#{ also i do not care if we have a thread already i'm always down for multiple threads w/ people }

[lielove]

i know i've seen a meme for this before but idk where to find it but STARTER CALL !!

like this post and i'll shuffle my library and use a lyric from the song that gets selected for a starter.

EDIT ; 07/05 i'm gonna cap this for now ty to everyone for liking i will get to everything <3

[hawkinsbnbg]

Eddie asked Steve to help with his oral fixation, and Steve agreed.

tags: rimming, a dash of daddy kink & breeding kink

"You want me what?" Steve turned away from the TV to squint at his roommate.

"I have this thing call oral fixation," Eddie explained easily. "Which means I need to get my mouth busy all the time."

Steve hummed noncommittally and nodded in understanding. "I see, we can buy lollipops–"

Eddie cut him off with a chaste kiss that turned heated quickly.

"I think you're already sweet enough for me, angel." Eddie whispered once they parted with a transparent thread connecting their lips.

Blushing, he laughed weakly and pushed Eddie away. "Alright, I'm gonna help you, dude. Don't need to butter me up like that."

"I know you're my favorite for a reason, Stevie," Eddie grinned, all sunshine and rainbow again when he wasn't trying to shove his tongue down Steve's throat.

And Steve was too eager to help that it never crossed his mind friends didn't made out with each other and called it a day.

Since then, Eddie would just sidle up behind him every time he was in the middle of something, bend him over any surface that was available at the moment, tugged his shorts down, and eat him out.

Once Eddie was done, he would clean Steve up nicely, tucked him in, and walked away as if nothing had ever happened.

Leaving Steve staring in bewilderment and arousal.

They never talked about it. They just treated it as this special thing between them, their little secret.

It also helped that they lived together. More convenient for Eddie whenever his craving decided to act up.

Gradually, it became their routine, they could be watching TV on the couch and Eddie would flip him over, burying his face into Steve's ass before digging into it.

Steve never thought having someone rim him would be cozy.

But Eddie always managed to surprise him most days, and this was no exception either.

Sometimes, he'd get so comfortable that he just dozed off and then woke up feeling floaty with Eddie's fingers combing through his hair gently.

Or occasionally, he'd simply read a book while Eddie lapped at his hole for hours.

It felt almost domestic if he dared to say.

Things remained like that until one day, when Eddie kept licking at that bundle of nerves, Steve didn't even have time to react before he came.

His moan was loud and high-pitched, and Steve blushed terribly once he realized what just happened.

"Did I just...?" He glanced back at Eddie, wide eyed and disbelieved.

"You just did, baby boy," Eddie grinned at him like a shark, red tongue tracing the pearly canines that always painted reds and purples on Steve's cheeks and thighs.

Steve didn't know what to do. He had grown to enjoy the feeling of Eddie's tongue fucking him so much that he just had an orgasm due to it.

It should give him shame and

embarrassment, but all he felt was a burning need to fill the hollowness inside him.

He wanted to be full.

"Can I ask you something?" Steve licked his lips nervously.

"Yeah? What is it?" Eddie stroked his lower back soothingly, but those eyes were dark and heavy as they pinned him in place.

"Can you give me more?" Steve breathed slowly, the air was so charged that it was almost suffocating.

"More what?" Eddie raised a curious brow while petting his hole temptingly.

"More than your tongue," Steve bit out, muscles pulled taut and heart racing.

He couldn't help but arch his ass toward those calloused fingers, seeking and craving for more.

Without warning, Eddie slipped a finger inside him and proceeded to pull out and push in slowly.

"Like this?"

Steve gasped and tried to clench down on the thick and long digit.

Granted, he had fingered himself multiple times, but when Eddie did it, it just hit different.

Surreal, thrilling, and exciting were all he could sum up.

"Eddie," he moaned, breathless and needy.

"Yeah, baby?" Eddie added another slicked finger and if Steve wasn't too horny to care, he'd definitely remember that they didn't stash lube anywhere nearby.

"Fuck me," he rolled his eyes back as Eddie stroked that spot again. "Bet y– your cock would reach deeper, feel better."

"Jesus," Eddie let out an amused huff. "When did you become such a slut, hm?" He crooked his fingers, making Steve see the fucking Milky Way. "What did you do to my good boy who'd blush prettily every time I teased him?"

"Your good boy is asking you to fuck him," Steve whined and undulated his hips to chase after that toes-curling pleasure.

"Is that so?" Eddie chuckled and retreated his fingers.

Before Steve could complain, he felt something hot and thick slowly breached his loose hole.

By the time Eddie was seated fully inside him, he was drooling and cross eyed, being stuffed full and stretched to the seams.

"Still good?" Hot lips brushed against the shell of his ear.

"Y– Yeah," he slurred. "Sooo good."

Eddie was nothing he imagined. Somehow, Eddie was better than tongue and fingers could ever be.

"Gonna fuck you til you cry," Eddie murmured huskily, full of promise and hunger. "Gonna ruin you for good."

Steve couldn't say anything, mouth agape as the source of heat inside him started moving, dragging every little noise and breathy moan out of him.

He felt drunk, high, and stupid. If only he didn't chicken out every time he was about to confess to Eddie, then they could've had this sooner.

He'd have been railed to his heart's content, would've been allowed to taste Eddie's cock, would've had Eddie in his bed instead of having to jerk himself off roughly in his room after being eaten out by Eddie every time.

He had wasted so much time, missed so many chances.

"Love you," he mewled into his folded arms. "Love you so much, Eddie. Love your stupid cock, love your stupid tongue, love your stupid smiles."

Eddie cursed quietly and stopped moving. The lack of motions got Steve whine his complaint loudly.

"Did you mean it?" Eddie nipped the tip of his ear, voice so low and raspy that it almost sounded like a growl.

When Steve took too long to answer, Eddie snapped his hips and punched out a chocked-off moan out of him.

"Did you mean it, Steve?"

"I m– meant it," he nodded blindly.

Eddie pulled out and carefully flipped him on his back. "Say it again."

Now, they were face to face, Steve suddenly felt shy. He made grabby hands at Eddie, needing close contact to soothe his nerves.

Eddie's features softened visibly as he gathered Steve into his lap.

He cupped Steve's face gently and placed tender kisses on it.

Meanwhile, Steve couldn't stand the emptiness inside him any longer, so he grabbed Eddie's cock and impelled himself on it once more.

The new angle knocked his breath away, making him dizzy and delirious.

"I love you," he sighed softly, feeling more settled when he was full.

"Love you too, sweetheart," Eddie held him securely and kissed him fondly. "My pretty cock slut, aren't you?"

"Mhm," he wrapped his arms around broad shoulders and met those brown eyes, so sweet and loving. "All yours, daddy."

That was the last coherent thing he uttered.

Because as soon as he let the title slip, Eddie had railed him within an inch of his life until he forgot his own name.

At some point, he had convinced Eddie to take off the condom.

"Don't you want to knock me up, daddy?"

Apparently, Eddie was a huge perv and more than on board with Steve's baby fever.

Needless to say, they had had spent a long time in the shower later to help Steve wash out the cum.

But in Steve's opinion, it was worth all the trouble when Eddie got on his knees and ate him out until he cried and squirted messily on the tiled floor.

Afterward, once they both left the bathroom in fresh clothes and climbed into bed together, they had talked and kissed and giggled before drifting off in each other's arms.

Who would've thought helping out your friend would lead you to your happiness?

Definitely not Steve.

Not that he would complain when it led him to Eddie, though.

———

Anyway, I live for free use!Steve who's only available for Eddie.

Steve: *simply exists*

Eddie: Oh my god, all of this goodness just for me?

[syrena-del-mar]

The Nine Circles of Hell: Dead Friend Forever, Episode 7

First, a trigger warning: I'll be discussing themes of revenge porn, grooming, statutory rape, sexual coercion.

I'm going to discuss this episode with as much upmost care as I can, due to the sheer amount of sensitive material that came out of this week's episode I will also not being using any explicit scene screen captures from this episode. If there's anything you'd like to me to take out or want a more in depth conversation, feel free to use either of my message boxes.

Last week I said DFF had more to offer than just being a campy 90s slasher remake. While I first thought we were already in the depths of hell, thematically, with Non getting beaten by the mafia, I didn't expect this week's episode to somehow double that pain. But here we are. I was lulled into false security with the 5 minute montage of getting to know what Phee and Non's relationship was like. I should have remembered that I'm definitely watching the wrong genre when I expected more of those moments.

Non and Phee

This episode really continues and expands the idea that humans are not these clear-cut, unambiguous, good-or-bad beings that idea has now been depicted through Non and his relationship with Phee. Non has so much love to give and so much want for being loved, it's what leads to Phee in the first place, but it's also what leads to his downfall. Because Non loves so much and so hard, it's also why he wasn't ecstatic that Phee had to lie to his father and say that he was involved, just to get him out of trouble with the police. What started like a sweet date turns a bit bitter, because Non is seeing the consequences of his actions not only affect himself but also the others that he loves. It's also why he couldn't tell Phee about the sheer amount he owed Tee's uncle, because he was now well aware that if Phee found out, he would get himself involved.

Non lies and manipulates Phee, he tells him time and time again that nothing happened between him and Mr. Kreng. Non swears to Phee that he isn't lying to him and that he won't keep any secrets from him anymore. It pains him to do so, he's barely holding himself together by the end of a thread thread once he's Phee's arms and his face is hidden from Phee's view. Yet, he does. He keeps it a secret how big of a hole he has found himself in, because he doesn't want to drag Phee down with him. Non says it himself to Jin, he doesn't want to be burden, he'll figure it out himself. It's a direct parallel to the bigger issues that Non is finding himself in beyond just within the 'movie set'. He has the 300 million baht hanging over his head, his parents (in his point of view) regret having him and find that he does is bring embarrassment to the family, and now he has another adult willing to give him the 300 million baht with a fake sense of care. So he found, what he believes to be, a solution that would get rid of the 300 million baht debt and all it requires is giving up a piece of himself, but at least it won't come at a cost of burdening his parents or Phee.

In trying to protect Phee, his lies ends up costing him the one he loves the most, Phee. Now from this point on, this is all speculation, but when Phee accused Non of 'always doing this', I'm not in the camp that believes that Phee is accusing Non about being a serial cheater. I see why people are in that camp, but I initially jumped to that conclusion as well. Now, I'm more in the line that Phee is accusing of Non always feeding him lies, even after explicitly promising him that he wouldn't. After putting his neck out for him, after letting Non do things his way as long as he promised to tell him the truth, Non goes back to telling lies. Phee lashes out, and at the end of the day he's still a teenager, so he hits Non's weakest point. Just get lost and die. The very words that likely haunt Phee in the present-day, now as an adult. And Non's holds the broken bracelet, punishing himself, because he knew that there was no coming back from losing his lifeline.

Non and Mr. Kreng (Please keep my trigger warnings in mind, they will be heavily discussed in this section.)

Statutory Rape. Grooming. Coerced Sexual Relations. Nonconsensual Sex. Molestation. Sexual Assault. Sexual Abuse. Those are all words to describe the relationship that occurred between Non and Mr. Keng. Let's call exactly what it is. I think I'll lose my mind if I have to see someone another person call Non a cheater. There is no cheating when there is statutory rape.

Non is literally at the end of his rope, Mr. Keng clocked that immediately. He knew that Non was isolated, that he was completely othered by his classmates, he believes that Non has nobody else to turn to, and he knows that Non is in deep in a scam that target teens. In his eyes, he found the perfect victim.

Non is taken advantage of by a person in power, a person that he should be able to trust. Non isn't naïve, he clocked that Mr. Keng wanted something from him since the moment they first met. But he is vulnerable. He's being extorted by the mafia and he sees someone offering him the money that he needs to put an end to that. In his eyes, it was a way out, a means to an end that just cost him a piece of his soul. I truly think Non rationalized it to himself as prostituting himself, because he knew that money was never coming without a price. No matter how much Mr. Keng tried to sell it as 'brotherly' love.

