#being 28 is very strange | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cuubism · 6 months

Text

I've written something very silly. Dating apps, texting fic, crack, smut. desire messing with dream. onlyfans creator hob. trans dream. Enjoy.

U up?

The notification from an unfamiliar app stared up at Dream from his locked phone screen. He frowned, perplexed. Nobody texted him. Certainly not with such vernacular.

Dream opened the notification. It pulled up the messaging page of a dating app, one he himself had certainly not installed—

Desire. He grit his teeth. Unfortunately, they weren’t nearby to receive his ire.

Dream looked again at U up? on the message interface. He clicked on the profile of the man who’d sent it, a “Kyle” who would not have looked out of place shotgunning a beer at a rager. Of course, Desire had not only gone to great lengths to establish him on this insipid app, but had also spent time matching him with the exact opposite of his type, presumably to cause him never-ending grief and annoyance. As usual.

Dream should probably have just deleted the app. Instead he responded, For?

What he received in response, a few minutes later, was a poorly-lit photograph of Kyle’s penis. Dream pinched his nose between thumb and forefinger with a sigh. He should have known.

I have seen better, he replied, and closed out of the app.

He had been back at his writing for ten minutes or so when his phone buzzed again. He checked the notification.

Brad: you could be MY good boy, kitty cat 😽

Dream gagged, but opened the man’s profile out of perilous, morbid curiosity.

Brad, 28, Hedge Fund Manager, “Looking for something casual on the DL”, likes golf and cryptocurrency— oh, dear. Somehow, Dream doubted this Brad truly wanted Dream to become a part of his life. Nor did Dream want to be his ‘kitty cat’.

He was going to have words with Desire.

You strike me as a man who brings choking into the bedroom without knowing what a safe word is, he wrote. Am I accurate?

I can choke you if you want, baby 😜, wrote Brad. Which may as well have been a yes.

Dream did not think that Brad was the person he wanted that from. Not to mention that his utter lack of kink safety knowledge would probably land Dream in hospital, and there were more interesting ways for that to happen than mediocre sex in a finance associate’s penthouse.

I would prefer to keep my brain cells, he wrote, and closed the app.

Over the next few days, Dream fielded many strange, annoying, and obscene messages from people on this app. He certainly had not “swiped right” on anybody himself, so he could only assumed Desire had done so on his behalf and had now left him to suffer the consequences of “matching.” By all rights, he should have just deleted the app off his phone. But Dream rarely communicated with anyone, certainly not strangers, and there was something a little bit entertaining about seeing what kind of drivel was being thrown his way. Was this how people attempted to court over the internet? Or perhaps Desire had merely “matched” him with the dregs of humanity.

By the end of the week, Dream had received seven “dick pics”, four offers to share one or more of his body parts in exchange for cash, and a request to become a seventy-five year-old man’s “sugar baby.” He was uncertain precisely what that entailed, but he was fairly certain he would not like it.

He had also received a text from Desire that read, enjoying yourself? ;) to which he did not respond.

His meager entertainment expended, Dream was on the verge of finally deleting the app when he received a different message:

Hob: Do you think it’s possible to cheat death by force of will, or are you too busy craving its sweet release to consider it?

Dream frowned, perplexed by the specificity of the message. Finally it occurred to him to actually look at the profile Desire had made. He swiped over to said screen, and sighed in aggravation.

Desire had, at least, chosen flattering photos of him. He supposed if the goal was to have Dream sexually harassed over the internet, this would have been a requirement. The photos definitely suggested something other than “serious, committed relationship”, but they weren’t terrible, at least.

As for the text—well, Dream finally understood where some of the more unhinged messages he had received had come from. He read through the given prompts, and Desire’s answers to them:

Dating me is like: You found a stray cat and brought it home and fed it and you were going to take it to the animal shelter but now it won't leave. It’s pretty cute if a bit mangy but it won’t stop biting your hand and mewing pathetically. The sex is pretty good tho.

“Pretty good.” Desire had written all this and couldn’t even manage to make Dream sound like a satisfying hookup. Typical.

He read on:

I’ll fall for you if: You tell me I’m a good boy 😳

Things were falling into place in Dream’s mind now.

Hob’s strange message seemed to arise from the main part of Dream’s profile, where Desire had listed his “religion” as “worshipping l’appel du vide.” An interesting element for this “Hob” to focus on. Dream did not think it was typical for messages on these apps to open with a discussion of death.

He switched back over to the messaging page of the app, and replied: I consider death often. As to your query, it depends: are you thinking of death as an entity one could escape, or a force like gravity? Or perhaps a place one must go?

Hmm, Hob responded, good question. I think it’s like a state. But a state of nothingness. See, if I thought it was a *place*, might be willing to go, see something new and all. But what’s the point of nothingness?

Nothingness is its own satisfaction, wrote Dream. It seemed peaceful, to him. Quiet. The lack of need for satisfaction in the first place.

But you won’t be there, so you won’t get to experience it, said Hob.

Precisely.

Huh. The void really is calling to you. You don’t like experience, then?

Is that innuendo? Dream asked.

Could be. If it is, do I get to be part of the toxic codependent relationship that ends horribly for everyone?

Another reference to Desire’s profile choices. What Dream was apparently “looking for in a relationship.”

That depends on the quality of your experience, he wrote.

I’ve received good reviews, said Hob.

You’ve yet to call me “kitten,” so I suppose I must concur on that front, replied Dream.

You started that one, little stray cat, said Hob.

Technically Desire had started it, but Dream had to grudgingly admit that his profile did invite such comments.

Having a smashing time in your dm’s, then? Hob continued.

I have received several unsolicited pictures of genitalia, wrote Dream.

Oh yeah? said Hob. Anything good?

Random strangers’ genitals did not interest Dream. There was a reason he did not watch porn. Mediocre at best, Dream said.

There was a long pause, and Dream hastily added, Do not send me a picture of your dick as comparison.

My dick is already all over the internet, you don’t need to get it here 😛, said Hob.

Dream blinked several times at his phone screen, as if to clear away a fog before a message that might make more sense.

What, he wrote.

Before Hob could reply, it occurred to Dream that perhaps he should actually look at Hob’s own profile. He had gotten too caught up in the strange conversation to remember to do so.

He opened it and— froze.

Dream had already deduced that Desire had intentionally matched him with whoever they thought Dream would be least interested in. He could see why they had thought the same of Hob, primarily because he was very different from Dream. In the past, Dream had tended to have flings with people who were rather like him, in some respects. “Tortured artists,” Death would say.

This was not Hob. For one, unlike Dream’s pouty and morose profile photo, Hob was actually smiling in the first picture on his page. And what a smile.

He was handsome, too. At least, Dream thought so. Handsome in a homey, comfortable way, the type of handsome that suggested really good hugs, and coffee in the mornings, and someone to come home to. Dream scrolled through more photos, and caught the spark of mischief in his eyes that belied his easy nature. This best matched the way Hob spoke in his messages, he thought.

It was not so much that Hob was his usual type, and more that Desire had unintentionally uncovered a type Dream had not known he had. He swallowed hard. Scrolled back up to read the details of Hob’s bio, in search of answers to the strangeness of Hob’s response.

Ah. His profession was listed as “OnlyFans creator.” That would explain it. He supposed he could track down Hob’s profile on said app. Dream was historically not very interested in porn, however. But he was finding himself interested in Hob.

He moved back to the messaging page, and wrote, before Hob could question why Dream was confused about information that was clearly stated in his profile, Ah. I see. I’m afraid I don’t watch porn.

That a moral stance? Bcuz I get enough of that already, trust me.

Personal taste, said Dream.

Prefer to get it in person, eh? said Hob.

Yes.

You’d do numbers on OnlyFans just fyi, Hob wrote. If u ever wanted more cash. Or does Poetry & Malaise pay better than I thought?

Dream’s “career,” according to Desire.

He supposed Hob's comment was flattering, in a way. Is that your own bias, Hob? Or your considered opinion as a professional?

Both ;), said Hob.

If that is your situation, then why are you on this app, dare I ask? Most people I have encountered seem to just be interested in sex but I doubt you are suffering from a dearth of it.

What, porn stars can’t want to get married? :(

Dream could imagine his pout. It was surprisingly endearing.

THAT is why you are here?

Sure, be judgmental about it, mister “I want to get consumed.” Or was that about vore and I misread it as metaphorical?

Dream spluttered, though Hob was not physically present to see it. Indeed, Desire had written that Dream wanted “someone he could consume and be consumed by in turn,” which was surprisingly accurate considering its intention had been to mess with him.

It is not VORE, he wrote. Then followed it up with, I have frequently been accused of being intense, possessive, and overbearing.

Well then we have that in common, Hob replied. By the way, sex for work is not the same as sex with someone you really care about. Or would you feel emotionally fulfilled after fucking your colleagues?

I don’t have colleagues, said Dream.

Right, right. Poetry and malaise.

And have you achieved much emotionally fulfilling sex from this app?

No :(, said Hob.

You are too handsome for that to be the case, wrote Dream, and realized what he had said a moment after he’d hit send.

He panicked internally until Hob replied, And here I thought I was just annoying you 🥰.

I might be having a crisis over your photos myself, Hob added, but let’s not discuss it or I’ll embarrass myself.

We could discuss it in a different venue, Dream wrote, heart in his throat. I am interested also in hearing your plans to thwart death. Perhaps over drinks?

Thought you’d never ask :)

So they set a time.

Drinks turned quickly into tumbling into Hob’s flat turned quickly into Hob pushing Dream up against the door and kissing him senseless turned quickly into falling into Hob’s bed. Dream was feeling quite happy about his decision to go on a date with this weird, death-obsessed OnlyFans creator. He had been right about Hob giving good hugs, he had learned that when Hob had greeted him at the bar. He had also learned that Hob really knew how to use his tongue.

“Fuck, Dream,” Hob said, looking up at him, lips wet. He had his hands wrapped around Dream’s thighs and his face between Dream’s legs, and yes, Dream was feeling very satisfied with his decision, indeed. He might even have to send Desire a gift basket. “You taste so good.”

“Your mouth is ungodly,” said Dream, tipping his head back against the pillow with a groan as Hob continued teasing him with that mouth, swiping his tongue through Dream’s folds and sucking on his clit.

“Converted you to a new religion? You’re done with the void, then?”

Dream twisted his hands in Hob’s hair, holding on tight, thighs trembling, heartbeat racing in his throat. “Perhaps.”

“Is Dream your real name, by the way?” Hob asked, pushing one finger into Dream, and then quickly two, as Dream moaned and clenched down on him. “I kind of thought it was fake.”

“No,” said Dream, though it came out as another moan. “It is real.”

“Fascinating.” And he went back to torturing Dream with his mouth, fucking him deep on his fingers, until Dream was squirming and writhing under him, trying to get away from Hob’s relentlessness even as he wanted to throw himself into its fire. He felt hot, feverish, taut all over, Hob’s hands were so good, and his mouth—

“Hob,” he whined, “please.”

Hob paused, looked up at him, lips and nose wet with Dream’s fluids. Then grinned cheekily. “Yes, kitten?”

