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#oh no wait i have a correction to make: there's now 2 female main characters sorry
miskatebishop · 3 years
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you can say whatever you want about the mcu "not having gay characters" and "being so bad at representation it hurts" but guys, the russo brother who cried over salad inspired me to come out to my family
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wyvernthekriger · 3 years
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Life Beyond Death (1)
Noragami
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Author's note: I just switched over to this site from Wattpad and will be revising my old stories and bringing them to this platform. This story started out having a character I created as the main character but decided to change it so it's an X Reader story. This will be written from a female's perspective (I'm female so it's easier, I'm sorry if I have disappointed anyone.)
That being said, if I have missed correcting any "my, I, me" in the story please let me know and I will try my best to fix it. Thank you all and I hope you enjoy this Noragami series.
Index:
S/n: Surname
Y/n: Your name
Content warning: This series will involve scenes and mentions of abuse, death, violence, blood, swearing, fighting and possible angst.
It was the ending to another school day and students were pouring out of the high school to start their spring break. You walked alone to your shoe locker, taking your time as you changed from your school shoes. Your friends Aiko and Miyu walked in just as you were finishing up, whispering something you couldn't quite understand. They quickly stopped when they saw you and smiled, running over.
"Hey, Y/n!" "Hiya, Y/n. What's up?" you gave them a closed-eyed smile and waved "Hey guys. I was just about to go pick Ren up and go home." You tilted your head at them as they gave you a look of sympathy. "Oh, stop looking at me like that, will you guys? She's gotten better. She hasn't had an outburst in almost 2 months. She actually helped me plan Ren's birthday party next weekend, something she hasn't bothered with since my father died."
Aiko and Miyu exchanged wary glances and looked back at you, "Okay, if you say so. Can we walk with you?" You nodded and waited for them to change their shoes. After a few minutes, you all walked out and headed towards your brother's school. You adjusted the strap of your bag and closed your eyes, taking a deep breath. "Autumn is my favorite time of the year. You get to see all of the leaves change to beautiful colors just wherever you go." They hummed in agreement and smiled. You opened your eyes and glanced to your side, spotting a paper that was blowing in the wind as it was taped to the wall. "Hmm?" "Y/n, what's wrong?" You realized you stopped walking and looked over at them while pushing the paper flat against the wall, "someone lost their cat...hmm a cat seems like a nice gift for my brother.."
Your voice trailed off as you thought to yourself, tapping your chin as Miyu quickly agreed with your thought. "Oh!" Aiko exclaimed, making both Miyu and you turn towards her, "That's Keiichi's cat, I babysit him. He sure does love that cat. It's almost like Milord is his best friend." You smiled and looked back at the paper, "that's really cute, actually." You thought some more and beamed. "I've made up my mind, I'm getting Ren a cat." Miyu nearly squealed, "I'll be coming over every day now I hope you don't mind." You all laughed at her obsession with cats and continued walking towards the Middle School.
As you were walking you moved behind Aiko and Miyu so others could walk on the sidewalk too. You glanced to your side briefly when you heard a man calling out a name. He was calling out for Milord, assumingly helping Keiichi out. As he passed by his eyes met with yours and the vivid color alone sent a chill up your spine. His face scrunched ever-so-slightly as you made eye contact before his face lit up.
"Milord!!" He yelled out, causing your head to tilt. The man ran out into the street and you saw an oncoming bus approaching and it was like your legs moved on their own. One minute you were standing there and the next you were yelling out, jumping, nearly parallel to the street. "LOOK OUT!" You forced your eyes closed tightly, as tight they could get and felt yourself collide with the man's body, both of you tumbling onto the sidewalk on the opposite side you were originally on. You heard him groan and you struggled to prop yourself up on your elbows. You landed face down on the sidewalk, hitting your head pretty hard on impact.
You let out a wince and finally sat up fully, looking over at the man who was seemingly unharmed, staring at you a bit wide-eyed and curious. "You can see me?" you furrowed your brows as you looked at him, "What? Of course, I can se-" "Y/n!" you hear my friends scream out your name, their voices filled with fear. You froze as you stared at them, "Oh my god, oh my god... Are you okay? What the hell was that?!" Aiko threw herself on the ground next to you and Miyu carefully moved your hair from your face, getting it out of the scrape left behind from the asphalt. "I'm okay, but sir, are you alright?"
Everyone's attention turned towards the ebony-haired man. "Oh I'm so sorry Mr. I didn't even see you there, are you okay too?" Miyu asked, kneeling beside you both. He just nodded and caught your eyes again, "Yes, thank you. I uh....I should...watch where I'm going next time." His voice was very uncertain, almost as if he was confused about why you pushed him out of the way of the bus. You start getting uncomfortable under his stare, so you start to try standing up with the help of your friends. Standing upright so suddenly resulted in a sharp pain lighting up your head. You gripped the side of your head and looked back at the man, "Please be careful next time."
He just nods and stands up, his uncertain gaze still on you, "I will, thank you-" He paused, "S/n Y/n, nice to meet you. And you?" You bowed and he seemed a bit taken back by the extreme respect. "Thank you, Miss S/n. I'm...Yato" You stood up straight and waved your hand slightly. "Just call me Y/n, Yato." Aiko cleared her throat and tugged on your sleeve slightly, "We need to pick up Ren, remember? He isn't going to be happy that you got hurt." You frowned slightly. He gets so worried even though he's the younger sibling. "Right... Take care, Yato. Good luck with catching Milord."
Yato's eyes lit up and a loud gasp escaped his lips. "Seems like he forgot already," You thought to yourself as you brushed off your clothes. He looked at you one last time before quickly running off in the way he was originally going. You all began walking again, Aiko holding one of your arms while Miyu held the other, just in case you became dizzy. Aiko finally spoke up and looked over at you. "So, Y/n, what are you going to wear for the Gion Odori festival tonight?"
I froze and yanked both of them back by accident, "Oh holy Bishamonten save me, I completely forgot about that," dread laced your voice. "It's okay we still have time. We'll get Ren and then go home to get ready and then we'll all go together." Miyu suggested with a large smile. She's absolutely infatuated with seeing the Geishas and finding an excuse to dress in her kimono. You simply nodded and were on your way
It took about 20 minutes to get to Ren's school and another 20 to get back to your house. The entire walk home consisted of Ren bombarding you with questions about the scrape on your forehead, you just told him you tripped while helping someone look for Milord. Aiko and Miyu went their separate ways to get ready for the festival tonight. When you got home your mother was fast asleep so you just told Ren to quietly get dressed. You quickly cleaned your scrape and put a small bandage on it.
You never really knew how to style your hair for these things, so you just pinned your hair back in a low ponytail, just styling it the way you do when you wear your shrine maiden uniform. You smiled at yourself in the mirror, admiring the traditional style you adore so much. You became a maiden to show your loyalty and respect to Bishamonten, the strong God of warriors and protection. He has a shrine near your house, your favorite thing in Kyoto. You hoped that by worshipping and honoring him he would offer you and Ren protection in return. Ren doesn’t know the real reason behind your loyalty to Bishamonten but you do it in hopes that he will protect you, and in turn allow you to protect Ren from your mother.
Once you finish styling your hair, you look around your room, not being able to shake the feeling that you were being followed ever since you left where you saved Yato. You knew it was silly but you had this sinking feeling in your stomach. All you could really think about were Yato's strikingly blue eyes as if they burned holes into your brain. It made you quite uncomfortable in all honesty.
You popped your head into Ren’s room and smiled, his normal angered expression turning soft. You seemed to be the only one to make him truly happy and you never knew if you should feel sad about that or not. "You look really nice. I like when you wear your hair like that" he said in a soft voice, causing a shy smile to form. "Thank you, Ren. You look nice too. Are you warm enough?" He nodded and stood up, putting his shoes on and following you out of the house.
You began to have that feeling of being watched again but you didn’t want Ren noticing you were beginning to seem uncomfortable. "I want a cat.." Ren's sudden statement caught you off guard but took your mind off the unsettling feeling. You had to suppress a smile since you already planned on getting him one. "Is that so?" He hummed in response. "I want a cat that has the same eye color as you. If I get one then it will feel like you're always watching over me, even if you're away. Like when you go away for university." He said it with emotions all mixed in; enthusiasm, sadness, happiness. You smiled wide, locking your arm around his shoulders and pulling him into a side hug. "You're the best little brother a girl can ask for, you know that, right?"
He just flashed a hint of a smile in return. "You're the best sister ever..." He told you softly, leaning into the hug subtly. "Hey, cheer up shorty, I won't be leaving for university for a long time. I'm only in my second year of senior high, okay? Even when I do I'm getting custody over you. I won't leave you alone with mom, I'd have to die first and that's not happening for a very, very long time." His mood seemed to brighten a bit when you flashed him a big toothy smile and let go of him, stopping in front of a bus stop. All of you were supposed to meet here and then walk to the festival together. "Sit down for a bit while we wait, we'll be walking around at the festival for a while." He sat down on the bench and you joined, straightening out your kimono.
You can already tell that tonight is going to be one of the best nights you’ve had in a while. Watching the Geisha dance, eating some yummy food and spending time with your favorite people in this world. What can go wrong?
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adler-obsessed · 3 years
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Hi! I'm new in the fandom and wanted to ask why everyone seems to be hating Derek Landy? Yes the books are pretty brutal and he's low-key sadistic with the characters, but aren't most book authors? I just finished book 6 and I'm really enjoying them so far. I'm just curious and don't wanna offend anyone.
oh boy buckle up - I just want to first of all say welcome to the fandom!!! Although it may seem a bit negative sometimes, it’s mainly because we love the series and characters so much!
There’s a lot of people who know more about + have details on Landy’s problematic statements/actions so guys/fandom if you could add that onto this post, I’d appreciate it.
A short summary:
problematic representation in books
the disaster of Phase 2
attacking fans (bonus: his gf attacking fans)
problematic relationships with young fans
But I’ve been meaning to do an analysis of why Landy’s representation of queer people and the LGBTQ+ Community has been problematic for a while and I have examples so buckle up everyone:
So, as a brief introduction, there’s several reasons why people aren’t the biggest fan of Landy - one you won’t be aware of for awhile is Phase 2, which starts after Book 9
Phase 2, I think I can say confidently, has not been as well received as Phase 1. Lots of the characters we liked in Phase 1 don’t appear or have lost all their character development from Phase 1. There are so many side plots that are very confusing and most people aren’t particularly interested in them so large parts of each book are quite boring for most of the fandom.
But onto my main argument (edit: in a reblog below, Faceless has linked many of the examples I discuss if you are interested)
Landy has had quite a bumpy ride when it comes to representation: in the Demon Road series (outside of SP) there was a very problematic portrayal of a wlw relationship. He claimed that everyone is eventually bisexual, and then there is a wider issue of representation in the actual Skulduggery books.
Firstly, those characters that are in the LGBTQ+ community tend to have that aspect of their life continuously pointed out/or mentioned (like Landy is trying to show how ‘diverse’ he is) but then have very little character development/or mention of anything other than that.
There is a supposedly major wlw ship in Phase 2, but it is so underdeveloped it feels more like a main character and her cheerleader. In the last book we finally got some development only for them to then break up (although I somewhat liked the realistic reasons behind it, it did disappoint me)
Linking from this, there is a general difference in how Landy treats non-canon queer ships versus straight ones
When asked about the possibility of a non-canon straight ship, he said he didn’t like to dismiss the fan’s ships. In comparison when a fan asked about mlm ship, he immediately said no to it (keep in mind there was no dubious relationship between these two in the books, they are super close so it made no sense for him to completely refuse it)
Landy also likes to point out his queer characters like China and Tanith, who are both canonly bisexual/pansexual (he confirmed to a fan that China and Eliza were a thing) and yet, whenever the two are romantically involved with someone, it’s a man.
Now, before I get people attacking me saying they are still bisexual even though they’re in straight passing relationships, I AM bisexual, I hate it when people invalidate my sexuality just because I am in a relationship w a guy or girl.
But eVERYTIME, these two end up with a guy, and the only time Landy has confirmed they aren’t straight are either in blink and you’ll miss it moments or outside of the books (sort of like Rowling claiming characters were gay on Twitter, and yet these characters were never seen expressing these identities in the books or in later media)
So why is this representation problematic? Because writers like Landy seem to think they’ve actually done a good job - stating once that a character identifies/or has a certain sexual orientation, and then never elaborating on it again, as if that somehow wins him brownie points.
I’m not going to talk to much about Never - for context this is a gender fluid character in Phase Two - because I myself am not gender fluid, so I would not want to speak for that side of the community incorrectly. In my personal opinion, having several genderfluid friends, Never’s characterisation is bloody weird.
For context, in the books, Landy changes the pronouns that Never uses and others use to address him/her practically every sentence. At times it feels less like a portrayal of a genderfluid character, and more like a mockery (one of my aforementioned genderfluid friends stopped reading the series at this point because they found it too close to the mocking insults their grandparents would use e.g. changing pronouns every sentence as if making out that their gender identity was some absurd thing)
Again, rest of the fandom feel free to interject in here, there are definitely people more qualified to speak on this than me.
I also want to talk a little bit about the problematic way Derek handles female members of the LGBTQ+ community in comparison to the male ones. I’ve mentioned above a bit of the problems with China/Tanith but I want to go a bit further into the issue with the male ones: namely, there are barely any.
While the three main female characters are all canonly bisexual, none of the major male ones are (if I’m wrong, please correct me!) and the only one who could possibly be considered major is Anton Shudder and his boyfriend who are confirmed to have been in a relationship, oh wait, when they are both dead. Apart from that, there is not one major male member of the LGBTQ+ community in these books that Landy claims are so diverse.
I think it is also slightly worrying that so many of Landy’s female characters are bisexual, characters who Landy also constantly describes as pretty/gorgeous/attractive etc. because it just feels like that typical thing of men fetishising wlw women (particularly bisexual women) hence why I also think the fact that two of these women never have a relationship with another wlw in the actual books is very problematic, as these sexual orientations feel more for show than actual canon most of the time.
There is a very big problem with the way Landy goes about queer representation in his books, and the worse part? He thinks he’s doing great.
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wiypt-writes · 3 years
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Stark Spangled Banner
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Stab Me In The Front Part 2: Knives Out, Bitch.
Intro: Katie heads out to speak to Harlan, and encounters Ransom for the second time in as many days. It ends about as well as the first time…
Warnings: Bad language. SMUT (NSWFW)
Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark
Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.
A/N: I love these edits again. Well played, @angrybirdcr​
Part 1
Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist
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Katie groaned and fluffed up her hair in front of the floor length mirror. She’d chosen a simple long sleeved, turtle-necked grey woollen jersey dress teamed with a black belt, black tights and knee high tan boots wanting to appear smart yet casual for the setting at Harlan’s mansion. But for once it wasn’t her outfit or appearance that was causing her anguish.
“Have you decided if you’re gonna mention the whole Ransom thing?” Steve asked as he wandered back into the bedroom munching on another piece of toast from the tray of breakfast items they’d had delivered earlier.
Katie snorted and locked yes with him in the mirror. “Oh yeah, can you imagine? Mr Thrombey, your grandson is an asshole. In fact, he isn’t just an asshole he’s the asshole, he’s America’s asshole…”
Steve chuckled as he dropped onto the bed “You might not have a choice if he’s already told him what went down.”
“You mean how you threw him over the bar?” She raised an eyebrow as she leaned forward to check her make up. Steve dropped his head and sighed.
“I’m sorry but, well I’m not having anyone speak to you or about you like that.”
“Well, I think we both know your alpha male display turned me on just a little.” Katie smirked at him, and he grinned as he recalled how things had taken a very steamy turn when they’d gotten back to their room before he took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry, I really hope I haven’t screwed anything up.”
“If Harlan had heard and was going to cancel he would have done it by now. I’ll just go and see what happens.” Katie turned round and stepped into the space between Steve’s legs and his hands gently gripped her hips.
“You sure you don’t want me to drive you?”
“No, I’m okay.” She smiled, dropping a kiss to his mouth, her hands resting on his shoulders. “I’ll text you when I’m there and then when we’re done.”
Steve smiled, he was pleased she was feeling happy enough to take herself, this was a big step in her healing process.
Even if he knew he’d be on tenterhooks the whole time she was gone…
“Alright.” He nodded. “I’m gonna go exploring, see the sights.” “Captain America playing tourist.”She grinned and he chuckled slightly, his hands sliding down to gently squeeze her ass.
“When in Rome.” he shrugged, “Or this case Boston. By the way sweetheart, your ass looks great in this dress.” “What is it you say to me?” she laughed, her hands sliding round to remove his from her rear, her fingers lacing into his “It’s all yours, baby.” “Damned right.” He practically growled as she turned and headed into the sitting room area of their suite. Steve followed her, leaning on the doorframe and simply watching as she shrugged on her pea jacket that was resting over the back of the sofa. She picked up her laptop, checked her bag and wrapped a scarf around her neck.
“Walk you down to the car?” Steve asked, and she turned to face him smiling.
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
****
The drive out to the Thrombey mansion was actually very pleasant. Katie enjoyed the scenery as she drove and soon enough was pulling up the large, tree lined drive and came to a halt.  She stepped out, grabbed her bag and took in the mansion in front of her, giving a low whistle. It appealed to her love of all things old fashioned and gothic. Old and red brick, surrounded by scenery and stone figurines it was exactly the kind of home one would expect a Crime author to own.
She text Steve to say she had arrived and was safe and as she made her way towards the door, two large German Shepherd dogs bounded towards her. She paused for a second, allowing them to sniff at her, their tails wagging and she bent down, scratching one behind the ears.
“Oh aren’t you handsome boys!” she grinned, as she continued to pet them.
“Excellent judges of character, too.” a female voice said. Katie looked up to see a dark haired woman stood on the steps by the front door.
“They’re gorgeous.” Katie beamed, straightening up. “I’d love a dog but, well, we don’t really have time for one.” “I can imagine your line of work is a little hectic.” the lady smiled as Katie approached “I’m Fran, Mr Thrombey’s house keeper.”
“It’s nice to meet you Fran, I’m Katie.”
Fran smiled and stepped back to allow Katie to step through the large, wooden doors which opened into a huge hallway, which was grandly decorated just like something straight out of one of Harlan’s books. Katie looked around, taking it all in, before Fran spoke to her again.
“Mr Thrombey is finishing off a call. Can I offer you a drink whilst you’re waiting?”
“I wouldn’t say no to a coffee.” Katie nodded, removing her scarf.  Fran took it from her, along with her coat and hung them up on a stand by the door before she gestured for Katie to follow her. They walked down a hallway which was lined with dark, panelled wood that opened up into a large, kitchen diner.
“How do you take it, Mrs Rogers?”
But before Katie could respond, the dogs outside began once more to bark, only this time Katie could tell they were agitated. Fran gave an audible sigh, and the source of her frustration was evident as the back door blustered open.
“Oh shut the fuck up!” a familiar drawl was yelling back over the grounds and Katie felt herself stiffen slightly. Ransom barrelled into the kitchen from the mud room, his open tan coat flapping behind him. There was a multi-coloured silk scarf hanging around his neck and he was wearing a blue sweater which was slightly frayed on the hem, a far contrast from the sharp suit he had been dressed in last night. He cast his eyes around and stopped dead, a snarl playing on his face.
“You?”
There was a pause and Katie sighed, summonsing every single bit of professionalism “Good morning Mr Drysdale.”
Ransom snorted “Mr Drysdale now, that’s not what you were calling me last night was it? I was a self-entitled dick, wasn’t I?”
Fran gave a snort which she hastily turned into a cough and Ransom shot her a glare.
“Well in my defence you did call me a hooker.” Katie shrugged, taking attention off the housekeeper.
There was a moment of silence before Ransom broke the stare he was giving her and turned back to Fran.
“You got my cookies, Franny?”
“In the usual cupboard Hugh.”
“Hugh?” Katie frowned. “I thought your name was Ransom.” “It is.” Ransom, or Hugh said as he made his way to a cupboard and pulling out a packet of Lotus Biscoff. He leaned against the counter and popped one in his mouth, eyeing Katie up and down. “Only the help call me Hugh.”
Katie couldn’t help the disdain that crept across her face at his tone. He really was an insufferable jerk.
“Really? Hugh to the help and Ransom to others?” She looked at him, “What do the dogs call you?”
“I dunno, go ask them. I mean you do speak dog don’t you, being one?”
“Wow did you think of that all by yourself?” Katie rolled her eyes at his childishness “Guess your time at Harvard really served you well.”
“How did you know I went to Harvard?” He frowned.
“Isn’t’ that where all the spoilt little, trust fund babies go?” She smiled at him. Truth be told she’d had FRIDAY look him up the previous night but she wasn’t about to admit that.
“Yeah and where was your brilliant education then?” He shoved another cookie in his mouth.
“Oxbridge.” She shot back. Ransom paused, arching an eyebrow.
“What are you doing here anyway?”  He said after a moment, clearly unable to think of anything smart to say about her choice of University.
“Mrs Rogers here is the Owner and CEO of Stark Independent Publishers and they’re going to be publishing The Colour of Revenge.” A deep voice said from the doorway. Katie turned to see Harlan walking into the kitchen, his eyes fixed on his grandson. “And whilst she is in this house on my invitation she is a guest, so you could do well to remember your manners.” Ransom looked at him, blinked, then threw his head back in a huge roar of laughter. “Wait. You have your own company, and you’re using another to publish your next book?”
“Yes Ransom, that’s correct.”
“Oh that…that is fucking priceless!” Ransom continued to laugh “I can’t wait for you to tell Walt.”
Now Katie was utterly confused. There was clearly some fucked-up family dynamic at play, and she was even more puzzled when Ransom stepped towards her, offering her a cookie from the packet.
“You poisoned them?” Katie looked at him, and he rolled his eyes.
“I’m eating them ain’t I?”
“Fair point.” She shrugged taking one “Thanks.” “You’re welcome, Sweetheart. Anyone that helps piss off my shit head family can share my food.” He said, and with that he blustered out in as dramatic a fashion as he’d entered, his laughter following him down the hall.
“You should be honoured.” Harlan turned to face Katie “He doesn’t normally give those out, they’re his favourites.”
“Yeah, without meaning to speak out of turn he doesn’t strike me as the type to share.”
Harlan chuckled and crossed the room, holding out his hand. Katie shook it, smiling. “It’s a pleasure to meet you finally Mrs Rogers.”
“And you too Mr Thrombey.”
“I told you on the phone, please, call me Harlan.”
“As long as you call me Katie.” she shot back and he nodded.
“Sure I can manage that, Fran, dear, we’ll take the drinks in my study.”
“Of course Mr Thrombey, I’ll bring them through.”
Katie followed Harlan out of the kitchen.
“I’m sorry about my grandson.” he looked back at her
“Don’t be. We err, we actually met last night. He was in my hotel bar…”
“Let me guess, you didn’t particularly get on then either.” “There were a few words traded, yes.” Katie nodded, before she sighed, deciding to be honest.  “Actually, there were more than words traded. Steve, my husband, kinda got in a bit of an altercation with him. I was a little worried you wouldn’t want to do business if you had heard about it.”
Harlan chuckled as he led her down the corridor and to the right. “If I refused to do business with everyone Ransom had pissed off I’d have a problem. But that aside, he hadn’t mentioned it. Although, I haven’t seen him since he stormed out of here yesterday after a disagreement with his mother and his cousin. He likes to flounce does Ransom, he has a flair for the dramatic. If you don’t mind me asking what did he say to you?” Katie explained as they walked, Harlan letting out a groan.
“On his behalf, I apologise.” He shook his head, opening a door and allowing her to step into the large study.
“It’s fine, I gave as good as I got.” She smiled and Harlan laughed.
“I don’t doubt that for a second Mrs Rogers” He closed the door. “Now, please take a seat and we can talk business.”
**** An hour later Katie was feeling a lot more at ease. Harlan was an easy man to talk to. He was firm, but fair, and as such had approved the cover designs, and accepted all but 6 of the amendments the Editing team had proposed to this manuscript. As a result, she was feeling a lot more confident about the pitch regarding her Charity idea, knowing full well that he wouldn’t simply dismiss the idea was spurring her on.
“So as we agreed Mr Thrombey.” Katie said, sliding the first piece of paper over to him “Your royalties on the print edition will be 9% of the cover price for the first 5,000 copies, 10% on the next 5,000 and 12% thereafter…and for the E-book edition 25% of the sales revenue. You can see from our forecasts what we anticipate this will bring you.”
Harlan took the paper and gave it a quick glance over before nodding “How have you come up with the forecast sales numbers?”
“We based it on your last 3 novels, plus the level of pre-orders we have had. And, without wanting to sound too big headed, SIP attracts a lot of attention given who…” she felt herself blush slightly “Who I am so we tend to make a lot of sales on the back of that, which to be fair in this case isn’t a bad thing.” “In this case?” Harlan frowned at her.
“Yes, errr.” She swallowed again, shifting slightly “SIP is donating 100% of its revenue on your book to charity, although we haven’t made that public yet. I wanted to talk to you about it before we release anything to the press.”
“Charity?” 
“Yes, several to be exact. We’re going to split it across organisations that help victims of sexual abuse, rape and other violent sexually motivated crimes.”
