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kaeyasaki · 3 years

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KNOTS!

❝ gojo is good at a lot of things, but tying a tie is not on that list ❞ — x gn reader

an :; this is just an excuse for me to see if i like changing my layout and i feel bad for implying to write for him yesterday only for it to turn out very wrong

“hey can you tie this for me?”

you sighed as the tall man leaning in the door frame offered you a boyish grin.

“seriously? you’re a grown man.” you scoffed, yet still subconsciously wandered over to him as he stood up straight.

“actually, i’m seventeen. not fully grown yet pretty one.” gojo’s irritating voice teased as you could only roll your eyes in response. “come here then.”

leaning down, gojo allowed you to tie the soft satin around his neck, his pretty sapphire eyes focused on the cute frown drawn across your face as you concentrated. a warm smile tugged at his lips as he felt a warm feeling spread across his chest, seventeen is a young age; too young to really know what love is. nevertheless though, he was certain he loved you in some sort of form.

“done.” you hummed, snapping the boy out of his trance. admiring your handiwork, you patted the pretty satin down and straightened out his shirt. “you would’ve thought a child had assisted in dressing you.” scoffing as you attempted to flatten out a few of the faint creases on his somewhat crisp material.

gojo couldn’t help but laugh at your insult. you never missed the opportunity to put him back in his place, correct him for his faults and take his ego down a few notches, his respect and adoration for you never once faltered though.

“let’s go then, you can’t be poorly dressed and late.” you muttered spinning on your heel as your boyfriend grabbed your hand. “that’s half poorly dressed now since you did a good job of fixing me up.”

pressing a quick kiss to the top of your head, the two of you walked out the room, door clicking shut behind you as you made your way to the overly priced restaurant your school celebration was being held at.

that was the first time gojo satoru had to have his tie tied properly by you.

“do i look stupid?”

you snorted as your boyfriend stared at himself in the mirror, slight twitch in his eyebrow as he over analysed his appearance.

“you always look stupid.” your flat tone reached his ears as you barely looked up from your phone.

whining, gojo flopped down on the shared bed and tugged on the hem of your towel. “don’t you want me to impress your family? it’ll make you look bad too if i don’t look good!” he complained as you sighed.

“stand up, you’re going to crease my clothes!”

the man obliged and quickly straightened out the few clothing options you had laid out on your bed ready for you to change into soon.

slipping yourself off the bed, you looked up at your boyfriend and took note of the poorly tied tie hanging pathetically around his neck. wordlessly, you began to tie the material properly with nimble fingers as gojo’s heart picked up the pace momentarily.

“there, now you only look a little bit stupid.” with a smirk on your face, you turned away to look over your clothing choices before you felt a hand in your waist.

spinning you back around, gojo’s grip on your waist tightened before he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to your lips, smiling whist pulling away.

“what would i do without you?”

“perish.”

laughing heartily, gojo pulled you back into his grip one final time before letting you go so you could change into your own attire to wear for the night you’d introduce your long term boyfriend to your family.

that was the second time gojo satoru had to have his tie tied properly by you.

“you look stunning!”

your best friend fawned over you as you admired your own appearance in the floor to ceiling glass mirror, various shades of whites and golds flooding your vision.

“all thanks to you!” you laughed, sheer joy overtaking all of your emotions today.

“shut up,” they gasped, hand gripping your arm before giving it a quick squeeze. “you’re always ethereal.”

your face warmed at your friends words, the tips of your ears slightly burning at the high flattery. before you could respond, they’d gasped and bid a quick goodbye as the time had come for them to get into their place at the alter.

well, this was it.

the day you’d officially tie the knot with your long term partner. you’d been through various ups and downs with gojo, but each obstacle only toughened the chains around your relationship making the two of you stronger with each day that passed.

you’d found yourself lovestruck with the man you’d once deemed a fool. irony worked in funny ways as you laughed airily at your reflection in the mirror. dressed down in whites and highlighted with royal golds, who was the fool now?

regardless, you were happy you’d found what so many others sought to find, and you’d found that within nobody other than gojo satoru.

“well, aren’t i a lucky man?”

your heart jumped at the sound of another voice as your eyes met pretty blue ones in the reflection of the ridiculously large mirror.

fond smile gracing his face and broad figure leaning in the doorframe, you were thrown back to past times when you’d find yourself caught off guard by the sorcerer. his tall build always leaning in the doorframe with that stupid smile paired with it, gojo was never one to leave you alone with your thoughts and you’d have it no other way.

“it’s bad luck for you to see me before the ceremony.” you tutted, your steps growing close to him.

“it’s a risk i’m willing to take.” he quipped back, his eyes twinkling back at you as he drank in your appearance.

“stare all you want at the alter, but i don’t want you dampening your reaction to me in front of everyone though, go back to where you’re supposed to be and forget that you saw me like this.” your whiny voice only made him laugh. you hadn’t changed despite the number of years that had passed by.

“i can’t.”

“oh? why’s that?” tapping your foot, your raised an eyebrow at the man you’d call your husband in a little less than twenty minutes.

“there’s nobody around to do this-” he pointed to the pretty satin around his neck. “-for me.”

you snorted, your eyes rolling childishly at his claim.

“how many years has it been and you still don’t know how to do it?” your hands found their own way to the luxurious material loosely hung around his neck.

“why bother learning when i’ll always have a pro by my side.”

“always huh?”

“always.” he affirmed, gentle eyes laid upon you as you finished.

smiling back up at him, you patted down the satin as always and straighten out any creases in his shirt you could find.

“you never change.”

“well, i’m glad you did, i see you finally learnt how to iron.” you snickered whilst offering the lighthearted praise to him.

“i can’t look a mess on our wedding day can i?” he retorted, hand finding home of your waist. shaking your head, you gifted him one last glowing smile before pulling away.

“go now, you’ll get in trouble if you’re caught here.”

“you’ve always liked a bad boy, don’t go cold on me now!” he joked but still turned away.

as his figure disappeared down the hall, you couldn’t help but smile as your own figure leant in the doorway the same way he always would. it was only a matter of time before you’d be granted his last name and your lives would be entwined together officially on paper.

hand held close to your heart, you sighed as the gentle touch of the familiar satin ghosted over your fingers once more. you were sure that you’d have many more opportunities to tie your lovers tie again.

but that was the third time gojo satoru had to have his tie tied properly by you.

and he’d intend to have it done by you for the rest of his life.

ALL CONTENT BELONGS TO @TETSUSAKI ON TUMBLR 2021 PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, CHANGE OR PLAGIARISE

#gojo satoru #gojo x reader #gojo x you #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen x you #jjk #jjk x reader #jjk x you

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cdkwrites · 3 years

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fic list

helpfully sorted by rating then alpha by title. fics will be showcased in modified mla format. under a cut because this is... crazy long and i don’t want it to be something people see and get irked by.

example fic. main ship (character a x character b); minor ships (character a x character b). summary. series (if needed). canon compliant/continuation/oc canon/divergent (from canon)/au. number of chapters, in/complete, XX (word count). 00 month 20XX.

g rated

at least i’m trying. yugi mutou x atem. “how much money would you give me to flip this table, right here, right now, in the middle of class?”. canon compliant. oneshot, 656. 07 april 2021.

chasing thunder. katsuya jonouchi x atem. "what do i get if i win?". divergent. atem’s birthday 2021. oneshot, 351. 03 july 2021.

christmas traditions. katsuya jonouchi x atem. who better than someone new to teach christmas traditions about to make jonouchi enjoy christmas again?. divergent. 12 days of christmas 2020. oneshot, 2,990. 14 december 2020.

coming of age. yugi mutou x atem. atem throws a surprise birthday party. divergent. yugi mutou’s birthday 2021. oneshot, 546. 04 july 2021.

counting stars. yugi mutou x atem. atem misses the stars. yugi finds a way to bring them to him. divergent. oneshot, 2,008. 20 november 2021.

deck the halls. yugi mutou x seto kaiba. seto absolutely does not want to decorate for the holidays. yugi does. they decorate for the holidays. 12 days of christmas 2020. canon compliant. oneshot, 993. 19 december 2020.

i like it anyway. yugi mutou x seto kaiba. seto's running late for a very important date. yugi mutou’s birthday 2021. canon continution. oneshot, 770. 04 july 2021.

it’s nice to have a friend. yugi mutou x atem. atem's always had a crush on yugi. and over the course of a few years, he gets to slowly go from friends to lovers with his crush. au. oneshot, 1,756. 01 november 2020.

lavish cakes. yugi mutou x seto kaiba. yugi always insisted on celebrating a birthday. seto kaiba’s birthday 2020. canon continuation. oneshot, 300. 26 october 2020.

left them all to me. kazuko kubota x great royal wife keket. an odd, twisted smile appeared on the ghost’s face. “ah,” she said, glancing away. “i don’t…remember my name. i don’t even know how long i’ve been unable to interact with the world. the most i am certain of is that i had once been a princess.” oc canon. oneshot, 5,293. 23 may 2021.

little bit of warmth. yugi mutou x katsuya jonouchi x atem. atem's feeling a bit down. jonouchi and yugi have a plan to fix that. 12 days of christmas 2020. divergent. oneshot, 1,187. 23 december 2020.

love you to the moon and to saturn. yugi mutou x katsuya jonouchi. it's all jonouchi can afford. yugi mutou’s birthday 2021. canon compliant. oneshot, 416. 04 july 2021.

myths about love. katsuya jonouchi x mai kujaku. legend told of a beautiful, ancient goddess with a jealous streak a mile wide. she had an arrange marriage with an ugly brute of a god - what a shame. AUgust 2021. au. oneshot, 500. 10 august 2021.

not a birthday. katsuya jonouchi x seto kaiba. no one understands better than jounouchi that birthdays aren't always worth celebrating. seto kaiba’s birthday 2020. canon compliant. oneshot, 100. 26 october 2020.

pink champagne sugar. yugi mutou x anzu mazaki x atem. a lipgloss can be so personal. divergent. oneshot, 170. 02 feburary 2021.

state of grace. yugi mutou x atem x seto kaiba. kaiba had spent some time with yuugi planing the perfect birthday party for atem. atem’s birthday 2021. divergent. oneshot, 520. 03 july 2021.

still learning. yugi mutou x atem. and getting older still. atem’s birthday 2021. divergent. oneshot, 410. 03 july 2021.

trying. anzu mazaki x yugi muto. you gotta teach your gamers how to stretch properly. canon compliant. oneshot, 170. 11 may 2021.

under the mistletoe. yugi mutou x atem. christmas dates is a fairly established tradition. too bad atem's never heard of such a thing. 12 days of christmas 2020. divergent. oneshot, 2,659. 13 december 2020.

where every wish comes true. yugi mutou x katsuya jonouchi. yugi wants a holiday date. jonouchi agrees to help. yami yugi has a very simple solution. 12 days of christmas 2020. canon compliant. oneshot, 1,074. 24 december 2020.

wherever you stray, i follow. yugi mutou x kazuko kubota. a simple birthday set of plans. yugi mutou’s birthday 2021. oc canon. oneshot, 541. 04 july 2021.

you would be there too. yugi mutou x atem. everything's better with your friends. 12 days of christmas 2020. divergent. oneshot, 707. 18 december 2020.

your ivy grows and now i’m covered in you. mai kajaku x isis ishtar. "ew... that is so sappy, i might vomit". canon compliant. oneshot, 552. 15 may 2021.

t rated

a marvelous time. keket x atem. "is someone looking to stake his claim?" "i don't have to stake my claim. you're already mine.". AUgust 2021. au. oneshot, 316. 10 august 2021.

a careless man’s careful daughter. katusya jonouxhi x mai kajaku. mai's parents divorced when she was young. she meets jonouchi, a sweet man working part time waiting tables to put himself through college. he understands her like no one else. au. oneshot, 2,036. 21 november 2020.

acts of service. yugi mutou x atem. the act of risking one's life in service to the one they love can be so personal... 5 love languages. canon compliant. oneshot, 1,500. 04 november 2020.

bone crush. yugi mutou x seto kaiba; mokuba kaiba x rebecca hopkins. kaiba and yugi have been hooking up for a while but there's one thing kaiba won't do, no matter what. and it's enough to break them apart. canon continuation. oneshot, 1,274. 13 april 2021.

but it’s alright. atem x keket. in a year's time, all would crumble. in this singular moment, all is right. atem’s birthday 2021. oc canon. oneshot, 623. 03 july 2021.

come up for air. yugi muto x katsuya jonouchi. “that was, by far, the stupidest thing you’ve ever done.” in wishshipping. canon compliant. oneshot, 954. 10 april 2021.

five times yami yugi almost kissed yugi, one time he did. yugi mutou x atem. challenge format of five times, one time. a nice exploration of yami yugi's feelings and why he didn't kiss yugi five separate times and one time he totally got to smooch his aibou. canon compliant. oneshot, 1055. 28 october 2020.

gifts. yugi mutou x atem. everything yugi gave, it was from his heart. 5 love languages. canon compliant. oneshot, 1,500. 02 november 2021.

give you my sunshine. yugi mutou x anzu mazki. anzu's been feeling a little down during the holidays since it's the first time she's spending them alone. 12 days of christmas. canon continution. oneshot, 3,197. 16 december 2020.

holiday cheer. yugi mutou x katsuya jonouchi. sometimes you need a kiss from your buddy to cheer you up. 12 days of christmas. canon continuation. oneshot, 674. 20 december 2020.

holiday shopping madness. yugi mutou x seto kaiba. what do you get a guy that says "sorry i gave your grandfather a heart attack"?. 12 days of christmas. canon continuation. oneshot, 2,041. 17 december 2020.

in the mourning. n/a. pharaoh atem is dead. priest set is struggling to come to terms with the death of his cousin and what that means for his own future. au. oneshot, 1,806. 14 september 2020.

last words. yugi mutou x katsuya jounouchi. during that pier duel, yuugi had no idea he'd survive. canon compliant. oneshot, 265. 04 january 2021.

let’s be alone together. katsuay jonouchi x mai kajaku. mai wants to make this a good birthday for jonouchi. katsuya jonouchi’s birthday 2021. canon compliant. oneshot, 2,169. 25 january 2021.

life was a willow. atem x anzu. atem had told her she didn't have to fly out for his birthday. good thing she didn't listen. atem’s birthday 2021. divergent. oneshot, 408. 03 july 2021.

living in a material world. katsuya jonouchi x atem. jounouchi really wishes he could afford atem's tastes. lucky for him, atem's a quick study. katsuya jonouchi’s birthday 2021. divergent. oneshot, 2,546. 25 january 2021.

met you by surprise. yugi mutou x anzu mazaki. anzu came back home for him. yugi mutou’s birthday 2021. canon continuation. oneshot, 682. 04 july 2021.

misguided ghosts. keket x atem. “neither of us have any memory of how we got to this point, either. both of us alone for thousands of years. you…understand.” oc canon. one shot, 4,648. 15 may 2021.

ode to christmas. atem x seto kaiba. seto decides to take his boyfriend on a christmas date. 12 days of christmas 2020. divergent. oneshot, 2,948. 15 december 2020.

on the nature of santa claus. yugi mutou x anzu mazaki x atem. romance is in the air, folks. 12 days of christmas 2020. divergent. oneshot, 3,400. 22 december 2020.

part ii. yugi mutou x atem. atem has a nightmare. nightmares. divergent. oneshot, 2,472. 06 october 2021.

perfectly arranged. keket x atem. atem and keket were put in arranged marriage when they were younger. as they both got older, atem started to develop feelings for his wife. he's fairly certain she doesn't feel anything back for him. au. oneshot, 2,974. 09 april 2021.

quality time. yugi mutou x atem. spending quality time with someone is easy when they live in your heart. 5 love languages. canon compliant. oneshot, 1,500. 04 november 2020.

still having nightmares. yugi mutou x atem. yugi awakes from a nightmare. nightmares. divergent. oneshot, 2,320. 18 september 2021.

too proud to say. thief king bakura x atem. "aww you're so cute" for a ship of your choice?. canon compliant. oneshot, 782. 17 april 2021.

we could be the way forward. thief king bakura x atem. bakura had every intention of getting his revenge on pharaoh atem and his court. however, his plans go a bit sideways when he discovers that he and pharaoh atem are soulmates. even worse: atem refuses to act like the brat bakura knows he is. au. oneshot, 8,673. 13 feburary 2021.

words of affirmation. yugi mutou x atem. there are five known languages of love. this explores the words of affirmation that yami and yugi give each other the minute they can communicate with each other. 5 love languages. canon compliant. oneshot, 1,500. 01 november 2020.

writing the future. yugi mutou x katusya jonouchi. yugi's been saving money for a special gift for his wonderful boyfriend. katusya jonouchi’s birthday 2021. canon continuation. oneshot, 685. 25 january 2021.

you’d come back to me. yugi mutou x seto kaiba; mokuba kaiba x rebecca hopkins, katusya jonouchi x mai kujaku. seto has been presumed dead for three years. his return causes both unresolved feelings of grief to be brought to the surface and the past to be dragged right back up. in hopes of helping seto move on and reintegrate back into society at large, mokuba asks yugi to work on spherium ii with seto. never one to leave a friend in need hanging, yugi agrees. over the course of the project, seto and yugi both come to terms with their mutual grief and grow towards a better understanding of each other. canon continuation. 12/17; 88,000+. 02 august 2021.

you felt enough. yugi mutou x kazuko kubota centric, yugi mutou x kazuko kubota x atem x keket. yugi's had a very hard day at work and what he needs is some alone time with kazuko. canon continuation. 12 september 2021

m rated

fall from grace. keket x atem; anzu mazaki x thief king bakura, kazuko x yugi. when atem from one of the high houses of hell is discovered dying in the streets of 1920s paris by a mysteriously kind angel, tensions of this old war spark when she elects to save his life. the devastating fall out of one simple act of kindness is more than enough to shatter the truce. soon, it maybe be impossible to avoid the resulting war for all species on earth. au. 5/?, incomplete, 22,874. 09 july 2021.

my hands are shaking from holding back from you. atem x seto kaiba. a little birthday attention, as it were. seto kaiba’s birthday 2020. oneshot, 1,000. 26 october 2020.

physical touch. yugi mutou x atem. when all the dust settles, they get to be with each other. 5 love languages. divergent. oneshot, 1,500. 05 november 2020.

