#the day before it. you’ll have improved’ and i was like ‘yeah. all true’
Note
Hey you probably have a lot on your plate but I was wondering if you could do all the hashira with a gn mute! s/o who is kind, also a hashira, and only communicates with sign language or writing. If you don't want to do all of them you can just pick whoever you want. Thank you and have a wonderful day 😊
▸ ANSWERING. hello anon! thank you sm for sending a request ♡ i love this idea, it’s super cute & i hope you’ll enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing it 👉🏻👈🏻
▸ FANDOM. kimetsu no yaiba
▸ CHARACTERS. gyomei himejima, tengen uzui, sanemi shinazugawa, kyojuro rengoku, giyu tomioka, mitsuri kanroji, obanai iguro, muichiro tokito, shinobu kocho x gn!reader
▸ RATING. sfw
▸ WARNINGS. nothing i think? but i’m warning u there’s a chance some of them might be ooc?? also, i took a bit of inspo by nezuko’s behaviour for gyomei so yeah… not proofread btw & i’m sorry if some seems shorter than others but it’s my first time writing for like half of them lol
GYOMEI HIMEJIMA
since gyomei is blind, it was hard for you to approach him and get to know the stone hashira when you joined them
he spoke to you first, feeling that you were a kind soul and didn’t wanted you to feel alone or sum
you usually communicate with gyomei by “writing” on his hands
at first he was confused and couldn’t understand everything, but he’s improved a lot!
you prefer to listen to him talking, by the way
and to make sure gyomei knows that you’re listening to him you let a bunch of grunts escape your lips
what pushed gyomei towards you was that mysterious aura and he was glad that you didn’t gave up on getting closer to him only because he was blind
he loved spending time with you
and it helped developing a deep connection between you two
so you found yourself falling for this soft giant <3
TENGEN UZUI
oh man,
tengen was so intrigued by you
he wanted to get closer to you and know you better
you weren’t exactly ignoring him, you simply kept some distance because you thought you might be boring for him, due to his flashy personality
tengen noticed you communicating with the others using sign language and he wanted to surprise you, so he asked shinobu [yes, i hc her knowing sign language very well] to teach him
the next time you met him, tengen greeted you by using sign language and it actually surprised you
you smiled at him and greeted him back
he knew you weren’t deaf but he wanted you to feel more included, if that makes sense
“sign language is very flamboyant, y’all should learn and use it all the time.”
your boyfriend loves reminding the others that you’re the most flamboyant hashira because of that 🫶🏻
and also because you two are together
SANEMI SHINAZUGAWA
sanemi at first thought you were so timid that you couldn’t speak in front of the others
but then noticed that you spoke with the others with sign language
you were intimidated by him, so you timidly waved at him before the meetings with ubuyashiki-sama and then “ignored” him
he wondered why, since you acted friendly with the other hashiras
he then decided to confront you about it
“hey,” he called for you after a meeting. you stopped in your track and looked at him, confused. sanemi stared at you for a few moments before speaking again. “if you have a problem with me, then tell me! or fight me, if you prefer.” you looked confused but shook your head.
i don’t have a problem with you, shinazugawa-san.
he found it a bit hard to understand all the words but once he got it, sanemi replied harshly. “then why don’t you speak to me?” you were taken aback by that and you looked down, a bit embarrassed. i’m not sure you would like my company and maybe you can’t stand that i’m mute.
“what kind of bullshit is that?!” sanemi shouted, surprising you. “we can spend more time together… if you’d like,” he lowered his voice, blushing a little.
sanemi started feeling calmer around you and learned sign language more efficiently, so he could understand you better
it took him a lot to figure out his true feelings towards you and he decided to tell you that he wanted something more than a simple friendship
using sign language, of course
he was blushing a lot and you found it cute
sanemi was so happy you reciprocated his feelings
me when he’s so– 🥹
KYOJURO RENGOKU
kyojuro was one of the most friendly since the beginning
even tho at first he couldn’t understand sign language he wanted to learn everything about it
it helped kyojuro getting closer to you and he grew very fond of you
you appreciated spending time with the flame hashira
he invited the younger slayers to learn sign language too
if you two were alone, kyojuro tried to use only sign language to communicate with you
“you’re so smart, y/n!”
he truly thought very highly of you
kyojuro, like sanemi, asked you to get together using sign language, but not because he was too shy
he’s the sweetest !!!!!!
GIYU TOMIOKA
giyu was quick to learn sign language
he enjoyed your company and even if you couldn’t speak, giyu could see very clearly that you liked being around him too
just from your eyes !!
he’s quiet most of the time, so you find yourself “speaking” more than him
but he’s more open when it’s just the two of you
you would go on missions with him sometimes
“i’m glad you were assigned to this mission too.”
translation: i’m happy we can spend more time together… that way, the others won’t interrupt us.
just to clarify things, it turned out that you were the one to propose to go beyond a simple friendship
MITSURI KANROJI
mitsuri loved watching you communicating
really, she got easily distracted by that
she learned sign language from shinobu
“they’re so cute!”
would randomly compliment you and you simply stand there a bit embarrassed
she did that using sign language too!
invited you to eat and drink something almost everyday
i think she treasures quality time so the more you two do something together the more she grows fond of you
i like to think you two casually ended up together
actions spoke louder than words i guess
OBANAI IGURO
couldn’t believe you were unable to speak at first
stared at you suspiciously most of the time ngl
but then he understood and started learning seriously sign language, so he would communicate with you using it
you found him intimidating as fuck in the beginning, so you tried to keep the conversation short
but once you got to know him better your feelings changed completely
obanai was always there to keep you company
but wouldn’t invade your space
compliments you using sign language bc he’s too shy to say those things out loud
and you noticed that before he finally asked you out he used to have red cheeks almost all the time
he’s a softy tho <3
MUICHIRO TOKITO
he was so zoned out that he didn’t realised you communicated with sign language
no seriously, it took him a lot
you were curious about him so you approached him first
muichiro secretly enjoyed having you around from that moment
he asked you personally to help him learning sign language and he did pretty good, learning fast
was surprised to discover you were a hashira too
and asked you to train together a few times
muichiro was slow at figuring out his feelings but that wasn’t a problem, you thought he simply enjoyed your company
when you two hold hands you sometimes “write” letters on his skin using your thumb and he’s always capable to get every word
SHINOBU KOCHO
was the only one who was already familiar with sign language
but that didn’t mean that you couldn’t help her improve
that was what drew you closer actually
kindly reminded every single person in the demon slayer corps to learn and practice sign language
[this is her having a crush on you and not knowing how to act, bye]
stargazing with shinobu almost every night was your thing
and there she finally decided to make things clear
you liked her too but were too timid to act on it
shinobu loved taking care of you
she also complimented you in sign language
and you reminded her to smile because she’s beautiful
▸ BEFORE LEAVING. reblog and comments are super appreciated. thank you so much for reading! should i write something similar for the kamaboko squad too <3
#📂 — writing !!#gyomei himejima x reader#tengen uzui x reader#sanemi shinazugawa x reader#kyojuro rengoku x reader#giyu tomioka x reader#mitsuri kanroji x reader#obanai iguro x reader#muichiro tokito x reader#shinobu kocho x reader#kimetsu no yaiba#kimetsu no yaiba fanfic#demon slayer#demon slayer fanfic
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next // previous
august 25, 2021
8:00 p.m.
the black pearl
[grant] well, i know it doesn’t fix the existential angst and you shouldn’t ever feel like it needs to go away instantly, but i guarantee you will be a good dad.
[grant] any kids you have will feel loved. they’ll be set up for the future no matter how everyone’s lives play out. i know you’ll do your best, and i know soobin will, too. you guys have worked so hard to have such a long and healthy and sincere relationship.
[grant] and the fact that you’re worried about any of this means you’re going to do a good job. shitty parents and shitty partners don’t ask if what they’re doing or about to do is wrong.
[grant] everyone is going to make mistakes sometimes but it’s about getting most of it right, and i believe you will. soobin doesn’t hold it over your head that for a while, your fear made you a little controlling. you improved and she forgave you. you’re smart, you’ll adapt, and most of all, you should know you’re loyal. at the end of the day, a parent who puts their kids first and never turns their back on them is the best parent in the world in my eyes.
[grant] mistakes can be forgiven if you put your kids first and treat them like a human being who matters.
[henry] thank you. i appreciate it. that means a lot coming from you.
[grant] and i understand your main fear in the first place. i've thought about it many times. i never worried about myself dying but others dying. elizabeth, uh...yeah. those big family losses seriously will ruin you forever in one way or another. the way you lost your father only makes it worse. it does strip away any feeling of invincibility you have.
[henry] you can say that again.
[henry] i'm glad someone understands.
[grant] you can never really know, i guess, what’s going to happen to you or to anyone you know, and it’s not helpful to say it’ll be fine because we all know crazy and terrible things happen. it's unfortunately mathematically true. but trust me, i'll kill you if you die!
[henry] you’ll kill me if i die? haha.
[henry] thanks for making me laugh, too.
[grant] yep. i will re-kill your ghost.
[henry] i'll kill you if you die.
[grant] thank you, buddy! you’re a real one.
[henry] dude, ugh, i googled life insurance policies a month ago. ew, adulthood.
[grant] life insurance is a good thing to have, though.
[henry] it is, it is. even if my hypothetical kids just buy a fucking pool with the money.
[grant] i mean, if it benefits them, right?
[henry] let me add a note to the policy saying you can either get an in-ground pool put in or free college tuition–one or the other.
[grant] does that include getting a sick ass waterfall feature installed on the pool or no?
[henry] by the way–
[henry] disclaimer that this is just an idea, not concrete at all, but soobin and i briefly mentioned moving back to korea as a way to make sure our kids have a good life.
[grant] wow, really? it is worth thinking about! it is rational. most of your family is here and all of soobin’s family does live here, and you do have to consider what’s best for you and your family, current and future. before i did move back home, when i was with you know who, i thought about this, too, if we ever had kids that maybe we could or should move back to michigan so they'd have my whole family around.
[grant] and just so it’s on the record, you have my full support in any decision here.
[grant] are you interested in moving back?
[henry] i don’t know. i haven’t lived here since i was five years old. i've only visited, and then came back for one year to do the military service because i was wary of giving up my citizenship. but i almost did because truly, i did not want to go into the army. that shit sucked.
[grant] what does soobin think?
[henry] well, it was her idea. i'm very whatever about wherever i live. i feel no strong pull one way or another at the moment. but it’s different for her.
[henry] she lived here much longer than me. she cares much more and has a preference. i mean, she spent pretty much her entire life here except since college and during the school semesters between sixth and twelfth grades because her parents sent her to a fancy private school there.
[henry] i will say, soobin’s main point isn’t wrong, and it's the one you brought up. most of our family is here. it’s like you and michigan. that’s where your folks are. and that support is invaluable when you have kids, both for their social development and for financial reasons. plus, my mom actually wants to move back. she never talks about it, but i know she does.
[grant] i get that, too.
[henry] like i said, she’s just never been the same since my dad died. which i don't fault her for. she does her best to be happy, you know, but i think she feels very alone, even more now that i don’t live on the upper peninsula anymore. she was with him forever. they were soulmates. and her life drastically changed after he died.
[henry] this has been the first time she's had a job since, god, the 1980s. she loves being an art teacher for school kids, but that's a huge change in addition to the sudden loneliness.
[henry] and on the loneliness side, she has your family and they've been close for a long time.
[grant] she was literally over at my aunt bridie's house the other day making shampoo with her.
[henry] yeah, so she sees them pretty often and she also has her book club and some other friends, but she knows way more people here. seoul's where all her family and friends are.
[henry] i want my mom to be happy, you know? it’s my job as her son, and i'm the only child she ever had. she doesn’t need me to look after her every day, not really, but i want to and she deserves that. and truth be told, a part of me believes that if she comes back, i would feel not very good about being away from her.
[henry] i think that if i encourage her to come back or talk to her about it and she does go through with it, that would sway me more to soobin’s side. again, i want my mom to be happy, and i'm also scared of losing her. it doesn’t matter if it’s sudden or slow. i don’t want to lose her, and especially not if i feel like i've spent my whole adult life away from her, not prioritizing what time is left with her.
[henry] not to be morbid, but she’s almost 60. at some point you do ask yourself how much longer you have left with your older family members around. life is unfortunately very short.
[grant] of course. that’s totally understandable. she's a great mother, and you wouldn't want to miss out on that. and i'm sure you don’t want your kids to not have their grandma present in their lives.
[henry] but then i have to start over with my job and maybe i lose contact with my friends if i leave. i do have friends here–sorry, they weren’t able to come hang out this time, maybe next time–but my real two best friends are in michigan. it’s you and ben. i don't let anyone else get that close to me except for soobin because to me, my best friend slots are full. i don't want anyone else. no one else is worth it.
[henry] and i always said you’d be my kids’ godfather. i don’t want them to miss out on knowing you the way they should.
[grant] there’s facetime! and i'd come visit. and i'm so goddamn annoying, i will be texting you about everything i think about in the world for the rest of our lives. you're not going to lose me.
[henry] i try my best to believe i won't lose you.
[grant] also, don’t stress out too much about this yet. you do not have to make any of these decisions now, and when you do need to, the right answers will come to you.
[grant] and listen, one last thing and then i'll shut up. i don’t know how, i don’t know why–i don’t think there is an answer to this–but the people we lose are still with us, even if only in spirit. i am famously a skeptic, but i felt something this year that changed my mind. i know you miss your dad but he’s still with you. somehow he’ll see your kids grow up, and he’ll be there guiding you to make the right decisions.
[grant] your dad loved you, like, beyond what words can express. he loved your mom just as much. he would never willingly leave you. if there's something after this mortal existence, he's still with you.
[grant] oh, and we should probably eat this pizza before it's frigid.
[henry] fuck, i forgot about it. thanks for reminding me. yeah, let's demolish this pizza, and then i'll take you to that cool arcade i told you about. we'll make up for the awful arcade experience at your cousin's bachelor party.
#ts4#the sims 4#sims 4#sims 4 story#sims 4 storytelling#simblr#hlcn: everything the stars promised#PARALLELS I LOVE PARELLELS *stares at the aoife subplot that we started in the last batch update*#also not me writing in the fact that this is a deco pizza and i can't show them eating it#well maybe with poses but y'all know i hate posing sims no really just posing them in the chairs without accessories was enough#also just bc the scene was a long time ago...#when grant says something changed his mind he's talking about his sister's birthday and visiting her grave - that scene#holocene.png#holocene.docx#hlcn: grant#hlcn: henry
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request for a fic
shane x (male) farmer
them cuddling and kissing, please.
maybe touch starved shane, very emotional moment.
i love him
he needs love
thank you
YES OFC WE LOVE SHANEY WANEY
male reader, cuddles 4 shane
not proofread, not long lol
no big TWs, just some MH struggles
Some days are good. That’s a fact of life. Some days you wake up and everything goes according to plan and you end the day feeling satisfied.
This was not one of those days. Not for Shane, at least.
He had started the day with a strong inclination to do absolutely fuck all, but the farmer had insisted on him rising from bed with a cheery, ‘how do you know the day will be bad when it’s not even started?’
Shane usually trusted the farmer’s judgement, and so he decided to do as he said and get his sleepy ass out of bed.
Unfortunately, life is not as kind as the farmer thinks it to be. Some days simply aren’t good.
While the farmer left the house in order to make a living, Shane remained there, feeling frozen in place.
The TV proved as nothing better than background noise; he couldn’t concentrate on his games; he felt pathetic, to put it quite simply.
The farmer was out there working on his farm, and Shane was indoors feeling weak, for absolutely no reason.
Immense waves of guilt seemed to attack Shane; he truly didn’t understand what he had done to deserve such a sweet life - living in the farmhouse with his incredible husband just didn’t feel like something he was worthy of. After all, it was because of the farmer he ever found an exit to his problems - and now it felt as if he didn’t deserve to have them fixed.
That’s how he spent his day. Feeling shame for not being more useful, then feeling shame for not doing anything about it. The toxic cycle continued until the front door opened and in walked the farmer.
