#still odd! but i love an environment and atmosphere

[edenesth]

The Secret Admirer

Pairing: school rival!San x fem!reader (featuring Wooyoung)

AU: high school au (enemies to lovers)

Word Count: 14k

Summary: As a new transfer student in KQ High, you start receiving anonymous love notes and gifts that leave you both intrigued and confused. It becomes a secret admirer mystery at school and everyone has their theories about who it might be. Could it be your crush, Wooyoung, as you'd hoped or the annoying Choi San?

A/N: This is lowkey inspired by ATEEZ's The Real music video. San looked so good here, he's literally unreal.

ATEEZ Masterlist

Mingi let out a sigh filled with anxiety, his gaze fixed on the imposing school building that would be your new home. You pursed your lips, throwing an arm over his shoulder as best you could, your best friend towering over you by at least half a head.

"I'm really scared." He admitted, shoulders sagging under the weight of his apprehension.

In an attempt to ease his tension, you playfully nudged him on the head, "Oh, come on, Mingi. We didn't leave our old school behind just for you to remain scared here. I promise things will be better."

He managed a forced smile, wanting to show strength for your sake.

Your previous school was a nightmare, a toxic environment where bullies ruled the place, and even teachers struggled to maintain order. Wealthy students received special treatment, while the rest of the students became targets of the elite.

Poor Mingi had suffered the worst of it.

He endured relentless bullying that left him with severe anxiety.

As his best friend, you had done everything in your power to protect him, but the odds were stacked against you when you, like him and everyone else, were only from a regular-income family.

In the end, you two suffered together, united by the daily struggle.

You had talked to your parents about the situation, and together with Mingi's parents, they agreed to transfer both of you to a new and more promising school in the neighbourhood.

That's how you found yourselves standing before KQ High.

It was your first day at this new school, and while you were filled with optimism, Mingi still carried the weight of his old fears.

"Hey, no matter what happens, I'll be right here with you, okay?"

His genuine smile finally broke through, and he pulled you into a side hug, "Thanks, buttercup. You're the best."

You smirked and dramatically flipped your hair, "I know. Now, let's get going, dumbass. We can't afford to be late on our first day. Trust me, you don't want to be a laughingstock."

With his laughter accompanying you, you both headed towards the unknown, already feeling a little lighter and more hopeful about the new journey ahead.

Lucky for the two of you, the first period of the day turned out to be an unexpectedly pleasant surprise.

As you and Mingi settled into your seats in the classroom, you exchanged a look of amazement. This was already a stark contrast to your previous school, where you had grown accustomed to the oppressive atmosphere of fear and hostility.

Today, however, there were no bullies in sight, and the atmosphere felt refreshingly different.

Everyone in the class greeted you both with polite smiles and warm words of welcome upon your first meeting. It was as if they genuinely cared about their studies and the well-being of their fellow classmates.

The teacher, Mr. Kim, a kind and enthusiastic educator, introduced himself with a cheerful demeanour.

He took the time to get to know each student, making sure to pronounce everyone's names correctly and asking about their interests and aspirations.

It felt like a breath of fresh air compared to the apathetic instructors you had encountered before.

As the class began, you found yourself immersed in the subject matter, something that had rarely happened at your previous school. The other students seemed equally engaged, and there was an air of camaraderie as you all shared your thoughts and ideas.

During a group activity, you and Mingi teamed up with a couple of classmates, who were eager to include you in the discussion. They listened attentively to your input and shared their own insights. It was a stark departure from your past experiences of being isolated and ridiculed.

The minutes passed, and the first period drew to a close.

As you gathered your belongings, Mingi turned to you with a smile that reflected his growing sense of relief and happiness.

"Can you believe this, buttercup?" He whispered, his eyes wide with amazement, "No bullies, no weird stares, just normal people treating us like... well, normal people."

You returned his smile, "I know, Mingi. It's incredible. I think we might have finally found a place where we belong."

Mingi nodded, and together you both left the classroom, carrying a newfound sense of hope and optimism. The journey was just beginning, but for the first time in a long while, you felt like you were on the right path, surrounded by classmates who were genuinely kind and a school where learning was valued above all else.

But perhaps you might have spoken a little too soon.

In the blink of an eye, a rather intimidating figure appeared before you just as you were making your way to your locker.

The collision was unavoidable, causing the stranger to drop his stack of books. You gasped, immediately bowing multiple times and apologising profusely, not wanting to escalate the situation.

Considering how kind everyone had been so far, you expected this guy to graciously accept your apology.

Oh boy, you couldn't have been more wrong.

Reality proved quite different as he responded with a withering glare, accompanied by a muttered curse under his breath. He then scoffed, "Sheesh, get yourself a pair of glasses if you can't see properly."

Your heart sank, and you could feel your optimism from earlier wavering. It seemed that not everyone was as welcoming as you'd initially thought.

Should've known things were too good to be true.

Not one to back down easily, you rolled your eyes and clenched your jaw in annoyance, "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that a rat crawled up your ass and died there, because what the heck, dude? There's no need to be rude, it was clearly just an accident."

Mingi's eyes widened at your audacious response, panicking.

He quickly grabbed your arm and attempted to pull you away, stammering, "N-no, she didn't mean that! We're new here, so she's not familiar with the rules yet. She reacts strangely to shock... ha ha... We'll just be on our way, sir."

You scoffed, tugging your arm stubbornly out of Mingi's grasp, determined to confront this douchebag, who you now knew as Choi San, thanks to his name tag. You huffed in irritation, "Sir? I think not. Stay put, Mingi. I've got this."

San responded with a smirk, his disbelief evident in his expression, "You? What are you going to do, Miss Smarty Pants?"

To your best friend's absolute chagrin, you rolled up your sleeves, sizing the bully up daringly, fully prepared to fight if necessary.

But before you could do or say anything rash, someone stepped in between you and San, "Whoa, whoa, calm down, let's all take a deep breath. There's no need to fight, I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding."

He turned to you after shooting San a quick glare in warning, "I apologise on behalf of my friend here. He's just having a rough day. I assure you, he's not always like this."

You wished you could respond with collected composure, but you were utterly captivated by the stunning young man who had just intervened. Mingi, sensing the atmosphere, joined you and bowed, "I'm truly sorry as well. She isn't usually like this, I promise."

The guy shook his head warmly, reassuring, "No, please, you have nothing to be sorry for."

While you were momentarily lost in admiration, your best friend took charge of the conversation on your behalf, "I heard you both are new?" The guy inquired, and Mingi nodded, introducing both of you.

He offered a friendly smile, "Oh, it's nice to meet you two. I'm Wooyoung, and this is San. We happen to be the president and vice president of the baseball club. Perhaps you could both come over and take a look once you've settled in."

Finally finding your voice upon hearing this invitation, you enthusiastically chimed in, "We'll definitely be there!"

San couldn't hide his annoyance, clearly vexed by your shift in demeanour due to his best friend's presence. After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Wooyoung, you went separate ways.

As you and Mingi walked home together after school that day, he couldn't help but express his concern.

He shot you a reproachful glance and said, "Seriously, you almost got into a brawl with San back there. You can't just let your temper get the best of you like that."

You took a deep breath, your expression softening as you explained.

"Mingi, I didn't want to fight. I just... I wanted to make sure we don't become targets like we were at our old school. Sometimes, you've got to let people know you're not someone to mess with so they'll leave you alone. It's not about aggression, it's about self-defence."

He sighed, realising your perspective, "I get it, buttercup, but let's try to handle these situations differently, okay? We're in a new place, and maybe things will be different here."

You nodded, understanding his point and promising to exercise more restraint in the future.

Just like your nickname, Mingi named you after the Powerpuff Girl who resembled you the most. While you enjoyed teasing him and playfully referring to him as your princess, you were like his protector; embodying the qualities of a tough hotheaded tomboy, much like the actual Buttercup.

The conversation then took a lighter turn as Mingi began talking about the president of the baseball club, "Did you see the way Wooyoung handled the situation? He's so cool. I hope I can be like him one day."

A dreamy smile crossed your face as you thought of the handsome baseball club president, "Yeah, Wooyoung is something else, isn't he? So confident and composed. It's like he's got this natural charm about him."

Mingi chuckled, catching the starry look in your eyes, "Someone's got a little crush, huh?"

You rolled your eyes playfully, but there was no denying it – there was something undeniably captivating about Wooyoung that had left an impression on both of you.

As you continued your walk home, you wondered what other adventures and encounters awaited you in this new and intriguing chapter of your high school life.

A week had passed since you and Mingi had started attending KQ High, and things were shaping up quite well.

The two of you had managed to make some new friends here and there, and the best part was that you could finally focus on your studies without the looming fear of being bullied.

As you both sat down for lunch in the school courtyard, the sun shining brightly overhead, you felt a sense of contentment. The atmosphere was different here, and it was refreshing to know that you could be yourself without constantly looking over your shoulder.

Mingi took a bite of his sandwich and then turned to you, a mischievous glint in his eye, "You know, I've been thinking. We should pay a visit to the baseball club soon."

You grinned, realising where he was heading with this, "I was just about to say that! I mean, Wooyoung and San did seem pretty cool, it wouldn't hurt to check out what the club is all about."

He nodded in agreement, excitement in his voice, "Exactly! We've literally already met the most important people in the club. Wooyoung's the president, and he's so sweet and welcoming. Plus, San's the vice president, he might not be as warm and fuzzy, but he's still part of the team."

You both chuckled at the thought of San's initial grumpy demeanour.

You were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps Wooyoung had been right, perhaps San was just having a bad day.

Your best friend continued, "Besides, I hear the baseball club is pretty popular here. It could be a great way for us to finally get more involved in school activities."

With a determined nod, you replied, "For sure. Let's finish our lunch, and maybe we can swing by the club after classes today. I guess it's about time we step out of our comfort zone and try doing what normal students do for a change."

His eyes lit up with enthusiasm as he agreed, "Sounds like a plan. Who knows, maybe we'll discover a hidden talent for baseball or make even more friends along the way."

As you both finished your lunch and chatted about your upcoming visit to the baseball club, you felt a sense of excitement for the adventures and friendships that awaited you at KQ High.

The afternoon sun was dipping low in the sky as you and Mingi made your way to the baseball club's practice field. You were both excited to see what the club had to offer and meet more of your new schoolmates.

However, as you approached the field, you couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. Wooyoung was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, San was there to greet you and Mingi.

You tried to shake off the uneasy feeling that had settled in your stomach, reminding yourself that maybe San had just been having a bad day when you first met him.

As you approached, his expression remained stoic, and he barely acknowledged your presence. He turned to Mingi with a polite nod and said, "Hey, you're Mingi, right? I'm San, the vice president. Nice to meet you."

Mingi smiled and extended his hand, shaking San's, "Yeah, that's me. Nice to meet you too, San."

You felt a pang of frustration.

San had greeted Mingi with politeness, but when he turned to you, his demeanour shifted completely. He didn't offer a handshake or a smile; instead, he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

"And who are you?"

The blatant hostility in his tone caught you off guard.

You felt your patience wearing thin as you replied, trying to maintain your composure as you gave him your name, "I'm Mingi's friend. We're both new here, and we wanted to check out the baseball club."

His response was a scoff and a dismissive wave of his hand, "Figures."

You exchanged a bewildered look with Mingi, who seemed equally taken aback by San's attitude. It was clear that the vice president had something against you, and it was infuriating to be treated so poorly when you had done nothing to provoke him.

Before the situation could escalate further, you decided to take the high road and simply said, "Well, we'll leave you to it then. Sorry for bothering you."

Mingi nodded in agreement, and you both turned to leave the baseball field, your excitement from earlier now replaced by disappointment and frustration.

You couldn't figure out why San had such a strong dislike for you.

A few days after your rather disheartening encounter with the vice president at the baseball club, you and Mingi were surprised to find Wooyoung approaching you both with a warm smile on his face.

He seemed genuinely apologetic as he began, "Hey, I heard about what happened when you first visited the club. I was away for a meeting that day, and I just wanted to apologise for San's behaviour. He was being unreasonable, and I've spoken to him about it. Sorry about that."

You exchanged a glance with Mingi, your initial tension easing at the club president's friendly demeanour, "No worries," Mingi replied diplomatically, "We understand that everyone has off days."

Wooyoung nodded appreciatively, then made an offer that took you both by surprise, "Well, how about I personally give you a tour of the club and introduce you to the other members? I promise you won't have any trouble with San this time."

You hesitated for a moment, your previous encounter with San still fresh in your mind. But the Wooyoung's sincere offer was hard to resist, and you nodded in agreement.

"Sure, that sounds great. Thank you, Wooyoung."

A few days later, you and Mingi met up with the club president at the baseball field.

He was as charming and friendly as ever, making you feel at ease. As he began to show you around and introduce you to the club members, you were impressed by the teamwork and talent on display.

But your anxiety resurfaced when you noticed San's presence.

Wooyoung had assured you that San would behave civilly, but as the tour continued, it became painfully clear that the club's vice president had no intention of including you in the proceedings.

He interacted with Mingi, offering insights and sharing stories about the club, but he completely disregarded your presence. It was as if you were invisible to him, and you couldn't shake the feeling of being an outsider.

You tried your best to remain composed and not let his behaviour get to you, but it was hard to enjoy the tour when you felt so excluded. Wooyoung noticed your discomfort but didn't address it directly, choosing to focus on showing you the positive aspects of the club.

Once the tour ended, you and Mingi thanked Wooyoung for his time and kindness, genuinely appreciating his efforts to make you feel welcome. But the unresolved tension with San lingered in the air, leaving you with mixed feelings about your visit to the baseball club.

After much contemplation, you and Mingi decided not to join any clubs for the time being, and instead, chose to focus on your studies and adapt to your surroundings first.

As the days turned into weeks at KQ High, your relationship with San seemed to evolve from animosity to outright rivalry.

Every interaction with him felt like a challenge, as he continuously sought to get on your nerves. He never missed an opportunity to one-up you, whether it was by bragging about his grades or teasing you for having slightly lower scores.

In the classroom, San always seemed to find a way to sit near you, making snide comments about your work.

If you scored well on a test, he would downplay it, claiming it was just luck. When your grades were slightly lower than his, he would never let you forget it, making sly remarks about your academic abilities.

Despite his childish behaviour, you were irritated by his constant need to compete. It was as if he couldn't stand the thought of you outperforming him in any way. Your rivalry with the vice president of the baseball club became the talk of the school, with classmates often teasing you both for your ongoing battles.

Amidst this rivalry, Wooyoung seemed to sense your frustration.

He became extra caring and attentive, making an effort to balance out his best friend's behaviour. The club president went out of his way to support you in your studies, offering to help you with difficult subjects and encouraging you to join extracurricular activities.

His kindness and understanding provided a stark contrast to San's behaviour, and you appreciated his efforts to make amends for his friend's actions. Wooyoung's friendship became a source of comfort and encouragement during your high school journey, and you found yourself growing closer to him as a result.

As time went on, you realised that despite the challenges posed by San's rivalry, you had a strong support system in Mingi and Wooyoung, who helped you navigate the ups and downs of high school life.

Your determination to succeed and prove yourself only grew stronger, fueled by the competitive spirit ignited by your rivalry with San.

During a brief break between classes, you were walking alongside Mingi, casually complaining about your favourite chocolate milk running out in the school cafeteria. It had become somewhat of a ritual for you to enjoy that chocolatey goodness during your short breaks, and its absence was deeply felt.

"I can't believe they ran out of my favourite milk again," You groaned to Mingi, shaking your head in disappointment, "It's like they always do it right when I need it the most."

Mingi, ever the empathetic friend, sighed in agreement, "I know, right? It's like they have a radar for when you're craving it."

As you approached your locker during the break, you prepared to grab your textbooks for the next class. However, when you opened your locker, you let out a surprised gasp.

Inside your locker, right next to your textbooks, was a carton of your favourite chocolate milk. You blinked in disbelief, your eyes widening, and your heart skipped a beat.

You reached for it and found a note attached.

Mingi's excitement was palpable as he watched your reaction, "What is it? Did someone leave you a surprise?" You pulled out the note and read it aloud, your voice filled with astonishment, "I hope your favourite milk can cheer you up. Enjoy!"

His eyes widened even more, and he couldn't contain his excitement, "Ooh, you have a secret admirer!" He exclaimed, his voice a little too loud for the quiet hallway. Your face flushed with embarrassment as the attention of your fellow students turned towards you.

You stammered, "I-I don't know who it could be."

Mingi grinned mischievously, putting two and two together, "Maybe it's someone from the baseball club, trying to impress you."

The thought had crossed your mind as well, but you couldn't be sure.

As the mystery of your secret admirer hung in the air, you felt a mixture of curiosity and delight. Who could it be that knew about your love for chocolate milk and wanted to make your day a little brighter?

As time passed, the mystery of your secret admirer deepened, and the gestures of affection continued to pour in.

Every day seemed to bring a new surprise, from your favourite snacks and drinks to essential items to get you through the day. The notes that accompanied these gifts grew sweeter by the day, and it was clear that this person knew you extremely well.

One day, you found a note that simply read, "I hope this makes you smile today," along with a bouquet of your favourite flowers.

Another time, a cosy scarf appeared in your locker with a note that said, "Stay warm and happy, always."

Your secret admirer seemed to anticipate your needs and desires, brightening your days with their thoughtful gestures. You felt a warm sense of connection with this mysterious person who seemed to know you so intimately.

Unbeknownst to you, your secret admirer had become the talk of the school.

Everyone had their own theories about who it might be, and gossip about the identity of this mysterious person spread like wildfire. Some speculated it was someone from the baseball club, while others believed it could be a classmate who had been secretly watching you from afar.

Throughout all of this, your rivalry with San continued.

He would often tease you about the "silly" gifts you were receiving, making fun of the person who would actually like you. Although his comments annoyed you, they also fueled your determination to uncover the identity of your secret admirer.

On the flip side, your bond with Wooyoung continued to grow stronger. He would occasionally do things that made your heart flutter, like lending you his jacket when you were cold or giving you his umbrella when you forgot to bring yours.

These gestures were so attentive and thoughtful that they set your crush on him into overdrive, something even Mingi wouldn't do.

As the days went by, the secret admirer mystery at school only intensified, and you found yourself torn between trying to solve the puzzle and cherishing the daily surprises that brightened your life.

One afternoon, as you and Mingi sat together in your favourite spot in the school courtyard, the topic of your secret admirer came up once again. Ever the imaginative friend, he threw out a series of wild suggestions, each more unlikely than the last.

"What if it's Seonghwa from the calligraphy club? I mean, you did have that one conversation with him." Mingi proposed, his eyes dancing with mischief.

You rolled your eyes at the idea.

"Oh come on, that's a bit too far-fetched, don't you think? Seonghwa is way too sophisticated to have a crush on me."

Mingi didn't stop there, "Okay, okay, how about Yunho from the biker's club? He did lend you a pen during that exam, after all. Could be a sign."

You couldn't help but chortle at Mingi's wild theories.

"Dude, you're trippin'. Yunho is practically a legend in this school. He's got way better things to do than leave me love notes."

Mingi shrugged, conceding, "Yeah, you're probably right. And then there's Yeosang, the untouchable genius and president of the student council. Maybe he's secretly smitten with you."

You burst into laughter, "Mingi, you're freaking crazy! Yeosang is way out of my league. Besides, why would someone like him be interested in me?"

Mingi finally gave up on his outlandish guesses and turned to you with a smile, "Alright, buttercup. Who do you think it is then?"

You felt your cheeks flush, and you hesitated for a moment before shyly admitting, "Well, if I had to pick, I kind of wish it was Wooyoung," He grinned, nudging you playfully, "Ah, so you've got a soft spot for the baseball club president, huh?"

You blushed even deeper and playfully swatted his arm.

"Don't tease me, it's just a silly crush. I doubt he's the secret admirer anyway," His smile was warm as he ruffled your hair, "You never know, silly. Sometimes, the person you least expect can surprise you."

After your admission about your crush on Wooyoung and Mingi's continuous teasing that lasted for days, the gifts and notes from your secret admirer strangely stopped. It was as if someone had flipped a switch, and your daily bright spots had disappeared. You had grown so accustomed to the surprises that you now felt like everything was going wrong without them.

One day, as you sat in an empty classroom after school, fulfilling your cleaning duty, you couldn't shake off the feeling of disappointment. You missed the small gestures of kindness that had brightened your days.

It was a particularly gloomy afternoon, you couldn't help but mope.

But your already sour mood took a nosedive when the last person you wanted to see made an unexpected appearance in the classroom. San strolled in with an arrogant smirk, clearly relishing the opportunity to get under your skin.

"Aww, still pouting because your secret admirer ditched you?" He taunted, leaning casually against a desk.

You tried to ignore him, focusing on your cleaning duties, but his relentless teasing was beginning to wear on your nerves. He continued to make snide remarks about your admirer, insinuating that you might have been sending the gifts and notes to yourself just to create the illusion that someone would like you.

"Are you sure you didn't send yourself all those things just to make yourself look desirable? I mean, who in their right mind would even like you enough to do all this?"

Each of his words stung like a needle, and you clenched your fists in frustration. You had no idea why your secret admirer had suddenly stopped, but the insinuation that you were faking it only fueled your irritation.

Finally, you couldn't hold back any longer.

Turning to face him, you snapped, "You know, San, not everything revolves around you and your constant need to belittle others. Just because you can't stand the thought of someone being nice to me doesn't mean you have to make up stories to feel better about yourself."

His smirk faltered for a moment as he realised the depth of your anger. You had rarely spoken up to him in such a manner, and it took him by surprise. Before he could respond, you turned away and focused on finishing your cleaning duties.

