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beigehearts · 3 years

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I actually really like this idea and have been thinking about it but was wondering if it was too- sensitive? But now that I know others want it I will write it. Please please please do not read this is you are sensitive to the subject.

TRIGGER WARNING CONTENT WARNING attempted s uicide, mentions of s uicide

Yandere Adult Trio when you try to commit s uicide drabbles

Hisoka

You were desperate to escape this sadistic and cruel kidnapper. He took you from your home, and into somewhere unknown. It took you a while to realize why he wanted you at all... The reason shook your entire being- he claimed that you were meant to be his. That no one else could have you because you belong to him, he is the only person capable of loving you. He has drilled this into your brain but you never let it stick.

Nothing has worked, you tried attacking him, pretending to be sick, escape attempts: it all ends up with you in pain. How can someone who claims to love you, and holds you so closely, hurt you in the ways he has. It’s hard to admit but he had to put a splint on your wrist, after breaking it when you tried to run.

There’s only one option left. You can’t make it out of here alive, so you won’t. the place he has you is very confusing, the door is locked, and you can only assume there is a hallway outside of it. But when you look out of the window, you can barely see the ground because of how high up you are. That’s your escape.

It’s a large window that you will have to pry open. Hisoka does leave you alone occasionally but also leaves no room for escape. Though you don’t think he’s factored in self sabotage.

You have no idea where he is, but the moment he left you ran to the window. You grip the edge with your fingers and pull as hard as you can. Your hands begin to go white against the pressure, until you here a tiny “click”. You go flying back when the window shoots open in front of you. This is your chance. And on the off chance you survive- you’ll figure something out.

The wind is blowing, and is quite chilly. When you step out on the slight edge of the outside wall, your heart begins to pound. It’s time.

Wind whistles in your ears and your heart is pounding so hard you wonder why it hasn’t popped out of your chest. For a moment it feels like you’re flying- and you feel peace at last. This was never how you expected to go out, but it will have to do. You close your eyes and accept your fate, falling so fastly that you look like a blur.

‘Glump’. You bounce upwards and all the air in your body is knocked out of you. You’re left hanging outside of the building, still unable to see the ground despite how long you had been falling. It feels as if someone is holding your leg, the rest of your body dangling upside down. Just barely you manage to crane your head upwards- you’re floating?

You take a closer look, at the window which you fell from, is Hisoka waving down at you as if you didn’t just jump off the building. There is no escape... There is no escape from this nightmare. You’re pulled upwards until Hisoka grabs your body with his hands and pulls you back through the window.

You’re gasping for air, shock setting into your body and leaving you shaking. He smiles down at you, and sets you down on the shared bed. “I didn’t think you would go that far my pet.”

His gaze is burning holes through your head, but you’re more worried about not hyperventilating. He sits down next to you, a smile still on his face. Before you know it, there is no chance of catching your breath. His hand is wrapped tightly around your throat and you let out a weak excuse for a gasp.

“Oh my sweet pet. Please don’t do that again. I might have to punish you, but I’ll let you off this once since you look so cute this way.”

Illumi (fem!reader)

You just can’t take it anymore. The torture that he calls training. The extreme punishments that have left you with scars. The promise that you will be the mother of his child. And if not, you are useless. Your back is covered in scars, all from whips and chains that he has used as ‘discipline’ even if you were doing as you were told. Eventually he said, “I love you. My wife to be. The future mother of my children. It is only natural that I try to make you be better.”

If his version of making you better is torture then that’s not happening. At this point you would rather die than endure what he has put you through. He is thorough in keeping the room you are in “baby proofed”. There’s not a single sharp corner, no sharp objects, and no weapons of any kind. The lights are implanted in the ceiling so it’s not like you could use a lamp for anything.

The thought of attacking him is out of the question. You must find something for yourself. Eventually you find something that might work. He brings in plastic plates for you to eat off of. You’re sure if you attacked him with a plate he would make you eat off of the floor. You already have to eat with your hands.

You take the plate and bend it until it cracks, and splits in half. You continue to break it up into small pieces until you have something resembling a triangle with two soft edges and one sharp. Luckily he gives you hard plastic plates and not styrofoam ones, he has some class it seems.

Might as well get comfortable. You put some pillows and blankets down on the soft carpet and make a small bed to lay on. You sit up and find that you’re shaking. Your hands are shaking- but that’s to be expected. You put the piece of plastic against your wrist, it’s cold.

Does this mean you’ll be reborn? Or is there nothing after this? Either way, it must be better than this. You imagine a beautiful field where the grass is as soft as pillows and the sun shines just enough for you to feel warmth. There’s nothing for miles except for grass and you. The grass is cushioning you, making it comfortable to lay. You close your eyes and begin to move your hand downwards. Get it over with.

You pull your arm up so you can make a quick motion downwards but before you can... A hand grabs your wrist holding the plastic so tightly that you hear it crack, and are forced to drop the plastic.

You open your eyes and look up at the man above you. His face continues to show no emotion, but the grip on your wrist does. He is very angry. He lifts you up by your wrist and you hear another loud crack and squeal out in pain. You’re face to face, he’s holding you above the ground so your feet don’t touch, but all the strain is on your one wrist. If it’s not dislocated and broken by now, it would be a miracle.

In his usual commanding but monotone voice he says, “I cannot allow anyone to hurt the future mother of my kids.” He drops you on the ground and your knees take all of the force. “Even if it is the mother herself.”

He huffs and pulls a needle from his shoulder, “I suppose I must control you until you are stable. Or until you can bare my child.”

Chrollo

Honestly it could be worst. Though being held against your will does take a large toll on you. You’re fed everyday and can bathe and can read whenever and whatever. It’s like free living, though prison is also rent free. He is always so soothing and kind, offering to do things for you, get things for you, make things for you. It really seems like he wants to make you happy.

He has been very honest and open with you. He claims he loves you and that he couldn’t let anyone else have a moment in the presence of your beauty. He seems normal until you realize you’ve been kidnapped. You wonder if you would have every suspected him to be crazy if you met him on the street. Truthfully, probably not.

There are probably people in the world who would be grateful for what you have even if it is completely and utterly against your will. But that’s not the full picture. He’s so kind and says such nice things to you. Until you upset him. He never hurts you, and he never touches you aggressively. His threats are what destroy you, his threats that are not empty.

One day you had pushed him away and told him to ‘fuck off’. He became very angry but continued to smile. He walked up to you real slowly and said in a calm voice “I’ll kill your ex and leave their corpse here.” He was not lying. The very next day when you woke up, there was the corpse of your ex. Laying on the floor, staining it with blood and what remains of their organs.

After setting that example he became more subtle. If you could even call it subtle. Whenever you upset or pissed him off, you might find a finger in a bowl, with a ring that you gave your friend on it. You had seen many dismembered body parts- but that’s when you learned to keep your silence and obey lest everyone you love die.

There’s one way out of here and it’s not by escaping. You ripped up some towels and tied them into a noose. Somehow it seemed like it would work.

You stand on the wooden chair, taking long deep breaths, accepting your fate. The makeshift rope hangs from the ceiling, you grab onto it and get ready to put your head through it. Right as you go to reach your head through, the chair underneath you buckles and you fall to the ground with a loud thud.

You feel strong arms wrap around you. How did he get here? When did he get here? He pulls you onto his lap and begins rocking you.

“Oh it looks like you’ve split the back of your head open.” He touches the back of your head and shows his bloodied hand to you as proof. “I had no idea you were feeling like this. You could have told me.”

He kisses your forehead gently but you already know that these actions will accompany something else.

“Unless you were trying to escape me.” He chuckles and holds you firmly against his chest. “Then we would have a problem, wouldn’t we?”

#chrollo #chrollo lucilfer #chrollo x reader #yandere chrollo #illumi #illumi zoldyck #illumi x reader #yandere illumi #hisoka #hisoka morrow #hisoka x reader #yandere hisoka #adult trio #adult trio x reader #yandere adult trio #hxh #hunter x hunter #phantom troupe

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thehomothings · 3 years

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Analysis of Kite's conflicting moralities, relationship with death, and the toll reincarnation may take on one's psyche

So, today I decided to compile all the thoughts I have had about Kite's interesting worldview since the first time I saw him into one post, mostly for my own sake, really. If you're familiar with the few posts I've made, you know it's gonna be a mess, but hopefully a comprehensible mess.

A heads up, this is going to be spoiler-heavy, and very much deal with subjects of death and dying as a whole. Also, some of these conclusions are drawn from my own experiences and close brushes with death, I'm not going to go into much detail but it might get personal and definitely dark. I'm not even sure if I can call this a meta-analysis, and I'm obviously no expert, so mayhaps take all of this with a grain of salt.

Been getting into drawing lately, and during the more simple and mindless part of the painstaking process of dotting every single star in this, I let my thoughts wander through the latest part of the fic I'm writing, and I got a better grasp on what exactly made Kite such an elusive character to me.

I'm not quite sure why I got so attached to Kite. Perhaps it was the air of tragedy surrounding him, how despite his sordid past he remained still open and gentle even if outlined by a healthy dose of cynicism.

But sometimes, I think it's the fact that he is so paradoxical. He's brave, yet fears death to such a degree that creates a whole Nen ability around it, is a pacifist yet will not hesitate to spill blood for his own sake or someone else's. Despite the many ultimatums and warnings of 'I will not protect you', he gave his arm and then his life to save Gon and Killua. He approaches each hunt and battle with a clear plan of action in mind, but his Hatsu takes the form of a roulette that gives him random weapons which are never what he wants, but what he seems to need for that exact situation, which he cannot dispel without using. When he draws a weapon, the decision is locked in and his or his opponent's fate is sealed. That's why each time he dubbs his weapon a bad roll. Every time he has to gamble, he sees himself as having run out of luck. When it comes to having to choose between himself and somebody else...well, there had never been a choice. In fact his aversion to using it may feed into its sheer power that we, unfortunately, saw too little of.

Let's go over his very first appearance when he saves Gon from the mother Foxbear.

It's not hard to see the strain searching for Ging has put on him; he's rash, prone to anger and punching a child for daring to get into trouble. In his mind, he's failing at his most important task, has not yet earned the right to call himself a hunter despite being in possession of his very own hunter license.

After killing the mother Foxbear and raging about having done so, he says this interesting line:

So yes, he finds killing for any reason rather irksome as most would do, yet I think something deeper caused him to absolutely lose it in this scene:

He had not been aware of Gon's identity, and despite being an animal lover and a naturalist, he made a choice to save the human instead of allowing nature to run its course. In fact, he says: 'No beast that harms a human must be allowed to live.'

How does one weight one life against another? How is the worth of it determined? The value of life... an impossible choice he's faced with and a choice which he seems to regret to some degree.

The Foxbear cub.

Here, he's speaking from experience, a tangible loss he has felt himself, and a hard and bitter life he does not want to impose on the cub.

His backstory is exclusive to the 2011 anime adaptation but there are hints alluding to it in the manga, for example, the fact that he does not seem to know his birthplace, or:

The choice of words is chilling.

Reading between the lines, one could draw the conclusion that he is an orphan. Something supporting this hypothesis is how he visibly deflates after Gon tells him his parents have (presumably) died.

So we see he is willing to go against his own moral code of not killing as to not doom another living being to the life he led, a lonely, hopeless existence that could barely be called one. He saw it best to put down the cub rather than leave it to die a painful, slow death.

The reason Kite himself isn't as cynical and cold-hearted as one would be after witnessing cruelty in its rawest form is those small crumbs of human kindness which he may have found in Ging.

It was not only a chance at an honorable life being Ging's apprentice gave him, but it also 'saved' him from being broken and twisted into what he hated and worst of all, death.

If we take that one minute of backstory as canon to his character-which I find myself inclined to do- these quirks of his make much more sense. He lived on the run. He lived on the knife's edge between giving up or pushing forwards. He lived as so a wrong move could be the difference between survival and the end.

Between rock and a hard place creates a mentality of black and white, absolute good or extreme evil, this or that. Except in reality, it's much harder than that. Deciding who to save and who to strike down is a heavy burden to bear.

It's almost easy to see how struggling to keep surviving could lend itself to a crippling fear of death and subsequently developing a Nen ability which once more goes against his own moral code in order to give himself a second chance...yet something about it strikes me as unlikely when I look at it this way.

Living life knowing it could end at any moment has the opposite effect, at least for me it did. One comes to accept that it is fleeting and while not eager to let it go, when death eventually and inevitably does come, there is no fighting it.

Especially when there is no hope that tomorrow will be a better day than this one.

Frequent near-death experiences numb one's fear in a way, even if it drives them to take precautions that render it unlikely to happen again and results in c-PTSD, but still, it does. It sparks a certain nihilistic view of 'if it all can end so easily, then what's the point of it all?'

Unless there are things to live for, a sure promise of a better future, and Ging gave Kite that. When he faced the threat of losing his second chance at life:

Really, what else could lead someone to develop the ability of 'the hell I'm going to die like this'?

I think a separate event, an even more brutal near-death experience that almost cost him his life as the hunter he so strived to be set him off to develop the secret roll of Crazy Slots, what I call Roll No.0, Ars moriendi. Unlike other weapons, it cannot come up in random and is directly summoned by him, or better said, summon by his overwhelming will to keep going and hopelessness of fighting a losing battle. I don't believe roll No.3 was the weapon that allowed him to reincarnate. I've named that one Wand of Fortune, a sort of armor instead of an offensive weapon since I find it hard to believe Kite, a Conjurer, would not focus on defences as well, and I will go into both mechanisms of these weapons hopefully in his backstory.

Despite knowing this battle to be a pointless one and being acutely aware of his soon to be demise, he did not immediately draw Ars moriendi, no, he stayed back and fought for the sake of the boys, kept Neferpitou occupied until they could reach safety. We can see evidence of this in the aftermath of the battle that seemed to have gone on until dawn, a torn apart landscape only signaling a fraction of the devastation that was Kite's power unleashed. It still wasn't enough.

In the anime sub I watched, when Gon apologizes to Ging about Kite's death, Ging said a sentence that infuriated me, because it belittled the utter suffering of the NGL trio.

"He would not die in your place." (No screenshot, sorry)

And I remember practically shouting at the screen, screaming 'how could you possibly say that? Of course he did. He absolutely did die in their place. How could you not know your own apprentice? Why-'

It was only last night that it hit me why Ging would say that.

Once upon a time, maybe Kite would not have given his life for anybody under any circumstances, even if he had a way out of it all. He would still need to die to come back to life.

His Thanatophobia could be attributed to the (possibly untreated) PTSD of the near-death experience in his later life, being so certain of dying that finding himself alive afterwards drove him to never want to go through that again. He quieted his fear by creating a sort of a loophole, that even if he lost the battle he would remain. Ging remembered that, but as evidence shows, something changed. Maybe he healed a bit, perhaps growing up dulled his fear to a certain degree, but eventually when it came down to his life or another's, he didn't choose himself.

Now, I can hear you saying 'but he didn't die, so what are you going on about??' And so I reply: Yes, he is alive, but he did die. He experienced that painful, horrible moment of staring death in the eyes and thinking 'This is it, this is the end', went through the actual process of having his soul removed from his body. And that moment stretches into infinity, ten lifetimes condensed into the mere seconds before oblivion.

Dying isn't so hard if one stays dead.

It's not so easy to open one's eyes and find oneself alive again after that, no matter how much that is the heart's desire. It's difficult, nigh-impossible to reconcile with life and walk amongst the living when everything had been so final, when death had been accepted to its fullest.

So Kite awakens, the twin of Meruem and back from the dead, his mind and identity both intact and fractured. In that he is Kite is no mistaking, yet he is not the same gentle pacifist whose first reaction upon sensing a monster's aura was to shield two kids from it at the cost of his arm.

I don't think many of you are familiar with Zoroastrian ideology, but Togashi is known for loving his religious imagery, and it's not only Christianism he derives inspiration from (evidence of which can be seen all over Kite's character and resurrection).

In Zurvanism-a branch of Zoroastrianism- there is talk of the twin spirits: Ahura Mazda -epitome of all that is good- and Ahriman -epitome of all that is evil-, the parent god Zurvin decides that the firstborn may rule in order to bring "heaven, hell, and everything in between."

Upon becoming aware of this fact, Ahriman forcibly tears through the womb to emerge first. Sounding familiar yet?

Zurvan relents to this turn of events only on one condition: Ahriman is given kingship for 9000 years, and then Ahura Mazda may rule for eternity.

Meruem ruled for 40 days, his death leaving the throne vacant for ant Kite, wearing a dead girl's face and seeming to be brewing some nefarious plan. No more is there any sign of that unrelenting pacifism and the sanctity of life he held so high, losing his own may have only served to show him how meaningless the pain and suffering he went through had been, dying only to be reborn as a member of the species that killed him. It may be that he has no desire to rule over the remaining Chimera ants or create an army of his own-

Yet I dread to think what a broken mind possessing limitless power might do to the world.

And that's it. If you made it this far, thank you for reading! If you found it interesting, stay tuned, as I think a lot and I will make it your problem.

#Cw: talks of death and PTSD #When I say I unknowingly projected onto him #I can't tell if writing this was cathartic or torturous #and I gave myself heart palpitations so this is enough for today #And yes I refer to ant Kite by he/him pronouns because misgendering him on the account of his body being afab is just ignorant #even if I think skrunkly's genderqueer af and actually wouldn't mind she/her #still i wanna push the trans ant kite agenda #So yes this is how I unknowingly picked up Kite as a coping mechanism even if out attitudes towards death are practically opposites #don't mind your grandpa trauma dumping #What I'm saying is get ant Kite therapy before he sinks the world #I love reimagining Kite as a villain and I don't know why #Kite hxh #hxh kite #kite hunter x hunter #kaito hxh #hxh #hunter x hunter #meta analysis #theories #fic rambles #Icarus waffles #Kitkat #gon freccs #Ging freecss

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cheshiresartblog · 3 years

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Quirk Ranking AU Stuff

Au based on @hey-hamlet ‘s Quirk Ranking au that stole my heart a while back. This au was the base for many a good roleplays with me and my friend. I love all of your aus btw. They’re all fun af.

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So basically in this au in the beginning of the rooftop squad’s second year in UA the laws for the systematic ranking of quirks on a color coded danger scale was passed. This being said everyone had to have their quirks tested with the ranks being the following:

Gray - Quirkless Green - Benign/harmless quirks Blue - Quirks that cause temporary and mild effects on others Yellow - When quirks start to get a bit more dangerous but are still controllable Orange - Quirks start to get more uncontrollable here and restrictions start being placed on people here. Red - The straight out dangerous quirks. There’s lots of restrictions. They’re both revered in a sense since they can make powerful heroes, but discriminated against because they are feared. Then there’s probably special rankings for those beyond the scope of Red, like All Might, but I’ve been focusing on the Rooftop Squad so...

Ranks are told through a metal bracelet on the left wrist. It need to placed over a scanner to enter places and people who own businesses can set the scanner on what ranks they allow in. There’s also a glowing strip of color going through the center of the bracelet showing the person’s rank color. It’s waterproof and very durable so it’s almost never removed unless there’s a rank change or it needs to be removed by a doctor. The ones on heroes are special because they also act as trackers and can measure the hero’s vitals. Ranking bracelets, though, can be faked and a lot of villains do this to get by in life without detection. Some people make good money supplying these fake bracelets.

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So the conflict begins with the ranking tests, which marks the squad as the following:

Shouta - Blue Rank due to the fact Erasure is only in effect as long as Shouta doesn’t blink and has his eyes on someone.

Oboro - Yellow Rank after further quirk testing, which revealed his ability to make (unstable) storm clouds.

Hizashi - Red Rank upon being taken for further testing and being pushed to his limits.

Nemuri - Yellow Rank due to the fact she sends people to sleep and that can cause dangerous situations and it does not wear off right away.