But at the end of the day, it does not matter what Non believed or rationalized, because Mr. Keng was the adult in the situation. He had a duty, as a teacher, to protect Non and provide a safe classroom environment. Instead he target, manipulates, and coerces Non into having sexual relations with him. He knows the power imbalance he holds, first as a teacher and then with the 300 million baht he 'gave' him. Mr. Keng, knowing that Non's not close to his 'friends', physically isolates him. He takes him to his office that's half-lit, located in a long hallway with, seemingly, very little foot traffic. He prods at Non, asking what's been bothering him and has him visibly become emotional, before offering his care. He's a complete and utter predator, in every sense of the term.

I hope he dies a long, painful death.

Non and Jin

First and foremost, whether or not Jin was ultimately the one that posted the video does not matter. Filming a classmate being sexually assaulted is still child porn at the very least and, possibly, revenge porn (if he disseminated the video) at the worst. I was on the same boat as @respectthepetty and their take that Jin had to be the worst of them all. Like they said in that post, Jin is a coward and he even admits to it. There's nothing more cowardly than hiding behind a door, filming you supposed 'friend' getting sexually abused by your teacher, and then even considering putting up on social media for revenge because your heart is broken.

Yes, Top framed Non. Yes, Por demanded (and bullied) money from Non. Yes, Tee brought Non to the mafia. Those are all very bad things, don't get me wrong. All the physical and mental abuse they put Non through was hell. Yet, Jin was the only one aware that Non had already been seeing someone, which seemingly had upset him already. Then he sees him with Mr. Keng and instead of reporting that his alleged friend was being assaulted, he gets angry and films Non at his most vulnerable point in life. Even Fluke didn't want any part of that.

Jin takes away Non's dignity. And at the end of the day, it doesn't matter whether he uploaded it online or not, he was still the one to film, transfer that file onto his computer, and contemplate whether he was going to post it or not. At every point since he found that Non and Mr. Kreng were in that room, he rendered Non powerless. That video would have never been uploaded if it hadn't existed in the first place. With just a point of a camera and click of a button, he is revictimizing Non every. single. time. that video is opened and seen by another person.

There are no words to fully describe or explain that kind of trauma that he has subjected Non to.

Final Thoughts

This episode was nauseating. It honestly took me about two hours just to get to the end. Usually, I can watch through a show I enjoy really quickly, but this episode was so hard to digest. And that's simply due to how realistic they are approaching the subject of Non and Mr. Keng.

Barcode and Ta really are the stars of the show. I'm not saying that the other castmates aren't amazing in their roles, but man TaBarcode really know are hitting every single emotional beat. I was never a TaBarcode nor a MacauChay girlie, but man Be On Cloud has truly brought out their best this time around. Even though I fully know we are heading towards an incredibly heart wrenching ending for PheeNon, I can't help but want to hoard and scramble for moments of them together.

It's crazy how well, everyone was able to pull their weight this episode. There were so many moments that with less talented, less experienced actors, could have fallen flat, but they didn't. Ta and Barcode's PheeNon was so incredibly heart-beating, butterfly inducing before we were brought back into their reality outside of their relationship. 2J and Barcode's scenes were.... so disgustingly real, for lack of better words. I knew that storyline was never going to end well but it had been more than I ever expected Be On Cloud to release. They're tackling such real issues that weigh on teens with incredible tact, there's no romanticizing what happened. Even Phee's reaction was so understandable when you put yourself in the shoes of a teenager. I'll reiterate again and again, whatever you think about Be On Cloud as a management company, as a production company, they really are breaking boundaries and doing something right. Whatever happens in the second half, I think I'll be here, recovering, for a long time.

[jq37]

So, that lady FH episode was amazing and all, but...

Hoo boy, I already see the discourse around the Ratgrinders' fates forming and it is going to be painful. Be careful around the fandom space.

(I mean, resurrection is still on the table for them, but that's based on if the players feel like it and right now, we're looking at 50/50 odds at bests)

Yeah, don't worry about me. This isn't my first rodeo and also I post a lot about D20 and respond to asks I get but I don't actually personally engage with any of The Discourse (tm).

And I'm not really surprised at the reaction. I know people have been opinionated all season in two main camps (that have a lot of overlap): people dissatisfied with the narrative direction and people deeply sympathetic to the Rat Grinders to the point of being mad at the Bad Kids.

The first camp I mostly understand. I get wishing the cast would explore a certain storyline more. For example, I've been on the Aelwyn redemption arc train since literally the first episode of Fantasy High so I was a little disappointed that when that finally came to a head in Freshman Year, it was a big fight and then very little aftermath/unpacking because Aelwyn was sent to jail right after. And Sophomore Year hadn't been announced so I had no idea that she was gonna get another shot. But I wasn't upset or anything. Adaine at that point still hated her sister. She had no reason to want to reach out. And at the end of the day this is other people playing a game. Brennan presented them all the possible plot threads and they were most interested in self discovery, hanging out with each other, doing Shenanigans, and playing Tomb Raider re: Ankarna. Those are all options they were presented and it's not like they were doing crazy off-roading. It's well within the parameters of what D&D is. If you're gonna watch a show like this (or honestly any show), you have to accept that what's most interesting to you isn't always going to be the most interesting thing to the people in the driver's seat.

So yeah, I feel like this side of things I get (even though I'm fine with how things turned out).

The other camp--people being legit mad at the Bad Kids (and in some cases the actual cast) for treating the Rat Grinders like antagonists instead of victims that they were responsible for empathizing with and redeeming--I find kind of wild.

Like…you're mad at the kids who go to Child Murder School for killing kids who want to end the world and kill them specifically? Literally the first day of school the principal of the school says that adventurers are violent wanderers who engage in shenanigans and enact violence. This is the exact assignment they were given and that's what they're doing.

I think it's wild to at the same time believe that the Rat Grinders (who have killed people) are not responsible for their actions and deserve to be talked down while in the process of causing an apocalypse because they're just kids who were manipulated while at the same time calling the Bad Kids evil lunatics for trying to stop them by killing them (in a world where Revivify and Resurrection exist) even though they are ALSO kids who are doing what they've learned at Child Murder School. The Bad Kids have to be mature enough to thoroughly investigate the situation and have nuance about it but the Rat Grinders don't have any responsibility to not join a shady evil murder plan*? And do the Bad Kids really hate the Rat Grinders to the point where they're doing some overkill in this fight? Absolutely. But it's not like they're killing them because they hate them. They're killing them because they're trying to end the world--and they also happen to hate them. Are we forgetting that Kipperlilly killed Buddy--her own teammate--with a gleeful smile on her face? That was so out of pocket.

They're adventurers! Not guidance counselors! If Jawbone was like, "We need to kill these kids," yeah that would be weird but why would the Bad Kids extend an olive branch to the kids who (1) famously hate them, (2) killed at least one maybe 2 of their own party members, (3) endangered the entire student body population an hour ago, (4) are currently trying to end the world. Hell, Adaine was ready to be mean to her own sister in elf jail literally up until the point Brennan described how rough she looked from the torture and that's when she changed her mind. The Power of Love and Empathy is on the menu but it's a special item you only can get if you know the chef. Everyone else is getting a serving of These Hands. Just because you can find a vegan solution to a problem it doesn't mean you're obligated to.

This all comes down to, "Maybe teenagers shouldn't have godlike powers and the ability to play judge, jury, and executioner" but that's literally the premise of the entire show so you can't get around it without rejecting the show's entire premise. If they were like, "Hmm the systems that underpin our world are questionable and we should change the power structures" instead of, "Let's kill some bad guys!" then that's a totally different thing we're doing here!

And, idk man, this show has always had a Who Framed Roger Rabbit style morality where the normal rules of ethics stop applying when it's funny. They beat the crud out of Ragh and then lied to him that he shit his pants just for the bit. A pirate was rude/kinda racist to Riz so they scared him into killing himself. Riz ate the remains of the sentient (albiet evil) dragon he killed. That's all unhinged behavior but none of that is meant to be serious. Getting upset about Fig sending Ruben to hell to me feels like getting mad that Jerry hit Tom with a cartoonishly large mallet.

None of this is new so I have to assume that people are having a big reaction because they relate to the Rat Grinders or just really like them so it feels bad that the Bad Kids are treating them like fodder rather than beloved NPCs.

But again, this is a world where you can bring people back from the dead and the Rat Grinders have showed intent that is grievously neglectful at best and insanely murderous at worst so I can't muster a lot of sympathy for the fact that the Bad Kids are just taking them down without remorse. I don't think you have to try to empathize with the people who are trying to harm you if you don't want to especially while they are in the process of harming you.

(*And we still don't know how voluntarily they joined this plan. We don't know if they were killed and basically forced into resurrecting with rage or if they just leapt at the chance to join a plan that would let them get one over on their rivals. It literally could be either. We've had kid villains on this show strong armed into being party to evil plans by threat of harm (Aelwyn) as well was kid villains who just had their own selfish motivations and weren't tricked at all (Penelope and Biz). We actually don't have any clear answer on how culpable they are. We don't know if they all have rage crystals (except for Buddy). And we don't know how much having a Rage Crystal effects your actions. The best indicator we got is in this latest ep when Brennan said that there was a mechanic where Porter was going to call anyone with a rage crystal to fight for him but that says to me that he's only directly puppeting them when he uses that action and otherwise they have free will and are just angrier. The Bad Kids don't have a reason to believe definitively that the Rat Grinders are just unwilling puppets even if that is the case so of course they're treating them like enemies. Anyway, this is a whole lot of "I don't knows" but that's only because I've seen a lot of people talking like the Rat Grinders literally aren't in control of their actions but that's not info that we have. It could be true but we don't actually know that so it's not a good argument.)

[leiyahime]

[Tutorial] How to spin and chain-ply on your drop-spindle at the same time

I've seen this technique at the Lower Saxony spinning group meet-up in June and @disgruntled-lifeform has asked about it, so here is a tutorial. I'm not comfortable with having videos of me taken and no one to take the video anyway so I hope photos are enough...

Little diclaimer: I have only seen someone else doing this so I just pass this knowlegde on. I don't know where it originates. Also: I assume you already know how to spin a single and know the basics of chain- or Navajo-plying

It's really an intreresting technique. You spin and chain-ply in one go, no endless spinning and after that endless plying, which is very practical if you (like me) are no fan of endless spindle plying. Or if you only own one spindle for whatever reason - everyone knows spindles are gregarious animals and keeping only one is not appropriate XP

You need:

A drop spindle of your choice with a leader (Maybe one a little bigger than mine, since the yarn we wind on the spindle is a three-ply, which means it is thrice as thick as your usual single.

Fibres of your choice you want to spin

It's important that your leader has a loop at the end to pull your single through.

Step 1: Spin your single as you always do. *spinspinspin* You want to do that standing up as you need the single to be quite long:

Step 2: Then butterfly the single up on your thumb and forefinger to avoid tangling:

Step 3: Pull the single through the loop of your leader and unwind it from your fingers. At the beginning it's easier to sit down for this step until you get used to the finger movements. It's difficult to pull the single through the loop while holding the spindle in your hand and we don't want any broken fingers!

Step 4: Pull the single all the way through until just a little bit below the beginning of your unspun fibres:

Step 5: Then you just ply the loop together in the opposite direction from the direction you spun the single - just as most of you will do anyways while plying. The spindle wants to turn in the opposite direction by itself anyway. Make sure the new loop at the end stays open!

Step 6: Wind the plied thread on your spindle. Then secure it well on your spindle's hook. Take Care Of The Loop. It Must Stay Accessible for the next section of spun singles.

Congratulations you have your first section of chain plied yarn on your drop spindle.

Then you repeat the whole thing again and again: Spin a long piece of single - pull it through loop - ply - wind on spindle - secure the new loop at the end on your hook and then go on spinning.

It needs a bit of practise. The lady who showed us the technique said she had been afraid of breaking her fingers when she started learning this technique. But if you have spun and plied on your drop spindle before it should not be too difficult to master. Concentrate on what you are doing and learn how to manage thread and spindle. And if you really sit down for pulling the single through the loop you also get a little training for your legs by costantly getting up and sitting down again ^-~ And when you are comfortable with the whole thing you can also do it while walking around. I, too need more practise until I'm that far.

