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creamsickle-writes · 11 months

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Bubblegum Kisses: Koby x F!Reader

Tags: nsfw, fluff, "there's only one bed" trope, dry humping, penetrative sex, accidental creampie, and accidental ruined orgasm

Koby rehearsed the scene repeatedly in his mind as he approached the meeting room. He would attend the briefing, maybe offer a few words to his superiors afterward, and then leave.

That was the plan.

He had to follow it this time.

When he pushes open the grand doors to the meeting room, he tries his best to only look for his chair and keep his eyes down, but, yet again, he can’t help himself. As soon as he takes his seat, his eyes scan the room.

And they finally stop searching once he sees you talking with some high-ranking officers.

His eyes rake over your features; your soft-looking skin, beautiful eyes, and fantastic figure are all he can focus on. ma

Ever since you started attending these meetings a month ago, he couldn’t help but be distracted! He would usually zone out, thinking about how he would approach you or his opening line, only for him to dip out of the meeting room and never say a word to you.

If it wasn’t painfully obvious, he had a massive crush on you. However, he knew he shouldn’t pursue it.

After all, you were a relative of Sengoku. And while he was no longer the Fleet Admiral and your relation to him was distant, it would still be messy for him to become involved with you.

He tries to clear his head, shake it off and all that, but his heart starts to race when your eyes meet his from the other side of the room.

He looks away quickly, trying to appear as though he is busy with something else, but when he peeks at you again, he notices you walking his way,

His heartbeat is in his ears as he perspires; surely you weren’t coming over to him. He continues this game of his, eyes glancing back and forth between you and the table in front of him.

But as you come closer, his face grows red and his head dizzy.

And when you finally sit next to him, well, he almost faints.

“You’re Captain Koby, right?”

“Uh, y-yes-“

Koby almost dies of shock when you take his hands in your own, your eyes wide with excitement, “It’s a pleasure to meet such an amazing hero!”

Koby clears his throat, trying his best to be polite, “W-Well, I’m not all that special; it’s really all thanks to Vice Admiral Garp and his training-“

You hold his hands even tighter, leaning in as you heap on the praise, “You’re too modest; You saved so many lives at the Rocky Port Incident, and-!”

You’re quickly silenced by Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, who clears his throat, ordering the start of the meeting. You smile at Koby and release his hands, turning to give Sakazuki your full attention. Koby just stares at his hands in awe.

The meeting is about general things: where to deploy ships, major incidents that recently happened, and the ever-growing list of dangerous pirates.

Koby is intently listening before he feels something graze his thigh. He jumps and hits his knee on the table, causing a few eyes to glance his way. Koby gives an apologetic nod, trying to eliminate any awkwardness, but the remnants of confusion and disapproval from the others who noticed are still there.

Looking at his lap, he sees a tiny, folded piece of paper. He glances back at you, who is eagerly waiting for him to unfold it.

He gives a timid smile before picking up the paper, unfolding it before reading a simple sentence:

“These meetings are so boring, aren’t they?”

He read it a few times before finally registering what was happening. A blush creeps over his cheeks, and his chest tightens as he tries to play it cool.

Eventually, he starts mentally drafting his response. He takes a pen from his jacket pocket and begins to write back.

Folding it along its previous creases, he slides it back to you.

You two pass the note back and forth like this for quite some time, and it’s clear that some people notice this exchange. But nobody says a word, not wanting to interrupt the Fleet Admiral.

Little giggles and snorts are kept quiet as you two exchange written words, the conversation flowing naturally. You give your name, and while Koby already knew it, he didn’t want to say so for fear of sounding like a creep.

Though, what he didn’t know was why you were attending these meetings. They were for higher-ups, and you didn’t fit that description.

When Koby asks, you answer gladly, explaining that your role would soon be assistant to the new Fleet Admiral. These meetings were just to prepare you for everything that was to come.

After getting the topic of work out of the way, you two talked about yourselves on a more personal level. You discussed hobbies, interests, and things of that nature.

As the meeting comes to a close, you pass the note one last time. Koby unfolds it and furrows his brow as he reads a string of numbers, followed by: “Let’s talk some time!”

Koby’s eyes bulge, and his face turns scarlet. He goes to look at you, but when he does, your attention is strictly on whoever is delivering the final words.

He pockets the letter.

_____

That was months ago, and since then, word had spread of you two communicating outside of work often. People had spotted you both getting lunch, enjoying time by the beach, and generally being a bit too close to each other (though it was usually you initiating the close contact)

Rumors began to fly, and eventually, they made their way back to Koby. Sometimes people would say you were just friends. Other times it was lovers. And sometimes, it was partners.

Koby was greedy and wanted them all to be true.

But he had an internal struggle; he wanted to ask you to be his, yet he was always warned to never date within the Marines. Work relationships growing romantic always complicated things, and he didn’t want to make things messy. It was something he had been mulling over endlessly, many sleepless nights caused by this dilemma.

But tonight, he knew he had to say something when he saw you under the gate of Sabaody Park clad in a cute, short dress and Mary Janes.

He would confess to you; it was decided.

He just needed to think of when.

“Koby!” You called, waving your arms, “Over here!”

When he reaches you, you do a wide spin, your dress’s skirt twirling, “What do you think?”

“You look great!”

Koby almost leaves it there, but he gets a sudden idea.

“But you know, something’s missing…”

You tilt your head, and Koby reaches behind his head, untying his bandana before placing it behind your ears, tying it behind your head like a headband.

“There!” He steps back and admires you again, “It matches your dress perfectly.”

Your smile radiates warmth, and your fingers hover over the new accessory, “Oh, thanks!”

Koby’s heart pounds when you reach for his hand. While you always held his hand, it never got old for him.

“Let’s go!” You exclaim, dragging him towards the gate, “I’m gonna totally crush you at these carnival games!”

“Oh, we’ll see about that!” He laughs, following your lead.

The day turns to night quickly. You weren’t sure how long you had been there, but the fun you shared made the time fly by all too fast.

After riding the biggest rollercoasters and eating enough junk food for the year, you both make your way to the exit. You hug a plush that Koby had won for you in the shooting gallery and skip happily along.

Koby’s chest tightens as he watches you walk ahead, your dress swaying with the motion of your hips. His heart hammers to the beat of your steps, the clicking of your heels and his internal drum creating a frantic rhythm.

His mind races as he parts his lips and shuts them once more; he’s hesitant to say what he wants, but eventually, he works up the courage to speak.

“Hey, uh,” Koby clears his throat, causing you to slow down and look back at him. He stiffens up and stutters a bit, “I had a really fun time tonight-“

“Me too!” You say cheerily.

Koby wants to say more, to say how he wants the next time to be an actual date or that the next time you hold hands, it’ll be as partners, but your voice cuts through his hesitance.

“And,” you lean in, balancing on your heels, “There’s more fun to be had!”

You grab his hand and guide him along the path that leads out of the park.

He decides to hold off on his confession a bit longer.

Koby laughs as you tug him, “Where are we going now?”

“Just wait; you’ll see!”

Eventually, you two approach a massive building. Koby tilts his head back to observe it thoroughly. The gigantic structure is pale, with countless arched windows and balconies. Silhouettes from the inside are illuminated by dazzling lights as they glide around the interior. At the top is a blue roof, and the corners of the building are decorated with smaller dome-shaped summits.

“Ah, what’s this?” The pink-haired man asks, following your lead as you proceed.

“A hotel!” You beam happily, “I hear they have an amazing restaurant, and I wanna get room service!”

“O-Oh,” he laughs nervously, “You reserved a room?”

“Is that bad?” You crease your brows with worry and stop in your tracks, “I thought you’d like some time away from that marine ship and the food.”

“N-No, I appreciate it!” He reassures you, and your sad-looking face brightens immediately, “I just, well, what are the arrangements like? Are we sleeping here or…?”

You nod, “Yeah! Don’t worry. Some strings were pulled, so it’s not terribly expensive or anything! And it’s only for the night; you can go back to your duties in the morning.”

As you turn back around, continuing to guide him, Koby’s mind races with varying thoughts, some more vulgar than others, as he imagines sharing a room with you for the night. Of course, you’d be in separate beds, but a man can dream, right?

As you both approach the grand doors, a man out front scurries to open them, inviting you inside. The pale floors are perfectly polished, and your images reflect across the smooth marble. The lounge has many plush-looking couches, with little wooden side tables for guests to leave their drinks and pocket-sized trinkets. Koby watches as people wander around the space, some pointing upwards to admire the large chandeliers that dotted the ceiling.

Koby appreciates the fantastical lounge while you bounce ahead to the receptionist, sorting out the arrangements and grabbing the keys quickly. When you return, you squeal happily, presenting the keys to Koby with delight, “We’ll be pretty high up, so we’ll have an awesome view! Come on, let’s go see it!”

The trip to the room makes Koby’s heart race, and his palms begin to sweat. Being alone in a hotel room with you… it was too much for his heart to handle. And, when you reach the door and unlock it, all the impure thoughts bubble to the surface because in the large room sat only one bed.

“Oh!” You exclaim, “There must’ve been a mix-up. I swore I asked for a two-bedroom suite…”

“W-Well, we should get this fixed! I can go back downstairs and-”

You walk into the room and sit on the bed, slipping off your heeled shoes, “It’s alright! I don’t mind sharing a bed.”

“B-But-!”

Koby protests but you just laugh, “It’s fine! Really! Unless the idea makes you uncomfortable?”

“I-It’s not that. It’s- well-“ Koby stutters uselessly, trying to find a way to express why he wants to change rooms. But when he sees your cute face and confused expression, he decides he can handle this if it’s just for one night…

“It’s nothing,” Koby grins reassuringly, “Let’s just order that food and get some rest, okay?”

You give a wide, toothy grin.

____

“Oh, that was so good!” You exclaim, throwing yourself into the fluffy bed, your head hitting the pillows.

Koby sits on the edge of the bed, nodding in agreement, “Much better than what we eat on the ship, that’s for sure!”

“But all this food is making me kinda sleepy…” you yawn, rolling over onto your side so you are looking at the pink-haired marine.

He smiles softly and rises from the bed, “Go ahead and sleep then…”

You prop yourself up on your elbows, “Where are you going?”

“Huh?” He looks at the bed and then back at you, “Oh, I’m just going to sleep on the floor. It would be rude not to give you the bed and-“

You pout and reach your arms out, “Nooooo, stay in bed with me.”

His face turns red at your words, and he laughs a bit, “No, I shouldn’t-“

“Why not?” You huff, crossing your arms, “You’d sleep next to Helmeppo if you had to share a bed.”

“That’s different.”

“How?” You protest, “I’m your friend too.”

“Well, it’s different because- well- because-“Koby stumbles through an excuse hopelessly, trying to formulate something quick.

But you’re quicker.

“It’s because I’m a girl, isn’t it?” You whine, “C’mon, it’s only weird if you make it weird.”

“I-I’m not making it weird. I’m just, ah, well-“

“I’m not going to do anything to you if you’re worried about that-“

Knowing you, you didn’t mean that sexually, but the implication makes Koby’s face hot.

“N-No, I know that- I know you wouldn’t! That’s not- it’s not-”

“Then what is it?”

Koby’s chest grows tight as he’s backed into a corner. He can’t lie to you, so he timidly whispers, “I just… really like you…”

His heart is in his throat as his feelings are finally released into the universe. The room feels as though it’s spinning, and Koby’s brow becomes wet with sweat as he waits for your response.

“I like you too.” You say bluntly, “But isn’t that why we should be able to share a bed?”

He shakes his head, “N-No, you aren’t understanding.”

He inhales deeply before continuing, “I… really like you, and it would be wrong if I slept next to you with those feelings in my heart.”

Koby babbles as you sit up and rise from the bed, approaching him slowly.

“It would be perverted and messed up, and I couldn’t take advantage of your trust like that-“

You press your finger to his lips, silencing him effectively, “And like I said, I like you too…”

Koby is stunned when you let out a little giggle, leaning in so your lips are mere centimeters from his.

“And I’d love to share the bed with you.”

Koby’s throat goes dry, and his lips quiver as yours are so tantalizingly close.

And, without further hesitation, he closes the gap.

You gasp in shock as he kisses you. It’s sudden and desperate, his lips pressed against yours with a strangely assertive force. His hands rest on your hips, and your face burns at the intimate touch.

He quickly breaks the kiss, “S-Sorry, I should’ve asked to do that. Please, forgive-“

You cut him short with a kiss of your own, your arms wrapping around his neck as you kiss him with a fiery passion. The young man is taken aback by your boldness, but he melts into the kiss, bringing you closer. Your chest presses against his body, yet you feel you’re not nearly close enough.

You slide your tongue over his lips, and he jolts in surprise. He parts his lips, gliding his tongue over yours. When you moan into his mouth, he feels his cock harden in his pants.

And you feel it too.

Koby is the first to pull away again, and he looks at you in embarrassment, “Sorry about, um, that. I-I can’t really control it-“

“It’s okay.” You smile sweetly, your hands trailing down his chest.

He groans softly, reaching for your hands as if to push them off, “God, I don’t think I can control myself like this.”

“What do you mean?” You ask softly.

“When I kiss you, it makes me excited, and- and I don’t think I can trust myself to be a gentleman if we do that again, so please- please,” he pleads with you, “Tell me to stop-”

You look up at him innocently, your lashes fluttering as you say the words:

“But I don’t want you to stop.”

And with that, his restraint snaps.

In a flash, you’re lifted off the ground and pressed against the wall, Koby’s lips attacking your neck now. He licks the exposed skin, placing firm kisses along the damp trail.

His hands are grabbing at your ass, massaging and kneading the flesh, and your legs are wrapped around his waist, drawing him closer.

You moan when you feel his growing bulge prod against your clothed pussy, your warmth growing wet. And when he begins grinding against you, you grip his shoulders tight.

Your lips find each other again, and the reunion is frantic, your mouths desperately moving against each other. Your tongues dance, and your saliva mixes, your combined sounds echoing throughout the room.

When you grind your hips against him, he bucks desperately, trying to gain as much friction as possible.

“Shit,” he hisses under his breath, “That feels so good-“

“Can we… do it without the clothes in the way?”

Koby nods, your wish sounding like music to his ears. He carries you to the bed and lays you down slowly, his hands sliding up your thighs to your panties.

He peels the garment off slowly, watching your expression to ensure you aren’t having second doubts. But you bite your lip excitedly, spreading your legs even wider.

As Koby fumbles with his shirt and pants, you slip off your dress and bra, leaving you only in his green bandana. You crawl further up the bed, your head resting against the pillows as he settles between your legs. Your eyes travel to his exposed cock, the organ twitching above your entrance.

He leans forward to kiss you again, his muscular chest and solid abs pressed against your soft body. A moan bubbles up from your chest as he hooks your legs around his waist, his cock sliding effortlessly between your soaked lips.

He grinds against your slit, his tongue exploring your mouth as he rocks back and forth, his member twitching and pulsing.

In a sudden twist, you roll him onto his back and take charge, pinning his shoulders to the bed as you grind your hips into him.

“Oh,” he laughs breathlessly, “You’re so bold-“

He brings his hands to your hips, guiding you as you rock your wetness against him. You press your forehead against his, your eyes flickering back and forth between his eyes and his lips.

As your movements grow more desperate, he wraps his arms around your waist, pulling you further onto him so the pressure is more intense.

Your new lover begins to lose himself, his grip growing tighter and his soft grunts turning into full-on moans as his cock aches, desperate to cum.

Though your hips grow more frantic and without meaning to, you take his tip inside.

“Oh shit-“ he gasps, “Wait, wait- we shouldn’t- I don’t have a condom-“

“You can just pull out, can’t you?”

“Mmn, but,” he weakly protests, clearly not even convincing himself, “It’s dangerous-“

“I’ll just take the tip,” you smile, “It’ll be easy to pull out in time that way.”

“Alright,” he nods, “Just the tip. T-That should be fine…”

Koby bites his lip as you slowly begin riding him, your walls enveloping his swollen, pink head. He grips your hips but tries not to force you down too much lest the whole thing slips in.

But god, did he want you to take every inch of it.

The urge to fuck you only grows as you take a bit more than you promised, more slowly slipping in each time you move downwards. Koby knew you didn’t mean to do this, but it drove him crazy.

And when he watches your face contort in pleasure as you rub your clit, your breasts jiggling with each little thrust and bounce, he feels his self-control going out the window.

You two move your bodies together like this for quite some time, but when you part your lips to call his name, he can’t resist anymore.

He’s only human.

In one smooth motion, he forces you down onto his cock, burying himself balls-deep in your cunt.

“Koby-!” You squeal in surprise, your eyes fluttering as he filled you up, “But you said-!”

“I changed my mind-“ he grunts, “I-I’ll still pull out, promise-“

He wastes no time destroying you, his hips slamming upwards and his hands holding your hips in place. You squeal and moan loudly, but Koby’s grunts closely rival your volume.

“So wet-“ The young captain moans out, “A-And tight- Oh god, you feel so good-“

You mewl at the praise and fall forward, your body resting against his as he fucks into you. You bury your face in his neck as he pummels your inner walls; you’re shocked at how rough he is, but you love the feeling.

“Koby! Oh-!” Your voice grows louder still, your words shakily coming out, “A-Ah, it’s so deep!”