And why did something that had sounded so revolting coming from anonymous strangers only make Dream laugh when Hob said it? He laughed, a horrible, choking laugh, and Hob laughed too, incredulously. Dream could not remember ever laughing during sex, it had always been a torrid and serious affair. But Hob was so charming and handsome and Dream wanted to kiss him.

“Come,” he commanded, drawing Hob up towards him by his hair, and Hob went, and Dream brought their lips together. Hob’s mouth was slick and tasted of Dream. It was heady.

Dream wrapped a leg around his waist and pulled him closer until their bodies were pressed together, and Hob ground his cock between Dream’s legs, between his folds and against his clit. He didn’t try to actually fuck Dream, though, which Dream figured was Hob’s professional good sense considering they hadn’t discussed birth control or anything in that vein in their haste. He imagined what might have happened if he had instead gone home with Brad of the un-negotiated choking kink, and laughed despite himself.

“What are you laughing at?” asked Hob, lifting his head to look at him. He really was so appealing, with his dark eyes, hair falling long over his forehead, his voice that was much more honey-warm than Dream could have imagined over text.

“I was thinking of the catastrophe that would have resulted had I slept with one of the questionable individuals I’ve encountered on that app, and my good fortune in finding you instead.”

Hob smiled, and kissed him, a proper first date type kiss, sweet and kind. Then he said, dragging his hand through Dream’s hair, tugging on it, “Don’t think about anyone else.” He kissed Dream’s jaw, then down his neck, nipping at his skin.

Dream dug his nails into Hob’s back, into his strong shoulders as Hob ground against him. He wished Hob was fucking him. His cock felt so good even just moving between Dream’s legs, and the weight of his body over Dream’s was so grounding. Next time, maybe.

He shivered as Hob moved faster over him, claimed his mouth with a hard kiss. “Come on me,” Dream urged, pulling Hob in tighter again with his leg wrapped around his waist. He reached between them and got his hand around Hob, and Hob groaned.

“Dream—”

Dream pulled him off in time with Hob’s own thrusts, and soon felt Hob’s hips stuttering, his grip tightening in Dream’s hair. He came over Dream’s hand and stomach, breathing hard against Dream’s throat. But he didn’t pause very long to recover himself, instead slipping three fingers back into Dream, making Dream arch against him with a shout.

“Hob!”

Hob worked him mercilessly until Dream was clenching around him with a gasp, body shaking as his orgasm ramped back up and hit him, fast and hard. Hob grinned against his throat as Dream panted, then gently pulled his fingers free and raised his head to look Dream in the eye as he brought them to his mouth and sucked them clean of Dream’s spend. Fucking. Hell. And this man couldn’t find someone to marry him?

Hob kissed him again, and again it was sweet, and firm, like his hugs. Dream kissed him back, petting Hob’s hair. Pleased with the position he’d found himself in. Pleased with Hob.

“Good?” Hob asked, stroking a hand up and down his side.

“Very,” Dream sighed.

“Good,” said Hob. “For me, too.”

He kissed Dream’s cheek, and then went and got a soft wet cloth to clean them both up, and even brought Dream a glass of water. Truly Dream’s good fortune was unparalleled on this day.

Hob slipped back into bed beside him, and Dream laid on his side, head pillowed on his arm, gazing at him. Tucked an errant strand of Hob’s hair behind his ear. Ran his fingers over the stubble on Hob’s cheek. He really was quite handsome, especially mussed from sex, in the low bedroom light. Perhaps Dream was going to have to find his OnlyFans. Just so he could… take this home with him.

“You really are even prettier in person,” Hob murmured, studying him. “Although I don’t think the rest of your profile was really doing you justice.”

“That is because my sibling initially created it to annoy me,” Dream admitted. “However, I think I am the one who’s come out on top in the end.”

“That does explain some things,” Hob said with a chuckle. He took Dream’s hand and kissed his fingertips, met his eyes again. “I promise I won’t break your heart. If you stay.”

My BFF’s take on why you should date me, Desire’s profile fills had read: With luck you can be the next person to break his heart <3

Once again, it had not been entirely inaccurate. But perhaps it would be this time.

“I think I am inclined to,” he said quietly, and Hob smiled, that warm, endearing smile.

So Dream did stay that night, cuddled up in Hob’s arms. Feeling all warm inside, even when Hob had fallen asleep, and Dream was still awake, lying beside him. He often had a hard time sleeping, but he didn’t mind so much, right now. Hob was pleasant to cuddle up to, even if Dream couldn’t sleep. Hob was pleasant all around, in fact. Dream tended to fall fast and hard and he could already feel it hovering over him like a cresting wave. Fortunately, Hob didn’t seem inclined to be any more casual about him than Dream was feeling about him.

Dream thought he could get used to this.

With Hob’s arm still wrapped around his waist, Dream swiped his phone off the nightstand and opened his text thread with Desire, which still had enjoying yourself? ;) as the last message, as yet not responded to.

Having made Desire wait for several days already, Dream wrote, with a little smile, I think I am going to get married, and turned off his phone.

#yes i did create a fake hinge account mockup for dream. i will share it in a bit XD it's very silly. it took me 3 hours in photoshop #dreamling #hob gadling #dream of the endless #my writing #nsft

482 notes · View notes

revacholianpizzaagenda · 3 months

Text

Apocalyptic squirreling

We're not, like, impaling these quotes like the proverbial shrike or anything, just hoarding them away in a nice stash. A collection of Disco Elysium tidbits about the end of the world compiled by @yekokataa and I, feel free to add!

...starting with the game's earliest teaser trailer.

(28 rather than 27 could be its own odd math, there's some miscounting in the text now and then just like there's the occasional typo, or it could follow the fact that the year of canon events was changed at some point. for that matter, the infamous 22 years to the nuke should be 21, like it originally followed that same 28 and wasn't edited - consistently, the variable it flags is ice.andre_hyper_rc_succ_28)

(this is an example of odd math to me, for the record, as it's 365x27 to the day. It could be it's the EXACT count and also that Elysium doesn't have leap years, but I would've expected a less precise number, personally)

Ours has actual six thousand years of history: it spans from its own version of the early Bronze Age (Perikarnassian period) to the early Middle Ages (Franconigerian period), to the Renaissance (Dolorian period), right up to a decade we call “The Seventies”. It’s a world like ours, one that has evolved culturally and technologically over widely varied periods of time. No Truce With the Furies takes place in the modernity of this world.

(source)

Q: How tight is the connection between the book and the game? Is it a Witcher-like situation? KURVITZ: Things in this world are connected to each other like things in our world are connected to each other – not like things are connected to each other in Star Wars. The book and the game share themes and historical developments. The book is set in the early seventies and the game is set in the early fifties. They are connected the way two stories set in our world would be. The fault-lines developing in the fifties are more apparent in the seventies. The situation has worsened, the political climate has shifted, but there is no Skywalker saga. The main story in Elysium is history.

(source)

yes yes we've all seen the nuke convo but let's put it here for completionism's sake

This connection - saying 22 instead of 27, or 28 as the variable reminds us - could seem strange based on game data alone, but it neatly follows the context of the book, which shows us that the bombing of Revachol is one and the same as the material beginning of the end of the world.

This one is also a fun book throwback, from apocalyptic Kurvitz self-insert to apocalyptic Kurvitz self-insert

(being appreciative of that kind of future just nets you a YEEEAGH)

more personally ominous than globally ominous but ominous nonetheless

("we become vapour" being, of course, the planned title of the eventual Elysium tabletop setting rulebook. sigh.)

This one's intriguing, isn't it? With an eye to Le Retour...

Her echoes of the other dialogue options are similarly ominous, for the record.

And we don't know if Nilsen had visions of his own (the man sounds well-acquainted with his Half Light, on behalf of the war crimes, so it's not... entirely out of the question) but we do know that his pocket calculator lap cat second-bestie very much did and could've been his source.

Also a strong book callback, among other things. Remember kids: object permanence!

Harry, all these quotes like this one sound like they would make sense for the actual guy who goes and blows it all up, not you personal-

...ah yes. Ambrosius looms... yeah buddy it sure is solemn AND historical, I'm afraid:

and of course, in closing:

🥲

...for the remaining 276 pages of Elysium tidbits about the end of the world, of course, over here.

#disco elysium #yekokataa #fayde-weaving #or something

211 notes · View notes

cyber-clown · 11 months

Text

zubat is one of my favourite pokémon and, because it is one of my favourite pokémon, i've used it in every single generation i've played where it's available. this has led me to notice that you can kind of use zubat to track game freak's evolving design ethos with the pokémon series allll the way from gen 1 through to gen 9.

so if you don't know, zubat is a funny poison/flying bat pokémon. you can usually get it pretty early on in caves, usually sometime around the first gym. in gen 1 this is mt moon, gen 3 gives you zubats in granite cave right around the (mostly optional btw???) 2nd gym, gen 4 gives you them the moment you get to jubilife city, etc. it evolves into golbat at level 22, which doubles zubat's stats and lets it learn screech. golbat is a funny guy and i like him. don't know why they made him grow eyes though.

point is, they're common and you get them early, so it's a pokémon that is very easy to slot into your team as a decent flying type with better utility and defenses (being a poison type) than your average earlygame bird shitter. they're also vaguely menacing if you're insane i guess so they're evil team fodder. ok. we know what zubat is now.

GEN 1: in gen 1, zubat's design is insane. early pokémon games are shocking well put together - for the bad rep they sometimes get for having a handful of prominent glitches, it's actually a testiment to the games that they just keep trucking through these insane edge cases rather than crashing. unfortunately, the design itself is... primitive. they had a smash hit but definitely hadn't fully found their footing. let's look at zubat's moveset.

oh god! so, you would think this is a case of some kind of "first stage evolution syndrome" where zubat has a terrible, limited movepool that gets fixed when it evolves. gen 1 REALLY likes this gimmick: just off the top of my head this is the exact deal of abra and magikarp. unfortunately, no. the only damaging moves zubat learns before it evolves are leech life, a 20 base power (THIS IS LOW) move of a relatively weak offensive type, and bite. bite is fine. bite will hit most types except rock and ghost, and its power is fine. other than that, it just learns supersonic and a slightly less terrible version of supersonic.

then the insane thing: it learns wing attack at level 28. golbat learns it at level 32. it evolves at level 22. this creates an interesting dichotomy where on one hand you REALLY want to evolve zubat to golbat, given that it literally doubles its base stat total when evolving, but on the other that means you'll be waiting a full 10 levels from evolving to learn its only STAB move (in pokémon, pokémon get a 1.5x multipler to a move's damage if its the same type as that pokémon). said move only having 35 power. gen 1 is strange. i think this really shows the design philosophy of gen 1: everything is new, most things are weak, the balance is all over the place, you have to purposefully stop your funny bat from evolving for 6 levels just for it to learn a terrible flying type move that it can use for coverage. every other move it learns is either normal type or has <= 40 power. why.