“Hey!” he called cheerfully, taking a seat next to him on the couch with a deep sigh.
“Hey, babe.” Shane replied. “Did you have a good day?”
“Yeah. I’m glad the weather’s cooling down now. It’s so much easier to work without the sun beating down on you.” he gave a soft laugh, before noticing Shane’s sad expression. “Oh, are you okay?”
Shane gave an uncertain nod. “Yeah.”
“Come on, now, don’t lie to me. You can tell me if something’s wrong.”
Shane sighed softly, not meeting the farmer’s eye. “I don’t know. I guess… I guess I just feel kinda useless.”
The farmer’s expression softened. “Shane… why?”
His eyes still refused to meet the farmer’s. He frowned softly. “You do so much work for the two of us. And I’m just kinda… here.”
“Hey, that’s not true.” The farmer responded, taking Shane’s hand. “You’re my husband. You do more than enough for me. You know why?”
Shane finally looked at him. “Why?”
“You actively try to improve. You pulled yourself out of depression. You were drinking everyday and look at you now! You’re sober, you’re here. And I love you so much.” The farmer’s arms went around him and he planted a gentle kiss on his forehead. “And I’m so proud of you. You’ll have bad days, that’s just a part of life. But you’ll survive them. And that’s enough for me.”
A soft smile broke on Shane’s face as he leant into the cuddle. “I… thank you. You… you always know what to say.”
The farmer gave a knowing smile, his lips meeting Shane’s for a moment. “You’re doing a great job. Don’t ever doubt it. And if you do, I’ll sort you out.”
Shane gave a soft laugh. “Thank you.”
“There’s that smile.” he responded, rubbing his back gently. “Now, come on. We have a long night of cuddling ahead of us.”
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you wouldn't be the first renegade (to need somebody)
The lie eats at Ariana for days. She knows she’s wrong, that she should be honest with Jett and the rest of the team but she can’t bring herself to do it.
Not with Grace breathing down her back, watching her every move.
- Ariana struggles with ending her friendship with Grace, and her feelings for Jett.
taglist: @happinessismagicc @aliferousdreamer @zackmartin @catboykacchan @andi-mec
The lie eats at Ariana for days. She knows she’s wrong, that she should be honest with Jett and the rest of the team but she can’t bring herself to do it.
Not with Grace breathing down her back, watching her every move.
I just want to be part of the team, she thinks to herself before remembering that she’s the reason she isn’t.
It hurts, knowing this. She wants to be able to get frings with Jett, and to hang out with Adele and Olive and to watch movies with A-Troupe, but Grace won’t let her.
And the harder she tries to pull away, the tighter Grace’s grip gets.
“You can’t leave me,” Grace tells her, “or you’ll be like everyone else.”
Logically, Ariana knows it’s not true, that their friendship isn’t healthy, that it isn’t real anymore.
But she sees Grace’s pale blue eyes tear up and all the courage she’s built to stand up for herself disappears - like Presley.
It’s after her fifth and failed attempt at giving up her friendship with Grace that Ariana finds herself in Studio A, dancing through her feelings.
The pop song playing in her airpods keeps out any thoughts as she twirls and flips around the room, pulling random improv from her head. Her anxiety is alight, like a live-wire flowing through her.
She ends in a calypso leap, her chest heaving when she hears footsteps. She looks up, the blood rushing to her head as her eyes meet Jett’s. She takes out her headphones as Jett speaks.
“Hi.” Jett says, and Ariana gulps for air as she starts to calm down. Jett doesn’t look like herself with her hair down.
Her hair frames her face in loose curls rather than her usual tight french braids. She’s in a green satiny dress with halter straps, and wow Ariana knew she was muscular but holy shit.
Jett looks different almost, prettier. Not that she wasn’t already pretty.
“Hi.” Ariana says breathlessly, tucking her hair behind her ears. “Your uh, your hair is down?” She asks and Jett reaches for a loose lock, as if she had forgotten it wasn’t up.
“Oh yeah. I have my cousin’s debut - her 18th birthday party tonight. My mom’s getting off from work early to pick me up so I can go to Chesa’s to get ready.”
Ariana nods shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “You look nice. All fancy.”
Jett laughs, “Better hope my titas agree.”
Ariana laughs as well. They don’t speak for a moment before Jett walks over to her. “You okay?”
For a moment Ariana forgets that she had been frustrated before, just soaking in Jett’s energy.
“Yeah. I mean no,” Ariana says, her cheeks heating up under Jett’s scrutinizing gaze, “it’s hard to leave friendships. When they aren’t healthy y’know?”
Jett hums, wiping her hands on her skirt. “Yeah. I do. But I think you’re making the right choice. You deserve people who care about you.”
The like me, is unsaid, but Ari hears it all the same. Jett steps closer, and Ariana freezes, her heart pounding. The shorter girl takes her hand, squeezing it three times.
“You’re a good person Ari, and you’re my best friend. I love you y’know that right?”
Ariana nods. “I love you too.” Their eyes meet for a second before Jett’s phone dings, and she looks down at it. “My mom’s outside. I’ll see you on Monday!”
She squeezes Ariana’s hand one last time before running off, and Ari watches as her hair flows behind her as she leaves studio A.
She knows she has to do it. She has to tell Jett the truth, and soon.
Or she’ll be royally screwed.
#ariana the next step#ariana tns#jett the next step#jett tns#ariett#jetiana#the next step#tns#the next step fic#tns fic#*mine#*mine: fic#my writing#can’t believe i’m writing tns fic in 2024#happy lesbian visibility week
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Out of Mind - Chapter 4 (Joel x Reader)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3
Summary: You settle into life with Joel and Tess and try to win their trust.
Warnings/tags for this chapter: [18+, minors DNI], mentions of sex, no actual sex though, not yet, kinda bratty reader.
You'd seen the way Joel looked at you that first night as he'd dabbed at your wounds. He looked like he'd wanted to kill someone and you didn't think it was you.
You
The days are hard, harder than they ever were on your own. but they're also better.
It's been weeks and they're still not allowing you to go on runs with them, but in that time Tess drills you all day every day in basic fight techniques. By evening you're covered in bruises, your muscles ache, you're dripping with sweat and grinning from ear to ear.
"Don't know what you look so happy about. You haven't even made me break a sweat." It's true. Humiliating, but true. Despite being about twice your age Tess could still pin you in minutes, but that was progress. She used to be able to pin you in seconds.
"Don't get too comfortable, maybe I'm lulling you into a false sense of security."
"Yeah? Then maybe you'll be able to beat me before I drop dead of boredom."
"If I do, will you finally let me go on runs with you?"
"Maybe, but you'll probably be fuckin a hundred by then."
That's how you two communicate. Jabbing at each other with words as well as fists - endless amounts of sarcasm even when her body is pinning yours to the floor, especially then. You don't want to admit it to Tess, but that's what's making you smile: the fact that you have a rapport with her. You can almost call her a friend. Just her of course. Joel still doesn't like you, he makes that clear everyday. He barely speaks to you, and when you speak to him, he only grunts or offers monosyllabic responses.
He has shown no interest in helping with your training, except once when you thought you'd pinned Tess until she wrestled her knee between your legs and thrown you off her. You'd been working yourself into a huff until you heard:
"Almost had her." Joel had been leaning against the door frame looking faintly amused. It shouldn't have meant much, if anything, but it felt like some small acknowledgement of your improvement. He was gone before you could think of something smart to say back. That was the trouble with Joel. The more determined he was to close himself off, the more determined you were to claw your way in.
You plagued him with endless questions, tried ribbing on him to see if it'd work the same way it did with Tess. It did not. When that didn't work you started teasing him. It didn't make him like you any better but it at least got him to acknowledge you. And he was just so easy to rile up.
It started by accident. You'd both tried to enter the kitchen at the same time and wound up squeezed against each other in a door frame. You'd noticed Joel's eyes glance down at you then very quickly away again. With a mixture of exasperation and spite, you'd whispered,
"You didn't seem to mind looking when we first met." His eyes had flashed.
"I wouldn't bring that up if I were you, especially not in front of Tess."
"Don't look at me that way then."
"I'll try to control myself."
It was the most he'd said to you in days. The next time he'd caught you stepping out of the shower.
"You better not have used up all the hot water."
"Feel free to jump in with me next time," you'd retorted with a grin. Joel's face had turned a remarkable shade of crimson then he'd disappeared into the bathroom.
From then on it was an endless series of grins, winks and raised eyebrows whenever the poor guy happened to look your way. It did nothing to improve your relationship but you felt a strange victory in how you could make him squirm.
---
"Sit tight, we're gonna be gone a few days."
"Where?"
"Going on a supply run - no, you're not coming with us" Tess cuts in before you have a chance to ask.
"Y'know, I could've sworn the whole reason you took me in was so I could help you with situations like these. Or did you just pick me up so you could have something pretty to look at?" Tess snorts but Joel just rolls his eyes.
"You come with us when we decide you're ready. Right now you'd be more of a hindrance than a help."
"Ugh. I should've just stuck it out on my own. At least then I could actually do something."
"Then maybe we should've let Robert gut you" Joel spits, stalking past you and out the door.
"He didn't mean that. He's just mad cos he doesn't like the people we're going to see."
"I know." You really did know. You'd seen the way Joel looked at you that first night as he'd dabbed at your wounds. He looked like he'd wanted to kill someone and you didn't think it was you. He may not like you but he didn't want you to die. Progress I guess?
"Shouldn't be gone for more than four days. Keep your head down and stay out of trouble, ya hear?"
"I hear." Tess gives you one last sympathetic smile before following Joel out the door.
Keep your head down and stay out of trouble. Well if all goes to plan, there shouldn't be any trouble.
---
You sit at the kitchen table all day waiting for them. Your ass is completely numb by the time they finally make an appearance but its worth it. It's all set up exactly as you imagined it.
"Hey Skye" Tess calls as they trudge through the door. "Did ya miss-" she stops short as she takes in the scene in the kitchen. You kicked back, cocky little grin spread across your face, and spread across the table: enough contraband to open a small shop.
"How did you..."
"Just a few things I picked up in town. Please, help yourself." Tess just gapes at you.
"I thought I told you to keep your head down."
"I did. No one spotted me."
"You think no one spotted you."
"I can tell when people notice me."
"And how did that work out with us?" Your lips quirk.
"That was a fluke. I was careful this time." Tess looks like she's trying to stay angry.
"So... this is all stuff you picked up off the street?"
"Yup."
"Liar." Joel stalks forward and picks up a particularly high end brand of cigarettes. "These you can only get from inside FEDRA barracks." The colour drains from Tess' face
"Skye. Tell me you didn't." A stony silence hangs in the air. "For fuck's sake how could you be so stupid?"
"Hey, I was in and out in no time. Used to do it all the time before." If Joel was angry before, his fury now is a thing to behold.
"Did it ever occur to you while you were showing off that if you were caught you could be traced back to us?"
"Please, FEDRA officers aren't meant to have these in their bunks so who're they gonna go crying to? Besides, I took those the night you left, if they were gonna come looking they would've come already." If Tess's jaw dropped even more, a bird could nest in her mouth.
"Seriously? The first night we were gone? Do our orders mean anything to you?"
"I've been following your orders to the letter for weeks now but frankly, your orders are dumb. I've done stuff like this before and I was good at it. If I just waited for you to decide when I'm ready I'd live the rest of my life a glorified house pet."
"Oh if you think you are ever, ever going on runs with us after the shit you just pulled..."
"Wait! I saved the best for last." You reach down and pull out a packet of condoms, chucking them to Joel who still manages to catch them despite looking like he's just seen an infected stand up on the table and do the can-can. "I knew you'd run out a month ago cos I could finally get some fucking sleep. You're welcome."
They both just stare at you and for a second you worry you've made a horrible mistake. But then you hear a snort. It's Tess, she's laughing.
"It's not funny!" But Joel looks like he's supressing laughter too. And once Tess is gone, so is he. Holy shit, you made Joel laugh.
"This," he holds up the box as menacingly as you can hold a box of condoms, "does not mean we're ok with what you did. We're still very, very angry" he wheezes, trying to put his serious face back on.
"Eh, what the hell Joel, let's take her out for a spin, see how she does."
"You can't be serious. She can't follow basic orders."
"Yes I can! If you take me with you I'll be good as gold I swear."
"We'll just take her to Bill and Frank's. We're due a visit there anyways. We know the route like the back of our hands, we hardly have any trouble there, and we if we can't trust those two, who can we trust? Besides, you know Frank would fucking adore her."
"Yes please take me to Bill and Frank! I love Bill and Frank, can't wait to meet them." Joel gives you one last withering stare, heaves an exasperated sigh, and gives in.
"Fine." He turns to you. "But if you pull anymore crap like this..."
"I know Joel, I know."
---
Guess you’re gonna be meeting Bill and Frank soon, huzzah! Thank you so much to everyone who’s shown their support by liking and reblogging, it means the world to know this is actually getting read. If you have any feedback, feel free to let me know in the comments and make sure to follow me so you know when I update.
#the last of us#the last of us hbo#hbo the last of us#joel miller#joel miller x reader#joel miller x female reader#joel miller x female oc#joel miller smut
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was talking about it with @cafedanslanuit but we’re obsessed with the idea that mitsuya would make his girlfriend’s wedding dress TAT
the idea started off as a joke
mitsuya lost in a train of thought as he works on his latest project. what he’s making for dinner, touman, what you two should do on your next date and then weddings fills his mind
luna and mana are in their ‘say yes to the dress japan’ phase and it’s all they’ve been watching and he balks at the prices of every dress because there’s no way he or his mom could afford something like that for even one of his sisters let alone both of them
but when he was grimacing about it, his sisters gleefully said that they would just go to him when they get married and have their favoritist bestest big brother in the world make their dream dresses and then proceeded to make their specific demands as to what they wanted their dresses to look like (the little brats he snorts to himself)
the same thought of expensive dresses apply to you though. if you ever got married, he doubts you’d have the budget for it unless the both of you are just high balling it once you’re adults. so he chuckles, mid-stitch and thinks “guess i’ll just have to make her dress too”
but then a few minutes go by and mitsuya pauses, thinking to himself more seriously “if we ever get married, i want to be the one who makes her dress”
and it was a project he began years before actually proposing to you
the process of designing your wedding dress was a serious affair from day one. there’s no ‘draw up a few sketches and going ‘that’s it, that’s the one’. mitsuya is meticulous
he starts asking about your favorite style of formal wear under the guise of saying it’s for the sewing club’s catalogue or some competition. confused you ask ‘i thought you hated awards and competitions’ and he responds ‘well yasuda and the others want to improve the club’s prestige so it’s easier for the new president to gather members once we third years graduate’ and yeah that sounds believable to you
so he asks throughout the months and years: what’s your opinion on the mermaid style, princess, something more elegant? florals?? beading???
he even asks emma and hina to take note of any dresses you found particularly stunning in those wedding shows you all liked to watch from time to time
he’s worked on the design of your wedding dress for years and one personal requirement mitsuya has for himself is that the design of your dress must be finalized before he proposes
once you’re engaged and you’ve picked a season you want to be married in, he orders materials best suited for it so you’ll be more comfortable the day of the wedding
he even says ‘you don’t have to do a white dress either, i’ll make it any color you want okay? just tell me’
his face is so soft one day while he works on it in his studio
he worked so hard on the design process but now he’s actually here, actually making it
you said ‘yes’ to his proposal and now he’s making your dress and he’s going to see you wear what he lovingly made for you and you alone. saying he’s happy isn’t enough, it’s nowhere close to how he feels
gets emotional during the fitting making the last adjustments because he’s not a kid with a pipe dream and sketchbook hoping you’ll marry each other anymore, now he’s a man crafting your wedding attire because you’re marrying each other
(once he’s in control of himself again and finishes the adjustments, you sweetly suggest practicing your vows since it’s just the two of you in his studio)
(both of you count that as the true wedding. just you and mitsuya and the dress he made for you)
#headcanons#thoughts with allie#allie was the one who said he would get emotional during the final fittings and she is RIGHT#tokyo revengers x reader#tokrev x reader#mitsuya x reader#mitsuya takashi x reader#fluff#mitsuya fluff#mitsuya supremacy honestly#making this for myself for comfort reasons#his only red flag is that you can't find any red flags#you're talking to your friends like 'y'all he is so perfect i-'
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21. If you wrote a “missing scene” in Blood Sanation what would it be?