The emptiness in your heart weighed heavily on you, and you wondered why your secret admirer had disappeared and whether you would ever find out the truth.

As you continued to clean the classroom, feeling down after your encounter with San, you didn't expect anyone else to notice your mood.

But as you were lost in your thoughts, you suddenly heard a familiar voice calling out your name.

"Hey, are you okay?"

You turned to see Wooyoung standing in the doorway, concern evident in his eyes. He had apparently noticed your sombre expression and had come to check on you.

You managed a weak smile, not wanting to burden him with your troubles, "I'm fine, Woo. Just a bit tired, that's all." He didn't seem convinced but respected your response.

Instead, he offered, "Well, how about we grab some ice cream after this? It might help brighten your day." The offer caught you by surprise, and you felt a glimmer of hope. Ice cream sounded like a perfect way to lift your spirits.

You nodded in agreement, "Sure, that sounds nice."

As you walked to the nearby ice cream shop after school, Wooyoung did his best to engage you in conversation, trying to cheer you up. His genuine concern and friendly demeanour made you feel a bit better, but you couldn't shake off the nagging thought about your secret admirer.

Sitting in the ice cream parlour, you stared at him as he talked animatedly about various topics, you wondered if he could be the secret admirer. The thought played like a broken record in your mind.

Part of you wanted to ask him why he had stopped the gifts.

But the logical part of your brain reminded you that it couldn't possibly be Wooyoung. If he were the one behind the thoughtful gestures, he wouldn't be here with you right now, trying to cheer you up in person.

So, you pushed aside your doubts and worries, allowing yourself to enjoy the moment with him. As you savoured the sweet taste of your ice cream, you appreciated his kindness and friendship, even if the mystery of your secret admirer remained unsolved.

After your outing with the baseball club president, you found yourself pondering your feelings and the mystery of your secret admirer even more. The conflicting emotions swirling within you left you feeling confused and unsettled.

Unable to contain your thoughts any longer, you decided to confide in Mingi. As you both sat in his bedroom, you opened up about your feelings regarding Wooyoung and the secret admirer.

"Mingi, I just don't understand," You began, your voice tinged with uncertainty, "I've been so fixated on this secret admirer, but I really like Wooyoung. He's caring, attentive, and he's been there for me. So why do I feel so sad about the gifts and notes stopping?"

Mingi regarded you thoughtfully before gently pointing out.

"It sounds like you're describing two different people. If you like Wooyoung and he's been caring towards you, then shouldn't that be enough? Why does it matter if the secret admirer stopped?"

His words struck a chord, and you realised he was right.

Why were you so bothered by the absence of your secret admirer when you believed it to be Wooyoung all along? Did you secretly wish it were someone else? Had your feelings for Wooyoung not been as strong as you thought?

You let out a deep sigh, feeling the weight of your conflicting emotions, "I don't know. Maybe I got carried away with the idea of a secret admirer, it shouldn't diminish what I feel for Wooyoung."

Mingi nodded in understanding, his expression gentle.

"Exactly, buttercup. You don't need a secret admirer to validate your worth or the kindness Wooyoung has shown you. Sometimes, our own expectations and fantasies can cloud our feelings."

Reflecting on Mingi's words, you realised that your fixation on the secret admirer had indeed overshadowed your true feelings for Wooyoung. It was time to appreciate the genuine connection you had with him and let go of the mystery that had consumed your thoughts for so long.

As you decided to let go of the idea of the secret admirer and focus on your budding relationship with Wooyoung, life seemed to return to normal. You enjoyed the time you spent with him, cherishing his caring gestures and the genuine connection you shared.

But one day, as you sat in the school cafeteria with Mingi, you expressed your frustration, "Ugh, can you believe it? They've run out of my favourite chocolate milk again. It's like they do it on purpose."

Mingi sympathetically patted your shoulder, "I know. It's their conspiracy against you, clearly."

After lunch, you returned to your desk in the classroom, expecting another mundane afternoon. But as you opened your bag, you let out a gasp of surprise. There it was, a carton of your beloved chocolate milk, sitting neatly on your desk.

Mingi's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the milk, then at you.

"It's happening again!"

You were equally shocked, your heart racing with a mixture of excitement and curiosity.

The return of your secret admirer was unexpected, and you wondered who could be behind it. Picking up the carton of milk and examining it, you find a familiar note attached. It simply read, "I thought this might make your day better."

The mystery had resurfaced, and you exchanged puzzled glances with Mingi. It seemed that your secret admirer was back, and you couldn't wait to uncover the truth behind these thoughtful gestures once and for all.

As the days went by, you noticed that Choi San seemed to be everywhere lately.

It was as if he had suddenly taken an interest in your daily activities. He would pop up in unexpected places, finding clever ways to get your attention, though his teasing had taken on a different tone.

His jokes had shifted from being insulting to more lighthearted and harmless. While you still found yourself annoyed by his constant presence, you couldn't deny that his newfound playfulness was less aggravating than before.

Despite your long-standing rivalry and the initial bad impression you had of each other, you noticed that San's behaviour had changed. He was no longer the relentless tormentor but rather someone who seemed to enjoy engaging with you in a teasing, albeit less hostile, manner.

You found yourself in an odd position.

While you didn't exactly hate him as much as you used to, the memories of your first encounters and the rivalry that had defined your relationship still lingered. It was hard to completely let your guard down around him, even though his intentions appeared to have shifted in a more positive direction.

As you navigate this newfound dynamic with San, you wonder if there was more to his change in behaviour. Was it possible that he had also grown tired of the constant rivalry and had decided to take a different approach in your interactions?

The uncertainty only added to the intrigue of the situation, leaving you both baffled and intrigued by his unexpected transformation.

One afternoon, you found yourself in the library, engrossed in a study session with Wooyoung. The two of you had been diligently working on your assignments and preparing for upcoming exams. The peaceful atmosphere of the library was perfect, and you were grateful for the club president's presence.

But your concentration was disrupted when you noticed San approaching your table. He wore an unhappy expression, and you grumbled in annoyance at his sudden, unwanted presence.

"Hey, Woo," San said with feigned nonchalance, "Mind if I hang out with you guys for a bit?"

Wooyoung, always the peacemaker, smiled and gestured to an empty chair, "Of course, Sannie. Join us. But please, be nice to her."

San acted as if he reluctantly accepted the invitation.

In between your study session, Wooyoung received an urgent phone call that required his immediate attention. He apologised for having to leave and promised to return as soon as he could.

You sighed as Wooyoung left, knowing that you were now alone with San. You asked, "Why are you still here, San? You said you wanted to hang out with Wooyoung," He shrugged, feigning indifference, "Well, I also need to study, you know. Can't be slacking off all the time."

You rolled your eyes, sceptical of his true intentions.

"Fine, whatever. Just don't disturb me."

As you continued to work on your assignments, you came across a particularly challenging math problem that left you frustrated.

San, who had been quietly studying himself, noticed your struggle. Surprisingly, he leaned over and said, "You know, I'm pretty good at math. Need some help?"

You were taken aback by his offer, not expecting such a gesture from someone you had considered your rival for so long. After a moment of hesitation, you reluctantly agreed.

"Okay, fine. Help me with this one."

His explanation turned out to be clear and concise, and you couldn't help but acknowledge that he was indeed skilled in math.

As he helped you in solving the problem, you thought to yourself that maybe he wasn't as unpleasant as you had initially thought. It seemed like he still had the capacity to be a decent person when he chose to be.

The following day, you sat alone in school as the rain poured outside, your chances of staying dry were dwindling rapidly.

Wooyoung was absent, and Mingi had to leave school early for a family emergency, leaving you to face the downpour alone. To make matters worse, you had forgotten your umbrella and raincoat again, a rookie mistake that left you feeling like a complete idiot.

You sighed deeply, hoping against hope that the rain would subside, but it only grew heavier as the minutes passed. After waiting for over an hour, you realised you couldn't stay in school forever.

With a resigned determination, you wrapped your arms around yourself and braced for the inevitable.

Running out into the torrential rain, you were immediately drenched, and your vision blurred as the water streamed down your face. It was a miserable situation, and you cursed your bad luck.

Like the idiot you were, you ended up tripping over something on the ground, scraping your knee painfully on the wet pavement. The pain was sharp, and you couldn't hold back the tears that welled up in your eyes.

You've got to be kidding me, can this day get any worse?

As you sat there in the pouring rain, nursing your injured knee, a shadow appeared in front of you. An umbrella was unfurled above your drenched body, shielding you from the relentless rain, and a hand was extended toward you.

You looked up in surprise, your vision still blurred by raindrops, and to your astonishment, it was San who stood before you.

The last person you expected to come to your aid.

"Need some help?" He asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.

You hesitated for a moment, torn between your ingrained rivalry and your need for assistance. But the pain in your knee and the relentless downpour pushed you to accept his help.

You reached out and took his hand, allowing him to help you up from the wet ground.

As you stood under the umbrella he provided, you felt a strange mixture of gratitude and disbelief because it was San, of all people, who had come to your rescue in your moment of need.

He walked you to the nearest bus stop, offering some protection against the relentless rain. Surprisingly, he was gentle as he helped you sit down and examine your scraped knee. You instinctively pulled away, insisting that you were fine, but he was undeterred.

He knelt down beside you, a look of genuine concern in his eyes.

The sight of him worrying and caring about you was so foreign that you wondered if this was the same Choi San you had known all along.

"Let me take a look." He said softly, reaching out to inspect your scraped knee.

Reluctantly, you allowed him to examine the injury.

He was surprisingly gentle, his touch careful to avoid causing you any more pain. It was a stark contrast to the way he had treated you in the past, and it left you feeling perplexed.

San reached into his bag and pulled out a bandaid, holding it up for you to see, "I always carry a few of these just in case." He explained.

You watched as he helped you apply the bandaid, his actions careful and considerate. Despite your reservations and the history of animosity between you, there was no denying that his concern was genuine.

Looking at him more closely now, you never fully appreciated how handsome San truly was. His slightly damp hair from the rain, coupled with the intense look of concentration on his face as he tried not to cause you more pain, proved to be more appealing than you had expected.

You couldn't believe this, he was making your heart race.

As he finished applying the bandaid, you wondered who this person was and what he had done to the real Choi San.

The conflicting emotions within you made it clear that things were far from simple, and you found yourself questioning your long-held animosity towards him.

After the unexpected kindness from San during the rainstorm and the way he had treated you lately, you felt confused and conflicted. It was a stark departure from the rivalry and animosity that had defined your relationship for so long.

Seeking some perspective, you decided to talk to Mingi about the vice president's sudden change in attitude. As you both lounged in your favourite spot in the school courtyard, you hesitantly broached the topic.

"Mingi, have you noticed how different San has been lately?" You asked, trying to make sense of your feelings.

Your best friend, ever the optimist, offered a reassuring smile.

"Maybe he's just grown tired of the rivalry too, buttercup. People change, you know? Perhaps he's realised that it's best to act civil and put the past behind us."

While Mingi's words were comforting, you still struggled with your emotions. The disdain you had for San had been ingrained in you for so long that accepting his sudden kindness and change of heart was a challenge.

A small part of you resented him for making you feel this way, for shaking the foundation of your long-held beliefs about him.

It was difficult to let go of the past and embrace the possibility of a different relationship with someone you had considered your rival for so long.

A small part of you worried about the possible evil intentions behind his change. The uncertainty left you feeling torn between your deep-seated animosity and the possibility of a new beginning.

As time went on, you continued to receive more and more endearing gifts from your secret admirer. The notes accompanying these gifts became sweeter with each passing day, and it was clear that this mystery person knew you well.

The thoughtful gestures brought a smile to your face, brightening your days and making you feel cherished.

Oddly enough, the timing of these gifts seemed to align with Wooyoung's actions in a way that left you wondering. Many of the surprises were things that he had observed you enjoying or had casually mentioned in conversation.

As a result, rumours began to circulate among your classmates, and the popular theory was that the baseball club president was your secret admirer.

The idea filled you with hope and a flutter of excitement.

The thought that Wooyoung might be the one behind these gestures made your heart race, and you couldn't help but imagine a future where you could be with him.

However, amid this whirlwind of gifts and speculations, San's behaviour remained an enigma.

He was still working on redeeming himself in your eyes, often intervening whenever you and Wooyoung seemed to get closer. It was as if he couldn't stand the thought of you and his best friend becoming a couple.

His actions left you perplexed.

You wondered what had prompted his newfound determination to change. The more he tried to insert himself into your life, the more it fueled your curiosity about the true nature of his intentions.

As the days passed, you found yourself caught between the allure of the secret admirer's gifts and the complicated dynamics between you, Wooyoung, and San. The mysteries and complexities of your high school life continued to unfold, leaving you in a state of both excitement and confusion.

Today, you were on a school trip to the museum for the history class.

The class was filled with a sense of anticipation and curiosity that seemed to revolve around you and Wooyoung.

Everyone around you, including Mingi, seemed to be paying close attention to your interactions with the baseball club president. It was as if they were fully convinced that he was your secret admirer.

You hadn't exactly been oblivious to the little squeals your classmates would occasionally let out whenever Wooyoung did something sweet, like draping his blazer over you when it was cold or taking his time to patiently explain what you didn't understand as you walked through the exhibit together.

San, on the other hand, trailed behind the crowd with a sour expression.

The vice president of the baseball club disliked the sight of you and his best friend getting so close. The rumours and speculations had reached their peak, and he couldn't hide his frustration.

When the group settled down for lunch at the museum cafe, you found yourself sitting with Wooyoung, Mingi, and a few other members of the baseball club.

San, unfortunately, had no choice but to mix with other classmates since your table was already full.

During the meal, your friends couldn't resist teasing the club president about his attentiveness to you, jokingly asking when he was going to reveal himself as the secret admirer. Wooyoung blushed from the teasing, and you stared at him, curiosity and anticipation building within you.

With a slight smile, Wooyoung bit his lip and locked eyes with you.

"Must I be the secret admirer for you to like me?" He asked, his voice soft but filled with a hint of vulnerability, "What if I tell you, I'm not that person?"

The revelation hung in the air, leaving everyone at the table shocked and speechless. You, in particular, felt overwhelmed by the unexpected turn of events. You had been so convinced that he was your secret admirer, and now it seemed that the truth was something entirely different.

The mystery had deepened, and you were left wondering who could be behind the thoughtful gifts and gestures that had captured your heart.

As the shock of Wooyoung's revelation settled in, you felt a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts swirling within you. It was a perplexing mix of confusion, disappointment, and self-reflection.

Initially, you had been so convinced that Wooyoung was your secret admirer, and the prospect of that idea had excited you to no end.

But now, faced with the truth that he wasn't the one behind the anonymous gifts and sweet notes, you found yourself questioning why you had been so upset.

You realised that you had allowed your feelings for Wooyoung to become entangled with the idea of him being the secret admirer. It was as if you had equated your affection for him with the mysterious gestures and thoughtfulness of the anonymous person.

In reality, your crush on Wooyoung had been based on his kind actions and his charming personality, not on the deep connection that you thought you had developed because of the secret admirer's gestures.

Deep down, you couldn't deny that you felt a stronger connection to the secret admirer, as it seemed like this person knew you better than anyone else.

The gifts and notes had felt personal as if they were tailored to your likes and preferences. It made you question the authenticity of your feelings for Wooyoung, realising that they might have been built on a more superficial foundation.

As you grappled with these conflicting emotions, you told yourself that your feelings for Wooyoung should be independent and not dependent on what the secret admirer did or didn't do.

Wooyoung was, after all, his own person and your feelings for him should be based on who he was, not on the anonymous acts of kindness that had momentarily clouded your judgement.

After a moment of silence that seemed to weigh heavily on both of you, you could see a slight hint of disappointment in his eyes.

You couldn't let this moment pass without addressing his question.

"I'm sorry, Woo," You began, your voice soft and apologetic, "I do like you, I really do. But I need to find out who the person behind the anonymous gifts and notes is first, it's important to me."

His expression shifted, and he forced a smile, "I understand," He replied, his voice filled with understanding, "Take your time. I'll be here, waiting for your answer."

Mingi, who had been quietly observing the exchange, sensed your discomfort and decided to step in. He offered his gratitude to Wooyoung for taking care of you so far and claimed that he would take over looking out for you after lunch.

The tension in the air seemed to dissipate.

You were grateful for the understanding and support of both Wooyoung and Mingi. It was a complicated situation, but you were determined to unravel the mystery of your secret admirer and figure out where your heart truly belonged.

As the teacher continued explaining the historical artefacts at the museum, you found it increasingly difficult to focus.

Your mind was still trying to digest the fact that Wooyoung was not your secret admirer, and the revelation had left you feeling somewhat distracted.

Lost in your thoughts, you suddenly felt a presence beside you.

It was San, and he couldn't resist teasing you for not paying attention. His playful jab was enough to snap you out of your trance, and he challenged you to a quiz to see who could answer more questions correctly.

At first, you hesitated, still feeling a bit overwhelmed by the recent turn of events.

However, his persistence and friendly competitiveness eventually won you over. You accepted his challenge, and together, you both started paying closer attention to the teacher's explanations.

As the quiz progressed, you found yourself engaged and focused, eager to prove your knowledge. San's enthusiasm and determination were contagious, and he pushed you to think critically about the artefacts and their historical significance.

In the end, the quiz ended in a draw, with both of you answering an impressive number of questions correctly.

You were touched by his effort to help you get back on track and stay engaged in the lesson. It was a small gesture, but it made you realise that maybe, just maybe, your rivalry could turn into something different.

The bus ride back to school after the museum trip had ended found you somehow seated in the final row between Wooyoung and San. Mingi couldn't resist throwing you sly glances, wiggling his brows in a playful manner. You scoffed and rolled your eyes at his antics, trying your best to ignore him.

As the journey continued, the rhythmic motion of the bus and the hum of the engine started to lull you to sleep.

Your eyelids grew heavy, and soon enough, your head swayed and landed on Wooyoung's shoulder, causing a few students to let out affectionate coos at the sight.

San, however, had other plans.

He gently moved your head from Wooyoung's shoulder over to his own, a small, smug smile playing on his lips as he watched you unconsciously snuggle closer to him.

Mingi, sitting nearby, widened his eyes at the unexpected turn of events, making a mental note to tell you about this later.

Wooyoung, on the other hand, looked away and focused his gaze out the window, his expression unreadable but clearly upset. It seemed like both San and Wooyoung were having an internal battle between themselves, each trying to win your attention and affection in their own way.

The tension between the two of them simmered beneath the surface, creating an unspoken rivalry that was beginning to take a toll on their friendship.

In the days following the museum trip, Wooyoung seemed to sense your need for some space and gave you a bit of room to sort through your feelings and thoughts.

The revelation that he wasn't your secret admirer had left you somewhat confused, and you found yourself wanting to uncover the mystery more than ever.

Mingi, always full of wild ideas, suggested that it could be San who was behind the anonymous gifts, especially considering his recent drastic change in behaviour toward you.

It wasn't entirely impossible, but you couldn't bring yourself to believe it.

After all, the gifts had started arriving when you and San were still rivals, and he had even mocked you for receiving them, insinuating that you might be sending them to yourself. The idea that he could be your secret admirer just didn't add up in your mind, and you were adamant that it couldn't be him.

There's no way in hell it could be Choi San.

As you sat alone on the bleachers one day, deep in thought, San suddenly appeared beside you, holding a carton of your favourite chocolate milk.

Your eyes widened in surprise.

The chocolate milk had become a special symbol of your connection with the secret admirer, and it left you wondering how San could possibly know about it.

He offered you the carton with a casual smile, his gaze meeting yours as if he had something important to say. The puzzle pieces in your mind began to shift.

Holy crap, could he be..?

"I found this on your desk, I'm guessing your secret admirer must have left it there." You let out a sigh of relief, realising that, of course, he couldn't have been the one behind this gesture.

He was just being friendly and helpful.

As he settled down beside you, he noticed the contemplative expression on your face and asked, "What's on your mind?"

You wondered when it had all begun, this change in his demeanour towards you. He was treating you so casually, almost like friends, and it left you both intrigued and perplexed.

But you chose not to voice your thoughts out loud, not wanting to risk a quarrel with him.

Instead, you decided to be honest and opened up about your problem with the secret admirer, "It's the thing with my secret admirer... It sucks but it bothers me that it isn't Wooyoung. I just can't figure out why I'm so disappointed by the truth. I guess I just... really wanted it to be him."

To your surprise, San offered you genuine advice.

"If you're disappointed that it's not Wooyoung," He began, "Maybe it's because he's not the one you truly like. Perhaps it's the secret admirer that you really want to be with."

His words struck a chord with you, and you couldn't help but ponder them. His insights were unexpected, and you found yourself considering whether your feelings for Wooyoung had been based on the wrong foundation all along.

It was a moment of introspection that left you with more questions than answers, but at least now, you had someone to discuss them with.

"Tell you what, I'll help you find out who this mysterious person is."

San's willingness to help you figure out the identity of your secret admirer took you by surprise. After all, it was San who had initially ridiculed you for receiving these anonymous gifts and had even been quite mean about it.

You expressed your genuine astonishment, turning to him with wide eyes, "You're really willing to help me with this?" You asked, still somewhat taken aback by his sudden change of heart.

He looked at you, his expression softening with a touch of guilt.

He admitted, "I shouldn't have said those mean words back then. I didn't mean them, and I wish I could take them back if it were possible."

His sincere apology caught you off guard, and you could see the regret in his eyes. You appreciated his honesty and his willingness to make amends, and you were thankful for his apology.

