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#but that is not enough information to know this is your long-term person? hello?
polyamorousmood · 5 months
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I'm literally so confused as to why you would... find that a bonding activity?
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atinysunbaby · 4 months
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@ateezluvv asked :
heyyy...could you please make ateez having crush on you? aaaand you are songwriter at KQ too....thank uuuuuu
Thank you for asking! I hope you'll like it even though I didn't make it the exact way you wanted and it took me an eternity to write, really sorry about that. :(. I wrote a different job for each member, because I felt it might be more entertaining that way. <3
⌛Ateez Hyung line having a crush on you⌛
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💖Park Seonghwa💖
"Park Seonghwa." You call your next patient's name, standing while holding the door separating the offices and the waiting room. You analyze his every actions and movements, like the boy's eyes widening slightly at the sound of your voice, the pathetic non subtle attempt at taking a shaky breath in hopes to slow his sudden rapid heartbeat, his hands and legs trembling as he stands up and the corner of his lips he can't seem to control that are starting to form a smile.
"Hello Dr. L/N!" You nod with a smile and gesture for him to follow as usual, scoffing under your breath in amusement, the excitement you could hear in those 3 words and the higher tone of voice he used, added to his reddening cheeks and averting eyes, this man really can't keep his emotions from showing.
You position yourself at the entrance of your office, gesturing for Seonghwa to enter. "Please take a seat and we'll get started."
The boy obeys immediately, maybe a bit too fast in your perspective, but letting this slide as well, you sit behind your desk and proceed to ask him a few personal questions. "So tell me Mr. Park, what is the reason of your urgency?"
"My what?" He asks, his voice almost a whisper and wearing a confused expression, waiting for your possible explanation. "Yes, you called my secretary and asked to get the closest appointment disponible.. or was that not the case?"
"No- I mean yes.. It's because of headaches, I get them everyday and I can't focus on practice anymore when it gets to intense." He lets out frustrated, clearly it has been affecting him for a while. "Any other symptoms?"
"Umm- no, I don't think so." You nod and type a few informations in your computer. While being occupied, you can still see the way the boy bounces his legs in nervousness and the way he can't seem to loosen up. "Are you sleeping enough, eating well, hydrating?"
"Well, sometimes?" At that, you give him back your full attention, concerned about his wellbeing. "Sometimes? What is sometimes? How many hours of sleep do you generally get, do you eat all of your meals and what kind of food, how many glass of water per day?"
"I'd say.. 4 hours per nights, sometimes more or less. I drink whenever I can, which I believe is not enough and every time I eat I feel sick, so I eat one meal, sometimes 2 and it's mostly ordered." You know he's an idol and you came to the conclusion that he was working really hard and it must be complicated, but you had no idea it was that bad. "Alright, you'll have to get a blood test and when I'll receive the results I will immediately send you a prescription for the supplements you need. I believe you are malnourished and you lack a whole lot of sleep."
He nods and sighs, feeling a bit helpless at his situation, it's almost impossible to stay completely healthy when there's a comeback and on top of that the group received death treats.
"You must know this already but, you really need to eat all of your meals and try to eat healthily, you need to sleep to regenerate your body and drink more water in order to function better. You might only be experiencing headaches now, but if this keeps on going at long term, there could be a lot of negative repercussions."
"I will, thanks miss!" He says with a blush coating his cheeks, slowly coming to realisation of the word he used. "You don't have to call me miss you know? Y/N will be just fine, if that's alright with you of course."
"No no no- I mean yes of course! It's totally fine- sorry.." He abruptly shuts his mouth because of the amused look you give him, never having felt more embarrassed in his life. "No worries Seonghwa, just make sure to keep this a secret between the two of us, I'm not supposed to get so 'friendly' with a patient and my colleagues wouldn't appreciate that I'm being so unprofessional."
All you receive is a flustered nod from the other and the sight infront of you is priceless. Seonghwa looks breathless and his whole face, neck and ears seems to have turned red, his lips are restrained by his teeth and it looks like they are about to rip from the pressure, in short, the boy looks like he is about to burst. "Seonghwa."
"Mmh?" He looks at you dumbly, as if his brain had just stopped working and he turned stupid. You scoff in disbelief, but mostly because you find him adorable for behaving like you are some kind of goddess. "You can breathe sweetheart."
And with that his whole chest deflates, as he lets out the breath he was holding.
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💙Kim Hongjoong💙
Being a teacher always has been your dream job, and for the last few months that dream became a reality, but you wonder now if you might have made a mistake.
Everything that comes with teaching, other than educating people on your favorite subject, is actual crap. Even though you have considered unimaginable scenarios while trying to prepare yourself to this world, it is nothing like what you imagined.
You wanted to quit after weeks of feeling absolutely miserable, but something-no, someone held you back. Hongjoong. That cute boy in one of your class who always pays attention and participates as much as humanly possible.
While the others always treat you like shit, being disrespectful and making disgusting comments that affect you more than you thought they would, Hongjoong stands up for you. He shuts them up real quick which you think is really sweet, but he's your student and it can be nothing more than that. Your delusional self will need to forget about that perfect man and move on.
"Alright guys remember about what we covered for the last two weeks, most of it will be in the exam. Have a good day!" Your students, although disrespectful most of time, salute you on their way out when they feel like being polite, which in your opinion is somewhat even worst. Because you know they know that they make you feel worthless, but they only care about themselves and their image.
"Excuse me miss?" There it is again, that smooth, angelic, soothing and irresistible voice calling for you. Trying to calm the untamable beating of your heart and put on the mask of a teacher who's totally not head over heals for her student, you answer the boy with a charming but neutral nevertheless tone of voice. "Yes Hongjoong what is it?"
"Could I speak to you for a second.. like privately?" He adds the last two words in reason of the numerous students walking around the corridor, you also don't fail to notice him looking quite uncomfortable and proceed to leave the door ajar, to not cause any misunderstanding..
"I just have a certain, uhh.. I need to tell you.. something." He fidgets endlessly which makes you even more nervous, but you remain calm as your 'student' needs you. "Of course what is it, you can tell me anything."
"I.. just kind of like you, like a lot." He throws the confession at you and acts like he's the one in shock, gasping with his eyes full of what resemble fear and hands coming up to hide his gapping mouth. You on the other side, stop breathing completely. "W-what?"
Then you know it wasn't the reaction he was hoping for, because panic settles in his already overwhelmed with emotions' body and mind. "Oh no- please I'm sorry! Could you please maybe forget I ever said that? I don't- it was a lie! Yes I lied-"
"Oh my- you did nothing wrong, no need to panic, just take a deep breath babyboy. " At the beginning of your sentence, you watched as his body relaxed and he started to regain control of himself, but after that you lost the poor boy. "B-babyboy?"
You didn't mean to call him that, but you don't regret it after seeing his reaction. You try to hide your laugh behind a cough, but he catches it quickly. "Are you laughing at me? Was that a joke?"
He looks so heartbroken that it sends a sharp pain through yours, an adorable pout makes its way onto his face without his knowledge, small unshed tears gather at the corner of his eyes and his eyebrows furrow in sadness, making his forehead slightly scrunch up. The poor baby looks way too cute when he's sad, and you shouldn't think so. "No don't cry, it wasn't a joke! I didn't mean for it to slip out like that, but if you don't dislike the nickname..."
"Really?" You have to stop yourself with everything you have right now, to not hug the life out of this precious little human. Fortunately, it seems that luck is on your side today, and the boy is the one reaching out for you. "Umm, would it be ok if I hugged you?"
"Come here." And of course you can't resist, squeezing the boy in your arms in a tight hug and he melts against you, his hands gripping the back of your shirt in fear you'll let go.
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💛Jeong Yunho💛
"Hello! Is anyone here?" You hear a deep, masculine voice call out for someone and you hurry to put the tiny kitten your holding in its cage with her siblings. "Yes I'm coming, just a second!"
"Oh there's no need to rush, please take your time." The man kindly responds and you smile at the gentleness in his tone, hurrying your task despite not having to. You don't want to make the boy wait when you have the time for him immediately.
You enter the main entrance with hurry and enthusiasm for a potential new customer, more then ready to greet the person waiting in the room, but your usual joyful speech is cut short when you are met with who you think, is the most handsome man you ever saw. "Welcome to the shelter... Umm I'm Y/N, how can I help you sir."
You gulp unintentionally, all of the confidence you usually have for other animal lovers like you is thrown out of the window from the moment your eyes meets. His smile is as bright as the sun and you swear you can see twinkles in his beautiful brown eyes, his aura gives off positivity and pure happiness and it makes you smile unknowingly. "Hi I'm Yunho, I'm looking to adopt a dog."
"Oh right- of course, we have a few little treasures at the moment! Would you like to meet them?" You ask in hopes that he would agree and end up taking one of the unfortunate pups currently residing in cages after being abandoned. "Yes! I'd love too."
Your heart flutters at the sight of his beauty and sincerity, showing off all of his perfect white teeth, eyes squinting slightly, giving him such a cute appearance. "You can follow me! I'm sure they'll be really excited to spend some time with you."
"I'm excited too. I've thought about this for a long time and I already bought everything necessary, bed, food bowls, toys, food, treats, blanket and- maybe a little too much actually." Yeah, excitement is clear in his tone and you can't fight the grin from appearing on your face. "I'm really glad to hear that. A lot of people who come to adopt some of our animals don't seem to care much."
"Really? Who wouldn't be looking forward to this? I mean especially if they come here in the first place." You're shocked for a second, the more he speaks and the more you are pleased by his kindness. He seems like a gentle and caring person, exactly the type of person a pet needs. "Right! That's what I thought, they don't deserve to adopt one of them if they act like that."
You turn to him slightly while opening the door to the dogs' room, both exchanging an interesting glance and you blush slightly at the way he carefully watches you. You wonder if he has been looking at during your whole small conversation and if he did, you hope you didn't do anything embarrassing. "We're here."
Your voice his small and you silently curse yourself for appearing so shy and nervous in front of someone you just met. You proceed to open the first cage, letting the 1 year old corgi out and introducing him to Yunho. " This is Pudding, he's a pretty active little guy, cuddly and he listens well to the instructions he's given. On the day he was brought here, he whined and didn't wanna come out of his cage for days after, he was so sad. Poor baby."
