#I really need to redo my fanfic

[korrinhorizon]

Could you tell us a bit about Zotz? Like what's their favourite food and colour and that kinda thing?

Of course!

Zotz favorite color is turquoise and Viridian! He mostly likes cool and colder colors than more warmer colors. His favorite foods was Sinigang, Chicken Adobo, Lumpia, Steak pie, Cranachan, and Scottish Trifle, but after dating Johnny and Ryan, he starts becoming a vegetarian/pescatarian just for the both of them. Zotz is also somewhat addicted to coffee lol, but mostly chilled and colder coffee, than heated and hot ones. And he prefers his coffee to be either sweet, or the perfect balance of sweet and bitter. Also I think I forgot to mention that Zotz is like almost 7ft tall, so imagine just a ginormous anthropomorphic bat with anxiety issues lol

[unfinishedslurs]

do u love the colors of the comphet

When it’s over, when Henry Creel is dead and dust and they’ve emerged battered and triumphant. When she and Jonathan have ended things. When there is no more fighting to be done, she and Steve give it another go. 

She knows he’s going to ask the same way she knew in ‘83. There’s no waiting this time, no need to wonder if Jonathan might want her too. They gave it the old college try (He lied to her. He was lying to her for months, and she knew something was wrong before that. She thought they could work it out. She’s so fucking sick of lying to herself being lied to). 

He asks with wide, hopeful eyes, running a nervous hand through his hair. He doesn’t have anything to be nervous about. She made up her mind before he even asked. 

She can do it right this time. She can love this boy the way she wants to. The way he wants her to. They’ve both grown in the years since. She’s going to do this right. 

That’s the mantra she keeps in her head when he picks her up and spins her. I can do this. 

She can’t do this. 

It’s somehow the same and different from when they dated the first time. They’re going through the same motions, but there’s something lacking. They’re both older, more jaded. They’re not kids anymore, and it shows. 

They rarely kiss. He hesitates now in a way he didn’t before. Sex is something they don’t bring up at all. Eddie makes a crude joke once, something or other about what Nancy is like in bed, and she and Steve make eye contact. There’s something there, something like mutual understanding, before Robin smacks Eddie upside the back of the head and the moment breaks. She keeps thinking about it long after. Whatever it is that they shared, they don’t talk about it. 

Maybe they’re lying to themselves, both of them. Puppets going through the motions, too stubborn to admit they’re play acting as real people. Still, she can’t give this up. She can’t make the same mistakes all over again. 

Robin corners her two months into the relationship. Part of Nancy is surprised it took her this long. The rest of her is angry she brings it up at all. 

Saying she’s cornered might be doing her a disservice. They’re having a sleepover, painting their nails and talking about boys. Everything a girl is supposed to do. Except Robin is awkward and fumbling, and every name she brings up sounds like a question. Nancy only has Steve to talk about, and barely talks about him at all. 

Finally Robin sighs and puts down the nail polish. “I feel like this subject is making us both miserable,” she declares. “I don’t want to talk about boys, I was just doing it because I thought that’s what you’re supposed to do at girl sleepovers. I haven’t actually been to a sleepover since I was in middle school and the other girls decided I was weird, but I’m pretty sure the point is to have fun. This is not fun. This is agonizing. We should talk about something else.”

“Steve isn’t making me miserable!” She snaps, before realizing she sounds way too defensive. 

Robin peers at her. “Yeah, see, that’s not what I said. That’s not even a little bit close to what I said. Maybe we should talk about this instead. What’s the deal with you and Steve?”

“What deal? There’s no deal.” She turns around and rummages through the nail polish selection. Robin doesn’t exactly have a variety. Her options are red, dark red, and black. She chooses the brighter red with the absent thought that the black would look good on Robin, with her long fingers and dark eyeliner. Then she banishes that thought away. 

“There’s definitely some kind of deal.”

“There isn’t.”

“Nance.” 

She can’t help but turn around then, drawn in by the tone of her voice. There’s a glass wall inside of her, and someone is pounding on it, trying to get out. She wants Robin to see it. She wants someone to see behind the glass. There’s something in her trying to get out. 

“Nancy,” she says again, eyes searing into her soul, “are you happy?”

She smiles, fake and fixed on her face. The glass stays firmly in place.  “Of course I am,” she replies. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

The next time Robin wants to hang out, she’s busy with college preparations. 

It’s not just Robin. She thinks everyone can tell something’s wrong with her. Eddie gives her these looks every time she and Steve are in front of him, like he’s putting together a puzzle. Her mom keeps trying to talk to her. Jonathan keeps trying to talk to her. 

They know, she thinks wildly, every time. She doesn’t know what it is they know. She doesn’t want to find out. 

She avoids them all. 

When she and Steve go to dinner, the waitress captivates her. 

Long, dark hair in braids. Long fingers tapping against the notepad. Dark eyes in a dark face. She’s always loved brown eyes. Nancy has never been one to be jealous of other girls (lie, lie, lie), but suddenly heat floods her body. She wants to be as gorgeous as this woman. She wants her full lips, popping gum. She wants the woman’s swaying hips as she turns and leaves their table. She wants— she wants—

She tears her gaze away to find Steve already looking at her. 

The heat is dosed by the ice that fills her veins. All her senses go on high alert until she realizes he’s actually staring past her. She turns around to see the bartender. He’s handsome, she thinks, tall with tan skin and brown hair carefully styled. He’s talking to a customer, teeth shining as he laughs. 

When she turns back, Steve has firmly fixed his eyes on her. She could almost believe he’d never been staring at the bartender at all. 

There’s something there. Something just out of reach, something she could put a finger out and touch if she were braver. She doesn’t. There’s no gun in her hand here, no adrenaline to keep her going after it all falls apart. 

“What did your dumb boyfriend do this time?” Mike demands, storming in her room. Nancy has half a mind to yell at him to knock first before she registers his words. 

“Steve is- Steve is fine,” she says, startled. “He’s great, actually. Nothings wrong.“

“Then why are you so miserable all the time?” Mike accuses. 

“I am not miserable!”

“You are! You both are, and neither of you will tell anyone what’s wrong, or why-“

“I don’t know why!” She shrieks. Mike falls silent, eyes wide, and Nancy suddenly realizes she’s crying. 

“I don’t know why,” she repeats. “Everything is fine. He’s like, the perfect fucking boyfriend. It’s me, I’m the problem. There’s something wrong with me. There’s a beautiful boy who loves me, and I’m- I’m trying. I’m trying so hard to love him back, but I can’t. I can’t. There’s something wrong with me.” She’s desperate now, wiping away tears as she curls into a ball. She feels pathetic, crying in front of her little brother. She’s the oldest, she should be keeping it together, she shouldn’t let him see her like this. But she can’t help it. There’s something in her screaming to get out. 

Mike, with all the grace and bewilderment of a newborn deer, gingerly pats her shoulder. 

“Have you…talked to Steve about it?”

She gives him a cutting look. It’s probably not as effective as she wants it to be, with her red eyes and tear streaked face. Mike holds his hands up. 

“I’m just saying! He’s your boyfriend, you should talk to him. And if you don’t want him to be your boyfriend, you should really talk to him.”

“I want him to be my boyfriend, I just need to get past whatever this is—“

“Nancy,” Mike says. “It’s not just you. He’s miserable too.”

“Because of me. I just need to—“

Mike shakes his head. “I don’t think it is. If it were because of you, he’d be acting different. More…kicked puppy, or whatever. He’s just being weird,  and won’t tell anyone why. Dustin said he asked Robin, and she doesn’t even know.”

Nancy doesn’t have anything to say to that. 

“I think you need to talk to him,” he says again. “I think you need to talk to each other.”

“When did you get so smart?” She asks, instead of crying again. 

“I’ve always been smarter than you.”

She kicks him for that blatant lie.

“Are we holding onto a dead thing?” She asks out loud. 

He rolls over and looks at her. She’s worried she’s hurt his feelings, broken his heart again, killed any chance they have at a relationship, romantic or not. Then he snorts. 

“Robin got to you too, huh?” He asks, flopping back onto his back to look up at the sky. 

“Mike, actually.”

“Mike? That shithead? What does he know about relationship problems?”

“Are we having relationship problems?”

“I mean,” he says, wry twist to his mouth, “we haven’t had any arguments.”

“Nope.”

“Or general drama.”

“That might be debatable.”

“There’s no need to spice up our sex life.”

She snacks him for that one, and he laughs. She props herself up to look him in the eye. His face is more open than she’s seen it the entire time they’ve been dating. 

“I think you have to be in a relationship to have ‘relationship problems,’” she tells him. “Are we in a relationship?”

He visibly considers this. “I mean, I asked you out, and you said yes. And we never broke up.”

“We haven’t kissed in at least two weeks.”

“Did you want to?”

She takes a moment to think about it. “Not really,” she admits, and his face splits into a grin. 

“Not that you’re not still wonderful, Nancy Wheeler,” he says, teeth shining, “but I don’t think I want to kiss you either. Isn’t that weird?”

When they dated in high school, it was like he couldn’t stand being away from her. He spent every moment he could kissing her, wherever he could. Sometimes it felt almost like a performance he put on for the people around them, lifting her up and spinning her just so everyone would know how in love they were. It was stifling at times, feeling like something to prove. Still, it was how he was, so in love he could burst with it. 

Now, she wonders if it was always a performance. Maybe they’ve both been on a stage, and neither of them noticed the lights blinding them until now. 

“It is a little weird,” she says finally.

“Right?!”

He holds out a hand to shake, the other one firmly in his pocket. God, she wishes she could love him. “Good go, eh Wheeler?” He asks, smile crooked and shaky. 

She snorts. “We made ourselves and everyone around us miserable,” she points out. But she takes his hand. 

[spacedoutman]

Concept for a younger Velvet Von Ragnar for the fanfiction because my brain is bleeding due to how much inspiration I have for this is has been so fucking long

[ozzgin]

IM SORRY, but I need a whole smut fanfic with yandere ASMRtist where he just straight up fucks reader and posts it, and people like it

Even better if it was an accident! Although let me add a little disclaimer that this concept turned more BDSM-oriented than I initially planned, but it has no correlation whatsoever to ASMR. Just wanted to point it out because the community already struggles with the sexualization of content. The guy just happens to be kinky. Content: gender neutral reader, male yandere, NSFW, BDSM themes (bondage, spanking, collaring, name-calling)

He’s doing his usual sound recording, yet today it a little different. You're particularly cheeky, kneeling before him, back arched and bottom up. The pillow is soaked with your drool, lips forcefully parted by a bit gag. You're a mess.

Today, he's particularly aroused by your hooded eyes and damp skin. No harm in taking a break from his work, is there? His hand lands another rough spank, followed by his fingers tracing across your privacy. It seems he isn't the only one terribly pent up.

He gives you a little encouraging jolt before clarifying with a spoken order: "Spread."

You obediently follow his instructions, eager to be touched by more than his hand. He grins at your visible excitement.

"My, what a greedy whore you're being today. You're still red and swollen from the spanking, are you sure you want me to do even more damage?"

He presses himself into you as if to prove his point, though the feeling of his throbbing erection really only makes matters worse. You nod desperately and groan.

Once he's done pounding the life out of you, he stands up nonchalantly and dusts off his hands, gazing at his masterpiece: you're sprawled onto the mattress, heaving, dripping with his seed. Another fruitful day of pleasing his Darling.

He quickly finishes the last retouches of the recorded ASMR session and uploads it to his channel, distracted by the thought of a potential second round.

"Don't get up", he demands from his chair. "I'm not done with you yet." Judging by your expression, however, it's not likely you had any other intention to begin with.

Later in the evening, he idly checks his phone, somewhat surprised by the sudden influx of views and comments.

"Wow, this is probably your longest video so far. You're spoiling us", someone writes.

