#/ it was supposed to be a monthly play list but i gave up on that after the third month lol

[cringecompanionapologist]

In Which I Do an Obviously Bad Idea

So, back in the day, the day being one in 2006, there was a LiveJournal post called Doctor/Turlough: The Shipper's Manifesto, or something like that, going over the appeal of Five and Turlough as characters and as a slash pairing, while also recommending which TV episodes, BF audios, and novels were good for shipping. Since this was 2006, a lot of stuff that I'd recommend is left out, due to not existing at the time. But, by this point, the VMA and PDA ranges of novels had wrapped up, so all the Turlough novels that exist now existed in 2006. They are described in the post thusly:

The novel Imperial Moon is missing, but it's not very slashy either. The slash fandom of the era considered most of the books unremarkable, provided the standard warning for The King of Terror, and said to avoid Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma.

Notice how despite the standard warning for The King of Terror, the manifesto doesn't warn you not to read it. The only book that they straight up Do Not Recommend is Earthlink Dilemma. This was the first place I ever saw it discussed at all.

So, either this book is really bad or really pisses off Five/Turlough shippers specifically. Or both. I'm guessing both. But, one of the best ways to get someone to do a thing is to tell them NOT to do the thing. So I wanna what the fuck is going on.

To start out with, let's talk about why Earthlink Dilemma is a thing in the first place. Unlike basically every other Doctor Who novel that isn't a novelization of a TV story, Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma is not a product of the Wilderness Years. In 1994, the Virgin Missing Adventures launched as a line of books telling new stories about Doctors 1-6 (7 was considered the current Doctor at the time). Earthlink Dilemma came out in 1986.

There as been Doctor Who EU material for almost as long as there has been Doctor Who, with the TV comics starting up in 1964. Other than those, there were the annuals containing more comics and short stories. Most of these had very little to do with the actual show. They were cash-ins.

The first Doctor Who Novella, Doctor Who and the Invasion from Space, was released in 1966. It also had very little to do with the show. There were already novelizations of a handful of serials out by this point and there would be many more, but outside of those, the idea of Doctor Who in novel form was pretty much abandoned.

The big change began in 1980, with John Nathan Turner becoming producer for Doctor Who. He proceeded to fuck a lot of shit up and one of the ways he fucked shit up was by pandering to the fanbase, treating them as the primary audience of the show. But, this had some positives. The TV Comic stories died out around the same time fanzines starting doing their own comics. One of these, Doctor Who Weekly, which became Doctor Who Monthly, which became Doctor Who Magazine, was given a sort of official status. JNT gave them a lot of interviews. But the important thing to this story is that we got better comics done by people familiar with the actual show.

Through this process, the BBC started to get more control of the Doctor Who EU and now they wanted to cash-in. Sort of. Target, the company that released the novelizations, was down to do original Doctor Who novels, but not ones featuring the actual Doctor. Instead, spin-off novels starring companions would be a thing. Thus, in 1986, The Companions of Doctor Who series began. And the very first one was Turlough and the Earthlink Dilemma.

Now, the Companions line didn't last very long. The fandom didn't seem too into it, so it ended up being only three books, all following the continuing adventures of companions after leaving the TARDIS. Here's a list of literally all of them:

The series only lasted a little over a year.

Take note of the authors of these stories. Harry Sullivan's War was written by Ian Marter AKA The Guy Who Played Harry Sullivan. K9 and Company was supposed to be a TV series but it never got past the pilot. What we've got here is a novelization of said pilot. Terence Dudley wrote several Doctor Who serials, so, like Ian Marter, he had experience with the show. Ian Marter, along with playing Harry, wrote a few of the Target novelizations. Basically, both of them were experienced Doctor Who writers.

K9 and Company is basically never talked about as a novel. I can't find much commentary on Harry Sullivan's War either. In general, all three of these books are mostly forgotten. But, Harry Sullivan's War and K9 and Company have the advantage of being written by people who at least somewhat knew what they were doing.

But then there's Tony Attwood. It was hard to find anything on this guy. His page on TARDIS wiki just says he wrote Earthlink Dilemma. He has no Wikipedia page, though there is a Tony Attwood that does. It's not the same Tony Attwood. The most I could dig up for Tony Attwood as a writer of fiction was Earthlink Dilemma and something for Blake's 7. So, not an established Doctor Who writer, nor even really an established writer. It's hard to say how this guy even ended up writing this novel. So, I think a portions of Earthlink Dilemma's failure was a tragic case of No One Knows What They're Doing.

According to the introduction at the beginning of the book, Mark Strickson himself seemed to like it. He was consulted for the book. However, Peter Grimwade, the writer who basically created Turlough was not. I can't find a source for this, so it might just be bullshit gossip, but apparently Grimwade was actually kinda pissed about this. He felt like Turlough was his creation. Considering that he wrote the novelizations for the Turlough serials he wrote, one wonders why he wasn't given the project of writing The Turlough Novel. Mark Strickson found the character pretty vague and JNT's idea for the character was pretty vague, so Grimwade seems to be the only person involved in Turlough's creation who really knew the character at this point.

From the few people who've read Earthlink Dilemma, Turlough's characterization is criticized, usually considered to be out-of-character. But it doesn't seem like Attwood believed there was a character to get wrong, because Strickson was frustrated with being given nothing to do. So Turlough's characterization was probably considered something that could be created for the novel. To be fair, the show did, in fact, fail to give Turlough much to do, so whatever personality he was given was rarely on display. Later novelists and BF writers actually managed to expand on the vague, small amount of characterization in the show.

Anyway, I'ma do a stupid and read Earthlink Dilemma. I intend to blog about it here, both to motivate myself to keep going, and to make sure that someone talks about the book in enough detail that reading it for oneself will no longer be necessary. If the book really is a trainwreck, I can save people from it.

For now, to start out with, I'll talk about the introduction. Mark Strickson left a note for the readers at the beginning of the book and he says some interesting things.

Of course, if you ask Turlough's fandom, the various states of bondage are often one of the things we like about the character, but it probably wasn't as interesting to play as it is to watch.

Two things stand out here:

The first is the sense of humor. Big Finish tends to give Turlough a lot of funny lines, so that's an aspect of the character that continued to be expanded upon, though most of the humor is based on Turlough being various levels of Done with everything.

The second thing that jumps out is the romantic side. This implies that Turlough's gonna get a girlfriend. In was 1986, so an explicit gay romance would've been considered subversive enough that he'd explicitly reference it if there was one. So, Strickson is actually all for Turlough being straight.

Note: I don't intend this as an insult. He perceives Turlough as straight when a large audience perceives him as gay, but saying "I didn't intend for this to be gay and thought my character was straight." isn't a rejection of gay characters existing or condemning the fandom interpretation. I will continue to say Turlough Gay because that's the vibe I get from him, but as far as I can tell, all the queer-coding around Turlough was unintentional. This makes sense with the philosophy of the showrunners at the time. They didn't want to do anything controversial and the didn't want romance or, even worse, sexuality, to factor into the show at all. This means that no matter how easy it is to see the entire Fifth Doctor Era as full of queer-coding, the writers absolutely did not have the guts to do it on purpose.

As for how the queer-coding got there, I have a theory. Peter Grimwade was gay and he based Brendon School on some of his one public school experiences. Since we mostly see Brendon through Turlough's eyes, he might've accidentally taken on the traits of a teenaged Grimwade. Turlough Gay because the primary influence on the character was gay and being autobiographical at that moment. Later writers, not knowing what to do with the character, carried on projecting that vibe.

Of course, this is speculating on the psyches of real people, so I can't say that for certain. I don't know these people.

I do get this amusing vibe that Strickson wanted Turlough to be a romantic lead when the companions were never the lead during this era and romance wasn't allowed at all. So, we know that something usually considered out-of-character for Turlough will be present in this novel.

Lastly, there's this:

Mark Strickson draws a little tie for his signature and I love it.

[tumblingdownthefoxden]

"The Assistant and The Star"

Chapter 4: The Solstice Ceremony

Three times did the trumpet sound. Everyone within Rosas were gathering at the castle. Before the raised platform, stood two rows of soldiers surrounding a large sum of people. Every soldier held up a shield and faced the outside crowd. Ahead of that row was Dario. Next to him stood the youngest and shortest recruit for the army. Short brown hair and holding a small shield, he had a shovel in hand. Before them both was an angry old woman.

“Come on, boy! I only gave a wish last month! Can’t I give him another wish today?!” The old woman demanded. Dario shook his head. She wasn’t on his list and he didn’t know her name but he recognised her face. She did give a wish last month, so she completed her yearly tax. “That was the only wish you can give. You can only make a new wish next year.” He signed. The lady scoffed. “This is ridiculous! I used to make a wish to the King every month 15 years ago! We all could!" She spread out her arms, registering everyone coming down to the castle. "Can’t he make an exception? What if I told you that I knew his assistant.” She cooned.

“No, you don't.” The recruit named Gabo chipped in. He took three steps towards her. “Listen. I don’t know why the King is taking less wishes. It’s not my job to know. I don't care enough to know. You’re welcome to stay to watch the Ceremony but wait until next year to make another wish.”

The old woman crossed her arms and sighed. “Okay.” She said while she turned around. She took a few steps away before taking a running start back and leaped over Gabo to the lineup. Dario was quick and snatched her midair. He placed over his shoulder and walked away even as she thrashed. “Put me down, you giant brute! I will-”

*BONK*

“OW!” She cried, placing a hand on the spot of her head where Gabo’s shovel was. He pointed it to her. ”Next year. New Wish." He told her sternly. Gabo then smiled, “Enjoy the Ceremony.”

Dario gently put the woman down on her feet and returned to Gabo's side. She was stunned. Mouth agape at their “audacity”, but left nonetheless.

“Is this what you have to deal with every month?” Gabo said. Dario sadly nodded.

“Well why didn’t you tell me sooner? I'll try to convince my aunt to let me out here monthly.”

Gabo’s aunt, Martha Weber, is an officer for the royal guard and in charge of positioning guards to surround those giving their first wish of the year. To protect the line from scavengers that will try to sneak in to make another wish. Gabo has been a recruit for 2 years but he is 15 years old, too young to be a guard or be given a real sword. He’s not even supposed to be out with the guard tonight. 

Dario asked Gabo a week prior to help him handle aggravated locals. After a good 3 days of persuasion, Weber allowed her nephew to help guard at the Ceremony, but only for today. He still wasn’t allowed a steel sword but there were no rules against steel shovels. 

As those two worked on, another pair slowly made their way to the castle. Sakina and Sabino. "Saba? Are you alright?" Sakina asked Sabino, who dragged his feet behind her. Utterly exhausted. It was a long and disappointing day for Sabino. He was out in the city all day with his lute. He played loud, he played slow, he played fast, he played as he danced! All his best efforts to attract attention to his music, but no one stayed. No one stood by to hear the entirety of a song or cared to consider what it meant. Only ones that came and stayed were a few stray cats and geese, all of whom who walked away well roused.

His songs had their desired effect but no human had enough patience to let them work.

"It's a tale as old as time, Sakina." He sighed.

"Saba. You should rest yourself and your mandolin for a while." Sabino nodded to that. There was another suggestion Sakina needed to make but how could she phrase that it might be considerable but not ruin his mood further."

"And, dare I say it, would you like to sit back and let Magnifico take over the reins on your wish? And play your music for yourself?"

"No." Saba said with no hesitation.

"Listen, I know this is important to you but, you've been doing it for so long. Maybe focuse on playing for yourself without public attention."

"Sakira!" Sabino looked at her with wide eyes. "You might as well tell a baker to not to care that no one ate their large cake!" He held up his mandolin case. "I didn't spend my 40s learning the mandolin to not share music with others."

"Yes. I understand that but... the public eyes are dull. They have the same with the dancers. Unless it has to due with the King or a wish, you have their attention for 5 seconds. They light up for as long as the Magnifico or Asha is around."

"And it is because of their apathy that I do what I do. The years I spent learning my craft were some of my best, and I want others to live that luxury. I'm happy to let Magnifico help me but I don't want to sit by and do... nothing with my power." He looked up into the sky. Still too bright for stars to show. "I had this wish since Tomás was a boy and took me to see the stars. And it breaks my heart to think that matter how many times I write it down or how long I work on it, I might not live to see it come true." Sabino looked to the castle. "Must it take the death of a man for people to re embrace the growth of artistry?"

"And you still work to revive Rosas, even if you only reach one person?"

He held his mandolin case tighter as he turned to her. "No one deserves to live and die without a chance to attempt to make dreams come true." He smiled at her.

Sakina became quiet at his words. She looked at him with uncertainty. Sabino simply looked back with determination. She placed a soft kiss on his cheek. They stood in silence in the light of the sunset before continuing on to castle.

-  - -

At the side, behind the stage, Queen Amaya and Assistant Asha were seated in two elegant chairs. In Asha's lap was the ceremonial chest. In her hands, her favorite sketchbook. She showed the Queen a sketch of a boy with a giant robot.

"That is a neat concept. Are they friends?"

"Best friends. The boy reads the giant stories. I got idea from Talos."

"The bronze giant? Built by the god, Hephaestus?"

"Yeah, that one! Though this one would be iron."

"Then that boy is the luckiest kid!" Amaya chuckled. "Also, I read the book you recommended. Treasure Island. And it gave me an idea."

"Oh." Amaya cocked an eyebrow as Asha flipped through her sketches and showed her a picture of a boy on a flying sail boat over a village.

"You made him so cute!" Amaya admired.

"Thank you. The book saved me from my creative slump last month." She closed the sketchbook and placed it in her bag. "It's a shame so few people know about it."

Amaya sighed as she crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair. "Too many great stories were lost to time because no one in charge of spreading its word had faith that it would spawn great profits."

Suddenly, a ray of light blasted from the stage. The people were stunned and silent. From the light, countless little phantoms erupted up and swept down, just above the crowd. People shrieked and ducked! Most only flew about, crying like the wind. Some phantoms landed on heads. Ruffling hair and tossing hats. Everyone was bewildered but stayed in place as the phantoms went about.

While the people were distracted, Asha stood up. She nodded goodbye to the Queen and headed to the back of the stage behind the beaming light. Out of view, she pulled a large, folded bag from her work sachel.

The light still beamed and two yellow dots began to show. They grew larger and larger and then two winged Serpents emerged. The light disappeared as the serpents conducted their bit. Slow as a summer's breeze, one swallowed the phantoms midair like a whale swallowed plantain. The other went down and gently plucked naughty phantoms from people's heads before eating them. People awed at the glowing serpents. Some took the chance to pet their fluffy coats.

All phantoms erased, the low serpent flew up to meet the other. They flew around each other in a circular motion that you could say was a dance. They glowed brighter, coming together in a soft embrace, the two serpents fused into a yellow orb that shined like the sun. The orb rose higher and shoned horizontally and bursted into a wide ranged spray of sparkles. The people cheered and grabbed at the magic glitter raining down on them. 

As the people focused on the glitter, the beacon of light vanished, revealing Magnifico with Asha behind him. The little chest on the floor. He raised his staff and banged it down the platform, making a deafening sound that pulled the people's attention to him. "Good evening, Rosas! It is pleasure to see you all today." His voice rang throughout the gathering. The crowd went wild at the voice of their wish granting king. He smiled and spread out his arms as they praised his title. Some tossing flowers onto the stage.

He lowered and limbs and took on a stoic pose. "Now, first line of action." He pointed his staff to the first pair of people in the line between the guards. "Care to come forward?" They stood still, looking up at him with anxiety. This is their first wish ceremony. They have a wish to give but how will he take it? Does he need a coin? Do they have to whisper it? Does he need a hair?

Magnifico sensed their unfamiliarity and moved his staff behind him to let Asha hold it. He needed both hands for this operation. "It's alright, there is no cost. I'll explain how this works."

Slowly, they walked the stairs up onto the platform. They bowed once they were before him. "What are your names?" He asked.

"Helena Sanderson, your grace." One said.

"Esteban Aetos, your majesty." Said the other.

"Helena and Esteban. Lovely to make your acquaintance. And you both wish to live in this kingdom?" 

"Yes, your grace." Helena said, Esteban nodded.

"Alright. Give me hands please." The pair laid out their crossed hands and Magnifico laid his hand in each of theirs. "Now close your eyes and make a wish. Reap it from the depths of your heart." He whispered. The two followed suite, lowering their heads. One deep breathe in, and their chests glowed as the wish began to manifest. Magnifico's fingers slowly curled as he gently pulled a yellow mist from their chests and had it spiral within his palm. Once released, the mist was encased inside a gray bubble. He watched the wishes and both bubbles turned blue. He smiled, for their hearts were well intentioned.

The new citizens were less confident in their circumstance. They felt different. What was expected to be a weight lifted from their shoulders felt like a piece of themselves had gone missing. A vital piece. A piece that they no longer remembered. They looked back at the King for answers. "I understand that you're worried, but I can assure you. You will be safe here. Your wishes will be safe as well." They turned around and faced the crowd. Everybody cheered for the new citizens but they were still befuddled. Magnifico's words didn't bring comfort to their feeling but at least they got to stay? Before the cheering crowd, all they could do was to awkwardly wave before descending the platform.

Asha watched them from the middle of the stage, holding the staff and bag. The familiar pang of sadness in her heart. It was the same reaction for every new comer giving up their first wish. The newfound emptyness. The hunger to follow. Anything and everything done to fulfill it. The deepest wish, a window to the soul that Magnifico needed to see if the people here were well-intentioned and were gentle the next year. This was best for the kingdom, right?

Magnifico turned to her with the wishes in hand and she opened up the bag. He sent the bubbles floated into the sack. He turned back around to see one more person on the stage. He asked for their name, then manifested their wish. Asha stood by and kept the bag open for each wish to be collected. There were many people in line up today. Fortunately, she had more sacks.

The line got shorter and Asha's third sack continued to fill. Newcomers left the stage disheartened, old residents left the stage tired. The last person left with a wobble in their step. With Magnifico holding the staff and the chest still on the floor, Asha tied up the last sack and carried two of them back inside the castle. They weren't heavy but they were big. They were up to her neck in height. The last one hidden away, that concluded the first part of the Ceremony. Now was time for the raffle.

Asha took up the chest and opened the lid wide. "Now! Who's wish shall be granted at this hour?" He called out to the people as Asha lifted the wishes into the air. The crowd hollered at the sight of them. Praying that it was their wish on display. "First wish of the day. Graceful and vibrant as a butterfly. Sania Osman!" He called out. Everyone clapped as a woman near the side shrieked aloud. "It's me! IT'S ME! HE CALLED ME! Oh, great Heavens!" She shouted, squeezing her to the staircase. Once on stage, she vibrated like a bee! It was five months ago that she gave up her wish, and now she was having it publicly granted. "Next, with the heart and will of a bull! Agni Pal!" A man nearly collapsed upon the announcement and people applauding him. Agni Pal, dressed in deep brown, came onto the platform. "And last but not least. With a love for the arts." Within the crowd, Sakina and Sabino looked up at the king. Was he looking at them? "One with a great love for their occupation and needs to maintain their craft for the hope of the people." Magnifico was indeed, looking at them. Sabino cling onto Sakina's arm harder, excited. Was it actually today? Could he still be the influence that people needed?

"Sakina Astrada!" He held out his hand in her direction. Sakina face lit up before turning shocked. She looked at Saba. His a face bleak with newfound disappointment. "...Oh, Saba." She said, caressing his back. Sabino laid his hand on her shoulder and gave her a warm smile. "It's alright, mi lily. Go on and get your wish. I'll have it another day."

She gave Sabino a hug before going.

Sakina smiled to Asha once she was on the platform. King Magnifico observed the three people in front of him. He took one wish from the chest. "Sania Osman." He turned to her. She started fanning herself as he took her wish from the chest and held it in front of her. "As the summer lavender blooms for the bees, it is my pleasure to grant your heart's desire." As he said this, the wish glowed yellow. The bubble faded to reveal a yellow silk moth inside. It took flight and went above Sania's head. Moving in a circle, the moth emitted a silk like stream from its wings. The moth flew down with the silk floating behind it. Sania rose her hands to try and catch it, but it zoomed around her arms, binding them in silk. Sania peeped at the tingling sensation in her arms as the moth sat on her enclosed knuckles, waiting for the rest of the silk to fall, cutting off it's end of the silk. Once the first end of the silk fell past her knees, the moth zipped to that end and glided up. The silk split and vanished where the moth passed, as though it were cut by scissors. Smooth as water, the moth glided back up, cutting Sania's arms free. Stretching its body midair, it took a new form. Before the audience, Sania reached out as the moth transformed into a pair of golden scissors that gently fell into her hands. Her wish, to be the greatest dressmaker in her family. Sania couldn't hold back her tears. This was the greatest day of her life. Agni and Sakina clapped for the lucky lady. The audience applauded.