GEN 2: gen 2 is the generation of "ok that was pretty good but had some pretty major flaws. let's try to fix them." gen 2 is kind of defined by how closely tied it is to gen 1. zubat is a great example of this. first of all the obvious thing: zubat gets a new evolution! if your golbat has high friendship and levels up, it will evolve into crobat. crobat gives the line about a hundred more stats (mostly to speed, with everything else getting a little peppering) and is maybe the funniest of all guys, his design being both cute, silly, and cool is maybe why i like the zubat line so much

so what changes for zubat and its family in gen 2? three things of note! 1. more TMs to learn, giving it more tools to play with, including the new steel type move steel wing. 2. bite has been changed to a dark type move, giving the noble zubat more type coverage including the ability to hit ghost types and psychic types (who are normally strong against poison types) for double damage. 3. wing attack's power has been increased to 60 (almost doubled!) and it's level to be learnt lowered to... 27. 1 level!

(from this point forward i'm not going to screenshot the TM learnset. i'll try to keep describing them, though)

also, the level requirement for bite has been moved to level 12, and it learns mean look at... level 36. ok so, yeah, not fixing the pokémon, but definitely some improvements here. you could actually reasonably recommend zubat to a friend or family member now if they particularly like its silly funny design

GEN 3: it's a new generation... literally. pokémon is now in FULL COLOUR and SYNTHESIZED SOUND on the GAMEBOY ADVANCE. pokémon is now fully establishing itself not just as a couple games and spinoffs, but a full on series that will ostensibly stick around between generations of games, generations of consoles, even generations of people.

so, yeah. this ain't your daddy's pokémon, he played pokémon red as a 7 year old but he's a full blown 13 year old now... much too cool to play these baby games. ...oh shit wait, every pokémon has an ability now? damn, nevermind, this rules! that's what i assume game companies think people will think when they do Big Spin Ups for a New Generation. i don't know if it DID convince a generation of millenium tweens that funny animal game is still cool, but the changes are appreciated anyway. steven stone is hot! i don't have anywhere else to say that. anyway, how did zubat change?

our friend zubat gets lots of changes to keep up with the crowd now. bite has been moved back up to level 16, but zubat now gets astonish - a decent ghost type move that can flinch opponents, air cutter (this used to be TM only) - a slightly weaker and less accurate flying type move than wing attack, but one with an increased critical hit ratio AND it can hit multiple opponents in new-fangled double battles, and poison fang - finally allowing zubat to unlock its poison type STAB... if you either don't let your zubat evolve for 19 levels or, more realistically, teach it to your crobat at level 49... ouch! but, the biggest of them all: your zubat can now learn wing attack before it evolves! ...1 level before it evolves, but before it evolves!

in addition, zubat's family got a new ability - inner focus: this lets them not get flinched. not that out there, but it's a welcome change! the line also gets a few more TMs unlocked, including coverage options like shadow ball, and the extremely powerful sludge bomb. you can really, finally, genuinely use zubat now! it's actually okay! it being a friendship-evolved pokémon is also ideal for one you pick up early game - you can usually evolve your zubat around the early level 30s, giving it a big stat boost earlier than a lot of other pokémon.

GEN 4: gen 4 is strange. it's a huge shift in the series, but it's also actually pretty similar to gen 3. it stays pretty true to the series roots, but also moves the ball in a way that would keep going and eventually mark what is effectively an entire change in identity for pokémon. steven stone is in heartgold and soul silver (yay!). gen 4 also cements gen 3 as the only generation of pokémon ever (so far) to be the only one on its console.

we're making good progress here! wing attack can be learned even earlier, at level 17, meaning you should get it just in time for the grass type gym leader, bite has been reverted to being learned at level 13, and air cutter / poison fang have had the time you need to hold a zubat before they can be learned significantly turned down. if you do happen to hold your zubat until level 41, poison fang's spot has been usurped by air slash, a strong special move (gen 4 split all moves into physical and special, where before they were split between the attack / special attack stats by type) that has a 30% chance of flinching an opponent. zubat's physical stats may be better than its special stats, but only by a little bit, so this is a welcome option! zubat also gets a couple more good TMs, like U-Turn, a really strong move that lets zubat deal some damage and then swap with a teammate to hopefully avoid taking retaliation! anyway that's it really, just little steps!

GEN 5: here it is, the big one… the one that changed it all… just joking! infact, zubat didn't get a single move change in Pokémon Black and White, as it wasn't available to catch at all in that game! instead, it was replaced by the spiritual successors woobat and swoobat, cute fluffy psychic / flying types with little heart shaped noses - they even keep the theme of a closed pair of eyes opening up when evolved! i like swoobat's terrible, fleshy heart tail, too!

anyway, zubat was revived in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, whereupon it did actually receive a moveset update. it's not a very big one, but it's appreciated!

so, the pre-evolution options of astonish, bite, and wing attack have been moved a little further back, while players who wait a little bit are now able to learn the moves swift (a normal type move that never misses), and acrobatics (a move that has its damage doubled if your pokémon doesn't hold an item). cool stuff! air cutter, poison fang, and air slash have all been moved back a little bit. maybe this could be to disincentivise holding a pokémon that can evolve to learn moves, since this puts it much more in line with crobat:

who knows? anyway! the other noticeable changes are the additions of a couple more TMs like venoshock (all TMs being infinite use now, so you don't have to worry about wasting a TM anymore!), a poison type move that doubles in damage if the target is poisoned (finally, more love for zubat's poison type!) and the hidden ability of infiltrator.

what an unhelpful piece of flavour text! infiltrator is an ability that lets zubat ignore the effects of "barrier" type moves, which are moves that provide resistance or immunity to certain effects (such as physical damage, status effects, and debuffs). later on, this will be buffed to let zubats with infiltrator hit through substitutes, and even later will be buffed again to reduce wild encounters!

GEN 6: here's the real big one. gen 5 marked a distinct change in direction for pokémon as a series: a grander story, bold new characters, and a focus more on a journey that felt more like a hero's quest to prove themselves, rather than some random kid's uphill battle to get stronger. gen 6 took the new generation and made some bold decisions: now we have 3D models, and crazy plotlines, and fully arranged streamed music, and... much easier gameplay! well, easy is not the right word. pokemon games have always been kid friendly - but later games definitely try their best to streamline the experience. it feels a lot more like a power fantasy of a rise to glory, where previous games distinctly... did not. is this good or bad? well, it's all just taste! we all have our taste.

zubat received its major changes, again, in the second set of games of this generation: omega ruby and alpha sapphire. a step back to hoenn, including our good friend zubat!

woah! can you believe this is even the same friend zubat we met all the way back in 1996? i'm so proud of him... well, what major changes are there? here's an easy two: venoshock is now a move zubat learns naturally, and almost every move has been substantially reduced in level up requirement! bite at level 11? wing attack at level 13? it feels like just yesterday we had to fight tooth and nail to keep bite at level 13! poison fang down by 12 levels to level 25, and so on. the big one here is that air cutter is now a move you can learn before even evolving zubat, giving you another flying type option! what could be awaiting us next, in the sunny alola region?

GEN 7: i like gen 7 :) i also don't know what preamble to give here. well, other than: gen 6 began the trend of adding a new "gimmick" every generation. these stick around for one generation, can only be used once per game, and provide some Big Flashy Effect. mega evolution was gen 6's, but that was restricted to a few specific pokémon (mainly fan favourites, no love for great pokémon like crobat... grr...) but gen 7 changed this: now any pokémon can use a Z-Power!!! once per game, a single move can be transformed into a powerful Z-Move, that does huge damage. this means our friend zubat can join the show. will it use a poison Z-Move, or a flying Z-Move, or maybe a random coverage move, like ghost or steel?

um... what's going on here? zubat's lost leech life! well, look again. the iconic Zubat Move is still in its learnset, but it's now been QUADRUPLED in to 80 power, so it's been moved up and replaced with absorb as zubat's starting move. absorb is still stuck at 20 power. poor absorb. that's probably what it gets for being cousins with mega drain AND giga drain. crobat gets to learn cross poison on evolve now, a powerful poison type move that has an increased critical hit rate AND a chance to poison. other than these, zubat's learnset has not changed in any noticeable way. i guess that's a sign game freak has settled on a moveset to stay for our friend zubat!

GEN 8:

what on earth happened here? where is zubat's iconic wing attack? leech life at level 55? well, generation 8, you see, represents a big shakeup for the pokémon series. the series has OFFICIALLY jumped from handhelds to the home console, and so naturally that leads to a very different design philosophy - including the removal of lots of moves from the game entirely, and the barring of some pokémon from entry to the region! zubat gets to stay, though, and its reward is an entirely retooled moveset. what can we make of this?

well, first of all, supersonic has been recognised as an Iconic Zubat Move after 20 years of proud service, being officially made a move zubat gets right out of the egg. it still sucks, but that's cool! wing attack and bite have been replaced with poison fang, retooling zubat to put the early focus on its poison typing: to this day zubat and its family are actually the only poison / flying type pokémon! air cutter has been pushed back above the "evolve threshold", where it joins a bunch of other iconic Zubat Moves. bite and leech life now languish, as moves that probably nobody will ever actually hold their zubat to learn, given it's only a couple extra levels for golbat / crobat to learn them. speaking of crobat, it's worth mentioning...

crobat has a whole lot of tools to work with now! it's very clear they really wanted to play with crobat's unique role as a poison / flying type here by focusing a lot more on its Poisonous Traits - toxic, cross poison, and venoshock are all very fun tools you can play with that crobat gets access to with ease. what a treat! the number of TMs crobat can learn is also huge, with plenty of coverage across a bunch of types. now for gen 9!

GEN 9:

oh zubat! you should have known that DUI would give you consequences. well, yes. this is zubat's journey so far. but i think that i've proven my point - you can distinctly see a shift from the early game pokémon design philosophy to newer games.

personally, i would describe this as going from the games being an "uphill battle to prove yourself" to a "journey across the land with your favourites". it's clear that, over time, there have been attempts to try and make a lot of pokémon more viable, so that if zubat is your favourite too you can pick it up and have it be useful almost right away, rather than its earlier role as a pokémon that takes a long time to get going but eventually gets tools that make it a lot more usable. i think this shows pokémon's shift to being more about the pokémon themselves rather than the journey, which is a safe decision that's probably made because every pokémon is somebody's favourite.

this has no real point by the way - i personally don't actually mind the newer direction of pokémon games (aside from the EXP share always being on...) and have enjoyed plenty of relatively modern pokémon games a lot - i really rememeber loving pokémon moon when it came out! but i do also enjoy the different "vibe" and experience of older pokémon games, and i think sometimes the best way to actually describe the differences is to just lay out them out, plain to see.

anyway, i hope you enjoyed and, next time you're in a dark cave, consider holding off on the repels. you might just meet your new best friend forever!

#pokemon #pokémon #can you tell i'm autistic #also i didnt add a keep reading to this because i thought itd be funny #do you love the color of the zubat #zubat #golbat #crobat

539 notes · View notes

eomayas · 10 months

Text

all the rumors are true • bbh

pairing: idol!baekhyun x f!idol!reader

genre: fluff & angst

synopsis: your secret relationship with baekhyun getting revealed, and what comes after.

warnings: none!

a/n: very self indulgent lmao i had this thought a few days ago and needed to get it out! the ending is a bit choppy i ran out of thoughts. heavily unedited and not proof read 🫣

“yes, i take care of all of them,” you laugh, nodding at the radio show hosts question about if it’s hard being a leader to a group of 4, including yourself. “especially our youngest.” you say, glancing over at sunny, the baby of your group.

