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nortism · 6 months

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Nor's Ultimate BBC Ghosts Fic Recommendations

I decided to put my obsessive AO3 bookmarking to good use and recommend you all some of my favourite ghosts fics (not all, there will likely be a part two). I tried my best to include a variety of fics centring different characters and ships as well as lesser known fics. Please feel free to reblog this post and add your own recs (self promo very much allowed). I've tried to add tumblrs were applicable but if you wrote one of these fics or know who did, please let me know and I'll edit the post. Happy reading!

It by Scriblit

Rating: M

Ships: Mary/Robin, Julian/Robin

Summary:

You lose three mates, ten babies, both parents, all your siblings and then every friend for scores of millennia and still entertain the concept of being 'sweet' on a dead woman still consumed by her own pain. Doing It never had much meaning to Robin, even when he was alive. Now that he's dead, it's really just something to while away all the years. At some point, he's asked most of the ghosts if they want to do it. Some said no, some said yes. His only rule is, they have to genuinely want to do it, too. And, they mustn't be too sad. One of the ghosts was too sad, for so long, so he waited. And waited.

Notes: The first two chapters of this fic are an amusing exploration of caveman sex and the boredom that comes with eternal purgatory but the last chapter is where it gets really, really good. Genuinely one of the most poignant and devastating explorations of grief I've ever read, I cannot recommend it enough.

The Curse by Scriblit

Rating: T

Ships: Robin/OFC, Humphrey/Sophie

Summary:

Over the years, the centuries, the millennia, the residents of, and visitors to Button House and the land it's built on have experienced strange things, and heard strange tales. Multiple mysterious, macabre deaths. Unruly electrics. Blurry shapes in photos. St Elmo's Fire. Burning smells, a mysterious, singing voice in the cellar. Rumours of witchcraft, an ancient amulet and visions of Satan himself. Is the land truly cursed? Or is this just a place of 250,000 years worth of human sadness?

Notes: I only wanted to include one work from each author but I couldn't take this off my list. The only way I can describe this fic is clever. It's one of those things you just have to experience for yourself. Criminally underrated. Just read all of Scriblit's work, I'm their biggest fan.

Family, Family, Family by MadameReveuse

Rating: T

Ships: Primarily gen with side Julian/Robin

Summary:

Green Party Fundraiser Time! Rachel Fawcett comes to Button House, despite struggling with her feelings regarding a certain extremely unfortunate death there. Ghosts and the living alike are thrown into turmoil, especially when it begins to look like someone at the event may be attempting to harm the up-and-coming young politician. Can Julian stand idly by? Well, he's a ghost, so yeah, he has to.

Notes: This fic has it all; father/daughter bonding, a murder mystery and plenty of tory bashing. My entire perception of who Rachel Fawcett is comes from this fic, I was almost glad we never met her in canon as the author does such a fantastic job characterising her.

Ten friends total by notupforpolo (@notupforpolo)

Rating: G

Ships: Mary/Annie

Summary:

After the initial shock of dying wore off, Kitty was so excited to have Mary and Annie as friends. Kitty would notice how they spoke and gossiped just like Eleanor and her friends would do. They were potential friends until they just became friends. Then, when Annie was sucked off, Kitty was there to comfort Mary. Until Mary followed.

Notes: There is a severe lack of both Kitty-centric and Mary/Annie fic in this fandom and this fic covers both bases. Just a really excellent Kitty character study and a great exploration of grief

House Share by Sheepyblue (@ginevralinton)

Rating: G

Ships: Alison/Mike

Summary:

In which Mike makes a New Year's Resolution, with varying degrees of success (Or, a story of Mike spending time with the ghosts)

Notes: I've read a few variants of Mike spending time with the ghosts but I really like this one. My favourite chapter was definitely the Humphrey one, I won't spoil it but it's very funny. This author has far too many Ghosts fics for me to include in this post so I'd recommend you look through their other works

...And A Rainbow! by Spineless_Lobster (@spineless-lobster )

Rating: G

Ships: None

Summary:

Alison buys the Captain some pride merchandise, Kitty gets very excited that an entire room in the house is covered in rainbows. The two ghosts decide to have a sleepover to celebrate the (gay) occasion.

Notes: For all my Cap & Kitty lovers, this is pure fluff. Made me giggle.

Nothing Like a Round on 'The Krypton Factor' by neverfaraway

Rating: T

Ships: The Captain/Pat

Summary:

Wedding season approaches at Button House and, for once, everything is going off without a hitch. Of course, there’s the slight issue of Pat’s recent epiphany about his sexuality, Kitty’s determination to get her hands on as much badly-written erotica as possible, and the peasants becoming decidedly revolting. Still, if only the ghosts can refrain from murdering any of the builders, Alison is fairly sure they can pull this off. Or, Pat and the Captain negotiate coming out, even if it's only to each other.

Notes: Even if you, like myself, aren't a Patcap shipper, this fic is worth the read solely for the the subplot about the Plague Ghosts staging a leftist uprising. The perfect blend of comedy and heartfelt moments, this fic feels like it could have been an actual episode of Ghosts.

Don't Let The Good Life Pass You By by Impossibly_Izzy (@impossiblyizzy)

Rating: M

Ships: The Captain/Pat, Alison/Mike, minor Robin/Julian

Summary:

When the ghosts are mysteriously resurrected, life at Button House only gets more chaotic. Asking, how do you live in a world that wasn't built for you? How do you find meaning in a cold uncaring universe? And what does the Captain eat for breakfast?

Notes: Crack treated seriously is one of my fav AO3 genres and this fic is the cream of the crop. Despite being a Patcap fic, all the characters reactions to living in the modern world were explored in a detailed and hysterical way. I think about the scene where the whole gang goes to the pub constantly.

Queer Eye (The Captain Edition) by swimmingfox

Rating: Not Rated but I'd give it T

Ships: Past The Captain/Havers

Summary:

In a miraculous world where they have the ability to see ghosts, the Fab 5 descend upon Button House to transform the Captain (and, well, everyone).

Notes: Exactly what it says on the tin. Just pure hijinks, I can't fault it. Don't let the script format put you off, the author has done an excellent job of characterising everyone's voice

Fabrications by SwaggerStick

Rating: T

Ships: The Captain/Julian

Summary:

"It's true," said Julian. "You lot couldn't lie to save your lives." The Captain took personal offence at that statement. So, apparently, did Pat. "Oh give over," he said. "Like you can do better." ---------- The ghosts decide to figure out which one of them is the best liar. Competitively.

Notes: Another fic that really feels like it could be an actual episode. Very funny and also provides an explanation to the ghosts' pee turning to dust thing that has been bothering me since last Christmas so honestly you should just read it for that. Ship content is minor if Julicap isn't your thing (it's not really mine either)

Good Boy by Ailendolin (@ailendolin)

Rating: T

Ships: Mike/Alison

Summary:

"I’ve been thinking – Robin saved my life, didn’t he? Last week when I was out in the storm.” “Because of the stupid bear,” Alison couldn’t help but remind him. “Yeah, whatever,” Mike said with a roll of his eyes. “So when he redirected the lightning I saw him for a brief moment and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that.” Alison felt her eyes soften. “Oh Mike, why didn’t you say anything?” “No, it’s not like that,” Mike waved her worry away. “I know we’ve thanked him for what he did but with the gatehouse burning down and the whole insurance mess it feels like we haven’t really appreciated it enough, you know?” Mike and Alison plan a surprise for Robin.

Notes: Very sweet addition to the season 4 finale. Would have loved to see something like this in season 5 but this is almost as good.

fieri sentio et excrucior by oui_oui_mon_ami (@sunshine-soprano)

Rating: T

Ships: The Captain/OMC

Summary:

It all begins when the Captain meets the Roman centurion ghost next door.

Notes: An absolute fandom classic, I couldn't not include it. Not normally a huge fan of ocs but this one is vey well done. You can tell the author is very passionate about Latin and roman history which I always enjoy seeing (the passion not necessarily roman history).

The Moneypot by someplsloverobbierotten (@caps-clever-girl)

Rating: T

Ships: Julian/Robin

Summary:

Julian bet Robin a tenner over Heather getting sucked off. He of course tries squirrel his way out, but Robin’s not letting him off that easily. OR: Robin and Julian like their bets, but what's a ghost to spend imaginary money on?

Notes: Another fic that is basically canon to me. The author absolutely nailed Julian's voice. Overall just a fun read with some genuinely sweet moments.

Thanks, Skipper by NaughtyBees

Rating: G

Ships: None

Summary: Button House gets a visitor, someone specifically looking for Pat.

Notes: No 1 trans ally Pat Butcher, what more could you ask for? The definition of short and sweet

smoke gets in your eyes by sidelined

Rating: T

Ships: Alison/Mike, The Captain/Havers, minor Julian/Robin

Summary:

Alison and Mike move into Button House and, completely unintentionally, teach the ghosts valuable lessons about love. (In which Alison worries about a first date, Robin and Julian discuss marriage, Thomas accidentally humbles himself, Kitty discovers that romance can live everywhere, and the Captain ponders his loneliness

Notes: A really sweet set of vignettes about the ghosts and love. The Mike and Alison first date scene is canon to me, the author nailed Mike.

#bbc ghosts #ghosts bbc #bbc ghosts fic #fic rec #fic reccomendations #the captain #the captain bbc ghosts #kitty bbc ghosts #robin bbc ghosts #mary bbc ghosts #humphrey bbc ghosts #humphrey bone #thomas thorne #fanny button #pat butcher #julian fawcett #ao3 #ao3 fanfic #mine

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madara-fate · 10 months

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You know I have to realise that one of the reasons why SasuSaku's dynamic is interpreted wrong is not only because of the unnecessary Sakura hate but also the lack of understanding for Sasuke's character, more specifically, his love language. It's easier to understand that Sakura cared for Sasuke, she's extremely expressive of her emotions. But with Sasuke, it's a different story. He's not good at expressing his emotions or verbalising them (which is understandable bc of his trauma), his love language is primarily ‘acts of service’. For example, what Sasuke SAID was Naruto is a ‘loser’ and ‘scaredy cat’ but what he DID was immediately risking his life when Haku was about to attack Naruto. think this is something which fans tend to forget about him often. He's a VERY show-dont-tell person. Sakura, in contrast, is good at expressing her feelings. Her love language also includes physical touch and words of affirmation. She can easily tell Sasuke she's in love with him or hug her when he wakes up from a coma. Which is probs majorly why so many fans feel their relationship is ‘one sided’ because of the clear difference between their love language.

I think THIS is exactly one of the main reasons why I saw SS becoming endgame. While Sasuke isn't fond of physical touch, he felt comfortable enough with Sakura to calm down at her touch, let her hug him, carve for her hand in the FOD, hold her, poke her forehead etc. Similarly, he's not the best at verbalising his feelings in words but he tried, again, the thank yous, the apology, cheering her up before the exam. This is something he doesn't do with anyone else. While I am sure Sasuke fell in love with her only after ch. 699, it's pretty clear he had a soft spot for her before leaving the village, which was evident from the way he had been with her, (which eventually turned into love after his redemption journey).

Yeah I agree, Sasuke's definitely the most misunderstood character in the story, and even in the few instances when he does actually verbalise his affection, they're always just glossed over by the fans. The amount of times that I've heard people say...

That he hates Sakura (despite never saying or implying that).

That he doesn't give a damn about her (despite indicating that she is one of his most precious people on multiple occasions).

That he constantly insulted her (despite never insulting her once).

That he was forced and guilt tripped into being in a relationship with her (as if anyone could ever force him to do something that he doesn't want to do).

That he allows himself to be in a loveless marriage (despite how canonically important love is to the Uchiha).

I honestly just don't think he was that difficult to read, especially when you give the Curse of Hatred the significance that it deserves.

While I am sure Sasuke fell in love with her only after ch. 699, it's pretty clear he had a soft spot for her before leaving the village

💯

Yep, Sasuke wasn't in love with Sakura during the main story, nor did he need to be, but the fact that he nonetheless held her (and Naruto) very close to his heart is undeniable.

He described her as a dear comrade.

He was ready to risk his life fending off Gaara so that Naruto could get her to safety.

He thought of her and Naruto when Kakashi referenced his precious companions.

He was reminded of her and the rest of Team 7 when Taka were sacrificing themselves for his sake.

He revealed how he saw the shadow of his family within her and the rest of Team 7. And when considering just how precious Sasuke's family was to him, those are big words indeed.

Your point about how he only tends to show direct verbal affection towards Sakura is also a significant one. One could say how he also apologised to Karin, but the difference between them is very clear.

#Sasuke Uchiha #Sakura Haruno #sasusaku

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myechoecho · 6 months

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Moon in the Day, ep 2

Two episodes in and I have so many questions and speculations. There's quite a bit to unpack here.

Firstly, we know that they loved each other in their past lives. Despite him killing her whole family. Despite her trying to kill him multiple times. He kept her close and she stayed close. It was a choice. I am very curious to know just WHAT made her finally go through with killing him only for her to hurl herself off a cliff after. Who was chasing them?

I like that their past is not told in chronological order. Rather we are getting it in bits and pieces, sometimes triggered by something that is said in the present and what he remembers.

We learn that he has been with her through multiple reincarnations. Always watching over her. It looks like her current life is the first time she's had her original face. And there just happens to be his doppelganger's body who has conveniently died. I'm convinced that their original life's faces, Joon Oh dying, Young Hwa passing out, the blood dripping down her arm plus the touching of the hands has allowed the General to inhabit Joon Oh's body.

I'm not sure why the cancer is still there when the other wounds healed. And I guess Joon Oh's heart is still beating which is also weird to me. Ultimately it means this body is a loaner and there will only be more grief later. It is just me or does he look a little sickly in that body?

It's interesting that the General can remember bits and pieces of Joon Oh's life. I wonder how far he can go back in his memories as right now they are fairly recent ones.

Which brings me to another point - was the General actually able to READ the script? The show made is seem like he did, which would not make sense since the written Korean language was not created until hundreds of years after he lived. So was he able to read it and if so, was it because Joon Oh could read it? Or is it because he's been with Young Hwa through 1500 years of reincarnations that he's naturally learned it?

I do like how he doesn't have any of the shock in being in the modern world, even though he doesn't really understand it fully and he still talks as he used to when he was alive.

Couple of final thoughts - I'm not convinced the talisman is the thing creating the magic bubble shield around Young Hwa though I could be wrong. I find it interesting how the General always refers to Young Hwa by her current name. It's never her original name (which I don't think they've said in the show yet, nor his for that matter).

Really want to see more from Young Hwa's perspective as she has likely suffered like him throughout her multiple reincarnations (the nightmares etc).

#moon in the day #kdrama

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shina913 · 1 year

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Scions, Ch.7 | Kim Line + JHS

Scions, 7

sci·on | \ ˈsī-ən \ Definition:(1)a descendant(2) a shoot or twig, especially one cut for grafting or planting

✼Scions Masterlist✼

Pairing: Fem!Reader Sister + Kim Brothers; JHS x Fem!Reader

Rating: M (🔞)

Genre: Siblings!AU; Marriage!AU; FWB!AU; exes to ?; Mom!Reader; Brother’s Best Friend; drama; angst; smut; fluff

Warnings: ANGST!!!; DRAMA!!!; multiple POV switches; character death; ots of crying–like, A LOT; parenting frustrations; parenting fears; vulnerable confessions; cussing; pining; marriage troubles; mentions of divorce/separation; emotional outbursts; mourning; soft sibling moments

Word count: 7,715 words

Summary: Four grown siblings return to their childhood hometown after their father is declared to be terminal. They are forced to live under the same roof for days, along with their overbearing mother, to say their final goodbyes. It starts off nostalgic until some unresolved family issues along with an assortment of spouses, exes, and might-have-beens make things even more interesting.

A/N: Happy 2023 and sorry this took so long! I had a long-ass note and somehow it got deleted 😂 Woops! Anyway, I wanted to thank all of those who have just recently discovered this story. I love reading all of your notes and thoughts on it as this story is very special to me. It's not an easy read nor is it easy to write (as I've said many times) because it's just...super heavy angst and drama! But I am happy that some of you are enjoying it and looking forward to the next installments!

A/N2: Joon's eulogy was taken from one of his insta stories from May 2022--yes, I have been holding onto this for that long! Translation was taken (verbatim) from @/eternalhyyh on Twt.

A/N3: There are some references to scenes from the two one-offs that were previously posted (Sunshine and Joon & Jooni). One scene in particular picks up right after the end of J&J but it's not super essential that you read those. They just contribute to the story and provide additional context.

After the funeral directors came by to pick up his dad’s body to bring him to the mortuary for cremation, Taehyung retreated to his childhood bedroom. He’d been sitting on the floor for who knows how long. The tears would come and go, especially when he would catch glimpses of old family photos that were displayed on his walls and his bookshelf.

Out of his siblings, he was taking it the hardest. His hero was gone and there was nothing he could do to remedy that.

His nephew and niece tried to coax him out of his room but he couldn’t face them…not like this. He was a mess.

Taehyung took pride in being the ‘fun’ uncle. Always playing games and putting smiles on their faces. The kids were also innately introspective so if they saw any hint that he was upset, they would ask questions about it.

And he wasn’t in the right headspace to talk about any of it yet.

He overheard Namjoon’s voice on the other side of the door, murmuring something about taking the kids to the park. Seconds later, the shadows between the gap of the floor and door moved away, much to his relief.

Sniffling, he reached for his phone by his bedside. He wasn’t sure why but he felt like he needed to confide in somebody…somebody who wasn’t family. Somebody who was emotionally removed from the situation.

“Hi,” he said shakily when the other line picked up. “Do you have a minute?”

******

Eunhae does one final sweep of her hotel room, checking to make sure that she didn’t leave anything. And if she did, it was unlikely that she’d ever come back to this area anyway.

She’d been gone from the office for a few days. And while the nature of her job allowed her to work remotely, it wasn’t like Taehyung was necessarily welcoming her with open arms.

For years, she happily relished in her independence. She didn’t like the idea of ‘belonging’ to someone. The idea of not being tied down to anybody was important to her. She was content with only having to worry about herself, for the most part since her family already worried her enough.

When she first met Taehyung, he was someone that she was instantly physically attracted to. The fact that he offered to carry her giant boxes from the moving truck and into her apartment was a bonus.

He agreed to a no-strings arrangement but she could tell that he didn’t typically go for relationships like that. He was a gentle soul, always thinking about his family and friends.