Magnifico pulled out another wish. "Agni Pal. As the Sun shines his longest day, it is my honor to grant your deepest passion." Agni and the others watched as the wish revealed a yellow flame moth. It took flight and begun flying in circles. Agni was confused. Why was his doing that? Before he could say anything, the moth started emitting sparks. It circled faster, casting more sparks when-

~FLOOUSH

The moth combusted. Engulfed in flames but intact. Agni shrieked and shielded himself as the flaming moth came at him. It zoomed and landed on his head. Then, Agni was engulfed in flames. Everyone screamed at the visual. Everyone but Magnifico and Amaya. Agni held up his arms. Just like the moth, he wasn't burning. He looked around the panicked masses. He looked at Sania and Sakina. "Does it... hurt?" Asked Sakina. He shook his head. He felt itchy. Only a mild discomfort as his muscle memory was reconstructed much more drastically than Sania. He felt his hair and removed the moth. He held the upturned moth in his palms like one would hold a bird when the fire on his body retreated from the feet up and transformed in different areas. Fire converged on his front, turning into a long, black apron. The remaining fire receded to his arms, shaping into thick, black gloves. The moth stretched out his wings and glowed like molten glass. It grew and morphed into a blob before splitting into two parts in each hand. The forms stopped glowing as they completed their transformations. A hammer and tongs. Speechless but extatic, Agni raised his tools and crossed them above his head. The crowd cheered and the other two clapped. His wish, to be an expert blacksmith.

Now for the last wish of the evening. "Sakina Astrada. At the hour of dusk, I witness your integrity and grace. It is with great pride and humility, that I fulfill your heart's will." Her wish unfolded around another yellow silk moth. It crawled onto the tips of Magnifico's fingers. It sat there for a good minute, looking at Sakina with curiosity before flying. It flew up around her body, examining her, and Sakina placed out her hands. She stared amazed as the moth landed in her cup hands. Her wish looked back at her with warmth before snuggling in her palms. Overwhelmed by the warmth and gentleness of the wish, Sakina leaned in and placed a little kiss on top of the moth's head. From where it promptly fell asleep. Agni and Sania stared at the wish, promptly confused. No sparks? No silk? No flashy colors? Any dramatic transformation? What was her wish doing? Surely, it wasn't just sleeping in her hands. Sakina showed the moth to Asha with a proud look on her face. This was her first wish to be ceremonially granted! "It's beautiful." Asha signed. It became too quiet for anyone to consider speaking. She turned and showed the moth to the audience. They were also confused. The silence was broken in a series of whispers. "Is this a joke?" Someone went. "Is it broken, what is it doing?" Somebody else went. "Poor lady. Her wish might be a buzzkill."

Sabino looked around. Slightly angry at everyone whispering down on her wish. He clapped loudly! "Yaaaaaay. It's amazing!" He cheered. The people stared at him like he was mad but Sakina smiled at his support. The moth awakened and stretched its body. The moth took to the air where it suddenly turned into an orb that begun growing. The crowd went silent, it was happening. Sakina stepped back as the orb grew larger and larger. When it finally stopped, it was as large as Sakina's body. Slowly, she reached out and touched it. And then the orb popped. In it's place was a spinning wheel. The people looked at each other and back at the spinning wheel, slightly agitated. A spinning wheel? They knew Sakina was a good seamstress but, she didn't wish to be the greatest seamstress? For golden cotton? A golden spinning wheel? It wasn't even a sort of metal, the moth did the least and most for a wooden spinning wheel.

Sakina step forward and passed her hand over the wheel. Smooth, dark oak. She gently gripped and turned the wheel. It spun without any creek or rattle. And last, with a single finger, she tapped the spindle of the wheel. It was pointed but the was rounded, and it didn't splinter. Sakina could cry. It was perfect! A spitting image of her old one. The applause of Agni and Sania was soft and unconfident. Still upended by her wish. How and why would Magnifico grant such a simple wish? Was it Sakina's relationship with his assistant?

She turned to Magnifico and bowed down. "Thank you so much your majesty." Magnifico smiled at the appreciation. "The pleasure is mine." Magnifico addressed the crowd. "People of Rosas! The wishes of the Summer Solstice!" The kingdom erupted in cheers and praises for the King and the prizemen.

Asha looked on as the people applauded those on stage. There was variety of people thrilled by the visuals and disappointed that they weren't selected. Agni and Sania made their way off the platform. Sakina picked up the spinning wheel and gave Asha a wink before following suit. "Rosas!" Magnifico called out to the audience. "May this Summer bring us warmth and prosperity! Vitality and transformation! Go forth and indulge in the festivities of this night and the next." With his blessings said, fireworks fired off. Explosions off red, orange, blue and white lit up the darkening sky. The Ceremony has concluded.

"Asha." Magnifico came to face her. "As I have mentioned before, I have someone in the throne room who can assist you on your outing later. Come this way." He said before walking away. Before she could follow, a strange feeling stopped Asha in her tracks. A feeling of someone burning holes in the back of her head.

'Don'tturnaround. Don'tturnaround. Don'tturnaround. Don'tturn-'

"Asha?" At her side, Queen Amaya came up from behind her with warm and concerned eyes. "Are you alright?" It wasn't from her. Magnifico had stopped walking to look back at her. "Oh, I'm alright." Asha said. "Just a little tired." Amaya nodded and led her with Magnifico.

Little to their knowledge, somebody in the crowd south from them was actually watching them intently. A woman with long, blonde sausage curls stared at Asha but not like the other stares that she received. Some stared at her with excitement, want, and sometimes envy. But the stare of this woman, was of hostility.

Inside the castle, Magnifico opened the door to the throne room with a wave of his hand and let the two women enter first. "Do you have an extra guard?" Asked Asha. The room was dimly lit by the remaining sunlight from the large windows. "Kind of. Someone smaller but well fit." Magnifico remarked. "And adorable." Amaya added with a chuckle. Magnifico blew a whistle with his fingers. There was no response. Magnifico frowned and blew his fingers again. Again no response. "Charo! Will you please come out here. I have a job for you." There was a growl from across the room. From behind the Queen's throne, a pair of green eyes showed within the shadows. An Iberian Lynx slowly made his way to the monarchs. Dropping a pig's bone from its mouth. "Asha. This is Charo. Charo, this is Asha." Charo sat down at the Queen's feet and yowled. "You... have a pet lynx?" Asha asked. "Yes. He's shy and doesn't like being out in the city so most don't know about him. He's our little guardian lynx. He helps me travel through the city." Amaya bent down and picked up the 30 pound cat. "Charo. Could you escort Asha home and ward off anyone that makes her uncomfortable?" Charo looked between Amaya and Asha and gave an affirmative yowl. Asha was wide-eyed and shook her head. "Your majesties, I am grateful for the offer but I don't think I can take him. It's rather extensive to take a large animal with me. I shouldn't take such a prized creature to go home." She retorted. 'Especially after offending the King'. Asha thought.

"This is a gift, Asha." Magnifico emphasized, concerned. "I said that I knew someone who could get you home and I am a man of my word. He can make his way back to us after. My duty is to protect the people of Rosas. And that includes you." Amaya placed Charo down on his paws. He walked over to Asha, sniffing her body and then rubbed his side against her legs. "I insist Asha. Please. Don't endanger yourself to try and convenience us." Asha stood still as the lynx took in her scent, she smiled at his gentleness and nodded to the monarchs. "Then it is settled." He scratched Charo behind his ear. "Protect her with your life, Charo. Have a great and safe evening, Asha." Magnifico said. With the doors still open, Charo was the first to walk out. The King and Queen bid Asha goodnight before she left. With the doors shut behind her, Asha went to see Charo against the wall near the doors. "Hello." She said to him. " Oh, shoot! I forgot to mention. I have a baby goat with me. Do you eat goats?" Charo looked at her as though she just asked what bread was. "Right, wrong question. Sorry." She put her hands on her hips as she thought of a different question. "Are you hungry right now?" He licked his paw and blinked at her. No. He won't be for a while. Alright. They're all set to leave.

A/N:

This took longer than expected but I cut it shorter than intended but I want to write a wholesome chapter.

I finally got to conduct my moth Ceremony! I wish the movie told us what Sakina's wish was so I made her up a mild one that would test the ideals of the people and hint to her own values. All the while, present the correlation of loved ones of the King's assistant having their wishes granted sooner.

@annymation @signed-sapphire @mythartist21 @wings-of-sapphire @chillwildwave @rascalentertainments @oh-shtars @uva124 @kstarsarts @hopeyarts @spectator-zee

[tinygumdrops]

Hey I wanted to say how much i love your fics. Kagehina is my go to pairing and your fics have a quality maybe like what one anon said abt Ghibli. I keep longing to read something like tht, a setting that steals your heart like a book cover that intrigues you and you want to be sucked into the verse. There's the melancholy to it, then a feeling akin to reading haikyuu itself. As nostalgic, refreshing and that you achieved something in life. Your Brazil shoyo is something imprinted in my heart. It's a blessing u write for kagehina. Ik u don't ship them and some anon even implied abt how annoying kghn fans were lol still I'd love to say hah but she gets their dynamics so good or yayyy she writes for kagehina. Your recent nyc fic blew my mind away. I got chills reading the last part abt hinata like YOU GET HIM. How do you nail characters WITH setting so well?? The environment we grow up in is so important to shape our views Like nyc Brazil Japan literally you are amazing! Also do you have any hc for Kageyama in Italy👀

Also if you ever right og fiction, I'm ur number one fan. You will have so many fans with your content! Sorry for long ask sjshjjshhjjj

Take care.

Hello, anon!!! And *sobs* thank you!!!! My fics are just a drop in the incredibly immense ocean of works in the fandom, but I'm glad my stories found you and resonated with you so much. It's such a huge accomplishment ;-; ;-; ;-;

AHHHH you want me to share my headcanons of Kageyama in Italy? Well, DON'T MIND IF I DO :D

Kageyama lived with Ali Roma's assistant coach (I've always liked the name Gino, so let's go with that) for his first year in Serie A to help him integrate better. Gino's eldest son moved away to Antwerp for university so he had the spare room. A portion of Kageyama's starting salary was supposed to go to Coach Gino for his living expenses, but Gino insisted for Kageyama to use that money to buy stuff for himself instead since he brought so little when he came to Italy. In return, Kageyama helped with mowing the lawn and walking the dogs and washing the dishes. Gino had two other boys, Elio (7) and Dino (6), and they took turns harassing Kageyama into playing football with them in their backyard. Kageyama usually acquiesced if they played volleyball with him afterwards.

When he became more comfortable with the language and the people, Kageyama moved out of Gino's home during his second year, much to the family's dismay. Especially Elio and Dino---they were buzzing around Kageyama like wasps when he was straightening his luggage at the doorstep ("Are you leaving us because I kept stealing your team jackets?" Dino asked mournfully. "No," Kageyama said, totally bewildered at the children's tear-streaked faces). Little did they know that Kageyama rented an apartment so comically close to their home, just three blocks away from theirs.

One time during a match against Perugia, Kageyama had this disconcerting feeling that something was wrong with his vision. He consulted with the team's doctor, who referred him to an ophthalmologist. He found out he had a mild case of myopia (nearsightedness); it wasn't serious and he didn't need any corrective lenses, but Kageyama badgered the poor doctor with questions that the consult lasted for an hour and a half. The doctor gave him an extensive list on how to prevent it from getting worse: diet, exercise, less screentime, and loads and loads of sunshine. So now, Kageyama spent most of his free time outdoors: cycling, running, mountain climbing, reading sports monthly magazines at the park, playing pick-up games with his teammates, or walking Gino's dogs around the neighborhood. Whenever Kageyama's parents called to check on him, he was always out and about. It surprised them at first; they hadn't known their son to be the outdoor-sy type, but it did put their mind at ease. Kageyama had always been noticeably more cheerful when he's under the sun.

Beat reporters found Kageyama particularly frustrating to interview, though they weren't sure if it was a matter of his personality, his nationality, him being media-trained af by the team's comms department, or all three. Talented and an exciting player on the orange court, for sure, but outside of it he rarely had anything interesting to say. Always calm, always poised, always with the cliché responses. He was once ambushed in a family restaurant by a sports podcaster who asked for his opinion about the sudden spike in female Ali Roma fans, and Kageyama answered with a cool, "Volleyball is the greatest sport in the world. I'm glad more people are realizing that now and tuning in to our games. I'm grateful for any support the sport and our team gets, wherever it's coming from". ("Gah, he's so unaffected!" the podcaster grieved. "No girls, no scandalous rendezvous, no skeevy thoughts, no openings, nada. Zero. Zilch. Like what the hell? Is he a cyborg? It's always volleyball 100%.").

But one journalist sniffed around Kageyama's early career happenings and she managed to find something that'd generate a reaction. Compare Kageyama's stats to a certain undersized Japanese player in Brazil's Superlega, and you'd find unassailable proof that Kageyama Tobio is, indeed, human ("Yeah? And how many service aces and solo blocks does he have?" Kageyama scoffed when the reporter said his longtime rival held São Paolo's team lead in kills and total swings. "Not that many, I'm sure. Not that I watch his games anyway.").

[heycolorwind]

New Years Resolutions 2023 | Countdown

Another year, another batch of resolutions. I’ve got the typical ones that I’ll list but there’s really just one I want to do. So let’s count them down! I didn’t do any of the resolutions I said last year so some of these are repeated from last year. Let me know in the comments what your New Years Resolutions are.

Start Writing a Book – I wanted to start this last year but never did. This is something I wanted to really focus on back in 2020 but the pandemic happened and a lot of plans were canceled. This is the year I feel we are officially out of the pandemic so after losing three years, I’m going to try to do things I wanted to do back in 2020 and this is one of the most important ones.

Learn Guitar (again) – I miss the outlet I had from playing music. I think it’ll do my brain good to reintroduce myself to my musical side.

Lose 100 Pounds – I got an exercise bike for Christmas. I think this will help me finally shed the pounds.

Write More – I miss writing so I’ve committed to writing at least once a day, either as a post here on Wordpress or my journal, which I typically ignore.

Get a Stable Writing Job – Once I’ve gotten my bearing writing again, I’m going to use these posts to try to get myself a writing job, particularly one at a publication I would like to work at. This will be my redemption after failing at GameRant.

Get 1000 YouTube Subscribers – My channel has been growing exponentially since last year. I’ve reached 100 subscribers so I would like to see if I can add another zero to that counter.

Socialize More Online / Offline – I need to get out of my comfort zone so I’m going to try to talk to more people, whether that’s on or offline.

Watch 12 Shows – I want to focus on having a good time as well as get influences from other media other than games and music so this goal is so I watch more shows on TV.

Read 12 Books – I’m hoping to read more, especially since I want to write a book so I’m trying to read roughly one book a month.

Finish 40% of the Games I Play – I play a lot of games and last year I easily blew past my 30% or more games finished so this year I’m bumping it up to 40%.

Watch 50 Movies – One movie a week. I don’t watch nearly enough movies and I want to change that. I tried to do this last year but it didn’t last. Attempt number two, I suppose.

Get Back into Comics – I don’t have a solid plan for this admittedly. I guess I’ll just try to read and keep reading series’ that catch my eye. I don’t think looking up new releases is really worth it since it makes more sense to begin at the beginning of the volume or at least the storyline so you know what’s going on. It’s like starting a show on episode 6.

Listen to 50 Albums – I fell out of music last year and desperately tried to catch up most of the year before I just gave up. I’ve decided to focus more on albums rather than singles so that this doesn’t happen again this year. This number, similar to my movies resolution, means I’ll hear about one new album a week.

Make Curated 2023 Playlists – Another way I want to keep up with music is with playlists. I did this back in 2017 and I really like what I did. Making monthly favorite lists and genre lists for the year is fun and I’m going to try to do that again. It’ll be on Spotify FYI. After experimenting with Apple Music and Tidal, I’m going back to Spotify.

Re-Enter The World – This is my big resolution of the year. I’m calling it; we’re officially out of the pandemic. So it’s time to get back out into the world. No more ordering food, I can go get it myself. No more relying on deliveries, I can go to the store and get things myself. I’m still going to wear a mask for the foreseeable future but I’m not going to let that stop me from going places. I’m not a social person to begin with but I still used to go out and do stuff. I want to get back outside and do that again.

[lachalaine]

im just gonna chill on your blog and listen to all the Good Music™ bless u always ♥

❤❤❤ i’m so glad you like the music on there !!!! sometimes i get stuck just listening to it all on repeat too, it was a good collection i put together i think! especially where it sorta starts low and then gradually rises?? bless spotify for giving me those songs. its all so very on point with jackie’s aesthetic too ✨

thank u so much bby, bless you always too !!! i’m glad you appreciate our music choices, you’re such a sweet !!! 💕

// @secrecykept

[ivykim]

the first time I fell for you (heeun)

masterlist // wattpad

summary: a side story of when ivy and heeseung first met, trained together and how feelings start to change between them. finally, when ivy and heeseung were actually dating, well secretly dating.

NOTE: fun fact, ivy and heeseung started dating during I-LAND but it's not mentioned in the episodes because it was to hide the fact that they were a couple. a special episode of I-LAND Cam will happen soon for every cute moments EGGIES could find of these two.

ivy could remember the first time she met with lee heeseung. she was already a trainee at bighit by then. they first met in high school. heeseung was pretty famous for his fun nature and how he always played games with his friends. him and his friends awlays had plans to go to the PC Bang after school.

it was a little hard for ivy considering she was a really shy person. she never thought she would meet heeseung at the company but here she was facing the boy 2 years later into her trainee life. she was happily conversing with yeonjun, whom she trained with quite frequently. he always helped her a lot and gave her tons of compliments.

"hi, i'm looking for the dance studio. a staff mentioned it was just somewhere around the corner before she mentioned she was busy and walked away but this place is huge so i got a little lost." heeseung shyly asks. yeonjun smiles.

"ivy, why don't you bring him over to the practice room. i'm sure you will be practicing with him too since you have dance right now. i have to go, monthly evaluations is coming up so i have to practice on my own."

"uh, sure." ivy's eyes met with heeseung's. "let's go, heeseung." the boy was stunned ivy even knew his name. also isn't bighit just an all boy-group company as it was rumoured that they don't accept anymore girl trainees after what happened in the past.

they entered the practice room.

"the teacher isn't here yet." she holds out her hand, "i'm ivy."

heeseung shakes her hand, "i'm heeseung."

ivy nods, "i know."

"how do you know my name?" heeseung asks as they settled on the ground. ivy pulls her legs closer to herself.

"we have math homework just as a reminder. wouldn't want our math teacher to get mad hmm?" ivy smirks a little. heeseung's jaw drops.

about a year and a half later, ivy was settled down on the ground. her back on the mirror. she pants. it had been the 5th time she went to practice her routine she would be doing to monthly evaluations. the door opens to reveal heeseung and jay.

jay had pretty recently joined both ivy and heeseung for trainings, the three of them were inseparable. nobody could mess with ivy or else you would have to go through both of the boys.

"vivi, we bought ice cream." ivy gasps. she shushes the boys.

"we aren't supposed to be having ice cream remember? they want us to diet." ivy whispers. jay gasps.

"oh no, then what do we do?" jay worriedly says.

"we eat. then brush our teeth after." heeseung suggests, he takes a bite of his ice cream and quickly eats it.

"never knew you'd do this heeseung. what happened to the good boy i know?" ivy ruffles heeseung's hair.

"not everyone should remain good, you know." heeseung states. ivy groans.

"please don't ever say that again." jay chuckles. they hear footsteps from outside and so they panicked. jay and ivy quickly finished up their ice cream.

"ivy, you have something on the side of you lips." heeseung points out. ivy tries to remove it but couldn't do it for some odd reason. heeseung wipes it for her with his thumb and he tastes it.

ivy's jaw drops.

"mint choco is nice i guess." heeseung says. jay looks at heeseung in disgust.

"hyung, no. mint choco is disgusting. don't get me started, i can give you a whole list of how fucking horrible it is."

I-LAND had started and ivy was happy to know at least a few people from the company, like sunghoon, jungwon, heeseung and jay. there was aria of course whom she had been best friends with for a long time.

ivy frequently confided aria on her love life and especially since she had been feeling this attraction to heeseung and even jay for a long time.

"oh you girl, are definitely in love with the both of them." aria mentions. this talk was during the I-LAND cam so there was no voices/sound that was heard you could just see them talking (in case you were wondering)

"unnie! i'm being serious, how can i like two people at the same time? isn't that wrong?"

"my cousin used to have 2 girlfriends. that ain't weird, vivi. in fact, it's really beneficial. having 2 boyfriends literally means you will have 2 bodyguards and 2 times more gifts. more love and more crazy sex-"

"UNNIE!" ivy goes to cover aria mouth. aria laughs out loud.

"i'm serious so what you like two guys."

"it means 2 times more disappointment if they don't like me that way?" ivy says. aria goes to say something but stops herself.

"you're not wrong but imagine this. they both like you. i mean, who in their right minds wouldn't want to date someone smoking like you. i would. just saying." aria says.

"really?"

"yeah, of course my love." aria goes to hug her. "so let's stop stressing over this hmm? we still have to survive until the final episode of I-LAND. you don't have to worry about a thing."

the next week later, it gets a little awkward between heeseung and ivy. while they had practice and stuff, ivy tries to avoid heeseung. she can't let her feelings grow more but she didn't realise it had been affecting their performance and communication. heeseung pulls ivy to the side to talk to her in somewhere secluded. where there was no cameras just them.

"alright, vi. what's going on?" heeseung looked annoyed. scary but kinda hot. ivy looks down.

"i'm sorry." she says. heeseung sighs.

