
I am now friends with Wind and have no idea how.
Time is unsettling, but seems to know what he's doing. He's kind of like how Dad was before the Four Sword.
Time is also a star-crossed lover. Him and Sky will not shut up about their wives.
Wild is very Wild. Twilight has taken to him, and so have Hyrule and Wind. I am preparing myself for pranks.
I want to go home.
Legend is a grump. I'm not sure if I like him or not.
Legend has adopted Hyrule. I am only a little bit jealous.
I'm crying in the woods. Legend is just like Blue. This is stupid and I hate it.
Warriors is kind of like me, except actually good at his job. I wish I'd been able to beat Vaati. Shadow would be alive if I was better at my job.
I want to punch Warriors in his stupid pretty face.
Sparring practice went okay. I haven't sparred properly in a long time, but I think I did good enough. Now I'm sore all over. I would be taking a bath, except SOMEONE is hogging all the water. Ugh.
I am so sick of walking. I wish Miss Fairy could just teleport us around. Man, that was convenient. I wonder where she is now?
I think I'm doing okay at fitting in, but they don't seem to expect much of me. Maybe it's because I'm short?
Finally got to punch Warriors in the face. I'm sitting in jail, but it was so worth it. That felt good.
Legend bailed me out. That was weirdly nice of him.
Wind made me talk about feelings. The audacity.
Okay, so maybe talking it out helped. Maybe Wind was right about communicating with the group better.
We did more talking today, this time it was everyone. It went well. They didn't hate me for anything I told them, and they actually understood how I felt.
I'm going to keep the journal just in case, but I have people I can trust now. It's going to be okay.
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davekat-sucks · 11 months
Note
Do you think Homestuck has value despite its flaws, or do you think the whole comic is a wash because it couldn't stick the landing?
Speaking as someone who didn't like basically anything after Game Over and agrees that Davekat was a dopey pairing (or at least too underexplored to be as satisfying as Rosemary or even a non-starter like JohnVris), I think you're being too hard on Homestuck. There are lots of ways it could've "made more sense" in Act 6 and beyond, lots of setups I wish it had paid off, but a comic doesn't have to be an equation. It can fuck up and fall to pieces and still be worthwhile, you know? It's okay for art to be messy.
Criticism is warranted, I'm not telling you to shut up and keep your opinions to yourself and I'm especially not going to defend all of Hussie's choices, some of which are definitely kinda nuts! But it sucks to see people turn on an artist like this just because he didn't deliver exactly what they wanted. Especially if the reason is that he went through a big transition and changed his perspective on the work.
Was the change in perspective from things like Hussie's father dying that the mood of the series turned out to be this way? Was it from bad influences from people he hired in WhatPumpkin? If it was something like this, I could almost give Andrew Hussie a bit of sympathy. Maybe more that he had the weight of the fandom on his shoulders and didn't react properly because he the attention made him nervous. Or that he took his persona of being an asshole author to far that he deluded himself thinking he is a likeable asshole. Of course, Andrew Hussie could have just given the series away or make the IP open to public. But did not choose that if it means he will lose attention on him and potential money. Whatever it may be, we won't ever know. Hussie sure as hell won't admit it out loud without his ego and pride placed out in the front. I probably wouldn't be as harsh on the series if stuff like the Homestuck Epilogues and Homestuck^2 did not existed to let people enjoy the webcomic. But if the sequels still needed to exist, then I just blame the new generation that took it too seriously as part of the next installment. It has been stated numerous times it was not canon, but now, it is still taken as part of canon from the fanbase. Even now, some of the fanart and fics will happen to be connected to those sequels in some manner because it solidify popular fanon for the modern generation, such as Davekat or Trans Roxy. I just wish WhatPumpkin comes out from the indefinite hiatus and lets out the story outline to say what was the complete plan for HS2. That or cancelling outright. Because the dubious sequels after it came out, left a horrible mark. You can't say you like DaveJade or say Roxy is not trans without people going on Davekat being a thing as well as Trans Roxy being now canon because of the non-canon sequels. It's why people are still arguing about John Egbert or June Egbert because of a damn Toblerone wish that was brought up. Some art can be messy. How one handles it varies from each individual. Just the way Andrew Hussie went about it was a clusterfuck in itself. I also don't mind if art is still messy to this day as I believe we can still like the things that it had worked well in. I mean, people still love RWBY for Monty Oum himself, the fight scenes, and the music that was in it. They don't have to like current RWBY under RoosterTeeth's control. That's how I feel it is with Homestuck now. Just that the fanbase is ever as hostile to others who disagree with certain opinions, as it is with this modern fandom under the influence of progressive activism. Either way, Hussie is a strange person that you know he is a massive prick, but still have small sympathy for. Those dark moments in his life had shaped to what Homestuck has become now and it is still being somewhat shown in the dubious materials and Psycholonials. People can still like old Homestuck and ignore the newer shit.