Even after they’d slept together, he always offered that she stay the night, get something to eat, or just hang out for a bit. 9 times out of 10, she would decline. Spending time together after doing the deed almost always led to some type of attachment. But the times that she would agree, he considered it as a privilege.

He always treated her with respect even though her promiscuity would have other people looking at her differently. He was never the type to just leave right after he got what he wanted. And it was those times that made Eunhae reconsider how she felt about relationships.

After years of living around the city and several casual encounters, she realized that she’d never met anybody like him. It was just unfortunate that she had gone into self-preservation mode right when Taehyung needed somebody.

She’d spent enough time kicking herself for being such an idiot about it. It was what brought her out here to begin with. Unfortunately, Taehyung would have none of it.

While she searches for the TV remote to check herself out of the room, her phone rings loudly from her purse.

It was probably the office again, she thought.

As soon as she retrieves it, the caller ID catches her off-guard.

“H-hey,” she answered. “You know what, I’m still in town. Do you want me to come over?”

******

When Namjoon returned from the park with the kids, his mom immediately greets him by the door asking if he had his suit laid out for tomorrow.

“How could I not bring a suit? I can’t believe…” he muttered to himself.

“Don’t even worry about it, darling!” His mom’s voice echoed through the bedroom from her walk-in closet.

“I was in such a hurry, it didn’t even cross my mind,” he says again, ignoring her comments.

“That’s alright, Namjoonah. You know, you and your dad are pretty much the same size? I mean, right before he got sick.” He turned around to find his mom holding a jacket open for him. It gave him pause, but she remained in that position, waiting to put it on him.

He glances at her for a moment, her expression was soft–one that he rarely saw. Growing up, he made life difficult for her every time she was on a break from filming or if she was in-between projects. Every time he defied her, he would see this hardened look on her face–one of frustration and disappointment.

Namjoon wasn’t always as compliant as his siblings were. He always went against the grain–which caused some constant conflict between him and his mother.

When he left for university, it was one of the best times of his life. He missed his siblings and his old friends but he also felt some relief to not feel obligated to spend time with his mom whenever she was home. He either had to study for exams, attend a workshop, or wanted to save on the bus fare home.

Come to think of it, this is the most time he has spent with her, in the same space, after over a decade.

He swallowed the emotions that bubbled up inside him. He took a step towards her then turned around to stretch his arms backwards. Once he slipped his hands through the armholes, his mom pulled the jacket up his arms and onto his shoulders. He felt her small hands do a quick sweep over his shoulder blades to smooth the material.

Afterwards, she moved around him. His eyes shifted downward while he watched her straighten out the lapels and brush off some errant traces of lint.

“Ma, you don’t have to do that, I can–”

“Shush and just let me do this, adeul.”

He released a long, exasperated breath…and let her be.

“You know, this was one of your dad’s favorites. I had it custom-made for him,” she muses.

Namjoon gets a whiff of his dad’s scent on the jacket and a calm washes over him. It smelled of citrus-mint bar soap…one that he used for as long as Namjoon can remember. His dad was but a creature of habit. He could have gone and used all of those artisanal bath oils and scents that his mom brought from her travels but he always stuck to the same one.

His dad once said that it was the same soap that they carried at the resort where they had honeymooned as newlyweds.

He happened to find the manufacturer and ordered copious amounts of them. To this day, he kept a small stock in a waterproof, air-tight container in the basement. Namjoon chuckled at the memory.

A few more seconds of fussing with his collar, his mom stepped back and cocked her head to the side, admiring her handiwork. “There. So handsome,” she smiled appreciatively.

Namjoon snorts at the remark. “Mom…please,” he says, cheeks slightly flushed from embarrassment.

“What? I’m not allowed to compliment my son? My smart, successful, handsome son? Whom I’m very proud of, by the way,” she added.

Namjoon’s eyes shift downward.

She cocked her head to the side and touched his cheek. “Hey–what’s with the long face?”

“Proud?” His lips quirked morosely. “I’m not sure if I deserve your pride. I’m…I don’t even know if I would be proud of myself.”

She scoffed. “And why not?”

“My marriage is ending because my wife cheated on me right under my nose, my life is in shambles…and now I’m bringing a baby into the world?”

“Is that why you haven’t talked to him in the last few weeks? Is that why you tried to keep this from us? You think we’d think less of you?”

“Ma, even I think less of me right now. I…” he opened his mouth to say something, but struggled to find the right words. “I usually know what my next move would be…but…for some reason, I just feel…” he sighed, “...lost.”

She hummed, understanding his predicament. “A baby, huh? You must be terrified.”

He scoffed. “I am.”

“Well–not sure if it’s any consolation, but that feeling never goes away.”

“That’s reassuring,” Namjoon says sarcastically.

“Why don’t you tell me what you’re afraid of, darling?”

“Uhh…everything! I don’t even know where or how to start raising another human. I can’t even figure out my life right now.” He runs both hands through his hair, suddenly feeling a cold sweat break through his scalp. “What would I teach this kid?”

“Why don’t you sit down, before you give yourself an aneurysm, Namjoonie?”

He sits on his parents’ old bed, which was most recently moved back into the master bedroom after hospice staff picked up the hospital bed and other medical equipment following his dad’s passing.

His mom sits right next to him.

“Sweetheart, do you remember when Jooni was born?”

Namjoon smiles nostalgically at the memory. “Like it was yesterday.”

“Do you remember how you felt when you first held her?”

He laughed. “I was…very scared! She was so small and…I was so nervous, I thought I would drop her.”

“And did you?” She asked quietly.

He shook his head gently. “YN said that, if you loved something that precious, even the clumsiest person would hang on to it as if their life depended on it.”

“And you held her so carefully and so close to you.”

“I did…for over an hour! I didn’t even care that my arm fell asleep,” He laughed softly. “It felt nice.”

His mom smiled. “That’s what being a parent is, Namjoon. It’s terrifying at first because there are so many things that you don’t know. You can plan things out in advance in anticipation for the worst possible scenario but…that’s just not how it works. You learn as you go”

Then she turned and looked at him lovingly. “You just need to love them and do the best you can for them. You hang on to them tightly until they’re ready to let go and set off on their own.”

Namjoon hung his head and stared at the floorboards. “Do you think Vee and I have already screwed this kid up with this divorce?”

His mom rests her arm on his shoulder and squeezes it gently, her expression unyielding but reassuring. “Honey, I think that if you stayed in an unhappy marriage, that would not be healthy for your child either. Most people think that you need to prioritize your child’s happiness before yours–but I disagree. Self-sacrifice is a given when you decide to have children but at the end of the day, you need to take care of yourself, too. It’s an absolute necessity…so that you can take care of others.”

Namjoon nods, allowing his mom’s words to sink in. He knew that his family was unconventional. His parents’ generation was all about doing things for the benefit of the whole family. You didn’t take care of yourself, you didn’t do things for yourself–that was selfish.

Somehow, his parents found a balance to defy all that. They found a way to make their dreams come true and love their children at the same time. While self-sacrifice was evident in all of the decisions they made for their family, self-love also took precedence. It was how his parents reinforced their marriage.

She rubs the back of his neck softly, which he finds comforting. After that, she gives him a kiss on his temple. “You’ll be okay, Namjoonie. We’re here to help you get through this.”

Namjoon lets out a wry chuckle. “You’re way more optimistic than I am. I probably have the worst parental instincts!”

“‘Worst parental instincts’?” She laughed at how ridiculous he was being. “Who was it who volunteered to take the children out to the park for a bit of playtime?”

“That was coincidental. Everyone was busy with stuff and I didn’t want the kids to get bored or get in the way.”

She rolled her eyes. “Give yourself a bit more credit, Namjoon. I see how you are with Joobin and Jooni.”

He continues to wave her off. “That’s different. I play with them for a bit, keep them company…At the end of the day, I get to give them back to YN. It’s kind of like library books.”

Mouth falling open, she gasps and clutches her chest in disbelief. “Kim Namjoon! You did not just compare your niece and nephew to library books?!”

He chuckled in return. “I love books—and I love Joobin and Jooni.” His face falters for a second, turning more serious. “…but they’re not mine. It’s…I don’t know how to explain it.” He sucked in a breath, trying to make out the words. After a few beats, he continued, “I just feel like…I’ll have less room for error when it’s my kid.”

His mom frowned. “Why would you think that?”

Her question was met with silence. She put her hand on his cheek and gently urged him again. “Joonie, tell me.”

He sighed heavily, looking up at her with sad eyes. “I just feel like, after all those years that I treated you badly, maybe this is the universe’s way of getting payback…you know, because I was a bad son to you.”

The words pierced her chest like a barb. They didn’t have the easiest relationship and Namjoon always seemed intent on keeping a rebellious streak but her love for him never wavered.

“Oh, honey…no. No, no, no,” she desperately wrapped her arms around his too-large-frame. “Whatever stuff we were going through…you shouldn’t think of it as some generational thing. Me being away all the time was tough not just on you but on me, too.”

Namjoon sniffled. Regretting all those years that he punished his mom for being absent during his formative years. She did what she needed to…and it was never without his dad’s blessing. He realized that now.

“I’m sorry for not giving you a break, ma,” Namjoon mumbled.

“It’s all water under the bridge.” She pulls away from him and gives his forehead a lingering kiss. “I love you and I just want what’s best for you…always.”

Namjoon stared back into his mom’s eyes. All those years of animosity that he put between them–she just waved it all away with a kiss.

“I love you, mom.”

“I love you, too, darling,” she smiled. “And not that you need to hear this from me but I think you’ll be a great father. You care a great deal about your family–and I think that matters a lot when you’re raising children.”

******

You weren’t the only one on autopilot. Almost everyone in this house was trying to keep themselves busy.

When Namjoon and the kids returned from the park, you handed them off to Sam. Thankfully, he canceled all of his calls and meetings since the funeral was scheduled for tomorrow.

“Where are the kids?” Jin had just emerged from the study. He’d been on the phone with the minister confirming details on the memorial and coordinating with his staff at the restaurant for the reception.

His staff. It was a strange thought. Only days ago, they were your dad’s staff. Even though he relinquished that role to Jin ever since he decided to ‘retire,’ they still considered him as their boss.

“With Sam,” you say, looking up from the soup you were stirring.

He snorted. “At least he’s being useful. I think I’ve only seen him a total of two hours since he arrived. Even in those two hours, he always had that fucking earpiece on,” he says, referring to Sam’s bluetooth headset.

You sighed heavily at Jin’s grumblings about your husband. He didn’t dislike Sam…at least not at the outset. When you brought him home to meet your family, Jin had resigned himself to the fact that this man was going to be in your life, and in turn, his life.

Unlike Namjoon, there was no benefit to wishing that someone else was in his place instead.

But as time went on, Jin grew tired of Sam being away so much, leaving you to deal with the kids and manage your home.

“He’s been busy, oppa. Unfortunately, some foreign clients don’t really care about personal stuff. They just want to know how and when they’re going to get their money.”

Jin wanted to argue that point but he didn’t have the energy. Thankfully, when Namjoon got back from the park, he handed him the list of family members and friends whom he hadn't called yet.

“Where’s Yoojung?” He asks instead.

You were thankful for the change in subject. “Unnie wasn’t feeling well. I told her to go lie down so I offered to finish this up for her.”

“She’s been doing a lot in the last few days,” he says, leaning against the kitchen counter.

“I know. Do you want to go upstairs and keep her company? I’ll let you guys know when dinner’s ready.”

Jin nods and starts to walk off to check on his wife upstairs but turns back around.

“Hey,” he says cautiously.

You look up at him.

He hesitates for a beat, hoping that he wasn’t speaking out of turn. But he was the eldest and he knew that you always respected any advice he gave. He moistens his lips. “Whatever it is you and Sam are going through…just know that whatever you decide, we’ll support you.”

Your breath caught in your throat. For nearly four years, you tried to cover up your marital issues. You and Sam have gone through counseling and after a few sessions, it seemed like things were going to work out.

This time, though? It was becoming more evident that your marriage was beyond repair. Even after your conversation with your dad, you hadn’t made up your mind yet. You thought you could revisit all of that after the memorial, when you and Sam got back to the city.

Although, it seemed as if Jin was as intuitive as your dad was.

“Oppa, I…” Your shaky voice betrayed your resolve.

“I know that if dad were still here, he would say the same thing,” he says softly.

Your nose stung and you felt the tears well up in your eyes. At the first sob you let out, Jin instantly wraps you in his arms tightly.

“Hey…it’s gonna be okay, YN.” He rubbed your back soothingly.

“Please don’t tell Joon yet,” you whimpered.

“Is it because you’re afraid that he can finally kick Sam’s ass?”

You pulled away, chuckling while wiping your tears. “No,” you answer. “He’s just got a lot to deal with right now. I’ll tell him eventually.”

Jin nodded. “I hear you. I will say though, nothing good ever comes out of keeping secrets. Not saying that you were doing it maliciously but…you think you’re protecting people’s feelings when you could be making things worse by not trusting them enough to be understanding about it.”

He wiped the tears that dripped from your cheeks. “At some point, you have to choose whether trying to be strong in front of your kids is worth sacrificing your own happiness.”

He pulls you close for another brief hug and plants a kiss on the crown of your head. “You know that I love you, right?”

You nodded wordlessly.

“Good.”

Before he walks away, the doorbell rings. “I’ll get it,” he says. “Just finish up with the soup.”

“Thank you, oppa.”

******

Jin is surprised to see Eunhae at their front door. She bows to him, giving her condolences.

“Thank you,” he replies sullenly. “If you’re here for Taehyung…he’s…” He scratches the back of his head uncomfortably, unsure how to tell her that his little brother had barricaded himself in his bedroom. ”I’m not sure if he’s up to seeing anyone.”

Eunhae nodded. “I understand.” She omits telling Jin that Taehyung called her and that she offered to come over. She figured that none of his family members have been able to coax him out. “I’d like to try? Uhm…you know, talking to him?”

Jin sighed. At this point, he’d try anything to get Taehyung out of his room. The memorial was tomorrow and he hoped that the whole family would pull it together to send off their dad properly.

He was worried sick about Taehyung. He hadn’t spoken or eaten in the last two days. Yoojung and YN would leave bowls of food by the door and they would remain untouched hours later. The only activity that came out of his room were sounds of old jazz and soul music–songs from their father’s playlist.

“Sure,” Jin invites her in. He offers her some refreshments but she respectfully declines. He then walks her up the steps towards Taehyung’s room. Jin knocked at the door to let him know that Eunhae was here. As expected, there was no response.

He shrugged at her. “Good luck, I guess?” She gave him a polite, grateful smile before he excused himself to check on Yoojung.

Eunhae knocks on the door again and calls to him. “Taehyung? Can I come in?” A few seconds of silence, and she’s about to give up but the door clicks and a disheveled Taehyung stands in front of her.

******

The house felt suffocating so Taehyung asked if Eunhae could drive out by the lake. He needed some fresh air.

“I hope you don’t mind. I called Jungkook and told him about the memorial.” She says, after turning the car engine off.

Taehyung nodded absentmindedly in acknowledgement.

“I just asked him to spread the word–and let your other friends or coworkers know.”

“Thanks,” he replies quietly. “Sorry, I’ve just been…out of it.”

“You don’t have to apologize. You’re going through a lot,” she says understandingly.

“I…I don’t even know what to do with myself,” he mumbled, before rubbing his bloodshot eyes.

She could tell that he wanted to spill his guts out to her but he was holding back. This was something personal…deeply so. And this was never part of their agreement.

But she knew, from the moment she picked up his call and offered to come over, all of those boundaries that she set up to keep him within arm’s reach were out the door.

“I’m here to listen.”

Taehyung turned his head away from the window to face her. She was staring back at him, unmoved. Her eyes drift down to his hand and without hesitation, she reached out to rest her hand over his and gave it an assuring squeeze.

“I’m here for you,” she says.

His eyes flicked down to their clasped hands. When Taehyung called her, he thought that he only needed a sounding board. In reality, he needed her.

And so he talked. He talked about his dad and how much he loved him…and how sad he was that he wasn’t going to be around anymore.

And she listened while he got it all out. She watched him cry and whimper. She saw him surrender to the grief that he was feeling. She wasn’t sure why he felt as if he had to hide this from his siblings. They all seemed very supportive and loving.

After an hour, he got himself together and asked if she could drive him back to the house.

When they returned, they were greeted by his sister. She insisted that Eunhae stay for dinner.

While they sat and ate, his brothers discussed other things that needed to be done before tomorrow’s memorial. She watched him nod obediently, volunteering for tasks, even if they weren’t asked of him.

Eunhae realized that Taehyung was struggling to find his footing in his family. He’s spent so much time trying to come off as someone who was carefree…when in fact, he cared a lot. It must be difficult to be overshadowed by three older siblings who already had their paths laid out.

Discussions then led to the events happening the next day. The memorial was supposed to start early in the morning in their home. A florist would come by to set up an arrangement in the middle of the living room with their father’s portrait, followed by mourners bowing and paying their respects.

The memorial would then be followed by a brief reception at the family’s restaurant.

“Eunhae, you don’t have to rush back, do you?” His mom asks.

“M-ma, let’s not impose on Eunhae. She might need to get back–”

“What Taehyung means is that, I’d be honored to stay, Mrs. Kim,” Eunhae cuts Taehyung off.

His mom smiled warmly. “Very good.”

*******

“Hey, listen–I just want you to know that if you have other stuff going on back in the city, you don’t need to stick around.” Taehyung said as he walked Eunhae out to her car.

Her eyebrows knitted. “I really don’t mind. I want to be able to pay my respects, too.”

He nodded. “I know but…I just don’t want you to feel that my mom’s lured you into something you feel like you can’t back out of.”

She chuckled. “Your mom is a lovely person. I’m happy to be wherever she welcomes me.”

They both exchange awkward smiles before Eunhae gives a small wave, leaving him standing on the curb while she rounds her car to get to open the driver side door.

Taehyung cleared his throat. “T-thanks again…” he blurts out.

“What for?”

He dug his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “For being someone whom I needed.”

“And that is?”

After a brief pause, he sighed. “A good friend.”

With a small nod and smile, she says, “Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

*******

The funeral goes as planned. Even with barely a 2-day notice, the community showed up. As with tradition, the family lined up beside the funeral altar–spouse first, followed by their children, according to birth order: Jin, Namjoon, YN, and Taehyung. Mourners were welcomed by Yoojung and Victoria at the door, and afterwards made their offerings to the dead, then paid their respects to the family.