“That’s very commendable.” Harlan leaned back in his chair “And I take it that’s because of the subject matter?” “That’s one reason.” She nodded, hesitantly.
“And the other?” The old man pressed, his hands steeping together in front of his chin as his elbows rested on the large mahogany desk.
Katie hesitated, before she bit her lip and took a deep breath as she looked at the man who was studying her intently. For some reason, she felt she could trust him so decided to tell him the whole story. “It’s fairly well known that last year I was missing for a number of weeks but the circumstances were never revealed. In reality, Harlan, I was, erm, held captive.” She paused to clear her throat “I was taken by an organisation who thought by torturing me I’d reveal certain information to them, information I didn’t actually have. When the usual methods of interrogation failed, well, I’m sure you don’t need me to fill in the gaps.”
Harlan’s face softened and he let out a sigh. “I’m sorry to hear that, I truly am.” “So yeah, there’s an element of it being personal in there.” She swallowed. “I didn’t know myself that half of these support charities existed until a year ago and to me it’s more about the awareness, that people who find themselves in the position I did understand that there are people out there to help.”
Harlan nodded “How do you intend on using the book to do that?” “Well, with your permission, ”Katie said, turning her laptop round to face him, to show him the various mock ups she had produced, “I’d like to include a foreword in your book, a little bit about why we have chosen to do what we are doing, so that everyone who buys a copy sees it. You have a huge established audience Harlan, and that kind of publicity is just something that no amount of money can buy. I’d also like to include a tagline about how the proceeds will be helping people in the advertising material and on the front cover.” “Will you be writing the foreword?” Harlan looked at her.
Katie nodded. “You’ll of course be sent a copy before it is finalised to ensure you’re happy with it.”
“I think it’s a wonderful idea.” Harlan smiled “I’m happy to be part of it. And in light of what you’ve said, I’d also be happy to wave my royalties and also donate those to the cause.”
“Oh, no, that’s not…” Katie began to protest but Harlan shut her down.
“I don’t need the money.” he shook his head “All I ask is that you make it work. You clearly have a passion about this Katie, and for good reason. Frankly I’m blown away by the courage you’ve displayed here today by telling me this. There are a lot of people out there in privileged positions that could take a leaf out of your book my dear.”
Katie felt her eyes misting over and she blinked, looking away. Harlan passed her the box of tissues and she took one with a weak laugh.
“Sorry.” she smiled “I’ve just, well, no one knows what happened bar my inner circle so to speak.”
“It won’t go any further.” Harlan looked at her “I can assure you of that” Katie smiled, before she looked at the man, and her smile slid into a cheeky smirk. “Seeing as I’ve been honest with you, can you be honest with me?”
“Of course.”
“You have your own Publishing company, they’ve done all of your books for the last 25 years. Why have you chosen SIP for this one?”
Harlan sat back, sighing before he gave her a small smile “Because for the last 25 years my son has done nothing but ride on my tails. He likes to give Ransom a lot of stick for simply living off my money but he is no better. You see, I set the publishers up so he could make something of it, I didn’t expect him to simply sit there and use my books alone. Thought it was time he had a wake-up call.”
Katie gave a grin “I see now why Ransom was so amused.”
“Yeah, Walt won’t be best pleased…” Harlan said, “He’ll be even less so when he realises I’m giving my royalties away on this completely. Now, please permit me one last question before we finish.” “Sure.” “You’re the owner and CEO of SIP.” She nodded.
“Do you always visit potential authors or is this visit purely down to the fact this book means something personal to you?”
“There is that, and, well, honestly? I’m just a huge fan of your work.” she grinned “Owning and running your own business should have some self-indulgent perks after all, right?”
They spent 15 minutes or so tying up the final bits and pieces before Harlan walked her to the door, helping her into her coat.
“It’s been a pleasure.” He smiled, shaking her hand again.
“Same here.” she grinned “And thank you again. We’ll be in touch when we’re ready to go to press. It shouldn’t be too long. I’m hoping to hold the big launch early in November. Maybe hold some charity event, I’ll let you know.” “Of course, anything I can do to help…”
There was a pause as a loud engine sounded and they both turned to see a vintage silver BMW skid to a halt on the driveway driven by Ransom. He climbed out, his long legs stretching in front of him as he glanced over to the pair of them.
“I see he’s been out for his usual lunch appointment.” Harlan remarked. “Such a hard life.”
Katie laughed and with that she headed down the steps towards her car.
“Leaving so soon?” Ransom asked as she passed him.
“Work is done for the day so yeah,” she shrugged
“If you have all that money, why do you bother?” 
Katie stopped and turned to him. “Because I’ve never had it handed to me on a plate.” She replied, honestly “One thing my brother instilled into me was that you have to work for things in life. Yes, I’ve had opportunities that most people wouldn’t but I’m eternally grateful for those and do this to prove that.”
“And the Avenging?” He asked. “Humour me, I’m curious.”
“I like to help people. It is what it is.” She shrugged.
“Putting your life on the line to help people with no thanks.” He shook his head. “I don’t get it.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to.” she shook her head, “But, I just remind myself that for every one person that’s like you, there are a hundred other people who actually deserve it so…” “Eat shit.”  Ransom drawled, rolling his eyes.
“Fuck you.” Katie’s usual insult flew off her tongue easily, and she inwardly groaned knowing full well she’d given him an opening. And sure enough, the anticipated response came her way.
“If you’re offering.”
“Oh, believe me Mr Drysdale, I wouldn’t sleep with you if you were the last person on Earth.
“You wouldn’t be doing much sleeping.” he smirked, “And you’re forgetting something.”
“Oh pray, do enlighten me.” She said sarcastically. “You’re the one that mistook me for your husband, sweet cheeks. I’d say you must find something attractive about me.” “Don’t flatter yourself, you’re nothing like him.” she turned towards the car
“Oh, are we playing spot the difference?” Ransom chuckled and she gave a bark of a laugh and spun back to face him. “Your eyes are completely different, your jawline is nowhere near as square, your smile…well is it even a smile or are you suffering from trapped wind? I’m not sure and don’t even get me started on your hair.” She arched an eyebrow “Frankly my Stevie has more sexual appeal in his little finger than you have in your entire body and as for that lousy sweater you’re wearing…” “Ah, yes, you’re a sucker for spangly lycra…”
“It’s a mix of Tevlar and a patented material my brother developed actually, but that’s by the by.” Katie shrugged “When he fills it out as well as he does I can’t help but want to be a sucker if you get my drift.”
 “More than happy to help you out there darlin.” he winked. “I bet you’ve never kept a woman longer than a night have you?” Katie shook her head.
 “Sometimes they don’t even last the night.”
“Oh, I can believe that, I’d run too.” she nodded. “Why would anyone want a jumped up little trust fund baby like you when they could have a real man between their legs?”
Ransoms face instantly slid from the playful, teasing smirk into something slightly darker and much, much angrier.
“You jumped up little bitch.” He spat, his voice laced with venom as he moved closer to her. She held her ground, looking him up and down, simply raising an eyebrow as his voice grew in volume. “If I wanted you, I could have you. It’s that simple.” Katie felt her nostrils flare. After everything she’d just talked to his grandfather about, was this asshole seriously insinuating what she thought he was?
“You know what?” She stepped forward, glaring up at him.“That’s the problem with people like you. You think you can just take what you want without the consequences. Well I got news for you, Hugh, that isn’t how it works.”
“Oh get off your fucking high horse!” Ransom bit back, his voice loud as he shook his head “I’ve had enough of your sanctimonious I’m better than you bullshit.” “I am better than you. But then again, that’s not saying much as frankly I think you’re one of the most despicable people I’ve ever met, and trust me that’s saying something.”  She looked him up and down once more, giving her best contemptuous glare before she turned on her heel.
“Now you listen to me,” he said, grabbing at her arm. In a flash she had twisted out of his hold and swept his legs from under him, putting all her body weight behind the movement, spinning and throwing him straight over her shoulder in a move she had learnt years ago from Steve. With a hefty thud and a yell he hit the floor, landing on his back. She knelt on his chest, her knee digging into his sternum, heel of her palm pressed straight against his windpipe.
“When I said yesterday I’d taken down bigger men than you I meant it.” she glared at him “Touch me again, and I’ll kill you myself before Steve gets the chance.”
“Get..off..me…” he snarled, but she didn’t move, instead she pushed on his throat a little harder, causing him to gasp for air.
“They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree but in this case, well, you’re about as far removed from your granddad as you could get. How he ended up with such an appalling little shit like you as a grandson I’ll never know.”
With that she stood up, leaving him to take huge gasps of air as she turned to see the dogs careering down from the grassy banks surrounding the house, barking as they ran.
“Mother fucker!” she heard Ransom’s yelling as she picked up her bag her hands shaking slightly as she headed to her car. His yells were coming thick and fast as she walked, quickly. “Oh you son of a BITCH! You just pissed ON MY COAT!”
She turned to see Ransom aiming a kick at the dogs, missing them both completely. She couldn’t help but smirk at the sight of the man desperately trying to escape and get up off the floor. Something then caught her attention and she glanced up slightly to see Harlan was stood on the balcony of the house, a mug in his hand watching the scene play out. He raised the mug in her direction before taking a sip and strolling back in his house.
As she passed Ransom’s silver vintage BMW, which was parked by the Porsche SUV she had hired, she hesitated slightly before she reached down her boot and pulled out the small combat knife she had kept concealed there. With a quick flick of her wrist she sent it flying into the rear passenger’s side tyre of Ransom’s car.
“Knives out, bitch.” She grinned to herself before she unlocked her car, settled in the driver’s seat and pulled away.
****
“Baby, that’s amazing!” Steve said, looking at her across the table as she finished telling him all about her afternoon. She’d driven straight to the small Italian Steve had said he had found and they were enjoying an early dinner whilst Katie told him about her meeting. She’d been completely honest about everything, what she’d said, how she had felt…well, almost anyway. Ransom hadn’t cropped up in their discussions yet, thankfully.
“I know, it’s better than I could have hoped.” she smiled, chewing on her ravioli. “I mean, the amount of money and publicity it’s gonna generate is off the scale!”
“I’m proud of you.” he said gently. She beamed at his praise and took a sip of her wine. “I take it then the whole Ransom thing wasn’t an issue?”
Ah crap, there it was…
Something flickered across Katie’s face and Steve frowned. ”What?”
“He err, he was there.” She looked down at her food, pushing it around her plate a little “We had…words.”
“Words?” Steve pressed.
“Yeah, at first he was fine. Even gave me a cookie, long story.” She waved away his questioning glance “But er…well we had a bit of a heated discussion on the driveway as I was leaving. He grabbed my arm and…” “He did what?” Steve nearly exploded and the table next to them turned to look at him.
“Shhhh” She hissed “It was nothing, besides, I floored him with that nice little over shoulder drive you showed me. Then when he was down the dog pissed on his coat.”
Steve was torn between his desire to rage about the fact the man had dared to lay his fingers on her, and laughing at the image he had of Ransom’s coat being soaked in dog piss. Eventually the laughter won out as he gave a small chuckle and leaned back in his chair.
“Wish I’d seen that.”
“Oh and I left a knife in his tyre” she shrugged, taking another bite of her food. Steve’s eyebrow raised.
“A knife.”
“Yup.”
“You took a knife with you?”
“Down my boot.”
“You know, you scare me sometimes.” Steve arched his eyebrow, taking a drink of his beer.
“I scared him.” she laughed “You should have seen his face.” Steve changed the subject then, not wanting to discuss him anymore. Whilst he was still pissed about the asshole in general, he was beyond pleased to see that she wasn’t phased by it, in fact she seemed excited about the entire thing. The meeting had gone well, and that was the most important thing to him. That she’d gone in the first place, especially after being so frightened.
They talked about where Steve had been, the sights he’d taken in and he promised to show her a few of his sketches when they got back to the hotel room, except that kind of fell along the wayside as no sooner had they gotten into the room they were pawing at each other like a pair of hungry, horny school kids.
As a result, Steve was found himself led on his back on the bed, Katie’s lips trailing his skin, from his collar over to his neck. He let out a soft sigh and Katie grinned as she moved back to look at him. His eyes were dark, full of desire and he watched as her head moved down his body, her soft fingers pulling the waistband of his boxers down slightly as she kissed across the bottom of his stomach, just on the V of his abdomen, where the thin strip of hair that led from his belly button down to his groin lived. He was aroused, desperate to feel her mouth on him, but as she trailed her tongue across his skin, she got as low as she could without actually touching him there. He let out a groan, his hips bucking slightly and she stopped, glancing up at him.
“Want something, Soldier?” she smirked, repeating the words he had said to her the other morning and he looked down at her lidded eyes which were sparkling with mischief.
“You want me to beg?” he asked, his voice gravelly “Because I’m not above that.” She let out a grin and decided to take pity on him. As her hot mouth took him in he let out a hiss, his head falling back against the pillow. One hand fisted in the sheets besides him, the other settled in her hair, fingers tangling into her soft waves as her head moved. Her tongue swirled around his shaft, teeth grazing gently as she took him deeper, twirling her hand around the base of his cock.
“Fuck, sweetheart…” he keened and felt her smirking as she continued her ministrations. It was so good, it was almost torture, and every time his hips moved she stopped, giving him a warning look.
Fuck, he loved it when she took control like this.
Eventually, when he could feel his stomach starting to tighten he gently pulled on her hair. “Baby,” he groaned, “get up here. I’m gonna lose it if you keep doing that.”
With a grin she released him with a pop and crawled up his body, her breasts dragging against his naked skin before she straddled him, and lowered herself down, taking him in completely. Her head lolled back slightly as he bent his knees, allowing her to lean back against his thighs, hands resting on her hips as she began to move. With every roll she made, Steve was actively fighting his release, but it was becoming increasingly harder. His hand moved between her legs to stroke at her bud, and she let out a gasp, shuddering slightly.
“Don’t stop…” she cried, “Please, Stevie…”
His strokes became quicker, and with the hand that still grasped her hip he pulled her down onto him harder as he thrust upwards, driving into her as much as he could. He felt her shudder slightly before she gave a loud, broken moan as her orgasm swept her away, and he was right with her, his hips faltering as his eyes flickered shut, his entire body stiffening before he relaxed backwards and Katie felt forwards onto his chest. She gave a soft hum of satisfaction, her face burying into his neck as his fingers trailed up her spine gently.
“Okay?” He asked when he had finally caught his breath, she made a noise of affirmation unable to summon the power to speak at that point in time. Steve gave a chuckle and moved his head, nudging her face with his nose. She looked at him for a moment before she gave him a soft kiss.
“Stevie.” She hummed gently as he pulled away to look at her. “We left the restaurant without desert.”
He arched an eyebrow at her “Seriously, you’re thinking about food now?” “Yeah, I got a hankering for something sweet.” “I’m not sweet enough?” He pouted.
She laughed “Not unless you’re hiding a pecan pie somewhere…” “Room service?” 
She grinned and nodded, rolling off him. “Oh, and order a bottle of champagne.” “Pushing the boat out?” he said, shuffling onto his side so he could face her.
“When have I ever needed an excuse to drink fizz?” she looked at him.
“True.” he said, brushing her hair off her face before he leaned in for another lazy kiss.
“And then, when we’ve finished that I’ll let you draw me a bath.”
“Oh, you’ll let me draw you a bath?”
“Yup?”
“What’s in it for me?” “You can scrub my back.” She smirked, her hand sliding up his chest. “Oh well, when you put it like that, how could I possibly refuse?” He rolled his eyes as she laughed.
Steve grinned back at her. Frankly, the idea of spending the entire evening locked in the hotel room with her, drinking champagne, bathing, no doubt a bit more fooling around was fucking heaven in his eyes. Giving her one last, soft peck on the lips he reached over for the phone to ring in their order.
**** “You’ve done WHAT?”
Ransom smirked as his mother screeched across the room her almost unintelligible ramblings being punctuated by yells and protests from Walt. His grandfather had just revealed to them all that not only was he using a different publishers for his next book, he was also donating his royalties to charity after discussions with the Stark bitch, or Rogers bitch as she was called now. Naturally Meg thought it was a great idea, but then she would. Ransom didn’t give a shit either way. He just found watching them all arguing like they were doing utterly hilarious.
“Cookie?” he asked, offering the packet across the coffee table.
“No I don’t want a fucking cookie, you asshole!” Walt glared at him.
“Wow” Ransom mouthed, smirking.
“Ransom, enough.” His mother shot and he looked at her.
“What did I do?” He laughed.
“You’re being deliberately obtuse!”
“I haven’t said a word.” He sniggered “And I don’t plan on doing either. It’s the old man’s money. If he wants to give it away, so be it. I am curious though.” He leaned forward and looked at his grandfather. “What did she say to convince you to part with it?” “It wasn’t what she said so much as what she did.” Harlan answered after a moment’s thought, not wanting to betray her trust “Her company is donating their profits from what she openly admitted would be their biggest earning book to date. Says a lot about her don’t you think?” Ransom cocked his head to one side and shrugged, as the arguing once more began.
With a snort he stood up “Well this has been emotional, we should do this again sometime.” he said, “Grandfather…”
Harlan waved him away, none of the others paying him a blind bit of attention. He grabbed his dog-piss ruined coat from the chair he’d thrown it against, making a beeline for Fran in the kitchen, ordering her to get it dry cleaned as soon as she could. He then headed out to his car, and stopped dead as he noticed the rear tyre was flat.
Cursing he bet to take a closer look, and noticed the knife that was expertly placed right in the middle of the tread at near the bottom and despite himself he gave a low chuckle, shaking his head.
“Well played Mrs Rogers, well played.”
**** Part 3
**Original Posting**
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bonnini · 3 years
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Well I promised you a post about my bi Geoffrey Martewall headcanons so here it is guys <3
So…as I previously mentioned in a tag under one of @agapantoblu's posts, I've been half-seriously headcanoning Geoffrey Martewall a.k.a. the best character in the Hypervesum series as a clueless bisexual for... well, for some time. Let's say a year and a half. I've never bothered actually sharing these headcanons online because I didn't really have a clear idea for an actual argument in support of this claim of mine, but now I’m finally ready to put the all the reasons why I get extra-strong bisexual vibes from Geoffrey Martewall into words. Beware…it’s a lot of words :’’)
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Exhibit A: Geoffrey and women
1.1. Geoffrey’s taste in women is just too good
Listen. LISTEN. Our man’s taste in women is IMPECCABLE: he could, as Brianna said herself, have chosen to take any young noble maiden as his wife, but he decided to go for a woman that 1) is a couple years older than him 2) is not noble at all and, you know, used to be just a poor paesant before coming to Châtel-Argent 3) already has a son who was fathered by a French knight to whom she was never married and that she had to raise as a teen single mom 4) at the time of their first meeting had a crush on his current worst enemy. LISTEN!!!!!!!! Geoffrey’s taste in women is suspiciously good, way too good, in fact, to be that of a medieval straight guy. I mean…Ian, a man who comes from the 21st century, fell for the textbook angelic maiden, while Geoffrey literally did not even bother looking around for some young blushing bride and just decided that the hot milf who threatened him with a pitchfork in book 2 was his first and best choice. What an Absolute Fucking King. This choice of his is, in my opinion, very telling of the kind of view he has of romance and women in general.
Which brings me to the next point, namely:
1.2. Geoffrey appears to have an attitude towards women and a view of womanhood that are significantly more modern than those of an average knight of his time
Is it just me or is Geoffrey actually the one with the most… modern mindset out of all the knights starring in the saga? There are a couple of specific scenes that kind of make me think of him as an outlier among his peers, and although some of those are definitely there for the purpose of showing us that Martewall is indeed a rather peculiar knight, others contribute to creating the picture of a character that is almost… out of place in the 13th century? 
Allow me to expand a bit further on the “Geoffrey and women” topic: we saw how chivalrous and respectful Geoffrey was towards an unconscious and injured Brianna. First he made sure her son was comfortable with him warming her up using his own body, and reassured him he meant no disrespect by removing her clothes; then, he proceeded to strip her in the most methodical and detached way possible, which let us know Geoffrey respects a woman’s body and modesty the way any proper, courteous medieval man would. But then there’s another, and in my opinion far more interesting, instance in which Geoffrey is seen interacting with a woman: I’m talking about his brief conversation with Blanche of Castile in book 3. Here we see 1) how Geoffrey treats women he is not attracted to (“not attracted to” as in: women he has no interest in romancing), and 2) to what degree he actually respects female authority. 
Our first introduction to Blanche is the scene in which Guillaume, Ian and Henri de Bar are talking about her right before the audience in Paris, during which we learn that the vast majority of noblemen do not take her opinions seriously and do not appreciate seeing her talk during political debates. Even Henri de Bar, although he does not mean to be insolent, raises an eyebrow at the thought of a woman participating in conversations that concern military strategy, while Guillaume seems almost amused at Ian’s heartfelt defence of her speeches. Which is why Geoffrey’s brief interaction with her stands out so much: when she starts talking about the war in England with him, he carefully listens to her as if she were just another male superior officer: he does not appear even slightly surprised by her competence, he does not try to dumb down the topic of discussion, he listens carefully to what she is saying, he offers his opinion only when she asks for it and he answers her questions in the most straightforward way possible. At no point during the conversation does he ever attempt to pull the condescending “with all due respect, madame…” to correct or contradict her statements. He is not in courteous knight mode, he is in soldier mode, and is unfazed by the fact that the one he is discussing logistics and war strategy with is a delicate looking princess.  Once again, the author is fleshing out Geoffrey’s character by having the protagonist and point of view character draw a direct comparison between him and other men. Martewall does not simply respect women as in “oh I’m a proper knight and I use my blade to protect defenceless maidens”, he actually, genuinely respects women. 
Which in my opinion is such an interesting facet of his values and personality: in the second half of book 2, Ian notices how thoroughly Harald Martewall managed to drill the code of chivalry into his son’s head, and remarks on the fact that the Martewalls are all perfect examples of the True Old School Knights. Both Harald and Geoffrey are the embodiment of the honourable, unyielding, upright warrior trope, and they perfectly fit the image we modern people conjure in our minds when we think of a knight of the Middle Ages. This specific aspect of Geoffrey’s set of values gives his character a strong, let’s say “old-fashioned” connotation, and yet said set of values seems to come from an internal source rather than rely on tradition and external rules. He, for example, got rid of his helm and shield when he saw his adversary in combat was not fully equipped, but he also willingly assisted the Dauphin in taking over England despite having previously sworn an oath of loyalty to John Plantagenet, since his sense of honour compelled him to aid the man who provided him with the help he needed to get his home back. Geoffrey is way more likely to base his choices on what his own moral compass compels him to do rather than resort to convention and tradition to tell right from wrong. This makes Geoffrey a perfect blend of both old and modern qualities, and in the context of his relationship with women he tends to lean quite heavily on his more modern side.  
Let’s go back to discussing his first introduction to Brianna for a second: he witnesses Brianna express her unrequited attraction to Ian, flirt with him and even mock-kiss him straight on the lips, and yet not only does that not make Geoffrey respect her any less, it also does not concern him at all later in book 3 when the story hints at the fact that he might have an interest in taking her as his wife. This is a rather unusual attitude! I mean, even the exuberant Etienne de Sancerre, who has shown an overt preference for feisty and confident women, grumbles and protests in jealousy when his wife Donna and Daniel greet each other with a hug while out in public, deeming the gesture to be inappropriate. What I’m trying to say here is that this is a man who is waaaaay ahead of his peers in regards to his view of women and womanhood, and who also appears to be very confident in his masculinity (so confident, in fact, that the thought of having to “put women in their place” never once crosses his mind), hence why I keep sensing the most excellent kind of bisexual vibes coming from him.
Exhibit B: Geoffrey and men
2.1 Jerome and Geoffrey’s friendship makes NO sense
And I mean it. Yes, we do read about Ian wondering how two people with such different sets of core values (ok maybe Jerome lacked core values all together lol) could have ever been friends, which means that yes, readers are in fact meant to notice how misguided Geoffrey is in his commitment to honour this bond of friendship and avenge Jerome’s death, but the more I think about this, the more I convince myself that this whole situation is, in fact…really weird.
Let’s start from the beginning: so, Geoffrey’s anger over Jerome’s death is the main source of conflict between him and Ian, and it puts the plot of book 2 in motion. Now, we never actually saw Geoffrey and Jerome talk to each other in book 1 (because at the time of its drafting the author had not yet planned on writing a sequel for it) so all the available details about their relationship (mind you, there aren’t that many) have to be gleaned from Geoffrey’s recollections present in book 2 and pieced back together in order to get a clearer picture. Another fact that should be noted is that we also never saw Jerome talk about Geoffrey (again, because Geoffrey wasn’t really that relevant to the plot of book 1): Geoffrey’s words are the only source available when it comes to trying to reconstruct what their interactions might have been like, which means that our perspective on their friendship is going to be inevitably, extremely one-sided. 