[turtlecleric]

I'm in Hell

SPOILERS FOR SYMPHONY CHAPTER 22 - THIS POST IS LONG YOU'VE BEEN WARNED

I'm so Unwell. I have never had any misunderstandings like the thing with Donnie, but I have been betrayed by someone who was my best friend for years, so this chapter... it's hitting me really, really hard.

---

When Leo first met Vi, he was studying her a lot. Remember the near-physical weight his scrutiny had felt like? You feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. ... like a pinned rabbit ... you see an obsidian edge beneath his smile that feels a little sharp as you lean into it.

And then later in her apartment:

[Leo talking] “…You know what really got me interested in talking to you?”

“What?” you ask, tilting your head. 

“Donnie came back from talking with April and he was talking about you."

This is literally Vi and Leo's first time meeting - I don't think Leo started to really hate her until after she started coming to the Lair and he saw how Donnie reacted to her presence, but he mentions that Donnie talked about her already. It's framed within Vi's mind as him being careful with his family. He's the leader, he's careful around new people, he wants to make sure she isn't a threat, etc. But even though this is before the touch thing started, there could've been the seed of hatred already there depending on how Donnie spoke about Vi to Leo.

---

He [Leo] peers at you like he can read your life story where it’s written on your soul. ... “…You don’t have a lot of friends, do you?” he asks, his voice soft and yet cutting you all the same.

and this:

[Vi talking] “I had a lot of fun tonight. I’d… like to have more nights like this one. To. To have a family. If I can.” “You can,” he [Leo] says

He knew from the first fucking time he met her that she was lonely. That she wanted friends, wanted a family, wanted to belong. He knew that better than anyone else in the family, not only because of her saying this to him but also because of how well he reads people and how much time he spent with her. He's the only one who has seen her in her apartment, too, caught her in those few vulnerable moments in her home. I'm so fucking angry.

There are so many times in the fic that... I can't even articulate... here's some quotes early on -> "you hate how much you like this guy [Leo]" and "you smile when you see [the text notification is from] Leo" and when Vi is sick in the store she says "I miss Leo" and on and on. And that whole fucking time! He was!! UGH!!!

---

When Vi agrees to make Leo some bread so that maybe he can get some of Donnie's apology cookies he texts her "ttyl i gotta go rub this in donnie’s face" and yeah that's him being a little shit as always, but it's ALSO proof of him using EVEN THEIR PRIVATE TEXT CONVERSATIONS as ammunition rile up Donnie.

---

Hey look! Bits that hit different/hint at more going on/might be Leo's mask slipping!

“How long do we hafta wait before she ain’t a guest anymore?” Raph asks, causing you to snort a laugh. 

“That’s up to Donnie,” Leo says, voice heavy with an undercurrent of meaning you’re not picking up on, causing you to look at him with a raised eyebrow. He smirks, reaching over to poke your cheek with his finger. “Y’know. He’s the one who met you first, and all that.” 

…Something tells you it’s more than that, but he’s good enough at hiding it that you don’t feel comfortable calling him on it in front of the others.

...

you have no idea how you fit in [to the family], and Leo had all but told you that the space is here, ready and emblazoned with your name on it. You don’t quite see it yet, even if he apparently does.

...

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. It’s complicated,” Leo says easily, and it’s only just, but you pick out the thread of iron bars in his tone, ready to come crashing down if you push even a little too hard. So, you don’t.

“Okay,” you say easily, causing him to get that piercing look he gets sometimes, the one when he feels more like a ninja than a funny turtle man who tries to see how many cookies he can shove into his mouth at once and sends you pizza rat memes at four in the morning. “…Dude, we’ve been friends for like, a week. It’s cool that you aren’t ready to spill your guts yet, you know that, right?” 

His eyes go sharp, but then he hums and smiles. You feel like you did the night you first met him, like there’s a test here and it’s in a language you don’t understand. It’s a bit uncomfortable, prompting you to grab your own drink and swallow a healthy bit of it just to have something to do.

...

[Vi talking] “…He [Donnie] seems lonely.”

Leo hums under his breath, cutting a portal that feels a little like home. “Well, lucky he has you, then.”

...

“Uh, I met her first,” Donnie says, scowling, while Leo just gives him a smug look. 

...

You do, however, lean in while the others are occupied, whispering to Donnie, “So, ten dollars, which one of them tops?” and laughing when he chokes. You catch Leo’s eyes and give him a devious grin, spying him look to Donnie with a curiously blank look before shifting to a catty smile of his own when he looks back to you

...

“One portal home for a lovely lady,” Leo says as he steps through, his face going a little flat when he looks over your shoulder to Donnie behind you.

...

Leo is… astonishingly quiet for a moment, his face blank of anything for you to read as he stares at the piece hard. Then he looks up at you, and you see an unusually capable person that doesn’t feel like your best friend, even as much as it feels like the real Leonardo, here for the first time for you to see.

...

[Vi talking] “I don’t… I don’t like keeping secrets. Or lying. Not from people I care about.” 

The weight of Leo’s eyes is almost physical. It makes you remember that he’s asked you to keep secrets, and your eyes snap to his, wondering if that’s the reason why he’s gone still like this. “I—I haven’t told anyone. About the ninja thing, or the Krang thing. I’d never—”

“I know,” Leo interrupts, threading his hand through your hair so he can cup your nape and press your forehead to his own. “I trust you.” You release a sigh of relief, nodding. “I’m just… thinking it might be time for us to repay that back.” 

You blink, gaze darting between his eyes. “I don’t… what do you mean?”

“We’re a pretty close-knit family. There’s a lot of… baggage. A lot of history. A lot of stuff we haven’t told you. And it’s… it’s starting to feel a little disrespectful,” he says, looking a bit displeased. “You’re one of us. It’s only fair.”

---

We all know about the constant comments Leo makes about being Vi's "favorite turtle" and "best friend" in front of the others/in the group chat. He talks in Chapter 22 about purposefully draping himself across her and pulling her close, hugging her, scenting her, touching her in front of Donnie to piss Donnie off. But there's all these other little things that seemed so innocent at the time and now I'm losing my mind wondering about each of them, wondering - is that something he did with malicious intent? How many nice things were ONLY done to piss off Donnie? There are so many times that he compliments her - for example:

“What? I can’t compliment my bestie and her fine legs?” Leo coos, reaching over and flicking your nose gently.

“Leonardo,” Donnie warns, folding his arms.

And I remember, during my second read through after I finished Chapter 20, being so happy and grateful that Leo was pretty consistently giving her compliments, because she deserves to be complimented and taken care of and loved, because she deserves good friends who hype her up, and this WHOLE TIME-

(Side note - that time that Leo complains she smells like Donnie's lab, he shoves her away and she falls to the floor. First read, it's just Leo being playful. Second read, I wonder... is that a little bit of his frustration getting out of him in a physical way? He shoved her to the fucking floor, and then, once Donnie shows up, Leo pats the cushion next to him for Vi to sit by him. Then he wraps his arm around her and pulls her in close to smell her. But that's only after Donnie shows up.)

When Mikey takes Vi's So-Shell profile picture -> “Wha—?” you start, only to feel Leo leaning in to smoosh his cheek against yours, the distinct feeling of bunny ears brushing the back of your skull. Once again, this is in front of Donnie. Plus it's for her profile picture, so that means every time Donnie sees her So-Shell profile he'll see Leo in the picture, too. Leo was also famously the first like on her first So-Shell post and gets her to always leave nice comments/emojis on his thirst traps.

When she comes to the Lair to practice with her viola, Leo offers up HIS room first, and only once she declines does he -> “Ugh, fine, you are so boring,” he says, and removing his arm, he shoves at your shoulders hard and pushes you through the portal. (Pushing her onto the floor, pushing her through the portal... he's kind of rough with her in the beginning, and I figured it was just because he's haha silly funny turtle man, physical comedy, joking around whatever but... again I wonder. Is he letting himself be a little rough as a way to express his true feelings?)

God, all these little things that... might have an ulterior motive and might not.

It's around the time Vi gets bruised up by that guy at the coffee shop that Leo seems to start actually acting like a real friend, in my opinion. “…You don’t even get how incredible you are, do you?” he asks, causing you to roll your eyes. “You seriously don’t see it.” 

The very next chapter he gets a glimpse of her being anxious over not being able to play, while she notices that he looks tired, invites him to listen to music and lets him sleep on her back, and in that chapter it says: you sit, quiet, letting him use you. My second read through, this line hit me hard because I KEPT noticing that she really does nothing but GIVE and I feel like she's constantly doing things to be useful to others. And now, as I'm skimming through a third time, it turns out that... yeah. Yeah. He was fucking using her. In Chapter 22, Leo says "then you reach out and touch me in a way no one has. You’ve helped me, even though I was just using you" and I'm thinking this is the moment that that really started. When she first let him sleep on her. And that's also the first time he churrs with her. After that, he gets her really nice sushi, and she thinks he's guilty for drooling all over for her, but I think maybe he was guilty because he's starting to realize how nice she is and how shitty it is that he's using her like that, even though he does continue those manipulative behaviors.

---

He sighs, his face going openly affectionate. “…You’re so…” 

What he thinks you are, you don’t know, as he chooses instead to pull you into a hug. You go easily, seeking the comfort of his embrace, hoping he can feel in your arms that you truly do mean what you said. 

“You know, instead of sorry, you should say—” Leo says, though as his face gets close to your throat, his mouth snaps shut and he goes still in a manner that reminds you a little of Donnie. 

“…Leo?” you ask, going to pull back from the hug to look into his face only to feel his hands go tight on your back, holding you close while he dips his beak to your skin and inhales. When he does pull back, he’s got a look of shock on his face that he quickly schools into something more neutral, but barely. 

This is where he smells Donnie on you for the first time, and the guilt he was starting to feel, the actual genuine affection he was developing for her, may have then been interrupted/overshadowed by his anger.

Vi was right to say she isn't gonna go back and examine every detail, because it's so fucking MUDDY! There are glimpses of true softness from him sprinkled throughout with him ALSO still hanging over her and doing shit that pisses Donnie off on purpose. And then of course the scene with Leo in the kitchen when he scares her, where we get the first big glimpse into his true anger about the whole situation, where we see him being sharp and cutting and dismissive and- I'm not going to paste in that whole scene, but he's so, so, SO angry. When she has that visceral, terrified reaction, he feels so bad (I do think he was genuinely, truly horrified that he scared her), but then he finds out that Vi and Donnie are (as far as Vi is aware) dating, followed by her telling him that Donnie misses touching his brothers, misses hugs, followed by Leo deciding to tell Vi about all the family secrets... so he's wrestling with this rage and jealousy, but he's also starting to really accept her as family (I think, since he shared the info about the Krang, about Lou Jitsu, about Casey, since he asked for her help)...

It kills me that, after that, he saw her trying so hard to help, like when she went to the library and got books on PTSD and fell asleep taking notes and she wakes up with a blanket covering her and a little blue heart on a note - he saw her doing that, on top of everything else she CONSTANTLY does for other people, for his family, and HE STILL, EVEN AFTER THAT, DOES SHIT THAT'S MANIPULATIVE. THE 4TH OF JULY PARTY, FOR EXAMPLE. “What she said,” Leo purrs, his fingers fluttering on your stomach as his eyes cut off to the side. He has a sharp look to his features that you’re a bit too drunk to dissect, so you just ignore it. He HAS to be looking at Donnie, here.

(Side note - we still don't know what Leo was doing when Vi was in the shower getting ready for the party... if anything. Maybe he really was eating cookies.)

It's at the end of the party that he smells sex on Vi, I think, for the first time. And the following chapter is when he starts avoiding Vi, and she goes to confront him and he says he's "Thinking about things. About what I want.” And THAT'S when he finally stops his bullshit. Ch 22 - "I stopped. Completely. After we talked in my room.”