29. What songs would be (or are) on a playlist for Come Pull My Strings in general? Explain your choices if you want!
Bonus if you want/have time: 50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about!
I'm going to disappoint the hell out of you and admit that I can't hear lyrics 90% of the time, so it's hard for to me to pick songs to relate to fic. I have severe audio processing issues, it takes me like twenty repetitions of a song to even realize the singer is saying words most of the time. And even then I don't understand correctly lol
To make up for that! I have a missing scene from Blood Sanation that I'll give you right now. It's Armand and Daniel returning home to NYC. It just didn't fit in the narrative so I cut it, but it's not a bad scene I think:
Armand rested heavy against Daniel’s shoulder, eyes on the screen embedded in the back of the seat in front of them. Daniel kept scrolling through the movies again and again in wonder. Beside them passengers pushed their way toward the back of the place, bags thudding into their overhead compartments. The flight attendant reached over Armand and slammed shut the compartment above them.
“The seats suck compare to the flights we used to take, but the little tvs are an improvement I guess,” Daniel said as he pushed a button on the menu and found the games.
“Have you not been on a plane since I last saw you?”
Daniel shrugged. “Yeah but I wasn’t really in the mood to play games. I think I stared out the window the whole time.” He put his arm around Armand’s shoulders and squeezed. “I didn’t have you there to hassle me and keep me entertained.”
Armand smiled. Funny how they could make light of that time now, if only to keep from dulling their mood.
Flying home commercial had been his idea.
Skipping the private jet and going to the airport like normal travelers had only seemed natural after reliving the early days of their relationship. True, the airplanes were different now. The seats even in first class were more narrow, and the lounges upstairs were gone. But now Armand could curl up against Daniel’s side freely and not worry about what anyone thought. He could nap against his chest the whole way home if he wanted.
“I’m kind of nervous about going back, to tell you the truth,” Daniel said suddenly.
The plane pulled back from the jetway. It shuddered as the pilot took it out of reverse, changed gears, and turned toward the runway for takeoff.
“What about?” Armand asked.
Surprising for Daniel to say this now, when he hadn’t seemed to worry the entire trip. Armand sat up, craned his neck awkwardly to look at his face without removing Daniel’s arm from his shoulders.
“It’ll just be different, not having you all to myself,” Daniel said. “And I’m not against you having your own relationships outside of what you have with me. But I can’t say I’m not nervous about how it’ll all work out.”
“I don’t think either of us can say how it’ll work out,” Armand said slowly. “We can only try our best. Especially if you’ll be living outside of Trinity Gate.”
“Right.”
The plane rumbled as the engines turned, gaining speed. It rolled forward slowly and then, with a great leap that jerked them back into their seats, roared down the runway and into the sky. Daniel always used to sweat at this part. He’d drink a glass of whiskey before boarding and then request another the moment they’d sat down to get him through the anxiety of take off. As an immortal all Armand could offer him was his hand.
Outside the window the lights of the city grew smaller and smaller. Daniel closed his eyes and laced their fingers, holding his hand tight.
“But just think, the nights I come to visit you we’ll be all alone together. I can get in bed with and sleep away the day, and when I go back home you can text me as much as you like,” Armand said to distract him. “I can send you all sorts of things now when we’re apart.”
Armand shifted closer. He leaned across the armrest to whisper into Daniel’s ear above the roar of the plane.
“I can send you photos. Videos. Louis loves to go to the symphony. I could slip away to the bathroom and send you all sorts of things and he would hardly be the wiser. Or would you like him to know?”
Daniel’s adam’s apple worked in his throat. Armand grinned.
“You want him to know. You like nice, proper Louis knowing that I’ve left my seat to send you photos of my cock.”
Daniel glanced over. “Jesus, Armand, we’re in public.”
“That’s never stopped you before. I remember what I used to do to you under the blankets on these planes when the lights were out. If I could still get in your mind I’d put the image there but- then again, I don’t have to, do I? You can imagine it quite well.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I remember,” Daniel said, voice low and rough.
While no one seemed to be paying attention Armand dropped his hand. Reached over and gave his groin a quick squeeze.
Daniel made a sound as if the breath had been punched out of him. The plane evened out and hit cruising altitude.
“Nice to know I still have such an effect on you,” Armand said and snuggled back up against his side. “Really though, Daniel, Louis will understand.”
Daniel dragged his hand over his face. He was so red under the harsh fluorescent lights in the plane. “I just don’t want anyone jealous or putting you in the middle and making you feel like you have to choose. Or making you feel like your whole job is running back and forth between guys and you never get time for yourself.”
“But I like spending time with each of you. And we can all spend time together, can’t we? Surely you and Louis can survive watching a movie in the same room with me.”
“Yeah, I mean more like- if you spend a couple nights with him and I’m missing you. Or the other way around. Does that sound silly and insecure?” Daniel asked.
Armand nestled into the warm space of Daniel’s underarm and bit back a smile. When Daniel glanced out the window he saw the reflection of his face in the plastic. His hand went still on his shoulder.
“What’s so funny? It is silly and insecure, isn’t it?” he asked.
Armand shook his head. “No. I was only thinking I haven’t had men openly jealous over me since I was a boy. The idea of you and Louis arguing over me is entertaining, that’s all,” he said. “It’ll be fine, really. If you need me all you ever have to do is ask. And besides, Louis may return to Auvergne with Lestat.”
Daniel’s hand resumed rubbing its slow circles into his arm. Armand closed his eyes. They were high enough in the sky there were no lights to look at now, only clouds and endless dark sky.
“And are you worried about that?” Daniel asked.
“Of course. But there’s nothing I can do about it, is there?”
The idea made his chest go tight, caused the lump to try to creep up and constrict his throat. But Daniel’s big hand on his arm helped to push it back down. Over the hum of the engines he could hear the slow beat of his heart and the rasp of his lungs. Armand tried to breathe with him, to exhale whenever Daniel did and keep his airway open.
Louis might leave. But Louis might also stay. Louis and Daniel might one day live with him, all three of them together with whoever else chose to remain at Trinity Gate.
Or perhaps he’d live with Daniel again, just the two of them. There was no way to know. But they were going home now, back to New York, where they could begin again and find out.
Daniel touched the computer screen again. He scrolled through the movies until he found a film with Meg Ryan, one they’d seen together shortly before they’d split. When Harry Met Sally. He felt for his headphones in his pocket and plugged them in, giving one of the earbuds to Armand.
Armand placed the thing in his ear, curled up at Daniel’s side and watched the opening credits roll.
“Daniel?”
“Yeah?”
Armand smirked. “Do you think if I ask the flight attendant for a blanket she’ll bring one?”
Daniel rolled his eyes. Reached up and pressed the call button. It lit up with a soft ding.
“I’m never flying commercial with you again.”
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CROSS FIRE: Strength and Strength Ch 6
Kuro: Good grief. Yer really a devil in disguise, aren’t ya?
Scenario Writer: Kino Seitarou (with Akira)
Season: Summer
Characters: Kiryu Kuro, Mikejima Madara, Nagumo Tetora, Sazanami Jun, Otogari Adonis
Proofed by: @ryuseipuka, Skyress
<Three days later, at a Mixed Martial Arts gym in the vicinity of ES.>
Tetora: 98, 99, 100… …!
There, I’m all done!
Kuro: You’ve been workin’ real hard, Tetsu. Here, dry yer sweat off with this towel.
Tetora: YAYYY~! It really fires me up to receive a towel from Taisho’s hand!
Kuro: Haha! It ain’t somethin’ worth gettin’ that hyped up for, is it?
If you end up catchin’ a cold during the Shuffle Project, you won’t be able to show yer face to the Little Miss and the other members of the team.
Also, are you sure yer gonna be alright? The trainin’ experience’s about to begin, and you’ve gone and completed a workout right before it even starts.
If the trainer assigned to us from CROSS FIRE turns out to be a really strict one, yer gonna end up bein’ too exhausted to move.
Tetora: Ahaha! I’ll ignite my enthusiasm to push me above and beyond my limits, so I’ll be fine!
I’m aiming to become the ‘Strongest Man’ after all, so doing this much is well within my ability, at least. ♪
Kuro: Is that so? That’s good to hear but still, today’s the day BUTOUKAI officially reports fer duty. Don’t go knocking yerself out just coz’ the gym staff said we could have the run of the place before it starts.
Tetora: Yes, of course!
…Oh~! It looks like the others have arrived!
Jun: How are y’all doing~?
Adonis: … … Oh, the both of you are already here.
Kuro: Yep, Sazanami, Otogari. The both of ya came together, huh?
Jun: Yep. Did the both of you arrange to come together too?
Kuro: Yeah. Tetsu seems to have a fire lit under his tail fer some reason. He’s the one who got me to arrive early fer some warm-up exercises together.
Tetora: I haven’t been able to settle down ever since I heard about this Mixed Martial Arts job, you know? That's why I invited Taisho to join me ♪
Jun: Oh, I see. Then, why didn't you invite us along too?
You're so heartless, Nagumo-kun. Aren’t we muscle training buddies after all~? ♪
Adonis: That's right. I'll be keeping my schedule free for this Shuffle Project, so you needn’t hesitate to invite me to join you.
Tetora: OHHHH! Se-Senpai—!
Thank you so much! I knew it! Our BUTOUKAI is definitely gonna be the best Shuffle Unit EVER!
Madara: Fufufu. I reeeally wonder about that~!
Tetora: EH~?
Madara: Fufun~! It’s wayyy too early to judge! The job hasn’t even begun yet, so declaring ourselves to be the best Shuffle Unit is a tad premature, isn't it?
Also, being too friendly with each other might mean that you’ll be unable to point out each other’s flaws and areas to improve on. Teamwork and friendship are two very different things after all!
Tetora: No, no! Th-that won’t happen! The bond we share as fellow muscle trainers will never turn out to be something as shallow as that!
Kuro: Mikejima’s right, yanno. I get that this Shuffle Unit’s somethin’ fun an’ all, but y’can’t let yer high spirits get ya carried away.
The showbiz industry’s a ruthless one. If you go around takin’ it lightly, it’ll take ya down with a punch to the eye.
Adonis: That’s true. Hakaze-senpai said something similar when he was recounting his experiences with his own Shuffle Project:—
A hastily assembled Unit may find it difficult to carry out basic unit activities as easily as they’re used to.
I don’t believe that Mikejima-senpai is expressing doubt in our ability to work as a team. I think he’s just telling us not to let our guard down.
Madara: Yup. That was my intention, of course. However—
Kuro-san, you don’t appear keen on fighting in the upcoming practice match at aaall. It looks like you still haven’t gotten what this is all about yet, huh~?
Our BUTOUKAI is a unit made up of members all striving towards becoming “The Strongest Man”. It would reeeallly be troubling if one of ours turned out to be so gutless after all!
Kuro: It’s not like I’m lackin’ guts or anythin’. Did ya come all this way to start a fight?
We’re just havin’ a simple practice experience today. There ain’t a lick of sense fer me to be goin’ at somethin’ like this with my fighting spirit at full blast now.
Madara: Haha~! I’m reeeally surprised you aren’t trying to prove me otherwise. How disappointing!
… … Oh my? Were you here all along, Anzu-san? Please stop speaking in such a dangerous way—you say?
Haha! That would be a reeeally nasty thing to do, you knowww!
We might be going up against each other in a practice match, but we’re still more or less members of the same unit, riiight?
In times of trouble, we must rely on our comrades so as to successfully carry out the work that Anzu-san has laid out for us. … … Don’t you think so too~, Kuro-san?
Kuro: Seriously? Of all the barefaced cheek. You know damn well you were tryin’ to start a scene with everythin’ you said just now.
Good grief. Yer really a devil in disguise, aren’t ya?
Tetsu, you need to keep yer guard up around this guy, or you’ll end up gettin’ played by him as well, y’hear?
Tetora: O…Ossu!
Jun: Hey, you guys. Sorry to interrupt, but we need to get ourselves in line now.
The trainer’s already here. It isn’t very nice to keep standing around making idle talk, right~?
Kuro: Yer right. My bad, Sazanami.
Alright. We’ll be in yer care, Trainer.
We’ve heard CROSS FIRE’s a Mixed Martial Art with rough rules and few prohibitions, so—
Please teach us strictly while yer at it, so that none of us’ll get hurt.
—————-To be continued——————-
Chapter 5 / Chapter 7
#ensemble stars#enstars tl#kiryu kuro#mikejima madara#nagumo tetora#sazanami jun#otogari adonis#akatsuki#MaM#Undead#ryuseitai#eden
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Ways to Be Less Insecure About Your Writing When It Feels Unoriginal or Inadequate :)))
I’m bored, I’m tired, and I just updated my playlist. So you know what time it is. Time for me to rant about insecurity and writing!!! Yay. Let’s go.
Second-guessing your plot? Feel like your story is unoriginal? Think your prose sucks and sounds ugly? Constantly compare yourself to other writers that you love? Your characters not feeling quite as cool as other characters created by other, super talented writers?
Sound familiar?
I wish I could make everyone like their writing, but obviously I can’t do that. Feeling badly about writing is not pleasant. I personally get really stressed when I feel insecure about my creative arts. And that sucks. A lot. Makes me really miserable if I’m being honest. In addition, my creative juices suffer and I don’t let the ideas flow nearly as smoothly since they’re “not good enough.”
Embrace that it’s your writing.
Accept that your writing is yours. You’ll never write exactly like your idol because you write like you. That’s what makes it special and why readers love specific authors. When a writer truly embraces their style and preferred stories, that’s when things really kick into gear.
Why would you want to change the best thing about your writing? Embrace the things that make it special and the things that make it you. And roll with it.
Accept that sometimes it’ll suck, and you’ll need to edit.
If I said that all of your writing sessions are going to be fruitful and result in glorious prose with perfect character exchanges on the first try just because you’ve embraced your own writing style and preferred tropes...I would be lying.
Sometimes, the words won’t come nicely. You won’t end up with the best chapter ever on your first, second, or even third go. You can always edit.
Sometimes you just need to get the words down, no matter how ugly it might feel. You can’t edit words that don’t exist.
"The practice is not the means to the output; the practice is the output, because the practice is all we can control.” - Seth Godin.
Bam.
Whenever you write, it’s not just practice for some bigger eventual goal, to write like X or to one day write a story as great as Y. What you can write now is all you have control of, and you can just sit there happy in the knowledge that if you’re trying, you’re doing the best you can.
You’ll improve over time. Just keep going and enjoy the now.
Do fun stuff for a positivity boost.
Like mood boards or playlists. Doodle characters. Make up headcanons for your characters (that can become canon if you want ehehe, it’s your story).
Do some fun, less stressful and less work-heavy stuff if you just want to reignite some passion for your project or take a more fun-oriented approach to the whole writing gig.
It might be just what you need to feel a little more content with your writing, you never know.
Don’t compare yourself to other writers.
Yeah, yeah, heard this one before. But it’s true, okay?
And it loops directly back around to the whole “embrace your own style.”
You’re you. They’re them. Simple as that.
If you want to write in a similar style to another author, or you want to write a book that’s kind of like your favorite, go ahead. In fact, please do if that’s what you want to write. Write what makes you happy, but not because you feel like you need to be like X.
Don’t get worried that your characters and plot aren’t original.
The basic 7 plots are there for a reason, and almost all stories fall into at least one of them. Aka...all stories are, at the core, kind of unoriginal. It’s the layers on top of the bare bone structure that make the stories unique. So don’t go, “This isn’t original, so I have to keep thinking of new plots.” No, no, no. If you keep trying to think of new plots or new characters that aren’t like those other ones you saw on that TV show, you’ll never get anywhere because you’ll never make it past the bare bone structure. You need to take a concept that is, at its core, technically unoriginal, and dig deeper.