So here we go, book 2, chapter 5: Geoffrey has decided to abduct Ian and Daniel and drag them to his home in England to get some answers and avenge Jerome’s death and he currently has Ian at his mercy, so he immediately starts asking questions. He asks why he currently is not home, he asks why his brother has no knowledge of his whereabouts, he asks if his name really is Jean Marc de Ponthieu, and these are all very dangerous questions: they pose a real threat to Ian’s credibility. But then, when Geoffrey asks why Jerome was so certain he was an imposter, Ian breathes in relief, because that means Geoffrey knows nothing about the ambush in Couronne.
But. Wait a second.
How could Geoffrey possibly not know about Couronne? That’s how Derangale KNEW without a shadow of a doubt that Ian and Jean de Ponthieu were never the same person! Dude was busy forging incriminating letters left and right with Ponthieu’s help??? He was the one who helped Ponthieu and Renaud De Dammartin set Isabeau up to be assaulted by Claude de Dammartin??? Geoffrey explicitly says Jerome was obsessed with Ian, so Derangale must have talked his ear OFF with all his incessant rambling about him being an imposter…and Geoffrey did not bother asking him about the details of this weird doppelganger theory of his ONCE? We know how sharp and observant Geoffrey is. We know he is perceptive, and straightforward in voicing his opinions, and not easy to fool. We know he is the type of guy who likes to ask direct questions and get believable, clear answers in return, so he MUST have asked Jerome why he was so sure about the illegitimacy of Ian’s identity. How did Jerome answer? Did he make up a lie on the spot? Geoffrey is equipped with a very functional built-in anti-nonsense super-sensor (the one that allowed him to immediately spot all the places in which Ian’s deception and intentional gaslighting were coming off at their seams even after Ian had managed to convince Geoffrey’s own father that he was Jean de Ponthieu’s second-born son), so if that was the case – if Jerome had indeed tried to make up some story about why he knew who the real Jean de Ponthieu was – Geoffrey (in theory) would have easily been able to tell that he was being lied to. 
Do we then have to assume Jerome simply replied with “I just know”? Well…the text implies that this is the most plausible option: as Ian and Geoffrey’s heated conversation goes on, we realize that the only reason Geoffrey believes Ian to be an imposter is…because Jerome said so. And this, in my opinion, says a lot about both Geoffrey’s relationship with Derangale and his current emotional state. Let’s really think about what this little kidnapping stunt of his must look like from an outside perspective: Geoffrey just decided to abduct a man whose identity has been publicly confirmed by Guillaume de Ponthieu, one of the most powerful men on French soil, who also happens to be a relative of king Philippe Auguste (which means Ian has ties to the royal family as well lol???), who ALSO confirmed that Ian is the youngest Ponthieu brother and PERSONALLY BESTOWED the title of Faucon du Roi upon him. Geoffrey does not (currently) have a shred of proof against Ian: he just chose to believe that Ian is some random foreigner who has been allowed to pretend to be a nobleman and marry Isabeau de Montmayeur by the count of Ponthieu and the king of France because that’s what Jerome believed. Jerome stood alone in front of the entire French court, subjecting himself to ridicule, to denounce Ian as an imposter and Guillaume as a liar (and readers know he is 100% right, but look at this from the perspective of one of the characters who are not involved in this intrigue), which are such far-fetched, absurd, ludicrous accusations, even the closest of Jerome’s friends would have demanded at least some evidence in order to give his version of the story some credit. And yet Geoffrey, who has not been given even one crumb of information on the real Jean de Ponthieu’s actual political alignment, simply decided to stand with him against the rest of the world. 
And then, Ian starts answering Geoffrey’s questions by telling him all the vile things Jerome did to him, his family and his friends (while still carefully avoiding the Couronne topic): he tells him of his sadism, villany and criminal actions, and Geoffrey does not believe a single word of what he’s saying. He straight up calls all these accusations lies, and he urges Ian to stop insulting a knight of England his peer and a man of honour deserving of respect. Geoffrey refuses to listen to any negative remark Ian has to make and threatens him with violence when he insists on calling Jerome an unworthy man. “Jerome wasn’t a liar”, he says; “he was my friend, and you killed him”. This is exactly what I meant when I said their friendship strikes me as extremely weird: I mean come on, really? Derangale was a textbook piece of shit. He was violent, vengeful, and arrogant, and yet Geoffrey describes him as a “man of honour”??? It almost seems as if he and Ian are not even talking about the same person??? The sadistic felon Ian met in Cairs is nothing like the friend Geoffrey has such a high opinion of. Which can only mean one thing, namely that when he was with Geoffrey, Jerome was on his best behaviour. And in order to have adapted his behaviour to fit Geoffrey’s expectations of a good and honourable friend, Derangale must have had a very clear picture of the kind of person his “friend” was. Jerome knew Geoffrey would never have allowed all that malicious shit to happen under his watch, so he decided to keep all his plotting a secret from him. Geoffrey never was Jerome’s accomplice in aiding Renaud de Dammartin, Ferrand de Flandre and Jean de Ponthieu steal the Montmayeur fief for king John, and therefore has no reason to believe Ian’s words. 
There are two things about this situation that strike me as particularly weird. First of all: Derangale wasn’t just witholding information from Geoffrey, he was also hiding his true nature from him. And Geoffrey…never noticed? Geoffrey, who can usually smell bullshit and deception from a mile away, who has no difficulty in telling a man of honour from a felon, who normally would not bother wasting his time being friends with such an insufferable prick, never managed to guess the true nature of Jerome’s character? Huh??? And secondly: why exactly did Derangale ask for help from a guy he was so sure he would never have been able to turn into one of his accomplices he had to actively keep parts of himself and his plans hidden for months up to the battle in Bouvines? What we know, thanks to Harald Martewall, is that Jerome was the first to reach out to Geoffrey back in book 1: apparently, the two of them used to be friends as young boys, then stopped seeing each other for a couple of years until Derangale decided to pick up the phone and give him a call. Geoffrey was in England, minding his own business, when Jerome contacted him to ask if he was willing to join him in Béarne. He, as sir Harald recalls, “was busy raising a cavalry troop for Ferrand De Flandre, and wanted my last-born as champion in a tournament”. It is not difficult to guess why Derangale asked specifically for Geoffrey to join his faction. Martewall is, simply put, the baddest bitch in the area: he is easily the scariest and most skilled warrior out of all the knights we get to meet in the saga, and an experienced tournament champion is precisely what Jerome needs for the little show he has in plan for Béarne. What I really want to know here is: couldn’t Derangale have called for literally any other English knight to help him win? Why did he risk enrolling a guy he knew would never have approved of his schemes and totally could have kicked his ass if he ever found out about his misconduct? Couldn’t he have called for a couple more champions who would have been overjoyed at the opportunity of beating the shit out of all those French knights? Why did it have to be just him and Geoffrey against the ENTIRETY of Philippe Auguste’s lineup? Why was he so confident in his ability to manipulate Geoffrey? Oh AND. This is an information that is nowhere to be found in the actual books but it is something I asked the author to confirm because I was just too curious: Geoffrey…did not have fun in Béarne, like at all. He did not care for the show Jerome wanted to put on, he did not enjoy participating in that display of strength and superiority, and he was grumpier than usual during the whole ordeal. So our man Jerome basically decided to rely exclusively on Geoffrey’s excellence and made him travel all the way to Béarne instead of putting together a slightly larger faction of fellows who could have maybe shared his immoral cause (like hello?????? it’s literally JUST the two of them against ALL the French nobles competing at the tournament lmfao??? I mean ok girl!!! give us drama! give us spectacle!) despite knowing that 1) he would have had to completely alter his behaviour around him 2) he could never have explained to him why he knew with absolute certainty Ian was an imposter and 3) Geoffrey would have intensely disliked being at the centre of theatrics. Like…I get that Geoffrey is your most skilled friend when it comes to the art of jousting, but… his presence is also a bit too inconvenient in this context? I mean really? You didn’t know any other knights in the area who could have been available as champions? You had to call for Geoffrey? Specifically for him? Haha girl ok! (oh and you also saved some of the custom higher quality blades you had made for your squadron to arm Geoffrey? Ok! Oh and you decided to pick Geoffrey as the other leader of your special squadron? Girl Ok!!! The guy would leave your ass in less than a second if he ever found out about your awful crimes so keeping him at your side is quite the risky move, but you do you I guess).
And another thing is, not only did Geoffrey hate every second of that charade, he (and this is also information that I got directly from the author) was downright shocked at Derangale’s unprompted act of violence against the young count of Grandpré… that was something that caught him completely off guard and that left a bitter taste in his mouth. It makes total sense for Geoffrey to feel this way, that’s very in character for him. What actually, really surprises me is Geoffrey’s reaction at hearing Ian mention this particular incident. You were there, says Ian, you saw Derangale attempt to kill a friend of mine with your own two eyes, and yet you insist on threatening me for calling him a criminal and an assassin. And that’s what finally prompts Geoffrey to lay hands on him. He silences him with a slap so violent it almost makes him fall on the ground. Geoffrey reacted with anger and disbelief when Ian was describing him heinous crimes that he never witnessed and did not believe to be true, but only resorted to physical violence when Ian forced him to acknowledge and condemn an action he actually saw Jerome commit. This brief scene alone is enough for me to confidently conclude that Geoffrey is, there are no other words fit to describe his current emotional state, deep in DENIAL. He hears an uncomfortable truth he has no way of denying, he lets that send him into a violent rage, he acts that violence out and then he ends the whole conversation there. He just. Leaves. And he repeats the same exact pattern of behaviour a second time! Book 2, chapter 12: Martewall starts to interrogate Daniel, who tells him about Derangale’s first attempt at kidnapping Isabeau AND manages to have one of his own men confirm his story. Then Geoffrey becomes visibly agitated, to the point he inadvertently breaks the rod he brought to beat information out of his prisoner in fucking two, CHANGES THE TOPIC OF DISCUSSION ON PURPOSE, and then when Daniel insists on bringing the conversation back to Derangale’s crimes he draws his sword, points it at him in another fit of anger and then! He LEAVES!! AGAIN!!! Bro???????????? You keep saying you “want the truth” and yet when you finally get it you cut the conversation off because you don’t like what you’re hearing? Hello???
“You insist on defending him only because you do not want to admit you have been lied to and manipulated by him”, this is what Daniel says to Martewall’s face, and the most articulate rebuttal he is able to come up with on the spot is “that is not true”. He absolutely did not expect to be confronted with such merciless answers, and he has no idea how to cope with Ian and Daniel ripping into the image of the good and honourable Jerome that only exists in his mind, so he just rejects anything negative they have to say and breaks things like a moody teenager.
His behaviour is extremely erratic. For the entirety of the first half of book 2, Geoffrey is clearly not his usual self. His own father tells him he does not recognize him anymore. And when Sir Harald confronts him and makes an attempt at urging him to release Daniel, Geoffrey reacts with something I would almost describe as a…temper tantrum? Sir Harald’s request for an explanation from his son is more than legit: after all, he just learned from Daniel that Geoffrey decided to kidnap a renowned nobleman on a whim, without any evidence of his supposed crimes, WITHIN THE BORDERS OF HIS FIEF IN FRENCH LANDS. That could get them in SERIOUS trouble with both his brother Guillaume de Ponthieu and Philippe Auguste himself, as Salisbury will later remark on. I mean, this action is not only dishonourable, as Sir Harald will be very quick to point out, but also extremely stupid. And Geoffrey is not stupid. Like, at all. He knows when to shut up, his rage is usually under check, he is not prone to acting out in anger or taking rash decisions. But here, Geoffrey is letting his emotions run rampant. His father is being perfectly reasonable, and he replies quite disrespectfully by stating that he is not a young boy anymore and that he will not allow for any reproach o interference on his part.
It should be noted that Geoffrey’s troubled state of mind is not solely the result of Jerome’s death. In fact, in chapter 12, Geoffrey makes it clear why he is so angry and frustrated. He lays out all of his reasons to his father:
“I’ve always done my duty and I lost my honour because of those to whom I owed my loyalty. I fought loyally until the very end, I paid my defeat with imprisonment, only to discover at my release that my name is associated to those of a friend deemed a felon and a king judged a coward; I return to my homeland and I end up on a list of traitors because of you! I am forced to be subject to the last two accusations, but the first…that one I intend to acquit myself from with any means necessary. At this point, I have already lost my dignity as a knight and you are the last person who can reproach me for it, since you are the one who dealt me the final blow”.
Geoffrey’s words reveal that he is also doing all of this for himself. He is now more desperate than ever to prove Jerome was always in the right, since this seems to be the only means of coping with the loss of his precious honour. The thought of having been friends with a felon of this magnitude is something Geoffrey could never, ever tolerate, because what would this say about him as a person? This explains the state of denial he currently is in: he has done something he would normally see as despicable by kidnapping Ian in his own lands, but he could excuse acting like a vulgar bandit if only he managed to force a confession out of Ian and avenge Jerome’s death (have I already mentioned Geoffrey has NO business being mad about Jerome meeting his demise at Ian’s hands? Dude was killed in fair combat. On a battlefield. Ian did not assassinate him or anything of that sort, there simply are NO good reasons as for why Geoffrey could ever want to “avenge” his friend’s death?? like there’s literally nothing to avenge here??? Lol???). And although Geoffrey is indeed defending Jerome’s honour because he feels that his crimes, if proven true, could reflect badly on himself, Geoffrey’s words still betray real attachment and a genuine feeling of affection for Jerome. Ian himself will later recognize their bond as valid by directly comparing it to the sentiment of friendship he shares with Daniel. At the time of Ian’s abduction, Geoffrey did not yet know that he would eventually be forced to fight yet another war once he’d finally reach his home: at that point in the story, Geoffrey’s motives for taking Ian and Daniel as prisoners had little to do with him wanting to gain back the honour he now feels his father tore from him by ordering him to side with him against their king. The primary motivation for his disreputable conduct in chapters 4 to 10 was, in my opinion, grief.
Another thing that I find extremely interesting and that in a way contradicts what I mentioned above about Geoffrey not being able to tolerate the thought of having been friends with a criminal, is that once he starts to come to terms with the proof of Jerome’s misconduct…he never disavows their friendship. What he says once he finally accepts Ian as his friend and lets go of Jerome’s obsession is: “I did everything in my power to honour our friendship, going even beyond common sense”. He never tries to claim they were never really friends or proclaim he wants to cut all ties with such a man. And towards the end of book 3, when Geoffrey and Ian are discussing what Ian’s exile really implicates and Ian is finally forced to admit he never was Jean de Ponthieu, Geoffrey all of a sudden brings Derangale into their conversation to reflect on how Jerome was right all along and how happy he is to learn that he at least did not lie to him about this one specific thing. Well, maybe I’m reading too much into this, but I was expecting him to focus on the sheer amount of lies he had been fed by…you know, Ian, the friend who happens to be alive and whom he is currently confronting. He does not even seem interested in asking Ian to explain himself, it is Ian who apologises to him, completely unprompted. They were having a conversation about Philippe Auguste and Guillaume de Ponthieu wielding the power to destroy his life, and after several beats of silence and intense consideration, what Geoffrey decided to say out loud was “I’m happy Jerome didn’t lie to me about you”? Ummmmmmm ok??????????? Lying to him certainly was not the worst thing Jerome has ever done? What about the many crimes he committed against Ian, his friends and his family? What I’m trying to say here is that Daniel’s argument about Geoffrey having been manipulated by Jerome must have cut deep, since here he is, bringing this up again. Derangale died more than two years ago, and Geoffrey already gave up on trying to redeem his honour and reputation, but he appears to be still in the middle of the process of learning to truly let him go. Dealing with the idea of having been deceived in such a cold way by a close friend to whom he though he owed unwavering loyalty is proving to be challenging. I might be delusional but I can only make sense of the fact Geoffrey brought Jerome into their conversation about Ian only to briefly touch on a strictly personal matter that concerned his own feelings and his private relationship with Ian’s old archenemy if I assume Geoffrey was, at this point in time, still dealing with some very intense and complicated feelings (….furthermore…………it doesn’t…really…make sense…for Geoffrey to be happy about Jerome telling him that Ian’s identity was a hoax…since the whole point of telling him that…was getting his help in destroying Ian and not really “being honest” with him…like…Geoffrey, love, why are you so desperately hanging on to these miniscule scraps of “““honest and genuine interactions”””, why do you still treasure this literal MICROSCOPIC CRUMB of “““sincerity””” on Jerome’s part…hello…………………???). Sorry but this whole Jerome/Geoffrey mess just exudes one-sided, unfulfilled and unacknowledged tenderness in copious amounts once you really start to read into it. My personal interpretation of the situation is that Geoffrey is having such a hard time trying to make sense of the extent of Derangale’s manipulation and condemning him as someone who was always undeserving of his friendship and devotion because he completely lacks the tools to properly analyse and interpret his own feelings on the matter.
2.2 Geoffrey and Ian vs Geoffrey and Jerome
I’m touching briefly on Ian and Geoffrey’s friendship dynamics in book 3 mainly because I think that their relationship will provide me with some good clues and parallels that could be of help in determining what Geoffrey was like when he was in Jerome’s company, since the third instalment in the series gives us such a wonderful and complete picture of the kind of friend Geoffrey is. Remember how Geoffrey immediately sided with Ian against Gant without asking for evidence against him and came to Ian’s rescue twice despite having very important businesses to attend to? Geoffrey has repeatedly shown that he has a tendency to be aggressively protective of his closest friends, to the point he has no problem resorting to extreme violence to ensure their safety (Ian, bleeding on the floor, gripping Geoffrey’s arm: “please tell me you took at least one of my assailants alive I’m going to need a witness???????” Geoffrey: “…” Ian: “…” The pile of corpses right behind them: “…” Geoffrey: “…sorry lol I kinda dealt with them in a bit of a heavy handed way” Ian: whimpers and collapses in his arms). Geoffrey’s attitude in regards to Ian’s enemies perfectly explains why he never had any qualms siding with Jerome against Ian despite the fact Derangale wasn’t telling him shit about the supposed evidence behind his outlandish claims. This is actually part of his regular pattern of behaviour: Geoffrey has consistently shown a thorough commitment towards undying trust and unconditional support through direct action. He might seem cold and aloof since he is never seen behave in an overtly friendly or approachable way when he is out in public (he also does not smile ONCE throughout the whole trilogy), but this right here is, in my opinion, a very affectionate man who is capable of forming true and intimate bonds with a handful of hand-picked men whose company he deeply treasures. Let’s talk about how Geoffrey U-turned at the speed of light to go back and help Ian corner Gant even though he was in the middle of carrying out an extremely important mission for Blanche of Castile. Let’s talk about how Derangale did not even have the time to fall to the ground after Ian delivered him the finishing blow, because Geoffrey literally teleported behind him to catch him, hoist him on his horse and take him to safety (let’s also talk about how Ian later found Derangale’s corpse among those of all the abandoned fallen soldiers the imperial army was not able to retrieve, and saw that his dead body had been laid on a shield with care, which means Geoffrey probably was the one responsible for preserving his dignity in death since we know for a fact he was there to hear Derangale’s last words and witness him die – I am literally about to start screaming please send help :)))))))). Do not let his grumpiness and harsh words fool you, Geoffrey is the most dedicated best friend another knight could ever ask for.
HOWEVER, the main difference between the two relationships I am comparing is that Geoffrey’s support of Ian is always unconditional, but never irrational in the same way his pursuit of revenge on Jerome’s behalf was, and at no point in the story does Geoffrey fail in evaluating Ian’s character or intentions. Furthermore, Ian’s gaslighting game was ON POINT in book 2, he was warping reality around Geoffrey like a damn magician, but Geoffrey never fully bought into his carefully crafted lies. And yet I am expected to believe that Derangale was such a skilled master manipulator he was able to conceal his true nature and agenda from Geoffrey for months? Hello??? PLEASE! Make it make sense!!! The ease with which Derangale was able to withold crucial information from him is extremely suspicious. Really? You mean to tell me Jerome Derangale had one of the least gullible people in the saga wrapped around his finger for years and never once slipped and misbehaved in front of him? Sorry I know at this point I must sound extremely redundant but Geoffrey’s selective blindness towards anything that concerns Derangale really is the weirdest thing ever, like, uh oh! Are you sure you didn’t catch any overly soft feelings for your bestie? So…I’m gonna say it: my theory on why Geoffrey’s behaviour was all over the place in the first chapters of book 2 is that he has always been completely unaware of the true nature and extent of his emotional attachment to Derangale, and this cluelessness of his contributed to worsening his already frustrated state. Furthermore, I also think Derangale must have noticed something was going on with Geoffrey and decided to use it to his advantage. Dude was a bit too confident, suspiciously confident in his ability to keep Geoffrey at his side without having to disclose any kind of compromising information.
In conclusion:
What I’m trying to say here is that I’m pretty convinced Geoffrey Martewall is not one of the straights. To sum all of this up, he:
-drinks astronomical amounts of his own extra strong brew of respect women juice on a daily basis
-has a tendency to get very attached to a few selected male friends who he then proceeds to protect with everything he has
-never noticed his old friend (👀) was lying to him, acted in a very out of character and erratic way for a while after his old friend’s (👀👀) death and was ready to commit actual crimes in an attempt to honour his old friend’s (👀👀👀) memory.
So. Yeah. The bi vibes are there. I would rather die than give up my Clueless Bisexual King Geoffrey Martewall headcanons! Sorry but a straight Geoffrey would make zero sense to me. Your honour can’t you see!!! this guy is WAY too cool not to be bi!!!
I rest my case.
P.S. I cannot BELIEVE I’m actually posting this monster on the day of the anniversary of the battle of Bouvines??? I swear I didn’t do it on purpose, at first I was really annoyed at the fact that putting this together was taking me weeks but then yesterday while I was editing I realized I would eventually be able to publish this on the very day Derangale died and Geoffrey was taken prisoner :’’) Perfect timing am I right?
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jokertrap-ran · 3 years
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(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Main Story Chapter 2-21: 时间针脚 The Patchwork of Time Translation
“He disappeared for a very long time. So long, that I thought that he'd never make another appearance again.”
*Light and Night Master-list *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Join the Light & Night Discord (^▽^)~ ♪ *Main story tag will be #For Light and Night
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The door shuts with a click, leaving only me and Lin Yao in the room.
I smiled at her in thanks, only to realize that she'd closed her eyes in fear once the agent left. She looked absolutely terrified.
Is she afraid of her mother?
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Lin Yao: Sorry for troubling you all earlier.
MC: It's alright. Don't worry about it.
I helped her change out of the dress as I pondered about how I should go about making the corrections.
The scars that marred her skin stood out much more starkly when combined with the black material of her dress. It might be because I'd scrutinized it too much, but I couldn't help feeling that her scars looked a little odd. They were regular, dense, and didn't look the slightest bit accidental. They appeared more man-made.
I was stunned by the revelation. What am I thinking? There's no way an up and rising female star would ever bear scars like that.
Having kept the clothes, I was just about to take out the pictures that I'd taken at the museum to get some inspiration from it when I saw Lin Yao bent over at the table. She was slowly folding a printed notice with utmost concentration.
She looks like an automated robot… folding the paper step-by-step as if following a program.
❖☆———————————★❖
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MC: This is?
Lin Yao: An origami butterfly.
She placed the origami butterfly on the table, staring motionlessly at it.
❖☆———————————★❖
We remained silent for a long while.
The suspicion in my heart only grew.
Were all stars so different on-screen and off-screen?
It felt as if the girl before me and the ever-smiling Lin Yao were two completely different people.
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MC: Do you like butterflies?
Lin Yao: I guess you can say that.
MC: What if I made the tulle to resemble a swallowtail butterfly? You can wrap it around your wrists and skirt.
MC: I just thought that the character you portrayed is beautifully unique, like a swallowtail butterfly.
MC: She is like a moth to the flame known as freedom. That's why she can chase after it without a care in the world.
MC: Not to mention, the swallowtail butterfly also represents change, hope and courage.
MC: Whether it be in the movie, or if it's this formal dress; they're all a moment of change.
Something seemed to flash across her eyes upon the mention of change and hope
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Lin Yao: Okay.
MC: Alright then! Let me work my design for a bit.
My phone suddenly rang. An'an had messaged me.
An'an (Voiced SMS): Quick! Look at my idol's Victory Quick-Cut! Do you know that I'm actually going to be interviewing his race team next week!?
I planned to leave it for later, but accidentally tapped into it. And that was how a round of applause came through the device.
In the video, Osborn took off his helmet and nodded as he acknowledged the crowd with a brilliant smile on his face.
Lin Yao: ...You like racing?
MC: Ahem… Not that I really understand it, though.
Lin Yao: Racing… has a lot of freedom.
The corners of her lips moved ever so faintly that it made me a little puzzled.
MC: Do you like racing?
Lin Yao: An old friend of mine aspired to be a racer ever since he was a kid.
MC: Did he manage to become one?
She shook her head as she looked past me and out towards the window where the sky had yet to turn dark.
Lin Yao: He disappeared for a very long time. So long, that I thought that he'd never make another appearance again.
Lin Yao: Fortunately… he's back now.
Her voice was soft. So very soft, that I wasn't too sure if she was talking to me, or if she was talking to herself.
A small tap finally broke the silence. I turned in the direction of the sound, only to see many origami butterflies lined up on the windowsill. They were all made of different colours, but they all looked like they were spreading their wings and ready to take flight.
