#— book club : treacherous!

[suhnshinehaos]

I LOVE THE RECENT TREACHEROUS UPDATE LIKE GY IN THEIR MESSY ROCKSTAR ERA FR!! YOUR WORK IS SO AMAZING LIKE I CAN WRITE A WHOLE ESSAY ABOUT HOW GREAT YOUR WORK IS ❤️🫰

NOOOO OMG YOU'RE TOO KIND ,,, MY HEART WILL BURST I TELL U NONIE !! thank you, you're the sweetest ! and im glad u support the gy messy rockstar era agenda--- let's hope dv stan twt does too, hm? ;)

[thebiggaybookclub]

Treacherous Is the Night by Anna Lee Huber

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical mystery, Cozy mystery

A London séance sets a lady spy on a deadly mission across Europe in this post-WWI Era mystery by the Daphne Award-winning author of This Side of Murder.

Verity Kent can sympathize with those eager to make contact with lost loved ones. After all, she once believed herself a war widow. But now that she’s discovered Sidney is very much alive, Verity is having enough trouble connecting with her estranged husband, never mind the dead. Still, at a friend’s behest, Verity attends a séance with a medium claiming to channel sensitive information from a surprising source: a woman Verity once worked with in the Secret Service.  Refusing to believe her former colleague is dead—let alone divulging secrets—Verity is determined to uncover the source of the medium’s top-secret revelation. But her investigation is thwarted when the spiritualist is murdered. As once-trusted Secret Service agents turn their backs on her, Verity heads to war-torn Belgium, with Sidney by her side. But as they draw ever closer to danger, Verity wonders if she’s about to learn the true meaning of till death do us part.   “Huber combines intricate puzzles with affecting human drama.”—Publishers Weekly

Source: Publisher

Pros: I found the writing to be very efficient. It was descriptive, the characters and dialogue was believable, it didn't feel like she was adding a bunch of unnecessary description to reach a word count or have a more intellectual book. Most of the characters are likeable, as far as the protagonists, even the one I didn't like, I still felt on the fence about because of how real and complex the characters feel.''

Cons: There is really only one character I disliked, but it didn't really take away from the story. One scene was incredibly frustrating, because it felt like the characters only acted the way they did to prolong the novel. If they had acted differently (and I feel logically) the book would have been a few hours shorter, but we wouldn't have discovered all of the nooks and crannies of the mystery. I appreciate what the author did for the story of the book, but I wish that scene had been handled differently because it felt like a huge plot hole.

Book Club Question:

Are the characters likeable? What does that mean for the story? Which character do you most relate to?

For the most part, yes. I don't like Sidney though. For me, this makes the story easy to read, as I'm not annoyed constantly by characters I can't stand. I'm not sure I relate to any of the characters. A lot of them had straight-people-problems I just don't empathize with. There is at one point, a spirit that is summoned during the séance at the very beginning of the book who I interpreted as gay. I could see my parents being in the same situation as his, so I think I connected the most with him, even though he only had like one line.

How Queer is it?

I give a 2/5 on the queer scale for the above reason.

Rating

Setting: 4/5

Story: 4/5

Characters: 4/5

Queerness: 2/5

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

I Survived by Lauren Tarshis

Ten-year-old George Calder can't believe his luck -- he and his little sister, Phoebe, are on the famous Titanic, crossing the ocean with their Aunt Daisy. The ship is full of exciting places to explore, but when George ventures into the first class storage cabin, a terrible boom shakes the entire boat. Suddenly, water is everywhere, and George's life changes forever.

The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick

The book club

is about to get

a makeover....

Even if Megan would rather be at the mall, Cassidy is late for hockey practice, Emma's already read every book in existence, and Jess is missing her mother too much to care, the new book club is scheduled to meet every month.

But what begins as a mom-imposed ritual of reading Little Women soon helps four unlikely friends navigate the drama of middle school. From stolen journals, to secret crushes, to a fashion-fiasco first dance, the girls are up to their Wellie boots in drama. They can't help but wonder: What would Jo March do?

Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel

Shade is a young Silverwing bat, the runt of his colony. But he's determined to prove himself on the long, dangerous winter migration to Hibernaculum, millions of wingbeats to the south. During a fierce storm, he loses the others and soon faces the most incredible journey of his young life. Desperately searching for a way to rejoin his flock, Shade meets a remarkable cast of characters: Marina, a Brightwing bat with a strange metal band on her leg; Zephyr, a mystical albino bat with a strange gift; and Goth, a gigantic carnivorous vampire bat. But which ones are friends and which ones are enemies? In this epic story of adventure and suspense, Shade is going to need all the help he can find -- if he hopes to ever see his family again.

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards

The Whangdoodle was once the wisest, the kindest, and the most extraordinary creature in the world. Then he disappeared and created a wonderful land for himself and all the other remarkable animals—the ten-legged Sidewinders, the little furry Flukes, the friendly Whiffle Bird, and the treacherous, "oily" Prock. It was an almost perfect place where the last of the really great Whangdoodles could rule his kingdom with "peace, love and a sense of fun"—apart from and forgotten by people. But not completely forgotten. Professor Savant believed in the Whangdoodle. And when he told the three Potter children of his search for the spectacular creature, Lindy, Tom, and Ben were eager to reach Whangdoodleland. With the Professor's help, they discovered the secret way. But waiting for them was the scheming Prock, who would use almost any means to keep them away from his beloved king. Only by skill and determination were the four travelers able to discover the last of the really great Whangdoodles and grant him his heart's desire.

The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge

In 1842, thirteen-year-old orphan Maria Merryweather arrives at Moonacre Manor, her family's ancestral home in an charmed village in England's West Country, and she feels as if she’s entered Paradise. Her new guardian, her uncle Sir Benjamin, is kind and funny; the Manor itself feels like home right away; and every person and animal she meets is like an old friend. But there is something incredibly sad beneath all of this beauty and comfort, that shadowing Moonacre Manor and the town around it. Maria is determined to learn about it, change it, and give her own life story a happy ending.

The enchanted valley of Moonacre is shadowed by a tragedy that happened years ago, and the memory of the Moon Princess and the mysterious little white horse. Determined to restore peace and happiness to the whole of Moonacre Valley, Maria finds herself involved with an ancient feud, and she discovers it is her destiny to end it and right the wrongs of her ancestors. Maria usually gets her own way. But what can one solitary girl do?

Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech

To Zinny Taylor, life is like trying to untangle spaghetti—she needs to escape the chaos of her family. So when she finds a long-forgotten trail in the wild woods near her home, she resolves to follow it. It's a journey that leads her to unravel the dark secrets of her aunt's life—and her own. And while Zinny chases ghosts in the woods, gorgeous Jake Boone is determined to chase her...

Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards

The magic of finding a home Mandy, a ten-year-old orphan, dreams of a place to call her own. Escaping over the orphanage wall to explore the outside world, Mandy discovers a tiny deserted cottage in the woods. All through the spring, summer, and fall, Mandy works to make it truly hers. Sometimes she "borrows" things she needs from the orphanage. Sometimes, to guard her secret, she even lies. Then, one stormy night at the cottage, Mandy gets sick, and no one knows how to find her--except a special friend she didn't know she had.

I Funny by James Patterson

Jamie Grimm is a middle schooler on a mission: he wants to become the world's greatest standup comedian--even if he doesn't have a lot to laugh about these days. He's new in town and stuck living with his aunt, uncle, and their evil son Stevie, a bully who doesn't let Jamie's wheelchair stop him from messing with Jamie as much as possible. But Jamie doesn't let his situation get him down. When his Uncle Frankie mentions a contest called The Planet's Funniest Kid Comic, Jamie knows he has to enter. But are the judges only rewarding him out of pity because of his wheelchair, like Stevie suggests? Will Jamie ever share the secret of his troubled past instead of hiding behind his comedy act?

The Wanderer by Sharon Creech

The sea, the sea, the sea. It rolled and rolled and called to me. Come in, it said, come in. Sophie hears the sea calling, promising adventure as she sets sail for England with her three uncles and two cousins. Sophie's cousin Cody isn't sure he has the strength to prove himself to the crew and to his father. Through Sophie's and Cody's travel logs, we hear stories of the past and the daily challenges of surviving at sea as The Wanderer sails toward its destination—and its passengers search for their places in the world.

Best Friends by Judy Blume

Rachel is Stephanie's best friend. Since second grade, they've shared secrets, good and bad. Now in seventh grade, Alison moves into the neighborhood. Stephanie hopes all three of them can be best friends, because Stephanie really likes Alison. But it looks as if it's going to be a case of two's company and three's a crowd. Can the girls' friendship be saved?

[143hyunes]

Cacoethes

pairing: hyunjin x fem reader

genre: angst, fluff, smut (Minors DNI !!)

summary: So in conclusion: Hyunjin was not a creep. He just had a weird obsession with the stranger in the train. Hyunjin was an inquisitive person, which is why his favourite past time was observing people in the train. He would spend his way back home observing people and forgetting about them as soon as he left the train. So why couldn't he forget you?

playlist. ao3.

warnings: strangers to friends to lovers, non-idol au, childpsychologist!hyunjin, alternating POVs, extreme pining (hyunjin is a simp), y/n is afraid of the dark, descriptions of a panic attack, hand holding (this is not the victorian era i swear), mutual pining, clubbing, mentions of puking, oral sex (f. & m. receiving), cum eating, fingering, nipple play, marking, protected sex, shower sex, dirty talk, faking an orgasm, mentions of a car accident, mentions of death (none of the MCs), ghosting

wordcount: 10k

a/n: my entry for the skzwritingcafe event for May-June. i hope you guys like it <33 this oneshot is kind of inspired by 500 Days of Summer (very loosely). pls leave feedback & reblog and lmk if there are any mistskes, enjoy!

cacoethes

noun RARE

an urge to do something inadvisable

an insatiable desire : mania

Day 1

There was a small but certain happiness in travelling by a train, though it is an inconvenience for many daily commuters during rush hours, Hyunjin loved it maybe because he travelled during the late hours, when there weren’t many people on the train but enough. He liked listening to music and daydreaming or observing people on the train from different walks of life. He always came to the conclusion that at the end of the day, even though everyone was different, the situations and problems they went through were similar which made them like-minded individuals.

It was just another ordinary day, Hyunjin was listening to one of his favourite ballads that day. Whenever one song ended and the silence that ensued till another song played, brought him back to the real world, giving him a reprieve from his mind, reminding him that a world existed outside of his mind. This silence was a kind of faux silence, not loud but definitely enough to arouse him of his surroundings. Today however, there was a different sound that entranced him. 

Your laughter that was like a siren song on treacherous waters, demanding his attention. Whatever song played next seemed to ebb away as he looked for the source of the sound that was like music to his ears.

You were reading a book that was in your lap, he assumed that it must have been the reason for your laughter. He couldn’t look away from you, how your hair fell on your shoulders, encasing your face that was concentrated on the book, the furrow of your brows, all this making you look adorable. 

   That night when he went home, after freshening up, Hyunjin sat in front of the TV, the TV was on but the voices faded into the background as he thought of the stranger in the train, seemingly so oblivious of the world around her. No sound or movement was enough to break you away from the imaginary world you were seemingly in.

Hyunjin never understood people who would cry, laugh or get angry over books or tv shows and movies alike, because for him no form of media had ever evoked such emotions in him. Hyunjin reasoned that the only reason you wouldn’t escape his mind was due this empathy that he seemed to lack, there’s always envy in the absence of something. Yes, that’s all it was jealousy in the wake of humane curiosity, at least that’s what he told himself when he woke up dreaming about you.

»»———-　　———-««

Day 8

Hyunjin was not a creep, he was just an observer, it was kind of his job to observe and help people wherever needed. He had always been like this, not much of a speaker, quietly listening. His big eyes always curious and absorbing everything around him, like a natural instinct. Him studying you was no different than the other times he would observe strangers in the train, putting them in categories that he had made up. That’s what he had deluded himself into believing, reality however was a bit different.

You were different, he didn’t find himself looking for the silhouettes of other strangers on the daily, like he did with you. It had been 8 days since he first saw you and yet he couldn’t look away. It had become second nature, to observe you everyday, reading a book every time. 

Your red nose was the first thing he noticed about you today and then the drops of tears on your cheeks that he wanted to wipe away.

What? 

Hyunjin had no idea where that stream of thought came from,”Stop thinking about unassuming strangers in inappropriate ways. Seriously, get a grip on yourself man.”, he thought to himself.

The reasoning he gave himself for such thoughts was that it was his nature to want to comfort people in distress as a Psychologist and it’s not like he would act on his thoughts. So in conclusion: Hyunjin was not a creep. He just had a weird obsession with the stranger on the train.

When the internal monologue in his brain had quieted down, Hyunjin noticed the title of the book you were reading,’Before the coffee gets cold’, when you lifted the book to wipe away your tears and he made a mental note to look up the book on the internet later when he reached his house. 

He didn’t really read novels but he was curious about what made you cry, especially on public transportation.

He was an emotional person but didn’t cry easily. Maybe this book would evoke emotions in him that he had buried deep down.

»»———-　　———-««

Day 13

You had had a bad day at work today and just wanted to get lost in the world of one of your romance novels to wash away the stress of what was a tedious day of work. You loved your job as the assistant marketing manager and being part of the graphic design team, you really did, but your co-workers were hellbent on testing your patience like no one ever had. But you couldn’t just shun your duties, especially not if they were direct orders from your superior, which was to babysit the new intern and clean up after his mistakes. 

You would understand if it was just one mistake but he fucked up three times, posting the wrong ad campaign on the official social media account and consecutively deleting it. 

You had to take the fall for it obviously because he was working under you. You had to hold your tongue too because the moron had gotten his internship through nepotism and his relative was a higher up in the company. Office politics really were the bane of your existence and you vowed to dismantle hierarchy in the office (who were you kidding, you can’t even speak up when the waiter messes up your order). 

You inwardly cursed yourself for choosing an office job.

You wouldn’t say you were eager to travel from the train everyday, you didn’t care much for public transport. Yes, using it was good for the environment and all that but that’s not why you used it. Driving after a long day of work was stuff out of a nightmare for you. You saved money on gas and didn’t have to buy a car too. 

Plus you really liked reading your favourite books on the train, it was very different from your reading nook in your home, a different kind of good. You liked getting lost in a world other than yours, it felt like a reward somehow. 

That morning in the train, you had just gotten to the part where things were starting to get interesting in your novel but unfortunately you reached the station for your office.

You couldn’t wait to pick up where you left off that morning. 

“Lift your hips for me, love.”, reading that line had single handedly made you lose any shred of sanity you had left, you would scream into a pillow if you could. The book didn't have any explicit scenes in it but the overall sexual tension and buildup was, in your opinion, more satisfying and arousing to read than any explicit scenes. You really loved reading about people falling in love and slow burns. 

The giddy smile on your face however faded when the train screeched to a stop and everything went dark. You could feel your throat closing up, like it was closing in on itself.

Making you slowly lose control over your breathing and the small train compartment suddenly felt too hot. Your heart was beating so fast as if you had run a thousand miles a minute.

You felt like you were drowning when you heard someone asking you to focus on their voice, pulling you out of the water.

“I need you to focus on my voice and list 4 things you can feel.”, the deep voice said.

You listed them out:  A firm hand under your right palm, your book, the kind stranger’s soft breathe, your clothes.

“Okay, now can you please list 3 things that you can hear?”

“Your voice, something tapping against metal, the sound of my heart.”

“You’re doing great! Now list two things you can smell.”

“My perfume and sweat.”

“You’re okay now. List one thing you can taste.”

“My saliva?”

He chuckled at your answer that actually sounded like a question, the sound of his chuckle was like a hug of comfort in the daunting darkness. 

The train was moving again and the light was back in the next five minutes. You realised that you were still holding onto his arm and quickly released your grip on it, profusely apologizing for gripping it so tight that it left marks on his soft skin. 

Gosh, just how much could you embarrass yourself in a single day!

He smiled a smile that could rival the brightness of a thousand suns and said that it was okay and asked if you were feeling better now. 

He was really pretty and your metaphorical jaw was on the floor and suddenly you forgot how to form a coherent sentence. 

The confused look on his face brought you out of your stupor and you knew you had to answer him soon, before you embarrassed yourself further. “I’m okay now all thanks to you. So, thank you.” You managed to somehow make your voice sound both curt and squeaky at the same time. 

You could not make yourself look at him, much less have eye contact. So you just decided to look out the window. In the reflection of the window, you saw him putting his head phones back on which you hadn’t even noticed were around his neck. 

When it was your turn to get down you thanked the stranger again and slightly bowed to further show your gratitude.

   That night you couldn’t fall asleep so you decided to bake. You weren’t stress baking but rather ‘I-have-embarrassed-myself-too many-times-in-a-day’ baking. Though baking definitely didn’t help you forgot about the beautiful stranger.

Three hours of baking too many cookies for one person to consume later, you finally went to bed, exhaustion from the day catching up to you. You had to wake up in 4 hours and you were already dreading it. 

»»———-　　———-««

Day 14

Today was turning out to be better than yesterday. Your cookies were a hit at the office, as always. Your superior even forgave you for yesterday’s mishaps. Though he would never admit it, it was mostly because of your cookies. 

You even saved a box of them for the kind stranger from yesterday. Hoping that he would board the same train as yesterday and so you could properly thank him. 

When you saw the familiar tresses of his soft, long hair that made you want to run your hand through it, you sighed a breathe of relief. 

You hadn’t thought far and were sure you wouldn’t get to see him again today and words escaped you again.

You were rehearsing in your mind what you would say to him when you felt a pair of eyes on you and looked up to see him looking at you before he looked away. He seemed very interested in something out the window.

You decided that you would be brave and would stop acting like a shy teenager and just talk to him.

You tapped his knee to get his attention. “Hey I don't know if you remember but you helped me through a panic attack yesterday, I wanted to thank you for it. I baked some cookies and there were some extra so I brought them for you.” You offered him the box with the best smile you could muster.

When a few beats passed and he didn’t take the box from you, your confidence started to wane. The lone box suspended in the air awkwardly by your hands. “Uhm, nevermind.”

Of course, who would take the box of cookies from a strange lady on the train! No sane person that’s for sure.

You cringed as you slowly brought the box back to keep in your lap when he stopped you and took the box from you. 

“Thank you for the cookies, I was just really taken aback. Which is why I didn’t take the cookies at first, not because I thought that cookies were poisoned.” He said rubbing the nape of his neck. 

