#I don't think I've ever seen any of these out there

[webzazes]

making this danny phantom teehee ❤️

My family always seemed like the most normal people in the world. But, we're filthy rich. I'm not a fan of it, but it's whatever. At least I have funds for passion projects, and hopefully, in due time, my own greenhouse (I've wanted one for years).

I actually only learned what really made us so successful recently, though. Ever since I was young, I was told over and over again that it was due to an invention, something useful and prominent in everyday life. However, it turns out that we're so wealthy because of black magic.

The thought alone inspired me so much, and I was already into gothic and fantastical things- it practically tripled my obsession. My parents, however, thought I was "too obvious" or "too gloomy" for our happy little family, especially because of my style of dress, but I was dead-set on breaking away from the norm after I learned how, well, not normal we are under wraps.

This made me a loner at school. I was different, and I wasn't a fan of going out of my way for friendships, let alone any unnecessary social interaction. I kept to myself, and became "the weird goth girl". Honestly, I was happy with that.

But, being a loner led me to Danny. And, of course, his friend Tucker. They accepted me- although we did butt heads at times, as is natural. We'd go to Danny's house, hear about his parents' work, and especially, their obsession with ghosts.

As someone getting into the occult, (I was actively training myself with books from our family library) I was interested. Very interested. I knew about souls, zombies, and demons, but not so much about ghosts themselves, the physical representation of a consciousness and soul tied down to Earth.

So, when Danny brought us to his basement to show us the "ghost portal" his parents were working on, I was excited. Really excited. Of course, I didn't let that show, I figured it might be as dumb as all of the other Fenton tech, and I wasn't expecting it to be dangerous, either.

But, when Danny stepped in to try and turn it on, I realized it was, in fact, dangerous. Very much so. The sheer amount of force I felt when the portal opened was almost painful- but never could be as painful as the sight of what happened to Danny because of it. He looked almost burned in places, and practically wilted to the ground.

He was limp. And he didn't look right, either- his hair was a shocking, clear white, and his eyes were green. At the time, I didn't even notice that the protective suit he was wearing had changed. But I could 100 percent tell that he was dead. Stone cold and limp, dead.

Tucker looked to be on the verge of tears, but I didn't care. I had to do something! I could feel some kind of residual energy on Danny's body, and I thought, "a source". A source of power for me to use, something I could heal him with.

Healing was my passion. I've always cared for life. Especially in this instance- Danny wasn't allowed to die. He couldn't die. I don't know what I would've done if he did..

So, in a split second, I was by his side. I was full healer mode, to the point I knew I couldn't let Tucker see my face. If he saw my eyes, well, he certainly wouldn't have been able to forget them any time soon..

I grasped at the energy left on Danny, and I made it mine. My emotions made me strong, determined, and I used that energy to successfully make an offering to Danny's soul. It was like summoning a demon- I'd seen my mom do it before- but more intimate, as I touched his spirit, poured its power into his bloodstream, and pulled at it, as I tied it to his body. I could almost feel the ectoplasm in my hands- and that's when I realized what the residual energy really was. Ectoplasm.

The ghost portal was real.

All in all, the whole process of "fixing" Danny, well.. it felt like nothing. And it really was quick. Thankfully, once I told Tucker that Danny was breathing, he didn't think to question the wait. He said nothing. And I couldn't bring myself to say that Danny was still cold..

So, hurriedly, we took Danny to his room, and told his parents he was tired. We said that he fell asleep while playing games with us. That was it.

That is how it all started.

You always wanted to be a Healer. Unfortunately, your dad was an Necromancer and your mother a Demon Summoner. So your healing was a bit… unconventional to say the least.

[georgeweasleyslostearhq]

SHOULD HAVE KISSED YOU

Pairings: Eddie Munson x Fem! Summary: when made to participate in a school fundraiser, Eddie finds himself actually having fun. Warnings: none

Prequel here!

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

"Mister Munson, you have to be a part of this school!" Principal Higgins exclaimed to the boy sitting on the other side of the desk, protesting

"I've been apart of this shitty school for 6 years" Eddie hummed lowly

"what was that?" the older man raised and eyebrow, his hands on his hips as he looked down at the rebellious teen in front of him

"what do you want me to do?" he got in response

"Miss Kelley is holding a fundraiser- u-an auction, of sorts.. you'll be participating"

Eddie frowned "an auction? what you want me to go up and hold items for people to bid on?"

"you'll be the item"

Eddie scoffed "what's that supposed to even mean?"

he stared at the principal and almost laughed, was this a joke? he fails a few times and is now being punished

"it means you'll go up and girls will bid on you- a date with you"

oh Eddie definitely laughed at that, does he think he's funny? he must because that was the funniest thing Eddie's ever heard

"yeah, right" he snorted

"Mister Munson, do you want to graduate this year?" Higgins asked rhetorically.

this wasn't a joke, this was serious

"what's a stupid fundraiser going to do to help me graduate?!" Eddie raised his voice before looking away when the man scolded him

"well, lucky for you, Edward, this school will do just about anything to get rid of you-" The older man started before getting cut off by Eddie

"-How flattering" he hummed

"-so, we'll be granting you with extra credit if you do this, and if you get at least a C in Miss O'donnells, it will be enough for you to graduate" the man finished, crossing his arms

"what type of fundraiser activity is that anyway! I'm no help, I can assure you no body is bidding on me, Higs" Eddie rolled his eyes

"well, lucky for you, you don't need to be bidded on to participate, just showing up is enough"

"this is ridiculous" Eddie mumbled, slumping down in his chair

there was no way he was going to do this.

"oh please, Mister Munson, It's not the end of the world, just a simple date to the fun fair is the most you'll do" Mister Higgins shook his head, deciding this was the end of the discussion.

he shooed Eddie out of his office after telling a few simple details about the night he should be ready for

"and please, have some school spirit" he said before closing the door behind Eddie.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

You sat in the school gym with your friends when Miss Kelley announces the boys up for auction

you had already seen the list a week prior and and had no interest, unlike your friend, Becky, who was more than excited to bet on a handsome mister Mike Lewenski.

your opinions on the fundraiser were mixed.

although a great way to make a few bucks, it was more of a way on telling which girl liked who. but even so, if they won the guy, it's a free date without the definite rejection most of them would face if they had just asked the guy out

so, while it saves a few rejections here and there, and could be seen as a trial run for a relationship, it's also a pit of thirsty women who want to dig their teeth in to a free date with a cute guy, especially if it's Gary McKlaren.

so to say you were the least interested was correct, but you were open to any changes if proven wrong.

The boys walked in the Gym single file and lined up behind Miss Kelley

you snorted at the sight of Eddie Munson 2nd last in line

you had browsed the list at least 3 times, you think you'd notice his name on the paper on the notice board. he must have been a last minute addition, which is pretty smart if you look at how many girls there are in school ready to bid.

but Eddie Munson, the freak? were they having a laugh?

you'd spoken to the guy a max of 5 times this year, he wasn't actually as bad as people made him out to be.

you weren't friends though; you wouldn't go that far. you'd be metaphorically killed if you were associated with him, so God forbid that ever happening.

Eddie huffed, looking out to the Gym seats.

he'd rather be doing anything else right now other than being at school, on a saturday afternoon, ready to be humiliated in front of what looks like 100 girls he's never spoken to (and doesn't plan to)

he frowned at the outfits the other boys had dressed up in, adorned in button up shirts and trousers, some even had a bowtie around their necks.

He mentally shook his head at the effort, because as they all dressed up fancy, like the organisers of this stupid even told them to, Eddie was still dressed in his normal attire, Black jeans and a dio shirt, his leather jacket hiding the cut off sleeves Eddie had fixed it up with. it's not like he was here to impress anyway

he would be here for 30 minutes max before driving back home alone.

"lets bring up our first boy of the evening, shall we. Toby Glover, everybody!" Miss Kelley claps.

She went on to describe the boy, hobbies, likes and interests before looking out to the crowed

"starting the bid at five dollars!" she smiled before a girl put her hand up, then a few others

Toby was baught at 20 dollars to Tracy Dekert.

then the next boy was up. Dylan Mantella.

it took a few seconds for a girl to put her hand up. but then another one did.

Dylan was bought for 10 dollars by Gracie Moore.

Jason Carver stood tall as he took a step closer, immediatley being bought by Chrissy for 5.

Then it was Mike Lewenski.

"He likes to play Football and the band Queen" Miss Kelley smiled

Becky's hand flew up as soon as the teacher announced 5 dollars, and glared at the girl on the other side of the bleachers when she outbidded her

"15!" Becky yelled out before the other girl said "17!"

they went back and fourth a few times before the other girl huffed and ran out of money

Mike was bought for 23 dollars by Becky, who cheered beside you

Then it was Gary McKlaren.

Miss Kelley didnt even get to describe his hobbies before a bidding war broke out. at least 10 girls fighting for him

yeah, he was popular. it made sense

Gary was bought for 50 dollars by Denise Weller.

Brian Gibley was bought for 5 dollars

Matthew Schneebly was bought for 25 dollars

and then Thomas Smith stood there for a few moments

that was when 2 girls put their hand up

you weren't sure if that was out of pity or they were just too shy to put their hand up, But Thomas looked like a whole bunch of weight lifted off of him when he was bought for 8 dollars

"now we have the...lovely Mister Edward Munson!" Miss Kelley announced, she looked nervous as she said his name, trying to find a praise but had to lie through her teeth

Eddie stood forward and clicked his tongue, looking out dully to the seats of girls and young women.

"E-Eddie likes um- Metal music? and uh- is a owner of a club" she spoke, she didn't know anything about Eddie, only that he was a satanist.

"5 dollars?" She announced with a tight smile, looking out to the crowd

you looked down at Eddie from your seat

his hands were in his pockets, he definitely didn't want to be here, but you could tell by the silence in the room he was...insecure?

you looked around the room, did no girl want him? did no girl see anything in him?

surely there was one girl to look past the scary demeanor of his figure and see something to like, but the only thing to hear was an awkward cough

you frowned, you felt bad, you really did.

Eddie looked down at his feet when Miss Kelley spoke into the mic "no bidders?" she asked as if she didn't know no body wasn't going to buy him

you closed your eyes and slowly lifted your hand.

it was just because you felt bad

"oh, we have a bidder! 5 dollars going once, twice, SOLD!" she banged her gravel on the wood. surprised.

Eddie munson was bought for 5 dollars. by you.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Eddie was surprised when you put your hand up.

but Eddie was very Surprised to see you walk up to him afterwards, a smile on your face, a tight one, he knew it wasnt real

"hey" you greeted

Eddie looked at you confused, like you had grown two heads or that something was wrong with you, but he replied nonetheless

"hi" he said

you looked around the hall, seeing the floods of single girls walk out of the hall, glaring at you with the same look Eddie had a second ago.

"so um-" he licked his lips, sighing

"we don't have to go on the date.." you spoke in a rush, looking back at him

of course, Eddie thought to himself, of course you wouldn't want to go on a date with him

Eddie kicked himself for thinking you would for a split second.

"if you don't want to" he shook his head

this was awkward.

so awkward

"it's not that I.. don't want to. i do...but you- you probably have better things to do so..." you hummed, rolling on your ankles as you looked away from him

"I dont...and I don't want you spending money on me for nothing.." he mumbled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

you were probably the first girl to talk to him, Willingly, without buying drugs- the first girl to be nice to him to his face.

Eddie doesn't get that often, or at all for that matter, so you were...special. you could say. to him.

you weren't friends, you probably didn't want that. and he doesn't blame you, but it still hurts deep down, where he wont admit it

"it's fine.. it would be embarrassing to be the only person who didn't get bought so..."

yep, that was the only reason you bidded on him, you both thought to yourself

"yeah, I guess you're my saviour, then" he joked, though he didn't find any humour in it

Because you had told him you bought him out of pity, thats not funny or you being nice, thats just sad.

you agreed to the joke and looked around, the hall was empty now, all the girls gone, a few out to their date and all the rest on their way home, alone. some going to the fair with their friends.

"I'll uh- see you next week then?" you stepped back, going to walk away

"I thought you wanted to go?" he frowned

"i thought you didn't?" you raised an eyebrow

"eh.. i feel like i owe it to you, besides i think Principal Higgins and Miss Kelley will be there and if they don't see us- or at least me there, I won't get my credit cause i left you" he shrugged

that was it, it was just for the extra credit

"ok, sure" you nodded

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

you walked side by side into the fun fair, you were a little nervous to say the least but it's not like you were gonna be here for a long time

Eddie had said he owed you and just wanted to be seen, so he'd probably just say a quick hello to the principal and spend five bucks on a quick game before calling it a day

that seemed fair, though.

he brought you over to the little games with various toys hung on the wall

"you wanna play a game? i'll try to win you a bear or somethin'" he looked down at you, pointing to the stall where you shoot at a few cans to win

you shrugged when you met his gaze, his big brown eyes full of the bright colours from the lights flashing from the games, the yellows and reds illuminating his face as he turned to you.

he looked pretty good

"sure" you replied shortly, looking away from him, letting him guide you to the line.

his hands were in his pockets as he looked around briefly. it made you wonder if he wanted to be here.

but on the inside, Eddie was almost shitting himself, cause here he was, in the line of a game with you next to him. this was a date, unadmittably his first date- if it even counted

and it's not just because it's a date, it's because it's with you, the only girl- bloody hell- woman that's ever been nice to him. to look at him like he's not a freak who sold his soul to the devil.

and God, did you have to look so pretty good?

he looked away when you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and stepped forward, it now being your turn

the guy spoke enthusiastically, explaining the rules as Eddie picked up the fake gun.

you took the time to scan over the plush toys, the big bat hanging upsidedown from the roof of the stall made you smile.

you smiled at Eddie as he lifted the gun to his face, squinting his eyes before shooting his first shot.

your eyebrows raised at his shot, impressed as you stood beside him

Eddie lowerd the gun, putting another pellet in the gun when he caught your gaze, looking over at you awkwardly

you blinked and smiled tightly at him before looking away "did- sorry did you want to shoot?" he frowned, now noticing that he should have let you play- or at least asked you

"oh no, it's ok I uh- I don't know how to shoot a gun" you breathed, letting out a dry chuckle

"it's pretty easy, here" one of his hands let go of the gun to each out for your own hand.

you let him take your hand and you tried to hide the blush rising quickly on your cheeks, looking away as he pulled you closer

he stood behind you, his broad chest against your back as he instructed you, you held the gun with his hands over yours, his arms wrapping around your frame to help you

"Just look through this little hole right here." he pointed to a little circle on the top of the gun, and you slowly raised the gun to your face, quinting to look through the hole.