Afterwards, everyone was invited to gather at the family’s restaurant for a brief reception.

Yoojung, who was feeling much better today, pulled it together to manage the whole event, as was her duty as the eldest son’s wife. Sam was on kid-duty while Vee made small-talk with other guests.

Hobi volunteered his time and one of his staff, Yoongi, to help with the reception. After he paid his respects earlier that morning, he went straight from the family home and into the restaurant to get everything set up before guests arrived for the reception. He was following Yoojung’s lead in terms of food and service, while he left Yoongi in charge to manage beverages.

When Jin arrived, he walked through the kitchen, thanking the staff for their hard work. He spotted Hobi walking through with an emptied chafing dish.

“Hobah?”

“Yes, hyung?” He puts the dish in the sink to soak. “Everything ok? Do you need anything?”

“No, everything’s great. I just wanted to thank you for keeping everything going and helping Yoojung.”

Hobi gives Jin a warm smile. “It’s the least I could do, hyung. Everybody’s here to celebrate appa. He’s touched their lives one way or the other.”

Jin gives a small nod, trying to keep his emotions in check. They may not have been related by blood or marriage–but he was always part of the family. “In any case, our family really, really appreciates it.”

Unprompted, Hobi moves in to give Jin a hug. He shakily accepts it, patting Hobi on the shoulder. “Thank you, brother,” Jin whispers before pulling away and walking off to check on Yoojung.

******

Eunhae steps into the kitchen in search of more napkins in the supply closet when she sees the backdoor ajar. She went to close it but stopped short when she saw Taehyung crouched on the stoop.

“Tae?”

His head jerks up at the sound of his name. “Oh…h-hey.”

“What are you doing here?” She asks. “Jungkook has been looking for you.”

He sighed. “I just wanted a little quiet before everyone got here,” he answers quietly then quickly gets up when sees her with the box of napkins in her hand.

“Hey–I can just get that,” he says, reaching for the napkins. “Why don’t you just chill out and get some food–”

“I don’t mind helping,” she smiled. “Yoojung-unnie needed an extra pair of hands so I offered.”

“I just don’t want you to think that we’re trying to put you to work or–”

She lays her hand on his wrist assuringly. “Taehyung,” she says firmly, “It’s alright. It’s like I said earlier when you called–I’m here for you.”

“I just…I feel really bad about all the stuff I said to you back at the hotel,” he says with regret.

That made the dull ache in Eunhae’s chest begin to move to the forefront but she’s able to push it back to the corner. Even though she wanted to talk to him about it too, this wasn’t the time nor the place. “Listen, why don’t we just get through today and if you’re feeling up to it, we can talk tomorrow? I was planning on driving back to the city tomorrow night.” Although Eunhae was allowed to do her work remotely, she still had to check into the office from time to time.

Taehyung gives a slight bob of his head. Eunhae gives him a polite smile in return. “C’mon, your noona’s asking for you.”

“Sure, I’ll be there in a sec,” he replies.

She turns to walk away but he calls out to her again. She turns around to face him.

“Thank you, Eunhae…for…” he sighed, seemingly at a loss for words. “...For everything.”

“You’re welcome.”

******

An hour-and-a-half into the reception, Namjoon steps to the front of the house to say a few words.

“Thank you, everyone, for coming. I think I speak on behalf of my mom, my siblings, and our respective partners and families,” he glances at Vee, who sat in one corner of the room, “...when I say that, my dad would have been touched knowing that you were all here to celebrate him.”

Then he chuckled. “I think he also would have found it funny that everyone would be fussing over him like this. He would have been the first to get up and tell everyone that we should just all go home, kick our shoes off and have a beer on the porch.”

There was a collective laugh that rang throughout the room.

He paused for a moment, eyes flicking downward to collect himself. Afterwards, he cleared his throat to continue. “It’s not traditional for us to do eulogies but…I’ve always thought that our family was never traditional in that sense anyway so, I don’t think the elders would mind if I read something.”

He opened the book that he clutched in his hand, where a passage was bookmarked. “This was one of the last things that I read to my dad. He and I loved to read together and have long conversations about whatever it was we just read. We’ve had some impassioned discussions and even epic debates that we settled by agreeing to disagree” he says with a chuckle. “But one thing’s for sure…” He paused again, feeling the tears creeping up. But he manages to hold back with a sniffle.

“Anyway, this passage is from ‘I Want to Write, But I Don’t Want to Write:’

A cynical attitude extorts all creations. It would've been better if I was only cynical, but because I'm both warm and cynical, I either burn hot or shiver in cold or lose my energy while going back and forth between the cold and heat.

Because the words and movies I loved were colossal, the closer I get to them, the more limitlessly small and shabby I feel.

You eventually happen to avoid people that make you feel small. Be it your lover, friends or even parents. And then you will have to change your true self.

Just like how you have to acknowledge and get rid of your fantasies about love in order to keep loving. Because no existence or values can be absolutely beautiful.

If the set of values that kept my current self synchronized was in full effect, I have to dispose of those values and keep going by forming a new set of them. Otherwise I have to quit everything boldly and find something else to do.

But sadly, my ordinary self is just standing still, unable to do either of them. In the end, I find myself meaninglessly romantic and contradictory for being unable to give up what I have to give up and gave up on myself instead.

Even if it may not be reachable, I currently don't know any other way than just heading towards that place.

Namjoon shut the book and tucked it between his palms, then hugged it to his chest. His eyes roamed the room, finding that there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

He lets out a shaky breath, finishing with, “I know my dad would have thought it was far-fetched that anybody would miss him,” he paused, “But you all being here proves him wrong. The fact is that we miss you, dad…a lot.”

His mom rose from her seat, walked towards him to kiss him on the cheek.

******

“Are you driving back tonight?” Namjoon asks Vee while he walks her to her car.

“Hmm…I was thinking about it,” she replies..

Namjoon’s expression became uneasy. “The weather reports say it’s supposed to rain tonight.” Vee drove a Porsche 911 Turbo. It was a death trap for Namjoon but she loved her little speed demon.

“Would you mind staying another night? I’ll pay for the hotel,” he offered while eyeing her car worriedly.

She smiled warmly and appreciated his concern. He may not love her anymore but it was good to know that he still had love for her.

“If it makes you feel better, I’ll stay another night and leave in the morning. You don’t need to pay for it.”

He nodded in gratitude. “Thanks for being here and…you know, doing all that…” He referred to her acting like a dutiful wife, talking to relatives and neighbors as if everything was normal.

She nodded politely. “You’re welcome. You gave a beautiful sendoff.”

He chuckled. “I’m glad you thought so.”

“You’ve always had a way with words.” She smiled at him before stepping into her car.

He lingered there for a bit, watching while she plugged her keys into the ignition. Then, he stepped off the curb, knocking on the passenger window. “Vee?”

She rolls it down to hear him better.

“When I get settled in my new place…we should talk.”

Her jaw nearly drops with his offer. “Uhm…yes…yeah…” she stuttered. “That would be great.”

He nodded. “For the baby.”

She nods in return. “Of course.” On that hopeful note, she pulls out of her parking spot to drive back to the hotel.

Namjoon turned on his heel to walk back to the restaurant to help clean up. On the path there, he comes across Sam, who looked like he was on a very terse phone call.

Sam gave a quick head bob upon eye contact. Namjoon acknowledges him before he ducks indoors.

******

After the memorial, everyone returns to the house. Everything had been such a blur in the last few hours–it’s hard to believe that it wasn’t even dinner time yet. Everybody looked exhausted and parked themselves as far as their bodies would take them. Jin and Yoojung sat in the dining room, making coffee, while Namjoon made himself a pot of instant jjajangmyeon.

Taehyung was sprawled on the family room’s floor, with his best friend Jungkook, while both kids horsed around them.

Your mom, mostly stoic in the last two days, carefully trudged back upstairs to nurse a headache.

“YN, you want some?” Namjoon offered.

You decline absentmindedly, trying to search for Sam. He may have gone straight upstairs to lay down.

Just then, Joobin comes running towards you with his iPad. “Mommy, my iPad is dead,” he complains.

“Why don’t you plug it in by the corner, bud?” You point towards the little table where you’ve set up a device charging station for the kids.

“I tried but it won’t work. I think the wire is broken.” You let out an exasperated sigh. It didn’t matter which ‘braided’ or ‘angled’ charging cable you bought to make your life easier when it came to the kids’ devices. They always found new ways to break whatever was touted as the most durable material on the market.

“Okay, why don’t you stay here and play with Uncle Tae and Jungkookie and I’ll check to see if daddy will let you borrow his. Sound good?”

With a big smile, he runs off and jumps into Jungkook’s arms.

When you round the corner from the stairs’ landing, you call out to Sam.

“Hey, can I borrow a charging cable–

Sam looks startled when you come to view.

“What’s all this?” You ask, gesturing at his luggage.

He sighed uncomfortably. “I…I have to leave.”

“Leave? Now?” You ask through gritted teeth.

“Uh…soon,” he replies.

You turn your head away so quickly to take a breath, calming yourself so as not to completely lash out at him while in a full house.

You quietly shut the door behind you before hissing at him. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, right? When were you going to tell me?”

“I–” he stuttered. “Look, I just got the call earlier, a little after the reception ended. I was going to tell you once everyone was settled in.”

You pinch the bridge of your nose, reining in your annoyance. You were exhausted and weren’t in the mood for an argument but he was really making it difficult to make this into a reasonable discussion.

“My UK deal is falling apart and I have to fly over there to save it.” It was as if he hadn’t even considered what you and your family had just gone through. Your dad was dead and Sam was ready for ‘business as usual.’ As if he actually tried to pause while your dad slowly faded away.

You scoffed. “And you didn’t tell them that you were in mourning? Are your bosses so self-absorbed that a death in the family is a non-factor?”

“They didn’t force me, YN. I made the call.”

Your jaw drops. You knew Sam valued his work but you didn’t think he would choose it over family.

“My dad just fucking died and you’re leaving? Were you just counting down the hours?”

He let out an exasperated groan. “Of course not. I didn’t come to this decision lightly.”

“Bullshit,” you spat out. “I am barely hanging on here and all I need is a little bit of support from my husband! Is that too much to ask?”

“I was here for you…I…I am! I left a fucking business deal on the table so I could be here for you!”

“You mean locking yourself in a room to be on the phone for hours on end is what you call ‘being there for me’? Entertaining the kids a couple hours at a time before your next conference call is your way of supporting me?”

“I’m doing the best I can, YN. We’ve been here for over a week already–”

“When you asked me to marry you…you said you would be a provider of this family. I…I honestly didn’t expect you to go above and beyond that promise, but you did. And for that, I will be forever grateful. In return, I wanted you to be able to live out your ambitions. You were great at what you do. So, I made a home for you and our children…tried to make the best of this marriage. And you can’t say that I didn’t try…because I fucking did.”

You met Sam during a rough period in your life. You were just getting over Hobi, adjusting to your new job, and living with Namjoon until you found a place of your own. It was a scary, transition period and suddenly, here was this nice, handsome man, handing you your transit card that you just dropped.

You weren’t looking for anything serious. He was a good distraction at the time…until you fell pregnant.

It was such an inopportune time and you contemplated not going through with it but Sam convinced you otherwise. He confessed his love for you and promised to take good care of you.

He said as much when you took him back here to face your parents and your brothers. He asked your dad for permission to marry you, to which he agreed, appreciating the gesture.

Namjoon was less than thrilled.

It wasn’t the dream wedding your mom had envisioned for you when you were a little girl but it was intimate and lovely. Everyone who mattered in your life was there.

It was touch-and-go at first and Sam was very patient. Somehow, he managed to juggle a new wife, a new baby, and a demanding job without breaking a sweat. It was what made you love him even more.

And it was good for the first two years…until problems started cropping up. You don’t get your dream job without sacrificing a few things along the way.

It started with little fights about why dinner wasn’t ready yet, or why that vacation was getting canceled again. You stopped communicating because he was at work all the time and you’d be tired from working and caring for Joobin.

But you didn’t want this marriage to fail. You sought counseling for a few months and it actually helped. Things seemed better. In fact, things felt so much better, that you decided to have a second child.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after Jooni was born that the same cracks in your marriage became evident once more. At that point, you had your hands full with managing your household and two children. You didn’t have the bandwidth to manage your husband.

“And now? I’m tired, Sam.” Your shoulders slumped while you stared at him.

Sam’s eyes stayed glued to you. He opens his mouth to try to argue but he snaps it shut instead. It was pointless. It was a valiant effort on both your parts but this decision was a long-time coming. It seemed as though you were just waiting for the other to pull the trigger.

He put his hands on his waist and sighed in defeat. “Can I at least say goodbye to the kids?”

You nodded softly. “Of course.”

You eyed each other silently from across the room. Knees feeling weak, you feel the need to sit yourself down on the mattress. You sighed with your head in your hands.

You feel the side of the mattress dip while he takes a seat beside you. “We had a good run, didn’t we?”

“Yeah,” you sniffled. “Damn,” you shook your head warily.

******

After Sam left, you went into the backyard, tidying up the kids’ toys. You weren’t quite ready to explain all of the details to them yet, even as he hugged them goodbye. You and Sam agreed to sit them down when you were both back in the city and all legalities have been set in motion.

You were in the midst of picking up Joobin’s dinosaurs when you heard Taehyung offer to help.

“Oh, I’m fine,” you replied.

He took two strides closer to you. “You don’t sound like you’re fine.”

You gave him the most genuine smile you could muster. “Tae, I’m fine.”

“C’mon, noona. I know you.”

You scoffed, shaking your head and continued to pick up action figures, tossing them into a bucket. “You say that as if you’re some expert.”

“I’m an expert in you.”

You laughed as you walked away from him. “Really?”

“Of course. I mean…you practically raised me.” That stopped you dead in your tracks until he caught up to you.

“When I’m confused or lost or struggling with a decision, I think about what noona would do.” Then he smiled broadly. “And I do it and…things turn out fine.”

Each of you had your own style of ‘lecturing’ Taehyung. Your approach wasn’t nagging but you always left room for him to make his own decisions. You didn’t realize that he would take those to heart.

You bit into your lip to stop it from quivering. “Tae…”

“Would you be mad if I tried to give you some advice?”

You laughed softly and shook your head emphatically.

He leaned in and rested his hands on your shoulders. “I want you to know that it’s okay to be fine. And you deserve to be fine,” he says firmly.

Your eyes welled up at your little brother’s words of comfort. Even in the moment when you feel the whole weight of the world on your shoulders, your family was here to remind you that they were here to share the load.

“Now, c’mon. Hobi-hyung just invited the whole family to drinks at Hangsang!”

“W-wait–but my kids?”

Taehyung grinned. “Mom says she’s got it. She says you deserve a drink or two.”

You nodded then began to walk back up the porch and into the house.

You paused at the threshold. “So…what about you? Are you…fine?” You hadn’t really had a conversation after he locked himself up in his room for nearly a day. You were understandably worried.

Taehyung’s mouth curved into a smile. “I’m on my way there.”

You cupped his cheek and gave it a little pinch. “Is Eunhae coming to Hangsang?”

He laughed softly. “Yeah, she is. She…volunteered to be designated driver.”

You chuckled and lifted a shoulder. “Maybe you’ll get to ‘fine’ quicker than you think.”

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chirpsythismorning · 1 year

Note

Thoughts on this?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but 2024 is even a little optimistic in terms of a release for Stranger Things 5.

I know right now there's been this assumed expectation that it will release in 2024, and that's definitely still possible! But from what we've seen, no one from the production, neither the Duffers, the cast, nor Netflix themselves have said 2024 will be the year s5 releases, definitively. (If I remember correctly, when asked in an interview about s5 coming out in 2024, Noah dodged the question and said that they want it to be really good and are going to try to get it out as soon as they can... if anything he was trying to hint here that fans should be prepared that it might not be 2024, but that's okay bc that means that quality is being considered over a speedy release).

Again there have been talks about it, and I'm sure that's what they're shooting for. But they don't seem to be making any official statements about 2024 being a for sure thing. Because I mean, how could it be?

Covid did a really big number on the industry, especially production for ST4. Not only that but workers are starting to unionize and fight back against long hours, shitty wages and unsafe working conditions.

And so there's this unknown looming. Could the global pandemic reach a point that causes the industry to come to a halt again? Could there be a strike that stops productions from filming, including ST5? There's just a lot of unforeseen factors to keep in mind.

Our perception of how fast shows should be cranking out between seasons, are from a rose-tinted lens and honestly a little bit naive. We're not taking into account that those same expectations we have are based on an industry that has thrived off of malpractice for decades.

So, would I be mad if ST5 came out in 2025? No.

Also important to note that this is the end. I know that a lot of fans are impatient and just want the final season ASAP, but even so, when we do get it, it's over after that. There's nothing else to look forward to for fans when it comes to these characters. Arguably, hiatus will be the time we'll look back on and miss most when this is all over. So enjoy theorizing and analyzing during the wait while you still can!

And again, let's keep in mind, a sooner release means they might have to rush and make quick decisions that impact the story negatively, with them settling for results that could have been better had they had more time. Whereas a later release, or at least later than we may have hoped, will probably mean they got the essential time they needed and therefore a lot better quality for the final cut.

David Harbour said late last year that filming will start in the summer. Noah just mentioned a few times recently that he starts filming in May. But it was also mentioned in an interview promoting WYFSTW with Finn that filming would be starting in March.

Who knows for sure right now, it'll probably require us getting closer to the start to know. But the good news is once filming starts, they'll tell us! However, this does bring up an important aspect of all of this that fans also don't seem to take into consideration, which is scheduling.

The main cast are all hot commodities now, with most of them having multiple productions to film in one single year. And so, imagine trying to get about a dozen A-B listers schedule's to overlap? It's not easy.

Though from what I've read, David is dealing with schedule issues because he's filming another movie at the same time as s5. And Noah specifically mentioned school being a factor when he brought up filming starting in May for him. And so it's possible overall production for s5 could be starting sooner than we think, with some main cast-members starting earlier/later than others.

I think the main good news (everyone cheer) is that we have no new characters for s5. And so I think that will allow filming to take a little less time. S1 was a lot smaller scale in terms of the characters focused on, with production going from September 2015 to early 2016 and with a release in July that same year. But s1 was also very very small scale in comparison to what s5 will be. While filming for s5 will definitely be shorter than s4 in terms of over overall running time, it'll still be longer and just in general bigger than s1.