---

I'm still working on fully re-reading Chapters 17+ until I make it back up to 22 and putting more thoughts into that post, but. Dear God. Sam is a genius and I'm so angry at myself. I had been so confused and angry with Donnie, when in reality he truly DID NOT KNOW about the misunderstanding between him and Vi. Meanwhile, as I'm fawning over Leo and so happy Vi has him and so grateful he's been such a good friend to her... he was the one using her, this whole time. I cannot believe it. I'm SICK with rage. I can't imagine how Vi could possibly... I can't... FUCK dude

[starillusion13]

FRIENDS!? Chapter 17

🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳🔳

Series ML

Pairing: poly!ateez × f!reader (An ATEEZ Office AU)

Genre: Mature, Angst, Yandere

Warning: mention of memories (nothing much just go with the flow).

W.C: 4k Network: @k-vanity

[Reblogs and Reviews are always appreciated. Thank you for reading and have a nice day ahead. Please always take care of yourself everyone.]

Hello, Can we be friends please?

>.<

The sun was high in the sky, casting a warm glow over the small town as a girl skipped along the sidewalk. your hairs bounced with every step, and your favorite pink dress fluttered in the summer breeze. you had just come from the park, where you had spent the morning reading your favorite book and collecting wildflowers. Clutched in your delicate hand was a daisy chain you had carefully crafted, each flower threaded together with love and care.

Your day was filled with joy. you stopped by the ice cream truck, exchanging a few coins for a scoop of strawberry ice cream that dripped down your fingers as you licked it happily. you watched as a butterfly flitted by, its wings a blur of color, and tried to follow it with your eyes until it disappeared into the sky.

As the afternoon wore on, you found yourself wandering towards your favorite place — Mrs. Kang's cafe. It was quiet now, with the lunch time to be over a few minutes earlier and your wanderings almost finished for the day and most of the students already on their way home. Curious and full of energy, you decided to explore a little. you spotted an open door that led to a staircase and, on a whim, began to climb. Up and up you went, your small feet pattering against the steps until you reached the top.

The door to the rooftop was slightly ajar, and with a gentle push, you stepped outside. The view took your breath away—the whole town spread out before you, bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. The breeze was cooler up here, ruffling your hair and bringing the scent of fresh air.

But you weren't alone. As you wondered further into the rooftop, you noticed three boys sitting near the edge, their legs dangling over the side. They were deep in conversation, laughing and joking with each other, unaware of your presence at first.

you hesitated, clutching your hand bag tightly. you didn't want to disturb them, but you were also curious. Gathering your courage, you stepped closer, your small footsteps making soft sounds against the concrete. One of the boys, the one with messy brown hair that fell into his eyes, noticed you first. He nudged the others, and they all turned to look at you, surprise flickering across their faces.

"Hi," you said shyly, your voice barely above a whisper.

The boy with the bright smile was the first to respond. "Hey there," he greeted warmly, his eyes twinkling. "What brings you up here?"

"I was just exploring," you explained, holding up the bag. "I brought Mrs. Kang some cookies from my orphanage."

The boy with round glasses adjusted them slightly and smiled. "Then what are you doing here? She must not be at the rooftop, waiting for someone to show up with her orphanage cookies." It was evident that he was not liking your presence right there.

you nodded eagerly, your initial nervousness coming back. "It's just I couldn't find her downstairs. And, I thought maybe this is the place where I can get her."

The third boy, who had been watching you with a curious expression, finally spoke up. "That's cool. What's your name?"

"y/n," you replied, gaining a bit more confidence. "What are your names?" you asked hesitatingly, not sure if they are even willing to extend the conversation – let aside, giving away their names to someone on whom one has a distaste already. But the other two boys were having glows and charms on their face on meeting you.

The boys exchanged glances, then the one with the bright smile spoke again. "I'm Yeosang," he said, gesturing to himself. "This is San," he pointed to the boy with the glasses, "and that's Wooyoung," he finished, nodding toward the boy with the messy hair.

you repeated their names softly to yourself, then smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, y/n," Wooyoung said, returning her smile. "Do you come here often?"

you nodded your head. "yes, this is like my second home. It's really nice up here." You smile to yourself, "I like to spend my time here with her, sometimes before returning back home."

"you mean orphanage." San scoffed and you glanced at his attitude. He was rude for no reason. Whatever, the other two were too nice and it was okay to avoid the third one. You averted your eyes from him to the other two grinning ones.

"I have never seen you before," Yeosang said with a grin. "We come here after school sometimes to talk. Also, this is my aunt's shop." The surprise in your eyes was not missed by them and they chuckled at your adorable reaction.

"Do you want to sit with us?" Wooyoung offered, patting the space beside him.

you hesitated for a moment, then nodded. you carefully walked over and sat down next to them, your legs swinging freely above the ground. you placed your things on your other side, their smiles seems like a symbol of your newfound friendship.

As the evening breeze picked up, the three of you chatted and laughed, San was just sitting quietly in the distance and often glancing at you all. No one knows what was going on in his mind but one thing was sure that he was not liking your presence in their peaceful circle. you telling them about your day and the boys sharing stories of their own. The rooftop, usually a quiet retreat, was now filled with the sound of your voices and laughter.

When it was time for you to leave, you stood up, your heart full of happiness. "Can I come back tomorrow?" you asked hopefully. The next days were weekends and the orphanage gives you more time than other days to spend your days in a bit relaxing way. It's only possible because you are in middle school now.

"Of course," Wooyoung replied with a smile. "We'll be here." Yeosang nodded at his friend's words but the third was not having it for good. He scoffed, "we are supposed to meet them tomorrow."

"it's okay. We can go later." Yeosang told him and turned towards him, his lips automatically curling up to a sweet angelic smile.

Wooyoung clasped his hands in excitement, "we got a new friend. We gotta tell them too."

San rolled his eyes and stared at you when you exchanged some sweet words and smiles with them. He hated your entire existence at this point. There is no need for any more friends when they have each other --- a girl as a friend --- a big NO.

"So friends?" Wooyoung extended his hand towards you, a bright smile plastered on his face. You quickly held his hand, a comforting hold, an innocent promise was made, "friends." you said in your softest and friendly tone.

"forever?" Yeosang placed a hand on your shoulder, mirroring the same expression as yours. You nodded and smiled wider, "forever."

San stood up, getting a proper look of his outfit, he slid the bag over his shoulder. He glanced at you and then to his friends, "we should go back home. It's getting late."

"will you not be her friend?" Wooyoung asked him.

San poked his inner cheek with his tongue, "no. it's nonsense."

"but you are still my friend." You told him innocently.

He glared at you before turning his back at you, "whatever."

you waved goodbye and skipped toward the door, your spirit lifted by the unexpected encounter. As you made your way down the stairs, the warmth of the sunset still on your cheeks, you knew you had made three special friends that day—friends you couldn't wait to see again. Well, safe to say two.

The friendship started when you were thirteen years old. You were like an innocent flower blooming in between the two boys, Wooyoung and Yeosang. You all still laugh at your interaction with Wooyoung at the café after your first meeting with them at the rooftop. Two weeks later, you were returning from school, when you wanted to give a visit to the café but Mrs. Kang was not there so you were just standing in front of the glass display section with all the collections of display. The thing, you didn't notice that your presence was noticed by the three boys sitting and conversing in the corner of the place. The youngest one of them happily approached you but somehow, his different look with the different hairstyle was making him unrecognizable. He got the idea that you wanted to buy one from there and when you pointed to the choco red-velvet cupcake, he was more than happy to buy it for you. But weirdly, you ran too fast from there, before Yeosang could approach you two.

Surprisingly, the next day, you went to that same café and it was late afternoon. You knew they would be there because that was the time they usually return from their school. And, you were not alone, Mr. Kim was there along with you and he was buying you a few things for your upcoming birthday. Your orphanage celebrates every individual's birthday. And, you bought a special gift for Wooyoung, not missing the other two in mind.

You met the three boys in the streets, going towards the café and your innocent-self ran towards them with the paper bag in your hold, handing them their gifts and thanking Wooyoung for the treat.

It was really a pure and sweet friendship. A childhood friendship deepening and tightening with every passing day.

It's the last year of your middle school and your friendship with the guys was more than a year. Before the finals, you heard that they were going to change their schools and initially you were so heartbroken that your friends would be leaving the town but surprisingly they were happy for some reasons and you didn't know a single thing about their thoughts.

So in the last days of your last year of middle school, whenever you went to school, you avoided them after the departure. As usual they used to wait for you on the bench beside the cafe but you ran past them in a hurry.

"Hey, wait!" A young boy yelled and your feet immediately came to a halt. He was panting and sweats dripping down his forehead. When you saw his face, you felt him familiar. Not like you know each other, you have seen him. The ground beside your orphanage where he plays basketball with his friends, the other boys live in your neighborhood but you don't know where he lives. You don't mind them playing there, neither you were attracted to anyone or wanted to get along but you loved this particular boy, more specifically his smile.

It was a healing one, a comforting and sweet one. The gummy smile which was not visible on any other boy's face over there. And the same way he was smiling at you at the moment.

"You?" You asked him curiously, what to ask him more. Neither you know his name, about him or what's the person stopping you for. He was in a different school uniform than yours and upon realizing it's the same as Wooyoung.

He patted your shoulder and chuckled, "myself, Jongho. You are y/n, right?"

You nodded slowly, still confused with his approach. He even knows your name.

"Here, take this." He hands you over a paper bag. Without further thought, you grabbed it and looked at him again. "Woo and Yeo told me to give it to you. I suppose you are their friend whom they talk about a lot. Nice to meet you."

Ah! So he is their friend. Your guess was right somehow. As you are ignoring them because they might be leaving this town soon and you don't want to get attached to them anymore to feel lonely after their departure.

"What is this?" You asked him, he was smiling all the way at you. You didn't even know why he was still waiting there after giving you the bag, he nodded and chuckled at you.

"That's for you to find out." He tilted his head to the side and raised a brow, "I heard you are ignoring my friends for some reason but I hope this gift will help your day."

"Why?"

"Just go back home and find out."

Staring at each other for a while, you turned around but as you were about to cross the road, he asked you again.

"Do you want to come to watch my match?" He asked you hopefully, excitement in his eyes. When you looked at him, he spoke again, "today your finals ended so a bit of fun won't harm, right?"

Right. You so want to watch his smile. Like the way he is grinning at you now. You smiled back in return.

"So, you coming?"

"I guess the usual timing?" you asked.

He nodded and ran away. You chuckled and crossed the road. Your days are filled with joy and happiness.

The last thing you would expect to be met with a letter, a cupcake and a pretty dress inside the paper bag. After freshening up quickly, you glanced at the clock, you have enough time till his evening match and now you got on your bed, shuffling towards the headboard and leaned against it, to read what's the content of the letter.

'Hey! Are you mad at me? I'm so sorry to make you feel so low. Actually, it was supposed to be a surprise but after seeing you so down everyday and avoiding us made me realize that I should let you know this. I am definitely leaving my previous school but I'm not leaving the town, promise. Don't be mad at me. there's a surprise you will get on the first day of your high school so please wait for it and don't be sad.' --- your Woo.

Your gaze trailing down to the last line written below...

'The dress is from me --- Yeosang. I saw Wooyoung bought a cake for you and I didn't know what to give you but I hope you liked it.'

There's a cute little character drawn beside the writing.

Your smile grew wider and you laid on the bed, smiling and feeling excited with the gifts and also, they are not leaving you alone in this town.

You didn't know when you feel asleep on your bed, clutching the letter in your fist and the paper-bag lying on the floor beside the bed until Mrs. Stella came knocking at your door, groaning at the sound, you rubbed your eyes and glanced at the clock, it was already late for you. Fifteen minutes to go.

"Y/n baby." The lady's soft voice made your head turn towards the door when you jumped out from the blanket and ran towards it, to reveal her standing there all in an elegant dress as always. Her warm smile and welcoming gestures pulled you in a hug.

"Why did you lock your door? I got so scared."

You nodded your head in understanding and pulled apart to give her a smile, "I'm sorry. I won't do it again. But I have to leave right now or I will be late."

"to watch the match?" she asked you softly before pulling apart, watching you pulling out a dress from the wardrobe and placing it on the bed, also setting the favorite pair of shoes at the side of the doorframe.

You smiled and nodded, "yes. He is probably my new friend."

"He will be your best-friend because you are such a sweet girl. I will pack some cookies for him." she said and sat on the chair when you went inside the washroom to change into your outfit. After coming back to the room, she helped you to tie your hair and left you alone in the room to pack the snacks.