For some backstory, Oboro, Hizashi and Nemuri all knew each other before UA and are very very close knit. Shouta’s the latest member to their little group after being pretty much dragged into the group by Hizashi and Oboro in their first year. At the point of the ranking tests Shouta and Hizashi are also dating, having gotten together at the end of their first year.

That being said, Hizashi finds out really really quickly that his Red rank now dictates his life, where he can go and how he’s treated. He’s treated like a ticking timebomb basically. He first starts to realize this when a music store he used to go to to get CDs’s door won’t open for him. He keeps trying and eventually the owner tells him to leave. Also his training as a hero starts to become overwelmingly intensive and they expect so much more out of him than the other students ranked below him.

Needless to say Hizashi is not happy whatsoever. Neither are Oboro and Nemuri. The three of them start to privately plan to leave UA entirely. They can’t support a system like this.

Shouta, meanwhile, is in a different kind of situation. The ranking tests was another way for the Commission to stake out those with quirks that could be useful to them, and what could be more useful than a quirk that can turn off others? So, Shouta’s approached about a week after the tests by a Commission official (that gives off Umbridge vibes honestly) and she basically blackmails a 16 year old kid into signing a contract. Shouta’s mother in this is very ill, they’re going into debt for her hospital bills and she’s only receiving what she can afford as treatment. The Commission offers Shouta not only to pay his bills but to pay for the best possible treatment for his mother. Just, “You want to be a hero, don’t you? You can start by helping your mother.” And other things like that. He basically is blackmailed into signing on to be one of the Commission’s dogs...they own him after he puts that pen to paper.

It happens super quickly, honestly. A bit after Shouta signs Hizashi and the others approach Shouta with their plan and ask him to run away with them. Shouta tries to tell them he can’t, but the minute he hesitates and says he can’t they never don’t give him the moment to explain why. So used to discrimination due to his rank now Hizashi impulsively assumes that it’s because he’s a Red Shouta doesn’t want to join them and effectively puts words in his boyfriend’s mouth. It’s a huge 3 vs 1 verbal fight and it ends with a rough break up and Shouta being basically left there in shock, and the trio disappearing about a week later.

From there Shouta’s life quickly spirals into hell. The training is cruel and grueling. His handler (The Umbridge vibes lady) is awful and single handedly drives Shouta back into the closet. She starts to control his diet, how he dresses and how he presents himself. He’s thrust from being a future underground hero into being a future limelight hero. He learns how to fake a smile really really fast and starts outwardly acting like the modest and eager hero hopeful his handler wants him to be. She changes his hero outfit to have a bit more “appeal”, aka be a bit more skin tight and streamline, throws out his goggles and replaces them with a visor because “They were ugly” and makes him wear his rank color in his costume to flaunt it. Even has his hair cut because his hair is an “disgusting bird’s nest”.

Shouta also keeps everyone at arms length due to what happened between him and the trio and also the very few times afterwards he gotten close enough to someone again to be honest with some things like his opinions on the ranking system (it’s stupid and illogical) and his sexuality, it got back to his handler and the punishment was harsh to say the least. Right now the only people he kind of considers friends are Tensei, Emi, Hawks and somewhat Fat Gum due to working together a bit. Also it doesn’t help that every time he gets into a conflict with one of the trio, who are now big time villains, they’re either quite cold or very harsh.

Shouta is literally two steps from having a mental breakdown by the time it gets to the point where class 1-A’s a thing.

Meanwhile, Hizashi, Oboro and Nemuri ran away from everything, surviving on the streets for a while before being picked up by a villain gang and being taken in by them, all getting fake ranking bracelets and beginning their careers as villains. They left that gang to strike it out as a villain trio once they were sure of themselves since they had a different goal. They aim to take down the commission and abolish the ranking system once and for all. They became known as Overcast, Reverb and Nightfall.

Nemuri, being protective of her boys and especially Hizashi at this point, is honestly the most harsh to Shouta when they occasionally face off, meanwhile Oboro is cold but hits hard and Hizashi is just absolutely frigged.

LOV does approach them but they do not join them...at least probably not at first.

There it is, there’s the AU :)

Enjoy the pain.

#ranking system au #bnha au #erasermic #shouta aizawa #aizawa shouta #shirakumo oboro #oboro shirakumo #villain oboro shirakumo #hizashi yamada #yamada hizashi #villain present mic #bnha villian au #bnha midnight #nemuri kayama #kayama nemuri #villain midnight #lovers to enemies to lovers

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angelltheninth · 3 years

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One Hell of a Birthday (Human!Angel Dust x Human!Alastor)

This fic was a lot of fun to work on. It was written for @rottmntrulesall

Title: One Hell of a Birthday

Pairing: Angel Dust x Alastor

Tags: fluff, married life, kids, birthday celebrations

Word count: 1434

Angel hummed a birthday song as Alastor fixed his tie.

“Stop fidgeting. You’re worse than Alessandra.” Alastor chided as he finally manged to tie it properly.

“I’m excited! Aren’t you? Its her first birthday!” Angel did a little happy dance on his way to the mirror. His white hair was still messy but he somehow made it look neat. He wore a light pink undershirt and insisted on a white tie despite it not being a formal event, it was just a birthday party after all.

“No daughter of mine will her her dad looking like a lazy bum on her birthday. That’s Uncle Husk’s job.” Angel argued when Alastor brought up the issue.

He completed his outfit with light gray pants and black shoes. Alastor on the other hand wore his signature bow tie complete with dark red overalls and a black vest with matching black pants. His red and black hair was tied into a neat ponytail. A complete contrast to his husband.

“You look nice.” Angel looked over his shoulder in the mirror, “Just so you know.” He emphasized his compliment with a wink.

Alastor rolled his eyes affectionately. He never imagined himself dating much less married to Angel. They were complete opposites in every way, but maybe that’s why there were such a good match.

“Let’s go, before the guests get here.” Alastor walked into the living room where Alessandra, their little girl sat and hummed.

She had long blonde hair and emerald eyes. She was dressed in a light pink dress with a little red flower silhouette on the bottom. She smiled as she saw Alastor approaching and lifted her hands up for a hug.

“How’s my little deer. Excited?” Alessandra nodded rapidly, wrapping her arms around Alastor’s neck.

“Dada.” She said happly.

“Did someone call me?” Angel emerged from the bedroom, skipping over to Alastor and Alessandra. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, making the little one giggle.

“Dada.” This time she looked at Alastor, who could only smile and kiss the little girl. She’s one of the only people who could turn him into mush.

Suddenly a bell rang.

“That would be our guests.” Angel commented as he took Alessandra into his arms, Alastor walking to the door to open them.

There stood a rather rugged looking man in a simple black shirt with a white line running across each of the sleeves. He had loose fitting jeans and was holding a colorful bag.

“Brought a gift for the little miss.” He shoved the gift into Alastor’s hands and walked past him, “Hey little rascal.”

“Hey Husk!” Angel greeted him with a big smile.

“I meant the girl you shit.” Husk came up to Alessandra and ruffled her hair gently, “Hey kid, happy one year of surviving these two being your dads.”

Alessandra just laughed at his joke making Husk crack one of his rare smiles.

Before Alastor could close there door there was a rapid sound of footsteps running down the hall. A short woman came to a stop before Alastor, taking deep breaths.

“Am I late?” She spoke out of breath.

“You’re early as always Niftty.” Alastor chuckled as he looked down at one of his oldest friends.

Niffty looked up, a smile plastered across her face. She had short magenta colored hair with a matching dress, “Here hold this!” Niffty also shoved a colorful bag into Alastor’s hands and made a beeline for Angel and Alessandra.

“Hello!” Niffty jumped around excitedly, out of all their friends she always had the most energy. She made funny faces at Alessandra, laughing along with the baby as well as Angel.

Alastor closed the door and was about to step away when another knock stopped him, this time he opened a door with a huge smile, “Charlie!”

“Hey Al.” The blonde woman waved at him, while the woman holding her hand just nodded at him.

“I’m just here to see the little one.” Vaggie spoke, but not in her usual annoyed tone, this one was much softer, something Alastor didn’t get to hear that often but Charlie assured him that it was how Vaggie always sounded. Yeah maybe around her.

Charlie and Vaggie were, much like Angel and Alastor, complete opposites. Charlie was quite pale while Vaggie was dark skinned, Charlie dressed in a lot of red and black while Vaggie dressed in white, gray and pink tones. Charlie was a ball of sunshine, always smiling, while Vaggie was serious. But Alastor never saw a couple that worked better then them. Other than maybe himself and Angel.

Another gift was placed into Alastor’s arms as the two ladies entered the apartment.

“Hay little strawberry!” Charlie said in a sing-song voice as she approached Alessandra, kissing her cheeks over and over.

“Easy hon. Give her space to breathe.” Vaggie walked next to her placing a single kiss on Alessandra’s forehead.

Alastor sighed. Finally everyone was here, which meant that he could close the door and put down the gifts. He put them in Alessandra’s room, they’ll unpack them later.

He made his way back into the living room.

“Alright, now that everyone’s here, thank you for being here for Alessandra’s first birthday without further ado, lets celebrate!” Angel hollered, cheers erupting from everyone in the room.

The next hour was filled with chatting and eating food, Alastor’s cooking of course. After the meal was had they all gathered back in the living room for songs and cake. With the exception of Niffty who sang from the kitchen, she insisted on washing the dishes.

Alessandra sat in Angel’s lap while Alastor held her little hand.

Charlie awed as she watched them, “Vaggie, I want one!”

“I know, you told me, multiple time in fact as we drove over here.” Vaggie intertwined her fingers with Charlie’s, “Someday soon ok?”

“Really?” Charlie looked over at her wife with starry eyes.

“Yeah.” Vaggie blushed and averted her gaze.

“Oh honey!” Charlie practically jumped on her, kissing her cheeks.

“Hey, hey. Congratulations and all that but don’t make out in front of my kid.” Angel chided.

“Oh like she hasn’t seen worse.” Vaggie bit back, narrowing her eyes.

“Of course. She’s seen and heard Husk singing while drunk.” Alastor laughed, looking over at his grumpy friend.

“That was one time you asshole!” Husk growled.

“Language!” Charlie yelled at him.

“Oh come on! Now even the dads care, I’m sure Angel cursed a hundred times a day. In fact I’m surprised the kid isn’t saying any curse words already.” Husk gestured to the family trio.

“I mean, he’s not that wrong.” Angel just shrugged with a chuckle.

Niffty appeared next to Husk, “I think Alastor is a great influence.”

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Husk practically jumped out of his skin, “How the hell do you do that.”

“I’m tiny and quick.” Niffty just shrugged, “Now, who wants cake?”

Alessandra clapped at the mention of cake.

“Oh looks like someone’s excited for cake.” Angel cooed, ticking Alessandra.

Alastor went to the kitchen returning shortly with a big chocolate cake. It had a red number one on it and a single lit candle. He placed it on the desk in the middle of the living room and took a seat next to Angel again. Angel leaned closer to the desk with Alessandra, “Ok Aless, blow out the candle and make a wish.” Angel demonstrated the gesture a few times, “Like that.”

Alessandra looked at the candle and around the room. All round her, everyone was smiling, even Husk. She grinned and blew out the candle, making the whole room erupt with cheers.

“Happy birthday!”

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel fic #hazbin hotel fanfiction #radiodust #angel dust #alastor

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unprofessional-bard · 3 years

Text

Chapter 11 - The Introduction

Losing My Religion Series Masterlist

Unprofessional Bard's Masterlist

Previous Chapter • Next Chapter

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female!Reader/OC

Warnings: Fluff, smut (just a good ol' handjob in a tub and implied smut) and a lil bit of angst/tense situations + uncomfortable talks/thoughts of pregnancy and trauma.

Summary: Unprepared for the consequences, the reader has to put up with two new arrivals, even though there's something off about them. Something more than just the shock of survival.

Word Count: 6.810

Author's Note: This chapter is set between April and July 2036, I apologise bc the reader is slowly turning into her own character, like Dolly's becoming an OC 😭 but yeah I love you all so much, thank you for reading my series 🥺💗

Enjoy!

"Well, well, what have we here."

The trio halted in their tracks as your voice echoed in the stables, your flashlight shining on them.

"Hey, Dolly," Ellie turned around, dying inside. Beside her was Cat and Jesse, turning around with pursed lips. "What'cha doin'?"

"Oh not much- patrol, you know," You said nonchalantly, walking towards them with threatening steps as you did. "Making sure people don't sneak off in the middle of the night with the horses. Kinda like what you three are doing."

"We weren't sneaking off," Jesse chuckled, but the panic in his voice gave him away easily. "We're just here to... feed the horses?"

"They're being fed regularly, you know that, so cut the crap." You spoke sternly. "Where the hell are you all off to?"

"We were just-" Ellie took over. "We're meeting with Dina. Eugene is there with her."

"What for?" You inquired. "What does Eugene have to do with whatever it is you're planning?"

They were struggling to reveal the truth, but Ellie knew better than to lie. She knew that, as long as it was the truth you wouldn't get angry; it was your thing and Ellie had noticed it from the Boston QZ, so she gave a look to Cat, whom you suspected to be Ellie's girlfriend, and she spoke: "Eugene has weed."

"Ex-cuse me?" Your eyes widened with a long blink at the three words. You weren't against it or anything, but you were just shocked- How and where in hell did Eugene find weed?

"Yeah, shit- Uh, we'll head back," Jesse mumbled.

"No it's-" You quickly recovered and fixed your posture. "How?"

"We were going to find out," Cat offered an apologetic smile.

"Christ," You chuckled. "Oh, Eugene, Eugene..." You quickly look around, a devilish smirk spreading across your face. "You know what? Go."

"Are you serious?" Ellie asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. I'm not gonna rob you bunch from your teenage years," You chuckled. "Under one condition: I'll ride with you all."

"Oh, okay," Cat grinned excitedly and proceeded to climb on a horse, Jesse mirroring her actions after he offered his thanks.

"Okay," You pointed at the rifle you had in your hands after climbing on a horse. "Let's ride quick, I'm probably gonna get in a lot of trouble as it is, so..."

"Thanks, Dolly," Ellie spoke after she settled behind Cat.

If Eugene wasn't there, you wouldn't have let them out and would've proceed to fetch anyone who was already outside. You knew they could handle themselves, but you just didn't want anything to happen to them. It had just finished raining so it was extremely dark outside. After the quiet and fast ride, you saw them off into the partly wrecked building.

"If it's legit, we'll bring you some." Jesse smirked after the girls waved goodbye and walked in.

"Go on, get!" You chuckled and shooed at him, then began riding back the way you came while ignoring the offer, which was actually quite enticing.

It was near dawn when you heard a bunch of horses riding at full speed, nearing your position. The sky was turning a bright shade of blue, and you couldn't deny the beautiful scene in front of you. The air smelled of earth and remnants of rain from a few hours ago and there were the occasional chirping of birds and a squirrel here and there - the peace however was gone the moment the horses appeared. You immediately shot up from your place to see what was going on, shoulder aching a little whenever you gripped your rifle (the bullet which had teared its way into your flesh right before your showdown with Axel, although healed for the most part, still hurt).

You let out a relieved sigh when you recognised Ellie's red hair and Eugene's white ones, then you saw Dina and Jesse, but there were two other people you didn't know riding with them. You blinked a couple of times after you lowered your rifle, then shouted down to Cedric: "Open the gate!"

You made your way down and immediately went over to Eugene and the strangers, hand on your rifle just in case: "Hey, what's going on?"

"Cedric, take them to Kat, have her take a look at their wounds," Eugene instructed and he immediately obliged. After they disappeared and the kids went to put their horses in the stables, he spoke: "We were on our way back here when we heard shouting, found this couple fighting for their lives against a dozen infected in the woods. We took them down easily and offered them help afterwards... They're a bit freaked out, but they'll be okay."

"Okay, I'll let Ma-" You suddenly stopped, realisation dawning on you. "How the hell are we gonna tell Maria?"

Eugene looked deep in thought for half a minute, then spoke: "Tell her it was me and Dina. We were patrolling anyways-"

"What about the couple?"

"We'll ask them to say it was just the two of us, and to decrease the number of infected, problem solved. Relax, will ya?"

You nodded quickly, then walked off after telling him to alert the kids about the plan.

You stopped by the infirmary first. Daisy and a new medic, Angie, were tending to them and Cedric was standing guard while Kat wasn't present. You walked up to your patrol partner and tapped his shoulder: "You can go now, I'll take over from here."

"Sure," He shrugged, yawned, then waved goodbye. You slowly approached the beds the pair were sitting on, opposite each other, the grip on your rifle strong.

"How are you two holding up?" You said awkwardly, making them look between themselves before the woman spoke.

"We'll be okay... Thanks for helping us."

"Right- sure," You sighed quietly. "Could I ask for your names?"

The young woman looked at her partner once more, as if asking for permission, then looked back at you: "I'm Kiki... This is my husband Ward."

You nodded and offered a simple nice to meet you, but didn't give your name to them. Instead, you turned to Daisy: "Let me know when you're finished."

She nodded and proceeded with her stitches before you left the room. You weren't the one to judge people right off the bat, especially in the apocalypse. A lot of newcomers (including you) came here looking bewildered and drained because they were either almost eaten by a pack of infected or murdered by bandits, simple as that.

Ward was a brunette with a dark stubble, thicker than Joel's and had short, black hair. His nose was large but suited the rest of his face just fine, with big, dark brown eyes. A scar ran over the crook of his nose down his cheek and he looked hardened, just like everyone else. Kiki, on the other hand, was also a brunette, but her features weren't as sharp as Ward's, or she was just much younger than him. She had long, black hair and her eyes matched the colour; she was also smaller than Ward, with a petite figure. She was very beautiful, too and looked frightened rather than hardened.

Around ten minutes later, Daisy walked out: "Angie's finishing up, but I'm done. I'm heading over to check on other patients, if you need me I'll be there."

"Okay," You nodded and walked back inside. The couple was neatly patched up and sitting quietly, eyes wide. When you walked in, Kiki jumped, but relaxed the same moment she saw your face. "Must've been through a lot, you two..."

"You could say that-" Kiki murmured, then looked over to Ward, who didn't seem to take notice of he conversation. There was a gash on his chin and he was squeezing the hell out of the bed sheets as Angie worked on the wound. He didn't make a single sound, but the nurse looked a little distressed. "Do you-" Kiki abruptly asked. "Do you run things around here?"

"Uh- No," You turned your head towards her, your grip on your rifle never faltering once. "No, I'm sort of responsible for the security. The boss lady will be here soon."

"Lady?" Kiki looked genuinely confused.

"Yes." You offered a simple nod. "I'm gonna ask something of you both. Don't worry, it's something simple."

Ward immediately intervened before Kiki could open her mouth: "What?"

"Relax," You warned, keeping your eye on him. "Angie, could you give us a minute?"

"Of course, I'm done anyways," She practically threw the equipments onto the small table next to the bed, took off her latex gloves, tossed them into the trash and ran out.

You gave Ward a hardened look, then spoke, walking between their beds, keeping them in your vision: "When the boss comes here, she's going to ask you a few questions... I'd appreciate it if you didn't talk about the kids' being there when they found you."

"Why?" Kiki asked, worried.

"Well, they weren't supposed to be outside- Except for the girl with long, black hair and the man who brought you here. It'd save us a lot of trouble if you didn't mention them."

"So, what, you expect us to lie?" Ward huffed.

"No." You spoke coldly, rivaling his hostile tone. "I'm simply asking you to leave out the part where there were 4 kids- There was just one. Besides, she may not even ask about it."

Your staring contest with Ward ended when, as if on cue, Maria, Tommy and Eugene entered the room. You saw the fright in Kiki's eyes, so you spoke calmly: "Hey, it's okay. That's her, the boss lady- and her husband."

"Boss lady?" Tommy chuckled and stood next to you, Maria and Eugene mirroring him.

"It's okay," Maria spoke: "We got this, you can go now."