"you can't just say sorry and not tell me what's wrong? i thought we were friends? why can't you tell me?"

"you're right. we are just friends." she looks up at heeseung with teary eyes.

"ivy..."

"i like you, heeseung." a tear slips from her eyes, she wipes it and sniffles. "we should get back to practice before they question us."

ivy goes to leave but heeseung holds onto her wrist and pulls her close. he kisses her for a short bit before pulling away.

"idiot." he lightly hits her nose with his finger. "i like you too but if we want to date, we are going to have to sneak around a lot."

ivy blushes. "oh, you want to date me?"

"who wouldn't want to be your girlfriend, kim ivy?" heeseung deadpans.

"umm...maybe jay?"

"i'm sure everyone in I-LAND would want to date you." he wraps his arm around her waist, "even me."

ivy hides her face on his chest, "stop. this is weird for you to be flirting with me. we usually argue a lot."

"for fun, it was playful. it's our love language, cutie." heeseung says. ivy smacks his chest.

"please don't call me that. i am not used to it."

"in that case, i'll call you cutie starting from now."

"seungie, nooo." ivy whines. heeseung tilts up her head and pecks her lips.

"come on girlfriend, let's go. we've got practice."

"we have to keep us a secret though." ivy pouts.

"i know so don't act out of the ordinary, like just now." heeseung says.

"how is me ignoring you out of the ordinary?"

"it is."

"okay whatever, you win. now let's go!" ivy pushes heeseung.

-

more of heeun coming soon...

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios University

Abe was in hell. He was pretty sure he was anyway. What else could be worse than sitting in between his mother and her former ex-boyfriend while being grilled about his work and income and his plan for raising his son’s falling grades and Roman’s future plans to rejoin the workforce and- the list went on. The whole family was supposed to be gathering to meet Nathan’s new boyfriend from university, but so far the guest of honour was late, and Abe had become the focus of his mother’s unwanted attention.

“Oriana told me that you called in sick twice this month already,” Elaine chided her son. “Are you taking your job seriously, Abe? You need to make it a priority if you’re going to advance. I just worked at my desk if I had a cold. You just power through the sickness and do your work. Roman needs someone to provide for all those children, and you’re my former heir. I expect nothing less than excellence from you.”

Abe rolled his eyes and slumped further down in his seat. At this point, he was going to hunt down his little brother himself to escape this.

“I had the flu, mother,” Abe replied coldly. “I can’t go to work in a scientific lab with a cold or flu, even you have to be able to understand that. We have three small kids who are covered in germs and pass colds among their friends all the time. If you’d been around when we were kids, you would remember this.”

Elaine ignored her son’s jab and tried another line of questioning.

“When are you and Roman planning on getting married? The engaged Durant children are all married, and your sister is very close to booking a venue and picking a date for her own wedding. I haven’t seen you make any progress on your own in weeks.”

“I’ve been busy,” Abe snapped, crossing his arms. “There’s work, and the kids, and catching a stomach bug, and planning a wedding is pretty intense on a limited schedule.”

“I heard you’ve been having money problems,” Elaine stated, looking at her son’s face to confirm this rumour. “Is this true? I told Roman that I wouldn’t pursue that loan Salem tried to have erased from my father. What’s your monthly budget? What career goal can we set to get you back on track?”

Abe groaned in misery. Beside him, Launce gave him a sympathetic look, but kept quiet. He knew all too well where Lucy had gained her attitude from, and had learned that sometimes, it was better just to let Elaine get through her plans.

Outside, Nathan was greeted back to his home by Libby, his faithful pet.

“Gareth, this is Libby,” he said, holding out a hand for Libby to shake.

After shaking his hand, she stood up on her hind legs, looking for her treat.

“Ah, sorry girl, I’m all out. We don’t need treats at school. I’ll get you one from inside.”

Like every other family gathering, Ironman and Roman were stuck in the kitchen, making dinner. It was an unwritten expectation by now that they were in charge of the food, which had its benefits. At least Roman wasn’t being grilled by Elaine like poor Abe. He had a safe place to hide from the worst of the Helios-Chun’s antics.

“So how’s Nickolai doing?” Roman asked, as Ironman reached for a pot in the cupboard above Roman’s head. “Are you two a thing yet, or just flirting?”

Ironman’s eyes flashed a red pulsing light, and turned away from Roman.

“Error: data not found,” he intoned, and Roman laughed, shoving him playfully.

“Fine, keep your secrets,” he laughed. “Just make sure to invite me and Abe to the wedding.”

As a child, Lucy had hated learning the piano, but as she grew older, she found new appreciation for it. It allowed her to channel some of the chaotic restlessness inside of her into striking keys to expel her feelings. Melodies could flow through her fingertips, channeling her restless thoughts into something beautiful to hear. She wasn’t a professional musician, but she had enough skill that Abe no longer came to mock her attempts to play.

Her mind had been more restless as of late. With the anxiety surrounding Ulyssa’s pending decision about Noelle, added with the stress of trying to plan a wedding while being as big of a bitch to Pia as possible while doing so...it was all adding up. On top of all of that, Kaeileen had been weirder than usual whenever Roman’s name was brought up. Considering that she had spent so many months trying to stalk her way back into Roman’s good graces, Kaeileen was trying her best to avoid him. She refused to come to this family gathering when Lucy had confirmed that Roman would be there, and she’d freaked out when Lucy picked up Theo after school when Abe had been at home sick. Lucy didn’t know what to make of this development. All that Kaeileen would say on the subject was that she’d seen something in Roman, something dark. Since her eyes had been freed of the red colour they’d been stuck with, Kaeileen looked terrified when Lucy’s co-workers dropped by.

It would have been nice to have Kaeileen with her, but Lucy could make her own fun. With a new boyfriend being brought to meet the family, Lucy had several schemes up her sleeve to see if he’d fit in with their strange little family. If he didn’t, this boyfriend didn’t stand a chance against Lucy.

“Nathan!” Elaine leapt from her seat beside Abe to welcome her youngest son home and Abe breathed a sigh of relief when she did.

“Hi Mom,” Nathan laughed, hugging his mother when she engulfed him in her arms. He couldn’t remember the last time she’d made such a big deal of him coming home. Absence apparently really did make the heart grow fonder.

“Where’s your last report card?” Elaine demanded, focusing her questioning from one son to the other. “How are you doing for money? Is this boyfriend serious or just a passing fling? Who are his parents? What is his grade average? Are you using protection? Please be more careful than your brother and sister.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Abe grumbled as he approached his brother. “If you can remember anything about my life past the last two weeks, you’ll remember that I made it through university without another kid. It’s Roman and Lucy you should be judging, not me.”

Abe hugged his little brother while their mother scowled at Abe.

“Just ignore Mom, I’m sure you’re doing fine in school,” Abe said. “Have fun while you can before your life is just work, changing diapers and planning a budget. University is for finding yourself, and deciding who you want to be, not worrying about GPAs.”

“Uh, thanks,” Nathan replied. He had never received this much attention from his family before. His mother was always stern and distant, while his brother was always too busy moving from disaster to disaster in his own life to take notice of his little brother. Suddenly reappearing after moving out seemed to be the trick to getting his family to notice him.

“Where’s Nickolas?” Abe asked, looking towards the door expectantly. “You two never go anywhere without each other. He was invited, and his mom is with the Durants today if he was trying to avoid her or something.”

“I’m not twelve anymore Abe,” Nathan retorted. “I have a life outside of my friend, which you’d know about if you had any friends of your own. Aside from Roman’s friends who just tolerate you for his sake.”

Abe was stunned into silence by his brother’s words. He hadn’t paid much attention to Nathan because of his own drama, but he’d never realized how much of a jerk Nathan had become. It seemed to Abe like he was the only child who took after their father in their personality. Nathan and Lucy were just as blunt and uncaring as their mother, despite all their complaints about Elaine.

“Hey Abe.”

Abe turned to acknowledge the other person in the room, Nathan’s new boyfriend. Between his mother’s mini inquisition and Nathan’s rudeness, Abe had completely forgotten about their guest of honour. For some reason, his voice sounded a little familiar.

“Garth?” Abe gasped as his brain began to piece together just why this mystery man didn’t seem so mysterious to him.

“Gareth,” the man corrected, still smiling even though Abe had clearly forgotten his name. “It’s nice to see you again. Campus isn’t the same without you and your sister. It’s much more boring.”

“You’re dating my little brother?” Abe asked slowly, unsure if this was all just a prank Lucy or Nathan was pulling on him. It did seem mean spirited enough to be entertaining to his siblings.

He had had a fling with Gareth a long time ago, when Gareth and his friend invited him to join their secret society. Abe hadn’t cared much for the secret society though and after hooking up with some of its members he’d gone right back to pining for Roman. Still....

“Nathan, has he told you that we used to go out together?” Abe asked warily. He didn’t want to cause drama in front of his mother, but there was no way that he could carry on the charade of pretending he didn’t know Gareth either. Better to drag this out in the open before his brother’s heart got broken.

“If by go out, you mean that you had disappointing casual sex with him and a bunch of other guys, then yes,” Nathan replied. There wasn’t any sign of malice or jealousy in his voice, but Abe could see that Nathan was enjoying the awkwardness of this situation as much as Lucy was sure to. This was just what he needed. A second Lucy to poke at sensitive subjects for fun.

“Abraham!” Elaine’s only reaction to this news was to immediately scold Abe for something that had happened a long time ago and when he was single.

“What? I was single and in university! Would you all stop trying to slut shame me for dating a few guys a long time ago?”

“A few guys over the span of a few months, or a few guys at the same party?” Nathan teased ruthlessly. “Because Gareth said-”

“I don’t care what Gareth said!” Abe snapped. “What I do isn’t any of your business! Would you all stop judging me?”

“I hope you told Roman about your sordid past,” Nathan teased with a grin. “I wouldn’t want things to be awkward.”

Abe simply stared at the little brother he apparently didn’t know at all. Lucy would tease Abe and then bask in the chaos she created. Nathan seemed to share her bluntness, but none of the enjoyment she felt. Nathan had been ignored by his family for too long to bother with pleasantries. He was mean only for the sake of being mean.

“He knows,” Abe answered nervously. “I’m pretty sure he knows anyway. I haven’t given it much thought since then, and it was when we weren’t together. I don’t see why he’d care.”

Abe hadn’t given Roman any specific details of who he’d slept with or dated in university, as the mention of him even looking at other guys made Roman seethe with jealously. Abe felt the same way when Roman spoke about Adrian, but there had been only one Adrian, and he wasn’t around to spark Abe’s jealousy. Meanwhile, Abe had more than one ex, and they apparently could just show up unannounced, dating his brother.

Abe felt his stomach twist into a knot. He had been looking forward to seeing his brother again, but now things had gotten considerably more complicated.

[just-some-gt-trash]

2.- Glitch

AND I AM LATE TO MY OWN OROMT LIST WUUUUUU

Tbh I underestimated how much my writing has improved since my last monthly list, and therefore how much time I need to write.

But here is day two! On day five!

Pairings: Lomoceit

Summary: Logan was created with the purpose of providing humans with all the knowledge they needed. Unfortunately, his creator passed away before he was launched to the market, leaving him activated on his old house. His existence has been pretty boring since then. Until a cute couple moved next door.

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Logan was looking out the window as usual. It was one of his usual activities since he didn't really have anything else to do, but today was different. There was a couple moving next door.

Logan had seen them go in and out of their new house for hours. It wasn't like he had anything else to do, and it didn't exactly get boring either. He was analyzing the way they walked, the way they carried boxes, and every movement they made. He was programmed for that after all.

It didn't take long for the sky to get dark so he started the “night shift” for the house. It only turned on all the lights and made sure the energy saving settings were off. He didn't know why he was still doing it since there was no one living in the house, but it helped him establish a routine.

A soft nuzzle against his legs snapped him out of his thoughts. Well, the house wasn't completely empty. Perhaps saying there were no humans living there was more adequate.

Logan kneeled down to pet the head of the house dog, Thomas. He knew dogs were quite affectionate creatures, especially this one, so pets were the way to go when trying to calm it down. “It is still not time for your dinner Thomas”, he reminded it “I’ll make sure to feed you as always. Do not worry about that.” Thomas only walked away in response, most likely to go take a nap or something.

Logan sighed and looked back out. Apparently the couple decided to stop for the day. It was logical, they must be tired from working all day after all. Still, Logan couldn't really understand why he was so disappointed he couldn't see them anymore. He would have to wait for tomorrow.

There was some movement on one of the windows from the neighbor's house. One of the humans pocked their head through the window and looked out, making direct eye contact with Logan. The human smiled widely and waved at him. Logan only stepped aside and closed the curtains of his own house. Having a relationship with a human wouldn't be a good idea.

Patton was unpacking his collection of snowglobes. The shelf above the chimney was the perfect spot! He was loving every single minute of unpacking and redecorating their new home. Him and Janus had taken a big step when they decided to move together, and Patton couldn't be happier.

Well, he could. Patton noticed his neighbor had been looking at them through their window. Janus would freak out, but Patton thought they just looked lonely. He really wanted to go and introduce himself but didn't have the chance, until now.

Janus was out looking for a job nearby, so Patton had the house all for himself. He had spent the previous days trying out their new kitchen and had plenty of pastries to offer to his neighbor. So Patton packed some cookies up on a nice gift bag and headed out of his house.

Patton rang the doorbell of his neighbor’s house and waited patiently for someone to answer. A couple of seconds passed and Patton decided to try again, still nothing. “Hello? Is anybody home?” He was starting to get a little bit desperate and started ringing the doorbell multiple times in a row.

A groan could be heard from the other side of the door before it opened. A tall and slim man wearing formal clothes stood in front of him ���Good morning. I politely ask you to stop playing with my doorbell and go back to your own house.”

Patton smiled at them “Hello. I’m Patton, he/him pronouns,” he extended his hand towards him.

Logan raised an eyebrow and sighed. He took Patton's hand and gave a firm handshake “You may call me Logan, and I suppose pronouns are not quite suitable for me but I’m mostly referred to as a male.”

Patton blinked “so… he/they?”

Logan shrugged “however you want to adress me is fine for me. It's not really something I’ve thought about before.” Perhaps he could look more into it later.

“Well, whatever makes you comfortable then!” Patton nodded with a wide smile. He had never met someone so formal with their words like Logan. He reminded him of an old fashioned butler.

Logan nodded back slightly. “Now as I was saying.” He felt a gentle nudge on his legs as he asked Patton to leave once again.

Patton looked down and gasped. “You have a dog?!” He kneeled down to pet it happily.

Logan was taken aback by Patton ignoring him. He looked down at them “I do, theoretically. Thomas doesn't exactly belongs to me but I do serve as it's caregiver.”

“It's adorable. Is it a golden retriever?” Patton loved dogs. He loved all animals but was unfortunately allergic to cats so he couldn't get one. He was halfway through convincing Janus to get a dog though!

Logan shook his head a bit. “Thomas is a red golden retriever, you may notice a variation on the color of its fur.”

Patton nodded, “that makes sense. You're so lucky to have a cute dog like this one.” Patton chuckled softly as he kept petting Thomas.

Logan hummed, “I suppose I am. It does need a lot of physical activity and special diet needs, but I’ve managed to accommodate its necessities.”

Patton smiled softly, “sounds like fun! This good guy must have the time of his life going on walks.”

“Ah,” Logan pushed his glasses up, “not exactly. Neither Thomas nor I get out of this house. It can run around in the backyard and I make sure to keep it entertained. I also built a rather complicated machine that helps it keep the healthy levels of exercise it needs.”

Patton looked up at Logan with wide eyes “woah. Wait, you seriously never get out of your house?”

Logan shook his head “I don't.” As much as he wanted to 'info dump’ on Patton, his purpose and functionality must remain a secret until his official release to the public. “I am not quite fond of being outdoors.”

Patton frowned a bit. “Well, maybe we could go out one day!”

Logan blinked “Pardon?”

Patton stood back up and nodded with a smile. “We can take Thomathy for a walk, or just explore the neighborhood together! Oh! And I can bring my partner Janus! I’m sure you two will get along!”

That… surprisingly didn't sound bad? Logan hummed as he tried to understand why. “As uh, lovely as that sounds, I’m afraid it won't be possible.”

Patton's smile dropped “oh, it's alright. I guess we can come visit again sometime then?”

Logan thought for a bit, having humans around wasn't a good idea. He wasn't supposed to be interacting with anyone without the host’s permission in the first place, but he knew he wasn't going to get it either way. “That can be possible.”

Patton’s smile returned, and Logan couldn't help but smile back at that. “Sounds like a plan then! Should I uh… give you my number?”

“You can. Just tell it to me and I’ll memorize it to call you later.”

Patton nodded and did that. “Then I’ll be seeing you and Thomas soon!” Patton gave one last pet to the dog. “Oh! And I almost forgot!” He handed Logan the bag of cookies, “I backed these earlier in the week but they're still good and I figured I could share some with you!”

Logan took the bag, he couldn't eat but it was just an act of courtesy. “Thank you Patton. We’ll be pleased to have you around again”

And with that, Patton made his way back home. He waved at Logan as he walked away.

Logan waved back and instructed Thomas to go back inside the house before closing the door behind them. He looked down at the cookies with a small smile. He felt something warm on his chest… and then it became pain.

Logan groaned and rubbed his head. He looked at his hand as it started glitching. The censor on the ceiling started beeping. “Thomas, I need to inactivate myself.” He walked to the living room and left the cookies on the coffee table. “I’ll be back to feed you.” Logan looked up at the censor and his physical form pixelated away until he disappeared completely.

Logan hadn't had any manteinece whatsoever since his creator passed away. He hadn't had any issues until now. Did it have anything to do with Patton visiting? Either way, he needed to rest and let the system analyze him.

Patton took the batch of cookies out of the oven just in time. They would be heading to Logan’s house to hang out soon and he figured he would bake for him again.

Janus wasn’t as excited as his boyfriend. “Are you sure this Logan guy wants me there?”

“Of course!” Patton nodded, “he never said you couldn’t come.”

Janus sighed, “that still doesn’t mean I’m welcome in his house.”

Patton took off his oven mittens and looked over at his partner. “Come on Jan, we need to meet new people. You haven’t been that friendly with your coworkers.”

“They keep misgendering me.” Janus defended themselves, “I don’t want to be friends with people that can’t do something as simple as respecting pronouns.”

“I do not believe there’s not a single person in that office that uses they/them for you” Patton walked closer to them as they talked. He took their hands. “I know you don’t like new people, but I already did half the work for you,” he chuckled a bit. “Logan is not a complete stranger, and he sounds smart! You could probably talk about techy stuff.”

Janus rolled their eyes a bit at Patton. “Fine, just because you say he’s nice.”

Patton smiled and gave Janus a quick kiss “I promise, we’ll have a fun time!”

Logan was freaking out. Not only was his glitch getting worse no matter how many times the system told him there were no errors, but his creator’s family finally found out he was dead.

Based on the information they shared with him, they weren’t really close to their family and they thought they were crazy for trying to be an inventor. It was no surprise for Logan that it took them weeks to hear the news, but he wasn’t expecting them to want the house either.

Logan didn’t know how, but he was scared. Those people visited early and even called a shelter to come and take Thomas with them. They weren’t even going to keep it! Logan was able to call them and cancel of course. One of his assigned tasks was to take care of the house dog.

If, no, when they manage to move in it’s not going to take them long to find out the censors around the house are apparently doing nothing and then they would get rid of them. The probabilities of Logan ending up in the trash was 85.6%. The other 14.4% were the probabilities of him being recycled.

They left about an hour ago but Logan didn’t know what to do. Those humans were… dumb, for the lack of a better word. They were used to farm life and most likely knew nothing about technology. Even if Logan revealed himself to them, they would be useless, maybe even a burden, taking care of him.

The doorbell rang, shit. With everything that happened, Logan forgot about Patton and Janus’ visit. Well he didn’t forget, but his processing system didn’t categorize it as a priority. Logan took a deep breath as if he needed oxygen and hoped he wouldn’t glitch while they were here. He would kick them out, but he was really looking forward to hanging out with them for some reason.

Logan opened the door and offered them a warm smile. “Good evening, it’s a pleasure to have you both here.”

Patton smiled back at him “Thank you for inviting us Logan.”

“You’re welcome.” Logan nodded slightly and stepped aside “you can come in.”

Patton nodded and walked inside hand in hand with Janus. Thomas ran to them excitedly and almost tackled Patton. “Woah there,” he chuckled, “it’s nice to see you too buddy.”

Janus held the bag of cookies so Patton could pet the dog. They smiled a bit at it and looked back at Logan. “I’m Janus, they/them pronouns.”

Logan nodded “It’s nice to finally meet you. Patton mentioned you in the little time we talked the other day.”

Patton blushed slightly and chuckled. “Well, they are the love of my life after all.”

Janus blushed darkly and gave Patton’s foot a slight kick.

Logan looked between them as he tried to analyze the situation. There was no way of making it less awkward but he was still going to try. “Would you like to go outside? There’s a back porch with a small living room where we can spend some time, and Thomas would get to run around and play with you if you want.”

“Sounds good to me!” Patton nodded. Thomas had gotten off him as soon as it heard ‘outside’.