Your squeals become louder as his hips piston in and out, his rhythm becoming less consistent and more erratic.

Loud creaks sound out as the force of his thrusts rock the bed. Your moans and his grunts drown out the sound, though, as the headboard slams against the wall.

His cock batters your cervix, his sensitive tip mashing your deepest walls. Your insides begin to twitch and tighten, your orgasm fast approaching.

“I’m cumming-!” You warn him, and somehow, someway, his hips snap upwards even faster, causing you to almost faint when you finally reach your climax.

He fucks you through it, only slowing once he’s certain you’ve ridden your high to completion.

You pull yourself off his cock, his shaft coated in your slick with a thick ring of cream built up around the base. Your legs are shaky, but you sit back on your heels, your eyes glued to his still-hard, red cock.

“You didn’t finish yet-“

He shakes his head, his chest rising and falling, sweat glistening over his naked body.

“No, but I still have energy to spare,” he laughs, “if you want to keep going.”

You smile and lean forward, resting on his body as you take his lips with yours. You two kiss, his hands traveling all over your body, his thick fingers eventually settling in your hair as yours grazed his chest.

Koby flips you over so he’s on top now, his cock rubbing against your slit as it did before.

“Ah, wait…” he perks up, grabbing a spare pillow and placing it under your ass, “I hear that makes it feel better for you..”

You watch with curious eyes as he runs his thick head over your needy clit, your parts effortlessly slipping and sliding against each other thanks to your cum lubricating his cock.

He prods your hole, teasing you for a moment before slowly sliding in, only stopping once his balls are pressed flush against your ass.

You let out a pleased sound as he rocks his hips, his pace much more controlled now. His eyes meet yours, and he holds your hip with one hand, the other holding your hand.

He dips down to kiss you, and suddenly, his hips roughly snap forward, drawing a gasp from you.

He pulls back and does it again and again, the headboard of the bed knocking into the wall once more, your moans filling the room. The creaks and lustful sounds create an intimate, filthy song that continues for what feels like hours.

“You sound so good,” he rasps against your lips as his hips more at a steady pace, “So pretty- oh my god- you feel so good- fuck, I love you so much-“

Koby leans forward and captures your lips again, his thrusts becoming less consistent and more erratic as he approaches his climax. You grip his shoulders, hanging on for dear life as you enjoy the ride. His moans grow desperate, his cock twitching eagerly within you.

“I’m close-“ He pants out, “Oh fuck, I’m close-!”

He moves to pull out, but he’s too late, his first rope of cum shooting inside your pussy.

“Shit-!” He hisses, hurriedly pulling out. You watch as his balls tighten and his cock bobs excitedly, rope after rope decorating your lower stomach. You felt terrible as you had no doubt his orgasm was ruined by the sudden interruption.

He pants as he stares down at you, watching the white sticky seed oozing out of your cunt. It slowly starts to sink in what he’s done, and he begins to panic, running his hand through his hair as he curses under his breath.

“It’s okay,” You try to comfort him, “There’s a store downstairs in the lobby. I’m sure they have some, um, emergency contraception.”

Koby considers your words and calms himself, taking deep breaths before nodding, “Y-Yeah. Yeah- you’re probably right.”

He quickly adds, “I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to do that. I promise I’ll pay for it. It was my fault, so it’s only right-“

You can only laugh, “Don’t worry so much. It’s okay. Just… hold me before we go downstairs.”

Koby smiles and takes you into his arms, his warmth, and steady heartbeat making you feel safe.

“So uh,” he clears his throat awkwardly, “The answer is probably obvious but I just want to make sure: we are officially a couple now, r-right?”

You giggle, “I would like that… Would you…?”

“O-Of course!” He says excitedly, tripping over his words, “I would love nothing more!”

And you kiss his cheek with a smile.

#cream's fics #captain koby #one piece #one piece smut #fanfiction #x reader #Koby #koby x reader #captain koby x reader #Koby one piece x reader

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a-simple-imagine · 6 months

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Nothing But Cowards

Requested by anonymous: “I was wondering if you could just write about, having a fight and then make up, fluff and angst? If not that’s totally fine”

“I'd like to request a Jordan Li x fem reader where they're dating in secret from the friend group because of everything going down but one morning they oversleep and one of their friends find them curled up in bed together and it's followed by giggles and fluff?”

Pairing: Jordan Li x fem!reader

words: 3.7k+

WARNINGS - mentions of weird hospitals and tortured kids, strong language

GodU had always been your parents' dream. they held such high and heavy hopes for you. their perfect little superhero. a future member of the seven. when you were younger, you hated the idea. you felt... exploited. they forced this life onto you. gave you compound V and for what? so you could become some clog in a corporate machine? help sell merchandise for Vought? but as you got older and realised that you were kinda stuck with your powers, you felt more obligated to follow through with their dream. to actually be a hero. so you applied for Godolkin University. got in. and became a crime-fighting major. that is how you met Jordan Li. They were much stronger than you would ever be. both physically and mentally. the ability to shift between two forms gave them two separate skill sets all wrapped up in one identity. and they were so confident in their identity. not always a boy. not always a girl. just so confidently themselves. and you admired them so much. They were truly the strongest person you knew or at least you thought so.

it was a weird moment shrouded in the darkness of night. you were shaking a little from rage or the cold, you couldn't quite tell. everything was so incredibly fucked. Marie's roommate had gone missing because of some stupid plan of Andre's imagining. you just found out that there was some weird hospital under the school that was experimenting on people; including Sam, Luke's brother who was apparently still alive and in fact did not commit suicide. not to mention Luke was still gone. he used to give some great advice. used to kick your ass in sparring sessions but would occasionally let you win just to keep you on your toes. he was your friend. and you missed him a lot. you could never understand what happened; or why it happened. All these mysteries were piling up like old comic books. so many chapters to one confusing story that if you missed a single issue it became almost impossible to follow. this was impossible to follow. everyone was arguing. people were taking sides. Marie wanted to find Emma, who had infiltrated the woods, to help Andre who was trying to save the kids trapped down there. Jordan was more pissed about rankings than tortured kids. Cate wanted everyone to just back up and not do anything reckless. you wanted to yell at them. you knew rankings were important to Jordan. they wanted to be the best. at least Cate was worried about not dying. your parents' words hang heavy on your shoulders. this was your chance to do some good. to live up to their dreams without becoming just another vought puppet.

"don't you want to be a hero?" your voice is loud. louder than expected. the question was mainly aimed at Jordan. the person who went toe to toe with Golden Boy just to protect Marie; someone they hardly even knew at that point. that was after the club. you wish you could say you don't think about that night. everyone else seemed to just move on but it haunts your dreams. it's a cloudy memory of white powder and thick red liquid. "we almost killed someone."

there is a brief flash of something. Regret, maybe? before the expression turns dark and defensive. "we didn't do shit." and that was partly the problem. you didn't hold the weapon but you still ran. you left a woman to bleed out because you were too high. even sober, you wouldn't have been able to do much but you could have done something. anything. Nobody likes to talk about that day. the same way nobody talks about what went down with Luke. or how, if they had their way, nobody would talk about this weird hospital. If Cate and Jordan got their way, you'd just go back to school where all that mattered was who held that number one spot. currently andre. not Jordan.

"Exactly which is worse, if it wasn't for Marie we would have all been royally fucked." you articulate. irritation bubbling deep in your chest. "we can do some good here- we can help people."

"you're just gonna get yourself killed"

"at least I'm not running away again," you say. Jordan can make all the scooby doo references she wants but you wouldn't entertain the thought of leaving this down to Marie once again. "you wanna know why Andre is number one instead of you?"

"politics."

"because he is the only one person here who is trying to do something." You growl. "you're just a selfish asshole." if all they cared about was their ranking then you had to explain it in terms they'd understand. Their jaw tenses.

"Okay so what does that make you?" they spit. a particular venom dripping from their tone. "I've helped people- actually saved people. can you say the same?" they ask. "you're basically scared of your own shadow."

"Jordan don't."

"no," they interrupt Cate before she can continue. "I may be selfish for not wanting to go on some stupid suicide mission but when you realise what's really at stake here, don't come crying to me." Jordan's words hang heavy in the air, how do you even reply to that? your mouth opens but nothing comes out so you just walk away. Leaving your friends to continue arguing.

a bitter flavour lingers in your mouth. a painful feeling concealed deep inside your chest. you can't control how others perceive you but is that really how Jordan sees you? some coward who ran to them whenever things got tough? maybe they were right. you were no hero. you may have superpowers. you may spend hours studying techniques and training in the gym but that's just school. it didn't mean anything. You had never saved the day. you had never actually done anything. you haven't spoken to Jordan. Not since that night. they had texted a few times but you haven't even opened them. you don't want anything to do with them right now but you'd be lying if you said you didn't miss them. you missed them a lot. nobody knew about your situation with Jordan. you had both decided to keep it on the down low while you figured stuff out. and with everything going on, it had just never been the right time.

a knock at the door. you don't bother getting out of the bed you had been rotting in for hours; staring up at the ceiling as the sun went down and darkness enveloped the room. another knock. you bury yourself deeper in your duvet but the knocking doesn't stop. it just gets louder. a loud groan as you roll out of bed. your roommate was always forgetting their key but when the door opens, your stomach sinks. it wasn't your roommate. you instantly close the door.

"Seriously,"

"fuck off," you yell back. they knock again. yanking open the door, you spy Jordan Li once again. femme. sweaty. gym gear. duffel bag hanging off their shoulder. "fuck off," you push on the door again but they slap their hand against it.

"Just give me a chance," they probably just wanted to yell at you some more and you weren't in the mood. you shove harder. "I could stand here all night." your brow creases. Jordan probably would too. they're very persistent. with a heavy sigh, you relinquish pressure on the door and it swings open as they let themselves in.

"what do you want?" your eyes follow her as she drops the gym bag down and begins wandering around your room. they had been here before. They knew what it looked like. their hand slides over the wood of your desk. they pick up the open book, presumably glancing over the content before dropping it back down. "Jordan."

"hm," they look at you almost perplexed. like they had been lost in their own little world.

"what do you want?" you request more firmly. they just stared back like it was a crazy thing to be asking. they drop back to lean against your desk. you're waiting for them to say something. anything. but their gaze just falls to the floor. you sigh softly, still loitering by the door. you would leave if this wasn't your room. "why are you here, Jordan?"

"I wanted to see you," their shoulders rise and fall. "everything is so fucked up. a hospital under the school like what the fuck?"

a secret hospital under the school was very messed up. you can't even imagine the things they get up to down there. also, Luke's brother was down there. that's why Emma went down in the first place before she disappeared. "yeah," you nod a little. "I guess."

"And Luke's brother being alive this whole time?" you wonder where this is going. you knew all this. you were there when everyone was arguing. your brow furrows a little.

"Can you get to the point?"

"well it's a little fucked isn't it?"

"You're being weird," you state. monitoring them carefully. they still wouldn't look at you but they did push up from the desk and towards the mini fridge.

"you got anything to drink?" they question, pulling it open.

"Jordan. leave."

"What?" they ask, still looking in your mostly empty little fridge.

"I said leave," you declare firmly. "I would like you to leave."

"why?"

"you know why." they sighed loudly, thrusting the fridge closed with a loud slap. "you don't get to just pretend nothing happened."

"I don't know why you're angry, you're the one who called me selfish." Jordan insists. "Said Andre was better than me."

"You are selfish. All you care about is your stupid ranking."

"It's not stupid," Jordan fires back. "It is important if I wanna get somewhere,"

"Who fucking cares," you groan "Like I get it, you wanna be a hero but this is way bigger than all that."

"And what are you gonna do exactly?" there's a bite behind her words. She's getting defensive. "Whats your plan to save the day Superman?"

"I don't..." you snap before trailing off to a much quieter tone. "know exactly,”

"It's a death wish,"

"We have to do something.”

“no, we don’t.” Jordan replies. “we don’t have to do anything. This is way above our pay grade.”

“of course, you’d say that,” you groan loudly. “can you leave now.”

"I-" They seem like they're about to bite back but they stop short. a tense jaw. they let it go. "I miss you, okay."

"I don't care," you did care. "leave." you yank open the door. For a beat, they seem taken aback but it rapidly fades. "now."

"just hear me out."

"no Jordan," you huff. "just go. I'm not arguing with you anymore."

they watch you for a second. "I don't want to argue" they clarify. "please?” there’s an unusual desperation in their voice. one you’ve never heard before. it builds a degree of sympathy amongst your anger. you let the door fall closed with a click.

“fine," you cross your arms over your chest "What do you want?"

"you were right," she declares softly. the statement alone takes you by surprise. Jordan? admitting she was wrong? you'd comically gasp if you weren't annoyed with them.

"I don't understand."

"I said you were right."

"No, I heard you," you explain. "look, Jordan-"

"I'm sorry, okay?" they reply sharply "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"why are you making this so difficult?" Jordan asks. "I've apologised so can we just watch a movie or something?" you raise a curious brow. Surely they weren't naive enough to believe you would simply forgive them just like that? There was more to this story that they were avoiding.

"you can't be fucking serious," a humourless laugh. "you don't even really mean it."

"I do though."

"no you don't," you sigh. walking towards them. "look at me and apologise- apologise properly."

"Ugh, I already apologised," they groan loudly, pairing it with a roll of their eyes. It just annoys you even more. "why can't you just forgive me?"

"Because you don't even know why you're apologising," you stress. "it's half-baked. you don't mean it. and I'm tired so-”

"I'm fucking scared" they blurt out. "I'm scared."

A look of surprise; shock. Their very loud confession caught you off guard. Jordan Li wasn't scared of anything. They’d made that bold claim a great many times. "of what?"

"of losing you," they yell back; their hands come up to run slowly over their face. Their hair becomes shorter. They physically grow taller. Shielded by his fingertips, it's pretty apparent that he shouldn't have said that or at least hadn't meant to. You don't know what to say; your head tilts slightly to one side. how do you respond to that? it still wasn't technically an apology. "for fuck sake."

"of losing me?" you recite slowly. "why would you lose me?"

"Because you're an idiot," they urge. "who wants to help people."

"dude."

"Sorry but like it's true. you're a fucking idiot," they repeat. "and I admire that."

"I'm... confused," you mumble softly.

"I admire how much you wanna help people despite knowing it’s stupid and you're probably gonna die" You can't tell if Jordan is just oblivious to what he was saying but it was far from getting him back in your good graces. "I wish I could be like that. naive enough to think I can make a difference."

"I feel like you're just insulting me," you comment.

they shrug a little. "I know this is still kinda new, the whole me and you thing but…” you can tell this is hard for them. expressing their feelings was not their strong suit. Their head hangs low. “it doesn’t matter,” they walk towards you but instead veer off towards their bag. you reach out for them; taking their hand. they were running hot, a sweaty hand.

“you can tell me,” you express, a gentle squeeze. “we’ve been friends for ages…”

“you’re just gonna call me selfish again.” their voice a whisper but they make no effort to pull away. You step closer.

“then you’ve got nothing to lose, right?” it’s a joke. a harmless one but they don’t laugh or even acknowledge it.

“I… I just don’t want you dying before we get a chance to really explore whatever this,” they use their free hand to motion between you. “is. so yeah, I lashed out because I like you or whatever and want you alive. sorry.” you watch them for a moment. their inability to meet your gaze. the light dusting of pink that graced their cheeks. it was really sweet if not a little unexpected. Jordan was so cool most of the time. it was a rarity to see them express such emotions. it makes you smile. you just laugh a little in amusement.

"Jordan," you say warmly. "you're not gonna lose me," you step even closer, reaching for their other hand; running your thumb over their knuckles. "I understand what you're saying but I don't think it's reason enough not to help,"

"I know," the express softly, finally meeting your gaze. there is something unspoken behind those eyes but you choose not to push. “I wish it was.”

you keep your eyes on there’s taking in this tender moment. a moment of vulnerability. a moment of connection. you relish in the way their hands fit so comfortably in yours. you really liked Jordan. liked their attitude. admired their strength. wished for their sense of loyalty. you were so smitten. so lucky to be their chosen person. a smile settles before you slowly lean in. It catches them off guard but they soon settle into it. “I’m scared too,” whispered against their lips. "but I think the bravest thing we can do is try anyway.“ his eyes flutter closed, letting his forehead fall against yours.

"I didn't mean it when I called you a coward," Jordan whispers, his eyes open. Lingering on yours. “You’re the bravest person I know.”

"I am a coward," you express. "I've always wanted to be a hero. it's all my parents want. but I'm scared. terrified. I never could have fought Luke like you did. but I wanna try now. I want you to try too," you ghost their lips. It's subtle; intimate. "if you really wanna protect me, Jordan, you'd help because I'm doing this with or without you."

"do I have to decide right now?" they ask quietly. You're almost disappointed by their reply but you can't really blame them. This wasn't another student hero gone rogue. This was a whole institution willing to do anything to keep its secrets. "do you forgive me?"

"do you forgive me?"

"I was never mad at you,"

"I was mad at you." you declare.

"I know," they nod. "you weren't exactly subtle about it." their expression becomes playful and bright; a strong contrast from the conversation you were just having. You can't help but smile as you pull back.

