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sweetwritertanya · 4 years ago

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Nothing To Be Jealous About (Jungkook)

A/N: Hello everyone! I’m here to announce a new BTS series that I am starting! I had this idea to make a ‘jealous series’ with the boys a long time ago and it felt right to do it now. I had this idea for Jungkook’s story and I just had to write it. I don’t know if the others will get a fic as long as this one, but we’ll see! Hope you all enjoy it!

Edit: This is also my first ever moodboard or however you call it for one of my fics! Because I always have a outfit in mind for both the reader and the member, I thought it made sense to add a moodboard. I don’t think I’ll do it for all of my fics, but I’ll try with this series. Tell me what you think! Should I keep doing it? Does it help as you read? Also, big thanks to @tipsydipsydo for her guidance when I asked about her own moodboards! She’s a cutiepie!

Summary: For the first time since you started working out, you go to the gym with Jungkook. Afraid for how he would feel seeing someone your size exercising, his reaction turns out to be what you least expected from him.

Warnings: SMUT!!! Do be prepared for: swearing, erotic body touching, marking, oral (female receiving), protected sex (trying to make it a more common thing in this blog), rough sex, sex on the floor, missionary position, a bit of a possessive Jungkook, but he gets softer and sweeter by the end.

Word Count: 3280

You knew it would be a bad idea to go with Jungkook to the gym, which was why you always came up with excuses to avoid it. For months and months, you had been going alone to the gym, purposely on a different schedule from your boyfriend. However, turns out that the reasons you shouldn’t have gone to the gym with Jungkook were a lot different than what you had assume.

Naturally, in your head, the main reason for preferring to go alone was because you didn’t want him to see you exercising. Being a big girl that only recently started to work out for health benefits, to say you would be embarrassed of him witnessing your routine would be an understatement. There would be sweat, there would be tears, there would be a flushed bare face and dirty hair that you had no intentions of him ever seeing.

But, as you found out, life had an ironic sense of humor. Unable to find a reason to deny Jungkook’s invitation this time, you were currently doing push-ups as your trainer guided you, loudly counting as you went, numbers getting further and further apart from how slow you were going due to how tired you were.

You had asked him to start your training on the opposite side of the room from where Jungkook was, hoping that would somehow make him forget you were even there and not see your humiliating state. As you got up and the huge muscular man in front of you asked you to get ready to start the much-hated burpees, you cast a glance towards the younger man, perplexed when you saw his state.

Jungkook was not working out at all. He was sitting at the seated arm curl, two heavy dumbbells on the ground next to his feet. That on itself was confusing, since he took his training at the gym very seriously and would only stop to catch his breath. Yet, it looked as if he hadn’t even started exercising. The most shocking part was the way he was staring at you. No, actually, he was rather glaring at your personal trainer.

Bushy sharp eyebrows furrowed deeply, lines scrunching his button nose, pouting lips pulled down and usually sweet doe eyes turned dark and angry, round shape lost as he squinted heatedly at the man in front of you. Your trainer tapped your arm to catch your attention again, asking if you were ready to continue. You look back at Jungkook only to realize he had completely looked away, picked up the dumbbells and started lifting them, a bit too speedily if you had to say.

Still unsure of what was going on, you actually told him that you were done for the day. Taking a few sips of water and cleaning your sweaty face with a towel, you hesitantly walk towards Jungkook, who was now seemingly focused on what he was doing, not sparing a look your way when you approached him.

“Hey, Kook, I’m done for the day” you inform him, stopping a few feet from his right.

“Yeah? You sure your trainer doesn’t mind?” he dryly asks, not stopping his movements or regarding you at all, confusing you further.

“I… I stopped earlier than usual, actually… James probably would have wanted me to go on for a while longer.” You tried to ignore that pang in your heart that told you Jungkook was judging you, that he was offended you only worked out this much. That he expected more from you.

“James? You’re even on a first name basis…” he puffs in frustration.

Jungkook places the dumbbells he was using down and turns his head the other way from you, elbows rested on top of his knees, hands clutching together and foot tapping persistently on the ground. You realize it then. It creeps up on you, the realization that left your mouth hanging open in incredulity.

“Wait… Are you… Are you jealous, Kook?” The skepticism was evident in your voice.

The boy stands up suddenly, looking at you as if you’re crazy, but his body language spoke volumes. He crossed his arms, eyebrows still pulled together, cheeks puffed and lips in a pout, weight shifting from foot to foot. A hurt look behind his avoiding eyes.

“Oh my God, you are!” And you actually chuckle at that, not only from how ridiculous that sounded to you, but from the pure relief washing over you at that notion. You were not the one bothering him, your personal trainer was. Not that he would confess it any time soon.

“No, I’m not! I am, however, done for today. Let’s go.”

He basically stomps away, making a bee-line for the male dressing rooms while you made way into the woman’s one. You would be lying if it didn’t feel flattering knowing such a good-looking man like Jungkook could grow jealous because of you. There was a stupid grin on your face that you just couldn’t wipe off.

You stayed silent the ride home, trying to hide your smile from Jungkook’s view so as to not distract him while he was driving. But you couldn’t help the glances you threw his way, curious as to what brought this jealousy up. As far as you know, your personal trainer remained very professional with you, there was no flirting going on at all.

Once home, Jungkook crashed down on the sofa in the living room, ready to spend the rest of the day playing video games and ignoring you. But of course, you wouldn’t let the misunderstanding go on any longer.

“Jungkook, why the hell are you like this? There is nothing to be jealous about!” you reassure coming to stand in front of him, between the sofa and the screen of the television. He opens his mouth in upcoming defiance, obviously about to deny it yet again, but you don’t let him. “And don’t tell me you are not. I know you, Kook. Now, let’s talk about it. Or do you wanna be mad forever?”

It’s your turn to cross your arms over your chest and lean you head to the side as you lift one of your eyebrows, awaiting his response. The boy looks down, thinking about your words, before sighing and leaning back on the couch, hands fidgeting on his lap and looking away to the side.

“You’re the one keeping things from me” he accuses, albeit in a small voice.

“What? I’m not” you defend yourself, baffled.

“Now I know why you always avoided going with me to the gym. You didn’t want me to see you with your personal trainer. Oh, sorry, is ‘James’, isn’t it?” Still not looking at you, the sulking boy almost spits the name, vexed.

Finally understanding, even if his conclusion was a bit of a stretch, you feel for him. You kneel down on the carpet in front of him, catching his hands on yours and making him look at you. Once he does, still suspicious, you just smile warmly up at him.

“Kook, I was embarrassed of you seeing me in the gym. It had nothing to do with that guy” you explain patiently. “Honestly, did you notice how I look when I go to the gym? No one will be interested in this!” You point at yourself, fat, in comfortable but unflattering workout clothes and with no make-up on.

“Stop it. I saw the way he looked at you. I saw him taking advantage and touching you” he accused, plump bottom lip puckering further.

“Touch? Were you seeing things? He never touched me” you countered, shaking your head.

That’s when Jungkook launches forward, grabbing you by the shoulders and making you yelp in surprise as you lean back and somehow end up lying flat on the carpet. Before you can even process what was going on, he latches his mouth to the side of your neck and sucks on the skin harshly, for sure leaving a bruise. You hiss at the pain, but can’t deny the fact that it sent jolts straight to your core, your skin hyper sensitive to his abusing lips.

“Right here while you were doing crunches” he barks, voice still small but irradiating bitterness.

“Wha…?” Your brain still jumbled, you just vaguely stare up at him as you try to remember anything of the sort. You recalled your trainer having to help you going up on the last few crunches, one hand leveraging at the base of your neck.

Before you could ask him if that was what he was referring to, Jungkook leans back down and does the same treatment to your left arm, actually biting down with his teeth just enough to leave the small indentation of his teeth on the first layer of your skin.

“And right here, obviously trying to get your attention.” The memory of that seems to leave him even more infuriated, deep frustrating line scrunching the bridge of his nose and jawline tensing up tremendously. His big round eyes settle on yours with intensity and you lose your voice for a moment. “But you’re mine, right? You are my girl, my girlfriend, no one else’s, right?”

You nod your head, still in absolute disbelief that this gorgeous human being hoovering above you had any doubts about that. Your hands sooth the skin of his strong arms that were holding him up, words finally coming to you again.

“Of course, Kook. I’m all yours, always will be” you promise, trying to convey your honesty through your eyes.

“I’ll prove it to them. Leave my marks all over your body so they can see it.”

The rasp on his usual sweet voice had you swallowing dry and heat pools at your center. Damn, he was so hot like this. And then he actually takes actions to his words and pulls your t-shirt up, revealing your stomach that he launches for and nips and sucks on the flesh, deep bites and squeezes of his hands that you no doubt would see the next day. You jeer, but the pain mixes with pleasure and the noises that come out start sounding more like moans than anything.

And then he moves further down, avid hands grabbing at the fabric of your sweatpants and pulling them down your thick thighs, leaving them bare for him. Nuzzling comfortably between your legs, he takes no time pull at the meat of your fluffy inner thighs, sucking from just above your knee to the junction of where your leg meets your pelvis. Your whole body feels like it’s overheating and your heart hammers in your chest, each hickey closer to your womanhood leaving more and more wet. But then he focuses on your other leg, lifting your knee and leaving another trail up that thigh, completely ignoring how needy you were.

“K-Kook!” you plea, your hands grasping at the ones clawing your hips, begging them silently. “Please.”

Your hips are stuttering, moving out of their own accord in search of any kind of relief for the hellish crave staining your panties. Never one to deny you of anything your asked, Jungkook holds down your hips with sprawled hands putting pressure on your lower belly as he mouthed your pussy over the cotton fabric. You scream because it’s relieving and not enough at all. Even through the cloth, Jungkook finds your engorged clit and doesn’t hesitate to suck on it too, making you wail and arch your back off the ground, head falling back and eyes closing at the maddening feeling.

The bastard stays like that for a while, driving your absolute mad, giving you just enough to drive you to the edge and still not nearly enough to send your over. Your panties are absolutely drenched in a mix of your juices and his saliva, and you try to close your legs around his head in hopes to keep him there long enough for you to reach any kind of satisfaction, but being the strong man that he was, Jungkook easily parts your legs away and crawls back up your body, sculptural face hoovering mere inches from yours.

You open your eyes to see his full black ones, veiled with unmasked desire and lust, puffy cheeks red and lips swollen from all of their work on you. Fuck, he looked so heavenly like this.

“Now they’ll know, if they dare come this near to you. That you are already taken. That you are mine to hold and kiss and fuck. Right?”

You are not sure how he manages, but he sounds both possessive and insecure at the same time, obviously determined to let anyone know you were his but still uncertain enough to always ask for your confirmation. Smiling, you take his face in your hands and pull him in for a much awaited kiss after your response.

“Absolutely right.”

You are the one who pulled him in, but he is the one desperate, frantic in the kiss, claiming your lips violently and deepening it so his tongue scans every small inch of your mouth, as if making sure it was just as he remembered. Locking your hands behind his neck, you respond in what you hope is a similar way, passing on all the love and comfort you could in this one long toe-curling kiss.

Amongst everything, you could not be sure when he did it, but as you latched your bulky legs around his lean waist and pulled him in, you find that he was already undressed from the waist down. His thick, throbbing member was pressed against the stained panties still left as a barrier.

Resting in one arm, holding him up, Jungkook’s free hand roams down your curvaceous body and fingers hook around the side of your underwear, at the same time he whispers a question in your ear with a hoarse voice.

“Pill?”

“All good” you eagerly reply, letting him know you had been careful and it should be okay.

Panties bunched up around your left ankle, Jungkook rubs his cock between your folds in a few strokes, working you both up and coating himself. But you were already so worked up and sexually frustrated that you clawed at his magnificent muscular ass and pulled him closer, at the same time your hips thrusted upwards into him. Failing to get him where you wanted, you growl.

“Now, Jungkook! I need you now!” you exclaim.

“Yeah, I want to hear you scream my name, baby. My name only” he encourages in a pleased tone.

Suddenly, two hands grab your legs from the back of your knee and hoists them up until you are basically bent in half, thighs pressed against your breasts. One swift movement of his hips and Jungkook impales you with his dick, the first thrust strong and deep and succulent. You moan loudly from relief, your clenching walls finally clinging on to something, finally stretched in the most pleasant of ways. Even with the white noise settling in and your own whine still ringing in the air, you still hear the tale-end of Jungkook’s own groan, hands still holding your legs up and kneeling with his pelvis pressed against yours, back standing stiff and eyes closed, lips slightly parted. He was obviously needing this as much as you.

Doe eyes slit open to meet with yours and he bents down over you, reaching for your lips and kissing you at the same time he starts moving. You hold on to his shoulders, but the pace grows quicker and quicker until it’s borderline punishing and you scream out at how good it feels, the way his cock drags at that fast pace against your inner walls, the tip kissing the end of that carnal tunnel and hitting that deep spot that makes you see stars behind your eyes. You let go of his lips in favor of screaming his name next to his ear and he continues the inhumane pace.

“That’s it. Scream my name. Scream it” he cheers on, his own voice stuttering at the focus to keep himself in check. “Scream it loud as you cum around me, love.”

The pressure deep in your womb was building rapidly with each rapid ramming. Jungkook was sweating and flushed red from head to toe, breathing heavily and closing his eyes in search of self-control. He rests your legs on his shoulder as he uses his hands to ground himself and procced to pound his cock even deeper and quicker, that being all you needed due to the added stimulation of his navel against your clit with each motion, turning your body into and absolute explosion of pleasure.

“Ah, ahh… JUNGKOOK!”

The walls of your pussy clang to him in and sucked him in to hit your cervix over and over, intensifying the orgasm as he continued the movements until he himself couldn’t bare it no more and got off on your dripping cunt, eyes screwed shut and mouth parted as he whimpered breathily through it.

Body shuddering and still buried to the bream, Jungkook collapses against you and your legs fall off his shoulders. Trying to keep him in place, you cross your ankles around his waist and throw your arms around his shoulder, both trying to catch your breaths and proper connection to reality. As your body calmed down and temperature returned to normal, you already had the inkling your but would be suffering from a slight friction rash against the carpet. But you would just add it to the bruises Jungkook’s mouth had left and count it as totally worth it.

“Chuory” Jungkook babbles against your shoulder, the fabric of your t-shirt muffling his voice and making it hard to understand what he said.

“What’s that, Kook?”

He lifts his head and rests his upper weight on his forearms, bottom half still very much attached to yours. He looks more like himself now, sweet and kind instead of bitter and angry. In fact, he looked at you almost apologetic.

“I’m sorry I got so jealous. I don’t know what came over me.”

You smile and peck at his worried lips.

“No worries. I’m surprise you could even get jealous when it came to someone like me” you confess, in a humorous tone.

“You are incredibly attractive, Y/N. I saw how that guy was looking at you. And he was so built and strong and… I got scared you would be taken away from me.”

You immediately shake your hand, reaching out for the young boy’s face that was filled with apprehension and anxiety. Holding his face, you make him look at you seriously.

“Never. I would never, Jungkook. I love you. I don’t care if the universe flips and suddenly all the men on this earth suddenly want me, I will always, always love you. Just you.”

He releases a heavy sight and you can almost feel the relief washing over him, the weight that as lifted his shoulders. At last, he smiles brightly and it reaches is eyes in the cutest of ways and you heart sings in response.

“Really?” he asks, a hopeful tone.

“Really. Now, mister, because of this silly fit, I ended my workout too early. It’s your responsibility” you warn him, wandering if he would get it.

“Hum? Do you want to go back? I can help you if- Ahh…!” The way he started made you sure he was not getting what you were hinting at so, to enlighten him, you clench your walls around his flaccid member that hardens in immediate response. Jungkook almost chokes.

“I was thinking more of a home workout.”

“M-my… My pleasure” he readily assures.