"What's the stuff at the end? Sounds bizarrely wet, yet tingly", someone else wonders.

His smile abruptly pales as it dawns of him: he never stopped recording. In a moment of anger, he throws his phone into the nearest wall, and you stumble over, startled by the commotion.

Damn it! That was his special moment. He feels like he'd just fucked you before the masses. His precious time - meant to be savored - has been tainted by the ears of plebeians.

He marches towards the bedroom, pulling you after him by the little house collar you must wear inside. No matter, he tells himself frantically, he'll just have to redo it. He'll fuck you even better this time, and it'll be for him only.

[Yandere!ASMRtist Concept] | [More yandere works]

[tiny-vermin]

i was waiting for you

HII. here's another fanart of a fanfic, this time by @kmackatie, its sleep with benefits!

my plan was to do a BUNCH* of these little fake movie screencaps, but being very honest i don't think i can do all of that now, considering i want other projects to take priority. and that ive done maybe 5 complete images from the story, but now i dont like my choices of colour and style, so i might redo them in the future.

*since i don't plan on continuing this for the time being (or at least taking a really long time to do it), ive put the thumbnails and notes ive made for the story under the cut!!

i did up till.. chapter 7?? bathroom scene, which isnt in my collection of scanned pictures. by god i have such cool compositions for the whole thing in my mind, but it's really tiring to do this! i really really enjoy taking an author's scene and trying to put a visual to it, its like a.. puzzle.. a mental challenge...

genuinely this process taught me a lot and helped me better understand composition and using setting to tell a story. it also made me realise the importance of PLANNING.. which is something i did little of, i was like hm i draw caleb and essek a lot (not really) so i dont need character sheets or planned outfits or whatever (i really did).

anyways, enjoy these stick men and my insane scribbles trying to decipher katie's use of colour in the story.

[daydreamingaboutkoreanmen]

Pink Yarn

Pairing: Seonghwa x GN Reader

Genre: Pure Fluff, One Shot (For now 👀)

Warnings: None

Summary: A stressful week leads you to crocheting on the couch and simple pink bandanna finds it way on Seonghwa’s head.

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

Starting a little story series where reader makes cute little crochet gifts for the boys. They each will have their own story but it will allude too ot8xreader. Starting off with Seonghwa!

This is my first fanfic so please be kind and I hope you enjoy!

It was a quiet day in the shared home. With nine people living under the same roof there weren't many opportunities for quiet time in the shared spaces, such as the living room. It seemed that after a month of living with the group you had lucked out today. They all had the day off, as written on the shared calendar on the fridge, and it looked like they all had decided to spend the day out of the house. While you didn’t mind living with them or the constant noise that came with living with eight men, a nice relaxing and quiet Saturday to yourself in your comfy clothes was just what you needed.

You had started the day by sleeping in and eventually venturing into the kitchen. Following a light breakfast of a bagel and two cups of coffee you ventured back into your guest room. Most of your belongings still in boxes. It was getting quite annoying to be living out of a bunch of boxes and storage bins, but you didn’t have much of a choice. One month ago a water main broke in your apartment flooding many of the units. The boys offered their extra room until everything was settled, what was supposed to be a week fix, and slowly became one month. It seemed like the water main uncovered a new problem every week. First, it was the AC units having water damage, to rusting pipes, and the newest issue being cracks in the ceiling from pooling water. It was a running joke between the boys and yourself that you would never leave. At first, it was funny, but after the last conversation with your landlord you were going to have to talk to boys tonight.

The water main caused so much cracking in the walls and ceiling they essentially had to rip everything out of the building and redo the three-story building. It was estimated to take over a year to finish the project, and you now had to hunt for apartments. While the boys didn’t seem to mind you staying in their downstairs guest room, you still wanted to talk to them about extending the stay until you found a place. It was an unpleasant conversation with your landlord last night, after a busy and stressful work week. Leading to an overwhelming urge to cry, scream, and cry some more. You had already started to feel like you were taking up their space, no matter how many times they told you otherwise, and you didn’t want to burden them further.

Not wanting to start working yourself up you push those thoughts aside and head to the desired storage bin. Under two other bins, stood your yarns and other crafts. You had the strong desire to put on a movie, or a few, and crochet until your wrist gave out. A hobby you brought out when you needed something repetitive that could shut off your mind. Your favorite part about this hobby was you could see progress in real-time. Having something start from yarn and become something in just a few short hours. Looking as some of the unfished products, mostly different pattern blankets, you decided you wanted to make something small with some of the smaller spools of yarn. Grabbing the bright pink spool of acrylic yarn, you grab your smallest hook and head to the couch. Grabbing a blanket you quickly put on Disney plus, and put on The Lion King. Not really watching the movie and mainly singing the songs when you start your project.

The movie coming to end you take a look at the project in your hand. A simple triangle of pink yarn stared back and you smiled a little. It was only a quarter of the way there but the simple pink bandana was the perfect small project to unwind. Getting up to stretch your legs and get a drink you sit back down, set on finding the next movie. Two movies and lots of singing breaks later, you were 75% there and took another break. Getting a quick snack and taking a bathroom break. It was the middle of the afternoon and you looked at the dinner schedule. Looked like most of them had their own dinner plans, meaning when you got hungry you would order some takeout. Sitting back down on the couch it took about five minutes for you to give up on a movie and quickly go to Spotify. You just wanted some music, something to zoned out too, but needed something that was the right vibe. After hitting play on your crochet playlist you zoned out again.

A random order of songs played from all genres from pop, country, latin, and kpop. You tune back into the music when you hear the familiar notes begin to play and you look up at the screen with a smile and a laugh. The song Say My Name begins to play and you can��t help but sing along as you finish up your bandana. The boys know that you are a fan of their music, but you had yet to play any of their songs in the house, let alone sing along. You thought back to when you first met them and how your Korean was so choppy they opted to speak to you in English. After moving and working to Korea for over a year, and with the help of the boys, your Korean had defintly improved. Still embrassed to sing their songs in front of them, you’ve held yourself back from belting their songs. You where alone now, and it had been so long since you sung one of their songs. Not paying attention to much of anything, you add the final row to the bandana while rapping along with Mingi. You didn’t hear the front door open. Getting ready to belt the last few lines of the song you finally look up from your finished bandana to see Seonghwa standing there with a soft smile on his face. 

You stare fozen at him as the song ends and a new random song begins.

“I knew you where an Atiny, but I didn’t know you knew our songs so well. That is so cute.” He says with a light laugh.  He looks down to your hands and the yarn. “Ah did you make something? I didn’t know you knew how to… knit?”

You shake your head out of embarrassment and stand from the couch. “Actually it is crochet, and it is something I do when I have some free time. Actually! Can you wait right here? You can model my finished piece!” You ask and walk to the kitchen with a smile when he nods his head. You cut the extra yarn before trying a simple knot. You would sew the rest of the extra yarn later. You walk back towards Seonghwa before showing him the bandana. He looks so impressed and his eyes look at you and the bandana a few times. Slowly becoming embarrassed at his impressed stare you slowly bring the bandana to his head. He is silent as you tie the bandana and style his hair, happy it was still long with framing front pieces. You work carefully, not to pull his hair, and focus on not catching his hair when you tie it.

So focused on being careful you don’t see the way he is looking at you. 

He really did enjoy having you living with them. It was a nice change and you fit in so well with the group. You could hang out with the most extroverted of the group one day to the next quietly with the introverts. The way you meshed with the group and could tell what they needed before they could. Days when Hongjoong would skip meals because of work, you would put a bento box beside him for him to discover when he finally stepped aside, always leaving a note and reminding him to take care of himself. Other times when Wooyoung offers to cook and comes home from a long schedule exhausted. You’d beat him to the kitchen with everything out and ready for him to start, even taking over some of the prep you know he hates doing. Even making morning coffees and teas for the groups when you knew they had busy schedules, waking earlier than you need to in order to leave little notes with their cups. You were selfless and it was an easy decision between the group to let you stay as long as you needed. Being your friend for the past year was something they all cherished. They had multiple conversations about how much they cared for you, you living with them was a dream come true. Some conversations even involve what a romantic relationship would be like with you. They still had one secret they had to tell you, hopefully it wouldn’t ruin what they had with you. 

“I thought you would be gone for dinner. Why are you back so early?” You asked before taking a step back to see if it was even on his head. 

“My friends cancelled. So I decided to come home early. Looks like you are stuck with me.” He said with a laugh. 

“That’s good. I hate eating alone.” Fixing the left side you take another step back. “There! Oh you look so cute Hwa! Come, look” you say, dragging him to the hallway mirror. 

When he looks up he is shocked for a second before falling in love with the bright pink piece. He is so impressed you made it in just a day, and he never wants to take off.

“You did so well. I love it. You’ll have to make me one next time.” Your cheeks turn pink when you hear how soft his voice is. You can tell how much he loves it and it would be a crime to take it away from him. 

“Let me finish the tie part and you can keep it. You look so pretty Hwa, I can’t take it away from you.” You turn away from the mirror and look into his eyes. They are filled with such happiness it makes your heart race. 

“I hope you never leave.” He said softly before kissing your cheek. “I think it looks perfect and I’m going to take a picture to show off the boys. You’ll be in trouble soon~” He said laughing before looking for the perfect spot for a photo. 

You stood frozen from the kiss. If you were being honest with yourself you didn’t want to leave either. You loved living here and you loved the boys. Though that second thought was to be pushed aside for now. The butterflies in your stomach from a kiss was enough to remind you that the eight boys were your friends, not potential partners. 

You feel your phone buzzing and see it’s the group chat. Seems like Seonghwa wasn’t kidding about sending them a picture. It was a mix of compliments and asking for cute gifts. Wooyoung was very vocal in the chat texting how he felt betrayed that Seonghwa got a gift before him.

“Hwa!” You yell looking for him. Following the sound of his laughter. You definitely had to go yarn shopping soon. Though you wouldn’t complain about making a few more gifts for the boys. They had done so much for you, making silly gifts was the least you could do. 

You find Seonghwa taking pictures on the patio with a big smile on his face. You smile softly to yourself. You hoped you never had to leave the boys.

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

a/n: I hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading ❤️~

[narcissarina]

Hellooo pookie! :D

Could you write a fic about Re2 Leon, like a really lovey dovey one where he's a rookie and he falls in love with his lieutenant or something like that? 🧘

Hello, babyyyy. Yes I could write something like that but I swear I read a similar fanfic about it. And yes it's a leon fanfiction too, but I hope I did well ^^!!!

Here's part 2 if anyones looking for it

𝑆𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐴𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒖𝒕𝒚.

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 2,961 (mf wrote a whole oneshot🥲🥲)

Leon heard that someone transferred to R.P.D, he doesn’t know who nor what rank they are but he reckons that it’s someone with high respect if he see his buddies getting worked up and actually doing something.

The boy had his head bowed in his desk, it’s been just two days when he was warmly welcomed, it was his first day and it was very memorable. His eyes were heavy and almost took a nap when someone slammed a file on to his desk, “wake up, rookie.” One of his co-workers said with a smile on his face.

They all heard a car pulled up, all of them got tense as one of Leon’s buddies kick him out of his chair and stand up. The room was silent and the car engine died, he could see an officer jogging up the small stair and opened a door for a someone.

It was you.

You had a long leathered black coat and wore a sunglasses, the aura you’re giving is dark and intimidating. You take a look around before turning to one of the officers, “This is R.P.D?” you asked, your tone flat and strong. A female officer nodded at your statement and flashes you a smile, “yes, ma’am. Do you like the interior..?”

Leon swore he heard a scoff, “it’s a mess, take that down and you all shouldn’t have bothered decorating, we have a job to do. Chop-chop.” You clapped your hand as the others rushes what they’re doing, the female and male officer led you to your office and made you familiarize around the area.