... so it goes. atem x seto kaiba. getting alone time with your rival can be so hard sometimes, especially when you're a famous ceo who took over your father's company when you were a teenager. even more so when your rival's friends insist on being annoying. au. 5/5, complete, 29,376. 10 november 2020.

e rated

a loaded god complex. atem x seto kaiba. when seto makes it to the afterlife, he gets everything he could ever possibly want. too bad it doesn't last. canon continuation. oneshot, 5,837. 02 november 2020.

dreams. yugi mutou x seto kaiba. seto has a dream about a certain spikey haired duelist. canon continuation. oneshot, 716. 05 september 2021.

flashback on a film reel. atem x kazuko kubota. the intensity of his gaze never faded - and she understood what he was saying. oc canon. oneshot, 2,272. 12 july 2021.

heaven in hiding. yugi mutou x atem. sneaking away from royal guard duty to have a little fun with your charge is always fun. at least in yugi's opinion. au. oneshot, 2,999. 21 january 2021.

i’ll tell you my sins (and you can sharpen your knife). anzu mazaki x atem. she knew exactly what he was getting at. he seemed to be under the impression that the fact she cared about him was conditional, as if there was something he could do that would cause her to stop caring about him. he was absolutely wrong. canon compliant. oneshot, 5,356. 12 march 2021.

take me all the way. anzu mazaki x atem. one way to sooth an ancient pharaoh, i suppose. canon compliant. oneshot, 949. 11 april 2021.

we’re gonna rattle this ghost town. katsuya jonouchi x mai kajaku. first thing to do in a new apartment with your love. go. canon continuation. one shot, 1,026. 18 april 2021.

#masterlist

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sarcastic-sunshines · 4 years

Text

Letters for my Love - Chapter 8

Pairing: T’Challa x Black Reader

Chapter 1 I Chapter 2 I Chapter 3 I Chapter 4 I Chapter 5 I Chapter 6 I Chapter 7

_____________________________________________________________________________

My Love,

Though it is hard for me to believe, we somehow have a teenage daughter. Though her new attitude constantly reminds me that my Nobomi is no longer the giggling 4 year old that never wanted to leave my side. Now at fifteen, I can barely get her to have a conversation with me that lasts longer than ten minutes. If not for her royal lessons, I doubt I would see her. She still looks so much like you, even more as she gets older. She is also as quiet as you were at her age, I still remember seeing you at the end of the hallways, silently laughing as you looked at the craziness that was high school. Even at that age, you had me enamoured. The memory still brings a smile to my face as I get lost in the thought of you.

But back to Nono, I used to be her best friend, she would tell me every and anything without me asking. Now it is like pulling teeth, and being unsuccessful. Akina keeps telling me that it is just her age, and the fact that she is a growing girl. As much as I am glad that she does turn to Akina with her worries, I can’t lie and say I am not jealous, because that used to be me. I am trying to figure out my place in my daughter’s life again, I try not to overstep but the distance sometimes makes me feel like I am losing her. I really am hoping this is a phase and I get my bubbly Nobomi back soon.

Yours Forever,

T’Challa

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“ He is going to ask you tomorrow for sure”

T’Challa overheard Fatou tell Nobomi as he passed by the living area where the two were supposed to be studying. Instead they were immersed in conversation about their school formal. T’Challa had heard about it from Akina, who seemed to be his new source for everything Nobomi. He didn’t know when it happened, but his baby girl was no longer a baby, and as he watched her try and form her own identity in the world, she had begun to become more withdrawn from him.

“ You are just saying that” Nobomi replied, she rolled her eyes but T’Challa noticed the smile that stayed on her face from his spot in the entrance of the room, trying to remain unseen for as long as possible.

“ I am not, Kutenda told me today at lunch that Chima was asking about you and your locker, he might slip a note since he is too nervous to ask”

“Your boyfriend has quite the theory”

“ Well it's going to happen, then we can take the cutest pictures together” Nobomi’s best friend enthused, carrying enough excitement for the both of them.

T’Challa felt suddenly protective, he somehow had never considered Nobomi would be at the age where she would be interested in boys. It was quite foolish of him considering that that was the same age he first approached her mother.

“ That’s not even my worry right now, my dress is nowhere close to done,” Nobomi lamented, pulling T’Challa from his thoughts. “ And I need to finish all this studying for royal lessons before my Baba starts lecturing me again”

T’Challa scowled at that, he didn’t think he lectured. He just tried to stop her from falling behind.

“ He can’t be that bad, your Baba has always seemed very cool to me” Fatou offered, T’Challa stood very still waiting for Nobomi’s response.

“ He isn’t cool, at least not like before, overbearing is his normal mode. He is always in my business, asking questions I don’t want to answer.”

“ My Baba can be like that too, it must be part of being an old man” T’Challa’s scowl returned as the girls shared a laugh, he was not old. If anything, he looked younger than he actually was.

He didn’t have time to think about it further when his four year old son came running into his arms, exposing T’Challa to the girls.

He picked up the little boy, holding him close and kissing his head “ Hello Lani, how was school today?”

“ Boring, we didn’t get to go outside for recess” before he could respond, the energetic little boy was jumping out of his arms and running over to where his sister was working.

“ Bulelani, don’t touch” she murmured, moving her books out of reach of her brother.

“ Hello girls, studying hard I see”

“ We were before we were interrupted” Nobomi peered up at her father with a slight frown. He went over to kiss her forehead and she reluctantly let him.

“ Hello Kumkani, we were actually almost done, I think” Fatou started packing up her own books.

“ That’s good, I think dinner is almost ready, Fatou, will you be joining us”

“ Oh no, we have relatives visiting so I have to be home on time” She denied politely. T’Challa nodded peering down at Nobomi who was staring at him expectantly.

“ What?”

“Well can you and Lani give us a moment or something” Fatou chuckled as T’Challa placed his son on his shoulders before leaving the girls to finish their conversation before Fatou’s departure. All he could hear as he headed to the kitchen was the return of this Chuma boy that apparently would be calling Nobomi tonight.

So much seemed to be happening in his daughter’s life and he wasn’t invited to hear about any of it. He kissed Akina as he got to the kitchen, where he caught her putting the finishing touches on dinner. The woman had recently fallen with cooking, and no better audience than her little family.

“ I tried a new recipe today” she beamed at her husband as he put Lani on the ground. She noticed he wasn’t really listening, His ears were trying to catch whatever was being said in the other room.

“ Someone is being nosey” she smirked as she moved around him to get to the oven

“ I am not being nosey. I am just trying to actually know what is happening in my child’s life. It was easier when she was as small as Lani.”

“ I remember, back then you couldn’t get her to stop talking once she started” They shared a quiet laugh before Akina continued. “ But like I’ve told you, you have to let her come to you. Whatever it is you are trying to do right now is going to fail. Imagine she catches you listening”

She finally went over and placed a tray in his hand before pointing him to the dining table. He followed orders and helped her set the table, listening to Akina describe what she had made and how she found cooking to be a different type of art for her.

By the time that Nono had joined them and food was served, T’Challa spent every bite trying to think about a way to have Nobomi speak. Right now Lani was giving them a rundown of his whole school day and seemed to have no plans on stopping until Akina reminded him that he had to eat as well.

“ So, Nono, how is the dress coming along?” He said turning to her hopefully, Nono looked shocked that she was being spoken to.

“It’s going” she reluctantly offered. T’Challa turned to Akina for help.

“ Nono and I have been working tirelessly to make all the needed adjustments. It's some hard material to work with but we will get it” she said more to Nobomi as they shared a smile. The picky eater went back to turning her food on her plate. T’Challa resisted the urge to tell her to eat more, not wanting to lecture her.

“ Well I am very excited to see the dress, I am hoping for a sneak peak”

“ Well, I think that is up to Nobomi, and I believe she wants it to be a surprise” she looked at the teenager for confirmation.

“ You can see it the day of the formal, it’s just a reimagination of a dress you have seen before” she smiled at her Baba before looking at her beads and smiling even more at the notification that flashed. T’Challa noticed and immediately changed the conversation.

“ So, are you going with anyone to the formal”

“With her boyfriend!” Lani offered with a snicker

“ Shut up! I do not have a boyfriend” she threw her napkin in her brother’s direction.

“ I mean.. If you do that is totally fine -” T’Challa tried before Nobomi cut him off trying to end the embarrassment.

“ I don’t have a boyfriend!” she pushed her plate away and covered her face.

“ Maybe we should drop the conversation for now, love” Akina tried to catch T’Challa’s eyes.

“ I am just saying, I want you to feel comfortable bringing Chima here if you want.” Nono’s eyes went wide before squinting at her father. Akina shook her head and braced herself for Nono’s reaction.

“ You were listening to our conversation?! Is privacy a foreign concept in this family?!”

“ Well, not exactly, I was walking by and caught snippets” Nobomi immediately got up from the table. His eyes went to her barely touched meal. “ Nono, you’ve barely eaten anything. Let’s finish dinner”

“Babe, let her go” Akina finally said as Nono mumbled that she wasn’t hungry and left the room. The room went quiet as they tried to finish what was left of dinner.

“ Baba I think you made sissy mad” Bulelani commented as though his parents weren’t right there to witness everything.

“ Thank you for the notice, unyana wam.” T’Challa said with a hint of sarcasm his son was too young to detect.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

T’Challa laid awake, waiting for Akina to come to bed. She had gone to check up on Nobomi before bed. Nono finally decided to have dinner and was sharing some of how she was feeling to Akina. And of course, T’Challa was waiting patiently for the watered down version of that story.

He sat up as he heard Akina come in and watched her as she turned down the bed. “ Well?”

“ Let me get in the bed first, you have been so nosy today”

“ I am not nosy, it’s not easy being out of the loop, I barely know what happens in my own home anymore” he was frustrated. Akina felt a little bad for him, she crawled into the bed and wrapped her arms around her as best as she could.

“ You cannot bombard her with information like that, especially when you got it from snooping”

“ I know that now”

“She will come to you when she feels like she can. Just let her do so on her own time” He nodded reluctantly.

“Did she at least end up having dinner”

“ She did, and she told me that Chuma did call, nothing special was said but she looks forward to seeing him tomorrow at school.” Akina smiled, to see Nono who she met as this little girl, blossom into her own woman was more than excited to see.

“ When did we reach the point where Nono likes boys, my baby is growing way too fast.”

“ And you can’t do anything about it. Just let her try and figure it out and be there for her when you can.” Akina ended, getting comfy in the bed and turning off the light.

“ I know” he sighed, following suit.

“ And for the love of Bast, no more eavesdropping babe, you aren’t good at it” she said jokingly before kissing him in the dark.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

T’Challa was beginning to shut down the holographic map he had created for Nono’s history lesson on the battles of Wakanda. He didn’t want to ‘lecture’, as she had told Fatou. He was hoping a more interactive lesson would have him return to his status as a ‘cool’ Baba. Unfortunately for him, Nobomi was beyond late and the whole lesson would have to be postponed. He had gotten back into his own work when Nobomi stumbled in with her head held down.

T’Challa didn’t lift his head before saying, “ You are late. You’ve missed class actually”

His voice was stern but he didn’t think this was the time to be a laidback father.

“ I know, I’m sorry.” Nobomi said meekly, her nose sniffling as she spoke. His head shot up as soon as he heard the sadness in his daughter’s voice, he was met with an equally sad face as her lip quivered.

“What happened?” With concern written on his own face, he stood from his desk and immediately went towards his daughter. He placed his hands on each of her arms and tried to peer under at her face. Her eyes were closed as she tried not to cry. She hated crying, just like her mother had. T’Challa finally pulled her into a hug as she finally gave into her emotions and let her sobs come out.

They stood there for a while as he rubbed comforting circles on her back before finally pulling her to sit on the sofa with him. He reached for tissues and allowed her to catch her breath.

“ Nono, what happened? What can I do to help” He spoke calmly taking her hands into his.

“ You’re going to think its stupid” she hiccupped closing her eyes again.

“If it matters to you, then it matters to me Nobomi wam. So whatever or whoever has you upset, we can work through together”

Nobomi looked up and was met with her father’s comforting smile. The same smile that always welcomed her when she had a scraped knee or a bad dream as a kid, and in that moment, she realized how much she needed it.

“ Talk to me” he tried one more time.

“ Well, you know about Chima and how he was supposedly wanting to ask me to the formal?”

“ Was he, I had no idea?” T’Challa feigned at the details, pretending like he hadn’t been aware. Nono shook her head at her father before continuing to speak.

“ Baba, come on”

“ Let’s move past that and you tell me the rest. So how did he ask you?”

“ He didn’t ask me, that’s the problem, I left class and Farai had basically our whole year crowded around her locker as she made a big deal of the note in her locker. Chima didn’t even make eye contact with me” she grabbed another tissue as she tried to keep another sob down.

“You really liked him didn’t you”

“ I did, and I didn’t want to get excited when Fatou told me, because no one ever likes me” Hearing that and seeing the emotion on her face broke him. He wanted to protect her from the opinions of the world but knew that was nearly impossible.

“ Eish Nono, don’t say that, you are a beautiful girl” he reached over and smoothed back the few hairs that had escaped her large puff.

“ It's not that, not many boys want to approach the ‘stuck up princess”

“ You are not stuck up” he refuted. “ And I have no idea why anyone would think that about you.”

“Because I’m the heir, and I don’t speak if I don’t have to. I don’t know, kids are weird”

“ That’s very true, your mother used to be quiet when she was your age.” he said with a smile

“Really” he nodded before speaking again.

“ Yes, strangely her silence was the loudest thing about her. It only made me want to get to know her more. And I am glad I did, because we had an amazing relationship and marriage. And then of course I had you, my firstborn” Nobomi for the first time matched his smile. “ And I know, whatever person takes the time to actually know you, will be as impressed as I am with the lovely young lady you are becoming.”