Dig deeper. Flesh out motivations, plot details, cool facts about your world. Embrace the bare bone structure, and go with it.
And find more inside it. Go where your heart and head go.
That’s how you make something unique.
Write all the stuff you love.
Favorite tropes, character hair colors, cool names that you’ve always liked.
Whatever you want. If you write the stuff that makes you happy and that you’re passionate about, you’re more likely to keep up with it and actually finish a project. If you like a good uncle-nephew dynamic (ahhh, one of my favorites....There’s a reason I used that as an example), write it. Please. I beg of you. Trust me, readers out there who love the same thing will be eternally grateful.
Especially for those obscure tropes? I don’t see uncle-nephew dynamics very often, and if someone gave me more of it...oh ho ho.
Remember that readers and writers see things completely differently.
Where writers think, “This is unoriginal,” or “This is boring,” or whatever the issue may be, readers think of it as, “Oh, wow! I get two stories that are both special in their own ways, but they have very similar themes, tropes, plots, whatever!” They want to read what they love. So why worry about it being “unoriginal” or if the readers simply want more of that?
They want more of it. So write it if you want.
Readers will read stories about two very similar characters with different names falling in love in hundreds of different ways...and they want to read it again.
So. You can do things that have been done before. Okay?
Write it. I dare you.
#writing#writing tips#writing references#writing side of tumblr#writing tips and tricks#positivity#writing positivity#writing rant#rant#sorry not sorry#i dare you to finish your wip#do it#writing tropes#characters#writing characters#oc#ocs#original characters#insecure#motivation#please#write the stuff
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[Fi avoids anonymous gratification, explicit discussion of quantum field theory, and opening wounds.]
Part 2 of Adventure Log+ (Sequel to Link’s Thought Brambles. There’s a lot of context that you’ll lose if you read Adventure Log+ without having read Link’s Thought Brambles. I highly recommend reading in order!) - Edited 1/29/23 to improve voice and tighten language.
Yet another full circle of sweeping your sword uuuup and down. Careful, Link. Careful. Self-control. It’s been a long day of pointing your sword in every single direction in far too many locations, and this is the last spot, the LAST rampart above the observation room, and you are NOT going to waste all that effort by missing anything now.
There they all go staring at me again. Look at Mychle! He’s- yeah, he’s twitchy. The sword’s about to cross him… and it’s pointing at his head
torso
legs
and feet
and now it’s past him, he’s just sagging. I’m guessing it’s the heebie-jeebies and not actual fear of me discovering something-
-unless he IS worried about that. Has he been doing something sneaky? Maybe he has something on him he’s not supposed to have. Something that isn’t a Yiga weapon. Maybe he’s one of those guards who shoves drawings of naked people down their breastplates. It’d be pretty embarrassing if the sword levitated one of those out of his neck-hole.
Not that I know what the sword would do. The last time it tried to warn me about something suspicious, I couldn’t hear it talk yet.
Pornography is not suspicious, master.
True. Just tasteless.
…Like the book you read last month about the married couple seeking anonymous gratification at a masquerade ball?
That was sweet! They fell in love all over again!
They intended to be unfaithful to each other, master.
But they weren’t! And they came out of it rock-solid!
I find that outcome to be highly improbable in reality, master.
You’re a sword.
I am WITHIN your sword.
Well, I liked it.
Perhaps you would also like pornography.
No, I wouldn’t. Cut it out. I’ll miss a spot or something.
…Maybe Mychle just thinks I don’t like him. He was in the melee.
Yesterday’s celebration helped ME a lot, but I might need to make some bridge-building effort. People seem to misunderstand me a lot.
Your current incarnation does appear to struggle with social interaction, master.
You said that before… my current incarnation. When the Princess blessed me, she said you were forever bound to the soul of the hero, like there was only one. The only way that could be is if I’m the same person as the hero before me, and the one before that. Which... granted there are these folktales like that and all... are they true?
…
…You know, when you go silent like that, I figure I’m right.
Believe what you wish, master. It would be unwise for me to elaborate.
Okay, then. I guess since you keep saying my ‘current’ incarnation, I AM the same person as the heroes before me, but I can’t remem… ber…
Or can I?
Sunshine on golden hair in my dreams… Zelda… love at first sight? Or joy at finding her again?
That weird feeling I’d already done the same exact thing when Zelda knelt in front of me to examine the Master Sword.
Mom said I picked up the sword like I was born with one in my hand.
…Fi?
…
Wow.
Almost done with the sweep. Nothing yet?
Nothing, master.
Okay, Fi… you said THIS incarnation of me has trouble with social interaction. That must mean the others didn’t. Or maybe not as much. Am I right?
…
…That’s such a yes.
Silence is not confirmation.
It SO is.
No, it isn’t.
You wouldn’t insist it wasn’t if it weren’t.
Yes, I would.
Oh, so if you insist silence ISN’T confirmation, then I was wrong about everything I said which at least gives me a clue, right?
NO, master, my silence or lack thereof neither confirms nor refutes your hypotheses. It is an entirely neutral silence.
Pff. Sure it is. Neutral like the cucco my sister hugged way too tight and all its overprotective buddies.
My silence is not assailing you.
But you ARE overprotective.
I apply appropriate protective protocols considering your fragility, master.
…Well, now you sound like my father.
Perhaps our protocols are similar. There are certain facts you and the Princess simply must not know. Other information would be burdensome for both of you. I would do nothing to leaden the yoke already upon your neck.
…You’re… not exactly uplifting as it is.
Apologies, master. My words originate in necessity. My intention is never to cause you harm—physical, psychological, or emotional. I am your servant and your guide. I am bound to you. When you thrive, I thrive. Please trust me when I say divulging too much now would not help in any way.
I do trust you, Fi. But I also want to understand myself.
And you slowed down, Link, but a few more streaks up and down here... and I’m facing the same way as I started.
So… completely clean?
Yes, master, apart from the two weapons now hanging in the meal-consumption chamber.
It’s called the mess.
I find that name inadequate.
Keep in mind it would be possible to evade detection by circling this island to remain out of range.
Yeah… they’d have to know where we were at all times, though. Seems unlikely.
Agreed. I estimate the probability of success in such an endeavor to be 0.52%.
.
Woah- I’d almost forgotten Oron and Jeralt. I get turned-inward on Fi.
All clear, Oron. The whole castle seems to be. No more Yiga weapons.
Correction, master—there are no more weapons like the bow or the circular blade the Yiga attacked you with.
Yes... I know.
.
Oh- yeah. She reminded me she can’t detect things she’s never encountered, so there still could be others. She can’t tell if someone’s part of the Yiga clan, either. Right?
Correct.
Right. So… Jeralt?
.
He’s still eye-sweeping the whole yard beneath us.
Jeralt… we just don’t have enough people.
.
Having to plan for traitors lurking among us… it didn’t seem real before. A distant possibility.
That was before two of them tried to murder me, Zelda… and my sister. Not to mention Turro and Greggan. And DID murder poor Herry, the gatehouse guard and the two medics. I’d never even spoken to them, but the names Lorouh, Tawn, and Fean are branded in my brain along with their faces. I’m… glad I didn’t see the bodies. Gan did. ...He's not at his post, now. Not surprised.
And then there’s Jeralt’s eye.
Try not to look at it, Link. You wouldn’t want people staring at your face-gash all the time if it happened to you. The patch helps, probably, but he must be hurting even with the elixir. He's so swollen, his skin looks like a shiny red apple. Mipha… as long as Turro or Greggan’s wounds aren’t festering, I’m betting she’ll help Jeralt first.
Can she grow his eye back?
…I guess we’ll find out.
Okay. Let’s see if the Princess found anything.
-----
There she is, staring at the tabletop... that face-pinch... she's thinking hard. Her eyebrow says she heard us come in, but whatever she’s pondering, she doesn’t want it interrupted. Not even by me.
The king doesn’t seem anxious to stop her, either. Here he comes. No smile today...
“Anything to report?”
Oh- we're being quiet. “Fi didn’t sense anything, sire.”
“Hphhhhh. I suppose that’s the better of the two options. My daughter’s party also came up empty-handed, as did Purah and Robbie’s, Farniha’s, Fournier’s… well. All empty.”
Don’t shudder, Link. “Doesn’t make it impossible. If I were in the Yiga clan, I’d’ve ditched my weapon when the other two were exposed.”
“Mph. As would I. Difficult, cumbersome weapons to conceal, those. Not what I’d expect assassins to carry.”
“Vayden made Herry sick, somehow. Did anyone figure that out?”
“Purah has a team on that. …Well. How’s that eye, Jeralt?”
“It’s- I’m not used to it, sire.”
“…No. I’d imagine not. And Sir Turro?”
“He’s mending well so far, sire. He’s young and strong, and the wound was well cared-for. Our assassin seemed more interested in getting the rest of us out of the picture as opposed to killing us. He rushed that second shot.”
Wish he hadn’t. Zelda downed him fast. He probably wouldn’t’ve gotten a second shot off if he’d aimed carefully.
“Deadly speed, the both of them. Had you not been so lightning-quick yourself, Link, and my daughter so precise, we’d have lost Hyrule then and there.”
Maybe. Maybe not. I saved Chee BECAUSE I was fast enough to do it. If I hadn’t been, he’d’ve killed her, and I’d’ve been fine. At least, for that first shot.
“So… no more Yiga weapons. At least, none we know of. We can’t know for certain if anyone else here is compromised, but spirits certainly lifted upon your recovery, Link. Your mortal injury shocked most of them out of whatever grumblings were going on in their heads and set their priorities straight.”
“Perhaps. Perhaps not.”
“Daughter?”
“Hhh-hphhhh. Fi?”
Yes, Princess?
Glad she can see that on the slate. It’d get pretty irritating if I had to relay everything Fi said myself.
“While Link was injured, there was… how did you describe it? …A diffuse field permeating the area. Correct?”
Correct.
“Can you explain what that means in further detail?”
Certainly. There is a magical field present on this island.
“Daughter, may we-?”
…Oh no.
“Of course, father.”
Okay, Link… don’t think weird crap.
May I continue, Princess?
“Yes, Fi. Thank you.”
The field I spoke of has been present since I first arrived with my master. It has steadily increased in strength. It does reach across the moat but becomes far less potent. Its effects are unknown, however I calculate a significant probability it was the source of the connection between my master and the being which invaded his dreams.
“The Calamity.”
It would seem so, master.
“I remember thinking… that it was already here.”
Yes, master. However, 10,000 years ago, Calamity Ganon was a raging beast which took physical form and began tearing the land of Hyrule itself apart. I have no explanation for this field, though it seems clear the two are related.
“…Fi, we clearly have lost a good deal of our ancestors’ knowledge. However, I would surmise from my study of technology that a magical field is similar to an electromagnetic field. Is that correct?”
It is, Princess. There are four fundamental forces in nature, and each of them is linked to its associated field: electromagnetic, gravitational, nuclear, and weak.
Wooooooah her face just lit up-
“Fi- Fi, what?!”
Please, allow me to finish addressing your question, Princess. In this era, you do not possess the technology to investigate most fundamental interactions. Magic is, however, within reach. It is not a force. Rather, it is… an alteration. Magical fields alter the mechanics within a defined region of spacetime.
“Alter… the MECHANICS… within a defined region of spacetime?”
Yes, Princess, put very simply. I am loathe to delve into realms of physics of which you are entirely unaware. I will instead move on to say magical fields are distinct from magical energies.
“…Elaborate. Please!”
A physical law which magic must always obey is the Law of Conservation of Energy. That law is fundamental to existence itself. Energy cannot come from nothing, neither can it become nothing. What exists always is. It simply changes form.
“I am familiar with this law.”
Then you know, perhaps, why you felt the need to eat after you helped me disperse the field in my master’s bedchamber.
“…You used my energy to do it.”
Yes, Princess. Under normal circumstances, I use my master’s energy. It is possible for he or I to channel other energies as well, but the energy must always have a source. I cannot simply do magic. There is always a cost.
“I lost weight.”
“Pardon, Link?”
“When Mipha healed me. I lost a ton of weight. It was really obvious. My clothes are too loose.”
Yes, master. Although in that case, the normal healing process was greatly accelerated. You used your body’s reserves of protein to repair damaged tissue. Had you run out, your body would have needed to manufacture more. It is quite likely Mipha also expended physical energy while healing you, though it is possible for magical beings to store energy extra-dimensionally in addition to that carried in body mass.
“Extra-dimensionally. Outside dimensions. Outside form?”
That is essentially correct, Princess. There are many realms which exist parallel to that we inhabit. Your senses perceive only three dimensions to shape, but in reality, there are far more. To step laterally in some fourth dimension would leave you elsewhere entirely—you would exit Hyrule with that single step.
“…It’s like Link’s pouch.”
Based on my observations of my master’s use of his pouch, I agree with that deduction.
“…Princess, how much of this do you understand?”
“I… am unsure. I believe I follow, but it’s clear I—and we—have much to learn. Dimensions outside the three we perceive. Energy storage outside our realm but carried with us. Apparently, that may include matter, since you put objects in your pouch, Link.”
I might also add, Princess, that the passage of time appears to cease inside the pouch relative to the flow of time in Hyrule, which suggests that extra-dimensional space does not share the time dimension of our spacetime.
…I’m imploding. I’m not smart enough for this. Help!
You are extremely intelligent, master. Education in this era is, however, sorely lacking-
Ooooh, Zelda just shifted in her seat and the king's fidgeting with his cuffs-
-and had you any experience with these concepts I’m certain you could grasp them.
If you say so, Fi. It doesn’t seem like it matters much right now.
It matters if you wish to become truly proficient magically. You are capable of wielding me, master, but you do so entirely by intuition. Intuition tempered with knowledge would be an improvement.
“Fi, let’s bring this back to the field around the island. You said magical fields alter the mechanics of spacetime in an area.”
Correct.
“Might I re-phrase that to say, magical fields change physical laws?”
Essentially, yes.
“I’m afraid I’m not clear on how that would allow the Calamity to invade Link’s dreams.”
Under normal circumstances, brainwaves—thoughts—are not collimated. There is no physical mechanism present biologically to allow Hylians, or any other Hyrulian species, to directly communicate telepathically. Only magic allows this. It is possible to use magic to change the way in which brainwaves travel so they all follow the same path rather than dispersing in all directions as light does from the Sun. This magnifies the signal.
…Holy s@$%. “Fi… is that also how the slate works? It reads my thoughts.”
I would surmise, master, since the slate receives only your thoughts, and appears only to receive mine through you, that it is tethered to you in a manner similar to that which binds me to you.
“…Because you can hear me think, too.”
Yes. But consider, master, that in this case YOU are the source of the thoughts—not the slate. It is therefore not responsible for transmitting the information. It merely receives it.
“O-oh.”
“Apologies, Link—believe me, no one wants to understand how the slate accomplishes this more than I do, but the more urgent question in my view is what this field about the castle is doing, and how it connected the Calamity to you.”
“Of course! Definitely, Princess.” I get a little crinkle-smile, though.
“Fi—you believe the field allowed the Calamity to directly insert its thoughts into Link’s mind?”
Yes.
“But the field itself is not the source of the thoughts? Is the field the Calamity? I’m unclear on these points.”
I am uncertain myself, Princess. I estimate an 88.4% probability that the Calamity is generating the field, not that the field is the Calamity itself. Calamity Ganon has not yet appeared in a physical form. Most likely, it is elsewhere but using the field as a communication short-cut.
“It had a hard time, though, didn’t it? I had to be hurt and weak before it could talk to me directly.”
It would seem so, master.
“So what does the field do if it’s not trying to talk to me?”
Unknown.
“…But it’s here now, right?”
Yes, master.
“So you’d think it has a purpose. Otherwise, why bother? It’s a dead giveaway if you’re here and you can talk to me, which you can now. It must be doing something for the Calamity.”
“Fi, is there any reason the same method of communication couldn’t be used with someone else? Could the Calamity attempt the same method of communication with me, for example, or Sir Jeralt?”
The method would be the same, yes, Princess. You and my master are magical, and would therefore be less vulnerable than other inhabitants of this castle.