"aim it" he told you

you lined it up with the can and he took one of your fingers to place it on the trigger.

the feeling of his hot breath fanning on your neck sent shivers down your shine as it contrasted with the cold brisk air, but you were so hot right now.

did he have to be so close to you?

he waited a second before he pressed on your finger, pressing down on the trigger, shooting the gun.

you closed your eyes as the loud bang and the feeling of him pressing up against you. Why did you like it?

"ahh good try, you just grazed it" Eddie spoke, mumbling something that you couldn't here before you opened your eyes

you could see a little dent in the can but it hadn't toppled over or fallen, signifying a miss.

you shoulders dropped and your frowned, looking over your shoulder to see Eddie smiling softly

"you'll get it this time" he reassured you, lowering the gun

you shook your head "i'll let you do it, you obviously know what you're doing" you flushed, smiling before stepping to the side to get out of his hold

it was then when Eddie realised that he was manhandling you and his eyes slightly widened. Had he made you uncomfortable? he really hoped he hadn't. he dropped his hands and let you slip away from in-between him and the gun and looked away sheepishly

you finally felt like you could breathe as you let out a deep sigh you didn't know you were holding

why was he making you feel this way?

Eddie put another pellet in the gun and shot it effortlessly before he put the last one in.

he didn't even flinch at the loud bang! noise it made when he shooted, or lost his footing, he was a natural.

you don't know what you expected though, he looked like the kind of guy who knew how to shoot a gun, he had that look to him

you didn't want to say it but- he did have the dangerous kind of look to him, but throught the few talks you've had with him, you would hightly doubt he would even shoo away a stray cat if it made home on his porch.

he put the final pellet in and aimed it before shooting it, you watched as it bounced off the bar and fall back to the ground.

you smiled and clapped when the guy announced a winner

"so..what will it be for the lovely lady?" he said looking at you as you stood forward.

the long haired metalhead looked over at you, nodding to the wall of toys.

you opened your mouth, and your eyes landed on the bat again, pointing up at it "the bat?"

the man smiled and got the bat down, passing it to Eddie as you backed away to get out of the line, which was small but growing impatient.

Eddie followed after you and handed the bat to you.

"here ya' go" he smiled.

the bat was even bigger than it looked, bigger than your head, at least.

you brought it up to your chest and thanked him before walking awkwardly away from the stall

"you're pretty good with a gun" you said break the silence between you and him, the blush on your face appearing again as you looked over at him

"yeah? well.. my dad taught me when I was younger so... had a good teacher I guess" he let out a breathy chuckle, kicking his feet.

of course. everyone knew the stories of AL Munson. so your weren't surprised when Eddie told you he made him go hunting with him before he got sent to prison

"made me shoot more than just tin cans.." He shighed

you hummed, walking towards the enterance before Eddie stopped you

"Where are ya' going?" he asked, a deep frown covering his features as he looked around

you grew confused too "I- I thought we were leaving?"

Eddie's face dropped at your words, looking down "oh. I mean if you want to. I just thought- I- I was kinda havin' fun. with you so..."

Eddie was having fun with you; it wasn't a lie. he didn't want to leave just yet, he wanted to play a few more games and if he got lucky, get to know you more. he doesn't know exactly why but he knew he liked being with you tonight

but it's probably because it's either this date with you, or a lonesome date between him, his couch and a cold can of beer.

you stepped back to him and smiled "I am too... I just thought- but yeah, let's go"

the sky turned dark as Eddie and you played a few more games and shared a fairyfloss stick.

you were having fun, laughing and getting embarrased when you got shoved closer to Eddie when a few kids ran past you to the rotating tea cups.

"sorry" you mumbled, stepping away from the metalhead as he tensed up at the contact.

"'s'okay" he smiled, noticing the way you hugged the bat plush in your arms

it was night time- and winter. So were you cold?

so he asked you "d'ya want ma'jacket?"

he frowned when you shook your head quickly "no it's ok, don't worry"

you felt your cheeks grow hot again as he began taking his leather jacket off, exposing his biceps arms that were adorned in dark tattoos.

the bats caught your eye.

you had seen them before, of course, but they made you frown

you looked down at your bat plush toy and hid your face in it sheepishly

when it caught your eye, you didn't know why you were drawn to it the way you were

it reminded you of something, but at the time you picked it, you just couldn't pinpoint it

but now, looking at his tattoo, you realised it was that and you grew embarrassed, did he think you wanted it because of him? well technically you did- no, no you just liked it...right?

"it's ok, really" you shook your head as he handed it out to you

"Please, I don't want you to be cold" he pleaded

he was such a gentleman, you don't get why people did see that, there was something clearly wrong with society to shut out this beautiful specimin of a man like him, he's just so kind and gentle. no- snap out it.

you squeezed the fluff of your plush as he draped it over your shoulders, smiling

"what about you?" you wondered

he only shrugged "m'fine" he looked down, putting his hands in his pockets "as long as you're warm"

you chuckled softly as you looked around

"ferris wheel?" he asked after a beat

you looked to the ferris wheel and nodded "sure"

you let him guide you and you smiled as you got the line

the fair music filled your ears as you slowly moved up the line.

the line was pretty long, trying to see the lights from above and the kids thinking they can see the whole town from the top. they were wrong but let kids be kids, you thought.

when you reached the front, you stepped up and Eddie quickly handed the guy a few coins, letting your guys on. you sat down, your bat plush sat on your lap as the guy pulled the bar down, letting it click before leaving you with Eddie in the closer proximity

your shoulder to shoulder with Eddie when it began to move. going backwards

you looked over at him and smiled sheepishly before looking away

he cleared his throat before pointing to the bat you were cuddling

"do you like bats?" he questioned

you looked down and shook your head

"no..not really. I just thought he was cute" you shrugged

he hummed "have you named him?"

you giggled "no, not yet" you looked at him, finding a teasing smile on his lips and you furrowed your eyebrows.

"I don't- It might be childish, but I don't have a lot of them..." you soft quietly, fiddling with your fingers as the ferris wheel went up again

"No.. I.. I don't think it's childish.. I have a uh- I have a bear on my bed.. Ozzy... so. it's cute" he nudged your shoulder softly

you smiled, still a little embarrassed but it made you feel better that he admitted that.

you think it was cute.. that he of all people slept with a teddy bear, you feel as though you've learnt a lot about him today

it's almost like this wa a real date.

it made you hope he thought it was a real date too.

"do you..like bats?" you pointed to his swarm of bats tattooed on his arm

he looked down and nodded

"yeah I guess.. it's more of that they are seen for good luck and uh..protection.. I guess" he mumbled the last bit

you raised your eyebrows "really?" you tilted your head

"yeah.. don't know where i found that but I though i needed it so..."

"cool" you nodded

his eyes met yours again and you saw his adams apple bob in his throat as he looked at you

your bench stopped at the top as fireworks began exploding in the sky, painting the sky in all different colours, but you didn't look away from Eddie, for some reason, your eyes stayed on him

the sprays of colour reflecting in his eyes as he looked back at you. you wonder if he could see the fireworks in your eyes too.

"thank you, for today.. I've had fun" you spoke, wanting to ease this tension in the air.

"Yeah.. I've had fun too... with you" he said

you didn't know what was happening. why butterflies filled your stomach and made you feel sickly.

Eddie was shitting himself again, the look in your eye made him so weak he was happy he was seated. you looked so pretty in this light. it almost made him want to thank Mister Higgins for making him do this. but after this, he woudn't have any reason to talk to him unless it's to tell him he'd be graduating.

he can't explain how he felt in this moment, but all he knew was that he really wanted to kiss you.

but you don't want to kiss the freak? no matter how many times you've told him you don't see him as one, that's what he is, what he always will be.

Besides. You did this out of pity, right?

Amd it's not like he likes you, right?

but all Eddie can think of as he forces himself to look away is that he wants you to like him

he wants to know why he feels this way, why the burst of colour in the sky wasn't the only fireworks in the air tonight.

he had taken you home after that, sadly saying goodbye as he drove you home, the only sound in his van being the metal music he set to low as he thought about how much of an idiot he is.

all while you had felt completley embarrassed, and if you're going to be honest, a little angry, though you're not sure why

you wanted him to kiss you, but why? you didn't like him like that, this was just because you felt bad

but you wanted him to like you.

I should have kissed him, you thought as you walked into your home.

I should have kissed her, Eddie thought to himself as he drove off.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

[rainbowsky]

In all my years of being a GGDD fan, I don't think any year has ever been better than this last one.

In the past I have watched them struggle and face incredibly difficult situations, be forced to spend almost all of their time apart, and deal with scandals and setbacks.

2024 was a year I could never have dreamed of for both of them. Watching them both thrive so well, take charge of their careers and their lives to a degree never before seen, and to have so much time for their personal lives - it's all I've ever wanted for them.

And you can see how well they are thriving, how much happier they are, how much healthier they are, and how much of themselves is stamped on every single thing they do.

I frequently see fans spinning negative fantasies about them, and it makes me sad. As if there isn't enough pain in the world, why generate more in your own mind?

A lot of turtles tend to overly romanticize 2018 and 2019 because they were the years that The Untamed was filmed, promoted and aired, and that's where a lot of our favorite GGDD content was born. I think that's rather self-centered and shortsighted. If we take five seconds to remove our rose-colored glasses, surely we can see how difficult those years were for them.

Yes, they got to work together for a few months, they got to spend some fun time together promoting The Untamed and even got to be somewhat open about their affection for each other in front of a crowd, but outside of that summer dream, they were both in pretty precarious positions in their careers, and both of them faced a lot of really gruesome anti attacks. Neither of them had very much control over their careers or their choices, and their management situations were atrocious.

We don't even have to talk about 2020. That was an incredibly difficult year. GG was the focus of one of the worst cyberbullying and nearly career-ending scandals that's been seen in that industry. He was being threatened, the people connected to him and the brands that he dealt with were being threatened.

Any time he tried to do anything in his career, whether it was an appearance or an endorsement, antis would come out in droves and protest until it was shut down. There were active organized hate campaigns whose entire purpose was to destroy his life and his career. People were trying to infect him with COVID, and there were other threats upon his life. Multiple times online hate campaigns tried to spread the rumor that he had died.

He couldn't go anywhere without people following him and chanting hateful slogans at him and trying to infiltrate the hotels he was staying at. It was terrifying.

DD was constantly overworked, exhausted, always on the move with barely any time to come up for air.

They had to spend most of their time apart, including some of the quarantine time, when DD was isolated so that he could begin filming LOF, right when the worst of the scandal broke. GG's grandfather died, and he faced so many personal burdens.

They did get some fun times together of course, and there were some huge successes for both of them, including GG's spectacular comeback at the end of the year with his sea of red for Tencent All Star Night. Even turtles worked to help ensure he had his red sea.

And GG and DD got to clown around and be silly as well, and they made a real effort to show us that they were getting through fine, they would be okay and that they were still the same people, still able to be happy. We got so much candy that year, and so many great LRLG messages as well.

But that was just a sign of their character and strength. Make no mistake about it, that was a difficult year.

The intervening years between then and now have been a bit of a mixed bag. There were a lot of COVID frustrations (scheduling issues, Kafkaesque hoops to jump through, inability to travel outside the country, risk of ending up in a prolonged lockdown, inevitable health stress), they had to spend a lot of time apart and there were more and more crackdowns on the entertainment industry, on the queer community and on fandom culture, which made things feel positively dismal and oppressive - at times even scary.

However, it's undeniable that things have been gradually improving for them. They've both been building more and more autonomy and control in their careers, and building more respect from audiences and within the industry. They've both been prioritizing their personal lives more and more. And yes - they've BOTH been looking happier, more relaxed, more balanced.

I've talked about that a fair bit over the past couple of years. Most recently in this post.

Looking at 2024, they have had so much more free time in their lives, have been able to spend so much more time together in the same city, have spent time with each other wherever they were filming, and even got to travel and spend some fun downtime outside of China.

They are in such powerful positions compared to even a couple years ago. They have made great connections and worked on some amazing projects.

GG has been working with some of the top directors on some of the most anticipated projects in C-ent. He recorded an entire solo album and several music videos, and did all of that on his own time and on his own dime, and released it to critical acclaim and massive success with audiences.

He has been the talk of the globe in fashion circles and entertainment circles, and has been the face behind some of the most successful and exciting campaigns for some of the most prestigious brands in the world.

He got to travel a lot outside of China, and build on some of the great connections he's made over the years. He got to spend time with his parents traveling Europe!

He's given us so much incredible content with his vlogs and photo sets. It's just mind-boggling how much he's given us over the past couple of years.

DD took initiative to propose and participate in a documentary series where he got to explore interesting locations and engage in some of the most extreme outdoor activities. What could possibly be more exciting for someone like him?

He got to work with a team of conservationists who are fighting to save pangolins, and filmed a documentary there as well. Knowing him, that has to be one of the most rewarding things he's ever done in his life.

Both documentaries were highly acclaimed and award-winning.

Speaking of awards, he debuted as a film star and has been nominated for all of the top awards in China both for his film work and his drama work!

He has signed a new contract with his management company that will certainly have put him in a very powerful position in the company as their top breadwinner. He has been exceptionally successful with endorsements, holding more endorsements than anyone else in C-ent.

He got to play tennis on the top of The Great Wall with one of the top players in the world (regardless of how much I despise Djokovic).

He got to be an Olympic torch bearer! He is the ambassador for multiple high profile organizations and projects.

He earned his auto racing license, joined a racing team and finished in first place in his first ever auto race!

Make no mistake about it, they are both now solidly calling the shots in their own lives and careers, they are living their best lives, and they are both happier than I have ever seen them in all of these years.

And much more healthy! Just take one look at them and you can see how much healthier they both are. They've been playing a lot of sports and doing a lot of active outdoor activities together, and it shows in how much happier and healthier they are.

Frankly anyone who can't see that has their head stuffed firmly in a moist dark place.

I urge everyone to center GG and DD in all of our fandom explorations, theories and interpretations. The reality is that the more that they get to focus on their own lives and careers and personal freedoms, the less candy and CPN we're likely to see. We should be happy for them rather than try to spin sad tales about it.

[dunmeshistash]

Do you know where the “mithrun is the most grizzed masculine elf take” comes from. All I think about is the changeling thing but no one calls Marcille the most masculine elf for being ripped as an orc compared to Tade. Or that he trains a lot, which is also not an inherent masculine thing. To me Mithrun doesn’t really look different to any other (male) elf we see. Is it from the extra’s or something?