“ Thanks Baba” she went in for a hug and T’Challa welcomed her happily, as he started to think about how tiny she used to be, how she used to run around his office, filling it with her toys and stories she had made up on the spot. It was crazy to him how much time had passed and how different their conversations were now.

His little girl wasn’t so little anymore. And though it didn’t happen often, moments like this made him feel good to know that she could still open up to him when it was important. His role as a father was always challenging him, and Nobomi’s teenage years were his biggest yet, he would like to think he was doing well.

Nobomi chose to spend the rest of the afternoon in his office, as they worked side to side. It used to be her colouring and now she was writing full essays he was always excited to read. After a few hours, Nobomi got distracted by her beads and had been texting for quite a while before she scraped her throat to get her father’s attention.

“ So Chima says he is here, and he would like to see me” T’Challa tried to control the look of surprise on his face as he waited for Nobomi to further explain. “ He says he got the lockers confused and never meant to ask Farai out. I don’t know? What do you think I should do?”

She looked at her father expectantly. A part of him wanted to tell her to just go to the dance alone. But then he thought about all the silly mistakes his teenage self had made with her mother and even the few he still made with Akina.

“ I think you should go see what he has to say, but make him sweat a little bit” His comment earned him a giggle as she stood up to leave. “ Don’t be late for dinner”

“ I won’t” she ran out the door, and he had turned back to his work but lifted his head again to see Nobomi had returned.

“I just wanted to tell you that I love you Baba” she gave him that smile that reminded him so much of her mother.

“ I love you more Nobomi” he said before she exited again leaving him with a grin on his face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hold still,” Akina mumbled as she did a few final stitches on Nono’s dress as she stood in it. Her hair and makeup was done and Nono was surprised that everything was pulling together as she wanted it to. Though she shouldn’t have ever doubted that Kiki would pull through for her. And now she was almost ready for Chima to come get her.

“ Kiki this looks amazing. You are amazing at what you do” Nono praised her step-mother as she admired herself.

“ It is not hard with an amazing model like yourself. Chima is going to die when he sees you” at the same time Bulelani ran in waiting for his sister’s attention.

“ Baba wants to know if he can come in now. “

“ I think we are just about done? Kiki what do you think?” she turned to look at Akina who stood up from the bottom of the dress.

“ I think he can come in now” Bulelani ran out the room and came back with his father holding his hand.

He took one look at Nobomi and he felt the tears coming.

“ Baba, you promised you wouldn’t cry!” Nono whined, trying to stop her own tears that her father’s emotions triggered. They were both too big softies that refused to admit it.

“ Nobomi you look beautiful, doesn’t she Lani” he asked his son.

“ She looks like a princess!” he exclaimed, making everyone laugh.

“ It’s a good thing she is actually a princess” he paused looking closely at the dress again. “ That was your mother’s dress wasn’t it?”

Nobomi nodded with a smile, doing a spin for her family.

He found himself getting emotional all over again. “ It is, I found it in a box of dresses she specifically wanted me to have. Kiki did an amazing job changing the big puffy sleeves that were there before and all the alterations to have it fit me.”

“ She did, though I expect nothing but wonders from her” he turned his attention to Akina who was smiling at him. He winked back at his wife before saying ‘ I love you’. They took a few pictures of Nobomi before T’Challa remembered that Chima had been waiting in the living room for Nobomi to join him.

“ Chima is here, I have already given him the appropriate scare, so I think you all should get going so you can have time for group pictures.”

Nobomi’s smile grew ten times at the just the sound of his name. And her quick movements to go where Chima was waiting made him chuckle. To be young and giddy by the idea of love, it was a unique experience that he was happy Nobomi got to experience. He watched as Chima’s own eyes grew large at the sight of Nono. For a second he seemed to struggle to get the words out, but he eventually did and Nobomi’s reaction proved he had said the right thing.

Akina and T’Challa held on to each other as they watched Chima place the corsage on her wrist, the both of them acting as though they were the only two in the room. They only clued back in when Lani came to stand in between them.

“ I think we are going to go now, no Dora’s alright” She said to her parents, her father immediately shook his head.

“ One Dora, she will be in civilian clothes and you come home by midnight” Nobomi put her hand out for her Baba to shake.

“ Deal, don’t be too sad without me okay” she said jokingly, taking Chima’s hand and leading him out the door.

“ Alright, be safe” he said watching her leave. He spent the rest of the night casually glancing at the clock waiting to see when Nobomi would be back. He couldn’t lie, he wanted to hear how her night went.

He found himself watching tv and snacking alone after Akina and Lani had gone to bed. He was sucked into the unsolved mysteries, he almost didn’t hear Nobomi come in.

It didn’t take long for her to follow the lights and flop down next to her father, her hand immediately going into the bowl of chips in his lap.

“ Did you wait for me?”

“You could say that, you are a bit late though?” he turned to look at her and saw that she had a big goofy smile on her face.

“ I know, I didn’t mean to. I was back here on time, but then me and Chima, we just started talking” she was speaking to him but he could tell her mind was still in the moment.

“ So you lost track of time, that’s okay. I am just glad that you had fun”

“ I did, I think that's the most the kids at school have seen me be myself I think.”

“ Well being surrounded by people, or someone in particular that allows you to be your true self”

“ Was that what it was like with Mama” She asked as she continued to snack.

“ Yes, except with her it felt like I was discovering a new part of myself I hadn’t known before her. Love is an interesting thing my darling”

“I hope I get to experience that one day” she yawned before resting her head on T’Challa’s shoulder, falling asleep quite quickly.

“ I hope you do too,” he whispered watching her for a moment just taking in the time he had with his little girl. Time seemed to be passing so quickly so every milestone seemed more precious than the last.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Love,

Our little girl had her first school dance. She is growing up so fast and each day I can’t seem to wrap my head around the idea. I wish you could have seen how beautiful she looked. Especially in your dress, even though I had saved all those garments, seeing her in them brought up so many emotions. Moments like this made me miss you, so you could experience all these milestones with me. Though I know you are watching, I would have loved to see your smile as you saw her in the dress. Akina did such an amazing job with altering the dress to how Nono wanted it. I am really glad she has Akina in moments where she feels she can’t come to me. I have been really blessed to have her in my life and for the bond she was with Nono.

I am also glad that I got Nono to open up to me this week. Akina was right, I had to wait for her to come to me and she did. It was unexpectant, probably for her as well, but I think she was able to find comfort in my presence and that’s all I have wanted as a father. It makes me feel like I am doing my job correctly, and being a father is the most important job I could have. I just hope I am doing you proud and raising our child how you would have. As always, I know you are watching over us, I love you and miss you.

Yours forever,

T’Challa

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Taglist: @chaneajoyyy @aloevverified @shaekingshitup @ashanti-notthesinger @ghostfacekill-monger @fd-writes @abrunettefangirlnerd @raysunshine78 @yoyolovesbucky

#Letter's for my love #sunshinewrites #sarcasticsunshine #t'challa x reader

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tabloidtoc · 3 years

Text

OK, March 8

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Bruce Springsteen

Page 1: Big Pic -- as part of Coach's latest campaign Jennifer Lopez posed with a supersized pink version of their new Pillow Tabby purse

Page 2: Contents

Page 3: Contents

Page 4: Chris Harrison gone for good? The Bachelor host's future with the show remains uncertain after his controversial interview with Rachel Lindsay

Page 6: Since the start of his career Justin Timberlake has endured his fair share of scandals but after welcoming his second son with wife Jessica Biel over the summer and celebrating his 40th birthday, he is confessing that he feels immense guilt about the past and he won't be making the same mistakes in the future -- Justin's done some soul-searching and accepts that he's wronged a lot of people over the years with his own terrible mistakes and he says he's still a work in progress, but step one has been to stand up and admit he's hurt too many women -- in addition to a boozy night out with his Palmer costar Alisha Wainwright in 2019 and his part in the now-infamous Nipplegate incident with Janet Jackson at the 2004 Super Bowl, Justin recently came under fire again due to the documentary Framing Britney Spears which showed him exploiting his breakup from Britney Spears to help his solo career -- Justin's learned from his mistakes and has a lot more sensitivity about the impact of his actions on other people and that's the big difference between the Justin of today and his old, immature self and that self-awareness was evident in an emotional statement that he posted apologizing to both Britney and Janet for the errors in his ways -- his words drew praise from his wife Jessica who says he's come a long way as a husband, a father and more importantly, a human being

Page 7: Wendy Williams is on the prowl for a new man and he's got to be husband material and she is ready for a serious commitment -- Wendy's been staying up until all hours of the night checking out guys online and on exclusive dating apps and she wants someone age-appropriate, fun, kind, independent and of course has no history of cheating -- she's feeling very optimistic and even buying new perfume and clothes and jewelry for all the dates she hopes to have once lockdown lifts

* Texas native Matthew McConaughey is seriously considering throwing his hat in the ring to become the state's next governor -- he's been putting out feelers to see if he's got sufficient support and if enough donors are willing to write checks, he'd mount an aggressive run in 2022 -- he's already gotten the thumbs-up from his wife Camila Alves and their three kids -- at this point, he needs to see an actual path to winning because he's not interested in just making a protest statement; don't be fooled by his aw-shucks attitude, Matthew means business

* Now that Keeping Up With the Kardashians is coming to an end, the hunt is on for a new family to replace the clan and one reality pro is poised to nab the prize: Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Rinna -- there's already been talk about Lisa picking up the torch and her family is camera ready, consisting of husband Harry Hamlin, and their daughters Delilah Hamlin who's dating Love Island's Eyal Booker and Amelia Hamlin who's dating Scott Disick

Page 8: Things keep going from bad to worse for Armie Hammer -- he was forced to drop out of his upcoming movie Shotgun Wedding with Jennifer Lopez after direct messages he allegedly sent to women in which he described himself as a cannibal and detailed disturbing sexual fantasies were leaked online -- Armie was also fired by his talent agency WME and now the disgraced star may get cut from his new film Next Goal Wins which has already been shot -- he's radioactive and everybody knows it and his completed but unreleased work is getting a second look as studios want to do damage control, and that includes another of his finished projects Death on the Nile where his part could end up on the cutting room floor -- he's a pariah now and it's hard to see how he's ever going to come back from this

* Jennifer Aniston has always had a spiritual side but these days she is taking things to a whole new plane -- Jen has surrounded herself with psychics and has been doing Goddess Circles with the same group of close friends for 30 years, but now she's taking courses to learn to heal herself and be her own guru -- BFF Courteney Cox has been a big influence and Jen's learned a lot from Courteney, who's had a long-term interest in mediums, astrologists and horoscopes, and she's trying to fuse it all together into her own brand of spirituality -- Jen's had a lot of time alone, which has only deepened her questions about the universe and how she can make the most of her life and she's determined to find the answers

* Princess Eugenie is over the moon after welcoming her first child, a baby boy with businessman husband Jack Brooksbank but now the new mom is torn about taking time out from her royal responsibilities -- Eugenie would love to take a long break from everything and focus solely on raising her son however she knows deep down how much she's needed, especially since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are showing no signs of coming back -- as she weighs her options, Eugenie is looking to her multi-tasking cousin-in-law Duchess Kate for some inspiration because she's impressed by how Kate is able to juggle her official duties while raising three young kids

Page 10: Red Hot on the Red Carpet -- stars captivate in enchanting puff-sleeve numbers -- Bel Powley, Aubrey Plaza, Lupita Nyong'o

Page 11: Kaitlyn Dever, Lucy Boynton, Margaret Qualley

Page 12: Who Wore It Better? Hilary Swank vs. Madeline Brewer, Bella Hadid vs. Devon Windsor, Alison Brie vs. Dua Lipa

Page 14: News in Photos -- Tayshia Adams and her fiance Zac Clark felt on top of the world when the visited the Empire State Building together

Page 15: Chrissy Teigen and John Legend were inseparable while out and about in Beverly Hills, Bill Murray and NFL player Larry Fitzgerald Jr. were among the many stars to shoot their shot during a charity golf tournament in Pebble Beach, Rita Ora performing on an episode of the U.K. show Dancing on Ice in Hertfordshire

Page 16: At the Australian Open Serena Williams came out on top during the fourth round, Bachelorette alum Jordan Kimball and fiancee Christina Creedon couldn't wait until they got home to enjoy Candy Pop popcorn's new Peanut M&M's flavor from Sam's Club in Houston, Heidi Montag spent the day hitting the slopes at Lake Tahoe

Page 17: Hailey Bieber starring in Beyonce's new Ivy Park x Adidas collection

Page 18: Brody Jenner had a blast snow tubing while shooting the second season of The Hills: New Beginnings in Lake Tahoe, Avril Lavigne stepped out with her new boyfriend Mod Sun for a romantic dinner in West Hollywood

Page 20: Justin Bieber looked like he'd just hopped out of bed in a sweater and checkered fleece pants in L.A., Robin Thicke in front of a piano in L.A.

Page 21: Steve Martin doubled up on face coverings on the set of his new project Only Murders in the Building in NYC, Michelle Obama on her new show Waffles + Michi, Cardi B spoiled herself with high-end goods during a day of shopping on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills

Page 22: Brooke Burke romancing with boyfriend Scott Rigsby on Valentine's Day, Lucy Hale accessorized her look with her newest rescue pup Ethel in L.A., Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon masked up for a snowy outing in NYC

Page 24: For Galentine's Day Vanessa Lachey snacked on macarons and sipped on wine in L.A.

Page 25: Bella Hadid alongside models Mayowa Nicholas and Heejung Park in Michael Kors' new campaign for the Spring 2021 collection, Hugh Grant stepped out for some fresh hair in London, Sofia Vergara kept it casual during a visit to a pal's house in Beverly Hills

Page 26: Inside My Home -- Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley's Rocky Mountain retreat

Page 28: Marriage isn't easy especially during a global health crisis but for Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard divorce is not an option -- Kristen said she and Dax at the start of the pandemic were at a point in their marriage where they definitely needed a little therapy brush-up and every couple of years they're being very antagonistic towards each other and they don't want that so they go back to therapy and figure out how they can serve their team goal better and it's been incredibly helpful and even in the toughest times they always have each other's back and they're committed to being each other's biggest support systems -- while their relationship may never be perfect, they're happy and love each other and that's what matters most

Page 29: Now that Tom Brady has won his seventh Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he has set his sights on the next prize: baby No. 3 with wife Gisele Bundchen -- they've been telling friends they hope to make an announcement by summer at the latest and Tom and Gisele have been super loved-up since leaving Boston and moving to Florida after the QB signed on with the Bucs and the change of scenery has worked wonders on their love life and put them in baby-making mode -- the duo, who recently bought a $17 million spread on Miami's exclusive Indian Creek Island, plan to build a luxury mansion there complete with a nursery and they hope to be all settled in when the new arrival comes -- they've never felt healthier or been happier

* Aaron Rodgers looked positively giddy when he revealed he had a fiancee, Shailene Woodley at the NFL Honors, but the QB is dreading the next step: bringing her home to meet his parents because it's no secret that Aaron's been estranged from them for years and the last thing he wants is for Shailene to get caught up in the drama -- Shailene wants Aaron to clear the air with his folks, but he's not ready to do that and he doesn't want to bring Shailene into a toxic environment

* It's only been two years since Miranda Lambert married Brendan McLoughlin but she's already itching for some alone time -- she's headed to Texas in April for her first concert in over a year and she's told Brendan he shouldn't come because it will be all work and no play but she really wants to get away from him for a while and after the pair's recent road trip together, Miranda is desperate for some space -- sometimes Miranda feels like she's living with a baby because Brendan whines and complains about life on her farm

Page 30: Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's romance is heating up fast, so much so that she's practically handed over the keys to her Calabasas estate and she loves having Travis sleep over and sometimes he'll stay the whole weekend -- he gets along famously with her children and Travis has been a friend of the family for years, so the kids have pretty much known him their whole lives and they'll do fun stuff together like hiking or playing video games and Travis loves making breakfast and showing off his pancake-flipping skills --Travis is spending so much time at Kourt's place that he's moved a bunch of his stuff in to make it easier for his kids Landon and Alabama with ex Shanna Moakler to visit him there -- everyone's convinced they'll be living together full-time before you know it

* Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were met with a flurry of well-wishes after they revealed they're expecting baby No. 2 -- the couple decided to wait until Meghan was safely into her second trimester to share the news and they only told a handful of family members before the public and they wanted to cherish this secret for as long as they could -- Harry and Meghan have been nesting at their Montecito mansion and have been busy prepping the nursery and making sure it's eco-friendly with energy-efficient lighting and they're keeping it as plastic-free as possible

* Love Bites -- Clare Crawley and Dale Moss reunited, Kit Harington and Rose Leslie welcomed a baby boy, Paris Hilton and Carter Reum engaged

Page 32: Cover Story -- Bruce Springsteen's private world -- he's an open book in his songs, but here's Bruce's untold story of his struggles with depression and regret -- he still has dark thoughts from time to time but therapy and medication have helped a great deal

Page 36: Stars' Cheating Confessions -- sometimes all you can do is beg for forgiveness; these celebs have all had to plead their case -- Donny and Debbie Osmond, Jude Law and Sienna Miller, Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith

Page 37: David Letterman and Regina Lasko, Dean McDermott and Tori Spelling, Kevin Hart and Eniko Parrish

Page 40: Interview -- Elizabeth Olsen -- the Avengers star dishes about getting witchy again for Marvel's mind-bending WandaVision

Page 42: Golden Girls -- how these Golden Globes nominees get their award-worthy figures -- Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, Lily Collins

Page 43: Kaley Cuoco, Michelle Pfeiffer, Amanda Seyfried

Page 44: Aadila Dosani's vegan recipe for Chickpea and Potato Soup

Page 46: Style Week -- Ashley Graham is the new global brand ambassador for self-tanning label St. Tropez

Page 48: What's Hot Right Now -- create a naturally gorgeous, flushed look with fashion designer Jason Wu's namesake makeup collection

Page 49: Haute hippie retro jeans -- take a trip back to the '70s with Revice Denim's ultra-cool capsule, Los Angeles Lovers -- Delilah Belle Hamlin

Page 50: Flower Power -- floral prints are spring's hottest trend -- rock the pretty blooms for a fresh, boho-chic look -- Kaia Gerber

Page 52: DIY Blowout -- these foolproof finds deliver impeccable hair right at home -- Drew Barrymore

Page 54: Entertainment

Page 55: Q&A with Mary Fitzgerald of Selling Sunset

Page 58: Buzz -- after months of playing it coy, these celebs confirmed their relationships on Valentine's Day -- Scott Disick and Amelia Hamlin

Page 59: Vanessa Hudgens and Cole Tucker, Sharna Burgess and Brian Austin Green, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker, Kendall Jenner and Devin Booker

Page 60: Sound Bites -- Halsey on not conforming to conventional beauty standards, Anderson Cooper on coparenting with his ex, Ashley Graham on the importance of self-care, Kate Winslet on feeling like a fish out of water in Hollywood

Page 61: Tom Holland on the plot of the next Spider-Man flick, Mila Kunis joking about keeping her family entertained during quarantine, Drew Barrymore when asked if she's ever been skinny-dipping, Madelaine Petsch on playing a teen in Clare at 16

Page 62: Horoscope -- Pisces Lupita Nyong'o turned 38 on March 1

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Riz Ahmed

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milas-imaginarium · 4 years

Text

The kindest thing

Language: English

Rate: G

Pairing: Lancelot Kingsley x MC

Note: @styletters there you go dear. I proofread this but it may contain mistakes, sorry in advance, this is long as hell.

Should I create a masterlist? I have not too much writings after all. I hope you like it.

Her eyes opened in slow motion as her lashes fluttered heavily, the bright sun blinded her for a second but shortly she was able to look where she was.

"Young Lady, are you okay?" she didn't recognize the pleasing voice but the tone of it soothed her, seconds after she realized her body was resting peacefully on a stretcher, no pain, no blood.

"Where I'm?" the girl uttered lighter than usual, her eyes finally focused on the person taking care of her; a doctor from the red army. He was not Kyle, he seemed older. A prick of worry made her head spin.

"I see, you don't remember anything" what was that man talking about? She tried to sit down but the red-haired doctor didn't allow her "I'll tell you everything but please stay still" what happened? Thousand of possibilities crossed her mind as her heart raced almost jumping out of her chest.

"Last night a soldier found you on the royal garden. You were unconscious but using a gown also a tiara so we assume you're from a royal family out of this country" the doctor kept quiet for a moment trying to find the words to clarify the situation avoiding a panic state "What we don't understand is why you're here. His majesty asked me to take good care of you."

Lancelot was the king, Lancelot Kingsley was her fiancé, why the impersonal behavior? "I don't know what happened to you young lady, but the red army is going to help you as much as we can" and then it hit her as a fiery wave "Oh, no..." her hands encased her face "Please let me see the king. I beg you."

Her legs were shaking as her stomach felt sick. It couldn't be and the only way to prove her suspicions was to see the king, however a bad feeling crept in her mind. The mere idea of something like this happening was ridiculous but not impossible...Oliveira guessed.

°°°

It was the celebration of the "Stargazing" festival in Cradle, as the two armies signed a truce the festival felt different. Happiness and peace were floating around the citizens and authorities, it was a dream to assist to a festival in her new home one week before the wedding, but something was off.

"I see, Oliveira" the Queen of spades spoke solemnly when the bride to be concluded the story. Last night she showed Lancelot a picture of himself in his childhood sleeping peacefully, the picture was inside a book in the old part of the library. Lancelot was taken aback and avoided the topic, his blue eyes full of sorrow "Lance was a lonely kid. He was born to fulfill his place as the future king. I shouldn't be telling you this, Lance sooner than you think will be ready to tell you by himself, after all, a man can't keep secrets from his wife"

"Having fun without me?" a deep voice made both, Queen and bride to be, turning around their heads only to find Lancelot looking sober. Oliveira smiled subtly, that's the face of a jealous King "Never. I see you around, Mrs. Kingsley."

As Sirius walked away smiling nonchalantly Lancelot spoke: "I admit it sounded good, isn't it?" the young lady nodded embracing herself to her lover's chest "I love you, Mrs. Kingsley. Let's go...we need to initiate the festival." with a kiss on his fiancee's forehead both went to the dancefloor, as the official royal couple they were in charge of the first dance. Everything was unreal except for the awkward sensation in her chest, she would never forget the baby boy in the photo living a life where loneliness was constant.

After dancing and eating all kind of typical Cradle's food people was ready to make their wishes. Every two years the festival was celebrated thanks to a meteor shower, as Cradle was a magical country people kept the tradition to ask favors to the stars, that's what the festival was about.

"I want to make Lancelot happy in all the stages of his life, I want to fill his heart with joy and his days with light"

°°°

"This must be a dream" Oliveira murmured while marching behind a guard, the King was ready to talk to her.

"After lunch, you'll attend the second part of your classes, Prince Lancelot" the woman stood silently, her desperate eyes looking for Lancelot and there he was, a six or seven years old boy, blue eyes, messy blond hair, the expression she knew so well. The floor melted under her feet, it was too real to be a dream.

"Are you okay, Lady?" the guard questioned giving her a confused gaze "The king is waiting for you" Lancelot and his instructors walked down the hall until his small figure disappeared, there was no need to see the king...But still, it was inevitable. Trying to compose herself and not to cry or be in commotion, Oliveira got into the King's office. Being in Cradle for more than a year taught her a lesson: in terms of magic, it was better to let it flow.

"Welcome young Lady. I'm the King of hearts" the man was blond but his eyes were not blue, perhaps Lancelot was more like his mother, though her father-in-law was a handsome mature man. Oliveira lost herself thinking about how Lancelot would look like in his late 40's "The royal doctor told me you don't remember more than your name, I'm deeply sorry for that, however, your tiara indicates you're a royal and you're going to be treated as one until you remember where you belong to."

"Of course it indicates royalty, it's your army's tiara and I'm your son's future wife." Oliveira thought at the same time her hand touched the fine piece of jewelry, they provided another dress for her to be comfortable but the tiara remained in her head "If you're a royal you must use it with pride" said the doctor when she denied to use it with the casual outfit.

The meeting with the King ceased too soon thanks to the Queen of hearts, for god's sake...that man was incredibly gorgeous. "Lady Oliveira, you'll have food and your room. What you do in your free time is up to you, I recommend to rest and try to remember something."

Despite the King's words were polite and almost kind she was not stupid. They considered Oliveira a threat but as they knew the young lady was a royal they had to treat her well enough to avoid a war with another country.

°°°

The next week consisted in her reading every book about magic in the library, nothing related to the "stargazing" festival or even magic to travel through time but something caught her eye "meaningful magic" or magic with purpose, it was the type of natural magic that had a specific purpose, sometimes it was as simple as a coincidence but in other cases, it was powerful and unpredictable, the point behind this kind of magic was to accomplish a mission or objective in the person's life.

Oliveira had to options: to believe in meaningful magic or to forget about her previous life, the answer was easy. What her purpose could be? another easy question. Her eyes darted the library's window, right in the garden a little kid was practicing fencing as disciplined and serious as a grown-up man "Make you happy is my mission, my Prince".

Oliveira decided to go out to take a sunbath and maybe have the chance to get close to the blond Prince that melted her heart; he was cute, pretty as a doll, small, soft, sweet "Do our kids would look like him?"

"Your kids with who, Lady Oliveira?" a feminine voice asked, oh shit. Oliveira tried to form a coherent excuse in her mind, then she remembered her wedding. Grinning she raised her hand and kept on playing the lady with no memory facing Lancelot's mother. Yes, Lancelot resembled her mother, even in that cold expression.

"Mrs. Kingsley" she bowed to show respect "I don't remember more than my name but this ring is an engagement one. I guess someone is waiting for me" it was not a lie, Lancelot was waiting for her, worried as hell but it was better not to think about that, her lover was strong "And I want to have beautiful and talented kids, just like Prince Lancelot, with that person." Lancelot's mother looked at her kid, no changes in her expression.

"I see you're quite fond of my son, I presumed you were plotting against the heir but now I know you're just mesmerized by the idea of having kids." the stunning woman dressed in fine materials spoke again "I'm too busy to pay attention to Lancelot but you have plenty of time, don't you?" with that she parted to an unknown place. The King's wife has duties but how cold-hearted you needed to be to ignore your kid?

That day Oliveira had dinner with Lancelot, it reminded her the first days in Cradle. The conversation didn't flow until she spoke about animals, a little nerd of tigers he was and see him with those big blue eyes shinning was everything "I know you're pretty busy but if you don't mind I would like to accompany you"

"Do as you please, Lady Oliveira" his soft voice echoed into the dining room. Deep down his cold expression, a marvelous heart remained untouched, some things never change.

°°°

Another week had passed and Oliveira was almost Lancelot's nanny. Sure, it was not easy but she handled adult Lancelot, nothing on earth could be more difficult than that. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner together, the royal chefs where not in charge of his foods anymore, she prepared fun and nutritive meals. Slowly the walls that kept Lancelot isolated from the world started crumbling; by the third day of the week she started reading stories for him before sleep, by the fifth day both were practicing fencing, Jonah's lessons were quite useful and by the seventh day, Lancelot smiled to her kindly.

A smile from the ice prince. It was better than gold, was she making him happy? She missed her old life, she missed her boyfriend, her friends but kid Lancelot...needed to be loved for the time the meaningful magic determined.

"Lady Oliveira, are you going to practice today?" approaching Lancelot was a hard task but his child version was more easy-going than his adult self for obvious reasons.

"Of course, this time I'll win." was it humiliating to lost in front of a kid? Yes, but that kid was incredibly good with the sword, so it was understandable. Nor the King or his wife went to the training field to look for their kid if she needed to think about there were days where Lancelot was left alone with his instructors and maids. If it was painful for her...how painful could it be for a little kid?

After a hard swordplay practice with the prince, she asked for a break while Lancelot glanced at her with that cheeky smile he displayed sometimes "You're mean, you now that? Let me win at least once"

"If I let you win once...how could you learn to be better?" and there he was, Lancelot being Lancelot. It was cute to see him saying serious things being just a baby, Oliveira's heart was under regular attack.

"Touché. I'm going to make your dinner, my dear Prince. Wait for me, okay?" she found herself enjoying cooking for Lancelot back in the past when she attempted to make him eat something. Food is necessary but also could be heart fulfilling. The little Prince fidgeted wanting to say something, his instructor remained quiet as always.

"What is it, Prince Lancelot? Do you want to request a special dish?" Lancelot eluded her sight, his cheeks blushing "Do you mind if I help, Lady Oliveira?"

And that was the beginning of a delightful routine for them, under the astounded eyes of the army staff members Prince Lancelot was smiling again, being the kid he was. His mother paid some visits sometimes and the King checked the prince's training but nothing more, they ignored his other activities and likings.

°°°

"Tomorrow I'll go to town, do you need something Prince Lancelot?" Oliveira said while preparing to read a story that night, Lancelot didn't need anything so shook his head. She has been living in the red army for three weeks, she kept on acting as the lady without memory but anybody seemed to be annoyed by that, it was quite the opposite; the King seemed pleased of how Oliveira treated the Prince.

Taking the big red book in her hands Oliveira noticed something opening her eyes in realization, it was the same book where she found Lancelot's picture. How silly of her not to notice that before. "Is there a problem, Lady Oliveira?"

"No, no prince." she smiled at him with her eyes full of tender love. The boy using red pajamas made himself comfortable.

°°°

Cradle was different from the past or the present or whatever, Oliveira got easily confused with all that time traveling thing, nevertheless, the city remained charming preserving the mystic air that made Cradle...well, Cradle. The real intention behind going to the city was to find a present for the Prince, it was weird not to see toys in a boy's room but it was Lancelot's room after all.

The maids were busy gathering the food for the next week so Oliveira walked by herself around Cradle looking for the perfect present, the options were almost infinite but nothing so special, not at least for her beloved little prince, anyway she was far to give up. Of course, love was so much more than a present but something was true, a simple gift can be like the magic that brought her back in the past: meaningful.

After a whole day in the civic center, she was ready, the gift was perfectly wrapped on a golden box with a huge ribbon on top. Lancelot and Oliveira were the main attraction in the red army headquarters, perhaps soulmates no matter their age, were bright when they were together.

For the bride-to-be, that day felt different, was it the anticipation for Lancelot's gift, or was it something more? however, she shook her head and after a wonderful homemade diner for two, both walked to Lancelot's room where the gift was awaiting over his bed. The expression of his round pretty face was memorable "I hope you like it"

Oliveira expected that adorable expression in his face after seeing the giant albino tiger plush, but never expected the kid's answer was a hug, his eyes were closed as his hair was messier than usual, Oliveira couldn't resist and kneeled before him hugging the little prince too "Did you like it?" Lancelot just nodded, he was warm, soft, and smelled like a baby if that made sense. Time stopped in that instant, nothing else matters than the feelings contained in that innocent hug "Prince Lancelot, you deserve happiness and infinite amounts of love. Never forget that."

Lancelot didn't say anything else before went to bed, his sleepy face showed a smile while his body embraced the fluff copy of Shine. It was love what Oliveira felt for that kid, she wanted to treasure the moment, she wanted to keep in her memory his voice, his smile, the expression when they were together practicing fencing or cooking.

"You don't know how much I love you, my little Prince. You're the kindest thing that ever happened to me."

That night Oliveira slept thinking about Lancelot, the prince, the king, the lonely man, the serious kid, the shattered person, her lover, her world, her reason to be strong, her reason to give it all to immerse him in eternal love.

°°°

"She's waking up! Call the King" her eyelids were heavy and she recognized the feeling back when she traveled to the past, was everything all right? "Oliveira, are you okay? Do you feel good?"

"K-Kyle?" There, looking at her with a worried expression was the royal doctor, her friend "What happened?" the dizziness in her head made everything blurry.

"You fainted after the dance with Lance. Have you been overworking yourself again?" Oliveira shooked her head slowly, she was in a strange house resting in a comfortable bed. Her dress the same she was using in the festival "I came back..." the girl murmured closing her eyes again just to see a perfect picture of Prince Lancelot.