Heels clicking as they faded quickly to the background, Leon found himself standing idly and frozen when his friend bump into him. “Don’t you have work to do?” he asked Leon in a nervous tone, “I’ve already done my part.” Leon whisper back to his friend.

“If the Lieutenant heard you two whispering and not doing any work, you guys are fucked.” His other friend bothered to turn his head just to warn Leon and the other. Before the black haired guy leaves Leon to do his work, he got a grasp of his arm, “that’s Lieutenant?” he asked.

“Yeah, and if I were you. I wouldn’t make eye contact with her.” He says and left, getting his documents done. Leon was left alone standing beside his desk, he sat and think for a moment.

The moment he caught your eyes, he felt his heart skip a beat. Your voice was simply beautiful and angelic to him, is he falling for his Lieutenant thats just new to R.P.D? His thoughts were swirling as he felt his cheeks burning crimson, he feels like a little boy who has a big crush on someone and act like a little puppy.

While you were flipping through files and files, “wrong, wrong, redo.” You mutter, letting the two nervous officer hear your disapproval. “Not enough, now go.” Clicking your fingers together and scoot them away from your sight, you think there is just so much mess in this station and it needs fixing and more organizing.

You lean down to one officer and stare at the monitor, “I need people to patrol this area.” You point to the bottom right of the screen and beside it, “yes, ma’am!” Leon could hear they’re super nervous and scared of you, why? He’s just resting his elbow on top of his desk and resting his cheek with both of his palms.

Your eyes shot to him, thinking to yourself that there’s one officer who’s just chilling and doing nothing, you tap on a random officers shoulder—not bothering what they look like or get their name, “who’s that?” you asked, “oh, that’s Leon. He just started two days ago, a rookie.” You nod at their words and dismiss them.

Heels click and Leon heard them, he tensed up as he felt your presence behind him. The boy slowly turns and looks at you in the eye, maintaining an eye contact which most of the officer couldn’t do. “Rookie?” you called.

He stood up straight and put his heels together, “yes, Lieutenant?” his voice almost squeaked as he spoke, “why am I not seeing you work, Mr. Kennedy?” you knit your brows together but you’re not frowning at him. His heart race as you stood close to him, your arms folded and you shift your weight to your left.

Silence filled the room, it was eerie as the other officers prayed for Leon’s being. He spoke with a nervous smile, “I just finish my part..?” you nod at his words, thinking at the back of your head if this rookie is playing games with you.

You tut his words and let out a sigh, “is that so?” he nods, standing straight as he adjust his uniform. He was intimidated but felt his stomach flutter. “Nope, I heard that excuse before, rookie.”

He swallowed his saliva, his adams apple bobbing as he do so, before you could speak another word—someone cut you off, “ma’am we got a noise complaint…” said a female officer, you nodded and look at him. “You go, rookie. Since you don’t have anything to do.” You flash him back with a smile, he chuckles and salute you, “yes!” before heading off.

Now that you have him gone and run some errands, you got back to exploring the place once more as officers rushes to you to give you their printed document to get approved on.

You never know this, but each day. Leon’s adoration for you grew stronger, you were oblivious to Leon crushing on you. He just felt so warm and fuzzy and he loves it, the way your eyes met his to either scold him for bringing in a wrong document or that there’s errors in his reports—he didn’t mind that, he just loves to hear your voice and your attention to him even if it means he did frequent mistakes.

Gifts also started dropping off on the doorstep of your office, you once asked all of them, “who gifted this to me?” but they all shake their head, not knowing who keeps dropping gifts on your office doorstep. Leon made sure that no one sees him dropping them off though, otherwise he's caught.

He would get to work early so he could drop them off, then watch your face in a frown or confusion as you read the note that was attached. Making you grow curious who is it from.

This continues, and of course. Your nagging continues to Leon, he just grew to love it. He has his head bow on his table, you slam the file down as he flew back to his chair and rub his eyes with his wrist, “listen here, rookie. I don’t tolerate too much mistakes when you’re under my care.” You frown at him, grabbing the two of his armrest and pushed him back to his desk, the others just focused on their work and pretend they didn’t see a thing.

“The file you just turned in? It was good, but too many errors and I need you to redo them, asap.” You grit your teeth but try not to be too intimidating, Leon just looks at you in the eyes with love and adoration, you were cute when you’re mad. You see something in his eyes and sigh, you let go of him and mind your posture.

“Look,” you turn his chair and pushed him back at his desk, open the file he turned in and took a red pen from his desk. “This is fine, but this and this are…” you guide him through this and point out what he needs to do and how he properly does it, surprisingly, he listen to every word you said and nodded each time you asked him, “do you get that?”

It took a minute and Leon didn’t realize that you were leaning over his shoulder. He froze in place and feel his ears and cheek heat up, “I’ll be expecting you to redo this and turn it in, okay?” you spoke to him, finding anything in his eyes but you found none but his adoration for you.

“Leon, I’m not that scary, okay?” you sound like as if you’re talking to a child, “but if there is something that you’re having troubled with, you can come to me and I’ll guide you.” You added and pat his shoulder as you pull yourself together, “do you understand rookie?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He flashes as grin.

“Good boy, now keep up a good work.”

You turn your heels and walked away, returning to your office and plan things here and there. Leon blushes and lightly slam his forehead against his desk and brush his fingertips against his shoulder—where you were almost brushing against him.

He was too zoned out about you calling him a good boy as he earned a hard slap on his back, “g— fuck!” he curses and put his hand where it hurts and stings, “ow?!” he faces his buddies as they sat next to him, “the Lieutenants into you.” One spoke with a donut in hand, “I mean, why wouldn’t you go after her. She had a whole cake packing.”

“what cake?”

You just earned two screams and yelp from the two officers beside Leon, “Lieutenant…” his friend from the right swallows his saliva while the other put the whole donut inside his mouth, “do you two have cake? I would love to have one.” You hum, raising an eyebrow as you await for their response.

“N-No, n-no ca—”

“We just finished eating it, sorry we didn’t gave you one, Lieutenant.”

Leon saw a sad frown planted on your face but manage to keep your cool back, “it’s all right, I hope the cake you two ate is Red Velvet,” you nod at them, Leon open his mouth and asked, “is red velvet your favorite?” your attention to the blonde boy, “yes it is, now focus on your report Mr. Kennedy.”

And with that, you walked away again.

After that conversation, Leon got better at handing you his reports and documents—once he was assured that he can turn to you without having trouble to make up some mistakes to have a reason for your attention, he’ll ask for your help and feel your chest at the back of his head. When he does a good job, you praise him and give him a pinch in the cheek which you grew accustomed on.

Leon looked forward every time your hand made contact with his face, either giving him a pinch or gently pat. He’s so god damn in love that he’ll cover up your murder for you if you ever murder someone…

He wants more though, he wants to be able to hold your hand, grab you by the waist or bury his head on the crook of your neck and inhaling your scent that he'll grew to love. He was a puppy in love, you noticed his behavior and made him run errands for you: getting you your coffee, driving to your favorite café to get your favorite snacks.

You noticed how much he acts like a puppy when with you, but when he’s with his co-workers nor friends. He is chill and could look at them in the eye and hold conversation, but with you? He’s a stuttering mess and couldn’t hold eye contact for more than five minutes.

You waited him to make his move, you step inside the station as you were greeted with three officers inside as they always arrived early. Leon is having his nap to his cubicle, he looks so peaceful and unbothered by the bright light inside the station.

Your heels clicked and wall to your officer and dangle your key, you feel eyes on you as you quickly turn your head and catch a glimpse of Leon eyeing on you then quickly bow his head to his desk and pretend to be napping. You look down at the ground on cue as if you knew there will be another gift for you.

It was a red velvet cake, didn’t you just say that you love red velvet a few days ago with Leon’s friends?

You took it in and place it in your desk, Leon was watching and chuckling to himself like a kid that’s been falling hard.

Few hours later.

The station became busy again for the day, Leon is doing the best he can to help his co-workers with papers when they need him to double-check the files they’d be turning in. Since they all knew that Leon hasn’t been scolded for these fast few weeks. They wouldn’t be dealing with your intimidating remark and can handle Leon’s kind and soft words.

“oh no, you need to change this.” He points to the mistake that the female officer has, then another file was shoved in to his face. “This is good but this seems unnecessary.” He circles around the thing that needs to be removed in the males officers report.

Leon was packed with officers and files in his desk, someone taps his shoulder, “Lieutenant wishes to see you in her office.” Then walked off, they all look defeated and sulk at the sudden need of the Lieutenant to Leon.

A smile flashes to his face and stood up, “thank you,” he said and hold back his excitement when he walks towards your office door, he knocks and waited. “Come in,” and he did.

“Quite packed, huh?” you remark, looking up at him as you held the small cake in your hand and a spoon to the other, “they’re approaching you rather me,” you said and sliced a piece and ate it.

“It was… fine.” Leon said and closes the door behind him, “you need me for something, ma’am?”

“oh no, I just got made an excuse to get you away from the crowd.”

This made Leon smile as you were considerate to him, “although, I do need to clarify something.” You gesture to him to sit on the chair, he sat and tense up.

“Yes?”

“Were you the one who’s been dropping gifts on my office doorstep lately?”

His heart dropped, his heart race and he looked down. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Leon, I installed a small camera on the door, I literally saw you putting down the cake and getting all giggly when you put the note in.”

Ah, he was caught. He got no more excuses so he confess, “yes… I did…” he mutter, he looks like a dejected puppy that’s going to get his punishment, “don’t you like them?”

“it’s cute and all, but you’re getting distracted from work, honey.” You lift his chin to make him look at you in the eyes, the pet name craved at the back of his head—your hand touching his chin, good god he’s fucking melting right under your touch.

The sight made you smile as you put the pieces together, “your reports and files that you turn in are quite an improvement, there are no mistakes nor unnecessary things in them.” You could imagine him having a tail and wiggling it when you praises his works, mostly importantly—praise him.

“You did good today, haven’t you?” you teased him, you could feel him tremble under your touch, “been a good boy too, helping his co-workers because they don’t want to face a big and mean Lieutenant.” You act as if you were literally talking to a child when Leon is a grown ass man.

His nails digging to his knees and nodded, “not mean…” he mutters, “what’s that?” you grab a hold of his chin and made him look at you directly, “You’re not mean, you’re lovely…” Leon mutter and you squish his cheeks together, you hum at his words and sat down to your desk.

“Is mr. Kennedy confessing?”

You tease him, as he holds himself back. Your thumb caressing his cheek and pushing a strand of hair out of his face. He grit his teeth and couldn’t hold himself back, you were caught off guard when he quickly got up from his sit and pushed you back to your desk and bury himself on the crook of your neck. Finally inhaling your scent and melt on top of you.

You two were silent as you pat him in the back, “good boy.” God that two words definitely made him melt more as you mistake it that he’s wagging his tail like an excited dog. “Want you…” you heard him, his lips brushing against your ear as he looks up at you and brush his nose to yours as he leans in to kiss your lips.

You didn’t resist and kissed back, your hand gripping on to his shoulder and the other on his bicep. He held you by the waist, you didn’t knew his hands would be massive too, he’s melting to everything. Your lips, your touch, your voice, everything. He is worshipping the ground you’re standing.

“not today,” you stopped him as he pulled himself from your lips, he sulks and looks like a sad little puppy that didn’t get his treat. “Not until you finally proved yourself to me, Leon.” You hum, cupping his cheek and pinching it again.

He smiles and nodded, saying he’d do everything to prove himself to you—you don’t know how much he’ll pour his entire soul to love you and please you and fit to your standard. He never thought that his silent affection would come to this, but it did and it worked.

He's yours and he’s going to do his best to make you his.