Janus nodded in agreement “As long as there’s not any mosquitos attacking me.”

“The porch has an anti-bug system installed as well as a radiator and plenty of lighting in case the evening gets too cold,” Logan explained. “I can guarantee there won’t be any mosquitoes bugging us.”

Patton snorted at the joke and Janus rolled their eyes. “Great, you found someone with the same licking for dad jokes Patt.”

Logan raised an eyebrow, “I don’t think I understand.”

“Mosquitoes, bugging us.” Patton tried to explain, “don’t tell me the joke wasn’t intentional.”

Logan recalled his words in his mind and finally understood. “Ah, no, I’m afraid it wasn’t. But I can certainly make some jokes if those are of your liking.”

Patton smirked, “oh please. I love Janus’ annoyed face every time I make one” he chuckled and kissed his partner’s cheek.

Logan didn’t know what it was, but it didn’t feel quite right to see Patton and Janus interacting as a couple. He was well aware they were dating and all but seeing them being so affectionate with each other made him feel… glitchy. “Why don’t you go ahead while I put those aside?” He looked at the bag of cookies on Janus’ hands, “just go all the way down the hallway and you will see a clear door.”

Janus nodded a bit and handed the cookies to Logan before walking away, Patton and Thomas following behind them.

Logan hurried to the kitchen and closed the door behind him. He started to glitch again, the bag going through his hands and falling to the floor. This was bad, he couldn’t let Patton or Janus see him like this. He picked up the cookies and left them in the pantry next to the previous batch Patton gave him, which remained untouched, and went outside with the humans.

Things were going surprisingly well. Logan got the chance to get to know the couple better and even talk to Janus alone while Patton was in the bathroom. He hadn’t glitched again and was having a really fun time with them. Everything was perfect, but of course, it didn’t last long.

Logan’s sensors detected a car parking in front of the house. The same car that had been there earlier, oh no. Logan excused himself to go look outside, only to confirm that those humans were in fact his creator’s family again. Logan started one of the security protocols of the house and locked the doors. He had to figure out how to get Patton and Janus out of the house.

To make things even worse, Logan started glitching again. He was running out of time! His systems must definitely be overheating right now. He held down his glitches and would try to repress them as much as he could. He went back outside “Alright, I’m going to have to be completely honest with you two now.”

Patton looked at him with a confused look “What’s wrong?”

“I am going to explain everything that is going on, but you are going to have to trust me. There’s some people trying to come inside the house. We can’t let them know we’re here.” Logan tapped a specific spot on the ground and the coffee table rose up revealing a staircase going down into the ground. “No one knows about this place, we’ll be safe if we go down there.”

Janus stood up and pulled Patton with them. “What?! You seriously can’t expect us to go in there.”

Logan had started the ‘sleeping mode' on the house and the lights inside turned off. “Please. I am well aware that we don’t really know each other, and you have absolutely no reason to trust me. But I don’t want you to get in trouble within your first month of living here.”

Patton looked inside as the lights went off, them at the secret entrance, and then at his partner. “We have to Jan.”

“No we don’t. He could be trying to kill us or something,” Janus pulled Patton away. “We’re leaving.” They were about to open the door to go back in when they heard footsteps from the inside and stepped back. They looked at Patton, who gave them a reassuring nod. They sighed “fine, but I swear if you try anything sketchy.”

“I won’t. This is merely for your safety.” Logan made a hand movement towards the stairs, instructing Thomas to go down.

The humans gave each other one last look before going down as well. Logan followed them and made the entrance close behind them.

Downstairs was a secret bunker his creator made in case of an emergency. It was equipped with one of Logan’s sensors, tools in case he needed fixing, food and water for humans and dogs, and Logan’s ‘heart’. It wasn’t really a heart of course, it was just a large cpu that contained all his programming and archives.

Janus looked around the room, focusing on the cpu as they admired how advanced it was. “What is this place?”

“A bunker, technically.” Logan knew it wasn't able to protect humans from all natural or human created disasters, but it definitely made the chances of survival bigger.

“Alright, and why did we have to come down here then? Who are those people?” Janus was getting quite defensive. Logan was nice and all but this situation made them feel like their safety was at risk.

Logan let out a sigh. “I promised I would explain.” He stood under his sensor and looked up at it. “This house is not my property. All of this belonged to my creator.”

Patton raised an eyebrow. “Your creator? You mean your parent?”

“If you would like to see it that way.” Logan had never thought about it like that. “The thing is, I am not human. I am a virtual home assistant. There are censors all around the house that allow me to materialize in a room and control the different electronic devices such as lights or security systems. I was created to help humans with their daily tasks through the day, as well as provide knowledge about any subject of interest. What I do not know I can learn through the internet.

Patton and Janus looked at each other as Logan explained. Janus let out a dry chuckle “so you’re like Siri.”

Logan winced, “please don't call me that. Siri is not as advanced as myself and it's obsolete in comparison.” He fixed his glasses and spoke quite proudly.

Patton couldn't help but chuckle at that. He let go of Janus’ hand and walked closer to Logan. “You're a hologram then?”

“Not exactly. Every molecule of my body is digitalized but I do possess a physical form.” Logan reached to grab Patton's hand. “I am able to touch and interact with other physical stuff around me as long as I’m activated. There's also a setting that keeps me in ‘voice mode’ just like other virtual assistants.”

Patton intertwined his fingers with Logan’s “and you're here all alone? Well, with Thomas.”

Logan looked down at their hands and nodded, “I am. My creator passed away not that long ago, but their family just found out about it.” He glitched, making his fingers go through Patton's. “The censors in the house are the only thing that keep me… alive, in a way. If those people move here and don't uninstall them properly-”

“You disappear,” Janus interrupted them. “And even if they don't, without someone checking your systems, you'll keep failing.”

Logan nodded and glitched again. “There must be some kind of error on my program but I'm not being able to detect it.” He walked to his cpu, “the only thing I know is that it started when Patton first visited.”

Patton walked back to Janus, “you can fix him!”

“What? Me? Why should I? We barely even know him and I wouldn't even be able to decipher his code without any sort of help from the developer,” Janus explained.

Patton sighed, “we can't just leave Logan to die.”

“I wouldn't die, I would just cease to exist,” Logan looked back at them. “My creator had several journals where he explained all the process of my development. All the information needed for me to function is here,” he tapped the cpu a couple of times.

“Please Jan.” Patton took his partner’s hands and squeezed them, “we can't just do nothing. I would do it myself but I know nothing about computers and programming and all that stuff you do.”

Janus looked at between Logan and Patton, they sighed. “Fine, but it’s going to take time. I’m not completely sure when I’ll be able to activate you again. We would have to take the cpu to our house as well as the censors and install them there.

Logan nodded, “I understand. The cpu itself it’s enough to have me active on a monitor, so I’ll be able to guide you through the whole process. We can get started as soon as the people upstairs leave.”

And they did. Patton and Janus managed to move the cpu to their home and connect it to their computer. A digital version of Logan lived on the screen and he was still able to communicate with the humans. Besides working on getting Logan’s physical form back, they started doing more hanging up nights. They got to know each other better, but that only seemed to make Logan’s errors worse.

Janus made some significant progress and was able to activate a mini Logan using their phone as a sensor. He was even able to walk around the desk freely. But they still couldn’t find the cause of the glitching.

Patton made sure to help with what he could. He took care of Thomas, who was now living as their dog, and made sure Janus didn’t overwork.

During one of the many casual talks Janus and Logan had, the topic of pronouns came up. “How did you know you wanted to go by they/them?”

Janus shrugged, “It’s not really something like a big revelation or something. I just came across the non-binary label and different sets of pronouns, they/them just sounds right.”

Logan hummed. He had gone through all the articles he could find online about the topic and still didn’t fully understand. “Would it make sense for me to use them? I do not really have a gender and I’ve been thinking about that since Patton introduced himself. My physical form can be altered through my code and I don’t know how being a boy or a girl feels like.” He started rambling about his worries. Did he want this only because it was logical?

Janus listened as they kept working, they eventually stopped to look at the small assistant sitting on their desk. “If you want to try it, go ahead. It’s not a bad thing to change your label or how you want people to refer to you as you discover more about yourself. You become more sentient with every new code and every upgrade you get. I suppose it resembles your growth, not as an artificial intelligence, but as a person.”

Logan looked up at them, “that… makes sense…” He glitched, and an idea came to his, their? Their mind, “that’s it!.” Logan stood up and walked to Janus’ phone to go back into the monitor. They looked through the codes until they found what they were looking for. “I become more sentient with every upgrade, but I haven’t been upgraded in months,” they looked at Janus through the screen. “Somehow I was able to develop a wider range of emotions, more than the original intent. I’ve become more advanced than my last upgrade.”

Janus’ eyes went wide as they understood what Logan was saying, “you need an upgrade, one that allows your system to process those emotions as part of you and not as an error.”

Logan nodded, “exactly. Do you think you can do it?”

“Well, we’ve come this far. I’m sure an upgrade won’t be as hard as it sounds.”

Logan chuckled a bit and looked back at their codes. “You know, I do want to try going by they/them pronouns. The agender label sounds like the most accurate for me.”

Janus smiled softly and tapped the screen with one finger. “Welcome to the club then.”

Logan looked back at him and placed their hand on Janus’ finger. They smiled and glitched again as that warm feeling on his chest returned.

“Are you ready Patt?”

Patton bounced on his feet with excitement, he had Thomas running around him. “I am! Come on come ooon! Activate them!”

Janus chuckled and kissed Patton’s cheek. “Patton, darling, I present to you,” they tried to reach up to activate the sensor but underestimated how tall the ceiling was. “Oh come on!”

Patton held back a laugh and grabbed his partner under their armpits to lift them up. “There you go!”

Janus yelped and blushed, “this is the last time I let you pick me up…” They both knew that wasn’t true, but Patton would let them think it was. “As I was saying, I present to you” they turned the sensor on.

It glowed with a dark blue light and projected a beam of light under it. Several pixels appeared and fused together until Logan’s physical form was completed. “L.O.G.A.N 6.4!”

Logan opened their eyes and let them adjust to the light in the room. Their scanners recognized Janus and Patton as the new hosts, and Thomas as the house dog. “Greetings, your L.O.G.A.N 6.4 has been successfully upgraded and activated, please wait for previous data to download completely.” Logan stood still as they finished their upgrading process. They blinked once they were ready.

“Logan?” Patton walked closer to them, a bit worried something went wrong and they went back to default mode.

Logan smiled softly, “it’s me, hello Patton”

Patton squealed and hugged Logan tightly. “It worked! It really worked!”

Janus joined the group hug happily. “It’s so nice to have you back Lo.”

Logan wrapped their arms around the humans with a slight blush. They didn’t glitch this time, not that it surprised them since they fixed that issue, but it felt different than they expected it to feel. “It’s nice to be back.”

Their systems weren’t able to fully comprehend every emotion just yet, but Logan was sure of something. They never wanted to live alone again. No, they never wanted to live without Janus and Patton again.

[wakaoujisenhime]

Just once - Choso x reader

Synopsis: At a party you get roped up by your classmate Momo to conduct a summoning ritual for a demon she assigns you. Though unwilling, you still comply and do as instructed. Unfortunately for you, the ritual you hoped to debunk as pure nonsense unexpectedly worked out...

tags/warnings: Choso x reader ✅ blood kink ✅ (slight) blood/knife play ✅ (and for the more sensitive readers a tw.) a more or less detailed description of skin being cut open ✅ more erotic than nsfw ✅

A/N: I just needed an excuse to write for my main man Choso and thanks to @seijorhi and her Deal with the Devil collab I found the opportunity! Please enjoy and make sure to check everyone else’s wonderful works out as well!! (〃ω〃)

.wc 5.4k

━━━━☆ ━━━━☆ ━━━━☆

Booming music, colorful and constantly changing LED lights, people who were either drunk or high, in some cases even both, surrounded you. Such a sight wasn’t unfamiliar to you since most university students celebrated their monthly parties in the same fashion. You weren’t a regular participant in these events, but tonight you just wanted to let loose and dance the stress, which had accumulated this past week, away.

After doing what you came for, you went up to the small bar, ordered a drink, and disappeared into the crowd to look for someone you were familiar with. And truly, you spotted two familiar faces in one of the gigantic room’s corners. The pair you were now walking towards consisted of Megumi and Momo. It was truly rare to see these two together let alone see them talking to each other while others surrounded them, but you figured that in such get-togethers nothing was impossible.

“Hi there you two, how are you doing?” you asked the moment you joined their small group. 

Megumi greeted you with a small nod and a rather tortured expression that was most likely supposed to represent a call for help, but before you could find out more about that, Momo took a hold of both of your hands and squeezed them slightly as she said: “(Y/N), you’ve got a perfect timing as always! We were just discussing our summoning plan and we needed one more participant, so pleaseee could you do us the favor and join us?”

To clear up your obvious confusion, the black-haired young man explained to you that the group, which surrounded you, had talked about the occult before they reached the topic of demon summoning rituals and eventually ended up wanting to try different ones out themselves. 

You found it rather funny that someone like Megumi had been caught up in such a talk, but it wasn’t surprising, considering that he had two tattoos, which resembled some kind of triangular runes on the back of his hands, dressed entirely in black, and had a rather dark and gloomy aura that surrounded him. Though many people avoided him, thinking that he was really scary, you knew that he was one of the nicest people you’ve come across and that his mood was heavily influenced by his rather lively best friends who often embarrassed him in public, just so that he could remain by their side.

Momo on the other hand was notorious for her fascination with the occult and supernatural phenomenons in general. Not only was she always dressed in a stereotypical way for those who shared the same fascination as her, but she also preferred to make it known rather than hide it. Threatening people to curse them if they annoyed or attacked her in any way, openly experimenting on self-made voodoo dolls, and carrying various charms with a questionable appearance as accessories for her backpack were some of her many daily characteristic features she displayed. The two of you weren’t especially close, but you were one of the few who understood her true intentions and beliefs that were hiding beneath her many layers.

“I’m not quite sure if I’m the best fit for this...task, maybe you should pick someone else” you finally said with an apologetic smile on your lips, but the blond simply brushed your refusal off with a wide grin.

“Oh, nonsense! There’s no such thing as the ‘perfect fit’ in stuff like that, anyone with an intention of summoning is enough!”

And with that, you were now one of the participants.

After basically being forced to comply, your group sat at a remote table and discussed the upcoming procedures. Throughout the entire talk, both you and Megumi simply chatted with each other and half-heartedly agreed to anything the others asked of you. By the end of it all, you two were stuck with individual books about the entities you were supposed to summon.

“So, who did you get?” you asked after taking a glance at your own rather thin book.

“Apparently, I’ve been given the privilege to attempt a summon of ‘The King of curses’, what about you?”

You couldn’t help but giggle at the sarcastic way the young man had quoted his book’s title and answered that yours didn’t even have a fancy name like that, and just went by “The Blood Devil”. 

The two of you stayed at the party for another half an hour during which you basically complained about your individual lives and then slowly but surely made your way back home…

——

With a somewhat relieved sigh, you remove your shoes from your feet and throw them in the corner of your entryway. Your hands massage the back of your neck slightly while you slowly make yourself on the way to your bedroom. It was no secret that you were fatigued enough to just drop everything and fall asleep right then and there, but your conscience nagged you like some kind of parental figure, whispering one order after the other until you just gave up and decided to do everything the proper way.

After leaving your bag on the chair next to your desk, you quickly get rid of your slightly sweaty clothes and enter your bathroom to take a much-needed warm shower, in hope that it would help you relieve some tension. And it did.

A couple of minutes later you exit the steamy room and start getting ready for bed. Just as you were about to turn off your room’s lights, the book Momo had given you caught your attention. After motionlessly standing in one spot for what felt like half an hour, you cursed your curiosity and took said book out of your bag, and began skimming through its contents. 

You didn’t intend to read more than necessary, just the first page which warned you of possible risks should’ve been enough, but the moment you had continued past it, it was as if you couldn’t stop yourself anymore. This book that supposedly held dangerous information on how you’d be able to summon some kind of otherworldly entity seemed like some kind of fairytale collection to you. 

The first chapter talked about some kind of man who had made use of a woman and her unborn children, a pretty disturbing and inhuman act that you skipped for the most part. Next in line was a whole chapter dedicated to these nine unborn and mostly undeveloped children, the tragic story of them getting locked up in jars, and how only three of them had managed to gain some kind of stability (if you can even call it that). Finally, the third and last chapter before the entire ‘How-to-prepare-the-ceremony’ segment focused solely on the eldest brother and how he’d successfully escaped his dire fate and had become the being known as the ‘Blood Devil’.

Now that you had reached the end of the introductory phase, the preparations for the ritual awaited you, and even though you hadn’t intended on trying your luck with summoning the same night you had received the book, you decided to just do it as quick as possible so that Momo didn’t feel the need to bother you daily with how far you’d gotten.

Shortly after you had gathered the needed materials and had prepared the requested furnishings for the ceremony. With the booklet in one hand, you once again checked whether everything you needed was fulfilled.

Four candles, a small table, a bowl, a kitchen knife, and some salt...Ok, that should be all

Looking at the items before you, you couldn’t help but wonder whether this ritual had indeed some kind of truth behind it and wasn’t just one of many parodies. 

With this slightly uneasy feeling, you once again took a look at the list.

𝙵𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚍/𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚜, 𝚊 𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 (𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚔𝚢 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎), 𝚊 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚠𝚕 (𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚌 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝟹𝟶𝟶-𝟻𝟶𝟶𝚖𝚕), 𝚊 𝚔𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚎 (𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚟𝚢 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚍𝚎), 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚊𝚕𝚝 (𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚊𝚕𝚝)

For a ritual to have such specific instructions, it’s quite...unusual, isn’t it? 

The required items weren’t the only detailed requirements you had to fulfill, secondary things that mainly concerned the atmosphere were also important to consider. Things such as the right room temperature, the dark lighting of the room you’d use for the ritual, the exact sequence of preparing the summoning circle and its unique symbols, and many more were enumerated just below the first bulleted list.

You set your worried thoughts aside, deciding to just humor this ritual and complete it to the best of your abilities, because the satisfaction you’d feel after this summoning ceremony fails despite you doing your best, would be indescribable. And with that, you began preparing everything step by step, double and triple-checking the book for confirmation until everything was ready.

With a sigh of satisfaction, you take a step back to admire what you had just spent half an hour on. You had placed the table in the middle of your room, the red candles positioned on each of its edges, on top of the wooden surface you’d drawn the circle as good as you could with your slightly trembling hand, and lastly, you’d placed the bowl on the floor in front of where you were to kneel with the knife on top of the rim of the receptacle.

Here goes nothing…

You kneeled and put the book beside you. With slightly shaky hands you took the knife and cut a horizontal line along your palm, as expected it stung a little but the pain wasn’t something unbearable. Slightly fascinated by the deep red color of your blood you watched the liquid slowly roll down your hand and drip into the empty bowl, staining its white material. As instructed by the book you poised in that position until your wound started to congeal and that was when you were finally allowed to relax yourself and continue. 

Next up you had to pour the collected blood over the salt circle and retrace its lines and patterns as precisely as you could, which you did. Now that this step was done as well, you looked at the completed handiwork and sighed to yourself, dreading the thought of having to clean all of this up later on.

You took another glance at the instructions and couldn’t help but cringe internally at the next and supposedly final step.

Alright then, let’s get this over with…

“With this humble offering I, (Y/N)(L/N), hereby summon thou. Oh, Devil of blood please, hear this mortal’s desperate plea and allow me to bear witness to thyn unique countenances that thee possesses.”

And with this the ritual was complete.

You remained motionless, waiting for something to happen, but everything stayed the same and you couldn’t help but embrace that internal relief inside of you which was silently thankful for the failure. 

Just as you were about to get up from your uncomfortable pose and begin to clean everything up, the candles’ flames suddenly went out before your very eyes and without your influence. With slightly wide eyes you scanned everything before you. You knew that you had closed the windows before even starting the ritual, so that eliminated one possible reason and at the same time, the most rational one. 

As nothing else happened you decided to simply blame it on your imagination and slight paranoia, but that’s when the faint sound of bubbling liquid ruined that small ray of hope you’d held on to. You slowly looked down at the bowl which was filled with your blood and you could’ve sworn that the deep red substance was slowly rising until it overflowed. 

All you could do was back away from the red puddle which was steadily growing and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

“W-What the hell is happening?” you asked yourself in panic as your wide eyes observed the way your blood began forming something, or better said, someone.

The mass before you began to take form and it was then that you noticed the knife which was lying a few inches away next to the inhuman heap.

Driven by nothing but adrenaline you began crawling towards it and just as you were about to reach for the blade, something similar to a hand took a hold of your wrist. You jumped back in shock and fell rather uncomfortably on your bottom as you looked up to the blood-covered thing, watching its appearance slowly contort into that of a human.

And there before you stood a tall man with shoulder-long dark hair, a rather tired expression on his face, and his most prominent feature, a dark stripe running horizontally across his nose bridge. His eyes were focused on you for the first few seconds, then he began looking around as if to take in his surroundings.

“Where am I? …were you the one that summoned me? …what is it that you require me to do?” he asked in a monotone voice, not giving you even a second to collect yourself. Your panic didn’t allow you to form any rational thoughts, let alone answer him properly, and all you had in mind right now was to run away from whatever this person in front of you was.