"Was everything a dream?" She thought with a hefty sigh.

"Yes, that's it. You came back and Lance will be happy. The poor man almost faint with you..." Kyle said with a relaxed smile. When Oliveira fell unconscious Lancelot was startled, a citizen offered her house for Kyle to check on the girl, there was no explanation, perhaps Oliveira was just tired or her corset was too tight.

"Kyle..."

The young doctor stopped in his tracks when Lancelot spoke, the King's eyes full of expectation "Fine, fine...I'll leave you two alone. Don't overwhelm her, Lance." He just remained quiet and approached to his fiancee in a graceful motion, his slender cold fingers traced a line in Oliveira's jaw until reaching her soft hair, Lancelot took a seat close to her "How are you fee-" Oliveira interrupted him with a needy kiss "I'm okay my love, don't worry...Don't worry".

°°°

It was dreamlike, all eyes were on them waiting for the great King of hearts' vows. It seemed like he couldn't believe his eyes, Lancelot Kingsley getting married. Oliveira's knees were shaking slightly and her eyes were on the verge of dropping tears, both holding hands.

Never in his wildest dreams something like that happened, was it reality or mere fantasy? Oliveira smiled containing her tears of happiness, Lancelot cleared his voice and the words emerged almost like a love song.

"You're the kindest thing that ever happened to me. Now my lips have your taste in them, my skin has your caress tattoed and my heart beats at your voice's tempo.

You're like the rain on a drought, rain falling over buds making them flourish. Oliveira, I promise to make you immortal in the land of my memory if you love me until my last breath."

And that was all, Oliveira was crying gracefully during the rest of the ceremony, luckily for her, the makeup was waterproof. The exchange of rings took place and a round of applause filled the church.

"You can kiss your wife, King Lancelot." and he did so as if that kiss was his last.

"Cheers for the couple", "Congratulations King", "Take care of Alice", "Have a life full of happiness", "We're expecting a little prince soon", "Don't let him go, Oliveira".

People from both armies were happy, the day was full of light and love "I'll make you happy forever, my King." Oliveira said walking hand to hand going right to the wedding party.

°°°

In the silence of the night the couple, Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley made it to their shared bedroom. Lancelot left the room to prepare the bath, the plan was to relax taking a long romantic bath together and getting ready...For the wedding night.

Oliveira crossed the room after seeing the red big book over the nightstand "was it a dream?" she bit her lip opening the book to see the beautiful picture inside, Lancelot and his plush. Delicately she took the picture in her hand but then the picture fell off to the floor on its backside.

"You're the kindest thing that ever happened to him" Was written in perfect cursive handwriting. Oliveira took the photo in her hands wondering who would have written that.

"Is everything all right Oliveira?" asked Lancelot before running to hug his wife from the back "Oh, the picture. That's my father's handwriting" Lancelot paused "My childhood was not perfect, I hardly remember my mother or father being there for me...but this picture is special." He was opening to her, Sirius was right "I don't even remind her face or her name...but a Lady gave that plush to me, for the first time someone loved me, showed me a hint of what happiness is."

"Lance..." and more tears rolled down Oliveira's face before a gentle warm kiss took place "Don't cry my love," said the King of hearts "Come with me, I'll make you...cry for a different reason" using an insinuating tone Lancelot undressed his wife caressing her naked figure and downing her mouth with wet kisses. It was just the beginning of a life together.

#Lancelot Kingsley #king of hearts #Ikemen #Ikemen fanfic #Ikerev #ikemen revolution #Ikerev lancelot #Lancelot x MC

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onelittlebookgeek · 4 years

Text

Book Challenge 2020 (100 books!!) (I did it!!)

After forgetting to track my reading for three years, I started recording my reading on Tumblr last year again, and I’m committed to continuing that this year!

This year is my final year of my Bachelor’s Degrees (I’m finishing English in June) and I’m planning to do a gap year from September on, so now more university after June (at least as far as 2020 is concerned).

I do not really foresee any issues or obstacles to reading this year, except of course finishing my thesis which will probably take quite some time, so I do expect a decline around April until early June. Although I do have a lot more time off in my gap year, I used to read a lot of mandatory books for my studies, so I don’t know whether having a gap year will mean reading more books. Since I’m not doing any university studying, I am interested in reading academic books by myself, studying by myself. Those books are often longer, denser and just take more time to get through; consequently, I might read fewer books in the same amount of energy and time spent reading.

To make a (somewhat) long story short: my expectations are in line with the amount of books I’ve read in the last years, so I’m expecting to read 75 books this year!

Update: it’s mid-October and I’ve already read 99 books this year, so I’ve finished my original goal of 75 books! Now I’m going for 100 books (which should be easy to do, and after that we’ll just see how it goes!).

The crossed book is the one I’m currently reading, I’ve written reviews for books that have a (x) behind them, with the (x) being a link to my Goodreads review!

Update: Today (November 23) I’ve read 114 books so I’ve finished my challenge of 100 books! Right now, I’m still 25 books ahead schedule! Let’s see if I can keep that energy up!

January

The Fire Next Time - James Baldwin (5/5) (x)

Serpent and Dove (Serpent and Dove #1) - Shelby Mahurin (4/5) (x)

Lethal White (Cormoran Strike #4) - Robert Galbraith (4/5)

Weirdos from Another Planet (Calvin and Hobbes #4) - Bill Watterson) (5/5)

Selected Poems - E.E. Cummings (5/5) (x)

Niets zal ons redden maar een beetje liefde is oké - Henk van Straten (Dutch) (4/5) (x)

, said the shotgun to the head. - Saul Williams (4/5)

Loud and Yellow Laughter - Sindiswa Busuku-Mathese (3/5)

Fireborn (The Aurelian Cycle #1) - Rosaria Munda (4/5)

Sylvia Plath Poems Chosen by Carol Ann Duffy - Sylvia Plath (4/5) (x)

The Comedy of Errors - William Shakespeare (3/5) (x)

Nieuwe Herinneringen - Remco Campert (Dutch) (2/5)

Dido, Queen of Carthage - Christopher Marlowe (3/5)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid (4/5)

Alles wat er was - Stine Jensen (Dutch) (3/5)

Zij in de geschiedenis - Alies Pegtel (Dutch) (4/5) (x)

Good Omens - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (reread) (5/5)

February

Prometheus Bound - Aeschylus (3/5)

The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus #1) - Rick Riordan (reread) (4/5)

The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus #2) - Rick Riordan (reread) (4/5)

So You Want to Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo (4/5)

The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus #3) - Rick Riordan (reread) (4/5)

Educated - Tara Westover (3/5)

Prometheus on Caucasus - Lucian of Samosata (3/5)

March

Reading Old English: A Primer and First Reader - Robert Hasenfratz (4/5) (x)

Still Foolin’ ‘Em: Where I’ve Been, Where I’m Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys? - Billy Crystal (3/5)

The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus #4) - Rick Riordan (reread) (4/5)

Quick Question: New Poems - John Ashberry (1/5) (x)

Exploring the Language of Poems, Plays and Prose - Michael H. Short (3/5) (x)

The Call of the Wild - Jack London (2/5) (x)

The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus #5) - Rick Riordan (reread) (4/5)

April

The Waste Land - T.S. Eliot (reread) (5/5)

And Still I Rise - Maya Angelou (4/5)

Poëzie in Utrechtse Muren - Ingmar Heytze (Dutch) (5/5) (x)

To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf (4/5)

Mijn dood en ik - Remco Campert (4/5)

Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster - Mike Davis (3/5)

Native Son - Richard Wright (2/5)

Dido, Queen of Carthage - Christopher Marlowe (reread) (4/5)

May

The Plague - Albert Camus (4/5)

Absalom! Absalom! - William Faulkner (4/5)

Modernism’s Mythic Pose: Gender, Genre, Solo Performance - Carrie J. Preston (2/5)

James Joyce and Sexuality - Richard Brown (3/5)

June

Daisy Jones & the Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid (4/5) (x)

Modernism, Sex and Gender - Alison Pease and Celia Marshik (3/5)

The Burial at Thebes: Sophocles’ Antigone - Seamus Heaney (4/5)

The Host - Stephanie Meyer (reread) (4/5)

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) - Suzanne Collins (reread) (4/5)

Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) - Suzanne Collins (reread) (4/5) (x)

A Terrible Beauty is Born - W.B. Yeats (4/5)

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) - Suzanne Collins (reread) (4/5)

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism - Robin DiAngelo (4/5)

Are Prisons Obsolete? - Angela Y. Davis (4/5)

The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) - Brandon Sanderson (4/5)

Everything Leads to You - Nina LaCour (2/5) (x)

The Tempest - William Shakespeare (reread) (3/5)

July

Hag-Seed - Margaret Atwood (4/5) (x)

American Slavery (A Very Short Introduction) - Andrea Heather William (reread) (3/5)

Angels & Demons (Robert Langdom #1) - Dan Brown (4/5) (x)

Mythos: A Retelling of Myths of Ancient Greece - Stephen Fry (4/5) (x)

Mean Time - Carol Ann Duffy (3/5)

Lijfrente - Vrouwkje Tuinman (Dutch) (4/5)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games #0) - Suzanne Collins (3/5) (x)

Sonnets from the Portuguese - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (3/5)

A Room of One’s Own - Virginia Woolf (reread) (5/5)

The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold (4/5)

Onbreekbaar - Hans Hagen (Dutch) (1/5) (x)

The Penelopiad - Margaret Atwoord (reread) (4/5)

The Importance of Being Ernest - Oscar Wilde (5/5)

Het goede leven: een briefwisseling - Piet Gerbrandy & Andreas Kinneging (Dutch) (2/5) (x)

Constructions of the Classical Body - James Porter (3/5)

August

The Complete Poems - Anne Sexton (4/5)

The Kissing Booth (The Kissing Booth #1) - Beth Reekles (2/5) (x)

The Daily Show: The Book - Chris Smith (4/5) (x)

The Duchess Deal (Girl meets Duke #1) - Tessa Dare (3/5)

Between the World and Me - Ta-Nehesi Coates (4/5)

Fragments - Heraclitus (transl. by Brooks Haxton) (2/5) (x)

Animal Farm - George Orwell (reread) (5/5)

The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1) - Rick Riordan (reread) (4/5)

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings #1) - Mackenzi Lee (reread) (4/5)

Kitchen - Banana Yoshimoto (4/5)

Catilina’s Riddle (Roma sub Rosa #3) - Steven Saylor (2/5) (x)

When Dimple met Rishi (Dimple and Rishi #1) - Sandhya Memon (1/5) (x)

Adulthood is a Myth (Sarah’s Scribbles #1) - Sarah Andersen (4/5)

September

Normal People - Sally Rooney (3/5) (x)

Not All Dead White Men: Classics and Misogyny in the Digital Age - Donna Zuckerberg (4/5)

Sadie: A Novel - Courtney Summers (4/5)

The Myth of Sisyphus - Albert Camus (4/5)

Vloedlijnen - Piet Gerbrandy (Dutch) (4/5)

Red, White and Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston (reread) (4/5)

This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor - Adam Kay (4/5)

Envelope Poems - Emily Dickinson (4/5) (x)

A Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot #10) - Agatha Christie (3/5) (x)

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce (4/5)

October

Titus Andronicus - William Shakespeare (4/5) (x)

The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercule Poirot #1) - Agatha Christie (4/5) (x)

Het verhaal van Aeneas - Vergilius (trans. to Dutch) (reread) (4/5)

If Beale Street Could Talk - James Baldwin (2/5)

Lesbia, Verzen van Liefde en Spot - Catullus (Dutch) (transl. by Paul Claes) (4/5) (x)

The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah (4/5) (x)

The Cat Inside - William S. Burroughs (reread) (5/5)

The Murder on the Links (Hercule Poirot #2) - Agatha Christie (3/5)

November

Such a Fun Age - Kiley Reid (3/5) (x)

Narratology and Classics: a Practical Guide - Irene de Jong (3/5) (x)

The Murder of Roger Akroyd (Hercule Poirot #4) - Agatha Christie (4/5) (x)

The ABC Murders (Hercule Poirot #11) - Agatha Christie (4/5)

The Great Cat (Poetry Collection) - ed. by Emily Fragos (3/5) (x)

Weapons of Math Destruction - Cathy O’Neil (4/5)

The Northern Lights (His Dark Materials #1) - Philip Pullman (4/5)

Vincent van Gogh en zijn brieven - Leo Jansen (Dutch) (3/5)

My Dark Vanessa - Kate Elizabeth Russell (4/5)

The Fill-In Boyfriend - Kasie West (reread) (4/5)

Poirot Investigates (Hercule Poirot #3) - Agatha Christie (1/5)

My 2019 challenge

My 2016 challenge

My 2015 challenge

My 2014 challenge

My 2013 challenge

#2020 book challenge #onelittlebookgeek #2020 #goodreads #goodreads challenge #book challenge

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savnofilter · 5 years

Note

I really like your blog! I was hoping if I could get a scenario with Bakugou x female reader. He has a crush on her, but she has a boyfriend, who recently hit her because he thinks she's cheating on him with Bakugou. She broke up with the boyfriend and tried to act normal around Bakugou so he doesn't worry. Yet he notices and calls her out on it. She starts to cry and says she deserved it because she started to fall for Bakugo after her relationship with her boyfriend started.

Bakugou x Reader

warnings: abusive relationship, angst.

a/n: oof this hit me lol. note i was listening to “listen before i go” by billie eilish if you guys wanna – hurt. all aboard the feels train, thank you anon!

Fiery red eyes watch your stiff body. You whip your head around to look at him and grin with a seemingly taunting smile, punching his arm for worrying too much.

“Bakugou, I told you it wasn’t anything bad! I’m fine.” You stretch out your words, treading carefully around the proper words. He squints his eyes at you, noting the forced smile that was on your face.

“Then why are you smiling like a damn puppet?” You hesitate before responding again, his question catching you off guard. After a moments pause your smile drops and you sigh. You turn your head forward and drop your gaze to your desk. Bakugou frowns at this and is about to mouth you again until you cut him off.

“I’ll tell you later, okay?” He only shoots you a knowing look before facing forward himself.

What was so important you couldn’t tell him now?

He huffed, placing his chin on his hand like usual. This was stupid – like the other ones. He just wanted to make sure your ass was okay, even if you weren’t his. Is that too damn much to ask for? This damn class was taking too long for his liking, not like he needed it anyways. A flash of a light catches his attention, watching as it came from your direction. He slyly watches from his position in his seat curious.

You abruptly jerk your head up and raise your hand in a hurried motion, anxious and not in a good way. “Mr. Aizawa, may I use the restroom?” You flatly ask, odd baritone in your voice he sure as hell never heard before. He turns his head to watch you leave the class in a hurry.

Alarms were going off in his head. He possibly could not have not been the only one to notice her strange behaviour right?

“Hey dead you in there? We’re doing partner assignment!” Red eyes that matched his jumped him out of his trance. Bakugou sneers at his best friend’s excitement and rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah I heard. What the hell are we doing again?” He asks, mind still not drifting from your odd behaviour earlier. His eyes linger on the door, deciding to ignore the issue for now. Lunch time he’ll deal with it.

Meanwhile you weren’t having the best experience. You gripped the material of your jacket in your palms, head down not responding from the negative bashing that floated through ear from the other.

Your boyfriend had rough edges you’d admit, but you never thought it was this bad. His constant insults being thrown at you didn’t bother you anymore since he always got like this when Katsuki was mentioned.

“You and him?! Alone?! How am I to be suspicious!” He shouts and you roll your eyes, trying not to tear your jacket in pieces.

“For the last time, we weren’t alone-”

“I don’t care you and that lunatic by yourselves is bad news!”

“And we’re not together!”

Smack

You gasped as your face stung then to be pushed into the wall behind you and pinned.

“You’re not going any fucking where-”

“Hey asshole! What do you think you’re doing with your hands on her like that?!” Bakugou yells. Bakugou storms up to the dumbstruck teen and shoves him off, explosions going off in his hands like a warning sign. He was ready to give this first class-loser a royal beating. “You’re in for it now fucker-”

“I think that’s quite enough, young Bakugou.” The four teens turn to the tall and broad grinning man behind them, startled. “What’s going on?”