“…Meaning everyone else is MORE vulnerable. Holy crap, Princess!”
“Link?”
“I was THINKING this! I was thinking it right after the melee already… no, even before then I was already confused.”
“Link, I don’t-“
“I was so INCREDIBLY frustrated. Why was everyone treating you so badly, Zelda?”
“L-Link?”
“Everyone! It was like you didn’t have a single ally in these walls. People gossiping about you and AROUND you loudly, spreading rumors, judging you, NOT supporting you at all, and even the people who were on your side just sort of… stayed quiet. Skies, even I did that! And then me—I felt like every single person was dead-set against me. Well, almost all of them. Some cooks seemed to like me.”
“Hmm hmm, I think you seemed to like their cooking, too.”
“Yeah that probably had something to do with it.”
“You were also a valuable cake-delivery system.”
“I am that! But you didn’t-” oh.
Oh my Goddess.
“Link?”
Am I overthinking this? Am I overstepping if I say it?
“Link, the evidence of your hesitance is quite visible on this screen.”
“Oh… right. Yeah, so… okay. You- I thought you hated me, Zelda.”
“Well. I was… annoyed. That the sword came easily to you, and at your silence.”
“You don’t think… maybe it’s possible those things were exaggerated by this field?”
Interesting supposition, master.
“…I mean, it might not be. But I can tell you I’ve been climbing the walls ever since I got here. I was a complete mess. I couldn’t even bring myself to speak to you, or anyone else, really, unless I absolutely had to.”
“Link… I thought you were too anxious to do so.”
“I was. But it’s not as bad away from the castle. I’ve noticed that. I thought it was all the pressure of being here, of my position, of the sword. But what if it wasn’t ALL that? What if this field sort of helps it along? Makes me less likely to reach out to you, or to others? Makes it MORE likely they’ll interpret my silence as something unpleasant? …Makes it more likely people will hate on you for being out of sight below ground for a few hours?”
“…Are you suggesting this field is somehow… speaking to everyone here? Telling them to array themselves against us?”
“YES.”
“…Merciful Goddess.”
I think the king just turned about six shades paler and that's a REAL heavy drop he just did into that chair.
“Hylia, preserve us. Lift us from these sands…”
.
“In all my imaginings, I never considered the Calamity could be affecting us now, before its emergence. Never considered the changes within the walls of this castle could be the result of some outside influence. Bloody hell! Only days ago, we spoke of how fearful our people had become, and how they’d turned that fear to spite against you, my daughter. You AND your appointed knight. That melee… it shocked me. It never should have occurred.”
I’d been wondering why people weren’t beating up the obvious womanizers in the castle. Instead, they went after me, even though all I’d done is eat some bad soup and take an overnight tour of an excavation site.
“Fi, what do you think of all this? Oh- here, father.”
…I am uncertain, Princess, but it is possible this interpretation of events is correct.
“…Then we must do something about it. Can I use you once more to disperse the field?”
Before, I protected the area immediately surrounding my master for a duration of approximately ten hours. I required a large amount of energy from you in order to accomplish that, Princess. To disperse the entire field, I would require far more energy. I also submit that doing so for any less than a 12-hour duration would be cumbersome to say the least. A 24-hour duration would be better. And if I am to be the source of the dispersal, I would have to remain near the heart of the field in order to cover the area evenly.
“But I was able to let you go. I put you down, and the magic still worked.”
Yes, Princess. You had already imparted energy to me. I used it in a controlled manner for ten hours.
“So you can do things totally independent of a person.”
Yes, master. As long as I have sufficient energy.
“Wow. So, what can we give you as an energy source?”
There are many potential sources of energy, but I cannot typically convert them myself. I require a wielder.
“W-but you just said you can do things without us.”
I can once you have imparted the energy to me. I can also absorb powerful energies which would otherwise destroy matter. But I cannot, for example, take a carrot and convert either its chemical or mass energy into a form I can use.
“… You mean you can’t eat.”
Correct, master. But you can.
“Well… yeah, but-“
You can also convert other types of energy. I occasionally encounter a type of energy which I can absorb but cannot use. I require you to convert it, master.
“… What’s so special about me?”
You and the Princess, master.
“Okay, what’s so special about us?”
You and the Princess have unique souls unlike those of other Hylians.
“…And?”
…
“Oh no. No. Don’t you do this now. I see the look on the Princess’ face and she’s about thirty seconds away from hitting the ceiling with all this information. You know so much. Can’t you tell us at least some of it?”
“Link? Why do you-“
“Because she keeps saying things that mean she knows more, and then she just won’t tell me. She says it’ll add to my burden. But if we NEED to know it, especially if it means we can deal with things like this field better, I think she owes us more of an explanation.”
Master. A continuation of our earlier discussion, while related to this, would not teach you anything required to enhance your proficiency with magic, or with wielding me. History is simply history. Magic is a skill.
“I have heard it said that those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.”
History repeats regardless, Princess.
“…That appears to be unnervingly correct.”
“…So… the Princess and I have unique souls. You don’t want to tell us why.”
I should not.
“… Fine… can you tell us WHAT is different about them, or whether there’s anyone else like us, or… I don’t know, whether our bodies matter?”
Your physical shell matters in that it has properties of its own, master. Your neurodivergence-
“My what?”
-has certainly impacted your interactions in this era. I believe it may have enhanced your physical abilities, for your athletic skill and coordination are beyond what I expected, and your prowess with the sword is truly exceptional even for you considering you have not even been using your dominant hand.
“My- wh- how did you know that?”
I know you, master. Though I am curious why you have chosen to wield me on the right.
“I… well, it’s how I was trained.”
I see. And you accepted this training.
“…Sure?”
How fascinating. There is no need to correct it, however I would recommend some exercises with your sword and shield reversed. You may, perhaps, find you will be even more capable than you already are.
“Link, you’re left-handed?!”
“W- well, I mean yeah I guess so but we were always supposed to write with our right hands in school and all that, too, so I just got used to it.”
“You… were forced to write with your off-hand?”
“It’s not like it’s just me, everyone had to write that way.”
“That’s absurd. Father!”
“Agreed, daughter, but it’s… a little late for Sir Link, now. He is no longer in school.”
“Indeed, but someone ought to have words with the education minister for Necluda!”
“Mmph. Noted.”
“…Why does no one SPEAK of these things?”
“Yeah, I… think they do, Princess, but mostly no one cares.”
“Well, that’s just unacceptable. Of course, people should care. There’s no reason to force left-handed children to conform. There’s nothing morally reprehensible about being left-handed!”
It is, perhaps, worth noting that people who are forced to use the non-dominant hand for most tasks have a significantly reduced life-expectancy.
Great. As if my life-expectancy wasn’t already greatly reduced.
That is not so, master.
“What?”
Your life-expectancy is not greatly reduced. Except, perhaps, by your off-handedness.
“Are you kidding? I’m supposed to fight the Calamity!”
I have experienced your thoughts, master, wondering at the lack of knowledge passed down regarding the lives of past heroes. I can assure you, many have lead full, happy, productive lives once the ancient enemy has been dealt with.
“…You’re serious?”
I am.
“…I… kind of feel like that’s the first thing you should’ve said to me, ever.”
Impractical. The first words I successfully communicated to you were in the midst of an unmitigated disaster.
“…Yeah… I guess…”
“So… we usually win?”
I should not give details, Princess. Suffice to say, I have faith in both of you, and you ought not lose hope for yourself, master.
“But you’ve known heroes who survived, and had long lives?”
Yes.
“…Families?”
…
Oh no. Oh, come on, please answer this one. Did they have families? Children?
…
The king said he thought I was the hero because Zelda was attracted to me. He said it always seemed to happen from what little in history he was able to find. Is that true?
…
Fi, for f@#$’s sake, come on!
If I thought it would be wise to answer, I would.
“Link?”
“Yeah?”
“This… is our lifetime, here and now. Yes?”
…Of course, it is. I just… I didn’t think I’d get to live it, I really didn’t!
She’s coming over, slate in hand, and her arms around my shoulders, even with everyone else here—do I? Yeah, I do. Of course, I hug her back.
_____
Read Next: Not thinking about apples.
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#adventure log+#botw#zelda#fanfic#zelink#breath of the wild#loz#legend of zelda#sequel#fi#master sword
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[Gakuen K] Kusanagi Izumo Route: Drink Bar “HOMRA” Re-opens! Translation
*Translator’s note : MC’s name shall remain as my normal (水嶋ラン)
*Gakuen K Masterlist / Gakuen K Mobile Masterlist
*Spoiler FREE : Translations under cut !
Misaki: It’s reopening today? Finally!
Ran: Yup. If only classes would end earlier…
Misaki: Okay! Let’s dash to the Clubroom as soon as the bell goes off. The last one there’s gotta treat the rest to something!
Kamamoto: Ohh, sounds like a plan!
Ran: Wouldn’t he instantly win? He’s terribly quick.
Misaki: Heh. I can give you a handicap if you want.
Anna: --Misaki. Now’s not the time to be fooling around.
Misaki: WARGH!?
Ran: Sensei, since when were you…
Anna: I’ve been behind Misaki this entire time.
Anna: Misaki, do you know that there are only two weeks before the test?
Misaki: O-Of course. There are still 2 weeks left, so we’re gonna play to our heart’s content before then!
Anna: Haah.
Misaki: W-What’s that sigh supposed to mean!?
Anna: It’s not “still”, there ARE two weeks left. With that attitude, you’re definitely getting a failing score.
Misaki: N-No way… Are you for real? Then my “merry Christmas” is gonna turn into a “very not merry Christmas”...
Anna: Misaki, that isn’t funny at all.
Ran: Yata-kun…
Misaki: What!? Don’t look at me like that!
Anna: Then come to the staff room after class. I’ll give you remedial lessons.
Misaki: Huh? But, why!?
Anna: Skip… and I’ll get mad.
Misaki: Hey, wait-!
Kamamoto: Looks like we’ll have to do the race another day.
Ran: Good luck in remedial.
Misaki: Goddamnit!
»» ━━━━━━━ ∘◦♔◦∘ ━━━━━━━ ««
Ran: hello.
Izumo: Hey. it’s been a long time. Have you been doin’ well?
Ran: Yup. Looks like everything inside has returned to normal.
Izumo: Gotta thank the contractor for that. Oh? The uniform changed.
Ran: Yeah, it’s winter now.
Izumo: It’s the time to change into the winter uniforms now? I like the design, but my favourite’s still the summer one.
Ran: Kusanagi-san…
Izumo: Wait, no! Not again! Don’t drench me; it’s cold!
Izumo: Both uniforms look brilliant on you! So spare me the water-
Ran: …I wasn’t thinking of drenching you again anyway.
Ran: You haven’t changed at all, it seems.
Izumo: Really? That’s great to hear. No, wait… is it really all good?
Mikoto: Just you two?
Ran: Suoh-senpai.
Mikoto: Iced coffee.
Ran: Wait, aren’t you cold?
Izumo: She’s right, ya’ know. You’ll get a stomach ache so it’s a no on the iced coffee.
Mikoto: It’s fine isn’t it? Don’t pick at my order.
Izumo: Fine, fine. Got it.
Mikoto: It’s not like I’ll die if I don’t do it, but Anna…
Ran: Is that homework?
Mikoto: Want to do it?
Ran: No! There’s no way I’m capable of doing 3rd Year questions!
Mikoto: Well, that’s true.
Izumo: That Suoh Mikoto is actually doin’ his homework? Man, maybe spears… No, maybe swords will start rainin’ from the skies tomorrow.
Mikoto: Say whatever you want.
Izumo: If you’re studyin’, then that means you’re not retainin’ anymore, right? Looks like a lot of things will be changing this year.
Ran: This year’s coming to an end soon.
Izumo: Oh, right. It’s already December. I think about this every year, but time really flies…
Izumo: Although it feels much faster this year since I met you. Take good care of me next year too, yeah?
Ran: O-Of course!
Ran: (This is a little embarrassing since we’re in front of Suoh-senpai…)
Ran: …Wait, huh?
Mikoto: ……
Izumo: …He’s asleep. Well, at least he read it. That’s an improvement.
Izumo: Heeey. Mikoto? Are you sure you’re alright just sleepin’? What ‘about your homework?
Mikoto: …Gave up.
Ran: Gave up? Won’t Anna-sensei get mad…?
Izumo: I really have to take my hat off to his absolute lack of motivation when it comes to graduating…
»» ━━━━━━━ ∘◦♔◦∘ ━━━━━━━ ««
Next Scene: Are you worried about something?
#Gakuen K#Gakuen K: Wonderful School Days#K project#Otome#Translations#Yata Misaki#Kamamoto Rikio#Suoh Mikoto#Kusanagi Izumo#Sakurai Takahiro#Gakuen K Izumo Route
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Good Boy Gone Bad
Fandom: Enhypen
Member: Jakexoc
Genre: Angst
AU: nonidol!au
Trigger warning: Toxic relationships, heartbroken Jake, alcohol, cigarettes, mentions of drugs, use of curse words, verbal fights. Let me know If I should add anything!
Summary: Jake writes a diary in which he explains his first heartbreak from his first love.
Word count: 5.257
A/N: This is for @emeraldenha ‘s unlikely collab! Go check out the other works that have been submitted. This is my first collab ever and I know there’s room for improvement but thank you so much Ri for letting me participate <3
this is my first post after a very long mental health and work/college break, I was recently diagnosed with some conditions so I’ve been coping with that but hopefully my updating schedule get more consistent from now on!
Hi, my name is Jake Sim, I am currently twenty-two years old and today I’ll tell you about my first love at eighteen
It all started that morning during math class, I had already seen her a million times before. Her beauty was something straight out of a fairy tale, even if some things didn’t exactly fit the “I just stepped into a magic closet and now I have to save the world” aesthetic. I had never heard or read of a princess that had prominent dark circles under her eyes adorned with clumps of mascara. I had never seen a princess that used vulgar language like her. I had never heard of a princess that reeked of cigarettes and cheap perfume, but I got used to it.
I got used to the curse words that she uttered in every single sentence. I got used to her friends being all over her. I got used to hearing her nightly adventures that took place almost everyday of the week. But I also got used to her giggles every time her best friend Jiung said anything. I got used to the way she smiles at the small doodles she scribbles on Sunghoon’s arm when he’s in the mood. I got used to hearing her talk to her friends about her struggles, she was human after all.
Maybe this all sounds cliché to you but it doesn’t to me, well, it didn’t. I really thought she was the one destined for me. I thought I could change her, she just needed a little guidance. I thought all of the rumors I heard about her were fake and were only made up by people that were jealous of her undeniable beauty, but I guess not. They were right.
“Sim! Eyes up!” My coach shouted at me onces I missed the ball for the fifth time in the game. It was just a practice game but apparently it was still too important for my coach. I should have remembered this phrase when I started falling for her, fuck, how could I?
“Hey, everything alright?” It was Riki, he’s a year below me but we get along well, he’s a good guy.
“Huh? Oh yeah, all good. I’ve just been thinking about a Spanish assignment I have to finish, that's all.” At the time that was partly true, I had just barely started to realize that my more than normal fixation with that girl was not quite normal.
“Ahh, well I’m sure you’ll do alright. There’s this girl in my class that’s a native Spanish speaker and we’re sort of close, I can ask her to help you if you’d like.” She’s a native Spanish speaker too.
“You know what? That would be great, you have my number if you have to reach out to me.” The coach blew his whistle to let us know that practice was over. “Thank you, man. I appreciate you.” And just like that, we parted ways to go home.
I should’ve told him I didn’t need the help, I could have avoided the trouble that came after but to be honest, as top of the class, class president, tutor and captain of the football team I was collapsing with so many duties and I have to admit, Spanish is not my forte.
The next day Riki came up to me and told me that the girl he talked to me about was willing to help, he told me her name Lucía, and gave me her number saying that she wanted to talk to me, that I should reach out to her. And so I did, she replied shortly after and told me we should meet up after school in the café a couple blocks away.
I had never heard of someone named Lucía at school so I was pretty nervous to meet her, I didn't really know what to expect. I spent the entire day thinking about my introduction and what I was gonna ask her when we met. I was so immersed in my own thoughts that I did not realize all the stares I was receiving, never noticed them to be honest.