I'm gonna take an educated guess and say at least 9 months for filming s5, but it's possible they could run up to a year because of scheduling issues, unexpected delays, unforseen events, with some cast-members potentially working earlier/later than the majority of the production. Best case scenario, filming could be done by December 2023, and that's taking into account filming may indeed not start fully until May 2023. This would give them roughly 8-10 months of filming.

And that's not even including post-production for VFX, which is likely going to take upwards of 6 months at least, because the upside down is expected to be a main setting for the story in s5, meaning a lot more time spent working on visual effects despite filming already being complete. Then there's editing and all that good stuff. And don't even get me started on marketing (they're watching us rn taking notes for ST5 social media promo... Smile and wave boys!)

Again, I do think 2024 is possible, though it would have to be later in 2024. Summer 2024 is still a little too optimistic, but I wont rule it out bc they love summer releases.

March 22nd on the other hand, is very much pushing it, as they'd only be like 2 months into VFX at that point.

Though, I could see the vision of this, assuming it released in 2025 (lands on a Saturday that year, but still according to new theories March 21st is potentially an important date related to Henry/Vecna and it's the day s4 started the story off, so that's possible!)

March 21st 2025 would be my ideal date if they had to push it further out to a 2025 release. And that is a big possibility, which is why I think they're not out here comfortably sticking to a year right now.

It's also likely that when we find out the official year of release, we'll get a poster potentially or some kind of short teaser hyping up the final season.

ST5 2025 is kind of iconic. But I guess we'll just have to see!

Even though I don't think March 22nd 2024 is possible, it would be cool to get some major news on that day, like an exact release date for the final season maybe? That would be birthdaygate proof in and of itself.

#stranger things #byler #not byler related but you guys deserve the 411 #I KNOW it sucks but...#i also really care about the cast and everyone working on the show that they don't have to be up days upon days upon days #upon weeks upon months #if they don't have to be #VFX also takes a lot of time i feel like that gets overlooked #and s5 will very much be a case of VFX taking up a lot of time #we're talking final grand battle level VFX...#also marketing takes up a good chunk of time over this entire wait period between seasons #and so it's not like even if hypothetically they were all done with filming and editing that they could just jump right to release #marketing is also well planned out #we're talking sponsorships with doritos and monopoly #that shit takes time and it all takes time #late 2024 I could see #though early 2025 is also largely a big possibility #still maybe we'll get an official exact release date announcement on march 22nd 2024...#announcing it on will's birthday...#apparently a day they completely forgot...#birthdaygate would be so real #stranger things 5 #and tbh i'm a birthdaygate early s5 maybe even s5 opener truther #so i could see them giving into hinting at it more blatantly as we get closer to the release #st5 predictions #filming #production

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ahi-django · 10 months

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Monkey D. Luffy is aro-ace

It is currently June, which means it is pride month once again.

I have thought about it for a while as to what I could contribute to the spirits of the queer! So let's talk about our favourite ray of sunshine, better known as the MC of One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy.

Now before we continue, I would like to point out that this comment is purely based on speculations, supported by what the anime/manga has shown us in the past as well as Oda's point of view in past interviews he took part in. I am absolutely not caught up with the series yet, but the first 445 episodes more often than not have left rather clear signs regarding Luffy's orientation. Now let us begin.

To understand why many people such as myself see Luffy as aromantic-asexual, let us first break down what it means to identify as such:

Asexuality refers to limited sexual attraction or a lack thereof towards another person.

Aromanticism refers to a limited romantic attraction or a lack thereof towards another person.

Bear in mind that every asexual and aromantic person is individual as both umbrella terms have a wide spectrum. This means that both orientations do not have to go hand in hand, nor does it mean that people who identify as either or both are broken, weird or incapable of human emotions.

Additionally, some asexual people may still have sex in a romantic relationship, others may not. The same works for aromantic people who still might go into a romantic relationship, while others might not. I recommend watching this video (And the following videos of the trilogy, which are pinned in the info box in their video), it will explain the spectrums a little more thoroughly.

youtube

Now that we have established what it means to be aromantic-asexual, let us move on to Luffy. The debate about whether or not he is straight or not has been going on for years by now, and nobody can really decide where to place him exactly. We have seen in many other anime how romance has become a plot point for the MC eventually, yet for Luffy, this will never happen.

Oda has said on numerous occasions that he does not plan to focus on a possible romantic interest for the Strawhat captain, but instead simply wants to keep the plot straightforward with action and a story that goes in-depth with the lore of the world we call One Piece.

Thanks to multiple scenes within the pre-timeskip, we have learned a lot about Luffy as a character. We got to know him as a cheerful and selfish-selfless character, who doesn't take shit from nobody and will fight everyone who hurt his nakama. While he is not very intelligent overall, he possesses a high emotional intelligence and has the ability to read people in a way most cannot.

He is also very hyperactive, loud and sometimes very impulsive when making decisions. It is safe to say that if he ever got diagnosed, he would have ADHD (I mean, just look at him. You cannot tell me that he would not be neurodivergent of any kind).

Luffy has had the dream to become the King of Pirates ever since he was a child. From when he starts his journey to find the One Piece, he has shown time and time again that he displays his priorities openly for everyone to see. He says what he thinks and is not afraid to do so. Fun activities for him are either fighting or just goofing around with his friends. Also food. He loves food, especially meat. This man has his priorities, alright.

But that's also why people often think that Luffy simply focuses on these priorities, and once he has found the One Piece, he will get married to Boa Hancock. Then again, we know that Luffy is not interested in Hancock romantically.

We see Hancock first hugging Luffy, then her fawning over him, while his expression stays indifferent to this action. And this is only one of the many examples.

As we all remember very well, Luffy showed no reaction when Hancock used her devil fruit abilities on him. Said abilities allow "a range of attacks which use emotions of love, lust or adoration to transform opponents into stone." (https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Mero_Mero_no_Mi)

Those abilities have been showcased when Hancock first refused to partake in the upcoming war against Whitebeard and turned all marine's on the Navy ship to stone. Oddly enough, when she used the "Love-Love Mellow" on Luffy, he came out of it completely unaffected. Not to mention that he saw Boa's naked body and had no reaction to it either.

The Strawhat's behaviour had confused many viewers, when he showed a reaction to Nami's body being exposed twice, and this is what Oda said about it in a Q&A:

"He's interested, but he's not entranced by her."

People can be interested in other people without the sexual or romantic attraction coming in. Hell, people usually find people interesting due to their personalities and want to get to know each other out of platonic interest! Or it's the style they wear, which would fall under the 'aesthetic attraction' department.

In other words: Just because you are interested in someone, doesn't automatically mean you want to fuck or date them.

"But when he's with Usopp, who's the same age, it's like a kid on a school trip: His bad side comes out! Yeah, both sides of Luffy feel right to me, so the culprit is definitely Usopp!"

Usopp and Luffy are almost always together in several shenanigans. Usopp usually serves as comical relief and likes to form the comedic trio together with the captain and the ship's doctor Chopper. Hence the description of Luffy as a 'kid on a school trip'. He copies the sniper's behaviour in both instances where Nami's body is exposed to them, that's it. There is nothing more to it.

I would like to add one more thing: Love comes in all shapes and sizes. I've been picking up comments on various platforms that Luffy is 'too naive' when it comes to love. That may be true to an extent, but that doesn't mean he is incapable of it. Romantic and sexual attraction are off the table, but he does know the concept of love. Just in a platonic way. He loves his crew and he loves his brothers, even though they are not blood-related.

This is where the concept of 'found family' comes into play, and it is true for both Luffy's brothers and the crew. To the Strawhat, they are all family. And that is perfectly alright. Getting married and placing kids in this world does not have to be the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal can be anything, as long as it makes the individual happy.

In conclusion, Luffy can be considered as aro-ace, but we will never know for sure whether or not this will be canon. Oda had never confirmed or denied his orientation, which leaves it up for interpretation. For some people, Luffy will be considered straight, for others not. And that's okay. As long as we can discuss this civilly, no harm will come out of it.

With this said, I will end this post here. I hope you have a great day!

#Youtube #one piece #luffy headcanons #mugiwara no luffy #monkey d. luffy #asexual #aromantic #ace pride #aro pride #aro/ace #pride month

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wistcriax · 2 years

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Empress' Lady Ch. 02

“Before I even allow you to become my lady-in-waiting, I must ask. Did my husband appoint you just to taunt and watch me, or did that Duchess put you up to this?” The Empress, Lady Vua Heartmore, asked in a harsh and cold tone. “Neither your majesty. My brother, Sorcerer Solomon, had brought me up to his majesty.” y/n answered.

Empress Vua nodded, “Good. My last lady-in-waiting, the one you’ll be replacing, was set by my husband to watch me. I had to ask about the Duchess since I remember seeing you with her.”. “Her other lady’s besides myself followed her, I resigned when she moved away to-”

“I don’t care why you’re not with her, nor do you speak about her again.” Vua cut y/n off, which made her a bit ticked off, but y/n could not say anything against the Empress. But, this definitely showed that she’d most likely wouldn’t be staying long at this rate.

“So, your older brother is Solomon right? So does that mean you’re a mage or sorcerer like him?” Vua asked. “No, I’m not. I self-study a bit, but I am not even close to being considered a witch.” y/n answered.

Vua only hummed, the lady-in-waiting went to pour a glass of tea for the Empress, but she was stopped. “y/n why don’t you pour it? Since you're now my lady-in-waiting you should learn how I prefer things.” Vua said, a smile played on her lips. If y/n didn’t know any better she’d think the Empress was kind.

But, even with no prior conversations with her, she knew how the Empress was. The rumors, her former ladies bashing how she was towards them, and how her husband seemed to speak about her contradicted that smile she wore towards y/n.

y/n stood and gently grabbed the teapot and poured it into the porcelain cup. She set the pot down gently back down onto the table. y/n glanced at Vua, a question in her eyes about the sugar cubes. She saw movement from the other lady, 2 fingers were lifted.

y/n read the signs and added 2 sugar cubes into the warm tea, grabbing a teaspoon and stirring. “You’re sharp, you’ll be of use to me.” Vua said, taking the cup into her hand. “Of use?” y/n asked. “I learned about you l/n’s a bit. You’re sharp and your family is known for being able to be stealthy.” She said.

“I’m sharp, but I am not a spy. Also, stealthy is not a usual term for our family, I believe you’re looking for the word shady.” y/n stated. “Shady is to describe your brother. Especially when Lucifer is unable to tell what he is thinking most of the time.” Vua stated.

“He’s mysterious and acts shady, but he always has good intentions.” y/n said. Vua only hummed and took a sip of her tea. y/n sat down once again, sitting her back up straight as she gently straightened her skirt out. “Do you have any dresses similar to what Gyai is wearing?” Vua asked as she sat down.

“No your majesty.” y/n answered. “I figured, you don’t look like the type who would wear them.” Vua grumbled, “Gyai, tomorrow I want you to take y/n here out to the dress shop and get her some proper dresses for being a lady-in-waiting.”, “Yes, your majesty.” The blonde, Gyai, responded.

‘Proper dresses? Is she insulting what I usually wear as being improper?’ y/n thought, she kept her emotions in check to avoid letting the Empress know her words were making her patience string wear down a bit more.

“Hopefully you’ll be able to find some dresses to wear, and don’t forget to find some formal gowns too, you’ll be joining me as a lady-in-waiting in the upcoming New Year's Ceremony.” Vua said.

“Apologies for asking your highness, but I have never gone to the New Year’s Ceremony despite being invited multiple years in a row. I’m unaware about the Ceremony and its schedule, can you please elaborate on it for me?” y/n asked.

Vua hummed, “I’ll allow Gyai inform you later.”. “Your majesty, I do have another question. I may be invited as a normal guest instead of your lady-in-waiting, will I still be considered your lady in the party or will I be considered another guest?” y/n asked.

“You’ll be considered another guest to the other nobles, but to me and his majesty you’ll be considered my lady-in-waiting, so do not act any differently, after all it’ll most likely be known soon that you’re my lady.” Vua said. “Understood your majesty.” y/n said. “Well, I have a meeting to attend. It was nice to meet you y/n.” Vua smiled, that sweet fake smile. y/n only gave her one back before leaving. ‘Brother we are going to have a long talk when I get home…’

#obey me lucifer #obey me shall we date #obey me mammon #obey me beelzebub #obey me asmodeus #obey me satan #obey me belphegor #obey me barbatos #obey me leviathan #obey me lucifer x reader #lady-in-waiting #empress oc!#fem!reader #love rival #love rivals #obey me solomon #sister of solomon

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ihaveatheoryonthat · 2 years

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Note: This is unfinished and I likely won’t be returning to it. It ends abruptly and is littered with placeholders/notes. If that’s a dealbreaker for you, you’re better off skipping this.

---

Neither Ingo nor Emmet paid too much attention to social media. Certainly, they used it to promote the station or stay in contact with faraway associates, but it wasn’t something either of them did for fun.

So neither of them noticed when #zorua began to trend.

It came up, tangentially, in the downtime between end of one battle and the next-- one of Emmet’s challengers briefly addressing the topic with the friend she’d brought for moral support-- but whatever the news was, it had all day to circulate before either of the twins looked into it.

And circulate it did. It came up no fewer than four separate times on the doubles train-- three on the singles-- and, by the end of the day, it had Emmet curious enough to investigate. While Ingo was busy with the last few forms before their shift ended, he tapped away at his Xtransceiver, trying to figure out what in the world was going on.

The first few images loaded. He blinked at them, uncertain he was seeing correctly, but the image stayed static.

“These are photographs of a Hisuian Zorua.” He announced.

There was a long pause, Ingo’s hands stilling over the evening’s paperwork, and, eventually, he said, “...I beg your pardon?”

Wordlessly, Emmet turned the screen so his brother could see, and Ingo spent another few seconds studying it.

“That looks...” He trailed off, brows furrowed, and his eyes dropped back to the paperwork without actually seeing it.

With no ending forthcoming, Emmet concluded the thought for him and tilted the device back to where he could scroll further down, “Like the Icelands. Correct.”

[that tech didn’t exist outside of the village, which was a static studio]

“Then you won’t be happy to hear that those are stills from a video.” He said, eyes locked on the screen as he read further, “It seems they’ve recovered a device remarkably similar to the one Akari carried.”

This time, Ingo didn’t wait, coming around to Emmet’s side to peer over his shoulder. “Oh. I’d… completely forgotten about that.”

Emmet shot him a questioning look and, silently, he nodded. It had been his for a very brief amount of time, long, long ago. Given everything else that had slipped his mind at the time, the fact that this had fallen by the wayside until now was hardly a surprise.

[…]

[He checks his own Xtransceiver, finally, and realizes that there are messages from friends who recognized the circumstance/his voice in the full clip. Begins to panic]

“It’s currently 7:06-- no, 7:07 pm. I’m hoping to document some wild Pokemon using this strange device--”

“Emmet.”

His twin hummed an acknowledgment, smile turning fond as the past version of Ingo marveled at the sights around him.

“I think you should stop the video playback.”

Emmet glanced up out of the corner of his eye, puzzled, and then shifted his attention entirely as the look on his brother’s face processed. Blindly, he reached over to pause the clip, interrupting Ingo’s [infodump] on the matter of Snorunt’s eating habits.

“Something happened to you in the Alabaster Icelands. You think your device captured it.”

“No, I’m positive that it did. [Has multiple messages from peripherally aware people going ‘this u?’ and Elesa, who’s in the know, freaking out about him having been attacked].”

---

[Much later. Reluctantly, Ingo decides he needs to see the clip to understand the context of what he’s being asked/what he can plausibly deny if need be. Isn’t asking Emmet to watch with him, necessarily, but of course he does.]

Emmet’s grip on his hand tightened, ever so slightly. At the stillness that followed, Ingo allowed himself to lean further into his brother’s side. “If there’s something you want to say, I’m listening.”

[long pause]

“I am… verrry grateful this footage was not discovered sooner.” / “If it had surfaced while you were missing...”

[...]

[it wasn’t the zoroark attack that wiped his memory-- that was an unrelated incident]

“Ingo. I think Arceus may hate you.”

The bluntness of the statement caught Ingo off guard, and he huffed a laugh. “After everything that happened, I’m relatively certain it hates us both.”

“Then it will have to dispose of us as a unit.” / “I would like to see it try.”

#ihaveatheoryonthat pkmn #submas #writing scraps

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tada-no-honzuki · 2 years

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Ascendance of a Bookworm (24) Part 5 Volume 3 Chapter 3

This translation is not supposed to replace the official releases of the light novel series. Please purchase the official light novel when it becomes available!

Raimund's Research and Hirschur's Warning

A reply to our questions arrived the following day. Considering it arrived first thing in the morning, even though Wilfried only sent his letter the previous night, showed how significant the matter was.

"Wilfried, what does it say?" I asked.

"Father says he will personally discuss this matter with the royal family. We are not to do anything unnecessary. Were we to send a letter, there is a chance it will be censored, or the information may leak to those who used the truuk. Moreover, since he cannot predict how much of Ehrenfest's internal affairs we may expose in the process, he'd rather take care of it himself.” Wilfried replied.

I couldn't argue with that logic. Besides, seeing how some of Ehrenfest's scholars were familiar enough with truuk to recognize it, it was possible that some Sovereign scholars of the same generation might come to the same conclusion without our help.

"Above all else, if truuk was really used to control the Sovereign Knights, it means there is a traitor inside the Sovereign Knights Order or among their close associates." Wilfried continued. “He doesn't want to expose us to any more danger. He also says he still needs to discuss the details of you performing the star binding ceremony at the next Archduke Conference with the Zent, so he plans to address this matter at the same time."

Nodding along as Wilfried read the letter aloud, I conceded to leave the matter to Sylvester. If someone were to ask me where and how I learned about truuk, I would have to tell them about Georgine at some point. However, I didn't know the fine details that led to this winter's purge, nor did I know what and how much I was allowed to reveal about Ehrenfest’s internal affairs. I had a feeling they would most certainly scold me for revealing too much if I tried.

"Anyway, he stresses multiple times we shouldn't do anything unnecessary. So be careful, Rozemyne." Wilfried concluded.

"I know,” I said. “I'm going to Professor Hirschur's lab today to discuss the last details of our research with Ahrensbach.”

