#I haven't written one of these sorts of things before so apologies if this is a horrendously bad take

[greencloakedfae]

Okay this took a moment (or month) longer than expected but hopefully my rambling makes sense?? But here's my hopefully somewhat decent argument for Thomas lying about his debts. Also, apologies for no power point slides lmao.

Thomas very obviously falls into that classic privileged rich boy trope. He has little-to-no respect for anyone we see or hear him interact with that is of a lower social status than him (including but not limited to shooting Halliday's horse and then taunting him about it, his treatment of Amadin both on screen and through Amadin's recounts of him from childhood, spooking household staff for the fun of it, and how rude he is towards the men they hired to hunt down Nell), and his favourite past time appears to be drinking with his friends and causing trouble towards other people (with how George and Roxy explain on multiple occasions about Thomas's reoccurring behaviour in the village and towards Roxy, and how all the townsfolk are immediately on edge and cautious when he enters the Talbot in episode one).

That is all to set up that I think Thomas is actually rather intelligent, nearing or at what we give Sofia credit for, but prefers to just fuck around (and find out lmao).

Because multiple times throughout episode one he shows that he knows how to say the right things to get what he wants. He understands how people see him and he uses that to appeal to people of higher standing than him, ie his father and Poynton. Take when he makes his apology to his father to convince him to give Halliday the deed to the Talbot rather than to Nell.

Lord Blancheford: Since when were you interested in furthering a good man's cause?

Thomas: I've been unworthy of you. I've humiliated you, and I've allowed myself to be influenced by the wrong people. And I'm sorry. I want to put all of this behind me-

Sofia: So not content on turning them into orphans, you want to make them homeless now as well.

Thomas: Don't say that.

And also with how he opens up the conversation with Poynton about his alleged debts.

Thomas: So, just lately things have been difficult. And I have no one to talk to, and I know you're very busy...

Poynton: Tell me what's upsetting you, Thomas.

He also seems to have a tone of voice that he reserves for these moments (one that makes me giggle every time I hear the "I've been unworthy of you" lmao). I'm not the best with tone, but it always gives me a sort of childish impression? Like he's making himself seem almost submissive and helpless??

He fully has the awareness to know how his words and actions effect a situation for him, but he would rather use it to walk a tightrope that allows him to act as he does without facing (many) consequences. He probably prefers to keep expectations of himself low to not be held to any responsibility, but still gets to maintain not being completely written off as to not loose any privileges.

Because his father also appears very lenient with his behaviour. Though based on their first scene together (at the dinner table when Thomas is told his allowance will be stopped), the knowledge that Thomas was sent to boarding school and placed into the care of an uncle briefly to help straighten him out, as well as Lord Blancheford's covering up of his murder of Sam Trotter, I'd wager that Lord Blancheford views Thomas's behaviour as a threat to the family's reputation rather than any actual concern for him being a shit human being. And based off how Thomas reacts to being disciplined, I'd expect that proper consequences to his actions are few and far between.

So when it comes to Thomas actually facing these consequences, he jumps straight into using that intelligence to do as he's always done, side step responsibility.

(Horrendous gif quality but like,,, that's the face of a man who is scheming. Dude started the scene drunk as anything with his bowl of pickles and visibly very quickly sobered up.)

Consider when Thomas first interacts with Poynton on screen, this also being the first time Thomas mentions having debts.

Thomas: I have debts my Father knows nothing about. Debts I can only settle when I come into my inheritance. At least because he's stopped my allowance.

Poynton: Ah.

Thomas: You once told me, that a man could sell his soul to darkness, and in return get anything, everything he desires. And that you are the person that can intercede in such matters. I want my estate Poynton. I want everything, now.

Obviously his end goal is to gain access to his inheritance, but he frames his motivator as concern over unpayable debts. Which, first of all I don't believe is his motivation, and secondly I believe that he's straight up lying about having any in the first place.

At face value this makes sense, he drinks regularly and no doubt seems the type of guy to engage in gambling and other such behaviours that could lead to gaining debts.

But Thomas actively commits the murder of Sam Trotter, likely (and rightfully) assuming his father would step in and cover it up. So why wouldn't he just have his father fix his debts for him as well? The cost wouldn't be a concern for Lord Blancheford, especially if Thomas was previously paying it off with just his allowance and with Sofia being able to offer a £40 reward for Nell's capture. The way that family is willing to wave around money to keep appearances, it wouldn't be a hard ask to pay off some debts.

Also, what tipped me off on my first watch through was how Thomas relays the situation to Sofia.

Thomas: I used to tell him things, like... that I was short of money and that I needed my inheritance. And he would say things like 'well Thomas, what stands between you and your inheritance?'

His tone reads to me like he is recounting that he told tales to try get what he wanted from Poynton. Choices are intentional in media, and I feel like you have to give credit to the writers in the way they've worded (and how Jake Dunn delivered) that line. He phrases it such that he's explaining how he manipulated and fabricated a scenario to get Poynton's help, rather than a confession to Sofia of debt being a motivator for reaching out to Poynton; "I used to tell him things, like..." vs "I confided in him...".

Sofia also does not appear to have any reaction to the debts, giving weight that she understands the debts were a lie to gain Poynton's help. She has control over the estate at this point, and would be aware of the financial situation enough to know if large amounts of money are being spent for unknown reasons. Also, Thomas is very obviously not in any position to be worrying about finances after killing his father. Although, this could also all be argued away with Sofia being more concerned about Poynton's involvement to be worried about anything else in that moment. Either way, that still doesn't disprove the idea that Thomas is lying about his debts.

In place of debt as a motivator, my view is that he's just a rich boy throwing a tantrum honestly. In episode one, all his actions outside of his focus of getting drunk and fucking around with his friends are all reactionary to the consequences of his actions. He reaches out to Poynton after being told his allowance would be cut to ask for help in gaining his inheritance. He chooses to kill Nell's father specifically to prove himself to Poynton after Nell stood up to him (something no other townsfolk had done) and embarrassed him publicly. And, he finally only kills his own father after Nell confronts the Blanchefords and Lord Blancheford promises to have Thomas face legal repercussions. He's intelligent enough to understand a situation well enough to decide when is an appropriate time to take action, how to manipulate a situation into a more self-serving one, and how to take advantage of opportunities when they arise. But he also only bothers to do so when he has been embarrassed, had a privilege revoked, or is being forced to live with his actions.

Idk feel free to share your thoughts on this, this is mostly word vomit onto a post but hopefully theres some substance to it lmao.

[pumpkin-cake]

hi this request isn’t for S4 i hope that’s ok!

but takes place in s2 where five strands everyone?

his spouse gets stranded a year and a bit before he gets there

and they made a career for themselves as a singer? maybe they have some sort of siren power or they are just naturally talented !?

but he finds them on a billboard or something that says where they will be performing next and they have a reunion where the reader has a love hate reaction to seeing him?!

sorry if this is a lot!!!

totally okay! i like all the other seasons better than 4 anyway lmao- this is actually an idea i have for my upcoming reboot of a five story i'd written, so i'm excited to sort of test it out! this turned out a bit more fem reader coded, but no she/her pronouns are used last i checked.

also my swiftie is coming out for this story, sorry to all you non-swifties ;-;

divider credited to @cafekitsune (lmk if you'd like me to remove it or anything of the sort!)

warnings: taylor swift (i love her actually but some people don't so)

The last thing you remembered was holding hands tightly with Five, and then he was ripped from your grasp, and you were falling ass first into an alleyway. Where did he go? Where were the others?

"Five..?!" You cried, hurrying out of the alleyway and bumping into somebody, who glared at you and walked off. You looked around and spotted a newspaper box, and you were over there before you could think. Your eyes scanned the paper. Year, year, what year was it?!

1960.

The sixties?! What the fuck?! All you could do was drop the newspaper to the floor, collapsing against the building wall beside you. You were the only one there. Some of your found-family wasn't even here yet, you'd imagine. There had to be some kind of time frame. You felt bad for whoever was put the farthest. Were you put the furthest in the past? What if you were super old by the time you found everyone again?! Well, you are already old, but what if you looked like it?!

All you could do was wait. You knew Five, he'd stop at nothing to save you and his family.

Unfortunately, there wasn't exactly anywhere to go. You looked pretty young and had no identification. You were wearing strange clothes, you didn't fit in. This felt like the apocalypse in a way, loads better obviously, but being alone? The worst feeling.

You had to stealth around, stealing and pilfering where you could. Sitting in alleys in the rain, starving. That was until you were dumpster diving behind some sort of bar. The heavy door creaked open and you froze inside the green box.

"Them damn raccoons again." A heavy southern accent was muffled to you, but you could tell it was a woman. You heard heels clicking on the ground and the dumpster opened and a broom whacked you in the head.

"Ouch!!!"

"Oh my heavens, yer a person!!!" The woman exclaimed, dropping the broom with a clatter. She reached over and helped you out of the trash, her nose crinkling. The woman was wearing a scantily clad flapper dress, a cute headpiece adorning her blonde hair. "What're ya doin' inside the trash, sweetie?" She asked with worry, brushing some garbage off you like it was nothing.

"Uh...I'm so sorry, I can go." You apologized, ready to get out before she called the cops like everyone else.

"Oh no, baby, no. Here, you come in, we'll getcha somethin' to eat." She assured you, ushering you inside. Some other women (and some men) that were dressed similarly didn't seem to mind. "Most of us here, came from poor too, we'll take ya in." She smiled, taking you to the back and providing you with a meal.

"Thank you...." You said, completely shocked at her kindess.

"Oh! Right, my name's Jess, nice to meetcha." She cooed politely, and you gave her your name through bites of food, making her giggle. "Tell me, sweetie, can ya sing? Dance? Anything of the sort?"

You paused. A golden opportunity was just presented to you. 1960. Some of your favorite artists haven't even been born yet. Not to mention your power dealt with your voice, similar to Allison's. You were frequently named The Siren in Umbrella Academy material. And, you didn't have any stigma to using it like Allison did.

"I write songs." You blurted, and a wide smile came across her face.

"Do ya?! Oh, you'll have to show Bruce then. He's the owner of the place." She hummed, and soon you were cleaned up and sitting in a private room on a nice sofa with a guitar in front of a sleazy looking man who looked like he'd run some kind of club with sexy women around to exploit.

"Alright, sweetheart. Show me whatcha got." He said, a fat cigar between his greasy looking fingers.

You took a deep breath. "Um...so...this song is called...." Shit, you had to think. You didn't have much time to come up with the song to sing. You had to pick a song that was popular in the modern era, maybe it would be good here too? But maybe you should stick to country. You were in Dallas, Texas after all. Not to mention you'd need to change some words if needed.

"C'mon, don't have all day." Bruce took a puff of his cigar, blowing the smoke into your face.

"Um. It's called...Mean." You blurted, and began to strum the guitar. Taylor Swift had been a hit as a country singer, this was a good idea in your mind. You were careful to control your power, and also make it believable. A southern accent and changing the word 'football' into 'baseball'.

As you sang, Bruce stopped focusing on his cigar and was completely focused on you and the shitty guitar you managed to make sound so good.

You finished the song and had a job immediately, with a small lie that you were 18. No liquor, but you could have beer! Thus began your career in that small club, becoming friends with the women who worked there. Soon enough you had the money for a small apartment. You despised the creepy looks men at the club gave you. All you could think of to continue was Five. He'd find you, right? Surely!

But after years? It was tiring. Dancing in sexy outfits in front of men with cigars, smoke and alcohol filling the air. The harsh lights on you while you had to make acoustic country covers of Taylor Swift songs. The more sexual songs like 'Dress' and 'Don't Blame Me' were your least favorite. You'd just have to withstand it. For days. And days. And days. And weeks. And years.

Five crashed into Dallas after witnessing the second apocalypse, with his hand empty. He forgot which sibling he'd been holding onto, but he knew he had you in his other hand.

"Shit, shit, shit!" He had hissed to himself, looking around and calling your name desperately. He'd never admit how panicked he currently was, and composed himself immediately upon the meeting of Elliott, some weird nerd.

"Alright, before I do anything." Five walked up to the man, looking up at him with fierceness. "Do you know anything at all about someone by the name of (Y/n) (L/n)." It was more a demand than a question. "If I find out you've been lying, I'll kill you." He threatened.

Elliott cracked immediately, telling Five he'd seen a billboard of that name recently. He didn't listen to music much, but their name was everywhere. Five was instantly gone, and was amazed to see your face on a huge billboard. You? A star? Not that you weren't talented, you absolutely were! You just weren't that kind of person. He asked around and found the club, teleporting in without an issue.

Ordering a drink, he sat as close to the stage as possible. A sleazy man you would absolutely despise walked out with a grin, golden teeth shining under the light as he began to speak. About you. Five clenched the glass of whiskey in his hand. This asshole looked so smug. Like you were his property.

Then you walked out with a shining silver guitar. He felt his breath leave him. "My God..." he hissed under his breath. You were gorgeous. He wasn't a fan of the makeup on your face, red lips and such. But you were glowing, looking so confident in yourself. You started singing 'You Belong With Me' by Taylor Swift, and he understood the situation quick. The folks around were immediately entranced, and it made him sick. You were using your power to reel them in, keep you popular and making money.

Your eyes met his and you faltered for just a moment, but no one else noticed as you kept singing. After the song was over, you gave him a look and walked backstage. Within seconds he was back there, so relieved to finally see you again.

"A singer, huh?" He said with a lopsided smile nobody else in his family got to see. "Not what I expected."

Your face dropped a tad, tears filling your eyes. "That's all you have to say to me?" You asked, and Five panicked. He hurried over and very gently held your face.