"do you wanna stay over tonight?" there's a shift in the air. all that tension fading away. you're not mad. you're not thrilled either. but you liked Jordan. a lot. and you could understand their desire to protect you. In a way, it was very sweet. You didn't realise how much they liked you. "we could watch that movie? or Property Brothers? whatever you want."

"Whatever I want, huh?" their hands vacate yours and instead move to your hips. Pulling you close. ever so close. pressing their body ever so slightly into yours "Anything at all?" masc! Jordan was taller than their male counterpart but far less intimidating. firmer. gentler. it’s a rather present contrast.

"you're such a perv,"

"you don't even know what I was gonna say," they insist.

"Anyone with half a brain could figure it out," you tease. their hands slip around to the small of your back pulling you flush against them. playing into your words. "but what Jordan wants. Jordan gets." whispered in their ear, you place a gentle kiss upon their cheek. "right?"

you can feel them practically shudder against you. A heavy sigh left their lips. "oh she wants to play tonight?" all signs of sincerity washed away by something darker. desire. you meet their eyes, lips quirk up into a smirk before they lean in once more. it’s ever so light but you’re quick to deepen the kiss; chasing that warmth that spills through your veins but they pull away instead. mischief laces their expression. their fingers sliding under the hem of your shirt. they pull back just enough to murmur, “I’m gonna make you beg for it,” their words hot against your ear. A shiver spills down your spine as you lean into them; wanting to be closer. As close as possible as they guide you back towards your bed.

it's safe to say you're smitten with the infamous Jordan Li. and when it comes down to it you're delighted when you're together. they bring out a more mischievous side of you. and you like to think you bring out a more vulnerable side of them. You shuffle further into their embrace. Basking in the feeling of their arms around you as you hide from the rising sun peeking through the blinds. A content hum as you drift in and out of consciousness. Still so early. You feel them lean more into you.

"what the fuck," a voice drags you to the land of the living. And as your tired eyes flutter open, your friends stare back. Both you and Jordan shoot up, instantly breaking any contact. Pulling the covers up to hide the fact you were both very naked. Marie stands at the end of your bed; wide eyes and a slightly agape mouth. Cate and Andre are just by the door. how the fuck did they even get in? "we should- sorry," you watch Marie scramble for the door shoving Andre out just as Cate yanks him.

you both fall back down in unison. If anyone had seen it would almost seem planned. After a moment, you roll back into them. giggling into the crook of their neck. after a moment you nip the skin. "guess we're not a secret anymore," muttered against their skin.

"This isn't funny."

"it kinda is," you shrug "Quite the shock for those three." A giggle before you sink your teeth into her neck earning yourself a satisfied sigh but they're quick to push you away. A stern look on their face

"you agreed it was best we didn't tell everyone until all this craziness was over."

"yeah but don't you feel just a little relieved," you ask. You can practically see the gears turning in their head. It's... Cute. You move so that you're now straddling them, hands drifting delicately over their chest. Their skin is so warm; and soft. Their short bob is a mess against your pillow. they looked so peaceful. so beautiful. A strip of yellow sunlight reflected off their chain. "I'm glad everyone knows now. plus," you smile mischievously. "now I can kiss you whenever I want. " You lean down slowly and place your lips against hers. "and that's all I want," mumbled against their lip.

"I guess it is one less thing to worry about," they muse, bringing their hands up to rest against your hips. her fingers apply just a little bit of pressure. you peck their lips once more before pulling away. a gentle tap on their nose, their face scrunches up.

"you shift in your sleep sometimes did you know that?"

"What?"

"you were definitely a guy when we fell asleep and then suddenly I'm snuggling up to a girl? is it like a conscious choice or?" they hesitate for a moment before playfully shoving you off them.

"shut up,"

"ow!!" you groan dramatically, falling down against the bed. "ow. that hurt so much. I'm in so much pain. how could you be so mean," you groan loudly, shuffling about a little for dramatic effect.

"you’re so dramatic,” Jordan rolls their eyes but a mischievous grin spreads over their lips. “now get up we’re gonna be late.”

“for what?”

“class.” they sit up. a hand coming to settle on your stomach. you don’t move. and neither do they. and in those few seconds, everything feels at peace. “you really are beautiful,” they eventually say before finally getting out of bed.

#gen v #jordan li #jordan li x reader #the boys #jordan li x you

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cypressvs · 1 year

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DON'T TWIST THE LION'S TAIL

pairing: jing yuan/gn!reader

cw: suggestive but not explicit, workplace romance?, reader is an unspecified long-life species

wc: 1.0k | join the taglist

Jing Yuan is a cat. You're sure of it.

He's abnormally agile. Foxians were born with heightened senses and naturally superceded an average human when it came to their predispositions but even they would think twice, thrice, before jumping off a three-story high building. Not Jing Yuan though. He just leaps, twirls his Guan Dao with an ease unparalleled, and even had the grace to catch the tea set you managed to throw into the air in fright before speeding off to catch the runaway criminal with a carefree smile.

How many years ago was that? You didn't count but it had to be a good few hundred years since then because that day, on your first meeting, Jing Yuan was a nobody. He was just another face among the ranks of the Cloud Knights that wasn't memorable enough to be remembered. Now, he was a general and his pictures sell for a concerning amount of Strales. No one in the Xianzhou who's in their right mind would not know his name and by extension, yours since you're practically attached by the hip.

Officially, you were an unemployed nobody but everyone in the Seat of the Divine Foresight considered you to be the General's caretaker. The legal matters that concerned the affairs of the Xianzhou were rightfully managed by the secretaries employed there but the more menial and more... troublesome duties were handed off to you. Sometimes, you meet their gazes and they're filled with nothing but respect and gratitude because no one, not a single one, wanted to be the holder of your duties. Why?

Because Jing Yuan was a cat. A temperamental, needy, and mischievous one.

You'd never think of it if you didn't know him first but Jing Yuan was a picky eater. You have to feed him from your hand if he's eating something for the first time. If not that, he'll randomly send you to buy snacks in the middle of a work day. You tried to refuse once but you learned the hard way that not doing as he wishes involved him mocking you by refusing to budge an inch from his seat. At this point, it was easier to just fold and give him a bite after every five papers signed.

Jing Yuan also likes warm spaces. On days when work is more manageable, he'll drag you outside for a stroll but you always end up seating under the shade of a tree in an otherwise empty field. He lies around with eyes closed and an immoveable smile on his face as he enjoys the soft breeze. All the while, you're cursing the static in your legs as Jing Yuan doesn't just lie anywhere, no, he lies on you because he'll be damned if he lets you work while he lazes around. Or so he says.

Other times, Jing Yuan will ignore you entirely, not even sparing you a gaze, yet pouting (in his very own Jing Yuan way; indecipherable to most but not to you) when you don't attempt to console him. He lingers around your peripherals but otherwise refuses to utter a single word to you until you sigh and pull him to you, brushing his hair gently as you tell him about your day. Scrimping out on the details is not allowed. You have to tell him about every little detail from the food you ate for breakfast to your meeting with your visiting relatives or else he'll just sulk even more. You can't figure out the pattern to his attitude but you do remember vaguely that it was the worst about a hundred and two years ago. Such a shame that you had to appease him, hurriedly leaving your poor cousin in the market alone. He says that he understands with a knowing laugh but you don't quite understand yourself. What is there to know anyway?

Jing Yuan, much like a cat, does whatever he wants with almost no care for the rest of the world. Maybe that's why you're in this position now.

You're made intimately aware of how intimidating he can be with how he towers over you, casting a deep shadow on your frame as he firmly pinned you down his desk. His gaze is deep, molten and hiding behind a mystery you were never able to unearth until now. You try to tug yourself out of his grip but that only shuffled the paperwork your back is pressed into.

"Jing Yuan—" your words die down on your throat as he finally shows the first drop of emotion on his face. A smile. Nothing you'd never seen before but for some reason, a shiver climbs down your spine. Alarms flag inside your head as heat pooled under your skin. It floods your muscles that ached—screamed—at you to run. You exhale shakily but when your eyes meet his again, all your will to fight dissipates.

"What else must I do, hm?" He whispers and it might just be your imagination but you swore you saw his teeth glint under the moonlight. "What more shall I give to keep your eyes on me?"

You swallow and you're reminded of something. With your back pressed and with no way to escape, you are nothing but a predator's prey. One that he taunts as you spy the almost imperceptible lilt to his smile. The realization makes you avert your gaze, embarrassed by the heat that races under your cheeks.

"See? You're doing it again. You're warm," he whispers as he lowers his face closer to yours, "then you're cold. Tell me: what conclusion was I supposed to derive from your behavior?"

When you don't respond, Jing Yuan continues. "Logic dictates that you're disinterested but your body—" One hand slides from your wrist to settle on your waist. He gives you the opportunity to run yet somehow, you hesitate. "—says otherwise."

His hair cascades over his shoulders, a lock falling over like a moonbeam by your check and it tickles. It does not go unnoticed, and Jing Yuan chuckles; he delights in the muffled whimper he was able to draw out of you and rejoices at the needy breath you release when he grazes his lips over yours before stopping all at once.

"Well?" He hums. "It appears that I am indeed growing older. My patience is not what it once was. So tell me, little bird, while I can still restrain myself: what is it that you want from me?"

#hsr x reader #honkai star rail x reader #jing yuan #jing yuan x you #jing yuan x reader #hsr x y/n #hsr x you #honkai star rail imagines #hsr imagines #jing yuan x y/n #honkai star rail x gender neutral reader #hsr fluff #honkai star rail fluff #jing yuan fluff

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lu-sn · 1 month

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Arm has a top-secret file that he keeps on a separate partition of his hard drive, locked behind three different password walls. It’s a list of all of the main family’s bodyguards, ranked by how likely they are to be the mole.

(It’s top-secret because he’s not supposed to be looking into this. Chan explicitly ordered him not to.)

There’s a handful of people Arm doesn’t even bother putting on the list. Pol, for one. Pete. Erika. Chan.

By contrast, every single one of Kinn’s personal bodyguards, past and present, is a prime suspect. Kinn’s had a notorious streak of bad luck lately. Four murder attempts in four months cannot be a coincidence.

Ken is just aloof enough that nobody seems to know what he’s up to on his off-days. This rockets him straight to the top of Arm’s list, tied with Big, who has fallen so far out of favor with Kinn that Arm can’t help but wonder if Kinn is doing it on purpose.

And then there’s the name directly under those two.

“Be honest,” he says to Pete one day. They’re sequestered in his armory, but he keeps his voice low: there’s no harm in being careful with matters like this. “Do you think there’s any chance Porsche is the mole?”

Pete is silent for a good, long moment.

“You live with him,” Arm says. “You’ve been on more missions with him than me. If anyone here knows him best, it’s you.”

“There are reasons to suspect him,” Pete says slowly. “A lot of his missions have gone wrong. He didn’t stop that girl from attacking Kinn in the bathroom. The casino stakeout was a mess. The diamond auction was worse.”

“But…?”

Pete sighs. “I don’t know. He’s young. He’s made a lot of mistakes, but he’s improving.”

Arm stares forlornly at his list, cursor blinking innocently next to Porsche’s name. “Pete, I can’t clear his name just because he’s young.”

“No,” Pete concedes. He leans back in his chair, arms crossed behind his head. “But he’s kind, too. He’s principled. He won’t betray people he cares about.”

“And that’s enough? You trust him?”

“I do.”

The knot in Arm’s chest jerks tighter. “But… he’s so likable.”

“Ohhh, right, he’s nice. Never mind. Death by firing squad.”

Arm smiles, sheepish.

“Okay,” Pete says. “So you think he’s tricking us?”

“Shit, Pete, I don’t know,” Arm splutters. “Isn't it possible?”

“I don't think so. Porsche isn't like that.”

Arm considers this, then plops his face into his hand.

“Did you want me to say something else?” Pete says, faintly amused.

“Yes,” Arm groans.

“Why?”

“Because…” Arm trails off.

Because the security of the main family rests on his shoulders. Arm cannot afford to be anything other than objective; he needs to leave Porsche on his list.

But the problem is that Porsche barreled into their lives and immediately made Khun Noo happier than Arm had ever seen before. The problem is that Pol hasn’t been this comfortable around someone since Arm himself. The problem is that Arm vaguely remembers being carried home from Hum Bar by an equally drunk Porsche, who took off his shoes for him and tucked him into bed and grinned brightly over his shoulder before staggering out the door.

The problem is that Arm is biased.

Pete, on the other hand, is the most level-headed person Arm knows. Leaving Porsche’s name on his list wouldn’t feel so terrible if Pete agreed with it.

“I wanted you to give me a reason to keep him on here,” Arm mumbles. “I feel bad. He’s our friend.”

“You’re doing your job,” Pete says sincerely. “There’s no shame in that. But…” He reaches over to pat Arm on the shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong with trusting your gut. If you think he’s innocent, leave him off.”

Arm mulls over this. Then he pokes Pete in the side. “I think I trust your gut more than mine.”

Pete lets out a laugh, incredulous, and pokes Arm back.

Later, Arm highlights Porsche’s entry with his cursor and drags it to the bottom of the file. Then he pauses. His hand hovers over the delete button.

He thinks about Pete saying, I trust him. He thinks about what Pete didn’t quite say: you should trust yourself, too.

He hits delete.

#kpanniversary2024 episode 9 + prompt 9: trust

#this one's for all the armpete girlies out there #(looking straight at dreamy)#brought to you by me thinking about how arm and pete show unconditional trust for porsche #and how curious that is given the state of the main family at that time #kinnporsche #kpanniversary2024 #arm kinnporsche #pete saengtham #mine: ficlet

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coralinnii · 11 months

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My real-life manga moments reimagined with the TWST boys

Moments in my life that my friends said sounds like a romcom manga premise but with the Twisted Wonderland boys. genre: fluff, humor note: I refers to me the author and could also be reader's perspective, He/him refers the Twisted Wonderland boy I think matches well with the story (though you’re free to imagine whoever)

I'm going through something like a writing slump where I'm just not satisfied with what I'm writing so I started talking to my friends to de-stress. We started talking about our high school days which is how this came to be. Apparently, I'm just airheaded enough to be a manga protagonist ^_^;

Hopefully I'll be out of my slump soon

I was our class representative and he was a prefect. We worked together in school a lot and I really respected him. Years after we graduated, he told me he respected how I was a good student and friend. I don’t have the heart to tell him that I broke quite a number of school rules but I was just never caught…

It was my first week into high school and I was quiet because I knew nobody in school. One day during P.E, I stepped into a hole and injured my foot. I was so embarrassed and I didn’t know what to do as my classmates stood around, worried about me. He, as an upperclassman, saw the commotion and offered to carry me to my classroom (we don’t have a nurse’s office). Even more embarrassed, I declined and decided to walk through my pain to get to class. Later that day, my classmates told me that he was actually a super popular and likable upperclassman and I was really lucky to meet him.

I met him at an anime convention. I picked up an artwork he dropped and complimented him you on his choice of anime. He seemed really shy but thanked me. I later saw him again at a panel session and then at a nearby restaurant. We talked a little and even shared contacts though we never contacted each other. We used to see each other every year at the same convention until I had to move away. I always wondered how he is.

I was alone at a nearby park waiting for my parents to pick me up from school. I had trouble making friends in my class so I was lonely. One day, I met an upperclassman who was also waiting at the park and she became my first friend. We talked everyday at the school until my parents picked me up. One day, her family picked her up first and I was shocked. He, my classmate whom I never spoke with, were my first friend’s brother. Since then, he and I keep unintentionally seeing each other.

We were classmates for years. He was always competitive with me because I always beat him at a lot of things like test scores and school rankings. He joined the same martial arts club I was in and announced that he will surpass my belt grade soon. He also said he will grow taller than me soon since we were the same height then. Our martial arts instructor teased him saying boys always bug the ones they like. I didn’t care but rooted for him anyway.

He did end up growing taller than me and his grades really improved. A year later, he told me he was moving to another country. Before he left, he told me he liked me…

We were classmates from beginning to end, nothing else. We always somehow got seated near each other each year. We had the same friends and from what our friends told me, we had the same interests and even taste in music. (I also dated his best friend for a while…). But we never once spoke directly to each other. I thought he didn’t like me and I was okay with that because I didn’t like or dislike him either.

Years have passed since we graduated, I never knew what happened to him since I never bothered to know. Then one day…he followed me on Instagram

I was waiting for the bus and so was he. He seemed confused and I thought that maybe he wasn't from around here. Then, he came up to me and with an accent, he asked me if a particular bus had already passed by. I answered no and he seemed relieved then said…

“Thank you. Also, you have a beautiful voice”

I was stunned speechless as he just walked back to his previous spot.

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nyazhis-jsablr · 15 days

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Battle of the Blixers - Finale Results

“Welcome to the final post of the Battle of the Blixers! I’m your host Step, and it was a very fun and intense competition thus far!”

“It was very fun seeing every submission, as well as how the contest played out! I will definitely miss doing this.

“But that aside, the end is now upon us, and with that, let’s see who won this entire thing!”

PLACEMENT POINTS

“So first off, we have the placement points! These points will be awarded to the competitors based on their placement on the podium at the end of C5!”

“And here they are!”