You nodded once and reluctantly walked out from the room. Stepping outside the infirmary, you came across Cedric waiting by the entrance. You shook your head towards the gates with a simple: "Let's go."

Cedric was almost 15 years younger than you, had even younger features than someone would have in their 30s. He had chin length, dirty blonde hair with hazel eyes fleeing to green. He was a calm and collected person, unlike most people in Jackson. Your tactics and strategical thinking were similar, which made patrol much more effective and easy.

Both of your shifts ended around two hours later, when the sun was up completely and shining down on the streets, calling people to duty; it was, however, your call to hit the bed. After turning over your weapons and heading your separate ways with Cedric, you walked over to your house, a smile spreading across your face at the thought of seeing Joel.

You hadn't seen each other in almost three days due to different shifts but, with the weekend off, you could finally rest in your husband's arms.

You quietly entered the house and tiptoed up the stairs. The bedroom door was closed, he was obviously still asleep. Normally, he'd be awake by 7AM, but lately he'd been really hard on himself with patrols- it was only right he treated himself to a few extra hours of sleep. You really wanted to crawl next to him, or just take a small peak inside the room to see him, but you knew better. He awoke to the slightest creak of the bed when you got up, or simply turned to drink some water. You wanted him to rest though, that came first, so you used the bathroom outside your room to get cleaned up, then moved into the bathtub to treat yourself. It had been a while since you let your muscles rest and relax in the deliciously hot water.

Not even five minutes later after you settled in the warmth, you heard the slow opening of the door. You opened your eyes to find Joel with nothing but his boxer briefs on, heart beating with ecstasy and joy at seeing him in his sleepy state: "Hey," You giggled. "Morning handsome."

"Mornin' baby," He rubbed the corner of his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Would you believe me if I said no?" He smirked as he proceeded to take off his underwear.

"Probably not," You smiled apologetically, he'd quite possibly woken to the sound of the water filling. You extended both of your arms to him, calling him to your embrace while stretching and yawning: "Come here, I missed you."

The words made Joel stop in his tracks for a short moment, heart wearming at them, then walked over to the tub with his naked glory: "Scoot."

You simply leaned back and parted your legs, offering him to lay against you. He obliged, got in and sat, making the water level rise when he laid down against your chest. Your left arm rested on his chest, partly hugging him, while your right hand went through his hair. You gave him a kiss on his neck, a lovely kiss which made him sigh contentedly: "M-hm, I missed you too. Missed this..."

You wanted to stay like that forever: Caressing his hair and the occasional, soft kisses against his jaw, cheek and neck which made his heart melt. You could sense that this small gesture made him very happy, which in turn made you hug him tightly.

"What do you say we..." You purred into his ear. "Ditch the dinner plans for tonight, hm?"

His eyes were closed when he spoke: "Why? Got somethin' else in that pretty little mind of yours?"

"Yeah," You confirmed, running your hand up and down his chest. "We could do something, just the two of us."

"Like...?"

"Hmm, like movie night? Or you can play me something?"

"Only if you sing." He grinned.

"Nope, scratch that," You chuckled and shifted under him a little. "Or we can just... You know, fuck." He coughed out a laugh at your bluntness. "What? You don't want to?"

"I didn't say that," He turned a little and looked up into your eyes with a brilliant smile. "I'd love nothing more, actually, but these are Jesse's parents." You sighed, disappointed, saying I know, I know. "We have two days to ourselves, (Y/N)- You can have me all to yourself, except for a few hours."

"Fine," You growled jokingly, smiled and kissed his lips softly.

What was intended to be a simple kiss now slowly moved in the direction of a filthy make-out session, his tongue parting your lips with ease and meeting yours. Joel grabbed your calf and caressed it slowly, while you took advantage of his distraction and sneaked a hand down his abdomen.

You shifted a little more to the side and took his cock in hand, which made him sigh and drop his head on your shoulder: "(Y/N)..."

"Hmm?" You hummed with a smile when your thumb pressed on his slit, making him hiss and become harder. "Let me take care of you, huh?"

You watched Joel's brows drawing together when you slowly started to pump him. You kissed the pulse on his neck, then moved down to his collarbone. His grip on your leg was more solid the firmer you worked his length, and he jumped ever so slightly when you bit down on his collarbone. His erection grew bigger by the second all the while you sucked and bit a small hickey on his skin.

"Shit..." He shifted in the water, pulling himself upwards so that you didn't have trouble reaching for his shaft.

"You want me to go faster?" You whispered and kissed his shoulder. He nodded but didn't speak and let you work your magic.

You picked up pace, flicking your wrist and focusing on the underside of his head, making him groan broken, unclear profanities. After a while, you felt him tense under your touch, his breathing turning a little laboured.

"(Y/N)..." He sighed through gritted teeth, letting you have your way with him.

"That's it..." You cooed and continued kissing him. Soon, he let out a loud groan and came, making you moan quietly.

Seeing Joel like this -relaxed and euphoric- was always a treat, moments like this where it was just the two of you; no infected, no survival, no bullshit from tha past. You were aware of how it was a luxury to do the things you were able to do: Taking a hot bath, finding someone you loved and marrying them, sleeping on a bed with clean sheets without worrying if infected or bandits were going to jump you.

You were grateful, you were reminded of this everyday, but it took its toll on you, too.

A lot of people, innocent kids were out there, suffering- dying, surviving... You wished you had the power to help them all and rebuild, but you were aware of how dangerous it was out there. It was simply too risky to leave Jackson. You weren't some superhero, after all.

Not a hero...

"What's got you thinkin'?" Joel snapped you out of your thoughts, his fingers ever so gently tracing your cheekbone as you laid on the bed across each other. It was night-time, after dinner with Jesse and his parents and, of course, a round of much needed love making. You both were a little sleepy, definitely content with sweat covering your bodies like a thin layer of blanket.

You looked into his eyes from where your head was -which was on the crook of your elbow, resting on your pillow- and gave him a phantom of a smile, nodding slightly: "Nothing in particular. You?"

"You," He smiled, which made you chuckle. Convincing Joel that you were absolutely, 100% okay was getting trickier as he'd spent just enough time to sense a depressive episode's approach; you didn't want to burden him with your self-doubt and self-loathing, as you hated it when his mood shifted for the worse because of you. "Wonderin' what goes on in that head of yours."

"Wish I knew that myself," You grabbed his hand which was tracing the left side of your face, then turned the back of it for a kiss.

You knew, though. While you and Joel were helping with the dishes in the kitchen, Jesse's mother, Robin had asked if you were planning on having any children. The question you'd been dying to avoid had finally been asked, which made you drop the plate you had in your hand into the sink. It truly was an off-guard moment for you, which startled Joel, but luckily the topic was never brought up again after the plate in question shattered into pieces. You weren't sure if you wanted a child, not after the incident with Miles.

The moment when the contents of his skull splattering onto the ground while he was in your arms- under your supervision haunted you day and night. You never talked about it to anyone, and no one had asked, but it only intensified after your wedding. Because you knew what people had in their minds: Will we be seeing a Joel or Dolly Jr. running around?

You were fucking old, too, and so was Joel. Even if you didn't know whether you'd be able to carry due to that, there was no point in risking it either way, since I clearly suck at watching over kids.

"I think you do," He pushed himself closer to you and sneaked the hand against your mouth onto your waist, propping his arm up and putting his head against the palm of the other. "You just don't wanna talk about it. Which is okay, y'know." You nodded, smile growing a bit wider. "We've been over this before, but If you ever feel like- y'know... you're borin' me or something-"

"I know," You offered a full smile, pushing your thoughts away at the best of your ability. "I see you, Joel Miller," You then put a hand against his chest, where his heart should be: "I know you, you know me... You know what I think?"

He gave you a curious look, but it got replaced with something that hinted excitement when you ever so slowly pushed him on his back with the hand on his chest, then straddled his hips. Joel chuckled: "How is it that you still have this much energy after only four hours of sleep?"

The sleep in question took place after the 'mingling' in the bath. Warm April breeze, even warmer covers and warmest above all, Joel's body pressed against yours, both of your hairs wet and drying on their own as you slept in your lovers arms. He woke up after an hour or so, lingered there for awhile, just enjoying your presence by his side; he then quietly left you to sleep- lord knows you needed it.

"You're just getting old, baby," You giggled and leaned down to kiss him, his hands immediately going to your hips. "Not complaining, though."

An uneventful few weeks passed as Jackson entered the first week of June. Two losses in the town, but no new arrivals after Katie- Kiki and Ward. No raids as well, so overall it was calm.

After reporting in about the week in general, one evening, Maria asked you to stay behind: "It's time for Ward and Katie to go through the test," She declared. "We gotta see if they're fit for patrol or not."

"You got it. When?"

"Tomorrow. I already notified them, we'll meet at the northern training post-"

"We who?" You ran a hand through your hair.

"You and me. Robert and Eugene were supposed to be there originally, but they'll be off hunting." She explained and you nodded. Without further ado, you walked out and made your way back home.

The next morning, Joel accompanied you to the training post. Normally it was your day off with him, but training awaited. The weather was particularly hot for an early morning, so it came to you as a little shock when you saw Kiki, who was wearing a rather thick looking blouse. You didn't question it of course, but it made you think.

"Alright," You cleared your throat, after a quick greeting, stepping into the open training area. Joel and Maria remained inside, arranging the medical needs list while keeping an eye on you three. "I'm gonna put you two through a little test. Maria tells me you decided to stay here in Jackson, so we need to decide which duties you're fit for."

Ward remained incredibly still while Kiki nodded. Her hands were resting between her knees, while Ward had his arms crossed. They were sitting on a bench under the shade: "It's going to get a little physical, but I assure you I'm not going to hurt either of you." You turned around and walked over to the middle of the area: "Right, let's start with you, Kiki."

She gave a panicked look to Ward, but he just nodded with a thoughtful frown, rather than a permitting glare. Over the weeks they had been in Jackson, people sort of got used to their non-verbal interactions, even though some people found it suspicious. She got up and made her way over to you and, by the look on her face, regretted her outfit of choice as she tried to loosen the collar.

"If you want to stop- at any moment, let me know," You reassured her. She nodded, went to roll her sleeves up, but stopped immediately. You acted like you didn't see it, then proceeded to get in stance and lift your hands up: "Okay, let's start with something simple. Show me your stance."

She gave you a blank stare: "My what?"

"Your... stance, you know, fighting stance?"

"I don't have one," She simply shrugged.

"Okay," You sighed quietly. "Then show me how you punch."

She threw what could've been a proper punch but it was weak, you immediately caught her fist in your palm. She panicked and pulled back, and you immediately let go. You glanced at Ward, who seemed to be on high alert.

"Again," You got into stance and she obliged, throwing another weak punch your way. Her stance was there, actually, and her punches came through like she knew what she was doing, but the impact wasn't effective.

It went on a couple more punches, which you caught in your hand each time, until she spoke: "Why do you do that?"

"What?" You lowered your hands.

"You keep holding my hands," It was as if she was more annoyed than confused. "Can you not do that?"

"It's a reflex-" You explained, glanced at Ward again, then looked back at her. "I do it with everyone I train, but if you don't want me to then it's fine."

Not everyone, only the ones with punches as slow, weak and predictable as hers.

"Okay, now let's try some... combos," You added and got in a more secure stance. "Throw one punch after another. Fast and hard. Don't hold back."

"I'm not holding back," She grunted and did a typical boxing combo, which, generally, only people trained in boxing knew- but her punches were still weak. You remained quiet and let her go at it for a few rounds.

You suddenly took a step back, raised your hand up to the same level as your face and spoke: "Kick."

Instead, she went to kick you between your legs. A rush of panic and years of reflexes kicked in and you caught her feet between your knees. You looked up with a what the fuck was that? expression on your face and waved your hand in the air: "I meant here."

"We're fighting, right? We need to be unpredictable," She said with a tone of... irritation? Was she snickering?

"Do I look like a bandit to you?" You let go of her leg, giving her a displeased look.

"You did say you wanted to see what we were capable of."

Where was this sudden confidence coming from all of a sudden?

She was always a little weird with you. Not that you saw her too often but the moments when you two were together, one minute she'd look like she wanted to be your friend (which was when Joel was around), other times she'd remind you of a cruel, rank-wise superior back in the Boston QZ (which was when Joel wasn't around).

You gave her a hard look: "Alright. Let's see how you're gonna do when someone's actually fighting you, then."

Her expression went from somewhat cocky to seriousness as you took a few steps foward and towered over her. Your instructions were simple and clear when you spoke: "I'm gonna put you in a lock. Wriggle out of it."

You slowly grabbed her wrist, giving her time to get ready and process what you were doing. Then, you twisted her arm carefully around her waist and turned her around, pressing her arm on her back, only for her to suddenly squeal: "Okay! Enough!"

You quickly took a step back, startled at her reaction, you weren't even applying the slightest pressure. Ward suddenly shot up from where he was sitting and yelled: "What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything!" You frowned.

"It's okay!" Kiki suddenly stepped in front of Ward who was advancing your way. "I panicked, she didn't-"

"Woah there," You suddenly heard Joel and Maria approach the field. Confusion was superior to your anger at that moment: Had you really hurt her?

"Calm down," Maria put her hands on her hips. "She specifically warned you that she wouldn't hurt you under any circumstances. Relax."

You gave Maria a grateful look as he defended you: "I didn't even apply pressure- Look, no one's here to hurt you on purpose."

Ward and Kiki stared into each other's eyes, and by all means it was not a romantic moment, then the bigger of the two finally groaned: "I think she's had enough. For today."

"You think?" You unintentionally slipped it out, but the companions by your side seemed to agree with what you were getting at. "Do you want to stop Kiki?"

"Um," She looked at the three of you, chewing on her bottom lip, then answered quietly after a tense moment of silence: "Yeah, I think I should stop."

"Fine," You said, trying to keep your voice as netural as possible. "Let's continue with you then, Ward." Before anyone could say anything, you and the man you challenged found yourselves back on the middle of the combat area. "Show me your stance and let's begin."

He did as you asked but didn't wait for you to size him up, throwing a punch into your palm as soon as you lifted it, startling your audience. That didn't stop either of you from starting off with a much quicker and a harsher routine, which seemed to have everyone on edge.

You didn't counter once, but it was as if he was forcing you out of the defensive with his strikes, not to mention he was forcing you to step out of the area.

"What the hell's goin' on?" Tommy half jogged over to where the three were standing, watching you two roll from a snowball into an avalanche. Ward was grunting with each hit missed, anger taking over his features, while you kept your cool. It was as if he was riling himself up because he couldn't land a punch - his aim was messy and unstable, which was nothing compared to your years of disciplinary training.

"Okay, I think you've proved your point, Ward." Maria spoke loudly after Tommy's sudden entrance, but he didn't seem to hear her.

"I agree," You grunted and dodged a rather heavy looking punch, rolled over behind him and got up immediately; before you could say anything else, thinking he had stopped, you momentarily let your guard down. Everybody seemed to have thought the same, but what none of you saw coming was the exceptionally hard blow on your nose.

"What the fuck?!" You heard someone, weren't sure who, yell as you saw a blur of people rushing toward you when you stumbled backwards, hands wrapping around your possibly broken nose with a brief shout.

Giving into your anger, before anyone can get a grip of what you were doing, you launched yourself at Ward: "Son of a-" You grabbed the collar of his shirt and headbutted him: "Bitch!"

It was beyond everyone just how fast you had moved, broke his nose with an equally strong strike and had him falling on his arse. Kiki rushed to his husband's side, Maria to yours while Tommy kept Joel from ripping Ward to shreds. You were sure you were going to pass out when Maria got a hold of you, feeling as if you were under water with the blurring of your vision and hearing. The adrenaline rush in your veins kept you from losing consciousness, though.

"(Y/N)?" Maria's voice got clearer each passing second as you chased the lingering faint away from your mind, finally opening your eyes completely to see a displeased face. "(Y/N) are you okay?"

"Yeah," You sighed, whipping your hands in the air around your waist to shake off the droplets of blood from your bleeding nose as best as you could, tears at the corners of your eyes. "Just fine and dandy."

You felt the familiar, calloused hands of Joel gently hold your elbows as Maria turned around to see to Ward: "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Joel," You nodded and wiped the blood on your white t-shirt in a pissed, exhausted manner.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" You heard Maria growl at Ward, who was still shaken and sitting on the ground, face looking about the same as yours. "You can't just come up and punch people because you got angry at them! This is Jackson: You're not outside, and she isn't your enemy."

"It's okay- I'm sorry Maria- He's a little, uh," Kiki whined on her knees where she had knelt, but went quiet when he looked behind her to see you and Joel.

"You're not his mother, Katie," The blonde spoke, more calm now but no less strict. "He can speak for himself, and the same goes for you."

There was an intense moment between the three, while Tommy nodded at what Maria had said, his hands on his hips, looking at them disapprovingly: "Alright, c'mon, let's get you to a doc."

Joel in the meanwhile, like a mother duck, studied your nose and held a piece of cloth against the bleeding. He kept you focused on him while Maria and Tommy handled the other couple: "Fuckin' bastard..."

You chuckled at the way he grumbled as he wiped the blood off your nose gently: "Got what he was asking for though, don't go around wanting to kick his ass."

"Yeah, that was a pretty damn good hit..." He spoke, but his voice faded into the background when you curiously looked over to see what was going on, only to come across Kiki's face first things first. What you saw on her face sent a shiver down your spine.

Anger.

Not because you hurt Ward though, no. It was more than that.

It was jealousy.

You knew both because you had spent enough time with her to understand what that look meant, and her expression wasn't hard: It was soft, a certain yearning spread across her features as her eyes went back and forth between you and Joel. You couldn't tell what irked you the most: The way she looked at you, or him. You seemed to add more to her anger, while when she stared at your husband (and stared at him longer), there was longing and confusion.

The moment you made eye contact, she immediately turned around and scurried off, leaving you two and Maria alone.

"Hm? Dolly?" You heard Joel again once you brushed off the odd stare you got from Kiki.

"What?" You gave him a puzzled look.

"I asked if you wanted to have this looked at," He repeated in a soft voice. Most of the time, with small scratches or wounds which didn't need stitches or weren't cut too deep to get an infection or anything, you preferred handling it on your own to not waste the town's medical supplies.

"No, I got it," You nodded quickly and took a step back, feeling your nose while Maria approached you both.

"What the hell was that, (Y/N)?" She had her hands on her hips as well.

"I don't know, Maria," You emphasised each word, making your discomfort and irritation show. "...I have a few ideas though."

You moved inside, away from the burning sun and began discussing your first impression.

"So, what do you think?" Maria asked from behind her desk. Two pairs of eyes watched you quietly as you sat up on your chair, still holding the cloth up to your nose.

"Well, they're definitely not military, I can tell you that much. They don't know the first thing about combat - Kiki doesn't, anyway." Something's not right with them, you wanted to say, but decided to keep it to yourself for the time being and continued: "She's weak, can't even throw a punch. Almost lost her shit when I put her into that lock- I couldn't even put her into the lock, she just screamed."

"Yeah, what was up with that?" Maria asked but didn't demand an answer, it was more like a rhetorical question. You explained how she also went out of the training routine and tried to kick you, but again, it was weak.

"It's actually not that she's weak, but more like she's holding back," You said thoughtfully after a moment of silence.

"How do you mean?" Joel spoke for the first time.

"I mean, you can feel that she's holding back on purpose." Much as you hated your years in FEDRA, your experience with training and being trained came in handy on a daily basis - as much as you hated it, you were also grateful. "While Ward, on the other hand," You shifted in your seat, annoyed, "Fights like a feral beast, and I can tell that wasn't his full potential."

Joel growled quietly and crossed his arms. You then continued with your observation: "I don't want to be too quick on my judgement, but there's something not right with them."

Tommy walked in at that moment: "Well, that was a shit show."

"What happened?"