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lifetimeshipper · 1 year
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Making A Deal With The Devil
This is a one-shot I made some time ago. I'm gonna be taking all the one-shots out of my one-shots book I have posted on Wattpad and put them up here. Enjoy!
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Genre: Romance
Pairings: Steeljaw x Strongarm | slightly Thunderhoof x Sideswipe | slightly Saberhorn x Bumblebee | slightly Overload x Windblade
~~~~~~~~~~
The Autobots and the Decepticons have been on Earth for a while now and have been fighting none stop, the Autobots trying to lock up the 'Con criminals and the 'Cons trying to stay free. But not all was good in the Decepticon team, they were betrayed by one they really thought they could trust, Glowstrike. Most of the 'Cons stayed with her, mostly out of fear, but a few decided to leave her team. Steeljaw got this idea to make a deal with the Autobots since he now sees Glowstrike as a serious threat, so after he leaves with his team and Saberhorn he calls the Autobots and tells Bumblebee to meet him, alone.
Bumblebee was hesitant at first but agreed. He went to meet Steeljaw where he said to, keeping up his guard the whole time. He didn't trust that mech one bit, he doesn't even like the idea of having to meet him alone, but he knows his team is on the ready to come back him up if he needs it. Bumblebee gets to the spot and sees Steeljaw walk out of the shadows. Bumblebee takes a look around for any of the others but doesn't see them, Steeljaw was alone.
Steeljaw couldn't help but laugh at seeing the lieutenant so on edge, "Do you not trust me, lieutenant?"
"You know I don't, Steeljaw. Now, what do you want?"
"Nothing more than to make a deal."
"What kind of deal?"
"My team and I want nothing more to do with Glowstrike, she betrayed us."
"How?"
"She wanted to sell us out to this mech of a higher power. I don't know who he is but something about him just didn't sit right with me and I didn't want to serve under him."
"Did you see him?"
"No, only heard him talking to Glowstrike. But something tells me that whoever he is he will be a great threat."
Bumblebee's optics widen slightly, this is indeed troublesome but how can he be sure he can trust what Steeljaw is saying, "What kind of deal are you looking to strike up?"
"I'm offering to help you take down Glowstrike and this mech," Bumblebee looks at him a bit suspiciously. Why would he offer to help? He must have something planned. Before he could ask anything Steeljaw spoke again, "There is, of course, one condition."
Bumblebee narrowed his optics, he knew there was something to it, "What's that?" Bumblebee already knows what he's gonna ask for.
Steeljaw smirked, "That you and your team become our mates."
"WHAT!?" Ok, maybe he didn't know.
"Allow us to choose who we want to mate with from your team and they must follow through with it." Steeljaw struggles to keep himself from licking his lips and wagging his tail in excitement as he thinks of the one 'Bot he desires so much to mate with.
Bumblebee blinked at Steeljaw in complete surprise, he wasn't sure how to answer. He never had an offer like that, "Let me consult my team about it," he finally told him.
"I'll come to the scrapyard tomorrow for your answer," Steeljaw was a bit disappointed to not get an indefinite yes but at the same time he suspected it, he'll just have to wait.
"Is that all?"
"Yes, see you tomorrow."
Bumblebee transformed and drove off, still looking out for any of the members from Steeljaw's pack as he headed back to base. A moment after Bumblebee left Steeljaw transformed and drove off as well, heading to his team.
As Steeljaw pulls up to where his team is hiding they all surround him, "How did it go? Did Bumblebee take the deal?" Saberhorn was the first to ask as Steeljaw transforms.
"He said he's gonna talk to his team. But I had put up a good case so I have no doubts he'll accept the deal."
Saberhorn gave a shit-eating grin, "I already know the bot I'm gonna choose."
"I think we all have one in mind," Thunderhoof said.
"Maybe we should talk about who we plan on picking so we don't end up picking the same 'Bot," Steeljaw suggested and they all agreed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As soon as Bumblebee gets to the scrapyard he is greeted by his team, "What did Steeljaw want?" Strongarm asked as Bumblebee transformed.
"He wanted to make a deal."
"What kind of deal?" Drift asked.
"He said he and his team left Glowstrike because she was gonna sell them out to this mech of a higher power. He said he doesn't know who this mech is but he feels that he is big trouble and will be a big threat, so he wanted to make a deal with us that he would help us take down Glowstrike and this mech if we agreed to become their mates, whichever one chooses us."
"Out of the question! No!" They all exclaimed.
"He could be lying about this mech. This could be another scheme to get into the scrapyard and release the other 'Cons," Strongarm says, she never trusted a word that came out of the Wolf-Con's mouth.