“Man, why?” My closest friend back then, Jay, asked me. He ripped right out of my thoughts.
“Huh?” I mumbled, utterly confused as to what he was talking about.
“What do you mean huh? Why did you do that?” He asked me again. I now had a feeling that I had fucked up in some way, shape or form.
“Bro, I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about” I explain now urging him to tell me what was wrong.
“You really don’t know? Ok I’ll explain then. So basically you were walking down the halls when Victoria, you know her, called your name like fifty times and even put herself in front of you to get your attention and you just blatantly ignored her. You know what they say about her, you can’t really mess with her, man.” Jay explained and suddenly all the stares I got throughout the day made total sense.
“Wait, Victoria? From our class?” I asked even though I already knew what Victoria he was talking about with the last comment he made.
“The only Victoria from our class Jake, the one that looks like she doesn’t shower. I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t though, she smells like a fucking drug addict.” Jay ranted.
“Don’t say that dude, you don’t know her. Who knows? Maybe she’s in a bad situation, don’t just assume things like that without knowing that person.” I defended Victoria, after all she’s the girl I’ve been talking about, she’s the reason I fell in love for the first time and had my first heartbreak. She’s the reason I’m writing this.
“You’re right, I’m sorry. She just gets on my nerves sometimes.” Jay admitted. “But why did you ignore her?” He asked again.
“Oh yeah, I didn’t notice her honestly. I was too busy thinking about someone I’m meeting today. Her name is Lucía and she’s gonna help me with my Spanish assignment. Do you know her?” I asked Jay out of curiosity.
“Lucía? Doesn’t ring a bell to be honest, how is she? Physically I mean” He replied.
“No clue, I’ve never met her. Riki asked her to help me ‘cause she’s a native speaker and she agreed.” I stated.
“Oh, well update me on that and good luck on that assignment. To this day I’m infinitely thankful I took French instead of spanish.” He laughed softly. I can really see why everyone has a crush on him, he’s really attractive.
After that we parted ways and I started thinking about the whole Victoria situation. How did I not notice? Was this study session causing me that much anxiety? I had taken my meds that day though, It shouldn’t have been that bad. I’m sure Lucía isn’t bad, not if she had agreed to help a stranger, me, out.
I made my way to the café and when I finally entered I realized one crucial detail.
I had no idea what she looked like.
What was I supposed to do? Should I call her? Text her? Stalk her socials and see if i can find a picture of her? I started to think of all these different scenarios and for some unknown reason I decided that the last option was the best, damn I was so stupid.
I typed her name on the Instagram search bar, ‘lucia’ and I clicked on the first profile that popped up, I knew it was her ‘cause of the mutuals we had and she had ‘belift highschool’ written on her bio. Luckily she was not private and so I clicked on her last posted picture, she looked so put together and clean. She had this preppy vibe to her to the point one would just assume she’s smart. A little further down her profile she had a couple of pictures with her friends and I recognized a guy named Sunoo there. I just knew he was a part of the school choir and participated in the singing competitions the school organized every year and he was a great singer.
Lucía looked really familiar, I may have seen her roaming around the school before and I just didn’t notice. One thing that was consistent throughout her profile is that she has a cold aura to her, I can’t explain it but she just didn’t seem overly friendly and that worried me, just a tiny bit.
After I had taken in her face, I looked around a bit more to see if she was there and upon further inspection I concluded that she hadn’t arrived just yet and so I sent her a text telling her that I was already there and that I would wait for her on a table at the back next to the window, she immediately replied with a simple ‘omw.’
And so I waited for about five minutes setting the things I would need for the essay up until I heard the bell of the entrance ring, I looked up and I saw her in all her perfect glory. She was wearing a lavender sweater vest paired with a matching plaid skirt. Her hair was perfectly pin straight and she had hair clips clipping her hair away from her eyes in an elegant and effortless way. she really did live up to her Instagram theme.
She scanned the room for a bit before her eyes landed on me. She gave me a quick up and down and started walking towards me.
“Hi, I’m Lucía, nice to meet you.” She greeted me.
“Hey, I’m Jake, nice to meet you too. Thank you for being willing to help me out.” I greeted her back and thanked her for her kindness.
“No need to thank me.” She said as she sat down on the opposite side of the table. “What do you need help with? What’s the essay about?” She asked me.
“I have to write a fantasy story but I’ve been having a lot of trouble with grammar. It also has to have some specific things that Mr. Fernández told us, I wrote them down.” I explained.
“Oh, I thought it was going to be harder than that, I think we can finish today and don’t worry about the grammar, I’ll help you with it.” She said with that cold tone even if what she was saying was nice.
We spent two hours working on my assignment, the story had to be at least 5.000 words long so, of course we didn’t finish it but we were pretty proud of what we came up with before she had to leave. Her sister had called her ten minutes before letting her know she was on her way to go pick her up, I couldn’t exactly make out what they were saying considering that they were speaking Spanish and had an accent that Mr. Fernández didn’t share, looking back I now realized that they’re probably from different countries and I was too dumb to think about that.
When Lucía told me she was leaving soon, she helped me pack my things up and agreed to meet up the next day. Lucía wasn’t as cold as she came across at first, she just had to warm up to you in order for her to show her true personality, she was still as eloquent, elegant and put together as always tho, just laughed a little more carelessly.
Her sister texted her and let her know that she was parked right outside and sure enough, she was. I walked her outside to make sure she got into her sister’s car safely when I saw a familiar side profile on the passenger seat, that perfect nose was unmistakable
Park Sunghoon.
What was he doing there? He was probably friends with Lucía’s sister but I couldn’t recognize her. She was wearing a cap paired with the darkest sunglasses I had ever seen and before I could take a closer look, Lucía had already closed the car door and the unknown sister roared the engines from her gorgeous car back to life and the last thing I saw was Lucía’s and Sunghoon’s arms waving goodbye as the car drove down the streets.
Huh.
***
This was my routine for almost a week until Lucía texted me and told me that she couldn’t make it to the café for whatever reason and politely asked me if I was comfortable enough to just go to her house instead. I had absolutely no reason to decline the offer so after school, I waited for her outside school and once together, we made our way to her house making small talk on our way there.
I expected her to live in a similar situation as mine, by that I mean a comfortable household where they didn’t exactly need anything but would appreciate it if they won the lottery some random day. That kind of family where both parents would work full-time jobs, arriving home at 6pm wishing they didn’t have work in something like finances or banking and had instead chased their dreams of acting or singing, or maybe even becoming well renowned painters.
I was wrong.
I was oh so very wrong.
She lived in a mansion
A FUCKING MANSION FOR FUCKS SAKE OH MY. I did not expect her to be…rich, I mean she looked the part but I was always taught to not assume things about someone based on appearance but shit. The house was gorgeous, it was minimalistic but it didn’t seem dead, you could tell a happy family lived here or at least that’s what it seemed like.
After my short paralyzation, Lucía took me upstairs to her bedroom. We passed many rooms on our way there and I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to go back on my own. It was like a maze and it may have been my imagination but she mentioned at least six bathrooms and about ten bedrooms. When we reached hers I noticed that it looked as clean and pristine as she did but it did have small decorations hinting at what she liked, I’m pretty sure I saw a Gojo figurine on a shelf. She had two candy wrappers on her bedside table and one half-empty glass of water.
“You should do that too, you know?” She said out of the blue after catching me looking all over her room.
“Do what?” I questioned.
“Keep a glass of water on your bedside table throughout the night, it’s supposed to absorb demons and bad entities, you have to flush it in the morning after you wake up though, I’ll do that now, be right back.” She cleared up as if it was the most normal thing in the world to have some cold demon tea every morning waiting for you. She didn’t seem like the superstitious type but then again, don’t judge a book by its cover.
After she came back with the now demon-less cup, she placed it on her nightstand and made her way to where I was sitting on her desk. She took a stool from somewhere in her room to take a seat and just like that we continued with the writing in hopes of finishing that very same day. We worked hard and long, when I thought my creativity was running low, Lucía came in clutch and suggested great ideas for the story and before we knew it, we were done.
“Where do you get all these ideas?” I asked, genuinely curious. I wanted to know.
“I used to read a lot before and my sister writes as a hobby. Sometimes when she’s in a slump she asks for help and we work it out together. It helps both of us honestly. I used to only value book-smart people but after understanding what it takes to be a creative person I now know that it takes just as much effort to come up with a good story or piece of art as to solve an equation. It just takes different skills and not everyone is gifted with them, some people, like me for example, think maths is the easiest subject at school but I’ve failed history twice. My sister is the complete opposite, she aces every history test she has ever done, same with english, but you give her one biology textbook and she crumbles. I think it’s important to acknowledge those types of differences for us to find something we’re good at and something that we like as well. Wow, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to ramble on like that. You should’ve stopped me Jake.” Well that was a speech! but it was nice to hear her be so passionate about something like that for once, never thought she would open up to me like that ever. From this I can only assume her sister was criticized for this, I can only imagine how that impacted her and Lucía.
“Don’t even worry about it. You two must be pretty close then.” I calmed her nerves and pointed out hoping I hadn’t crossed any boundaries especially knowing we weren’t exactly close.
“Yeah, we are. We used to be closer before though, we’re still close don’t get me wrong but, she’s kind of letting herself go at this point. I don’t know why I’m telling you this, sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable.” She explained her sister’s situation.
“It’s okay, I’m here to listen. I do have one question though, who’s your sister?” I asked out of pure curiosity.
Lucía opened her mouth to say her sister’s name. Just as she produced one single vibration on her bottom lip with her top teeth the door burst open and in came the smell of that cheap perfume I'm a bit too familiar with and the one and only, my future heartbreaker and my past lover.
Victoria.
Fucking Victoria,I should have guessed as soon as I saw that one Gorillaz shirt I saw her wear yesterday peeking out of the door from one of the many rooms we passed. I should have guessed when I saw the bunny eras she wore once on her Instagram hanging from Lucía’s door. How didn’t I?
“Sim? Hi. Lucía, you know what mom says about boys or girls in the bedroom. Keep the door open please, I don’t wanna deal with her temper tantrums again. Also, why is the teacher’s pet here?” She acknowledged me first but she wasn’t… rude? I always expected her to be mean or something, for now she only seemed a bit cold but not as much as her sister.
The sisters engaged in conversation, Lucía answering all her questions and assuring she wouldn’t have to deal with their mom. They fell into a nice chit-chat about their day speaking in Spanglish, them making that silent agreement so that I wouldn’t assume they were speaking ill of me in a different language.
“Sim, don’t ignore me like you did today again please, I was pretty embarrassed and I just wanted help with the physics homework. Do you think you can help me out? Don’t worry if you can’t.” She admitted, she seemed so genuine and she may have been but I’m pretty sure this was the last truth she ever told me.
“Yeah! Yeah sure, I’ll help you out.” I replied a little too enthusiastically for my liking and I’m pretty sure it didn’t go unnoticed by the two sisters. Now that I think about it and see them standing close to each other, they look really similar. They did have differences though, Victoria’s nose was slightly more up-turned that Lucía’s but it lacked the ‘button’ effect that Lucías nose had. Lucía’s dark circles under her eyes were not nearly as dark and prominent as Victoria’s and she had ‘cleaner’ makeup than her. Victoria’s eyes were slightly lighter too but the redness of them made this go unnoticed.
I said goodbye to Lucía, thanking her for putting up with me and helping me out that week and I made sure to make a mental note to give her something in return. When Victoria and I made our way to her room, a loud silence fell upon us but Victoria made sure to quickly turn it down by talking about what exactly she was struggling with. We arrived at her room and she quickly got her things out, I never would have imagined she worried about having decent grades. As she got her things ready, I looked around her room and saw that it was much more decorated than Lucías room and it wasn’t subtle or minimalistic at all, it was also definitely messier than Lucías too. Her walls were covered with posters ranging from band posters to animation one, some even being Playboy magazine covers. They were very different.
She sat down on her bed and invited me to do the same and I immediately realized that her notebooks weren’t color-coordinated, some even being the same color. The edges of the pages being folded over each other by how carelessly they were treated but Victoria didn’t seem to mind. All her notes were taken with the same blue colored pen. no highlighter, no pretty lettering, no clean handwriting and no decorations.
When I finished with my analysis of her, I fell into my tutor act and started hearing her out and helping her to the best of my abilities. Mid-way through our study session she asked me if I wanted to smoke, I declined of course, I didn’t smoke back then and just the mere thought of how dark and dirty someone’s lungs could get scared me shitless. Just as abruptly as we started, we were done. She was a fast learner and was willing to do her part of the work just fine.
Getting to know this nice side of her made me realize that maybe, being friends wouldn’t be that bad, of course I was wrong but how did you expect 18 year-old Jake to know that? I was just an innocent kid.
We agreed that I would tutor her every week for some money in exchange, she persisted in paying me even after I reassured her it was fine.
As you can imagine, we continued to meet up. We started talking at school and honestly, it was all fine, it was all great even. Victoria introduced me to her group of friends Sunghoon and Jiung, who I mentioned before, Jongseob, Yeonjun, Ryujin, Yuna, Karina and Chaeryeong, there were probably more but those are who I remember the most, some were even younger than me. They all had the same vibe to them but I knew most, if not all, of them were heavily involved with music. When I was friends with them I got to hear a couple of their songs and they were pretty good, even if we’re not close anymore I hope someday they’ll make it into the industry, they were nice to me.
We started meeting up after school, I started to fall back in all my schoolwork and my parents started to worry. They talked to me and told me that they were there for me if I ever needed their support, that made me so fucking sad, I was dissapointed at myself for worrying my parents but… I didn’t stop.
I started drinking with Victoria, just the two of us but she made me feel safe. I knew I wasn’t at risk if I got drunk with her by my side, she promised to take care of me and she did, for a while at least. After I got used to drinking she convinced me to try smoking, I have no idea how she did that, she’s just so charming and persuasive, she was so dangerous but I never listened to my own body. My body was telling me to stop, all this was getting too much. I developed some very ugly coughing that lasted for a while. My parents insisted on getting me checked but I tried my best at lying to them and telling them it was just allergies and that the coughing would eventually fade. My coughs drew blood from my throat more times than I cared to admit but I did it for her.
I didn’t want her to leave me because I didn’t drink, because I was boring or because I asked her not to smoke when I was around. I don’t know why I stayed. You know what? Scratch that, I do. I was madly madly in love with this girl, so much so that I compromised my future for her, I sacrificed my health for her. I let myself go and for what? We weren’t even together. She didn’t even like me like that.
I was tired of waiting for her to hint at me that she liked me back or at least reciprocated the tiniest bit of my neverending unconditional love for her. I was sick and tired of waiting. I was sick of seeing her flirt with everyone at the party but me. I was tired of seeing her all lovey-dovey with Chaeryeong, for fucks sake she probably had more feelings for her than for me but I was too blinded by what I had seen before to see that.
This reminds me of a conversation I had with Jay when he noticed I was slipping.
“Dude, you gotta open your eyes. Look around! What good does Victoria bring you? And don’t give me some bullshit excuse, not again.” He reproached me as a good and worried best friend. That’s the thing I regret the most, taking Jay for granted.
“She brings me happiness Jay! I love her, I truly do and it’s not my fault you don’t understand that.” I shouted back much more aggressively than him but I was getting tired of this, of all of this.
“She’s using you.”
“She’s not.” I corrected.
“She is! Everyone knows she likes that bimbo from class H.”
“She doesn’t Jay! Why can’t you understand? I’ve never seen them interact before in my life and even if they had, what Victoria and I have is mutual.” I kept lying to myself, I knew damn well Jay saw them together all the time, they did have French together after all. Hell, I wasn’t even sure what bimbo out of all the ones I knew he was talking about.
“Jake please, I don’t want you getting hurt.” Jay pleaded with me, he was desperate for his friend. He didn’t want me getting hurt but I just saw this as a selfish action. I thought he was just jealous of me, how could I be so blind?