“This asshole thinks it’s okay to hit girls! I was just going to teach him a lesson in why he shouldn’t.” He growls the last part making the in the blonde’s grasp tremble in fear. All Might places a careful hand on his shoulder giving a knowing silence making Bakugou shove him onto the floor with much force, proceeding to shove his hands into his pockets.

“Thank you young Bakugou! We’ll take this man into custody -- I mean to Principle Nezu! You guys may head to Recovery Girl’s office!” All Might concludes before heading off into the direction of said office. You and Bakugou make eye contact before drifting away awkwardly to look somewhere else.

“So why didn’t you tell me that scum touched you?”

“I didn’t want you to worry. It was my fault anyways.” You add, looking out the big glass windows of the hallways. Bakugou looks at you in confusion as to why the thought would ever grace your mind.

“What?”

“It was my fault. I was selfish for doing what I did.”

“Breaking up with him? Don’t be stupid.” You stop walking and look down. Your face frowns, your emotions pulling the muscles in your face. A shaky sigh leaves your lips as you look at him in front you.

“Bakugou I broke up with him because I love you.” You confess, tears streaking your face. It didn’t happen fast but it shocked you. Your senses seemed to shut down when he engulfed you in a hug, his objective was to hold you as close as he could. His heart was exploding with so many emotions he couldn’t voice it out loud. Feeling your heart thump against his body made him feel so alive, he almost forgot about your asshole of a boyfriend.

“I... love you too you idiot.” You grin widely, wrapping your arms around him as well, hands clenching his jacket. He places a shy kiss on the top of your head rubbing your back reassuringly. You smirk at his uncharacteristically soft nature and pull away punching his shoulder.

“Don’t get all soft on me loser.” You tease, shrugging away his hand as he tries grabbing you. This kept on repeating as he kept on growing annoyed until he finally grabbed you bringing you into a soft kiss. You blush hard as he pulls back with a cheesy grin on his lips walking around you.

“C’mon don’t get all soft me dumbass.” He strolls away with you quick on his trail. You berate him with a stubborn scowl but hold his hand all the while leaving Bakugou feeling one of the luckiest human being on earth.

That loser really lost a good one.

#bnha #mha #bnha bakugou katsuki #bnha bakugou #katsuki bakugou #bakugou katsuki #bakugou x reader #katsuki bakugou x reader #kacchan #bnha kacchan #mha kacchan #kacchan x reader #this was prob cheesy but oof #i hope you like it anon

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pamphletstoinspire · 6 years

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What Is Pornography - Part 3 - PORN AND OUR SEXUALITY - Part 12

12. Women don’t struggle with porn.

Pornography is typically seen as something that men do: men create it; men watch it; men get addicted to it. Women are often seen as the victims of pornography. Pornography objectifies women; it abuses them and teaches men to abuse them. Those are the common story lines. Men are the aggressors, taught by a poor teacher, and women suffer because of it.

If a woman watches pornography, it is usually assumed that her boyfriend or husband wants her to watch it with him. A recent study of heterosexual women who used porn concluded: “This suggests that when heterosexual women consume pornography, they usually do it in the company of their partner.”

Some of these women watching porn may be doing so under pressure from their partners. What we often fail to discuss, however, is the fact that some women watch pornography of their own accord, and some of those women feel they simply cannot stop.

Lauren Dubinsky dabbled in porn use. She did not consider herself the type of person to become addicted to anything — smoking, alcohol, or porn — so she felt safe indulging in porn on occasion. Just the occasional indulgence changed her, however, and the shame of being a woman with this struggle made it that much more difficult. In her piece “What I Wish I’d Known before Watching Porn”, Lauren outlines several things that resulted from her watching pornography: she acquired a “victim mentality”, her intimate relationships suffered, and she was burdened with feelings of shame, guilt, and isolation. “I wish someone had talked about how women watch it too,” she writes, “so I wouldn’t have had to spend years living under the shame that comes with being ‘the only one’ and thinking there was something wrong with me.”

Audrey Assad grew up in a conservative religious home in New Jersey, and in her youth she became mired in pornography. The resulting guilt and confusion were compounded by misinformation — the often-repeated notion that porn was a “guy issue”. Believing this only isolated her further. Today as a contemporary musician, she has the opportunity to speak in front of crowds of young women. Whenever she shares her experiences in public, she says, she is astounded at the number of people who want to talk to her afterward — women who have felt isolated and alone in their struggles.

While pornography use among women is rarely discussed, it is on the rise. One study indicated that 50 percent of female adolescents have used pornography in the previous six months. Other studies indicate that 25 percent of women ages eighteen to thirty-four use pornography. Even 4 percent of women ages fifty to sixty-five admit to using pornography. These statistics include any type of porn use, from occasional to frequent. About 2 percent of women use pornography multiple times per week.

In contrast to those numbers, during a Pew Research Center study conducted in 2010, only 2 percent of the women surveyed admitted to watching pornography online. In 2013, that number jumped to 8 percent. If other studies are to be believed, that number is actually much higher.

One complication in such studies is the stigma associated with being a heterosexual woman compulsively viewing pornography. A Norwegian researcher commented, “I think heterosexual women still are influenced by the traditional conception of a proper woman being a pure woman, someone who doesn’t have sex unless its purpose is to express love or to have children. So consumption of pornography is still seen as something that is immoral or forbidden.” As such, pornography use among women is misunderstood and understudied.

While the research about pornography use among women varies, statistics from porn websites themselves don’t lie. According to statistics from 2014, gathered by one of the top-ranking porn sites in the world, 23 percent of their viewers are women, nearly one woman for every five men. In America, females currently make up 15 percent of the viewing population.

The common perception has been that men are more prone than women to watch pornography because they are more visually wired; therefore, they find sexual images more arousing. Women, on the other hand, have been assumed to be more emotionally and relationally wired and therefore less aroused by mere images. When women turn to sexual material, it has been thought, they are more likely to reach for a romance novel or erotica than for pornography. However, some studies have shown that women can be just as aroused by pornography as men are.

When compared with the stimulation from nonsexual images, pornographic images create two to three times the response in the brain — for men and women. In an MRI study, the brain activity of participants was measured while they were shown pornographic images. Both men and women had a heightened reaction to the stimuli, though the reactions in the male brains were in different locations from those in the female brains. Initially, researchers thought that this supported the idea that men are more moved by the images. When they interviewed the study subjects, however, they found otherwise. While the brain activity of the men would seem to indicate that they were more aroused, the women were the ones who said the images were more arousing.

Further study showed that women are just as visually stimulated as men and in nearly the same amount of time. However, the difference in how they were aroused depended on what part of the image they were looking at. Different aspects of the image were more arousing for one sex than for the other. Women were more aroused when the woman in the image was looking away, and they rated close-up genital images (i.e., hard-core pornography) as more arousing than men did.

So much for the idea that women are not as stimulated by pornography as men are. It is not known how many women actually like pornography, but what is certain is that the number of women who view it is increasing. What accounts for this uptick?

Before the advent of the World Wide Web, pornography existed mostly in the pages of “dirty” magazines aimed at men. While wives and mothers were home tending to hearth and children, men would slink down to the corner newsstand and leave with a brown paper bag hiding their guilty pleasure. Then came the “adult” stores and the triple-X theaters on the seedy side of town — not the places one would find a “respectable” woman.

But the world has changed considerably. Not only has pornography itself changed, but the way it is transmitted has also changed. Porn films have proliferated, and what was available only in theaters is now available for free online. A woman can sit in the comfort and privacy of her own home and watch whatever she wants. A majority of women who look at porn report that they turn to it as a means of stress relief and escape from the demands of everyday life. The most paradoxical thing about women watching porn is that so much of what they watch is misogynist. While most of the porn genres women search for seem relatively mild, “rough sex” and “bondage” made the list of the top-sixteen searches by women in 2014. By comparison, neither of those terms made the top-sixteen searches by men.

So what does this type of porn do to the women who watch it? To start, it desensitizes them to what is acceptable behavior. Most women, if asked, would frown upon being slapped, spit on, or choked. Yet there are some who celebrate this kind of behavior as supportive of women. According to actress Joanna Angel, participating in pornography that is physically and verbally aggressive toward women can “still be feminist”. For some, it is still feminist so long as the woman involved is freely choosing to be treated in this manner.

A recent study published in the Psychology of Women Quarterly shows that watching pornography can make both men and women more sexist—against women. Many feminist groups are opposed to pornography for this very reason. Reporter Lauren Duca explains, “The fact that a woman who otherwise aligns with the feminist agenda may experience a reduction in the strength of her beliefs after watching sexist porn is especially upsetting.” So while the actress herself may find it liberating that she chose to be in the scene and had control over her choice, the fact is, the image she is presenting to other women is not one of choice, but of necessity. Masochism becomes not one of many choices but the choice a woman is supposed to make.

In response to the outcry for more “woman-friendly” porn, the industry has created a new category of pornography specifically designed for women. In femme porn, “women are depicted as objects of desire rather than merely a means for a guy to get off. They are slowly seduced and romanced into having sex with sincerity and smart conversation.” In 2007, femme-porn pioneer Candida Royale sold her videos at a rate of nearly ten thousand per month, presumably to women. That is not to say that women do not watch the more typical hard-core pornography, because they do. But femme porn is a growing niche in the porn industry, to say the least.

This new niche dovetails nicely with the growing number of women being introduced to porn by their sexual partners. In other words, porn is being used to seduce women. This phenomenon is one of the noted differences between how men and women view pornography. Women typically view it with their partner, while men view it mostly while alone.

With easy Internet access and special genres just for women, an increasing number of women are finding their release and escape in pornography. Some even watch to the point of making themselves vulnerable to addiction, though little, if any, research exists on female porn addicts.

Regardless, the days when pornography was only a man’s issue are far behind us.

#what is pornography

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that-shipper-type-fangirl · 6 years

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Everything anon wanted to know and wasn’t afraid to ask part 2 :D

request

WH:

MC: In general, I can't really identify myself with her; she's a pure young girl while I'm a rotten, pervert woman :"D However, in the second seasons (at least as far as I read them) - she improved so much! Not like a woman though, but a wizard, but that's also nice to see, I'm so proud of our little Lizzie now ^^ <3Elias: Such a cutie. I love cuties. Though I also like bossy guys too so I can’t decide if I like him or Klaus more. No, please, just don’t ask me to decide! >_< Luca: I have that headcanon that he’s bisexual. Is it okay that despite this, I find him hot!? It’s not that I like every bad boy, but he has special… circumstances. Have I ever mentioned how obsessed I’m with royal guys? Oh, maybe just a thousand times. Yukiya: I’d like him anyway, but as he was the very first character I played in WH, he’ll be always special to me <3 Yeah, I’m a bit sentimental and I always remember the first characters in games like my first loves xD But I must mention one more thing: I want to meet his family! I don’t remember how many siblings he has, but it doesn’t matter anyway. I’m sure I say regularly, but I have a strong attraction to older brothers… Randy: his story is my favorite, but he’s not my favorite guy. Is it a contradiction? I don’t think so. His story is complex, tragic, full of mysteries at first, it was interesting to read. But as a guy… of course, he’s cute but I always thought I’d rather be his best friend. Stuffing our heads with sweets, doing crazy things, having fun etc. instead of romantic interactions. I don’t have any problem with him as a guy, I’m just not sure if there is enough chemistry between us like lovers. Azusa: he’s a misunderstood character! How can anyone say that he’s a jerk? There IS a difference between being a jerk just because why not, and being a jerk because he’s deceived, broken-hearted, mentally unstable because of several personal reasons. He’s not a bad person, he’s a good person manipulated by bad things. I don’t agree that it’s okay to act like him in a relationship! But hey, MC heals his heart, isn’t it still a great story? :) Klaus: asdfghasdf I’m horny… Okay, now he IS an actual jerk. He acts like he does because of his own decisions, not because he is manipulated by something. But… can’t we be optimistic just a little bit? I mean okay, he’s strict, but let’s see the good side of this: MC needed that strictness. Joel: I constantly have two things in my mind everytime I see him. 1st: when he appears in another guy’s route, a piece of my heart dies. Seriously. How sad can it be to see your love of life with another guy, without her remembering you? T_____T I can’t bear it… 2nd: in his own route… he wants MC to look him like a guy, without comparing him to June. Can you imagine how much thirst he has to prove his manliness? Every time he kisses MC, his kiss must be deep and passionate. When he makes love to her, he must show off all his skills as a man, and as he waited years for her, I don’t think he can hold himself back, he’s very possessive… but at the same time, as he loves deeply MC, he constantly fights with his selfish desires as he tries not to hurt her… awww I’ve already written Joel lemon, but I want more… T__T Vincent: Handsome and confident, but not jerk, protective and supports MC. The hottest of all the hotties! Haters, please just stop talking about his old he is… because he’s not old! Of course, he’s not a boy, but not being a boy doesn’t mean that he’s old! Anyway, I think he resembles mostly a real-life guy. He’s not a psycho, not tsundere, not a total bad boy, still, he’s not that all lovey-dovey romantic prince type. I personally think that most of the guys are like this: they don’t fall in love so easily as girls, needs some motivating to accept their own feelings, but it doesn’t mean they are all bad people. And Vincent… I can totally understand his way of thinking about love after hearing his about his past. And I’m very-very proud of myself that I could hold back my fangirling for his uniform until the end of the paragraph. LET THE FANGIRLING BEGIN!!! Leon: Well, I found his story lovely and emotional, and he is an interesting character. Not because of his race, but it’s interesting to see how he learns about emotions and tries to be a better person. Still… my body reacts better for guys like Klaus or Vincent, I’m sorry >_< But my platonic love will never fade, don’t worry my sweet angel! <3 /friendzoned Cerim: I like knights or knight-like guys in general. But it’s more important to talk about how MC got stronger in his route. I really like how she tries his best to share his burden, now she’s not just a damsel in distress. I like Cerim’s story, but I’m afraid my deepest crush in this mystery series is Guy… >_< Saella and MC were more interesting in his story than he, the main character itself. Also, the way how he looks isn't my type of guy. Well, it happens, not all the otome game guys are my type xD Guy: Can we stop for a moment to talk about how cute he is? He has his own problems due to his family, yet he doesn't act like a jerk (or like Luca xD) Despite his problems, he's cheerful and he doesn't treat MC like a piece of trash, moreover, he's sweeeeeet :3 He's a really good boyfriend material :)Glenn: His story was okay with the mystery around his village, but the way how he constantly friendzones MC made me tired. I know he doesn't do it on purpose, still it killed the chemistry between us. Sorry babe :* Leslie: He looks like Luca with brown hair. His personality is not the same, fortunately (yeah, I'm a fangirl of Luca, yet I admit he's awful xD) But even if he's not totally a copy-paste, his route didn't leave a very deep impression on me. Yeah, it was averagely entertaining, but I didn't feel when I finished that "OMG how will I recover from this love?" *shrugs* Sigurd: I like that type of character who you get to know only slowly. There are many layers, stories and feelings under the surface he shows to the world. He's a well-written character who managed make me forget how I started to get bored of WH recently.Mel: Younger than MC but looks older, clueless about love but a genius in his field... if he had dark hair, he would be literally my fiancée :"D Beside the sadist guys (like Raymond or Klaus), my other type is the "shota", I'd corrupt these cuties :3

Amelia: I ask her route from Santa again and again. It will never happen, but I won’t give up. She’s supporting, cheerful and not lame if the topic is love… ;-) Sometimes I ship her with different guys, but my main ship of hers will be always she x MC :D Ronny and Chica: they wanted to be cute side-kicks like Taffy - they turned out to be annoying :/ They have good moments though, but I say they aren't so original and funny like Taffy. Headmaster Randolph: he’s always a mystery to me, sometimes he looks like he’s something omniscient being on the Academy, and sometimes he doesn’t know about stuff. But doesn’t matter, I think he’s a great teacher; I wish I could have teachers like him… :/ Prof. Merkulova: I can’t understand what SWD did with him. There is a character. We don’t have many teachers in the school in the game, but he is one. Girls like him. He has dark secrets. And still, he rarely gets attention! I’m not especially his fangirl, I don’t say I wish they would release his route, but he is an interesting character so he could have gotten more role. Prof. Schuyler: ohohohohoho, this is my topic ;-) My opinion about him? *throws feelings into the crowd, here, have all of my feelings* He keeps his words and tries his best to protect the one who was important to someone important. I try not to say spoilers so word repetition FTW xD Loyal guys are hot! Also, I don’t think he could be one of the three mages, a royal attendant wizard or such a skilled teacher if he wouldn’t be smart. Strong wizards are hot! He never joined the dark side. Unwavering guys are hot! And why do some people say he’s not good-looking? He’s a badass guy with quite a difficult past, of course, he has a strict expression on his face! Though I’m curious about his smiling or soft face too… Argh, I’m so fckng hopeless! Months ago I wrote: "I’m not sure how long I can hold back to write a sequel to the Schuyler fanfic I wrote" Now let me announce: since it's time for sequels, something is on the way here too... ;)

#shall we date #otome game #shall we date wizardess heart #wizardess heart

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yourkeeperoftherunners · 6 years

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You’re My Sweet Escape

Plot: AU Your posh friend invited you to tea at Ladurée because she wanted to go. You were dreading it because you share nothing in common with each other and she always manages to make you feel inferior. “Good afternoon Miss! What can I get for you?” the pink-haired male asked you with a smile. Forget the pastel colored cookies and delicate sweets – you just locked eyes with the sweetest sight you never asked for in a tall, pouty-lipped clerk at the world famous patisserie.