"I've already considered that, but we also need to weigh our options. I don't like Steeljaw at all myself but if he was sincere and we really are in danger and he really wants to help then maybe we should..."
"Sir, are you really suggesting we take the deal?"
"It's an option."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The time soon came when Steeljaw would show up for his answer. The team stood silently at the gate as they waited. After some time Steeljaw arrived, driving in with Thunderhoof, Overload, and Saberhorn right behind him. Steeljaw transforms and looks at Bumblebee, "Well, Bumblebee, do you have an answer?"
"Yes. We agree to your deal."
Steeljaw smirked, "Great choice. Only us four will choose."
"So get on with it already."
"Guys, go take your choice of mates," Steeljaw told the three.
Thunderhoof went over to Sideswipe, "I choose you."
"Really? I get elk boy?"
Overload went over to Windblade, "You my dear are lucky, you're getting the best-looking one on the team."
"I'm so lucky," Windblade says sarcastically as she rolls her optics and looks over at Strongarm.
Strongarm just rolled her optics and walked over to Denny, "Got anything I can help you with, Denny?"
"Actually, there are a few heavy items I could use help moving. But aren't you staying for the pick?"
"Why? I already know I'm not getting picked."
"I'm sure one of the remaining two will pick you, but if you insist on helping me out instead of waiting to see then follow me," Denny said as he leads the way to the area of the scrapyard where the stuff he needed to be moved is. 
Bumblebee sighed, "Let me guess, I'm with you Steeljaw."
Steeljaw laughed, "Keep dreaming lieutenant. I'm not choosing you."
Saberhorn stepped forward, "I am chap!"
Bumblebee looks at him with wide optics, "You? I'm gonna be your mate?"
"Yep!"
"The one I have my sights on is..." Steeljaw trailed off when he looked around and saw that the cadet was gone. With a growl, he looks back at Bumblebee, "Where is your cadet!?"
Bumblebee turns around and looks, "Not sure..." After a second, the realization hits him and he turns back around to face Steeljaw again, "No, not Strongarm! So much will be ruined for her if she mates with you! My career will be ruined by mating with Saberhorn but I'm in a high position already she's still a cadet in training! She has so much potential ahead of her!" Bumblebee tries to reason but Steeljaw wasn't hearing any of it.
"I don't care! I want her as my mate and I'm going to have her! She's pretty much the whole reason I decided to make this deal with you!" Steeljaw tells Bumblebee before walking off to look for Strongarm, "Human, where did Strongarm go?" Steeljaw asked Russell.
"What makes you think I'll tell you?" Russell answered back with attitude making Steeljaw growl at the human.
"Russell, tell him," Bumblebee tells the kid.
Russell let out a sigh, "Fine, she went that way with my dad to help him move some stuff," Russell told the Wolf-Con as he pointed in the direction Strongarm went with Denny. Steeljaw headed off in that direction.
~~~~~~~~~~
Strongarm was helping Denny move the stuff he needed to be moved to another side of the scrapyard, when she made a turn around one of the corners she smacked right dabbed into something, and was knocked back onto her aft. She looks up to see what she bumped into and sees Steeljaw standing over her, "Steeljaw, what are you doing back here? Shouldn't you be with your new mate? Whoever you chose," she questioned as she started to get up.
Steeljaw chuckled as he helped her up, "That's exactly why I'm here, to be with my mate," He says as he pulls her close to him.
Strongarm looks at him in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"I choose you, Strongarm, to be my mate."
"No, I can't!" She tries to pull away but he keeps a strong hold on her servo, "Why me?"
"Ever since our last fight, I've been determined to make you mine."
Strongarm furrows her optic ridges, "I'm not mating with a 'Con!"
"So you're gonna deny a command from your lieutenant? You're gonna break the deal after your commanding officer agreed to it? How would your lieutenant feel knowing his cadet refused to follow his command?"
Strongarm vents out a sigh of frustration, he did have a point, "Alright! I'll be your mate."
Steeljaw smiles as his tail swooshes from side to side, "Good cadet. Now lead the way to your quarters."
Strongarm leads Steeljaw to her quarters as he continues to keep his hold on her servo. She can't believe she's doing this, about to mate with a 'Con criminal. A leader of the 'Con criminals and one that is most wanted on Cybertron. She's about to lose everything she worked hard for by mating with this criminal.
They reach the section of the scrapyard where the others are and Steeljaw gives a nod to the others to indicate that the deal is still on and to go mate with their chosen partners. The other 'Cons got their chosen mates to lead the way to their quarters and they all mated while the other bots went out on patrol.
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The Verdict.