You laughed at his attempt at a joke. “It’s really okay, I would be skeptical of taking cookies from a stranger too. Thank you once again for yesterday. I’m really grateful because you were very kind and didn’t make me feel bad for having a phobia that children usually have. Other people haven’t been this kind.”

“You really don’t have to thank me. And I’m sorry other people weren’t as kind. Thank you for the cookies, I’ll enjoy them.” He said smiling, his eyes turning into crescents.

“I’m Y/N by the way.” You said extending an unsure hand for him to shake, did people even shake hands these days?

He laughed and shook your hand. ”I’m Hyunjin.” 

»»———-　　———-««

Day 22

It had been 7 days since Hyunjin had last seen you. Now it wasn’t like he was counting down the days or anything, he just wanted to return your tupperware. 3 days of not seeing you and he was worried, he wondered if something happened to you and if you were okay. 

On the 5th day he wondered if you were avoiding him, he recalled his last conversation with you for any indication of your behaviour that would suggest you were avoiding him. He came up with nothing and decided to stop assuming things. He didn’t want to admit it but he missed his the beautiful stranger.

After more than a week was when you came back. When he entered the train he could smell your perfume, the scent which was very similar to that of jasmines but not quite the same, it drove him up the wall. He would ask you one day what perfume you used.

When he sat down beside you, he handed you your tupperware. You smiled at him, then slowly shaked the box, raising your eyebrows at him.

“Those are blueberry muffins in the box, my mom has always said that you should never return tupperwares empty.” 

“I bought these from a local bakery though, I can’t bake as good as you.”, he replied, giving you a sheepish smile. 

“Thank you for the muffins, I really like these ones.”

“Oh, before I forget, why didn’t you use the train these last few days?”

“I got my periods and the first two days are really painful so I usually avoid going to the office on those days. And for rest of the days I don’t use the train because I have really bad backache.”

“Oh ok, I hope you feel better now.” Hyunjin was relieved your absence was not because of him.

“Yeah, I do.” You said smiling, pulling out your book of the day from your bag.

When Hyunjin noticed the book, grinning, he grasped one end of the book in your hand.  You gave him a quizzical look and were surprised by his sudden behaviour. “Is this the sequel to Before the coffee gets cold?”

“You’ve read Before the coffee gets cold? And to answer your question, yes it is”

You had an amused smile on your face and he decided he would tease you. “Wow, I’m offended, you don’t think I could read a book just because I’m a pretty face?”

“Your words not mine dude. I just can’t imagine you reading this kind of an emotional book, you look like you only read academic textbooks.” You added with a hint of playfulness in your tone.

“Well I did read this book and I almost cried too, towards the end.”

“What do you mean almost cried? I was bawling my eyes out. In fact I’m pretty sure the pages of this book are covered with my snot.”

“I don’t know, I wanted to cry especially after the last chapter but my tears wouldn’t come out? It’s like I’m emotionally constipated.”

You laughed at his raw candidness, and he concluded that he could part seas to hear the sound again.

That day your conversation over the book lasted till you had to get down. Your voice increasing as you excitedly raved about the book. Hands gesturing around with a twinkle in your eyes, he couldn’t look away even if he wanted to.

»»———-　　———-««

Day 37 

“And then he stuck the gum he was chewing on my desk.” Hyunjin was currently telling you about his terrible work day. He part timed at a Government facility, which was a detention center for troubled teens. Today, he had to counsel a 15 year old who was downright rude and had charges on him for vandalism.

“I’m not saying I love my job but it beats having to deal with angsty teenagers on a day to day basis.”

“I mean, it’s not all bad, the other day this autistic girl made a card for me and it was really cute. Also I really like helping people and as sappy as it sounds, making a difference.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Hyune. If anyone can do it, it’s you.”

The use of the nickname didn’t go unnoticed by him, it wasn't the first you had used it but it made his heart flutter all the same. 

It had been a little over two weeks since he became closer to you and your friendship blossomed. 

You didn’t expect to find a friend in such an unlikely place, you looked forward to the end of every day, talking to Hyune about everything and nothing. Talking to him was as natural as winter turning into spring, the ice melting away so beautiful flowers can blossom. 

Just as suddenly as spring had come, he’d slowly warmed his way into your heart.

»»———-　　———-««

Day 61 

You always seemed to forget the reason why you hated clubbing, which is why you always let Sakura drag you to one. She was your bestfriend and you loved her more than anything in the world but her habit of getting shitfaced drunk was something you wish you could break. 

You were currently two drinks in, enough to break you out of your shell but not quite enough that you could hit the dance floor. You downed three more in order to join Sakura on the dance floor. You don’t know when it happened but you were currently grinding up against a stranger and you could feel the outline of something that was definitely not his phone. If you were lucky, you would get to go home with the handsome stranger.

At least that was the plan, before you got a call from Sakura, “Hello? Kkura?”

The call got disconnected before you could get another word in. A few seconds later, you got a text from her.

kkura ♡ : washroom. NOW.

you : coming 

you : are u ok?

When she didn’t reply, you quickly apologised to the stranger and excused yourself. You started looking for the washrooms. When you found them, you entered to find Sakura hunched over the toilet seat, spilling her guts out. You slowly rubbed her back and removed your phone to call Han. He was also one of your bestfriends, he couldn’t come with you guys today because he was busy creating yet another track, life as a musical producer meant that even his Saturdays were spent labouring away.

The phone rang thrice before he picked up,"Hey Y/n. What’s up?"

“Kkura is really sick, can you come pick us up? It’ll be really hard to get a taxi from here.”

“Okay, I’ll be right there, text me the address.”

After texting him the address, you helped Sakura up and made sure she drank water. 

Both of you decided that waiting outside was much better, the music was just too loud. The entrance of the club was mostly deserted save for a few people smoking and a strange man that kept glancing in you guys’ direction. You knew you were safe and that the man wouldn’t misbehave with people around but you still messaged Han to hurry up.

you : can you get to the club faster? there’s a really strange man here and i’m pretty sure he’s going to rope us into a pyramid scheme or a cult 

You were surprised when not more than five minutes later you got a call from Hyunjin. You wondered why he was up so late. Clearing your throat, you picked up. 

“Uhh, Hyunjin?”

“Where are you?” There was an urgency in his voice, tone frantic.

“Club Red Lights?” You meekly replied, unsure of the reason he had called you.

“Stay right there, I’m coming to pick you up.”

“Wha-” Your words died on your tongue when you heard the line end.

You mentally smacked yourself when you saw that you had sent the message meant for Han to Hyunjin.

His concern for you made you feel warm inside or was it the alcohol you had earlier? 

Ten minutes later when Han arrived in a taxi, you helped a very dazed Sakura get in the car. You explained the situation to Han and how you were going to wait for Hyunjin. 

“Are you sure? Do you want me to wait here with you till he has arrived?”

“Yes, I’m sure Hanji. You don’t need to wait for me, just make sure Kkura gets home safe.” 

“Okay if you say so.” He leaned in for a hug, when you were swiftly pulled away from the embrace.

“What the fuck” Han exclaimed, while you let out a gasp.

“Hyunjin!” 

“Is this the guy you were talking about?” 

“No Hyune, calm down. This is my friend, Jisung. The message I sent you was actually meant for him.”

“What message?” Han inquired, while glaring at Hyunjin.

“We’ll talk about this later Ji, you should take Sakura home.”

“Goodnight! Text me if anything, ok?” Han said finally embracing you, without strong arms pulling you away.

“Yes I will, goodnight Ji.”

When the taxi drove away, Hyunjin turned to you with a sheepish smile,”I’m sorry for my outburst earlier, I was really scared when you messaged me so late.”

You couldn’t help the blush that crept up your cheeks. 

“I’m sorry for scaring you, I was kind of buzzed when I sent that message, how did you even get here so fast?”

“I drove.” He replied, shrugging. “Shall we get going? Where do you live?”

After giving him the address, you got in the passenger seat. The whole ride you couldn’t help but keep stealing glances at him, he looked so attractive driving. Seeing him in a striped blue and beige sweater was disconcerting, in a good way. You had only ever seen him in work attire, and he looked so stunning in them but him in casual clothes was somehow even better.

You tried to snap yourself out of it, and were convinced that the only reason you were ogling your friend was because of all the drinking you did earlier.

When you reached your apartment complex, Hyunjin insisted that he would drop you to your doorstep. On seeing how much you were staggering, he helped you to your bed. He even insisted on removing your heels for you. A shiver ran through your body when his big hand touched the straps on your ankle. He takes his time undoing the straps, but even that's not enough. You want to fall asleep in the warmth of his arms.

He’s going to leave soon, you don’t want that. You wish he would stay, even if it’s till you fall asleep. You don’t like saying bye even though you know you will meet him again.

Can’t you stay?

When he stops in his movements and looks up at you with his eyes widened, you realise that you said the sentence out loud. You hoped you it didn't sound as needy as it did in your mind.

“I-uh-Sure.” He stammered. “Where do you keep your aspirin?”

“It should be in the cabinet near the refrigerator.” 

Keeping the glass of water and bottle of aspirin on your bedside table he noticed you were fast asleep, softly snoring. He smiled at the sight, pulling up your blanket to cover you.

He was getting ready for bed when he had received your message. To say that he was worried would be an understatement. He drove to your location using the GPS, his speed astonishing even to him. He hadn’t speeded since that incident, and that was two years ago.

When he reached the location and saw you in your silk dress and your cheeks flushed due to the alcohol, he couldn’t help but think about how gorgeous you were. You were about to embrace a man and Hyunjin didn’t know what came over him. Was it Panic? Anger? He wasn’t sure, his only thought was to get you to safety. And he did something irrational.

But now, he was endeared by the sight of you snuggling into your covers. His heart skipped a beat when you had asked him to stay. Your desperation very evident when you uttered the last word. He decided it was best to leave now or he would really end up staying with you.

You woke up the next morning at 11am to the worst hangover you had ever had, the aspirin on your bedside table helped. You had to meet up with Sakura and Han in an hour for brunch, so you had a quick shower and got ready.

“Well well well, if it isn’t Ms. Y/N.” Han began in a voice that was too cheerful for your hungover brain. 

“I’m too hungover to have a civil conversation with you right now, Han.”

“That’s too bad because I want to know who that guy was from last night and why you went home with him.”

“You went home with some guy last night?!” Sakura exclaimed.

“I didn’t “go home” with him, he just dropped me off when I sent him a text meant for Han. And he’s not just some guy, he’s the friend I made on the train.” 

“You went home with Train Hottie?!?” Both of them exclaimed in unison.

Your friends had dubbed Hyunjin as the ‘Train Hottie’ when you had told them about you having a panic attack on the train.

“Can you guys keep it down? My head is still pounding.” You scolded.

“Wait you never told me what the text was about.” You showed Han the text while shoving avocado toast in your mouth, which they had ordered for you.

“He thinks I’m a cult leader?!” Han replied slightly offended.

“It’s more likely that he thought you were some guy who roped people into pyramid schemes, Sung.” Sakura muttered, both of you bursting into laughter. 

Han just shook his head and playfully smacked Sakura’s hand.

»»———-　　———-««

Day 98

Something was off today, Hyunjin noticed that as soon as he entered the train. You were slumped over in your seat, your head in your hands. As he sat down beside you, he nudged your shoulder,”Hey, you okay?”

You looked up, your eyes full of anguish as you figured out how to answer him, your mind at war, if you should be honest or not.

You decided you would go with the half truth.

“I-Just had a bad day at w-work.” You croaked, on the verge of tears.

“Can you take a day off tomorrow?” He asked. You just nodded, not having the strength to reply.

Hyunjin pondered for a minute before grabbing your hand.

“What? Where are you taking me ?” 

“I don’t know.” And he really didn’t, he wanted to cheer you up somehow and it wasn’t possible in a moving metal box.

Both of you got down at the next station, his hand never leaving yours. He didn’t know it but you always felt safe in his presence, it brought you comfort in times where everything felt wrong.

His pace quickened and you had to jog to keep up with him. As soon as you guys exited the subway, he looked for a convenience store. 

“What flavour of ice cream do you like?”, he inquired.

“Anything that doesn’t have fruit in it.”

He picked two packets of vanilla ice cream that was covered in chocolate and shaped like a chocolate bar.

“These are my favourite.”, he exalted grinning, his eyes turning into crescents. You couldn’t help the smile contorting your features, his childlike joy at buying his favourite ice cream contagious.

He went to the alcohol section to get a pack of 6 beer bottles and proceeded to pay for all the items. 

You quirked a brow at his combination of ice cream and beer but didn’t question him. 

You guys decided to go to the Namsan Tower, as you had coincidentally got down at Myeongdong Station. You spent the cable ride up in comfortable silence, save for the bouncing of Hyunjin’s leg against the floor of the cable car.

When both of you got down, he looked for a bench with the best view overlooking the city. Once he found it, he set the things down, taking out a beer bottle and opening it against the bench.

“Impressive.”, you said nodding. He made a show of removing his imaginary hat which made you giggle. 

“Okay have a sip of this but don’t drink it and then take a bite of the ice cream.”

You did as he instructed and you were taken aback when the chocolate melted into your mouth and the ice cream mixed with the beer. The chocolate paired so well with the malty beer, it left a different kind of burn in your throat which was washed away by the ice cream. 

Hyunjin waited with bated breathe for your reaction and let out a sigh of relief when you smiled up at him. He was happy to share his favourite food combination with you and even happier that you seemed to like it.

“It’s like the Mc Donald’s float but less sweet and for adults.”

“Yeah I guess it is, I was really drunk off my ass when I thought of this combination.”

“You’re a genius actually, I was really skeptical of it at first but it goes together so well!” 

He just smiled and you guys sat there for a few minutes, soaking up the scenery and drinking together. Until he broke the silence with his questioning,”So..do you want to tell me what’s bothering you?”

You sighed nodding and taking a sip of your beer,”I fucked up really bad at the office today and was reprimanded in front of the whole office. It was humiliating to say the least.”

“And? Is that all?”

“No.." You sighed again, opening up was always hard but never with Hyunjin.

"I’ve been wondering these days, if it’s all worth it?”

“You mean slaving away in that office every day to just put food on your table, even if it doesn’t make you happy?”

You were shocked at how he was able to articulate your feelings in just a sentence,”Yes..”, you let out a dry chuckle.

His hand found yours, thumb running circles on your hand, urging you to continue,”I just- I don’t know what my purpose is, you know? Like how you know what your purpose is and you’re doing so well too. I didn’t know what I wanted to do in college and I’m still the same, all these years later. Wasting my life away for a job I don’t even like.” You try not to cry and end up pouting.

“Do you want my honest opinion?” You nod.

“First of all, yes I do like helping people but it’s just a bonus. I’ve been obsessed with psychology for as long as I can remember, I’m just one of the lucky ones whose special interest happens to coincide with my “purpose”. The idea that everyone needs to have a purpose to be worthy of being a citizen of the society is such bullshit. Plus your purpose doesn’t always imply something you have to do to give back to the world. It’s all just part of the western capitalistic propaganda. What if I’m here to just have fun? What if this is my last life as a human? I think the pressure of having a “purpose” is too much especially for an 18 year old fresh out of high school. Even for a 23 year old like yourself, it’s too soon. I mean you have your whole life ahead of you to find out what it is. So really, you have nothing to worry about.” 

Hearing his words had lifted a weight off your chest, a feeling of catharsis filling you. He was your catharsis. His words comforting you like no one ever had.

 He looked so cute under the moonlight, his angry pout on your behalf making him even more endearing. Oh how you wish you could kiss him and feel those plump lips on every inch of your skin. You looked away before you actually gave in and kissed him.

“I-uhm”, you cleared your throat,”Thank you for saying that, you don’t know how much it means to me.” 

“Of course, anytime.” He said smiling and taking a big gulp of his beer. Which was consequently followed by a very loud burp, you turned towards him and started laughing clutching your stomach. The look of surprise on his face and dusting of red on his cheek was priceless. “Uhm, that was on purpose, I wanted to make you laugh.”

“Sure whatever you say Hyune.”

“Anyways, is there not anything that makes you genuinely happy?”

You. That’s what you wanted to say but you couldn’t because of everything that it would imply. You weren’t drunk enough for that conversation. So you went for the next best thing.

“Baking. It calms me down.”

“Then you should open a bakery or a cafe.”, he said matter of factly.

“It’s not as easy as that.”

“But it’s not impossible, is it?”

“Well-”

“I think you shouldn’t give up before you even try it.”

You pondered over what he said for a few minutes.

“I mean I could freelance graphic design for a while alongside my job, save up money and lease a small shop.”

"See, I told you it's not impossible ."

You had to leave the Namsan Tower soon, as it was closing, so you decided to sit outside a convenience store. 

You spent what felt like hours talking about your plans for your cafe. It was almost 3am when you both decided to return home.

“You can stay the night with me, you know because your home’s far from here. That’s if you want to.”

“Okay.” He says looking away.

You reach home around 3:30am. Hyunjin insists on sleeping on the couch but you are persistent. “It’s fine really, we’re two adults, we can share the bed.”

You give him a blanket of his own and got in the bed.

“Gooodnight.”

"Goodnight, Hyune.”

»»———-　　———-««

Day 99

Hyunjin had been watching you sleep for the past ten minutes, he found everything about you cute, the peaceful look on your face, the drool coming out your mouth. Oh how he wished you had fallen asleep in his arms.

You slowly wake up due to the sunlight that was streaming in through the windows, your eyes getting used to the light. The first thing you noticed was his eyes, watching you intently, he would never hold back, be it his work or even just a simple gaze. The intensity in his eyes makes you blush and you’re hit with a sudden urge to kiss him.

Unbeknownst to you, that’s the same thing going through his mind.

A chant of:

kiss me, 

kiss me, 

kiss me, 

plaguing his mind.

His ragged breathing goads you on and you lean in.

Your lips meet in a desperate kiss, as if you’re lovers meeting after lifetimes apart. He bites your lip, eliciting a moan from you. His tongue enters your mouth, teasing your tongue.

When the both of you come back for air, his eyes are blown wide, lust evident in them. His carnal gaze setting you off more.

The second kiss you share is sensual, slow, while the first one was all teeth and tongues, this one is unhurried, exploring.

He sits up and you straddle him, the kiss becomes intense as your hand travels to his nape, the kiss deepening, while his hands explore your body, stopping to knead your breasts.

You break the kiss to remove your top. When your lips are back on his, he continues his exploration of your body, now free of it’s constraints. He does quick work of your bra, that you don’t even realise he has removed it.