"Okay. I've decided to assist Ignaz and Marianne with their research. It’s going to take a lot of mana to improve the quality of the magic paper after all."

I soon left for Hirschur's lab, carrying the letter I wanted Raimund to send to Ferdinand. Joining me today were Lieseletta and Gretia as my attendants, and Theodore and Laurenz as my guards. Everyone else was busy preparing for the Interduchy Tournament.

Brunhilde was the central figure leading the attendant apprentices, and my scholar apprentices were busy finishing the presentation of our joint research with Dunkelfelger and Drewanchel. Finally, Rihyarda was busy coordinating with Ehrenfest to prepare for Ferdinand's arrival.

“Leonore and Matthias are going to the library to study up on feybeasts today. I cannot deny that Leonore's knowledge saved our asses last year.” Laurenz said as we walked to Hirschur’s lab. “And Judith is practicing her long-range shots. Her accuracy can completely turn the situation around.” Theodore laughed and nodded proudly. Knowing everyone was giving it their all, I resolved to match their efforts.

"Professor Hirschur, are you there?" Lieseletta inquired as we arrived. Raimund soon opened the door a crack while hurriedly smoothing down his disheveled black hair. He likely hadn’t left the lab much in the last few days to prepare for the Interduchy Tournament.

"My apologies, please wait for a moment longer.” He said. “We're almost ready.” For a moment, his gaze was glued to the wagon behind me, watching it like a hawk. Then he closed the door again, causing Lieseletta to giggle.

"It seems they still have not finished, even though I warned them last night and this very morning that you'd be visiting today." She said. I was sure they had prioritized their research last night, then rushed to clean up after receiving Lieseletta's Ordonanz this morning.

When the door opened again, they were both clean. As I stepped inside, I asked Raimund about the progress he had made. "How is your research going?”

"I received permission to publish the research on the magic recording tool and any magic tools meant for the library.” He answered. “If it's not too much trouble, I would like you to make a proper copy of this one, Lady Rozemyne.”

Not only had he improved the magic tool that would light up at the specified time, but as part of their research on Schwartz and Weiss, he had improved a magic tool that allowed one to search for books and materials. Apparently, if you didn't want it to move and talk like Schwartz and Weiss, it saved a lot of mana.

“I’ll be publishing some of my own research alongside his,” Hirschur added. “Since Ehrenfest's research scene is thriving this year.” Normally she would publish her research in Ehrenfest’s spot, but since we did so much joint research this year, she had decided to take advantage of Raimund and publish her work in Ahrensbach’s spot.

"As valuable as this research is, it is a bit plain though.” She sighed. “Compared to your research on ways to receive the divine protection of the gods and your research on ways to create magic tools with Ehrenfest paper, I doubt our research will draw all that much attention. There are very few libraries after all.”

Hirschur explained that the magic tool for searching books and materials would likely draw some attention of researchers because the tool was relatively easy to make and manage. But no matter how pleased I was with the tool, apparently, it wasn't very eye-catching research.

"In other words, we need more libraries. In that case, I shall… " I began, to be cut off by Hirschur.

“You can leave that to the trend of the times. If anything, finish the proper copy of this tool as soon as possible.” She said.

… “more importantly”!? That’s mean!

My master plan to increase the number of libraries was rejected before I could even finish my sentence. I dropped my shoulders, then turned my gaze to Raimund.

“Raimund, Ehrenfest wants to create a book that automatically returns to its bookcase as part of our joint research with Drewanchel. I was hoping to use the magic circle that you corrected for me. Is that okay with you?" I asked.

"You'll be using Ehrenfest paper and a magic circle you created yourself, Lady Rozemyne. I don't think it's necessary to get my permission..." Raimund said. His blue eyes blinked at me in confusion.

He wasn’t just being humble, he seriously seemed to believe that. I quickly reminded him that not everyone had the necessary skill to simplify magic circles like he did.

"I'll make it clear to everyone that you improved the magic circle.” I declared. “If you don't sell your name while you can, you won't be able to find any patrons in the future and succeed as a researcher.”

Even though he didn't get along with his family and was relatively poor for a mednoble, Raimund absolutely didn't understand the value of his skills and talents. Had Benno heard him today, I was sure he would have yelled "Don't give free handouts!" with a thundering ferocity.

“I've heard that Lord Ferdinand made quite a sum of money selling the results of his research at the Royal Academy,” I said. “Don’t underestimate your value, Raimund.”

"...I'll be careful." He muttered.

"Lady Rozemyne, that's enough talk about money,” Hirschur interjected. “If he just follows my and Ferdinand's example and sells his research results, he should be able to earn enough money to cover his expenses. That’ll do. There are only a few days left until the Interduchy Tournament, so stay focused."

I thought it was amazing Hirschur could sustain herself by selling her research results whenever necessary. Though I got the feeling she was the type to sell herself short, I decided to keep that to myself.

“Have you reported to Professor Fraularm already?” I asked instead.

“I've already shown here the prototype,” Raimund said. “So that’s all settled. She kept nagging me when I came to deliver the final report though."

Apparently, she had told him there was no reason to present it as joint research with Ehrenfest, considering Raimund had done all the research and any checks were performed by Ferdinand, his teacher. Considering I had barely taken part in the research, he was told to simply list me as a collaborator instead. When he objected he could not have made the prototype without my help, she had bitterly replied: "Let's see what Lady Detlinde and Lord Ferdinand have to say about this."

“I'm happy to say Lady Detlinde backed me up because the name of her fiancée was tied to the research publication,” Raimund said.

After our tea party between cousins, Detlinde had apparently chastised Fraularm "I was horrified to learn you still haven't delivered the reports! I never felt more ashamed in my life! I am to be the next Aub Ahrensbach, you know!". Maybe that was why she suddenly delivered our reports to Ferdinand, I mused.

"Say, Raimund. What is Professor Fraularm like in the dormitory? Do all Ahrensbach's students accept her tyrannical personality?”

“As long as you or Ehrenfest aren't involved, she isn't quite as loud,” Raimund explained. “It appears her older sister fell on hard after she was implicated in the Count Bindewald incident and punished accordingly. Professor Fraularm blames Ehrenfest, and you, for her sister’s misfortune. It seems that Lady Georgine has offered various benefits to Professor Fraularm to make up for the inconvenience though."

…whoops, for a moment there I wondered who Count Bindewald was. He is that noble who looked like a giant toad and went on a rampage in the temple, right? Yeah, anyone related to him is no good. We'll never get along. Better give up.

If one knew why they were being targeted, it was easier to avoid trouble.

“I guess that's why she seems to get along so well with students who act hostile to Ehrenfest.” Raimund continued. “Like those students who could not participate in the ceremony because they were blocked by Schutzaria's shield.... "

Though not all scholar apprentices hailing from Ahrensbach were blocked, two of them were. While avoiding eye contact with me, Raimund went on to explain that "They had been speaking ill of you for a while already, Lady Rozemyne. As former Werkestock nobles, they are holding a grudge against Ehrenfest, and you, for refusing to aid them with mana".

On top of that, they seemed to be angry that they were embarrassed in front of royalty. It seems that Fraularm was consoling them by criticizing me in turn, strengthening the unity between her and the students in the process.

"Of course, the scholar apprentices who were allowed to participate reported on the proceedings of the ritual and the importance of obtaining the gods' divine protection, so it's not a view shared by all Ahrensbach's students.” Raimund continued. “The value of Lord Ferdinand, the former high priest of Ehrenfest, has in fact quickly risen among them.”

"Is that so?” I said. “I'm glad to hear I've been of some use to Lord Ferdinand." That’s when I gestured Lieseletta with a smile. She quickly handed Raimund my letter for Ferdinand.

"Please deliver this to Lord Ferdinand,” I said. “It includes a list of things he needs to prepare for his stay during the Interduchy Tournament, so I'd like you to deliver it as soon as possible.”

Raimund accepted the letter with a nod. “I see, I'll head back to the dormitory while you are brewing the magic tool, Lady Rozemyne."

As I nodded in understanding, Hirschur blinked in surprise.

"Oh my, Lord Ferdinand will be attending the Interduchy Tournament?” She asked. “Not just the graduation ceremony to escort his fiancée? Ahrensbach doesn't have any Archduke Candidates to keep an eye on things, do they? Is it all right for him to be away for that long?”

Ahrensbach had two Archduke Candidates, Detlinde and Letizia, both were underage. Though he was still from Ehrenfest, Ferdinand was already taking care of most paperwork. If the presumably ill Aub Ahrensbach and his first wife Georgine were attending the Interduchy Tournament, Ferdinand most certainly would have had to stay behind in Ahrensbach.

As I titled my head in question, Raimund explained “Ahrensbach has several former Archduke Candidates turned archnobles, they take care of things in the Archduke’s absence. While the title of Archduke is necessary to conduct Interduchy politics, it's not needed to temporarily look after the duchy’s internal matters. I also heard that there won't be any immediate issues if the foundation magic isn’t supplied for a day or two. Am I wrong?"

"Certainly, even if you don't supply it for a few days, it won't have a significant impact on the foundation magic.” I agreed. “However, in Ehrenfest there is always someone present who can supply mana to the foundation just in case something happens. …it’s another one of many differences between our duchies, it seems."

…I barely understand the common sense of nobles as it is! To know there are differences between duchies as well! That makes it even harder!

As Raimund left to send the letter, I started brewing. The search tool in question was actually one that Hirschur had originally designed. To be honest, when she had asked me to make it for her, I wanted to scream: "Just make it yourself!". However, when she promised me "I will give it to you after the Interduchy Tournament. I don't need magic tools for a library." I enthusiastically got to work.

…I can have a search system in my library!

I casually chatted with Hirschur as I put the ingredients that she prepared into the pot and mixed them together. Of course, our only common topic of interest was Ferdinand.

"...so, then Detlinde said that she wanted him to pick her up on the morning of the graduation ceremony, like in the Royal Academy Love Stories,” I explained to Hirschur. “That's why Ferdinand decided to stay the night in Ehrenfest's tea party room. Because he couldn't stay in Ahrensbach's dormitory.”

"Oh my, I can hardly believe that Lord Ferdinand would go along with that..." Hirschur said with a bitter smile. As I muttered in a sigh, "Yeah, it's hard to keep Detlinde happy," Hirschur whispered, "I suppose he really misses Ehrenfest." at the same time.

"Huh?" I looked at Hirschur in surprise.

“If not, he would have used some sugary words and phrases to manipulate Detlinde into letting him stay the night at Ahrensbach's dormitory while leisurely doing research in my lab,” Hirschur said. “It appears he is missing Ehrenfest so much he's even willing to sleep on a sofa in the tea party room."

The words of Hirschur, who knew Ferdinand better than I did, made me feel happy and sad at the same time. In short, Ferdinand was so messed up, that the words "I miss doing research" written at the end of his letter actually meant "I want to go home".

"I will welcome Lord Ferdinand with all I have." I declared with determination.

"Then, please give him this,” Hirschur said. “It is a copy of the research material on Schwarz and Weiss, and some additional material I put together.”

Wait, wouldn't it be cruel to give Ferdinand all these research materials when he had specifically written in his letter he could not afford to immerse himself all night in research in Hirschur's lab?

"Professor Hirschur, do you intend to rob Lord Ferdinand of his sleep?" I asked.

"I could say the same about you, Lady Rozemyne.” Hirschur replied. “Lord Ferdinand must have held his head in agony all this time, don't you think? You invited royalty to attend the dedication ritual and played a game of wife-stealing ditter with Dunkelfelger.... Don't you think you gave him plenty of reason to lecture you all night?"

Her words insinuated it would be in everyone’s best interest if he immersed himself in research all night rather than losing sleep lecturing me. I felt the blood drain from my face.

“The fact that royalty participated in your ceremony will most certainly be a popular topic during the Interduchy Tournament and graduation ceremony,” Hirschur mentioned. “I know of several teachers who are looking forward to your research publication. It will most certainly be the research to attract the most attention this year. I am sure Lord Ferdinand would like to know more too."

"Ugh..." My shoulders dropped in despair, as I once again realized our reunion was likely to become one long lecture. I needed to make him compliment me somehow.

Lieseletta smiled at me as I fell deep in thought, then turned to Hirschur while pouring her a cup of tea.

"Professor Hirschur, how do the other duchies perceive Ehrenfest?” She asked. “After the dedication ritual, Lady Charlotte was met with excessive praise and smiles during the tea parties she took part in. We certainly expected that other duchies would try to butter up to her to some extent, but after our ditter match with Dunkelfelger, all bad rumors suddenly seemed to disappear overnight. It is quite unsettling."

This hadn’t only happened in the tea parties attended by our Archduke Candidates, but also in any tea parties attended by our scholar apprentices and attendant apprentices. Gretia nodded in agreement with Lieseletta's words.

"The lesser and middle duchies that were unable to participate in the dedication ritual were complaining left and right, but ever since the ditter match their attitude did a one-eighty.” She said. “Yet it's clear as day that some of the lesser and middle duchies are still harboring malicious intentions behind their smiles. If you have any information, as our dormitory supervisor, please tell us."

Hirschur lowered her eyes, as if deep in thought. “You were personally addressed by the Zent and discovered how to receive the divine protection of the gods before anyone else did. It is only a matter of course that other duchies would feel less inclined to insult you to your face. It's only natural they would try to reap some benefit from Ehrenfest's connection to royalty."

The flat tone of Hirschur's statement suggested it had absolutely nothing to do with her. Then she looked up at my attendants, “However, you're picking up on the lingering grudges behind the smiles, I see. As far as I am aware, Ehrenfest's reputation isn't all that favorable. Aside from all the rumors about the Aub, it would seem some people felt screwed over by Ehrenfest at the dedication ritual."

To take part in the joint research, each duchy was required to play a grueling match of ditter against Dunkelfelger. But then, when they thought they had earned the right to take part in the ritual, I used a divine instrument to prevent anyone with ill intentions from participating. It hadn't been a royal order; I had willingly agreed to the Sovereign Knights Order's demand in an attempt to improve their impression of me.

“Dunkelfelger and Ehrenfest both had a hand in the events, so it's obvious both duchies would incur some ill will,” Hirschur said. “Though it feels like it's all being directed towards the far weaker Ehrenfest.”

"I see...We must stay on guard in many ways." Gretia murmured. Hirschur gave a grave nod in response.

"You may not remember this, but until a few years ago Ehrenfest was one of the bottom-ranked duchies,” Hirschur warned us. “As a result of the shifting politics, the duchies on the losing side fell down the ranks and Ehrenfest’s rank went up while it did nothing. Within a relatively brief period of time, Ehrenfest escaped the bottom and established connections with royalty. You're probably the target of more envy than you think.”

I remembered that Cornelius had once told me "The Royal Academy is now completely different from when I was in the lower grades". I clearly didn't know how Ehrenfest had been treated when it was a bottom-ranked duchy.

"Until last year, people said that Ehrenfest's trends wouldn't last, but this year the voices claiming that Lady Rozemyne singlehandedly raised Ehrenfest's rank are getting louder.” Hirschur continued. “The other duchies must have realized that you are the cause for Ehrenfest’s continues stream of trends, the joint research with the greater duchies, and the connections with royalty.”

"...none of that is something I could have done by myself." I objected. Be it raising our grades or starting the printing industry, I couldn't have done it by myself. It was only possible thanks to the countless people aiding me.

A somewhat stern look appeared on Hirschur's face. "Indeed.” She agreed. “You can't do anything by yourself. However, none of it would have happened without you either. Please be more self-aware."

I was a female Archduke Candidate who came in first every year. I had bountiful mana, knowledge of various fashions and technologies, the divine protection of many gods, and a connection to royalty. Even though I was engaged, Dunkelfelger still had tried to obtain my hand in marriage.

“I would like to see what Ehrenfest will become with you at its center, Lady Rozemyne,” Hirschur said. “However, you must be careful. Don't lose sight of your surroundings.”

"Yes.” I said as I kept mixing ingredients together.

"I sent the letter." Raimund announced as he returned. The moment he noticed the table was already cleaned up and Hirschur was eating, he let out a pitiful scream.

"I have set aside your share, Raimund." Hirschur said. Raimund promptly regained his composure and sat down to eat. Lieseletta, who was serving them, posed a question to Raimund as she poured his tea.

"Lord Raimund. I'm curious. Will you be displaying the recording tool as is? Don't you think it would be cuter to display it as shumil stuffed animal?"

I remembered the stuffed animal Lieseletta had made for me. It certainly was much cuter than the bare magic tool and I had an inkling it would draw more attention that way.

……Speaking of which, I asked her to make one for Lady Letizia.

"At the suggestion of Professor Fraularm, only you and Ferdinand will be listed as the researchers, right?” She asked. “However, if we put the magic tool into a stuffed animal, everyone should be able to tell at a glance that Lady Rozemyne took part in this joint research too. Don't you think the very idea of putting magic tools into stuffed animals is very Lady Rozemyne-like? I'm sure no one else in this lab would think of that. It'll be incredibly cute."

Hirschur nodded in agreement as she listened to Lieseletta's proposition.

"It's true that the idea of embellishing a magic tool is not something I, Raimund, or Ferdinand would think of,” Hirschur said. “It will be an effective means to counter Fraularm's plan. We shall announce that Lady Rozemyne was the one who made the actual magic tool. As long as it won't interfere with my research, you can do as you like."

Having secured Hirschur's permission, Lieseletta turned to Raimund with anticipation. The pressure she exerted with her smile was impressive. I didn't expect Raimund had the strength to refuse my attendant who had so kindly prepared him a meal.

"I don't mind, but will you be able to finish it before the Interduchy Tournament?" He asked.

"Don't worry. It's already almost done, so I'll give it to you on the day of. If we exhibit both the bare magic tool and the shumil stuffed animal, we should be able to please both the ladies and the gentlemen." Lieseletta suggested with a lively smile on her face. Though her mouth said, "Let's use this cute shumil to make Lady Rozemyne's involvement clear.", I couldn't help but feel she cared more about displaying the cutest shumil ever, than establishing my involvement.

Upon returning to my room, Lieseletta finished the white shumil stuffed animal at once. The recording magic tool would register its owner’s mana and record their voice while they poured mana into it. Since I had planned to gift this shumil to Letizia, my mana was already registered to the magic tool. I fell into thought as I held the white shumil in my hands.