“what’s the age difference between you and her?” the host asks.

“six years,” you say, making the host gasp.

“ah, so you’re 28… that means she was 16 when you debuted?” the host looks between you and sunny, both of you nodding. “wow, so you probably have had no time for dating since even before debut!”

you laugh, though it’s 90% true, which sucks. “yes, because she was so young when we were trainees—we all were—i was always with them to make sure they stayed out of trouble and weren’t around strange people,” you say, your eyes sliding over all of your members. “so, no, there hasn’t been a lot of time to date. but i’m not mad at that because i was taking care of my babies.” everyone chuckles at the last bit and mingwa puts her head on your shoulder.

“y/n needs somebody to take care of her!” heejin, the second to youngest member shouts. you smile and shake your head at her words, though they’re unbelievably true. if only the public knew that you were, though. that instead of laying your head on a soft pillow every night, you lied down on a hard chest and let strong arms hold you tight, while soft kisses on the top of your head lulled you to sleep.

“girl, i’m your candy,” sunny sings quietly. you don’t cut your eyes at her immediately, but the panic bubbles in your chest. nobody mentions her singing, or sings along, but sunny and mingwa share a quick look that freaks you out, makes you paranoid that in a few hours when the video recording of this session is posted, speculations will start.

you glance at sunny, hoping to catch her eye, but she’s engrossed in what the host is talking about. you can barely hear above your heartbeat in your ears, the blood rushing through so quickly it’s starting to give you a headache. you try to discreetly regulate your breathing, trying to remember those videos talking about square breathing that you found online. nobody seems to notice, except mingwa who taps your forearm and looks at you with concern that you brush off.

you manage to make it through the rest of the interview as normal as possible. you start talking a lot less, letting your members share more about themselves and the group, and nobody except for mingwa clocks that you were mentally somewhere else.

saying your goodbyes, the four of you get up and shuffle out of the radio station and into the outside world where dozens of cameras await. the shutters fly at rapid pace, and the flash on some of them are nearly blinding, but you and your group smile and pose, despite the chaos happening.

shuffling into the car, you let the three others get inside first. you take the last seat in the sprinter van and buckle yourself in, resting your head against the headrest. “y/n, are you alright?” mingwa asks, concern clear and evident in her voice. you let out a breath and sit up, turning around to look at sunny.

“why did you start singing ‘candy’, soojin?” you ask, using her full name. she looks at you with wide eyes at her government being called and holds her hands up in surrender. “do you know what people are going to say?”

“sorry, mom,” she shoots back, giving you an incredulous look. “all they’re going to say is that i’m acting exactly like how the youngest person is supposed to be acting—interrupting you and singing over everybody. nobody is going to say anything about you and baekhyun.” you press your lips together, stumped because she’s most likely right, even though you have an inkling in the back of your brain that somebody is going to take notice, and make something out if it.

“well, you don’t really want people thinking you go around interrupting everybody,” you chastise. sunny rolls her eyes at you and sighs dramatically.

“we are quite literally the perfect group—i don’t know why you are so worried about our image all the time,” she says. you decide that the conversation is over, and sit facing forward again. sunny doesn’t understand that everything, at the end of the day, falls on you. people look at you like you birthed these girls and raised them up yourself. if one of them screw up, it falls on the entire group but rests on your shoulders to clean up. your image is so important to uphold, because there has only ever been one scandal to your groups name at the beginning of your careers that you did everything possible to stop the public from shaming you and the girls. it’s not easy to do that.

the ride is silent, save for their nails tapping against their phone screens. you sit with your eyes closed and your head leaned back, ready to dive into bed and maybe call baekhyun. maybe.

“would it really be that bad if everybody knew about you and baekhyun?” sunny asks, cutting into the silence. you open your eyes, but don’t turn around. the hair on your arms stands up at his name being mentioned so loudly, somewhere that isn’t the safety of your dorms.

“yes,” you reply. you think about the uproar it would cause, and what it would do to your career. his would be fine, of course, because the dismissal is never the same for men as it is for women. your group would probably have to disband, or you’d have to leave. it would look terrible, especially since you are the leader, if this was public news. “it would be awful, sunny. i cant lose my career over a man.” and while a nasty pang of guilt rips through your chest, it’s the truth.

“but… you told me you think that you love him. that’s not enough?” when she says these words, it’s like she’s 16 again, asking you why the world was mad at your group for a rumor about heejin. her voice is small, naive almost, and it reminds you how far apart you two really are.

you can’t help that your eyes start to water. “soojin, can we talk about this later?” you ask, blinking back the tears. you swallow thickly and pull your headphones out of your pocket, turning up your music loudly to block out any thoughts of you and baekhyun, and the public finding out.

getting back to the dorms, you head straight for your room. you close the door behind you and pull out your headphones and sigh, your head pounding. flopping onto the bed, you bury your face in the pillows and close your eyes.

you’re disrupted by a knock only moments later, and you let out a breath before telling whoever it is to come in. “y/n?” sunny’s voice calls from the doorway.

“yeah?” you roll over and sit up on your elbows to look at her. she gives you a sheepish smile and comes over to your bed, crawling in bed next to you like she used when you guys were trainees and she kissed her family.

scooting over, you make space for her to rest her head on your shoulder, your arm wrapping around her. “sorry for earlier. i guess i’m just trying to see the positive side to it,” sunny says.

“it’s fine,” you sigh. “i’m just super paranoid.”

“is baekhyun?” she asks.

you shake your head above her. it’s amazing to you that he seems to have no qualms or fears about your relationship becoming public. he’s fine with it being a secret or being news, and it makes you feel like shit, like it looks like you’re afraid of being seen with him. though it’s far from that. “no, and i guess that’s what makes me more stressed out. because he’s too chill about it, and doesn’t seem to be worried.”

“he’s old,” sunny snorts and you chuckle. there’s only four years between you and him, so she’s technically calling you old too, but you don’t say anything. “are you gonna tell him you love him?” she asks after a beat of silence. you still against her and she lifts her head to look at you.

it’s a sensitive subject—you and baekhyun haven’t said it yet. you won’t say it, because you’re afraid it’ll open a dam of bad things starting to happen. like once it’s out in the open, the worst possible thing could happen to your relationship. “maybe. i don’t know. probably not,” you ramble.

sunny gives you a sad look and squeezes you into a hug. she doesn’t say anything, and neither do you, but enough passes between the two of you. i’m here for you, she says. i know, you say back.

baekhyuns hands are on your ribs, holding you firmly and pressing you flush against the side of his car as he takes you into a nice, soft kiss. your arms snake around his neck, your fingers playing with the ends of his hair at his neck.

his lips move slowly against yours, his tongue slipping into your mouth with ease. your chest burns with adoration and want, and him tugging you closer to him only makes you throb. pulling away, his mouth chases yours and you let him kiss you again, this time letting him tilt your head back so you’re practically lying against the car.

it’s risky to be out in the open like this, but the parking garage is secluded and for residents of his apartment only. you would see and hear anybody coming through, but so far you haven’t in the last seven minutes.

you pull away from him again, and stop his advances by gently pressing your fingers to his lips. “baekhyun,” you say softly. he kisses your fingertips and then your cheek.

“yes?” he says, looking into your eyes with an intensity that makes your knees weak, so much so that you rest your weight against the car.

“can we go inside?” you ask, your fingers dancing on his cheek. he nods and kisses your palm before grabbing it and taking you to the elevators. baekhyun wraps an arm around your shoulders and pulls you into his side, kissing your temple for a long time, all the way until the doors open, and then pulling you down the hallway to his apartment.

he helps you out of your coat and hangs it up. “what do you want to eat?” he asks as you step out of your shoes.

“bold of you to assume i’m hungry,” you tease, but you’re always hungry around him, and you are hungry right now. baekhyun rolls his eyes at you and repeats his question. “i don’t know. chicken? ramen? rice? whatever you want.” you say, kissing his lips. he holds you close for a beat before letting you go so he can get something started for the two of you.

you bound to the living room and sprawl out on his large couch, turning the tv onto one of the many shows you two have started watching together. you get comfortable and pull a blanket over you, snuggling into the cushions while he busies himself with the task of making dinner.

baekhyun comes into the living room with two bowls of food a few minutes later. you sit up and thank him as you accept the dish, crossing your legs and resting the bowl in your lap. “what did i miss?” he asks, and you catch him up on the show in between bites.

you two eat in a close and comfortable silence. he’d probably have his arm around you if it wasn’t uncomfortable while you two were eating. the close proximity is enough though, your knees touching and his right arm lightly bumping into your left.

you set your bowl on the table, ready to get up to get a drink but baekhyun gets up quicker than you, already knowing what you want. he goes into the kitchen and comes back with two glasses of water. it feels like the world is slipping beneath your feet, and you could cry because of him.

this is the taking care of that heejin said you needed. you finally have it—he’s always like this with you, feeding you, making sure you’re well rested and fed and just okay. he takes whatever worries you have and throws them on his back and just lets you be.

after dinner, you and baekhyun retreat to his bedroom. you lie on his bare chest, a hand resting on his stomach and your ear against his heart. baekhyun mindlessy plays with your hair, his fingers digging into your scalp soothingly. your eyes can’t help but flutter close—there’s no point in trying to fight sleep. you’ll wake up with him tomorrow.

the speculations didn’t start the next day. no, everybody thought it was so cute and funny that sunny blurts out random things while her older members are talking. there were compilations made from your groups content; interviews, your group vlogs, and more. it was funny, honestly, that they adored her disruptiveness.

the speculations started four days later. and when the news broke, the internet nearly stopped working because there were pictures and videos. so many pictures and videos, that it felt like somebody may have been stalking you. there were pictures of you and baekhyun kissing against his car, of you two in his car, of you two getting out of his car, of you two going for a late night walk near the han river.

and then there were videos—albeit, mostly can made—that served as proof that you two really are dating. there’s the longing looks shared at award shows, zoomed in videos of you two standing next to each other on stages, hands brushing. the other videos are just more reasons to believe that you two are dating; heejin saying you need to be taken care of, and then clips of baekhyun taking care of his own members. videos of you talking about your ideal type, and clips proving that you must have been referring to baekhyun, or jaír got really lucky that you found him.

it’s overwhelming.

when the pictures surfaced, you and mingwa were in the practice room dancing to your debut songs. the alert popped up on your phones at the same time, but mingwa grabbed hers first. you heard her gasp and ran over, thinking she might’ve twisted her ankle, but instead were met with her guilty eyes and her perfectly fine ankle.

you didn’t know what to do when you saw the photos. your heart stopped and your felt sick. your head started pounding, and it felt like a rug was being pulled from underneath your feet. you didn’t know what to do, so you started crying, falling to the floor in a heap. you weren’t sobbing, but your were audibly crying, and mingwa wasn’t sure what to do. you managed to get yourself together, and excused yourself to your room, avoiding any staff members on your way.

and now you’re on the phone with baekhyun, trying not to burst into tears as he keeps telling you everything will be ok. “baekhyun, this was such a bad idea!” you cry, pressing your forehead into your hand.

“what was? dating me?” he asks, slight offense in his voice.