"No no, sweetheart, I'm sorry if that came off wrong. I'm so glad to see you." He quickly said, letting you fall into him for an embrace. "How long was I gone for?"

"Three years." You murmured, and he sighed.

"I'm sorry, I'm here now. You looked really good up there." He said softly. He decided to not tell you about the upcoming apocalypse. At least, not yet. When everyone was together.

"Thanks." You said with a weak smile, not at all letting go. Last time you let go, you were without him for 3 years. You didn't ever want to let go again.

fuck im sorry that ending was so rushed, but if it wasn't i wouldn't have had this out

[eddiemunsons-missingnipple]

It's not so bad? | EM

Pairing: Eddie munson x reader

Summary: You and Eddie have your first very big fight.

Warnings: angst, mention of sex but nothing happens. Slight hurt/comfort towards the end. Mean!Eddie, Eddie calls the reader a bitch and it's alluded that he says worse things, but it's not described. Toxic relationship.

Word count: 1.1k

A/n: probably a little shorter than I wanted. I haven't written anything in over a month, so I'm trying to get back into it again. Divider made by me.

Not proofread 18+ no minors

The trailer was quiet now except for the low hum of Eddie's a/c in the window. You were curled up on his side with your head on his chest. He was fast asleep now, but you couldn't.

Not after what transpired just a few hours ago. Your eyes still burned, and your heart still ached a little. You both said your sorrys, but there was something still lingering inside of you. Even though he was the main one apologizing since you truly did nothing wrong.

The way he screamed at you and got in your face. You never said a word back. You just let him unleash what he had pent up inside him. You tried to walk away, but he just followed you. Spewing hurtful things again and again.

You kept telling yourself it was the alcohol mixed with anger that made him this way. Even though in the back of your mind, it felt like he had been waiting for this opportunity to tell you how he really felt.

The moment his voice kept raising octave after octave and his face flushed red with anger. You knew there was no point in fighting back, so you just took it. Hoping he'd give up and leave you alone. You guys have fought before, but it was nothing like this. You've never been scared of him.

Until he backed you up into a corner and just laid into you. You shrunk down desperately, trying to make yourself as small as possible. The smell of various types of alcohol on his breath filled your nose.

He called you all sorts of names "bitch", "dumb" and various other hurtful insults. He grabbed you roughly by the arm to stop you from leaving and so you were forced to listen to him berate you. Any moment now, you were waiting for the cops to show up. You were sure the neighbors could hear him and would call them.

You didn't know accepting a free drink from a guy at the bar Eddie was performing in would set him off. Apparently, the guy is a long-time rival of his. Someone Eddie seriously hates, and Eddie doesn't usually hate anyone. He dislikes people, yes, but he doesn't hate them.

You noticed something was up when we marched over to you and downed the drink himself. You didn't get a chance to take a small sip of it. He barely even looked your way when he did it. Then the next thing you remember is being pulled to the van, and that's when the shouting started. Each word that came from his mouth was laced with so much venom.

"You're really fucking dumb you know that."

"You're such a bitch I don't even know why I give you the time of day."

"You're lucky someone like me even looked twice at someone like you."

Those lines still rang in your head even now as you're curled up next to him. He did eventually calm down. You guessed once the last bit of alcohol wore off, and he sobered up. Maybe when his voice became horse and he couldn't scream anymore is when he decided to stop.

The moment he was done, his face immediately softened. He wasn't mad anymore, but you were still upset. You still wondered if his voice didn't give out, would he still be yelling at you right now. He tried to pull you to him at first but you resisted.

He shushed you as he rubbed your back, and you eventually caved and melted into his arms. You cried in his chest as he hugged you to him tighter. When you noticed, his body was lightly shaking. You pulled back to see tears streaming down his face.

His voice croaked. "I'm so sorry, baby."

"You know I didn't mean any of that stuff," i said, right?" His voice is soft, and his touch is gentle.

You gave a weak smile "yeah I know you didn't it's okay."

You both stood there in the hallway by his room in eachothers arms for what felt like hours. Neither one of you said a word too tired to even talk it out yet.

You just wanted to sleep, and you wanted to be okay. He always made everything okay, and now it's feels different. You feel embarrassed, and you feel as though something is still lingering in the air.

Like there is more to say, but you're too afraid to ask. Eventually, you both somehow make it to bed. Your mind is groggy, and your anxiety is still high. You can't even remember getting undressed and into bed with him.

You tossed and turned all night long while Eddie was fast asleep. His arm draped around you, keeping you locked in close to him. You remember him wanting to have sex but you rejected him opting to just cuddle instead.

Eddie was fine with that. He seemed a little hurt, but he's never pressured you to do something you didn't want to. You felt guilty for rejecting him. There was just something there that stopped you. This lingering presence that you can't even describe.

You were hoping it would be gone by morning, but you're still sensing it. Maybe it was the lack of communication you were so used to having with him. Maybe it was the mean things he said that somehow confirmed your insecurities. Eddie told you he didn't mean them, but you just couldn't shake that,"What if?"

Now you're just laying here on his chest, counting his heartbeats. The feeling of sadness still consuming you. You want him to wake up and have everything back to normal again. You also don't want him to wake up because you're too embarrassed to face him.

Eddie stirs a bit in his sleep, but he doesn't move away from you. Instead, he manages to pull you closer to him. You can feel him squeeze your hip and give it a light little tap. His eyes slowly open as you pretend to still be sleeping.

You heard him groan a bit and cough, probably from the pain in his throat now. He stretches out, and you can hear the little pops his toes make when he cracks them.

You notice tell he's trying his best not to disturb your sleep. Each movement he makes is thought out and careful as he does it. He's trying his best not to startle you awake. He feels bad about how he treated you earlier tonight, but he's not as remorseful as you think. He loves you so much and didn't ever want to hurt you like this. But he couldn't control his temper with you any longer. The alcohol in his system didn't help either.

Does he regret how he went about it? Yes. Did he feel like this fight was a long time coming? He sure did. Next time, he might try to go about it differently if he ever caught you doing something like that again. He knows he can't control his emotions well, and sadly, this time, you were on the receiving end of his anger.

"I love you so much." Eddie spoke in a very raspy horse whipser. He kissed your temple and very slowly got out of bed. He didn't want to wake you at all.

That little moment is enough reassurance you needed. He does still love you. He didn't mean what he said to you last night. You hear the shower turn on and his muffled voice humming through the thin walls. Slowly but surely, everything felt normal again. Even if you haven't spoken yet.

That uneasy feeling you had before was gone immediately. Well, that's what you're trying to convince yourself anyway. His cracked voice singing from the bathroom as he showers calms your mind. Eventually, sleep finally takes over you, and you know everything is going to be okay.

But maybe not.

The shower turning off grabs your attention. You could hear him slowly creeping back into the bedroom, trying not to wake you up. You're in and out one minute you're calm the next you're not. You think you're fine but are you really? Eddie got right back into bed and pulled you in close again. His arm holding you tight against his chest.

He leans forward, pressing yet another kiss to your temple before whispering, "Stop being sad, sweetheart. You love me, and I love you more."

[maladaptivedaydreamsx]

How the Rhodolite princes would react to their firstborn/newborn

Rating: PG-13 (?) Ikepri itself contains a lot of mature themes however, as such, mdni 🔞

Warnings: Brief mentions of (past) character death, grief, pregnancy/childbirth themes (no actual birth depicted), gn but implied afab, & the usual tragic Ikepri cannon.

A/N: Tried to write how they'd hold their kid and what they were feeling when meeting them. Spoiler warnings for the Rhodolite princes routes, tried not to bring up anything major though (Luke's is probably the most spoilery?). Tried to keep the princes' spouses GN, though implied afab bc newborns. (One very brief mention of Belle, but mc/reader is not Emma.) Might eventually make pt2 with the others..? Please read the warnings and proceed only if comfortable! :)

(Apologies for anything that seems ooc, I haven't written much in awhile and this is my first piece for Ikepri! I'm more used to fics rather than hcs, but I tried my best! o7)

JIN 🦅

There's so much Jin can't help but worry about. His past, his future, his country... and now he's got not one but two loved ones he would do anything for. The little bundle of joy in his arms reminds him of the times when his younger brothers were born, and how cute they used to be (well, some of them, anyway). The bleary, garnet eyes trying to look into his own have him wondering.. is this how he looked to his dear mother? There's so much he cherishes, and so much he fears, but he won't let the history of Belle repeat itself. He'd fight the entire palace if he had to, but for right now, he'll settle for tackling pesky burps and dirty diapers. Jin coos at his baby, baritone voice suddenly startling the poor thing, and he can't help but pout. The baby in his arms continues to fuss, feeling hungry.

Jin pulls something out of his breast pocket, looking over at his spouse. "So.. how much longer until they can have lollipops?"

CHEVALIER 🐅

Chevalier would likely be a bit awed upon holding his firstborn, much like the quiet way he takes in Emma's precence. Chevalier is known to be awkward with his affections, as he's far from practiced, but it's been shown on several occasions how he tries to gently pet an animal that dares to come close, or how he clumsily takes care of his love when they're feeling under the weather. He may look fine on the outside, but he's actually quite hesitant, trying to sort things out logistically at first, before sort of just settling for standing there and holding his newborn with both arms. He stares down at their gentle features, taking in every detail, making sure they're comfortable and warm in their sleep.

Looking over at his beloved in all their tired glory, in his very own Chevalier-approved affection he says, "You did well, Simpleton." While he only speaks four words aloud, his faint smile speaks the thousands he didn't quite know how to express.

CLAVIS 🐆

"Dearie me," Clavis says, holding his newborn, full of wide-eyed excitement. "They look so much like you, I can see the bunny ears already."

Being someone who values life so dearly, bringing a new one into this world, with the love of his life no less, is enough to send Clavis' heart soaring into the stratosphere. He just can't help but want to drown them in affection, but they're so small and fragile, and Clavis knows better than to risk scaring them now. He's so, so gentle with his child, unconditional love flowing off him in waves as they bond quietly (please don't get used to this, it will not last), and looks upon their splotchy tufts of lilac hair. The Lelouch genes live on through yet another generation, he smiles to himself. Clavis slowly comes over to stand by his love, placing a gentle kiss on their head.

"You're so lucky to have such a wonderful husband like me. But I'm even luckier to have you both in my life."

LEON 🦁

The happiest day in Leon's life. Second only to your wedding. Scratch that, the wedding is second.. he thinks. He's a bit frazzled from work, labor stress, and all the chaos, cut the guy some slack. No one is immune to this sweet lion's charisma, not even a newborn. They can't help but stare at his flowy hair and bright eyes, like a cartoon character come to life right before their eyes. Leon gently caresses their neck, very lightly pressing a kiss into their soft kiss to their temple. What kind of person will they grow up to be? Will they eat as much as he does? Will they fall asleep when they read too? There's a lot that runs through his mind, but ultimately, he is hopes for them to be healthy, and live happily. This child is going to be absolutely spoiled (within reason), and always have someone in their corner, rooting for them and ready to help learn from their wrongs. For now, he can worry about righting their posture instead. He tries to hold them like he read (how his partner read) in the parenting books, supporting their necks and all. It was really hard to stay awake during those, but the excitement of fatherhood helped him push through, and he's going to put it all into practice now.

"When do we start working on the second one?" (If not for the literal newborn currently in his hands, he'd be busy dodging several pillows.)

YVES 🐈

There's a lot of suppressed guilt for his mother's death in mind, and so many worries for his darling's health before, during, and after. He's a bit scared to hold his newborn, for fear of his clumsiness and "bad luck". With some assurance, he finally takes hold of them, and he could not physically be more careful with his firstborn. Clear eyes like the sky blink sleepily up at him, and Yves is fighting back tears solely for fear of them landing on the baby and somehow hurting them. The smile on his face could split his cheeks if it got any wider. The baby falls asleep in its father's arms, and he even tries breathing softer so he won't wake them. He's just trying his best, please reassure this sweet cat, he means well. (And he absolutely lost the battle against those blasted tears anyway.)

"Thank you for loving me, and for bringing our child into the world with us. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

LICHT 🐺

(Twins having twins cliché may seem redundant, I made 'em different for each brother, pinky promise.)

Licht was blessed with not one but two bundles of joy. Beautiful twin boys, who had what looked to be his vibrant silver hair and his beloved's eyes. He couldn't help the memories that surged, of happier times, and the worst of times. He knew all too well just how ruthless the court could be, but he had a chance to make things different this time. Licht seriously considered building that house he'd once mentioned, and moving you all somewhere much more peaceful. One twin in his arms, one with their other parent, he feels all thought subside when the one he's holding tries to grab at his sleeve. Licht's now-famous smile blooms across his lips much the way the sun's rays appear over daybreak; subtle, then all at once. He takes a gloveless hand, letting their tiny hand hold onto his finger as best they can, eyes gleaming from the sight before him. Licht looks over in wonder at his spouse, only to find them already watching with a tired, quiet smile.

"Things won't be easy but.. I know we can handle anything. I adore you. And I adore them."

NOKTO 🦊

(Twins for both may seem redundant, but I changed things up drastically ok, we got this.)

Nokto wasn't entirely surprised to have twins, but he had also hoped luck would be in their corner in avoiding similar fates. Two little girls, jewel-like eyes like his, and his beloved's hair color (or so it appears, though it's hard to tell for sure with so little peach fuzz). Nokto sits at the edge of the bed, holding one newborn in his arm, and reaching his other hand out for the one in his love's arms. Aside from the memories of his own upbringing, he's now having Typical Girl Dad thoughts about how to keep them safe and teach them how to stay away from cooties (boys), among other things. With a soft sigh, he gently burps his newborn after she's done feeding, rocking her slowly as she tries to chew on her father's lucious locks. Laughter bubbles past his lips at her cute antics, and Nokto feels the stress fade away, even if just a little. His heart is still getting used to receiving love and believing in it, but it's grown enough by now to love his 3 new favorite people in the world.