"What kind of message shall I record?” I mused. “Since it will be displayed at the Interduchy Tournament, I can't add any of the warnings meant for Lord Ferdinand I had planned on."

If I did that, he'd certainly pinch my cheeks the moment we reunited. Even I knew it was a bad idea.

"Lady Rozemyne, Lady Rozemyne. Don't you think it would be lovely to have a gentleman declare his love for you by gifting you such a cute magic tool?" Muriel suggested with a rapt look in her green eyes.

This world's declarations of love held no meaning to me, no matter how they were delivered, but I was likely an exception. And it would certainly make it painfully obvious it was not Raimund's idea.

"That sounds like a good idea,” I said. “Let's ask one of the men to record some sentences."

"Lady Rozemyne, I will carefully select some declarations of love from the Royal Academy Love Stories!" Muriel said with a gleeful smile.

I nodded. Since I absolutely didn't understand the beauty of the confessions riddled with references to the Gods, I decided to leave it to Muriel. Together we headed to the common room, where Muriel immediately started flipping through Royal Academy Love Stories to select the most beautiful love confession.

"Matthias, Laurenz.” I called. “Either one of you will do, but could one of you record the love declarations that Muriel selects into this shumil?"

I had accompanied her to the common room with the express purpose of making this request. Theodore and Roderick still sounded too young, so if possible, I wanted to leave the recordings to Matthias or Laurenz. I couldn't help but think it would have been nice to have Hartmut here right now. I was certain he would have gleefully recorded the sentences without a trace of embarrassment.

While Matthias stared at me in shock, Laurenz simply replied: "Sure, I don't mind.", accepting my request without any fuss.

"Then, I'll leave it to you, Laurenz..." I said.

"Wait a minute, Laurenz. You plan to record those sentences right here?" Matthias said, gesturing at all the people in the common room in a panic. I felt for him. Laurenz casually shrugged his shoulders.

"It's not like I'm confessing my love to a woman, it's like reading a book, right? I don't think it's anything to get so flustered about... "

"Well, I don't think these are words you should speak so casually."

To Matthias it was not a laughing matter. As much as I enjoyed their exchange, Muriel was impatiently waiting with a smile of anticipation for one of them to record the sentences.

"Anyway, Laurenz if you would?" I said.

"...I apologize I cannot fulfill your request, Lady Rozemyne." Matthias said as he took a step back, the regret clear on his face. I didn't think it was anything to feel bad about, but Matthias evidently felt depressed.

"Matthias, you are useful to me in many other ways. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Focus on what you can do, not what you can't." I said.

"...I thank you for your understanding."

I recorded Laurenz's voice while feeding my mana into the magic tool. As expected, the declarations of love so carefully selected by Muriel heavily featured the gods, and I had no idea what they meant. Love confessions were clearly not my cup of tea, so I decided to record a message advertising our books at the end. I was going to convince everyone to buy Ehrenfest's books.

"Whether you want to swoon over romantic declarations of love or are looking for a lovely confession to steal the heart of the person you love, Royal Academy Love Stories is the answer. Royal Academy Love Stories will be sold this Summer in Ehrenfest. Bloodcurdling Ditter Stories, a collection of Knight Stories, and the History of Dunkelfelger will be released at the same time. Please look forward to it!"

…hopefully, more people will become interested in Ehrenfest's books.

#Translation #P5V3

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thiscrimsonsoul · 1 year

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“Oh, I dance all the time,” Mantis said when Wanda asked if she danced during karaoke. “I think it is an instant way to cheer oneself up and feel better. It reminds me that even when times are tough, there’s music. There is no wrong way to enjoy music, but I believe it’s beautiful how we can feel it and experience it with our whole body.” And that was thanks to Quill and his love for dancing. He selflessly shared his music with her when she joined the Guardians, even though he had no reason to trust her after she initially hid Ego’s true intentions from them. Sometimes, Mantis even danced without music, simply because she was remembering a good song. But Wanda didn’t need to know that… unless her powers allowed her to know, of course. Mantis considered herself lucky to befriend another empath.

“I do,” she nodded, giggling in response to Wanda’s visible surprise after learning that Mantis had multiple stomachs. “I’m not sure why. I assume it’s to avoid getting poisoned, or to be able to go days with little or no food.” Mantis didn’t know a lot about her species, but she assumed that, like most species, her anatomy was meant for survival. Wanda wondering how that was possible made her smile again. “Well, I also have these,” she said pointing at her antennae, “to help me read the emotions of others. It is no coincidence they light up when I use my powers. You can do the same, but you don’t have them.” She stood on her tiptoes to inspect Wanda’s forehead. “Nope, not even really tiny ones! Instead, you have beautiful red magic. It’s because we’re different; we have different organs, different bodies, different natures. Isn’t that what makes the galaxy amazing? Things and beings are so different from each other, and paradoxically, it’s all the same, we’re all the same compared to the greatness of the universe…”

She trailed off, her smile growing slightly. She didn’t mean to get philosophical while discussing the amount of stomachs she had, so she returned to the topic. “I respect your brother’s ability to consume food. He seems to understand the struggle. I don’t depend on food the way he does because his powers play a big part of it, but he gets it. I wonder if he has difficulty reaching inebriation as well.” Mantis did, although she knew she could. Proof of it was the night she and Drax decided to party with humans before they went looking for Kevin Bacon. Mantis could get drunk, she just had to work extra hard for it. She missed having drinking competitions with Thor, who had left the team recently. Thor… another one of her friends who was hurting. It was not fair. But then again, life wasn’t fair nor unfair; it was what it was.

She joined Wanda in their quest for chicken consumption. Mantis wasn’t sure what chicken was, but she trusted Wanda. After trying it, she wanted to hunt down more chickens, but ended up giving up that plan because it was not polite to decide for Wanda what to do on her birthday. But she liked it very much, and she made sure to compliment Wanda’s taste. She just really wanted to cheer Wanda up a little. She knew her friend was probably having trouble accepting that there was an ancient evil god living inside her mind since birth. Even though Mantis was sure Chthon would leave Wanda alone, she also knew that gods acted on whim, which wouldn’t be a big deal if it wasn’t because gods had enough power for their whims to be dangerous on a large scale. However, Mantis was not scared of Chthon. In fact, she thought him a rather stupid demon for his inability to possess someone as harmless as a baby without trapping himself in the process. That was so stupid she was actually impressed. She had been afraid of Ego for far too long to be afraid of another god, especially one who failed this spectacularly.

__________

Wanda imagined that being around Mantis when she was singing and dancing was an absolute balm for the soul. She was amazed by her friend’s ability to still enjoy life to the fullest and to find joy in small things, despite everything she had witnessed and been through in her life. Wanda wished she could say the same, but much of life had lost its luster after losing Vision and several of her friends. It returned somewhat when she had her boys, but with them gone as well, she found it hard to find joy in anything anymore. Only Pietro was her saving grace... and friends like Mantis. They helped her to save what was left of her heart.

“Music has always been important to me and my family,” Wanda shared. “When I was little, Pietro and my parents and I all used to play and sing together like a little family band. My father played the fiddle, and he taught me how, and my mother sang. Pietro wasn’t overly musically inclined but he could sing pretty well and he liked to beat on things like drums. I miss those days. Then when I was older I learned to play the guitar. I remember Vision telling me I was wonderful at it even thought I was still learning and sometimes was terrible,” she said with a chuckle. “He was sweet like that, though...”

“I suppose it’s the same as my eyes glowing when I use my own powers,” Wanda said, but hen before she knew it, Mantis was inspecting her head for antennae. There was something so absurd, innocent, and hilarious about that all at once, and so she giggled a little during the inspection. “No, I wouldn’t imagine I do have them. Oh well. Yours are very pretty, especially when they light up. Pietro has commented to me several times that he thinks your antennae are very cute. Although... I’m pretty sure he finds all of you cute at this point.” She nodded in agreement. “Yes, it does make our galaxy interesting. I never knew there was life anywhere but on this earth before I met people like you. I’m still amazed by how diverse the galaxy is, and I’m definitely happy I had the opportunity to meet someone like you. I imagine most people go through their whole lives never meeting a true alien.”

Wanda chuckled at the topic of Pietro’s rather massive food consumption. “Some of it is due to his enhanced metabolism, but honestly, I think think he’d eat more than the average person even if he didn’t have a fast metabolism. He just likes food. Especially sweets and desserts. When we were little, there were many stolen cookies and pies with finger holes in them where he’d sampled them while our mother wasn’t looking.” She nodded. “Yeah he does. He can’t really get drunk. Well... okay, he can... but it’s rather uneventful when he does. Because his body processes everything very quickly, in order to really get drunk, he has to drink a lot more than other people and do it fast. Bu when he does that, it all hits him fast too, so he gets maybe ten, twenty minutes of being drunk and then he falls asleep.”

Bringing Mantis to the chicken restaurant was a lot of fun. She was always so enthusiastic about everything that it was impossible to be mopey around her. “I’m glad you like it,” she said with a warm smile as she watched Mantis happily eat a bunch of it. Wanda didn’t have the benefit of multiple stomachs, but she ate a fair amount herself too. “It’s been a while since I had chicken cooked this way. I’ve missed it.” She always cooked healthy things for her boys, after all. She... missed that too. “Thank you for doing this with me, Mantis. I really appreciate it. More than I can even explain. It’s nice to feel normal again and just do things with my friends if I want to. Even though... I guess I’ll never really be normal...” Having a demon living inside you definitely wasn’t normal. Nor was being the Scarlet Witch. For now, though Wanda tried to ignore that. “This is a chicken, by the way. One type, anyway. There are many different chickens with slightly varying colors and sizes and shapes of feathers...” She brought up a picture of one on her phone and showed it to Mantis.

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ouyangzizhensdad · 2 years

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I saw a few posts recently about how in XuanWu Cave LWJ biting WWX is supposed to be LWJ getting possessive/jealous/marking WWX and one of MXTX’s weird kinks. I wanted to know how you interpret that scene? I honestly think the scene is not meant to be interpreted as “hot” at all. I think it was LWJ’s last resort in the moment, after an Extremely Stressful Time™, to get WWX to just leave him alone. Obviously biting someone is not okay lmao but LWJ is very clearly having major emotional dysregulation based on how he snaps at WWX. I feel like saying this whole scene is only based on how he is jealous really ignores the uhhhh fucking war plot??? And how they got to this situation in the first place??? (The only thing I can think of the biting scene being intended as “romantic�� is as a play on the phrase 啮臂之盟, lit. bite an arm to make an oath, usually used as a promise to get married, via BaiDu. But this is more tongue-in-cheek than actual subtext IMO)

(Part 2 to the Cave/Biting ask, salty edition) Also if antis say this scene is OOC for LWJ I will lose my mind. It’s not my favorite scene in the book nor is it particularly notable but it’s not OOC. In WWX’s first life LWJ is shown since their first meeting to be unable to control his emotions and actions as well as he wants to!!! Their first interaction is literally a sword fight. And then this happens again in the Library Pavillion, the XuanWu Cave, etc. LWJ’s knee jerk reaction (after trying to ignore his issues, which is also not healthy might I add) when super frustrated seems to be drawing his sword which obviously directly goes against everyone’s view of him as perfect and regulated etc. LWJ reacts with violence where it’s inappropriate and better to communicate multiple times! Which leads to WWX thinking LWJ doesn’t like him! Of course LWJ gets better at controlling his reactions as he gets older but damn. And some of these fight scenes were kept in for CQL??? I don’t understand the disconnect TBH. God forbid HanGuang-Jun has a Character Flaw that ties into the plot and themes of the story.

Hi anon,

While the novel does show that lwj can get bite-y during kisses and sex, I think it is a tenuous argument to suggest that the scene in the Tulu Xuanwu cave is meant to be read as having sexual undertones or to understand it as the mere expression of a character’s ‘kink’ or preferences.The context of it, as well as the headspace of the characters--particularly lwj--simply do not allow for that reading to be well-supported. It feels a little bit like, I don’t know, trying to argue that, in any context, if lwj ties a rope or a bit of fabric, it has got to be sexual, even if it is tying his own forehead ribbon in the morning.

As you mention, some people have pointed out that a potential reading of the scene relates to “ 啮臂之盟” and works as a declaration. This was never confirmed by mxtx, but mxtx famously prefers to let readers interpret the text and rarely confirms these sorts of interpretations so it might be what she intended.

That being said, while this interpretation might still partly be true, if we look at the scene in context, to me it really seems as if lwj means to mark wwx for the sake of marking his memory.

Prior and after being locked in the cave, lwj sees wwx acting ‘frivolously’ towards both him and MianMianm, including wwx trying to shock him by stripping. This leads lwj to grow somewhat resentful. Based on what he says to wwx, it is clear that lwj finds himself in turmoil when he is on the receiving end of wwx’s teasing and attentions, having to remind remind himself that he is not ‘special’, that wwx does not have these intentions, that this is just how wwx acts (which 😥 no hgj you were special you were the most specialest, he was really flirting with you he just didn’t realise that’s what he was doing). I think, to anyone who has had (or thought they had) an unrequited love, that feeling of frustration is easy to understand; how hard it can be to keep your hopes in check when the person you like seems to treat you in a special way when that’s actually just the way they personally are towards many if not most people.

“Lan Zhan, you really are so strange today,” Wei Wuxian began, once more. “You’re so rude. And you are not talking like yourself either.”

“If you do not have those intentions, then do not flirt with others. You are doing as you please yet others will end up in turmoil.”

The conversation is also preceded by to the topic of “brands”; that having something remain on your body can work as a representation, a reminder. In this case, it becomes clear that wwx having a mark on his body will remind him of having saved a guniang, and will ensure that the guniang herself never forgets him. This leads lwj, who has been shouldering with a stiff lip quite a lot of emotional turmoil since the wen attacked the cr, to lash out and get angry at wwx for this very fact, to the point of physically shoving him.

Lan Wangji’s face was dark. A moment later, he replied, “If you know it hurts, do not be so rash next time.”

“It’s not like I had any other choice, did I? Do you think I enjoy being burned? Who would’ve known that Wang Lingjiao is that heartless? She almost pressed the iron into her eye. MianMian is a girl, and quite a pretty one, at that. If she were blind in an eye or her face scarred, she would have to bear it for the rest of her life. How bad would that be?”

“The thing on your body right now will remain for the rest of your life as well,” Lan Wangji spoke in a thin voice.

“That’s different. It’s not on my face. And I’m a man—what am I scared of? In a man’s life, how could he not get a few wounds and earn a few scars?”

His upper body bare, he was squatting on the ground as he picked up a branch and poked at the flames. “And, if you consider it from another perspective, even though this will never disappear from my body, it represents the fact that I protected a guniang. And the guniang will definitely remember me after this. She won’t be able to forget me for the rest of her life. Now that I think about it, it’s actually quite—”

Suddenly, Lan Wangji shoved him hard, raging.

“So you also know that she will not be able to forget you for the rest of her life!”

Then, just before lwj starts biting wwx, we get the following line that is actually an idiom in chinese ( 好了伤疤忘了痛 ).

Somehow, Wei Wuxian had moved beside him again and sat down, speaking without a care for the consequences [...] Lan Wangji glanced at him, a person who seemed to forget all past pain as soon as the wounds had healed. Just as Wei Wuxian was about to give him a large grin, he suddenly saw Lan Wangji lower his head [...] Lan Wangji was buried into the crescent of his elbow, biting firmly into his arm.

While in this case, it can be taken very literally: that, indeed, as soon as wwx stops feeling the pain of lwj’s earlier shove, he already starts moving back near him. However the idiom also has a more metaphorical sense of forgetting past difficulties once the situation improves which--isn’t this coincidentally quite a good illustration of wwx?

That being said, if we remain in a more literal interpretation, and we think back to the discussion regarding the brands and remembering, the bite can be interpreted as lwj trying to force wwx to remember him--to leave him with a brand of his own, although it is one that will fade away. Perhaps, to a degree, to force wwx to think about lwj just as much as lwj is incapable of escaping thoughts about wwx, if only for a short while.

I think, through this reading, lwj’s ensuing “thank you”s make sense; having relieved this frustration in his heart, these stifled hopes of his, that the quick-forgotten shove had not managed to truly put to rest. That this is enough to defuse some of his more recent frustration. So that’s the interpretation I lean more toward, although of course there is nothing that makes it impossible to have both 啮臂之盟 and 好了伤疤忘了痛 coexist--characters’ actions can have more than a single motivation! And there are potentially other interpretations possible that I simply have not personally thought of.

Now, does that mean that lwj is jealous? Kinda, yeah? It’s not a secret that lwj experiences jealousy during the novel. Big fucking whoop! Some people really took ‘jealousy is not love’ and ‘your lover’s jealousy should never be used as an excuse to control you’ and went ‘if anyone ever feels any jealousy and, god-forbid, ever have any negative feelings or impulsive reactions due to this, they are irredeemable and their love is toxic’. Although we know lwj is jealous at different point in the narrative (rip that poor rock), we only see him act in childish but short-lived ways when he’s very drunk or, in this case, when he is emotionally very fragile, having nearly died after weeks of mistreatment and humiliation, all the while his brother is on the run, his father is dying and his home has been burned down. It’s fine to not like these choices, as part of a romance or otherwise, to question whether they truly bring something to the narrative, the characterisation or the relationship between the characters, but to act like these are big red flags of toxic and problématique behaviour is like... Sure I guess there is no sliding scale between healthy/sainthood and toxic/problématique, and all these people writing these takes must be living examples of the “I have never done anything wrong in my life, ever” meme.

#mdzs meta #lwj #anon ask #mdzs #brine corner

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luna-nigthshade-wood · 2 years

Text

THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE BUNKER

Also known as 100 things that The Bunker Family is no longer allowed to do in the Bunker.