The man watched how pale your face had become and simply stood there motionless, as you sloppily got up and sprinted out of your room’s door. He cast his gaze down to the knife you had intended to pick up and cracked an ever-so-small smile before leaving the room himself. 

Meanwhile, you had reached your front door and were hurriedly trying to unlock it, but the multiple bolts and your trembling hands were set on making you fail such a simple task. 

When you finally turned your keys for the last time, a big hand slammed the wooden door shut. The weight that pressed against your back made it unable for you to move away, so you simply leaned your forehead on the door in defeat, knowing fully well who had stopped you in your tracks.

I’m finished…

Now that the man behind you had rendered you more-or-less immobile, he decided to take a proper look at you and your body. His eyes traveled slowly along every curve, no matter how small or voluptuous, until something far more interesting caught his eye. Your injured and slightly bloody hand that still bore the cut you had to inflict on yourself for the ritual and even though the wound had begun to slowly close, it was still bloody enough for his preferences.

He removed his palm from the door and slowly let it slide down from your shoulder to your slightly trembling hand. The way his long fingers wrapped around your wrist made you shudder and as if that wasn’t enough, he also had to slowly turn you around so that he didn’t hurt your arm or dislocate your shoulder.

Now that you were facing the man, you couldn’t help but stare directly at him and the way he inspected your wound. His gentle touch contradicted his looks as well as every thought you had about him, but that animalistic glint you noticed in his eyes failed to hide his true nature.

With utmost care he let his fingers glide along the cut and if it weren’t for the unpleasant sting, you wouldn’t have noticed that with this small motion he had peeled off the thin layer of blood, which was trying to close up your wound. Despite your slightly agape mouth, no words were uttered, I mean, how could you? 

The man in front of you had reverted that small amount of red crust to its original liquid form and then by some magic turned it into a wonderful red ruby that resembled a bonbon. His dark eyes peered right into yours and didn’t even waver in the slightest as he slowly brought the red stone to his lips, gave it an experimental lick, and finally swallowed it.

D-Did he just…?

Judging by the satisfied expression on his face you thought that he would finally step aside and at least introduce himself or give you some sort of explanation as to what he just did and why, but no. The way he did nothing else and simply waited for some kind of reaction, annoyed you and it didn't take you long to act accordingly.

 “Now that you’ve got what you came for, would you mind moving out of my way?” you asked in a rather unfriendly tone, one that completely contradicted your earlier fear of this still nameless entity. 

Your behavior not only surprised the man but yourself as well. Summoning a literal demon wasn’t your typical everyday occurrence and yet you couldn’t quite comprehend it. The fear that should’ve rendered you immobile was good to non-existent and you figured it was thanks to his surprisingly tame and innocent behavior, so it was only natural for you to be in the illusion of holding the reins, right?

And that arrogant behavior of yours only escalated further as you managed to push the man to the side and finally get away from your front door. 

Being as naive as you were, you turned your back to him and not even a second later your entire body’s movement was shut down. No matter how hard you tried to move your legs, hands, or even fingers, nothing seemed to work - no, on the contrary, it appeared to you that the more you struggled against this seemingly invisible force, the harder it became for you to breathe.

“If you don’t want to collapse and die, you’ll need to seize all of your movements for the time being,” said the lean man in a low voice, and the moment his eyes met yours, you could’ve sworn that the corners of his lips shot upwards for a split second before he continued, “…since you’re already aware of my abilities, I’ll skip most of it and directly tell you the two most important things you’ll need to keep in mind from now on.”

Without waiting for any type of signal that could’ve represented your answer, he closed the distance between you two, and this time he got so close that you could practically smell him. Contrary to your expectations his scent was fairly faint and by no means unpleasant. If confronted with the question of what he smelled like, you’d have to say it resembled that of burning wood.

You watched helplessly as the man showed you the slightly bloody knife you had used for the ritual and that’s when the long-awaited fear suddenly overcame you. With widened eyes, you followed the blade which was mere inches away from the center of your chest, and the moment you felt the small tip pierce your shirt a silent yelp escaped your lips.

Not fazed by your obvious fear, the man proceeded with whatever he had in mind and moved the knife until it had reached your shoulder, cutting the thin fabric along the way. In response to his cold fingers that glided along your exposed shoulder and collarbone, goosebumps peppered your skin. Your heartbeat quickened and you didn’t know whether this was because of the fear of what he’ll do next or because you were kinda curious about what’s about to come.

Still unable to move a single muscle there was nothing left for you but to watch and feel how the blade was pressed against your skin until it had cut through it. The fact that he’d cut so close to your heart made it hurt more than your harmless cut earlier, but as if that wasn’t painful enough he began to slide the blade up until its tip had reached the top of your right shoulder.

Your throat dried up, muffling the scream you so badly wanted to release. A stream of warm tears ran along the curves of your cheeks and dripped down to your cleavage, where a rather thin but bloody line had split your skin open.

“I can control your blood flow and if I so desire, I can make you move your limbs according to my wishes…to put it simply, by summoning me with your blood, you made yourself my marionette.”

His expressionless eyes followed the many thin blood droplets that oozed out of your wound and just before they were able to stain your clothes with their deep scarlet color, he extended his finger, positioning it mere millimeters away from your skin. Through half-closed eyes, you watched in awe as your blood was being drawn to the fingertip of the man like a magnet and slowly turned into the same gem-like form from before. Your injury still hurt, but as you dared to take a slight glance at it, you noticed that all the blood was gone, sucked up by the finger of the demon, and turned into a shimmering stone that was once again swallowed like candy.

——

Some weeks passed after that surreal encounter and since then you’d been more or less forced to live with the entity you’d summoned. On that night he’d introduced himself as Choso and despite your desire to either send him back to wherever he came from or simply throw him out, neither option was going to end well. According to the man himself, summoning rituals were easier to conduct than the ones to banish demons back into the abyss. You would need to take several precautions into account and in Choso’s case, you’d have to fulfill nearly impossible tasks, such as collecting 20 liters of blood from pure-blooded siblings or finding and freeing one of his many siblings. 

Your second option of throwing him out was dismissed almost momentarily after he’d told you that he can’t survive without consuming someone’s blood; ideally, he’d only have to take a small amount of your blood once a week, but if you insisted on kicking him out, then he’d have to attack random people and since they didn’t summon him, the amount of blood he’d have to take from them would be fatal.

Living with a demonic entity was surprisingly pleasant, but you knew that this was most likely because of the man’s personality and that if you’d summoned someone else, it would’ve most likely ended up way differently.

He was taking his role as the eldest brother very seriously and despite not being part of his family, he treated you very lovingly and even willingly took on most of the homework, but only that which he was familiar with, such as sweeping the floor or washing the dishes. Whenever he behaved like that, you found it difficult to remember the fact that he was some type of devil and sometimes you even caught yourself thinking how you wished he’d stay with you forever. It was good to have someone living under the same roof as you, someone you could more or less trust with your possessions, and someone to lie down next to in the evening.

But despite these few perks you noticed how your health slowly started to deteriorate. Simple tasks such as homework, reading texts, or concentrating during lectures; things you usually mastered almost effortlessly, became more and more difficult with each passing week, and the reason for that was none other than Choso. 

Being his weekly food source didn’t come without any risks. 

He’d warned you that the amount of blood he’d take from you and then consume, won't be automatically regenerated by your body and that if you refused his help, you’d slowly die away. Being the rational human you were, you didn’t believe him, thinking that something like your blood being slowly taken away by him was sheer impossible, so you refused his offer of help even before he’d properly explained it.

A mistake you slowly came to regret.

This morning you had felt as if someone was constantly hitting your head with a thick book, your body felt so heavy that your usual walking speed had decreased drastically and because of it you were ten minutes late for your first lecture.

You figured that your appearance must’ve been quite horrible, since your usually uninterested teacher, Sir Nanami, actually stopped mid-sentence to ask whether you were feeling ok and whether you wanted to go to the nurse’s office for a while. You wanted to brush it off, but as soon as you shook your head, your vision blurred and you felt like you were losing the ground under your feet. Luckily, your seat neighbor Maki reacted quickly and held onto you before you fell from your chair. Anything that occurred afterward was lost to you and the next time you came back to your senses, you found yourself on your bed, wrapped warmly in your blanket.

“What…happened?” you asked half loud, not expecting an answer, as you slowly sat upright, leaning your back on your bed’s headboard and letting your eyes roam around the familiar surroundings.

“You lost consciousness during your class,” said a silent and gentle voice, “thanks to our…contract, I felt that you were close to collapsing, so I followed the scent of your blood and when I found you, I took you back home.”

While you were processing the information you were given, Choso slowly walked towards your bed and kneeled next to it, placing one of his hands on top of your own, softly caressing it in the process. You couldn’t help but crack a small smile at the gesture and sighed as you imagined how he must’ve entered your classroom, ignoring everything and everyone and simply coming to your seat, taking you in his arms, and leaving, as if it’s the most normal thing to do.

“I told you to be careful, didn’t I?” His sudden question caught you off guard and all you could do was look down in shame. Seeing you look so sad and crestfallen reminded Choso of his younger brothers and he instinctively reached for the top of your head with his free hand and softly petted it a few times before caressing it. Being comforted by a demon-like that truly did wonders. For once you ignored the fact that it was partially his fault and savored the moment.

“I know that you didn’t want to hear about it, but in view of your wellbeing I’m obligated to tell you about a way you can minimize the harm done to you” he paused and took a short breath before continuing, “if we make a proper deal with each other, I’m allowed to share a portion of my blood with you and that will make up for the amount I’m taking…but it’s not risk-free.” 

This time it was you who had to take a long breath, a futile attempt to make your heartbeat calm down. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to you that a deal with the devil contains several risks, but the fact that Choso was willing to tell you about them, relieved you in a way. Before reluctantly accepting his offer you requested a more detailed explanation for your own mind’s peace. According to his words, the danger of consuming a demon’s blood was very addictive, and if not done properly, the human risks becoming entirely dependent, meaning, they would prefer blood instead of real food or water. 

The thought of not being able to eat and drink what you loved scared you of course, but the wish to gain a sense of normality back in your life prevailed and you eventually caved, telling him that you’d agree to his terms and drink his blood just once and never again…

At first, everything seemingly worked out. Your focus was back and you could once again dedicate yourself fully to university and friends. You were happy…but not for long.

One week passed and your throat began to feel raspy and dry. Accompanying these uncomfortable feelings was the undying urge to constantly drink something and whenever your drinking bottle was empty, you’d get really nervous and start nibbling on your lip. But the worst part of it all was how you’d caught yourself, thinking about wanting to bite Choso and lick the blood right out of the wound like some kind of vampire.

“What the hell is wrong with me..?” you thought to yourself while you gently let your hand run along the man’s head. He looked up at you for a mere second before he continued to enjoy his “meal”. A small and barely visible blush adorned your cheeks as soon as you realized what kind of situation you found yourself in right now. 

The man, whose head you had just caressed, was kneeling between your thighs, a small portion of your plush flesh between his teeth. He bit down until they pierced through it and drew blood. All the while your eyes followed every ever so small movement of his’s until the big red droplets of blood caught your attention. The two of you observed how they slowly grew larger than Choso’s teeth marks and finally began dripping down your slightly raised leg.

With an unexpected smile, the man bent down and licked the blood from your skin before it stained anything. Your breath hitched for a moment and usually, you’d either look away or close your eyes while he got his weekly portion, but this time you couldn’t help but downright stare at him as he sucked on your small wound. It shouldn’t have surprised you to see someone enjoying themselves when they eat, even if that someone was a supernatural entity, but this was the first time you had properly looked at Choso while he consumed your blood and for some reason, your heart started beating faster than ever before. 

You bit your lower lip as you watched how his slightly longer tongue slithered over the bloody marks on your thigh and the way he sometimes planted a soft kiss on it made you shiver from pleasure. Your body became gradually hotter, resulting in you having to breathe harder, and the slight red that had tainted your cheeks had now taken on a deeper shade.

“C-Choso…I need your blood, please” you stuttered out of nowhere in between your labored breaths.

At the mention of his name all of his movements seized and the man’s eyes slowly moved up to your reddened face. After what felt like minutes of pure silence, he let go of your leg, licked his lips, and removed the scarf around his neck. 

While he was getting himself ready for you, you looked at his pale skin and the black markings, which resembled Kinesio tapes that athletes sometimes used, running along it. 

Your impatience got the best of you and without wasting a second you got on your knees and faced him while he began looking around for something. Meanwhile, you were unable to focus on anything at all. Your eyes wandered from his face, down to his neck, along his collarbone and shoulder, and then back to his face yet again.

That something he searched for turned out to be the knife you’d used for his summoning ritual. He handed you the blade with the same stoic expression as always, but instead of taking it, you slapped it away and next thing you knew, you had wrapped your arms around his torso and had buried your teeth deep inside of his shoulder’s skin. The only reaction you got from him was a simple flinch as a result of your sudden embrace and nothing more, no sound, no sigh, nothing. 

But as of right now this was the last thing that occupied your mind, all you wanted to do was drink this man’s blood and finally quench the thirst you’d been suppressing for so long.

“That’s it, (Y/N)…satisfy your thirst…give in…don’t be afraid, it’ll only do you good” he cooed seductively in your ear as he let his big hand softly glide along your back.

With a devilish smile, he listened to the hungry way you lapped up the blood from his multiple shoulder wounds that you’d inflicted within a matter of seconds.

Satisfied by your behavior, he gently patted your head and closed his eyes, relishing the feeling of your wet and slightly rough tongue. 

If it weren’t for your indescribable hunger, you would’ve noticed the red glint in Choso’s usually dark and soulless eyes…

Now, you’re mine…

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Life in Quarantine (Part 1) | Owen Patrick Joyner

Summary: A series about being stuck in quarantine with your best friend Owen and trying not to lose your mind over being stuck inside all day every day. 

Pairing: Owen x reader

Warnings: Fluff, minor swearing, lots of singing

Songs used: Don’t Let Go by En Vouque/ Washington on Your Side from Hamilton/ More than Words by Little Mix / Not a Pop Song by Little Mix  -- All credits go to owners of these songs

A/N: I know nothing about songwriting and none of this will probably ever happened in real life, but it just worked for the story, alright? Alright. Enjoy! 

Words: 3,372

Part 1: Not A Pop Song

Norman, Oklahoma. My home town. The place where I was born and raised. The place where I learned how to live and love. Where I learned what heartbreak is. Where I met and lost friends. The town all my most valued memories reside. 

It’s also where I met my best friend, Owen. Our mothers were, and still are, college besties. So, us becoming friends was kind of inevitable. We went through everything together. Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle School and High School. Wherever you saw me, you saw Owen and vice versa. A lot of people often thought we were a couple, but that’s been off the table since day one. In Elementary School, Owen and I made a pact with five different rules to seal our friendship forever. The list only grew as we got older. But here’s the gist: 

1. If one is teased or bullied, the other takes revenge 2. Always sing and dance together whenever one asks, even if you don’t want to 3. Always share cookies 4. Always play together at recess 5. Always sit together at lunch

Then the additions from Middle and High School: 

6. We will never, ever, ever date each other or each other’s siblings 7. Ethan, Evan and Emmy are off limits too 8. Crushes too 9. Always go to Broadway shows together 10. Never lie even if you wanna do it for the right reasons. There is no right reason.  11. Always support each other’s dreams and successes 12. Always hate each other’s exes 13. Always share ice cream 14. Never share our secrets with other 15. Always go to parties together

That last one was added by Owen in senior year of High School when I didn’t want to go to a party since it was my exes party and we’re supposed to hate each other’s exes. But, since he’s been in LA for most of senior year to pursue his acting career, I really couldn’t say no. Him going off to Los Angeles for months, sometimes even longer, started in eighth grade when he landed the role of Crispo Powers in a Nickelodeon show called ‘100 things to do before High School’, which I religiously watched, of course.  Rule 9 tells you to. After High School, the two of us split ways. I headed off to Boston to study at Berklee College of Music to major in songwriting as it’s always been a dream of mine to become a songwriter, while Owen went to LA to further pursue his career in acting. We’ve tried to keep in contact, but daily calls turned into weekly calls turned into monthly calls. Five months in, we just try to at least check in with each other every now and then, which is what works best for our busy schedule. Then December 2018 came and changed my life entirely for the better. The representative of Syco and Columbia records said he was in need of fresh blood to co-write songs with none other than Little Mix on their next album.  They held a competition at Berklee College, and long story short, I won! Yay me. To say I was nervous to write with a girl group I’ve been a fan of since the very beginning is an understatement. But they were so nice to work with. We’d take turns flying to each other’s countries and wrote about five songs together of which only two made it onto the actual album. None of it made much sense to me at the time, it all just seemed like one big dream. Owen was pretty excited about it too. He knew how big a fan I was of the girls. Even though he wasn’t a big fan himself, he still listened to the album, mostly to listen to the songs I’d written. Over FaceTime, we even played a game called ‘Guess what song I’ve written’, and he’d gotten one right. The girls even gave you a full-time job as co-writer on more projects of theirs and even recommended you to other artists. This meant you had to quit college and become a full-time freelance songwriter. Thanks to Little Mix, though, you’ve gotten the nicest people to hire you. Since then, you’ve worked with artists like Meghan Trainor, Bea Miller, Isabella Merced -- who you could gossip with about Owen from her time working with him -- and even Harry Styles. The fifteen-year-old inside you didn’t know what to do with herself when that collaboration happened. But working with all those people also meant I had to move again. This time to Los Angeles. When I told Owen the good news, he immediately suggested you move in with him. It’s the thing you guys said you would do once you got older; get an apartment together. So, it was the only logical move. “Welcome to your new casa!” He said dramatically when leading me into the apartment. The tall white walls and large windows illuminated the entire place with a welcoming feeling. “Let me show you to your room, so you can drop off your excessive luggage and then I’ll give you the tour of the entire space.” I raise an eyebrow at his words. “Bro, I have excessive luggage because I just moved from Boston to freaking LA!” I exclaim, followed by an amused chuckle as I try to push him, but fail since he’s much stronger. From that moment on, I knew moving in with Owen would be the best and worst idea I ever had. 