#bts chubby reader #bts chubby!reader #bts x chubby reader #BTS jungkook #jungkook #jeon jungkook #jeon jungkook x reader #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #jungkook fanfic #jungkook smut #bts smut #plus size reader #kpop smut #kpop fluff #bts fluff #kpop plus size

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actualbird · 3 years ago

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Hello Zak! Once again, you being interested in a thing and making content for that thing has invested me in the thing. The problem this time is that I would probably not enjoy the game, for the simple fact that I am a lesbian, and from what I’ve gleaned there’s a lot of romance with men. On top of that, I am not *quite* invested enough to watch a play through or go search for other fan content, so I basically get all my TOT info from your blog. I’m telling you this just to inform you that you could say anything on here abt TOT and I’d believe you. You could tell my Puppy Pierce is canon and I’d say “yeah, checks out”. You could hav just made up the one of the boys and then just pretended he was real and canon and I would never know. Use this info wisely (Also hope you’re doing well!)

hullo, kitkat!!!

last time u sent an ask it was something along the lines of "we share no fandoms but ur enthusiasm for things i know nothing about is entertaining" and now youve come full circle to a HILARIOUS new mindset of "im not playing this game (for very valid reasons, yes, it romance of a female main character (mc) with 4 men) but im interested enough to TRUST YOU ON ALL INFORMATION ABOUT IT"

before i laugh, i wanna say im very emo about u sticking around thru my fandoms of yonder, this makes me rlly happy and thank you :')

now im gonna start laughing because kjsbkJBKJSFKGHAHA god this is delightful but also you do know saying "use this info wisely" is gonna make me do the OPPOSITE

so heres what im gonna do: im gonna list out 10 things about tot characters. 5 of them are true and completely canon and 5 of them are untrue and/or headcanons ive made

u dont need to send another ask with ur answers as to what the truths and the lies are tho, i just wanna cause a ruckus. so now it's time forrrrr

canon or not?

luke pearce, in his childhood, often got stuck in trees because hed climb them excitedly and realize he has no idea how to get down

luke pearce ripped opened a steel fence with his bare hands

marius von hagen is claustrophobic and nyctophobic because when he was a child, bullies had trapped him in a cramped, dark space for a long enough time that those phobias developed and followed him into adulthood

marius von hagen "borrowed" a guitar from a street performer so that he could impress mc with his fucking non-existent guitar playing skills, it was painful for everybody involved, the guitar included

artem wing, in response to his mentor asking him a question meant to make artem think about his wants as a human being, submitted a 10 page essay answering the question

artem wing is a noted and respected contributor to several online information websites (they didnt wanna call it wikipedia in the game but it's basically wikipedia)

vyn richter created a makeshift zipline via archery to help him and mc escape an ancient prison of doom

vyn richter has two doctorate degrees, one in psychology and the other in public health

mc always slept on the top bunk bed in the childhood bedroom she shared with luke.

mc regularly gets stalked by scorned citizens she won cases against and sometimes that stalking escalates into physical assault

anybody who does NOT know anything about tot is very welcome to participate in this game by putting ur guesses of which numbers are true and which ones are false in the replies of this post!

just because theres two for each nxx member doesnt mean one is true and one is false :)

thanks for this ask!!!

EDIT: heres the answer key if u give up HAHA

#asks #kittykat5e #i want to cause a RUCKUS

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waywardnerd67 · 4 years ago

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TFWB - Chap 9 Financial District

Summary: Ten years later, Jensen is reflecting the rise of his financial firm and the moments he let slip by. Characters: Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, Rachel Sanderson (OFC), Reader Pairing: Jared x Rachel (OFC) Warnings: Fluff Word Count: 1333 Squared Filled: CEO AU A/N #1: This is for @spnfluffbingo card

Check out: The Family We Built Masterlist

As (Y/N) turned the page in her scrapbook, she found a few stray pages stuck in the binding. Pulling them out, she found some journal pages of Jensen’s from when he was at his financial firm. He must have snuck them in whenever he was making this space for her. She looked down at the pictures in her book smiling.

The first one was of Jensen and Misha camping in Vancouver. Another one was of Rachel and her during their girls trip to the Rocky Mountains. One of her favorite pictures was the one of Jensen and Jared from Austin City Limits Festival. Finally, there was the clipping of Jensen from the Wall Street Journal when he was named the Youngest Most Influential CEO of 2013. (Y/N) picked up his entries and began reading.

***

Jensen looked out over his view of downtown Austin. His office was on the highest floor of the building with floor to ceiling windows. He was staring off as his mind wandered to his project sitting at home waiting for him. Anyone else in his position would be overjoyed with how life turned out. He was named Most Influential CEO of 2013, his financial firm was one of the most successful ones in the country, he was well off financially and his social calendar was always overflowing. There was nowhere in Austin that someone did not know the name Jensen Ackles.

Yet his amazing Administrative Assistant, Katherine, had asked him a question that had him staring off into oblivion.

“Mr. Ackles, may I ask you something?” her voice was timid almost like he would snap at her for speaking.

“Kat, I’ve told you, just call me Jensen and yes.”

She smiled warmly, “I was just curious and if I’m overstepping a boundary please tell me so. But I was wondering with all your success and everything why you don’t seem happy all the time?”

He was taken back for a moment, “That’s a great question. I don’t know that I have an answer for it.” He chuckled.

“You should find something or someone that makes you happy. You’re too caring and nice of a person to not be truly happy.”

Two images popped into his mind as she said truly happy, “I do have something that makes me truly happy. I guess I just don’t share it with anyone else… yet.”

She nodded, “Good. I hope you have a wonderful night, Jensen.” She left his office closing the door behind her.

That had been hours ago and yet Jensen was still sitting in his office watching the last bits of sunlight drift beneath the horizon. His phone buzzing startled him from his trance seeing it was a text within his group chat.

“Dinner at my place tonight!” Misha had sent as Jensen groaned then a few more texts came through.

“Oh no… I don’t think my stomach can handle it.”

“Misha, please order something normal.”

“If it’s not BBQ then I’m not coming over.”

The last one had been Jared the others from (Y/N) and Rachel. A couple nights a week they all got together for dinner and to catch up. Not that any of them went more than a couple of hours without talking to one another. However, this was a great distraction for Jensen from the thoughts mulling around in his head.

Jensen arrived at Misha's loft that was over the recently bought storefront for his new studio. He peeked through the window to see how it was coming along. Jensen was always in awe of Misha’s talent and was happy to be able to invest in his studio.

“Hey stranger.” The sweet voice made his heart skip a beat.

Turning around he found (Y/N) standing there the picture of perfection, “Hi there pretty girl,”

A wide grin spread across her face leading up to her bright (Y/C/E) eyes. Between her work schedule editing for Bard Press and his travel schedule they had not seen one another for a few weeks. However, they usually talk or email with one another everyday.

“What do you think Misha is going to make us eat this time?” Her cheeks puffed out as he chuckled.

“I have a feeling no matter what we will all have something to eat.” Jensen winked at her as they walked inside and up the stairs.

Sure enough Misha had gone to a local restaurant nearby and ordered the three least ordered items on the menu. On the table were boiled fish eyeballs, deep fried brain and octopus. Jensen looked over to (Y/N) who had her hand over her mouth. Rachel’s face was buried into Jared’s chest while his eyes narrowed in on Misha. Then all at once everyone began to speak over one another.

“I’m not eating that Misha.”

“Dude! I told you if it wasn’t BBQ then I wasn’t coming over!”

“I’m gonna be sick.”

Then the buzzer for the main door silenced everyone except for Jensen, “I’ll get it.”

He returned with several bags of food from one of their favorite BBQ places, “Dinner is served.”

Jared and Rachel helped him spread out the food. As he was bent over placing the foil pan of ribs down, (Y/N) leaned over and kissed his cheek.

“My hero.” She whispered then walked toward Misha’s kitchen for napkins.

Jensen’s cheek tingled where her lips were. Letting out a shaky breath, he looked up to see Jared and Rachel eyeing him from across the table. He averted his eyes and went back to setting up the food. Misha refused to eat any of the BBQ at first, but eventually gave in after trying each of the food he had ordered. Jensen was surprised and impressed when (Y/N) bravely tried some of the octopus and deep fried brain.

“You know deep fried and covered with ketchup it doesn’t taste any different than chicken.” She said as everyone watched her pop another bite into her mouth.

After dinner, they all settled into Misha’s living room where he hung a large white sheet and set up a projector for a movie. Misha was curled up on his favorite chair while Rachel was sitting with a stretched out Jared on the couch. Jensen had his arm resting comfortably across the back of the loveseat where he and (Y/N) sat with her feet resting on his lap.

Halfway through the movie he phone started to buzz in his pocket. (Y/N) removed her feet as he got up moving towards the front door.

“Hello Eric.”

“Hey Jensen, sorry to call after hours.” He sounded nervous, “It’s important, you should get back to the office.”

Jensen groaned looking back towards (Y/N), who was staring at him, “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

Jensen walked back over grabbing his boots and jacket as (Y/N) looked up at him, “Someone having a financial problem?”

“Something like that. I’m sorry to bail early on everyone,” He looked down at (Y/N) squeezing her shoulder gently, “I’ll call you later.”

***

“That was the night I decided I wanted out of the Financial District and finally follow my dreams. I had spent too long pleasing others and not making sure I was enjoying life. I also realized that night that my feelings for (Y/N) were getting stronger. It had been almost painful to leave her even though I knew I would talk to her later that night and see her that week. I needed to make a decision about what to do about that as well.”

(Y/N) remember how disappointed she had been when he left that night. It was not too long after that she had left as well unable to shake the feeling. True to his word, Jensen had called her and they spent hours talking on the phone to one another. It was also the night she had come to the same conclusion that she had fallen in love with Jensen.

If you enjoyed this story then check out my Masterlist!

My Nerd Herd: @waywardbaby @ladywinchester1967 @akshi8278 @ericaprice2008 @deans-baby-momma @spnbaby-67 @dean-winchesters-bacon @carryonmywaywardcaptain @-lovepeacenhope- @destiel745 @carribear31 @srsllydunnodoncare @whimsicalrobots @thisismysecrethappyplace @starstruckzonkoperatorbat @adoptdontshoppets @mrswhozeewhatsis @bella-ca @drakelover78 @imascio08 @pisces-cutie @dwgrl1903-blog @mannls @the-salty-asian @winchesterprincessbride @xostephanie @superromijn @witch-of-letters @time-travel-bouqet @screechingartisancashbailiff @myinconnelly1 @sister-winchesters99 @thekatherinewinchester @maddiepants @tumbler-tidbits @sandlee44 @destielhoneybee @jerkbitchidjitassbutt @thefaithfulwriter @stoneyggirl @supernaturalginger @emoryhemsworth @wednesdayismyfunday @team-free-will-you-idjiot @atc74 @cosicas-cuquis @casseythebee

#spnfluffbingo #tfwb series #jensen ackles fanfiction #jensen ackles fanfic #reader insert #rpf #fluff

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ghost-writing · 4 years ago

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Fee+Bear 2/?? - Home (Henry Cavill fanfic)

This is a re-post from my other blog… I’ve decided to post my writing on a separate page, it’ll be easier to access like that.

I’ve edited this a little, but there might still be some spelling mistakes & grammatical errors. (English is not my 1st language!) So, if you see something that irks you, please tell me! :)

Word count: almost 1.8k

Warnings: brief mentions of sex, AND SOPPY SUGARY FLUFF.

This is a prequel of this, but there might be some inconsistencies in the Fee+Bear stories, as it’s more a collection of one-shots, so be warned!

The sun is shining outside London. For once, the weather is great, even if a bit cold. But after spending most of the day in the garden playing with the kids and the dogs, Sofia decides to retreat to her office, because the script for episode 6 is not gonna check itself. And it needs to be sent to twins John and Paul, the writers and showrunners, for their own corrections, with still enough time left to print the final version for the whole cast and crew.

There are a lot of people depending on her now: she’s not just the star, but also one of the executive producers of her new show. A show that she’s abandoned a lot for, that she’s invested a lot in. She was working hard for it before, and is working even harder now that the lock-down is finally over, to make up for lost time.

Work is a lot on its own, but she also wants to be there for Gigi and Noah. Carmen and Elena had moved to London with her, and she owed them a huge debt for that. Their presence allowed her to dedicate herself to rehearsing and filming during the week, but she insisted on staying at home on the weekends as much as possible. Her schedule was so full, she was sure no man would have wanted to be included in that constant chaos, but Henry was not any man. He worked hard too, but came to spent most of his free time with her and her kids, instead of partying or doing whatever he used to do before they got together. She had sworn not to rush back into a relationship so quickly after her divorce, but he changed her mind easily. From the moment he met the kids, blissful, happy moments were the norm in their home when he was around.

But right now, she has to work just a little to be able to enjoy the rest of the 4-day weekend they had managed to squeeze into their extra tight work schedule. (Just one more proof that Henry was committed to their relationship.) And the quicker she gets it done, the sooner she’ll be free of it. She knows that, but she’d pushed it to later several times already.

The room is cool, which Sofia welcomes after the overheating she endured in the garden. Even in shorts and a top, the intense playing made her blood boil. But maybe that was because Henry took of his t-shirt at some point… Of course, the cat had followed her, trying to escape the ruckus Kal, Kit and the humans made (the big one being the loudest), bothering his fifth nap of the day. Sirius knows that in here, he’ll find peace and quiet, and maybe some belly rubs.

Sofia grabs the small stack of paper that’s been sitting on her desk for almost two days now, a purple pen (her designated colour for corrections, the twins using blue and green), her phone and headphones, and goes to lay on the sofa, the huge Maine Coon in tow. As soon as she settles, her head resting on a big cushion at one end, facing the door, and her bare legs and feet on the other end, Sirius looks for the best spot: her belly isn’t large enough for him to curl up in a ball on, and there’s not enough space for his large fluffy body between her and the back of the couch.

Sofia lets out a slightly annoyed sigh. “Can’t you decide already?” The black feline lifts his majestic head and looks at her right in the eyes with those enormous green marbles of his, as if to argue that this is the most important part of his routine. She melts, as usual. “Alright, baby.” She lifts him up, kisses his forehead and pets him gently, long enough for him to purr for a moment, and places him on the armrest, above her feet. She knows that in ten minutes tops, he’ll get down from there to get closer to her, demanding attention, but at least, she’ll cool down before having to deal with him. She puts the headset on, turns on some heavy rock music, like she always does when she needs to concentrate, and begins to read.

She’s about halfway through her task, and Sirius has moved spot three times, when Henry’s head peaks through the door.

“What?”, she says, taking the headphones off.

“Can I come in? I have to make a phone call.”

“Sure!” She smiles at him. “And you also need to hide from my adorable but exhausting kids, don’t you?” She winks.

He sighs deeply. “I do love them, but they. never. stop.” After removing Sirius with the utmost care and putting him gently on the ground, he sits next to her. The tiger looks at him with disdain, making Henry recoil a bit, before searching for another position of power.

“It’s all your fault, Cavill!” She brings her legs closer to her upper body to give more room to the big man. “Don’t be so goddamn nice to them, and they’ll play with each other, instead of always asking you to entertain them!”

“I tried, but I can’t say no to them! Gigi always makes that sad puppy face, and I cave… Every time!”

“Superman defeated by a pouting 6 year old… Batman’s got nothing on my girl”, she mocks. “Ok, make your call and let me finish this, please! When I’ll be done, I can teach you how to fight off the Evil Curly Dragon and her sidekick, Deadly Birdie.” She puts the headphones back on, not waiting for her boyfriend to groan at her.

Henry calls a friend or one of his brothers, presumably. She turned the music down to a more acceptable level, and she can hear him laugh. She can’t help but peak out from behind the sheets of paper every now and then: he smiles, he frowns, he makes gestures with his hands, fully immersed in his conversation. She forces herself to concentrate on her work.

Minutes pass, she’s getting close to the end of the script. Sirius is now resting on top of the sofa’s back, close to her, his legs lazily dangling on each side. His butt is turned towards his rival for Sofia’s affection, showing his disapproval.

Immersed in her script, Sofia suddenly realizes that Henry’s hand is resting on her legs. Her bare feet were now pushing on his meaty thigh, as she was looking for warmth, subconsciously. She always had cold feet, and Henry was hot in more than one way. He starts moving up from her feet, slowly caressing the ankle, then up the calf, lightly massaging the muscle with the pulp of his fingers. She looks at him, ready to scold him for distracting her, but he’s still talking over the phone, apparently unaware of what his hand his doing. He’s gone a bit quieter, so she can’t hear what he says.

From the corner of his eyes, he sees her looking at him. His hand leaves her briefly, gesturing for her to take off the headphones.

“Mum says hello!”

“Hello, Marianne! See you soon!”

“You heard that? Yeah, maybe in…”

She puts the headphones back on, decided on finishing her task rapidly. But his hand is back on her leg. His whole palm is rubbing her calf now, going back down to her feet.