He starts smothering kisses on your neck, leaving a wet trail down the valley of your breasts. His plump lips close around your right nipple while his nimble fingers play with your left one. You feel yourself shiver at the attention but he holds you steady and needy whines spill out of you as you grind on his hard on. His moans getting lost against your curves. His eyes never once leave yours, as your fingers thread through his hair, pushing him further against your chest.

 After what feels like hours of desperate moans that come out of your mouth, Hyunjin stops his ministrations on your chest, you would have come just from this if he had continued any longer.

He removes his shirt, while you help him remove his pants. He initiates the kiss this time, as you keep grinding against his bulge. The sound of his husky moans drive you crazy. You pull away to trail kisses down his neck, his lips chase yours when you do so. But soon he gives into the pleasure your lips give him. You take your time sucking and licking consequently on his skin in your downward descent, giving his nipples little bit of the attention he gave yours. You take your time leaving kisses on the hard muscles of his abdomen. When you finally reach the bulge in his boxers, you look up at him, "Can I?"

“Please”, his deeper than usual voice perhaps from the long hours of sleep has heat pooling between your legs, the neediness in his tone sending you further over the edge.

You remove him from his constraints, his big dick was painfully hard. You smear the precum around his tip, giving small licks to the head of his cock. His needy moans are music to your ears, you tease him some more. Then you take almost half of his length at once, the way he stills in shock makes you feel proud of yourself. You start bobbing up and down his length that you can take, your hands stimulating the rest. His pleasure guiding his actions, he thrusts up into your mouth, moaning loudly when you gag around him. Soon after he feels his orgasm coming, he tries to pull out of your mouth, you tap his thigh to let him know it’s ok if he came inside your mouth. He comes down your throat with an intense moan. You wipe your mouth and go back to kiss him. 

“You taste even better with my cum.” He breathes out. His husky voice is enough to make you come.

“I want you on all fours for me, angel.” His commanding tone with the use of that nickname has you complying without any complaints.

This position makes you so much more vulnerable to him, his kisses start from the curve of your ass, he massages your venus dimples, leaving chaste kisses on them while he removes your underwear. 

You shudder under him as his kisses reach the nape of your neck, he whispers into your ear, "I want to pay you back for all the teasing but maybe next time. Today, I’ll just settle for ruining you."

His large hand cups your cunt, the tips of his fingers so close yet so far from the place you really need him all while he whispers into your ears like the devil he is, all the things he will do to stay true tp his promise. You’re pretty sure you’re dripping down your thighs by now. His fingers finally enter you, scissoring you open, the motions making you weak, you realise you wouldn’t have fallen down if not for the steady hand around you. He adds a third finger all while nipping your right ear, you finally let go, your walls violently convulsing around his fingers. When you come down from your high, his question catches you off guard after all that’s been said and done. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! Yes, please. The condoms are in the first drawer of the bedside table.”

Rolling the condom on, he enters you in one swift motion, your body jerking forward but he catches you in time.

When you have adjusted to his length, he starts moving roughly.

“Fuck you’re so tight, even after I fingered you open.” 

The force of his thrusts make the headboard slam against the wall. The sound of banging, matching your moans. 

“Ahh-Hyune, please, please d-don’t stop”

You reached your high again after a particularly hard thrust, the sound of your moans reaching a volume they had never before. Hyunjin followed right after, his movements slowing down, his seed spilling into the condom. 

He pulled out and got up to get a towel to clean you. You hissed at the loss of him. After he cleaned you up, he peppered your face with kisses promising you breakfast and a day in watching movies.

»»———-　　———-««

Day 112

It had become a routine for you and Hyunjin to spend the night at each other’s place. You would have sex, cuddle and then have dinner together. He would leave before you in the morning because work for him started early.

Today was no different, he ate you out on the kitchen counter before the both of you proceeded to the bathroom to wash the day off of each other.

But it wasn’t long before he was in you, your legs wrapped around his waist, back against the bathroom wall. His thrusts were rougher than usual, you wondered if he had had a bad day at work. 

That was before he uttered that name again.

“Ahh- Mina..I-” 

You stilled when he said that name, yet again, though he was conscious this time. It had made you wonder if he was seeing someone else. Hearing that name brought back all of your insecurities, the thoughts of an orgasm were so far away now. He didn’t seem to notice or if he did he didn’t say anything, still chasing after his own high. When you felt him getting closer and closer, you clenched harder, moaning his name again and again. 

You were thankful it was his turn today to cook, you really wouldn’t be able to focus with your mind running a thousand scenarios that caused you nothing but displeasure. You had felt your heart breaking when you heard him call out for that Mina girl in his sleep last Tuesday night. When you had told Sakura about it she had told you to ask him about it and you wished you could, you wished you were a confrontational person. Hearing your dilemma she told you to just ask him on a date and gauge his reaction. And you did, your heart beating, you were the most nervous you had ever been and the most relieved when he said yes. Your movie date was in 2 days on Saturday, you would go to a fancy restaurant after, for dinner. 

You also wished you didn’t get attached to people so easily, you had only known Hyunjin for a little over 3 months but that didn’t stop you from falling for him, causing you inevitable heartache. You know you owed it to yourself to ask him about Mina, you decided it would be best to have this conversation after dinner.

“Hyune? Can I ask you something?” You asked while you were washing dishes and he dried them. 

“Yes, of course.” He replied, giving you his crescent eyed smile.

“Who is Mina?” You asked, trying to not sound accusatory.

His whole demeanor changed, he stopped wiping the cup in his hand.

He tried to school his features of any emotions but you noticed the sheen in his eyes, as he went back to wiping the cup.

“Uh-She was my ex-fiancé.”

“Oh”, was all you could say, you had more questions but he was clearly very upset, even though he was trying not to show it. It was best to let him tell you in his own time. 

“Why- why do you ask?”

“Oh it- you mentioned her in your sleep.” You didn’t have the heart to mention the incident from before, wanting to hide the shame and faked orgasm.

 You didn’t know if you were overthinking or if he was actually distancing himself from you. He didn't say goodnight or give you a kiss. You could feel him building up walls around himself, walls you wanted to climb over and just embrace him.

He didn’t hold you that night, you deluded yourself into thinking that maybe it was because physical touch was just too much in that moment. 

You just lay there thinking and thinking about what went wrong, maybe you shouldn’t have asked him about her. Was he still in love with her? All your thoughts however ceased when you heard soft sobs from his side of the bed, wanting to hold him close but you knew would do no good. It would only make him distance himself more.

You don’t know when you fell asleep between trying not to let your tears fall and trying not to wipe away his tears. But your worst fears were confirmed when you woke up to the cold sheets beside you and your washroom devoid of his toiletries that he had brought over after spending countless nights at your place.

»»———-　　———-««

Day 114

Anyone would say it was a foolish thing to wait for someone for 2 hours at the movie theater, someone who had left one morning without saying a goodbye, someone who hadn’t replied to any of your calls or texts for the last two days, someone whose silhouette, with his headphones that you longed to see in that train, someone whom you missed a lot.

As you walked away from the theater with heavy feet, you thought to yourself about how now you had the confirmation that he was not coming back. 

Your time with him, however short, taught you that you were capable of love, of heartbreak. You came out of your first heartbreak gaining something, at least that is how you consoled yourself.

»»———-　　———-««

Day 127

You were sitting in the same seat as you sat in everyday, everyday praying you could see him again, even if it was just once. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air or maybe your lonely mind just made him up, that’s why he always seemed so other-worldly. 

You were staring out the window as was routine for you these days, hoping to find him, always looking for him subconsciously. Your wet umbrella on your lap was soaking your clothes, but it didn’t matter. Your wet hair was stuck to your face but that too, didn’t matter.

From the corner of your eye, you think you saw his long black hair, your heartbeat quickening as you rushed to get out of the train, it felt like hours had passed when the doors opened.

You ran in the direction of the subway as that’s where he was headed, calling out to him but his pace only seemed to quicken. So it really was him.

You finally slowed down when he was on the fifth step.

“Hyunjin, please.”

That made him stop in his tracks, maybe it was the desperation or the pain evident with that last word. 

He turned around and you could swear that the world around you stopped, the pain in his eyes mirroring the pain in yours, while his heartache was caused by some stranger you didn’t know and yours was caused by him. He looked pale and his eyes were bloodshot.

You walked towards him, the reasonable part of your mind telling you to just walk away, to save further heartache and humiliation.

Standing a step below him, you looked up, trying not to sound weak while tears were welling up in your eyes,”Can we please talk?”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Really? That’s all you have to say? Did our friendship mean nothing to you? Were the weeks we spent together so insignificant that you didn’t even bother saying goodbye?”, anger from the weeks alone catching up with you.

“Y/N-”, you flinch at his use of your name, your own name sounding so foreign on his tongue. 

“I-We can’t be together. I can’t be in a relationship right now.”, he croaked looking away.

“Then why did you lead me on? Why? When you’re in love with someone else?” 

He finally looked at you,“God-I, I never meant to lead you on, Y/N. And I’m not in love with someone else, my ex she-she died in a car accident, two years ago. She is dead.” He whispered the last sentence to himself, as if trying to remind himself of that.

Suddenly everything made sense, the look of melancholy that was always present in his eyes. The name he called out to, in his slumber.

He was staring into your eyes, looking for something, you tried to blink back the tears that were starting to build behind your eyes. You turned around then, tears starting to fall down your cheeks, walking away from him was probably one of the hardest things you had to endure.

When you were finally out of his sight, did you let yourself cry, smalls sobs turning into heaving. You cried for him then, his love, his loss, your love and your loss. You finally understood why he couldn’t love you, his grief was too big for his heart and you understood, you did. It still didn’t stop you from cursing the universe for bringing him to you with flowers and sunshine and letting him wash away with the rain. 

»»———-　　———-««

Day 113

Hyunjin knew he was hurting you, when he heard you ask him about Mina yesterday, he realised he had called out Mina’s name while making love to you. He had wished hard that he hadn’t said it out loud, he felt guilty for thinking about someone else when he was with you. He felt guilty for loving you, his mind had become a prison he couldn’t get out of.

He wished he could've processed his grief before he met you, he wished he hadn’t fought with Mina, he wished Mina hadn’t run away from him that night, he wished he didn’t feel guilty for holding you, loving you. He wished for the ghosts of his past to leave him alone. But that’s all he could do, all he had been doing his whole life.

He didn’t want to be weak and pathetic but he guessed he had always been that way, passive all his life, looking from afar, never taking action.

He knew he had to distance himself before he hurt you more than he already had. He knew it wasn’t right but sometimes not saying goodbye hurt less than actually saying goodbye.

»»———-　　———-««

Day 127

It had been 15 days since he had last heard that voice, at first he thought his mind was playing tricks on him. He tried his hardest not to turn around and just run into your arms.

Your plea was what made him stop and reminded him of the wall he had built up to protect you from himself.

He was devastated, his worst fears confirmed when he saw the tears welling up in your eyes, your face thinner than he last saw you.  

He had an epiphany that day, he really wanted to hold you, call you his again. In order to do that, he would have to get over his grief, his past.

For the first time in his life, he decided he wouldn’t let life pass him by, he wouldn’t let you pass by, he would seek help to get to you. He was determined and would do anything to kiss you again.

»»———-　　———-««

Day 335

For a little less than 7 months, you’ve been working hard to open your own café. It was just last month when you had finalised on a shop, paying the deposit for it. The shop was small but it had a homey feel to it, it was everything you were looking for and more. 

With help from your friends you had set up all the furniture and equipment, your café, ’Eden’, would be opening in 5 days and to say you weren’t nervous would be a lie. You hoped all the ads that you had put up and the marketing you had done would pay off and that people would actually show up.

You had quit your job last month, starting the new year in your café, surrounded by people you love. It had been satisfying sending in the two week notice. You had been freelancing alongside your job the last few months. You don’t know why it never occurred to you that you could live off the money you made from doing freelance graphic design.  

Han and Sakura were bickering out front while you organised your kitchen, there was no way you were letting them near your kitchen, especially so close to opening day. 

Their bickering had suddenly stopped, there were only hushed voices now and it made you wonder what had happened. You went out to investigate and overheard their conversation.

“What do we do with this bouquet?”

“Don’t ask me stupid questions, Hanji. Of course we throw it out, we can’t let her know he was here.”

“Who has here?” You asked incredulously.

“Hyunjin, obviously you dummy. Who is the one asking stupid questions now?” 

“Jisung!” Sakura scolded hitting him on his back.

“Oww! What the-Oh Y/N”

You took the bouquet of Daffodils from the counter and ran outside.

“Y/N wait-” you heard Sakura call out.

You were glad when you found his retreating figure, his wide back and long hair making him easily recognisable.

“Hyunjin!” You yelled to get his attention. You were out of breathe when you finally caught up to him.

Returning the bouquet to him, you tried to stabilise your breathing.

“Y/N, wha-”

“I don’t take flowers from strangers.” He let out a sigh, running his hand through his hair.

“Your friends told me you were at home.”

“I don’t blame them for lying, they were just protecting me.” He winced at the bite in your tone, but he knew he deserved it.

“Look, can we please just talk?”

“I don’t think we have anything to talk about.”, you said throwing his words from months ago back at him. Only you knew how many times you had replayed that whole conversation.

“Okay I deserve that but please just listen to me, once. I promise I won’t bother you again.”

“You have 30 minutes.”

“But-” You gave him a look that indicated you wouldn’t negotiate on this.

“Fine. But you will have to come with me somewhere first.”

You thought over his words for a minutes before letting out an exasperated sigh,”You better make this worth my time, Hwang.” You texted Han and Sakura in your group chat asking them to close up and letting them know that you would return late. You turned your phone on silent and walked to where his car was parked.

His bouncing leg was the first thing you noticed when you got in the car, the smell of jasmines was the second thing you noticed.

You could cut the tension in the car with a knife.

“Are you kidnapping me? Where are we even going this late at night?”, you joked.

“The Graveyard.”, was all he muttered before turning silent again. You didn’t know how to reply and wondered what was going on through his head. Why now?? 

The graveyard was grim and gloomy, like one always is. He got down without a word, grabbing a bouquet of jasmines from the backseat. You wordlessly followed his lead. 

When he finally reached the grave he was looking for, he bent down to put the bouquet near the grave stone and you heard him sniffle. 

“This is my first time visiting her grave. It’s been two years since the accident and this is the first time.” He breathed out, his tone one of disdain. You rubbed his back to comfort him and urging him to continue.

“The night she died, the night of her accident, we had a fight. She just left with her car and I let her. If I had just apologised, just let go of my ego for once…” 

“Hey it’s not your fault, you couldn’t have known. I know my words might seem empty but you can’t predict the future, it’s not your fault.” , you wanted to comfort him like he had done for you, after all you were friends before everything that went down.

“I-I know.”

“I just never got over my grief, when she died I was just numb and threw myself into work. For the longest time I didn’t process that she had died.”

“Then I met you, I tried to deny my feelings for you so long, even before you had that panic attack. I would silently watch you, doing nothing about my growing feelings for you. When I finally had you, I felt guilty towards Mina, it felt like I was betraying what I had with her. I mean I was literally going to marry her.” 

“And when I realised I had hurt you, I was so angry at myself. I knew I had to do something, so I started seeing a therapist. You must think I’m pathetic, I mean what therapist goes to another therapist.”

“Hyune, there’s nothing wrong with seeking out help, you’re human too at the end of the day. Also I’m pretty sure many therapists go to other therapists on the daily.” Relief flooded his body at the familiar nickname and he felt just a bit better.

“I know, I do. I just can’t help but feel pathetic, you know? I lost the best thing that has happened to me in a long time and also probably the love of my life. My therapist said that I should visit her grave and on the same day I saw the ad for your café, I knew then that it was a sign.”

“What do you mean, a sign?” Your lack of a response at his confession didn’t go unnoticed by him but he continued anyway.

“I hadn’t realised that I needed help until I lost you, so when I saw your ad, I just knew I had to at least try to reconcile with you. I’m so sorry for being an asshole and ghosting you, there’s really no excuse. I’m truly sorry.”

“It’s okay I forgive you.” You reply without hesitating and you really had forgiven him and made your peace with the situation. He was wrong to ghost you but you knew him better and decided to not judge him for his temporary lapse of judgment. Plus you were never good at holding grudges for too long.

“Uh-I, thank you.”

“I should drop you home, it’s getting late.” 

Both of you walked back to the car in silence, this time it was a comfortable one.

When you got in the car, Hyunjin didn’t immediately start the engine.

“Uhh you don’t have to reply to my confession but I would like it if we could be friends again.”, he said, rubbing the nape of his neck.

“Who said I want to be friends?”

“Oh,, okay.” He said looking down at his hands.

“I love you too, Hyune.”

He looked up at that, his widened eyes searching yours to see if you were telling the truth or not. And then he did the unexpected : he kissed you.

His kiss expressed everything his words couldn’t, his love, his promises, his forever.

{The end}

a/n: tysm if you've reached this far! it's my first time posting such a long fic, i hope you liked it <33 i'm so sorry if there any typos, i didn't have time to proofread, pls lmk if there any mistakes :) also i might write an epilogue for this if enough people are interested

[justforbooks]

She’s Always Hungry by Eliza Clark

A bona-fide queen of body horror delves into fears and illicit desires in this engrossing short-story debut

Disgust and delight, it has been said, live in close proximity; in Eliza Clark’s debut collection, they share a home and a bed. These 11 stories revolve around food, sex, gender, power and the body; they veer from realism to sci-fi, fairytale, horror and post-apocalyptic dystopia. This is a book that seems crafted from the stuff of our deepest fears and our most illicit desires. You read on, by turns engrossed and grossed out, as though in the thrall of some demonic power.

In one story, a tapeworm finds a happy home in the narrator’s belly, eating her dinners and keeping her weight in check (“Find me deliciously thin at a Michelin star restaurant, devouring a tasting menu with a wasp waist, never loosening my belt”). Another narrator’s pubescent face, blighted with acne, melts and scabs over after an aggressive treatment found on the dark web. “I feel like I’m touching raw meat and I pull my hands away.” In the sci-fi story Hollow Bones, a rip in the spacesuit of a scientist studying alien cultures allows a luminescent parasite to burrow into her thigh; bizarrely, she eats her own finger as it breaks off after prodding the wound (“The skin of that finger was so thin, it fell apart like stewed meat and slid down her throat just as easily, gristle collapsing with a press of her tongue, and the bone crumbling between her teeth”). The tale ends in her leg and forearm being amputated by a surgical team of fanged and furry creatures. Clark is a bona-fide queen of body horror, sadistic in her choice of imagery, and cussedly attentive to that most mundane and yet consequential of facts: that we have and are a body and, as a result, are always at risk of injury and mutation.