It was a quick action and there you were standing at the main gate, your Mrs. Stella placing a soft kiss on your forehead. "you haven't introduced me to your other three friends and now this fourth one. Invite them over a picnic, I want to see those nice boys who befriended the sweet girl like you."

"I will. But later, now we should be just secret friends."

"why? Are you in love with one of them?" she wiggled her brows.

You whined loudly, stomping your feet, "what...nooooo. I just don't want them to know exactly where I live."

"It's okay. Be safe."

.

.

.

The playground is surrounded by protective fences so that intruders can't go inside whenever and from wherever they want and so they have to take either of the two entrance gates. The street by the side of the ground, where people often glancing at the boys screaming at each other just for the sake of the games. Their sweaty bodies and faint curses whenever they were losing points, especially everything was attractive in that zone.

Just like that, you were standing at Gate 1, where most of the people can enter to watch the matches and the security can keep track of the people entering the ground.

"y/n!"

The sudden voice made you look towards the direction from where a young boy ran towards you, all the way smiling and sweating. The corner of your lips lifted up and he stopped in front of you. His fingers quickly wrapped around your wrist and pulled you towards the benches where you could sit and there were already four boys sitting gossiping among them. You couldn't see their faces because they were facing their back towards you but their laugh echoed in your ears. Two voices were familiar.

"you kept your promise, y/n. thanks for coming." Jongho finally let your hand go when you were almost near the benches. You smiled and nodded your head, handing him the paper bag packed with cookies. "What's this?"

"a gift." You chuckled and added, "I am not one to turn down someone. You were expecting me so I had to come. Moreover, I love watching people enjoying their favorite thing."

"You love watching me?" he raised his brow.

Your palm pressed over your lips, laughing lightly, "no silly. I love watching you play basketball."

And again. His gummy smile shining brighter than the lights of the posts.

"y/n?"

Turning around quickly, you came face to face with the boy whom you missed all these days. Wooyoung stood up from the bench and ran towards you, engulfing you in a tight hug. To your surprise, he planted a kiss on top of your head and you didn't even complain about it, rather you closed your eyes and melted in his arms, feeling protected and loved.

"so, this was your surprise, Jongho?" Yeosang asked and folded his arms below his chest. Quickly smiling when he caught your eyes at him. The youngest nodded and caught the ball which was thrown by his other friend. Your gaze quickly fell on the new tall boy, he looked so squishy and soft and there was another tall boy whose arms were drooped over him with piercing eyes and they both were watching you keenly. They were curious and it was all visible on their features, neither of them was smiling but looked as if they had so many questions.

"Who is she?" asked the boy with round eyes, who removed the arm around him and glared at the other boy who was trying to tickle him. "never seen her before." The boy was wearing a white t-shirt like Jongho was wearing a black one unlike others who were in denim and stylish clothes.

Jongho stood beside you, smiling at them before sending you a comforting smile and you did the same to them, "she is our new friend. Her name is y/n." he turned towards you, "that's Yunho and the other one is Mingi."

y/n.

the name clicked inside their mind. You can't be the one they are thinking of. Right?

"you mean..."

Wooyoung laughed loudly, "yes, Yunho. she is our y/n."

"well..." now you finally started speaking, "nice to meet you two. Don't be awkward with me. I'm just your friend so let's settle down to watch the match."

"Yunho is also playing today." Mingi said and smiled when he watched you turn to his friend in surprise.

"you are our best-friend, y/n." Yeosang always corrects you with this word. You nodded and took a seat on the bench near you, the five boys were all following your movements as you brushed your dress and neatly placed the bag beside you and combed your ponytail with just fingers. You were like an angel under the post-light. None of their eyes were leaving your form. They were getting lured by you.

It's only because you were the pure, the only light in the darkness of their life.

They were drawn like a moth to a flame.

Your gaze stopped on them, "all the best Jongho and Yunho."

It would be a lie if your cheering voice didn't skip their heartbeat.

The two players gave exciting nods before running towards their field. The three left with you settled down around you, not speaking anything just watching you enjoying the match. You didn't know anything about basketball, just that the team has to score points by putting the ball into the net and preventing their opponents from interrupting them. That didn't matter the fact that you were enjoying watching your friends winning the game.

And, the real win was for three others who were just ignoring their two friends and watching your giggles, laughs, cheers, and excitedly standing up whenever one of them scored points. Once when you turned towards them, you caught them staring at you but you thought it was because you were jumping on your feet like a kid, "I so want to come here often."

"Then you can come here every Wednesday and Friday." Mingi answered you quickly.

You nodded and pressed your lips in a line, "I can't. the orphanage and Mr. Kim won't like me going out so much."

You didn't get anything in reply. The attention went back to the match.

But little did you know the three boys around you shared looks among them. Innocent? Sad? Sympathy? Worry?

Nah. It's far from that.

The hatred.

They hated the fact that you can't come anywhere anytime.

Even if you think they don't know you, they are just your new friends you made by chance. You are so wrong for that because you are just falling into every trap that they are laying for you and without doubting, you are following them with a smile on your face.

"How was the match?" Wooyoung poked your cheek from beside you.

"It's good. I didn't know I would enjoy it so much." you looked towards the two players coming towards you, "Congratulations for winning. But I have to go now or it will be late."

Yunho held your wrist, "can't you stay a little bit more?"

"I wish I could but I'm not allowed to stay longer." You smiled at the end of your reply.

Yunho just nodded in agreement and dabbed his face on the towel. You picked up the paperbag from the bench and extended your hand towards Jongho who came closer to you after wiping off the sweat from his face.

"Take this. I brought this as a friendly gesture for you and thought maybe one or two of your friends would be here but I guess it would be too less for all of you."

He chuckled and shook his head, "hey! Don't worry about that. It's enough that you brought a gift. Let's just be friends and we can treat ourselves to much more. And thank you so much for this."

"Yes. If only you all had been in my school, we could have hung out together every day." You folded your hands under your chest.

"We can." Yeosang brought your attention to him, "we will wait for you in front of the cafe and then we can spend time there. That's the best place for us because it's even closer to your place."

"You all will wait?" Your eyes lit up with surprise.

Mingi smiled at your cute face, "of course. After all we are friends, right?"

"We are best friends."

[the next two chapter are ready to post but i'm not feeling like to post right now please tomorrow i'll make sure to post it as the first thing in the morning.]

NEXT

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Taglist :

@mymoodwriting @justhere4kpop @vvshere @anyamaris @yeoobin @wooyoungmybelovedhusband @brrrkdslek-personal @icchyi @jwnghyuns @piratequeen-queenofgames @luhwaine @ilove-taeyong @dinonuguaegi @endeav0rsb1tch @loveforred @hwanring @sanwifesstuff @kiwiisnthereoops @kiwiraccoon @sousydive @aliona124754 @tunaasan @iykyunho @jennifermakmur

(open! dm me/ send ask/reply here)

[bhaalble]

While I'm on my script doctor shit: I want to talk about Karlach.

Karlach's not dealing with the same level of narrative neglect/hasty rewrite fingerprints that Wyll is. As a standalone entity, her arc works. I Am Not Immune To Weeping at the Post-Gortash Fight Scene etc etc. But it does feel oddly discordant with the other companion quests. Karlach doesn't really experience any moral evolution or make meaningful decisions. When we meet her she's a kindhearted friendly hero, and she will be that regardless of whether she dies in Faerun or goes back to Avernus. She's incredibly likeable while she does that, and I also don't want to come across like I think her writing is shallow. But in a game where all the companion quests follow a pretty intentional pattern regarding the cycle of abuse, it sticks out like a sore thumb to me that the resolution of the Gortash plot doesn't really impact her character arc one way or the other.

As always I feel compelled to point out that this isn't me going "actually she's secretly a bad person and the game won't admit it". This is more me attempting to mine some more in-depth conflict, using the existing arc as a template. With that in mind, these are the changes I would make:

-Make the use of Soul Coins MUCH MORE of a character point. With how much attention is drawn to acquiring these things for the first time and a special dialogue choice for whether or not you'll have her use them, it feels very much like a dropped thread that it doesn't really go anywhere storywise. Leveraged correctly I think this could've been the chance to show a crack in Karlach's persona. She's your big loveable attack dog who's been having the worst decade, yeah. But she's also a survivor, who's not only been deployed into an endless conflict but who also hasn't had a single person she can trust other than herself. I think you could make more of a thing about how the conditions she lived in in Avernus forced her to make her peace with occasionally stepping on other people, even some innocents, so she could live to fight another day. There's shades of this in some of her conversations with the tiefling refugees already, she mentions to Dammon that she felt like she couldn't really do anything for Elturel. Push into that guilt, and with it, that denial. Have ten years spent with devils maybe just maybe given her a slightly more removed view of the value of a life that isn't her own?

-Whether the player feeds her Soul Coins or not I think it should be specified by Dammon that her routine use of them during her time in Avernus has sped up her engine breakdown by putting it into almost permanent overdrive. Its a damnation of Zariel (who probably knew what the coins were doing, but didn't care) and a startling moment for Karlach, that there are consequences for being cavalier with the souls of others. High Approval Karlach either asks to stop taking them (if the player has been giving them) or thanks the player for encouraging her to hold off. Low Approval Karlach will ask to keep taking them on the grounds of "in for a penny in for a pound", arguing that they can't afford to lose the advantages the player has seen it gives them (if they have been giving them) or becoming frustrated that the player is judging her and what she's had to do to survive (if they haven't).

-Make the reveal that the Steel Watch run off infernal iron MUCH MORE emotional for Karlach, as she realizes she was an experimental run for Gortash to do this. Double down on this when the player discovers that they have corpses inside them (also, put this reveal before the Steel Watch foundry quest can be completed). Its both horrifying on a gut level to find out the stupid evil reason for all her suffering...but also she can't help but feel culpable for LIVING. If she hadn't been strong enough to survive it the experiment might've ended there. Its not true but it is one of the worst thoughts you can have when you've just found out you're going to die anyways.

-I would make the relationship between Karlach and Gortash much more mutual and much more (initially) positive relationship. Have him be genuinely glad to see her, genuinely impressed that she survived the hells. Its what he always liked about her, her grit, her ability to face down impossible odds and come out the victor. Compliments that would've made her happy back in the day and now feel like a punch to the gut. Its all build-up, though, to the Choice which will define Karlach's route.

-By virtue of his experiments Gortash has gotten very good at working with Infernal Iron. And he believes he can fix Karlach's heart, in exchange for her basically taking up a more elevated version of her old job. He could use a bodyguard powered by hellfire and with a strong understanding of devils. Its also, just good optics for his man of the people image to have his right hand be some outer city kid elevated to greatness. He makes a lot of promises in that moment: she won't die. She'll get a chance to have a LIFE back, but now a life with all the power and security she could ask for. More than that, they could change things in this city. Give its residents better lives, improve things for all the little Karlachs out there. And after that...who knows? The Hells might be ripe for some conquest back. Gods know they've both got old scores to settle

-She takes time to think about it, and talk with the player. In addition to all the other hang-ups she might have this is where the Steel Watch comes up again, with her feeling like she's poisoned by that knowledge. A player trying to persuade her into taking the deal can point out, in the end its not so different from soul coins. Why draw the line now. If this Persuasion check is passed she can note that at least they could afford to be choosier with their victims, putting the worst baddies to use for the protection of everyone. That wouldn't be so bad....would it?

-You meet Gortash for a final time. If persuaded by the player to not take the deal (or if left to choose for herself with High Approval) Karlach will kill him where he stands. His soul rises in the form of Bane's Chosen and you have a proper boss fight. If persuaded to take it (or left to her own devices on Low Approval) Karlach will take the deal. This will mean losing Karlach from the party (with the exception of the House of Hope mission where she will appear Jaheira style) as she will be busy protecting Gortash. The player gains custom armor from Gortash and an assembly of Steel Watchers they can summon in the Final Battle.