"I can't imagine abandoning a small being like that, they must go through so much pain." The pained expression he wears now, confirms his thoughts and you try to brighten the mood up a bit. "Fortunately, there are some amazing people who come here to save them."
Yunho giggles, knowing the intentions behind your words and appreciating your efforts to make his visit as pleasant as possible. "Well, there's also the kind and beautiful girl who takes care of them during their stay."
Your mouth hangs open in surprise, heat rising to your cheeks and you can't help but hide your face behind your hand in hopes that your heart will slow down. Yunho chuckles and the sound sends shivers through your whole body, he keeps getting more and more attractive and you don't know how to act anymore. "W-would you like to meet Rocky now?"
"Mmh I don't know, I think Pudding and I are already inseparable." He pets the dog who has fallen asleep in his laps and you can't help but let out a small laugh, happy for the puppy to have found his new family. "Really?"
"Yup, he's my little buddy now, if that's alright of course." He scratches behind the animal's ear and looks at him dearly, you know at that moment that Yunho is perfect for Pudding. He's going to be loved and cared for like never before and you just have a feeling that he will never be sad again. "Thank you, I'm really happy for you both. All that's left is some paperwork to fill and you'll be able to take Pudding home."
You both make your way out and back into the lobby, Yunho holds the still sleeping dog in his arms and walks carefully not to wake him. You take out a small folder with a few pages document he has to fill and you wait patiently while he writes down the informations needed.
"All done!" He exclaims, keeping his voice low so he doesn't startle the small baby asleep against him, he grins at you but it disappears almost instantly, a nervous expression replacing it instead. "Will I see you again?"
"You mean here at the shelter?" You ask hoping that he wants to see you for another reason than regarding his newfound friend, you don't want to sound like a fool if you answer his question after reading his intentions wrong. He laughs, this time it's so quiet and breathy that you almost don't catch it. "No, I mean... Can I have your number or something? I want to see you again, like to get to know you- if you want to of course, if you don't, I'll respect your decision."
You hesitate, only for a second, not because you don't want to, you would without even having to think about it, but you're at work and you shouldn't be fraternizing with a client. You quickly decide that it's worth giving it a shot and if you get in trouble, you'll deal with it then. You write your number on top of the folder containing Pudding's birth certificate and other important papers and hand it to him, feeling giddy and nervous. "I'd want that too."
You both exchange one last smile and Yunho leaves with the promise of contacting you as soon as he can. You're already looking forward to seeing him again. "See you Y/N!"
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💜Kang Yeosang💜
You were working as a staff member at KQ, mostly assisting everyone you could with their jobs and making their lives just a bit easier. When they found out that you have a degree in kinesiology and worked at a gym for some time, they proposed that you become a personal trainer to some of the members.
One of them being Kang Yeosang, the prettiest human you've ever laid eyes on, ateez's precious and sweet baby who is loved and recognize for his cuteness, is groaning and huffing as he works out only a few meters away from you.
You make eye contact every once in a while through the mirror and you try to make it look like you weren't just checking him out, clearing your throat and nodding before taking some notes on your pad, but deep down you know he must be aware. "I think if you move your arms a bit more sideways it'll be safer. Wouldn't want you to strain a muscle."
"Like this?" He proceeds to do as instructed and you nod with a smile, letting him continue on his own. Truth be told, Yeosang doesn't really need a trainer, but he insisted that you at least stay and watch him so you can take notes on the mistakes and help him improve.
You should keep it professional and not make him uncomfortable, but everytime he goes back to his exercises, you can swear you can see a smirk appear on his face. As if he is teasing you and enjoying your reactions, it's only adding fuel to the creeping fire in your stomach.
His muscles are bulging, almost threatening to rip his shirt with how tight it became since he started an hour ago, a big proof of his efforts. The veins on his arms and hands, a result from all the weight lifting and it's attracting your eyes like a magnet. The sweat coating his skin and making his hair stick to his forehead doesn't make him look bad in the slightest, actually it's the first time that you aren't disgusted by someone else's sweaty figure and you can't help the way your body responds to the man, who is now walking towards your smaller form and towering over you.
You don't know if you were right to agree and take the job, because in this very moment, having to be so close to him is leaving you breathless and you're scared you'll end up reacting in a way that'll make him hate you. He's searching for your eyes, trying to get your attention, but you're so deeply lost in your thoughts that you almost gasp at the feeling of his fingers on your chin. He lifts your head so you meet his gaze and arches one of his eyebrows in what you think is a mix of amusement and interest. "So did you enjoy the show?"
"W-what- are you- you're.. I. I didn't!" You can barely breathe as his overpowering aura engulfs you and it overwhelms you to the point you can't form a whole sentence. His reaction to your response is what makes you break and you try to get away from his grasp, but he only grabs you face more forcefully this time and backs you against the wall behind, almost pressing his whole body against yours. "Now I didn't take you for liar little one."
You accept your fate, his eyes boring into yours and he looks like he's about to devour you. His expression changes from lust to concern in a matter of seconds when you start to tear up, maybe from embarrassment or because everything is too much at the same time, you have no idea. "Are you ok, do you want me to stop?"
You shake your head, but a tear falls followed by your lower lip starting to tremble. Yeosang takes it as a clue to stop even though you say otherwise. He slowly releases your jaw and backs away only enough to give you some space. "Did I hurt you or scare you?"
You reassure him by shaking your head once more, reaching for his hand without realising, only to stop mid air when you do. He notices immediately and smiles sweetly at you, bending to your height slightly before he takes you in his arms, holding you close to his body. "You can touch me if you want, it's ok sweet baby."
"Now do you wanna tell me why you were crying mmh?" He asks gently, not to make you cry again and you try to regain some control over your body, taking a deep breath and thanking Yeosang for being so patient and understanding. "I.. don't know, just felt, like too much."
Hearing your words Yeosang is in dilemma, between squishing you to death from finding you so adorable or kissing you till you can't breathe anymore, but since he doesn't want to overwhelm you again he opts for a more self restrained option. "Can I kiss you?"
You barely have time to nod before his lips are on yours, the gentleness in his touch makes you relax against his chest in less then a few seconds. Your hands reaching up to tug the hair at the back of his nape which results in a deep moan coming out of his throat and you shiver at the sound. Just before it escalates, he slowly parts from you and you both can't help but smile. He pecks your lips a few times before confessing. "You don't know for how long I've been wanting to kiss you."
Maknae line
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bpcr3yes · 6 months
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Hello again, lately I've been obsessed with Valeria Garza and I decided to write some headcanons about her because I'm tired of only talking to bots 💀
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VALERIA GARZA HEADCANONS (realisct maybe?) (a little subjective??? I don't know)
She is a woman with a strong personality, fearless, focused, stubborn, arrogant.
She is el sin nombré, owner of the biggest cartel in Latina America, she certainly had many women. She has a preference for chubby women, she likes to squeeze, you would probably be an anti-stress ball for her.
I have a lot of doubts about her being bisexual or lesbian (or straight if we could even add that option) but I believe she is a lesbian, a furious one at that, about her relationship with Alejandro I believe she used him (she appears to have a personality narcissistic and manipulative) she used him to get information so her plan could work.
I believe that when she was a soldier in the armed forces, she was totally confident and determined, many men were around her because she was beautiful (and hot) so she had a razor instead of a tongue I believe, she was always shouting insults or belittling men, only with her commanders she was more... well-behaved.
In the interrogation part, we see her tell Alejandro that she didn't take orders anymore, but then you can understand that he was her commander, and she was certainly angry with him.
After she became owner of the cartel, her life became extremely stressful, she doesn't trust any of her men (I think Diego was an exception) she believes if something needs to be done it's perfectly fine to have a woman do it because she thinks men they don't think.
I like to think that she has a trophy wife that she only takes to events like parties, bars and meetings. The wife's only job is to stand there being pretty and not say a single thing.
Now let's talk about this truly passionate woman of ours.
If you are in a long-term relationship (5 or 3 years) she would be completely in love with you. The type of wife who comes home and gives you a long kiss and hug, to make up for lost time.
Every month you go out to eat at a fancy restaurant and then spend the night together. (a long night I can say)
In public, like at events or on the street when you go out together, she rarely shows any type of physical touch, she prefers to remain secret. When she's in the Cartel it's totally different, she makes a point of kissing and grabbing you in front of everyone without caring, she would probably touch you sensually in front of her men but if someone is bold enough to think they can have fun together, She shoots twice. One on the head and the other on the penis.
She is a possessive woman, she would politely (not so politely) ask you to have her initials tattooed on your hip. She would also have a tattoo about you on the back of her neck.
about Family, this part is a little confusing when I create the headcanons. Most of the hcs I read said that she had mommy issues, I believe she was a daddy's girl, while her mother was narcissistic to the extreme, always belittling her for simple things.
Her mother probably had a lot of problems with medication. I also think that Valeria always had an attitude, never lowering her head to anyone. No matter the occasion.
Her family on her father's side loved her and disliked her mother, she probably had kind and caring grandparents and aunts. I like to think that she spent a lot of time with her grandmother, cooking, helping her with everything.
She must have had cousins too, she and them would turn the house upside down.
There's a part in the interrogation scene where Alejandro is saying that she ruined the army and he says "and your brother too?" It makes me think that Valeria joined the army to prove that she had the same value as her older brothers (to prove to her mother that she was capable too)
I imagine her brothers being strong, big and courageous lieutenants, she could be close to one of the two, while she didn't even make a point of saying good morning to the other.
that's it for now ♡
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drdemonprince · 8 months
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Hello! You have opened a fascinating door into kink communities I didn't even know existed. Thanks for that. I was describing some of your steamworks adventures to my partner, who works as a Disease Intervention Specialist (aka DIS, a government healthcare worker who administers free/low-cost STD testing and then attempts to track down and notify+test the recent sexual partners of any infected individuals). (He brings some INSANE stories home from work and gets to give sex ed talks at the local Christian college using a model penis that actually ejaculates--but I digress.) He was horrified by the hypothetical situation where an infected person could have blindfolded sex with an unknown number of nameless strangers. It's hard enough trying to track down partners when the patient only knew them by their Grindr username. How do you have safe sex in these situations? Some STDs can be transmitted via skin-to-skin contact even with a condom. Do venues like steamworks enforce any rules around testing/protection/etc.?