“yes!” you shout, but you don’t even believe yourself. “w-we shouldn’t have gotten involved.” you’re adding fuel to the fire, hoping he’ll just break up with you so you can say those photos aren’t real, and that you’re not longer dating so everybody can leave you alone.

“you don’t mean that,” baekhyun says, his voice soft on the other line. it makes you feel like shit. “do you?”

you shake your head, though he can’t see you. “no,” you say meekly. “but we- y/n, you knew this could happen even before we started dating.” he interrupts, shutting you up. you press your mouth into a thin line. “don’t try to push me away now, y/n.” the overuse of your first name makes you feel like you’re being scolded by an elder.

“okay, i’m sorry,” you say, sighing. baekhyun parrots you and you press your body into your mattress. now would be the ideal time to tell him you love him, but it feels like it would be a poor bandaid to apologizing for saying that you should have never agreed to date him. “i don’t know what to do.” you mumble.

“let our companies handle it. you just get some sleep,” he says. you chew on your bottom lip, wishing that he was here with you.

“okay. goodnight, baekhyun,” you say. i love you, you want to add.

“goodnight, y/n.”

when you wake the next morning, your group, managers, and baekhyuns team are all in the dorm lounge. you freeze when you see him, ready to jump out of the nearest window because you know exactly what is about to happen. “we need to release a statement,” your manager says, beckoning you over to everybody.

gingerly, you walk over to your girls, sitting next to heejin at the end of the sofa, the furthest you can get away from your boyfriend. “so, i assume it’s true? the rumors about you dating? you can say no, but i’ve seen the pictures,” baekhyuns manager says, looking over at you. you nod, and when everyone keeps staring at you, you pipe up and say “yes”, your voice hoarse.

“great. how long has it been?”

“seven months,” baekhyun says, his eyes flicking to you. heejin gasps beside you, grabbing everybody’s attention.

“oh, sorry!” she says, waving everybody off. “liar!” she whispers. you told her that it’s only been four months.

both of your guys’ managers read from what looks like a checklist of things, asking you questions and scribbling down answers so they can formulate each of your statements.

“are you happy?” your manager asks, not looking up from the sheet. it’s an easy questions, and you both answer ‘yes’ with ease. “are you in love?” the question lodges your heart in your throat, and the room gets eerily silent, so silent that you could hear a pin drop in the next room.

you don’t know what to say. you don’t want to lie, and look terrible, but you don’t want to tell the truth and further complicate your relationship.

you glance over at bakehyun, and find him already looking at you. you know what you’re going to say the moment your eyes meet, and you feel your stomach flip on it’s side. your heart melts like goo in your chest as you say, “yes”, admitting after many long months the one thing that’s been clawing at you in the back of your mind.

your manager scribbles down your answer and turns to baekhyun. “baekhyun?” he asks. his eyes never leave yours, and it feels like you’re the only two people in the room, despite the fact that there’s about 10 feet of distance between you two.

“of course,” he says it so sincerely that you drop your gaze to your lap, your face turning red and a smile overtaking your lips. your group members giggle and elbow you in your side, equally as happy to hear the news.

you feel over the moon, and your past paranoia is put away and shoved into a box that you choose to ignore for a moment. both of your teams curate statements, and they’re sent out less than an hour later. you and baekhyun take the rest of the day for yourselves, driving out far to the beach and hanging there all day until it gets dark, and your teeth start clattering because of the weather. and when you get in the car, he kisses you and you quite literally feel the love has for you, and your brain goes fuzzy to the point where all you can remember is his name, everything else being put to shame.

the responses you get to your relationship are much more positive than you expect, and of course there are negative comments, but not nearly as many as there are of the positive comments. people cnat help but gush at how you found your person, and are finally getting to get taken care of.

but, of course, cameras are on you more heavily than in the past. and now, when you go on variety shows solo, they want to know about your personal life before knowing about the group. you learn to get used to it, giving way to basically nothing, and sometimes sharing more than people expect, when you want to.

like, when you go on a variety show alone with a bunch of other idols, the same show baekhyun had been on in the past, they bring up an interview moment where baekhyun says that you’re the better dresser of the two of you. you’re asked the same question, and you answer baekhyun, and follow up with admitting that you’re wearing his clothes at that very moment. that makes the internet go crazy, searching high and low for pictures of baekhyun wearing the same item, comparing how it’s massive on you but fits him snugly.

or, when you attend the end of the year award shows and exo performs, the camera is on your group more often than you’d like to admit. there are fancams dedicated to your reaction of his groups performances, everybody focused on how you react to baekhyun specifically. of course, the same thing happens to him with you, and he’s a lot more shameless about his support of you.

you group responds well to your now public relationship. you’re able to get all five of you together more often, and they look at him like a bigger brother. sunny often tags along on your dates and asks about baekhyun and genuinely treats him like her uncle. she makes a lot of jokes about the two of you, mainly on camera. like, when you’re filming content for you groups vlog, she asks how baekhyun asked you out, and then sings the bridge of ‘blooming days’ by CBX, and does the dance too. the internet eats that up, constantly sharing the clip because it truly was funny.

despite the public news of your relationship, though, you and baekhyun manage to keep it private. besides what you choose to share, you can easily dodge questions about your private lives and keep the mystery alive. it does help your relationship now that more people know—there’s no threat of getting caught, or the constant feeling of breaking the rules. it’s easier now, and better than ever.

#exo imagines #exo scenarios #exo x reader #exo x you #baekhyun fic #baekhyun x you #baekhyun oneshot #baekhyun imagine #baekhyun scenario #baekhyun x reader #baekhyun fluff #baekhyun fanfic #baekhyun angst #exo fluff

695 notes · View notes

shanastoryteller · 1 year

Note

Happy birthday!!!!

WWX identity shenanigans? Or anything!

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

A-Qing is scared.

Everyone around her is dead.

Everyone except Xiao Xingchen and Chengmei.

She doesn't know what to do. Xiao Xingchen remarks at how strange and reclusive everyone in this town is and she nods and complains, saying she wants to go someplace a little more lively, but Chengmei insists he likes it here.

Xiao Xingchen is blind and can't tell that everyone around them is dead and A-Qing can't tell him because she's supposed to be blind too, because if she tries then Chengmei will discover the truth about her and she'll become just one more dead girl who can't do anything to help anyone.

There has to be something happening here, some spell or trick. Xiao Xingchen had smelled blood on the road but he doesn't seem to notice the air of decay or the way no one around them is breathing. Chengmei has done something to dull Xiao Xingchen's senses or addle his mind, has done something to him that he hasn't done to her.

It's important to her that people underestimate her. She's worked hard to be underestimated. But she's almost regretting it now - maybe it would be better to be walking around in ignorance, rather than having to smile and laugh and pretend that the walking corpses around them don't frighten her halfway into being a corpse herself.

She could leave. Chengmei doesn't care enough about her to stop her, she doesn't think, and maybe she could get some help. But what will happen to Xiao Xingchen while she's gone? What if Chengmei does something terrible to him? What if he takes Xiao Xingchen and leaves and by the time she comes back they're gone forever?

The thought is ever worse than her current situation, so she stays, and hopes one day she'll find an opening to get them to safety.

She's by the river, because the corpses seem to avoid running water, when she sees a woman she's never seen before walking through the mist. A-Qing squints, trying to make sense of what she's seeing as the woman heads in her direction. It makes her nervous, but the corpses have never hurt her before.

She's wearing pale blue robes and she's tall, for a woman, and almost too skinny. Her dark hair falls freely down her back but she has a strange ribbon wrapped around her forehead. A-Qing is trying to figure out what killed her, considering she lacks the puffy face of strangulation or and her robes are free from blood, when she notices a sword at the strange woman's side.

Terror shoots through her. A-Qing yanks her robes to her knees, getting ready to run, when the woman waves at her and shouts, "You there! You're alive, aren't you? Have you seen anyone else alive around here? He'd be this tall, in all white, very pretty?"

A-Qing freezes, mouth dropping open. The woman still has her tongue. Her eyes sting and she desperately tries to blink her tears away, worried if she loses sight of the woman in front her that she'll disappear completely.

This woman is alive. She's got a sword and she's smiling and she's asking for Xiao Xingchen, which means maybe she's a cultivator too, maybe she can save them from Chengmei's horrible games.

A-Qing throws herself at the woman, who in spite of her small stature doesn't so much as sway with the impact, and instead lays a warm hand against her back. "What's all this, then? What are you doing here with all this going on, anyway?" She rubs soothing circles into her back. "Hey, hey, don't cry! It's going to be okay. I may not look like much, but I'm pretty good with stuff like this."

She's warm. She's warm and alive and she's a cultivator and she's going to help.

A-Qing keeps her forehead pressed against the woman's chest and starts talking.

#prompt answers #prompts are closed #asks #anon #untamed

504 notes · View notes

saccharinescorpion · 1 year

Text

4 Things You Can Try Now That You’ve Read THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR

(technically 5 things)

Mabel - a podcast by Becca De La Rosa and Maybell Marten.

Anna Limón is a home help worker currently looking after the elderly Sally Martin. When Sally has a bizarre and frightening reaction to a box of letters Anna finds in her attic one day, Anna attempts to seek answers by contacting Sally’s only known living relative: Mabel Martin.

“A podcast about ghosts, family secrets, strange houses, and missed connections,” Mabel is a story that is difficult to describe, but one of the most important points is that the vast majority of it is an epistolary narrative between Anna and Mabel, just like how This Is How You Lose The Time War is an epistolary narrative between Red and Blue. It also has a very distinct writing style- dramatic, flowery, and a little bit intimidating. However, if you loved the writing style of TIHYLTTW, I personally think that Mabel is a perfect match for you.

And I’m not just saying that because Mabel is a story about two extremely overdramatic women who are somehow both frighteningly caustic yet almost adorably useless.

The Honey Month - a book by Amal El-Mohtar

I certainly hope I don’t have to tell you this, but Amal El-Mohtar is one of the authors of This Is How You Lose The Time War, and The Honey Month is a short book she wrote several years ago.

The Honey Month is almost more of an experiment than a book- in its introduction, a friend of El-Mohtar explains how she sent her several small samples of honey, leading El-Mohtar to use the gift as in a unique way. For one February, every day she used a different vial of honey as inspiration for a small piece of writing.

The Honey Month contains 28 short pieces of writing, poetry, prose, and some things in between. It’s a small book full of things with big impact, and contains the lyrical yet meaty writing I enjoyed from El-Mohtar in TIHYLTTW.

Otherside Picnic (裏世界ピクニック) - A series of novels by Iori Miyazawa (illustrated by Shirakaba)

College sophomore Sorawo Kamikoshi longs to find an escape from other people, and in trying to find it discovers the Otherside, a strangely beautiful yet unfathomably dangerous parallel world inhabited by the-once-fictional creatures she knows from net lore. She also meets Toriko Nishina, another young woman with a knowledge of firearms and a desire to find her missing mentor. Together, these two girls explore the Otherside and find themselves changing little by little, both due to their adventures, but also due to their relationship with each other.