Boy Parts, Clark’s debut novel, was a BookTok sensation. A darkly hilarious study of gender archetypes and the treacherous schism between art and porn, consent and coercion, it featured a Geordie dominatrix and fetish photographer who, in the name of her vocation, groomed, snapped and possibly also bludgeoned and killed men she picked up from the streets. Her follow-up, Penance, turned a sly gaze on true crime, reconstructing the immolation of a teenager by three of her schoolmates. The preoccupations and self-awareness of these novels percolate into the story collection, but it is also very much its own thing: the tales ranging from quiet and murky to freaky, surreal and outright absurd, the work of a writer both dealing in and surpassing abjection and taboos.

Goth GF, a workplace comedy with sub-dom elements, reads like a winking recapitulation of Boy Parts, while The Problem Solver, about a rape survivor who confides in a male friend, engages themes of women’s testimony, male saviorism and sexual gaslighting. As ever, Clark manages to draw blood with a prop knife. After the woman half-jokes about the point of the Sex Offenders Register, the friend earnestly proposes the following course of action: “You wouldn’t have to call him out on your account,” he says. “In fact, we could do it like … more like a whisper network. Or I could message my friend from that feminist book club, the one with all the Instagram followers. Get them to name and shame him.”

The title story, set within a matriarchal community with strict rules for its men – fishers vulnerable to the dark call of the sea – is a delectable, code-scrambled mermaid tale that plays with ideas about male and female power (“The machinations of men had done so little for this place, and for the world outside of here”) and adds a mischievous twist to notions of communal safety and female self-sacrifice. It comes swaddled in influences, from Andersen’s fairytale to Orkney folklore and Lovecraftian mythos (there’s a Lovecraftian nod, too, in the following tale The Shadow Over Little Chitaly, composed entirely of reviews of a mysterious Chinese-Italian fusion takeaway).

The King satirises the “femgore” subgenre with which Clark has been identified, dramatising its excesses while relishing its cliches. Told from the uproarious viewpoint of a cannibal goddess who rises to power after the apocalypse, ruling over a settlement she christens Dad City in honour of the father she has killed and devoured, the story is a litany of horrors leavened by sick humour. She says of a man who offers himself up to be eaten: “He wants me to cut off his dick and balls before he goes. The dick-and-balls thing – they never enjoy that as much as they think they will. It’s always such a let-down for them. It’s a little sad.”

Two stories, Extinction Event and Nightstalkers, may feel like interlopers. The first is a miniature eco-thriller about an alien species of air- and sea-purifying starfish, and the second a hallucinogenic portrait of queer longing in 1970s California. Clark, you realise, isn’t a writer who will keep very long to any one path. This collection, full of shock and surprises, filth and wonder, is occasionally hard to reckon with, but harder still to forget.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[bearbluebooks]

prompt! gwyn was excited about a new training technique and bursts into azriel’s room only to see him…

My FIRST PROMPT!! First of all thank you so much for this. I was struggling with writers block and this made me so excited to start writing again. I truly hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it <3

The Shadowsinger’s Secret(s) - Day 7 @sjmromanceweek

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 4044

Read on AO3 or under the cut.

Snow slowly drifted from the night sky.

The icy cold created treacherous layers of ice on the stone floor of the training ring. Despite Cassian’s incessant pleas to “Respect the sacredness of the training ring”, several weapons were still scattered throughout the wide expanse. Before Gwyn picked up one of the discarded daggers, she rubbed her hands together in a desperate attempt to create warmth. Tonight’s temperatures were so low, that small white clouds escaped her already numb lips with every exhale.

Afternoon slowly made way for the darker colors of night. Gwyn always believed there was something calming about the obsidian cover of night. As if magic became more palpable when stars brightened the sky. Constellations, falling stars, and infinite mystery left unexplored- what could be more magical than that? Gwyn still pondered the question when a demanding voice pierced through the quarry, “Don’t stay out too late, and don’t you dare become better at dagger throwing than me.”

Nesta and Cassian had even more pressing plans. Tonight was Lupercalia, a human holiday that celebrated love. As soon as Elain casually dropped its existence during dinner last night, Cassian’s excitement was palpable, “Nes, I will finally take you to my favorite restaurant,” his puppy dog eyes the perfect show of his elation. Nesta’s gaze showed less excitement and more indifference, “Buy me a present and I’ll come.”

“Oh, come you will. I’ve been reading, too,” he countered, “And tonight, I will be your present, when I feast on you like Sherman Steelborn in a Dragon’s Tale.” Gwyn’s stomach churned at the vivid imagery Cassian’s statement evoked. They had just read that book in their weekly Smut Sisters book club. “Leave some mystery for the rest of us, Cas,” Gwyn begged before she rolled her eyes at the smug look on Cassian’s face. The whole scene made her almost happy she didn’t have a Lupercalia of her own tonight. Almost.

Gwyn shook the memory off when she averted her gaze from the sky to her friend, “We both know that ship has already sailed.”

“You should be the one to stay longer,” Gwyn challenged over her shoulder.

Her friend paused in the door with a hand on her hip, “Or maybe I should be getting private lessons from the Shadowsinger too,” Nesta exclaimed before the door closed with a heavy thud.

All smart retorts left her brain, only her mouth remained open.

Shit.

Gwyn’s cheeks flushed red. And this time it was not because of the icy cold.

Training sessions had become more frequent in the last couple of months. And she did find herself counting down the minutes until she could see those hazel eyes assessing her every move. Or when she could feel those strong hands demonstrate how to position her hands for the best trajectory- during which she (allegedly) feigned inexperience once or twice, just to feel those calloused hands on her bare skin. To feel those sparks of electricity erupt over her entire body.

One of those nights Gwyn fell into his strong arms after a particularly difficult combination of movements. When they were so close they shared a breath. The longing and vulnerability in his eyes was something Gwyn couldn’t stop thinking about.

At night, under the safety of her blankets, she replayed that moment often- the way his hand felt on her waist, or how his eyes darted between her eyes and her lips, when his mouth curved up slightly, and how his cedar smell ingrained itself in all of her senses.

All of which happened under the cover of night. When everybody was long gone- or so she thought.

Gwyn forced herself to move on. She could think about all of that later.

She would undoubtedly hear about it later too.

Busybodies.

Tonight was for training.

Tonight she would finally learn how to beat the Shadowsinger.

Tonight she would win the bet and rub that arrogant smile off his face.

Every training session ended in Azriel either hovering over her, strapping her hands to her back, or pinning her body beneath his. It had its advantages. Heat still rushed to her core at the memories. But Gwyn was nothing if not determined. And tonight she was determined to win.

Every trick he taught her, he could anticipate.

What he didn’t anticipate was her discovery of an ancient book with knowledge not even the Shadowsinger was privy to. Knowledge so secret not even Merril knew about it.

Earlier that day, Gwyn had ventured to the fifth floor in search of one of Merril’s books ‘The Multiverse and its Animals’, when Gwyn’s eye caught something even more interesting, ’50 ways to slay your opponent’. The urgency in Merril’s voice made Gwyn pause for a second before she reminded herself I only know 15 ways to slay an opponent and grabbed the book.

As soon as she finished her work for the day, curious eyes studied the book until she reached the page titled ‘Paranza Corta’. The section stated a fighting technique that focused on short thrusts. The trick was to let your opponent get close enough to let them think they had the upper hand before you would hit them from below with a multitude of targeted strikes.

She knew in her bones it would finally allow her to beat the Shadowsinger.

She could see the surprise in his beautiful hazel eyes become replaced by awe.

She could already see him become speechless- not because of his usual preference for silence, but because he couldn’t find the words to speak.

She could already taste the victory.

Those thoughts fueled her.

They set her body aflame despite the icy cold threatening to numb her fingers.

Still, all evening this particular technique proved difficult to master.

Impossible even.

She couldn’t figure out how to get close enough without getting killed in the process.

Every practice run stopped before she could even reach the target.

Irritation seeped into her bones. She couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t working. It made her wonder if Azriel would have been able to figure it out. Of course he would have, she thought to herself with an eye roll and a smile.

He had centuries of knowledge and experience on her.

But she had determination.

Hours passed without any improvement.

Cold snowflakes slowly turned liquid on her overheated skin. Frustration threatened to burn all rationality until nothing but ashes of failed determination remained.

With one steady breath in, one pause and one exhale, she turned the anger into fuel when she focused on her strengths.

Before she started again, investigative eyes took in the scene unfolding in front of her. Muscle wasn’t the problem. Nor was speed.

Suddenly it clicked.

Without wasting time she took up her starting stance a few feet away from the target. Quick and careful steps brought her closer and closer to the wooden puppet taunting her. Just before she got close, she dropped low, putting all her weight on one foot as she slid towards the wooden monstrosity. Then she channeled all her weight into both legs, as she pulled herself upwards, and stabbed, stabbed, stabbed the puppet.

A laugh so maniacal any sane person would call question her sanity resounded in the wide open space.

Then the steadying pull of reality replaced the overwhelming sense of euphoria.

Azriel didn’t see it- he wasn’t there and neither were his shadows.

Suddenly it didn’t feel like a victory anymore.

The clunk on the floor signaled her exit before her mind clued her into her movements.

Gwyn still couldn’t completely wrap her mind around an omniscient house, yet she was very grateful for it now.

“Where is Azriel’s room?” she asked as she turned her gaze towards the ceiling, then the walls, and the empty space around her, before she accepted that omniscient probably meant omnipresent too and steadied her gaze in front of her.

A familiar miniature Pegasus suddenly appeared in front of her. A loud squeal was the only welcome she could muster before the little creature started walking into the corridor. Soft clicks of hooves filled the silence in the hallway, then down a pair of steps, until it finally stopped in front of a huge door.

When it reached its destination it disappeared into a pink cloud of smoke.

Gwyn was sad for its quick exit before she remembered her mission.

Without knocking she stormed into the room where she exclaimed “I DID IT” with her arms raised high into the air.

Shadows swarmed her vision in seconds.

A desperate plea in a familiar deep tone resounded “Gwyn what are you-“

When the shadows slowly cleared, no awe was to be seen in those hazel eyes she so longed to see. Instead, she saw shock, shame, and confusion staring back at her.

“I’m sorry!” Her hands mirrored the statement as she placed them in front of her eyes to offer him belated privacy.

She clearly interrupted some kind of private moment.

She was ready to turn around and leave as fast as she came, but curiosity was a hard trait to ignore. Especially when one found themselves in the same room as an enigmatic Spymaster with an apparent secret.

Slowly, she lowered her hands to reveal the dark-haired male who was lying in bed with his wings splayed widely on both sides. Soft candlelight made it difficult to see, but not impossible. The walls were as black as night, and the multiple knives covering the walls gleamed like silver stars. The bed was huge. Big enough to fit three Azriel’s and maybe one Gwyn.

 “A Pirates’ Search for Love?” She tried to say in her most serious voice. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t help the laugh that erupted from her small frame. The feeling was so unbridled and intense that she couldn’t remember the last time she laughed like that.

“I thought you didn’t like smutty novels?”

He implied as much every time he intruded on their sleepovers, with his arms crossed in front of him as he leaned against the doorframe in such a way he could be the main character in one of their novels.

“I don’t like Selyn Drake, I never said I didn’t like the genre,” he countered. “Males read them too. They can be useful,” he challenged with a smirk that confirmed every word of his previous statement. Cassian had proved as much yesterday, she had just never expected Azriel to be one of those males too.

When her eyes drifted lower to look at the author who apparently doubled as an instructor, her eyes caught the large hand covering an even larger body part.

Her eyes grew as wide as the hazel ones looking back at her.

 “Shit. Shit shit shit I didn’t mean to-“ Azriel stammered as he jumped out of the bed with hurried movements, unsuccessfully trying to close his pants in the process.

Suddenly, another melodic laugh just as heartfelt filled the room. “Were you practicing immediately?” she asked in between laughs.

Azriel’s eyes looked equally hesitant and intrigued.

“I was,” he answered honestly. His eyes remained determinately focused on hers. As if her next words would decide his actions- not his own desire, not his own hopes and expectations, but her.

Life was dynamic. Gwyn knew growth was equal parts bravery and devotion. Just like her time spent in the training ring, learning the Paranza Corta. Where one day frustration fueled her veins at her inability to wield a seemingly straightforward concept. When- even though she felt the desire to succeed in the deepest part of her soul- she failed. So she tried again. And failed, again. When doubt started to creep in and threatened to affect her self-worth. When she could see herself succeed, but something prevented her at every turn.

Until one day something clicked.

Her relationship with sex was much the same way. Only what clicked was reuniting with Azriel on that same roof, many years ago.

Bravery and devotion, she reminded herself once again.

“Can you show me?” Her feet already took her closer to where he was standing next to the bed. Two of her hands covered his previously occupied one, as she repeated “Show me.”

“Gwyn-“

“Show me.”

With a whisper, she added “Please.”

His eyes remained determinately focused on hers. She knew what he would find. Nothing but equal resolution and confidence, just like he saw in the training ring every night.

There was not a male in the world she trusted more. Not a male her body craved more. Not a male who made her feel as safe as the one standing right in front of her- who looked at her with the trepidation and vulnerability he expected to see reflected in her eyes.

One of her hands moved to cup his cheek, she knew it was not her who needed reassurance at that moment.

“I trust you.”

His eyes turned contemplative. As if he was finally considering her request.

“I want you.”

That last sentence seemed to thaw some of the icy walls he had built around himself. As if her words were the fire that allowed some of the coldness to disappear.

Her other hand moved to the part she knew he was trying to hide.

“Show me.”

When she slowly moved her hand up and down the bulge in his pants, his breath caught in his throat.

His gaze roved over her body- to the tightness of her Illyrian leathers, emphasizing all of her curves. To her chest, which she slightly uncovered in the training ring when heat threatened to overtake her concentration.

The intensity with which his hazel eyes observed her, made her dare to move closer to the point where they were standing so close they shared a breath. “Show me,” she whispered before she placed a soft kiss on his neck.

He tilted his head slightly to match her height. His gaze slipped to her lips.

She would only have to reach up to do what she dreamt about more times than she cared to admit- the way his lips would feel against hers (rough) the way their lips would fit together (like puzzle pieces) the way he would take her breath away (literally and metaphorically).

What she didn’t expect was the satisfied sigh that escaped her mouth when she finally returned to earth.

When she looked into his eyes to assess if she ruined the moment, she saw nothing but surprise and awe.

Before she could fill the silence he placed a large hand behind her neck and pulled her closer. Another searing kiss turned the world to black in a way his shadows never could. A world filled with wonder and perfection.

Nothing else existed except for his lips and that moment. Where eternity seemed to exist, whilst no time passed at all.

It started chaste and delicate. Before it turned more hungry and desperate. She pushed him to the bed with one determinate hand. The moment it took to land on the bed was much too long, and she already missed his lips.

When she looked into his eyes, intrigue and lust stared back. Which made a heat she’d never felt before spread through her body- like a flame and he held the match.

Nothing else existed in the world except for him and her instincts.

With confident strides she walked over to where he hungrily observed her from the bed, his eyes grew so big, that his pupils overtook the hazel she loved so much. His back was firmly pushed into the mattress. Gwyn moved to the bed where she placed two of her legs next to his hips. She felt powerful. And with the way his eyes took her in, she felt desired too.

She took one of his fingers in hers and allowed him to trace a path from the opening of her Illyrian leathers up, to her mouth. His eyes tracked every movement. When she put his thick finger in her mouth, she made sure to suck on it lightly, before she let it go with a loud pop.

Azriel was speechless, save for the heady groan that sent electricity up Gwyn’s spine.

There was something else she wanted to do tonight. Something else she wanted to see, to touch, to feel.

In one swift movement, she took up the space next to him where she sat on her knees, assessing the gorgeous male before her.

His pants were still unbuttoned. She allowed her hand to roam freely. “Gwyn.” Her name was a pledge and a prayer on his lips. “Azriel” she answered in equal devotion. She allowed her fingers to trace the patch of obsidian hair down towards the edge of his underwear.

His hands forcefully fisted the sheets next to his hips in a way that made them turn white. It was as if he didn’t allow his body to act on the same instincts that guided Gwyn in all her movements. Her hands slightly shook, as she removed the iron grip on his sheets, and took his much larger hands in hers. She could feel the grooves that graced his hands. One of her fingers softly traced them when shame colored his eyes.

It made her wonder if he was ashamed of his hands. It seemed impossible because she loved his hands.

Defiance and adoration made her lift his hands to her mouth and place soft kisses on every groove. Every mark of shame. Whilst she wished she could do the same for his heart, his soul. She wished she could soothe every horrible thing that ever happened to him, and pray to the altar of his past whilst she made a promise to always be there for him in the future by choosing him every day.

His eyes slowly shifted from shame to a calmness she rarely saw reflected in his eyes.

Before she continued she placed another kiss on his lips.

His hands moved to cup her cheeks- to keep her steady.

When his tongue darted over her lower lip, she happily complied. The kiss was deeper. More ravenous than before. As if he finally allowed himself to have her just like he wanted to.

Without breaking the kiss, she moved her hand lower. She felt his body slightly shiver with the suddenness of the touch before he leaned into it. She traced a path from his abdomen to the edge of his underwear.

“Is this okay?” she asked before she continued her path down.

“Y-es,” he stammered as his hips bucked into her touch.

Her heart leaped in her chest. She could feel her excitement resound in the increased beats of her heart. With uneven breaths, but steady hands, she moved her hand to slide into the softness of his underpants where a less soft cock greeted her.

Her eyes widened in surprise and admiration. His cock was huge. She could barely fit it in her hand.

“It must have been a good book,” she smiled as she looked up at him.

His voice was low when he finally found the words to answer her, “That’s all you.” A corner of his mouth lifted when he ended the sentence with a wink. She didn’t need a mirror to know a red flush grazed her cheeks at the way his words made her feel. Or the warmth it spread throughout her body.

“I haven’t even done anything yet,” she teased.

“My cock says otherwise.”

Intrigue and fascination made her wonder what else she could do to his cock. She tightened her grip around his cock, as she lowered her head to rest next to his ear as she whispered “What is it saying now?”

He moved his head to look into her eyes, his voice was even lower as he forced out in between hurried breaths, “That you know me well.”