OK OK OK, I LOVE HOW THIS TURNED OUT!??!?!??! It turned out like an office romance lol. I HOPE I DID WELL!!! Reblogs and asks are appreciated <33

[rinienne]

This absurd idea has been haunting me for a while and I really needed to get it out into the world. Inspired both by a comment on my fanfic and that post with Haarlep holding a test (I will find it tomorrow and link it, it’s just late now and I’m tired)

Also, procreate is hell for setting up text. I might redo it if I have energy 😩

[notsodailycake]

Happy Moments

My Kofi

So here's a little something that was supposed to be a simple doodle for a role-play turned into a full piece with background. Which I still am not a fan of, but this is the best it'll get, I'm not redoing it😭. This was done a few days ago already, but I kept forgetting to post it lol.

This is for my fnaf sb au called "Hero's Breach." Who the characters are is for you guys to decide, I won't be revealing any lore for this au until I decide if imma make a comic, fanfic, or just lore dump in one post at some point in the future. But also, I'm not revealing lore bc the person I'm role-playing with also doesn't know the full lore, and I wanna surprise them lol.

I'm open to hearing any guesses, tho. But I will say, the ones on the corner are indeed Vanessa and Gregory :)

On a final note, this drawing, I'll say, is one of my best pieces shading wise. I struggle alot with shading and was hating how it was turning out, but I think I did well for the final product. The hilights sold it for me tho, without them, it looks really bad to me, and guess what? They are so small and seemed so insignificant until i removed the layer💀

So yeah, highlights are important, heh. I didn't even need to add much filters to hide the shading like i did with my older drawings. Still not 100% happy with how i shade, as much as I am proud of my lineart, but we'll get there I'm sure, I just....I just need to shade more often lmao.

Also, fun fact, the teen girl has a stardew valley pin on her, see if u can find it hehe

[choicesficwriterscreations]

September Creator of the Month: Tveitertotwrites

Please welcome this month’s Creator of the Month: @tveitertotwrites

Each month, CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers or artists. The writer or artist is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page. Past COTMs can be found here.

Tumblr Blog Name: Tveitertotwrites

How do you want to be known on Tumblr? Megan

Quick Links:

Tumblr Blog

Masterlist

1- When did you start playing Choices? What was the first book you played? 

I started playing in 2019, and my first book was Rules of Engagement.

2- When and why did you join Choices fandom?

I joined the fandom in January 2022. I had taken a break from Choices for a while but went back in November/December 2021 and started trying to look for fanfiction for Open Heart as I wanted to see if there was more Open Heart content, so I turned to Tumblr and AO3 and decided to join.

3- How did you pick your blog name? 

It was the first thing I could think of. I’m not creative with naming things (if anyone remembers my original blog name, it was openheartfanfiction because I only wrote for OH and couldn’t think of anything else). So I was like, “I’m a fan of Aaron Tveit. His fans are called Tveiter Tots, so why not?”  I then added writing because most of the content I make is fanfiction.

4- Pull up the first post in your archive, and tell us about it! 

It was actually a little intro to my account, but I had deleted it a while back so now it’s this. It is not my favorite. I would definitely redo it now that I have had more experience with text fics. 

5- Do you write fanfiction, create fan art, or are you one of those really gifted people who do both? 

While I would love to make fan art, currently, I only write fanfiction.

6- How long have you been creating for Choices and for any other fandoms?

I have been writing/creating Choices content since 2022. But I have been writing for Star Wars and Adam Driver Characters since 2020 (even though I am on hiatus from it, and I don’t know if/when I will pick it back up). I also wrote some Marvel fanfiction with a friend in 2021. More recently, I have started writing stuff for Aaron Tveit and Cillian Murphy characters on my non-Choices blog.

7- What is your favorite Choices book, and what is your favorite Choices book to create for?

Right now, I would say either Red Carpet Diaries or America’s Most Eligible is my favorite. But I also like Open Heart, High School Story, and others. I want to create more for RCD and AME, but I think I like creating content for OH.

8- Share your first Choices fanfic or fan art that you posted with us. Do you still like it, or would you change it if you were creating it today?

Since I already mentioned the text fic, I chose the next fic I did. It was for my Open Heart MC’s (Claire Evans) Birthday. And I would 100 percent go back and rewrite it. I like the idea of what I wrote, but I don’t like its execution, and I need to go back and rewrite it.

9- What is your favorite piece of fiction or art that you created? 

Right now, I have these two favorites. While I like writing angst, I enjoy writing fluffy stuff like these two fics. Plus, it’s my MC and OC who are besties (Claire and Adelaide), so I had to choose one from both of them.

10- Do you have a fic/art that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to do well but found it could use a little more love?

This was a fic that I wasn't expecting to get notes on. I was still very new to the fandom at the time and hadn’t really interacted with anyone at that point, so seeing people like it was a shock.

Something that I wish I could do better is the content I make for my RCD and AME MCs (Brooklyn Moore and Charlie Howard). I love that people like my OH content, but I don’t see many people liking content from those books (which is fine if you don’t like it).

11- If you could write only angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why? 

Fluff. While writing Angst and Smut can be fun, writing fluff is a nice escape from real life.

12 - Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?

Yes, I have put some things from myself into my MCs and OCs, like some personality traits, some physical traits, and some hobbies/things they enjoy. So, I do see myself sometimes, but not always.

13 - What element of writing/art do you struggle with most?

Either coming up with titles or writing bits in between the big parts. Usually, one of the last things I do is come up with a title because I can never think of one. Also, writing the “less important” parts in between the parts I want to write is what gets me sometimes and is why I have unfinished fics that I have abandoned.

14 - Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?

I have some fics that I had done some previews for (last year or the year before) that I would like to finish at some point. Right now, I am trying to finish a Dancing with the Stars AU for Adelaide and Tobias, so that is my writing priority.

15 - If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to see your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you show them first? 

Maybe it depends on who it is. While I don’t think anyone would be too judgemental, I would still be very nervous to show them in fear of them hating it or something like that. I wouldn't show them the smut or some of my earlier fics but the fluff I would.

16 - Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing or art? Are there any artists that influence you?

Not really. I have liked a lot of people’s work, but I don’t think that it really influences my writing at all though.

17- Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series? 

I think my fic “Coming to You” would be fun to see as a movie. Seeing how Ethan and Claire’s relationship grows on screen when they’re in two different worlds would interest me.

19- Do you write original fiction or create non-fandom art? 

I have thought about trying to write an original fiction book, but right now I don’t. I do currently write some original screenplays as I am in college for screenwriting.

20-  What other hobbies do you have?

I like to paint and listen to music. I like to take drives in the morning to get coffee and relax or at night with my dogs. I like to watch movies and musicals (like Moulin Rouge and Six). 

21: BONUS - tell us anything you’d like (if you want to)

Thank you to anyone who has read any of my fics or enjoyed the content I create. It means a lot, and I hope to continue writing content that both you and I can enjoy.

[yl0w]

PAGE 5 :: CHAPTER 1

<< PREV | NEXT >>

cover page and title reveal! both of which im going to probably redo again and again cuzz:

i have a massive perfectionism problem and i need to tell myself

"this is not going to be perfect!"

its probably going to suck ass!

more than anything, this weird comic will be a playground for me to experiment like heck. a fun place to make mistakes, and learn! the dialogue might feel cheap, the art might look scrappy, but im learning all along the way

the quality of the pages will probably fluctuate since il try my best to just. keep. drawing. and posting pages, even if i cant quite polish them

i love comics, but ive never really committed to one before. id hate to take forever to finish my first one! this is only my first, and i dont want it to be my last. :>

THAT BEING SAID: i spent a LONG time working on the lore holy shit

okay BUT WHY "RAINBOW FACTORY"?

because i love it duh! i want to use this comic to express just how aggressively that song and fanfic captured my imagination. a love letter to edgy "grimdark" fics that i never grew out of!

what do you mean "AN RF REMIX"? this isn't a song!

this story will involve all the parts of the original that made it Rainbow Factory, but it wont be a retelling of that same story. i like to think of it as a "remix" because it takes the concept of the rainbow factory and all the cool stuff about the pegasi and spectra and spins it into a different direction (which hopefully turns out to be interesting...)

that also means that none of the events that happened in the original fanfic happens here, unless stated so in this story!

(however, i will say that this story sticks closer to the lyrics of the songs, rather than the fanfics by the original author. and none of the sequels of the original fanfic are important to the lore of this story)

basically, you probably dont need to have read the original fics to understand whats going on here :v

so yea ! !

come along while i lose my mind over rainbows and horses :DD

(aaand if youve read this far i deem you worthy of a peek at the kid who kept runnig)

lyrics from "The Wolf" by Siamés

[grcetxt]

Fuck it we ball fanfic time. Gn reader x lars pinfield WOO

Okay WOO lmk if this is shit or ooc or anything, but im pretty happy with how this went :D its a little rushed, might redo it in the future idk. Also i made Y/N bit too much like me (northern) so watch out for that american readers SORRYYY. anwyays enjoy!

I am smart.

No don't laugh, I am, genuinely I am.

Maybe not in the way that others deem important, maybe not in the traditional sense, but I am bright.

Pinfield doesn't think so, the prick.

Every day I come into work, all smiling and welcoming, and what do I get in return? A roll of the eyes if I'm lucky.

Dickhead.

But I don't let him get to me, I love my job. My boss is chill, I love hanging out with Lucky, and the Spenglers seem nice! It's a good gig, really.

I'm the "PR guy" for Ghost Corps. Every time they fuck up and destroy a building or whatever I'm the one who covers it up. I'm a real smooth talker, 'gift of the gab' my mum used to call it.

The team needs me, I know that, they know that. Im crucial to the whole operation, the sole reason why that whiny mayor dude hasnt shut them down.

I'm the one who goes to press interviews, who goes on the radio or on TV. I'm the social media manager, I make videos, and post tweets, fuck I've even started a Ghostbusters youtube account! I deserve a raise honestly. #justiceforY/NthePRguy

I get on with everyone at work except for Pinfield, and I genuinely dont know why.

I've tried getting him to feature in videos, or explain the science of stuff to me so I can actually seem like I know what I'm talking about- but he just brushes me off.

Gary tries to reassure me about this on a daily basis. "Its nothing to do with you Y/N" he smiled one day, putting a hand on my shoulder and guiding me away from the busy scientist. "He doesnt really talk to anyone, he gets really passionate about his work"

"I get that, but there's no need for him to be a dick to me, he's got me thinking all kinds of shit honestly!" I replied, exhasperated "I've never done nowt to him"

Suddenly, Pinfield raised his head from his work, scrunching his eyebrows together. "thats a double negative" he commented, looking at me as if I was stupid. Great, It's the most he's ever spoken to me and its a fucking insult- atleast I think it is.

"you what?" I ask, making my way over to him despite Garys protests. I fold my arms, looking as menacing as i can (which ive been told isn't very menacing at all)

"I said its a double negative, if you've never done nothing then you must've done something" before I can reply, he adds onto the end "which you haven't, by the way. I dont know why you think that. I treat you the same as anyone else"

I can't explain why his answer bothers me so much, but it does. Why does he view me in the same way he views the others? That's hardly fair. I'm always welcoming to him, I make time out of my day to include him in things. I hate to admit it, but I genuinely admire him aswell. His love for all things paranormal, the way he gets so excited and proud when he gets to explain the science of ghost-catching to someone. It's oddly endearing.

I tell him as much (excpet for the stuff about him being endearing, he doenst need his ego inflated any more than it already is)

He looks confused, I've never seen him look like that- its weird. Arrogant? sure. Annoyed? when is he not bffr. Happy? Once or twice. But confused? Weird. This is the guy with all the answers, the smart one.

He thinks for a moment, before seemingly making a desision. He stands up with a small huff of exhasperation, and walks off.