In the Bunker´s library hangs a paper, which reads the rules and regulation of the Bunker. Rowena enchanted the paper so it couldn’t be destroyed and it was taped to the wall with what appears to be Celestial Tape TM. The list was created after multiple incidents and failure to comply can carry severe consequences, that range from having to do the chores all weekend to a night spend in jail to an upsie (also known as a minor case of the Apocalypse). The list read as follow:

I, Dean Winchester, being of sound mind (debatable) [zip it, Claire] decided to create this set of rules for all the inhabitants of the Bunker after The Incident, which for legal reasons we are not talking about. The rules may be changed depending of the circumstances and new ones can be added. Failure of comply will result in an exemplary punishment (you mean, having to do chores) [this is partially your fault Sammy, so I would zip it too]. Without further ado, here are the rules to be followed: 1- All inhabitants of the Bunker must inform someone were they are going to be, if they planned to go somewhere by themselves for a period of time longer than an hour, we have had enough scares, kidnappings and/or deaths in this family. 2- All visitors to the Bunker (by that I mean people who doesn’t live here) must be checked for curses, possession and weapons at the entrance. 3- Visitors must also leave all their weapons, minus one of their preference, in the entrance of the Bunker, we have enough problems as it is. 4- After much consideration and against my better judgment, you are allowed to invite someone that is not aware of the Supernatural to the Bunker, but you must give everyone a warning of at least 48 hours so we can´t hide anything incriminatory and they must be kept in approved areas. 5- If your “normal” visitor is traumatized by the experience, it is your own damn fault (that is harsh, but sadly truth) 6- The ducklings are not allowed to go hunting by themselves without permission of a responsible adult. a. For further references, by ducklings I mean: Emma, Jesse, Bobby John, Ben, Krissy, Claire, Kaia, Alex, Patience and Jack (and Sam) b. Sam wants to clarify he is a grown up, so he shouldn’t be included in ridiculous rules his big brother comes up with c. Emma wants to say that after The Incident, Sam demonstrated just how much of a grown-up he really is, so he should get off his high horse. d. Sam reluctantly agrees (after Eileen made him) 7- Neither Sam nor Cas count as responsible adults, therefore their permission is not seen as valid. 8- Speaking of Sam and Cas, they are no longer allowed to go hunting together without supervision 9- Sam and Cas are also not allowed to leave the Bunker together without supervision 10- Scratch that, Sam and Cas are no longer allowed to be left alone together, they get bad ideas and execute said ideas. 11- For the hunt is no longer a valid excuse to be used 12- Neither is “we were almost sure nothing bad would happened” 13- Experiments and spells are no longer allowed to be done without at least a few days of research and an expert in the room 14- Sam does not count as an expert and Rowena agrees. 15- You are also not allowed to read creepy books that randomly appeared inside the Bunker (Curiosity killed the cat, Cas) [Actually cats are naturally curious creatures and I don’t understand why you would shame them for that, Dean] (Never mind) 16- As of today, any objects acquired at hunts must be triple checked 17- Actually, all objects that come from suspicious sources must be checked 18- The kitchen is not a place to do potions, Rowena (also why are you doing it here?) [Your brother is my apprentice and the kitchen has a beautiful natural light] 19- The kitchen is just for cooking 20- Actually, if you are not Dean, Emma, Ben, Patience or Eileen please do not enter the kitchen, the rest of you will start a fire trying to boil water. 21- Eileen is no longer allowed inside the kitchen 22- You can keep snacks in your room, as long as you make sure to clean every now and then, so that we don’t get bugs. 23- Bugs are not to be kept as pets (I am looking at you, Jack) 24- Neither are snakes or birds 25- The only pets allowed in the bunker are Miracle (the dog), Sushi (the cat), and Sir Fluffy the Fourth (the golden fish) a. The Fifth, actually Dean b. Damn it Jack 26- Baby is off limits; I will hunt you down 27- Jesse shall not stab Cas every time he sees him 28- Jesse is no longer allowed anywhere near knives 29- He is also not allowed anywhere near swords 30- Jesse is not to have anything pointy or anything he can use to stab Cas 31- After much deliberation and a very traumatizing demonstration with a spoon, Jesse is allowed to stab Cas twice a week. (Great parenting there, Dean) [Drop it or I will let Emma stab you] 32- Emma is not allowed to try and called the police on Sam for intent of murder (I mean, he did almost kill me) [Let it go, Elsa] 33- Sam is not to keep antagonizing Emma; she is still stronger than you 34- Emma is no longer to called Sam names 35- Calling Sam The Moose Killer is wrong and the ducklings should avoid doing it (even if it is true) 36- Jack is not to drink any alcohol, he is three. a. I know he used to drink, but that was when he looked like he was 21, he is now 12 physically, and he still shouldn’t have been drinking before 37- Speaking of Jack, Cas is not to go to parent-teacher conferences. The teacher called CPS twice and the police 38- Cas is also not to join PTA, we don’t want a repeat of the Godstiel incident 39- After a commentary to Jack from the head of the PTA, the last rule is removed and Cas is to rain hell on earth on all those prejudiced people 40- Ben is to go visit Lisa at least once a month and he is to answer his mother´s calls 41- Ben should not tell his mom that his dad lets him go to hunts neither he should describe said hunts to his mother 42- Ben must avoid mentioned Castiel to Lisa. She hates him for the whole memory thing 43- Patience is allowed to hide inside the Bunker whenever her father is being a douche about her powers (DEAN!) [What??] 44- Patience is allowed to use her powers whenever she wants to and she can decide whether she wants to hunt or not 45- However, Patience must not conduct seances inside the Bunker without supervision (see Rule #7 and #13) 46- Krissy is not to take unnecessary risks on hunts neither is anyone else 47- Krissy is not to offer herself as bait neither is anyone else but I feel the need to clarify because it seems to be a constant 48- Krissy must not try to summon anything in the basement 49- Just because Bobby John is able to lose limbs at will as a shifter doesn’t mean he should do it 50- Dismemberment is not allowed (should be obvious but apparently not) 51- (Sam here) Bobby John is not to shift into either of his namesakes, Dean will cry and drink himself to sleep for different reasons a. Dean wants to clarify he was not crying something got inside his eyes b. But he agrees with this rule and tells Bobby John that if he wants to know more about his namesakes he can come talk to Dean at anytime 52- Alex is not to throw parties in the Bunker (Claire will snitch on you) 53- Claire, while a capable adult and huntress, is not to try and solve hunts by herself. We are a family, we are here to help you 54- Kaia is not to cover for Claire when she inevitably tries to go hunt by herself 55- Kaia is not to be dragged into Claire´s schemes 56- Claire is not to called Cas “the possessed dead body of my father” when she is mad 57- Emma is not allowed anywhere near hunts that looked to be related to Amazons 58- Eileen is not allowed to leave Dean by himself to look after Sam and Cas 59- Touching and/or altering Sam´s hair products is extremely forbidden, it would piss him and Eileen off 60- There is a grocery list for a reason, however goes out to get supplies have to adhere to it 61- Sam must not use half the budget for grocery on his hair products 62- After the incident where someone only bought toilet paper and nothing else, only Patience and Kaia are allowed to do the groceries, I don’t even trust myself with it. 63- All the inhabitants of the Bunker must help with the chores. The list of chores will be posted every Monday morning and they will be assigned randomly 64- No one is allowed to rig the chores chart. 65- The only way to change an assigned chore is to trade it with someone else 66- Doors are there for a reason, use them 67- Unless life or death situations, privacy is to be respected 68- We are to do a family activity at least once a week 69- Game night is forever canceled 70- Board games are no longer allowed inside the Bunker, including: Monopoly, Pictionary, chess, Clue, Uno, checkers, Battleship, Twister, Jenga. a. And every other game known, we don’t want another repetition of The Incident 71- Movie night will now replace Game night 72- After one fight too many, a list is to be made so everyone has a chance to choose the movie we will see. a. The list is as followed: Castiel, Jack, Emma, Jesse, Bobby John, Ben, Krissy, Claire, Kaia, Alex, Patience, Eileen, Sam, Dean 73- A turn to picked can only be skipped in case of punishment. Trying to locked Jack in his room just so we don’t have to see Frozen again is ineffective and it will make you lose your turn. 74- Guys, it is family movie night, try to picked something accurate a. I am talking to you Claire. Jack, Bobby John and Krissy ended up having nightmares 75- Before making a choice for movie night, please checked your movie is not named in the ever growing “Forbidden Movie” List, that can be found beside the TV 76- If you bought or cooked something for yourself, put your name on it 77- Respect anything that has a name on it 78- Putting laxatives in your food just so your fellow ducklings don’t eat it while fun is wrong and you must not do it (In my defense, I wasn’t targeting Jack) [That still doesn’t make it right Jesse] 79- Prank wars are only to be had twice every 6 months 80- Kidnapping Juliet is not a prank, Crowley was not amused 81- Just because you like Juliet, it is not reason enough to summoned her inside the Bunker (see: rule #25 y #80 82- Please stop trying to locked Rowena and Crowley inside the same room so “they can solve their differences”, it will only result into intent of murder 83- Same can be said about Crowley and Castiel, they hate each other 84- Cas has to stopped trying to killed Crowley 85- Crowley must stop mentioning The Summer of Love, Dean was literally a demon 86- Playing the Floor is Lava is okay as long as you don’t turn the floor in lava 87- Playing paint ball inside the Bunker is discouraged, but if you feel the need to, you will be the one cleaning it 88- Slime is forbidden. Seriously, you leave that thing everywhere. 89- Lights out is at 2:00 am, because we all need at least 6 hours of sleep every day 90- You need to eat your vegetables so you can get dessert *Rules #89 and #90 were written by Jody Mills. If you want to complain about it, go to her, it is your own fricking funeral 91- Language is to be moderate, because there are impressionable kids around *Cough* Jack *Cough* 92- If you get injured at a hunt, you must report to the Infirmary to be treated. 93- After some of you went to the Infirmary for a broken nail, a score was created. a. Any injure higher than a 4 needs to be checked 94- (Cas here) Dean is not above Rule #92 and #93, I did not rebel against Heaven and Hell, only to watch you die from Tetanus [Sorry babe] 95- Making deals with Cosmic Entities is strictly forbidden, I am looking at you Castiel 96- (Eileen here) Makings deals with demons is also forbidden, I am looking at you Winchesters 97- Summoning the Empty, just to annoy it, is a no go. 98- Cas bees don’t count as pets, therefore he can keep them as long as he promises to take care of them 99- Just because he used to possess your body, it doesn’t mean you should call Belphegor your twin, Jack a. And for the last time, we are not adopting him, so quit it b. So, you weren’t discussing custody with Rowena, dad? c. I don’t know what you are talking about Ben 100- All inhabitants of the Bunker, whether they live here temporally or permanently, are part of this family, therefore we will protect them as so. Here ends the list of rules and regulations of the Bunker, amends can be made and rules can be added. Signed by: D. W. Witness: S.W., C.W., E.L., E.W., C.N., A.J., B-J.W., J.T., K.N., P.T, J.K.W., K.C., B.B.

Ao3

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sevendeadlymorons · 3 years

Note

Good noon! (Or morning/night) Hope you're doing well! I'd like to ask if you could do the one that was similar with "Brothers don't like MC?" But with the Dateables? 🙏👀 If not though! Then that's perfectly fine! Thank you reading my fair human person<3 pls take care!

Ok this was apparently really popular so here’s another with the lovely Dateables~

Writing Diavolo and Simeon was so hard, and I couldn’t even figure out how to write Luke so uhh I gave up heh sorry...

Brothers + Dateables Just Can’t Seem to Like MC

WARNING: Angst // Possible Emotional Abuse

—————————————

Lucifer

You could never understand the way he looks at you, or rather, how he ignores you after looking at you

His eyes are filled with hatred and you couldn’t understand why, you did nothing wrong yet he looked at you like you were a nuisance and a pain to be around

The way he said your name was cold and harsh and it reminded you of the way you were treated back in the human world, with so little respect, as if you were smaller and more insignificant than him

But little did you know, he hated you for everything you did. Your humour, your manners, the way you followed him around, expecting him to babysit you when he’s already pissed off with his brothers to begin with

He hates the way you loiter around him, waiting for a moment to talk to him only to be rejected and painfully ignored. He always enjoys watching your smile turn into a frown and your eyes slowly begin to water as you without hesitation turn to flee away from him

It tears you up inside, leaves your heart aching and you find yourself breaking down, tears flooding down your face as his cruel words repeat in your head

You’ve always wished that someone in any of these worlds would ever care about a human like you, but perhaps that wish may never come true

Mammon

You knew being around him annoyed him, why wouldn’t it? He was assigned to look after you; stripped of his freedom and privacy to be your new babysitter

You saw the way he looked at you in disgust, tears forming in your eyes as he throws insult after insult at you, not stopping when tears were flooding down your face after being called useless for the hundredth time

You wished he’d treat you nicer but you knew he only saw you as a weak human who’ll eventually be eaten by some lower demon which would rid him of you and his babysitting duties

Why must you always make life difficult for him, why should he deal with your fuck-ups? He wishes you disappeared, honestly

He can’t find a moment of peace with you around, constantly being called to save you from demons or to help you after getting lost, it’s such a hassle

It’s so hard to be there by his side all the time, constantly taking all the abuse he throws at you and being called sensitive when you break down in front of him

Your only wish is to make friends here. You thought maybe they’d care about you here, but perhaps life isn’t always that easy

Leviathan

He would never hold back when it came to you, worse than Mammon when it came to insulting you as you bite your lip to stop it from quivering

You were so insignificant to him and he let you know that, just a stupid normie who enjoyed getting in his way and pissing him off with your humour and your constantly loud personality

He ignores you, pushing you away and rejecting all conversations, and when he wasn’t doing that, he was insulting you until you felt it deep in your heart, your stomach sinking as you realise the Devildom will be no different from the human world

You knew your sadness irritated him as his brow furrowed and his lips crease into a grimace at how pathetic you looked stood in front of a powerful demon like him

It took all of him to not get physical with you as he’s not stupid enough to make Lucifer punish him for it, but in his head, he wants you gone

You never knew what you did wrong with Levi; you shared multiple interests with him yet he would continue to scoff and tease you and brush you off, locking himself back in his room

You sit alone at night in floods of tears, no one to talk to as you realise just how alone you are here and just how desperate you were for someone, anyone to like you

Satan

Nothing you said got his attention, well, not in a positive way anyway

You were a nuisance, he said it himself as he grabs your face, threatening you for the god knows how many times this week

He hates the way you were always around him, following him like some kind of dog and asking him meaningless questions that he had no interest in answering. You would him up, made him so angry sometimes that he wish you would just disappear. He didn’t care where to, as long as you weren’t in his sight

He loves to see you cry after telling you exactly how he feels about you and how every single one of his brothers and friends feel about you. You were nothing to him and you never will be

You’re brainless and clumsy and he doubts you’ll survive down here, not with how naive you were

You wanted so badly to befriend him, or at least for him to see you as a worthy person. You had enough shit thrown at you in the human world and all you wanted was a friend, someone to talk to and laugh with

You’ll forever have to remember that he does not care about you and you’ll forever be stuck alone

Asmodeus

Straight away, Asmo took a disliking to you, grimacing and inching away from you whenever you were near him, like a disease

Every time you tried talking to him, he wouldn’t even let you finish a sentence as he walks away, laughing at your pathetic excuse of a conversation along the way

He made your life Hell as he threw backhanded insults at you, making you feel worse than you already did and causing you to feel disgusting and unwanted

The avatar of Lust didn’t even want you, so you always wondered who ever would

In truth, he hated you for no particular reason. He just saw you as weaker than him and took advantage of that, making you feel worse and worse every day until you eventually decided to leave him alone, as he truly couldn’t stand your face nor your plain personality

You always end up alone in your room after a day of torment, tears flooding down your face as you stare at an empty screen, feeling so alone and unwanted

You wish he had a reason to hate you, you’d change yourself so he’d actually like you then. You just wanted someone to talk to and someone to love you, but perhaps you were just meant to be alone

Beelzebub

He hated how you were so curious, and so small compared to him. Just another human that he could easily devour in seconds

His eyes were always so dull when he looked at you. So emotionless and unbothered by your presence. And it hurt because they immediately lit up when his brothers walked in. Why couldn’t he look at you like that...?

He’d steal your food, snarling at you when you protest and terrifying you if you even went close to his food in the fridge. You knew he had it in for you and you just wish he didn’t

He saw you as lower than him, enjoying the tears that formed in your eyes when he would insult you and call you names, pushing you to limits that would soon break your heart

Some days he would ignore you and those normally hurt the most as you were forced to walk behind him and Belphie whilst they were laughing and having fun, leaving you behind like you weren’t even there

Nothing you could say could ever make him like you and you slowly began to accept that as you distanced yourself, allowing him to take your food and be his punching bag in a hope that maybe he’ll start to like you...

He was always so nice to everybody but you, just like everybody in the human world and you were so sick of it, so sick of the pain and the tears. You just wanted a friend in this dark, scary place

Belphegor

Seeing you just made him hate humans harder as he realised just how pathetic and annoying they all were

He never smiled nor made proper eye contact when you were around, all you got was a snarl, the cold shoulder and an occasional threat when he’s in a particularly bad mood

He reminds you how easily he could kill you; wrap his hands round your neck and suffocate you again like before. He likes to see the terrified look on your face as you back away from him

You were so scared of him, but you just wanted to befriend him because you felt alone and you wanted someone to reassure you that you’d be safe by their side, but he never let you feel that way, not even for a second

You couldn’t go near him whilst he slept without almost being injured and you also couldn’t be near him whilst he was awake because he’d insult you and make you feel sick to your stomach, feeling tears well up quickly

You break down, cradling your knees to your chest as you sob alone in a dark unfamiliar room with no one to turn to

Sometimes you wonder if you’d be better off actually dying by his hands as it’s all the same, wherever you go, everybody around you torments you and makes you feel awful

Diavolo

He loves everyone around him but when it came to you, he wishes he’d never even thought of the exchange program to begin with

You were obnoxious and so different to what he expected any normal human to be like

He kept his composure and mannerisms as royalty but he made it his job to ignore you and avoid you as often as he could

He knew it looked unprofessional on his side but he didn’t care as he continued to dodge you and skip past your questions in group meetings, giving you the cold shoulder when he saw you at RAD or in the castle when you visited

When he had to talk to you, the first thing you noticed was his dull, unentertained eyes and his lack of a cheery smile that he normally showed around Lucifer and his brothers. It made you feel so upset and like you were being treated differently

You thought maybe he would like you, but as the days passed and he kept on avoiding you and scowling at you when you occasionally bump into him, you knew it wouldn’t happen

He was the one who forced you to come here and you couldn’t even leave because who was there to go home to...