"They argued the whole way," Tommy sighed and pulled a chair between you and Joel, then sat exactly the same way his brother was sitting. "It was... weird is one way to put it."

"Let's keep them under supervision for awhile," You offered.

"You're volunteering?" Maria raised a brow.

"Hell no, not after that anyway. My existence would just antagonise them."

"What are you suggestin'?" Tommy turned to you.

"Put them through another training session with Walt, he'll know what I'm talking about... And Eugene found them, so maybe he'll be up for the task."

A moment of quiet and glances were exchanged among the family, then Maria cleared her throat: "Fine, we'll see what the other's think of that and vote for it."

"Okay. Now if you'll excuse me..." You murmured and got up, walking out of the room absentmindedly, deep in thought. A headache settled to the front of your head and you felt fatigue take over as soon as you stepped outside, while you left the other Millers confused.

"Hey," You heard Joel's soft voice from behind you not much later, which made you stop in your place and turn around. You gave him a blank stare, the cloth holding hand dropping to your side to reveal the smeared, dried blood around your nose. Without any rush, he walked over to you with a worried look and stood right in front of you.

After gazing into each other's eyes fro a while, Joel no doubt searching yours to understand what was going on and you just finding comfort in his, he slowly took your empty hand in his. With a soft tilt of his head in the direction of your house, you blinked once in acknowledgement and started walking with him.

Your anger and irritation started dissipating the more you walked like that, hand in hand and in silence, but your headache and slowly worsening mood, the taste of blood on your tongue remained. Not many words needed to be said with Joel, he knew what you needed by just one look. You were sure if Kurt saw you like that, he would laugh until his lungs couldn't take it: Look at you! Although the thought made your heart warm, it wasn't enough to lift the corners of your lips. You unconsciously held onto Joel's hand tighter as you walked to your house, and he returned the gesture, a simple gesture- an assurance that let you know he had you.

Once you stepped inside and he closed the door while you stood in the hallway, he walked up to you and held your shoulders and gave you a soft, still concerned look. You looked up at him with a soft sigh through your nose some seconds later, and finally spoke: "I'm gonna... I'm gonna go lay down a little."

"Okay," Joel gave you a reassuring smile and placed a kiss on your forehead. "You let me know if you need anything."

"Of course," You smiled back, a lifeless, small but an equally reassuring smile. Joel watched you climb up the stairs slowly, thinking about how long it would take you to feel better while also thinking of how he could make you feel at ease during the time.

His fears were similar to yours: He didn't want you to feel responsible or upset because of his own self-doubt and self-loathing, and he hated having you show all the effort to make him feel better about himself, about the things he had done. You kept assuring him that that was what being partners was all about, that you do what you do for him gladly and would continue doing it for as long as you were able (which meant as long as you were alive). He was glad to have you by his side, but of course didn't rely on you as if you were a rehabilitation centre, and it went both ways.

While thinking about all of this, with a cup of coffee in hand and sitting on his porch, his ears perked up at the round of laughter coming from behind the house. It was then, when he came up with a plan to make you feel better, even in the slightest.

Ellie.

—————

tags: @spideysimpossiblegirl

#joel miller #joel miller x you #joel miller x reader #joel miller x y/n #joel miller x oc #joel miller smut #joel miller imagine #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller fanfic #the last of us #the last of us x reader #the last of us imagine #the last of us fanfiction #the last of us fanfic #x reader #smut

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ladykissingfish · 3 years

Text

A Date with an Angel // Part Five // Nagato

Nagato

Konan took another bite of her pie, her eyes closing in bliss. “I can’t believe that YOU made this,” she said, smiling at him. “A huge step from the guy who tried to make scrambled eggs on a slat grill.” Nagato blushes and looks down, shaking his head. “One time. I did that ONE time but you and Yahiko never let me live it down, huh?” It was the next day, and Nagato had taken time away from work in order to have his turn to entertain Konan. He had woken at at the crack of dawn to prepare some of Konan’s favorite dishes (sesame chicken and noodles, tomato salad, apple pie), and he invited her to drive with him into the countryside for a picnic. The field he chose was absolutely beautiful; surrounded by wild sunflowers with a small lake burbling nearby. He was pleased that Konan was enjoying his rare attempt at cooking. Looking at her lovely face brings up a memory, and he says, quietly, “Do you remember the day we met?” Konan smiles and nods; she did indeed. At 10 years old, Nagato had recently lost his parents and had come, scruffy-haired and wide-eyed, to a new school close to the home of the couple who was fostering him. Yahiko seemed to sense how lonely and sad he was, and he befriended him immediately. “Yahiko was pulling you by the arm to our lunch table. Me and him always sat alone in the corner. He brought you over and he was doing so much talking that I had to tell him to shut up so you could tell me your name. You said, very serious, ‘I’m Nagato Uzumaki, I’m 10, my blood type is A, I’m a Virgo. It’s nice to meet you.’” Nagato grinned and nodded. “Yes. And before you could introduce YOURSELF, Yahiko put his arm around you and said, ‘This is Konan. I don’t know her blood type or anything like that, but I DO know that she’s the prettiest girl in the world and one day she’s gonna be my wife, so no funny stuff, okay?’” Konan burst out laughing. “Ugh; that idiot. I punched him, didn’t I?” Nagato nods. “You did. You actually sent him flying back into the wall. But Yahiko just picked himself up and said ‘She’s so cool, isn’t she?’ Thats when I knew I was with the right people.” Konan chuckles and cuts herself another slice of pie. She’s about to offer him another piece when he says, quite suddenly, “I had a crush on you back then, you know.” Konan looks at him, surprised. “You did??” “Mm. Like Yahiko, I also thought you were the prettiest girl in the whole world. By the time we got to high school, I was sitting there and doodling Konan Uzumaki in my notebook.” “Why didn’t you ever ask me out, then?” Nagato smiles as if the answer should be obvious. “Yahiko. Because ... if I thought you were pretty, HE thought you were the sun itself. He was head over heels for you, Konan. How could I compare with that?” Konan is quiet for a long while, thinking ... and feeling embarrassed. Yahiko, Nagato ... what in the world was wrong with those two? How could they have felt so strongly for someone like her, just some average woman, a nobody? What was so damn special about her that she had men as magnificent as Yahiko had been, as wonderful as Nagato still was, be in love with her? She felt horribly undeserving, and she finds the courage to tell Nagato something she hadn’t told anybody. “You know ... when — when Yahi died, he and I were trying for a baby.” “You were?” “Yes. We’d been trying to conceive for months, but nothing happened. Finally we both went to the doctor to get checked out and — well — my body is inhospitable to a child. Can’t have them. I was so upset because I knew how bad Yahi wanted kids, and here I was useless, couldn’t give them to him. But ... you know what he said?” Nagato shook his head. “He said we were going to go to the orphanage, and adopt every single child we could. He said it didn’t matter whether they came from our bodies or not, that all the love we had was going to be spent on them.” Nagato smiled and nodded. “Sounds like Yahiko, alright. You know you and him ... you guys were my only family, all those years. I don’t think I would have survived, if it wasn’t for you two. In a way ... you were kinda

like MY parents.” Konan opens her mouth to comment on that, when, quite suddenly, and without being aware that it was going to happen — she bursts into tears. Nagato is alarmed; he’s never seen Konan cry before, not even when they held hands at Yahiko’s funeral. Guilt floods his chest; should he have just kept his mouth shut about Yahiko? Was the pain still too heavy for her to bear? He cautiously scoots closer and puts a timid hand on her back, which she responds to by throwing both arms around him, sobbing against his neck. He holds her and tries to offer words of comfort ... but he finds that he’s now crying as well. They both sit there in the sunshine, hugging with tears streaming from their eyes. Eventually they’re able to stop, pull back and look at each other. They feel ... good. Both had been holding in their emotions for so long, and it was a relief to finally release them, to mourn the missing member of their trio. They dry each other’s eyes, and then Konan says, softly, “I don’t think I’ll ever stop missing Yahiko. I don’t think you will, either. But ... you know he’d want us to be happy, and move on from him. Me and you, we’re family. And those sweet men back at the house ... they’re our family, too.” “God help us,” Nagato jokes, setting them both to laughing. They begin quietly cleaning up their area, packing up their leftovers. The drive home is mostly quiet as well, each lost in their own thoughts. Nagato pulls into the driveway, but before he can open his door Konan is leaning across the seats and hugging him again. “Thank you, for today, and for this whole week.” “What do you mean?” “I ... heard the talk you had with the others.” Nagato shakes his head, embarrassed. “I never meant for you to —” “I know you didn’t. But ... I’m so touched that you even noticed how bad I was feeling, and shocked that everyone made such an effort for me. You are, without a doubt, the sweetest, kindest man alive. I love you, Nagato.” He smiles and kisses her cheek, gently. “Ditto, beautiful. Ditto.” They walk into the house; to their surprise, everyone is home for once, sitting around the dining room table and playing cards. “What are you playing?” “Poker,” Kakuzu answers, “And I’m cleaning these poor fools out.” Konan looks at Nagato, they grin at each other, then the two pull up two chairs to the table. “Your luck’s about to change, Kakuzu,” Konan says with a grin. “Deal us in.”

#sorry for the angst 😣#the akatsuki #a date with an angel #konan headcanons #konan akatsuki #konan #yahiko #nagato #nagakona #naruto

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chidoroki · 4 years

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TPN ch181

(spoilers! AAAHHhhaha..my children!)

Okay, so remember in my last review when I said I was impressed how Ray, Gilda and Phil managed to narrow down where Emma might be in the matter of a couple months? Well, I take it back because it hasnt been just a few months, it's been two damn years! Oh my god, I can't imagine how hard it must've been for everyone, especially our two boys, to search for so long without even getting on single clue about Emma's whereabouts. Some of the children still doubt whether she's alive or actually in this world with them or not.

(image limit, so imagine the panels of the Goldy Pond kids discussing the lack of clues and Thoma and Lani doubting the reward again)

Thankfully, Gilda gets the idea to search in forbidden zones which is where we see her, Ray and Phil. Speaking of which, oh my poor boy. This is the longest Ray has been without Emma by his side. I thought the one month after Goldy Pond was hard enough on him, but two whole years? Damn, I can't imagine the stress and anxiety he's been experiencing. He's still so frustrated too and gets so close to Emma without even realizing it. Then, surprisingly, his beloved family steps in to help? The people he personally couldn't save now come together to help him save the one person who originally saved his life. Like, hello?? I love this! Conny, who was another sibling he had to use in order to put his initial escape plan in motion to save Emma and Norman's lives, is now assisting him in saving Emma from being alone. Yuugo, who knows firsthand how important Emma is to Ray and how close they are. Isabella, knowing her son kept his promise as he's always set out to do whatever it takes to protect his entire family. The fact that Ray's lost family members can feel how strong his bond with Emma is and they jump in to help reconnect the two of them again.. just, wow. It may be all the rayemma week feels getting to me but that's like a damn soulmate occurrence if i ever saw one!

The two unknowingly pass each other again but thanks to Emma conveniently losing her necklace and finding it with perfect timing, they all finally encounter each other. Everyone expresses their complete shock and relief that they had finally found Emma, and while I am happy they their search ended up a success, the mood changes fairly quickly due to our girls lost memories. She hasnt the slightest idea who "Emma" is, who these people are or why they're so excited to see her. The kids wonder if they have the right girl, as they take notice of Emma's bare neck.

One look at the necklace in her hand though and Ray finally puts the pieces together. Honestly, I'm not at all surprised he's the one to figure out the true reward, as Ray has been very perceptive since the beginning. He's also always been openly honest and blunt when things get serious, so naturally he's the one who has to let everyone know this because while it's a sad truth no one wants to hear, or even believe, they all need to realize it, including Emma. Even Ray has trouble coming to terms with the sacrifice Emma made. He understands how hard it must have been for Emma to accept the heavy price of her forgetting the family she loves so deeply and he looks so broken when he realizes that. He must be feeling so guilty that he couldn't have been there with her when she made the new promise. He still puts the blame on himself and he's so upset that his failure lead Emma to live in a world alone without the family she cares for more than anything.

I wasn't too satisfied last chapter when demon god told us the real reward and Emma's response was a simple "okay," so I'm grateful we learned more about the conversation now in this chapter. She really did want to live her family. She even knew some of them might get mad at her for keeping a secret. She says it's a selfish request, for her to place such a heavy burden on herself, but what mattered to her back then upon accepting the reward is what has always mattered to her, and that's her family's happiness and safety. It wasn't just her loved one either, but for all the demons and cattle children. This girl truly has a heart of gold and demon god himself is left surprised. Of course I wish she didn't think she was being selfish since everyone did agree to follow her as their leader but aahh.. my poor girl.

Spoiling the very end now, but we dont get one last fullscore trio hug. Of course that upsets me since I thought it would've made such a perfect ending, but it makes sense now given how everyone's reunion with Emma happened. While their happiness and relief is completely understandable after searching two years and finally finding Emma, they overreact and this visibly freaks her out. Come on guys, last time I said to gently remind her of her past, not bombard her right away. Having a ton of strangers surround you and tell you such outlandish things is quite jarring. I'm glad she takes the chance to listen to everyone, but she just doesnt know these people well enough to suddenly hug them. I imagined a hug would've happened upon her recalling some of her memories somehow and feeling relived that she met the two boys she often once dreamt about, but oh well.

Norman takes this time to step in and ease some of the tension, saying how happy he is that Emma's alive and even reiterating some of the things he said to her during his shipment scene. While this chapter soon shows how well the escapees have adapted to the human world and changed, it also puts an emphasis on the boy's true personalities that they showed since the very beginning. I've already mentioned above how Ray stayed true to himself, about him being open and honest to the others with the truth and even his own feelings. With Norman, I don't know the word for him really, but his speech about their family and his feelings remind me of ch1/ep1 where we see him trying to calm Emma down after seeing what they did at the gate. He stayed by her side and remained hopeful even though he was just as scared. Right now, I get the same vibes. He's just as upset as their family upon learning Emma lost her memories, but he still wants her to be apart of their family.

Although it seems like a very rushed way of tying up loose ends, I'm happy to hear about how well the children have been adapting in the human world. They're attending school and following their passions. They all look so happy! The entire Lambda crew is healthy and Cislo even has a prosthetic leg! The medicine made from Adam's dna was successful and also helped those children from the mass production farms. Mike Ratri and the clan are actually being helpful and trustworthy. I absolutely love Norman's comment about Ayshe not killing him! It really makes me smile and I assume that means she's forgiven him.. maybe. Her dogs were indeed able to cross over to the human world too and now there's even more! Chris is finally awake! They seriously have to fill the poor boy in on so much news though.

I get it. It took the entire story for me to understand but now I get Norman's intense feelings. He's been infatuated by this girl since childhood. He told us/Ray his feelings at age 11 then "gave his life" to give her a better chance at survival. He kept living just for the slight possibly to see her again. After almost two years, they reunite, only for about a week or two before they all cross over into the human world and Emma is no where to be seen. Another two years pass and while they all find her, she's almost a completely difference person. Yet Norman's feelings remain so sincere for her that he accepts this new Emma. He lets her know that the bright future she wished for came true. (me? speaking of noremma? even im surprised)

Her head might not have the slightest idea who these people are, but her heart surely remembers! Emma's feelings for her family were so strong that they persisted throughout these entire two years, even after she stopped having those dreams about them. Deep down, and without even realizing it, she loves them so much that it makes her cry.

“Why am I... Even though I don't know them. Though I don't know anything. Though I can't remember. Why... Does it feel warm, but also so painful in my heart? I wanted to see you.”

Seeing everyone else get emotional and expressing their feelings to her right back and having all of them accept this new Emma.. yeah, that has me in tears! Demon god truly underestimated these kids and how deep their love for each other went. Emma's family was never going to give up looking for her because, thanks to her influence, they also didn't believe anything was impossible. “Screw destiny” indeed! (also we never did learn the old dude's name or Emma's new one hm? odd.)

Did Emma get her memories back? No. Did Ray pat her head again so I could die from nostalgia? No, because I'm still here. Did we get a fullscore hug like I originally hoped? No, sadly. The ending isn't picture perfect but honestly, this is still okay. Our precious girl is finally reunited with her family again. Most importantly, they're alive. The trio are teenagers about 15/16 years old now, which amazing since they once believed they wouldn't see a day past the age of 12. Yet here they are, living happy and free in the human world without fear and killing, which is exactly what Emma wished for.

I can't believe the manga is truly finished. It feels like it all went by so quick, but perhaps that's only because I haven't been in the fandom as long as others, like if you've been here since the manga started then I applaud you and can't imagine how sad this must be after four years. The anime is what caught my attention and my love for this series only grew when I jumped into the manga right after season one ended. I must have binged all available chapters at the time in like three days, all the way up to ch129. Since then I've waited patiently week after week to see how this suspenseful story would pan out for out lovable and very large cast of characters. Each new twist and cliffhanger made my brain crazy and stressed me out but it was so great to experience them with everyone.

Also, big thanks to all of you who share your comments on these reviews of mine! Even though I started writing them pretty late into the story and at the most stressful time, it was great to hear so much feedback and experience the exciting finish with everyone. The manga may have ended, but don't let that make the fandom quiet! We still have future manga volume releases to look forward to, the live-action movie that is still set for this December along with a live-action series that was also recently announced. Most importantly, season two of the anime is still scheduled for January 2021! You can bet I'll do reactions for each episode as I normally do with other anime! The series still has so much more content to give us, especially if the anime continues to recieve future seasons over the upcoming years, so of course I'll give my thoughts on all that I can.

I give all my thanks and appreciation to Shirai & Demizu for such a wonderful and suspenseful story, for all the memorable characters and the stunning artwork. The series has truly become my favorite. That's right, I said it! My favorite. TPN has taken over Black Lagoon as my favorite series. (Revy can still keep her spot as my favorite character but I'll be damned if Ray isn't a really really close second.)

#the promised neverland #tpn manga #tpn ray #tpn emma #tpn norman #ray #emma #norman #chidoroki used chatter

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ivushk · 3 years

Note

HELLO. MAY I PLEASE HEAR MORE OF YOUR VAMPIRE AU…. 👉👈

OH MY GOD I'M SO GLAD YOU ASKED THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

Okay, SO. BUCKLE THE FUCKLE UP 'CUZ here's what I've got so far:

Nishiki and Kiryu are still orphans at Sunflower. They come from a tiny village just a few kilometres west from the orphanage. It's a very close and closed-off community. The boys' parents died in a fire when they were very little (which is a common theme for the kids at Sunflower and isn't that a crazy coincidence? *smiles mysteriously*), however the Nishikiyama family house wasn't as badly damaged as Kiryu's so it's just sitting there, waiting for its former residents to reclaim ownership as soon as they're able to (I imagine Kazama would help them with that).

In the next years it becomes a home for Nishiki, Yuko and Kiryu (and Yumi, too, though she feels like a visitor for the most part) in everything but name. It's their hangout spot, their "base of operations", their not-so-secret meeting place. When Yuko's health deteriorates so much that she can't stay at Sunflower anymore, the siblings actually properly move in to make arranging the doctor's visits easier.

It's Nishiki's 17th birthday and all three of them are celebrating and playing games and eating cake and having a good time at the edge of the woods not far from the Nishikiyama residence. They're young and loud and stupid (and ignoring the fact that several people went missing over the course of the last few months) and if Nishiki's heart beats a little too hard in his chest when Kiryu gives him his gift - a beautiful, heavy silver pendant on a slightly-worn leather cord - he doesn't think about it too much (and if he notices that Kiryu stares at him just a bit longer than usual without saying a single word but his gaze is so, so, SO fond-- he doesn't think about it either). (he leaves these kinds of thoughts for restless nights because thinking about his best friend in that way during the day... it hurts. the hurt is good sometimes but it's overwhelming).