Yes that take comes from the changeling transformations of both Mithrun and Senshi. The joke is the Senshi is the "most femme dwarf" and Mithrun the "most masc elf" in contrast with how they look in their original forms

I do think the joke kinda got out of control in the game of telephone that fandom is, instead of a fun observation of how we might perceive Mithrun more feminine than he is and Senshi more masculine than he is due to our own biases based on their races it got taken way too seriously as "the only true and correct interpretation"

I don't think Mithrun is especially masculine or feminine when it comes to his personality, I understand some people have been peeved by others making him maybe too meek/girly compared to canon but I feel like the response of making him way more aggressive/manly than canon is just as inaccurate and it's kinda upsetting when I see "fandom vs (my interpretation of canon) canon" as if they're any more right for going to the extreme opposite

We don't really know if Mithrun is specially "masculine" for an elf either, the only elf that we know is especially "masc" is Otta, and we only know cause her bio says even elves mistake her for a man (I think for most of us she looks as androgynous as the others)

Here's a post discussing elf gender presentation more in depth if you're interested in the subject but all we know is that Mithrun works out a lot and is very muscular (which signals 'manlyness' for us but might not for elves) there isn't much that point out to him being especially manly or especially feminine compared to other male elves. He also has lost most of his desires and doesn't express his preferences much so I think it's safe to assume he doesn't really pick how he presents himself (clothing and such).

Other than that and being stoic (is that a super manly trait?) Mithrun is pretty average I think. He's also still super cute even as a tallman (as if looking manly would stop you from being cute)

But another trait of him that seem to make people read him as "super manly" it's that sometimes Mithrun is scary and aggressive, I'm not even going into why that's bad (correlating aggressiveness with manliness is uh…. not great….) not even to mention he only acts that way when he's triggered by wanting to take revenge on the demon, otherwise he seems to avoid hurting others.

Related to the "Mithrun is a super manly elf" take I've even seen people argue that drawing him looking too "cute" and small is incorrect (probably just because of his tallman self) but that's how Kui draws him herself.

I don't understand why correct others for drawing him the same way his creator does, he's designed to look this way, there's nothing to "fix" about his original design either (nothing wrong with drawing him in a way that appeals to you more tho, fanart is fanart just don't harass other people)

Anyway just to stress the point that he is very average let's compare him to Lycion and Pattadol

The average height for elves is 155 for males and 150 for females Mithrun is 155cm, Lycion is 170cm and Pattadol is 160cm, they're both taller and have a sturdier looking builds than Mithrun

Kui often draws Pattadol specially with a sturdier build than Mithrun actually

So no he's not the most buff biggest elf ever in any sense (although he IS a muscular elf), and I don't think the changeling transformations are too objective since they're magic. For example Pattadol as a human is pretty average even tho she's big compared to other elves (not to mention Senshi half-foot who has a huge beard that half-foots don't seem to be able to grow)

[thisweknow]

I very much understand your frustration with the "you! are! valid!" Tumblr culture from the mid-2010s, that was something that honestly made me feel so isolated as a teenager. I hated hearing "it gets better!" and watching my life fall further and further apart with everyone telling me that it would all be fine one day. It felt hypocritical. It WAS hypocritical—to tell me my feelings and my experiences were valid and then to just absolutely steamroll me when I expressed my frustrations and fears.

I started to favor the phrase "everything changes" around the time I turned 16. I liked the idea of neutrality, it was something I'd seen as a suggestion relating to body positivity, which I struggle(d) with greatly. The basic premise was that if you couldn't say anything positive, try saying something neutral. Everything changes is neutral. It's not saying it'll get better necessarily, but not that it would be worse, either. It felt like the closest to a truth I could have. What I was dealing with in any given moment wouldn't last forever. Everything changes, my circumstances today are entirely different than my circumstances tomorrow, even if it doesn't always feel like it.

I've let that phrase carry me for years. In the bad moments I remind myself that everything changes, and the world parts that suck won't suck so immediately forever. In the good moments I remind myself that everything changes, and I should hold on to those and savor them for what they are, even if they're peppered in with the worst moments.

It's not to say that I don't remember the bad moments now—I very much do. I can remember a lot of the trauma of my childhood and if I let myself sit with it for too long I can feel what it was like to sit awake at 3 AM sobbing in my room wishing that I was no longer here. I don't think I will ever truly forget that. I can say that those parts aren't the part on my mind anymore. When I look back at my life I tend to look with rose colored glasses at the parts that were good. The moments I spent with my friends, the nights I'd sneak out to ride my bike in the peace and silence of the small town I lived in, the rehearsals for plays that I dreaded going to but loved being in, the way my dog would curl up at my feet and sleep there all night when I was sad—the list goes on. The bad parts are still very much remembered and acknowledged, but the good parts are the ones I think about and the ones I miss.

I know that I struggled for a long time with feeling guilty about having moments I looked back on that I didn't hate. This was especially true after leaving an abusive relationship. I knew the person I had left had been abusive and had done horrible things to me, that I had sustained damages that I wasn't sure I could recover from. Yet I still had moments I looked back on fondly. Moments where I had genuinely cared for my abuser, moments of sweetness and moments of joy, moments of calm and peace that I hadn't had with anyone else. I felt like looking at those moments somewhat fondly cheapened my experiences, as if it was somehow an admission of fraud to acknowledge that even the worst thing that had ever happened to me had its silver linings. It took years of therapy and dedicated self work to finally understand that abuse doesn't happen in a vacuum and that it's okay to miss those good moments, however many there might be, even when we know the overall situation was awful.

It's okay to savor the good things when they come your way. A journal entry from when I was about 17 sums it up really well: I don't want to be happy all of the time. If I was happy all of the time I wouldn't really feel happy anymore, would I? It would just be my normal, my neutral. I want to feel positive at least 75% of the time, that's my goal. I want to feel sad sometimes, too. I want to feel angry and hurt, I want to feel excited and happy and in love, too. I want to experience every emotion life has to offer, even the sucky ones. I don't think I would appreciate happiness if I didn't experience everything else, yknow?

btw you will miss this in 5 or 10 years. memory will smooth these circumstances down like a river stone, and you will find yourself longing for a shade of light or a moment of this particular innocence. you don't know about what happens next, and one day that will be the most alluring thing of all. don't leave it all for nostalgia. have a nice night now, whatever night it happens to be.

[solvicrafts]

You know, I've seen a few people online making shitty comments about the fires in SoCal right now, and about all the rich peoples' homes burning, and I'm disgusted and just so exhausted over how crass, mean-spirited, and downright nasty so many people are the moment they think they're in the clear to feel good about someone else being hurt, just as long as it's, you know, one of THOSE people and not them.

Meanwhile, I'm over here thinking about when I used to work at the hippie woo store a few years back, and I was waiting outside for the bus after a night shift, and one of our regular customers (a pretty wealthy woman who I'm pretty sure LIVES in one of the areas that's affected by the fires right now) drove past me, then pulled around and gave me a ride home.

And then I remembered the time she waited until nearly closing time one night hoping to confront another regular customer who had been horrendously rude to me.

Hot take: I have had coworkers that were full on MAGA, anti-vaxxers, anti-choice, etc. and as much as I absolutely could not stand those people, as angry as I was that I would get punished for reporting their inappropriate behavior, as resentful as I was about the times I was told to apologize to my racist old coworker for offending her by pointing out that she can't be going on insane rants while ringing up our fucking customers, at the end of the day, if I ran across that same coworker bleeding out in the road, I would run out to help her.

I fundamentally disagreed with her on every single thing that came out of her mouth. I consider her one of the most vapid, selfish, and ignorant people I've ever met in my life. And I would still help her if I came across her and she needed it, not because I particularly want to do something nice for her, but because it's the right thing to do.

I would not take pleasure out of watching her suffer, or lose her home. I would not enjoy watching my most hated customers go through that. I sure as hell don't enjoy seeing complete strangers suffer and lose THEIR homes. I could sit here and whine about how at least THEY have homes to lose, or I could do the bare minimum thing that any decent person can do, and just not be a huge asshole.

I'm sure a good at least a few of those people who lost their homes were probably some of my worst customers. I know the area (well, a little bit, anyway), and I know we had shoppers that would come out to our store from there. And quite a few of them were absolutely insufferable. And still, I hope that they are safe, and that their homes are okay.

[ghostmoon1]

You know what, to start the year off, Imma make this lil appreciation post.

Now it's only been like, less than a year since I joined Tumblr about, I've been writing and drawing for years before this point, but the community here, especially the CoD community which I am mainly apart of just made me feel amazing. Everyone I've met here are some of the nicest people.

I have gotten my old hobbies back, giving me reason to write and draw again which have majorly helped with my own mental health, and now I just wanted to give the amazing people a shout out to start the year off, to hopefully make peoples days, and to just let them know that I appreciate yall!

In no specific order :3 and if you don't wanna be pinged again by me, please let me know and I won't!! No harm done, I hope this is okay :) and this is prob gonna be cringe or smt.. all sappy but like.Yeah here yall are lmao-

Putting them under the cut as there are a few :3

@gomzdrawfr - You've been a massive influence since I joined the CoD community, I adored your art from the very start, and your just such a sweet and kind person, one that I'm so thankful to have met, and so proud to be able to call you my friend. You're the first proper friend I've made here, and I can't tell you how much our talks make me smile every single time. And I'm also so thankful for the community you have sorta helped me get into, you've helped me feel comfortable interacting with more people here :3

@shadeops21 - You were honestly the person that got me to join Tumblr! I was looking for something to try and make my own Konig cosplay (that's been given up on bc motivation and Tik Tok just. yeahhh) and I found you, and all your amazing work! I basically made my account to see if you'd make any more, cause I just love what you do so much, it's got to be so helpful for so many people!!

@sleepyconfusedpotato - After Shadeops, you were the very second person I found here! And oh my gosh how much I obsessed (and still do) over your art, especially Jade. You inspired me to write my first ever fic on here, actually, where I made my first CoD oc ship with Soap, your art and what you do honestly helped me feel comfortable making something like that for myself, cause some of the toxic people on Tik Tok made me uneasy and unsure about that lol- And now, I finally have an OC I'm working in depth on, and you're my biggest reason to thank for that.

@soaps-mohawk - Your writing has inspired me so much, and I couldn't thank you enough for making your wonderful fic. I may not be like, a OG, but I've been there since around chapter 20 I think? I could be wrong, but half way through sorta. You are the biggest reason I started writing again here, you just create masterpieces. And this is the first time I've ever been hooked into a fic so much, and what got me into liking the Omegaverse (you hooked me and I can't let go of it now...) Thank you for taking your time with your writing, and thank you for all the inspiration you have given me.

@on-a-lucky-tide - Oh my gosh how much you have yanked me into the Nikprice community. I adore every single one of your writing pieces, and honestly, you are another who has helped inspire me to write more. All your writing is so filled with emotion and love, I want to be able to do that as well. Your a wonderful person, I've seen you interact with this community and everyone, and I just adore you as a person and all the hard work you put time and effort into creating.

@rainyrambles-overcod - I adore your oc's and rambles so much!! And I couldn't tell you how happy it makes me to have a friend that is okay with the tag games, I never know who to tag for those sorta things, but I actually feel okay tagging you and they are so fun and always brighten my mood :3 Keep creating, I can't wait to see what else you come up with. Thank you for all the tag games and fun!!

@nekrosmos - Yet another that has helped drag me into the Nikprice community or cult ig that too. Your art is absolutely amazing, I truly want to be able to draw like you do. Just everything about your art has me in awe, the emotion, the style, the love everything. Seeing your art brings me so much happiness! Oh and your writing is BEAUTIFUL. That also brings me joy to take a little time out of my day to sit and read the time and effort you put into everything, and how kind of a person you are. I always hope you'll keep creating, and always remember how much joy you bring both myself and others.

@daredaredoodles - I know we don't interact a whole lot, but you honestly mean a lot to me still. You were my first ever mutual on this site, and I will be forever grateful for this. Personally its anxiety that stops me from barging into peoples Dm's and talking, but yeah. Thank you for that, even if it is only a small thing.

@cricricorner - you were my first follower, and I still see you in my notifications from time to time, which always brings me joy! It's wonderful to see your followers still interact with your content, and I couldn't say how grateful I am. I couldn't tell you how happy I was to gain my first follower here, so thank you for taking your time to read my writing and see my art.

@daydreamsareallineed - You were pretty much the first person to show so much interest in my main fic!! And oh my gosh I couldn't ever tell you how much joy it brought me to read your comments, to have someone so interested in my writing, that personally I didn't even think was that good. I haven't given up completely on the fic dw, I'll hopefully update it soon! Motivation just go brrr. Thank you so much for all your support, it means the world to me.

And another shoutout to everyone who supports me, who follows me, and to every single one of you that like and reblog my content. I look through every single note I receive, I assure you none of you are left out.

And my final shoutout to everyone that creates on this site. The community here is like nothing I've ever experienced before. I adore scrolling through everyone's art, it all makes my day. I've never felt so comfortable and unjudged before. Thank you to everyone who contributes to this, you all make my day <3

This turned out a lot longer than I meant it to be- but I just wanted to share how I felt with this new year. I'm sorry if you'd rather not be pinged-

But have a lovely day :3 I love you all!!

[princecroutons]

sorry to come in here suddenly but i wanted to add my own thoughts on one of the posts you reblogged (while being anonymous if thats cool) honestly that's why i don't really feel comfortable having a dedicated account for my pet because i am so genuinely worried about people getting the wrong idea if they take something out of context now don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with being worried about an animals well-being and i DO understand that there are people who suck and don't care about animals, but i swear nobody actually takes the time to look through a blogs post or read anything important on the account that does confirm the animal is safe and happy i've seen people literally not be bothered to read captions on posts now (especially tiktok videos) and just go ballistic on people because they got started assuming the worst instead of taking the time to do research it's okay to be concerned guys; coming from an animal lover i do understand being concerned, but people can really take it to an extreme when there's so much that you can do as a person

There was a time I wasn't very comfortable sharing my pets beyond discord servers or a few posts here and there, especially since I'd had rats, and the exotic pet communities can be even worse sometimes (though I do understand, especially with rodents) but I made this blog for a friend who adores him and he didn't really blow up until that post (that I wrote while high and immediately passed out after) and God I didn't expect the amount of people who wouldn't take a moment to think, or read, or search a blog for asks already answered.

