#I know I committed to the long haul but MY GOODNESS JUST MAKE OUT IT WILL MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER FOR THE BOTH OF YOU

[thisisbeefjerky]

“Spontaneous human combustion?”

“Scully.”

Why did he say her name as if she just took all her clothes off unexpectedly.

“Dear diary, today my heart lept when Agent Scully suggested spontaneous human combustion.”

Uh huh buddy we noticed

[grudgecollector]

God Help The Fool

Pairing: Bo Sinclair / Reader

Summary: Even as a long time residence of Ambrose, you could have barely prepared yourself for what would happen tonight. Your curiosity pulling you closer and closer to the front door, to your doom.

Words: 827

Tags/Warnings: Blood, attempted murder, light descriptions of gore, descriptions of stabbing, Bo's anger

A/N: Um hello... It's been quite a while since I've written any sort of fan fiction in like two years probably, so I apologize if this isn't very good LOL

I have recently been hit with inspiration to write again. I've realized I really miss it.

In the future some of my fics may be a little more centered around Creep and Josef, but I did rewatch House of Wax for the first time in a while last night and it just makes me AGH

I'm not entirely sure how active I will be, but I'm hoping to revitalize this blog and make it into a home for me and anyone who has similar interests once again.

Your ears ring, fingers tightening around the handle as you dig the knife deeper into the flesh of your sudden victim. Your eyes burn, tears threatening to drip down your bruised cheek. A cloudy puff of air comes from your parted lips, the cold winter wind biting into your skin. 

Dark green eyes were staring into your own with both rage and fear, his hands closing harder around your neck as he continued to try and strangle you. The air was being snuffed from your lungs, a fire building up in your chest as you struggled under his strength. 

It felt as if your neck would snap, the way the heel of his hand dug into your windpipe. 

You twisted the knife further into his torso, making him groan in pain. Whatever strength you had left you used, attempting to wiggle the knife around like a joystick on a jammed arcade machine. 

In this moment you felt like you could accept death. Whatever sins you have committed in your life have finally caught up in one foul game of cat and mouse. No matter how hard you tried to fight him off he stayed glued in his place, bloody spit coming to his lips before dripping onto your nose, down to your cheek. 

You heard a warped voice yell above you, it sounded so close yet so far away.

There was a sudden release of pressure around your throat, a harsh breath of cold air filling your burning lungs. You let out a wheezing cough, clutching your chest with a bloody hand as you attempt to suck in more air. 

The ringing in your ears never stopped, your head was spinning, you felt like you would throw up any second. 

Bright white dots blurred your vision, making it impossible to know which way you crawled.

In some way you believed you would be safe from the chaos that occasionally reigned through the quiet, empty town of Ambrose. No matter how much you have seen or heard during your time living here. 

It was tonight that your naivety finally caught up to you. A simple look out the front door ending in you almost dying. 

You should have listened to Bo when you told you to stay upstairs, you should have listened to Vincent when he told you not to move from the closet minutes later, and most of all you should have listened to Lester when he told you to not let curiosity get the best of you. 

There was a tingling sensation on the side of your face, numbness prickling your skin. 

Slowly, your eyes open to see Bo’s fiery ones, his forehead creasing in worry as he lightly caresses the skin around your throat. 

You knew he was angry with you, you could feel it radiating off of him as he stared down at you, chest heaving.

He grabbed your tired arms and hauled you to your feet, making you stumble forward into his chest, where you clutched onto his black button-up weakly. 

“I-” You attempted to choke out an apology, but your throat felt like sandpaper, forcing a cough from you once again. 

“Not now.” Was all he managed to say, his rage bubbling as he glanced over towards the now mangled corpse of the man. 

Bo could barely contain his blood lust in normal circumstances, but when he saw you on the ground like that? It was like something else entirely took him over. 

He wasn’t sure if it was the dominance inside him, watching as some stranger hurt what belonged to him, or if deep down it was the fear of losing something he loves. 

Either way, the younger man did not stand a chance against a seasoned killer such as Bo Sinclair. The wrench the older man wielded now lodged into the broken skull of your attacker, a now unusable body for Vincent’s evergrowing gallery of wax figures. 

Bo could not find it in him to care though, he knew a replacement would be lured in eventually. 

He slammed open the front door of the house, making his way to the kitchen towards his twin who had probably just come out from his studio. 

“Vincent! Take her, there’s still another out there somewhere.” Bo practically shoved you into his twin’s arms, “And do not let her out of your fucking sight.” His darkened eyes glared at you, something vulnerable swirling deep inside. 

You didn’t take his harsh tone to heart, having been with Bo for as long as you have, you have dealt with his outbursts before.

This felt different, though, while his anger was evident, the thing that stuck out to you more was the wetness in his eyes. 

His eyes did not linger on you for very long, his heavy boots stomping back towards the front door. The harsh closure of the door made the walls rattle, some small things falling from the shelves hung up on the walls. 

[sanriotraffy]

Vanilla Perfume

Zoroxreader- no warnings only fluff <3

Zoro is not weak. In fact he’s far from weak, he’s wayyyy too strong. But every strong man has its weakness, and Zoro’s weakness was your perfume. That damn expensive signature perfume you’ve been wearing since before you first joined the crew. A vanilla scent, not your boring average vanilla scent but a superior, warm, spicy, and sweet vanilla that haunts Zoro. One whiff and he’s on his knees ready to worship and pray to the owner of the scent, which is obviously you.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going out?” Zoro was pissed. Pissed because you both had agreed on staying in the Sunny and watching a movie with some food from a nearby restaurant and obviously some booze (and hydrating facemasks too). But when Robin pointed out that the island has some of the best night life in the world you knew you had to have a girls night even if Zoro got mad at you for ditching plans after he ordered food and found a movie.

Did you feel bad? Yea, but if you didn’t go out tonight you’d regret not going. So you did what you had to do. Get ready with the girls and escape while Zoro napped. And maybe you added something to his booze so he would sleep longer. Just because you’re a loving girlfriend it doesn’t mean you can’t commit pirate acts against your man.

“You’re such a bad girl you know, Zoro is gonna wake up pissed when he wakes up and doesn’t find you anywhere” Nami laughs, wasted. “Oh, I will be fine don’t you even worry girl, I have my ways” You replied sloppily, twice as wasted as her. “Oh, and speaking of the devil” Robin spoke pointing to Zoro, who was making its way to your table thru the crowd.

“Let’s go” he spoke when he finally got to you. “But I’m with the girls. The fuck?” You were giving him unnecessary sass that he didn’t appreciate at this moment. He rolled his eyes and told you to get up but you refused again which made Robin (the most sober out of the three) burst out laughing. Zoro rolled his eyes at her, it’s not even funny.

Eventually Zoro won, and got you to leave the bar with him. You were too drunk and sleepy to complain at this point. “Zorooooo, pleaseeeeeeee I’m sorryyyyyyyyy” you apologized to him as he ignored you the whole walk back to the ship. “You think a simple apology is enough after you cancelled our plans after I bought the food you wanted and the movie, and you cancelled without telling me, you just snuck off and lets not forget about the fact that you literally drugged me like I’m your enemy or something” he was mad, he had the right to. “Im sorry baby” you got closer to him eventually wrapping your arms around his waist and looking up at him with the prettiest eyes you can give him. “We haven’t had a girls night in so long, just us, the girls” you pouted at him. He just stared fighting his inner demons. You knew he smelt you, you knew he smelt the lethal perfume combo you chose today. The best vanilla scents in your collection + vanilla honey hair perfume, oh Zoro is a dead man.

“You know you’re getting away with so much shit because you smell so good and I don’t think it’s fair” he complained. You just giggled. “It’s my magic”

———

But wearing the same scent every day gets boring sometimes. “Baby I’m back!” You climb onto the crowns nest to show Zoro a haul of all the stuff you bought at the new island they arrived at. And as soon as you entered a new scent invaded Zoro’s nose. A pleasant sweet cherry scent with a familiar vanilla scent. The smell of an angel to him but a simple good perfume layering to you. “What took you so long?” He dramatically drops the dumbbell he was using to turn to you with a frown. You don’t care that he pretends to be annoyed with you as you cover his face in kisses with the new lipstick you’ve gotten at the store. “This store I went to had a variety of perfumes I had to smell every single one, AND I restocked on my signature scent as well” You kiss the perfume bottle showing it off to your still “annoyed” man.

“We were supposed to go watch that movie with the princess and the knight. You took way too long I had to go with the cook. It was embarrassing but I didn’t want that ticket to go to waste” he grumbled. You laughed. You knew that he liked spending time with Sanji (sometimes), even if he refused to admit it. They’re basically besties.

“Oh yea, well let me make it up to you baby” you stand on your tippies wrapping your arms around his sweaty neck and start kissing it. “Cant. Working out” he says but does nothing to stop you. It’s hard to resist you, specially with that new perfume. “But Zo-“ he couldn’t play it cool anymore. The cherry-vanilla scent won, meaning you had won, meaning you got your way again. Damn woman.

[awarmbowlofhomemadesoup]

How to Build Resilience in Long Fanfic Writing

Sometimes, when a fanfic goes past 20 chapters, people who had been commenting, began to lose interest. Maybe you'll start doubting your skill or whether you "have what it takes" to be a writer, even if you're doing it for fun.

But maybe you see all those beautifully written but unfinished long fics and mourn that they'll never be finished (for the writer's valid reason or another). And you don't want that to happen to yours.

There is also an advantage to completing long fics: you develop the discipline to write original novels which can take far longer.

So if you're in for the long haul and you want to stay steady and true despite whatever popularity your fic may have, here's how to have the resilience to finish it to the end.

(Disclaimer: this is not a reason to stop commenting on fics)

#1 Whatever You Think You're Owed, Let It Go.

Accidentally quoting Elsa aside, I'm talking about comments. Comments validate and can make you learn new things about your fics through other people's eyes.

But when you see a high-to-low ratio between kudos and comments, you may feel like you are owed.

When you push yourself to complete three long chapters and publish them all in the same day and only get one response, it can feel like people are being mean.

The truth is, we'll never know why the people who loved our fics will not talk to you about them.

Maybe they forget there's a person behind the fic.

Maybe they're having a bad day and just want to shut down after reading something enjoyable.

But whatever the case is, it's beyond your control.

This post said it best (shoutout to @radioactive-earthshine) :

"Remember - hits/likes/kudos/comments are not reflective of the quality of your fic or your ability to write. Most people just don’t comment - even if they say they do, they don’t... Even if your fic brought tears to their eyes and it haunted them for weeks and they printed it out and sent it to their friends they just don’t comment. You just have to accept it.

I'm not saying you force yourself to let it go now. But someday, you will need to let it go, and control what you can which is you.

#2 Put Your Life First Before Your Readers

I have to say this because sometimes writers would have thoughts like "I haven't written for a long time; people must be wondering about it." Nope. Stop. Not worth it.

Creating is fun, but it is also exhausting. Add into the fact that most of us have 8-hour jobs or classes.

The reason you haven't written for a long time is that other aspects of your life deserve your time and energy, too. And after all that, you would be understandably tired.

So put your life first before your readers.

#3 Make Preparations to Replenish Your Soul

Long fanfic writing is energy and time-consuming. But you cannot depend on external validation to make up for it.