As he goes past me, he grabs my arm, more gently than I thought he was capable of. Okay, i guess im coming too. Fun, roadtrip time.

He takes me out of the lab and down the corridor, into a relatively well lit small room.

"Well this is-" before i can speak properly, he cuts me off. Told you he was a prick.

"I dont understand you Y/N" he blurts out, looking at me, as if I'm some sort of specimin hes studying in the lab.

"Well good." I joke. I dont like the serious tone he's taking. Dont like how aware I am of his gaze. HATE the fact I can feel my cheeks burning. Gross. Pinfield is a dick, we've established this. Why the fuck am I BLUSHING because he's LOOKING at me? Bit embarassing, pull it together Y/LN.

He doenst like this though. He shakes his head, pacing around.

"No Y/N you dont get it. I understand everyone, sort of anyways. I've observed them, I can predict their reactions to things. I know what they're all like- but you're... I just dont understand! You're so happy and nice all the time, but you also get angry at stupid stuff, but never really properly angry? I cant make sense of it, genuinely. You've not done anything wrong, you can't do anything wrong. Thats frustrating too. It's like you're this perfect, beautiful person, and I've been trying to see flaws but I cant-" He rambles, speaking like hes just letting out one stream of constant thoughts. He seems stressed, poor guy.

I interupt him, grabbing his arm. "Hey, c'mon Pinfi- I- Lars. C'mon Lars. I'm not worth the stress mate" I try and reassure him, but that just agitates him more.

"See! That's just it! I've been horrible to you, I admit it. But you've kept trying with me! When I hurt my hand you were the one who bandaged it and put it in a sling"

(i had found him almost blacked out from the pain on the lab floor, even the memory of it sent a shiver down my spine)

"you were the only one that looked for me after we all nearly died fighting Garraka"

("Pinfield? Pinfield!? Oh my god, there you are! Thank fuck you're alright!" Okay maybe this tiny non-crush had been going on longer than i thought... christ)

"I dont like the thought of you hurt..." i muttered, embarrased. this definitely wasnt how i was expecting this conversation to go, fuck my life I was crushing on a nerdy scientist who defintely didn't like me back.

He stopped his pacing and walked over to me until the gap between us was non existant. He slowly, hesitantly, lifted his hand until he cupped my cheek.

"I don't like the thought of you upset because of me" he muttered, his voice low.

My heart completely stopped, my breath caught in my throat, was this happening? how was this happening? i swear this guy was like my mortal enemy not even 5 minutes ago. so many revelations were bieng made today...

I decided to be bold, why not? fuck it, i've got nothing to loose at this point.

I leaned in so our noses just grazed eachother, looking at him, really genuinely looking at him. his soft blue eyes that seemed to peer into my soul. Not pierce through it, like some weird blue eyed fuckers i knew, but looked. gently, tenderly, as if he was looking at everything i ever had been, or would be. like i was something beautiful, something to be treaured.

It made me want to sob at the thought. god, how disgustingly sweet.

"make up for it then" i whispered, the tension so thick i could cut it with a knife.

I'd planned on being the one to make the forst move, but apparently, that was all that Lars needed.

He kissed me. His soft lips pressed against mine, sotfly, tenderly, tentatively.

I could feel the anxiety radiating off of him, so i quickly reciprocated. More eagerly than i owuldve liked- but oh well.

I could feel his hand resting on my waist, his thumb gently stroking my cheek. It all felt so tender, so raw, not at all how i thought it would be.

I felt like a teenager again, and couldnt resist letting out a small giggle, making Lars pull away. He looked confused again, making me laugh once again.

"What?" he aksed, a sort of amused smile on his face.

"Nothing- sorry. Nothing at all. Just thinking of how fuming mums gonna be when i tell her ive got a posho for a boyfriend"

"I am NOT posh!"

"you are a littleee"

"I AM NO- wait- boyfriend?"

"oh shit didnt mean to say that bi-"

he cut me off with another kiss, this one much more confident.

It felt like a million fireworks were going off in my head, oh I could definetly get used to this feeling. This war, sweet, happy feeling. My senses were flooded with everything Lars. His taste, his smell, his touch.

I felt like I was learning to live again.

[acute-crashout-jeyuso]

Sacrifices (Book 2 of 3 BTR Series) a Jhea Fanfic.

Chapter 26: beginning of swollen feet..

Thursday, March 6th, 2025 – 8:27 PM

“Girl, you really letting this thing ride out, huh?” Trinity teased, sitting cross-legged on the guest bed as she helped Rhea fold the stack of baby onesies laid out between them.

Rhea sat on the floor, her back against the edge of the bed, carefully smoothing out the tiny fabric in her hands. “It hurt me, Trin’,” Rhea muttered, her voice quieter than before. “What he said… it really hurt.”

Trinity sighed softly and set down the onesie she’d been folding. “I understand,” she said gently. “I heard the whole thing. And you know… it’s normal to feel like this, but don’t you miss him?”

Rhea paused, her eyes fixed on the onesie she was holding. “At night, yeah,” she admitted after a long silence. “Sometimes I wanna cave in and let him hold me, just so I can feel okay for a second. But then I squash it and remind myself I’m still mad. We sleep in the same bed, Trin, but fuck man we might as well be on different planets.”

Trinity tilted her head as she studied Rhea, concern clear in her eyes. “That doesn’t sound sustainable, Rhea. You’re not just shutting him out—you’re shutting yourself down, too.”

Rhea pressed her lips into a thin line, her shoulders tensing. “What the hell am I supposed to do? Act like everything’s okay? Like he didn’t make me feel small?”

“I’m not saying that,” Trinity replied, her tone steady. “I’m saying talk to him. For real, this time. You two are having a baby. And I’ve known you long enough to know that when you’re holding onto something this tight, it’s eating you up inside.”

Rhea rubbed her forehead and sighed. “I just… I don’t know if I’m ready to talk to him about it yet.”

Trinity leaned forward, placing a hand on Rhea’s knee. “It’s okay if you’re not ready. But don’t wait too long, Rhea. You know Jey—he’s not perfect, but he loves you. And you love him.”

Rhea didn’t respond right away, her gaze distant as if lost in her own thoughts. “I don’t know what love is supposed to look like anymore, Trin,” she whispered finally.

Trinity gave her knee a soft squeeze. “It looks like two people who keep showing up for each other, even when it’s hard.”

Rhea blinked rapidly, trying to push back the sting of tears. She let out a shaky breath. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good,” Trinity said softly, leaning back and picking up another onesie. “Now, let’s finish folding these before your little thunderstorm comes into this world already dressed to rock.”

Rhea laughed lightly despite herself, a small smile tugging at her lips. “You and Damian really gotta stop calling my kid that.”

“Not a chance,” Trinity grinned. “We’ll let Jey try to win that argument when the baby’s here.”

—

Jey carefully packaged up the gift he’d bought for Jaciyah, smoothing out the red wrapping paper before setting it on the counter. Across the room, Jon stood on a stepstool, stringing up a black and red “Happy Birthday” banner over the living room entryway.

“Man, this banner better stay up,” Jon muttered, stepping back to admire his work. “I ain’t tryin’ to redo this tomorrow.”

Jey chuckled lightly as he taped down the edges of the gift. “You act like you ain’t used to this. You’ve hung up a million birthday banners for your kids.”

Jon smirked as he stepped off the stool. “Yeah, but I’m gettin’ older now. Banner duty ain’t my thing no more.” He headed toward the kitchen, pausing to shoot Jey a pointed look. “But for real, Uce… Damian’s got a point.”

Jey sighed, his shoulders tensing as he looked up. “Man, can we not? I’m tryin’ to focus on tomorrow.”

Jon ignored him, grabbing packs of meat from the fridge and setting them by the sink. “Nah, I’m just sayin’—you’ve been messin’ up lately. Rhea’s holdin’ it down with the baby and everything else. You lucky she’s still ridin’ with you.”

Jey didn’t answer right away, his focus shifting back to the gift. “I know, man. I don’t need you tellin’ me.”

Jon turned on the water, rinsing the meat. “Well, somebody’s gotta. You can’t just keep lettin’ it slide, Jey. You’re gonna have to step up at some point.”

Jey leaned back against the counter, staring at the ceiling for a moment before muttering, “I am steppin’ up. I’m tryin’, alright?”

Jon glanced over his shoulder, his tone softening. “Tomorrow’s about Jaciyah, though. You gotta make sure he feels like the king of the world for his day, no matter what’s goin’ on with you and Rhea.”

Jey nodded, his voice quieter now. “Yeah… I got it. Tomorrow’s for my boy.”

“Good.” Jon grabbed a knife and a cutting board, starting to prep the ribs. “Now, go make sure the grill’s cleaned out. I don’t want no excuses when it’s time to throw the meat on tomorrow.”

Jey let out a small laugh, shaking his head as he grabbed the tongs from the drawer. “Ain’t nobody gonna outcook me, Uce. I got this.”

Jon smirked as he sprinkled seasoning over the meat. “We’ll see.”

As Jey headed toward the backyard to prep the grill, he let Jon’s words linger in the back of his mind. Tomorrow wasn’t about him or the tension in the house—it was about Jaciyah. His oldest boy deserved a perfect day, and Jey was determined not to let him down. Everything else could wait.

—

Rhea had just finished showering, her damp hair clinging to her shoulders as she dressed in silence. The tension between her and Jey had become a third presence in the room, unspoken but suffocating. She plugged her phone into the charger and turned off her bedside lamp, climbing into bed without so much as a glance at him.

“Goodnight,” she said softly, her back already turned to him.

Jey stared at her for a long moment, the weight of her coldness pressing on his chest. Finally, he sighed heavily, his frustration bubbling to the surface. “I’m tired of this, Rhea.”

She stiffened but didn’t turn to face him. “Tired of what?”

“This,” he said, his voice rising slightly. “This distance. Us actin’ like strangers in our own house, in our own bed.”

Rhea turned abruptly, sitting up to face him. Her eyes glinted with anger and something deeper—hurt. “What do you want me to do, Jey? Just forget everything you said? Pretend like I didn’t hear it?”

“I never said that!” he shot back, sitting up to meet her glare. “But I can’t fix it if you keep shuttin’ me out!”

Her laugh was bitter, a sharp contrast to the warmth they once shared. “Fix it? Jey, you think you can just fix this with words and gifts? You think that makes it all go away?”

“I’m tryin’, Rhea!” he snapped. “I’m here, ain’t I? I ain’t givin’ up on us, but you gotta meet me halfway!”

Rhea’s voice broke as she responded, her emotions spilling over. “Maybe there is no ‘us’ anymore, Jey! Maybe it’s better if I just raise this baby on my own!”

The room fell silent, her words hitting Jey like a punch to the gut. His eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat. “What?” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

Rhea looked away, tears threatening to fall. “I can’t keep doing this. The hurt, the feeling like I’m not enough. I’m tired, Jey. And maybe it’s just better this way.”

Jey’s heart shattered as he stared at her, his hands trembling. “You’re serious?” he asked, his voice cracking. “You think I’d just let you walk away? Let you raise my baby on your own?”

Rhea’s eyes snapped back to his, her tone sharp. “It’s not your baby, Jey. It’s my baby.”

That was it. The breaking point. Realizing his mistakes for the first time, his jaw clenched and he leaned closer, his voice firm but laced with pain. “You know what? You’re wrong. It ain’t just your baby—it’s our baby, Rhea. Yours and mine.”

Rhea shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “You don’t get it, Jey. You don’t understand how much this hurts.”

“I do,” he said, his voice softening as he reached for her hand, though she pulled away. “I know I messed up, and I’ll regret it every damn day. But I love you, Rhea. I love you and this baby, and I’ll be damned if I let you shut me out.”