Her movements were restricted by his pants.

Even though it was the last thing she wanted to do, she removed her hand from his hardening cock when something akin to a whine followed her abrupt exit.

“Was that a whine?” she said in between laughs.

With a shrug of his shoulders, he answered without any hint of shame, “Me and my cock love having you close.”

With a playful roll of her eyes, she signaled to his pants.

“Oh.” Skillful hands removed his sweatpants in less time than it took for him to utter the single syllable.

Only his underpants and t-shirt prevented her from seeing his entire naked glory. Her hands moved on their own accord when they took hold of the underside of his shirt and swiftly lifted it up.

Many nights she wondered what hid under the carefully constructed armor. Some days, when it was especially hot, hints of swirling tattoos were uncovered. Maps of obsidian art she memorized as if they were Merrill’s research. Then there were his tight Illyrian leathers which hinted at muscular arms, ones she often fantasized about.

She allowed her eyes to rove over his body- to take in every muscle. Every swirling tattoo. Every patch of obsidian hair. Wherever her eyes roamed her finger followed. His body slightly shivered under her touch. “Beautiful” she whispered.

His eyes lit up and the resulting smile made him even more beautiful. Gwyn’s heart grew to a size she didn’t hold possible. It made her want to give him every last piece of her.

There was only one last barrier between them. One she uncovered with shaky hands. Larger ones found hers in an instant. Although his hands had a slight shiver too, they provided a steadiness Gwyn hadn’t realized she needed at that moment.

Slowly, so slowly, they pulled his underpants off, and within seconds his half-hard cock sprang free.

Azriel’s gaze didn’t wander towards his large member as Gwyn’s eyes did, instead, they remained determinedly focused on her.

Words escaped her. So she took his hand in hers and guided him towards his cock too. “Show me,” she repeated her earlier words.

His grip tightened, as he moved Gwyn’s hand up and down his cock in rough strokes. His breath hitched at the movement.

When she had as good a grip on his preferences as she on his cock, she lowered down to whisper in his ear, “Let go Az.” She didn’t know if she meant his grip or his restraint either. Maybe she meant both.

His eyes remained focused on her before his hands moved to cup her ass. Her lip darted out to lick her bottom lip. His eyes tracked the movement with such hunger it made her bend down and kiss him again.

When he used his strong grip to knead her ass, and said “I have been wanting to do this for a long time”, she couldn’t help the moan that escaped her lips. He swallowed the sound with another searing kiss that sent electricity to her core.

A desire to give him equal pleasure overtook her body. In equal curiosity and wonder, she lightly used her fingernails with her next stroke up and down his shaft. “Fuck,” Azriel groaned into her shoulder. It made his cock twitch in her hand.

Interesting.

It made her wonder what else she could do.

She closed her hand around his cock fully and made sure to pump him with as much force as she thought he could handle. “Fuck, I’m close, let me-“

“Let me,” she repeated as she seductively bit her lower lip.

His eyes widened with a desire so overwhelming it made the ache between her legs grow to an almost painful degree.

He was so close too- his breaths turned panting, more desperate.

With her other hand, she slowly lowered her zipper, revealing more and more naked skin until her breasts were freed from the constraints of the Illyrian leathers. His eyes caught the movement. His gaze turned ravenous, desperate, euphoric.

His hips bucked into her hand but her movement never slowed, as his head fell into her shoulder, and his hair tickled her in the process.

“FUCK,” Azriel groaned so loudly Gwyn was sure there was no room for any secrets tonight. But that didn’t matter.

Tonight was for victories.

And this victory, Azriel did see.

[alexis-royce]

WIP game, (aka proof that I certainly don't finish everything that I start!)

I was tagged by: @the-dye-stained-socialite

RULES: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Please don't get too attached to any of these. Each one is equally likely to languish in draft purgatory or get made into a fully-fledged-whatever-it-is.

Grounds for Termination (Chrome and Prism)

Mostly text below the cut:

No Spoilers (Fallen London)

The third member of the book club had been uncharacteristically quiet. His pencil had been scribbling away for weeks now. Occasionally, Pages would demand to see what the man had been writing, wary of some kind of treacherous spy notation. But each time, his notebook was spun around, revealing a veritable sportsman’s notation of the conversation, complete with tally marks, denoting points. The Jovial Contrarian would flash an expression charitably known as “punchable,” before returning to his note-taking. Great rhetorical zugzwang did not come without effort and study, and if a man wanted to keep his edge, it was frightfully important to find and study such excellent examples.  Cards, at a glance, found themself exceptionally leery of the notation system employed by the contrarian, but before they were ever quite able to question it, some little spark of conversational fluff would waft by, reigniting their squabble with Pages, and more pressing matters would take prescience.

Mastery and the Marvellous (Fallen London)

“Stop that. Why are you rubbing your eye?” “I’m. Rubbing my eye?” She stammered. “I suppose-“ “Hypothetical. I know why you are doing this. Your hand. It vexes you.” “If my hand hurt, why would I rub-“ “Your hand of CARDS, Human.” “That hand’s fine, too-“ The movement was sudden, but there was no harshness in its tone. It stole the cards from The Disgraced Academic’s grip, and spread them out on the table. “Oi!” The Academic reached for them, but Pages shooed her away. “Do you want an afternoon’s amustraction, or do you want victory?”

Hiding an injury / betrayal / lying (Fallen London)

There was a long-running argument as to the exact shade violant most resembled. As a light, it was redder than blood. As a pigment, it was nearly indigo. But everyone who saw it agreed that the effect was much the same as spotting a running rivulet of blood from the stomach of a loved one. It commanded attention, to the distraction of all other things. The Ex-Disgraced Academic’s fingers trembled as they scraped violant eyeshadow from their compact, dragging it across their upper eyelid, and into the creek behind the bridge of their nose. They fanned it out, under their brow, nearly to their temple. It was a daring use of rouge, and frankly scandalous.  But it was exactly the sort of hue that would distract from the blossoming crimson stain oozing from their abdomen.

Dissociation (Deadly Premonition, HUGE spoilers)

First off, Zach could come to the front whenever he wanted, so it wasn’t a problem or anything. The white room was only a room in their dreams. When they were awake, it was more of the feeling of white, then anything else. A pull at the back of his skull, as though gravity shifted at the edge of his brain. But he didn’t have to stay back there or anything. When nobody was talking to them, he liked to strum on their base, or stitch new patches onto their jacket. He liked to get fancy with the stitches, and York was pretty encouraging about it. But the other guys made one crack about embroidery, and it took Zach four months to even pick up a needle again. Sure, he sometimes bumped into things while walking. But Zach was fine. He wasn’t trapped at all.

Experimentation / Muzzle / transformation (Jekyll & Hyde)

Pain hurts worse the more damage it does to you. For Henry John Albert Jekyll, transformation was excruciating. There simply wasn’t a way to reframe it as beneficial. Alchemy followed a process, and one of the first steps was the stripping of vice.  This position wasn’t meant to be anything beyond a simple Nigredo stage. The sloughing and burning of vice. It would have hurt, but it would have been a pain of catharsis. The bitter medicine fed to him in bed by a nurse. A scalding bath. The screaming voice of his father, correcting a shameful behavior. The mortification of flesh. But what was good and noble was being ripped from him. His patience, above all other things. Everything was louder as Hyde, everything was loud and impossible to abide, beer was richer and gin sweeter, the thighs of a woman were soft and the moans of men buttery.

The Outside, Chapter 4 (The Stanley Parable)

He went instead to the encyclopedias, pulled one down from the shelf, and then three more. Volumes 23-26. He opened two of them to random pages and left them open on the ground, then opened the other two, quickly turning pages one at a time. Lots of text, lots of images… THERE.  Two of the volumes were displaying identical page layouts. Two sets of articles on mangroves, not a single difference between the words and images. Volumes 24 and 26 had repeated content.  But when he flipped the books closed, both covers listed “Volume 25.” No…he’d been certain that he’d pulled four differently numbered books off the shelf. He checked the row again, and there, plain as day, was the untouched copy of Volume 26. If Stanley had attempted to relay this fact to another person, they’d likely tell him that he’d made a mistake. The library simply happened to have two copies of Volume 25. It was odd, sure, and bad luck that he’d managed to grab the one book that would trip him up. But those coincidences were more likely than…what? He was dreaming? His senses were handling input incorrectly ? The world around him was a poorly designed fabrication, scrambling to patch itself with limited content and memory allocation? Stanley’s fingers twitched.

Ash and Herbert Comic (Evil Dead, Re-Animator)

Panel 1 Ash, taking his pants off Ash: Hey short stuff I gotta thank you for doin’ me this solid Panel 2 Slumps down in a chair, boxers and hairy legs, kicks his feet up: Ash: I ran outta pharmacies after the S-Mart in Kalamazoo refused me service. Panel 3 Foreground, a syringe flicks bubbles, Ash prattles on in bg, full of a staggeringly self-assured confidence They say it was “because a horde of giggling demons ate the receptionist,” but I know transphobia when I see it.”

Charles Augustus Milverton Adaptation (Sherlock Holmes)

Watson later apologizes. “The very minute which my own blood cooled, I realized that I had committed upon you the same crime of which I had accused you. I was the cold one, not you. And I fear that it was not the young lady’s feelings which I’d been attempting to protect.”

Otto's Mind Design Docs (Psychonauts 2 Spoilers)

Lead Into Gold Roughs (Serialized Killer Spoilers)

Harold “Weird…is this some kind of accountability that isn’t based off fear?” — Maggie: Arrrrrgh Harry’s buzzing around in here telling me what to do.{w} Shut up I don’t take orders from ANYONE! Maggie: GRRAAAAAAHHHH! with vpunch Maggie: huff huff pause Maggie: Hawley, tell me what to do. — Harry "Well, DeLus was ACTUALLY locked in her basement by her father. There wasn't a lock on MY basement door. Show hawley sarcastic Hawley "Yeah, that's completely different." #Harry does not pick up on the sarcasm Harry "I've led a very fortunate and privileged life."

Hojojutsu (Lupin III)

Page 1 Zenigata is walking past a line of recruits, who are saluting. Narration: Inspector Zenigata Koichi is diligent, Zenigata continues to walk by, the word balloons follow him Narration: and hardworking, Zenigata continues to walk past the line of recruits Narration: And Tireless, One of the recruits, under his salute, grins. It’s Lupin. Narration: And A FOOL. Jigen Curse Comic Page Le Salle is a room that dwarfs the Mona Lisa, and how small it is in real life frequently disappoints people. Similarly, the man removing it is dwarfed by the space he fails to magnificently occupy. Rolling up the painting is Jigen Daisuke. Zenigata keeps his gun leveled. Balloon: Jeez, Pops, put that away before you hurt someone! The room is big, and there are only two men in it. Zenigata: Lupin? Come on out, and I’ll swap the gun for cuffs! Jigen, Mona Lisa in hand, brushes back his jacket, reaching for his gun. Jigen: You want me to take care of this? Page Zenigata’s confusion is making him upset. Balloon: Are you nuts? I’m already very mad you capped one guy, don’t push your luck! Under the brim of his hat, Jigen grins. He abandons his draw. Jigen: Whatever you say, Boss. Zenigata finally loses it. Balloon: Hmph, you only call me “Boss” when you’re upset- Zenigata: What the HELL’S goin’ on, here?! His grip is tight on the gun. Zenigata: Where the hell is Lupin? He bellows, in quite the action shot. Zenigata: Because that voice… ...ain’t him! Page Jigen stops for a moment, putting the Mona Lisa into a canvas tube. He slings it over his shoulder. Jigen: Well, that’s rude. Jigen begins to walk away. This conversation is built of linked speech bubbles. It’ll be a little confusing to read, but that’s okay. Zenigata is also confused. Jigen: You’d think he’d be happy to see his reason for living! I know, it’s been what, six months? Six months without a good chase! Must’ve been goin’ stir-crazy. Page The brim of Jigen’s hat tilts up, and a ray of moonlight passes over his face. He’s not doing well. The smile on his face is very Lupin-esque, wide eyed and energetic. But it sits poorly on this gunman. It doesn’t suit him, and with good reason. Jigen: That’s okay! I was itching for a heist, too!

High Protocol (NonPlatonic Forms)

“I can’t believe I shaved for this.” “Shut up, Liam.” Lee found it exceptionally rude that, almost as soon as he’d been able to speak again, he wasn’t allowed to use his voice anymore. “Yes, yes,” Niles worried at the cuffs of his jacket, and straightened his lapels, “an utter shame that the world won’t be graced with your croaky voice. However, the point is for you to be perceived as little as possible. If you draw attention to yourself, it will soundly defeat the point. Lee didn’t think that he was dressed to blend in. The suitjacket was immaculately tailored, and cut from a black-on-black brocade. He’d managed to slick his hair back into place, and he could see his face in his shoes. There was something satisfying about being dressed so elegantly. If you could pull off a look, it made you into a walking piece of art. Neat! But the collar was tight, the layers had already made him begin to sweat, and the shoes pinched at his toes and heels. Lee looked great, but it was a trade-off he wasn’t sure he’d be able to make for long. Niles began to fuss with Lee’s tie, now. Initially, he held tie after tie up to his neck, debating between endless shades of black, wrapping them around his collar in half and full Windsors. As his fingers brushed against Lee’s neck and chest, the sensation was more than enough to distract Lee from the pain in his heels. But the analogue method was too cumbersome for Niles, who quickly reverted to cheating. A snap of his fingers, and a new tie sprang about Lee’s collar. Another snap, another tie. Snap, snap, snap.

Gray Jacket Chapter 20 (Lupin III, and I do actually plan on finishing this one)

It wasn’t unheard of for them to bump into the same opponent once or twice, but over the past couple years, a young swordsman had kept popping up. A genuine, 20th-century samurai, hakama and katana in tow. Lupin had squarely beat him on all fronts, of course. Nobody was ever really any match for his own dazzling brilliance. But the Samurai had survived both encounters, and after a particularly lengthy little job plundering a pair of scrolls the samurai had been ordered to guard, the samurai had tried a new tactic. He’d shown up, barging straight into Lupin’s hideout, shoulders piled high with all his worldly possessions, determined to study, with Lupin as his new master. After all, Lupin had bested the samurai and his master, multiple times over. If he wanted to learn from ‘The Best,’ then it would be Lupin, and nobody else. At that moment, however, ‘The Best’ was plowing straight [OH NO THIS PART IS EXPLICIT], and the samurai’s declaration of intent to dedicate himself to Lupin’s tutelage was drowned out by an overcome moan of [YEAH YOU CAN'T SAY THAT IN CHURCH] and Lupin wasn’t in the habit of making artisan, single-sourced love if he had a looky-loo breathing down his neck. Across the room, Jigen turned the page of his newspaper. “The boss is busy. Come back later.”

Off the Cuff 2 (It's in the title)

"Ahhhhhh, {i}Christ.{/i}" "It’s my ex." "You ever been in one of those relationships that just consumes you from the inside?{w} You really, really know it’s a terrible idea, but that hardly helps.{w} You draw a line super early: clear, definite boundaries." "And then you realize that you’re both insanely fucked up, and neither of you has the same definition for what you’ve defined." "Why do I always find myself in these sorts of scenarios?{w} All I can do is sigh." "Nobody tells you that a 5\’2\" spitfire is going to be utterly irresistible to so many people. Hey, I try to warn them." "Too many folks out there touch-starved, I guess.{w} You pat them on the head once, and they think you’ve got an immortal, irreplaceable bond,{w} and then they drag you away to their laboratory where they just can't stop raising the dead, and you’ve got a whole 'nother issue to deal with." "Oh, well.{w} It do be like that sometimes."

Mecha Pilot Lee AU (NonPlatonic Forms)

The screen illuminated Lee's face. “Huh. That’s weird.” “What’s weird?” If she hadn't been a 15-meter mech, she could’ve been arching an eyebrow, for all her timbre implied. “Diagnostics were checking to see if you’d suffered data loss in the attack, but it’s the opposite. There’s new data in here.” Lee preemptively logged the finding analog-style, pulling out a notebook and copying down the file name.   “Oh, uh. Don’t open that.” She coughed. “That’s private.” Lee smirked. “Julia is not supposed to be saving personal files to your hardware, Channery. It’s a security issue.” “Where else is she supposed to save them? Come on, Lee! The enemy built me with barely any memory as it was! I know that I’m not supposed to be developing a history or memories, but you know better than I that I can’t accurately cross-reference them against any moral codes besides treasuring Julia!” “Oh. So it’s. Uh. Personal?” “Extremely.” Channery glowered. She couldn’t really fire her pulse charges at an ally, but her tone didn’t exactly encourage Lee to test it. “Channery, you know that I’m going to have to double-check this, right? I have to extract this and run it on a limited server. If it’s malicious…” “It’s not malicious! But it is, you know…” she hissed through her not-teeth, “…off-book pilot/apparatus bonding techniques.” “Any events that take place inside a cockpit are subject to government surveillance,” but Lee groaned as he said it. Julia and Channery weren’t the first pair to commit ‘off-book activities,’ and they wouldn’t be the last. It wasn’t even an illegal activity, so long as you were the only pilot assigned to the mech in question. But some pilots looked at the memory reserves in the mech’s hard drive, and figured that, so long as the AI was going to be adding the occasional movie, song or mission footage to its memory banks, there was space in there for their own precious memories of hanky-panky.  Fucking the mech wasn’t illegal. But saving your own unapproved files to the hard drive was.