They're drunk on the cheap beer they've smuggled from Gen-san's fridge and high on happiness. Unaware that the very same night it would all go crashing down.

At some point they all quiet down and go a little further into the woods than they normally would but no one pays any mind to that. And when suddenly their trio turns into a duo with the sudden absence of the birthday boy himself no one immediately starts panicking. He's been gone for ten minutes, twenty, half an hour. Kiryu tells Yuko to go back to the village, to gather everyone, make them start a search party or something while he keeps looking for her brother (the only things he'll find are the pendant he's gifted to Nishiki with the leather cord torn and the broken shards of his own hope). They never find him.

A year goes by and they hold a funeral for Nishikiyama Akira. Even though there's no body for them to bury. Yuko doesn't cry (she doesn't believe he's really dead). Neither does Kiryu (he used all of his tears up that night, the guilt choking him, and the night after that, and the night after that, and the night-). Yumi does, however. And the nice old lady who gave both Nishiki and Kiryu money for helping her do chores around the house. And the man who gave Nishikiyama a part-time job at his shop (to put at least something towards the cost of his sister's treatment, he felt so indebted to Kazama, and that debt weighed down on him). And a few of the girls and boys from Sunflower too.

Another two years pass. Kiryu moves away to the big city at the behest of Kazama. "It's important for you to continue your education," he says. ("It's important for you to move on," he keeps these words to himself). Kiryu really tries his best. Even makes a few friends (although he's still on the fence about whether he can actually call Oda his friend). It goes as well as it could have considering his circumstances. They say that time heals but Kazuma Kiryu never finds out if there's any truth to those words because he recieves a very short letter - an invitation, actually. To another funeral. But this time it's Yuko they're burying. This time they actually have a body to bury.

Tachibana offers his condolences. Oda offers him a ride to the village and back. Kiryu accepts both.

He can't help but compare this funeral to the last one he's been to. There are fewer people. Fewer tears, too. More flowers. It's quieter and feels something like closure (in truth, it's anything but). Yuko also left behind a will (more like a bunch of wishes since it wasn't an official document but the community decided to honour them anyway). Almost all of her possessions went to the kids from Sunflower, except for the Nishikiyama family house (which on paper actually belonged to Shintaro Kazama) which she left to Kiryu. He can't quite believe it when he hears it and feels his heart break under the onslaught of childhood memories. Still, he goes there later that evening. He finds that little has changed in the time he spent away from the house, from the village, from... all of this, really. There are the same pictures on the walls collecting only slightly less dust. The same books on the shelves and under the broken legs of the old pieces of furniture. The same medicine bottles and equipment in the bedroom, though doubled in quantity. Kiryu's not as devastated as he thought he'd be when he walks around what he used to call his home.

He goes through all the rooms, taking notes of every single thing he finds and every single thing he doesn't. He probably misses a bunch of things (he's not as good at that sort of thing, Nishiki's always had a much better eye for details). Once back outside, he looks for the secret stash they made back when they were teenagers. It's like going through a time capsule. There's a pack of cigarettes he and Nishiki once stole from the teacher's bag, copybooks filled with ugly doodles, dreams for the future and dried flowers and leaves, caps from soda bottles, rocks they thought looked cool, photos and birthday cards damaged by time and weather... the pendant Kiryu gave to Nishiki the last time they saw each other. And a small notebook Kiryu's never seen before. A diary of sorts, a recounting of their days together and their days apart. The handwriting is unmistakingly Yuko's.

It fills him with nostalgia, tears welling up in his eyes, unshed. His heart sinks when he finally reaches the pages where Yuko recounts the last few weeks before she-

She writes about her brother, which is understandable. What's less understandable is the fact that she speaks of him as though he was there, with her. Physically present. Kiryu could chalk it up to the girl being delusional in her dying moments but it doesn't feel right to do so. It's stupid, it's absolutely impossible, he's confused, he's hopeful, why would Yuko hide her notebook there?

The last page. A message. For Kiryu. "Please, Kazuma-kun, help my brother".

Against his better judgement, Kiryu decides to spend the night in the house. Sleep doesn't come to him but that's fine. He sits in the living room, trying to make sense of everything. He sits there until it's way past midnight, until the distant barking of the dogs quiets down, until the rustling of leaves stops, until the very air around him grows still and silent and somehow charged with strange energy. And then he hears it. Three uncertain taps against the window. Kiryu turns his head. It's him.

"Kiryu... Let me in. Please."

He does, without thinking. (He could never very well say no to Nishiki. Even if it got them both in trouble. Even if he's not real.)

The quiet is deafening. It really is him. His best friend (whom he thought dead). His kyoudai. Before Nishiki could say anything, Kiryu wraps him in a tight hug. The only heartbeat between them is Kiryu's own, thundering against his ribs. Nishikiyama doesn't let the hug last, putting some distance between them. He looks guilty, tired; looks at Kiryu with sadness, with longing and something else that he can't quite decipher yet (and it makes him scared but why?). Nishiki also looks older than Kiryu remembers. Not a 17-year-old boy anymore, no. About the same age that Kiryu is now.

Has his gaze always been so sharp? Have his fangs always been this pronounced?

They talk until their throats are hoarse. Until Nishiki pulls out a bottle with some liquid that smells strongly of iron and drinks from it and in that moment Kiryu believes everything his friend has told him. It's crazy, but he does.

Nishiki was abducted that night. Taken from them. By vampires. They hurt him. Forced him to fight other humans (just like him then) for his survival. They fed on him.

It went on and on and on... Days turned into weeks, turned into months, turned into years. Only thoughts of Yuko, and Kiryu, and Yumi kept him going. He wanted to see them again. He hoped he would. That hope was crushed when Nishikiyama met his match in the arena. No, not his match. Someone far stronger. He lost and was tossed out to die. But another vampire saved him. It was a woman, whose face he saw often among the spectators of his fights. She stood out from the crowd, since she never cheered for any of the humans. Never put any bets. Only looked at all that madness with quiet horror. "Reina" she said her name was.

She gave Nishiki blood. Her own blood, and the blood of the vampires that were much stronger and more powerful than her (but not wiser), and human blood.

He turned and it was even worse than the years of anguish he had experienced. The pain and constant thirst almost drove him mad until he was taught to deal with them.

Nishiki was given a second chance. He escaped. And ever since that moment he's been trying his damndest to help other victims of those monsters. Both, the poor imprisoned souls and the villagers who might have shared his fate otherwise.

THAT CONCLUDES MY MAD RAMBLINGS BECAUSE I HAVEN'T THOUGHT OUT WHAT HAPPENS NEXT THAT WELL

also i don't remember the last time i wrote this much in one sitting and i'm tireeeeeed. i'm not cut out to be a writer and it shows nghghghhhhhh

but! but! but! i have a couple thoughts on where the story goes:

kiryu decides to stay in the village and help nishiki

they uncover the vampires evil plans and recruit a few other characters to fight on the side of JUSTICE (i.e. kazama, who up to that point has been kind of in cahoots with the vamps - hence trying to atone by means of creating the Sunflower orphanage; kashiwagi; yumi; reina; tachibana and oda; majima, and yeah he was actually the one that defeatead nishiki and unknowingly caused him to become a vampire, also majima himself turns into a vampire later in the story thanks to a certain mad simp nishitani)

yuko comes back as a vampire

at some point the scene from my fanart happens; something along the lines of kiryu and nishiki being found by the evil vamps and being attacked. then of course nishiki saves kiryu (who's still baffled that this shit is happening to them and vampires are REAL) and tells him to run which he doesn't but it works out fine in the end

the scene of nishiki drinking kiryu's blood is a MUST because i. love. that. shit. (it's also extremely horny dfjvhsdkfhiasdfhisd)

nishiki's personality is somewhere in between his ykz0 and ykz k*wami self (like, he's much colder now but he still cares about others and does things not just for the sake of his own ambition)

idk about the end but immortal boyfriends? sounds nice?

#i'm so sorry anon this took so long #i went to bed and slept for like 12 hours and then my neck and back were really bothering me ghjklkjljfkjg #i had to take a few smoke breaks along the way #writing shit is hard #OKAY I'M DONE WITH EXCUSES SORRYYYYY #nishikiryu #yakuza #vampire!au #ask

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walkerwords · 3 years

Text

“My Person” Connie x GN!Reader

IMAGE CREDIT: Gene Page/AMC

Request from @thanossexual So I had this idea for Connie x Reader where they were together looooong before the apocalypse happened (imagine if they're engaged 😍) so they are in alexandria for a while now. Connie is friends with Daryl, but Y/n notices that glint Daryl has in his eye when his talking with Connie and she gets a little insecure so her fiancé reassures her, and they have a cuddling session 😌❤️ Lots of fluff with a little bit of jealousy. You can add something there if you want to spice up things even more and make it into more angsty imagine. Thank you ❤️❤️❤️

Word Count: 2123

Warning: None

Song I Wrote To: “Our Love Comes Back” by James Blake

Note: Of course we don’t know Connie’s sexuality for sure, but the reader is GN in this one! All ASL is in italics

--------

The waves crashed into one another on a sunlit shore as an army prepared for battle.

You stood on a watchpoint, keeping your eyes on the formation below as Aaron led the charge. When Oceanside had offered their beach for training, Daryl had roped everyone else into agreeing. While the Whisperers had drawn their lines, nobody was dropping their guard, especially after what had happened at the fair.

Your group had joined Hilltop when Judith Grimes had found you in the woods one afternoon. You, Magna, Yumiko, Luke, Kelly, and your fiancée, Connie, had all been welcomed quite coldly by Michonne at first, but now, everyone had begun to feel like a family. One you were thrilled to have after being on the road for so long.

You and Connie had been together since before the Turn. The two of you had been High School sweethearts and when the world ended, you didn’t let her out of your sight. As you moved through the world with both Connie and Kelly, you became their main protector. While Connie was the most intuitive of your trio, you had been a strong fighter since before everything had crashed down.

You acted as their scout and took care of any threat that would try to take the love of your life and your best friend away from you. Since living in the new world, you were wary of strangers. Connie trusted people, or rather she wanted to believe that there were still good people out there. Kelly was more skeptical but tended to be more of an optimist like her sister.

When you had met Michonne and then more of her people as the days went by, you didn’t know how to feel about being around them in such close quarters. Then, Connie had gone with Daryl to rescue a couple of teenagers from the girl’s homicidal mother, and you were left alone without the woman you loved.

After the fair, everyone was closer, especially Connie and Daryl. While a part of you knew that they had gone through a lot together, that they had fought together, you couldn’t help but see how much Connie’s eyes lit up whenever he was around. Daryl Dixon was a kind man and a strong leader. He had taken to your family easily and he had even begun to learn ASL.

As much as you liked him, you weren’t too thrilled about how much time he spent with Connie. Since arriving at Oceanside, you noticed that they were never too far from each other. Connie was always watching him train, the way he easily killed the Dead with his dual blades and crossbow.

Dixon didn’t seem like the kind of man to initiate any kind of physical touches with anyone, but with Connie, it seemed easy. He would squeeze her arm or tap his fist against her shoulder with pride. You knew that he was just being friendly, but you couldn’t stop the jealously that rose in you when you watched them.

One afternoon, you were sitting down by the water when you heard soft footsteps approaching. You smiled over at Kelly as she sat down next to you. “Hey,” she said, her eyes turned towards the horizon.

“Hi,” you said back with a quick sign as well. While Kelly hadn’t completely lost her hearing, you knew that she was having days when it would come in and out and that she was worried. You also knew that she appreciated it when you used ASL whenever you spoke to her, just in case. “What’s up?”

“Are you okay?” Kelly asked. You nodded, not looking at your friend. Kelly sighed and then reached over and touched your shoulder, getting you to look at her. “Talk to me,” Kelly signed.

“It’s nothing,” you signed back, shrugging your shoulders.

“They’re just friends, (Y/N),” Kelly said out loud.

“If you already knew what was bothering me, why bother asking, Kel?”

“I was hoping you would tell me yourself,” she said with a knowing look. She was looking at you with patience, something she always did. Kelly was the one person who could read you like a book. Even Connie didn’t know everything her sister did. It was a bond that you never thought you would have and you cherished it, especially in the world you now were forced to survive in.

“Have you noticed her acting weird lately?” You asked Kelly.

“Weird how?”

“I don’t know...distant?”

“Distant from you?” Kelly asked and you nodded. “Not really, but we are sort of all stressed out right now. With the Skins pissed at us and with what happened to Henry and the others…” Kelly trailed off and you flopped down onto the sand, basking in the warm sun.

“I know,” you sighed, your hands following your words. “I’m being crazy right? Thinking something is going on between the two of them?”

“I get why your head is goin’ there, but they are just friends. My sister loves you so much and she and Daryl are oddly similar. I guess she finally found her own best friend. Sort of how you have me,” she said with a wink.

“Daryl Dixon has nothing on you,” you signed, earning a smile from Kelly.

“Thank you,” she signed back. “Seriously though,” she said, “talk to Connie. I’m sure your thoughts will shut up afterward.”

---------

Later that day, you found Daryl with Dog watching over his niece and nephew.

“It’s weird, right?” Daryl said as you sat next to him. You were somewhat startled because he was never the one to initiate a conversation with you.

“What is?” you asked, looking over at him. He gestured forward, pointing at Judith and RJ.

“That,” he said. “Seein’ the little ones playin’ in the sand like the old times.”

“Yeah,” you agreed. “I guess I never thought I would see something like that again.” It was silent again as the salty air rushed around you two. Eventually, he tore his eyes from the kids again to refocus on you.

“How are ya doin’?” Daryl asked, catching you off guard again.

“I’m fine, Daryl,” you said with a small smile, not liking how awkward the energy between the two of you was. “And you? How’s the training going?”

“You tell me,” he said as he picked at his fingernails with the smaller knife in his hands. “Were the formations lookin’ good from yer spot up top?”

“So far,” you said, kicking at the stray rocks at your feet.

“Thanks for bein’ our eyes, (Y/N),” Daryl said. “Usually it’s Carol, but…” he trailed off and you didn’t ask him to elaborate. You didn’t know the woman that well, but you knew that she was grieving over the loss of her son, something you could never even begin to imagine. You also knew that Carol was Daryl’s best friend according to Connie.

“You know, “ you said, “it’s too bad we can’t just clone you a bunch of times. You’re a hell of a fighter, Daryl.” He gave you a small smile, one that was hard to receive from the stoic man, but he seemed to be warming up to you and the others quickly.

“Connie tells me you’re pretty great yourself. Told me the other day that you trained her and her sister.” You nodded, smiling at the thought of Connie praising you in front of your new friends.

“My father was a SEAL,” you explained. “I had to pick up a few things before the end of the world. Though their skills are all thanks to them, they’re quick studies.”

“It’s good that ya knew all that. M’glad you were able to survive this long,” he said with a knock to your shoulder, something he only ever did to his friends. Perhaps he was starting to think of you that way as well.

“Thanks, Dixon,” you said.

“Ya think ya can help some of the fresher faces wield their blades? Not sure if many are gettin’ the hang of hand to hand at this point,” Daryl asked, gathering up his stuff.

“Not a problem,” you agreed. Daryl smiled once more at you before clapping his hands together and getting Dog to chase Judith and RJ, the kids laughing as the canine yipped happily at them. You smiled after them and immediately felt stupid for the thoughts you had expressed earlier.

Daryl Dixon was a good man.

--------

Later that night you lay awake in the trailer you and the rest of your family were sharing.

You didn’t know where Kelly or Luke were, but you were grateful for the quiet. It was well after dinner when Connie crept quietly into the room, probably thinking you were asleep. Reaching over, you clicked on the lantern, gaining her attention. She waved to you and you sat up in the bed, watching her peel off her boots and pull her hair out of its tie.

You loved the moments when she began to relax for the evening. You always felt so lucky to be able to see the more vulnerable side of her. “What’s up, Love?” she signed, sitting down on the side of the bed.

Shrugging, you just signed, “nothing.” Connie rolled her eyes and playfully pushed you, tucking her legs underneath her to fully face you.

“I know you better than that,” she signed with a frown. You watched her in the low light of the trailer for a moment before giving in.

“It’s ridiculous. I was just feeling jealous,” you explained.

“Jealous? Why?” You gave her a look, but she still didn’t seem to get it.

“You and Daryl were just getting closer,” you said. “I didn’t like it.” Connie shook her head, her curls bouncing around her face.

“Is that what this is about? We are just friends,” she promised.

“No, I know,” you said. “I was just letting my emotions get to me. Lots of stress.” Connie frowned again and then in a single movement, sprang at you. You tumbled back down onto the bed as she pinned you, keeping your hands locked to your sides so you couldn’t interrupt her.

“Listen to me,” she signed, her eyes never leaving yours. “I love you. I have always loved you. I know that we have been under stress, but we will beat it. Together.” Connie repeated the sign for “together”, her hands placed together at the knuckles with her thumbs up as she rotated her hands in a horizontal circle. “Okay?”

You raised your brows, asking for permission to respond when she moved her legs so you can free your hands. “Okay,” you first signed. “I’m sorry I was being so…”

“Jealous?” she asked and you nodded with a roll of your eyes.

“It has just been a while since I have seen you smile the way you do when you are with him,” you finally admitted.

“He is a horrible signer, it is funny,” she said with a snicker.

“You know what I mean, Connie,” you said and she nodded her fist, the sign for “yes”.

“You are my person, (Y/N). Kelly loves you, Luke loves you, Magna, Yumiko, all of them. You are family and you are the only one for me.” A tear fell from your eye as you watched her hands, feeling the emotions that she expressed through her signing.

“I guess I never thought I would have to worry about losing you to anything but the Dead,” you admitted.

“Never, never,” she signed.

“I love you,” you said aloud and she read your lips perfectly. With a wide smile, she pinned your arms above your head and kissed you slowly. Your fingers intertwined as you melted into the woman you loved with everything you had.

Just as she began to slide down your body, the door opened and you froze. Connie furrowed her brow just as Kelly slid into Connie’s view. Used to her sister’s interruptions, Connie smiled at Kelly.

With a smile of her own, Kelly jumped on top of both of you, hugging her best friend and sister tightly as you and Connie struggled for air. When she sat up, she was beaming down at both of you. You grinned at her and Connie.

“My two favourite people!” you signed enthusiastically.

“But you like me more, right?” Kelly signed with a chuckle. With a roll of her eyes, Connie kicked her sister, shoving her off the bed and onto the hard floor.

Kelly looked up at both of you in shock before dissolving into a fit of laughter. You and Connie soon followed and all the worry from earlier in the day washed away.

You were Connie’s person and nothing was going to change that.

TAGS: @thanossexual @yes-sir-hotchner @felicisimor

#connie twd #twd imagines #twd #the walking dead #the walking dead imagines #connie x reader #connie the walking dead #twd fan fic #twd season 10 #walkerwords

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incineratortm · 3 years

Photo

AXEL CUTTLER is a mutant with the ability of FIRE MANIPULATION. they’ve been in new york for THIRTY YEARS where they spend most of their time as AN ICE SKATING INSTRUCTOR AND THIEF. when i think of them, i think of SMELL OF BURNT ASH AND CIGARETTES, FLICKERING FLAMES IN THE DARK, TOWERING OVER EVERYONE IN A CROWD, CARRYING WORN ICE SKATES OVER HIS SHOULDER, LEATHER JACKETS AND COMBAT BOOTS.