External validation in the form of comments can be good because we don't want to imagine it's all in our heads. But seeking it too much leads to what I've read in the book, "Ego is the Enemy":

"If outside validation is your only source of nourishment, you will hunger for the rest of your life."

So before posting a chapter, list down what you can do to replenish your soul after. Treating myself to a cafe one time helped. So is taking walks when the air is cool.

To stop anticipating responses too much, what works for me is to post on Wednesday. Wednesday is when people are less busy. At the same time, when the weekend comes, I don't obsess over it so much and can focus on other aspects of my life or replenish my energy for the next week.

In the commitment to complete a long fic, it's important to be honest with yourself. This is to be transparent with your needs and watch out for any signs of burnout, like feeling sad and tired. If you need to walk away from your fic for a while, then do it.

#3 This is Between You and Your Creation

Yes, fandom should be two-way street. Yes, fandom shouldn't treat fanfics and fan arts like commodity. And yes, there should be interaction and engagement. But before all that, there is this thing between you and your creation first and foremost.

Just as a story has to have a "why", remember why you thought you should write your long fic. Your reason may change over time, but when you remember your "why", you remember your true goal to keep going.

#4 Write like No One is Reading

This is a perk I adapted when I only get two responses if I'm lucky after updating a fic that has more than a hundred subscribers. If people barely react, then you're free to write whatever you please in your story as if you're dancing like no one is watching. Just have fun improving your skills.

This is similar to an inspiring section of the same post that I've found:

"10.) Write for yourself, not for others. Write the fic you know no one is going to read. Write the fic that sounds ridiculous. You will be so happy you put it out in the world and there will be people who will be glad it exists."

#5 Cherish the Rare Friends You Find Along the Way

Sometimes, we get lucky and get something better than a hundred people interacting with our fic -we find a friend we would make in the way of writing the long fic that we dared to write. And they're the ones who would cheer you on and cry and laugh with you about the shared stories. Cherish them.

(dedicated to @lightreader1)

[sirianasims]

Chapter 43.1

Midnight Blues

Winter was slowly relaxing its grip on the city. I stared at the grey skies and took a deep breath to steel myself. As always, getting from the hotel to the safety of a taxi was the scary part. Behind me, Paul was putting on his coat.

“Julia? Got everything?”

“Yeah, let’s go. But first…”

I moved in to kiss him and he kissed me back, the kind of kiss that reminded me why I kept doing this, why I put up with the endless hotels and paparazzi and anxiety. His hands were on my waist and I wished we had more time, that we didn’t have to keep saying goodbye every week.

He started pulling away but I wasn’t done, I would never be done with him, and I couldn’t help but make a small frustrated sound that made him smile.

“Wait, Julia, before we leave… You’re so very distracting, I completely forgot to talk to you about my birthday.”

“Your birthday? But that’s in what, two months?”

“I know, but since it’s the big 40, I was thinking about going to Tartosa for a few days, throw a party for the whole family. And I thought it’d be a good time for you to meet everyone. I know it’s a lot of people at once, but they’re going to adore you, I know they will.”

“Ah. Right.” My mouth went dry. Paul reached up and ran his fingers through my hair, looking slightly puzzled.

“Julia? Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, it’s just… it’s a big step, meeting your entire family. It feels so… serious.”

He frowned. His eyes, usually warm and inviting, suddenly had a wary edge that made my heart race.

“Yes? I am quite serious about this. About us. I thought I’d made that clear. I love you and I imagine a future with you in it.”

I swallowed hard, feeling the words catch in my throat.

“I love you too, Paul, I really do, but…” My voice trailed off as I searched for the right words. “I’m just not sure if I’m ready for things to get that serious.”

He lifted my chin, his eyes searching mine. “Julia… tell me, what exactly did you expect from this relationship?”

“I… I just wanted to be with you.”

He took a step back and it felt like an invisible wall had suddenly appeared between us.

“But for how long? Why are you still in this relationship if you’re not planning to be in it for the long haul? What are we doing here, Julia?”

Tears stung my eyes as I struggled to respond. I loved him, but the thought of deciding what the rest of my life would look like scared me more than I could express.

“I don’t know, Paul. I want to be with you, but I’m still figuring things out. I’m just… I’m not ready for that kind of commitment yet.”

There was a long, painful silence before Paul spoke again, quietly, his voice tinged with resignation.

“I can’t wait around forever, Julia. I’m sorry, but I need more than this, more than you’re able to give me right now. I think… I think it’s best if we part ways.” 

I felt a wave of despair as the reality of his words sank in, threw my arms around him as if I could physically stop him from leaving me.

“No! No, Paul, wait, please, can’t we just…” I desperately tried to think of something to say, some magic words that would change his mind, but I knew it was useless. The deep sorrow in his voice told me that he’d already made his decision.

Paul held me for a moment, but his body felt different against me now, distant and foreign like he was already a stranger. I breathed in the familiar scent of citrus and olive soap on his skin, clung to him until he gently but firmly removed my arms from around his neck.

“I get it, Julia. You’re right, you deserve space to find yourself without the pressure of my… expectations. You’re still so young, and you have every right to take your time. But I can’t wait in limbo. I have to move on.”

I sobbed into his chest, barely able to form words.

“Paul, don’t leave me. Don’t. Please. I love you.”

His voice was soft when he continued, but the finality in his words echoed in the hollow where my heart used to be.

“I love you too, Julia. So much. But I can’t spend years waiting for someone who has no idea whether they’ll ever want to be with me or not. I want someone who knows.”

beginning / previous / next

[sunlightmurdock]

For apocalypse dbf!jake, do you have any ideas for Jake trying to train you and it gets a little heated?

Before the apocalypse, Jake was always so cool with you — even when your dad was flying off the handle about something, you could always trust Jake to be calmer and more level-headed about it. It’s one of the things that you loved about him back then.

He’s like that now, but with the smaller stuff.

The deeper into this shit the two of you get, the more that Jake struggles with the realisation that he can’t stick by your side twenty-four seven. He’s no used to you exhausted, but he hates the thought of being asleep and not watching over you.

You’re the one begging him to train you. He’s more than happy to give you knife and hand to hand training. He found you a pretty light machete that can do some serious damage. But he’s a pro with all kinds of guns, and you just want a fraction of the skill he has. For safety.

By the time the world fell, Jake had been a pretty decorated Vice-Admiral with a very impressive resumé. He’s used to barking orders and laying down the law. But not with you, he doesn’t know how to be tough with you. Well, he thinks he doesn’t.

One day, there’s a call that’s just too close. He almost loses you and after that, something changes like a switch flips in him. Dawn the next morning, he’s hauling you out to a clearing in the woods. He’s not an asshole, he starts you off easy with a stationary target. A dead tree, with a red circle marked on it about chest height.

He stands behind you, brings your arms up and adjusts your fingers around the pistol. His chest pressed to your back and his arms caging you in, his voice is low as it grazes your earlobe. “Focus, alright? — Breathe in, hold it.”

He waits to hear your breathing pause.

“Alright, when you let it go, your going to squeeze the trigger, firm. Commit to it.”

You exhale and squeeze, the shot rings out. Jake grits his teeth.

“Did you just close your fucking eyes?”

He doesn’t give you room for error. Aim comes with time but technique? — He’ll be damned if you don’t nail that in a day. Shoulders squared, feet planted, breathing steady. Eyes. Fucking. Open.

Stationary target practice doesn’t last long. Once you manage three square shots within the circle, he’s moving on. The second task is a moving target — this was easier to simulate in the military. Not that his job was really handguns. Out here, it’s a thick log, tied to a rope and pushed hard.

“Focus!”

“I am!”

“If you were focusing, you would have hit it by now!” He barks back, stopping the log, examining it. Not so much as a fucking splinter. You stare at him as he storms over to you and grabs your face. “These things aren’t going to fucking hold still. You get that? — Scared as you are, tired as you are— whatever — They will keep coming until they get you. You get that? — You get this right or you die!”

“I’m trying!” You bite back at him.

“Not good enough!” He snaps back.

By the time you get back to his truck, you’re beyond furious and you haven’t spoken a word to him in twenty minutes. He’s just as pissed off at you. About half a mile into your journey home, Jake speaks for the first time.

“You’re the one who asked me to show you.” He mutters bitterly, staring ahead of him at the empty stretch of road.

“Yeah, well you didn’t have to be an asshole about it.” You answer him.

“I’d rather be an asshole than have to bury you. Now drop the attitude.”

“Attitude my ass. Make me.” You bite back.

[allisluv]

baby i would kill for a johanna sfw abc’s (for my own inspo mostly)

A = affection (how affectionate are they? how do they show affection?)

johanna isn't the most outwardly affectionate person in the world, and when she is affectionate, it's through sarcastic comments. she never means it as a dig or anything, it's just the only way she knows how to express herself to the people she loves.

B = best friend (what would they be like as a best friend? how would the friendship start?)

johanna would be your number one supporter if she was your best friend. she would be the best hype woman, too. she's not afraid to tell you the truth, either, regardless of whether you want to hear it or not. i'm not sure how you would meet; it could be through the capitol if you were a victor or it could be from home back in district seven.

C = cuddles (do they like to cuddle? how would they cuddle?)

johanna likes to cuddle but she won't admit it aloud. she likes to be the big spoon and she'll drape her legs over your waist, intertwining her legs with your own.

D = domestic (do they want to settle down? how are they at cooking and cleaning?)

johanna's not opposed to the idea of settling down, so long as it's with the right person. she can't cook to save her life, though, and if you want a house to come back to, it would be best to leave her out of the kitchen. she's surprisingly good at cleaning and she likes it, too. she finds it theraputic.

E = ending (if they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

johanna would rip the band aid off. she doesn't see the need to drag things out, so she'll tell you the truth. she tries not to sugarcoat it because, to be honest, she's never been one to lie to spare someone's feelings.

F = fiancee (how do they feel about commitment? how quick would they want to get married?)

johanna's so used to people leaving her, so she doesn't want to jump the gun. she won't move too fast untill she knows you're sticking around for the long haul. i think she would be the one to propose, mainly because she's too headstrong and independent ro let it be any other way.

G - gentle (how gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

johanna is emotionally very distant but over time and with a little bit of patience, she starts to open up. physically, she would never lay a finger on you and her touch is always gentle.

H = hugs (do they like hugs? how often do they do it? what are their hugs like?)

johanna isn't the biggest fan of hugs. i don't think she's huge on physical touch (excluding cuddling), full stop. when she does give hugs, its mainly because you need some comfort and she's willing to give that to you in any way possible.

I = i love you (how fast do they say the l-word?)

again, i think johanna is terrified of good things being ripped away from her, so it takes her a while to say i love you.

J= jealousy (how jealous do they get? what do they do when they're jealous?)

johanna can be a really jealous person. when she's jealous, she'll tell whoever's flirting with you to fuck off because you're taken.

K = kisses (what are their kisses like? where do they like to kiss you? where do they like to be kissed?)

johanna’s kisses are heated and passionate. she likes to kiss and be kissed on the lips.

L = little ones (how are they around children?)

johanna is the kind of woman your child picks bad words up from but she's also the kind of woman you know will go head to head with the biggest baddest man if someone so much as looks at your child the wrong way.