With San by your side, offering to help uncover the mystery of your secret admirer, you wondered if there was more to him than the rivalry that had defined your relationship until now. It was a surprising turn of events, and you were beginning to see a different side of him—one that left you curious and intrigued.

"Hey, San. Be honest with me, why the sudden change in attitude?"

Your curiosity got the better of you, and you finally mustered the courage to address the elephant in the room.

You observed him closely as you posed the question, watching as he attempted to keep his facial expression neutral. It was clear that he was holding back a lot when he finally answered.

"I guess I just... realised how childish I'd been the whole time," He began, his voice measured, "And I grew tired of all the unnecessary fighting between us. I also should've said this earlier but I... I'm really sorry for the way I've acted in the past, I know I was a complete jerk."

His words seemed plausible, but there was something in his eyes that suggested there might be more to the story. It wasn't entirely the truth, but you chose not to press further, not wanting to make him any more uncomfortable.

Instead, you accepted his explanation and appreciated his efforts to change for the better. It was a step towards building a more cordial relationship, and you were willing to see where it would lead.

As he had promised, he diligently assisted you in unravelling the mystery of your secret admirer. Consequently, the two of you ended up spending more time together than initially anticipated, and through this process, you gained a deeper understanding of him.

You came to recognise that when San set his mind to it, he could be just as caring and attentive as Wooyoung.

At this point, you had lost track of how many times he had managed to evoke emotions in you that you had once believed only his best friend could elicit.

The Choi San you now knew was a stark departure from the person you had first encountered, but you had no complaints about the transformation.

It wasn't until that one fateful day that you truly grasped the depth of your feelings for him.

'Hey buttercup, soz I can't walk home with you today. Got a meeting with my project groupmates, I'll see you at dinner tonight.' - Princess Minki💕

As you prepared to leave school, a sigh escaped your lips upon receiving Mingi's text about his meeting with his project groupmates, you resigned yourself to the idea of walking home alone. You didn't want to bother Wooyoung since he had been giving you space lately.

However, to your surprise, when you reached the school gates, you found San standing there, waiting.

You blinked in confusion, "San? Why are you here?"

He smiled, "I'm waiting for you. I saw Mingi leaving with his groupmates, so I thought I'd wait and walk you home."

Your heart did a little flip at his unexpected kindness, "Oh, you really don't have to do that," You said, genuinely touched by his gesture. But he insisted, his tone firm, "I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to you while you walked home alone. It's the least I can do."

With a grateful smile, you nodded, feeling a warmth in your chest at the realisation that perhaps your relationship with San was slowly evolving into something more.

During your walk home with him, every step seemed to resonate with a sense of closeness that went beyond mere friendship.

The world around you faded into insignificance as he held the umbrella over both of you, sheltering you from the gentle drizzle that had started. The soft pattering of raindrops on the umbrella's surface created a soothing backdrop to your conversation.

His attention to detail was astonishing, like the way he would glance at you out of the corner of his eye when he thought you weren't looking, his gaze filled with a warmth that sent shivers down your spine.

Each shared joke felt like a secret shared between the two of you, a bond that was growing stronger with every laugh.

And when your bag slipped from your shoulder, hitting the ground with a thud, you expected to bend down to pick it up yourself, but before you could react, he had already swooped down to retrieve it for you.

His act of chivalry caught you off guard, making your heart skip a beat. It was these seemingly insignificant moments that left you questioning the nature of your feelings.

As your steps echoed in rhythm with his, you felt a magnetic pull towards him, and your thoughts began to revolve around this unexpected connection that was steadily blossoming between you two.

Without realising it, your focus gradually shifted entirely to San when you were with him. Unlike with Wooyoung, your thoughts no longer wandered to the mysterious secret admirer.

He had a unique way of capturing your full attention, and you found yourself drawn to him in a way you hadn't expected. It was a surprising development that left you in a state of denial about the butterflies he was stirring in your heart.

As you neared your home, engrossed in a conversation with him, you didn't notice the car that swerved dangerously close to the sidewalk. It happened in the blink of an eye, and before you could even react, San sprang into immediate action.

"Watch out!"

In an instant, he had wrapped his arms around you, shielding you from the potential crash.

Time seemed to slow down as you felt his strong, protective embrace. Your heart pounded in your chest, and the world around you blurred into insignificance as you found yourself pressed against his chest.

Once the danger had passed, you slowly pulled away, your breaths coming in shallow gasps.

You stared up at San, your eyes wide with a mixture of emotions. At first, you had feared for his safety, but now, as you gazed into his eyes, you felt your heart racing for an entirely different reason.

His eyes locked with yours, so full of emotion that it left you breathless. It was as if he had been so afraid of you being in harm's way, and that depth of concern was something you had never expected.

At that moment, everything seemed to change between you.

The world around you regained its focus, and you realised that you were still standing on the sidewalk, in the arms of the person who had just saved you from potential danger.

It was a powerful, intense moment that left your heart racing and your mind in turmoil as you tried to make sense of the emotions swirling within you.

The next morning, as you walked to school with Mingi, your heart was still racing from the previous day's encounter with San. The memory of his protective embrace and the intense moment that had followed played over and over in your mind.

As you approached the school gates, you scanned the crowd, looking for any sign of San.

It was almost as if your subconscious was seeking out his presence. And then, like a scene from a movie, you spotted him coming your way from the opposite direction.

Your breath caught in your throat as he drew closer, a warm smile spreading across his face, "Good morning." He greeted you, his voice friendly and genuine.

"Morning." You managed to reply, feeling a strange mix of excitement and nervousness.

San continued on his way, walking alongside Wooyoung, who had been right beside him the entire time. It was at that moment that you realised something shocking: you hadn't even noticed Wooyoung's presence until now.

The realisation hit you like a truck.

It wasn't Wooyoung who had occupied your thoughts, even when he was right next to San. It was San himself who had captured your attention, making you question your feelings and priorities.

You couldn't pinpoint exactly when it all started, but the vice president of the baseball club had somehow become a constant presence in your thoughts. And you had lost track of how many times your heart had fluttered just from catching a glimpse of him.

Almost everything seemed to trigger thoughts of San, and you now realise that these were reactions even Wooyoung couldn't elicit from you during the time you were crushing on him.

Mingi observed you quietly, having heard about what had happened with San the previous day.

He chose to remain silent, knowing that you needed time and space to process your thoughts and emotions. As your best friend, he wanted you to find clarity in your feelings, whatever they may be.

As you entered the classroom with Mingi, your eyes were immediately drawn to your desk, where your favourite chocolate milk sat, accompanied by the usual heartfelt note.

But this time, the note held a surprise.

It didn't contain the usual sweet message; instead, it instructed you to meet up on the rooftop during lunch break.

Your heart raced as you read the note, your eyes widening in astonishment. Your secret admirer was finally revealing themselves, taking the first step towards unveiling their identity.

You couldn't believe it was happening, and a sense of excitement mixed with nervousness coursed through you.

Showing the note to Mingi, you both exchanged wide-eyed glances, realising that the moment you had been waiting for had finally arrived.

It should have filled you with happiness, but deep down, a conflicted feeling gnawed at your heart. You couldn't believe that, despite all your initial reluctance, you found yourself secretly wishing that your secret admirer would turn out to be San.

Everything about him screamed that he couldn't possibly be the one behind the anonymous gifts and sweet notes.

But as determination welled up within you, you considered the possibility of rejecting your secret admirer, someone you had admired from a distance, in favour of someone you had never imagined having feelings for; San.

The thought left you grappling with a whirlwind of emotions as you prepared for the lunchtime rendezvous on the rooftop, unsure of what lay ahead.

The rest of the morning went by in a blur, you hadn't even the slightest clue what Mr. Kim had taught you all in class.

"You can do this, buttercup!"

Mingi encourages, pulling you in for a quick hug before he pushes you towards the staircase leading up to the school rooftop.

Anxiety gripped your heart as you made your way up to the rooftop, each step echoing your pounding heartbeat. You couldn't believe the moment had finally arrived to meet the person who had been behind all the gifts and notes that had brightened your days for the past few months.

Your mind raced with questions, doubts, and a flutter of hope.

As you reached the rooftop door, you hesitated for a moment before pushing it open. The anticipation in the air was palpable, and you could hardly contain the whirlwind of emotions churning inside you.

Your heart nearly stopped when you stepped onto the rooftop, your eyes falling upon the back of a familiar figure.

A sense of suspense hung heavy in the air, and you couldn't bring yourself to move or speak just yet. The person slowly turned around, and as their face came into view, your heart sank.

It was... Wooyoung.

Your disappointment was palpable as you uttered, "Oh, it's you," in a tone that betrayed your shattered expectations. You couldn't control your reaction, and it hurt to know that it wasn't the person you had secretly hoped for.

Unfortunately for you, Wooyoung had seen your reaction clearly.

He smiled sadly, a mixture of understanding and acceptance in his eyes. He had come here not to reveal himself as your secret admirer but to confirm that you didn't return his feelings so that he could finally move on.

Realising that you had hurt him with your reaction, you immediately apologised, "God, I'm so sorry, Woo. I didn't mean to sound disappointed."

Wooyoung's smile remained gentle as he reassured you, "It's fine, really. I understand."

He took a step closer to you and spoke softly, "But I think you should know that I'm not the one who has been sending you those gifts and notes."

Confusion and curiosity washed over you as you turned to face him, your heart pounding in your chest, "Then who is it?" You asked, unable to hide the eagerness in your voice.

Wooyoung smiled once more, but this time, his gaze drifted past you, "Your secret admirer is standing right behind you."

Your heart raced as you turned around slowly, each second feeling like an eternity as you wished desperately for it to be the person you'd come to secretly hope for.

Suspense hung in the air, almost suffocating, as you finally set your eyes on the figure standing there.

And then, you saw him.

Choi San.

Your heart soared at the sight of him, holding a bouquet of your favourite flowers in his hands. His smile was so sweet that it melted your heart, and you couldn't believe the person you had once despised could be your secret admirer.

Wooyoung, having fulfilled his own purpose, discreetly left you two alone for some privacy.

San walked up to you slowly, a playful "surprise" escaping his lips as he presented the bouquet to you. You accepted it shyly, your fingers brushing against the delicate petals, but you couldn't help the flood of questions that overwhelmed your mind.

Sitting together on the bench on the rooftop, you looked at him with a mixture of astonishment and confusion, "Is this some kind of prank?" You asked cautiously, your guard still up despite the sincerity in his eyes.

He shook his head gently, his gaze unwavering, "No, I promise you, this is not a prank," He assured you softly, his eyes locked with yours, "It really has been me all this time."

A wave of disbelief washed over you.

The person who had once been your rival, who had teased and challenged you relentlessly, was the same person who had been secretly showing you kindness and affection.

The contrast was staggering.

As you looked into his eyes, you couldn't believe how you had misunderstood him for so long, and why he had chosen to hide his true feelings behind the guise of a secret admirer.

There were so many questions, but one thing was clear: your perception of Choi San was about to change in ways you couldn't have imagined.

It was time to clear the air, to understand the mystery behind the secret admirer you had come to appreciate and admire, "Okay," You began, your voice tinged with scepticism, "You need to explain everything, from the beginning. How did this all start?"

San sighed, his eyes focused on the ground for a moment before meeting yours with a hint of regret.

"I guess it all started on that first day," He confessed, "It's true that I was having a really bad day when you bumped into me, I was actually going to apologise for being rude. But then you responded with so much feistiness that it intrigued me. I've never met a girl as gutsy as you, and I found it... attractive."

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Wait, you found it attractive when I fought back?"

He chuckled, a faint blush colouring his cheeks.

"Yeah, I did. I was disappointed when you didn't react the way I expected during your first visit to the baseball club. I thought you'd fight back, but you left so timidly. So, I decided to ignore you the next time I saw you, hoping it would get a reaction out of you."

Your mind was reeling from this revelation.

The rivalry between you two had been initiated because he enjoyed seeing you argue back. It was a strange reason, but it explained a lot about his behaviour.

"So, you admired me because of our arguments?"

He nodded, a sheepish smile playing on his lips, "Yes, I admired your spirit and intelligence. But I also realised I couldn't express my admiration openly because of our rivalry. So, I chose to become your secret admirer."

You laughed at the irony of it all, "Wow, this is so unexpected. I thought you just enjoyed tormenting me," He grinned, a glint of mischief in his eyes, "Well, that was part of it. But there's more to it than just that."

As you continued to talk, you realised that the person you had once viewed as your rival had harboured feelings of admiration and attraction towards you all along.

San shifted uncomfortably on the bench, his expression more serious now, "There's... something else too." He began, his gaze fixed on the bouquet of flowers you held.

Your curiosity was piqued once again, "What is it?"

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I... I know I stopped leaving you the notes and gifts at some point." You immediately knew what he was referring to, remembering how upset you had been.

He glanced at you, his eyes filled with a hint of remorse, "It was around the time I overheard Mingi teasing you about your crush on Wooyoung. It saddened me because I thought maybe it was time for you to focus on being with him."

You furrowed your brow, surprised by this revelation, "You stopped because of that?"

He nodded, his expression conflicted, "Yes. I didn't want to stand in the way of you and Wooyoung, especially since he's my best friend."

His lips curled into a small, self-deprecating smile, "And that's where I messed up. I thought it was a selfless act, but then I saw how upset you were at the absence of the gifts, and I decided to tease you about it. I wanted to see your reaction, and that's when I realised I really hurt your feelings."

Your eyes widened as you recalled that particular encounter, "I was genuinely angry that day," He nodded, his gaze downcast, "I deserved it. I realised that's not how you treat someone you like."

You both sat in silence for a moment, the weight of his confession sinking in. It all made sense now, that was the point when he had suddenly started being nicer to you.

It was clear that San had been struggling with his feelings and the situation had become even more complicated when he saw you growing closer to Wooyoung, just like everyone else, believing he was your secret admirer.

The jealousy he had felt was something he hadn't expected.

"But... why didn't you just talk to me about your feelings?" You finally asked, your voice soft. He sighed, his shoulders slumping, "I guess I was scared. Scared that if I revealed everything, I might lose our friendship, and I couldn't bear the thought of that."

You reached out and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "San, you don't have to be scared anymore. We can figure this out together."

He looked up at you, his eyes reflecting a mix of relief and gratitude, "Thank you for understanding."

With your newfound understanding, you both continued your conversation, unravelling the complexities of your relationship and the unexpected twists and turns that had brought you to this moment.

The rooftop seemed to hold its breath as you absorbed all that San had shared with you.

The weight of the past few months, the ups and downs, the misunderstandings, and the revelations hung in the air. It was as though a puzzle had finally been pieced together, and you could see the bigger picture clearly now.

As you took a deep breath, you noticed that San was fidgeting, his gaze shifting between your eyes and the ground. There was something he needed to say or do, and the anticipation gnawed at you.

Finally, you couldn't contain your curiosity any longer.

"San," You began gently, "Is there something else on your mind?"

He looked up, meeting your eyes with a mixture of nervousness and determination. His voice was a bit shaky as he spoke, "Actually, there's one more thing I need to ask."

Your heart raced as you waited for him to continue, wondering what else could possibly be left unsaid after everything you'd discussed.

With a deep breath, he scooted closer to you, his eyes locking onto yours, "I've liked you for a long time now, and I've realised that I don't want to hide it anymore. I want to be with you. So, um... Would you be willing to be my girlfriend?"

Your breath caught in your throat, your heart pounding loudly in your chest.

This was the moment you had never expected but secretly hoped for. You looked into his earnest eyes, and a warmth spread through you, washing away any lingering doubts or hesitations.

A smile broke across your face, and it was filled with genuine happiness, "Yes, San. I'd love to be your girlfriend."

His expression shifted from nervousness to pure joy, a radiant smile matching yours. He reached for your hand, and you willingly entwined your fingers with his, sealing the moment.

It felt as though the weight of all the misunderstandings, rivalry, and secrets had been lifted, leaving behind a newfound connection and the promise of something beautiful between you and Choi San.

As your hands remained entwined and the smile lingered on your faces, he felt a surge of happiness and anticipation. The rooftop, once a place filled with secrets and uncertainties, was now a witness to the beginning of something new.

He leaned in closer, his heart pounding louder with each inch he closed. The moment felt right, and he was ready to kiss you, to seal this new chapter between you two. But just as he was about to close the gap, you suddenly asked another question, pulling him back from the brink of that sweet, anticipated moment.

"Wait," You said with a curious expression, "So, Wooyoung knew about you being my secret admirer this whole time?"

San blinked, caught off guard by the unexpected interruption. He chuckled at your inquisitiveness, "Well," He began, "Not exactly. He found out on the day of the school trip when my jealousy got the best of me."

You chuckled along with him, realising how strange and tangled the web of emotions and secrets had become. He continued, "We decided to have a fair competition from then on, letting you be the one to choose who you liked more."

Your laughter filled the rooftop as you shook your head in disbelief at the absurdity of it all, "I can't believe all this drama happened behind the scenes."

He grinned, his thumb gently caressing your hand, "Life's full of surprises. But hey, at least it all worked out in the end."

With that, he leaned in once more, and this time, there were no more interruptions. Your lips met, sealing your newfound relationship with a sweet and memorable kiss.

On that rooftop, amidst the laughter and revelations, you and San found the beginning of something beautiful, free from rivalry and filled with the promise of love.

As the days turned into weeks, your relationship with San blossomed, and soon enough, you became the talk of the school.

The first time the students saw you both showing up hand in hand, they gasped in disbelief. Whispers and surprised glances followed your every move. But the attention didn't faze you or San; you were too wrapped up in each other to care.

San became a constant presence in your life.

He'd walk you to your first-period class, bending down to plant a gentle kiss on your lips before heading to his own. During lunch breaks, he'd wait for you patiently, and you'd share meals and laughter with Mingi, whose perpetual presence as the third wheel now felt like an integral part of your daily life.

Wooyoung, once a central figure in your life, gracefully accepted your rejection. He moved on, finding happiness elsewhere, and he was genuinely happy for you and his best friend.

The baseball club's dynamics might have shifted slightly, but it remained as strong as ever, with you visiting occasionally to watch their practices and games.

Your relationship with San brought not only love but also newfound friendships.

San and Mingi grew exceptionally close, despite your boyfriend's initial annoyance at your best friend's constant presence. The two eventually bonded over their shared affection for you and their mutual admiration for each other.

With each passing day, your connection with San deepened, and you found yourself falling in love with him more and more. The days of rivalry were long behind you, replaced by a sweet romance that left you both feeling fortunate to have found each other.

On a bright, sunny afternoon, you and your boyfriend found yourselves on the school rooftop, enjoying a cute little picnic date. The rooftop had become your special spot, a place where you could escape the hustle and bustle of school life and just be together.

As you laid out a checkered blanket, he couldn't resist stealing a sweet kiss from your lips. Your laughter filled the air, and you playfully pushed him away before retreating into his warm embrace.

His fingers gently traced patterns on your arm as he gazed into your eyes, a look of pure adoration on his face.

San, his eyes soft and contemplative, looked out over the campus below before turning his gaze toward you, "You know, I've been thinking... Would you have liked me if I hadn't riled you up so much when we first met?"

Your smile widened as you considered his question.

It was true; your initial encounters with San were filled with endless banter and rivalry. But as you thought back on those moments, you realised something profound.

"Ooh, that's an interesting question. Honestly, a part of me is glad you did. It made your presence known, and, well, quite impactful," He smirked, "Impactful, huh? So, you miss those days of constant teasing and rivalry?"

Your heart skipped a beat as you weighed your response carefully.

The truth was, while those early days had been filled with challenges and unknowing sparks flying between you two, you wouldn't trade the bond you now shared for anything else.

Shaking your head, you responded, "Not at all! I much prefer the sweet boyfriend you are now."

His eyes sparkled with affection as he inched closer to you. He couldn't resist the warmth of your words and the love that radiated from your gaze. Tenderly, he cupped your cheek and pressed a soft kiss to your lips.

"God, I love you so much." He whispered against your lips.

Your heart swelled with happiness, and in that intimate rooftop setting, your love was sealed with a sweet, lingering kiss.

But just as the romantic atmosphere began to envelop you both, a loud groan interrupted your moment, "Jesus Christ! Get a room, you two! We're in school, for Pete's sake!"

You rolled your eyes and snapped your head up to see your best friend standing at the entrance to the rooftop, grinning mischievously despite the complaints as he approached with a familiar carton of your favourite chocolate milk in hand.

"Surprise!" Mingi announced, offering you the coveted treat, "I thought you might want this."

You laughed as you accepted the milk, realising that even on your private date, Mingi managed to insert himself into the picture. It was one of those quirks that made your friendship all the more special.

With the three of you now lounging on the rooftop, surrounded by the warmth of friendship and newfound love, Mingi couldn't help but reflect on how drastically things had changed.

He spoke with a playful tone, "You know, it's kind of funny. You two were literally at each other's throats for as long as I can remember. And now, look at you, all in love with each other."

You and San shared a fond look, both realising that sometimes, the most unexpected journeys lead to the most beautiful destinations. As you cuddled close, basking in the joy of the present moment, you knew that your love story was a testament to the power of change, friendship, and the unexpected.

Your love story had its share of twists and turns, but in the end, it was a tale of two hearts finding their way to each other, against all odds.

Well damn, this turned out slightly longer than I'd planned.

Anyway, hope y'all liked this! Thank you for reading and as always, I'd love to hear all your thoughts on the story so feel free to leave as many replies as you want! <3

Also, do let me know if you wish to be added to the permanent tag list for all my works (or if you wish to be removed, I'd understand).