I got a lot of rude comments about how it was abusive, that it was terrible to do that to a cat, that so on and so forth, assumption, assumption, assumption - and even when I had his post up for donations/gfm I had someone comment that I was being irresponsible for not having pet insurance, or unsolicited advice ad nauseam

I love animals, I love people who share their animals, and if I'm ever concerned I go out of my way to do a little digging before I do anything further because I'd rather be wrong than send someone an accusatory ask or give them unsolicited advise they're already following and didn't ask for. and if I find that hey! something here is wrong! I then consult friends on what to do and how to approach the situation. like idk...

People will rb videos of distressed wild animals in situations filmed to look cute with 0 comment, and then turn around and criticize people for shaving their cat and assuming the worst

I'm a little high and think I'm just ranting and repeating a lot of what you just said anon jdkdhej I just get frustrated sometimes and it's difficult not to feel very judged, but ik that the only opinions that matter when it comes to my animals are mine and my vets

but god please just.... put some effort in to doing at least a little reaserch before jumping to conclusions about literally anything ever

sorry for any typos I'm dyslexic and I'm not proof reading this 🫶

[genderqueerdykes]

this is prob silly but i appreciate you being so candid about not interacting with much media (like film/tv/pop culture stuff). it's kind of hard to be on tumblr or really even exist if you're not able to interact with media but it's a big trigger for me so i just... can't. like, i've never had anyone understand that it's not a choice i'm making to be special/different/lazy i just have extreme and unhealthly reactions to most media, except some books and comics. which idk if that's how it is for you (its not my business or anything) but i've never felt seen/represented about it before so im thankful, yk?

i appreciate you for sending this! i don't find it silly at all

i think it's very good for you to acknowledge that you have an unhealthy relationship with most forms of media. i'm sorry that you're going through this, but consuming media is not a requirement nor is it something that you genuinely need for your mental health, so it's okay that that's how you feel. i appreciate this because it gives me a chance to talk about something that is important to me, but people struggle to understand why that is

my parents used to make fun of whatever i was watching or playing as a kid over my shoulder. i used to get relentlessly mocked every time i put on a show i liked or played a game in front of either of them. it caused me to have severe trauma for years where i couldn't watch or play anything around other people at all. i still don't like when people ask me to put on things that i do like for a big group. the stress i feel when other people don't enjoy it is not worth it. i'm still very uncomfortable doing this to this day

i've felt pretty alienated all my life due to this. it seems like now more than ever, media, especially fictional media, is so important to general modern culture that it creates a barrier between people who do and don't engage. and it's not like it's a passive thing, i have people get offended at me when i say i haven't seen a movie or TV show. not talking about anyone on here, or any anons i've answered about media! people have been kind and respectful here. but in my real life and in conversations with other people, i have genuinely been mocked or insulted because i don't engage with most television, movies, books and comics.

i've had people question my autism over this. when i've told people in the past that i do not engage with pop culture, fictional media and so on, i've had people actually say "but i thought you were autistic????" like it's genuinely frustrating that it seems like people have shifted to thinking that autistic people's special interests are always cartoons, games and TV shows. it worries me because at times it feels like people are turning the common definition of autism into Media Consumption Disorder. my special interests are queer history & culture, animals & nature, and medicine & psychology. i genuinely enjoy research, it's something i happily do for hours because it stimulates my brain and motivates me. it excites me just as much as i think fiction excites people who can enjoy it. it's more than okay for autistic people to have a piece of media as their special interest, i'm not saying that its not! but it frightens me that people seem to conflate "autistic" with "loves fictional media".

due to my DID, i can't remember plots. like at all. plots confuse the ever loving hell out of me because i can't keep track of what's going on. real life doesn't have a plot. science doesn't have a plot. i don't know if fully understand the point of a plot, honestly. expecting people to be able to remember such an absurd amount of information in order to figure out something that happens down the road or at the very end feels like a herculean task to me. i can't remember what happened to me 10 minutes ago, there's no way i'm remembering a tiny event that happened hours and hours and hours ago. scripted interactions feel so stiff and unnatural to me

people tell me i'm saying i don't know what they're talking about to "be an asshole". i used to have a best friend who got really into dungeons&dragons and it traumatized me for years because i got into at first, then quickly lost interest once i realized how boring actually playing the game is for me. my friend did NOT take it well. he continued to force me to play. if i would ask him to please change the conversation topic he would start insulting and berating me and telling me that i was pretending to not be interested anymore to be mean to him. he couldn't understand that i grew out of it. he never got any better with this, as he was obsessed with marvel films and would get super pissed off if i told him i had no interest or didn't know what to say to him. it was frustrating because i didn't have a choice whether or not i could like something. it was "if you don't like this, you're an asshole."

and it's not just him that's treated me that way. it's been most of my friends. for whatever reason, when you tell the average person that you haven't seen, or god forbid don't like a piece of media, they take it personally for... some reason. as if i said "no i don't watch that because that's bad" as opposed to what i actually say is "i don't know what that is" or "i haven't seen that". you would not believe how insecure people get when you tell them you don't like a piece of media they like. i'm not sure why people feel like their favorite media is an extension of themselves, but it's an unhealthy relationship. it's not healthy to get offended if your friend tells you they haven't seen a piece of media that you have.

i have aphantasia, which is the inability to picture things in my head. i don't get "sucked into" media like people with clearer mind's eyes do. i don't picture anything cool or epic or fun happening in my head because i can't. as a result, i don't get pulled into shows, i don't get invested in tabletop games, i don't really get that affected by the media that i watch because i am painfully aware that i'm staring at a pre-recorded and scripted show the entire time. i'm painfully aware that i'm staring at an actor in a costume i just cannot get immersed in most forms of media save for very rare video games but even then, i immediately stop thinking about it the second i'm done interacting with it

i just don't listen to music and that one baffles people as i'm punk. most music is just straight up overstimulating to me due to my autism. i'm not saying that music is bad, it just overstimulates the everloving hell out of me. most of the time it just hurts my ears or gives me a headache or triggers my misophonia, which results in me getting irrationally pissed off. it's not something i can control. i prefer to listen to nature sounds, very simple meditation music that is a few simple tones, or nothing at all. i actually enjoy silence. i enjoy not overloading my ears. i enjoy being alone with my own thoughts. i can't think when there's too much noise happening

video games are more enjoyable than anything else due to the interactive element, but that does not mean i am paying attention to the characters or the story. it's very rare that a game can actually make me get interested in the characters themselves. i'm just there for the gameplay. generally i prefer games like rollercoaster tycoon, tower unite and other games that don't have a plot at all and are strictly focused on gameplay. i have no idea how people memorize all the different characters and interactions and story beats in games that have an overarching plot.

it's a personal choice. you're allowed to choose what your hobbies and interests are. if pop culture stresses you out, you do not have to engage. i just straight up do not get pop culture references at all and i've had people laugh at me for it but i just really don't care, it's not what i'm interested in as a person. i feel like a lot of people aren't quite realizing that most popular media is made for profit, not to be something genuinely well written or entertaining. i'm not saying those things are bad but what i am saying is that it's a product meant to be consumed in order for you to help a generally huge company profit. there's very little soul and whimsy when it comes to most AAA games and big box office films. the artistic integrity is severely lacking

anyway, thank you for giving me a chance to talk about this more at length! it's why i'm just very honest about it because i'm not going to force myself to change my interests because some people find how i approach life strange, or take it personally. you're allowed to choose what you interact with and don't. you're allowed to define your own interests and hobbies. and i think you're doing a great thing by acknowledging that you have an unhealthy relationship with pop culture. a LOT of people do right now. it's manufactured to be addicting on purpose. binge watching things is encouraged and is becoming seen as a new norm. i don't think people like you or i deserve to be mocked for approaching life in ways that make sense to us. take care of yourself, i appreciate you!

[tiyawnyana]

So this is a special request sent in by @reader210 , thank you for the request! I loved your idea and want to turn it into a multi-chapter story so this is chapter one!

A/N: I actually had so much fun creating this story because the characterization was a blast

Characters: Mel Medarda x Fem!Doctor!Reader

Warnings: nothing explicit, brief swearing, general confusion

—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—

An Apple a Day

Chapter 1

Synopsis:

Everything was normal- everything was starting to become better, pieces falling into place. You got your new position within the hospital secured, you were thinking about getting a dog, maybe even a cat. Life was beginning to make sense.

Until you end up in an entirely new world, apparently.

—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—

Footsteps echo through the halls, a soft sound in these vacant cells as you munch on the fruit given to you a Iittle while ago.

You huff, annoyed and tired with this insane situation.

You didn't expect this- to be somehow spawned into another world. One minute, you're in your office finishing some paperwork for a patient, the next, you're collapsing in the middle of a huge room, seemingly a meeting of elites to some sort.

You remember the shrieks of surprise, the throbbing in your skull as you weakly pushed yourself up with your palms. Your glasses had flung off in the events, nowhere to be found so now you're stuck with fuzzy vision and locked away while whoever figures out who and what you were.

You lean against the cold wall, huffing softly as you rub your fingers into your temple, feeling another headache brewing.

Footsteps get closer, entering the cell hallway and you sigh, rolling your eyes as they get nearer.

You see the fuzzy outline of someone, squinting to try and make them out but no such luck.

You groan as they stop at your cell and you decide to get up, pacing closer to the bars.

“Well? Figure me out yet?” You sass sarcastically.

“I don't think you're in a position to be sarcastic,” the woman murmurs, and you're almost convinced you hear a smirk in her tone.

“I don't think I'm in a position to do anything, I'm afraid, but here we are,” you smirk, leaning against the bars.

She's silent for a moment, gaze seemingly boring into you and you feel heat creeping up your neck in embarrassment. You avert your gaze, huffing softly.

“The Counsel hasn't figured out the cause of your appearance.. Where are you from? Noxus?”

You raise a brow in confusion and question, turning your gaze back to her,”Where the hell is Noxus? I'm from Chicago-”

“Chicago?” She echoes, bewildered,”I don't recognize your accent-”

“Typical brit, huh?” You try to joke but it falls flat. You swallow, looking away again.

“What is your position? Status?”

“Uh- what?”

“Your title,” she speaks firmly.

You look back at her despite her still blurry form,”Uh.. Doctor?”

“You're a Doctor?” She echoes, seemingly surprised,”In that uniform?”

“What's wrong with my uniform?” You look down at the white doctors coat with your soft navy cardigan underneath.

“I've never seen that kind of uniform on a doctor- seems unfitting-”

“Okay-”

“That- is not the main focus of my visit,” she sighs, before lifting her hand and handing you something.

“What's that-”

“Your glasses.”

“Oh, thank fuck,” you grab them from her hand and quickly put them on, wincing at the slight blur before your vision comes back into focus and redirecting your gaze back to the woman before you.

Jesus- this woman is gorgeous. Unlike anyone you've ever seen- what?

“Uh- wow,” you murmur, eyes wide as you take her in.

“What?” She tilts her head in confusion.

You figure you must be dreaming. Some drug induced coma, for sure.

“You're stunning,” you say smoothly, uncaring for any embarrassment you'd surely feel if this was real life.

Her gaze widens in surprise, before she quickly masks over it.

“The counsel wishes to conduct an interview, an investigation of sorts to understand your appearance,” she speaks smoothly, bringing keys forward before hesitating,”I trust you'll behave?”

You snort, giving her a nod,”Yes, I'll behave. I'm just as curious as you all are.”

She eyes you for a moment before unlocking the cell, sliding the bars open and beckoning you forward.

You step out, stretching your arms above your head before inhaling sharply in surprise when a guard approaches quickly, cuffs on display.

“Those won't be necessary,” the woman speaks firmly, brushing her hand to signal the guard.

You eye her carefully,”Thank you.”

She nods in silence.

“What's your name?”

She rolls her eyes, ushering you to walk out and you huff a soft laugh.

She walks beside you, leading you through halls with the guard following behind. You can't take your eyes off of your surroundings, enthralled with the architecture and some paintings on the walls.

“This is one insane dream,” you murmur to yourself.

“A dream?” The woman echoes, shaking her head,”How interesting.”

You remember these doors, suddenly nervous at the sight of the giant, overly designed wood as you recall being dragged out of the room behind them.

They open, revealing that those same people from before are seated in their same chairs.

You're pushed forward by the guard and you out of reflex turn to smack at his hand but the woman waves the guard off as she beckons you to follow.

“In the center, if you will,” she murmurs, walking away for circle the table back to her own seat.

You listen as requested, hands clasped together at your front as you stand in the center, feeling as if you were under a microscope.

“Uh.. hi,” you wave awkwardly with a sheepish smile.

The doors open again, a higher pitched voice gaining everyone's attention and you turn to look, only for you to find nothing. They're still talking, though, and you follow the sound to the head of the table when a small person? Seats themselves down.

“It's about time we figured out this anomaly!” He grins through quirked ears and a bushy mustache.

Your head tilts, confusion etched into your face.

“Counselor Medarda, have you found out any new information about our guest?”

The woman, you learn now is something Medarda, turns to nod in his direction.

“Our guest is from what you called Chicago? I am unfamiliar with it-” she turns to look at you.

“Yes- Uh, Chicago, Illinois, to be exact.”

“Illinois-?” A man echoes, and you turn before stifling a smirk.

The blonde man was the definition of a twink back home.

You shake your head, refocusing as you face the head counselor,”Yes, in America?”

His ears perk, eyes narrowed as he peers back at you,”We don't know what you're talking about, this America- there's no lands here by that name.”

“What now?”

Counselor Medarda sighs in defeat,”I truly don't believe we'll find anything of ill intent here,” she speaks smoothly,”Counselor Heimerdinger?”

Your head turns to the head counselor- Heimerdinger, as he furrows his thick brows.

“You don't look of Noxus style,” he huffs,”Nor any other land I've ventured through. I'm curious, what was your occupation?”

“Oh- I'm a Doctor, sir,” you respond sheepishly.

“A Doctor! Impressive,” he smiles genuinely and you're surprised to find delight in that,”I think we could find use of you while keeping an eye on your movements.”

“Use of me-?” You echo in confusion.

“Oh, yes! I believe we could very well use your talents,” he looks to the other counselors.

Some honestly look as if they care less, that one twink in particular, but as your gaze flicks back toward him, you catch onto Ms. Medarda.

She's looking at you with a certain look, a glint to her eye, like she found something worth investing in.

Heat creeps up your cheeks and you don't hear anything else, too occupied with the golden freckles dusting her cheeks and her near hypnotizing eyes.

“Then it's settled!”

You whip your head back to Heimerdinger, expecting the worst but he's got a genuine, friendly smile on his face.

“You'll be under surveillance, of course, but we want to understand your form of healing- perhaps it is different in this.. Chicago?”