-If she doesn't take the deal her endings play out pretty similarly to how they do in canon, either dying or returning to Avernus. This time, however, its with a new lease on life (or death). She's gotten to choose to be better than the things that dropped her here. She's still scared, still angry. But she's also proven something to herself. That Zariel and Gortash and them were wrong about her, and that she is much more than the mindless weapon they wanted to turn her into.

-If she takes the deal it unlocks a new ending for Gortash. Rather than come to the Elder Brain himself he will instead give you his Netherstone as a show of good faith, trusting you to take the chance to subdue the Elder Brain for your mutual rule.

-If the Player subdues the Elder Brain you and Gortash move it back underground, pretending to have defeated it and using the fear created by the mind flayer outbreak to rule the populace. Karlach in the Epilogue talks to you about how the two of you are making massive moves in the city. She seems to be trying very hard to convince herself at least most of the changes are positive....from a certain point of view.

-If the Player destroys the Elder Brain, Gortash skips town and takes Karlach with him rather than face his disgrace. In the Epilogue Karlach says he's starting to rebuild in another city state, "not tellin you where, though. Don't really think I want to have to fight you if you decide to come smash this one too....even though I'd definitely win." She seems extremely worn down in this ending and trying to cover it up. Gortash lost a LOT of favor with Bane having his plans blow up in his face like that and its made him. Snippy. Still, "its a living. And it probably wouldn't even be that if it weren't for him." The player can hint that it may be time for her to start moving on to a better environment, and she says only if she can find someone to do a more permanent fix for Ol' Rusty. Gortash still has to do check-ups almost monthly to keep her stable.

-She still keeps in touch with Dammon, though....who knows. He might have some new thoughts after seeing all the blueprints Gortash has drawn up....

[a-small-writer-in-a-big-world]

Here's a little angst snippet from the Captain John Price x medic!reader fic that I want to write. Unpolished and bad tbh but this isn't meant to be a finished thing lol

Warnings: established relationship, angst

"I'm not going to have this conversation with right now." You stated firmly as you looked away from him.

"Why?" Price demanded and you let out a huff of air as you stared up at the dusk sky.

"You know why! We talk in circles about this all the time; we both love each other and we both want to open about it but neither of us are willing to quit our jobs!"

Price gripped the wooden railing of the bridge and shook his head with disbelief. He knew you were right, of course he knew, but no matter how many times you both argue he could never get over the circumstances of your forbidden relationship. It always struck a cord, especially when the two of you were together on leave and being in Las Almas didn't help.

He knew deep down that there was no other option but to keep it a secret but he didn't want to let go of the hope that maybe there was a chance.

He didn't want to believe that neither of you could truly ever be together.

"The boys won't care." Price offered but you shook your head. "They already think there's something between us."

"Only because we've slipped up multiple times around them." You pointed out and clenched his jaw.

Price huffed with frustration and he crossed his arms. You were right again and he knew that it was a problem you both had started slip up after nearly a decade of sneaking around. It was starting to weigh on both of you that this was going to be your life together.

There was no happily ever after.

You both were happy together but it also hurt you both to continue to do this number for as long as you both have. And yet, neither of you could let go of the other; how could he love someone else when you existed in the same life as him?

Price let his arms drop beside him and he swallowed the lump in his throat.

Silence cut between you both as you listened to the nightlife of Las Almas, the promise of a get away from work ruined because neither of you could truly enjoy your time together if the team was present as well.

"I wish we could be public about our relationship." Your voice was wavering slightly as you looked at the fading sunset before you glanced at him with tears in your eyes that made the breath hitch in his throat. You took a deep breath but he could see that you were holding on a thread and it took everything in him to not pull you into his chest. "And it hurts to have to keep it a secret."

"I know, love." He said in a defeated and soft voice as he himself felt his throat start to tighten.

You rarely said it, even when it was just the two of you, but he could see it in you. It was in the way your eyes dimmed when you couldn't touch him, the way that you seemed to shrink into yourself when someone tried to flirt with him and you were forced to stay quiet. He saw the way you faltered when you had to tell others that, no you weren't seeing anyone when he was standing next to you.

It hurt him just as much to not hold you or to not tell others that he was spoken for. Every time he had to pull away from you, away from your warmth he couldn't get rid of the heaviness in his chest especially when the moments you two could be together were few and far between recently.

His missed you terribly and yet he couldn't have you. Not in the way that either of you wanted.

The only way the two of you could be together was if either of you retired, which was years away and less likely to happen. Both of you were more likely to die on the battlefield than that.

If only it was different...

If only, if only...

If only he could break this one rule for you. He would break every rule just to be with you.

Price felt his heart ache, and he bit down on his lips as he felt the familiar sting of tears in his eyes. He took a shaky breath as he stared out at the last remnants of the sunset, forcing himself to keep his hand away from yours.

Before he could stop himself he spoke.

"I'd marry you if I could."

Of course he would. He had thought over and over again how many times he should buy a ring and pop the question. He knew exactly where he'd do it, how he'd do it and what you would want. He had thought about getting to see you walk down the aisle to finally have something to show that he was yours and you were his.

If Price was being truthful, he would've married you years ago. He would've married you yesterday or even tomorrow.

He looked at you and gripped the railing so tight his knuckles went white.

You stared at him not with shock or surprise like how someone normally would react to being proposed to, if that's what you could even call it, but instead you looked at him as if your grieved the thought.

Because marriage had been taken away from you the moment you had decided to fall in love with him.

A few tears rolled down your cheeks and you wiped them away. You looked away from him, unable to bear the pain on your face as you nodded. You didn't speak, you couldn't but Price didn't need you to say anything to know that you wanted to marry him too.

Price couldn't hold himself back anymore as he placed a hand against your cheek and wiped a few of the tears that fell. He didn't care if someone saw him comforting you, especially when you leaned into his hand as if it was your saving grace.

He stared at you with blurry eyes and blinked back his tears as he tried his hardest to take yours away.

"I love you."

More tears fell and you tried your hardest to speak but you couldn't Your entire body shook and it was impossible to stop the sob that escaped your lips. As much as you wanted to say it back you couldn't, so instead you rushed back towards the bar.

Price let you go and didn't follow.

He wasn't hurt because you left him, he knew you too well to know think that it meant anything other than you needing space, but he couldn't help run his hand over his eyes to get rid of the tears stuck there. He took a few deep breaths and stared at the buildings around him, unable to get rid of the pain in his chest.

Captain John Price wasn't a man who cried and yet he couldn't help but let a few tears fall.

[dreamwritesimagines]

I just had a nap and dreamed this so bear with me. A HC where there's a meeting going on so Bucky is at her house (in my head, Bucky, Steve's territory are the closest to her father's so they tend to stick together and meetings take place at his house because her father is the oldest of the three) and she needs Ian to think she's only hooking up with Bucky, like he suspects she's plotting with him to take him down and she's a petty bitch that's just like 'how dare you be right about me' so she takes Bucky into her room and immediately starts making out with him and he is into it, of course, but also totally confused.

"Shit- Hi."

"Yeah, hey. Get on the bed and take off your shirt."

"Okay," his shirt already halfway past his head. "Wait a minute, what's happening?"

"I'll explain later," she climbs into his lap, ignoring his choked noise and threading her fingers in his hair. "I just need you to cooperate on this one, okay?"

"You can do whatever you want-" he stops when she bites his lip and rolls her hips against his. "Is this- fuck, baby. Does this mean you're saying yes?"

"Yes to what?," she looks at the door she very deliberately left open. Maybe if she unbuttons his pants her idiot cousin might show up faster, it always was the case based on the stories Becca told her about walking in on her brother and some girl.

"Huh? Yes to my proposal-"

Then Ian walks by and sees them.

OMG OMG OMG-😱❤️

HONEEEEY!😍😍😍

This is absolutely genius and amazing and aaaaaaa I love it so so much! 😍 I can literally see this scene and it needs to happen in the story and I'm so gonna fangirl over you, just-

So first of all, definitely yes! I feel like Charm's father's territory is very close to theirs as well, that's also how they were in each other's house all the time while growing up 😁 And also, making Ian think she's only hooking up with Bucky makes so much sense! ❤️ They need to make their plans subtle 😏

"Okay," his shirt already halfway past his head. "Wait a minute, what's happening?" ASDFGHJKL I can almost hear this 😂 The blood was not going to his upstairs head, that's for sure 😏

"I'll explain later," Charm honey he's going to think you're going off to your honeymoon after this! 😂

"You can do whatever you want-" HELP, THIS LINE IS SO 😍

"Yes to what?," The fact that they both have completely different things in mind about what's happening, I can't stop giggling 😂

"Huh? Yes to my proposal-" Bucky still has one braincell left during all that and it's all about their marriage 😁

Darling I just- this is so amaziiiiing! ❤️ You're so so talented, I will reread this so many times! 😍

Lollll oh once Ian sees them, he would definitely go like,

"Ugh, get a room!"

"We are in a room!"

"Maybe bother closing the door then-"

"Go away!"

"Barnes, you're expected downstairs for the meeting-"

"Ian, if you don't leave right now, I will fucking shoot you. I don't care what it does to the truce."

And then Ian would leave and Charm would get off, then fix her dress and while Bucky is still in a haze, she'd be like;

"That was great, thanks a lot. You can leave now."

"Wha-?"

"You have a meeting, you heard him."

"I don't care about the meeting, what just happened?"

"I had a plan and you helped me out."

"We can uh- you know, we can continue with the plan-"

"No need, I'll see you later."

[ayahimes]

𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

hi friends ! i know i'm a bit late with my post but i still wanted to post something regardless . 2023 had been one of the hardest years of my life thus far outside of the rpc , and even in it to be honest . i lost some good friends but gained some too . i've gotten to know so many of you on a deeper level and bonded with a lot of you over shared interests . so many of you have been patient with me on this blog because of school and for that i am immensely thankful ; i know you all followed because of your interest to write and i do apologize for not being able to fully deliver that due to my busy schedule . however , i do want to allot some time this year to be better about my time management . i honestly can't wait to see what this year brings !

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐎 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

@diaboelic : courtney . one of my best friends . i know i can write essays on why i am so happy to have you in my life but i promise i'll condense it . it's so crazy to me that we've been friends for almost two full years . it's wild because it honestly feels much longer . i know we're both busy making big moves and even if we don't talk every day i am always rooting for you . you're so down to earth and somehow understand how i'm feeling without me having to say it . please keep sending me fanart and spamming me with ig reels . i take forever to look at them sometimes but i love them !! also , im sorry you lost your streak in duolingo but i still think you're ahead of me by like 4 days everytime i do it . COURTNEY - SAN WA WATASHINO SUKINA HITORIDE ( i think this was right but probably not lmfao ) . i can't wait to hopefully explore japan with you . fingers crossed it's this year haha

@visionhcld : b , i will always write nice things about you no matter what . you've been my friend for like .... what .... this would be 6 years ?!!! GOD . you've seen the best and the worst . crazy to think that we made it !!!!! i love you so damn much and i am so lucky to have you in my life . i know we don't write a million active threads atm or talk every day like we used to , but i assure you it doesn't change our friendship . i love being able to pick up where we left off like nothing ever happened tbh . some people don't have that and tbh , i'm so fortunate to have found that with you . we have a ridiculous amount of inside jokes and years of history to pick apart but i leave you with one . jejota !!!