Tag list: @aurasblue @marievllr-abg

All Rights Reserved © edenesth // DO NOT REPOST, TRANSLATE, PLAGIARISE OR REPURPOSE.

#ateez #ateez fanfic #ateez fanfiction #choi san #ateez san #high school au #enemies to lovers #san x reader #san x you #ateez fic #san oneshot #ateez oneshot

[adore-laur]

WINDS OF CHANGE

— my writing is a bit rusty, but here’s an update on dad harry & the fam <3 please reblog/comment, or i will haunt you

——

You've been dreading this day since March began.

Every time you passed the calendar on the refrigerator, you averted your eyes so you didn't see the specific date circled with the words "Lovebug's First Day" written inside it.

Time ticked by in an unyielding manner. Like an apex predator lying in wait, it crept up on you and pounced, leaving you disoriented, helpless, and wounded. You couldn't mentally process the breakneck speed of reality sprinting straight at you. When you merely blinked in a daze, another month unfurled, leaving no chance to recover.

The day arrived with a strong western wind and a brilliantly bright sunrise that mocked your low spirits. You're awake before anyone else, which is rare. Sleep evaded you last night, your eyes rejecting the heaviness that always comes with sleeping in Harry's warm embrace. The restlessness was paired with a fierce ache clutching your heart and holding on tight until the early morning.

At almost four years old, your eldest daughter is attending preschool today. After being a stay-at-home mom since she was born, you're finally setting her free to grow somewhere new. It was always in the cards, considering you would like to get back to working part-time to help provide for the family. You loved bonding with and nurturing both your girls, but you're eager to put your brain to use in a different environment. It's time to return to other identities besides being a mother and a wife.

You start brewing coffee, then open the kitchen curtains to allow the sun to pour in. For some odd reason, the atmosphere feels different. It feels like your first day of school all over again, where there's that nostalgic zest in the air fused with an underlying fear of the unknown. It's impossible to describe lucidly, but its presence is strongly felt nonetheless.

Today will forever change your family's routine, and it will make you want to rip your hair out and also burst with pride. There's a tug-of-war match taking place in your heart right now. Your nerves feel frayed—anxiety's merciless hands are harshly plucking at the threads. It's like fighting a biological battle with no shield. Your brain is futile against all the attacks.

The sound of the stairs creaking dissolves your whirlwind thoughts. Harry appears, wearing a snug black sweater and athletic shorts. He yawns, the sparkling sunlight accentuating his face gorgeously. The neatly trimmed scruff on his jaw he kept throughout winter. The tired shape of his eyes. The wispy way his hair curls after his morning shower. It's a blessing to be able to see the serene side of him that just woke up and isn't burdened by stress.

"Hi, sweetheart," he says, taking the mug of black coffee you prepared for him and sipping with an appreciative hum. "Both kids are still asleep."

You simply nod, afraid that if you speak, your poise will crumble instantaneously. Your hands distract themselves by lighting the wick of a sandalwood-scented candle. A part of you falsely hopes the comforting aroma will calm you down, but you know nothing will break through the full-body anxiety you're currently experiencing.

"No cuddles in bed this morning?" Harry asks curiously, coming up behind you and wrapping his arms around your waist. He smells like his sage and citrus body wash. "I missed you. Thought we'd have a little cry session before leaving."

Did he really have to mention the elephant in the room? You force your tears to save their arrival for later and say, "Sorry. I'm just trying to avoid crying as much as possible today."

His sigh is weighted with emotion as he sets his mug down and begins massaging your shoulders. "I'm losing my composure already," he admits, laughing weakly.

At least he's in the same boat as you. Being a father has cracked him open in the best way possible—he's more softened than ever, and these parenting milestones always make him tenderhearted.

You rest your head against his chest and say, "This is harder than I thought it'd be." Every outcome you predicted involved an aching heart. Now, in the thick of it, you're defenseless.

"Remember our first night at home with her?" Harry asks, applying pressure with his thumbs to get rid of the muscle knots in your shoulder blades.

"Yeah. You woke me up because she had the hiccups."

He groans into your neck, almost like he's reliving the panicked moment. "I was so scared something was wrong."

You recall opening your eyes in the dead of night, the mellow lamplight illuminating Harry's troubled expression. Your baby, so small and precious in his arms, had harmless hiccups leaving her mouth. While half asleep, you reassured him by saying it was probably because she fed for too long. He agreed yet still brought her to bed and gently rubbed her tummy until they were gone. You two were learning and tag-teaming through pure exhaustion. It was tough, but the rewards came in refreshing waves.

"Then she threw up on me," Harry adds, shaking his head fondly.

You turn around and slide your palms under his sweater, feeling the gloriously warm skin of his sculpted stomach. "Remember when she said her first word?"

He smiles reminiscently. "Mama."

"You started crying, if I'm not mistaken."

"Because she recognized you. It was special."

"Are you surprised she didn't say Dada first?"

"No, considering I talked about Mama all the time around her." His knuckle strokes under your chin. "Still do."

You hum thoughtfully, welcoming the pleasant memories that replay behind your closed eyelids. "Our girl is all grown up now. What are we going to do?"

Harry tilts your head to kiss the sensitive spot behind your ear. "You and I will be okay. It'll take time, but we'll eventually sink into this new normal."

"You think so?"

"I know so. Our love is steadfast, and nothing will ever change that." He hugs you in an all-consuming way—it's intimate and infuses you with safety, warmth, and a hopeful spark that everything will patch together the way it's supposed to.

——

When the preschool comes into view, you get slammed with immediate sadness.

You toured it with Harry months ago, ensuring it was where you wanted your daughter to be during the weekdays. The curriculum focuses on outdoor learning and is nestled in a safe neighborhood only ten minutes from the beach house. The teachers, classrooms, and overall energy of the place made you less anxious, but now it's back with a vengeance, eating away at your calm facade.

Kids linger outside the building, the sun shining on the blacktop that's scribbled with chalk drawings. A few participate in supervised hopscotch, while others twist their bodies nervously. A gated playground area is off to the left, with colorful swings, slides, and seesaws. To the right is a woodsy area with a large sandbox and flower beds. The stone pathway is decorated with little handprints that must have been dipped in paint. It's darling.

In the rearview mirror, you watch your daughter kick her legs in excitement and hug her tiny ladybug backpack, all ready to go. She woke up happy as a clam and impatiently scarfed down the big breakfast Harry had made her. After that, Harry did her hair while sitting on the front porch, the March winds and briny air bringing the spring season with them. Pictures were taken, hearts were broken a bit more, and then you all were off to part ways.

Harry to the restaurant; you to your part-time job. No babies to look after, just an empty house waiting to be filled with love again.

Your youngest daughter, who's ten months old now, sleeps peacefully in the car seat. She's getting bigger every day, and it's a double whammy to see both your children becoming more cognizant. You want to curse time for being such a thief.

She'll be dropped off at the nearby daycare center next, which will further twist the knife. It's possible for separation anxiety to occur, and while you can handle it, your baby girl's reaction will be a mystery. You sincerely hope the transition from home to somewhere unfamiliar will be smooth sailing.

Harry parks the car and looks over at you unwaveringly. "It's now or never," he whispers.

You draw in a deep breath, then exhale slowly. "Let's go."

Stepping out of the car, you open the back door and let your daughter hop out. You'd walk her to the door, but you want to stay near your youngest.

As she bounces with anticipation, you open her backpack and double-check that she has everything—her lunch box, a change of clothes, sunscreen, and the comfort blanket she's had since she was born. You zip it back up and then unhurriedly help her arms into the straps, trying to stall what happens next.

Harry, never the one to procrastinate, kicks things into gear by crouching and cradling her head. "You have the best day, all right? Be kind, make friends, and have fun. I'll be picking you up later."

"Can we eat ice cream after?" she asks, clasping her hands and standing on her tiptoes. "And play on the beach?"

He kisses her forehead. "We can do whatever you want, lovebug."

You can envision it now. Harry will bring the girls home, exhausted from work. He'll make dinner and wait for you, then you'll all sit at the kitchen table and attentively listen to her talk about her day in great detail. Then, as the sun sets, he'll entertain her by the shore until he insists on bedtime. Come tomorrow, he'll do it again with the same steadfast devotion because that's what good fathers do.

"We love you so much," you say, petting her braided hair.

"Love you," she replies distractedly, eagerly glancing at the front door. "I gotta go now, Mommy. Bye, Daddy."

She turns, ready to break free, but Harry stops her and says, "Not so fast, little lady. Give us some love to get through the day."

She shyly hugs him. She's growing out of her clingy tendencies and becoming more independent, and you can tell by Harry's sad smile that he recognizes it too. She briefly hugs your leg before running to the front door, where teachers are waiting with enthusiastic expressions and name tag stickers.

Harry slowly stands, never taking his eyes off her. He's more adjusted to not seeing her as much during the week than you, but you know the sentiment of her starting school still weighs heavy on his heart. After watching her disappear, he slings his arm around your shoulders and guides you to the car.

Inside is where you fall apart. The first cry that escapes has Harry blowing out an unsteady breath and embracing you. Against your neck, he sniffles, letting his piled-up emotions finally fall to pieces. He's not much of a crier, but when he does, it's a raw sight to see.

"Reservation for a cry session? Table for two?" he says humorously, rubbing your back and lightly scratching it.

"We're so lame," you whisper, gripping his sweater like a vice.

"God, I know. I even packed tissues." Harry takes an on-the-go pack out of his pocket, plucks two tissues out, and wipes both his and your tears with them.

"Eventually, we're going to have to do this again," you say. From the passenger seat, you peek at your baby girl and shoo away the thought—you still have more than enough time with her before she starts school.

Harry kisses your cheek. "One day at a time, honey."

Undoubtedly, this routine will get easier. It will become second nature, and you'll discover the exquisite simplicity of watching your children grow before leaving the nest and soaring through the sky.

They came into this world like a soft spring breeze, carrying seeds and dispersing them into your life. The roots emerged from under your home and flourished into a bountiful garden. Each day, there are new blossoms to admire and appreciate. And each day, you aim to help them thrive with support from Harry's sunshine.

Try as they might, the winds of change won't cause harm. Your family's roots are firm in the ground.

——

#harry styles blurb #harry styles imagine #harry styles x reader #harry styles fluff #harry styles fanfic #harry styles au #dad harry #dad!harry #dadrry #adore-laur #harry styles

[luciddownloading]

Tarot Reading (Pick A Card): Messages From Your Inner Child 🧸

Hello and welcome to or welcome back for another Tarot reading. I felt very inspired to do this one today, possibly because of my own recent inner child work. It's pretty self-explanatory. We will first see what traits your inner child has; how you were as a child and how you still carry that around. Then, we'll see what messages your inner child has for you. Being in touch with the child within can make you more in touch with your emotions and needs, which can, therefore, bring you clarity on emotional problems or external conflicts you may be avoiding or struggling with.

I don't know what kind of messages will come out but I have a feeling that some of what I will be channeling will be on the heavier side. The inner child can, of course, carry so much of any trauma or abuse a person may have experienced growing up. So, keep that in mind.

And I am taking reversals again, btw. I just felt called to. So, see which image or images you feel most drawn to and then see what you need to know about or hear from your inner child. As always, use your intuition to know what resonates and if it's your pile or not. This reading may not be for everyone because of the messages being channeled.

PILE 1

PILE 2

PILE 3

PILE 4

PILE 1

YOUR INNER CHILD'S TRAITS

The Hermit (reversed)

Knight of Pentacles (reversed)

The Tower (reversed)

Ten of Cups (back of the deck)

Aw, Pile 1. I want to give the little version of you a hug. This is some really emotionally charged energy here. I feel like there are a lot of feelings about your childhood that you have yet to process. Maybe you're on the younger side still, like your early to mid 20's, and you haven't dealt with that yet. Or you could have just begun your healing journey or you're just about to. Either way, your inner child feels very, very close to your adult self, as if you are still that child that you were then. This could be in positive ways or in ways that held you back.

I definitely feel like you were very introverted or spent a lot of time alone. You might have been shamed a lot for that. Adults around you, in particular, could have thought your introversion was odd or tried to push you out of it. Not realizing that you can't really change that about a person! However, although there's nothing wrong with being an introvert, some of your behavior was a reaction to your environment. You often felt unsafe and judged and overwhelmed and you would totally retreat within your own little world in order to cope. You could play with your toys, read books or watch movies all day with little interaction with others.

You were constantly wishing you were somewhere else. You definitely could have hates your home life and even your hometown. You had a lot of fantasies about moving away or running away. You might have even tried to run away from home, when things got too crazy. But, I also feel like you were the rock in the family. You didn't need to be and shouldn't have been. You were just a kid. But, your home atmosphere was very turbulent and your family members could have been very unstable or thrived on drama. You might have felt like it was your role to be the sane one in the house or else everything would truly crumble. I can see you being a mini adult and being the one to listen or give advice or calm things down. If you had younger siblings, that's different. But, if you were doing this with older siblings or your parent(s), that could be a big source of trauma. Who was taking care of you?

You were either a huge overachiever or major underachiever in school, as a response to this parentified role. Either you felt like getting straight A's and being the model child was your key to survival and receiving love or you were so exhausted, neglected and even depressed at home that you couldn't be bothered with school. You might have even underperformed academically as your way of rebelling. People might not have understood the extent of your issues at home. One or both of your parents were all about appearances and making people think you had a perfect family.

I do think that you developed a deep-seated dream of the perfect family, as a child. You could have looked at your friends' families with envy or longing, wondering why couldn't have a family as nice or caring or stable as that. You might have even spent a lot of time at certain friends' homes, to the point where you became an honorary member of their family. It was a nice escape from your home. Again, I also think you became a major caregiver as a result of your upbringing. You were especially gentle with younger kids and very aware of how you treated them. You also couldn't wait to grow up and become a parent yourself. You could have personal placements in Scorpio or the Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) especially Virgo. Your Moon, in particular, may be in one of those signs. Your inner child is a real sweetheart and determined to give others the love that he/she/they didn't feel. That even extended to your relatives, even if they weren't always acting right. And this affected them very deeply. They may not have said so or treated you well but you were truly the warm, loving nucleus of your family. A light in the midst of the dark.

WHAT YOUR INNER CHILD WANTS TO SAY

The Empress

Three of Swords (reversed)

The Chariot

Judgement

The Fool (back of the deck)

Okay, this is interesting. So, what I said earlier about your healing journey just beginning could definitely apply to a lot of you. But, for a minority of you, this is describing the healing that you have already done and how far you have gotten. Either way, your inner child is coming through to say how absolutely proud they are of you! They are either proud because of all the progress you have made or the changes you are on track to make in order to heal.

You have or will become the kind of adult that your little self always needed. It is okay if you are crying right now because I am tearing up, too! Lol but you are fully capable of giving your inner child all the love and safety and support they were missing while growing up. You have spent so much of your life just giving, giving, giving that love away. That's what you learned to do. You learned to survive your daily life by giving love to people who couldn't receive it and/or couldn't give that love back. And that has carried over into your friendships and your love life. You are SUCH a loving person but you actually have a very hard time receiving love. This is why you are so drawn to unavailable people in love, for instance. It's what you know and because they can't truly be there for you, it keeps you feeling safe. That's a subconscious thing but attention is being drawn to this pattern (and many of you already know this).

You have had your heart broken very badly before in love because of this pattern. But, you know what? You refuse to give up on love or life. You refuse to shut your heart down. And if you're feeling tempted to harden or go cold, this is your warning to not give into that. That is not you! However, it is going to be important for you to incorporate a little bit more of your head. You lead with your heart and have a huge heart. Your heart chakra is one of your most powerful chakras. But, you will need to remember the power of discernment and boundaries. Don't just give your love to anyone! And align yourself with friends or love interests who can pour into you. It's not your duty or obligation to pour into them! Let yourself receive and attract good love.

I am getting that those of you who chose this pile have a very strong feminine energy (and, of course, you could identify with any gender). A message from your inner child is coming through about that. In some way, you weren't allowed to fully own your feminine energy as a child. Your family could have shamed or mocked you for it. You could have been pushed to be more masculine in a way that felt inauthentic to you. Something about a mother figure is also coming through. She could have been the main one shaming your femininity and possibly because of her struggles with her own. She could have been more on the controlling or suppressive side, not that nurturing or understanding.

However, you have the power to be a great mother figure to yourself. So much of your adult life will be about stepping into your Divine Feminine essence and healing the shaming you received for it as a child. And many of you will find other mother figures to connect to and feel truly nurtured by, whether it's surrogate mothers in the physical, feminine ancestors and spirit guides or even goddesses who have that motherly energy. Take what resonates.

All in all, your inner child either wants to prepare you for or congratulate you on creating a completely different life as an adult than the one given to you as a child. This could even mean cutting certain relatives off or your immediate family as a whole. Whatever feels right to you! You are in charge now. But, I can see you, throughout your healing, having huge and sudden realizations about your upbringing or your behavioral patterns as a result of your upbringing. These breakthroughs will lead to sweeping changes. But, also, don't push yourself too hard. A big part of your healing will depend on being gentle with yourself, especially since you didn't get that at home.

////////

PILE 2

YOUR INNER CHILD'S TRAITS

King of Pentacles

The Emperor (reversed)

Ten of Cups

Eight of Pentacles (back of the deck)

Pile 2, it seems like you grew up in a home/family that was very patriarchal. I am picking up a father figure with a very strong presence or personality. It could have been a grandfather, too. Maybe you were raised by your grandparents. I am also seeing a beard. Either your father or grandfather could have been known for their beard. But, whatever paternal figure you looked up to, I think they were very solid, consistent and grounded in an impressive way. They shaped a lot of your values, especially your work ethic.

Interestingly, I feel like there is the influence of two father figures here. It could even be a dad and a stepdad. Or two dads! Whatever the case. But, I feel like you were much closer to one than the other. For a lot of you, I do think this is the case of a grandpa that you were very connected to and a dad who you had a lot of issues with. Possibly the reverse! Take it how it resonates. Regardless, one of these father figures made you feel very restricted and invalidated and even controlled. He was very strict and rigid in ways that deeply impacted you.

It's also interesting because not a lot is coming through about you. I don't think, as a child, you were given much space to have an identity of your own. Some of you come from very big families or there was just a lot going on at home. You might have felt unseen and neglected. I think the financial part of your home life was fine. It was a case of emotional neglect. And you had a very deep need for your father's approval and recognition. It was something you just couldn't get but you tried your hardest (and that may still be continuing into adulthood).

The one way you were able to get attention was by achieving things. So, you put a lot of effort and energy into being the best. You also might have had a very competitive relationship with your siblings, for this reason. You could have birth chart placements in Aries or the Earth signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn. Your Moon could be in one of those signs, especially Aries or Capricorn. In many ways, you were a very masculine child. You may have been sporty and athletic, tomboyish, or just very assertive and direct. I do feel like your inner child has anger issues. Even though you could be sensible and level-headed, that inability to feel heard or validated could really, really frustrate you. But, that would just get you into trouble, especially with the aforementioned father figure. Maybe, at times, you would act out because that was a surefire way to get noticed by him.

WHAT YOUR INNER CHILD WANTS TO SAY

The Moon (reversed)

Page of Wands

Queen of Cups (reversed)

Five of Swords

Three of Cups (back of the deck)

Okay, I feel like the message here from your inner child is actually about your family. You have spent your life remaining oblivious to many of the dynamics in your family. If you do recognize some toxic patterns, you will just brush it off as not that big of a deal. But, you are underestimating the importance of these issues. They will catch up to you sooner or later. I am honestly feeling like your inner child is having a kind of That's So Raven vision of something bad happening soon. Except that's a sitcom and this won't be so funny. (You might actually have clairvoyance, too, and not realize it yet) But, you KNOW trouble is brewing. The tension keeps building on something and that'll keep happening until it boils over.

That sounds ominous, I know lol. This is not to scare you. If anything, it's to wake you up because you know what's going on and what's not right. You're just ignoring it. I hate to say it but certain family members might be hating behind your back or hoping you fail. That might not even be entirely conscious. But, when people are really struggling with their own insecurities, they take it out on people who are doing well. Are you embarking on some sort of project or new venture? If so, there are relatives who may be doubting you, criticizing you, even working against you.

There could be a betrayal from someone in your family that you don't see coming, even though anyone else could from a mile off. You just blind yourself, at times, and give them the benefit of the doubt too much. They want to keep you small. You are good at outdoing a lot of your competition, whether you realize it or not. But, you aren't given enough credit. It's that toxic thing that some people do of choosing to not praise you, even though you absolutely ATE without a crumb left on the plate, because praising you, in their mind, would make them smaller. But, that means that they were already small to begin with!

I am getting that this reversed Queen of Cups could be a draining mother figure in your family. If your father was emotionally unavailable, then she was emotionally exhausting. And an emotional vampire can feel very threatened by your success because that means they can't feed on your energy anymore. This could also be a sister, aunt, grandma or even a male relative with a lot of feminine energy. But, they can make you feel very manipulated. And, in the end, they could still love you. This could be so unconscious they don't even know they're doing it.

The little version of you is coming through to tell you to not be deceived by this kind of behavior. This relative may even try to talk you out of your dreams and goals or instill fear. For some of you, I feel like you are pursuing something very creative; a talent you have had since childhood but may not have fully maximized yet. For others, you are already doing it and it's about to take off. Whatever your abilities (and they don't necessarily have to be artistic), I think it's something this Queen of Cups may envy, especially if it's something they always wanted to do.