If your partner is 'horrified' by the actual sex lives of the populations he ostensibly serves I think he needs to read more from harm reductionist thinkers and queer activists from a variety of past eras and work on processing his feelings of judgement to ensure it doesn't impact his actions in that line of work.
The books and Melancholia and Moralism, Saving Our Own Lives, and Beyond Shame: Reclaiming the Abandoned History of Radical Gay Sexuality are good places to start.
If you're having anonymous or blindfolded sex in cruising spaces, one route of managing risks is to assume that every person there could be infected with STIs you do not have and to plan accordingly. Vaccines, condoms, PreP, testing, and education are just some of the tools at one's disposal, and one should always be cognizant of the risks that one is consenting to. Steamworks has sexual health educators and testers present within their space regularly, but they don't gatekeep based on serostatus, health status, drug regimen or use of protection -- doing so wouldn't be feasible and would be problematic on multiple grounds.
I don't believe the goal of a public health initiative or a life well lived is to eliminate all risk, or to regard the presence of any infection in any human body as unacceptable, but rather to empower people to make informed decisions about the level of risk they are comfortable confronting, or that is worth the numerous benefits to them.
Personally, I was in far greater danger when I didn't have access to such spaces. Cruising spaces make negotiating sexual consent far safer than privately dating and hooking up with someone, and Steamworks are vitally important queer community spaces, and for me are well worth the trade off. No one should have any illusions about this ever being an experience that they can eliminate all risk from, rather they should anticipate it and plan for it.
I think "safe sex" is an unhelpful framework to pursue because it is so binary and can't ever be guaranteed. What does safety mean? Which types of exposures do we consider to be "unsafe"? Am I unsafe if I encounter another person who, like me, has had a cold sore before, like 80% of the population? Or someone who has a strain of HPV I am vaccinated against? What about if I have an encounter with somebody with a cold? I'm "safer" being fucked by an HIV positive person who is undetectable and wearing a condom than I am having barrier free sex with a long term partner who cheats. I can't even know I'm taking a risk in the latter case; at Steamworks, I'm assuming my risk level to be on the high end and planning accordingly.
I understand that testing and tracing are important parts of public health for our populations. It was vitally important when monkeypox broke out. Maybe Steamworks should collect member emails and alert them if there was a reported transmission on a night that they visited. Though even then, there are some negative public health implications to dozens of people panicking. But there is no means of eliminating all risk entirely or tracing all human sexual behavior and I would be myself pretty horrified if there was.
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m2ok · 1 year
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As Icarus loved the sun
König X M!reader
A/N: part two of Of Icarus in love :) enjoy the fluff y’all 🫶 PS: my bad if the pacing is weird, I kinda rushed the end because I was excited to get this posted.
One
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You had avoided Ghost since you’d figured out what he and Johnny had. You couldn’t say it was easy, it most certainly wasn’t. It was hard to even ignore him considering you were on the same team, and it was hard to find a spot you could hangout with the others where he wasn’t.
You didn’t know if he noticed your absence, and you were trying not to care if he did. So what if you didn’t hangout with them as much anymore? It wasn’t really any of their business, you had your own secrets just as they had theirs.
To cope with the heartache and the guilt of disregarding most of your team, you threw yourself head first into work. While you waited for orders for a new mission you worked on whatever paper work you had, you worked on uncovering leads, you worked on tracking down targets, hell you even worked on getting the little offices more paper. Anything to get your mind off of your current social predicament.
You knew it couldn’t last long, but you wished you could’ve hidden out for two more days at least. Now you were sat around a little meeting room as Price ran through your current mission. You were zoned out, at least for most of it. You caught the important bits like what you were to be doing, and who you needed to capture. All of that was locked away in the sanctity on your mind, but everything else was gone with the wind. You were focusing too hard on not breaking down in front of your comrades, god you’d never let yourself live that down.
You only caught the last part, and even then it was just half of whatever Price had been saying
“-And you’ll be working with a new addition to the team this time” he said as he passed a file around
“He’ll be with us for a few missions, nothing long term. Just need his skills for a bit and then we’ll send him right on back” he assured, knowing most of the boys didn’t take too well to a new member of the team.
You remember it took months to even be friends with them, except Gaz. He was easy to befriend and you probably considered him your best friend as of late. That made you feel even worse, knowing he kept sending worried glances your way. You should talk to him, maybe later.
You looked at the file once it got passed down to you, flipping through the various papers. Insertion specialist, wanted to be a sniper, you looked at all the basics.
You stopped when you got to the personal information. 6’9, god damn he was a tall guy. You were used to tall men, being on the 141 team and all, but this guy would tower over you. Over all of you.
You closed the file and passed it on, your thoughts slowly shifting towards König. You wondered what he was like, how his social anxiety affected his performance on the battlefield. You assumed not much considering he was steadily rising in the ranks.
You were informed at the end of the meeting that König should be landing any minute, and that he would be unpacking in his room should anyone want to go say hello. You glanced around at the table, most of the boys seemed uninterested at the prospect and so you decided that you would be the new guys welcoming committee.
You knew how it felt to join a new team, and you wanted König to know that he had someone in his corner should he need it. You remembered how lonely the first couple of weeks were, and even if he wasn’t here permanently you still wanted him to be comfortable.
It was maybe an hour later when you heard a helicopter land and the mumbled introductions of a Captain and his new teammate. It was maybe forty five minutes later when you decided to go say hi, figuring that the man had been alone for long enough.
You knocked on the open door, letting him know you were there. The man jumped like you’d spooked him, something you couldn’t help but find funny considering the inches he had on you, before turning around. Masks weren’t anything new to you, so you paid almost no mind to it before you spoke
“Hey” you gave him a soft smile, his wide eyed staring at you as he held a shirt in his hands.
“I just came to welcome you. I doubt the other boys came to say their hellos so…here I am” you chuckled nervously as you rubbed the back of your neck.
“I’m Y/N by the way. Konig , right?” You questioned to which you saw his eyes crinkle slightly, almost like he was smiling.
“König, actually, but you were close” he hummed before he set the shirt down in its proper drawer.
“Right- König. Don’t worry I’ll remember that, I’m a fast learner” you grinned, you liked the new guy already. He seemed nice, agreeable. Perhaps soon you’d be able to add a new friend to your little list.
“Well, I’ll let you get back to it.” You said as you turned to leave, stopping once you were halfway out the door to face him again.
“The rest of the team isn’t that easy to talk too, nice guys, but closed off. So, if you ever need someone to talk to I’m right down the hall. Last door on your left can’t miss it” you gave the door frame two taps before heading out.
You heard a faint little “thank you” as you left, a small smile gracing your lips as you headed back to your own bunker.
You found it easy to talk to König after that. You’d save him a seat in the cafeteria, he’d sit with you. Most nights spent in the common room were now spent somewhere quieter, where you could talk to each other without the others around. And you worked well together on missions, honestly well was an understatement. You guys were basically a dream team.
You didn’t know what it was, but you and König just clicked. It was like you’d known each other for years despite it only being a couple of weeks at most. He understood the complicated emotions no one else seemed to, he could tell from just a glance at your face how you were feeling, you two were thick as thieves.
This new found friendship also helped to take your mind off a certain Britt and Scotsman, you hadn’t thought about them nearly as much as you used to. Sure, you had the occasional late night heartache where you relived the moment all over again, but you weren’t consumed with the thoughts. You felt free again. For the most part at least.
It was one of those nights where you couldn’t sleep. Maybe it was the post-mission adrenaline running around in your body, maybe you’d had one too many cups of coffee, you weren’t sure, but for whatever reason your mind just wouldn’t stop racing. It went all over, but it kept coming back to that day. You had been pining after Simon for years, and within a matter of seconds any hope you had of a relationship with the man was thrown down the drain. You didn’t blame either of them, it wasn’t their fault, but god did it sting.
You were tired of feeling this way, of feeling your heart tighten in your chest every other minute because your brain just wouldn’t leave you alone. Without much thinking you rose from your bed and quietly made your way out of your room and down the hall.
Before you could stop yourself you were knocking on Königs door. You only got two in before it was swinging open. It never took long for him to answer, you were really the only person that knocked so he always knew who it was.
“Hi…” you said quietly as you looked up at him. His mask was haphazardly thrown over his head as he looked down at you.
“I know it’s late, but I can’t sleep. Do you….think I could hangout here for a bit?” You asked. He only responded with a nod, clearly still sleepy as he let you in.
You felt slightly guilty for waking him, but that was soon gone as the familiarity of his room soothed your nerves. You sat down on his bed, the spot next to you dipping under his weight as he laid back down.
“What are you thinking about?” He asked quietly, reaching over to gently put his hand on top of yours. You guys had a thing for these little touches, shoulder pats here and there, his hand going to just graze yours when the room would get a little too frenzied with people. It was this silent understanding that you were that for each other, that you knew what the other needed.
With a deep sigh to flopped back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
“You ever liked someone so much that it physically hurt?” You questioned, your gaze fixed on the ceiling.
He looked over at you, staring at your face for a few seconds. With a little forced smile, he nodded his head
“Yeah. I do-I have” he replied.
“I don’t know…” you mumbled “it’s not even that I like him anymore, it’s just that I spent so long thinking about him that I don’t know what to do with myself now. I guess..I guess I felt like he was my only option ya know?” You said with a dry little laugh.
“Hm. What’s that English saying? Theres plenty of fish in the sea, yeah? You’ll find someone” he reached down to hold your hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.
“But I don’t interact with really anybody outside the team, and I doubt I’ll meet some civie anytime soon. It feels like it’s a lost cause, besides who would want to be with someone who’s constantly away anyways? I mean-”
“Me” he cut you off.