You nod in understanding, smiling shakily,”Of- of course, uh-”

“Counselor Medarda and Shoola will lead you around, you will have a stationed enforcer keeping an eye on you until we can determine that you are not a threat.”

You nod again, hands tightening at your front out of nerves.

“I expect weekly reports, have them set up the east wing for board and the first floor for an office for her,” he grins back at you,”I do hope to see good things from you.”

He calls the meeting to an end, hopping down from his chair and exiting the room with a few of the counselors following behind you.

Counselor Medardo waves off Shoola, approaching you from behind before stopping.

“Doctor?”

You snap back into focus, turning to look at her.

“Ready to go?” She beckons toward the door.

You take a moment to reply, nodding in confusion.

“What the hell was that?” You manage to say, following her out of the room.

“That was your interview, investigation, call it what you wish,” she waves it off.

You look at her in bewilderment,”Was that counselor made of metal?”

“Counselor Bolbok?” She side eyes you in confusion.

“Sure, whatever-”

“Hold on.. you've been looking confused,” she turns to you, stopping in the hallway.

“No shit, Sherlock, I’m confused-”

“Sherlock?” She questions, face scrunched in confusion.

Your eyes go wide, hand coming up to cup the back of your neck, stressed,“Ok- what is happening.”

She just raises a brow, that confused look still on her face.

“What was that!” You huff,”Counselor Heim..”

“Counselor Heimerdinger,” she finishes.

“Yes- what?” You laugh in surprise,”What.. is he? In the least disrespectful way possible.”

She's quiet for a moment before sighing in defeat,”You really aren't from here.. are you?”

“That's what I've been telling you-” a headache begins to form,”Did I somehow end up in an entirely new universe? Huh?”

She covers her mouth, hiding the small laugh at your expense.

“Heimerdinger is a Yordle,” she murmurs with a grin,”Bolbok is a gaseous being- he controls his metal exterior.”

You look at her as if she'd grown a second head,“What the hell is a yordle?”

—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—

A/N: I just needed an excuse to describe Salo as a twink sorry not sorry

[gyoobies]

Title: Campfire Connection

Pairing: Lee Know x Fem Reader

Genre: fluff, smut

MINORS DNI! Go do your homework or something.

CONTAINS, Smut, slight angst, mutual pining, unprotected sex ( don't do this, always protect yourself).

<That's all I got.... Sorry, not sorry.

You had honestly never been rejected by anyone, nor had you ever really had to pursue any romantic interests.  It was just always kind of your luck that whoever you were into was usually into you as well. So it was a pretty big blow to your ego when the person you were interested in this time showed up to the group camping trip with some random waitress he'd met only a few weeks prior.  

"Hey, the guys noticed a couple of the single sleeper tents were damaged while they were putting them up, so you'll have to share with someone." Your best friend said as they approached you sulking at one of the picnic tables nearby. You rolled your eyes as your friend delivered the news.

"OK, well, I'll share with Felix." 

"Actually, everyone is paired off already. Felix is with Hyunjin and Han because they have a bigger tent, Seungmin is with Jeongin, so that leaves you and Minho."

"Seriously? Did no one check the tents beforehand?" You said as you sighed, startling a bit when you you heard a voice respond that wasn't your friend's.

"Sorry I wasn't more thorough. I can swap with Felix since you're not happy about the setup." Minho said as he walked off.

Your friend nudged you to follow. "Don't be like that. It's getting late and for the most part, everyone has started dropping their stuff in their tents.

"Fine, but don't think I don't suspect you and Chan for this little arrangement. Why was Minho even over this way anyway?!"  You whisper Yelled.

"Maybe he was looking for you." Your friend said while wiggling their eyebrows, causing you to scrunch your face as you made your way to the tent you'd be sharing with Minho. 

Toeing off your shoes and dipping down to enter the tent, you notice Minho starting to put his things back into his bag. "Hey, wait, you don't have to switch. It's nothing against you, I just wasn't expecting to be sharing a tent."

'Not with me at least.' He thought to himself. Although you had only informed your friend and their boyfriend Chan about your crush on Changbin, Minho wasn't stupid. It was easy for him to see how you looked at Changbin whenever he was around because it's how he looked at you, not that you ever noticed.

"Wow,  this is probably the best sleep setup I've ever seen camping. I'm jealous, and the cat pillows are adorable." You giggled. 

Minho smirked, "if you like, you can sleep here, I mean, I can sleep on whatever you have and you can sleep here."

"Oh no, I couldn't, it seems like you've put a lot of effort into making it cozy, but thank you. Thanks for letting me sleep in your tent too." You said as you began to set up your sleeping bag on the opposite side of the tent. 

"No need to thank me, it's my fault it turned out like this, remember. " He said with the sweetest smile, as if he wasn't lowkey shading you from the incident earlier. 

The sound of the tent zipper saved you from having to apologize again.

"Hey,  so yea, we're going to start a fire soon and like, don't be mad, but I kind of forgot to pack the extra blankets you brought in the car."  Said an obviously nervous Chan.

"So, what I'm hearing is my friend is going to be single soon." You said as you flung your pillow at Chan, but he easily dodged it. 

"Whoa relax! Good thing your aim isn't that great." 

"But mine is." 

Before you or Chan could register what Minho meant, the pillow had already hit it's target, Chan's face.

"Yes! That was perfect!" You said through your laughter.

 "Hey, it's ok. You won't freeze, I've got more than enough to share with you."

Although you knew it was an offer for extra blankets, the way he said it made your mind wander just a bit.

"See! You're upset for nothing, Minho has got you covered...get it?! Because he's sharing his blankets with you?" Taking the death glares from both you and Minho as a hint, he decided to leave.

Once you had set up your sleeping area, you made your way over to where the fire had been started and took a seat next to your friend.

"About time you joined us." 

"Whatever, move over loser."

"So, Minho is fighting your battles I hear."

"Please, can you not."

"What?! You're the one that said you thought he was attractive when I first started seeing Chris, and if I remember correctly, you wanted him before you wanted Binnie. Just saying, he's single, you're single, maybe."

"Maybe... I'd like to not be a notch on his belt, and yes, you're absolutely correct. I was interested in him in the beginning, but the guy literally has a new prospect every other week. I'll pass thanks."

With that the conversation between you and your friend about your love life ended. 

A few drinks and roasted hot dogs in, you were all feeling good, and you fully understood why paying extra for the campsite a bit further way from the other sites, with its own bathhouse was necessary. 

"The sex can't be good." Your friend said as they nodded in the direction of Changbin's date grinding stiffly against him.

You burst out laughing pulling your friend to their feet so the two of you could dance together.

"Let's make the boys jealous." you whispered.

Rolling your bodies together, you smirked at each other when you noticed the sudden silence around you. You were so busy dancing you didn't realize your friend was plotting against you. You felt their hand creeping up your thigh, and before you could even react, they had wrapped their arm around your waist, lifting the oversized hoodie you were sporting to reveal the barely there yoga shorts hidden underneath.  You glared at them earning a giggle in response. 

"Why?"

"Because you have a great ass and you should share it with the world."

"Sorry to break up a good time, but I'm getting jealous." Said Chan with the cutest pout on his face.

"Ugh fine! You can have them back now. Hater." You rolled your eyes playfully as you walked away, heading toward the cooler to grab a water before calling it a night and heading back to the tent.

About a half hour later Minho returned to find you huddled up in your sleeping bag with the extra blanket he'd given you, watching a movie on your phone. You were startled when Minho put another blanket over you. 

"Minho! What are you doing?"

"It's supposed to get really cold tonight."

"Then you'll need this." You said as you tried to give him his blanket back. 

"I still have more than enough to keep me warm, I promise." 

There it was, that damn smile, still as breathtaking as the first day you'd met him.

"You ok?"

"Huh? Oh! Yea you're fi- I mean I'm fine." You said as you turned away quickly, thanking him for the blanket and trying to pretend like you were really into the movie you had been watching, and not dying of embarrassment on the inside.

Minho smirked to himself at the thought of you getting all starry-eyed for him. 'Maybe he still had a shot after all', he thought to himself as he settled in for the night. 

You woke early the next morning, surprisingly well rested for having slept on the ground. You gathered all you needed to shower before really starting your day, being careful not to make too much noise, and wake your tent mate. You made a mental note as you stepped out into the brisk morning air after your shower to thank Chan for having the brain power to think of getting a site with a bathhouse despite his recent failures.  You bounced over to the area where you had all gathered the night before and started another fire in preparation to make breakfast for everyone. Nothing spectacular just easy to fix over a campfire.  Setting everything you needed out, you got to work. 

"Want some help?" Came a voice still thick with sleep from behind you.  Much to your surprise, it was Changbin.

"I wasn't expecting anyone else to be awake for at least another hour or so."

"Well, I guess I could always go back to sleep. "

"Oh no! It's too late now, I'm gonna put you to work." You laughed.

The two of you worked well together, laughing and playing around as you went. With an extra pair of hands helping, everything was ready in no time at all.

A comfortable chatter had set in between the two of you as you began to set out the food on the picnic tables. Changbin was always good company. It was one of the reasons you developed a crush on him in the first place.

First to arrive was was Felix, quickly followed by Han, Hyunjin, Seungmin and Jeongin. 

"Mmmm, the food smells so good"  Felix says, voice a few octaves lower than usual as he rested his head on your shoulder, watching you boil water for anyone that would like tea or coffee. 

"Wow! And I thought your voice couldn't get any deeper." You laughed. "Go eat before it gets cold, or they eat it all."

"Coooffeeeeeee, cooooooooofeeeeeeeeee"

"I know who that is." You giggled as you turned to see your friend, who of course was walking toward you like a zombie as they continued to vocalize their desire for caffeine.

"Black, no sugar, no cream,  just the way you like it." 

"Blessings on you and your vibrator, may the mortor stay lively and the battery stay full." they declared as you handed them the cup.

 Their humor was one of their most charming points, and you could only laugh, being used to this behavior.

"Wow, how embarrassing."

You looked up to see Changbin's +1 glaring at you.

"And why would that be embarrassing?" You questioned.

"If you're fine with the world knowing you're lonely, then I guess it's not embarrassing for you." She said with a smug look on her face as she gripped Changbin's arm.

"Who said I was using the vibrator alone?"  You laughed, walking to take a seat at the table that was now filled with blushing men. Felix nudged your side with a playful smirk. "She's so annoying." he whispered.

You and Felix carried on much like usual, makingnfun of Chan and exchanging knowing looks anytine Changbin's tag along opened her mouth. Despite all the fun you were having being caty with Felix, it didn't take long for you to realize someone still hadn't showed up to eat, so you took a moment to step away and  stash some food for him, knowing if you didn't, he wouldn't have a snowballs chance at getting any.

Finally finding the strength to get up, after a rough night of trying to sleep, Minho groaned realizing he had unfortunately underestimated how much he would need that extra blanket in the middle of the night. Making his way out of the tent, he began to approach the group. Taking a look around at all the tables, he noticed he was the last one to wake, so he had zero expectations that any of whatever everyone was eating was left. 

"Finally, you've decided to join us!" said a disgustingly energetic Chan.

Minho offered little more than a grumble as a response, while he went to rummage through the bin that held the dry goods, settling on a couple of granola bars, he shuffled over to take a seat.

You watched as he took a seat at the far end of the table wearing a very dissatisfied pout as he looked around at the now empty plates. You watched him for only a moment before you decided to put an end to his grumpy mood. 

"I think this will taste better." you said as you placed the plate of food you had stashed away in front of him with a hot cup of coffee.

The look of surprise quickly turned into a smile, accompanied by a soft "Thanks for thinking about me."

That simple statement, for reasons you weren't willing to admit, gave you butterflies.

"What kind of person would I be if forgot about you after you gave me your extra blankets?" 

It was then that he decided that he could sleep through two more nights of cold if it meant getting a little more attention from you. 

You thoroughly checked your camera equipment as you packed everything you'd need to take with you on your hike. You exited the tent so quickly you almost crashed face first into your tent mate, who had obviously just come from the showers based on the damp towel around his neck and the wet strands of hair that laid across his forehead.

"From the looks of that camera bag, I assume you're not going swimming with everyone else?"

"No, maybe I'll go tomorrow, but the weather right now is perfect, so I'm going to go explore and take some photos. What about you?"

"I'm not sure actually. I'm not really in the swimming mood."

"Well, you're welcome to tag along with me if you'd like."

Minho answered so quickly, you wondered if he had been hoping you'd ask him to accompany you in the first place.

"Sounds good, just give me a second to get ready." He said as he flashed that knee weakening smile.

You  watched everyone excitedly getting ready to go swimming as you waited patiently at the picnic tables, a bit nervously if you were being honest, but why were you nervous in the first place? You weren't interested in him anymore, now you wasted time trying to figure out how Binnie ended up with such an annoying bitch. The minute he stepped out of the tent and began to make his way towards you, you remembered why. Minho was insanely hot, even though he was sporting a simple tee, shorts and a backwards cap, he looked absolutely edible. In all your pining over Changbin you had actually forgotten how bad you used to have it for him.

"All set!" He said as he stopped in front of you.

You gave a nod and began to lift the bag you'd packed but Minho quickly grabbed it from you. 

"Let me carry it, you're letting me tag along, so the least I can do is carry your bag." He said. As he squatted to tie his shoe.

" I also saved you from starvation, don't forget that." You joked.

He looked up at you just before finishing up his double knot in his laces. "I'll never forget that." He smiled, and stood before turning to head out of the camp.

"Wow, so you two are ditching us?!" Screamed Chan while the two of you waved him off as you began to leave.

"I hope he makes a move, I'm tired of watching him steal glances at her and pouting when she runs off with Felix." Said Chan, causing your friend to giggle at his serious father like expression.

" He better! Binnie is not an option anymore, so he'd better claim her before this guy she works with gets the courage to ask her out."

"There's another guy?!

Your friend laughed at Chan's shocked expression. " Yes, but he's shy. The poor guy is a constant shade of blush pink anytime she's around him. Oh! and he's hot! Like crazy hot. Probably a sub too, she'd have fun with that I bet. Ooooo she could dress him up in a harness to show off those abs."

"Hey! Are you cheering for Minho or the hot shy sub with abs she works with?!"

"Seoho."

"What?"

"Seoho, that's his name, and of course I'm pulling for Minho! I'm just saying she won't be available forever, especially not if her hot neighbor makes a move."

"NEIGHBOR!"

Your friend just laughed. I'm kidding, both her neighbors are gay...but one is a lesbian and she is bi so..."

Before your friend could even finish their sentence Chan was already frantically texting Minho.