Rhea’s lip quivered as she looked at him, her defenses crumbling under the weight of his words. “Jey…”

“I’m not givin’ up on us,” he said firmly, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I’ll fight for you, for us, for this family. But you gotta let me in, Rhea. You gotta let me try.”

She covered her face with her hands, sobbing quietly. Jey moved closer, hesitating for a moment before wrapping his arms around her. This time, she didn’t pull away.

“I’m scared, Jey,” she admitted through her tears. “I’m so scared.”

“I know, baby,” he whispered, holding her tightly. “But we’ll get through this. Together. I promise.”

Jey pulled back from the embrace just enough to look into Rhea’s tear-streaked face, his hands cradling her cheeks. His voice was steady, full of conviction. “You’re gonna be my wife someday, Rhea. I’ll be damned if I let you leave like this. We’re gonna be together—through it all—until we’re old and gray. Because my feelings for you never changed. I love you, Rhea.”

Rhea stared at him, her breath hitching as his words sank in. She saw the sincerity in his eyes, the unwavering love he still carried for her despite everything. Her walls crumbled completely. Without thinking, she leaned in, her lips crashing against his in a desperate, passionate kiss.

It wasn’t just a kiss—it was everything. All the pain, the longing, the nights spent apart, the unspoken apologies, and the love that refused to die. She clung to him, her fingers curling into his shirt as if anchoring herself to the one person who had always been her safe haven, even in their darkest moments.

Jey responded just as fervently, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her impossibly closer. The warmth of her lips, the way she melted into him—it was everything he’d been yearning for. He kissed her as if trying to prove every word he’d just said, pouring his heart into each moment their lips met.

When they finally pulled away, both of them were breathless, their foreheads resting against each other. Rhea’s voice was shaky but firm. “I don’t want to do this without you, Jey. I’m just so scared of losing us again.”

“You won’t lose me,” he promised, his thumb brushing against her cheek. “We’ve been through too much, baby. We’ll figure this out. Together.”

Rhea nodded, her tears drying as a small smile broke through. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you more,” Jey replied, his lips grazing hers again in a softer, more tender kiss.

For the first time days, the weight on both their shoulders felt lighter. They weren’t fixed—there were still cracks and scars—but they were together, and that was the foundation they needed to start rebuilding.

—

Friday March 7th, 2025 7:11 AM

The next morning, Jeyce sprinted toward the lamppost at the end of his street, his backpack bouncing on his shoulders. As he reached the familiar spot, he spotted Demi already waiting for him. She was leaning casually against the pole, dressed in her usual edgy style—a black Motionless in White band shirt, snug gray jeans, and a pair of well-worn purple Converse. Her matching purple butterfly lunch bag hung from her shoulder, likely filled with the snacks she always packed for them to share.

When Demi noticed Jeyce approaching, her face lit up with a bright smile. “Took you long enough,” she teased playfully, tucking a strand of her dyed lavender hair behind her ear.

“Blame my dad for that,” Jeyce replied, smirking as he came to a stop in front of her. “He wouldn’t stop giving me that ‘man of the house’ talk again.”

Demi giggled. “Sounds like Jey.”

Without hesitation, the two leaned in for a quick, shy peck on the lips—something they had started doing since officially becoming a couple. Jeyce felt a rush of warmth in his chest, and judging by the blush on Demi’s cheeks, she felt the same.

“Ready for another thrilling day at school?” Jeyce asked sarcastically as the bus came into view.

Demi rolled her eyes. “Totally. Algebra’s just been fhe highlight of my week.”

Jeyce laughed and adjusted his backpack. “Hey, at least we’ll survive together.”

“True.” She grinned, looping her arm through his as the bus pulled to a stop in front of them.

As they boarded, the two settled into their usual seat in the middle of the bus, chatting about anything and everything—school, music, their weekend plans. For Jeyce, these moments with Demi made the school day something to actually look forward to.

Meanwhile, Jey and Rhea stood under the warm spray of the shower, the steam curling around them like a soft veil. It had been days since they shared such a moment of quiet intimacy, and for Jey, it felt like a piece of what they’d been missing had finally returned. He let the water run down his back as his eyes settled on Rhea.

Her fifteen-week bump was more noticeable now, a gentle curve that seemed to reflect the life growing inside her. She stood with her head tilted back, letting the water cascade over her shoulders, her skin glowing in a way that Jey couldn’t help but admire.

“You’re glowing,” he said softly, his voice just loud enough to rise above the sound of the water.

Rhea opened her eyes and gave him a small, tired smile. “I feel huge already,” she said, resting a hand protectively over her belly.

Jey chuckled, shaking his head. “Nah, you look perfect.”

He reached out and gently placed his palm against her belly, feeling the warmth of her skin. His touch was tender, reverent, as if he were connecting not just with Rhea, but with the life they had created together. Without thinking, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, then another on her lips.

Rhea sighed into the kiss, her hands coming up to rest lightly on his chest. For a moment, everything else—the tension, the arguments, the lingering doubts—seemed to wash away with the water.

“I missed this,” Jey admitted, his voice thick with emotion. “I missed you, baby. I know I’ve said it a hundred times, but I’ll keep saying it until you believe me.”

Rhea looked up at him, her green eyes searching his face. “I’m trying, Jey,” she whispered. “I really am.”

He leaned his forehead against hers, his hand never leaving her belly. “That’s all I ask. Just… don’t give up on me. On us. I need you, Rhea.”

A tear slid down Rhea’s cheek, quickly lost in the spray of the shower. “I won’t,” she promised, her voice trembling.

Jey kissed her again, more deeply this time, pouring every ounce of his love and determination into the gesture. It wasn’t just a kiss—it was a vow, unspoken but deeply felt.

For the first time in days, it felt like they were truly connected again.

Rhea and Jey stepped out of the shower, the warmth of the water still lingering on their skin. Jey walked over to the sink to grab a towel, tossing Rhea one as he met her eyes with a soft smile. She returned it but was already focused on getting dressed.

Rhea took her time, drying off and starting to pull on her black cargo pants. She slipped into her black vintage Jey shirt, the one he’d given her as a joke during a road trip, but now it fit her with a special significance. She slid on her black Vans, but as she stood up to look at herself in the mirror, she noticed they felt a little tighter than usual.

“Ugh,” she muttered under her breath, adjusting her shoes. The pressure on her feet was starting to build. The early signs of swelling had begun, and it only irritated her further. She bent down and rubbed at her feet, trying to ease the discomfort, but there wasn’t much she could do.

Jey, noticing her struggle, walked over with a frown. “You okay?”

Rhea sighed and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, just the beginning of swollen feet. Gonna be a long day.”

Jey chuckled, though the sound was warm and full of concern. “You’re gonna need more comfy shoes soon, huh?”

She gave him a sarcastic smirk. “I swear, you’re the last person I want to hear that from.”

Jey raised an eyebrow and gave her a teasing look. “What? You don’t want your loving fiancé to remind you to take care of yourself?”

Rhea shook her head but couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at her lips. She appreciated the attention, even if it was wrapped in humor.

“Alright, alright, I’ll take it easy today,” she said, giving in. “But only because Jaciyah’s birthday is today and I’m not missing it..”

“Good. We’ve got a whole night planned for him. He deserves a great birthday,” Jey replied, looking over at the time on his phone. “I’ll make sure everything’s ready here. You just focus on him.”

Rhea nodded, her eyes softening as she thought about their son. Despite everything that had happened recently, she wanted to make this day special for Jaciyah. “Thank you,” she said quietly, her voice full of affection.

Jey smiled and leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead. “Anything for you, baby.”

As they finished getting ready, Rhea still felt the slight ache in her feet but pushed it aside. Today wasn’t about her discomfort—it was about making sure Jaciyah had the best birthday he could have. And for that, she’d give it everything she had.

Despite the discomfort in her swollen feet, Rhea made her way down the stairs with a soft smile on her face. The moment she entered the kitchen, the sight of the yellow cake in the display made her feel a sense of pride. It was the final touch to Jaciyah’s birthday celebration. She pulled out the chocolate frosting and began to carefully cover the cake, her movements slow but deliberate.

Trinity was already downstairs, busy at the counter baking Jaciyah’s favorite—brown butter chocolate chunk cookies. The sweet scent of freshly baked cookies filled the air, making Rhea’s stomach growl despite her discomfort.

“This boy, all he wants is sweets,” Rhea remarked with a laugh, as she spread the frosting evenly on the cake.

Trinity chuckled, shaking her head. “That’s your bonus son for you.”

Rhea smirked, but the smile softened as she looked over at Trinity. “Where is he, actually?” she asked, curious.

“He’s at his job,” Trinity replied. “Went in early so he could leave early. Wanted to get the day started and have some time for himself later.”

Rhea nodded as she finished the last corner of the cake. “Of course, he’s growing up too fast,” she muttered, almost to herself, as she set the frosting knife down.

The kitchen was filled with the sound of cookies being scooped onto a baking sheet. Rhea grabbed her backpack and keys, ready to head out for work.

“I’ll see you guys later when I get off,” Rhea said, throwing Trinity a quick smile.

“Have a good day at work, babes!” Trinity called, her hands busy but her eyes warm as she waved Rhea off.

Rhea smiled as she pulled on her jacket, feeling the warmth of her family around her even as she headed out the door. It wasn’t the easiest of days, but moments like this made everything worth it. She was grateful for the love and support, even if it was just the little things like frosting a birthday cake or baking cookies in the morning.

As she stepped out the door and into her car, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of hope for the day ahead. No matter how challenging things might get, she had her family, and they were always there to help her through it.

—

10:26 AM

Jeyce grabbed his science book and stuffed it into his locker, glancing at the little details that decorated the inside of the door. His eyes softened at the printed selfie of him and Demi, her wide grin and his shy smile captured perfectly in the picture. Just as he smiled to himself, his phone lit up with a notification.

Before he could check it, a tap on his shoulder pulled his attention. He turned to see Demi standing there, her excitement almost tangible.

“Did you see what I sent you?” she asked, practically bouncing on her toes.

“I just opened my locker,” Jeyce replied with a laugh. “Give me a second!”

“Well, hurry up and look!” she said, nudging him playfully.

Jeyce unlocked his phone and opened her text message. It was a flyer for a Motionless in White listening party tomorrow at CD Master Copy. His brows furrowed until Demi grinned and pointed at the screen.

“Check the bottom! Zoom in!”

Doing as she said, Jeyce squinted at the tiny print at the bottom: “With an appearance from lead vocalist Chris ‘Motionless’ Cerulli.”

“No way,” he muttered, eyes widening.

“Yes way! He decided to make a last minute appearance!” Demi said, her excitement bubbling over. “And guess what? My mom got four tickets! Two for you and Jaciyah, and two for me and Daya!”

Jeyce grinned, his enthusiasm matching hers. “That’s awesome. I can’t believe we’re gonna meet Chris Cerulli in person!”

“I know, right?” Demi said, practically squealing. “We’ll pick you and Jaciyah up tomorrow morning. I was thinking we could grab breakfast first, then head to the store.”

“Sounds perfect,” Jeyce said, sliding his phone into his pocket. He leaned against his locker and smirked. “You always know how to make things fun, huh?”

“That’s kind of my specialty,” Demi said with a playful shrug. She reached for his hand, giving it a quick squeeze before letting go. “Now get to class before you’re late!”

Jeyce laughed, watching her walk away, her purple butterfly lunch bag swinging at her side. Shaking his head with a smile, already looking forward to the weekend ahead.

As Jeyce grabbed his English book, a rough shove sent him slamming into his locker. He turned to see Bart—the flunkie and Demi’s ex. Bart stood there with a smug look, towering over most of the seventh graders in the hall since he’d been held back a year.

“Still wasting your time with Demi?” Bart sneered, loud enough for nearby students to hear. “Guess nobody told you she’s just practicing until she finds someone better.”