There was a vague shadow of a person standing outside in the far distance, shrouded in the darkness of the night. Lin Yao stared blankly at the wings of the origami butterflies that softly trembled with the wind's guidance. Her eyes lit up.
Although we haven't been acquainted for long, this was the first time I've seen a spark of life in her eye. The gleam in her eyes was just like that of a hidden pearl, only to be found when a clam is cracked open.
My gut told me that whoever that person outside was, they were waiting for her; and that she was also yearning to go to them.
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MC: Is it your friend?
Lin Yao never once averted her eyes, merely nodding.
Lin Yao: I want to go see him. But, my mother… Can you do me a favour?
I looked at her, suspicion colouring my eyes. She was just meeting someone… Why would her mother be against that? Unless her boyfriend was involved in gossip? I've never heard anything about it, though...
MC: How do you want me to help you?
Lin Yao: Make some noise in here. Make her think that we're still discussing the dress.
MC: Okay. But, your mom should be back very soon, so…
Lin Yao: I won't cause you any trouble. I'll be quick. I'm just going to give him a peek.
I hesitated for a while before taking off my coat and offering it to her.
MC: Here! Put this on just in case. It'll be bad if you get photographed by the media.
She froze, her eyes sparkling as they were alight with fire for a moment.
Lin Yao: Thank you.
Fortunately, the dressing room was on the ground floor, allowing her to simply open the window and flip herself outside. Seeing her leave, I started pacing around the room, raising my voice as I talked to myself.
Yet, I couldn't help but recall the expression on her face when she looked back at me before escaping through the window. That Lin Yao felt like she fitted with how I'd imagined her to be.
She had leaves in her hair when she returned, but she didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, there was joy and fond remembrance written all over her face. She was clutching onto an orange-coloured origami butterfly with her eyes glued firmly to it. I helped her pluck the fallen leaves out of her hair.
MC: I'll head off first then. I hope you get an award.
She worried her lip as if wanting to say something. In the end, she settled for a smile instead.
Lin Yao: ...Thank you for the clothes you made for me. I'm really happy. I truly am.
❖☆———————————★❖
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I smiled back at her. Upon opening the door, I bumped into the agent who’d already been standing outside. Nodding to her in passing, I hurriedly left the venue.
MC: Oh no! I forgot to arrange the next fitting session with her!
As soon as I got back to the door, I could hear the sharp shrillness of her mother’s voice lashing out at her inside the dressing room.
Agent: How dare you go against me like that in front of an outsider? What, ready to spread your wings and fly just because you’ve been nominated?
MC: Why’s her mother so fierce towards her?
Agent: You ingrate. I provided you with food, education, and a roof over your head. I’ve also spent a good load of money on you to make you a star.
Agent: You would never have such a promising and bright life now if I hadn’t adopted you back then.
Agent: Yaoyao, you’ve been the most obedient kid ever since you were young. You’re the only one I have left…
Her anger turned into regret before turning into a heartfelt plea that begged for compassion. Yet, Lin Yao never once replied to her.
This secret side of them that I’d unwittingly chanced upon shocked me for a long while. To think that there was such a sob story behind all the glamour of a perfect life that made people envious.
❖☆———————————★❖
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I didn’t snap out of it until the sound of rustling leaves sounded. Lifting my head, I realized that it was already completely dark out.
The shooting crew had already gotten off work, so there were only a few employees scattered around the area.
MC: I should head home...
The only thing I could do for Lin Yao now was to make her dress, and make it well.
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Under the moonlight, a lone security guard walks out from the direction of the dressing room where Lin Yao was.
His silhouette seemed rather familiar…
There was something orange peeking out from the side of his pocket. It looked like the same shade of orange that Lin Yao's origami butterfly had been.
Noticing my gaze, the man pulled his hat further down before turning and bolting out of the venue.
BANG!
He'd knocked into the well-prepared set assemble, making it suddenly come crashing down!
Seeing chaos befall the ground, I hurriedly ran over to him.
MC: Are you alright?
I quickly cleared away everything that had fallen on the ground, only to find the security guard from before… gone.
I couldn’t find a single trace of that guy anywhere. If it weren’t for the remains of the set in front of me, I would have thought that I was seeing things.
MC: Yikes! The set!
❖☆————— ⊹ For Light & Night⊹ —————★❖
Previous Part: (Chapter 2-18) | Next Part: (Chapter 2-24 Light) / (Chapter 2-24 Night)
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lunawings · 3 years
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Minato’s Birthday PriZoom (8/21/21) commentary/report
Oh geez where to begin. 
I originally intended to do two showings this time (which is one more then usual) but due to a last minute decision based on other poor decisions I ended up doing three which was the most I’ve ever done in a row! My translation of the bonus content is in a separate post.
Not only that but like... it kept putting me in the main screen up at the top too!! Like more than I’ve ever been up there! And I’m sure none of this was intentional, but I also happened to be positioned right next to a couple other people who also knew the traditional cyalume cheering stuff so that was really cool!
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Heck I even made it onto the Mantan Web article apparently!!? (This is an official event photo.) Am I that recognizable even in blurry pixels? (Haha well I guess there’s the background too...)
I put a lot more concentration into my own cheering this time so I wasn’t clicking around to look at the other people in the room as much and thus I have fewer shoutouts to make. 
I happened to catch a guy trying to balance TWO of the giant Shin mochikoros on his shoulders though? 
And there was that guy hula-hooping to Kakeru’s entire performance!!??
And the person whose screen was just a cheering piece of celery. 
The highlight was probably “Kouji’s Kitchen” though. A Kouji cosplayer who spent the entire show actively cooking. 
I really admire the folks who make the actual food for these showings. I’ve been thinking I want to make pudding a la mode (probably the only KinPri food I could actually manage to make) if they do a Taiga showing next year but how would I keep it from melting during the show ahah ha... (Mashed potatoes I suppose?)
In the weeks leading up to the show I’d been wondering if we’d see any Minato cosplayers. I realized I’m not sure if I’ve actually EVER seen one at a showing (PriZoom or otherwise) as he’s not an easy character to do (what with body type and a lot of Kinpri cosplayers being female) but I think I saw at least two! 
This was the first showing where I made an honest attempt to keep the soundboard on, largely because of @takadanobaba’s posts on it, but also just because it’s our STYLISH NEW ABNORMAL (...watch Idol Land PriPara). Ever since they introduced it, traditional cheering has gotten quieter and quieter with long periods of silence except for big moments like Over the Rainbow’s prism jumps. (And what is King of Prism when you’re actually able to hear it.)
So I tried it, really I did. And as I was saying, I can somewhat see the appeal. People are finding ways to use it creatively to bring out that same brand of humor that makes traditional cheering so fun. I turned it on and off during Pride the Hero and the first half of SSS Part 2. The best and worst moment I had with it came during episode 5 however, when Ace kabedon’d Miyo and Joji pulls up in the car.
D-DDDDD-D-DDDD-D-DDDDDDD-DD-DDD-DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDEEEETAAAAAAAAAA
“But Joji is my star!”
KKKKKK-KK-KKKKKKKK-KKKK-KKKKKKKKKK-KKKAAAAKKKKKKKKKKOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Imagine that but like too fast and too loud for your brain to actually interpret what’s going on.
So that was... that was... that. (Thinking of how it will be at Joji’s actual birthday next month is giving me chills.)
I did turn it back on briefly during Best Ten while Platonic Sword was on. And for some reason I can’t quiiiite comprehend it was a grand chorus of ORE MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Okay, okay on to the meat. This showing had the BIGGEST bonus of all. Masashi Igarashi appeared for a “talk show” at two of the showings. 
One of the first things he pointed out was how, unlike traditional theater greetings, he could see all of our faces individually. And then he actually clicked through all of our video feeds and made comments!!!! (Tatsuyuki Kobayashi didn’t do that.) 
Throughout the first session he actually directly acknowledged me THREE SEPARATE TIMES. The first time was when he recognized that I had S-Pulse Dream Plaza as my background. (The real life location in Shizuoka where Minato saw Kouji for the first time.) The second time was when I pasted a message into the chat about being his American fan and HE ACTUALLY READ IT! The third time was during the All Stars Playback when they put me on the screen and he thanked me in the chat again for putting up Dream Plaza. 
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I’m really happy I put in the effort to do a meaningful background! 
All of a sudden I’m inspired to do more for each character. It was years before King of Prism existed, but I did go to Okayama once. I’m thinking I might need to sort through some old photos before Joji’s showing.
Anyway. 
Masashi-san didn’t really seem to have anything planned out to say. He just kinda played off us when he could and rambled for a while about how great Minato and King of Prism is and all that. I think he’s a bit better when he has someone else to play off of. (Junta usually ends up being his straight man.) I don’t even know if he knew what he was saying half the time hahah.
The part that really stuck with me though was when he was talking about how there was such a large concentration of Minato fans here, but then he corrected himself as that’s not necessarily true since King of Prism fans cheer for everyone. So instead of camps for certain characters, he suggested we should do “club activities” as a fandom and since so many people brought vegetables to the showing we were the vegetable club. 
This was followed by a rush of puns in the chat like VegetaBU (”bu” is Japanese for club). 
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Another official photo from Mantan web. I love it when they show the “behind the scenes”. 
I didn’t realize the second session of the greeting would be starting at the beginning of the next showing, even though that is how they usually do it for theater greetings (so the voice actor doesn’t have to wait around through another movie). It’s kind of odd that they had two different sessions actually, since pretty much everyone had the opportunity to do both as the tickets didn’t come close to selling out. But more money for them either way I guess. He actually changed shirts in between hahah. (From one Minato shirt to another.)
But anyway, when he suddenly came up on the screen again I was actually in the middle of trying to change the batteries in my cyalumes ahahah. And it put me up top of the main screen AGAIN! I kinda wanted to switch my camera off so someone else could get a chance but I didn’t want to seem rude for disappearing either!!!
Eventually I did turn my camera off, giving up my space, because my cyalume blades were all DYING from having been on CONSTANTLY since the beginning of Pride the Hero and I didn’t want it to seem like I was checking my phone or something while I was changing the batteries. (One of them ended up cutting out during Best Ten anyway because in my mad scramble to change the batteries I guess I put the old ones back in haha.) That felt like the right decision since I crashed and burned pretty hard during the middle of Best Ten. (Cheering fatigue is rare for me but I was pushing 24 hours being awake at this point...) I also sure heck didn’t want to be up there during Love Graffiti BUT I didn’t do as bad as I thought. The drills I did without the video before the showing paid off! I’m so happy I’m finally learning it after all this time. Take THAT two year depression spiral.
Although this showing was lively, I have to admit it didn’t quite meet my overinflated expectations, though. I don’t think either room broke 200 people at any point during the showing. I could have sworn at least ONE showing I went to in the past did... I think the Shin/Louis one maybe... but looking through my past posts I can’t find a mention of it. ...Wait, even if that’s true I guess it doesn’t count since we only had one room back them. Mmmrhghg. 
I do have pretty high hopes for the next few months though because Joji and Hiro are EXTREMELY popular characters. 
So you. YES YOU! The person who somehow read this entire post and is now somewhat regretting skipping out on this one. YOU CAN DO IT! I’ll see you are the next one right? RIGHT?? OKAY!! 
6 notes · View notes
jumukus · 3 years
Text
A3! Translation: Chikage Utsuki’s SSR [Moonlit Rose Castle] - Refraining Chikage From Consuming Spices
For his role-building as a vampire at the upcoming Halloween event, the Mankai Company members suggest that Chikage should hold back from eating what he likes: spices.
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Kumon: Sakuya-san, your devil costume really is adorable!
Sakuya: You too, Kumon. You look good in that Monster costume. It screams Halloween!
Muku: Citron-sama, no matter how many times I see you in that devil suit, I can't help but think you suit that costume so well…!
Citron: Bow down to me fellas! I'm the great devil Citron coming from the bottom of the hell!
Chikage: ...It sure is lively here.
Sakuya: Oh, Chikage-san!
Chikage: What are you all seeing?
Citron: Footage from the Tag Match Halloween!
Sakuya: Each of the costumes sure bring back memories.
Muku: What costume will you be wearing, Chikage-san?
Citron: If I'm not mistaken… A vampire.
Sakuya: I think you will fit the vampire costume well!
Citron: Role-building is important so that you will get into your vampire role!
Chikage: I've never thought that far.
Muku: Speaking of vampires…"Nocturnality" comes to mind!
Kumon: Azuma-san was super cool in that!
Sakuya: How the main character was torn by how he couldn't drink blood even though he wanted it…. It sure fits Azuma-san's vibes.
Muku: Right! And the fact that he had to endure his thirst for blood and how he could express that painful feelings…!
Citron: In that case, Chikage, you should also smile off something, just like Reo!
Chikage: Smile off? They sure are one cheerful vampire. I think the correct word should be, "swear off."
Kumon: In that case… Chikage-san, why don't you refrain from eating spicy food?
Sakuya: But stopping yourself from eating your favorite food seems hard.
Citron: But this is for his role-building! You heard that, Chikage? No spicy food for a while!
Chikage: …Well, I think it'd be great to try that if I have the chance.
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Chikage: I'm home.
Izumi: Welcome back, Chikage-san.
Chikage: Are we having Arrabbiata for dinner tonight? It looks delish.
Omi: I've also prepared the spice you've been into these days.
Chikage: How thoughtful of you, Omi. I expected no less from you. Alright, I'm gonna change clothes and--.
Citron: ...Wait.
Izumi: Citron-kun?
Citron: Chikage is currently refrained from eating spices.
Omi: Oh, really?
Chikage: No, I've never said tha…
Kumon: Don't tell me are we doing the whole role-building thingy for real!?
Tsumugi: Now that you mention it, avoiding your favorite food sure is a good way for role-building, since vampires usually hold back from drinking blood.
Izumi: Yeap, I agree. I support that idea!
Citron: Good luck, Chikage! Treat it as a trial to be a cool vampire!
Chikage: …
...Guess I've got no choice, then.
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Chikage: ….
Itaru: Nice work today, senpai.
Chikage: Oh, hey, Chigasaki.
Itaru: Are you on your lunch break?
Chikage: Well, yeah.
Itaru: Can you come with me, then?
Chikage: How rare of you to be asking me such a thing. I have a bad feeling about this.
Itaru: That's rude of you.
You're currently refrained from eating spices, right?
So I figured you won't eat anything spicy for lunch.
Chikage: That look… You're having fun, aren't you?
Itaru: I just want to have lunch with you, though?
Chikage: ...Fine. You pick the restaurant.
Itaru: Hm? I didn't think you'd agree this easily.
Chikage: It's for my role-building, after all.
Itaru: How about pancakes, then?
My female co-workers said there's a new delicious restaurant nearby.
Chikage: Two men eating pancakes… That'll be a whole different trial.
Itaru: Let's have one with lots of sweet syrup on top.
Chikage: You're really having fun with this, aren't you?
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Chikage: ...phew.
Hisoka: Zzz…
Chikage: This sleepyhead is sleeping in such a place again…
Hisoka: ...I'm not sleeping.
Izumi: Oh, you're home, Chikage-san.
Chikage: Yep, I'm home.
Hisoka: …
Chikage: ...What?
Hisoka: …You're in a bad mood, Chikage.
Chikage: Huh?
Hisoka: Is it because the spice refraining-thing?
Chikage: ….
...You don't need to say it out loud.
Izumi: (Huh? Chikage-san is in a bad mood…? I didn't notice it at all…)
(That's Hisoka-san for you. He knows him well.)
Are you all right? You don't need to force yourself…
Chikage: I'm fine. Don't mind what this sleepyhead said.
Hisoka: If I were in your shoes, I couldn't hold back from eating marshmallows.
Chikage: In your case, you need to hold back a little bit. ...Good night.
Hisoka: ...He really is in a bad mood.
Izumi: (Is Chikage-san all right…)
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Izumi: (Today is tiring as well… But!)
(My go-to curry restaurant is launching a new menu today!)
(I could work hard at work because I looked forward to it!)
(I can't wait to see what kind of curry it is…!)
???: --Director-san?
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Izumi: Chikage-san!
Chikage: On your way home?
Izumi: Yep. You too?
Chikage: Yeah.
Izumi: So you didn't bring your car today, huh.
Chikage: Due to work's circumstances, I took the train today.
Are you heading somewhere?
Izumi: Yup! You see--.
(Wait. Chikage-san is currently refrained from eating spices.)
(Is it okay for me to tell him I'm going to eat something he can't eat even if he wants to…?)
Chikage: Are you perhaps going to try out that restaurant's new menu?
Izumi: How do you know?
Chikage: You looked troubled.
Izumi: ...As expected of you.
Chikage: Just go, no need to mind me.
Izumi: But…
Chikage: I'm planning to go eat them once this role-building thing is over.
Izumi: …
...On second thoughts, I won't go today.
Chikage: Why?
Izumi: Let's eat it together once your role-building period is over!
Chikage: ...You don't need to be that considerate of me.
OPTION 1: Food will taste more delicious if you eat it with someone else.
Izumi: Food will taste more delicious if you eat it with someone else.
And I want to talk about curry with you.
Chikage: --.
Fine. Guess I have no choice, then. I'll keep you company.
Izumi: Hey, what's with that tone!?
Chikage: You're the one who invited me, though?
Izumi: You have a point…
(I can't accept it, but… Oh, well.)
OPTION 2: It's because curry will never go away!
Izumi: It's because curry will never go away!
Chikage: Well, it'd be scary if a curry has feet and runs away.
Izumi: I don't mean it that way, though!?
Chikage: I'm joking.
Still, you don't need to hold back, Director-san.
Izumi: It's fine! As long as it can help you with your role-building.
Chikage: ...Thanks.
I feel like the food you have been holding back from eating will taste so much more delicious once you eat it again.
I guess this is how a vampire feels when they try to endure their thirst for blood.
Izumi: Ahaha, you're right.
(Looks like the whole refraining thing is showing its effect.)
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Itaru: Ugh, I'm dead. Good job on overtime work, me.
(Come to think of it, senpai said he'd be going home quickly today.)
(Maybe he's eating some spicy food somewhere since his role-building period is over.)
Citron: …
Itaru: ...Hm? Citron?
Citron: Ssh, Itaru!
Itaru: What are you doing?
Citron: I sense something strange coming from this room…
Itaru: This room… It's my room, though.
Citron: I can feel a strong, evil sense…
Itaru: Evil sense…? Now I'm curious.
Citron: Try opening the door for now! Trust my intuition.
Itaru: Yeah, yeah.
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Chikage: …
Itaru: !?
Chikage: ...Mixing these two spices together might be a good idea.
Citron: Ooh! What a strong smell!
Ouch, my eyes! Poisonous gas is generated!
Itaru: Senpai… What are you doing?
Chikage: Mixing death sauce.
Nothing beats a spice after you haven't had it in a long time.
Itaru: Please don't make it sound like you're drinking alcohol.
Citron: Don't do something rash, Chikage! You'll die if you eat that much!
Chikage: Don't underestimate how much I can endure spiciness.
That's right. Let's try adding ghost pepper powder.
I'm looking forward to seeing how it tastes…
Citron: That sauce is so red it looks like blood~.
Itaru: ...His role-building is a success in that sense.
77 notes · View notes
deadlyweapon10 · 3 years
Text
Honey
Paring: Mina Ashido x reader
Synopsis: Where Y/n secretly crushes on her fellow classmate, Mina Ashido.
Words: 3.5k
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Earthy warm, rich, with a hint of sour components along with heaviness of a cocoa.
The aroma of a simple yet delectable coffee wafted into the nose of the (hair color) as she inhaled its exotic scent. A warm feeling growing in her stomach region as she sipped said drink from her favorite one-of-a-kind mug.
She snuggled into her jacket as she sat outside on the chair that was placed on the deck. With the sun barely rising, the air was perfectly warm and gentle, flowers beginning to bloom and birds chirping, typical for spring weather.
As she sat there with a smile on her face daydreaming away the sound of a door opening brought her back to reality.
"Jeez it's barley 6:30 and you're already up? You're the opposite of Aizawa-sensei I swear, always up while everyone is asleep! Have you even eaten yet?" Said the red-head as he walked into the view line of the coffee-filled (hair color) as a chuckle escaped past her lips. "We've lived in the dorms for a month and a half and every single time you catch me out here it's always the same questions Kiri."
The gentle blow of a breeze passed by as the sound of a busy buzzing bee was faintly heard.
Kirishima smiled. "Do you have any plans for today? I'm trying to see if Bakubro, Sero and Denki are down to go to the arcade. If you're not doing anything then would you like to go with us?" He asked while sitting on the chair next to her. The girl thought for a few seconds before opening her mouth. "I would but I feel like reading today. Besides I'd rather let "the boys" have their fun and do whatever it is that you do."
The sound of an apple being bitten into broke the silence, crispy yet sweet. The second Kirishima swallowed he started talking yet again. "You know, "
"Hm?"
"Mina is also coming. You should take the chance to confess-"
"EH?! I have no idea what you're talking about Kiri! Where did you get that idea that I like her. No wait more importantly how did you find out? Ahhhh I practically just told you I do-" Having out her mug down minutes ago, the girl who was in the middle of freaking out continued talking in a fast speed as images of said female flashed in her mind, making her stumble around with her words.
The poor girl could feel her heart thump in her chest and felt all warm inside. If there's anything that could get her to react in such a way then it was simply by mentioning her crushes name. Oh how easy it was to get her all worked up.
"Woah woah calm down! Forget I said that alright. But seriously hang out with us, you need to get out more often. I mean how is it that you have such good fashion sense yet you never leave your room unless it's for food or classes?" He spoke while rubbing the back of his neck, a smile plastered on his face. The both of them stood up at the same time with him grabbing the apples core in one hand and the girls mug in the other before handing it to her. She nodded.
As they walked into the building, now dubbed as their home, they walked through the lounge past the dining room and into the kitchen. Clearing his voice while walking to the blue sofa he looked back at her, "We're gonna be leaving at around 12 to get lunch and then to the arcade that's in the mall. See ya." "Alrighty! See you in a bit."
•°¯'•• 🎀 𝒯𝒾𝓂𝑒-𝓈𝓀𝒾𝓅 🎀 ••'¯°•
Having been back in her room for just around two hours gaming on her counsel, she got up and looked at the clock on her pastel (favorite color) wall. 'Mm it's only 9:15. I should go shower now so that I have enough time to dress on my very own existence and to choose an outfit.' That means I have two hours and forty-five minutes, which means at least a good hour and thirty minutes to shower and that leaves me with an hour and fifteen minutes which then means I have a good thirty minutes to think about my life while sitting on the corner of my bed in a robe and forty-five minutes to get ready. Perfect.'
And with that she grabbed her towel, bathrobe, shampoo and conditioner, razor (only if you shave, if not then forget that), body soap, deodorant and comb. Taking a quirk look to see if she has everything, she walked to the bathrooms that she shared with the other girls and instantly began her shower. (If you're african american/any other person I didn't include and you wear a wig then instead of shampoo and conditioner you grabbed a shower cap to protect it. I heard it's not supposed to get wet but correct me if I'm wrong.)
•°¯'••   🎀  𝒯𝒾𝓂𝑒-𝓈𝓀𝒾𝓅  🎀   ••'¯°•
After her shower she made sure to brush her hair to untangle it before it went back to being straight/wavy/curly. (If you're like me and you have curly hair then obviously you have to put curl smoothies, protection sprays, etc.) and young-life crisis thinking, she began to look through her closet. Before picking out two different options.
(Option 1)
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(Option 2)
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After a minute on deciding what to wear, Y/n choose the (1/2) option and quickly slipped on the clothes before putting on her shoes. Glancing at the clock and seeing that she only had ten minutes before they were gonna meet up she grabbing her phone along with earbuds/airpods and closed her bedroom door before soon heading towards the elevator.
Scrolling through her phone she clicked a song and began humming along to the lyrics.
By the time she arrived in the lounge, a new song started playing. Looking up she soon spotted the group and started to walk to them when she realized a certain person was missing. "Hey guys where's MinaAAA!" She shrieked as a pair of slim arms wrapped around her body and a head full of pink hair and yellow beady eyes peaked freon behind her. "Hey silly. I'm right here and ready too rumble!"
'Thump.. Thump.. Thump..'
Y/n's heart started to beat like crazy again once her brain processed what just happened. Before she could even talk someone started talking. "Let's get going you extras. I'm hungry and I don't wanna wait around all day." Ah yes, Bakugou. "On it bro." Denki replied as Mina stepped from behind me and walked up to Sero and striked a conversation with him. Speeding up a bit Y/n walked next to Kirishima just in time for Denki to start cracking jokes.
"Hey L/n why do bees have sticky hair?" He asked as Bakugou and Kirishima were listening. "I don't know, why?"  "B-because they use honeycombs!" He shouted as he busted out laughing while Y/n giggled. "How do you idiots find that funny? Is your humor that broken." Bakugou muttered as he turned his attention to Sero's and Mina's conversation.
Feeling sorta left out from the group due to the fact that she doesn't exactly hang out with them as much (except for Mina and Kirishima), she took out her earbuds/airpods and turned on her music again. This time 'it's not u it's me' by Bea Miller and 6lack started playing.