"If they like my hair this much now, just wait till they start to grow their own."

LUKE 🐻

Luke could not be more the picture of a teddy bear than with his newborn all swaddled up and snuggled in with their giant of a dad. He can't help but wonder if his sister is watching over them, laying next to his spouse on the bed, their newborn but a tiny dot among the two full-grown humans taking up most of the space. He promises to be there for his child the way he never really had anyone, and hopes to live more in the present now, the stakes feeling higher than ever before. A whole new life, created on purpose, gently resting in one arm and atop his broad chest, nestled comfortably and trying to suck on their thumb. Luke holds his spouse's hand with his free one, squeezing it gently, looking into their eyes with the intensity of his own emeralds.

"Look at 'em.. they're so small. Just like you," he jokes before letting out a big yawn, "But sleepy, just like me."

All rights for the characters and original intellectual property belong to Cybird. My writing belongs to myself, Maladaptivedaydreamsx, and shall not be reproduced elsewhere without permission. Ok to translate as a reblog to this post. Ok to reblog, no permission required (for those who like to be safe and ask first, all's good little homies) 💜

If you enjoyed these, I might try to make a pt2 with the other characters soon? Likes and reblogs appreciated, thank you kindly for reading! If you have any hc's of your own, please feel free to respond with them, I'd love to hear what you all think! 😊❤️ (If you'd like to be put on a tag list for any future works, please reply, though it will be a general list for writings as I'm getting back into things slowly atm,, 🙏🏻)

Also, to the lovely person who sent this in likely about 2 years ago (after I'd stopped writing on here bc life happens) ... if you're still somewhere in the fandom and end up seeing this post, thank you for your patience, and for sending something in. I'm finally trying to combat the writer's block again! 🙌🏻

[mygnolia]

[TEASER! ] it's cupid, stupid! | lhs

synopsis -› To hell with Lee Heeseung, you couldn't find someone you hated more than the boy who's by your side no matter what. You figured that maybe the summer before university would be the best way to finally let go of him, and to leave the hate you have in your childhood- but no. What do you mean you have to spend ALL summer with him?

pair -› golden boy!heeseung x fem-pres!reader

release date -› IT'S HERE!!!

genre -› fluff, mutual pining, hurt/angst, slow burn i fear, bakery au, summer au, post highschool au

trope -› (slightly one sided) enemies to lovers

wc -› currently 6.7k! probably will be 10-15k

cw -› food mentions, a self indulgent characterization of my grandmother but she’s also everyone else’s in this fic, cursing, oh the miscommunication trope...sorry not sorry.  

a/n -› even though i tried keeping food descriptions vague, i used the experience i had with my own grandma and her cooking to influence the way y/n grandmother cooks and the way it’s described so it might not be accurate for everyone! i understand not all cultures include baked goods with starches (since I mention a lot of flouring surfaces) so pls be kind to me :( ALSO!! i haven't written in MONTHS don't hate the writing pls we are all just in this fanfic hell tgt

© all rights are reserved to mygnolia 2024. republished, translated, and/or heavily referenced work will be reported and removed immediately.

Lee Heeseung might only have eleven characters to his name, but they spelt trouble in forty different ways. 

It starts with the same old Lee Heeseung spilling his applesauce on you in the first grade, with his cup of mushy lukewarm grossness splattered across your new pants with glittery stars on them. You shriek when it happens, frantically wiping off the mess and yelling at his Lightning McQueen lunchbox with all of the bottled up rage a seven year old can have. His eyes are wide, but all his friends laugh and say girls are so angry all the time, so he stops himself from apologizing. Which, you think his friends were being a little rude to all girls alike, but what mattered was that Lee Heeseung never ended up saying sorry. 

But that’s just one way of saying it. He hit you in the face with a ball, ran into you when your knee was scraped and you almost were bursting into tears, and tripped you in the lunch line. 

Did the universe hate you, or did he? 

You figured it was the latter.

Heeseung’s been stuck to you your entire life with some extra strong adhesive that you can’t seem to get off. You wish you could get some of the same glue that stuck you two to the hip and attach his tongue to the nearest streetlight, but things almost never worked in your favor. If you could catch him, just once, like one of the dumb boys who lick frozen poles in winter, you’d be satisfied. 

The blackmail would trump any sort of Heeseung related adversity your elementary grade self had to deal with. 

Unfortunately, the years have rendered you no protection against him, and in the small victories you find yourself in, you also see Heeseung right next to you. The exam you aced was topped by Heeseung with a 98%, just a bit higher than your 96%, and it couldn’t even feel good to talk about it because you knew all your friends talked about was how he did better. 

There was no accomplishment anymore when Heeseung was around. 

Heeseung was perfect in everyone’s eyes, a golden boy in their praises and a role model for their parents. If people didn’t want to be with Lee Heeseung, people wanted to be Lee Heeseung. That? That was something you hated. How could people want to be someone who you couldn’t stand?

“Have you seen the scissors?” Heeseung asks out of nowhere, startling you from the doorway.

Reaching for the ones you used to cut the parchment paper with, you hand the pair to him and with a mumbled ‘thank you’ he leaves.

In an odd way, you’re stunned by the silence that follows. A “you suck, _____!” would be more in character for villainous Lee Heeseung than whatever just happened. But you’re way too occupied with the bakery, and go back to cutting squares in the matcha cake.

It’s the same for the next hour until the rush ends and you get a bit more time to yourselves between orders. Heeseung agrees to wash the dishes and you clean the tables to the sound of your playlist from the speakers.

“You have good music taste.” Is the first thing that comes out of his mouth when he emerges. He wipes his hand on a white towel and you stare at him, utterly puzzled. Where’s the malice? Where’s his snarky comments?

“I’m waiting for you to tell me it’s not as good as yours, or something along those lines.” You deadpan.

Heeseung rolls his eyes. “I’m not that mean, I can give a compliment or two when I feel like it.”

“Oh, poor Lee Heeseung only has so much room in his heart to compliment people. How thankful should I be that you spend your daily supply of niceness on me?” You quip, cleaning off the tables. Your chest feels light and you don’t feel as angry as you did this morning.

Blame it on the lack of sleep.

“I think you should be bowing down to me and only talking when I tell you to.” He jokes, and when you glance up, there’s a semblance of a smile on his face. “Anyways, when are you leaving?”

“Whenever you leave.” You tell him, shrugging.

“Well, I stopped my your grandma’s house earlier.” Ah, so that’s where he went. “She said she didn’t want you to stay too late but she also wanted me to take you home, and I think she’d throw a fit if you didn’t.”

“I’d die before getting into a car with you, Lee Heeseung.”

“If I had to get into a car with you, that’s how I’d personally die.” He responds lightly. You furrow your eyebrows and rack your brain for some sort of retort that hurts Heeseung’s pride, but nothing comes up.

“My driving skills are very good, I’ll have you know.”

He jabs, “Didn’t think you had it in you.”

—

there is no taglist i'm lazy and i might not write for a while if u likey pls reblog or save into ur mental archive hehe ty- ren

[azen13]

Hii I hope I’m not being annoying with my asks (same person who asked you about your favourite yanderes) but I cant help myself— I really like your perspective on them! I specially love reading your Wriothesley ones (as a big fan of Wriothesley myself, in fact I got to know of your blog through the things you wrote about him). Reading your reply to my ask, I had a few questions:

- Why do you think Zhongli and Neuvillette would become so helplessly infatuated? And another question for them, what do you think they’d do with a human lover? Specially Zhongli. I personally feel like he’d become a yandere because of how long he’s lived. He’s lost all his friends and is extremely reminiscent about the past and all that he’s lost due to the archon war and whatnot. He never felt as if his friends were truly his, as in, they’d all slipped from his fingers, and he couldn’t save them. So, if he were to have a human/mortal reader who was bound to die one day, what would he do? Same for Neuvillete, although I feel as if he doesn’t truly understand the pain of being the sole survivor of age as much as Zhongli does.

- Do you think Zhongli would ever harm/kill his lover? I mean, it is very likely that he is the one who killed Guizhong based off the various evidences we find hidden in textbooks (for context, I am not implying they were lovers, but merely stating this because they truly were inseparable even as friends) and I can’t help but wonder— would he do the same to his lover? He didn’t hesitate to kill her, his closest friend, so what if a situation were to arise where he would have to harm them? What if they go mad from abyssal corruption? Or what if they’re on the brink of death? would he want none to claim their life except him?

- Of course I have to include Wriothesley. I have many questions about him. He is such a mystery after all. But I want to start by saying how I agree on the reasoning behind his infatuation. He has been isolated from love all his life. His heart has never felt it, until now. So why would he let us go? But I do wonder.. what type of lover would he be? I know you’ve written before on what type of yandere he would be, but— well, a personal HC of mine is that he absoluely hates having to resort to such methods and would not have done so if not forced to. (For example, I believe he would’ve tried to court us in a normal way rather than using extreme measures FIRST unless something happens that makes him feel as if we are slipping away from him, like us moving to another nation or rejecting him) and based on that I’d like to believe that he would try to swallow his guilt and ‘make things right’. He’d try to be the best partner for us, I’m sure of that. So when he’s trying to be a partner instead of a captor, what kind of person do you think he’d be?

Ohh I had many questions but I’m short on time and can’t really type out the rest so I’ll stick to these for now. Again, if they are too much, you can just ignore them. Thank you!

CW: Yandere Themes

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Hello again! Thank you so much for all these wonderful questions, I apologize that I haven't answered them in a very timely manner haha. I'm just going to go over them all one by one, so let me know if I missed any or if there's anything else you'd like me to talk about!

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Why do you think Zhongli and Neuvillette would become so helplessly infatuated?

I've sort of envisioned Zhongli and Neuvillette as two sides to the same coin as yanderes: they're both dragons, they're both god-like beings, they're both wise, and they're both well-respected. I think something that acts as a catalyst to their love is their draconic instincts and the desire to hoard treasures. I also can see there being a protective side to their feelings. I definitely agree with your point that Zhongli would develop yandere tendencies because he lived through the Archon War and likely saw death on a near-daily basis, and Neuvillette works as a judge and sees the worst of humanity. I will say I think Zhongli would be more inclined to act on his desires compared to Neuvillette because Neuvillette has a very strong moral compass due to his position as the Iudex of Fontaine, and I think he really struggles compared to Zhongli to act on his urges. With a human reader, I think because both of them understand how ephemeral your life is, they're very cautious. I do think that Zhongli acts with much more urgency compared to Neuvillette, be it by isolating his beloved, or even taking them away from Teyvat entirely and keeping them in an adeptal domain. Comparatively, Neuvillette I feel would be more likely to give you more leeway and allow you to go out in public, with supervision, of course. I would say they also use their powers to extend your lifespan, but I'm not very familiar with Genshin lore so I don't know exactly how that would work.

Do you think Zhongli would ever harm/kill his lover?

This is a challenging question for me to answer in multiple ways, primarily because I don't particularly enjoy writing yanderes that hurt their lovers. I think that present-day Zhongli wouldn't hurt his lover unless, like you stated in your ask, it would be out of mercy. I find this question to be really fascinating when looking at Zhongli in the past, when he took the name of Morax or Rex Lapis. A personal interpretation of mine is that Morax as a yandere would be incredibly aggressive in how he would act on his feelings. With present-day Zhongli, I would imagine he would attempt to convince his lover to submit to his control; with Morax, I think he would simply rely on using his power to bend his lover to his will. Should they break, he'd simply mold the fragments of his lover's soul to fit the form he desired. Rex Lapis would fit somewhere between these two, not as forceful as Morax but not as refined as Zhongli.

What type of lover would Wriothesley be?

I think he'd be incredibly doting, regardless of if we're looking at him in a yandere AU or canonically. If you're staying in Meropide to be with him, I think he recognizes how much you're sacrificing to be with him, and he does his best to return the favor by doing whatever you ask, within reason, of course. You want tea imported from Inazuma? He'll get shipments of seven different varieties. You want traditional folk songs from Mondstadt on vinyl? He'll hire somebody to record a bard singing. You play piano and need somewhere to practice? He'll put in an order for the finest grand piano in all of Teyvat, and have movers put it in his office. When he's working, he likes it when you come and sit on his lap and just talk to him, as it provides a respite from the bureaucratic drudgery he deals with on the daily. If he has to handle a situation between inmates, best believe he comes home ready to hold you tight against his chest for at least an hour. Even canonically, I think he'd prefer you don't wander around the prison alone and would instead ask you to stay in his personal quarters or his office. Beyond just seeing him as being a little clingy outside of a yandere AU, I think he'd worry that, as the lover of the Duke of Meropide, the inmates might try to use you as a bargaining chip to barter for their freedom. Because of this, he tries to make staying in as enticing as possible by spoiling you with whatever you wish for.

As a yandere, I think this protective instinct wins out against any argument you might try to pose to gain your freedom. Even if you aren't his lover yet, rumors spread dangerously quick in Meropide, and he can't hide how he watches over you as you go about your day. I also definitely believe if he has to, he's willing to do more...unsavory things to ensure your safety, so long as you don't learn about them. Meropide is outside of Fontaine's jurisdiction, after all. With you safe and sound, it's not like you'll be hearing about anyone going missing anyways.

[kaledya]

HOWDY!!🌟🌟 I haven't been active on Tumblr for a long time, to be honest I haven't been active on any platform until recently.