If you know me you probably aren’t surprised at this reccomendation. Otherside Picnic is a truly odd beast- it’s sci-fi, it’s horror, it’s comedy, it’s yuri. It’s about trauma, it’s about Japanese creepypasta, it’s about useless lesbians, and it’s about how the scariest thing of all is being vulnerable with another human being. I think fans of This Is How You Lose The Time War will enjoy it- Otherside Picnic’s writing style will likely feel almost spartan compared to TIHYLTTW, but in my opinion there’s a similar level of poetry in it. There’s also a similar level of women who are “badass” yet kind of messes. You’ve heard of “Enemies to Lovers,” get ready for “Accomplices to Lovers”!

(there’s also a manga adaptation by Eita Mizuno, as well as an anime adaptation directed by Takuya Sato)

The Handmaiden (아가씨) - a movie directed by Park Chan-wook (written by Park and Chung Seo-kyung, based on the novel Fingersmith by Sarah Waters)

In Japan-occupied Korea, the pickpocket Sook-hee is recruited by a con-man to aide him in his scam of a Japanese heiress, Lady Hideko. While the con-man poses as “Count Fujiwara” and woos Hideko, Sook-hee will play the part of her maid and subtly push the heiress towards him. But as time passes, Sook-hee begins to realize there are things occuring in the mansion that are even more sinister than her and the Count’s scheme, and there is much, much more to Hideko than meets the eye.

This is a list of recommendations for “people who have finished “This Is How You Lose The Time War,” but I try to recommend The Handmaiden to as many people as I possibly can. I’ve described it in the past as the cinematic equivalent of running a marathon: with a 144 minute runtime full of gorgeous direction and set design, dark machinations, twisted yet romantic writing, often troubling themes, and so, so many plot twists, it’s a movie that nearly feels like too much of a good thing. But for fans of TIHYLTTW, I’m sure what will intrigue you most is the relationship between the two main characters, one so complicated that “Enemies to Lovers” can’t hope to capture the roiling feelings of pity, guilt, hatred, desire, annoyance, sympathy, and everything in between.

It’s also just really hot.

The Handmaiden is a movie that is best enjoyed going in knowing as little as possible. That said, it is also a story with dark and often upsetting themes that are absolutely crucial to its narrative. If you are concerned about that statement, I reccomend looking at the movies’ entry on DoesTheDogDie, which I have looked at and found to be a pretty comprehesive list of content warnings that can be examined in a way that doesn’t spoil the twists of the story.

Fingersmith - a novel by Sarah Waters

I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I swear I’m going to get around to it!! I can’t technically recommend the book that inspired The Handmaiden since I haven’t read it yet, but I have at least one friend whose opinion I trust who sings its praises, so it’s good enough for me. Besides, if the recent popularity of This Is How You Lose The Time War has showed us anything, it’s that people constantly crave stories about complicated women, so it certainly can’t hurt, right?

#this is how you lose the time war #max gladstone #the honey month #amal el mohtar #the handmaiden #fingersmith #mabel #mabel podcast #otherside picnic #tihylttw #trigun #bigolas dickolas wolfwood #yuri #gl #sapphic #wlw #lesbian

605 notes · View notes

nerdyandweird · 4 months

Text

Mr. President (Coriolanus Snow x Reader)-Part 1

Summary: Reader is the daughter of the Plinth family currently studying at a University and has started working for the young President Snow. Story is presumed to be taking place 10 years after the events of TBOSAS. Reader doesn’t know about what Coryo did to her brother Sejanus. Likely the story will divide up to 2 or max. 3 parts since I was planning a one shot, but it ended up being too long and still writing.

Warning: there is a bit of age gap between the reader and Coryo. Since Coryo is the young president, he is currently 28 years old in this fic whereas the reader is a young adult in university so around 20 years old roughly. Plus, Coryo is a whole ass red flag himself.

***P.S. I love Lana Del Rey’s music (what a queen), so I was listening “Cinnamon Girl” a lot while writing this, it has such a romantic tune, and I just love the following line, “There’s things I want to say to you, but I just let you live. But if you hold me without hurting me, you’ll be the first who ever did.” It makes you feel all fluttery inside.

Also, this line from her song “Ultraviolence,” I used to love singing this line “cause I was filled with poison, but blessed with beauty and rage” to myself because it made me feel edgy, but now I just think it perfectly describes Coriolanus because you know, he poisons people and he’s handsome, but filled with anger and hatred. LOL. Anyways, enjoy the story!***

In the shadowed alleys of the Capitol, where opulence and ambition intertwine, there existed a figure rarely noticed—a young Snow. His pristine facade masked a mind ever calculating, navigating the intricate dance of power and prestige in a world that revered ruthlessness above all else. The Capitol's opulent façade hides its darker truths, so did he, veiling the depths of his ambition. All so perfectly poised to unravel the complexities of privilege, the chilling genesis of a future president.

You ran down the streets of the capitol as you were on your way home from university for which you promised your mother that you would be in time for since your family was supposed to be meeting the new President today. Time is not in your favour at this moment since you are at a very high likelihood of being late. So, you decide to take a shortcut, and run down an alleyway rather than the busy streets. Being in a rush and sprinting despite your aching legs and lungs gasping for air, you run into a hard chest, causing you fall backwards from the impact and you drop on your butt on the ground.

The impact of colliding with something unexpectedly was enough to knock the air out of your lungs and forced you to take several deep breaths to compose yourself. But the sensation did not last long as a voice pierced the stillness of the uprising darkness at the time of sunset. The voice was as smooth as velvet, and your attention was then immediately drawn to the tall figure who stood tall in front of you. The figure had pale blue eyes that glowed in the darkness and a firmness to his jaw that sent shockwaves through your body. It was almost hypnotic.

You gulped as you looked at the handsome, but strange young man apologetically. He was dressed very nicely almost like all members of high society are, but something about him was very different. The air around him just felt tense, he stared at me with his piercing cold, blue ocean eyes. A very annoyed expression adorning his face. His blonde hair styled very sharply, but a single curl had fallen loosely over his forehead, likely due to you.

Your eyes locked with his, and his expression shifted from annoyance to suspicion to curiosity all in a matter of seconds before settling to a steely resolve. His eyes narrowed from the intensity of his stare, and you found yourself struggling not to blush at the intensity and directness of his gaze. The curl that had fallen over his forehead seemed to accentuate the sharp lines of his square chin. As both of you stared at one another, you almost felt as though time had stopped to a crawl, and all you could feel was the anticipation of what he would do next.

"I'm sorry." You quickly apologized as you stood up from ground, wiping away the dirt from the back of skirt of your uniform and your hands.

The man kept his cold eyes fixed on you for a moment longer, as if he was considering something that you couldn't quite pinpoint. You swallowed nervously when he finally responded. His voice was low and steady, and it sent chills down your back.

"What's the rush?" He asked.

You scratched the back of your head nervously. "I have to get to my house in time otherwise my parents would be really mad. You see, the new president is coming to see us!" You say, foolishly divulging unnecessary information to this stranger.

The man cocked an eyebrow and a hint of amusement flashed across his face. He replied, "You have to get home because the new president will be visiting?" The man gave a sardonic half-grin, as if he found your story absurd. You could not help but notice how white his teeth were as he smirked.

You roll your eyes at the stranger. "Listen, I'm so sorry, but I have to get going. You're not hurt, are you?"

Before you could speak again, the stranger spoke once more. "Hurt?", he responded in a low, calm and calculating tone. "No, I'm not hurt." Your heart raced in your chest as he towered over you, and he gave you the faint impression of a predator sizing up its victim. His lips curved into a sharp smile that was chilling in the cold night air, and he added,

"But you should be very careful about running around recklessly in the streets like that. Someone as lovely as yourself could very easily get hurt."

Something about his words seemed like a warning, but you didn't pay attention as you ran off again, leaving him behind to get home.

Your mind reeled as you made your way down the quiet alleyway back to my home. You couldn't help but mull over the strange encounter that just happened but you dismissed it as a random chance encounter. You kept the conversation that you both shared in your heart as you rushed home, and as the front door of the house came into view, you breathed a sigh of relief. The new president's visit would have to wait for an hour or so—you wouldn't risk you parents' anger.

You are Yura Plinth. You belong to a really prestigious family in the Capitol. Your brother Sejanus Plinth was a mentor for the 10th hunger games which happened 10 years ago, but for some reason, he joined the peacekeepers and was executed. He was accused of being part of a rebellion, and before your father could hear the news about his punishment, the damage was done. You had lost your brother, and now you’re the only one to represent the family. An embarrassment.

Sejanus was supposed to be the new heir, the apple of your parents' eyes, but that was no longer possible because he was not around, and you were what remained. After his death, your family had selected a new heir despite your presence because they just didn't trust you enough. That person was apparently a classmate of your brother and a close friend, Coriolanus Snow, who is also now the current president. You despised him despite never meeting him before because he took your place. He took your right as an heir to the Plinth family. You’ve never met him before, but today is the day that you will.

The Plinth family was one of the most prominent families in the Capitol. They were among the wealthiest, most affluent families and were known for their shrewd business acumen and political maneuvering. The Plinth family's political connections were extensive, and their influence reached every corner of the Capitol. Over the years, the Plinth family had established a powerful political dynasty that was not to be underestimated.

When they lost their sole hair, Sejanus, 10 years ago, they picked Coriolanus Snow as their heir because in their minds, you were not fit to be an heir for many reasons. Not only were you apparently not smart enough or well-spoken as Sejanus, but it was also because you were a girl. You were deprived of your right just because you had different chromosomes from your sibling.

The Plinth family's traditionalist and conservative values shaped the way they saw the world. In their minds, it was not appropriate for a woman to lead their family, even if she was intellectually gifted and capable of doing so. They had passed over you because of your gender and instead chose the next logical heir, who happened to be a male friend of your brother.

A part of you hated your family for how they treated you, but they were the only ones you got, and without them, you would be nowhere. If you choose to rebel, your fate will face similar consequences as your late brother. So, you silently listen to your mother's complaints about your late arrival and go to your room to get ready to impress the "new president."

You felt a bitter twinge in your chest at the thought of your brother and the injustice of being overlooked for your inheritance. You knew that you could not rebel against your family and survive intact, so you quietly listened to your mothers' complaints and went to your room to get ready for the new president's visit. Your mother insisted that you wear your best dress and look your most demure to impress the president, and so you obliged. You chose a pale pink dress and matched it with your best jewelry, hoping to create a good first impression.

You were soon ready and headed downstairs to your living room, making sure to walk slow and calmly like your mother had instructed for it's not ladylike for a girl to be running around. Once you reached the bottom of the steps, you could hear chatter from the room. You walked past the dining hall into the living room to take a seat on the sofa beside your mother, but your eyes widen in shock as you meet with a familiar figure sitting in a love seat in front of you, staring at you with an amused smirk.

Your heart dropped into your stomach and fear flooded your veins when you realized that the familiar figure sitting in front of you was none other than Coriolanus Snow, the new president. The memories of your encounter in the alleyway from earlier that day came rushing back, and you couldn't help but wonder if he somehow saw you as a potential threat. Your thoughts were briefly interrupted when he addressed you, smiling with one eyebrow raised in amusement.