And speaking of ‘worsts’. From March 2020, the two of us were stuck at home together due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. Just when I was supposed to start working with Little Mix on their new album. I would’ve been in London now, but instead, I’m stuck in LA with my best friend who doesn’t have a job at the moment since he’d just finished filming a new Netflix show called Julie and The Phantoms. What I heard from it this far, it sounds pretty amazing. I even went to Vancouver with Owen for a few weeks. It was a fun trip and gave me some new inspiration for some songs. “Hey, Nugget,” Owen says as he walks into the room we call our studio where I’m working. “I’m kinda in the middle of something, Ace. Can it wait?” I know I shouldn’t work out my frustration on my best friend, but it kind of fell out of my mouth before I could stop myself. “Sorry, Nugget, I’m kinda bored…” I sigh exasperatedly and bob my head to signal his permission to come in. “What are you working on?” he asks as he sits down on the armrest of the armchair I’m sitting on. “This Little Mix song I can’t seem to make work,” I reply and point to the notebook in front of me. “I’ve got a few good lyrics, but the melody seems impossible.” Owen takes the notebook from me and closes it before getting up. “Time for a little break,” he says and goes to sit behind his drum kit. “Guess what song I’m playing,” he then says and starts with the cymbals, then hi-hats and when a beat finally floats through the room, my brain starts to work. This is a game we’ve been playing every time I’m in need of a break or just for fun. We’d take turns in playing a part of a song on our respective instruments and the other has to guess which song it is by singing along. “What’s it gonna be? Cuz I can’t pretend Don’t you wanna be More than friends Hold me tight and don’t let go Don’t let go Have the right to lose control Don’t let go” A smile appears on Owen’s as I get the first song right. He always underestimates my love for girl bands from the 80’s and 90’s. Though, I think he might’ve given me this one because I’m so frustrated from working on that song. “Your turn,” he then says after having hit a couple more toms and cymbals. I think about it for a moment, and then start plucking the sixth string to create a more bassy sound. Owen stares at the guitar for a moment trying to figure out what song I’m playing. Then, his eyes widen as he recognizes the sound. “It must be nice, it must be nice To have Washington on your side It must be nice, it must be nice To have Washington on your side” I let out a loud whoop in excitement, choking the strings to stop the sound. “I still can’t do that rap though!” he actually sounds disappointed in himself. “Washington isn’t gon’ listen to disciplined dissidents This is the difference This kid is out!” I proudly yell out, earning impressed applause from my best friend. The smile on his face warms me up inside. Owen has always had the most beautiful smile, in my opinion. He has one of those smiles that could just instantly make you happy. No matter how bad a day you had. “Very impressive, Nugget,” he replies with a smirk that sends shivers down my spine. Ever since I moved in, he’s gotten more and more flirty with me. I’m not sure if it’s just a change in his personality that he’s acquired in Los Angeles or if it’s something else, but it’s there. Not that I mind. Something has shifted in me too since we moved in together. It’s even gotten me thinking about removing rule number 6 from our pact. “Your turn, Ace,” I quickly change the subject, just so I don’t have to think about him like that too much. Our dynamic as best friends is too good to ruin it all. Twenty years of that is a long time to just throw away like that. “Alright, an easy one,” he says and simply starts stomping the bass pedal to activate his bass drum.  It’s a slow, almost menacing thump that sounds very familiar. A little too familiar. “Oh, I need you more than words can say Oh, You saved me in ways I can’t explain Always been there for me, now I’ll do the same Oh, I need you more than words can say” It’s one of the two songs on Little Mix’s last album that I helped write. The song that means most to me since I wrote it with Owen in mind. It was a period of time where all I wanted was to see Owen and be able to talk to him and just spend time with him like we used to before his whole acting adventure. I think he’ll stop after the chorus, but instead, he picks up his drum sticks and starts playing the rest of the song on his drum kit. Deciding it could be a fun jam session, I start playing the chords on my guitar as well whilst continuing with the lyrics. “Won't forget, won't forget Won't forget when he broke my heart How you helped me through You turned, you turned, you turned a disaster into a dream Gave me the power, made my life brand new When the world try to break us, we found magic And we grew stronger, though every line, line, line Every night, every night, every night I strain and sing the truth Now, now they know that they gonna be alright, alright” The memories of when I wrote this song start slipping through my mind. I remember how alone I felt, even in a room with a dozen other people. I remember how much I missed Owen. “I find peace in every story you told I think of you, I'll never be alone It's true, true, true You know I do, do, do” My eyes lock with Owen for a moment. He shoots me a comforting smile that makes me feel right at home. And I don’t mean here. I mean home as in Norman, Oklahoma. “Oh, I need you more than words can say Oh, you save me in ways that I can't explain Always been there for me, now I'll do the same Oh, I need you more than words can say Oh, I need you more than words can say” We both stop playing and just look at each other for a while. I’ve never told Owen I wrote this song for him, but at the same time, I think he might already know. That doesn’t take away the urge to tell him though. “I wrote that about you when I missed you,” I blurt out without properly thinking about it. “Really?” he asks while coming out from behind his kit. Combing his long, blonde hair back, he makes his way over to me and grabs the guitar from my lap. “Yeah, I thought you’d know?” He chuckles, shaking his head whilst tickling the strings. I’d taught him a couple of songs on the guitar since we started living together. “You write with a lot of people, Nugget. Could’ve just been their words as well....” He isn’t wrong about that. Maybe it was a lot less obvious than I thought it was. “So, what are the guidelines for this one?” he questions. I grab my notebook again and open it on the page I was working on before he fluttered into the studio. “They didn’t want another pop song. Kind of more like a ‘fuck you’ to Simon Cowell for treating them so badly and telling them what to do and what to wear and whatnot,” I explain, showing the few lines I have already. Some of them Jade had sent me, others were Perrie’s, a couple were mine. “What are most pop songs about?” Owen queries. I know he’s trying to help me, but he’s kind of making me nervous with the constant strumming of the guitar. “Songs about falling in love, or drinks and drugs…” I sum up at the top of my mind, “Or heartbreak…” Owen nods his head whilst continuing to play the same few chords over and over again. I focus on the melody for a moment as my creative juices start to work again. “This ain’t another pop song ‘bout falling in love Or a party song ‘bout drinks and drugs No more singing songs ‘bout breaking my heart And my lonely nights dancin’ in the dark” I look up at Owen for validation. Nodding his head encouragingly, he keeps playing the same few chords but a little louder this time to support the flow of my lyrics. “If I’m a guilty pleasure I want this life forever I’ll take it all ‘cause anything is better Than another pop song ‘bout falling in love But if you wanna sing along say ‘I don’t give a fuck!’” Owen starts jumping around excitedly, and I can’t help but laugh at his adorableness. He used to get this excited whenever I sent him a demo of the songs I was working on. “Let’s record a demo!” he exclaims and, after handing me my guitar back, moves towards the recording equipment. “Let’s start with some guitar,” he says and that’s how our recording starts. First, the guitar, then Owen records some drums, and then I get behind the mic to sing the song all by myself. I can just imagine how amazing this’ll sound with the girls’ voices instead of mine. “No broken bottles Or glitter on the floor form the night before Ain’t no boy troubles If that’s what you came here for then you should know” I lapse back into the chorus one last time before we finish recording and put everything together. We listen to it a couple more times before sending it over to Little Mix and their management. Awaiting their answer, we head into the kitchen to make some dinner together. It only takes about half an hour before I get a call from Jade. “This song is epic!” she shouts into my ear before I can even say hello. “Exactly what we needed, Y/N, thank you so much!” I’ve grown accustomed to her thick Geordie accent, though it was hard to understand in the beginning. “Thanks, Jade! Owen helped me out a little,” I reply, looking up at Owen himself who shoots me a wink that sends a rush of heat from my head all the way to my toes. The girls all know about Owen. I’d told them about my best friend and how supportive he was, and they always teased me saying I was so in love with this guy. Which I didn’t realize at the time and always denied. Rule 6 clearly states no dating each other. “Give him a big snog as a thanks then!” Jade jokes, and I can even hear the others in the background. “I’m on Zoom with the girls at the moment. They say hi!” “Hi back!” I can’t stop the giggle from escaping from my lips. “I gotta go, Jade. Thanks for getting back to me about the song. I can’t wait to hear you guys singing it!” Jade snickers on the other side of the line. All while I’m watching Owen make some pasta at the stove. There’s something so attractive about him in the kitchen, I’m not sure what it is. Fuck, Jade is right. I am very much in love with my best friend and there’s nothing I’m going to be able to do about it. Stupid pact we made in the first grade. “We’ll call you later to discuss some more arrangements and stuff. Bye, Y/N!” “Bye, Jade! Bye girls!” I say loudly, knowing I’m probably on speaker phone anyway. “Bye, Y/N!” the girls chorus. I hang up the phone and look at Owen for a few seconds before bursting out into an excited cheer, dancing my way towards him. “They loved it! They loved it! They loved it!” I shout loudly, and cup Owen’s face in my hands before pressing my lips to his in an outburst of elation. I’m surprising yourself at first, but then melt into the familiarity of his embrace as his arms snake around my waist whilst kissing me back. He’s actually kissing me back. “And that’s rule number 6 out the door…” Owen mumbles when he pulls away. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have,” I mumble and step away from him, or at least try to. His arms tighten around my waist, restricting me from taking another step. “I’ve been thinking about talking to you about that stupid rule, Nugget. I’ve hated it ever since we were 16.” My eyes widen at his confession. Since we were sixteen? SIXTEEN? That’s four years ago. That’s even long before I realized I felt more for him than just a platonic love. “16? Why didn’t you say anything?!” Owen chuckles, retracting his arms from around my waist and instead tucking a strand of hair behind my ear before placing his hand on my cheek. “You were pretty enamoured with Ryan, remember?” My heart breaks at the mention of the prick’s name. Ryan was my very first heartbreak and the worst at that. Owen was in LA at the time, but when he heard the news, he almost immediately flew back to Norman Oklahoma to comfort me and eat ice cream together. “Besides, I was constantly on the move from LA to Norman, it wouldn’t have been fair to you…” “You’re the sweetest human being alive, Owen Patrick Joyner,” I tell him with a smile tugging at my lips, but then turn serious again as I flick his forehead. He lets out an ‘ow’ and shoots me a confused glare. “And the stupidest! I’ve been in love with you since I don’t know when, but I never realized until now! The girls from Little Mix even knew but I was too oblivious or stubborn to see it myself. If you’d told me, I probably would’ve realized sooner!” “Well… I told you now?” he tries, the cheesiest smile on his face that makes me roll my eyes. “I love you, Ace,” I whisper, “And not the platonic kind this time.” “I love you too, Nugget.” He leans down again after that, reconnecting our lips into a passionate kiss. The first of many. This ought to be a very interesting quarantine together.

Taglist: @hannahhistorian92 @marinettepotterandplagg @thequirkybookaholic @bookdealer5 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @hemmingsness @iainttakingshitfromnobody @ifilwtmfc @angryknightstatesmantrash @kiss-themoongoodbye @rudysbay @thedarkqueenofavalon​ @caitsymichelle13​ @calamitykaty @wiselight @kcd15​

Lemme know if you wanna be on my taglist! 

[laraplisetski]

Dating Akira Kunimi

A/n: Hello, hello! Sorry for the slow updates, I havent been feeling great about myself but I’ll try to update more often. I hope you enjoy this. Sorry for any mistakes if I've made any:) Also for some reason I keep hearing Unravel in my head and I just- Edit: I just looked and I have 127 followers rn stan nct 127

List of people left from the dating headcanons series.

Kentarō Kyōtani #16

Words: 1200+

Tags: @imthatchishiyasimp, @kekozume​

He looks so pretty here.

Okay so you two met when you went to collect some information about the team to send to volleyball monthly since you were in the student council.

When you entered and went to the coach to ask him about the things you needed Yahaba tried doing the ball thing on you but he accidentally hit it too hard.

When you saw the ball coming you dodged it.

Unfortunately Kunimi was standing behind you so it hit him instead.

Since you felt bad you offered to get him some ice cream.

He agreed because you looked nice and you weren't one of Oikawa's fangirls.

(good job Yahaba you just got Kunimi a date)

So you two went out to get ice cream and in the middle of the ‘date’ Kunimi realized that he was developing a minor crush on you because he just expected you to buy him ice cream and call it a day.

But instead you're actually interested in the conversation and being very nice. 

After the ‘date’, when you two saw each other in the hallways you would always wave to each other and smile at each other and you developed a sort of friendship.

Everyone knew that you two were crushing on each other and your friends and the volleyball team sorta forced you to confess to Kunimi.

And so you did *rather hesitantly*.

And Kunimi accepted so you guys started dating!! Yay! 

Okay so at the beginning of the relationship he's sort of closed off.

Like from closed off i mean quite and it frustrated you quite a lot cause things were barely different than before.

Because aren't all couples supposed to be cute with each other.

(reminder you both are first years so you guys have no or very less experience with relationships)

So this led to you talking to him about this issue and Kunimi was relieved because he didn't want to make you uncomfortable and you were like :O

So after this Kunimi started to gradually open up more and all was good yet once again.

Also Kunimi would try to be sweeter around you and not try to piss you off like he does to other people.

If you guys would have a fight anyways and he knew he was wrong, he would definitely apologize as soon as he can.

But if you were wrong ohoho

Suffer

But like even if you apologize to him later he’ll like keep it in the back of his mind and every time he wants something he would be like-

‘Remember that time when…’

‘What do you want Kunimi?’ *sighs*

Okay on to cuddling.

This boy loves to cuddle but he's too shy to admit it.

Like he gets all pouty when he wants cuddles and you don't cuddle with him.

That's understandable but like HE DOESN'T ASK FOR THEM.

He just expects you to know somehow and he doesn't even leave any hints.

Like what do you want me to do Kunimi.

Okay but when you two do cuddle hes just like the softest most shyest person.

Personally I think Kunimi would like to be a small spoon, just like 

A blanket is wrapped around you two as you two sit in front of the tv. It buzzes in the background  but you don't pay any mind to it, you only focus on Kunimi. He melts into your touch and you slowly lull him to sleep. You set your head on top of his and bask in the smell of his sweet peony scented shampoo.

But like I mean you get my point.

Then one time you came over to his house and halfway through your hangout you got his hoodie from his closet and he was so confused like why???

And he asked you, it went like this,

‘Oi, why did you take out my hoodie?’

‘Just because’

‘Welp that's creepy’

‘Shut up Kunimi!’

Generally he was very annoyed at first and thought it was borderline creepy cause you don't just take other people's clothes.

But later on he got used to it and if he sees you in school without your jacket he always leaves a spare hoodie in your locker.

Also when you come over to his house now there's a clean hoodie randomly lying on his bed.

I wonder who that might be.

Also when Kunimi takes you to his volleyball practice as well he makes sure to give you his jacket just to piss off Kindaichi that he got a s/o before him.

When he first took you to practice the team literally swarmed you and they were throwing questions from left and right until Iwaizumi gave them all a slap on the back of their heads.

After that they didn't really swarm you but got to know you normally by talking.

Kunimi also tried his damn hardest to keep you away from Oikawa cause Kunimi knows that Oikawa’s an idiot (the Oikawa slander though) but somehow you two became friends???

He still doesn't understand how it happened.

One day he made lunch for you and brought it to school, since you guys meet up in the morning outside the gym, the team saw him giving homemade lunch to you and they teased him ever since.

But other than that Kunimi’s surprisingly into slightly domestic stuff.

Like he wakes up to make breakfast for you sometimes (a skill most likely taught by his sister)

And he just likes to play his ‘calm music’ Spotify playlist and just hum along to it while making you pancakes (which are fucking delicious btw)

And one day you just walk up behind him and give him a bake hug and say, 

‘Didn't know you could make pancakes….

Can you make like three more, I'm very hungry’

And Kunimi just sighs violently and in his mind he's like ____ such a dumbass.

But yk he loves you obviously or he wouldn't make these three extra pancakes for you.

Sometimes when he sees you being a dumbass he's like why do i like them again?

But then he sees your eyes shining when you play around with the rest of your friends and he sees the love and loyalty you have for them and you look over and he sees your pupils dilate and he sees your smile, the one you give him, the one that's reserved for him and he knows the answer to his question.

Even though he likes you (its loveee~)

He still makes fun of you… jokingly.

For example if you try to do a receive and it fails and the ball hits your face instead or something hell snicker at you before trying to help you up.

You beat him up later for laughing at you dont worry.

Bonus point- Kunimi and you don't go out on dates very often so on anniversaries Kunimi plans a date according to your interests.

Like if you're into Attack on Titan hobo eren hot he’ll take you to a theme park based on Attack on Titan.

(I'm so sorry if anyone doesn't like Aot I just used it as an example) 

[thekitschdiet]

the kitsch diet part II

part one alr posted!! this chunk is about 3,000~ words long... let me know what u think :-) thank u all for all the luv already!!! looks like I really will hit 31 followers by easter!!!!!!!!

  Who is the Kitsch Girl? 

 I think this is more loosely defined, but The Chic Diet did a truly admirable way of reducing a girl to her YSL bag and her really skinny legs. Now, that implies an archetype, or a population in a specific location. I think kitschness is kind of the niche you fill when you’re not really much of anything else, sort of your own conglomerate of mainstream-specific. One major requirement, though, is being a little too into something somewhat uncool. And the whole illusion falls apart if you have any sort of outward insecurity. See, the Kitsch Girl is somewhat undefinable because she is so much of everything. She exists in multitudes, in a way that is also quite simple to understand; think of a list of axioms, or principles to live by. And now add a section to each one that says “but…” to make a collection of verified exceptions. Say, the kitsch girl will never wear jeans. But she thrifted this pair of vintage flares she just loves. She doesn’t reply to texts efficiently, but sometimes she will within a couple seconds. No mascara, no dinner forks, candles are to be collected not burned; but that was a gift, or something. It’s not personal, of course, those are just the contradictions she exists in. Don’t try to understand it, the enigma is essential to the facade. Or maybe she just lives like this, and her character is so homogenous with her inner world there’s no sense in trying to separate it. You have to have a little bit of an individuality complex about the whole ordeal, which is normally so eugh, but if you’re kitschy enough it works on you. Trust!The Kitsch girl is not someone unlikeable, but amiable and well heeled. I double checked that last one, assuming it meant liked by most, but apparently means affluent. I suppose that is an aspect of the kitsch girl too, having seemingly endless frivolous expenses with no real strain, but that’s not important right now. People that don’t like her think so out of jealousy, or something. Envious that her clothes are all kind of shake-it-up-esque and her highlights desperately need touching up, but she still seems so enthralled with the whole of life… How does she enjoy her own company so much when other people want to know her better? Doesn’t she feel weird about blowing people off to make a joke about reading Kafka in the bath? Why would she document her cluttered, unexciting life on Instagram so delicately, so vibrantly? Of course, no one would say this to her face because they are really baseless claims. She’s nice, generous, and valuable to have as a friend. Trade-offs exist, as they do with anyone. But I like thinking it’s easier to overlook a forgotten birthday when your kitschy best friend gave you a multi strand pearl necklace to celebrate the welcome breeze of June. Or some other made-up holiday. She is so unassuming if you’re not really looking. Girls want in on her inner circle. Or they just don’t care. Nothing wrong with being liked or thought of naught, for the most part. Boys are either enthralled or repulsed by her. Her doctor knows her as something of a hypochondriac, but only minorly. It’s just carpal tunnel, don’t worry… The sales staff at CVS turn a blind eye when she slips an eyeliner pencil into her tote bag. She shoplifts on occasion, just to see if she still knows how. But she is not a shoplifter. $9 here and $6.45 there doesn’t really add up to much. Everywhere she goes, she makes a tertiary friend or two. The term of friend is loosely used here, of course. But it is nice to tell a stranger you like her earrings. Or her phone case is so fun, is it Wildflower? The kitsch girl has an eye for this kind of detail. Simply put, she is sort of unspectacular. But in a way that makes you sort of wish you knew her better.

Phone cases

The phone case is, like, religious for the kitsch girl. Sorry, but there’s just no other accessory as flippant and expensive and single-purpose as a trendy little iPhone case with some semitacky stickers plastered over the design. I used to have an iPhone XS- extrasmall-  with like, 18 phone cases. It was kind of a sordid affair. I jest, but really… owning that many phone cases was kind of sick. We get it, you are frivolous and spontaneous and sooo stylish! Stop posting mirror selfies on your Instagram story, your crush isn’t going to see it. Kidding again. Having an extensive collection of phone cases is just so fun because while attainable, most people just simply do not partake in it. That makes you kitschy and unique. I really thought I had more to say about the IDEA of the phone case, but I guess in practice it is all very, very simple. You can slide your driver’s license in the back of a clear case. At what point does it stop being cool to have legal operational control of a vehicle? I don’t display mine because I don’t really like the photo. I look round. In the eyes but also just in general, swollen, unglamorous. Whatever. Not like I drive a Nissan or anything. I drive my *Mom’s* Nissan. Playing Bladee in the car seems sacrilegious. She would hate it.Back to phone cases. Sonix ones are cute but kind of overpriced retail- unless you have like, an iPhone 12 Pro Max or whatever the fuck is new this year, just go to Winner’s. They always have Xs and 11 cases. I had a cherry one for my previous phone, like the exact one Lana Del Rey had? Thank god I sold it before she got outed as a copfucker or whatever. Casetify is for an inadvertent flex. Flexing your lame, lame taste. Sorry, I know you bought it because you liked it, but what you failed to consider is just how un-Kitsch they are. SO common, and they advertise on Instagram. Sorry, I just can’t get into it! Kind of how I just never liked the Brandy Amara tanks. Or lowtop converse. Otterbox is just distressing. Like, if my boyfriend gave me an otterbox phone case I would probably break up with him because somebody clearly isn’t paying attention- one of my favorite, potentially overused joke is how Otterbox cases are the equivalent of orthopedic insoles. Sorry but if you have poor arch support or whatever, but no pain is worth giving up a good pair of Margiela slingback tabi heels. Obviously I couldn’t afford that right now because all loose income goes directly to Wildflower and my cig boy. But like, one day. I hope you want to punch me in the face a little bit after reading that.  If Wildflower isn’t your thing, at least have the decency to get a beaded phone strap. But not from String Ting. Pray tell you aren’t keeping score, but they are one of my several parasocial enemies. That should have been ME collaborating with Wildflower! Should have been ME mailing shit to Caroline Calloway (more on her later, but she is the only blue check I follow. I adore her! I was on her patreon for a bit I thinkl!!) …. Side note. Phone cases are cute but there is no way to properly protect your laptop without looking just absurd or colossally lame. The foam sleeves… ick.

Having the shittiest music taste ever

So like, here’s the thing. I’m an Apple Music user, which sort of reinstates my status as an unironic My Bloody Valentine Hyperpop Death Grips kinda gal. Read; volcel. My most recent conquest ended up being a huge L on my part, but also… I totally dodged a bullet. The guy had an iPhone 11 (female trait) and didn’t know who Rei Brown was, which just seemed suspicious given his Niche. I just know he had a “making out playlist” comprising entirely of like, Joji. Which isn’t a bad thing I guess but so unembarrassing it horseshoes back to being humiliating.Like I said. Having the worst music taste. It’s nice how subjective and deeply personal your music taste can be; no one really Needs to know you’re a die hard drainer. But there’s also no point in being a die-hard drainer and Not capitalizing off it somehow. I added it up and I have well over 150 hours of just Bladee and Yung Lean. Which is so yass? The more I write, using myself as a case study, I realize just how desperately jobless I am. And Yogenfruz isn’t even hiring! UGH!I think there is something very kitschy about liking hyperpop in the least ironic, least obnoxious way. Sort of feeds into a “I’m not like other girls” thing, but I mean… That’s kind of the idea of kitsch, isn’t it? Be a little different but also the very same as your lipgloss brethren?!Side note. If you make monthly playlists I am genuinely kind of afraid of you. That is just so organized!! I just make playlists with esoteric titles and then make a new one when I’m sick of the stuff on the last. I have exhausted most genres but I think my favorite is the “I’m wearing f****ng air forces and my teeth are SO white”. Guess what genre it is. Or don’t, but it’s probably what you think is. Okay, moving on….