“God, this is divine…”, she thinks. Henry is very tactile, and she always welcomes his gentle touch. Thinking of it, they had barely shared a moment alone yet this weekend, just the two of them… They arrived really late on Thursday night, exhausted, so she just snuggled in his arms as they both fell asleep rapidly. The children had been all over them from early Friday morning. Only last night did they finally make time for some intimacy, but they were still tired, so they did what they had to do, and quickly called it a night. Maybe he was attempting something now… She couldn’t deny it was slowly putting her in the mood.

Until he touches her sole with his thumb, which makes her wiggle her toes at the tickling feeling. She puts the script down harshly, slapping it on her thighs. He silently apologizes, continuing his conversation with his mother. This time, his hand stays still on her legs, not going back to his delightful ministrations. And she feels like pouting at him just like her daughter, to make him start again. No, she has to finish work first!

A few minutes later, she sighs with pride and relief, closing the script and throwing it in direction of the desk. It bumps on it and falls on the ground, the noise making Sirius flinch and almost fall from his perch. She turns to face Henry, who’s looking at her, a grin on his face.

As soon as she takes her headphones off, he queries “Finished now?”

“Almost! I just have to scan it and send it to the twins!”

“Can you do that a little later?” He places his hand on her exposed thigh, his expression speaking without the need for words.

“Why would I wait?”, she replies, as innocently as she can, while he stretches his gorgeous body above hers, one of his knees placed between her legs. She can feel the heat emanating from his broad chest, flowing down to her stomach, and lower.

“Because your legs are cold, and I have to warm you up… Should we go to your bedroom?”

He dives his nose in her neck, his stubble scratching at her skin deliciously, his lips and tongue tracing a wet trail on her veins and nerves. They’ve been together less than four months, but he very quickly found all of her weak spots. Only four months, but things got serious between them even before they actually could start. After talking to each other almost everyday over the phone for several months, it did not feel like they were rushing into anything thoughtlessly. Maybe it was time for another step forward…

“Our bedroom?”, she asks.

He lifts his head from her neck and looks at her, not talking for a moment. She feels worried that he won’t agree. But he kisses her lips, and she kisses him back, her arms grabbing his neck while he wraps her legs around his waist. She pushes him gently with one hand, breaking the deep kiss, needing a clear answer.

“To our bedroom, then!”, he says, the biggest of smiles illuminating his face.

#fanfic #henry cavill fic #henry cavill fluff #fluff #with a dash of smut #Fee+Bear

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taexual · 5 years ago

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HOLIC - 44 | jb x reader

pairing: Im Jaebum x Reader

genre: enemies to lovers au | roommate au

warnings: it’s just raw angst

words: 7.2k

disclaimer: i do not own the gif, please let me know if it belongs to you, so i can give proper credit

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It only took you a few days to finish editing all of the pictures you’d taken of Jaebum that night. You ran them by him first – and smacked him when he tried to make you swear he’d always be your only model – and then emailed them to his agency. You still needed their approval so, even though Jaebum had insisted you take these pictures, it was possible that his employers were going to end up hiring someone else, after all.

Except, as you learned on your way to work that Friday, they didn’t. As it turned out, the only problem Jaebum’s producer had with the pictures you’ve taken was that he couldn’t choose one. It felt like the biggest compliment you’ve ever been told.

The entire day would have been wonderful – Fridays already carried a certain aura of just being plain great – had it not been for a text Jiho sent you right when you were wrapping up, ready to head home. Apparently, his old friend was holding an exhibition at one of the out-of-town galleries he’d worked with before so you needed to keep your Saturday free.

Grateful that he’d warned you—sort of—in advance this time, you texted back in confirmation and were surprised to learn that Jiho actually expected you to bring your camera to the exhibition. For a moment, you thought he’d found out you’d taken Jaebum up to the balcony and had completely stolen Jiho’s photoshoot spot, so he was now going to get back at you by taking your camera and locking it away or something equally as unrealistic. But then you realized that made no sense – even if he had learned about your impromptu photoshoot, why would he try to get back at you? You’d done nothing wrong. Quite the opposite, actually.

Getting the approval of Jaebum’s agency provided you with a huge boost of confidence that you obviously needed. They liked your pictures so much, they didn’t know which ones to use – that had to mean you were, at least, somewhat better than average at what you did. What was more, that had to mean that, perhaps, you’d been too pessimistic about the number of opportunities you would get to make yourself known. Maybe you wouldn’t have to completely rely on Jiho to get your name out there, after all.

In the time leading up to the exhibition you had to attend with Jiho that Saturday night, you couldn’t get the memory of the photoshoot with Jaebum out of your head. Taking pictures of him had been nothing short of wonderful. You both had fun – although you did nearly freeze your hands off – and just seeing him through the lens of your camera inspired you so much, you had come up with three new ideas for a photoshoot if this one didn’t work out. But it did work out. Not only did you thoroughly enjoy the photoshoot itself, but the end result was also splendid. You couldn’t have been happier.

However, ruining the utter bliss of your routine with Jaebum as the two of you munched on pizza in his bed that Friday night, you got a call from Hyojin who was demanding to see you immediately. Normally, you’d have turned any offer to go out down – there was simply nothing you’d have rather done that what you’d already been doing – but because she was one of your best friends and, frankly, she sounded absolutely terrifying on the phone, you forced yourself out of bed.

“Are you seriously leaving right when Johnny Depp discovers the—”

“Oh, no,” you stopped Jaebum by extending your hand in front of his face. “Just because you’ve seen Sleepy Hollow before doesn’t mean you get to spoil the ending for me. Or watch it without me. Pause it, I won’t be long.”

“That’s not the ending, it’s barely even the middle,” he mumbled, pausing the movie nevertheless. “And are you saying I’m going to have to stare at the ceiling while I wait for you?”

“It’s just fifteen minutes,” you said. “Jacob’s dropping her off in front of our building. There’s no way Hyojin will make him wait for very long.”

“Why is she coming all this way over here, anyway?” he asked, already knowing all about your friends and their boyfriends. “And, at this hour, nonetheless?”

“It’s nine on a Friday night,” you said matter-of-factly. “She was probably out drinking like normal people do. It’s just you and I who get drunk on a Monday night instead.”

Jaebum grinned at the jab. “Fair point. I’ve paused the movie for you – consider that when you’re out and don’t keep me waiting for too long.”

“I will keep your sacrifices in mind,” you leaned over to kiss him and then stumbled out of his bedroom, your jeans still only halfway on.

Hyojin hadn’t been to your neighborhood before and it showed – she had her boyfriend drive around the block three times before she called and got you to come to the building they’d eventually parked outside of. But even despite getting lost, she looked like she thought that coming all the way over here was worth it.

“It’s great to see you,” you told her after the two of you hugged hello. “But, seriously, what’s up? You’ve never driven this far for me before, usually we just—”

“No, I know,” she cut you off, pulling her phone out of her pocket. “But you need to see this. I couldn’t text you the link because, well, yelling at you over text is not the same as yelling at you in real life. So, here. Look.”

She pressed something on her phone and then passed it on to you.

From the looks of it, Hyojin had opened up a tabloid site – with some very bad formatting that warped the text in every second paragraph – but you didn’t get to check what kind of site because your eyes immediately caught Jiho’s name in the headline. And then your name following right after.

“Oh, shit,” you muttered under your breath, reading on.

The article seemed to be a quick recap of the dinner you’d attended with Jiho earlier this week. It was accompanied by some high-quality pictures of the people who were there – and thus, you realized that this wasn’t actually a tabloid site at all, this must have been a blog-like website by one of the dinner guests – but its’ main focus, without a doubt, was the “budding relationship between the most promising young photographer” – Jiho – “and his muse” – you.

“I’m not—this wasn’t supposed to—oh, fuck,” you tossed around helplessly, handing Hyojin her phone back. “How did you even find this?”

“I didn’t. Jacob showed it to me,” she replied, her face executing every sign that she was about to scold you good. “One of his friends from publishing was at that dinner, so he was showing Jacob the pictures and Jake thought he’d recognized you. Turns out, his friend was actually looking forward to meeting you. He’d referred to you as “Jiho’s girlfriend.”

“God, no, it’s not—”

“Yeah, I sure hope it’s not,” Hyojin continued, too fired up to let you finish, “because this implies that you’re still in touch with that asshat and, not just that, but you’re also dating him.”

You momentarily recalled your last conversation with May at Mark’s bar. Evidently, she’d kept quiet about the revelation that your entire future depended on Jiho, so Hyojin was completely in the dark about it all.

“I’m not. I swear, I’m not. I would never! Jaebum—he’s right upstairs, waiting—God, this is messed up,” you brought your hands over your face in an attempt to collect your thoughts so you’d finally form a coherent sentence. “Listen, you can’t tell anyone because I’m not sure if I’m allowed to speak about this – at least not to the press – but—”

“Well, go right ahead,” she urged, “I’m not the press.”

“Yeah, but Jacob is,” you nodded your head towards the car Hyojin had just stepped out of – or, perhaps, sprinted out of would have put it more accurately since she hopped right out, slamming the door shut before you even got a glimpse of her boyfriend.

“He’s not that kind of press,” Hyojin rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t care about some photographer that’s fresh out of the womb. No one does. No offense.”

You didn’t take offense – she was right. As Mark had pointed out in his bar the other day, the only people who cared about photographers were other photographers.

“Right,” you swallowed. “Well, this was Jiho’s idea. He thought I should get some exposure before my exhibition.”

Hyojin frowned. “Why does he get to decide that?”

God, you thought you appreciated May for not telling the rest of your friends about this – she must have thought you should have been the one to do that – but now you wished she had, just like she revealed the truth about who your roommate was. You’d planned to keep Jaebum’s identity a secret but ended up spilling it all to her while wine-drunk and, in turn, May had told the rest of your friends. If she’d done the same thing now, perhaps you wouldn’t have had to face Hyojin’s judgemental eyes.

“Because,” you closed your eyes, “it’s his gallery.”

“What?”

“Yeah,” you groaned, your fingers suddenly very drawn to your scalp and, particularly, ripping your hair out of it. “God, it’s a long story.”

“Honey,” your friend put her hand on your shoulders, a very determined expression on her face, “I’ve got all night.”

Jacob pulled his window down, having overheard her say this. “You really don’t, love. We have a movie to catch in half an hour. Hello, by the way.”

“Hey, Jake,” you gave him an awkward wave which he acknowledged with a nod and then slid his window back up, giving you and Hyojin some privacy – even though he could, clearly, hear everything from inside of the car anyway. “You should go, Jin. I swear nothing’s happening. His gallery reached out to me and offered me… something. It’s not just an exhibition, it’s a whole ton of other stuff, too. It’s a great contract, really. But before I get to lay claim to any of those perks, I have to become more well-known so that my first exhibition isn’t a complete bust. That dinner is a part of a-a PR stunt, you know? Like, we were supposed to appear together as two photographers, having dinner—”

“Is that not what you did?” she asked, interrupting you.

“It is, but—well, they’re calling me his muse,” you replied. “Not his colleague. So, that’s not exactly what was supposed to happen but, I guess, it’s still exposure.”

“Are you going to do something about this, then?” she continued.

“I don’t know what I can—”

“And what does Jaebum think about this wonderful stunt?”

Her questions already made it difficult to catch your breath but this last one seemed to punch you right in the lungs.

“He doesn’t know,” you wheezed out, not raising your eyes from the pavement.

For the second time that night, Hyojin’s jaw opened and froze in that position. “What?”

“N-no, I mean, he knows I’m doing these events for publicity,” you tried to explain, guilt flashing all over your face. “He just doesn’t know—”

“That they’re with Jiho?” she raised her eyebrows in an oddly accusing manner. “Babe, what are you doing?”

“I’m—”

She shook her head, choosing not to listen to another excuse. “You have to tell him.”

“I will!” you said, sounding far too exasperated. You’d already told everyone but Jaebum and the constant promises you made about telling him were starting to weigh down on your consciousness. “He’s just been so happy, getting that contract with an agency, and all. Everything’s going so well, it just doesn’t feel right to piss on his parade. He wanted this for so long.”

That sounded like an excuse and both of you knew it.

“Don’t think you’re doing him a favor by not telling him,” Hyojin reprimanded immediately.

“I know I’m not,” you said. “And I will tell him. Just not right this moment.”

“Well, if he sees the article, it will be too late, won’t it?”

“He won’t see it,” you said and then, after a moment of panic, added a fearful, “will he?”

Hyojin sighed. “Honestly, no, he probably won’t. The only reason Jake even saw that was because of that co-worker who showed it to him. There are probably, like, six people who read that website and I don’t think Jaebum is one of them. I hope that isn’t the kind of publicity Jiho meant.”

“I hope not,” you echoed. “Although it makes sense that no one cares about this. We’re irrelevant.”

“No, he had one thing right – people don’t care about these dinners but they do care about who’s dating whom, even if the people in question aren’t too famous,” she said. “Sex sells—”

Your eyes widened. “Sex?”

“You know what I mean,” she waved your surprise off. “People care about that shit. They want to know who’s sleeping with—”

“It’s just—just a few events,” you cut her off, just the mere mention of anyone assuming you and Jiho were having sex enough to send your stomach into a panicked frenzy. “Any publicity is good publicity, right?”

“Well, Jake would disagree but he’s not trying to become a celebrity. He just writes about them.”

“Right,” you nodded, allowing the looming awkward silence to finally engulf you both.

“Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?” Hyojin asked another uncomfortably long moment later.

“No. I’m not sure about anything,” you replied honestly. “But I want that exhibition and if that’s the only way—”

“You know it’s not,” she disagreed right away. “And, frankly, faking a relationship with someone doesn’t seem worth it.”

You continued to count the tiles on the pavement, feeling – and looking – like a scolded kindergartner. Any other time, you’d have felt like she just didn’t understand your situation. Merely a few days ago, you were convinced you weren’t good enough to find a place to host your exhibition some other way, but now you’d achieved a huge breakthrough with the pictures you’d taken for Jaebum. Now you believed in yourself a little – oh, alright, a lot – more.

“This isn’t long-term,” you decided to say. “It’s just a few weeks tops. That’s two or three more events and I’ve got another one tomorrow night. It’ll all be over before long: I’ll have my exhibition and then I can forget all about Jiho.”

“Hmm,” Hyojin had crossed her arms and was now looking decidedly skeptical. “And, I suppose, you’ll tell Jaebum about this another decade later, yeah? I don’t really understand why you—”

“I’m afraid,” you cut her off. She didn’t seem to understand why you sounded so agitated so, after sighing so deep, your whole chest began to ache, you explained, “I don’t want to lose him. I’ve already fucked up before and it lead to some hefty arguments. But that was before we were together, so they weren’t as significant.”

“When are arguments ever not significant?”

“Fine, they were significant,” you said. “But they never posed a threat to our relationship because there wasn’t one. And now that there is, I’m afraid that if we fight, it will break us up.”

“So, what, you’ll spend the rest of your life walking on your tip-toes, avoiding arguments with him because you’re afraid?” Hyojin asked. The more she talked, the less your words made sense to you. Suddenly, you couldn’t understand why you kept talking at all.

“No,” you said awkwardly. “No, that’s just stupid, I can’t avoid arguments with him for the rest of my life, but it’s so soon. We’ve only been together for, what, a few weeks, a month—”

“When did you move in with him?”

“I-I don’t know, a few months ago,” you blinked, not sure how this question was relevant. “Maybe three, three and a half—”

“Alright, so you’ve been with him for three and a half months, then,” Hyojin concluded.

“No, but we weren’t together before—”

“No,” she declared louder so she could talk over you – just like she seemed to do the whole night tonight. “No, babe. Every argument you’ve had with him since the day you moved in was equally as significant, and yet, not a single one posed any threats to your relationship. Not-a-single-one, you hear me? Because, from what you’ve told me, you and him have gotten pretty intense with each other before and yet, neither of you moved out. Not even when you didn’t think you were going to end up together. You have some real stuff between you, you know what I mean? The kind of stuff that can’t be broken by arguments… but might get irrevocably stained by secrets.”

You didn’t have a response to give her and sighed instead but Hyojin understood everything you couldn’t say just from your breath.

“You don’t want to do this with Jiho, either,” she said gently. “So, don’t put yourself through something you don’t want to do. Do it your way. So what if it takes longer?”

It wasn’t the first time someone had said that to you and it certainly wasn’t the first time that you considered the weight of these words. They were heavy but that was the case with the truth – it weighed you down until you could barely move.

“We said we were going to do this together,” you whispered under your breath, the engine of Jacob’s car nearly drowning your words out. “So, if I don’t do this, I’ll just have to watch him walk away from me.”

