#Art retrospective up next maybe if i can decide what pieces I want in it | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kookieswan · 3 years ago

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First Love

TattooArtist!Yoongi x Reader (f)

Word Count: 6.6k

Genre: TattooArtist!AU, Strangers to Lovers, Fluff, Smut ✨

Warnings: NSFW/18+ content! (blowjob, pussy eating, vaginal sex, unprotected sex, very slight edging, dirty talk)

Summary - After creeping on his insta feed comprised only of his art, you decided that Suga is the tattoo artist for you. It’s your first time getting any work done, so it’s only natural that you’re nervous, right? Imagine how much worse it gets when you see just how attractive he is in person.

Notes: I don’t know how to make banners/headers please forgive me. I hope everyone enjoys!

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You come to slowly, blinking blearily eyes open after not getting much sleep. A groan leaves your lips, and you flop over on your bed, not ready for today to be real. Staying up all night wasn’t the best thing to do in retrospect.

Today’s the day you’re getting a tattoo, or to be exact, your first tattoo. You could already feel your nerves burning up, but you try to push them back as you roll out of bed to grab your phone. Opening up insta, you go to check over the conversation you had last week with your tattoo artist, Suga.

You had come across his page while scrolling through the tattoo tag on Instagram, being completely blown away by his work. You’d been searching for the right artist for a while to do your piece for you. He didn’t have a single picture of himself, as it seemed to be his “work Instagram” but his art really spoke for itself.

You wanted a floral piece with really delicate linework but also beautiful shading and maybe even a splash of color. Thinking Suga would be perfect for the piece after perusing his work, you messaged him without really thinking about it to try and set up an appointment. His bio said DMs were open for appointments, so you thought hey, there’s nothing to lose here unless he’s a giant asshole.

Suga got back to you the next day, confirming with you that he’d like to do your piece. Over the next week or so, you talked back and forth with the mysterious man about what you wanted and all the inner works of it before deciding on a date to do it. Suga had sent you a stencil of what he had mocked up, and you were absolutely head over heels in love with it the first time you saw it.

Sighing, you figure it would be best for both parties if you smelled like daises and roses during the session. Not that you usually smelled bad, but no one can never be too prepared for close contact. You roll out of bed and get into the shower, letting the hot water run down your back.

Washing off quickly, you get out of the tub and swiftly run through your routine to get ready. Picking up one of your most expensive and best smelling bottles of perfume, you stare at it before deciding ‘fuck it’ and douse yourself in it. It’s technically a special occasion so why not?

Sauntering out of the bathroom, you open up your closet and pick a cute outfit of shorts and a t-shirt. Suga had mentioned that it would be a good idea to dress comfortably as your piece would likely take a few hours to get done. Adding a few accessories into the mix, you glance into the mirror before nodding before heading out of the room.

You slink into the kitchen to eat a quick meal, also heeding your tattoo artists warning about making sure to be fed and well hydrated. You can only imagine how embarrassing it would be to faint or something in front of Suga and all the other artists. After talking to him for the past week, you don’t think he would be mean about it, but its still precious time taken away from the both of you.

Putting the dishes in the sink, you stop by your couch quickly ro pick up your purse, making sure all your cash is still there. Peeking at the clock, it reads 1:50 so you have to get going. Pulling a deep breath in and letting it out, you walk out your front entrance and make your way to the car. You;ll probably just listen to the radio to try and calm down on the way there.

You park, resting your forehead against the wheel and pulling the keys out of the ignition. Glancing toward the clock on the dash, you see the light blinking back 2:10. Pondering briefly if there were anyway to get a tattoo without needles involved, you decide just to suck it up and get out of the car.

The building itself looks modern with the words “First Love” scrawled across the front. You wander into the shop, peeking around as you walk over to the front desk slowly. There’s a man standing there, relatively muscles but with a friendly boyish face. He smiles at you, his front teeth jutting out a tad and you feel yourself calm slightly.

“Um, hi I’m Y/N. I have appointment with Suga for 2:30.” The man nods and introduces himself as Jungkook before telling you to take a seat in the waiting area. You’re a little early, so you know you’ll have time to look around. Jungkook gets up and heads to the back while you drift towards the front again. There are a few binders filled with the artists work sitting on the coffee table in the waiting area, and you grab it to peek through as you wait.

It’s filled with such beautiful work from all the artists, but of course Suga’s work is the most striking to you. His pieces are all so delicate yet detailed, making great use of the grayscale color pallet with subtle splashes of color here and there, exactly what you’re looking for. There’s no doubt in your mind that he’ll do amazing work for you.

The door opens again, and you see Jungkook make his way out, opting to come over to you instead of the reception desk. He plops down on the couch opposite to you, grin on his face. Raising an eyebrow, you give him all of your attention.

“He’s real excited to work on your piece, you know? Keeps going on about a delicate little tat for a pretty client.” You blink owlishly, shocked to hear the words. You suppose Suga could have checked you out on insta, it was your persona account, and it wasn’t set to private. Choosing to ignore that part specifically, you acknowledge the rest.

“I’m glad he’s excited to do my tattoo for me. He’s so talented, I couldn’t ask for anything more for my first tattoo…” Jungkook nods, observing you quietly before standing up. He walks over and to the water dispenser against the wall, fills a cup up, and brings it to you. You grab it while he pats your shoulder once, a show of reassurance.

“I can tell you’re nervous. There’s really nothing to worry about. Suga will be nice and gentle with you, especially because it’s your first time.” The inuendo is clear, and you scoff while he laughs, making his way back to his desk. You try and settle back into your spot, praying that your nerves won’t eat you alive.

Before long, there’s some rummaging around from the back before light footsteps start to approach. You sit up, placing the art book back onto the table as you glance to the door. It opens slowly before a slim man slips through before looking outward.

Your eyes widen in disbelief as you glance over him. He looks around until his catlike eyes land on you and his lips curve upwards slightly. His face is round and defined, with high cheekbones and pretty pink lips. There’s a bar going through his eyebrow, a little ball below his lip, and a ring looped though his nose.

You feel your jaw drop slightly as you run our eyes down his body to see all the beautiful artwork on him. His arms are covered in intricate tattoos that you can see leading into his chest through his thin white tank. Tattoos are also peeking around his neck and oh my god he’s so hot. He’s so good looking. You had imagined what he would look like a few times but never came up with something as stunning as he actually is.

You stand and start to shuffle over to him, trying your best to control all the unladylike thoughts you’re having. He moves in closer as well and holds out his hand as he says your name. It’s so big, and veiny and pretty and holy shit the sound you just let out was so ugly. Giving it a little shake, you quickly pull your hand back and look down, confirming that it’s you.

“It’s nice to finally meet you! I’m super excited to work in your piece.” You nod a little, avoiding his gaze as your face heats up. It was just your luck that the man you’d be spending the next few hours with would be a god-like human. This day honestly couldn’t get any better (or worse?). He turns and tells you to follow him, making his way toward the back.

There’s a snort to your right and you whip your head to look over. Jungkook’s looking back at you, small smirk on his face. He glances quickly at Suga’s retreating back, then at you before raising his eyebrows slowly. Shaking your head a little, you mouth at him to be quiet and make haste to meet up with Suga. A laugh echoes behind you.

Suga opens up the door and leads you to his area and it looks pretty much like you thought it would. There’s a decent amount of different artwork hanging on the walls with a few other personal items. He instructs you come with him the side of the room before he wanders over to a desk.

Taking out the stencil, he shows it to you one last time, and you’re reminded again why you wanted him to do your tattoo. The design is so pretty and your grin so big at it, your hand coming up to graze at it slowly before confirming that you love it.

“This is your first tattoo, right?” He leans forward a little to look down at you as you nod again. He feels you to follow him to the rest in the middle of the room before asking if you’re worried about anything in particular.

“I’m a big girl, I can handle a needle stabbing me like a billion times a second.” Suga’s mouth twitches up slightly but he’s schools himself, not wanting to look like he’s laughing at you. His big yummy hand comes up and pats at the tattoo chair and you sit down with a little huff.

“It’s completely understandable that you’re nervous. I promise you that nothing bad will happen…. Well, you could pass out, but you probably won’t since you’re a big girl huh?” You give him a wide-eyed look and feel your face flush as he chuckles before patting your knee comfortingly. He wheels himself over to a large table and grabs the stencil of your piece and you immediately grow excited.

The silver haired man gives you a little grin before wheeling himself back over and grabbing your arm, laying the stencil carefully down on your skin. It fits perfectly on the underside of your arm, spanning nearly from elbow to wrist.

“Looks like we have a perfect fit! We can get started without any hassle now.” He makes sure he has all the ink he needs, mostly black as that what your piece will be made up of mostly. You spot some soft pinks and greens and smile while thinking shout the final product.

He dips in before bringing the tattoo fun to your arm, glancing at you and smiling again before going in to start lining. You clench your jaw, surprised a little by the feeling. It doesn’t hurt necessarily, but it certainly isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world. Suga doesn’t even glance up before he starts talking to you.

“It’ll help you keep your mind of it if your mind is busy. Talk to me, tell me something about yourself.” Blanking out, you try to think about something to tell him that’s not totally boring or embarrassing. You could tell him about falling up the stairs last week, or maybe about that one-time Namjoon accidentally put salt in your coffee and you spit it on him? It was a funny story…

“Ummmm… I like boba tea! It’s so good, like it’s tea but it’s cold tea and I like cold tea? And it’s got so many different flavors! My favorite is the very berry variety they have with green tea. It comes with real fruit inside of it, like a huge slice of orange, and I always get strawberry boba… I haven’t gotten to go in a long time though…” You trail off, looking over at Yoongi to see him smiling slightly while he concentrates on your arm. He looks up when you continue to be quiet, raising a brow before smiling a bit brighter, trying to encourage you.

“Keep going, I like hearing about you.” You giggle at this, surprised the beautiful man cares enough to listen. You suppose it’s pretty normal considering he’s with his clients for extended periods of time daily, he probably knows a lot of them pretty well. Thinking for a bit, you find another subject but one of distaste this time.

“Oh man, I have this chair! It’s so old, I’ve had it since I moved into my current apartment two years ago. I swear every time I sit in it my back breaks. I went to get a new one but then I’m like, I already have one even though it sucks ass?” Suga laughs at this, bright chuckles leaving his lips as he continues to line.

“Get a new one. If you take any advice from me today other than about how to heal up your tat, it’s get a new chair. Your back will thank you in the end.” Agreeing wholeheartedly with his thinking, you decided after your appointment you’ll look online for something new. You ask him what color you should get, huge grin on your face.

“Pink, you seem to like it a lot based off of what you post. Also yes, I’m admitting right now I creeped on your pictures.” A nervous giggle leaves your lips, and you glance away, focusing on anything other than him. That confirms that he has at least glanced through your insta, so maybe Jungkook wasn’t lying. It gets quiet after that, Yoongi concentrating on your piece before you have a sudden thought.

“What’s your actual name…? I mean you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I’m realizing now you use Suga for a reason probably.” He shakes his head a little, finishing a few line strokes before a tiny laugh leaves his lips.

“I do use it for a reason… but you can call me Yoongi if you want beautiful.” Ignoring his compliment for the sake of your health, you focus on his name. Yoongi. It’s super fitting for him you think as you glace over his face again. You allow it to fall silent completely now, watching him work.

It’s not an awkward silence, but surprisingly comfortable. Watching the beautiful man work is almost cathartic to you, watching the tattoo gun form new permanent lines on your skin. Yoongi glances up after a while, checking in to make sure you’re doing alright.

“You’ve been quiet… not feeling sick or lightheaded pretty girl?” If you weren’t before you are now. It’s probably not good to have so much blood rushing into your face so quickly. You shake your head and mumble that you’re good, giving a toothy smile to him. You get a gummy one in return before he goes back to work. You decide not too look at what he’s doing for the rest of the time, wanting it to be a full on surprise when he’s done.

“Alright, we’re done!” Yoongi pulls away, staring down at your arm while nodding his head, as if he’s having an inner monologue with himself. You grin at him, giving a few deep breaths before glancing down at your arm.

“Yoongi…. It’s absolutely stunning.” You feel your eyes getting wet, tearing up from the amazing work. Yoongi’s own eyes widen before he walks over to one of the desks to grab a tissue. Giving a small smile, he hands it to you gently.

“I’m glad you like it. It really suits you.” You can only agree, gazing at the beautiful flowers and linework put into the tattoo. It’s more than clear that Yoongi took his time with it, every stroke made with care. Meandering around, he grabs a few things, you’re not really sure what, and he starts to clean and wrap up your arm. You unabashedly share at him for the duration, watching both his pretty face and long fingers.

Yoongi slowly finishes covering your tattoo, instructing you again on how to take care of it. No direct sunlight, gently cleaning it, all that good stuff. You know you should probably leave now, but neither of you are making a move. It’s quiet then, and you both kind of just stare at each other awkwardly before he coughs.

“I uh… do you wanna go out sometime?” You can’t believe what you’re hearing. You gape at him, looking like a surprised fish, and he lets out a little snort. For the millionth time you blush, but hastily nod your head.

“I would love to! Yes… please.” His usual easygoing smile sinks into a smirk, looking more than happy with your response. Something about him just makes you feel so lighthearted and happy, he’s so nice and sweet and there’s no way you’d pass up the chance. Plus, he’s a god among men with his good looks.

“How’s next Friday for you, I know it’s a little far off, but I’m pretty much booked up the rest of the week.” You tell him Friday is perfect as you have the day off completely. You go over details as you walk up front, Yoongi ringing you up for the piece as Jungkook watches with a raised eyebrow, shoved to the side.

Confirming all the details, Yoongi gives you a little wink before turning around and leaving the front. You honestly can’t believe your luck, getting such a beautiful tattoo and also the man that gave it to you. Talk about two birds with one stone. A little whistle to your right gets your attention and you glace at Jungkook, huge ass grin on his face.

“I told you so.”

———————————————————————

WEDNESDAY

Suga – Are you taking care of you tattoo properly?

Pretty Girl – Why yes. Is this just an excuse for you to text me?

Suga – … No.

SATURDAY

Pretty Girl – What are your thoughts on mango juice?

Suga – Mango juice?

Pretty Girl – Yes. It’s a liquid. You drink it.

Suga – Thanks for that, never would have guessed.

TUESDAY

Suga – What are your thoughts on skincare?

Pretty Girl – It’s important?

Suga – So if I were to be wearing a sheet mask that makes me look like an alien that would be insanely hot and sexy?

Pretty Girl – LMAO. Idk, let me see and I’ll decide.

THURSDAY

Pretty Girl – If I were to ask you to go to a cheese factory for our date would you comply?

Suga – You get weirder by the day I swear… Yes. I would comply your highness.

Pretty Girl – Cool otherwise you’d be on some thin ass ice.

FRIDAY

You and Yoongi talking to each other off and on through texts since your appointment had kept you going. He’s so witty and sarcastic, but you’ve loved every moment of it so far. There’s a certain charm to the man, one that’s keeping your completely hooked.

You were slightly surprised that he texted you so soon, but it’s certainly didn’t hurt your feelings. It’s not like you had much to do anyway, sitting on the couch and watching Netflix for the rest of the day after. Most of the nerves you had worked up about talking to him had disappeared relatively quickly… or so you had thought.

There’s a rapt 3 knocks in your door and you grow nervous almost instantly. You and Yoongi got on well, so there was no issue there really, but seeing him in person is a whole other thing. What worried you is how awkward you could potentially end up being on the date. Yoongi himself seems a little awkward, so maybe you can be awkward together?

Opening the door, you’re stunned into silence with how good the tattoo artist looks. It’s a casual fit, jeans, and a t-shirt with some boots, but for some reason it blows you away. Probably because all of his tattoos are out again resting beautifully against pale skin, small gummy smile on his face as he regards you.

“Hey pretty. Ready to go?” Yoongi holds out his hand to you and you take it shyly, following him out before closing the door and locking it. He’s being relatively forward, but you’re enjoying it since you’re usually fairly reserved when it comes to dating. It’s been a while since you’ve been out with someone anyway, so it’s kind of refreshing.

You pull up in front of a building that you’ve never seen before, being on a different part of tow that you usually don’t go to. It’s pretty close to where Yoongi’s shop is, so it makes sense he’d want to show you around the area. The storefront looks really bright, pretty pastel colors standing out against the building. The sign reads “Boba Palace”, and you grow excited instantly. Turning to Yoongi, you tug on his arm a little bit.

“Boba? You didn’t mention you like it too. God it’s been so long…” He just smiles at you, both of you leaving the car and him leading you towards the entrance of the building before opening the door, whispering “ladies first.” Walking in ahead of him, you’re surprised to see all the options. The place you usually go to is across town, so it’ll be nice to try something new. Yoongi comes up to your side, standing besides you while looking at the menu thoughtfully.

“Get anything you want, I’m paying.” You agree to let him do so as long as you can catch the bill next time. Looking over the menu closer, you’re at a bit of a loss on what to get. Poking Yoongi’s arm to get his attention, he leans down a little as you tilt in. You let him know that he can pick, giving him a little smile as you tilt your head to the side. He nods before starting to order for the both of you.

“Hi, I’ll have two orders of green milk tea with coconut and mango flavoring, along with strawberry boba.” He glances over you and your nod, thinking that it sounds super good. Pulling out his wallet, he plucks out a few bills before handing them to the worker. You take the time to glance him over again, looking closer at the snake wrapped around his arm, and you’re curious who he got it from because it’s so beautifully detailed. His eyes cut back to you and his lips quirk up.

Your names are called soon after for the drinks, and Yoongi grabs them before handing yours to you. You try it and are immediately impressed, it’s absolutely delightful. You tell Yoongi so and he nods his head, another thoughtful expression coming to his face.

“I thought you’d like something almost as sweet as you.” He ends it off with another wink, laughing as you turn away shyly at his remark. His new favorite pass time seems to be teasing you, but you can’t say you mind. Having his attention and getting to know him more and more is invigorating.

“I was thinking we could either sit here or maybe go walking by the river?” You snap out of your thoughts and tell him that going for a walk sounds amazing. You trek out of the store, making your way to the walking path behind the little shop. It’s super lovely looking already, surrounded by trees with the river able to be seen when peeking through.

You walk together, talking about the week ahead as you sip on your drinks. You’re still not sure if it was just a hunch on his end that you like strawberry boba, but he seems to be super perceptive, nonetheless. It’s hot but breezy out, the wind causing the trees around you to dance. When you finish the yummy tea, you make note of a trash can not too far ahead. You decide it might be fun to challenge Yoongi to a little competition then.

“You know how I told you I want another tattoo? If I make this shot, you have to design it for me!” He agrees instantly and you giggle at his eagerness. He’d mentioned in passing that he’d love to do more work for you, so you know it’s not a big deal to him. Standing somewhat far from the trash can, you like up the shot to the best of your ability. Tossing it hard, you frown and cry out as the wind picks up and leads the cup astray. Yoongi blinks a few times before waking over, picking it up, and throwing it in.

“Wow, what a good shot. I’ll get started as soon as I can.” With that he turns and starts walking away, leaving you dumbfounded before a smile tufts onto your face. You call out to him, running up and grabbing his hand in yours before continuing to walk. He has such a strong presence, his charm just doesn’t seem to fade. He’s not really a god in your eyes anymore, just a man that you have a huge crush on.

“I don’t know if it’s weird to say, but I’ve missed seeing you in person.” He squeezes your hand lightly, swinging it back and forth between you. He stops walking and you follow suit, turning to look at him, curious of his response.

“It’s not weird. I look forward to hearing from you, even if it’s to make fun of me for the odd colored face masks I use for my skincare.” You burst out laughing, remembering the vivid conversation you had with him a while back. Yoongi seems to take his skincare very seriously, and that includes wearing tin foil like sheetmasks.

“Seriously though. This might sound cheesy but when I first saw you in person I thought you were beautiful. This date is only confirming that you’re not only stunning but have a great personality.” He’s leaning against the railing overlooking the water now and you do the same, eyes shifting to his face as he gazes out towards the water. The waters reflecting the setting sun back into his pupils, small golden crescents flitting across his gaze.

“It’s not cheesy… You’re really something special Yoongi. I’m already looking forward to our next date. And the next. And the next…” The gummy smile is back then, his arm coming up to wrap around your shoulder and pull you in. He’s unbelievably warm, not just his body but his general presence. You’re not surprised how comfortable you feel around him, the awkwardness has all melted away. You’ve been on dates before yeah, but no one’s made you feel like this so quickly.

“Already thinking about the next date huh sweetheart? Well, I’m yours whenever you want me.” Instead of flustering you for once, his words make you feel so happy. You decide then that your connection with Yoongi is undeniable and you’re ready to explore it further. You want to know him, his dreams and intricacies. You touch his cheek, turning his head to have him meet your eyes, something glinting in his.

“I’m irresistible, aren’t I?” Rolling your eyes a little, you’re taken aback when he swoops down, lips lingering against yours for permission before you surge in fully. It’s a quick kiss, but it says a lot, Yoongi cupping your face and tilting in for further access. He pulls back slowly while watching your face, thumb dragging across your lower lip lazily.

“Not nearly as irresistible as you though.”