Smiling to herself she began to sway a bit to the music as they neared the mall. As cliche as it sounds, music was always there to comfort Y/n. No matter what would trouble her, she'd always turn to her favorite playlist. Once they all entered the mall and headed straight to the food court she turned off her music and tuned in the the groups conversation.
"Hey L/n," Sero began as the girl turned her head to gaze at him and hummed quickly to show that she was paying attention. "What are you gonna get to eat?" "The only place I ever go to grab my food. I'm gonna head to (restaurant) to grab my usual." Nodding, he soon turned to Mina and quickly talked. "Mina since you said you wanted to try something new to eat you should totally go with L/n." "Holy cow dude! You're totally right." She said as she pumped her fist in the air and walked towards me. "Let's go L/n, I'm super starving." Grabbing my hand she started dragging me. "H-hey broski you're going the wrong way." She chuckled as the Pinkette stopped in her tracks, said a loud "Oops." And took the girl in the right direction. (Is Pinkette a word? Probably not.)
Once both girls ordered their desired meal and sat down, they began to eat in peace for a good few minutes before Mina's phone rang. Smashing the accept call, she out it on speaker. "Whafs uf-" She managed to say as her mouth was filled with food. "Hey Pinky, tell L/n that me and the guys decided to skip the arcade and headed to Game Stop and grabbed the new Cyberpunk game. We're currently on our way to the fast-food place near the school and then we're heading back to the dorms." A loud Denki said, as we heard grunts and insults from Bakugou from their side of the call.
'Wait wouldn't that mean that Mina and I are now alone... Is this considered a date? Of course not. As if she'd even like you.' She thought as she then asked Mina why they suddenly decided to switch their plans so suddenly without saying a word in the first place until now. Without a word the girl hung up the call and continued eating.
"N/n you know that American movie where the princess and prince turn into a frog for the whole movie and then they fall in love and miss then poof, they're human again?" Mina asked breaking the silence that once stood there. "Hm? Oh yeah! 'Princess and the Frog'. I watched it before. Sucks how African Americans finally got recognition from Disney and instead they get bullshit since the two main characters are frogs for three/fourths of the movie!" The (hair color) shouted angrily as she stabbed her food. Laughing at the girls reply, Mina leaned forward in her seat. "You know that dessert they show in the movie a lot? Beignets? I wanna try one so bad." Both girls sat in silence as they got lost in each other's eyes.
'Thump.. Thump.. Thump..'
Feeling her heart flutter, her gaze shifted back to her food. "How about we buy the ingredients and make it? I made it once for a school fair and everyone seemed to like it. Only if you're down of course!" "Wait for real? Like for real real? Big bet let's hurry up and eat!" And with that the Pink haired girl began scarfing down her food, cho.king a few times.
Once they were both done and cleaned up after themselves, both girls left the area and walked to the supermarket. The duo sparking a conversation about their hobbies and interests, soon made it into the supermarket. Walking down aisle after aisle grabbing ingredients left and right, Mina suddenly grabbed Y/n's hand. "Since it's Saturday me and you should totally have a sleepover in my room. Let's go grab more snacks!" And just like before, she dragged you out of the aisle and into the candy and chips one. 'My poor wallet.' Y/n thought as she silently cried. 'Then again if it means I get to hang out with her more ... Ahh! I need to be more social with her. I mean we do talk a lot but I get so freaking flustered and it messes me up. Then again at least I can talk to females unlike Midoriya. Ha in your face!' Feeling pumped the girl grabbed the snacks that were occupying her friends arms, shoved them in the basket and speed walked to the check out line, payed for everything and with both girls holding two bags in each hand they soon began their journey back to the campus dorms.
•°¯'••   🎀  𝒯𝒾𝓂𝑒-𝓈𝓀𝒾𝓅  🎀   ••'¯°•
Entering the dorms, both females headed straight to their rooms and quickly changed. Mina wearing blue shirts with a yellow shirt while Y/n wore (f/c) satin shorts along with its matching tank top.
Both now in the kitchen with aprons on, they took out the items they brought for the beignets and placed it on the counter. 'MISS YOU!' by CORPSE was blaring from Y/n's phone as she bopped her head and hummed along to the lyrics while she added the warm water, sugar and active yeast in a bowl and whisked it while Mina measured the other ingredients, which Y/n soon regrets for the face that a mess of flour was all over the counter.
After mixing the rest of the ingredients in the watery liquid and letting it set on a lined baking sheet, Mina took out the fryer and added oil so that it could be ready for later. "Hey n/n can I play a song?" "Of course silly. I wanted to change the song anyways." Laughing like a maniac, Mina grabbed the phone and quickly typed away before placing the phone back on the counter.
"Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed
She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb
In the shape of an "L" on her forehead"
The voice of both Smash Mouth and Mina's rang out in the air as the girl started singing the lyrics. "Heyyy you should sing with me! Come on." She said as she twirled around the kitchen floor. Giggling as she put the bowl filled with the dough in the fridge, she began shouting the lyrics right along with Mina.
"Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do, so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets?
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow"
Now moving her head to the beat, both girls grabbed each other's hands and began dancing like crazy with not a care to the world, swaying their hips side to side as they sang the next verse with all their heart.
"Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold"
As they continued singing, they began to clean the dishes and put most of the ingredients they wouldn't be using anymore away and took out a pair of tongs, paper towels, powdered sugar and honey from the cabinets. After a good 30 minutes past Mina turned on the fryer, the familiar 'click' of the knob sounding. Taking out the bowl from the fridge, Y/n placed the soft, glutinous dough on the now flour dusted counter and began following it out with the rolling pin until it was a good quarter inch thick and began to slit the doughy flesh making two inch squares just as Mina grabbed a few pieces and dropped it into the hot oil.
As time went by, they were finally finished frying. All they had left was to dust powdered sugar and drizzle honey to it. The second they did so, they took half the batch with them along with a few drinks and the snacks they brought and went to Mina's room. Closing the door on their way in the brightly pink room, they sat down on the bed and hopped on Mina's laptop to watch 'A Slap On Titan'.
"Armin had broken the silence as the video zoomed to the top of the wall, the starry night sky coming into view. "Do you ever with that humans could photosynthesis?"
Eren surprised with the sudden question, instantly replied. "What? No."
"I do... I think it'd be cool to be a plant." The scene then changed to show the Survey Corps coming back from a mission."
Liquid shooting out of her nose, Mina laughed as she grabbed a tissue and wiped her face, watching as Y/n pressed a pillow against her face to muffle her loud laughter. The now chuckling girl took the pillow from her face and noticed Mina's smile that was directed at her direction. Shooting back a toothy grin, she got lost in her eyes yet again.
'Ah jeez she saw me laugh... She looks so cute.'
"You know the beignets were really good." Mina said as she scooted next to her and leaned her fuzzy head on the girls shoulder. "You think so? I hope the others enjoyed the ones we left for them. I'm so happy we got to spend today together! I would have never expected this to happen ya know?" 'Play it cool Y/n. This is no big deal at all, she's probably just a bit exhausted from all the walking and baking we did earlier. Yeah, that's right-'
"You know, I'm the one who told the boys to leave us alone and to head back to the dorms."
That caught her off guard.
"Excuse me?"
Humming to herself, Mina life's her head slightly to look at the (eye color) girl. "Listen silly, I know when it comes to academics I'm not exactly smart, but when it came to you it was easy to figure you out." Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, she urged the girl to continue talking. "I know you like me." Y/n's breathing stopped for a second, her heart beating rashly against her chest. How was it possible that the girl she's secretly liked from a distance knew? "Listen I-" She was cut off as a pair of soft pink hands covered her mouth.
"Hold up! Hear me out before you start talking. I sorta found out a few weeks back when I overheard you tell Iida about your feelings. Ever since then I confronted him and I made up this plan for both you and I to hang out alone. Like a date but it's not a date since you wouldn't know? Ahh anyways after I came up with the plan I began noticing how you'd act completely normal around the other girls, but when it came to me you'd barley mutter a word, despite you being super-duper confident." Y/n felt herself breathe again as she stared at the girl, her eyes now filled with curiosity and her head amused at the girls statement. She took the words to heart and found it to be true when she said she'd act differently around her. I mean how could she not when her heart would beat fast, her stomach flutter in nervousness and her brain would completely shut down on her.
"So wait... You like me?" She spoke slowly to make sure her voice wouldn't just randomly give up on her. Now sitting up straight, the pink haired girl nodded as she shyly smiled and rubbed the back of her neck. "I do."
'She likes me..'
The second her brain processed the two words, she locked eyes with her and then shut them down before slowly leaning forward. The feeling of her plump, powdered sugar dusted lips faintly against hers before both girls lips soon meshed into one and began harmonizing as if creating a symphony. It felt passionate and intense, yet delicate and sweet.
Sweet like the honey from the beignets they had moments ago. The floral yet earthy taste now onto her very own lips. Deliciously golden and wild. The strong fragrance drifting slowly to her nose, similar to a white dandelion falling slowly to the ground after being blown by the wind on a vibrant, sun-filled day.
They both soon pulled away, gasping a bit for air. Y/n felt her body get warm as she realized what just happened. "I like you, Mina. A lot. And I'm glad you like me too." She finally confessed. "Finally n/n, I've been dying to hear you say that. Now then let me ask you this, will you be my girlfriend?" Mina asked, her eyes shining as bright as a star in the dark. Y/n leaned forward and kissed the girls nose before speaking. "I'll be happy to be called yours," Both girls soon in each other's arms, held one another until she spoke again.
"Out of all the pretty girls in this world, I'm glad to share this space with you."
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winter-fox-queen · 3 years
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The Wheel
Summary:  Alejandro returns to his old ways.  We learn more about his relationships -- both with You and the attendant.
Warnings:  A tiny mention of sex.  Angst. The two main characters outside of Alejandro are female.
One more part after this!  Thanks to the amazing @hnt-escape for her amazing work, both with the poem and the collage. Please read her poem here.
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Heists are…tricky.
In movies they are always these well timed, meticulously planned, huge plots where every possible problem was considered, every second accounted for.
And, in movies, these things usually end with explosions and gunfire.
Alejandro was not, by nature, a guns and explosions kind of guy. His parents had been firm on their commandments. 1. If you need guns to make this work, you don’t need to get involved. 2. A target had to always be wealthy…you never messed with anyone who could be completely destroyed, or had families who could be destroyed. 3. A middleclass asshole could always be the exception. 4. You can’t con an honest person.
He put on his last clean outfit, short sleeves to match the day, and sat in the open window, and had a think.
He couldn’t contact you. You were too close to the situation, and he didn’t need anyone seeing you, connecting the dots when things happened.
He thought of his PI license that he’d tried so hard to get...and to get honestly. After all these years, taking pictures of bored spouses in cheap hotel rooms seemed positively wholesome. Relaxing, even.
There was another rule. Ruse 5: If you have two close calls within a year of each other, it is time to get out. His father had not practiced what he preached, with that one, and the third close call. Well. That had been the end. A very, very bad end.
He’d taken time off from the whole thing to take care of his mother in her last years. Spreading out their savings. Maybe that was what happened. I tried to get back into the life and I’d just…lost it. That something that separated the con men from the cons in prison.
Maybe this is going to be the third time unlucky. It would be fitting, for my luck to finally run out in Los Vegas.
The attendant is crossing the parking lot below. He raises his hand, but the cleaning cart was probably blocking her line of vision.
He grabbed his keycard from the dresser, and went out.
When he gets into the office, she are filling out a form. He can feel how tired she is from the door. He leans against the counter at his new favorite spot, and says, “Hey. Bad night?”
She shakes her head.  Silent, like the Sphinx.  There’s a chip, on the counter, with a familiar sigil.  He wondered if it was a sign.  He holds it up, arches an eyebrow.
“You never know what you’ll find.”
“Did I ever tell you why I came here?” He knows he didn’t, but it is a good an introduction as any. She shakes her head.
“I came here for a girl.” He rolls his eyes, to make her laugh. “I promised her I’d always be here if she needed me, but I feel…I don’t know. I feel like I’m risking everything, and I’m no longer sure if I still love her, or the vision of what I thought she was? I mean…she’s had years of life I was never a part of. She’s not the same person. And she made choice…” He stutters to silence.
And he remembers. He remembers a nearly empty college parking lot, train whistle in the distance. You are straddling him, and he is holding you so tight, listening to your breath as you both slow down, calm down after chasing your highs. He’s afraid if he moves even the tiniest bit he’ll slip out of you, and he doesn’t want to, he wants to stay a part of you, be wrapped around you, beside you, inside you forever.
But after a few kisses, gentle, loving, to his throat, to his forehead, to his eyes, to his mouth, you put your hands on his shoulders and push yourself back and the connection is lost.
“Don’t do it.” You say. “You only have another year and a half left. Don’t quit college…you worked so hard.”
Ah, yes. The first time he tried to go legit.
He reaches for some Kleenex and you both clean up, zip your clothes up, do buttons.
“Mom needs me. Now that dad…”
“Yeah, now that your dad’s gotten himself killed, go ahead and follow in his footsteps.”  You can’t hide the bitterness, and he winces.
“You don’t get it. She won’t survive on her own. She needs someone.”
“She can come here. Get a shitty apartment and yell at you when you come home late like a normal person does.”
He thinks about it, then shakes his head. “I suggested something like that but…”
You wrap your arms around him so tight he can barely breathe. “Let’s just go, right now. Go back to your dorm and grab your go bag. We’ll fill up the car and just go.”
When he doesn’t answer, you look up, and the slight, stifled tremor of his lower lip, the shine in the eyes that won’t meet yours is answer enough.
“It’s not fair.” You say, trying not to cry because if you do, he will, and you were both taught that you never cried.
He reaches out and draws a circle in the condensation of the window. “It’s the wheel of fortune, baby. Sometimes you’re up.” He pauses at the top, draws a little heart. “Sometimes you’re down.”
“I wish you’d be here for me.” You say, knowing it was selfish, but everything was hurting.
Finally he looks at you. “I promise. I promise if you ever need me, I’ll come to you. No matter what.” He presses a kiss to your forehead, his lips burn like a brand, as his shoulders start shaking, and you just press into him, knowing that this was it.
He knows better than to ask you to join him. He knows you won’t do it, but for a second you wish he’d offer, give you that little piece of temptation.
But everything was breaking and neither of you could fix it.
Back at the hotel, now, he is still holding the chip, still tapping it on the counter. “It’ just too late, I think.”
The attendant gives him a confused look. She’s asking, for what? And he can’t answer – for love, perhaps. For being a good man. Maybe he never really knew how to do either. Maybe he’d been broken all along. If your best memory of your entire life is of you, clinging to the side of a pool, talking to him while he lines rose petals up along your back, then really, what can he claim to have?
“I’m not so different,” the attendant says, slowly, carefully, as if unused to talking about herself.  “I came here for a boy.  Long story short, he was an asshole, I stopped waiting and here I am.”
“His loss,”  Alejandro says, his mind speeding ahead, considering.
He holds the chip up between them. The mark for the Casablanca bright on the gold chip.
“$500,000.” He says, giving you a grin. What the hell. It was time to turn the wheel again. Shake everything off and give it the best shot he could.
“That’s a 5,000.00 chip.” She corrects him gently.
“For some people, maybe.” He puts it on the counter, and with one finger slowly scoots it across the laminate towards her. “But for you and me, baby, I can make it worth a half a million each.”
She stares at it. “What’s the catch?”
He feels a low smile cross his face. He leans away from the counter. “Oh, we just need to wander in and take it.” He leans back in, all conspiracy. “And then we run like hell.”
Taglist:  @sharkbait77​  If anyone else wanted in, I am sorry.  <3  Let me know.
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A Perfect View: Haikyuu Coffee Shop AU
This is a Choose Your Own Character. This is part 2 to Oikawa’s story. Go to part 1 to read the beginning of the story. 
My hands fidgeted with my phone which caused my lock screen to pop up more times than not. Even with all the games, I hadn’t traveled to this part of town in awhile. A few of the sports fans were pushing each other to see one of the games. 
I felt like a miniature version of myself as I stood outside the grand area. I checked my phone once again to see the same message. “Make sure to talk to the front gate. See you after the game~.” Even the messages he sends are cute. 
A sigh escapes my lips as I walk to the front gate. Was I really going through with this? Could I really go through with this? 
“Ticket please?” called the ticket taker. I shook away my thoughts. 
“Oh, uh, I am here for Toru,” I say. The fast beat deep within my chest wasn’t going away. I must’ve seemed like a scared puppy to this person. The gate manager radioed over the intercom “Did Oikawa leave any tickets?”
A small female voice echoed a “yes. Tell them to go to the information desk.” The burly man turned to look at me. “It’s down the main hall and to the left.” I nod my head before following his directions. 
Cheering shook the foundation of the room. The game must’ve already started. I race to counter before sensibility takes over my mind. “I have a ticket from Toru Oikawa,” I state the person standing behind the desk. I’ve said his name so many times at this point; however, it felt like I was saying his name for the first time. The shimmering wink permeated my mind every time I said it. 
“Here is your ticket,” said the lady. She must’ve been the one that was over the radio earlier. Her voice was the same. She handed me my ticket with a typical customer service smile. “Your seat will be through those doors, up about mid-way, and in the middle. “
“Thank you,” I call. I stare back at my ticket. I, now, had another fidget in my hand. I turned the ticket over to see a note written on the back. ‘I’ll find you afterwards.’ I shake my head while entering the door. He could’ve texted me that; yet, his action was sweet. 
The seats were cramped pull down ones that always seemed to have too little space to place one’s arms. What was even more awkward was my placement in relation to the game. I was on the opposite side as Oikawa’s team where I could face him. The arena was pretty full as many more people were climbing up the stairs. 
I’d never gone to a volleyball game before. I had no clue what was happening the majority of the match. I did, however, watch the most powerful serves I’d ever seen. The sound of the ball hitting the arms of each player gave me chills that coursed throughout my body. 
Soon, it was Oikawa’s time to serve. I may have dreamed it but he and I locked eyes for a split second. A smirk crosses his face before bouncing the ball a few more times. His face was blown up on the jumbo screen. 
The cocky grin sends butterflies straight to my stomach. The flutter deep within only made my heart race. It was the same smirk he’d given me when asking for my number. If he wasn’t so pretty, it wouldn’t have worked. Lucky for him that he was graced with good genes. 
After a while, I became enthralled with the game. It helped that a parent was explaining to their child what was happening in the game near me. Otherwise, I may have never known what had happened until the final blow of the whistle. Oikawa’s team must’ve won. The cheers and shouting from the stands shook the poor stadium. 
I watched his team celebrate the win. Even in professional games, there was a drive to be the winner. It was a calling only a few star teams ever got to claim. His team must’ve moved up in the ranking. 
Some of the spectators started to get out of their seats. The two teams escaped back to their locker room. I was left with two choices: leave my seat or stay put and wait. One left a hint of mystery while baited eagerness. I decided for the latter. 
I find myself messing with my phone in the hopes of getting a message about his location. People were leaving all around me. Crowds started to gather at the exit of the court. Some of the players had come out of the locker room and were signing shirts and posters. I stuck to my lifeline of the phone.
Only a few minutes had passed. It felt like an eternity as I scrolled through the endless nothingness behind my screen. 5 minutes turned into 10 which turned into 15. At the 20, minute mark, I was going to leave. 
Suddenly, a “hey, I’m glad you came,” said a higher pitched, cocky voice. “I thought you might not show when the game started.”
I look up to see he’d changed from his uniform and into a comfortable pair of sweatpants and a tee-shirt. His hair was still a little wet from a shower that must’ve been taken in the time I’d seen him last. “Work ran a little late,” I say. “Congratulations on winning. I can’t say that I knew a lot of what was going on but I knew that you won.”
I locked my eyes on his, and my feet suddenly felt like I hadn’t stood in years; I was an unsteady mess. If Toru had noticed, he didn’t mention it. “I know of a bar close to here,” he said while turning to look at the emptying place. “Unless you’d rather do something else. I didn’t think I’d make it this far with my barista when I asked for your number earlier today.”
“Oh,” I said while following the brunette towards the stairs. “The bar is fine. I haven’t gotten a drink out in awhile.”
Toru scoffs. “I thought guys would try to pick you up every day. Who wouldn’t want to fall for the coffee shop girl?” His typical smirk came back. It was his calling card for knowing that he made your insides melt. I could feel my own face warming up. 
“I doubt you’d want some middle-aged men hitting on you. You’re just lucky enough to be attractive.” 
“So you’re saying I’m attractive,” he called back before racing down the stairs. 
My breath caught in my throat. “T-that’s not,” I stutter.
Toru gets to the bottom of the stairs first before turning back and reaching out his hand to help me. “It’s alright. You can just say it. You find me irresistibly attractive.”
I grab onto his hand as he leads me down the last few steps. My eyes rolled before landing back on his own. “Now you’re not going to hear me say it.” He let go of my hands which felt cold without his touch. 
The volleyball player shrugs his shoulders before escorting me out of the arena. “We all have our fatal flaw. Hubris is mine. I’ll gladly wait until I find yours.”
“Even if it takes a hundred years,” I smirk. 
“Even if it takes a hundred years,” Oikawa promises. “You’ll have to keep me around until then.”
Our conversation turns to one of silence as we walk down the street. Each of our thoughts swim to find the correct words to string together. “Thank you for the ticket. The seat was a great view.”
“You’re welcome,” he commented. “I picked that seat just for you.”
“Oh why?”
“I wanted someone good-looking to be in my view while I served.” Again, his voice held the same cocky tone. The butterflies reoccurred deep within my stomach as I turned to look away from him. 
“So you were looking at me?” I ask .
“Of course. How could anyone not?” Toru’s tone changed. This time, his teasing was mixed with hint sincerity I had yet to know. He was being serious in every compliment and cocky statement he had said before; however, this one was different. 
Before I could respond, Oikawa pointed his finger towards a sign across the street. “There it is,” he called. “Let’s get inside before it gets too chilly.” He takes my hand once again to cross the bustling street. His hand was calloused from all the extra practice he’d put into his sport. All the hard work and dedication could be found all over his body. Each muscle was born from a drive to be the best.
Once inside, we grabbed one of the open tables. “Should we start off with ‘tell me about yourself’ or get into the deep stuff?” the brunette asked. “Or would you rather order a drink to start off the night? This is all my treat, of course.”
“How about you tell me about yourself, Toru?” I said while picking up the drink menu. I decided to use it as a camping mechanism instead of my phone. I already knew what drink I’d want. It was the same I’d always get at the bar. “What made you choose volleyball?”
“Now that’s a long story,” Oikawa says. “Hope you don’t have to work tomorrow, darling because I want you to have the best first date of your life.” His promise was a bold one; yet, I knew he would deliver. 
A waitress took our drink orders before Toru starts on his story and the beginning of the best date of my life. "If I’m being honest, Volleyball was all I ever wanted to do my entire life…”
Haikyuu Masterlist
(This series is a choose your own adventure. Pick your favorite man or all of them. I will try to make as many of them as possible with continuations. So far, there is Oikawa, Sugawara, Tuskishima, Kageyama, and Hinata. If you have a suggestion or comment, please message me!!)
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The world building in “Seduce the Villain’s Father“ is TRASH and Erudian is an angel
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I would like to start this post by apologizing to @vanillaamoursucrethings and @isekaithatplease for butting in on your conversation regarding the manhwa “Seduce the Villain’s Father”. You were having a very wholesome, healthy discussion and I chose to make a different post so I wouldn’t poison that with my angry rant. So feel free to ignore me. Btw, I haven’t read the novel, so I’m basing myself on the manhwa and on the spoilers on said post regarding the novel to write this.
This is the post: https://isekaithatplease.tumblr.com/post/631162614195634176/vanillaamoursucrethings-isekaithatplease
Anyone who knows me would be able to tell you that I’m a HUGE fan of fantasy and that I have been addicted to isekai stories with female protagonists for the last few months. But I also graduated in International Relations, and suspension of disbelief has it’s limits. And chapter 4 of “Seduce the Villain’s Father” blew up all of them.
 Like @vanillaamoursucrethings and @isekaithatplease​ pointed out in the other post, “Seduce the Villain’s Father” is a pretty good story, with well written characters, cute romance, pretty art... but only IF YOU IGNORE EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS BEFORE YENNI GETS TO BELGOAT. I’m sorry, but had to go back and re-read that mess in order to write this, so forgive me if I sound a little angry. I haven’t gotten this pissed off about an awful political setting since “The Evil Lady Will Change”(ABSOLUTE GARBAGE).
So what is going on?
First of all, this is a map of the world of our story:
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We got Azekien, Belgoat and this tiny thing in the middle is our MC’s kingdom, Lebovny. So Belgoat is supposed to be this all-powerfull empire who specializes in magic. But they didn’t have any mana stones in their territory, which they need in order to “protect the Yellow Sea and the border” (whatever that means). Azekien, another big kingdom, had A LOT of mana stones underneath their territory, so they agreed to mine them and sell to Belgoat. But since they didn’t have a common border, they made a deal with tiny, insignificant Lebovny in order to use the Glucaman Road to do it. In return for the usage of the road, Lebovny would get some of the mana stones. And they called this alliance “The Glucaman Tripartite Agreement”.