M= morning (how are mornings spent with them?)

mornings with johanna are spent cuddling in bed and when you do eventually drag yourselves from the comfort of your sheets, she makes breakfast (ie; coffee because she considers that a substantial substitue for food)

N = nights (how are nights spent with them?)

nights with johanna are spent with takeout food and board games (which usually end up with her flipping the table and saying "whoops" as if it wasn't because she was losing).

0 = open (when would they start revealing things about themselves? do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

although johanna isn't afraid to tell you how she feels, she's a very private person when it comes to her life before the games. it takes a while for her to open up about snow killing her family and it would happen over a longer period of time.

P = patience (how easily angered are they?)

johanna is easily angered with everyone else but when it comes to you, she's got the patience of a saint. don't get me wrong, there will be times where she has to walk away because you're pissing her off, especially if you're just as stubborn as she is, but she would never ever dream of taking her anger out on you.

Q = quizzes (how much would they remember about you? do they remember every little detail or do they kind of forget everything?)

i'm gonna be honest, i think johanna has the memory of a goldfish. she forgets everything but your birthday and your anniversary dates.

R = remember (what is their favourite moment in your relationship?)

if you were from the capitol, johanna's favourite moment would have to be when she took you axe throwing for the first time. if you're from district seven, her favourite moment would be your first date.

S= security how protective are they? how would they protect you? how would they like to be protected?)

johanna is so protective, especially because she doesn't want to lose you the same way she lost her family. casual dominance is her go-to protective move. she'll place a hand on your lower back when you're out in public, just to stake her claim.

T = try (how much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

johanna might not be the most outwardly affectionate person, but that doesn't mean she can't be a romantic at times. if she sets her mind on doing something or planning something for you, she follows through with it.

U= ugly (what would be some bad habits of theirs?)

johanna smokes when she's stressed.

V = vanity (how concerned are they with their looks?)

johanna knows she's pretty but she couldn't care less what she looks like. she doesn't adhere to anybody's beauty standards, especially not the capitols.

W = whole (would they feel incomplete without you?)

johanna would rather die than live without you. after losing so many people, she doesn't think she can cope with another loss.

X = xtra (a random headcanon for them)

johanna loves doing tarot card readings

Y = yuck (what are some things they wouldn't like, whether in general or in a partner?)

johanna doesn't like bigots.

Z = zzz (what is a sleep habit of theirs?)

johanna talks in her sleep

[mousydentist]

18. kim tongue ring 👀👀👀👀

omfg im gonna eviscerate tumblr ANYWAY i got another ask for this from @xxatlasxx but that has disappeared into the void so im answering this one

OK SO since i got two for this one i wrote a little extra (dont blame yall, that was objectively the best one on the list)

the whole idea from my doc:

kim tongue ring

……yeah thats it lmao. this entire idea was riding on vibes alone and the vibe was horny. so here’s 850 words of horny i wrote extremely quickly as soon as i had a break

Kim has always had several piercings, which Chay adores. When Wik had first appeared with his conch piercing, Chay extensively documented it on the fan wiki. He was there when Kim got his industrial (which he took without flinching) and saw him diligently clean it every morning and night until it had completely healed, even afterwards still taking good care of it. So when Chay finds a little bar with two balls on either end in Kim's bathroom, he doesn't think much of it, and it doesn't occur to him that it doesn’t look like a regular piercing at all. That is, until a couple weeks later, when he sees it’s missing from its spot, likely meaning Kim has it in. But he hasn’t noticed Kim changing any of his piercings, so he asks Kim where it went. And that’s when Kim's tongue lolls out of his mouth to reveal that, sure enough, the little bar is stuck through it. The black ball stands stark against the pink of Kim’s tongue, the very tongue that Chay had had down his throat just that morning, and soon after on his- Chay swallows thickly. “Did I not tell you I have a tongue piercing?” Chay shakes his head furiously, much to Kim's amusement. Then, because Kim wants him to die, he takes Chay’s hand, pulls the tip of Chay’s thumb into his mouth and sucks. Chay inhales shakily as Kim lavs over his finger, the tiny ball pressing into his skin in a way that Chay can’t help but imagine being replicated elsewhere. With the look Kim's giving him, he might not have to imagine. Chay's knees almost give out when Kim hollows his cheeks around his finger, teeth teasing the top of his thumb while his piercing strokes the bottom. Kim does this all while making obscene noises and bobbing his head, excessively so, his exaggerated manner an obvious imitation of something else. Finally, mercifully, Kim lets go of him, pulling off his thumb with a dramatic pop. Chay would be lying if he said he couldn’t feel himself straining against his pants. As soon as Kim lets him go, Chay tangles his fingers in Kim’s hair and hauls him in for a bruising kiss. He needs to know how it feels in his own mouth and- Fuck. Their tongues clash together messily, a spike of pleasure shooting through Chay every time he feels the tongue ring run along his. Kim hooks his fingers through Chay’s belt loops and pulls his hips in to grind against each other. They melt together for long minutes with groping hands and insatiable tongues.

Without letting go of Chay's waist, Kim pulls his head back, just enough to look into his eyes as he licks Chay's lips, one long stripe from his lower lip and up to his cupid’s bow. After everything he’s done with Kim, and everything Kim has done to him, that was somehow the most erotic. It destroys the last remaining threads of Chay’ inhibitions and starts dragging Kim to the bedroom as fast as humanly possible, only pausing for a few brief bouts of trying to eat each other's faces.  Once they make it to the bed, Chay lets Kim take the lead. He pushes Chay's shoulders down to make him sit on the edge, then straddles his lap and dives in for another kiss. Chay’s hands reach around to palm Kim’s ass, and fuck, Kim is so hot like this. Chay lets himself be pushed backwards until he lies flat on the bed, Kim still committing sins in his mouth. Chay's vaguely aware of Kim unbuttoning his pants and pulling the fly down, but most of his brain is mush at this point. Chay finally takes notice when Kim pulls away and starts tugging Chay's pants and boxers off. Chay lifts his hips and shuffles further back onto the bed, allowing Kim to fully settle between his legs. Chay's not surprised to see that his cock is rock hard and desperately leaking onto his abdomen. He flinches when Kim runs just a single finger up his length, pressing into the head and pulling a sticky string of precum with it. “Please, please don’t tease me,” Chay nearly sobs, only getting a smirk back from Kim. It's enough though, because soon after Kim takes him in his hand and presses a light kiss to the tip of Chay’s cock. His head flops back onto the mattress and he lets the warmth of ecstasy roll over him. Kim strokes him slowly a few times, leaving more soft kisses up and down his length, before he finally flicks his tongue out - that fucking tongue - and licks Chay from base to tip. Kim's tongue on any day would already be fantastic, but with the tongue ring lightly scraping Chay’s cock, it’s outright divine. Chay's eyes roll back into his head and he thinks he sees god. When he opens them again, it’s Kim between his thighs, suckling the head of his cock and pressing the ball bearing into it ever so slightly, just enough to make Chay go insane.

dont mean to blue balls you hh but its all ive got rn

(send me a prompt!)

[azucarmorena97]

Money Ties (Jungkook Love Story || Pt.3)

Pt.2 || Pt.4

Your parents have worked hard to get to the top and have made sure to teach you everything you need to know to be successful in this business: from tough but lucrative financial decisions, down to the right ball gown for any given banquet. A promising and extravagant future awaits you- that is, if you agree to one teensy detail...

Son of Mr.Jeon Sr. and heir to June Company, Jeon Jungkook is an immature playboy with nothing to offer a woman but good looks and a crap ton of money, and he stands to inherit much MUCH more, so long as you both enter into the arranged marriage contract that was drawn up before the pair of you were even born.

You're more than willing to try, but you're not sure you'll be able to stand each other long enough to inherit a single penny...

Series Warnings: There will be smut in the near future and I will label those chapters as such. As I say before most of my pieces- I do not endorse any themes, ideas, or behaviors in this series. This is all purely fiction/fantasy! Feel free to inbox me suggestions/ideas/what you'd like to see in this series and I'll see what I can do! Enjoy <3

Recap: "I hope you know you didn't ruin anything. My husband and I feel very strongly, even more so now, that you're the perfect fit fr our family." Your heartbeat picks up in your chest; you were sure you blew your chance to bits, but here she is, offering it all on a silver platter for you.

On your way back to your suite, you try calling your dad three different times, and each time the calls go straight to voicemail. For the most part, you've gotten used to getting his voicemail and can even recite it word for word- but right now, him being here for you is crucial. Even though your mom couldn't make the time to actually be here, at least she shows she cares, even if it is through blowing up your phone every hour; at least it's something. She even helped pick out the gifts for the Jeons: gold cuff links for Mr.Jeon, a lovely pair of jade earrings for Mrs.Jeon, and a silver chain with a medallion fo Jungkook. All your life, your dad said he couldn't wait to be there for when you would finally sign the agreement that they'd spent years tailoring and planning, only to cancel last minute because of work. Well, if he wants to leave you out in the cold to figure this out by yourself, then you're gonna do it your way.

Once inside the suite, you peel off the pretty little outfit you'd carefully put together for tea and toss it onto the bed, switching into a pair of baggy sweats and an oversized sweater, and the warmest socks you packed. You're finally going to dive into the manila envelope. You plop yourself into bed and take out everything, ignoring the initial feeling of being overwhelmed at the sight of the busy papers, looking past the legal jargon to find the bare bones of it all. In a matter of twenty minutes, you're completely locked in; you highlight, circle, annotate, even cross out some parts. You slowly realize how little your parents are settling for in this "partnership", as your dad likes to call it. According to this contract, their precious daughter is only worth 15% of the 'Jeon Empire', while Jeon Jungkook will be the majority owner of June Company, including hotels, restaurants, as well as owning shares in your parents' company and other smaller endeavors. Well, that just won't do. If you're going to be committing yourself to a marriage, it's for the long haul. All of your adolescent and teenage years were spent avoiding boys like the plague for fear of getting too attached and ruining your parents' dream for your life. Even your college years have been all about work and climbing up the ladder to get to this point- 15% is horse shit.

After three agonizingly long hours, the contract looks like a Frankensteined version of itself; torn apart and put back together. You hold it up in triumph- you almost want to take a picture just for the memories. "Proud of you," B/f/n says through a loud yawn. You had to call her about an hour in for moral support. "No, don't be tired. You can't be tired. It's still early!" "Hun, it's 3AM here." "Oh right..." You sigh, stuffing the contract back in the envelope, "I forgot about the time difference... ugh, I'm just so bored here. I have nothing to do." "Girl, you're at a whole luxurious hotel, all expenses paid- if I were you, I'd be doing a spa day, visiting the restaurants, drinking up all their liquor- you just don't like being alone." You roll your eyes. She's right, of course, but you're not gonna give her any validation. "I guess I'll just try to get some sleep...I have a big day tomorrow." "What time are you meeting them?" "We're meeting for brunch at 11." "First it was 'high tea' and now Brunch," She echoes with a sleepy smile, "How classy." You roll your eyes, "Good night, B/f/n," You laugh. She waves lazily and then you hang up the phone. "Well, since this is an all expenses paid hotel..." You bite your lip and look over at the door, "...I'm gonna go use their copier."