——————————————————————

TIME SKIP – 8 WEEKS LATER

“Knock knock!” You call out as you enter the tattoo shop, Jungkook looking unimpressed as you make your way to the front. You lean against the counter, big grin on your face as you regard him. He puts his phone down and sighs, tilting forward in his chair slightly.

“Can I help you? We don’t usually allow loiterers.” A mock gasp escapes your lips, and you bring a hand down to lightly slap at his. A chuckle leaves his thin lips before he stands up, collecting some of his things before pinning you with a sly look.

“Yoongi should be in the back somewhere. He said he’d lock up after you go here, so I’m heading out. You two have a good night, just try not to fuck on any of my shit.” He swoops towards the front door, not letting you get a word in before he leaves. You hadn’t come with the intention of fucking your boyfriend… but hey anything can happen right?

Shaking your head a bit, you open the door to the back area and wander through, making your way over to Yoongi’s area. You spot him pretty quickly, sitting at his desk and sketching something out in one of his many journals. He hears you approaching, tuning slightly in his chair before catching sight of you, eyes lighting up.

“Hey baby, didn’t realize it was so late already…” He trails off, looking at the clock on the wall. It reads 7:56, signaling that First Love should be closing in about 4 minutes. Yoongi stands from his spot, coming over to give you a small peck on the forehead before walking past.

“I have to go lock the doors real quick. Make yourself at home!” You do just that, sitting down in his chair and swiveling around in it a few times. You notice that he’s left his notebook open and curiosity wins, so you glance over at it and feel absolutely awed. It’s another flower piece, a lot bigger in scale from the last, and you have no doubt in your mind it’s what he’s been working on for you. You trace your gingers over some of the more intricate Ares, blown away with its beauty.

“You like it?” Turning around in the chair, Yoongi’s standing at the entrance to his office, leaning against the doorframe with a gentle look on his face. Nodding a little, you can’t help but to feel your eyes get wet. It’s obvious he put a lot of work into this for you, and it blows your mind how much you actually like him. How much you enjoy being with him. How much you’re starting to trust him. It’s a scary thought, never having cared for someone in such a way… but it’s true.

“Ah come on baby, there’s no need to get teary eyed. I know you said you wanted another tattoo from me, so I just wanted to make something that would do you justice.” Standing from the chair, you rush over to him to give him the biggest hug you can muster. Resting your cheek against his chest, you mumble out your reply.

“Anything you make for me will be beautiful, of that I have no doubt…” Pausing a little, you glance up at his face to get a good look at him. He looks absolutely gorgeous, silver hair slicked back with a little kohl smudged around his eyes. You can’t really help the carnal need that takes over your mind.

You lean in, catching his lips in a kiss and he immediately responds, a tiny sound of surprise leaving his lips before he brings his hands up to your waist. He deepens it almost immediately, pulling you closer to him until the front of your body is flush to his. His hand comes up, trailing up your side and then gripping at the base of your neck, his tongue poking against your lip until your properly open up for him. Making it is nice, but you want to feel more of him, want to feel his body against yours fully.

“Can I suck your dick?” Yoongi lets out a surprised grunt, whipping his head up from your neck to look at you. He blinks a few times before standing at full height, looking down at you. You blink at him coyly, fluttering your eyelashes at him. He turns to his desk, moving a few things out of the way before regarding you again.

“Such a pretty girl wanting to suck me off? How could I say no?” Yoongi pulls his briefs off and you kind of blank out. His dick looks pretty, flushed a pink color, but your eyes widen as you look closer. A pretty piece of jewelry flashes against the head, and your mouth begins to water for some reason. Never have you had a partner with a dick piercing, but boy oh boy is it hot. Time to get more personally acquainted with it.

“It’s so pretty.” Yoongi splutters out a laugh, which turns into a slow groan as you lick at the head. The jewelry feels foreign on your tongue, but not unpleasant overall. Wrapping a hand around him delicately, you continue to leave kitten licks at his dick before doing the same from the base to the tip. You’re unable to resist the urge and take the tip into your mouth, sucking curiously at the head.

“Look at you pretty girl, taking me in your mouth so nicely.” You don’t wait long to take him deeper, his thickness stretching tour mouth out to the max. You knew it was big when you first saw it but trying to take it into your throat would be another challenge all together. Relaxing your jaw to the best of your ability, you slide him further back, humming around him before starting to bob your head back and forth. Keeping up the pace, whatever you can’t reach with your mouth you take on with your hands, jerking him off at the same time. Yoongi grabs your hair lightly, guiding your head back and forth as he lets out grunts and groans that echo off of the walls.

“You gotta stop baby, don’t want to cum yet. Let me taste you.” You halt, peering up at him before letting his dick slowly slide out of your mouth. The idea of him putting his mouth on you makes you clench, the wetness in your panties only rowing as you imagine it further. You stand, and he takes hold of your shoulders before switching places with you, pulling at your pants. You help him, pushing your pants and panties out of the way before sitting your ass on the desk.

“Spread your legs baby, wanna taste you.” You hesitantly spread your legs out, laying back against the desk as you blink at him. He gives a small chuckle, kneeling down between your legs. He taps at your thigh a little and you spread them wider, looking away from him as you feel yourself grow warmer. The silver haired man brings up his hands to your lips, slowly spreading them apart before giving a swift lick. You gasp out but try your best to keep yourself spread.

“Such a good girl. You’re so wet for me.” You preen at the praise, tossing your head back as he buries his head between your legs. His tongue laps at your core hungrily, hands gripping tightly on your thighs. He keeps this up for a while, tongue sliding hotly back and forth, licking hungrily at your wetness. He slides his hand back down to your opening, prodding gently before sinking a single digit in.

“You’re taking me in so well. Sucked me right in…” You clench around him desperately, wanting so badly to feel more of him inside of you. It’s not long before he adds a second finger into the mix, pushing them in and out of you as he continues to lap at you. You thrust your hips up towards his face, feeling your tummy start to clench as your orgasm approaches.

“Yoongi! Ah, Yoongi I’m-!” He pulls back then, huge grin on his face as you stare down at him disbelievingly. Had he really just stopped when you were about to cum? Raising up from his spot, he leans in and pecks you on the lips before removing his shirt. You stare back in awe, always blown away with how intricate and beautiful his tattoos are. The urge to trace them comes over you but you resist.

“Well come on, I can’t be the only one naked. It’s making me shy.” What a smartass. You comply with his request, removing your shirt and then your bra, leaving yourself completely bare for his eyes. He watches like a hawk, licking his lips as he roams his eyes over your naked body. Humming a little, he brings his hands to your tits and rubs his thumbs over them, making you gasp out.

“Ah Yoon, please just fuck me. Wanna feel you so bad.” Grabbing both of your legs, he brings them up over his shoulders tenderly. Grinning down at you, he leaves a small kiss on your ankle before situating you so he’s laying against your wet folds. Yoongi slides his hardness back and forth against your slit, slapping it against your heat a few times before sliding in slowly.

“This alright baby?” You nod, moaning out his name as he bottoms out. He feels so deep inside of you, stretching out your walls deliciously. You knew he was thick but you didn’t realize just how good he would feel inside of you. He thrusts in shallowly a few times, making sure you’re well adjusted, before starting to pick up the pace a bit.

“Fuck you’re so tight baby. Feel so fucking good around me.” Yoongi throws his head back in pleasure, holding you down against the desk as he thrusts deeper into your wetness. It sounds obscene, the squelching every time he drives himself forward in along with both of your moans and groans. You claw at the desk, not quite sure what to do with your hands.

“That feel good pretty? I feel good inside of you, huh?” He’s teasing you at this point, his hips quickly pushing back and forth as he thrusts inside of you. You get the feeling that he’s usually a bit of a tease, but he isn’t pulling any punches right now. His pace is brutal, and your pleasure only heightens as he drops one of your legs to bring his agile fingers down to your most sensitive spot. Your orgasm is just over the horizon now, and his is probably too with how much you teased each other.

“So good Yoon!” The coil in your stomach snaps as you feel your walls spasm tightly around Yoongi. His grunts grow louder and with a final thrust he buries himself inside of you as deeply as he can manage, a warm sensation hitting your sensitive walls. You pant, twitching slightly as you continue to grip at Yoongi’s strong inked arms.

He leans down over you, letting out a breath as he kisses your face. Once on the cheek, the forehead, the nose, and then your mouth. You giggle and return the favor, kissing his nose quickly before booping it. He looks less than impressed but you continue to laugh anyway before looking away, feeling shy suddenly.

“I really care about you a lot Yoongi…” He pulls out then, but continues to look at you in the face, his hands come up, thumbs caressing your cheeks slowly as he looks you fully in the eye. His own eyes are full of affection and warmth, and you know you said the right thing.

“You mean a lot to me too beautiful, more than you might know… Now, lets get cleaned up and relax, hm? You’ve tired me out pretty girl.”

#first love #yoongi x reader #yoongi smut #yoongi fluff #yoongi wiritng #yoongi fic #yoongi fanfic #bts fic #bts fanfic #bts x reader #bts smut #bts fluff #bts writing

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dragonblobz · 4 years ago

Text

I'm on my bullshit again. No lemons. Just Shinigami goodness. Wrote this to In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3 by Coheed and Cambria.

Ryuk has been around for such a long time. Ever since she had found that notebook sitting on that tree stump years ago. Cover soft looking and beaded with dew. It had looked as if it had been there some time. And, although the pages looked weathered and yellow, there was no mold or outward damage.

Surprising given its location in the middle of the woods. She’d only even seen it because she’d stopped and knelt to retie her shoe. Just an alien black square looking sharp and unreal sitting on that stump just off the jogging trail.

She can remember how the thing had felt when she’d picked it up. Soft in texture. Like careworn leather.

The words “Death Note" emblazoned on the cover had made her feel a little unsettled. Eerie out here in the predawn misty quiet.

A silent voice inside her mind had whispered that maybe she should put it right back down on that stump and keep running. As far and as fast as she could.

Another voice, vapid and cunning, had laughed at the absurdity of such a book, with such a title, being left out here in the middle of nowhere.

She hadn’t left it there. Without opening it, she’d tucked it under her arm and continued on her morning run.

She performed all the menial tasks of her daily life, forgetting all about that Death Note leaving dew marks on her dining room table.

Breakfast was bland. Work was tedious. No different than any other day. Even when she’d reentered her home and plopped her work bag next to the thing, her eyes really didn’t focus on it.

It was the tall bony Shinigami standing in her kitchen that finally arrested her fuzzy mind from the blandness of living.

He hadn’t even been looking at her. Instead, the spinous processes of his vertebrae pressed onto the dark material upon his long back as he leaned over her counter. Observing a bowl of fruit as if it were a still life masterpiece.

She hadn’t moved. Was utterly frozen. Just watching this creature as it looked at her food.

“What’s all this junk? Taking up room that could be used for perfectly good apples.” It’s voice, low and yet raspy, grated on her eardrums as it lifted a hand and poked a claw into the ripe flesh of an orange. The movement causing several pieces of fruit to fall out of the over filled bowl entirely.

With a deft movement, the creature caught the only apple which had exited the bowl. Rubbed it with the pad of it’s thumb as it finally lifted it’s face to look at her.

It’s face………

Cadaverous. Eyes beady and large and yellow. Nose squashed. Like a mummy who’d decided to affix it’s hair for a punk rock concert. It was even sporting a dangling silver earring on one of it’s little ears.

At her gawping expression, it had smiled. Wide thin dark mouth sporting a row of razor teeth appearing aged and yellow.

“No screaming, eh? Hiya, Y/N.”

She hadn’t bothered to question how this thing knew her name.

“Um…….. hi?” Her own voice sounded dry and distant in her ears. “And you are?”

It bit into that apple, it’s eyes closing. As if savoring the fruit. A stray drop of the juice dribbled down onto it’s chin.

It said a word. But muffled thru a mouthful of apple, it nearly sounded like a retch.

“Ex….Excuse me? I didn’t…… I didn’t quite understand that.”

“Not a good listener tho. Ah well. Nobody is perfect.” It’s long tongue snaked out to swipe at that bead of juice as the creature had studied her.

Raising it’s free hand, it extended a long bony finger. She noticed now the rings glinting on his hands.

“I. Am. Ryuk.” He said it very slowly. As if she might have been a child who might not understand. But there wasn’t a trace of sarcasm or ill temper in it’s behavior.

“So….. Ryuk…… why…… um…. What……. What do you want?”

At this, it’s smile had widened.

“I’m just here Y/N. YOU are the one that picked up the Death Note.”

Imagery of that notebook popped up in her head.

“I….. I did……”

“Yes. You did. And I’ll be with you until you die now. Or I do.” It was leering now. “Whichever comes first.”

“I see….” She didn’t really see. Turned from him and went into the dining room to pick up that notebook. Opening it. Reading the first thing written on the inside of the cover out loud.

“The human whose name is written in this note shall die.”

It had been frightening in retrospect. Not those words. Not that Death Note. Not even the monster standing in the doorway happily crunching it’s way thru a second apple and watching her.

What had been utterly terrifying was that she had not blanched. Had not set this note down and backed away. Had not told that creature to take it and go.

Instead, she’d stood there. Continuing to read. A name and face already coming to mind.

A face belonging to a monster who’d put that apple eating shark mouthed monster to utter shame. The man who’d killed someone she had loved.

Without looking away from the Death Note, she’d reached over and started rummaging thru her work bag. Fingers shaking and fumbling at keys and change.

“Never can find what you’re looking for if your bag is too full, Y/N.” Ryuk looked vastly amused. “You’re not even going to question the validity of the Note? That’s what you humans usually do.”

She hadn’t answered. Simply gasped as her fingers had clutched onto a great fistful of bullshit in her bag. Lifting the whole mess out to drop carelessly on the table. Chapstick and a tampon scattering across the surface.

And there, rolling and coming to rest against an old broken key chain, had been a blue ink pen.

She’d looked up at Ryuk. Eyes wide, almost manic.

“Any person?”

He smiled again. Repeated her words.

“Any living person.”

There had been no eloquence. No artfulness nor ritualistic care taken in that first death. She had scratched the name onto the paper. And a way to die. Almost stabbing it in. Breathing coming out in ragged desperate gasping.

After the deed had been done, the pen clattered to the floor as she’d wept. Fingers numb.

It hadn’t occurred to her that there would be no way to instantly verify this death. Not until that moment. And so, with a frustrated cry, she’d slapped the Death Note onto the table and fled into her bedroom. Right over to the dark corner to collapse, wrap her arms around her knees, stuff her face into her knees, and cry as a child. Ryuk following her, tilting his head quizzically at this suffering.

“Why are you crying? You couldn’t have liked that human if you wanted them to die.”

“Please…… please go.”

But he didn’t. Simply had sank down. Knobby knees on either side of his ghastly face as he sat across from her.

“I told you. I’m here till you die, Y/N.” There was no camaraderie or sympathy in his voice. It had been matter of fact. “But this surely will get boring very soon, won’t it?”

“When will I know if he died?”

Ryuk smiled again. Leering.

“My my. Impatient aren’t you. Actually that’s a quality I like about you humans. As for your question, I guess you’ll just have to find out for yourself.” His eyes glint as his smile turns wicked. “You could always write a name belonging to someone closer. If you’re seeking validation, of course.”

“There isn’t anyone else I wanna kill.”

“Then this is going to get very boring very quickly, Y/N.”

She hadn’t had to wait long. Two days later, she’d received correspondence that her presence would no longer be required at a hearing. The defendant was dead.

A quick Google search verified that the person had died just as she’d written.

Setting the phone down, fingers numb, she'd simply looked up at her Shinigami.

She knew that’s what he was now. She’d been peppering him with questions about himself and his kind. And about the Death Note. He hadn’t answered many of them. At least, not until she’d given him an angelic grin and revealed a bag of bright green apples.

“Your apples can be green???” He'd looked absolutely delighted. And had been far more forthcoming.

“He’s dead. He’s really……. Gone…….”

Ryuk merely grunted in visceral enjoyment as he popped the core of that Granny Smith into his maw.

Without warning, she’d reached forward, patting at another errant drop of juice on his chin with a Kleenex she’d just snatched from the box. The action was mainly impulsive. And she’d laughed.

“You’re so messy.”

The Shinigami had frozen. Utterly motionless. He didn’t breathe himself. Statue still. Simply looking at her.

The years passed by like this. The shock and relief provided by this first killing soon giving way to an almost comfortable routine. She didn’t go on a wholesale slaughter. And often targeted those who hurt children. The pain of such cases resonating with the events of her own life.

And there were so. Many. Apples. Loads of them. Ryuk loved all kinds. Although he did seem preferential to Honey Crisp. She never once could get him to try another fruit. And she DID try. Not even a damn orange.

“It’s yummy. Ya know, for somebody that says he gets bored easily, you sure are picky.” She waggled the bright fruit.

“I’ve watched you peel one of those things. What sort of food makes you work so hard? Now THIS……” He'd held up his half eaten apple. “THIS is the pinnacle of crisp and juicy. Now leave that orange wherever you found it, if you please.”

Time was littered with conversations as simple as these, intermingled with serious discussions in which he was as non informative as ever.

It was one of these more serious conversations which followed an observation on her part.

She’d noticed changes in him. Very slight. But she was simply around him so much that she could see them. His movements had become slower. More careful. His speech slowed as well. As if he might be thinking more carefully. Or even forgetting things. She never once pointed this out.

Not until, one day, after clearing 6 entire apples, he’d actually groaned as he’d flopped upon her couch. Long booted feet hanging over one of the arms.

She plops next to him. Poking at one of the skulls on his belt. He’d long since stopped being surprised by her impulsive touches and nearness. Her humanness. Simply tolerating it.

“Are you hurting, Ryuk?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Oh. No reason.”

“I’m dying, Y/N.”

For once, it is she who freezes.

“I thought Shinigami lived a long time.”

“We do. My time is simply running out.” He’s just watching her.

“You’d said….. you’d said that you guys get more years by taking ours.”

“We do.”

She stops toying with that skull entirely. Turns her body so that she’s facing him directly.

“Is it time, then?” She’s oddly unafraid.

“Time for what?”

“For you to….. ya know…… write my name in YOUR Death Note?”

At this, he chuckles.

“I’m not going to write your name.”

She looks confused.

“But….. why not?”

Now he’s actually laughing.

“Do you WANT me to write your name in my Death Note?”

She chews on her bottom lip. Reaching out to pat his chest. Once again, he doesn’t react.

“I don’t want you to die.”

He laughs again. But there is no more true mirth in the sound.

“Why?”

She counters.

“Why won’t you write my name?”

“I am not entirely sure, Y/N.” The slight confusion in his voice gives credence to this answer.

“Well. I am sure.” She’s staring intently at him. “Everything ends, Ryuk. Nobody ever stays. Nothing is constant. I’ve never had a single person ever remain in my life. Except….. except you.”

He sighs. Patiently repeating himself.

“I will be with you until you die.”

“I don’t care if it’s because you have to be here. You’re still HERE……. Will it be soon?”

That same, toothy leer.

“You know I won’t tell you your lifespan, Y/N.”

“I don’t mean me.”

He just looks at her. She’s never seen his face so expressionless. Then repeats yet again.

“I will be with you until you die. Or until I do.”

“I will write my own name then. Will that do it?”

“Stop being foolish. Be a dear and get me another apple won’t you?”

“Yeah….. I will. But I’m not done.”

“I’m sure you’re not.” He chuckles.

It is as if this conversation opens a chasm in this inevitable process. Everything about Ryuk is changing. And so quickly.

Already emaciated and pale, even his dark lips turn papery and light grey. His hair grays too. Yellow eyes growing filmy where they had been so keen before. As if, when the aging process actually begins in a Shinigami, it is accelerated.

It is barely 2 weeks after this conversation that he gives a defeated grunt, sprawled on her bed as she’s on her laptop.

“I can’t get up.” He barks out a laugh. As if this is genuinely funny to him.

She closes her laptop and rises from her chair. Turning and walking over to the bed to flop next to him. Staring at the ceiling just as he is.

“You want another apple?”

“Thank you, Y/N. But I do not.”

“That close, huh.”

“I believe so, yes.”

“Will the Death Note still work? When you’re gone I mean.”

“Yes.”

Her voice is oddly cold.

“Do death gods go to hell? I cant go to heaven or hell. What about you?”

He doesn’t answer for several minutes. She doesn’t speak either. Finally…

“I suppose we will end up in the same place, Y/N.”

“I'm glad.” She turns her face to look at him. “I’ll need something before you go.”

“Oh? And what is that?”

“The Shinigami eyes.”

At this, Ryuk turns his face as well. And they just stare at each other.

“Clever greedy impatient girl.” The insult is almost affectionate. “Are you truly that afraid to die alone?”

“Nobody should die alone. And this way, neither of us will half to. Half my lifespan for the Shinigami eyes. We’ll die at the same time.” She looks back up at the ceiling. He does too.

When he feels her fingers intertwining with his, as always, he doesn’t react.

“I never actually made that offer to you. Merely spoke of it.”

“I don’t care. I want the Shinigami eyes.”

He turns his face to her.

“Who am I to turn down such a lucrative deal?”