“Walk away from—honey, no,” Hyojin sighed, wrapping her arms around you, her sweet perfume so familiar, you almost started to cry. “He wouldn’t.”

“He wouldn’t have a choice,” you insisted. “That’s how life works sometimes. I don’t want it to. I don’t want him to—I just want us to do this together.”

“And you will,” she promised, pulling away slightly so she could look at you. “But maybe at different speeds. But who the hell cares? You were together before fame and you’ll be together after. You’ll wipe your stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame together and then walk into the sunshine, hand-in-hand. Who cares if you’ll host your exhibition a month, or a year after he releases his album?”

You cared, sniffling as you refused to meet her eyes. “A lot can happen in a year.”

“And a lot will,” she nodded. “But you two had already gone through so much, you might as well go through a little bit more.”

“What if that’s where the breaking point is? What if we don’t have a year—”

“Sweetheart,” she stopped you, suddenly grave serious. “What if I reach down inside of you, grab that paranoia of yours, and strangle it so it no longer bothers you, hmm? That would save us all a lot of time.”

You couldn’t control the snicker that passed your lips and got Hyojin to smile as well.

“Go back,” she told you then. “And don’t forget where you’re going, okay?”

Your eyebrows furrowed. “What do you mean? Where am I going?”

Hyojin smile meaningfully. “You’re going home.”

Hyojin’s last words helped you more than you’d realized at first, and you woke up the next morning with a decision – tonight was going to be the last event you’d attend with Jiho. Once it was over, you would sit him down and tell him that you had to find another way because you simply couldn’t approve of this one. He’d have to agree to let you host your exhibition right now and not “when you were more popular.” You’d tell him about the pictures you’d taken of Jaebum and how much his agency liked them if he refused to listen to you.

And then, if he’d agree, you’d go home, talk to Jaebum, host your exhibition, and live happily ever after. And if he wouldn’t, you’d still go home, talk to Jaebum, and find a way to live out your happily ever after without getting your exhibition.

You hoped for the former but, as you applied your make-up for the night, you braced yourself for the latter. You knew that the chances of Jiho agreeing to just cut straight to your exhibition were slim – you and him were only seen together twice; surely, that wasn’t going to be enough in his eyes – but you trusted your ability to sound convincing. He’d insisted the gallery wanted you for your potential, so, maybe he’d fight harder to hold on to you and agree to your terms, after all.

In the end, whatever happened tonight, this was going to be the last time you were out with Jiho for publicity.

You nearly blacked out when, after leaving a note to let Jaebum know you were off to a photography event, you walked out of your building and saw Jiho step out of a limousine. A sleek black limousine – as if you two were headed to your wedding or something.

“W-what is—” you began but didn’t get to finish before Jiho’s bright laughter cut you off.

“I thought we’d arrive in style! What do you think?” he asked. You thought he was a lunatic. “Attract some more attention, hmm? Come on, get inside – got your camera? Good! – there’s champagne.”

You felt like you’d just skipped through, at least, three chapters of your life when you climbed into his limousine. Who were you, exactly, to have this expensive ride with undoubtedly equally as expensive glass of champagne thrust into your hand as soon as you sat down?

It was impossible to understand what was happening – although, from the laid-back way Jiho was acting, you’d have thought he took the limo to go to work and do his grocery shopping, so this wasn’t weird to him in the slightest – and, what’s more, it was impossible to figure out what would happen next.

As it turned out, what happened next was silence. Jiho was texting someone on his phone, so the only sound in the car was the rapid click-clacking of his fingers against his screen and the ever-so-often sip of champagne. You, on the other hand, refused to drink and remained completely quiet and overly alert the entire ride. When thrust into a situation you’ve never experienced before, it was probably best to stay sober and aware of your surroundings.

Once the limousine stopped – tossing your heart from your chest to your heels – about fifty minutes later, Jiho finally put his phone away and turned to look at you.

“Here’s the plan,” he declared in a way that made it seem as though you two were about to rob a bank Bonnie-and-Clyde style. “I didn’t tell you to bring your camera just so people would know you’re a photographer. That will come up anyway. I asked—”

“Will it?” you cut him off reflexively.

“What?”

“Will it come up?” you repeated, deliberately this time. You had decided to tell him you didn’t want to do this – even though he had to know that himself already – and you were going to stick with that decision. “Because, judging from the article written about us after the dinner, I’m not actually a photographer at all. I’m just a girl on your arm.”

Jiho, for some reason, hadn’t expected you to have read the article. Once the initial surprise wore off, however, he looked pleased that you’ve seen it and was almost inclined to ask who’d shown it to you. Clearly, you had your own sources and he was all the more curious to know who they were.

“Right, but that’s where it starts,” he insisted. “Slowly, more and more people will stop focusing on the fact that we’re together and, instead, will start to focus on us as individuals. I mean, come on, there are only so many speculations that can be made about the relationship of two people. Sooner or later, people are bound to get bored.”

“If they’re bored, they’ll ignore me and focus on you,” you said, “and I will still be the girl—”

“Quit thinking I’ll be quiet through it all,” he cut you off, showing you, for the first time since you’ve met him, that he also had the ability to get annoyed. “I’m doing this for you—for the gallery. Obviously, I will do everything in my power to make it clear that we are both photographers. Hence your camera here, tonight. I want you to capture this event from your own point of view. I will use one of your pictures in my review of tonight’s exhibition – with proper credit, of course – and that’s how everything will kick off.”

You bit your lip, looking down. If he’d told you of this plan earlier, perhaps you’d have felt less revolted riding this limousine with him. Still, though – was the expensive car so necessary?

“Fine,” you said, choosing to leave the conversation about how you wanted to finish doing these events until after the night was over. You were sort of an expert at postponing potentially complicated conversations. “Let’s just get this over and done with.”

Jiho smiled in response – the smile, that was most likely fake, looked so real that you started to wonder if he’d been faking this nice exterior the whole night tonight – and, opening the door of the limo with one hand, extended his other one to you.

“What do you want me to—”

Not waiting for you to start questioning his motives again, he took your hand against your wishes, and helped you get out of the car. There were three people taking pictures of the guests arriving at the exhibition and all three of them suddenly had their cameras on you and Jiho, eager to capture you two stepping out of the car, hand-in-hand. It was almost blinding and most surreal.

“Good to see you, Jiho!” one of the photographers hollered, his flash going off every two seconds. You were sure you had your eyes closed in every single picture he took. “Is that the missus?”

You cringed – but hoped it wasn’t too noticeable – and tried to pull your hand out of Jiho’s grip now that you were out of the car, but he didn’t let you.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Jiho replied sneakily, shooting a wink in the direction of the camera. “I’m here to have a grand night, admiring the artwork of a dear friend with a dear friend.”

“Is she just a friend, then?” another one asked. You felt yourself clutch the camera in your hands tighter in hopes of drawing more attention to it. “A close friend, perhaps?”

“She’s all of that and a lot more,” Jiho replied and you felt a cold wave wash over your entire body at his words. “And she’s one of the most talented young acts I know. Careful, boys, her pictures tonight might just overshadow yours.”

“We’re looking forward to it, Jiho!” the photographer said as Jiho lead you inside. Your feet were nearly frozen solid. “Have a great night!”

“You, too!” Jiho wished with a gentle wave of his hand and the two of you finally escaped the cameras by entering the building.

As soon as the photographers were behind you, you pulled your hand out of Jiho’s a little more forcibly than you’d intended and gave him a horrified look.

“What the hell are you saying to them?!” you demanded, not even trying to keep your voice down. “You told me you’d leave our relationship up for speculation and then you went ahead and—”

“And what?” he snapped, your sudden outrage frustrating him much more than your persistent doubts in the limo did. “What was it that I said to them that wasn’t precisely that? I’m planting the seeds of doubt—”

“You’re planting rumors!” you disagreed vehemently. “Do you really think they’ll care about my photographs now that you’d made it seem as if we’re together? As if we’re in love?”

“Of course, they will—”

“They couldn’t care less about that shit!” you continued, noticing how each swear word out of your lips made Jiho cringe and look around to see if anyone heard. “All that their cameras focused on was you holding my hand. I’m nothing to them—”

Jiho cut you off by taking a threatening step towards you, his face dangerously close to yours as he whisper-yelled through clenched teeth, “how do you expected to be something when you haven’t done anything? Popularity is earned. I’m earning it for you so show more gratitude and stop making a fucking scene.”

He stepped away a second later and, if you hadn’t been there, listening to him curse and put you down, you probably wouldn’t have believed it. Jiho was a fantastic actor, truly – the way he kept his composure around you all of this time was admirable. But there had to be a reason why you were so adamant to get away from him at all times; clearly, it wasn’t just because you’d misunderstood his intentions the first time you met him. It was also because somewhere deep in your subconscious, you figured he was just playing a role of Jiho, the sweet and eager-to-help photographer, while his real personality was buried deep underneath.

Well, you’d caught glimpses of his real face just now and, when he told you to straighten up and proceeded to wrap one hand around your waist to enter the exhibition hall, smiling as if you hadn’t just argued, you knew that the decision to drop everything, cancel the contract, and find another way to get your name out there was the right one.

“Jiho, I—”

“Shh,” he hushed sharply. “I need you to stay quiet right now. I’m looking for the host, I’m going to introduce you and then off you go, taking your pictures. Got it? I’m not in the mood to talk to you right now.”

“Me neither. I was just—”

His grip on your waist tightened. “What did I just tell you?”

His voice sounded like it came straight from hell and yet, instead of feeling intimidated, you felt incredibly relieved. You weren’t wrong, Jiho may have just been the devil incarnate with some very well-trained – albeit pretend – manners.

You stayed quiet, allowing him to search for the host of the night because you figured that if you had to end the night without a contract – you didn’t think it was possible that Jiho would agree to cut short to your exhibition instead of just dropping you right away – then it’d be great if you would get to meet a few more influential people beforehand. They probably weren’t going to help you out, knowing their relationship with Jiho, but it wouldn’t hurt to have them learn your name.

As soon as you shook the hand of the photographer whose pictures hung on the walls of the hall around you – your face hurt from all the fake smiles already, even though you’d only been here for less than twenty minutes – something happened that made you regret leaving your house tonight even more. You should have bolted in the opposite direction as soon as you saw the limousine approach, really.

“Hello,” an awfully familiar voice sounded next to you. You thought you experienced what falling from the twentieth story of a skyscraper must have felt like when you turned around to meet Jackson’s eyes. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Oh. H-hey,” you choked out, painfully aware of Jiho’s hand still on your waist. “I’m here with—”

“Hello,” Jiho turned around as soon as the host of the exhibition walked away. You may have feared Jaebum meeting Jiho but you couldn’t even begin to imagine what was going to happen when one of Jaebum’s best friends met him instead. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m—”

“Could you excuse us for a moment?” Jackson asked, his hand coming to rest on your waist instead.

Taking advantage of Jiho’s confused features, Jackson pulled you away from him and – before you could protest – walked you to the closest bathroom he could find, closing the door behind you.

“I’m sorry for cutting it straight to the chase,” he spoke as calmly as he could given the situation, “but, shit, who the hell is that?”

“T-that’s Jiho. He’s—”

“A scumbag that’s about to get his ass kicked, I hope?” Jackson finished for you. “What are you doing here with him?”

“I’m—God, it’s a long story,” you said, the exhaustion you’ve felt since you signed the contract showing in your voice. “I’ve signed a deal with his gallery, so I have to—”

“Does Jaebum know you’re here?”

“Jackson—”

“Because, I swear to God, I have no idea what you’re doing but I—”

“Jackson!” you said louder, suddenly afraid of the fire behind his eyes. He looked frantic. He looked like he was going to knock Jiho out right after he left the bathroom and his hand was already reaching for the door handle. “Please listen, I’m just—I came to the exhibition. I’ve signed a contract with a gallery Jiho represents and I need some exposure—”

“Some exposure?” he frowned, the look on his face depicting every frustration you were feeling inside. You were afraid to look him in the eyes. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means I can’t host my exhibition while no one knows who I am,” you answered. “I need to—”

“That’s bullshit!” Jackson snapped. “How are you supposed to get exposure without hosting any exhibitions? Did he convince you this was a good idea?”

“No, I don’t think this is a good idea, I—”

Jackson threw his hands in the air, startling you. “Well, then what the fuck are you doing here?!”

“I’m trying to get my name out there!” you replied in agitation. Jackon’s accusing tone and the questions he was firing at you confirmed that your raised voices in this bathroom were going to be nothing in comparison to the storm this would cause with Jaebum. “Fuck! I’m just—I’m trying to get some publicity. That was part of the contract.”

Jackson scoffed. “That guy has you pressed against his side like you’re his trophy wife. I don’t know what kind of publicity you’re seeking but I can assure you, this isn’t it. Jaebum—fuck, is he on board with this?”

You almost flinched when he mentioned Jaebum again.

“Of course he’s not—actually, uh, he doesn’t know the—”

“He doesn’t know?!”

To say that Jackson was appalled would have been an understatement.

“He doesn’t know the details!” you tried to explain, feeling yourself tear up but desperately trying to remain calm – or, well, as calm as you could with Jackson looking at you like you’d just killed your way through the West Coast. “He knows I have to attend these events for a little while, he just—I didn’t tell him about Jiho. The three of us go way back, he hates the guy.”

“Oh,” Jackson said in an uncharacteristically high-pitched voice. It was scary to hear his deep, somber tone take such a sarcastic chirp turn. “So, that makes all of this better!”

“It doesn’t,” you tried. “And I’ll tell him—”

“Like hell, you will.”

“W-what?”

“If you hadn’t told him yet, clearly, you’re not that eager to tell him at all,” he stated.

“No, I want him to know,” you insisted but you weren’t sure if you meant it. Hearing Jackson voice your real intentions was the ultimate turning point and every single ounce of guilt came pouring out of your eyes in tears. You really didn’t want Jaebum to know. “I-I just don’t want to fight with him about this—”

“Then maybe don’t do this!” Jackson continued, still as loud as before but gentler now that you started to cry, “if you’re doing something that’s going to start a fight with your boyfriend when he finds out, then you’re probably stepping out of line in a major way, don’t you think?” he paused as soon as he realized how riled up he was. He brought his hands through his hair to calm himself down. “God, I’m sorry, I can’t—I seriously have a hard time understanding this. W-why did you think this was a good idea? How the hell did you think faking a relationship with someone was going to go under your own boyfriend’s radar?”

You sniffled, trying to focus on your breathing so you wouldn’t sob out loud, “I’m not faking a relationship—”

“Oh, okay, well, don’t worry about that – that guy out there is doing it for you,” Jackson countered.

“No, I—this,” you felt yourself hiccup, “it w-wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

“Fuck, what was it supposed to be like?” Jackson asked. “Because last time I was on the phone with Jaebum, he was in my studio, writing a fucking song about you. I definitely didn’t think I’d hang up the phone, turn around, and see his girl walk right past me with another guy.”

You barely had enough time to process what he had just said when a knock came on the bathroom door.

“Is everything alright?” Jiho’s voice called out. “I hate to bother you but we should probably get back out here. We’re here for your benefit, after all.”

“In a moment!” you replied through a stuffed nose. Jackson sighed, his hands on his hips and his eyes focused on the floor. The fact that he couldn’t even look at you felt like a whole new stab of pain. “Look, this is the last event I’m doing. I’m ending it tonight. If they won’t let me host an exhibition, I’ll find another solution. I won’t do this anymore.”

You wiped the tears from your cheeks and tried to steady your breathing.

“How many events like this have you done already?” Jackson asked another moment later. He may have been angry with you but he hated to have been the reason why you started to cry.

“Just a few, it hasn’t been that long—”

“And how long were you planning on doing this for?”

“N-not long,” you said, your breath hitching again. You exhaled slowly before finishing, “ideally, I want to end this tonight.”

“But you’ll still work with him – with a guy who’s obviously very interested in making the public think he’s dating you – and Jaebum will still not know about it, is that what you’re planning?” Jackson continued, watching your eyes fill with tears again but not being able to stop himself. He’d have put his life on the line for his best friend and it was starting to feel like that was exactly what he was doing right now because he knew he was going to wish he was dead as soon as this blew over. The sight of you crying because of the things he’d said was too awful to bear. “Jaebum will come to your exhibition, not having the slightest clue that there’s a guy who’s—”

“I’ll tell him!” you shouted desperately, pain spilling from your eyes without the slightest intention of stopping. “God, I will! I’ll tell him everything.”