It was like he replied without thinking, he said it so fast you weren’t even sure if you heard it. You could tell by his own reaction that he’d just blurted it out, too. You could see how his cheeks were flushed from the little bit of skin under his eyes. He was frozen in place, his hand letting go of yours as you stared at each other.
You certainly hadn’t expected his confession, and it made you realize a whole bunch of new feelings really quickly. You hadn’t taken much time to consider your relationship with König, you were too wrapped up in how blissful is was. You should’ve seen it earlier, it was probably clear as day to everyone else with the way you two clung to each other.
“Me?” You questioned as you pointed to yourself, almost like you didn’t believe him.
He gave you a slow nod “you” he replied as he sat up, gently pulling you up with him.
“I’m..sorry if I came on too quickly. It’s just we were talking and I couldn’t help myself- I was planning on telling you at some point, but I didn’t know how and I didn’t want to make our friendship weird. Plus I’ll be going back soon, so I don’t-“
Now it was your turn to cut him off. He was rambling, about to spiral himself into a panic and you were sure your words alone weren’t going to be able to break through.
So you kissed him. It was soft, your lips just barely touching his as the mask was lifted just above his mouth. You slowly pulled away to be met with wide eyes, his hand coming up to touch his lips.
Within seconds he was pulling you in for another, but this time it was a real kiss. It was still soft and gentle, but he was pouring all of his love into it. He carefully maneuvered you around so you were sitting in between his spread legs, your own resting on top of his thighs while he kept his hands on your waist.
When you pulled away again you both had goofy little smiles on your faces, like teenagers after kissing their crush for the first time.
“I..didn’t really think about it before, but I feel the same way. About you- I mean. I like you. We get along well…plus your kissing isn’t that bad” you teased.
“Good-good yes that’s good. Yours is good too- I liked it. I like kissing you” he was stumbling over his words, his nerves getting the better of him as his grip on your waist tightened ever so slightly.
“Yeah?” You chuckled, cupping his face as you leaned in to kiss him again “you’ll be getting a lot more of it now” you mumbled against his lips before pushing him to lay down on the bed.
You moved next to him, moving yourself so his head was resting on your chest with his arms still hugging your waist. You tangled your legs together, holding the man close to you as you pressed a little kiss to his covered forehead.
You supposed Ghost being unavailable wasnt all bad, perhaps a blessing in disguise really, because now you had your König. Your König who knew all of your little quirks, your König who kept you going through those sleepless nights. Your König who loved you back. Your king.
As always, requests are open
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varpusvaras · 1 month
Text
There was a call coming through an outside line.
A priority call, Index noted, but not an emergency one. He glanced at his current ongoing tasklist, and as it was going slow at the moment (The Royal Guard, even after integrating many of the former Guard vode, really didn't get hurt a lot), he accepted the call.
"Oh, Your Majesty", he nodded his head as the call connected. "How can I be of help today?"
"Good morning, Index", Breha nodded back at him and smiled pleasantly. "I would like you to look up something for me, if it's not too much."
"Of course" Index said. "I'm assuming this is about Fox?" He was already opening Fox's files that he still had saved on the system.
"Yes", Breha said. "You have shared all of the information about his health during his service on Coruscant, but I was wondering if you had any files on him before that?"
"I have his training performance reviews and everything the medics on Kamino have written up", Index answered. "Was there something specific you wanted to know?"
"Do you have any information on when his birthday is?"
Index paused.
"I'm sorry?" He asked.
"Oh, right", Breha frowned just a little and maybe for a second, barely. "You had a different term for it, correct? Decanting date? I apologise for assuming anything."
Oh, right, indeed. This was not the first time someone had asked for their decanting dates while calling them birthdays, but it had been a while since the last one.
"I'm afraid that information was not extented to me on his files, when I became the CMO of the Guard", Index said. "It is considered to be part of the initial product line control infromation, and not health."
Now she did frown a lot more and a lot longer.
"I'm assuming I need to ask for that information from Kamino?" She asked.
"Most likely, yes", Index said. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."
"No, no, you have helped plenty", Breha smoothed her expression again and then smiled at him. "Thank you. I was just filling out more paperwork, and well, of course we want to celebrate it with him. Though I do need it otherwise as well. The birthdays of the Royal Family are considered national holidays here."
Right. Index had to smile a little. Being a person and Royalty on top of it came with a lot of weird things, didn't it?
"I see", he said. "Well, once you know, would you like to relay the information forward? I'm sure the Guard and the rest of Fox's brothers would also love to celebrate it."
"I will", Breha gave him one last smile. "I will talk to you later. Have a nice rest of your day."
"You as well", Index nodded. He got back to his slow work after, though couldn't help but think back to the call for the rest of the day.
It would be nice to know when he had entered the world for once and for all. Kamino would just probably be a bit...difficult, when it came to releasing any information to anyone. Well, if anyone could get anything out of the long-necks, it would be Fox's riduurs. Stubborn they were, all three of them.
---
"What are you doing?"
Fox watched as Bail almost jumped on his chair.
"Ah", Bail said, blinking rapidly for a moment, before he seemed to gather himself enough to turn around in his chair and smile at Fox. "Hello, love. You startled me a little."
Fox raised his brow.
"If me walking into the room and speaking in a normal tone was enough to startle you, then it means that you are too tired and need to stop working", he said. "Do not make me a hypocrite."
"You wouldn't be a hypocrite", Bail said. "You have been so good with your work hours now."
"Yes, because you two keep dragging me off if I work even a couple of minutes overtime." They sure did. Every single time, with pleading eyes and soft smiles and gentle hands and words, telling him that you have already worked enough, please take at least a little break, you deserve the rest after all, please come here. "So I would be a hypocrite if I didn't do that as well. It's almost 1 in the morning. You told me you would be in bed soon over four hours ago."
He had fallen asleep for a couple of hours, and woken up to being cold and to an still empty bed.
Bail glanced at his desk. Fox decided to be a bit unfair.
"I came to Coruscant to see you", he said.
Bail sighed.
"Of course, my love", he said, finally getting up. "This has just...taken a lot of time."
"I'm sure", Fox said. Most things in Bail's line of work did. "What is it about? Short version."
"It's about getting the Vode an access to all their own information", Bail said. "Kamino is still on the stance that it can't make the information regarding cloning public, and thus is witholding all of your personal information on that basis. We're trying to argue that it's not about making the cloning information public, it's about giving you all the access to all the information regarding yourselves. Since, you are, all now considered sentients, and it's against the Republic law to withold personal information from any sentient being. Kamino can argue that it's not in the Republic officially, but they have gotten so much Republic funding and have a seat still in the Senate, that we think it's irrelevant if they are officially a member or not."
Fox nodded, slowly. He had not even thought about any of that, if he was being completely honest. There had been a lot of things to think about after the War, and access to some information he had not even thought existed had not been in the forefront of his mind.
Though, now, he thought it was only fair to have that. Even if he didn't think there was anything important in there for him, it could be more than beneficial for others.
"That is nice of you", he said, reaching up a little to press a kiss to the corner of Bail's mouth. "I appreciate it. But now, I would also appreciate my husband coming to sleep with me."
Bail laughed a bit.
"I'm coming", he said. "I'm sure the temperature of the bed is too low for your liking."
Fox rolled his eyes at the teasing look Bail was giving him.
"Damn right it is", he said. "So come on, I need it heated up."
---
There was a sound of movement coming next to her.
"Breha?" Fox's low, sleepy voice called. "Why are you up?"
Breha instantly lowered the brightness of her datapad.
"I'm sorry", she said, quietly, to not to wake Fox up more. "Just a little schedule issue I started to think about, nothing more."
"Okay", Fox mumbled. Even in the dimmer light, Breha could see him watching her. He looked utterly adorable like this, his hair ruffled from sleep and the blanket wrapped tightly around him all the way to his shoulders. His forehead was almost touching Breha's hip from how close he was laying to her, unconsciously always seeking her or Bail out.
Thank you, she said in her head to the Force, thank you for giving me not one but two cute husbands.
She quickly returned to her datapad, signing off the messages and plans she had open on the screen, and then closed the device. She pulled her own blanket up and laid down. She bit back a laugh when Fox immediately shuffled even closer and partially wrapped himself around her.
Breha pressed her head against his chest and listened to his heartbeat and already slowening breath, and despite the excitement running laps inside her, she let them lull her into easy sleep.
---
Fox woke up to a hand running gently down on his hair.
"Good morning, love", Bail's voice came from beside of him, and Fox opened his eyes.
He was met with Bail's smiling face. Fox blinked a couple of times, chasing off the sleep from his eyes.
"Morning", he answered, still a bit confused. "...when did you get here?"
He had spoken with him last night before going to sleep, and Bail had very much been on Coruscant then. But here he was now, very much so, on Alderaan and right in front of him, sitting at the edge of the bed.
"Just now", Bail answered. "I landed less than half an hour ago."
Fox smiled.
"That's nice", he said, because, it really was. It was always nice to have Bail and Breha both with him. "A nice surprise."
"It was supposed to be", Bail said. "Just for you, and I do have other surprised with me for you as well, though I those are more commonly called presents."
Now Fox was confused again.
"For me?" He asked. He finally sat up and rubbed his eyes. "What's the occasion?"
"Oh, nothing much", Bail said, with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Just your birthday."
Fox stared for a moment, his still half-asleep brain catching up to what was said.
"My...what?" He asked then.
"Your birthday", Bail repeated. "The bill of releasing your personal information for yourself went through last month. We as your next of kin had an access to the very basics, which included your decanting date."
Fox...didn't know what to say.
So, he first checked the date.
It was a strange feeling, to suddenly know that in this very day, he had come out of his growth tube, probably screaming his lungs off. Fox had known vaguely when it had happened, of course, as they had all been strictly grouped up with other vode of similar age, but still...the exact date had been unknown to him. Up until now.
Fox turned back towards Bail, who was still smiling, just very softly now.
"Happy birthday", Bail said, and leaned to press a kiss on Fox's forehead.
Oh. Fox suddenly felt- a bit emotional. He had never had a birthday before.
"Thank you", he said, and if Bail asked, he could pass on the scratchiness in his voice being because he had just woken up.