And last but not least, from the 51k nanowrimo version of Lead Into Gold:

20th of Mid-Autumn, 1905 My one and only, You are quite right. I meant to write you a love letter, but instead, wound myself up in fears and concerns for myself. This next letter must scoop you up into my arms, and submerge us both into the warm comfort of my adoration. I miss you dreadfully; during the days there is my research to keep me company, but it is a cruel friend that runs me ragged and leaves me empty. I’ve grown accustomed to welcoming you to dinner every night, and have been considering hiring a cook, if research continues to go well. It is not fashionable to have servants, as the aristos in other cities do, but the hiring of a weekly maid is quite normal, and has worked well for me. I have kept her from touching the guest room- which is quickly taking place in my mind as ‘Hawley’s Room’- but I cannot say the same for myself. I have slept in there twice already, and worn your sweater while I slept and while I but these hints of you are not the same as your presence and words. You know, as much as I may consider the opinions of others, their presence is extraordinarily draining. I have had three dinners since you left, all of them supposedly university functions, but all also including a number of businessmen. I knew that this was a common occurrence in the chemical and engineering departments; the end goal for most research is to patent and sell to the highest bidder. But as you mentioned, I am quite well off enough that to sell would be quite unethical of me. So it is obnoxious to continually wish for a dinner discussing university business, and to get this other sort of business, instead. Were you here, I wonder what you might have said. And yes, I am sure that that must be an odd thing to hear from me, who is constantly tutting and pooh-poohing you for your lack of manners. But what seems irksome in abundance can be precious in absentia. And your forthrightness is a blast of cool air in these stuffy meetings. The lot of us stuffed-shorts spend hours and hours carefully twisting our words around, into pretty shapes, hoping to avoid offense. But all that that really seems to accomplish is to raise the standard. And thus, words that are not pretty enough become an offense. A missed complement becomes a slight. It is enough to make me long for you to insult me. I am no masochist, but the sense of security one gets by being insulted in good faith? It is endless. To know that one’s faults are perceived, and still accepted, is more flattering than a hundred compliments. That is part of the charm of you, one that is not easily seen by those deluded enough to expect empty flattery. You do not insult out of some desire to exercise power, or to harm the person with whom you speak. You do so out of the simple, innocent desire to speak what is true, or to assist another in correcting a flaw. And thus, when you speak praise, it holds a value to me which is deeply precious. And all the moreso because your opinions and insight are excellent! When we differ in perspective, it is not long before you are able to sway me to your side of the matter, and I feel all the richer for it. I miss them deeply, and remain, Ever Yours, Harry P.S. I am enclosing some additional notes on the new detection device, and I hope that they are of value.

25th of Mid-Autumn, 1905 My Failing Wordsmith, It confuses me to no end, how a man who spins the most poetic words of love in person, cannot manage to do the same on paper. I do not feel submerged in affection yet, you must open the tap further. I apologize, I am in a lackluster mood. I’ve seen neither hair nor hide of the demon, though the readings are exceptionally strong. I end each day in mounting frustration. One of Rakove’s damndable wasps escaped from its carrier the other day, and when I swung at it, the horrible things was impertinent enough to sting me. That was, in effect, the end to my entire day. Unlike you, I do not handle pain well, and the swelling in my arms was enough to command my thoughts, and I took to bed. I tried writing to you, but it was as though the blinding light at sea, searing my eyes, were all concentrated on that one spot on my arm. All I accomplished was to ruin two sheets of paper with curses, and they are illegibly mediocre ones. Professor Rakove did his best to assist, but his research in the matter is still lacking, and the salve which he applied to the sting only made the situation worse. He asked me questions, attempting to ascertain my status, but, delirious with pain, I cannot tell if I was any help. He stayed by my side for the rest of the day and night, and I appreciate his diligence, giving up valuable research time to care for me. I am still weak, and he supposes that I might have been allergic to the sting. I have told him that while I may grumble about it, he is forgiven in my heart, so long as he fixes the latch on his bee carrier. I shall continue to convalesce, but I won’t improve without affection. Yours. I demand it, so that I may remain, Ever Yours, Hawley

[missreblog]

**Title: "Crossroads of Redemption"**

---

Jax Teller, the rugged outlaw biker, had always been drawn to the edge—the place where chaos and redemption collided. His leather-clad existence revolved around loyalty, brotherhood, and the roar of Harley engines. But one fateful night, as the moon hung low over Charming, California, destiny threw him an unexpected curveball.

Enter Maya Johnson, a woman with a past as complex as the intricate tattoos that adorned her caramel skin. She'd grown up on the rough side of Oakland, navigating a world of broken promises and shattered dreams. Her eyes held secrets—pain, resilience, and a fierce determination to rise above it all.

Their paths intersected at the local diner, where Jax nursed his coffee and Maya sipped sweet tea. Sparks flew—an electric charge that defied the boundaries of their separate worlds. Jax's inked knuckles traced the edge of his mug, and Maya's laughter danced like sunlight through the window.

They talked about scars—the visible ones from bar brawls and motorcycle crashes, and the hidden ones etched into their souls. Jax shared tales of SAMCRO's battles, the brotherhood that bound them, and the weight of leadership on his shoulders. Maya spoke of her fight to break free from her past, the nights she'd spent studying law books while working double shifts.

As the days turned into weeks, their connection deepened. Jax found solace in Maya's warmth, a refuge from the violence that haunted him. She, in turn, discovered a man who wasn't just leather and steel—a man who cradled her heart with gentle hands.

But danger loomed. Rival gangs tightened their grip on Charming, threatening to tear apart the fragile peace Jax had fought for. Maya's legal expertise became their secret weapon, and she stood by his side as they navigated treacherous alliances and blood-soaked turf wars.

Their love defied convention—a rebel prince and a brilliant attorney. They whispered promises in the dark, their bodies entwined, seeking solace from a world that sought to tear them apart. Maya's laughter became Jax's lifeline, and his kisses branded her skin with hope.

Yet fate had other plans. When bullets flew and betrayal struck, Jax faced an impossible choice: loyalty to the club or the woman who'd become his salvation. The road split, and he stood at the crossroads of redemption.

In the final showdown, as engines roared and blood stained the asphalt, Jax held Maya close. Her eyes mirrored the moon—a mix of fear and fierce determination. He kissed her, tasting both love and regret, knowing that their paths diverged.

And so, Jax Teller rode into the night, leaving behind the woman who'd taught him that redemption wasn't found in leather cuts or gunpowder—it was in the touch of her hand, the promise of a better tomorrow.

---

*Note: This scenario is entirely fictional and not part of the official "Sons of Anarchy" storyline.*¹²

[rustycopper4use]

It’s Always Been You pt9

(Kyoya x Male Reader)

Chapter nine

-A Challenge From The Lobelia Academy!-

 

 On this day, the prestigious Ouran Academy for the rich and famous, has canceled afternoon classes for the preparations of the Exposition of cultural clubs, and other schools have been invited to participate.

 

“What! You’ve never tried it?” The twins spoke in disbelief.

  “Didn’t anyone tell you that it’s the preferred drink of the Host club?” Hikaru quickly spoke.

 “And you are our manager, so you should drink it too!” Kaoru adds.

 “Um well I-I think I’ve heard of instant coffee before. Oh! That’s right, isn’t that the coffee beans already grounded for you?” Renge nervously spoke, wiping her sweat with a handkerchief.

  The twins make an X sign with their hands, along with an incorrect buzzer sound.

 “That’s just ground coffee. Instant is something completely different.” Hikaru starts his rant.

 “I don’t even think there are any coffee beans in instant coffee. You mix this powder with hot water, and then drink it, you don’t have to brew it. It’s pretty awesome.”

   “So it’s basically just like coffee, but not as robust. And yet it's strangely satisfying.” The twins explained.

  “Now that you mentioned it, we just ran out, didn’t we?” Kaoru looks towards an unsuspecting Haruhi.

  The twins slide up behind Haruhi, and puts their hands on her shoulders.

  “Go buy us some more, Haruhi.” The twins spoke.

 “Why do I have to get it?” Haruhi complained.

 “Because you’re the only commoner, no one else knows where to buy it.” The twins dust off Haruhi’s uniform.

 “We’ve even been serving it to our guests lately.” The twins fixed Haruhi’s hair.

 “And besides, it’s part of your job.”

 “But the cultural club exposition starts soon.” Haruhi protested.

 The twins carry Haruhi to the door.

 “But it’s not mandatory, so if you’re not interested  you don’t have to go.” 

 “And with that being said, Be careful out there!” The twins wave a blue handkerchief, as if she’s off to war.

 As Haruhi made her treacherous journey to the commoner’s market, Tamaki came up to the host club with knight armor.

 “Gentlemen! Today we’re dressing as knights!” Tamaki sparkled.

 The door opens as everyone has their costumes.

 “Welcome ladies!”

 In the door were three girls in a different uniform.   

Tamaki takes his sword out and puts it in front of his face.

 “Well well well, I see you ladies are from another school. I certainly hope we haven’t startled you. We love first time guests.” He walks towards the newcomers 

   “I’m glad you’ve come, princesses. My darlings, even if the world were to be destroyed, I’d put my life on the line as your faithful knight and servant, I will protect you.” He kneels in front of the girls.

 “Oh my, do you really think you’d be able to protect us, that’s awfully arrogant of you, wouldn’t you agree? You think that’s what a woman wants to hear? Well you’re wrong.” The girl chewed him out.

 Tamaki looks up unexpectedly at the criticism.

  “Come on, give him a break Sister Suzuran. Men are just lowly life forms who don’t care about anything other than perpetuating their testosterone latent image. By ‘protecting us’ he’s actually attempting to disguise the fact that he’s weak and unable to even protect himself.” The other girl reads him like an open book.

 “You’re such a clever girl Hinagiku.” The tallest girl praised the other.

 Tamaki stands up and rests his sword on his shoulders.

  “Don’t you think that’s a little harsh? Fine then, what do women like you want to hear?” Tamaki spoke.

  “Maybe something like-“ Benio holds Haruhi.

 “I would never leave my lover alone. If we fight, it’ll be together. If we fail, we fail together. Even if I were to die, I promise you that I will not leave your side, my love.” Benio kisses Haruhi’s hand.

 Tamaki looked pale as a ghost and mouth agape.

  “So tell us where you found this lovely young lady.” Chizuru questions.

“I just met her outside of the school. She may be dressed as a boy, but I knew the truth. She has such pretty maidenly eyes…” Benio holds Haruhi closer and gazes into her eyes.

 “Uh thanks I guess..” Haruhi mumbled mildly uncomfortable.

  Hinako pulls up Haruhi’s sleeves and starts to stroke her skin.

 “Wow, her skin is really soft!” The girl spoke amazed.

“Isn’t it though? I think this one will be a diamond in the rough!” Chizuru excitedly spoke.

  “What kind of love potion does Haruhi have?” Y/n watched Haruhi get fawned over.

“Don’t touch my Haruhi without asking my permission!” Tamaki shirked, rushing towards the girls.

  “Leave her alone!” Benio gives a swift punch to the blonde.

 Tamaki scoots away holding his cheek, tears welled up in his eyes.

 “She punched me! She’s so violent!” He whimpered.

 Mori holds out a brown teddy bear for Tamaki.

  “Get a hold of yourself!” Honey turns to Tamaki.

 “Guess the rumors we heard are true.” Benio leads the group as they fully enter the room.

 “You guys are a bunch of little punks with no sense between you.” The tall girl shames.

 “No, we have one person with sense, it’s kyoya.” Y/n lazily points to Kyoya.

 Kyoya pushes up his glasses, as he looks at the girls.

 “Those uniforms. I assume you ladies are from the Lobelia Girls’ Academy.” 

 “That’s correct.” Benio smiles.

 The group of girls switch outfits, which look so tacky, even Tamaki was crunching up his face.

 “We are the members of the St. Lobelia Academy’s White Lily League. Also known as!-”Benio throws a hat changing once more to another outfit.

  “The Zuka club!” The girls spoke in unison.

 “The …Zuka club…?” Tamaki stared blankly at the trio.

  The twins burst into a fit of laughter.

  “Oh man what a stupid name! The Zuka club? My stomach hurts!” Hikaru howls.

  “How did you even get those costumes under your uniforms?” Y/n muttered.

 The clanks of gears and motors grinding against each other admits from the floor, raising a familiar manger.

 “You shouldn’t underestimate the Zuka Club!” She chuckled.

 “I may not know much about instant coffee, but I'm fascinated with girls’ schools.” She takes a small sip of instant coffee and spits the liquid out like poison.

 “St. Lobelia Academy! It is truly a woman’s world there! The Zuka Club is a group of strong young maidens who consider women to be superior in every way. The club prides itself on its thirty year history. 

 It’s a society of maidens, by maidens, for maidens! Zuka Club activities include maiden tea parties, the maiden debate forum, and most importantly, musical reviews performed by the society’s top members.”

  She finally finished talking and by then the host club was out of there knight getups.

“You sure have a vast world of knowledge Renge.” Kyoya spoke, fixing his tie.

  “Well I’ve always admired St. Lobelia’s. I just couldn’t go to school there though! What would I do without any boys!” She exclaimed, lowering back in the depths below.

 “A maiden’s beauty. It means, possess a spirit pure enough to not give in to power or to lust.” Chizuru proclaimed.

 “We’ve had quite enough of all your oppressive male contempt for womankind.” Hinako shames.

 “And our pride comes from having meaningful relationships based on equality. Because with the same sex, and yes that includes relationships of love.” Benio preached.

 The girls looked back at the club barely acknowledging their existence. Hikaru playing on his DS, Kaoru watching.

 “Whatever, we’re so over it.” Hikaru spoke while still playing.

 “Why don’t you guys just scram?” Kaoru spoke.

  “I find it hard to believe that you silly boys have nothing to say about our sublime female love.” Hinako giggles.

  “Congrats on being gay.” Y/n spoke apathetically.

  “Hey, I haven't seen this one before. I guess it’s a new one.” Kaoru states, looking at the coffee Haruhi bought.

“You should feel sorry for them Hinagiku, their patented host skills don’t work on us. Now they’re all flustered and don’t know what to do with themselves.” Chizuru spoke with false pity.

 Benio dramatically rips off her mustache that went with the outfit.

 “True, I must say I’m glad we decided to perform here. It was fun to sneak a peek at the notorious Ouran Host Club.” 

 Honey plays with Usa-chan absentmindedly.

 “Hey guys, are we really notorious?”

 “Yea.” Mori calmly spoke.

 “And to think they’re dragging this sweet young girl down with them.” Benio looks towards Haruhi.

 “The host club’s president may be a pretty little halfer. But, he shouldn’t be using his looks to create fictitious romance! Attempting to fool the heart of a pure young maiden’s heart is demeaning! 

 Your so called ‘club activities’ are nothing more than debasing macho fantasies! I promise you, we will bring you guys down, the Ouran Host Club will be abolished!” Benio furiously rants.

  “All hail Zuka Club!” They command.

“I see, I understand your concern. But do you think maybe we could finish this later?” Kyoya pushes his glasses up.

  “Are you saying that you’re not going to face us?” Benio questioned.

  “Not at all, it’s just that our president is bedridden from the initial cultural shock.”

 Tamaki is laying down, cradling a brown teddy bear, mumbling nonsense.

  “Tamaki this can’t be your first time ‘discovering’ that lesbians exist.” Y/n pinched his eyebrows together.

  “You see Tama-chan is having his nappy right now.” Honey explained.

 “Wake him up!” 

 Benio commands.

 “Excuse me, I made some coffee. Would you ladies like some?” Haruhi is holding up a tray of tea-cups.

  “Why yes, aren’t you just the sweetest thing.” Benio immediately switches moods, the group grabs the coffee.

 “You’re a real pearl among swine.” Chizuru spoke bitterly sweet.

  “You know, coffee made by a maiden always has a more fragrant aroma.” Benio coos.

  Y/n gets an uncomfortable sense of familiarity from the girl's actions. 

 “But, this stuff's just instant.” Haruhi furrowed her brows at the girls' compliments.

  “How about the four of us have a little party?” Hinako flirts.

This breaks Tamai out of his coma.

 “You girls have it all wrong!” Tamaki yelled, starting to run towards them.

  “Don’t you see there’s nothing to be gained in a romantic relationship between two women! If that were the case, then why did god create Adam and Eve!”

“How is the most feminine and flamboyant member trashing on queer people?” Y/n embarrassed by Tamaki’s immature remarks.

  As lady luck would have it Tamaki pays for his words, he trips and points his finger into the freshly boiling coffee.

 “Ow Ow! Hot!” He retreated his finger, now beat red.

  “You got to be more careful, senpai.” Haruhi bends over with a sigh to aid Tamaki’s injury. She wraps his burned finger.

  “Thanks Haruhi. Do you always carry bandages around with you?” Tamaki blushed.

  “Nah, the supermarket was giving them out with the purchase of instant coffee.” She gives a wholehearted smile. 

 “I always get free stuff at the supermarket.”

  “Free stuff?”

“This little conversation doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.” Benio brings Haruhi to her feet.

  “Now that we know what’s going on, we can't allow this maiden to stay here! Well prepare her paperwork and have her transferred to Lobelia at once. And we'll welcome her into the Zuka Club.” Benio annonces.

 “Hey, wait a second!” Haruhi pulls away from Benio’s grip.

 “There seem to be some misunderstandings here. I mean, first of all you called senpai a halfer!”

  “Cause he is one, half French half Japanese.” Honey informed.

  “Well uh anyway, I don’t think it’s fair for you to pick on the Host Club just because you don’t think they have the same history as you do!” 

“We barely have any history, we were just founded two years ago.” The twins state.

  “Yea the boss created it when he started highschool here.” 

“Be that as it may, saying their club activities are only held to satisfy their appetites is just wrong. I mean it’s not like the host club is changing their guests or anything.” Haruhi spoke, grasping at straws.

 “Well I wouldn’t call it a charge, we do have a point system. We offer services based on winning bids of auctions on our website, along with other side gambles Y/n runs too.”  Kyoya turns his computer around to face Haruhi.

  “Check this out Haruhi, your used mechanical pencil? Just sold with a winning bid of thirty thousand yen. Good for you.”

Haruhi whips her head towards Y/n and Kyoya in disbelief. 

  “What! But I thought I’d lost that pencil? Why didn’t you tell me about this before you two! I had no idea you were collecting money!” Haruhi yelled.

  “So you thought we were all just working here as volunteers? While it’s not much because of the expensive organizing events, we happen to make a small profit from it.” Kyoya explained.

 “You can’t sell other people’s things without asking permission! That’s stealing!” Haruhi frustratedly spoke.

  “Well I didn’t exactly steal, I got the twins to do it for me.” Y/n grinned.

  “It wasn’t stealing, you dropped that pencil on the floor.” The twins defended.

  Haruhi just gave them a scowl.

 Tamaki rushes over to Haruhi with tears in his eyes.

  “I’m sorry Haruhi! It’s not like we were hiding it from you! Here, you can have mine, it’s got a cute teddy bear on it!” Tamaki holds up a blue pencil with said bear on the top.

  “Senpai, I don't want your pencil.” Haruhi blankly spoke.

  “Then I’ll make it up to you! How about I tell you the secrets to my success and fondest memories!” Tamaki begged.

  “Not to be rude, Senpai, but I’m not really interested in that information.”

 Tamaki gasped in fear, then quickly returned to his corner.

 “Oh you poor dear, I can’t believe they’ve been deceiving you!” Chizuru empathizes.

  “Hey, why don’t you dumb these losers and come with us?” Hinako proposed.