AT 6AM, your alarm goes off scaring you violently awake. It had taken you hours to finally fall asleep in the first place. You'd tried to close your eyes after your face time, but ended up tossing and turning until 2AM. This jet lag is something else. Or maybe it was stress for today; I mean, you are preparing to sign a contract to marry a man you hardly know (and also kinda hate), which was essentially created when you weren't even a thought in your parents' mind yet, which will, in turn, lead to lifelong stability for you and your family as well as further growth for your family's businesses so everything is kind of on your shoulders and will all fall apart if you don't do your respective part- oh God, you might have a panic attack and you haven't even gotten out of bed yet.

You speed through your morning routine so that you can look over your edits again, though as soon as you sit down, your phone begins to buzz with all your incoming notifications. You scroll through, ignoring some texts, answering a few emails- and then you come across one from your dad from an hour ago. You take a sip of your coffee as you open up the message and, when you do, you almost spit the coffee out against the pretty clean white hotel wall. Staring at you is the "finalized contract" (or so it's entitled) that your dad made 'edits' on for you to print out and sign. You look over the entire thing and with every sentence you read, you feel the anger rising in you. The "edits" he made didn't even make the deal that much better for you, not to mention, how can your dad flake on you in regards to coming on this trip, ignore your calls and texts, but still have the nerve to send me this shitty contract at the asscrack of dawn on the DAY OF the supposed signing? Fuck that. You're gonna send them your draft and your parents can cry about it. You're done doing things their way. You open up your laptop and quickly go to your saved files, opening up YOUR finalized version that you'd scanned and re-typed. You cue it up in a message and type in Mr. and Mrs.Jeon's email addresses, along with their lawyer's email. For a moment, you hesitate, letting the mouse hover over the 'send' button, but then you count how many times your parents have made you feel completely alone in just the duration of this trip, plus every time you've had to make yourself small for others to be big- "Fuck it." You hit send and then close your laptop to put your outfit together for brunch.

Brunch is held on the balcony at their hotel restaurant, Juniper. The vibe is definitely upper class, and you see it's bustling with guests. "Hello, Miss; will you be dining alone?" The hostess asks. You shake your head, "No, actually- I'm with the Jeon party." Her eyes widen for a second before she bows, "Oh yes, Ms.L/n, allow me to show you to your table. You smile and bow in return, feeling slightly embarrassed that she clearly felt the urge to kiss your ass a little extra just for being associated with the Jeons. She leads you around the corner to a wall of windows, much like the ones on the roof top when you'd gone for tea. As she opens the double doors, you see Mr. and Mrs.Jeon sat at a table straight ahead, Jungkook's back facing you. Your heart starts beating rapidly in your chest; it's happening. This is it. The entire ride here, you were psyching yourself up saying you'd be confident and strong and that if they didn't like the changes you'd made to the contract, they could kiss your ass- but right now, you feel your legs might turn to Jello. "Y/n!" Mrs.Jeon calls out excitedly, getting out of her seat and running over to you. Mr.Jeon and Jungkook look over in your direction; one giving you a big smile and the other...with a rather unreadable expression on his face. You smile and bow, "Good morning everyone." She politely dismisses the hostess and guides you to the table, where Mr.Jeon and Jungkook are standing to greet you. "Annyeonghasimnikka," You bow again. "So polite, isn't she Jungkook?" Mr.Jeon says, lightly hitting Jungkook's shoulder. You bow slightly, "Hello, Jungkook." He nods, "Hey." "Please, sit," Mrs.Jeon says. You immediately notice that Mr.Jeon is wearing the cuff links you'd gotten him, and Mrs.Jeon is wearing the earrings; Jungkook seemed to be the only one not wearing his gift. Figures. "We haven't ordered just yet so you have some time to think about what you want." "Oh that's okay, I'll take whatever you recommend." "Oh, I love that. I'm getting you my favorite- the praline french toast is so good paired with the fritata and...the eggs benedict with salmong." "Sounds good," You laugh, finding it endearing how excited she is. You wonder if she ever chews Jungkook out like your mom does to you You spend most of the time talking to Mr. and Mrs.Jeon; basic chit chat about life, how the food was, and other pleasantries- until Mr.Jeon receives a call and excuses himself from the table for a moment. Then, Mrs.Jeon says she wants to check in with the chef about something really quickly, leaving you and Jungkook at the table alone. You take a sip on your mimosa and then turn to him, "How are you, Jungkook?" He straightens up a bit and clears his throat, "I'm fine. How about yourself?" "I'm good...I- I'm hopeful that today's meeting goes well." He nods slowly, seeming deeply pensive about what you've said, "Well, it should be quite lucrative for you if it does." His tone is almost bitter-sounding. You furrow your brows, not liking how he's making it seem that you'd be the only one benefiting. "Well, according to the contract, it should be quite beneficial for the both of us, wouldn't you say?" "Oh, please. What are pennies to bills," He scoffs. "I mean, considering you can't even get a penny of mommy and daddy's money unless you get married, I'd say we're in the same boat," You lean back, deciding you're done with the niceties. He wants to be a jerk? Two can play. He glares at you, knowing you're right but, of course, refusing to admit it. "Don't you ever get tired?" "Of what?" He asks, face scrunching in annoyance. "Of the stick up your ass?" You smirk, crossing one leg over the other as your swirl your glass from the stem. "This whole thing is fucked and you know it," He says, throwing himself against the backrest of the chair in defeat. You nod slowly and thoughtfully, "Maybe, but as I always says, 'Anything worth having is worth fighting for.'" He rolls his eyes, "Whatever."

"Sorry, Kids. I just had to get that done before I forgot. Is your father still not back yet?" Mrs.Jeon asks, sitting back down at the table and looking around. "No, I guess he's still on the call," You say, "He sounds like my dad." Mrs.Jeon laughs, "Well, birds of a feather flock together." "I'm sorry everyone- Y/n, I just got off the phone with your father. Goodness, it's such a shame he couldn't come," Mr.Jeon says, a big smile on his face as he sits down. "You- you spoke to my dad?" "I sure did. I'd called him this morning about the finalized contract he'd sent me last night but he didn't get back to me until now since he was on the golf course." It takes everything in you to keep your eye from twitching. The golf course. Priorities. You plaster a fake smile on your face and clear your throat, "Actually, Mr.Jeon, the one he sent you is not the finalized version." He looks up confused, "No?" You shake your head and reach into your purse for the crisp new manila envelope, "I had to make some edits of my own." They all look at each other and then back at you, "Oh- alright," Mr.Jeon takes the envelope and he and Mrs.Jeon look over it together. You can practically see the gears in their heads turning, meanwhile, Jungkook is looking at you with his eyes narrowed wondering what it is you're up to. "Y/n," Mr.Jeon laughs nervously, "This is...substantially more than what your father and I had previously discussed." You nod, "Oh yes. 40% more, to be exact." "Mhm..." Mr.Jeon hands the paper to Mrs.Jeon who continues reading. "I believe the 15% we'd originally agreed upon was quite generous as even a fraction of the money we receive from the various businesses would be quite a profit for you." You purse your lips as you listen, trying your best to be as respectful as possible, "Yes, that's true. It would be quite a lot, however, I think it's reasonable to divide assets 50/50 between spouses, seeing as how I'll not only be a part of June Company itself but also be behind the scenes as a wife. Not to mention, when I have kids, there is no longer incentive for Jungkook to stay married to me, is there?" Mr.Jeon looks at his wife, who is looking back at him with the same concerned expression. "Y/n, our motivation for having you marry our son isn't to...produce an heir," Mr.Jeon says, "It's to help him mature and give him something to work for." "Dad, I don't need to get married to mature. I'm capable and I'm ready to run the company. Please, just let me show-" "You shut your mouth. With all the debt you've gotten me in with your incessant partying, the charges in property damage-" Mr.Jeon's face is turning more and more red, while Jungkook just looks away. He's completely quiet as he his father continues hurling criticisms and but Mrs.Jeon puts her hand on his chest to keep him from saying any more. "Mr.Jeon, I want to be able to help all of you- but I think both I and Jungkook are sacrificing a lot, and a large portion of that sacrifice is on yours and my parents' behalf. He and I will both be turning our lives around for the sake of our families. I just want to make sure we're both getting what we need from this." Jungkook turns slowly to look at you, his expression softening, along with his father's. Mr.Jeon is silent for a little while. "I understand if this is something you and your family cannot get behind and if that's the case, we can rip up this contract and put it all behind us, no harm done- but if you all want this as much as we do, these are my conditions," You say as gently as possible. You glance at Jungkook, whose eyes are fixed on you- causing for you to quickly look back at Mr. and Mrs.Jeon. "Well...I think we'll need some time to think this over. I'll have my lawyer look this over and we'll let you know what we've decided by tonight. How's that sound?" Mr.Jeon asks, giving you a tired smile. You nod, "That sounds just fine, Mr.Jeon. Take all the time you need."

You grab your bag and stand up and everyone else follows suit, "I had a lovely brunch. Thank you so much for putting it together for us to have this meeting." You turn to Jungkook, "I hope we're able to move forward together," You say with a bow and, for the first time, he bows in return. "Please have a good rest of your day," Mrs.Jeon says, stepping forward and hugging you goodbye. "And as always, please let us know if you need anything," Mr.Jeon says with a genuine expression. You nod, "I will."

Of course, not two hours since your brunch with the Jeons, and your dad was already blowing up your phone. How interesting the way that works, isn't it? Your dad only calls when you don't do things exactly as he asks. You sent every single call to voicemail until they stopped coming in altogether- though he'll most likely call right before bed. You'd spent the rest of the day out and about near the hotel; something you thought you wouldn't get a chance to do this time around. It helped to get your mind off things for a minute. You'd even gone to a cute little cafe and answered some of your work emails (you can't ever completely disconnect, though it doesn't hurt to at least have a change of scenery).

By the time you come back to your suite, it's already 8PM, though of course you're not even a bit tired, so you decide to bother B/f/n for a bit. "Mm...hello?" "Hello," You practically sing into the phone, "did I wake you?" "Mhm..." "Well, wake up- I gotta tell you what happened today." "Y/n, look, I promise I'm interested but I do not have the mental capacity to receive any new information right now..." "You're no fun." "Hey, I already told you, you have other options for entertainment." "The spa's closed right now, I've already gone to the eateries inside this hotel, I've used the free wifi and even the copier. I've done everything, there's nothing left, B/f/n," You whine. "Not everything..." She says, sleepily eyeing you. You instantly know whatb she means and you violently shake your head. "Nope. Uh-uh. I am NOT getting a drink by myself." "Oh come on, if you wear one of those skimpy little dresses you packed, I promise you won't be alone for long." You narrow your eyes at her, "How do you know I packed skimpy dresses?" "You just told me," She smirks. How does she do that? "And what am I supposed to do if a man walks up to me and offers me a drink thinking he's gonna get some?" "Oh come on, you're not even engaged yet. Live a little." You roll your eyes, "Clearly, you're very sleep deprived and that's why you're talking crazy. Call me when you're rested." "Sounds like a plan," She says before abruptly hanging up the call.

You sit and look over at your suitcase, contemplating your next move... "I guess a drink won't hurt."