I think it would be right to make a small update and let my followers know what's on my mind.

(And a little note, I am writing this article from a translation. If there is a mistake in any sentence or if it sounds rude, I sincerely apologize.)

First of all, I would like to talk about why I am  less active than before.

I don't want to go into too much detail about it, so I'll keep it short, and it'll be easier for you too!

I have a disease that worsens with stress, and I can say that this disease has leveled up because I have been stressed a lot lately due to some events.Now, for no reason or if I put too much pressure on that arm area my joints and arm start to ache. This means I can't draw for 2-3 days.In general, it means that I try not to use my arm too much.

But don't worry, thanks to my doctor I'm getting better quickly and I don't have as much ache anymore, much less! Almost gone now!!🌟🌟🌟🎉

And besides these, I was trying to get accepted to the university, but I learned that my drawing skills were not enough for the animation university!( I knew this actually, my anatomy is really bad but I wanted to try my luck) It's a little sad, but I'm not discouraged!🫡

 (I think my only regret was that my arm started to hurt in the middle of the exam after I had come such a long way. Why on earth would anyone make two one and a half hour art exams back to back??) Show some mercy to the students!!)😭😭

༼⁠;⁠´⁠༎ຶ⁠ ⁠۝ ⁠༎ຶ⁠༽

I just need to focus on more art skills  and I will do that!! From now on, I will focus only on improving myself and my arts! YIPPE!!

About  HH SS AU or My's OC development

It saddens me to say this, but even though I've been drawing in the HazbinHotel fandom for months, I've lost my inspiration at the moment.I probably won't be able to share any content about HazbinHotel until I regain my inspiration because I can't think of an idea or get excited about series anymore.But of course this is a temporary thing, my fandom had faded before but then it blossomed again!!

This is valid for SSAU as well, I don't have any inspiration to develop AU or draw for AU right now. 

And thank you very much to my followers who have liked and supported my HazbinHotel content so far!!!

Same goes for my OCs, I'm putting my OCs like Constantine and Serenity and the archangels on the shelf for now.Of course I will use them again in the future when I get inspired about them again, I love my babies!

About SSAU inspired fanfics Thank you again for loving this AU and for being inspired to write your own fanfic!!!

It makes me really happy to see you having fun And it makes me proud to see that I inspire people!! 

But from now on I don't prefer to use my HH OCs to write Fanfics,There are a few reasons for this but the main one is that I can't give you much feedback anymore and I wanted you to know that and I really don't want to upset or disappoint anyone when it comes to feedback.

Of course the fics about SSAU that have been written so far can continue, I have no problems with them, have fun!! I just want you to know I won't be able to give feedback  to you, or it will take a long time 

 This is of course temporary, I will let you know when I return to this fandom or change my mind about this!!

Some people ask about YouTube, I don't plan on posting any content on YouTube anytime soon.

Thank you in advance for respecting my opinions!

In short, yes, these are what I was going to say. It can be said that I have switched to the Gravity Falls fandom at the moment and I am sort of making my childhood dream come true by giving fanart to this fandom.And this is something that makes me very happy. 

Good morning, and in case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Riddle Rosehearts - Dorm Uniform Vignette

"Only the roses may be dyed red"

[Heartslabyul Dorm – Lounge]

Cater: Urrrrgh. Man, I still can't memorize all this～!

Trey: Oh, c'mon, Cater. You're usually pretty good at this kind of thing, aren't you?

Cater: Even so, Trey-kun.

Cater: There's just some stuff people can and can't do, y'know...

Trey: You're in danger of failing the class if you don't do well on next week's practical magic written exam, is that right?

Cater: Yuuup. I gotta get these formulas into my head one way or another.

Trey: You say that, and then open up Magicam, huh.

Cater: Well, 'cause I'm not feelin' it at all～

Cater: If this exam was asking for all the dishes on a cute café on Magicam…

Cater: Or the sale date of a trendy new outfit, I could totally memorize everything no problem.

[Riddle arrives]

Riddle: Why are the two of you looking so grim?

Trey: Hey, Riddle. I'm just helping Cater study for his upcoming practical magic exam. He's at risk of failing.

Riddle: What did you just say?

Cater: Hey, wait, Trey-kun! You don't need to tell him that!

Trey: Since practical magic is a required class, failing it can mean being held back a year.

Riddle: Cater. Were your grades so poor that you could actually be held back?

Riddle: In this dormitory, only the roses may be dyed red! It will be off with your head if you're telling me your assignments are nothing but corrective red marks!

Cater: N-No, that's not it! This is the only one I'm having trouble with! I don't get any bad grades in any other course!

Riddle: You should be doing your darndest to not even have one subject in the red.

Riddle: And? What is it that's puzzling you so?

Cater: That'd be "infusing magic to make automatic cleaning implements"

Riddle: Automatic cleaning implements, I see… That would be magic to make brooms and rags and the like clean a room on its own.

Riddle: As a sophomore, I haven't come across that in class yet, however I've read up on the process in a book before.

Cater: It's the "auto" part that's tripping me up. Setting up the spell is just like coding.

Cater: It fails if each step isn't carried out in the proper order… But I just can't get my head around it…

Trey: True. This sort of magic is supposed to have the implements avoid fragile objects, or adjust how much power it requires when on carpet…

Trey: Those spells need to be placed on the cleaning tools first in order for everything to work out, yeah.

Riddle: Your unique magic allows you to control your own doppelgangers, does it not?

Riddle: You're capable of doing such high-level magic, so why does this cause you to struggle so?

Cater: Hmmm. Sure, I can kinda multi-task and do a bunch of stuff at the same time, but maybe I'm just not that good at prepping stuff ahead of time…

Riddle: I suppose that means you may have a grasp of the fundamentals, but have trouble implementing it… I see.

Riddle: Well, alright. Then I shall teach this to you.

Cater: Eh, seriously?

Trey: But hey, this is a junior-level course. You sure?

Riddle: Who do you think you're talking to? I am the Housewarden of Heartslabyul.

Riddle: As Housewarden, I should be expected to help solve the issues of all my dorm students, regardless of grade.

Riddle: From the moment I became Housewarden, there has not been a single Heartslabyul student who have repeated a year, or dropped out of this school.

Riddle: Moreover, for as long as I am Housewarden, I will not allow a single student to flunk a course!

Riddle: Leave it all to me. I will be certain to help raise your grades, Cater.

[Library]

Deuce: Uhh, was the shelf of grimoires on alchemy over here?

Riddle: Perhaps it should start with levitation magic… No, perhaps it would be better to begin the spell with some sort of clairvoyant magic.

Riddle: The books that delve deeper into this should be… Ack!

[slam! thud, thud, thud!]

Deuce: Wah!

Riddle: Ouch… My apologies, I was not looking where I was going.

Deuce: Housewarden Rosehearts! I'm so sorry!

Riddle: Oh, it's just you, Deuce.

Deuce: Please, let me help pick up your books… Wait, are you planning on reading all of these?

Riddle: That's right. Is something wrong with that?

Deuce: There's over 20 thick and difficult looking grimoires here…

Riddle: I'm currently creating notes to help Cater study for his exams. These are all required materials for that.

Riddle: After all, it is my responsibility to help solve any problems my dorm students are facing.

Deuce: W-Wow, that's amazing of you…! I'm floored.

Deuce: I'm not really any good for anything more than carrying stuff, so… Please let me carry these books to the desk for you!

Riddle: Thanks, that's a load off my shoulders.

Riddle: Mm. He should have no problem passing his exam if I compile the information in these grimoires.

Riddle: I cannot wait to hand over these study notes over to Cater.

[Heartslabyul Dorm – Hallway]

Riddle: Hold, Cater!!!!!!!!!

Riddle: How are you unable to memorize a mere 300 pages of text!?!?

Riddle: I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!

Cater: There's no way anyone can memorize 300 pages of notes in just one or two days!

Cater: Especially not when it's written in small script on a whole sheet of paper!

Cater: Don't get all red-faced and shout at me like that～!

Trey: Now, now, Riddle. Calm down a little.

Riddle: Haaah… R-Right, I got carried away. My apologies.

Riddle: Ahem. Listen carefully, Cater.

Riddle: These exam notes I compiled together has been made specifically to prepare you for any possible question that may come up on the exam.

Riddle: Just by memorizing those 300 pages, you should be able to solve every basic formula, practical application and trick question.

Riddle: Therefore, you should just memorize all of this text without worrying about how complicated it would be!

Cater: I totally get that you worked your butt off to put this together, and I totally want to memorize it, I really do!

Cater: But whenever I open up the textbooks, I only get about 3 pages in before I get super drowsy…

Riddle: The third page?

Riddle: That means you've not even gone past the table of contents!

Riddle: YOU DEFINITELY DESERVE TO LOSE YOUR HEAD!!!!!!!

Trey: R-Riddle, I feel you, but calm down a little…

Riddle: Urrrrghhh…!!

Trey: Cater, come on. If it makes you sleepy, then you should try to memorize it by reading the contents out loud.

Trey: Your busy Housewarden went through the troubles of putting this together for you.

Cater: Yeah, you're right. Sorry…

Cater: Alright, then. I got less than a week before my test, so I'm gonna definitely hunker down and test starting right now!

Riddle: Hmph. If you fail after I did all this…

Riddle: It'll absolutely be off with your head, understand!?

Cater: I-I'll do my best…

Cater: I'll upload a declaration of intent onto Magicam and log off for a bit.

Cater: First, I'll snap a pic of the exam notes that you made for me…

[click]

Cater: #StudyingForTests #300PagesOfNotes #Riddle-kunsHandicraft #HunkeringDownStartingToday #NoDrowsingOff

Cater: Aaand uploaded. Okay, then I'm gonna head back to my room to study. Thanks, you two.

[Cater walks away]

Riddle: Good grief. Cater is just as much of a handful as the others!

Riddle: His studies are suffering because he's got Magicam open non-stop.

Trey: I do sympathize wanting to avoid doing things you don't want, though.

Riddle: Students shouldn't be avoiding their studies, however.

Trey: Well, you're not wrong there…

Trey: …Riddle, is there any food you dislike?

Riddle: Hm? Why are you asking that all of a sudden?

Riddle: Well, if I had to pick something… I suppose I don't want to eat anything that's unhealthy or has a strong flavor.

Trey: Let's say you absolutely had to finish a full dish with pungent flavors…

Trey: How would you try to eat it, Riddle?

Riddle: Hmm. I would implement a method that would allow it to go down easier.

Riddle: Perhaps I would reduce the flavor by thinning it with hot water, or eat it bite by bite alongside bread or rice to help it go down.

Riddle: Or I could eat it with something I like…

Riddle: …............Ah!

Riddle: I understand now, so that's what you mean!

Riddle: Then maybe, for Cater…!

Trey: What's up, Riddle?

Riddle: Trey, I need you to teach me something.

[Heartslabyul Dorm – Rose Maze]

Cater: Yaaaaawn～ …Sleepy…

Cater: There's no way I can survive without Magicam… I'm logging back in. Let's goooo early morning Magicam scrolling～

Riddle: That yawn was as big as a walrus's when its trying to devour oysters, Cater.

Cater: Ack, Riddle-kun! M-Morning～ You're looking super cute today!

Cater: Ah, w-wait, I'm not! It's not like I was pulling up Magicam or something…

Riddle: Right, speaking of Magicam…

Riddle: Actually, I set up a Magicam account yesterday.

Cater: Oh, cool…. Wait, huuuh!!??

Cater: You? You're using Magicam!?

Riddle: What's with that reaction?

Riddle: Am I not allowed to use that application?

Cater: No, no, that's not what I mean!! I was just surprised, since you always said you had no interest up until now.

Riddle: Hmph. It just so happened that the mood struck me.

Riddle: Therefore, I thought I should at least ask for your friend ID.

Cater: Sure, I'll add you! I'm totally looking forward to the types of pics you're gonna upload, Riddle-kun～☆

Riddle: Heh, you would do well to check it every day so as to not miss anything.

[Classroom]

[chime ♪]

Cater: Oh, Riddle-kun uploaded something to Magicam! I should take a look.

Cater: I wonder what kinda pic he posted～♪

Cater: …Huh? What is this?

Cater: Is this… a picture of a broom?

Riddle: #First #WhileIncanting #Touch4CornersOfRoomWithBroom #LevitationMagic #SageAndSalt

Cater: Haha, he's using a ton of weird tags. It's cute seeing him trying something new.

[Heartslabyul Dorm – Cater's Room]

[chime ♪]

Cater: Riddle-kun's uploaded something again. This time it's… a towel? Wait, no…

Cater: It's a cleaning rag!

Cater: Why is he uploading a picture of something like that?

Cater: He should be posting selfies, or tasty looking lunches, or other stuff that'll be a hit on Magicam.

Riddle: #AfterBroom #DropMagestoneInBucketOfWater #5DropsPurificationPotion #WaterTempBelow20C #FollowExactly!

Cater: Hm? Wait, are these tags…?

[Heartslabyul Dorm – Riddle's Room]

Riddle: Next is the magical formula for brushing the carpet.

Riddle: First, I'll take a picture of the brush… Hmm, what tags should I use?

Riddle: "#WaterMagic #FireplaceAsh #SilverApple" Then... Also, this one…

Riddle: Perfect. …Uploaded.

Riddle: Oh. Cater's already "liked" it.

Riddle: It looks as though he's also uploaded a picture of how far he's progressed in his test studies.

Riddle: I'll also give him a "like"… Good.

[Heartslabyul Dorm – Lounge]

―A few days later

Cater: Riddle-kun!! Trey-kun!

Riddle: Ah, Cater. How did you do on the practical magic test?