“Will you? Will you, really? Because he’s my best friend. I can’t just stand here after I learned about the shit that he doesn’t know but should know. Fuck. I think you’re great, I really do. And, God knows, I’m so sorry I’ve made you cry tonight,” he added and then, even despite all that he’d just said, stepped closer to provide you with some comfort by carefully wrapping his arms around you, “I think the two of you are perfect for each other but, fuck…” he sighed after hearing you sob against his shoulder, “you know his heart better than I do, but even I can tell that you’re walking dangerously close to breaking it.”

“I wouldn’t,” you whispered, pulling away from him to look him in the eyes. “I couldn’t. I would never, I-I—”

“I know you probably don’t mean it,” he said softly, releasing you. “But he’s going to hate the fact that you’re keeping this a secret.”

“I know he is,” you nodded, stepping away from him and sniffling before slowly bringing your index fingers under your eyelids. Your make-up was most definitely destroyed but that was the least of your worries right now. “That’s w-why, the longer I stay quiet, the harder it gets to find a way to tell him.”

He sighed again. “You know someone has to.”

“J-Jackson, I—”

“Just go, okay?” he asked, turning away from you and resting his hands on the sink, his head hanging low. It was you who felt beyond ashamed and yet he looked like he was the one making the biggest mistake of his life. “That guy’s waiting for you out there.”

“Please, I’ll tell Jaebum about this, I just—”

“Go,” Jackson repeated. “Please.”

You reached the door but turned around as soon as the last tears slid down your cheeks. You waited for him to turn around to look at you but he wouldn’t.

“I don’t want to hurt him,” you said slowly, the ball in your throat from the tears and the pain and the guilt suffocating you. “I love him.”

Jackson whipped his head to face you. “Does he know?”

Looking down again, you didn’t even dare to shake your head – and you didn’t have to, Jackson knew the answer already. This was another thing you’d never gathered the courage to tell to Jaebum.

Jackson looked away again and, after another torturous moment, you dared to exit the bathroom, closing the door behind you and feeling yourself tear up yet again as soon as you saw Jiho’s polished shoes.

“What was that about?” he asked you right away.

“Jiho,” you said sternly, your vision clouded with tears. You thought you saw him take a small step back in shock once he saw your puffy red eyes. “I won’t do this anymore. I need an answer right now – can I host my exhibition at your gallery or not? Because if not, I’m ending the contract right this moment.”

“Well, of course, you can,” Jiho replied, surprised. His fake face was back on and you wished nothing more than to claw it off. “You just need a little bit more exposure and—”

“No,” you shook your head. “I don’t like this. I didn’t like the article written about us, I didn’t like what you told those photographers out there, and I don’t like the fact that we’re, essentially, pretending to be in a relationship. I’m not—I don’t want to do that. Either, I host the exhibition now or I’m leaving.”

“Well—that’s—where is all this coming from? I thought we’d reached an agreement. You’re so close to—”

“The only thing I’m close to is ruining the only thing that makes sense in my life,” you were the one who kept cutting him off this time. It was nice to have the upper hand for a change even if you had a feeling it would backfire. “So, tell me right now: will I have the exhibition at your gallery or not?”

“I-I can’t give you an answer immediately,” he replied. “I need to check in with the gallery and we need some time to consider this.”

“Okay. Consider it, then,” you said, exhaling shakily as you turned around towards the front door of the hall. “And give me an answer as soon as possible.”

“Wh—right, but where are you going?”

You didn’t stop as you answered curtly, “I’m going home.”

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virtualpiratementality · 5 years ago

Text

Avoiding Death is my Specialty

Hi guys! So the blog @incorrectfairytailquotesx on Tumblr has inspired a number of one shots from me. This is one that came to me from a quote they posted from the Percy Jackson series. I’m not too happy with the ending and may post an edited version, but for now, enjoy! :)

5/6/20 update- was going through old stories and wanted to update this one. Can be read separately, or as a prequel to ‘Flowers’ and then ‘Starry Date’. Will also be posted on ff.net

If you like it please share or leave a comment, constructive criticism welcome :)

~~~~~~

“Avoiding death is my specialty.”

Natsu Dragneel(Percy Jackson)

~~~~~~

“Come onn, Natsu,” I groaned, pulling the pink haired boy by the rest of the way off of the train. He collapsed onto the ground and I huffed, crossing my arms. “This is our first S-class mission. Well, officially. We can’t be late!” I said anxiously.

“Relax, Lucy” the puddle that was Natsu groaned. “The guy doesn’t live that far away,” he said before finally starting to push himself off of the ground. “And besides–when have we ever been on time?” He said, his attempt to grin cheekily at me ruined by the still green tint on his cheeks. I rolled my eyes before letting out a calming breath. Natsu was right about him not living too far away, at least.

“Aye!” Happy cried, flying around our heads. He stopped and clung onto me, “please can we eat first!? I haven’t eaten since breakfast!” He pleaded.

I glanced quickly at my watch, we did still have a little less than an hour before we needed to be at the requester’s house. “Yess,” I groaned. “Quickly, though, go fly ahead and find somewhere! We don’t have too long” I warned him.

“Thanks, Lucy!” He chirped before flying off towards the busier looking roads.

“I wish Gray or Erza could have come along with us,” I told Natsu as we slowly followed after, frowning.

“Why would you want Ice brains here!? And I’m just as strong as Erza!” He said, letting out a puff of fire.

“Of course you are,” I said, letting out a light laugh. “But this is our first S class mission, and it would make me more comfortable if we had more people…” I fretted.

“We’re a team!” Natsu exclaimed. “ And you know what that means?” I arched my eyebrow in an invitation. “That we’ll get through it together, Luce. Always.” He finished adamantly.

“You’re right!” I replied, sending him a soft smile. “We’ll finish this mission up and be back home in no time!”

“And anyways, it’s not our first S class quest!” He said, and I rolled my eyes already knowing what he was going to say. “The first was Galuna Island!”

“Yeah, and look at how well that turned out,” I said, letting out an unladylike snort. “Erza and Gray had to come help!”

“Well they did, but we could have done it without them!” He persisted.

“You’re right, of course we could have,” I said in a placating tone.

“NATSU! LUCY!” We looked towards the right where we could hear Happy’s voice and saw him hovering in front of a restaurant decorated with fishing nets and traps and lures. I scrunched up my nose and Natsu laughed at me.

“Are you regretting letting him pick the spot?” He teased, nudging my arm.

“Maybe a little bit…”

Lunch was, as always, a noisy and messy affair. We ended up getting to the contacts house on time, if not slightly out of breath. “See?” Natsu beamed. “Told ya we’d be fine!” I glared at him, gasping, as he knocked on the door.

“Jeez, Luce,” Happy started. “I think you need to get in better shape when we get home!” My growl was cut off as the door opened. I straightened up to greet the man at the door.

“Hello! Are you Jiro?” I questioned with a friendly smile on my face.

“Yes! Are you the team from Fairy Tail I was told would be coming?” He asked politely.

“Sure am!” Natsu replied enthusiastically, both of us presenting our guild marks. “And we’re ready to kick some bandit ass!” My polite smile became strained as Natsu spoke and I did a mental slap to my forehead. Jiro, however, thankfully just laughed and invited us into his house.

“I’m happy you made it here safely,” he said, face grave. “From what I understand they increased the difficulty of my request.” He said, before continuing on to explain at the nods of our head that we were aware of this. “Just a few days ago, I discovered that there were far more bandits than I first believed making their home on my land. It’s far too dangerous for me to go out there anymore, which is a problem for my family. I use that land to feed them, we have a large garden and when there is need, we hunt. With the recent bandit problem, however…” He trailed off.

“You haven’t been able to feed your family,” I responded gently. “We understand. We’ll take care of this problem so you won’t have to worry anymore,” I said assuredly.

“Thank you!” He said gratefully. “Please, go when you are ready and be careful. They’re scattered on the land throughout the day.” We nodded in understanding before heading out the door.

“You ready to get started!?” Natsu asked. “Got your keys, whip?”

“Of course I do,” I responded, scoffing. “Let’s go! I’d like to be done today or tomorrow to head back.” I added, and Natsu nodded, agreeing before we headed towards where Jiro had directed us.

We didn’t talk as we wandered our way through the land, making our way through the wooded area, listening intently to the sounds that surrounded us. We sent Happy ahead to scout, and he came back about ten minutes later beckoning us to follow him. We followed along stealthily, stopping at every twig crack and bush rustle. Soon we found ourselves crouching outside of a huge clearing with a garden in the middle and a large number of tents set up in the fields surrounding the garden.

I felt Natsu’s breath on my ear, and held in a squeak of surprise. “Luce,” he barely whispered, and I felt an involuntary shiver go through me at the feel of his breath on my ear. “I think it would be better to split up right now, go around to the right while I go left, we’ll do a head count and meet up on the other side.” I nodded in agreement.

It’s common for people to think that Natsu isn’t exactly a planner. Normally they would be correct, his impulsivity and love of just jumping in when we’re with our whole team is often the cause of too many of our troubles, but with how many of us there are with the full team, especially with how strong everyone is, it allows for more freedom.

However, when just us, Natsu tended to be much more careful, following a checklist and making a plan, even if he doesn’t always follow it. I used to think that it was because I wasn’t the best fighter, however I had been training with our team for quite some time now and had been getting stronger. I wasn’t going to complain however, I always enjoyed having a plan.

“Sounds good,” I replied. “just please be careful!” He gave me a ‘who, me?’ look that made me roll my eyes before we went our separate ways.

I unhooked my whip as I crept around the edge of the camp, careful for any leaves or twigs that may be on the ground. I was about halfway around with a head count of 14 when I heard heavy footsteps accompanied by a branch snap. I whirled around, crouching lower to the ground, one leg bent under me, the other stretched out. He hadn’t seen me yet and I took the opportunity to hide better as he wandered out of the camp.

I bit my lip, wondering if I should try to take him down now. If I could do it quietly, it would be one less person. If I took too long, it could alert the camp someone was here…I worried my lip between my teeth. Then again, if he woke up before Natsu and I had finished with a plan he could warn the camp and they would be more prepared…I let out a frustrated scream in my mind before pouting and waited for him to leave. Too many ‘what ifs’ for now.

It didn’t take me long to finish my circuit and meet Natsu at the other end. In total, we had a count of about thirty.

“I can cause a distraction on the other side and while their backs are turned we can jump em!” He whispered enthusiastically. I laughed and nodded.

“Seems like the best way to go, hopefully we’ll take a few down before they realize we’re even here!” I agreed. He grinned maniacally and with a barely noticeable flick of the wrist, called a ball of fire to his hand. Taking aim, he shot the fireball towards one of the tents in the middle. The man sitting in front shot up and frantically tried to put his tent out while the others near him started laughing and jeering. Until the fire spread and another tent caught on fire. Then another. More and more people were migrating over to frantically try and help put them out before it continued to spread.

Natsu glanced over and I grinned, giving him a thumbs up. I had equipped my Taurus Star Dress at this point and was ready to go! I felt the familiar feeling of my heartbeat picking up, and the excitement starting to build right before a fight. At my thumbs up, Natsu jumped into the clearing, incapacitating people left and right.

I jumped into the fray, cracking my whip and bringing people down, focusing on trying to keep anyone from sneaking up to Natsu or overwhelming him. My whip wrapped around ankles, wrists and necks, dragging them to the ground. Taurus’ Dress was the best for situations like this, increasing my strength when it was needed. Soon enough, however, the bandits understood what was going on and turned their attention from the burning tents to us and I knew the real thing would help a great deal. Grabbing for my keys, I called Taurus to come help us fight.

I had a few people coming just for me, but it seemed most of the bandits had deemed Natsu as the main threat, which only made things all the more easier for us. Natsu was enjoying himself a bit too much, cackling as he took people out with his flaming fists. Shaking my head and smiling, I kept fighting. We quickly fell into a pattern, me dragging someone away from Natsu when I could and Taurus knocking them out. Things were looking good for us!

Funny how it only takes a split second for things to change.

Out of nowhere, I felt something grab my legs. Looking down, I noticed vines and roots had clung to them and they were firmly holding me in place. I gave a few experimental tugs, but they were quickly climbing up my body, making it impossible to move. Taurus noticed what was happening and stopped swinging at the bandits, turning to help me before being entrapped in his own roots. “Luuuucy!” He called, hacking at his own restraints.

“I’m fine, Taurus! Go back!” I commanded. He looked at me hesitantly. “Go! I can call you again if I need you!” I said urgently, watching the vines quickly wrap up him. He grudgingly nodded.

“Yes, Luuucy. Stay safe!” He said before disappearing, the roots still molded in the position of his legs.

What was this!? No one had reported there being mages in with the bandits! I thought furiously. I couldn’t take the time to dwell on it, however. They were here, and we had to deal with them. I quickly began scanning for them as I switched outfits.

“Star Dress-Cancer!” I called, glancing over to check on Natsu. Natsu also had roots starting to reach towards him. He was throwing fire at his own restraints as well as other people, trying to keep them at bay. Happy was pulling on the back of his vest as he attacked the roots, trying to pull him free.

“Natsuuuu!” He cried.

I unsheathed the swords that came with the Cancer form and started to try and cut the roots away. It didn’t seem to matter how quickly I cut, and the roots were too thick to cut through in a single stroke and when I did manage to cut one more vine, two more seemed to pop up in its place.

Looking around frantically I tried to pinpoint the magic user. The roots were already up to my waist and reaching out to try and grab my wrists. “Natsu!” I cried desperately, pointing to the man who I had found to be controlling the roots. His hands palm down, back against the trees and eyes closed. His long dark hair loosely tied up and he seemed to almost meld with the tree behind him.

He paused his onslaught of fire to look in the direction, giving me a sharp nod. He pulled his arm back and gathered up a ball of fire. I went back to fighting the roots, trying to cut the ones grabbing my hands away. The ones around me were up to my chest now and had immobilized me. They drew around my shoulders before working back down, drawing my arms close to my body and squeezing tight, leaving it much harder for me to breathe as I struggled fruitlessly to get out.

I looked up at a burst of raw red power coming from the opposite direction, and screamed as it headed towards Natsu. Although the roots hadn’t immobilized the top half of his body, he still couldn’t move out of the way. It hit him in the back like an arrow and I watched in horror as his eyes went wide. As his flames died out. The roots quickly disintegrated away as he fell, allowing him to hit the ground, face forward. I saw the blood pouring from the wound in his back. He struggled to his knees but was hit by the magic - formed arrow again. And again and again and again. I couldn’t see anything else as I looked into his eyes and saw the pain there. I didn’t even notice Happy collapsing a few feet away, staring at Natsu in shock.

“NATSU!” I yelled, trying to fight back the tears. “STOP IT!” I screamed desperately at the man who was coming up behind him. His red eyes-the same color as that awful magic-had a strange glow and his face held a manic smile. Not like the one Natsu wore when excited - no this was a twisted manic, eyes holding no passion or warmth. His dark hair was cut short, flying every which way. He stood tall over Natsu, looking down on him. I lost the battle, and tears broke through, also coming from an angry desperation to get to him. He looked up towards me. “Natsu…” I whispered, my voice breaking as I saw the fire start to die out of his eyes, his eyelids slowly closing.

“Natsu!” I cried louder. “Wake up, Natsu, there are still asses to kick!” I yelled desperately, tears continuing to spill. Nothing. There was no movement at all. His back looked like a pincushion and I couldn’t see any of his skin. His blood was dripping down his body, soaking into the dirt on the ground. His eyes, which had just been alight with excitement and determination…then pain, were closed now. “NATSU!” I screamed in agony.

“Awh, how sad,” The red eyed man cooed. “But don’t worry, you’ll soon be joining him.”

“I will get out of here,” I growled to the stranger . “I will and I swear to Mavis it doesn’t matter if you’re gone I’m going to destroy you”

“Oh please,” He sneered. “Do you know how many times I've heard declarations of revenge?” He asked, eyes seeming to grow more wild, a dangerous aura beginning to surround him. “And do you know how many failed? Well...I’m still here, aren’t I?” He asked with a nasty smirk. “Do you even know who I am?” He asked gleefully.

“I don’t need to know who you are!” I spat back. “I don’t give a shit who you are! I’m not them, and I swear you will regret hurting Natsu!” I declared forcefully.

“I guess I’d better just dispose of you as well then,” he sneered, bringing his arm back. I stared defiantly at him even as an arrow formed in between his thumb and first two fingers.

“WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH” it was then that I came back to my senses and noticed Happy dive bombing the red-eyed man. Tears were running down his face and Happy dodged the man’s swats faster than I’d ever seen him move.