She sees his hand coming towards her face. Closes her eyes.

When she opens them again, the picture of her and some old friends on the wall is noticeably different. One face, the face of the friend who’d committed suicide years before, is clear and unblemished. The other faces each have a name and numbers above them.

And when she looks back at Ryuk, she sees that his hair is once again jet black. Eyes just as clear and sharp as she remembers. He leers at her. Squeezes her hand as she’s squeezing his.

“I’ll take that apple as well. If the offer is still there.”

She grins.

“You got a new lease on life and you STILL won’t try an orange?”

He scoffs.

#death note #ryuk #fem reader #ryuk x reader #tw suicide reference #my writing

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lacetulle · 5 years ago

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Hey there! Aspiring fashion designer here! I'm getting more and more into fashion and designing/ planning more and more outfits and I was wondering if you have any tips to get more into haute contour and fashion in general. Your blog has really helped me get a grasp of what I like and I all around love it!

I’m happy this blog could help in figuring out what styles you like! There are a ton of different mediums to get into fashion! I’ve compiled a list of options via videos, websites, and books. So strap in, this is a long post.

Since you already have an idea of who you like, I always suggest reading up on that brand/label/designer and going through their archives. For me, when I realized how much I loved Dior and knew I wanted to learn more, it was overwhelming at times because the label has such a long history. If you really like newer labels, like Zuhair Murad, Elie Saab, Iris van Herpen, etc., it’s a little more manageable to read up on the history and designers just because they were founded in the ‘90s/‘00s.

In terms of websites, I have a few to talk about.

Vogue. This is the easiest avenue to get into fashion. I’m not knocking it, because I use it the most for photos, but as far as websites go, it’s the most dumbed-down. But I mean that in the best way! The features, trend reports, and runway news appeals to even the most casual fashion fan. Vogue focuses mainly on big name/commercialized brands (Dior, Valentino, Gucci, etc.) rather than smaller ones (like Guo Pei and Ralph & Russo, two big couture names these days, get minimal coverage with Vogue). Vogue is a great resource for runway looks...it was my gateway into studying older runway collections. All in all, in terms of websites, Vogue is the tip of the fashion media iceberg. If you want to get into the more meatier parts of fashion, there are better sites.

Harper’s Bazaar. Like Vogue, it’s easy to navigate and leans more towards the more well-known fashion brands. Pre-covid, they always had a weekly street style recap as well. They have great lists but stay away from the business side of fashion. I typically use Harper’s Bazaar for the street style/every day fashion inspiration and news.

Who What Wear. A great site for following trends. They don’t focus so much on brands, but it’s a great resource for seeing what’s trending and options to buy said trends. For example, Who What Wear is the first place I went when I wanted to find a list of brands who were starting to sell masks.

WWD. Supposedly most designers prefer WWD to Vogue coverage. And it shows, since parts of the site require a subscription. WWD is one of the more technical sites and could be overwhelming for someone who doesn’t really understand the industry. They talk about the comings-and-goings of creative directors, financial news, and general fashion trends/news. It also has runway recaps and photos, which is typically what I use it for. If you’re really want to be in the know with breaking fashion news, they do offer email newsletters as well for a more condensed version of the site. Also, a super helpful page I’ve had bookmarked, their fashion dictionary.

Business of Fashion. The name is pretty self-explanatory. BoF is another one of those meatier sites that could be overwhelming at first. It’s also one that has a subscription service. BoF has great profiles of designers, so I’ve used the site as my starting point when learning about someone new. The BoF500 also showcases anyone and everyone who has a hand in shaping the industry.

The Impression. The cheapest of the subscription sites and the one I had until I cancelled a few months ago (not because it sucked, but, you know…corona). I mainly used them for their runway pictures. They were so fast to upload them, with details and backstage footage. The big draw is the fashion week/runway photography, but the talk about street style, short films and ads from brands, as well as fashion trends. At the end of every fashion week (New York, Milan, Paris, etc.) the put together a recap list of biggest trends, top shows, top models, and break down the numbers. I love the site for its minimalism and whenever the industry decides to have fashion weeks again, I’ll renew my subscription.

Magazines: Most people would say Vogue is the holy grail for fashion magazines, but I don’t think it’s that great (at least the US version). Vogue Paris, Italia, and UK are better in my opinion. And just because I don’t think the print version of US Vogue is the holy grail, doesn’t mean I don’t like it. I have a subscription and read it every month. Other options I really like are Harper’s Bazaar (any country’s version), Elle, InStyle, and W.

Videos: Other than the first one listed (which can be found on Netflix or Hulu, depending where you live), everything can be found on youtube. And now i’m constantly getting fashion recommendations on youtube, so it’s an easy rabbit hole to fall into.

First Monday in May. I’ve talked about this documentary before, but it bears repeating. It’s a gorgeous journey of how the Met Gala and Costume Institute Exhibit was put together. It’s about the ‘China: Through the Looking Glass’ exhibit in 2015. They interview big designers about how China has influenced some of their collections, and takes on the debate of whether fashion should even be in a museum. It was the first fashion documentary I ever watched and only made me fall more in love with fashion (and want to see every fashion exhibition).

The September Issue. Vogue’s September issues are always the biggest of the year. This documentary follows the process of designing the famous September issue of Vogue. I believe it was filmed in 2007 or 2008 so it’s dated, and digital media has changed the game, but it’s a good watch to see just how influential and important the September issue is in terms of forecasting fashion trends for the following year.

Savoir Faire: Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2011. A 50 minute video on how one, just one, piece from the couture collection was designed. It’s a great insight on just how much work goes in to creating a couture collection.

7 Days Out with Karl Lagerfeld. Another great showcase of the week leading up to a couture show, this time with Chanel. The documentary follows the 2018 show, which is one of Lagerfeld’s last few couture shows before his death.

Battle At Versailles: The Competition that Shook the Fashion Industry. It’s no secret that Paris is the epicenter of fashion. The couture houses are all based there, so France is typically where you needed to be to be a world renowned designer. In 1973 French and American designers competed against each other and brought American designers into the spotlight. There’s an hour long documentary on youtube and there’s a book that I’ve linked below. I’ve seen the video and I’m currently reading the book, so you have options here.

Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams. A good look at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs exhibit for the 70th anniversary of Dior. This documentary gives a nice, condensed look at each of the artistic directors of Dior and showcases some of the most iconic Dior looks. I knew about it, but didn’t go see it. I only saw pictures, which were beautiful…but to see it all come together on video was a dream. They talk to Celine Dion for a minute at the end, and her words sum up my feelings best about Dior, “I would love to wear one of these dresses one day, maybe in one of my lifetimes, or every night in my dreams.”

Books:

Inside Haute Couture: Behinds the Scenes at the Paris Ateliers. A gorgeous book with tons of photos about the intricacies that go in to a couture collection.

Kate Spade New York: All in Good Taste. I originally bought it for my coffee table collection, but it has some great style tips.

The Battle of Versailles: The Night American Fashion Stumbled into the Spotlight and Made History. Just in case you’d rather read about this legendary fashion show than watch. I’m currently reading it, so I can’t give you my final take on it. But I’m loving it so far.

Dior by Dior: Christian Dior’s autobiography. Who better to tell you about the history of Christian Dior, than Dior himself.

Elsa Schiaparelli: A Biography. I’m a big fan of Schiaparelli and would love for her legacy to be more widely known. She was a very private person, so when this biography dropped I was excited to read more about her. Elsa Schiaparelli was Coco Chanel’s biggest rival and was a household name in her time, but most people know Coco’s name over Elsa’s today. This is a nice dive into Schiaparelli’s life, since most people focus on Chanel’s legacy (and let’s be honest, Chanel is very idolized, which is so unfortunate, given her Nazi ties, but I digress.)

Gods and Kings: The Rise and Fall of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. I tend to rave about the designs by these two, so it’s a good look into their journey in fashion.

The Beautiful Fall: Fashion, Genuis, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris. If you’re interested in Lagerfeld (pre-Chanel days) or Yves Saint Laurent, it’s a great retrospective look at their rivalry.

Champagne Supernovas. If ‘90s fashion is something of interest, this book is a great read on how some big name rebels (McQueen, Marc Jacobs, Kate Moss, etc.) in the industry remade fashion as we know it.

Any of the Met Gala books: Camp: Notes on Fashion, Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, Manus x Machina, Heavenly Bodies, etc. My first one was the McQueen book, and at the time I didn’t know it was the official book from the Costume Institute Exhibit. They’re not all hardcover coffee table-esque books, but if you can’t attend an exhibit it’s the next best thing. They’re all great in-depth resources for learning about a certain area of fashion. They can be expensive, so I wouldn’t suggest investing in them unless you’re truly interested in that specific aspect of the industry. This year’s exhibit - whenever it opens - is About Time: Fashion and Duration. The exhibition book is already available and I think it’ll be an incredible exhibit of how current designers pull from older designers and trends.

The Fashion Book. It’s expensive. It’s massive. And it gives you a wealth of information. It’s essentially an encyclopedia for fashion. It’s not just designers; it highlights models, high profile photographers, style icons, and all those who influenced fashion.

I know this was long, but these have been the resources I’ve used over the years. I hope this can help you along your journey and if anyone has other things to add, please do!

#ask me anything

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iam93percentstardust · 4 years ago

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buckytony for the ask game?

1. Coffee shop AU: Who is the barista, and who frequents the coffee shop?

Tony frequents the coffee shop. Bucky has been working at Bean True to Yourself (the owners are hipsters) for the last three years, trying to put himself and Steve through college because while they both got scholarships, it wasn’t enough and Steve’s health doesn’t let him hold a study job. Bucky has gotten pretty good at latte art actually. Only Natasha knows that it’s because he’s got a crush on the cute brunet with the messy hair and Bambi eyes that comes in sleep-deprived every single morning and probably doesn’t even notice the hearts Bucky puts in his lattes.

Tony definitely notices and it’s only because he’s spent so much time in the spotlight that he doesn’t blush every single time he sees the new art. Besides, he remembers when he first started coming here and the latte art was terrible. Bucky’s probably just testing out his artistic skills on Tony cause he knows he won’t judge him. There’s no feelings involved, right?

2. Highschool/College AU: Who is the straight-A student, and who’s the backrow slacker?

Tony has come to the conclusion that the only way to get Howard’s attention is if he puts absolutely no effort into anything at all, which is why he’s currently taking graduate-level courses as Edward Carbonell but Tony Stark is failing out of high school. Any attention is better than no attention, right?

And maybe it helps that his teachers come to him after class and suggest that he find himself a tutor and did you know that Bucky, Mr. Gorgeous himself, works in our tutoring program? I’m sure he’d love to help you, Mr. Stark. Okay, so maybe they don’t call Bucky gorgeous, maybe that’s just Tony’s own mind, but it’s not like he’s wrong. But Tony gave up on school a long time ago and Bucky has a motorcycle and wears leather jackets and is super popular all while having straight-A’s. There’s no way he even knows Tony’s name, let alone would ever like him.

3. Rivals to lovers AU: Who takes their rivalry seriously, and who is half in it just to push the other’s buttons?

Bucky isn’t entirely certain how he ended up as a supervillain’s sidekick and he definitely isn’t sure that he really wants to be there but he won’t deny to himself that the best part of the job is facing off against Iron Lad while Captain America and the Black Widow are fighting each other for control of the Deathstick of Destiny or whatever it is this week.

Iron Lad’s just so cute with his sense of justice and his wit and the conviction that he and Bucky are destined to be nemeses for life. And one time, a building fell on top of them and Bucky got to peel him out of his compromised suit and that was the best thing ever because he got to see Iron Lad’s flight suit, which accentuates the most perfect ass ever. Seriously, Bucky just wants to reach down and squeeze but he’s pretty sure that then Iron Lad might actually use the unibeam that he’s been threatening to use for ages.

4. Enemies to lovers AU: Which one switches sides?

Oof, Bucky does. He comes back from HYDRA to find a world that’s absolutely a bigger mess than he remembers it being and maybe that’s those rose-tinted glasses Sam keeps accusing him and Steve of wearing but he looks at Iron Man, taking out the ultra-wealthy and distributing the money back to the people, and then he looks at the Avengers and how they keep causing more property damage than they can fix and decides that he knows what side he wants to be on.

He slips out of the compound in the dead of night, unnoticed by all except Natasha who just wishes him luck, and tracks Iron Man across two continents and an ocean back to his secret hideout - in Latveria of all places, who knew that Doom could share? - knocks on the door and when a man with the prettiest brown eyes Bucky has ever seen answers the door, Bucky announces, “Hi, I’m here to be a villain.”

In retrospect, he decides as he’s dragging a fainted Tony inside, that might not have been the best way to introduce himself to his future employer.

5. Soulmate AU: Who is eager to meet their soulmate? Who absolutely does not want to meet their soulmate?

The thing is, Tony knows that soulmates aren’t always perfect. His parents were soulmates and they absolutely hated each other. But Ana and Jarvis were soulmates too, and so is Aunt Peggy and Uncle Daniel, and they loved each other very much, so even though he’s been alive for almost 40 years and never once met his soulmate, he still has high hopes.

Bucky fell from the train without knowing his soulmate and the only thing he can thinks is Good. They won’t wind up with someone like Bucky, someone who has nightmares from his time as a lab experiment, who kills people without even blinking, whose main purpose in life is to be the shadow that dogs Steve Rogers’ heels. But then he wakes up.

And then he forgets he ever even had a soulmate.

The next time Bucky remembers anything, it’s 2014, he’s in a glass room (cage, really), and there’s someone standing with their back to him outside of the cage, doing something on a tablet.

“What’s it gonna take to let me out of here?” Bucky asks.

The person jumps, turns, and then a slow smile spreads over his face. “I don’t know, how about dinner?”

Fuck.

6. Single parent AU: Which one is the single parent? (Alt. if they’re both single parents: Which one is open to starting a new relationship from the start? Which one is never planning on finding love again… Until they meet the other and are instantly smitten?)

Harley’s got a protective streak a mile wide (Bucky thinks he’s learned it from Uncle Steve), which is why Bucky isn’t surprised when Harley comes home with a black eye and immediately proclaims that it wasn’t his fault, there were these two big kids picking on a younger girl on the playground.

“Oh yeah and here’s this, I guess,” Harley mumbles and shoves a piece of paper with a phone number on it in Bucky’s direction.

Bucky holds an ice pack up to Harley’s eye and asks, “What’s this?”

“Mr. Stark’s phone number. I said I wanted it in case Peter wanted to play but he seemed nice and looked like your type and I’m tired of you going out with jerks who don’t like me so I got it for you.”

Well, leaving that aside, “Who’s Peter?”

“Morgan’s brother. He’s in my class and he helped when he saw I was helping her out.”

Right, like that explains anything. He dials the number, intent on seeing if this Peter can tell him the full story, only for someone to say, “Stark residence, can I help you?”

Bucky doesn’t believe in love at first sight (er, voice) but whoever it is has got such a pretty voice and he kind of wants to hear them moaning his name so he purrs, “You sure can, doll.”

Maybe he shouldn’t be so surprised when they make an offended sound and hang up.

7. Doctor AU: Which one is the longsuffering doctor? Which one is the patient?

“Mr. Stark, please, I’m begging you, wear PPE when you’re working in your lab.”

“But then when would I get to see you?” Tony chirps, seemingly uncaring that Bucky is setting his fingers.

“At dinner,” Bucky says before he can think better of it.

They both freeze. Then Tony slowly says, “And that’s okay?”

Honestly? Probably not but Tony has been coming to the ER for months for his lab-related injuries and Bucky is always his doctor and they always end up flirting and he’s tired of this back-and-forth. So when he’s done splinting Tony’s fingers, he raises his hand to his mouth and brushes the softest of kisses over the back, smiling when Tony gasps.

8. Bodyguard AU: Who is the bodyguard? Who are they protecting? Which one is secretly pining for the other?

Howard Stark is convinced that someone is out to get him, his wife, and his son. He can easily take care of him and his wife but Tony recently moved out of the mansion, insistent on making his own way in the world so surreptitiously, Howard hires Bucky to keep an eye on Tony by moving into the apartment next door.

It’s probably the easiest job Bucky has ever had because Tony almost never leaves their building, too caught up in his projects as he is. He gets food delivered and sometimes, he has friends over but otherwise, he’s pretty much a recluse.

And that’s a damn shame that is because Bucky has really only seen Tony twice so far and both times have about knocked him flat out on the floor.

9. Pirate AU: Who is the pirate? Who is the member of the royal family who did not sign up for this?

Crown Prince Anthony Edward Stark, first of his name, heir to the throne, would like everyone to know that he absolutely did not sign up for this, no way, no how. Just about everyone on the ship though, sees it when he gives Captain Barnes what he obviously thinks is a secretive wink. And they all know that they’re going to hear it when the captain and his “captive” go below the deck that night.

Sam scratches his head awkwardly and looks over at Admiral Rhodes on the other ship. “You want to come over?” he calls. “They could be down there for a while.”

Rhodes sighs and crosses over. “Chessboard still set up?” he asks.

“Nope, Nat had to move it for one of her poker games. But I remember where the pieces were.”

10. Childhood best friends AU: Which one was super obviously in love with the other the whole time? Who was oblivious until they were older?

Everyone knows that Tony and Bucky are going to get married someday - except for Tony and Bucky themselves. Steve has been trying for ages to get Bucky to see that Tony is pining just as hard for him as Bucky is and Rhodes has been doing the same for Tony but they’re just...so oblivious. It makes Natasha want to bang her head against the wall - or maybe just lock them in a closet.

Except Clint tried that, right after Tony gave Bucky his first kiss when they were fifteen and Bucky just thought it was because they were friends. They’d been in that closet all night and when Clint finally opened the door in the morning, they were snuggling but still not together so he thinks they’re just too oblivious. There’s a school-wide betting pool on if they’ll get their act together before graduation.

(It’s okay though because Tony and Bucky have been dating since they were freshman. They’re just waiting to see how long it takes everyone else to notice.)

#winteriron #alle writes #alle answers #angxlsgrxce

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ellewords · 4 years ago

Note

(not me reading this back and thinking you could make a drinking game out of this ask because of how many times i say “because” lmaooooo)

i’ve never actually seen wgm but i really love the idea of hinata being on the show, because i feel like he would be so starry-eyed the entire time. literal ✨👄✨ at everything because he’s never thought about what being married would be like and now suddenly he gets to experience it??!!?! he fumbles through all of it, and the fans love him for it because a lot of the other participants seem so smooth and suave, but not with hinata! he blurts his thoughts out as they come, he’s clumsy in situations that would normally require him to be put-together, he makes a huge deal out of every little thing. the first time his partner brought him a bouquet of flowers, hinata literally turns bright red and starts rambling so fast the audio just barely picks it up—

“you didn’t have to but that was really nice of you, i’ll get you something next time, hey, the flowers smell sweet, oh no, that’s actually you, you smell so nice, have you always smelt that way, you should definitely tell me what body spray you use because i might just have to get some of that—“

and the fans eat it up. and so does their partner who absolutely adores him even if hinata doesn’t quite get/see it.

i feel like it would also be hilarious if the partner was someone who isn’t necessarily the biggest (by choice, they don’t want to be in the spotlight all that much) but because of a really big project they have out soon, their team thinks they should get some of that pr. maybe a painter or a sculpture? one that has gotten a lot of attention as of late because their art is a little controversial/suggestive but has somehow managed to keep most of the media on the actual art and not on themself. they come off as really shy and recluse, but the second they get on the show, hinata brings them out of their shell, and that makes the fans like them even more. they love getting to see the artist behind everything and they especially love seeing how their artist brain translates into the real world. and just the idea of hinata being the kind of person who would be able to make even the most introverted person go a little crazy is something i think would be hilarious on reality tv.

anyway, hinata gets a lot smoother as they continue on, and it absolutely floors the fans because he’s so different from when he started. he holds his partner’s hand like it’s nothing, he says super sweet things without missing a beat, he holds eye contact without looking like he’s trying to win some unproclaimed competition. but he doesn’t realize he’s doing it, and the partner is too nervous that he’ll get weird about it to say anything.

by the end of their time on the show, fans can see how deflated the partner is even though they’re really good at hiding it still, and hinata is off too, but he can’t tell why. he is still chipper and all over the place, and the partner is still more open and engaging, but their energy is off. hinata chalks it up to them going to miss the time they shared together, but even that doesn’t feel quite right.

after they leave the show, hinata is super excited to see that the partner has started doing more community stuff (charities where they show up in person, giving art classes to people that donate certain amounts to organizations and projects that they support, going out in public and doing sketches/paintings of people on the street for reference later and recording tiny interviews with them as they do it to make a new documentary of the process or something). he gushes about it all over his social medias and anywhere else he can get someone to listen because they don’t have the time to actually ever meet up with the way their schedules are. he even starts posting behind-the-scenes clips that he had taken (with the permission of the partner) to engage with both parts of their fan bases.

and the partner does the same for hinata. they do a bunch of pieces of the jackals and sells them to get both of their communities involved and supporting them even if they can’t go to the actual games. their instagram is flooded with designs of new projects for them and even more of them of just hinata, all of which have captions that target just hinata (“wow, my ex-husband is so fine 🥵” “that’s your man? mhm! look at him! yeah, that’s mine” and other stupid, cheesy ones that make the fans feral because damn, they really have come out of their shell, huh?!)

the internet loves it, and they love even more that hinata seems to become the person at the beginning of the show all over again, flustered and a mess and tripping over his feet. a new hashtag starts because of it about the two of them being in love still (as a joke) and people upload some of their favorite moments of the pair together. when hinata sees it, he tries to play it off (horribly) but when he finally gets to talk to their partner about it, there’s a calmness in their voice that eases him just a little bit, and suddenly he’s aware of why exactly leaving felt so wrong.

this got a little sidetracked, but i don’t even mind, lololol. also, i definitely need to check out the show after this because i love the fake dating/marriage idea. thanks for putting me on to it! make sure to drink water, have a snack if you haven’t eaten in a bit, and take deep breaths! -🌙

— from elle ! okay but hinata and a painter/artist!partner is literally such an amazing idea to dive into, this now lives in my head and i will continue thinking about it for days on end. i absolutely love everything that you’ve sent aaa i’m actually screaming, i had a difficult time picking which part of your hc to focus on bec so many things popped into my head. but i ended up choosing to kind of pick up where you left off for my little addition (under the cut as usual) tysm for this 🌙 anon ! take care <3

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

hinata’s blush grows redder every second he spent staring at his phone, his twitter mentions filled with photos, edits, and even fanmade animations of the two of you. your shipname was trending again, all after you posted a rare photo of yourself in msby merch. you looked cute, that much was evident to hinata. then again, he always thought of you as cute — from the second you walked into set, all shy and nervous, from the minute you left it, your arms wrapped wrapped around his neck. why was he acting like this? filming had ended months ago; he’d grown more confident around you, hadn’t he?

your name flashed across his phone screen, interrupting his train of thought — you were calling him. his heart beat sped up, fingertips immediately moving towards the ‘answer’ button.