In terms of your hard father figure, there is a message here to stop trying to impress him. At what point do you decide that you're an adult who doesn't need their parent's approval to thrive? Your inner child is quite exhausted with jumping through those hoops. Just live your life! Liberate yourself. And that liberation may involve taking a break from your family or getting some distance, even if it's for a little while. Maybe longer! It will depend on the type of shit that goes down. I have the feeling that you grew up in a very "close-knit" family. But, close-knit in the sense of codependency and doing things together more so out of habit. If you are still living at home or in your hometown for whatever reason, now would be the time to go elsewhere. As I said, there's not a lot in this reading about your separate identity. I think you need to spend some more time totally on your own to figure out who you are as an individual.

/////////

PILE 3

Two of Pentacles

Five of Swords (reversed)

Eight of Wands (reversed)

King of Swords (reversed) (back of the deck)

Pile 3, I get the feeling that, wphile growing up, you might have taken on quite a bit just to make your family happy. Your inner child can be quite a people pleaser. I think you have always hated arguments and drama and conflict. So, you would do and say whatever was necessary to diffuse things or ease the tension. You might have personal placements, particularly the Moon, in Air: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius. You were a more laid-back child, agreeable and easy to get along with. But, you also struggled with intense inner conflict because you were so busy trying to alleviate any external conflicts and this had a way of eventually spilling out.

Your inner child is very fearful and anxious. I definitely get the vibe of "walking on eggshells". Again, you never wanted to do or say anything wrong. I think the consequences when you messed up could have been especially harsh or even cruel. So, this made you feel very self-conscious and insecure. Many of you could have had a father figure who was pretty much verbally abusive. His words could be extremely harsh and destructive and he might have given you his worst. The ways in which he tore you down may have stuck with you for life and you still haven't healed from it, in some way, is what I am getting.

Your inner child definitely needs a big hug! I don't feel like you got the emotional nourishment that you needed while growing up. That was kind of a foreign concept in your house. You were tended to on practical and intellectual levels. As a result, your inner child can be incredibly needy in ways you don't truly understand. Because of that insistence on the practical, you still focus heavily on the practical now, at the neglect of everything else. I am getting the message that if you are putting too much energy into work, it's because you have some sort of emotional problem you're not dealing with. I think you are simultaneously very close to your inner child but very detached from them. You have many emotional wounds that you feel like you can just ignore or suppress. But, it will come out, in some way or another.

I think that exploring and confronting your inner child can be very scary for you. You would rather not deal with those issues. But, you have to deal with them or else they will deal with you! You're also a little too comfortable in the old patterns of childhood. Not much has changed in terms of the dysfunctional way you deal with things. You get terribly afraid of disappointing people and causing conflict, which inevitably creates conflict. And you can be so, SO hard on yourself. You have a very mean inner dialogue that is just an echo of all the mean things your father figure planted in your head. It's really intense. Your inner child is just crying out for help and comfort because it's like they keep getting beat up again and again.

WHAT YOUR INNER CHILD WANTS TO SAY

King of Swords (reversed)

Seven of Cups (reversed)

Death (reversed)

The Magician (reversed)

Two of Wands (reversed)

Wow, well, this is really heavy. I don't know if you approached this reading expecting to hear what I am about to tell you . But, on some level, you know you need to hear it. First off, what is so striking is that the King of Swords in reverse immediately popped out again. You know that meme of Jasmine Masters, the drag queen, where she's like, "Well, just as I thought. Trash!" That's what just came to mind because I feel that way about this father figure represented by the reverse King of Swords. They are so mean and nasty and so miserable. Always has been and might always will be. Yes, I am dragging them lol. Maybe I should be impartial but fuck it. I feel like you need that because them showing up again here confirms how much they have wrecked your self-image and self-esteem since childhood. They made you believe that YOU are trash but you weren't the problem. They are still so deep in your head and under your skin and that's the first thing you need to heal.

You have spent your whole life afraid of turning into them, too, and you don't see how wonderful you actually are. We do NOT have to be our parents. We are not automatic clones of our parents. So many people just become a lot like their parents out of conditioning and an inability to shape their personalities in a different mold or break the cycle. Maybe you too have tendencies toward being harsh or cold but some of this is just a defense mechanism. You're not perfect but that doesn't make you the worst person alive. And that doesn't make you your father. Again, I really don't think you see how kind and lovely your heart really is because no one consistently made your little self feel good and lovable.

Another message I am getting is that I feel like you get sucked into super-dysfunctional situations that mirror your childhood issues. You might easily fall into either very toxic or very unfulfilling relationships. You felt trapped and mistreated as a child and you now fall into situations where you feel trapped and mistreated. Certain partners may even have made you feel like it's not possible to leave or survive without them. If you're in such a relationship now, PLEASE seek help and know that it is possible to get out. You also don't have to hide what you're going through out of shame.

Yeah, the relationship thing is a major message here. You can settle for terrible partners because you don't feel you deserve something better. You may feel like you have no other option. You can also just settle for being alone and pushing good things away because the prospect of losing something good is too scary for you. I feel like these are actually not messages from your inner child but real guidance from Spirit and your Guides. They want you to heed this advice so you can actually begin the process of healing and nurturing your inner child.

It feels like you have been extremely resistant to change, in the past, and developed a sort of learned helplessness. I think it's the vulnerability of your hurt inner child that wants someone else to gallop in and save you. But, no, you can save yourself. You can be your own hero. You can prove to yourself, your family, and anyone else that you are so, so much more than your trauma or all the horrible and inaccurate things you were told about yourself. But, you have choose that path of healing. You have to make the conscious effort. The reward of it all will be reconnecting with your child self and recognizing that they were and are so much more lovable and special than they were told they were.

/////////

PILE 4

YOUR INNER CHILD'S TRAITS

The Hierophant

Ace of Wands

Three of Swords (reversed)

King of Cups (back of the deck)

Pile 4, I definitely feel like your inner child is an old soul. You had a maturity and wisdom to you beyond your years as a kid. So much of that just had to do with the strength and frequency of your soul. You lived many, many lifetimes before you incarnated. You're a highly spiritual being and I really get the feeling that many of you were incarnated in order to heal some sort of generational trauma in your family. You have a very strong bond with at least one or two of your ancestors, who either passed on before you arrived or when you were very little, to the point where you may barely remember them. But, they serve as a Guide to you and they're actually hijacking the reading a bit just to tell you how proud they are of you and how much they love you.

You were a very compassionate, very loving child. I actually wouldn't be surprised if you were also drawn to Pile 1 because this feels like an extension of that pile. You are a born empath and healer, a light-worker, but you, of course, didn't know that as a child. You just knew you felt everything deeply and cried when others were in pain, that you could feel the pain of the adults around you without them even telling you. And you didn't understand why you didn't quite feel like a child. There was a heaviness and seriousness to you, an intense emotional depth. Yes, you could still be silly and playful. But, you were like some ancient 2000 year old creature stuck in a child's body.

Yet, you were also very enthusiastic, passionate and spirited. You might have had a big personality that felt often stifled by the adults around you. I am sensing that many of you grew up in a very traditional or very conservative family that you just could not fit into. You could have been made to feel bad about your free spirit, your fiery side or colorful nature. For some of you, being so sensitive, this stifled you and made you turn inward. You could have experienced a personality shift where you became shy, quiet or reserved. However, you found your escape in creativity. You displayed a lot of creative talent, at an early age, and this became an outlet for all your self-expression and strong emotions.

Many of you could have had a very religious upbringing, too. While it may have been very restrictive, I feel like a lot of you enjoyed going to church and what not because of your high spiritual vibration. It wasn't about the religion itself but the communion with God/Spirit/Source. That created a very solid foundation of faith that you have carried with you throughout life, even if you left the church and moved away from religion, which a lot of you did. But, you remained connected to Source and developed a very powerful spiritual life as an adult.

Yeah, I do have a hard time exactly feeling like your inner child is a child. Of course, there can be trauma associated with that feeling. Maybe you did have to grow up too fast. But, people online nowadays think so much in terms of therapy language that some of them fail to realize that being an "old soul" or "miniature adult" is not entirely the result of trauma. That's also just who you naturally were as a kid. You could have birth chart placements - the Moon sign, in particular - in the sign of Taurus or the Water signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces. Your inner child is very perceptive and insightful. You saw the wounds in your family members, especially adults, and somehow "knew better", on an emotional level, than them.

Many of you had turbulent upbringings and suffered a lot of hurt yourself. A result of cycles being repeated. But, you never let it break you. I also think you were highly protected on a spiritual level. Very powerful Spirit Guides of yours acted as parental figures on the other side. They're the ones who raised you, emotionally and spiritually. There is a caring father figure in Spirit form who was especially present. It could have been your actual father who passed, a late grandfather or uncle, or even just a Spirit Guide who plays the role of father in your life. But, this is a masculine being who has always provided you with both strength and comfort, who has been there every time you shed tears. They love you so, so much and are so proud of how far you've come. Such a beautiful message! Again, that's a bit of a side note but they are very integral in the character, integrity, and depth you've developed since childhood because your 3d family could not give that to you.

WHAT YOUR INNER CHILD WANTS TO SAY

Queen of Swords (represented)

Ten of Pentacles

Four of Cups (reversed)

The Empress (reversed)

Two of Wands (back of the deck)

This is so interesting because every single pile has had major messages about a parental figure. But, this is about your inner child so that makes total sense. Your inner child is drawing attention to your mother figure here. She may not have been easy to deal with as a kid or even now as an adult. She could have controlling, abusive or narcissistic traits. And I don't easily throw the "narcissist" word around but that's what I am feeling called to say. You know if that resonates.

But, you are being asked to look at your mother's lineage and side of the family as a whole, which I feel is probably very female dominated. I think they were the source of a lot of your childhood trauma. Examine the family history and ask yourself how patterns have repeated or been passed down. Ask yourself how your mom was treated by her mom. Are there parallels? Can you see how that shaped her? And I think you're already good at processing those things but your inner child kind of wants you to not just see your mom as your mom. Really think about when she was just a child and how she probably felt the same way about her mom as you felt toward her. Whether or not you forgive is your choice. But, having more perspective on her could be healing.

Your inner child also wants you to examine your relationship with women, as a whole. Depending on your gender or sexual orientation, this could differ. But, I feel like you have recently been betrayed or heartbroken by a woman who you were very close to, either a good friend or a romantic partner. She could have displayed the same narcissistic or malignant traits as your mom or other women in your family. And that could be a haunting realization - that you are somehow attracted to that dynamic - but this recognition also leads to healing. If you're a woman, you also may have a horrible fear of becoming these women. But, no need to fear. You are the cycle breaker, honey! It ran through your family until it ran into you!

Regardless of your gender, I think you were meant to be a beautiful example of the Divine Feminine. But, you need to be aware of what kind of feminine energies you're drawing into your life. Whether male or female, you could really attract close connections with women who want to control you or make you feel small, who are jealous of your beauty or abundance or confidence. This is an echo of things with your mom and shows you where you need to heal that inner child wound. You are not doomed to be near feminine narcissists but these relationships need to serve as a lesson. So, you can avoid them in the further and attract truly supportive, genuine feminines into your life. You deserve to be your fullest self and not shrink for someone who supposedly loves you.

There is so much that you could have become, in a negative way, but you didn't! Your mother or that toxic feminine serve as a sort of inverse mirror image of you. Your Guides are congratulating you for not becoming that and moving down the right path. Also, a big part of your destiny will be having a family. I think the majority of you will want kids but, for a few of you, this could also mean fur-babies. I also feel compelled to say you're quite close to establishing that family of your own.

I am not saying you'll get married in a few months! But, I think a lot of you either will meet/reunite with the person you'll marry very soon (this year is what I am getting) or you are already with them. And this will lead to a family. Again, don't worry. You have already done all the healing work you have needed to do, including possibly cutting toxic relatives out. If this is your mom and you are struggling with that decision or missing her, it's okay to feel that way. But, you did the right thing! Think of how unhappy your life would be if you didn't make the decision to heal or distance yourself. You are setting yourself, your future spouse and future children up for the kind of fulfillment you didn't have.

/////////

Thanks for stopping by! You can check out my other readings and posts here:

MASTER LIST

#tarot #tarot reading #channeled message #pick a card #pick a card reading #pick a pile reading #pick a pile #pick a picture #inner child #inner child work #inner child healing #spirit guides

[slashmagpie]

Blood & Snow

Pt. II

Directory: {Pt. I} {Pt. III} {Pt. IV} {Pt. V} {Pt. VI} {Pt. VII} {AO3}

Day two for @hermithorrorweek! TWs for this chapter include: minor gore, body horror*, temporary character death

II. ENVIRONMENT

Scar and Tango make an odd pair.

Catching them together is a study in contrasts: Scar’s light against Tango’s dark, Scar’s loud against Tango’s quiet, Scar’s whimsy against Tango’s sarcasm. The theme park owner brightly welcoming you to the happiest place on Hermitcraft, and the dungeon master presiding over a subterranean labyrinth of fear and pain. Scar’s hunger for diamonds, and Tango’s dismissal of them. Scar’s tendency to distraction, and Tango’s unwavering focus that had led him to spend the better part of thirteen months in a cave, despite all of Scar’s attempts to drag him out of it.

And Scar had tried! He’d even succeeded, a few times. More often, he would just hang around and bother Tango while he worked, rambling about Star Wars or Disney or trains or updates or whatever while Tango coated his frosty fingers with redstone and made the occasional comment. And whilst to an outside observer, Scar would come across as an annoyance as he gushed about flowers and Tango rolled his eyes and pulled faces, he knows that they were both enjoying themselves. As different as Scar and Tango seem, they’re still friends.

And as different as they both are, they still have one thing in common: their love for atmosphere.

Because it’s one thing to make a build: it’s another to make an environment. It’s all about movement, and sound, and all the little additions that make a static picture of blocks come alive. And Tango has truly and utterly knocked it out of the park this season—Decked Out is the most alive build Scar has ever seen.

…It’s, uh. Not usually quite as alive as this though.

That’s the only way Scar can think to describe it, as he pushes himself back against the wall, heart pounding in his chest louder and faster than the dungeon’s heartbeat echoes around the walls. Just out of sight, a ravager grumbles, having lost its snack, and Scar heaves as he attempts to catch his breath. His fingers are sticky with berry juice as he presses another to his mouth, grimacing at the sweet taste as it mingles with the blood in his mouth. 

Behind him, the stone wall seems to quiver as he presses himself into it, not quite as solid as it should be. I’m imagining things, he tells himself, reaching back with a red-stained hand to feel the rough ridges of deepslate beneath his fingers. He lets out a shaky breath and draws himself up. Right. Back to work. His artefact should be just around this corner.

He glances back towards where he’d left the ravager, ahead to where his compass is pointing, and takes off running towards it.

His lungs burn, and his legs ache, and his head spins as he dives forwards, but he manages to, by some miracle, avoid the ire of the ravager and make it to the alcove where his compass begins to spin wildly around. “Compass skills, perfect compass skills,” he mutters to himself, dropping the compass and hearing the click of a dispenser as it vanishes and an artefact appears in its place. Hypnotic Bandanna. “Oh, come on,” he cries as he picks it up. “Don’t you think I deserve more than that? Did you see my ravager skills? I could have died! And I didn’t! Tango!”

And then the dungeon does something it’s never done before: it laughs.

The sound startles Scar out of his skin, and he clutches the bandanna to his chest in panic as around him the walls shake, stone grating against stone and lava popping and bubbling and water splashing and the ravagers all groaning in time to create a cacophony that some way, somehow, sounds just like Tango’s laugh. 

Scar stands frozen until the sound dies down, staring with wide eyes. His mouth is dry. He swipes his tongue around his lips, clears his throat.

“Uh, Tango…?” he calls. “I think there’s something wrong with your dungeon.”

The dungeon sighs.

Its breath tickles the back of Scar’s neck, makes all his hairs stand on end. Nope! No thank you. Scar needs to get out of here. He needs to—

He takes off running, back the way he came, ducking past the ravager and surviving the resulting blow by the skin of his teeth and half a heart. He gasps for breath, shoving more berries into his mouth as he leaps over moving chains and makes a beeline for the stairs back up to level one. He makes it and takes a moment to stop and breathe, the soft light of the skulk twinkling around him.

“It’s fine,” he tells himself as he finishes the last of the berries. “You’re fine! It’s just—the dungeon. Same as normal. It’s just a normal—normal run, you’re gonna get out, it’ll be fine…”

The stairwell is, for a moment, eerily silent. Scar feels more acutely than usual that he is being watched. He draws in a breath—

“STUMBLE,” the dungeon announces.

—and lets out a squeak.

Okay. Probably a sign that he should get going. He can do this!

He presses the button at the top of the stairs and creeps out into the throne room of level one. Luckily, there are no ravagers here. Unluckily, the hazard door is closed. Okay, the long way it is.

His legs are cramping something awful as he races down the stairs. He takes a left out of the crypt and stops for a moment in the tunnel, breath rattling in his throat, reaching down to rub at the aching muscles. Normally, the fun of Decked Out outweighs the pain he knows it will cause him, but right now his fear is outweighing the fun and the pain is something awful. He needs to get out. Once he’s out, his wheelchair is waiting for him upstairs, and he won’t have to get up for the rest of the day—

He’s so focused on the pain that he doesn’t notice the ravager until it’s too late.

He falls, face-first, into powdered snow, letting out a strangled cry. It’s instinct more than anything else that pushes him up, that digs his fingers into the snow as he tries to escape—

As he blinks snow from his eyes he sees, where his hands have cleared the snow, revealing the ground beneath them, something pink and red. It shudders and pulses beneath his fingers, cold like ice, yet undeniably alive. Scar, without thinking, digs his fingers into the flesh.

The dungeon screams.

The stone and ice around him shakes, snow falls from the ceiling above him, and behind him the ravager lets out an agonised wail before stomping a heavy hoof down onto his back.

Scar screams too as his spine shatters and he sits straight up in bed, several hundred blocks above his own head.

#hermitcraft #fanfiction #hermithorrorweek2023 #the * is once again because that's like. not quite right? but i don't know what else to call it. #is a dungeon a body? #- and other philosophical questions with magpie! #magpie feather quill

[giriduck]

Almost there, folks: we're within 24 hours from TotK launch for much of the world.

Long post under the cut about Ganondorf thoughts in general.

I got into Legend of Zelda as a very small kiddo, way back when it first showed up in the United States on the NES. The limited lore was fine and good, the graphics were on par with everything else at the time, but it was the music that sucked me right in. I'd pop the cartridge in and launch the game just to listen to the theme during the opening scroll.

Zelda 2 was odd and I mostly ignored it. When A Link to the Past came out on the SNES, the enhanced graphics and music was breathtaking, and the story was vast and engaging. There was lore, and it was perfect for picking apart and analyzing. I cared about Link, the fate of Hyrule, and all the NPCs we met along the way. To this day, the epilogue music to ALLttP and the end credits still never fails to make me cry.

I was in my mid teens when Ocarina of Time came out. Subscribed to Nintendo Power Magazine by then, I was all in on the hype. The power of the N64! The first 3D Zelda game! A beefy and hot adult Link! After the launch of the game was delayed by a year, the excitement to play this game was intense.

It did not disappoint. While A Link to the Past was an excellent adventure, Ocarina of Time presented a version of Hyrule in which I genuinely enjoyed simply spending time. It was beautiful and immersive. It was the first atmospheric digital space that I'd seek out when I wanted to relax and watch the sun rise or set. It was the first of it's kind, and it was no surprise when years later, MMOs began rolling out with gorgeous skyboxes and scenery, as digital places for players to escape to. That was Hyrule for me. I already enjoyed it as a fictional kingdom through prior games (and the cartoon series, lol), but OoT solidified it as a beautiful place that I fell in love with.

So I could see why and how the antagonist of the series wanted lay claim to it so badly; it's a desirable, magnificent environment.

The reveal in A Link to the Past that Ganon--the very same baddie from the first game--was pulling the strings the whole time was pretty cool, as well as all the lore about the Golden Goddesses, the Triforce, Ganon's influence over the Dark World, etc. One of the Seven Maidens even mentioned Ganondorf by name, and briefly talked about Ganon's origin story as the guy who found the Triforce, after so many others had failed and all the wars and bloodshed over this mystical, legendary artifact. It was only a few lines, but it was so interesting, and felt like it was only scratching the surface of a much deeper history.

When Ocarina of Time came out, it was so light and fluffy running around as a child in Kokiri Forest until the Great Deku Tree revealed that he'd been cursed and was going to die. He launched into the history of the creation of Hyrule that aligned to lore from A Link to the Past, with music that harkened back to that game. It was a powerful shot of nostalgia.

Then the antagonist--the villain who would eventually find the Triforce--galloped across the screen, backlit by flames. He was big, he was mean, and he was going to appear centuries later in a new form as Ganon. I sort of knew where this was going because I'd played A Link to the Past, and now we got to see the man himself, when he was still a human.

I was instantly fascinated.

Later in the game, it's revealed that he was also a king, and--in a wild choice by Nintendo--depicted as a very rare cis male within his otherwise all-AFAB population of desert warrior people. A big fan of warrior woman archetypes in general, this was also of interest. The whole sociological implications of the, say, constrained demographics within Gerudo society was also an interesting thought experiment.

Ganondorf was such a cocky, arrogant bastard, though. During his seven-year reign, he seemed to squander Hyrule's bounty. He appeared selfish and unconcerned with his people. Although his unexplored backstory to his people and his connection to the Triforce were interesting, he was canonically a pretty terrible person.

Not long after Ocarina of Time came out, I used to frame Ganondorf as he was presented in the game: arrogant, conniving, and cruel.