「 𝙿𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚃 」

「 𝚃𝙰𝚂𝙺 𝙾𝙽𝙴 」

𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙱𝙰𝚂𝙸𝙲𝚂 —

NAME: Axel Cuttler ALIAS: Incinerator NICKNAMES: Ax AFFILIATION: The Brotherhood BIRTHDAY: June 10th ZODIAC: Gemini AGE: Thirty SPECIES: Mutant POWER: Fire Manipulation CLASSIFICATION: Omega Level SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Biromantic OCCUPATION: Ice skating instructor, Thief EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering LANGUAGES KNOWN: English, Russian, Spanish RESIDENCE: Belcourt Apartments CHILDREN: Mila Cuttler is an eight-year-old Mutant like her father but has ice manipulation powers. They developed when she was only six, something said about Mutants in the local news upset her. Which resulted in a shard of ice coming out of her hand and went into the television screen — breaking it instantly. She has blonde hair and participates in ice skating competitions. Axel is still working on teaching her how to control these abilities. HEIGHT: 6’5” BODY TYPE: Muscular, Athletic, Toned EYE COLOR: Brown HAIR COLOR: Brunette UNUSUAL FEATURES: One scar that stretches across his right cheek from his ear and ending near his jawline by the corner of his lips

POSITIVE TRAITS: Loyal, adventurous, cooperative, confident, adaptive, alert, creative, graceful, methodical, self-controlled, sociable, strong, brilliant, honest NEGATIVE TRAITS: Unmercifulness, petty, eccentric, rowdy, persistent, amoral, brutal, devious, excitable, quirky, strong-willed, uninhabited, cynical BAD HABITS: Smoking cigarettes, snapping his fingers to stare at a single flame

𝙱𝙰𝙲𝙺𝚂𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚈 —

Axel was born in one of the back alleys of Brooklyn. His cries muffled by sounds of the city. Everything was so loud. His mother looked afraid while holding him, wrapped the newborn up in her jacket while trying to figure out what to do. She wasn’t ready to be a mother, much too young, and no support behind her. They sit there for a while in the blazing heat until she suddenly remembers seeing an orphanage called AURURA HOME nearby when visiting her grandparents recently. It was a few miles from where she was staying but Axel’s mother kept him wrapped securely and started walking. He’s left on the porch with only a note. His cries stopped when the door opened and experienced kindness for the first time.

Growing up, Axel becomes quite the extrovert but also an occasional troublemaker. He knew that adoption wasn’t going to ever happen for him. All the parents that come to visit think that he’s far too rowdy and they want someone that knows how to behave. He stopped hoping for it and told himself that it didn’t matter. Obviously this still hurt — and maybe that’s what started to fuel the fire flickering inside of him. It’s ready to ignite but it doesn’t yet.

The boy taught himself how to survive, sneaking out of the orphanage when nobody was looking to explore the streets. It was dangerous for a kid but Axel told himself that it wasn’t like anyone would come looking. He didn’t like any of the other children at the orphanage, they all annoyed him except for one. Theodora was practically his best friend since they were around the same age and both were raised there from birth. She was the best out of anyone in that place, like his light in the dark. Something that would remain true even when they got older and traveled down different paths — yet continued to remain close.

Axel does a few odd jobs around Brooklyn to save up some money after becoming fascinated by figure skating. He eventually had enough to buy some cheap skates. They weren’t brand new but they were his. While everyone else at the orphanage was so focused on getting adopted or finding their forever homes, Axel could be found at the local ice rink practicing. He was pretty good, no doubt about that on anyone’s mind while watching him spend hours upon hours on the ice until it was dinner time. He was a natural and could make a career out of this with enough work.

TEN YEARS OLD — Axel tried to hide his ice skates from the other boys but they were nosy and discovered his passion after many years of hiding it. He usually ignores them, telling himself that they aren’t worth it. but today they put their hands on his skates. They tore them out of his hands, throwing them in the nearby tree so they were out of reach. Cruelty spilling out of the three boys as the they heckled Axel. The oldest of the trio shoved him, knocking him down onto the grass. His eyes just staring up at the sky, looking at the branches where his skates are dangling off the branch. The metal of the blades glistening in the sun. Rage begins building while sitting up, feeling the flame within him burning more quickly. It pours out of his skin, turning his shirt to ash and covering his arms and chest — while both eyes are glowing brighter than the sun. Only two words can be heard before a tragedy. “SHUT UP!”

It happens so fast, unsure what of what just happened as the flames leave his hands in beams of raging fire. All three boys are left with third degree burns across different parts of their body. None of them bothered him again after that out of fear. Nobody died that day but they were all left with permanent reminders.

EIGHTEEN YEARS OLD — Axel is living in the streets now, legally considered an adult and required to leave the orphanage. It should bother him not to have family but the ache stopped some time ago. He’s a Mutant and still discovering what that means. He isn’t Human, which is the only thing that makes any sense.

The Maggia discovered what Axel could do and decided to take advantage of the situation, approaching the kid who didn’t know any better. It was fairly obvious what they wanted. He wasn’t given much of a choice in the matter. Two options and no compromises. Axel could either come work for The Maggia or they would let one of the Anti-Mutant groups where they could find him. It terrified him and reluctantly agreed to be their henchman. What could be better than someone with an ability like fire manipulation on your payroll? It was deadly and just what they needed.

Everyone looked down on Axel for being a Mutant and mistreat him, despite knowing he had the ability to kill all of them with little effort. Some might say they’re too trusting but Axel thinks they were just stupid. He was their best thief but nobody would admit it — and if someone needed to be disposed of? Axel would place a hand over their face and the flames burned people from the inside out until they were just a pile of burnt ash. He hated being part of The Maggia and having to be their lackey, but Axel did the work. He worked harder than everyone and never got promotions.

It took several years for Axel to finally realize that he shouldn’t be afraid of their threats anymore. Instead, they should all be afraid of him if they tried to stop him from leaving. He was tired of being told what to do by these Humans who never gave him an ounce of respect. Which is the reason behind Axel packing up his things — finally leaving to join THE BROTHERHOOD and begin calling himself INCINERATOR.

#c23intro #axel ✰ introduction #murder tw #gore tw #assault tw

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gumnut-logic · 4 years

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The Seal

This one is for @the-lady-razorsharp because she posted this post and this is the result. Also, more blame belongs with @godsliltippy because it was in her fic that seal!Gordon was born.

You guys are influencers and things like this happen. ::hugs you both::

Many thanks to @vegetacide for the read through and encouragement :D

Marks & Wings, a little language from our usually cool and calm heavy lifter, but his patience was shot, so I don’t blame him.

A little fun. I hope you enjoy it.

-o-o-o-

Okay, there were limits.

Sure, Virgil had been terrified that he had again lost his fish brother. The guy had done it before, and yet he still managed to do it again. Though admittedly, this time it was in Antarctica amongst the snow and ice and Gordon was obviously going for variety.

And sure, it had been because of a rescue. A successful rescue, one that saved the lives of three researchers.

Three researchers that Virgil was on the verge of killing, but hey, they were alive for the moment.

The ice had collapsed and Gordon had been standing on it. His brother couldn’t fly, so he did the next best thing to survive in the frigid cold waters he had fallen into, and he had changed.

Midair.

In front of three aghast survivors who shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

One of which had the nerve to get out their phone and film Gordon as he risked his life to save them.

Two had them dangling below, thanks to Gordon’s efficiency, and Virgil was able to yank them up into his ‘bird’s belly, despite the howling winds.

But his brother had vanished into the maelstrom of the Southern Ocean, last seen as a seal.

The frustrating thing about Gordon was that his body could not support a tracker. Whatever happened to his clothing when he shifted, any tracker in his body went with it.

Great for modesty.

Bad for locating missing brothers.

And if that rescuee complained about his phone one more time, Virgil was going to do something he wouldn’t regret.

The device was toast. Eos had obliterated it the moment she realised there was video being taken of the shape changing Tracy. His AI niece was efficient and the cell was now no more than a smouldering lump on the deck plates.

She would be on high alert patrol until Penelope could get her hands on the trio and stamp out any rumours they may choose to start.

Virgil took some great reassurance from that fact.

But Gordon had vanished from sensors and Virgil’s own sense of his brother was vague due to his shift in form.

Fortunately, seals were mammals so he was receiving much more than he would be if Gordon had turned himself into a crab or cephalopod. But still it was frustrating.

“So, what is he?” Phoneless rescuee was a bonafide asshole.

Virgil grit his teeth and ignored him.

Antarctic winds were a bitch and despite Two fighting like a champ, he was still having trouble keeping her at a safe hover. “John, tell me you have something.”

“I’m trying, Virgil, but cold is cold and infrared can only do so much.” His space brother was delving into Two’s equipment and focussing the power of Five through her instruments. The best thing Virgil could do right now was hold her still.

Virgil bit back a snarl of frustration. Every cell in his body wanted to go down there and fish his brother out of the ocean, but Two couldn’t be left to herself and visibility was shit.

“Is he a changeling?”

Virgil tasted blood as his teeth bit through his lip.

Gordon, if you can hear me, please!

There was a flicker of something, but it was hard to localise amongst the roar of Two, the howling wind outside and the windbag inside…

“Shut the fuck up!”

Okay, so Grandma would probably scrub his mouth out with a toilet brush, but it got results.

Windbag grunted and, fortunately for him, did as he was told.

A particularly strong gust whacked Two sideways and Virgil was forced to gain height or risk colliding with the leading edge of the glacier.

“John…”

The single hiss over comms was only a hint of the wave of worry that washed down from orbit.

But then….

“Got him!”

Location coordinates flashed up on Virgil’s dash and a holographic representation of a single dot swimming in an infinity loop at the surface of the ocean.

A bent infinity loop.

No, the number four.

Heart in his throat, Virgil lowered Two closer to the water.

It spat up at him, angered by the gale.

The glacier loomed.

As close to the waves as he dared, Virgil opened Two’s bay doors and lowered the rescue rig into the water.

The loop stopped and swam over to the tossed rig.

A flicker and his sense of Gordon reasserted itself as his brother changed form.

“Up.” It was breathless on comms and Virgil hurried to comply.

The wind fought him and Two dipped sideways again.

One of the rescuees squawked behind him.

Windbag swore.

Virgil’s grip on the yoke removed all the blood from his hands.

But Two was as strong as he needed her to be and she drew the rescue rig inside.

The moment he had it secured, Virgil pulled back on the yoke and Two climbed above the weather as fast as he could get her there.

The sudden absence of turbulence was peaceful. A creeping silence.

Virgil shoved her into autopilot, secured the console and despite the protests of windbag, was out of his seat and hurrying down into the module between breaths.

He didn’t need to see the seal to know his brother had transformed back into the pinniped, probably to conserve heat until the module warmed up, but it was always a surprise to encounter Gordon in another of his forms.

If Virgil’s heart wasn’t still beating a mile a minute, he could have called his brother cute.

Virgil didn’t know enough to identify the type of seal Gordon had chosen this time, only that it was a fat one, a dark mottled brown and rolling on Two’s deck plates like a beached whale.

Warm eyes glared up at him as he approached. The one aspect that seemed to survive his brother’s transformation was his eyes. They were always carnelian, always so Gordon they reached into Virgil’s insides and just yanked.

“Hey, you okay?” He visually combed the length of his brother’s seal body, but could not see any obvious injury.

The seal bounced its head up and down slowly.

“Cold?”

Another bounce. Gordon slid over and rubbed up against his leg.

And finally, relief flooded Virgil’s system. Oh, thank god.

A flickering echo of that same emotion wafted down from orbit as Virgil knelt and wrapped his arms around his still damp and cold brother. The chill coming off the seal was ice.

No wonder his brother had switched back as soon as possible.

He couldn’t help but rub a hand down his brother’s back.

Gordon chirped at him and wearily flapped a flipper.

Virgil pulled back with a frown. The sense being thrown at him was one of hunger.

“You’re kidding.”

Gordon smacked his lips together. Seals had puppy dog eyes, but these were definitely Gordon’s.

“You know we only have ration bars aboard. Not exactly seal cuisine.” Hell, he wasn’t even sure they were compatible with a pinniped’s digestive system.

Gordon squawked at him all seal teeth and tongue. “ARFGFJFJFHHGGJH!!!”

Virgil scampered backwards, as always, never quite sure exactly how much Gordon’s form influenced his brother’s thoughts. “Don’t arjfjfjejdjfjfggh at me, mister. I’m not the one who forgot to stock Two with sardines.”

Gordon wilted and dropped his head onto Virgil’s knee.

The puppy seal eyes deployed were downright lethal.

Virgil groaned. “Fine. We’ll pick up takeout from The Crab Shack on the way back.” The seal immediately perked up. “And yes, you can get your favourite. I’ll contact them on the way in.” The Auckland eatery knew them well.

Mostly their fish brother’s fault.

Gordon managed a tired but goofy grin.

Virgil sighed, but couldn’t help but reach up and rub at his scruff.

And the laugh that burst out when Gordon whacked a flipper repeatedly on the floor like a dog enjoying himself far too much was one of so much fond love, it almost had tears in it.

Goofball.

-o-o-o-

FIN.

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #Virgil Tracy #Gordon Tracy #marks and wings #seal!Gordon

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sepublic · 4 years

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Sense and Insensitivity!

Aaah, I swear this episode helped fix a crippling absence in my heart that I’ve been missing out on! I’ve got a fever, and the only cure is… MORE OWL HOUSE!!!

I feel like this entire episode is a rather meta joke about the writing process, especially with the whole bit about publishers and how they’re forced to do crunch-time; Pretty sure that’s a real thing, and if so, I applaud Dana and the crew for making sure to remind viewers! And also, Luz, SAME… I, too, understand the pain of being a writer!

There’s not much else to say about Piniet, but I like his design, premise, and voice! He’s pretty neat, and his ability to read entire books within seconds is… It’s much too powerful! I must have this power… Not gonna lie, I didn’t expect HIM to be the true mastermind behind it all (rather, just a lackey for John de Plume) but I guess it makes sense! I thought Plume was kind of an annoying narcissist, but after seeing what he’s going through I guess I can’t blame him for desperately drinking up any love and support he can get!

That scene with the cubes though… Pretty freaky stuff, honestly. Legit thought a dude died when Piniet stepped on him, but apparently not- Still, we never see them revert back to normal, and with Piniet conducting business as he usually does after this, YIKES. Also, love the chaotic energy of Not-Dana in this episode, I didn’t really see her coming into play here but it makes so much sense! Also, this episode can be seen almost as a metaphor for what happened in real life, perhaps- Piniet/Disney wanted to pull more writing from King/Alex Hirsch, who didn’t want to dedicate the rest of his life to Ruler’s Reach/Gravity Falls! Then Dana/Not Dana comes in, dazzles Piniet/Disney with her story/The Owl House, and King/Alex Hirsch is free to do as he pleases (in this case, becoming a VA) while poor Not/Dana has no clue what’s in store for her!

Subtle, Dana. I like it.

And Luz and King’s friendship! I love episodes that delve more into King and his insecurities, and I’d DIE for these two goobers! I love that while King and Eda are definitely partners-in-crime, there’s a certain silliness to Luz and King’s friendship that is unique to their relationship! Not to discount Eda and her bond with King of course… More on Eda later, naturally!

Typewriter was a hilarious character, and I love how Luz still wants to show unconditional support for King after he’s famous! It just shows how kind-hearted and empathetic she is… She knows what it’s like to be lonely and not taken seriously and she doesn’t want to take away the gratification from King! Likewise, I love how the show acknowledges that King may just be a tad-bit jealous of Luz and Eda, or at least he recognizes that they ‘have’ what he doesn’t… To King, his two friends seem self-assured and confident, like they’re living their own dream while he doesn’t! I can see why King acts selfish at times, he justifies it to himself because he thinks that Eda and Luz are already having it so good… Surely it can’t hurt to indulge himself once in a while, right?

But at the same time, King is not truly selfish. Once he realizes he’s messed up, he’ll go back on his mistakes to make amends, ASAP, throwing away whatever he’s gained for that precious friendship! Maybe the REAL power was the friends we made along the way…? Regardless, it’s clear that Eda and Luz, the latter especially, take his insecurities and thoughts a lot more seriously than anyone else, and I think that’s what’s so important to King! The fact that they listen to him, they humor him… And it’s because part of what makes them so well-off is King’s own presence! I just LOVE this trio you guys!

Also, imagine Boscha’s perspective of Luz and King after everything. I swear, these two –and Eda- are such utter weirdos and cryptids to everyone they come across, it’s amazing! I’m also low-key wondering who made King that scarf… I might want to check later. Not-Saria, planning to trash on that book if it fails you… I know how you feel. And beware King, “There’s more to life than shipping” is fighting words! They’re not FALSE, but still, it’s like that meme about how they hated him because he told them the truth! Like I said, this episode was hilariously meta and close to home, and you get the feeling that Dana is one of us- A fan that’s obsessed over things in the past and suffered laboriously through the pain of writing!

But… EDA AND LILITH! OH, how I’ve waited for this! I knew it, I knew it was coming, that delicious sibling interaction and team-up, and oh it feels SO good!

I’m glad to see that Once Upon a Swap hasn’t changed how Lilith feels! It’s pretty ingenius how her strategy for capturing Eda is just ‘procrastinate as long as possible’ and she manages to justify it! Of course, Belos probably won’t tolerate this strategy for long after a while…

Speaking of Belos- He needs the Bloom of Eternal Youth?!? Is it for some other purpose, or is the dude himself aging? Who knows HOW old he’s been, or how long his rule has lasted- For all we know he’s been the original creator of the Coven System himself! There are even some theories that he was the Boiling Isles Titan, or lived long enough to interact with it! Given how the Bloom was fake from the very beginning, has he been relying on ways to extend his youth throughout the years, or is the first time his years have caught up to him?

Does he want Eda, partially to mend this? What if the curse was cast by Belos on Eda, to drain her of her youth in a parasitic exchange? The show itself has more or less confirmed that Eda is getting older because of the curse! WHAT IF Belos killed the Titan, because he acted as a parasite by draining its life-force to keep himself alive- He DOES have an insectoid motif, and I guess you could connect insects to creatures like Mosquitoes and Fleas…

Anyhow, I’m glad to see that Eda will also go out of her way for Lilith, too! The mixed-feelings, aggravation, and genuine love between the two is so amazing… I love how the two are acknowledging that the other means well, and has their own reasons for what they’re doing! And I love how the show has confirmed it- That Lilith DOES want Eda to join the Emperor’s Coven, she just wants her to do it on her own terms, with her own agency! I love this complicated relationship between these two sisters, where they loudly proclaim that they’d sell one another to Satan for a corn chip, but then would move the stars for the other when no one else is looking!

Obviously the trailer spoiled us, but it was obvious from the get-go that Ratman Witch dude was a fake and it was a trap! Love how they play with the twist by just… Having Eda and Lilith not bat an eye! After all, this is some one-off goon without a name, VS the two most powerful Witches in the Boiling Isles (sans Belos, possibly)! I’d say I wish we got to see the two fight together, but let’s be real- There wasn’t even a fight to begin with. They likely combined a single spell together and ended it within seconds… And on a side-note, I like how Eda confirms that she and Lilith got into trouble together in the past, too! Hence ‘There she is!’ in Covention.

As for some smaller thoughts;

I find it funny, but not surprising, that Mattholomule has been relegated to physical labor in Piniet’s publishing company! Isn’t that child labor? We know Luz is fourteen, and he’s around her age, if not younger- Especially how Luz notes how light he is, and how Matt’s similar height to Gus indicates he’s about the kid’s age. I dunno, I don’t know Boiling Isles rules on child labor, if they even have any, and even if they did I doubt Piniet cares! I wonder how Not-Dana will get herself out of THIS conundrum with him… Not that I doubt she will of course! She’s got that chaotic energy and hasn’t survived this long for nothing!

And I love Luz, being all weird as she is, having to use her teeth to tear up the contract instead of her hands like anyone else would! I can’t quite understand her mind, but it’s part of what makes her such a favorite to me! At least a contract isn’t some organ from a monster you just came across… And clever of her to use the Light glyph for the book! I love King’s realization of a missed pun, and the unstoppable teamwork of him and Luz!