The hotel bar is nicely tucked away on the first floor, a small ways away from the lobby. It's decorated with gold trim and pretty golden flowers along the cherry-wood walls. The vibe is definitely dark and sultry- you suppose you dressed appropriately: off the shoulder a-line mini dress and some simple strappy heels. You put a lot of effort into looking effortless tonight. It's not as packed as you expected, though it's definitely not empty; people are sat at various tables, holding conversations, the occasional stray laugh reaching your ears over the soft music. You'd hyped yourself up before coming down, saying you weren't gonna worry about who was or wasn't looking at you; you were just going down to have a drink and then go right back up- but when you realize the room is full of mostly men, you hesitate to take a seat. "Welcome in- can I get you anything, Miss?" The bartender, a kind-looking older gentleman, asks when he sees the lost puppy look on your face. "I-uhm, yes. I'll take an espresso martini, please?" "Of course." You set your clutch down on the bar and then take a seat. "Meeting anyone?" The bartender asks. You laugh sheepishly, "No, just...wanted to get out of my room." "I suppose that's a good thing," He says. You furrow your brows, wondering if he's gonna take the opportunity to be creepy, "And why is that?" "Because that young man over there has been watching you since you walked in," He says, nodding behind you. Your heart flutters a bit, and you feel flattered by the possibility of someone actually checking you out.

You turn slowly to where he'd nodded and scan for a moment before finally seeing him. How did I not notice him before? "That's the hotel owner's son, you know," The bartender adds. Jungkook's expression is a bit unreadable, but he's definitely looking at you. His eyes are completely fixed. You turn around quickly and bite your lip. You can't leave now, he'll know it was because of him and you can't stand the idea of him feeling like he drove you out of that bar. No way. You straighten out your back, forcing your body to relax as much as possible- or at least have the appearance of relaxation. The man puts your drink in front of you, and you gingerly take your first sip. "How can you drink those things?" Jungkook's unmistakeable voice says from right behind you, causing you to choke and spit some of your drink back into the glass. Your eyes widen in horror. "Bless you," He smirks. He looks over at the bar tender and signals holding up two fingers, to which the man nods. "Jungkook," His name feels so strange on your tongue; up until this trip, you've just refered to him as 'the Jeon's son', and using his name still feels so...intimate, somehow. He leans back in his seat, looking at you as though he's sizing you up, "And who, might I ask, did you dress up for tonight?" "Myself." You say, side-eyeing him. He's very brazen for someone you've only just met again after so many years. "Hm." "Hm, what?"

"Oh nothing...it's just, well, humans are performative beings, you know? Everything we do, whether consciously or not, is to attract." "Oh? And you're saying this to imply that I'm trying to attract someone?" You take another sip of your drink, trying to hide your unexpected nervousness. He shrugs, a cocky smile spreading across his face. "And who do you think I'm trying to attract, Jungkook? You?" You scoff. "Hey, you said it." You blush slightly and look down at your drink, your fingertip running up and down the stem of the glass. He definitely smells like he's been drinking- a lot- but you also catch hints of musk and wood- even burnt cinnamon. Shitty men shouldn't smell this damn good. You glance down at his neck and squint your eyes; is that-? "You're wearing the necklace?" He furrows his brows for a second in confusion before the realization sets in, "Oh- yeah. I look good, don't I?" His lips turn up into a coy smile. You clear your throat and shrug, "I think I'm just good at picking out jewelry." He chuckles and shakes his head, "Your disdain for me is quite amusing." "Almost as amusing as your insistence on flirting with me." "Well, don't get too flattered, you might fall in love." "Ha," You scoff. The bartender sets two shots down in front of Jungkook, who then slides one over to you. "What's this for?" You ask, immediately suspicious. "To celebrate." "Celebrate what?" "Us, of course." "Oh please," You roll your eyes, "Just the other day you were yelling at me and accusing me of attacking you, then you implied that I was some sort of gold digger and was just trying to mooch off of you." He nods thoughtfully, "Yes, that's true, I said some pretty...crass things. I suppose I should apologize for that. As far as the shot, well- I've decided to accept it." "Accept...what?" "The fact that this train is leaving with or without our 'yes', so we may as well enjoy the ride along the way, right?" As he says this, his eyes fall slightly, and only for a moment. You almost wonder if you'd seen it at all. "And what's caused this change of heart?" "Truthfully...this entire arrangement has been hanging over my head all my life. It felt like a noose slowly getting tighter and tighter. But seeing my father so stunned by your demands...it felt like my first deep breath in a while." You're surprised at how genuine Jungkook is being right now, though before you're able to respond to what he's just said, your phone buzzes in your clutch. "Excuse me," You say. It's a text message from Mr.Jeon. You quickly swipe it open and your mouth drops in shock. 𝙼𝚛.𝙹𝚎𝚘𝚗: 𝙷𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘, 𝚈/𝚗- 𝙸 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞. 𝚆𝚎'𝚟𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚊𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝. 𝚆𝚎'𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚝 𝟷𝟸𝙿𝙼 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚊𝚠𝚢𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝.

You look up back up at Jungkook, who simply picks up the shot and holds it up in the air, "To the ride." Your shocked expression turns into a smile, and all you can think to do is pick your shot up as well. "To the ride."

[snailsandpuppy-dogtails]

I Do, Do You?

A Criminal Minds/ Married At First Sight AU Strangers, Penelope Garcia and Luke Alvez are matched on the arranged marriage reality show, Married At First Sight. ~3,500 words, on AO3 Chapter 1 The Interview

“So, Mr. Alvez. Luke,” the production assistant interviewing him says with a little too much familiarity for his liking, “tell us; why have you signed up for this? I mean, surely a good looking, healthy, man like yourself doesn’t have a problem meeting women.”

She leans in placing her hand just above his knee. Luke isn’t sure if this is some kind of test for the last part of the selection process or if she’s actually hitting on him while interviewing him in the final stages where he’ll be matched with the (hopefully) love of his life. Either way he finds it crass and uncomfortable, he’s here for a reason and he’s given zero indication he’d welcome such a touch. He’s also nervous. Nervous because he knows how this looks, how it will look. A guy like himself single and hitting his mid 40s? He wasn’t old, but he was getting there. When people his age are single there’s a reason, and usually it’s not a good one. His wasn’t terribly great either, but it wasn’t the worst.

He responds, painting on one of his bright, winning smiles as he removes her hand, and sits up straighter, lacing his fingers in his lap. A sound comes out that’s like a laugh dying in his throat, then he answers, “Thank you, but, I do. Ah. People have a way of romanticizing things that are often hard on a person…maybe to distract themselves from the reality of it. The life of a soldier, office workers working overtime everyday, long-haul trucking - solitary lifestyles… My jobs have been very time consuming and isolating, and for a long time I romanticized that life. I let them take the place of real connection in most instances, when people didn’t fit in those areas, I let them go…I didn’t try to find a balance. But I’m trying to get better at it. For the last three years I’ve been able to call a place home, it’s the longest stretch of time I’ve been in one city. For most of my adult life I’ve devoted myself to causes I felt were important, but in doing that I sacrificed really fully being in a loving, committed relationship. That is definitely an area I could improve in.” Unbothered by the rejection, she goes on, “You mentioned that your job has been a factor in finding love. Is that still a concern, or do you feel you can dedicate the time needed to form a deep relationship in our eight-week time-frame?”

Luke takes a minute, his eyes close, the tip of his tongue swiping at the seam of his lips, taking to heart the question, considering it. “I won’t lie, it could still be an issue. My job doesn’t have set hours or weekends off, I can be gone for undetermined lengths- but I’m willing to devote time to work-arounds, I’m willing to make things work for the right person.”

“And do you think that’s a fair thing to ask of a stranger?”

“Honestly? No. But I think the right person would understand, and in time, can help me learn to strike that balance.” He’s sure they’ll drop him now.

—-----

“Ms. Garcia, tell us why you signed up for Married at First Sight.”

“Don’t let this exterior fool you- I date. A lot. Love to go out; drinks, karaoke, the whole nine- zero problems finding some Mr. Mr. to join me out on the town. The problem is,” her face scrunches, “and this is gonna sound like, well duh, that’s everyone’s problem, but I’m kind of crap at picking guys. I had a lot of toxic relationships early on after my parents died, control freaks, stalkers, clingers… this one guy I went out with even tried to kill me…shot me after saying goodnight…”

Penelope quiets, frowning before sniffing and looking back up blinking rapidly, cheering. “But he was something else entirely. Now Sam, Sam was good. Sam was sweet. We just don’t work on that level, you know? It was good and all, but there wasn’t that…spark. It wasn’t romantic love if we were really looking at it and… I want romantic love. I can’t trust myself to pick it, so I’m hoping this matching process can. Well, that, and my best friend Derek got married to this gorgeous doctor and I can’t have him trying to set me up on pity dates when we go out to dinner any more. -Oh! But don’t tell Derek I said that! He won’t see this, right? You don’t show these parts?”

The assistant ignores the question and moves on, “We heard you’ve been proposed to before, but turned him down. Mind telling us what happened there?”

She’d been concerned about being upfront with that detail of her past when filling out the form. She went back and forth clicking ‘yes’ and ‘no’ alternately until eventually deciding on just being truthful. They wouldn’t have included it as an option if they were automatically going to exclude her because she’d turned down the proposal, right? If she lied and then someone mentioned it while she was being filmed, production would have a field day. No, it was better to be honest about it.

Except now here they were asking about it.

Dang it.

“I wasn’t at the right place and he wasn’t the right person.” She says it simply, with so much nonchalance even she feels it’s entirely true.

The interviewer, apparently, however, has met this casual indifference before. They look up at her from over their glasses, “But you’re in the right place now?” they ask with some skepticism. Penelope grins wide, Tulip-pink lips stretching “I know I am. The only question is if you can find me the person worth marrying.”

—-Telling Family and Friends—-

~For traditional couples, informing friends and family of upcoming nuptials is a time of celebration, happiness, excitement, and shared joy. For our couples, however, this can be stressful. Situations may need to be handled with care, families aren’t expecting this major life change for their loved one. Brides and grooms can be met with hostility, suspicion, bargaining, hurt feelings, and dismissiveness at choosing an unconventional path to finding love.~

As her family lives out of town, Ms. Garcia has chosen to inform them of the big news over Zoom.

“Carlos! Gideon!” Penelope greets excitedly over her computer as their images bob and freeze.

“We’re here, Penelope, is everything ok?” an older man with thinning, dark hair asks in mild concern, “The only time you set these things up is on holidays and it isn’t a holiday that I’m aware of.”

“Everything’s fine. Great in fact…Actually…” she grins at their images on her screen. Gideon and Carlos will support her, she knows. They may not understand it at first, Carlos has strong convictions, but Gideon always tries to see where each of them is coming from and help the other understand. He’d come around. “I kind of have some big news…" she continues, figuring she should just rip off the bandaid, "I’m getting married!”

The faces peering back at her are understandably confused. After a moment of silence, each working things out on their own, Carlos is the first to respond, “...Morgan’s leaving his wife?”

It was a jumble of words then as all three talked over the other, “What?! No! It’s not Derek,-” Gideon frowning and shaking his head chuckling, “And ditch that doctor? Not a chance. Penelope, what do you mean? You’re not-”  “it’s…well even I don’t know who it is yet! I was kind of selected through this matching thing and they have these experts and well, it’s-”

Excited dawning sparks on her brother’s face as he shouts over both of them, “IT’S THAT SHOW!”