This made me nervous for the Gerudo, who were in the challenging position of being expected to follow such a difficult person, who also happened to be their king. By extension, it felt like a setup for extremely toxic dynamics, and that did not sit right with me at all. So the mental fanon shifted to him just being uncaring and indifferent about everyone around him, and his quest for power was so all-consuming that he distanced himself from his people, anyway.

This still wasn’t the kind of person I wanted to give space to in my mind. The Gerudo deserved better, and surely they would take great care to raise their prince well, to help ensure their future king was aligned to their values and mores. His people would naturally care about him, and he would ideally reciprocate that to some degree.

Though he had the capacity for cruelty, he was no longer a fundamentally cruel person in my headcanon. “Conniving” evolved into “political” as required, and only a fraction of his original arrogance remained.

Then Wind Waker happened.

Those established headcanons aligned to the more mature, patient, world-weary version of Ganondorf we saw in Wind Waker; he was like who I'd constructed in my head, but even more so. This version was a man who'd suffered defeat and was imprisoned in a world in which he was forced to live with the consequences of his actions. The Hyrule he sought after--the same Hyrule players like myself fondly remember and loved--was maddeningly just outside of his reach. I found myself empathizing because I too, ached to restore the old world to its former glory.

Then, in his famous monologue at the end of the game, how he had sought out the comforts of Hyrule to escape the harsh environment of his home... How he had the names of his adopted mothers engraved onto his swords... Both revelations hit me hard.

For those of us who who wanted to believe that there was more complexity--and humanity--to Ganondorf than what we saw in Ocarina of Time, the reaction to the glimpses we saw in WW Ganondorf was like:

So now we are at the eve of Tears of the Kingdom launch. Will this Ganondorf be the most heartless version we’ve seen yet, or will he have complexity?

In Breath of the Wild, Calamity Ganon had killed Urbosa (a Gerudo Chief skilled with lightning, who was likely his distant descendant) in a very nasty reflection of her specific fighting style (sword, shield, and electricity), and then intimidated Gerudo Town through the possession of a Giant Mechanical Lightning Camel named after a woman he had once personally known, who had famously opposed him ages and ages ago, and because of that rebellion is still remembered as a heroine to the Gerudo.

Clearly his relationship with the Gerudo is going to be severely complicated, at best.

I am curious and actually very nervous about how Ganondorf interacts with the Gerudo in Tears of the Kingdom, if he actually does so at all.

#legend of zelda #ocarina of time #wind waker #breath of the wild #tears of the kingdom #ganondorf #oot ganondorf #ww ganondorf #gerudo #headcanons

[machinesbleedtoo]

This is going to be totally random and maybe odd to say, buuuut. I was going through old faves of mine, noticed a piece you did of Darkshore last year, and it made me remember something that I thought you might appreciate.

Long long ago, you did a piece of WoW fanart (of your priest character way back when), and at the time I saw it, I was truly enamored. (I feel like this was back on Deviantart, but I really can't remember now, lol.) There was something so haunting and beautiful about it. I played WoW too, but I had never considered playing Forsaken because I had a little bit of a fear of zombies. But seeing your art as well as the description that accompanied it managed to inspire me... so much that I ended up making my own Forsaken priest, and she's ended up being one of my favorite characters. You sparked in me an appreciation of the dark and grotesque and creepy, and finding the beauty that can be in those things. And I'm not really scared of zombies anymore!

I guess what I wanted to convey is that back then you inspired me, and even now you inspire me! I really love the atmosphere and emotion you can convey in your art.

Lots of love~ <3

omg!! that would have been deviantart, yeah. was it this one?

I've thought about repainting this many times, not because I feel it needs to be repainted. I just like the setting, colours and pose a lot, and it'd be fun to do again. It's one of the few artworks of mine that's over a decade old that I still like looking at.

I'm glad to hear I helped with the zombie fear, all I really wanted to do with my art was to have people find unpleasant things tolerable enough to sit with and think about. because those things aught to be thought about and appreciated, too.

Thank you for telling me this story. I wish we all had the courage to tell each other stories like this. the world would feel less lonely. how lovely it is that each of us influences every environment we traverse through merely because we traversed it.

#asks #cw zombie

[dmenvs3000w24]

Warmer Winters Ahead

This week, we’ve experienced some fantastic weather in the Guelph area, and it has been enjoyed by many. The sun has been out, there are no buckets of snow being dumped on us, the birds are chirping, and even some bugs are reappearing. Personally, I enjoy being able to open up the windows in my apartment to air everything out, letting the fresh air in without turning the space into a walk-in freezer. It feels as if we are already deep into April given the weather being so springlike, however we aren’t even halfway into February. Normally, I would be the biggest supporter of warm weather, as snow is not my biggest fan, nor am I a fan of it. However, between this class ENVS*3000 (Nature Interpretation), and a course I took last term ENVS*3010 (Climate Change Biology), it has impacted my way of thinking dramatically, and I am growing more concerned about the world around us and how nature will change due to the effects of climate change. 

In 2023, it was determined we would experience El Nino, which brings forth warmer, wet weather that could also bring more extreme weather patterns with it (ICL 2023). Its opposite, La Nina, does not commonly impact this part of North America, however the two tend to swing back and forth (ICL 2023). Together, they interrupt the natural atmospheric weather patterns and seem to only become more aggressive as the effects of climate change continue to grow more apparent (ICL 2023). 

While all these changes in weather and temperature are explainable through science, the impacts it will have on our environment are still unknown, which makes me very fearful of what our natural spaces will look like in the future. For us to have such a green winter this year, it makes one curious about how this will impact the health and survival of all of those found within our green spaces. How does this type of weather disrupt their mating season? Will the species of plants still blossom and sprout when needed? Would they be able to survive the cold fronts that unexpectedly appear? 

While this seems like an odd thing to think about, I am concerned about what nature will look like in just 10 or 20 years from now. What native species will no longer be able to live here? What will the forests look like years from now if events such as drought or wildfires become the new normal? Will we still have winters with the buckets of snow that we all loved as kids? As aspiring nature interpreters, I think it is our due diligence to be asking the big questions about the nature we find around us. I think it is important to live in the present, and enjoy what we have, but also look to the future and protect the environment for generations of nature interpreters to come.

[ICL]  Imperial College London. (2023). What is El Niño and how is it influenced by climate change? Accessed February 10, 2024. .https://www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham/publications/climate-change-faqs/what-is-el-nino/

[egg-emperor]

What are your detailed thoughts on the Mario movie?

I appreciate your interest! ^^

Gonna preface by saying I've only been interested in the Mario series for a few years (beyond the Mario & Sonic Olympics if that counts) for about 5-6, compared to 16-17 years of Sonic and still can't say I'm the biggest fan as I haven't played many games and don't have a lot of knowledge. So I feel I'm not equipped to speak much on some parts but I can share my thoughts based on what I do know and saw! And don't be surprised that I compare it to the Sonic movies quite a bit XD

Not gonna go heavy with spoilers by getting too much into specific moments but might mark as such just in case.

I'll start with the summary of my overall feelings and that I think it's simple, cute, and fun and that's been my impression of every Mario game I have played and seen so far, so it's along the lines of what I expected and I'm satisfied with it, I'm not sure what else people were expecting. It made me smile and feel joy the most I have from any movie I've seen in a while. And it's not quite as generic as a lot of other movies of the genre because they care about capturing a lot of the game's essence.

The visuals and atmosphere were gorgeous, I love how they took great advantage of some of the beautiful colorful worlds they've already created for the series and utilized them well, as well as how they merged them all together creatively. That's exactly what all movie adaptions could and should do, it'll always be so much more beautiful and appreciated than anything you can do in boring dull live action landscapes lol

I like all the references and callbacks, I noticed many despite not being the most knowledgeable Mario fan, compared to both Sonic movies where I didn't even notice a lot despite all my knowledge and years of enjoying it because I couldn't even see them. The Mario movie managed to include tons of noticable ones AND has more subtle easter eggs and background details.

The actual Nintendo games music being involved so much more instead of just outside licensed music was really good. The visuals of the returning environments are fantastic. The tons of characters they already managed to include in such a short but sweet movie and handle so well is amazing. The tons of game aspects, references, and easter eggs to find are a delight.

I like the implementation of the power ups and how they didn't turn them into some magical thing and change it drastically. I like how they know that the game mechanic can work for a movie story and cared to add all the things that people actually know and enjoy about the games. Unlike the Sonic movie not doing that and giving him completely different abilities.

The faithfulness to the series capturing the magic and fun all around makes me smile. Despite not knowing Mario for long I can appreciate all of these things too and it feels like they care about what the fans actually want and enjoy about the games. Every video game adaption movie ever needs to take notes from this because it has all the main most important fundamentals.

I like how Mario was silly but still brave and heroic. I like how he determined he is and doesn't know when to give up. I love how it's a good thing and one of his biggest strengths and the important theme throughout. He's told he can't do something or the odds seem against him and he still fights and believes in himself and protects what he cares about. A simple but good message.

I like how Luigi is the cute silly shy scaredy cat he is but how he manages to step up to help his bro at the end. Would've been nice to see him get to do more but his moment of saving Mario and teaming up with him at the end was great. Their bond and moments together was sweet and I like how much it motivates them and how they want to stick together and protect each other.

Bowser was great because he's funny and wants to marry Peach and is also genuinely really threatening. It makes you understand why he's the villain and why it's such a serious dire situation for him to take over, he's fucked up and mean and evil and destructive and that's what I love in my villains!!! And Jack Black did an awesome job and didn't just use his own voice like hey I'm Jack Black lol Very unlike Carrey just being Carrey instead of Robotnik, especially in the first movie.

If I got a movie Eggman anything like this I would've gone insane and died from joy went to heaven ahsjsbfjsnfb it's not faaaair. I'm happy for anyone that feels the way I do about Eggman but for Bowser because I'm sure y'all would've been especially losing it for this. I do love him too and he is hot but you know my ultimate preferred fucked up dilf of the two lol. Bowser got such better treatment in my eyes. Happy for him as a fellow bf of Eggman's XD

Bowser, Mario and Luigi were my favorites so they're the ones I'll bring up here but I think every other character was handled pretty well too based on my limited knowledge of them outside of the movie and I didn't have any issues, they added to the entertainment a lot too. I like how they pretty much all have a good balance between humor and seriousness when the scenes call for it, nothing felt really annoying or forced, handled with respect.

The humor in itself was actually fine too, my brother and I tend to cringe at certain jokes and humor in kids movies these days some stuff being in the Sonic movies ngl but there was nothing of the sort in this movie that made us feel that way, we both noted to each other right way. Very inoffensive, not super obnoxious or hip and just generally enjoyable for all ages, which is a cool pleasant surprise coming out of a movie by Illumination especially lol

The animation is fantastic too, really putting all the character's tooniness to it's full advantage so they're lively and bouncy and expressive in ways that really helps bring out their personality. Again, that's why cartoony characters will always be best in CG no matter how exaggerated and expressive you think your live actors can be. Every character was charming and pleasing to the eye, a ton of love was clearly put into capturing them visually.

I'm surprised it's rated so low by actual reviewers last time I saw, not that I care about their opinions but I'm with the audience more than usual. I don't know what I'm missing about it not being likable because I haven't read the reviews and don't plan to lol. I think this is practically everything a video game adaption should be, though in a perfect world I'd want all the characters to have all the same actors behind them too.

I liked this way more than both Sonic movies combined, though I'm biased as of course I'll love full CG over live action hybrid for toony series like Sonic and Mario any day. But man, Mario is genuinely better and more likable to me than both Sonic movies in every way because I'm not really a fan of those at all in comparison. Even without the comparison as I hardly even thought about the Sonic movie throughout, it was enjoyable and made me really happy.

But then it's funny because I've been a Sonic fan for near my whole life while Mario for a mere 5 minutes in comparison so you think I'd be biased and saying that the Sonic movies are better or just as good but they really didn't do it for me. It felt like both Sonic movies were too concerned about appealing to non Sonic fans with generic Hollywood plot lines taking up huge chunks of the stories than giving them more of what we all actually love about the game series in the first place.

The Mario movie went all out in almost every way it could right from the first movie and THAT'S how it's done, I have so much respect and appreciation for it. They knew they didn't need to appeal to non fans specifically and can hold up great as is. I think that should always be expected out of any video game adaption, especially cartoony kids ones that have existed as long as Mario and Sonic. They did a great job and there's a lot of video game heart in it bravely and unapologetically.

The voice cast is still their most bizarre choice but it's honestly okay once I'm watching it and I don't have major issues with it, I stopped thinking about it after the first few minutes and it wasn't annoying as it was random and unnecessary. But of course I still think it's really sad and not fair that Charles Martinet didn't get to at least have the main role of voicing Mario, despite him literally being right there and more than willing to do so because nobody deserved it more than him.

I wish they'd honor legacy actors by letting them shine in their role on the big screen instead of bigger names for audience and money. Same happened for the Sonic movie and it raises my fear that even if we did get the CG Sonic movie of my dreams, Eggman might not even be voiced by Mike Pollock then either :( But I love what Charles get to do, I'm glad he had some part in it! Hearing him as Giuseppe/Jumpman and Mario's dad was a delight, his performance is always pure joy.

Though he still deserved way more of course and I'll always be really sad that most actors in the Sonic series didn't even get any cameos or side roles at all.

Something also funny to me is there were TONS more people in the cinema than both Sonic movies, both on the first day when we almost went as it was sold out and there were actually a lot of people in there when I went yesterday too. I haven't been amongst an audience for a movie for so long. For both Sonic movies the cinema was near empty for all those, so everyone around here has a big preference! XD

So yeah, I had a great time with it! I recommend it to everyone and this is a movie I want to watch again and own on blu-ray. This has helped me appreciate the Mario series even more because of how much fun it has with things that are in the games and don't stray from using it for the sake of wider appeal. And it's a gorgeously animated and designed movie with a simple but sweet story and sometimes it's all a great movie needs! I loved it 🥰❤️💚🐢⭐🍄🪠

#asks #super mario bros movie #super mario bros movie spoilers #my post

[duck-kmt]

I watched Kimetsu in theaters 😭💞 it was sooooo good, i'm so excited for the next season. Here's my Impressions so don't read if you don't want to be spoiled.

They give a booklet at the entrance containing a short lore recap, staff commentary, keyframes of the Upper Moons and a Setsubun postcard ("Demons out! Fortune in!" ... why is Zenitsu playing the demon when Nezuko is right here??? Well I guess I wouldn't have the heart to throw her beans either... but....)

It started with a short recap of season 1 with Gurenge playing in the back, then Mugen Train with Akeboshi, then a recap of season 2 until the last two episodes that were screened again in their entirety.

I think rewatching them on the big screen made me appreciate them more - I watched it a lot of time already, but I cried again at Gyuu and Daki's last moments. I love how the lightwork is done in this scene, Ume always in the light but ultimately joining Gyuutarou in the dark... it's beautiful 😭

Then after Zankyou Sanka played, finally Swordsmith Village arc started!!

Episode 1 is one hour long.

It starts with the Upper Moon meeting and WOW ... Infinity Castle is BEAUTIFUL and extremely stylish. I was impressed with the camera work- usually I am not a huge fan of 3D and 2D mixed together but this was so well done, I was really in awe. Especially I have in mind a shot of Akaza with the camera panning up, it looked so smooth! Maybe it's evil of me lol but I had in mind Chainsaw Man anime which tried and, most often failed at incorporating 2D characters into 3D environments... Ufotable gave us a lesson in how to do it masterfully IMO.

(They are still not forgiven for the ugly Enmu tentacles in Mugen Train. But I Almost forgive them because Infinity Castle looked that amazing. Makes me look forward to the final arc...!)

The whole scene had that pressuring, stressful feeling to it- you can Feel how dreadful Muzan is even to the Upper Moons and I really liked that. The weird camera work due to Infinity Castle's messed gravity added to that uncomfortable atmosphere.

Mamoru Miyano as Douma is ... well... what you'd expect of Mamo lol- and I feel this character enables him to perform in that over-the-topness that fits him so well, so him and Douma are a match made in heavens.

Kousuke Toriumi is Gyokko, I felt odd about it but it works, he's gross and gives me kimochi warui feelings so it's a success lol. Seeing the mouths and eyes animated adds to the grossness.

Toshio Furukawa is Hantengu!!!!! I'm so excited!!! I'm sorry but I have a huge Furukawa bias, especially lately, so I'm glad he took on a new role... in Kimetsu no less...! And again it might be my bias lol but his acting breathed a lot of life into a character I never paid much attention to. It's exciting! IDK if he'll dub all the Hantengus or just the tiny wrinkled one... I hope he gets to play them all and show off in a cool role again 😤

Marina Inoue is Nakime. And well... we don't hear her much. But actually hearing the Biwa really adds to the unsettling feeling of the scene.

And finally Okiayu Ryoutarou is Kokushibou. FINE! I believed Koku would be dubbed by Tsudaken to the very end...😭 But Okiayu's Koku had that terrifying air of greatness to him, I love how he performs the signature slow speech, so I approve of him 😤 (who cares about my approval really.)

Anyways, Upper Moon meeting was a huge flex all around- the music, the animation, the camera work, the lights, the characters - it makes the Infinity Castle, And Muzan, as huge and terrifying as they should be. And IMO it will make the last arc much clearer to understand.

(i think during the commentary Shimono and Kitou had said something about demons showing up and getting lost in there because it's so huge😂)

Then the focus switches to Tanjirou's dream of Sumiyoshi and Yoriichi. The way Yoriichi appears mirrors the way Kokushibou is introduced - focusing on his back, his hair color, his earrings, and finally his face. Kokushibou looking absolutely terrifying with loud orchestra music in the back, Yoriichi appearing calm and (apparently) serene in a quiet dream. This was very well done, and effectively tricked my anime-only friend who watched with me into thinking they are the same person 😂 Well done!

IIRC Sumiyoshi wasn't dubbed by Hanae? I'm not too sure. But otherwise looked the exact same as Tanjirou down to the color palette.

Tanjirou wakes up and events unfold just like in the manga. A bit more of focus on Gotou, and Kanao is really cute in that scene, it's good hearing her raise her voice.

We see Inosuke departing on a new mission, and Zenitsu who has already left to one. Of course he's crying and complaining, but he's wearing a cute scarf with a pattern reminiscing of Chuntarou. Cute!

We get good panoramic shots of the Swordsmith Village which...makes me want to travel frankly. I need to go to a hot springs soon haha. Some added scenes I think of Tanjirou watching the Swordsmiths at work, praising their skills and showing gratitude.

Mitsuri is still introduced through the onsen scene- but this time we get a butt shot and a front shot panning up from her crotch to her face. Nice. (important commentary)

Mitsuri is like, a role made for Kana Hanazawa lol, she just sounded really cute in every scene, but also serious when needed. Her complaining about Genya ignoring her then quickly changing her mood when dinner is mentioned was cute. The 'Kanroji Mitsuri supports the Kamado siblings!' line was really good as well. I think special care was put into the scenes where she interacts with Nezuko, I like the way their hands were animated, and the focus put on them in the scene where Mitsuri mentions her own siblings. I'm glad Nezuko has someone giving her affection that isn't Tanjirou. As Kitou said she's always surrounded by boys so this was really cute and heartwarming.

When Mitsuri runs to Tanjirou and he yells 'Watch out! Your chest is going to show!', he catches her and fixed her kimono so her boobs are tucked in again. Tanjirou is such a good boy ... what a cute scene lol. I also liked the way she whispers into his ear and he tries to keep silent through his nosebleed. A Good Boy indeed.

Then Tanjirou finds a tooth in the bath...

Finallly... At last.... Genya!!!! 😭💞 I got so excited seeing him at last!!! I was so worried because on every piece of promo art he has been so far, he's drawn so weird, I guess to match his appearance from the manga, but I'm really glad it was updated as well to match his design from this arc in the manga... He looks so good, so handsome, I'm sorry I have a Genya bias, he's one of my favourite so my heart leaped when I saw him 😭

The timing of the scene was fast paced, but well done! Tanjirou reminisces the boy he met at Final Selection, shouts his full name, and strips- this is where the eyecatch is (the eyecatch's illustration is a naked Tanjirou with his crotch covered by a crow lol.)

And of course he is told 'Die!' immediately as his head is pushed into the water... Even if it pains me because Genya is always compared to Bakugou and it's dumb and I Hate It, I Have faith in Nobuhiko Okamoto to deliver us a good Genya! He didn't say much but I liked it! A very genya like 死ねえ!!! Thank you!

I want to watch it again, it was fast so I didn't get to look at how Genya's body is drawn enough...😤 it sounds weird but, I wanted to take a good look at his scars...

Anyways, the episode ends with Tanjirou looking for the mysterious weapon Mitsuri mentioned and stumbling upon Muichirou, Kotetsu (dubbed by Ayumu Murase I think?), and the Yoriichi doll, which only the back can be seen, making Tanjirou (and the anime-only viewer. rubbing my hands together evilly at my friend who went Ooohhh!!!! next to me in the theater.) mistake it for an actual person. There's focus on the earring of course, and it's a great way to end the episode, tying the doll's cliffhanger appearance with Kokushibou's introduction and Yoriichi's appearance in Tanjirou's dream, tricking you into thinking they are all the same person... Well done ufotable well done...

Finally, the opening plays - by Man with a Mission (one of my favourite bands!!! wowie!!) and Milet. I don't have much to say because it was so fast paced lol, but it was good! They do the thing again where Tanjirou + the hashira of the arc, here Mui and Mitsuri, look together in the same direction. A slight spoiler right? Rengoku san....😭😭😭

Right, also about the opening! I wish Genya showed up more. Did we see his gun? I don't remember. He gets a short sequence and is seen again in the end in a group shot of the cast. (shut up about Genya. shut up about Genya.)