"Oh, we're awake now?" Breha was standing in the doorway to their bedroom, with a little tray in her hands. "Breakfast will be a bit later at the terrace, but bringing caf to bed on one's birthday is the spouse's job."
Bail moved out of the way a little, so Breha could lay down the tray in front of Fox on the bed. She had brought out his favorite cup. It was such a small thing, and Fox used the cup multiple times a week, but...
Breha leaned closer and kissed him on the cheek.
"Happy birthday, my love" she said to Fox's ear, and Fox really had to blink a few extra times.
"Thank you", he said, and took the cup. There were two other cups as well, and Breha took one, once she had climbed back onto the bed. Bail took a moment longer to go and open up the rest of the blinds on the windows, to let the bright, white morning light into the room fully, before he also sat back down on the bed and took a cup for himself.
"Your brothers will be here a bit later", Bail said. "I know most of them have been bursting at the seams for having to keep this a secret for a while now."
Oh, that Fox could imagine. He snorted.
"I will tell you now, somehow that is all my fault", he said. "For daring to be born on this specific date and not knowing it already."
Breha and Bail both laughed at that, and Fox took a sip from his caf. His favorite blend and a lot of sugar. Of course it was.
He smiled into his cup and definitely was not too emotional about it.
---
Fox opened the file.
There was a lot, and it seemed a lot of it was just about his very specific genetics and his cellular division during the embryotic stage. He skipped over those. He skimmed the pages about his growth once had started to resemble a human more, how he had gotten all of his organs and limbs and fingers and toes and everything just in time just like he should. A healthy, prime product, they called him.
Then he found what he had been looking for.
CC-1010 - Decanting Measurements and additional information
Height at the time of decanting: 52.3 centimeters (converted to the Republic Standard Unit of Measure)
Weight at the time of decanting: 3.389 kilograms (converted to the Republic Standard Unit of Measure)
Reflexes optimal, reactive to the standard. Initial eyesight and hearing tests passed up to the standard. Lung capacity optimal, vocal response as expected upon decanting, slight difficulties in quelling the vocal responses by the staff present. Activity high after decanting, the range of limbs optimal and up to standard. Additional note: activity above the standard after decanting, difficulties in securing the movements while transferring
Fox couldn't help but laugh. He really had come out to the Galaxy screaming, and, apparently also kicking.
Yeah, that sounded just right.
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candyk0rn · 2 years
Note
Hello Candy, how are you? May I request you a headcanon of Riddle, Azul, Leona, Kalim, Vil and Idia (and Malleus to if you wish to yeet him into this) finding out that the reader is a descendant of the Great Seven?
Also, feel free to use any gender terms you want. I don't mind and hopefully this isn't too much to ask. Have a good day/evening/night!
~Evelyn
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Hello Evelyn! 👋 thank you for the request! I’m pretty sure you requested something else recently, but I think my phone deleted it? So I’m going to answer this one! (And if you can remember what you requested please feel free to contact me once requests are open again lol, it’s purely my bad!) ( •̥ ˍ •̥ ) (Also I feel like this one seems a little rushed, and it kind of was! So sorry for the lower quality of it is…)
Gender neutral reader (per usual!)
Riddle, Leona, Azul, Kalim, and Vil reacting to s/o being a descendent of the great seven
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Riddle:
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He hates to admit it, but he feels slightly “uncomfortable”
( I say that with no knowing of another way to put it)
He already had you on a pedestal, you being his lover and such
But boy oh boy
He truly tries his hardest to see you in the same respect, he REALLY tries
But it’s hard, especially knowing you are of the same blood as that of one of the great seven
You should probably give him a good face-to-face pep talk about how you are still the same, and his formalities shouldn’t change drastically because of this information!
He still adores you of course, he’s only even more respectful of you
And more protective as well
He probably feels unworthy, but he keeps that to himself
Talk to him please 😭
Leona:
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So…
Let’s take a complete loop away from how Riddle’s went
He doesn’t see you any differently, nor does he exactly care
“Ya’ some descendent of some powerful person? Makes two o’ us I guess.”
He will silently admire you, just as he always has
He will never admit he thinks it is..at least a LITTLE bit cool
But you can probably see through that
His scoffs won’t get him anywhere, lmao
Azul:
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My my, how interesting!
He is extremely intrigued
He is like a type writer, spitting out words and questions
As if he didn’t usually do that already
What? It’s good collateral, I’m sure!
Although he won’t admit it to you, simply because he is so benevolent(!),
He, like riddle, has a slight twinge of envy
A feeling of being slightly unworthy, the feeling of being a lower status
He will attempt to not let it bother him
Just show him, don’t tell, that you are simply the same person!
It won’t bother him for long if you just be yourself
Kalim:
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“The great WHAT?!?”
He is in AWE!
His super duper awesome partner is actual the descendent of one super duper awesome great seven?
Boy, is he lucky!
Only likes you even more now after learning this information
He loved you so much already, now he just has an extra layer of admiration
And you can’t shed those layers either, he is stuck like glue
Somewhat contradicting what I said, he’s somewhat like Leona
He has this new respect, yes, but he still loves you all the same
You haven’t changed in his opinion:)
Vil:
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As if your beauty didn’t transcend his expectations enough!
He prolly won’t voice his new found admiration, not wishing to feel a small twinge of envy
I mean, no matter how you put it, Vil Schoenheit is a very envious person to people who are above him in status or beauty
It’s just that there aren’t many people that fit that category…
He only holds you to a greater respect as his s/o though!
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moodyseal · 7 months
Note
Tell us more abt your hyacinthus winter soldier au 👀👀
HELLO thank you for giving me an excuse to talk your ear off about it, you will probably regret it <3
To be completely honest I still haven't planned anything that's worth of an actual fic (who do you take me for? An organized person? HA) but I would lie if I said that I didn't think about it a lot, so
As you know, somehow in this AU Hyacinthus came back to life and started working for the emperors
The dynamics of how, exactly, it all happened are pretty undefined as of now, but that's secondary information and it's not really important. (Maybe.)
What you need to know though is that Commodus is the one who takes him in, because of course he does. Hyacinthus is the perfect revenge against Apollo, after all, both because he's known to be his greatest love, and seeing him side against him would hurt Apollo a lot, and because, whatever happened, Commodus would always have leverage against Apollo, in a "You don't want to do what I tell you? Well look what I can do to your precious little flower" sort of way
He also uses this as an excuse to get back at Hyacinthus himself, too—something that is a direct result his festering inferiority complex and the can of worms that are, again, his feelings upon seeing the one man Apollo's name is always associated with
Hyacinthus is a better man and fighter than him even when he's brainwashed and he just CAN'T stand it
It all worsens once he sees how much Lester is still attached to Hyacinthus, and how hard he tries to get him to snap back. He never cared that much for him after all, did he?
On Hyacinthus' end this all borders less on the side of drama and more on the side of comedy LMAO
While not being able to discern right from wrong atm, as he's been coerced into absolute obedience through very shady means, he has this unexplainable feeling inside him that he really, really doesn't like Commodus (which intensifies every time Commodus starts another one of his long rants about how bad and evil and selfish Apollo is and about how he'll absolutely get his revenge) and he expresses that through little jabs he makes in his direction that Commodus can't really do anything about because they are worded in a way that makes them seem innocuous
On the other hand, he's on civil terms with the rest of the "staff", so to speak, and some even respect him because of how skilled he is (specifically Lityerses) so he does have some allies there
They don't actually know who he is though since, while he works for the emperors, Hyacinthus is never referred to by his own name, but always by some sort of epithet
(This is why Meg never made the connection either, despite knowing the myth well enough to inform Grover that Hyacinthus was Apollo's boyfriend)
It's mostly a measure they take so Hyacinthus doesn't remember his past before they're actually done using him
As for Apollo and Hyacinthus' relationship in this, it's a bit complicated, because Apollo changes his stance and tries to get him on his side the moment Hyacinthus' disguise drops, while Hyacinthus doesn't remember him. At all. So his efforts don't really work
Which results in a lot of frustration and hurt feelings
Despite this, Hyacinthus' unexplainable feelings persist. And he's very confused :)
I'm still not sure when this would be set—I wanted to either limit this to The Dark Prophecy or make it a "he appears occasionally as a spy or something until they find out who he is" thing that spans over the five books (without actually retelling the whole story though because holy shit that would be exhausting) but that's something that can be figured out later oof
Anyway, keep in mind that this is all just a result of my daydreaming, so if I actually write something concrete about this, some plot points might change!! And also the dynamics!! And the vibes in general!!! My brain is just a dumpster fire tbh so expect a lot of mental U-turns here
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funnierasafictive · 5 months
Note
hi, this is the only place i feel like i can talk to about this even though i just discovered it, but i think i have DID, or some similar disorder. the majority of my alters, from what i know of them, are fictives. i've talked to my mom about this, which she does think is a possibility, but she still doesn't really know what's wrong with me. i tried to talk to my therapist as well, but she doubts i have it (i am a minor, and i feel like it's harder to tell if someone has a disorder when they're young. i got diagnosed with combined ADHD last year.) and we did watch a video about DID together, but i ended up having a breakdown around the middle of it (can't remember why). i'm so sorry for wasting your time.
Hello, Anon. I am sorry we have not gotten back to you. You were never wasting our time.
After reading all this, and understanding this ask is from September 8, I only hope that you are well.
I remember when we first found out about being a system. We were 16, and thought we just never grew out of having imaginary friends. We did not even know that DID existed! Haha.
I hope you have found some answers. If not, it is alright not to know. When it comes to systems, a lot of the time we do not know about it at first (especially if trauma is involved) because our mind wants to keep us safe.
We went through a similar thing; our doctor/s did not believe we had DID when we were a child, when we started bringing up the medical term for the disordered bits (Dissociative Identity Disorder). It took around maybe 4 years to finally get recognized as having it, and it funny enough took seeing a completely new doctor for ADHD. Long story.
For your last paragraph, there is indeed a pattern where when suddenly being given information about DID, the person tends to have a breakdown.
I remember when we talked about being a system to someone we were making friends with. On the same day of meeting them, they had a mental breakdown later in the conversation because they realized all the symptoms we talked about fit them. (Insert "discussion reminding people not to randomly tell an oblivious possible-system that they are a system. It will shock them and it is unhealthy." here.)