“hey shoyo!” you greeted, enthusiasm very much evident in your voice, “did you see the picture i just posted?”

“i did! um...you look great.” he mumbled, unsure if you had heard him, heat continuing to rush towards the apples of his cheeks.

“thanks!” he hears your chuckling from the other end of the line, and a small part of his mind convinces himself that you were somehow teasing him. “you’re coming tomorrow, right?”

“what’s tomorrow?”

“my photo exhibit, silly.”

ah, that. hinata could imagine you shaking your head, biting your lip as you attempt not to burst out into laughter at his cluelessness. the beating of his heart is more rapid now, thinking of how you anticipated his answer, how you wanted him to be there. “i was only kidding, of course i’ll be there.”

“sure,” you replied like you didn’t really believe him, “i’ll see you then.”

—

hinata was the one who convinced you to get into photography. truthfully, you wanted to try and exploring other mediums beside your usual set of paint and pencils.

“maybe i should try taking photos.” you joked, gently nudging his shoulders as the two of you browsed various film cameras. the crew had taken a brief break from filming, but you and hinata still wanted to continue exploring the various antique shops that lined the street.

“go for it!” he replied without missing a single beat, quickly rattling off a list of potential subjects, “you can take photos of plants, or maybe animals, really pretty scenery...it’s not even going to matter because i know you’ll end up taking really amazing photos.”

and when hinata insisted that he pay for the camera you chose, you decide on a subject.

the gallery is empty. well, at least the reception area is.

hinata’s dressed in his finest button-down and slacks, black dress shoes clicking against the white granite tiles. the receptionist directs him to the floor where your exhibition is meant to be held — right at the very top.

his brows furrow, there should be more people here. photographers, critics, fans even. he should’ve been greeted by reporters, by the surely hundreds of people all excited to see your work. you had only grown in popularity since your appearance on wgm, the number of people going to your exhibits only ever increasing. he should know, hinata’s been to every single one over the course of the show’s run. he knew what to expect. and it was certainly not this.

the elevator dings, indicating that he had reached the top floor. still, not a single person there. the frown on his face only deepens. hinata catches a glimpse of the exhibition’s title, “beyond the cameras: a retrospective”

the glass door is unlocked, hinata pushes through them only to be greeted with pictures of the last subject he expected: himself.

framed on the white walls of what possibly was tokyo’s most famous gallery were photos of him, glossy and bright, colors vivid and alluring. and they weren’t just any photos too, they were photos taken on the rare occasions wherein cameras weren’t following your every move. there were photos of him from nights he snuck you in the gym to teach you how to play volleyball, ones of him covered in paint taken in your studio, ones of him attempting to make you breakfast. all of which had him looking away from the camera.

that is until he reaches the final photo, the only one that had you in it as well, taken the night before the final day of filming. he was looking at the camera, but you were looking right at him — your gaze soft, the corners of your lips forming the smallest of smiles.

“so maybe i lied,” hinata heard a voice speak from beside him, recognizing it as yours almost immediately, “the exhibition is actually tomorrow. i just wanted you to see it first.”

“but why me?” he asked, biting the inside of his cheek.

“just because.” you shrugged, not even turning to look at him, gazing at your final photo — just like he was.

but hinata feels it, the tightening in his chest, the tension that enveloped your bodies as the two of you continued to stare straight ahead. he hears it, the ringing in his hears, the hammering of his heart, the unevenness of his breath.

you stand next to him, just a few inches separating you. hinata’s hand is drawn like a magnet to yours. at first your knuckles graze, and hinata holds his breath. then his fingertips push in between yours, you bite your lip. finally he he grasps your hand, a quiet exhale escapes you both.

you tear your eyes away from the photograph at the same time he does; your gazes meet. and just like that, you finally reach the same understanding as him, of just why leaving felt so wrong.

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

a question: how would the hq boys (specifically timeskip) act on a variety show like we got married? | written on the margins masterlist

taglist : @haikyuutothetop @crystal-lilac @tobioespresso @sushijimawakatoshi @itsmeaudrieee @pantherhappy @jesssobs @mysticstrawberryballoon @cloudedsky_29

join my hq taglist here. <3

#my lil scenario ended up so long #why do i keep getting carried away im so sorry #written on the margins 🔖#hinata scenarios #hinata x reader #🎐 — 🌙anon! <3

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tanoraqui · 5 years ago

Text

[Part 1] [Part 2]

[now all on AO3!]

As Nie Huaisang pulls his horse to a halt, as he clumsily dismounts and begs his san-ge to speak with him in private and they walk off to the side of the road together, Nie Huaisang’s eyes down and his fan covering most his face in embarrassment, he thinks very quickly, and decides faster. He’d promised himself he would do that, next time something like this happened

Here is some of what he thinks:

if the lifeblood of Qishan was power and the heart of Qinghe is strength, then the vital spark of Lanling is appearance. Nie Huaisang has always admired this, even yearned for it - imagine being born to a sect in which it was okay to just sit around and look pretty! Sure, they go a bit overboard with gilt, but who wouldn’t, if they had the money? QingheNie has a fortress in the mountains; LanlingJin has a golden tower overlooking one of the biggest ports in the empire, trade and art and culture all within reach

Conversely, they also thrive on secrets - the dark side of golden, glittering appearance. They’re not so different from QishanWen like that, because information is power. That’s why gossip is a thing

Nie Huaisang has no particular reason to distrust Jin Guangyao, personally. He’s always been very kind to Nie Huaisang, bringing him lovely new fans and paints and a beautiful finch one time. Da-ge doesn’t trust him, for reason of some things JGY did in the war, but da-ge has such high standards for conduct that it’s a miracle he trusts anyone after the Sunshot Campaign. (And it’d help if he told NHS anything about those alleged untrustworthy “things”...) Wen Qing doesn’t trust him, but in fairness, it was her side that he betrayed. That could sour anyone. Even putting aside the possibility that she’s deliberately sowing discord for some devilish Wen reason.

Admittedly, anything that Nie Huaisang says to him will almost certainly get back to Jin Guangshan, unless it’s of a truly personal nature - and perhaps even then. Secrets and gossip and power, after all, and it doesn’t take a genius to see that Jin Guangyao is desperate to please his father

even if the old bastard doesn’t deserve it an inch

So the question is, what is Nie Huaisang comfortable having known, and to whom? What does he want to appear as, to whom? And what is he willing to risk coming to light?

He thinks very fast, and soon as they’re well-out of earshot of his disciple-assistants and newly acquired Wen grandmother, he flings himself into Jin Guangyao’s arms, wailing.

(it’s a little difficult, because Jin Guangyao is one of the few men Nie Huaisang knows who’s shorter than he is.)

“San-ge, it’s not my fault! It’s all gone wrong! I just wanted to get out of saber practice, but then Wen Qing told da-ge something completely different, and then she made be get a baby, and - ”

The whole story comes out, in stops and starts mixed with helpless, hapless sobs. Nie Huaisang downplays Wen Qing’s successes with his brother, or at least mostly ignores them. He mentions A-Yuan’s nightmares only so far as they inconvenience himself, doesn’t comment on the Wens’ state of life at all, and generally exaggerates every terrible and bewildering situation he’s found himself in since he first happened to glance at Jiang Yanli at Phoenix Mountain

He figures Jin Guangyao probably sees through at least 20% of it, but that’s okay - that’s only deep enough to pierce the outer layer of overdramatics, which are mostly embellishments of the truth anyway, and maybe judge that Nie Huaisang has a soft heart for a cute kid

it’s a very cute kid, okay. NHS saw Nie Mingjue sneaking A-Yuan a piece of candy once. No one is safe

he doesn’t tell Jin Guangyao that

Nearly an hour later, Jin Guangyao peels Nie Huaisang gently off of his (now quite tear-damp) shoulder and smiles at him. It’s gentle, sympathetic, and the only thing it seems to be hiding is a laugh

Nie Huaisang is 99% sure of this assessment. Fortunately, he’s free to let his relief show, along with some healthy trepidation

“I won’t tell da-ge,” Jin Guangyao says, and there’s barely any humor to be seen dancing in his eyes. It’s really impressive, now that Nie Huaisang is learning what to look for.

“Really?” Nie Huaisang sniffles. “I just- He tries so hard, you know. I don’t want to disappoint him, not really.”

it really is all about using the truth. if it wasn’t so stressful, it’d be an incredible high

“Of course not.” Jin Guangyao squeezes him gently by the shoulders. “What is a san-ge for, if not to look out for his littlest brother?”

Nie Huaisang could definitely make a crack about his height smiles shakily and flings his arms around JGY’s shoulders again. “Oh, thank you! Thank you for your help!”

Jin Guangyao hugs him back gently and efficiently, then starts to tug him back to the waiting horses and by-now-dismounted companions. “Go on, get your A-Yuan’s granny back to Nie Sect and get yourself a good night’s sleep. I’ll make sure they’re both marked correctly as requisitioned for labor in Qinghe”

Nie Huaisang thanks him several more times, wiping away his tears like someone who just remembered that he’s not supposed to appear so weak in public. Jin Guangyao waves goodbye as he mounts his sword and flies away, and Nie Huaisang waves back, and then he and his assistants and his newly acquired A-Yuan’s Granny ride home

[they’re never going to be relevant again but I want you all to know that in my mind, these two dumb bastards are brothers with rhyming names, like, Xi Ping and Xi Ying or something. RIP Xi Ping and Xi Ying and their eardrums after NMJ reams them out for helping NHS do something stupid again]

And then...

they actually have peace for several months.

Oh, the cold war between Jing and Jiang - or more accurately, between Jin and Wei Wuxian - is still brewing like fine tea, and Nie Huaisang finds himself paying more attention than usual to the gossip about it, because Wens come up as often as not. They're the prime example of the destructive power of the Stygian Tiger Seal, after all. And NHS has four of them living in his house, now

the gossip spikes deliciously when Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan get engaged, though it somehow neither eases nor increases the tension in either side

{the timeline is rubbish anyway, so it’s whatever’s convenient for this fic, thank you very much}

Nie Sect’s physicians are too proud to let Wen Qing take over their infirmary wholesale, but they don’t hesitate to consult with her on pretty much everything. Wen Ning turns out to be pretty fun to play checkers with, whether he lets Nie Huaisang win or gets invested enough to actually put up a good fight. Despite Granny’s addition to the orphan-caring staff, A-Yuan still slips away most days and follows Nie Huaisang around like a particularly persistent curse-construct. On the plus side, he’s learning how to be patient enough that the bolder birds will sit on him as readily as on Nie Huaisang himself, and he painted an entirely acceptable butterfly the other day.

Oh, and the veins in Nie Mingjue’s neck are only visible when he shouts, now, and enough time has passed that he’s forgotten about Nie Huaisang’s earlier, rash promise to practice saber for an extra half hour each day. Or maybe he’s just resigned to the fact that such promises never last. This is truly the best timeline!

And then the worst happens, out of the blue yet in retrospect inevitable: Nie Mingjue has a severe qi deviation

He’s coming back from a meeting in Lanling, which wasn’t so much a discussion conference as Jin Guangshan calling a handful of sect leaders together to bitch about the Wei Wuxian and the Tiger Seal again. Wen Qing is in the infirmary, setting a young disciple’s broken leg. Nie Huaisang is in his bedroom, trying to write an ode to snowflakes that, read aloud, is a single tone off from a recitation of curse words for the entire poem. They both hear the shouting from the main courtyard

Wen Qing has a doctor’s reflexes; she leaves the leg to an assistant and arrives in the courtyard in time to watch Nie Mingjue collapse out of the air. The disciples who accompanied him to Lanling are there to catch him, ease him down gently, but Baxia clatters to the ground

Nie Huaisang sees it from his window. By the time he gets there, his brother is laid out flat and Wen Qing and the Chief Physician are snapping clipped phrases at each other as they assess his status, in the mode of emergency responders everywhere

the Chief Physician doesn’t like Wen Qing, doesn’t like Wens, but he can respect her medical talents. Both sentiments are mutual - Wen Qing has a much more comprehensive skillset, but if there’s anything Nie healers know, it’s how to handle qi deviation

qi deviations are difficult and dangerous to treat - the spiritual energy starts cascading through a cultivator’s body, untamed and harmful, and adding soothing energy may help but it may make it worse, or even cause the chaos to spread to the would-be healer

{I actually have no idea how any of this works, and will henceforth be making up my own worldbuilding}

Nie Mingjue’s eyes have rolled back in his head, bleeding, and he shakes like a leaf in the wind, incongruous to the warrior who led attacks on the Nightless City itself. Who held his brother like a guarding stone wall at their father’s funeral. Nie Huaisang cannot breathe

they get him stabilized enough to move up to the infirmary. Someone eases up their grip on Nie Huaisang’s body so he could follow (he won’t remember until later that he was being held back)

It takes four hours to stabilize him fully (unlucky). His golden core tries to collapse three times, his heart stops twice, and his fucking saber tries to attack them once, seemingly of its own initiative. Several other healers join in as needed, even Wen Ning - he’s always been good at getting seizing patients to still. Wen Qing rates it below the 39-hour golden core transfer with Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng, in terms of worst surgeries of her life, but above nearly everything else, including the emergency liver transfer where the girl turned out to have all her organs on the opposite side and a side order of demon-induced pneumonia

Nie Huaisang has been sitting in the corridor outside, on the floor. Someone's put a cloak on him. He looks up when they exit, forgetting how to breath again.

“He’s unconscious,” says the Chief Physician, who is probably some sort of distant uncle/cousin. “But he should wake. He will wake,” he corrects.

Wen Qing takes a deep breath. “We need to talk somewhere private.”

By the time Nie Huaisang has at least gotten to see his brother, get proof that he’s still breathing, the First Disciple has joined them as well (I mean, that position is sure as hell not held by NHS). Her name is Han Xiaoshi and she’s built in the same mold as the sect leader: tall, broad, wields her saber like a third hand. She leans against the closed door of the Chief Physician’s office while the Chief Physician - let’s say Nie Fengji - gives a slightly less brief explanation of the sect leader’s current state.

(it’s not good. he’s in a semi-medically induced coma. he is bleeding neither blood nor spiritual energy. he...should wake, in his own time, if they continue to carefully feed his healing energy)

(if he wakes within three days, he will be fine. for now)

Nie Huaisang’s blood pounds hot and panicked in his ears; an unthinking fan covers his face.

they all turn to Wen Qing, who wanted privacy.

Wen Qing soothes hands over her skirt, still blood-flecked, and lifts her chin calmly. Addresses the First Disciple more than anyone. “Before I begin, would you please put a guard each on my bedroom and the apothecary, and my brother’s room as well?”

“What? Why?” asks Nie Huaisang, bewildered. Han Xiaoshi echoes more sternly

She smiles thinly. “I’d rather not be accused of trying to assassinate Chifeng-zun.”

Nie Huaisang’s blood turns cold

“Keep talking,” says Han Xiaoshi

Here’s what Wen Qing explains: there’s an herb grown on the same volcanic slopes into which the Nightless City is set, a grass that absorbs so much yin energy from the volcano that it carries it over into anyone who consumes the stalks, offsetting the natural balance of their spiritual energy. A closely guarded inner clan secret. It can allow for rare, advanced cultivation techniques (including demonic ones)...or it can spark a fatal qi deviation the next time the user tries to do anything spiritually strenuous. Like flying from Carp Tower to the Unclean Realm

“It’s almost impossible to detect in the blood,” she finishes. “But I recognize the pattern of its effects.” Her hands are clasped loosely in front of her. “I wouldn’t be surprised to find some planted in a place that draws suspicion to A-Ning or myself.”

“Who else would know about it?” Nie Huaisang demands, trembling even as the ice is settles into his veins

“Someone who was close to Wen Ruohan,” she says calmly

they all know who she means

(oh, how she wants to tremble, too, too aware of every sword in the room that could be turned against her. Aware of A-Yuan and Granny and Wen Ning, her brother in the corridor just outside, and how it still hasn’t been a year since Wen blood ran in the flagstones of this castle. But Wen Qing has never been one to shake)

“There’s something else I should say,” she admits, to Nie Huaisang more than anyone. “I don’t actually know much about qi deviation - I’ve had a crash course, obviously, and I’m not a fool, but I’m mostly been treating it as a blood pressure problem - ”

“Obviously,” the Chief Physician scoffs

“ - but my Uncle Six is a true expert. Wen Zhichen - he was friends with your aunt, Huaisang-gongzi; your older sister, Fengji-shifu [the previous Chief Physician, killed in battle in the fifth month of the Sunshot Campaign]. If anyone can wake Nie-zongzhi, it’s him - ”

she could have said this earlier, could have said it weeks ago, or even from the start - but she had Wen Ning to think of before anyone else, and then A-Yuan who was too young to have accumulated crimes even as a Wen...

Wen Qing had once noted that the second son of Nie had likely never felt fear, true fear, in his life. That’s not true anymore. His brother is unconscious in the next room over and it’s not sure if he’ll ever wake. And it’s consequences catching up with him again, for real this time, this maybe-first time - was it the Wens, villainous duplicitous Wens that he brought into their home himself? Was it someone else, equally traitorous, suspicion roused to a killing intent by something Huaisang did himself?

People do a lot things when they’re feel fear deep down to their souls. They scrape and bow; they make bargains they shouldn’t, accept costs they can’t. They bend or they break

Nie Huaisang is a fop by preference, but it turns out that he breaks like a Nie

He shoves Wen Qing against the wall, hand on her throat. “Tell me this isn’t a trick. Tell me this isn’t some fucking ploy to get more Wen-dogs into my home, so you can finish killing my brother.” He shakes her, drops the fan to put his hand on the saber he's terrible with (it still hums eagerly for blood.) “Tell me.”

“I am,” she gasps

There is a tableau. Then Nie Huaisang drops her and strides for the door. “Shijie, put guards on her rooms, her brother’s, and Granny’s,” he snaps to Han Xiaoshi. “Don’t let anyone enter. Gather the Wens all in the third guest bedroom and keep them there - make sure A-Yuan has some paints to keep him quiet. And I’ll need your two fastest - no, those with the best strength and endurance in flight - ”

“Nephew - ” says the Chief Physician, and “Young Master,” says the First Disciple, a little impressed and a medium dubious

the closest Nie Huaisang has ever gotten to this commanding before was the early days of the Sunshot Campaign when there were no battle lines to hide behind yet, when he sometimes followed Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji as they tore across the country and directed the clean-up of their wake

“The best strength and endurance,” he repeats over them. The fan stays on the floor. “We’re flying to Qishan - we’ll be back with an extra expert for you in a couple days, Uncle. In the meantime, you can have Wen Qing if you need her, but otherwise they all stay in the third guest room.”