“HAPPY! HAPPY GO FIND HELP!” I screamed. “GO GET A DOCTOR! I’ll have them gone by the time you get back.” He seemed to snap out of the red haze he was in and flew up high. He nodded at me and turned to fly off. Before I could even blink he was gone.

The red eyed man made his way towards the mage restraining me and laughed. “My roots aren’t nothin to mess with, girlie.” He smirked at me.

“It’s a good thing I’m not either,” I said, smirking right back. Closing my eyes I took a deep breath as I let my anger, my hatred for these two men who were trying to rip away the heart of Fairy Tail. Rip away the soul of the man who had shown me an adventure I didn’t even know I needed.

In that moment, I felt it. The bright, gentle magic that lived inside of me. I breathed in, concentrating, and funneled my adrenaline, anger and hurt into that well. I then breathed out, relaxing. “Star Dress-Leo” I whispered and the magic took hold. My magic grew, and I felt more powerful. I opened my eyes, staring at them before saying in a louder, clearer voice. “Regulas burst!” My magic burst out in a nova, disintegrating the ties and allowing me to move again. Before they could utter a word I grabbed three keys, slashing them through the air.

“Open! Gates of the Earth! Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo!”

A bright light flashed in the clearing, leaving behind the three spirits.

For the first time, I saw fear entering the eyes of the mages. “Th-three spirits?” A nasty grin spread across my face, and I felt a pang of panic at first about how much I was enjoying their fear.

Capricorn and Taurus immediately attacked the men, striking so fast they didn’t even have time to draw their power. They were hit with an onslaught of fists and feet, giving Virgo time to dig a trap behind them. Already I could feel my adrenaline - fueled power start to recede. I clung on desperately as Taurus and Capricorn fought and tried to knock the men back into the trap. Gripping my whip I joined the fray. With the three of us physically attacking, the red-eyed man and the root manipulator were soon overwhelmed and even with them fighting back, It didn’t take long before the two men were knocked out.

My vision became blurry and I fell to my knees, keeping hold of my magic as my spirits pulled the men into the dirt hole that Virgo had created. They sealed them there, the only things above ground being their heads.

“Virgo, Taurus, go back. I will stay here with Lady Lucy until Happy comes with help. I will use my own power to stay here” Capricorn instructed. They nodded to him, understanding that it had taken a lot of magic to open and keep open the three celestial gates. I didn’t hear much else as the spots went blurry and my vision darkened. I felt the pull on my power lessen and finally relaxed.

When I woke up it was to a room that I didn’t recognize. I could hear murmuring in the background, along with the crackling of a fire. My head pounded and I felt week. I wracked my brain, trying to remember what happened. I slowly opened my eyes, and was thankfully met with dim and took in my surroundings.

I turned to my right and gasped, seeing Natsu on another cot. His eyes were blurry light. I rapidly blinked, trying to rid myself of the blurriness. Another throb of pain hit my head and I groaned, using an insane amount of strength just to bring my heavy arms up to my head.

“...Lucy?” I sucked in a breath and my heart stuttered as I heard the voice and everything came rushing back. Pushing aside my own pain, I looked up to see a sight that filled my heart with warmth.

Natsu was sitting in a bed next to me, Happy clinging to him and crying. Natsu was petting him as he hugged him back.

“Natsu?” I whispered. He looked up and gave me a huge grin, but I could see the relief in his eyes.

“Lucy! Welcome back to the land of the living!” He said teasingly.

“What happened!? I thought you were dead!” I said tearfully, sitting up slowly to assess any damage. I swung my legs off the bed to face him, planting my feet on the floor.

“Oh, Natsu!” I exclaimed, relieved. I flung myself at him, stumbling between the beds and wrapping my arms around him, squishing Happy between us. He hissed and threw one arm back against his bed to brace us, while the other came up around my waist to hug me to him. Tears of relief were making their way down my face as I clung to him.

“Hey!” Happy protested, squished between us.

“And you!” I exclaimed. “I ended up passing out I guess,” I said sheepishly. “what happened?”

Wiggling out from between us, Happy started to explain. “I came back to town to find Jiro and told him to get a doctor and go find you guys in the clearing with the farm. Then I flew as fast as I could to get Wendy and brought her and Carla here! I knew Natsu would need her help. Your goat-man said that you had just fainted from using too much magic. And now Wendy’s sleeping in the other room cuz Carla said she used too much of her magic.” He said. I grabbed him and hugged him tight to my chest, where I was still against Natsu.

“You’re a hero, Happy! Without you we’d probably still be out there, and Natsu could’ve been…” I trailed off, not even wanting to finish the sentence. “Oh, Natsu…” I said, turning back to him. “I was so worried. I thought I’d lost you, and…and I don’t know what I would’ve done. You…you have no idea what that would’ve done to me, “ I choked out, trying to hold back even more tears.

“Oh Luce, didn’t you know?” I looked at him quizzically. Didn’t I know what? Was there some kind of dragon slayer thing he hadn’t told me about? “Avoiding death is my specialty!” He finished cheekily.

I groaned and smacked my forehead onto his chest. I could feel him laugh as he tightened his arm around my waist, his other hand coming up to run through my hair.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Luce. I don’t know what happened out there and you’ll have to fill me in, but i’m just so happy that you’re okay.” He said, voice strained. I froze as I felt him place a kiss on the top of my head. My heart raced and warred with my mind.

He doesn’t think of you like that, he’s just happy you’re okay!

But who kisses their friends!? I’ve been in trouble plenty of times and Gray’s never kissed me!

My thoughts were cut short as the door banged open, and I shot back and quickly stood, blocking Natsu from whoever had burst in. I took a defensive stance, one hand flitting around my waist attempting to find my whip, before remembering my injuries. I swayed on my feet as I fought through a dizzy spell, and tried to focus on who had come through.

“Lucy! Natsu!” A commanding voice rang through the room and I relaxed as I felt Natsu put his feet on the ground and put one arm around my waist, and another grabbing my wrist to steady me.

“I am here to help!” Erza declared, hands on hips and requipped into a nurses outfit. I snorted as she walked over to me, and helped me over to my bed. “Doctor’s orders, you are both to stay in bed until tomorrow.” She lectured strictly.

She was followed in by Gray, “I knew we should have gone with you, flame for brains.” He scoffed, but I could see the underlying worry and rolled my eyes.

“WHAT!?” Natsu yelled. “We handled it just fine, and when I was down Lucy kicked ass! We didn’t need you!” He shot back and I blushed, ducking my head.

“NO FIGHTING” Erza roared, and both boys shrunk away meekly.

I shook my head in exasperation and looked towards Natsu. We shared a smile before I sunk back into my bend, lending half an ear to Erza’s continued lecture as I started to sink back into a sleep.

Even if Natsu doesn’t think of me that way, at least he cares. And as long as I’m with Fairy Tail I'm surrounded by my family and that’s all that matters.

That was my last thought before I gave in to sleep.

#fairytail #nalu #ft nalu

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five-wow · 4 years ago

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i saw on your main blog that you've watched due south! i love that show so much! since it's one of my favorites i want to cross it over with everything. i've been thinking recently how much i would love to see the h50 characters interact with Fraser and one or both of the Rays. mostly i think i want Fraser and RayK to lead by example and show Steve and Danny that they too can ride off into the sunset together

Yes, I have, and oh my gosh, hello! 💖 I love encountering other people who love Due South in the wild because fdjkfd oh, how I love that show.

I’m not always big on crossovers because they make my brain break a bit sometimes, though you did just put the concept of Fraser and either of the Rays in Hawaii in my head and that is Most Glorious and I have to thank you for it. Poor Fraser would melt. Someone would have to wear a Hawaiian shirt. I kind of feel like it should be Dewey, who is now apparently tagging along too (Chicago PD won the lottery and sent all of their Detectives to Hawaii?), but it’s also entirely possible that the only correct answer to “which of these characters should wear a really awful touristy Hawaiian shirt” is actually “all of them”. I will give this matter additional consideration as I go forward.

ANYWAY. The thing that actually made me go !! about this ask was that last sentence and specifically the thing about riding off into the sunset because YES. YES, I AGREE. I mean, my thinking has been a bit less on a characters learning from each other level and a bit more on a showrunners learning from each other one perhaps, but still. I once wrote a long and rambly post about how Due South did its ending perfectly and h50 could have learned a thing or two from them that still languishes in my drafts, and I guess this is as good a time as any to spend way too many words making that point, so I’ll put the drafted text under a readmore here:

[Edit: this is where the “keep reading” should have been if this were a functional website.]

you know what show really did their ending right, if you ask me? due south. the main character, fraser, is a guy who is part of an organization that left him with a hyper specific skillset most ordinary humans don’t possess. he lost his mother at an early age and his father never truly recovered. they had a distant relationship that they never had a chance to fix before fraser’s father was murdered. against law enforcement’s wishes, fraser worked his father’s case to catch the killer in the pilot episode, thereby neatly kicking of the entire series. fraser is never shown to have a strong interest in women except for his one epic romance, the one that got away (literally, repeatedly), who is a dark-haired woman who left him heartbroken and a little screwed in the head. fraser owns a dog that he talks to frequently, lives for his work, and is very, very good at it, but is also, deep down, incredibly lonely.

fraser also has a partner. (or two, but we’re talking kowalski here.) this guy, ray (rayk), is a divorced man with a european background and a whole host of issues surrounding his imploded marriage, some of which are to do with kids. he’s very particular about his blond hair, he can ramble, and he has strong opinions and those are not always favorable when it comes to the methods fraser employs during their cases. but he loves fraser! and fraser loves him back, and they have said those words out loud. ray will chase women and be annoyed that they just fall at fraser’s feet; ray has a very specific car; ray used to have a dog he loved dearly but it died and he doesn’t have one now; ray is a really great detective with a lot of heart.

and then there’s the finale. in the two-part due south finale, someone gets shot and badly wounded and fraser once again has to deal with fall-out from his parents’ legacy. ray’s ex-wife meets someone new and marries them (the other ray, fraser’s other partner, as it so happens), firmly putting an end to the potential of revival for that relationship. fraser is asked by his only possible love interest at that point, thatcher, to follow her as she gets promoted (because she is also his boss), but he declines. ray, who fears that fraser might be leaving him (for the other ray, who returned after a long undercover stint, but that’s plot stuff that’s not super relevant in this discussion), nervously asks thatcher whether she’s ever felt like she needed a certain person to feel like herself, “like if you weren't around somebody, or that someone wasn’t around you, then you wouldn’t be you, or at least not the you that you think”, and she says no, and later ray and fraser have a talk about partnerships that is interrupted by her, and she tells fraser that she can see that he belongs in this place (the canadian wilderness) and that she can’t think of a life less appealing and they realize their paths will diverge here. in the end, fraser catches the bad guy with a lot of help from friends. he decides to leave chicago (the setting of most of the show), but, and this is pretty instrumental, he leaves it for canada, which is his real home, and ray is with him. we’re shown how all the other characters that we learned to love over the course of the show end up, and all of them have their own lives but they seem happy, and then we’re left with just ray and fraser on a dogsled amidst a lot of ice and mountains, planning a hopeless adventure (because it will keep them together) and riding off, so very very very literally, into the sunset.

and, look. not all of this finale template would fit h50 and steve and danny. there are differences, because they are (thankfully) not exactly the same show, but except for maybe the dogsled and the ice on those mountains? dear lord, they could have copy-pasted the bones of due south’s finale and it would have been so close to perfect.

#h50 #due south #*#ask #anon #finale #these shows have so!!! much!!! in common!!!#(the biggest difference is honestly their general message and take on the world)#(h50 makes me want to throw up sometimes and due south is flawed for sure! but fjdkfd it tries and is often SO GOOD)#(h50's take on lawyers is that they're for guilty people and suspects shouldn't get them)#(due south's cop characters say similar things)#(but it's contrasted by fraser and usually also the narrative telling us a different story)#(which mAKES A DIFFERENCE)#EDIT: uhhh i put the read more in the right place but now tumblr has put it all the way before my very first word and i can't move it #so that's fun???#it's fused with the ask somehow jfdkfld

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votederpycausemufins · 5 years ago

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Red: ch 7 Spot-light

this is cross posted on Ao3 (my user name is causemufins)

A week or so has passed and we check up on the class.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One week. That’s how long it had been since Chloé had visited Pollen, maybe a bit more. In that time Chloé and Marinette had become better friends and the two of them tended to hang out together with Sabrina. Marinette was helped Chloé become a better person and helping Sabrina stand up for herself more. Chloé no longer treated Sabrina like a servant, so that helped matters. What didn’t help matters is how the rest of the class had been acting towards their new friendship. The only ones who seemed to approve were their teacher, Adrien, and oddly enough Rose.

No one was aware that Chloé ran Spot-light, which had quickly gained popularity. The first post was a video of Ladybug addressing whoever was watching and explaining Spot-light. She explained that being Ladybug was becoming more of a burden, especially since she was essentially put on an untouchable pedestal. Spot-light was there to let everyone know more about Ladybug and those she works with and hopefully pull together a community that together could stop Hawkmoth as large numbers can be better than small. Alya had found the blog quickly and shared the link to the blog on the Ladyblog. Chloé was glad of that because now Césaire had some actual and truthful news.

Right before the blog had officially gone live, Marinette had told Chloé about her talk with Chat the day after their visit with Fu.

“Hello Chat.”

“Hello M’Lady. I hope there are no hard feelings about our patrol the other day.”

“I don’t have any Chat, which is why I asked to meet up.”

“What do you mean Ladybug?”

“Chat, we were chosen because there was an emergency. And the one who gave us the miraculouses thinks he made a mistake in choosing you.”

“What? But we’re purr-fect together!”

“No Chat Noir. I talked about this with you beforehand you haven’t been taking being a hero serious enough. I’m hoping you can improve, but until then, the guardian of the miraculous has said he may look for a replacement.”

“What? No! I’m basically trapped at home! This is my one escape!”

“Then take more responsibility Chat Noir. And tell your kwami about this conversation. Mine said that yours tends not to take initiative unless certain people tell him, and one of those people is my kwami Tikki.”

“I guess I can try Bugaboo. I just don’t want to lose this. It’s all I really have left.”

“You don’t have to prove to me you’re fit to be the cat, you need to prove it to Paris. Bug out.”

Chloé thought Marinette went too easy on Chat, but he had improved somewhat. There no longer seemed to be constant flirting and they were working together again rather than it being obviously one sided. Still, it wasn’t perfect, and Chloé was hoping for a new cat hero.

Speaking of new heroes, Chloe pulled up Spot-light and once again played the video of the new hero Abelle. They were the new bee hero. No longer was Chloé Queen Bee, but she didn’t mind Abelle. Which was good since today everyone was talking of the new bee. Especially Lila.

“Well it’s obvious Chloé wasn’t a good fit for a hero. But I helped Ladybug find a new bee hero! Right now we’re trying to figure out her hero name.”

“Uh, yeah right. That sounds about as true as you being the person Ladybug said was helping with Spot-light.” Chloé confronted Lila, crossing her arms.

“Well that’s because I am helping with Spot-light.”

Chloé raised an eyebrow. “Is that so, then why did you accept my video to the blog?”

“Video?” Lila asked, clueless.

“Yeah, Abelle met up with me and we made a video together. I submitted it to the blog and the owner accepted it. They said it’s posting at the top of the hour which is… right now.”

A number of people’s phones went off as the blog updated. She had sent up a timed post so it would seem like she wasn’t in control of the blog. Alya was the first to pull her phone out and turned on the video causing everyone to crowd around her. The video showed Chloé standing right next to Abelle.

“Hello Spot-light. I’m the new bee hero. I know you all must have seen the picture going around of me and I thought I should introduce myself. My name is Abelle. Sort of French for bee because I’m not that creative, but missing the i for ‘belle’. You may ask why the previous bee is here, and that’s because she’s helping me.”

“Yes, hello Paris. It is me, Chloé Bourgeois. before anyone asks, though I would like it, we are strictly professional and I haven’t seen Abelle out of costume.”

“I’m hoping I can bee a great help.”

“Never pun again.”

“Alright. I’m not that good at it anyway.”

“Well, there. Paris has met you. Hope everyone enjoys, especially since you’re permanent too. I can’t wait to see the other two ne-”

The video was cut off there. Chloé’s phone had died. She was kind of glad it did since she had started to make mention there would be new fox and turtle holders. But, it seemed Alya noticed anyway. “What the hell was that at the end Chloé?”