I don’t get why Lebovny would even want the mana stones, considering that they are shown to barely use magic, but back to the main point.
Everything was working fine until the king of Lebovny (Yenni’s father) got greedy and demanded 10% of the total of transactions being made between Azekien and Belgoat. And threatened to close off Glucaman Road if they refused - which of course they did.
So here is where my blood starts to boil. Not only Lebovny followed through the threat, but IT HAS BEEN 2 FUCKING YEARS! AND NOTHING HAPPENED!
NOTHING!
ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!
And what is the excuse?
“Oh, we signed a peace treaty! Belgoat wouldn’t dare to break it!”
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ARE YOU SERIOUS?!
You are telling me that this super powerful empire sat back and let this tiny little excuse of a kingdom get in between them and this super important resources FOR 2 ENTIRE FUCKING YEARS AND DID NOTHING?!
Oh! And it gets worse! After 2 years of standing still, Belgoat invades Lebovny, kidnaps a princess, and then WAITS ANOTHER 10 YEARS TO SOLVE THIS MESS!
If Erudian was half the ruthless ruler they say he is, he wouldn’t have just kidnapped a princess and waited for Lebovny’s king to get his shit together, oh no.
HE WOULD HAVE INVADED, KILLED EVERY SINGLE MEMBER OF LEBOVNY’S ROYAL FAMILY AND ADDED LEBOVNY TO THE EMPIRE.
And no one would be able to blame him. Look! Now they have a border with Azekien! Yay! PROBLEM SOLVED.
Oh, that’s too bloody? You want another solution? Sure!
Azekien and Belgoat could have refused to trade in any shape or form with Lebovny until the stupid king got his shit together. And threatened to do the same with any other kingdom who continued to trade with Lebovny.
Let all the merchant companies know that if they sell or buy anything from Lebovny they would be banned from the Belgoat Empire, Azekien and any allied kingdom. Close off the boarders completely.
I wouldn’t give them 6 months. Even if the peasants could survive that, considering that they most likely produce all the food they consume, the nobles would NEVER accept it. Most luxury items, such as fancy fabrics and sugar are most likely imported. The nobility would trow a fit and pressure the king to back down.
PROBLEM SOLVED.
You might be wondering:
“But what is so terrible about the peace treaty excuse?”
I’ll explain! Ok, so according to Yenni:
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Belgoat is supposed to be THE MOST POWERFUL estate in this half of the continent. What does that mean? It means that there is no entity that can stop them if they ever decide to break the status quo. And if they can’t receive any sort of punishment no matter what they do, what stops them from invading their neighbors or committing war crimes? Logistics and internal politics. That’s all.
THEY CAN DO WHATEVER THEY WANT AND NOBODY WOULD BE ABLE TO STOP THEM.
Lets use a real life example, shall we?
Ok, so you know about the UN, right? It’s the most important international organization we have. In order to be a part of the United Nations, a country needs to agree to respect the United Nations Charter. And one of the main points of that Charter, is to uphold and defend human rights. Who is a member of the UN? Well, most of the recognized countries in the world. That includes, of course, China and USA, the 2 most powerful and influential countries. They are also members of the UN Security Council - the highest stance of the organization.
So one would assume that since they are such a vital part of the organization, they would be the ones to uphold their beliefs the most, right? Wrong:
Know their names: Black people killed by the police in the US
Are ICE Detention Centers Concentration Camps? | BU Today
Does this looks like upholding and defending human rights to you? And don’t even get me started on China!
Data leak reveals how China 'brainwashes' Uighurs in prison ... 
World Report 2020: China's Global Threat to Human Rights ... 
China is committing human rights abuses in Hong Kong ... 
You got the idea. These are public knowledge. Is China and the US gonna be kicked out of the UN? No. Is the UN gonna end, now that one of their most vital principles was broken by it’s most important members? No. Are they gonna change the rules? No. Why? Because they are so powerful that they can do whatever they want and no country does a thing about because they fear the repercussions. The only one who can tell the US what to do is China and vice-versa. Does either of them care about human rights? No.
INTERNATIONAL TREATIES ARE FOR THE WEAK AND POOR. THE POWERFUL DO WHATEVER THEY WANT.
Do you get it now why it sounds so goddamn stupid to me when I read that Belgoat just sat back and accepted not having access to a resource they need because of a “small and weak” (Yenni’s worlds, not mine) kingdom? And waiting another 10 fucking years to finish it? That’s just pathetic.
Yenni was SO FUCKING LUCKY that not only her Kingdom got out of this mess with a slap on the hand, but that she was given her own palace AND allowed to roam free through the castle.
ERUDIAN IS THE PERSONIFICATION OF THE ANGEL OF MERCY.
And his officials probably think he is crazy. Who the fuck would let go of precious resources for 12 years?! Belgoat’s military must be very happy with their emperor for neglecting the security of their borders for so long.
Are we done? Nope.
Ok, so we all know that all these isekai stories don’t give a flying fuck to historical accuracy. The outfits, the tools, the food... God, the outfits! We KNOW it’s wrong, but we let it slide because of suspension of disbelief and all that. BUT THERE ARE LIMITS!
I present to you Lebovny’s architecture:
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How the fuck do you expect me to believe that this is a palace in isekai-medieval-Europe?!
This is the kind of structure one would see in a mosque or in India. It’s BIZARRE to see people walking through this scenario wearing isekai-medieval outfits. Why not go all out instead? Make your MC look like the people who built these structures! But nooooooo. She must be white and completely obliterate any chance I’ve ever had of believing this crap.
@vanillaamoursucrethings​ please feel free to correct me. You said that Erudian is neither a good person nor a benevolent emperor. Is there something I’m missing? Because other than the kidnapping I can’t recall anything that could have earned him that reputation.
Anyway, thank you for reading this mess of a rant.
Oh, and if you ever read this, @vanillaamoursucrethings​ eu admiro muito a sua paciência de ainda jogar Amor Doce kkkkkkkkkk
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seyaryminamoto · 3 years
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Masterpost: answering a single anon in a single post
So. I wasn’t going to answer asks today but frankly, considering what I should be writing I’d rather answer asks, might actually get a laugh out of it. Most of all, because of what I intend to answer here.
To spare y’all from the pain and annoyance of having to read through any of my answers to we-know-who, I’m going to do it differently this time. All in one post. Because frankly, filling my blog with their TWENTY asks, no less (and it’s official this time, used to be sixteen but then I reblogged that post about conflict in stories and they went wild, as usual) isn’t worth anyone’s time. Hell, it’s not even worth mine, but procrastination is overpowering.
Here we go. If you’re not the anon in question and still want to read this, I hope you have fun.
This is a free world. That means multiple things some people can’t seem to accept. One such thing is that people have no obligation to even interact with each other, let alone to do what others demand of them, especially when they don’t want to. The fact is, being harassed (because, yes, there’s no other word for it) by someone has been a pretty irritating and stressful thing for me, to the point where it has impacted my ability to write...
And the harasser doesn’t give a single fuck about it and just keeps going :’)
With such introduction, I decide to engage my least favorite person in this site once again because clearly, ignoring them, blocking them, closing asks, deleting and rewriting reviews, is still not enough to get across the message that reiterating an opinion a million times doesn’t automatically make it more valid. So let’s see just what’s going on with this very much desperate person who apparently can’t stop seeking my attention:
First of all, I asked this person, point-blank, to address their asks, if they would continue sending them, to my main blog. Let’s see how that request turned out:
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Oh my, astonishing! They sent it to Gladiator’s blog instead! And what a bigger shock: they’re, as usual, trying to control and direct what I write and how I write it. While sprinkling empty compliments that don’t mean a thing, such as claiming RESPECT for me and my work when every single ask they’ve sent is an outright disrespectful act against me, considering how many times I’ve requested, directly, that they stop this, and how many times they’ve ignored me. It even is extra poignant considering my request for them to send asks to my main blog instead, and yet they deliberately sent it to Gladiator’s blog. This is what RESPECT looks like, in this anon’s head. Fascinating stuff, isn’t it?
And then comes the mad onslaught that left me facedesking for days:
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... I mean. Can someone please read this and tell me the person on the other side, with their vague condition, whatever it may be, has any idea what an apology even MEANS? 
For someone who’s so obsessed with alleged consistency, you’re damn bad at it yourself, Anon. You can’t send four asks in a row, to the WRONG BLOG, demanding for explanations you don’t even care to read, because every single time I’ve taken your whining seriously you’ve disregarded all my responses and gone right back to the same BS as before, and THEN pretend you’re here TO APOLOGIZE.
You don’t feel any remorse. To this day, you don’t even KNOW what you did wrong. This is NOT expressing yourself: THIS IS HARASSMENT. Need me to define the word for you to understand what it means, seeing as it’s becoming abundantly clear your reading and interpretation skills are not the greatest?
Definitions of harassment:
1. (n) the act of tormenting by continued persistent attacks and criticism 2. (n)  a feeling of intense annoyance caused by being tormented
I’ve said it before: PEOPLE HAVE HAD COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS STORY, FAR MORE VALID THAN YOURS, AND I’VE NEVER REACTED THIS WAY. Care to guess why?
Because you NEVER stop. Because you keep going, constantly, never slowing down to think YOUR behavior is affecting a REAL LIFE HUMAN BEING. You’re obsessing over what happens in a fictional story that, by the way, is a fanfic, ergo, it obeys certain rules that general fiction does not. Among such rules is abiding by ORIGINAL characterization to a certain extent, and that means, hahaha, that Azula ISN’T an experienced character in any social or romantic situations because she ISN’T in canon, and there was no reason to change that, especially considering the worldbuilding I crafted, which makes it CRUCIAL for Azula to be careful with her virtue, despite she doesn’t want to be and realizes the whole notion of female virginal purity is absolute BULLSHIT.
But why am I explaining anything anyway? You won’t understand it, because you don’t want to. You claim, constantly, that you’re asking things OUT OF CURIOSITY, as if that makes ANYTHING better, when the truth is you’re just here to impose your cursed opinions on everyone else, especially me, and pretend you somehow own this fic and ship and your demands mean more than anyone else’s. Meanwhile, oh, I understand you PERFECTLY: you don’t want Sokka to ever have any experiences with any other women because you only believe in pure, untainted love of virgins who wait for each other and don’t ever make mistakes or are forced into unwanted situations. Because, again, you can’t understand that those sorts of things CAN happen. Because you don’t see there’s nuance to human beings, nuance I attempt to capture through my characters too.
I said it semi-jokingly, back in my past answers, now I say it directly: IF YOU CAN’T STOMACH THESE SITUATIONS AND CAN’T ACCEPT THEM, THIS STORY IS NOT FOR YOU.
An M-rated story doesn’t owe you any apologies for being what it is. An M-rated story, at the end of the day, is a STORY. You are a human being who should be capable of controlling not only your impulses but your reactions to things, at least to some degree, and yet you refuse to. You, in fact, continue to prove you CAN’T control yourself in the least because hey, just now, halfway through writing this post? I got THREE MORE ASKS by you. No less than three. And you finished them off, again, with a pretense that you’re going to stop pestering me...
... But hey. You said that at the end of the last ask I pasted up there. Hmm. And yet...
You came back, over and over and over again? :’)
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RIGHT ON ALL ACCOUNTS! So... how do TWENTY ASKS, after claims that you’d finally stop, count as “regret”? You’re not changing at all, anon, because YOU DON’T WANT TO. You don’t, to this day, see what you did wrong. You don’t get it. And you won’t get it. So how about we just keep going with the next four?
Oh! But hey, you actually switched blogs this time. Super sweet of you to finally listen to ONE thing I said. Very nice.
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I’ll just point out: I received the last NINE asks I’ve pasted here in a SINGLE DAY.
Nine. In one day.
I only ever got that many asks in a single go during review parties (admittedly, there were more than that, but still). The fact that you felt the need to send me NINE ASKS, to beg for forgiveness with a completely dishonest apology, is all the proof of harassment anyone could possibly ask for, right? If you weren’t an anon and at least had the GUTS to own up to your opinions, which you seem to consider absolutely sacred and completely correct, you’d have never gotten away with this. Ergo why you don’t have those guts, and why you keep sending anon reviews and asks too.
The fact that you’re so obsessed with this problem, to the point of believing Sokka’s best sex was with JUNE? We’ve literally finished an entire arc of Sokka and Azula banging across the Fire Nation with no restraint, with the two of them repeatedly remarking this is the best time they’ve ever had, and you’re so completely obsessed with this problem that you apparently think Sokka angrily fucking someone WHILE DECEIVING HIMSELF INTO THINKING IT WAS SOMEONE ELSE is... better? Are you FOR REAL? Are you seriously THAT BAD at reading?
Please, click here. I can’t even stand it anymore. It’s not even for my own sake but yours. You need it.
Also... you’re projecting so bad. Like, so bad. June’s teasing in that chapter is 100% intended to piss them off. The fact that she starts asking for Azula to lend her her “second boyfriend”, AKA Rui Shi, should tell you just how much stock June puts in what happened between her and Sokka: SHE DOESN’T GIVE A DAMN. She’s honestly more entertained by pissing off Azula as a consequence of it than over the sex she had with Sokka, especially considering she even lost her temper with him after he started apologizing in 28. You’re so completely beside yourself you can’t see ANYTHING clearly?
If you REALLY need it spelled out, no, Sokka wasn’t June’s best sex. June has probably done anyone and everyone she ever wanted to, and chances are she absolutely found someone, or several someones, who actually wanted HER, for HER, just as much as she may have wanted them. And that, you insecure mess of a human being, would absolutely make for a much better lay than what she got with Sokka. Why don’t I outright state this in the story, you’ll ask? Because despite what you may believe, this story ISN’T a love triangle between Azula, Sokka and June! Oh my, the horror! We’ve literally spent 198 chapters building up the story and developing Azula and Sokka’s relationship but the ONE TIME encounter with June apparently makes her that pivotal for your whole existence?
Dude, I literally don’t look at 28 AT ALL these days, because I don’t care to. Because even when I wrote it, it hurt me so bad having written it that I was crazy about getting to everything else so I could put it behind me. Whenever I reference it, I do the same way I reference ANYTHING ELSE. The only person who seems to think I’m doing it to further torture anyone IS YOU. 
And yes, did I just say it hurt me too? Oh, my, what a SHOCKER! The fact is, that scene is only as intense as it is because I literally couldn’t bring myself to write it. It wasn’t until it came to mind that Sokka COULD imagine Azula in June’s place that I finally found the way to do it: it wasn’t just Sokka imagining Azula instead, it was ME. Because if it had been anything else? I wouldn’t have been able to write it at all. I basically wrote it as hatesex Sokkla because I NEEDED to in order to write it. “THEN WHY DID YOU EVEN WRITE IT?!?!?”, you’ll scream, I’m sure: BECAUSE I TREAT MY CHARACTERS AS HUMAN BEINGS WHO MAKE MISTAKES AND DO THINGS THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE. BECAUSE SOKKA WAS IN A DARK PLACE AND DIDN’T UNDERSTAND WHAT AZULA WAS FEELING OR THINKING. BECAUSE AZULA WAS IMPULSIVE AND CONTROLLING AND COULDN’T REALIZE THAT THE MORE SHE TRIED TO FORCE SOKKA TO BEND TO HER WILL, THE MORE HE WOULD TRY TO BREAK FREE.
But all this is clearly too complex for you. Can’t even fathom understanding anything remotely close to characterization and conflict within relationships, no. You’re something else entirely.
And so, we move on to the post-apology Anon: you DO realize that forgiveness is something earned? I mean, it’s kinda funny because Sokka actually earned his own. He spent ages working for it, and even AFTER Azula told him he was forgiven, he still feels so bad about having hurt her that, to this day, he regrets it. Being FORGIVEN was not a condition for him to feel remorse. He regretted his actions because HE KNEW THEY WERE WRONG. Because he’s an actual, decent human being who, when faced with a catastrophic mistake, actually wants to amend it and wishes he had acted differently despite he can’t take anything back anymore.
But you? You can’t even begin to understand what regret means. I guess another dictionary definition would help?
Definitions of regret
1. (v) feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
2. (v)  feel sad about the loss or absence of
3. (v)  express with regret
4. (v)  decline formally or politely
5. (n)  sadness associated with some wrong done or some disappointment
So, your attempts to beg for forgiveness fall completely flat. And I say it in plural, ATTEMPTS, because in case you think I’m daft and forgot your old reviews and asks, I didn’t: THIS ISN’T YOUR FIRST ATTEMPT TO APOLOGIZE FOR THIS BULLSHIT. I thought I should clarify that, because heh, you have claimed you won’t come back, you have claimed you’re sorry, you have said many platitudes in the past that actually had no meaning... and I could tell they didn’t, which is why I never answered them. Because there was no way someone who had exhibited such obsessive behavior would actually control themselves and get over their issues after MONTHS of persistent harassment.
And so, you didn’t disappoint, because I had zero expectations that you’d actually abide by your apologies. Empty apologies, again, because to this moment you don’t even know what you did wrong. You don’t get it. To put it in the way I did for someone else who talked to me about this mess:
You could be complaining to me about something else entirely. You could be here, demanding that I explain why I’ve been writing Sokka killing people, for instance. You could be disregarding all sense, reason, historical precedents and what-have-you as to why a warmongering, canonically genocidal nation like the Fire Nation would ever have a system like the Gladiator League and enslave other cultures to do their bidding. 
And if you came back with those complaints PERSISTENTLY, FOR A YEAR, I’D BE JUST AS ANGRY AS I AM NOW.
It’s NOT about the situation you’re throwing a fit over. It’s NOT about me having it out for you. It’s about YOU not knowing limits or boundaries, going as far as you constantly, consistently have, ever seeking to twist my story into whatever warped, fucked up perception you’ve developed over it, without ever slowing down to think that your actions and your behavior are affecting someone else. I’m not just a rambling robot who can’t seem to stop talking or writing or whatever you may think I am: I’m an actual person with a FUCKLOAD of problems, who literally just had the WORST year of her life, and you just decided to continue adding to the pile, never slowing down to consider that your feelings, and your opinions, and your pain, does NOT invalidate other people’s, let alone does it make you EXEMPT of hurting others. Which, heh, if you knew how to read, you could’ve even LEARNED this from Gladiator! :’D 
Because Azula, so hurt as she was, took to hurting Sokka too, in many, many ways. And Sokka, once he understood how wrongly he had judged Azula, simply let her hurt him because he thought he deserved everything she threw at him. Later on? Azula realizes all the pain she caused Sokka COULD have led him to choose the White Lotus over her. She’s in a life-or-death situation, unable to fight back, and the ONLY reason she doesn’t get screwed over and captured by the enemy is because Sokka decides she matters more to him than joining forces with sketchy people who are out for revenge. But what if she’d hurt him more than she had? What if she’d done WORSE than she did? Maybe he would’ve been so hurt too that, at this point, he would’ve chosen the White Lotus and not only abandoned her but handed her over to her nation’s enemies! :’) oh, the horror. Is it really that unthinkable? Why, it’s not to me. And why not? Because if Azula had been as unforgiving and unyielding as you are, if she had been so obsessive over whatever caused her pain and refused to move on... this story would SUCK. BADLY.
Makes you wonder what that says about your mentality, doesn’t it?
Alas, after all this digression as to why your behavior is absolutely appalling to me, let’s see what you did indeed, right after your absolutely shallow apology that was obviously not sincere, because you don’t regret having bothered me at all, you just regret that I won’t abide by your whining...
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Is THIS what an apologetic, remorseful person looks like? Really, now? Honestly, if Sokka were half as bad as you are, he would’ve slept with half the Fire Nation by now while constantly coming back to Azula like “Oh woops did it again, sorry!”
Yes, I can honestly make the link pretty easily. Must be why you keep assuming he’ll ever be with someone else, because if you were in his place, you would do exactly that :’) beautiful how things just come full circle, isn’t it?
That ask came as a response to another, potentially ill-intended one, potentially sent by you too. An ask I answered with a whole list of unique things Sokka has done for Azula. Not only did you NOT understand the list’s purpose despite you may have even been the one to ask for it... but you took a line directly referencing OBVIOUS events like chapters 64, 69 and 93, moments in which Azula either put a stop to opportunities where she and Sokka might have ended up going too far, and he accepted it without complaint... or Sokka himself put a stop to them, KNOWING that Azula would be taking a huge risk if she gave herself to him completely as she does from 97 onwards. That you literally took something that was SO VERY OBVIOUS, and twisted it into chapter 28 again speaks LENGTHS of how absolutely messed up your perception and interpretation of this whole story is. You have issues. Serious issues. And I’m not saying this just to be an ass, I’m saying it because it’s clear as day that if you CAN’T stop linking absolutely everything I say or do to chapter 28, whether it’s being referenced or not (and in this case, it was NOT), the problem isn’t me, IT’S YOU.
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And here we go again. You are actually trying to POLICE the Sokkla fandom at this point? An ANON? And hey, you returned to the Gladiator blog! Which means you were so pissed that I didn’t answer your previous asks and your phony apology because I KNEW you’d come back that even your teeny, tiny behavioral correction was pulled back because you were MAD. And you HAD TO MAKE YOUR OPINIONS KNOWN, AGAIN.
Do tell, are you the same ass who harassed a pretty new friend I’ve made in this fandom? An honestly solid writer who happens to feature Sokka having other, prior relationships to Azula because, haha, if you work with CANON settings, that’s basically guaranteed since Sokka already has canon relationships before even knowing Azula exists? And then, even if in those experiences Sokka ends up going “... I bet it’d be better with Azula”, you STILL take this as a slight and you consider it a reason to go around harassing writers and potentially even THREATENING to report their content because you’re mad that Sokka isn’t exclusively Azula’s in every single story you pick up?
The worst part is, I actually wrote at least 2 stories in my Saturdays’ oneshots where Azula and Sokka are each other’s first everything, absolutely so. And I got nothing from you for it, not even a teeny tiny “HEY THANK YOU YOU FINALLY WROTE WHAT I WANTED TO SEE!”. No, you only come out of your hole to ATTACK writers. To tell us what to do when you think we’re not doing it right. As if you had the SLIGHTEST right to tell ANYONE what to do.
I literally have been here for EIGHT YEARS. I’ve been creating content for this ship for that long, when nobody else was anymore. I won’t take credit for the ship’s rise in popularity, despite yes, it’s far from a major ship no matter how far we’ve come... but my story didn’t reach the heights it has out of sheer dumb luck. I worked my ass off with Gladiator in every way I could to make it a story of the scope and depth it deserved to be, and the fact that people who didn’t even ship Sokkla were interested in reading the story all the same has always been something I take pride on. A ton of multishippers read this story, and support Sokkla too: neither you nor ANYONE has any right to demand or claim or pretend that someone else has no right to be part of this fandom or to set guidelines as to what their content should be. There’s LITERAL stories out there of Sokka having a goddamn HAREM, just so you know, with Azula included amongst the women involved in it... and you’re here, throwing a fit over people featuring Sokka having one-time encounters and brief relationships with other girls before committing completely to Azula.
I’ve been here, working my ass off for Sokkla, not only in writing but literally developing my art skills to the best of my ability so I could ONE DAY create the visuals and images these two evoked for me... 
And yet I don’t feel I have any right to tell ANYONE how to make their content. 
If there was a set number of words in fics or artworks someone needed to make for a ship to prove themselves worthy of obtaining the skill of GATEKEEPING, I am 100% positive I have more than outdone that limit.
And yet I DON’T play gatekeeper. I NEVER have, and I NEVER will. People can create whatever they want to create, whether I enjoy it or not is up to me, and if I DON’T enjoy it, I DON’T read it. If there’s Sokkla content out there I can’t even STOMACH? I would ignore it and move on with my life. You? You make it your whole life’s crusade to attack people over anything that tickles you wrong. That’s how it works, isn’t it?
Unless you’re planning on pulling a Scooby-Doo-esque twist where you remove your mask and reveal you were a known Sokkla fan and content creator all along, which I find ABSOLUTELY unlikely, then this means you haven’t done anything, ANYTHING, for this fandom beyond sending anonymous harassment to people who are actually taking time out of their lives to create content for this ship. The main reaction I’ve seen at you from ANY of us, whether anons like yourself or actual content creators like myself, is that you have too much time on your hands and need a better hobby. And I agree, completely.
So, where people like me and my fellow Sokkla creators are actually making content that convinces people, if not to ship it, to at least CONSIDER this ship a possibility... you’re out there, in hiding, pretending you have any right to tell us what to do and going ignored on most accounts. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: if I had any respect for someone, and they either stopped responding to me or started responding by telling me to leave them alone, I’d feel like such stain of garbage I’d never even try to interact with them again. While people absolutely can be different and react differently to things... I can’t see how, exactly, you have any respect for me when knowing you’re a problem for me has never stopped you and most likely never will.
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I’ll admit, this one actually made me laugh. Like... you’re seriously trying to tell me that a sex scene was way too good and that’s why I have to change it. I actually disagree on every account, because the last time I revisited 28 I thought the scene was absolutely distant from my best work? I’ve written soooo much smut recently and literally any of those scenes kicks 28 out of any “best smut” contest by MILES. But... heh. This one, apparently, was too good.