You hadn't slept at all. Your mind tumbled with what to tell your friends as you were led back to the throne room on Belos' orders. You knew they were not going to just accept you taking their punishment IF Belos had allowed it. You may have to play a card you really didn't want to play. Besides, it's not like you would ever see them again if the sentences were converted and given to you. It would be three consecutive life sentences. You would be lucky if you saw the light of day. There's no way you would be allowed to stay in that room, right?
The four of you stood before the throne, them in shackles where you were not. The air was thick with tension and you tried your best to stay calm and stop yourself from trembling. The three beside you were stoic and looked as if they were mentally preparing themselves to attack Belos. If they weren't gagged, you would imagine they would have some choice words for him.
Belos speaking made you look up, hopeful that he had taken your proposal into consideration.
"In light of recent events, I have been asked to reconsider the sentencing for the three convicted of murder and trespassing," he started. Your heart began racing. "After consulting with the Titan, I have been given permission to spare the accused by converting the death sentence to life imprisonment that will be transferred to the fourth party involved."
While your friends seemed horrified by the decision, you felt relief. Not for yourself, of course, but for them. Those present in the throne room seemed displeased with this decision. A snap of Belos' fingers made your wrists pull together in front of you and shackles appeared around them. Something heavy appeared around your throat as well and it was heavy enough to bring you to your knees. When you opened your mouth to gasp, a cloth gag appeared between your teeth that wrapped around the back of your head. So much for telling your friends anything...
"As the accused are not from the Boiling Isles, in exchange, the Titan has put forth the condition that they and their ilk will be banished indefinitely. If they choose to return, they are to be killed on sight as they pose a threat to coven witches."
Your eyes widened. You can hear enraged, muffled rejections from the three beside you. Considering your clan did business with the Boiling Isles, this would be a massive blow to them. This would also risk banishment from the clan for your friends as it meant what they did would be exposed. The clan HAD to be notified of this change, there was no other way around it.
This was becoming worse and worse... but at least they weren't being killed... right?
Those in the throne room seemed to be for this new sentencing. You could hear some people muttering about how it's more beneficial to keep the Titan Trappers out of the Boiling Isles altogether than to execute just a handful of them. The victim's family seemed to be okay with this as well. Your friends, however, started to rage behind their gags and shackles which made Belos glare at them.
"Get them out of here and out of my empire."
You turned to watch the leader of the group try to fight their way toward you, their eyes filled with regret and desperation. All you could do was bow your head and turn away. This had to be done. They were safe.
"As for you," Belos' voice made you look up. "You will be imprisoned for the rest of your natural life until the Titan sees fit to use you for future endeavors. He was clear that this will be the only time he will find leniency for you. Understand?"
You hesitated then bowed your head again before nodding.
"Good."
With another snap of his fingers, your surroundings changed drastically to a dark room where the only light you could see came through from a single window with bars across them. You couldn't see much else and the shackles made it hard for you to move around. You weren't sure how long it had been before the sound of a door opening and Belos' gait made you glance up. Light flooded the room, making you wince as a hand slipped under your wrists. A click made your wrists become lighter as the shackles fell from them and clattered to the floor. Belos did the same to the object around your neck.
You were able to see that the area you were in was a smaller furnished room that looked to be a cell for someone who could be considered an important prisoner.
"... Where am I?" you pulled down your gag. He didn't look at you as he secured a lighter shackle around your ankle that was attached to the floor by a long chain.
"In the highest spire of the castle. I had to move you here as I don't believe you would be safe anywhere else," he muttered. "Your friends made it nearly impossible for me to keep you in a normal cell or room. My Coven Scouts do not take kindly to those who kill one of their own and they don't seem to care that you weren't the one who did it. You were only the direct cause. Being human AND aligned with wild witches doesn't seem to help your case."
You flinched at his harsh tone as he stood with a hard sigh.
"I hope this is exactly what you were after."
Staring up at him, you turned your attention toward the window and wrapped your arms around yourself tightly.
"... You could have at least let me say goodbye..."
Belos let out a scoff before storming toward the door.
"I will return soon as I cannot seem to find anyone I can trust enough with caring for you without wanting to cause you harm for what has transpired," he pressed a glowing hand to the doorway of your room and a bright blue light appeared covering it. "This barrier will keep anyone who does not have explicit permission to access you out. As long as you stay within the room, you will be safe. Do not make me regret this decision. I risked a lot for you already."
Not knowing what he meant by that, you nodded. You knew he could supposedly speak with the Titan. Did that have something to do with it? Or was he speaking about those in the court who disagreed with the verdict? Regardless, what you wanted was accomplished. There were a few issues involved but your friends weren't going to be killed for a mistake. Now... you just had to wait to see what a life sentence involved. Would it extend over into the human realm too?
It took a little bit for reality to hit you. This time, you really were in a cage and it finally sank in that you were never going to see home again.