Him? The guy from the alleyway, he's... Coriolanus Snow? And the president? You were flabbergasted at the discovery as you paused in shock. You were probably standing for a while because your mom pulled your hand harshly to get you to sit down, and you did while your brain still could not process this information.

Coriolanus Snow's familiar voice broke your daze, dragging you out of your stupor. He was sitting opposite you, smiling widely, and staring directly at you. He appeared to be amused by the look of shock that crossed your face for he gave a small laugh and said, "Surprise, I see we've met before."

Your heart almost skipped a beat as he acknowledged you. Your parents had a look of confusion plastered on their face at the "president's" words. Your parents' confusion was a testament to how abrupt this unexpected and strange encounter was. Your mother quickly recovered from her shock and asked, "You...you already knew my daughter?" Her confusion was palpable, and her tone of voice betrayed her emotions. She was taken aback by Coriolanus Snow's familiarity with you despite having no prior introductions.

You felt the heat of embarrassment wash over you as you recalled the short encounter that you had in the back alleys earlier in the day. The memory of the cold intensity of his stare and his piercing blue eyes still lingered in your mind. You looked away from him, unable to reconcile the polite and elegant persona that he displayed before you with the cold and calculating young man that you met earlier.

"Ma, I uh... bumped into him unknowingly on my way home." You say, sheepishly. Your mother was confused by the vagueness of your explanation, and she raised an eyebrow as a skeptical look crossed her face. She said, "You bumped into him...on your way home? Is that all?"

You nod. "I see, so it was all a coincidence then." Your mother's voice had a hint of skepticism to it, but you couldn't help but to think that she was not convinced at all. You felt a twinge of irritation at her attitude towards you as you continued to look away from Coriolanus Snow to hide the emotions that were flitting across your face. You couldn't help but be affected by his presence.

Your father luckily interrupted the conversation by clearing his throat. "Corio... I mean... President Snow, we're really glad and honoured that you've made it here today, and it's wonderful that you've now met the entire family." Your father's interruption was a welcome one as it provided a chance for you to take a moment to collect yourself. You were relieved when your mother stopped questioning you and shifted her attention towards Coriolanus Snow.

Coriolanus looked at you briefly before turning his attention to your father. Coriolanus' eyes were sharp and his focus laser sharp as he looked at your father. He gave a small bow of his head, and his voice was cool and authoritative as he said,

"Ah, it's an honor to meet you, Mr. Plinth. I understand that your son and I were close, and it is my great pleasure to continue the friendship between our families."

The mention of your brother tugged at your heart, but you remained composed as they continued to speak as you zoned out from their conversation. Soon it was time for dinner, and you all stood up to make your way to the dining table. Unfortunately, time was definitely not in your favor today since you had to sit beside no one other the President, Coriolanus Snow.

The dining room was set to perfection for a formal dinner with the Plinth family. You had no choice but to swallow down the bitter taste of disappointment as you looked at the seating arrangement. Coriolanus Snow was to sit beside you, while your parents sat on either side of him, and you were stuck with him for the entire night. You were irritated by the seating arrangement as a sinking feeling began to grow in your stomach as you thought of the awkward encounter you were about to have with the new president.

You played around with the food on your plate as you stared down at it. You didn't dare lift your head to avoid having an awkward conversation with anyone, but luckily your parents were more than happy to take away any attention for you as you stayed seated at the dining table besides the new young and handsome President of Panem.

The dining hall was filled with the chatter of conversation and laughter as your parents engaged the president with their talk of politics and business. You took their lead and stayed as composed as possible as you ate slowly, keeping your eyes on your food instead of looking over at the president. You also hoped the conversation would end at some point so that you could leave the table and avoid any unnecessary exchanges with the president. However, it seemed your night was destined to be an awkward one as the dinner conversation didn't appear to be ending anytime soon.

"President Snow, I was hoping to discuss about my daughter, Yura Plinth, possibly having a chance of working with you at the office. She's currently completing her education at the Capitol's university, but I think some real-life experiences might be good for her. We'd really appreciate it if you could take her into your wing." Your father spoke to the president, making you freeze immediately upon hearing your name. Your hand gripped your fork tightly as you waited to see where exactly this conversation is going.

Coriolanus Snow glanced at you before he responded to your father, and you felt like your entire world had paused in that moment. His icy eyes swept over you for a moment again, and you could feel the weight of his gaze on you before he replied, "It would be an honor to work with the offspring of one of Panem's most prominent and respected families," he said, and you saw your mother's face light up with pride before he continued, "I will take her on board with one condition."

You quickly turned to look at him to face his side profile, his jaw so sharp like a knife and his eyes staring directly at your parents as he spoke. You watched his prominent Adam's apple move as he spoke. Coriolanus Snow's sharp gaze never left your parents as he spoke and his tone of voice was firm yet pleasant. He continued, "I will only take her if she can prove herself worthy and if she can prove that she is willing to put in the necessary work."

"Well, of course she will, she's a Plinth. Won't you, Yura?" You mom answered on your behalf as she then looked towards you to agree with her. Following her prompt, you turn your gaze to President Snow looking directly into his cold blue eyes as you said, "I promise to work really hard, President Snow. You can trust me."

Coriolanus Snow's eyes narrowed slightly at your answer, and he seemed to consider your words for a moment before he replied to you.

"I will have to wait and see if your promise holds true. Your skills will have to be tested, and if you pass, I will take you into my wing to teach you and guide you. But if you fail...well then you will face the consequences," he said, and you felt a chill run down your spine at his warning.

You nodded in agreement although you felt a bit scared. "I'll do whatever it takes." You promised.

Coriolanus Snow's facial expression remained unchanged, but you could feel his stare piercing through you as he contemplated your words. After a moment, he nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"Very well then, I will expect you to deliver on your promise because there is no room for mistakes. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir." You spoke, and you noticed a slight smirk appear on his face upon your words. Coriolanus’ smirk was faint but it was there and it added to the air of mystery and power that he was already radiating. He kept his facial expression unchanged as he looked at you, and you had the distinct feeling that he was judging you as he said,

"Good, then that's settled then." His voice was cool as ice.

You nodded then the rest of the dinner was spent in small chatter mainly between your parents and President Snow as you were left pondering what you had gotten into.

The weekend passed by and soon the unpleasant Monday morning came as your mother woke you up for school. "Yura get up! And don't forget that you need to go to President Snow's office right after your classes are done!"

Your mother's words jolted you awake as you lay in bed, and you sat up with a groan. The words, "Snow's Office," immediately filled you with an overwhelming amount of dread and anxiety as you tried to calm down your nerves. Your mother's words made it very clear that today was the first day of your new life, and there was no escaping the responsibility that it entailed.

You finish your classes and quickly head home to take shower to get ready to go to President Snow's office. As you get ready, the anxiety sets fire to your nerves again. You wear a nice mid -length white dress with matching flats. You quickly dry your, applying mild make up to your face before looking at the time. Crap! You need only have five minutes left to get there in time! You rush outside your home before asking your chauffeur to drop you to the Capitol hall, where President Snow's office is.

You arrived in a huff, and without wasting any time you rushed into the building, making a beeline for the stairs. The building was busy with people going to work and going about their day, but you couldn't focus on anything else but where you were going and the daunting responsibility that you were about to take on. You made it in front of his office door and you inhaled a deep breath then exhaled before lifting your hand to knock on the door.

Your heart was racing and your hands felt clammy as you gathered the courage to knock at the office door. Your nerves were running wild, but you knew that you didn't have a choice as you raised your hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in." You heard a voice from behind the door call, and you slowly turned the door knob to open the door before heading inside.

When you heard Coriolanus Snow's voice from the other side of the door calling in that commanding but pleasant tone of voice, your heart skipped a beat. You turned the knob on the door and stepped inside, and you felt like you were crossing the threshold into a different world.

The room was spacious and elegant, decorated with the finest furniture. Your eyes settled on the man sitting behind his desk, and your heart skipped a few beats when you locked eyes with him.

"You're late." He remarked, making your palms get clammy and you start to play with the bottom of your dress in nervousness as you try to think of an answer. Coriolanus Snow's abrupt tone of voice sent a small surge of anxiety through you as he stated the obvious, making you fidget with the bottom of your dress. The sudden pressure of him calling out your tardiness put you on edge, and your nerves were starting to get the best of you.

"I'm sorry." You apologize quietly while looking down at the ground.

Coriolanus Snow seemed to be unaffected by your apology, and without taking his eyes off you he continued speaking, "You're a late-comer and that's an indication of tardy habits, which I cannot accept. I have high standards and expectations, and I hope you are well aware of that." The president's words were blunt and without mercy, and you felt like taking a deep breath to calm yourself as he continued speaking.

"Yes Sir. It won't happen again; I'll make sure of it." You promised.

Coriolanus looked at you intently as you spoke and his expression stayed unchanged, although you thought you saw a hint of amusement in his eyes. "That is what I expect from you, and I hope that you can uphold your end of the agreement." He stood up, walking around the desk to stand in front of you before he spoke again, "Now, follow me."

Coriolanus led you around the Capitol Hall as he gave you a tour of the halls and explained the tasks and responsibilities that were expected of you. The tour was thorough and comprehensive, and you took in every word that he said as he walked around and talked with you. You couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge that you had to retain, but you also couldn't help but get a small feeling of excitement as you thought about the future that lay ahead.

President Snow asked whether you had any questions and if there was anything unclear about his expectations to which you answered no. Although you were completely overwhelmed on the inside. But there was no chance of failure, you had to prove yourself to your parents and this was the only way you could do it even though you didn't like Coriolanus Snow, you had to admit that he was quite intelligent and competent for someone of his age and calibre.

The rest of your first day was pretty simple, your only task for the day was answering phone calls for the president and leaving a message that "he was busy." It was annoying, and the ringing of the phones as still buzzing in your ears, but the day had translated into night, and it was now time to go home. You waited outside the Capital Hall as you waited for the chauffeur to come pick you up. But you were surprised when an unfamiliar car pulls up in front of you. The back window was lowered to reveal President Snow.

You tried to compose yourself as your back straightened, and you waited to see what Coriolanus Snow had to say. The president's piercing eyes stared at you for a moment before he spoke, "Can you get in?"

You quickly shake your head at his offer. "No. It's okay. My chauffeur should be here any moment. But, thank you though."

Coriolanus Snow raised an eyebrow at your response before he seemed to accept your answer, although you could tell that he didn't exactly look pleased. The president waited for a moment before he responded, "Very well then," and he looked at you with a frown on his face, "But my offer still stands. Just know that."

You gave him a polite smile with a small wave. Coriolanus Snow returned your smile with a slight nod before he rolled up his windows and drove off, leaving you by yourself again. You stared at the Capitol Hall for a moment in silent contemplation before you started to wait for your chauffeur again. This had been one of the most eventful days of your entire life.

A couple weeks go by and your responsibilities had increased to a more of an administrative or an assistant role for the president. You were responsible for organizing the president's schedule, managing his appointments, ensuring his clothes were well prepared for various events, etc. Despite trying to manage the added stresses and responsibilities, you still felt an immense amount of pressure building up within. Coriolanus Snow had shown a strict intolerance for mistakes and had never shied away from chastising you if you were to slip up in the slightest way.