“Welp, it’s how it always was! Blixter & Eclipses in the top two, with everyone else fighting for 3rd, in this case, the other Blixter!” “In any case, let’s head to Category 2!”

ABSTRUSE DECIPHER POINTS

“This is the prize for guessing the song correctly!”

“Blixer Eclipses got the song correctly, so he’s getting 3 extra points!”

AUDIENCE VOTE

“Now, we have the audience vote! We already saw the outcome, with Blixter winning over the audience yet again! Let’s award everyone’s points now!”

JURY VOTE

“Now for the jury vote! The way this works is that the jury lists the entries from 1-3, their least favorite being 1 and most favorite being 3. Afterwards, I tally up the results and get the final number!”

“Before I reveal the points though, here’s a statement from the one and only Blixer Kunzite! literally hes the only one that voted during the voting period”

JSABAddict’s submission:

“What a very interesting fight! Didn’t expect such a…brute, to have skillful moves like that. I’d say this one caught my eye, sad that they weren’t able to kill their opponent but, oh well! As for the ‘begging’, as you put it, poor reasons. I believe them when they said they joined for fun and thrill but, c’mon! What about the glory and respect you would get from winning!? Ah, apologies for the yelling. Now then, I’d say they’re in between, not the worst nor the best.”

Zim-card’s submission:

“Quite an interesting yet odd ending, in my own opinion..but nonetheless, I think they did well! But..a bit disappointed AGAIN by the fact that another square wasn’t at least damaged, MORE disappointed it ended off in good terms. The reasons for winning are well put, I have been watching from afar how they had been handling every challenge well— expect for the cooking one. I’d say this is also in between! I’ll..have to think how I’ll rank these..”

Starwlf’s submission:

“As for this one..I LOVE IT! The fact that you managed to actually defeat the player while also giving good reasons! The first time being apart of this to gain some sort of ego boost through this and showing your strength! Wonderful! Very solid reasons, along with skillful moves— other than the fact they did managed to get hurt in the face, but they proved themselves worthy, to me.”

“Well that’s that! Can’t believe nobody else was available during voting… anyways… Here’s the results!”

COMPETITOR VOTE

“And now, here’s the competitor vote, where each of the competitors voted on each other!”

“Here’s what they each have to say!”

starwlf Blixter (told thru starwlf’s perspective):

My point goes to zim’s submission. Blixter enjoys watching a good fight. And man was it delivered. And seeing such a shift to a kinder tone gave him a reminder of his own loved one. A fight against a narrative is all too familiar for him.

Blixer Eclipses:

Probably starwlf (cause in the end zim's gonna win regardless so I figured to like. barely even it out, I dunno)

zim-card Blixter:

“I gotta send a vote to starwlf. I like his determination and confidence, I can understand his stance within this whole challenge as someone new to the ring. I also find it sweet that he's willing to split the prize when he wins... I'd do the same too, honestly. Sure, I'm off put at the successful murder so hm... ah, I can't exactly be the judge of morals when the challenge did ask for a duel. My vote still stands for the fella!”

“So we got 2 votes for starwlf’s Blixter, and a vote for zim’s Blixter! Let’s convert them to points!”

STEP’S EXTRA CREDIT

“Now it’s MY turn to judge!”

“For starwlf’s Blixter, I love the intensity! And actually succeeding in defeating, good job!”

“For Blixer Eclipses, although not much hits were dealt, you put up a good fight with that amazing dodging skills! I also find it pretty funny that he kept dodging the blasts when it’s usually the other way around… heh.”

“For zim-card’s Blixter, the fight was pretty cool! But at the same time you somehow made up with your Cyan and uhhhhhhhh”

“sorry youre going below the others”

“Anyways, let’s get to the points I’m giving out!”

“And the winner of the Battle of the Blixers is……”

!!!BLIXTER!!!

Total Points:

@zim-card : 30

@jsabaddict : 29

@starwlf : 27

“Congratulations for winning, now here are your prizes!”

“Yeah, I figured that the runner-ups should receive consolation prizes, so me and Pulse just scrambled around the ‘tower’ and found these.”

“Anyways, that’s it!”

“Like I said, it was amazing holding this competition, and I hope me and everyone else had a fun time with it! Now we’re done, so so long! For the last time…

My name is Step, and this has been the Battle of the Blixers! Until then, see you!”

“So what now?”

“To be honest I have no clue. Probably gonna sleep and also watch these other universes I found. Speaking of, there’s this one cool universe I found, their Barracuda is a snake man who is extreme evil, and last I checked the you and me in it were working together!”

“Okay.”

“Oh, and their Lycanthropy was my brother? I think? Was it blood or found? I don’t remember.”

“Speaking of, I gazed into the Black Room again. I think I saw someone, but it might’ve just been me. Looked a lot like your descriptions of th……..

The two continued their talk, which if I will fill this ending segment with, Tumblr might actually crash lmfao

Anyways, sorry the ending post took so long, i suddenly got a small internship somewhere so it was a bit busy

Other than that, fun contest, yeah? It was really fun hosting it for me!! But if it wasnt fun for any of the competitors, i am genuinely really sorry and i wanna make it up to you if i can

Idk if ill do another contest, but if i will then idk when lol

I have an idea for this tho, maybe a talk-show like thing where step interviews jsab fancharacters?

BotB is gonna be my main au now cuz i gotten extremely attached to the botb gang (which is canonically only step & pulse, but the others are gonna join in if i introduce them in botb lore lol)

Sorry H*I & main au, i dont wanna play with you anymore /ref

Anyways have a good day!!!! Nyazhi out!!!!

#jsab #just shapes and beats #jsab blixer #battle of the blixers

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beckelliesden · 10 months

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I've been thinking about the Metatron's motivations.

At first, I thought he was using Aziraphale in a simple internal power struggle ploy. He can't be in charge because he's just a spokesman and since he knows Micheal has no intention to share authority with anyone else, he needs a puppet if he wants to run the show. Aziraphale, who is naive and, let's admit it, easily coaxed, makes a perfect candidate. He isn't a very elevated angel, so he assumes he'll be easy to handle - and quite as easy to dismiss if he refuses to play along as intended. And recruiting him has the added bonus of getting rid of a torn in heaven's side by breaking up Aziraphale and Crowley, who are blamed for thwarting Armageddon 1.0. After that 25-lazarii miracle they inadvertently produced together, it's easy to see how the Metatron would be very keen to prevent them from standing in the way of Armageddon 2.0.

Then, I thought about it some more. I thought about some of the dark, ominous looks he's cast from the corner of his eyes, the color-coding of his clothes and the way he oh so easily swayed Aziraphale. Heavens is a lot of things in the show, but it's never flattering and persuasive. Not like that. Flattery and bribery are Hell's tools, and so is playing on people's insecurities and setting them up against one another.

And then I thought, what if the Metatron isn't the Metatron? What if Satan took personal interest in the launching of Armageddon 2.0 and impersonated the Metatron?

God couldn't care less, that's a given, but Satan? He was obviously VERY pissed off and personally involved at the end of S01. It's a bit foolish to think that because Adam thwarted him on Earth he's out of the picture permanently. Or that he won't be trying to extract his revenge on those who thwarted him- it's apparently his whole thing.

And then, we come back to Aziraphale - and, more to the point, Crowley. Who is Aziraphale? A mid-level angel - a nobody who means well and can be easily swayed with the right arguments. But Crowley? From Satan's point of view, Crowley is NOT a nobody. If we read the clues correctly, Crowley was NEVER a nobody, in fact. He was a pretty high-ranking angel before the Fall, possibly even an archangel. More to the point, Satan thinks Crowley is his top agent. He's the demon who instigated the original sin, invented the Spanish Inquisition and started WW2. The demonic genius behind the M25.

The demon who was SUPPOSED to deliver the antichrist on Earth.

Crowley did not just turn traitor on Hell, but on SATAN personally.

So it would make sense for Satan to take a personal interest in return.

Everything that follows just makes so much sense if Satan is impersonating the Metatron. He wants the launching of Armageddon 2.0 AND revenge on Crowley. So he arranges to use Aziraphale to do both. He takes him away from Crowley - and makes Aziraphale break his heart in the process.

I've seen people go about the coffee scene, arguing the coffee was spiked. I think that if any 'miracle' was performed at that fateful moment, it was to push Nina and Maggie to have that conversation with Crowley. So that Crowley would finally open himself up and confess to Aziraphale - only to be rejected in the most heartbreaking way possible by Aziraphale, who's been dazzled by the idea of running Heavens along with his best friend as angels.

I've also seen people comment on how manipulative and cunning the Metatron was to 'orchestrate' the break up - and he was, no doubt about it. But how would the Metatron, as an angel, know how insulting and impossible a proposition that would be for Crowley? He'd have to be a fucking mastermind on top of being a master manipulator - two things he certainly didn't seem to be in s01. No, I'm sorry, but an angel would just assume a demon would WANT to come back into the fold. Only a demon would know better. And only a demon would go about breaking them up so cunningly.

And here's the good bit: the Metatron only turns up AFTER the Hell delegation has gone to report Beelzebub's treason to their master. Not before or during, but AFTER.

And what is one of the first thing he does when he walks into the bookshop? He asks Crowley if he recognizes him, of course. He doesn't ask because Crowley used to be a high-ranking angel - he asks because Crowley is a demon, and if he can fool Crowley, then he can fool anyone, can he?

And that leads us to the elevator scene. Notice how fast Metatron pushes the 'Heavens' button as soon as Aziraphale sets foot in? Notice the calculative looks he gives him from the corner of his eyes? They make perfect sense if Aziraphale just fell into a particularly devious and intricate trap - setting himself up as both an hostage and a tool for Satan to further extract revenge on Crowley and start Armageddon 2.0.

Oh, while ALSO providing Satan with his 'ride' to infiltrate Heavens, of course. Demons can't use the elevator without an escort, remember?

It all makes so much damned sense - and it scares the shit out of me for s03.

#The Metatron is Satan in disguise #I rest my case #Metatron theory #good omens #good omens 2 #go2 spoilers #crowley #Aziraphale is a puppet #Metatron #Oh shit s03 is going to be so hardcore if I'm right #I almost feel bad for writing all this as I'm pretty sure it's going to be a BIG season 3 reveal #neil gaiman #you're an evil genius Neil Gaiman

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beanghostprincess · 6 months

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How would you rank each strawhat based on morality? Of cours they are all good people, but some are certainly more and others slightly less

I mean... I don't think morality is something we can make rankings of because it varies depending on your philosophy and a good person isn't always the one following the conventional, Kantian rules of morality. But I know where you're coming from. I guess I can just base it on my own understanding of what morality is, which basically follows the whole "an action is good when the outcome affects positively the majority of people/makes somebody external to you feel good/doesn't harm anybody external" (aka selflessness and altruism) and "an action doesn't have to be necessarily good and you can still be a good person because your initial intentions were good, even if the outcome wasn't the one you expected". So, basically, this ranking is based on altruism, selflessness, and the way their actions affect others and what are their views on society/how they behave with others. I also have in mind why they do the things they do and if their positive actions are done out of selfishness or pure altruism.

1- Chopper

Isn't it obvious? His whole character is literally about helping others. He's a caretaker who looks out for everybody and the common well-being and happiness. He has a strong sense of morality that's based on other people's joy and freedom, and he fights for the rights of every human being despite their background. He doesn't care about whether you're evil or not when it comes to your life, always saving the ones who need saving. His vision of the world is pretty simple, honestly. Besides, kindness is often related to naivete and he's well-known for that too. He treats people with respect, and kindness, often mimics others to fit in, and the only times he harms people is to fight for what he thinks is right (which is pretty often related to basic human rights being violated in a medical sense). Being a doctor doesn't make you morally good, but being this type of doctor specifically definitely does. He'd pretty much sacrifice himself if it meant helping others, using himself as a tester for various antidotes. He's by far the nicest straw hat. He's both selfless and altruistic and he even has his own set of morals that involve protecting humanity's basic rights when it comes to living. Wanting to cure every illness and make a world in which nobody can die before their time is basically his whole character.

2- Brook

What sets Chopper and Brook apart from the other Straw Hats is that they are pretty active in their altruism and try to do good for people unrelated to them. His whole thing is quite literally making others laugh from happiness. He's a musician. His whole life before joining the Straw Hats was to be in a crew full of artists who lived to make others happy with music. That's the most selfless passion ever. His cheerful and jokester personality is pretty much meant to cope in a funnier way to make others laugh and save them from being worried about him. He keeps wanting others to be comfortable and together as a family, he enjoys unity from spending so much time alone but it doesn't come from a place of selfishness, because he keeps wanting others to enjoy their time together. He might need/want company, but the way he asks for it is in a very polite way and he never wants to bother other people. His whole character is literally focused on wanting to go see Laboon and make him know he's alive. He could've tried to k word himself in the years he spent alone, but he didn't because somebody else was waiting for him. He might be a pervert but he asks for consent, having in mind what women want and he doesn't push things further if they don't want to. Brook is the definition of a very jokester gentleman with knowledge for consent and a very selfless attitude towards life, valuing others' needs before his own. Although he doesn't hesitate to cut people in half, he only does this to his enemies and, y'know, pirate life. And often it's either needed or they don't even end up dead, so... The reason he fights is to always keep others safe, rather than worrying about his own life (even though he's already dead yohoho!). I think he's one of the characters, along with Chopper and Robin, that value life the most and that's what makes them so good at protecting others.

3- Jinbe

The reason why Jinbe is third is because his sense of morality varies from Brook and Chopper's more empathetic and nondiscriminatory way of protecting people. Jinbe tends to follow logic within morality instead of instant emotions and I personally value more people who extend their empathy to everyone without a second thought than genuinely thinking about it first before acting. He has his own set of morals and what he considers to be right or wrong. He thinks first before doing anything and considers the outcome of whether saving somebody is plausible or not in the situation. That doesn't make him selfish, but just a logical person. What sets the difference between the other two and him is that Jinbe won't help everyone and Chopper/Brook will not hesitate to do so. Jinbe's caring side is mostly shown to be to his loved ones and he doesn't generally extend that behavior to people outside of his circle. He literally refused to look after Luffy because he didn't know the guy, even if he was Ace's friend. He acknowledges he can't help everyone and just takes care of his people. And when he does that, he does it in the most selfless and self-sacrificing of ways! He would die for his loved ones without hesitating and his whole character arc is about Jinbe deserving a break from looking after everyone instead of enjoying his own life. They quite literally have to force him to follow what he truly wants and yet he still goes back to help his people before joining the Straw Hats. So the reason why Jinbe is third is because he's just like Chopper and Brook, except that he acknowledges the reality of the world and uses a more logical approach, being more personal when it comes to taking care of people. Also, he wants to keep peace around the world and the way he approaches people is in a very respectful manner and tries to keep conflicts at bay, which is directly looking out for common ground and pacifism. I almost forgot to mention his whole deal with the liberation of slaves, and that's obviously something that makes him an even greater person. He fights for a cause, against the unfairness of the world. He makes the world a better place.

4- Robin

I've had a hard time trying to think about whether she should go before or after Jinbe, but after some time debating it, I think this is the right place for her. Her whole character is basically all about learning how to live and love because she never had the chance to do so after so many years of suffering on her own. Her concept of helping others might be more altruistic than Jinbe's because I view her as somebody who would follow Chopper/Brook's standards and help everybody in need, instead of only keeping her protectiveness to her morality and circle. However, even if she's more altruistic and empathetic with outsiders, her view of socializing is more cynical than Jinbe's. She chooses a more abrupt way of fighting for what's right and instead of looking out for common peace and ground, she doesn't mind cracking a few necks and spines. She has fun with chaos and dark imagery, unlike Jinbe, who's a very caring man. And she is caring too! The sweetest! But Jinbe worries more about what could happen while Robin is still learning how to have fun and just vibes. She has this bit of selfishness and enjoyment for chaos and having a good time that Jinbe doesn't have because he's calmer than her. She's calm but she enjoys the fun drama, and Jinbe cares about his surroundings' well-being more. The way she treats enemies is crueler because Jinbe is polite while she doesn't care about cracking a few necks. Even if she's more empathetic towards strangers, looking out for the general peace is conventionally better for society than cracking people's necks, so, yeah. And she's a revolutionary and their views might follow a set of morals about freedom, but the way they deal with social issues is very arbitrary. Basically, she's a sweetie but she has a bit of a dark side.

5- Usopp

He's the sweetest guy of all time and normally wouldn't hurt a fly and he goes all the way to make everybody feel comfortable and have a sense of unity. However, the main difference between Usopp and the others (this is where the ranking kind of starts being more and more different in terms of complex morality) is that he's selfish out of fear and self-defense. A thing that is completely natural and proof that thinking about himself and his loved ones first doesn't make him a bad person, just careful and human. Selfishness is often seen as something bad and against the benefits of society as a whole, and it might be, but it doesn't make him a bad person (that again, I don't think we're able to judge this either). The cool thing about Usopp is that he's a growing character. He keeps learning more about himself every day and, even if he's a "coward", the bravest thing somebody can do is fight against fear. Especially when it comes to insecurities and when you're probably about to die. He isn't altruistic in the sense of risking his life for a stranger (unless he feels guilty about it or has the need to do so) but he is the kindest in the sense of embracing friendship and support. He brings domesticity and comfort to quite literally everybody he encounters. He's easy to befriend and to talk to. His whole thing about lying comes from trying to cheer up his mom about his dad leaving them, c'mon, even if he was suffering because of her illness. He fights for the ones he loves even if he's scared, and when he refuses to fight is when he doesn't know the people that much and, to be honest, fair. Nobody should be forced to sacrifice themselves for people they don't care about and I personally don't think that can talk about morality. Besides, the way he jokes around and does his little shenanigans with Luffy not really caring about the chaos around (besides when, y'know, personal safety) only makes everything I said more obvious.