"Wow this place is seriously so beautiful" you said as you took photos of the wildflowers that littered the landscape. Every intricate detail of each flower holding your attention, so much so that you didn't notice the way Minho was smiling at you.

"Cute"

"Huh?"

" You, you're so excited about flowers, it's cute."

You gave a bashful smile and began taking photos.

The rest of the day went much like that, you taking photos and Minho complimenting your photography style and your little quirks. 

Minho watched you fondly as you photographed a patch of flowers by a small creek, until his phone began to vibrate. He took it out of his pocket to see that it was his weather app that had sent a storm alert. He quickly opened it to see when the storm would hit, and noticed a few text messages from Chan. After getting the information he needed from the app he opened the messages Chan had sent.

"Make your move!"

"There's a hot sub with abs that wants her to dom him! Apparently really hot!"

"And shy!"

"Did you know she's bi?!"

"She has a lesbian neighbor!"

Minho just stared at his phone with a confused expression on his face, trying to decipher what he was trying to say.

"Everything ok?" You questioned as you looked at the odd expression on his face.

"Huh? Oh, yea, we should head back. I just got a weather alert that says it's going to rain in a couple hours."

You sighed, you hated that you had to cut your litte photo session short, but you quickly packed up.

"Great! Knowing our luck Chan probably didn't pack any tarps."

That statement earned a chuckle from Minho.

"You're right because I packed them." He said as he held out a hand for you.

It was unexpected but you didn't hesitate to grab hold of it, taking notice of the way your hands fit together perfectly. 

"Its a bit rocky, we have to move quickly, and I don't want you to fall."

You trailed hastily behind Minho as he navigated the way back with urgency. This in no way stopped you from admiring his physique. He was on the shorter side, just a few inches taller than you, but his broad back, and toned legs were signs that he was strong. This lead you to daydream all the way back to camp about how he could probably lift you easily.

The two of you were first to arrive back at the  campsite, Minho wasted no time getting the tarps out to put up. 

"What should I help with?" 

"Well, if you want, you can set out the tarps, ropes and stakes next to the other tents. It'll make the process faster for them if its organized already when they get back."

Nodding your head in agreement you set off to get the tarps. You worked diligently to untangle a few of the ropes, and once you'd gotten everything separated you began to lay all they would need next to each tent. Minho watched you as you moved about the campsite until he saw the pleasant expression that had been plastered on your face change to an unreadable one when you'd made it to Changbin's tent.

You hadn't meant to invade anyone's privacy, but you couldn't help but notice the box of condoms proudly on display in Changbin's tent through the slightly open entrance. You were startled out of your daze when you heard a yelp, quickly turning your attention to the direction of the sound.

Minho internally scolded himself, he was so distracted by you and trying to figure out what you saw that changed your expression, that he wasn't watching where he was going as he backed up to check his handy work on the tarp and tripped over a fallen branch. Quickly you made your way to him, worried he could be seriously hurt.

 "Minho! Are your ok? Does anything hurt?"

With smiling eyes he looked up at you as you kneeled at his side. "Only my pride."

Why did he have to be so damn cute? 

You grabbed his hand to help him sit up and found yourself staring directly into his eyes. 

"Are you sure?"  You said dropping your eyes to scan over him for any cuts or bruises.

"I promise, I'm not hurt" He said softly as he tucked his finger under your chin to guide your eyes back to his. His gaze was more than reassurance that he was ok, it was like a beacon, calling to the desires you thought you no longer had. Luckily everyone started to arrive back to the camp before you did something stupid. Quickly you stood up and held your hand out to help him up. 

"We're back!" Said Chan as he made his way to begin hanging the tarp over his tent.

You sighed in annoyance at the smirk on your friend's face as they looked back and forth between you and Minho. 

"Hey! We're probably going to be stuck in our tents for a while until the heaviest part of the rain passes." Minho shouted out for all to hear.

"Yea I figured. Let's make some ramen for now and campfire pizzas or something for later and grab snacks for the tents."  Your friend suggested.

"do you want me to grab any specific snacks from the food tent" you asked Minho as you began to step away.

"anything is fine." He responded coyly.

You knew the moment you were alone, the questions would be neverending, so you decided to spill before they had the opportunity to ask anything. The minute you both walked into the food tent you started talking.

"I'm confused."

"Huh? About what?"

"Everything I thought I knew about Minho's personality, but I think I was wrong." You said as you avoided looking at your friend.  You knew there was most likely a smug look on their face.

"Oh! Really?"

"Shut up! But he's actually really sweet, smart, and funny."

"Don't forget ridiculously fucking hot! Like wow!"

"Please, shut up."

"What? It's true!"

You sighed loudly "I know! And I don't know if it's the lack of sex, the scenery, the realization that we have a lot in common or a combination of it all, but if you had taken a little longer to come back I probably would have mounted him."

"Damn, that's hot! I don't see the issue."

"Of fucking course you don't! I like him, but I don't want to be his flavor of the week."

"Who said you would be? Maybe you're just assuming he's like that, just like you assumed you knew other parts of his personality. Now here you are having a sexually frustrated meltdown in a tent, desperately clutching cup ramen. Look, I'm not saying he's perfect, but just because he may have dated a lot, does that mean he doesn't deserve a chance to show you something different?"

You mulled over your friends words as the two of you prepared food. They weren't wrong, you wouldn't want someone to hold your past relationships against you. You also had to remind yourself that you weren't even sure if he was actually into you. 

After every tarp was up and everyone had filled their tents with snacks, everyone spent the time before the rain, chatting and eating cup ramen together.

"So what did you two find when you ditched us." Said Hyunjin. 

"Peace" you responded causing the group to chuckle.

Before Hyunjin could offer any snarky responses rain began to fall. You all began to scramble tossing the trash and making sure everything was secured. Before you made your way to the tent, your friend pulled you aside to remind you to be open minded.

You dipped to make your way under the tarp and found that Minho had thoughtfully brought a small plastic bin with a lid to keep your shoes in so they were sure not to get wet from the rain while sitting outside.

Once inside you found your tent mate had changed his clothes and was now relaxing among his pillows, headphones on and eyes closed. You had to admit, you were hoping that being confined to your tent would give you a little more time to get to know him better, but that didn't seem to be in the cards, so you settled into your sleeping area and decided to watch a movie. Before you could even find one that interested you, Minho had thrown a pillow and startled you.

"HEY!" You hissed.

"Sorry, I thought you had earbuds in." He laughed.  "Do you wanna watch a movie with me?" He said as he made room for you next to him. "You'll have to come over here because I need to set-up on that side."  

"Set-up?"

"You'll see. Just come."

You made your way over to his adorable sleeping area and tried to make yourself comfortable as you watched him set-up a mini projector that connected to his phone and a screen the he pulled from his bag.

"Wow you really camp in luxury. I'm really regretting not taking you up on your offer to swap now that I know how comfortable it is." You said through laughter.

Minho shot you wink over his shoulder.

"Well, its big enough for two if you dont mind sharing? I would offer to swap, but truthfully, I am starting to feel that fall from earlier a bit, so I kind of need the extra cushion." In that moment you mentally thanked your friend and Chan for inviting you on this camping trip.

"I can massage where it hurts if you'd like."

You noticed his ears begin to turn red before he answered, a bit shyly. "Um, it's ok, I'm not sure asking you to rub my ass is appropriate."

You quickly burried your face in the pillows to muffle your laughter. " I'm sorry, I just didn't think about the fact that it could have been anything other than your back that hurt."

You studied his features that showed all the signs of embarrassment as he continued his set-up. His ears were now a blazing red, and a slight tint of pink could be seen across his face.

"Cute." You mumbled.

Once he had everything set up, he took his place beside you so you could pick a movie together. After a couple of minutes you decided on an action movie.

 Minho made himself comfortable and laid on his side, resting his head on his hand. You followed his lead, laying on your stomach and resting your head on your arms so you didn't block his view.

About thirty-five minutes in, you had to say something. 

"Minho?"

"Yea?"

"This movie sucks."

 He erupted into laughter. "You picked it!"

"I know!" You groaned as you rolled to your back and let out an exasperated chuckle. 

"Well, we can watch something else, but you can't pick " 

You immediately hit him with one of his cat pillows. 

"Aww you're pouting!  Cute." He cooed.

You turned your head slightly to find Minho's eyes lingering on your face.

"You say that a lot."

"Only when it's true." He said as he moved a bit closer to you.

You could feel the pull again, the attraction, the need to feel his lips on yours, but you needed to know something first.

"You know who else is really cute? That girl  you're dating, with the short hair." 

A smirk crept onto his face. 

"Ah! Yea, she is cute, but I'm not dating her."

"Oh! Sorry. The girl that came over with the red hair about a week ago was cute too."

You felt him move a bit closer. "Hmmmm she is too, but I'm not dating her either."

"Oh! Well the gi-"  before you could fish for anymore information, Minho cut you off.

"I'm not dating anyone currently. I haven't dated anyone seriously for a while. Some of the girls you see come over are there to review their dance videos so I can instruct them on what needs to be cleaned up. I have them come to our place because sometimes they aren't able to make it to the studio before the building closes. Others are dates, but you don't see them around for long because I know what I'm looking for and they weren't it. So, do you wanna know about the girl I brought over a few months ago too, orrrr?"

You were visibly embarrassed to have shamelessly questioned him about his dating life and he definitely picked up on it because once again he was laughing at your expense.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry."

"It's fine really. I guess now that I think about it, it probably didn't look good from the outside looking in, to see me with a different girl every week."  Minho paused when he noticed you looking at him with a soft smile pulling at your lips. "What?"

You turned to stare at the ceiling of the tent before confessing. "Nothing, I'm just glad things worked out how they did. You're a lot different from how I perceived you and I may have never gotten to know you if it wasn't for this trip. You probably think I'm a lot different too huh?" You said as you turned your head to him slightly.  The expression on his face was very serious as he responded with a very clear "No". You didn't know exactly how to react other than to question his response.

"No? You don't have any change in your opinion of me now that you know me better?"

"No" He said again as he shifted even closer to you. Now able to look down at your face as he spoke. "My opinion of you is the same now as it was the first day you came over and Chan introduced you as his partner's partner in crime. You're smart, confident, funny, and beautiful, you're perfect. I don't see anything different, so I don't need to change my opinion."

You we taken back by his statement at first, but decided he must be joking to get a flustered reaction out of you. "Yea, sure, whatever." you said laughing it off as you rolled your eyes, turning away from him slightly.

At that moment his phone chimed signaling a new message was waiting. Minho almost felt defeated. Did you really not believe him? Or were you pretending you didn't believe him to possibly deter him from confessing? Maybe you were still holding on to your feelings for Changbin.  Again, his phone chimed, this time he opened the messages.  Of course they were from Chan.

"Did you tell her yet?"

"Don't miss your chance."

"Remember she had a crush on you first, not Changbin."

He was blankly staring at Chan's messages trying to work up the nerve to really confess and prepare himself for a possible rejection. It was only when you began to get up to move away from him that he realized he had made the situation awkward by going silent. 

"WAIT!" Without thinking, he pulled you back into his chest, and let out a deep breath to calm his nerves. Finally finding the courage to speak, he let everything he'd kept to himself out.

"You know how I said the girls I dated didn't last long because they weren't what I was looking for?" He pause for you to answer.

"Yea."

"I guess I phrased it wrong. I shouldn't have said they weren't what I was looking for, but they weren't who I was looking for.  It doesn't  take long for me to figure out when someone's not a good match for me, it also doesn't take me much time to figure out when someone is probably perfect for me, but they have eyes for someone else."

You tried to turn over so you could see his face but he held you in place.

"Please, just let me finish this while I have the nerve. I know who I want, I've known for months, and this camping trip was gonna be my last attempt to get you to notice me."

You were surprised to hear him confessing like this. You knew he likely found you attractive, but you hadn't really thought he'd have such deep hidden feelings for you.

"You're so confident and sure of yourself, I've seen women literally fall over themselves when you're around, so why were you nervous to tell me how you feel?" You questioned.

"Please don't be upset with how this is going to come out, but how am I supposed to feel when the woman I've been secretly falling for was falling for one of my best friends? Seeing you com over to have movie nights, and just hang out with him. It's not exactly a confidence booster and I didn't want to ruin anything. You both seemed to enjoy being around one another and from what I had seen in his last relationship, Bin was a good boyfriend, I thought maybe he'd probably treat you better than I could, so I decided to try to let go, but I couldn't and I don't want to anymore. Today was the best date I've had in years, and it wasn't even a real date. Wow! that sounds so pathetic, but it's true." He took another deep breath to calm his heart that felt as if it was going to beat right out of his chest.

"I think I'm going to shut up now, before I embarrass myself any more."

You sat there for a moment with his arms still wrapped around you, his forehead now pressed to your shoulder and just tried to process everything that he said.

You were wrong. So, so, so, so wrong in your assumptions about Minho. Yes, he was blunt, tough, and a bit sarcastic, but he was also sweet, attentive, funny and apparently very misunderstood by you.

"I'm sorry." Was the first thing you thought to say, but you realized when you felt his grip loosen that maybe you should have started off with something else, something less rejection sounding. You quickly turned to face him, cupping his face with both your hands you kissed him softly before continuing.  "I meant I'm sorry that I made assumptions about you, I wrote you off before really getting to know you. I'm glad you decided to take a chance and try again."

Minho smiled at you sweetly before kissing you again. "Does this mean you want to try dating me?"

"Yes, but I need to know that it won't bother you knowing I had a crush on your friend?"

"I'm not going to say I won't be jealous when you interact with him sometimes, but I think I'll be ok, so long as you promise to stop eye fucking him and start eye fucking me."

 You both erupted into laughter only stopping when you leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"I may have decided against trying to date you, but I never stopped eye fucking you. Besides I can do more than just eye fuck you now."

"You better be careful, teasing will get you punished." He growled.

"Hmm I do like the thought of being punished by you, but not today. Today, I'm going to be so good, gonna be the best girl to you. Lay down for me." You whispered sweetly.

Minho did as you asked, resting his upper body back against his pile of pillows. His eyes followed your movements as you removed your pants and top, revealing soft pink panties and a matching bra.

"So cute." He said with a smile.

"Oh baby, if you like my camping underwear, wait til we get back home. I have some really nice ones you'll love". You giggled.

"I want to see them all."

"I'll  show you whatever you want." You said as you ran your hands up his thighs, stopping when you reached the waistband of his sweats. You looked up to find Minho watching, waiting for your next move. "Can I have permission to touch you?"