Rating: PG-13 (Language, self-esteem issues)

Characters: AU Ladurée Clerk!Jin (BTS) x Female Reader, plus occasional mentions of other members.

Notes: The Keeper was lucky to visit a Ladurée recently (only bought a small bag of macaron and left) and noticed that the location was staffed by handsome male workers. After seeing pictures of Jin from his pink hair days, I came up with a moodboard, which in turn inspired the one shot.

Dedicated to the ever-supportive @oh-beyond.

Your stomach flipped as you parked your car and locked it. You checked your watch and walked briskly toward the mint green building with a long line snaking out the front.

“Y/N we must catch up! Oh, they opened a Ladurée by you – let’s meet there on Friday!” Janelle gushed before hanging up. That was three days ago and meanwhile you had put your head down at work and slaved over waiting tables at your job to help earn a few extra tips to cover today’s extravaganza.

To Janelle, Ladurée’s latest location was close enough to you. In reality, it was a good half hour away from your apartment complex on a good day with light traffic. Silently, you thanked your parents for gifting you a car with excellent gas mileage on days like this. While she would probably cover the bill in the end, you didn’t want to be caught off guard in case.

You entered the line and searched for Janelle, craning your neck as you checked the people ahead of you. No sign of her yet. You pulled out your phone and began to check messages when you felt someone grab your elbow.

You looked up to see it was Janelle, who was leading you out of the line to the check in stand for the cafe.

“Darling, that’s just for buying things to go – I already booked us a table and it should be ready!” she bubbled. She addressed the pretty, willowy woman in the wait staff uniform about her reservation and the woman scanned a list, crossing off Janelle’s name once she located it.

“Your server will be right over,” the woman announced as she placed the menus before you.

Janelle unfolded her napkin and placed it in her lap. You followed suit and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. It was starting to get a little long and you were due for a haircut. Unfortunately, this didn’t go unnoticed by your friend.

“Are you trying to grow your hair out?” she asked as she tilted her head. “I mean, I can understand why you didn’t like your last haircut – it sort of made you look like an angry sprite – but you do need to do a trim every now and then to keep the ends healthy.”

Thanks, you thought as the fake smile froze across your face. You shrugged and murmured that work had been busy and you had to take a few extra hours to cover for your co-workers.

“Thanks for the reminder – I’ll see if I can get an appointment on my day off,” you offered before burying your nose behind the menu.

Janelle opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by the sound of her cell phone blasting the annoying title song from Legally Blonde. She mouthed an apology as she dug in her purse and took the call.

“Hello? Oh Francisca hello! Is it ready?” Janelle asked as she cradled the phone between her ear and her shoulder. “Splendid, I’ll stop by to pick that up. ...Goodness! Are you serious? When is the sale? Well, Mother did have her eye on that caviar leather clutch from the previous collection...”

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes behind the menu. You met Janelle at university through your mandatory first year course. She needed help in understanding the material and you tutored her after class. She finished with a degree in Business and Marketing and was currently dating a wealthy manager or CEO. Not that she needed his money – her family was well off thanks to a generations’ old jewelry business.

Secretly, you hoped that whatever this call was about would distract her enough to just call off this farce – it was such a joke that you two were even here trying to reconnect. You worked hard in life and were trying to make ends meet, but you weren’t complaining because it kept you busy.

Janelle wrapped up her call to the shop clerk and attempted to pick up the conversation once again, only to be interrupted by her phone once more. She checked the caller and whispered an apology before taking it. “Dear, is it urgent? I’m out with Y/N right now. Y/N, she saved my ass in university when I was practically failing this first year class! No, that’s tomorrow – I booked dinner at Ruth Chris for us at 6 PM!”

You closed the menu and put it down, lacing your fingers into your lap. She rose from her seat as her boyfriend spoke and she shot you an apologetic look. She dug around in her purse and pulled out a credit card, passing it over to you.

“Oh fine dearest, but would you please hold on for a moment?” she said into the phone. She covered the phone and explained that she mistakenly double booked you and her boyfriend today. Thank the heavens above, you were free.

“Don’t worry about it,” you reassured her with a smile. “Maybe we can reschedule at a later date.” Or never.

“Take my card – buy yourself some macarons or a cake,” she instructed you. “I know its not much, but its the least I can do for you until we meet again. No, I insist! They’re known for the macarons – please do buy some. Matter of fact, buy one in every flavor – then you’ll know which ones are your favorite next time we go, okay?”

You nodded and bowed your head with a ‘thank you’ before she bustled off to take the call in private. You addressed the waiter approaching your table with glasses of ice water and explained that plans had changed.

“I’m sorry about this,” you murmured.

“No need to apologize! We hope to see you again,” the waiter replied.

You nodded as you slipped back into the line and tried to get a better look at the options. Was she really dense to just give you her card? If you had been a spiteful person, you probably could have run off and spent the limit on extravagant things that you only dreamed of, like a pricey pair of limited edition sneakers you were fantasizing about or maybe that espresso machine you wanted. But, you were not that person...

You tried to keep up with the people in front of you as the line moved and your eyes drifted along the rows of pastel-colored macaron cookies, neatly decorated slices of cake, and an array of branded merchandise in black and gold on the back shelf. You neared the menu of flavors and you scanned your options, wondering what you wanted.

“Good afternoon Miss! What can I get for you?” an upbeat male voice asked.

You tore your gaze from the neat rows of macaron cookies to see a tall young man with light pink hair addressing you with a warm smile.

Wow, he fits right in here, you thought as you met his dark eyes. Remembering he was asking for your order, you quickly pointed out the macarons and explained that you wanted one of every flavor available.

“First time with us?” he asked with a tilt of his head.

“Is it that obvious?” you asked as you fiddled with Janelle’s credit card.

“No I haven’t seen someone as lovely as you before,” he said with a wink. “Might I add that color looks great on you – it suits you.”

You looked down at your top, which was the nicest thing you owned in your closet. It was vintage and happened to be one of the few name brand items you owned – a rare flea market find that didn’t cost too much and turned out to be authentic.

“Thanks,” you murmured before watching him box up your macarons in their largest name brand container. He probably didn’t mean the lovely comment – it was sweet, but these people were probably trained to say things like this on a regular basis.

The young man finished boxing up the macarons and slid the box across the counter to his co-worker at the register. He leaned close to the young man at the register, probably to let him know what you ordered.

“Jimin will ring you up,” he explained before bowing his head. “Enjoy your macarons and I hope to see you again soon.”

You thanked him with a nod of your head and shot Jimin a nervous smile, Janelle’s credit card hovering over the signature mat. “What’s the damage?”

Jimin smiled and read off the total. You passed over the credit card and explained that you were buying while your friend was taking a call. “She insisted on paying but wanted me to get in line in case it got any longer,” you rambled.

“Got it,” Jimin replied as he took the card and swiped it. He flipped the front over so he could enter the number on the front. “Was going to say, you don’t look like a Janelle to me.”

“Y/N,” you replied as you accepted the card back.

“Well Y/N, here is your receipt – I’ll need a signature,” Jimin said as he passed over a pen and receipt, placing it on the signature mat.

You scribbled a signature on the line and passed it back. Jimin handed over your box of macarons in a Ladurée bag and a copy of the receipt. He bowed his head and thanked you for coming in.

“So how was high tea with her Royal Highness Cher Horowitz?” Fiona, your co-worker, asked a few days later.

“It didn’t really happen,” you said as you wiped down a table.

“What’s that mean?”

“Well she had a reservation but got caught up in calls with her bossy hotshot boyfriend,” you said as you picked up the rag. “She passed over her card, told me to buy all of the flavors of macarons and we’d try again another time.”

Fiona shrugged and murmured that you made out like a bandit. “I would have bought the whole store out if I could – that would have taught her a lesson to not hand her credit card off so freely.”

You shook your head and picked up the cleaning solution and rag to put away in the back. Janelle hadn’t contacted you again since the meetup and secretly you were glad that you could enjoy your overpriced macarons you got for free in peace. Oddly, you noted that some of the flavors had more than one cookie in the box you received, but the count on the receipt reflected only the total number of macarons for 1 of each flavor. Did the clerk screw up your order by mistake? Or was he new and got caught up in trying to be charming? Either way, you weren’t complaining – more cookies for you and a nice mental image of the cute, pastel-haired clerk to remember. But you were kicking yourself and wished that you had asked for his name.

Another time, you told yourself.

“You finished all of them and didn’t think to share any with me?!”

“Janelle bought them for ME, not you Tae!” you sighed as you flattened the box and emptied it into the recycle bin. “We can visit again in the future once I save some money up.”

“Or I’ll treat you because I got a promotion and I want to,” Taehyung said with a smug smile. “No really, you’ve been a great roommate and friend and there’s no one else I wanna celebrate with.”

You blinked at his statement before giving him a big hug. “Best. Roommate. Ever. But I’ll buy coffees for us okay?”

“Deal. We don’t have to dress fancy unless you want to,” he added as you let go.

Normally you would have happily agreed to that offer but you remembered the pink-haired clerk with the kissable, pouty lips and bit your lip.

“Actually, you don’t happen to know anyone who could, say, loan me a dress for that day, do you?”

“I owe your friend Rosé,” you murmured as you smoothed down the girly floral dress from Gucci.

Taehyung shook his head and murmured that it was nothing. “She said it’s from last season and the designer didn’t want it back. So the magazine team got to take whatever they wanted. She said it’s a little too big on her, so if you want it, it’s yours.”

“How is it you know all of these people Tae?” you sighed as you headed for Ladurée once you parked.

He shrugged as he fixed his sunglasses and grabbed the door for you, gesturing for you to go first.

“Ah it’s you! Welcome back Miss Y/N!” the young man greeted you with a brilliant smile. His eyes skimmed your sleeveless Gucci number and he nodded, lips pouting slightly. “Some florals overwhelm people, but not you – you look like a vision out of Giverny!”

If anyone else had offered that cheesy line to you, you would have groaned and told the speaker to stop. But coming from this guy, he actually seemed genuine.

“You’re too sweet,” you demurred, lowering your eyes. “I think I’d like to change it up a little and do a Saint Honoré Vanille Chocolat and 5 macarons please. Oh and 1 Ladurée hot chocolate.”

“Will that be here or to go?” he asked.

“Here please,” you replied. You glanced over at Taehyung, who was studying Jimin on the register. “Hey, what do you want?”

Taehyung removed his sunglasses and studied the display, fingers gracefully tracing his chin. He pointed to an elaborately decorated choux pastry before indicating he wanted 4 macarons in fruit flavors. The young man behind the counter glanced over at Taehyung and tried to hide his disappointment.

“Tae what do you want to drink?” you prompted as you moved to the register. “I’m paying for drinks and he is covering the pastries.”

“A coffee please,” Taehyung replied as he joined you.

“Two separate tabs, correct?” Jimin confirmed as he looked from you to Taehyung.

You nodded and he typed in the order for the drinks, reading off the total for you. You passed over a $20 and he keyed in the amount before collecting the change and passing it back to you. Then he focused on Taehyung’s bill while you retrieved your receipt and gestured to the cafe, telling your roommate that you were going to get a table.

“How long have you been working here?” Taehyung asked as he studied the blonde with a thoughtful look.

“Almost a year, why ask?” Jimin replied as he handed over the card and receipt.

Taehyung grinned cheekily and fished out his business card. “I’m serious when I say this, but you look like a model and I shoot for a magazine. We’re actually looking for a few new male models for a new feature and you look like you’d be perfect.”

Jimin reddened and coughed as he accepted the business card, bowing his head low. “Tha-thank you Sir, um that’s kind of you to say.”

“It’s the truth,” Taehyung replied with a shrug. “I hope you think about it. I’m serious when I say you’d be perfect. I think the magazine would like you for future shoots too – you have very angelic features that would appeal to our readers.”

“You scouted the clerk?” you asked with an amused look as Taehyung joined you.

“What? He was perfect!” Tae sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

“You just like him because he’s cute!”

“I could say the same for you and Mr. Cheesy Pickup Lines!”

“He probably didn’t mean it,” you muttered with a shake of your head.

Taehyung glanced back at the counter and grinned knowingly as the pink-haired gentleman approached your table with mugs in hand.

“You sure? Cause he’s coming over here with our drinks and he’s got his eyes on you.”

You blinked as you looked up and saw that he was headed for your table, a drink in each hand. He placed Tae’s coffee cup in front of him with a polite smile, then yours.

“Please be careful – both are quite hot,” he said, keeping his eyes on you. “Your pastries and macarons will be out shortly.”

He bowed before excusing himself and you glanced down at your mug, doing a double take when you saw a stunning foam art in the shape of three small flowers in your cup.

“Now do you believe me?” Taehyung smirked as he gestured to his mug, which had no fancy foam art to speak of.

Your face flushed slightly and you averted your gaze to your cup, slowly picking it up and taking a small sip. Taehyung flagged down a waiter to ask where the restrooms were and excused himself, leaving you alone at the table.

After a minute, the pink-haired clerk returned with your order on plates. He placed Taehyung’s order in his place setting, then yours. You noticed the plate with the Chocolat pastry had a cute chocolate design on the plate and you looked up at the young man.

“Forgive me for being so bold, but I wanted to let you know that I meant all of those things I said last time and today,” he explained as he clasped your hands in his. “I understand if you have a boyfriend already, but I just couldn’t –”

“Hold on, boyfriend? Who Taehyung?” you asked as you nodded at the empty chair. “No, he’s my roommate! No one wanted to room with him based on opposite preferences for cleaning and noise level – I was the only one he picked out of everyone who called him!” You shook your head and his eyes went wide.

“Oho, I’m so sorry! I thought...”

“While we’re being honest,” you added with a sheepish grin, “this isn’t my dress – I’m borrowing it from his co-worker because I wanted to look nice for the handsome clerk with the pretty pink hair. That top you saw me in last time? Vintage and probably one of the few designer things I owe for now. I’m just a working girl who got sucked into a tea party by her rich friend last time and now my roommate’s celebrating his promotion at work.”

The young man met your eyes and he squeezed your hands. “Oh Miss Y/N, I don’t care if you’re rich or not. I thought you were so cute when I first saw you and you actually smiled at my bad jokes and pickup lines!” He smiled before pressing his plush lips against your knuckles. “My name is Jin by the way. I heard your name when Jimin was ringing you up last time.”

“Nice to finally place a name to your face,” you replied. “Otherwise I was calling you ‘That cute guy with the pink hair and kissable lips.’ Oh crap...that was said out loud.”