“You haven’t seen what I’ve seen.” I croaked out, my voice shaky at this point and my throat raw from the screaming and back and forth arguing.
“AND YOU DON’T FUCKING SEE WHAT I SEE JAKE! LOOK IN THE MIRROR, LOOK AT YOUR TEACHER, LOOK AT YOU FUCKING PARENTS FOR FUCKS SAKE. I’VE BEEN TRYING TO GET SOME SENSE THROUGH YOUR THAT THICK SKULL OF YOURS BUT YOU JUST WON'T LISTEN!” He fell silent. “Please, please Jake. Get out of there.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No, It’s not my problem no one wants to be with you. It’s not my problem you’re jealous of me. It’s not my problem that no one fucking likes you. Fuck you Jay.” I could barely get these words out. I knew what I was saying was the worst thing he ever heard from me. I hurt my best friend and not slightly, I carved into his beating heart and brain that no one loves him. It was as If his eyes held his heart at that very moment, I swear I saw his heart break through his eyes and I saw the tears build up on them before my own vision became too blurry to even distinguish the doorframe.
Even after this, I continued seein Victoria and I could proudly say we were in an official exclusive couple. I was happy. The girl that I devoted my entire being to accepted my love confession and agreed to be with me but that feeling very deep in my heart didn't let me be happy. I knew it was wrong and that I hurt people in the way but I had spent so much time on her that I couldn’t bring myself to turn back, not then.
As I’m sure it won’t surprise you, I found out she was only with me because she felt terribly sorry about me, how did she fucking dare? I gave her everything. She somehow found out about my fight with Jay and she felt pity toward me. While she was with me, she continued to date around. The only thing is she was extra careful that I wouldn’t find out and it worked, she successfully cheated on me with multiple people for two years. She didn’t see our relationship as a romantic one, she saw it as some type of charity work as if she was helping me out in some way. I gave her my all. She was my first everything, if I ever tried something for the first time, it would be because of her, hell she even got me to try Mary Jane once. I hate her for it, I really do. She took advantage of me in so many ways and she jsut acted all stupid and oblivious about it. She broke me but didn’t even bother to but my pieces close to each other, she left me broken all over the floor, stepping over me and on me whenever she could.
I wished she had just stayed as a hallway crush. I wish Riki had never asked me what was wrong. I wish I had never gone to Lucías house. I really fucking wish I had never said those things to Jay. I wish I had told my parents the truth and I really wish I had a genie to grant all these wishes.
Some years have passed but the heartbreak and regret remain. Amazingly, my grades were good enough for the college I wanted and the first day of classes I saw Jay. I explained everything you just read and apologized profusely, I still apologize to this day but we are closer than ever. Riki told me Lucía went back to her native country, Chile, he told me she missed it there but he also told me Victoria got into some big trouble for messing with something… I can’t say what it was though. I’m pretty sure Jiung and Jongseob are pursuing careers in music.
I will never forget Victoria in the worst way possible. I hate her with all my heart and I will always always resent her for too many things. I know a lot of the responsibility is on me but still, spare me some slack, I was eighteen and I had never had any female contact in my life. I’m happy I can somewhat joke about it now. It still hurts but I have to move on and that’s what I’m working on right now.
Well, that was the story, a bit boring if you ask me but it’s my life. I would have added a star wars and harry potter crossover but apparently that is “not credible” and “stupid” acording to some Park Jongseong.
I always thought I would fall in love with someone like me, a stereotypical “good person”, responsible, sporty, preppy, smart, clean, put together, basically Lucía. All the girls I had ever been interested in before were like her, granted, I was never in love before but the possiblity of me being attracted to the complete opposite of me seemed very unlikely.
Of course the universe had to prove me wrong.
Sincerely,
Sim Jaeyun.
#enhypen#enhypen sunoo#heeseung#jake sim#jay park#jungwon#sunghoon#jake sim fic#jake sim x oc#good boy gone bad#collab#writing collab#opposites attract#yeonjun#ni ki#park jeongseong#karina#yuna#ryujin#chaeryeong#jiung#jongseob
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Day 337,
Morning thought: I forgot to mention yesterday, but I did manage to find the bracelet outside the house as Maiko and I were setting out. And now I’ve got two on my person since I’d remembered the box with spares exists this time. Not wearing them both at once though. Not quite in the mood to experiment with what that would even do, if anything.
*******
It seems word about Maiko got around enough that the class was disappointed to hear she wouldn’t be around today. I told them that I’d talk to her about coming by some day before the end of the season and that got more than a few cheers. I felt compelled to add that she’s fairly shy and to think about what it would feel like to be the person that everyone in the room is staring at and asking personal questions all at once.
She’s certainly had enough of that lately and I didn’t want a bunch of innocently excited kids going overboard with unwanted attention. For her sake and theirs.
In other student-related news, Saffron came up to me during the lunchtime recess today. She said that she wanted to show me the journal I’d given her last rainy season after she’d had her own Catacomb nightmare. I couldn’t tell if she seemed nervous or embarrassed.
Concerned for her, I asked if she’d had another nightmare or had something happen to her that she wanted me to read about. She said she just wanted to cheer me up. If that one mist night was bad enough that I hadn’t taught class the next day, then maybe I was sad after this last one too.
I had to try hard not to tear up at her concern for me. I was not entirely successful, tried to hide it, and wound up reassuring her that it was a happy sort of tears. That was mostly true. There was some small amount of shame mixed up in there too. I’m the adult, I should be a strong, reassuring role model, not a broken thing the children entrusted to my care and tutelage should feel they have to comfort.
Stop that. That’s not a healthy way to look at an act of kindness. Not a healthy way to look at anything.
I know. But it’s how I felt at the time. And it’s hard to see anything else when you’re in the middle of it.
With practice you’ll get better at it.
Anyway, I spent a few minutes skimming through her journal with her, looking at the spots she wanted me to see and doing my best to ignore the rest. It was mostly drawings. Mostly things from her daily life, but some more imaginative pieces too. It was all very much a child’s hand, but half a year of practice made a visible difference between the newer entries and the older ones. I made a point of complimenting her on her improvement, both the drawing and her handwriting. It was the least I could do in return. And it seemed a proper teacher-ly thing to say. And it was genuine.
So, yeah, that was my day today. Back to yesterday. Where’d I leave off? Oh, right, lunch. Well, immediately after lunch. Although, now that I think about it, it’s probably bears mentioning that during lunch when she was being asked about what she thought of everything Maiko mentioned the crystal collectors’ office had fascinated her. So much light and color in one place. It was the most interest she’d shown in any one thing up until that point. On the other hand, the idea of being kept busy in the dry season and idle in the rainy season was the opposite of what she was interested in. We’ll see if anything comes of that interest I guess.
Anyway, on to the rest of the day. We stayed at Norman and Marva’s until the rain let up again. After that, the one notable spot left on the tour that Pat thought was likely to be of interest was the blacksmith’s workshop. Of course, when we got there no one was home given that Ka’ena would be at the market on market day. So may as well go pay the former blacksmith a visit.
I wonder if the old man thought he was being subtle with that? Saving it for last so that if Lin didn’t show up we’d go to her. At any rate, I was more than ready to blame Pat if things got awkward. Then again, knowing Pat, putting himself in a position where social blame could be redirected toward him was probably part of the plan too.
And things did get awkward. I mean, when a group of five people suddenly show up on your doorstep unexpectedly things are going to get at least a little uncomfortable. Thorough apologies were made to Ka’eo’s wife, Niobe when she answered the door. Thank goodness for Vernon being there. I think he and Pat are probably tied for person in the Village hardest to stay mad at, albeit for different reasons. Then again, I’m more than a little biased.
One explanation of wanting to introduce Maiko to the Village later and we were filing into the house. If there was an upside to all of us having crowded around the doorway, it was that it made Maiko’s presence less immediately obvious and shocking as she hid in the back.
It was Huan that met us next, coming out of Ka’eo’s bedroom to see what the ruckus was about. That was probably the most uncomfortable part of the day. For me anyway. I still had the lingering feeling that he doesn’t care much for me (for whatever reason we always seem to rub eachother the wrong way) and I’d suspected for a while that he wasn’t much of a fan of Maiko without having even met her due to how Lin had wrecked herself over her. And talking to him yesterday only reinforced that. He didn’t say anything explicitly to that end (he was in fact, strictly formal and polite), but the general undercurrent of attitude was there.
Huan didn’t really want unexpected visitors disturbing “a sick man who needs his rest” either, and was quick to point out that Maiko could just go talk to Ka’ena. Fortunately, Pat was able to cajole Huan into at least letting himself and Maiko in alone to talk to the old smith for a time. Said that it would be good for Ka’eo to talk to someone about his life’s passion and give him something to think about besides being sick. Lamented that Huan used to remember how important that sort of thing was to the ailing.
Lin came out in the midst of said cajoling. I’m not sure if she heard what was being said or if she just recognized our voices. She had her neutral-expressioned professional facade up when she entered the room, but I swear I caught it slipping for a moment when she saw Maiko. She was quick to second Pat’s point about giving Ka’eo something else to think about.
And so Pat and Maiko went back to talk to Ka’eo while the rest of us - Lin and Huan included - sat out in Niobe’s kitchen and living room. Were it not for Vernon striking up conversation with Niobe and then dragging Huan into it I fear it would have been a dreadfully silent and long wait. Meanwhile Lin, Cass, and I busied ourselves helping with dishes and laundry. It turns out that helping the elderly and ailing with such chores as they have difficulty with on their own is among the Village doctor’s (and especially the assistant doctor’s) duties. As for myself, I needed something to do with myself other than awkwardly not talk to Huan and Lin didn’t object to the assistance. And, to be honest, I’ve always found doing dishes to be sort of calming.
Whatever the three of them talked about in Ka’eo’s room, they talked for a good long while. Certainly longer than I’d expected. I’ll admit I’m a little disappointed I wasn’t invited to join them; not just because whatever went on that long must have been interesting, but because I’d been meaning to come by and talk to the old blacksmith for a while now. I did get a few moments to pop in and say hello/goodbye later on before we all left, but that wasn’t what I had in mind. Well, perhaps with what Pat said, a future visit from me wouldn’t be so unwelcome afterall.
When Pat and Maiko did eventually emerge from Ka’eo’s room Pat apologized to everyone for rambling on so long reminiscing with an old friend. Niobe told him not to apologize and that she was happy for her husband to have gotten the chance. And then she asked Maiko if she was planning to talk to Ka’ena about apprenticing.
In return Maiko paused long enough that Niobe started to open her mouth to say more when she replied that she was considering it.
After that Vernon asked Maiko if she was still up for looking at a couple of empty houses.
A shorter pause this time before the reply that she was. I got the sense that it was mostly a matter of wanting to just get this all done in one go.
To my surprise, it was Huan who spoke up first telling Lin to let herself take a break and go with us if she wants. She didn’t object, but she did tell him to get some rest himself, and the mask stayed on until we were a ways away from the house. When it did come off, the first thing Lin did was start apologizing for all of that and not being able to make it sooner and then asking Maiko how she was doing.
A whole round of us telling her not to apologize for doing her job and helping someone in need ensued. Maiko said it was all a lot but she was handling it fine.
The two of them didn’t say much to one another on our way to the two empty houses in the Village that Vernon had identified, but the way they kept glancing at one another was enough to get Cass to quietly groan and roll her eyes at them.
As for the houses themselves, there wasn’t a whole lot to say. They were similar to Vernon’s, on the smallish side and sandwiched between neighbors. As I’d suspected when the topic first got brought up a week ago, one of them used to be Bartolome’s. Lin didn’t want to go in that one. Cass and Pat waited outside with her.
Maiko wasn’t really keen on either option. Really, she wasn’t keen on the idea of having neighbors and being surrounded by people. But, she said that if she was going to be in the Village more often she saw how it would be good to have a place to sleep and shelter here.
That’s when Lin brought up the lighthouse. Said that we’d been cleaning it up and it still had a ways to go, but it might be an option eventually.
I wonder how long she’d been planning that, if only subconsciously.
And so, to the lighthouse.
Of course, I got an earful from Cass about not telling her about it sooner, but her joy of having a new place to explore softened that. Pat said he’d pass on taking that many stairs at his age, and Vernon - gentleman that he is - insisted on keeping him company while the rest of us went up.
I’m not sure I’ve seen Maiko so quickly take a liking to something except maybe for warm baths. A good vantage from which to clearly see her surroundings. High enough up that she didn’t feel boxed in like those other houses. Easy escape windows that she doubted anyone could easily follow her through. And, less practically, she found the beacon above the bedroom fascinating.
“A good safe place,” she called it.
Lin was overjoyed to hear she liked it. The way she sort of squealed and hugged Maiko, it was like seeing the old happy, spontaneous Lin from before that night. And, surprised as Maiko was, she actually seemed to relax into that embrace after a moment.
I was happy to see them happy again. Bad times get better. Bridges can mend.
I seem to be reading that message into a lot of things lately. Then again, it’s a message I think I’m in need of lately.
That said, the aforementioned embrace went on long enough that Cass and I started looking away awkwardly. Eventually, Cass coughed to remind them that we were still here and they broke off, blushing. Cass groaned and rolled her eyes before heading to the stairs. A teenager now indeed.
Once we got downstairs and told Pat and Vernon that Maiko liked the place even if it needed some fixing up, Pat said he’d talk to someone about fixing the pipes and refurbishing the mattress. I couldn’t help but shiver at the similarity to what Theo had said the other day.
Afterward, dinner was at Pat’s house. Well, it still needed cooked first, but he’d already handled most of the prep the day before. Pat was the one who suggested that Maiko, Lin, and I head up to Siren Overlook for a bit while we wait and meet back up with him, Vernon, and Cass at his house when it’s time.
Lin asked if we really looked that bad.
Vernon was polite about it, but confirmed yes, we really did.
Cass said that Lin looked like a sun-deprived shrub, Maiko looked like a wild capy backed into a corner, and I looked like me after a mist night.
For the second time that day: I’d take offense at that last one, but she’s not exactly wrong.
The three of us didn’t say much on the way there, while we sat and listened to the wordless song until near dark, or on the way back to Pat’s, but it was a companionable silence. Even more so on the way back.
The one thing that we did spend any significant time talking about was the uncanniness of all three of us having independently and unknown to one another harbored thoughts of wanting to go up there but being unable to fit it into the day’s schedule and then Pat just suggesting it out of the blue. That’s Pat for you. I guess a few centuries of practice reading people will do that.
Dinner went much like lunch, but more subdued. It had been a long, eventful day for all of us. As I wrote last night, I might have overdone it resting under the arch at the Overlook. Somehow out of everyone there Pat seemed to have the most energy. By the end of the night I half expected Lin and Maiko to go home together, but ultimately we all went our separate ways. Pat did offer Maiko a guest bed, but she declined saying she’d rather take some time to herself back in the outskirts.
And then after walking Cass back to Norman and Marva’s I retired to the archive and stayed up writing until I fell asleep at my desk. And then today happened. And now I should give this a rest before I have a repeat of last night.
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Have Your Future With Dean Graziosi
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You probably know this by now, I don't know if you keep up with Whumptober, but one of the prompts this year includes "blindness". I'm not blind but based on your posts about writing blind characters, and based on how I would feel if one of my disabilities were used as a whump prompt, I'm not super comfortable with it. I was wondering what your thoughts are on blindness being a Whumptober prompt.
(unironically and with feeling) thanks, I hate it.
Yes, I’m familiar with Whumptober, but I’ve never participated myself and I haven’t seen this year’s prompts.
Edit: I later did see the prompts and check out the blog. I think it's a good set of prompts and I look forward to all the promising content, especially since some of my favorite tropes are there. To be clear before you read this, I have no problem with Whumptober2021 or whump in general. This is not the first time blindness has been included for a list of whump prompts, and it won't be the last.
This post directed at the concept of "blindness" as a whump prompt and why I think it's a bad idea. The intended audience is individual writers thinking about future projects.
The timing of this is almost too perfect because I read a fanfic earlier this week that would meet that prompt exactly. Tags included whump, blindness, and angst with a happy ending. Now whump, hurt/comfort, and angst with a happy ending are tags I enjoy reading, but blindness as whump has a specific message to it.