“Wha- Yeah. It is. I’m going to be on ‘Married at First Sight’...So are you guys…are you upset?” Neither sounded mad, they didn’t look mad, but who knew? Give either time to think and it’s possible they ended up that way, frustrated at her impulsiveness, what they saw as reckless behavior.

Gideon took the lead, Carlos feeling thrown off, but excited, hesitantly happy for his sister. “Peanut, you’re old enough to make your own decisions. Hell, you’ve been doing it since before you were old enough…Though I don’t know that I agree with your choice to have your private life splashed all over every tv and computer around the world with as deep and quick as things spread, I trust you know what you’re doing. If you think this is the best way for you to find happiness, that’s all your mom and dad ever wanted. It’s all we want for you, too. And, it’s not Kevin.”

“I’m just surprised at your restraint,” Carlos jumped in teasing, “you’re tellin’ us you haven’t hacked their systems, found who they matched you with, and searched him down to the very first time he even touched a computer?”

“I would never!”

“Ahh, someone recognized you.”

“They did not!-”

“Who was it, huh? Some tech nerd for sure. Hey! If things don't work out with whoever they set you up with maybe go for him, yeah?”

“Shut up! Fine.” She huffed, “It was a mic guy. He told production and they put it in my contract that if they found out I did that, they’d replace me. And I reeally wanna do this! I guess it’s kind of fun not knowing…you know, if the anxiety of it doesn’t kill me before the wedding day.”

~~

She hadn’t gotten anxious when telling Carlos and Gideon, JJ and Derek on the other hand were a different story. JJ wouldn’t say much, she didn’t often judge, but Derek, Derek was fiercely protective and very vocal when he felt she was making a mistake.

She didn’t think it was a mistake, but she could already feel those brooding eyebrows’ and careless tongue’s lashing sting, building up the wall of resistance to let her news be known.

Looking at her friend’s curious faces on the other side of the coffee table, she wished she could dive into the crashing waves of the magazine  cover between them Mary Poppins style.

She’d invited them over for brunch, just the three of them, meaning to casually drop the news while whipping up Belgian waffle batter. But fruit had been sliced, waffles cooked, doused, and consumed, and glasses drained of mimosa nectar all while tension built and she danced around the big reveal.

JJ and Derek speculated while Penelope busily cleared plates and cleaned up, insisting she didn’t need the help. Was she moving? Was she in trouble? Had she happened upon some government documents again while messing around online and bored? Did she adopt them each a pack of dogs?

Finally, with nothing left to distract her or use as an excuse, she was sitting pinned to the cushion in front of them.

“So…?” JJ prompted.They both were leaning forward, elbows on knees. Penelope dropped her eyes to the rug, playing with the hem of her skirt. If she didn’t have to look them in the eye it wouldn’t be so bad.

Derek sat back, exasperated. “Baby girl, we know something’s up, just tell us! If you need it, we can help-”

Her eyes shot to his across from her, “It’s not like that, I want to, really, I do! But, I’m worried…I’m worried you’ll be mad. You have to promise you won’t get mad- it’s nothing bad, I swear!” Her eyes bounced from Derek to JJ and back again. “It’s just, you might think I haven’t thought things through, or I'm being impulsive, or maybe I'm doing it as a reaction to what happened before, but I’m not and I have and I really believe it could be a good thing.”

Telling friends shouldn’t be more stressful than telling family, telling either exciting news shouldn’t be stressful at all. She thought about her mystery husband (as she’d taken up privately calling him) then; was he having as much trouble telling his family? Were they accepting? Were they close? Did he have a good relationship with them? Did he even have family? Siblings, parents, cousins, grandparents… Did he have lots of shallow friendships or few but deep ones? Would his friends go to the ends of the earth to protect him…like hers had?

“Ok, now you really have me lost…Pen, what is it?”

Penelope looked up, as ready as she’d ever be, “Jayge, you have Will and that’s awesome! And Derek, you have Savannah, and- and that’s wonderful and you’re both so happy and your little families are so cute and I’m so not wanting kids- but I do want that happiness, and it’s hard sometimes being around you both when I don’t have someone. And we know how well my gut’s been at choosing-“

“Hey-” Derek started, “You can’t blame yourself for that, there’s no way you could predict some piece of shit  would shoot you.”

“No, but you were right…Some random guy at a- never mind. That’s not my announcement. Anyway.” Her busy hands swept the veering track away, dropped to her lap, then flew into the air as a massive smile spread across her face, “I’m getting married!”

Derek’s face contorted grossly, “Don’t tell me you went back to Kevin-”

JJ’s grew incredulous and disgusted, “Oh my god, Penelope, no! He wants you to live on a farm!”

Ah, yes, this. This is the judgment and presumption, this was the reason she had been so apprehensive about telling them, well that and her impulsiveness. No matter, it wasn’t what they thought and that would definitely be worse than what it is…

“It’s not Kevin. Well. Actually, I guess it could be, but the odds are incredibly low that it would be? The truth is I don’t know who the groom is because well, I signed up for a show, and I was selected, so some professionals have chosen a husband for me, it’s all very scientific- and we get to meet him together on the day of my wedding” she paused in her nerves, trying to read the emotions of her closest friends from their body language.

“…That is, if you’ll both agree to be there with me? Please. I need you there. I’m already getting nervous. My feet are itching and my palms are sweating just telling the two of you about it.”

JJ was stunned, Derek, predictively, looked less than thrilled. His arms crossed tight against his chest and a jet eyebrow arched sky high. “You tell Gideon and Carlos yet?”

“Not that it has anything to do with me telling the two of you, but yes Mr. Nosy, I told my family.”

“And?”

“And what?! They’re happy for me, Derek! Carlos is flying out here from California and Gideon is driving down from his cabin in a few days so we can have dinner as a family before the ceremony...”

JJ leaned forward, hand grasping Penelope’s, smiling, “That sounds great, Pen,” then looking pointedly at Derek, “of course we’ll be there, we wouldn’t miss it for the world. You, me, and Savannah can go suit shopping for the boys.”

Derek rolled his eyes but relaxed into the chair, “Yeah mama, of course we’ll be there, just name the date, since you can’t name the groom.”

-For security reasons film crew were not permitted onto the office grounds of Participant Luke Alvez.-

He’s shocked he was selected, he figured with his history of emotional and physical unavailability along with the restrictions around filming him, they simply would have gone with an easier candidate, but he’s hopeful and excited nonetheless. With background checks and interviews behind him, all that was left was checking in with work and telling his mom and Isabella.

“Hey, ah. Emily, can we talk in your office? I have something to run by you…” Luke asks as he catches her walking into the bullpen.He’s approaching with coffee, she can’t help but notice he seems off, almost on edge. “Of course, everything alright?” she asks as they make their way up the stairs and across the catwalk.

Entering her office, she perches on the edge of her desk and gestures to the open door, “Should we…?” If he was disguising his emotions this poorly, asking to talk in private, and attempting to soften her with caffeine it must be pretty important, and Luke tended to be private regardless.He was half way to sitting, but stood up wiping a hand on his jeans, “Uh, yeah. Yeah, maybe.” he said, reaching over to close it, feeling the latch catch before letting go.

“Look, before I say anything, what I’m asking, I’m asking Unit Chief Prentiss, not Friend Emily. I know you’re going to want to mock this, but please before you do that, try to address it from the perspective of the Bureau first, then you can say whatever you want.”

Putting on her best Ambassador voice and face, she responds haughtily, “I resent that you feel I would be anything other than strictly professional in this building…” her lips twist into a smile, “but knowing you think I’ll think it’s stupid makes me feel better.”

Luke shakes his head as if to say “You couldn’t wait” but goes on. “A few months ago, as you know, I took some time off to visit family. Being around my mother and my sister, talking about Papi and my abuelo, hanging out with my nephews, they got to talking about me and naturally there was the whole ‘why aren’t you married, you’re breaking my heart, your father would be crushed the family name is dying, yadda yadda.” He looks up at Emily, poorly disguising her knowing smile with the rim of her cup.

“I didn’t know we shared a mother.”

Luke laughs, rolling his eyes, “Ok, well. I didn’t think it bothered me, but I guess it did, because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Not from a guilt perspective, but I just started thinking they were right. Not about the family name, but what am I doing? Am I going to wake up 10, 20 years from now in some motel the bureau’s put me up in and realize that’s all my life has been? That all my life’s amounted to is having put a few dozen murderers behind bars?”

“Hey, that’s no small feat-”

“Yeah, but you of all people know how isolating this job can be, how lonely, how hard it is to find someone willing to stick it out with our schedule… and how easy it is to let it eclipse everything. So when my sister called a few weeks later talking about this show, saying applications were open, making jokes about how it would be the only way I’d ever ‘lock down a wife’ I told her go for it, sign me up. And after assuring her I was serious, she did. I guess they liked what she wrote because they picked me, and matched me with someone...”

Luke took a deep breath, “So, my question is…am I allowed to do this? Not, can I take time off again, but logistically as a Federal Agent, will I be fired if I go through with this? Would I need to use a fake name or take a leave of absence?”

“Oooh,” she sucked her teeth, “Yeah. That might be a little more complicated. I know we make appearances on tv from time to time on certain cases; informing the public, addressing unsubs, but the Bureau is not going to like this. A reality show? Luke, the optics if it goes poorly... Look, I’m not telling you you can’t do it. If you think it’s worth it, I can check, but I’m confident there isn’t a rule against it. Maybe just don’t say on camera what you do for work. We don’t need any of that kind of blowback, especially in this political climate.”

Luke sat back, shoulders hiking down, relief taking over as worry left his body. He didn’t realize just how stressed he’d been over the whole situation. “Thanks, Emily.”

She beamed an evil, toothy grin back, “Don’t thank me yet, you still have to tell the team, and lucky you, I was just about to gather everyone…”

~~

Breaking the news to his mother had gone about as well as he’d thought. She was overjoyed he was finally getting married, settling down, and starting a family (or so she imagined), but appalled and borderline scandalized at the spectacle a reality show would be and the fact that no one knew the girl or her family.

“If you insist on going through with this can’t you persuade one of your computer friends at work to check up on her, mijo?” had been bargained down from “I don’t understand why you refuse to meet up with any of the nice girls I know from the neighborhood and church. I can find you a good girl with good family at the church. Doloris’s daughter-”

“No mother, that would be a violation, not to mention a misuse of government resources and personnel…and,” he shrugged though he was on the phone alone in his apartment, “I kind of like not knowing…the anticipation. It’s exciting.”

“You’re an idiot” were her last words on the matter, everything else after had been communicated through his sister. But she was coming, and it wasn’t to hold a protest.

[runwayrunway]

No. 13 - condor

Condor Flugdienst is a German airline which operates medium-to-long-haul scheduled and charter flights with a specialty in flights from Europe to locations associated with vacation and leisure, such as the Mediterranean. They’ve been doing this for 70 years now, but in April 2022 they unveiled an overhaul of their livery. They would get a quick start on rolling it out, as they very confidently ordered 59 new planes to paint it on!

Oh boy.

The worst thing about this livery is that it’s not a thoughtless choice. It’s very intentional and very thought out, and that makes me sad because I’m about to angrily insult someone’s earnest hard work. In fact, they have an entire webpage dedicated to their inspiration and thought process. It will be the source of all images and quotes used in the remainder of this review.