@fairesky : shado . we found each other through the funniest circumstances but i am so happy we did . you have been one of my closest friends these last two years and through you i met some other amazingly wonderful people ( cough leon cough ) . your kindness is immeasurable and i have truly learned so much from you because of it . you've taught me how to be nicer , how to be a better friend , how to care for others in a way i'd like to be treated , and just overall improved my life the last year with your presence . i love you so much and i'm really happy to have gotten to know you better over the course of 2023 . who else will i be an absolute simp with if not you haha

@iirath: essek , i know you're already aware but i am so damn happy to have gotten to know you better over the last year , even more so the last few months . i enjoy talking to you about life and getting to learn about who you are beyond the surface level . you're honestly SO tilt proof ( lmaoooo ) and surely never get mad when we play league . SURELY . thanks for speed running stardew valley with me and letting me run around not knowing what to do while you carry our farm to its greatest potential . you really have become one of my good friends and please know i always look forward to your good morning message in the server with the tired cat emoji haha

@shokutsus : LEON !!!!!!! ayaki will always reign supreme and have the best ship name . i will fight anyone who says otherwise . okay but let me just say i fucking love you dude . i know we haven't had a chance to have our tea talks on fortnite the last few months but i admit , those were some of my favorites . you've helped me through some really tough times and been there for me as a friend when i needed someone the most . i really enjoy thinking of the wildest plot lines for our characters while sleep deprived and playing fortnite ( tbh crackabella and anakin lore was big brained of us ) or discussing with kaine and courtney which part of the centipede we'd be . weird shit but i laugh typing it out lol . okay but fr i want this year to be the best one yet for you !! ps . send more pixel photos

@rosahope : fae , thank you for becoming one of my good friends this year . i'm so blessed to have met someone as grounded as you and i don't tell you enough . i know i'm too much sometimes and impulsive af , but you are my voice of reason and i appreciate it so damn much . you've helped me think outside the box and take things one step at a time . you're one of the realest people and i always welcome your honesty even if it's not something i may initially agree with . tbh i think that's what makes you such a good friends because you're transparent with me . i really am so happy for your big moves with your new job and i am always rooting for you no matter what !! you'll always be my chibiusa and my jessie <3

@prettyguardian : niniiiiiii . firstly , thank you for coming into my life and being such an amazing friend . i admire your tenacity , your creativity , your openness , your vulnerability . the list goes on . you've been there for me when i sought some direction in my life and for that i want to thank you . i know we have yet to write more aerti things but please know i will always gladly write them with you . you've helped me heal with ff . i know that sentence may sound silly at some level but it is a big thing . really !! your friendship has only added improvement within my life and i can't wait to see where it goes this year . sending you all the good vibes for 2024 !!

@cybrvce : light !!!! i'm so fortunate to have gotten to know you more over the last year and actually write with you . your characterization is truly amazing and i'm always impressed with everything you write . yes im slow as molasses but i promise it doesn't mean it's because i don't care !! i just want to write for you when i'm at my best because i want to give you quality writing !! thank you for being patient with me though . you're so kind <3 i'm genuinely so excited to start this year with your friendship !!

@deadn30n : LOOK HERE ALEXANDRA . YOU MADE IT ON THIS LIST BECAUSE YOU ARE JUST A GEM . i know we only recently became friends but in that short amount of time we bonded by playing league for like 5 hours straight lmfao . thank you for feeling comfortable enough to ask me for advice and direction though . it means a lot to me more than you know !! also i am here to write yone and kai'sa mutually fangirling/fanboying over each other . that thread is so cute and i am excited to see where it goes . ALSO I'M A NOOB AT XIV SO YOU'VE BEEN WARNED . heck im just bad at all video games lmao . but i look forward to playing them with you !!!!

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐈 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

i can't write about everyone , but i can sure as hell tag you all . please know that even if we haven't actively written it doesn't mean i don't want to . i still support you as a writer and creator and enjoy seeing you on my dash !! i have hopes that maybe we can write some day ! but i know we're all busy or overwhelmed with things outside of the rpc so there's obviously no rush . and if we have written or talked then please know that you have truly made my experience here something amazing . i was always a bit scared to come back to such a big fandom , but so many of you have welcomed me in writing ayaka and given me the opportunity to explore her more . so thank you <3

@zaihuos , @autymns , @wcvensouls , @enjomo , @todestochter , @yizao , @ungest , @raikuro , @tealsteel , @sourcewater , @dcndrohime , @rikyos , @nekasu , @meropidas , @scarletooyoroi , @viaetor , @abyssin , @crownlcsking , @raytm , @iedolon , @noctumsilenced , @noctuafought , @capravulpes , @liightbringr , @chiheru , @foliarlight , @mercyburned , @apocryphis , @anostos , @theoneandonii , @gonguji , @sinspast , @mellodiies , @pietys , @knghted , @dualisume , @artificeheart , @erabundus , @momijiba, @supportingfire , @cloudhymn , and honestly all of you .

[gaymedievaldruid]

Idk if people have talked about this or there's already some fandom consesus but I'm just gonna talk I can't help it I just love gender queer curt too much. The face he makes BOTH RECORDINGS of doing this when he says "I'm?? A guy???" Just. Yes have that gender crisis in the middle of coming out to your bestie this is why we stan agent curt mega

Slightly more serious, I hate this but I think Owen would react VERY differently to Curt questioning his gender pre- and post-fall. Pre is he's a lil confused, but he got the spirit, with a "okay that's great for you but no one else can ever even guess" twist to it. He's supportive, and he's happy that some of the stress Curt has been carrying seems to ease as they talk, but Owen is worried that this won't be something they can hide as well as they do their relationship. He almost think it's cruel to keep talking about it, when it's too much of a risk for Curt to ever act on any of it even between the two of them, but that thought gets solemnly locked away. They hid one secret well enough, what's the harm of another?

Post-fall happens in a very specific way in my brain. Au where Owen gets away or otherwise Curt doesn't shoot him, Curt is trying to sort this out on his own. But he doesn't want to. He talks a bit to Tatiana, who understands and empathises in her own way, but she's already living with her family at this point, and Curt is too self-conscious to talk about this properly with her, not when it takes up so much energy. And then doing his "I'm going to take down Owen (and also chimera I guess)" thing, he and Owen end up in a situation where they have to be civil to each other for a semi-extended period. Maybe one has the other in handcuffs, and th fight is already over, or maybe they're both trapped in a small space, without weapons or maybe mutually wounded. Either way, there's a long silence.

And curt starts talking. For him, it's while final hammer for the solidification that he may choose to leave Owen, and he may stand by that decision again and again, but he won't stop loving him even if hurt and anger are there too. It's simply too easy to talk to Owen, even if he's broodily staring at the corner and either pretending to or actually ignoring him.

For Owen, that's the very start of that same realisation. That he'll listen to Curt, that he still has the instincts to care for him, that he can choose between letting the distance between them ebb away or splinter further apart. He thought his anger had burned one of those choices away, but it still lingers. Owen still cares about that thread of stress in Curt, finds the same relief he always would have in seeing it unwind. This time, he doesn't care about secrets, he doesn't tell him to keep it between them. But he doesn't offer anything either, even as his mind instinctively idly grasps for solutions.

They may choose each other again. They may choose to push the other away. In the end I think this rant of kind got beyond my genderqueer!curt starting point, but I still think that they can choose. And I think that's just as important.

[amuseoffyre]

I was rewatching S1 the other day and remembered how much of it had struck me as "huh, that seems a very… specific thing to focus on" and my foreshadowing spidey-senses started tingling back when it first aired. And then more turned up while I was watching S2.

Ones that have come to fruition:

The nose jar It got a lot of focus for a one-scene moment. Why specify that someone causing trouble would get a nose cut off and then not show someone getting punished with their nose getting cut off? Chekov's nose-jar was used in 2x01 and is a trigger point for the entire villain arc for the second season.

The recurring threats to Lucius's life Honestly, the amount of times he was threatened and harangued and nearly killed by Jim. It really would have been bad for the vibe around there, so when they 'killed' him at the end, Naaaaaaah. Didn't believe it for a moment. (Speaking of, Izzy has a similar run of near-deaths all through S2, so HMMMMMMM)

"Captain Hornigold! There's a blast from the past!" The second they brought up his name, I was ears pricked up and staring and going oooooooo, because there's no way you mention a significant figure from both pirate history and Ed's department of backstory when we know he's Captain of the good ship Daddy Issues without having a plan for one of the major male influences in his life, especially knowing the history that Hornigold takes the act and turns hunter and is instrumental in tracking down Blackbeard.

The wait staff exchange in 2x06 It seemed like lot of dialogue to not be leading somewhere. Behold, the Revenge crew as Wait staff in 2x01:D

The escalation of the British enmity We started out with Captain Badminton and levelled up to Admiral Badminton with the British as recurring villains all through the season and the thread of royal influence popping up here and there, which got me thinking next stop would be either their elder brother or someone even further up the social pecking order. Enter Ricky.

Secret passages built into the ship So I, like many others, assumed Lucius would be the dead man hiding in the walls. We were halfway right XD There was a dead man hidden in there. Twice.

We'll go to China Was left with a "why China?" vibe from that and it wouldn't stop niggling me that there was some specific reason that the writers would have chosen China of all place. Turns out if you can't go to China with your boyfriend, China will come to you and kick your ass.

Still to come:

"You saved the clippings so we can make fake heads and escape" I maintain this is the big one for S3. We have no less than 10 separate references to heads/faces being removed and fake heads. Stede even uses three different fake heads as props (rowing boat, the skull in the fuckery and the corpse head in the triple-fuckery of his death) and given Blackbeard's death famously involves his head being strung from the mast of the ship, it feels prescient.

"I thought that when I did marry, it would be for love" "Peasants marry for love" Not. Subtle :D Our man has already made himself a peasant and has his boyfriend, so he's part of the way there.

"I always hated you" Ed saying this to imaginary Hornigold has me absolutely foaming at the mouth for what the real Hornigold is like and absolutely 100% certain this is the plan for S3. As mentioned earlier Hornigold became a pirate hunter but also it would tie in with the S1 foreshadowing as well - we've had him mentioned, we've seen what he looks like, we know what he's done so the second he shows up in S3, we need no introduction. Plus Ed's processing his history so having his history roll up to hunt him down? *chefkiss* YES. And if (as I'm convinced) Stede was in the Gravy Basket like Ed in 1x04, then based on how Mary and Father Teach behaved, the way Hornigold is acting in the Gravy Basket is completely out of character, which would track since he's being pally and nice and taking care of Ed at different points. The few facts we do know from Jack and Ed's recollections include stabbing them, beating them down, treating them like dogs, the Felix story and him threatening to flay Ed's skin off and feed it to him. This means that outside of the basket he's gonna be SO. MUCH. WORSE.

Crossing the Darien Gap We got the glimpse of Zheng's crews bringing ships through the jungles across the Darien Gap and saw the queue of ships lined up on the Pacific side on the map. Ricky may have taken out the ships that were in the Republic, but that wasn't all of Zheng's fleet and he has no idea more are on the way because everyone knows no one can cross the Darien Gap. He'll never see it coming ;)

A Royal Hostage Given how petty a little bitch Ricky is, I get powerful vibes that he would be the one to specifically unleash Hornigold on Stede and Ed. Stede especially, since he's the one who recommended taking him as a hostage, and he already blames Stede for leading him a) to the Republic and b) for his nose getting the chop. Him using Daddy's fortune to settle a vendetta by privately commission a famous pirate hunter doesn't seem like a stretch.

Our spirit will outlast your whole fucking empire Izzy's definitely not gone for good. He's gonna be back and he's going to be a glorious little bitch about it :D (Supporting foreshadowy evidence: shot in the left side, indestructible little fucker who has been shot-and-believed-dead twice before, existence of the gravy basket, canonical resurrections, a known seawitch with ties to purgatory at the grave)

There are some more, but it's getting late and I am sleeby, so will post 'em another day.

[blushcoloreddreams]

Dream hair at home - how to choose a conditioner

What is the function of the conditioner? Is there a correct way to use it? That's what you'll learn in this post First of all, I need to say that the function of the conditioner is to make the hair more malleable. It is not the function of conditioner hydrate, nourish or treat the hair. Including,the treatment should not be carried out every wash.Later, I will bring the protocols and talk more about that. For now, it's important that you understand that conditioner is designed to make your hair more manageable after shampoo application. Nothing more than this. And this malleability that the conditioner provides occurs because it has a pH between 3.5 and 4.8, that is, much lower than the pH of the shampoo. While the shampoo leaves the hard thread, because it needs to be astringent to clean, the conditioner leaves the hair malleable so that it does not break tear or break during detangling or brushing and also to give that delicious feeling to the hair soft. That said, now I need to explain that there is a way correct way to use the conditioner. Yes, just like shampoo, conditioner also has a correct way of application.