6- Sanji

Sanji is a very... Complex character. The duality of men, basically. When he's kind he's at his best and when he's creepy he's at his worst but then he also has this view on how much people's lives matter depending on what he personally thinks. He's very emotion/trauma-driven, so perhaps that's why it's really hard to tell whether he follows a conventional morality or his own. His whole character arc is about him realizing that he's kind, empathetic, self-sacrificing, and everything the Vinsmokes aren't. But he also has a calculative and cold side that shows up when he doesn't give a single fuck about the people he's talking to. Basically, Sanji can be both the nicest and the meanest guy in the world depending on what he thinks of you, but he'll never let you starve due to his own morals of "nobody should die of hunger". Like he might beat the shit out of you but he's making you a damn risotto before the fight. Sanji is a very kind soul and he looks out for others and always puts them first, but his morality is pretty much focused on his past experiences. He also has these preferences for women, which are not morally correct (if you view this term as equality) because, unlike the other characters, he doesn't view their lives in the same way. However, that doesn't mean he hates men, he just puts women on a pedestal. He will put others first no matter what but if he doesn't care about you he won't give a single fuck. He literally was about to leave those kids in Punk Hazard and only helped because Nami said so. When he has to help somebody he cares about, though (or anybody, really) he always ends up self-sacrificing for the greater good. But it's not really coming from a place of "this is a good thing to do" but from a "their lives are more important than mine and I like to feel needed". Even if I do think he also does this out of empathy and love, both things coexist. He tries really hard to please others. He finds joy in feeling needed but also in making others happy, so it really is a mix of trauma and genuine kindness. He's quite literally the whole "doing good things because it feels good but also because it helps people, and helping people makes me feel good" but I don't think he does it in a selfish way, because he doesn't even realize he's doing it to feel better in the first place. He just doesn't value his life the way he should. So, TL;DR: Sanji's a selfless character when it comes to the people he loves and when his morals are at hand (huge difference between the other characters, who help people without having in mind those things), but if he doesn't care, he genuinely doesn't care. His self-sacrifice might come from a place of wanting to feel needed, and that could be seen as selfish, but I don't think he actively thinks about it. He just acts. The reason why he's number 6 despite being one of the kindest characters is because he canonically has preferences and uses his own morals to decide what to do instead of valuing everyone's lives equally. Besides, his whole thing being creepy with women (even if it's just a running gag) makes him less likable. But this is post-ts Sanji's fault mostly.

7- Franky

He's a family man. He puts his family and the people he loves first. He has his priorities and follows his morals about masculinity and that's it. Great pal that cares deeply about his loved ones and would beat the shit out of somebody if that person were to hurt him/them/his ideals. The reason why he's number seven despite seemingly being so nice at first, is pretty much because of his background. The whole Franky family? Beating up Usopp? Stealing the money? He was into very dark stuff, man. Mafia type of shit. That doesn't mean he's a bad person but his morals are pretty questionable, and they basically follow the "Protect family, protect home, protect ideals, befriend cool people, beat up people I don't like". He's very... American. I mean. He is technically canonically American and it makes a lot of sense if you think about it. He befriends people quickly but he can despise them just as quick too. Once again repeating the whole "only looks out for the people he likes or for his morals/what he loves" but if he isn't interested in something he'll just... Don't do it. But, yeah, he might be pretty empathetic because he resonates with all the sad stories he hears and doesn't hesitate to save people, but as I said, it's not really an "I save people because all people deserve to be saved" and it's more of an "I like this person so I'm gonna save them" which is exactly what happened with Usopp back at Water 7/Enies Lobby. I must say he's also kind, helpful, and energetic and loves to spread fun around the ship to make people happy. Seeing the ones he loves full of joy makes him complete, and that comes only from love. But he doesn't spread that love the way the characters before him would, you know? The reason why he's here is both because of his past and his behavior toward helping others which is basically about turning them into friends right away (which, you know, is exactly what Luffy does too).

8- Nami

She's a bitch. In the best of ways. But she's still a bitch. I'm always the first one to say she's one of the kindest characters. Her heart is just so, so big and she treats people in need with so much love it's obvious she has motherly traits and just loves to take care of people. However, the girl is greedy. She's greedy. Selfish. A liar. A thief. A bitch. A flirt. A queen, basically. To me, she's the best of the best and she would go on top if we were talking about best characters, but here we are judging based on morality and... She's just that. A bitch. With a very warm heart that just freezes the second she gives no fucks about you. You know, she's not evil, she just uses people to her advantage because (especially back at the start. Arlong Park things) she isn't used to trusting people. She has really obvious trust issues and she pretty much only loves a few specific people in her life. She would do anything for them. And yet, even when she loves somebody, she's still a manipulative menace. Morally speaking she's fucked up because she looks only for herself and the ones she cares about, and when she needs to run to save her ass, she does it. She doesn't leave anybody behind if she knows it's gonna be THE end, but if the one who's with her is only gonna end up hurt and not dead (usually Usopp. RIP Usopp) she's running for her life. Also, she's shameless and uses the strength of the Monster Trio to her advantage and I absolutely love it. She's the brains, let the others protect her fr. She knows she can fight, she's just scared af of dying and I find her so real for that. She likes teasing people and wrapping them around her finger to get what she wants! She doesn't care about anybody except for her crew because why would she? They're pirates! And she only does it when it's either about kids (she has a huge, soft, warm spot for them) or somebody she grows fond of. So, she's a sweetheart and a very caring girl to the ones she loves (or she's the meanest too, as a sign of true tough love) but she gives in between -10 and 0 fucks about others and will steal from them, no hesitation needed. She breaks so many morality norms within society that she makes the perfect pirate. Honestly, it looks like she's the only one in the crew interested in the part of being a pirate that's about stealing and treasures. I love her so damn much...

9- Luffy

A lot of people are going to disagree with me on this one, but this is the one part of the ranking I'm 100% sure about. And it's not even hard to explain: Luffy is selfish. He's a very selfish pirate. But he's empathetic, kind, and really easy to befriend if you manage him to like you. He also sees the good in people. But he isn't altruistic. He only helps people he chooses to help because he either likes them or finds them interesting enough or perhaps he owes them one or whatever. He loves people in such a huge way that, if he likes you, he'll do anything for you. Anything. But he only helps people he considers his friends/acquaintances without wanting to be seen as the hero of the story because he's literally just helping a friend out. If he doesn't care about somebody, he will just ignore them. Or be straight-up mean to them. He has no filter and if he hates somebody, he does it explicitly and without any remorse about it. He might be extremely empathetic and sacrifice his well-being but only when it comes to the people he cares about. Otherwise, he'll just groan in pain and boredom. On the other hand, Luffy is also Chaotic Good (haha me too!), and he has his own morals. They consist of freedom and liberty. He will help to free a whole village. Or prisoners. Slaves. Even if they aren't his friends. But only because all of his ideals are about freedom and choosing how to live your own life. It just bothers him personally. And it's not even "I'm helping these people be freed because they deserve it" it's more of a "The concept of cutting somebody's wings makes me so fucking furious I'm gonna make this everybody's problem. I don't care what these people do after this adventure, but they should be able to have the freedom to choose". So, yeah, basically Luffy follows his ideals of "I do whatever the fuck I want" and "Don't hurt my friends. Don't go against freedom. Or I'll beat you up". He's very stubborn, too. Chaotic. He doesn't think about how his decisions will affect others. He's a very independent person when it comes to decision making but he's also very needy in the sense of needing people around him to feel safe because he is, after all, an extrovert who loves his friends/family to death. Luffy is selfish because he does whatever he wants, even if he's empathetic, kind, and understanding. Those concepts can coexist perfectly.

10- Zoro

I don't think I need to explain this much, honestly? He's very introverted and doesn't let people in easily, so he just doesn't care about people who aren't in his circle. He fights for his loved ones to death and holds the people he loves close to his heart, to the point of doing anything for them. But... But his morals are basically shit outside of that. He used to kill pirates for bounties without any hesitation. He still pretty much murders the people they fight against without any remorse. And, y'know, they're pirates so I'm not judging here. He's selfish in the sense of being a very protective person with his things and his personal space, and he can come off as rude to outsiders because, well, he is genuinely rude to them because he genuinely doesn't care about them. Unless he befriends somebody, strangers to him are just strangers and he couldn't give less of a fuck about them and their tragedies UNLESS they're going through something that goes against his own/or a nakama's morals. I personally think he's a sweetheart, but if we're following moral codes about the well-being of society as a whole and how much positive impact somebody does? He's, like, the last one to choose from the crew. He cares about Kuina, his swords, Luffy, and his Nakama. Perhaps he befriends somebody along the way but it always feels more like just respect and not really a friendship. Not saying Zoro is a bad person for his introverted personality and cynical behavior, I just think he's very intimate with his circle and will only do what he thinks necessary instead of focusing on selflessness and altruism as a society. He's pretty strict about the pirate code and he follows those rules solemnly, so he does have a type of morality, but he doesn't focus on society's well-being. He doesn't mind causing chaos if he gets what he wants. He's just chilling. Passing by. I honestly think Nami/Zoro is a great friendship because they're both little shameless bitches. TL;DR: Zoro loves crew only. Fuck other people. Might respect acquaintances. Strong pirate/swordsman moral code. But he isn't an altruistic/society/people person.

#i spent the whole day writing this lmfao #okay so there are some things i would've liked to write better and expand more and also word in a better way but i didn't have the time #it's a pretty messy post so i'm sorry i couldn't do something better!!!#i understand if you think differently btw this is just my honest opinion and i see why it could be very recherché #btw i didn't reread all of this so if there are any mistakes just ignore them #one piece #straw hat pirates #tony tony chopper #soul king brook #jinbe #nico robin #usopp #black leg sanji #franky #nami #monkey d. luffy #roronoa zoro

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bkatlips · 8 months

Text

Ranking and explaining my rankings of Mike Flanagan’s shows and how they make me feel in honor of spooky season and just finishing Usher!! Why not!! Everyone else is doing it!! I’m also going to give it a gay score based on how gay they are (which also includes how big of a role gay characters played).

Disclaimer: Every one of these shows is well-made in one way or another and deserves to be watched based on whether someone else finds the premise interesting and not whether I liked the show. Too often I see “that show was bad to me therefore you shouldn’t watch it” and I disagree with that line of thinking.

1. The Haunting of Bly Manor-I can already hear people screaming “Hill House is better!” In some ways, yes! In some very important ways, however, I disagree. The biggest being Bly Manor emotionally resonated with me a lot more. The themes, the found family (as someone who is an only child), and of course, the lesbianism. Dani’s story of compulsory heterosexuality may be one of if not the best in media and her love story with Jamie ended up being one of the best media has to offer, too. And really using a horror story and turning it into a love story is kind of brilliant (and annoying for the people who were just there for the jumpscares I guess). Don’t get me wrong the show has flaws (why the FUCK do Peter and Rebecca have so much screentime? was that eight episode really the best placement?) but the stuff that lands, really really lands. I’m still thinking about Dani and Jamie 3 years later. Hannah’s episode was very well done. The kid actors little Amelie and Ben were phenomenal. Upon rewatch you notice most decisions and dialogue in the show were made with some purpose and it usually relates to something thematic. Some people may say it doesn’t really have one defining central thesis therefore making it messy, but to me the fact it has many themes actually makes it more fun to think about. Gay score: 100000/10

2. The Haunting of Hill House-A horror classic that got me into Flanagan! This is Flanagan’s best series as far as making you pee your pants. That hat man is just scary! The character work is nice. Those first 6 episodes are incredible. Perfect. The thing that brings it under Bly Manor for me is honestly the ending. It left something to be desired for me. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is, but it just did not conclude in such an emotionally resonant way as Bly Manor to me. Shout out to the Newton Bros because the music on this damn show (and Bly too but that’s basically Hill House music continued) is so so good. Also the character work is masterful because Shirley Crain is kind of a bitch but you do come to love her. In fact, there wasn’t a Crain I didn’t feel for. They’re deeply fucked up, sympathetic people. It’s a great show with some great thematic work but it just doesn’t speak to me quite as much as Bly, that’s it. I know that’s unpopular but it is what it is. A great good show nonetheless. Gay score: 8/10

3. The Fall of the House of Usher-This show is wild and honestly I couldn’t decide between ranking this one or Midnight Club third. I went with this one because the acting and technical stuff was so phenomenal. I’m not really into gore horror so this wasn’t like my thing on the surface but I do appreciate what a homage to Poe it is in the very limited knowledge of Poe’s work that I have. It was fun to see all the cast from previous shows back again especially T’nia. One of the downsides to this show is it doesn’t really make you feel a lot and so compared to the Haunting shows for me that makes it inferior for sure. But it’s a fun watch and honestly I need to rewatch the final episode because I had a hard time paying attention for that one. Gay score: really fucking queer/10

4. The Midnight Club-Ah Flanagan’s little dud. This one is really not very loved compared to the others, seems to be just about nobody’s favorite, however personally I liked it. I think people are a little unfair to it and while it may not be Flanagan’s best, I don’t think it’s awful. It doesn’t really tackle anything new when it comes to themes. There’s some death, grief, stages of acceptance, and cult stuff. I think the way it has these kids telling stories to deal with their reality was really brilliant in a way. There was one episode (six I think) that dealt with depression and suicide that made me sob and I thought was super well done. That one stuck with me.I think it would have benefited from a more likeable main character and also from the second season that was planned! Gay score: 6/10

5. Midnight Mass-To be honest, I probably could have gone without watching this show. It just didn’t really resonate with me and didn’t really entertain me save like the very last two episodes. It’s technically well-made and I appreciate what Flanagan was trying to do and convey with the danger of cults and religion. It was obviously a very personal project and was him working through his own experiences but it wasn’t for me. It had a few too many monologues and I don’t think monologues make an interesting character piece. However, it’s a critically acclaimed work so I recommend anyone who wants to check out Flanagan’s work still check it out! Especially if you like weird vampire stuff I guess. Also the acting especially from the priest was phenomenal. So there’s definitely pros to this show, but it didn’t add anything to my life for me! Gay score: 3/10 :/

Also, shout out to Mike because every single one of these shows is queer to one degree or another. He loves the gays! Ally! Bisexual wife probably helps too!

#the haunting of bly manor #the haunting of hill house #mike flanagan #the midnight club #midnight mass #the fall of the house of usher #bly manor #hill house #thobm #jamie and dani

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half-an-hour-hence · 5 months

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One of my favourite headcanons is that Robin is actually quite attentive when it comes to details. He notices the little things that nobody else does. So when the Captain dies and tries to pull rank on Robin for the first time, he calls him out on it immediately. He points out that the medals are upside down, and that the other men weren’t talking about him with respect after he passed away as they dispersed from the house. Robin also claims all the men were carrying swagger sticks aside from one man - who left a few days after everyone else and looked rather distraught - and assumes that the Captain took the stick and the medals from him before he died (well, he can’t get everything right). So up until a certain point, Robin was the only one who knew that the Captain was faking his position. He never spoke up about it to the others, however, because the way the Captain reacted to his assumptions was the closest Robin had ever been to seeing him cry.

#might turn this into a fic at some point #bbc ghosts #bbc ghosts headcanon #the captain ghosts #the captain #robin ghosts #robin the caveman #ben willbond #larry rickard #six idiots #ghosts series 5 spoilers

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fantasyescapes17 · 1 year

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Wings (Part 4)

Your debut in society was as spectacular as one could be, but nobody had prepared you for what came afterward. When you find yourself overwhelmed during your very first season and unable to keep up with the rat race to secure yourself an eligible husband, a curious mentor appears- in the form of notorious flirt and self-proclaimed rake, Mr. Kim Mingyu.

Genre: Mingyu x Female!reader. Regency!AU. You are Jeonghan's sibling so your last name is Yoon but the reader has no other physical characteristics.

Warnings: Discussions of social anxiety, one f-bomb (yes shy Miss Yoon drops an f-bomb sue me) smoking (don't smoke kids, the characters in this story are from a time when they didn't know how bad it was for their health)

Word Count: 6.2k+

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 5

Series Masterlist [You WILL need to read Patience, the earlier installment in this series first in order to understand the character dynamics in this story. Reading Candle before this is also strongly recommended.]

Confessing to your sister-in-law that you were in love with Mr. Kim Mingyu somehow made your feelings for him seem more real than ever. It was as though saying the words aloud had allowed the true extent of your affection for him to finally come out of hiding.

The idea of confessing your love to him did not come without apprehension. But the clock was ticking and you had no other viable option. You were in danger of losing Mr. Kim in any case; if you were silent and married someone else, it would still be the end of your friendship as you knew it. Once married, it would be unseemly to maintain even a close friendship with a gentleman who was not your husband.