I mean... thank you? For telling me that my smut skills are apparently that great they need to be toned down? Fascinating, really.
But again, “it sadly seems to be a too late to write chapter 28″. Sadly?
SADLY?
You can stick your sadness up where the sun doesn’t shine, dude: 
SOMEONE WHO THREW SUCH A FIT OVER THEIR REVIEWS BEING REWRITTEN SHOULD
NEVER
TELL SOMEONE ELSE THAT IT’S TOO BAD THEY CAN’T REWRITE ANY OF THEIR CONTENT.
EVER
You can’t pretend, again, that you were EVER sorry for ANY of what you did... while still trying to tell someone they should rewrite their content. Honest to gods, you’re an asshole. You are. And if you think I’m one too, great, I own up to it gladly. But you’re the one willingly intoxicating their brain with my content, only to consistently go MAD over it, and then unleash this kind of illogical nonsense right back at me. I know art can generate a myriad of responses, but I am NOT responsible for your immaturity and inability to handle serious subjects and topics that SHOULD MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE. If you don’t KNOW how to deal with the fact that there’s a lot of questionable, dislikeable things in this world, then my damn story is the least of your concerns because you’re well on your way to leading a VERY miserable life, Anon. Better get ready for it, will you?
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And again, the Gladiator blog. Again, pretending to be well-mannered, and also, again, using the world “sadly”, same as the ask above. Like... man, what on earth is wrong with you. Are you seriously this masochistic? Do you also drink arsenic for sport? What on EARTH brings you the belief that asking how far or how much was done between Sokka and his previous one-night-stands would help you IN ANY WAY, WHATSOEVER? 
I think I’ll answer that question, for once, with actual quotes, taken right from some of your favorite chapters, no less:
"When you and Ruon Jian got married, was he…?" she asked. Mai only raised a confused eyebrow, and Azula had the distinct feeling that Mai knew what she was talking about, but would force her to blurt it out anyways. She sighed: "A virgin."
Ty Lee's hands flew to her mouth as Mai raised her eyebrows. To Azula's astonishment, she merely shrugged.
"I don't know. I never asked," she said. Azula snorted.
"Then you're smarter than me. By far," she grunted. Mai smirked.
And as things digress there into Azula explaining what happened, let’s skip that and go straight to Mai’s direct answer:
"I've never asked Ruon Jian about whether or not he had anything serious with other girls before me because I seriously don't care," said Mai. "If I knew about it, I'd probably have a bout of jealousy like yours, I suppose… but it's in his past, and he left them behind to make me his present and his future. So, whatever he might have experienced before, with however many women there were, isn't something I'm overly concerned about."
"You're awfully mature compared to me if that's the case," said Azula, slipping her fingers through her hair again. Mai smirked.
"You've been complimenting me quite a lot today, Azula, that's not like you…"
"Shut up," Azula grunted. Mai chuckled.
:’) 
This is the only answer this ask warrants. The fact that you’re so immature and so obsessed as to want to know more about what happened with something you HATE is completely cringeworthy and absurd. If you want to get angry imagining Sokka having wild sex with every woman who crosses his path, go ahead and do it, but do us both a favor and torture yourself, and yourself alone, with those thoughts rather than coming back TWENTY TIMES to my inbox looking for MORE reasons to get angry. You’re honestly unbelievable.
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You know, that reading comprehension site I linked up there? Courses, 20% off! Seriously, perfect fit for you. You need it, direly.
Like... how can someone read a story built on the premise of Azula literally defeating Sokka painfully in battle to the point he’s left unable to move, taking Sokka away from home, turning him into a slave, being objectively responsible for the WORST TWO YEARS OF HIS LIFE... and then come to my inbox asking if Azula will ever hurt Sokka?
Dude, you’re off the deep end. You can’t even pretend you have a grasp on reality if you SERIOUSLY THINK Azula has NEVER hurt Sokka. Like, seriously, it feels like you’re reading this truncated version of Gladiator that’s only chapters 28, 111, 112 and perhaps 123? Is that what’s going on?
I’ve had Sokka and Azula arguing over ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING, whether for humorous or for serious purposes, since the very beginning of the story. Their first serious falling out is LITERALLY caused by the direct conflict of their worldviews clashing in chapter 12. Their second falling out was indeed caused by women: by Azula’s discovery that Sokka didn’t want to fight women, which of course, doesn’t bother you in the least because you and I both know that’s NOT what your problem was.
I could literally run through the whole story listing every single argument they’ve had, every single time they’ve hurt each other if that’s what you want: their first time? It literally comes from a very serious argument where Sokka believed he had reached the pinnacle of his potential as a fighter and feared Azula would need someone else to achieve her goals instead of him.
AND YOU’RE SERIOUSLY HERE ASKING IF THEY’LL EVER ARGUE OVER ANYTHING ELSE.
You don’t read this story. This ask absolutely proved it to me. You only read chapter 28 and everything potentially connected to Sokka having anything with other women. You don’t CARE about anything else, simply. Because if anything actually had ANY impact on you? You’d say something about it. But the only thing that touches your weird heart is Sokka sleeping with anyone else or having any potentially romantic interactions with someone else, whether he rejects them or not. 
You don’t care about Gladiator. You only care about your ego, and the validation of your worldview and puritanic morals.
And to that I say, fuck that noise. I write whatever the hell I want to write, and you’re not going to rope me into playing it safe just to please insecure harassers who don’t know boundaries and are completely incapable of empathizing with anyone while demanding everyone should understand their feelings.
Final note on this matter: you, also, have no idea what love is. You plain and simple don’t understand it. You’re even more confused by what love should be than Azula was at the start of this story. You don’t get it, AT ALL.
All you want is for them to get even on things? You literally asked me, when I was in my angry spree of deleting your bullshit, to make Azula and her future husband have happy consensual quality sex with who knows how many orgasms... because it was only fair!
AGAIN: YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND LOVE IN THE LEAST.
If you think love is about getting even, you’re seriously an asshole. If you think love is about both people being 100% equal in social regards and experiences, you don’t even UNDERSTAND human relations. Do you live in a bubble, by any chance? Maybe you do! You must have zero contact with anyone other than people with your same puritanic beliefs, right? So that means you assume everyone who’s different from you is fundamentally a bad person? I take it?
Like... literally at this point I think you’d hear about someone who was abused in their childhood, molested, and your reaction would simply be “Oh wow I hope someone molests whoever they end up marrying too, so that way they may be even in the future and been molested by the exact same number of people, otherwise it’s not really love”.
This is fucking sick. I’m not holding back at this point, it’s SICK. It’s TWISTED. It’s VILE. Your mentality is absolutely repulsive to me. You don’t know what love is, and you have the most literal, obvious change to understand it better by reading this story properly, but instead you just read chapter 28 over and over and over again, isn’t that right?
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And here’s the evidence of that. You really want me to answer that last question?
No, it doesn’t bug me to read that AT ALL. Because unlike you? I don’t obsessively reread 28 while disregarding everything else in the story. Unlike you, I don’t revisit the chapter every day to pick apart every line to look for reasons to get extra angry at those developments.
Most of us, when faced with things we DON’T like in fiction? We move past it. You, instead, dig yourself into a hole and continue digging, and then pretend to hold other people responsible for whatever impact this may be having on your psyche. Because yes, you’re holding me responsible for whatever trauma or insecurity this is awakening inside you when you continue to pester me as you have: if you’re an adult, you should have the tools and brains to determine what is and what isn’t acceptable behavior, as well as to curate your own experiences with media, with fandom, with EVERYTHING to do with these communities. If you choose to look for things to hate instead of things to love, THAT’S ON YOU.
And if you’re allegedly looking for things to love but can’t find ANY that suit your purposes (which... is bullshit. Clearly, your only priority is “Sokka must be a virgin who never had anything with anyone else”, and such stories DO exist, which I guarantee considering I’ve written at least THREE of them, where it’s absolutely stated that Sokka’s first and only one is Azula)...
Well, it’s funny. Because when I got here? I was looking for some very specific fics so I could explore whether or not Sokkla made any sense. And I didn’t find them.
Which resulted...
... In me writing the very stories I wanted to see.
Oh, my. Imagine taking your impulses and channeling them into something productive rather than looking for reasons to get angry 24/7! Must be such a NOVEL CONCEPT for you!
Seriously, you have no right to dictate what anyone does. Again, worth bringing up because you INSIST on the rewriting matter. Even if you’re claiming you’re done asking for it, you somehow KEEP bringing it up. And then you act like me mentioning 28′s events here or there in the story is absolutely outrageous... but you just go right on ahead and do the same thing yourself, don’t you? Funny how much of a hypocrite you really are, isn’t it?
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The fact that you’re bringing up something I have NEVER written, and have NO INTENTIONS of ever writing, as some sort of stupid, ridiculous argument to be made AGAINST the post I literally reblogged TODAY... is just absurd beyond belief.
The fact that I ever even wrote Sokka cheating on Suki with Azula, which I DID, still bothers me. Because yes, it made for a good story, but the truth is, it doesn’t sit well with me. It worked in The Reason, worked in my collab story with a friend, but it doesn’t mean I feel 100% happy with that choice. Even if the cheating only amounted to a kiss in The Reason, and then a lot worse than just that in the other story, it’s still not cool! :’) I know this!
... And yet no one, NO ONE, has ever caught me writing Sokka cheating on Azula. In fact, when my collab story with my friend seemed to start moving towards that angle I BEGGED her not to do it, and then she didn’t, and my heart was deeply relieved and blissful for it. Because not only did it mean we wouldn’t have to deal with the very controversial and unsettling notion of someone in a good relationship cheating on their significant other... but because in that story, it also showed how much he had grown, and how he was truly devoted to Azula despite he hadn’t been to Suki.
But alas, I have my qualms with that concept, of course I do. And I don’t like it. Ergo, I’ll never write it.
Which begs the question as to WHY, exactly, you’re so obsessed with the notion of Sokka cheating on Azula? Like... do you get off on it? Are you wanking at the idea of Sokka and June every single night and then wake up feeling like crap and then take it out on me, by any chance? Is that what’s going on? Because I’m seriously starting to believe it is.
You clearly don’t understand anything about storytelling, which is probably why you don’t have the guts to create your own content in the first place. But the fact that I reblog a post about how conflict in a story is GOOD, and your first thought is “THEN THAT MEANS YOU APPROVE OF SOKKA CHEATING!” actually says A LOT MORE about you than it says about me. You need help. Clearly, the therapy site I was sending you to the last time wasn’t much good, was it? I guess you just ignored it in the end. Hopefully the reading comprehension one will suit you better, right?
Fuck you, seriously, for coming to someone who has been working this hard for this long, for a ship that they’re completely devoted to, to spout this kind of senseless shit. To think you seriously ever believed I’d accept your half-assed apologies when you’ve been doing this sort of bullshit for this long... you’re a piece of work. If you have the time to write that BULLSHIT into my inbox, at the very least use that time to look INWARD and ponder just what your damn problem is, resolve it on your own, AND LEAVE ME THE HELL OUT OF IT. Someone as immature and unstable as you has no business reading M-rated fiction, and I honestly rue the day you ever clicked my story. Both your life and mine would be countless times better if you simply had scrolled past it.
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And on and on we went today. The THREE MORE ASKS that arrived as I was typing this insanely long response. Which resulted in you bumping the total, successfully, to 20. MIGHTY NICE OF YOU TO PROVE ME RIGHT! :’)
Now then, getting serious here... I must say your priorities are fucked. Like. Really fucked.
You’d rather Sokka tries to KILL AZULA than have a one-time sexual encounter with someone?
Like... you’re here, condoning VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN to that extent...? :’D and then you... you actually have the balls to whine because apparently him  hurting her feelings is WORSE?!
Are you EVEN LISTENING TO YOURSELF???
You know, I think I have to offer you some REALLY good advice right now: go watch Naruto. Seriously, all of it. Go watch it, and enjoy your sweet loins’ release once Sasuke and Sakura start trying to kill each other, ONLY TO END UP TOGETHER AT THE END! :’) They were both 100% faithful to each other too, in the sense of Sakura getting depicted as a girl who can’t ever get over the guy she had a crush on when she was 6, no matter if he tries to kill her or her friends once he starts to go off the deep end, and Sasuke getting depicted as a guy who treats everyone like garbage, even the people he loves, because his manpain story somehow validates him being absolutely toxic to everyone he knows, so that’s absolutely up your alley! 100% the love story you’ve been looking for! You’re gonna LOVE IT.
Man, I just can’t believe you. I really can’t believe you. You’re seriously asking me to feature Sokka trying to kill Azula because that’s more acceptable to you. There was a story out there, you know? With Azula basically using Sokka to commit suicide, impaling herself on his sword and dying? You should just go look for that too, perfect fit for you (though it may be gone from the depths of this wretched site by now, which tbh I’d be grateful for, since it was the most unsettling, disturbing read).
Also? Thank you, truly, for all  the remarkably shallow compliments you’ve thrown at me to “soften” your “criticism” (which, again, is whining, not legitimate criticism). Calling me a capable writer is super NICE of you, especially after all these months of persistent harassment and constant repetition that I should rewrite whatever you don’t like. I mean... that’s definitely the way someone treats a capable writer, isn’t that right? 
“The problem isn’t conflict it’s what the conflict is”, the anon says. I’ve been writing a story for 8 years, 198 chapters and counting... and I’ve had a ton of different types of conflicts for Sokka and Azula to deal with. If your problem is “I don’t like this conflict”, FINE. But... hey. There have been THOUSANDS of other sources of conflict across the story, so many I don’t think I can even promise I’d ever take my time to count them all... there’s whole ARCS with conflicts regarding world politics and the war’s consequences and both Azula and Sokka completely changing their worldviews as they realize their realities are soooo much more complicated than they ever knew...!
Ergo. There ARE other conflicts. There are SO MANY of them that there’s no point in even listing it all out.
And yet you are obsessed with the one conflict you didn’t like, outright acting like THIS IS THE ONLY CONFLICT THERE EVER WAS, as proven by that preposterous and mindless “when will Azula ever hurt Sokka” ask. The one development you were pissed at, because it tickled your loins the wrong way. Oh yes, I’m a capable writer, I could’ve done things differently...!
BUT I DIDN’T!
And aren’t you thrilled that I didn’t? You would be a complete nobody in this fandom if this hadn’t happened, because otherwise what would you POSSIBLY have to complain about?! To harass someone about?! You’d be SO BORED! You’d be so unknown, nobody would even be aware of your existence...!
Though.
Wait.
You’re an anon.
You’re unreachable and nobody really knows who you are.
... So never mind, you actually still are a complete nobody in this fandom and your only attempt to even take part in it is to be a negative, irritating presence that literally makes people facepalm, laugh and ridicule you to the extent I and many others have laughed at you.
And yes, that post I reblogged was 100% worth reblogging. Why? Because it hits the nail on the head:
I DIDN’T WRITE 28 SO YOU’D BE HAPPY WITH SOKKA.
I DIDN’T WRITE THAT CHAPTER TO MAKE PEOPLE THINK “OH WOW WHAT A WHOLESOME SITUATION”.
I WROTE IT BECAUSE IT WAS MEANT TO DETONATE CONFLICT AND SPEED UP CHARACTER GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IT DID.
And the thing is? Maybe, in the future, I’ll write other stories, just as I wrote the Saturdays’ stories, and Sokka won’t have either meaningful or worth mentioning encounters with anyone else in them. Maybe I’ll write original fiction, and there won’t be any twists like what happened in 28! 
But you will never get over this.
You will never care about any other content beyond this.
And that’s your failing, not mine.
If you would rather obsess over what makes you angry, that’s on YOU. But I’m damn sure I wrote a pretty reasonable conflict, character-wise, that was not only consistent with characterization but with the slightly darker take of the Avatarverse I’ve been working with. Not only that, but I NEVER skipped the consequences of their actions. I literally had them facing those consequences for whole arcs. Sokka assumed he’d never have a chance to be with Azula and made his peace with it, WITHOUT EVER PRETENDING HIS DEVELOPING FEELINGS FOR AZULA WERE ANYTHING THAT ENTITLED HIM TO HER LOVE IN RETURN. But oh, that’s too complex for you to understand, isn’t it? The fact that Sokka actually loves Azula for her, and not for himself, that he devotes himself to her in every imaginable way, that he fights people who dare disrespect her, that he would stop at NOTHING, even coming close to killing someone, to keep her safe despite he’s completely against killing people? That all means NOTHING to you.
And again? THAT’S YOUR PROBLEM. THAT’S YOUR FAILING. THAT YOU’RE SO OBSESSED WITH 28 AND CAN’T MOVE PAST IT IS NOT MY FAULT, IT’S YOURS.
Because I damn right moved past it. I’ve moved so far past it I literally don’t ever THINK about that damn situation until your stupid asks start arriving. Heck, maybe if you didn’t ASK so much about it, I’d stop bringing it up in recent chapters of the story :’) how do you feel about that particular kernel of unexpected information? Maybe you’re impacting the story in a whole shocking manner by inception-ing 28 into my head all the time and that’s why I can’t seem to stop throwing in lines referencing it for you to go completely BONKERS over. How about that? :’)
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Say... how exactly do you think this fic is special? Literally all I know is you think I’m a capable writer who can create something perfectly catered for you, and yet ALL the feedback I’ve ever gotten from you is “REWRITE 28 AND EVERYTHING ABOUT SOKKA HAVING ANYTHING WITH OTHER GIRLS I DON’T UNDERSTAND ANY OF THIS I’M GENUINELY CURIOUS THIS IS LEGITIMATE CRITICISM SIGNING OFF BYE”. Your compliments are completely devoid of meaning because they’re literally just a handful of “you’re a good writer” and you don’t even say WHY you think I’m good. You don’t ever come here to tell me how much you enjoyed a certain scene, or how happy you are with a certain development... No.
Because when Sokka and Azula got married? What did I get?
“HOW CAN YOU LET SOKKA AND AZULA GET MARRIED NOW WHEN HE SLEPT WITH SOMEONE ELSE IN CHAPTER 28?!”
I wish I had screenshots for those, but you and I both know the truth, you irksome anon, and the truth is you did exactly that. And with every new development in Shu Jing, I got yet more reviews and ask(s), persistently whining about how UNFAIR it is that now Azula apparently is locked in marriage with this unfaithful man who has been unfaithful to her a grand total number of ZERO TIMES ever since their relationship began! How DARES he even think about marrying her?! Scourge of earth, let’s murder him in cold blood because DEATH IS BETTER THAN CHEATING!!!
If you think highly of Gladiator for ANY REASON, you’ve kept those reasons well and safely tucked away in the depths of your broken heart or shared them with anyone but me. Look at all these asks, damn you, and tell me at what point in time did you convey ANYTHING beyond “why don’t you write what I want you to write?”, huh? Because hell, I don’t see it in any of them. Literally nowhere. No backwards (: emojis are compliments or evidence of how much this story allegedly means to you. All I know is that you hate 28 and everything about it.
And you see...
I don’t give a flying fuck. 
I don’t.
You can hate 28 all you want.
You can hate June.
You can hate Sokka.
It is, INDEED, a free world.
But you have no right, NONE WHATSOEVER, to commit to this level of harassment as you have, for A WHOLE YEAR, and pretend the problem is that I, Seyary, the “evil super-sensitive author who writes Sokka sleeping with other people and doesn’t even break a sweat but then crumbles to pieces when “negative” feedback arrives”, can’t handle your comments properly.
I’ve said it before, damn you: NO ONE NEEDS TO REITERATE THEIR OPINIONS A MILLION TIMES. NO ONE. NOT YOU, NOT THE PEOPLE DEMANDING FOR THE PLOT TO KICK INTO HIGH GEAR, NOT THE ONES WHO THINK THIS SHIP IS GARBAGE, NOT ANYONE.
NO ONE HAS ANY RIGHT OR REASON TO COME BACK PERSISTENTLY THORUGHOUT A YEAR TO HARASS SOMEONE NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES THEY’RE TOLD TO STOP IT.
Point being: HATE WHAT YOU WILL! But keep it the fuck off my blog. And if you CAN’T? Get used to these responses. Because you’re going to get them, constantly. I guarantee it.
I know your damn opinion already. I know it by heart and I damn wish I didn’t. You are perfectly free to go read all the other stories where I’ve had Sokka staying faithful to Azula, with Azula being his first, or with Azula being much more experienced and sleeping around while Sokka stays mostly chaste... but you don’t. You come back, every time, to my miserable inbox that must cry every time you show up in it, to make these demands and pretend you have any power over what I should be writing.
Again, no, I have no idea why this story matters to you at all. And at this point? I’d rather NOT know. Because I’m 100% sure the only thing that matters most to you is chapter 28. So you know, go ahead, wank to it again and cry yourself to sleep. It’s kind of fascinating to have written something that has such a visceral emotional impact on a complete and total stranger. Makes it clear I’ve made a lot of progress as a writer if I can fuck up someone’s life to this extent with what I’ve written.
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Yeah. Sure. You really think I’ll buy it? You really think this is goodbye? Oh, no, Anon. You can’t stay away. You’ve been told to, you’ve been asked to, but you can’t.
So no, I’m not wishing you good luck back. And I’m certainly not wishing you any fun with my fic, because it’s more than clear that the only source of entertainment it provided you was chapter 28, seeing as it’s the only impactful thing I apparently ever wrote. And someone who’s that obsessed with one of the chapters I most disliked writing despite I knew the plot would benefit from it in the long run simply can’t deserve to have fun. So... good suffering over Gladiator, if anything? Go ahead and continue to wrack your brain while trying to unravel why, oh, why would ANYONE ever write what I wrote and still call themselves a Sokkla shipper?! 
I dunno, maybe go on and write something similar yourself. Could be you’ll finally figure out what your problem is if you take to writing the cheating storylines you’re so very much obsessed with. Only, heh, I can guarantee I’m not touching anything you write, out of principle more than anything. I plain and simple don’t want anything to do with you... but as I don’t intend to close my inbox again, it seems I have no choice, do I?
Good fucking luck sticking to this alleged goodbye... but we both know you’ll be coming back very soon, won’t you? No worries, Anon, I’ll be waiting this time. Let’s see if you can break your 20-ask-streak record next time, shall we? :’)
It’s December 13th, at 2:32 PM, in my location. Let’s see how long it takes you to come back, shall we?
EDIT: I neglected to check constantly so it definitely arrived earlier than this, but officially received a response at least 2 hours after this post went live.
Didn’t I call it? Yep, absolutely called it.
15 notes · View notes
mint-8 · 3 years
Text
Yo.
I lied again.
So, I thought of this when I saw a post of an “AU?” for Animal Crossing.
Basically Redd is a good and nice fox, and not the con-artist that he is known for.
I decided to make an AU for Animal Crossing.
Why? Why not.
I don’t know a lot about the series, so I’ll stick with New Horizons for now.
Before you keep reading, some warnings:
1. Feedback, corrections and more ideas are greatly appreciated.
2. I’ll do a couple of head canons. I might add more as time goes by.
3. If you don’t like any of this ideas, well, I’m not sorry- Nah, joking. Tell me your reasons and the changes you would do.
4. I will do some extreme changes. From the objective of the game, some mechanics and characters, etc.
That’s it. Enjoy I guess.
* The Animal Crossing series focuses more on developing a goal and trying to work with the obstacles that might come your way.
* In New Horizons you have your own island that was “gifted” to you and must be developed to become a sustainable and good place to live for your villagers. This includes having shops, schools, police station, workplaces, etc. Like building your own city.
Mechanics:
* The player must build and set each building and any extra decoration they might want on their own, just like in the original game. They can also terraform.
* DIY exists but they can only be made by your villagers. For this you must ask them, (sometimes) give them the items to craft and (if your friendship level is too low) make a task for them beforehand so they are willing to make them for you.
* If you don’t have the items you can go to the shop and buy it, but it will cost you bells.
* You can grow trees, flowers, fruits, etc., on your own.
* The fruits and vegetables can be used to make dishes that you can eat or give them to your villagers to increase your friendship level.
* Flowers and anything that you purchase can be used as a gift.
NPCs (oh boy...):
* Blathers runs the museum in your town. He is relatively normal, but he hates anything that has to do with fish but loves bugs (surprising, I know). You can also give him flowers, vegetables, fruits and even trees (he will give you some data about it). If you give him art he will accept it unless is hunted.
* Redd is the main vendor in your island. He likes making silly jokes and will buy anything that you give him (even hunted artwork, but he will be sad). Always has a relax expression in his face and is willing to give you tips about what to do and how to progress in your island.
* Tom Nook, Timmy and Tommy are the “troublemakers” in your island. They will arrive and place their tent somewhere randomly and will start to take the decoration and move it to different locations, destroy your trees, crops, flowers, etc., vandalize your buildings, make your villagers angry, etc. You can buy art and some artifacts from them, but the art could be hunted (never fake, in Tom Nook words’s he has “way too much pride to go as low as that!”) and might be overpriced.
* I don’t know about Isabelle.
*The able sisters basically switch roles. That’s it. Ah, but Label is in a bad relationship with her sisters and it will be the player’s decision to help them or not (this will affect the gameplay) and their parents are alive! They send letters every other day.