Cater: Ta-da, look! I got an 85 on the written exam, and an A during the prac app!

Riddle: Amazing, you did it!

Riddle: …Ahem.

Trey: Good job, Cater.

Cater: Now I won't be held back! Thanks a ton, Riddle-kun!

Riddle: Hmph. Well, of course, I took care to properly instruct you. This is only the natural outcome.

Trey: I was pretty surprised when Riddle asked me to teach him how to set up a Magicam account…

Trey: But I definitely wasn't expecting him to upload photos on Magicam and use tags to help Cater learn the magical theories.

Cater: Yeah, that was a genius idea!

Cater: Those hashtags you used to spell out the magical formulas were way way way useful!

Cater: Whenever I tried frantically memorizing the notes, I'd just find myself dozing off, but that helped stick in my head so easy.

Cater: As thanks, I'll have to take you to a pancake café that took off on Magicam sometime ♡

Riddle: Well, aren't you riding high…? This better not happen again.

Riddle: If you ever find yourself in a situation where you may fail your courses again, it'll be off with your head!

Cater: I know, I know ♪ I'll work hard starting today!

Riddle: Good answer. Then, let's start with…

[thud!]

Cater: Guh, what's with all these books?

Riddle: This is merely the beginning. You are to read through every single one of these in preparation for your next test!

Cater: Eeehhhh, Riddle-kun, you serious?

Riddle: I've told you before, haven't I? For as long as I am Housewarden…

Riddle: Not a single Heartslabyul student will ever be held back!

Requested by @farfalla049.

[stagkingswife]

This may sound a bit silly, and I apologize if you've gotten this kind of ask before (please feel free to tell me to look for it or link posts if you want; no need for any answer even, there's no pressure), but I think unrecorded deities have been reaching out to me. I'm a bit nervous to reach back because I'm not sure how to verify who they are effectively. I also typically ask the deities I worship for protection, but I feel like that wouldn't be very respectful if the unrecorded deities truly are reaching out, you know? I want to be considerate of the fact that they, themselves, are also deities. Do you have any advice on what I can do to verify them? Do you know of ways to protect myself that wouldn't be seen as disrespectful? If you're unsure, it's totally ok. I appreciate any and all advice you may have, as I've never really encountered this before.

Regardless if you choose to answer, thank you for being here! I love your blog, and whenever I see your posts on my dash, it brings me a smile. Thank you, and take care! c:

Vetting unrecorded entities is very different from vetting recorded ones in my experience, but you can still do it! I've found it to be a much slower, longer process, that you really have to be patient and dedicated for. It's much more about getting to know the entity for who they are as an individual than it is about checking them against known facts. So be prepared to be in for the long haul!

I've written about my methods of vetting entities, both unrecorded and recorded in a couple of places. I have sort of an intro to my process of vetting an unrecorded entity here, it lays out the idea of checking the entity against themselves and looking for internal consistency. I combine this method of getting to know you questions with my note taking methods: Part 1 and Part 2 respectively. By having good notes I can establish that consistency and look for contradictions. Does the entity say something in one visit, and then contradict it the next time I encounter them? To me that's not a reason to cut off contact, but it is something to ask them about. Maybe it's a complicated thing for that entity, maybe there's a story, maybe they're reveling truths bit by bit as they come to trust me. There's a chance they may have lied to me, and I can ask them why. I'm very willing to hear explanations when I'm getting to know a new spirit, and for things to change as I get to know them. Sometimes they are remembering things about themselves as they are telling it to me. This doesn't apply to an unrecorded entity who is a regular spirit who has just never been written down, like a local nature spirit, or an individual one of the Fair Folk, but I've found that working with the really truly ancient spirits that maybe haven't interacted with a human in very long time can be a bit like talking to someone with dementia. I was started working on returning the Forgotten Ones in the same year that I lost my Pop-Pop to Parkinsons, and communicating to them in the begin was a lot like talking to him at the end. They knew who they were, loosely, but the details were foggy and vague, and would sometimes change a bit from visit to visit, like my Pop-Pop remembering my Nona was the most beautiful girl in the world, but not what her name was.

As for asking for protection I'm going to ask you this. Do you think it's disrespectful to ask the recorded entities and deities that you have relationships with for protection? If asking for blessings and protection is part of your normal way of interacting with a recorded deity I think it would be more disrespectful to an unrecorded one if you treated them differently. I don't really have too much to do with recorded deities anymore, but when I did I always made a point to treat them and the Forgotten Ones the same. It was important to me to show both the Forgotten Ones and the recorded deities that they were equal to me, and that the Forgotten Ones weren't different, lesser, or other in any way because of their unrecorded-ness. They were all just spirits in silly hats.

Personally, to be perfectly frank, I don't like relying on outside forces for protection. I've never been one to ask a deity or spirit for protection, it's too reliant on the benevolence of an external being, which could be revoked if a relationship ever soured. So while I think you could ask an unrecorded deity for it, I wouldn't personally recommend it. I would instead recommend coming up with a self reliant method of protection. I prefer wards on my living space and personal shields built into enchanted jewelry for when I leave my warded space, but there are other methods of protection spells out there. You could probably tweak my "Retreat Into Your Shell" Spell to be more general protection, it's sort of geared at emotional protection as designed, if you wanted to! Would just need to swap the herbs and then design your sigil/symbol for what you want.

[erinwantstowrite]

Do you know roughly how much of chapter 15 are gonna be like content warnings or about peters child abuse? I'm trying to avoid as much of the triggering content as I can but I also want to read as much of the chapter as I safely can

If not do you know roughly where in the chapter that content is gonna be?

i will put be putting trigger warnings before the chapter with more detail (because i haven't written a particular scene yet so i don't know the specifics of what i'll need to mention), but i can give a general idea

(this will be below the cut. please take care of yourself. i will be talking about child abuse in many forms. there's four paragraphs, giving a general statement about the content, but will not be going into detail)

it's going to get very heavy. peter alludes to a lot of things he's been through with foster parents. in the first scene, peter has a physical reaction and starts apologizing, dick and wally both reassure him and have a talk about it, so peter will feel safe. peter does not notice that he even has this reaction. but it opens the door to dick having to ask questions so that he DOESN'T accidentally trigger peter, and that's most of the chapter. scene 1, and scene 3/4 (while there's not a break, this scene will feel like 2 different scenes, and the second part is where this is brought up) will be talking about the child abuse with dick, because dick asks about it

peter will not be having flashbacks or going into extreme detail, but he will be talking about it and some of the specifics with dick. he'll talk about the different foster parents he had, he'll talk about just how many people in his life died, he'll talk about the impact that it had on him, etc. he'll also be talking about various forms of child abuse, both physical and mental, from multiple foster parents. but he won't be talking about what westcott did beyond the day that peter ran away. peter is not ready to talk about the SA, so he won't be doing so. there will be a fic in the LoF series that delves into that (but again I'll say that I will not be including flashbacks nor describing in detail what happened to him. it will be talked about, peter will be having reactions and working through it, but i do not want to write the actual scene of it happening. and in that fic, which is a while from now, dick will also be talking about his own SA).

And I really, really have to mention that Peter's narration on this topic is unreliable and biased. the way that he views his trauma is not the way that he should, he still has a lot to go with healing from his past. His narration could be triggering because of how he views himself. he thinks that how he went about this was stupid, but no one around peter will think the same. dick will talk to him about this and peter's viewpoint will start to shift. but in the beginning, it's very sad to see

I hope to do this topic justice and in a way that doesn't hurt any of my readers. I have people that will look over this chapter to make sure that I do, but that responsibility falls on me. I value you all and I care about your well being. I get a lot of asks talking about how they can relate to Peter in LoF, and please know that even if I don't respond to these asks (potentially triggering topics) I see you and I hear you. I'm so sorry that you were left behind and hurt. You didn't deserve what happened to you, no one does. You are important and I'm glad you're with us today. Please take care of yourself. If you find that reading chapter 15 will be too much, I understand completely. I will be putting a summary of the chapter on my page to give an overview of what happened but without the details. It will be a clinical transcript of sorts.

[yan-springlove]

Powder Blues AU

So I've been thinking about the different ways Powder×Jinx could work given that Jinx leaves Zaun and Piltover.

I think it'd be a slowburn in regards to Powder being able to see Vi and Ekko, and a slowburn between Jinx and Powder. In a things-get-worse-before-they-get-better way. So welcome to this AU I made for them!

I got inspired by one of my fav fics where two siblings' bodies get molecularly mashed into a single one thanks to a quirk--but retains the consciousness of both siblings. Much like how our Ekko hopped into Powder's Ekko through the arcane anomaly!! Except the other Ekko didn't retain any sort of control or consciousness.

(https://archiveofourown.org/works/45335362 if u wanna check it out. Its MHA--Touya and Fuyumi centric, wonderfully written)

Powder would probably try to account for that--but what if she wasn't completely succesful?

So Jinx and Powder are stuck in the same body sharing control instead of complete separation. They can't hear each others thoughts, so they have to talk with the same mouth (taking turns) if they want to communicate.

This has so much potential for various scenes!! But here's my idea for how it goes:

---

Powder finds that she has to convince Jinx she's real and not just another facet of Jinx's mental instability. As Jinx is currently wandering Demacia via airship, Powder is trying to convince Jinx to visit Vi and Ekko.

With enough willpower, Powder finds she can move Jinx's body---up until Jinx starts fighting for control of those parts again (like if Powder is doing something Jinx really doesn't want to aka going back to Zaun and Piltover)

Gaining control is kind of a coin toss over who has the most willpower and focus on moving the way they want when theyre fighting for control.

They find out that when one of them sleeps, the other has unimpeded control.

So every step farther away from Zaun Jinx takes, Powder retraces them when she has control. Keeps hoping eventually Jinx will get tired of running and let her go back.

Needless to say, they don't get along very well at the beginning due to clashing goals.

Resentment wells up in Powder, stuck in Jinx's body. It keeps growing until she becomes bitter. Sad. Her comments about Jinx's actions during the day to day adventures go from curious, exasperated, etc--to attempts at cutting insults and dry, sarcastic mockery. Tired. She's exhausted with Jinx's shit.

She's so close to seeing Vi, yet so far.

---

On the other side of the coin; Jinx feels like she's just gone some new kind of insane. But unlike Powder, she's grateful to have company (that can't die) again. At the start she just bickers with Powder for the fun of it, along with the rest of their conversations.

That changes when Powder uses Jinx's confessions/conversations to herself or her voices while thinking Powder was asleep. (Haven't decided what she'll use against Jinx, but I know Powder doesn't actually know/mean the full impact of what she said--she doesnt have the full picture of Jinx, yet. She's angry and fed up with Jinx and lashes out after week or months of trying to keep it in).

Jinx goes quiet. She doesn't talk to Powder for days after that.

---

Thats when their relationship starts to change.

With a few days of silence from Jinx, Powder uses that time to travel to Zaun/Piltover. But she stops outside the city, because the fact that Jinx retreated so far that she hasn't even tried to take back control the whole time worries Powder.

She apologizes for what she said, and talks about the feelings that had been festering since she arrived in Jinx's body. About Vi (and Ekko).

Still no reply.

So Powder gives herself a day to explore Zaun and Piltover without looking for Ekko or Vi. Tries to get Jinx to talk while exploring the cities, but it just ends up with her continuously having one sided conversations. Powder finds she doesn't mind, though. Somehow she knows Jinx is listening.

Powder shares all the differences she sees in Jinx's reality vs her world. Tells Jinx stories about her family. Ekko. Benzo. Heimerdinger. Mylo. Claggor. Vander. Silco.

Vi.

While she told Jinx that her Vi is dead, she never shared the intimate details of the experience.

This time, she tells Jinx how it happened. How it felt. What it's been like for her all these years mourning and missing Vi.

How Jinx's Ekko showed Powder what she looked like in this world when he visited.

How much she just wants to see her sister. To hug her one more time.

Up on a rooftop alone and looking down at the two cities, Powder lets herself cry out everything that's been rotting in her the past few months living in Jinx's body.

When she's done, it's Jinx that carefully wipes Powder's tears away. That whispers hoarsely, "I'll take you to her."

---

next up in this AU is a Vi, Jinx, and Powder reunion (+ Cait and Ekko)

---

Bonus: I like to think that Jinx would ask for more stories of Silco and Vander.

[giggly-squiggily]

Hi, I saw that your requests are open and remembered the shiratorizawa works you’ve done. I was wondering if I could request shirabu being tickled by the shiratorizawa third years?

{Requests are CLOSED! This is an old one!}

AHH, oh my goodness I haven't written for Shiratorizawa in forever! This was so fun to make! So much so I got a bit carried away lols. I hope you like it, anon! :D

Cloud 9 (Taglist Peeps):

@myreygn @thatbigbisexual29 @duckymcdoorknob @rachi-roo @chibisstuff @imjusthere07 @sevenincubistolemyheart @riisada @sp1racle

“He’s so nervous.”

“It’s Semi’s fault.”

“Shut up! It’s…is it?”

“You’re always glaring at him, Semi-Semi! You’re as open as a book!”

“Why you son of a-”

Ushijima ignored the pair beside him as he watched Shirabu set, his arcs beautiful and textbook. When he was in the zone, he was flawless.

Then he felt eyes on him and-upon turning to see the stoic third year watching him- stiffened up so badly the ball coming his way bounced off the side of his head.

Laughter ensued, Goshiki making jokes and running around him as Shirabu blew a fuse, flustered. The third year wanted to apologize for distracting him, but he knew it would likely make things worse.

“Poor kid. He’s terrified of you two.” Tendou chided with a shake of his head, bringing Ushijima back to reality.