So you had no choice.

You had to show him your heart and hope for the best.

The opening of Mr. Kim’s art gallery was a spectacular event at which no expense had been spared. You entered the new building and immediately saw all the most elite members of the ton gathered in one place. The Viscount and Viscountess Hong and even the Duke and Duchess of Graham had turned up for Mr. Kim’s opening. You were impressed by Mr. Kim’s prowess in being able to gather all these high-ranking members of the ton for his grand opening.

Your mother insisted on accompanying you to the event. She was not very pleased with Mr. Kim (‘If he was seriously courting you, he should have proposed by now! What can he be waiting for?’ she often complained) but even her displeasure would not cause her to absent herself from one of the season’s most awaited events. She forced you to stay near her as you walked around to admire the displayed paintings and sculptures. Your mother's eyes, however, were on the people and not the paintings.

“If Mr. Kim is not going to propose, then I think you must focus your attention on Baron Wright instead,” your mother hissed in your ear as you tried to admire a large painting of a young woman. “The season is coming to an end. This is the ideal time for a proposal.”

You said nothing.

“Are you listening to me?”

“Yes, mother. Isn’t this portrait quite lovely? I love how the artist has captured the sheer quality of the lace on her gown,” you said. There was no arguing with your mother when it came to Baron Wright. You had no option but to try to turn her attention away from him.

“Yes, yes,” your mother mumbled, barely glancing at the painting. “Ah! I see Mrs. Patty! I must ask her whether she has seen Baron Wright of late, I am so worried that he shall leave London without saying a word to us…”

You were relieved when she hurried away, leaving you behind. You slipped through the crowd in search of Mr. Kim. He was not difficult to find. He was surrounded by a group of people who were congratulating him on the successful gallery opening. Of course. He was the star of tonight's event.

Mr. Kim stood tall, in a particularly dashing black suit that you had never seen him wear before. He was handsome; you were not noticing that for the first time but it was the first time you allowed yourself to fully acknowledge the warmth and happiness that exploded inside of you at the sight of his smile.

He looked up. His twinkling eyes met yours and his smile widened. You waited patiently until he excused himself from the conversation and strode towards you confidently.

"And what is little Miss Yoon doing here all alone?" Mr. Kim asked with a playful grin as he offered you his arm.

"I managed to slip away from my mother," you told him. You took his arm. "But never mind her. This gallery is beautiful. I never knew you had such taste for art, Mr. Kim."

Your compliments seemed to please him. He grinned down at you. "I told you I was a patron of the arts. This is nothing. My private collection at home is much more selective and exquisite."

"I should love to see it someday," you said lightly.

"And it would be my pleasure to show it to you," he answered smoothly. "There are a few pieces here tonight that I think you might enjoy. May I?"

"Lead the way."

You found nothing more enjoyable than allowing Mr. Kim to lead you around the room and show you his favourite artwork. Some of the paintings had stories behind them- others were simply visual masterpieces. You saw portraits of kings and paintings of forests and vast landscapes.

"This one is a particular favourite of mine," Mr. Kim said as he paused in front of a beautiful oil painting of a small grey bird inside a cage. The cage door was open; another brightly coloured bird with enormous feathers and large wings was hovering near the cage door as though coaxing the grey bird to come out.

You stared at it for a long moment.

"It's beautiful," you whispered.

"I think the colourful bird can't understand why the grey bird chooses to sit in the cage," Mr. Kim said thoughtfully.

"But his wing is broken."

"What?"

You stepped closer to the small painting and gestured towards the grey bird's wings. The wings were tucked close to the bird's body but upon closer inspection, one of them was angled differently from the other.

"I don't think the grey one can fly," you said quietly. "So for him, the cage is safe and not a trap."

Mr. Kim was silent for a long moment. "I hadn't noticed that," he admitted. "Clearly you are more observant than I am. I thought it was a lesson on spreading your wings and taking risks."

"Or perhaps it is a lesson on communication," you suggested.

"Or perhaps the artist simply drew a pair of birds and we are projecting our interpretations of deeper meaning onto them," he continued with a chuckle. "Well; there concludes our tour of the art gallery."

You frowned. "We have not seen that hallway yet."

Mr. Kim rubbed the back of his neck and suddenly looked rather sheepish. "Perhaps we had better not tour that one together."

"Why not?"

"It is not… appropriate."

"What could be inappropriate about some paintings?" you demanded. You turned towards the hallway before Mr. Kim could stop you and paused at the first painting. You realised your mistake immediately. This was an enormous nude portrait of a woman looking out of a window wearing a scrap of silk that covered none of her intimate parts.

"O-oh," you said quickly.

Mr. Kim cleared his throat behind you. "I told you it was inappropriate."

You took a deep breath. "I-I have seen paintings such as these before," you tried to say smoothly. You turned around to see that Mr. Kim was biting back a smile as he looked at you. "It is… it is merely art."

"Indeed," he said, the corners of his lips twitching as they upwards. "Art."

Your embarrassment was becoming more difficult to conceal. "The-the human form is a commonly chosen subject for artists, and of course among polite adults there is nothing to be ashamed of and-are you laughing at me?"

Mr. Kim could not control his laughter. He gently but firmly steered you away from the hallway of nude paintings, laughing all the while as you scolded him for ridiculing you.

"You are too innocent, Miss Yoon," Mr. Kim told you once he was able to stop laughing. "I will not allow your corruption to be on my conscience."

You frowned. "I am a lady."

"Yes, and I am a gentleman who will not encourage you to do things which are not ladylike," he replied.

"It is a bit late for that," you mumbled. You lowered your voice and leaned a little closer to him. "You have been so busy with the gallery that I have not seen you in over a week and I am simply dying for a smoke. Jeonghan keeps his cigars locked up in his study."

Mr. Kim's eyes twinkled as he looked down at you. "Is this what my position in your life has been reduced to? I thought perhaps we were friends but it appears I am little more than your cigar supplier."

"You can be both," you replied. "Do you have one or not?"

He lowered his voice. "Of course, I have one. Go back through that door- there are some storerooms there. I will join you in a few moments."

You followed his instructions and slipped through the door that Mr. Kim had pointed out. You trusted him implicitly; in all the clandestine smoking sessions that you had indulged in with Mr. Kim you had never gotten close to being caught by another soul.

But this evening was far more than your usual little smoke and chat.

This evening you would finally tell him you loved him.

The storeroom was a small dusty room filled with large easels and paintings that had white cloths thrown over them to protect them from the elements. You took a deep breath and tried to calm your nerves as you waited impatiently for Mr. Kim. The door opened a few moments later and he entered with a smile.

"I have your cigar," he said, holding it up. "We must be quick; I have guests waiting to speak to me outside so we only have time for one."

You glanced at the cigar in his hand. "What is that?"

"Your cigar, my lady."

"Don't you have any of the Cuban ones?"

Mr. Kim's mouth dropped open in mock offence. "The Cuban ones? What; do local cigars offend my lady's sensibilities? Does your delicate constitution only permit you to smoke imported cigars?"

"Yes," you replied with a smile. "Hand over the Cubans."

"I will not. I have spent enough money on your cigar habit already. I may have to start selling my paintings en masse if I am to continue to purchase foreign cigars for you at this rate."

"Hand over the Cubans, Mr. Kim."

"I do not have any."

You made a sudden and bold move- one that you did not pause to think through, or else you would never have dared to do it. You stepped closer to Mr. Kim so that you were right in front of him. He looked startled but did not move away. His warm, familiar scent enveloped you and you could hear his heavy breathing.

"What are you doing, Miss Yoon?" he asked quietly.

"Looking for Cubans."

You placed your hands on the lapels of his suit and slowly slid them down. Mr. Kim watched you silently as your fingers undid his coat buttons- first one, and then the other. Then you slid your hand into his coat and reached for his inner pocket.

Mr. Kim stared down at you. His eyes were dark and lidded as your hands delicately brushed his torso and felt for his inner jacket pocket. Your hand finally stilled; fingers brushing the cigars.

"Found them," you whispered. Your eyes snapped up to meet his. "You liar."

There was a brief moment of silence. Mr. Kim's eyes had an almost wild sort of hunger that you had never seen in them before. It sent a thrilling shiver down your spine. You were inches away from him. Nothing about this situation was appropriate- the two of you in this storeroom nor the cigars.

But this closeness… the look in his eyes…

This was beyond mere social inappropriateness. Your hand on Mr. Kim's chest and his heavy breathing as he stared down at you made one thing quite clear. The delicate line that you had been dancing around for months had just been crossed.

It was not a blatant violation. There was still a chance to step back. You could apologise for having toed the line and claim it was a mistake, that in your desperation to look for the cigars you had not thought about how it would appear-

Mr. Kim leaned down and kissed you.

You had been kissed before (there was that innocent little dalliance with the stableboy from many years ago) but you had never been kissed like this. His lips were hot as they covered yours and his hands were hot as one of them cupped your face and the other came around your waist to pull your body flush against his.

Every place he touched with his hands and lips set you on fire.

You gasped into his mouth; he did not waste the opportunity to slip his tongue past your lips and his fingers into your hair at the base of your neck.

You could not think. You could not breathe. You melted against him completely and allowed yourself to run your hands over his toned chest and shoulders while Mr. Kim continued to press warm kisses to your lips and jaw.

He pulled back for a moment, forehead pressed against yours and breathing heavily. Your breath mingled and the room was silent except for the sound of your combined heavy breathing.

"Mingyu," you whispered. "I-"

There was a loud noise outside the storeroom. You both froze. Mr. Kim swiftly pushed you so that you were hidden behind a large easel covered in a white sheet and out of sight of the door.

"I-it's probably just the gallery staff," he said anxiously. His dark eyes searched yours as he slowly released you and stepped back.

A sudden emptiness flooded you as you realised, he was leaving you.

"No, wait-"

"I will go out and send whoever it is away. Come out of the storeroom after at least two minutes," Mr. Kim said quickly before he swiftly exited the storeroom.

You stared after him in shock.

—-------------------------------------------------------

You could not sleep all night. Mr. Kim had avoided you for the rest of the gallery opening. Once your mother understood that Baron Wright was not in attendance, she had preferred to leave early, and you were forced to return home without a chance to speak to him again.

Would Mr. Kim propose? Perhaps it was too soon for that. But he would come speak to you to understand your feelings and explain his, you were sure of it. That kiss had not been for nothing. Mr. Kim would not have kissed you if he did not feel the same way about you.

You waited.

And waited.

Two days later, Jeonghan called you into his study while your mother was away from home. You felt anxious, not knowing what your brother wanted to discuss. Perhaps this was it, perhaps Mr. Kim had thought it was best to approach your brother before the proposal?

Jeonghan looked tired as he closed the study door behind you and turned to you with a sigh.

"Baron Wright has asked for permission to propose to you," Jeonghan said. He noticed the instant panic that flashed across your face and lifted a hand to calm you. "I have not answered him yet- do not worry. I told him that I would discuss it with you and let him know."

You shook your head frantically. "I-I don't want to marry Baron Wright."

"I expected so. It appears your mother has been strongly encouraging him to propose. Sister- I do not want to pressure you but you know that time is running out and your mother will lose her mind if you are not engaged by the season's end."

You sank down into a chair near Jeonghan's desk and took a deep breath. You suddenly felt as though the walls of the room were closing in on you. Clearly Mr. Kim had feelings for you, so why was he sitting around while other men proposed? What was he doing with all this time? His failure to propose to you was only making things more complicated and confusing.

"Has… nobody else asked?" you questioned Jeonghan finally.

Jeonghan raised an eyebrow and leaned against his desk. "Are you expecting someone else to ask?"

You flushed in embarrassment. "No, no, I mean…"

"Sister, you have to tell me."

You took another deep breath and tried to calm the racing thoughts in your head. You could not figure out your next steps and the only person you trusted to guide you or help you was not here.

"Have… have you spoken to Mr. Kim at all in the last few days?" you asked hesitantly.

Jeonghan's eyes widened. "No. Should I have?"

"No, no-"

"Sister. Should I speak to Mr. Kim?"

"No!" you said quickly. "Not at all. I… I need some time to think. I will come back soon."

Jeonghan did not seem convinced but allowed you to leave the study. You walked out into the foyer as you considered your options. You had to marry by the end of the season and the thought of Baron Wright becoming your husband made you recoil in disgust. You wanted Mingyu and if he would not come to you, then you would have to go to him.

It was evening; chances were high that Mr. Kim would be at either the assembly rooms or the gentleman's club. You could not gain entrance to the latter but if luck was in your favour, you might find him at the assembly rooms.

You called for the carriage and set off immediately.

The assembly rooms were crowded and you weaved through the people anxiously, hoping nobody would notice that you were without a chaperone and that you could find Mr. Kim quickly.

"Miss Yoon!"

You jumped- but the voice that called out to you was not one that you need have worried about. The Viscountess Hong was smiling at you from one of the card tables.

You greeted her anxiously. "Viscountess Hong."

"Would you like to join us for a game of cards? The stakes are not very high. We are only playing for fun," she said pleasantly.

"Oh-thank you… no, I am afraid I must decline, I am actually looking for someone…."

"Who?" she asked quietly.

You lowered your voice. "Mr. Kim."

The Viscountess stared at you for a brief moment. You felt suddenly ashamed under her curious gaze but she did not stare for long. She immediately turned to her husband and interrupted his conversation to ask. "Joshua- have you seen Mr. Kim this evening? I rather enjoy watching him lose to you at cards, it is very amusing."

The Viscount blinked at his wife. "Mr. Kim? No, he is not here. I believe he spends most of his time at the art gallery. I will ask him to join us one of these days."

The Viscountess gave you a meaningful look; you returned a silent smile of gratitude and left for the art gallery.

The front entrance of the building was closed and the door appeared to be locked. The gallery closed at 5pm and it was already well past that. Hesitantly, you knocked on the large door panels and were relieved when a member of the staff opened it and peered at you.

"I am terribly sorry, madam, the gallery is closed for the evening-"

"I was hoping to see Mr. Kim."

"Oh… yes, of course, please come in."

The staff member allowed you to enter the gallery and guided you towards a plush chair where you could sit while they disappeared into a back room to fetch Mr. Kim. Your heartbeat was thudding with anxiety. You had not prepared yourself for what to say to him, but usually speaking to Mr. Kim came so easily to you that preparation was rarely required…

Mr. Kim appeared a few moments later. His eyes widened when he saw you and he quickly dismissed the staff before walking towards you.

"Miss Yoon," he said quietly. "It is very risky for you to be seen here-"

You cut him off, urgently stepping closer. "I had to speak to you, it could not wait. Time is running out, Mingyu. I need to be engaged by the end of the season and my mother has already encouraged Baron Wright to propose. I will have to give him an answer soon. "

Mr. Kim looked torn. You paused to notice how different he looked; his usually neatly parted hair was tousled and his suit jacket wrinkled. His face was pale. There was a heavy scent that hung around him- the usual smell of cigars combined with the pungent smell of whisky.

"Have you been drinking?" you asked him suddenly.

He would not make eye contact with you. Something was wrong and you had a sudden awful, foreboding feeling wash over you as Mr. Kim sat down on one of the plush chairs and ran his fingers shakily through his hair.

"I'm sorry," he said, trembling. "I made a mistake."

Your heart sank.

"What?"

"I should not have kissed you that evening. I-I took advantage of the situation and crossed the boundaries of friendship and propriety. You are a lady and you did not deserve to be treated like that, I would understand if you hated me…"

"But I do not hate you," you whispered. "I love you."

He visibly flinched at your confession.

"You don't. You shouldn't."

"Why?" you demanded, confused.

"Because I do not deserve it. My intentions were impure from the moment I laid eyes on you. If I had truly wanted to help you find a husband, I would not have done half the things I did. I was playing a secret game- a game where the end result was you falling in love with me rather than finding you a husband."

You stared at him. The gallery was silent. You could hear nothing but the sound of your own heartbeat.

"That can't be true…" you said quietly. "You… you were the only gentleman who was not performing this entire bloody pantomime, who spoke to me so naturally and honestly without ulterior motives…"

Mr. Kim looked up at you. His eyes were bloodshot and the corner of his lips curved up in a humourless smile.

"That you still can't see it means that you are too innocent, too sweet, too trusting for your own good. I saw that- it was so deliciously tempting and I took advantage of it."

It did not make sense to you. Took advantage of what? No matter what he said, you did not feel taken advantage of. You had wanted to kiss him, you had wanted everything that he did and said to you. Not a single thing Mingyu had done had ever been unwelcome.

"I can't understand what you are saying," you whispered.

He ran his fingers through his hair again in frustration. "It was all calculated, Miss Yoon. Everything I did was calculated. Do you want a list of the techniques I used on you? I encouraged you to tell me about your deepest fears and used them to make you trust me. I stayed by your side constantly so that you would come to depend on me, and eventually my absence would feel hollow. I encouraged you to smoke cigars so that we would have a shared secret, something thrilling we shared that no other people could know of. Are these not the things that made you fall in love with me?"

"Y-yes, but…"

"Then I successfully manipulated you."