After that there was the cast commentary and appearance of the cute Kamaboko chibi mascots, them all together making a little ceremony celebrating officially the beginning of Kimetsu World Tour😌

And that was it!

I'm so excited I'm going to die. I almost want to go again LOL i want to tattoo every frame Genya appears in my brain 😤😤😤

#kimetsu no yaiba #kny spoilers #sorry for the weird formating. tumblr mobile is hard #and sorry for the mistake i typed fast trying to remember

[444lpblue]

Heavenly Delusion #1 - Heaven and Hell

Heavenly Delusion #01 Screenplay: Makoto Fukami Storyboard: Hirotaka Mori Batte Scene Storyboard: Tetsuya Takeuchi- Episode Director: Hirotaka Mori Animation Director: Yuuko Yoshida, Ryouta Furukawa, Ai Watanabe Assistant Animation Director: Mayu Gushiken

I… I mean, what can I say? Welcome to Heavenly Delusion, folks. If you haven't watched the episode, go do it right now! What are you doing here? And if you have, let's talk about it.

Heavenly Delusion has been one of my most anticipated anime of the entirety of 2023. The manga is gripping, thrilling, and fun in its characters, making it one of my favorite manga of all time (definitely in my top 5). And how was the anime? I don't want to sound like a fanboy gushing over everything, as that would be biased and totally not good for someone who tries to write about anime objectively. But, I really don't have much else to say except gush over it. My review will not contain any spoilers from the manga, nor will I try to sneak in bits and ruin the experience for you, so anyone can feel free to read this.

You start off the episode by being greeted with luscious green and bright red tomatoes and are introduced to this beautiful facility with seemingly children to teenage students running around looking happy. But in every shot, there's a constant sign of this almost chilling vibe to the whole place. The music, unlike the bright atmosphere the initial moments try to portray, is soft and almost solemn in its delivery.

Eventually, the camera pans to Mimihime (in a fantastic shot), who's overlooking the other kids as her friend, Tokio comes to talk to her. There's still nothing wrong with this whole situation but the use of voyeuristic style shots by Director Mori Hirotaka creates an unnerving feeling as if someone were secretly recording them. It's disconcerting, and the shots felt as if they could have been done in real life. This sense of creepiness makes the situation feel odd, despite no clear indication of anything wrong happening. Then we're introduced to another set of characters, Maru and Kiruko

While the placement of the shots is similar and just as great, the environment is largely different. You get a huge feeling of "density" as soon as they switch to these two. The bright greens and heavenly location are now gone, replaced with abandoned buildings and overgrown grass. I can't find another word to describe its visuals except "dense". It's all so dense. The beautiful background work by Kaneko Yuuji is so detailed in its presentation that it's almost hard for my eyes to perceive all the details at a first glance. The colors of a dead, desolated city would likely be drawn as dull and lifeless by many other people, but the use of bold colors and heavy shading creates a beautiful presentation that complements the character design greatly and serves as a great contrast to the environment of the facility. I can go on and on about the specifics of the scenes as there is an endless list of shots I've loved from this episode, but I can't make this just a summary of the episode word by word.

For all you animation fans out there, the action scenes in the episode were delivered with much more flair than I even expected. The dynamic camera work during all of it (hell, the whole episode, not just the action) was simply incredible.

My thoughts on the episode are already too long so I need to start wrapping it up. The backgrounds continue to be a highlight throughout the episode.

I'd also like to point out how the direction manages to enhance the tension and creepiness of the scene beyond what was depicted in the manga. It's almost like the scene is right in your face, yet the portrayal is still indirect and subtle. We barely got to see the hotel lady's face as she's reacting to Kiruko and Maru's words, but the small actions and smartly placed shots are what make all the difference in changing the mood of the scene. You don't see it directly, but boy, does it raise chills.

There was also a change to the order of some things, which I thought gave the anime a much stronger point to end on. It ends with the old lady from the facility confirming to Tokio, who became curious about the outside world from Mimihime, that there is an outside world, but that "it is a filthy world, a hell where abhorrent monsters lurk." I think this sends the message of the show clearly and augments the effect of the title Heavenly Delusion. Is the outside truly hell? Is heaven just a delusion?

#Heavenly Delusion #tengoku daimakyou #spring 2023 #Spring 2023 anime #2023 anime #anime #First episode

[roseprincesskristina]

My Midnight Rose ((Vamp!Yami x Reader Part 1))

((Whaddup, dudes and chicks. Since last Halloween, I’ve decided to create my very first YuGiOh fan fiction X Reader for the fans out there as well as across the globe. But with the handsome Yami Yugi as a sexy vampire for the fangirls. ;) Took my time to write anything like this without rushing myself whatsoever, tho. Plus, I was gonna do a full fan novel, yet I had to divide into two parts instead because I’m lazy. Sorry XD. Alright had the first one done last month, so I’ll might do the second next soon. Tried my best to create the fictional story even though I sucked. XD It was still fun nonetheless. Anywho, without further ado, please enjoy this steamy story before your peepers! :D))

It was an utterly pleasant mid morning evening onto this first day of autumn where several other leaf bearing trees especially bushes all around the area have began to merge into five colorful shades that will not only make the entire vegetation themselves look more pretty, yet so can the lively twilight atmosphere/mood as well for every generation or few to fully indulge the seasonal beauty right before their outstanding plus awe inspiring eyes.

Regardless about how unlikely chilly the weather degrees could truly be according to the television forecast, it's still blissfully sunny outside for local individuals besiding with civilians to gain extra fun underneath the friendly orb of daylight granting them a brightening smile upon its face followed by a warm loving embrace that'll surely keep them cozy from a slight cold season than a late winter.

Not to mention, of course, that upon this monthly event of October arriving onto the bone chilling rise of a bootiful nightfall for plentiful frights, thrillers, screams, petrification, horror, even some harmless tricks as well as tasty treats, is the upcoming spooktacular holiday known as Halloween revealing itself into an unexpected preparation or simply thrilled to spread out multiple scares everywhere without a rest to require until a single shrill has been blown from anyone's mouth instantly when it comes to frightful haunts casting a roaring fear into everyone's hearts which shall force their bodies to rock a terrified shiver downward the spines.

Although it wouldn't be a scarerrific blast of a celebrational enjoyment without a few dozen laughs, happiness, and let's not forget, a joyful get together activity to make any holiday a lot more smashing, especially through good as well as bad times in life no matter the odds nor difficulty if necessarily.

Returning home by a comfortable stroll throughout the neighborhood after a wonderful day in high school holding less books into your hands to study for homework, you, a beautiful yet also sweethearted young woman as well as honorable grade A student who hardly fails at anything, would also appreciate a rather decent environment of a season heretofore your graceful gaze including everybody else there is in the faultless suburban locality.

Witnessing deeply on how entirely breathtaking this Fall themed scenery before you really is since your early childhood, a gentle sigh from your thinly maw had escaped within a form of a puffy mist while remembering your first experience of this calming season as an innocent toddler observing the emerald coated leaves at the window transforming slowly from a normal color into several opposite, but wonderful hues of any kind such as red, brown, yellow, brown, as well as orange. Greatly astonished by their fascinated changes, it properly fills your heart with absolute delight siding by a rapid clap of your hands, marking as your far most favorite season to easily enjoy in absolute history.

Right now, as a youthful late adolescent, your love for hue changing plants next to spring blooming flowers will hardly cease to appease the living heck out of you for one minute, and nothing shall effortlessly rearrange your mind. Never now, nor ever for your whole ordinary young adult life.

Approaching toward the closed door of your household taking out the key from your pocket then placing it into the knobhole turning carefully to hear a click meaning that it's clearly opened, you entered inside. Home sweet home, as some or more people would always say when they can relax their energy from work as well as school at last. You, on the other hand, have plenty more in your system to spare for your daily chores across the living room, upstairs, and backyard before starting your homework about the origin of mythical monsters later tonight.

Placing down your homework books carefully upon the coffee table, you begin to stretch your arms all the way up high non tightly, cracking both knuckles especially the neck left and right following with a self indoor inhales then exhales various times to prevent a stressful pressure on yourself during an inauguration of your quotidian home cleansing. Rolling your inexisted long sleeves in ascendance mid high since they are mediumly short lacking any further ado just to stand around goofing off by doing plural stretching exercises, the task for tidying this normal abode into a standard non rushing pace than hasting oneself nevertheless, will now commence.

Meanwhile, into the distant location of an hollowed yet quiet park fields atop the half risen moonlight darkness, leaving only a couple of few benches sided along with empty swing sets instead of guiltless denizens who are now at home, a mysterious creature known as the bat flutters forwardly into the world soaring within the tranquil breeze like a free bird, but thrice dark.

Gliding its way over to the branch of the tree for a safe hover/land above it after a pleasing hobby of an enjoyable saunter in a blackened flight observing the gorgeously white diamond sphere centering into the dim blue navy skies at ease, until surprisingly, the half large devil winged beast have finally started to morphed itself from an airborne animal into an incredibly suavish human like form whose superior beauty will instantaneously outclass all handsome men that are unequally bested from someone more dashingly masculine such as he.

Fully revealing himself than just his godly attractive muscled slim feature alone, but secondly the slightly paled yet smooth looking skin, ravishingly amethyst pupils of his unbeatable manly eyes, four brassly shaded bangs that flow majestically through the singing wind considering the three pointed strands as well as the tri colored spiked hair dough, donning into a sleeveless obsidian shirt same for the leather pants, visibly showing off his kinky abs of a crop topped midriff designed with a navel pierced jewelry curved within the shape of an ancient object called the Millennium Puzzle, although basically in a small size unlike the original one he adorned across his neck and buckled choker. Cloaked with the extended indigo jacket worn onto his shoulders posing as a cape to act seriously cool than solely for show.

Slowly writing a fanged smirk within his luscious face as he seated onto a branching tree crossing his thin legs lounging properly to peer upward the delightful moon endlessly for awhile heretofore proceeding onward, the well mature shadowed person that goes by the name of Yami Yugi began to speak with a sexually deep voice.

"Hmm.... What a magnificent sight to behold indeed.... Yet also very beautiful to observe so closely...." He said calmly, having his golden bangs besiding with multi color mane softly brushed by the peaceful chill of the midnight gale. Unlike his faraway kingdom, he enjoys a great deal of close up observation seating on the front row branch, which it better than a balcony.

"Nothing shall be far more satisfying than the first glimpse of the graceful full moonlight of this fascinating night..... It truly does steal away my very breath and soul quite quickly.... Ahhhh.... How I adore such a lovely environment...."

As the mythical book obviously indicates, is that these night dwelling monsters known as vampires are famously realized for their possessive immortality beside in shimmering daylight when it comes to seeking as well as preying upon aidless flesh by their necks for refreshing blood to survive without the urge for harshful starvation whatsoever.

Unfortunately for this mysterious gentlemanly figure of a pharaoh before all, he is exceedingly beyond deathless compared to those that are foolishly ordinary and weak against him in every way indefinitely. In fact, no one else around the universe would even dare attempt to increase their worthless level up to his for something that barely matters to him at all.

His unsurpassable speed, strength, suave, even power comprehends no measley equality undoubted according to his inexplainable origin that remains a difficult mystery for all scientists, librarians, intellectuals, teachers, the whole rest to easily specify. Meaning that nothing or nobody will eagerly find out about who, what, or where he actually existed from, or their demise shall be crucially met by his punishable wrath.

This supremely charming vampiric male, additionally a sovereign prince, is also symbolized as the most powerful being in the world partially above all complete mortals alike, possessing such a dreamily unblemished complexation body as well as everything which can simply conquer the hearts of every beautiful helpless mortal women in the planet.

Speaking of that, he also inherits a bewitching type of spell, or more, so inescapable that their trained resistance would scarcely avail them from his dazzling stare or possibly an alluring belly dancing hex once their will has been dominated permanently, stealing away their attention from what they focused on within life by sensually beckoning his prey to come toward him.

Before the comforting initiation of inserting his pearly white fangs into their soothing colled skin quite deeply, he would sexually seduces his compelled victims without a practice to abstain himself from doing whatever he wishes to do, whether they appreciate it or not. As an example, requiring the desired taste for their delectably fresh anatomies to place his tongue onto than only the neck alone itself, slithering it very slow as well as steady with ascend and descend by pleasant force as possible.

For now, on his unrestrained well earned free time at lonesome, all that he has to do is rest soundly to the serene nighting scenery before him lying half way onto a branch sideways to obtain a clearer view of a nightfall entertainment. Magically snapping his gothic nailed painted fingers to create a formal glass of crimson wine, raising a glass mid up in a toast for a marvelous evening without an end.

"Here's to the most ravishing mistress of the eternal nightfall who has established such rare beatification for my utmost enjoyment...." The vampiric blonde smiled, complementing toward the gracious viewing of a noiseless darkness as well as the shining moon rising his glassed beverage once more then offers himself a nice mannered sip on a sweet red refreshment from a pure stainless wine glass that touched his dangerously mild lips.

Whistling both a soft satisfied sigh as well as deep chuckle exiting from his mouth, his tongue performs the honors by circling across the non salivated lips numerous times with a decent leisure, resuming his silent indulgement relishing the ageless outlook of the youthful night pleasing his needs.

"Ahhhhh..... It is so good to be greatly free within the gifted sea of midnight than to rest upon the throne with the lack of excitement that will entertain my interest...." Yami sighed in complete relaxation, hidden his arms behind the head while his legs are still firmly crossed wallowing into the comforting palms of the night goddess that is nighttime.

Until suddenly, appearing from afar or out of nowhere have came an unknown sweet aroma traveling through the personless park into a formless mist like an unseen fog guiding its path toward the tree where the crowned man is sitting, circling his surroundings just to gain his attention from the nightly daydream.

"Hmm? What is this?" He questioned, seeing this curious mist that emerge his presence with one of his eyes opened. Having no clue of what this strange odor could be, he would decide to take a careful whiff of it to make sure it's hardly gas, poison, or the putrid stench of a disgustingly raw onion smell that most vampires strongly despise. Then, an opposite sort of a aroma that's very harmonic had simmered his curiosity down to a minimum.

"By the Egyptian gods.... What is that lovely aroma that I have smelt? And where might it come from?"

Howbeit, toward his shocking discovery, it is neither one nor three of those rough stentches that he suspiciously detects at all, but a different type of fragrance to which surprises his keen sense of smell ever so quickly than several more boorish odors would ridiculously hope to impress his strong whiffing ability.

Above several kinds of foul stenches, this strange yet ultimately sweetened aroma emitting from farther beyond known as perfume has intrigued him so quickly he continued to sniff it non stop once it enters his nostrils. Purring in interested, the starfish haired prince was delightfully moved by this freshly scented fog like mist than multiple reeking odors at best.

"Mmmm.... Such a delicate scent... So sweet and pleasant..... It has lifted my very soul so vastly than anything else in the world...." He had almost swooned by the incredibly unique fragrance used by millions of ladies in different ages to kill off the repugnant stink from their bodies to smell real nice for any occasion or place to go.

Still totally phased by its angelic fragrance embracing his anatomy so closely refusing to let go, he had decided to pay a certain person, or to his case a kind young lady, a pleasant little visit while risen himself up from the seated branch after a wonderfully hobby of nightseeing, flipping his bangs slightly by the hand writing a seductive smirk into the handsome facial expression.

"Hmm. It would seem that I will have to investigate this ravishing smell before me in order to obtain my answer... And when I do, it will be quite a pleasure to sink my teeth into something, or otherwise, someone so beautiful and innocent.... He he he he he....."

With that, he began to sets off to locate a compassionate girl by following the fairly scent in front of him using teleporting to move himself toward the mellow neighborhood via swarming bats that transport him to any destination, making it more simpler to just beat the snot out of walking.

Back at the mellow suburbian area into the centering start of Halloween where children, teens, as well as adults cladded into their costumes all at once stroll across the district collecting loads of delicious candies offered from many houses that gave them all out, having tons of fun as safely necessary as the streetlights are on, while you are upstairs into the bedroom spraying your favorite rose scented perfume across yourself from a nice long shower you had after sanitizing the whole household living room and all before doing your homework.

Wearing a water absorbed bathrobe on your somewhat drenched body as you dry off your hair with a towel sitting on the bed folding your legs firmly, you would gaze the direction of the exquisite nightrise from the window viewing it on about how breathtakingly graceful this dark navy skied background properly is to you than only the love for autumn at solo. Grinning peacefully at its timeless beautification due to the middle of desiccating yourself, you decided to seat by the casement to side watch for a few minutes.

Outside reappearing into the neighborhooded location done by teleportation, the handsomely divine pharaoh looks around the area left, right, top to bottom feeling mildly impressed by such a remarkably normal suburbs that humans live here without a sign of violence whatsoever.

"My. This is such a rather peaceful community when I first laid my eyes upon it. Very non threatening indeed." He said admirably. "But I cannot fool around for much longer. I must locate the elegant scent immediately."

Refocusing on the top priority at hand self preventing himself not to stand oddly by or come here just to tour throughout the neighboring fields before him, he teleports yet again. But this time, his next stop: your place.

Fully clothed into your collared pajama gown at last, but deciding to let your temporarily locks out to blow dry as well as brush at the similar time while sitting onto the mattress at still, you grabbed both of them from the dresser next to you, plugging up the dryer first then setting it to high making it easier to dehydrate your hair thrice faster.

Elsewhere outside your humble abode appearing once again standing atop of the tree branch next to the window, Yami is still on the endless search to seek the mysterious aroma that increases his desires up to maximum. Finding out that either one of the houses he investigated do not have the succulent scent he whiffed back at the park.

"I have investigated every single household around this stationary neighborhood, but no sign of that sweet scent." He quietly growled, almost giving up on the lonesome search party until checking on the last house for tonight.

Sighing underneath his breath to get this wasteful reconnaissance over with, the dashing heir would ascend forwardly by staring into the window in a slight distance. Scrutinizing closely with the assistance of his transparent vision changing his eyes from purple into black, he can now research what's inside the building carefully.

Examining the entire bedroom non stop to capture this secret source of the delectable scent, his pupils would slowly direct their attention toward a special someone whose magnificent innocence than only beauty alone brings out a trillion smiles upon all faces unconditionally throughout the worst times in the world: You.

Silently gasping both in total awe as well as flabbergasted at your pure radiance before his violet peepers, he has never seen anyone this outrageously gorgeous heretofore in his immortal life until right now, causing his heart to skip a non rushing beat including eyes to half widen.

"My gods..... To who might be this....beautiful creature that stood before me? For I have never seen such rare elegance within my eternal life..."

Observing your flawless feature from head to toe with instant fascination by the window until a familar aroma had made its returning arrival yet again to surround His Royal Hotness by giving him a reminder about the real source that will surely answers his desperate question.

"There's that heavenly scent again.... And it's very close to this house... Could this mean....?"

Placing all of the pieces of the solving puzzle together into his mind during the temporary trek, the true answer lies toward this household directly before him through that bedroom window for you are sitting next to. Which can also mean that the marvelous fragrance he had been shortly trailing at the start, definitely comes from you all along.

You are the rare source of this gifted redolence that called onto the fanged pharaoh from the beginning because your window was slightly opened to air out the room since you covered your body with a scented Spring Rose perfume too much. Toward his liking, he always loved the smell of the crimson blooms so much when he was only a young prince.

Finally, the soughtful task of seeking the memorable scent from his childhood has offically become concluded to a close now that he possesses the answer into his palm. As a victorious celebration for his hard work, the greatest reward of all is clearly right in front of him, ripe for the taking.

"At long last..... I have found the source of the remarkable fragrance that I truly long for...." He grinned thankfully, redirecting his observation toward you in the resting room window brushing your lovely mane into a slow careful paste. "And I must admit, for an innocent young mortal such as her, she has a delightful scent of a beautiful rose...."

Proceeding once more to enjoy your richly blessed innocence spending most of your time on your own getting yourself together to start working on your homework before a gentle knock on your window glass, the mild mannered brassed vampire prince shall now perform on what he'll do best: paying a kind visit to your room and to have himself a permanent fun with you, including your scarless body, when you're unexpecting something or not looking, which is simply easy for him.

Only when the time comes, of course, but very soon you will become his favorable little rose to harmlessly play as well as seduce with all night long. Depending on how long the private romance between a human and vampire could sometimes take.

The blessful night remains within its youthful stratosphere caressing the calmly matured pharaoh's shoulder to ease his non stressful nerves, a beautiful full moonlight pours out its glimmering light upon the world featuring him himself, and lastingly, the sounding cry of the howling wolf echoes around the celestial sphere being the comforting music toward his ears. Now, without any further ado, a pleasurable evening, shall be formally introduced at last.

"Enjoy your most precious moment of your sweet young life, my darling little rose~ For it can be the only matter of time....until you, your body, and the elegant taste of your warm marvelous blood, will belong to me~..... He he he he he he~....."

((To Be Continued))

#yugioh #duel monsters #yami yugi #pharaoh atem #king of games #vampire atem #x reader #pov #halloween 2022 #vampire #steamy

[starrysnowdrop]

Patch 6.2 MSQ and Pandaemonium Thoughts

So, I have completed the MSQ and the Pandaemonium story quests, and I needed time to process it all to gather my thoughts. I have yet to do Island Sanctuary or Tataru’s questline, so those thoughts might come later once I have completed those. For now, here’s my thoughts on patch 6.2 so far!