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heiressofdoodles · 7 months
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Aftermath of Fallen Angels - Abyssal Blossoms
It was another dark and cold day on a faraway moon. Nightmare’s palace was well heated and lit to his preference, but he made his way to the prisons. It was quiet down there, with a few people and creatures looking at him as he apathetically walked past them, crying and shivering from the cold. He didn’t even spare them even just a glance. They were all disappointments, wastes of his time. However… There was one specific person in this entire palace that interested him. The final cell in the hallway was locked with a large metal door, but it was warm on the other side. What was inside, he didn’t want to get out. He opened his cape slightly, peering over his glasses to unlock the door, before pushing it over..
"And how are we doing today?" Nightmare smugly asked as he walked into the cell. A magenta Astral was locked within a cage, similar to a bird's cage, hanging from the ceiling. Some of her feathers had fallen out from lack of use, and the rags she once wore as a dress had been discarded, unlike her veil. The Astral turned away from him, refusing to speak to him. "You can stay stoic only for so much longer, Floret." She didn't speak as she turned to look at him, looking away soon after. He circled around the cage to look at her. "Floret, my darling seer, the least you could do is just say hello," he chuckled as he lifted up her head to look at him with his clawed finger.
"Flattery will get you nowhere…" Her voice was hushed and raspy. "You could have… you should have just killed me when you slaughtered my friends…" She didn't remember most of their faces, but she remembered their names. She clung to their names, desperate to not forget them and their sacrifice.
"I could have. But you are far more valuable to me alive than dead." Floret stared at him, but didn't respond. She was so tired, and completely hopeless, but she held tightly to her dignity. Whatever she had left of it, anyways. Nightmare knew that it was only a matter of time before she broke, and he made sure that she couldn't get away that easily. "Now… your paw?" He took his hand away from her, suddenly much smaller than he was before, and held his hand out, beckoning for hers. After a moment of silence, she sighed, placing it on his cold, bony hand. "How long has it been now? Four hundred years?"
"…It has been." Floret didn't want to talk to him, but every day, he insisted upon forcing her to speak to him. It was almost always small talk; she never let the conversation become anything more than that. With a repetitive clicking sound, Nightmare cut down Floret's claws. He'd wait every week, and then cut them again. She still didn't know why he seemingly cared so much about her. He could've just left her to rot away in here. Maybe she would've felt better if he did. It would've been indefinitely better than being treated like a caged lion.
"There." He brushed off her claws, before asking for her other paw. Reluctantly, she gave her other hand to him. "A few months ago, I told you that I have been keeping an eye out for other Astrals." Floret didn't respond. "Yesterday evening, after our conversation, I did a bit of digging into how many Astrals have been born in recent years." He saw a little twinkle of hope in Floret's blue eyes as she looked up at him. "One was born around three years ago. One was born five years ago. Another was born almost ten years ago. Do you know what that means?"
She nodded. "Our numbers are finally recovering…"
"Indeed…" Again, he brushed her paw, before letting go. After so long, Floret had stopped fighting, and he didn't need to grab her hand so tightly. "I'm certain this comes as good news for you." She didn't respond, a chill setting in the room. "I know it does for me," he chuckled ominously.
Floret's heart skipped a beat. She almost forgot how to breathe. "What are you going to do to them?" She tried to not show her desperation, but it slipped out anyways. She saw that twisted grin appear on his lips again. “…No… No, please don’t… Don’t hurt any of them… Please…” Nightmare didn’t react at first.
“My dear… I’m afraid that I can’t promise anything. Unless you finally decide to share your wisdom and knowledge.” She moved away from him, trying to hide her face with her wings.
"N-no… I… I won't tell you anything." Nightmare scoffed.
"I see. Then this conversation is over." He sounded disappointed, but not angry. "I'll leave you to it, then. If you change your mind before we speak again tomorrow, you know how to get my attention." Floret rested her wings on the ground, defeated again, and all alone. "I will be back tomorrow, my seer." As he walked away, she saw his eyes behind the glasses. That look in his eyes… How could someone be so vile? He closed the metal door behind him, shutting her away from her fellow prisoners again.
The faint shadow under the door disappeared after a moment. And Floret was, once again, all alone, with nothing but her thoughts and anxiety to keep her company.
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thebaepatricia · 7 months
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Book Review • Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major 📝💖🥺⌛️
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Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major Genre: Magical realism, Literary fiction, Adult romance ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)
One Day meets Groundhog Day, in this heartwarming and emotionally poignant novel about a stressed woman who must relive the same day over and over, keeping her family and work life from imploding as she attempts to spare her husband from an unfortunate fate.
It is an ordinary Monday and harried London literary agent Emma is flying out of the door as usual. Preoccupied with work and her ever growing to-do list, she fails to notice her lovely husband Dan seems bereft, her son can barely meet her eye, and her daughter won't go near her. Even the dog seems sad.