“Don’t you mean ‘us’? Surely you don’t think you’re the exception?” Semi’s brow twitched, but Tendou only smiled at him knowingly.

“He can relax around me cause I’m not always scowling at him. I’m always smiling~ Something you can do more of, SemiSemi!” Tendou emphasized his point by drilling a finger into the setter’s side, making him double over with a giggly yelp. “You too, Waka! Smiling makes you look far less-”

“Scary?” He finished for him, something aching in his chest.

“Serious.” Tendou corrected, if not a bit hastily. “Semi’s scary. You look more of a stern father with that expression. He has such a respect for both of you;  it’s why he’s so nervous. He doesn’t want to disappoint you.”

“He hasn’t-”

“And that’s why he needs to see you in a new light! So he knows you’re not as stern looking or grumpy as you appear!” Tendou smiled brightly, watching them consider his words. “And I think I know just what to do.”

~~~

Shirabu couldn’t breathe.

Well- okay. Overexaggeration. Whatever.

But he was invited to stay back to practice with the third years! The third years!!!

He knew internally he shouldn’t make such a big deal out of it; it wasn’t like he was meeting his favorite athletes or his celebrity crush. Still, he couldn’t help but feel like he was in a sort of secret club now. One of the rare first years that get to say they spent time with Shiratorizawa’s powerhouse.

Oh god, he suddenly couldn’t breathe again. Calm down, calm down…

Standing before the double doors he’s grown so used to, he tried to hide his nerves as he reached for the handles. It’s just like any other practice. He’s gonna walk in, stretch some- likely learn something new from Semi and be messed with by Tendou. Ushijima would be watching him- observing him, noting him.

Judging him.

His hands shook, knuckles white against the door handle. He willed himself to open it-

“Breathe. It’s not like you’re about to meet God.” Semi’s voice scared him so badly he nearly fell over. The older setter’s lips twitched as he pushed open the other door, waiting for him to go in first. “We’re just normal people at the end of the day. Don’t piss yourself over it.”

“Tch. I wasn’t planning on it.” Shirabru hummed as he walked in, opting for indifference and ignoring Semi’s jaw clench. Smooth move, Kenjiro. Off to a great start.

“Shirabru!!” Tendou’s arm came around his shoulders before he could muster out an apology, dragging him into the gymnasium with a happy laugh. “Come in! Ready to practice?”

“I-erm, yeah.” He nodded, freezing up when his eyes landed on Ushijima. Tall and imposing, the object of his admiration and terror.

Breathe.

“U-Ushijima-san! T-Thank you for having me.” Shirabu bowed low, doubling over so far he almost touched his nose to his knees. “Thank you too, Tendou-san, Sem-san. I appreciate it.”

“Aww, Shirabu! You’re too sweet!” Tendou laughed, clapping at the overexaggerated bow. Semi snorted, looking away while Ushijima huffed, the smallest of smiles gracing his lips. “Okay, okay- enough of that. Stand up.” Pulling him back straight, Tendou ruffled his hair. “Before we really get going- we’re gonna play a game. Break the ice and all that.”

“Oh? Okay- is it like, two on two or..” The first year started to sweat when Tendou grinned, eyes twinkling. He only got like that when-

Oh no. No, no no way- not in front of Ushijima-

“Time for Tendou Satori’s cult classic! Keep away!” He darted forward, making Shirabu yelp. Seconds later- a volleyball was bounced in his arms, Semi’s snickers following.

“And you’re it.”

Shirabu squeaked and turned, running for the hills with the volleyball in his arms. Tendou did this to almost everyone in the team- threw them a ball and yelled “KEEP AWAY!” before chasing them until they either pass it on or get caught.

And to get caught means…

“Semi-san, take it!” Shirabu pleaded, running towards the setter. Alas, the jerk outpaced him, laughing the entire time.

“No way! That’s all yours! Besides, he gets me all the time.” Semi gracefully dived away when Shirabu tried tagging him, Tendou hot on his heels.

“Come on!” He ran the other way, looking towards where Ushijima was. The ace was half-running, pacing some to keep distance but not quite trying to avoid him. He could easily tag him- leave him to Tendou’s antics.

But that would be wrong, no? How could he leave him to suffer?

Ushijima caught his eye- and for the briefest of moments, he seemed…inviting. The subtlest of gestures, and a gentle expression that Shirabu had yet to really witness.

Tag me. He was sacrificing himself.

The shock of it threw him off balance, Tendou grabbing onto him with ease. In seconds, they were on the floor.

“Ah! Aheahhahahhaaha, nohohohohoohoho!” Shirabu yelped the second Tendou touched down, drilling into his ribs mercilessly. “Aheahahahha, Teehehhendohohohohu pleahhahahase!”

“What was that? Where was the ‘San’?” The redhead teased, laughing when Shirabu frantically started squeaking out the word through his giggles. “You’re such a cutie, Shi-Shi! Semi, Waka- get over here and help me!”

“Nohoohho!” Shirabu squeaked out when his arms were suddenly grabbed, the volleyball he had held onto rolling away. “Sehehheemi-san, pleahahhhahahse!”

“Sorry kid, but you seriously need this.” The older setter smirked as he brought both of his hands up and above his head, giving Tendou more access to tickle. “I told you not to piss yourself- though that might be impossible with Tendou here.”

“Aheahahhahaha! Gehahahhahhahaha, cohohohohme ohohohohon!” Shirabu kicked his feet in vain as his upper ribs were attacked, fingers drilling viciously against the sensitive skin. “Whahhahat ahahhapenenehned to prhahahhahctice?”

“I told you- after the game! Man, you really are stiff if you’re so business focused!” Tendou teased, moving his hands down to his lower ribs while Shirabu arched. “That’s okay- it just makes you even cuter to us, Shi-Shi! Don’t you think so, Semi?”

“Sure.” The setter lifted a shoulder, laughing when Shirashi tried to glare. “Come on, Waka- get in on this!”

“Aheahhahaha, nohohohoohoho! Uuhuhuhushihihijihihihihima sahhahan! Hehehehelp meheheheh!” Shirabu cried out, his laughter going up an octave when Tendou dug into his belly. “Sahahahhahhave mehehehhhehehe!”

The ace looked visibly torn- indecisive as he looked between his fellow third years and Shirabu. Eventually though, he walked over.

“Oo, Waka’s gonna help, huh? Get him good!” Tendou cheered.

His cheers were immediately interrupted when Ushijima rapidly poked his armpits, making the redhead squeal and flail away. “Whahahhahaka!”

Ushijima saved him! Shirabu could cry- what a great guy!

“Where should I…?” The ace mused, considering. Tendou snickered.

“He’ll squeal if you get his belly.”

Not a great guy- not a great guy-

“Nohohoh PLEAHHAHHAHHASE!” Shirabu all but howled when Ushijima clawed at his stomach, gentle in his touch. Behind him, Tendou squeezed the life out of his thighs and knees, and overhead, Semi adjusted his grip so he could tickle his neck with a free hand. Shirabu was utterly doomed.

But…he was having fun. It felt good to laugh around them, even if it was like this. Their laughing voices and cooing teases were a bit embarrassing to hear, but he would be lying if he said he hated the attention.

Eventually, the tickles came to an end. His hands and legs were released, giving him the chance to curl up and breathe. His face was hot, and the cool gymnasium felt good against it. His vision was blurry, but that went away soon after.

“He’s so cute! Gahahha!” Tendou laughed like a child gently shaking Shirabu as the first year let out a soft wheeze. “You good, bud? We didn’t get you too bad, did we?”

“Hehe..hehehe..n-no, I’m fine.” Shirabu sat up with some help, running a hand through his bangs as the other three smiled at him. “Why’d you do that? I thought-”

That’s when it hit him. There was no extra practice. The net wasn’t even out- a detail he missed entirely due to his nerves. “I don’t understand.”

“Isn’t it obvious? We wanted you to lighten up!” Tendou smacked his shoulder, the gesture playful. “You’re always so scared around these two- I wanted you to see them in a new light!”

“I’m not scared!” Shirabu quickly cut in, wincing at how obvious of a lie it was. “I just- erm…okay. Maybe a little bit.

“But not in a bad way!” Shirabu quickly added, feeling bad. “I just..you guys are so amazing- on and off the court. You help me whenever I need it, and you always give me good advice..even if I don’t always wanna hear it.” He smiled a bit sheepishly at Semi- making him soften. “You guys are..well, god this is embarrassing- you’re my..heroes. You make me wanna play better. I never want to disappoint you three.” His face was burning again. He probably sounded so cringy right now. “I guess that’s why it’s so nerve-racking being around you three.”

Silence. He was sure they were judging him now. Then…

“Aww, Semi-Semi, are you crying?” Tendou’s teasing words made him look up, finding the setter looking away.

“S-Shut up! You’re tearing up too!” He argued, biting his lip. Tendou was a bit teary, admittedly.

Ushijima’s hand came to his shoulder, squeezing it once. The gesture told him everything they couldn’t say- as did his rare but ever so treasured smile. Shirabu tried not to cry with little success.

“Okay- okay- no more waterworks.” Tendou announced, standing up and running towards the abandoned volleyball nearby. “Semi, catch!”

“What-” He yelped, doing so. Realization dawned on him. “Shit- Tendou!”

“Keep away!” The redhead cheered, chasing after the other with a fresh glee. Shirabu laughed as he wiped at his face, finding Ushijima subtly doing that too. “Come on, help me!”

“Care to play?” The older boy asked, voice soft and kind. Shirabu nodded without any hesitation.

“Yeah. Let’s do it!”

Thanks for reading!

[finnbbl]

Hyunjin x M! Reader - Dancer AU | SMAU | Chapter 10

Ch. 10 - Cutie | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter |

| Story Masterlist |

Written: Yes

Smau: Yes

Word Count: 0.8k

A/N: sry i fell off the face of the earth 😭 I got a writers block then got super busy and stressed with classes. Updates probably won’t be daily, I’ll update whenever the chapters are done <3 sorry to make you wait so long, and tysm for ur support !

P.S. let me know your thoughts on the story so far! i’m a bit insecure on some chapters and want ur guys honest opinion!

Warnings: Uhm swearing? Typos, not proofread. lemme know if i missed anything

The night went on with all 9 of you guys joking around and having fun. For once, you felt as if you fit in, like you belonged somewhere. The night was nearing an end, most stores were closed as it was rather pretty late.

Everyone had decided to window shop. At one point, without even realizing it, you had wandered off. Although it was late, there were still a few other people out and about.

You weren't paying attention, and the next thing you knew you had bumped into someone. You turned towards him as you apologized profusely. He was taller, had darker hair, and was dressed in a hoodie with a jean jacket over it. "I'm so sorry, I should've looked where I was going." You internally panicked as you bent down to pick up his bag, which you had previously accidentally knocked out of his hand. "It's alright sweetheart, don't worry."

You froze. "Sweetheart?" Your mind wandered around that thought as you unknowingly. Your eyes were lost on his gorgeous face as you unknowingly kept a tight grip on the bag. The guy's sentence snapped you out of your trance.

"You okay?" Immediately, you let go of it. "Oh, sorry." A nervous smile fell on your face as you quickly handed it to him and brought a hand to your now warm forehead. The guy chuckled at you as he complimented, "You're cute."

His compliments keep catching you off guard, before you even had a minute to register anything he said, he spoke up again. "You're not busy are you?" You shook your head at his question, wondering how you even got to this point.

For a moment, you completely forgot about everyone else.

This guy was intoxicating. "I've seen you've been wandering around with some other guys, mind if I tag along?" It was at this moment your body decided before your heart did. "Sure, that's fine." Throwing him a smile as he held out his hand for you to shake as he introduced himself. "I'm Mingyu."

"Mingyu.. that sounded familiar." You had sworn you'd heard that name somewhere. Pondering as you connected his hand with yours, shaking slowly. "Y/N." Unable to form a full sentence as you left him with just your name. "Y/N there you are." A voice behind you caught you off guard as you saw that Bang Chan was running in your direction. He seemed a bit worried. "You can't run off like that this late." Chan took a peek at who you were talking to. "Oh hey! Haven't seen you in a while. What are you doing in Japan?" The leader abandoned your guy's conversation and went over to talk to Mingyu. "Ah just touring, we have some free time so." The way he spoke captured you, and you felt like you couldn't take your eyes off of him. "You don't mind if I tag along with you guys do you?" By this time, the other members had caught up with you three and now listened in on their conversation.

"Ah, I think we're about to head back, it's decently late.

Sorry about that."

"Ah no worries, as long as I can get this one's number." His hand laid a gentle tap on your arm. In the few minutes you had been around him, you could tell Mingyu was a very flirty person. This left you sort of embarrassed, but it also left butterflies swirling around your stomach. God, you know that these boys would tease you about this later.

And damn were you right.

After you all filed onto the bus once again, they started messing with you. "Awh how cute, someone has themself a boyfriend." Hyunjin who was next to you nudged our shoulder. "Stop." You pushed him off of you. "I don't have anything."

"Mhmmm sure. That's why your eyes were glued to his face during his whole conversation with Chan."

"I was just trying to figure out who he was. That's all." You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms in your seat. “Pfft yeah right, everyone knows who Mingyu is. Not a very good excuse.” Lee Know stated again. “Only his name sounds familiar, i can’t think of anything else.” You let out a sigh as you rolled your eyes. Letting your body flop back in the seat as you crossed your arms. “Damn, so you really don’t know?” Felix’s voice sounded and your head shot in his direction, a questioning look on your face as you shook your head. “So you don’t listen to Seventeen?”

Your eyes widened as the group’s name was said. “You’re kidding, Seventeen?!” You sat back up as you heard Hyunjin laugh from next to you. “So I just embarrassed myself in front of the Mingyu from Seventeen?!” You dug your face in your hands, slouching back down. “I don’t think you embarrassed yourself, all you did was make googoo eyes at him for ten minutes.” Hyunjin teased as he neared your face. Feeling annoyed already, you pushed him away. “You’re so irritating!” He only laughed at your reaction as you rolled your eyes. The rest of the bus ride was pretty much just the others teasing you. Although you didn’t particularly enjoy it, you definitely enjoyed the time you spent with them. Finally, you had found your place.

Taglist: @silverstarburst @virluna148 @galaxycatdrawz @onementally-unstabel-kid @uso-dakedo @lampcults @chaer4life

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[0daylighthours0]

(part 2) A Deep Dive into Milkvan and Byler's Development: If Milkvan's Destined Endgame, Why's it Written Like This???

The decision to confirm Will to be in love with MIKE is wild, and I'll tell you why.

When you add a third party to a t.v show relationship, if the first relationship isn't perfect, people gunna start rooting for the third party. Take Stancy for instance.