It takes a full day to fly to the Wen settlement in Qishan, at Nie Huaisang’s best pace. Starting already late in the afternoon, full of anger and terrified panic in equal measure, it’s beyond late by the time they near - and all but the anger has simmered away. Nie Huaisang lets them settle near the nearest halfway decent city instead, forces himself to lay on the ground and try to sleep, and sends one of his disciples out to buy the nicest fan they can find. He left so fast, he forgot to pick one up again

When they land in the filthy little town just after dawn, he stumbles off his sword more than lands (he is genuinely tired, at least) and runs to hammer on the door of the supervisory office, all terror and panic. “Jin-guniang! Jin-guniang! Help, help! It’s me, Nie Huaisang! I need - ”

“What?!” The captain yanks the door open (she sleeps above the office) and he very much does fall into her arms

“Ah, you have to help me!” He’s disheveled with flight and weepy with tears. “Wen Qing poisoned my brother and now he won’t wake up, so I have to find her sixth uncle - ”

“What - Nie Huaisang, what? Is she threatening - that Wen-bitch - ”

“No, no, we beat up her brother until she said - please! He’s the best at qi deviation, even Uncle Physician admitted it - ”

make sure to have Wen Ning beaten up just enough to look good, he notes in a small, back corner of his mind. in case there are spies in the castle. I’d have spies, if I could

“Okay, okay!” Jin Qixian ushers him into the office, half-holding him up. “Let me check the list of residences - sit down, Huaisang-gongxi, someone will brew tea...”

[five minutes later...]

“A different camp?” Nie Huaisang cries, fluttering his new fan in dismay

“They needed a healer...” Jin Qixian says apologetically. “But you just wait here, I’ll send someone - ”

“No, no,” Nie Huaisang gets to his feet, shaking his head. Happy to let the exhaustion of a 10-hour flight and 4 hours fitful sleep in the woods show, and the desperate helplessness that’s really not hard to fake. “I have to- Da-ge is counting on me - ”

He waves off all her attempted reassurances, bullheaded with anxiety, and accepts an officially sealed note of authority with babbling gratitude, and...

[about an hour and a half later...]

the other town the remnants of the Wen sect and soldiers have been relegated to is more of a city, really - cramped and filthy, where the other one was merely destitute and filthy. Families living all in one room or worse, and it’s okay because they’re only home to sleep; the fields are already filled with everyone old enough to work. They probably do need healers, because there’s not enough attention being paid to waste management. But -

“What do you mean, he’s gone?” Nie Huaisang demands more sharply than he’d intended

Focus, A-Sang. It’s Nie Mingjue’s voice in his head, always, as though this was just another hated saber practice

“I’m sorry, Young Master Nie,” says the disciple in charge of this place - Jin Guangchao, another stray cousin. does everyone in that family spread seed like a watering can? “There was an incident a few days ago - ”

“He’s dead?” Nie Huaisang wails, sinking to ground

“No!” Jin Guangchao looks a little disgusted at his helplessness, but bends down to pull him up anyway. “Jin Zixun came around on an inspection and that one you wanted, he was impudent. Jin Zixun ordered him sent to the work camp at Qiongqi Pass.”

mother of fucking fucker [meaning Jin Zixun; meaning the whole situation]. the man probably made eye contact and that overbearing asshole -

“That’s so far away!” Nie Huaisang whined, staying limp, crying into his fan

“Nie-shixiong, it is on the way - ” one of his disciples offers uncertainly (poor bastards - he’s really yanking them around. They’re not sure if they’re helping a con or offering real support)

“We’ll get him back to Chifeng-zun, and get Chifeng-zun back on his feet,” says the other, slipping her arm under his and pulling him to his own feet. “Come on, you’ll see”

(whether it’s for the con or not, Nie Huaisang appreciates it. They’ve never been this genuinely nice to him before)

there’s a conversation in the air halfway to Qiongqi Pass. It goes like this:

“Nie-shixiong, we have to rest. You have to rest.”

[gritted teeth] “I’m fine.”

“You’re going to fall off your sword.” (Liu Lifang, the older woman)

“Then you’ll carry me, won’t you? We’ll already have Wen Zhichen - we’ll double up.”

“Your, uh, dramatics - ” (Zhao Huandi, younger, male - there aren’t a lot of Nies, in Nie. There’s a lot of guest cultivators. There’s a lot of turnover.)

“Will be just as good, if not better, when I’m fainting from spiritual exhaustion.” [slightly bitter, mostly factual] “Don’t worry, I won’t deviate - I don’t use my saber enough for that.” [definitely exhausted] “We don’t stop.”

The work camp at Qiongqi Pass has all the bully-filled charm of Jin Qixian’s town and all the overworked labor je-ne-sais-quoi of the other one, and it’s started raining so there’s a really nice note of despair. If Nie Huaisang had any room left in his brain, he would mourn the beauty of the frescos being destroyed, grand and glorious works of art even if their glory was that of the Wens

he slides off Liu Lifang’s sword in the middle of the densest group of workers, cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, “Hey! Wen Qing’s Sixth Uncle, Wen Zhichen of DafanWen! Nie Sect requisitions you!”

the prisoner-workers all shrink away; an inspector hurries over. “Hey, who are you - ”

“You will respect Second Master Nie Huaisang,” snaps Zhao Huandi, hand on his saber while Nie Huaisang starts to cry on cue for the third time that day, and god, either they’re really getting it or he’s just blessed with a sect full of perfect straight men.

“Please,” Nie Huaisang begs, leaning on his disciple and waving the letter from Jin Qixian. “I need a healer - that healer, it’s my brother, he’s been poisoned - ”

they’re real tears of exhaustion. maybe he should have let them talk him into a rest

(Da-ge will be fine, he knows, he insists to himself and the world. He was stable 24 hours ago and Nie Huaisang left him with the most competent people he knows)

the inspector has no idea what to do with him and neither does the Chief Inspector, really, when he rides up. That’s perfect - it means their half-hearted objections are easy to push past

they’re still shit at actually helping, because they don’t know a single person in this goddamned work-prison, and all the Wens just shy away, or pick up a pickaxe and try to keep working if anyone comes too near. The inspectors seem to regard this as ideal

Nie Huaisang honestly doesn’t care right now, but he does notice

Finally Nie Huaisang has wailed loudly enough up and down the valley that one prisoner hesitantly steps forward and admits to being the Dafan Wens’ Sixth Uncle. He has Wen Ning’s ears and Granny’s eyes and the same needle callouses as Wen Qing, so Nie Huaisang calls it a day

except they still have to fly back to the Unclean Realm, a flight of six hours unburdened

Nie Huaisang’s groan is entirely genuine

Wen Qing has taken to pacing by the time the Chief Physician comes to fetch her, personally, from the third guest bedroom. Night has come and gone and come again; A-Yuan and Granny are both asleep in the bed and Wen Ning is lying beside them, though she can tell he’s only pretending to sleep to make her feel better. What a good boy.

Sixth Uncle is sitting by Nie Mingjue’s bed in the infirmary, eating soup. There’s a couple Nie disciples in the room as well, one sending a slight stream of energy into Nie Mingjue and one simply watching the Wen, a hand on his saber hilt

(no one’s told her if they’ve searched her or anyone else’s rooms, yet; if they found anything)

“Keep sitting and eating!” snaps Nie Fengji, the Chief Physician, before Sixth Uncle can leap up at the sight of Wen Qing. “I need you talking qi balance, not falling over again.” He mutters under his breath, “People can’t even work if you let them get so weak - can’t trust a Jin to do anything with care.”

She sinks to her knees to hug her uncle instead - and notices a cot that’s been brought in to sit beside Nie Mingjue’s, its occupant also as still and wan as the grave.

“Huaisang!” She springs to her feet. “He didn’t - ”

“Exhaustion. The boy overworked his golden core and passed out.” Nie Fengji pushes her back with a roll of his eyes. “Bullheaded as their father, the both of them.”

He rolls up his sleeves and nudges the attending physician out of the way, to take over easing calming energy into Nie Mingjue without a single quiver in the stream. “Now, you two prove to me why I should trust any sort of Wen.”

To be continued...but Part 4 really will be the last, so, that’s p good actually. By my standards of mis-estimation of how long a piece of writing will be. And it’ll definitely be a short one! Unlike this Part 3, which is...*checks* 4.5k WTF.

#mdzs #the untamed #nie huaisang #wen qing #jin guangyao #a bunch of OCs who i named by mashing together random syllables and i'm not checking if any of them are real names bc it's 3am #ALSO wildly made up as i went: how to address anyone with any sort of title #just went with my gut #so like...apologies if i wildly messed up

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shan2-d2 · 4 years ago

Text

Carry On? I Guess?

I want to start my take on the Supernatural series finale by talking about Rogue One (and if you haven’t seen either, spoilers ahead).

Everyone dies in Rogue One. Every single character that we have come to know and love-- EVERY. SINGLE. ONE-- dies. Even the droid. They are sacrificed to the cause, all of them dying brutal battlefield deaths. It’s particularly tragic because they all came together from broken lives, hearts, and homes, forming their own little rebel family in the short time that they knew each other, only to have that tiny bit of happiness cut short.

It’s heartbreaking.

However.

It’s also beautiful and poignant. Somehow, even after all six of the main characters die, the film ends on a hopeful note. Their deaths will not be in vain. And sure, part of that is because we know that A New Hope comes directly after, but it’s how they die that changes the tone. For all of them, it is a choice. Not only that, but a calculated choice, not just a throwaway self-sacrifice. One sacrifice leads to the next step in the plan, which requires another sacrifice, and so and so forth, until the mission is complete. All of them are at peace with their sacrifices, and they die heroes.

My point here is that the death of a character at the end of their story isn’t always a bad thing, if handled well.

The deaths of Sam and Dean Winchester were not handled well.

I’m hesitant to say “written well” because I know that TV series have production and network roadblocks to maneuver, and I obviously don’t know what went on behind the scenes. But the fact that the plot of the finale was approved by enough people to get it to air is kind of mind-boggling to me. Did they… did they really think that fans would be okay with it?

Like, I just cried (sobbed, at some points) for two hours over this episode, and I’m not talking happy crying. All I kept thinking was, “This is so cruel”.

It felt like a fucking funeral, instead of the celebration it should have been.

Listen, Dean’s my favorite, he’s my Fictional Soul Twin™. I went into the finale with a slight inclination that Dean would die. I knew I would be sad if that happened, but I thought that, after 15 seasons, they’d send him off in a way that would both honor his character and bring him peace (he deserves it, after all).

And okay, yes, he did find peace in heaven. I’m fine with that plot point. But the way he got there was just… horrible.

I mean, this whole season was about choice, right? Making their own choices, free from Chuck’s machinations. If Dean had, OH FOR EXAMPLE, made the choice to die to save Cas from the Empty, that would’ve been an honorable (or, y’know, LOGICAL) death. It would’ve been sad, but beautiful.

But he didn’t choose to get impaled by a rusty rebar on a simple hunt gone wrong. It just happened, and then he just decided to… give up? I guess?

Sure, the conversation between Sam and Dean was touching. But then we had to watch Sam mourn his brother FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE, with a faceless wife and child that hopefully(?) filled the void that Dean left behind. It was painful.

And again, Sam didn’t get to choose when or why he stopped hunting with his brother. It was forced upon him, and he just… went with it, for some reason?? Even worse, we watched everything unique and special about Sam disappear into his grief over Dean. We see him in his brother’s room, his brother’s car, using his brother’s cell, taking over responsibility of his brother’s dog.

Smart, resourceful, sensitive Sam Winchester-- the man who resisted Lucifer, Rowena’s talented protégé, etc. etc.-- reduced to a shadow of his brother’s death.

You know what would’ve been wonderful for Sam? If he had watched his brother go peacefully to Heaven with Cas, and started a life with Eileen. Maybe still hunting, maybe not-- they could’ve made that choice together and had a beautiful family, ending up in heaven later on.

What the fuck?

The most frustrating part of all of this is that all they had to do to make the episode amazing was bring back Cas and Eileen. Like, that’s ALL. This perfect, beautiful ending was in their grasp and they just… completely botched it. Not only did Sam, Dean, Cas, and Eileen deserve better (and the actors that played them, for that matter), but the fans did, too.

That’s the most disappointing part of all of it, I think. These characters were so beloved because they always kept fighting. I mean, they literally talked about it in the retrospective! It’s such an important aspect of the show, and it’s helped so many fans in their own, real-life struggles. Hell, I’m one of them.

Watching Dean, the fictional character that I relate to more than any other, give up that fight broke my heart. All that suicidal ideation and self-loathing he battled, all the growth he made over the years, everything he went through, and it all ended with an ill-placed piece of metal. What lesson is anyone supposed to learn from that? “Keep fighting... until you don’t want to, I guess, and then wait for a random injury to take you out”?

It worries me, honestly, that fans who have used Sam and Dean for strength that they can’t find on their own will internalize this ending and lose hope for themselves (I say that because I thought it myself, tbh). I mean, even apart from that, this kind of ending was the LAST thing any of us needed in 2020. We’ve lost so much lately, did we have to lose not only our fictional heroes, but everything they stood for, too?

Man, I’m so sorry, SPN fandom. I’ve never really been involved, always just dipped my toe in every once in a while, but I’m with you tonight. Especially the Destiel shippers and LGBTQ+ fans, since they did you especially dirty. But try to remember the good parts, the positives that you can still take away.

Write those fics.

Draw that fan art.

And yeah, please keep fighting, regardless of what happened in the finale.

Our Winchester brothers would, after all.

#spn #supernatural #dean winchester #sam winchester #spn family #ugh i'm so sad #carry on #15x20 spoilers #15x20

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benichi · 4 years ago

Note

please tell the story of what happened with BMP back then 😳 I’m shook

I shall! Gather around, today I‘ll tell you the story of the first big battle us overseas Otoge fans had to win.

[For those who don’t know what this is about or want to see more screenshots here’s the short version on my Twitter]

A little bit of background info before we start. Back in 2011 Voltage released „Pirates in Love“ which was pretty much the first English Otome game we ever got (before that was a release of Yo–Jin–Bo, which unfortunately flopped however). For a long while it was also the ONLY Otoge we had, with routes being released up to months apart. Funnily enough the first PIL release we got had also been edited, however since the internet and Otome games in general wasn‘t as much of a thing yet most people were unaware. Plus they actually made the characters whose appearance they changed appealing and it matched the overall style.

So BMP actually wasn‘t the first time they changed things to “appeal” the overseas market - but simply the most noticeable.

Slowly (very slowly lol) more Otome games would be released in english. Especially back in the day Voltage was one of our main content providers. After PIL which was released as a standalone app Voltage decided to try out a new medium here - GREE. Basically it‘s worked similar to how Cybird games are now. It didn‘t host Voltage games only however, but a bunch of different games from different companies. Voltage would only release 2 of their games on there before they got shut down: Be My Princess and Celebrity Darling (in that respective order.)

Small rant I actually liked GREE BMP more than the other version because MC had a job as a designer so this whole „you have to design/wear outfits to progress“ actually fit really well. Like I love BMP, it’s one of my comfort games. But GREE version was simply more interesting than “Oh I ran into these Princes on the street and now one of them has to randomly take me in” imo. Rant over lol.

BMP was actually up on GREE for a while, I managed to finish 3 routes while it was available (I‘m actually not completely sure if that‘s all they released before they decided to move on from GREE or if I was slow) but either way, shortly after Celebrity Darling got an English release Voltage decided to stop putting their games on GREE altogether. That’s when this whole mess went down.

People were obviously upset about losing all of their progress and content on GREE. Especially because it seemed like BMP was rather popular. Which is why Voltage decided to release the standalone app for it.

...

Just not in the way we wanted:

I’m still unsure exactly what compelled them to ever think this would go over well. Maybe the fact that they had edited some of PIL and no one ever really said anything about that played into it. Maybe they thought because Twilight was a big thing back then that girls would surely be into sparkly pale faced individuals with creepy smiles. We will probably never know just what went into the making of... THAT.

(No he doesn’t.)

But either way and as you can imagine people were m a d. It hit even harder because these were character we were familiar with. One moment we were dating charming 2D Princes - and the next we would be faced with these weird photoshopped/drawn pale dudes that just looked unsettling with their dead fish eyes. Plus despite the fact that all of these characters would be part of the same game they didn’t look like it. The princes (and art) had varying grades of horror - some of it didn’t look that bad but some was nightmare fuel.

(Not only Wilfred’s face, all of their faces were expressionless. Or creepy.)

So before the game was even released they got major backlash. Considering how incredibly niche Otoge were over here back then this incident actually got a lot of attention. Here’s an article that was published by Kotaku back in the day. However Voltage still went for it and despite everything released two routes (Wilfred & Keith) with their own... rendition. We can assume it didn’t sell well, plus even if our fandom was rather small back then we were incredibly vocal about our displeasure.

I mean we basically had nothing to lose. Releases were far and inbetween anyways - and if this would be the future of overseas Otome Games then we’d rather not have any at all. Luckily the nightmare ended eventually and Voltage released the standalone app of BMP as we know it. (They were actually planning to release an “international” version of LLFTX as well, but it never went beyond the planning stage.)

In retrospect this is a pretty funny incident now. It might have even helped Otoge get more attention because again, a lot of people became suddenly aware of this niche market. I guess we were fortunate that Voltage decided to pull this stunt AFTER they released the BMP GREE version. I’m not sure what would have happened if their own rendition would have been the second overseas release after PIL. Maybe Otoge would have simply been written off as weird and the market would have died before it even got a chance to grow. Or maybe people wouldn’t have found the art as “weird” since there wasn’t much to compare it to and there would have been an era of “Twilight aesthetic” Otoge made by Voltage for the overseas fandom lol.

Either way it did end well and those of us who went through this experience can laugh about it now. I actually used to have more posts of Twilight BMP on my blog but deleted most of them since Voltage had a time when they were going after tumblr blogs and I was scared they’d be displeased by those reminders of their early days by me haha.

As you can seen, right from the start things have never been easy for us. But we have always been resilient and we’ve got a great sense of humor that has gotten us through a lot. I hope you enjoyed this piece of Otome Game history!

#be my princess #bmp #voltage inc #voltage romance sims #otome game #otoge

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kalgalen · 5 years ago

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Jonathan Sims is twenty-one years old, and he's never kissed anyone.

He's never admitted to this to another soul either, until this very evening. But he's on the oversharing side of tipsy, and Georgie has her shoulder pressed against his, and she's warm and friendly and - and he's noticed the way she looks at him sometimes, as if she's expecting something but waiting for him to make the first move, her eyes lingering too low on his face and her fingers brushing against his when they walk -

He doesn't know her intentions for sure, and he's never been good at reading people. Curiosity, however, has always been part of his worst flaws - or biggest strengths.

Anyway. He's taken a gulp of his gin-and-tonic to strengthen his resolve, and blurted out the confession. No taking it back now.

The seconds seem to stretch impossibly, and Jon doesn't dare raising his eyes from the depths of his glass to check if Georgie has heard him. She sure isn't acting as if she has; he doesn't think the movie playing on the small screen of her laptop is loud enough to cover the sound of his voice, but -

And then Georgie slowly turns toward him, eyes enormous and round behind her glasses, and she says:

"You've never kissed anyone? Really?"

Jon glances at her, then goes right back to the self-conscious staring contest with his drink. He shrugs.

"Well. You've, huh, met me. I'm not exactly - people aren't lining up for it, yeah?"

"Oh, come on!" She gives him a light shove, somehow managing not to spill either of their drinks. "A nice young man like you?"

Jon lets himself be pleasantly flushed by the compliment for a second - nice young man, because that's what he is, perhaps not nice, but definitely a man - then shrugs again.

"Occasion never presented itself, I suppose? I'm not good at - all this," he says, gesturing at the concept of human relationships in general.

Georgie snorts, and mutters something that sounds a lot like "I gathered", but the tone is fond instead of annoyed, so he lets it go.

There's a strange warmth blooming in Jon's chest, which he's pretty sure can't be blamed on the gin. Then Georgie gives him something he can only describe as a look, all in italics, mischievous and determined and only the slightest bit hesitant as she seems to seize him up.

"D'you wanna kiss me?" she asks bluntly; Jon's heart makes a valiant attempt at a backflip.

She's staring straight into his eyes - but it's Georgie, so it's fine, it's not too bad - and he physically cannot look away, trapped under the compulsion to answer her. His throat works around the words for a bit, but in the end, he simply nods.

Georgie grins. "Yes?"

"Yes," he confirms.

Nervousness and anticipation and curiosity, again, wrap themselves in a tight noose around his neck. He remembers - belatedly - that her roommates are both out tonight, and the very clear implications of that fact make him feel dizzy with something suspiciously close to terror. He fights off the urge to get up and run. Georgie won't do anything he's not comfortable with, he's sure of it; the inquisitiveness in her eyes as she plucks his glass from his unresisting fingers to set it on the coffee table next to hers is proof of it enough.

She climbs on his lap, then, her movements made only slightly imprecise by the alcohol coursing through her system, and his hands automatically come to rest on her hips. He immediately snatches them away as if he'd been burned, then hesitantly puts them back when Georgie looks like she's about to laugh.

"Such a gentleman," she murmurs, teasingly but not unkindly, then dips towards him.

"Wait!" he yelps. Georgie freezes - of course - and patiently looks at him as he stutters: "I haven't asked - haven't - I mean, do you want to kiss me?"

Georgie gives him a look that is equal part pity and affection. For an answer, she leans down and kisses him on the cheek.

"I've been wanting to for a while now," she says. Her mouth is very close to his ear, her breath hot against his skin. "Was waiting for you to catch up, but…"

She trails off, and Jon says:

"Oh."