Throwing his head back he let out a low groan, he didn't know if you were just guessing or if you could read him that well already, but one thing was for sure, if you were this good at being "the best girl" for him, he couldn't wait for the day you'd be a bad girl.

 "Yes, you have permission to do anything you want."

You tucked you fingers inside his waistband making sure you grab his underwear as well, before pulling them off.

"I knew such a pretty face would have an equally pretty dick to match."  You said just before spitting on his dick to stroke it. You watched as he threw his head back again, enticing you with that pretty neck of his.  A few more strokes and then you took him in your mouth, earning a sinful moan from Minho. If it was possible you'd spend every day with his dick shoved down your throat just to hear his soft breathy moans.

He threaded his fingers in your hair and began to gently thrust into your mouth. His moans quickly went from soft and breathy to low, sinful grunts with every thrust and you took this as a signal that he was going to cum.  Soon he was just fucking your throat and all you could think about was swallowing every drop of him. 

*chime*

*chime*

*chime*

Minho groan in annoyance letting go of your head. I have to respond or he'll just keep asking. You removed Minho's dick from your mouth briefly to respond.

"It's Chan, isn't it?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. He's been messaging me the entire time to encourage me to confess, he even messaged me while we were hiking."

"OK well, tell him you did so he'll stop interrupting." You said while trailing your finger along the length of his dick causing it to twitch.

"Baby, this is Chan he'll just have more questions."

"Fine! We'll do it this way." You huffed as you moved to grab his phone noticing the background was a photo of you in the wildflower field from earlier. You turned to to him with a questioning look, making him flustered as he reached for his phone.

"I'm sorry. I know I should have asked, but everything in that moment was perfect and I figured I could at least have that memory if you rejected me."

 Your heart fluttered knowing he had sneakily taken a picture of you as a keepsake, and as badly as you wanted him before, that feeling had increased exponentially now. You straddled him moving your panties to the side to grind your wet pussy on his dick.  You lifted slightly to line him up with your entrance, gasping in unison with him when you eased all the way down, filling yourself with him completely.  You leaned down to kiss him and he took the chance to flip you over, positioning himself on top of you. 

 "Can you open wider for me?" He said as he pushed your legs further apart.  "Just like that" He moaned. His slow deep strokes sent waves of tingles across your body with every thrust.  

*chime*

"That's it!" You screamed as you grabbed his phone to call your biggest inconvenience since this trip began. The phone barely rang before an eager Chan could be heard. Minho slowed his thrusts so as not to give away what you were doing, but you didn't care if they heard, in fact, you called so he could hear, effectively answering any and all of his questions about how the confession went.

"Finally! how did it go? Does she feel the same?"

"Chan!"

 "Oh! It's you!"  

"Yes its me, and if you don't stop interrupting I will gladly choke you tomorrow."

"But where-" Chan's train of thought derailed the moment Minho picked up the pace grunting as he did and you whimpered into the phone. 

"He's busy, oh fuck! Right there! Bye." You moaned.

You could hear your friend cheering in the background as you ended the call. 

You always just thought sex so good it made your toes curl was just an exaggeration until now. Wrapping your legs around his waist you pulled him closer needing to feel his weight on you.  

"You feel so good." He said as he took one of your legs from his waist, and hooked it over his shoulder. The new angle gave you everything you needed and it wasn't long before he groaned at how your pussy squeezed his dick, mimicking the way your hands were squeezing forearms as you came.

Breathlessly you called his name he continued to fuck you, never letting up even after the second orgasm that quickly followed your first. You whimpered when he pulled out of your dripping pussy and flipped you to your stomach.

"Ass up baby, I can stop holding off now that I've gotten two orgasms out of you."

You whimpered as you got into position, arching your back so that your ass was at the perfect angle for him to pound into you.

"Fuck" He whispered before diving in to taste you.  You jolted at the unexpected feeling of his mouth on you. Why was he so good at everything?! You had to bury your face deep into the pillows to muffle your cries. Sure, your tent was further away from the other tents and the sound of the pattering rain was drowning out almost every sound as it got heavier, but the last thing you wanted was for them to hear you screaming his name and begging him to fuck you senseless. Satisfied with finally tasting you the way he had always wanted, he rose to his knees and positioned himself behind you, caressing your ass gently before sliding inside you. Minho leaned over you momentarily to nip at your shoulder as he began to thrust into you. Confident that you had adjusted to this new position he picked up his pace. Mesmerized by the way your ass jiggled every time he snapped his hips into you, he hadn't even realized his thrusts had gotten harder and faster until his final thrust that made you collapse, caused him to slip out of you just before his climax. Quickly he pumped himself to completion, groaning as he reached his release, painting your ass and thighs with his cum.

He took a moment to catch his breath and admire the sight of his pearly droplets beginning to drip down the curve of your ass, he wondered momentarily if you'd allow him to do the same to your tongue, before rummaging through one of his bags, and retrieving a towel to clean you of his mess.

Taking his place beside you, he ran his fingers up and down your back soothingly, kissing your shoulder. He gazed at you fondly as you laid there, eyes closed, head still surrounded by his mountain of pillows. He was exhausted and he was sure you'd both be asleep in no time, if you weren't already. 

The next morning Minho woke first, happy to see he wasn't just dreaming. You opened your eyes as he greeted you with a kiss to your forehead.

"Good morning kitten. How do you feel?"

"I don't think I have a lower half anymore."

Minho burst into giggles. "Well, I guess that means I have to carry you the the showers."

"I can manage but you have to shower with me in case my legs betray me for last night."

"I can definitely do that, but let's rest a little more first, it's still early, it's only 6."

Wrapping the blankets around the both of you tighter, Minho held you close as you both drifted off to sleep again. 

"Aren't you glad I wasn't more thorough with checking tents now?" He laughed. 

Epilogue: The bonfire crackled as Changbin took another sip of his beer. It's been about two months since the camping trip and about two weeks since he called it off with the girl he'd taken on the camping trip. She was never meant to be long term, just another distraction from the heartbreak of his ex cheating on him and a way to keep you from falling for him. He knew eventually he'd want something more serious again one day, someone more compatible with him. He thought of how you were always there to cheer him up, to coax him out of whatever funk he was in and get him to hang with the group to help ease his pain after his breakup. Over time, he could feel a shift in your friendship, and it scared him. He wasn't ready to date anyone, let alone someone like you. You were ready to love, and give your all and it wouldn't be fair for him to take that from you when he just wasn't ready to give it back, especially when one of his best friends couldn't keep his eyes off you. He knew Minho had an interest in you from the day they all met you. He felt a pang of guilt as he thought about how your efforts to cheer him up got in the way of you getting to know Minho better. Sure, that didn't stop the others, especially Felix and Hyunjin from building relationships with you, but Minho's situation was a bit different. Kind of hard to show interest in someone if they're busy showering their affection on someone else. It was best for him to step aside so you two could find each other.

"Do you regret it?" Han said as he came to sit beside his friend.

Looking over to the patio where you and Minho had snuggled up on the porch swing, Changbin sighed. "Sometimes I do, but then I see how happy they are, and that's how I know I made the right choice."

NOTE: If you guys want to experience this story from the bestie's POV Here 👈🏾

[penumbra-mayhem]

How to Trap an Alpha

— Asher & David & Angel Fic

This takes place about a month after the Inversion. It def goes against canon; I'm making everyone's response to the Inversion far worse (especially David, in this he didn't talk about the Inversion with Angel after it happened. Also I hc Angel as a transwoman, so expect she/her thx.)

Hope yall enjoy <3

TW: gore, panic attack, verbal fighting, grief, PTSD, flashbacks

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

It was Asher’s third mistake this week—and his biggest. It had cost David one of the few security gigs he'd managed to book since the Inversion, and David could only chalk it up to pure negligence. He called Asher into his home office; the sight of him sparked panic in David, but he swallowed it and growled:

“This is unacceptable, Asher.”

“I know,” Asher replied, wincing at the aggression in David’s voice, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry’s not going to cut it. You know how badly we needed this gig.”

“I forgot—”

“—you forgot,” David scoffed, “You need to do better, Asher. I'm relying on you. The pack is relying on you. If they don’t get work, they can’t pay their rent or groceries or medical bills—”

“—I’m trying, okay?”

“Well you’re clearly not trying hard enough.”

“Yes, I am. Your standards are just ridiculously high.”

“You’re the pack beta. My standards have to be high.”

“Well can you lower them a bit?”

“I’m not going to coddle you, Asher."

"I'm not asking you to coddle me, but I tried talking to you last week—"

"—and I told you to deal with it. I trusted that you would."

"You wouldn't listen to me! Ever since the Inversion you've been practically unreachable. I've been trying to tell y—"

"—I don't have the time, Asher. I have responsibilities. I have people to take care of. I'm the alpha of this pack!"

“You’re not just the fucking alpha!” Asher barked.

David glared at him, “What?”

“Could you stop being my alpha for one goddamn moment and just be my friend,” Asher pleaded, "I know you're not doing well. How could you? How could any of us? I’ve tried checking up on you so many times the past couple weeks. You just keep ignoring me. And not once—” he gasped, his chest tightening, “—not once have you checked on me.”

Images flashes in David's mind at the sound of Asher struggling to breathe: Asher's mauled chest—the layers and layers of exposed skin and bubbly fat, heaving and stretching as he fought for air. Crimson sludge pulsing out of him with each beat of his racing heart.

Asher’s gasped in between words, “I know you want to b-be strong for everyone, but sometimes your strength just c-comes off as indifference. I-I miss my friend! I need my friend. Not my alpha. Fuck, I didn’t know l-losing Gabe would mean losing you too.”

Gabe. It always came back down to Gabe. David balled his fists tight. He’d never escape his father’s death. Never step out from his shadow. He tried so hard to be like his father, and yet everything he did seemed to be the antithesis to what Gabe would do. He wasn’t his father. He never would be. Everyone knew that. Everyone doubted him. And now the one person who’d always had his back was losing faith too.

David stared as Asher backed up against the wall of his office, shaking and hyperventilating. Gabe wouldn’t have let him get to this point. Especially after what he just went through. He would’ve checked on him. He would’ve cared.

Asher's face rapidly losing saturation, so contorted with pain that he looked monstrous. No sense of recognition when he looked up at David. Just pain and fear. It was a look David had never seen on Asher before.

Asher spluttered, “I-I don’t think I can d-do this…fuck, I f-feel like I’m going to p-pass out.”

Gabe knew how to respond to tragedy. He knew how to compartmentalize. He knew how to be a leader and a friend and a father. Gabe knew what to do, always. David didn’t. David didn't know anything. He tried to think of how Gabe would've helped Asher and came up empty. Every day it was like the memory of his father faded a bit more. How could he emulate someone he was slowly forgetting?

And if Asher died, would the same thing happen? Would David lose bits of him? His voice? His laugh? His smile?

Asher was a whimpering, gasping ball on the floor of David's office. He clawed at his own chest, mentally trapped somewhere between the past and the present. David felt the same.

Trying desperately to heal Asher. Asher's core clawing at David's, like someone drowning seeking anything to hold. David's core grasping at Asher's as it slipped away like smoke.

I should leave, David thought, panic squeezing his throat, I should call his mate and let them handle it. They're better at this. Asher's better at this. Ash would know what to do. Dad would know what to do. I don't. I can't. I'm frozen. I jus—

Knock knock knock.

"Hey, David, is everything..." Angel asked quietly as she cracked open the door. Her face fell as she saw the look in David’s eyes, and then Asher on the floor to her right.

"What the fuck? David? David?" Angel sputtered, rushing in. Getting no response from her mate, she crouched down in front of Asher, "Ash, sweetie, what's going on? Are you hurt?"

"C-can't breathe. C-can't..." Asher managed.

Angel whipped her head to look up at David, "What the hell happened?"

"I...I..." David muttered before looking away.

She turned her attention back at Asher, murmuring, "Ash, you think you make it to the living room?"

Asher gave a slight nod. He swayed as Angel helped him up; the feeling brought on a whole new wave of panic, causing him to whimper and grip Angel hard.

"It's okay. It's okay, I've got you. Just a little trip down the hallway, and I'll get you some water, maybe some ice, and we'll get that breathing slow again. It's okay, you're safe, I've got you..." Angel cooed, her voice fading as the two made their way to the living room.

Leaving Ash lying in the Underground. Wondering if he'd ever see him again. The ice-cold fear that it hadn't been enough. That the healing hadn't been enough to save him. That he'd die down there, alone. That he'd abandoned his best friend.

David's head spun. The panic he felt whenever he was with Asher was the same panic he felt whenever Asher left. He couldn't escape. David leaned against his desk as images flooded his head.

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

About twenty minutes later, Angel appeared in the doorway. David's eyes shot up, red and glassy.

"I managed to calm him down a bit. His mate came and picked him up. They're on their way home now, I expect," Angel said, her voice tight.

"Good," David croaked.

Silence fell for a moment.

"What happened?" Angel asked.

David grumbled dismissively, “He lost us the Devlin gig."

"I already knew that. That's not what I'm talking about."

"It was just a panic attack. He's fine," David hissed.

Angel gaped, "What? What the fuck is wrong with you?""

"Oh fuck off." David growled.

Washing Asher's blood off himself in his bathroom sink. Angel offering to help. Telling her to go away.

"No!" Angel shouted, advancing towards him, "No, you do not get to tell me to fuck off. Not after I just helped your best friend off the fucking floor while you stood there and did nothing."

Gabe would have done something. Gabe would be so disappointed.

Angel lowered her volume, but kept the bite in her voice, "Look, I understand you're struggling, David. I don't need you to tell me that for me to see it. But that doesn't mean you get to be cruel. No more shutting me out. Now talk. What happened?"

He didn't answer. He couldn't. He felt his body instinctively fight the urge to keep from crying. Gabe used to let himself cry in front of people. Why couldn't David?

Angel ran a hand over her face, muttering, "Alright. Fine. I'm leaving."

Pack members sprinting. Splitting up. Leaving his line of sight. Leaving him.

She turned to walk out, and David heard the words before he even realized he was saying them, "I can't stop seeing him. How he was. Asher. On the ground, bleeding out. Every time I look at him, that's all I see."

Angel stopped, but didn't turn back around.

The words came rushing out like a flood. Like blood from an open chest. "I can't escape. Everywhere I look, there's something or someone that reminds me of that night. Something that sends my mind back there and then I have to claw my way back to the present, every time."

Angel faced him, biting her lip and furrowing her brow. David could feel tears burning his eyes, but he couldn't let them fall.