Your legs felt weak. Yes, yes, he was describing everything that had made you fall for Mingyu but why did he have to make them all sound so malicious? How could he take these feelings, these genuine feelings that you had for him and say that they were the result of some clever tactics he had used?

"You manipulated me into falling in love with you?" you demanded. "So… to be clear, you do not think that I am truly in love with you?"

Mr. Kim shook his head. "How could you be? I have only ever shown you the parts of me that I intended to show you. Do you even know what I am like when I am not with you?"

"Why should I care what you are like when you are not with me?" you asked, bewildered.

"You are naive to even ask that question."

Something inside of you broke at his harsh words. This was not the man you knew. A dark, ugly whirlpool of self-loathing and regret in your stomach suddenly emerged as you looked down at this man- this man that could stand here so calmly after you had exposed your most vulnerable thoughts to him and tell you that your love was merely the result of his manipulations and scheming.

You suddenly wanted to end this conversation.

"Fine," you whispered. "So, I am naive, foolish and I fell for some trap that you set to intentionally ruin my life- is that all? Is that what I am to understand from all this?"

"Yes," he croaked.

"Congratulations, Mr. Kim. If that is what you truly feel then I will leave you to celebrate your victory alone," you told him quietly.

You walked towards the exit of the gallery before Mr. Kim could see how your hands were trembling, how your throat had closed up and your chest felt so tight that you thought it might explode.

"I warned you that I was a rake," he said softly.

You paused, hand on the door, and turned to look at him. "Then tell me one more thing," you choked out. "Did you love me?"

He did not look at you.

"I don't know."

—--------------------------------------------------------

You felt numb as the carriage brought you back home. It was as though your mind and body had shut down completely due to their inability to process the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm you.

The carriage driver had to tap on the door thrice to inform you that you had arrived at the Yoon manor and needed to descend.

You entered the foyer and walked towards the stairs, barely noticing that there was a commotion coming from the adjoining drawing room. Loud voices were arguing; the door opened in front of you and you had no choice but to go in.

"There you are!" your mother cried furiously as she saw you. She grabbed your arm and pulled you into the drawing room further. You limply followed her, lacking the energy to resist. "Where have you been? How could you leave the house without saying a word to anybody?"

You opened your mouth to respond but she cut you off immediately.

"Never mind that! Look; look at what this boy has done now! Baron Wright has approached your brother for your hand in marriage and he will not grant his permission!"

Jeonghan had his fingers pressed to his temples, as he often did when conversing with your mother. "I am not refusing to grant anything, madam, I am only waiting for my sister to make up her mind."

"About what?" your mother screeched. "What is there to make up her mind about the man is a Baron and he wishes to marry my daughter! There is nothing to discuss! We have already angered him by making him wait so long-"

Jeonghan frowned. "If he cannot wait even a few days for a response to his proposal-"

"He is a Baron!"

You flinched. Your head was aching so badly that every word you mother yelled felt like a knife in your flesh. She continued to yell at your brother and finally something inside of you snapped.

You had had enough.

"Will you shut up?" you yelled. Your hands were shaking. "Can you all shut up for one bloody second, do you not see that I am suffocating? Are you so blinded by your selfishness and hatred that you cannot even ask me if I want to marry the Baron? I can't breathe, mother, but that does not matter to you! You would drag me lifeless to the altar if I happened to die before the wedding!"

Your mother looked as though you had slapped her.

"My dear, I-"

You wrenched her arm out of her grasp violently.

"Don't touch me. This has never been about me or my sister or Jeonghan. This has always been about you and your bloody selfishness. I will not marry the Baron. I am sick of being pushed about and doing things to make others happy and if you have a problem with that, mother, you can marry the fucking Baron yourself."

The room was silent. For a moment even you could not believe what you had done- your mother gaped at you wordlessly, and even Jeonghan was stunned into silence.

You turned and fled upstairs.

It was too much; the combined emotions of the evening had overwhelmed you. The tears were streaming down your face but somehow it was incredibly important that nobody saw them. You ran up to your bedchambers, sank down on the floor next to the bed, pulled your knees up to your chest and cried.

The sobs racked your body violently and it was almost a relief, because the physical pain of holding them in had been too difficult to bear.

You cried because the man you thought you loved was lost to you. Because somehow, you had failed everyone- your sister, Jeonghan, mother… you had failed them all. Everything had gone wrong and it was all your fault. The way Mingyu's bloodshot eyes had looked up at you, the things he had said- innocent, naive, trusting….

You felt disgusted with yourself.

He was right. You were stupid, naive and trusting. But despite all the misery you were going through, there was perhaps one very important, very crucial and painful lesson that Mingyu had, intentionally or not, taught you.

You would never trust again.

There was a knock on your door. Jeonghan's voice called out to you gently from the other side.

"Sister?" he said as the door creaked open. His tone was gentle. "Are you here?"

"Yes," you choked out.

"That was quite a scene you made with your mother," he said with a chuckle. "She hasn't spoken a word since you left. I thought her discovery of our sister's affair was bad, but I think you have broken her far beyond that."

You said nothing.

Jeonghan came around the side of the bed. He saw you curled up in the corner with your tear-stricken face. He sighed and kneeled beside you.

"Is there anyone I need to speak to?" he asked gently.

You shook your head. "No."

"What shall we do?"

"Let's please just go home."

—-----------------------------------------------

The words ‘innocent’, ‘naive’, and ‘trusting’ rang like bells in your head and you heard them in Mr. Kim’s voice in your waking dreams and nightmares. You heard them constantly, over and over, chanting in a rhythm that matched the hoofbeats of the horses that pulled your carriage away from London and back towards your countryside home.

They pierced you so deeply because they were true. You had been warned- every single person you met had told you that Mr. Kim was a notorious rake. Even your sister-in-law had brought him in to mentor you because he was the best at the game.

You had stumbled blindly into a game that you barely understood and tried to take on a man who had been the ace, the savant for years. What had you been thinking? You may as well have walked up to Mr. Kim Mingyu and handed him your heart on a silver platter.

No, you thought. There is no use crying over it now. Mr. Kim was right. You had been innocent, naive and trusting. And despite all the pain you were going through, there was one very important lesson that Mingyu had taught you. Like a fledgling bird pushed out of the nest too soon, you had landed on the ground but you were prepared for your next flight. You would not allow yourself to be pushed around and used and manipulated. You would not be taken under anyone’s wings.

You would find your own wings.

And you would start with the woman who had been suffocating you from the moment you were born- your mother.

Your sister was waiting at the front entrance of the manor as the carriage rolled up to your familiar countryside manor. She ran towards you- she had received letters from Jeonghan and heard everything that he knew, including that you had refused to marry Baron Wright. The anxiety on her face was evident.

“Oh my dear sister!”

She embraced you warmly; you took a deep breath and inhaled her familiar scent and hugged her, blinking back the tears in your eyes. You had missed her deeply. You pulled back and gave her a gentle, watery smile.

“Are you all right?” she asked you nervously.

You nodded. “I am excellent, sister. And I have wonderful news. We have to prepare for a wedding this winter.”

Her eyes widened. “But I thought… Jeonghan said you turned down Baron Wright…”

You shook your head.

“The wedding we are preparing for is yours.”

—------------------------------------------------------------------

Your mother gave up expressing her displeasure after it became clear to her that not a single person in the Yoon household, least of all her precious youngest daughter, cared two bits for what she thought. She walked around the house bemoaning her lot in life and how Jeonghan had turned both her daughters against her. You felt no sympathy. You were tired of living under your mother’s reign of fear and anxiety- indeed, she was partly to blame for your proclivity to anxiousness and nervous breakdowns.

You refused to allow your failure- no, your decision- not to marry to stop your sister from attaining her own happiness.

“Are you sure?” your sister asked you anxiously as the modiste fussed about her skirts and fitted her wedding gown. “Are you quite sure about this, sister? It will be very difficult for you when you go into London next season and the entire ton associates you with me.”

You shook your head. “I do not care.”

“But you do not understand how difficult it is to enter society when everyone is gossiping about…”

You gave her a firm look and she fell silent. Your sister knew you too well not to notice the change in you; you were not the same shy, innocent girl who she had sent away to London a few months ago. There was a mixture of sadness and understanding in her eyes as she nodded and turned her attention back to her wedding gown.

“We will need to tuck this part in here…” the modiste murmured.

You frowned. “Hurry. The wedding is in barely two days.”

“I can get it done in time.”

There was a knock on the door and one of the modiste’s assistants poked her head into the dressing room anxiously. “Mr. Choi is here, madam. He is waiting outside the shop.”

You stood up quickly before your sister could speak. “He cannot see my sister in her wedding gown. I will go speak to him.”

You hurried outside and saw Seungcheol standing anxiously near the entrance to the shop. His son- little Jiwoo with his father’s eyes and smile- was standing with him and he beamed when he saw you, waving his hands in greeting eagerly. You smiled back at the boy.

“Jiwoo! You have grown so tall!” you told him brightly.

Jiwoo blushed proudly.

Seungcheol smiled down at his son for a moment before turning to you. There was a certain anxiousness in his kind eyes. He had been anticipating this wedding for a long time, and it was evident that he was just as nervous, if not more, than your sister inside.

“Have you not heard that it is bad luck to see the bride in her wedding gown?” you scolded Seungcheol.

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I only wanted to be sure everything is going well.”

“Everything is going perfectly. I am taking care of things so you, Mr. Choi, can wait at your home,” you told him firmly. “Unless you are having second thoughts about the wedding. In which case I shall be obliged to inform you that I know where Jeonghan keeps his hunting rifles and I am not afraid to use them.”

He chuckled. “There will be no need for that.”

“Good.”

Seungcheol gave you a small smile. “Your sister has informed me that any mention of postponing the wedding until next season makes you incredibly angry so I will not suggest it to you. Instead-let me say thank you. Thank you for doing this for us.”

You shook your head. “No- I am sorry that you had to wait because of me.”

“That was not your fault.”

“Perhaps not,” you said quietly. “Perhaps I did not ask for it, but it was decided that way for my benefit. I have allowed other people to decide things for me for too long. It is time I chose what makes me happy and nothing would make me happier than seeing you marry my sister.”

Seungcheol reached out to clasp your hand in both of his. His words were warm and genuine. “You will always be welcome at our home.”

You bit your lip and smiled.

“Thank you.”

—----------------------------------------------

#seventeen scenarios #mingyu x reader #mingyu scenarios #seventeen fluff #seventeen fanfiction #seventeen x reader #mingyu angst #mingyu fluff #seventeen angst #regency!au #seventeen imagines #mingyu fanfiction

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shanastoryteller · 1 year

Note

Happy Holidays!! Could you write something for Fullmetal Alchemist please? If not then whatever you would like to continue works! Thanks in advance and I look forward to reading all of the prompts!!

a continuation of 1 2

There is a sea of irritated blonde cadets glaring at the guard in front of the gates, who for some reason seems nervous about them, as if he hasn't had to deal with arrogant new recruits who haven't even broken in their boots before. Havoc gives them all another once over, but their age means they really can't be anything else.

"If you don't get let us past, I'm going to get you demoted," the tallest blonde there says viciously. All of them look so alike that he almost things that they're related, all blonde and blue eyed and irritated.

That's. Quite a threat from some newbie nobody. Except the guard still looks nervous and isn't telling them to fuck off.

"Russel, please," sighs another, who on second glance is the only one of them without blue eyes. He's never seen anyone who had gold eyes before. "Brother should be here soon and he can sort this out."

"Sort what out?" scoffs the lone woman among them. The silver studs all up her ears aren't at all regulation and she's going to want to take them off before her commanding officer yanks them out. "As if our uniform shouldn't be enough to identify us-"

"Because we've never duplicated a uniform before," a boy who looks to be on the younger end of the group mutters.

"Shut up Khayal," they all chorus, except for the golden eyed man who just sighs.

"You should just take the exam so you have a stupid watch of your own to flash around," the woman complains.

The man rolls his golden eyes. "Why, so I can have the same rank I have now and can be mobilized without Brother's permission? He'd kill me. And then whoever was stupid enough to let me take the test."

A watch - same rank - is this guy saying he's a major? That can't be right. He tried to get a clear looks at any of their jackets, but their clustered together and mostly facing away from him.

"I have them!"

They all turn to see a mousy brown haired woman with thick glasses running towards them.

She stumbles as she makes it over and the shortest one steadies her. She flashes him a smile, "Thanks Fletcher," before shoving a bunch of papers at the guard. "Here, here are the authorization papers, although copies really should have been sent ahead of us-"

"What are you guys doing? I though you were going to get a head start on setting up the office."

Havoc was so focused on watching the unfolding drama that he hasn't noticed anyone approaching. He does a double take, not sure what he's seeing at first.

He has gold hair and eyes and a similar enough face structure that he has to related to the other golden eyed man. His hair is up in a long golden ponytail and there's a silver watch at his hip.

Havoc has a clear view of his jacket.

This kid is a colonel.

That means he can only be one person.

"I don't want to hear it, Ed," the woman says irritably. "Show the nice man your watch so we can actually get started. The first thing I'm going to do is call Central and tell them how much they fucked up."

"Nag, nag, nag Winry. If any of you bothered to carry identification, this wouldn't happen," Colonel Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist says, but dutifully takes the silver state alchemist's watch out of his pocket. The guard seems more relieved than any of them to wave them through.

"I said that I didn't want to hear it, Edward," Winry says sweetly in a way that has Russel and Fletcher hanging back several steps and Khayal grinning.

The sound of their bickering take a while to fade, which he thinks says more about their volume than their speed.

It turns our their new neighbors might not be as boring as they first thought.

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

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moonspirit · 10 days

Note

I think the discussion on Armin’s relationship with his mother brings up an interesting idea, especially in relation to your fic. Specifically concerning his relationship with Hange, you have been identifying, and rightly so Levi as the “father” of the Scouts. So I am wondering at the other end do you identify Hange as the “mother”

I would love to hear your ideas on her/their relationship with Armin. Was it a mentor/protegee relationship given their similar passions for knowledge and exploration, or did it become sort of a “Son I never had” for Hange and “Mother whom I never really had” for Armin

As always I would love to hear your insight and thoughts on this.

Hello anon! This is long, sorry TT^TT I got carried away.

Tbh I haven't explored Armin's relationship with Hange all that much in VBEOW, but yes, as you say, the intention is clear that he looked up to her and they spent quite a lot of time together; that's what I'm getting at.

I think much of the fandom appreciates Levi and Hange being the parent figures to the 104th, in that the newest members of the SC are all mere children, and it's Levi and Hange who guide and lead them. Of course we have Erwin, we don't see there necessarily being a "huge distance" of rank between him and the 104th (he's around and about), but he's not the one scolding the kids, breaking up the fights, or teaching them titan science and new technology. Among the vets, Levi and Hange are closest to the 104th (going forth we mean EMA+JSC) and their bond only grows thicker as the years pass, numbers fall, and uncertainty grows.

This is why I love thinking about Levi's relationship to the Alliance post-rumbling, especially in relation to the Paradis boys (Armin, Jean and Connie) because after all that time spent together, they know him, and he knows them. He protected them, took care of them, (probably woke them up with a kick to the balls too), told them to buck up and focus in as little words as possible - a father, through and through.

All of the same goes for Hange, only, she doesn't make it to see them as Ambassadors.

Now coming to Armin specifically.

Among all the Ambassadors, he's the only one that's an orphan. Everyone else has parents, or at least someone looking forward to receiving them at home. Not counting Mikasa, (who is his family, yes, but she's not an adult figure), he has nobody that'll give him a hug and say he's made them a proud parent. There is a comfort in being held by someone older and feeling like you're still a child; that you'll always be their child.

But it's not just now, is it? He hasn't had it since he enlisted in the military.

At that young age when people have friends and parents, loneliness is crippling. Eren and Mikasa being inseparable I think there would've been times Armin wandered the buildings and scoured the libraries all alone. His curiosity to learn is something we don't see anyone sharing with him on quite the same level or depth - sure, he's telling people interesting things from what he's read most recently and they're listening, fascinated, but how many of them are picking his brain and quenching his thirst for a good, long conversation with questions, answers, hypothesis and conclusions?

One. Hange.

Or so I imagine. Their combined curiosity would've known no bounds. He's assessing her hypotheses, she/they're answering his questions. He helps her/them in the lab, she/they gives him new what-ifs to ponder about. She teaches him about the weather. He writes her expedition reports in meticulous detail. We see Hange rambling to anyone that'll spent 5 seconds listening, but it's a special satisfaction when someone listens with keen interest and a desire to contribute their thoughts by an equal measure. For Hange, Armin is a great scout in that he naturally possesses the understanding, empathy and curiosity needed of a scout in the first place. He's also sweet and polite - I see her/them developing a bit of a soft spot for him.

But then things go to shit right? Once the walls break (again) and along with it goes trust (RBA), nothing is a certainty anymore. From this point onwards, the SC begins to get pared down in both numbers and trustworthy members - by the end of S3, the SC we see are those few left alive and survived through all the betrayal. The only constants that remain for Armin then, are his immediate close friends (EM+JSC), Levi, and Hange.

And Hange is admittedly, more vocally softer in her approach to the kids than Levi is.