It makes sense, in retrospect. Georgie chuckles, and presses another kiss against his temple before taking his glasses off. She slips hers off as well and leans away to set both pairs on the coffee table, right in front of the laptop and off the screen still spooling out the forgotten movie, then pulls herself closer again. She overshoots a little (or maybe she doesn't) and suddenly she's right there, pressed up against him, her arms circling his neck and her eyes twinkling with glee.

And then she kisses him.

It's - different from what he'd expected is the best way to describe it. He's read kisses hundreds of times, has heard of the elation that's supposed to come with it. People writing about kisses focus on the emotions the act sets off. It's about the happiness, and the love, and the lust - it's supposed to be beautiful in the way only a piece of art can be. But all Jon can feel, as Georgie swipes her tongue across his bottom lip, is a deep curiosity.

His mind is racing, registering each details and filing them away for later analysis. One of Georgie's hands is cupping his jaw, thumb rubbing repetitive lines against the bone - it feels nice, he decides. Their lips are pressed together, the point of contact hot and wet, the softness of the flesh contrasting sharply against the hardness of the teeth he can feel behind - he doesn't think he likes that part. Georgie's eyes are closed, and -

And his are still open, he realises. He chastises himself for not acting the way people are supposed to when they are being kissed. In all fairness, though, he is intoxicated enough that everything feels a bit distant and unreal - and him acting weird is nothing unusual, at least.

He screws his eyes shut, and tries to ignore the way the kiss feels to focus instead on how it makes him feel. He tries answering to Georgie's movements, tilting his head this way and that, biting lightly on her lip or brushing her tongue with his, and -

And all he feels now is slight embarrassment. Is he doing it wrong? Georgie seems to be happy enough with it, but it makes him feel - it makes him feel the same way he does when he's obliged to dance: awkward, and stiff, and as if he doesn't know the correct moves. Instead of whatever emotions are supposed to be awaken in him, there's a pit opening inside his chest. He'd like to disappear inside.

Georgie must feel his lack of enthusiasm, because she pulls away, and blinks at him quizzically. Her lips are pink and shiny, and she's gorgeous. The pit widens a bit more.

"This isn't really doing it for you, huh," she says, and if she's disappointed, she's hiding it well. Still, Jon looks away in shame.

"Not really," he says. And then: "I'm sorry."

He's always known there was something a bit different about him, but it's the first time it makes him feel wrong - like he's missing a piece everybody else has. He feels terrible for wasting Georgie's time. The gin doesn't sit well in his stomach anymore, and he feels slightly sick.

Georgie gets off his lap, and settles back down next to him, leaning against his shoulder and slipping her hand in his as if it's the most natural thing in the world.

"It's okay," she says softly, and Jon almost believes her. "It's not everyone's cup of tea. We don't have to do it if you don't like it."

"I don't - I don't know if I don't like it," he tries. His voice breaks abjectly on the last words, and he clears his throat. "Maybe. Maybe not that - much." She blinks at him, and he explains lamely: "Maybe not that much of kissing."

Georgie smiles up at him. "Whatever you're comfortable with. It's alright."

Jon does believe her, then. She sits up so she's face-to-face with him again, and she drops a chaste kiss on his lips - just a soft press against his mouth, this time, and he thinks -

He thinks he likes this.

#the magnus archives #jongeorgie #fic tag #yeet #come yall get your fill of awkward sex-repulsed jon

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namfine · 5 years ago

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can i request a pacify her - melanie martinez au with taehyung? 🥺

Anon I am so sorry this took so long to get to!! I listened to the song several times and this is the vibe I got from it, I hope it’s to your liking ;-; it’s 20 pages long lmaoIf you know the song then I guess you know what to expect?? If you don’t well then you’re in for a ride O: Edit: Idk why it looks so messed up on mobile, so I apologize for that ;-;-Admin FizzyPairing: Kim Taehyung x ReaderTags: College!au, implied cheating, lowkey kinda “crazy” reader???, angst, a wee bit of fluff, drinking

You knew it was wrong to develop this crush on him, but honestly who wouldn’t? With his wavy black hair that looked soft to the touch, warm brown eyes that you seemed to get lost in every time you locked gazes, that unique smile of his that shaped his mouth into an almost box like form, and an overall personality that made you feel warm and giddy from the inside out. Kim Taehyung was truly a work of art, the perfect gentleman whose attractive features were truly just the cherry on top of his whole being. He was the guy everyone wanted to be friends with, the guy everyone wanted at their party, and the guy everyone wanted to date. Which is where your little problem comes in.He was taken, it was known by the whole campus that there was this lucky person who got to kiss those lips and call him theirs. It was another equally popular student so it was no surprise when the two finally got together, having been dating for about 5 months now. Lots of people were heartbroken, yourself included, but that didn’t necessarily stop you from developing feelings for the man. Even though you knew nothing would ever happen between you two. You were not exactly content with not being with him, but always happy to look at him from afar but always saddened that he will never look at you the way he looked at her. You could say you two were somewhat acquaintances, exchanging a few words every now and then in the one class you shared. When he gave you that infamous boxxy smile of his, you swear your heart would burst out of your chest and land straight onto his lap. His always bright and upbeat personality slowly became the best part of your day.

So imagine your surprise when one day he walks into your first shared class with a sulky look on his face. He took his usual seat next to you, giving you a small nod of acknowledgment. Your eyebrows furrowed together at the lack of enthusiasm from the usually happy boy. You pressed your lips together wondering if you should say something, the obvious factor of something troubling him now starting to bother you. “Hey…are you alright?”

His eyes open slightly in surprise, almost like he forgot you were there even though he said hello to you not even less than 10 seconds ago. “Ah, yeah I’m good! Just got a little something on my mind.” He gives you a small smile and was about to turn back towards the front of the classroom, but you didn’t want to stop talking just yet.“Um, I know we don’t really know each other that well but if you ever just wanted someone to talk to…” He looks back at you with wide eyes and you press your lips together again, wondering if maybe you had overstepped your boundaries. “Oh, thank you y/n, that’s very thoughtful of you.” He gives you another smile, this one softer than before, and turns fully back to the front. Deciding on not wanting to push him further, you give a small nod of approval yourself and also turn back to the front, questioning if he would really take you up on your offer.–Class went by as normal after your chat with Taehyung, the professor droning on about something you really couldn’t bring yourself to pay attention to, especially with the thought that something was bothering your crush.What could it be? Maybe he was having trouble in another class? Family issues? Maybe something was happening with his girlfriend.The thought of that caused a chill to go through you, an odd feeling starting to spread through your chest. You knew it was silly to automatically assume it had something to do with his girlfriend but your mind started to wander; what if they’re fighting? Or were on the verge of breaking up? A quick thought flashed through your mind that it would be your opportunity to make a move.You were so deep in your thoughts that you didn’t notice the other students beginning to pack up and exit the room. It was only when someone placed a hand on your shoulder that you jolted out of your daydream state. You looked up to your left and made eye contact with those warm brown eyes. A small laugh left his lips “Sorry, didn’t mean to make you jump- you just seemed to be lost in thought.” There it was, the part of his personality that made every person feel personally cared for by Taehyung. You felt a smile forming and let out a soft hum while nodding your head.“Yeah I was just thinking about something, guess I let myself get too carried away haha.” He takes his hand off your shoulder and adjusts his backpack, giving you a small nod before starting to make his way out.“Oh y/n?” You look up at him, a confused look on your face.“If you ever want to talk, I’m here to listen.” A blush starts to spread on your cheeks but before Taehyung could notice, he makes his way out of the classroom.You didn’t want your conversation to end there, so you quickly packed up your things, not caring to put your pencils in the case or your papers in your folder, and hurriedly made your way to catch up with Taehyung. You looked left and right for him, seeing him leaning against a wall with that worried look on his face again. He was staring down at his phone and biting his lower lip. Without giving it a second thought you began to walk towards him.“Something troubling you again?” You asked softly, not wanting to startle him with your sudden appearance. He sighs before shoving his phone in his pocket and turning his head to you. He seemed to be thinking about something for a couple of seconds before opening his mouth to speak.“Ah it’s nothing to worry about, I was supposed to meet up with Mina but she has to stay behind in class for something.” He gives a shrug and a ‘‘oh well’ face.“Oh, no I’m sorry to hear that. Um-” You bit your bottom lip, pondering if it was okay to ask this. When he tilted his head to the side, you decided to just say fuck it and proceed.“I’m heading towards the food court, you could join me if you’d like?” Your heart started beating rapidly in your chest, feeling a sudden clamminess on your palms. What were you thinking? Asking The Kim Taehyung if he wanted to join you for lunch. What a idiotic move, he has a girlfriend for Christs sake, as if he–“Sure, that sounds really nice.” You swore you could actually feel your heart begging to burst through your ribcage. “Cool, okay.” You turned the opposite direction and started walking towards the food court.“We can talk about the assignment the professor gave us.” He said when he got next to you.“The what–”—Never did you ever think that you would be having lunch with Taehyung. The thought would make your cheeks flush red and a wave of nerves travel through you. But yet here you are, with said man sitting across from you, putting fries inside his burger. You had gotten yourself a soda and a slice of pizza, the slice being ginormous. The stand you got it from being famous on campus for having one slice be about the equivalent of two. You grabbed your fork and knife, beginning to cut off a piece. “You cut your pizza?” Taehyung asks with humor laced in his voice. You look up at him and see him trying to hold back a laugh. In retrospect it was silly, pizza is a finger food but the portion was huge! You wanted to enjoy your food and not struggle to pick it up every time.“Well, yeah! I mean at least the pizza from here. This thing is huge and I don’t really want to get my hands dirty.” You said back while laughing. Taehyung laughed, the sweet sound making your heart flutter, he shook his head thoughtfully before taking a bite of his burger. “I mean you put fries in your burger, that’s pretty odd too.” “Is it? I actually know quite a bit of people that do so!” He raised an eyebrow at you, a smirk crossing his lips. You narrowed your eyes at him playfully and snorted, going back to cutting more pieces off your pizza. He takes a few more bites of his burger and wipes his mouth with a napkin. He cleared his throat before speaking out.“So, do you know what you’re going to write your paper on?”“Uh…can’t say I do. To be honest I kind of zoned out during class, as you saw. So I don’t know what our topic is supposed to be based on.” You laughed, feeling embarrassed to be reliving that moment when Taehyung brought you out of your thoughts about Taehyung. A hearty laugh escaped his mouth and even though he was laughing at your expense, it warmed your heart hearing it play through your ears. He began to explain what the subject was on and even helped you pick out a topic. After finishing your meals, you continued to talk even more, glad to be able to just spend time with Taehyung. You could feel your crush on him just keep getting bigger and bigger.You were about to ask him a question when you heard someone call out his name.“Tae!”Your heads turned towards the voice, a muscle in your jaw twitching at who was calling after him. The smile that appeared on his face made your chest tighten on itself, his perfect smile not aimed at you. You should’ve figured that your little pseudo date with Taehyung would eventually come to end but you didn’t expect it to come from his girlfriend. “Mina, hi! You made it out.” She reaches the table you two were seated at, leaning down to place a quick kiss on Taehyung’s cheek. His boxy smile appears and he clasps onto one of her hands.“Yeah I’m sorry! I just needed to ask my professor a couple of questions about something, but it’s all good now!” She beams at Taehyung, seemingly not noticing your presence just yet. You were about to say something when Taehyung spoke first.“This is y/n! She’s one of my classmates.” Mina turns to you finally, a graceful smile forming on her perfect lips. Something about it didn’t seem too friendly to you however.“Hi! Thanks for keeping Taehyung company for me, but I’m sure you have your own stuff to do right?”The question seemed so innocent but you felt something else lingering behind those words. Your eyebrows shot up and you made brief eye contact with Taehyung, giving you a sweet smile. “Oh, yeah I should probably start heading to my next class. I’ll see you later Taehyung.” You gave him a smile and he smiled back, feeling your heart flutter again. “Bye y/n! Thanks for inviting me, I had fun. Good luck on your paper!” His perfect smile reappears and you wanted nothing more than to just kiss him. You wave goodbye, giving one final glance at Mina who was currently occupied holding Taehyung’s hands. However she sensed you staring because she spared you look and raised an eyebrow, almost seeming to be taunting you. You rushed your way towards your next class, not wanting to see the googly eyes that Taehyung was giving Mina instead of you. –The rest of your day went by in a blur, not really remembering anything relevant that happened. The only thing on your mind being that you got to hang out and eat lunch with Taehyung. It was silly to be thinking about it this much but you got to spend time with your crush. Even if said crush was dating someone at the moment, it still made butterflies appear in your stomach. You were starting to walk towards your dorm when someone called out your name, feeling chills run through your body at the familiar tone.“Hey, are you headed home?” You turned around and came face to face with Mina. She wore a concerned expression on her face but you narrowed your eyes at her, feeling something a bit off with her question. “Yeah I am…why?” “I live this way too, thought we could walk together.” Okay this was weird, why was Mina, Taehyung’s girlfriend, wanting to walk home with you. You had just met her today.Oh…You immediately felt on guard, not knowing what her intentions could be. You’ve never heard anything bad about Mina, but with the way she was looking at you earlier today, you had your suspicions. It was quiet between you two for a couple of seconds, the only sound being the steps of your feet.“You know it was really nice of you to invite Tae out for lunch today.”“Oh uh, yeah. He just looked kind of bummed so I thought some food could cheer him up.” You weren’t completely lying, food is usually the go to when someone is feeling down. You had your own selfish reasons yes, but obviously you weren’t going to let Mina know.Unless…“Hm, I see. That’s pretty sweet of you considering you guys aren’t really friends” Her hands clasped together behind her back and she stared ahead.

A wave of nervousness went through your chest and into your stomach.

“I mean we’re classmates and we talk every now and then so I just thought…”

You trailed off, not really knowing where to go from there.

You came to stop in front of a building, the setting sun casting a golden light across the wall and making your shadows appear in front of you. Hers seemed to be looming over yours, getting ready to swallow you up at any minute.

“Listen, it’s sweet of you to do that but you don’t have to worry about Taehyung.”

Your eyes snapped in her direction. You remained silent, waiting for her to continue on. When she didn’t, you took your chance to speak.

“Taehyung is my friend and he just seemed bothered today so—“

“Oh? He’s your friend now? I thought you were just classmates who talked every now and then?”

Your eyebrows came together and you felt anxiety starting to course through your body. Could she tell that you had a crush on him? You didn’t think you were being obvious.

“I…just wanted to help.” You whispered, staring into her eyes. Her face bore no expression, her eyebrows faintly lifting upwards.

“Well you don’t have to do that anymore.”

And with that she turned back to the building in front of you guys, making her way inside and leaving you out in the cold chill of the evening.

—

The next day in class you weren’t feeling particularly happy, the encounter with Mina still at the back of your mind. Would she tell Taehyung? Should you tell Taehyung? Your mind was going in a million different directions, not knowing what to do.

From the corner of your eye you could see him coming in, greeting your fellow classmates. Even from your side peripheral you could make out that beautiful smile of his.

He places his stuff next to you and sits down, his mood drastically different from yesterday.

“Morning!”

“Hey, morning” you replied with a tired voice and a small grin.

“You okay? You look like you’re fighting to stay awake right now.” He laughed and you knew he was trying to joke around with you but with the way Mina talked to you yesterday, you didn’t know if you wanted to have another encounter with her.

“Yeah I uh, was struggling to fall asleep last night.”

“Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that. I think chamomile tea can help with that! My friend Hoseok drinks it every now and then to help him.”.

You smile at him and nod your head politely. You sit up straight when your professor walks in, dropping his briefcase onto the floor next to his desk.

He began to speak but once again you droned out his voice, not really caring what he was talking about. You should be paying attention but your mind would not stop wondering back to Mina. Eventually your thoughts drifted to Taehyung, questioning if he knew this secretive side to his girlfriend.

The class went by quicker than expected and once again Taehyung was shaking you out of your thoughts.

“Did you fall asleep with your eyes open? I swear it was like you didn’t blink for five minutes.”