Given how King has already messed up a few times by being selfish, I have to suspect this will come into play in Really Small Problems, with King feeling like he’s begun to drive Luz away with his vanity and becoming desperate to rekindle their friendship! But as we all know, there’s nothing he needs to prove- Luz cares for him and vice-versa! And ironically, King indulging in ‘Mysterioso’s’ product is also him being selfish, but in general… I like how the show recognizes his crippling insecurity beneath it all, his feelings are valid and not unfounded. Even without the possibility of him having been an ACTUAL King of demons, the show still makes a compelling motive and reason for what he does!

Speaking of a potential backstory… It’s worth noting that King claims his name is actually a rank- So what was his real name, then? Does he even remember?Likewise, he mentions that becoming a famous author will help him in his reclamation of power…

All-in-all, this was a good, solid episode! It’s clearly a very relationship-driven episode, which as someone who enjoys the relationships between characters in this show- That’s amazing! It really establishes how characters truly feel about one another, while subtly setting the stage for something else… I love it!

Up-next is Adventures in the Elements, a totally-new episode that I have NEVER seen, and I will DEFINITELY discuss my new thoughts about it when it officially airs!

#the owl house #owl house #the owl house king #the owl house luz #luz noceda #the owl house eda #edalyn clawthorne #the owl house lilith #lilith clawthorne #the owl house piniet

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justphilia · 4 years

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Mob Psycho Characters Playing Minecraft (Headcanons)

Shigeo

He starts with creative mode, just to get the gist of it, before finally heading into survival but on peaceful. Then he’ll do survival easy mode and just stay on that tier forever, until he feels more confident to up his game a little higher.

Only played because Telepathy club was playing and he heard the word “Mob” and was like; “Did you call me?” and the club goes “nah fam, it Minecraft.” “what’s Minecraft.” Boom he plays.

Most likely to have a farm with a lot of cows

Has a dirt house/villager’s house on the first night and stops at just that.

Not much of a great builder

Takes forever to get diamonds

Dies often, but not too much. Just often enough for him to lose a few good iron pickaxes.

Always goes to bed once it’s night.

Most likely to have a pet cat

He just plays for fun, when he’s bored and stuff. So he doesn’t go as far as to defeating the ender dragon. He’ll travel to the nether though, just for potion making

But he does play a heck more when Teru’s around, or when the Telepathy club invites him.

He awaits for a frog update

Reigen

Jumps into survival hardcore right off the bat after watching one play through

Most likely to have a villager colony and farm

Makes a wooden house with windows and stuff on the first night with a furnace and a crafting table and a bed. The essentials. But he won’t stay in one house often and will move a lot

He can build, but he’s pretty amateur at it, he’s a fast learner though so he could easily replicate houses he see online

He’s the type of guy that never stops mining until he finds diamonds, which means he makes sure he’s at 13-11y in coordinates, has a shit ton of extra pickaxes, and stacks upon stacks of torches. Once he finds them goodies, he heads on home and repeats the cycle

He’ll defeat the ender dragon if he’s bored enough or when someone challenges/pays him to.

Same goes with The Wither

Will skip Minecraft sleep very often and will only go to bed when the phantom starts attacking

Most likely to have many many pet dogs, each one of them have name tags.

When he dies, he gets mad for a few hours, then jumps right back in. He doesn’t die all that often though, so he won’t rage quit.

He gets the minecraft books later on and you can see him reading it under his table time to time

Ritsu

He starts off with easy or normal without much knowledge on the game, probably only played because Shigeo introduced him to or Shou bugged him about it.

He’ll have a farm, but just for resources. Won't have much animals, mostly crops. He’ll live next to a village if there is one.

His first house will also be a dirt house, he’ll improve it overtime and add more levels and decorations. It can get very pretty in the end and he’ll be content to just stay and keep adding more to his house.

Not the best builder, but good enough for people to compliment it. He feels especially proud when Shigeo likes them, so he’s keen on building better and more.

He plans before he mines, calculates how many torches he needs and plans out what he’s exactly looking for, even calculates how many hunger bars each food item will fill before taking it with him.

If he gets really into the game, he’ll defeat the ender dragon, wither and head on into the nether. Not in that order though.

Will sleep if he doesn’t need to do anything

Most likely to have pets, perhaps a cat, or a dog, or a parrot. Only one though.

When he dies, he accepts it and moves on. Though, that would rarely happen.

Recently got into a forced Minecraft marriage with Shou. Is it forced if he enjoyed it though?

Teru

This bitch really just gonna jump right into survival just to flex on Shigeo.

Duh, of course he’ll have a farm. Will probably talk to the animals.

His first house is either borrowed from a villager or built with wood, but it’ll definitely not be a simple ass wooden house. It will be a nice fucking mansion, just watch him, he will. He’ll fight all the mobs he needs to just to built this mansion right off the bat, doesn’t even care if the first night he sleeps roofless.

Really good at building, because he wants to compete with Ritsu for fun and boast about it to Shigeo. Shigeo would just clap and be like “Wow so cool.”

“Thanks, made it myself, I can make one for you.” Shigeo declines, he’s an independent man, which makes Teru a mixture of disappointment and oh-my-god-you’re-adorable???

He doesn't plan when he mines, he just estimates and half ass some stuff before he struts into the cave. Sometimes he gets lost, but that’s perfectly fine.

Will defeat every mob boss and mob ever to show Shigeo he’s very powerful.

Doesn’t sleep, fights the phantom instead. Will sleep if Shigeo asks him to.

Most likely to have a pet cat, but he doesn’t mind dogs.

When he dies, he’s an angry baby and makes up some excuse as to why he’s dead. “I was distracted, didn’t see the lava. Whoops I guess ha ha no big deal.” But it is a big deal, he lost his diamonds, he wants to give it to his boyfriend but he cannot. Because he died.

Has yet to marry Shigeo in Minecraft.

Shou

Plays because he is a gamer. Survival hardcore ftw. He only plays multiplayer with Ritsu these days, never single player because he has been playing Minecraft his whole childhood and it gets boring on his own.

What’s a fucking farm? I take my food from my Minecraft husband.

Sleeps in a cave, but if Ritsu’s done with the house, he joins his bed with him and sleeps under a roof.

But he’s really really good at building, probably the best next to Serizawa. If you gave him the resources and time, he can recreate Seasoning City.

A concerning miner, jumps in with just torches and a pickaxe and somehow still survives (mostly because Ritsu always goes looking for him)

Could probably easily defeat the bosses because he has already done it so many times

Will only sleep when Ritsu is, which is almost all the time.

He owns every kind of animal.

He dies too many times because he really doesn’t mind, it makes Ritsu mad and that’s what keeps him going.

Shou was suffocated in sand.

“S H O U.” Ritsu yells at the boy next to him.

Was the one that proposed to Ritsu, invited everyone to the wedding; including Serizawa and Reigen.

Serizawa

Played while he was still hiding in his home, so he knows everything about the game when he finally played it with Reigen or the kids.

He loves farming, even the animals, it’s oddly calming to take care of something that won’t die unless he hits em.

He always collects resources first before he actually starts building a home, so he always sleeps in a cave or a villager’s house.

After years of experience, he became really good at building, he use to spend time recreating maps from other games. But he says Shou is better than him, the boy disagrees.

Yeah he mines, but he’s wary of dying when he heads into the cave, so he always brings too many torches.

Makes sure he is very very prepared before defeating bosses

Always sleeps in time, because Reigen said so. Well, because Reigen advised it, what a hypocrite am I right?

Doesn’t have pets, and even if he does, he always make them stay put at one place.

Doesn’t die all that often, almost not at all.

He pretends to not be good at the game when Reigen’s around, he mostly lets the other do what they wanna do because he loves watching his husband play.

“Serizawa! Look, I made the zombie villager back into a villager!” Reigen pointed, Serizawa smiles and nods. He already knew how to do that, but Reigen’s discovery makes it feel he discovered something new himself.

Tome

Bro this woman is so experienced to a point everyone consults her for tips.

She’s building up to find aliens in minecraft, even though they don’t exist, but she’s convinced they’re an easter egg or something.

No, she doesn’t farm. She takes em from the villagers, but she has a few beehives here and there.

She’s only mining to find diamonds as a peace offering to minecraft aliens.

One time she thought the Wither was an alien.

One time, she thought the phantom was an alien.

One time she thought the ghast was an alien.

Has died multiple times because she is careless, but she is never upset about it. Always jumps right back into the game immediately.

Parrots are her pets, because they f l y and d a n c e.

One time she thought the creepers were aliens.

She has this summoning circle made of redstone and torches in case there really are aliens.

She believes in herobrine and sometimes tries to summon him.

She thinks the aliens made the temples in minecraft.

Other Characters

Minegishi has so many bees and flowers and crops it’s almost covering the whole map.

Takenaka plays because it’s very quiet and calming

Shimazaki cannot play. He is blind.

Shou’s old resistance team use to play with him, now they sometimes play together as a trio when Shou is playing with Ritsu.

Mukai and Tsuchi play because Mukai wanted to, she has a lot of armor stands in her house.

Tsubomi does not play, she played once and didn’t enjoy it all that much, but she’s perfectly happy watching her friends play.

Emi roleplays in minecraft.

Mezato doesn’t play, but she likes watching minecraft videos on youtube, mostly the theories.

Everyone in the awakening lab plays, Kurosaki is fantastic at mining because she always knows which way are the mobs and which way are the diamonds. Asahi is an arsonist.

Minori once got invited by Shigeo to play, then she proceeded to buy minecraft and everything in it to impress him. Shigeo only congratulated her once. Contemplating buying the whole of Mojang, but she’s a good girl now so she won’t.

Hoshida plays to impress Tome. Too bad, son, she’s not into you.

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chimswae · 3 years

Text

BTS Caretake CH26

Summary: She may think she has Bangtan Sonyeondan wrapped around her fingers. She may think it is easy to love the members equally without hurting any soul. She may think the boys wont fall head over heels for her. She assumes it is okay to show a little love and affection towards the boys, what if she gets it all wrong? What if it only brings more complication to her already complicated life? Can she survive their charms? Will she be able to resist them? What if they just wont let her go?

- Pairing: BTS x Oc ( Yoongi x OC, Jungkook x OC)

- Genre: Fluff, Slight Angst, Romance, Idol!au

- Word Count: 4,918

- Author Note: Happy December everyone! Slightly late update~ sorry!

Previous | Next

Chapter 26

D-day

Few hours before the actual event took place, the boys would be walking down BBMAs Magenta Carpet along with other renowned celebrities creating their own history. Everyone had started running here and there since morning, hectic day indeed. Not to mention, the boys woke up as early as 8 in the morning to get their makeup done. Early bird Kim Seokjin was the first one in line looking annoyingly stunning and cheerful like he always does.

“You are early Jin” Semmy chuckled.

“Good morning to you too nuna” Jin chortled moving his head a little, showing off his so called adorable side. “So, where is Seul?” he clasped his hand in anticipation to see the other girl to appear behind Semmy.

Semmy raised one of her brows, bemused “Aren’t you being a little too clingy Jinnie? You may chase the girl away” she teased, placing the box down on the floor.

Jin pouted in his seat “I am being a responsible person here, since I am the one who suggested her to come along with us. I may as well use this chance to show how much I care” he defended himself earning a soft chuckle from others.

His personal manager retorted “You mean a chance to show how much you value her?” Jin gasped dramatically, placing his hand over his own chest. “Hyung, how could you betray me? I thought we are best friend!” he pursed his lips in protest.

“I thought you are Jungkook’s bestfriend. You guys hang out a lot without me anyways” he hummed nodding at Jin’s way. Before he could open his mouth to protest again, Seul’s chirpy voice ended the morning bicker, “Morning everyone!” the small girl pushed the stainless-steel clothes rack inside the room.

Namjoon beamed watching her making an entrance “Morning Seul. Did you get a good rest?” said the leader with a concern look. She nodded giving him a thumb up and shifted his attention to Jin “How early are you that you already working those magic on your handsome face” she giggled.

“I couldn’t even sleep, this anxiety is killing me” he claimed.

“You will be doing great, I am rooting for you Jin! Oh unnie, I bring their outfits, so who should I assist first?” the bright girl smiled flustering Semmy.

Jin and Namjoon exchanged glance smiling away, Semmy signalled Seul to the room next to her “Jungkook and Yoongi are inside, maybe you can see whoever is done with their makeup” she laid all the accessories on the coffee table.

The mention of Jungkook and Yoongi names twitched her heart, however she had to show her professionalism. She was not allowed to involve her personal feelings in her job. Risky and dangerous. Without much complain, she went straight to check those guys inside. Sprawling on the leather couch was Jungkook with gadget in his hand, his lips twisted in the cutest manner probably frustrated with the game battle that he had.

Meanwhile on the other side, Yoongi was sitting with his eyes closed facing the vanity table. The older woman applied a little colour on Yoongi’s lid, keeping his makeup minimalistic and as natural as she could. She slid silently beside them, watching the woman moved her fingers skilfully blending the colours which suit Yoongi’s pale skin. In all honesty, any colour would look good on him, and Seul found herself smile unknowingly at the thought.

Realizing Seul’s presence beside them, the brunette was about to greet her but Seul quickly placed her finger over her own lips signalling her to keep it low. Seul gave a polite bow mouthing her a good morning. The woman let out a silent giggle, sending her a wink before returned to her work.

‘Min Yoongi you are better and hundred times nicer, if you just keep your mouth shut like this’ she approached Jungkook hesitantly, waving her hand in front of his face to snap him out from his little world.

Be professional, said Seul. As soon as their eyes met, Seul couldn’t help the blush from making its comeback on her skin. His bunny smile was not helping either only to worsen it even more. Deadpanned, Seul fan herself with a soft huff “Are you done with your hair and makeup?” she quickly asked.

Jungkook’s round eyes blinked cutely as his nose scrunched up cutely in response “Makeup, checked. I haven’t done my hair though. What do you need stylist nuna?” he teased. Seul cleared her throat averting her eyes from meeting his, wherever but just not Jungkook.

“Oh, if you are done then you can call me over. I will just assist someone else for now” turning her heels as fast as lightning, she was ready to make an escape. Jungkook grabbed her wrist right on time “You can still dress me up anyway. At least I wont ruin the hair later on” the corner of his lips was tugged upward into his usual flirtiest smile.

“Let me get your outfit Jungkook-ssi” she pulled her hand and expelled a relief sigh. She mentally cursed herself from acting awkward around him. How could she stop thinking about her moment with Jungkook a day ago? It had been bothering since then.

Afraid to appear irresponsible, she grabbed Jungkook’s outfit and returned to the golden boy again this time forcing herself to act professional. Whiny Jungkook on the other hand didn’t give her a hard time, thankfully. She could properly assist him with his outfit and as soon as she’s done with him, Seul passed the job to Semmy. It was evident the younger guy requested Seul to style his hair but she’s quick to reject it.

It was not a request.

It was a way for him to commit sin.

That sinful Jeon Jungkook.

She gave this thing a deep thought as Seul decided to look for Hoseok and Jimin. Assisting the two-fluffy sunshine were the best resort at the moment. Just no Yoongi and Jungkook for the time being. While waiting for Hoseok getting ready, Seul lend her hand to style Jimin’s hair. She might not be a real professional, but she could do a simple thing start with the spray and how to style one’s hair. For some reason her practice with Hoon was quite useful.

Running her fingers in Jimin’s fluffy hair, she carefully smoothed the area that needed her attention. His gaze fell on her as he watched Seul caressed his hair from the reflection. Chewing his lips excitedly, it would be a lie that he didn’t enjoy it even a bit. Hell, he’s over the moon to see her face.

“I like this hair colour, it fits you” she murmured as a soft smile plastered across her face.

Jimin eyes shrunk in process allowing him to smile handsomely through the mirror “Don’t you like my pink hair?” she shook her head without hesitation. “Not a fan of it, I like your dark brown and black hair better. I always go for natural colour” she took a quick glance and grabbed the hairspray.

“Said the tangerine head” he flicked tongue his mouth, smirking.

“Hey, I am planning to change it back to black. Blame my stupid best friend. She forced me to try out this colour. She apparently thinks having your hair coloured is the process of adulting. It is absurd but whatever, I don’t really like it” Seul pouted keeping her hand busy spraying his hair carefully not to hurt his eyes.

He chuckled heartily “Adulting is never easy babe” Seul froze upon hearing the last phrase. What a sneaky mochi! He did not just call her babe out of the blue in an open space especially with the presence of other staffs.

Seul knocked his head a little using her knuckles to bring back some sense in him “Don’t babe me. Who allow you to say that” she snickered, frowning in disapproval. “Ow! Why are you using violence to punish me” he rubbed the top of his head, puckering his lower lips adorably hoping that Seul would spare his life.

“Let’s set a clear boundary here Park Jimin-ssi” she turned the swivel chair, so the mouthy guy could face her. Puffing her cheeks out of annoyance, she palmed the arm of the chair trapping the adorable guy in between. Her hard stare caused Jimin to shrink in his seat “Ya, Ji Seul you are scaring me” his head neck almost disappeared when she leaned forward intimidating him.

“First, you are not allowed to show your affection towards me in public. Make it physical contact or through your words. When I mean affection, limits your touchy side. Keep your hands to yourself” her stern voice sounded super serious and scary to him.

“It cant be hel-“ Seul silenced him with single glare. He pressed his lips together firmly, recollecting his thought and continue to listen to the girl sulkily.

“Secondly, don’t babe me. I have a personal vendetta against it especially when it comes from you. It is disturbing. We are not dating or anything so-“ “YET!” Jimin cut her off and once again her fiery glare penetrated his eyes.

He placed his hands on his lap like an obedient kid “Okay sorry, I will shut up”. It took a lot of strength to not laugh at the scene in front of her, but she had to make things clear. Seul didn’t want thing with Jungkook repeated by its own. The trios are dangerous and contagious to her fragile heart, it needed to be put on pause before bad things happen.

“So, we are not dating. Just don’t call me babe. I don’t do cliché thing, just call me anything but not babe” she cringed.

Jimin tilted his stupidly cute head in a slow motion as if he’s thinking about something “I will call you bunny then” her eyes rounded at the nicknames earning a soft chuckle from Jimin “Or do you want to make it sounded sugary, hunny bunny?” his plump lips rounded imitating Seul’s eyes.

“Ew, I prefer none”

“Should I call you berry, like strawberry because you smell like strawberry”

“Stop it”

“Or should I call you baby?”

“That is even worse”

“How does yeochin* sounds like?” (*A slang for Yeoja Chingu=Girlfriend)

“PARK JIMIN IM NOT YOUR YEOCHIN!” she hissed lowly careful not to attract any attention to their side. Seul stood in front of him, crossing her arms defensively.

Jimin pouted out of habit driving her up the walls, she hated it when he pouted.

She despised cutesy stuff, yet Park Jimin’s cutesy side was beyond her control. She couldn’t control her heart from drumming crazily. Like right now.

“Alright this is impossible. I will just set the last rule. No nicknames, just call me Seul” with that she spun the swivel chair back facing the mirror in front of them. Jimin inaudible protest could be heard clearly and it tickled her heart.

Seul ended up spending another thirty minutes styling Jimin before moving to sunshine Hoseok. His smile pleased her heart as usual and finally she’s taking a break from handful guys like the trios. At least with Hoseok, she could act naturally without getting flustered most of the time. Plus, the light conversation that she had with Hoseok always end up playful and cheerful.

After all the members were ready, they would be interviewed by some Korean and American medias before heading to the venue. She swore she heard Bang PD beyond the door talking to the boys and it made her scared to death. He’s the big boss, to be in the same room as him, was nerve wrecking. Especially when she’s illegally replacing her mother place as their caretaker.

Seul sat together with other staffs taking their short break whilst the boys had their short interview and photoshoot outside. She had fun exchanging stories with the rest of the staffs and they had been nothing but awfully friendly to her since day one. Not to mention, BTS’s managers were as friendly as Sejin but bear in mind their goofy side would disappear once they were on roll again.