“Look Césaire, class is about to start. And I’m sure Lila knows exactly what I was saying since she’s friends with Ladybug. Isn’t that right Lila?”

“Oh yeah, sure. She told me everything. I just didn’t realize when Abelle said help that she was going to you.”

“Sure you didn’t Lila. Just know everything is going to catch up with you soon.” Chloé smirked at Lila and walked into the classroom. Marinette gave a wave as the blonde sat down. Unlike most times, Chloé actually paid attention to class, though she did sneak a few jellybeans out from her new purse. Why did she have both of those? Well when she was told she would have to visit Pollen, Chloé had Marinette make her a small purse for if she wanted to show Pollen around. She wasn’t really allowed, but the blonde liked the idea at the time. The purse was also stuffed with jelly beans because Pollen loved the taste and ones with fruit were her favorites. Chloé was confused at first at why not honey, but it was quickly explained that the kwamis did not align their food tastes to their associated animal. Learning that Plagg the cat liked cheese was not something she had been expecting.

Class was nearly over when phones went off. Bustier was going to reprimand them when hers went off as well. Looking at the screen, she nodded. “An akuma villain has been spotted nearby, please evacuate the room.”

Chloé followed Marinette out and got her to a secluded area. Marinette transformed into Ladybug and Chloé got her phone ready for a video. She had gotten a special tripod that would help track the attack while she got to safety. Césaire may like taking risks like that, but Chloé refuses to do the same.

By the time the villain reached the school, Chloé had already set up the camera and hid. She had gone back to where she and Marinette had been as their main plan for situations like this is that they would cover each other’s backs. The two would say they were with each other the whole time so neither of them were caught with their secrets.

Shortly after the battle ended, Chloé retrieved her phone. Before she left for home the blonde hid once again and gave the video a once over on her computer. She was pretty sure no editing would be needed, but it was better to take precautions rather identities being revealed. Fortunately today the video was fine, so Chloé uploaded it to Spot-light and went home to rest.

The rest was unfortunately short lived and the comment section was blowing up. This was the first battle video and Rossi was taking the credit. It upset Chloé greatly and in a moment of impulse, she made an account called SpotLightedOFF and commented.

SpotLightedOFF: Please don’t take credit for something that isn’t your sweetie.

VulpesGirl : of course it is. I run the blog.

SpotLightedOFF : I know it isn’t. I am the one who runs it.

Byanyothername : really?

LBlogger : do you have proof?

SpotLightedOFF : first, my account has OFF for official.

VulpesGirl : you really shouldn’t do that.

SpotLightedOFF : second of all, I haven’t shown my face because I want to remain anonymous.

LBlogger : that’s not proof.

SpotLightedOFF : fine. Message me and VulpesGirl each a different message. Whichever is posted is who runs the blog.

PictureGothGirl : that seems like a good idea

Gamingwhiz : it seems like an adequate test.

LBlogger : alright, sent them.

LBlogger : the new post is what I sent to SpotLightedOFF. they’re the real deal.

Chloé smiled when the post went live. That would show Rossi a thing or two. She added a screenshot of the comments to the post saying ‘Ladybug is one million ladybugs in a human suit.’ So people would have context and hopefully never question her again. She sat back and admired her work before deciding to cover her tracks.

Chloé had more than one email. She had made a special one for Queen Bee for fan mail, and though she never got any, it would be perfect to create a second account that was actually herself.

HoneybeeQueen : wow, nice to see that someone is around disproving this b’s lies.

SpotLightedOFF : please don’t use language like that thank you.

Chloé laughed and her own messages. Honestly she was making SpotLightedOFF act like Abelle. She wouldn’t be surprised if anyone ended up suspecting the hero. But until then, it was her little secret.

#miraculous ladybug #chloe bourgeois #marinette dupain cheng #lila rossi #alya cesaire

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fucknotvtropes · 6 years ago

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Update:

Hello, everyone. It’s been years since I’ve touched this blog, and I assumed I should give everyone an update as to what’s been going on.

Are you dead?

A lot of people have sent asks about this but, no, I’m not dead. I even had someone ask if I was murdered at Pulse Nightclub, and I briefly wondered if that was a microaggression but it was nice that people were concerned about me, I guess. I’ve also had a fair few people thankful that I might be dead but that’s the internet for you.

The reason I stopped posting on this blog was kinda simple: I really had no reason to. When I became an adult-adult and not just a college-adult I realized that I had better things to do than field questions and make snarky jokes about a website that isn’t worth the time of anyone over the age of 21. I made the mistake of thinking that TVTropes wanted to be about actual media analysis and not just a website where they collected screenshots of Rugrats panty shots and pretended Gurren Lagann was deep. While I had a lot of fun with this blog over the years, TVTropes eventually just became a non-entity to me.

What have you been up to?

Quite frankly I’m living my dream. My biggest goal in life was to be a novelist. After years of work, I’ve finally gotten a literary agent who will be representing my YA novel series and I’m getting close to officially being a published author. I’m working through some final edits of my debut novel before my agent and I start working on finding publishers who will be able to get my book in stores and hopefully start a long and fruitful career.

I’m not going to say the title of my novel (or my real name for that matter) because I don’t necessarily need the baggage of this online persona to follow me into my professional life. I’m going through my social media accounts right now and editing or outright deleting everything necessary. Obviously, my old DeviantART account is fucking gone and I’ve removed most of the shirtless pics of me on my Instagram. This side-blog will probably be deleted within the next few months--and tbh my main blog might be too, depending on how thoroughly I can edit 7 years worth of shit.

What next?

I’m keeping FuckNoTVTropes up for a little bit longer just in case anyone wants to screenshot their favorite old posts. Don’t bother reblogging any because this site’s gonna go the way of MySpace in like a month anyway.

Eventually, my novel will be published and anyone who followed this blog and coincidentally reads the book might realize that the blog and the book were written by the same person. It’s far more likely that no one will find out the connection. Not to get philosophical, but that’s the way of the internet. You meet people, they log off, and you have no way of knowing what happens to them. Buuut maybe someone, somewhere will be able to piece the puzzle together about my true identity and if that happens I’ll say “...There was probably something better you coulda been doing with your time.”

Love,

FNTVT

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princessyennenga · 6 years ago

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The Left Hand Rocks the Cradles - Chapter 2

Previously ...

Scott adjusted his blazer around his shoulders with a shrug.

“Someone with your talents should just accept that offer at a larger, reputable and profitable paper where she can build on the potential for a career legacy. Instead of chasing followers, likes and shares.”

After another 30 minutes, Iris had filled more pages with notes and quotes about the new hospital wing. After working this room, and Scott working her nerves, she was ready to wrap up this assignment. Then the message notification jingled on her phone and re-energized her. It was Barry. Instead of texting a reply, she stole away to a quiet spot near a water fountain and called him back.

“Hi Babe. So good to hear your voice,” Iris breathed.

“Oh yeah?” she could hear Barry’s face open up into a smile on the other end.

“Of course. You're my sunshine,” Iris laughed lightly, still touched that he appreciated her love so much.

“I do my best. So I take it that means your press conference and tour went well?” he said. Iris could hear the clink of heavy glass in the background. A young girl's voice rasped ‘Daddy. Dad! We don't have enough nitric--’ For a brief moment, Barry was distracted, probably by Nora wanting to ‘help’ him with his backlog of cases.

“Hang on just a second Iris, OK?” Iris gave him gave leave to help their daughter, the time traveler, get situated to begin her first round of analysis and reports for the day. He returned with a sigh.

“Just had to get Nora --”

“Situated, yeah, I understand. Listen, you’ll probably need to supervise her, so I’ll let you go --”

“Not so fast, Mrs. West-Allen!” he chided softly. “Catch me up on how things are going. I know you were wondering if Scrat Evans was going to show up …”

“It’s Scott, Barry,” Iris corrected, only half sternly. “And we agreed to take the high road about me having to see him for work every now and then, right? We're not going to be seventh grade about this?”

“Oh yeah! High road. Completely!” Barry assured so earnestly Iris could feel green eyes widen and his head nod. “I mean, I have no reason to dislike the guy. Feel bad for him, actually. Denied!”

“Barry ...”

“He couldn’t even get a second date … and that coffee at Jitters was technically a story meeting, and not … ”

Just then Iris saw an elegant Black woman with thick salt and pepper hair, cut stylishly short, come into view just 20 feet away.

“Barry, I promise to fill you in when I get to S.T.A.R. Labs later,” Iris said. “I just spotted Theresa Merkel, and she would be good for the article.”

After Barry signed off with few endearments, Iris adjusted the strap of her large tote bag over her shoulder and bobbed through the crowd until she reached Theresa Merkel.

“Mrs. West-Allen. Hello again,” Theresa nodded calmly. “I didn't realize your coverage included the healthcare sector.”

Iris and Theresa exchanged greetings, but not too many pleasantries or small talk. Still, there was no awkwardness between them as Iris got straight to her questions.

“Mrs. Merkel, there was a small footnote near the back of the expansion budget report --” Iris said.

“The budget report?” Theresa was taken aback. “But financials are confidential. How did you obtain …?”

“Just. Connections, I guess,” Iris shrugged.

“And incredible resourcefulness! Well, continue.”

“It was a $13 million line item denoted by ‘PM’ …” Iris said. As she talked, Theresa’s mood shifted noticeably, but not toward hostility. She nodded slowly and took a soft, deep breath, and for a brief second Iris registered a very similar feeling to the one she read from Cecile when Jenna had kept her up for much of the night.

“Yes, well. A $13 million budget item, in my view, was a starting point to address some of the issues that have come to light in Central City recently,” she sighed. “I was not the only hospital board member to realize that many lives have been touched and changed in many ways. More than we can understand.”

Iris looked slightly puzzled, but before she could ask any more questions, a well-built man, fashionably bald, came along and looked eager to steal Theresa’s attention. Theresa recognized him instantly, as ‘Donovan,’ and excused herself from Iris. ‘More than we can understand’ echoed in Iris’ mind as she shook hands with several more hospital staff members while making her way to the coat rack. Most of the journalists for the city’s two largest newspapers had already fled to their offices to write up what they considered fluff pieces before moving on to meatier stories. Their hospital items might get boiled down to a full-page story in the Picture News, or a quick photo story leading the City section of the Central City Tribune, the city’s premiere broadsheet.

The phrase was reminiscent of what Barry, or The Flash, then The Streak, had told Iris during their first rendezvous on the Jitters rooftop. As she tried to pry out of him how he could do what he did, he answered

‘There’s more to this than you can understand.’

Iris had felt slightly challenged by his answer. How did he know what she was capable of understanding and what concepts were beyond her grasp? His answer, almost a dismissal had fired her curiosity to really dig into who he was. It led Iris to a world of metas.

Barry was right when he excitedly drew a circle around that dot on his equation board in circle around that dot on his equation board in his CCPD lab. The particle accelerator had opened an entire field of science that Central City, and the world, were just beginning to explore.

‘Fully understand.’ Was Theresa Merkel saying that there is a $13 million pediatric meta research facility here? At the children’s hospital?! It was a theory that, if proven to be true, would impact the lives of every citizen of this city, population 1.7 million. A story like that would finally put the Central City Citizen on the map as more than just a “citizen journalist” blog, or “amateur researcher’s” blog or … the “how funny” blog, as Iris had overheard a few hardened career women describe her publication at networking events. Iris pulled her jacket off the coat rack and rushed out of the hospital. She had her own fluff pieces and bigger stories to plan.

After an easier ride away from the hospital, Iris was energized. She stopped at Jitters to find a quiet, familiar spot so that she could focus. She ordered a chai latte and a small scone, then settled into a favorite spot near one of the tall windows. The winter sun easily reached through bare trees and poured through the uncovered glass windows, warming Iris so much that she had to shake off the duster that she wore over her long-sleeved, wrap silk blouse. She set her phone to 'Do Not Disturb' and opened her laptop. After almost an hour, Iris sat up high in her chair and stretched. She posted a 750-word story to Google Docs for her freelance editor, Julie Greer, to pick up and review. Then she picked up feature stories a couple of college stringers had turned in: a profile on a tattoo artist, and an organization bidding for a paralympic training camp. Over the next 90 minutes Iris swiftly edited the two stringer’s stories and passed them to Julie for a second read. Then they would be placed in the queue for posting, both to the main Web site and to subscribers’ e-newsletters. Another 30 minutes went by as Iris checked emails: a programmer had sent a link for a sample redesign; Emmet, the commission-only ad sales rep had great news about a rideshare service and fashion subscription Website.

And then a peculiar message: one from Theresa Merkel. Actually, her executive assistant. Iris leaned closer to her screen and craned her neck, taken aback at the outreach. Just as she had clicked it open and begun to read it, her video chat app intruded.

“MOM!!” Nora’s brown eyes wide with agitation, blocked the message. “Dad and I have been trying to reach you for the past hour. Where are you? What’s going on? Why is you phone going to voicemail??”

Then Barry’s face slid into the frame, his brows furrowed and his eyes peering into the lens. Iris suppressed a laugh behind her hand. Her adorable nerd husband forgot -- again -- that lenses do not always give up the secrets on the other end.

“I’m sorry, guys,” Iris uncovered her mouth. “Work got away from me a little bit.”

“Hey, no schr---!” Nora fired back.

“Nora!” Barry’s stern tone checked Nora’s language, but not her exuberance.

“Of course. Sorry Mom. But we have lunch plans, remember?” Nora said, glancing back at Barry. “You can’t just go offline for half the morning and not let us know. It’s like Dad says, ‘all family plans come first’.”

Iris launched into a flurry of apologies as she snapped her laptop shut and collected the pens, notebooks and papers fanned out on the table. Just as she stood up and slid into her duster and camel hair coat, Iris heard the sound of a toddler giggling and babbling. She didn’t see a child, but noticed a brownie float off of another patron's plate, who was so distracted by her own phone that she barely noticed the brazen theft. Then, a young woman bustled past Iris' table, looking frantic. The alarm in the woman's face crested when she saw the dessert seemingly float away on its own. The young woman smacked the food away, causing it to hit the floor. She feigned clumsiness and apologized profusely to the woman who was sitting behind the empty plate, slapping a bill down on the table to pay for a replacement. Iris' interest is piqued when she noticed the young woman looking at the front door, as three more customers pushed the door wide open and walk in. The young woman hurriedly followed the swinging door and looked around. Then, thinking that no one had noticed her, she crouched down and appeared to grab thin air with her hand.

“Barry, Nora, I might be a little late for lunch …”

“Iris, come on! I haven’t seen you all day,” Barry took over the video chat while Nora was in the background grabbing their jackets. Of course, he had seen her just several hours ago, that morning, but to a speedster a few hours felt interminable.

“Is it the blog relaunch,” he asked, “because you have to be careful not to overwork yourself.”

“No, no Barry, I’m on to something here,” then Iris lowered her voice to a whisper. “Of the *dark matter* variety …”

“Oh! Look, Iris be careful …”

“I will, I will,” Iris said hurriedly, and began to follow the young woman outside from a safe distance. “Look, Barry I have to follow up on this, but I’ll fill you in when I see you a little later. For lunch. Promise.”

After a round of “I love yous” Iris dashed off. She followed the young woman down a busy street, which was beginning to thicken with lunchtime crowds. Every now and then her arm appeared to lift away from her body, tugging her wildly. A couple of times the young woman stopped and looked around her, while Iris hid in a doorway. Finally, the young woman turned at the entrance to a quiet alley, where she crouched down again. She spoke quietly but firmly to *someone* until the air in front of her shimmered and a small child, about three or four years old, appeared. The young woman sighed and spoke to the child again, stroking his arm warmly. Then she took the child by the hand and they walked to a luxury sedan, where she buckled him into a carseat. Iris stayed out of sight as she watched the mother hand over a juice box before buckling herself in and pulling away.

#Iris West-Allen #Barry Allen #Nora West Allen #the flash fanfiction #barry and iris #we deserve a messy Barry

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theonyxpath · 7 years ago

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Hello! I just flew back from Atlanta where we had a heart-felt memorial event for Stewart Wieck. It was very much a reunion of folks from all over who had worked at WW and knew, loved, and respected Stew. More on that as the pics and videos start to get sent my way, but let’s just say that there were tears and laughs and I’m all scraped up from playing 4Square on the concrete outside the bar.