  “Hold on Hinako. This young maiden has had quite the day. We’ll give you some time to think about it. We’ll come back for your answer tomorrow, we’ll then, adieu.” The girls prance out of the host club.

 Haruhi turns around after they’ve left to face the host club.

  “I’d better be going, I’ve got some thinking to do.” She walks out leaving Tamaki in shambles.

  “Why did you tell her the truth?! You just added fuel to the fire!” Tamaki screamed.

  “The facts are facts.” Kyoya calmly spoke.

  “She was doomed to figure it out sooner or later.” Y/n shrugged.

  “Maybe we should’ve asked before we sold her pencil on the internet.” Honey quietly spoke.

  “Yea for all we know that pencil could’ve been a keepsake from her mom.” Kaoru adds.

  “Nah it was just a freebie they were giving out at an electronic store.”

 Tamaki looks out a window.

“Gentlemen, just think about it. Haruhi may be basically indifferent, but if she had to choose, we know that she tends to favor men’s clothing, and besides, when she first joined the host club, didn’t she tell us..”

 ‘Being a host and being fussed over by a bunch of girls might not be that bad!’

“Why didn’t I realize this before? Perhaps they would be a better match for Haruhi. Maybe she’d be better off with the Zuka Club.” Tamaki sadly mumbled.

  “Yea, she’s the perfect fit for a girls school.” Kaoru resigned.

 “Haru-chan is going to transfer away!” Honey starts balling his eyes out.

 “What are we gonna do?” Hikaru nervously spoke.

  “Haruhis so smart, passing Lobelia scholarship tests would be a piece of cake.”

 “And, Lobelia Academy has the money to pay off the eight million yen debt She owes us.” Kyoya adds, worsening the worry.

  “Calm down gentlemen, it’ll be alright! just Listen to what I have to say! I have a secret plan!” Tamaki turns around excitedly.

  “Yeah boss, what is it?” The twins questioned the sparkling blonde.

  “Alright men! We need to show Haruhi we are the better choice.”

  “And how do we do that?” 

“By showing we can provide both a masculine side and a feminine side!”

   The host club was silent trying to figure out what Tamaki was on about.

 “Wait, do you mean cross dressing?” Y/n 

  “Exactly!” 

 Today the club was extra early to arrive, putting the prince’s brilliant plan to action.

  The twins brought many gorgeous dresses from their moms company.

Tamkai picked out a rose coloured dress with gold lining, with a matching red choker.

  Honey picked out an adorable pink dress with white lace along the edges.

  The twins chose matching blue and yellow, off the shoulder dresses.

   Mori chose to not wear a dress, but instead wore a chivalrous blue suit with yellow accents.

 And last but not least Kyoya went with an elegant dark purple maid dress, with a magenta bow on the chest.

 “Come on Y/n you’ve got to wear a dress!” The twins pleaded.

  “Why does Mori get to not wear a dress?” Y/n complained.

  “Just put this on.” The twins shoved a black dress on with some additional jewelry.

 Y/n let’s out a sigh before going off to one of the changing rooms.

  The dress was a black gothic Victorian dress on the sides were slits rising his upper thigh, with lace sleeves, the ruffled top was fully unbuttoned only held together by a tight corset. 

 “I feel like I’m about to convince someone to let me bite their neck.” Y/n spoke walking out.

  Before Y/n could protest, flashes of light came from the twins' camera.

  “How much time do you think we have before Haruhi arrives?” Y/n spoke, adjusting the dress.

  “Why do you ask?” Kyoya looks towards him.

  “Well if we are truly committing to showing Haruhi we can be ‘feminine’ and what not, we should go all in and do makeup.” 

 “Well no one here has experience with makeup.” Kyoya looks back at the club.

  “I am well aware, I’ve seen what the twins did to Haruhi’s face for the formal.” Y/n cringed at the memory.

  “-And besides I actually have experience so I could help.”

 “Oh please we did a great job with Haruhi. It can’t be that hard.” The twins chime in.

  “If you say so..”

 “Oh kyoya! I forgot to mention-“ Y/n turns back to Kyoya.

  The twins chased Tamaki trying to get his makeup on.

  “You look great in a dress, you should dress like that more often.” Y/n grinned.

  “Thank you, Y/n.” Kyoya smiled.

  Screams were followed after from a certain blonde.

 A door creaks open and everyone freezes.

  “Men! In position now!.” Tamaki commanded.

 The door opens, and a spotlight shutters revealing the club in their new attire.

 “Ouran Host club welcomes you!” The hosts spoke in a cheerful tone.

 The Zuka club along with Haruhi turn pale white.

  “Oh Haruhi, welcome back.” Tamaki tried to make his voice more feminine.

  “Look Haru-chan! I'm a princess now, aren’t I cute?” Honey spins around, his pink dress dancing along with him.

 “What is the meaning of this! Are you trying to make fun of women?” Benio gasped at the mere thought.

  “What? No, that’s not it at all. Everything’s going according to plan. Our strategy is guaranteed to even make a crying child smile. It’s a freebie campaign!” Tamaki giggles in a high pitch tone.

  “My dears, you ladies have all lived sheltered lives at Lobelia, so you might not know that commoners are weak. They have a weakness for free things.” Tamaki turns to look directly at Haruhi.

 “Haruhi, you may be distracted by the Zuka club, but choose us! And you gain not only a host club full of brothers but sisters as well! See? 

 This way, you can experience feminine bonding while staying at the host club! Isn’t that a great idea? Aren’t I pretty?” Tamaki sparkles.

 “We’re The Hitachiin sisters! Which one of us is prettier?” The twins spoke in a pitchy girl voice.

 “I’m just teasing you!” Hikaru spoke as they giggled.

 “Listen Haru-chan! You can call me big sis from now on!” Honey happily spoke.

 Kyoya waved an elegant floral black fan in front of his face.

 “Why you-“ Benio gritted her teeth.

  “Do you idiots really you are gonna win her over like this! I’ve had enough of your fooling around!” Benio is red in the face.

  Haruhi starts breaking out in laughter barely containing herself.

“This is too much! I don’t even get what you’re trying to do! I knew you were a bunch of goofballs but geez!” She falls to the floor gasping for air.

 The twins glide towards her.

 “Are we really that funny?”

She begins laughing even harder, they could swear the rooms next to them could hear her.

  They began chasing Haruhi around the room.

 “Call me big sister! Come on, just do it! Just say it! Big sister! Say it please.”

 “Come on, cut it out! What were you guys thinking, what’s gotten into you guys?” She spoke between laughs.

 “We did this because we don’t want you to leave the host club.” Hikaru truthfully spoke.

 She’s nothing but a smile and giggles now.

 “Well Maiden, have you made your choice?” Benio cuts in.

 “I’m sorry but your club is not for me.” She gets up brushing herself off.

 “I think the idea of a girls school is great. And your views are very unique and interesting. But I came to this school with a goal and plan for my future. So while I appreciate your offer, I really already knew that I wasn’t going to leave Ouran Academy.” She explained, causing Benio’s sidekick’s to gasp.

“Haruhi!” Tamaki cried out, before stopping suddenly.

 “Hold on, if you knew you weren’t gonna leave, why did you act so angry yesterday!” He points accusingly.

 “How would you feel if I stole something of yours without asking! I really liked that mechanical pencil, it was easy to write with!” Haruhi explains.

  “I’m sorry. But I offered my pencil and you didn’t want it!” Tamaki argued back.

  “Yeah and I still don't want it.”

 “Um, Benio?” Chizuru worriedly spoked.

  “Yes, I know.” Benio narrowed her eyes at the bickering two.

  “We’re not gonna give you up fair Maiden! I swear to you this, we’ll come and free you from this place! And when we do we’ll abolish the host club!” They announced.

 “Great, don't come back!” Y/n happily flipped them off.

  “Y/n, manners.” Kyoya writes in his book.

 “Oh please, you love it.” Y/n teased.

  “And anyways it’s hard to listen to you, when you look so drop dead gorgeous in that dress.” Y/n grinned, very obviously looking Kyoya up and down.

“Getting bold now, aren’t you?” Kyoya looks up from his book.

  “What can I say, you're just driving me crazy.” Y/n joked, ignoring his heart pounding out of his chest.

“Whatever you say.” He muttered, trying to focus back on his writing.

As this exchange happened, everyone was too busy to pay any mind, however a certain set of twins took note of Y/n’s odd behavior, with a sly grin

[albertelaursen]

gossip girl legacy challenge: the rise and fall of manhattan's elite

Welcome to the Gossip Girl Legacy Challenge, where your Sims will navigate the treacherous social waters of the Upper East Side, striving for fame, fortune, and maybe a little bit of infamy. Over 9 generations, you’ll tell the stories of sims whose lives are filled with drama, romance, and scandal. Remember, in this world, Gossip Girl is always watching <3

General Rules:

Start on an empty lot with your founder; this will be the location of your family's estate throughout the challenge. Your estate should evolve with each generation, reflecting the family's current status and the era's aesthetic.

No money cheats. Your Sims must earn their wealth and status through careers, investments, or other in-game means.

Follow the career and aspiration requirements for each generation. Your Sim cannot move on to fulfilling their next generation’s goals until the current generation’s aspirations and goals are completed.

Keep the family name going as a symbol of their legacy on the Upper East Side.

Each generation has a theme color that should be reflected in their wardrobe, room decorations, and significant events like parties or weddings.

Now, let the drama unfold.

______________________________________________________________

Generation 1: Dan Humphrey - The Outsider

Colors: Grey and Teal

Traits: Ambitious, Loner, Creative

Aspiration: Bestselling Author

Description: Like Dan Humphrey, your founder starts on the fringes of high society, armed with wit and a keen observer’s eye. They aspire to infiltrate the Upper East Side through their writing, capturing the hearts and scandals of the elite.

Goals:

Write and publish 5 books, aiming for at least one to become a bestseller.

Attend social events uninvited or barely welcome, making at least 5 key contacts.

Have a secret romance with someone from the elite.

Get into a public feud with a high-profile figure through your writing.

Earn a reputation as a skillful writer, making at least §20,000 from royalties in a week.

______________________________________________________________

Generation 2: Serena van der Woodsen - The Queen Bee

Colors: Pink and Black

Traits: Self-Assured, Snob, Romantic

Aspiration: Serial Romantic

Description: Your sim is the Serena van der Woodsen of their time, captivating everyone with their beauty and charm but struggling with the pressures of their status. They're a trendsetter, a heartbreaker, and always in the spotlight.

Goals:

Become the leader of the most prestigious club.

Break at least 5 hearts.

Host the most extravagant party of the year, with all of high society in attendance.

Get caught in a scandalous love triangle.

Find true love in an unexpected place after a journey of self-discovery.

______________________________________________________________

Generation 3: Nate Archibald - The Golden Boy

Colors: Blue and Gold

Traits: Good, Athletic, Charismatic

Aspiration: Friend of the World

Description: Charming, well-liked, and seemingly perfect, your Sim is the Nate Archibald of the family. They navigate the complexities of their social world with ease but seek something more meaningful amidst the superficiality.

Goals:

Reach the top of the Athlete or Business career.

Be friends with everyone in the high society circle.

Help a friend in a significant way without expecting anything in return.

Have a public breakup that shocks the community.

Find and marry your high school sweetheart after years apart.

______________________________________________________________

Generation 4: Blair Waldorf - The Schemer

Colors: Purple and Green

Traits: Genius, Evil, Ambitious

Aspiration: Public Enemy

Description: With the cunning of Blair Waldorf, your sim knows how to play the game better than anyone. They're a master manipulator, always two steps ahead, but their ultimate challenge is facing the consequences of their actions.

Goals:

Sabotage a competitor or enemy's career or relationship.

Reach the top of their career through cunning and manipulation.

Have a rivalry that is known city-wide.

Organize a successful charity event to improve your image.

Marry for power, then fall in love with your spouse against all odds.

______________________________________________________________

Generation 5: The Black Sheep

Colors: Black and Silver

Traits: Rebel, Art Lover, Gloomy

Aspiration: Painter Extraordinaire

Description: Rebelling against the expectations of high society, your sim desires to carve their own path, expressing their inner turmoil through art. They're the family’s black sheep, often misunderstood but undeniably talented.

Goals:

Master the Painting skill and create a masterpiece.

Have a tumultuous relationship with a family member.

Leave home to live in a less affluent neighborhood to find inspiration.

Make a significant contribution to the art world, gaining fame and respect.

Reconcile with your family, proving your success on your own terms.

______________________________________________________________

Generation 6: Jenny Humphrey - The Fashionista with a Dream

Colors: Black and Yellow

Traits: Ambitious, Creative, Unflirty

Aspiration: Master of the Arts

Description: Starting as an outsider with big dreams, your Sim is determined to make a name for themselves in the fashion industry, proving that talent and hard work can outshine any pedigree.

Goals:

Start in the Painter career, then switch to the Fashion branch as soon as it becomes available.

Design and create 10 unique outfits representing your ascent in the fashion world.

Throw a successful fashion show party where all attendees are dressed in your designs.

Befriend a high-profile celebrity and convince them to wear your design to a public event.

Experience a significant setback (such as getting fired or having a major project fail) before finally achieving recognition in your field.

______________________________________________________________

Generation 7: Chuck Bass - The Business Mogul

Colors: Purple and Gold

Traits: Self-Assured, Materialistic, Romantic

Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy

Description: Born into privilege but not content to simply coast on family wealth, this generation is all about expanding the family's empire, using their charm, wit, and sometimes underhanded tactics to become a tycoon.

Goals:

Reach the top of the Business career.

Own the most expensive lot and fully upgrade it to represent the Bass empire.

Earn §1,000,000 in personal wealth.

Have at least three romantic relationships at the same time, without any of them finding out about each other.

Overcome a major scandal that threatens to ruin your reputation and business.

______________________________________________________________

Generation 8: Georgina Sparks - The Master Manipulator

Colors: Red and Black

Traits: Evil, Genius, Mean

Aspiration: Public Enemy

Description: This generation thrives on chaos, using their intelligence and lack of scruples to manipulate those around them for their own gain. But even the master manipulator might find redemption or downfall.

Goals:

Reach the top of the Criminal career.

Successfully sabotage three other sims' relationships or careers without getting caught.

Amass a collection of blackmail material on other sims.

Have a child who you initially neglect but then strive to form a strong relationship with later in life.

Get caught in a scheme and work your way back into society's good graces.

______________________________________________________________

Generation 9: Vanessa Abrams - The Documentarian

Colors: Green and Brown

Traits: Creative, Loves Outdoors, Good

Aspiration: Bestselling Author (focusing on documentaries and exposing truths).

Description: True to their roots and values, this generation uses their creativity and drive for social justice to document the world's truths, aiming to make a difference through their art and activism.

Goals:

Reach the top of the Writer career, focusing on journalism.

Produce and release a documentary on an important social issue.

Win an award for your work in journalism or documentary filmmaking.

Successfully campaign against a major injustice in the community, leading to a change in policy or awareness.

Experience a betrayal by a close friend or lover, which fuels your next big project.

Your sims will face challenges that test their morals, desires, and family bonds. Will they rise to the top and cement their legacy, or will they become just another tale for Gossip Girl? XOXO

[suhnshinehaos]

if treacherous has a million fans, I am one. if treacherous has one fan, it is me. if treacherous has no fans, I am dead.

you and me, bestie. you and me... gy3 take up such a large space in my heart now ;-;

[dragonmuse]

20 Questions for Fanfci writers

I was tagged by @thetragicallynerdy ! Thank you!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

278. Please remember I've been writing for 20+ years and I did port everything over when I left LJ.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

4,491,070, but that is artificially inflated from the 800k repost of Leda Verse in one file, so it's actually 3.6 million give or take.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now just OFMD, but uh...many. So many.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. How (thanks to Gabriel) Dean and Castiel (accidentally) raised each other (and Sam). Supernatural. Dean/Castiel. Sam/Gabriel. I wrote this 11 years ago. It's a juggernaut.

2. A Mountain I'm Willing to Die On. Zootopia. Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde. I have no defense, I was compelled as soon as I saw the movie.

3. (Redacted because fuck J.K. Rowling, but I refuse to take down work and pretend that I was never in the fandom. The story comes with a very clear disclaimer that I do not support or agree with her in any way.)

4. Jonathan to his David. MCU. Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes. The one were Steve has a tiny penis and Bucky is into it.

5. All the First Times. MCU. Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes. One of those stories where Bucky heals in the Avengers Tower.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

YES! Because I love to stay thank you and it helps build community! <3 Love you all.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Treacherous Waters. The Hobbit. Fili/Kili. I got many shrieking comments on this one, including 'I actually curled around my computer making distressed sounds of horror' Very proud of myself for that one.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

That's pretty subjective. A lot of my fics end pretty happily with personal growth, found family, and parties.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

So far I've mostly managed to avoid being picked up on that radar. I've gotten stray comments, but it's rarely hate. I think it's mostly because I've never quite gotten popular enough to draw that kind of attention. I know the more attention a fic has gotten, the more likely I am to start to get odd comments or asks. I'm also not very active on Twitter which I think helps.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Rarely! I used to subscribe to the theory that if you don't put in smut, no one will read your work, but as birthday present to myself five or six year ago, I just stopped writing it as an experiment and while my hits went down, not nearly as much as you'd think. Now I only write if the mood really strikes me and am much happier for it.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Yep! I don't think it was crazy, but I wrote a short Avengers/Mad Max one that I'm pretty proud of: Fresh Eden

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not stolen. I did have them put on Goodreads without permission which was a weird moment in fandom a few years back. I mean it's possible someone's stolen something and I haven't found out yet, I guess. My book has been pirated though.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Thanks to all the translators out there, you do incredible work for your community.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

A few times! Nothing super recent though there's WIP out there.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I don't have one. I'm a consummate multishipper. I will say my most consistent ship over the years is Brian/Bender of The Breakfast Club. I will always go back to that well.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

The SMAU I was working on in OFMD. It was a really fun experiment and I don't really have that much left to go, but the amount of work to make it was extensive.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue. I really love writing how people talk to each other and I think a lot about tone and vocabulary and styles.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plotting. I tend to go by the seat of my pants.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I will generally just note when someone has switched languages. I don't have any confidence in auto translators and unless it's an established canon nickname or endearment, I try to avoid it. I admire multilingual authors so much!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Buffy! I was fifteen and it was a Willow/Spike fic. That was...almost twenty five years ago.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

The answer changes, and for a long time it was this Sam/Gabriel fic where I put my whole philosophy major ass into it. But these days, it's definitively Leda House and the Kraken Verse. How could it not be?