Jeyce squared his shoulders, his hands balling into fists. “Back off, Bart.”

Bart laughed, stepping closer. “What’s the matter? Truth hurt? Ask anyone. Before me, Demi was all over Sam last year—said she’d still be with him if his parents didn’t make him switch schools.”

“That’s not true!” Jeyce snapped, his voice rising. He glanced around, noticing a few students stopping to listen.

Bart shrugged, his grin widening. “Oh, it’s true. She’s got a type, you know—whoever’ll fall for her ‘poor me’ act. Thought you were smarter than that, but I guess not.”

Jeyce stepped forward, his jaw tight. “Don’t talk about her like that. You don’t know anything about her.”

Bart’s grin turned into a mocking smirk. “I know enough. Like how she’ll dump you the second someone cooler comes along.” He turned to the crowd that had gathered. “What do you guys think? Should we take bets on how long it’ll take?”

Laughter rippled through the group, and Jeyce’s blood boiled. He could feel the heat rising in his chest. “Shut up, Bart!”

Bart shoved Jeyce’s shoulder. “Or what? You gonna fight me? Demi’s not worth it, dude.”

Jeyce snapped. “She’s worth more than you’ll ever be!” He swung, his fist connecting with Bart’s shoulder.

The hallway exploded into chaos. Bart stumbled back but quickly recovered, tackling Jeyce into the lockers. “You think you’re tough, huh?”

Jeyce struggled against him, shoving him off and throwing another punch that landed on Bart’s jaw. Bart retaliated, grabbing Jeyce’s shirt and yanking him forward.

“Stop it! Leave him alone!”

Jeyce heard Demi’s voice, but it only fueled his anger. He pushed Bart off him, shoving him hard against the lockers. “Keep her name out of your mouth!”

Bart swung again, but Jeyce ducked, grabbing him by the shirt and slamming him back. The crowd around them was yelling, some cheering, others calling for a teacher.

“What is going on here?!”

The booming voice of Mr. Daniels broke through the chaos. The crowd scattered as the teacher stormed forward, pulling Jeyce and Bart apart. “Fighting? In my hallway? Both of you—principal’s office. Now!”

Jeyce was still breathing hard, his shirt wrinkled and his knuckles sore. Bart smirked, rubbing his jaw as they were escorted down the hall.

As they walked, Bart leaned over, his voice low and taunting. “She’s going to ditch you, Jeyce. Just like she ditched me. You’ll see.”

Jeyce didn’t reply, but the fire in his eyes burned brighter. He knew Demi better than anyone, and no lies from Kevin were going to change that.

—

Meanwhile, Jey, Trinity, and Jon were lounging in the living room, watching The Sopranos. The dim glow of the television cast flickering shadows across the room as the sound of Carmela’s sharp voice filled the space. Barry and Bella, the family’s loyal dogs, lay sprawled out beside Jey on the couch, their tails occasionally thumping when Jey absentmindedly scratched behind their ears.

Trinity was perched on the arm of the recliner where Jon sat, both sipping on glasses of sweet tea and sharing quiet commentary about the show. Jey, however, was half-watching, his phone resting on his thigh as he absentmindedly scrolled through emails.

The quiet was interrupted by the sharp buzz of Jey’s phone. The screen lit up with a familiar number, and he furrowed his brow. “Hold on, y’all,” he muttered, picking up the call.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Fatu, this is Vanessa from the Mead Middle School division,” a crisp, professional voice began on the other end.

Jey sat up straighter, immediately alert. “Uh, yeah, this is him. What’s this about?”

“I’m calling regarding another incident involving Jeyce,” Vanessa said, her tone both apologetic and firm.

Jey rubbed his forehead, already bracing himself. “What happened now?”

“There was an altercation between Jeyce and another student this afternoon,” Vanessa explained. “It appears there was some kind of disagreement that escalated into a physical fight. Both boys have been sent home, and we’ve scheduled a meeting with the principal to discuss disciplinary action. We’d like for you to attend on Monday morning.”

Jey closed his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. Trinity and Jon had paused the show, both of them watching him with concern.

“Is he okay and my son takes the bus, how is he getting home?” Jey asked, his voice strained but calm.

“Jeyce is fine, though it seems he’s a bit shaken up and we’ve contacted a Demi Bennett, she said she is on her way.” Vanessa replied. “But this is the second incident we’ve had involving him recently, and we’re growing concerned. We’ll need to address this more formally during the meeting.”

Jey clenched his jaw, nodding even though she couldn’t see him. “Alright. Monday morning. What time?”

“Eight o’clock sharp,” Vanessa said. “We’ll see you then, Mr. Fatu.”

“Thanks for the call,” Jey said shortly before hanging up.

He dropped the phone onto the couch beside him and leaned forward, rubbing his temples.

“What’s going on?” Trinity asked, sliding off the recliner and sitting beside him.

“Jeyce got into another fight,” Jey muttered, his frustration evident. “They want me at the school Monday for a meeting.”

Jon let out a low whistle. “Man, that boy’s got fire in him, just like his old man.”

Jey shot him a look, not amused. “Not the time, Jon.”

Trinity rested a hand on Jey’s shoulder. “What was it about?”

“They didn’t say much, just that it was a fight. Second one already…” He let out another sigh, shaking his head. “I swear, he’s been acting up ever since we moved here. I don’t know if it’s the school or something else, but I need to get to the bottom of it.”

Trinity gave him a reassuring squeeze. “You’re doing your best, Jey. He’s a good kid, just going through something. You’ll figure it out.”

Jey didn’t respond immediately, his mind already racing through how he’d approach the situation with Jeyce. Barry nudged his leg, and he reached down to pet the dog absentmindedly, wishing for a moment of peace that felt increasingly out of reach.

—

Rhea pulled up to Mead Primary School, her frustration mounting as she spotted Jeyce sitting on a bench near the entrance, his head bowed. Beside him stood the secretary, Vanessa, holding a clipboard and wearing an expression of polite concern.

Rhea put the car in park, sighed deeply, and got out. Her vans hit the pavement with a determined stride as she approached the pair.

“Jeyce,” she said sternly, her hands resting on her hips. “What did you do now?”

Jeyce didn’t respond, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground.

Vanessa cleared her throat. “We’ve already contacted Jeyce’s father about the situation, Ms. Bennett.”

“Well, I’m his stepmother,” Rhea replied firmly, crossing her arms. “So what did my son do this time?”

Vanessa adjusted her clipboard. “He was involved in another altercation with a fellow student. It seems this incident escalated into something physical. This is the second time—”

Rhea held up a hand, cutting her off. “On your brother’s birthday, really, Jeyce?” she said, her tone dripping with disbelief as she fixed him with a sharp glare.

Jeyce finally looked up, guilt written across his face. “He was saying stuff about Demi,” he muttered, his voice guilty.

Rhea sighed, crouching down slightly to meet him at eye level. “What kind of stuff?”

“He’s lying about her,” Jeyce said, his tone defensive now. “Saying she flirts with other guys and cheats on me. It’s not true, and I’m not gonna let him talk about her like that.”

Rhea closed her eyes briefly, pinching the bridge of her nose. “And you think throwing punches is the way to fix that?”

Jeyce shrugged, his defiance slipping as guilt crept back in. “I didn’t start it.”

Vanessa chimed in. “Regardless of who started it, Mr. Fatu, the situation needs to be addressed. We’ve scheduled a meeting with the principal on Monday morning to discuss next steps.”

Rhea straightened up and nodded. “Fine. We’ll be there. But for now,” she turned back to Jeyce, “get in the car. Your father will be having a serious talk with you when we get home.”

Jeyce stood up reluctantly, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he trudged toward the car.

Rhea looked back at Vanessa. “Thanks for letting us know. We’ll handle it.”

Vanessa nodded, her expression sympathetic. “We’ll see you Monday.”

Rhea got back in the car, her fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly as Jeyce sat in silence beside her.

“You’re lucky I came instead of your dad,” she said after a moment. “He told me he is already frustrated about this whole thing. You need to start thinking about the consequences of your actions, Jeyce.”

Jeyce stayed quiet, staring out the window, his jaw tight.

[eahtheramblings]

A deeper dive into how the destiny system would work in a rewrite

Alright, little housekeeping before I get into it, I have finally created a tag for the hypothetical rewrite fanfic that I keep procrastinating due to college - so people can use the tag to either find the posts related to it or block it depending on if they like/dislike my ideas. You can now find it under #RamblesRevamp. Felt after posting the time loop au idea that I should probably start creating tags for these or else it’ll get confusing very quickly.

Moving on, I have come across the problem that every eah fan and fanfic writer has to face after thinking about the story for a while; just how in the world does the destiny system actually work? 

The books and show give us some threads to make sense of it, we know it’s generational in most cases, and we know that signing the book ensures the story plays out again, but beyond that most things are speculation. It was definitely written as a looser magic system to ensure that no matter who was writing a special or a book for eah they would be able to bend the rules to fit the plot, but for something so central to the story it really feels like it should be fleshed out more. Luckly, this is the world of fanfic, and I am not beholden to make a story that can adopt different writers quickly, so I can world build as much as I want!

Below is a list of changes/rules/expansions upon the original destiny set up we were given that the Revamp AU follows. These rules are what the average character in the revamp AU would know:

Rule 1: Destiny is understood to be a set of two cycles, one for fairy tales that need to be retold every generation (snow white, goldilocks, etc.), and one for the greater myths that covers universal creation to universal destruction and would happen over billions of years (Greek myths like cupid would be here). Here's a very quickly made visual example: 

Behold! the Destiny Cycle, or Narrative Cycle as it’s sometimes called. When we start the story with Apple and Raven, they are on fairytale cycle number 1,017. No one knows how many myths cycle’s the universe has gone through since that encompasses the creation and destruction of the universe, but scholars enjoy debating about it and saying a person “thinks they know how many cycles the universe has gone through” is akin to saying a person thinks they know everything.

Rule 2:

Oftentimes in fairy tales the characters have set ages that are much younger or older than what someone who just graduated high school would be referred to as, such as little red riding hood and Hansel and Gretel being referred to as children, or other characters being referred to as old kings or hags. However, having everyone complete their stories at the age they would be in our version of the fairytales would negate the whole point of a high school to prepare students for redoing those stories. In the revamp au the storybook of legends gets around this by comparing the character’s ages not to each other or to a timeline but rather to itself. 

You see, the book is magic, it somehow holds signatures from every generation with an individual page for each character and yet looks to be the same size as a standard textbook. In essence, it is a non-Euclidian object, not tied to rational laws of time or space. If the book wants, a character can seem like a young child to it, it’s been around since the start of the cycle! And if it needs to write a character as old, then that character can seem old in comparison to it, it’s a magic object that for all anyone knows popped into existence with a new cycle last Thursday! It isn’t bound to time the same way the characters are, so it can get away with fudging the ages a bit when writing each generation's version of the stories down. 

Rule 3:

In ever after, there are 2 kinds of people, the common folk and the destined. 

All destined regardless of birth order have a destiny, but what type is dependent on various factors. For Example, there are two types of destinies in the land of ever after, blood bonded and soul bonded. Blood bonded destinies are the most common, they’re what happens when a character's first child takes on the same exact destiny for the next fairytale cycle. Apple, Raven, and many others fall into this category. Then there are Soul bonded destinies, which are either destinies that have a role in the fairytale cycle but aren’t exactly the same as your parents, or in extremely rare cases destinies bestowed upon a person from a non-destiny family.

 The Charming's are a good example of the former. The original blood bonded destiny of Siegfried passed down to Grandpa Auspicious's eldest son, but he had no other destiny to pass down to the younger children. Because they are a part of the destined, however, all the children needed destinies, so the book bestowed soul destinies of being prince charming's and damsels in distress onto them. Their children in turn also got soul destinies, which is why the Charming’s know what their general role in stories will be but not the exact character (with the exception of daring, which I will explain in a bit). 