Jin’s smile widened and his eyes closed, forming cute crescent moons. His lips touched your knuckles again and he straightened up.

“I need to get back to work, but I’m off at 3,” he explained. “Would you like to grab dinner afterwards?”

You nodded and he pressed his fingers to his lips, sending a flying kiss in your direction.

“I’ll see you then?”

“Yes, see you then,” you murmured with a shy smile.

“So...you got a date?” Taehyung teased as he slipped back into his seat.

You narrowed your eyes at him and he sighed, backing down and stabbing his fork into the choux pastry.

You sipped your hot chocolate and picked up a macaron, biting into it and slowly savoring the flavors.

For once, you had to owe it to Janelle – if she hadn’t scheduled tea, you probably wouldn’t have set foot in here, let alone met Jin.

I might need to gift her a small box of these afterwards.

#BTS Jin #BTS Jin imagine #Kim Seokjin #Jin imagine #Kim Seokjin imagine #BTS imagine #BTS AU #BTS Jimin #BTS Taehyung #yourkeeperoftherunners original #number 2189

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news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog · 5 years

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Instagram's thirst memes can open up healthy conversations about sex

The internet has changed how kids learn about sex, but sex ed in the classroom still sucks. In Sex Ed 2.0, Mashable explores the state of sex ed and imagines a future where digital innovations are used to teach consent, sex positivity, respect, and responsibility.

Love letters are overrated. In 2019, express your undeniable lust through wholesome thirst memes.

Being a teenager is a thoroughly unpleasant experience, and nothing makes you want to shrivel up and crawl into a hole like talking about doing it. But the wholesome thirst memes of Instagram can be the ice breaker for having productive conversations about sex.

The wholesome thirst memes of Instagram are basically very cute, very public sexts for people to send their crushes. Aesthetically, they're safe for work. If you scroll through the hashtags #saucylovememes and #softmemes, you'll find an array of cutesy images plastered with heart and sparkle emoji.

As pure as the memes look, the content is absolutely horny.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by soft memes ! (@very.soft.memes) on Jan 12, 2019 at 8:49am PST

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ♥️Daily Wholesome Memes♥️ (@wholesomeasf_) on Feb 25, 2019 at 1:26pm PST

SEE ALSO: Zodiac meme Instagram will align the stars to make you feel seen

Aside from confessing a crush (and the desire to hook up) the memes can also encourage young people to have honest, open conversations about sex and boundaries. If you're inexperienced and just starting to date someone, bringing up sex can be uncomfortable. But these memes can ease partners into a conversation about it.

"I think they're definitely a safe way to test where you're at in a relationship or cross another line if it's ready to be crossed," the creator of @very.soft.memes said via Instagram DM. They preferred to be called just "S" for this story.

S, who is 17, said they started the account because they used to send wholesome thirst memes to their boyfriend. Their followers use the memes to "bridge the gap between an innocent relationship and third base."

Sex — and all things associated with it — can be intimidating. When you're in high school and inundated with health class materials of infected genitals and condom-banana tutorials, being honest about what you want in the bedroom takes a backseat. According to the creators of @bold.yet.wholesome, who are both 16, sending a crush a thirst meme eases nerves about "going at the right speed."

"Having a serious talk about having sex can be a little daunting," bold.yet.wholesome said in a DM to Mashable. "Sending a post about it helps break the tension."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lil chub chubs (@bold.yet.wholesome) on Feb 28, 2019 at 2:12pm PST

The teenagers of Gen Z are having less sex than millennials and Gen X. According to a 2018 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 47 percent of high schoolers said they had sex in 2005. In 2015, only 41 percent of high schoolers admitted they've had sex. As Politico points out, teenagers are "more inclined to focus on the emotional and physical risks of sex, rather than the joys." The youngest generation of Americans are less risky: they're less likely to drink, drive, and get laid —which is why confessing feelings and lust through memes is so appealing.

Shan Boodram, a sexologist whose YouTube channel discusses relationships, sex, and self-care, says "it's easier for people — period — to talk about anything serious through humor."

Sending someone a meme about wanting to fuck can be an easy icebreaker, instead of just launching into the awkward conversation. During a phone interview, Boodram said the memes act as an "escape route" since you don't have to "take responsibility for the words." If it backfires, you can always brush it off as a joke.

"If you're already stressed out about how to engage in these conversations, having something with a backdoor built in — pun intended — could be nice," Boodram explained.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Saucyyyy (@saucyyylovememes) on Feb 23, 2019 at 7:27pm PST

Boodram is cautious about calling the memes "wholesome," though. Nodding to teenagers' "insatiable need to orgasm," she says the memes are closer to porn than they are to sweet displays of affection.

"You know when someone insults you, but says no offense first?" Boodram said. "I feel like it's getting to be as vulgar as you want to but shrouding it with a unicorn tail on top of it."

Jessica Melendez, a Pleasure Professional at O.school and a sex educator, adds that the memes are a "cause for pause," depending on the recipient. She's wary of the intention behind sending images of Pikachu asking to be choked — the sparkles and hearts may soften it, but if you're sending unsolicited thirst memes to a classmate or friend, it can get slimy.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Saucyyyy (@saucyyylovememes) on Mar 4, 2019 at 11:45am PST

"The person you're sending this to," Melendez questioned. "Do you have a relationship where you can send stuff like that to each other?"

If you're already dating it's one thing, but if you're "trying to get out of the friend zone" — as Melendez puts it — you're bound to cross a line. She's especially worried that in some states, sending the memes could count as sexting, which gets blurry when minors are involved. Although it's an "extreme view," she notes that if a teenager actually followers though with the meme requesting nudes, it can count as child pornography.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by self made memes 😘 (@wholesome.pdf.memes) on Mar 3, 2019 at 6:29pm PST

But if everything is safe and consensual, both sex educators see no harm in sending your boo a wholesome thirst meme. While Boodram says most of the memes she's seen have been "dick-centric," she's all for young women expressing their sexual desires — memes asking your significant other to eat you out carry an empowerment you wouldn't have seen ten years ago.

"This notion that we have to keep people innocent is folly because a majority of people aren't," Boodram said, acknowledging that although she thought most of the memes focused on male pleasure, she loves anything that validates girls' sexuality. "Using their sexual parts for what they're meant to be used for, if that is a loss of innocence, then I think a lot of people lost [that] far beyond when people think you're supposed to give teens the talk."

Despite once being teens themselves, adults are woefully ignorant when it comes to approaching middle and high schoolers about sex. Just look at basic emoji "explainers" that try to decipher sexts. One particularly horrifying explainer in The Times described the eggplant emoji: "One might be forgiven for interpreting the inclusion of this emoji as an invitation to enjoy moussaka. However, the aubergine is also used to indicate an erection."

The Times emoji explainer is killing me. 🍆 🍑 🔥 pic.twitter.com/uA8Th2Mc62

— Latika M Bourke (@latikambourke) February 22, 2019

Yeah, it's bad.

While adults may rush to censor and block adolescents from anything vaguely sexual, Melendez says they "miss the big picture" because thirst memes are just another form of expression.

"Young people will draw things, young people will write things," Melendez said. "Young people might make memes to express their humor [and] say something they really want to say to somebody else."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Owner:🤠 Co Owner:😼 (@luvlywholesome) on Nov 22, 2018 at 10:42am PST

The memes are also a side effect of a larger trend: the demand for female pleasure. Boodram credits social media for the rise in what she dubbed "clit culture."

Melendez says that as a sex educator, getting teenagers to comfortably discuss sex can be challenging, but the popularity of the memes can encourage young women who weren’t raised to be open about it.

"As far as bringing those memes into light, it definitely has shifted the narrative that anyone of any gender can talk about sex, think about sex, [and] can consensually have sex," Melendez said. "As opposed to what the narrative was maybe eight or ten years ago."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by wholesome memes ♥ (@ily.memess) on Feb 7, 2019 at 4:23am PST

Is there really a difference between Romeo and Juliet's romantic innuendoes (Juliet wants Romeo's daggers in her sheath) and telling someone they give you an "affection erection?" Young love isn't dead — it's just on Instagram and extremely horny.

WATCH: The royal family combats internet trolls with new rules of conduct

#_author:Morgan Sung #_category:yct:001000002 #_uuid:149050d1-6165-3b42-9675-ca0d25fd8408 #_lmsid:a0Vd000000DTrEpEAL #_revsp:news.mashable

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justalittlebluetiefling · 7 years

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Chapter 24: Sometimes I Can’t See Myself

Rating: T Fandom: The 100 Pairing: Bellamy x Clarke Chapter: 24/? Word Count: 1560 Words

Chapter Summary: The one where Bellamy does not appreciate Clarke’s efforts to help him reconcile with Octavia. Also, the one where Clarke makes a new friend

Also on AO3

Harper McIntyre invited you to her event Welcome Back to School Bash!

Sept 25 Welcome Back to School Bash! Guests and Friends Hosted by Harper McIntyre, Nathan Miller, and Bellamy Blake Friday, September 25 at 8:00pm Tonight – 46ºF / 38ºF Chance of Rain

Our Place Invited by Harper McIntyre Harper and 4 others are going

26 2 34 Going maybe invited

Hey everyone! School’s back in session next week and we’re all back in town!!! Let’s get together and talk about our summers and play lots of drinking games! Remember to bring a bottle of alcohol for a drinking game. You all know the drill by now. If you don’t, ask a friend. Hope to see you all there!! – Harper

Their new dorm room was bigger than the old one. Clarke had decided to forgo the third desk in favor of more floor space for Octavia, who was starting choreography classes this year. She spent more time drawing while lying on the floor the previous year, anyway. Which is where Octavia was lying in protest as Clarke piled all the freshly unpacked clothing from her closet onto her roommate.

“Is this déjà vu? Payback for last year when I forced you guys to become friends? Which is still gross, by the way. Come on, Clarke. I don’t want to go to his place.”

“But all of our friends are going to be there and we miss them.”

“We have each other. That’s all I need.”

Clarke snorted. “I love you, but if we don’t have an occasional buffer, I’m pretty sure we’ll kill each other.” Octavia threw a shirt back at her and Clarke turned around to glare. “You and Bellamy don’t have to talk to each other. Maybe you can just pretend to like each other for my sake or like you might be able to coexist or something so we can have some kind of social life outside of these dorms.”

“I have friends on the dance team.”

“Yeah, most of whom will be at this party tonight.”

Octavia threw herself back onto the ground and covered her face with a dress. “Fine. I hate you. I get to pick your outfit.”

“You love me. And why?”

“Because maybe if you get laid, you’ll stop focusing so much on fixing me and Bellamy.”

***

While it had been easier to get O to agree to go to the party than Clarke had anticipated, she regretted letting her pick her outfit. The shirt was way too low cut, the pants were way too tight, and Jasper and Monty were acting weird and avoided looking at her too hard after they realized how much of her boobs they could see. It would have been funny if it weren’t so embarrassing.

She did end up taking more pleasure than she should have in Miller and Bellamy and the synchronized choking on their drinks when she appeared in front of them. Bellamy’s eyes went wide and Miller immediately pretended he saw someone and left while staring straight up at the ceiling. He bumped into two people trying to get away.

“O’s here,” Clarke said, choking back laughter.

“So are you, Princess.” Bellamy gestured at her breasts, which he hadn’t stopped staring at.

Clarke just smacked him hard on the arm. “Seriously, stop it! Your sister picked this shirt out.”

He cleared his throat and forced himself to meet her eyes with a stupid grin on his face. “In my mind, this is your shirt. This is replacing the see-through tank top in my head as the shirt you wear all the time when you’re not around me. I don’t want to know about my sister owning shirts like that.”

“Well, are you going to go talk to her?” She could feel her cheeks heating up and hoped he would accept the subject change.

“I don’t know. I think I’d rather stay here and protect your uh… royal assets?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

Clarke had to bite her lip to stop from laughing at his horrible joke and covered it by stealing his drink and chugging it. “Go talk to her. And get me a sweatshirt or something. If this is how everyone is going to react, I don’t want the attention.”

“No. To both. I forgot how much you had to offer the world and I’m not going to deny the people what they want! Also, O needs a chance to loosen up a bit.”

“Seriously, Blake, don’t wuss out now.” He glared at her and she just glared back. “You wanted me to get her here and I got her here. Don’t waste it.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Princess. No one asked for your opinion. Or help.” He snaked the empty cup out of her hands and turned to leave.

“You did, actually!”

Clarke glared at his retreating form, a little hurt. She didn’t understand why he suddenly flipped from joking about how much of herself she was showing to being pissed at her. It had been a few months since they had actually hung out, but she also didn’t remember the last time he called her princess so snottily, either.

“Don’t like being called princess, do you, princess?”

She whipped around and shoved her finger into the chest of the strange young man who had practically whispered in her ear. “Not when it’s condescending. People have to earn the right to use the nickname. He barely has it, and he’s the asshole who started it.”

“Whoa, sorry. I didn’t mean to touch a nerve.” He held his hands up in mock defense and grinned at her warmly. “If I can’t call you princess, what can I call you?”

Clarke studied him, and he let her. He was cute enough. A little arrogant, but not in the same way as Bellamy. With Bellamy, the arrogance seemed to be a cover he could hide behind to avoid getting too close to anyone. This guy… maybe arrogant was the wrong word. Self-assured might have been more accurate. And he was brave enough that he didn’t wither under her scrutiny, which was another point in his favor. “I guess you can call me Clarke,” she finally relented.

“Clarke. Good name.”

She let him pull her into obligatory small talk. His name was Finn Collins. He was a junior, had declared a major in Environmental Science and Resource Management with a focus on sustainable forest management, and shared her love of hiking. He didn’t know Bellamy or Miller, but he had been in a class with Harper. When she mentioned that she and Octavia were trying to plan a few more hikes that year, he perked up and they talked about their favorite trails. They had been talking for about twenty minutes when Jasper and Monty burst through the crowd, looking panicked.

“Clarke!” Jasper wheezed, putting his hands on his knees to try to catch his breath.

“You need to come quick,” Monty said.

“They’re going to—“

Jasper didn’t get to finish his sentence, because that was when it escalated and she could already hear it.

“I’m trying to apologize, Octavia! Can’t you just listen to me for once?!”

“I don’t want your fucking apologies, Bellamy! I want to live my life without you hovering over me every second of every day!”

“I left you alone all summer! What more can you ask of me?”

Clarke turned to Finn, who was regarding the scene with mild amusement. “Hey, so, I have to go stop this before it gets out of hand. I’ll see you around?”

He smiled at her and made a sharpie materialize seemingly out of thin air. “Do you have time to give me your number?”

“I don’t know.” Octavia’s voice was getting higher. “Maybe don’t chase my next fucking boyfriend out of the fucking state?!”

Clarke grimaced and grabbed the sharpie before she knew what she was doing. She wrote her number down on his arm and smiled before spinning and pushing her way through the crowd with Monty and Jasper in tow. The argument was easier to break up. Bellamy spun around and stormed off almost as soon as she made her way to the front of the crowd and O actually let Jasper and Monty lead her out of the apartment again.

Clarke found Bellamy in the kitchen looking through the fridge. “So that didn’t go well," she said to announce herself.

“Yeah, I don’t know what I was thinking,” Bellamy said, running his hand through his hair. Then he realized he was talking to Clarke and his glare turned to ice. “Next time, maybe you can referee instead of throwing yourself at some random guy.”

“Excuse me?” She was outraged, but kept her voice quiet. “Do you maybe want to change your tactic here? There is one person in my dorm room who can stand you right now, and it isn’t the person you want it to be, so maybe you should pull the stick out of your ass and hit yourself over the head with it.”

It didn’t make sense. She knew it didn’t make sense. But she was pissed and she didn’t want to cause a scene. His expression changed from anger to confusion and she took advantage of the silence and left.

Clarke Griffin and Finn Collins are now friends

#bellarke fanfiction #bellarke #modern au #sometimes i can't see myself #my work #uh minor warning?#it was super hard for me to write the chapters with Finn in them #so he doesn't stick around long #it was giving me writer's block #erin writes

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