Their conversation died down upon seeing Bang PD followed by the boys behind him entering the room, everyone stood up bowing politely. Bang PD nodded “Thank you for your hard work, it must be tiring. I appreciate your dedication and passion” he fixed his glass at the bridge of his nose accompanied by a wide smile afterwards.

The moment his eyes landed on Seul, the latter watched the older man nervously and bowed again out of respect “You must be Ji Seul? Mrs Hwang’s daughter, am I right? Thank you for coming despite the short notice. I hope you are not burdened by it” he stated.

“No Sir! I am glad that I could help” she rubbed her hand together sheepishly.

“It must be hard to leave your mother alone. Is she doing alright? How’s the therapy treating her?” she steadied her breathing not to appear silly in front of him. So, she answered calmly “My mother is doing fine. It is hard for her part, but we are waiting for the donor. Thank you for asking” Seul bit her lower lips hoping the topic of caretaking the boys left untouched.

To her distaste, his next question taken her aback a little.

“Hm, I was quite worried that she wanted to continue caretaking the boys when she’s in no condition to work. She explicitly stressed her worries on the contract, but we can give her a long break from the job if she want. Will it be alright for her to work in that condition?” the boys exchanged worried glance in any case Bang PD might catch her lying to the company.

Seul broke into a cold sweat, “My mother is very stubborn. She insists on keeping the job because she’s worried of them. Technically, she takes care of Bangtan like her own son in fact she seems to love them more than me” she joked, letting out a small chuckle to ease the tension.

The older man laughed “Right, these boys did mention about that. Your mother is a kind lady and her dedication towards her job, I admire that. Maybe, you can fill in her place for the time being as their caretaker until she recovers” baffled Seul didn’t expect such proposition from the man in front of her. Bang PD had bigger heart than she imagined. He’s a thoughtful man.

Sejin’s face hardened as he too did not expect to hear such things from Bang PD. However, it would be a good thing meaning he had no secrets to keep from the company. BTS looked satisfied and their nervousness now being replaced by excitement.

“Me? But I am not married”

“What is wrong with your marital status young lady?” he eyed her with curiosity.

Seul mumbled “My mother told me that Bighit only hire people that’s married” she exclaimed timidly.

“Yes technically. We improvised the rules last year and changed it to in light of the recent events” he glanced at Namjoon’s way causing the younger man to lower gaze in guilt. “It is done to protect these boys from malicious rumours. Don’t worry, you are an exception since your mother has been working with the company for years. I was grateful for her hard work, taking care of these boys despite we couldn’t pay her much back then. She went to extra length feeding these boys using money coming from her own pocket. Your mother is an angel, this is the least that I could do for her to repay her kindness” he said genuinely.

She was losing her words and without she realized her body moved by its own bowing again, as soon as she lifted her head, Yoongi’s eyes explored hers. His heart stung to see the obvious tears in her eyes.

“Thank you, Sir. I will deliver the news to my mother soon. We’ll work on that” with this closure that she obtained from the head of the company itself finally put her mind at ease. She no longer had to sneak in and out like a criminal. Bang PD acknowledged her presence, that was enough for Seul to tend her job without fear of getting caught.

A trace of genuine smile could be seen on his face “I will inform the management team about it. It is set then. Be a good daughter to your mother and take care of her alright?” Seul nodded with her usual sunny smile. Bang Pd turned to the face the seven guys “She will be your caretaker from now on, no funny business boys” Jungkook pressed his lips into thin line trying not to break any silly smile.

“Even if you do have some funny ideas in your head, keep it under radar. Just.. hmm don’t get caught” he shoves his hand inside the pocket before leaving the room following Sejin for his next appointment.

Dumbfounded, Seul tried to decipher Bang Pd’s final words and she glanced at those silly boys, who had funny smile on their face as if mocking her. Did they just get a green light from their boss? Today was their lucky day, indeed.

----------------------------

Seul had already left with other staffs to the backstage considering the guys still had the magenta carpet to slay before they entered the venue. People started to fill all the empty seats. It didn’t take that long before the crowd grew bigger and the seats filled rapidly. Her eyes scanned the venue diligently and she spotted Armys in their seat with their Army Bombs and fancy placards. She smiled to herself complimenting their cuteness.

Shortly after, the cheers erupted embarking the entrance of BTS inside the venue. She could tell the flabbergasted face from the non BTS fans inside the venue trying to look for the source of the scream. Their fans started to cheer even louder while chanting “BTS” all over again until the boys settled down in their seat.

The boys didn’t see it coming and for once they were proud of themselves knowing Armys were there with them. They were no longer felt small and ashamed of themselves. Armys were as huge as other fanbases. Jungkook drummed his fingers on his thigh nervously, glancing around watching some familiar and unfamiliar faces flooding the arena.

The boys spotted their favourite celebrities from afar but too shy to make the first move. Some of the celebrities would casually come up to them and they had small talk, taking pictures together rendering them speechless. Everything was too dreamy for them but what else could they wish for.

“Seul-ah lets fix their look one last time before the event start” Semmy shoved the small bag in Seul’s embrace and the shorter girl walked after her and two of the staffs entering the arena. They gave a light touch up on their makeup, making sure they shone amongst the biggest stars in the arena.

Seul went to Taehyung, leaning down a little fixing his hair, “Good luck Tae. Don’t be nervous” he smiled beautifully with a soft murmur “Not anymore, now that I have seen your face” Seul rolled her eyes with a straight face.

“Right. See you later” after her final touch, she moved to Namjoon’s side. The leader seemed a little tense probably since they were nominated, it was the craziest feeling. He softened as soon as he noticed Seul’s fingers fiddle with his tux, smoothing it in process.

“Are you scared?” she took mini hairspray in the sling bag, before spraying the mist a little. He nodded, expelling a deep breath “You can do it. Whatever happen, Bangtan will always be the winner in Army’s heart” she fixed his hair to the side with her delicate touch.

“What about your heart?” his eyes glimmered.

Seul chuckled “We will see how you guys behave, since I am your official caretaker now” Namjoon pursed his lips in protest. “I will see you later, enjoy the show” she straightened up, not wanting to prolong the conversation any longer. There were eyes everywhere. Armys had eagle eyes, that was the scariest part.

Her body momentarily froze when she realized the next member, Min Yoongi. Yoongi burning gaze making Seul shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. She kneeled as her back started to ache a little after the quick session with earlier members.

“You have been avoiding me ever since we reached here” his raspy voice was low. Seul tried to not get affected by that voice of his and did her job with a serious face. Neither she made an attempt to respond him nor she looked Yoongi in the eyes.

He clicked his tongue in disbelief “You are impossible Ji Seul. I will spare your life for now. Wait until everything is over” she looked unamused by Yoongi’s empty threat. She purposely squished his shoulder with greater pressure pretending to fix his tux to clean the so-called dust, making the rapper to jerk backwards in his seat.

Seul ran her fingers to the necklace around his neck, with a little tug, the guy coughed a little realizing the girl before her was about to choke him to death. That was exaggerating though, it acted as some sort of warning from the fierce Ji Seul.

Clenching his teeth together, his jaw tightened “Are you trying to choke me?” his forehead creased into a deep frown. Namjoon stole a glance at the couple and shook his head, resuming his conversation with the 95-liner.

“Attempt murder that is the word” she stated with her nose scrunched in bafflement.

Yoongi scoffed his disbelief “More like giving me a glimpse of how you want me to take you in bed” he looked up. She shot him a death glare looking eager to chop his foul tongue. Min Suga always know how to irk her. Seul gritted her teeth sending him a last hard stare before tailing Semmy behind. He watched the girl disappear from his vicinity following the rest off the staffs.

‘And no good luck for me? Impolite much’ he cursed in his head out loud. The urge to pull the girl back in his arm thickening.

He had to admit Seul could be somewhat confusing. One time she would be an angel in front of him, acted shy and very responsive to his teasing and touch. However, at one-point Seul could be a little aggressive only with him. He wondered if that girl had a personal vendetta against him. Why was she treating him like he’s her number one enemy? Gosh, she’s complicated.

Halfway through the shows, the announcer finally announced the winner of Top Social Artist Award and it was surprising though some already predicted BTS victory in this category. They practically beat Justin Bieber here which was a big deal. They were losing their soul as soon as they were announced as the winner.

None of them expected it to happen overnight considering the invitation to BBMAs alone were beyond greater than anything. Namjoon did his speech in English and added a little Korean in the end before they left to the backstage celebrating their glory together. They were at the verge of shedding tears, yet they had to compose themselves. It is not Korea, they must look good since they were carrying their country’s name on the shoulder.

Upon their arrival at the backstage, they were again welcomed by a loud clap and cheer from the crews and Bighit staffs included Seul. She was standing at the corner, watching them diligently with a proud smile. No words could describe her feelings that time. She was as overwhelmed as them.

Jungkook scrutinized the large area looking for the one face that he hoped to see and soon grinning from ear to ear once their gaze locked. Seul mouthed him a congratulation with big two thumbs up. He winked at her way and muttered a thank you before shifting his attention to the cameras in front of him.

They were supposed to do a quick backstage interview after winning the trophy, so everyone had moved to another side of the area. It was hectic with crews running from one place to another making sure everything ran smoothly.

On the other hand, Hoseok took a deep breath trying to calm down his aching nerve. His heart was racing, almost like it wanted to get off his chest. He stood behind Namjoon together with Jimin, whilst others paid attention to the interviewer. Soon, Hoseok felt a painful knot in his stomach and throat.

This heavy feeling tugging his heart making him hard to breathe. Jimin noticed his rapid breathing, he reached out to touch the older guy’s back “Hyung, are you alright?” he whispered. Hoseok steadied his breathing and shot the latter a small smile “I need to use the restroom, am I allowed to leave for a moment?” he murmured.

Just about time, their interview with the news outlet was done and they were ready to move to the next one before Jimin interrupted. “Hyung, Hoseok hyung need to go to the restroom, can he?” Namjoon patted his shoulder, looking concern “Are you alright Hobi?” he blinked.

“Y-eah… just nature call…” one of the managers came to his side, assisting him out from the crowd to find the restroom.

Squishing between the crowd was dizzying and he was lagged behind trying to catch up the man in front of him. Hoseok felt like throwing up as he clutched onto his belly refraining it from coming out. The vision in front of him was blurry and he’s drenched in sweat. Not caring of the surrounding, he dragged his heavy feet to escape the crowd and to find a quiet place to calm himself.

He bumped into something more like someone along his journey. It was not hard to recognize the owner of the voice, Seul only her. Seul grabbed his hand, holding onto it tight “Hobi, are you alright? You don’t look good?” she looked at him in sheer horror.

Hoseok tightened the grip around her wrist, as his hand shook followed by his heavy breathing. Seul pulled his arm in daze trying to find a more secluded place for him to regain his composure. Hurriedly Seul made a sharp turn at the corner and opened the door to a random room which appeared to be empty, thankfully.

She closed the door behind him and sat the panic guy on the chair. “Alright, calm down your breathing, take a deep breath, take a deep breath Hobi” she knelt down at his level, giving a soft squish on his hand.

“I c-ant” Hoseok clutched onto his chest, continue breathing loudly through his nose.

“You have to hold your breath for few seconds before releasing it. Think of happy thought, something that can calm you” Seul said in panic.

Hoseok weirded out upon hearing her statement and his chest moving heavily following his unstable breathing “Okay wait! Just try to hold your breathing!” desperately Seul held onto both his hand tight “together with me 1, 2, 3” Hoseok followed her but failed to do so.

“OH GOD! What should I do” Hoseok squeezed his eyes together forcing the air out from his lung and made another attempt. Seeing how Hoseok struggled, she had finally decided to take the matter in her own hand. Hence, without wasting any time, Seul cupped one of his cheek “I am sorry I have to do this” she closed the gap between them, hovering his lips with hers.

Hoseok’s breath hitched for few seconds as she drank in his gasps and sighs.

He couldn’t breathe.

Momentarily paralyzed.

His mind was in a haze.

The way how their lips intertwined onto each other, darken Hoseok’s thought. He never thought of having such close contact with her. How was he supposed to react to this?

She pulled away staring blankly at Hoseok hoping the techniques worked to stop his panic attack. And, it did. Hoseok breathed softly and forced the words out “How did you do that?” he uttered in bafflement.

Seul licked her lower lips, smiling meekly “I read once, if you hold your breath, it could stop your panic attack” the older guy was trying to recover himself from the sudden kiss that they shared. Even though her intention was to help him but why was he feeling fuzzy over it?

Hoseok shrugged the thought off from his mind, blinking few times and finally breathing normally again.

“Are you okay?” she felt self-conscious after the kiss. Not that she wanted to make it sounded like it was very special to her, still it was a kiss. The skinship was intimate not just a mere hug.

Did she just get herself into another trouble?

The two of them stayed in the room for ten more minutes giving Hoseok a space to regain his sanity. Now that his breathing normalized, Seul felt her blood rushed on her face, tainting her cheeks red. None of them dared to speak a thing, still bewildered by their own action.

“I..think we need to go find others. They must be worried” Seul broke the silence and making her way to the door.

Hoseok bit his lower lips, surpassing his grin “Thank you Seul, for….yeah”

Seul moved her head, nodding slowly at his way as they were back in the scene searching for others before they made a fuss over Hoseok’s disappearance.

#btscaretaker #bts series #bts fanfiction #bts fanfic #bts fic #jungkook x oc #yoongi x oc #bts romance #jin x oc #hoseok x oc #bts idolau #jungkook fluff #yoongi romance #yoongi x reader #yoongi fluff #jimin x oc

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regeek · 4 years

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Thoughts about the Deltora Gem Guardians

I’ve fallen back into the fandom of a book series I read as a kid thanks to great art, memes, and analysis by tumblr users like @doomofthehills, @sisterofthesouth, @rat-king-reeah, @dragoninmypocket, and @dragonloverdoran. I’ve been rereading the books and ahve a lot of thoughts about them. Theres a really good post by @mask131 about how each book reflects the stone in it that got me thinking about the gem guardians.

Deltora is interesting for it’s themes of anxiety and despair. Sure, each book has a big scary monster, but often the stakes are as emotional as they are physical. Lief clearly struggles with anxiety, and has two attacks (in Shifting Sands and Shadowgate) that almost read like dissociative episodes. A lot of people have said they interpret the struggle against the Shadow Lord as a metaphor for living with depression or anxiety. Rereading the third series this is quite obvious, but I think there’s a bit more woven into the monsters of the original series. All of the Deltora books have a unique, memorable monster in its climax, some of the most diverse in fantasy fiction. But I think each of these monsters has a deeper meaning. In addition to being twisted versions of the ideal each Gem represents, I think they are each intended to represent a negative thought pattern, one that led them to their monstrous life and one the protagonists must keep themselves from falling into.

First up is Gorl, who I think represents Delusion. I’m not saying he’s meant to be a metaphor for actual psychosis symptoms (though he is one of the more unhinged characters in the series) but rather self delusion. Gorl lives in his own little world, unaware of even the most basic developments of Deltora’s history. He’s also one of the least interested in the stone he guards, obsessing over a different treasure our protagonists don’t even want. Gorl has been consumed by both his own greed and guilt, incapable of accepting the reality he has created for himself. He is a mass of paranoia and ignorance, trapped in a prison of his own making. (A theme later touched on in Isle of Illusion.)

Soldeen is one of the easiest to peg: Depression. Happiness and despair are examined from multiple angles in the Lake of Tears, and in Soldeen’s case he represents the tendency for people to drag others into their own misery. This is most clear when he attempts to force Manus to live with him, but is generally why the Lake of Tears is such a depressing place: it’s ruler would rather force others to join in his misery than find happiness for himself.

Reeah is also pretty obvious: Narcissism. It is curious how vain Reeah is, given that pride isn’t one of the main themes of City of the Rats. It is an interesting bit of foreshadowing that Reeah considers itself the most valuable of the Shadow Lord’s servants, the “Chosen One.” We see a lot of the Shadow Lord’s minions feel the same way, though in Reeah’s case it might be true. Reeah was tasked with not only guarding the Opal, but the source of the Grey Tide. Reeah is also the guardian most responsible for corrupting its section of Deltora. The City of Rats exists solely to feed Reeah, giving it a kingdom where every other creature is tiny and insignificant compared to it. But the rats small size is made up for by their numbers, and ultimately they end up feeding on Reeah as it fed on them.

The Hive can be seen as representing Conformity or Compulsion. This sort of thing is par for the course for hive minds in fantasy and sci-fi, but it’s interesting how the Hive affects the minds of those around it. Rigane the Mad and Lief struggled to keep their inviduality when exposed to the will of the Hive. It nearly pushed them into a life of mindless obedience through sheer force of will. The Shadow Lord and his followers always tried to manipulate and control others through trickery and deception, the Hive used brute force. One of the most chilling lines in the series is when Lief realized the warning didn’t say “mindless will to survive” but “mindless will to serve the Hive.” It’s interesting that we never saw the Hive’s queen, though we know it had one. I would assume she was a creature of compulsive service too. The Hive wasn’t about serving an individual, but service for its own sake.

Gellick represents Spite. While Reeah focused on how high it was above others, Gellick relished in punishing those below it. Gellick was petty and demanding, doling out harsh punishments for the smallest slight. It demanded nothing less than complete subjugation and was barely satisfied with that. Gellick was like a petulant child, reminding me of Dudley Dursley. Gellick was able to get away with this abhorrent attitude because it was so certain nobody would rebel against him, as they needed his poison. Gellick took full advantage of this to be as bossy and horrible as possible for he never believed anyone would resist.

The Glus is a little hard to pin down, but I would argue it represents Instinct. Instincts aren’t necessarily bad, but in order to make it in life you have to resist your base urges every now and then. The Glus’ origin story adds an interesting layer, depending how you interpret it. Either it preserved the girl who cared for it in its web forever, or it ate her despite her kindness, ruled only by its own hunger. Either way I think the Maze of the Beast is not the ideal environment for the Glus, and it can be thought of as an invasive species. I imagine the Glus is meant to crawl in the ocean floor, its massive size free to explore the open sea. It is as trapped in the Maze as its victims, refusing to leave a habitat it was not meant for. I find it notable that the way the trio escaped the Glus is by damaging its home, and it ignored prey in favor of its obsessive need to repair its environment. I also find it interesting how the only two Guardians that are not destroyed are the Glus and the Hive, who are also the only two that are natural parts of Deltora’s ecosystem.

The Guardian of the Diamond is kind of tricky. He’s the most intelligent, and most human of the guardians, so his personality is the most complex. He’s also explicitly associated with greed, pride, hate, and envy, making it hard to associate him with a single theme. However I think that overall he is a creature of Sadism. He is obsessed with games and puzzles, forcing his victims to play them. But he delights in the knowledge that no matter what they do, they are doomed to failure. He is excessively polite and glib, even though he plans to kill everyone he meets. And why wouldn’t he be? He knows they can’t steal the Diamond, and even if they figure out his puzzle, the revelation of his “true name” will make them abandon hope. So he sits on the side, taunting his victims with false kindness and reveling in their inevitable suffering.

It should be noted that in each book, Lief, Barda and Jasmine succeed by rejecting the lifestyle of each guardian. They destroy Gorl with the prison of vines he built around himself. They convince Soldeen to pull himself out of his own despair. They feed Reeah to the masses he lorded over. They retrieve the Lapis Lazuli from the Hive by replacing it with something of equal size but no value, and Lief keeps his sanity with the help of his friends. They destroy Gellick by uniting the Kin and Dread Gnomes in rebellion against him, and his own awful personality is what ultimately kills him. They distract the Glus with a more powerful instinct than its hunger. And they play the Guardian’s game but keep up their resolve the whole time, even at its emotionally devastating conclusion.

Anyway, hope any DQ fans reading this liked it. I’d love to hear your thoughts, And I’m thinking about doing a similar thing for the guardians of the Four Sisters.

#deltora #deltora quest

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