She is far too busy, buried deep in her phone; social media alerts pinging; clients messaging with "emergencies"; keeping track of a dozen WhatsApp groups about the kids' sports, school, playdates, all of it. Her whole day is frantic--what else is new--and as she rushes back through the door for dinner, Dan is still upset. They fight, and he walks out, desolate, dragging their poor dog around the block. Just as she realizes it is their anniversary and she has forgotten, again, she hears the screech of brakes.
Dan is dead.
The next day Emma wakes up... and Dan is alive. And it's Monday again.
And again. And again.
Emma tries desperately to change the course of fate by doing different things each time she wakes up: leaving WhatsApp, telling her boss where to get off, writing to Dan, listening to her kids, reaching out to forgotten friends, getting drunk and buying out Prada. But will Emma have the chance to find herself again, remember what she likes about her job, reconnect with her children, love her husband? Will this be enough to change the fate they seem destined for?
A moving "What if" story of what it is to be a woman in the modern world--never feeling we're getting it quite right--about learning to slow down and appreciate life that is sure to resonate with women's fiction readers.
Book Review
Maybe Next Time is an emotional, moving, heartwarming, and reflective novel. Emma and Dan's marriage/relationship is a rare one. Seldom you would see a love so pure and genuine that, despite their differences and life's challenges, they would continue to choose each other over and over again.
Over Dan's multiple deaths, Emma underwent all stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance - and they were all called for. Putting myself in Emma's shoes, I wouldn't also know how to keep going on with my Mondays either knowing my husband will die that very evening - and that I would have to go through it again and again, indefinitely.
I can understand Emma's drive to be constantly preoccupied - I suffer from that, too. So in between listening to the audiobook, I would ask myself, am I being present enough? Am I making conscious effort to take care of myself? To cover tasks for the benefit of long-term goals? Or am I just driven by temporary and short-lived wins, to say that I'm productive or have achieved something while neglecting bigger and more important things?
Objectively, I believe Emma's character is not likable but she's not despicable either - she simply does her best be it for work or for her family. However, once she accepted her tentative fate and embraced the "curse" of repeating her days as a "gift," I appreciated how she worked on improving things little by little, even when she had to do it again the next day. And she would always come up with ways to see things at a better light. She couldn't control the days, but she could control how to spend them. As my own Dan would say, she's "moving the needle."
Novel Dan is a side character in the story, but he made a huge impact through the letters he wrote to Emma yearly on their date-versary. And surprisingly, his is the biggest plot twist in the novel.
The ending was a bit confounding (and a small part of me hated Dan for it). It was also a massive cliffhanger, but I LOVED it.
Had I not been in the dining area, I would have bawled listening to Dan's last letter to Emma. It was exactly what I needed to hear at the moment. I knew right then and there I found another well-deserving 5-star read and a hidden gem.
Personal relevance/takeaway:
Just like Emma, I tend to preoccupy myself with tasks, even with non-urgent ones, just so I could fill up my time and pretend to be productive. A lot of times, it doesn't go well for me. When I push myself too much, I end up burnt out, disoriented, high-strung, and in need of rest - STAT.
But in life, it's better to have a life you don't need a break from. To give yourself breaks regularly enough so you don't get filled to the brim and burst over the most trivial things.
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a-lilacsong · 2 years
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Elena and Gabe for the ask game, please?
(I have answered this ask for Gabe which you can find right here)
Princess Elena
Favorite thing about them: That she's fun and friendly but also willing to throw hands. Sure, I like sweet cute princesses as much as the next person but it just feels good for her to be able to fight back as well. Her kindness and diplomacy also balance this out really well. She'll be accommodating and try to see things from other people's perspectives, and oftentimes that'll be enough to solve the problem. But if they're being truly awful and unfair then she’s not afraid to stand up for herself and others.
Least favorite thing about them: Her political policies when it comes to incarcerating and/or punishing criminals.* (Except for Shuriki, that was self-defense and justified).
Favorite line: "I don't need to be one of the kings, because I'm going to be a QUEEN!"
BrOTP: Well the 3 amigos immediately come to mind but I also believe that her friendship with Skyler is something that really can't be overlooked. He's there for her whenever she needs to pursue bad guys or just go for a nice fly.
Random headcanon: Elena has always loved horses, and ever since she was little she's always loved riding and brushing them. Another shock that came to her after liberating Avalor was the realization that all the horses that she'd had as a child 41 years ago were now all gone. She was devastated but nevertheless she would need to choose a new horse to be her personal one now that she was crown princess. When she went to the stables a certain horse immediately came up to Elena and started rubbing against her and tried to eat her hair flowers. Elena laugthed and told the horse that she couldn't have those flowers but she could give the horse some different ones. She brushed the horse's hair and decorated it with the new flowers which made the horse very happy. After that Elena knew that this was the horse for her and named her Canela.
Unpopular opinion: *I could rant all day about this, so I'll keep this brief. The palace dungeon looks like it is designed as a series of holding cells and doesn't seem fit to hold someone for any longer than a week. Also while it was never confirmed in the show one way or the other if they would have kept Victor petrified indefinitely if they didn't need him for a practical purpose, the very fact that that could be possible unnerves me. Now while it may not have not have been solely Elena's fault considering the bureaucracy, she never said anything against it either, which does not bode well for me. But this doesn't make me dislike her as a character or label her as a villain, if anything this just shows that even the best rulers can make mistakes.
Songs I associate with them: I Won't Let Go by Brothers Bright - Karma by AJR - The Whole World & You by Tally Hall
Favorite picture of them:
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Elena holding a baby butter frog, after saving it from falling, absolutely adorable! 🐸🦋
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meetmeatthecoda · 3 years
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Lately, I've found myself drawn to stories ( and I mean drawn to as in envisioning those stories in my head, thinking them through to the very last detail, not reading, let alone writing them down, because I've long since accepted that they will never turn out quite the same on the paper ) where Red is the one who'd been seriously hurt and, therefore, rendered unconscious for an indefinite amount of time and worried Liz is the one who doesn't leave his side, hoping and praying and pleading that he would wake up. Probably, something that has to do with how unfair it is that we've seen Red keep vigil by hurt!Lizzy's side – playing music for her, holding her hand, reading to her etc. – a number of times and yet, over the course of 8 seasons, never have ever been allowed the pleasure of seeing Liz do the same for him ( not even when he was shot – because she left to retrieve the Fulcrum and couldn't come back until the fight was over – or when he was poisoned – because she'd been waiting to be cleared to see him and he ran away the moment he wasn't actively dying, because that's Red for you all ), even though she loves and cares about him as much as he loves and cares about her.
I mean, just imagine the possibilities!
Liz pacing around the waiting area of Red's mobile hospital while he's in surgery, unable to think about anything else other than how he looked – battered and broken and barely alive – when they've found him and how his head rested in her lap ( she could almost convince herself that he was merely dozing, if he wasn't so deathly pale and still and there wasn't so much blood on his clothes and her clothes and her hands and the backseat of the car ) and his hand was limp in her death grip as they rushed him to his doctors and she whispered words of reassurance and encouragement to him even though she knew he couldn't hear her and how she had to fight the instinct to curl around her lover and snarl at anyone who would come close because she can't let him be hurt further as the medics took him away from her, exchanging observations and orders that didn't sound particularly reassuring. She's also acutely aware of the fact that Red is fighting for his life – there, just a few feet away from her – and, though he's the strongest man she's ever known, he may not win, and so she makes a promise to the empty air in front of her that she will kill him herself if he dares to give up on her and Agnes like that now, when they've just reached the good, right place in their relationship, just confesses their feelings to each other. At some point, Dembe most certainly pulls Liz in for a hug, letting her cry in his shoulder, doing his best to comfort her ( even though there's nothing that can bring her more comfort than Red's hug, when he – alive and whole – wraps his arms protectively around her and holds her close and lets her hide from the whole world in his arms, his chest, his shoulder and neck – wherever she prefers to burrow her face at the time – and the memory itself makes her cry harder, because there's a possibility that he will never hug her like that again ), even though he's just as worried and scared as she is, and Mr Kaplan helps Liz clean up, washing away Red's blood from her hands and producing seemingly out of the thin air fresh clothes for her to change into.
Red, of course, pulls through the surgery, beating all odds, and Liz's heart floods with relief at the good news before sinking when the doctor explains to her and Dembe and Mr Kaplan the extent of Red's injuries and that it's impossible to say when – or even if – he wakes up.
And so the waiting game begins. Liz doesn't leave Red's side, holding his hand, stroking his knuckles with her thumb and never letting go, constantly talking to him and reading to him and even asking Dembe to bring the record player and some records from the Bethesda apartment to play to him, hoping that it would elicit some kind of response from him. Yet, as they days go by, there's not a single, smallest sign that he's aware of anything that's going on around him, that he's still there somewhere and is trying to find his way back to her, to them – he doesn't stir, doesn't so much as flutter his eyelashes, and Liz grows more desperate with each passing day, even though the doctor assures her that Red's slowly but surely improving ( but she can't see it with her own eyes, and if she can't see it, she's less likely to believe it, the more time passes with him just lying there, undisturbed by the loud, chaotic world around him ).