It only gets worse though, through the timeskip, which is the most grueling of times imo, in the whole story. Hange as a commander is different - no longer does she/they have the time or peace of mind to be the careless mad scientist because the pressure on her to perform, lead, and find a near impossible solution is insane. I imagine Armin and Hange spend many an evening thinking about what to do about the impending annihilation. Some of those evenings, she/they would break down, head in her/their hands, and admit only to him, that the burden of living up to Erwin's legacy's crushing her back.

To everyone else, Hange must be brave. The world's falling apart, she can't look weak. In front of Armin though, she can afford to look scared. Just a bit. Because he'll understand.

And Armin would understand all too well, wouldn't he? They share the burden, after all. One has been appointed the Commander, and the other has replaced a Commander.

Above anyone else too, Hange would understand Armin's guilt. He's just a boy of nineteen, receiving hostile stares and accusations simply for living and breathing, and she/they feel sorry. It wasn't her/their decision, it was Levi's, but Hange's been watching this boy grow up from a scrawny thirteen year old to a young adult who should be feeling more confident in himself (with a shifter's power too!), but he doesn't. He cries, he hates, he wishes he wasn't alive.

What kind of parent wouldn't hurt from that?

To sum up, from the beginning to the moment Hange died burning in the sky, I believe Armin and she/they shared a very special relationship. It might have started out as a Superior/Junior thing, but over time it progressed into something more, something deeper, something closer to the heart.

A soft spot for one another like nobody else had.

#anon ask #WELP THAT WAS LONG #I'm sorry if the wall of text has scared you (or anyone else) off T^T #armin arlert #hange zoe #hanji zoe #snk #aot #shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #character analysis #meta #arminarlert #hange #levi ackerman #VBEOW

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onyourhyuck · 10 months

Text

Popular. | N.JM | PART 2

— Prologue: “Do you ever shut up, Jaemin?” + “Only if you kiss me, beautiful.”

— Summary: Revenge becomes love? Old faces become new faces? Where you enroll back to your old school where you got bullied, to get revenge on Na Jaemin but he cannot recognise you.

— Genre: Popularboy!najaemin x goodgirl!y/n. Revenge plot with romance and smut. Mention of bullying. Plot twists. Very sensitive subjects no minors. School sex(?) exhibition. Jaemin’s obsessed with y/n. Enemies to lovers (kinda)

— Notes: Popular — The Series Masterlist.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“I hate her already.” The young girl sitting with crossed legs down at the round table in the browsing cafeteria filling students one by one.

The boy next to her wasn’t paying much attention to his friend’s rambling instead he just turns to the girl string out a confusing. “What, who?”

The eyebrows on the girl’s face lowers down like a bridge falling down into the submerging ocean, she can’t help but feel more annoyed with her friend’s lack and loose attention span. She’s been literally complaining about a certain new girl and her friends wasn’t paying a single attention to her.

“Who do you think Chenle? Y/n. I hate her already. She’s the talk of the school already.” Her hands were thrown in the air as Ningning exclaims with a distasteful complaint about you again.

The two friends share a minimal eye contact before a certain boy sits down at their table with another taller boy joining behind him. It was their two friends. Jaemin sits down with a long sigh. “What are you two talking about?”

Chenle let’s out a small eye roll. “I have no idea still.” Ningning wants to yell at Chenle, how did he not know who you are still? You’re literally em everywhere. The students always love the new girls and boys. They don’t last a week though.

Jaemin smirks. “Well I’m showing Y/n around once I find her. What about you guys?”

Sungchan and Chenle shrug as they look back at their phones. “Probably nothing,” the two boys respond in unison.

Their friend glares at the name ‘y/n’ just boils her skin. Ningning frowns looking around the cafeteria and when the sight of you walking inside he cafeteria lining up at the vending machine just makes her completely crumble and confused. Why was she so against you? Usually Ningning would pay no attention to anyone else. Sure everyone is scared of her considering she was very popular and she can be very… mean to certain individuals. But you’re different.

There was something about you Ningning did not like. You’re not just someone. She can tell trouble from a single look; And you look like someone who’s been in the dark for far too long until you are literally a shadow itself who cannot be defeated. Unless it is you against yourself.

The four of them aren’t really friends per day anyways. But she didn’t like how Jaemin was going to be around you for the rest of the school day. It just makes Ningning think that wasn’t right considering you’re a nobody and Jaemin is someone on her level. You shouldn’t be jumping ranks. The hierarchy was everything for the students here but you’re not quite understanding the rules of this school. It’s called the Game Of Popularity for a reason. You don’t stand a chance. Ningning will make sure you won’t stand a chance against her or anyone else in the clique. They might not be friends; but they all have one thing in common.

Chenle is wealthy, he is popular because of one thing. Money. People love rich people and they gravitate to them.

Oh and his blog? Is just a big whole flex that makes other students who follow him jealous and envious of his rich longing life. Chenle was everyone’s ideal life. But you know deep down Chenle has more than just perfect life beneath all that filthy richness he shows off. Everyone has a weakness you’re aware of that. You know each of their strengths and weaknesses, they are the ones who ruined you. You promised yourself you’ll destroy them and their popularity.

The girl, Ningning was nicknamed the Queen Of Popularity for a reason. She knows how to manipulate and act nice until you have no use to her. You’re aware that Ningning will be a difficult one to destroy but you’re not scared of her anymore. Your revenge fuels every fear you had in your body to dissuade yourself.

And you need a plan, Ningning was the one who throws the coolest parties for everyone in the school which is why she is so popular. You need to somehow get invited to a party at hers if you want to gain self popularity so you could overtake her spotlight. Because her spotlight was everything to Ningning.

You’re kneeling down to the vending machine getting out small gum packets. You take one so you can chew on it for the rest of the day. But the minute you turn around to walk Jaemin was behind you super close as he’s watching you wondering what you got to eat.

The minute he saw the gum packets he frowns. “Y/n don’t tell me that’s your lunch?” He said tilting his head at you and one hand on his hip as if he was scolding you.

Your eyes darken as you put the gum packets in your sweater pockets. “I already ate.” You said quick wanting to end the conversation already with him. Jaemin wasn’t sure if what you said was true but he moves on quickly then and he gives a smile. “Alrighty then what did you eat?”

‘God he speaks so much’ you don’t remember Jaemin ever being this talkative before.

You mumble. “Toast.”

Jaemin didn’t seem to approve of that for lunch and it now sounds more like a breakfast toast than anything. He shakes his head. “You ate only breakfast? You can’t be skipping meals Y/n. Come on I’ll buy you a sandwich.” He said now trying to guide you to the cafeteria where the lunch ladies sold food. You sigh. “No just show me the school tour already.” You said making Jaemin stop on the tracks.

“Fine, so stubborn.” Jaemin said with a concerned look at you but you roll your eyes and start to move out of the cafeteria. You don’t need to eat anyways, you eat at home, and what more you don’t like to eat in front of anyone anymore.

You don’t want to show people you eat either in this hell hole of a school. You just want revenge and you’re here going to work for it.

The faster you work the better it’ll give you end results. You need to stay focused so as you’re walking now following Jaemin, the boy gives you a school tour of a place you already know.

It was silent mostly from your end but Jaemin is the one who’s talking all the time. He explains each place and you have to be quiet pretending seeming like you’re interested and don’t know the areas and other classes. The boy looks over seeing your eyes wander around the gymnasiums when he brought you over to the building that was separated from the rest of the school building where classes happen.

Whenever you have gym you’d go to the gymnasium but this place, this place brought you flashbacks to memories you wish to bury down and never remember. The amount of bullying that happens in this building makes your skin reek and crawl with goosebumps.

You close your eyes when you walk further in the gymnasium away from Jaemin, you pretend to be looking around the place but in reality you’re trying to calm your expression, as the memories were so strong. You find yourself feeling like you’re going through them again. The memories sometimes feel so real like you are reliving them in the present moment and it scares you.

Your mouth closed as you take a deep breath. The boy behind you calls out coming forward with his hands tucked in front pockets cooly. “Soo we good to move from this place?” Jaemin’s head tilts around and your eyes slant back to their blank expression as your face looks over at Jaemin walking away.

“Yeah.” You said quietly walking out of the building and Jaemin couldn’t help but shrug it off. You were kind of cold and distant in this area he felt.

“Y/n.” He said as the both of you leave the gymnasium you’re walking down to the school gardens in the sunny day while you have your arms a crossed a little, making the way back to the main building where everyone else was.

You don’t reply and Jaemin trails behind you. “Y/n what’s your favourite class hm?”

Your eyebrows raise up at the sudden question. “Uh… I guess maths.” You pause. You shouldn’t of said that. You answered it a bit too honestly there. You hope Jaemin doesn’t catch on quick but the boy looks at you surprised.

“Maths? Why do you like such a complex subject.” Jaemin laughs a bit he didn’t expect you to like maths. You clear your tone as you try to find an excuse, something a person that you’re not would say. You can’t be too honest with him, otherwise he might catch on and your popularity will be at stake. Popular kids don’t care for smart subjects, the complexity was left for the ‘nerds’ or rather the other students who don’t have a label and are left to be their minions.

You can’t help but get annoyed that he’s asking so many questions about you but you cannot figure out why? Maybe he just loves to speak to someone new. Or maybe he’s nosey. Too nosey for his own good. “Do you ever shut up, Jaemin?”

Jaemin heard your voice snap at him for once, he stops and gives a sheepish smirk that makes your eyes widen when he moves closer slowly, and slowly moves even closer. You take steps back with your black loafers you’re wearing as you check him up and down in worry when he’s coming even closer to you.

You’re an interesting person. Jaemin keeps finding new sides of you that makes him want to know you even more. You snapped at him, no one ever does that. You told him to shut up? That’s a new thing he hears from someone he just met.

Oh and that glare of yours. Jaemin finds some beauty behind those glaring eyes of yours.

“Only if you kiss me, beautiful.” He said in awe at you when you scrunch your paled expression at him because those words made your face go pale like you seen a ghost. No one has ever wanted to kiss you, or heck you never had a guy come to you so close wanting to know you more.

You had to remind yourself you’re here for revenge of course and that Jaemin is the epitome of evil and what he did to you was unforgivable. You keep reminding yourself of your self-pain.

Jaemin stops when you put a hand in front of his chest with a warning gaze and a fierce look on your beautiful face. He can’t help but find you so attractive. You’re pulling strings at him, and it’s like gravity was you. You were the oxygen he breathes and now you’re the skin he wears. “My leg is free to shut you up.” Jaemin laughs at your words. You are now threatening him to kick him? He was so amused, it must be the most hilarious comment he heard in a while.

But what you said couldn’t match up to Na Jaemin. The boy was so comfortable in his own abilities on charming you. “You don’t need to shut me up like that. I will get on my knees and kiss your feet if i have to.”

“That’s unhygienic, Jaemin.”

“Seriously? You’re worrying about hygiene right now?” He chuckles with that deep voice.

“I’ll do it.” He vows taking one step forward and lowers himself down.

You bring your legs back when Jaemin was going to kneel down and to seem like he was actually going to do it, Jaemin went insane you thought when you realise what he is doing.

“Stop — stop. Get back on your feet people are watching.”

Your voice was hushed in lowered when a few freshmen students were watching the most popular guy on his knees trying to hiss the new girl’s feet? It was definitely one way to get the whole school to speak about you now. God. You wonder what’s going in this boy’s head right now considering he’s so infatuated with you. And he’s been flirting non-stop. You find your own heart racing when Jaemin smirks getting back up.

The look of victory was on his face. “You should consider yourself lucky, Y/n. I don’t kneel for just any girl.”

The whispers of the people around watching the both of you was driving your brain into a frenzy blankness. People are now gossiping about the both of you and you feel your eyebrows squirm on your face in discomfort. But the boy in front of you was so unbothered he didn’t even acknowledge the other students. Some were even recording and he didn’t bother to feel something?

You feel like you’re the only one actually embarrassed here. I mean who wouldn’t be? You just had your feet nearly kissed by Na Jaemin on his knees.

He’s so dramatic, you thought.

Jaemin saw you turn around leaving heading somewhere inside. The boy was so proud of himself he looks around the other students with no thoughts and just follows you soon enough trying to locate you again.

You’re so fun to mess with, Jaemin can’t help but think your reacts are the most amusing especially when he knew, he knew you were embarrassed with no words to say.

The corridors were full of students lounging and Jaemin was around you, as if he was stuck to you for the entire day.

You feel like you’re being punished right now but it’s whatever, you just pray that he gets tired and bored. But when the sight of Ningning glaring over at you and Jaemin from the far end of the corridor she looks back at Chenle annoyed.

“Look at him. He’s basically obsessed with her.” She exclaims with a hand pointing at Jaemin and you. He’s looking at you, talking to you, and you’re speaking back facing him eye to eye. It annoys Ningning to see you both interacting so much.

The boy looking down at his phone then shows something that upsets the girl even more. The screen shows a video of Jaemin on the knees for you earlier outside. Not too while ago but it’s trending now with so many likes and views. Even the comments were going insane about this.

People are already thinking you and Jaemin have some chemistry.

Chenle whistles. “I mean… she’s pretty cute.”

She looks over at Chenle in disbelief. “Chenle there’s nothing cute about her. Look at her. I wonder who her doctor is…” Ningning said in wishful thinking as if she’s already planning to stop this.

He shrugs. “I dunno Ning. Why don’t you invite her to your party tonight?” It was a suggestion. Chenle has not a single thought or anything against about you but his friend was more or so aggravated by your entire existence.

Something wasn’t right here, the girl knew it.

Ningning is never inviting someone like you at her party. Never. It won’t ever happen. “No she would ruin the vibes and I hate people like her, they act so prude and all that. I don’t need her at my party.”

The boy next to her smirks. “No but she’s the talk of the school and I think you’d earn a few more followers on Instagram if you invite her.”

‘Oh…’ She hears the word followed and her eyes lift up at her friend with a wide smirk. Chenle was right. There was an opportunity for her to be taken by her and she can’t let her jealousy get the better of her right now.

“You’re right… I have no reason to worry. She can’t stand a chance against me anyways.” Ningning claims proudly as she looks at you and Jaemin before strutting forward and in front of them both it makes you stop in the tracks.

You raise an eyebrow at the girl. You haven’t spoken to her yet but she’s approaching you already? You feel slightly smug because right now you’re trying to stay calm.

You remember how she can be. Ningning is manipulative. You fell for her nice girl act once but you won’t fall for it again.

“Y/n right?” She puts on a small friendly smile with a hand extending out and you stare at the girl with a small smile pointing at you. You slowly take her hand shaking it. “Yeah, that’s me.” You said back blankly. You don’t want to be all Buddy Buddy with her. You don’t have the energy to be as fake as Ningning.

She’s a person you wish to destroy anyways. You cannot be friends with Ningning when she was going to dispose of you when you have no use for her.

Jaemin and you share a glance when you’re both approached by the queen of popularity herself. Ningning gives another fake look that screams friendliness but behind it was a large snake ready to swallow the both of you.

“Come to my party tonight Y/n. I think you’d like it. Jaemin you’ll be there right tonight?”

The boy looks with excitement at you for a moment as he wraps an arm around your shoulder pulling you closer with a wide smirk. Tell me why he was more happy than you right now?

“I’ll come if Y/n is coming.” He smirks facing you down with a gaze.

You scowl taking Jaemin’s arm off your shoulder. “Why aren’t you going if I’m not going?”

“You’re more fun.” He whispers with a wide smile at you that screams to you how delusional he is over you at this point and Ningning’s mouth drops.

“Jaemin you can’t be serious? You told me you’d go.” She said grossing herself out how fast Jaemin changes up, her arms crossed over her chest looking at the boy with glare and a pout.

He looks at Ningning with a shrug. “That was until i met Y/n. Now if she isn’t going I’m not either.”

She looks at you now pleadingly gaze. If Jaemin won’t attend her party then people will talk and lose quick interest at the party. He was the one who keeps things more entertaining. It’s the most popular guy at the school! He has to be there. It is a responsibility he took upon himself when he became this fame-obsessed freak too.

Jaemin smirks widely seeing your conflicting thoughts. You got your invitation but Jaemin is going and you found him hard to be with honestly. You can’t sneak around and find information if he’s following you by the tail like a dog would to their owner.

He smirks. “Well princess?”

You have a feeling Jaemin is tailing you around for a reason now, he’s more than just obsessed. You’re a mystery he wants to figure out right now. He needs the truth. Jaemin knows there’s something missing in the light.

You grit your teeth for a moment and look away from Jaemin to look back at the girl who was upset if you will say no and make Jaemin not go. It’s on you if he won’t be going. You can’t lose Ningning like this because if you say no and Jaemin won’t be going she’s going to be against you. You have to be clever and move like a shadow while destroying them one by one with your revenge plan.

“Fine.” You say.

The two of them give a smirk and Ningning was beyond relieved. She almost thought you were going to say no and she would have to write an Instagram story post about you how evil you are so people can start hating you. But she won’t need to do that anymore since you said yes to going to her party. That way she can use you.

But what she doesn’t know behind your intentions is that you’re in fact using them both. Jaemin and Ningning are your sheeps tied to you like puppets.

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@onyourhyuck please refer from translating copyrighting and plagiarising my work thank youu! Reblog this fic and follow me for more updates on my pinned. Check out Popular series masterlist!

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