Barbatos

The Butler was the first person you saw, and he was also the first person to scowl at you in the Devildom

He normally had a serious look on his face, but when he sees you, it’s like his whole personality changes and he’s suddenly rude and harsh

You did nothing to him, not said one word, but it’s like he held something against you and it broke you. He didn’t even give you a chance and you could do nothing about it

You tried to befriend him because you wanted to so badly. Walking with him when he had free time and asking him questions to start conversation but nothing seemed to work, he just kept ignoring you

He wouldn’t insult you though, he wouldn’t even speak and that made it hurt even more as he stared you down with those dull eyes of his, forever judging you for absolutely nothing

You thought maybe assisting him around the castle would make him like you: cleaning up, helping cook. Just basic things that could make his life easier. But nothing worked, and he just left you to stand alone, heartbroken

You felt overwhelmingly lonely with no one to tell you how to survive this place or how everything worked. You realised you had a place nowhere in this world and that stung you hard as you felt tears finally drip down your cheeks

Simeon

You thought maybe an angel would be your friend, but as you watched him take one look at you and leave, your hope crumbled and your heart sank to your stomach

He walked past you every day, saying nothing as you waved at him to say hello, moving away from you so you didn’t touch him

He knew when he saw a human not worthy of his time. But he wasn’t going to insult you, he’ll spare you that heartache at least. He didn’t have any reason to dislike you, he just didn’t want to involve himself with someone like you. Someone so visibly lonely

Some days he’ll give you a pitied smile and a wave and watch your face light up. He honestly felt sorry for you, so lost in this new world, but he didn’t have the time to babysit a human like you

You’d follow him around, desperate to get his attention but you’d never actually get it. You’d get an excuse to not be there. All the time

You can’t help but cry, breaking down at the thought of being stuck here alone. Even an angel doesn’t like you, so nobody ever will

It’s always been this way though. People would avoid you and make excuses to not hang around you, everybody was the same; you felt foolish to believe anybody would ever see something in you

Solomon

When he heard another human would be here, he never expected someone like you

His first interaction with you was so clearly half arsed as he introduced himself, giving you that little bit of hope that maybe finally you’d found a possible friend only for him to never speak to you again after that

It broke your heart how nobody gave you a chance and just saw you as a weak human who needs demons to fend for them in this terrifying world

He may’ve pitied you though, seeing such a lost human like yourself made him remember how he used to be when he first entered the Devildom. But unlike you, he wasn’t useless

You tried to talk to him but you always got ignored or given a back handed insulted that would give you memories to when you were little in the human world

You thought being a human he’d understand how you may feel and you two may get along, but his eyes were always unbothered and he never smiled at you like he did around the brothers or the angels

Never in your life have you felt more ignored by your own kind and you lie alone in bed, thinking about all the shit he says to you over and over again and how little your importance is in all 3 worlds

Part 1 is here

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me headcanons #obey me dateables #obey me leviathan #obey me belphie #obey me belphegor #obey me satan #obey me mammon #obey me beelzebub #obey me asmodeus #obey me lucifer #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me simeon #obey me solomon #obey me angst

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sparklysung · 3 years

Text

✨ADRENALINE RUSH – n.j.m.✨

pairing – na jaemin x female!reader

genre – smut, slight angst | non-idol!au, school!au

warnings – good boy!virgin!jaemin, bad girl!experienced!reader, corruption kink, unprotected sex (wrap it up guys), breeding kink, slight exhibitionism (library), creampie, marking, overstimulation

word count – 3.416 words

note – i got too much into it lol. it turned out so long, i’m sorry for that. i do hope you like it, i’ve been working on it for a few days now and it’s been rough. i’m hoping there aren’t too many errors, and if there are i apologize in advance, i know they are annoying. either way enjoy!

summary – as the local bad girl, your reputation was rather infamous. jaemin knew this and so he tried his best to stay away from you. but after getting paired up for a genetics project, he didn’t stand a chance against your desire to ruin his innocence.

taglist – @junguwuuu , @prvncejxon, @carelessshootanonymous

part i ; part ii

you were mindlessly playing with your pen, doodling on the margins of your notebook, ignoring completely what your genetics professor was explaining on the board in the front of the classroom.

that’s how class usually was for you; not paying attention to anything, just messing around with your highlighters, drawing more doodles to add to your collection or observing your classmates –not in a creepy way, though–. your professor wasn’t that clueless for you to nap until the end of the class, so you took advantage of whatever could keep you awake.

when your hand started to cramp due to the constant movement, you started looking around the room with a bored expression, letting your thoughts go to anything and everything that seemed the tiniest bit interesting. that was until he caught your eye.

na jaemin. perfect na jaemin. excellent grades, the teacher’s pet, always so polite to everyone. the type of guy every parent would want their daughter to date and the perfect role model.

and you were the opposite. you never really cared about school; getting high scores was useless from your point of view, so you never took it seriously. you were used to sneaking out of your house to attend parties and going home drunk with a different guy each weekend –cause life is short and why not–. your lifestyle earned you a ‘bad girl’ reputation, as well as the protagonism of multiple not-so-nice rumours.

you two were so different from one another, belonged to completely different worlds.

that’s why you were so intrigued by him.

it’s not like this was the first time you notice him, you can’t just not notice him. he was gorgeous, to say the least; perfect face, flawless skin, sparkly round eyes adorned with long eyelashes, pink plush lips, fluffy hair with soft dark locks that fell beautifully on his forehead, framing the soft expression on his face. oh yeah, how could you forget that long neck of his, with a prominent adam’s apple that made your mouth water with the thought of marking it with purplish bites. you’ve wanted to ruin him since the first day you laid eyes on him, make him break under your touch and need you as much as he needs oxygen to breathe.

“so, before the class comes to an end, i’m going to assign you in pairs for the project i was talking to you about a few minutes ago.” groans of annoyance were heard from all around the room, finally making you pay attention.

as the professor began mentioning the pairs, your attention drifted once again towards jaemin. he looked genuinely interested in what was being said; eyebrows furrowed in concentration while waiting for his name to be called.

“kim sohee and lee donghyuck,” your eyes wandered down toward his broad shoulders, strong arms and slender fingers. your teeth nibbled with your bottom lip, nails sinking against the palm of your hand as you felt your panties grow damp by the sole idea of him fingering you.

“na jaemin and y/l y/n,” your head snapped first in the direction of your professor, and then to his, who looked rather nervous sitting down a few desks in front of you, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. indeed, jaemin was nervous, so nervous that he felt like he was about to pass out. he could feel the looks full of pity his friends were throwing at him and it was making him feel even worse. he wasn’t too pleased either with the shot of excitement and anticipation he felt spreading across his body. you looked down at your hands, hair slightly covering your face as you tried to hide your devilish smirk.

you didn’t bother to listen to the rest of the pairs, being already too immersed in thoughts about every possible scenario that could take place while you two worked together on the project.

~.~.~.~

as soon as class ended, you threw your bag over your shoulder, making your way towards jaemin’s table and earning a couple of looks of disapproval from his friends. not letting that affect you, you approached him with a sweet smile plastered on your face. “hey,” his face shot up to look at you, hands still working on getting all his belongings inside his bag. straightening his back, he tried to look unaffected by your presence. he nodded his head shortly as a greeting and decided to get this over with as fast as he could.

“let’s work on the project at the library, right after class,” jaemin said, trying to sound confident, but you could see right through him; he was nervous. he figured that a place full of people was less risky rather than either of your houses, where you’d be alone and the possibility of something happening was a lot higher. you shrugged your shoulders, not really minding the location, “see you later, pretty boy.” you winked at him before making your way out of the room, leaving a flustered jaemin behind.

you were bad news, your name only coming up in conversations about breaking the rules, hookups during parties with lots of alcohol involved and other rumours. he knew he wasn’t supposed to feel like this, all about you screamed ‘danger, beware’. and his friends had warned him, always making sure to constantly remind him not to get closer than needed or he would be doomed. but he couldn’t stop the fast beating of his heart nor the butterflies that erupted in his stomach.

jaemin was certain this wasn’t going to end well, at least not for him.

and he was right.

~.~.~.~

a few hours later, jaemin and you were sat side by side on a slightly secluded table. he decided against sitting close to the entrance, as the internet connexion wasn’t so good and you were required to do internet research. he felt on edge every time your thigh brushed lightly against his, though he wasn’t sure if you knew what you were doing or if you were completely oblivious to the small touches.

but you sure weren’t oblivious of the way his body reacted with each of them, fingers gripping tightly the edges of the book he had opened in front of him. you on the other hand pretended to not notice, intently reading the thesis you had found in google scholars about multifactorial and complex diseases.

at some point, you figured it was time to make your move and shoot your shot. it seemed like he liked your proximity and lingering touches, as he had never –in all the time you’ve spent in the library– made an attempt to pull away or make you stop. also, by the look of the prominent tent forming inside his school pants, he appeared to actually be really fond of it. smiling to yourself, you continued as if nothing happened.

jaemin was internally panicking, he was aware that eventually you were going to notice his little –not so little– problem. he wanted to either bury himself underground or lock himself inside his room and wait until he passed away from inanition, starvation or dehydration, whatever happened first. he tried thinking about disgusting things to make it go away, like strawberries or the time when he was dared to lick his friend donghyuck’s sweaty foot, but nothing seemed to work.

you could make out the outline of his hard dick from the inside of his pants, biting your lips to contain the smirk making its way to your face. your hand snaked up his thigh until it was close to where he most needed you, making him shudder and squirm nervously under your touch. “w-what are you doing?”, he managed to ask, swallowing the lump in his throat. this was the first time a hand that wasn’t his own was touching him. because, of course, he wasn’t that innocent. he had needs like every guy his age, hormones all over the place and making him painfully aware of the pretty girl sitting so close to him. your scent intoxicating and addictive, almost making him lean closer.

you didn’t even care to respond, too fascinated by the feeling of his clothed member against your hand, hot and heavy. “s-stop, this isn’t right, w-we can’t do this here.” the panic present on his voice made a chuckle fall from your lips, making jaemin shrink in his seat.

“someone’s gonna hear us, w-we’ll get caught.” he didn’t know what else to tell you to make you stop, how could he convince you to stop when he didn’t want you to? you ignored his words and kept going, the idea of getting caught causing wetness to gather inside your panties. “then you’ll have to keep quiet,” the moan that slipped from his lips made you rub your thighs together to ease some of the tension.

you freed his member from the confines of his pants and briefs, pulling them down just enough for you to have easy access to it, but not so much to make it too obvious. he was big; thick enough to stretch you out nicely. you hummed in approval, spitting in the palm of your hand, going to grab ahold of his cock and slowly start to pump him. jaemin threw his head back, eyebrows furrowed, eyes closed shut and mouth agape in a silent moan. “does it feel good baby?” he hummed quietly, not trusting his voice. he leaned his body closer to yours, chest against your side while his head rested on your shoulder. “so needy”, you mumbled mockingly, to which his hips bucked slightly.

jaemin felt in cloud 9 having your soft hand wrapped tightly around his sensitive dick. he knew all of this was wrong, but it felt so good. he opened his eyes enough to be able to see you work on his shaft. your thumb flicked against his slit as it spread the leaking precum from the tip to the base. he was trying his best to avoid letting out any sound, afraid of drawing unwanted attention.

you could feel he was getting close by the stuttering of his hips, desperately thrusting back against your fist. and, as much as you wanted to see his face while cumming, you weren’t going to let him just yet. you needed him and you needed him now, your slick arousal starting to run down your inner thighs. you’ve had enough.

your hand stopped its ministrations, making him whine softly at the loss of friction. moving to straddle his thighs, you threw your leg over his until you were comfortably sitting on his lap, skirt riding up from your new position. your thin arms snaked around his neck, one going to tangle in his hair and the other to caress his jaw. his hands positioned themselves instantly in your hips, holding onto you for dear life. his eyes nervously wandered over your shoulder, making sure nobody was paying attention to what you both were doing.

you pulled his chin to get him to look at you, eyes hooded and filled with lust. you looked so hot, face flushed a pretty tone of red, eyes sparkling with mischief. he knew he would be jacking off to the thought of you for the rest of the year, if not for the rest of his life.

his thoughts were interrupted, heavy lids almost closing once again and mind going blank, as he felt you roll your hips against his hard cock, which was standing tall in between your bodies. biting your lip, you leaned in to kiss his, feeling for the first time his plump, soft pink lips against yours. a moan escaped your mouth at the sweet taste of his tongue, fighting against your desperately as if he would never be able to savour you again.

rising from his lap slightly, you used one of your hands to position the tip of his cock against your entrance and the other to push your panties aside. a soft groan left jaemin’s lips as he felt the wetness of your core. as you were about to lower yourself on him, he stopped you, fingers digging against your sides. “i-i have never done anything like this with anyone.” if you were being honest, you found his nervous stutter quite endearing. “then let me ruin you.” that was all it took for him to give in to you.

you pumped him a few more times, making sure to completely coat his shaft with both of your arousals. as you lowered yourself on him, you pulled him in for a heated kiss, swallowing his sounds of pleasure. when you had finally engulfed the entirety of his cock, you began moving your hips in circular motions, waiting for the both of you to get used to the feeling. the friction made him pull you closer, face buried in the crook of your neck while small whimpers left his lips, going straight to your core. your walls clenched around him tightly, drawing a loud groan from his chest, eyes rolling to the back of his head.

you kept kissing him, swallowing his groans and moans. he felt so good filling you up with his hard cock, he fit perfectly inside of you, as if he was made just for you; like a puzzle piece. “you feel so good, baby, stretching me out, so so good,” you praised him sweetly, hand running through his soft locks.

jaemin seemed to be unable to get enough of you. he didn’t want this to end, he wanted to stay with you –preferably inside of you–, be able to feel you so close and know he is the one who is making you feel so good.

“wait, fuck,” he gasped trying to catch his breath, “wait, i’m g-gonna cum if you keep going.” it hadn’t been long, but he was already worked up since you started touching him earlier. “is that so? remember we’re not using a condom, baby. if you cum inside me i could get pregnant.” you hummed, trying to get a reaction to your words out of him. and you got it as a higher pitched moan fell from his lips, feeling his grip on your waist tighten.

“you’d like that, wouldn’t you, huh?” you quirked an eyebrow, smirking to yourself when you felt him twitch inside of you. “yes”, he whimpered, vision blurred, the pleasure overpowering the fear of being caught. he found himself enjoying the thrill more than he should, almost embarrassed with how easily you could make him lose all his self-control. he knew you were playing with his mind, pushing him just enough to make him risk everything; his reputation, his image. exactly how you managed to get him to lose his innocence.

“what a filthy little boy, who would have guessed perfect student na jaemin was so much of a slut”, you whispered in his ear while raking your nails down his chest. jaemin could only buck his hips to meet yours, desperate to feel more, thighs burning from the effort. he was getting restless, unable to keep quiet as moans rolled off of his tongue with every roll of your hips. your mouth attached itself to his neck, biting harshly to leave pretty red marks that were soon to become purple. the sound of pages turning and typing on the library’s computers reminding you of where you were.

“please, i’m so close,” he didn’t even know what he was pleading for anymore, the only thing he knew was that he needed you, all of you, in every way possible; in every way you were willing to let him have you. “wanna cum inside my tight little pussy, baby? wanna fill me up with your hot cum and put your baby inside of me?” with glassy eyes and hot tears threatening to fall down his crimson cheeks from the overwhelming pleasure which was almost making him dizzy, he let out a string of ‘yes, yes, yes’. his hands clutched your hips to bring you closer, digging his nails on the flesh and leaving crescent moon shaped marks. a moan slipped from your lips, only increasing his desperation.

you picked up your pace, your naked thighs slapping lightly against his clothed ones. the both of you could hear the wet mewls your cunt made every time you lowered yourself on him until he was balls deep inside of you. his hips raised to meet yours, hitting your most sensitive spot with the tip of his cock, as he tried to match your fast rhythm.

jaemin didn’t know what to do with himself. he knew he had to be quiet or else someone was going to realize what was going on, but he physically couldn’t hold the sounds in. in fact, he could almost taste the faint taste of copper from biting too harshly on the flesh of his lips. on the other hand, you didn’t seem to have as much trouble to keep your cool, as only a couple of sighs of pleasure left your lips from time to time. little did jaemin know you were struggling to keep your mouth shut. every thrust of his hips causing him to hit deeper, the fucked out look in his face motivating you to go faster.

though you weren’t as close to cumming as he was, you knew this was his first time and it seemed like he was about to combust. it wouldn’t be so nice of you to make him wait longer, would it? “cum for me baby boy,” and that’s all it took for jaemin to reach his high, hips stuttering and hands trembling. feeling his seed paint your velvet walls, your hand went down your body to find your clit, starting to rub circles against your sensitive bud. a wave of pleasure shot through your body and made your hips jerk roughly against him. the sob jaemin let out went straight to your core making your climax approach faster than you would have thought.

taking advantage of the slippery mess he had made of the both of you, you slid up and down on him faster and with more strength. jaemin, seeing as you weren’t going to stop anytime soon, started growing impatient. “t-to much, p–ah, please, it’s too much”, but you didn’t stop, gripping his strong arms and grinding harder against him. “no, no, please, it hurts” he cried out desperately, begging you to stop bouncing on his oversensitive cock. you shook your head and pulled him closer by the collar of his shirt. you smacked your mouths together, diving in for another sloppy kiss that had jaemin weak on the knees and a moaning mess.

when you tore away from him, jaemin brought his fist to his face and bit it hard, trying equally as hard to control himself. his second orgasm of the day was coming closer and oh was it going to be strong. when it finally happened, his eyes rolled to the back, head dropping back. that was the last straw as you felt yourself coming, walls tightening and clenching around him to milk him dry, the movements of your hand becoming sloppy. he felt light-headed, slightly blacking out for a few seconds until he managed to recover his consciousness.

using his shoulders to help yourself off of him, you let him slip out of you. jaemin winced from the oversensitivity, hands quickly tucking himself inside his pants. as you fixed your ruined panties and messy hair, properly tidying up your clothes, you once again threw your bag over your shoulder. he eyed you with a disoriented look in his face, confused as to what you were doing.

he saw you turn around on your heels before walking out of the library, only your panties preventing his cum from running down your thighs. you left him there, without a single word, not even spared him a glance. you walked away from him as if you didn’t just fuck the life out of him, as if he hadn’t just gifted you his virginity, or more like as if you hadn’t just stolen it. as if all the kisses you shared and loving pet names you used on him meant nothing.

and the worst part of it all was the pang of hurt jaemin felt in his heart when realization fell down on him like a bucket of cold water.

to you, that moment meant nothing. because to you, he didn’t mean anything.

–lia:)

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