You smiled to yourself and sighed, turning to look up at the boy on your left.“Yeah I think I just accidentally caught up on a few Z’s”.Taehyung laughed and you couldn’t help the smile that made its way to your lips. How could someone be making you feel like you’re on Cloud 9 just by laughing? It was at that moment that you decided ‘What was Mina gonna do? You guys are friends so why shouldn’t you be able to talk to him and such?’.“Hey Taehyung?”He tilted his head to the side and hummed at your question.“Would you wanna have lunch with me again? I mean if you’re not busy that is.”–As fate would have it, Mina just happened to stay behind in class again claiming that she “still had questions to ask the professor”. But you really couldn’t care, all that mattered was that you were once again having lunch with Taehyung. Today you were having chicken tenders and fries, while he was currently putting Doritos inside his sandwich, the action making you raise your eyebrow in question.“So do you always put something extra in your food or…” You trailed off and dipped your fry in ketchup, squinting when he pressed down on the sandwich, the crunch of the chips filling the air. “Yeah, it gives it that extra flavor. I can’t believe you don’t.” “I guess it’s just something that never occurred to me? It’s certainly an…interesting thing.”“Do you wanna try it?”It seemed like your body just went rigid, your grip on your chicken tender getting just slightly tighter. It was a simple question but why did your body seem to go into panic mode?“Uh, yeah sure. Do you have a knife?”He shook his head and just held his sandwich out to you.“Just take a bite.”It was a simple gesture, nothing to overthink about, yet it felt somewhat intimate just leaning forward and biting his sandwich. Something in you wanted to take a step further. So you leaned forward and placed a hand over his to hold the sandwich steady, the sudden skin contact making a chill go through your chest. You locked eyes with him as you placed your mouth on his food, biting down and hearing the crunch of the chips ring loud in your ears. You let out the tiniest sound of approval, making sure to lick your lips after swallowing.“Woah you’re right. That is pretty good.”Taehyung only seemed to be fazed for a half second before smiling at you and nodding in agreement. “See! Look what you’ve been missing out on!” The conversation continued on and even though you were having a pleasant time, there was one question that kept pestering you. “So, are things with you and Mina okay? I don’t mean to pry but it’s just…Well this is the second time she’s had to stay behind for something.” You looked down at your food, your heart beating a million times per minute because you really should mind your business but also you just really want to know if their relationship is flopping or not. Taehyung sighed and put down his drink, hands dropping into his lap. His mouth scrunched to the side before giving you a sheepish smile. “Ah, it’s been a little off lately. Every time we plan something, she always has something come up. I know she’s busy and stuff but lately it just kind of seems she’s avoiding me…” He trails off, cheeks turning a little pink at the embarrassment of basically saying Mina has been blowing him off. He put his hands on the table and began to rip up a napkin. “Oh, no I’m sorry. Maybe she’s just busy with school?” You really couldn’t care what her reason was not hanging out with him, she was dating Kim Taehyung for Christ’s sake she should be wanting to spend every second with him. “Hm, I don’t know. Even when we’re not in school she’s been telling me that she has things to do that day or she already has plans. Maybe I’m just looking too into it.”You couldn’t stop yourself from reaching forward and placing a hand on top of his, your skin suddenly on fire from the contact.“Hey don’t think too much into it, okay? She probably has a lot going on right now. I’m sure things will…go back to normal soon enough.” For extra measure you gave his hand a little squeeze and Taehyung smiled back at you, placing his other hand on top and giving a few pats. He removed his hand and picked his sandwich back up.“Yeah hopefully, thanks for listening y/n. Sorry I didn’t mean to just dump all my issues on you.”You smiled and shook your head “Hey, no don’t be sorry! We’re friends and friends hear each other out.” Your heart just kept beating at your sudden bravery. What were you doing exactly? Flirting with Kim Taehyung? You knew it was a dangerous game to be playing but you couldn’t help it. Especially since a small part of you wanted to spite Mina.“Thanks. And hey, what about you? You’ve had something on your mind too. You wanna talk about it?”You swallowed a thick lump that formed in your throat. You could lie and say it was something else. Or maybe you could use this as some sort of advantage. “It’s nothing really, just uh…guy troubles aha.” Well you’re not wrong.“Oh no! What’s up? If you wanna talk about it that is.”.“Well…it’s just this guy in one of my classes. I don’t know how he feels about me. We talk all the time and I feel like he likes me but I’m just not sure, you know?”Taehyung nods and places his head on his fist, narrowing his eyes as if he’s in thought.“Well I think you should just go for it y/n! If you guys have good chemistry and stuff, you should just ask him out.” He points a chip at you before popping it into his mouth. “It’s not that simple Taehyung haha, girls asking a guy out is way more nerve wracking than a guy doing it. Girls will automatically assume it’s because they’re ugly when a guy rejects them.” You quickly took a sip of your soda and looked away from him, feeling heat on your cheeks.“Well that guy would be a fool for saying no to you y/n, you’re very pretty.” Now the heat was spreading all the way to your ears. Did he just compliment you? Surely he just meant it in a friendly way right? You were about to say something when someone called out his name. Grateful for the distraction, you saw him turn his head towards the voice and you hurriedly tried to pat the condensation from your cup onto your cheeks.“Hobi, hi!”Taehyung exclaims and you see him clap a hand with this ‘Hobi’ fellow. When you deemed yourself decent enough, you turned to face them and saw one of the most beautiful smiles ever. Not as beautiful as Taehyungs, but definitely unique in its own way.“Hey, how are you! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Hobi enthusiastically says and sits down right next to him. You bristle slightly at the action, grateful that he distracted Taehyung from your flushed cheeks but you were calm now, you wanted to get back to what he was saying. “I’m doing good, man! Oh hey, this is my friend y/n!” He gestures his head to you and put on a bright smile.“Hi there! Jung Hoseok, but you can call me Hobi.” He smiles brightly at you and sticks a hand out for you to shake. You shake his hand and mumble out a soft ‘hi’. His energy was just radiating off of him. “So what’s up? You have something to tell me?” “Yeah dude! Jungkook is throwing a party next week and everyone is invited!” He turns to you and gives you a wink.“You too missy, no excuses.”Your eyes widen at the invite. A party? You’ve never been to one, especially not a college one.“Oh uh, I don’t know. I’ve never really gone to parties…” At this both Taehyung and Hobi’s mouths drop open.“Seriously!? Well then this one has to be your first.”You were about to open your mouth to protest again but then you locked eyes with Taehyung. A party could seriously be your opportunity to get even closer to him. You hummed and looked up at the sky, pretending to think about it.“Sure, okay it sounds fun actually.” Hobi brings his fist inwards in a silent victory while Taehyung laughs and smiles at you.One day, that smile is only going to be aimed at you. –Over the next few days, you and Taehyung talked more in class. Although there were some moments when Mina didn’t have to stay behind so she did catch up with him, leaving you to have lunch on your own. It did start to make you wonder what exactly she was doing. Taehyung had come to confess to you that she had started being secretive with her phone, immediately putting it away and changing the subject whenever he had innocently asked about it. The thought made your blood boil. She couldn’t be cheating on him could she? Who in their right mind would do such a thing? Especially to Taehyung. Which is why when you came upon the scene in front of you, a vile feeling rose up in your chest. Your tongue felt dry in your mouth, your head started spinning and your skin prickled on the back of your neck.Mina stood against a wall with someone in front of her, talking in hushed whispers. But that’s not what was getting to you, it was what you heard that made you almost scream in anger.“We can’t let Tae find out okay? He has no clue whatsoever.” The man in front of her nodded and laughed and grabbed her hands, pulling her into a hug. Mina laughed and pulled away, still clasping his hands and smiled up at him.“We have to keep this a secret.”You had heard enough, you turned around and walked away as quickly and quietly as possible actually feeling your face flare up at the anger you had towards Mina at the moment.A part of you was hurt, how could she do that to him? How could she just go and cheat on him? It was absolutely ludicrous! Didn’t she know she was lucky to be able to even call him hers? A pictured Taehyung’s saddened face flashed through your mind and your heart ached.Should you tell him? Was it any of your business? What kind of friend would you be if you kept such vital information from him?You suddenly stopped in your tracks. If Taehyung found out about this, they would surely break up. He would be single. Hurting yes, but single.That could be your way into his heart. Your lips pressed together at this sudden thought. Obviously you wouldn’t throw yourself on him immediately, you would give him time to recover and get over Mina. But now the question was; when would you tell him? Should you tell him today? Or maybe wait a few days to see if she would get caught? Maybe you should tell him the day of the party, it was only in two days after all.You were so lost in thought that you didn’t hear the person calling your name.“Y/n! Hey y/n!” You only stopped in your tracks when the person grabbed onto your backpack strap and gently pulled you back. You looked up and came face to face with those brown eyes once again. “Hey, some of us are heading to this burger place right now. You wanna join?” You wanted to scream out yes but another part just wanted to out what you had just witnessed. You were about to answer when someone else had called out Taehyung’s name.“Hey! Are we ready to go? Sorry I had to do something first.”Your blood started to boil once again, and you swear you saw red flash in front of your eyes.“Yeah! I’m just asking y/n if she wants to come.” You turned around and made eye contact with her, a small smile displayed on her face. As much as you wanted to join and glare daggers at Mina, you had suddenly felt very drained from everything.“I would love to, but I actually gotta head home. I need to work on a research paper.”“Oh, no. Well alright then! I’ll see you at the party then alright?”“We’ll miss you!”That false sugary sweet voice filled your ears and you clenched your teeth to keep yourself from speaking. As much as you would love to expose her for the horrible person she was, this was something Taehyung should hear in private.“Yeah, next time I’ll be there.” You gave Taehyung, Mina and his other friends a polite nod and made your way home.–Saturday night, the night of the party had finally arrived. You were currently in front of your closet, trying to decide what to wear. Friday had been uneventful, you hadn’t seen Taehyung due to him not having classes on Friday’s. You did see Mina however, hanging out with some of Taehyung’s friends. You shook your head at the memory and went back to focusing on what you were gonna wear. Should you go for something simple? Maybe something that shows some skin. You were trying to impress him after all, especially since you decided you would tell him what you saw that day. You had settled on wearing tight black jeans with an off shoulder red top and your boots. After fixing up your hair and makeup, you grabbed your essentials and made your way out of your dorm. The party wasn’t that far from you, only maybe about a 10 minute walk. You could use the time to think about what you were going to say to Taehyung.When you had finally reached your destination, it was already bustling with life, the party goers outside of the house having somehow already created a giant beer pong table. You laughed at the sight and made your way inside, eyes scanning for Taehyung and maybe Hobi. When you saw Hobi by another beer pong table, you walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Hobi swallowed the drink in his mouth before smiling at you, “Y/n hey! You’re here!”“Yeah! I see this party is already getting crazy.”“Yeah well, that’s Jungkook for you. He goes all out with these things.” A voice suddenly appears behind you and you jump at the suddenness of it. “You know I can’t let my parties be lame! I have a reputation to maintain.” The owner of the voice steps into your peripheral and you’re met with a tall man with long jet black hair and a bunny-like smile.“Hey, I’m Jungkook, the host of this very awesome party.” You laugh and raise your hand to greet him back.“Oh hey lemme introduce you to the rest of the gang real quick.” He gestures to his friends currently occupied playing beer pong. One of them had his back to you. “At that end is Jimin and Jin, currently the beer pong champions.” Hobi laughed and you saw Jin give you a thumbs up.“Yoongi right there is our ref, just to make sure none of these guys get too out of hand.” Yoongi gives a grunt in response, too focused on the game.“And this is Namjoon! The guy who’s about to lose his sorry ass.” Namjoon stands up to his full height and turns to face you, the color immediately draining from your face.It was the same guy you saw Mina with.“Hi there, glad you could come to this crazy, wild zoo fest we’re calling a party.”Your throat tightened up but you managed to croak out a ‘hello’. He smiles at you and turns back to the game. “Have you seen Taehyung?” You asked when you felt your nerves calm down a bit.“Nah he’s not here yet, but Mina texted me saying she was almost here.”At the mention of her name, your hand clenched into a fist.“Oh, okay.”“Do you want a drink or anything? You might wanna get some now before the rest of the party people take all the good shit.”“Uh yeah, I’ll go grab what I can haha.” Hobi smiled and led you to the table where there was an abundance of alcohol and soda. He told you to help yourself before going back to his friends. You poured yourself a drink, more alcohol than soda, and chugged it down. Your hands were shaking for the moment you would tell Taehyung what you saw.–After an hour or two, you were definitely buzzed. You drank about three cups, not caring about the bitter taste of beer anymore. You were currently sitting on the couch, glaring at Mina’s back. She was currently holding Taehyung’s hand and talking with Namjoon and Yoongi. You had said hello to Taehyung when he arrived, wanting to keep him to yourself but he said he wanted to go find Mina as soon as possible. You had nodded and went back to the kitchen to grab what would be your third drink. You closed your eyes for a moment, feeling the loud music vibrate through your body. God, how would you get Taehyung alone to tell him? You would have to try and wait to get him alone and away from Mina, but he was currently occupied with said girl. You felt the couch dip next to you and opened your eyes to see Hobi sitting next to you. “You enjoying yourself so far?” “Yeah! This is really fun, thanks so much for inviting me.”“See? And you didn’t want to come. Isn’t this great for your first party?”You nodded in agreement and you both laughed. Hobi was cute, with his bright personality and equally dazzling smile. If on the off chance things didn’t work out with Taehyung, you wouldn’t mind trying to get to know Hobi a little better. Hobi had asked you something and you were about to answer when you noticed Mina walking away from Taehyung. He had nodded and went on talking with Yoongi and Namjoon. After a couple seconds you noticed Namjoon slip away and head in the same direction as Mina.“So would you wanna go?”Hobi’s voice brought you out of your thoughts and you stared back at him.“Sorry, I zoned out for a bit, I think the alcohol is starting to get to me haha.”Hobi smiled softly at you and leaned in a little closer to you. “I asked if you would maybe wanna join us for our movie night tomorrow. It’s usually our way of unwinding and collecting ourselves after parties.”Your heart skipped a beat at the invitation. Did Hobi already like you? “Lemme get back to you on that, I have to use the restroom real quick.” He smiled and gave a quick pat to your back. You stood up and made your way towards the restroom. On the way there you saw Mina and Namjoon up the stairs, making their way down the hall and into a room.You could not believe she was doing this in the same vicinity as Taehyung. You slammed the bathroom door and turned on the sink, splashing your face with cold water. Your hands gripped the edge of the sink and you closed your eyes, trying to steady your breathing. A knock on the door startled you so you dried your face with a towel and yanked the door open, not expecting to see Taehyung.“Y/n hi, I saw you run in here so I wanted to see if you were okay.”God you could just cry right there at his caring nature. Mina was seriously going to regret doing this to him. “I need to talk to you.”Taehyung’s eyes widened but before he could say anything, you grabbed his arm and pulled him inside.“Woah! Okay.” He exclaimed and almost stumbled into the sink. You closed the door and braced yourself for what was about to come.“What’s up? Is everything okay?”Just say it, don’t dwell and beat around the bush, just get it over with.“I think Mina is cheating on you.”The air immediately became tense and you didn’t have to turn around to feel how Taehyung’s demeanor changed at once.“What? What makes you–why would you say that y/n?”You took a deep breath and turned around, heart crushing at seeing his hurt face.“I…I saw Mina and Namjoon together the other day.”“Namjoon…? You saw them–”“I’m sorry I didn’t know how to tell you or when but I saw them by themselves the other day and they were holding hands and hugging and…”“And what?”By now your voice was extremely shaky, a cold sweat had broken out on your skin.“I overheard what they were saying,” you whispered “She said that ‘it had to be kept a secret’ and that ‘you couldn’t find out’.”Taehyung looked down at the floor and closed his eyes, you could hear the gears in his head turning, trying to collect all the information that was just thrown at him.“I also just saw them go into another room upstairs, Taehyung I’m so sorry.” Before he had a chance to respond, you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around him in a hug. He didn’t make any moves at first but slowly hugged you back, his hands resting on your lower back.“Is that why she’s been so distant lately?” You didn’t know how to answer so you just placed a hand on the back of his head and pressed it into your shoulder more. You stood still for a couple of seconds before he pulled away from you, eyes still trained on the ground. You placed your fingers under his chin and had him look up at you.“She doesn’t deserve you Tae, you could do so much better.” You whispered while looking into his eyes. He tried to give you a smile but couldn’t bring himself to. It was at that moment that you glanced down at his lips, this was your chance to make your move. He would see that you were the one for him. When you looked back up at him, his eyes were searching your face and for a split second you saw him glance at your lips as well. That was all you needed to make your move. You slowly leaned forward, testing the waters first. When Taehyung didn’t make any sudden movements, you leaned in closer and could make out a little mole on his nose. Right as you were about to kiss, a knock was heard against the door. “Tae? Are you in there? I have to tell you something.” Taehyung jerked away from you, hands tightening into fists at his sides. He pulled away from you and opened the door, revealing Mina and Namjoon on the other side.“What’re you…nevermind that listen, I have to show you something, you need to come to the living room.”“And why would I do that?”Mina physically jerked at his response, clearly not expecting that.“Um…it’s just really important that you come out and see..” Namjoon steps up to be closer and his eyes widen at seeing you in the bathroom as well.“Don’t you think there’s something you should tell me?”Mina’s eyebrows came together in confusion.“Tae what’re you talking about?”“Oh stop playing dumb Mina and just admit that you cheated on him.”At this, all three looked at you, Mina and Namjoons mouths opening in shock.“Excuse me?? I would never cheat–”“She saw you guys together! And she just saw you guys sneaking off into a room to do God knows what else!” Taehyung yelled at them, his hands clenching and unclenching.“Tae, it’s not what you think–” Namjoon jumped in trying to ‘help’ in whatever way he could.“And you, I can’t believe you did this to me too! We’ve been friends for years, how could you hurt me like this?”At this point you had felt awkward, your work was done but now how were you going to leave? As much as you wanted to see everything go down, you wanted to get back to the party. “Taehyung, listen to me. I did not cheat on you.”“How do I know that?”“Because this party is for you!”At that, you felt your heart drop into your stomach. Say what? Was she really trying to use the party as her escape plan?“That’s why I’ve been so distant lately. I was planning out this party as an early birthday celebration for you since you’ll be going home. Namjoon was helping me out.”Your skin turned hot at once, your heart turned to stone, you felt nauseous all of a sudden. She was lying right?“This party is for you, Tae. We have a cake and everything…” The air surrounding you became extremely thick, you could cut the tension with a knife.“Tae, I…” You cautiously said. Shit, how were you going to fix this? Shit shit shit–“Was this your way of trying to break us up? Were you that jealous of us that you would lie?” Mina’s voice came through and you felt tears beginning to form.“N-no I just…” Your voice, coming out in weak whispers, barely being heard over the booming music of the party.“You are pathetic y/n. I can’t believe you would do this. I thought we were friends.” That, that was what made the tears cascade down your cheeks. As if things couldn’t be worse, Mina had to go and call you her friend, knowing that that was absolutely a lie. “Come on Tae, let’s go.” Mina grabbed Taehyung’s hand and dragged him out of the room, not even letting him spare a glance at you. Namjoon gave you one final look, shook his head and closed the bathroom door, leaving you alone with your tears.

#bts angst #taehyung x reader #kim taehyung x reader #bts fluff #bts scenarios #bts imagine #admin fizzy #Anonymous

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pan-princess-levy · 5 years ago

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pan-princess-levy’s (that’s me!) 2019 summary of art

wow! what an year this was! time for retrospection...

holy hell, i drew... a lot of stuff. i dont think there are quite the 500 files (both process and finished) for 2019 but i think i drew maybe. 250? 300 separate pieces? and im so proud of myself!

lets just ignore the fact only half of my summary pieces are published ones and the other half are just favorites from my un-published work hahahAHAHHA

(as you can probably guess, the months where the drawings are the most sketchy - february, april and november - didnt really have that much artwork im proud of. i have an excuse for novermber, because i was writing for nanowrimo, but i have no memory of the other two. rip me.)

so! a word for every piece!

january: a sketch of cana im still awfully proud of! i used a poster of luke evans as bard the bowman from the hobbit trilogy as a base and im just! still shook

february: part 3 (summer) of my seasons levy drawings alas i never got to autumn it’s connected to one of my countless aus, where she is a forest guardian spirit

march: this piece of gajeel! (but with a the agender pride flag because i got up to editing it later) im still so fond of how it came out! i used it for discord icon for a while back then

april: a clothing/jewelry study i was doing! it is kind of connected to another au i shall never write. (yes. there are. a lot of them.)

may: the famous mermay piece! it was drawn for the first weekly challenge organized on the @gajevyevents discord server and i still think its one of best pieces. very proud of it

june: this amazing levy piece for pride month! i did a lot of drawings for pride as part of a project by @ft-wwtdp but this one is closer to my heart. shes a flower gorl,,,,

july: okay. this one? this one is one my favorite drawing i’ve ever done. it’s my phone wallpaper. it might? look silly and crappy compared to the rest? but it’s my favorite and i love it so much! it’s a silly pokemon au inspired by the pokemon 2014 masters division spectacular pachirisu. IM A NERD OKAY (theyre just. so soft.)

august: ALRIGHT! THIS! THIS ONE! this one is so dear to my heart because its a redraw of one ancient drawing of mine. back in the day i had a voltron au and this is levy’s design for that au but just. this drawing makes me go all soft.

september: this piece i did for @finweanladiesweek! it was the first silm fandom event i took part in and it still fills me with warmth. i had so much fun drawing it - september was when i caved in and finally bought clip studio paint and you can clearly see the difference in quality from there

october: my profile picture! god this one was so much fun, i will never forget it. i thought a lot about this one, whether i wanted to put it or the gajeel day piece i did, but in the end i found i liked this a little bit better.

november: alright, no lies here, i have only like 4 or 5 drawing from november because i was so busy with nanowrimo! this one is a gajeel design study. i struggled a lot between it and another similar piece (gajeel in full profile instead of 3/4) but at last decided on this one. its,,,, soft,,, he soft,,,

december: THIS BAD BOY! i poured hours upon hours of research on this one, it can fit so many artist crying fits. i still think its one of the best ive done, and its so shiny and bright.....

i dont think im supposed to reminisce so hard but it’s the end of the year and im just. im having a lot of feels, you know? i grew up a lot as person, both creative and personal-wise, a lot of things happened. im very happy with all the progress ive done and i cannot wait for what awaits me next year.

i hope 2019 was good to you and i wish you a happier and merrier 2020!

#artists on tumblr #tumblr artist #art summary #2019 art sumary #art on tumblr #monnydoesart #monny talks #wow that was a lot!#i dont think it was the worst year for me #and im kind of #proud of myself?

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hawthornewhisperer · 6 years ago

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Bellarke + parent-trapped (canonverse and maybe angst but a sweet ending?? if it’s not too late)

This is not canonverse and there’s no angst, but I hope you will accept this toothrotting fluff anyway. Based loosely on a tumblr post I’m too lazy to find about warring teachers.

Clarke leaned her shoulder against the side of the bleachers and fought the urge to check the clock. She knew what it would say— still just barely after 10pm, meaning she was stuck in the gym for at least another hour. She had volunteered to chaperone prom mostly because she was a pushover when her students begged her to, but also because she figured there should be at least one openly queer adult there to intervene in case any of the parent chaperones got weird and judgy about a kid’s choices. But so far, it was just terrible dancing and way more teenage hormones than anyone should have to deal with on their free time.

At least half the girls on the dance floor had kicked off their shoes, and if Clarke wasn’t quite so concerned about catching athlete’s foot she’d probably join them, because her calves were killing her. Across the room Bellamy was mirroring her posture, leaning against a pillar with his stupidly big arms crossed across his stupidly big chest.

She really should be more mature about her dislike of him, but something about Mr. Blake reduced her to acting like one of their students. Things could have gone very differently between them, but he had gone and picked a fight with her during their first all-faculty inservice and Clarke had a hard time backing down from anything, least of all a well-earned grudge. He appeared to be made of the same stuff, and by now their animosity was legendary.

What had started as low-simmering hatred, surfacing as barbed comments during faculty meetings and sotto voce asides on the hallway, had recently boiled over into all out war. A weird quirk of scheduling meant Clarke’s third period art class was virtually the same roster as Bellamy’s fourth period world history. She overheard a couple of students whispering Mr. Blake told Mr. Miller that Ms. Griffin is annoying, and decided that if he was going to be so unprofessional as to say that shit in front of students, she would escalate things.

And that was how twenty-five teenagers had made their own Roman helmets and wore them to their next class under the strict condition they would refuse to acknowledge that they were wearing anything unusual. Two days later her students spent the entire class period talking in pig-latin, which was both annoying and secretly a little hilarious because she knew he had probably wanted to get them to speak actual latin but figured that was too difficult to pull off in one day.

For the past month, their classes had been in an all out prank war. Nothing was off limits— Clarke’s class turned his entire room into a life size chessboard (using washable paint, she wasn’t a monster); Bellamy’s refused to draw anything that wasn’t in Egyptian Middle Kingdom style even though they were doing an exercise on goddamn perspective. Clarke got them to pair up and switch names for an entire class period; Bellamy walked into her class and handed back his goddamn tests like he owned the place.

It was, quite frankly, entirely out of hand. The students loved it, of course, and the whole school seemed to be waiting to see what each of them would come up with next. Clarke kept waiting for Principal Kane to step in, and even though he was technically her step-dad, she was a little worried he’d side with Bellamy anyway, since they seemed to have an easy, almost-father-son vibe.

Clarke shifted her weight and lost the battle with her willpower, checking the clock for the hundredth time in an hour. Ten-fifteen; you can make it another forty-five minutes. She turned back to the dance floor and noticed Madi Black making her way over, a mischievous look on her face. Across the room Bellamy was talking to Jordan Green, brow furrowed. “Having fun, Madi?” Clarke asked, dragging her gaze away from Bellamy’s obnoxiously handsome face.

“Loads,” Madi said. “But remember when you said you owed me? That day when I helped you carry all your things in from your car?”

Clarke stood up straighter, because she did remember saying that, but it was the sort of off-hand comment you make as a thank you, not an actual contract written in blood. “I do,” she said carefully.

“Well, I’m here to cash in,” Madi said, her grin almost dangerous. “I have a favor to ask.”

“Which is?”

“Dance with Mr. Blake.”

“Wh— what?” Clarke spluttered. On the other side of the gym, Bellamy seemed to be having the same disagreement with Jordan. He was shaking his head, but Jordan looked determined. “I don’t think that’s—”

“It’s just a dance, Ms. Griffin,” Madi wheedled. “For me? Come on, you promised.”

Clarke glared at her because she’d done nothing of the sort, but she knew she’d lost. She was, as previously established, a complete pushover for her students. She nervously straightened her bracelet as she walked towards Bellamy, and noticed he seemed to be fidgeting with his tie. Students parted before them and they met awkwardly in the middle. Bellamy held out his hand and she took it, a fleeting smile on both their faces. As if on cue, the DJ switched from the pulsing beat of hip hop to something much slower.

“It seems we have an audience,” Bellamy said, clearing his throat. He didn’t seem able to meet her gaze, which was fine with Clarke because she was having trouble hiding the blush crawling up her neck. She really should have found a dress with a high collar or something, because this was...not ideal.

The entire junior and senior classes had stopped dancing to watch them, chaperones included. “It seems we do,” she murmured. She kept her gaze fixed just over his shoulder. “How’d they get you?”

“Jordan handed in an extra credit project and said he’d rather have me do one activity of his choice at prom, within reason, instead of the points. I thought he was going to make me do a Fortnite dance, quite frankly, and I wish I hadn’t spent so much damn time trying to learn one. You?”

“Madi helped me carry my stuff in one day and I said I owed her. Which in retrospect is feeling sort of like a set up.”

Bellamy huffed out a laugh. He flexed his hand on her lower back and Clarke steadfastly ignored the pleasant shiver that ran up her spine. “I think it’s safe to say this was planned. Possibly for months.”

“It’s tough to say who’s more to blame for teaching them that; my strategic brilliance or your knack for subterfuge,” Clarke said, biting back an inexplicable grin.

Bellamy laughed again and her stomach did a little flip flop. “I think we can both take credit for this. Or maybe blame. How long did it take you to make those life size chess pieces, by the way?”

“Way too long,” she admitted. “Did you really spend an entire class period teaching them pig latin?”

“Two, actually. The first was my attempt to teach them rudimentary latin, which went about as well as can be expected.”

She couldn’t stop the smile on her face now, and there were excited gasps from the crowd. Even Kane was beaming. “Truce?” she offered.

“That depends. Did you or did you not tell them which car was mine so they could toilet paper it?”

Clarke winced, but they were both laughing now. “I plead the fifth. And it wasn’t toilet paper, it was washable paint.”

“I suppose this is where I admit there might be some toilet paper on your car, then,” he said, and oh no that smile no no no I’m screwed, she thought. An entire year of fighting a stupid crush, destroyed in under three minutes.

“Okay, fair enough. If—” she broke off, keenly aware that they were literally dancing in a spotlight.

“If?” he prompted.

Oh what the hell. “If you buy me pancakes after the dance is over.”

“Only if you pay for the car wash.” The song ended. Their students burst into a wild round of applause and wolf-whistles, and Clarke decided to throw caution to the wind.

The resulting noise when she kissed his cheek almost blew the roof off the gym.

#bellarke #bellarke fanfiction #writingwanderlust

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queenmorgawse · 6 years ago

Text

transmigration for dummies

a mdzs scum villain au, based on @lee-luca‘s art. read on ao3. ( warning : implied car accident. )

Jingyi’s first thought upon waking up is ugh, it’s still dark outside. He’s lucky enough to live fairly close to school, so he doesn’t have to wake up anytime before seven, so why—

Memories from last night (?) hit. Thus, his second thought is shit, mom’s going to kill me.

Figuratively, of course. Besides the fact she’d miss him too much (pro tip : as long as your mom still brings you plates of sliced fruit, she still loves you), Jingyi’s fairly sure he’s already dead.

The question of how, though, remains mostly unanswered. Of course, that’s the point : he might have avoided dying if he’d been paying attention. But as things are, and try as he may to remember anything at all, there’s only the screech of tires and someone’s blood-curdling scream and then nothing. The thought makes his skin crawl.

He blinks at the ceiling blearily. There are probably other people right in this room, because he can hear quiet shuffling and whispers and the unmistakable sound of early morning yawns. Is this some kind of dorm? Did he flash back in time and wake up in his old boarding school?

No way. He hated the place, and it apparently hated him back, but at least the pillows there didn’t feel like they were made of wood. Jingyi sits up, rubbing at his neck with a wince, and the sight that greets him knocks the breath right out of him.

All around him, young boys are getting out of bed, shrugging out of their sleeping clothes and into white robes, occasionally shoving at each other until another friend shushes them into behaving, all of it in almost perfect silence. The scene looks like it was lifted straight out of some wuxia movie he used to watch on school nights to procrastinate homework.

Nobody seems to notice him staring (yet), so Jingyi keeps at it. Their clothes look kind of familiar. Maybe it’s cosplay? Wait, I know! Cloud-patterned robes and forehead ribbons, that’s it ⎯ these guys look exactly like Lan Wangji from ‘Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation’! The art’s everywhere on his Twitter feed, it’s hard not to catch the reference.

As soon as the thought crosses his mind, something rings right next to his ear. He almost screams, right before he’s cut off by a cheerful mechanical voice.

【Activation Code：「Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation」. Automatically triggering system.】

Okay, what the hell?

Jingyi glances around. No one else seems to have heard anything. The oddest reaction he gets is from some of the boys, who stare at him, somewhat bewildered, before blinking it off and turning away, as if deciding it really isn’t any of their business if he decides to laze around in bed a little longer.

【We welcome your entrance into the System. This system is based on the developing concept of 「I wish school wasn’t that boring」. We hope to provide you with the best experience. It is our sincere hope that during the course of your experience, you can achieve what you desired. We pray for your happiness. 】

System? He can practically feel gears turning in his head before they click to a conclusion. Seems like all this time spent reading novels on his phone during class is paying off. He’s not that fond of transmigration novels, but damn if he’s not glad he’s read at least a few now. What does this entail, though? Is there any way to go back?

Mom’s going to miss me.

Even as concern clouds his mind, some little part of Jingyi knows there’s probably no turning back from here. What if he comes to in a hospital, bedridden forever, unable to even move his pinkie finger? What if the other him - if there’s another him at all - really is dead, and going home just means fading?

“Oi.” He grabs the nearest teenager by the sleeve and - by the looks of it - almost startles the soul out of him. “Where are we?”

The other looks at him like he’s grown a second head. “What do you mean, where are we?”

“A-Ming, be kind, Shui-jie just allowed him out of the infirmary yesterday night,” another voice chides gently. Someone lays a warm hand on his forehead. “Jingyi, are you feeling better?”

He rubs his eyes. A kind-eyed face comes into focus. The newcomer’s hair is already neatly tied back with a cloud-patterned band, and his blue-gray eyes gaze down at him with enough benevolence that Jingyi feels his breakdown step back a little. “I’m alright,” he says, if only he can’t think of anything else that won’t sound weird.

“These are the Cloud Recesses,” Pretty Boy continues, with all the patience of a saint. He misinterprets Jingyi’s widened eyes wildly. “Don’t strain yourself, you’ve hit your head pretty hard, and Shui-jie said you might be a little confused when you wake up. But you remember me, right? Sizhui? We were together on that night-hunt.”

As Sizhui speaks, another screen has materialized. The AI, or whatever it is exactly, barrels on with renewed enthusiasm.

【System activation successful! Binding your role: Gusu Lan Sect, junior disciple ‘Lan Jingyi’. Starting B Points: 100】

Sizhui is still staring at him, looking increasingly worried. Jingyi’s brain short-circuits in more ways than one. He manages a weak “Huh”, clearly not at top eloquence.

Hey, man, Alexa, whatever you are, what the fuck?

As if reading his mind, the disembodied voice chirped, 【You initiated the command for the system’s implementation and are already bound to the account ‘Lan Jingyi.’】

I heard you the first time! To be honest, he’s still trying to process the implications. This is, as he suspected, the plot of ‘Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation’, plagiarized by this insane system down to a T, and Sizhui is Lan Sizhui, the protagonist’s kid. Not that either of them know that. If there’s even a smidgen of logic in this whole endeavor, he can assume he’s starting from the beginning, when everyone’s clueless about their relationship to everyone.

At least, if Lan Jingyi’s still alive, this must be before the Yi City arc. He can make it there too, right? Provided he doesn’t die from snorting corpse powder in the creepiest town in Fantasy Ancient China. Cool, cool, cool, cool. This is absolutely fine.

Jeez, he even thought it was funny that one of the side characters in the novel shared his first name. If he could go back, he’d punch his past self in the face then beg him to think about anyone else⎯ like someone cooler, or just someone who doesn’t die a stupid death as cannon fodder just to be forgotten in the next five chapters.

He buries his face in his hands, takes a deep breath and tries to calm down. So, what do I do now...System? Can I call you Alexa?

【You may not. As the plot progresses, there will be many point-giving missions gradually opened. Please make sure that the points obtained for each mission are not less than zero. Otherwise, the system will automatically give punishment. 】

Punishment? Doesn’t sound ominous at all. Just for that, he might be tempted to call it Alexa anyway. As if latching onto his train of thoughts, the System chides, 【Failure to keep your points value above zero will result in automatic deportation back to your original world. 】

Note to self : don’t complain too much. As it turns out, things can always get worse.

He digs through his brain to remember everything he can about Lan Jingyi. Not that there’s much to go off of in canon, given the page time he was allotted before his untimely death, some thirty-something chapters in.

Okay, be methodical about this. It’s easy enough to place himself within Gusu Lan sect : even if his brain had somehow glossed over such an obvious piece of information, his surroundings would have reminded him soon enough. Jingyi’s fairly sure that the original was even part of the main clan. Does this mean he’s got other relatives now, maybe even a new set of parents? The moment the thought crosses his mind, he pushes it down. This deserves its own, separate freak-out.

Moving on to Lan Jingyi himself. In retrospect, Jingyi regrets not paying more attention to him, but why would he? The guy had been a background fixture, mildly important as a supporting character in the junior disciples’ group but still removed from the rest of them because - he’s not going to lieto himself - this dude was kind of a jerk. He remembers Lan Sizhui was nice to the original, but Lan Sizhui’s nice to basically everyone, even Jin Ling at his whiniest. It’s not much of a criteria. Even now, he’s shown nothing but patience to New-Jingyi. Some of it may be due to the fact he apparently just recovered from a pretty serious injury, but he’ll take whatever he can get.

The more he thinks about it, the more chaotic Jingyi’s thoughts get. How is he supposed to keep living here? It’s not his world, it’s not even real. And what if someone realizes he’s an impostor? If he gets thrown out of the sect on grounds of...possession or something, what’s he going to do?

He grunts, pressing his hands against his temples. Breathe in, breathe out. He can do this. Here’s the plan.

Step one : integrate. Make friends where the original guy didn’t manage (or didn’t want to). Besides potentially coming in handy later, Jingyi’s always hated being lonely.

Step two : learn everything he can. If he’d known, he would have spent more time reading up on ‘Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation’’s lore, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk. Keep it up at least until the plot begins. Then, he’s got to assume either the original plot or the System will show him the way. It did mention missions, right?

Step three : reach the end of Yi City arc alive, and then keep surviving. Maybe he won’t ever be the protagonist, but he can at least avoid kicking the bucket like some random extra. Best case scenario, the System will drop-kick him into another story (can you imagine landing in Proud Immortal Demon Way? ugh). Worst case scenario, he’ll just fade into the void, like some permanent game over.

Unpleasant. But at least, either way, he’s never going to spend a fortune in college funds.

“Jingyi?” Someone’s waving a tentative hand in front of his face. Jingyi blinks a few times, realizing he must have looked pretty spaced out. “Do you need any help getting ready?”

Sizhui again. The guy really is too sweet for his own good, Jingyi reflects, but as long as he’s out of his depth, he could do with a bit of help. So he does as any normal polite classmate would do : he smiles at the other and goes, “Yeah, if you don’t mind. Thanks.”

Almost immediately, the System blares out, 【Warning. Your current attitude constitutes a violation of behavior, please remain careful. In the event of another breach, the system will automatically give punishment. 】

Oh, come on!

read chapter 2.

hi guys! i hope you liked reading this piece of crack as much as i liked writing it. i don't plan on having a regular update schedule for this fic, as it's a rather light work and uni's kicking my ass on the daily, but i definitely plan to write more of it as soon as i can. some notes : - i took the liberty to make modern!jingyi a second gen kid, if only because he's going to keep making references (at least in his inner monologue) to his 'previous life' and i don't trust myself to be accurate if it was still set in china. and also because i do have a tendency to Project. - some of the system's 'standard' lines are from bcnovels' translation of scum villain.

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #mdzs fic #lan jingyi #lan sizhui #zhuiyi #kim's fics #transmigrator!ljy

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apex-academy · 6 years ago

Text

Chapter 3: Down Down Down and the Flames Went Higher (#15)

Kaichi still hasn’t found anything useful by the time we finish breakfast. He didn’t seem to have much written so far, so I won’t get my hopes up. Either way, there’s not much use sitting around in here when we’re all done eating.

Aware of this, Itsurou steps to the front of the room and claps his gloved hands together.

“If you all would leave your plates where they are, I shall be happy to clean up.”

“Ah, allow me to help.”

“No, no, ‘tis fine. The glasses appear to be rather fragile...”

Several people look at Tsunyasha.

“?”

“...so I’d prefer to have as few people attempting to squeeze past each other in the kitchen as possible.”

“I suppose...?”

Mahavir looks at his dirty dishes like he’d be abandoning a child. Tamiko, meanwhile, seems much less upset.

“Thanks, hon! ‘Preciate it.”

“No, thank you girls for the meal!”

“Yes! Thank you terribly, mis amores. I’ll have to find some way to repay you...”

“I’m sure I can make it worth your while.”

“Okay...”

Yuki, no.

People start to filter out as Itsurou zips around collecting plates and glasses. Some hang around the hallway to chat, but I’d rather stretch my legs. Maybe I’ll hop over to the aerobics room. Maybe bring the fire extinguisher.

“Or, actually...”

I’ll give the art room another try. I can see a little better now, so maybe it won’t be so hard to get a look. Just have to see if I can do it without drawing undue attention.

I head for the art room door and lay my fingers on the handle.

“.......”

I stay frozen longer than I should. It’s just my imagination. She’s gone. I know she’s gone. If there’s a secret message or something in here, I have to check it out.

I open the door with my breath held. The corpse hasn’t suddenly returned. Everything else looks the same.

“.........”

“Okay. It was supposed to be...”

I turn on the light, but nothing happens. Besides the lights turning on, at least. With that, I make my way to the pottery wheels and the damaged wall behind them. Guess I could have asked Itsurou for more details, or if he’s checked it out himself already. He’s a little busy, though.

Stepping over clumps of plaster, I peer at the outer wall. After a while of searching the goopy-looking mortar, I find that weird wire.

It’s not far from the dumbbell and other pieces of the machine that never got cleaned up. If I need an excuse for being in here, I can just say I was fetching those.

“That is odd, though.”

The coating of the wire running along this wall has several gaps, but this part of it is completely bare. Did current run through here, or is all of this part of some abandoned prototype?

“...”

Didn’t we use something like this for the rust traps, too? Maybe not exactly, but... If a current can help break down steel, surely there’s some way to apply that to mortar. Did Aidan figure out a way to make it work? That would have broken rules, but if he disguised it as part of the murder machine, maybe Monochap would turn a blind eye to it?

I’m also just below the cameras in this room, and I can’t see any more in the sort-of crawlspace. Could this stretch of wall be a blind spot? Is this really the reason...

“...If he knew it would work, he wouldn’t have used the machine.”

So it’s nothing certain, but it was worth a shot? Better than any ideas I’ve got right now.

I hold my hand over the bare wires, but I don’t feel my hair stand on end. Since the pottery wheel isn’t spinning anymore, I’m sure this part’s off, too. I still avoid the wires themselves as I press my fingertips to the brick. It’s cool to the touch.

Am I sure this really is the outside wall? It would be strange, but maybe there’s another layer beyond it. Then again, I don’t think Rule #8 would have been written like it is if we couldn’t actually get to the outside wall.

I take a deep breath and push on the brick. A sharp scraping sound makes me flinch. It doesn’t look like anything’s changed, but...

“...”

My hands tremble, but there’s no sign of Monochap. I push a little harder.

More scraping.

“...!”

It stopped there, but if I just put a little more oomph into it, then maybe...!

Wait. There’s no point knocking it out right now if Monochap might find it before I can do anything with the gap. And I don’t have the flare. Crap, where even is it? Arthur’s study hall?

I straighten up, kneel again, grab the plaster-dusted baseball for an excuse, and hastily walk out. Guess I’m going to the gym first if I’m going to convince anyone I’m not up to anything. I run into Tsunyasha on the stairs, but she doesn’t ask questions. I’ll take it.

I drop off the baseball and zip to Arthur’s study hall.

Unlocked, as usual. It takes me a few deep breaths before I can pull the door open.

“Whoa! Kakumi!”

I jump back. In retrospect, I shouldn’t be surprised he’s here. But then again, he isn’t alone.

“What, somebody crashin’ the party?”

“Am I interrupting something? These doors can lock, you know.”

“Really?! Incredible!”

“We’re just hangin’ out, though.”

“Yea, ain’t much of a date if ya just let anybody crash it.”

Arthur laughs before turning back to me.

“What’s up, mate?”

“Oh, I...”

Do I trust them enough to let them in on this? Maybe not quite that much.

“Do you still have any road flares in here? I wanted to try something.”

“What, makin’ your own fireworks?”

“More or less...”

“Do I?”

“I’ll look around.”

“Thanks.”

I hang back awkwardly in the doorway as Arthur shuffles through all the junk in his room. I can’t remember if Aki brought the flare back, or whatever else could have happened to it. But it won’t surprise me if this hunt takes a while.

I try not to sneak glances at the cameras. It’s hard to fight the urge, but checking won’t tell me anything. It would just tell anyone watching that I’m acting suspicious today. Not what I want.

“Dunno how many you were lookin’ for, but I found one, at least.”

“That’s plenty. You don’t mind?”

“Not at all!”

He hands it over.

“I’m not gonna be gettin’ into any roadside trouble anytime soon, so.”

Tamiko gives me a nod.

“If you figure out any good pyrotechnics, lemme know, all right? Might be good for the concert.”

“Sure thing.”

I bid them goodbye and slip out of the room. Maybe I should be concerned they don’t care about me setting the building on fire, but then again, we’re talking about Arthur. And Tamiko seems... distracted somehow.

I let out a breath and step into the art room. I’ll only have one shot at lighting this thing, so I'll wait until I hear a plane overhead. Right? There aren’t any highways nearby, and we’re not that close to shore, so that’s the only thing that could really notice the flare.

And if I’m caught damaging the exterior wall... Well, the rules are pretty darn subject to change. I’m sure I can find a loophole somewhere if this spot isn’t as blind as I’d hoped.

“...”

I sit, my back against the first pottery wheel, and examine the road flare for instructions. It has its own built-in matchstick kind of thing. Not too hard to figure out.

I don’t know how long I have to wait. Biding my time elsewhere isn’t a great plan. I wouldn’t have much of a window to get back in here if I hear engines. Guess I’ll do something artistic.

I’ve only just cleaned off some table space for a fresh sheet of paper when I freeze.

“That...”

I shoot a glance at the door, but it doesn’t move. Something could be happening upstairs, but I doubt it would sound this similar to a plane passing overhead.

I sidestep to the loose brick and grab the flare. Here’s hoping I haven’t missed anything that’s going to get me punished for my efforts.

Okay! I’ll push with as much force as I can!

“Hnngh...!”

The scraping is high-pitched but quiet. The brick comes to a stop. It’s still not even halfway out. I huff and try again. Nothing. The dull roar overhead grows louder.

“Dammit!”

I try a kick, but the toe of my boot doesn’t fit in there well. I reach for the five-pound weight and rip it off the stupid string. The head of the weight is small enough to fit in the recess. I set it up and give the other end a solid kick. I don’t know if the brick moves, or if the metal is just making the scraping noises against it. If anything budges, it’s not by much. Definitely not enough to toss the flare out.

Are the engines getting quieter? How much time do I have before they're gone?

“Augh!”

I try more kicking and then just slam the dumbbell into the wall. Red crumbles fly off, but the brick holds its position. The noise overhead fades.

I nearly throw the dumbbell to the floor in frustration before stopping myself. If I do anything in view of the cameras, I’m screwed. I might be screwed already after all that noise.

“...”

Let’s just run this back to the stupid weight room before Monochap decides to crash the party. I grab the part of it you’re actually supposed to hold and hurry over. Otoya’s not in here today, so no problems getting it to the weight rack. It clanks onto the rails with sad finality.

“....................”

Guess dissolving a little mortar isn’t going to break all of it down. Or just enough of it. Can’t say we didn’t try. But...

Dammit.

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#apexplot #apex3 #fangan #selfnote

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