First, some non spoilery stuff! I’m absolutely in love with the Pandaemonium normal raid gear!! The fire effects are spot on Yume aesthetic, with one of the elements that I associate with her is fire. I already got the boots and I’m going for the gloves next just to get her item level up, but next week I’ll be going for the helm at least. I’m holding off on farming for the chest piece until the new patch hype calms down a bit, as there are people doing P5-P8 now just to get the chest, and I don’t have the patience for that. Oh and in case you’re wondering, Yume’s main job I’m farming gear for is Sage, so she’s going to have the full healing gear hopefully in a few weeks!

Now here come the spoilers, which I’ll put under a cut. You’ve been warned!

MSQ

I was pleasantly surprised that we learned so many new things about the nature of voidsent and the world of the Thirteenth that we didn’t already know from the lore. How the voidsent die and respawn so quickly is fascinating to me, and it makes total sense with what we now know of the element of Darkness. The lore buff in me was squealing with delight over this.

Zero has to be a highlight in patch 6.2 in general for me. Oh my, did they do a fantastic job on her character! She looks so badass and beautiful, her personality is great, her backstory is really interesting and I want to know more, and I already know that she’s going to be shipped with other WoLs immediately.

The atmosphere of the Void, oh my god, I’m so in love with it! It truly feels otherworldly, and I get similar feels to how I felt arriving in the First for the first time. I took tons of screenshots of just the environments in general, as I wanted to capture how beautiful it is. I’ll be editing all of those screenshots and post them at a later date to be sure.

However, I still feel strange that I’m not that hyped for the conclusion of this story arc. I care about Vrtra/Varshahn and I want to find Azdaja, but I don’t know… I’m not that invested in the plight of the Void like I was emotionally invested in the First. This is likely in large part due to two reasons: 1) we had a whole expansion to get invested in the First, and it had way more time to flesh it all out, whereas it feels like just a detour to what the real thing is going to be in 7.0, and 2) I never played FFIV. I always wanted to, but I just didn’t take the time to play it, so all of these throwbacks to FFIV with Golbez and the Four Fiends and all of that… yeah I don’t have any investment in any of that. So I’m not sure if this is just a personal thing to me or if others can relate, but I really am just ehhhhh about the story of the MSQ right now.

The trial… yeah, the trial this time just was not epic to me whatsoever. This is an odd feeling to me because every trial we’ve had from ShB and EW was really good and I truly enjoyed doing them. I was always hyped for them, but this one… it’s just one of the Four Fiends that I mentioned before. I was just like “uhhhh and why do I care?”

So yeah, that’s about it for MSQ. I thoroughly enjoyed the raids more so…

Pandaemonium Abyssos

Oh my god I loved Pandaemonium this time!!! The fights were so fun, and the family drama storyline was more than I ever expected and it was so good! I’m so glad that they did Lahabrea justice, and god did I get the feels so hard for Erichthonios and Lahabrea. I can’t believe the plot twist we got, as I was not expecting that at all, but I thought it was executed very well. It made me appreciate Lahabrea’s character way more than I ever did. I loved the nods to Azem in there and though the Themis is Elidibus reveal was the least surprising reveal in the history of ever, I thought it was done well.

But can we just talk a minute about the holy fucking shit cliffhanger!!! What the hell is going on?!?! How did that happen? What does this mean? And we aren’t getting answers for TWO WHOLE PATCHES?!?! Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Overall, yes yes I need more Pandaemonium!!!

And lastly, I don’t want to reveal it just yet, but I’m actually happy that we didn’t get any G’raha in the MSQ at all this time, because it means that the plans I have for Yume’s story going forward can come into play and I’m SO excited to be sharing it with you all really soon! So please look forward to it!!

Anyways, what did you think of the new storylines?? Let me know!

#ffxiv endwalker #ffxiv patch 6.2 #endwalker spoilers #patch 6.2 spoilers #pandaemonium spoilers #general thoughts on the new patch storylines

[ladylvck]

"Ladies and gentleman...welcome to our little party!"

The atmosphere was lively, filled with talking and the soft chinking of fragile champagne glasses. Beautiful people mingling together in some of their best and glamorous outfits. Most quieted down when Puck took the stage with a grand sweep of his arms and a characteristic Chesire cat grin.

"Are you having a lovely evening?" he asked, to the answer of a few good natured and polite cheers. "The grand event is about to start soon, are you excited? Once I again, I am Admin Puck, your master of ceremonies for our fourth annual Hunt!"

Extensive underground facilities ensured no one could butt in; only those with invitations were allowed in. Any interlopers or uninvited plus ones had their minds wiped by a Psychic Pokemon and the offending invitee also summarily punished, though this rarely happened after the first few who did were made examples of.

For all their glitz and glamour, the members of the Lady Luck Lounges were still hardcore criminals, after all.

On stage came down a screen from the ceiling. There was static for a moment before images showed up. Eight people in total showed up on different feeds, bound, gagged and blindfolded. Some were still knocked out, others were struggling and screaming uselessly against their gags -- yet all who gathered did not seem perturbed, actually there were scattered chuckles and remarks of 'oh, that one's feisty!'

Puck took the time to introduce each 'contestant'. Other criminals they rounded up on their own and a few actually 'volunteered' by members of the audience; people who would not be missed if they went missing. Yet all were carefully selected by Puck, for maximum ;fun' as he liked to put it.

The Hunt was a yearly event he held for the criminal underground where lives were put on the line. Those able to pay the hefty price (and signing a waiver) would be allowed to hunt and chase down the contestants within a time limit. It was a riveting game of cat and mouse where the hunters usually came out on top, getting the thrill of being able to hurt, kill and main to their heart's content in a 'safe' environment. In the underground Lounge facility there would be no sudden raids or police presence or hope for someone to come and save the contestants.

And the people soon to be running for their lives, scrambling to grab what they could to survive, disregarding the others in a bid to survive along rather than working together? Well, survivors get the chance of a lifetime: a new life. A fresh start. A new identity, if only they can survive after the last second ticks. The only rule for them was to stay alive. Whatever else they decided was up to them, which made for a much more fun game.

The hunting grounds was a simulated forest area with equipment scattered throughout...along with traps. Those wishing to become hunters would have immediate access to whatever they'd like from a prepared arsenal. It was amazing to see what people picked out, at times.

Puck spoke with gusto, like a reality TV show host might, about people trying to win a prize. He made jokes, tickling his audience about the bad habits of one contestant, before moving onto the faults of another. Make it so there should be no guilt -- these were absolute scum after all and this is their trial by fire, speaking out to the hearts of those who were here while touting a 'noble' heart.

How fun the contradictions of humanity, while staring in the face of cruelty.

"...And of course, the rest of you can take your seats and watch from the safety of this reception hall. If you would like to make bets, we of course have our professional bookies ready to accommodate your little vice -- I hear contestant #6 has some very interesting odds. Why not bet on him? I hear he's a former Rocket!"

And with the last warnings given ("Don't forget to pick up a bullet proof jacket, hunters! Safety first!"), Puck bowed one last time before announcing to his audience and over the speakers inside the cells housing this year's prey,

"Let the hunt begin!"

#drabble #non-hero muses welcome to revel and react but like #reminder this blog be full of criminals lol

[theold-ultraviolence]

hey! I don't know if this makes you feel any better but I also got cancelled - last minute - plans and I honestly hate it because most of the time it's just done by lack of organization from my friends, ugh.

so, sorry and I am sad you weren't able to watch 'Scream' and although you have said that you might be busier in the next week, I do hope you'll get some time to properly watch it and appreciate it.

to send everything away, I have a few cute thoughts.

first of all, the museum that I was talking about is actually in Turin, which is a beautiful city and I'd highly suggest ever visiting it. it's not too famous but it has a beautiful architecture (sadly there's a whole lot of smog) but it's very cute and the museums -> beautiful! (sadly they are quite pricey, ugh. but the Egyptian museum - if you were, like me, an Egyptian-obsessed child... is... oh gods an obvious place to visit!).

also oh gods, your entire career seems so interesting and what you witnessed during your internship seems such an occasion! I am not as well-versed in cinema but I think that it's so interesting and I definitely am very curious about Guillermo del Toro's creations, because he always mixes folklore and fairytales with gothic atmospheres and I don't know I love it.

now onto some nice thoughts about museum curator! Aemond (I am thirsty about it and I'd also love to work in a museum, although more in the virtual/digital environment as it is what I am specializing into) and just imagine you have dragged your friends to this exhibition and they aren't the type for it, mostly came for the free food and wine. now onto the scene: Aemond having set up this exhibition and. it. is. his. first. EXHIBITION! so, he is nervous and he moves around to check with people who won't say anything because... HE IS A TARGARYEN.

and then he comes near you and he is like super-intrigued because your friends are about to ditch you and you are just begging them to stay, explaining all the interesting details that Aemond used and employed in the exhibition and he is so... he is so fascinated that somebody could understand him so well. and your friends ditch you but you feel a presence beside you and you... guessed it. it's Aemond!

you are all blushy-blushy and he is like asking you opinions and you are taken aback because ... is this... genius boy ... is he... is he talking with you? and oh gods, just the possibility to rant with him and gets passionate and see him blush whenever you compliment him.

ok that's all, hope you'll still manage to have a good night!

-🌗

Hi dear!!! your pressence has been missed, I'm so glad to see you on ye old inbox again! Hope you've been well! I remember last time you said you weren't feeling your best so I hope you've been able to enjoy your weekend and relax!

Sadly I just got some news and it seems I may not be able to go see Scream, probably at all. Was hoping I'd just go tomorrow but now I don't know. The thing is, there's someone very ill in my family and the odds are not looking good. So I'm just in this limbo of waiting, and it's really awful, which is why I wanted to go before something worse happened. But anyway, definitely noting down that museum and Turin in general! Italy as a whole is just a dream place to visit! Also Guillermo is 100% recommended. My faves of his are Cronos and The Shape of Water if you're looking for a place to start!

Omg Aemond fussing over his first exhibition I'M -

Oh my god he must've noticed you explaining to your friends how the display of the works had a very specific narrative in mind, that each of the pieces is in dialogue with the ones paralell and in front of them, and and and, the use of lighting has significance - all the little details he was super critical of when curating it and talking it out with the museographers. Also he was super annoyed that most people just used the works as backdrop for selfies and didn't actually pay attention to them. So when he overhears you, and later when your friends ditch you he's just standing there like !!!!!!! not knowing how to approach you, but also dying to discuss the exhibition with someone. Not to mention he thinks you're insanely pretty, so he's at a loss as to what to do.

AHHHH my heart!! this is now canon in my mind.

#🌗 #I'm gonna start a tag for this one #museum curator!Aemond #the best Aemond #bless ur mind for bringing him into existance friend #and thank you for dropping this brilliance into my inbox I'M OBSESSED

[tobiasdrake]

Started Danganronpa 3

Some initial thoughts. I haven't reached the first murder yet; Just got past the fakeout where Monokuma died and then respawned the following day. Some thoughts. Spoilers after the jump.

So, I may have figured out the twist. I know there's usually a twist regarding the outside world. In Danganronpa 1, the twist is that the school is actually a safe space, and the outside world is on fire. There are no homes to go back to. In Danganronpa 2, the twist was that Jabberwock Island was a simulation all along.

Here, we have a school building under construction that seems overrun with greenery. There are giant mechs being used by the Monokubs. We're surrounded by huge walls and, not only that, but the whole thing is inside a massive birdcage.

What got me was Gonta talking about the lack of bugs. There are no bugs. Absolutely none. This is a bug-free environment. And that seems odd, right? There's no possible way that there wouldn't be bugs in an open-sky environment like this. That's only possible in a sealed-off space.

So I'm looking at the bars of the birdcage while thinking about that. And I'm thinking, why is there a birdcage? What is the point of the birdcage? It wouldn't just be there for no reason, right? It's not like the birdcage is keeping us in; That's what the walls are for. Why is it there?

And I'm looking at the sky that I can see through the bars. I start to think, what if I'm not seeing the sky beyond the bars? What if I'm seeing the sky between the bars? What if that's not a birdcage, but a dome? What if those are panels?

So here's what I'm thinking. I think we're in space. Maybe a satellite in Earth orbit or something. The overgrowing greenery is for oxygen production and the Exigal mechs are for construction and maintenance. There's no bugs because this a controlled atmosphere.

I don't know why we're in space. I don't know how we're in space. I don't know how we're going to leave space. But I think we're in space.

Regarding the characters, my first impressions are as follows:

Kaede Akamatsu, Ultimate Pianist - Ooh, female protagonist. This is the first core Danganronpa title to have one. I'm surprised that she has a "real" Talent, so to speak; She's neither the class's obligatory Lucky Student nor ???. This feels very different.

Kirumi Tojo, Ultimate Maid - Oh, this character can go a variety of ways. She seems like the most dangerous, but dangerous can be either good or bad. She could be a major asset or a formidable Blackened.

Himiko Yumeno, Ultimate Mage - This character is precious and I want to keep her forever. I love the running joke that her "real magic" is just stage magic but it's TOTES REAL I SWEAR. I hope they never decisively answer whether or not she can cast real spells.

Maki Harukawa, Ultimate Child Caregiver - This character is an asshole. She's probably never going to be a Blackened. The obvious asshole is never the culprit. For reference, see Byakuya Togami.

Tenko Chabashira, Ultimate Aikido Master - Her dynamic with Himiko cracks me up. Extremely distrustful towards men specifically but given the context, I can't exactly criticize. This is a killing game. You do what you need to do to keep yourself safe, ma'am! If anything, be more paranoid. You're leaving yourself open to 50% of the potential Blackened.

Tsumugi Shirogane, Ultimate Cosplayer - This character freaks me out. She seems nice and sweet and kind and all that, but she freaks me out. She's Ultimate Cosplayer. Her entire persona could be a cosplay. I still remember when Mukuro Ikusaba cosplayed as Junko Enoshima. No thank you. I have my eye on you, cosplayer.

Angie Yonaga, Ultimate Artist - I love her. I'm going to be really sad when she dies. I don't know why, but I just feel like she has tragic victim written all over her. She's a fairly simple character with a funny joke that she retells every time you talk to her. And it's funny every time, but it doesn't seem like it lends the character much longevity. I mean, the same could be said of Gundham Tanaka, but he didn't exactly make it to the endgame either.

Miu Iruma, Ultimate Inventor - I'm still figuring out what to think about her. The way she breaks down at the slightest criticism makes her mean girl attitude seem totally artificial. She's definitely obnoxious to talk to. Maybe she's going to be the Byakuya asshole we never get rid of?

Shuichi Saihara, Ultimate Detective - I'm sorry, Ultimate what!? Oh, you'd better buckle up, Shuichi, because those are some big shoes to fill you're stepping into. Kinda nervous because he's the starting round buddy-buddy to hang out and help you out. One of those characters tried to frame mine for murder and the other was Nagito Komaeda, so that's not a role I trust easily.

Kaito Momota, Ultimate Astronaut - When he first told me his Talent, I was like, "Haha, whaaaaat?" But now that I think I've figured out this whole space station thing, his skillset suddenly seems extraordinarily relevant. We need to protect this guy with our lives. Unless he's the Mastermind. Shit, that's a possibility.

Ryoma Hoshi - Hahahaha deep-ass fucking 40-year-old voice coming from a 5-year-old body. That's hilarious. This toddler's been in prison!? XD This character is a very funny joke. 10/10 Good job.

Rantaro Amami, Ultimate ??? - He has to be our Lucky Student, right? Every class has a Lucky Student. If it's not him, then we don't have one. That wouldn't make sense. Also, he seems to be the only character who is actually familiar with the Killing Game. I think he may have seen Junko's broadcast? I'm intrigued.

Gonta Gokuhara, Ultimate Entomologist - This character is precious and I want to keep him forever. He's a sweetheart and I adore him. I rank him 9 out of 10 on a trustworthiness scale. The only way I could conceive of him ever being a Blackened is by accident.

Kokichi Oma, Ultimate Supreme Leader - Also a potential candidate for the "It's never the obvious asshole" tag. He calls himself Ultimate Supreme Leader but I think he's full of shit. I bet you money this guy's the Ultimate Liar, because every word out of his mouth sounds like an exact inversion of what he really thinks.

Korekiyo Shinguji, Ultimate Anthropologist - He's just so weird. I don't know what to think of him. He rubs me the wrong way. Reminds me of Mikan.

K1-B0, Ultimate Robot - Oh hey, it's Genos from One-Punch Man! This character is precious and I want to keep him forever. He doesn't deserve to face the kind of robot racism that Kokichi subjects him to. I wonder if he's connected to Alter Ego in any way?

So that's where I'm sitting. I tried to complete the obstacle course of doom by save scumming, but wound up giving up on it anyway. Too intense for me. If you can beat it, all respect to ya, but I had to throw in the towel.

Looking forward to getting to the first murder. Monokuma promised there wouldn't be a class trial for the first one? That can't be right, can it? Junko Enoshima would be spinning in her grave to hear that we're skipping the trial. That's like 80% of the Killing Game's appeal!

I'm waiting for the boot to drop. It has to drop, right?

We wouldn't. Actually skip it. Right?

#danganronpa #danganronpa 3 #killing harmony #danganronpa killing harmony #monokuma #kaede akamatsu #kirumi tojo #himiko yumeno #maki harukawa #tenko chabashira #tsumugi shirogane #angie yonaga #miu iruma #shuichi saihara #kaito momota #ryoma hoshi #rantaro amami #gonta gokuhara #kokichi oma #korekiyo shinguji #k1-b0

[blueheartedmayor]

Uno reverse card

Behind closed doors for Dante and Moira :3c

Behind Closed Doors (I reblogged it once for all three accounts but it's accepted here too. It'll be super slow though.)

@xshatteredreflectionsx

-

It was a formal gathering, but one a little different from the ones Damien would have to attend. It was hosted by a dear patron, and the atmosphere was light and cheerful. It was a breath of fresh air for all the guests. Anything was better than those stuffy events where every answer is a move on an unseen chess board.

In fact, Moira was enjoying herself. As Damien's plus-one, she was an outsider to the group, yet had found herself tugged onto the dancefloor by an older gentleman who was surprisingly agile for his age. Damien watched on from the bar, amusement playing on his lips, before the host approached him.

"I didn't think you would ever bring a guest to one of my parties, Damien." She claimed the bar stool beside him. "Here was me thinking you would never share that secret with me." Of course, she was only teasing him, knowing that the reason was not as nefarious as she was making it out to be.

"I do know that, Margaret. And truthfully, I've been meaning to bring Moira to one of these for some time. She's simply been very busy, and I would hate to distract her from her work. It's taken a lot for her to get this far."

They both turned their attention to the dancefloor in time to see the lawyer of the hour being spun around in an ungraceful, clumsy manner.

"You two met through work, I take it?"

"No, no. She's an old friend from university. The first friend I'd made for myself, by myself. I don't know where I would be without her. She has seen me at my best, and at my worst. She taught me how to live beyond the confines of the world I grew up in. She helped me see that there was still good in people; that I wasn't 'odd' like I always thought. She even bore witness to me being intoxicated for the first time, and relentlessly made fun of me the morning after when I couldn't lift my head off the table." His smile was sweet and more sentimental. "If I'm honest, there's no one I'd rather have by my side, and that's even beating my own sister out of that position."

"She sounds like a keeper."

"I suppose you could say that. She's my best friend, and she means more to me than anyone else in the whole world." Dark brown eyes were focused on the attempted dancing. No one had fallen, and that was a miracle. But he missed the way Margaret gave a breathless laugh and rolled her eyes. Oh dear...

BONUS:

-

"Permit me the opportunity to avoid some sort of 'story' to set the scene as is the norm here. Not only would it be forced, it would be wholly fake. I think it would be better to be honest with you directly. I wouldn't dream of speaking any of this out loud to anyone.

I loved her. I'm sure the choice of story prior to this showed as much. But I was a fool who was oblivious to the meaning of the messages drumming in his heart. I grew up in a loveless family environment. Love stared me in the face and I didn't do a thing about it. I felt this - this warmth in my chest when I was with her. I didn't understand fully what it meant. Instead, I channelled it into something platonic - or fooled myself into thinking it was familial, as was the case with the only friends I had ever known. Everything would be alright, if she was there. That's how it felt, anyway.

Choices were a luxury for me. I knew I wanted my life partner to be my decision, and no one else's. Mayhaps that was why I didn't see the obvious. There were so many risks in a relationship that had to be secret to the whole world. I was already scared of losing her friendship if my parents met her and deemed her 'unworthy'. It would have increased tenfold if that relationship had differed.

Now... Nothing would ever happen. Even if - even if somehow I can undo these disasters that have happened to her, it won't change what I did. I don't deserve her forgiveness, and I definitely don't deserve her love - if she even still saw me that way. And even if she did... I'm not even sure I have yet regained the ability to feel love. Regaining your own sense of self and your humanity is a slower process that simply snapping out of a trance. That's a tale for another time, I'm sure. Or, maybe it won't be.

To get back on track... If there was one thing I wished I could do, it would be to go back with a message. Not to warn myself of the manor. Not to tell Moira to feign illness to guilt me into leaving early the morning after... But I would go back to the university days. I would tell myself to run away with her. My family would not have been able to hunt me as I had feared they would. I could have disappeared, became a nobody, and learned to live as - well, as someone ought to. Mayhaps feel a proper sense of freedom for the first time in my miserable existence.

All I can do is try and find a way to liberate her. I know it won't magically undo a century of torment that was caused by my hands. I know it won't set everything right. But at the very least it will allow two people to feel like they can try and get their lives back on track."

#xshatteredreflectionsx #( :D )