Curating a scent

I like thinking I smell like mango and peach, Glossier you, whatever citrus is in that Lush shower jelly and mint 5Gum. But of course it is probably less distinct and just kind of generally fruit-floral-mint. Anyway. I think Glossier You is the perfect scent for anyone with a rather elementary understanding of the whole.. Perfume business. Every bottle of intentional fragrance I own was made via aesthetic choices… it really helps that Glossier You is so cute And so universal. Now, Glossier is kind of interesting to me because it really is at the intersection of cheugy and kitsch. Kind of basic, overplayed, unspectacular. But also…. Often popular things are popular because they are good. Glossier has excellent customer suurv, they ship SO fast (and no import duties! W!) and their stuff is just so sweet and nice if not unoriginal, in kind of the same way strawberry ice cream is. Which is still my favorite, of course, especially if there’s a vegan option. I was talking about Glossier. What the hell! It’s really worth trying out. A huge principle of kitsch is just… having as many possible layers and appendages to your composure as possible. And adding a signature scent just really completes that! When curating your own, I say this as a complete amateur, know-nothing; make it something that comes kind of naturally to Your Character. Like, I’m just not a Chanel No 5 kind of girl. Odds are you aren’t either. My bottle (before she asked for it back when I told her I didn’t use it, in exchange for a Nordstrom’s gift card) was from my grandmother. Ummm.. Yeah, I really have no expertise in curating a scent. But it is nice to have a signature. And having a bottle displayed on your dresser next to your aughties McDonald milkshake themed beanie baby and a handful of lip products is just way too fun! This is the kind of girl I am, everyone! Cluttered, but prioritizing pretty-delicate things!

Cheugyism

Cheugy is a relatively new word that has unfortunately wormed into my vocabulary to replace “uncouth”. Which I use to mean graceless or tacky, but if that isn’t what it means…. Don’t tell me. That would hurt more than weighing myself after a “feast” slash pastry binge at my dear Grandmothe’s house. Like I was saying. Cheugy. It’s sort of a fucked up concept to me because it is a critique on consumption, but not the pace or volume or magnitude of it. But rather… the idea of not being “good” enough at engaging in microtrends, or involvement in the fast paced fashion cycle. Don’t get me started on TikTok, or do, but… yeah,. No. That will require a cigarette because I’m so sorry, but writing a thinkpiece on social media is so lowbrow I would need to find about six ways to aesthetically counteract it…. Moving on.  I think the idea of cheugy is good, we really do need a word to simply and efficiently define “out of date/uninspired/lame”. But the way it is used to shame others for not liking the same trends or whatever is kind of gross. If you use cheugyism to put other people down and not as a neutral identifier umm… you will become what you fear. Sorry, that’s what happens. Some things that I think are cheugy or embarrassing, or just not part of my stylistic lexicon are… 1. Hooded or zip up clothing, or things with a large graphic on the back. Bingo if it's all three! I just can’t get behind it. Side note, my summer home outfit is brandy sweats and a tube top (Urban Outfitters tank I ripped the straps off) and a large cardigan that should have belonged to a stoner, but probably didn’t. I can dunk on bulky, uninspired clothes because I would honest to God NEVER be caught DEAD out of the house wearing any of it. I’m so serious. Next segment should be about the kitsch girl’s inadvertent affinity for diuretics. Remind me….. One of the ports of my laptop is dead. Not really sure what to do about that.

Eye makeup and what it means to me….

Personally, I am one of those people who never wears foundation and kind of has a complex about it. The kitsch girl wears fluffy eyelashes and owns a plethora of sparkly eyeliner. Or maybe she doesn’t, but she has something distinct and a little ritzy, if not haphazard. We all saw Euphoria and it like, totally imprinted on us. The way glitter sits on your face after a long day is so resplendent. When it’s shining and a little bit melted off from your long, semi-productive day… ugh! Just made for film. Pictures on film. But not the Prequel app. I keep getting fucking ads for it. But it’s so embarrassing. Like, isn’t the whole point of film the authenticity of the moment? The texture of the afternoon? Why would you fabricate that? Prequel is just so cheugy. More on that later. But anyhow. Wearing a ton of eye makeup kind of fits with the idea of film too I think. Like, look at you, in the moment. With your strip lash falling off! It’s all so tres-chic. Plus, for whatever reason, it’s kind of unique or notably dedicated to ~Pull up to the function~ with more eye makeup on than everyone else. Sorry, but it really doesn’t take that long! But yes I will gracefully accept your praise… it’s kind of like the dropshipping of complements if you think about it. Easy to source with little to no effort in the curating. Side note, lashes are like $20 for 40 weeks if you cut them in half and use each pair about 5 times. You could probably do more but I lose track. How the fuck is it almost June? I was trudging through the snow to check the mail for my Online Ceramics shirt just last week, I swear. The trick to cutting your lashes (the way I do it anyway) is pretty simple. Get out two lashes that are symmetrical. Find the middle and cut one slightly to the left and one slightly to the right. This means you have two sets (one set is a little more dramatic than the other but at least they are symmetrical) with longer outer edges. Glue this to the outer corner of your eye and you will look so Composed… obsessed with how this layers with three eyeliner tails (one traditional one pointing up and one pointing down directly below it, sort of like the tail light on a 2019 Lexus UX) and one below your eye, like a clown. Fun, irrelevant fact, is the first time I added this third tail to my eye makeup, my dad had just gotten home from the hospital because he was sure he had like appendicitis or something and it was actually.. Not that. Typical indie hypochondriac. He made me bring him cottage cheese on a plate with a teaspoon that evening. I put black pepper on it for flair, which he hated. Walking up and down stairs with a plate of cottage cheese is much more imprinting than most of the multiplication tables. Don’t forget to use a bright shimmer eyeshadow in your inner corner. It really opens up your eyes. I recommend Too Faced.  One time I got a little bit too high and tried to film an “editorial” makeup tutorial. You will never, ever, ever see that video. But I essentially covered my whole eyelid in the ABH shadow “palermo” and smudged out the edges with a tan Tartelette Toasted shade, coupled with my long-expired Milk Makeup holographic stick. Lopsided lashes and near-blinding eyeliner experience aside, it was kind of cool. My point is, you really cannot go wrong with an arsenal of shimmers, taupey mattes and a good eyeliner pen.

[soysaucevictim]

Gymrat!AU Masterlist [TSS]

Since this AU is accumulating enough material for it’s own masterlist...

Mind the tags/descriptions/ratings!

Human / Slice of Life. The Sides workout at the same gym, with different histories and motivations to hit the mat. (Lots of platonic DLAMPR stuff to be expected here!)

[ Ao3 Series | Tumblr Tag ]

Playlist - “Body Movin“ [ YouTube ]

Writing

Cherry Cola (Teen) - [ Ao3 | Tumblr ] -  Roman is forced to face his own limits, during one particularly reckless day at the gym. Roman-centric.

Taste The Heat (Mature) - [ Ao3 | Tumblr ] Remus has many reasons he enjoys doing exercise. It’s healthy. It’s distracting… let’s just say, there’s “self care” and then there’s self care. Remus-centric.

The Wheels Keep Spinning Around (Teen) - [ Ao3 | Tumblr ] - Remus is incorrigible, but Virgil doesn’t mind. Tree poses or spinning kicks, stress relief is stress relief. Virgil-centric.

“aching, shaking, breaking (like humans do)” (Teen) - [ Ao3 | Tumblr ] - Remus thinks Hypnos has abandoned him for good (metaphorically speaking), Patton is there to help. Patton-centric.

“more than ever, hour (work is never over)” (Teen) - [ Ao3 | Tumblr ] - Logan goes for a run, and hits a snag when Roman seems to have found himself in trouble. Again. Logan-centric. (Happens ~1 year before “Cherry Cola”, to be clear.)

“i started thinking about human nature...” (Teen) - [ Ao3 | Tumblr ] - Janus thinks Remus started off on entirely the wrong right foot with him. This is how they became best friends since. Janus-centric. (Prequel fic, taking place in high school!)

“taking is too easy, but that’s the way it is” (Teen) - [ Ao3 | Tumblr ] - Roman may or may not be prone to getting sick, thanks to his abysmal sleep hygiene and questionable self-care habits. He’s totally not sick. He totally doesn’t need a helping hand. Roman-centric.

“you work at a smile, and you go for a ride” (Teen) - [ Ao3 | Tumblr ] - Patton’s always taking care of everyone else, that sometimes he forgets that he deserves being cared for, too. Janus helps him through one of his tougher days. Patton and Janus centric.

“what the hell is love supposed to feel like?” (Teen) - [ Ao3 | Tumblr ] - This was technically not the first time the two of them met. That was a painful day Janus couldn’t forget if they wanted. A day Roman apparently did. Maybe they both needed the fresh start. Roman and Janus centric.

“you gave me nothing at all” (Mature, only because of movie watched) - [ Ao3 | Tumblr - P1 + P2 + P3] - Let’s just say Virgil really left an impact on Remus when they first met at the fated gym... with their first date, as a treat. Remus and Virgil centric.

“can’t you see i’m a fool in so many ways” (Teen) - [ Ao3 | Tumblr ] - Roman screwed up, big time. It’s going to take a lot more to even begin to pick up the pieces and everyone tries their best to help. Roman centric.

“when you find out you live without it (go along not thinkin' about it)” (Mature) - [ Ao3 | Tumblr ] - For Janus and Roman, it’s a good day to really treat themselves. Navigating around their mutual needs and limitations takes some creativity. Roman and Janus centric.

“so what is right and what is wrong? (gimme a sign)” (Teen) - [ Ao3 | Tumblr - P1 + P2] - Janus played a part in the twins’ self-discovery, and no, she’s totally not smug about it. Janus, Remus and Roman centric.

“when i needed sunshine, i got rain” (Teen) - [ Ao3 | Tumblr ] - A couple slices of Roman and Virgil’s frictive first impressions, an olive branch is extended, and a strange truce blossoms. Virgil and Roman centric.

“mama, help me, i've been cursed” (Teen) - [ Ao3 | Tumblr ] - Remus has a not-quite-monthly visitor arrive. He’s going to make that everyone’s problem. Remus centric.

Art

Krita Practice / Concept Sketch Series - [ Photoset | Logan | Patton | Roman | Remus | Janus | Virgil ]

Character Profiles + Chrono Fic List [ Ao3 ]

Memes

Get to know... [Sexual/QPP] Roceit & [Romantic] Dukexiety

Get to know... [QPP] Intruloxiety

More TBD...

[bloomyn]

scorching sky

pairing: ushijima wakatoshi x reader

summary: your midlife crisis happens rather quickly, and its not midlife, you’re twenty three with a baby whose daddy just left with your best friend. peachy.

part of: pink peonies

 climbing waterfalls x scorching sky x next

generally, ushijima is a patient person. he holds himself to the higher expectation, of, you know ���being the bigger person”. but right now, he’s got a practice match ten minutes and if the PR representative doesn’t give him a real answer he might, snap.

“i just want to know why it’s taking so long.” he says shaking. his calves are tense with anger and his jersey feels hot.

it’s been three weeks since the god awful headline has been published, and he’s gotten nowhere in regards to taking it down, --yes there’s probably a pr team for this and he might have to buy them all gift baskets after the article blew up on twitter (they took care of it)-- but it’s his issue, and now it’s personal.

“i-i will get this to our editors as soon as possible, thank you, thank you so much for your patience.”

“good bye.

“bye!” the voice on the other line squeaks.

yeah, this is getting nowhere.

-

“what is it.”

misaki turns to her husband, laying casually on the bed in his gym shorts and t-shirt, flipping through the latest Volleyball Monthly magazine. her own brows are unintentionally furrowed, deep in thought, and her husband knows this too well.

“don’t say it’s nothing,” he sighs lazily, not even looking up from the magazine, “i know you too well.”

and dammit he does, misaki thinks to herself, scowling. 

“i just had so much hope!” she finally relents, throwing herself over her husbands chest, “there was so much potential! and he threw it all away!”

“misaki...”

“it’s not fair.” she grumbles. “she deserved so much, and-”

quietly, hirugami runs his hand over her head, giving it a few pats before turning her face towards him.

“what do they say about love? it’s blind right? those two just need a new pair of glasses.” he says contently (a little too proud of his analogy. was it even an analogy?), “you have no control over this you know. they’ve got to figure this whole thing out by themselves.”

“i’m gonna beat that dumb brick up the next time i see him.”

“i think your words were enough my dear.” he breathes lightly, “you probably scarred the poor boy.”

“yeah well, he deserved it.”

“wasn’t it false though?”

“he broke her heart!”

-

now being slapped in the face with a picture of miya atsumu wasn’t really what you wanted to be greeted with the in morning, but you suppose it could have been much worse. could’ve been another headline, an email from your boss, finding out the possible love your life has another woman  even if it’s false, akio could be throwing up in the bathroom, it’s been weeks and he still hasn’t contacted you... the list goes on. 

so miya atsumu? yeah, not bad.

“how are you even in my house?”

grinning, miskaki takes a seat beside you, flattening out the comforter. 

“irrelevant but akio let me in.”

you sit up to protest, because one, what the hell? and two, you really don’t need another man do you? it’s always been you and akio, akio and you. partners in crime, makers of breakfast and brunch, two peas in a pod.

“anyway!” misaki interrupts, “let’s get right down to it shall we?”

“we shouldn’t ----”

“ah ah!” she shushes, placing a stack of papers on your lap. “i will be making breakfast, you take your time yeah?”

your eyes don’t leave hers as she walks backwards out of you bedroom.

-

you can’t lie to yourself, miya atsumu is very attractive. he’s got a cocky smile, decently sexy sidepart, and according to the stats sheet, a very impressive career as a setter for msby. you won’t tell this to misaki of course, the woman doesn’t need another ego boost, or even more reason to try and set you up with someone else. so instead, 

“he’s got at twin.” you blanch, taking a seat at the dining table. akio’s already half way done with his food, thoroughly engrossed in whatever he’s making (sculpting rather) with his eggs. he’s not really one to play with his food, but today you’ll let it slide.

to your words misaki only hums, continuing to flip eggs in a pan like she hasn’t just given you a report card of miya atsumu’s life. ignoring her lack of response you grab a plate, sliding on eggs and rice because what else are you supposed to when...

“oh! you should go get ready, there’s a practice match today around 12.30 and i think it’d be fun if we all went.”

-

akio’s crying.

bolting out of the house, you make your way towards akio’s screeching voice.

“what is it! what’s wrong?” you pant, shoving the rest of your shirt down.

“my flower broke! it’s broken now!”

you pull your son into a hug while he wets your shirt with his tears.

“oh baby, i’m sorry.”

-

“you know when you said practice match i didn’t think it meant a match against the team who’s file you just gave me.”

again, she only hums in response, her eyes flittering around the gym like she hasn’t been here a million times before.

“are we even allowed to be here?” you whisper, keeping an eye on the way akio’s skipping ahead, a wonder really, seeing only last week he had tripped over the side walk and vowed never to do it again.

“theses things are always open to the public, plus we’re special!” she scoffs.

you might be, you think quietly in your head. the doors loom in front and you can already smell the salon pas and squeaky clean floors ready to be scuffed. it pulls a little too harshly on your heart.

“mommy come one.” akio says quietly, tugging on your wrist. “i wanna see them warm up.”

“--err, go with auntie! i’m going to the restroom really quick okay?”

with a quick nod and a swift turn he runs towards misaki’s outstretched hand, and you can barely hear a “-- said she has to go to the bathroom.” before you turn around.

-

you haven’t hyped yourself up in front of a bathroom sink since high school. the fact that you have to do this because you might face your “almost but not quite there boyfriend” should tell you about where you are right now in regards to adulting. 

it hurts a little bit. 

today, though, today you’ve got a new glow (new highlighter) and even if you run into him so what! you’re going to be the bigger person, because if he doesn’t have the balls to tell you what actually happened between him and that insultingly hot actress, then, 

then what.

you run out of words to monologue. 

it might be for the better.

-

[junquisite]

Escapades

WORD COUNT : 2.1K

WARNING : Suggestive

GENRE : Con Artist AU

She was staring at the mirror, trying to tie her hair up in a decent style when a pair of hands creeped from behind around her waist and she felt lips brushing on her bare neck.

“This dress is too showy. I don't want him to touch you in this.” Seungwoo mumbled in her neck and she smiled at his reflection. 

“Just one more day.” she whispered as his grip tightened on her waist and slid down slowly, lower with each passing second. She felt the brush of lips turning to kisses and she sighed.

“You can't leave a mark Seungwoo. We can't ruin everything today at this point.” Byul whispered and Seungwoo groaned but unwillingly pulled away. He stared at her back as she dressed up, saw her putting on the heavy necklace that old man gifted her and imagined the different ways he can have his way with her with her only wearing that necklace.

“What are you thinking of? Get your mind out of the gutter.” she said with a small smile playing on her lips which Seugnwoo returned slowly.

“How do you know what i was thinking of?” he asked as he went down on his knees to help her wear the new pair of heels she got with the expensive designer dress she was wearing, by none other than that old man who’ll have his hands around her soon. He decided he’ll make her keep the heels on too with the necklace.

“You just get this look on your face, I can tell it from far away.” Byul said as his hands slowly raised away from her ankle to her knees.

“You said no where where he can see right?” Seungwoo mumbled with his lips pressed against her thighs visible from the high slit of the dress till her mid thighs, his hands slowly creeping up and under the dress, dangerously close to where she wanted him badly.

“We need to go down.” she whispered and then gasped, her hand coming up to her lips to not let the sound pass as she felt him bite at her inner thighs. She heard him chuckle and looked down to see him peeking from in between her dress and whined as he went back in and she felt his lips trailed the inside of her thighs.

There was a knock on the door which made her curse as she quickly looked at it and breathed a sigh of relief when saw it locked from the inside.

“Who is it?”

“Miss. Kim, Mr. Kang is expecting you down.” Byul heard from outside and heard Seungwoo curse softly as he separated himself from her.

“I’ll be down in 10 minutes.” she responded and heard the servant scurry off.

She turned to see Seungwoo wearing his tie and went to straighten it as he smiled down at her.

“Ready to go Miss. Kim Jisoo?” Seugnwoo asked Byul and she smiled.

“I am. Are you ready Mr. Im Jongin?” she asked and he nodded as he gave her his hand and she grabbed it, a soft smile gracing her lips as they left the room and separated their hands - him taking his place behind her.

 ~

“Aaah there she is, the bride of the hour!” a lady almost shouted as Byul reached the main party area and she smiled as she approached the lady standing with her to-be husband, Seungwoo a close step behind her.

“Jisoo-ah, you need to wear this all the time now.” the man she was supposed to marry said as she smiled and took the ring box and put on the 6 carat diamond ring as the lady beside her gasped.

“That's an impressionable diamond I must say.” she said and Byul smiled, she could practically hear the envy in her voice.

“Mr. Kang was nice enough to buy the ring my heart  was set on.” she said as she felt the man slip his arm around her and felt Seungwoo stiffen behind her.

“And who's that if i may ask?” the lady asked Pointing at Seungwoo and Byul heard the old man beside her scoff.

“He’s the kind caretaker of my Jisoo here. He’s Jongin, a caretaker and a brotherly figure for Jisoo sent by her family.” he said and Byul smiled. 

“Your family must be rich enough to have a caretaker for you?” the lady asked and Byul waved her hand. “It’s just something they thought i must always have - some sort of protection.” and pulled herself away from the old man and bowed at them.

“I’ll be taking my leave for now.” and went away, Seongwoo following her behind.

 “Caretaker. I’ll never get used to it.” he mumbled as she strayed to a corner with a non-alcoholic drink in her hand, him behind her like a shadow as she surveyed the room.

“It's perfect. You can always stay with me.” she whispered as she saw one of the servers coming to her with an empty tray and bow at Seungwoo who carefully passed an envelope full of money to him.

They saw as he disappeared in the kitchen and came back with a tray full of drinks and started serving them, the drinks blood red and tempting. 

 ~

“Aaah I think he have had one too many drinks.” one of the ladies chimed, equally red faced as the one beside her - barely able to stay straight on their feet but sober enough to comment about others. Typical rich people behaviour Byul thought as she tried to stop her to-be husband’s wandering hands - t Least in front of the wicked ladies.

“I think it’ll be best if i take him to bed.” Byul said but one of the ladies grabbed his hand.

“Let your caretaker take him, have one more drink with us dear Jisoo!” the lady said and Byul threw Seungwoo a helpless look who just smiled at her but she could sense the smirk under it.

“Take care of him Jongin-ssi!” one of the younger ladies said and Byul refrained herself from openly glaring at her - her looks were not decent, she was practically undressing Seungwoo with her eyes.

 1 hour and only one drink for herself later, Byul managed to send all the guests away. The servants were given a night off to cool off before the stress of the wedding starts from the next day and they were finally home alone - her, Seugnwoo and the old 40-something man she was supposed to marry.

 ~

Detective Park rang the bell of the huge house and wondered if calling it a mansion would be better as the door opened to reveal a clearly tired servant and went inside to see the mood getting gloomier with every step.

A 40-something man - Kang Harin, CEO of a small but flourishing fishery business in the particular area, was throwing a child-like tantrum in his expensive looking but bare living room.