---

Thanks so much for the tag, this was a lot of fun!! Neat to look back, too.

I'm gonna tag (but only if you feel like it friends!) @internerdionality @museaway @napneeders

If you didn't get tagged but see this and want to do it, consider yourself tagged!!

[adilqalbi]

well hello traveller

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛♛┈⛧┈┈•༶

name: lucien

age: 19

pronouns: she/her/he/him/they/them

location: india

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛♛┈⛧┈┈•༶

I made this blog to have a place for my RC ramblings, opinions, fangirling and maybe perhaps, if the stars align, fics.

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛♛┈⛧┈┈•༶

ROMANCE CLUB BOOKS: detail

note: only completed stories will be recorded

arcanum

status: 1st playthrough

path: emperor

reputation: high redemption

endgame li: robert steltz

replay for: bert

achievements: none

heart of trespia

status: 1st playthrough

path: rationality

reputation: high influence

endgame li: reinhold

replay for: wyatt

achievements: a proper farewell (dine with your uncle one last time), the matchmaker (unite gisella with delias, bring taki and reyna together, and help cyril find his happily ever after with caine), glory to trespia (acquire the highest support from allies, win the war with minimal losses, and keep all your friends alive)

kali: call of darkness

status: 1st playthrough

path: loyalty, kindness of goddess

reputation: high respect

endgame li: ratan vaish

replay for: killian lightwood and amrit doobay

achievements: none

the flower from tiamat's fire

status: 1st playthrough

path: fire

reputation: high willpower

endgame li: kingu

replay for: iyar

achievements: none

vying for versailles

status: 1st playthrough

path: hedonism

reputation: bright influence

endgame li: alexandre bontemps

replay for: philippe de france

achievements: aphrodite's golden apple (you're as beautiful as a goddess and the court knows it), snaring the spymaster (you caught the spider in his own web), the dauphin's savior (you saved the dauphin from the hostage - takers), brotherly love (you helped prince philippe reconcile with louis xiv)

the desert rose

status: 1st playthrough

path: Rebellion, balance path (chose The Desert Flower)

reputation: n/a

endgame li: adil (see: username)

replay for: everyone but mostly, jack and mustafa

achievements: brilliant detective (you found an important clue in your father's box), rebellious heart (you have a very close relationship with Adil), treacherous as a snake (you saved the snake, and it helped you), sefer's hope (you saved everyone at the crucial moment), the legendary desert rose (we are the 'desert roses'. a bit broken, but very strong!)

the one: volume 1

status: 1st playthrough

path: following your heart

reputation: n/a

endgame li: luka

replay for: deshawn

achievements: the secret sister (you patched things up with your estranged sister)

the one: volume 2

status: 1st playthrough

path: playing the flirt

reputation: high charisma

endgame li: joel

replay for: ben

achievements: the queen of paintball (you gained the maximum amount of points during the paintball game)

path of the valkyrie

status: 1st playthrough

path: path of change

reputation: path of high glory

endgame li: ullr

replay for: thor, andvari, loki

achievements: hel's kiss (you showed respect to the mistress of the halls of the dead), family values (when you saw thrud forgive her father thor, you witnessed the true power of love), snake charmer (through your courage and cunning, you defeated nidhogg and brought the light of victory to the battle of jormungandr), single path follower (you have not backed down or strayed from your chosen path), echo of greatness (your fame has transcended the boundaries of the nine worlds, becoming a legend that inspires tales and songs), creator of einheim (you helped loki create a new world and a bunch of new problems)

chasing you

status: 1st playthrough

path: path of logic, path of kindness

reputation: path of high authority, highest businessman points, highest survival points

endgame li: alexander nielsen

replay for: samuel, ellia

achievements: big and heavy (kiss dante while stealing the key [ew]), burn brightly (auntie's house burned down), por una cabeza (dance the tango with alexander), fair day (have fun at the skansen fair), legolas in a skirt (beat olivia at archery), judge and executioner (kill christopher), the price of madness (kill edward), winter michelangelo (win the snow sculpture competition), in the grip of the cold (fight and defeat yuki - onna), at all costs (survive the story's finale)

legend of the willow

status: 1st playthrough

path: path of coldness, path of the pearl fox

reputation: n/a

endgame li: kazu

replay for: masamune

achievements: illusion master (collect enough pearl fox points), refined taste (unlock enough premium outfits), elegance (unlock enough premium hairstyles and accessories), loyal friend (none of your friends were injured), kazu's heart (have a very close relationship with kazu), leader (gain recognition for your leadership)

theodora

status: 1st playthrough

path: romantic's path, high demonic essence

reputation: n/a

endgame li: lawrence (s1 + s3), blaine (s2)

replay for: blaine, friedrich, john

achievements: represented journalist (enlist the magazine's support during your trip to europe), to the roots (become mortal again), once and forever (find peace with your love interest from the first season)

heaven's secret 1

status: 1st playthrough

path: path of the harmony bearer, path of malbonte

reputation: high glory, strong connection to malbonte

endgame li: dino

replay for: lucifer

achievements: an unforgettable moment (receive a kiss from lucifer), i have the best wings, got it? (summon rain on the dragon), all or nothing (kill satan), revolutionary (have a strong connection with malbonte), good friend (save mimi and adi), godslayer (imprison shepha in a statue), balance (become a harmony bearer)

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛♛┈⛧┈┈•༶

[ofliterarynature]

SEPTEMBER 2023 WRAP UP

[ loved liked ok no thanks (reread) book club* DNF ]

The Anomaly | Not the Witch You Wed | A Pale Light In the Black | (My Volcano)* | Klara and the Sun | Our Hideous Progeny | (A Gathering of Shadows) | A Dangerous Collaboration | Empire of Sand | (A Darker Shade of Magic) | Scattered Showers | A Treacherous Curse | Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz | The Hanged Man | Magic Below Stairs | The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy | The City & The City | The Splinter in the Sky

* * * * *

Magic Below Stairs was a charming middle-grade spin off to the Cecelia & Kate series, I had a good time and would be more than happy to read more books in this world!

The Hanged Man was the second in the Tarot Sequence, and still great! Not perfect, but the characters are so fun and the plots are extremely intense, I loved reading this. The haunted ship was scarier than the actual haunted ship horror book I just read.

Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz…bad. You took this amazing set up and look what you did with it! You made it generic and boring and feeling outdated. Justice for the centuries-old, animated, sentient, sorcerous, gender-fluid puppet who deserved better (to be the main character, to start)

(Veronica Speedwell is of course, fun as always. I have unfortunately now hit the books with longer hold times and am very D: about it)

Scattered Showers was a very heartwarming collection! Perfectly (and maybe, best) suited for fans of the author’s novels. Perhaps a little one-note, but a good read. I love the cover design a lot :D

This is the first time I’ve reread the Shades of Magic books since I finished the series in 2018. I loved them dearly. But my tastes shifted dramatically between then and now… ADSOM is ok. A decently solid fantasy novel, but not one that’s delivering what I want these days. A Gathering of Shadows, however, is a hot mess. I already did some yelling about it but there’s really not a plot, the storyline seems forced, and as asexualbookbird put it, it’s really just Book 3: The Prequel. I don’t know if reading it for the first time would be better? Mostly I was bored and irritated and would have loved to quit.

Somebody help me out, was there hype for Empire of Sand? Because I feel like there was, and I was so let down. The world building was beautiful, but it felt like absolutely nothing happened for the entire middle of the book? And the romantic elements weren’t enough to tempt me, I’d have loved this if it had gone full political intrigue instead.

I’m not a Frankenstein person, but I had a great time with Our Hideous Progeny! I’m a sucker for historical fiction with smart female characters, even if I wanted to strangle a lot of the men, lol. I might have zoned out a bit during the denser paleontological bits, but I look forward to future work by the author.

Klara and the Sun is another one I don’t quite understand the love for, it just wasn’t for me.

My Volcano. YES. IT IS BACK AGAIN. FOR BOOKCLUB AGAIN EVEN. This is such a complicated book that only two of us managed to finish it for book club when we first read it last year. Now that we have some new recruits we decided to try it again (no luck alas). BUT I am still not over it, check out my tag for more yelling. Right now I’m trying to convince the group to *not* do a third read next year and maybe try one of the author’s other books (and the author followed me back on Twitter! I got irrationally excited lol)

I was a bit nervous going into A Pale Light in the Black, having had some flops from the person who rec’d this previously, but it was so fun! ‘Space Coast Guard’ is not a thing that would immediately leap to mind as something I’d be interested in, but this goes *hard* on the found family vibes and spends just as much time on the characters’ emotions as it does on the plot, in addition to being super queer! The plot is a little clunky being split in two different directions with the investigation and the military games, but I still had such a good time (and speaking from the future, book 2 does improve on that!)

When will I learn my lesson about contemporary romance? Regardless of the fact that the plot for Not the Witch You Wed could have been ripped from one of the many many Teen Wolf fics I’ve read and enjoyed, we did *not* get along. Sigh.

I’m not sure what I was expecting from The Anomaly, but I think it was something more? Probably because it was a translation? Idk, I don’t find the “are we just a simulation” discussion particularly compelling (and My Volcano deals with related topics in more interesting ways), and the rest couldn’t hold me. Really wish I’d DNF’d this one, but I pushed though in hope.

The actual DNF’s -

The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy I wanted to like. I enjoy quirky world building, but it felt like a contemporary romance masquerading as a fantasy - accompanied by all those pesky cr tropes that annoy me. Most of the characters were irritating me as well, and I didn’t want to forgive Hart, even if I understand why he was being so awful, so I decided to quit before I worked myself up too far.

The City & The City had a cool concept, but after 25% I still wasn’t interested. I’d maybe try something else from Mieville, but this wasn’t for me.

The Splinter in the Sky is a book that probably looked fantastic as an outline. But when it came to filling it out and connecting the dots, well…it was lacking a lot. Readable, maybe not worth the effort, but I’d give the author another try on a future work.

[riley1cannon]

Trick or Treat! Thank you 🎃🎃

Yay, thank you! Here you go, a little bit of a BBC Sherlock/ACD canon mash up fic I started once upon a time, and occasionally think about completing. It was meant to be for Halloween, in fact, with thrills and chills (so I hoped), so it seems appropriate:

Sid sat up straighter and reached for the pile of documents he had deposited on the table among the tea things. “They are, yes. Don’t you see, Dr. Watson, these faux societies modeled themselves after the Société des Corps D'elite. The Société des Corps D'elite is who the Illuminati and all the others aspire to be. Mr. Holmes, Dr. Watson,” Sid earnestly appealed to them both, and there was something so authentic in that gravity of manner that Sherlock almost wished he could believe him, “I realize what I’m telling you sounds fantastic but if you would only look at my evidence,”—here came another sheaf of papers, some typed, some handwritten notes, all stapled and clipped together—“you would understand. Here,” he pulled one document free and held it out, “just look at this. It clearly shows the connection between the Society and the Hellfire Club--”

“No.” Sherlock held up a hand to forestall him. He had heard enough now. “No. We have gone from cryptids and sacrificial rites to Spring-Heeled Jack and the Illuminati, and now arrive at Sir Francis Dashwood and the Hellfire Club? No, enough.” He extended a long arm, finger pointed at the door. “Leave, now.”

“Mr. Holmes--” Sid stood and began to gather his papers and books. He dropped some, and then dropped some more as he stooped to retrieve the first batch. “Mr. Holmes, you are making a terrible mistake. This is real. You must look into it.” He continued to implore even as Sherlock escorted him to the door. “Culverton Smith and Grimsby Roylott are the Society’s most treacherous agents but Baron Gruner’s up to his neck as well, and--” He broke off then as though he finally grasped his failure to make a convincing case. Disappointment and a kind of fatalistic resignation crept over his expression as he murmured, “I expected so much more of you, Mr. Holmes.”

Unaccountably stung by that last comment, Sherlock shut the door firmly as Sid Persano took his leave at last. He waited a moment and then crossed quickly to the windows where he plucked aside a curtain to watch as Sid emerged from 221 and stood, hapless and forlorn, on the sidewalk. As John came over to join him, Sherlock asked, “Is this where you tell me that was a bit harsh?”

“Thought that could be taken as read.” John peered out at Baker Street where Sid still lingered, shifting his bundle of papers and books. “He does need help.”

“Consulting detective is not a term synonymous with psychiatrist.”

“And just because someone has an irrational obsession doesn’t mean they can’t be in real danger.”

No, no it didn’t. And Sherlock couldn’t deny that the one thing that had rung crystal clear and authentic throughout the entire interview was that Sid Persano was profoundly afraid.

And because I feel extra generous (and am bemoaning that once again I didn't have anything to post for Halloween), here's a preview of a fic I dearly do want to complete one day:

~Vampires of Gotham~

Klarion the Witch Boy was infuriated...

“Pfft!” He spat at the television screen as the local news carried on with its coverage of Casey Stirling’s appearance in Gotham City tonight. Author of the inexplicably popular Grymwood Chronicles, this Stirling woman was scheduled to do a book signing at the Page Turners book shop where her latest volume of hackneyed paranormal twaddle would make its debut.

Would Eden Cordray, tortured vampire with a soul, finally proclaim her love for dashing adventurer/inventor Ransom Wingate? If she did, how could Eden ever resist the temptation to turn Ransom and keep him at her side forever? What of brooding and beautiful Father Alexi, torn between devotion to God and the charms of that femme fatale of a sorceress, Isidora Thane? Had the twins, Verity and Jack, finally unearthed the truth of who had murdered Professor Farradine two books ago, and why? And could the true mastermind behind everything be quiet and unassuming Cecily Dillane, everyone’s best friend and confidant, keeper of all the secrets?

Not that Klarion cared a whit. He had neither read any of the novels nor watched the equally successful films based upon them. His knowledge had been gathered as he lurked on fan sites filled with endless chatter on these and many other matters. The sheer minutia of these fans’ obsession often came near to driving him mad. To gain some relief, he sometimes responded to their postings anonymously to correct misconceptions about sorcery, vampires, or the djinn, or simply to point out how thoroughly feeble minded they all must be, always in an ultra-supercilious manner so as to guarantee the most dramatic hissyfits and demands that he go be a troll elsewhere.

This amusement had its limits, however, and as he watched the zealous acolytes of Casey Stirling lined up outside the bookstore, many of them costumed so as to mimic a favorite character, Klarion felt a powerful urge to do something far more profound.

 “What eldritch horrors should we unleash upon them?” he murmured as his cat, Teekl, curled itself around his shoulders and purred a suggestion into his ear—a perfectly wonderful, awful idea that made Klarion rub his hands together and smile with a glow of pure malevolence. “Yes,” he said as he warmed to it. “They dote upon these romantic incarnations of supernatural terrors but how would it be, eh, if the real thing walked among them?” This could make for glorious mischief indeed!

 “Come, Teekl, we have work to do…”

 ~*~

“Spoilers, Master Timothy,” Alfred warned as the boy persisted in skimming through The Necromancer’s Notebook. “We shall uncover its secrets soon enough,” he added and hefted his own copy as they edged ever closer to the front of the line.

Tim closed the book with noticeable reluctance. “I know I’m right about Cecily,” he said.

“We shall see.” 

Tim flipped to the back of his copy again, this time to check the page count. “Eight hundred and seventy-five… You know I can’t go online again until I’ve read the whole thing,” he said, a fretful note in his young voice.

“We shall apply our best efforts to the endeavor, never fear.” Where some books with such an inflated page count could easily be trimmed by at least a third and be none the worse for it, Miss Stirling was the rare author who truly delivered what was commonly known as bang for the buck. Alfred would not find it a chore to keep pace with Tim’s literary marathon.

“I still think you should have dressed up,” Tim said as he tugged at the collar of his own neat cassock, a twin to the one worn by the tortured priest, Alexi. “With your chauffeur's livery and a really cool pair of goggles you’d be just like Zedekiah Zane.”

Alfred appreciated the comment. Zedekiah was, after all, the most trusted confidante of Ransom Wingate. “Alas, I fear my cosplay days are long behind me, Master Timothy,” Alfred said and cast a look about at the colorful array of steampunk gothic adventurers, vampires, scholars, sorcerors, and others too numerous to catalog, “Besides, this family dresses up quite enough as it is.”

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 1/5

Book Blurb:

Genres collide in this dark and atmospheric reimagining of 1930s Shanghai for fans of Nghi Vo and S. A. Chakraborty.

Jingwen spends her nights as a showgirl at the Paramount, one of the most lavish clubs in Shanghai, competing ruthlessly to charm wealthy patrons. To cap off her shifts, she runs money for her grandmother, the exclusive surgeon to the most powerful gang in the city. A position her grandmother is pressuring her to inherit…

When a series of dancers are targeted—the attacker stealing their faces—Jingwen fears she could be next. And as the faces of the dancers start appearing on wealthy foreign socialites, she realizes Shanghai's glittering mirage of carefree luxury comes at a terrible price.

Fighting not just for her own safety but that of the other dancers—women who have simultaneously been her bitterest rivals and only friends—Jingwen has no choice but to delve into the city's underworld. In this treacherous realm of tangled alliances and ancient grudges, silver-armed gangsters haunt every alley, foreign playboys broker deals in exclusive back rooms, and the power of gods is wielded and traded like yuan. Jingwen will have to become something far stranger and more dangerous than her grandmother ever imagined if she hopes to survive the forces waiting to sell Shanghai's bones.

Review:

A reimagining of 1930s Shanghai with a touch of gangster historical fantasy mixed in. The story follows a showgirl who spends her nights dancing in one of the most lavish clubs in Shanghai while competing to charm wealthy men. Yet her world of glitz and glamour hides something darker... as girls are being attacked and killed and she'll have to navigate the world of ancient grudges, gangsters, and foreign playboys. Honestly this book sounded so fantastic and fun but ran into the issue that I found many historical books have: it was boring. The book somehow manages to both overexplain and underexplain things. The world is beautiful I will absolutely give the author that, however the actual book itself felt a bit bland and not enough of the characters were actually well fleshed out or interesting. I so badly wanted to like this but it just missed the mark for me. The book mixes in historical crime fantasy with gods and deities and its definitely slow burn. I really just found myself not caring for the main character who's entire personality was : dance, despite going through so many horrific things and then there's the love interest who really didn't even feel like one. Overall, if you enjoy slow slow burn historical books with a touch of romance and crime, I'd say give it a go!

Release Date: June 18,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*