After rinsing your hair very well, you will remove excess water. Take the towel and squeeze it to remove all excess moisture. To make things easier, you can even divide the hair in half, half on each side. Oh you are not supposed is to twist your hair inside the towel as if it were the floor cloth in your home! Remember: we need to rescue this hair, and an important step is to take good care of itbalso mechanically, and not just through thecosmetics. So, no twisting

After removing excess water, divide your hair in half, half for each side, put the conditioner in your hand and apply from the ear down. Always from ear and down so that the scalp does not absorb too much of this product. Conditioner was made for the hair lenght, not the scalp. On the scalp, we apply the shampoo, remember? Here, it's just the hair. And how will you apply this conditioner? You are going apply with a closed hand, covering the hair. In that Now is not the time to untangle your hair. It's time just deposit the product. So, apply with calmly and gently so that the conditioner is deposited in all the strands that are inside this strand. Do it for 2 to 3 minutes on each strand, which is the time the conditioner needs to take effect. After that, you know that little bit of product left in your hand? You will lift this strand and apply it all over this top of the head, because this hair up here it also needs to be conditioned. What not to do is to apply the conditioner directly to the scalp, but applying it to the length of the hair is necessary. After applying the conditioner and wrapping each strand well, your hair will be maleable and easy to untangle. If the your hair is rough conditions, it may be that, after apply the conditioner, it becomes all thickened. Stay calm, be patient and keep gloving him until he stay untangled, without needing to use a comb.

Once that's done, now it's time to rinse the hair. Just as it was with the shampoo, it will also be with the conditioner. You will remove completely the entire product of hair. Rinse very well, let the water fall in abundance, as the conditioner needs to be removed.

Yes, there is a product that will stay in your hair until next time washed and which will even protect it from external aggressions. But that We'll see in the next post. Therefore, completely remove the conditioner. I'm insisting on this because we tend to leave a little conditioner in your hair in hopes so that the hair strands are most treated. But that's just a belief that we have, therefore, as have you seen, the conditioner doesn't treats hair. So remove it completely!

And how to choose a good conditioner? As you already know, conditioner does not treat hair.Therefore, we do not need to worry so much about what is in this product in terms of active ingredients. Even so, I will include items here that are commonly are found in good quality conditions:dimethicone, cyclomethicone, dimethiconol, polyquarternium… In short, items with the endings “xane”, “cone” and “conol”. The pH of the product is also an interesting aspect to consider. please note when it comes in the description (most of the time, It is not written and this is common). If written, it should be between 3.5 and 4.5. This is the ideal level to close the cuticles that were opened after the application of the shampoo. (later on ill make a post about products my tricologist recommended for me or maye i can try to translate the pdf)

In this post, you learned that conditioner has the function of making the hair more maleable and soft, facilitating detangling, and that it is not its function to hydrate or nourish hair. Furthermore, you saw that there is a correct way to apply the conditioner and that it is even necessary remove it completely during rinsing.

on the next post about hair care will teach you how to properly protect your hair until the next wash.

[misc-obeyme]

THE THREADS THAT BIND

CHAPTER EIGHT

MASTERPOST for summary/info/chapter list

a/n: This is by far the most OC heavy chapter. I feel the need to mention here that Arsenios has a very casual way of speaking, which is why he sometimes calls Barbatos "Barb." They've been friends for a long time so that's why Barbatos allows it lol. Anyway, I actually have a bonus chapter that I'll be posting tomorrow, then it's back to the regular schedule on Wednesday. (Also this is the chapter I've been most nervous to post because of the whole OC thing lol. I almost didn't put him in this story at all.)

GN!MC x Barbatos | word count 1,407

Warnings: demon OC but otherwise nothing

You sat at a table on a balcony overlooking the gardens at the castle. There was a lovely spread of tea and pastries before you. On one side of you sat Barbatos, calm as ever. On your other side, sat Arsenios.

He was not in his RAD uniform, instead wearing black slacks and a grey button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. This had caused you to notice the two black tattoos on the back of both of his hands. They looked like pact marks, circular in shape and filled with cryptic looking writing. His hair was in a thick braid that hung over his shoulder, revealing the silver piercings in his ears.

Barbatos had invited Arsenios over for tea on purpose. You weren't sure why because Barbatos wouldn't exactly tell you, but you highly suspected it had something to do with finding the sorcerer.

Arsenios had turned out to be extremely friendly so far. You had talked to him in class a few times before, but you hadn't really gotten to know him at all. He had always been polite to you, but he seemed to be friends with Barbatos. He was more relaxed and a little more open. You were surprised when he started discussing the tea blend with Barbatos. It was clearly something he knew about and you wondered if this was how they became friends.

Eventually, Arsenios set down his teacup and folded his arms. He looked across the table at Barbatos. "All right," he said. "This has been really nice. It's been a while since I've been here to have tea with you. But I know that's not what this is about. So what do you want, Barb?"

Barbatos chuckled. "You must forgive me, Arsenios, but I'm sure you don't need me to tell you what I've invited you here to ask about."

"You wanna know more about Tobias," Arsenios said. "But I don't know anything about him beyond what I already told you."

"The current predicament we face is that the spell was partly written by the sorcerer himself," Barbatos said. "And therefore the counter curse is also unique to him. However, we have not been able to locate him. Solomon has stated that he has a spell hiding his location from any magic that would trace him."

Arsenios leaned forward and put his arms on the table. "So you think I know where he is because he summoned me."

"I realize he may not have summoned you to his current location," Barbatos said. "But perhaps, if it is close enough, we can find him from there."

"Yeah, about that," Arsenios said, rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish gesture. "I may have followed him after I refused to make a pact with him."

"Hmm," Barbatos said. "Now why would you do that?"

Arsenios folded his arms and huffed. "It was suspicious, okay? I didn't like that this guy was trying to use me. I wanted to know who he really was. He's powerful, but he's still new to this sorcerer stuff. He didn't even suspect that I was following him. He led me right to his house."

Barbatos watched Arsenios carefully. "Then it would be a small matter for you to return to his home, would it not?"

Arsenios frowned. "You want me to go?"

"I would take care of it myself, but I cannot risk endangering MC and they would need to come with me due to this curse," Barbatos said.

"I can't exactly travel to the human world any time I want," Arsenios said.

Barbatos nodded. "I could send you, of course, but I do think it would be beneficial for you and Solomon to work together on this."

Arsenios stared at Barbatos for a moment. "You want me to go with Solomon?"

Barbatos smiled. "Solomon can transport you there. You will be able to use your song should Tobias be at home. And either way, Solomon will know if the counter curse you locate is the correct one. Would you know it if you found it?"

Arsenios looked at Barbatos carefully for a long moment. Then he sat back in his chair and looked over at you. You held his gaze easily, waiting as his purple and grey eyes seemed to be assessing you. You wondered whether or not he was trying to determine if you were worth the effort.

"Give me a minute to think about it," Arsenios said at last.

Barbatos seemed to be satisfied with that answer. He stood up. "Let me refill this pot," he said, picking up the teapot.

He went just inside, where he had already set up a tea making station. This was so that he wouldn't have to go all the way back to the kitchen, which would certainly have made you sick. But he was far enough away now that you were sure he wouldn't hear anything you said.

"Are those pact marks?" you asked, gesturing to Arsenios's hands.

He spread his hands and looked down at the tops of them. You noticed then that his nails were painted dark grey. "Nah. They're magic circles. They're there for protection."

"Protection against what?" you asked.

Arsenios folded his arms again and looked at you. "Anything. Everything. I'm a music demon. I'm useless without my hands."

"Music demon?" you asked.

"Sure, music's my whole thing," Arsenios said. "I mean, I guess I could get by on my voice alone, but I'd really rather not. It's so much better if I can play instruments, too."

"How do you know Barbatos?" you asked.

Arsenios laughed. "What is this, an interrogation? You're pretty bold for a human. Guess that's what happens when you've lived here for a while. You forget we're all demons, huh?"

You flushed. You realized you were indeed asking questions rapidly, but you weren't being rude about it or anything. "So what? Are you going to eat me?"

Arsenios leaned forward. "What, and face the wrath of Barbatos? Never. Anyway, I don't actually mind answering your questions. It's just funny because most humans hate us, are afraid of us, or want to use us. You're just over here acting like you wanna be friends with everybody."

You folded your arms and frowned. "So what if I do?"

Arsenios put up his hands. "Hey, I'm not trying to be mean. It's cute, that's all."

You blinked at being called cute, but didn't say anything about it.

"Anyway, I met Barbatos a long time ago," Arsenios said. "Back before Lucifer and his brothers showed up. I used to play the piano at a little cafe near the castle. Barbatos was a regular. He would stop in for tea a lot and he always seemed to come at the weirdest times. Things would be quiet, so I would just chat with him. Turns out we both had a lot of opinions about tea."

Barbatos returned to the table partway through Arsenios's reminiscence and put the once again full teapot down on it.

"I began to invite Arrie over to the castle for tea, especially after the cafe closed," Barbatos said. "We have been discussing tea blends regularly ever since."

Arsenios shook his head and laughed softly. "You haven't called me Arrie in years. You're really trying to butter me up today, aren't you?"

Barbatos smiled, sitting back down beside you. "At the moment, you are the only one we can rely on for this. However, I will respect whatever choice you make."

Arsenios looked between Barbatos and you multiple times. "You're really pushing it, you know? First you talk me into attending RAD, now you want me to go deal with some pipsqueak sorcerer with Solomon of all people. If I was anybody else, you would owe me big time."

"I am more than happy to compensa-" Barbatos started to say, but Arsenios cut him off.

"It's fine," Arsenios said. He looked at you again. "I can see what this means to you. I'll do what I can."

Barbatos seemed to relax and you hadn't even realized how tense he had been. "Thank you, Arsenios."

Arsenios poured himself some more tea. You were pleased when the conversation went back to the days before the fall. You liked to hear about what Barbatos was like back then and Arsenios seemed more than happy to tell you all about it. He answered all of your questions, even when Barbatos blushed and protested.

masterpost | chapter one

chapter seven | chapter eight and a half

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[mysticstarlightduck]

OC Pinterest Tag!

Thanks for tagging in this wonderful game, @thecomfywriter (here)! This was fun!!! Thanks for creating such a fun tag game!!!! <3

Rules: create a pinterest board for your ocs (if you don't already have one) and create a video of the featured posts that represent your character the best. then, post a thread of your main casts' aesthetic board videos.

I'll go with my boi Rhys Whitewood, from Scrapyard Boys, for this one!!! Full Character Moodboard Here

Also, I'm gonna share some songs from his character playlist (still in the works lol) as well!

Million Dreams - The Greatest Showman (P!nk Version)

I close my eyes and I can see The world that's waiting up for me That I call my own Through the dark, through the door Through where no one's been before But it feels like home They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy They can say, they can say I've lost my mind I don't care, I don't care, so call me crazy We can live in a world that we design There's a house we can build Every room inside is filled With things from far away The special things I compile Each one there to make you smile On a rainy day

Falling Apart - Micheal Schulte

I am sleepless for a weekend So I start to say goodbye Say goodbye to all that we had Say goodbye to what we lost [...] And we were running out, through the storms, through the night We were running in the dark, we were following our hearts And we would fall down, and we would slowly fall apart We would slowly fall into the dark The cold times arise And the cold times arise

Elastic Heart - rock version by Written By Wolves

Wanted to fight this war without weapons And I wanted it, and I wanted it bad But there were so many red flags Now another one bites the dust Yeah, let's be clear I'll trust no one You did not break me I'm still fighting for peace I've got thick skin and an elastic heart But your blade it might be too sharp I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard I may snap and I move fast But you won't see me fall apart

A Little Fight Left - Tommee Proffit, Fleurie, Jung Youth

Where do I begin I saw this day was coming since I was a kid We used to pray until it happened so it did Always a battle for a better way to live See the truth for what it is I decided that I never compromise from within And for that reason we’ll be standing in the end As long as I can draw the breath to move my lips I'm in, Imma get back up again No matter how bad that it gets You can walk away You can turn and leave I’ve still got a little fight left in me Take it all away I’ve got blood to bleed I’ve still got a little fight left

Tagging (gently): @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab,

@winterandwords, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@agirlandherquill, @anoelleart, @ray-writes-n-shit

@the-golden-comet, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @cakeinthevoid

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG