#Dreams love life is a mess so we have to be a little bit understanding
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secondjulia · 2 years ago
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1589 Dream in fae form.
SO... 1589 Dream looks like the grown up version of the boys in Estranged, and I couldn't get it out of my head, AND it is 100% cannon that Dream has a form for pretty much every dreaming species (see the multitude of Dreams in Sandman Overture) so here's my attempt at faery Dream 🙂
Perhaps this is the one that hooked up with Titania? You can see how Shakespeare would be a step up, and perhaps Hob — sorry, Sir Robert Gadlen — a painful reminder of the vain, mercurial court life the Dream King had only just escaped...
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navybrat817 · 2 months ago
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What do we think of a pining Bucky who isn't good at flirting anymore?
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I love that idea, nonnie.
Bucky who is trying to get his bearings after everything and seeing you brings so much comfort to his life. You're patient and accepting. Just a good person. And you're so beautiful to him. One of the most beautiful people he has ever laid eyes on.
But he has a tendency to stare a little bit too long and doesn't exactly look away when you catch him. The old him would've said something charming, but the current him just continues to stare. Sometimes gives you an awkward smile in return. It's kind of sweet though, especially when he cringes before he looks away.
Bucky who wants to spend more time with you and finds excuses to hang out or linger nearby. You're so easy to talk to and listen to and don't seem to mind his company. It's nice that you want him around, especially when so many others want your attention.
But it creates another awkward moment when he laughs at a joke you make... to someone else. Both of you turn to look at him and he can't come up with an excuse for why he's eavesdropping because he wasn't even supposed to be there. How can he blend in so easily in any other situation, except for when it comes to you? You're nice enough to give him a soft smile when he salutes you and walks away. He wants to kick his own ass for that because he. Saluted. You.
Bucky who sees you talking to another guy one day and he once again lingers nearby. Are you attracted to him? Is he funny? Does it treat you well? He blurts out, "So, are you seeing him or something?" when the guy walks away. He looks a little relieved and a bit too eager when you say not only are you not seeing the guy, but you're single. Now's the perfect opportunity to ask you out, right?
But instead of taking a chance, he says, "That's great that you're single. Really great." He can feel the cheek tic the moment the words leave his mouth. At least he doesn't salute you this time when your brows furrow, but he quickly takes his leave again and groans once he's far enough away. He's an idiot.
Bucky who is happy you're still talking to him despite him being him and tries to surprise you one by making your favorite meal. He's so careful, checking the recipe multiple times to get it just right. He even manages a relaxed smile when he sees you and proudly holds up dish. "Heard this was your favorite, so I wanted to surprise you."
But almost like he's watching in slow motion, his super soldier reflexes can't stop him from dropping the meal right at your feet. His eye twitches when he realizes the food splashed on your shoes and legs. Neither of you speak and you hardly react. "I'm so sorry," he finally says. The sadness that takes over your eyes is enough for him to deflate. "I'm fucking hopeless around you," he mutters before grabbing something to clean it up, his shoulders sagging in defeat.
Bucky who doesn't understand why he can't just have this one thing go right. All he wants to do is be with you and be good to you. If you give him a chance... But why would you since he keeps making an ass out of himself? At least Steve and Sam don't witness any of his fumbling when it comes to you.
But his hope renews when you crouch to help him clean up the mess. The hope grows when you smile at him, his heart and stomach twisting in tight knots. "It's okay, Bucky. I'm sorry I didn't get to try it, but I'm sure it was delicious," you say, your hand touching his. He longs to feel you touch him again. "Maybe we can make it together sometime? If you'd like," you offer.
Bucky who isn't sure he heard you correctly even with his excellent hearing. Who says "Yes!" a little too loudly once the words register and makes you giggle when he pinches himself. He can't help himself. He has to make sure he isn't dreaming. And he hopes when you two make that meal together he can convince you to go on a date with him.
Awkwardness and all.
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Our poor awkward Bucky. I kind of love him. What other awkward shenanigans can he get up to? Love and thanks! ❤️
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erospandemos · 9 months ago
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Some things never change
NewJeans Danielle x Reader
Where Danielle tries everything in her power to make you understand her feelings
Beta-reader: @leafostuff
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You had known Danielle Marsh all your life, from when she was just a little kid to now that she's a fully grown adult, although her height kind of stopped halfway. You met her in the first days of elementary school. She must have looked weak to the other kids with her two missing teeth, thin legs, and pale complex, so a group of rascals started messing with her.
They would call her all sorts of names with their limited word knowledge, mocking her with gestures and weird sounds. They'd also push her around or make her trip and fall. Even though their mind was still limited, they already had a knack for bullying.
You happened to be around her when you witnessed one of those scenes. All it took was a slap and a threat and the kids fled away. It was just a normal thing for you, as fights were very common at that age but for Danielle, you were her saviour.
"Are you okay?" you asked her worryingly.
Amidst her sniffling, Danielle managed to reply, "Those bullies were teasing me. But you made them go away, so thank you."
You felt a bit bad about her. Her eyes were so red from crying and she kept rubbing her eyelids to dry those endless tears. "Don't worry Danielle. They will never tease you again. I'll always be here for you," you reassured her, not knowing what kind of promise you were making.
What followed were days, weeks, and months of annoyance. Danielle followed you everywhere you went, pestering you from the morning to the afternoon—always talking, always joking, always asking.
"Thank you for helping me!" she told you. "Jinyoung hasn't been mean to me anymore! I love you!"
You were annoyed. You let her talk and kept walking, "He was just being an ass. It's nothing special."
She began to be your shadow, a silent companion seeking solace. A girl looking for a friend, or at least that is what you and she thought. There was already something present in her heart but you just didn't know it yet. But kids learned quickly.
It was a random day in April when she made her first move.
"My parents taught me that I should hug the ones I love. Can I hug you?" Danielle asked you, her eyes earnest and pleading.
You were caught off guard but still nodded hesitantly. You opened your arms and she stopped closer, embracing you tightly. She found comfort in your warmth and kept you there close to her. You didn't know why she did that but you liked it too.
Then a couple of months later, you were invited to her house. You and her parents got to know each other and figured it would be a good occasion for you two to bond together. At her house, there was a very nice illustrated book for children. The kind to have small but enormous sentences. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement when she brought it out from her desk to show it to you.
"It's a story about a prince who married the princess he saved. Don't you think that it's so... cool?" She said, her eyes wondering between dreams and fantasies.
"Yeah, I guess," you replied. You didn't fully grasp the implication of the tale. You just liked the drawings.
"You saved me from the bullies, just like the prince. Maybe... maybe we could get married someday?" Danielle confessed, blushing.
You chuckled nervously, still oblivious and clueless.
Things also got more complicated when she caught you talking with a girl from your class.
"Who's she?" Danielle asked, laced with jealousy.
"Oh, this is my friend from the class, Seo-yeon," you introduced her, unaware of her stern demeanor.
"Well, she better not try to steal you away from me!" she declared, pouting and crossing her arms.
You laughed nervously again, not understanding what she was trying to say, and apologized the poor Seo-yeon who was receiving the possessive gave from Danielle.
That was more than ten years ago. But now that you were both grown up, things didn't change at all.
You're reading the book you've been saving up for weeks, finally free from the exam season of college. It's been a relaxing day, as it's been the first full break you could take and you decided to just replenish your energy by doing nothing all day. The day was good outside but you didn't feel like going out at all.
But you did not know that the outside would visit you instead.
A too-familiar figure barged into your room, with a familiar voice and force. "Hey! Your mom said I could come in. Hope you don't mind," Danielle exclaims.
You look up, surprised. You have to bid goodbye to your book because there was no way she would've left the house now.
"Uh, hey. No, not at all," you say, recollecting yourself. Looking around, you could see the mess the room was left in but after all the times your friend had seen, it wasn't much of a problem. You just left it as it was.
Danielle approaches, her grin widening as she eyes the book in your hands. She lowers her head and reads your title, not because she is interested, but because it could be a potential reason to tease you.
"What fascinating world are you escaping to today?" Danielle asks you.
Before you can respond, Danielle snatches the book away, dramatically flipping through the pages, not a word passing through her eyes.
"It's a great book, you know," you say before she can judge you. But that wasn't her intention. Danielle tosses the book aside and, with a sly grin, moves closer to you.
"Boys, your age don't really stay in their house all day, shouldn't you go outside?"
You raise your eyebrow. "What are you trying to say?
She clears her throat, "Well, you know, all boys go around picking girls, shouldn't you be interested in girls too? Especially me..."
"Books are interesting enough," you say, annoyed.
Danielle sighs heavily and slaps your shoulder. "You really don't get it do you...? Whatever," she says, "But do you know what's even more interesting than books?"
Without waiting for an answer, Danielle wraps her arm around you, pulling him into an unexpected side hug. You, visibly annoyed and embarrassed, squirm from the surprise and try to claw out of her grasp. But it just gets tighter. "Danielle, seriously, what are you doing?" you stutter.
Danielle chuckles, enjoying your annoyed remarks, and lets her other arm get you too.
"Just playing with you."
You try to pull away, but Danielle persists.
"Can we not do this right now?" you say. Danielle rolls her eyes and sighs before releasing you.
"Oh, come on. Just having a bit of fun," she says, pouting.
She playfully pokes your cheek and laughs.
"This is ridiculous."
Danielle seizes the opportunity and leans closer, circling your thighs. "You know, a little embarrassment never hurt anyone," she says and eyes you up and down, locking her eyes with yours. "Besides, you're kinda cute when you're flustered."
You groan, covering your face with your hands. "Why are you doing this???"
She laughs, finally satisfied, and lets herself fall on the couch. "You know," she speaks truthfully, "there's something about you that's just too irresistible."
"Yeah, you aren't the only one."
Suddenly, you feel Danielle's intense gaze on you. "Who else is teasing you? Girls?"
"Sometimes?"
"Oh, that's not good. They have to know you're taken."
You raise an eyebrow. You don't sense anything good coming. "What are you talking about now?"
"I was thinking, maybe I should leave my scent on you. You know, like marking my territory. That way, other girls will know you're taken."
You blink repeatedly, utterly bewildered.
"Leave your scent? Danielle, we're not animals."
Danielle chuckles.
"Just imagine it – you walk into a room, and everyone's like, –Oh, they smell like Danielle. They're off the market!–"
"You've been watching too many nature documentaries."
"Shut up and come here."
Danielle snuggles closer, her energy warming the room and your body. You feel her arms quickly wrapping around your body and her legs tangling into yours and before you knew it, she was already spooning you. After all these years of doing so, she has gotten quite good at it. "You know, you really should loosen up. It's just a cuddle between old friends."
You shift uncomfortably, a bit against her although her lively insistence was stronger than your will. "Danielle, seriously, we're not kids anymore. We can't just... cuddle like this."
She tilts her head, studying you with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Come on! Don't be such a grown-up. We used to do this all the time when we were kids. It's nostalgic!"
You sigh, giving in a bit. "Yeah, but things are different now."
Danielle was a slim girl, petite. She felt small although you were the one under her grasp, and her limbs were delicate and fragile. She felt small but soft as well. She was an adult now, and her touch made your heart beat faster, in a way it never did.
Danielle grins, unphased. "Different doesn't have to mean worse."
"But seriously," Danielle says with curiosity, "you used to be the one initiating these cuddle sessions. What happened to that fearless little kid?"
You blush, a rare occurrence for the reserved you. "Well, things change. People change."
Danielle's eyes soften, and she nudges you gently. You can smell her perfume and it calms you. "Change isn't always bad, you know."
You can't help but smile at her infectious enthusiasm. Danielle, her head still nestled against your shoulder, can't resist the opportunity to tease you. "You know, I always thought you were the bravest little knight in our little adventures when we were young."
You raise an eyebrow, a hint of a smile playing on your lips. "A knight, huh? I'm not sure I see the resemblance."
Danielle chuckles, tracing imaginary patterns on your arm. A soft red starts to appear on your cheek. "Oh, please! You were my protector, always ready to face imaginary dragons and monsters. What happened to that fearless warrior?"
"Well, maybe I outgrew the knight phase."
Danielle leans back, looking at you with a sly grin. "Outgrew, or maybe you're just afraid to admit that deep down, you still have a bit of that brave knight in you."
You roll your eyes, but a small smile lingers on your face.
"Did you remember when I told you I'd be your princess? I still mean it you know?" she says, as if it was nothing.
You realize the meaning of her words and can't fathom any response, and Danielle can't help but enjoy the gentle blush that colors your cheeks. She teases you further, "You're blushing, Mr. Grown-up. Who would've thought the mighty knight would be so easily flustered?"
You mumble something incoherent, avoiding her gaze.
That was typical of you and your friend: constant teasing and joking. But you knew you wanted something more from her and you were just running around, trying to avoid it. One day, however, it finally came to you, knocking at your door, and you had to face it head-on.
You hear a loud frantic knocking on your door. The sudden noise surprises you and you get slowly, weary of who might be on the other end. The knocking doesn't stop and you look into the peephole. To your surprise, it wasn't a killer coming for you but it was your friend, Danielle, and from the looks of it, with her disheveled hair and tired eyes, she wasn't looking so good. You open the door and she bursts inside your apartment, drenched from head to toe, dripping water everywhere.
"Whoa, Danielle! What happened to you?" you exclaim.
She shakes herself like a wet dog, sending droplets flying, and brushes her wet strands away from her forehead to look at you in the eyes. "Caught in a sudden downpour. I practically swam here!"
You chuckle and walk to the bathroom. "Don't move!" you tell her as you go grab some towels. You don't want her wetting the whole house as well. "Well, you certainly look like you went for a swim."
Danielle takes the towel, but instead of immediately drying off, she shoots you a mischievous grin. "You look quite excited about seeing me, don't you?"
You raise an eyebrow and look at her, confused. "What do you mean?"
Danielle pretends to inspect her soaked clothes with exaggerated concern, scanning her shirt, and her skirt. She opens her arms and invites you to look at her clothes. "Oh, no. I think these clothes might be see-through now. But I'm sure you already noticed. I can feel you glued on me."
You immediately understand what she's trying to say. You roll your eyes and grow. "Danielle, come on. Don't be ridiculous."
She smirks, wringing out her hair over the towel. "Ridiculous? Or am I just giving you a little peek? You know it's fine. I didn't tell you not to look."
You blush, trying to play it cool. "You're impossible. I'm lucky it's just the two of us. Otherwise, I might get in trouble." You hate to agree with Danielle, but it was impossible for you not to notice her figure, perfectly feminine, perfectly grown, and perfectly beautiful. You gulp loudly and stare at the wall.
Danielle giggles, sauntering over to me with a playful twirl of her wet hair. "Well, I can't let you miss out on the view, can I?" She laughs again as you shoot a quick sideeye at her. "Oh, did I catch you looking again?"
"Come on! No, I didn't."
Danielle comes closer, she's having fun, too much fun. She sways her hips, brushing your chest, leaving wet handprints on your shirt and looks at you with such a teasing smile that you couldn't do anything but blush and back intot he wall. "Oh, don't look away, baby."
"Danielle, cut it out," you stammer, my cheeks turning a deeper shade of red.
She leans in, her voice dropping to a sultrier tone. "What's the matter? Don't tell me you're not enjoying this."
You try to look away, but Danielle continues to playfully tease you. Then she laughs, finally satisfied.
"Okay, okay, I'm just messing with you!" she confesses, wiping away a tear of laughter. "I couldn't resist seeing you squirm."
You sigh in relief, but your embarrassment lingers. "You're unbelievable, Danielle."
She giggles while running away.
You go to your room to pick up some clothes for her, unfortunately you got nothing else to give her but your own clothes. You try the smallest size possible, so at least she wouldn't have to swim in them. You smell them first, to make sure, she won't be annoyed by an unwanted smell, then think if she'd feel cold or not—the house was quite warm on the inside. You knew she always liked to wear shorts, so you get a pair and a shirt and sweater to match.
You hand her the clothes, "Here, these should be more comfortable than wet clothes."
Danielle, takes them and smiles brightly. "Oh, I didn't know you were such a considerate boyfriend," she says. You start blushing but this time she's blushing too between her creased cheeks. You chuckle nervously, dismissing the comment.
"It's nothing," you say and then point the bathroom. "You've already been here before. Go change there or take a shower if you want."
"I'll just change, thank you. Don't peek at me though, okay?"
"What are you saying? Of course I won't," you reply.
She grins and runs into the bathroom to put on your outfit. It doesn't take her a while before she emerges wearing your oversized hoodie and shorts, her hair slightly toused. You have to admit, she looked adorable. The way the hoodie was way too big for her, and how the shorts let you peek at her legs, it was amazing.
It almost looked like she was your girlfriend, and she knew it too.
"Look at me, wearing your clothes," she says, raising her arms. "It's like we're in some romantic drama."
"It's just because your clothes are wet. Don't read too much into it."
Danielle continues, batting her eyelashes dramatically. She looks at you with wide eyes. "You've never offered me your clothes before. Are you sure you're not secretly seeing me as your girlfriend?"
"Don't be ridiculous. It's just clothes," you say, but her words can't leave your mind. You almost agreed.
"But these clothes smell like you," she says, taking a sniff at it. You blush brightly. "Am I stealing your scent now?"
The situation looks absurd and you're getting more and more flustered but still, you had to keep your cool. "Don't overthink it."
She bursts into laughing and jumps into the couch. "You're so cute when you deny things. Maybe I should keep wearing your clothes more often."
Trying to hide his embarrassment, you manage a weak smile. "Sure, Dani, make yourself at home."
You and Danielle keep joking around until something starts to bother your friend. She looks at the sky, more precisely at the rain, as it runs down the window, and her smile starts to fade.
Danielle turns to you and her face drops into a malinconic gaze, her eyes are half there, they're thinking about something else, but you feel the weight on you. "You know, I'm starting to feel like a fool," she says with a sigh.
You blink, taken aback by the sudden intensity in her tone. "What do you mean?"
Danielle paces the room, her agitation pouring out with every step. "You've known for ages how I feel about you. I've dropped hints, practically spelled it out, and yet you never do anything."
Bewildered, you look at her. You couldn't lie to her, you wish you could say you never realized it, but you did. You did know she was flirting with you and you did hear what she told you, clearly and explicitly. But you didn't want to accept it, you didn't want to believe it. "I... I don't realize you feel that way. I think we're just really good friends," you say and truly, you didn't think a girl like her would have any serious intentions behind her smile.
She halts, turning to face you, frustration etched on her features. "Really good friends? You and I spend hours together, we share our deepest thoughts, and I've been giving you every possible sign that I like you. How do you miss it?"
You stammer, attempting to find the right words. "I don't think... I mean, I think you're just being friendly. I never imagined you feel something more. I thought you were just messing with me."
Danielle sighs."That's the problem. You never imagine. You never consider the possibility that my feelings might extend beyond friendship. I've been dropping hints, practically shouting them, and you remain oblivious. Did it ever go through your mind?"
You run a hand through your hair, frustration mirrored in your eyes. "I never mean to hurt you, Danielle. I just... I didn't see it."
Her eyes narrow, the pent-up frustration reaching its peak. "That's precisely it. You don't see it. You never see me. It's like I've been invisible, and no matter how much I hint, you never make a move."
Danielle's words knock the air out of your lungs. You've never seen Danielle this riled up and it hurt you to know you were the cause. You take a moment to trace back your words. Have you ever imagined a life with her? Have you ever wanted to have her to yourself? Have you ever desired her?
The answer was yes. You think deeply if it was fair for you to say that only after she basically begged you to acknowledge her, but it was true, you did like her and you didn't know you were allowed to.
Danielle takes another deep breath, attempting to compose herself, but the frustration continues to spill out. "I've liked you for so long. I think you might feel the same way, but you never make a move. I've been stuck in this limbo, unsure if you even see me as more than a friend. It's driving me insane."
Your eyes soften, a mix of regret and realization settling in. "I didn't mean to make you feel invisible, Danielle. I've just been clueless, and I'm sorry if I hurt you."
She shakes her head, her frustration giving way to a sense of vulnerability. "It's not just about now. It's about all those moments before, the missed opportunities. I can't keep waiting for something that might never happen."
As Danielle's words linger in the air, a heavy silence envelops the room, punctuated only by the sound of rain tapping against the window.
"I never wanted to hurt you, Danielle," you begin. "I've been so focused on convincing myself that you couldn't possibly feel that way about me, that I never stopped to consider how you might be feeling. I'm sorry for not seeing what was right in front of me."
Danielle's gaze softens, a mix of frustration and hurt still lingering. "You're not off the hook that easily. You can't just apologize and expect me to believe you."
You nod. "You're right. I messed up, and I can't change that. But I can be honest with you now. The truth is, I've been afraid. Afraid of ruining our friendship, afraid of facing my own feelings. It's not an excuse, just an explanation."
Danielle raises an eyebrow and folds her arms. "Afraid? You?"
You chuckle wryly. "Fear doesn't always make sense. And I guess I've been scared of admitting that I like you too."
Her eyes widen, she's surprised "You do?"
You nod, your vulnerability laid bare. You hope you didn't make a mistake but you couldn't hold it in, it was now or never. "Yes, Danielle. I do. I've liked you for a while, but I never thought you could feel the same way. I convinced myself it was just a dream."
She tilts her head, a small smile playing on her lips. "So, Mr. Fearless finally admits he's not invincible."
You grin, the tension between you starting to dissipate.
Danielle steps closer, a playful glint in her eyes. As the rain outside continues its rhythmic dance, Danielle takes your hand. "No more hiding, okay? Let's figure this out together."
And for the first time, you hug her first. Your hand gently pulls her and she lets herself go, straight into your arms. You hug her softly, but with passion, with happiness. Danielle does the same, for the first time, not to tease you and not to try to make you fall in love because for once, she knows in her heart you truly love her.
THE END
Written, 16 February - 22 February 2024
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nadvs · 29 days ago
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hii i love your writhing so so so so so much and i was wondering if you could do something a little angsty for basketball rafe at the end of there college days before rafe gets drafted and him and reader fight about ther future like reader is saying your gonna be able to do all this great stuff what am i supposed to do or smth like that 💕💕 ANYWAYS LOVE YOUR WRITTING!!
aw, thank you so much babe 🥹 i love writing about their college days!! i have a blurb here about how they handle him leaving but i haven’t written in detail how the first bad fight about it goes 👀
» au masterlist
when rafe gets the news that he’ll be drafted, she feels guilty for having a sense of worry gnawing at her. she should be overjoyed for her boyfriend, and while she is happy that his career is soaring to such an impressive height, she’s scared of what it means for them.
she still has a year left of college. he’s moving to a city that’s a three-hour flight away. she’s staying put, while his life is changing immensely. in a matter of two weeks, he’ll be gone and things will change.
it’s a cold night when they’re lying in his bed watching tv, the wind rattling the windows. rafe’s one-way flight is in a couple of days. almost everything’s already packed up, the bedroom nearly bare.
underneath the elation of making it professionally, rafe hates that the trade-in for following his dreams is leaving his girl. everyone and everything else will be easy to leave. but not her.
she’s been keeping her emotions under wraps. she feels wrong for hiding them from him, considering they’ve always prided themselves on having an honest relationship, but she doesn’t want to ruin such a big moment for him.
he’s leaning against the bed’s headboard while she rests on his chest. her mind is racing with worries that he’ll find something, or really someone, better than her. nearly six months together feels like a strong enough commitment, a solid enough foundation, but what if it’s not enough?
“what do you think long distance is gonna be like?” rafe mumbles.
they haven’t talked about it. not really. he knows they’re both dreading the conversation. for two people who started a relationship built on directness, they’re great at being in denial.
“i was just thinking about that,” she admits, still blankly staring ahead at the screen. “i don’t know. what do you think?”
rafe’s hand drags up and down her arm. two more days and everything changes. she won’t be a short drive away anymore. her touch, her smell, her everything won’t be accessible. she’ll be reduced to an image on a screen, a voice through a speaker.
“i’m freaked out,” he admits. he’s so afraid of losing her that it hurts. but she stiffens under his touch. she doesn’t agree like he expected.
“are you not confident that we’ll be able to handle it?” she asks.
her mind is a tangled mess. she’s nervous herself, but him being nervous doesn’t feel fair. he’s the one leaving. he’s the one starting a new life. nothing will be changing on her end. everything will be changing on his.
“it’s not that,” rafe says. “stuff will just be… different.”
“of course it will,” she says. she sits up to meet his gaze, her eyes already glossing with tears. “i’ll be stuck here and you’re…”
she shakes her head in frustration.
“what do you mean by freaked out?” she asks tersely.
“i mean that it’s weird that we’re not going to see each other all the time like we do now,” he states. “why are you pissed at me?”
she looks up to the ceiling, exhaling sharply. she hates it, how on edge she’s been, how she can’t just shut her worries up and feel happy for him and be sure they’ll make it.
“i’m not,” she sighs. it’s one of the things she really doesn’t like about her boyfriend. he senses the tiniest bit of frustration and he pulls at it like a string, trying to understand her but in the most pushy way.
“yeah, obviously,” he says sarcastically. her tone is so clearly irritated. what could he have possibly done wrong?
“it’s just that freaked out sounds like…” she begins. “like maybe you don’t think we’ll stay together.”
“when did i say that?” rafe scoffs, pulling his arm off of her.
her heart aches now that his touch is gone. this is how it’s always going to be when he leaves. he won’t be at an arm’s length anymore. he’ll be off in a big city, making money, meeting people more impressive than her, girls prettier than her.
rafe stares down at his lap, clenching his jaw. he doesn’t want to say anything he’ll regret. not when he’s leaving so soon. over the time they’ve been dating, he’s gotten a little better at reigning in his temper.
but this accusatory tone of hers, this implication that he doesn’t care to make this work, stings.
“for fuck’s sake,” he whispers sharply. “i don’t get why you’re mad at me.”
“i hate when you do this,” she says. “don’t say i’m mad when i’m not.”
“you can honestly say you’re not right now?” he meets her eyes. “really?”
she bites her lip. it’s so much more than mad. she’s scared. she’s insecure. she swallows the lump in her throat.
“your new life will be amazing. maybe you’re freaked out because you know you won’t want any part of your old life. including me.”
“wow,” he says with a humorless chuckle. “i…”
rafe trails into silence. he has a reputation for being a dick. he knows that. he’s fine with it. but hearing the girl he’s fallen in love with imply that he’d toss her to the side like that, like he’s heartless, is gut-wrenching.
“what?” she says.
“i can’t believe you,” he says. “i just wanted to talk to you. not get words put in my mouth and fucking fight about it.”
“you’re turning this into a fight, calling me pissed off when i’m not,” she counters.
for once, rafe doesn’t have a rebuttal. he always does. he always has his next words waiting in his throat during an argument, but this… this is too much. he started an innocent conversation about how he feels. and it turned into this.
“i don’t know what you want me to say,” he mutters.
a tear finally falls down her cheek. he hasn’t denied that he might not want her anymore. maybe her pessimism about any relationship working out for her isn’t totally misguided. right now, it feels like she’s looking at a man who simply doesn’t care.
and she told him that, plenty of times before, how sometimes she fears that a happy ending might just not be in the cards for her.
rafe stays silent as they sit on his bed. it eats away at her.
“if breaking up is inevitable, we might as well do it now,” she murmurs, partly out of spite, but mostly out of defeat.
rafe’s eyes dart up to meet hers again. the wound he thought she patched up, the one that convinced him over and over that she’ll leave him, rips open.
“were you ever really in this in the first place?” he accuses her, his face twisting in anger. “or did you always think i was gonna disappoint you like every other guy?”
she scoffs in disbelief. the string of tension that they’ve both been walking on since draft night has snapped.
he shouldn’t have said that. she shouldn’t have said what she said, either. but it’s too late. they’re both tense. they’re both too short-tempered.
“no. i’m sorry,” she says weakly. “i’m just… this is so hard. already. i’m worried about us.”
she rests her forehead on her hand, trying to rein in her rushing emotions. rafe’s stare softens as he watches her shoulders start to gently tremble with her cries.
“hey,” rafe says quietly, pushing past his pride, gripping the back of her hand. “come here.”
she lets him pull her forward, collapsing in his arms, her cheek against his firm chest.
“breaking up isn’t inevitable,” he murmurs. “i don’t want to hear you say stuff like that.”
“i know,” she whispers. “i know. just… promise me you won’t change your mind.”
“i promise, baby.” he kisses her forehead, meeting her eyes again.
they both know they need to talk about this. really talk about it, instead of snapping at each other and then brushing it away so quickly. but it hurts too much right now and they’d rather exist in a reality where they’re in the same town, able to see each other whenever they want.
the future still feels shaky to her, but she lets herself melt into his touch, hoping if she pretends she has no doubts, that they’ll eventually go away.
she cuddles into him again, silent, wishing time with him didn’t always go by so fast.
124 notes · View notes
i-smoke-chapstick · 6 months ago
Note
Okay so like as I’m writing this, tomorrow is my birthday (I’m gonna be 19 😭) and I was wondering if I could get some birthday headcanons with the legion of horribles (poly but platonic) + (separately) zsasz?🥺
You don’t have to finish this on my birthday so I understand if it will take time but if you can do it that would be wonderful! Don’t feel pressured though!
Thank you so much Cupid!^^🫂
'400 LUX,
-GOTHAM!VILLIANS X READER-
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⋆ Characters ↬ Oswald Cobblepot, Jerome Valeska, Bridgit Pike, Jervis Tetch, Jonathan Crane, Victor Fries, Victor Zsasz
⋆ 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒 ; Birthday HCs with the Legion of Horribles! (+ romantic zsasz)
⋆ tags/warnings. GOTHAM!villains x female reader. PURE FLUFF! They adore reader so so so much! Reader turning 19 :> Age gap for Zsasz! All seven of these idiots. Good luck reader, you will need it!! Suggestive parts in Zsasz's. Reader probably drinking too much tea to be healthy. Also sorry I'm a little late with this, hectic week but happy late bday adal <3 love ya!
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𝛰𝑆𝑊𝐴𝐿𝐷 𝐶𝛰𝐵𝐵𝐿𝐸𝑃𝛰𝑇
♫ “We're never done with killing time, can I kill it with you?” 400 Lux by Lorde
Number one spoiler!
No seriously, good luck. You are basically Martin #2. He's buying the most extravagant gifts, and hosting the birthday party. He's getting mad at Jervis and Jerome (anyone who can't keep there mouth shut for the surprise.)
Hectically organizing this whole mess. To his best ability. Eventually he gives up under the stress and you'll notice. Just have a little sit down with him, and he'll HAPPILY celebrate your birthday far away from everyone else.
Once you two have a minute alone, he's making you his mothers tea, telling you all about his birthdays and how she used to celebrate them with him. He really just wants to make this the best day for you possible.
Have a small little laugh with him on the couch, look at baby pictures of him around the mansion, watch him get red in the face and scowl just a teeny tiny bit.
He'll also scroll through your phone (he's horrible with technology) and look at your baby pictures too. You two end up having a good laugh and a semi-serious talk about childhood memories <3
He'll end up giving you his most personal gift when you two are alone, away from the "cretins outside" in his words.
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𝐽𝐸𝑅𝛰𝑀𝐸 𝑉𝐴𝐿𝐸𝑆𝐾𝐴
♫ “We might be hollow but we're brave.” 400 Lux by Lorde
The only time he's 100 percent serious is when he's busy with the sheer EFFORT he's putting into this celebration.
Him and Oswald have conflicting ideas. Oswald wants something extravagant, royal, fit for you, like a coming of age. Jerome still wants to throw you a ball, but more like a child's dream chucky-cheese type birthday.
What do you mean he can't get a bunch of arcade machines and a ball pit delivered to the mansion? He's pouting.
He'll be DAMNED if he doesn't book the entertainment and a GIANT cake, though.
Will get Jervis to hypnotize some poor sap to dance for you. You know, if you're into that. Might kill him too if you're a little evil like him. If you aren't into that, he'll let him live. That's your gift :>
Did i say a GIANT cake? Yeah. It's massive. FUCKING MASSIVE. He probably ends up eating more of it then you guys, to be honest.
Makes sure it's your favorite flavor too.
Makes everyone sit down when it's time for cake and candles, if anyone tries to get up he's screaming at the top of his lungs.
Remember that "USE THE TONGS, CARL!" Yeah, he's channeling that energy to the hypnotized people cutting the cake and setting the table.
Fully looks at you like a successor (and like, his only real friend) so he's a bit pushy for this to go well. Not as much as Oswald, but still set on making this a good day for you. He just isn't as overt.
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𝐵𝑅𝐼𝐷𝐺𝐼𝑇 𝑃𝐼𝐾𝐸
♫ “And the heating comes on.” 400 Lux by Lorde
Poor baby has never seen, attended, or had a birthday party in her life. It's new for her, it's intriguing. She loves this little strange family you guys have created.
You are LITERALLY her little sister, the only sibling she truly sees as her own!
It's obligatory for her to light the birthday candles (and almost burn the mansion down, chaos ensues)
Similar to Oswald, she gives you one intimate gift. Something she knows you'll love, something personal. You're favorite flowers, gems, or even a nod to an inside joke.
Arguing with Victor (Fries) about who has the better gift and who you like more.
When the day is nearing it's end, she volunteers to clean up to have some time alone with you. Everyone else is winding down, but you and her will get to talk like two best friends.
It's the only time she feels like a normal teenage girl. Just gossiping with you while putting Jerome's confetti in trash bags.
You'll probably have a little slumber party with her in the living room, eating left-over snacks and watching TV, throwing popcorn at each other. Speaking of popcorn....
"Hey, watch this!" She's nudging you, getting you to watch her make her own popcorn kernels with her flamethrower, signature smile on her face :>
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𝐽𝐸𝑅𝑉𝐼𝑆 𝑇𝐸𝑇𝐶𝐻
♫ “You drape your wrists over the steering wheel.” 400 Lux by Lorde
He was fighting tooth and nail for this to be a tea party. Still upset it's not. Ended up still hypnotizing someone to make tea for you all. Ah, Small victories.
Also? We saw him in that chauffer outfit. He will gladly be the designated driver.
Similar to the rest of them, he wants some time alone with you. So, he's hypnotizing a limo and pulling up and practically stealing you away.
Takes you on a little shopping spree. Anywhere you want to go, he'll take you there! Even if he doesn't particularly enjoy it. (cough cough, convince stores, cough cough)
Wants to take you to the tea shoppes and bakeries.
He is LITERALLY the most BUSY bee out of EVERYONE. Everyone is so obsessed with planning and whatnot, but he actually has to do EVERYTHING by himself.
Whose hypnotizing the cake maker, the gifts, the decorations, the people, the waiters? Ah, the list goes on and on. He's a bit tuckered out by the time you too are done shopping and he's off his list of errands.
Have a cup of tea with him after <3 he will be infinitely grateful to wind down with you if you find the time during the day.
Sings happy birthday obnoxiously loud for you. He also insists everyone has perfect table manners and etiquette. (Looking at you, Jerome.)
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𝐽𝛰𝑁𝐴𝑇𝐻𝐴𝑁 𝐶𝑅𝐴𝑁𝐸
♫ “I can tell that you're tired.” 400 Lux by Lorde
Silent, for the most part. Will refuse to sing happy birthday, and will truly only participate if it's the two of you alone. He...doesn't work well in groups.
He's getting a slap on the wrist from everyone because of it.
He'd MUCH rather steal you away periodically through the day, to just talk to you about your childhood. Congratulate you. He's happy for you, but he's a little scared you're getting older.
Very protective. Always. No matter what.
You might hear him laugh a bit, joke around with you, just simply checking the surroundings and chaos from Jerome.
If you are someone who prefers things more lowkey, you'll find yourself spending the majority of the day with Jonathan. Eventually you two will just pass by each other every now and then, and share a brief respite from the bustling outside.
You are TRULY his best friend. He wants to make this day as good for you as everyone else does. He just doesn't know where to start.
He'll probably end up giving you your favorite gift out of EVERYONE.
Doesn't matter what it is. He'll know. It will be intimate, genuine, and a very heartfelt message on the bottom of a card attached.
"Love you, Y/N." -Jonathan
Okay, not SUPER heartfelt at first look, but for him? It's as close as you'll get to him being vulnerable.
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𝑉𝐼𝐶𝑇𝛰𝑅 𝐹𝑅𝐼𝐸𝑆
♫ “We're getting good at this.” 400 Lux by Lorde
Jerome puts him on ice-cream duty and he's reasonably grumpy.
No, but genuinely, this is a VERY special day for him. He's a VERY proud dad!
Always wanted to have kids with Nora. Never got a chance. You really are his second chance at happiness, and he loves you so much. He gets to live out everything he thought he'd never be able too.
Wants to get more involved, but gets a little pushed out between Jerome and Oz.
Jerome probably makes him make ice sculptures. Or Ozzie asks him to freeze the body of your enemies. Perfect gift!
Similar to Jonathan, likes to keep things more lowkey. He'll sneak in a pseudo father daughter bonding moment, even if you don't know.
"So, uh, you're staying out trouble, right?"
He's asking, nudging you when you two finally get a moment alone. His voice comes out in a mumble, obviously not very experienced in this role of being a father. But he can't help it.
Overprotective dad scowling at Zsasz, you know, to get the point across. Zsasz staring riiiiiiight back.
"Just so you know...if you break her heart, I'm freezing yours." Victor #1 says, with a clicking sound, and a raise of his gun.
Victor #2 raises a non-existent eyebrow, and lifts his own gun in return. "Of course..." He drawls. The idle threats are there.
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𝑉𝐼𝐶𝑇𝛰𝑅 𝑍𝑆𝐴𝑆𝑍
♫ “You pick me up and take me home again / We're hollow like the bottles that we drain.” 400 Lux by Lorde
He's a loving boyfriend, you just have to get through his layers throughout the day!
Of course, he's your ride to and from the mansion. Driving with him, his hand on your thigh, disco music. Waking you up with kisses and birthday sex
He's grumbling just a bit everyone else wants to steal you away. Que him being a sassy boyfriend, rolling his eyes.
He ends up just standing around the mansion most of the day, sneaking bites of pastries or making idle conversation with the terrified waiters, while you are out with Jervis. He doesn't mind. It's your day. He is more then happy, this is his element. A whole day dedicated to his girl, and free food? Sign him up.
In contrast to everyone, he's the only person to give you a gag gift. Surprisingly, Jerome takes this too seriously to give you one. Victor doesn't, though. He'll give you a whole bunch of small gag gifts, just to see that beautiful smile on your face.
He'll end up getting you a real gift though. Something precious, gorgeous, elegant. Something absolutely killer. Black onyx necklace? Yes. You'll feel the leather of his gloves on your neck while he puts it on you.
Doesn't care if ANYONE looks at the two of you weirdly for the age gap. In fact, he'll become even MORE affectionate. Y'know, just to piss people off.
Speaking of age, he doesn't care you aren't 21 just yet. He's 100% sneaking the two of you some alcohol to drink. (Not without teasing you, of course, for being a downright horrible criminal!)
Oswald, Victor Fries, and Jervis don't appreciate you drinking. They are too protective. But Zsasz doesn't gaf what they say :>
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wanderlust-in-my-soul · 3 months ago
Text
Currently Watching - August
aka The Masterlist
Because I love a good little list - in alphabetical order! 😊
Regularly updated during the month, latest update 29.08.2024
A little link to my favorite bl-tropes-collection 💙
gif-requests are currently closed🌼
Here you can find all of my gifs.
At the end you can have a look at what we can expect in August with a MDL link and a link for a trailer (if avaible).
This is guaranteed to contain spoilers!
1. 4 Minutes 🇹🇭 (4/8)
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Okay. I catched up. I wasn't in the mood for this series, but now I am a little bit hooked. We have a really cute couple here with a really nice love-making-scene. We have a totally messed up relationship of three people, two love each other, two hurt the other one and two are horny for one with very graphic scenes. And yes, I saw it too. Oh, the story itself? Confusing, yet interesting.
2. Cityboy_Log 4.2 🇰🇷 (17/23)
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This week was... okayish. They were mostly bonding at a group and doing stuff together. Nothing really happend. They played games, the trouple was cute and JJ tried to act, but really, those moments were more cringe than anything else...
3. First Note of Love 🇹🇼 (4/12)
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The looks they gave each other! The constant bickering! The compliments! The necklace as a gift! I see you! I like them. They get more comfortable together and are now forming a band. Hopefully Sea can help Neil getting back on stage without fainting or having a panic attack. I am curious how this whole series will move on, but I am intrigued. But what is that age gap?
4. Hidamari ga Kikoeru 🇯🇵 (10/12)
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🥲 I'm fine... the only thing that helped me in the end was the preview for next week. How could he listen to Maya? How? I know why, but still... why? And now Taichi thinks he was just a replacable someone who doesn't mean anything to Kohei 😭 I really don't like it here! And I hope Maya chokes on her words! I don't care that she's going to cry next episode. Right now I still don't like her. Boys! Get your shit together and talk to each other! Please!
5. I Saw You In My Dream 🇹🇭 (7/12)
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THIS WHOLE SCENE WAS SO DAMN CUTE!!!!! I like them! And Yu finally collecting his courage to tell Ai, he likes him. I need Ai to tell him he likes him too! But the preview for next week! I can't wait! The best start in my vacation! Do I feel bad for Wann? No, not really. He saw the signs, he got the vibe between Yu and Ai, but he still tried. I guess he is a good guy, but he is not Yu.
6. Seoul Blues 🇰🇷 (3/8)
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Well... Our bad boy got together with their mutual friend. Little Mr. Angsty likes our bad boy, but is to afraid what might change, so he didn't take his change when bad boy confessed to him. And of course he now is unsure about bad boy's feelings. And our lady in denial knows that her bad boy doesn't like he like that and I guess she can feel those two are very much into each other, but she still wanna try it and give it a shot. Well... good luck. And while she is thinking about her bad boy thinking about someone else while kissing her, her bad boy is now kissing little Mr. Angsty. I don't know how this friendship can be fixed. There is so much wrong with their entire realtion-/friendship... and I love it!
7. Takara no Vidro 🇯🇵 (9/11)
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I started with mixed feelings about this series and I ended up totally loving it! I enjoy this series very much! They talk with each other and they understand each other. They have such a good relationship at this point and I love how Takara is opening up and questioning his plans for the future. Life is unpredictable, love is unpredictable and there can be people who change your plans for the better or worst, but that is something for other shows.
8. The On1y One 🇹🇼 (4/12)
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Best chemistry! I love them! I love pounting Wang and this absolutely smitten boy Tian so much! Tian was everything this episode. He couldn't stop looking at Wang and couldn't stop smiling. He is already in love. And Wang uses Tian for learning, but he is slowly falling. And I hope it will be this: he fell first, but he fell harder! Good series!
9. The Trainee 🇹🇭 (8/12)
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This was one of the cutest episodes ever and at the same time one of the saddest with the most wholesome break-up ever. Ba-Mhee did something wrong, she apologised and Tae realised that he is part of the problem. I am cusious how they work around this whole story. But Jane and Ryan. Oh the cuteness! I loved every scene with them. And I loved that Jane was jealous and Ryan reassured him. I am a little bit anxious about next week. Guess this was my favorite episode so far!
10. Word of Honor 🇨🇳 (20/36)
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Those two flirt a lot and are a married couple. Everyone knows that. And I love and enjoy that! Overall this is such a fun watch and the different sects and intrigues are sometimes a little bit confusing, but interesting. I love this world of martial arts and I love how protective Wen Kexing is over Zhou Zishu. I haven't felt like watching this lately. I wasn't in the right mood.
Finished in August
Series
His Man Season 3 🇰🇷
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What was that? I enjoyed the first two seasons so much! And this one felt very manipulated by the production. The secret missions were just there to cause drama and misunderstandings. And othe rparts really felt just boring. I was not really invested in the couples this time. I wish we would have seen more of their friendships. Perhaps that was because the fight between JY and MK was so centred. In the end I am happy MS and MK made it and became a couple. And it is nice that SM and JS got together too. But who thought it was a good idea to keep that "break-up" between YJ and HM in the show? That was just awful to watch! I never saw them vibing together, but a short notice that they decided to stay friends would have been enough. I don't have to see that Hanmin gave the ring back, they made together. I get where he is coming from, but I wish they could have talked about this in private! There were some bad coices of the production which was not favourable for the show! If there is a season 4 I hope it stays away from artificial drama! Just a 7 out of 10 for me.
Century of Love 🇹🇭
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We got a happy ending. Hm. Great. I don't know. I guess I wouldn't have mind if San had died. It was a little bit too constructed with the little piece of that stone in the end and the change of heart from the fake Vad... So I am a little bit dissappointed with the ending. Yes, I cried, because I have feelings, but at some points I had to skip parts because there were just too many emotions that clashed in my face. But I am happy for San and Vee. Overall a good 8 out of 10.
Bad Guy 🇰🇷
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Honestly? I like cheating stories when my couple wins. In conclusion, I liked this short series. I am curious if we get a second part like with Blue Boys. I would be happy if we could just end it here. The two sad boys finally got their happy ending and can now be enough for each other. I like that. Wish we could see a little bit of their everyday life or how this decision impacts their lifes. I liked it. I give it a 8 out of 10.
Cosmic Playlover 🇯🇵
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I enjoyed the show. It felt a little bit rushed, but over all, I enjoyed the plot and the love story. Two men working in the beauty industry and both go their own way and just loving what they do. That was also really good to see! I especially enjoyed the dynamic between these two. And they talked! Sure there was drama, but in the end they talkes to each other and listened to each other and could solve their problems. Such a nice little show. I give it good 8,5 out of 10.
Movie
Short Film
Dropped in August
My Love Mix-Up! 🇹🇭
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I guess I've dropped this one. I don't know why exactly. I think it was a cute story and I liked watching it, but right now I don't have the energy to keep going. I will come back to this one when it is finished and when I am in the mood for some fluff.
Looking forward to in August
The Last Time - Trailer (Aug 16th)
The Loyal Pin - Trailer (Aug 4th)
Sugar Dog Life - Trailer (Aug 4th)
Summer Night - Trailer (Aug 5th)
Cosmetic Playlover (Aug 6th)
Monster Next Door - Trailer (Aug 8th)
First Note Of Love - Trailer (Aug 12th)
Addicted Heroin - Trailer (Aug 13th)
Love Beneathe The Stars - Trailer (Aug 16th)
The Paradise Of Thornes - Trailer (Aug 22nd - Thai Cinemas)
The On1y One (Aug 22nd)
Affair - Trailer (Aug 30th)
97 notes · View notes
riniworld · 10 months ago
Note
How about a yandere villain (that’s lowkey a little dumb) x reader sidekick (who always eats it up)
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✨Y.E.S✨
I'm not a native english speaker so i search about "eats it up" meaning and from what i understand is like loving/enjoying something, is that right?
warnings// obsession,yandere themes,mentionof blood at the end,the part where you're young there wasn't any romantic feelings!!,not proofread
refrence//you.my precious.
gener//headcanon just 'couse.
a/n//i put a backstory for them because...yeah.
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•you met when you was young,two lost children in the street.
•because you two living the same you start following him around like a lost puppy.
•he was annoyed at the start,but soom start to soften.
•you're younger than him So he make you his responsibility.
•he was stealing to bring you two food,most of the time he get caught but he such a good runner.
•now you're older and still together
•known as the "villains" of the city.
•you don't really care what people will call you,You owe him your life,he saved and took care of you.
•and he still do.
•you two were dreaming of a peaceful life when you were younger.
•but your boss,aka the villain,grew hatred toward who call themselves "heros".
•if they were heros,they would have known about you two and helped you to get somewhere to live at atleast.
•they're just a money dogs.
•he didn't force you into anything,He gave you the freedom to make decisions,and you stayed.
•that made him feel strange,for the first time someone really care about him.(not like you didn't in the past it's just different when you're adults)
•his feelings start to grew every year, month, week, hour, minute, second.
•oh god,where you always that beautiful?
•or when you patch his wounds,it take everything in him to not just kiss you right right here.
•Oh, someone hurt you? dead.
•someone said something bad about you? dead.(he knows don't ask how)
•he also has such a pure soul...yeah he kill but he still has SUCH A PURE SOUL.
*calls the hero*
"now listen to me hero I've"
beep
*stunned* "did they hang up on me just now?!"
"look darling i just figured out how to make the hero beg under me"
"hm?"
"I'm gonna steal thier dog"
"..."
•and you love that about him,of course if he was too dumb and put himself in danger you'll step in.
•otherwise it's fun to watch.
• he sometimes tries to flirt with you but end up ruining it all,or you flip it on him and he'll just be a tomato mess.
•but when he serious and extremely possessive he might be a bit..bit scary
•he was going to a dangerous mission/battle and you wanted to go along
•there was a cold,demanding gaze you see for the first time when he told you won't go.
•or when you disguised as a civilians for a "secret mission"(actually he just took you on a date-) and someone creepy start saying such things to you...no one has seen him again:D
•also he loves spoiling you,it's his way of making up for your deprived childhood.
•he don't want anything in return but to see your smile.
poor guy just wanted a house to live in together:(
BONUS
blood and dead bodies all over the place,your plan has success! you defeated six heroes atleast, and you two don't have that dangerous injuries too.
what a lucky day,you thought.
the villain pulled you by your wrist,taking you out your thoughts,and slide his hand on your waist to make you as close to him as possible.
he looks deep in your eyes,with this loving gaze.
"how about we dance,my precious?" he said in a husky voice. God,you're making him drunk.
before you can answer he start swaying you right and left softly.
maybe he'll go and live with you a peaceful life without the "villain" title.
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I TRIED TO MAKE THIS HAS A BIT CRACK BUT I COULDN'T SORRY
istg i know this isn't what you want but that's how it turned out with me
have a nice day/night♡
126 notes · View notes
bubblessunshinehoney · 2 years ago
Text
Roommates (stucky x reader)
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3767 words
A/N: i'm writing this fic for...almost 6 months, i dreamed many times of stucky and their roommate. it was always hard to write i had seen in my dreams and to translate all i felt during those dreams. But here we are.
It's gonna be in idk many parts.
This one is a little introduction, and with slight angst.
Enjoy,
Cloudy
TW: fluff, light angst, polyamourous relationship. Steve and Bucky (they're a warning...) <...>= texting
Don't be shy, reblog, comment, like!
magnificient moodboard by the amazing @christywantspizza
divider by the talentuous : @firefly-graphics
not beta read, english is not my first language, all mistakes are my own.
Part 1 | Part 2 | part 3
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When you had to find an apartment. You never thought to find yourself with two gentle giants for roommates. But here you are, one year later with Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers in a nice and homely appartement.
You knew them from college, they were friends of friends and when your last roommate kicked you out because she wanted to be alone with her boyfriend… the two big guys were nice enough to propose you to come and live with them for a while. “Yeah, don’t need to pressure yourself, doll, take your time to get back on your feet. We have enough rooms for three.”, told you Bucky. “And when you find a studio or something else, we’ll help you to move out and in, sweetheart.”, said Steve.
But one year later, you don’t want to move out. You like to be here with these two. Monday is Buck’s night for cooking. Tuesday, yours, Wednesday is Steve turns, Thursday is movie night with take outs or leftovers and Friday to Sunday is more like “who’s there, who’s eating at home, who wants to go out?” vibes.
Life is easy, and you were surprised to see that…they clean, like ALL the time. Steve is the tidiest of all of you. Buck tries to keep is mess in his bedroom and ask for help when he has too much “trash”.  Sunday is almost always the day where you all clean the appartement. You cook pancakes or waffles and then it’s time to give the appartement a little bit of a makeover. It’s always full of giggles and pinning. Like the time you found a boxer under the couch. Bucky was a blushing mess, saying it was from like two weeks ago when this girl came home with him after a night out. “But I respected the rules, we didn’t do anything on the couch”. Or the time, Steve found your vibrator under the bathroom cabinet, you just took it back and gave him an innocent smile and told him to forget about it. Spoiler alert: Steve didn’t forget that and was impatient to finally have the guts to ask you if you wanted to use it with him one day.
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Today, it’s Friday. It’s the first slow day you have in weeks.  Steve is out with some friends and Bucky didn’t answer yet to tell you if he’ll be home tonight.
You decide to eat some leftovers and to watch for the hundredth time your favourite movie. Thirty minutes in, you hear the keys and then the door opens with a loud thud. An angry Bucky storms in the living room and lay on you without saying a word. He pushes his head between your breasts and groans. “Ok, hello to you too grumpy man. Can you tell me why you invade my space and doesn’t ask for my consent before shoving your head here?” Bucky starts to mumble fast, and you don’t understand anything.  You slap him gently on the back of his head. He stops and lifts his head to look at you. “Shitty day, shitty people. Need a stress relief. May I, doll, please?” he pouts and makes his best puppy eye.
Since you arrived, you realised that the two giants you lived with were very into physical touch. Bucky likes to lay on you meanwhile Steve likes to play with your hair during movie night or offers you little massages during them.
You never complain, you’re most of the time cold so this two are your personals heaters.
You start to massage Bucky’s head and this lovely idiot starts to act like a cat and purrs. “Did you eat?” he asks you.
“Yup, leftovers, there’s still some if you want.”
“The lasagna?”.
“Mmmh”.
The evening goes on. But you can feel that Bucky wants to ask you something. He’s fidgeting, more than usual, and can’t seem to stop touching you. He’s currently massaging your calf. “What is it, Buck?”.
He sighs, and sighs again before sitting up and looking you dead in the eye. “Can I kiss you, doll?”. First, you think he’s joking, but then his expression is too serious for your liking. “Like kiss me on the lips?”, you ask him.
“Yup.”
 “WHY?” you almost scream in shock.
He blushes and whispers “because you look beautiful, and I want to kiss you”.
“that’s a cheesy pick-up line, Barnes.”
He looks at you again and asks, “but does it work?” shyly you nod. You won’t lie, you already thought of what it would feel like to kiss Bucky, but you never really asked him, too scared to make thing awkward with your roommates. “So can I kiss you, doll face?” when you don’t say anything he gets closer, when his lips are almost touching yours, he murmurs “I need words, Y/N”.
You swallow loudly before saying “yes, you can, Bucky”.
Then his lips are on yours. The kiss is tender, lovely and your fingers grab his hair. His hands get under your shirt, and you shiver. You feel his tongue caresses your lower lips and you parted them. When both or your tongues meet, the kiss gets more and more passionate. Your legs circle instinctively his waist to bring him closer. When you need to breath you break the kiss and Bucky is panting above you. Pupils blown out and lips swollen. He’s more beautiful than ever. You smile, a little bit uncomfortable. You tap his cheek gently and whisper “gonna go to toilets, sorry”. He nods and lets you go.
Bucky can’t wait to tell Steve what happened.
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Two weeks later, Bucky has never once talk about the kiss… at least with you. You didn’t either. You felt weird. Not in a bad way, you wanted to start again, to try again and see if the kiss made you feel again all dizzy and warm.
But for now, you are alone with Steve. Bucky went home to see his family.
“Truth or dare, sweets?” asks Steve from the kitchen.
“Really, aren’t we like to old or outnumbered to play this game?” he snorts and come back with your cocktail and his beer.
“Nope, it’ll be fun”.
“If you say so, truth” you reply.
After maybe twenty minutes, you have to say that he is right, you’re having fun. You told secrets that both of you had never tell and you did some fun dares. But now, Steve wanted to ask you to kiss him.
He spoke with Bucky, and he was jealous. He’s best friend had the guts to kiss you, when he was too afraid to be rejected. But tonight, with the alcohol in his system he feels powerful.
“I dare you to kiss me…with tongues!”, he declares. You laugh because he made a move with his tongue, but you accept the dare. Why not try and see if your attraction for Steve is the same as for Bucky?
When your lips touch his. You feel sparkles down your spine. When you lick his lips with your tongue and he part his, you feel hot all over. His hands go to your waist, and he places you on his lap.  And like with Bucky it gets heated pretty fast. And like with Bucky, you end the kiss and excuse yourself to go to the toilets
&lt;Stevie: I did it, buck.
Bucky: how does that feel, punk?
Stevie: like a dream came true, but I don’t want to scare her. We are not playing fair.
Bucky: I know, we must discuss that the three of us when I get back.
Stevie: what if she says no. What if she wants to be just with you.
Bucky: or you…
Stevie: I am sure she likes you more.
Bucky: stop, Steve. We don’t know what she feels. Did she kiss you back? Like really kiss you.
Stevie: yup…that was so hot. She did the thing with her tongue you told me about.>
“Stevie?” you say when you come back in the living room.
“Yup?”.
“I-I think I’ll go to bed. See you tomorrow?” you ask shyly.
“Sleep well, sweetheart, brunch is on me!”. You kiss his cheek and retrieve to your bedroom.
&lt;Y/N: I kissed Steve.
Nat: WHAT? AFTER BUCKY?
Y/N: we were playing truth or dare. He dared me to kiss him. (with tongues, his words, not mine)
Nat: and ?
Y/N: I don’t know what I am supposed to do now. I felt the exact same thing with Bucky and Steve. And you know I don’t feel much when I kissed guys until I am pretty attached to them.
Nat: yeah I know…you and your demi-sexual thing.
Y/N: scuse you bisexual girl who dates only nerds guy. How’s Bruce?
Nat: currently massagin’ my feet so perfect. But you need to talk to them. I am sure they’re planning something.
Y/N: planning smth?
Nat: ask them. Good night, babe.>
What you didn’t know, it’s that before you join them in the appartement. Bucky and Steve had a thing, that only Natasha knows. They are best friends, sure, but they’re also lovers. They only tend to be like that when you are not around, since you moved in.
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You are not going to lie to yourself, you are feeling bad to have kiss your two roommates. And you are feeling worse to have like it, both time and even considering doing it again.
This Saturday, you come back from a little walk with Natasha. When you arrive, the appartement is quiet, a little bit to quiet. No one is in the living room and the door from Bucky’s room is wide open and empty, but the room from Steve is closed. You wait to hear something, like Steve has a girl around, but nothing.
You go there and knock. Steve’s voice comes to you in a grumble “yeah?”, “Hello, just to let you know I am home. “, you say.
 “Oh hey, little one, ok, we’ll be there soon for dinner.”
You can’t stop your question “We?”. You hear Steve chuckles and then he invites you in.
“Buck and I, sweets, who else?” he says when you open the door.
Steve is on his back with Bucky curled onto his side, sound asleep. You saw them bro cuddling now and then, but never like that. You raise an eyebrow but don’t say anything. Bucky has hard days and seems to find comfort in cuddling. “I have an empty space right here” teases Steve and tapping the other side of him. You hesitate and decide to go and join the cuddle. You lay down beside Steve, his arm goes around your waist. You put your hand on his chest, just beside Bucky’s hand.
 “He’s ok?” you ask quietly.
“Bad day, really bad one.”, answers Steve.  Automatically, you caress Bucky’s cheek and pass your finger in his hair. “How was your day with Natty?”.
“Good, really nice.”, you smile at Steve.
In your walk with Nat, you arrived at this conclusion: no need to put words for now, just enjoy the feeling of being close to those two wonderful men. So, you enjoy the cuddle and to pass your fingers in Bucky hair, while Steve caress your hip. You’re at peace. You’ve never felt like this with any of your ex’s.
Maybe they talked to each other, and they know that you have kissed each of them, maybe you can tell Steve now and Bucky when he wakes up. Maybe, just maybe you are, and they are into polyamorous relationship. Maybe…
“Stevie?” you murmur in his neck, he smells divine as always, citrus and pine. He hums in response. “I…I kissed Bucky before I kissed you.” His hand still on your waist and he squeezes it.
“Yeah, same Sweetheart, I kissed him before I kissed you.” You sit up, not sure to have truly heard what he said.
“Wait, what?”. Steve grins at you, then he turns his head to Bucky and kisses him on his forehead. Buck sighs in his sleep and get more comfortable on Steve. His leg goes on his thighs, and he tightens his grip around the waist. He looks peaceful. “You’ve kissed?”, Steve shrugs but his smile tells you everything you need.
You weren’t expecting that, of course not, but why are you not more shocked or disturbed? You look at them and it’s like the missing piece of the puzzle in your head. Everything starts to make sense, or you have more questions that need answers. “I always thought that your friendship was more than that”, you think out loud. Steve chuckles while Bucky stirs in his sleep. He tucks himself more onto Steve and his hand, who was on his stomach, goes right to Steve’s crotch. And the blond does nothing to stop him, well not exactly nothing, he’s looking at you and when he sees your expression, he gently takes bucky hand et brings it back to his sternum.
“I think we need to talk the three of us, Sweets” he whispers to you. You can only nod and keep staring at their interlaced hands. “We don’t want to scare you away, you know?”,
“Scare me away?”, you ask intrigue.
“Yeah, by telling you our little secret.” You stay silent, not sure you want to acknowledge the truth just yet…because it doesn’t scare you at all, it turns you on more and that’s what scares you, you almost feel like a creep.
“I would have never judged you. You can love who you want” you finally say. Steve smiles and brings you closed once again. You put your hand on top of theirs. For the first time in a long time, you feel complete and that stress you out.
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The next day, you all decide to have THE discussion. It’s just after your usual Sunday brunch. The guys are doing the dishes and you just looking in the void. Your mind is racing. What if it just a dream, what if they pranked you?
“Dollface? You’re with us?” calls you Bucky. You blink twice to focus on them again. They are smiling, and you get butterflies.
“Yeah, I am” you whisper.
“Good, good, so…” starts Steve. And then he explains everything, his relationship with Bucky, their attraction for you since they met you. You listen, stunned by their revelations. Bucky points out some details and makes you giggle. You feel shy and powerful. The more they talk, the more they stare at you with love and lust. You have the last word; you are the one who has to say yes or no.  You take a big breath and ask, “How would it works?”.
They are taken aback; Bucky takes Steve’s hand under the table and squeeze it hard. “If we try this throuple, we have to make rules, right?” You sound so confident; Steve’s heart is beating fast.
“Yeah, we need rules for the start, to try and navigate in this together” states Bucky. You nod and smile. Then you get up and round the table to go to their side. You see their hands and chuckle.
 “No more hiding now, show me those hands, guys”. They laugh and put their hands on the table, you place both of your hand on their neck. It feels good, you like that they don’t have the same texture, but they both soft. They lean against you and close their eyes.
 “I feel like I just solved a puzzle” murmurs Bucky. “Is it weird?” he asks.
 “I don’t know, don’t feel weird. “, you answer. Steve is the first to move, he stands up and takes your hand and Bucky’s and goes on the couch. He sits down and puts you on his laps. Bucky takes your calf and cuddle against Steve. One of Steve’s arms is around your waist and the other is around Bucky’s shoulders. Bucky has one arm around Steve waist and the other on your legs. You put your hand on each one of them that touches you.
 After a moment of silence, you ask” Can we kiss again?”.
 “Yes, please” they said in unison. “I want to see you kiss” you murmur.  They don’t move, Steve’s blushing, while Bucky is looking at you. You put your hands on their chins and turn their faces, so they face each other. “Please, can I see you kiss?”. Your gentle command makes them move. Slowly they approach each other lips. When they start kissing, it’s sensual, loving and you get flustered. It’s hot, you never thought that looking at two people kissing would be this sexy. Then Bucky does something that makes Steve moans. You did once or twice hear him having someone around, but he has never moaned like that. Steve’s hand on your hip squeezes your flesh. Steve breaks the kiss first; Bucky bites his lower lip.
 “You turn, doll face”, growls Bucky. You expect him to kiss you, but he does the same as you did, take your chin between his fingers, and make you face Steve. You kiss the blond; you try some of your trick to make him moan like Bucky and when you succeed you break the kiss and turn your intention on Buck. He smiles at you, and you smile back, before going to kiss him. With Bucky, each of you fight for dominance. You move on Steve’s lap and after a while, you feel him getting hard under you. Suddenly the reality of the situation strikes, and you start to panic.
You get up and say, “I’m going to the toilets”. Bucky and Steve watch you go, and they try not to laugh, because they recognise a pattern there.
Your room is next to the toilets and when you go out, you look at your bed and you really want to hide yourself. But why would you hide? You take a deep breath before going back in the living room.
They are whispering to each other, Bucky seems unhappy, while Steve tries to calm him down. “hey, guys!”, they turn their heads so fast, you’re sure they’re going to bump into each other and you giggle. “ehm, sorry to ran away, could we…could we go in my room? For more privacy?”
Steve is the first to get up, Bucky looks at you strangely “privacy of what? we are the only one here” he says in a cold voice.
“Bucky” warns Steve.
 You sigh and smile “No he’s right Steve. Bucky, I know that we are alone, but I would feel better and safer in my room…because it’s new to me and I need to navigate around all of that…around this new us. If that makes sense?”
Bucky relaxes and nods, standing up, “makes sense, sorry.” You wait for them to come close to you before you take each of their hand and guide them into your room.
“Where do we sleep?”, you ask.
“Let’s just say, that we can sleep on our own or together, but no pressure” answers Steve. You smile and walk into your room, sitting on your bed facing them.
Bucky is the first to go lay and waits for Steve and you. “Doll, in the middle” he commands. You giggle and do as he say, loving the few times you find yourself engulf between those two sweet giants.
Steve follows you and sighs. “Love the smell of your sheets, sweetheart”. You smile at him and blushes.
“I use the same wash as you…”, he laughs softly and kisses your cheek.
“But it still smells like you.” He boops your nose and you giggle shyly. Bucky brings you close to him, and he kisses your neck, making you shudder.
“When did you know?”, he asks you.
“When I did know what, bucky?”
“That you liked both of us”.
This question, you’ve been asking it to yourself for weeks now. But honestly, it just came along the way. The fact that they opened their home for you, that they’ve always been there since. Always have a shoulder to lay on, someone to rely on. You’ve never felt alone since you moved in here. You tell them that and they both smile, Steve strokes your cheeks and Bucky your hip. You feel safe, understood, and complete.
Then, they both lean in and kiss you. A three-way kiss, that left you breathless and panting. You look at them and you smile, stroking their chin with your thumb, loving the difference of texture. Steve is shaved, while bucky always have a three-day beard. You pass your thumb on their lips and bucky groans, pupils wide, the blue of his eyes almost inexistant.
“You’ve freed the beast”, chuckles Steve, who’s biting his lip.  
“Y/N, Sweetheart?”, whispers Steve. You try to focus on him, but flashback holds you in your terror.
You look between them, and you take a shaky breath. “Oh, yeah?”. Bucky nods and starts to pempers kisses on your cheek and neck.
“Can I kiss you doll?”. You nod and he kisses you tenderly, deeply, you let him have the dominance in that kiss. It feels good, but then his hands wonder on your body, and you start to panic. Bad memories coming back to you. You try to tell him to stop, but then Steve joins him and you freeze, panic taking hold of you, and you feel hopeless, unable to tell them to stop. You whimper and they stop everything they do and look at you. Your eyes are tearing up and you’re heaving, fright written on your face.
Bucky looks at Steve and he’s panicking; the blond understands he must be stronger for both of you. “Buck, it’s okay, she must have…”, they look at each other and remembered the time you came home totally shaking and afraid. It was just before you dump your last friend with benefits.
“Rumlow”, growls Bucky. “I’m gonna end him”.
You take bucky hand and holds it tight. “don’t leave me.”
“I’m not, I’m here doll.” You nod and looks at Steve.
“I won’t either, sweetheart, I’ll stay here with you. Just take a deep breath for us?”. You nod and do some breathing exercise, following what Steve does and then Bucky when he joins in.
“So-sorry”, you murmur, unable to look at them, fiddling with your nails. One hand goes on yours and then another.
“No need to be sorry”, they said in unison, their soothing voice calming you even more.
“it’s a lot.”
“Then we take our time.”, says Steve softly.
“Yeah, you’re stuck with us now”, jokes gently Bucky and that makes you smile.  
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part 2
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ronearoundblindly · 7 months ago
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Ro, darling
A and Q for Hideout Steve (I thought about requesting Z and then realised, for him, it’s everywhere 😂
For this ask game, and they are dirtayyyyyy.
Little different than general solo steve and I'll elaborate on when he's soft-spoken vs. loud (Low key hilarious that Hideout!Steve is soooooo sensitive and Fools!Steve is the polar opposite.)
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MINORS DNI. I know you're sick of me saying it, but this is not for youngsters. I will not hesitate to let you know when a fic is all-age friendly!
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A - Alone Time
Let's start from the beginning. When 'Grant' first starting visiting the motel, he really didn't have any dreams/delusions/fantasies about having a love life, and since Steve always imagined he'd only have sex with someone he was able to court and know pretty well, he resigned himself to never finding someone until his exile ended. (Considering in canon, it never really ended, we see he had a point.)
Once something does develop between you, despite all odds, he gets to hope, and hope is a drug to Steve Rogers.
He doesn't have a lot of time where he's truly alone while bunking with Natasha and Sam--sometimes Wanda and Viz, too--so I feel like Steve has mastered the art of innocent imagination. When he thinks of you it's not graphic, not unless he can be in a separate room or, preferably, building than the rest of his group.
They all understand though. Each of them clammers for some distance as often as is safe.
Bathing marks the only real and consistent time Steve has alone, meaning you helping wash his hair in the tub counts as a double whammy to his fantasies.
There was a lot of crossover in his dreams that night since the association is too strong. He touches himself in the shower, you were in the bathroom with him, and thus, he dreamt of you touching him in the shower. He woke up to that being almost the reality, too, so that wet dream has been pretty consistently on repeat.
From that point on, the urge to imagine what could happen gets much worse. The group doesn't have a routine. They bounce from place to place and spend wildly different amounts of time in each location. To date, the motel is only one of three places they've stayed two times, and it is the only place they've gone back to more than twice. It's not fucking rocket science to understand what's so appealing to Steve that he nudges and hints at returning as often as is strategically plausible.
If by chance Steve actually gets a room to himself and is truly alone for a few hours, it's difficult not to take advantage, spread out, and sleep, however, but he sleeps even better after writhing around as a horny mess for about twenty minutes, working himself up, humping the mattress and his hand, moaning into the pillows like a whore (at least he thinks he sounds like those 'painted' women back in the '30s and '40s), and coming hard on his abs. He vaguely knows he's a glutton for punishment by how long he tries to milk his orgasm. It works though. He can last a bit longer now--even with the vivid memory of what it feels like to be inside you--yet he doesn't really need to last when his alone time is so limited. Should he...practice that? Should he be trying to hold out longer?
Dillema!
Q - Quiet Please
sjdbviuarb;viubsnlvk
oops, sorry, got lost in my thots about how loud Steve can get while fucking you. Honestly, if you two have enough privacy, he's even goddamn noisy while eating you out.
As I hope I've established many times, Steve Rogers in any universe can't talk dirty to save his life. He can lie better than he can say words like 'fuck,' or 'cunt,' and will never ever say the word 'pussy' in reference to your body or a cat (now that he knows what some people use the term for). I have no clue why 'cunt' would be better than 'pussy,' but 🤷🏻‍♀️ this is my headcanon so here we go. He uses any curse words so seldom that it doesn't really matter. He'd have to be pretty surprised by the intensity of something or at peak possessiveness to utter stuff like that. (If he has to reference it, usually he just says "you're so wet," "you're squeezing me so tight," or "do you need me?" Very general, no bad words required.)
ANYWHO: volume.
As much as I ::melts:: love the idea of Steve getting louder when he's tired, he has grown to enjoy the thrill of being quiet and sneaky.
He's got to get his kicks somewhere, right? So he's almost trained himself to be completely silent (to the point of holding his breath, which is a whole other kink for way later) while he imagines that you can travel with them for some reason. It's a fantasy; he hasn't worked out the details. He'd still want to be buried inside you or fingering you till you come if you had to share a room with the group for a night. He'll be quiet if you will. They'll never know. He promises. Please, Tops. Please. He wants to touch you, to hold you, to feel you everywhere...
Yup, Steve can be silent as the grave or hitting opera notes; it's all good as long as he gets to be with you.
Thank you for asking!
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[Main Masterlist; Hideout Masterlist; Ko-Fi]
One more cowboy cat for the road!
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sorryimananti-romantic · 8 months ago
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Hey bestie sooooo lots of stuff happened and there was an opportunity I was really hoping I was gonna get, and I didn’t. On top of that it went to the same favorite people that get everything every time and I’ve just been feeling really upset and everything so if you’ve got any mingi comfort that would be great. I could just really use a lil virtual hug rn 😅. There’s a bunch of other stuff that led up to this but now im just feeling really hopeless and wanting to give up on my major even though it’s my dream. I think I kinda need to just sit and wallow for a bit and I’ll be fine but if you got any fluff I could use all of it 😅🩷
aw babes i'm sorry to hear that 😭🫂 you and me both honestly really need a virtual hug (nah a real hug actually) and well, i hope you get much better things than what you were aiming for! we never know where the flow of life is gonna take us so hoping for the best for you, always 🩷 and i hope you fight for your dream too! if you want to talk about it, i'm here for you 🩷
a mingi comfort fluff though, who am i to deny you? ;)
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there are times in your life when all you want to do is lay down on a bed and sink through it into the void
or lay down on soft grass and hope the ground swallows you
you put a weight over yourself in the form of your blanket- the only physical thing weighing you down among a bunch of other invisible things
but that isn't enough
the warmth of it, the softness of it, it isn't enough
everything is silent. you can hear the static background noise- that's how quiet it is
could this go on forever while you gather your pieces together?
could time stand still for you?
no.
it never will
you're being swallowed by a bunch of thoughts
i'm alone in this world
no one will understand me
everything is over
there's no going back from here
and a bunch of other negative phrases that are murky in your head, but there in all their mighty presence
it feels like everything you've worked for is crumbling down in front of your eyes
everything is going wrong, wrong- where did it all start to go wrong?
you can't quite put a finger to it
all you know is that you are overwhelmingly sad.
the emotion 'sad' didn't make much sense to you- you always thought it was associated with some other emotion or feeling- such as when you lose someone dear and it's associated with grief
but now... you think you're starting to understand a little what's it like to be just sad. the plain old sad
it springs a little sarcastic laugh out of you and you have to purse your lips to keep another awful sound from bubbling out of you
but this time, your ears detect the familiar sound of footsteps in the house and you wonder just how deep in your thoughts you were to miss the sound of the door unlocking
you don't move. you don't make an effort to. you just hope that he goes to take a shower first or starts cooking. you hope he doesn't realise you're home already
you hope you get a little time to yourself so he doesn't have to see you in this state-
but a knock sounds on the door anyway and his voice calls your name, his eyes probably searching the darkness
you hope that he misses your curled figure in the blankets, but he's far too observant for that
he doesn't turn on the lights. you feel the edge of your bed dip as he sits there
"you're not hiding from me... are you?"
it's mingi. you could cry just hearing his voice
"no... just tired. i'll be out in a few minutes."
he doesn't miss the crack in your voice either
"do you want me to give you some space, or do you want me to stay?"
there's one thing you love about mingi. he always asks you what you need
and he always gives you what you ask for
if it's space you need, he will gladly give you it because he realises the importance of personal space and just sorting your own mess yourself
he won't question you until you talk yourself but he will keep reminding you that he's here
he's perfect in that way
but if it's him you need... he'll drop everything to be with you too
he'll either just hold you in silence or mutter affirmations
and for the first time in a while, you don't know what you need
so you tell him exactly that
mingi sighs deeply and gets up. you wonder if he's going to leave so you check through the little gap in the blanket, your heart beating anxiously
but he only draws the curtains apart just a fraction so he can see better
and then he's back, crawling in the bed next to you and asking if he can get in the blanket with you
you allow it. you scoot a bit to give him some space and he positions the blankets so he can hold you in his arms as he lies down next to you
you're slower this time as you make way to him and he notices that too. so he simply just holds you for a while
and you let the tears flow and wet his sweatshirt. you will apologise later, but for now, you can't stop it
his hand caresses your back repeatedly in soft, circular motions. his other hand is holding yours and squeezing it affectionately
you don't know how long you stay like this but at some point, the tears stop flowing and you move a little to wipe your face
"sorry for being a mess," you laugh and he lets out a short chuckle himself
"you know it's perfectly fine with me," he assures you, planting a kiss on the top of your head. "feeling better?"
"a bit, yeah," you tell him. you take a few deep breaths
"what's wrong, love?"
"everything," you sigh. "everything's going wrong at the same time and it's too much, mingi."
mingi brings you back in a hug, this time stronger and a reminder that you're not alone
and you realise that yes- you may have been a little selfish when thinking that you were truly alone in this world
you have him
your constant source of strength, a pillar to lean on
someone who always nudges you in the right direction when you're lost
someone whose words of wisdom heal you
and someone who makes you laugh, especially when he's being goofy like now
"shall we take that little trip now? drop everything and run away?"
"oh, how i wish i could, but i can't run away from this," you sigh.
and just like that, you start talking. slowly, but gradually, you tell him the sequence of events
and he gives you the validation you need- that everything you're feeling right now... it's okay to feel that
he makes you sit in front of him and he holds your hands as you work everything out
he gives objective answers- he knows your strengths and weaknesses, and he suggests the best course
he also plans every possible direction things could go from here on out- something he's really good at
"and like i always say... it can only get better from here, right?"
"sure feels like an all time low, so... yeah?" you say.
"every time i think i'm at an all time low, life throws another one at me"
you laugh at that- he's relatable like this
"well... it can't get worse than this, maybe, yeah?"
"and even if something bad happens," mingi addresses the anxiety in your heart. "even if things don't go as planned and you have to give up something important, you should remember that you're a strong person who can get through this."
you nod, letting his words sink in
"i'm here for you, yes," he says, "but i'm only a guide and emotional support, yeah? whatever you do, it's all you. and you're incredible and amazing. you will get through this. i'm proud of every decision you will make moving forwards. i believe in you, love."
it's all you need to hear and a few tears spill again, but you smile through them as you look at mingi, the dark strands falling over his forehead, his eyes warm
mingi, the person who makes you stand on your own two feet time and time again
mingi, who makes you realise that you can face anything in this world on your own
and mingi, who'll be there when you return from your battles. who'll patch you up, kiss your head and hug you
just like he hugs you now, all warmth and love
he brings you outside so you can eat dinner and it gets better
you don't feel like you're drowning anymore
you're not out of that surface, no, but it's a whole lot better for sure
he talks to you and you address other things in between jokes and kisses exchanged
and when it's time for bed, he holds you, preparing you for tomorrow
it will be okay
you will be okay.
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spicywhenspeaking · 9 months ago
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If I'm There: Chapter Twenty-Three
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read from part one here!
summary: Noah and Natalie met in high school and developed a relationship through their love of music and art. Falling in love, innocent and young, they think nothing can keep them apart. However, sometimes in the pursuit of your dreams the things we love the most get left behind.
this is a complete work of fiction, some characters while based on real people are totally made up. :)
Taglist: @lma1986 @cookiesupplier @notingridslurkaccount @blackveilomens @thisbicc @laurpartyprogram @concretenoah @thebadchic @jessitpwk@madomens @samanthasgone @myownthoughts12@missduffsblog @jilliemiw86 @malerieee @hi-fancy-seeing-you-here @badomensls @robabankfuckmickeymouse
“Things are pretty normal given the situation. Noah has called a lot since he left and talks with Erin for almost an hour on the phone each time. We talked for a little bit but honestly, my feelings for Noah are getting so cluttered it’s hard to talk to him for too long” 
“When you say cluttered what do you mean exactly” 
“It’s just hard talking on the phone, you know, with everything. We saw each other for the first time in ten years and then I shook his whole world telling him he’s a father and I just wish I knew what he was thinking. We didn’t have enough time to talk about it all. He met Erin and it was great but I just…I feel like a failure of a mother for depriving her of him for so long and I don’t know how to express to him that I’m sorry. And honestly, I’ve never let myself get fully over him, I just feel like there’s always been a piece of me that has loved him, maybe just from what I see in Erin.” 
Dr. Grady is quiet for a few moments while she thinks and takes in my words. 
“I cannot speak for Noah, but I believe forgiving yourself for the past is important and a necessary step in your healing. You’ve already mentioned that there’s nothing you can do to change what has happened and it seems like you’re focused on helping Erin navigate this situation. As for your feelings about Noah, there is nothing I can tell you, that is a completely personal journey that you will have to take.” I sink lower into the sofa in Dr. Grady’s office and try to unjumble my thoughts, but those surrounding Noah will take time to fully unpack. 
“And on top of all of it, my brother just got to town last night and I swear if you had told me ten years ago I would say I was jealous of Kyle's emotional maturity I would have pissed myself laughing.” As I tell Dr. Grady more, I recall my conversation with Kyle last night after Erin went down for bed. 
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“So, she met Noah huh? And she seems pretty happy about the whole situation so I’m guessing it went well?” Kyle asked cautiously. “Yeah, it went better than I expected. He was great with her, asked her questions about what she likes, talked to her about music and his life. He’s called her every other day since he left and they talk for hours.” I tell him as I pour the two of us a cup of hot tea. 
“How do you feel about all of this?” He asks while blowing the steam off the cooling cup of tea in his hands. 
“When I myself understand my feelings I’ll let you know.” I let out a pathetic laugh, “I’m happy for Erin, she’s happy and that’s what’s important. I’m trying not to think too much about all of the "what ifs you know? I told myself that I wasn’t going to let my feelings mess this up for her. She deserves a relationship with her father” I tell him honestly and then because I’m unable to stop it the word vomit spews out of me. “But I can’t help thinking what if I had told him ten years ago, would we have gotten back together? Would I have ever known truly if it was for me or just because I got pregnant, I mean how would you feel missing Natasha’s birth, her first steps and her first words?”
He takes a sip of tea and sits up straighter in the kitchen chair. “I think I would be upset at first, which you said he was but Nat, you’ll drive yourself crazy if you keep thinking about all of these hypothetical scenarios.”
“But like would you be able to forgive Maggie? Would you still haven’t wanted to marry her?” 
A look of complete understanding washes across his face, “Nat, why do you insist you deserve to be hated for this? Why can’t you accept that he’s forgiven you and move forward? You forgave him for leaving all of those years ago. You’ve forgiven me for all the terrible things I’ve done, forgiven Dad too. You forgave Mom before she died. You believe everyone is worthy of forgiveness but you, why?” 
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“You believe everyone is worthy of forgiveness but you…that’s what he said. It sent me for a loop. It’s true. I’ll allow everyone to be flawed and make mistakes but when it comes to myself I wonder how I haven’t been dropped by every person in my life” I explain the conversation to Dr. Grady and wait for her response as I sit up and prepare for the end of our session.
“It’s common for people with anxiety to suffer from severe self-criticism. I’m going to send you a few readings I’d like you to look over before our next session and we can discuss it more since we are almost out of time.” She clears her throat and straightens up the papers in her hand. “It’s a very good question your brother asked. I think you should think about that one, why do you think everyone else is worthy of forgiveness but you? Because you are Natalie, you are worthy of forgiveness and you need to start by forgiving yourself.”
I quietly thank Dr. Grady for our session and leave once our time is finished. 
She’s right and so is Kyle. I constantly forgive everyone all the time but never allow myself the grace of forgiveness.
Erin is happy, Noah is happy and it’s about damn time I let myself be happy too. 
It’s around 4pm when I return home from therapy and my grocery store run. I got all of the essentials for a fun backyard fire pit dinner. We’re roasting hotdogs and then s’mores for desserts later. 
When I get into the house I hear laughter and music filtering in through the kitchen, I walk through and notice the sound is coming from the backyard where Maggie and Kyle have set up the waterslide for the girls. 
“Uncle Ky! Go go!!!” I hear Erin bellow as I see my brother fling himself down and slide all the way to the end of the slide. 
“Oh hey, Natty!” Kyle calls, standing and shaking the water out of his hair. “How was your appointment?” He asks softly. 
“It was good! Yeah, I feel good, thank you for talking to me about it last night, it was really helpful Ky.” 
“Of course sis! What are twins for?” he says and then wraps his arms around me wiping water all over my dry clothes. “Kyle! Ugh!” I call out and push him off of me while he lets out a full bellied laugh. 
A few hours later we are sitting, dry,  around the warm fire. Kyle and Maggie are staying at a hotel but when Natasha started to get sleepy we put her in Erin’s bed until they left for the night. 
I’m helping Erin roast a marshmallow when Maggie comes into my view, handing me a glass of wine. “I think it’s time for that girl-talk I was promised” she giggles and turns to Haylie who’s sitting and roasting her own s’more, “and I mean you as well girl, I wanna hear about this new book. You gotta tell me if they’ll end up together in the end please” 
Haylie laughs and zips her lips, “hey I’m spoiler-free over here.” 
Handing Erin her assembled s’more she thanks me and takes a huge bite causing marshmallows to overflow out the side and drip down her chin. I laugh and wipe it before it hits the floor. 
Kyle stands to leave us to girl-talk and gestures towards Erin, “Come on sweety, let’s go watch a movie while your mom has her lady talk, it’ll be boring” 
Erin giggles into her s’more “They just want to talk about Noah and how mom used to like him and now they’re both weird” she states while tossing a strand of hair over her shoulder and I can’t help the laugh that bubbles out of me, “yeah, sorry for being weird kiddo. I’m working on it.”
“Aren’t you observant?” Kyle says to Erin steering her towards the back door. 
The three of us giggle at the way Erin was able to perfectly sum up the situation, “She sees everything I swear and she’s too smart.” I comment under my breath as I take a small sip of the wine Maggie brought me.
“What’s going on in that head of yours Natty,” Maggie asks and her face is nothing but compassionate. “Too much Mags, too much.” I take another long sip of wine and look into the slowly dimming fire. “I am so unbelievably happy to see Erin happy..”
“I’m sensing a but coming,” Haylie chirps from her chair on the other side of me. 
“But.” I say, giving her a pointed look, “but I am just still navigating my own feelings about all of this, so I’m just a little scatterbrained.” I admit.
“Do you think it’s possible Noah could still have feelings for you?” Maggie asks and I shoot up in my chair, surprised by her question. 
“Oh god no, I was just talking to my therapist about how shocked I am that he can even stand being around me,” I say and Haylie busts out laughing. 
“Oh my god, are you blind? Dude the way he was looking at you not only the literal day you told him about her but the day he came over and was here for like eight hours, for Erin of course but Natty, there is no doubt he was also here for you.” Haylie says with a matter-of-fact tone and my eyes roll back so far I think they might never come back. “Oh please, there is no way Noah has feelings for me, It’s been ten years and at this point, we are just trying to navigate this co-parenting thing.” 
That gets a laugh out of not only Haylie but Maggie as well, “you’re either blind, stupid or both if you don’t think that guy is and always has been in love with you, knowing he now shares a child with you is only going to cause him to further attempt to submit himself as the only man in your life,” Maggie says but I shake my head in disagreement, I just don’t think that is in the cards for Noah and me anymore no matter how easily I lose myself in his eyes, or how I secretly listen to his music and have always known he was the most talented person in the world. 
“Whatever our feelings for each other may be, Noah and I have agreed that the most important thing is Erin’s happiness. I’m not going to risk that so I just need everyone to respect that.” I say with more firmness in my voice than intended. Maggie looks at me with a quiet understanding, “I will support you either way. I’m always on your side.” she says. Haylie nods in agreement “Me too.” 
We spend another hour outside finishing our wine before heading back inside to see Kyle and his family off for the night. Erin heads up for bed soon after and I do a final sweep of the kitchen before heading up to bed myself.
As I’m laying my head down my phone rings lightly and I hesitate slightly before answering. 
Hey Noah, is everything okay? Sorry but Erin is already asleep if you wanted to talk. 
Hey, yeah everything is okay. I figured she’d be asleep, I was hoping to talk to you actually. If thats okay?
Oh, um yeah, we can talk. Whats up?
Are we okay Natty? 
I freeze. What does that even mean? Are we okay?
Um. yeah? Why wouldn’t we be okay? 
I just feel like…I don’t know how to say this. I’ve been trying Natty but when I talk to you on the phone it’s like you can’t get off fast enough.
What do you mean? I just figured you wanted to talk to Erin so you could get to know her more. 
I mean, of course want to talk to Erin, but Natty I want to talk to you as well.
It’s been ten years and I meant what I said about wanting to be in your lives. 
You want to talk to me? About what? 
He laughs and the warmth of it climbs into my heart and makes a nest. 
I want to know about your life, I want to meet the Natalie that you’ve become and I want to try and make up for all this time I’ve lost.
Oh. I’m - well I’m sorry if I was short with you on the phone. Honestly, all of this has been a big change for us all.
I haven’t been good about dealing with this, obviously. 
Yes, It was a big change but I want you to know that I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this alone anymore. I truly do intend to be there. For both of you.
That’s co-parenting right? We’re in this together now. 
Yeah. Together. I like the sound of that. 
I can’t help the blush that spreads across my cheeks and down my neck, I know he meant together as parents but for a moment I allow myself to believe we could be the happy family I’ve always dreamed of. 
I know it’s late so I can let you go if you’re getting ready for bed-
No, no, I can talk. Unless you’re tired.
No, we just got off the stage and I’m to amped up to sleep yet.
So Natty, tell me about your life. 
We talk on the phone for hours. About the last ten years, I told him about life with Erin and we reminisced about life when we were young. I don’t remember hanging up, but I guess I fell asleep sometime while we were talking because when I woke up there was an unread text on my phone.
Noah S : goodnight :) I have missed talking to you these last ten years Natty. It is good to be back in your world. 4:13 am
I walk down the stairs with a spring in my step and I feel lighter than I have since this all began. I know we will all be okay and I can finally say that Noah and I are friends again after all of this time.
The rest of the week with my brother and Maggie is so much fun. We spend time at the park, go to museums and even a minor league baseball game. When they leave at the end of the week I give Kyle a big hug. "Thanks for everything Ky, I love you bro."
"I love you too sis, you're an amazing person. don't ever forget that."
Noah and I start texting more frequently in-between our phone calls and I find myself smiling and laughing more at my phone than I have in years.
In a week Noah will be back and Erin is so excited.
I won't lie, I'm pretty excited as well.
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next chapter
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erospandemos · 1 year ago
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I just can't help it
Yandere Chaewon x Reader
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Part 1
“The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.”
― Ernest Hemingway, Men Without Women
What you’re about to read is a confession to you. An apology, if you prefer to call it that, as I’ve professed my love to you plenty of times—although it won’t ever be enough—and you’re at the knowledge of every crime I’ve committed since we met. 
My Korean teacher repeatedly reiterated the lack of clarity in my essays and oral exams. I’m not good with words, you see. That’s why I thought that letting you know about the events in my life that shaped me and the feelings that followed me throughout these months would make you understand me better.
I know our conversations weren’t as deep as you probably expected. I’ve tried to explain myself to the best of my abilities and even if it was a mess you seemed to make out that flurry of words and comfort me. Sometimes, I truly thought you understood me more than I did. 
It’s true that we always talked in riddles and puzzles but it made more sense that way. Because our—my—love was pure madness and somehow the riddles explained it better than we ever could. 
The lack of sleep shouldn’t have affected my mind too much, at least in the part that’s in charge of writing. 
If you’re reading this, I hope you understand. Sorry if I’m rambling a lot, and sorry if I will ramble more in the following pages. Right, sorry if I’m apologizing a lot—you told me not to do that. I just can’t help it.
I was tortured since the age of 6 when I started going to elementary school, that’s as far as I can remember. You could also say I was “bullied”, it’s what the adults like to call it, but it’s the same thing. People get defensive, almost offended when I use the other term. “Wow,” was a common reaction, “that’s a bit extreme, don’t you think?” I didn’t think it was extreme. 
When I so naively asked my teacher the difference between the two words, she chuckled and looked at me as if I asked her what the difference between hot and cold was. Surprise was another clear feeling I could read from her expression. She asked me how I knew those words. I simply said I heard them from outside and she told me to forget them.
That evening, when I came home, I  took the chair from my mother’s desk and put it next to the bookshelf, I climbed it and looked at the books on the top shelf. They were the books she used the least and between them, sitting all dusty and forgotten, was also the dictionary. 
I blew and rubbed the dust away then I looked for the two words. I read the two definitions closely and more than one time but I still didn’t understand. They were the same. 
I didn’t ask my teacher anything else. My teacher was clearly against explaining them to me.
But I was sure, I knew those two words extremely well because I felt them on my skin. 
I wanted to be an idol. I told everyone in my class because I thought it was a normal dream—we all watched idols on TV in the afternoon—and being an astronaut seemed a lot harder. Apparently, it wasn’t. Because I wanted to perform on a stage, I was “pretentious”, “narcissistic”, an “attention-seeker”, and a “whore”. I didn’t know what they meant and thought they were compliments and they etched those words into my skin. 
I later found their definitions in the dictionary and understood what they were saying.
I wasn’t the only girl who wanted to be an idol. Hayoon, a classmate of mine, dreamt of testing for JYP, SM, YG, and all those big companies. She took dance and singing classes, they were both in group and private. She could afford it because her family was very rich. From what I heard in the classroom, she started training when she was just a little girl because her parents saw her dancing in front of the TV during an episode of Inkigayo.
Surprisingly, Hayoon was never shamed. Because she was “humble” and had “her feet on the ground”. She was loved by everyone and was the most favored prospect for the role of an idol, everyone seemed to believe in her dream. She was confident, danced well, and was beautiful. All the girls went to her house at least twice a month to go to her huge pool, splendid garden, and majestic house. I never went, I was never invited.
She was good at everything and topped all subjects. However, I sang better than her. In music classes and festivals, I was always chosen and often took the roles instead of her. When she realized she wasn’t the best, she became embarrassed and frustrated. 
She didn’t have any way of making me sing worse and neither could sing better than me, even after all those expensive lessons, so she took to poking fun at me to try and drag me down. Of course her friends joined as well. They were always calling me "ugly", "weird", and "gross" in a way that didn’t seem childish or playful, but demeaning and insulting.
The other kids constantly berated me between classes, glued my books to the desk, slapped me and then ran away. They knew all the spots where there was no CCTV in the school. They even stole my brand-new headphones and glued my shoestrings to my shoes when I didn’t see them. We wore slippers and my shoes were in my locker.
My teachers never helped me. I’ve tried telling them and they didn’t believe me, or rather, they chose not to believe me because that was easier for them.
Only a girl had the courage to help me, it only took one word and two days to have everyone against her. “Stop,” she only said that and then everyone hated her. You never go against the group, you never try to make yourself different, you never try to fight back. 
In the end, I understood the difference between torture and bullying: one was for hurting and one was for fun.
During middle school, the bullying stepped up a notch. Some of my classmates went to my same middle school, they had many friends there and the rumors spread like wildfire. Many of the students liked to take their stress out by bullying other students. They were pathetic and talentless, they hated anyone who had potential unless they provided them anything, like Hayoon.
Smoking was illegal. But they didn’t care. They found all the corners of the school where the CCTV didn’t see them and studied where the professors usually walked to avoid their path. It wasn’t always perfect and sometimes they were caught but it sure helped them and the bullies.
One day, I was dragged by my hair behind the basketball court and after getting pushed to the ground, the girls started slapping, laughing, and kicking me. The smoke from their cigarettes and the kicks to my belly and back took the air out of me. I couldn’t breathe and I thought I was going to die. They were experienced—they noticed my lack of breath, gave me breaks to catch it, and started kicking me again.
They were caught by a teacher who forgot his bag. They claimed they were only giving me “birthday punches” and didn’t admit anything, nor apologized. They weren’t stupid either. The girls had a very good reputation and a good student persona, essentially they didn’t have any criminal records. 
When I was asked what happened, I was ready to tell them all the atrocities that took place in school. But then, I remembered the girls’ eyes. I looked at the professor and I knew, right there and then, that he didn’t believe me, even before I said anything. They wouldn’t have done anything but the word would have been out, that I snitched on the bullies and then I wouldn’t have survived.
So I stayed silent.
The girls only got punished for smoking after they explained they only wanted to try and continued to do it anyway.
Between the end of middle school and the start of high school, the bullies got more creative. They tied me up and broke my legs with a crowbar. The older the girls got, the more of them wanted to be idols, and the first thing they had to do was to get rid of the competition. They succeeded as I stopped dancing altogether since that day.
I continued singing but nobody wants to see an idol in a wheelchair, right?
After I couldn’t walk normally anymore, they started treating me like a rag. They used me to clean the bathroom, by pushing me around on the floor, putting my face against the toilet, and mopping me with dirty water. I was like a toy to them and their friends joined the fun.
Part 2
It was no wonder that many bullied students leave the school. Sometimes, they leave on their own, because they can’t stand the torture anymore, other times, the school removes them. The bullies only bully others because they can and they know they can get away with it: they have influential parents or come from wealthy families, so the school can only quietly get rid of the problem and those are the victims that can’t stay quiet.
The class in my department didn’t have many students but it was enough: 20 students. During the year, 5 students left, and at the end of the year, 2 others were sent to another school in the province. The remaining 13 weren’t enough to be left alone in the classroom so they joined us with a class from another department that also lost many students. In total, we were 31, which was a big number but they didn’t have any other choice.
You were one of those students. I only noticed you after a week because I got used to keeping my eyes low not to anger any of my classmates. You sat beside me. People usually tend to avoid me since they could also become victims of the bullies but you knew it and it was your decision.
“Is this seat taken?” you asked me. When I heard your voice, I had a moment of hesitation. I kept staring at the wooden desk but then I thought that you might have accused me of being rude for ignoring you and that would have been a good enough reason to pick on me, so I raised my eyes.
“No, it isn’t,” I replied. Your eyes were cold. I genuinely thought you were a bully too.
“Then, can I seat here?”
“You can if you want…” I told you, unsure. “But I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“What? You fart a lot?”
I was taken aback. “No! I don’t.”
“I suppose it’s fine then,” you said and took the chair out to take your desk. You started getting ready for the lesson and didn’t seem to have any intention of doing anything to me. Every time someone spoke to me, it was to make a comment, make a joke, or give me an order. Still, I was suspicious of you.
The lesson proceeded as usual. You took your notes very diligently, writing almost everything the teacher said, making graphs and small summaries to keep your memory fresh. If you were to tell me you were the top student in your class, I would have believed it and later I’d find out you really were.
Your behavior wasn’t the one of a bully. And it wasn’t the behavior of a bullied either.
At the end of the last lesson before the lunch break, the teacher gave us surveys for our future career choices. I stared at the paper with a pen in my hand. What should I write? My future, my future was stolen from me. My dream was as meaningful as an ant’s life. After everything they did and said to me, a miserable life of insignificance and sadness sounded perfectly fit for me. I kept wondering and pondering until you turned to me.
“What do you want to do when you grow up, Chaewon?” you asked me while you were lazily spinning your pen between your fingers.
“I- I don’t know, what about you?” I stuttered. I couldn’t bring myself up to pronounce those words. I felt as if I had been banished from even muttering them and thinking about it only brought me horrible memories.
“Web security,” you said. “I go around and check companies’ safety in their servers and sites. I’ve already started an internship so I’m sure it’s what I’m going to do.”
“An internship? This early?”
“Yeah, I figured the more experience I get, the better. I got nothing better to do anyways.”
“Don’t you have any hobbies? Don’t you hang out with your… friends?”
“I don’t have that many friends, to be honest,” you replied nonchalantly. “I mean, I do go out like once every three months so it isn’t a lot but I still have friends I can talk to. I’ve never been good with people, I guess.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“I was always better on my own. I tried a lot of stuff and I liked web stuff better,” then you turned to me for a second time, looking at me more intensely than before, “but you didn’t answer my question yet. What do you wanna do?”
Being put on the spot like that, I wasn’t sure about what I was allowed to say. More than that, I didn’t know what I really wanted, if the dust of my once desire was still in me if my heart wasn’t dead cold. However, after all these years, a subtle string of fate kept me going and it was still something that I liked doing.
I looked at your eyes. They didn’t scare me.
“I want to be… an idol,” I said in a single breath. After I finished the sentence, a heavy feeling of guilt dawned on me. I felt as if I just committed a crime and I was in danger.
But you didn’t judge me.
“An idol, huh?” You laid back on your chair. “That’s pretty cool. I know it’s very hard if you really want to do it, props to you. It takes some guts to train for that stuff. To dance all day, to have everyone look at you, it’s something.”
“Do- do you think I can do it?”
“I don’t know, you tell me. I don’t know how well you dance, or how good you sing, or even what you tested for.”
“But is it a possible dream?”
“You can watch idols too, right? They had the same dream as you did. They did it. I think it’s possible, yeah. And I think you can do it, Chaewon.”
When you said that, I felt so relieved. It was comforting. Finally, I found someone that didn’t hate me, that didn’t shame and believed in me.
Just as you stopped talking, the bell rang. It was the time.
“Oh, look at her, ms. Idol,” said Yejun and pushed my head away for fun. He started laughing.
“Hands off, Yejun. And go away before I sock you in the face,” you said.
“I’m so scared, oh my god,” he laughed. “What do you think you’ll do huh? Do you want to protect this filthy rag? How generous,” he said and then slapped me.
“That’s enough, fuckface,” you got up and stared into his eyes. “That’s the last warning. Leave before I do something I might regret.”
He scoffed. “Really, you talk a lot. Don’t forget that you work for my father.”
“I don’t think you get it, Yejun. I don’t just work for your father. He depends on me. One click and his whole 20 servers will blow up. Do you really think that incompetent fool of your father fixed all the problems? He doesn’t know shit about his stuff, he only knows how to count money and scam his workers. There are so many weaknesses I could just hack the whole thing and change your company to my name.”
“You aren’t funny.”
“I wasn’t trying to be. Now, that I’ve seen who this rag of yours is, tell your friends to keep their hands off her. I don’t want to see your father come back and beg at me and he’ll know it was all your fault. Everyone listens to you apparently, so spread the word. I won’t hesitate.”
Yejun stormed out of the class in anger.
I felt like I was reborn, that I finally found my savior. You were the angel I needed and you came to save me from this hell.
“I don’t like this place, let’s get out of here,” you said and I followed you.
We went to grab lunch but right behind the vending machines you got attacked. He called you a nerd, whatever he did, but I couldn’t stand it. I felt a force in me and I grabbed his neck, I squeezed until he couldn’t breathe anymore.
I’ll be honest, if it wasn’t for you trying to get me off, I would have killed him.
Just as that guy run off, you freaked out. I didn’t blame you. Still, you took my arm and pulled me to somewhere more covered to talk to me, scared that someone else might have seen it. I could see the surprise in your eyes, but you didn’t look terrified, you were concerned if anything.
Your hand was still bleeding, the red liquid dripped to the floor. I stared at the droplets, slowly coloring the grey concrete, as if it was the ticking of a clock. At each tick, I was getting more impatient, there was something inside me that wanted to jump out, run after who hurt you, and make him pay for it. But I had to calm down, you were in front of me.
“Chaewon, what the hell!” you whisper-shouted while repeatedly glancing behind your back and into the hallway. “Where did that come from?”
“I-I don’t know what happened,” I stuttered. I was saying the truth—at the time, I truly didn’t know why I reacted in the way I did. I never raised my hands, I never talked back, I never reacted.
“Shit, I’m bleeding a lot,” you cursed. You gritted your teeth and started walking towards the school clinic. I followed you.
You talked to me as we were walking. “You don’t just choke people randomly, you know?”
“I- I really swear! I pro-promise… I have no idea what happened!”
“Listen, Chaewon, I saw you pinning his neck against the wall. You raised a senior with one hand.”
When we were in front of the nurse's office, you pinched your nose and waved your hand to stop me from talking. The cuff of your white shirt was stained with red, it already spread so much in just a short time. You must have been in pain. My blood was boiling.
“You can explain yourself later,” you said and opened the door. “I have to close this wound first.”
I followed you into the room. For some reason, the room was empty, there was no trace of the nurse and it looked like she hasn’t been there for a long time as everything was very tidy and the coat hanger was empty. Often, when people can avoid work, they’ll do it. The nurse must have seen that there was no one needing her in the morning and decided to leave for some coffee.
You sat on one of the beds, keeping your arm stretched out so the blood wouldn’t stain the sheets and with another hand, you searched into the cabinet for something you could help yourself with. You took out bandaids, alcohol, gauze and cotton buds. You really made a mess, trying to pour the alcohol on your arm and spilling half of the content on the floor.
After sloppily cleaning yourself with cotton, you got the bandaids.
“Do you really think bandaids will do?” I asked you. “It’s way too deep.”
“Is there any other way?”
“Yeah, we have to put stitches on you.” I took the chairs from the desk and sat in front of you. In the cabinet beside the bed, there were also needles and thread for that procedure. Luckily there was an anesthetic as well.
I put on gloves. I cleaned your wound again, better than you did before, and applied the anesthetic gel. It took about two minutes to take effect, in the meanwhile I prepared the rest of the equipment I needed: forceps, curved needle, and new thread.
When I was sure you didn’t feel anything, I started stitching your wound.
“How did you learn this?” you asked me so curiously.
“I… I got used to taking care of myself,” I said softly. It was embarrassing. You nodded. I could feel your eyes scan me, looking at all my bruises, the bandaids on my face, and many more wounds underneath my shirt.
You sighed. “I’m sorry. I hope they won’t attack you anymore. Always stay with me, they are scared of people who have a known name.”
“Thank you, but I don’t think it will do anything.”
“Just do as I say,” you repeated. I could see how sure you were from your face. You definitely didn’t see, as my face was facing the floor, but I smiled for the first time after you said that. Your desire of protecting me was honest. I was really happy that you cared for me.
When I came home, I had the time to think through what happened that day. As I was drinking a cup of water, I looked at myself in the reflection of the window, my fingers tracing my wounds and bruises, itching the dried blood on my nails. Where did that strength come from? I could have sworn they had taken every ounce of energy from me, I knew I had no will, no ambition, no desire to even talk back until today. And yet, I hurt him.
I felt good. It didn’t feel good to hurt him per se but to know I defended you. As to him, I should have killed him. But you stopped me. You shouldn’t have done that. He hurt you. That shabby gross fool tried to hurt you, how could he?!
I was so lucky to have caught you before it was late. I couldn’t imagine what would have happened to you if he succeeded—the bruises on your face, the blood on your face—you would have looked just like me. No, I couldn’t stand that. You didn’t deserve to go through the pain that I did, not after you defended me. Oh, if only I could lay my hand on those sinners, the pain I could inflict them, all the experiences that I felt inside my skin, into my very flesh.
I want to hear them scream. To beg for forgiveness. To regret their very existence. I want them to apologize to you, to offer their life…
Crack
I looked down at my hands. What a mess. I completely shattered the cup I was holding—bits of sharp glass everywhere, even some into my skin. The veins of my hand were bulging, I could feel the blood in my body flowing so fast and forcefully. The adrenaline was high in my brain.
I didn’t realize what I did until I heard the sudden noise.
It was true, just as you said. It wasn’t me. But why? This must have happened because I was thinking of you getting hurt… yes, it was your thought, just you. It was because of you. I didn’t want to see you hurt, you were my only hope in this world, just the thought sent a shock through my spine and into my head, and I would go crazy.
You made me like this.
Completely insane.
“Chaewon! What happened?” I heard Yujin calling me and I turned around to see her rushing out the hallway. Yujin was my roommate, we shared the rent because it was cheaper that way. She wasn’t a bad person, not at all. But she couldn’t understand my life, she lived between rich girls and handsome guys.
To be kind, you need to know what misery is. She was just nice.
“Oh, Kirin-chan,” I said.
“How did you break your glass?” she asked worryingly, grabbing a towel to clean my bloody hand of the bits of glass.
“My bad, I was standing up and it just slipped out of my hand.”
“Then how did it get all over your palm?”
“I slipped and fell right onto it, you know how clumsy I am.”
“Yeah,” she commented without much belief, “just like all the time you come home with bruises on your face.”
“It isn’t my fault if they don’t put warnings after cleaning the stairs.”
“It isn’t your fault,” she repeated. “Anyways, don’t forget to clean it up, I’ll go back to studying,” she ended, turning around and leaving the lounge to return to her prettier room.
I continued to stare at my hand.
I couldn’t help but think about you again… my head got foggy… my thoughts haunting…
What if they scarred you?
What if they bullied you?
What if girls broke your heart?
What if you were friends with the wrong people?
I knew I was crossing a line when those questions took form but it was too late and I didn’t even care anymore. It was a promise I made myself, to protect who I loved, and I swore I wouldn’t fail again. I would protect you forever, no matter what.
I feared that you’d run away from me but instead, we got way closer than before. When I walked into school the day after the incident, I was genuinely scared I wouldn’t have seen you—that you had stayed at home, that you changed class or even school. What worried me the most was the fact that you could have been scared of me.
I waited for you anxiously. I kept scratching my nails, rubbing my arms, looking around for you. So many times I got up and walked around the paths outside the school where I thought you’d usually walk, even if I didn’t know well what were your habits, and not finding you, I’d sit back at the wall and wait again.
After several minutes, you arrived at school. At the sight of you, my dizziness and worries faded away. I immediately ran at you and hugged you so tight, you had to know how much I missed you.
You were surprised, of course, you were. “Huh? What has gotten into you Chaewon?” you laughed jokingly.
“I just thought you wouldn’t come to school anymore,” I told you.
“Why would I do that? Today is a school day.”
“It’s okay, that’s perfect. I’m just so glad I can see you again.”
Part 3
The door opened to the locker room and I and the other trainees entered sitting down. They changed their clothes from casual streetwear to old clothes and gym wear. I’ve been training for a bit now, I got to know all the trainees well, there were a lot before but now they only remained half. The one that finished first started stretching. "It's one minute and a half. Let's do this," she sighed.
One of them threw to the other a white sheet with a name written on it and did the same with the others. "Here. Your name tags."
"That's it? Just a minute?" the girl chuckled.
"A minute and a half. Everyone does their part and it's a difficult choreography, don't you forget. It will be enough."
"It's for evaluation. Don't forget every detail counts," another girl added.
We went out of the room and made our way toward the practice room, each one with a name tag on it. The corridor leading to it was cold, probably because they just changed from thick to thin clothes, but it got hotter towards the end where the air got denser. One at a time, they entered bowing at the line of men sitting on the right of the mirror in front of the door.
Everyone had papers and a pen and a serious look plastered on their faces. After a couple of stretches, the girls got into position and the music started. They smiled and danced with their full capability and the judges looked sharp. When the music stopped they held their ending pose and went in a line waiting for their words. The air suddenly felt cold.
"There had been improvements on what we said the first time. But we can also fix others," the first said and the men nodded. They wrote on the paper and scribbled.
"You. When the others did their move you were coordinated and that's fine but you did it wrong. You need to raise your hand higher," he said making the move himself and the girl followed.
"Can you do the move a bit before the ending?" another one asked, gesturing his intention. "Yes, that one. Please get into the position and do it."
They did and when it came to the next section he spoke again, "One more time."
"Once more."
"Five...six.. seven... eight... an-"
"Okay," he said and got up walking to the center of the room. He demonstrated the move more and more times. "Don't tense your muscles too much when you do this alright?"
"But," the oldest got up, "you were all a lot better today, good job. Specially Soojin and Gaeul."
"That's it, goodbye," they said.
"Thank you!" the girls answered together.
BLAM. The oldest almost slips as he got out and the others held him up. The girls let out a muffled laugh, their mouths covered with their hands."See girls, don't tense your muscles too much or they won't work properly," the man chuckled. The judges left fast, embarrassed by their eldest and the group laughed in relief.
"Are we really doing this? They are not saying anything anymore."
The youngest looked at them from the ground, laid down breathing hard, and said, "We're close to debuting."
When everyone was done with their stuff and cleaned themselves they left. Almost all of them ran out to catch the last bus of the day or were just in a hurry. I, on the other hand, had to walk home so I did everything slower. When I got out, in the distance, I heard a group of girls around my age shouting and laughing. When they got closer, I realized they were my classmates, there were about four of them and they were drunk.
They noticed me.
"Look at you. It's late, pretty girls like you shouldn't stay out," one of them said and I frowned.
"Don't tell me. You were practicing?" she said laughing. The other three got in a semi-circle in front of me.
"It's a really difficult life isn't it, miss idol? Everybody wants you and you're here dancing until late," she mocked me, with her fingers under her eyes faking tears, and let out a hearty laugh. The choir followed with a carol of joy.
"It's sad really," she continued, "so popular but so tired."
She pushed me down on the ground and the group stepped back making more space for the two. She forcefully pulled my hair, forcing me to get up. The girl got closer and said, "And you're so pretty. It would be a shame if anything happened to this pretty face."
She slapped me. They laughed. They kicked me. I tried to defend myself, curling into a fetus position and protecting my head. They snickered as they continued wasting the effects of the alcohol on me. When they were finally satisfied, they got up and left me there on the side of the road and went away to the opposite way of where they came from.
I remained on the ground with tears on her face and sobbed trying not to make any noise, I wanted silence. However I heard their voices again, from the distance, and they were screaming.
"What do you think you're doing?!" the same girl as before squealed."We're girls, you think you can-." The group gasped.
"You're five and I'm one and you just beat that girl up. You think I care?" It was a male voice.
The girls ran away but the guy didn't try to chase them and walked to me.
"There's a convenience store nearby, we can get something cold for your face," he said with a soft tone. I recognized the voice and looked at him, I recognized his face too. It was you. My legs trembled a little as I held myself upon your shoulder for support. "It's fine, take your time," you said dusting my back.
At the shop, you bought a bag of frozen peas so I could put it on my face where it still hurts. "I ate those for dinner, they're great. I can use them for everything, look, you're using them too now," you said and I laughed. I calmed down a little and your face got more serious and worried.
"I told you. Starting from tomorrow I'll bring you home," you said.
"But it was only this time," I said.
"And the other four before."
"Kind of."
"Being there by 11:30 should be good."
"But you should sleep."
"I would just be studying, and either way, it's way better to have your company," you insisted, leaning down on the chair. A small smile formed on my face. Ever since that day, the two always walked home late at night even when it was freezing or when it was raining. We got way closer.
You grew up so well. Unfortunately, many girls seemed to notice you and fall for you. I don’t blame them, you were very charming, so attractive for such a young student but I couldn’t let them near you. They were fools, too stupid to realize they were nowhere close to your level, you were levels above and they were just insects. I had to make sure no one bothered you, to avoid you crying because some worthless bitch broke your heart.
I was surprised when you told me you got asked out. But then I felt my chest burn.
There’s only one thing that I can’t stand in this world and that’s people who think they can take what’s mine. I don’t care about gossip, jealousy or envy, I don’t have anyone to compete with, I just want what’s mine. And you are mine.
It was so easy to scare them away. All it took was a quick talk behind the school, a very convincing speech, a cutter to their throats…
They were scared of me. Good. You didn’t suspect anything—they’d still smile at me as if nothing happened, I made sure to tell them. I couldn’t let you know, to worry more than you already were.
The bullying had completely stopped towards me because you were always by my side defending me and eventually they all got the message. If you were just a crush before, now I love you. If I loved you, now I worship you. You’re my religion, my god, my purpose. I’ll kill for you, live for you, and I’ll love you forever. Wherever you go, I’ll follow you. Whether that’s heaven, hell, or any other world. My very existence is embroidered into your name, I can’t exist without you.
Things were going great, so great. You only had eyes for me. Those two beautiful pupils could only look at me, at my face, at my body, only at me. I loved when you stared at me, I was yours after all, you could watch how much you wanted.
That was until those two eyes became one. You got a big bruise on your left eye, it was swollen, black, and horrible.
You were waiting for me near the big tree behind the school like you always did, and you talked to me like you always did, without worry or pain. “Hey, Chaewon,” you greeted me.
“What happened?!”
“Nothing, I just hurt myself,” you lied. How naive you were, you were too kind, too nice. I didn’t believe you one single bit. I wonder why you did that? Why did you lie to me? Was it to protect whoever did that to you? To protect who hurt you?
“Tell me. Tell me, who hurt you?” I asked you calmly.
“It’s really nothing Chae… I’m serious, I only hurt myself—”
“TELL ME WHO THE HELL HURT YOU RIGHT FUCKING NOW!!!” I asked again, the sudden increase in volume startled you and you backed away into the tree. I didn’t know at the time, and you’d tell me later, but my eyes were empty. You got scared, I apologize, I just couldn’t help it.
“Ch-Chaewon?” you stuttered.
When I realized you were terrified, I calmed down. “Huh? Oh, my bad, sorry… I was just really worried, but now, please tell me.” I shook my head and took a couple of steps back.
“Okay, I will tell you… it was Seojun,” you finally confessed. “I bumped into him and spilled his drink on his uniform. I apologized, but since I was alone and his ‘friends’ were with him, they thought they could get their revenge on me.”
“I see… let’s get you some ice for that eye for now,” I told you and we started to walk into the infirmary for the second time. I hated walking into that place, especially with you. I tried my best to hold it inside me, not to scare you again, but I was going to snap anytime soon.
“Chae, are you alright?” you asked me.
“Oh, don’t worry about me, dear… and it will okay from now on. You don’t have to worry about Seojun anymore.”
You know, people say that the first time is special, you never forget it. The first time I bathed my hands in the warm liquid that is human blood, my body was cold. I felt hesitation at first, but I knew I was doing it for you, and thinking about you, all that fear was gone. And I killed him.
Yes, it was me that killed Seojun. I don’t regret one bit what I’ve done to him. I made sure he suffered as much as he made you suffer. An eye for an eye, as they say.
That day was special, it was like I confessed to you and instead of a ring, I gave you a life. It was only fair you’d give me your life in return.
The murder of Seojun made headlines in the news and when asked about it, the students never said anything nor praised or acted sad at his death. No one missed him. It’s quite sad that life can be so insignificant that not a single person will care about how gruesome your death was and forget you the next day. To be quite honest, he deserved it. We die in the same way we live.
You were a bit suspicious of me at first. You didn’t really doubt me—you were curious. The news of his death was delivered by our professor during the first period with a sigh before continuing the lesson. The reactions were mixed but mostly towards one extreme: relief.
When a bad person dies, two things will happen: if you’re a good person or a victim, you will be happy; if you’re equally bad then you’ll be scared, because you know he already got what he deserved and nothing prevented you from having the same fate as nothing is stronger than luck.
You were both worried and glad. I’ve always noticed how you tend to care about other people, it’s something that I really love about you, you just have to direct toward the people who deserve it. “Hey, Chae, do you know anything about Seojun’s murder?” you asked me during the break. You were hesitant at first but I was sure you’ve thought about it long enough to decide to spill it.
You must have thought about what I said the other day: You don’t have to worry about Seojun anymore.
“Huh?” I raised my eyebrow at you. “Why would I have anything to do with his death?”
“W-well… you see… you said that I didn’t have to worry about him anymore and the next day… he dies.” Your shoulders were so tight almost as if you were trying to keep the words inside of you. Your gaze flitted around the room, never settling on one person or object for long.
“It must have been a coincidence,” I told you. “And karma.”
“Right,” you muttered. Then you relaxed your shoulders.
“By the way,” I changed the topic, “there is going to be the last test before the debut at Hybe.”
Your eyes changed completely, they brightened. Every time I talked about my dream, you always seemed too excited for me. You fully believed in my ambition and constantly encouraged me to keep trying. Whenever I practiced, I always thought of you.
I always think of you.
“That’s awesome, Chae. It’s your opportunity, you wanted to become an idol all this time.”
“I will start practicing right away then,” I said. “I want to be with you that day. Can you come with me?”
“What day will it be?”
“Next Saturday, 4:00 pm.”
“Next Saturday… 4:00 pm,” you repeated. “I’ll make sure to be there—I will be there, I will.”
“Thank you,” I smiled and hugged you. You were still a bit against the idea of hugging but slowly you were getting used to it. I trusted that you’ll eventually come to love it.
I had prepared about four songs for the test: two for my singing and two for my dancing, one of them was good for both. I decided to be very broad with my songs because if they asked for more, I’d be prepared. You never know. I didn’t want to go there and have them ask for a random song and fail horribly.
You were waiting for me in front of the building with a little bag of snacks. I mentioned all of them before to you and you remembered. Some of them were for when I’d finish the whole thing and some as a snack to calm my nerves.
Honestly, I felt like you were my boyfriend already. If anyone saw us together, they’d say the same thing. Every little thing you did was so full of attention, I knew you cared for me, and I loved you so much.
Anyways, the time came. I bid you goodbye and entered.
The test went terribly wrong.
You waited two hours for me, only for me to blow it all up. When I came out, I was so embarrassed, I didn’t want you to see me at all.
“So Chae, how was it?” you asked but I didn’t reply. It was hard to come up with any word at all. I couldn’t even look at you in the eyes.
“Chae?”
“Chaewon?”
You finally got enough at the third time and you grabbed my shoulder to shake and direct my gaze at you. “Chaewon, answer me please!” you said with an upset tone.
“Do you… do you think I’m a failure?”
“What are you talking about?” you asked back.
“Hey, am I a failure? Tell me. Were the guys right? I am not meant to be an idol after all, should I give up after all? Tell me, please!” I hiccuped and cried. I was truly heartbroken. It was the test per se but the fact that I disappointed you, that I wasted all your determination and belief you had in me.
“Chaewon, no…” you whispered and went for a hug. It was awkward, you didn’t know how to hug. You tried to put a hand on my shoulder and one on my hip, but it didn’t work. Then you tried to put both of them on my shoulder but you looked like you wanted to headbut me. On the third try, you succeeded and properly hugged me very tightly.
I buried my head into your chest, it was where I could really feel safe.
“Chaewon, what happened in there? How did it go?”
“I FAILED! I BLEW IT ALL UP! IT’S ALL GONE!” I yelled and gripped you harder.
“How is that possible? You’re perfect, I mean, you sing so beautifully and you’re beautiful,” you said. “You’ve been practicing… why? How?”
“I’m sorry it’s that I was so worried. I got distracted. I continued to ask myself if I’d fail and so on… I knew the lyrics but I got jittery and…”
“No, Chaewon! I told you to believe in yourself. You can do it. You can do it.”
“But—”
“You have talent, Chae,” you repeated, “and I’ve seen it since day one. You will not fail. You just have to try again.”
I was embarrassed to see if I could try again but you weren’t and you stormed inside the building, dragging me by arm to ask the staff if I could try again. You explained everything and even pleaded with them until they gave in.
This time, you were waiting for me outside the door. I knew I wouldn’t fail again.
Don’t think about anything else. Focus.
I sang the first song. Just like I practiced. Then I danced. It was perfect.
I passed. I was so happy and I just had to tell you. I ran outside but you weren’t there.
I searched everywhere until I understood you weren’t in the building and had to search for you outside. I found you in an alley, bloody and bruised.
I immediately called the ambulance and they rushed you to the hospital. Your condition was so bad they had to x-ray your whole body and do a small surgery.
When I found you, you could barely talk or even breathe. You were laying in a pool of blood, that came from the numerous cuts all over your body—they weren’t clean but all rough and jacked, meaning they came from brute force and not blades. Your clothes were also messed up and ripped. Together, I could count on 19 injuries at least. I couldn’t understand at all. Why would someone do that to you? And how did it happen?
Together with you was a bag with two drinks and a couple of sandwiches. I suppose you went outside to a convenience store to buy something, maybe for me, and then… you were attacked. This may have been premeditated, it’s impossible a group of people randomly hurt you that bad.
I couldn’t stop crying, you know?
To see you in those conditions, I could only think of the worse.
What if you’d never wake up again?
What if you’d be miserable for the rest of your life?
What if you died?
It was my fault. I’m sorry, it was totally my fault. It was because I took way too long in the test, chatting with the staff, seeing the other girls so happily, while you were being jumped… I could have protected you, we could have gone home together and this would have never happened.
The doctor called me. “Kim Chaewon?”
“Yes?” I raised my eyes. I saw him and wiped my tears before standing up and walking to him.
“Is he okay…?” I asked.
“He’s not in danger is what I can tell you. Some of his bones are broken and he has received a concussion, he may be asleep for a while, you see,” he said.
“Can I see him?”
“Yes, you can,” the doctor agreed, “this way…”
He guided me toward another floor of the hospital. You have been transferred from the emergency room to the patient’s rooms. You were in the section where more care was needed—the hallway was quieter, everyone walked slower, and everything was more gentle.
I entered your room slowly, holding myself up with a hand on the door frame and then I saw you. Your eyes were closed. Your whole body was covered in bandages and you were hooked to all sorts of machines with cables and cords everywhere. It was almost like seeing a puppet tied up in strings and they were keeping you alive.
I was scared to come close to you. I feared that any of my movements could have damaged you even more. You were so fragile at that moment.
I gently lowered myself to the chair next to your bed and held your hand. I cried. I cried again, so much. I couldn’t help but keep thinking it was my fault. If only I was quicker…
Some of your items were put in the drawer. I noticed your phone together with your wallet and backpack. The screen was cracked and some of the blood crusted into the cracks. I don’t know why I felt curious but I unlocked the screen—you trusted me enough to let me know your password months ago to check some messages while you were busy cooking—and it opened KakaoTalk. You were texting me and the phone memorized it.
Chae be careful the bullies might be after you
Don’t go in the shortcut at the
Oh, dear. You were on the brink of death and all you could think was to warn me, to protect me. You didn’t even think of calling for help. I understood everything. It was those bullies again… they didn’t forget, did they? It’s because their life turned to hell after they didn’t have anyone to bully anymore and they got revenge but attacking you.
I was angry. I was furious. I was so pissed that I unconsciously cracked your phone even more. It was that feeling again, all over—the fire in my chest.
I will kill them. Each one of the. I will make them suffer. I will tear them to shreds. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them. I will kill them.
I will make them pay for everything they have done for you.
They were so stupid. It was so easy to trick them: I attacked their leader when he was coming home late and forced him to send a message to everyone who was involved in your attack—he confessed right away when I showed him my knife.
The guys came on point the next day. It was all so easy. They always hung out at the abandoned warehouse where they could make all the mess they wanted and dragged their victims to torture them properly and in private. Now they were dragging themselves to their death.
I dressed in black that day. You never liked seeing me in black. People used to tell me I tried to stand out too much so they forced me to use torn, old, ugly clothes, but when they stopped tormenting me, you brought me to buy more clothes for me.
But that day I wasn’t dressing as the victim. I was in the guise of the Grim Reaper.
I prepared my knives, axes, clamps, nails, and staplers and waited for them in the building.
Humans are so easy to kill. They are so frail and mortal—I had to be extremely careful not to let them die immediately to cause them all the pain they deserved. I’ll spare you the details. You don’t have to know of the gruesome parts of their murder. I’ll just tell you everything they did to you and in their years of bullying, I did to them. From crowbars to knives, to fire and stabbing.
When the last one stopped screaming, I felt at peace. The silence was absolute. I couldn’t even hear the wind, the cars, or the noises of the city. It was completely quiet.
I finally avenged you.
Part 4
Disposing of the bodies was quite simple but extremely tiring. I had to chop their bodies to bits, bury them and hide all the evidence. I cleaned with bleach all my weapons, the floor, and the walls of the warehouse. I had to soil the floor since it was dirty before and I couldn’t leave a clean patch in there, it would have been a dead giveaway.
Of course, I had to get rid of all their phones. I broke them into little pieces before grinding them up to a bag of dust and flushing them down the toilet.
I got most of my weapons from around the city. I stole the knives from the school kitchen and returned them to them. I did the crime on a Friday night and finished in the evening of Saturday so they wouldn’t have noticed the disappearance of their tools. I bought the rest of the tools from a hardware store so I could have just put it in someone else’s garage.
I couldn’t burn my clothes or rags because that would have caught the attention of my neighbors or anyone nearby so I colored it with all sorts of paints so the blood would have been unrecognizable. If anyone analyzed them, it would look like they were of an artist. And then I disposed of them.
Burying the bodies was the most laborious part and I could only do it during the night. It took me both Saturday and sunday to get rid of all the evidence.
The next days were all marked by nightmares. I didn’t dream of what I did. What haunted me was you leaving me. I was afraid that my crime could have separated us.
Chaewon, you’re a monster.
I can’t be friends with a murderer.
I can’t love a killer.
I hate you.
I wish you died.
I was distressed and jittery during the day and couldn’t sleep at night. Many times I would get distracted in those thoughts, imagining all the things you could say to me, and not realize people calling me. I would often zone out and not hear anything else.
“Chaewon? Are you okay?” my classmates would tell me. I would snap out of my daze and realize most of them were looking at me then I’d realize I actually chipped a corner of the table off with my grip.
“Oh, I’m sorry, it’s nothing,” I could only say. They would continue with the day forgetting about it or just tell their friends excitedly about a classmate with a freakish strength.
It was especially hard when I was training with the other trainees but I told myself you wouldn’t be proud of me if I wasn’t doing my best and forced myself to dance.
On Monday, their disappearance was announced but nobody could find anything. Not a single trace. The secret was safe with me.
They also announced your attack but they didn’t connect the two events together, assuming you were also a victim. The attacks in this Korea were common anyways. Bullying was so widespread you could say it was part of our culture.
After a week. you were still asleep. The doctor concluded that they must have stomped your head too for you to be concussed that badly. They damaged the nerves.
Unfortunately, I knew only after I killed them. If I knew I would have done the same to them so they could feel the pain you felt but I guess cutting their limbs counts as nerve damage as well.
I was getting extremely impatient waiting for your awakening. The doctor couldn’t help me but it wasn’t their fault. I’ve only realized now how much I relied on you and those days without you were as sad as Halloween without candies.
When I woke up, I couldn’t tell if the Sun rose already or if it was still sunrise, it was timid, and the light cast a somber hue in the room. It was gray and pale. The soundscape was eerily quiet, the usual chirping birds seemed to have disappeared, as if even nature was mourning alongside me.
Walking through the corridors of the school, I felt like a solitary figure amidst a sea of faces. Conversations echoed around me, yet they seemed distant. The classrooms, usually alive with energy, felt suffocatingly silent.
I couldn’t help but notice how happy the other students went on with their days, completely ignoring what happened to you. Worst of all, some students even mocked you, saying you were a loser and you deserved it. My bloodthirst was beyond the roof. I had to hold myself back a lot not to commit other killings, reminding myself that I could have raised a case of a serial killer if I wasn’t careful enough.
I thought I had been sneaky enough not to raise any suspicion but I didn’t know the only person to find out would have been you.
I was in an alley near the hospital when I met one of those mean girls. They were badmouthing you and I had to make sure they wouldn’t do it again. I didn’t kill them, you don’t have to worry about that. I merely sent a message, a little punishment. I got one nail for each insult they said toward you. Poor them, they won’t have nails for months—I hope it hurts.
They ran away but when I turned around, I saw you. You were looking at me so horrified and disgusted.
“I had my suspicions, Chae…” you said. “The coincidence was too perfect. I woke up and saw the news, I knew it was you. And now, I’m sure.”
“You’re mistaken, dear,” I tried to say foolishly.
“Chae, I saw everything.” Your face morphed into an extreme melancholy, of disappointment and sadness. My face instead contorted into a horrified frown. You… my best and only friend, my love. You discovered my worse secret—I knew what the consequences were and I knew what the risks were.
“I mean, what are you even doing here? Weren’t you still sleeping?”
“I woke up this morning—I got discharged—and the doctor let me take a walk… and then I saw you.”
“Do you know what I did all of this, darling?” I asked, my nerves were so tense and my blood was pumping like crazy. I was getting more and more scared. There was a thread inside me that was being pulled and pulled…
“W-what is it?” you asked with hesitation.
“It’s because… I… I love you.”
I saw the shock on your face but I couldn’t stop myself anymore. I did it. I snapped. You found out and there was no turning back. You didn’t have a choice either.
“W-what? What are you saying?”
“Darling, don’t you get it? I love you so so so so so much. I love you so much—to the point I killed for you. Yes, I did kill them. I murdered them. I slaughtered them. I made them suffer, love, the way they made you suffer… Please! Please understand—I’m doing this because I love you.”
“Chae, you’re scaring me. Stop…”
“Oh, don’t be scared, my love. I would never harm you or kill you… I would only cherish you—in fact, I did all of this to protect you from those bastards! I love you with all of my heart.”
That fire inside of me took over again and this time I was already glued to you, my knee under your thigh, pinning you to the wall, a hand on your cheek and one near your waist. You couldn’t move at all, I wouldn’t let you. I was finally this close to you… your skin was so smooth and soft—just like you, my precious baby.
Maybe I was smiling a bit too much. You’d describe to me later that I looked psychotic, yes, I was crazy.
You didn’t know how to react. I admit, you were so cute—so vulnerable and fragile, just at my mercy. Yet, you dared to take and push my hand away from your face.
“Chae, I’m sorry,” you said and it almost broke my heart, “but I just… I-I- I don’t know…” you said.
“What aren’t you sure about? Is it my love? Is it not clear enough?” I asked. “I’ll do anything for you, just ask me.”
“Please stay away from me,” you replied, “for a while.”
“What are you saying, darling?”
“Chae… you’re my best friend and I understand why you did all of that. I do. But I need to think about it. Don’t worry, I won’t say this to anyone, no one at all, but I need to stay alone for a bit,” you pleaded, “I just recovered too.”
“Okay, fine,” I agreed. You were right. It was a bit too much for you, especially after you just woke up from that concrete hospital bed. Also, I knew I could trust you. You never betrayed me so that did not scare me.
You slowly backed away and left me, alone in the alley.
I don’t know why but I started laughing hysterically.
I thought I messed up a lot. That isn’t the way your lover should look at you, right? Terrified and pleading on the verge of tears. You should have looked at me lovingly. I was so scared you’d leave me and I couldn’t let you do that. I needed you too much.
But then you left me waiting for almost a month. I respected your choice and didn’t contact you at all but it’s been too long. I figured that knowing I killed tormented you so I didn’t touch anyone else but rather I kept it to simply threatening them verbally and that seemed to work.
You have to understand I couldn’t take it anymore. Looking at your pictures every night wasn’t enough. Listening to your voice from the vocal messages wasn’t enough. Smelling the shirts I stole from you wasn’t enough, and the smell was fading away. My imagination wasn’t enough, especially when I knew I could have you and I was just waiting for the right moment.
Then the right moment came. I sent you a message just to let you know, you couldn’t say no. I went right to your house, which I came over to many times already, and even your mother knew me. She let me inside with a smile, she was so kind. I knew where you got that virtue from.
I heard you running frantically around your room. You must have been dressing up, so I waited until you were done, knocked, and opened the door. Your room smelled just like I remembered it, it was so good, it was just you.
“It’s been a while, Chae,” you said, clearly nervous. “How are you doing?”
“I’m doing terrible, honey,” I answered honestly and you gulped. “You know, I’ve been good to you. I waited and did nothing else. I did not kill or hurt anyone. I let you have your space, then why did you disappear for an entire month?”
“I kept thinking and reflecting on what happened…”
“For a month?” I was furious. “Did you try to make me forget you? Did you try to forget me?”
“It’s that… It has been a tough month,” you said. “My best friend murdered 6 people, or more… How could I go back to what we were before? You killed… humans.”
“So? They didn’t deserve to live anyways. I did it for you.”
“No, Chae—”
“They beat you up so badly you couldn’t even walk!” I snapped. “They badmouthed you, they laughed at you and… why are you defending them?!”
“Yes, but you took their lives.”
“They were going to take your life too! Don’t you get it?”
“Chae, please—”
“No! Shut up! I can’t take this anymore! I can’t forgive them. They’re always making fun of you, beating you up, torturing you—just because you’re my friend! But you keep shoving it away and get hurt for me… I- I…”
I hugged you. I had to hold onto something and you were the only one that could have helped me stand up. All those years… I was so pent up, I was so tired of it. I know you told me many times to let it be but I can’t. Sorry, I just can’t help it. I can’t let anyone walk away after they hurt you, even if it’s something as little as pinching you, because you mean too much to me.
“Darling, I love you!” I sobbed and pleaded onto your chest, bathed by my tears, “I missed you so much. If I don’t see you even for a day, it starts to hurt, you know? I’ll do anything to stay with you, anything! Just tell me! I want to see you every day, I can’t let you leave like this…”
“If it’s like this,” you started, “we can make a deal.”
“A-a deal? Really?”
“Yes, a deal. You can see me how much you want but absolutely no killing. No physical assault and no insults to anyone.”
“Is that it?”
“Yes, you just have to restrain yourself.”
“Very well. Then, I promise, I will never kill again, I swear. Does that mean I can see you every day?” I asked. My tears finally stopped pouring out, the hiccup was still there, but I could focus and talk to you properly now. I took a deep breath and spoke, “Then you have to be my boyfriend from now on.”
“What did you just say?” you asked with confusion.
“You can’t say no. You are my boyfriend now. You know already, I told you so many times. I love you with all of myself.”
I knew you liked me a little already. I wasn’t sure if it was as strong as my love for you was, although I doubt it can, I knew you were interested in me. No one would stick with me for that long and no one would defend me from all those bullies. I knew you loved me, of course you did, you always took care of me since our first day and I couldn’t help but fall for you too.
I tried my best to change my appearance to suit your ideal type more. I dressed better, I dieted, I worked out, and I practiced so much that I wouldn’t disappoint you.
“Chae, are you sure? I’m just a regular guy and you’re an idol…”
“Don’t lie to yourself, honey. I wouldn’t give myself to just anyone. You never laughed about me, you believed in me when nobody else did, and you infected me with your kindness and humanity. You’re the best man I can ask for.”
“Thank you…”
“You’ll be my boyfriend and I’ll be your girlfriend, okay? Do you accept?”
“Uhm…”
“Do you accept?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Ma’am?” I laughed. “Don’t tell me you have some weird fetish going on… It’s okay. Just tell me, I won’t mind, hehe.”
Part 5
You have been very strict with me. The first thing you did was to establish a set of rules and all the punishment that would have resulted in breaking them. You’ve been very clear in defining them and made sure I understood you were very serious about it and would absolutely punish me if I dared to not respect them. They were something along the line of:
NO KILLING. The punishment is an instant break-up.
NO BODY HARM to anyone. The punishment is no contact for two weeks.
NO KIDNAPPING/STALKING/THREATENING other people. The punishment is no skin touching for a week.
RESPECT YOU. We’re together in this relationship and I have to listen to you.
TRUST YOU. You'll leave me if I don’t trust you when you tell me you aren’t cheating.
I accepted them and we started dating. Our relationship was as good as it was before but this time I got to be as clingy as I wanted, hugging you as much as I wanted, holding your hand wherever we went, and most of all you gave me a lot of head pats. You always gave me head pats to congratulate me when I did well in school or had a good performance.
It was difficult to respect those rules and you showed me how convinced you were of them when I broke the hand of a guy who shoved you against the lockers. You really ghosted me for two weeks without saying anything. When they ended I couldn’t help but jump on you and I promised to be more careful. Since then, I didn’t break any other rules and you showed me your love in so many ways, I lost count of them.
We learned a lot about each other and helped each other all the time. You helped me be more confident with my skills and get angry (but you told me I was cute when I got mad). You were always a bit discouraged with your work, giving up easily, and I made sure you knew how great you were. Just like me, school has really made you more insecure about yourself, but when we were together, we achieved a lot more.
Recently I discovered a hidden diary you used to keep under your bed, between the mattress and the frame. The last thing you wrote was months ago, way before the incident, and it was you rambling about me. ABOUT ME! And it was so adorable. “I have the biggest crush on my friend!” You wrote on the last page.
I stared at the words in a daze, it was like the words were screaming in my face. I was used to only obsessing over you and knowing you were going through the same thing warmed my heart.
You know, I’ve never believed in good endings, but with you, I think I finally found one where we are the protagonists. Our story is not like a fairy tale, it’s far from perfect, I am not a princess, nor could ever be one. However, you made me feel like one and I’m more than sure you’re my prince.
Sorry if I am always so obsessive and so imperfect, I just can’t help it.
THE END
Written, 7 June - 27 June 2023
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oo-delallymrcrow · 3 months ago
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Meeting Carnivàl Lecroux
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*gif is not mine
Summary: the first time running into the group known as Carnivàl Lecroux.
A/N: I just want something with these characters and if I can't find it, I guess I have to write it. It's not long but I just wanted to have everyone meet in chaos.
You had never seen a carnival like this before. The air was thick with the scent of candied apples and something more exotic—an undercurrent of incense and mystery that tickled her nose. The vibrant hues of the tents and rides shimmered in the twilight, each one adorned with symbols that seemed to dance with their own light.
You followed the sounds of a whimsical melody played by an unseen band, your curiosity pulling you deeper into the maze of tents and stalls. The pathway was lined with lanterns that flickered like fireflies, casting long, enchanting shadows. She felt like she had stepped into a world that straddled the line between dream and reality.
It was weird entering the Witchlight Carnival, just moving from outside to here, it was slightly suffocating. The air was thick with something but you just could not place your finger on it. As you were wondering through, you heard some commotion coming from your left and decided to follow the sound out of curiosity.
You stop in your tracks as a goblin scurries in front of you, snarling and muttering, “I am the rat king.”
As your face scrunched in confusion, a loud braying erupted and it shocked you to look up and see a tall, tall bugbear that had the face of a donkey. It looked embarrassed as it covered it’s mouth and shakes its head. A hand is placed on his shoulder by what looked like a fire genasi who is trying to comfort him.
”It’s alright Torbek, what you said was still understandable.”
He suddenly whipped around and shouted at the air, “I am going to find a way to bring you back to life just so I can punch you again Chuckles!”
An alligator who was dressed in a nice suit started to sing, “Gid. It’s alright, we’ll find a way to fix this mess.”
As you watched the strange scene in front of you, you jumped with a scream as something bit you. Looking down, it was the goblin man you started following while snapping his teeth. You quickly ran away but straight to the group as he followed. As you approached, the genasi stepped out and scooped up the goblin, holding at arm's length as the goblin struggled and wiggled his body to get away.
”Sorry ‘bout him. He thinks he’s a were-rat and is trying to bite all of us. Are you hurt?”
”No,” you shake your head as you wearily look at the genasi. “It wasn’t really a bite, just a nibble. It startled me more than anything.”
He nodded with a grunt as the goblin became more erratic. You thought he was going to drop him, but the genasi had a good grip. He smiled and stuck his other hand out, “name’s Gideon.”
You shake his hand and give him your name. The alligator then steps forward with a flourish, taking off his hat and bowing to you, singing the next few words.
”What-a-do! Name’s Kremy Lecroux and I love unicorns.”
A small chuckle leaves you as you nod to him, “unicorns are great.”
A huff and then a bray erupts from behind Gideon and a long arm reaches up as the hand gives a wave. You lean over to look past Gideon as the bugbear waves and scrunches close to look smaller.
”Torbek’s name is Torbek.” He finishes it with a loud bray as he places his hands over his mouth again and looks away.
Give him a small smile and look at Gideon as he seems to be the only…sane one there.
”Are you guys normally like this or…?”
Gideon shakes his head, “no we have another friend, Frost is his name, and he said something about this carnival having a curse or something that’s affecting us.”
His eyes widen as he looks to his right as his hair seems to burn a little brighter. 
“Shut up Chuckles! I will kill you right now!”
Your eyes widen as you realize he was talking to no one. You snap your fingers to get his attention as he turns back to you with a huff. 
“Sorry that fucking clown wont shut the fuck up.”
”Ok,” you wave your hands to stop him from talking. “What do I need to do to help you guys with whatever… this… is.”
”Taffy,” Kremy sings as he points his cane toward a pixie that was passing by.
You nod and go up to the pixie as a loud yell came from Gideon as he starts cursing out Gricko. You point back to the group as the pixie turns to you.
”Can you go give them some taffy? I think they need it.”
”Oh sure!” She quickly follows you and hands all the men taffy, screaming and tossing it into Gricko’s mouth as he snaps at her.
As soon as they all eat the taffy everything seemed to go back to normal. Well, as normal as you think it should be. Torbek’s head morphs back into a bugbear face as he smiles and cheers.
”Torbek is back, baby!”
Kremy sighs and clears his throat as he straightens his bow tie, “now that is much better.”
Gideon looks around and smiles at you, “thanks for that. Now I don’t have to listen to that dumb clown anymore.”
Gricko stands up and dusts himself off, “something has happened and I don’t like it. Oh, hello."
He blinks up at you before he smiles wide, “Gricko Grimgrin at your service.”
You give your name and look at each of them again. Kremy steps forward as you turn to him and smiles.
”We are thankful for your help. Is there anything we can do to help you?”
You shrug and look around the carnival. That heaviness is still in the air but now you know it is fay magic but there is something else. You have no real reason to come here but you still felt needed in some way.
”Honestly, I don’t have anything that I really need help with. Do you mind if I join you guys for a bit? I’m alone and would like company.”
They all look at each other before Torbek raises his hand, “Torbek would very much like you to join guys night.”
”Yeah,” Gideon nods and throws his hands up in a cheer, “guys night!”
At that point, Kremy leads the way. Gideon follows closely behind while Gricko and Torbek fall in line with you as everyone walks away. The two start talking and bantering, asking you for your opinion every once in a while. You nod along and find what they say amusing while keeping up with everyone. It looks like this will be an interesting night for you, all of you.
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incorrectlumityquotes · 2 months ago
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Nellie and Tater: PRIMOS is an Unbalanced Mess
I know this is a lumity blog, but I wanted to talk about something different that has been bothering me lately and it's that new show, PRIMOS.
Now the show did get a lot of backlash a while back for how stereotypical it looked, and Disney Channel made some changes to save face. Now that it's out, the consensus is...
It's so okay, it's average.
And quite frankly, no one cares. Except my brother who I'm watching the show with. Now, I think the show is meh except for two things:
I HATE the main character, Tater, but I love her younger sister, Nellie.
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(Tater on the left; Nellie on the right)
For those of you fortunate enough not to know what PRIMOS is, PRIMOS is the new animated show from Disney Channel about a girl name Tater who wants to have big dreams and achieve her "final form" (they never explain what that means), except her mom invited her twelve cousins to stay at their house for the summer. Easy to understand. Very slice of life comedy-ish.
My problem with the show (besides how it looks) is the main character, Tater. I hate her. I hate her design. I hate her voice. I hate her character. But she's the main character which means she's going to be in every episode and get all the screen time. Tater is also very egocentric. Everything has to be about HER and her "final form" whatever that is. Even in episodes that aren't about her, Tater actively tries to make herself the center of them. Hell, the trailer and first episode end with Tater yelling to the heavens, "BUT THIS SUMMER WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT ME!"
Nellie, on the other hand, is her taller yet younger sister.
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I love Nellie. Her design is better. Her voice is better. Her character is better. She's mischievous, goofy and level-headed. She's learned to tolerate her gaggle of cousins by tuning people out with her headphones, meditating, doing yoga, and making snarky comments to take people down a peg.
The problem is that Nellie doesn't appear in every episode. Despite being the main character's younger sister, there are some episodes where she's not even mentioned.
At first, this doesn't seem like a big deal. I'm not an idiot. I'm not gonna complain that a secondary character is secondary. But then I saw two episodes: Summer of La Trabajadora and Summer of La Madriguera.
In Summer of La Trabajadora, the episode starts with all the primos at a pizzeria for "primo pizza hour." And Nellie isn't there. She's not even mentioned. They give no reason for her not being there. I guess it would have cost too much to draw her in the background? Her actress costs too much?
Then Summer of La Madriguera, which actually needs a little bit of context. In the second episode of PRIMOS, Tater was afraid the primos were going to completely take over her room. But the primos built Tater her own special "Tater's corner," so she can have her privacy. In Summer of La Madriguera, Tater finds a secret spot in the attic she can use as a hideaway, but Nellie discovers it. Tater doesn't want Nellie to tell any of the primos about it, and Nellie agrees because sometimes you need time alone to recharge. And then Nellie says this:
"I get it. That's why I meditate. I mean, none of the primos made me a special corner."
Wow. Puts a whole new spin on all the episodes that don't have Nellie in them. So now do I not only like Nellie as a character, but I sympathize with her too. As confident and aloof as she is, she does feel left out by Tater and the primos.
Which confuses me.
The creator based Tater off herself, so she's a self-insert creator's pet. We're supposed to like Tater more than any of the other characters because she's the main character. So why make Nellie more sympathetic? We're supposed to care more about Tater's "final form" (whatever that is) than a little girl being ignored in her own family? Fucking...no?
All of this reaches its boiling point in the episode Summer of Imi-Tater.
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The episode starts with NELLIE narrating. We get some visual metaphors that I have to describe to you because I don't have screenshots. We'll miss you, KimCartoon.
Nellie sees herself as the Earth (makes sense) and Tater is represented by a sun that never shuts the fuck up. The primos are represented by the other planets and you can guess where this is going.
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After that, we see Nellie and the primos watching TV with Nellie riffing (or mst3k-ing if you're old school) the shows and the primos getting a good laugh. They're all having a good time before Tater shows up to make herself the center of attention again. Nellie correctly predicts that Tater has some dumb idea about her final form but need the primos' help. Apparently, Tater needs money for a reason we never learn, and Nellie suggests selling lemonade. Tater then scolds Nellie for interrupting her and then suggests selling lemonade. The primos go wild for Tater's idea...even though Nellie just suggested it not even thirty seconds ago.
Nellie tries to mediate and have tea, but she can't help it this time. She's angry. And she decides to get back at Tater by becoming Tater 2.0 and making her own lemonade stand.
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Nellie becomes "Tater 2.0" and is an instant success with her lemonade stand, showing up Tater and winning control of the primos. She even gets a song that is a total bop...and is kinda sad when you pay attention to the lyrics.
"Nellie see you later/cause I'm tater 2.0"
She thinks she has to be a better Tater just to get some attention because no one cared about Nellie being Nellie.
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And of course, Tater, being the egocentric gremlin that she is, can't handle it.
Nellie considers this a win...until the primos all comfort Tater. Even when Nellie wins, it has to be about Tater. Nellie decides to prove her point even further by taking over Tater's failed lemonade stand, but goes too far when she reads part of Tater's diary out loud. Nellie threatens to destroy Tater's diary, but when the primos try to talk her down, Nellie loses it. She just screams:
"Tater! Tater! Tater! What about ME?!?!"
And I get it. Usually, Nellie can handle herself but this has been building since the series started. Humans are social creatures and everybody likes attention, at least every once in a while. Nellie was cool just chilling with the primos, but it felt like they dumped her every time Tater had some dumb idea. The didn't even miss her in primo pizza hour. Tater shooting down her idea and then taking credit for it was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Nellie realizes that she was burying her anger instead of dealing with it and talks to Tater. And then I hate the episode again because Tater makes it about herself again. Tater shows that she has a "Nellie Index" in her diary and that when Tater wins the Nobel Prize, she'll be sure to thank Nellie during her acceptance speech.
First of all, fuck you. Second, this isn't good enough for me. This ending doesn't resolve any of the issues brought up. It doesn't resolve or explain why the primos ignore or straight up forget Nellie. It doesn't show why we should prefer Tater over Nellie. It barely resolves Nellie burying her feelings. So it brings up the question, why do this? Why make an episode that shows your main character being a jerk to a close family member and then handwaving a resolution?
My theory is that when creators have their super-special-OC-don't-steal, they have blinders on that prevents them from seeing how bad their characters actually are. Like Mike and Bryan about Aang from Avatar the Last Airbender. Aang did some bad things, but Mike and Bryan don't see them as bad, just little character flaws to grow out of. Here I thought consent was cool, but whatever.
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I like this episode and I don't like this episode. It's an unbalanced mess that has the moral and the focus in the wrong place. I love Nellie more and hate Tater more. The problem is I know that the show intended for the opposite to happen, and that's not a good sign.
Later, hater!
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calitsnow · 5 months ago
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I just finished the Time Killing Event, it was awesome, love our trio of detectives. There are just some things I want to ramble about:
Spoilers below:
Tw: suicidal thoughts, suicidal behaviour (even if it is not stated as this and that it may not be to that extent, I prefer to put this in case, so if you’re uncomfortable with these subjects, don’t go past the photo and stay safe)
Just wanted to start with, it was an event so funny, I really liked the comical situations and the story.
I loved all the illustrations (there were so many, it was so nice)
loved the interactions between the members of the bus
loved the focus we got on Rodya and also the bit of focus we got on Ryoshu (it was super nice to see that she had warmed up to the other sinners)
Dante please go talk to Ryoda, she needs to tell someone how she feels and put off her mask for the moment of a conversation
But I have to just ask: Hong Lu, are you okay?
Because like 60% of the time Hong Lu spoke I was like: wait what
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Hong Lu are you okay ?! What do you mean “when my siblings tried to kill me”, what do you mean “the first time”?! And what did you just say about your family ?!
I know, we knew Hong Lu’s past was probably as messed up as his family, and this event really confirmed it. But the way he talked about it, the way he talked about the first time (implying that there was others times) his siblings tried to kill him, how he proposed himself to be a bait to this time killing distortion, it was so unsettling but also kind of sad ‘cause Hong Lu clearly doesn’t care about his end or even, in a certain way, himself. And the fact that he understood them wanting him dead, either because Hong Lu also wishes to be dead, or (and that’s probably more this case) Hong Lu understood their hate for him because Hong Lu knows how to read people and how to understand them at a, sometimes, really deep emotional level. We saw it with Yi Sang, we saw it many times, Hong Lu is capable of very profound empathy.
Okay, sometimes he said things that are very off with what the sinner usually meant and so it passes as something pretentious or said by a rich guy who never had to live a hard life but sometimes those lighthearted comments also convey a form of truth or clue for the others to understand.
Hong Lu gave so much the impression that he wouldn’t mind dying or at least doing something akin to dying. And the fact that he just want to experience a lot of things before having to go back to his family I guess, is still concerning for me because even though it seems that his family agreed on having Hong Lu going on a trip, I can’t help but getting the impression that Hong Lu is a teenager who allegedly ran away from home following a crisis with his family. And I know Hong Lu never phrased it like that and everything is pointing toward him going on a little trip with his family’s authorisation , but I can’t shake off this impression that that’s not the case …
And this sentence about the world staying unchanged, what does this mean??? Of course, it made me think about the book, but I don’t know yet how to put it together yet. You see, if I get it right, one of the thing The Dream of Red Chamber tackles is this notion that nothing is truly unchanging, even more, that things are constantly changing and so never the same, never a fix thing/identity. And these changements are something that Jia Baoyu has to learn and recognise as being a part of his mortal life in “our” world. And there is more and more to this theme but I am not going to dwell on this now…
Bref, Hong Lu made it clear that he lived through the Hunger Games when he was with his family and that there are many things wrong with this latest and Hong Lu’s past and everything surrounding it…
Still no mentions of Lin Daiyu, I keep wondering where will she fit in all of this…
Hong Lu also mention his second oldest aunt which could be Lin Daiyu’s mother (Jia Min) or Xue Pan and Xue Baochai’s mother (Aunt Xue) and Baochai is the one who ends up marrying Jia Baoyu in the book …
Anyway, I am also glad that this event highlighted once again that fact that Hong Lu knows how to read people on an emotional level.
On another note, the story of Hong Lu’s new identity was nice because once again it proves that Hong Lu knows how to observe and analyse others and details but his left eye was not mentioned… so idk what to think because is it it hidden between the lines ? Is his left eye not involved in this ? Or is this a reference to the book? See, for the third option, which I find interesting, it reminded me of the fact that even though the jade with which Baoyu was born is recognise as something precious and magical, its existence is not really questioned nor are his magical powers. Nobody really question how, why Jia Baoyu comes to be born with a jade in his mouth, its just a fact.
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gabessquishytum · 1 year ago
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Going back through your blog, I found the best idea that I'm surprised more people aren't talking about and that's the bad Sex Ed Dream, bc it just seems so much like him. No doubt he didn't get a good health education in that big old fancy private school of his before he left for Uni and got himself stuck in a dorm with whatever poor, disadvantaged youth the algorithm decided to throw him.
So Dream continues to stumble through life inexperienced and ill-equipped to handle his burgeoning sexuality. He doesn't know what to do with his slutty little pussy other than let his next boy of the week finger fuck him in the bathroom. Maybe he lets them eat him out if they've been good to him. But he's never been fucked. Not yet. Bc he wants a better man to be the father of his child bc that's how this works right? Couples fuck and a baby just appears? Condoms are only to prevent making a mess and don't even ask about dental dams bc Dream doesn't know.
But Hob does. Hob is around ten years older than Dream, one dissertation away from getting his Ph.D. and teaches a basic 101 course in history. He's not a total perv, but something is fetching about young college kids and their puppy-like exuberance. Dream just happens to be his next target after they meet at the help desk in the library. Dream just can't fucking write this ridiculous paper for his history class and is about to burst into tears when Hob helps him. This little dalliance leads him to ask if he would like a bit more money tutoring him on the side. Privately. In his dorm. Five times over the past week.
Now comes the downsides of fucking with college students. They're dumb. Like really really dumb. Dream is no exception. The weekend after their latest private tutoring session, in which Hob ate him out like a champ but on his insistance didn't fuck him, he finds Dream necking with another first year who also doesn't know what he's doing during a mixer. He's so angry he grabs the skinny little goth boy by the waist and drives them back to his place. Dream would have been scared if he wasn't so horny.
He forces Dream over the arm of the couch and rips his jeans down. Of course, the stupid slut doesn't wear underwear and his troublemaking cunt is on full display. They both find out Dream is a painslut as he begs Hob to forgive him by punishing him. How? By busting that cunt of course! Dream wails and fails, crying as sobbing as he's first spanked stupid and then fucked into with little to no prep. Just Hob's cock spearing into him, splitting him open over the coffee table.
Later on both of them agree this is by far the hottest thing that they've ever done.
But the morning directly after when Hob's semen is dry on his thighs and Dream can taste the previous night's regret on his tongue, they have a talk. Hob will have to take responsibility of course, and there won't be any family money to help them out. Mama Night is very clear about that. Any child of hers who gets pregnant before marriage is no child of hers.
Hob just has to laugh. After all, Dream can't get pregnant with him. An accident when he was a child featuring a flag pole and a too fast sled going down a snowy hill rendered him quite harmless. But he doesn't tell Dream that.
🎸
No sex-ed Dream my beloved 😭😭 I missed him so much 😭😭 and I love everything about this. Keep telling yourself you're not a perv, Hob. We don't believe you.
Of course it wouldn't be unreasonable for Dream to be anxious about a pregnancy scare after having unprotected sex. But Hob quickly notices that Dream is absolutely 100% convinced that he is pregnant. Like the stork already bought the baby. And little by little, Hob starts to pick away at Dream’s slightly odd understanding of how sex works.
Dream seems to think that every time a dick goes in a pussy, a baby is conceived. Doesn't matter if no one cums, and Dream doesn't seem to have any clue about ovulation or anything like that. Hob has to bite his own hand as he realises that Dream is just. Clueless. Innocent. So wonderfully, perfectly stupid.
The good thing is that with Dream under the impression that it's too late and he's already pregnant, he's much more open to having a cock inside him. So Hob finally gets to have Dream bouncing on his dick. He gets to bend his favourite undergrad over every surface in his dorm until the cum is dripping down Dream’s gorgeous thighs. Now he's had a little taste, Dream is definitely addicted and needy for Hob’s cock all the time. Sometimes Hob has to smack his pretty cunt in warning because he's being so greedy and impatient.
A few months pass by with the two of them fucking pretty much exclusively. Hob doesn't take an interest in any of the other cute barely-legals fluttering their eyelashes at him anymore. And Dream is only interested in his baby daddy <3
Hob honestly means to tell Dream that he's not actually pregnant. He does!! But. It's kind of hard when Dream is so convinced. Plus, it's to Hob’s advantage to have Dream believing he's knocked up. He'll say something soon, but... then he finds the pregnancy test?! And it's positive?!
Dream shrugs and he's like "Yes well I thought I should take one just to confirm." He doesn't understand why Hob is so gobsmacked. So Hob has to drag him through an entire detailed presentation on the reproductive system AND the whole story of how he was uhhh robbed of his crown jewels. Dream absolutely refuses to believe any of it for about 24 hours until he phones his sister and gets confirmation (poor Death).
Hob is starting to realise that maybe HE'S the stupid one because he's just spent weeks coming into Dream so many times that they've managed to achieve a miracle pregnancy. He can't get his head around it. Did he manage to knock Dream up? Is he being baby-trapped because Dream sees him as a decent provider for his child? Is the test a false positive? His groans of despair are muffled as he pulls Dream down and buries his mouth and nose in that gorgeous cunt. Dream maybe stupid (and possibly pregnant) but he's still got the prettiest pussy Hob has ever seen, and he's not done with it yet.
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