Vacations are striped. And Condor is vacation. Umbrellas, beach towels, ice cream shops..who doesn’t love them and the stripes will make you smile. They stand for easiness, freedom to experience the world, for the gentle breeze in your hair, sunshine on your face and now for Condor. In the future our fleet will also be in this new design.  For decades, stripes have had meaning in our way of life. Timeless, elegant and recognizable – just like us.

I hate to say it, but they’re right (despite the fact that the paragraph is written pretty jankily). That’s a really clever association that’s clearly been thought out and is very recognizable. Like, in isolation I really like this idea. It just sucks that it’s very ugly? 

I mean, it really doesn’t help that they picked a colorway that blends right into this picturesque island landscape for this particular shot, but I think what I’m angriest about is that despite committing to this absolutely vile candy cane look they didn’t even extend it to the wings and nacelles, which would have really hammered home the beach blanket look! Also, the black text is practically invisible and looks super out of place. It feels like they have this vision but they get so wrapped up in it that they mess up all the details and forget to make it good. 

But the green is very purposeful, too. 

Our five colors: Sunshine, Passion, Sea, Island and Beach. Colors are not only found around the globe on holidays, they also stand for the fact that our world cannot be defined by a single color. Therefore our “Fleet” is looking forward to a new design, visibly striped and colorful in Sunshine (yellow), Passion (red), Sea (blue), Island (green) and Beach (beige).

I really really like these! This feels really nice, the rare airline livery with an explicit meaning that reflects what it doesand isn't just vague corporate jargon about how the color blue somehow reflects Scandinavian identity. If you’re going to do a jellybean livery this is how you should do it - every aspect of the livery swapped, visible at a glance, bright and exciting, everything intentional and explicit in its purpose. 

I love the idea and it makes me angry that it looks hideous. 

Like, it could be good. They could have tried horizontal stripes, maybe, even diagonal stripes, or some sort of wave pattern to them. I don’t know. With how much care was put into the idea surely someone could come up with something better than I have. 

My friend @elyvator's (who took the above photograph) mother recently flew on a condor flight. There's something so surreal about seeing this big garish thing parked in a miserable soggy grey airport next to tarmac and a jet bridge and concrete.

You could miss the text entirely if you weren't looking for it. The stark white engine adds to the perception that the wing doesn't even look attached to the fuselage - like it's floating away. This doesn't belong here, and not in a good way. This isn't a plane that screams 'I might be on an awful rainy airport apron but I'm going to take you to a magical faraway beach', this is a plane as seen by someone still half-asleep after a party with a throbbing head while they're going downstairs to get a glass of water. And it had so much potential to not be that, to be something good. They came up with a great idea and then made every possible wrong choice in implementing it.

I can at least work up a bit of ironic affection for it, a sort of charm in its ugliness. It’s not the planes’ fault, and they wear it as well as they can. They’re still fundamentally cute to me. But that’s not what I’m here to judge. I’m sorry, airplanes. I'm sorry they did this to you.

This...this hurts me. It really does. 

condor is getting Runway Runway’s first ever grade of F.

I love the thought process. I love everything about the idea. This could have been so fantastic if only they didn’t make it ugly.

AN ADDENDUM

I still agree with everything I have said here. However, I have since slightly reframed condor's standing. To fully understand how I feel about this airline, I recommend this as a sort of part two to this post.

[crash-bump-bring-the-whump]

Oops all hallucinations! We love a good trauma reveal! Also this is another instance where this would be REALLY toxic if it weren't these two specific people and I had so much fun writing it.

TWs: Hallucinations, discussion of trauma, mentioned suicidal thoughts

"What's wrong now?" Dimitri's voice snapped Mariano out of his focus. He was sitting on the other end of the couch, brown eyes narrowed and lip curling in annoyance. "What's the face for?"

"What?" Mariano asked, blinking. He looked up from his book.

"That face you're making. What's it about?" Dimitri repeated slower, the barbs in his tone slipping right past Mariano without sticking.

He never did dwell on how Dimitri sounded, especially not after their stint in captivity together. "I'm seeing if the noise outside is real." He said, settling back into the couch and letting his shoulders relax. "If you didn't hear it, then it wasn't."

Dimitri blinked. "What noise?"

"I heard Laredo screaming." Mariano answered, turning to the next page. "You know, like he used to in the training room. I wasn't sure if he needed help."

Dimitri was quiet until Mariano looked up at him again.

"What?" Mariano asked, taking his turn to sound irritated. "You know, the screams?"

"Mariano, what the actual fuck are you talking about?" Dimitri asked, brow creasing as he stood and strode over. Before Mariano could ask what he was doing, the back of Dimitri's hand pressed to his forehead. "You aren't feverish, so you actually mean all of this." He muttered.

"What do you mean I actually mean all of this?" Mariano asked, jerking backwards when Dimitri reached to check his temperature at his neck.

"I mean that I have literally never heard anything like what you're talking about." Dimitri didn't let up, thumbs pressing delicately up under the curve of his jaw. "That's not normal. How long have you been hearing that?"

"Since I was in prison? I don't know, around my twenty-first birthday?" Mariano raised his hand up, pushing Dimitri's away. "What do you mean? You don't hear them? You don't just hear someone scream upstairs sometimes? You don't wake up to it some nights or have to look outside to see if a kid is hurt?"

Dimitri shook his head, frowning deeply. "Good god, no. I mean, my meds stop that kind of thing from happening anyway, but Mariano you--are you saying you've been hallucinating for over ten years and just didn't say anything?" He asked, aggression winding into his voice.

"I thought it was normal!" Mariano had set his book aside, tossing his hands into the air. "People talk about being haunted by stuff that they've done, I thought that was my thing to be haunted by! It's always people that sound like they're being murdered, it makes sense!"

"How does it make sense?" Dimitri snapped.

"Well it wasn't fun to have to listen to people beg for their lives before killing them!" Mariano snapped right back. "And it's not like prison really did anything about the crimes we committed--"

Dimitri growled, grabbing the front of Mariano's shirt and hauling him to his feet. He got in Mariano's face, nose-to-nose. His reading glasses clicked as they touched Mariano’s.

"That's it. That's what it is." He spoke low, locking eyes with Mariano. "You didn't question it because it felt like a punishment." Dimitri was all but snarling now. "I heard your testimony and sentencing, you know. You asked them to execute you. You cried when they didn't."

Mariano looked away. He didn't fight. He didn't talk back.

"You don't get to decide whether or not you're done being punished anymore." Dimitri said. "As your former leader and one of your boyfriends, I do.

"You skate by with that flat affect and think no one fucking realizes what's wrong with you." Dimitri dropped Mariano, shoving him back onto the couch. "Call your therapist and then book an appointment with a psych."

He watched Mariano hesitate. "And if you don't, I'll tell Bastian." Mariano glared as he took out his phone.

Once the call was made, and a message was left for the receptionist, Dimitri sat down next to him and pulled him close. He pressed the book back into Mariano's hands, tugging his head down to rest on his shoulder. Tension began to slowly slip from Mariano's shoulders as Dimitri started playing with his hair.

"Thank you." Mariano muttered, going quiet as he settled in more fully against Dimitri with a sigh. "I didn't mean to hide it."

"I know." Dimitri said, leaning in to kiss his forehead. "But that's why you have me. And the others, I guess."

[aswallowimprisoned]

Restless far from a Wine Dark sea - Stay with me

Tw captivity, sedation, medical whump, implied very bad medical procedure, guilt, nonhuman whumpee

In all of Logan's career as a negotiator and interrogator, he has never had to convince someone to submit to a vivisection. The experience leaves him feeling uncharacteristically emotional.

RestlessffaWDs' timeline is going off piste for @medwhumpmay

masterlist

≪ °❈° ≫

Not sure how far into Nathaniel's captivity this is, but long enough that his two interrorgators are starting to feel the emotional strain. I

≪ °❈° ≫

Logan sat down heavily next to Elias, who slid him a black coffee across the table.

“Did they get him under ok?” Elias asked quietly.

“Yes.” Logan accepted the coffee without meeting Elias’ eyes, “Dr Rana says the vivisection will take 6 hours, then he will be groggy for some time afterwards.” Logan sighed into his coffee, “The pain plus the sedatives makes the wakeup a high risk for flashbacks, but alas…”

“We’ll work something out.” Elias’ voice was assured in a way that Logan’s anthropologist brain knew was faked. “ We’ve done it before, and I know we have to do it again…” 

“You will work something out.” Logan cut him off, “I am just the interrogator that orders him to comply. You are the therapist who picks up the fucked up little pieces afterwards.”  Logan allowed the bitterness to well into his voice, the emotion he masked in every interaction; interactions with the military, interactions with the doctors, interactions with the fucking merman he had just convinced to lie still while they prepared to slice into his body and see what he was made of.

“I suppose so.” Elias was quiet for a moment, “We both have our roles here, and neither of them are easy. But it could be so much worse for that merman than it is. And you prevent that, even if he never sees the effort you make.”

“Couldn’t prevent the vivisection.” Logan could feel himself pouting.

“No, I guess we couldn’t.” Elias stared into his own coffee. 

The silence stretched.

“I… I am glad you are actually talking about your frustration though.” Elias gave Logan a lopsided smile, “You do tend to bottle your emotions…”

“Hmmm, what gave my emotional constipation away?” Logan asked dryly.

“I am a very good therapist,” Elias laughed without humour, “It’s what I am here for after all.”

“It is what we are here for.”

“But seriously, Logan, we can talk about this. You aren’t alone here, and we are probably going to be in this project for the long haul.”

“I don’t want to talk,” The spike of frustration that had welled in him was already smoothing into the familiar indifference his job forced him to take. “I don’t want to talk,” he repeated, “But for now, can you just… stay with me?”

Elias gave him the understanding smile of a man who knew the terrors they had both committed.

“Of course.”

[mikuchan]

BG3 Marriage Rankings

Mikuchan version. Would it end in love or hurt (or would it even get off the ground)? main girls and guys + cherrypicked side characters

1: Alfira. at the risk of being self-pandering, I REALLY think we would work. I would write my stories, she would write her music. I'd work at a Baldur's Gate printing press or something and support her music career. We'd hype each other up. We could adopt a cat.

2: Gale...I was a Gale Hater for a long time but I'm eating my words lately. He is very cool and we'd work well together. And to be real, "eloquent man who's very skilled, into deep lore, is also a good cook" describes both Gale and my irl husband. I do think I would struggle with the Mystra thing but I have enough past issues of my own to relate + hopefully mutually get over it.

3: Aylin. Again, "strong cool confident person who loves deeply" is just my irl spouse. I thrive under constant touch and reassurance lol and I appreciate loud people. On the flip side I think I would temper some of her brashness. I did rank her below Alfira/Gale because I'd be insecure about the immortality/mortality thing.

4: Karlach...we both feel deeply, but also both optimistic enough to haul each other out of the darker parts. Small issues like I think she's way more extroverted while I'm happiest at home, but we could make it work.

5: Wyll. We'd just be sweet together. I could learn how to dance. I feel like he'd enjoy going to yard sales with me.

6: Lakrissa. I love her but we wouldn't have crazy chemistry, if I'm being honest -- her quiet would set me on edge, my waffling would probably annoy her, etc. I think we'd be better as friends. That said, I think we're both determined enough that we could work together in like, an arranged marriage or fake-dating type situation.