You absolutely despised him but were also scared of him. Everyone in the Capitol were always walking on eggshells around him, so what were you in comparison? You were snapped out of your thoughts as the man himself entered your office abruptly.

His gaze met yours with a piercing look, and your heart started to pound as you felt the walls closing in around you. "Good evening, President Snow." You greeted him.

"Evening." The president replied with a clipped tone before he continued to speak, "We have a crisis on our hands, one that is urgent and needs to be resolved quickly. Are you aware of the tension that is brewing between the Capitol and District 12?"

"What kind of tension?"

"I've received various reports from my sources that there are rumors of rebellion brewing in District 12. I don't believe that it has gotten to that point yet." He said as he crossed his arms, "But the tensions seem to only be growing and it's important that we are aware of the situation."

"What would you like me to do, sir?"

**"I'd like for you to dig up more information that can help us establish the situation in District 12, to determine whether the rumors of rebellion were true or not.*" He stated, watching you intently as you spoke.

"Me?" You asked.

"Yes, you."** Coriolanus Snow answered firmly and without hesitating, "As my assistant, it is your duty to carry out my orders regardless of your opinions or thoughts on the matter. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir." You reply, not really having a choice in the matter.

Coriolanus Snow's expression stayed unchanged as you answered his question, but he didn't seem upset with you. He seemed satisfied with your response and looked at you for a moment as he spoke, "Make sure to report back to me at the end of the day tomorrow, is that understood?"

You nod, but you whine on the inside at the heavy task now sitting on top your shoulders. Coriolanus Snow appeared pleased by your response before he left the office without saying a word. You were left alone once again with your thoughts and the huge burden of responsibility given to you. You sighed and sat down at your desk as you started wondering how you were going to complete the daunting task that the president had given you.

After he left your office, you immediately left to head to district 12 and begin investigating in the matter. The tension that was growing in the air was almost palpable as you arrived into the district, and you knew that you had to tread carefully. You began conducting various interviews and asking questions around the area, trying to find out more information about this supposed uprising that had been rumored. You specifically spoke with peacekeepers assigned in District 12 to see if they had noticed anything strange out of the blue to which they refused. You even looked over Jabberjay recordings but were unable to find any sort of information that might point to a possible rebellion. When you arrived at home, you stayed up all night to create a report on your findings to present to the President tomorrow.

You were exhausted after the sleepless night that you had endured while conducting your investigation. You slowly moved through your classes the next day in your school uniform and headed straight for the Capitol Hall once your classes ended. You arrived at the building and headed straight towards the President’s Office to meet with Coriolanus Snow, but you were also beginning to feel increasingly nervous about presenting your report to him.

When you entered the suite, you didn't see the president and noticed a white rose with a note lying on the table. The note was addressed to you and the only message that was written in it read, "Come to my house, I will expect to hear about your findings there. Snow". You glanced at the note and the white rose before packing up your report and leaving to head towards the presidential residence.

After following the note's directions, you found yourself arriving at the presidential residence as the sun began to set. You were greeted by a servant who allowed you to enter and then directed you to a seat in the living room to wait for President Snow. You sat down and tried to prepare yourself for the meeting that was going to come, which you were sure was going to be a challenging one.

Coriolanus Snow walked into the room, and you quickly got up out of your seat to greet him. The president was dressed in a black suite and was holding a glass of wine in his hand, which he sipped on as he came closer to you. His facial expression was unreadable, and he was watching you keenly with those piercing eyes.

"Good evening, President Snow. How are you?" You greeted.

"Fine." The President responded with a clipped tone, although his expression did soften for a moment. He held the glass of wine up to his nose and took another sip from the glass before looking you in the eye and saying, "You may begin your report."

You nod before presenting your findings on District 12, you give him every detail that you know as you watch him listen keenly to your words. "And therefore, I don't think there is any sort of rebellion plans forming in District 12." You conclude.

Coriolanus Snow took a sip from his glass of wine before he said, "And you are positive of this?"

You nod. Coriolanus Snow continued to look at you with a piercing gaze, like he was trying to stare into your soul and read your thoughts. You could feel the pressure building up inside of you, but you tried to remain calm and keep your composure.

He finally spoke after a few moments of silence, "What would happen if I were to find out that you have withheld crucial information from me? Would you be able to handle the consequences of such an action?"

"I have not withheld any information from you. I would be a fool to do so, and I have no wish to compromise my own life or my family's for a possible uprising in the Districts." You answer.

Coriolanus Snow narrowed his eyes at you as you spoke, and you could feel how intense his stare was. He remained silent for a few moments before saying, "Are you saying that you would put your life and even the lives of your family members on the line for this investigation?"

You gulped, but you nodded anyways.

Coriolanus Snow's stare remained intense as he continued to look at you, but there was a glimmer of admiration in his eyes. You could tell that he was definitely starting to gain a great deal of respect for you.

"Well, for what it's worth, I can say that I don’t think you have anything to worry about when it comes to a rebellion rising up in district 12. I believe you when you say that there are no signs of this currently brewing."

"Thank you."

Coriolanus Snow nodded his head, "You've done exceptionally well with this report, I am satisfied with the work you've put in and the information you've provided. However, the reports that I've received from my sources are still concerning, so you will continue to provide me with updates from District 12 every week from now on to ensure that the situation does not escalate. Is that understood?"

"Yes Sir."

Coriolanus Snow finally smiled at you when you agreed to do as he asked. The president was still holding his glass of wine as he spoke, "That is all for now, you are free to leave. I have one more question to ask, before you leave though."

"Of course."

Coriolanus Snow placed his glass of wine down on the table and looked at you intently. "As you know, this discussion is highly classified and cannot leave these walls. If anyone were to ask you about what we talked about, you are to keep silent and not disclose anything. Is that clear?"

You nod before starting to leave.

Coriolanus Snow smiled slightly and nodded as he watched you begin to leave. He then spoke for the last time. "We will meet here again next time for this report. Stay alert and continue to remain mindful of any suspicious activities in District 12. You've done well today."

You nod upon hearing his words feeling like it's a habit for you now. But as you walked, you started to feel a bit dizzy, and the room began to spin as you started to lose your balance.

Coriolanus Snow's expression changed slightly as he noticed you lose your balance and start to feel lethargic. He quickly rushed over to you, not wanting you to fall and hurt yourself. "Are you feeling alright?"

You felt his arms around you to support you as he helped move you to the sofa again. Coriolanus quickly moved you onto the sofa and looked at you with concern as you began to fade in and out of consciousness. The president placed his hands underneath your head to raise you up as he looked at you, asking again, "Are you OK?"

You nodded stating that you're fine. You probably felt a bit weak due to exhaustion and because you had barely eaten today due to the stress of this report, but you don't state any of that in front of him.

Coriolanus Snow kept an eye on you as he saw that you were still looking a bit weak and exhausted. You felt yourself starting to drift out of consciousness, but you tried to remain alert and focused as you stated that you were fine.

He looked at you sympathetically as he noticed your exhaustion and knew that you could use some rest. After some more moments of silence, he broke the silence again and spoke up, "Would you like me to arrange for one of the servants to prepare some food for you to eat?"

You refused out of politeness, but again as if the time was against you, your stomach growled loudly.

Coriolanus Snow noticed your stomach's loud growling and couldn't help but smile slightly as he said, "I believe that your stomach has just expressed its opinion on that."

The president looked at you with a hint of humor in his eyes as he continued, "Let me have the servants arrange a light meal for you. It will be good for you to eat something."

You couldn't refuse as you flushed in embarrassment. The servant gave you some fruits to eat and you had some cherries since those were your favourite.

As you finished eating the fruit, Coriolanus Snow suggested that you stay for dinner. You were about to say that you should decline when you realized that the president was watching you intently, probably waiting for you to respond. You decided to stay anyway, as it was not a bad idea to take up his offer.

The servants prepared an extravagant meal for all of you, and the president sat next to you during the dinner. Although you enjoyed the delicious food, you felt a bit uncomfortable with the intense staring from Coriolanus Snow.

You thanked the president once again for the delicious dinner, and then excused yourself. You explained that it was late and if you did not return home soon then your parents might start to worry. The president nodded as he watched you stand up, and he didn't seem like he wanted you to leave already.

"You can stay the night. It's late anyways. I can speak to your parents so that they're not worried." He said asking you to stay.

Coriolanus Snow offered for you to spend the night there, as it was pretty late already. However, the idea of staying the night with the president sounded even more awkward than that intense staring. You couldn't refuse, though. The president might find it strange if you insisted on going home and making your parents worry, so you agreed and thanked him for the offer.

"But I don't have another set of clothes for the night." You say.

The president seemed to have expected that response from you since he nodded and said, "Don't worry, I have plenty of guest rooms that have fresh clothes and comfortable blankets. You can simply change into some of those and spend the night on one of the guest beds." Not having any more excuses, you reluctantly agreed.

Your acceptance of the offer seemed to have surprised Coriolanus Snow, as his face broke into a small smile at your polite acceptance. He got up from his seat and walked over to you and then placed his hands on your back as he guided you towards one of the guest rooms.

You entered the room and thanked him once again before saying "Goodnight President Snow."

Coriolanus Snow smiled down at you and replied with a simple "Good night." You entered the guest room and began to change into the fresh clothes given to you by the servants. The bed was exceptionally comfortable and relaxing, and you immediately felt tired just from laying down and closing your eyes.

In the middle of the night, you have a dream or more like a nightmare. Sejanus is standing in front of the noose and yelling out your mother's name. You gasped and sat up quickly in bed, feeling scared as you remembered where you were. You looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings, feeling uneasy and vulnerable. After some moments of silence, you decided to go take a little walk down the hallway to calm your nerves and settle your breathing.

You walked in the hallway as you looked downwards from the stairs. The mansion looked so eerily haunted in the dark, it gave you shivers as you started to descend the stairs to get some water from the kitchen.

The dark mansion was eerily haunting and unsettling as you descended the stairs, and it caused you to feel a sense of dread as you stepped into the kitchen. The quiet atmosphere gave you a strange feeling of uneasiness as if someone was watching you. You tried to shake it off and went to pour yourself a cup of water.

As you were on your way back to your room, you heard noises coming from a distant room ahead of the living room. For some reason, you followed the sounds and came near the door. You opened the door slightly to find President Snow speaking loudly to someone on the phone. You try not to eavesdrop and leave the door closed, but your curiosity gets the better of you. You decide to open the door slightly and peek at the president. You thought that the person he was speaking with on the phone was the main recipient of his attention, but before you could even process the entire situation, his gaze met yours.

You gasped upon seeing his gaze meet yours and quickly backed away from the door while trying to hide yourself, but you knew that he had probably noticed you by now. You stood there for a few moments, feeling panicked and unsure about what to do next.

You tried to quickly maneuver your way back to your room, but you heard a door sound closing from behind you and footsteps catching up to you before you feel someone grab your arm before entrapping you between them and against the wall. You were trying to maneuver your way back to your room when you felt someone catch your arm and pull you against the wall. You felt trapped and vulnerable as the person you realized to be the president held you with one arm wrapping around your arm and pressed you closely against the wall with their body.

***End of Part 1- See you in Part 2…***

***Thanks for reading!***

146 notes · View notes