Throughout s2, we got the vibes that Jonathan held feelings for Nancy. This was clear. But Nancy was still with Steve. This means, in order for us not to sympathize more for Jonathan, Nancy and Steve gotta be ✧ tight ✧. I mean, their issues must be kept at a low, and at the end of the day it's gotta be clearer to us that Nancy does in fact love Steve. Welp, that wasn’t the case. Stancy's relationship ✧ struggled ✧, justifying intimate moments between Nancy and Jonathan - making us feel as if he'd be better for her after all. A smart writing choice, as Duffers intended Jancy as season 2's endgame pairing.

Now, I'd like to point out the foreshadowing of this development.

Come the wrapping up of s1, and it seemed Nancy had retreated back to Steve.

They'd clearly reconciled and - to an outsider - all would appear to be going smoothly. But us as the audience know that not to be the case.

One reason? Well, she'd just shared a suggesting moment with Jonathan.

So our minds weren't on Steve and this show of his with Nancy. Rather, we read into Nancy's slight discomfort, and wondered if perhaps she'd prefer being with Jonathan instead.

This was of course intentional. I'd like to briefly bring to attention the similarities in these moments to ones at the end of s3 - between Mike and Will, and then Mike and El.

Here a conclusion to milkvan's seasonal drama is made, them seemingly staying together, parting on good terms. Hm. And milkvan's moment is.. kinda like stancy's. They got back together because, well, El said she loves Mike. And Steve loves Nancy. And Mike loves El right? The way Nancy loved Steve- But just, coincidentally, we have byler's reconciliation too.

This came before the guy's makeup with El, because, why? This was quite the interesting decision mates. It means that whilst he spends that moment with his girlfriend, our minds are fresh off of Will. People might read into the way he's acting in contrast, just maybe, the way they did during stancy. And people did. That's a bit of a fumble on the writers' part, if you ask me. I know you're trying to let us know that Mike's now on good terms with both members, and his and El's goodbye needs to be the dramatic finishing of the season, but, man, did byler even have to make up at all here you guys? I mean this miscommunication of theirs lasts through to s4 (just like janc-). Why not sort their good terms out later or earlier on, so that we have more mindspace here to focus solely on milkvan, our main main? Or at least, why not just have Mike apologize to Will and be done with it? He could even apologize alongside Lucas, making the moment less personal. And Will could simply forgive him, give a dudely pat it out, and that's it. We wash our hands.

But nah. There's this electricity in the air. The swelling music, the prolonged looks, this doesn't.. seem like a simple make up. It's startlingly short, making us feel as if there have been things left unsaid. And that line,

".. Not possible."

It's so... implying. What do you mean? Why are you looking at eachother like that? What am I meant to get from this scene?

And it isn't a closing reconciliation either, they haven't properly ended their season's drama. I mean no one even apologized for the argument, we're just sort of left with this. Left with the hint of a story that might be further explored - their moment coming off more as anticipation for what's to come than a conclusion. Maybe just a bit like Jonathan and Nancy s1.

But so what? That does not have to mean anything romantic between them is to be told. After all, El just expressed to Mike that she loves him. This means that these sweethearts are practically fortold as endgame, right?

Alright I'll stop stalling.

Season 4.

So. Will is in love with Mike now. Huh. Well, I don't recommend this. As I said, you risk people rooting for Will beyond their hopes for Mike and El as a couple. If this is a plotline you desire, it has to be navigated with precision. So this means that milkvan must be on their A game. Struggle between them has got to be handled delicately. As we see in stancy, and as we saw in s3, just making up at the end of it all isn't good enough. You can risk this mistake once, but we must like these guys together throughout season 4, more than we sorrow for Will. Infact, Will's feelings must not be made too big of a deal. Mike and El are going to stay together, so we should feel a bit sorry for him, but not gather any hope that things will actually work out to his favour.

Like Dustin in s2. He sprouted small feelings for Max, and so did Lucas. Lumax were the endgame, so Dustin's feelings were craftly navigated and not made more important than Max and Lucas' bond. We don't really feel that Dustin is in love with Max, moreso that he likes her and has some moments of jealousy aimed at Lucas. Noone really wanted him with her more than they rooted for Lumax, though we did sympathize for him and feel bad for him regardless.

So yeah, this can easily be written out for Will too. If his story's purpose is meant for the exploration of a gay kid navigating a still homoph#bic time, then there's a lot that can be done without even having to spare much screen time between him and Mike. Focus on his fear of judgement from Jonathan moreso maybe, or have Argyle say something - it can be whatever, mention something homoph#bic, mention something not homoph#bic and give Will hope, whatever - which sets off a thought or idea for Will that prepares his arc for the season.

Back to Mike and El - so we want a 'scared to say "I love you"' subplot. That's good, that good. Fleshes out Mike, plays into El's fears. Shouldn't be too hard.

There's already a mild problem though. This plot is playing out twice at once. We have our boy Will hosting this same fear of rejection by Mike - at least that's how things have been shot. His dread is portrayed through his restraint and timidity in revealing his painting to Mike. Will's painting is basically his version of a confession - the guy too selfless, shy and afraid to express his love outright.

So playing out this storyline at the double is.. a choice. I mean, Mike telling El he loves her is a big deal for the milkvans, shouldn't this romance dominate as much screen time as possible in order to be fully pumped up without any sidetracks to other insignificant in comparison feelings? S3 was already quite clumsy, why not have Mike and El's activities soak in all viewers' engrossment without any departures? Maybe spend a bit of time demonstrating how likeable and wholesome they actually are together. Now that we have Will's affection ontop it all, what's important is that Mike and El's camera time spent matters. They can be angsty, they can withhold some misunderstandings, but they still have to be a good. couple.

Oh yeah, also, Mike should blatantly display feelings for El and El only - duh.

.

..

huh ?

huh ? ? ?

[lonepantheress]

i really love you

☆ pairing: kim gyuvin x reader

☆ genre: angst mostly! rlly not as romantic as i hoped

☆ warnings: yunjin le sserafim cameo

☆ wc: 3.3k

☆ a/n: i feel like i owe 1000 apologies and then some. this is the first thing that i've written in awhile. i know i've been MIA but life has really been chaotic. still i wrote this a few weeks ago and decided just to post since i haven't. i miss this blog and the lovely messages i'd receive. i hope you all enjoy &lt;3.

You were often told that people envied your friendship with Gyuvin. You hadn’t known each other your whole lives, but it definitely felt like it. In fact, you considered yourself lucky to have a connection that goes so far beyond the surface level.

The depth of your bond presented itself in a way you considered unique. It was incredible to have someone who knew everything about you – who wanted to know everything about you. He was your shoulder to cry on and the most reliable person that you knew. You often found yourself with the fleeting thought of What if we were more than just best friends? But you brushed it off before you even gave yourself the chance to entertain it.

Still, it was no question to the people around you that you and Gyuvin were something more than best friends – even without that “Boyfriend-Girlfriend” label.

Which is how you found yourself in this position: You and Yunjin found yourselves in the same boat of “I-haven’t-know-you-my-whole-life-but-I-definetly-feel-like-I-have,” meaning you frequently spent your time with one another, and on a weekly basis you slept over at her apartment and vice versa.

You’d watch movies and do skin care and braid hair, but above all you exchanged secrets. Over months and months of sleepovers you found out about Yunjin’s secret spelling mishap of 8th grade, and she found out about your high school boyfriend who liked to call you “Sugar Plum” unironically. No matter how serious or ridiculous the secret, they came out naturally in the dead of night during almost every sleepover the two of you would have.

“I think, maybe, deep down inside, I am possibly harboring some feelings for Gyuvin.” The confession came out with the same pit in your stomach you get when you’re throwing up. 

You sat across from Yunjin on her apartment bedroom floor with green face masks adorning both of your faces. You couldn’t believe the words that had just left your mouth, your heart raced while you waited for Yunjin to give you some sort of response. When your eyes darted up at her, she looked at you wide-eyed and jaw-dropped. 

The room seemed to hold its breath, almost as if it were waiting with you for Yunjin to say something. You were having one of those heart-to-hearts that you only have in the dead of night, admitting all kinds of secrets that you had to look deep inside to find. Still, upon hearing yours, she blinked a few times as if she was trying to process what she’d just heard.

“Wow,” she said softly, breaking the silence, “I mean, I already knew that! I just wasn’t expecting you to say it!”

You managed a weak smile in return, the corners of your lips shaking with nerves, “Yeah. Me neither.”

“Well? You haven’t said anything to him about it?”

“What? No! Oh god, no. That hurts my head just thinking about it, no. I can’t.”

“You can’t?” 

“I can’t.”

She didn’t understand you, but she understood the weight of your words and decided not to bother you about it anymore. Yunjin reached over and gently put her hand over yours, the warmth of her touch grounded you in that moment. “Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me. You know I’m here if you need anything, right?”

The confession occupied the air between the two of you like a fragile secret. Now, the green face masks seemed oddly out of place. As if the intimate exchange had transcended the triviality of their original purpose. 

Yunjin’s initial shock gave way to a soft smile, her eyes holding a mixture of empathy and understanding. The kind of understanding that could only be offered by close friends – knowing they may not comprehend the depth of your emotions, they will be there for you nonetheless.

You sighed heavily and turned your gaze to the ceiling, letting all those emotions you shoved down take their place in your heart. “I don’t even know what I’m feeling half the time,” you admitted, voice carrying a mix of frustration and self deprecation.

Yunjin chuckled, her eyes crinkled in the corners and the dry mask of her face cracked in sync. “Babe, feelings are messy! I don’t think mine ever follow a logical path.”

“God, tell me about it. It’s just… Gyuvin, you know? We’re just too good as friends. What if I ruin it?”

Your hand received a reassuring squeeze from Yunjin before she withdrew her touch, a pensive expression on her face. She leaned back on her arms, considering your words carefully.

“I mean – I personally don’t get where you’re coming from,” she began, voice gentle, “But think about it this way Y/n: if your friendship is as good as you believe it is, then it’s strong enough to handle some turbulence. Emotions aren’t always predictable, and that’s okay! What if some weird unspoken tension affects your friendship more than your harboring some secret feelings?”

You sighed again, staring at the tiles at the ceiling as if they’d give you the answer after a while. “I know. You’re right. It’s just scary…I don’t even care if he feels the same way, what if things get weird between us?”

Yunjin leaned forward, resting her chin in her hands. “Babe, look, I can’t predict the future. I do know that honesty is the best policy, though. He deserves to know the truth, but you deserve to express your feelings even more! Whether he reciprocates or not, it’s not in your control. What you can control is how you handle this moving forward.”

“You’re right,” you admitted, letting your head down to face her. “I can’t even tell you how long I’ve been avoiding this for. It isn’t fair to either of us.”

Yunjin smiled widely at you, mask cracking more and more. “Exactly! And you know what they say about regrets, right?”

“What do they say?”

“Well.. I don’t really know. But they have to say something about it! Look, if he truly values your friendship then he’ll appreciate your honesty.”

You smiled back at Yunjin, your own mask cracking from the movement in your face. Yunjin stood up and held her hand out for you to grab.

You reached out and took her hand, letting her help you up from the ground. The air in the room felt a little lighter now, as if the weight of your confession had been shared and the burden lessened.

“Come on,” Yunjin said, “Let’s wash these off and then go to bed. We can talk about this in the morning or something. And if things don’t work, I will happily accept a confession from you on his behalf!”

Despite the impact that your much needed heart-to-heart with Yunjin had on you, you still found yourself unable to take any immediate action (or any action at all, for that matter.) In fact, it was more like the opposite. Your behavior took an unexpected turn – one that puzzled those around you. To you, though, it all made perfect sense. You had finally sat down and confronted those feelings that you had long harbored, and you need some time and space to really process it. Particularly, time and space away from Gyuvin. 

You shifted to practically being inseparable from one another to being distant and withdrawn. Those who’d grown accustomed to seeing you two together nearly every day were now met with your fleeting glances and casual avoidance. It was you who’d placed the invisible barrier between you and Gyuvin, leaving him equally confused by your sudden change in behavior.

Though, he didn’t know what exactly caused this sudden shift with you, he wasn’t blind to the cues you were throwing his way. He noticed immediately your short responses (if he had received one at all), and your excuses to avoid making any plans. He saw you take the long way from one place to another and he could only assume it was so you could avoid crossing paths with him. And while the biggest part of him wanted to know why, his brain told him to just let you deal with whatever it was you were dealing with. 

This went on for three weeks before someone decided to mention it. 

“What’s going on with Y/n?”

“What’s going on with Y/n?” Gyuvin scoffed at Matthew’s question and deadpanned, “If I knew that, she’d probably be here right now.”

Matthew raised an eyebrow, “Man, don’t get mad at me. I’m just so used to seeing you guys together all the time. It’s weird to everyone to see you guys apart like this.” Matthew leaned against the table at the campus café that they both sat.

Gyuvin let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair, “You’re telling me? I’ve tried talking to her but she’s just… distant? I dunno. I can’t put a finger on why.”

“Did you guys have a fight?”

He shook his head, face full of frustration. “Is it bad if I say I wish we did? At least then I’d know what I did. She’s just been acting different. We used to spend hours talking about the dumbest shit and now it’s like pulling teeth to even get a few words out of her.”

Matthew took a sip from his coffee, gaze fixed on Gyuvin, “Maybe she’s going through something! Sometimes people start acting like that when they’re going through something personally. It could be something heavy, and she’s just not ready to talk about it yet.”