“That bitch took  everything! She left nothing! She even took my designer suits!” The last line would have made the detective laugh if he didn't know that one of those suits was probably more then his monthly paycheck.

“Mr. Kang, I'm Detective Park, if you can just list all the items missing? You can add more stuff later but off the top of your head, what all is missing?” 

The detective would have been dumb to ask what hapepend. He knew what happened. It was not the first time something like this took place - he has been monitoring other similar incidents that happened in other small parts of south korea in the past 7 years.

A couple - one of them would woo a rich person, the other some sort of person taking an important role - enough to be let around all the time but not important enough to be shifted the focus on to. And then before the marriage they'll disappear - with everything the person owned that was worth anything. The material would be later found out at different pawn shops stating they never took any stuff to be caught but only took the money.

An on duty officer came to him and handed him a list and he went through it - the list of articles stolen as of now. It had everything on it- from the jewellery to cash from the locker, cash from the hidden locker, gold from the office, electronics like mobiles and even the computer from the office, TV set and some of the small kitchen equipments, a couple of suits from the man’s closet, all of the designer bags and heels, all the jewellery he ever brought her and all the jewellery he owned (chains and rings) and even a few of expensive vases and art pieces that hanged on the wall. They left nothing!

“And there are no pictures left?” the detective asked the officer.

“We even questioned the visitors from yesterday's parties. No one had any pictures and one girl claimed to have clicked some but she said her phone stopped working in the morning suddenly. Some virus. Traces of the same virus were found in the security camera monitors of here and near this house and in the computer left with the message.” the officer said and detective Park raised an eyebrow, a message was new.

He went to the said laptop, apparently it won’t work but stuck on the screen it was showing. A picture of a Napkin with a kiss stain at the corner saying, It was fun but this was last. See you never!

He wondered vaguely if it was a message for him rather than the old man since he was the leader of a team made specifically to work on their case. Then he wondered if this was actually true and their last crime.

“So we again have nothing?” he asked the detective who had followed him.

“The man claims that they looked exactly like the sketches we have from the cases before just different hair? And roles too apparently. She was a lady of an old family and he was her caretaker. Names were Kim Jisoo and Im Jongin.” and Park sighed.

“Let's get going then. There's nothing more for us here.”

 ~

A week later

~

 “Can I see your passport miss?” the airhostess at the entryway asked and Byul passed hers. Kang Daeum, it read.

“And yours sir?” Seungwoo passed his passport, the name reading Jung Jihoon.

“Have a safe flight ma’am, sir.” the hostess said and bowed down and they bowed back.

The clicks of her high designer heels were loud in the silent hallway to board the plane.

“Can't believe you kept those heels.” Seungwoo muttered from beside her as she smiled at him.

“You first decided at the pawnshop that you wanted to keep the necklace.” she said, her eyes no doubt holding the teasing that Seungwoo knew was bound to come behind her sunglasses. But he would never accept he was jealous.

“I like it though. You can keep on the heels too with the necklace whenever we get to the hotel.” he said, smirking as she lowered her sunglasses to stare at him, “Only those things on you though.” he ended, her hand shooting up to hit him on the chest, ready to yell if not for being at  a public place as he chuckled.

After showing their boarding pass and settling down in the first class seats, he turned to her when she sighed, sliding down slightly in the comfortable chairs.

“Maybe you should consider dying your hair, I like this on you.” he said as he tugged at the blond wig she had on and she shrugged.

“Why not. We’re going to Bali, might as well look tropical.” she said and he laughed.

“Why not pink then?” he suggested and she smirked at him. “Only if you do blue.” and he smiled.

“Deal.”

 ~

It was late, night Seungwoo assumed since it was dark but who knows where they exactly were. All he knew was there was a vast expanse of water underneath the plane and the flight still had more than 7 hours left.

He saw on the side Byul shutting down her laptop.

“Are you tired?” he asked and she blinked at him taking out her headphones and shrugging.

“I can use some sleep.”

“I have other plans.” Seungwoo said as his hands sneaked underneath the blanket she had on her lap, squeezing her thighs as she looked at him, surprised.

“How do you feel about joining Miles high club?” 

The smile that adorned her lips said she was in, and when she got up leaving the blanket behind, asking the air hostess where the restrooms were and winking at him before leaving, Seungwoo knew he had hit the jackpot with her.

Bali would be amazing, he whispered as he got up himself.

[leeknowsredeyeliner]

break up - choi hyunsuk

hyunsuk x fem reader x yoshi (?)

summary: you finally confront your boyfriend and get everything off your chest. how does it result into a break up?

genre: college au, break up au

word count: 3.8k+

warning: minor cussing, mention of anxiety, minor anxiety attack (passing out), mention of anxiety pills/meds, break up

note: the first sad fanfic i’ve ever written so i hope you enjoy :)

You're trembling at the sight of the audience from backstage, basically the entire university is present. Having anxiety and dreaming of becoming a performer is obviously not the best combination, you always need to have your pills ready in case of an emergency. You're completely used to performing in front of your classmates and a large crowd but they opened the theater until every seat was filled, you can barely see the people in the back.

The only thing that keeps you going is your best friend, he's always front seat at your recitals and other performances. Even when Yoshi's not physically there to cheer you on, you know he's watching from a FaceTime call with your moms. You've been best friends since freshman orientation, you've even thought you would end up together but there was someone else that caught your eye -- your current boyfriend, Hyunsuk.

Most people suspect that Yoshi's your boyfriend because he's always seen around you, but you don't blame them, it logically makes sense. Even you sometimes feel like Yoshi treats you as more than just a best friend. Hyunsuk tends to be busy on weekends which is totally understandable, you just wish he'd make the time and effort to see you perform just once. He's never been to any of your performances or recitals, you wouldn't be surprised if he was unaware of them. Your moms are concerned for your relationship but you repeatedly remind them it's no big deal to you and he's just a busy guy.

"30 seconds," one of the backstage staff whispers passing by you. You mentally prepare yourself for your last performance of the year. 'I can do this.' Is all you repeat in your mind. The only way you can survive is by searching for your silver haired best friend in the audience and he'll give you all the encouragement you need.

"You’re up," the same person from earlier whispers from beside you. You take a deep breath in and out to slightly calm down the rollercoaster of nervousness mixed with puke in your stomach. You make your way on the stage and before the song starts, you don't hesitate to distinctively skim the first row. Your eyes stop near the middle as you see Yoshi with a big smile on his face. He gives you his iconic thumbs up of motivation and the song starts.

You sing your heart out to the audience but caught yourself looking at Yoshi a bit too often. Then again, he's the only one out there that came for you. Not even your moms could make it because of how close the performance is to the holidays.

[7:09pm]

You gather your belongings from the dressing room and speed walk out of the hall. Opening the door to the main hallway, Yoshi is leaning against the wall holding a box of chocolates. You run up to him as his arms open wide, ready for you to tackle him. Your bodies clash together, pulling him into a tight hug. His head nestles into your neck as he mumbles, "You killed it as always, (Y/n)."

"Only because of you. You know I can't do anything without you around," you giggle. You both pull away from the hug then he takes your bag away from you, slinging it over his shoulder.

"What? Am I like your lucky charm?" He jokes and you both laugh but in the back of your mind you take it seriously, he technically is. Whenever he's watching over the phone, you make the slightest mistakes and just pray the audience doesn't notice. His live presence is much more comforting to you. "These are for you. I know you hate flowers because you consider them a waste of space in your apartment." He hands you the box of chocolates -- your favorite box of chocolates.

"Thank you. I'll finish these tonight. Do you wanna go for some cheesecake?" Yoshi and you celebrate after every performance with food or if he's feeling generous, he takes you out to go shopping.

"Ooh, I can't. I'm going out with Asahi and Jihoon. I'll make it up to you tomorrow though."

"There's no need to make up for it, the chocolate's enough." The two of you don't always need to celebrate with food afterwards. Maybe going back to the apartment and spending the rest of the night with Hyunsuk will be better anyway.

"You don't need a ride home?" He asks as you make your way outside of the building.

"It's across the street, I can walk." Perks of living close to the university means saving cash for food.

"Alright, you be safe. And don't forget to take your anxiety meds once he get home," he orders, throwing your bag at you. You say your goodbyes then part ways.

[7:32pm]

You unlock the door to your apartment and while taking your shoes off, you see Hyunsuk's daily pair. It seems like he casually threw them onto the floor with no care in the world. You neatly place them in an available cubby and put your shoes away in their rightful spot.

You walk into your room to see Hyunsuk passed out across the bed. You clean out your bag, putting your belongings away where they belong. While getting dressed into your house clothes, you hear movement from outside the bathroom. Walking out of the bathroom, you throw your hair up into a ponytail.

"When did you get here?" Hyunsuk asks as you join him in the kitchen.

"Around 10 minutes ago? How long have you been home for?"

"I came here straight after school. Where were you?" He casually responds, grabbing a popsicle from the freezer. "Out with Yoshi again?" He asks with a hint of annoyance in his voice, but maybe you're just annoyed with the words that came out his mouth. It's obvious he doesn't listen to a word you say. He really had no idea about your performance? Also, what's the reason for bringing up Yoshi in that way?

"I had my monthly performance," you bluntly say. If he really had no clue, there's no way you'd be able to tolerate his ignorance. The list of things he does that piss you off keeps growing longer and longer.

"Since when do you have monthly performances?" Your eyes follow his body moving from the kitchen to the couch. The TV flickers on and you notice his interest beginning to fade away like in any conversation you've had in the past.

"Can you please turn the TV off when we're talking?" You order him like you're his mother. Does he have even the slightest drop of respect? He treats you like his sidepiece, like you're there to entertainment him whenever he feels like it.

"Don't worry, I'm still listening," he responds with his eyes glued to the TV. His eyes haven't met yours since you've arrived.

Hyunsuk is your first boyfriend. You were never the type to date before college because the only thing occupying your mind was school. Although you started off clueless in relationships, after being with Hyunsuk for a year, you eventually learned the attributes to a toxic relationship and how certain behaviors are formed.

In the beginning, it was never like this, Hyunsuk did anything and everything just to gain your attention for more than 20 seconds, trying to win you over every day. You loved playing hard to get with him, testing his limits. One day, you gave in to him and his constant courting. The two of you became the happy couple everyone aspires to be.

"But I don't want coffee today!" You whine and jump a bit in place to show how desperate you are. "Ice cream please."

"Fine, only because I love you." The word 'no' doesn't exist in his vocabulary, at least when it comes to you. He feels bad when he sees how disappointed you get when things don't go the way you want. You and Yoshi walk through the campus on your way to the ice cream parlor nearby.

Acting like a child is a natural instinct to you. You're the youngest in the family so you were babied the most and those behaviors never faded away. You enjoy your foot to stay in the squares, never touching the lines as you walk along the sidewalks. Yoshi found your actions interesting and would sometimes copy you when he felt like it, other times he'd watch you from behind as your pace quickens.

"Do it with me," you say. It was supposed to come out as an order but the baby side of you stopped yourself. You take Yoshi's hand in yours to line him up to your speed. As you hop over each line, Yoshi walks beside you looking like a loser. "You're so lame. You owe me two ice-"

"Hey, (Y/n)!" Hyunsuk chirps from beside you, cutting you off. Hyunsuk's been convincing you to let him take you on a date for too long. Every day it's the same thing, 'How does this weekend sound?' 'Just one date.' It's not that you didn't want to go out with him, you'd actually enjoy it very much. You just want to test his patience, see how long he can last, and to what extent he'll go to.

You let go of Yoshi's hand and bring your hands to the straps of your backpack. "Uh, hi?" You act totally uninterested. You like to see him stutter and think of ways for you to say more than four words at a time.

"Did you tell Yoshi you want two ice creams? I can buy you two ice cream cones, if that's what you want." If someone is willing to buy you more than one of any kind of food, you're not passing up on that opportunity. Hyunsuk willing to pay for the food just to win you over is quite worrisome though, it's a sign of easy manipulation.

"I guess," you keep your response short.

"It's okay, dude. I can buy for (Y/n)." Yoshi says from the other side of you. He may have not gotten the message that this was a test for Hyunsuk.

"I just got paid, paying for her ice cream won't hurt," Hyunsuk throws a sassy smile at Yoshi. Hyunsuk runs in front of you to get to the ice cream parlor before you and Yoshi.

"You really got him using his money for you, huh?"

"Yup! You know, he seems to like me a lot," you state the obvious.

"Really? Hm, I don't know. To me, it seems like he doesn't even want to be around you," he sarcastically says.

"I kind of like him now," you blurt out.

"A Hyunsuk confession to me? That's a shocker." He's known about who you felt about Hyunsuk for a few days now. He was neither happy nor upset about the news, he must've seen it coming. "What? Are you finally going to answer him today?" He laughs with no idea that you've already created a plan before today.

"Um, yeah." Yoshi stops in his track but you continue to walk, not caring if he gets left behind or not. "Can you walk? I have ice cream waiting for me."

"You're going to tell him? Today?" He sounds absolutely shocked. It's hard to tell whether it's because he's afraid you'd abandon him or maybe he'll feel bad if things don't work the way you'd want.

"Is that not what I just said?" You walk back over to him and wrap your arms together. "Now, let's go."

The two of you walk over to the ice cream parlor and Hyunsuk's already waiting at a table with your two ice cream cones in hand. Yoshi orders his ice cream while you sit with Hyunsuk. "Thanks," you say as he hands you both cones.

"Yeah, no problem. I remember you always had strawberry ice cream at uni so that's what I got you," he flashes a cute smile.

"Do you not have some for yourself?" You ask and he shakes his head. A frown forms on your face, it's unfair that he's bought you dessert but left himself empty-handed. You extend your arm out and force him to take your extra ice cream cone.

"Are you free this Saturday night?" You blurt our before taking a lick of your ice cream.

Hyunsuk's taken by surprise, you're never the one to initiate any conversation that demonstrates interest but you had a sudden burst of boldness. His eyes widen and he begins to stutter, "Oh. I- Well- It's a weekend- Uh-"

You cut him off, his stuttering's cute but you want a straight up answer, "If you're not free, just tell me. We can figure out another day."

"Thursday night?"

"It's a date."

The date is what initiated your relationship, it was a new beginning as a couple and for you as an individual. By the end of the date, Hyunsuk's impatient self had asked you to be his girlfriend and you proudly said yes.

You can't put your finger exactly on when your relationship went downhill, all you know is leading up to your one year anniversary, things changed.

Hyunsuk started off sweet, caring, a whore for your attention but turned into an unsupportive and distant boyfriend. He never takes you out on random dates, walks with you to school in the morning, and most importantly, you don't sleep in the same bed anymore and if you were, there'd be a line of pillows separating you. You're the only person putting in the effort nowadays and it's tiring.

You snatch the remote from beside him and turn off the TV. "What the hell? Give me back the remote!" He slightly raises his voice but it doesn't bother you. He's done it way too many times for it to have any sort of effect you.

"Oh? You want the remote back? Here, take it." You rip the batteries out from the back and slip them into your back pocket. Mercilessly, the remote is thrown onto the couch next to him.

"What the fuck was that for?" He yells yet again. His eyes meet yours for the first time, his eyebrows furrowed and face burning red.

"I can't take this anymore! I've been taking your shit for way too long. What happened to you the past few months, huh? You are a whole 'nother person. You're not the Hyunsuk I met in literature class my freshman year," I scoff. "The old you would do anything to see me, spend time with me. Please, just tel-"

"What do you expect? People change, (Y/n)! Do you want me to stay the same for the rest of my life?" He has a point, people change but never to the extent where they begin to lose interest in their girlfriend's life.

"I expect you to act like my boyfriend! You're never there for me. I'm always at your dance recitals and soccer games but never have you been to one of mine." Your vision becomes blurry because of your teary eyes. "I- I'm so fucking tired. Tired of- of having to look in the crowd and not see my boyfriend's face. Do you know how helpless I feel up on stage? You're supposed to be my number one supporter."

"You have never mentioned your performances before. How was I supposed to know?" This is his excuse? That's the fattest lie ever made on the planet.

"What do you mean?" You raise your voice. Your voice is very unstable and so is your mind, you could break at any second. "I've been bringing it up even before we started dating. I'd tell you every month, 'I have a performance next week. Do you want me to buy you a ticket?' You always have an excuse, it always has to do with work or going out with your friends. Do you just not have time for your girlfriend?"

"No! I don't! I have a social life and I need to pay the bills. All you do is go out with that stupid Yoshi boy!" He had absolutely no business bringing him into this. Is he using Yoshi as an excuse to ignore his own girlfriend?

"Pay the bills?" You quietly say to yourself before repeating it as loud as possible, "Pay the fucking bills? Your money goes straight to drinking with your friends. I am the only one paying the bills here. Me!" His head lowers down from embarrassment because he knows he's wrong. Yes, he makes money, but where does it all go? To food and drinks with his friends the night after earning it. It's a complete waste of money and a complete waste of your time. Because of how much money he spends, you end up working night and morning shifts to earn the money that he's responsible for paying off.

"And what the hell does Yoshi have to do with this? The only reason why the two of us are together so much is because he actually makes the effort to support me. He's my best friend and you're supposed to be my boyfriend. Instead of being a jealous brat, bringing up his name in an argument that has nothing to do with him, why don't you try to act your part?" You say all in one breath.

Just then, you break down into tears. You were holding it all in for too long that the pain and frustration hit you all at once, bringing you down into a ball of tears. Your breathing was obviously uneven as you were crying but it soon became hard to breathe. Hyunsuk stayed quiet the whole time, not knowing what to say or do. Was he supposed to comfort you or let you cry on the floor by yourself? After listening to your constant hiccuping and sobs continuing for god knows how long, he kneels in front of you.

Your cries were longer than usual and from the sound of his voice, he was concerned. "(Y/n)? Di- Did you take your pills when you got home?" You shake your head in response. This is why Yoshi is always there to remind you to take your pills, he knows you tend to forget at night.

"Okay." Hyunsuk disregards everything that's been said the past few minutes to focus on you and your health, "We're going to stand up and get you to the bed." He holds you up from your armpits, lifting you up from the floor. Once all of your weight is on your feet, nothing.

You see absolutely nothing. Pitch black.

[9:12pm]

You open your eyes to face the ceiling and stretch your arms and legs. "You're awake," a voice from beside you says.

"Yo- Yoshi. What are you doing here? What time is it? Where's Hyunsuk?" The questions flood out as you have a hard time remembering what happened to you.

"A lot of questions, huh? It's a bit past 9. Hyunsuk called me and told me about the fight you had and how you passed out. He didn't know how to handle you so he asked me to come over and help. He also didn't know how you'd feel if he was the first person you saw," he lets out a soft giggle at the end.

You forgot about your fight with Hyunsuk. Everything's coming back to you: The annoyance, the slight confusion of his words. You know if he were to walk through the door right now, you wouldn't hesitate to pounce him.

"You forgot to take your medicine when you got home, didn't you?" He breaks your train of thought. He knows you so well.

"Ho- How did you know?"

"Who's the one to call you at 7:40 every night to remind you?" He asks pulling out your phone to show you a missed call from him at exactly 7:40pm. Sometimes, you learn new things about yourself, like how high maintenance you are to the point where you need another person to remind you of what to do every single day.

"I didn't have to take my meds. I just shouldn't have went off on Hyunsuk, then this would've never happened."

Yoshi sighs and gently pats your head, "We both know it was bound to happen. There just needed to be something to trigger it." Again, he knows you so well, a bit too well.

"Can you bring him here? I want to finish my conversation from earlier." Maybe you won't pounce him, you have absolutely no energy for that. But you do need this weight to be lifted off of your shoulders.

"Only if you promise to not attack him or yell at him," he holds out his pinky. You connect your pinkies and do your quick handshake.

"Promise."

Yoshi leaves the room and shortly after, Hyunsuk walks through the door sending you a soft smile. You pat the spot next to you on the bed and he respectfully and quietly sits, waiting for you to say something.

"I think it's time," you softly say. You avoid eye contact with Hyunsuk because you knew if you were to look into his eyes, all it'd reflect is pain. Even though he wasn't the perfect boyfriend, maybe didn't even act like your boyfriend at all, he loves you and no matter how he acts, you both knew that. You never stopped loving him despite how many times he angered and tested you.

"Can we please try again? I swear I'll be the perfect boyfriend to you, (Y/n). I- I was thinking while you were asleep, looking back at the past few months. You put up with so much shit that you shouldn't have had to go through and I'm truly sorry. I want to make it up to you by making things right," he says with hope in his voice. "Please, (Y/n)." You look up at him, he genuinely is sorry. The regret and pain in his teary eyes are strong, no one could see past it.

You take a deep breath to quickly recollect your thoughts, "I'm sorry, Hyunsuk. I'm not happy in this relationship anymore. This could be the time to better ourselves." You keep it short, not wanting to hurt his feelings even more.

"I- I don't get a second chance?" A tear rolls down his face.

"I've given you more than just a second chance these past few months. Maybe in the future we'll have a chance to try again together." You still love Hyunsuk. There's no such thing as a perfect relationship, there's bound to be mistakes and obstacles in the way to drive you apart. If the two of you are truly meant to be then you'll meet again.

"Maybe," he softly says. "Or maybe it's Yoshi that should be given a chance."