To explain that message, I want to discuss what whump is. Many readers are already familiar with the genre, but I think taking the specific definitions and picking apart what it means and what expectations we carry when reading whump fanfiction
Urban Dictionary defines it as: taking a character and putting them through physical and/or mental torment and is typically followed by the same character being treated for their traumas. To indicate the characters place in the situation they’d typically be called a whumpee (the character being hurt/comforted), the whumper (the character that causes harm and trauma), and the caretaker (the character designated the helping/healing/comforting the whumpee).
Fanlore has a page for whump that explains it in depth, including where it started in fanfiction, examples of whump, and even a list of “popular targets” in different fandoms. (Warning: you might find yourself called out on the popular targets list)
“The term whump (or whumping) generally refers to a form of Hurt/Comfort that is heavy on the hurt and is often found in gen stories. The exact definition varies and has evolved over time. Essentially, whump involves taking a canon character, and placing them in physically painful or psychologically-damaging scenarios. Often this character is a fan favorite…”
To add to that, I think an important detail is the distinction Fanlore makes between hurt/comfort and whump:
“While some communities and fandoms may use whump as a synonym for hurt/comfort, there is still a recognition that whump refers to darker and more extreme scenarios. And there are still whump fics been written that have very little, or no comfort at the end of the story.”
The big appeal of hurt/comfort is getting to both explore the darker sides of pain and then experience the catharsis of being taken care of, of being supported by your loved ones as you recover from the trauma. The character is the proxy for experiencing those highs and lows while you yourself are safe at home.
I personally don’t read much/any whump without some h/c involved, but I’m happy there are stories out there for people who do enjoy it. I’m not here to judge what you like reading or what you do to your characters.
What I want is to express how blindness, my disability, used as a whump prompt personally makes me feel and what message it sends to me, to others, and how that message affects my daily life.
Whump undeniably involves watching a character suffer through something painful and traumatic.
My use of the word “suffer” is what I want you to focus on.
Vision loss can be painful and traumatic. I personally developed an anxiety disorder in response to vision loss. Others experience depression. For some it might result in relapsing into old, maladaptive coping mechanisms like drug use, self harm, or eating disorders.
A big part of my anxiety was how people reacted to my vision loss. It was a cause of their stress. They were worried because they genuinely believed I would never live a happy life without normal vision, and that my life would only be struggle and pain.
I recently saw an old friend who hadn’t heard about my vision loss. The conversation was awkward, but the worst part was how they reacted as though I had experienced an insurmountable tragedy. And even when I assured them I’m happy with my life, they clearly didn’t believe me. They acted like I was just lying or in denial.
I love that people want to empathize with my situation and ask themselves what they would do in my situation, but I hate when the conclusion they come to is something along the lines of “I could never do that, I’d be too miserable thinking about everything I lost, I’d never be able to do anything I enjoyed ever again.” But I did go blind. And I’m not miserable, I’m actually happy with the direction my life is going, and I still enjoy my hobbies, even if I engage with them differently.
I’m not suffering. My life didn’t end with vision loss. It’s not ruined, broken, or worthless.
I read a fanfic that was tagged with whump, blindness, and angst with a happy ending. A general synopsis of the plot: the whumpee had gone blind due to a curse. It was true love’s kiss that broke the curse. Even from the summary I knew it was going to end with whumpee being cured somehow and that I’d leave that fanfic vaguely dissatisfied no matter how good the rest of the fanfic was.
I can say this for the fanfic: the whumpee had already accepted that they would likely be blind for the rest of their life, but everyone around them was treating it as a tragedy that needed to be fixed, working tirelessly for a cure despite the whumpee’s protests that they didn’t have to.
It actually hit home to my personal experience.
I still left it dissatisfied with the ending. I might love curse fics in that fandom, and I love the “true love’s kiss” trope, but it wasn’t enough to distract me from the fact that: an actual person out in the world thought the best happy ending, maybe the only happy ending, would be if the character got their sight back.
(note: I clicked kudos and exited out of the story's page because no fanfic writer deserves unsolicited critique or hate, especially for content I consumed for free and at my own volition.)
Why read a story I knew would disappoint me?
Because blindness representation is so damn rare that I feel like I’m wandering in a desert, dying from thirst and desperate for that oasis. But sometimes that oasis is a mirage and the author is unintentionally telling you that your life is actually awful and you’ll never be fully happy like this. And that is a shit mentality to walk through life with.
I don’t appreciate blindness being a whump plot. I hate it. Hundreds (thousands?) of fanfictions featuring blind characters are about to enter the internet and the overall message is going to be “You poor thing! You must be in so much pain, you must be miserable! Who’s going to save you? Who’s going to comfort you? Wouldn’t it be terrible if there was no one in your life to take care of you? You poor helpless thing!”
And I feel objectified. I feel trivialized. The mirage in the desert is going to become a starch, empty room filled with dozens of water bottles, almost all of them poisoned. My representation is going to hurt me personally, and it’s going to reinforce that idea strangers have about how awful my life must be.
(I returned to school this past month, and every day I’m hesitant to tell someone I’m visually impaired because I don’t want to be treated differently. If I’ve managed to pass as sighted this whole time and then suddenly reveal “oh yeah, I’m visually impaired” I feel this instant silence, this pause of awkwardness as people suddenly question how they’re supposed to treat me. They treated me like a person, and now I’m something strange and unfamiliar.)
I’ve worked so hard to improve representation for blind people, to give internet strangers the exposure to a blind person they need to normalize blindness because I hope that if they’re ever so lucky as to meet a blind person, they’ll treat that person with respect. That hope that another person in the blind community will find a friend they feel comfortable and accepted with. I hope that I’ll meet people who accept my blindness as just another aspect of me (like being bisexual or gender fluid or a writer or a cat lover).
Please don’t turn me and my community into a caricature. Don’t erase everything I’ve worked for with this blog.
To be clear, this is not just me saying "I hate the cure trope" again. This is me saying "the purpose of whump is to painfully hurt your favorite character, and I hate that your idea of pain and suffering is my daily (wonderful) life."
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MY FELLOW ANON ARE VIOLATING MY EMOTIONS TODAY 😂 god I’m acc crying. Your writing is amazing. I’m gonna combat the sadness with a wholesome thing of them finding a pup in a bin (or something) a few months after the loss of the first pup (Neji is currently shut down entirely) is like “lol gimme”. Proceeds to take the pup home, put it in his nest scent the lil bean (gender is your choice) and just be like “yeah this mine now”. Any nay sayers are ignored bc it’s still his baby (maybe almost like his pup reincarnated 👀👀) regardless of how baby was obtained. Idk I just think my guy needs some positivity after life kicking the ever loving shit out of him
This is beautiful and you’re right, Neji deserves the world, but I’ll settle with a quiet life and some happiness for my boy!
Okay, so things haven’t been…good with Neji since you had to let your pup die to save him.
It has been two months and still he lays in his nest every day, sometimes crying, sometimes whining, but mostly just staring at nothing. He had incorporated a bunch of baby stuff (blankets, toys etc.) into his nest before he went to the hospital, in order to make his pup feel more at home in the nest when he was supposed to bring them back. You had tried to take them out to stop him having to be confronted with what happened in his safe space, but Neji almost attacked you for doing so, so you let him keep them.
But it’s very concerning when he spends hours at a time just stroking the pup's blankets and staring at nothing.
So, you decide to take Neji on a walk to get him out of the house. It would be his first time leaving the house since the funeral.
You go at night time, because Neji is still refusing any contact with anyone he knows and this way he’s less likely to be confronted when he isn’t ready for it. To make extra sure that you can be alone, you decide to walk around the edge of the woods around one of the quieter training grounds.
Neji doesn’t speak much, but he doesn’t whine or cry either, and the night air brings a little colour to his cheeks, and you’re so happy at the small improvements. It doesn’t matter how long it ends up taking him to feel better, you’ll be here with him the whole way.
…
“I was thinking about cooking something special next week,” you make idle conversation, not expecting Neji to reply. “It’s our anniversary after all, do you have any preference?”
Neji stops walking suddenly. His shoulders are tense.
“Neji?”
He hushes you harshly.
“I can hear…”
Without another word of warning, Neji makes his way a little further into the trees. You follow him, confused and worried.
“Byakugan!” he calls, scanning the area. He gasps as he scans over a nearby bush and immediately he drops to his knees beside it.
“Neji?” you ask, now more than a little concerned. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
You watch as Neji pulls something out of the bush. He turns around with a bundle in his arms.
“It’s a pup,” Neji says, obviously shocked. You can’t blame him, you’re feeling more than a little shocked yourself. What on earth was a pup doing out here? “They’re freezing. Give me your jacket.”
Without hesitance, you quickly slip your jacket of and hand it to Neji who promptly bundles up the pup in it and brings them to his chest. The pup is making small whimpering noises that had been almost impossible to hear over the wind. Neji must have hear them, thank goodness.
“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” Neji coos to the pup. “You’re safe now, I'll take you home and make it better, I promise.”
“We need to get them to the hospital asap," you say, shaking your head. "They must be freezing and they look underweight as well. We’re not mednin, Neji.”
“Our home is closer.”
“Neji…”
“We need to make sure they’re warm,” he argues. “We can bring them home and alert a medic to make a home visit.”
You look at the earnest look on his face and know that he won’t back down, and now isn’t a time for arguments anyway.
“Okay,” you swallow nervously. “We’ll bring them home.”
…
You bring the pup back to your home and before you can protest, Neji brings them into his nest with a mumbled ‘they’ll be warm in there’.
Neji bundles himself and the pup up in the corner of the nest, turning on a little heater beside him, and tucking the pup into his shirt to share body warmth.
“We’ll get you nice and warm, it’s okay, you’re safe, I won’t let anyone harm you,” he whispers while stroking their cheek with a finger. The pup wriggles around, already looking more energetic, and starts mouthing at Neji’s chest.
“Are you hungry?” Neji laughs softly before turning to you. “Go and heat up a bottle for the pup, all the supplies are in the… the nursery.”
You nod dumbly and do as you’re asked, astounded at how much life is in Neji’s eyes. It’s the most life you’ve seen from him in months. But you can’t help but worry. What if Neji gets attached and you can’t keep the pup? Of course, you want nothing more than to keep the baby, it almost seems too good to be true that she literally fell into both your lives at this trying time, but what if it is too good to be true? What if they’re sick? Or their parents are looking for them? Or… something else. Neji doesn’t deserve another heartbreak, and you don’t want to destroy the small amount of progress he’s made in the last month.
But for now, all you can do is heat up the bottle.
…
“Here, it’s a good temperature, I already checked,” you pass Neji the bottle. He checks it again anyway and you can’t help but smile at how overprotective and parental he's being. It's so bittersweet to see him like this.
“Here you go sweetheart, just for you,” Neji smiles, cradling the pup as they latch onto the bottle with fervour. “Shh, shh, shh, slow down, it’s not going anywhere.”
Neji feeds the pup and then burps them, and you pretend you can’t see him smiling when he notices that they are starting to smell like him. You need to know you can keep her before you let him get even more attached.
“I’m going to send a clone for a medic, now.”
The room became tense all at once.
“They’re fine, I’m looking after them,” Neji protests.
“I know, and you’re doing a good job, but we still need a medic, Neji.”
Neji holds the pup more tightly to his chest, tucking an extra blanket around them. He's using the special blanket you had got commissioned for your pup. You can feel your heart break at the sight. He's already attached. Now you just have to hope you can keep them. For his sake.
“I don’t want them to take the pup away like last time,” Neji admits softly. "I can look after them, I won't let anything happen like last time, I promise. They'll be safe, we don't need a medic."
“We need to know their primary and secondary gender, omega, and we need to make sure they aren’t sick after being left in the woods…”
Neji hesitates but nods his consent in the end after you explain that your pup could become ill if left untreated. You don’t tell him that you are also sending a clone to the Hokage. Naruto will be able to grant you and Neji the right to keep the pup, and you hope that as Neji’s friend, he’ll be able to see how much he needs this.
…
You have to move Neji and the pup downstairs to wait for the medic, because Neji would not appreciate someone unknown seeing his nest he made for his pup. He’s not expecting Naruto to show up as well so you go to the door to intercept and prep them both.
“Thank you so much for coming, Naruto, I can’t tell you how much this means to me and Neji,” you say, hugging him as he walks through the door.
“I’m going to do everything I can,” he promises. “If the medic finds signs of long-term neglect, I can take the parental rights away from the biological parents straight away, even if I don't know who they are, and transfer you the rights.”
Your face visibly brightens, but Naruto continues.
“But if the only injuries are from laying in the forest for a few hours, I’ll have to try and find the parents first, because the child may have been taken from them by force, when the pup was otherwise a healthy baby being looked after sufficiently. In that circumstance, I’ll have to take the child back with me and put them in foster care until a three-month window has passed. And if the parents are found…”
“I know,” you sigh. “Let’s just get this done as soon as possible.”
The three of you walk into the living to see Neji cradling the pup tightly against his chest.
“Hey Neji,” Naruto greets softly with a sad smile. “I haven’t seen you around for a while.”
Neji tenses upon seeing Naruto.
“Naruto? Why are you here?” Neji clearly misinterprets the situation, holding the pup even more tightly and turning accusatory eyes against you. “Why did you bring him here?”
“I’m here to determine whether the pup was abandoned or kidnapped to the best of my abilities, once we have that done, we can decide how things are going to happen, okay?”
“How do you decide that?” Neji asks with distrustful eyes.
“The medic will give them a check-up, completely routine, I promise,” Naruto speaks with a soft voice like he’s talking to a cornered animal. Well, you look at Neji for a moment who is coiled as tightly as spring, he’s not far off.
It takes about five minutes for you to convince Neji to let go of the pup and hand them to the mednin, and then the next fifteen minutes involve you holding him in your arms to stop him wrestling the pup back from the mednin.
And then, rather ominously, the mednin pulls Naruto aside to talk.
Neji is shaking in your arms.
“It’s okay, calm down, Neji,” you try to comfort him.
“I can’t-“ Neji chokes, hands fisting in your shirt. “He has our pup, you let them take our pup.”
You don’t bother to correct him on his use of ‘our’, knowing it would only upset him more.
“I know baby, but they need to see that they’re healthy, nothing’s wrong, just breathe.”
Neji doesn’t take your advice.
"Last time they took them-"
"This isn't like last time, omega. Come one, try and settle down a little, that's it."
...
Naruto eventually walks back in, holding the pup securely, the mednin nowhere to be seen.
“So,” Naruto says seriously. And then his face breaks out into a wide grin. “Am I right in thinking you want to adopt?”
You can almost feel your relief in the air. Thanking every power that be for this stroke of luck. Losing this pup could have easily meant losing your mate, and the gravity of the situation all comes crashing down at once. Neji looks as though he is feeling much the same.
“Give me them,” he orders, arms out.
“Her,” Naruto corrects. “The mednin said she’s a female alpha.”
Tears start welling up in Neji’s eyes as he takes her. Their bio pup was a female alpha, too.
“Thank you,” he whispers to no one, holding his new pup as tightly as he dared. ���I’ve got you now, you’re safe and sound with me, I won’t let anything hurt you ever again.”
Naruto slips out of the house without a fuss, dropping the mednin’s recommendations for feeding the underweight pup on the coffee table.
...
You and Neji take your new pup upstairs and bundle her back into the nest. Neji lays down with her, stroking her cheek as he watches her sleep.
“You need to get some rest too, omega,” you suggest, running a hand down Neji’s back.
“Guard?” he asks in response.
“Yes," you smile at his protective instincts. "I’ll guard the nest while you sleep, I promise.”
“Okay, alpha…” Neji settles down, still with one hand resting on the pup. “But if I don’t wake up when she cries, wake me… I want to be the one to feed her.”
You laugh gently, “Of course, now get some sleep. I’ll guard you both.”
#neji x reader#omega!neji#alpha!reader#alpha reader#a/b/o#omegaverse#tw:grief#reader insert#headcanons#naruto#alpha x omega#gn reader#gender neutral reader
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