7: Dammon. I haven't really dug into Dammon beyond basic game interactions, but he's sweet and I like his muscles his work ethic

8: Isobel. I ranked her middle because probably no obvious problems? but no deep chemistry here either. I like Isobel a lot. I hated her at first because I thought she looked a little like myself and I'm a betta fish with a mirror, but I'm over that now.

9: Shadowheart. I love her but we'd have terrible communication, we'd both go passive aggressive cattiness instead of bringing up our issues. BUT if we could get over that, I think we'd do well.

10: Minthara. I think we have the same problem of 'dislike' being our initial impulse re: new people (or situations, or things) (#born2hate) but if we were in a forced proximity situation like the bg3 quest, I think we would both get over it. Like Shadowheart, I think we'd either be at each other's throats and end in divorce or learn to work together and be one of those rude judgy couples.

11: Rolan. I waffled on him because on the one hand, I think we'd do very well at pushing each other to greater heights, supporting one another, but I also know we wouldn't totally gel. He's more committed than I am, but I'm more quick to be indignant and would get annoyed at his passivity under Loroakan. We'd be better as workplace frenemies slash cheerleaders.

12: Jaheira... she would not want me and my parent issues... she would probably appreciate my old lady hobbies but also I'd say 'pog' and she'd dump me

13: Mizora. I ranked her lower because it would absolutely end in divorce and possibly death (my death) but yes would 100%. I see a hot evil woman with horns and red hair all my self respect and moral quandaries fly out the window. I would sign that sugar baby contract. good time not a long time and all that.

14: Halsin. we'd be great on some coffee dates, but I'm too monogamous for his free love + not into literal bears.

15: Minsc. I would mumble something half-articulated, then get annoyed when he doesn't read my mind and know what I mean by it. I like Boo though.

16: Lae'zel. Low in this list through no fault of either party, but she would be unimpressed by me and I'd be intimidated & annoyed by her.

17: Raphael. similar to Mizora but lower because I like Mizora more, and I don't like Harleep.

18: Orin. I would try sooo hard. I would take her to Costco, I'd take her to a smash room, I'd introduce her to slam poetry. I'd buy her flowers and bones etc. I would give her so much love and support BUT I pass out at the Red Cross giving blood safely and cleanly with four kind nurses hovering over me and my weird blood. I would NOT survive a Bhaal ritual or even the minorest of knifeplay. She'd eatme alive.

19: Astarion. between first playthrough to now, Astarion and Gale flipped in my rankings. I wish him all the best but not for me.

20: Gortash, no shade to his lovers but I hate this guy.

[astro-can]

Meaning of Life | soukoku | Chapter One

"ᴀʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡɪʟʟɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ?"

Nakahara Chuuya’s one wish in life is for Dazai Osamu to disappear forever. Or at least, that’s what he thinks. Dazai Osamu’s one wish in life is to find a beautiful woman to commit double suicide with. Or at last, that’s what he wants Chuuya to think.

a short soukoku fanfiction (around 3-4 chapters) tw: suicide and blood word count: 1.4k

Nakahara Chuuya was at his limit. 

He was walking to his favourite bar one late evening after a particularly tiring day. The Boss had putten him in charge of overseeing a suspicious group of ability-users in the north side of the city. The job could’ve easily gone to someone ranked lower than him, like Akutagawa or Tachihara, but Chuuya knew best to not disobey the Boss’s orders. Long story short, he managed to find out the identity and motive of the group, interrogate the members, kill the leader, and dispose of any evidence that the group ever existed. The job was fairly effortless, but then he was sent to pick up all of Elise’s clothes at the tailor. And that was no easy job.

I don’t know why Boss keeps giving me such useless tasks. I’m one of the five executives, for christ’s sake. I should be doing more than hauling fifty pounds of dresses for some young bratty girl.

Just when he thought his day couldn’t get any worse, Dazai Osamu showed up.

A coincidence? Maybe. But for his greatest rival and ex-partner to show up at the same bar at the exact same time as him, he doubted it.

Naturally, Chuuya picked up the nearest object (which happened to be a bottle of wine) and threw it at Dazai.

“Woah, woah, Chuuya-kun! No need to be so aggressive!” Dazai caught the bottle with one hand instead of dodging it and tapped the counter. “Get me a cup, bartender.”

The bartender was a middle-aged woman with short curly hair. She nodded and obliged. Dazai took a seat a few chairs away from Chuuya and poured himself a shot of the wine he had thrown at him.

“What the hell are you doing here, shitty Dazai? Get out of my sight before I pummel you to death!” Chuuya roared, scooting away from his enemy.

“Are you already drunk? It seems like you haven’t even drank anything yet, though.” Dazai flashed his infamous smile at Chuuya. He looked no different than he usually did - shaggy brown hair, a long beige coat, a dark vest over a dress shirt, beige pants, and a bolo tie held together with a turquoise pendant. His eyes were bright under the dim lights hanging above, although Chuuya could see a hint of exhaustion behind them.

“Allow me.” Dazai scooted over and started pouring for Chuuya. However, as he drew his hand back, he hit the cup and knocked it over onto Chuuya’s clothes.

“You bitch–! You did that on purpose!” A vein popped in Chuuya’s forehead as he grabbed a few napkins to clean it up. “I had this vest cleaned yesterday!”

“Well then, you can clean it again! Not that hard, no?” Dazai hummed.

That menace! “What are you even doing here? Doesn’t the President of the Agency get mad when you casually meet up with members of the Port Mafia?” Chuuya gave up on trying to get Dazai to leave, knowing that his efforts would be futile. He did increase the distance between him and Dazai, though. He wanted nothing to do with his former partner.

“I couldn’t care less if Fukuzawa-san found out!” Dazai exclaimed loftily. “It’s Kunikida that would scold me. But I don’t care what he thinks, so all’s good!”

He really doesn't give a fuck, huh? Fucking bastard. 

Did he want to see me? Is that why he’s here?

…As if.

“What about you, Chuuya-kun? What are you doing at a bar at this time of day?”

“Why do you care?” Chuuya snapped, tilting his head back and taking a shot. “Found any new suicide methods recently?”

“Why do you care?” Dazai mocked him, making a silly face. Chuuya slammed his cup down angrily and glared at him, activating his Gravity Manipulation to show off a dark red aura. “Calm down, Chuuya-kun, I’m just kidding!”

Chuuya-kun, Chuuya-kun. Tch, he needs to shut up. “I just want you to die already, goddammit!”

“But Chuuya-kun…I need a beautiful woman to commit double suicide with! Otherwise, it won’t be fun or meaningful!” Dazai said, eyeing the bartender. “Like, for instance…”

“H-huh?” The bartender’s face turned bright red when Dazai jumped up and gently grabbed her slender hands.

“Oh, gorgeous maiden, would you have the honor of committing double suicide with me? We could elegantly jump off a tall building together, for example, the Port Mafia headquarters…” Pink roses and golden sparkles were practically emitting off of Dazai, his cunning smirk now changed to a soft smile. He batted his eyelashes and leaned in, only an inch away from the poor woman.

Chuuya stared at Dazai. Normally, he would pull the bastardous boy away and apologize to the woman, but today, a different kind of anger washed over him.

That damn woman did not deserve to hold Dazai’s hands, and she certainly did not deserve Dazai’s proposal of double suicide.

Wait…what?

Am I drunk?

Why am I thinking like this?

He clenched his fists. Is Dazai pulling some trick on me to make me feel jealous?

Why am I jealous?

Since when did I get jealous?

“...Oi, Chuuya. Looking a bit pale there.” Dazai turned around, his left cheek red from the slap the bartender had just given him. “Already wasted?”

She…slapped him.

She slapped him?

Chuuya gritted his teeth and directed his glare towards the woman, who was now awkwardly shuffling away.

Then he realized what he was doing and stopped himself. Why do you care? You hate Dazai. You hate Dazai. You hate Dazai. You wish he would just die already.

While Chuuya struggled with his little internal conflict, Dazai side-eyed him calculatingly. Then the corners of his mouth twitched up, as if he had figured something out. “What’s wrong, Chuuya? Old age finally getting to you? Need me to crack some of those joints?”

“We’re the same age!” Chuuya hissed. He felt his face heat up from Dazai’s second statement. Stop it, dirty mind.

“Ah, but you’re so much shorter! And why do you look so sick?” Dazai showed no sign of stopping until he got an answer. “Is that just a thing that happens with short people when they’re at bars?”

Chuuya clicked his tongue in annoyance and hit Dazai as hard as he could. The latter doubled over in pain and grunted, muttering a few incoherent words under his breath. Chuuya found himself blushing, and immediately hid his face from Dazai. “...I’m the only one who’s allowed to hit you,” he whispered.

“What was that?” Dazai perked up.

“Nothing, go to hell! Why do you want to die so much anyway? If you want to commit suicide, then commit suicide, whether it be with a hot woman or whatever!” Chuuya yelled, annoyed by Dazai’s antics.

Dazai’s playful expression vanished and was replaced by a serious one. “Why do you think I always attempt suicide but I never commit it?”

“Huh…?” Chuuya looked up, startled by Dazai’s sudden change in tone. “Wha…I don’t know. Tell me.”

Dazai’s smile returned. “Wahahaha, it's a secret! You’ll have to find that out for yourself! 

“You—!”

The chair screeched back as Dazai stood up. He winked at Chuuya and left the bar after laying some money on the counter. Chuuya grunted, grabbed the wine bottle, and took a long swig. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a piece of paper on the chair Dazai had been sitting in.

“…” Chuuya snatched it up before anybody else could look at it.

Saturday, 11pm, south docks. Just you and me ᕙ(`▿´)ᕗ

He scoffed. So shitty Dazai came here for a reason. Some sort of mission? Why would we be doing it together? Twin Dark became no more after he left the Mafia.

Shouldn’t I run this by the Boss?

Just you and me.

Chuuya shoved the paper into his pocket and stood up to leave. He laid money on the counter and strode out of the bar, opening the door and inhaling the fresh air.

He took out a cigarette and pondered on whether to have a smoke before going home or not.

“Chuuya-kuuuuuun, you do know that you’ll die of lung cancer if you keep smoking, right? In that case, I’ll appreciate it if you keep going! You’ll be out of my life sooner, then!”

“Does he really want me to die of lung cancer?” Chuuya twisted the cigarette with his fingers and tossed it into the garbage nearby. The people around him moved away, scared of the scary aura surrounding him. He tugged his hat low to hide his sour expression and downturned lips, his hand trembling from an unknown feeling.

“What a jerk.”

chapter two

[gayferrari]

my justification for charlando in the #brand relationship having kids: (1) they both get lethal baby fever at the same time (2) they’ve already committed to marriage and they both know they are in it for the long haul and they will never ADMIT this out LOUD. but the sex is good. and they have houses together and it’s COMFORTABLE. and it just makes SENSE to take the next step even if they’re not like TOGETHER together (they OBVIOUSLY are… they’re just not going to admit it until they’re 80)

part 1, part 2, part 3

COMMITTED TO MARRIAGE even if they are NOT TOGETHER and they don't LIKE EACH OTHER VERY MUCH the way I am gleefully cackling @ my screen about this