* The dodo brothers (can’t remember their names) send and deliver letters. The dodo airlines is now a post office.
* The pelicans trio (can’t remember them either) run an airline now. One is the pilot, the other is the receptionist and maybe the third will tell you about the island you are send to or something like that.
* Flick and CJ also switch roles. Try to think that their personalities and color pallets are switched but their outfits stay the same (they might have some changes as well). Also, Flick is still an artist, but he loves fish and bugs not-so-much.
* Daisy Mae is the one who sells turnips. No change. She might have a different personality and outfit, but that’s it.
Villagers:
* You can talk to your villagers, send letters and gifts, do tasks for them, etc. Not much changes.
* The male villagers personalities can be Normal, Peppy, Brotherly(?)/Uchi and Snooty.
* The female villagers personalities can be Smug, Jock, Cranky and Lazy.
* Their names and faces don’t really change, as well as their color. But their outfits can.
* The villagers tend to be a bit passive-aggressive, especially the “pretty ones” (Marshal, Merengue, Raymond). But the most kind and sweet are the “ugly villagers” (Barold).
* The villagers are the only ones that can craft and depending on their personalities and your level of friendship with them you might have to give them the items to craft, wait more or less and do a task for them.
This is all for now.
I might add more details and even more characters but this is all for now.
Thanks for reading and “enjoying”? Maybe?
See you next time.
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twistinghearts · 4 years
Text
‘Not a Request’ Part 2
Since I have been writing this as gender-neutral as possible the paragraph that applies to ‘female’ only characters is in brackets and can be skipped if so wished. I  just thought it was funny. Also note that the cut is there imply to shorten the post on the dash, it doesn’t signify spicy things staring to happen, that’s next chapter c;  
Thank you for reading!! Part 1 || Part 3
Translations: au revoir = goodbye | souris = mouse | bonne nuit = good night 
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You were lead inside the castle dorm you had been working in front of, down many hallways and up many staircases.  It was a beautiful building; gold and white decorations with hints of purple. Everything was very regal, and orderly. “Beautiful, non?” Rook commented as he noticed you looking around in awe. “Admiring something does not mean your mouth needs to hang open like a codfish.” Vil scolded, without even looking at you. You closed your mouth as soon as it was pointed out. 
Eventually you reached a bedroom that was just as extravagant as the halls that lead you here.
“Don’t touch anything, and don’t sit on anything.” Vil ordered you before turning to his dorm mates. They began to chat as you headed over to look out the large window. You were so high up... you could practically see the entire east side of the campus from here. It was a beautiful view, but also a bit unsettling as it seemed you were so far away from everything. Rook’s voice broke you from your thoughts. “Au revoir petite souris~” “Do your best~” Epel waved, before they both left.
“They’re not staying?” You questioned, unsure if you felt better or worse being left alone with Vil. 
“They have other things to attend to, they’ll return later.” Vil locked the door before heading through a curtained doorway on the opposite side of the room.  “Take off your clothes.”
You froze at the request, afraid of saying no, but not eager to undress in front of him. Then again with the way things had been going he likely wasn’t going to let it be a choice.
He walked out and took note of you still standing full clothed, “Are you shy? There is no need to feel embarrassed, my physic is far superior to yours there is no need to compare.”  He disappeared again and you heard the sounds of running water. Was he drawing you a bath? If that was a bathroom maybe you could convince him that you should just undress in there. He wasn’t going to join you was he? What was this guy planning?
 At the very least you took off your shoes, but that wasn’t enough. Vil reappeared clearly displeased at seeing you still fully clothed. “Honestly, what do you have against listening to people?” He marched over to you and grabbed your shirt and began to unbutton it. You wiggled trying to pull away but he ignored your movement only pulling you closer to him and strengthening his grip on your clothes.
[If your character has breasts] Vill made it three buttons down before noticing something different about what was underneath your shirt. “Oh~ Were you trying to hide these?” Your face started turning red. “There is still no reason to be embarrassed, they’re just another part of the body.” Yet he held a koi smirk. ]
“Can’t I just undress in there? It’s not like you were going to join me right?” You asked, a bit afraid of his response to the second question. With a sigh Vil seemed to agreed, letting go and stepping back. “Fine. If you’re so insistent on keeping private for now... Just set your clothes outside the door so I can send them to the wash.” His arms crossed. “I assumed you’d be capable of bathing by yourself. Is that correct? I’ve laid out everything for you to use.” He raised one finger to the side of his lips. “Do a thorough job or I will join you and clean you myself.” 
“Y-yes. Thank you.” You gave a nod and disappeared into the other room. You weren’t sure why you had thanked him. You didn’t want to come here, he tried to undress you and was consistently belittling you, but none of the other dorms had ever taken this much interest in you. Whether he knew it or not a hot bath was pretty luxurious to you right now considering Ramshackle’s iffy state, so it was still a nice gesture.  Maybe he was trying to pamper you and just had a bit of a forceful personality, you hadn’t exactly been the nicest or cooperative since meeting him.  After your bath you’d try and be more reasonable, so long as it seemed he was doing the same
You weren’t bothered as you took time to clean yourself with all kinds of nice smelling products that left you feeling soft and refreshed. Finally once you were all finished, and starting to get a little pruney you forced yourself out of the tub, knowing you couldn’t avoid Vil forever. But now that you were clean what were you going to wear? You couldn’t go back to the dirty clothes, and there was no way they were clean yet. 
“Vil?” You poked your head out from behind the bathroom curtain, “I’m done.” Before you could even ask your question you spotted a robe laid across the bed.
“Put that on. I’m not looking.” He answered from his desk not even turning his head. You quickly slipped out and grabbed the robe before slinking back into the bathroom to put it on. 
Once you felt secure in the robe you walked back out into the main room. “I’m dressed.” You stated, unsure of what to do now. 
“Are you feeling better? Calmed down?” Vil asked setting down his pen and heading over to you. You noticed he had changed into a robe of his own; it looked quite elegant on him.  Your eyebrow twitched. Seriously?  He went straight to being patronizing?  But you told yourself that you would try and be less aggressive. “Yes... It was nice to relax.”
Your eyes followed him as he circled you, examining you like a predator. “Yes, this is much better. Now the fun part begins.” He gently took both your hands and led you over to take a seat at his vanity. “Sit up straight, and try to relax.” He picked up a hair brush, and began running it through your hair. His touch was gentle and the accompanied feeling of the brush was really nice. Despite his harsh words, he couldn’t really be all that bad if he was treating you like this could he? 
After a while of silence he began asking you questions. Wondering about how you had come here, what would do if you were a student, and if you liked anything about working at the school. He asked about your interests, and your home world. Of course he gave his comments and opinions on everything but when you talked it felt like he was really listening. It was nice to vent about everything you had been going through and get sympathy, not just brushed off like with the headmaster. Time slipped away as you two chatted and he dolled you up, styling your hair and face. The stars were just starting come out when he spritzed you with a final setting spray. 
“Finished~” Vil stepped out of your way so you could look into the mirror. It was a bit shocking actually. You almost didn’t recognize yourself. You looked the same but so much better, like the face you always want to see yourself with. “Vil... this is...” You were at a loss for words. 
“I just brought out the beauty that was in you all along.”  
“Thank you.” You turned around and gave him a hug. “There there.” He gently pat your head and pushed you off. It was a bit endearing that you were so happy you were crying but the tears would get on his robe if he let you do that, gross. “Don’t ruin it before I get to take pictures.” He pulled out his phone and began to photograph you, telling you expressions to make and which angle to turn your head and such. Nothing strange was ever spoken, but something about Vil’s expression soured as the photo shoot went on. 
“Hou la la~ You have outdone yourself this time! You can ‘ardly recognize the sourie now.”
“I knew it would be a transformation but will all this they’re fairer than-” Epel silenced himself before finishing the statement, but the meaning had already registered with Vil. “Forgive me. I’m still working on making my comments more eloquent.” 
Rooke interjected again before the tension set in too heavily. “I’m envious, truly, you are so fortunate to be so precious to Vil. I take it you will be eating together tonight? I shall bring up dinner then.”
 “Actually I should be leaving soon, so you don’t need to change your plans for me. I’ll just get something at the cafeteria.” You were ignored and the two left as quickly as they arrived. 
“It’s not a request.” Vil stated. He seemed colder again, like how he was when you were being rude to him. “How dare you even bring up the idea of the cafeteria, their food is too unhealthy. The food Rooke prepares tastes fresher and is better for you. It’s especially important for you considering the size of your pores. Besides, it gives me a chance to admire you longer.” His fingers gently brushed along your cheek. He gazed at you for a long moment, and seemed to soften once again. Maybe it was just the food thing that annoyed him? Food was needed anyway so why not stay since it really wasn’t so bad here. Eventually you gave a nod. “Alright, I’ll stay for dinner.” 
While you waited, you now talked about fashion. He asked you what clothes you liked to wear, what colors, types of shoes and things like that. He, of course mentioned what he thought you would look best in.  You both lamented about how there were not enough opportunities to wear more unique outfits at the school. “An outfit should never be the focus. Your clothes are the frame and you are the art.” 
This time you heard a soft knock before Rooke entered, pushing a tea cart. Epel wasn’t with him this time. “Dinner is served.” He lifted the platter topper to reveal two serving of some mixed vegetable looking thing. It smelled alright, but didn’t seem to have much seasoning. However it would be rude not to give it a try.  “I will see you again in the morning, bonne nuit sourie~” Rook blew you a kiss before leaving. If you had been listening, you would have heard the lock on the door click closed behind him.
However you were a little more distracted by his words. See you in the morning? What did that mean? Was he going to show up at your dorm in the morning? There would be no real reason for that considering you didn’t have classes to go too and he wasn’t the type to help you with Crowley’s tasks. Could he have meant it as thinking you were staying? That wasn’t-
“Are you worried it’s poisoned?” Vil teased, pulling you back to reality. “You’ve been staring at your food far too long. I’d rather you be staring at me. Go on, eat. Or do you need me to feed you?”
“Huh?” You had been so lost in your thoughts that you weren’t quite able to process what Vil said. And now suddenly he was leaning over you, one hand on the back of the chair behind you the other holding a fork full of food too your lips. “Come now darling, try a bite.” You weren’t sure if it was the smell of the food or the way he called you darling but your stomach began to twist. Still, you ate the bite he held for you. It wasn’t as bad as you thought it was going to be, but far from the best thing you’ve ever had.
Once you swallowed, Vil gave a small smile and sat back down, returning to his own meal. To make small talk you asked about Rook and Epel, considering you learned a lot about Vil himself in earlier conversations. Vil gave a slight sigh before answering, as if he was displeased you would ask about his friends rather than him but he still answered. You made sure to finish your plate before Vil so you had the opportunity to bring up leaving before he forced more activities on you.
“Dinner was interesting; it’s been a while since I’ve eaten with someone else.” And not been bothered during the meal either, “But it’s late and I really need to be going, could I return this robe to you tomorrow?”
“Darling, where ever did you get the idea that you could leave?” Vil looked up at you, his cheek resting on his hand as casual as could be, “And why would you want to?”
“It…” It should be a given that you could leave but looking back it was never mentioned that this was a visit. It’s not like you were invited over either, more so dragged here like a prisoner.
“Why would you even want to leave? You said yourself, no one at this school has been nice to you, or even cared whether you exist or not. Why go back to rotting out there when you could be appreciated in here?” He moved over to you, “Haven’t we treated you well today?”
You flinched a little when his hand moved towards your cheek, though his touch was eerily soft. He wasn’t wrong… It made your stomach twist tighter to know he actually might have had a point. “I want to leave.” You were in the process of stepping back when his hand firmly grabbed your jaw and pulled you back.
“Why do you keep insisting that these things I tell you are optional? It’s not a request, it is an order. You’re not leaving.”
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jimlingss · 4 years
Text
The Colour of Our Voices [5]
Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6
➜ Words: 2.8k
➜ Genres: 98% Fluff, 2% Angst, Slice of Life, Broadway!AU
➜ Summary: He wasn’t supposed to hear. He wasn't supposed to know. But the instant Jimin came into your life and pulled the curtains back, you couldn't hide backstage anymore. You were no longer merely a phantom of the opera.
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The day has finally arrived.   Jimin opens the door for you and follows.   “You’re going to do great,” he reassures in a soft murmur.   “We’ll do great,” you correct and he grins.   The both of you enter the room and it’s a familiar scene. There are people pacing around the room, singing while making wild gestures, trying to round out their sound and warm up their throats. These beautiful people are getting into character, aiming for the main role of Cosette or Marius. It’s obvious that they went to salons to get makeovers, nails done, face full of makeup, clothing fresh from the laundromat.   But unlike the last audition, this time you have someone with you. You’re not so scared with Jimin by your side. And he’s close enough, avoiding being hit by the people theatrically swinging their arms, that his shoulder brushes with yours.   “Are these auditions really always this...extravagant?”   “It’s all for show,” you tell him, reminded of the stranger’s words from last time. “Don’t be intimidated.”   He hums and nods while the pair of you take a seat. “Should we intimidate them then?”   You burst out laughing. “How would we do that?”   “We’ll dance.”   You giggle even louder and he gazes at you with his own smile. “I’m pretty sure security would escort me off the premise for scaring everyone.”   “You’re not that bad,” Jimin emphasizes. “But I’m kidding. All you have to do to intimidate others is start singing. You’ll blow them all out of the water so fast, they’ll leave without even trying.”   Usually, you’d get flustered from his praise. Maybe you’d even feel greasy from the way he butters you up so excessively, but at this moment when the nerves are beginning to ebb at your mind, you appreciate it.   Jimin’s your personal cheerleader.   “What do you want to do after?” he suddenly asks, pulling your thoughts away on how your palms are getting clammy and tearing your eyes away from the beautiful girl across the room who’s gracefully flipping through a script.   “What do you mean?”   “For dinner, silly.” Jimin’s eyes light up, crinkling when he smiles. “What do you want to eat?”   “I’m fine with anything.”   “Oh c’mon.” He nudges you gently. “You gotta have a better opinion than that. If we do well during the audition, then it can be a celebratory dinner. And if we do badly, then it’ll be like comfort food.”   Another laugh comes spilling out. “How about fried chicken then?”   Jimin snaps his fingers. “You read my mind. We’re always on the same wavelength, aren’t we? But whose apartment are we going to tonight?”   Neither of you want to leave a mess or the smell of greasy chicken wings to linger in your home to haunt you for breakfast. So an intense game of rock-paper-scissors begins — one where you lose and Jimin’s throwing his arms up into the air doing childish fist pumps before he throws his arms over you and gives a triumphant hug. Jimin rubs his victory in your face, making you laugh while being smothered by his affection. You don’t notice some of the stares in the room.    Jimin continues talking about nonsense that doesn’t matter, keeping you from thinking too hard and getting nervous. He’s doing it on purpose to distract you and knowing so puts you even more at ease.   But you’re on your own when he gets called in first.   “Good luck, okay?”   You clasp his hand, squeezing. He smiles softly and nods. Jimin stands, fingers still tightly on yours until he has to let go. You watch his backside and the door closes.   You hope he does well — he’s practiced and prepared lots, and even wanted you to choose his song for him. He said it would make it more meaningful, so you picked the song ‘We Kiss in the Shadow’ from The King and I, another Broadway show you once watched when you were young.   It was perfect for him, and you memorized the lyrics as well.   Trying to keep your composure, you shut your eyes, tapping your finger against your bag. You envision Jimin inside the room, in the center of the space with faceless judges, singing.   You murmur with him. “We kiss in a shadow, we hide from the moon. Our meetings are few and over too soon.” He’ll be just fine. You believe in him, his gift, his personality, his likability. “We speak in a whisper, afraid to be heard. When people are near, we speak not a word.”   You’re humming to yourself and soon enough, after ten full minutes, the door opens again.   You stand, coming to grab his hands and search his expression. “How’d you do?”   “Fine.” Jimin smiles, and suddenly your own name gets called on the list.   The timing is poor.   It’s too sudden. You haven’t even asked him on the details of his audition. You’re unprepared, disoriented. But Jimin helps you grab your belongings and he fixes the collar of your shirt, then urges you forward with a grin. “You can do it.”   You nod, taking a deep breath and following after the lady.   It’s like last time — exhausted faces lazily watching you, their pupils flickering while their bodies are slumped in their uncomfortable chair like they’ve been encased in ice. But it’s fewer people than last time. There are two producers, a music director, a casting director, and a writer.   You approach the group of them with another deep breath, handing out your application package of headshots and resumes.   “Hello, my name is Y/N L/N.” You stand on the tape that’s been put in the center of the room, and you offer your best smile.   “Hello Y/N,” the lady off the left of the table says as she lances at your application. “Today, you’re auditioning for…?”   “The role of a factory girl, so part of the female ensemble.”   “Alright then.” She jots something down. “Can you tell us anything about your experiences? It doesn’t have to be on Broadway either, any experience you have with musicals.”   You nod vigorously, clearing your throat. You’re more prepared than last time, and it helps to know that there’s someone waiting for you on the outside who is praying and hoping for your success as much as you were doing for his.   “I performed at my local theater since I was ten. I also went through a theater company school and I moved to New York shortly after on my own. Currently, I’m working as an intern for the production of Phantom of the Opera here in this studio.”   There are more hums. The man in the center looks up and puts down his pen. “Is there a reason you haven’t performed since graduating? It looks like there’s been quite a bit of a time gap since your last on-stage performance.”   “Oh, um….” You rack your brain before you scrape by with an excuse. “I had some family issues in the past several years. It prevented me from performing, but now I’m ready to again.”   There are understanding nods and you take a sigh of relief.   The woman asks, “What song will you be singing for us today?”   “When Will Someone Hear by Martin Guerre.” You head over to the pianist in the corner, handing them the sheet music before you stride back to the center of the room.   Your palms are getting clammy, the world is starting to spin. You swallow hard.   “You can start when you’re ready,” the bored producer states in a monotone.   You inhale another deep breath. You can do it — there’s only five of them watching. It’s not too bad.    You try to imagine that it’s just Jimin watching, so you give a signal to the pianist and the notes begin.   “W-When will someone hear? All I know is fear.” It’s off to a bad start, your voice cracking, going out of tune, though you quickly stead yourself.   But it’s happening again.    You put your hands behind your back, hiding the tremor. “A-And now I see the loneliness of losing all you trust. Day has turned to night. Stone has turned to dust. And now I need to find the words. When will someone hear?”   Your voice goes quieter and quieter against your will. This isn’t how you practiced. This isn’t what you prepared. This isn’t how you wanted this to go. But you feel so out of control.   Time is moving too quickly — and it’s happening in front of you. Your body won’t listen.   Your eyes divert, unable to hold consistent contact with theirs when you feel your face drained of blood. Their scrutiny is too much. Your heart is pumping so fast, you can feel it all the way up to your throat and it clogs it, keeping the proper notes from streaming out.    “Love that once was close. Faith that once was clear. Now all I've known and all I've loved is all I have to grieve.”   Your face twitches. Your mouth goes dry. You’re so dizzy, you might throw up.   The spotlight is too much to handle.    “All that I've begun. All that I believe is just another broken dream. W-When will someone hear?”   You’re choking over your own singing. The notes are smothered. And you want to cry, especially when you can see it in slow motion — the man raising his hand to silence the pianist, the instrument fading away, the opportunity slipping from your fingers.   They can’t hear you the way you want them to.   “I-I’m sorry,” you apologize immediately. “I got so nervous, I—”   “It’s alright.” The woman offers a sympathetic smile. “Thank you for coming in today. We’ll give you a call to let you know the outcome in the following week.”   You would have preferred that they laughed at you, that they told you to get out. The kindness, the pitied looks, acting like you have a real chance — it’s mocking. It hurts.   You leave the room, holding back tears. Jimin meets you half-way and reads your expression with his brows scrunched, lips lopsided. You exhale a staggering breath, shaking your head, and you tell him directly—   “I did badly.”   “I’m sure you did fine,” he murmurs but when you shake your head again, the two of you merely walk out together in tense silence. Jimin glances at you a few times. “I didn’t do too great either,” he admits with a self-deprecating smile. “When they asked for my name, I got so nervous, I accidentally said Bark Jimin.”   “What?”   You turn to him.   “Bark Jimin,” he deadpans and sighs. “Can you believe that?”   You laugh. It bubbles out without you realizing. Then you wipe at your eyes with the sleeve of your shirt, sniffling hard. Jimin puts an arm around your shoulders, pulling you close to his chest. It’s warm in the cold night.   “Why do I keep messing up, Jimin? What’s wrong with me?”   “Nothing,” he answers, able to see a cloud emit from his lips into the chilly air as he speaks. “There’s definitely nothing wrong with you. Some things we succeed in, some things we don’t. But it’s always a learning experience. They’ll always be a next time, right?”   You’re comforted by his presence, by his words.   The pair of you are in this together. You’re not alone in your successes or failures.   “So you up for some fried chicken?” he asks and keeps staring. “Hmm?”   “Yeah.”   “Hmmm?!” he increases his volume, decreasing the distance between you two even more until your foreheads are almost bumping against each other’s.   “Yes!” You laugh and Jimin shifts away again, satisfied since he was waiting for that smile.   The both of you go off into the night together.   //   It’s the first time that you don’t feel so bad about messing up an audition.   They’re rare and hard to come by and when you fuck it up, you often go through the stages of grief, feeling like you’ve reeled back to square one, making you question all things. But you bounce right back with Jimin right here.   He’s your partner in crime who motivates and comforts you. He walks in sync with your footsteps — never does it feel like you’re racing, that you’re trying to catch up to him.   You’re in this crazy madness together.   You tie your garbage bags, hauling them out of your apartment with your arms straining from the weight. The door shuts behind you as you lug it down the hallway, but then there’s a sudden shout of your name.   It comes from a smooth, very familiar timbre.   “Y/N!”   You turn around, catching the brunette walking down the wall, having turned the corner where the stairwell is. His eyes light up. They shimmer in the corridor lights and he approaches with his hands dug in the pockets of his trench coat.   It takes too long, so he runs to you, meeting you the entire way.   “Did you get a call?”   “No—”   “I got the role!” he exclaims happily, jumping up and down, cheeks nearly bursting from his enormous smile. Jimin pulls you in for a hug, giddy laughter spilling from his chest. “I got the role for Les Mis!”   You feel your heart drop to your stomach — your blood runs cold — you’re shell-shocked.   “R-Really?”   “Yes!” He pulls apart from you, but his hands are still placed securely on your shoulders. He might get a noise complaint for how loud he’s being, but he doesn’t care. “They told me I got the role of Jean Prouvaire.”   “Wow—”   “He’s part of the Les Amis de l’ABC or whatever that means, well I know what it means but it’s not important right now. Listen, Y/N, the character is a shy poet, loves flowers, and is a bad dresser. A good fit for me, right? Except for the bad dresser part — or at least hopefully they don’t think I’m a bad dresser. I only get around one line and I get shot two thirds of the way through, but this means I get to make my Broadway debut! My Broadway debut, Y/N!”   He’s rambling, so eager and excited.   You muster up a stiff smile that cracks at the corners. But he’s too caught up in his own world to notice, to read your expression, see the way it turns sour.   “T-That’s great, Jimin. Congrats…”   You can’t mean it sincerely. You can’t find it in you to be truly happy for him.   He lied to you — he didn’t do poorly in the audition. Not if he got a role.   “I’m so excited, Y/N! I couldn’t have done it without you. They said my singing really sold them.”   Your jealousy and envy make you feel ugly. Jimin makes you feel ugly.   “—wanting this so badly—”   It’s not that you blame him for failing the audition — that was your fault and yours only. But suddenly, you can’t fathom why you were hoping and praying so desperately for him to succeed when he obviously didn’t need it. You should’ve prayed for yourself.    Why did you think his accomplishments would be your own — you’re both different people. Why you were wasting your time — you should’ve spent it on yourself.    Why do you put your heart on your sleeve?   You’ve made a mistake. A horrible mistake.   “—guess I won’t have to work as an intern anymore!”   You thought you were in this together. But you’re not. You can’t believe you could’ve been so stupid. Jimin was never walking in sync with you. The two of you were never even on the same path, on the journey together. You’re not friends, not even colleagues, just neighbors at most.    Strangers who happen to live next to one another.   He’s gotten what he wants from you. He just wanted you to teach him how to sing, and now he’s finally better than his teacher. He’s succeeded. While you’re still stuck here. For the past year.   “They told me to come in next Monday—”   Jimin’s voice drowns in and out. You’re no longer paying any attention. You’re merely watching his delighted grin, his rosy cheeks that threaten to burst, how it almost breaks his face. You wonder when his smile became so damn irritating to look at.    “—I’m actually performing on stage on Broadway.”   You self-sabotaged yourself. All those nights spent with him, teaching him, you should’ve used to practice yourself. You should’ve worked harder instead of being so concerned about him. You were so wrapped up in Jimin that you neglected your own career.   And now he gets to pour salt all over your wounds. He gets to rub it in your face.   “My parents are gonna be so stoked to hear. They can finally be proud of me—”   You failed to realize...   “I can’t believe I’m actually performing on stage on Broadway, Y/N. I came here just two months ago and I already have myself a role.”   Jimin was your rival this entire time.
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