"I don't know how to handle this. All those fucking people, just...gone...I don't know how to be a leader after something like that. I'm doing everything wrong. I'm somehow pushing everyone away and yet not far enough, apparently, cause I'm still hurting people when I lash out. I'm hurting you. I'm hurting Ash. I'm hurting the pack. And-and..." David choked, "...and I just keep thinking how the only good thing about my dad being dead is he doesn't have to watch me as I destroy everything he built."

"No," Angel insisted, shaking her head as she walked back to him, "You're not destroying everything."

"I am, Angel," David cried out, his voice small. Tears clung to the edges of his eyes.

"No," she repeated, her hands resting on his hips, "you're not."

David let Angel pull him into her. He let her arms wrap around him. Let her shoulder hold his head as he began to cry. Finally. For the first time since that night.

His tears falling on Asher's face. The Shades and the screams so loud he could barely hear his own sobbing.

"Here's what we're going to do," Angel whispered, "We're going sit on our bed. I'm going to get you some water. We're going to talk. Afterwards, we're going to get some food. Maybe go for a drive, talk some more. And when he's ready, you're going to talk to Ash. Okay?"

It was a page right out of Gabe's book, and it took David aback for a moment. He almost kept the thought to himself. Almost.

"My dad would've said that," David mumbled into Angel's shoulder, “What you said, just now.”

“Yeah?”

David nodded.

"Is that good or bad?"

"Good. Makes me feel...steady," David assured her.

Angel pressed a small kiss to his temple and murmured, "I'm glad. Now come on, let's go talk."

[eggrollforyou]

First Tattoo

Law x F!reader

CW: sfw, fluff and silliness

Summary: a (not so short- I swear I can't write anything short) blurb about reader being nervous for her first tattoo and asks Law to come to settle her nerves

A/N: thanks for this request @dreamcastgirl99 ! I had fun with it. Especially trying to incorporate the last lines. Every time I get a tattoo I hear it from the artists when I don't flinch 🤣 I hope you enjoy!! 💚

Your mind was made up, you had your tattoo design picked out, you had your appointment set up and suddenly, it was appointment day. Being your first tattoo you were SUPER nervous. It hurts right? It's gotta hurt. How bad does it hurt? Oh my God what am I doing? This is permanent. Do I really like the design we discussed? You think to yourself in rapid succession, biting your nails. Your face and chest feel hot. Your nerves are getting to you, quickly. “L-law?” You cry out, panic in your voice. He pokes his head into the room, “Hmm?” He says your name, “what's up?” his response laced with concern.

“I don't think I can do this. What if I regret this tattoo? It's stuck with me forever!” your voice on the verge of breaking. He chuckles, “It’ll be FINE! What you want is beautiful and you'll cherish it. It's just nerves. Want me to come with you for comfort?” He brushes your hair behind your ear. “Yes, please,” you whisper sheepishly, feeling slightly better knowing he'll be there with you.

You're on the island where you have your tattoo scheduled. Walking to the shop, you find yourself rambling- word vomit, when you're nervous. “They're going to disinfect the area, shave any hair, he'll put the stencil where you want it, and they just follow the stencil. It's really routine. You'll be fine,” Law attempts to reassure you for the umpteenth time. You shake your nerves out of your hands as you stand in front of the shop. “Ok. That sounds easy enough. Let's do this,” as Law presses a quick kiss on your temple.

“Alright, little lady. You ready to do this?” The tattoo artist has your tattoo stencil placed, he's got his gun, needle ready as he looks up at you from his chair. Your heart starts pounding again, you feel it like your heart will burst from your chest.

Hearing only the roar of your blood in your ears, you take a deep breath looking at Law. Your eyes are wide, you're trying to center yourself instead of panicking. He moves his chair next to you and grabs your hand, “You don't have to do this if you don't want to,” he whispers. “Will it hurt?” you ask with a slight tremble in your voice. As he gives your hand a reassuring squeeze, you take another breath. “Well, yea. I mean it hurts like hell,” Law was never one to mince words, even with you, despite the softness he showed only to you.

He senses your unease and clears his throat “But the spot you picked isn't super sensitive. Plus, you're YOU. You're tough. I've seen you go toe to toe with the scrappiest pirates in dark, dingy, bars,” he winks. You chuckle with him, taking a breath, and nod at the tattoo artist, “I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be.” He presses the needle to start and you twinge in pain, trying your hardest to keep still. It's a strange sensation. Like your skin is being scraped and pinched at the same time. After about 30 seconds you realize This actually isn't as bad as I thought. I can handle this.

You look over at Law and he smiles at you, “See? Everything is fine, right?” He studies your face to gauge where you're at. You exhale a long forceful breath, “Yea, it's actually not as bad as I thought. It was the nerves making it worse,” you chuckle. After an hour and a half, your tattoo is done. The artist moves so you can check it out in the mirror leaning against the wall. “So? How do you like it?” The artist and Law both ask. Your heart skips at the sight and you shake your hands in excitement, “Oh my gosh, I LOVE it! And it barely even hurt!” Law scoffs, “Tch, barely hurt? What are you talking about?” The tattoo artist laughed, throwing his head back, “Women always handle the pain better than men.” You can't help but laugh when you see Law glaring daggers at the shop owner.

Tags: @shy-writer-999

Dividers by @/cafekitsune

[bukatra]

I've watched spn and no I don't think wincest is inherent to the show??? Like maybe u don't have siblings that act the way they do, which is fair- most don't. And ofc they're codependent and toxic or whatever, but it's still very much brotherly love. Or if anything, Dean practically raised Sam. Wouldn't you do anything for the child u raised?

Your entire argument relies on some nonexistent line of familial behaviour that *you* think devolves into an incestuous one. I think you're the one not understanding what you just saw. Maybe read up on family dynamics and reevaluate your thoughts on wincest. I don't want this to become a lengthy discussion on boundaries.

I also do feel the need to point out that most of the people that ship wincest are def talking about a romantic relationship which is just incorrect as per the writers, actors and literally everyone else saying its not romantic. But ppl are allowed to be crazy about fictional characters so I don't really have anything much to say on that.

Personally, heres what I think is happening *IN CANON* i.e, this is what i think is going through their heads and hearts during their actions onscreen:

Dean and Sam are codependant to the point that they dont have a sense of self outside of their relationship and role of the other brother. Most of the emotional support/intimacy/nurturing/trust/etc that adults typically get from romantic or sexual partners is gotten via their brother. They struggle to create bonds with other people that are beyond friend or casual sexual partners. Deans connection to Castiel is a rare exception. They fill very similar roles in their day to day life as husbands or wives do in normal peoples lives. Due to their lifes, privacy is near impossible and its so rare that its almost seen as a breach of trust to keep anything at all a secret(i.e, having interests, posessions, relationships, etc that the brother is unaware of is shoking and both have gotten angry about the other having anything in their lives that they are unaware of)

So basically, a large amount of what constitutes their relationship are things typically attributed to sexual or romantic partners.

This is what is often referred to as the canonical wincest or weirdcest.

Do i think they had sex canonically? Hell no.

Do i think they ever talked about their relationship canonically? Hell no.

Do i think they knew that their relationship skewed way closer to the kind of dynamic usually seen in couples? Yes.

In fact i think that most of the back and forth of their dynamic (pushing the other one away only to yank him back in, one season they think they need to split up. The next season they are saying thwyll never leave each other) is just them becoming aware that they are basically acting emotionally the way most romantic partners do, freaking out, trying to distance themselves only to realize they are all they have. They cant reach this level of intimacy with someone else.

I dont think they ever did more than hug. But emotionally they filulfill the same needs normally found in a commited sexual and romantic relationship.

Perhaps as someone who is asexual and aromantic whose had relationships that were long term committed relationships where we cohabited and raised pets and children together all while being very reliant on each other for emotional support and intimacy and validation without any sex or romance involver, I am able to look at these two brothers and easily see that they are basically in a queer platonic partnership.

[yourfellowhuman07]

Hello, my fellow Entrapdak shippers!

I am happy to say it is once again time for Entrapdak Positivity Month, a fandom event created by the always lovely @maireadralph, who works tirelessly to put on all the major events, zines, and is currently running the Entrapdak Community here on Tumblr.

Now, like last year, I have decided to make another Ask Game for those who don't plan on drawing or writing anything but still wish to participate in the event this year.

The game is simple, just open your Ask Box and reblog this post so fellow shippers can ask you one of the questions I have written for this year. I will also link the Ask Game from last year if anyone wants to answer those (I know I'm willing).

Now without further ado, the questions:

What were Entrapta and Hordak’s first impressions of each other?

Who fell first, and who fell harder?

When and what made them realize their feelings for each other?

Who proposed first and how did they do it?

What’s the first Human/Our World AU that comes to mind when it involves Entrapdak?

What is the worst take on Entrapdak you’ve ever seen/heard?

What part(s) of their relationship made you fall in love with the ship?

How long have you been shipping them for?

Which of Hordak’s various designs throughout the series is your favorite (Season 1/2, Season 3/4, Season 5, or the flashback design in the finale)?

What is one thing they don’t like about each other that they can look past?

What is an interest/hobby they each have that you have no evidence for, but you know in your heart they love?

What is a weird crack headcanon you think about for fun?

What would happen if Entrapta joined the Horde before she was offered to join the Alliance?

What does Hordak wear now that he is out of the Galactic Horde?

What kinds of movies/TV shows/books do you think they like?

If you have/hypothetically had a playlist for them as individuals and/or as a couple, what is/would be on it?

For my writers and imaginers, what is an old story idea you had about or involving Entrapdak that you abandoned?

What was Hordak’s reaction when he met Wrong Hordak?

In your mind, what happened to Entrapta’s parents?

What was (x character)’s reaction to finding out Entrapdak was a thing?

How long did it take for Entrapta and Hordak to get into a relationship after season 5?

Who’s the most likely to tell the other about their feelings first?

How do you think Entrapta’s hair works (Robotics, Genetics, Magic, etc.)?

 What type of music would they listen to?

Who’s bringing the stray animal they found on the street home?

What do they find the most attractive about each other (besides their mutual intelligence)?

 What, in your mind, is Hordak’s punishment, and how does he feel about it?

 Could you tell me about any potential kids they might have?

 What’s something random you wanted to talk about regarding Entrapdak?

Your own SFW question?

And for those who would like to use it, Last Year's Ask Game:

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

your “sentimonsters vs tropes” post made me realize how sentimonsters don’t work as a metaphor for marginalized people despite what other people say, because even if it was intentional, the show doesn’t acknowledge the fact that the majority of them get killed by the heroes, including Adrien and Felix (who are part of their race). Honestly, it makes me wonder if Miraculous ever did some sort of allegory right at all

(Post in question)

Before we get into it, I wanted to quickly define allegory in case that's a new or forgotten term for anyone as it's hardly common parlance:

An allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory throughout history in all forms of art to illustrate or convey complex ideas and concepts in ways that are comprehensible or striking to its viewers, readers, or listeners.

In the linked post, I chastised canon for not using the sentikids to say anything about personhood or self worth. While I stand by that, I will also give canon credit for the fact that sentimonsters as a race are not presented as a clear allegory for anything. The sentimonsters that weren't meant to be equal to humans are just worthless akuma knockoffs created to act as canon fodder. The human-equivalent sentimonsters are basically perfect humans who happen to have remote controls. You are never supposed to think about the implications of that frankly bizarre difference. There is not meant to be a deeper message and that's the right call because, when you look at the setup we just went over, you quickly realize canon didn't set itself up to make the sentimonster race an allegory for anything but eugenics.

While you can argue that canon is eugenics apologia, that is very clearly not intentional. I don't worry about kids walking away thinking eugenics are good because you only get that as a takeaway if you're actively searching for a message in canon's writing. There is no on-screen discussion of which sentimonsters are okay to kill or any other type of blatant allegory for eugenics. If eugenics = good is the intended message, then it's incredibly subtle.

While plot-level* allegory can be subtle, that tends to be rare in family-oriented media as the point of allegory is to convey a message. If no one is picking up on the message, then you've failed to make your point. That's why no one is watching Zootopia or Elemental and walking away asking, "Huh, I wonder what that film was trying to teach kids?"

Miraculous doesn't have anything that stands out as a clear allegory like I'd expect if the intent was to use allegory to teach kids something. I'd normally say that means there was no intentional allegory in the show, but we have straight up insane statements from the writers like this one about the season five final:

In the next scene, we can see Marinette taking the miraculous that have been standardized and industrialized by Gabriel and putting them back in shape. The writers specify that this is a parable about craftsmanship vs industrial production. The miraculous will now be adapted to every person, but we can’t see what they look like just yet! In this new world, the powers are all shared, among people who they trust and know will work for the common good.

Did anyone get this from the show? I certainly didn't. With the writers making statements like this, who even knows what messages they're trying to send. Between this and the reveal that Lila learned about Gabriel by reading Nathalie's lips in the season four final, I've given up trying to figure out what these loons are doing with their wacky storytelling. It's always fascinating to hear them talk about the story they think they've told versus what the average viewer came away thinking. I have never once seen a fan get the Lila thing. Everyone I've seen thought she was just evilly enjoying Nathalie's suffering, but it's pretty clear that the writers are quite proud of this and think it was a great choice! You know what would have been an even better choice? Letting Lila read lips at any point before or even after that scene to establish this is a skill she has. That's basic setup and payoff! Storytelling 101!

*As a quick clarification, when I said "plot-level allegory" that was me trying to find a term to convey the sort of high-level, in-your-face allegory writers use when actively trying to clearly convey a message to the audience. There are lots of works that have no obvious allegory, but actually contain subtle allegory for those who enjoy analysis or a select group that's in the know. Something the author had fun playing with, but doesn't expect the audience to get.

An example of more subtle allegory that comes to mind is The Little Mermaid. There are many valid queer readings of both the original story and the popular Disney film, especially since the book was written by an openly bisexual man after a man he loved got engaged to a woman and one of the movie's producers/major creative influences was an openly gay man. These fact have lead many to argue that the stories were always meant to be about queer acceptance on some level as opposed to the stories simply being ones that can be used to discuss that topic in spite of the author never intending that. (Which doesn't invalidate the value of a reading, btw. As far as I'm concerned, author intentionality only matters in very specific types of discussion. Most of the time, I'm a death-of-the-author girl.)

However, even if the two works are meant to be an allegory for acceptance of "alternate" sexuality, you'd be hard pressed to argue that the allegory is presented in a way that the average viewer is going to get. Everyone gets that Zootopia is all about prejudice being bad. I generally hear Disney's The Little Mermaid described as a silly fairy tale about "a girl giving up everything for a man" even though that's only true for the original story.