The latter, the case of a soul bonded destiny going to someone not already part of a destined bloodline is extremely rare, but does occur occasionally, especially when an old charming line dies out. You see, to keep the destined bloodlines from getting too interconnected, those with familial soul destinies like Charming's will often have fewer children as generations go by because fertility issues set in. Eventually, the blood line will either no longer be able to produce children or will produce merely 1 every 1-2 generations or so. When this happens, a new charming family might rise from the common folk in the form of a rags to riches prince story like the penniless owner of puss in boots. Again, this is really rare, but is also why the Charming's push for Daring, Dexter, and Darling to have prominent destinies. The sooner they marry into blood bonded destined families the less likely their bloodline is to disappear or thin out. 

You can have a family with both blood bonded and soul bonded destinies. Holly as the presumed oldest got the blood bonded destiny of Rapunzel, but Poppy as the younger one has an unknown soul bonded destiny, assumed to be a damsel due to her royal blood but no one’s really sure.

 And furthermore, while we're on the topic of pairs of siblings, a story that includes a set of siblings will have those siblings born to the oldest child of the last generation, not the weird cousin thing that happened with Helga and Gus. This means that if you're a part of the twelve dancing princesses for example, only the oldest princess’s twelve children would have the blood bonded destiny of being a dancing princess. The daughters of the other eleven princesses would get random soul destinies like the charming's. 

Finally, the first line of this rule is a little false. While unofficially there are two types of people, the destined and the common folk, Headmaster Grimm, and those who truly believe in the destiny system from both camps of people, would say that everyone is destined, as it is the destiny of the common folk to continue on their family trades and support their kingdoms. They even have symbolic legacy signings in some villages where a single page is signed by every child of age and then sent to Grimm to bind into the storybook of legends, and the one held in Book End village each year is attended by nearly every child of age within reasonable travel distance as they get to see Grimm bind the page into the book at the end of the ceremony. 

Rule 4: this brings me to the next point, Grimm isn’t just the headmaster of the school in the revamp au, he is also the Oracle of the Storybook. Grimm is thought to be immortal, here since the beginning of the cycles themselves, and he interprets the Storybooks will through visions and the like. This is why Daring knows what his destiny would be, Grimm saw a vision of a blonde prince in armor that had the Charming crest on it leaning over a glass coffin and told his family. He doesn’t control when these visions come, but despite this his position as Oracle makes him almost the head of all the leaders in ever after.

Rule 5:

And finally, number five, the storybook will make little changes each cycle to continue its and the universe's ensured existence. When the original tales happened, they were quite violent, with villains always dying at the end and even some hero’s dying as well. This however started to become a problem for the cycle, as destined who died without having a child first didn’t pass on the story by blood and thus their destiny got spat out randomly to a soul bonded destined. To keep this from happening, two things started to emerge. 

One, for stories where the deaths happened right before the end, the book started to look the other way so long as the character was dead until the last words were written. This is how Ginger's mother and previous ancestors survived. Yes, she was pushed into the oven and died, but one, fire resistance potions exist, and two, her oven had a door on the other side that could be opened, so after the storybook wrote “the end” the second door was opened by Grimm/someone else he trusts, and she was given a powerful healing potion. This is the equivalent to your heart stopping for a minute and then being revived by a doctor. You were dead, but like, it was temporary. 

Two, for other characters whose deaths happen too early on to be reversible (or that kept the story from being retold entirely), they slowly morphed into other fates. Cinderella’s mother doesn’t so much as die now as she becomes a tree. Somewhere in the middle of the cycle Odette stopped dying and just became stuck as a swan. The little mermaid is an extreme example of this, as Meeshell's ancestors went from dying, to turning to seafoam, to living happily ever after through a very long line of generations. Some say these softer endings have to be repeated a number of times before the book considers them the new versions, but no one's sure what that number is. Some also believe that you can convince the book to give you a softer ending, but this has no proof and is vehemently denied by Grimm who insist the book decides of its own merit what to keep or change each generation when it comes to large plot points based on what's needed to ensure the safety and continuation of ever after. 

That’s it for now folks, tune back in whenever I get free time next for some light Snow White and Apple angst. 

[zenkindoflove]

Fanfic Writing Tag Game

Thank you for tagging me in this fanfic tag game, @bonecarversbestie!

Describe your writing process from idea to posting/publishing

Generally I start with a inspiration scene. A moment that stands out in my head that I can't stop thinking about. Then I design a story around that scene. If I'm writing a one-shot, I tend to be very loosey goosey with planning and just sort of write what is coming out with a general trajectory in mind. For multichapter fics, I'm much more meticulous. I always come up with an ending first so that I have a beacon to head to. I then do a high level outline which is usually what are the things that need to happen each chapter. Then as I get into the chapters, I will do more detailed outline of what things need to happen per chapter. I end up redoing the outline a few times as the story progresses.

I write the whole first draft from start to finish of either a one-shot or a chapter. I then do a major edit where I focus on bigger changes like adding in scenes or taking away whole sentences. It's my "does this make sense" edit. Then the next two edits are more wordsmithing/looking for typos. I tend to read out loud for these edits.

I'm also pretty big on writing in order. I almost never write out of order. If I do get inspo/idea for something that happens later, I'll write down lines of dialogue or details but I don't delve into writing the whole the scene then.

When I post multichapter fics, I write as I post. So when I post a chapter, usually I haven't started on the first draft of the next chapter.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Both. See above for my plotting process. But so much happens as I write that surprises me. And I end up making on the fly changes and redoing the outline often as new things arise as I'm writing.

What do you listen to when you are writing?

Depends. Sometimes I listen to music to focus. Often instrumental or something that will put me in the mood for the scene. Other times I listen to nothing and that helps me focus.

What’s your drink of choice(while writing)?

Coke Zero which I often forget about as I get into the groove and then it gets flat/warm.

Promote yourself! What’s your favorite thing you’ve written?

I think Summer Heat (Elucien + Erixius) is probably my favorite fic because it has a lot of characters that I really enjoyed writing and exploring and it's two romance stories occurring at the same time. I'm excited to get back into it. It's also just a really fun fic.

I also am really proud and always excited when I talk about Dear Lucien, Dear Elain: an Epistolary Fic because I wrote it with @crazy-ache and I think it's super unique and very fun and romantic.

Share a fic of yours that you think is underrated/deserves more love.

I'm going to cheat and choose one Elucien and one Erixius fic.

Dancing Barefoot (Elucien) - This is the first modern AU Elucien fic I've ever written and I think it's a really solid, smutty one shot. I also have some Jassa in it who were surprisingly really fun. I think you should read it because I did a great job capturing that feeling of forming a crush in a night and falling into exploring those feelings with a total stranger.

The Jewel of The Forest House (Erixius) - I really love this fic because I think it's a good blend of comedy, fluff, and angst. And I think if you're a dog lover, you will love it too.

Do you have any advice for new writers?

I was listening to a podcast last night with the comedian Matteo Lane. He was talking about advice he received in art school that he applies to all creative things that he does. It was: You are not working on the masterpiece. You are working towards it.

Basically - do not get stuck in the fussiness of perfection as you write. You always will have chances to change and alter your writing. A lot of good writing happens in the editing. And just because something doesn't feel perfect, doesn't mean it isn't worth sharing. Especially in fanfiction, this is a hobby where we are all trying to have fun and support each other. It's natural to get in your head, feel vulnerable and insecure, compare yourself to others, etc etc. But you can't let that pull you down and suck the joy out of writing. Write the things that inspire you. Things you want to read, and the process of writing will become more fun. And the more you write, the easier it gets. It takes time to find your voice, and the only way you will find it is to write a lot.

What is a writing style/technique that others do really well that you'd like to get better at?

I'm always looking to improve my metaphors and lyrical prose in a way that feel authentic, natural, and appropriate for the scene. There are some writers I really admire who do it so well and every time I read their work, I get inspired.

Is there a character you were surprised you enjoyed writing as much as you did?

Jurian!!! And Vassa. Actually in that fic, Dancing Barefoot that I recc'd, that was the first time I ever wrote them and I really had a crazy amount of fun with their dynamic. I also surprisingly enjoy writing Rhysand because I like playing between his nurturing side and being a shit. I thought about saying Eris, but I think it wasn't a surprise once I dived in. I always loved that man, and I danced around him for a bit out of intimidation, but I always knew once I dug in and found who he is inside of me, I would love it.

No pressure tags: @jules-writes-stories , @lucienarcheron , @starsreminisce, @sapphiresandgold, @lovely-vanserra-sunshine, @avabrynne , @highlordofkrypton

[ihopesocomic]

Sorry for the mini-essay but I think people massively underestimate how much hard work and dedication goes into a Passion Project. People think that creators who make free content, who do their work as a hobby and not as a job, must only get enjoyment out of it.

That’s not how it works. Doing it purely because you want to doesn’t automatically make the more challenging, frustrating, or (gasps) TIME CONSUMING parts of the project any less burdensome. If anything, it makes it worse because you aren’t being paid for all of that labor. You’re just doing it for the sake of doing it, and as rewarding as it can be, it can also be demanding.

Im finally publishing a fanfic for the first time and don’t get me wrong, it’s been great to get feedback on my work and interact with a community. I love that there are usernames and profile pictures I can actually identify because they’re regulars on my work.

But does that mean I don’t have to constantly redo work because I don’t like how it turned out? No. Does that mean I always update on time? No. Never get burnout? No. I still very much go through all of the things paid writers do, because the Creative Process is difficult and demanding no matter what they paycheck is or isn’t.

And all of that is just if you guys WERE missing updates, which you’re NOT. So like… these complaints are not only very entitled and ignorant, but also just confusing. People really just be mad for the sake of being mad, I guess?

Anyways yeah, free content creators are still content creators, and passion-driven hard work is still hard work. You two are cranking out absolutely STUNNING visuals, compelling characters and engaging worldbuilding every single week and that’s amazing. Thank you for your hard work and I’m sorry about the twerps that don’t appreciate it enough!

Ah the price we pay for being human and having a brain, amirite haha

It's to be expected, to a certain point, that people simply don't understand that things like comics and cartoons take time. General impatience is something that can be ignored. If people asking for updates bothered us, we wouldn't post anywhere ever haha You gotta have at least SOME backbone if you want to do a comic. Or anything really.

Comics are a TON of work, and I knew this going in cuz I've done shorter comics before. It is not to be treated as if its easy. (Well, its easier than animating a whole series by yourself LOL) There's a lot of pre-comic planning that people don't tell you about. And that's just the stuff you have to do before you even start drawing. Of course this only applies to long-form storytelling, there's different rules for different kinds of comics.

And I won't even get into what it takes to making the comic itself, there's a lot of parts that need to be considered like formatting, time-management, what shortcuts you have to take to save on labor, and getting across as much information as you can in a short amount of time, while using mostly visuals. It's a skill, so it can be learned haha

A lot of doing comics is on-the-job training. Which I know can be frustrating for perfectionists, but from a reader's perspective, part of the joy of webcomics is seeing how far the art has come. And you can't exactly get out a webcomic if you keep redoing things over and over. You'll burn yourself out even faster. This is why it's important to have a plan lol it just makes it easier to adjust if you have to change things, than if you have no plan at all.

Even if RJ and I for whatever reason no longer felt passionate about this story, and wanted to move on to something else entirely, we wouldn't leave everyone hanging. We'd tell everyone what happens one way or another. Because too many people just abandon a story just to tell another one, and that's not fair to people who were here to read a story that appealed to them.

But the entitlement of people sucks, the constant heckling, the fact we can't moderate our own comment section, and more importantly Webtoons just sucks as a site anyway. - Cat