Gyuvin frowned at that idea, his mind was racing considering Matthew’s words. What could be so bad that you wouldn’t tell him? “You think so?”

Matthew nodded. 

“I mean.. I don’t know, man. We’re always there for each other. If that’s the case then I wish she’d just let me in.”

Matthew gave a wide, reassuring smile before replying, “Maybe she will, eventually. Just give her some time. Try not to let her push you away completely, keep reaching out. Even if it’s just a, ‘Hey. How’s your day?’ text or something.”

Gyuvin nodded, trying his best not to acknowledge the little pit in his stomach that was gnawing at him, “I’ll do that. But I get to blame you if your advice sucks.”

With the days passing, Gyuvin took Matthew’s advice to heart. He started sending you the occasional message asking about your day or giving you an anecdote out of his. He wasn’t expecting lengthy responses, but he wanted you to know that he was still there regardless of whatever it was you were dealing with.

You, on the other hand, were dealing with all kinds of complex sentiments about your situation. To no one’s surprise, honesty was a much easier concept to speak about than it was in practice. That confession to Yunjin that night had opened a floodgate of uncertainty and fear for you. Part of you had expected your feelings to be reciprocated or to at least be brushed aside as a passing thought, but the reality was much more complicated. You’d unintentionally thrown a wrench in your friendship with Gyuvin, and it was past the point of you knowing how you could fix it. 

You spent a lot of time thinking about it, your situation. You stared at your messages with Gyuvin and wondered if they’d be any different if you were honest. When you’d see him on campus laughing with his friends, your heart would ring itself out. Your close friends could notice the toll that it was taking on you, especially Yunjin. She was the only one who knew anything about what you were feeling, so she was the only one who could try to help.

She noticed how your smile didn’t quite reach your eyes anymore, or the heavy sighs that seemed to escape you involuntarily, or the way that you’d space out and think to yourself more often. 

One night, you were both sprawled across her living room couch with a movie playing in the background. The atmosphere was interrupted by the loud chime of your phone. It sat on the coffee table in the center and the screen was lit up with a text.

“Who’s that?”

You both knew who it was. “Oh, probably my mom or something. I’ll just reply later.” You could lie all you wanted, but you couldn’t pretend that your situation wasn’t getting to you. The message was short and sweet, but it made your stomach erupt with butterflies while simultaneously giving you the urge to throw up. Hi, I’m thinking of you. Just wanted to check in and ask you about your day.

“Y/n.” Yunjin spoke softly, but she sounded stern. She wanted you to take her seriously and to let your walls down again.

“Yunjin.” You responded, putting your phone back down and looking her in the eye.

“I can see how much this is bothering you. It’s eating you up inside, isn’t it?” She sat up and grabbed the remote from the coffee table, pausing the movie before facing you again. Neither of you need to clarify what “this,” was because the heavy toll it had taken on your heart was evident to anyone who knew about your feelings.

You couldn’t stop the tears before they began to fall. You could only nod in response, unable to put your feelings into words. 

“Babe, I think it’s time to face this head-on,” Yunjin suggested, maintaining a firm but gentle tone. “You can’t avoid him forever. It’s hurting the both of you.”

“But what if it makes things worse?” You whispered, voice trembling.

“I really, really, really don’t think you’d do that,” Yunjin sighed and faced you directly. “He asked me about you the other day.”

That only made you cry harder, feeling like your heart would just explode in your chest. “What’d he say?” You managed to ask through sobs.

“You know, he just wanted to see how you were. If everything was okay with you.”

“And what’d you tell him?”

“I told him that I couldn’t really say. That you’ll make the time soon to go talk to him.”

“Yunjin…” you trailed off and broke your eye contact with her, feeling embarrassed. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

“I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy,” she began, “But, this distance? This awkwardness? It’s not doing you any favors. At least if you talk to him you’ll know where you stand.”

All you could do was nod before Yunjin brought you into a deep embrace, comforting you while you cried on her shoulder.

Over the next few days, you continued to wrestle with the decision of finally facing Gyuvin. The inner turmoil was beginning to reach its peak, you knew that you couldn’t keep pretending like he didn’t exist. Yunjin’s words echoed in your mind as a constant reminder to confront your feelings and put an end to the growing distance between you and Gyuvin. 

One evening, as the sun began to set and cast a variety of golden hues over the city, you found yourself standing in front of Gyuvin’s favorite coffee shop. It was also your favorite, but you’d been avoiding it on the off chance that you’d see him there. Your heart raced as you took a deep breath, trying to summon the courage to go inside. The bell above the door tinkled as you entered, scanning the cozy interior until your gaze met Gyuvin.

He was sitting by the window, engrossed in whatever assignment he was working on, his brows furrowed in concentration. The sight of him sent a rush of emotions through you – familiarity, comfort, and a twinge of nervousness. You scolded yourself internally for being scared to talk to your best friend.

You approached his table, cringing at how loud your footsteps seemed to sound in the otherwise quiet café. He looked up, surprise registering on his face before morphing into a warm smile.

“Hi,” he greeted, closing the books that littered the table and setting them aside, “I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

“Hi,” you echoed, your voice a little shaky, “Is it okay if I sit with you?”

Gyuvin’s expression to a more confused one, but his smile never faltered. “Of course you can sit with me,” he gestured to the empty seat across from him, “I would actually really like it if you did.”

You settled into the seat, avoiding eye contact with him. The silence between the two of you hung for a moment before Gyuvin decided to speak up, “Is everything okay with you? I feel like I never hear from you lately.”

You took a deep breath, your heart still racing. “That’s actually why I came here. I was hoping you’d be here so that we could talk.”

His brows furrowed slightly and his expression dropped, concern evident in his eyes, “You can tell me anything. Please, talk to me.”

“I really love you Gyuvin.”

Gyuvin smiled earnestly at you, “I love you too. You know that you can tell me anything, right?”

You sighed and looked him in the eye before repeating yourself, “No, I mean, I love you.”

Gyuvin's eyes widened, and he seemed momentarily taken aback by your confession. He opened his mouth to say something but hesitated, as if choosing his words carefully. 

You cut him off before he could speak, “I just – I sort of realized it one night and I couldn’t figure out how to face you? I didn’t know how, so I just didn’t. And I know it was wrong and I know I should’ve just been honest with you and I just….” you trailed off and looked for some sign of understanding in his eyes.

There was a passing moment of silence where your eye contact was never broken, but you could feel your heart drumming against your chest while the lights in the café began turning on to account for the lack of the sun.

“I love you too.”

Your eyes widened and you waited to respond out of fear that the butterflies in your stomach would fly out if you opened your mouth. “You love me?”

“I really love you,” he mimicked your earlier statement.

You laughed a bit and let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding, reaching a hand out to intertwine with Gyuvin’s. “I was so scared. That by telling you I’d ruin our friendship. That scared me more than anything.”

"Y/n, you have to understand that our friendship is incredibly precious to me, like a guiding light in my life. But you… you're more than that. And now, it's as if our bond is being woven even tighter, stronger, because we're entrusting each other with the most vulnerable parts of ourselves." Gyuvin's voice softened, his eyes locked onto yours with an intensity that sent shivers down your spine. "It's a kind of feeling that I never want to lose."

You felt a sense of relief wash over you at his words, tears welling up in your eyes and rolling down your cheeks, “I should’ve talked to you sooner. I’m sorry, I really am.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” he said softly, wiping the tears from your cheeks with his free hand. “You’re here now. We’re here now and that’s what matters.”

You chuckled through your tears, feeling a weight lift off your shoulders. “Yunjin was right, you know. She told me I needed to face this head-on.”

“I never thought I’d say this about her, but you have a pretty smart friend,” Gyuvin teased, his smile widening.

You both laughed, the tension in the air dissipating. It felt like a heavy fog had been lifted for the both of you, leaving a clarity that neither of you had seen before. The café seemed to fade into the background as you focused on each other.

“So…” you began, “What do we do now?”

Gyuvin leaned in a little closer, his eyes locked onto yours. “I think you owe me, at the very least, a date for what I had to put up with this past month.”

You nodded, stifling your giggles from him before responding, “I think I can make that happen.”

[thenightfolknetwork]

Ok so, I'm not...supposed to exist?

I am—er, well, was an imaginary friend. My "brother" was a lonely little boy who was quite neglected looking back, and he wanted someone to spend his time with, a "sister".

So he dreamed, and I came to be. Now, even as a child he wasn't the most imaginative sort, preferring to imagine things he could see and wonder about what was rather than make something new completely from scratch. So, in his mind, his sister looked just like him, just with longer hair. I think that's one of the reasons i'm...like this.

Most children describe their imaginary friends as fantastical, with great glittering wings or neon spots and the like. Most children stop talking or believing in their imaginary friends around a certain age. Most children cannot see someone else's friend. No one, outside of the child, can see an imaginary friend.

Until now? I think? These are all observations I've made.

I remember only existing when my brother was around. We would play and "go on adventures" and just have fun. When it was dinner time, I would sit beside him and eat... but couldn't eat. I would say things to make him laugh, but no one else would acknowledge I was there. I didn't think much of it at the time since..well, I couldn't think. I wasn't real.

As he grew, he must have imagined me growing as well. As he learned, I did, too, and must have adjusted accordingly. Unlike his peers, he was convinced that I was a person and was angry when people told him otherwise.

We got older and he got more insistent when suddenly, people started to play along. Pretending to see me and talk to me when it was clear that they couldn't. I think this was when I started to...feel things? Think?

We fought, my brother and I. He was graduating secondary and heading to Uni. I asked him why he still imagined me when it was clear he didn't need me anymore. He said he did need me. I didn't believe him, we argued, and he left.

I was still there.

Before, time almost seemed to...skip? Think cutscenes from those video games everyone seems to like playing. The day ends, I blink and it's morning, no sleep needed. Brother was distracted? Time skips until he addressed me again.

I've never not been without him before. I panicked. I collapsed against the wall and I felt it. The cool wall, the tears streaming down my face, my brother's hug when he came to apologize. I don't know how to handle it.

When we sat down for dinner, his mum and dad addressed me and asked if I was alright, as if they had always known I existed. They could see me and my distress. I tried to explain, but everyone looked at me confused. They told me that of course i existed, I always did.

But I know the truth. There are no pictures of me in this house. There are no school records of me or medical ones. I have no bedroom or clothes of my own. I did not exist.

I don't know exactly when I became "real" but I am now. I just...I don't know what to do? I wasn't real and now I am and everyone calls me crazy for thinking otherwise. How does one exist? My brother is leaving for Uni soon and everyone expects the same of me, as if I've been accepted into one. I haven't, I've checked.

Why do I exist? Why does no one acknowledge that I never did?

Please.

I'm scared.

I'm so glad you've written in, reader. Quite apart from the existential questions your situation raises, there is also rather a lot of paperwork involved.

It is possible to live in the UK without being part of the civil bureaucratic system – indeed, there are certain isolated genuses whose right to do so has been fiercely protected over the generations. But it's a tremendously difficult way to live if you have any intention of engaging with the economic, education or healthcare systems.

The Bunbury Institute of Manifested Personages should be your first port of call to tackle the logistical and legal difficulties presented by your case. They'll be able to get you sorted with all the documentation you need to prove your existence, including a Certificate of Corporeal Incarnation, which will stand in where others might use their birth certificate.

Once you legally exist, you'll be able to open a bank account, apply for a passport, and essentially make whatever choices you want to make about how to spend the rest of your existence. Which brings me to the real heart of your letter – the emotional impact of your change in circumstance.

Sudden onset incarnation is a profoundly disruptive experience no matter how, when or to whom it occurs. Even if your family were able to understand the situation and support you through it, it would still be an extremely difficult situation to navigate. As it is, the nature of your previous existence and the way your incarnation has taken effect means they're just not able to.

You ask why nobody acknowledges your previous non-existence. Generally speaking, most people find it extremely difficult to the point of near impossibility to really understand divergent realities. It's not that your family are trying to undermine you – they are literally, psychologically and biologically, incapable of understanding how you have come to be.

I strongly recommend you find someone to talk to about this issue as soon as you can. Without your legal paperwork in place, it will be difficult to access mental health support either privately or through the NHS. However, the Bunbury Institute and other such charitable organisations may be able to put you in touch with support groups for others like yourself.

What's important is that you know, you're not alone in this. Whatever your family may believe, your experiences are real and valid. And, now, so are you. It's going to be a big adjustment, figuring out how you want to live in the world now you're here. Try not to get too overwhelmed. Take things one day at a time, try to keep an eye on the positives, and give yourself the grace and time you need to process the negatives. In time, I feel sure you'll be able to build a life that feels right for you.

[For more creaturely advice, check out Monstrous Agonies on your podcast platform of choice, or visit monstrousproductions.org for more info]