So this week, we have the start of the Dark Eras 2 Kickstarter campaign, and this blog post I was going to post as last Monday’s blog. As tired as I am, it’s actually very nice that this already existed:

This time of year is always crazy for Onyx Path because we’re getting ready for Gen Con. In between figuring out cool swag, booth demos, and our panels, we are also putting the finishing touches on this year’s brochures. Every year, I write a letter to you, our community, and our freelancers in the brochure, to talk about the changes we’ve experienced as a company. This year, when I was sitting down to think about what I wanted to say, I couldn’t fit everything in.

In our brochure where I’d be letting the world know the things that are happening to Onyx, I wanted to talk about the new plans with White Wolf, our growing list of games, and how we’ve evolved the ways we do business. I think some of the changes we’ve made deserve their own blog post; and ultimately, discussions about process aren’t necessarily a good topic for a brochure about our games.

Wraith 20th illustration by Michele Giorgi

So first, let’s look back to see the roots. When I first started Onyx Path, I worked with a lot of the same people I had a relationship with from my White Wolf days. The philosophy I had was to trust the developers I had already worked with and continue with the same general process structure as we’d been using since the WW days. I gave the devs a lot of leeway to manage their own contracts, submit pay schedules, and do the business odds and ends because they already knew how to do it and were the ones talking with their writers anyway — which worked great in the beginning.

As we continued to evolve and add more freelancers and games, I realized that our process needed to change for a couple of reasons. First, our developers were not in-house. They often do more than one project and work with multiple freelancers on a contractual basis. Most of them have full-or-part time jobs in addition to working with us. Even though they had all the info to fill out the contracts, those contracts do take time to pull together, and added more to their plate.

Second, because managing contracts proved to be a lot of work, it was very easy and natural for mistakes to happen. When errors did occur, the plan was that the devs would try and fix them, or bump the problem to me. We dealt with them on a case-by-case basis and continued to encourage freelancers to contact us if they had issues. And even then, sometimes, the dev told me about an issue and I’d be the one bobbling the ball on the fix.

Which is why the solution had to be to evolve the process; and to do that, we needed an company infrastructure that could adopt and adapt to us improving our processes. Which meant we needed Rollickin’ Rose to advocate for the developers and writers and editors and field concerns and questions, we needed LisaT to build new payment systems and to do the same with writing the contracts and getting them out and signed so that the devs no longer had to, and Mighty Matt McElroy to handle comp copies.

So, I say again, if you have freelanced for us and have an issue with payment, contracts, or anything else, the best way to get your problem resolved is to email us directly. If we do not receive an email, we can’t follow up with you to get your issues sorted.

Little Mau illustration by Shen Fei for Scion 2nd Edition

With that all that in mind, we’ve moved this year to a better way of doing contracts for the kind of company Onyx Path really is. The growth of the company enabled that change, and we feel like there will be fewer errors and less stress for the developers. We created new forms so the developers could submit contract requests to LisaT with all of the freelancer’s information for the project. The developers still get to work with the people they want to work with and submit payment requests at key stages per the contract; but now we all have a clear record and centralized record of who’s working on what project as we produce the contracts in house, and can better follow up if needed.

As we continue to ensure contract requests, production, art notes, and payment flows smoothly, there may be other changes in the future — especially as we continue to hire and train new developers to work on our games. Developing RPGs has a lot of complex, moving parts, and it is a lot of work. Developers are indeed a rare breed.

To that end, we’ve also revamped how we pay our developers, too. Now they are paid with a payment structure that adds to the amount they earn if they are working on a core book, or a Kickstarted project that requires their extra involvement. Rather than basing their payment purely on word count, we’re now structuring things based on the sorts of tasks we’re asking them to do under the “developer” umbrella.

So that’s a bit more info on how Onyx Path continues to evolve and grow and I hope it wasn’t too tedious, but I wanted to explain how the overall process is now working. And again, if you are a freelancer and need to get an issue resolved, please feel free to email me directly. Communication is key as we can’t fix problems we don’t know anything about.

Wraith 20th illustration by Ken Meyer Jr.

BLURBS!

KICKSTARTER!

Dark Eras 2 goes live Thursday, July 6th at noon Eastern US time! Once again, help us decide on which Eras and which game-lines should fill up this Prestige Edition book!

ON SALE!

ON AMAZON:

We’re delighted to announce the opening of our ebook store on Amazon! You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle. Our initial selection includes these fiction anthologies: Vampire: the Masquerade‘s Endless Ages, Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage 2, Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition‘s Truth Beyond Paradox, Chronicles of Darkness‘ God Machine Chronicle, Mummy: The Curse‘s Curse of the Blue Nile, and Beast: The Primordial‘s The Primordial Feast!

And now you can get these books in the Barnes and Noble Nook store too!

Vampire: The Masquerade: The Endless Ages Anthology

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Rites of Renown: When Will You Rage II

Mage: The Ascension: Truth Beyond Paradox

Chronicles of Darkness: The God-Machine Chronicle Anthology

Mummy: The Curse: Curse of the Blue Nile

Beast: The Primordial: The Primordial Feast Anthology

And here are six more fiction books:

Vampire: The Masquerade: Of Predators and Prey: The Hunters Hunted II Anthology

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: The Poison Tree

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: Songs of the Sun and Moon: Tales of the Changing Breeds

Vampire: The Requiem: The Strix Chronicle Anthology

Werewolf: The Forsaken: The Idigam Chronicle Anthology

Mage: The Awakening: The Fallen World Chronicle Anthology

Andand six more more:

Vampire: The Masquerade: The Beast Within Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Werewolf: The Apocalypse: W20 Cookbook (Kindle, Nook)

Exalted: Tales from the Age of Sorrows (Kindle, Nook)

Chronicles of Darkness: Tales of the Dark Eras (Kindle, Nook)

Promethean: The Created: The Firestorm Chronicle Anthology (Kindle, Nook)

Demon: The Descent: Demon: Interface (Kindle, Nook)

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Here’s the link to the press release we put out about how Onyx Path is now selling through Indie Press Revolution: http://ift.tt/1ZlTT6z

You can now order wave 2 of our Deluxe and Prestige print overrun books, including Deluxe Mage 20th Anniversary, and Deluxe V20 Dark Ages! And Screens…so many Screens!

ON DRIVETHRURPG.COM:

From the Primordial to your Chronicles, Beast‘s Building a Legend arises on Wednesday in PDF and PoD formats on DTRPG.com!

From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Requiem for Regina (Vampire: The Requiem Elizabethan London 1593). We have shared the world with monsters for millennia. In Elizabeth’s London, vampires built their own empire brick by bloody brick while Elizabeth I cemented her grip on newly Protestant England. Carefully balancing demands from those with Catholic and Lutheran sympathies, she forged a police state. Yet London emerged as a thriving cultural center, and from the crucible emerged a Kindred society forever changed.

http://ift.tt/2sl0Zh4

On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG!

What dark secrets do the eldest vampires hold? Find out in Thousand Years of Night for Vampire: The Requiem! Advance PDF version available now on DriveThruRPG.com. http://ift.tt/2sV8lZR

You may think that with a multitude of people coming, going, dying and running away, we’d be tired, done, or ready to give up. Instead, I find myself restless, looking for the next thing. There’s always a next thing, and I for one am not yet ready to die.

– Elder Kincaid, Daeva Crone

This book includes:

• Detailed instructions on creating elder vampires, including how to base chronicles around them

• A look into the lives of elders, how they spend their nights, who they work with, and why including their roles in both their clans and covenants

• New Devotions, Merits, and Rituals for elder vampires

• The kinds of creatures that pose a threat to elder vampires, including Inamorata, Lamia, Sons of Phobos, a new elder conspiracy, and more

From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: To The Strongest (Mage Death of Alexander 330-320 BCE). In the rise and fall of Alexander the Great’s Empire, armies marched and cultures clashed. In the birth pangs of Hellenistic civilization, Awakened sorcerers all over the ancient world met, fought, and joined together. In the chaos of Alexander’s assassination and the wars that followed, Cults became Orders amid conflicts still burning in the present day.

http://ift.tt/2tmTVl6

On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG!

From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: Three Kingdoms of Darkness (Changeling and Geist China 220-280). Famine weakens the empire, and war splits it apart. It is an age of ambition and strife, where the hungry dead walk the earth in great numbers, and the Lost must rely on their own kingdoms. Warlords and commoners, ghost-speakers and orphans — who truly serves the Mandate of Heaven?

On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2rp8hPL

From the massive Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras main book, we have pulled this single chapter, Dark Eras: The Wolf and the Raven (Werewolf and Geist Vikings 700-1100). The Viking expansion across Europe comes at a pivotal time in history, as new faiths rose to challenge the old and new ways threatened to sweep ancient tradition aside. The Forsaken sail with raiders and explorers, seeking new lands to claim and new spirits to conquer, while Sin-Eaters walk the battlefields bringing the honored dead to their final rewards. The world grows larger and more dangerous by the day, but there are great rewards for those brave enough to fight for them.

On sale in PDF and physical copy PoD versions on DTRPG! http://ift.tt/2rUjKtX

Curated by Matthew McFarland, developer of Changeling: the Dreaming Twentieth Anniversary Edition and featuring authors such as Myranda Kalis, Wren Handman, and Peter Woodworth, this C20 Anthology of Dreams is on sale in electronic/PDF and physical copy PoD formats on DTRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2snBT0X

We dream, and we tell stories. We dream of love and the sort of person who might complete us. We dream of horror and wake breathless. We dream of magic, of flying through the air, or breathing underwater. We dream of fantastic vistas and amazing monsters.

We dream, and then we wake, and we tell stories. Our dreams create the Kithain, the changelings. Our stories are sustenance.

Now on DTRPG, the EX3 Tomb of Dreams Jumpstart PDF/PoD jumps up for sale!

http://ift.tt/2qdriZU

Once, in the time before the gods forgot their names, when the world was flat and floated on a sea of chaos, there was an age of gleaming cities, untamed wilderness, enlightened devils, greedy spirits, and mighty heroes. This was the age of the Exalted, champions empowered by the highest of gods.

Tomb of Dreams will jumpstart your group’s Exalted game—all you need to start playing Exalted Third Edition is this book, pencils, and 10-sided dice. Included here are the game’s core rules, five pregenerated characters, and a self-contained scenario that can start a new campaign or that Storytellers can use in an ongoing chronicle. And for groups that already have the Exalted Third Edition main rulebook, Tomb of Dreams will serve as an introduction for new players and a quick reference during play—anyone intimidated by that prodigious volume need only read Part 1 of this book to get started.

What legends will they tell of your deeds?

Sailing out of the dark, the V20 Dark Ages Companion Advance PDF is now on sale on DriveThruRPG.com! http://ift.tt/2pX42dq

Travel the long roads and deep seas in search of power and experience danger, or tackle the wilderness to hunt monsters and face death. Settlements large and small dot the black expanse with the promise of sanctuary, life, and community. These bastions of civilization present cold comfort, when playing host to vampire warlords and sadistic Cainite faiths. Whether led by a Prince, a coordinated belief, or hounded by monsters from without and within — no domain is truly the same as another.

Dark Ages Companion includes:

• Domains scattered across the world, from small fiefdoms to massive cities. Bath, Bjarkarey, Constantinople, Rome, Mogadishu, and Mangaluru each receive coverage.

• Apocrypha including plot hooks, new Paths, and mysteries to explore in your games.

• A how-to guide on building a domain within your chronicle, including events and servants necessary to make a domain as functional or dysfunctional as you wish.

• A study on warfare in the Dark Ages period, so combat in your chronicles can gain authenticity and lethality.

Bill Bridge’s new W20 novel, The Song of Unmaking, is on sale in PDF/ePub/PoD versions on DriveThruRPG.com: http://ift.tt/2qXQH9f and in ebook form on Amazon: http://ift.tt/2qpQM2V !

The fabric of reality is cracking. Fissures appear in thin air, glowing with balefire. Something is scratching on the other side, pressing, beginning to break through….

The Wyrm’s corruption finds its way into the hearts of humans and Garou alike. Even an ultra-rational techno-cratic scientist can fall sway to its lies. Channeling his hate and resentment through the most sophisticated machine ever created, Basil Czajka has turned a tool designed to peer deep into the heart of the quantum universe into a nursery for the hatching of a horror — a creature whose birth cry is destined to unmake Gaia’s Song of Creation.

The only ones standing in his way are One-Song, a broken-down old Theurge, and Lord Albrecht, whose heed-less anger might be the very weapon the enemy needs to crack the egg and free the Unmaker.

CONVENTIONS! Discussing GenCon plans. August 17th – 20th, Indianapolis. Every chance the booth will actually be 20? x 30? this year that we’ll be sharing with friends. We’re looking at new displays this year, like a back drop and magazine racks for the brochure(s).

In November, we’ll be at Game Hole Con in Madison, WI. More news as we have it, and here’s their website: http://ift.tt/RIm6qP

And now, the new project status updates!

DEVELOPMENT STATUS FROM ROLLICKING ROSE (projects in bold have changed status since last week):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep)

Exalted 3rd Novel by Matt Forbeck (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Trinity Continuum: Aeon Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

M20 Gods and Monsters (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

M20 Book of the Fallen (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

C20 Novel (Jackie Cassada) (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

The Realm (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Redlines

Kithbook Boggans (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Hunter: the Vigil 2e core (Hunter: the Vigil 2nd Edition)

Dragon-Blooded (Exalted 3rd Edition)

C20 Ready Made Characters (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Second Draft

WoD Ghost Hunters (World of Darkness)

Pugmire Fiction Anthology (Pugmire)

Ex Novel 2 (Aaron Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

DtD Night Horrors: Enemy Action (Demon: the Descent)

Development

Signs of Sorcery (Mage: the Awakening Second Edition)

SL Ring of Spiragos (Pathfinder – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

Ring of Spiragos (5e – Scarred Lands 2nd Edition)

M20 Cookbook (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

Pugmire Pan’s Guide for New Pioneers (Pugmire)

Scion: Origins (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Hero (Scion 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum Core Rulebook (The Trinity Continuum)

GtS Geist 2e core (Geist: the Sin-Eaters Second Edition)

WW Manuscript Approval:

Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition, featuring the Huntsmen Chronicle (Changeling: the Lost 2nd Edition)

Editing:

BtP Beast Player’s Guide (Beast: the Primordial)

VtR Half-Damned (Vampire: the Requiem 2nd Edition)

V20 Dark Ages Jumpstart (Vampire: the Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition)

Post-Editing Development:

Arms of the Chosen (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Wraith: the Oblivion 20th Anniversary Edition

Book of Freeholds (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

Indexing:

Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition (Changeling: the Dreaming 20th Anniversary Edition)

ART DIRECTION FROM MIRTHFUL MIKE:

In Art Direction

Beckett’s Jyhad Diary

W20 Pentex Employee Indoctrination Handbook

Cavaliers of Mars

Wraith 20

Ex3 Monthly Stuff

Storypath Brochure

VDA Jumpstart – AD’d and contracted.

Scion Origins

Ring of Spiragos

Ex 3 Arms of the Chosen – Sketches and color roughs coming in.

Beast PG – AD’d and contracted.

VtR Half Damned – getting notes to Sam, Avery, and Felipe… still need to find an artists for the Ghoul section.

Marketing Stuff

In Layout

M20 Art Book – In progress…

Prince’s Gambit – New Cards out for playtesting

Gen Con Stuff – 2017 Brochure and 2017 Storypath Brochure

C20 Jumpstart

W20 Changing Ways

Proofing

CtL Huntsmen Chronicle Anthology

At Press

Beckett Screen – Shipped to shipper.

Pugmire – Shipping to fulfillment shipper.

Pugmire Screen – Shipping to fulfillment shipper.

Pugmire Cards & Dice – Shipping to fulfillment shipper.

Wise and the Wicked PF & 5e – Printing.

Dagger of Spiragos (5e) – Out to backers.

Dagger of Spiragos (PF) – Out to backers.

V20 Dark Ages Companion – PoD proofs coming.

BtP Building a Legend – PDF and PoD going on sale this Wednesday

Monarchies of Mau Early Access – PoD proofs ordered.

Dark Eras: Requiem for Regina – PDF and PoD on sale on DTRPG.

Dark Eras: Lily Sabre and Thorn – PoD files uploading.

M20 Book of Secrets – Inputting errata and outputting PoD this week when I have a chance…. at the moment looking like end of the week at the earliest.

VTR: Thousand Years of Night – Advance PDF on sale on DTRPG, gathering errata.

Prince’s Gambit Electronic Wallpaper – Going on sale this Wednesday

TODAY’S REASON TO CELEBRATE: Happy Fourth of July! Independence!

#Onyx Path Publishing

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