It is usually a shock for systems coming to terms with possibly having alters. Usually it is because their system did not want to reveal themselves yet, or it is simply just because your brain no longer feels safe. When systems have breakdowns during their system discovery, it is usually in response to how.. DID is your brain's coping mechanism, and the symptoms were meant to hide itself from you (or the host at the time), not just the world. Of course your brain feels wracked, exposed, scared.
System, or not, I hope you have found some coping mechanisms to deal with your symptoms in the present. We can never say if someone is a system--not because of some rule, but because we can not say for sure-- but what matters is you take care of yourself no matter what. Doing the research and exploring yourself is fine; just be safe.
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hello hazel! hope you’ve been well <3 i have an idea for a book i’m interested in pursuing but i’m not sure how to begin.. if you don’t mind me asking, how did you start? did you begin with in-depth planning or just kinda wrote and revised after? thank you!
woo! so excited to hear this!! \(≧▽≦)/
i learned A LOT through this process - beneath the cut, I wrote out my recommendations with some examples of what I meant where it was useful -- it's a bit long ><
if I were to start over from the beginning, here are some things I'd do:
character build - know everything there is about the character(s) you want in your story -- the story is based on the CHARACTER and how they move through the events of the story, they will change (for good or worse)
Character name: Selina | Age: 24 | Occupation: artifact collector | Special skills: deep diving, historical knowledge, speaks 4 languages, rock climbing, general combat skills | personality: determined, over-excitable, easily swayed, vigilant
world build - it's VITAL to understand your world, its rules, its customs - what makes it good and what makes it bad - start small to big and answer questions as they come (there's no structure here, just think, plan, and write it down!)
milestone -- from here you should have major answers about the characters and the world they live in - things should be as clear and thought-out as possible
WORLD BUILDING IS WRITING YOUR STORY!
3. plot - find a plot structure and plan out the major events in your story. start with the big stuff on a general timeline:
begins with Selina swimming in the underwater city searching for ancient artifacts --- midpoint with Selina finding the lost orb --- end Selina destroys orb
4. plot - plan out the minor events that happen in between the major events, consider sub-plots, character arcs
begins with Selina swimming in the underwater city searching for ancient artifacts --- plot point she meets a mysterious stranger when selling the items, they tell her of an orb of great power --- plot point she joins the group on the adventure (introduce three other characters) --- midpoint with Selina finding the lost orb --- plot point Selina and Bastila fall in love --- plot point the orb kills people but can also change the world --- end Selina destroys orb
5. plot! - as best you can, go chapter by chapter and write out some of the things you want to have happen in said chapter - the more information you know, the easier it'll be to write said chapter
milestone -- from here, you have an idea of what going to happen, who is involved, what questions you need to answer and if you need to backtrack before moving forward
PLOTTING IS WRITING YOUR STORY!
6. write - start at the beginning, follow your plot and plot structure as you go
7. write - avoid giving all the information right at the beginning - you don't need to explain seven years of back story in the first chapter; learn to pepper in the world information, the character information, terms, and ideas as you write -- readers are SMART they learn through context
"Selina searched through her storage chest for the flunkle. The cold metal sent a shiver down her spine when she wrapped her fingers around it and tugged it from the bottom of the box. She rushed to her table and pried open the flunkle's three legs, adjusted its height until the thick glass in the center hovered just enough over the stone tablet that she could read the inscription without straining her eyes."
^ i didn't need to define what a Flunkle was, the reader can assume, based on context, that it's a magnifying glass
8. write - write write write, even when it sucks, even when you hate it, keep going - plot ideas will change, characters will break your story and you should LET THEM - remember: avoid trying to write the final draft, you're just writing a rough idea of your overall story. the first version will SUCK and that's what it's supposed to do
5% of those who start writing a book actually finish, your goal isn't to write the book first, it is to write the draft - the draft's only purpose is to exist :)
9. go at your own pace, you are not racing anyone else - you'll reach the end when you reach it
10. have fun, take breaks, find someone to talk to about it, join a writing community or discord if you have to - just keep going
-----
you got this! i'm rooting for you :D
write your book, tell your story - only you can!
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vitruvianmanbara · 3 months
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hello i wanted to ask you a question and i hope i don't sound biphobic.. what do you think of bi people in a heterosexual relationship who say they're "queering" heterosexuality or that their relationship is still queer? as a bi person myself i don't really get how you can "queer" a straight relationship because being queer is an act, unless the other person is also bi and they engage in sex practices that are subversive of heterosexual norms.... but i don't know! are there more academic discussions about this? i would like to hear your more informed opinion!
Hi! So this is a whole can of worms, but I'll do my best to answer...not without adding a couple long ass caveats first though, as always 😭
First, I think it's helpful to draw a distinction between sexuality descriptors as they're used to describe our private, internal experiences of sexuality, the ones that are mediated by invisible qualities like our personal sense of identity and time, and the sexuality descriptors as they're used as a tool of social categorization and political organization. I'm not interested in arguing against the idea that regardless of orientation, a visibly M/F couple will typically be read as straight, a visibly M/M or F/F couple will be read as gay or lesbian, and each will materially be treated differently as a result - this is obviously true, we live in a cisheteropatriarchal culture.
As always, I also think it's important to remember that words like straight, gay, queer, etc. are historically & culturally determined terms with their own messy histories, and that they're not necessarily going to track perfectly onto our lived experiences of sexuality as a result. So let's momentarily put aside any complaints about people who will say this stuff out of personal insecurity surrounding their "place in the queer community," or because they want to disrespect the sexual boundaries or lived struggles of gays and lesbians - not saying that you're doing this or that these people don't exist, but I don't think this is where the majority of people are coming from (despite how loud they can be on the internet), so I just want to get ahead of it.
To answer one of your questions, there is some academic discussion about this - this is by no means exhaustive, just a couple papers I've read that touch on the topic:
"Queer Ethics; Or, The Challenge of Bisexuality to Lesbian Ethics" by Elisabeth D. Däumer
"Playing with Butler and Foucault: Bisexuality and Queer Theory" by April S. Callis
Both are really interesting and fairly accessible imo, even if you've never read Foucault or Butler! And if you didn't already know, you can read 100 articles per month for free on JSTOR.
Those papers aside, my perspective has been informed by my personal experience more than anything. The tl;dr is that I don't really care what others do, but that I also think bisexuality throws a significant wrench into what we otherwise consider to be a relatively stable sense of ourselves as gendered, sexual, political, and social beings. It's destabilizing enough to make categorizing the emotional, sexual, erotic, and social aspects of our relationships as strictly straight or gay difficult for some people. While some of our relationships will be categorized this way in order to render them socially and politically intelligible to the larger culture, I think we can afford be a little more creative when we talk about how our bisexuality makes finding the right language for our relationships difficult. This of course won't be everyone's experience, but I can really only speak for myself here - I'll elaborate more on my personal experience and feelings under the read more if you're interested.
I'm not sure how much you know about me, so I'll give you the run down: prior to identifying as bi, I identified as a lesbian, and for most of my life I have found that my attraction (social, emotional, sexual, and much later, romantic) has been directed almost exclusively towards women. So much of the way I relate to others and myself have been informed by this lifelong experience of loving & being loved by women as someone who is read as a woman. I no longer identify as a lesbian (or strictly as a woman), but those experiences continue to shape the way I approach casual and intimate relationships, the way I have sex, my politics, my understanding of my gender, etc.
I prefer to sleep around and am not interested in dating for the foreseeable future (slut rights!), so I can't speak specifically from the POV of relationships...but I have found that this lifetime's worth of "lesbian" experiences have intimately affected my sexual experiences with men. Sex between women has its own unique tempo and its own language of eroticism, having sex with women has shaped the way I understand the "goals" of sex, how I move in my body, how I touch my partner...my encounters with women are ever present in & relevant to my encounters with men. Likewise, my experiences with men, specifically queer men, have impacted the way I have sex with women - I participate in still different practices of eroticism, different ways of relating to the bodies and emotions of others, different ways of understanding & accessing my physicality, and those experiences make constant additions and edits to the way I fuck women.
The effect of all this has been that I personally don't find much meaning in categorizing any given encounter as gay or straight. I think of this quote from Epistemology of the Closet quite often:
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Will I categorize things along gay/straight lines for the purposes of answering a sexual health questionnaire when getting tested at a clinic, for example? Sure. But privately, between me and myself and me and my partners, I find the language inadequate. Even when the kind of sex I'm having isn't technically "subversive of heterosexual norms," the totality of my queer experience and how it never stops impacting upon my understanding of myself as a gendered, sexual, emotional, social, romantic, and political being prevents me from understanding it as entirely straight. At the same time, I wouldn't be offended if someone who is not privy to this history would label that encounter as a straight one. It's just a byproduct of the vocabulary available to us in the culture we live in.
I think it's important to understand that outside of the context of group sex or mixed gender polyamorous relationships, there is no way for us to meaningfully "perform" bisexuality. The origins of our modern sexuality labels lie in medicine and psychiatry, which has positioned heterosexual and homosexual acts as a dichotomy, with the goal of pathologizing homosexuality for the purposes of social control. In the article by Callis I linked above, she points out,
...the medicalization of "homosexual acts" forbids the creation of a bisexual person, because all individuals who were sexually active with others of the same sex were labeled as homosexual. Eadie (1993) stated that "bisexuality simply cannot exist as a category in discourses which name all male-male and female-female sex 'homosexual' and all male-female sex 'heterosexual'" (p.146) [...] Because "bisexual acts" did not exist within the medical discourse, there was also no corresponding bisexual species. A group of individuals could not be labeled as "bisexual" if there was no action they could perform that was read in this way. (p. 225)
I've discussed it some on here, but I highly recommend reading the Foucault section of that article for more context. Callis is talking about bisexuality as a personal identity descriptor, but I think the point extends to our descriptions of relationships as well. Another personal example - I have a fwb who is a cis bi man, a strict bottom who primarily has sex with other men. The way we understand ourselves and our relationship with sexuality and gender have been shaped by our sexual histories and preferences. The sum total of those experiences paired with the type of sex we have prevents both of us from understanding our arrangement as a strictly straight one, but if we were in a relationship, how would an outsider who might see us walking down the street hand in hand know that? Another quote, this time from the Däumer (p.96):
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Anyway...maybe this wasn't the most direct or objective answer, but I think that the limitations of our language of sexuality mean that lengthier explorations are required - half the problem is that we don't have a succinct shorthand for this stuff! Like I said above, I can't really find it in myself to care what other people do. And I don't particularly care whether other people insist on calling my relationships gay or straight...I might not always agree, but I find it more amusing than distressing. The only thing I really care about is mutual respect and intellectual honesty, which is why I bother to be open about my personal experiences in the first place.