And then there's Agnes... While Liz keeps vigil at Red's bedside, the babysitting duties are split equally between Aram and Samar, Charlene and Cooper, Ressler and Audrey and Dembe and Mr Kaplan. Yet more often than not whoever picks little Agnes up from school and / or her ballet classes brings her over to the safe-house where Liz and Red are. She doesn't seem to be as unnerved by Red's state as her mommy is, climbing on his bed each time she visits ( after giving her mommy the biggest hug, of course ) and leaning in close to him, examining his face thoughtfully before half-asking, half-stating "He's still tired, mommy?". And Liz usually replies with a hoarse "Yes, baby" because she doesn't trust herself not to get choked up if she tries to answer more eloquently. Agnes simply nods then, satisfied with the explanation why he hasn't woken up yet, and settles against Red's side – mindful of his injuries and the spider web of wires and tubes connecting him to all sorts of monitors and machines – and either naps ( especially, on ballet classes days ) or tells her mommy and Red ( she talks to him just like Liz does much too easily – promising him to show him the new moves she's learnt when he wakes up etc. – as if she's already done that before or seen anyone else do that... unbeknownst to Liz, she did both – when Liz herself was in a coma, Agnes both saw Red talk to her mommy and was encouraged by him to talk to her, too, because it may help her mommy sleep easier and maybe she'll get better sooner and finally wake up ) about her day or does her homework or draws ( more often than not, she draws either cards for Red to read when he wakes up or just things she wants him to see ). And when the time comes for her to leave, she always kisses Red on the cheek, wishing him "sweet dreams" and to get better soon, and then gives her mommy, who tries so very hard not to tear up but fails miserably, a hug and a kiss, too, and tells her frequently that she shouldn't cry because Red is just too tired, just like she – Liz – once was, and that he just needs to sleep a bit more.
And when the door behind Agnes closes and Liz is sure her daughter won't see / hear her, she breaks down hard, in big, ugly sobs, because her little girl shouldn't be acting so naturally in this kind of situation and because she wishes so hard that Red just woke up, because she can't do this, any of this, without him.
In the end, once his body has healed itself enough and he regained enough of his strength, Red, of course, does wake up. It's a slow process, and Liz thinks she might either faint or go mad from the overwhelming feelings that are swirling inside of her when Red moves for the first time in what seems to her like forever – squeezing her hand feather-lightly – and when he leans slightly, unconsciously into her touch when she strokes his cheek – out of habit, without even expecting any sort of reaction from him and being pleasantly surprised – and when he opens his eyes for the first time – it's a brief occurrence, with his eyes slipping shut tiredly again after just a few moments, and he's still pretty much out of it, apparently, not even noticing her presence by his side, but for Liz it's a major event – and when he finally, finally looks directly at her – alive and conscious and alert – and calls her "Lizzy". He's still weak and his voice sounds terrible and Liz knows she shouldn't let all of her pent-up feelings – the fear and despair and frustration and love and relief and exhaustion – out on him like that – he's just woken up, after all – but she can't hold back the tears nor the jumbled mess of "thank you"s and "I love you"s and " "I've missed you"s and "I'm so so happy you're back" and "I was so worried" and "Don't ever scare me like that again" that spills from her lips as she leans in to kiss him lightly and give him the gentlest of hugs...
(Since I'm not a ficwriter and, therefore, have no intentions of using this pile of ideas/images/feelings myself, I wouldn't mind at all if you or any other writer drew inspiration from this rambling of mine)
Ahhhhh 😭😭😭 Are you sure you're not a fic writer, anon?? Cause this reads like some quality hurt/comfort to me!! 🥲🥲 Honestly, this is a lovely scenario to imagine & it gives me a slightly bitter sense of satisfaction to think of Liz suffering through just a fraction of the time Red spent by her side while she was in her coma... especially if it's the catalyst for fEeLiNgS to emerge tee hee bc, you're RIGHT, we were woefully deprived of those situations in the show & I'll never not be sad about it tbh. More specifically, things I love the most about this in no particular order: Liz having to "fight the instinct to curl around her lover & snarl" *swoon*, Liz swearing she will kill him herself if he dies LMAO, Dembe hugging her for comfort & Mr. Kaplan helping her get cleaned up 🥺🥺🥺, Liz playing records for Red yasss, AGNES & everyone taking turns babysitting her while she misses her Daddy desperately but deals with the situation with a maturity & grace beyond her years in an effort to help her grieving Mommy through it cool cool mkay mkay, Liz only breaking down once Agnes leaves OWWW, anddddd Liz being a blubbering mess when Red finally wakes up & calls her "Lizzie" & they kiss *whispers* it's fine, i'm fine 🙃 IN CONCLUSION, I love this anon, thank you for sharing this lovely little AU with me!! 🥰 And much, much love to you, of course, my friend!! ❤️
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