Hope this answers your question even a little bit 😭
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desultory-suggestions · 9 months
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just asking for advice, you're not forced to answer ofc
i struggle a lot with motivation, when i force myself to do things, it just doesn't feel right, and i feel so guilty about it, things like going to school or even brushing my teeth, it's all pointless and physically exhausting
idk if i'm just lazy or smt
anyway, any tips for folks with low motivation?
Hello, love! Thank you for your patience. Motivation is such a common struggle. I use some unconventional study and motivation tactics personally, as someone with ADHD and Dyslexia I have to get through a lot of nonsense to do basic things. First, you are not lazy! The idea today of laziness is very frustrating to me, and I feel is built on capitalist (and white supremacist) ideals. See the NAP Ministry.
According to The (USA) National Library of Medicine, "Executive dysfunction is commonly seen in major depression. The types of executive deficits seen in depression include problems with planning, initiating, and completing goal-directed activities." Anyone struggling with depression, whether an episode or long-term can struggle with these basic tasks. So how can we deal with this?
Some different techniques that may help:
Talk through the tasks you need to do out loud. You can discuss them in linear order or not. Don't focus on making them perfect and detailed, just explain it like you would to a friend.
Explain what you are doing as if someone is watching you/you're teaching someone. This is how I motivate myself when studying/working out/etc. and shows you that you do know what you are doing.
Break tasks down into smaller pieces to help them be more manageable, or simplify the ones that seem too complicated. (For this I need to do x, then y, then z. I don't need to overthink brushing my teeth, it's okay to just go do it.
Ask someone to be your accountability buddy. Body doubling/parallel play can be very useful. I ask my partner to brush his teeth with me so I have someone else there.
Accept that you don't need to do 100% of everything. You can't brush, floss, and use mouthwash? Okay brush for even just thirty seconds, it's better than nothing!
Utilize tools, but don't try to make it fancy. Aesthetics can be helpful and motivating, they can also apply pressure to make everything look good. Google Calendar or a messy notebook is good enough.
Surrounds tasks with cushioning time to relax. Even for little tasks, you can promise yourself rest before and after. Likewise, do enjoyable things during arduous tasks. Watch a silly video, playa. song!
Consider what the biggest obstacle is. Does it feel pointless? Do you want to do it? If not, why not? How can you change what is making you avoidant? If you do want to, what feels like it's stopping you? A specific fear? Or an impenetrable wall? These questions help define the next steps.
Accept you cannot do everything, especially not when you are suffering. You deserve help and it's okay to ask for it. Professional help is important when conquering issues with motivation whether from depression, ADHD, etc. Medications, therapy, and more can improve your mood.
Some tools I use:
Brushout - An app to help you brush your teeth for the right amount of time. Simple, and makes a nice dinging sound. Can be added as a widget to your home screen on iPhones.
Google Calendar - Also simple. Easy to click and add events and get reminders for things creeping up on you.
Mnemosyne Notebook - Ok the brand doesn't matter but the paper in this is so smooth and it makes me want to use it. But yes a notebook to organize thoughts.
Little Treats - I like to keep little snacks and treats around for working on things I have been struggling with. You don't have to wait until after, let yourself fuse joy with your efforts.
You do not need to be ashamed for struggling. No matter the reason or the manner, we all go through difficult things. Reach out, and don't give up. Feel free to ask for more information or advice again.
Best,
Evan
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topsyturvy-turtely · 1 year
Text
Fluffbruary with turtely
Day 1
[day 2]
prompts: clue | velvet | museum
DISCLAIMER: when i laid in my bed and thought of what i could write in the middle of the night... i had the word 'glue' in my mind. i came up with this thing and i like it, so i just took the liberty and changed it. therefore: CLUE -> GLUE here (:
fandom: BBC Sherlock
hello my lovely turtles i am joining @fluffbruary, yay! (let's see how long i'll pull through with it)
♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡
This is gonna sound weird but there are three kinds of people: some are like glue, others are like velvet and still others are like museums.
But wait! Before you log off saying "Dr. Watson has finally gone senile in his old days", please stay and consider this!
The first group: glue-people. The reason as to why they are called glue-people, is because they stick with you. Of course there are some, who are of better quality, who really stick with you your whole life. Hopefully that would be a parent or sibling. Others however - and I hate to break this to you - will only be around for a short while; those would be, for example, school friends. You love them, they love you, maybe they will stick along for longer but they'll probably just be here during your school years. But with the term 'glue-people' I mostly mean those who are meant to be around for you, all their life.
Then there are velvet-people. Velvet-people are - as you probably imagine already - the softest kind. They smooth your worries and anxieties. They are the ones that bring you tea and carefully touch your forehead when you're sick. They hold your hands through tough times and embrace you when they are proud. They are the ones who put a smile on you, when you just were about to cry your heart out. Lots of velvet-people are glue-people, soft and sticking around. Not all glue-people are velvet-people, they might stick around but might be about as velvet as sandpaper.
Almost no museum-people are glue-people. Because museum-people... those are special. They are rarities, hardly ever found, and utterly fascinating. You hear of them and you are immediately mesmerized. You wanna look at them all day and read up all the information you can gather. And you do and for a while they are all you ever wanna know. But in the end... museum-people are exhausting. You spent all day with them, tried to find out everything about them and eventually still just know a fraction of them. Still, you will never get enough of some of those museum-people. They keep feeding you with new curiosity about their mysterious personalities.
But- oh, my dear readers! Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes is all of them. Fascinating and breathtaking like a museum. Soft and warm like velvet. And - thankfully - he'll stick around until the end like glue.
♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡♥︎♡
hi! yeah... i'm a sucker for writer!john and metaphors... so yeah here is a metaphor-loving writer!john for y'all, lol. happy about feedback! :D
tag list! (tell me if you wanna be added or removed💚) @justanobsessedpan @helloliriels @fluffbyday-smutbynight @inevitably-johnlocked @hisfavouritejumper @rhasima @forfucksakejohn @ohlooktheresabee @turbulenttrouble @7arantellgrrl @ssmeowl123 @so-youre-unattached-like-me @totallysilvergirl @peanitbear @train-mossman @loki-lock @smulderscobie @timberva @grace-in-the-wilderness @chinike @pansherlock @the-smol-bean-libby-blog @jawnn-watson @whatnext2020 @escapingthereality @missdeliadili @kettykika78 @musingsofmyown @7-percent @speedymoviesbyscience @astudyin221b @francj15 @almosttinycowboy @ladylindaaa @we-r-loonies @mxster-jocale @sherlockcorner @noahspector @our-stars-graveside @jobooksncoffee @baker-street-blog @psychosociogentleman @quickslvxr @macgyvershe @myladylyssa
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uselessmicrowave · 10 months
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Hi,can you do a matchup for tfp(and-or)rid (and-or)tfa.(whatever you feel like honestly,even if it's just one of the above)
I am a fem with mid length thick dark brown very wavy hair(borderline curly).I have big brown eyes kinda round and almond shaped at the same time.I love exercise so I am relatively fit.My face is a bit rounded(big cheeks) with some angles.I am very pale but have a lot of moles one or two in my face but most in my arms and torso.I also have this weird birthmark(a tag in my one ear).In terms of fashion i like darker clothing with an occasional dash of pink since it's something that looks good on me.Flared pants,jean and leather jackets,leather bags from when my grandpa was in the army bcs they are functional and stylish(also they still look brand new) custom made bags with rock bands and a bag that looks like a duck(i like ducks).I also like custom made shirts with jokes regarding my personal interests (books,series ect...) and my messed up sleep schedule.
At first glance I am a bit reserved but if I am made comfortable I will open up(i kinda choose the people I will open up to).I love sarcasm and very dark humor.I will joke around a lot and I want to encourage people around me to be happy. I deeply love learning information in every form.I study physics because I love astronomy and I want to become an astronomer but I am also a big history/archeology/mythology nerd.In my free time I love learning new stuff(psychology, law, history ,random facts ect...),reading,working out and listening to music(fav song:soltitude).I like art a lot,drawing,reading about it,going to museums and exhibitions.I also love going out on nature and on all sorts of adventures but I dont have the right person to do that with.I deeply love nature and the sea since I grew up in an island.(I dont know if it helps but I am an intj)
I have clear goals in life,I am very ambitious,patient,curious and diplomatic but still have a bit of a nihilistic approach to life(in a good sense,to fuel questions about the world around me).
As I said before I can be quite reserved and appear as cold but I am a very sensitive person,an extreme overthinker.I feel insecure because when I get too comfortable/excited my voice gets really loud,I get all giddy and I have been told off about it enough times.I dont know how to receive a compliment or acts of friendship/kindness because growing up I had very bad experiences in school.However I like to be there for people and I want them to feel good around me.I like helping a lot by solving problems and being kind but I hate myself for it because I feel like I am showing weakness (but once I realise someone is a friend I am THERE no matter what)I also am the "I told you so" kind of friend but I am not judging(quite the opposite) .I deal with anxiety and I get lonely around people but I dont let it affect my social life,I really push myself out there no matter what and I always push myself to get back on my feet and keep going after bad experiences because we only have one life and we have to make the most of it.
I also am a very calm even during arguements,until someone crosses a line and hell breaks loose.
Sorry if its too long but I usually get carried away with requests,i hope its okay(maybe this it why only once in my life I got a request done by someone😂)
Hello anon! I’m matching you up with TFA Prowl and TFP Knockout + Breakdown!
Prowl
You can’t see it when you first meet, but he has heart-optics when he first sees you.
Prowl will often offer to go see the ducks in a park pond and feed them with you (even if it isn’t technically allowed to feed them).
Loves the way you dress, reminds him of bright flowers in a dark forest.
He’ll try to help you with straightening out your sleep schedule.
Appreciates that you will give him his personal space. He’s also very shy to touch, so instead of both of you being very embarrassed, you’ll sit close to him while meditating.
KO+BD
It’s alright that you feel adverse to touch, but that’s their primary love language and they feel bad for leaving you out if you don’t join in cuddling.
Breakdown also has a pretty dark taste in humor, so you’ll reflect on that and joke about things going on in the war.
They always fuel into your giddiness, never ever shutting you down unless it’s something very serious.
Knockout overthinks a lot of things, playing into more anxiety. If you spend some quality time with him though, the worries will slip away from him. You could be doing anything with him, so long as it’s in an upbeat mood and with you.
They give you so many compliments and when you respond with confusion or adversity they know something’s wrong.
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kunikinnie · 2 years
Note
Hello :) can I request Mori and Kunikida on how they would realize they fell for you and how they would confess? (If you dont mind)
a/n: I like this prompt >:) stupid title because my brain can't
taglist: @stygianoir, @irethepotato , @kisara-16reblogs, @thatdazaikin , @dazaee
acceptance + confession
featuring: Kunikida, Mori x GN!Reader
Kunikida Doppo
This would take a LONG time. The denial stage is the longest for this man: a few months to a full year before he's come into terms that he does indeed see you as more than a friend
It would take some special event(s) for him to accept his feelings. Of course, the catalyst would be none other than a certain bandaged bastard
Mostly Dazai tries to get his partner jealous whether it's with himself or some other person. It's working, yes, but this is wayyy too slow. As such, he resorted to more direct methods aka teasing him incessantly (with or without you in the room)
yes he literally gets bullied into submission
"Dazai can you stop that?! What if Y/N gets the wrong idea?"
"Then just say you don't like them! That's the 'correct idea' anyway, right?"
The constipated look on his face when he glitched out from the intense and conflicting feelings was worth the wait
But it doesn't take as long for him to confess to you. Aside from the fear of you finding out through Dazai's antics, the simple dislike of the crushing uncertainty and ceaseless yearning motivated him to act quicker.
He's come up with several plans, ranging from short and straightforward to grand and complex, but in the end he falls for somewhere in between. What's certain though is that it's tailored to your tastes.
Mori Ougai
It doesn't take him as long to accept the fact that he's fallen for someone, but it takes thrice as long for him to do anything about it
He'll catch himself thinking about you too long and too much, and he'll question himself why that's the case. Did he suspect you of something subconsciously? Were you just interesting? Or was it something else?
He'll visit you just to confirm it. The moment he sees your face, he knows what's up.
As to what he'll do with this... new information depends on the circumstances. If harboring feelings for you is detrimental to the Port Mafia in any way, shape, or form, he'll nip the problem in the bud. Otherwise, he'll surrender to the feeling and slowly plan on how to win you over.
The "wooing you" part takes the longest. He knows it wouldn't do to just announce himself to you and it's important that he plants the idea of being in a relationship with him in your mind early on (especially if you're a little more adverse to him than he would like)
His moves are quite subtle. Visits you a little more often than he should, talks sweeter than he normally would, etc. Depending on how you respond is how fast he'll take it up a notch
Once he feels like there's enough wiggle room, he'll be direct with you. He'll say it plainly after handing you over a gofr but whether it's a simple or extravagant one depends on your tastes.
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flowerfan2 · 6 months
Text
I can't believe it's Halloween... I haven't written anything new for spooky season, much to my dismay. But I offer up for your reading pleasure this lovely Halloween fic from a few years ago.
Love Is Kind of Crazy (With a Spooky Little Boy Like You) M, 28 k. Jack/Bitty.
Jack is contemplating what to do after retiring from the NHL, so he and Bitty take some time off to enjoy autumn in New England. They hadn’t counted on the scary stuff that would happen, both of the Halloween variety and of a more personal nature.
Chapter 1
Bitty spreads newspaper on the kitchen island, and carefully lays out their carving tools and his second best knife. Jack is going to be home any minute from a Halloween event with the Falconers, and he had promised to bring home two of the best pumpkins for their own carving session.
It’s been a difficult time for Jack lately. Ever since deciding to retire from the Falcs, he’s been at loose ends. He had never fully recovered from a knee injury in his fourth season that kept him off the ice for six weeks, and after limping (literally) through the rest of the year, he had come to the conclusion that he would never recover fully enough to play professional ice hockey again the way he wanted – needed – to be able to play. 
Bitty remembers with a wry grin a conversation over drinks with Bob and Alicia, outside on a warm summer night in the backyard of their Montreal home. Jack had been so worried about the whole discussion, his hands clenching nervously in his lap.
“This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, Jack,” Bob said, glancing quickly at Alicia, who nodded in agreement. “I know you have interests other than hockey, much as you might try to hide it from the world. Now you can spend more time on something else.”
Jack looked helplessly at Bitty, who laid his hands over Jack’s and gave them a squeeze. “That’s what I keep telling him,” Bitty said encouragingly.
“I just don’t know where to start. I’ve been getting calls and offers ever since the news broke. It’s…”
“Overwhelming,” Alicia said. “I remember those days. Isn’t Melinda helping you?”
Melinda was Jack’s agent-slash-assistant; when Jack came out, he had enlisted her help, wisely realizing that it might be of use to have someone not on the Falcs’ payroll helping him navigate the shark-infested waters of the media. She’s been called in on various occasions ever since.
“Yeah, but she wants to know what I want to do so she can narrow it down. And I don’t know what to tell her.”
“You don’t have to decide right away, son,” Bob said, leaning over to refill Alicia’s glass, which had been drained rather quickly.
“I know, I told her I’d let her know by the end of the week. But-”
“A week? That’s not exactly what I had in mind,” Bob replied, a smirk growing on his face.
After further discussion, Jack and Bitty had decided that he would take six months, more or less, before committing to any other long-term obligations. So Jack had continued to help with Falconers publicity events, sat in on board meetings of various national organizations, been a guest coach for hockey leagues large and small… and still didn’t know what he wanted to do. Lately Bitty had been sending away for brochures for masters’ programs in history and photography and teaching and leaving them lying around their apartment, and while Jack accepted them good-naturedly, he hadn’t expressed any interest in finding out more information.
Bitty doesn’t want to rush him, but he thinks that Jack’s indecision itself is starting to upset him. He really hopes something strikes Jack soon, before he worries himself into a complete inability to make up his mind.
“Honey, I’m home,” Jack calls out, a smile in his voice as he shoves open the front door with his hip. He’s carrying two gigantic pumpkins with ease. His knee doesn’t bother him much most days, at least if he doesn’t push himself too hard. Jack sets the pumpkins down on the kitchen island before accepting a hello kiss from Bitty.
“Lord, those are big boys,” Bitty says, and flushes when Jack winks at him. “Shush, you. You know I meant the pumpkins.”
“Fine.” Jack presses Bitty up against the counter and kisses him again.
Bitty winds his arms around Jack’s neck, happily obliging. Jack seems much cheerier right now than he has of late, and the words pop out of his mouth before he can stop them. “What’s got into you, sweetheart? Weren’t you just carving pumpkins for hours with elementary school kids?”
Jack laughs and steps back. “Yes. But all the way home I kept thinking of you, getting ready to draw your pumpkin face for the year, that little frown crumpling your eyebrows…”
Bitty regards Jack curiously. “You were thinking of me while playing with the kids?”
“After I was done playing with the kids. And yes, I was.” Jack leans in for another kiss, prim this time, and then motions to the counter. “So, which one do you want?”
Bitty considers his options. “This one.” Bitty points to the slightly narrower pumpkin. “I want to do a scary face this time, and this one seems scarier.”
Jack doesn’t question his decision, although Bitty has no idea why that pumpkin seems scarier to him. “Okay.”
They get to work, cutting around the stem on the top of each pumpkin and scooping out the insides. Bitty gathers up the seeds for toasting; he’s going to use them in a pumpkin seed granola recipe he found online last week. 
“How was today’s event?” Bitty asks, as he searches for a better pencil with which to sketch his design.
“Same as last year. Except they had a different story for me to read.”
“Oh?”
“Yup.”
“What story?”
Jack pauses with a paring knife in his hand, and looks at Bitty. “Any chance you know what the origin of ‘Jack O’Lantern’ is?”
“Um, who’s the history nerd here?”
Jack makes as if to flick a pumpkin seed in Bitty’s direction, but continues. “There’s an Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack. He invited the devil to have a drink with him, but didn’t want to pay. Things went downhill from there-”
“I can imagine.”
“And so when Stingy Jack eventually died, the devil wouldn’t let him into hell. Instead he sent Jack off into the night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish took to calling him ‘Jack of the Lantern’ or ‘Jack O’Lantern.’”
“Well, that’s not a very nice story to read to kids.”
Jack harrumphed. “I know, right? But I guess the idea is that people started to carve scary faces into turnips and potatoes and eventually pumpkins, and put them in the window to frighten Stingy Jack and other evil spirits away.”
“So the kids all made scary pumpkins to scare Stingy Jack away?”
“Exactly.”
“Still sounds like a bad story to read to kids.” And not a very nice story to make Jack read, either. He’s no evil spirit, whether he quit the Falconers or not. Bitty can’t imagine that the Falcs publicist meant anything by the choice, but he still doesn’t appreciate it. And he has the feeling Jack doesn’t either.
Bitty looks at the pumpkin in front of him and starts to rub off the pencil lines. “I changed my mind. I’m making a happy face this year.”
Jack doesn’t say anything, and when Bitty looks up at him, his eyes are wet. “What?” Bitty asks. “I can change my mind.”
“I love you, Bits,” Jack says, his voice low.
Bitty puts down his knife, wipes his hands on his apron, and takes Jack in his arms. “Love you too, sweetheart. Always."
Read the rest of the chapters on A03 here.
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